Disney Controversy?

This weekend I chanced upon a certain controversy that had been brewing over the last two years that I was totally unaware of. Disney was making a darker skinned girl their princess in their upcoming animation- The princess and the frog. She’s from New Orleans and is to be called Princess Tiana. It’s a beautiful idea if you ask me, as it will give the self image of little black girls a boost. God knows we’ve waited for this long enough. I was even one of those little girls who had to imagine myself ‘white’ before a knight in shining amour could come to my rescue, whisk me away and live happily ever after.

Okay, back to the point. Originally Princess Tiana was to have been called Princess Maddy, but pressure groups didn’t like the name because it was to plain. Really? What did they want LaShauna, Shaquinta, Levondia? Then we come the princess’ role, she was to have been a chamber maid, fall in love with the frog, kiss him, frog turns into a prince, they marry she becomes a princess and they live happily ever after. Nice? No, according to the pressure group, well, depicting a black girl as a chamber maid is so stereotypical. So with that, they made Princess Tiana a real princess from New Orleans. Do we have royalty in New Orleans? Don’t Americans abhor royalty? I thought Cinderella was a cinder maid. What about giving people the hope that they can become ‘something’ someday?

Aren’t we taking all this to a whole different level? Is there a fine line between affirmative action and ridiculous? Please educate me because I think it’s a little ridiculous.

Tag, I'm it!

This award was passed on by Miss Maxy. I’m to write 7 things about myself and tag a couple(or so) of others to do same. “Hmmm, who will I tag? That’s the first thing going through my mind. I don’t wanna tag someone who doesn’t wanna be tagged, yet… We’ll see how it goes when I’m done.”

1. I’m still not sure when to use ‘whom’ and when to use ‘who’.
2. I like Italian food…probably because of all that cheese. Lasagna, pizza, pasta, garlic bread +vinegar & olive oil…love it.
3. I tend to be rather hot headed and impatient at times. I think I’m getting better at it though.
4. Though I have a bubbly personality and may be a little talkative, I’m very private about my personal life.
5. I enjoyed being 23yrs old immensely!
6. I have a short(ish) attention span. Max 2hrs. I gotta move on.
7. I haven’t touched my hair with any chemical since Jan 2005! (Well, except what is found in shampoos & Conditioners)

Ok, now I tag

Rebelryter

Procrastinator

KFC

I love you

Why wait to write a eulogy

When you can say in person

“I love you”

Why wait to etch on a tombstone

When you can make a call to say

“I love you”

Why wait to say in tears

When you can say in laughter

“I love you”

- - - ~ To Ebow, for not waiting.

Wise buying

A crown is a hat

But you don’t buy that

When you need a hat

-The Dark Wanderer: poems/ by Albert W. Kayper-Mensah

Easier Said

Funny how I can say

All the right things

Motivational quotes

Smart sayings

When the pain is not mine

When the anguish

The disappointment

The heartache

Belongs to someone else

But when the tables turn

I only feel sadness

Depression and agony

And not a single wise quote

Or uplifting word

Will my brain churn out

For my comfort

Black and white are also colours of the rainbow!

The last meeting

Was a teary parting two decades ago

The joys leaving school called

The promises of tomorrow beckoned

Each went to their own

To make bread with the grain given

Today she bumps into her in town

Her life seems like a rainbow

Complete with that pot of gold

A thriving business for her work

A wealthy hunk for her husband

A life in HD

She, not so much, she muses

She hasn’t had much colour

Single mother, runaway dad

Struggling to make ends meet

It seems she’s been given a raw deal

A life in black and white

They are pretend they’re happy to see each other

They secretly eye each other enviously

Each wants what the other has

A son for one, a husband for the other

Oh, but they have a lot more in common

They both cry themselves each night to sleep

Resilience

I was with my mother as she was gardening the other day. As she dug up clumps of earth with her fork she complained, “I wish these tomatoes were as resilient as the weeds are. You don’t have to put any insecticides or manure and they grow outrageously. My tomatoes are getting blight. Yet they all grow in the same soil.”

Later on I thought to myself, we humans are like that. The rogues and rascals thrive, while good people are ruined. A setback, a harsh word or an illness and we succumb. We dig in our heels; we give up and claim we are victims. If the rogues were to be deterred by the harsh words they have heard or even some of the unpleasant consequences they have had, this world would be a utopia. Yet they forge on against all odds.

We should learn from them. But of what use is a weed or scoundrel to anyone? Maybe a hybrid would work. We need to have the usefulness of a tomato and the resilience of a weed.

7 more (maybe sad) facts of life

The men in the beer adverts do not have a potbelly, as they should

French fries and cheese cake are deliciously bad for your heart and waist

There will always be someone better at your game than you

Your hard work may only be rewarded with your boss’ riches

No matter how much you try, good looks essentially comes from genetics

Your (or your wife’s) breasts will sag a couple of degrees every year

85% of men who die from heart attacks during sex are found to have been cheating on their wives.

F.E.A.R.

There is only one universal passion: fear- George Bernard Shaw

I chanced upon this quote and thought of all the things I’m afraid of. So many things come to mind and some of them are just irrational! But apparently everyone has at least one irrational fear. I’ll tell you two of mine;

I’m afraid of the dark. I’m afraid of dark alleys, dark rooms and dark streets, anything dark. I’m afraid of what might be lurking in there. Waiting to “catch me”! I’m afraid of not being able to see what is out there. I can’t even sleep in a dark room. There has to be some light sifting in through the window or at least a nightlight. I’m afraid of being afraid of the dark.

I’m afraid of clowns, masqueraders (kaakaamotobi), fancy dress parties, I’m afraid of it all. Why do you have to dress up all weird? The point is….? Tell me what is funny about clowns? Or masqueraders?... So I’m afraid of it. Because they look scary. (You can tell I’m being a bit defensive here, huh?) Unfortunately, this particular one is a proper phobia, hyperventilation, sweats, shivers and asthmatic attacks!

I know y’all will laugh. But we are all afraid of something. I’ve told you some of the weird things I’m afraid of…What are you afraid of?

5 almost flimsy and petty things that might make me say goodbye to a man

We all know the attributes of a good man; responsible, industrious, street savvy, thrifty, caring etc. But sometimes when women are deciding whether or not to look at a long term relationship with a man or whether or not to kick a man out, certain petty issues are considered along with the important ones named above. My friend Esi Cleland made a podcast recently about top 10 things to look out for in a man and that dealt with the big ‘uns mentioned above! This post deals with the little ’uns. Below are just five of what would be on my (long-ish) list.

1. Books: If a man has no idea, I mean no idea about books that I think every normal human being should have read, well its bye-bye time. For example during a conversation, I ask if he’s read Dilemma of a Ghost, he answers no. Another day, I ask about Pride and Prejudice, no. Okay… To kill a mocking bird, no. Things fall apart, no. (Red flag) Great Expectations, no. Native Son, no. Animal farm, no. Okay I think he should redeem himself right now and tell me what he’s read or what he likes to read, if not, he’s out.
2. Table manners: Nothing puts me off more than a man without table manners. He chews with his mouth open, talks with food in his mouth (Eew, I don’t wanna see your bolus), shoves food down his throat, uses cutlery wrongly, and chews loudly (when he’s not eating carrots… er, can you chew a little louder they cannot quite hear you in Bolivia!). ’Nuff said. Bye-bye.
3. Sense of humor: I like to laugh. So if I’m with a man who can’t laugh at himself and the whole world… well, I’d say goodbye. I don’t think people should take life so seriously. We are here but for a few years. No matter how responsible you are, sometimes laughter is the only way to deal with issues. I generally find men who are humorless incessantly boring.
4. Bathroom habits: All women hate men leaving the toilet seat up and every well brought up man was taught by his Mama to put the seat down. I’d tolerate the occasional forgetfulness but constantly is a no-no. Leaving ‘skid marks’ in the bowl? Once is enough, forget it. Oh, whilst we are in the bathroom, let me add, I don’t see any reason why the toothpaste should be squeezed from the middle of the tube. There is no reason for a grown man to do that. A seven year old can get away with it but not a grown man.(I won’t leave for that alone though)
5. LAFA & Grammar: Of late I see on my feedjit that I have readers from a lot of countries so let me break LAFA down for the non-Ghanaians; it stands for Locally Acquired Foreign Accent. A number of people try to affect the accent of Americans and British, even though they have never lived there, so that they sound ‘cool’ or impressive. For me it is a super duper turn off. No matter how great you are in every other department, it is a put off for me. Period. It reeks of an identity crisis. Saying that, I really appreciate men with a mastery over the English language, as well as their own native tongue. It’s a turn off if a man can’t string a single sentence of English together without taking me back to my class four teacher-Mrs Coker.

PS. I am not an uptight bitch. (Hehehe.)

The Pendant: Part II

(The parting)

Alas, in the heat of their passion one afternoon

As they struggled out of their garments

The chain that held us broke and I bounced off

She couldn’t stop to search for me, could she?

Not until the red hot lava had cooled

But I was under this heavy mahogany wardrobe

Among the fluff of dust and cobwebs

Oh dear, she’s leaving without me

(The wistful end)

I heard him whisper he would get her another

A shiny new piece all dolled up and fancy

But she wears him with pride, oh how could she?

I thought our love was timeless and endless

Life was so good when it was just she and I

Oh, why did she have to bring him into our lives?

It wouldn’t be so bad if I was lost in her room

But, every night I have to lay here and listen to him snore

The Pendant: Part I

(The meeting)

It was love at first sight between us two

I caught her eye as she passed by the shop

She immediately came in and asked to see me

And picked me up with the most delicate fingers

As I lay in her soft smooth palm

I could only imagine how good it would feel

To lie close to her heart and feel its rhythm

To lie between the soft mounds of flesh on her chest

(The affair)

So began our affair of five years

She called me her lucky charm, her love

She daintily fingered me when she was deep in thought

I was never far away from her heart

We loved each other endlessly

But, oh, fate played its nasty cards

I was to be betrayed, I was to be replaced

She and I became she, him and I

The waiting room

As I entered the lonely lobby

A classical collection wafted weakly in the air

If it was to pacify patients for the impending ordeal, it failed woefully

Because to my edgy ears it sounded cacophonous

The sullen secretary peered pointedly at me over her horn rimmed glasses

I nervously neared her and demanded the dentist

She lazily listened and rudely replied

“Sit your seat”

Without a blithering blink, and all the while, shuffling sheets

So I teetered toward the seats

And sunk into a soft sofa along the wall

Sweaty palms picked up a peeling pamphlet

Damp hands, despite the chilly atmosphere

Either from of the whirring window unit

Or from the frigid female who sat across from me

Aunt Anxiety whispered to me to tap my feet to calm the nerves

Sullen Secretary shot me and my funny feet a lethal look that almost made me slither silently to the ground

What I do

I do what I do

You do what you do

What I do does not affect what you do

What you do does not affect what I do

I like what I do

You like what you do

I judge you not for what you do

Why do you judge me for what I do?

Education

Study

Read

Write

Calculate

Sit

Silence

They barked at me

So I did them dutifully

Maybe if they had added

Explore

Create

Muse

Invent

Discover

Play

I’d have done ‘em with glee

And I’d have learnt more

‘Cause I’d have thought for myself

The burial

He lay stone cold

No more to behold

He left little money

No milk and honey

Yet here he lay

In a coffin and array

The tab for which is unpaid

Dosh, a year he won’t ha’e made

Cyber love

I fell in love with your wit

You made me laugh

I fell in love with your voice

Deep and throaty

I fell in love with your mind

A beautiful maze

We had a connection

Or so I thought

Then I met you

Not what I want

You

I woke up this morning yearning for you

I started my day feeling blue

I thought it’d pass, I thought I’d be fine

Like a fool, I toed the line

Through the day it grew worse

It almost made me smile-averse

The day ended, how, I have no clue

I’m going to bed tonight yearning for you