Will Smith's "Pursuit of Happyness"

BTW, I just want you all to know that I spelled happiness as "happyness" because that is the way it is spelled for the movie. Those who saw it know why. Just wanted to say that before you people begin to say I can't spell. In any event, you are prolly wondering what this movie has to do with "all things Ghanaian." Well, the movie is essentially about determination and overcoming extraordinary odds to achieve a dream. Well, I felt like the movie spoke to many things such as father/son relationships, reponsibility, etc. I also felt that it spoke to the immigrant experience. I mean, how many of us watched as our own parents struggled against extraordinary odds to help place us in positions of success. They overcame accent/language barriers, no pali barriers (no papers), "African booty scratcher barriers (if you went to elem. to high school here you know what I am talking about)," and so much more just to make sure that their children would not have to suffer in the same manner. I mean the character exhibited unusual strength of character and commitment to his goal. He wanted a better life for himself and his son and was willing to sacrifice anything in order to achieve it. I cried and cried when he reached his goal. It felt great that his hard work finally paid off. Just as many of our parents' hard work and determination have paid off, particularly with regard to our (their children) successes.

I suggest you go and see the movie and then thank you parents/aunts or whomever was instrumental in helping you achieve your goals. Then also pat yourself on the back for staying strong and committed to your goal... even if it was because you parents had to beat you well, well or "guilt you" into being committed. LOL.

Have a great holiday.

I Go Chop Your Dollar

Ok, for those of you who watched 20/20 on 12/8/06, you are either currently laughing really hard, utterly disgusted, or both. It was insane how people gave up their life savings for things like "black money" or promises of a cut of some large fortune. If you are like me, you receive these emails periodically or maybe even more frequently. Most people simply delete them and move on, apparently some actually respond and begin plans for the transfer of their riches. Kai! Don't get me wrong, I feel bad for those who lost their life savings but really at some point they have to take stock of their own roles in these scams. They became victims as a result of their willingness to dupe whichever government or ex government official whose money they were promised. I do not in any shape or form condone what the scammers do but as my favorite saying goes, "those who don't hear must feel." Those would-be beneficiaries of the scams, or victims as they have now become, probably would not heed the advice or warning of those around them or their own insticts telling them that nothing could be this easy. Therefore they had to feel the effects. Chai!

With regard to ABC's role, I thought they were not very objective in their portrayal. For example, they called Nigeria "a sprawling, crime ridden, corrupt, disgrace of a city." Dang! Also they added a music video, which the audience was prompted to infer reflected the views/ideas of Nigerians in general. The played it throughout the segment to really enrage the viewers. I mean think about how much more it angered viewers that these people were taking their money and singing about it. In actuality, that video was made for a movie. Apparently the actor/music video lead is in "trouble" with the government for acting in the movie. Ehhhh, then Brad Pitt and all those people better be careful. Nonsense. Africans too like "yessa massa" when Americhe or Bylon is mad or feeling duped. So now they have to sanction actors for playing a role. Mbuasem times 2. All in all, this problem can be blamed on both the scammers/masters and the mugu/losers. It is unfair to lose all your money to a scammer but it is also unfair to try to get rich via illegal means. Me Done.

Here is the link for all those that were partying that night instead of watching 20/20:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPrwyZ4nDpk

Ushers...We Beg You Ohhhhhh

Ok, I have another chuch related post...
Aren't ushers supposed to smile when you enter the church?
Aren't they supposed to give you eye contact?
Are they supposed to get an attitude when you want to sit somewhere other than where they want you to sit?
Are they supposed to try to make people in church comfortable, i.e., if it's hot, are they supposed to like turn on fans to make it better?
I am not pointing any fingers oh, I just want to be clear so that I don't expect too much.

Of course there are exceptions to the behavior I have ascribed to the ushers I have come across but it should not be that way. I can literally count how many ushers at my church seem to be happy to be doing their jobs. You can count on the same people to smile at you when you enter the church. The rest...it's a toss up. It is sad cuz their reception(s) can set the tone for how one might feel about the church. If you have a half-hearted reception, it might be diffcult to turn it around for the rest of the service, particularly if you are not accustomed to that type of "welcome" or if you are a visitor. Anyway, I guess that's just the way it is. Ehhh, we Africans have our own brand of customer service but delving into that topic will take much more time than I have right now. God bless you all and make sure that next time you go to church, you look your usher in the eye and force him/her to smile.