Are you smart? the missing dollar quiz is for you :p

You saw a shirt worth $97, you didn’t have cash and so you decided to borrow $50 from your dad and $50 from your mom…now you have $100.

Since the shirt is $97, you have $3 left after buying the shirt. You returned $1 to mom and $1 to dad and you kept $1, now you owe mom $49 and dad $49, =$98, plus the $1 with you=$99.

So where is the missing one dollar?

Sugar.

yes I’m angry and can’t handle it..just like you

“You may have every right to be angry with someone, but you know that by getting angry with him you will only lose your precious peace of mind..”

The most annoying feeling when encountered with a conflict, dispute or disagreement is anger. Its never a pleasant emotional state especially when I don’t have control over it. It ends up controlling me by taking my anger out on someone other than the person I’m angry with. I’m silent, morose, and bad-tempered mostly out of annoyance or disappointment.

This attitude bothers me so much but I honestly haven’t tried working on it, maybe I’m waiting for it to change by itself in a twinkle of an eye and with the least effort possible (impossible I know!)

Worst case scenario: Destroying relationships and creating a hostile environment around me.

Best case scenario:  I work on it for real this time and I’ll finally be able to eat my anger and never show it and probably learn to express my anger in a safe manner. (isn’t that amazing?)

I know there are lots of people like me out there who are having the same problem and it gets boring and annoying when someone decides to give us advice on how to manage our anger (Dude, you surely dunno how anger eats into me..cut me some slack and enough with the goody goody Dalai Lama attitude).

Nevertheless, maybe these steps will help me and you get over those sudden flashy moments: (they’re just a summary of many links on the web)

1. When you are angry say nothing.

If we speak in anger we will definitely aggravate the situation. If we can remain silent it gives time for the emotion of anger to leave us.

2. Be indifferent to those who seek to make us angry.

Some people take a malicious pleasure in trying to make us mad. However, if we can feel indifferent to them and their words then it will have no effect.

3. Focus on something completely different.

Suppose someone has done something to make you angry. Think about something which will make you happy. The best antidote to negativity is to focus on the positive.

4. Change your environment

Sometimes it’s our immediate surroundings that give us cause for irritation and fury. Problems and responsibilities can weigh on you and make you feel angry at the “trap” you seem to have fallen into and all the people and things that form that trap.

5. Address conflicts at a personal level.

If there is a conflict with another person is very easy to keep the anger and tension between the two. It is particularly important to solve the dispute especially if they are people who see each other often, otherwise this can create a very unpleasant situation.

“Common Sense
If you leave your unlocked bike in the center of town, it is likely to get stolen. This can be frustrating and is likely to give rise to feelings of anger. Of course, we should  minimize this kind of situation – simply remember to lock your bike.” By-Sri Chinmoy (Read More)

Another helpful link here and this too.

Sugar.

Nostalgic memories…

A sweet memory visits me every now and then

It peckers on me with its dainty peak like a white fluffy hen

It rolls all around me and leaves marks like a pen

Then suddenly I find myself in a memories filled den

 

Nostalgic memories that make me feel like I am but ten

I marvel upon these memories as if they were across a ben

I look at where I am and compare to where I was then

I revel in the honey crusted feelings that place me on a fen

 

Between a smile and a tear, nostalgic memories play me like an atenteben

Between a cloven certain and hesitant yen,

Nostalgic memories drift back into their bitter-sweet lem

And loom back into the sky to decorate it like a wezen…

Spice

Addiction of the day: Adele – Someone like you…

It is just one of those days where a song sticks on me.

 

Spice

A taste of tropical delight

As walking through the streets of Accra basking in it’s golden sun, it is quite common to come across a coconut cart. For a traditional experience, you can have a taste of Ghana’s excotic bliss right out of the coconut. With a cutlass and a brave pair of hands, the mega nut is opened from the top to give acess to a thirst quenshing tropical experience.

Coconut cart in Accra

The shell is cracked from the top to allow to you to drink right out of the nut.

The mega nut is then opened in half for its meat to be eaten. The cracked piece of shell from the top of the coconut is saved or a small piece of its husk is conveniently cut to enable you to spoon the meat out of the nut.

Spoon out the coconut meat with a piece of the shell or husk

More recently, advanced coconut carts are being spotted in Accra. It deprives you of a traditional coconut experience but it is quite convenient. The coconut is opened using a cutlass as can be seen in the far right end of the picture below.

An innovative coconut cart

The coconut is then placed on the peaked middle area of the cart where the water is immediately cooled and then poured into a plastic cup while the coconut marrow is cleanly separated from its shell.

Machine extracting the coconut marrow

The coconut meat and juice are presented to you in a modest plastic bag advertising the healthy advantages of a coconut .

 

For an amount of GH ¢ 1 (US $ 0.67) you get to drink your cooled coconut juice out of a cup and your coconut meat sliced and clean. I must say the traditional way of eating a coconut is fun when you have time for it.

The two carts featured above were seen on Osu, Oxford Street in Accra. They were actually by each other. The guy at the regular cart made an effort to acknowledge his competitor by offering straws to his customers instead of having them drink right out of the nut. Buying a coconut from a regular cart would cost you GH ¢ 0.50 (US $ 0.33).

I did not quite enjoy my coconut juice because the cup fell as I was attempting to snap the picture for this post. My jeans did appear to enjoy the juice though, at least it did not go to a complete waste.

Spice

Coke’s secret recipe unveiled?

We have all grown up to the shiny red logo of Coca Cola. In the midst of a hot day or a happy gathering we always opt for this sweetly addictive beverage. On Feruary 11, 2011, a famous American radio show, This American Life, revealed the original recipe of coke in glee! The recipe was found in an article from a local newspaper in Atlanta dating back to 1979. Coca Cola, however, was quick to deny the authenticity of the reveled recipe a couple of days later.

Where there is a revelation, there is some sort of truth and where there is smoke there is fire. The recipe might not be 100% authentic but there is some level of authenticity to it. Why this issue has taken my attention is because one of the revealed ingredients is alcohol. Alcohol is forbidden to Muslims as the Quránic verse states: ”They ask you (O Muhammad) concerning alcoholic drink and gambling. Say: “In them is a great sin, and (some) benefit for men, but the sin of them is greater than their benefit.” Qurán (2:219)

I am not sure whether there really is alcohol in Coca Cola but I don’t think I can ignore this piece of information for it might be true and then again it might not be true. What do you know?

Spice

Coffins with style from Ghana

For the Ga tribe in coastal Ghana, funerals are a time of mourning, but also of celebration. The Ga people believe that when their loved ones die, they move on into another life — and the Ga make sure they do so in style. They honor their dead with brightly colored coffins that celebrate the way they lived.

 

To see more artistic coffins. Click Here!

(Sources: Ghana Web, Damn Cool Pics)

Reblog: The “Mark Makhoul vs Benihana Kuwait” Story

Many have read and heard about the Benihana case with blogger Mark Makhoul.

Consequently, today, 14 February 2011, bloggers are posting a copy of Mark’s original My Benihana Experience post to their own blogs and Facebook pages.

In an effort to highlight both Mark’s predicament and Benihana’s apparent keenness to sue bloggers, friends of Mark and fellow bloggers around the world can join us in re-posting a copy of Mark’s original Benihana post today. They sued him – will they sue all of us?

It’s not too late to join us! The day is young…

My Benihana Experience

“ A few days back I posted about Benihana opening up at the Avenues and yesterday night I decided to pass by with Nat and try it out. The service wasnt too bad for a restaurant that’s just been open for a few days and the staff were really friendly. The restaurant itself is made up of islands and bars with a grill in the middle of each one. You sit around the grill and the chef will come to your table and prepare the food right in front of you which makes things entertaining. It’s actually why I prefer sitting at the bar in Japanese restaurants in general, since you can talk to the chef and watch them put your dish together. The problem with my experience last night though was with the food, it was disappointing to say the least.

We ordered beef negimayaki for starters followed by an Orange Blossom maki and a Hibachi Chicken. The negimaki arrived looking good and was probably the best thing we had there even though I prefer Maki’s negimaki which has a richer teriyaki sauce. The Orange Blossom was very ordinary, wouldn’t order it again. Now the Hibachi chicken which is basically grilled chicken, that was the worst. The chicken was very chewy (I could swear it was undercooked if not raw) and tasted terrible. Even after I had the chef add some more teriyaki sauce in hopes of improving the taste it didn’t work. I tried to dip it into the sauces that came with the chicken but it was hard to figure out if they were actually making things worse or not. Nat only ate one piece of chicken and left the rest while I needed my protein since I’m on a strict diet and forced myself to eat my whole plate (I can do that) but the after taste was really bad. Even the rice and the veggies that came with it tasted bad AND were under cooked. Once we left I considered picking up a frozen yogurt from Pinkberry even though I hate frozen yogurts but I just needed something to get rid of the aftertaste. A few moments later we ended up at Chocolate Bar ordering the gooey chocolate cake (bye bye diet).

I shot the two videos [video one and video two] above of the chef preparing our meal. Benihana are known for the live shows they perform when preparing your dish so I was expecting to see [This] but ended up with the above. Would I go back to Benihana? No I wouldn’t. Their sashimi and makis are pretty cheap (KD1.5 for 5 pieces of Salmon sashimi for example) but there are two other Japanese restaurants at the Avenues, Wasabi and Maki, and I would prefer either one of those to Benihana. ”

It didn’t end at Mark’s review of the restaurant. Click here to read more on the Benihana case.

Starbucks Logo in Saudi Arabia

I stumbled upon this very interesting blog post by @RobaAssi

Apparently according to Roba, the Starbucks logo in Saudi Arabia doesn’t have the original mermaid on the logo because it was inappropriate in the Kingdom.  However, an older post by B Knotts dated back to 2000 states that the original logo was restored.

Probably anyone living in the KSA would be the best to confirm if it has been restored or not.

Sugar.

#Jan25

“Inspired by the resilience of Egyptian people during their recent uprising, several notable musicians from North America have teamed up to release a song of solidarity and empowerment. The track is fittingly titled “#Jan25″ as a reference to both the date the protests officially began in Egypt, and its prominence as a trending topic on Twitter.” (via Adventmp – youtube)

Sugar.