Ahmad’s Diary #5: on living alone again, a night out w strangers, starting a brand, and midnight amala
It’s 10:44 am, Wednesday, the 19th of February, 2025.
It’s my best friend’s birthday, and this will come out in two weeks, but happy birthday, my baby. You are one of the sweetest people I have ever had the grace of meeting, and I pray for a life filled with ease, fulfilment, and peace for you. You deserve this and more.
I love you.
I miss the rain.
The way it mellows the world, like a blanket thrown over a bed, heavy, comforting and consistent. I love the sound, I love how it feels, I love how it makes everything stop, an unconquerable force of nature.
When it rains, everyone pays attention.
It’s raining.
It’s a bit gloomier today, and it reminded me of rain, and Jos, and another time.
Some days, I look back at my time in Jos with fondness and nostalgia. Other days, I think, wow, those were depressing times.
The multifacetedness of human experience is a wonder.
It was my first time living alone. I was in a state and city I’d never been to, with no friends, no acquaintances. It was exhilarating and lonely and depressing and so vital to my growth.
That’s why I’m a big believer in young people living on their own, even if it’s just for a bit. You learn so much about yourself — who you are, how you handle being alone, and how you deal with things like having no light or the transformer on your street going bad. And you pick up some seriously useful skills, like haggling, budgeting, and getting along with flatmates/neighbours.
Again, vital.
It also further solidifies you as an adult in your parents’ estimation, so they treat you a bit more grown.
Can’t wait to do it again with all the knowledge I’ve amassed since the last time.
Feeling hopeful today.
It’s 11:49 am, Monday, the 24th of February, 2025.
It will be so cool when this year ends, and I will have documented so much of it through these journal entries.
It’s been calm lately. Work and life in general have been… okay. Just okay.
I’m very grateful for that.
I started a new book recently, Ravensong. It’s the sequel of Wolfsong by T.J. Klune, a book I read a few months ago, and it’s made me want to write more.
Sometimes, when I read the writers I look up to, Hemingway, Adichie, Tartt… I’m caught in quiet awe.
Wow, they write so beautifully, so uniquely. You can feel strong emotions through their writing, which is something I care very much about doing myself.
Many writers have distinct ways of telling their stories, some verbose, swathing their narratives in words like a proud Yoruba woman would adorn herself in gold and aso oke. Some use minimal language; the writing is the background, and the story is at the fore.
I think I connect more with the latter.
I like words, but I think they have much more poignance when they’re used sparingly, not too many flourishes, direct, sharp and simple. Sometimes, I will show off here and there, twist my prose in a poetic direction, but it’s not often, and I enjoy it for it’s novelty.
For me, it’s not about the story or the words; it’s about what they come together to evoke in the mind of you, my reader.
The emotion.
I want to write in emotions because those are what stay with people — how something made them feel.
This is why I started writing in the first place, and why I will always love fiction.
Why did I bring this up?
Klune writes almost exactly how I want to write. Every word is important, every line paints a picture, and every time you read, you’re taken.
There are no flowers, no fancy footwork, and barely any fluff. But, wow, it’s brimming with emotion.
Tense and soft and direct and heartfelt.
I used to feel like my prose needed to be like the greats — at least, those who showed off their linguistic prowess in sweeping lines of ornate descriptions and poetic interludes, but I’m releasing that I prefer to use words in a much more sparing manner.
When I write, I think “what doesn’t need to be here” because I want you to see exactly my meaning and feel the emotion, thats all. I used to feel like this made me an average writer, that I could never compare to the great writings of my forebears.
I understand now that thats just how I like to use my words, my medium.
I don’t want you to get lost in my words, I want you to get lost in the emotion I evoke.
Anyway, this realisation has been very nice for me to come to, and I will start writing a lot more fiction again.
Cheerio.
It’s 9:30 am, Monday, the third of March, 2025.
Happy new month, dearest readers
I haven’t written much this entry, which I’m not mad about; I’m just glad I’m consistent with posting.
So, we officially launched Savor Abuja — an Instagram review page my friend, Joy, and I started to give us a reason to eat at and visit all the cute and interesting places Abuja has to offer — and I’m super excited about it.
It feels like such an extension of who I am. I already like going out, I like making content, I love a good time. It’s a win-win-win win.
So, if you haven’t checked us out and followed yet, click here to see what we’re about and how it started.
We made a cute little intro post, too. It’s so precious.
Anyway, our first post should be coming out on Women’s Day, which is fun. Can’t wait to put it all together.
So, enough of the marketing.
I’ve had such a fun weekend, or at least, a fun Friday evening.
Joy and I were invited for free drinks at this bar, so, of course, we had to go. We met these gorgeous girls, I saw someone I knew, and from there, the night became five times more interesting. We ordered too many drinks, ate tacos and slightly gourmet puffs, and played foolish games.
The girls also recounted the Burna Boy and Sophia gist from start, because another babe and I didn’t know a single detail, divulged some not-so-PG13 secrets, talked about how covid was for us, and got free drinks and shots from the owner herself.
Then she interviewed us for a thing they have coming up on International Women’s Day next week.
Naturally, we were the life of the space, and you can see we had a smashing time. 10/10.
Anyway, after that, we went to Today’s Bukka to get amala, because the best time to eat amala is after many drinks with your tipsy friends and at midnight.
Then we all went home, and it was one of those nights that make you feel just a bit more optimistic about life.
It’s also kinda exciting that Savor is kind of an excuse for me to go out more.
The slight hangover the next morning was well worth it.
I hope March has started well for you, too.
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