The Countdown to Christmas Begins !

Christmas Lights on Regents Street ,London.


Oxford Street - A glittering Sight!

I saw my first Christmas lights and decorations for the year, three weeks ago( mid October) on my neighbourhood High Street Gifts Store.
As I went round the store, I heard one of the shoppers asking Imran , a non Christian why he had decided to display Christmas items so soon. He answered that he loved Christmas and was , always,excited by the season! Moreover , his suppliers had sent him Christmas catalogues since August.
He sent his order then and received the stock Christmas stock in September.
I have heard some comments, about "the commercialization of Christmas" . Indeed.
Same week, while driving around the West End, I saw that many large stores like Lillywhite in Piccadilly, Selfridges and M&S in Oxford Street and many others had put up spectacular decorations , as usual. And, of course,all the shops were well stocked for the Big Christmas Shopping Season.
In their usual style, shoppers from all over England and from outside the country have been thronging the Shops all over London in their millions. Very exciting!
Economic Recession? What Recession? No signs of that , at all.
Last night's Christmas lighting-up events were simply way-out GRANDIOSE!
The traditional annual Christmas lights in Regents Street, Oxford Street and St. Paul's Cathedral were switched on simultaneously; signally the beginning of the annual Countdown to Christmas.
The lights are a sight to behold ! Very Beautiful! They were switched on by film stars - Jim Carrey, Colin Firth and Bob Hoskins and Robin Wright Penn in the different venues, respectively.
These Christmas lights will also be lit in almost all the streets in the city and they will stay lit until the 12th of January, next year, when the Christmas season ends, officially.

Oxford Street lit up for Christmas.

 

The London Community Choir and Star Opera singer , Andrea Bocelli from Italy, led 14,000 Londoners to sing carols at the St Paul's Cathedral lights venue.
The turnout at and the grandeur of these events yesterday, have surpassed similar events in recent years in London.
The organisers of these events have done a marvelous job, every year and as usual, this year, they spared no expense, at all, to produce a befitting array of colourful lights to honour the King of Kings.
May God, touch and richly bless the designers of these beautiful glittering lights extravaganza! May all the participants and organisers of these glorious Christmas events experience the Grace of God unto the Salvation of their souls . Amen.
Other famous venues whose Lights will be lit during the weeks ahead and which will be equally exciting to watch are:
Carnaby Street and its 12 surrounding streets on November 10th. The theme for the lights there this year, will be Love, Joy, Hope and and Peace.
As from November 19th, Bond Street and its surroundings will be transformed into a glittering Winter Wonderland ,complete with snow, fir trees and reindeers ; with fireworks! On the day, donations will be taken for the Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Then the famous Putney Christmas Market in Church Square will be lit up on November 27th while the exciting Enchanted Woodland in Syon House Park will sparkle delightfully as from November 20th.
The usual complaints about global warming carry no weight because London and other U.K.cities are always lit up and sparkling with millions of lights every night, all year round, anyway.
The special recognition and high regard given to Christmas, world-wide,makes this Great Season one which billions of people look forward to.
As for talk about Commercialisation and Christless Christmas ;what is all that?
Which one is the "ChristFULL" Christmas? The cheap and dull one?
In the U.K., Christmas celebrations totally eclipse,put in the shade; all other events from mid October to mid January ,the following year.
Who else on earth could command so much world-wide recognition and respect that the countdown to his birthday celebration starts two months before the D-DAY?
Who else but Jesus Christ , the Son of God and the King of Kings !
No wonder, the Three Magi went shopping for gifts fit for THE King and they started their journey of thousands of miles to Bethlehem at least six months, BEFORE Jesus Christ was born ; to present the special gifts to him personally!
They recognised that the birth of the God-man on earth deserved special celebrations.
No honour is too early or too much for my King. So let the festivities begin!
May the Glory , Peace and Joy which comes with Christmas fill the whole Earth . Amen!
Here is wishing you a Merry Christmas !

HIS BELOVED

Tell me who admires and loves you, and I will tell you who you are.
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 John 4:10.
Our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive; the risk to be alive and express what we really are.
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18.

Treading Milk

The mouse story which I first heard ,sometime, in my pre-teen years, came to mind last week .Maybe you have heard it before , but the lesson the story teaches is ever-fresh.
Three mice fell into a jug of milk. They tried to get out but couldn't.
After a spirited battle , two of them became exhausted, gave up and drowned in the milk.The third mouse kept on treading the milk with its tiny legs and arms in a desperate effort to stay afloat. After a while, the milk under the mouse churned into cream , then into cheese. By its unrelenting treading efforts,"Mousey" became a cheese maker!
Thereafter, the poor little, thieving fellow was able to climb on the solid cheese , climb out of the jug and to scamper to its well-deserved freedom! Cheery story!

However, it is not cheery news to hear that, as at date, 2.47 million Britons are unemployed; most of whom are 25 years and younger!
It is scary that fresh graduates are now starring unemployment in the face .
More so, because just a couple of years ago,there was a sharp increase in the number of youths in the U.K., eager to further their education by going to "Uni".
Then, university graduates, going into first time employment were spoilt for choice of good offers.
As a parent, a social worker and a mentor to youths, I have been a strong advocate for diligence by youths, as a key or a solid foundation to a brighter future.
Diligence in getting degrees or acquiring other skills and qualifications to make one a professional in one's chosen field.
Considering what I know about the life-style choices of majority of boys and girls in the U.K., I knew that the increase in youths willing and determined to do something good with their lives was a miraculous answer to prayer!
Ambitous youths do not deserve unemployment at the end of a long period of hard work.
Thankfully, official measures are in place to alleviate the strains of unemployment in the society.
A degree is an essential asset when entering the top rung of the labour market.
It is indispensable in order to excel in most high-flying careers . As such, some top professions insist on a first degree as an entry qualification for their members.
Also, it is on record that a university graduate would earn at least £250,000 more than a non-graduate in their life-times.
Apart from the monetary advantage , a university degree does not confer the certificate only. The degree course prepares one for a higher social standing in life due to social interactions and connections between undergraduates on campuses. Some of these undergraduates are the future leaders of nations. I know from personal experience that these undergraduate-years connections are an enduring asset. Proverbs 22: 29.
My point here is that prospective graduates should not be discouraged from pursuing their dreams by unemployment, even in this harsh economic climate.
There are cheery signs , already, that the crunch time in the country is easing up . The economy is reviving; things are getting better.
What to do if unemployed after graduation? Faith and prevailing prayers are essential.
However, Faith without works is dead.
If you "exercise faith by claiming and declaring" all the prosperity promises in the Bible, "confessing positive , thinking positive", or whatever, from now till Kingdom come ; without acting out your faith; you would be wasting your time. Proverbs 13:4, 2 Thessalonians 3:10
Life goals are achieved not only by blowing "hot air" and "blowing mouth"!
To survive , weigh your options, tread milk , like our friend , the little fighter-mouse and prayerfully attain your miracle by positive ACTION!
If option A is yet to come, embark on a course of action towards your goal.
Not much can be achieved by flopping,all day, on the sofa at home, eating crisps and flicking TV channels or chatting and texting on your "mobo" or banging on Twitter or Facebook , for hours.
If you are short of options , have you considered working abroad, maybe for a short spell,until you get your dream job in the U.K.?
Last week, I was on holiday in the Benalmadena Resort in the Costa del Sol, Spain.
As usual, it was buzzing with not only holiday makers from all over the world but also with workers in the Leisure industry like tour guides , drivers, reception staff, chefs, waiters , waitresses etc. Some of these staff were foreigners but, one thing all these staff had in common was their ability to speak English in varying levels of fluency!
Although we were in Spain, there was this atmosphere of feeling at home because the excellent service was offered mainly in smattering but passable English.
At dinner , on one of the nights, we were joking with the waiter who was obviously Spanish but was making a jovial effort to communicate with us and practise his knowledge of English on us. I suspect that most of these staff got the jobs because there is a high demand for English-speaking staff in most holidays resorts, worldwide.
English, being the world's lingua franca ,has made English-speaking graduates highly sought after for top-executive positions in multinational corporations, both in the U.K. and abroad, especially in Europe, China, Russia and other Baltic States.
The British culture of going on "Gap Year", a.k.a doing a sight-seeing world tour after graduation; is the icing on the cake and part of one's education.
However, in the present climate, instead of going on a round -the -world orgy after graduating ,it is wiser to return to Uni for a Master's degree.
In any interview, a higher degree gives you an edge over the other applicants for the same job.
Also, while you are still searching for that plum job,you could try your hands on the many short courses teaching trades and crafts like Fashion Designing, Floristry, Hairdressing, Event Planning, Web-design, Paper Arts and others.
These skills could become money-spinners, if properly managed.
Eventually, you will surely, attain your dream job because you are a winner and a survivor. You will not drown because you will keep at it.
Surely, as the Lord lives, he rewards diligence.

That they may live......

Hyde Park , London . 11 am Sunday ,6th September, 2009
After months of preparation , I joined 17,000 women this morning in Hyde Park, London to run the 5 kilometres race to fundraise for various Charities. I ran to fundraise for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. I finished the race in 41 minutes and 28 seconds. The winner was 10,000 metres runner, Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya . Her finishing time was 15.11 minutes.
Breakthrough Breast Cancer is the UK's leading charity committed to fighting breast cancer through well informed, well resourced and innovative research.They need supporters to help them achieve there vision of a future free from the fear of breast cancer.





Adidas 5 Kilometres Women's Challenge 2009

 

 

 

 

Thanks to all my Sponsors and to all those who have supported and encouraged me during the past months of preparation and training.
Special thanks to my running buddies and my Fitness Instructor , Jason Hasslock (slave driver!)
To the Adidas and Breakthrough Breast Cancer teams , kudos , for a job well done!

One Test for All

It is the duty of any ambitious athlete to maintain a disciplined and punishing training schedule for months or even years before a major event. Rippling muscles on their necks , shoulders ,arms, thighs, legs and "six-pack" hard, muscular midriffs are the end results of months of such sustained work-outs.
These muscles are essential for the athletes' peak performance.
No muscles , no medals!
This is why millions of people are suspicious of the motives behind the demand for a gender-check for Caster Semenya.
There is no dispute that Caster Semenya , the record clinching 800 metres female world champion looks like a man.
The South African female athlete DOES look and sound like a man!
And so what? Is that news? What should she have looked like?
Elegant, graceful, stepping gingerly on the tracks ;like a ballerina?
How many of the other world -class female athletes look like women?
Is is feminine to have those rippling, strong muscles of a weightlifter which are the trade marks of ANY top-class female athlete worth her salt?
One would not be surprised to hear demands for drug tests for "overperforming" unknown athletes from "nowhere"; but a demand for a gender-test for a female athlete who looks like a man ?
Strange.Very strange.
It was said that Caster came from NOWHERE to win the title. Very funny! From nowhere? Yet she defeated athletes from "somewhere " by a very wide berth. She and her coach were able to develope a winning strategy which gave her the gold medal in record-breaking time. To the chagrin of some people.
Their strategy, according to Caster was: "Allow them to run ahead , then at 200 metres to the post, sprint forward and kill them. Finish them !"
The gender-check should be not for Caster only , but should be extended to ALL leading female athletes. Especially the female athletes from Germany, Russia and the Eastern European countries. Have you seen the muscles these "women" parade?
Please, if you are reading this and you KNOW or you have seen any medal-wining female athlete , anywhere on earth, who has a feminine body, kindly "educate" me.
What does a "feminine body" look like? It is soft and supple. Not created for extreme physical exertion. Definitely, not rock hard and bulging with strong muscles!
When a man and a woman wear identical tight-fitting jeans and T-shirts, one should be able to differentiate between their body shapes. A flat and trim tummy looks good on anybody. A normal woman should not be flat and straight, front and back, like a ruler!

Since "feminity" is the issue now, it is interesting that the "powers-that-be" in the multi-billion pounds Fashion Industry have a very different mind-set to the World Athletics Governing Council about what the female body should look like.
The latter thinks women should look like women; but the former does not think so.
So while we are at it , why not extend the gender -check ; coupled with a sanity -check to the "beautiful women" who strut their stuff on catwalks and those women and girls who would do ANYTHING to maintain the "in-look" of looking skeletal and as flat as the back of a double-decker bus?
In order for them to comply with the dictates of the "all-knowing" Fashion and Fitness Industry?

It is one thing to make a personal choice to reduce oneself to a neurotic state by trying and failing to achieve some perceived "perfect shape".
What is unacceptable is the mind-control by a group of people to foist their own concepts of "beauty and good looks" on the whole world.
The truth is :the healthy female figure is one that is neither obese , flabby ,skinny or extra thin.
What is normal, feminine or attractive in a size 4 or size 0 woman? With a flat skinny chest and flat skinny bum; with all her bones and tendons jutting out? Also, it is unhealthy and unattractive for anyone, male or female to be overweight.
It is unfair to put pressures on women and young girls to become thin in order to be "acceptable" as attractive and desirable.
Such pressures have caused suicides and mental illnesses like anorexia, bulimia , clinical depression and self-harm amongst the female populace.
Who reserves the right to determine the "acceptable look" for any human being? Acceptable to whom and for what purpose?
There are professional demands on some women for them to look like "Mr Atlas" or like a flat plank of wood. There are also women who are content to choose what size they want to be; that is healthy and based on their Body Mass Index (B.M.I.)
Different women have different B.M.I.s.
Women should not live their lives based on the dictates of the Fashion and Fitness Industry.
Some women are obsessed with the desire to be thin while many others are elated when the answer to their question:
" Does my bum look big in this?" is; "Yes, it does!".
Such women spend thousands of pound on bum and bust enhancing tablets, injections and implants.
Whereas some other women prefer for their pelvic bones, shoulder blades , ribs and spinal column to jut out through their size 0 clothes.
Muscular , beefy, flabby, thin or skeletal , the bottom line is: what message is being sent out by the person?
Is it " I am an athlete, or a model,or I keep fit and trim or I live my life according to the dictates of others"?
Or is it "I please myself; I don't care what others think of me:
if you don't like my shape, get ON YOUR BIKE "!
Whatever the message is, show some understanding and sympathy for why certain people look they way they look.

Social Mobility

Social justice in any society, is not just social protection but a system that ensures real opportunities for everyone to make the most of their potential.
A recent government white paper in Britain, has detailed government policies to enable social mobility in the society.
These policies would be focused on engineering a society where what counts is not where you come from , your parents' class or situation or their earnings.
Emphasis would be on creating new opportunities for the citizens, ensuring their success in the prevailing global economy and supporting child development in early years .
Also on the agenda are the provision of world-class schools, pathways for all, getting on in work, strengthening family life and supporting communities to support individuals.

Anyone who is familiar with how the British society works would agree that some , if not all of these policies are in place already; benefiting millions of the citizens of this country in varying degrees.
However, it is obvious that not everyone has equal access to certain professions and certain groups in many areas of the society have continued to maintain their exclusivity.
This awareness has created the need for government focus on providing stronger foundations for not just a richer country but a fairer society.

One policy already in place, which has impacted millions of lives in the society is the laudable policy of helping parents to give their children the benefits of a good head-start in life.
Government support in the form of free childcare and various reliefs e.g. housing benefits and tax reliefs for each child , being enjoyed by parents ; have given immense financial reliefs to millions of parents in the country for many years.
I believe , as stated in the government White Paper, that increased support for child care is needed by parents to enable faster social mobility .
This would bridge the gap between children from different backgrounds ; aiding them to have the same opportunities as their peers.
A child's early experiences and the environment in which he lives and learns during his early years have a profound impact on his subsequent years.
When the oppurtunities for learning and development are missed at an early age,it is hard for children to catch up.
This is damaging to the children , to families and to the society as a whole .

Prior to this White paper on social mobility, other polices had been implemented to aid citizens to achieve their desired ambitions for upward social mobility.
However, as with any bunch of policies, the impact of their contents and intent on the society would depend on the extent of their implementation.
I know that government intentions and actions are not all it takes to implement policies. The individuals in any society have prominent roles to play in realising laudable government policies.
If a drowning man is offered no helping hand , he would sink , soon or late.
Or when he attempts to stay afloat , if "under-currents" drag him down or his head is pushed down , further into the mire by "hostile hands", his chances of survival would be very slim.
Worst still , there are those people who make no attempts whatsoever, to keep afloat in the turbulent waves of life.
Instead they would blame God , their parents, government and even their spouses for their dire situations.

In this society , there is an enabling environment of grants and facilities to aid anyone with a "success mind frame " to maximise their potentials, to climb and remain on the social ladder, if they so desire.
I strongly opine that the battle for ensuring social mobility is firstly, won or lost in human minds.
Why would any ADULT in Great Britain be unable to READ and WRITE simple English , their mother tongue? In a land of excellent educational facilities ?
Who is to blame for this?
There are millions of able-bodied men and women in Great Britain, who have never worked, even for one day, in their entire lives.
They would , easily, give you a dozen reasons why they CAN'T or WON'T work for anybody and why they deserve to live comfortably for the rest of their glorious lives, on the generosity of the government and good people of Great Britain!
Surmounting obstacles to social mobilty and even surviving the global economic down turn depend not only government's laudable fiscal policies but on REORDERING personal priorities and changing self-defeatist ATTITUDES.

Balancing Acts

There are days when you wish that time would stand still or that there would be more than 24 hours to the day. Sometimes, there are so many tasks that it takes sheer willpower to finish even half of them, at any given point in time.
In this society, there are numerous opportunities available for those who care enough to excel in life. To grab them,more people are multi-tasking than ever before.
The prevailing mind-frame is to put in as many nuts or iron rods as possible in the fire. With this lifestyle comes the need to ensure that every aspect of one's life is included in the total package of multi- tasking.
Each life has various facets to it and no man is an island.
There are relationships and commitments to be focused on. Regarding family life, love-life, spiritual life, nine -to -five jobs, businesses, hobbies, interests and having a relationship(time?)with one's self.
Time with one's self means ensuring a balance of the needs for the spirit, soul and body. Like self-grooming,health issues,a personal relationship with God and feeding one's soul with profitable ideas and information form reading,listening and learning.

I assume that at least 70% of the human race have these same aspirations in their lives.I try to adhere to healthy balance by sheer determination.
It has been said that women are better at multi-tasking than men. Maybe.
Whatever, when one has made the choice to maximise one's potential in life, plans should be put in place to ensure that time and efforts expended on various commitments would be well -balanced so that no one aspect is neglected.

Easier said than done because time is fixed and waits for no one.
Every one has preferences and we ,all, reserve the right to choose how and where to apportion our scarce and fixed time.
The depth of love or preferences in our hearts for someone or something , would determine the time and effort we spend on them.
Where there is a will , there is a way.
I enjoy spending my time in the company of some people more that of others who are equally important to me. Also, I prefer spending my time doing certain things more than doing others which are equally necessary to be done .
So, to avoid a vacuum or unnecessary strife in daily living, what do I or anybody do to balance up?
I have discovered that a little bit of self-discipline helps .
The human spirit or human will needs taming to prevent it from scampering off course. A man with a tamed will becomes a creature of habit. Good habits.
Self-discipline is a system of self-control with the aim of attaining stated objectives or targets and maintaining an orderly lifestyle.
There is nothing as embarrassing as forgetting business dates and time; or a family member's or friend's birthday, wedding anniversary or invitations to meet up for, lunch,dinner or a drink!
Forgetting to phone or visit someone you know who is going through a challenging period is an unforgettable faux pas.

I have my own system of controls which may not be the ideal for other people .
My pager comes in handy with ring alerts to remind me of many things.
I input little notes with alerts to remind me of things to do, of appointments ,of phone calls to be made and names of people .
I set up "TO DO" lists at the beginning of each week. Detailing things to do in my work , businesses , family, my relationships and in the church.
Also I plan how much time to spend on each of them.
Even with these controls in place , there are times when I get carried away and spend more time hanging out with my family and friends than earlier planned. That is, doing want I enjoy doing most.
But it is better to plan ahead and not meet targets fully, than not to plan at all.
Whatever the plan of action employed, a dose of self-discipline in any life is imperative to ensure a peaceful co-existence with others.
Have a happy life .