Online musings

Last year, my eldest sister's husband decided to run a half marathon in London known as the London Landmarks Half Marathon. This was a race which took runners on a tour around London, passing various landmarks such as Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral and the Monument. The run was a success. As for me I did cross-country running during secondary school. Next I ran, goodness knows how many miles, during my eight-month stay in France. Then I ran 5K for the London Borough of Lambeth, not once, not twice but three times. My average finishing time was about 26 minutes. Now I would think that I would move on to 10K before attempting a half marathon but fate had other ideas. My sister's husband decided to do one better and run the London Marathon. My first thought was either he was very brave or very mad. I then thought, "Well good on him!" I even went to my sister's place to cheer him on with his family. He successfully completed the London Marathon and I was so...

I have started to write my first long script. This actually started because a friend of mine and our mutual friend decided to form a writer's club where we would meet weekly and discuss our writing. This has fallen by the wayside, unfortunately. However, it started to reignite my will to write. My friend is planning on being an author. I have read the first chapter of a book she is going to write and it is really good. I am looking forward to reading her first novel as a result. As for me, I don't write novels and so I started writing the first few scenes of my script which I hope will become a movie. But first, here is my timetable. Between now and the end of August this year, I hope to finish my treatment. That is screenwriter jargon for a summary of what the story is about. A treatment can be a few pages long. Once I have my treatment I can use it as a guideline to write my script. I normally write a three-page storyline before I write my shorter scripts so that I can refer ...

My last proper career change took place in September 2007. Before that I thought that I would embark on a career in IT but then I discovered that it wasn't for me. Just like I knew that teaching wasn't for me way back in 2001. It started off as a secondment opportunity but I never thought for one second that I would stay in the profession for three years, let alone thirteen.  I never thought much of the profession before I joined it. I thought Human Resources was a department that got involved when an employee was disciplined or dismissed. I had limited knowledge about the functions of HR. The longer I stayed, the more I understood and the more I began to like working in HR. At the end of the day, it would provide me with useful skills and knowledge, as well as experience, to help me in my future career.  But something changed. Although it became clear to me in 2010 that I would never be a great fit for the HR profession if my personality was anything to go by, I resolved to p...

Here is the long awaited update regarding my writing plans. I am way behind schedule at the moment. I have been very busy with work and I have recently gone through a potentially career-changing restructure in my organisation. More on that in my next blog. I have been navigating through these difficult times like a lot of people and was even put off writing. By the time I regained my desire to write, my laptop was out of action due to me being unable to log on. It turned out that my hard drive had failed following six years of use. I am now saving up to get a brand new laptop with a solid state drive which is much longer lasting and more durable than a standard hard drive. The snag is, it has much less storage space, but hey, who needs a lot of it anyway! I started writing the first of the Timespy prequels titled Timespy: Initiation where my protagonist is a novice and is slowly learning the ropes. I will then write the Vendome sequel, followed by two more Timespy prequels, a Bat...

This year in 2019, the President of Ghana Nana Akufo-Addo designated it as the Year of Return. This is to mark 400 years since the Africans arrived at Jamestown, Virginia in the USA as slaves. Ghana is calling on the African Americans descended from the West African country as well as other parts of the Ghanaian diaspora to consider relocating to their homeland. This invitation has been extended to all Africans and their descendants in general. The government has launched a campaign for this purpose and has organised a series of events. This year I have been faced with the question, "Would you consider relocating to Ghana?". Every time I visited the country I didn't want to leave. Ghana to me is my second home. Despite it being a developing country, the atmosphere is lovely. The hot weather is like a much needed balm to me and the scenery is very pleasant. The people are friendly and welcoming. I love it there. Would I move there? Not yet is my answer. Although the ec...

Life begins at 40? To me it's more like worrying about life begins at 40. At this age I am forced to reflect and think about what I should do with my life and how I should improve it. I have been having sleepless nights more often than not. At my age I am faced with expectations all round. Two things keep bothering me and I will tell you about them. First I keep getting asked by my African friends, colleagues and relatives the following questions: "Why aren't you married?" "When are you going to get married?" "Do you have a partner?" "Why are you still single?" "Why aren't you looking?" It is like I am disappointing people as African customs dictate that you should get married whether you like it or not. What if I want to stay single? It seems I do not have a choice. I am expected to marry and continue my lineage. Because I am single, people are saying that "It's not good - oooo, it's not good at all!...

I have always liked classical music since I was 11 years old. I remember learning about various instruments of the orchestra and composers such as Handel and Bach. I am also a fan of garage music. I used to listen to DJ EZ on Kiss FM every Friday without fail. My favourite garage DJs are Todd Edwards and Jeremy Sylvester. So when I heard about a show which fused the two genres together I felt that all my Christmasses came at once. Now being a fan of garage music you would expect me to attend the Garage Nation festival but I would much rather prefer going to a jazz festival or an international music festival. I bought a ticket for Garage Classical and to my astonishment it sold out within 52 hours of release! The show is headlined by DJ Spoony, a member of the Dreem Teem. He is one of the pioneers of UK garage and has helped brought it from underground to the mainstream. One day DJ Spoony decided to collaborate with Katie Chatburn, an orchestra conductor. The first show came out i...

I have been advised to network. A voice in my head has been telling me that sometimes I cannot go it alone. Although I have family and friends it would be nice to meet new people, especially like-minded ones. As John Donne said, no man is an island. I have applied to join the Black British Bloggers group on Facebook. I realise that it's time to show my blog to a wider audience. That way I get to follow more bloggers and I get more followers in return. As I have blogged since 2014 I now feel it's time to yield my anonymity so here goes. My name is Christopher, or Chris for short. I was born in Liverpool in 1978 to Ghanaian parents. I went to a private secondary school and then went to a state school for my sixth form education. I studied French in Kingston University and after temping for a while I joined a local government authority as a Customer Service Advisor. I am now an HR Officer who plans to go into Learning and Development. I also have plans for the future that you ...

Later this year, I will turn 40. They say that life begins at 40. I say the path towards middle age begins at 40. I am beginning to realise that the youth which I possess and take for granted will begin to evade me and I find myself desperately clinging to it. What have I achieved? I ask myself. I have achieved some things but quite frankly not enough. As I near the end of my thirties, I have to give myself some advice. Advice 1 - do not rest on your laurels (or yannys if you heard about the latest social media debate). I have been in the same level job for over ten years and it is an administrative/support job. I can no longer afford to do that. The reason is that life and circumstances can change and I have to keep up with them. In the future I may end up with a family of my own and I need to be able to get a managerial or better paid job in order to support them. I need to go up the career ladder and not limit myself. I need to fulfil my ambitions and not just dream about them. I...

Nothing has developed since my last writer's blog. The reason being is that I have taken a long break from writing. Why? Because there has been a lot of things going on. Last year I moved from a three-bedroomed house in London to a two-bedroomed flat in Kent. I had to settle due to a change of scenery and circumstance. There was a lot of packing and discarding stuff and the selling and buying process was a long and difficult process, not to mention property hunting. Also my work life has been busy and I have been preparing for my future following the restructure of my department, the introduction of new systems and processes and the downsizing of offices and the organisation as a whole. Also there was a small matter of a short-lived, long distance relationship. Late last year I went to a few concerts including those of Roy Ayers and my favourite band Jamiroquai. I enjoyed them immensely, especially the latter, and the O2 concert experience was amazing! There have been big changes i...

Recently I binge watched a 13-episode TV series which was thought-provoking and very well made. It's a Netflix original series called 13 Reasons Why . It is based on the book Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. The story is about a high school student Hannah Baker who commits suicide. Before she kills herself she makes a series of recordings on several cassette tapes, detailing the reasons that drove her to suicide and naming the people responsible. This is a very powerful story as it shows that actions by other people can have very serious consequences. Hannah is befriended by several people who end up using her for their own gain. They turn out not to be true friends who let her down. They either spread false malicious rumours about her, they abandon her or they betray her. They put her down and make her feel bad about herself. Some even treat her cruelly and she becomes miserable and isolated. Hannah has one very good friend whose name is Clay Jensen. They work together in ...

Last autumn I went to Liverpool but just for a day trip. My gosh! It had been a long time since I last set foot in the city of my childhood. The city where I went to school. The city where I was brought up. It was 14 years to be exact. It brought back memories but also parts of the city had changed. I remember when every Wednesday I would go to the town centre with my mother and sisters to do shopping and I would see St. John's Beacon and the two cathedrals from afar. It was great to be back. Liverpool played an important part in the slave trade so my friend, MisBeee and I made a beeline for the International Slave Museum. We saw a lot of pictures and objects which illustrated how the city's port was used to transport slaves from Africa to the New World. I also learned about the slaves' long battle for freedom and how they fought their oppressors for it. The museum also showcased handiwork of the African people such as pottery and clothing. I even saw the beautiful K...

Recently I read a book that was so gripping I finished it in less than two weeks! I very rarely read books in such a short time. The fact that I did with this one meant it was that good. It's called The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins and it came out in 2015. The story is told through the eyes of three different women whose lives become interlinked. The first woman is Rachel, an alcoholic who goes on a train every day. She is divorced. When she is on the train she passes a house where a couple live. She becomes interested in their lives and when she notices something untoward happening she becomes curious and starts getting involved. The second woman is Megan who is married to Scott. However their seemingly happy marriage is not all it's cracked up to be and we slowly begin to discover why. The third woman is Anna who is married to Tom, Rachel's ex-husband. They also have a baby together. Anna thinks Rachel is a nutter who won't leave them alone. However somethi...

At last! Here is an update about my writing venture. Lately I have been taken a break from writing as I have a lot on at the moment. I am currently making preparations to move out of my house after nearly nine years. I will be getting my own flat. For further information look out for my future blog on moving homes. I have started on a prequel script of the Timespy series. This is when my protagonist is much younger and less experienced and he has just joined the Timeline Protection Agency. I am planning on writing four more Timespy scripts after this one, making it a prequel series. In this series my protagonist will start going on a learning curve and following his mentor. He will make some serious mistakes along the way and he will even doubt himself but he will become a much better secret agent towards the end of the series. Afterwards I will begin the long awaited sequel to Vendome . The journalist and her friends travel to Brazil where the Amazon rainforest is being polluted...

There are some songs that have made it up the charts on their own merits. This is because they are that good. An example is Adele's comeback single,  Hello . However, there are other songs which you have never heard of before until the internet grabs hold of them. Some of the songs are international and are sung in another language. Others are American. I marvel at the effect that social media has on songs and at the way it turns them into smash hits. Once upon a time Myspace went further and launched the careers of some musicians, including Lily Allen. Now with the decline of the social networking site's popularity, other websites like YouTube, Facebook and Instagram are helping to make certain songs famous. One song that was made popular by the internet is Dragostea Din Tei by a Romanian-Moldovian pop music band O-Zone. It was a catchy song which I really liked. It was not popular outside Romania until a video of a man dancing and lip synching to the song was posted on New...

When one of my closest friends told me something rather disturbing about myself that I didn't know, I was very shocked to say the least. My reaction was disbelief. But then again I know that no human body on this earth is perfect. Every single person has something wrong with them either physically or mentally. Some may be open about it whereas others may hide it. Some may be obvious and others not so obvious. It may be present since birth or acquired later on in life. Some people may even be unaware of it. When I was little I knew that there was something wrong with me. I used to scream and cry for no reason whatsoever. To other people that did not seem normal. To me it was a way of getting rid of the frustration inside me as I had difficulty in expressing myself. As an adult it grew to violent outbursts of temper. It didn't help that I always bottled in my feelings. My family would view it as childish temper tantrums. Other times I would get so depressed and would even...

When my friend, who is a former colleague of mine, saw the play and told me that it was hilarious I knew I had to watch it. One of the reasons was that I wanted to find out if I shared his sense of humour. I finally watched it and I could see why my friend was so eager for me to book the ticket. My first thoughts of the play was that it was definitely like no other play I had seen. When I entered the theatre it rapidly became packed. That was a great indication of how popular the show was and how word had spread about it. After all the play won Best New Comedy at the 2015 Laurence Olivier Awards and I must say, it was well deserved. Before the show even started the crew of the play were frantically asking for the whereabouts of Winston the dog. They even asked members of the audience where the dog was but it was nowhere to be seen. A man from the audience was then roped into helping out fix the mantelpiece before the play began.The director then introduced the show...

Fantastic! Brilliant! Enjoyable! Awesome! These are just some of the adjectives that I would use to describe the event. I have been wanting to go to a jazz festival for a very long time and I have just been. Therefore I can cross that off my bucket list. The jazz festival took place in the Royal Festival Hall at the Southbank Centre. This happened to be the fourth year of this event. It was a great show and what was even better about it was that it was absolutely free. It featured various performers, some who are established artists and others who are looking for a platform to showcase their talents. the event lasted seven hours. Jazz re:freshed is behind this wonderful festival and is the brainchild of Justin McKenzie and Adam Moses. It began in the summer of 2003 and its purpose was to celebrate jazz music and to bring it out in the open. Jazz music is definitely my favourite kind of music. It is soothing and relaxing and the tunes are amazing. The first t...

When I was still in school my parents expected me to study hard. I found that annoying at the time but I did not realise that they wanted me to have a bright and productive future. My smarty-pants younger sister heeded my parents' advice and now look at her. She has a lovely four-bedroomed house, she is happily married with a baby on the way, she has a director-level job and she has enjoyed many holidays. How I envy her! How I envy many of my old classmates! Most of them have top jobs such as doctor, lawyer and accountant as well as managerial-level jobs. Most of them have settled as their being ambitious makes them more attractive to the opposite sex. Most of them are able to afford exotic holidays as well as other finer things in life such as a flash car. And what about me? I am stuck in an admin-level job, I am still single and I go on holiday once in a while. I know that if I want to improve my life I have to damn well change my attitude! Instead of sitting on my lazy a...

For my birthday I decided to treat myself. I bought a ticket for a show that I have been wanting to see for a very long time. Yes, you guessed it, that show is Stomp. I finally saw it and it did not disappoint. In case you are wondering what Stomp is about, it features percussionists who use various makeshift instruments out of ordinary objects to perform and thus entertain the audience. I like drums and am a fan of percussion. When I was little I used to beatbox a lot. My fondness for the percussive sound explains my love of garage music. The show began with a lone sweeper who acted like he was cleaning the stage and then, as if he was bored, started to perform with his brush. He was then joined by several other "sweepers" who proceeded to entertain us all. They then used other "instruments" such as pots and pans, lighters, sinks, shopping trolleys, massive lids, newspapers, rubbish and even their own bodies. What I didn't expect from the show was a bit o...