Mr Fred

At a time while I was working at Premium Ideas Nigeria, one of the many things we were taught while operation a high frequency machine was speed and endurance during production. That was a long time ago. I was still a naïve kid, hitting 19 and it was my first job. I complained and complained to the supervisor at that time, Mr Fred, about how tasking the job was, especially when you have to work on the machine for hours, even though there were breaks in between. I vividly remember what my supervisor did and said. He brought out my CV and read it out loud to my hearing where I wrote "ability to work under pressure." I grumbled and as I was about leaving his office He called me back and said to me like an uncle telling his son, "sometimes we need to endure some strains to get the job done" those strains you have would pay off eventually." I didn't really understand what he said at first not until after a year of working with the company. It was the end of the year party for staffs and customers of the company and as always awards were given to the best production and contract staffs for their hard work and dedication through out the year. One of my good friends got nominated for best contract staff and won the award. The award came with a plaque and also a cash price which was twice the amount of salaries given. When I asked my good friend how he did it at his first year of working with the company, he said exactly what my superiors, Mr Fred told me, I worked hard, endured regardless of how difficult the work was and won. I knew the difficulty part of the job but I wasn't willing to endure or work hard or smart to get the job done. I had let my continuous ranting and complaining get the best part of the job and I didn't even get on the list of top 10 hard working contract staff. That day, for me, was the end of my complaining and avoiding doing jobs at the company. I was taught a very important lesson, laziness doesn't get the job done for you. Hard work and endurance does This happened years ago. Monday started off on the right note. I had gotten a message from Mr Seun saying that a new person will be joining us at work. I wasn't overly excited that someone was coming on board because I felt it would be a bit difficult trying to communicate with him. I wasn't sure if he was aware of my situation but I didn't let that thought deter me from from being too uncomfortable at work. At some point I was eager to meet him and get all that shenanigans done with. I sent him a message on the phone, introduced myself and asked his whereabouts and how we would meet. I arrived at the location early enough and then the rain came pouring down. Mother Nature wasn't too happy that morning. It rained cats and of course when it rains like that there comes the flood. A little while it rained, I got a message from the new guy, Coker, saying that he was already at the printers and there were a couple of jobs we needed to do immediately, there was a job waiting and there was no time. I had 2 choices, either to wait this terrible rain out and loose time or jump right in the rain and flood to get the job done. I chose the later. I got to him and we formally introduced ourselves. I was wet and cold but that's wasn't particularly on my mind, but rather how I was going to read his lips to understand what he was saying. I thought about all of that as I walked under the rain. Well it turned out to be very difficult as I kept asking him to please repeat or write out what he was saying. I'm sure he also felt a bit uneasy too. Instructions we given to him and so we set out to work. We were headed to 2 location. I was trying to figure out what and what we needed to do so we don't spend too much time under the rain. Again I misread him and got so confused about everything that i eventually had to reach out to our boss for the instruction. Instruction I didn't still get. I got tired to the point that I felt like walking away from everything, I was still under the rain thinking about doing it when I remembered what had happened in my previous job. I found myself complaining and then my supervisor words ran through my mind like a written note. Emmanuel endure. A job needed to be done and here I was complaining. It was the wrong thing to have be doing that and I needed to start acting right. So I called Coker and tried to understand/follow up on what exactly we needed to do. We did. We had gone the wrong way at first so we headed back to our starting point and eventually located the right place. We did all of that under the rain but we got the job rolling. When you let misunderstand and miscommunication come between you and your job, note that the job won't be done. Communication helps build up team spirit. Tuesday turned out quite on the ordinary. I didn't get to sleep much because I had a lot of work to do that night, cleaning a lot of rezuna puzzle that needed to be delivered on the same day. I got to work to meet coker who was also cleaning some of the puzzles that were done overnight. One of the puzzle he clean got missing, and so as a team, we vigorously searched for the missing piece. We didn't see it but if felt good to be working as a team this time. While we were on the job we talked. We sort of got to know yourselves better since we really didn't do that on Monday. The communication was fare this time. When he asked about me and my situation I didn't feel to easy talking about myself because I still don't feel that my life was/is good enough to want to talk about. I eventually told him that and he said to me "Whatever that must have happened to you in the past is all gone now. I should let it go and look forward to a better future, have faith that everything will turn out good." And then he proceeded to share a scripture in the Bible with me, about TIME. Ecclesiastes 3, and how there's always time for everything. I got his message and I'm sincerely grateful for having that moment with him. We got right back to work, boss wasn't particularly happy that a puzzle was missing as it would cost us doing another job all over again. We worked for a while and then we all went home. Wednesday to Friday I had a lot of chores to do. Most of which were washing mine and that of my parents cloths, cleaning and cooking, errands as well. I spent most part of those days reading the Bible as coker has instructed me to. I read the passage he initially shared. Ecclesiastes 3 and also some more. You should also read them Ecclesiastes 3 - end John 9 v 1- end Luke 7 v 21 - 25 Matthew 9 v 27 - end Matthew 11 Matthew 12 Matthew 15 In summary these passages enlightened me more about faith and healing. Friday evening to Saturday night. Oga called for me to come pick up the cut boxes for the puzzle. I used all of that time in doing the Rezuna puzzles boxes. Believe me when I say it was break breaking but I had to endure it all to get the job done. There wasn't so much that happened over the week apart from Monday and Tuesday and I think I highlighted in italics, some of the lesson I learnt that are important for me so far. In the face of adversity. Endure. It's worth it eventually. Looking forward to a good week ahead. Speaking of which, I'd like to use this medium to apologise to Mr Seun for not particularly carrying out an instruction. He asked that I drive his car closer to where we were working, on Tuesday but I stylishly declined not because I didn't want to or that I can't drive but because I still nurse a phobia for driving. Years ago while I was driving I hit an elderly woman into the gutter. I wasn't looking at the road. People around said it wasn't entirely my fault because she was on the road but still it was no excuse. I hit a woman and that fear overwhelmed me. That was the end of me driving. It would be too big of a favour to ask Mr Seun if he would accept my apologies and also if he would be kind enough to help me overcome my fears of driving. On that note. Next week ... On Sun, 21 Jun 2020, 22:11 emma azuani, wrote: I couldn't think of something to write apart from the short report of work we did last week. And then a poem I wrote as a result of the mood I was in some days after work. On Monday, i set out to work. I was to get the required information needed for the mass Rezuna puzzle production we were about to do during the week. I met some good people, one of which was quite emphatic and kind to me after I told him about my deafness. Kelechi, you're a rear breed, a good one. God bless you always. Tuesday, we had an emergency delivery, as a result of the set back we had on Monday. Apparently, the picture we were to use for the customized puzzles didn't "pop" like Mr Seun said. We needed to do another one urgently. We were glad we met the target time and a customer was satisfied. Customers satisfaction is really important especially when running a business as a start up entrepreneur. Wednesday to Friday. I wasn't really in a good mood as I had a little argument with my family of which I'm not a liberty to talk about here. I zoned out completely. Not saying a word or communicating with anyone. I couldn't even read anything. But I eventually read the Bible and it turns out, reading the Bible helps you understand situation better. I read and understood so much about ANGER and FAITH. Hopefully that would be my next topic in the next write up to come. I.wrote a short poem I'd like to share. It was one of the many poems I wrote during my time in depression. There was no plan to sharing this but.. I hope you like it and understand how grateful I am to God for everything. Regardless ... Dear Lord, I know you give your toughest battles to your strongest soldiers, That explains why my load's heavier than the boulders. For the giant in front of me is not bigger than you inside of me. So I shall keep my head up knowing that you Lord are in control of everything I walk into your Light Amen.

Reviews

[JayG]

First: Did no one ever tell you about paragraphing? This dense block of prose is literally unreadable, just for that reason.

Second, and of more importance, you're transcribing yourself talking TO someone about things meaningful to you. That can't work on the page because the only one on the planet who knows how YOU want it read is you. The reader has only punctuation. And they don't se that till AFTER they read a given sentence. Have your computer, or a friend, read some of this to you, to hear how dramatically different what the reader gets is from what you want them to "hear."

And finally:

You speak to the reader as if that reader WANTS to know about you and your experiences and views. But readers are volunteers, not conscripts. As with all writing, the reader arrives with mild curiosity that YOU must change to active interest. But look at your first line as a reader must:

• At a time while I was working at Premium Ideas Nigeria, one of the many things we were taught while operation a high frequency machine was speed and endurance during production.

As a reader... Someone of unknown age and background, who worked in an unknown capacity for a company that does unknown things, was told unknown things about using an unknown thing called a "high frequency machine." What in the pluperfect hells is a "high frequency machine?" With my background in electronics that means it produces a high frequency, of unknown kind. I doubt that was your intent, but what does the reader have, but what the words suggest, based on THEIR background?

You know what you mean. The people in that place know. But the reader? Take pity of your reader, because they have words, yes, but no context, or anything that will give them a desire to read on.

And since there is no such thing as a second, first-impression, here, on the first line, is where you lose the interest of most readers.

I wish I had better news, but writing is NOT a matter of recording a conversation. Your reader is seeking something that will entertain. A stranger talking about things for which they have no context can't do that.

[Emmanuel Azuani]

I totally apologies
First off i had no idea people will would actually read this. Please do forgive me for the blunders especially with regards to punctuations and paragraphing. It was a mistake on my path cos I posted the wrong prose.
It's actually a high frequency heating machine we used at work to seal up blisters packaging for sim cards, branded by mobile telecommunications company
I'd also like to thank you for the great /grand advise on the importance of writing. As it's actually for the readers and yes this particular note was for someone who actually wanted to know more about me but I think I blew it with the paragraph, actually posting the wrong writeup.
Again apologies for that.
Thanks

[Emmanuel Azuani]

Again apologies for not paragraphing my comments .. I thing it has to do with me using my phone. Cos I don't why it's not paragraphing .