It feels good joining a team of like minds on this five star platform called the steemit. Today, I officially resume work as a steem content developer and look forward to a pleasing team play that will help us all blossom into our different goals, here on steem. My coming on board today is nothing short of a surprise; something I couldn’t control coz the time has come. I liken it to a pro-life hurricane; scooping me to my destined location unconsciously.
It is my journey into steemit and I enjoin you to take this stroll with me as we unravel the surprises, twists and secretes, surrounding my life and my accidental entry into steem. Thanks.

INTRODUCING MYSELF
My names are KarlBlaise, a humble and strange admirer of beautiful things of life.

Karlblaise

I love cute families, women, kids, good business, movies and the beautiful game of football. Also loved by me are nice auto rides, hanging out with family & friends, etc. Below you’ll see a picture of myself at the center, hanging out with my beautiful sister and her hubby. Feeling shy? …lol

Hang out time

It was one of such great times that add some positive vibes in the heart of man. And yes; I do these without compromising much on my faith as I ain’t perfect.

Who wouldn’t love the good things of life? I choose not to be one.

• I had my studies fast tracked coz I wasn’t slow at school
• Had my first business, less than two years after school
• Contributed greatly to charity
• Engaged in freelance write-ups without pay
• Shouldered my responsibilities well and still still of good repute.

That will make you understand that I wasn’t carried away by the good things of life rather, I get motivated by them.

In this piece of my introduction, I will be giving you a true account of myself and what is obtainable amongst guys in my polity. I won’t be giving you a replica of those polished lifestyles you’ve always known to be western. I admire the western culture but wouldn’t want to give an account of who I am not.

So, if you love originality and want to discover something real and different; not minding how strange they may sound; please, let’s keep the ball rolling, and if you’re allergic to originality, I encourage you to read on as you may see reasons to either backtrack or reinforce the more, on your original belief. But before the fairy tale about my journey through life; how did I get on board this crypto and blockchain based community called steemit?

MY FIRST PEEP INTO STEEMIT

        Steemit

As if in a dream, my coming on board steemit was more like being tossed up & down a storm that ended up landing one on a beautiful shore of passion called steemit.

My first time hearing the mention of the word “steem” happened precisely last year, when i joined a group introduced to me by a friend called Nduson. It was a telegram group that goes by the name; “the naija crypto community”. They were into series of knowledge sharing sections on crypto currency, backed with periodic test of knowledge that attracts financial rewards, for a shortlist of members. We were encouraged on joining the group, to download and study the PDF files uploaded on the platform. This was aimed at enabling new members to bridge the knowledge gap and contribute actively on the forum. Big thanks to the founder of the group for giving me the first practical insight into crypto related studies. He, she or it, goes by the username; Moat4.

It was easy downloading those files, but studying them became an uphill task for me. I got so used to office works that I never made out 30mins to study what I later tagged ‘a life changing gear’. How will I even get to know it is life changing, when taking a glance at the materials never did cross my mind? Well; it took me 10 months in the wilderness to have my brain reset, got back to my senses and was unconsciously compelled into studying those files.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The financial fortune of the company i was working for took a great downturn resulting in a 10 months of unpaid salary arrears. I got worried and wouldn’t want to bug my side business financially. It was this development that prompted SOS search for a means of survival. I had a close shave with famine. It was a very sorry state and there was no one to blame for it; a cash crunch i wouldn’t want to bug you with the detail.
Not comfortable with the way things were going and in a desperate move to survive, I came across the PDF files once again; this time, with my study mood activated. I ended up discovering that I had a goldmine within my reach while moving round in circles, looking for a copper vessel to make due with. Steemit was a true description of what my passion represents. That I’ll end up getting paid for a display of such passion is more than an incentive to work. Aside financial drought which pushed me into having a fair knowledge of steemit, other factors that motivated my coming on board here includes;

• Passion for content development
• The feeling that comes from been my own boss
• Flexible and better time management skills
• Expansion of my knowledge base going by my personal research in content development and learning from the contents of your own posts.

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE COMING ON BOARD
Have you ever imagined having a gambling friend, who hasn’t made $50 dollars in his gambling life experience coming to you for a financial assist that will enable him stake for a million dollar ticket? You not only assisted him but went out of your way to do a double stake for the same game; only to discover at the end of the games that you’ve won a whopping 2 million USD, with your friends winning half of that value?
Believe me, I have nothing close to that 2 million USD, but that’s how It feels coming on board steemit. At the end of it all, it was a yes! Yes!! for me, joining you guys. It feels really good and I’m humbled finding myself here.

So I’d say I feel Wow!

(Picture credit:Digitalmarcus.co.uk)

Maybe my entry experience into the steem platform wasn’t that loud, but my humble beginning and the challenges I weathered through life, I believe; will make you understand how modest my steem entry experience was. Am now on board steem and am glad you’re here too; let’s please take this last stroll as I unravel some personal tales about myself, my life and the resultant challenges faced and subdued, etc.; making my case a unique one.

So once again; who am i?
I remain KarlBlaise; a humble and hardworking lad from a family of four. I am a bit athletic built with an average height of 6.65 meters. Some call me ugly while some say am cute. At the end of it all, it’s about what I believe and your guess is as good as mine. I have good and caring parents who have chosen to stick together despite the challenges they weathered together. Below are my aged parents having a pictorial display of love.

My parents

They made me believe at a very young age that life was basically about morals and hard work, channeled profitably. Just as every responsible kid will believe and abide by parental principles, I did too. I didn’t just buy into them; i lived it and must confess that they do have facts and some bit of fictions in them.

BELEIF
Coming from a Christian background where prayers were valued; I was made to believe that God answer prayers and I witnessed that as a kid coming out from a challenge that did defy human solution. I was suffering from nocturnal enuresis amidst my waiting time to commence my primary education in a school with full boarding facility. The joy of having graduated from a nursery school was beclouded with the impending shame that awaits me when I get into the primary school. Every medical input was to no avail as I almost gave up on life. How do I stand the impending shame that comes with been looked/talked down on by my peers and still feel helpless about it? No one wants to be embarrassed in the midst of his peers and I’m no exception. It was time to put into use the teachings I got as a kid.

“The praying kid”….lol (photocredit:Pinterest.co.uk)

I decided and went into a three day prayer routine, taking my challenge to God in prayer. Apparently, my ailment got taken care of on the first day, but I still saw my prayer timeline through. Till today and still counting, no one ever knew what transpired and not even my parents did remember to ask what became of me as regards the ailment. I feel embarrassed discussing it, but glad my challenge was resolved.

SOCIAL
Growing up as a kid; I wasn’t very social in the midst of my peers. I see everything as black or white. My parental training was that of obedience to elders and doing just good; but fell short of the technicalities needed to thrive in the outside world. They were business inclined and were not that exposed to the academics and rudimentary studies that got me more enlightened, owing to the associated cost. I appreciate them giving me what they couldn’t get for themselves. The rest was up to me. It took me a bit of internal dialogue and exposure to correct some of my shortfalls; most of which happened in my high school where i did find it weird to keep a female friend let alone making advances as my mates will freely do. Thinking about breaking such norm; it took me waiting out for my university days before I gave it a try.
I did well in my SAT and TOFEL exams; secured a scholarship backed admission into the Universities of Tennessee; but couldn’t pull it through owing to the associated travel expense then. I ended up in a local university that is pretty good as well; the “Nnamdi Azikiwe University”; where I continued my resolve of breaking social barriers.My adventure into breaking my social barriers wouldn’t be complete without the mention of a close friend of mine called Chukky. He was better off to me socially and willing to partner me in the adventure aimed at resolving my blurred social life. We will hang out most evenings, hitting on ladies to collect their phone and contact addresses, all in a bid to conquer the fear of approach and it really went well. Having achieved that; we advanced into the next phase i.e. dating. While my first date was a mere expense backed, question and answer session; the second date was really helpful, encouraging and did get me well inducted into the game of dating. Since my school social adventure; I never did stop relating with males and females alike and now, am about tying the knot with the love of my life in January, 2019. Below is her picture saying hello to you and am really proud of her.

Tonia

It all sounds a bit funny now, but that resolution gave me the social balance am enjoying today.

HOBBIES
I enjoy surfing the net and playing with my smartphone when indoors. I also enjoy dancing and hanging out. Below are my best bet when hanging out at night; Val & Dave.

Val and Dave

I don’t mind making a long distant journey if the associated vibe is positive. I love pets too, and my paddy dog; ‘Sterling’, know it’s true. We will take a long walk sometimes in the evening and he always look forward to it when am back from work. Again, I’m a sport loving brother. i take part in sport related activities like table tennis, football, etc. Am also an ardent lover of the NFL league, La liga, Serie A, Ligue one and the one and only English premier league.

SCHOOLING

A sweet savor turned sour, but well engulfed.

My schooling was fully funded by my parents’ business. I had a very wonderful experience in my nursery and primary schools respectively. The environment was cozy and i had that parental support that had me coming to school with choice snacks, academic gadgets etc. I was also living my dream doing well at sports and other curricular activities, having rich classmates as my fans and still swell my parents’ ego with good results as a payback for their investments on me. The experience at school made me always look forward to the next school day. Till today, I still cherish my childhood experience, which was more of what I was given than what I was giving hence; the need for me to grow.
The same business that gave me all the glamour as a kid came nose-diving when I got into the high school. The Fees, the books and everything needed in keeping me focused on my studies now come as a product of financial struggles, in a bid to keep my siblings and I in school. That struggle remained that way till today if not worse. Nevertheless, I did my best to put smiles on the face of my parents; doing well in both the national and international examinations I took part in. My choice of institution was simply based on cost effectiveness more than the quality of education available.
My university experience was fun but with series of distractions ranging from the delays in the school fees and accommodation levy payments, to the cash crunch that made me feel secluded from some average and elite class of kids. Sometimes, I will go two days with just a piece of biscuit and pairs of sachet water till I did utilize some of my social skills ; enabling me to feed at my female friends’ houses, distinctly and at different timing. That wasn’t funny but was borne out of necessity. Despite all these challenges; there still remain the unwavering expectations of good grades, if you get what I mean. That led me into fashion designing to make ends meet. To be more explicit, I had only two years of my university accommodation paid in full for my 4 years course. I also have to run around for school fees when I should be preparing for exams, else I’d kiss writing such exams goodbye. In all of this, am really thankful to God for the strength to carry on. I did make one of the best results notwithstanding the circumstance. I remain thankful and appreciate my parental resilience in assisting me to the capacity they did.

OUT OF SCHOOL EXPERIENCE
This was where the real war came up. No more financial backing from my family, no social support etc. It was more like an emergency that has to be dealt with else; the consequence can be suicidal.
My first work experience was a one year compulsory national service; after which I searched for a well-paying job, to no avail. Suffice me to say that the profitable jobs down here were 60% based on whom you know, 15% based on luck and 25% based on qualifications. When it seems like all hopes were lost; i went back to my fashion business which wasn’t bringing in good enough fund, courtesy of the limited attention I was giving it. Two months passed bye and I was lucky to meet an old friend who helped me secure a job with a commercial bank having a big liquidity challenge. Below was a freestyle picture I took on the job.

            At my first job

It took a whopping 2 years to confirm me as a staff instead of the three months obtainable in the industry. The liquidity challenge resulted in the bank being sold to a more competent one, leading to the downsizing of her staff strength. I was one of the victims no doubt and got tossed from one low paying job to another till I decided to give working for a friend a try.
The office environment in my friend’s company was more like an e-library; where each staff was provided with a laptop and a smartphone. We do handle IT related projects and when we don’t have jobs, the staff will duly engage in internet surfing outside their core job functions. Things degenerated so fast as some of our major contracts got withdrawn from us because of pricing as we were trying to diversify into crypto currency. Having spent so much in the divestment and other business related expense, we were hit by a serious cash crunch, leading to an approximately; 10 months of unpaid salary areas. It was in the midst of these challenges that i stumbled into steemit as debriefed above. A platform I once gave no chance in my life, now proving to be the toast of the house. Am not saying this because of the many benefits I’ve gotten from the platform, but because it represents my value system.

CLOSING
Freelance writing has been a hobby I’ve been passionate about. Now you are telling me I’ll get paid for being more diligent on my hobby? Mehn; that’s all the incentive i needs to thrive here. With your little support and kind gestures, you’ll no doubt be getting the best from me. I now have a fair knowledge about steemit and the technicalities involved in its operation. Notable among the terms I’ve heard here is the word; “Up-vote”. I learnt it doesn’t cost you some crypto to up-vote one. Do you mind giving me some bit of it and make this newbie have a firsthand feeling of its impact? I trust you’ll be of help, even as I send my appreciation ahead of time.
I want to thank you real good for your time thus far. My hands are already itching to respond to your comments. Your kind gestures are very much appreciated. Please do remember to drop an upvote here as a welcome token to this newbie. Make me feel that steemy love.

Am happy, am grateful and am loving it here on steemit.
Looking forward to a wonderful steemit experience.

KARLBLAISE!