Nothing compares

Do you know this person?

(Picture borrowed from people.com)

I didn't think I did either, until I read on People that this is Sinead O'Connor. That's right, Sinead O'Connor, whose song Nothing Compares 2U still gets played all over the world, whose lyrics most of us still remember, word for word, THAT Sinead O'Connor.

(Picture borrowed from the Daily Mail)

I remember a couple of weeks ago reading about fans booing her off stage, feeling they had been cheated because the woman they saw in front of them was clearly not the Sinead O'Connor. Well, it seems it was!

My first thought when I saw the photo was, gosh, she really looks different, what happened? Then, I happened to read some of the comments on People's article and it was clear that most people were shocked by her weight gain. Funnily, that was the last thing I had thought of. To me, the shock in her changed appearance has more to do with the fact that she previously seemed to be a rebellious figure, her shaven head alone made her look it. But now...that hair? That outfit??? Now she looks so...ordinary. Like... an average 40-something mother of 2 or more.

I am not judging her for changing, it's been over two decades, we've all changed since then. I just thought I'd let you know what she looks like today, in case you happen to bump into her some day! (And I felt it would be nice to think of something other than the riots.

London Riots 2

I thought long and hard and tried to find something else to write about. Would have written about the Ghana-Nigeria friendly game I was going to, but that was, naturally, cancelled after threats of riots in the Watford area.

It looks like there is nothing else on the minds of those of us staying close to areas affected by the riots, so I have continued following the news. Today, I had to cancel all my plans as these included trips to Stratford, Croydon, Clapham Junction, bank and Watford. Well, it looks like now, we will all be able to plan ahead when heading out. The Guardian has created a map that will continuously update to map out areas affected by the riots.

Despite it all, there are some humorous stories around these riots. For example, that leaders of some of the most dubiously run countries in the world, condemning Britain. Or how about clips of a girl stopping to try shoes on before looting them from a JD Sports (and what's up with JD Sports, it seems overly popular in these lootings, along with more obvious targets, like the major mobile phone and electronics retailers)? The audacity!

The Daily Mail has posted pictures of several rioters and looters and I can't but wonder, do some of them have to look so happy, as if to say, "Christmas has come early" as they walk away with 4-5 jumpers.

What had me laugh most in all this though, was this picture:

(image borrowed from Daily Mail)

Looting at Poundland? POUNDLAND???? Where everything costs a pound ($1.60)? Come on, you must be really dumb, to face prosecution and potentially go to prison for that!

London Riots

I don't know where to start. London is up in flames and there seems to be no stopping it. What started out as a peaceful protest against the questionable killing of a Tottenham man, turned into riots in Tottenham, which has now spread across most parts of London.

It is frightening for anyone in London or with family or friends in London. We don't know where to go or where to stay, what is safe, what isn't? I watch Croydon in flames, knowing that friends are living just a ten minute walk from where the fires are. We all feel anger over this reckless violence that is hurting innocent people, destroying homes, properties and businesses.
.

(Picture taken by my friend Woolstey, from her flat, just a few hundred metres from the mayhem in Croydon)

In all this, I feel so frustrated with the moron Home Secretary, Theresa May and the rest of the authorities for not understanding that there are underlying issues. Instead of approaching the problem from that angle, she points out that those parttaking in this will be prosecuted and focuses on praising the police. Nothing wrong in that, sure, but when you completely ignore (or are so stupid not to realise) that there are underlying issues, the problems will never die down.

Whether it was the death of Mark Duggan that started this or not, there are so many more serious issues (most likely, political, socioeconomic, class and racial and police/community tension issues) that need to be targeted:

What on earth compels the youth to get up in broad daylight and destroy everything around them, in their own communities?
How is it that they even have the time to do this?
Why is their lack of respect for authority and the police, in particular, so great that they'll do this unmasked, in daylight and purposely confront the police at any given chance?
How best can the authorities open a dialogue with this disgruntled group of people and find a long-term solution to these issues, rather than attempt to shut them up by threatening to imprison them?

London is burning, London is crying. We need to act quickly before it all goes up in flames

The Good Wife

It's not often I enjoy a TV-show as much as I enjoy The Good Wife. Although I took a while to watch it, (I started about 6-9 months after the Poetress gave me her season 1 dvds), once I'd watched a couple of episodes, I was hooked. The well-known politician husband who faces politically motivated litigation? The strong, patient, super talented lawyer wife? Hello, it's practically my life!

(Photo borrowed from Channel 4, most likely owned by CBS)
Ok, so maybe not completely and thankfully I don't desire another man, as Alicia does, but I love the series and found that it reignited an almost dormant passion for the law. I also knew instantly, that I had found a serie Virgo and I could enjoy together, which does not happen very often (he's a House and West Wing kind of guy, whilst I am a Grey's Anatomy and (*bowing my head in shame*) Desperate Housewives kind of girl).

Little did I know, he liked the Good Wife so much, every now and then he'd sneak and watch an episode without me! Since we both work mainly from home, each of us gives the other the thinking space required to focus, so it took a while to realise what he was doing when it was very quiet in his work area. Shockingly, in the past week I have noticed that where I'd take breaks to catch up on Facebook and private emails, Virgo would sneak in an episode, without telling me about it! Despite my complaints, he never stopped.

As if that wasn't bad enough, when we'd treat ourselves to a night-time projector-screening of an episode, after each episode, he's say, "just one more, but you can go to sleep if you want to", knowing very well that I'd never be able to sleep knowing I was missing a whole 45 minutes of quality, legal drama. This has resulted in me being extremely tired each morning, having only received 4-5 hours sleep (the other 2-3 being donated to the Good Wife).

Needless to say, despite being really curious about what will happen next on the show, I am so relieved that we've finally watched all the episodes. This means no more episode-thievery by Virgo and no more unreasonably late nights! Til September, that is...

What happened in July

I don't know what happened, I was on a blogging roll and suddenly, weeks have passed and nothing has been posted on my blog. Well, actually I do know what happened: stressful preparations for Anansekrom, then catching a flight to Gothenburg some hours after getting home from the event, then organising two toddlers (my own Em and her favourite cousing, L) in Swedish gateau-making for my mum's birthday, heading back to London within 72 hours and being bombarded with four new agreements that all needed express drafting. What happened to my legal drafting holiday???

Actually I would probably have managed to blog a little bit, over a week ago, if I hadn't been blindsighted with the Norwegian attack and Amy Winehouse's death. For so many reasons, that left me virtually silenced.

Now, I am going to try to finish my load of agreements, get back to blogging and catch up on my lovely fellow Ghana bloggers. While some have entered into motherhood, it seems the Chale Wote Street Festival caused a stir with others...

My blogging self

I'm a bit bored (read: I have some work to do which I can't be bothered to at 10pm), so I am challenging myself to answer this blog questionnaire:

How long have you been blogging?
For three and a half years, although last year barely counts.

How many blogs do you regularly follow?
I’m estimating that there are 20 blogs I check in on, on a daily(!) basis.

Of the ones you read, how many are diary blogs and how many are subject-oriented?
Apart from Antirhythm, I think all of them are at least partially diary blogs.

Do those who know you think you are true to yourself in your blog?
I have never asked, but I think I am, sometimes to the point where I forget how words can be misconstrued in writing.

Have you found a functioning boundary for how private you want to be in your blog, or is that boundary continuously stretched?
Yes, I think I have managed to keep what I want private and on the contrary, the more people that know my blog, the more restrictive I find myself becoming. This is sad as I would like to share a lot more with my lovely readers.

To which extent do you blog for acknowledgement/affirmation?
I always tell myself I am blogging for me, but I lose my motivation when there are no comments, and I feel uplifted when readers comment.

Have you met people IRL after meeting them through your blog?
The only person I’ve met through my blog is Kajsa, but I have met many others through Ghanablogging, which I guess is partly through my blog.

Do you think it is damaging for some people to blog?
I think it can be damaging for those who do not realise the legal implications of what they write, e.g. the possibility of stealing copyright material or defamation. I also think younger bloggers may not realise that the blog will live on and be available to the world years after they ever intended it to be.

What are the cons of blogging for you?
I’ve realised friends who read my blog don’t contact me as much: they’re getting updates on my life through the blog, forgetting I’m not hearing from them. Other than that, it is at times too time consuming to maintain the blog.

Do you think you’ll be blogging in two years time?
Yes, possibly in a different format, maybe more business related and on another platform, but of course I’ll make sure to take my blog-friends with me if I do!

London

I'm standing at Vauxhall station waiting for a train from Earlsfield. My jacket's still a bit damp from this morning's rain, but now it's sunny and dry. In front of me, planes are appearing out of the sky.

Up they fly, drifting in and out of the clouds. It takes about one minute for each plane to pass above me, then it disappears out of my eye's reach, above the stations roof. As soon as on has passed, another appears in front of me. In between the planes, I hear announcements being made:

"The 10:20 London Waterloo train will be delayed by approximately 32 minutes. This is due to a suspected fatality at Wimbledon. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."

As my own train's arrival time keeps shifting, 10:40, 10:48, 10:50, 11:01, it is only the sweet sounds of Adele that keep me calm, as I calculate how late I will be for my appointment. The train, finally, surprisingly shows up at 10:53 and I arrive 'only' 15 minutes late.

On my way home several hours later, with the melancholic "Someone like you" playing in my ears, the Evening Standard confirms that a woman in her sixties was indeed hit by a train and killed at Wimbledon.

Another day in London has just passed by.

Mobile number portability is here

Today is a very exciting day. Being in London, I guess I should first mention that I know it is the 6 year anniversary of the 7/7 London bombings that took place in 2005 at four different locations (including my own former Tube station, Oval).

That, however, is not what I was thinking of, but rather, that today is the day mobile number portability comes into effect in Ghana! This means one can quit a mobile phone network and sign up to another, yet keep the old phone number.

I know to the outside world this may not sound like much, but let me tell you, you don't know the kind of crap we've had to deal with as mobile phone customers in Ghana. From today, the networks are going to have to get their act together to ensure they keep their customers. I am hoping we'll see some competitiveness in terms of pricing, price plans and improved reception. No longer will we as customers be held hostage to a network because their phone number is what we have on our call cards, websites, etc.

Of course, before getting too excited, this is not a case where one can skip from one network to another at a whim. I have been informed that portability will only be allowed once every six months, but anything is better than nothing.

So now, shall we start taking bets on who might be the big winners or losers of number portability? I don't want to get sued so I'm not even going to hint on who I think will lose, but I will say I am happy to stay with my main mobile phone operator Airtel for now. And no, I was not paid to say that.

Death on Facebook

Speaking of death, I read an interesting article on a topic I have considered many times. How does Facebook handle the death of its members? Remember my friend G? It's been three years and I still get birthday reminders on Facebook. I am sure I'm not the only one of his friends who sees these as a painful reminder of his death. Still, it would feel strangely cruel to defriend him just because he's passed away (in the same way it is difficult to erase a dead person's phone number from your phonebook).

In the article, Liza Campbell mentions how one of her deceased friends makes a new friend a good four months after passing away. I too have seen that happen.

I know many prefer for the dead person's Facebook page to still exist, as it becomes part of the grieving process to look at old pictures and updates of the deceased. Would it not be relatively simple though, to say that upon the receipt of a copy of a death notice/certificate, Facebook will at least disable the deceased's account from being able to make new friends and from having birthday notices sent out?

Or am I thinking in too simple terms?

The Rumour Mill

Two weeks ago, I bumped into an old friend, LC, in Gothenburg. After the initial excitement of seeing each other for the first time in 16 years, she told me she had some bad news; somebody we both knew, Mrs G, had passed away.

I, in turn, passed on the news to my mum and my brother (Mr. T). (LC and I knew each other because Mr. T and her little brother were in the same football team for over a decade. Mrs G, was the mother of another teammate). We all mourned together and were trying to work out how Mrs. G, who would be in her early 60s had passed away, especially as I had been informed it was a very sudden, unexpected death.

In the end we decided that, rather than Mr. T trying to approach his friend, which would be too blunt and awful (imagine, "hey, how are you? By the way is it true your mother passed away?"), we'd try searching for info on Facebook, where you can always find a clue to things, one way or another.

Well, as always, Facebook comes to the rescue. Today my mum abruptly interrupted me on the phone to say: " I have to tell you something, Mrs G is still alive!". And how we know? Mr. T search on his friend's Fb page, somehow managed to get onto the friend's brother's girlfriend's page were she had as her status: So happy after spending the Midsummer weekend with my boyfriend and his huge family. Then she goes on to list them and of course the list included Mrs G! And this was posted days after I received her death notice.

See how quickly people can be killed off and some of us spend (unnecessary) time mourning them? Still I guess it's nice to be able to spread the good news, like I did to my father five minutes ago, that, hey: Mrs G has resurrected!

KFC in Ghana?!?

I decided to take a break from some very intense drafting to check Facebook, and what do I see? Apparently KFC has opened its first branch in Ghana, on Oxford Street!

The news comes as such a surprise and I can't help but be excited. Not by the thought of eating their breaded, fried chicken in the heart of Accra, but as always, by the idea of something new happening. Of course I am also a bit anxious about what this means for us; will there be an influx of other unhealthy fastfood joints? How soon before we start seeing an increased number of US-style obese people on the streets of Accra?

Before my thoughts wonder any further, can somebody kindly confirm whether this news is true? According to this article, 4 outlets are to be opened in Ghana this year. Send me picture evidence, pleeeeease!

I guess some people...

...have too much time (and fantastic imagination) on their hands. How else would you explain finding time to do this:

(Picture borrowed from Daily Mail's website)


And along with it is an article on how Princess Diana's life would have been today, her Facebook status and how many Twitter followers she would have had.

I just don't understand why they made her look that old! My mother, who's well into her sixties looks about twenty years younger than that.

People is currently running a poll on whether the photo is disrespectful or appropriate. Go ahead and vote, or even better, just let me know what you think by commenting.

Self realisation

Don't you love those moments when you see something and think:

"Oh my God! Who did thaaaat? What a selfish/reckless/inconsiderate/(add your own) thing to do!"

Only to, a few moments later, realise that: "Oh yeah, that was me, oops!".

Or does that only happen to me? :-)

Music, sweet music.

I'm going through what I can only describe as a music revolution. After years of not really finding time to listen to music (which I love so much!), I am making time for music in my life. Somehow, I've managed to squeeze it in to everything I do at the moment: upbeat music for walks and the gym, r 'n' b and quiet soul just before bedtime, but most exciting: world music and old school soul for when I'm working.

See, it has to be something mellow enough for me to still concentrate on work, yet keeping me in a good enough mood to continue working. So many songs are being rediscovered, songs I haven't listened to in years, even a decade or two (I know, I'm showing my age)!

From the World Music scene, I am falling back in love with Salif Keita's Moffou album, especially Here. And just as I can enjoy that song, despite not understanding the lyrics, I believe non-Swedish speakers can enjoy Marie Fredrikssons Ännu Doftar Kärlek, Eva Dahlgrens Vem Tänder stjärnorna or another Eva Dahlgren favourite, Ängeln i rummet

Magic!

Pest or Cholera - what to choose?

I'm feeling poorly, as my friend E would say. Yesterday, I went ahead with a very hectic work day, from 9am to 11pm (!), despite already feeling that I was catching some kind of flu. I took a couple of Cold & Flu capsules just before getting into bed at midnight and hoped I'd be much better after a good night's sleep.

After eight hours' sleep, all the symptoms are still there except the fever, so I lightly told Virgo "If I hadn't left Ghana two weeks ago, I'd have thought I had malaria". To which he responded that I'd better check the incubation period for malaria, it might just be that. So naturally, with my good friend Google, I started investigating. My symptoms yesterday were: fever, chills, muscle aches, headaches and nausea throughout the day (Imagine spending half of the day on the London Underground with that?!). According to a malaria website the symptoms for malaria are:
"Early or Uncomplicated Symptoms of Malaria
In the first stages of the disease, most people have early malaria symptoms that can include:


Fever
Sweats
Shaking chills
Headaches
Tiredness
Muscles aches
Nausea and vomiting
Diarrhea. "

The website states that the normal incubation period is 10 days to 4 weeks. Hm, it's not looking good. Would it be too optimistic of me to think that because I did not have any sweats or diarrhoea I can eliminate any malaria worries?

Whilst I lie here in bed, pleading "Please don't be malaria, please be the flu" I hope you have a lovely Tuesday!