Wacky Wednesday

Iman Crosson a.k.a AlphaCat does a mean Barack Obama impression. I had a good laugh. Take A look. Check him out on youtube as Alphacat and on facebook as Iman Crosson!





Here's another funny clip - The Obama and McCain dance off.

President Obama Inauguration

January 20th 2009 marked the historic inauguration of the 44th U.S. President, Barack Obama. It was a blustery cold day but the smiles of strangers seemed to warm me up! Being at Washington’s National Mall for the inauguration of President Barack Obama, with close to 2 million people, is something that I will never forget.

It was truly a historical moment. Any time you can be a part of history, it’s special. The atmosphere was electrifying! In all my life, i've never seen such a huge crowd or record number of porta potties!!! Close to 2 million people! There was no division amongst the masses, everyone was there with one common cause to be part of something great.



I won't lie, I choked up a couple of times...alright I cried. I even cried when Aretha Franklin sang My Country Tis of Thee.

What also got me to tear up was speaking to an elderly lady, Dixie. She was in her 80's and from Alabama. She lost one of her cousins when white extremists petrol bombed their church during a service, back in the 60's. She was in tears throughout the ceremony because she never believed this moment would take place in her lifetime. Just hearing her stories of the struggles she and her family endured brought me to tears. There I was in the midst of chaos and excitement, crying.



All the traumatic experiences I have been through are nothing compared to the traumatic experiences of those brave citizens who paved the way for Obama....The Jesse Jacksons...The Martin Luther King Jnrs, The Ruby Bridges', The Homer Plessy's, The Rosa Parks, The Sojourner Truth's and the Harriot Tubmans.

After Obama took his oath, it hit me that our generation has just witnessed an amazing historical moment. It's a moment we'll never forget regardless if you're black or white; a democrat, republican or independent; american or south african; kenyan or hawaiian.




The sights and sounds of over a million people does become overwhelming-- your senses are heightened...your heart beats faster, you get sweaty palms...you feel like a tiny fish in the indian ocean - insignificant, somewhat. You begin to realise that we all need to put our differences aside and come together in order to bring about the change we want to see in our world.

Music

Music's the medicine of the mind. ~John A. Logan

Music moves me deeply. Music has the power to cause emotions to well up within us. These feelings are gripping - often irresistible - and seem to emerge from nowhere. These feelings colour our moods, affect our perceptions and generate a behavioural pattern. The indisputable fact about music is its power to evoke emotions.

If ever you want to know what mood I'm in or how I'm doing, just ask what I'm listening to. The last 2 days, I've been in a reflective mood and been listening to Beethoven. There is something intriguing about a man who's hearing gradually deteriorated yet he continued to compose, and to conduct and perform, even after he was completely deaf.

My favourite is Beethoven Symphony no. 5 in C minor. It takes me back to a place when I was in South Africa with family and also stirs up these images of what heaven would be like.



What are you listening to, currently?

Chocolate Frosted Brownies - Recipe

I have always been more of a baker than a cook. My love for baking developed in my home economics class in High School, with Mrs Fenner. I'll never forget her and what she taught. To be honest, she taught more than baking and cooking -- she taught life skills that I carry around with me every single day.

I tried and tested this recipe and they came out totally DELISH! Make sure you limit yourself to one because I guarantee you'll be wanting more than one!

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:

* 1-1/3 cups flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 cup butter
* 1-1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
* 2 cups sugar
* 4 eggs at room temperature
* 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
* 2 cups broken walnut pieces, lightly toasted
* ----
* 1/4 cup butter, melted
* 2/3 cup cocoa powder
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
* 1/4 cups plus milk

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan. With a wire whisk stir flour, salt and baking powder together. Mix well. Set aside. Melt butter. Stir in cocoa powder. Stir well. Add sugar. Beat in eggs one a time. Stir in vanilla. Add premixed flour mixture. Mix well. Stir in walnut pieces. Bake in prepared pan for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. Ice with chocolate frosting when completely cool.

---- With second set of ingredients, over boiling water mix butter and cocoa powder. Stir in vanilla. Add powdered sugar and enough milk to make a thick, but spreadable icing. Spread on cooled brownies before icing hardens.

"Love Story" One Man. One Dream. One Chance.

I was sent a link to a video about one man's journey to find the love of his life. As I watched this movie, I couldn't help but think of Jesus' love for us and how he wishes we will be in communion with him -- to be in a perfect relationship with Him.




God's love for us is tenacious, everlasting, timely, unfailing, wondrous, giving, good, life-giving, priceless, redeeming, sacrificial, and satisfying!

Valentines Day Conspiracy

We're in the month of February (wow, time really flies) and I've been thinking about Valentines Day.

It has been written (by women’s magazines) that they truly understand why some single women feel completely bad about Valentine’s Day. It’s as if everyone completely conspired to get out their dates, their significant others, their husbands to show off how how coupling is done.

Anyway, that’s what I felt when I was in high school where everyone was being sent their roses and got their serenades while I had none.

But then I grew up and realised that “everyone” conspiring to do that is an exaggeration. Plus, couples who do go out on what most couples now consider cliche don’t even think about you when they do go out on Valentine’s day. They’re eyes are all in sparkles and they’re in cloud nine that they don’t even have time to think.

Now, this is not me sounding bitter. For my Valentine’s message, I’m here to reminisce.

Valentine’s Day was a heartbreaking day for plain girls like me back in high school. I became jaded enough to be pessimistic about men while at times, secretly waiting for when my turn will come when I’ll finally get some flowers.

Then later on, the men did come (and still didn’t get me my flowers! geez… is that hard to ask?) but well… either those didn’t seem to be the right time or I’m still not the right person or they’re not the right person… all these complications. The thing is that my friends wonder about me. Some guys do flirt and wonder, giving me the age-old come-on question, “Why don’t you still have a boyfriend?”

There were years I think, that I pondered over that silly question. Was it the clothes? Was it my dominant personality? Was I intimidating? Was it my friends? Was it my being brought up in a christian household? Was it my faith? Was it my job?

Was it my excessive love for songs that I have to play at least 5x a day for 3 months?

It’s ironic that I’ve come to ask these questions when the men who asked them are the ones who I thought shouldn’t matter. And it has become extremely tiring and hurtful to reminisce why I am the way I am.

So my Valentine’s message for all of you single girls, stop asking what’s wrong with you.

If you still want to ask that anyway, then ask someone whose an expert at it and who will give you an objective answer:

“…so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty.” — Ezekiel 16:13b (NASB)

“You were absolutely stunning.” — Ezekiel 16:13b (The Message)

That’s God’s answer. Nobody can be more objective than that. His opinion should matter the most than anyone, shouldn’t it? He’s the one who made you.

Valentine’s Day was a conspiracy. Now you know a lot of people who are that crazy to wear red and make sure it’s a day for coupling are just… people having fun.

But you’re beautiful. Nothing’s wrong with you. Singlehood is just a season. Enjoy it this Valentine’s Day with God, just you and Him, while you still can.

(When you get married, that makes you three! -_^)

Amandla! Amandla! A Revolution in Four Part Harmony

Being South African, I was drawn to this documentary. Through a chronological history of the South African liberation struggle, this documentary cites examples of the way that music was used in the fight for freedom.

I'm grateful to be a recipient of freedom and that I don't have to live under the conditions of apartheid any longer.



"I am the product of Africa and her long-cherished view of rebirth that can now be realised so that all of her children may play in the sun."
Nelson Mandela's final speech as president to the South African parliament, Cape Town 26 March 1999.