2025
A year of small moments that mattered
This is a reflection of my 2025, and I’ve decided to capture it in bits of how I remember events by months. It feels like sticky notes of scrambled highlights in chronological order.
January
I was at my folks’ for the New Year’s celebration. It was really nice with everyone at home. I had an idea for a product that I believe solved a real problem for teams in workplaces. I discussed it with Lara, Jadesola, and Darasimi, and we bounced ideas around. I’d later call the product Tealy.
******
Sometime late 2024, between October and December, I had started building a daily word puzzle game with Darasimi. I used to design games a couple years back, and I’ve thought of reviving that in bits. One idea that had been on my mind most of the year was building a collection of games that people can easily access and play. I decided to start with this daily word puzzle game: Word Guess. Lara was very helpful in refining the initial idea and testing. Kachi too.
I eventually pushed Word Guess to the public on the 8th of January 2025 after consistently playing daily with friends for 36 days. That also helped validate initial stickiness.
February
I built Letters of Love with Darasimi and launched it on Valentine’s Day. It was one of my 2024 ideas as well. Darasimi called it the most human project he has worked on, and I totally agree.
March
I started playing padel. Honestly, I think it was February, but I'm not sure. The whole point is that it was around this time that I got into padel. It quickly became an early-morning Saturday ritual ever since.
********
Besides weekend padel, this period was pretty calm. I was mostly building Tealy with Lara and Darasimi.
May
Word Guess was already seeing a consistent number of daily plays among friends. It had become a daily ritual for me to share my daily plays with people I kept streak with. Randomly, Kachi was also keeping streak with some others as well. He mentioned creating a Word Guess group chat where we could share daily plays in a single place. It was a great idea. I created the group chat, and it’s still active to date.
******
We (Lara, Darasimi, and I) pushed Tealy out in private beta. It was also the beginning of several call sessions with businesses and some curious people.
I learnt something new during this period; selling a product was a different ball game. Amidst some of the exhaustion, it was also a new and exciting domain. We built something that works, and seeing that alone felt quietly satisfying.
*****
It was my 30th birthday. I did a photoshoot for the first time in my life. Not sure I’d have done this if not for Lara, and to be honest, I liked it.
Man, I had a lot of people at my house for my birthday. It was really nice. It was also the first time I created a birthday wishlist, and it felt really good to receive gifts. Lara made everyone write birthday wishes on my birthday card, a tradition she started the previous year, which has now become a ritual we do for each other’s birthdays. Lara loves cards, and it’s something I’ve grown to love too.
Now, when I look at the cards, I smile. It’s the little things in life, isn’t it? Life is somewhat funny where we get to appreciate little gestures like this later in hindsight.
June
I learned to cut my hair myself in June. I had been thinking of cutting my hair myself for a while, and I finally took the bold step after watching a bunch of TikTok videos on how to get a good buzz cut. To be honest, I did well for my first try. It’s been a year now, and I’ve been cutting my hair myself ever since.
*********
I called my mom one morning, and she was talking about how my dad won’t let her cut his hair, considering it’s almost a skin cut. It was so funny, but to be honest, I don’t know why my dad bothers with his home-service barber if my mom is going to do it for free lol.
*********
My dad turned 60 on the 27th. We had a family photoshoot in the morning. My mom loves a photoshoot, and it has become a family tradition I’ve grown to love. I’ve come to realise that preserving memories matters a lot the older I grow. They’re like little visual time capsules etched into moments.
July
Kachi bought me a book on Enzo Ferrari, which I really love. It’s a great read. One of my interests is watching motorsport documentaries (both old and new) on race car drivers and makers, so this was a perfect gift.
******
Lara’s birthday was on the 28th, which fell on a Monday. She wanted a very calm birthday this year, so we had a little get-together with friends after work at my house.
I really like this video I shot of everyone wishing her a happy birthday. It was cute when she said “E ṣe o” in Yoruba at the end.
I realised I capture places more than people, so at the beginning of the year, I started taking more pictures and videos of friends. These memories are important to me.
August
Lara and I travelled to Cape Town on the first of August. Cape Town is a really beautiful city. The views are stunning. I love taking great pictures of places, so this was paradise for me. We really enjoyed the trip, also because we had a pretty fun itinerary as well, from adrenaline-spiking activities like the Ski-hi ride (where I felt my soul leave my body), Karting, and Paragliding to calm experiences like visiting the wine farms, the Kloof corner hike, and the Table Mountain summit experience. The Gold restaurant experience was also great.
We got matching double-layered necklaces with a tree pendant and cute little stones at The Neighbourgoods Market. I always get asked where I bought it whenever I wear it. It’s actually quite a unique, subtle, and beautiful necklace.
This trip was one of the best and most memorable trips of my life. It was the highlight of my year.
******
Kachi told me to create city guides with the beautiful pictures I take (kind of like softer volumes). I already take great pictures and write well, so why not?
September
Going to Forno with Lara was one of the things I remember about how the month started. Not because there was anything so eventful about the restaurant, I just remember it because that was the last time Lara and I went out together to a restaurant. We casually go out to restaurants a lot, so that being the last time we were at a restaurant (at least for a while) is engraved in my memory.
*******
I drove Lara to the airport on the 7th of September. It was a Sunday night. She was leaving the country for her master’s degree. Samad, Sofia, Jadesola, Darasimi, Gboyega, Kachi, and Nini came along as well.
There was something about that goodbye hug that made my chest so tight. It became a reality that we were going to be apart for a while. Lara and I have never been apart before. Honestly, I felt my heart ache as I watched her leave. I was heartbroken.
October
Hung out with a couple of friends at La Taverna. It seemed Morinsola (Miss Smiles) had gotten more tattoos. I find her tattoos interesting. I’ve also been contemplating getting one too for a minute. “Live. Love. Create” is what has been on my mind. I feel that’s the mantra I live by, a perfect encapsulation of my life.
December
Taiwo’s wedding was in December. It was special, since it was for a close friend of mine. It was also my first time being a groomsman. I guess it was about time.
*******
My cousins (Tamilore, Tobiloba, and Temiloluwa) were in Lagos. I hadn’t seen them in 15 years. It was really nice hanging out with them.
We also went to Yinka Bernie’s Egwu Records show. It was so funny seeing Tony Tetuila perform live.
*********
2025 was an interesting year. A few things that stood out for me were: building projects that connected with people, reading more, and maintaining a very disciplined life. I was very consistent at the gym, and if I’m being honest, that was the start of me getting into the best physical form of my life
