<a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/0pYIbG6swaHaf4oTvZnRfQ?si=f4139f9c5a06495f">Compliment your Soul - Dan Croll</a> I was called gifted before I understood what that meant.At first, it felt good. Teachers said it like a prophecy. Adults said it was like an investment.&#8220;You&#8217;re smart.&#8221; &#8220;You&#8217;ll go far.&#8221; &#8220;You can&#8217;t waste this.&#8221;I didn&#8217;t realize that &#8220;gifted&#8221; wasn&#8217;t just praise.It was pressure.When people think you&#8217;re gifted, you don&#8217;t get to be confused. You don&#8217;t get to struggle publicly. You don&#8217;t get to be average for a while.If you fail, it&#8217;s not just a bad grade. It&#8217;s a disappointment. It&#8217;s &#8220;What happened to you?&#8221;And somewhere along the way, I stopped enjoying learning.I started performing intelligence.Before I found computers, I started slipping.I failed classes I should have passed. I barely made it out.And the worst part?I knew I could have done better.That&#8217;s what made it heavy.Not that I didn&#8217;t understand.But I was tired.Tired of being the one who &#8220;should.&#8221; Tired of carrying expectations I didn&#8217;t choose. Tired of feeling like my future was something everyone else had already mapped out.Being called gifted is strange.Your value stops living in who you are. It starts living in who you&#8217;re supposed to become.I felt like I wasn&#8217;t maximizing my potential, I was betraying something.My teachers. My parents. My younger self. God. The idea of who I was &#8220;meant&#8221; to be.So when I started underperforming, it wasn&#8217;t rebellion.It was exhaustion.It was my mind quietly saying, &#8220;I don&#8217;t want to be a prophecy anymore.&#8221;Then I found computers.And for the first time, effort didn&#8217;t feel like an obligation.It felt like curiosity.I wasn&#8217;t trying to live up to a ceiling. I was trying to understand something.I wasn&#8217;t chasing approval. I was chasing problems.And that changed everything.I still feel the cult sometimes.That voice that says, &#8220;You could be doing more.&#8221; &#8220;You should be further.&#8221; &#8220;Don&#8217;t waste it.&#8221;But now I&#8217;m learning something different.My potential is not a debt.It&#8217;s a choice.And I don&#8217;t have to maximize every gift.I just have to choose where to invest it.

Compliment your Soul - Dan Croll
I was called gifted before I understood what that meant.
At first, it felt good.
Teachers said it like a prophecy.
Adults said it was like an investment.
“You’re smart.”
“You’ll go far.”
“You can’t waste this.”
I didn’t realize that “gifted” wasn’t just praise.
It was pressure.
When people think you’re gifted, you don’t get to be confused.
You don’t get to struggle publicly.
You don’t get to be average for a while.
If you fail, it’s not just a bad grade.
It’s a disappointment.
It’s “What happened to you?”
And somewhere along the way, I stopped enjoying learning.
I started performing intelligence.
Before I found computers, I started slipping.
I failed classes I should have passed.
I barely made it out.
And the worst part?
I knew I could have done better.
That’s what made it heavy.
Not that I didn’t understand.
But I was tired.
Tired of being the one who “should.”
Tired of carrying expectations I didn’t choose.
Tired of feeling like my future was something everyone else had already mapped out.
Being called gifted is strange.
Your value stops living in who you are.
It starts living in who you’re supposed to become.
I felt like I wasn’t maximizing my potential, I was betraying something.
My teachers.
My parents.
My younger self.
God.
The idea of who I was “meant” to be.
So when I started underperforming, it wasn’t rebellion.
It was exhaustion.
It was my mind quietly saying,
“I don’t want to be a prophecy anymore.”
Then I found computers.
And for the first time, effort didn’t feel like an obligation.
It felt like curiosity.
I wasn’t trying to live up to a ceiling.
I was trying to understand something.
I wasn’t chasing approval.
I was chasing problems.
And that changed everything.
I still feel the cult sometimes.
That voice that says,
“You could be doing more.”
“You should be further.”
“Don’t waste it.”
But now I’m learning something different.
My potential is not a debt.
It’s a choice.
And I don’t have to maximize every gift.
I just have to choose where to invest it.

The Cult of Potential

<a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/0FU7ERQTOECwmEIaWDgdIG?si=61585155cc184dca">Badman gangsta - Asake, Tiakola</a> I owe you all this.I genuinely didn&#8217;t expect people to remember my birthday this year. Not in a &#8220;I&#8217;m too cool to care&#8221; way. Not in a nonchalant way.Just&#8230; life has been loud. And I didn&#8217;t make noise about it.So when the messages started coming in, the calls, the posts, the quiet check-insI was surprised.Not because I think I&#8217;m forgettable. But because sometimes you move through the world focused on surviving and you forget that people are watching you with care.Yesterday reminded me that I&#8217;m seen. That I&#8217;m valued. That even when I&#8217;m in my own head, there are people rooting for me outside of it.Thank you for every message. Every post. Every prayer. Every &#8220;hope you&#8217;re good.&#8221;It meant more than you probably know.I&#8217;m grateful. Truly.

Badman gangsta - Asake, Tiakola
I owe you all this.
I genuinely didn’t expect people to remember my birthday this year.
Not in a “I’m too cool to care” way.
Not in a nonchalant way.
Just… life has been loud.
And I didn’t make noise about it.
So when the messages started coming in,
the calls,
the posts,
the quiet check-ins
I was surprised.
Not because I think I’m forgettable.
But because sometimes you move through the world focused on surviving
and you forget that people are watching you with care.
Yesterday reminded me that I’m seen.
That I’m valued.
That even when I’m in my own head,
there are people rooting for me outside of it.
Thank you for every message.
Every post.
Every prayer.
Every “hope you’re good.”
It meant more than you probably know.
I’m grateful. Truly.

I Didn’t Expect That

<a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/02cgOcXNV1geVn6Paplsob?si=8nnr-e5vRhip9n901xAN3Q">Paradise by Nil&#252;fer yanya</a>It&#8217;s my birthday.No grand speech today.Just gratitude for breath, growth, and quiet resilience.This year stretched me in ways I can&#8217;t fully explain yet.I&#8217;m still processing it.Still learning what stayed.Still understanding what left.If nothing else, I&#8217;m proud that I didn&#8217;t disappear.That I kept showing up &#8212; softly, imperfectly, honestly.Happy birthday to me.That&#8217;s enough for today.

Paradise by Nilüfer yanya
It’s my birthday.
No grand speech today.
Just gratitude for breath, growth, and quiet resilience.
This year stretched me in ways I can’t fully explain yet.
I’m still processing it.
Still learning what stayed.
Still understanding what left.
If nothing else, I’m proud that I didn’t disappear.
That I kept showing up — softly, imperfectly, honestly.
Happy birthday to me.
That’s enough for today.

Still Here

<a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/2tuFSYwh4qjEUWxpHeAj2i?si=085bd5301cbb45e0">Identity &#8212; Chief Oliver De Coque,</a>There is a phase every engineer passes through.It starts with optimism.You believe:&#8220;If I work hard, If I stay loyal, If I own systems, If I sacrifice weekends,They will see me.&#8221;They did see you.They just didn&#8217;t increase your salary.I used to think being a &#8220;good engineer&#8221; was enough.Write clean code. Fix bugs quietly. Carry incidents like a soldier. Never complain.Corporate monk.Good boy engineer.Meanwhile&#8230;Somewhere out there, someone with half my stress is earning multiples of my pay.Not because they&#8217;re a genius. Not because they&#8217;re lucky.But because they understand the real game.<h2>Where the Crack Started</h2>The illusion didn&#8217;t break from Twitter.It didn&#8217;t break from LinkedIn.It broke from a casual conversation with a colleague.Normal gist. Normal day.Then salary entered the chat.Not in a bragging way. Not in a flexing way.Just matter-of-fact:&#8220;Oh, I&#8217;m on around this range.&#8221;I laughed.Because surely&#8230;They must be exaggerating.Then I did mental math.Then I compared responsibilities.Then my spirit shifted.Because I was:<ul><li>Owning systems</li><li>Designing infrastructure</li><li>Debugging ugly production issues</li><li>Carrying responsibility</li></ul>But my payslip was behaving like I was still learning how to center a div.That was my first real encounter with a salary mismatch.Not skill mismatch.Salary mismatch.<h2>The Lie We Were Sold</h2>We were told:&#8220;Focus on learning first.&#8221; &#8220;Money will come later.&#8221; &#8220;Don&#8217;t chase salary.&#8221;Cool story.Bills don&#8217;t accept potential.Landlord does not care about trajectory.NEPA does not respect passion.<h2>Good Boy No Dey Pay</h2>Let&#8217;s be honest.Good boy engineering feels noble.You&#8217;re loyal. You&#8217;re dependable. You&#8217;re always available.You are also cheap.Good boy engineering gives you:<ul><li>Extra Jira tickets</li><li>More responsibility</li><li>&#8220;You&#8217;re doing well&#8221;</li><li>Small-small appreciation</li></ul>It rarely gives you proportional compensation.That sentence hurts.But it&#8217;s true.<h2>Titles Are Decorative</h2>Senior. Mid-level. Junior. Staff. Distinguished.Very fine words.Very shiny LinkedIn ornaments.But none of them pays your electricity bill.Money does.Call me intern.Pay me well.We will be best friends.<h2>The Market Does Not Care About Your Loyalty</h2>Your company does not love you.Your manager might like you.HR might smile.But companies optimize for cost.You must optimize for yourself.It&#8217;s not wickedness.It&#8217;s economics.<h2>The Real Level System</h2>There are only three meaningful levels in tech:<ol><li>Can you solve real problems?</li><li>Can you solve them consistently?</li><li>Can someone else pay more for this skill?</li></ol>That&#8217;s it.Everything else is branding.<h2>Good Boy Engineering vs Paid Engineering</h2>Good Boy Engineering:<ul><li>Waits to be recognized</li><li>Hopes for promotion</li><li>Works quietly</li><li>Avoids negotiation</li></ul>Paid Engineering:<ul><li>Positions value loudly</li><li>Applies one level higher</li><li>Negotiates upfront</li><li>Chooses markets carefully</li></ul>Same skills.Different outcomes.<h2>The Mental Shift That Changes Everything</h2>From:&#8220;I am lucky to have this job&#8221;To:&#8220;I am a skilled infrastructure engineer choosing where to sell my labor.&#8221;That sentence alone upgrades your career.<h2>Another Hard Truth</h2>People earning more than you are not necessarily better than you.They are often just:<ul><li>In better markets</li><li>Better at negotiating</li><li>Better at positioning</li></ul>Skill matters.But market selection matters more.<h2>My New Philosophy</h2>I don&#8217;t chase titles.I don&#8217;t beg for recognition.I don&#8217;t optimize for praise.I optimize for:<ul><li>Learning</li><li>Leverage</li><li>Compensation</li></ul>Everything else is optional.<h2>If You&#8217;re Reading This</h2>And you:<ul><li>Own systems</li><li>Ship real infrastructure</li><li>Debug production</li><li>Carry responsibility</li></ul>But your pay doesn&#8217;t reflect it&#8230;You are not ungrateful.You are underpaid.There is a difference.<h2>Final Thought</h2>You don&#8217;t need permission to want more.You don&#8217;t need to feel guilty.You don&#8217;t need to wait five years.You don&#8217;t need a fancy title.You need:Better positioning. Better negotiation. Better market.That&#8217;s it.

Identity — Chief Oliver De Coque,
There is a phase every engineer passes through.
It starts with optimism.
You believe:
“If I work hard,
If I stay loyal,
If I own systems,
If I sacrifice weekends,
They will see me.”
They did see you.
They just didn’t increase your salary.
I used to think being a “good engineer” was enough.
Write clean code.
Fix bugs quietly.
Carry incidents like a soldier.
Never complain.
Corporate monk.
Good boy engineer.
Meanwhile…
Somewhere out there, someone with half my stress is earning multiples of my pay.
Not because they’re a genius.
Not because they’re lucky.
But because they understand the real game.
Where the Crack Started
The illusion didn’t break from Twitter.
It didn’t break from LinkedIn.
It broke from a casual conversation with a colleague.
Normal gist.
Normal day.
Then salary entered the chat.
Not in a bragging way.
Not in a flexing way.
Just matter-of-fact:
“Oh, I’m on around this range.”
I laughed.
Because surely…
They must be exaggerating.
Then I did mental math.
Then I compared responsibilities.
Then my spirit shifted.
Because I was:

Owning systems

Designing infrastructure

Debugging ugly production issues

Carrying responsibility

But my payslip was behaving like I was still learning how to center a div.
That was my first real encounter with a salary mismatch.
Not skill mismatch.
Salary mismatch.
The Lie We Were Sold
We were told:
“Focus on learning first.”
“Money will come later.”
“Don’t chase salary.”
Cool story.
Bills don’t accept potential.
Landlord does not care about trajectory.
NEPA does not respect passion.
Good Boy No Dey Pay
Let’s be honest.
Good boy engineering feels noble.
You’re loyal.
You’re dependable.
You’re always available.
You are also cheap.
Good boy engineering gives you:

Extra Jira tickets

More responsibility

“You’re doing well”

Small-small appreciation

It rarely gives you proportional compensation.
That sentence hurts.
But it’s true.
Titles Are Decorative
Senior.
Mid-level.
Junior.
Staff.
Distinguished.
Very fine words.
Very shiny LinkedIn ornaments.
But none of them pays your electricity bill.
Money does.
Call me intern.
Pay me well.
We will be best friends.
The Market Does Not Care About Your Loyalty
Your company does not love you.
Your manager might like you.
HR might smile.
But companies optimize for cost.
You must optimize for yourself.
It’s not wickedness.
It’s economics.
The Real Level System
There are only three meaningful levels in tech:

Can you solve real problems?

Can you solve them consistently?

Can someone else pay more for this skill?

That’s it.
Everything else is branding.
Good Boy Engineering vs Paid Engineering
Good Boy Engineering:

Waits to be recognized

Hopes for promotion

Works quietly

Avoids negotiation

Paid Engineering:

Positions value loudly

Applies one level higher

Negotiates upfront

Chooses markets carefully

Same skills.
Different outcomes.
The Mental Shift That Changes Everything
From:
“I am lucky to have this job”
To:
“I am a skilled infrastructure engineer choosing where to sell my labor.”
That sentence alone upgrades your career.
Another Hard Truth
People earning more than you are not necessarily better than you.
They are often just:

In better markets

Better at negotiating

Better at positioning

Skill matters.
But market selection matters more.
My New Philosophy
I don’t chase titles.
I don’t beg for recognition.
I don’t optimize for praise.
I optimize for:

Learning

Leverage

Compensation

Everything else is optional.
If You’re Reading This
And you:

Own systems

Ship real infrastructure

Debug production

Carry responsibility

But your pay doesn’t reflect it…
You are not ungrateful.
You are underpaid.
There is a difference.
Final Thought
You don’t need permission to want more.
You don’t need to feel guilty.
You don’t need to wait five years.
You don’t need a fancy title.
You need:
Better positioning.
Better negotiation.
Better market.
That’s it.

The Day I Realized “Good Boy No Dey Pay”

<a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/27dM3Oji0ytPXDYGVwDoJj?si=577f76d8eafa4e49">Blame - Gabriels </a>I asked ChatGPT to help me look for a car.That was the mistake.Not because AI is useless, but because asking the question made me believe the answer had to exist. Like if I searched long enough, reason hard enough, compared enough listings, I&#8217;d outsmart the market.&#8358;2m. Automatic. Lagos. Toyota. Fuel efficient. No stress.On paper, it sounded reasonable. In reality, it was entitlement disguised as optimism.The first thing you notice when you start looking for cars is how hopeful lies are.Everything looks possible:<ul><li>&#8220;Buy and drive.&#8221;</li><li>&#8220;Clean automatic&#8221;</li><li>&#8220;Just arrived&#8221;</li><li>&#8220;Border price&#8221;</li><li>&#8220;You&#8217;re lucky, this one is cheap.&#8221;</li></ul>Idi-Iroko(NigerianCarmart website) prices hit different. They don&#8217;t whisper, they seduce.And once you see them, Lagos prices start to feel like an insult. You begin to think everyone else is stupid. Or scared. Or lazy.You think:<blockquote>Maybe I&#8217;m just early. Maybe I&#8217;ve cracked something.</blockquote>That&#8217;s how they get you.Cheap cars don&#8217;t save you money. They recruit you.They recruit your time. Your patience. Your emotional energy. Your tolerance for nonsense.Containers that haven&#8217;t arrived. Customs papers that &#8220;are coming&#8221;. LOT numbers you don&#8217;t need to understand but are expected to trust. Small money. Logistics money. Fuel money. &#8220;Refundable&#8221; money.Nothing is ever concrete. Everything is always almost ready.That&#8217;s not coincidence. That&#8217;s design.The dangerous part isn&#8217;t the scam. It&#8217;s how reasonable it all sounds when you want it to work.You start negotiating with your instincts. You ignore the tightness in your chest. You tell yourself:<blockquote>Let me just see how far it goes.</blockquote>That sentence has ruined many people.At some point, it clicked.Not dramatically. No big reveal.Just exhaustion.The realization that I wasn&#8217;t buying a car, I was buying uncertainty. And calling it a deal.And worse: I was doing it because I didn&#8217;t want to admit that &#8358;2m automatic cars in Lagos aren&#8217;t a &#8220;market&#8221;. They&#8217;re a filter. They exist to catch people who are tired, hopeful, or impatient.First-time buyers. People who don&#8217;t want to feel left behind. People who think pain is a necessary entry fee.I walked away.Not heroically. Not proudly.I walked away annoyed. Embarrassed. Slightly angry at myself.Because the truth is: I wanted it to work.And, admitting it wouldn&#8217;t felt like losing progress.I went back to using my mum&#8217;s car.A sentence that sounds small, but felt heavy.Because it meant accepting timing. Accepting limits. Accepting that sometimes, wanting something doesn&#8217;t mean it&#8217;s time to own it.This isn&#8217;t advice. It&#8217;s not even a lesson.It&#8217;s just a record of friction.Cheap cars come with expensive lessons and the price isn&#8217;t always money. Sometimes it&#8217;s clarity. Sometimes it&#8217;s pride. Sometimes it&#8217;s the slow realization that forcing a decision doesn&#8217;t make it mature.I didn&#8217;t buy a car.I stopped lying to myself.And for now, that&#8217;s enough.

Blame - Gabriels 
I asked ChatGPT to help me look for a car.
That was the mistake.
Not because AI is useless, but because asking the question made me believe the answer had to exist. Like if I searched long enough, reason hard enough, compared enough listings, I’d outsmart the market.
₦2m. Automatic. Lagos. Toyota. Fuel efficient. No stress.
On paper, it sounded reasonable.
In reality, it was entitlement disguised as optimism.
The first thing you notice when you start looking for cars is how hopeful lies are.
Everything looks possible:

“Buy and drive.”

“Clean automatic”

“Just arrived”

“Border price”

“You’re lucky, this one is cheap.”

Idi-Iroko(NigerianCarmart website) prices hit different. They don’t whisper, they seduce.
And once you see them, Lagos prices start to feel like an insult. You begin to think everyone else is stupid. Or scared. Or lazy.
You think:

Maybe I’m just early.
Maybe I’ve cracked something.

That’s how they get you.
Cheap cars don’t save you money.
They recruit you.
They recruit your time.
Your patience.
Your emotional energy.
Your tolerance for nonsense.
Containers that haven’t arrived.
Customs papers that “are coming”.
LOT numbers you don’t need to understand but are expected to trust.
Small money. Logistics money. Fuel money. “Refundable” money.
Nothing is ever concrete.
Everything is always almost ready.
That’s not coincidence.
That’s design.
The dangerous part isn’t the scam.
It’s how reasonable it all sounds when you want it to work.
You start negotiating with your instincts.
You ignore the tightness in your chest.
You tell yourself:

Let me just see how far it goes.

That sentence has ruined many people.
At some point, it clicked.
Not dramatically.
No big reveal.
Just exhaustion.
The realization that I wasn’t buying a car, I was buying uncertainty. And calling it a deal.
And worse: I was doing it because I didn’t want to admit that ₦2m automatic cars in Lagos aren’t a “market”. They’re a filter. They exist to catch people who are tired, hopeful, or impatient.
First-time buyers.
People who don’t want to feel left behind.
People who think pain is a necessary entry fee.
I walked away.
Not heroically.
Not proudly.
I walked away annoyed. Embarrassed. Slightly angry at myself.
Because the truth is:
I wanted it to work.
And, admitting it wouldn’t felt like losing progress.
I went back to using my mum’s car.
A sentence that sounds small, but felt heavy.
Because it meant accepting timing.
Accepting limits.
Accepting that sometimes, wanting something doesn’t mean it’s time to own it.
This isn’t advice.
It’s not even a lesson.
It’s just a record of friction.
Cheap cars come with expensive lessons and the price isn’t always money. Sometimes it’s clarity. Sometimes it’s pride. Sometimes it’s the slow realization that forcing a decision doesn’t make it mature.
I didn’t buy a car.
I stopped lying to myself.
And for now, that’s enough.

Cheap Cars, Expensive Lessons

<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/4a0Freq8zFpI7ToSIJB1ch?si=vCK5St37Q7-RqLHu4Xl_gwhttps://open.spotify.com/album/4a0Freq8zFpI7ToSIJB1ch?si=vCK5St37Q7-RqLHu4Xl_gw">Ese (Pt. 2) &#8212; Keys the Prince, The Anthem Choir (MFH)</a>My end-of-year wrapped has been simple:realizing I have free will.Free will to do what I need to do.Free will to do what I want to do.And more importantly, free will to act when I should, not just when it&#8217;s convenient.This year also taught me something quieter but deeper:a lot of people are very dysfunctional&#8212;even the very successful ones.Titles don&#8217;t fix foundations. Money doesn&#8217;t cure disorder. Visibility doesn&#8217;t equal stability.So the lesson is discipline.And beyond discipline, building foundations that last.The kind you don&#8217;t see on Instagram.The kind that hold when nobody&#8217;s clapping.Because everything else is just decoration on top of structure.Compliments of the season. Merry Christmas. Happy boxing.Happy New Year.

Ese (Pt. 2) — Keys the Prince, The Anthem Choir (MFH)
My end-of-year wrapped has been simple:
realizing I have free will.
Free will to do what I need to do.
Free will to do what I want to do.
And more importantly, free will to act when I should, not just when it’s convenient.
This year also taught me something quieter but deeper:
a lot of people are very dysfunctional—even the very successful ones.
Titles don’t fix foundations. Money doesn’t cure disorder. Visibility doesn’t equal stability.
So the lesson is discipline.
And beyond discipline, building foundations that last.
The kind you don’t see on Instagram.
The kind that hold when nobody’s clapping.
Because everything else is just decoration on top of structure.
Compliments of the season. Merry Christmas. Happy boxing.
Happy New Year.

End of Year Wrapped

At some point in every engineer&#8217;s life, a dangerous thought appears:

At some point in every engineer&#8217;s life, a dangerous thought appears:<blockquote>&#8220;What if I just&#8230; built my own cloud?&#8221;</blockquote>Not AWS. Not Azure. Not some overpriced VPS.My own. In my house. With my electricity. And my router.So I bought a Lenovo ThinkCentre, brought it home, plugged it in, and said:<blockquote>&#8220;Let&#8217;s cook.&#8221;</blockquote>Reader.We did not cook.The kitchen caught fire.<h2>The Dream</h2>I wanted a server that I could:<ul><li>SSH into from anywhere</li><li>Deploy apps on</li><li>Expose to the internet</li><li>Not pay AWS for</li><li>Feel like a real cloud engineer using real hardware</li></ul>Basically&#8230;I wanted to feel powerful.<h2>The Hardware</h2>I bought a Lenovo ThinkCentre with:<ul><li>1TB SSD</li><li>8GB RAM</li><li>Intel CPU</li><li>Ethernet port (important, you&#8217;ll see why)</li></ul>Small box. Silent. Cute. Unassuming.This box was about to ruin my week.<div><hr></div><h2>Proxmox: The First Betrayal</h2>Naturally, I wanted to start like a serious engineer.So I said:<blockquote>&#8220;Let&#8217;s install Proxmox. Datacenter vibes.&#8221;</blockquote>What followed:<ul><li>BIOS fighting me</li><li>UEFI vs CSM beef</li><li>EULA button disappearing like my motivation</li><li>PXE boot loops</li><li>ATA bus errors</li><li>Disk refusing to cooperate</li></ul>At some point Proxmox basically said:<blockquote>&#8220;You&#8217;re not that guy.&#8221;</blockquote>And I replied:<blockquote>&#8220;Okay.&#8221;</blockquote>So I pivoted.<h2>Ubuntu Server: The Peace Treaty</h2>I installed Ubuntu Server.No drama. No attitude. No nonsense.Just:<blockquote>&#8220;Hello. I am a server. Let&#8217;s work.&#8221;</blockquote>I felt safe again.<h2>Networking: The ZTE Router Arc</h2>Ubuntu booted. Ethernet connected. Router gave it an IP. Life was good.Until I rebooted.And the IP changed.And my server disappeared.So I went full network engineer:<ul><li>Scanned my LAN like a hacker</li><li>Found the MAC address</li><li>Logged into my ZTE router</li><li>Created a DHCP reservation</li><li>Locked the IP forever</li></ul>Now my server lives at:192.168.1.200Like a respected elder.<h2>The 1TB That Was Actually 100GB</h2>Ubuntu looked at my 1TB disk and said:<blockquote>&#8220;I will use 100GB. The rest is vibes.&#8221;</blockquote>Turns out LVM did a magic trick and hid my storage.So I expanded it and reclaimed my disk like a landlord.Now I have my full 1TB.As God intended.<h2>Making My Server Public Without Letting the Internet Touch It</h2>I wanted my apps online.But I didn&#8217;t want:<ul><li>Port forwarding</li><li>Bots scanning my IP</li><li>Random Russians knocking on port 22</li><li>My router becoming a public API</li></ul>So I chose peace.I used Cloudflare Tunnel.Which is basically Cloudflare saying:<blockquote>&#8220;Don&#8217;t worry bro, I&#8217;ll stand in front.&#8221;</blockquote>Instead of the internet talking directly to my server, my server creates an outbound tunnel to Cloudflare, and Cloudflare routes traffic back in.So now I get:<pre><code><code>https://app.mydomain.com &#8594; localhost:3000
</code></code></pre>With:<ul><li>HTTPS by default</li><li>Zero open ports</li><li>No public IP exposure</li><li>No router config</li><li>No stress</li></ul>My server talks out. The internet never talks in.Reverse Uno card.<h2>What I Ended Up With</h2>At the end of this madness, I now have:<ul><li>A physical server in my house</li><li>1TB of usable storage</li><li>Permanent IP on my LAN</li><li>SSH access from anywhere in the world</li><li>Public HTTPS apps</li><li>No port forwarding</li><li>No cloud bills</li><li>No vendor lock-in</li></ul>I built my own cloud.In my bedroom.With a ZTE router and vibes.<h2>Things This Journey Taught Me</h2><ol><li>BIOS is the real final boss</li><li>Datacenter installers hate TVs</li><li>Proxmox is not your mate</li><li>Ubuntu Server just wants to help</li><li>Routers run the real world</li><li>DHCP reservations are elite tech</li><li>LVM is a magician</li><li>Owning hardware humbles you</li><li>Homelabs make you dangerous</li><li>The cloud is just someone else&#8217;s computer and now I have my own</li></ol><h2>The Real Flex</h2>Anyone can deploy to AWS.Not everyone can:<ul><li>Debug ATA bus errors</li><li>Fight UEFI firmware</li><li>Recover missing storage</li><li>Design home IPAM</li><li>Run zero-trust tunnels</li><li>Build infra from scratch</li></ul>This is where engineers are forged.<h2>Final Words</h2>If you&#8217;re an engineer and you don&#8217;t have a homelab yet, you&#8217;re missing out.Not because it&#8217;s fun (it&#8217;s stressful). Not because it&#8217;s easy (it&#8217;s not).But because it teaches you how things really work.And once you build your own cloud&#8230;You&#8217;ll never look at AWS the same way again.

At some point in every engineer’s life, a dangerous thought appears:

“What if I just… built my own cloud?”

Not AWS.
Not Azure.
Not some overpriced VPS.
My own.
In my house.
With my electricity.
And my router.
So I bought a Lenovo ThinkCentre, brought it home, plugged it in, and said:

“Let’s cook.”

Reader.
We did not cook.
The kitchen caught fire.
The Dream
I wanted a server that I could:

SSH into from anywhere

Deploy apps on

Expose to the internet

Not pay AWS for

Feel like a real cloud engineer using real hardware

Basically…
I wanted to feel powerful.
The Hardware
I bought a Lenovo ThinkCentre with:

1TB SSD

8GB RAM

Intel CPU

Ethernet port (important, you’ll see why)

Small box. Silent. Cute. Unassuming.
This box was about to ruin my week.


Proxmox: The First Betrayal
Naturally, I wanted to start like a serious engineer.
So I said:

“Let’s install Proxmox. Datacenter vibes.”

What followed:

BIOS fighting me

UEFI vs CSM beef

EULA button disappearing like my motivation

PXE boot loops

ATA bus errors

Disk refusing to cooperate

At some point Proxmox basically said:

“You’re not that guy.”

And I replied:

“Okay.”

So I pivoted.
Ubuntu Server: The Peace Treaty
I installed Ubuntu Server.
No drama.
No attitude.
No nonsense.
Just:

“Hello. I am a server. Let’s work.”

I felt safe again.
Networking: The ZTE Router Arc
Ubuntu booted.
Ethernet connected.
Router gave it an IP.
Life was good.
Until I rebooted.
And the IP changed.
And my server disappeared.
So I went full network engineer:

Scanned my LAN like a hacker

Found the MAC address

Logged into my ZTE router

Created a DHCP reservation

Locked the IP forever

Now my server lives at:
192.168.1.200
Like a respected elder.
The 1TB That Was Actually 100GB
Ubuntu looked at my 1TB disk and said:

“I will use 100GB. The rest is vibes.”

Turns out LVM did a magic trick and hid my storage.
So I expanded it and reclaimed my disk like a landlord.
Now I have my full 1TB.
As God intended.
Making My Server Public Without Letting the Internet Touch It
I wanted my apps online.
But I didn’t want:

Port forwarding

Bots scanning my IP

Random Russians knocking on port 22

My router becoming a public API

So I chose peace.
I used Cloudflare Tunnel.
Which is basically Cloudflare saying:

“Don’t worry bro, I’ll stand in front.”

Instead of the internet talking directly to my server, my server creates an outbound tunnel to Cloudflare, and Cloudflare routes traffic back in.
So now I get:
https://app.mydomain.com → localhost:3000

With:

HTTPS by default

Zero open ports

No public IP exposure

No router config

No stress

My server talks out.
The internet never talks in.
Reverse Uno card.
What I Ended Up With
At the end of this madness, I now have:

A physical server in my house

1TB of usable storage

Permanent IP on my LAN

SSH access from anywhere in the world

Public HTTPS apps

No port forwarding

No cloud bills

No vendor lock-in

I built my own cloud.
In my bedroom.
With a ZTE router and vibes.
Things This Journey Taught Me

BIOS is the real final boss

Datacenter installers hate TVs

Proxmox is not your mate

Ubuntu Server just wants to help

Routers run the real world

DHCP reservations are elite tech

LVM is a magician

Owning hardware humbles you

Homelabs make you dangerous

The cloud is just someone else’s computer  and now I have my own

The Real Flex
Anyone can deploy to AWS.
Not everyone can:

Debug ATA bus errors

Fight UEFI firmware

Recover missing storage

Design home IPAM

Run zero-trust tunnels

Build infra from scratch

This is where engineers are forged.
Final Words
If you’re an engineer and you don’t have a homelab yet, you’re missing out.
Not because it’s fun (it’s stressful).
Not because it’s easy (it’s not).
But because it teaches you how things really work.
And once you build your own cloud…
You’ll never look at AWS the same way again.

At some point in every engineer’s life, a dangerous thought appears:

I Tried to Build My Own Cloud at Home and Almost Lost My Mind

I saw a DSTV Explora 2A with a 2TB hard drive and an Ethernet port and my DevOps brain immediately malfunctioned.

I saw a DSTV Explora 2A with a 2TB hard drive and an Ethernet port and my DevOps brain immediately malfunctioned.<blockquote>&#8220;Why are you pretending you&#8217;re not a server?&#8221;</blockquote>Naturally, I plugged it into my LAN.What followed wasn&#8217;t a jailbreak, a NAS, or a home server story. It was something better: a real-world lesson in how production appliances are actually built and secured.<h2>Step 1: Discovery the box joins my network</h2>The moment I connected Ethernet, the box picked up an IP address. A quick ping confirmed it was alive.TTL values screamed Linux. Not shocking but comforting.This wasn&#8217;t a &#8220;dumb decoder&#8221;. It was a system.<h2>Step 2: Surface scan : one interesting port</h2>A basic scan showed almost nothing exposed. Except one thing:Port 8009.That port is commonly associated with AJP (Apache JServ Protocol) &#8212; a binary protocol historically used between Apache and Java application servers like Tomcat.Not a protocol meant for browsers. Not meant for users. Meant for internal trust boundaries.Service detection returned <code>tcpwrapped</code>.Translation:<blockquote>&#8220;Yes, something is listening. No, you are not allowed to talk to it.&#8221;</blockquote>That was my first clue that this box was not misconfigured it was intentionally hardened.<h2>Step 3: Passive observation the box speaks first</h2>Instead of poking at it, I listened.Using packet capture, the Explora immediately began advertising itself via SSDP (UPnP). It also performed local discovery and periodic network chatter.No open web UI. No admin endpoints. No accidental services.Just:<ul><li>discovery broadcasts</li><li>internal service coordination</li><li>quiet confidence</li></ul>Exactly how a production appliance should behave.<div><hr></div><h2>The plot twist: the subscription was cut years ago</h2>Here&#8217;s the funniest part.This Explora hadn&#8217;t been paid for since around 2019. No channels. Nothing works.And yet&#8230;<ul><li>It booted perfectly</li><li>The UI loaded</li><li>Network services were alive</li><li>Internal logic was running</li></ul>The system worked. The business logic simply said no.That&#8217;s when it clicked.This wasn&#8217;t a TV decoder. It was a service appliance with a licensing gate.<h2>What DSTV&#8217;s architecture probably looks like</h2>Based on observed behavior (not exploits, not guessing, just patterns), the Explora likely looks something like this:<pre><code><code> &#9484;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9488;
 &#9474; DSTV Cloud Services &#9474;
 &#9474; (EPG, Updates, Entitlement)&#9474;
 &#9492;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9650;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9496;
 &#9474;
 HTTPS / Secure APIs
 &#9474;
&#9484;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9488;
&#9474; Explora 2A &#9474;
&#9474; &#9474;
&#9474; &#9484;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9488; &#9484;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9488; &#9474;
&#9474; &#9474; Linux Kernel &#9474;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9654;&#9474; Native Services &#9474; &#9474;
&#9474; &#9474; &#9474; &#9474; - Tuners &#9474; &#9474;
&#9474; &#9474; &#9474; &#9474; - Disk I/O &#9474; &#9474;
&#9474; &#9474; &#9474; &#9474; - DRM Engine &#9474; &#9474;
&#9474; &#9492;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9516;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9496; &#9492;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9516;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9496; &#9474;
&#9474; &#9474; &#9474; &#9474;
&#9474; &#9484;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9660;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9488; &#9484;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9660;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9488; &#9474;
&#9474; &#9474; Init / BusyBox &#9474;&#9664;&#9472;&#9472;AJP&#9472;&#9472;&#9654;&#9474; Java Runtime &#9474; &#9474;
&#9474; &#9474; &#9474; &#9474; (EPG, Logic) &#9474; &#9474;
&#9474; &#9492;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9516;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9496; &#9492;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9516;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9496; &#9474;
&#9474; &#9474; &#9474; &#9474;
&#9474; &#9484;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9660;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9488; &#9484;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9660;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9488; &#9474;
&#9474; &#9474; UI / Remote UX &#9474; &#9474; Local APIs &#9474; &#9474;
&#9474; &#9474; &#9474; &#9474; (Locked) &#9474; &#9474;
&#9474; &#9492;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9496; &#9492;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9496; &#9474;
&#9492;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9472;&#9496;
</code></code></pre><h3>Key idea:</h3><ul><li>Control plane (updates, entitlement, discovery) stays alive</li><li>Data plane (actual content) is gated by subscription</li><li>Internal services talk to each other using AJP</li><li>External access is minimal by design</li></ul>This is enterprise architecture in a living room.<h2>Why AJP makes sense here</h2>AJP exists for the same reason modern systems use gRPC:<ul><li>binary protocol</li><li>predictable performance</li><li>low overhead</li><li>assumes trust</li></ul>For a box with limited CPU and RAM that must never lag during live TV, this makes sense.Expose HTTP to the world? Risky. Expose nothing and keep internals private? Smart.The fact that port 8009 exists but is tightly wrapped tells you the engineers knew exactly what they were doing.<h2>What I learned (and why this matters)</h2><ol><li>Ethernet &#8800; server Sometimes it&#8217;s just a control channel.</li><li>Good appliances look boring from the outside No banners. No dashboards. No accidents.</li><li>Licensing is a feature gate, not a kill switch The system stays healthy even when access is denied.</li><li>Cloud architecture ideas came from embedded systems Trust boundaries, control planes, internal APIs &#8212; this isn&#8217;t new.</li></ol><h2>What I did not do (intentionally)</h2><ul><li>No DRM bypass</li><li>No exploits</li><li>No protocol abuse</li><li>No &#8220;hacking&#8221;</li></ul>Just observation for now.Because understanding systems is more valuable than breaking them.<h2>The final takeaway</h2>I didn&#8217;t turn my DSTV Explora into a server.Instead, it reminded me why ownership matters in infrastructure and why real systems are designed to say no politely, quietly, and correctly.Sometimes the lesson isn&#8217;t:<blockquote>&#8220;How do I break this?&#8221;</blockquote>It&#8217;s:<blockquote>&#8220;Why does this work so well?&#8221;</blockquote>And honestly? That&#8217;s a better story.

I saw a DSTV Explora 2A with a 2TB hard drive and an Ethernet port and my DevOps brain immediately malfunctioned.

“Why are you pretending you’re not a server?”

Naturally, I plugged it into my LAN.
What followed wasn’t a jailbreak, a NAS, or a home server story.
It was something better: a real-world lesson in how production appliances are actually built and secured.
Step 1: Discovery the box joins my network
The moment I connected Ethernet, the box picked up an IP address.
A quick ping confirmed it was alive.
TTL values screamed Linux.
Not shocking  but comforting.
This wasn’t a “dumb decoder”.
It was a system.
Step 2: Surface scan : one interesting port
A basic scan showed almost nothing exposed.
Except one thing:
Port 8009.
That port is commonly associated with AJP (Apache JServ Protocol) — a binary protocol historically used between Apache and Java application servers like Tomcat.
Not a protocol meant for browsers.
Not meant for users.
Meant for internal trust boundaries.
Service detection returned tcpwrapped.
Translation:

“Yes, something is listening.
No, you are not allowed to talk to it.”

That was my first clue that this box was not misconfigured it was intentionally hardened.
Step 3: Passive observation the box speaks first
Instead of poking at it, I listened.
Using packet capture, the Explora immediately began advertising itself via SSDP (UPnP). It also performed local discovery and periodic network chatter.
No open web UI.
No admin endpoints.
No accidental services.
Just:

discovery broadcasts

internal service coordination

quiet confidence

Exactly how a production appliance should behave.


The plot twist: the subscription was cut years ago
Here’s the funniest part.
This Explora hadn’t been paid for since around 2019.
No channels. Nothing works.
And yet…

It booted perfectly

The UI loaded

Network services were alive

Internal logic was running

The system worked.
The business logic simply said no.
That’s when it clicked.
This wasn’t a TV decoder.
It was a service appliance with a licensing gate.
What DSTV’s architecture probably looks like
Based on observed behavior (not exploits, not guessing, just patterns), the Explora likely looks something like this:
                 ┌─────────────────────────────┐
                 │       DSTV Cloud Services    │
                 │  (EPG, Updates, Entitlement)│
                 └──────────────▲──────────────┘
                                │
                         HTTPS / Secure APIs
                                │
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Explora 2A                       │
│                                                    │
│  ┌───────────────┐    ┌────────────────────────┐  │
│  │ Linux Kernel  │───▶│ Native Services         │  │
│  │               │    │ - Tuners                │  │
│  │               │    │ - Disk I/O              │  │
│  │               │    │ - DRM Engine            │  │
│  └───────┬───────┘    └──────────┬─────────────┘  │
│          │                         │                │
│  ┌───────▼────────┐        ┌──────▼──────────┐   │
│  │ Init / BusyBox │◀──AJP──▶│ Java Runtime    │   │
│  │                │        │ (EPG, Logic)     │   │
│  └───────┬────────┘        └──────┬──────────┘   │
│          │                         │                │
│  ┌───────▼────────┐        ┌──────▼──────────┐   │
│  │ UI / Remote UX │        │ Local APIs       │   │
│  │                │        │ (Locked)         │   │
│  └────────────────┘        └──────────────────┘   │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key idea:

Control plane (updates, entitlement, discovery) stays alive

Data plane (actual content) is gated by subscription

Internal services talk to each other using AJP

External access is minimal by design

This is enterprise architecture in a living room.
Why AJP makes sense here
AJP exists for the same reason modern systems use gRPC:

binary protocol

predictable performance

low overhead

assumes trust

For a box with limited CPU and RAM that must never lag during live TV, this makes sense.
Expose HTTP to the world? Risky.
Expose nothing and keep internals private? Smart.
The fact that port 8009 exists but is tightly wrapped tells you the engineers knew exactly what they were doing.
What I learned (and why this matters)

Ethernet ≠ server
Sometimes it’s just a control channel.

Good appliances look boring from the outside
No banners. No dashboards. No accidents.

Licensing is a feature gate, not a kill switch
The system stays healthy even when access is denied.

Cloud architecture ideas came from embedded systems
Trust boundaries, control planes, internal APIs — this isn’t new.

What I did not do (intentionally)

No DRM bypass

No exploits

No protocol abuse

No “hacking”

Just observation for now.
Because understanding systems is more valuable than breaking them.
The final takeaway
I didn’t turn my DSTV Explora into a server.
Instead, it reminded me why ownership matters in infrastructure  and why real systems are designed to say no politely, quietly, and correctly.
Sometimes the lesson isn’t:

“How do I break this?”

It’s:

“Why does this work so well?”

And honestly?
That’s a better story.

I Tried Turning My DSTV Explora Into a Server — It Turned Into a Networking Lesson

Engineers are a special breed.Give us a small problem and we&#8217;ll design:<ul><li>A full architecture</li><li>A backup architecture</li><li>A disaster-recovery version of the backup</li><li>And a future-proof version for 2032</li></ul>That was me&#8230; over a router.<h2>The Incident</h2>My ZTE fiber router suddenly went dark in spirit.<ul><li>No Wi-Fi</li><li>No LAN</li><li>Just blinking lights and emotional damage</li></ul>Immediately, my brain entered Level 10 Over-Engineering Mode:<ul><li>&#8220;It&#8217;s probably RF module failure.&#8221;</li><li>&#8220;The Ethernet switch chip might be cooked.&#8221;</li><li>&#8220;Could be silicon aging.&#8221;</li><li>&#8220;We might need a new ONT.&#8221;</li><li>&#8220;Let&#8217;s plan a new network with VLANs, Guest Wi-Fi, and future scalability.&#8221;</li></ul>In my head, I had already:<ul><li>Declared the router dead</li><li>Diagnosed hardware failure</li><li>Started pricing a TP-Link Archer C50</li><li>Even reached the guest network design phase of grief</li></ul>I was already living in the future.<h2>Meanwhile&#8230; Reality Was in 5 Volts</h2>Out of pure frustration, not wisdom, I changed the power adapter.Same router. Same fiber. Same setup. New charger.Everything came back.<ul><li>Wi-Fi </li><li>LAN </li><li>Internet </li><li>My pride shattered </li></ul>No firmware. No burned chip. No network redesign.Just a bad power adapter.<h2>The Real Lesson</h2>Before you:<ul><li>Redesign the system</li><li>Blame hardware</li><li>Curse the manufacturer</li><li>Message your ISP</li><li>Add VLANs</li><li>Draft a network upgrade budget</li></ul>Check the simplest thing first.Because:<ul><li>A weak adapter can still light up LEDs</li><li>But it won&#8217;t power the CPU, Wi-Fi radio, or LAN switch properly</li><li>So everything looks alive&#8230; but nothing actually works</li></ul>That&#8217;s how you end up debugging a ghost.<h2>Engineers Love Complexity, Even When Simplicity Is Guilty</h2>We like:<ul><li>Deep root causes</li><li>Rare failure modes</li><li>Complex explanations</li></ul>Sometimes the problem is not:<ul><li>Thermal degradation</li><li>Surge damage</li><li>Flash corruption</li></ul>Sometimes the problem is just:<blockquote>&#8220;This charger is tired, boss.&#8221;</blockquote><h2>Ocheverse Moral of the Day</h2>Before you over-engineer:<ul><li>Check power</li><li>Check cables</li><li> Check adapters</li><li> Check the obvious</li></ul>Because not every problem needs:<ul><li>A new router</li><li>A new architecture</li><li>Or a &#8358;50k solution</li></ul>Sometimes it just needs:<ul><li>A &#8358;3k charger to retire quietly.</li></ul>

Engineers are a special breed.
Give us a small problem and we’ll design:

A full architecture

A backup architecture

A disaster-recovery version of the backup

And a future-proof version for 2032

That was me… over a router.
The Incident
My ZTE fiber router suddenly went dark in spirit.

No Wi-Fi

No LAN

Just blinking lights and emotional damage

Immediately, my brain entered Level 10 Over-Engineering Mode:

“It’s probably RF module failure.”

“The Ethernet switch chip might be cooked.”

“Could be silicon aging.”

“We might need a new ONT.”

“Let’s plan a new network with VLANs, Guest Wi-Fi, and future scalability.”

In my head, I had already:

Declared the router dead

Diagnosed hardware failure

Started pricing a TP-Link Archer C50

Even reached the guest network design phase of grief

I was already living in the future.
Meanwhile… Reality Was in 5 Volts
Out of pure frustration, not wisdom, I changed the power adapter.
Same router.
Same fiber.
Same setup.
New charger.
Everything came back.

Wi-Fi 

LAN 

Internet 

My pride shattered 

No firmware.
No burned chip.
No network redesign.
Just a bad power adapter.
The Real Lesson
Before you:

Redesign the system

Blame hardware

Curse the manufacturer

Message your ISP

Add VLANs

Draft a network upgrade budget

Check the simplest thing first.
Because:

A weak adapter can still light up LEDs

But it won’t power the CPU, Wi-Fi radio, or LAN switch properly

So everything looks alive… but nothing actually works

That’s how you end up debugging a ghost.
Engineers Love Complexity, Even When Simplicity Is Guilty
We like:

Deep root causes

Rare failure modes

Complex explanations

Sometimes the problem is not:

Thermal degradation

Surge damage

Flash corruption

Sometimes the problem is just:

“This charger is tired, boss.”

Ocheverse Moral of the Day
Before you over-engineer:

Check power

Check cables

 Check adapters

 Check the obvious

Because not every problem needs:

A new router

A new architecture

Or a ₦50k solution

Sometimes it just needs:

A ₦3k charger to retire quietly.

Before You Over-Engineer, Check the Power Adapter

There&#8217;s a strange kind of burnout no one talks about

There&#8217;s a strange kind of burnout no one talks about not the physical one where you&#8217;re tired, but the creative one where you forget what joy feels like.It happens quietly. You wake up one day and realise your whole life revolves around fixing things: bugs, systems, deployments, people. Everything you do has a purpose, a ticket, a deadline. And then you blink, and you can&#8217;t remember the last time you did something for no reason.That&#8217;s why every engineer needs a creative outlet something useless, irrational, and deeply yours.<h3>Because structure will eat you alive</h3>Tech trains you to think in systems clean, modular, testable. But life doesn&#8217;t always have an API. You can&#8217;t debug sadness or containerize peace.Sometimes you need to build something that doesn&#8217;t scale. A poem that no one reads. A playlist that makes no sense. A doodle on the back of your to-do list.Because not everything worth building needs uptime.<h3>The art of being unproductive</h3>The first time I picked up a guitar again after months of deployments, my brain resisted. &#8220;What&#8217;s the ROI?&#8221; it whispered. &#8220;What are we optimizing?&#8221;But five minutes in, I wasn&#8217;t optimizing anything I was just existing. And that&#8217;s rare in a world that measures everything.Creating something for no reason is a rebellion. It reminds you that you&#8217;re not a pipeline. You&#8217;re a person who builds things because it feels good.<h3>Your creativity isn&#8217;t a side project</h3>We treat creativity like a hobby, but maybe it&#8217;s maintenance for the soul. The same way we monitor servers to keep them alive, we should monitor ourselves for signs of disconnection.When your curiosity starts feeling mechanical, when your joy has logs but no output that&#8217;s your system alert. Go draw. Sing. Write nonsense. Dance terribly. Anything that reminds you you&#8217;re not just a brain in a hoodie.<h3>Building for yourself again</h3>The best builders aren&#8217;t just smart they&#8217;re alive. They know how to feel, how to fail, how to play. They understand that creativity is just engineering without rules.So yeah, deploy your app. Ship your infra. But also make a mess. Write something pointless. Take a walk without a podcast.You&#8217;re allowed to create just because it makes you smile.

There’s a strange kind of burnout no one talks about 
not the physical one where you’re tired,
but the creative one where you forget what joy feels like.
It happens quietly.
You wake up one day and realise your whole life revolves around fixing things: bugs, systems, deployments, people.
Everything you do has a purpose, a ticket, a deadline.
And then you blink, and you can’t remember the last time you did something for no reason.
That’s why every engineer needs a creative outlet 
something useless, irrational, and deeply yours.
Because structure will eat you alive
Tech trains you to think in systems
clean, modular, testable.
But life doesn’t always have an API.
You can’t debug sadness or containerize peace.
Sometimes you need to build something that doesn’t scale.
A poem that no one reads.
A playlist that makes no sense.
A doodle on the back of your to-do list.
Because not everything worth building needs uptime.
The art of being unproductive
The first time I picked up a guitar again after months of deployments,
my brain resisted.
“What’s the ROI?” it whispered.
“What are we optimizing?”
But five minutes in, I wasn’t optimizing anything 
I was just existing.
And that’s rare in a world that measures everything.
Creating something for no reason is a rebellion.
It reminds you that you’re not a pipeline.
You’re a person who builds things because it feels good.
Your creativity isn’t a side project
We treat creativity like a hobby,
but maybe it’s maintenance  for the soul.
The same way we monitor servers to keep them alive,
we should monitor ourselves for signs of disconnection.
When your curiosity starts feeling mechanical,
when your joy has logs but no output 
that’s your system alert.
Go draw. Sing. Write nonsense. Dance terribly.
Anything that reminds you you’re not just a brain in a hoodie.
Building for yourself again
The best builders aren’t just smart they’re alive.
They know how to feel, how to fail, how to play.
They understand that creativity is just engineering without rules.
So yeah, deploy your app.
Ship your infra.
But also make a mess.
Write something pointless.
Take a walk without a podcast.
You’re allowed to create just because it makes you smile.

There’s a strange kind of burnout no one talks about

Why Every Engineer Needs a Creative Outlet

Remote work sounds like peace until you realise how quiet it really is.

Remote work sounds like peace until you realise how quiet it really is. The kind of quiet that hums behind your headphones &#8212; where even Spotify feels like company.You start your day greeting people you&#8217;ve never met. You know their typing speed, their timezone, and their cat&#8217;s name. But you&#8217;ve never shared a lunch table, or silence, or that awkward 2 p.m. office air.And somehow, it&#8217;s fine. Until it&#8217;s not.<h3>The illusion of connection</h3>Slack makes it feel like we&#8217;re together. We drop memes, emojis, and inside jokes like confetti digital proof that culture exists. But when you close the laptop, it&#8217;s just you again. No footsteps, no random &#8220;how far bro,&#8221; no chaos.The workspace disappears, and suddenly you remember: you don&#8217;t actually belong anywhere.Remote isn&#8217;t loneliness it&#8217;s proximity without presence. You&#8217;re surrounded by messages, but no one&#8217;s really here.<h3>The blur</h3>At first, working from home feels like freedom. Then you blink, and your home starts feeling like work. Your desk becomes your dining table, your rest becomes &#8220;context switching,&#8221; and your weekends become &#8220;catching up.&#8221;You stop saying &#8220;I&#8217;m done for the day&#8221; because the day never really ends &#8212; it just quiets down. There&#8217;s always one more ticket, one more PR, one more check. So you keep going &#8212; half alive, half online.<h3>The small grief</h3>No one talks about the small grief of distributed teams. The muted laughs. The goodbye calls where no one actually leaves the meeting. The birthdays in calendar invites. The good mornings you type before coffee, and the silence that answers back.Sometimes I miss the chaos of people. Even the annoying ones. The bad jokes. The random power cuts. The shared noise of being human.<h3>Finding stillness</h3>But there&#8217;s also beauty in it. In learning to sit with the silence. In building something invisible but real. In knowing that somewhere across timezones someone&#8217;s working beside you, and maybe they feel the same quiet too.Remote doesn&#8217;t have to mean removed. It just means relearning connection one message, one call, one sigh at a time.

Remote work sounds like peace until you realise how quiet it really is.
The kind of quiet that hums behind your headphones — where even Spotify feels like company.
You start your day greeting people you’ve never met.
You know their typing speed, their timezone, and their cat’s name.
But you’ve never shared a lunch table, or silence, or that awkward 2 p.m. office air.
And somehow, it’s fine.
Until it’s not.
The illusion of connection
Slack makes it feel like we’re together.
We drop memes, emojis, and inside jokes like confetti digital proof that culture exists.
But when you close the laptop, it’s just you again.
No footsteps, no random “how far bro,” no chaos.
The workspace disappears, and suddenly you remember:
you don’t actually belong anywhere.
Remote isn’t loneliness it’s proximity without presence.
You’re surrounded by messages, but no one’s really here.
The blur
At first, working from home feels like freedom.
Then you blink, and your home starts feeling like work.
Your desk becomes your dining table, your rest becomes “context switching,”
and your weekends become “catching up.”
You stop saying “I’m done for the day”
because the day never really ends — it just quiets down.
There’s always one more ticket, one more PR, one more check.
So you keep going — half alive, half online.
The small grief
No one talks about the small grief of distributed teams.
The muted laughs.
The goodbye calls where no one actually leaves the meeting.
The birthdays in calendar invites.
The good mornings you type before coffee,
and the silence that answers back.
Sometimes I miss the chaos of people.
Even the annoying ones.
The bad jokes. The random power cuts.
The shared noise of being human.
Finding stillness
But there’s also beauty in it.
In learning to sit with the silence.
In building something invisible but real.
In knowing that somewhere  across timezones someone’s working beside you,
and maybe they feel the same quiet too.
Remote doesn’t have to mean removed.
It just means relearning connection 
one message, one call, one sigh at a time.

Remote but Not Removed

I didn&#8217;t apply for this role. No one interviewed me. One day, I just&#8230; became it The Family IT Guy.You fix one Wi-Fi issue at Christmas, and suddenly you&#8217;re their personal tech support line. No pay. No PTO. No peace.<h3>It always starts the same way</h3><blockquote>&#8220;David, please, my phone is hanging.&#8221; &#8220;My Gmail is full, can you help me delete Google?&#8221; &#8220;This your VPN thing, can it make my DSTV work without subscription?&#8221;</blockquote>And because you&#8217;re the &#8220;computer one,&#8221; you can&#8217;t say no. So you spend your Saturday debugging your uncle&#8217;s 2012 HP laptop, praying the hinges hold long enough to install Chrome.Meanwhile, he&#8217;s hovering behind you saying things like,<blockquote>&#8220;Ehn, that place you&#8217;re typing, are you sure it won&#8217;t delete my bank app?&#8221;</blockquote>You&#8217;re one wrong keypress away from becoming the villain.<h3>The curse of competence</h3>See, the problem isn&#8217;t that I know tech it&#8217;s that I look like I know everything. To them, DevOps = fixing printers. Kubernetes? Just another word for &#8220;my WhatsApp no dey open.&#8221;You can explain CI/CD all day, but until you set up a new decoder remote, you&#8217;re not a real engineer in Nigerian households.And God forbid you say you work in &#8220;the cloud.&#8221; They&#8217;ll ask if rain affects it.<h3>The emotional damage</h3>I once tried teaching my mum how to use her new Android. We were fine for five minutes until I said, &#8220;Okay, just tap it.&#8221; She tapped. Nothing happened. She tapped harder. Still nothing. Then she said,<blockquote>&#8220;This phone doesn&#8217;t respect me.&#8221;</blockquote>At that point, I just surrendered. There&#8217;s no DevOps tool for patience.<h3>Acceptance (and back pain)</h3>Now I&#8217;ve stopped fighting it. I keep a small USB stick with drivers, antivirus, and moral support. Every visit home, I do my &#8220;maintenance round&#8221; like a travelling sysadmin.The truth is, it&#8217;s love, disguised as tech support. They don&#8217;t trust the world to fix their stuff, but they trust you. And that&#8217;s kind of sweet&#8230; until the next call.

I didn’t apply for this role.
No one interviewed me.
One day, I just… became it  The Family IT Guy.
You fix one Wi-Fi issue at Christmas, and suddenly you’re their personal tech support line.
No pay. No PTO. No peace.
It always starts the same way

“David, please, my phone is hanging.”
“My Gmail is full, can you help me delete Google?”
“This your VPN thing, can it make my DSTV work without subscription?”

And because you’re the “computer one,” you can’t say no.
So you spend your Saturday debugging your uncle’s 2012 HP laptop, praying the hinges hold long enough to install Chrome.
Meanwhile, he’s hovering behind you saying things like,

“Ehn, that place you’re typing, are you sure it won’t delete my bank app?”

You’re one wrong keypress away from becoming the villain.
The curse of competence
See, the problem isn’t that I know tech 
it’s that I look like I know everything.
To them, DevOps = fixing printers.
Kubernetes? Just another word for “my WhatsApp no dey open.”
You can explain CI/CD all day,
but until you set up a new decoder remote,
you’re not a real engineer in Nigerian households.
And God forbid you say you work in “the cloud.”
They’ll ask if rain affects it.
The emotional damage
I once tried teaching my mum how to use her new Android.
We were fine for five minutes until I said, “Okay, just tap it.”
She tapped.
Nothing happened.
She tapped harder.
Still nothing.
Then she said,

“This phone doesn’t respect me.”

At that point, I just surrendered.
There’s no DevOps tool for patience.
Acceptance (and back pain)
Now I’ve stopped fighting it.
I keep a small USB stick with drivers, antivirus, and moral support.
Every visit home, I do my “maintenance round” like a travelling sysadmin.
The truth is, it’s love, disguised as tech support.
They don’t trust the world to fix their stuff,
but they trust you.
And that’s kind of sweet… until the next call.

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