Happy New Year

Mabi Azefor Fominyen

The year is ebbing out. It's the time when we take stock. Has 2011 been productive? Did we reach the professional targets we set at the start of the year? Are we as healthy as we would have wanted? Have we started the family as we planned? Have we made enough money? Did we lose money instead? Did you lose your job as the world economic situation became more challenging?

Each of us has had their particular experience of the year that's sailing away. Regardless of how bright, dark, good or bad it was, we need to move on to the new horizon, called 2012, that awaits us.

I can only hope that it is a successful year for all of us. Accept best wishes for the year to come from me and my family (See our smiling faces at Christmas below)! Happy New Year!

Dakar- It's Getting Cooler !

Mabi Azefor Fominyen

A few weeks ago in Dakar it seemed like one was baking in the heat! Stepping out of the house was a real pain but there wasn't much one could do about the weather.

Sometimes I felt like going to the beach to enjoy a bit of fresh air. Crazy though , but I actually felt like moving houses to live closer to the beach. Then I figured out the hassle that often comes with moving houses- for sure I wasn't ready to face that as well.

At other times, choosing what to put on was a real problem. This was true for my entire household. Funny! But I watched my kids turn almost every single item that come in handy into a "fanning object". Name it, a book, a cd,a paper , etc.

Now the weather is changing. The heat is fast giving way to a relatively cooler and fresher weather! It feels better! I Pray it last longer this time around!

The weather pattern changes ever so often that one never knows what to expect. My daughter tells her cousins all the time that in" Senegal we sometimes experience four different seasons in one day! Extreme heat and sunshine, windy /dusty sometimes light showers/cold and before you know it you are back to extreme heat".

Waoh!

Waoh! Oprah is back on TV (OWN) with a new show called Oprah's Lifeclass beginning today (October 10, 2011).

If you are an Oprah fan like myself, you may like to follow this message about her new show.
(click on the above link)

Worth Sharing!

I just stumbled on this piece by Iyanla Vanzant and felt it would be nice to have it on my blog and why not share with you as well!

GIVE THANKS
We have so much in life to be thankful for. We walk, talk, see, hear, think and breathe -- usually without effort. Why do we spend so much time dwelling on what we can't do, don't have and what is going wrong? We can instantly recall the negative experiences, people and circumstances without recognizing we have the ability to walk away, get away or make a change. Perhaps we have too many options from which to choose. Or it could be we simply like to complain. Maybe if we spent just a little time saying "thank you" for what we do have, we won't have so much time to dwell on what we lack. Gratitude, praise and thanksgiving activate the divine laws of abundance. When the universe can see we are conscious of and grateful for what we have, it is activated to shower us with more. Even when it seems that the well is drying up, we can affirm, "I can hardly wait to see the good that will come out of this."
My cup runneth over always.

From Acts of Faith
by Iyanla Vanzant

Happy birthday Son!

By Mabi Azefor Fominyen

It seems like yesterday!

Oh yes it does seem like yesterday!

But it's a year now!

It's a year now since you were born!

Watching you grow has just been amazing!

Amazing indeed!

Son, I had dreamt of you even before you were born!

Oh yes, I did!

I imagined how you would look like.

When you were born, I started dreaming and imagining how you would look like on your first birthday.

I dreamt of a cute little boy, trying to walk, talk, sing and party with his friends.

I imagined you cutting your birthday cake and giving it a big bite with your eight teeth

Oh yes!

......and so it has been on your first birthday!

Happy birthday Son !

Oprah's Finale!

By Mabi Azefor Fominyen

I first watched the Oprah Show in 2001. I fell in love with it and since then I became an avid viewer of the show. In fact I am a big Oprah fan! Even my entire household knows I am crazy about everything Oprah. I have been a member of the Oprah community for a while now in a bid to follow everything that has to do with Oprah.

Oprah you are great! Women like you are rare.

For many years you have been such an inspiration to me.

Times without number I have dreamt of meeting you some day.

I am still to belief that you have taken to the stage for the last time on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

I followed every thing you said on the ocassion. I was moved just listening to you paint a vivid picture of how you started the show and the path so far covered. You are so full of energy!

Twenty-five (25) long years: Impressive! Formidable!

Watch Oprah's Finale here in this video courtesy of the Oprah Show


Thank you Oprah. You have made such a difference in my life and career objective.

Worldwide, you have been a force to rekon with especially in the media lanscape.

The Teacher! I Appreciate You!

By Mabi Azefor Fominyen

It's another time of the year when individuals show appreciation to some of the most important and perhaps influential people in their lives; THE TEACHER.

Oh yes! It is the Teachers' Appreciation Week. It is celebrated in schools around the world from May 2 to May 6. A great moment for students to recognise the role teachers play in their lives. Parents equally show their appreciation to teachers for all the efforts they put in each day to educate their children .

I thought I could revisit an article I once posted on my blog titled; Celebrating The Teacher , An Exemplary Leader. (click on link to see the article).

Poor Boy!

By Mabi Azefor Fominyen

My nanny showed up for work this morning but a few minutes later she told me her son couldn't sleep last night. When I asked why, she went on to explain that the boy had been attacked in school by a group of friends while they were playing and forced a stick of match into his ear. The pain was unbearable and the little boy couldn't help but cry all night while she watched helplessly.

I was touched! Deeply touched.

Poor boy!

Consequently, I advised her to take some time off work to enable her take the boy to the hospital and to look after him till he gets better

As she left I sat back thinking. How on earth do kids get to plan and carry out such acts against one of theirs? What actually happened? Could it have been an accident? Just how could such an act and other related incidents that often occur in some schools be curbed? Who takes the blame?

I began to ask myself many questions about some of the things that happen each day in some schools without the knowlegde of the teachers nor the parents.

Oh ! How can I ever forget the big guys back in my primary school days who used to bully the very young and perhaps-chicken hearted schoolmates. They used to seize their snacks and lunch boxes and eat everything! These bullies used to beat up others on their way from school for refusing to help them out with their class work. Academically, they were the very weak ones but they had a lot of physical strength which they often used to their advantage.

In most cases very few pupils had the courage to oppose to the demands of the bullies. They were feared by many. As such, acts of violence and related cases hardly ever got to the knowlegde of the headmaster nor to the parents except for extreme cases.

As a parent, I tell my children to keep off the "bad guys" and "bad girls" in school ( referring to the bullies, the hot -tempered friend and the "lazy girls/boys" of the class). I equally encourage them to stay away from any" trouble spot" but above all; to speak up and report any threats plus any form of abuse or violence.

Happy New Year!

By Mabi Azefor Fominyen

It's a New Year! Happy New Year 2011 to all visitors of Mabi's World!