Do you Believe In Visions?

Early this morning, whilst having my quiet time, I had a closed vision.
A really exciting vision if you ask me.
I saw a green bucket half-filled with nominal cash sitting before me.
Also in my hands was a huge bundle of cash in the same currency.
It was a really short vision. Just as it came, it suddenly went.
It appeared to me as if I was removing the white strips of paper binding the cash, counting it and then placing it in the bucket.

I am still trying to understand the vision.
Three things are clear though.

• A green bucket ?????????????????
• Lots of crisp cash in an unknown currency ?
• Cash was properly bundled in white paper strips ?

If you really understand visions( not dreams because I was awake), please help me out here with understanding.

Pyongyang, Aung San Suu Kyi et al

Is Pyongyang's show of balls a tragedy or hilarity?
Will you vouch for Aung San Suu Kyi's liberty?
Will Susan Boyle's third rendition be the clincher?
Is Ahmadinejad's bomb about making Iran poorer or richer?

Perfect Happiness?

Perfect happiness really does exist!

Yes. It does exist in the heart of countless idealists of all creeds, ages and colours.

Is it an abstract concept of an ethereal dreamworld inhabited by naive mavericks and lost souls?

I don't think so.

To me perfect happiness is . . .

1. accepting the fact that life is not other than the one you are living. So while at it, enjoy as much as you can doing your utmost best to take the chances that come your way.
2. discovering and celebrating who you are. Do not despise yourself and wherever you find yourself today. Comparing yourself to the pretenders and contenders will only make you more miserable.
3. walking as far away as is possible from the gurus and their weird prescriptions. Life, as it is, is already complicated so make yours as easy as you choose.
4. realising that your ability to string together a conversation with your creator is the surest way to delay the greying of the follicles. Worry is a spoiler. So why become a beast of burdens when you can choose to become a temple of joy?
5. accepting who you are not. You cannot be everybody and everything. So put on your uniqueness and strengths. In the company of integrity, love and compassion hold your head up and swagger your way towards your dream.
6. learning to give yourself a hug every new day. Laugh a lot. Let your regrets be few.
7. knowing that there are sharks in the waters around you so learn the secrets of preserving your soul. Do not point a finger at others. Deal with your faults and mistakes responsibly and you will find grace.

Life: A U-Shaped Curve

Life, I believe, was designed to thrive on sets of balances.

The mathematics of life has two equal and opposite theorems:

• Too much of everything is bad
• Too little of everything is equally awful

So the rule is everything must be in moderation, except . . .

What would you exempt from this rule for yourself?

The Cold Wars

As the temperature heads south
And the number of hapless victims climb north
The office is abuzz with a whizzing and sneezing acappella
For the cold wars are raging like a stormy gala

The Inner Shush

I can't figure out the heart of this forbearing shush
Denouncing seems so out of place like a dance on an alter of slush
Not at a time when the sting of my voice feels so right
How do I untie the knots that hold the bonds so tight

Comfort me with your ocean of love my dear
I long for the redeeming touch of your healing lips honey

My spirit must dance again to the soothing songs of grace
My mind itches to be over the clouds of earthly embrace
Could it be that I need to look elsewhere for the rhythms of consolation
I seek the fellowship of solemn feasts to reclaim the path of consummation

Engage me in the rhyme of graceful exchange my dear

Take my hands to the delightsome curves where love river flows honey

My Sudoku, My Stoke

It is official.

I am a puzzles addict.

I am hopelessly in love with the challenges that a puzzle game present.

Sudoku is my favourite.

Few things ever beat the satisfaction of opening up the newspapers at the end of the day and paging my way to the business report section where the sudoku fix is.

I must confess that, that is the motivation for buying the newspaper in the first place.

The ones rated: cruel, hard or fiendish are usually my cup of tea!

Until the sudoku is sorted, I can't bring myself to sleep.

'Weird', I hear you say. My answer is: I know!

International Day of Families

Today, 15 May, is the international day of families

So holding hands together with loved ones, let's affirm one another

That babies, toddlers and the young may be showered with love sweeter than honey

That the countenance of fathers and mothers may glow with pride in seeds of love's alter

That grannies and grandpas may be rejuvenated by the cheerful harvest of their sequel of love

Let love and harmony so pure and true reign in households across the land

From my family to yours: A blessed family day

May yours continue to thrive and prosper going forward.

Happy Family Day!

If You Give A Darn

A Healthy appetite is ....

1. knowing the difference between what you really need and what you think you want. To many there is no difference at all, but to the disciplined, that is the essence of life. The fact that it looks nice does not mean it is indispensable.
2. keeping a balanced and reasonable perspective in everything. Eat what you may, but always from a small plate. Waste not want not. Never overtreat your ego.
3. making sure you don't leave your fair lady at base camp whilst you gallop to mount pleasant. Wham bam thank you madam is irreverent. Instead try not to hang up until she is banged up. In all give-and-takes, let her get more than she has bargained for. Remember that the game between the sheets must be an equitable and equilateral marathon, for goodness sake.
4. realising that money can procure some happiness, but much depends on how the cash got into your hands in the first place. It is important to defer some joy for your own good. Don't be insatiable, it will only bring grief.
5. realising that doing nothing about that low libido is the shortest path for her/him into the hands of that dog/bimbo down the lane. Until you do, prepare yourself for a war which you have no hope of winning.
6. knowing that thinking is also part of the deal. So give yourself regular time to stare at the wall. Whatever the colour! What you sow is what you reap. Even in the desert!
7. taking responsibility. Don't become an addict to anything or anybody, even to yourself. Keep some space for the unexpected. Why fill up with junk simply because it is available. Have some big dream. If it does not come to pass, what do you lose?

Have Your Say

In politics how long does it take from being sworn in to being sworn at?
Do African women ever ask their partners, "Honey does my bum look big?"?
Which one of these two would you rather choose: strength or happiness?
Which is the ultimate symbol of drop-dead gorgeousness, the cutie dimples of an enchanting smile or a set of sensuous hazel eyes?

I am curious. I need some answers.

From Herdboy To President

Tomorrow, Saturday, 9 May 2009, on the lawns of the Union Building in Pretoria, Mr JACOB GEDLEYIHLEKISA ZUMA, popularly called Msholozi, will be inaugurated as the 4th post-apartheid President of the Republic of South Africa.
Whatever your personal opinions are of him, there is one thing you cannot take away from Jacob Zuma. He is a formidable survivor. A fighter of unimaginable stamina. The story of the man is simply unbelievable. Phenomenal.
Here is a man who begun life as a herd boy( a Shepherd- for those of you without southern African experience) in his ancestral homestead in Nkandla in rural northern KwaZulu- Natal.
His schooling was disrupted very early as a result of the apartheid regime and eventually he decided to leave school altogether to join the struggle against the regime after standard three/grade five.
Once he joined the ANC, he never looked back but concentrated all his efforts on learning as much as he could from the leaders in the movement. What he lacked in formal education, he learnt through association, political activism and a sheer determination.
For example whilst former president Thabo Mbeki is considered an aloof and elitist intellectual with poor inter personal skills, Jacob Zuma on the other hand is a charismatic leader with great people skills. He has a formidable personal touch with people. No wonder he is called the peoples president. `
His endearing nature has served him well over the years. Jacob Zuma rose through the ranks of the ANC to become the head of intelligence of the Umkhonto We Sizwe ( the military arm of the ANC).
After 1994, he became a member of the National Council of provinces(NCOP), the second House of the South African Parliament, representing KwaZulu-Natal and also a minister in the KZN provincial government responsible for economic affairs and tourism. It was through his negotiating skills that the violence between the ANC and the IFP was brought to an end in KZN.
In 1997 at the 50th Conference of the ANC at Mafikeng he was elected as the deputy president of the ANC. And in 1999 he become the deputy president of South Africa.
Tomorrow he takes the final step towards the highest office in the land having already been elected as the President of South Africa by the Parliament on 6th may 2009.
May the Good Lord be with him to provide the leadership required by South Africa in the next five years.

The Bermuda Triangle, Black Holes & The Ghanaian Craze

There are few phenomena in the entire universe that defy scientific, spiritual or any perceptible explanation as the Bermuda triangle and the Black holes.
Thank goodness most of us are not, in the least, bothered by thoughts of ever getting zapped into their eternal labyrinths. They are nature's gates of no return, if you ask me.
But like you, I don't get bogged down by whatever is happening in the backwaters of the seas nor do I even contemplate the possibility of being vacuumed into a ravenous cauldron of cosmic annihilation.
The world will carry on as usual, Black holes or no Black holes.
I am yet to meet a normal bloke who sweats over such matters.

Currently in Ghana, though, there is a similar craze akin to the paranormal manifestations of nature. The political divide sees each other as a sort of black hole or a Bermuda triangle doing their best to vacuum away properties of state.
There is a savage fight for the plum benefits of public service.
But, gosh, why should the matter of cars become the preoccupation of some state officials as if the ex-officio ministers of the NPP government are operating a supermassive black hole where all the cars belonging to the state are being pulled into cosmic nothingness. (I keep blogging about this because I am really baffled by the astronomical importance our public servants attached to such trivialities as if they is nothing else for them to do!)
In the same breathe, the way some NPP guys are virtually holding unto cars and other items issued to them to serve in their various offices, makes it seem look they are wrestling against the sucking power of the Bermuda triangle.
If the new government in accordance with the laws of the land have uncovered illegalities in the way state properties have been passed unto former ministers and are calling for such properties to be handed over, then for goodness sake I am for that. Politicians should never, by their very actions, give credence to the perception that they are above the laws of the land.
Why should our politicians, by their infantile fight over material gain, portray Ghanaians as morons who are only interest in creature comforts and illegally stashing away what belongs to the state. I believe many Ghanaians want their leaders to live exemplary lives according to the laws of the land. Such a culture of greed, corruption and lawlessness is antithetical to the democratic order we are trying so hard to build.
Shush! The partisan accusations and counter-accusations are so retarded.
Let both sides of the political divide hold fire and think of Ghana for a change.

Ghana: What Are The Scenarios?

South Africa's Dinokeng Scenarios make for an interesting study into the role of citizens and NGOs in shaping the future direction of a nation. How do we as citizens influence the decision making processes in our countries in such a way that our politicians and leaders are exposed to as many plausible scenarios as possible before they arrive at the point of making those decisions that ultimately affect all of us?. Should citizenship in democratic governance be centred on the right to vote in an election? Should we sit back and give a carte blanche to the elected into office to do as they please or must we take responsibility and come together in one way or the other to explore alternative agenda for the development of our nations?
The Dinokeng group serves to bring into the mainstream arena of politics and national discourse the plausible scenarios which need to be looked at but more often are conveniently ignored by those entrusted with national leadership.
According to the group, there are three plausible scenarios that confront South Africa at this period in her development. There are: the Walk Apart, Walk Behind and Walk Together scenarios.
* Walk Apart: the state plays a role that is either weak and neglects to reverse its failings. The Walk Apart option posits the idea that the country limps along much in the same manner as it has up to now, beset with worsening poverty and unemployment. Coupled with this are growing insecurity and an ailing public health system which is unable to meet the needs of the poor. Crime becomes endemic and corruption is the order of the day.
* Walk Behind: the state becomes increasingly interventionist, crowds out private initiative and leads to unpopular and destabilising economic reform measures.
In Walk Behind we all sit back and wait for the strong and capable state to do everything, but that is unlikely to happen, because the state lacks the resources and expertise to be that capable, and the result of the heavy interventionism could be unsustainable public borrowing and an increasingly authoritarian state. This is the likely scenario should the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the left-leaning trade Union (COSATU) be allowed to take over the policy mechanism in the Jacob Zuma administration.
* Walk Together: in the third scenario, the state plays its most useful role when held to account and forced to respond to demands made on it by a newly resurgent activist society. An activism not against the government, but one that works with the government to build a better tomorrow.

These scenarios were presented yesterday at Johannesburg's Constitution Hill. According to the group, the three scenarios were a starting point for discussion at different levels of South African society about the direction the country should follow in this period of transition.
As a broad church pulled together by citizenship, scholarship, leadership and a desire to ensure that South Africa moves along a sustainable trajectory, the dinokeng group is a bold and commendable attempt to broaden debate and bring into existence a responsive and accountable government under pressure from ordinary people.
Looking at the dynamism of the dinokeng team under the felicitations of the convener/chair Dr Mamphela Ramphele I had to ask myself what Ghana's scenarios are? It seems to me that the three scenarios painted are as applicable to Ghana as they are to every country on the continent.
Ghana clearly cannot remain a state-centred society where we always look up to the government as our source of development. Nor can we build a viable state in an environment of weak institutions. Nepotism, tribalism and corruption must be tackled aggressively through a broad partnership between citizens and the state. The extreme partisanship being practised in Ghana can only lead us to a dead end. We need to team together in order to move forward.
I wish the conclusions of the dinokeng team would be preached throughout the continent of Africa and its plans of action replicated throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Check this.

The Lilliputian Crew At The Helm

Geez. I admire Kenyans. I absolutely do!
Who would not love the unorthodox project by the fairer ones in Kenya to fix the political impasse in that beautiful corner of Africa. They have embarked on the first ever mass sex denial demonstration staged for political reasons. Lol.
The sisters are refusing their men, the political elite at that, the supreme conjugal right until they stop the bickering and fix the festering political mess.
Let us hope that Kibaki, Odinga and their colleagues come to their senses fast before they are driven bonkers by the stance of their women, the beautiful no-nonsense daughters of Kenya.
Anyway, as everybody now knows pigs indeed do fly as Mexico has been shown.
Nations are putting up measures to prevent the virus from invading their shores. Heat-sensing cameras to scan arriving passengers are in place at many airports.
The lazy and obviously incompetent officials of Ghana's ministry of health have decided that the way to deal with the problem is to suspend all imports of pig products into the country. The question is: are our politicians and health officials really abreast with the issues of the Swine flu?
The issue here is that we are dealing with a strain of influenza that has not even been isolated in pigs. The name 'swine flu' is actually an erroneous concept since it has nothing to do with swines. It is not caught by eating pork or any of the products. Read this. The documented way to get the infection is person to person. Period. We should rather focus our attention on making sure that those arriving at our ports of entry are properly assessed and if necessary quarantined in isolation wards, instead of rushing to ban imports that have nothing to do with the disease.

On another sad note team NDC under the tutelage of Atta Mills is hell-bent on taking us back into slavery. The Better Ghana chanters have once again, obviously without first applying their minds, resolved to place the economy of Ghana under the yoke of the IMF for another gruelling
healing seance.
Gone are all the promises to fix Ghana with ease. Now the baton has been placed in their hands but instead of cruising to the next stage in the game of progress, they are looking back asking what the race is all about. Here is a bunch who have not acquainted themselves with the issues of economic governance which has taken place over the last ten years. Whilst Ghanaians question why the team is not running the race ahead as expected, these men and women who are fluent in nothing but excuses have fallen back on their old tricks of blaming others for their
sordid incompetence.
They have realised that they cannot move according to the trajectory already attained, so what do they do? They revert all the way back to where they left in the year 2000 in order to find a semblance of familiarity. Playing by the menu of the Bretton Woods institutions is the only sense they make in the unfamiliar territory they find themselves.
It is said that if you do not know where you are going any road will take you there.
Our beloved Ghana is going nowhere slowly. After all what do you expect, the Lilliputians are at the helm at our own invitation.
The show must continue.

As Blessed As We Are

See how blessed we are!
We elected a President but we, as blessed as we are, have managed to twist the hands of fate to throw in a spare, the President’s Supervisor
With an ego bigger than Mt. Everest, he goes around the land acting the Assessor.

See how blessed we are!
We have chosen neither a King nor a Chief and yet we, as blessed as we are, have furnished a table for the President’s Supremo
With a hunger for power that reaches the starry gates, he parades around the hood as Generalissimo

See how blessed we are!
We elevated a 'Mempe Meho Asem' to become president and now we, as blessed as we are, have gotten the President’s Controller
With a penchant for issuing out threats, he prowls on the horizon as a fire-breathing Rottweiler