Dicey December

Gas (petrol) is $2.99 a gallon today. The lowest it has been in 7 years!! Was once over $5/gallon in some areas. This is a big deal because prices go up during the holidays.

Gun violence touches a nerve. The Newtown, CT shooting hurt me more than 911 did.

Thankful for post-election peace in Gh & US.

It is official. I'll no longer do the "Happy Holidays" thing. I'm sticking to Merry Christmas!!

The world can learn a lot about TOLERANCE from Ghanaians. Christians & Moslems co-existing.

Whilst the Mayans were having a normal 12/21, "people" in The West were predicting doom once again.

Well Done!

Thanks to my people at home in Gh.
Love you all very much!!
I did not expect less but a few concerns about post-election peace got my attention.

So... the trend continues; When Democrats win presidential elections in the US, NDC wins in GH.

Living Strong

Can I trust myself? The answer to that is yes. All day everyday.
People inspire me. Things I see daily, inspire me to do better.
However the path I take after being inspired is one I choose.

Just like many before him, Lance Armstrong's career success inspired many. He also survived cancer, came back to the sport and won some more. He started Livestrong (the yellow wrist band that started all other colorful wristbands). His foundation boosted cancer support. (Yay!!)
He wrote a couple of books that inspired many.

After all that, he gets charged for using performance enhancement drugs and today he is labeled a cheat, a fraud and a disgrace by some.
I have no doubt there are lots of others out there that still call him their hero.

People come and go.
I'm stuck with me.
Glad I trust me.

The Art of War

Image Nations has reviewed a book that was useful to me when I first entered the corporate world. It was (and still is) a dog-eat-dog world I wasn't ready for but quickly got in the mix for the high worldly returns, and the thrill of clawing a top spot.
I learnt a lot from Sun Tzu's The Art of War that helped me deal with the harsh and highly competitive work environment. I have no doubt that anyone that reads it will pickup at least one tip to a better life.
Patience in battle - any type of battle, is what The Art of War helped me develop that I still use.

Take a look at Nana's outstanding review of this book.

One Born Everyday

A financial institution's ad on the radio today:

"Borrow enough money to get out of debt."

I couldn't help but laugh.
They are selling their product quite well by saying what people in debt want to hear.

Enjoy your weekend and stay debt-free :-)

Selection Time

Be sure to confirm now that you will be able to vote when the day comes.
Check now to avoid any surprises.

Double-O-Seven

Mr Bond has become a little more violent with time.
I get the feeling we will no longer be seeing the James Bond of old.
The suave 007. Classy, Charismatic Mr Bond
The romantic Bond that gets women in trouble and then rescues them from the bad guy in the end.

Roger Moore is still my favorite and I miss Pierce Brosnan.

Good thing I have Shirley Frimpong Manso's movies to look forward to.

Bullying

Bullying today is what Sexual harrasment was in the 1990's.
It is being discussed in the open, and people are speaking up.
That is a good thing.

I found it interesting how the word "bully" has evolved (according to dictionary.com). From sweetheart to quarrelsome?

bul·ly

¹    /ˈbʊli/ Show Spelled [bool-ee]  noun, plural bul·lies, verb, bul·lied, bul·ly·ing, adjective, interjection

noun

1.

a blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people.

2.

Archaic . a man hired to do violence.

3.

Obsolete . a pimp; procurer.

4.

Obsolete . good friend; good fellow.

5.

Obsolete . sweetheart; darling.

I Finally Got One Too

I get jealous when some people in a certain country get 3-day weekends practically every month. Well, it is so frequent, it sure seems like they get public holidays once a month.
I finally got a 3-day weekend at the beginning of the month and didn't know how to handle myself.
That short week sure is making this week feel long already.

Have a sweet nice and short week.

Baby Arrivals & "Stories"

Funny how people(I didn't say women) make so much effort to keep their first pregnancy a secret from extended family and friends.
A married friend of mine is pregnant but won't tell her Dad because he will let the whole world know. Her mom and siblings know but when baby comes they all will tell dad "we didn't know either".

I teased her and said I thought we were all good christians that don't lie.
LoL. Hard to live without a lie slipping out. I know I tried.
But there has got to be a way to live lie-free. Right?

Pediatric Gangstas

I am doing some work in the pediatrics department of a hospital and some of the kids coming through here are making me laugh.
Of course they are with their mothers.
Kids with tattos.
Looking like gangstas.
Acting all grown-up.

Meanwhile they are not old enough to see a grown-folks-doctor.
That right there is funny.

Not That Free

Freedom by its definition sounds like the best thing every living thing must have.
Anyone with any kind of freedom will be quick to recommend "you better get some too".
Yet the more freedom we have, the more restricted we are.

If you are reading this, you probably have a job. That's one of the signs of Progress we've bought into. However, you are not free to do with your day, whatever you choose.
We have freedom yet can't afford to do whatever we want.

I doubt that freedom is what we should be chasing in life.
I'd prefer Respect over Freedom anyday.
Respect my life. Respect my mind.
Do you put Freedom above everything?

How We Help The Negative Image

For several years anytime I go by slums and worse-than-korle-lagoon areas in the US, I keep thinking "next time I will carry a camera and take pictures for all in African countries to see".

It hurts that some of the pictures used by foreign media that denigrate our continent, are taken by our own people. I guess they have cameras and need the income.
I wonder if it is a tough choice for them to make when they get such contracts.

It would be tough for me to sell pictures of my dirty room to anyone. Can't imagine doing that to my country. That is probably why I suck at photography.

A Ride Down The Volta

I might have to travel down the Volta River & Lake, just to recruit champions for the 2016 Olympics. I see gold & silver medals in canoe sprint.
There's gotta be a bunch of able-bodied men rowing their canoes out there everyday. That should be equivalent to years of practice right?
Bigups to the guy from Senegal that competed in canoe sprint.

Drinking On A School Nite

Had drinks with a good friend of mine. I have much respect for this guy.
We talked about making compromises in life.

He taught me that meeting half-way is rarely the best solution.
Half-way results in half-satisfaction if all parties involved are passionate about their interests.

I'm not about to apply that yet.

We will have to sit with more drinks this weekend and break it down further.

How It Began - Male Circumcision

Ever wonder how some routine things today got started?
Sculptor #1: Massa, I'm tired of being a sculptor. I'm so good at it, it's not fun anymore.
Sculptor #2: You are so full of yourself. I can't stand it when you run your mouth.
Sculptor #1: When you are good at something, you just know it.
Sculptor #2: You've only been working with wood and you think you have skills. Try your hands at something else and we'll see if you are THAT good.

Next day.
Sculptor #1: Hey! Come check this out. Look what I sculpted last nite.

What Do You Trust?

Just because it is written doesnt make it true.
Just because it is being said with passion doesn't make it an absolute fact.

Trust your intelligence.

In A Different Style

Lucky me! I got an invite to join in on the 11's. Being as nice as I am, I'll flash it in a different style, with 5 things about me.
1. I will stop and ask for directions in a heartbeat! I won't waste my time driving around in circles contrary to what society says about men.
2. You will be sooo proud of me if you ever take me to a buffet restaurant. Oh yes! It will be money well spent. (But not to the extent that they kick us or me out for eating too much).
3. Despite #2 above, I really do not care about food. A meal a day mostly works for me.
4. Wet spots near my zipper when I walk out of the restroom don't embarass me - easy to catch water splashes from the sink due to my height. ("What were you looking at?" would be my question)
5.  I play soccer for pleasure but can't stand watching it. 1st game I ever watched from start to finish was 2 world cups ago.

A Day on The Floor @ The Stock Market (picture)

And you wonder why Facebook tanked?


PHOTO CREDIT: KAL, Baltimore Sun

Our Personalized English

The British have the Queen's english
Americans have their American english
We Ghanaians have our english too. No, not pidgin english.
I'm talking about the english that will make you smile at the very least.
Our english could make you burst out in laughter even when someone is talking serious matter.

We know exactly what "Don't bring yourself" means.
When someone says "I was tired like this!", you totally understand. No need to ask "tired like what?"
My personal favorite is  "I was sitting my somewhere and then......."

I love our english!

Well my lovely people. I'm going and come.

Frightening Question

At different times today, I overheard 2 conversations about the same subject.
It involved a curious kid plus a stumped parent in each instance.
Kid asks parent "where do babies come from".

There are numerous clean answers to come up with, it amazes me how that question scares some parents.

Since I'm so nice, I'm putting it out there so you can get a head-start to come up with a good clean answer before some kid asks you "where do babies come from".

How about starting with "Babies come from their mom's tummy".

If I Could See Tomorrow

Scratch that.
If I were psychic, (Oh Lord!) I'd be passing out winning lotto numbers like an Alajo to Kaneshie trotro mate giving out change.
My fantasy would be to hit the jackpot of every lottery organization in the world. Oh, and I will make it happen. That would keep me busy enough that I wouldn't have time to set up shop reading palms at street fairs
What's the deal with psychics? How come they supposedly have this talent to predict stuff but have no clue what's in their future?

It's Finally Friday!

I got a hundred dollars smokin' in my billfold
I know I oughta save it but it's burnin' a hole
Right through my pocket and into my skin
Come Monday morning I'll be broke again.
Chorus
It's finally Friday, I'm free again
I got my motor running for a wild weekend
It's finally Friday, I'm outa' control
Forget the workin' blues and let the good times roll.
Credit: Country song written by George Jones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNxMXDIzSCI

Magic!

A magician performing at a kid's birthday party had a grown-up man spooked.

Magician wrapped an empty bottle in a newspaper & started pressing it up against the man's abdomen.
His other hand was against the man's back.
The trick:
He pushed the bottle through the man's beer-belly and pulled it out from his back.

I've been telling him it was just a trick but he still thinks it actually happened.
You don't fall for magic tricks, do you?

I'm So Jealous

By the time I wake up Thursday morning, my beautiful people in GH will be in extended-weekend-mode.
The weekend for some of them, will most likely start at lunch time and won't end till they get back to their respective workplaces on Tuesday morning.
Gosh I miss my GH!

Left or Right

Studies show that people tend to turn right when they enter a room.


[I bet this will have you consciously trying to turn left anytime you enter a room. let me know how hard it is to not turn right.]

Some studies might seem absurd, but the results are useful. I had to take this into account when helping with the layout of a public showcase.

If That Day Should Come

If That day should come
If a cloud of unrest should perch over Gh
Little disagreements, Big egos
If the civil structure you are building
Starts falling apart

What would you do?

Would you call for internal dialogue?
Or would you cry for external intervention?

If that day should come
I'd pump my brakes
take my hands off the wheel
and say "This is our GH. Let's work it out"
Think about it now and tell someone what you would choose.

When Karma Said "Hello"

I can laugh at the guy in my previous post because we are sort of connected - Just like him, I once answered the phone when Karma called.

A while back, I shopped for a warranty protection (insurance) on some appliances that were going to be heavily utilized during that summer.

I thought to myself: "Self, get the warranty and file a bogus claim that the appliances are not working well. They will service them, then you quickly cancel the policy and get your money back".
Then I though to myself: "Self, you know that's not cool. Just get the policy and keep it honest."
So I bought the policy and kept it.

10 months later, one appliance starts acting funny. I sumbitted a claim for repairs and no one called me back. I got no response to any of the numerous messages I left.
Guess what happened when I left a message that I was interested in renewing my policy? Someone  called me back right away!
All I did was laugh it off. I chose to not fight it. I didn't renew the policy and they didn't fix the appliance either.

Here's the final score
Me  1; Karma  1

Chances Are

What would you say to a guy that stole a lady's purse? [Let's call him Thiefster]

Now consider these other circumstances. Thiefster steals a woman's purse and goes to a store to use it. The cashier looks at the card and recognizes her mom's name on it. She confronts Thiefster and he hussein-bolts away.
She calls the cops, reports the incident and gives them more than a detailed description of Thiefster. How? Thiefster was her classmate in school a year ago.

What would you say to Thiefster in this case? His time was up right? He certainly had it coming.

This must be what "they" call Karma.

Unsecure Security

Even if you haven't used an airport post 9/11, you must have heard of the advanced security measures that have now been employed.
Flying used to be fun. Not anymore.
What I miss most is being able to hangout with loved ones at their gate till they board their flight.
Now, no boarding pass, no gate-area-lounging.

So with all that going on, how on earth does a man end up on the wrong airplane?
C'mon man! I took my shoes & belt off to get through security. Whats up with the screwups?!? This is sooo not the same as Kofi Tawia getting a coke order mixed up with pepsi.

Call Me Easy

All that chow just a few blocks away. I didn't stay away too long after my reconnaissance mission.
Round 1: Sashimi. The wasabi felt good!
Round 2: grilled salmon
Round 3: sushi
Round 4: clams, oysters, jollof-looking fried rice (quite orange-looking)
Round 5: more sashimi
Round 6: short ribs, chicken wings

I skipped the frog legs this time although they looked crunchy & inviting.
It wasn't until I was almost done working on my ice cream that I realized I had forgotten about the Mongolian BBQ.
Maybe next time.

I'll be sweating it all off this weekend with a smile.

I Should've Kept On Driving

I should've kept on driving. But nooooooo.
I just wanted to go in and check what kinda spread they had that's all.
With a name like "Great Wall Buffet", they sure would have a sushi bar and I'd been craving seafood all week!
I shouldn't have walked in. They had it all. They had it all I tell ya!
The sashimi had me lusting to the max. Salmon, tuna, makerel in thin slices.
Mongolian BBQ grill was calling out my name, telling me it had the spicy hot stuff I like. Stir-fry pork and jalapenos, in oyster sauce.
Forget the crab legs. I'm with the clams & prawns.

Only thing stopping me from getting a table now is the xmas pounds still hanging around. [Me + Buffet = No Holds Barred]

Tell A Driver

If 2 drivers travel a 100km road non-stop; no police barriers, no speed bumps, no potholes.
Driver 1 floors his gas pedal and does 160 Km/hr
Driver 2 takes it easy and goes a little over the speed limit - 90Km/hr

Would you believe Driver 2 will only get there roughly 35 minutes later?
Those 35 minutes reduce when you start introducing real life factors like curves in the road, potholes, multiple stops.

Tell a commercial driver you know, to ease up on the gas pedal. The lives onboard are more valuable than the few minutes gained.

[Isn't it soooo annoying when you speed up and pass someone on the road then you get caught in traffic and the person not only catches up but also eases riiiiight past you?]

To the Left left left. To the Right right right.

Have a fun weekend.
I'll be at this intersection at some point this weekend. Let me know when you get there too. We can have a drink or something.


picture credit: Wiley

Curiosity & the Cat

I was wondering what-on-earth the cat was so curious about that got it killed. All nine lives!It must have been some good stuff the damned cat was onto.

So I got curious and started prying.

It turns out "Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back"!
People, satisfaction brought it back!

Curiosity isn't a harmful thing at all.
It rather results in satisfaction.

You On Earth

Peace on earth.
I haven't wished for that yet in 2012.
My wish is that we will each use our brainpower
and make selfless choices.