Someone (you know yourself :)) went on a reading spree on this blog and this was one of the posts she liked. I re-read it and liked it so much I decided to reblog it. It reminded me of many things. Hard to believe I wrote this 5 years ago! Hope you enjoy it.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLJsdqxnZb0] We like to think that we’d be happier if we were richer, better-looking, taller, thinner, fatter, married, single, (had more fuel in our tanks), American, British, more successful… Shawn Achor (see TedTalk above) says that it’s actually the other way round. If you’re happy, then you can perform better. I’ll take it a step further and add that happiness isn’t pleasure. Happiness is a decision. It’s less effervescent than joy, it’s deeper than pleasure. It’s a state of mind, of being. And luckily, that state of mind can be cultivated. I’d like to invite you to do the 21-Day Gratitude Challenge. Everyday, for 21 days, do at least two of the following: Write down 3 things you’re grateful for. (You survived the heat last night) Write down one positive experience you’ve had in the last 24 hours (trying to get past the 6-hour long queue for fuel) Write a thank you note (or email) to someone in your social support system (e.g. The fuel station attendant who alerted you when they started selling) Meditate …
I can see how this exercise could be a first step to falling in love. It’s definitely a 2nd or 3rd date activity, not a 1st date. The things you could easily love the other person for are quickly revealed. And it forces you to be vulnerable all at once. It’s all so very deliberate. So maybe it’s worth a shot.
Sometimes, women walk up to me and ask how long I’ve had natural hair for. I tell them the truth: 3 years and counting. Some of them look so disappointed that Kingsley has asked me to tell them 6 months instead so they don’t despair and give up.
Would you believe me if I told you that this is a 6-month old Afro? Didn’t think so.
Like I’m not even kidding. The book should be called Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems. Because that’s what happened. Mr. Wang Lung starts the book as a poor man and as his fortunes change for better, for worse, so do his problems. Okay, no spoilers. But just remember: Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems. Why did I pick this book? I got it free of charge with my Kindle Unlimited subscription. It said “Pulitzer Winner” on the cover and I’m at that point in my life where I prioritize the books to read. Google says 150,000,000 books have been published in the world. Even if I read one book per day, I would need to live about 350,000 years. So I decided to only read prize winners. Yes, I know I’ll miss out on a lot of really fantastic books that haven’t won prizes. But hey, no time. I find Pearl Buck’s writing style fascinating. I’m not sure if it was intentional but for a long time, the story is told from Wang Lung’s point of view. It …
I’ll talk about ogiri, the curious flavouring that gives this soup its characteristic pungency and umami-ness. It’s made from fermented cottonseed (thanks for that, Ozoz) and it does for Igbo soups what Iru (fermented locust beans) does for Yoruba soups and what I imagine certain cheeses do for Western cuisine.