When I connect to the public WiFi, I find two missed calls from Larry. I’m distracted by a baby girl who’s running towards me. She’s about two years old. Her long flowing hair the color of clay is tied into a knot with a ribbon. “Alena, Alena,” her brother calls out. He’s running after her….
Author: Ernest Tuape
Why I write
This is Day 1 of #UGBlogMonth. I know why I started blogging. I wrote about it last year. You’ll find it here. The short of it is I was unemployed and broke. But why do I really write? Why do I put words on pages? Why do I keep doing it even when I don’t…
Day #21: 21 Things
We adjust to situations we find ourselves in. Man will find entertainment in some unusual things. I had fun washing coins. It had nothing to do with the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. I was bored asf that day when I washed those coins. I couldn’t find joy in doing anything else, so I tossed them and washed…
Day #20: Rant
I have a colleague from Cameroon. He’s a personable guy with high spirits. He’s fun to be around and gets things done. I’ve worked with him on two small initiatives. You can count on him. At the beginning of this year, he needed to make a work trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo. And…
Day #19: My Skechers – A Review
My toes slant at an acute angle. They are like a family of five; dad, mum and a line of three children ages eight, six, and four. My toes take the shape of a pan flute held together by a sisal rope. Which means if I did the moonwalk, spun and finished it off with…
Day #18: A Day in Lockdown
Weekday It always starts with Tiara. She wakes me up at 7:15am. She never forgets. She’s a consistent servant, always on the right side of my bed. But I’m not that disciplined. I turn away. I tell her to shut up. I ask her not to bother me. I tell her to find her friends…
Day #17: Best Advice (so far)
I’m rumbling on and on about how unsure I am of the things I’m doing. I tell him I’m afraid. “I’m scared,” I say. Things don’t seem to be going my way. The waitress places a cappuccino on my side of the table and for him, an espresso. That’s how he likes his coffee. Bold…
Day #16: Playing Guitar
I was 11 when I saw my classmate Mark play the guitar. He held that instrument like a jewel. He strummed it with the innocent right hand of a child. His fingers were like rubber when he pressed them against the strings. I’d drool at how he played those chords. Mark would lead us to…
Day #15: Letter to Younger Me
Look man, lots of things will happen. At 21, you’ll watch Steve Jobs commencement address to Stanford University graduates. He will say, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” At 26, you’ll get the…
Day #14: Gifts and Ideas
We’ve got to understand why we are giving a gift. Is it to celebrate something? Is it to honor an occasion? Is it to appreciate someone? Is it to show love? Is it to build friendship? Is it to make someone happy? Is it to apologize? Is it to surprise the recipient? Is it to…