Watch Out

If you are in a class and your teacher says "Dont question what I teach". Watch out

If you are in a relationship and your partner says "Just do what I say". Watch out.

If your boss at work says "I don't need to hear your solution. Mine is better". Watch out

If your spiritual leader ever says or drops hints that "You shall not speak against your spiritual leader". Watchout

Your brain is a powerful tool you must always make use of.

Your Money Back

Just the other day, there was a special report on an envelope containing money with a note, dropped off at Sears (department store).

The sender said he pinched $20 from a cash register at Sears decades ago, and the money in the envelope was the $20 plus interest.

Mom, if you are reading this, don’t start calculating interest on all the money I stole from your purse when I was growing up. I already paid you back. (I think I did).

Freedom of Expression

I have a hard time talking, whilst someone else is giving a presentation/ teaching.
I would rather not be a distraction. (I picked that up in primary school.)
In my world, that is discipline.

Care to share an example, in your opinion, of the abuse of freedom of expression?


Freedom Of Expression definition

Right to express one's ideas and opinions freely through speech, writing, and other forms of communication but without deliberately causing harm to others' character and/or reputation by false or misleading statements. Freedom of press is part of freedom of expression.

source of definition 

Bumper Stickers

I find myself rubber-necking to read bumper stickers very often. Yet, as much as I love reading them, I don't have a bumper sticker on my car. I have one that I bought over a decade ago and its still sitting there unused.
It's one of the "Big Dogs" items. It has a bunch of dogs running in line and it says;
"Unless you are the lead dog, the scenery never changes"

Another bumper sticker I love is "My Karma ran over your Dogma"

Do you have any favorite bumper stickers? Any that often get a reaction out of you?

Emotions & Reactions

Once again, news outlets in GH are having a field-day with homosexuals. Super annoying because I rarely hear any constructive discussions.

No one deserves to be denied their human rights.
How do you deny someone their human rights? One way is by chastising them and angrily backing them into a corner. That should NOT be done to anyone. Not because of their color, language, country of origin, and certainly not because of their lifestyle which involves consenting adults.
That is who they are.
Adults. Just like you.
Consenting adults in relationships with each other. Just like you.

You may abhor what they do, but don't hate the human being.
Discriminating against them causes them emotional harm and puts them at risk physically also.

Note to Christians.
Christ said to love each other as he has loved you.

Karva Chauth

A new friend (co-worker), told me about Karva Chauth.

A few years ago when she decided to fast for her husband,

he was totally against it. He said it was not necessary.

She insisted and went ahead with it.

He appreciated the gesture.

She still fasts for him once a year.

Can't wait for some woman to fast for me! I hope that's the day we have fried yam & grilled salmon for breakfast, lunch & dinner. More for me!

On a serious note, Karva Chauth seems to help strenghten the bond between married people. Key word here is "seems".

I have a hard time allowing people to do things for me, I'll say she is crazy if a woman wants to fast for me.

What do you think of Karva Chauth? Would you fast for your husband to show you love/adore him and you want him to live a long & healthy life for you and the family? Would you be OK with your wife fasting for you?

Marriage Counselor For a Day

I've got a solution for preserving a marriage.
I haven't tried & tested it yet. Its just an idea.
If a couple want to stay together, they should work in the same office.

They will have to follow the following rule though: Always have lunch together. Just the 2 of them.

I noticed a couple at work do that.  I applaud them.
I'm guessing that if they should get angry at each other in the AM, they will have to make up by lunch time so they can enjoy their lunch together.
If they get angry at each other in the PM, they will have to make up before bed time so they can munch on their errrm dessert. counselor

Clean strategy. Right?

Muammar & Steve

Freedom of press right?
Freedom of speech too. Check.

If you ever worked for Steve, you'd have an undesirable name for him.
A name similar to what Muammar was labeled.

If ever your activities were under Steve's supervision, you'd know about tears streaming down your cheeks because of your activities.
Muammar caused some to shed tears too.
Steve & Muammar would tell you it was about the big picture.

I mourn Steve & Muammar differently.
Icons of brilliance gone.
Progress from here on is what makes me weep for one more than the other.

R.I.P. Colonel

May God have mercy on your soul and give you a resting place by his side.
You had your faults but you did more good than you get credit for.
If you were that bad, how did Libya maintain the following under your 42 year rule
- highest nominal GDP per capita in Africa
- most favorable doctor/ patient ratio on the continent
- infant mortality rate of 15 per 1000 births
You must have been doing something right!

Thanks for RASCOM!
I was looking fwd to seeing the plans you had for a self-sufficient continent. Especially the bank.

May the souls of sons & daughters killed during this uprising, rest in peace.

True Story True Story

Readers Digest says it is a true story. :-) Enjoy the upcoming weekend

911 Dispatch: 9 -1 - 1. What is your emergency?

Man: "Yeah, I'm having trouble breathing. I'm all out of breath"

911 Dispatch: "Sir, where are you calling from?"

Man: "I'm at a pay-phone. North & Foster"

911 Dispatch: "Sir, an ambulance is on the way. What were you doing when you started having trouble breathing?"

Man: I was running from the Police"

Being CEO of a Country

As Head of my Household, I would wisely select which of my neighbors I'd go to if I needed to borrow a few spoons of sugar.
I would certainly stay away from the neighbor that would tell the whole world that I came a-borrowing.
Another neighbor I'd stay away from is the one that would want me to pay him back 5 times more sugar than I borrowed, and yet tell me straight-up that he wants me to be self-sufficient.
Then there is that other neighbor that will give me half the sugar I need but will tell me what to use it for. I'd stay away from him too.

It beats my imagination why Ghanaian leaders - the proud masculine fathers & husbands that they are - appear to run the country differently.
Running a househol. Running a business. Running a country.
The basics should be similar. Right?

I don't get it. That is probably why I am not a politician.

One Of My Favorite Songs

I and I old I know
I and I old I say
I and I reconsider
I and I see upfully that
Christopher Columbus is a damn blasted liar
Christopher Columbus is a damn blasted liar
Yes Jah

He's saying that, he is the first one
who discover Jamaica
I and I say that,
What about the Arawak Indians and the few Black man
Who were around here, before him
The Indians couldn't hang on no longer
Here comes first Black man and woman and children,
In a Jam Down Land ya
A whole heap of mix up and mix up
A whole heap a ben up, ben up,
We have fi straighten out,
Christopher Columbus is a damn blasted liar
Christopher Columbus is a damn blasted liar
Yes Jah

[by Winston Rodney. Best known as Burning Spear]

I'd Be On It!

There was a segment on my local TV news about a woman who seemed upset that her husband wanted her to look like and act like the hot & talented Shania Twain.

I asked myself: "Self, what would you do if your wife or girlfriend asked you to be exactly like her favorite superstar?"
My first response will be "how soon?"

Who ever it is, I'm doing all it takes to be that person!
Can you imagine the benefits? OMG
You know how fans scream, cry & do all that crazy stuff when they see the superstars they love?
I'll show up at her office everyday just for kicks. I can see it now; she'll be screaming & crying as I walk up to her.
All I need to do is hold her hand and she'll pass out. Then I leave. "See you at home honey. Denzel loves you too!"
I'll wink at her co-workers on my way out and whisper "Yep! I'm da man!"

Anytime she gets mad at me, I'm quoting a line from her favorite movie or something and she'll melt in my hand.

Of course, I'd be dating an intelligent woman so her favorite superstar wouldn't be some crazy cat I wouldn't even want to be in the same room with let alone act like.

Would you laugh in your partner's face is he/she made such a proposition? Or would you feel hurt?

Dry, Yet Wet

I'm about to visit a city I have never been to. My to-do list includes checking if the city is in a dry county. [Local governments of dry counties prohibit the sale of alcohol]
That had me thinking; I can't imagine Ghana having a city where alcohol is prohibited. We seem to enjoy our liquor don't we?

Monday Monday

Happy Monday to you!
Whatever comes at you today, get yourself to not stress about it.
I read that heart attacks occur mostly between 4am to 10am on Mondays.

If you are able to curb the stress during that time, just stay on that wave and keep saying buh-bye to stress.

(I havent seen the raw data for that study but it sure is a good reminder for me to take it easy on Mondays)

How I speak

A blogpost I read a while back stuck with me.
It was about Ghanaians losing their Ghanaian accent (deliberately or not), when they travel outside the country.
I remember this post because I am one of those people.
I remember this post because it bothers me now, that I lost my Ghanaian accent.

Plus side: Being a prankster, I get my kicks from getting to see the blank look on people's faces when we meet, after talking to them on the phone.

I adapted to my host country and changed to make their life and my life easier.
It gets annoying when "huh?" keeps interrupting simple conversations/ discussions.
You wont catch me saying Subaru in this town! Su-bah-roo? Nah. That wont work. It will turn too many heads so I'll blend in with Su-broo.
Yeah I know. Silly. That's how I felt today describing that car.

There are no regrets. However, I wish back then, I didnt need to compromise so much.

Secrets

Watching a show on TV and these 5 friends have decided to keep a secret to protect one of them.
That had me wondering what secrets I might be keeping for others.
I couldn't recall any. Isn't that scary?
That's not a good sign because it could mean I don't know how to keep secrets. It might also mean nobody tells me their secrets.
I like the latter.

Telling someone something and expecting them to keep it to themselves is just not fair.
If you couldn't keep it to yourself, why expect the person to do so?

My excuse is that I have a terrible memory, although some friends say it is selective memory since I only remember the weirdest things instead of the important things I'm expected to remember.
I agree but don't tell any of them.

Plotting Definition Versus Time

I'm collecting data for a chart. y=kx The raw data is english words, and I'll plot that to show how their definitions change with time.
For now, I only have a few words ready to go.

1. Rebel.
Can be rebel forces one day, the next day "peace-seeking" world leaders recognize you as legitimate rulers.
2. Freedom-Fighter
This changes to terrorist on the time scale as well as geographical location.
3. The One.
One day he/she is heaven-sent. The years roll by and his/her name changes to "blood-sucking-ex".


Thats life.
Got any words to add?

Oh Yes He Was!

I usually hit this 4 mile stretch of traffic on my way out in the morning. It slows to a steady 40mph (about 65km/h).
Yesterday, I used up that time well in traffic when I pulled out a document I needed to review.
It went well: I had the document on the steering wheel, clasped on both sides with my hands.

So, I'm doing the same thing this morning. Same stretch of traffic.
I look over at the car next to me. This man is playing his guitar!! Driving & plucking strings.
With people like him on the road, I quickly put my document away!

I'm ashamed though. I shouldn't need the law to tell me I must have undivided attention when I drive.
No more document reviews whilst driving, for me.

Miss Angola Won!

Leila Lopes sashayed up that stage in Brazil & snatched the 2011 tiara!
You go girrrrl!
I had my money on Miss Venezuela but somehow lost track of her after the top 16 were picked. In my mind, I kept thinking Miss Angola is cute but she just doesn't stand out enough.
She sure showed me!! Her only competition was the highly confident Miss Brazil.
Leila school'd them with her answer to the final question.

Question:
"If you could change one of your personal characteristics, which one would it be and why?"

Leila's Answer:
"Thank God, I’m very well satisfied with the way God created me and I would not change a thing. I consider myself a woman with inner beauty. I have my principles. I have acquired many wonderful principles from my family and I plan to follow this through the rest of my life."

Yeah! Thats what I would have said too. :-)
Congrats Leila!

Now anyone ready for me to predict this weekend's winning lotto numbers?

*photo courtesy ABCnews.com

Miss Universe 2011

I'm rooting for you Erica!! (you know, because of the "I promise on my honour ... " thing. Go Ghana!).
However, there is something about Miss Venezuela's eyes.

My 3 picks:
Miss Venezuela, Miss Montenegro & Miss Ghana.

Hiccups Be Gone

How do you describe spicy food? Is it food with lots of different spices tastefully blended together?
Does spicy mean call-the-fire-department-cos-my mouth-is-on-fire!?
My sense of taste is not exactly on point so I wouldn't consider myself an appropriate judge in defining spicy.

On a good day, I'd go for any dish with a truckload of hot hot hot pepper in it. That to me, is spicy.
Sad part is, I get hiccups the moment the food goes down my throat.
That doesnt stop me though. I found a way to neutralize the hiccups without filling up my stomach with water.

Try this and let me know if it works.

When the hiccups start, time the interval between hiccups.
Brace yourself, hold your breath and keep still.
Hold on and do not hiccup.
Suppress 3 hiccups (or hold your breath as long as 3 hiccups would have lasted), and then exhale.
Hiccups should be gone.

Try not to tease me by describing the spicy food you tried this with.

Spend it

When I use money to do something useless or non-productive, I say the money was "wasted".
When I use it for something beneficial, I mostly say I "spent" it.

I need to spend my life.
Every second of my life is worth a lot.
It is up to me to to spend it well

Speaking of Proverbs

I learnt to speak Twi from my friends I used to run the streets with when we were kids. I know just enough to get by but you don't want to hear me break out my arsenal of Akan proverbs!
I'll have you rolling on the floor cracking-up having a fit!
Partially because it sounds funny coming from me but mostly because Me tumi dwa ma num paaaaaa. Wo te!  Pretty much means: I can run my mouth! (I'm open to corrections on my spelling).
Just for fun though :-). I love imitating Ashanti linguists because I admire them so much. Their command of the language, their vocabulary and the way they use proverbs is out of this world.

Since I'm far from home, Nana Fredua-Agyeman's work at Image Nations, is where I learn new proverbs and refresh my memory of old ones, every Monday.

Friday is here so let me serve you some good words you might need this weekend.
If you must choose between 2 evils, be sure to pick the one you haven't tried before.
(got that from a one-minute-philosopher on the radio station 104.7)

Philosopher Next Door

It hit me the other day that I hadn't yet met a philosopher in all my life.
That's when I looked up what makes someone a philosopher. I had to pause and think before coming up with names of philosophers that are alive.
Stephen Hawkings came to mind first but only because our paths almost crossed.
I quickly put Ayi Kwei Armah at the top of my list of "Philosophers In My Lifetime"
I haven't met him but I know a bunch of one-minute-philosophers though!

I love proverbs. Words of Wisdom.
(That's what makes me float away when listening to roots reggae music)
"Our ancestors said..." is a phrase that usually preceeds a Ghanaian proverb.
I'm writing this with a very upful feeling that our ancestors were top notch philosophers. Their words still resonate after all these centuries.
I would have loved to meet them, from centuries ago, whose words still guide us today.

Have you met your most esteemed philosopher yet? Who would your highest ranking African philosopher be?

A Wish That Almost Came True

I once wished upon a star for a bigger body.
So did 2 other friends.
We mapped our own path.
Budweiser and milk for breakfast,
Farina & deep-fried fish for lunch. Guinness to make it settle.
That & zero portion-control usually brought on an undesired afternoon nap.
The nap resulted in long nights and no cut-off times for late-night meals.
Yes indeed! Fatty food tastes so good when eyes are half-shut.
Exercise? Check!
An hour a week at the gym! (Had to get those 'ceps temporarily perky on saturday nite before hitting the club).

We found out how fast the belly can grow!
That got all 3 of us back-pedalling on our wish before it was fulfilled!

(was at a party last weekend and the MC picked on the men there with pot-bellies. Gave them a good roast! Glad I wasn't one of them)

Symbols & How They Affect Us

I find it interesting that some Atheists claim they are emotionally traumatized at the sight of the World Trade Center cross.
When I see symbols signifying other peoples' religions, faith or even lifestyles I do not believe in, they don't "injure" me in any way.
If I don't believe in something, I just don't believe in it and can't be bothered by it. I don't even thing I have a high tolerance of displeasure anyway.

Makes me wonder if the atheists claiming to be experiencing physical symptoms upon seeing the cross believe in what it stands for somewhere in their hearts and minds? ..... Just a tiny likkle bit?

Anybody out there reading this actually get bothered on seeing a cross or other religious symbols? I'm curious.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/07/atheists-sue-to-block-wtc-cross-from-911-memorial/1

Accra Traffic Lessons

I'm grateful to the traffic & streets of Accra for all it has taught me.
1. Automobiles are bigger than me and have no brain.
2. Automobiles don't always have an intelligent & alert driver behind the wheel.

It bothers me when pedestrians put common sense aside and depend on traffic laws for protection.
I had to slam on my brakes soon after I started backing out of a parking spot because I almost hit some woman walking by. She had that "hit me and you'll pay" look on her face.
Even in this US city where laws dictate that the pedestrian has the right of way, automobiles still whack them in large numbers!
Visiting GH after a year in the US, I took that false sense of security with me to the streets of Accra. There I was about to step into traffic thinking the drivers would see us and immediately stop for us to cross the street. Thank goodness my buddy yanked me back. No compensation would've been worth what could have followed.

I Need to Stop

I need to stop telling people to “work hard”.

It is one of many phrases that auto roll off my tongue when wishing someone a good day at work.

Working hard isn’t the best way to get the work done is it? I don’t think so.

Work efficiently. Now that's the ticket!!

To me, work hard means keep working at all times and never take a break for anything! You know, army bootcamp style. “Work hard” was pressure on me.  

“Work hard” has been good to me though.

I needed “work hard” because “work efficiently” sounds so weak, I would have walked all over it in primary school and college . It sucks that I must retire it from my vocabs.

Maybe I shouldn’t retire “work hard” just yet. Just in case I have a knuckle-headed kid like me someday, I’ll teach him to work efficiently. But I’ll have “work hard” and its pressure on stand-by just in case the rascal plays more than he works.

Happy Monday to you! Work efficiently. J

Humility

All my life, I had an incomplete understanding of "Humility".
I had one interpretation of it in my youth, and sped into adulthood with it.
I was a humble young man because I socialized with anybody I met, regardless of background.
Nothing could stop me from comfortably hanging with people
in places where others would be surprised to see me.

I am older now and I have learned that Humility is more than that.
One aspect of humility I am working on for me is to submit to reason and the good of humanity.
Shed that "You-can't-teach-me-a-darn-thing" attitude.

How do you define humility?

Equilibrium

As the years go by, I am convinced more each day that we are part of a system that has an equilibrium.
That must be why we don't always win all the time.
It is just the scale balancing out when I lose out on something precious. It must be someone else's turn to get it. Not my turn yet.
When I get a huge unexpected discount on something at the store, it must be that equilibrium.
An inbalance occurs when I keep more to myself than I'm supposed to, but someway somehow, equilibrium gets restored. Either through voluntary acts or it just happens
Somethings we just can't explain, but this is my basic visualization of how things work around me.

According to edictionary.com, equilibrium is "equal balance between any powers, influences, etc.; equality of effect."

A friend of mine recently agreed with me on my basic model but didn't like it as much anymore when I added that God is the one maintaining that equilibrium.

I'd like to know the most fundamental model you have, that expresses your view of how things work around you.

Takeovers

What happens when we fight each other and engage in civil wars?
Some other nation will step in and say they are here to save us from killing each other.
They will first destroy our crappy infrastructure when they fly-by and sprinkle bombs on us, kill a few of us in addition to the blood we are spilling.
When we have lost enough and get tired & hungry from the in-fighting, they will step up and
spend their money rebuilding our cities.

Guess who owns the re-built city now!?!

We are watching this movie live from Libya. I hope we learn from it and resolve our own problems by reasoning with each other and not by war games.

Them That Teach

It isn't always "Those that can't do, teach".
Respect to the true teachers out there. Those that teach because they love to help people grow.

(Thinking of my 1st grade teacher - Miss K. Wishing you good health & peace wherever you are.)

Dream Date With An Entertainer

If I could travel in time and spend a day with any entertainer, I'd chose to spend it with Bob Marley.
I'd want us to meet in Ghana.
We would start the dayout sitting on the porch at the house where I grew-up.
I'd tell him how my friends & I would sit out there listening to his words of wisdom. The good times.
I'd play some of my favorite reggae songs and find out the ones he likes.
Aburi would be a good place to go for lunch but we won't go there. He might catch a whiff of his wife and leave me hanging.
I'd love to ride with him in a canoe on the Volta river southbound.
He'd surely be inspired and play some songs.
The conversation would get deeper from here on as he tells me where his music comes from.
I'd ask him if the "Smile Jamaica" & the Zimbabwe independence concerts were the greatest things he ever used his music to serve.
We'd wrap the day up on a beach in Ada drinking coconut juice & playing soccer.

If you could travel in time, and had the opportunity to spend a day with an entertainer, who would you choose?

Mid-Year Weekend

I'd like to think that we've all earned this long weekend coming up (Gh & US).
Not that I'm counting the days, but we are already half-way through 2011. Yikes!
Time flies so make the most out of this weekend.
Enjoy a good meal, have a sip of something potent, and remember it is easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. (Don't quote me if you don't get forgiveness though).

Cloud Over My Beautiful Beach

In one of my worlds, there is a simple & common english word that is not used.
You start out in that world with all your standard vocabs. After a few years, you drop this word like a hot rock.
Sorry.
Sorry is a sign of weakness. It is an acceptance of all guilt. Any guilt.
In that dog-eat-dog world, the weak are the hunted.
The dogs don't ever stop sniffing for blood once you utter that word.
The prize is all that matters. The sooner you get to it, the quicker you can get to the next prize. And the next. And the next.

All In The Family Quiz

My mother's brother's brother-in-law is my _____________ ?

A.  Uncle
B. Father
C. Cousin

Gift in present clothing

Ever heard this statement by someone whose long-term relationship just fell apart: "I gave him/her my all and yet this is where we ended up."?

When I hear it, I try very very hard to keep these 2 questions from rolling off the tip of my tongue;
1. Can you itemize your "my all" that you gave?
2. Did you at any point compare what you decided he/she needed versus what the person expressed he/she needed that you gave?

I think it is easy for us to give people what we decide they want. Giving someone we care about what he/she wants is not as easy.
If you disagree with my statement above, I'd love to hear why. I might learn a thing or two from you.

Apoh!

I was recently presented with an opportunity in a field different from my field of work. (Like asking a medical doctor to take over a pharmacist's job. About 70% different).
With nothing to lose, I accepted the offer and started looking into how to prepare for the necessary certification for national licensing.
I signed up for a "1 day exam prep", expecting it to be a rough-and-tough tutorial session. It turned out to be a study-by-yourself thing. Each of us got a booklet with questions and their answers, but we couldn't leave the room with the booklet though.
The catch: if you can memorize the questions and their answers, you are guaranteed to pass the exam.

I had no idea these type of "exam preps" were out there. Don't even know if they are legal! They advertise in the open and there are lots of institutions offering them so I'm guessing they are legal.

I passed the exam and I now have the license but not the knowledge to successfully complete a project... yet.
Makes me wonder how many more people like me are out there.

Would you attend any of these "exam preps" for the GRE, GMAT, MCAT, LSAT or professional certifications in fields such as Project management, IT etc?

Tro-Tro driver

A tro-tro driver was heading down a street in Nima, Ghana. He went right past a stop sign without stopping, then he turned left where there was a "No Left Turn" sign and went down the wrong way on a One-Way street. He turned right and went on the left side of the road past 3 policemen standing by their patrol car.
Yet he wasn't busted for traffic violations. Why not?

The most evil of us all

We love them!
They draw us in with their angelic eyes.
Engage us with their innocent look and forever-cuteness.
We never see it coming. They capture our hearts and minds.
It is from this point onwards that they start messing with us.
Get angry at them? Doesn't even cross our minds. Why, we love them!

Come near them and they will find your soft spot.
If you are the kind that melts when you hear a different accent, fuhgeddaboudit!
Hearing someone speak Patois, French, Italian gets you excited?
You will be an easy catch because they will "goo goo gaa gaa" you all day long.

They are something else!  :-)
They know when to put on a good show too. Try changing a baby boy's diaper whilst someone has a video camera running. They never miss that chance to squirt pee all the way to your face.

Babies! They want what they want when they want it (selfish), will cry till they have their way (inconsiderate),
wont play with you even if you are blod relatives (snob, rude) and you better come running when they call (superiority complex).
You know there is so much more to say about them because I haven't even touched on that whole "puking-on-people" thing.

Babies are truly innocent. They are bundles of joy.
Babies are helpless. They don't know any better.
They look up to us and depend on us to love them, protect them and set them on the right path in life.

"Where is all this coming from?" you ask?
I look around and as adults, we do some bad things.
However, some adults do extremely evil evil evil things.
Maybe they never changed since they were babies. That makes those evil adults the worst of us all.

There's a much more detailed reason

Growing up in Gh, I often heard the short explanations why kids shouldn't do certain things.
In our hometown, you'd be told to hush if you started whistling after sunset. Why shouldn't you whistle? Well, go right ahead and whistle, and the dwarves in the forest will come running.
There were many more of these types of "reasons" to deter kids from doing lots of other things. They didnt make sense, but they served a purpose. Easier for hard-headed kids to remember.
The real reason was to prevent kids from disturbing serene nights with their whistling.

Here are a few more
- Dont sweep at night.
Cant remember what dramatic thing would happen, but it was to prevent people without enough light in their rooms, from sweeping away their valuables.
- Females don't braid their hair at night. Those that did, would never get husbands.
The real reason was that less light at night wouldn't help in getting the hair done nicely.
- When washing your hands at the faucet, don't allow anyone to wash theirs beneath yours. If they did, they would be spiriting all your wealth to themselves.
Real reason was to get kids to wait their turn and wash their hands with fresh water from the faucet.

Those old folks meant well. At the time, I guess they chose the dramatic effect to get their message across.

Do you have any similar ones to share?

Oh no. I'm one of them!

I'm usually the sarcastic one when people ask off-chart questions. E.g. A friend sees you at the movies and asks "what are you doing here?".
Well, I had my turn last weekend.
I'm on the highway day-dreaming about the joy that comes with a long holiday weekend, when the flashing red & blue lights and siren of a highway patrol car jolts me back to earth.
Busted I was. Busted I was! Good God Almighty. Busted I was.
I knew I was speeding so I wasn't upset.
The lady officer walks up to my window and I start thinking "She looks like the officer that gave me a speeding ticket less than 10miles away, 3 weeks ago!"
Without asking permission from my brain, my mouth proceeded with this question before I could censor it:
"Were you the officer that cited me for speeding 3 weeks ago?"
She laughed a little as I buried my face in my hands.

Word definition: Junk

Junk is something you kept for years and never used then suddenly had a need for it 3 days after throwing it away.

Chicken Licken & Foxy Loxy

What did you think of the Chicken Licken (AKA Chicken Little, Henny Penny) story when you were a kid? What do you think of it now as an adult? Chicken Licken honestly believed the sky was falling after the acorn fell on her head. I don't know if Chicken Licken investigated the situation before concluding the sky was falling on her head.
An acorn falling on a chicken's little tiny head could cause some severe head injuries resulting in mental issues too. I don't know if that's what happened. There was no way Loosey Goosey, Ducky Lucky and the gang could have known either.
Instead of blindly believing and following Chicken Licken, they could have looked up and checked for themselves if the sky was really falling.
Turkey Lurkey following blindly, I can understand. He has too much time on his hands anyway. Plus, he is always high from smoking that stuff, he will follow anybody anywhere!

Is there something you routinely do that you learnt from someone or somewhere, but you havent taken the time to look into how much it helps or harms you? Since you are thinking about it now, take the time to make any adjustments you deem necessary.
What do they say about breakfast being the most important meal of the day? Well, not for me. I choose to skip breakfast regularly unless I feel the need for extra energy on random mornings. (kids, dont try that at home). Why do I skip breakfast? Breakfast pumps into my body, more calories than I need to get through the morning. It also makes me lethargic.

It is OK to listen to what people say and watch what others do. Just be sure to think about things you pickup before applying them to your life. It is YOUR life.

Vocabulary

The little command of the english language I have gradually slips away the longer I stay outside of Gh's borders.
I am reminded of this when I use english words and Americans look at me like I made them up. (And I dont even look like Sarah "Refudiate" Palin)
For example:
compulsory
alight
junction
loaf (of bread)

Do you remember any english words you have used, that stumped anyone that claimed english as their first language?

Time for some mischief:
If you live in the US and want to have some fun, greet people with "How do you do". You will laugh aaaaaaaaaaa

Woe! Woe! Woe! (was that dramatic enough?)

According to one group's calculations, the day of rapture described in the bible is May 21, 2011 12:01am standard time.
One of the main guys behind this revelation/ calculation is Harold Camping.
He also runs a non-profit radio program that depends on donations from listeners.
Listening to his program yesterday was interesting as he seemed to fumble in responding to one of the callers.
The caller asked that how come his program is still soliciting funds if the rapture is 4 days away?
His response: "We still have to pay our bills. We will be paying our bills till the very end".

I am not laughing because quite a number of people are actually giving money away to the needy. Just slightly worried about those making sure they spend their life savings by May 20th.

Ok, I lied. I chuckled a bit at the "we will be paying our bills to the very end" part. Couldn't resist.

You might be the 1

If you are reading this in Ghana, here's a little exercise for you.
Look around you and pick 9 people at random. Does any of them exhibit signs of mental illness?
If the answer is "No", you might want to check yourself.
It turns out that 10% of the people in Gh have mild/ moderate mental disorder.
That means 1 out of every 10 people in Ghana have a mild mental disorder.

Thanks Dentaa. Your blog posts urged me to look this up.
There is hope though. The new mental health bill will promote prevention of mental illnesses as opposed to curing it like we do now.


stats source http://www.who.int/mental_health/policy/country/ghana/en/

Worst advice ever heard

My brother and I were talking over the weekend when he mentioned that he recently got in touch with one of his friends from way back. The guy used to live across the street from us.
He was a good guy. He and my bro used to be tight.
Thats why I was surprised one day, back then, when he told me to do my best to NOT be like my brother. I just laughed it off and said OK.
I laughed it off because I lived to be like my brother. He was my role model! He had the girls, he and his friends threw the best summer parties, and he was laid-back & cool - didnt talk much. Meanwhile in school, 3 of my teachers that knew my bro never missed a chance to tell me how I needed to me more like my bro, academically (I had my slacker days).

What's the worst advice you've ever been given?

Our Gold Coast

I was excited to find this database http://www.colonialfilm.org.uk/home
The files on our motherland include documentaries and short films from as far back as 1933.
Some educative, some entertaining and some just hard to take.

 Mouse-over "Search Film By Country", and go from there.
Some of the films you will find are:
I Will Speak English
The Boy Kumasenu
Mr Mensah Builds a House
Progress In Kojokrom

Finding a Therapist

I was exposed to the field of Psycholgy in my early teens, but my priority at that stage in life was being out, running the streets playing. Once in a while, I'd read an interesting article in Psychology Today. I did listen to analysis of everyday events by a couple of psychologists once in a while too.
Back then, I thought that field was all fluff and added no value to life.

Fast fwd a few years later, in a different environment. I'm older, with more responsibilities and life is moving at a faster pace. I had only me to deal with my own slacking and mistakes.
Observing others around me, how different people handled the same challenges I faced and imagining how I would have handled same challenges if I were not in this new environment, was enlightening.
That was when I started to see the human psyche in a completely different way.

I now believe that our psyche can be isolated and managed.
Managed in a way that if a person is not doing too well, their psyche can be fine-tuned to get the person in a better, stronger frame of mind.
Since we all do not have the same level of fortitude, some of us do just fine with our family as our therapists.
I hope it becomes easier for people to see shrinks. I can't avoid shrinks though. A couple of them are family members I can't disown. LoL

BTW
not to scare anyone who reads this but here's something I found "Delayed neuropsychiatric effects of malaria in Ghana" Watchout for those mosquitoes. :-)

I tried. I lied.

3 weeks ago, a man I was listening said the best advice he will give his children is "always look a man straight in the eyes when you speak, then speak the truth".
Later that evening I decided to go the next day without telling a lie.
Not even an itsy bitsy lie. Zero lies. No lies even if someone's life depended on it.

Next day came.
I managed to remind myself in-time in some situations and spoke the truth.
E.g. Someone asked about a report I was supposed to complete & send out that day. I was about 99% done and would have said "I'm done". I caught myself before speaking and decided not to lie about it.

I gave up before the day was over though. A friend asked what my plans were for the weekend. I knew what direction the conversation would go if I said "Yes". I didnt want to go in that direction so I consciously lied.
It will take some work for me to get to a stage in life where I can live without ever telling a lie.

Can you imagine living each day without telling a lie? Are there some instances that make it ok to lie?

Casting stones

So, the carpenter's son is strolling through downtown with his posse and they come up on a mob harrassing a lady.
He asks them "what's up people. Why are you messing with the dame?"
"She is a bad woman and we can't have people like her living amongst us" they said.
The carpenter's son said to them "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone".
The crowd slowly disperses.
Then one woman picks a stone and throws it at the woman.
The carpenter's son turns to her in exasperation and says "sometimes you really piss me off, Mom!"

GH Parliament Members & Their Levels of Education

Reading quotes & comments by some of our MPs usually leaves me curious about their levels of education.
It turns out a number of them have "gone to school aaaaa fine".

We don't really have a complete picture since some of the MPs (a few loud ones) excluded education info from their profiles.

I value formal education. I don't think it would be too much to ask that members of our legislative branch have at least a Masters degree before their 1st day of work as MPs. 

Do you care what qualifications our MPs have? Should level of education be used to screen prospective MP candidates?

I know you are good at fractions

Divide 25 by 1/2 and add 10.
Tell me what you get.

Only in Ghana? Not at all.

Apparently, the universal trick to get more gas (petrol) into your car’s fuel tank, is to rock the car a little while filling up. This makes the fuel act like sand, settling tightly at the bottom of the tank thereby creating extra capacity that wouldn’t have existed otherwise.

All these years, I thought Ghana taxi & tro-tro drivers were the only ones privy to this classified info. I should have been silly and asked the man at the other pump this morning what he was trying to achieve.

Looking back, could they have been too hasty?

* Increasing oil prices appear to adversely affect the global economy.
* World cocoa price steadily increased in the late '60s and significantly in the mid 70's.
* The price of gold rose steadily in most of the '70s, intensely peaking in 1980.

* Since Ghana's Independence, we have had coup d'etats in 1966, 1972, 1978, 1979 & 1981.

With the timelines noted above, is it possible that
1.The leaders were judged & removed too quickly each time for not being able to develop the nation in times when there were global meltdowns?
2. The Heads of State that came into power had no clue what they were getting into & for years, never figured out what to do in terms of developing a nation?
3. External factors with not-so-noble interests in Ghana's natural wealth, got a few puppets to de-stabilize the ruling governments in challenging times?

For me, any of one of these 3 is bad enough. Too bad only 1 of our leaders from the 60's & 70's  is alive to shed light on what really was going on at that time. (1 out of 6 is not exactly statistically reliable)
Maybe we should require certain credentials of aspiring presidents. e.g. at the least, bachelors degree in  finance, international relations, business law?

If you read this and get the chance to become President or Head of State of Ghana, please take us on a better path.
Kids, stay in school.

to jump-start your week

A mute person goes into a shop and wants to buy a toothbrush.
By imitating the action of brushing his teeth he successfully expresses himself to the shopkeeper and the purchase is done.

Next, a blind man comes into the shop who wants to buy a pair of sunglasses; how does HE indicate what he wants?

How important is education?

A formal education broadens our horizons. Granted that some teachers are not educators and have no business being in a classroom, what we gain in school is significant and shouldn't be down-played.

If someone is picked and appointed to head an office based on their expertise in the matters handled by that office, I can excuse that. However, I'd expect that person to have a good grasp of the primary language used in conducting business. If the language errrm escapes them every now and then, I'd suggest they get a translator. UofG graduates a bunch of linguists every year.
Why do we have MPs that can't speak english very well? It reduces my confidence in how effective they are at doing their job. How do they ensure that contracts, policies etc are properly written?

I can imagine that is is easy to resort to insults and name-calling when one doesn't have enough vocabs to hold intelligent discussions/ debates. That could be the reason why our politicians act the way they do.

I'd love to see Ghana do more in educating our children.

Think quickly

[answer quickly]
If you are in a race and you overtake the person in 2nd place, what position are you in?

I admire....

I admire the initiative Jehova's witnesses & Mormons take to go out and talk to random strangers about what they believe in.
I admire the dedication Moslems have to prayer. They wash and pray.
I'd really grow a lot if I were as dedicated as they are.
There is so much that we can learn from each other.
Each of us on this planet might be after the same thing in life but chasing it in different ways.

I'm learning to be a better listener. Quick to listen, slow to speak.
I do not have to accept anything you tell me, but i will listen and I will think about it.
If i hear you talking about something that doesn't make sense to me, I won't make you my enemy. I'll pray for guidance for you. The same guidance I ask for myself each day.
That is because I love you as myself.

ps
I'm still working on me.

I Believe (pt 2)

I am still working on me.
For any task I take up, there is a purpose. Possibly a timeline for completion as well.
I'd also know what indicators would signify successful completion of the task.
I have thought about my life and my purpose here on earth. I haven't totally figured mine out yet so trust that I won't be imposing my views on anyone. However, if you ever find yourself in a bind I've been in before, I'll tell you what works for me.
There has got to be a reason why I am here on this earth and there certainly is something expected of me.
The basics I have come up with are these two;
Treat all human beings as I'd want to be treated & make the most of each breathing moment I have.

What would make my day? Being at peace with myself and knowing I have been productive by the end of the day is what would make my day. Both of these go back to the two basic points I mentioned since being at peace with myself would mean everyone I interacted with throughout the day was uplifted somehow by our interaction, as much as I was.

I wonder if i'm alone in thinking this way.

I Believe (pt 1)

Anytime the weather warms up in my neck of the woods, pollen & stuff start flying, my sinuses get inflamed and I have to get on Ibuprofen (800mg). I can be on it 4x/day and go about my day like I always do, without any impairment.
I have a friend that ends up on the other end of the scale when she takes a 600mg tab in the evening. She hallucinates and when she finally falls asleep, has nightmares.
The Ibuprofen regimen works very well for me. Some doctor prescribed it years back. If it didnt work, I would have gone back for something different. Something that works.

I believe in God the Father, creator of heaven & earth, and his son Jesus Christ. On (most) sundays, you will find me at catholic mass. I love slow hymns. They put me where I want to be... mentally. I worship, give thanks, present myself to THE greater power.
I got here because my parents walked me into it. All my life, this path has worked very well for me.
Believing in God, trusting him, calling on him in good & bad times.
I've stepped back but not too far back to look at the path I'm on. As far as my eyes can see, this path makes my life worth living.
I pray that you find what works for you and makes your life worth living.
A fulfilled life is one that is worth living. Right?

Koti Tax

Immigration Officer: How was your stay in Ghana?
Visitor: I love your country!
Immigration Officer: I'm glad you enjoyed your stay. Did you have sex with a man during this trip?
Visitor: Oh yes I did.  mm  mmm mmmm! They are in a league of their own.
Immigration Officer: Thank you very much. That will be GH250 cedis per dick.
Visitor: Here's GH300.
Immigration Officer: Here's your change & receipt. Have a nice flight. Come visit soon.

The dialog above is what came to mind when I read this article. Couldn't resist.

Koti Map courtesy disinfo.com

The Bullying just wont stop

We are watching the grass suffer as 2 elephants fight.
My heart goes out to the people of Libya. I wish you'd fight your own fight. The "angel' that claims they are stepping in to help you, have their own agenda.

Thank you African Union for growing some balls and screaming for the madness to stop. It's not like anybody will listen anyway. That should tell you, AU, that the west has no respect for you. You better gather your own, come together and build a stronger Union.
A stronger African Union where you manage your own affairs and stay self-sufficient.
The west has been instrumental in picking off the visionaries for a United Africa. We will see those dreams & efforts go down the drain if we allow them to knock-off Ghadaffi.