Why stoop so low to be appreciated?

I was somewhat disgusted with some girls’ talks on Music Lounge a programme on SABC1. The girls said that they would dress in mini skirts and shorts and even went to the extent of suggesting that girls wear bikinis, when they were asked by a male presenter how they would dress for summer. The whole chat was aimed at wanting ladies to be sexy this summer. However, this might mean nothing to certain people but I must say that I found the chat sexist in the sense that women were and portrayed themselves as people who don’t respect their bodies. Besides, it sometimes seems like women have to be almost naked to be appreciated by men.

Although, it’s ironic to have ladies who think of stooping themselves so low in a country that opposes gender inequalities. My point is; why does it have to be girls in mini shorts and bikinis but when it comes to the boys it is decent dressing “no go area”. It is also disturbing to have such shallow minded girls in a country where the rate of rape cases and HIV/AIDS is so rampant. Seeing that girls dressing styles have been a contributor to a fair number of rape scandals.

Yes, people are free to do what they want but at the end of the day certain girls’ personalities i.e. dressing styles gives men the platform to treat girls like nothing. As much as men should have self control towards women, ladies should also have self respect, i.e. value their bodies and thus prevent themselves to a certain extent from the predator.

Check out more on

http://www.budgetfashionreport.com/2009/01/21/default.aspx

How hard is it to follow instructions?

Instructions can be hard to follow if the person/people being instructed don’t pay attention to detail. This is true because I sometimes experience it, though, I have taught myself to be a good listener and there for take directives seriously. It is critical to listen when others are talking, only then can one take the intelligent decision. Many people lack good listening skills, which is caused by either internal or external factors, hence, they lose their grip on orders, which can be very irritating to the instructor.

Nonetheless, a good listen pays attention to every detail and ensures that decisions are made in direct proportion to the instructions. To follow orders well, one needs to get rid of obstacles that might hinder him/her from clearly getting those instructions.

Internal obstacles are easily gotten rid of because a person has control over them whereas external ones can approve to be difficult as people don’t have power over them. However, people have the authority to reduce listening barriers by avoiding their presence. The point is to overlook these barriers by telling oneself that they don’t exist. On the other hand, instructors don’t clearly give orders; they expect the person being instructed to be super magical to guess the intended outcome.

Instructions are not hard to follow if the instructor is clear and the listener is attentive. If want to be somebody, if to go somewhere, you better wakeup and pay attention to orders. So, they say.

My big fat BIG dream

I am chasing my big fat BIG dream, though; it’s not an easy chase.
Patience is a virtue in this quest.

The hunt for this enormous dream requires proper planning in order to have direction.
Of which direction results in being focused on what I want to achieve.
Oh, Yes! Determination, the courage and strength to go on is needed as this is a complicated road.

It’s a road full of many serious obstacles; ditches, bumps, people congestion, blockage of the mind and fear of risk taking and failure.

My chase of the big fat BIG dream, I can assure you has been the most devastating ever although, the most rewarding one as victory is evident.

This quest has now made me to deeply understand the Portuguese term (Aluta Continua-A Victoria E Certa), which Angola and Mozambique used during their liberation struggles.
In English the term means “The Battle Continues-As Victory is evident/certain”.

I believe every big fat BIG dream requires the craziest chase ever, the chase of a life time. Chase your dreams to the fullest.

Most amazingly, I am almost there.

As the saying goes, THE SKY IS THE LIMIT.

Conventional is a good fallback position isn’t it?

At least people know that once they go conventional no one will criticise them because they are conforming to accepted customs. However, once a person deviates form what is “formal”, confusion starts.

Although, not all customs are good for everybody and for this reason, somehow those who “stray” from them are unfairly treated.

Besides, I would say being conventional is being afraid of taking up risks. Though, this norm (conventional) is dangerous in today’s society, where people need to be creative and innovative to survive. This is because the modern generation is comprised of individualised persons who have capitalistic minds. Not afraid to take on new challenges to improve the standards of living. While this kind of thinking has developed globally, it is still regarded as a threat to tradition. People here see things totally different from the olden good days. Now it’s all about me, the other people don’t really matter, anyways; I will only need them when time comes.

In the past, “in the time of my grandmother who died this year, at least at the age of 100” people depended on each other for survival, the success of a member of a family was the whole family’s triumph. One would say that the reason for so many problems at present is due to man’s divergence from what is considered right.

The good logic is to have both and thus be conventional as well as an activist.

A skill set called leadership

What kind of a leader are you? Which one of these leadership styles (transactional, transformational and charismatic) do you fall under?

I took time to observe myself and other people’s way of leading, and the following was my conclusion.

Servant leadership is what makes most leaders to triumph in there careers. I am sure you will agree with me after reading and understanding this vital piece of information.

Mind you, leadership is a choice and not a position. Therefore, a leader should be committed towards his/her work and be liable for his/her deeds. A good leader should make other people want to follow him/her, by being motivational at all times. This means that the leader positively influences others through the upright decisions he/she makes about various issues. A good leader considers his/her environment before making decisions. Being people oriented, therefore, putting before oneself is vital for sound leadership.

An excellent leader dominates, although, this dominance is acquired through humbleness and respect for others. A confident leader is dependable as followers trust him /her to protect, assist, motivate or direct them. In short, followers want a person they can trust with their lives. For this reason, it is of great importance that leaders have a candid belief in their own values. However, these values must be acceptable to supporters; otherwise they might just lose their respect for you.

“The great leader is first experienced as a servant to others”, Larry C. Spears.

Have you figured out the second head fake?

An alternative plan?! Yes I have, I think it should happen quickly so as not to lose your mind when the origin plan doesn’t work. It’s amazing how I most often do head fakes; I guess it’s natural for any sound person. A person can’t always think of going into the one direction and carry on just like that. One needs to stop and take into consideration other things that might prevent or allow him/her to succeed.

However, at times head fakes might seem stupid if the opposite direction you choose to go looks complicated than the initial direction. I think people who choose the other direction without doing a plan of some sort to foresee the dangers in that route are silly. Rather, be in the same direction/one side of the football field and use your head to get the ball rolling and into the net, goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Head fake, a good tactic to use your brain and win, though, if used wrongly every one laughs at you. So head fake or not, let your aim be to breakthrough.

Draconian Suppression

O’ Lord have mercy, what’s becoming of this world? I think Draconian censorship relates to the world of evil. Where is SA heading to?

Trying to find out what laws and rules are referred to as Draconian, I came across disturbing information about a Syrian woman. The 75 year old Khamisa Sawadi was sentenced to 40 lashes, four months jail term and deportation from the kingdom for letting two young men who were not her relatives into her home. Apparently, these men took bread to the old lady in the name of kindness but their generosity landed them in hot water. They were also sentenced to lashes and imprisoned (Raton, 2009). Now, people come on this is total insanity, practicing this type of Draconian rule in the name of religion is not unacceptable and damaging to society. If this is what it is to be hard co Muslim then Islam should be questioned.

Draconian censorship seems to flourish in the Middle East; in Saudi Arabia women are non-existent. Extreme Islam dictates that women are to cover their bodies and not to talk to any man they are not related to. If a woman is caught talking to a man who is believed to be unrelated to her, severe punishment is imposed on both. I view this as religion against women. I can imagine how horrible it is to live in such anarchy. Can we see how South Africa might head to such cruelty if the Media appeals Tribunal and the protection of personal information bills are left to manifest?

However, in South Africa the Draconian censorship would be based on political interests. As we have recently seen in the media, ANC has proposed that the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) be managed by the particular ruling government. This is totally out because ICASA is meant to be autonomous to be efficient and effective. The ruling party has also wished-for the amendment of certain acts and the passing of specific bills to fulfil its political interest. This is Draconian at its best as the government is supposed to protect the public and not put it into emotional turmoil. Government is supposed to support the media in trying to inform people about dangerous information (political or economical or environmental or technological or socials) and any substances. Enhancing caution among people results in prevention of dangerous events, such as warfare, genocide, diseases etc. Instead of the ruling party initiating and promoting Draconian censorship, it should focus on ways of developing a peaceful society, a society free of fear.

Post 2010 soccer world cup

Prior to the world cup, people spoke on how the extraordinary event would be and what would happen during and after. It was clear that people had mixed feelings, some positive and others negative. Certain media around the world instilled fear in people who wanted to come and be part of the experience. The media mostly reported about the bad stuff and not the good and beautiful things that South Africa could offer. Crime, failure to manage the event and political instability, were some of the highlighted ugly themes before the world cup.

The world cup raised up a lot of questions among the South African publics on what would happen to the people and most of the world class infrastructure. Questions about the stadiums, Gautrain, airports, builders/constructors and so on were among many other questions asked. Amazingly the world cup is over and it seems people are not talking about it anymore or rather like they used to. Though, I must confess on how humbled I felt when I saw flocks of soccer fans in all sorts of local teams’ jerseys a month ago who were going to watch the game between Orlando Pirates and Vasco da Gama in Green Point Stadium. Seeing the huge number of people going to watch soccer reminded me of the best time ever (2010 Soccer World Cup) held on the African soil.

Definitely, the recent world cup has changed the way many South Africans perceive football. The love of the game has enormously manifested.

No one Knows the time or day when he/she will become world famous

The secrete is to believe and keep on hoping that you will one day become world famous.
People who are world famous don’t even know how they became world famous. Most of them say “I don’t how it happened, it just happened”, when asked how they got to be famous. Although, people should keep on dreaming and hoping that they could one day become world famous.

Besides, the power of high-context culture, e.g. believing that you are world famous princess Maria increases your hopes of being famous in the future. Like Mr. Ping told his son Po in the movie Kung Fu Panda that there was in fact no secrete ingredient and that all things were special if someone believes that they were.

It is also clear that one does not only believe but stays focused and committed towards what he/she wants to be. For example, the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Natalie du Toit, Miriam Makeba etc. So being world famous does not happen out of the blues, though, few people have become world famous without much effort.

You can not chase two rabbits at the same time

It is actually possible to chase two rabbits in one direction; I think it depends on the direction you are chasing them in. Of course if you analyse the situation and critically think on how and what measures to put in place, have solutions to the loopholes prior to the chase, you can catch the rabbits or kill two birds with one stone.

On the other hand this relates to ideas or plans for the future, where one needs two options in case one fails. You can’t generate, plan and implement an idea, without thinking of the results therefore, if succeeds or fails. Only focused people, thus people who have alternatives for original ideas can manage to kill two birds with one stone. However, to be safe, initial ideas and alternatives must be implemented simultaneously. This also means possessing multitasking abilities one of the most important skills in achieving personal or business goals. Forget catching tow rabbits at once if your mind can’t multitask.

“Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when you only have one idea”

“Do you have an alternative plan?” A friend of mine would always ask when am telling her about my future plans. This to me shows how important it is to always have option B for any idea. Just in case the original idea backfires, you would at least have something to fall on.

I recall how excited I felt that I was going to work during the 2010 Soccer World Cup. My initial idea was to at two places so as to make money on both sides. I planned on how I was going to spend the money even before it was conformed that both companies would take me. I lived on cloud nine just on the thought of making lots of money while having fun. It was something that could make someone not to think otherwise.

Although, my plan did not work out they way it was originally planned. The manager of one of the events management company I was supposed to work for had somewhat really issues. Apparently, he was very selective on who would work; he based his appointment criteria on the colour of the people and not on the experience or merit. This is true as one of my friends and others reported this manager to the labour courts.

But anyways, we move on, it happened that I could not at two places and therefore, worked one company. That day, 11 June 2010 I went to work thanking God that I had not turned down the offer to which I initially planned to do. My conscious saved me as I told myself not to refuse the offer in case things were not well from either side. At least I made money although not as expected, that is the power of having a backup idea.

Appreciating personalities

It is a pity how people tend to criticise each other over personalities. Being critical is not but at all; the problem is the manner in which those criticisms are put forward. Many people don’t criticise to build but to destroy. Often it is all about what pleases me, “what I like is acceptable and what I don’t like is filthy and unacceptable”, that is where the world has come to.

People don’t feel at peace any more, because their minds are usually occupied with the thoughts of fear about what others will say with as regards look, walk, dress and behave. People no longer wear what they are comfortable in; they rather put on clothes that are nice or beautiful in other people’s eyes. We no longer talk with our natural voices; accents are changed to suit others. We are expected to be well informed about many issues around the world, if one feels to answer the question about the occurrences around the world, they are labelled as living in the box. The list can go on and on.

Let’s make other people live like we would love to, happy with what we do, wear and how lead our daily lives. Rebuke to bring about positive change otherwise criticise no more.

"Rock Journalism"

Frank Zappa descibes rock journalism as “people who can’t write, doing interviews with people who can’t think, in order to prepare articles for people who can’t read”.

How about going for a music career? A word of advice to rock journalists is; if you can’t write; find something else that you might be good at. It makes no sense to interview the brainless who can’t add value to important issues. Besides, interviewing such people communicates the stupidity of such journalists. I mean journalists should be exceptional in their writing skills as it is what defines them. If a journalist can’t write, then there is no better term to describe him/her, not even as a rock journalist. Moreover, if people can’t read why write for them? If they can’t read, speaking to them may be an excellent idea.
On the other hand, it “makes sense” for journalists who can't write to interview people who can’t think in order to write for people who can’t read because anyways they can’t differentiate between a good and a bad writer, though not an option, “sounds like banana society?” Lol…