CHRONICLES OF THE 'RONA

So the Coronavirus just hit a couple of months ago and has put the world on standstill. Several countries have issued lockdowns and quarantines to avoid the spread of the virus. Ghana is in a similar state, with the number of infected people increasing and a few unfortunate deaths listed. Everyone is on edge and adhering to rules on staying at home and keeping hands clean with sanitizers and soap-washing under running water.

About a week ago, I drove for about half an hour to the gym only to find a note at the door that read "Gym closed due to COVID-19. Reopening on April 16th". It was 10 pm.  Boy! was I pissed. My first thought was "these guys couldn't inform us of this closure?". Then I thought again "How the hell do they know the pandemic will be over by April 16th, specifically?". But on the positive side, I knew I wasn't going to miss that homemade hand sanitizer they had placed at the entrance. That thing smelled horrible. If the word "nasty" had a smell, that'd be it right there.  Nonetheless, I knew it will be a battle since that was one of the few places I could clear my mind. Three days later, the government issued a lockdown and things got real.

I'm more recluse than I am social. Yet, I'm struggling with staying indoors 24/7 and its only day 7. I wonder how the extroverted feel. On Day 3 of the lockdown. Leroy, my friend, called. Leroy is everything but a recluse. You know that one guy in your neighborhood whom everybody knows by name and you wonder how? that is Leroy. So I knew it was only a matter of time he went crazy with being in the house all day. So he calls and wants to visit. I am like "Dude, you haven't heard of the lockdown? You know you'll get dealt with when you are seen on the road". He said, "Yes I know, but I'd rather that than stay home another hour, I'd go crazy". I responded "Cool then. Pull up". We had a story lined up in the event that the Police pulled him over on his way. About an hour later, he called to say he was close, and said: "Guess whose car I'm riding in?". "Who? Joyce?", I inquired. He says "No, its Bujay's". I said "Bujay? the short big-headed dude from the neighborhood"? He laughed and said, "Yep, that's how you remember him?". I said "No doubt, If your head is that big it becomes a landmark. We use you for directions". Before I go further, there is one thing you need to know about Bujay. You see those people who literally go too far with everything? Like that one guy who walks in the gym with every gear on: it may be broad daylight and he still shows up with reflectors on his apparel, a first-aid kit, a whistle for no reason, new sneakers, socks knee height, headbands, hand bands, multiple towels, and looks like his stuff is always new? That is Bujay. He is a character. Anyway, Bujay calls himself minutes later and says they are in my neighborhood, but at the washing bay down the street getting his vehicle washed. "Why, here?", I wondered. He says "You know how this Corona thing be. I am not taking no chances". I was puzzled. I asked, "You couldn't wash the car before leaving home?". He replies "I actually did, but you know this Corona is in the air so I'm washing it again here, just in case y'all have it". "What is wrong with this guy", I wondered. "Ok, you can leave it and come home. We can get it later when you are leaving", I said. My doorbell sounds minutes later, I step out to welcome them two and lo and behold he had done it again. Bujay showed up with a mask on, a Russian hat, gloves, goggles, a long sleeve shirt and a long pair of pants. I steadily looked at him like "Dude, whose farm's crows are you going to scare or whose baby are you delivering. Bro, you look like a scarecrow going to perform a cesarean section on a stranger's farm. He says again "It's not me bro. You know how this Corona thing be". This time I reply, "No Bujay, I don't know how this Corona thing be. I can't even see your face. You don't think you are overdoing it? This is only Day 3. How will you look on Day 10?". I was done with him. I just led them in and we had a great time like we always do.

If you think Leroy and Bujay's experience was bad, it is not as bad as Mike's. I lend my friend Mike some money and its time to get it back. We agreed he'd deposit the money in a bank account. We speak on Day 5 and it goes as follows. "Yo Mike, you are going to deposit the cash today, correct?". He replies "Yeah I was". I said "Was"? what do you mean was?" He continues "I am not sure I'll be allowed in the bank due to the lockdown". I saw this coming a mile away. I've known Mike long enough. I said "Bro, you got the cash during the lockdown so why is the lockdown an excuse for not giving it back? Never mind, if the bank is a problem, send it to my cell directly from the transfer agent next to your home". He comes back with "She didn't work. I'm told she's taking a break until things with the Rona calm down". I knew this was false. Hilariously, I said, "Dude, the lady runs her business from her home so what do you mean she's taking a break". Things started to get funny. Needless to say, I have to probably consider that cash as a charity. I have seen this story too many times.

Lastly, do you know what is annoyingly funny in these times? When people ask: WHAT ARE YOU DOING? or WHERE ARE YOU?. People have grown accustomed to asking that to the point where they don't think about it anymore. It has become second nature. Sawa texted and asked what I was doing. I sarcastically said "I'm very busy, you know. I just left the living room. Headed to the kitchen to grab a bite and head back to the living room. I was in the bathroom 10 minutes ago though. Took a shower and went straight to the bedroom to dress up. Now I am back in the living room. I have been repeating this all week. Come on man, what do you think I am doing. I AM AT HOME...UNDER LOCKDOWN. What kind of question is that?". He got the point quickly and showered a couple of insults on me as well, which I anticipated. Needless to say, please don't ask people where they are or what they are doing. They are under house arrest like everybody else.

I am certain that at this point you get that the past week has not been too graceful. But hey, much better than being sick, and to be honest, it is the least we can do to prevent the spread of this deadly virus. Hope this post brings you some escape during these unhappy times.  

And Oh! Don't be lending out money. People don't pay their debt. Don't say Mubarak never taught you nothing :) 

Stay Safe Out There

Hope you enjoyed reading y'all.........................LOVE

THE CORONA VIRUS

30 MINS DRIVE TO THE GYM AT 10 PM AND THIS IS WHAT I SEE?

WE ARE UNDER LOCKDOWN - STAY AT HOME

THAT IS LEROY FOR YOU. THE GUY EVERYBODY KNOWS 

THIS IS HOW BUJAY SHOWED UP (1/2) - ALWAYS OVERBOARD WITH EVERYTHING

THIS IS HOW BUJAY SHOWED UP (2/2)

WHEN YOU SEE PEOPLE WHO OWE YOU MONEY STUNT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

I HAVE NOWHERE TO GO TO - I AM HOME. DON'T ASK THIS?

I HAVE A DREAM

Anybody who knows me or has at least read my blog knows that I am a big standup comedy fan. I get a lot of inspiration from watching comics perform. Partly because they are very raw and direct with their thoughts, which is a trait I like to think I possess. They are also very uncensored - At least my favorite ones are:  Dave Chappelle and Bernie Mac

I recently watched a bit that Bernie Mac performed and I was inspired to write this post. I have been wanting to write this for a long time now but I was never really driven to do it until I saw Bernie's bit on the Kings of Comedy Tour, the highest-grossing stand-up tour ever. The bit he did was basically centered on things that he wished would change. Even though they were quite petty and funny, they were profound. This inspired me to write this piece on things I wish would change in my environment, country, and community. I call this: I HAVE A DREAM.

"I have a dream" is a famous phrase that was made popular by the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jnr, popularly known as MLK. MLK was very famous for his contributions to the American Civil Rights movements in the 1960s. He is mainly credited with emancipating Black-Americans in the United States from slavery. In 1963, MLK spoke of his dream of a United States that is void of racial discrimination, and segregation. He gave this speech while 250,000 people had gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Below are some of his words from his famous speech:

"I have a dream, that one day, my four little children will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character"

"I have a dream, that one day, this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. We hold the truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal"

"I have a dream, that one day, on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood"

These were, and still to this day, very profound and earnest words. Rest in peace, The Great Dr. King.

After watching that hilarious comedic clip from Bernie who also stated some hilarious dreams of his. I have some dreams on my own that I feel aren't as crucial as MLKs but are just as profound. Here there go:

• I have a dream, that one day, fat people will know their place, and wear clothes that are appropriate for their body type.

• I have a dream, that one day, women will understand that your man doesn't have to text you just because his WhatsApp status says "online". There are 100s of contacts in his phone: Mum, brother, sister, Dad, friends, boss, colleagues, employees, random people, etc. Hell, he had a life before you, didn't he?

• I have a dream, that one day, fat people will stop being the ones causing scenes at fast-food restaurants. If somebody is going to be mad at the waitress for delaying their order, I need the fat people to not be the ones to raise the tantrum. It just doesn't look right.

• I have a dream, that one day, people will stop counting other people's pockets. Trying to figure out how much money they have.

• I have a dream, that one day, women will stop wearing wigs. Come on, rock a baldie if you have to. 

• I have a dream, that one day, after a man and a woman have discussed and gotten past a problem, the woman will not bring it back up every 6 months just to rub it in. I say woman because men usually don't do that. If you do so as a man, you are A SUCKER, the worse kind.

• I have a dream, that one day, our people will stop acting like crabs in a bucket

• I have a dream, that one day, men will stop wearing pants that stop before their ankle

• I have a dream, that one day, my people will stop spending excessive amounts of money on funerals. The person is dead. Bath him, bury him, pray for him and focus on the living. 

• I have a dream, that one day, women will STOP pressuring men to do lavish weddings just because their friends did. This isn't a 100-meter race where you are crowned the winner. This is life.

• I have a dream, that one day, men will stop hating and snitching on other men for a woman's favor or romantic opportunity. This happens among men more than you think.

• I have a dream, that one day, parents will speak their native tongue with their babies at home. When did it ever become cool that your kids speak a different language and not their own? That is stupid. 

• I have a dream, that one day, parents will not transfer their personal insecurities to their kids. I'd admit that most parents do this subconsciously.

• I have a dream, that one day, Fast-Food restaurants will have weight limits posted on their entrance. Like "only persons below 80 kgs are allowed in"

• I have a dream, that one day, people who are out of shape will quit saying "I'm proud of my body" and rather do something about it. You weren't born like this so what is there to be proud of? You have a choice at something better so work for it. If you are short like I am, that is a different thing. "I'm short and I'm proud" all day, I don't have a damn choice, do I? 😃

• I have a dream, that one day, men and women will not go through their partner's cell phone to see who he/she is talking to. What do you think they are, a robot? Of course, he or she talks to other humans beside you.

• I have a dream, that one day, people will not take it personally when you don't respond to their calls or messages "on time". That they will understand that life doesn't revolve around them. That they'll understand that, there are other important aspects of your life you have to attend to. The same way they have important things to handle.

• I have a dream, that one day, people will avoid stressing themselves over unimportant things. Most importantly, things they have no control over. 

• I have a dream, that one day, people will no longer care about the falsehood others spread about them. People even spread lies about God. Yet, he's not striking them with thunder, is he?  He's happy and living his best life. So who are you to feel a way about the lies people tell about you. Let it go and keep being positive and keep pushing.

That's all of my dreams and wishes, FOR NOW. Dr. King will be proud of me...........I think.

Hope you enjoyed reading y'all...........LOVE ✌


Oh wait, ONE more thing:

• I have a dream that one day, skinny people will stop thinking they are healthy just because they are not overweight. Don't you hate it when you encourage a slim person to workout and she says "But I'm slim, what do I need to train for?". Umm, because the name of the place is called "GYM" not "FAT PEOPLE ONLY". Come on man!

                                                  ONE OF MY BIGGEST DREAMS

THIS PISSES ME OFF FOR SOME REASON

"Crabs in a bucket"

 I DREAM THAT ONE DAY WE'LL STOP THE "IF I CAN'T HAVE IT, NEITHER CAN YOU" ATTITUDE

Doesn't it piss you off when people, especially YOUNG PEOPLE, say that on her Tshirt?

 WE SHOULD ALL WORK ON OURSELF ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. Whether you are rich, poor, healthy, unhealthy, strong, weak or whatever. FAT AND PROUD?? YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME 😃

P A R A N O I A

I am a slightly paranoid man. Plus, I have some trust issues as well. However, I think it is a good thing, at least 80% of the time. Where did I get that from? Probably my Mum and definitely my Dad. My mum, like most mothers, is the worrying type, and very emotional. My Dad, on the other hand, a tough dude who barely shows emotion. He always used to say "At the back of your mind, treat everyone like a criminal". Well, I didn't blame him for his thought-process, as he was in the Police force for a lot of his life. So you understand how this combination of characters makes me a certain way. 

The paranoia described in this post didn't stem from my parents though. This emanated from a totally different experience that I am going to share with you guys.

So I usually workout early mornings. I work out, shower in the gym and head straight to work from there. I am very confident in the gym as I know my way around pretty well and I know exactly what I have to do each day. But, on the opposite side of the gym, are the showers. That scares me when I'm in there. Anytime I hit the showers, I am low-key anxious and slightly petrified, especially if I hear someone walk in to use the place. Paranoia kicks in immediately and I get to thinking. My mind runs wild. 

Why am I paranoid in this situation? What am I paranoid about?  This experience is where I believe it all started from:

8 years ago, I was walking down the warm streets of Gothenburg on a nice summer afternoon. School had closed, weather was good, sun was out, birds were chirping, everything was right. I had soccer practice just behind my university. I was walking down the alley alone, music blasting in my headphones, sunglasses on, just taking it lightly and enjoying my walk. About 200 meters away I see a guy on a bike coming towards my direction. He gets close, we both say hi, walk past each other, and keep it moving. But right when he passes me, I hear his bike stop. I hear him call me, so I figured he knows me from school or the neighborhood. He was a middle-aged guy, about 6 feet 2 inches tall, Southern-Asian looking dude, probably Nepalese or Bangladeshi. He rides back towards me and at this point, my Dad's instinct starts kicking in. I thought to myself "It is only two of us here, what if he tries something". I start to check him out and I figure "Yeah he is taller but I think I can take this guy in a fight. He isn't that threatening". He gets closer and says, to this day the scariest combination of words any man has ever told me. He says "Do you want me to suck you?". I heard him clearly but I just couldn't believe it so I asked "Whaaat?". He proceeded to say it more explicitly. I was terrified, to say the least, but I had to play it calmly. I responded "Nah man, I'm good. I'm straight. But thanks though". To date, I still don't know why I thanked him for offering. That alone tells you I was horrified. So I proceeded to walk away from him while he stood there and stared at me like he thought I was playing hard-to-get or that I'd change my mind. Right when I turned the corner, I started to run as fast as I can. My heart raced the whole time until I got to training. My teammates being around gave me comfort. This is way better than being alone in that alley, I thought. I had never been this scared in my life. Why was I so scared? It was the fear of something happening to my rear end, the fear of forceful entry, the fear of rape. What if I got rapped by another man? As a man, how do you tell somebody you got rapped by another man? Who do you talk to? Your friends? Definitely not mine. Imagine me telling Leroy, "Yo dawg, guess what happened today? This big dude cornered me and raped me, bro. There was nothing I could do? I screamed and shouted but no one came to my rescue". His first response will be "hahahahahahahaha", and then later ask "how did it feel? why didn't you fight?. why didn't you run? and then "hahahahaha" again. It will just be a long-running joke forever. Since that incident, I have been paranoid and had anxiety about such situations. But it doesn't manifest itself until I am taking a shower at the gym. I guess that is the only time I'm indeed vulnerable.

Now that you know where this particular paranoia stems from. Let's go back to the gym. A guy who I suspect to be interested in men showed up at my gym recently. I know him from a nearby shop I buy yogurt from. I suspected he was gay because of his mannerisms and how he acted towards me anytime I went there. I later got word that he was indeed gay and open about it. That's totally fine. I'm not one to judge anybody. Last week, I walked in the gym and there he was. "What is he doing here? maybe he's trying to get in better shape like the rest of us", I imagined. I walked in, exchanged pleasantries with the regular fellows like we always do, and said hi to him. I tried my best to not make eye contact with him but I couldn't stop looking at the mirrors to see if he was checking me out like he does at the yogurt shop. Anytime I looked, I saw him looking and it got weird. Now I get through working out and I hit the showers to freshen up. I grab my changing bag and I see him watch me head towards the showers. While I'm in there bathing, I hear the door open and I hear someone walk in and singing. I was like "You have got to be kidding me". It was him. Boy! was I PETRIFIED. The anxiety kicked in heavily. My mind started racing. In my mind, he had forced-opened the curtains and tried to enter the washroom and force himself on me  My Dad's advice kicked in too "Treat everybody like a criminal". At this point, I had gotten into a fight stance in the bathroom waiting for any trouble. He was in there for about 30 seconds and then I heard him leave. When he left, I hurriedly washed down, dressed up and left to work. To be honest, I didn't even finish bathing. I washed off whatever soap was on me and said: "To hell with this bathing thing, why am I even here". I had a bad day at work that day.

So now you know. Don't trigger my anxiety guys. If you ever see me discombobulated, this may be one of the few reasons why. 

Well! as always, it has been a lot of fun bringing you this uncomfortable piece. After an entire year of not writing, I decided to start with a light one. I hope y'all took time out of your busy schedules to read this inappropriate and uncomfortable tale of my homosexual encounters and its continued threats and repercussions on my life. Peace ✌

Thanks for reading y'all............LOVE

                                         

         This was me and the guy at the alley. No wonder I was terrified.

When I turned the corner, I bet I broke Usain's record. Unfortunate that no one was checking the time

    When I heard the dude enter the bathroom

Picture me with soap all around me and naked with this stance. That was me in the bathroom when the dude was in there the whole time  

 Dude was in the gym like "Heyyyyyyyyyyyyy"

Law of Conservation of Energy

This one is titled "Law of Conservation of Energy". It's about time I hit my readers with some Science talk. After-all Physics was my favorite subject in school. This law states that "Energy cannot be created or destroyed. But it can be transferred from one place to another" OR "...but it can be transformed from one form to another". Everybody and their Mother has heard about this in one way or another, even if they've never sat in a science class. But would you believe me if I told you this statement also applies to our daily lives and not just physics or some electromagnetic phenomena? Like I always say, anyone who invented something scientific just had to look at human behavior to realize that their invention was right under their nose the entire time, and not in years spent in a science lab. Well, that's just my personal opinion. If you don't believe me, look at the Faraday's Law. Everything about the Faraday's law screams: Male/Female Intimacy.....but that's an X-rated topic for another day. Here I go digressing.

Have you ever wondered why you feel positive just being around certain people? We all have that friend that always keeps a smile on our face. Their positive energy rubs off of us from being around them. Alternatively, we all have negative mood-killing friends too. All these emotions/feelings/energies can transfer from individual to individual when they are around each other. Nowadays, generally, you cannot be alone even if you want to. We are interacting with hundreds of people via social media, i.e., looking at stories, pictures, videos, texts, etc. At any point in time, one is looking at 10 different emotions. Your friend Nana-Yaw posts a picture from that job you always wanted, Adwoa posts a video on her way to a wedding wearing her favorite outfit, Mary posts a picture of her dad's funeral. Maame Yaa, the girl you dislike, posts a story about her date-night with the caption "When your hubby gives you everything you want in the world", Barak posts a couple of gym pictures showing how ripped he's looking while you are sick of the 10kg-fat you've gained in the past month, Edem posts a picture of his new car, Sharon posts a quotation from Exodus about how merciful God has been. Finally, Reina posts a funny video and it gets you cracking up for a quick second. In a span of 1-minute, you've gone through an emotional rollercoaster. From happiness, maybe jealousy, sorrow, anger, to envy, fatigue, to demotivation, motivation, and to laughter. These are all energies transferred from different situations you  are connected to. So guess how many emotional changes you'll go through in a day when you spend a ton of time running through people's 'lives' on social media? That's an insane amount of emotional change. I know it might seem like one isn't affected. One might even think they have thick-skin but again Energy cannot be destroyed. You are being affected either physically, mentally or psychologically and you just don't realize it yet. What's worse is: the addiction. I am no medical professional but I know for certain that human emotions aren't supposed to be in constant gear-change like that. That'll lead to depression. Next thing you know, you feel the need to post on your own social media just to fit in like everybody else, or make your life seem great like everybody else, want sympathy or validation like everybody else, to not show your flaws and failures like everybody else. As my favorite artiste, Nas, said in the song Everything, "People will do anything to be a part of everything. Inclusion is a hell of a drug"......that's real. 

Nobody has time but everybody has time. We've all become attached to this thing so much that we are losing sleep, losing focus, losing precious time, losing friends, not getting our priorities in check, getting addicted, living a lie, and going through unhealthy emotional rollercoasters we are not even aware of. That is scary. Zoo Animals we've all become. Damn. This is not to let you think about deleting your social media. Hell, I won't even delete mine. But just be aware. Be in control. Be you. Lower your gaze, as the Muslims say. That is key.

Oh! Nas just posted an Instagram story. Got to go check it out. And oh! follow me on @mubaraks_mind and @sultan_drinks_ghana on Instagram. WHAT IRONY. haha

Stay Positive.......Thanks for reading y'all.........Love!!

FYI:

"A report by the Royal Society for Public Health in the UK surveyed 1500 young people (14 - 24 years) to determine the effects of social media on issues such as anxiety and depression, self-esteem and body-image. Their findings show that YouTube had the most positive impact while Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat all had negative effects on mental health"

Enterprising at a Boss's Table

For me, the best music are those whose lyrics strike a train of thought. Rap music generally does that for me. I'm not much of an R&B fan. I don't see the point in listening to people's love lives and heartbreaks all day. I hate Heavy Metal & Rock. I don't know what the hell they are constantly screaming about. I'll listen to some Dancehall music here and there. Country music is generally the most uninspiring genre ever created. All their music, voices, sounds, subject matter and production sound the same. That's really dreary and unexciting. So of course I'm here to discuss some rap.

My favorite rap/music artist is NAS. He recently dropped his self-titled 11th studio album called "NASIR". I have been anticipating this album for about a year now. It finally dropped on the 16th of June and I got the chance to listen. Every record off the seven-song album was really good but one record caught my attention immediately. This was track 6, titled - ADAM and EVE. In the last verse of this 3-verse song, he rapped:

"What comes first...peace or the paper? 

Before I had a piece of paper, peace was in my favor. 

Before I started to eat at the table ,it had leaches and traitors. 

Cut the fat from the meat, extract the weak, bon appetit, no bacon". 

He then goes on to say:

"These clowns got false crowns, fictional kings. 

You broke my heart Fredo, You brought this thing of ours down to a fable. 

Be advised my guys are dying, enterprising at a boss's table"

I was so intrigued by this Fredo line because it struck a cord. Fredo is a character in The Godfather. The Godfather is a trilogy that critics have acclaimed - the best Mafia/Mob/Gangsta movie and novel of all time. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it. It has some of the best life lessons you'll ever learn on screen. To keep things short. The Godfather, Vito Corleone, was the head of a Mob, who at his old age chose the youngest of his sons, Michael Corleone, to succeed him as Godfather of the Mobs. Michael's older brother was Fredo Corleone. Fredo eventually cut a secret deal with a rival mob for some business that would see him get a large kickback so he could be his 'own man' and garnish respect as he felt he was being side-stepped in the Corleone family business. Little did he know that the rival mob only used him to get closer to The Godfather so they could assassinate him. The attempt on the Godfather's life was unsuccessful and the Corleones eventually found out that the leak in their organization was Fredo, their own brother. The infamous words "I KNOW IT WAS YOU FREDO. YOU BROKE MY HEART" was a scintillating scene in the novel/movie when The Godfather approached Fredo about his betrayal. This is in accordance with the fact that Fredo put his entire family and their organization in jeopardy because of jealousy, false sense of independence, and the urge to also be looked at as a Don, just as Nas raps in his song "YOU BROUGHT THIS THING OF OURS DOWN TO A FABLE". ....... "BE ADVISED MY GUYS ARE DYING ENTERPRISING AT A BOSS'S TABLE". Poetry or rap metaphors is subjective so my perspective of the verse may differ from others. To me, "enterprising at a boss's table" means having a different agenda contrary to what the laid down agenda is. For example, as a coach of a team, you have a game plan heading into a game which the team has to believe in and execute. Once individuals start "enterprising at your table", that means they have their own agenda in mind different from the team's goal, which will eventually cost the team. Usually, this stems from jealousy, selfishness and a lack of perspective. That's why Nas says "Be advised my guys are dying". Meaning it'll eventually lead to your (our) demise.

So many times we've seen money, misguided independence, and insecurity destroy friendships, businesses, families, relationships and teams. One has to comprehend that there's always one person in a group who is more likely to be the face of, the leader of, the most successful of, the most liked of, and most respected of. As long the group is successful, that should be good enough for the other member(s). But often than not, everybody wants to have a taste of leadership, nobody wants to take orders, everybody wants the fame and just as much respect. A seed is sown in ones head and everyone starts enterprising at the boss's table, which eventually leads to lack of focus, individualism and a miserable end to an otherwise successful franchise. Few years ago, I was introduced to a great book called "THE 48 LAWS OF POWER".  The 1st Law was "NEVER OUTSHINE THE MASTER". I won't bore you with the details but do pick up that book. Its a great read. It directly relates to the topic on discussion which even made the aforementioned lyrics more incredible.

To end this. Everybody has to play a part. There always has to be a leader. A leader should be respected irrespective of age, family history, physical attributes, or financial position. Jealousy and envy should be consciously put in check. Always move off of strategy and NOT emotion. Emotion will only sway your judgement and lead you astray. As long as the group/family/team/organization is successful, your part is important even if it flies under the radar. Usually, that's what actually holds down the fort.

Shout-out to NAS for these thought-provoking bars. See how a poetic line can ignite a discussion? Now you know why I rock with him heavily.

PS: DON'T BE FREDO..........he eventually got murdered for his betrayal

Thanks for reading y'all..............Peace ✌✌

\

The Corleones (from left to right) - Michael (son), Vito (Dad), Sonny (son), Fredo (son)

When Michael (right) told Fredo (left) "I know it was you Fredo, You broke my heart"

Vito Corleone - The Godfather

Micheal Corleone -  Youngest son of Vito Corleone who became the Godfather after his dad, Vito 

Vito passing the torch to Michael

Nasir Jones (Nas) - illest rapper/poet alive. My favorite

Nas' new album "Nasir" Album cover - Track 6: ADAM & EVE inspired this post

THE 48 LAWS OF POWER by Robert Greene. Great read. Do pick it up!

The same feeling from 4-years ago

I just had a feeling I had 4 years ago (Jan. 2014) when I my first IEEE journal paper got accepted. The feeling is basically making a loud involuntary scream for a couple of seconds which may or may not involve running around like a crazy person and eventually calling somebody on phone. That was how important my first paper meant to me. With all humility, I'd say that was a game-changer and a trend-setter.

Fast-forward to 4 years (7th April 2018) and I just had a similar feeling, not as intense but equally significant. This time I screamed just a little, not as high-pitched and not as long. This time I'm not on the 23rd floor of an apartment complex somewhere in a cold country but I'm at my office in the institution I work in on a Saturday evening. So I guess this feeling is somwhat irrespective of time and location.

So what happened? I've been doing this particular research-design on converting omnidirectional antennas to unidirectional antennas for about a year. I finally got to achieve good results which I was super-excited about. I sent a manuscript of the work for publication in the IEEE Transactions of Antennas and Propagation. You can call this the "Supreme Court of Antenna Design". Here, your work will be reviewed and you'll be informed if it's 'trash' or if its 'good'. So I hear back from them after a month after submission and the reviews are quite okay, but they ask some serious questions and want me to make some changes and resend for further review. This is crucial because how you answer their questions can make or break your entire work. My attempt to answer these questions has haunted me for the past few weeks. Even my sleep pattern has been affected, damn! What's worst is, there's no good material on this topic since it's not an area a lot of antenna researchers target. So today, I finally get to answer a lot of the questions except one major one. I do have an answer, but something tells me it's not convincing enough. Just before I start putting my answer on paper, I come across a recent publication (August 2017) with an interesting title and I decide to just glance through out of curiosity. After the first couple of sentences, I abruptly get up from my seat, look to the sky, and shout "Aahhhhhhhhhhhhh" for like 5 seconds straight. Then I leave my office and go walk around the corridor for about a minute hoping I didn't just see what I just saw. I think I totally figured out how to explain my design and make it convincing from what I read. The light bulb has been lit in my head y'all! My sleep pattern is about to get better again 😀.

You know what's really fascinating though, the originator of that idea this particular paper used was born in 1990 by my previous professor Prof. Per-Simon Kildal. I worked under him during a project 3 years prior to screaming that first time. I used to overhear him say "Soft and hard surfaces" every time and I used to think "whats with this old man and soft and hard things". Little did I know, 7 years down the line, it'll make me scream like a fat kid who has been promised cake.

My paper may still be rejected by the way. But hey, I have to celebrate progress, right?

Prof. Per-Simon Kildal passed away 21 April, 2016.

Rest in Peace Per-Simon! You are that dude! If I make one-tenth of the impact you made, I have made it.

Thanks for reading y'all................Love! 

 

Prof. Per-Simon Kildal: Chalmers University of Technology: 1951 - 2016. RIP!

  

This is the paper I just saw that made me scream. These Koreans are doing the most. The used Per-Simon's idea really well

 

 

They listed Per-Simon Kildal as a reference. Originator of "Soft and Hard surfaces in Electromagnetics". Now you get why referencing is crucial and super-important.

 

Light Bulb just lit up in my head. Today was a good day

Nude Guy at the traffic light - Therapy Session

I'm getting worse and worse when it comes to putting out these blog posts. Don't know if it's because I always have a lot on my mind or if it's just sheer laziness. It is definitely not a lack of topics - have tens of them lying in the 'vault'. But unfortunately they still have to wait their turn because last night's experience has taken precedence. Here we go!

So its 9 pm Friday night and it's time for me to head home from work. At the traffic stop just before I hit the main street, I see a bunch of people marching the streets, like some sort of procession. The lights turn green but can't move because these guys are still marching and chanting right in front of my vehicle. Its past 9pm now and I'm the only one under that traffic light. That means I couldn't blow my horn nor show attitude since I didnt have no back up. The last thing I want is to get jumped by a bunch of excited, sweaty, half-naked dudes on a Friday night. That's the type of story you take to the grave: one you cannot even tell your friends about since it will become a running joke forever. So I kept my cool. The light turns red again and these guys keep coming: a bunch of them too. As the saying goes..."there is always that one person who takes things overboard". Well, there isn't any saying like that actually, but you guys get the point. Just as the light turned green again, this little guy stops right in front of the vehicle and starts dancing and stripping. Mind you, this is late evening, and my car lights are shining brightly at him. That is to say, everything was wayyy to clear for my liking.

This dude takes of his shirt facing the vehicle, then turns around and takes off his pants to display his butt cheeks. Now, I'm sitting in the car thinking "This dude is lucky it's not just him and I, I definitely would have poked him with the car so he hits his head for sure". Like the scene wasn't bad enough, he bends down with his back facing me, opens his legs widely and spreads out his butt cheeks, with my high definition- HD lights shining right through it..WHAAAAT!!

That was a biology class I was not prepared for. I did not even see anything strange because the light was shining so brightly, but I didn't see anything 'unstrange' either. It was just a very confusing and bizarre sight. It's like staring through the barrel of a gun. You kind-of see the bullet in it but you don't really see the bullet in it. Got it?? 😐 I started getting scared immediately; didn't know why. Lo and Behold, the green-light came up and this guy decided to sit on the hood of my car with his bare buttocks before he moved on with his friends. Just so you know, his imprints are still visible my hood y'all. Disturbing, I know! Washing bay tomorrow I guess. 😒

On my way home, this played on my mind the entire time. "Where did that fear come from?", I thought. Immediately, I flashed back to 2011 in Gothenburg when I had similar but a more fearful experience. It was summer time and school had vacated. I was oneday walking through the quiet campus to a soccer training session, few blocks away from the school. In one of the dark alleys, I saw a big Indian-looking dude on a bike riding my direction. I didn't think anything of it and just continued to do my thing. He gets close to me, stops his bike, and says "hello". I take my headphones out and respond amicably. He then says, to this date the scariest words I have ever heard in my life, "Do you want me to suck you?". My heart dropped immediately. I felt I misheard, so I asked "What?". Then he says it more explicitly (PG 30) and adds a smile to it... like that was going to do the trick. SMH! Akoa wei paa. I smiled back and said "Nah man, I'm good. I'm straight. But Thanks" and pursed walking. I guess he thought I was playing hard-to-get so he kept looking back like I'll eventually change my mind. Soon as I turned the corner, I started running so hard and didn't stop till I reached the training... with everyone asking why I was in so much hurry while I was half-an-hour early. All I could think was "What if he didn't ask nicely? What if he tried to force it?" Boy was I terrified.😁. Now listen, I'm no push-over. I benchpress 80 kilos (176 lbs) and squat 130 kilos (280 lbs) so I can handle myself... but something about the THOUGHT of forceful entry to a man's rear end makes you lose every ounce of confidence and scares the living crap out of me. I guess if I were superman, my kryptonite would be called "Bootyhole", or "Forceful Entry", or something mildly inappropriate like that. 😛

I'm saying all this to say, when the little skinny dude did that crap yesterday, these were the kind of things that popped up while I was heading home. I think it is safe to say that I didn't enjoy my ride home. I've had better nights for sure. It is also safe to say that I cannot survive in jail (if you  know what happens in jail). Thank God Momma raised me to live a proper lifestyle. haha

Sorry to bring y'all this inappropriate tale this happy Saturday evening. But just like comedy, writing is therapeutic, so you readers are my therapists. Thank you  👌👍

Oh, to make this post even more weird. I think Gay men should be leading the frontlines when it comes to WAR. I think nobody is braver than a MAN who makes the CONSCIOUS decision to utilize his anal cavity for extra curricular activies. That's the most hardcore & gangsta thing I've ever seen in my life, EVER.  😂

Thanks for reading y'all.......Peace ✌

NO PICTURES FOR THIS POST...COULDN'T FIND ANY NON-DISTURBING PHOTOS 😆