The audacity of hope..... the Obama story

I have been reading with keen interest president-elect Barack Hussein Obama's book, The audacity of hope and you know I think each and every human being on this planet needs to follow his or her dream, I know every one out there has adream at least.Honestly i thought that i would not live to see a black president this soon and not for the United States of America.

I have been thinking about dreams and not just building castles but big dreams and i have also been wondering how many of us follow our dreams and living our destiny. As of me, i have always dreamt big and am continuing to dream, only the sky is my limit. i always tell my self that there is alot of potential in me that needs to be exploited. However, what amazed me about the Barack Obama story is his audacity. You know they are dreams and they are dreams. How can a " skinny kid with a funny name" dream to be the president of the united states? I mean maybe some of us have thought about it vaguely before but it's one thing to think in your head and it is another to say it out loud. I am amazed.

How many of us have heard that kind of argument for an idea or a dream we have had. I know i have heard it many times from others. The truth is that it is not so much what others are saying about our ideas that hurt , it is the fact that what they are saying is a reflection of our own fears. Sometimes i don't even say my dreams out loud because i have killed them all by myself. At this point, i do not even let myself dream anymore. This takes me back to my question, how did this " skinny kid with a funny name" manage to dream that kind of dream. I mean wanting to be the president of the united states of America. Let's just look at it logically. His father is a foreigner from Kenya ( we all know how people view Africa) , his mother is a "regular person". He is not extremely crazily rich, he is young with not much experience and yeah he is black. May i say that the odds were against him. But still he had the audacity of hoping, of dreaming that he of all people could maybe become the president of the united states of America. This is very encouraging.


Barack Obama story makes me question all the excuses i have used not to follow my dreams.the truth is that i am scared of failure or better yet maybe i am scared of success. Barack Obama has put me to shame and has taken away all my fears. I now want to go back to dreaming like when i was a child. I want to go back to believing that i could be a senator. I want to go back to believing that maybe i can be a lawyer. I want to go back to believing that i do not have to be one specific thing , that i can excel in many different arenas. That truly the sky is the limit. I want to affect and help change the lives of women, the weak and the children. I want to believe that one day my name would be recorded in the history books. God knows i used to dream as a child, i truly believed that i could do anything with God's help.


Now that Barack Obama won, am thankful. Thankful for all the black Americans that have struggled, thankful for all the whites that made this possible, that looked beyond race and who said that we can not take back what we did in the past but we can start making things right now.Thankful for my African continent that all of the sudden became something hot. Thankful for all the broken dreams i ever had.
Above all thankful to God who makes us realise that dreams can come true if we believe in them.

why do men beat up their ladies?

I have been reading and trying to follow the Chris Brown and Rihanna story, apparently I read some where that the fight was a result of Rihanna suspecting hubby Chris to be cheating on her, the argument started and Chris brown slapped her. The reaction from around the world especially from the showbiz zone doesn’t amuse me at all, tell me is it the first time a man is beating up a lady?
My young sister was too concerned that I asked her to tell me how many women in this world were being battered every hour and nothing was being done to help them out.
I have noticed with keen interest that the most battered women are those from the third world countries I know the developed world has to but the ratio is small as compared to the third world.
Most of the battering is by the way caused by domestic problems, a few days ago neighbor of mine was beaten by the husband reason being she caused the failure of their youngest child, how did this happened if I may ask? The husband claims the lady didn’t take time to teach the child hence the poor results. I find this awkward, I mean the child goes to school and besides he is in boarding school and if the man wanted the lady to educate the child then he should have let the child stay home and probably pay his wife the fees for educating his son.
I know there are a number of women being battered but what has been done to help is the question, in traditional African society, am told its ok for a man to beat his wife, I completely don’t buy this thought, why would the man be allowed to beat his wife and under what circumstances? Marriage I believe is partnership and also commitment so does it mean if you fail to agree, one then has the power to beat the other? Sincerely, I pray that this ends otherwise there is need for Gender equality be it at home or work, we ladies cannot just allow men to beat us up, we were all created equal and I have never seen anywhere that it’s written that it’s ok for the men to beat their wives, girlfriends and lovers.
Both sexualities need to coexist and if one is beaten and wiped out of this Earth, I wonder how the men will live, the good news is that other planets are being discovered to be having life, so the men might as well go there looking for women that’s if they can reproduce otherwise the planet may have to do without any humans.
Think about it, what’s the real reason behind men battering women…? Is it because women are looked at as the weaker sex or is that the way it’s supposed to be? Tell me….
Good day

AFRICAN WOMAN; the single mum

Its been long when I last did some bit of blogging and its because I didn't have the time to do so, rather i didn't have what to write, on second thought I really do have what to write about i think i deserted my blog but i didn't do it intentionally. Am now back and before i forget, how is the new year so far?
Today, am dedicating this abstract to all the single mums out there and I must say that having read the books "Gifted Hands and Think BIG" the two books that i will always keep on reading over and over again. These books have inspired me to be the best of what God has destined for me to be...the books are authored by Ben Carson director of pediatric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, who is living proof that perseverance, prayer, and self-respect, combined with a devotion to acquiring knowledge, can overcome any obstacles in one's way.
He has performed several surgery of separating Siamese twins - conjoined twins especially those joined at the head!.. in the book, Gifted Hands, he chronicled his life story and talked of his mum, who was a single mum but yet pushed him and his brother to do more with themselves and not just end up like most black children in America to take the easy way out by turning out badly or a jail bird with the excuse of no father to bring them up!(Note: The black woman everyone knows, is a fighter and will always fight that their children come out tops and the best with or without a man!)

I was led to write this post as i watched Cuba Gooding jnr, Oscar winning actor of the 1996 film Jerry Maguire, on the View being interviewed by my "Viewlicious women-Whoopi, Joy, Elizabeth and Sheri. Barbara was away today. Cuba came out to be interviewed looking very hot on a pink shirt and jeans trouser...Elizabeth commented on loving his pink top and he said he was comfortable with his sexuality! So beautiful, and i said "aha" as i am crazy about my husband wearing his pink shirts...i intentionally pick such colors for him as only a real man can pull off those feminine colors and still look like a man! she laughs!

Well.. he got talking about his new movie and the role of portraying the real life Dr. Ben Carson, this was after he had spoken affectingly of his family. He has three children with his wife, two teenage boys and a daughter that is just three years old, who he says rules the house...they indeed feel her presence! lol.
He said in playing the role, he could put himself in the character as he too was brought up by his mum, when she got divorced from his dad and she pushed him too to become the award winning actor he is now.

I can not wait to see the film but indeed i want to use this medium to celebrate all those amazing single mums in my life. That has never given up on themselves and children, though their men bailed out on them...i have seen their pains, silent tears and felt their joy. but amazingly. They have done great jobs in bringing up their children with the help of God, who has constantly been their present help in times of need! I salute you all for seeing motherhood as pure service to God by bringing up Godly seeds...the beauty of their lives is, they have stayed strong and not one day. Have they poisoned the minds of their children against their dads! That to me is the best gift, they have given the children!
Well, back to the single parent, which is the core of this post I must say is one woman who is always out fighting and enduring the scotching sun in order to ensure that her children have a life to live.

I know of a woman who despite being thrown out of her matrimonial home with her children never lost all the hope, she went back to her fathers house from there she grew crops for sell and educated all her children, she fought tooth and nail to feed her little ones and now the children have a good future.
The single parent will at all cost do the undo able to achieve the best for her family, no matter what it takes she is appositive thinker, never looking back but striving to attain her goal. Am always humbled by the way these ladies lead their lives, they have this undying spirit, I cant find the right word to describe this kind of woman, but all I can say is I totally salute every single mother out there, its because of you that we are blessed to have world citizens with a purpose, come to think of it even Obama was raised by a single parent and more less a woman….
Need I say more……… ?

I dont know how to start this, but I must admit that something is not just right. Why? am yet to get the answer and if there is any one out there please help me out.This morning i saw a young man and lady quarreling, i think they even fought! They were both drunk, well I didnt get close to them but from the looks on their faces they were drunk and they even staggered as they kept throwing abuses on each other. Just imagine these are our future leaders, they are people to build our country, they are the youth evey country would be proud of, but please dont tell me that these are the people the world is preparing for because if they are then I wouldnt want to imagine what kind of citens we shall have.
Sincerely, why would ayoung lady or man do this to him or herself,should anyone treat his body the way he feels like? I felt pity for these young people and thats when i realised that its true that we make the choices or decisions that shape us. I dont think I can decide to drink my self to the extent of being stupid.
Now, what do you people out there think should the youth do anything they feel like even though it will affect their health, future, or even relationships? Share with me what you think and by the way I have been thinking of writing articles about children who have been molested, raped, and even sold off to slavery and I want to share your stories with the whole world. If you know any one out there please let them know they can send me mail on balago021@gmail.com and they dont need to leave their identity,this will be confindential or else they can leave their stories on this blog. This will be aseries that will run on this blog i believe through this we shall be able to reach out to the victims and encourange them in anyway possible.
stay blessed.

STREET ADVERTS (FLYERS), HOW TRUTHFUL ARE THEY?

Hi every body out there, been long since I last blogged. Did I miss my blog? ofcourse i did and am glad I have been able to find some time to blog about something that has been on my mind for aperiod of time.On my way to work I often pass by some adverts on poles (let me say flyers),on street walls and even in places I dont expect them to be.It seems there is a craziness of Ugandans wanting to practice everything that happens on this globe what I mean is, these adverts talks of breast firming and enlargement- this I understand but tell me what about the manhood enlargement adverts? I normally ask my self and even imagine how this will be done. Will the victims be given an oral drug say viagra and i hope the manhood that is being talked of here is the actual one or is there something else and am kind of lost? Recently I saw another one talking about how to find your loved one and if I may ask, is it that easy to find your better half and in case you met the person, would anyone straight away fall in love? I find this all crazy. Well I dont know what you people out there think. I find the manhood enlargement thing so impossible and if its really possible how is it done? I need some clarification on this.
Breast firming and enlargement yes, i have heard of it but in Uganda am doubtful.By the way,is this done by medical proffesionals or is it done traditionally? And thinking twice, is this legalised in the country and which hospitals if any do practice this and if they do it then they would better advertise as a recognised hospital providing the service. Otherwise am forced to believe these guys making these adverts are conmen, just the standard of their adverts is too poor for one to believe they can provide the service, I think anyone who is being convinced by these adverts should think twice and be thoroughly sure of the service that they provide.
take care
lots of love.

its a friday!!

Hullo every one, hope you guys doing great am fine though stressed with alot of pressure from books am actually doing my finals and am too excited...can't wait for the day i will be doing my last paper.
Its a friday and actually friday comes in every week so why am i excited?? Anyways,since the weekend is approaching am happy no work plus its stress just gonna relax and please dont mention books.
So, the weekend is here and all am going to do is sleep day in day out. Am reading Yunus Mohammad's Banker to the poor and its so captivating, am even encouraged to do something.
for now I beg to stop here... have alovely weekend
kisses....

what is work?

“Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.”-Thomas Alva Edison

Work is the horizontal flow of value from a supplier to a consumer! From this little definition of work, we can deduce that in order for what you are doing to be called work, there needs to be a transfer of value from you to someone else. Kindly note also that whether or not it’s for profit or for cash is omitted. This is because work does not become work only when it is rewarded, work is work as long as value is transfered. Like I usually say, experience is experience because you did it, not because you were paid for it. In the light of this definition, are you working? Who are you really working for? What value are you supplying? Look critically at the “work” you do, and be brutally honest with yourself, are you working?

Work is as old as man! To work or not to work is not an option, the dilligent person works, and the lazy one is given to forced labour. There is no option to work, there is only an option to who chooses the work for you -yourself or circumstances. There is an alternative to hard work though, it’s hard life!

I personally marvel when I see able bodied graduates boldly confessing to haven been jobless for years! Many are actively unemployed, actively doing what? Actively searching for jobs? By the definition of work, a good number of employed people are not working, but that doesn’t distress me half as much as the thousands of graduates we have on the streets unemployed by the big companies, and sadly unemployed by themselves. Tell me, if you can’t employ yourself, why should anybody else employ you? I think it’s time we tell ourselves the truth, pick ourselves up and apply ourselves. If they don’t give you work, give yourself. Work is the horizontal flow of value from a supplier to a consumer. Think about it, what value can you add, and how can you make that addition your work?

If you desire to work, don’t wait till someone calls you from the interviews you have done? Don’t place your life in the hands of “if it happens?”. More often than not, the people that get offered great work are people that already have experience in one form or the other adding that type of value. Look inwards and discover the work that you can start today, and if you truely want to work, here are some guidelines to get you started.

1. What you do today is what will be called experience tomorrow. Someone once said that good judgement comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgement :). It is also said that experience is what you get just after you needed it. Don’t just sit at home and wait for the opportunity to come, get yourself busy. You can’t sit in the premises and claim to be standing on some promises. Start supplying or adding the kind of value you want to add.

“Don’t waste life in doubts and fears; spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour’s duties will be the best preparation for the hours and ages that will follow it.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson

2. There is no one shoe size that fits all. There is no “one way” that gets to the destination called success. You don’t have to have worked for a big company before you succeed in life. The world is full of examples of people who simply started. Who says it’s better to have corporate experience? Who says you must do, 5, 10, or 25yrs before you start your life’s work? There are no hard and fast rules. If you don’t have work today. Simply start something. Let the call to come and start work in a company be a welcome distraction if you like, but make up your mind that the work you will start to do will help you define standards of what to choose and what not to choose. Don’t just wait for the perfect time, move today. In the words of Pablo Picaso the talented artist, “Inspiration exists, but it must meet you working”. In other words, to be inspired, you need to get busy first.

“Dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you’re willing to pay the price.”-Vince Lombardi

3. Grow deaf! Yeah, you read that right. Don’t go deaf, grow deaf… let it happen gradually:) You’ll hear all sorts of things, like “when will you go out and get a job?”, “I hope you don’t think you have found work?” and more. Don’t you worry, these are the normal chats of concerned fellows. They do it out of love, and no ill feelings, you on the other hand must expect it and be undeterred. At the end all the criticisms will turn to applauds. Stubborness has two sides you know, when stubborness has rewards it’s called perseverance and strong will, when it doesn’t it’s called stiffneckedness. Look for value to add and add it. If you do more than you are paid to do, you’ll soon get paid more than you do. Take yourself out of the crowd of timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat from not having tried.

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”-Theodore Roosevelt