The “Azonto” Fever!

It is difficult to determine how the dance originated but the ‘Azonto’ dance is fast becoming very popular not only in Ghana but all across the world. Majority of our local music have the rhythmic beat that makes the dance so popular but what is most surprising is how it is catching on in the international music scene.

A classic example is the ‘Oliver Twist’ video by Nigerian artiste D’Banj which features a white man dancing Azonto and quite skillfully too, I must add.

It made me want to seriously improve my moves! It is also a wakeup call to all the Ghanaians who still suck at it to do same because; we can’t seriously be outdone by a white man! It’s unheard of!

Another interesting observation is on Google. While researching on the popular dance, something very exciting struck me. I started to type ‘Azonto’ and after just typing an A, the first suggestion given by Google was ‘Azonto’! This means that the dance is even more popular than I might have thought. I came to this conclusion because Google is arguably the most popular search engine in the world right now and if Azonto was the first word suggested, it would mean that a lot of people know about the dance and are probably learning the dance in their various countries! What a way to put Ghana on the map!

By exhibiting our own culture which various cultures around the world are adopting!

At this rate, I would not be surprised to hear that just as the Salsa and Waltz are popular all across the world; Azonto would also offer classes in dance studios and would garner a huge response. A lot of people are of the opinion that just like the other dance moves like ‘gbohe’, and ‘alhaji’ the ‘Azonto’ dance would soon fade out of the system but I beg to differ. None of those other dances had worldwide acclaim like this one and I don’t think I should be crucified if I am in full support that the ‘azonto’ dance lives on.

For those of you who still have no idea what I’m talking about, which I find odd, here’s a brief description of the dance by Wikipedia:

Azonto is an original Ghanaian expressive dance and music form. Azonto dance form incorporates complex co-ordinated body movement and non-verbal communication in a rhythmic fashion in very few one-two timed steps. Just like most African dances, knee bending and hip movements are rudiments to dancing it. The dance has effectively evolved from a few rudimentary moves to embrace depictions of ironing, washing, driving, boxing, and others. Generally, the dance reflects the creativity and rich sense of humor of the Ghanaian people. The dance, which is usually performed with an accompanying smile, evolved from the combination of several local dance moves that originated from the southern-most part of Ghana during the early 2000s. The dance has evolved with the fast pace dance culture of modern West Africa. It is also true that before the dance became famous, youth in senior high schools of Ghana had a similar but different way of doing the dance. A modification of that is what we see today. It involved a similar movement of the feet, hands, and hips and, at the end of every move, a gunshot was mimicked with the hand and, if possible, the mouth.

The Christian version of this dance has been spreading like dynamite among churches not only in Ghana, but also in Ghanaian churches across the world. During praises at church, service is not complete without the ‘christzonto’. Even though most of the youth has taken a run with it, most church elders are concerned because they do not believe this dance should be done at church. As long as they were concern, it could have been formulated by the “devil”. Yet to the youth, as long as they are enjoying themselves, and doing it for Christ, they do not really care.

There is also another variation called the ‘salsazonto’ which incorporates the salsa dance and the infamous Azonto flavor. This was characterized heavily in the recently ended salsa competition dubbed ‘Close up and you’. Believe me, it was a sight to watch!

Since the Azonto dance seem to have gone viral with thousands of videos been posted on YouTube and competitions on who can dance the Azonto the best and so on, there have been concerns about making it a part of Ghanaian entertainment package. Since, now that even popular stars like Snoop Dogg, and the recently married Prince William, Duke of Cambridge of England dancing was been broadcasted all over YouTube doing the Azonto.

The Ghanaian government has decided to have copyrights that says the dance belong to the people of Ghana. They call it a package for the modernization of the traditional dance. They want to capitalize on its popularity which is not a bad an idea according the entertainment legal experts.

So, in conclusion, I dare say that indeed the Azonto dance has come to stay and I would be very glad if Hollywood diva, Beyonce Knowles incorporates a bit of this dynamic dance in her next video, just like her South African moves in ‘Run the world’.

I would not be surprised at all!

Being You! With Your Clothes

Ever wake up in the morning, start getting ready for school, open your closet and realize you have no clue what to wear? You flip through your clothes rack and nothing seems appropriate? Too casual, too dressy, that doesn’t match, there’s nothing to wear this with, too short, too long, too dull, too loud, inappropriate… So you wrinkle your face and consider skipping school all together?

Every girl faces that at least every other day and even though guys are usually not as fussy, they sometimes also face this dilemma, well; at least those who give a damn about their appearance, no offence please.

So as a fact, we all have our indecisive moments about that perfect outfit for that special occasion or even just our casual events, which will not only show off our style but also give off a bit of our personality. Sometimes it’s attributed to lack of creativity, not having all the cool clothes that are in vogue, not having enough clothes or even sometimes the fact that those clothes could very much cause extreme damage to our pockets.

People sometimes wonder how to become stylish. The first thing you should do is to understand what being stylish means. A stylish person is not a fanatic follower of fashion. In fact, style is mostly associated with individuality; it helps to reveal a person’s character, mood and even dreams. A stylish person is good at choosing the kind of clothes which ideally fits.

So how do you look and feel your best without spending so much money. It’s not that difficult really!

#Tip 1: Identify what works for you

The first step is finding out what your personal style is. It simply means discovering what clothes make you feel comfortable or make you feel yourself. You need to know what you want or you will end up copying everything you see. Are you a very girly chic who loves dresses, colorful patterns and skirts? Or do you feel more comfortable as a tomboy, in baggy jeans and t- shirts? Are you more laidback and conservative or does your fashion sense scream, vibrant and eccentric? The options are limitless so identify which category you fall under. It would help you select what types of clothes you need.

Most fashion magazines, in helping you stay in style often suggest certain items which are what they call ‘the basics’ and they usually include items like: a black mini dress, an official blazer, black pumps and the what nots. While this is very helpful, I do not agree to this because in some cases, those clothes end up not being worn because they do not reflect your personality. I am myself a victim. With the obvious exception of work clothes because of the society in which we live and our idea of job clothes and the codes that go with it, I would not suggest labeling any clothes as ‘the basics’. I will give a scenario: so what happens to the clothes if you do not know how to walk in heels or if you do not like dresses?

The aim here is to get you to develop your own style that would make you stand out and not to follow everything you see the celebrities do.

#Tip 2: Learn

As a beginner though, the best way to learn something new is to find good examples. You can learn by just looking at how stylish people that you identify with choose their clothes, how they combine them. While you are walking along the streets, try to single out the people who look stylish. Read fashion magazines, watch fashion channels and chalk up original ideas.

Tip #3 Revision

The second step is revision – look critically at your wardrobe. I guess you will find some useless clothes which actually you were going to throw away many years ago but something always stopped you. So, it’s a great time to realize your long-term plan. Get rid of the clothes which are “un-wearable”. Be merciless!

Tip #4 Begin with the safe combinations

If you are not quite sure about right combinations, the best choice are classic variations: black-black, black-white, grey-white and monochrome combinations. Moreover you should check which colors and which style of clothes fit you. Besides don’t add unnecessary details to a perfect combination.

Tip #5 Find out what fits you!

It’s very important to find the kind of clothes which ideally suit you. Don’t be afraid to try on the types of clothes you haven’t ever tried. New colors, new fashion will help you to determine your own style. Don’t limit yourself!

Tip #6 Experiments

As you reach the level where you feel confident, begin experimenting. Work out your own image by means of unusual clothes combinations. Wear clothes that match your personality or even your moods! You don’t need to blend in! The risk is allowing you to think out of the box. Be daring enough to mix your clothes and don’t be afraid to ask the question: How do I look?

Being stylish is an interesting challenge. Your style of clothes should ideally fit your whole image: your make-up, haircut and your accessories.

Moreover, your outer image should reflect who and what you are inside!

Love taken for granted

O M G!!!

The first day I read that poster and fully understood its contents, my mouth hung out open for so long, I’m pretty sure if it had been a sunny day in the Sahara (Yup! I said it), I’d have been completely dried up of all the moisture in my mouth! It makes me seriously want to reconsider having babies.

Don’t get me twisted here; I love babies… to a fault even. I love their innocent stares and their random adorable toothless smiles. I love their tiny feet and their senseless rattling. They are my weakness (and the ONLY one you’re gonna know!) but –and it’s a very strong but, I cannot even begin to imagine the pain every mother has to go through to get those arguably ‘harmless’ bundles out.

It is INDEED a miracle! There is absolutely no question about it! To some extent, I can understand what pain means because when I go through my monthly curse, I sometimes wish I could rip the pain out of my tummy and stab it in the heart. It is horrific and yet research shows that mothers go through three times that! Unbelievable!

So the big question here is why do they even bother? Especially the surrogate mothers who make a living off that agony! The truth is that for as long as I live, I would never really get a satisfactory answer to that question… All I can say is that the level of respect that I have for mothers has the sky as its limit!

I am equally dumfounded at the so-called mothers who dump their babies in the most horrific ways and at the most unimaginable places! How on earth do you sleep at night, after all that pain you went through bringing that life into the world? It’s a sad shame…

At this juncture, I would like to say to all of you who do not know how to appreciate your mothers, or by any chance give your mothers reason to complain, it’s not too late to turn over a new leaf. They deserve all the love in this world for all the hustle you put them through just giving birth to you, not counting the smelly diapers, sicknesses and endless crying! It makes me want to pull out my hair for all the times I made my mother upset or sad.

On a lighter note however, I’m using this opportunity to thank God for the family he put me in, because even though I am extremely terrified of child birth, there’s still hope! Don’t worry, I’ll explain…

You see, I am the first of five dynamic children and on each of our birthdays my mother makes it a point to recount the events surrounding our birth. Some stories are funny, some touching but one thing runs though all our births: it’s the fact that my mother never spent more than an hour giving birth to ALL of us! (Yeah, you read right) She also told us that she had no complications at all! Well, I am my mother’s daughter so I pray that if there is one thing I inherit from her, it would be the same favor of God in my own pregnancy and whatever skills she has… What? Don’t hate, you can do same…

And while you are at it, go look for your mom and give her a big fat kiss! Don’t wait till Mother’s Day, she deserves more than that!!!

Nostalgic Travels

I made my way to my secret hideout at home, my place of solitude, where I could just relax and allow my thoughts run free and uninhibited, oblivious to the real world buzzing around me. I like to call it my ‘rooftop’ but I can’t exactly give you detailed descriptions, in the event that one of my family members stumbles on this write up. Besides, it wouldn’t be secret anymore, now would it? (Wink)

It was a bit chilly this time of the evening so I folded my legs to my chest and hugged them, watching the sunset. It all looked so beautiful. The view from here was truly stunning! I smiled and closed my eyes as I literally time travelled back… way back to my childhood days.

For as long as I can remember, my family has always been an open one. It’s really difficult to recount any holiday season that didn’t have a lot of friends, neighbors and family staying over. Even though I’m from a large family (well sortta) and I love my privacy, it was always fun having a full house.

The details are a bit sketchy but I remember some family friends we had over at that time, in Nigeria: Faith, Love and David… Can’t remember their faces but the names, I’m very sure of. I remember David, we were close. Not sure exactly what we used to talk about but while recounting memories with him some time back on Facebook, he mentioned that during their stay then, he had asked me out. I remember at that age (I was maybe 7 or 8) I had a huge crush on this cutie, Effiong so I didn’t even give poor David a second glance. It was so bad that when he kept persisting for me to be his girlfriend, I told my mom about it and she gave him quite a spanking!

Right now, that’s quite hilarious but then, he must have been heartbroken. Aaw, I wonder what it must have felt like, crying for love at age 9! Sounds so romantic… (Laugh Out Loud)

I told him about my big crush so he tried hard to move on… Then they eventually left and I didn’t hear from anyone of them again… until I got a call from David a few months back saying he was coming over to Ghana! Imagine my shock! After all these years! And after the incident before their departure!

But having them over again after 14years felt like no time had passed at all. It was just wonderful. The childhood crush had however long expired. Now, we were just glad to revive our friendship once again.

I do hope we stay in touch this time because for me, losing good friends has always been one of my most difficult experiences to deal with…

I sighed and opened my eyes, mindlessly swatting off a mosquito from my bare legs. Now it looked kind of foggy and there was this funny acrid smell in the air, like something was burning…

OMG! I jolted back to reality and sped to the kitchen to save what was left of the rice I was cooking!

Shoot! My mom is definitely gonna give me a good talking down…

The PRODIGAL Blogger

Its been… what? Almost three years since I last visited my blog. Well, not really because I had run out of things to write but because…  I forgot  my password. Funny right? A common excuse but very true. See, it had everything to do with moving on, away from my past and somehow, this got affected. I’m sure that by now, all of you who were ardent readers would have by now completely and totally forgotten me and I can’t really blame you.

Its gonna take a while for you to catch up with my life, but here’s the summary:

I’m in my final semester of college, I had a baby with some random guy I met at a bar and thought I was in love with but who fled as soon as he heard I was pregnant. My parents were devastated and disowned me initially but took me back because they love me so much. I have fallen in love again, for real this time, and we are are happily married with three kids. They are the most adorable kids in the world, when they’re not driving me insane, that is.  That’s four kids right there!

Well, I also travelled round the world and had dinner with Obama… Okay, let’s just stop here, before you actually get carried away with my fictional stories! Oh, disappointed huhn? (Laugh Out Loud) That was very deliberate because you know it would have been boring to just tell you ‘Oh,my life has just been normal, you know,nothing really new, except that have a new boyfriend, a new pet and the same old drama at home’…

You’d have just thought ‘Yeah yeah’ and I wasn’t goin to have that… Well, now that you know the real truth, I can confidently say that this time,I’m going to be more devoted to my writing here (praying for uninterupted wireless service) and also add any juicy gossip I hear spreading around that I know you would love to hear!

So… where my Welcome Party at?

Making me some money!

The examinations were finally over and school was finally out of session for the next four months and I couldn’t have been happier!

Don’t get me wrong here, I totally love school! Honest! If not because of psychology lectures then because that’s where I meet and socialize with most of my friends but… no offense, I had seen enough of them for the time being. I wanted to do other things and believe me I did!

The date for both the registration and commencement of school was unknown and that added to the excitement and anticipation for the vacations to commence. I had a whole line up of things to do…

First of all, I needed to get me a job. It didn’t really matter whether or not I got paid… who am I kidding? Of course it did! I needed the cash so I could stop depending on my parents for a change, you know and have them know that I could be independent too… but then again, none of the ones I had been offered so far was paying. In fact, I hadn’t even been offered any AT ALL!

I decided to get everyone involved and that included my parents! If I wasn’t going to find this job on my own, it wouldn’t hurt to get some help. I encouraged a few friends to look for jobs with the hidden intention of getting a few ideas for myself… wink*wink… Hey! Give me some credit, okay? It benefited them too, I guess…

It wasn’t long when I did get one and I couldn’t believe my luck! It was paying too!! And not just that, it was just in line with the course I’m studying in school – journalism!!! (my hard work had to pay off some time. I’m glad it was sooner though)

With a few connections… they were legal, I was preparing for an interview with one of the most reputable media houses in the country – The Graphic Communications Group Limited! Wow! (You can say that again) I’d have you know at this juncture that it was and still is very uncommon to have a first year student work (and get paid in addition) at such an organization but hey, that’s what I call Divine favor!

It was such a pleasant place to work. There was no stress at all and most importantly, everyone was treated like family. It was very easy to forget that you were coming to work.

I was given a brief orientation and soon started work… my first experience as a journalist! I was thrilled to bitties!!

I worked as a music news columnist for Showbiz (the entertainment paper) and also wrote a few stories that ‘I don’t want to remember’… I’ll write them up here, don’t worry… just in case you didn’t buy the paper.

It was fun and I was doing something I really loved. I covered a few very important programmes and my heart swelled with pride when I was seated with the other journalists. I even wrote an article for the Daily Graphic… though I’m not sure it was published…

Nothing however beat pay day! I held my money in my hands and for the first time in my life, I knew how it felt to achieve something!

You can guess the first place I headed!

Back for good!

I know its been a while and most of you have been wondering whether or not I was going to update or write anything new. Well, of course I was… and I am now  :)

A lot of things have been going on in my life… sooo much

There have been births and deaths, accidents and miracles, friends and enemies, cloud 9 and cloud 0 times and so much more but I promise that from now on, you’ll be the first to know… if its necessary.

Just wanted to sign myself back on… I missed y’all too

Press theories

Okay, so this is a very important article and I need your comments…

Its a research I made on the press theories… It can’t always be fun and games all the time…(wink*wink)…

Now to business…

Normative theories are hypothesis or other statement about what is right and wrong, desirable or undesirable, just or unjust in society. It deals with the kind of conventions, genres, professional guidelines and ethical rules which applies to what the media does as well as the political and economic system in which they operate.

Wilbur Schramm, Siebert and Peterson propounded the theories in 1956. This can be found in their book The Four Theories of the Press. This was to clarify the link between the media and the political society in the modern world. We’ll look at these theories in a simplified form;

The authoritarian theory just as the name implies refers to the doctrine that there is a higher authority, a political authority higher than the law. This authority somehow owns some territorial segments
of the earth, and has, therefore, the right to decide how people should behave there. Authoritarians quarrel a lot among themselves about the identity and the will of the sovereign, but they all agree that there has to be one, and that people have a moral obligation to obey him and his laws. The press under this system was not to undermine vested power and interests. It was a criminal offense to deviate from official policy and go against the set moral codes. They were to act as the mouthpiece to publicize and propagate government ideology and actions.  This theory was propounded by Thomas Hobbes and Engel.

The libertarian theory began by searching for the rights of man, and having found them sought to develop a theory of government consistent with the moral rights of man. In essence, and with due exceptions for the emergencies such as wars and natural disasters, this theory was that the government had nothing else to do but to assist the people in protecting their rights. It has been restated in a very forceful way, by Robert Nozick in Anarchy, State and Utopia. The final and more minor matter was to determine how this government was to be selected. Most libertarians favored the democratic method, although some of them were fearful that in the end the democratic means would replace the libertarian end, that majority rule would replace the protection of rights. Early democratic literature abounds with references to the Tyranny of the Majority. The assumptions under this theory is that the press should be free from any external censorship and that publication and distribution should be accessible to any individual or group with a permit or license. Attacks on governments or parties were also to be made nonpunishable as this would help to keep the ruling government on their toes. Some of the propounders of this theory include John Milton, John Stuart Mill, John Locke and Lao Tzu.

The social responsibility theory stemmed out  from the libertarian theory. It is practiced in the United States. It however does not report just objectively but seeks to interprete also. A truthful, complete account of the news is not necessarily enough today. Today’s complex world often necessitates analysis, explanations and interpretation. It is the press therefore that must be the ‘more alert element’ and keep the public informed because an informed populace is the cornerstone of democracy. The function of the press is to entertain and sell but also to raise the conflict to the plains of discussion. Hutchins Commission, 1947 – reaffirmed the principles of freedom and independence but added to them the notion of social responsibility.

The soviet communist press theory came into being after the 1917 October Revolution that swept Russia. The media was instrumental in the formation of the Soviet Union and therefore was seen as critical to the survival of the Soviet political ideology. The theoretical principles are derived from the thoughts and arguments of Karl Marx and Engels and was modified and applied by Lenin. The most important ideas of the Soviet Communist Press theory were that thw working class holds power in a socialist society to keep and sustain power; it must control the ‘mental means of production’, so that the media must be subject to control by the Communist Party. Since socialist societies aim at being class societies tht laacks conflicts, the media should therefore be structured to reflect the aims of the classless societies. This means that the media should serve as a platform for competing class ideologies. The role or function of the media in achieving a Communist social system involves both an informal social control and mobilization. These are to further the goal of achieving the ultimate classless society based on Communism. The media must also be very objective in their repoting to reflect the objective nature of socialist ideology. It is assumed to be an integral agency of the state mechanism and therefore falls under the control of the structures of the state.

In conclusion, we can see that the media operates under different structures.

When the Results Are Out…

 

 

My cell phone starts to ring. I frown at being interrupted right in the middle of my reading. The story had just begun to really get interesting. Still frowning, I pick up my phone to see who it is who had the nerve to disturb… Oh it’s Frank! “What is it this time?” I’m wondering as I paste a smile on my face –I do that to get rid of some of the edginess in my voice when I talk, especially when I don’t want to- J and push the answer button… A few minutes later when I hang up, I have a headache and my heartbeat is racing like crazy. The novel I was so engrossed in a few minutes ago is completely forgotten now. I can’t sit still anymore… the results are finally out!

Hm! To some extent that should be good news because it has been… (Excuse my language) a “hell” of a wait –we’re halfway into the second semester already- and a lot of students has been complaining –well, I sure was- But now that it finally is here… I’m nervous! And it isn’t just because of the doubt and uncertainty. It’s more to do with the nightmare I had some months back –I can’t tell you about it! It was simply horrific!!! Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating just a little bit but… I still can’t tell you- I know that I shouldn’t be so superstitious because if indeed I studied hard for the exams, –and all the I.A’s we had throughout last semester, which I think I did- then there really isn’t anything to worry about, right?… WRONG! There should be something to worry about… Like what if I deviated on a question? What if I made a major mistake? What if I was over-confident and didn’t really understand the question? What if I was not too confident and did more than what was required of me, you know, just in case? What if I didn’t cross-check my answers? What if I made major spelling errors? What if, what if, what if… Whew! Maybe I’m just being your average worry-wart… I force myself to calm down and just try to forget it, but that doesn’t work a bit, so I whisper a silent prayer to heaven to make the results good –like it would make any difference what would be pasted up there- or at least to calm me down a bit. (You know, I always found it amusing how people always remembered God when they were about to receive some big news or when they were in the middle of a crisis or an important event. You know, like a high school leaver waiting for an admission letter into college, or a to-be father anxiously waiting to get any news on how his wife and unborn child are faring, or a beauty pageant finalist waiting to be crowned the queen, or how people in an accident-bound vehicle scream to God for help in any language they can possibly remember at the time… The list is endless! Now, they may or may not have consulted God prior to these events but they expect Him to pull through for them. Not that I was doing anything like that but here I was in the same situation!) What’s worse is that I would have to wait till Monday before I could actually see those darned results, (as the weekend just began) and also that I would have to depend on hearsay till I finally do. This was oh-so annoying! But there’s very little I can do about that. I must say though that I’m very tempted to call everyone I can and put the fear of God in them (the journalist in me would just love that!) but that would only make things worse for me. All I can do now is hope, pray and wait. Whew! This was definitely going to be some wait…

For the mean time though, I’m going to try to get back to my novel, hoping its indulging characters can suck me into their world. I push ‘the results’ to the back of my head and force myself to go reading again. Not too long afterwards I can’t remember anything about ‘the results’ until my cell phone starts ringing again!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!

Swinging Moods

Today, I woke up later than my usual time -which is around 6am- because I had some conversation of some sort with three very important people in my life. Okay, so that’s not entirely true. I’ll re-phrase that… I had an actual conversation with just one of the three. The two others just got a… I don’t know, but it was more of a checking up than actual talking -I’ll come to that later on- So the deal is, I woke up with a slight headache and when I tried throwing off the covers, I realized my bones were like jelly. I was so tired, I slumped back in bed but I didn’t go back to sleep. The clock on my study table read 7:15am. I relaxed a bit. Lectures began at around 10:30 thereabouts, and since getting ready for school was not in the least, a problem for me, I closed my eyes again making a mental note to be up by 8:30 -even though my entire being promised to be very uncooperative- Like a dream, my mind flashed back to the previous day’s events…

 I woke up to the rain beating against my windows. It was freezing. My fingers were numb from the cold but I was in such a chirpy mood, I flung the covers off me, jumped out of bed and stretched. The cold hit me like a ton of bricks and I quickly turned off the air-conditioner. By the time I was ready for school, it was just drizzling outside. I didn’t really need my five-minute pep talk in front of my mirror today (Sometimes I get these swings where I get all moody and depressed, so I give myself these little talks to give me just the required boost for the day) because I was on cloud nine! My creativity-o-meter reading was also nearly reaching a 100! School was great too -I got to know I did really well in an I.A we had earlier in the week- and after school I met up with my best friend and it was fun. I stayed with her at her hostel till it got so dark outside; my mom had to come pick me up. Then things started to go downhill. I really can’t explain what happened but I just started getting all these mixed feelings: anger, loneliness, sadness, and feeling just plain miserable for no tangible reason. It started when I realized I had left my pen drive at my best friend’s hostel containing her newest song I had so badly wanted to hear –she’s one of the up and coming music artistes in the country- I started feeling very stupid… like that was something to worry about. All I had to do was call her to let her know it was on her bed somewhere, so she could keep it till I saw her again. But it really wasn’t that simple accepting that. It was always the most flimsy and insignificant “mistakes” that started all this. There have been similar idiotic instances like that when I feel so ugly both inside and outside that I just wanna die! That’s how bad it could get. I knew, sitting there quietly in the car, that if I didn’t do something about this, especially if I didn’t talk to someone soon, not only was I going to develop a migraine or red swollen eyes from crying, I was also going to take it out on anybody that wasn’t too careful the next day at school or anywhere I happened to be that day. But I felt helpless. I just kept sinking deeper and deeper into this… should I call it depression? I seriously regretted forgoing my five-minute pep talk in the morning but more than anything, I felt bad for not thinking sooner to talk to God about it. I got home and locked myself up in my room. The tears were welling up so I turned up my radio to a full blast and danced! I felt better after 30 minutes. Besides it was good exercise  But when I settled to sleep, I just couldn’t. I was dog-tired but my eyes wouldn’t stay shut. Out of restlessness, I picked up my phone and fiddled through my caller ID, trying to see if there was anyone awake to talk to. It was 12:12am. That’s how I came about talking to those three people I mentioned above, but more about them and what we talked about later. I eventually fell asleep…

 Today I woke up later than my usual time. I opened my eyes. It was 8:00am. I still felt tired but immediately I knew how to end all of this, how to throw this out the window and make sure it stayed there. I had always had it at the back of my mind and I had let it stay there but it was about time it came back to where it was supposed to be, to where I was supposed to be… on my knees… I dragged my seemingly drugged self out of bed and went down, with my hands clasped together in front of me and my head bowed -Sunday school style- A picture of God sitting, like He had been waiting for a long time, flashed in my head. There were tears in His eyes but when I looked again, He was smiling… smiling at me. I finished my quiet time feeling so much better. No, that’s quite an understatement… I felt a WHOLE lot better! I smiled, jumped up and stretched. Automatically, my gaze fell on my “best friend” clock on my study table. It was 8:30am! I ran to the bathroom… I had thirty minutes to be out of the house!!!

My day couldn’t have been any better! And it had absolutely nothing to do with my five-minute pep talk! 