Circumspecte

Dear [Insert Name], The thing about life is that there is no certainty about it. Sure, we humans (try to) follow some sort of order or structure in order to prevent or rather reduce the propensity for insanity, but when it all comes down to it, sometimes things don't go the way we expect OR go way beyond our wildest imagination. Kind of like how I've been meaning to finish up and post two blogs on the World Social Forum and my insight into self-sustainable villages at Salim Sarr for the past month or so. Or how you've always wanted to do that one specific thing but never did  because one thing or another - life, as we like to call it - happens. Maybe even how, on some level, we know that in order for us to achieve world peace, development, or any other large scale endeavor or cause we believe in, we need to first of all apply ourselves, and be willing to look past differences. The thing about life is that it is life. Unpredictable to its very core, and despite all the chal...

Hi Everyone! Hope all's well. Okay, so this is just a quick note to alert you guys on two things. First - the TED Talks - which is basically a series of forums where leaders or innovators in various sectors share their work, passion, opinions etc. And second - Ghana's newly launched FIRST online electronic library. TED Talks: Ideas Worth Spreading I've made reference to many TED videos here on Circumspect, but I realized I never actually dedicated a single post to it. Essentially, the TED talks have people from all walks of life and professions - art, science, language, culture, politics, food, health, and what-have you - coming together to share their passion, their life experiences, their ideas for a better world and so on. The talks happen all over the world, so there's been TED London or TED Toronto and so on, and also, sometimes focuses on specific themes like TEDxYouth or TED Women. The GREAT thing about it is everything is available online AND you can downlo...

Inspired by the "harmonious" cohabitation of extreme poverty & opulent wealth and the people who cross that great divide They're the ones who will be there to have a "good" time To rock the Prada, Armani and Luis Vuittons And when chanced with nii hao ? They respond muy bien gracias , ca va bien and mangi fii rekk They hold it down with the heavyweights and don't bat an eyelash when a minister looks them over And with their airconned lifestyles they hop from house to car to office and back again But don't be fooled, they don't belong.  They're just shape shifters, simply attuned to the world around them  -- Then there are those who'll join a good 5-6-7-8 other mouths around the dinner table And with tummies still a-growling, they'll paste a smile and say "Thanks, I really am full now" With empathy signed off in their gaze you don't feel embarrassed when you can't pay the dollar equivalent for a piece of bread Ala...

This is a piece that found me in the dead of night (3am). Originally typed it on my phone, and wonder of wonders, my screen froze and I lost the original. I have tried my best to recapture what I remember of the original piece, although, knowing what that one was, I doubt this comes close. All the same, enjoy, and do share your thoughts :) -- Atypical Love Affair It starts quite innocently, as most love affairs do. A spoken word here, a stolen glance there, a shiver down the spine. It starts with the simple mention of a name, but it’s the mysterious undertones - the whos, whats, wheres, hows and whys - those are what send you spiraling forth. No turning back, drawn in under the spell, you hold your breath to relive it one more time. Burning desire coursing through your soul, exhale suspended long after the moment unfolds. It awakens, like most love affairs do. A fluttering of lips against skin, eyes locked in duel, palm in hand. Yet even after the winds tamper those imprints,...

Principles  I once read somewhere that the hardest test is staying true to who you are when surrounded by who you are not You ever think you’ve above all the peer pressure in the world? Well that’s exactly how you get taken in You try to do things the same way you’ve always done them and “they” tell you that if you keep doing the same darn things, you’re gonna keep getting the same darn results. And maybe they’re right. But see, they’re also wrong. Because they don’t know you like you know you. They don’t have that first class seat on the plane with the best window on the aisle, looking upon your life. And they don’t have to listen to that accusing or disappointed voice in your heart wonder when you’ll finally get it. You do. They say it’s a question of principles. And apparently, you’ve got too many. And maybe you do. But that’s for you to decide, not them. Because if given half the chance, they would be more than willing to let go of the steering wheel to their own convol...

"Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death." - Anais Nin At different points of the earth, there once lived two oysters. Both were oysters, true. Yet one hailed from a small, pond in the middle of a grand forest, while the other rode the waves of the Atlantic. Conspicuously the same, inherently different, it so happened that the currents decided to let chance take course. -- A fisherman, well known for his skill on the high, reined in his net on a particularly promising day. However, try as he might, he caught naught but a single oyster. 'What a curious thing', he thought to himself 'The light is right, the winds on course, the shrimp is particularly fresh, yet the fish resist' Out went the nets again. And a second. And a third. But each time, only the oyster remained embedded in the criss-cross of coiled twines. 'Ver...

 Inspired by a condominium of thoughts, and stylistically influenced by my interpretation of Regina Spektor's "Eet" They call it an outer body experience. And they're right, that's exactly what it is. It's like floating out in the universe, and watching the earth chug along on its axis. Like planning a speech to the very last detail, only to be tongue-tied when the grand moment arrives. Kin to doing the very thing you said you would never, ever, for the life of you do, and being achingly conscious as you're doing it. It's like being a mannequin on Fashion Ave. in NYC, oohed and aahed at, but never quite understood. -- They call it an outer body experience, but they forget the inner-body element. The fact that each is a universe onto themselves, and that's what makes living so  annoyingly complex. Eerily similar to that Grey's episode where a woman awoke during surgery and stared  down at her entrails. Unable to move, unable to scream, unab...

Dear God, How do I put this? You blow my mind. You have millions of people to cater for, and yet you make time for little me. True, sometimes I get impatient (make that most times), but you keep your promises and deliver right when I need it. Although you have proven over and over that things will be beautifully done in YOUR time, I sometimes ask myself “why, when, and how long will this take?” And what do you do? You gently – or if necessary, sternly – remind me that you will never give me more than I can handle and what you have not yet delivered is to prevent me from harm or prepare me for something better. You have blessed me more than I could ever ask for. Normally I would write a “At 24 I have learned that…” piece, but not this time. This time, I just want to say thank you. So in no particular order of importance... 1- Thank you for answered prayers. For delivering exactly what I asked for a year ago. I was confused, hurting, and doubtful. I asked for peace of mind and yo...