Reflections @ The 100 Milestone

This post is number 100.
Looking back on this journey, my candid comment is simply: A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!
It has been an incredibly enriching experience so far for me. There has been a lot of personal satisfaction. Lots of heart-bearing. Lots of contemplations. Lots of learning. I am indeed a better person for all that.
Through it all, I have to say that I have really enjoyed the privilege of sharing with you all, learning from you all as well as laughing with so many people all over the place.
As the journey moves on from this point, allow me to thank those of you who have made this blog a worthwhile cause.
Your candid contributions, comments, analyses and corrections will continue to be cherished and appreciated going forward.
Thank you all a 100 times!

Why Play Music On The Blog?

This blog has undergone a couple of tweakings for some time now.
Yesterday, in addition to the multitudes of changes that have taken place on this wall, I decided to add a playlist.
I suppose those of you who are regulars to these shores may have wondered why I decided to embark on such a move. The answer is pretty simple.
Actually, for some time now, I had been thinking of trying something new, something soothing and friendly to the ears whenever I am here.
A couple of lovely sounds able to do just that came to mind and voila!
I really hope that you will enjoy the selected playlist.
So Nana Yaw that is my rather mundane reason.
Let me know what you think.
Your suggestions are welcome.

Sitting Pretty

In the corner of my sanitized view to my left
A professor emeritus
A capped staccato of dignity and service
Sitting pretty in the rows reserved for tenured stature
In the midst of the congregation of celebrated minds
In the auditorium of distinguished persuasions
A picture of ancient youthfulness so pristine
The anthem of genes crafted by generations of scholarship and fortitude
One beautiful day I will sing of her praises to my daughter
Sitting pretty by her side until her light shines so bright

Cents & Sensibility

There is evidence pointing to the fact that the global economic contagion is bottoming out. There is some sort of optimism on the distant horizon in many markets out there.
The Chinese economy is in a sound shape. In its China Economics Outlook for 2009, the Hong Kong-based Morgan Stanley Asia forecast China's baseline GDP growth would be around 7.6% percent this year, with the bull and bear scenarios projected at 9 percent and 6 percent respectively. That is pretty decent considering the acute downturn in China's exports to the west.
The Indian economy is also doing pretty fine; driven by domestic consumption and a growing middle class with a colossal appetite for the fine things of life. A 6.5% growth rate is forecasted for 2009.
Going forward, China and India are clearly two of the most important markets considering the weight they carry in global trade. After all, these two make up about half the population of the entire global village. The other BRIC economies-Russia and Brazil-are expected to record very low growth in 2010.

Commodity prices are beginning to show signs of positive momentum. So there are some indications of hope.
Having said that, it will take years before there is a complete upswing in the global economy once again. The expected growth in Africa stands around 3.5% this year. Pretty dismal!
There is, therefore, the need for nations, firms, families and individuals to continue keeping a tight budget for the foreseeable future. A cent saved here and there will ultimately bring about a relief to the many living on the borderline.
It is time to upload the austerity measures. Swap the fuel guzzler for an economy car. Cut down on your utility consumption to the barest minimum. Postpone the holiday travels. Cut out eating out altogether, if possible. Do your shopping at the cheaper alternatives.
However, in all your cuttings, make sure your life policy, retirement policy and medical aid policy are not sacrificed for comfort. You never know when you will really need them.

Finally don't forget to search within yourself for other skills you have that you could utilize to bring in the extra buck. Entrepreneurship is critical at a time like the one we are living in not just as a means of survival but most importantly for building a solid foundation for prosperity in the next cycle of boom. Where there is a will, there is always a way.

Whipping The Pumpkin Soup À La Carte

Eno Rose, my mother did a pretty decent job in training and coaching all her boys about the nuggets of the beautiful artistry of creating culinary delights.
Because of her, I do know a thing or two about good food Ghana-style.
Last Saturday I found myself reminiscing about the killer taste of nkatekwan with rice balls after participating in the big walk around Saxonwold Primary School.
The last time a ate that sumptuous combination was when I was in Ghana recently. The problem is nkatekwan a la South Africa is totally unlike what obtains in Ghana. Don't ask me why?
So instead, I decided to try something rather exotic: pumpkin soup.
I was in the mood for an adventure like you will never believe.
My wife, baffled by this unusual quest to turn the beautiful kitchen into something resembling a chemistry lab, decided to abandon ship leaving me alone unto my ridiculous cookery pursuit.
An hour or so later, unable to resist any longer the smell of the overwhelming magnificence emanating from the kitchen, she saunters into the kitchen, her face adorned with a curious smile depicting pleasant surprise. A moment to taste and indulge! The unplanned experiment turned the day into something more than expected: a beautiful date! Seeing how happy she was, I quickly realised how incredible an opportunity it was for both of us to explore and appreciate something new. To me, it was also an important lesson in the power of giving a helping hand at home.
As professionals, both of us spend our week days working hard. Evening meals, therefore, are mainly something quick and simple (mostly prepared by her) in order to prepare for the next day's work schedule.
So it was good to sit, eat, talk and enjoy each other's company unhurried at home, seduced by the goodness of the pumpkin soup.
And you know what?. I am so proud of myself!

2010 World Cup Just Around The Corner

The one year count-down to the 2010 FIFA World Cup has just begun.
Today, President Jacob Zuma in a symbolic move kicked a soccer ball in Cape Town's Green Point stadium to mark the start of the official count-down.
For those of you soccer-mad fans, who are planning to come for the fiesta, now is the time to start preparing for the ball of balls.
With all the stadia taking final shape for Africa's first world cup, the momentum of great excitement is gathering thick and fast.
Meanwhile the FIFA confederation cup begins on Sunday.
Almost all the 8 Teams taking part are in town. And it is expected to whet the appetite of millions all over the world towards the actual 2010 celebration of football.
I am getting my vuvuzela tomorrow!
I can't wait for 2010.

How I Dealt With The Girl I Did Not Want To See Any More

I have had my fair share of nasty break-ups.
Years ago, before I got tied up for good with the lady who later became my wife, there was this girl I really liked.
Spirited and pretty she was also incredibly loud and insanely possessive.
She was the type that considered herself your wife even though you have never talked about marriage. A time came that she was always talking of taking the relationship to a level more than I was prepared for. I don't like being pushed. Her blaze of emotional volatility and cavalier attitude towards other people were highly upsetting.
One day after I had pretty much made up my mind that it was better we parted, she came over to my place as usual for the night. In the morning, before she left, I slipped the letter of termination of the relationship into her handbag without saying a word about it.
A benign ditching!
Needless to say she did not talk to me ever again after that.
It was not the most humane way to break up, but, gosh, it worked like a bomb!
Up to today, I sometimes wonder whenever I remember what happened with her.
Anywho, I hope that wherever she is, she is happy and living her dreams.
She deserves a nice life. I think.

To Whom It May Matter

My embellishing smile is a gift to the world
And not an attestation that I am into you
In my world it is a decent thing to do
It means nothing more and hides nothing less
So stop conjugating a blissful wedlock after every comely flash
Halt the superfluous hinting for it will not make me yours
There ain't gonna be any bells of efflorescence for you and me
Get over the chick flick that holds your heart asway
This unsolicited freneticism is so tasteless
So bland
So over

Feminist,. . .,Fup Or Sup?

If you were that unemployed young man who sat by the stied side of the road, hands -on-head, wandering distantly into unredeeming space, which of the following
questions will really tickle your furlong fancy? . . .

The total dearth of the male equivalent of a feminist?

The art of winning over a rabid emotionalist?

The fact that the contemporary theory of economics is a fup?

Or the protruding dread that nobody gives a toss whether you yuck, duck or sup?

President Zuma First State Of The Nation Address

Today, 3 June, is the opening of the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa.
The president, Mr Jacob Zuma, is expected to give the state of the nation address in the National Assembly.
South Africans are waiting with baited breath for the president's first state of the nation address in which he is expected to announce a new program of action to address the socio-economic problems facing the nation.
The provision of social services, the fight against crime, health and education are expected to receive serious attention in the address of the new leader of South Africa.
The speech of president Zuma comes at a time when the economic prospects of South Africa have been weakened by the global economic crisis. Officially the economy is in recession. Jobs are being lost across all sectors. The fiscus has suffered as a result of reduced earnings from exports, taxes and trade. The new administration has to balance the needs of the masses against the reducing resources at its disposal.
Let us hope president Zuma will manage this tough balancing act for the benefit of a nation that is expecting so much from him.
I wish him luck.

Contemplations

"I am a watcher

I came as a visitor and

I am still watching my mind now"

. . . Zim Ngqawana

I think that I am entering a new phase in my life. I sense within me a shift of priorities.

I am certainly entering a new phase in my life, spiritually speaking, where I sense the need to always weigh personal ambitions against the welfare of those around me.

The quest for a personal, practical and fine balance between the intellect and intuition all of a sudden seems like a wholesome pursuit worthy of a life-long commitment.

There was a time in my life, when I was hard-hearted, uncaring and ungrateful.

Today. I see myself differently. I am learning to bring a sense of balance in my life. I am learning to prioritize and live by a value system based primarily on elevating the concerns and needs of those around me, my loved ones, above my own.

Selflessness, empathy and the desire to treat others with honour have always been part of my life, but now it seems to me that I am awakening to a much higher level of relationship with others.

I am asking myself whether I have been missing the human experience all along?

I am wondering if I am, perhaps, stepping into sentimentality? I am really not sure.

These are some of the issues gripping my mind as I begin the first week of June.

I have got to go. Bye.