Books worth reading

I have compiled a list of books (novels & non-fiction) I believe are worth reading... books that make you wish you could continue after they have ended. Some of the books on this list are in agreement with the BBC Top books list, Amazon Bestsellers list and all that, while some havent made it into any of those lists- all however are worth picking up.
So get ready, don’t cringe in those shoes! And do get out your library card

1. The Bible (really if you have never read this, never taken a peek at this, get moving now!)
2. To kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
3. Things fall apart – Chinue Achebe
4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzegerald
5. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
6. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonngut
7. The Railway Children
8. Animal Farm by George Orwell
9. 1984 by George Orwell
10. Catch – 22 by Joseph Heller
11. The Ulysses by James Joyce
12. Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry
13. Come Home Baby Girl – Fannie Flagg
14. Green Eggs & Ham by Dr. Seuss
15. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
16. The Heart is a lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
17. A portrait of the Artist as a young man – James Joyce
18. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Sahnger
19. A farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
20. Lolita by Vladimir Nobokov
21. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
22. Alice in Wonderland
23. The Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
24. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
25. The Curious Incidence of the Dog in the Night time by Mark Haddon
26. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
27. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
28. A town like Alice by Nevil Shute
29. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
30. In His Steps: "What Would Jesus Do?" by Rev. Charles Monroe Sheldon
31. The Love Machine
32. The Concubine by Elechi Amadi
33. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
34. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
35. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
36. The Lion, The witch and The wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
37. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
38. Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence
39. Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
40. On The Road by Jack Kerouac
41. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
42. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
43. The Faraway Tree Collection by Enid Blyton
44. Beloved by Toni Morrison
45. Native Son by Richard Wright

I'll add to this list as I read more books... let me know the books you think are worth reading.... so i can read them and maybe add them to my list

New Money

I've been away for a bit...yours truely has to work for pay and some crazy hectic work came up... in Ghana... so sorry for the silence... i'm back now... with the most publicized story in Ghana right now....

If you have ever been to Ghana, you will be aware that carrying a huge amount of Ghanaian currency is normal. The Ghanaian currency is denominated in large numbers, with the smallest note being a one thousand cedi note; in Ghana you are easily a millionaire… in Cedi mind you.

In Ghana, a bottle of coca cola goes for 8000 cedis, and a plate of chicken and chips goes for 40,000 cedis in Papaye (a popular fast food joint in Accra), one American dollar ($1) exchanges for 9300 Cedis as at today.

The size of the currency makes business transactions somewhat difficult in Ghana, with automated currency machines having to dispense more currency notes; and high volume business executed with large amounts of cash which are cumbersome to carry.
When you are coming from an economy where ‘ten thousand’ is not something you would buy a drink with; transacting business is particularly difficult.

So in a bid to simplify business transactions in the country, make things easier for those of us who just can’t count :-), The Bank of Ghana has decided to redenominate the currency.

Now what is that?
Simply that the Bank is bringing out a new set of currencies called the ’Ghana Cedi’, which will give the same value as the present currency but be in less quantity. The 10,000 Cedi (C10,000) will be replaced by one Ghana Cedi (1GhC) which is also equal to a hundred Ghana pesewa (Ghp); the 20,000 Cedi (C20,000) will be replaced by two Ghana Cedi (2GhC) and so on.
If you are extremely fast with figures, then you will have noticed that the bank is simply taking away 4 zeros from the old Cedi to make the new Ghana Cedi!

The highest note currently in use in Ghana is the 20,000 Cedi which exchanges for a little over 2 dollars. The bank is introducing the new currency 1 July, 2007 which will be spent concurrently with the old currency for 6 months before that is phased out. In the true Ghana style there will be a public holiday to celebrate this notable event (Ghanaians are still the most nationalistic I have ever met… it’s the country where wearing the national flag is a normal thing!... now that’s a story for another day).

So after the 1st of July, a bottle of coke in Ghana will go for 0.8GhC or 80Ghp under the new currency (now that’s more like it). Also after the redenomination, the highest currency will not be an equivalent of the highest note now – the 20,000 Cedi but will be 50Ghana Cedi the equivalent of 500,000Cedis today!, the government is not only changing the currency, they are introducing a currency note that will exchange for 55 dollars if the exchange rate remains the same! This means people can carry more money; say 20pieces of a 50Ghana Cedi in a flat wallet which is equivalent to $1100, 10million Cedis today!... now I’m not sure that is a good idea…

Wont that affect the economy adversely?.... wont all of ‘these’ mess the economy up? lead to inflation?, little money in circulation at first and then an explosion of it, wont the new currency lose value?... and so on and so forth… the questions in mind are endless.

The Ghanaian government is assuring us all that the value remains the same; we will only be carrying less cash for the same transactions, you will still be able to make the same obtain the same purchases, products and services under the new currency as you could under the old and the Ghanaian Government is doing it’s very best to educate the people on the redenomination exercise.

I think its succeeding pretty much; the slogan you hear everywhere: the media, newspapers and the public is ‘the value remains the same’; and the Ghanaian people in true nationalism appear to have taken the government at its word.

Sometimes I wonder if the people are chanting the mantra ‘the value remains th same’ to better reassure themselves that the value had better remain the same… somewhere in my mind, if i lived in Ghana, i would probably have converted all my meager funds to dollars or pounds now... just in case... you never know...now don’t mind me… I’m just thinking aloud.

Anyway, in 38 days, Ghana will be spending a new currency, and if you are regular visitor to Ghana returning after July 2007, do take note, and check the currency you hand over when transacting your business… what ever that is!
So guys the count down is on….and remember… “the value remains the same”
Or so I hope!

My Priest Unknown – Otto Biel

Sometimes last year I got a mail – a devotional from someone called Otto Biel and it has impacted me greatly.
Being a bit of a cynic, I normally read and discard all the ‘if you don’t forward this, you don’t love Jesus mails” junk mails – if I’m in a good mood and if I’m not I just go ahead and delete without even reading them…. But somehow I read Otto Biel’s devotional mail and I couldn’t stop.
It so blessed my life I subscribed to the daily devotional and read it everyday…and for someone who rushes out of the house everyday with barely a prayer mumbled, it was a great way to have my quiet time….
A hymnal in midi file was always attached to the devotional and a lot of times he had a joke or two to tell.

I got so fascinated, that I decided to find out if the devotionals were some automated mailing or someone somewhere called Otto Biel was sending them to me… I mailed Otto and he replied… Otto prayed with me also!
Otto Biel was an old man in his late 70s and full of life (despite many surgical operations and visits to the hospital) Otto passed on last year (November 2006) and it was a huge loss for me….
I have attached below excepts from one of my favourite devotionals from Otto Biel… I hope it blesses you too!

…………………………………………………………….
Something to think about
Someday all you will have is what you gave to God


If the first law of
friendship is that it has to be cultivated,
the second law is to be indulgent
when the first law has been neglected.


And we urge you brothers...encourage the timid, help the weak,
be patient with everyone. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 NIV

I have learned---
Before God created the universe
He had you in mind!.....

GO WITH GOD - have a great day ---Otto---
___________________________________________________________________
I Choose True Kindness"

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there are no laws." Galatians 5:22"

Love is patient. Love is kind." I Corinthians 13:4

It's quiet. It's early. The world is still asleep. In a few moments the day will arrive. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.For the next 14 hours you will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now you must choose.! Because of Calvary you are free to choose. And so you do.

TODAY I CHOOSE KINDNESS, as Max Lucado put it. I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. I'll be kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And I'll be kind to the unkind, for that is how God has treated me.

It is fairly easy to be kind, when it is convenient for us. When we are feeling good, when our schedule is accommodating, when it doesn't put us out – then it is not hard to be kind. The real test of kindness comes when it is not convenient, when it takes more from us than we think we can give. Kindness is sometimes boiled down to being nice. I think it's so much more than that, because true kindness comes from a heart that is willing to make the extra effort - in the power of God - to help someone else, to be there for someone else, to go beyond what we think we can or should do. That's where true kindness begins.

Bringing It Home:

1. Look ahead to your day and identify times or places, where it would
be easier to look the other way or avoid, and then choose those times and places to show true kindness.

2. Look today for the opportunities Jesus gives you to show true kindness to someone else – then, in his power, do it!Prayer:Kindly Savior, you are abundant in your kindness to me. Through your love for me you have shown me what true kindness is like. Give my opportunities to be truly kind to someone today. Give me the chance and the grace to pass on your kindness to me to someone else.

AMEN.

Pastor Jane JebsenGurnee, Illinois

<*))) ><

When the wires cross

Sometimes... once in a while, you are having a conversation and in short time you realise both of you (whoever you are discussing with) have been talking about two different things... and you immediately either try to salvage it without the other person cottoning on to the fact that you had been living on another planet (if you are like me) or you own up graciously and say...'hey i thought you were talking about something else entirely' .... either way it can be an embarrassing experience or a funny one depending on who it is... what was being discussed and how you choose to see it... but we all at one time or the other have gotten our communication wires crossed.... i found a particularly hilarious example and thought to share it with you.

The Smiths
The Smiths were unable to conceive children and decided to use a surrogate father to start their family.
On the day the proxy father was to arrive, Mr. Smith kissed his wife goodbye and said, "Well, I'm off now; The man should be here soon."
Half an hour later, just by chance, a door-to-door baby photographer happened to ring the doorbell, hoping to make a sale.
"Good morning, Ma'am", he said, "I've come to...
''Oh, no need to explain," Mrs. Smith cut in, embarrassed, "I've been expecting you."
"Have you really?" said the photographer. "Well, that's good". Did you know babies are my specialty?"
"Well that's what my husband and I had hoped. Please come in and have a seat"
After a moment she asked, blushing, "Well, where do we start?"
"Leave everything to me. I usually try two in the bathtub, one on the couch, and perhaps a couple on the bed. And sometimes the living room floor is fun. You can really spread out there."
"Bathtub, living room floor? No wonder it didn't work out for Harry and me!"
"Well, Ma'am, none of us can guarantee a good one every time. But if we try several different positions and I shoot from six or seven angles, I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results."
"My, that's a lot!" gasped Mrs. Smith.
"Ma'am, in my line of work a man has to take his time. I'd love to be in and out in five minutes, but I'm sure you'd be disappointed with that."
"Don't I know it," said Mrs. Smith quietly.
The photographer opened his briefcase and pulled out a portfolio of baby pictures.
"This was done on the top of a bus," he said.
"Oh my God!" Mrs. Smith exclaimed, grasping at her throat.
"And these twins turned out exceptionally well -when you consider their mother was so difficult to work with."
"She was difficult?" asked Mrs. Smith.
"Yes, I'm afraid so I finally had to take her to the park to get the job done right. People were crowding around four and five deep to get a good look."
"Four and five deep?" said Mrs. Smith, her eyes wide with amazement.
"Yes", the photographer replied. "And for more than three hours, too. The mother was constantly squealing and yelling - I could hardly concentrate, and when darkness approached I had to rush my shots. Finally, when the squirrels began nibbling on my equipment, I just had to pack it all in."
Mrs. Smith leaned forward. "Do you mean they actually chewed on your, uh...equipment?"
"It's true, Ma'am, yes.. Well, if you're ready, I'll set-up my tripod and we can get to work right away."
"Tripod?"
"Oh yes, Ma'am. I need to use a tripod to rest my Canon on. It's much too big to be held in the hand very long."
Mrs. Smith fainted.........

Totally hilarious... Peeps what do you think of these terribly crossed conversation lines... Poor Mrs. Smith!.... how the baby photograher got everything to fit in with Mrs. Smith beats me.... not once did he mention photographs...or words like photo-shoot, or film... or something to alert Mrs. Smith... have you ever gotten your wires crossed in a crazy way?... maybe you thought someone was propositioning you who wasn't.... or something.... holla out! :-)

You in One word

I found something similar to this on a friend’s blog and I have worked it to my taste. Do respond with yours… remember you are describing yourself in just one word

Here goes for Tyger

Yourself: Weird
Your partner: Nowhere
Your hair: Colour 2
Your mother: Loving
Your father: Quiet
Your siblings: Awesome
Your favourite item: Dubi
Your dream last night: Strange
Your favourite drink: Sprite
Your dream car: BMW Jeep
Your favorite colour: Black
Your job: Crazy
Your ex: Gone
Your fear: a loony hubby
Your favourite weather: None
Your favourite book: Come home baby girl
Your favourite movie: Sweet November
Your life: Expectant
Your mood: Smooth
Your best friend: Git!
Your relationship status: Free
What you want to be in 10 years: Rich
What you're not: Boring
What you are wearing: New look
What you are currently reading: Commandos
Who you hung out with last night: God
What you're thinking about right now: Sleep
What you are doing at the moment: Typing
What is on your TV: Speaker
What the weather is like: hot
The room you are in: Crowded
The last thing you ate: Sphaghetti
The last thing you drank: Milo

Baba’s Will

The anti-climax of the elections and the way everybody has suddenly gone back to business like a child bored with a new toy is disheartening…I truly believe now that Nigerians are like a many time heartbroken woman, whose 7th lover has run off again.
People trooped out for the gubernatorial elections – educated and uneducated alike in the hope that for once their votes would count… and they went as far as ensuring the integrity of the counting process… trailing electoral officers around town.
Alas! At the end of it all, reports of massive rigging fill the air and the wrong names are announced to power… So on the 21st of April, a large percentage of Nigerian boycotted the Presidential elections… their hearts were broken again, and the ‘its no use’ attitude was back in them.The absence of the people they intend to rule did not stop the elections…
Goats, chickens, lizards and the political touts… who graciously voted and stuffed ballot boxes were counted…and Yesterday Governor Musa Yar’Adua won the elections… which comes as no surprise to any of us… he appears to be the lesser of all the evils canvassing for the Nigerian souls.

We are neither delighted nor sad…we are only heart-broken

Now that the elections are over, and Baba’s will has been done, shall we be allowed to rest from the various political machinations and Machiavellian intents that have plaqued the corridors of power? Or is there more to come?... will it be a pandora’s box of evil discoveries.

Will Baba heed line 7 of this apt prayer and let sleeping dogs lie?

‘Our Baba who art in Aso Rock
Balogun of Owu is thy name.
Thy handover shall soon come
thy will has been done in Umaru and Goodluck.
Leave us this May 29th,your departure date.
Lead us not into anarchy.
Forgive Turaki his disloyalty as we forgave your failed third term plot
Deliver him from INEC hammer
for Otta is thy destination,
with all that is thine
thy bag and thy baggage
forever and ever
just go ooo
Amen’

Or will he continue to raise a storm in a teacup?

Like the Nigerians that we are we shall seat and out wait them… sooner or later their plans will unfold…

I love Naija

I have come to the realization that a lot of people know so little of their home country Nigeria, so today I have put together some salient ‘need to know points’ so this is an opportunity to reaffirm what you know and increase your knowledge of what was called ‘General knowledge’ when we were in school!

· Total landmass - approximately 923,768 square kilometres (356,669 sq. miles),
· Location - West Africa, 10° North and 8° East, bound by Niger in the north, Chad in the northeast, Cameroon in the east, Republic of Benin in the west, and the Atlantic Ocean in the south.
· Climate - Tropical, arid in north mean maximum temperatures of 30°C - 32°C (south) and 33°C - 35°C (north).
· Sub regions - The country is divided into 36 states and a Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
· Population - Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa with a population of over 120 million and estimated at about 132 million in 2006. (just looking at Lagos I am not surprised).
· And it is growing at a rate of 2.4%!
· Lagos State accounts for about 15 million people (see?... I told you!... Eko for show! Eko o ni baje!)
· Other rapidly growing cities in Nigeria are Port Harcourt, Kano, Kaduna, Aba, Onitsha and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
· Urbanisation - 57% of Nigeria’s population resides in the rural areas (fancy that!)
· Poverty - 60% of Nigerians live under the poverty line (that’s less than $1 a day! what percentage are all the rich folks in VGC, Ikoyi, Femi Okunnu Estate, Lekki and Ikeja GRA…. And all the hummer and IVTEC driving peeps?)
· Unemployment – 5.8% of Nigerians are unemployed (I bet its way more than that… I bet someone got the decimal points wrong and its 58 or something… just kidding!)
· Labour force – 48.99million people make up the Nigerian labour force (see what I said about the unemployment figures, will 40 million people be toiling away and the economy still be this crazy?...I think so!)
· Ethnic Groups - There are over than 250 ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo (Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5%
· Literacy - 68% of Nigerians are literate (not bad Not bad!)
· Median Age - 55% of Nigerians are between the ages of 15 & 64 (no wonder our system is so totally juvenile!)
· Life Expectancy – this is 47.66% for women and 46.52 for the men! (so ladies be nice to the fellas they are likely to die before you do!)
· HIV/AIDS Prevalence - 3.4million people are living with HIV/AIDS (whao! You just can’t go spreading the love you know, one has to spread it carefully! real carefully! :-))
· Prevalent Diseases – Malaria, Typhoid Fever, Hepatitis A, bacterial & protozoan diarrhea and meningococcal meningitis (whao! You can’t even go spreading the hug sef… with meningococcal meningitis and hepatitis A floating around - even their names sound deadly!)
· The legal system - based on English common law, Islamic law (in 12 northern states), and traditional law
· The legislative system – the National Assembly is bicameral and consists of Senate -109 seats (3 from each state plus 1 from Abuja) and House of Representatives - 360 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms.

There will be more information for you to digest soon!

My sources are: The Economic Intelligence Unit Report on Nigeria 2006 CIA World Fact Book