My Best Home Decor Links

Source: unhappyhipsters.com

Do you like to wind down with looking in home decor magazines?

I do, but since moving to Ghana, the magazines are far and few in between so now I get my fix online. Predominately here:

1. Apartmenttheraphy. They have found the loveliest studios and homes, often with that personal twist that others do not. The winner of their smallest coolest apartments competition 2007, “Jewelery box”, was an all time high with its exquisite furniture, cobalt blue kitchen and custom-built shelving.

2. SvD Bostad/Hemma Hos. Swedish newspaper life style section – articles about real homes for the Swedish feel of home decor. Think IKEA, plus wood, plus white walls, plus old stuff, plus new, colorful eclectic stuff…

3. FOR FUN Unhappy Hipsters, when the magazine images stand you up to here…(via Swedish blog Tuffast)

I would love to add an “African style home decor” website to the list, but have so far not found any worthwhile sites/blogs/online mags. Let me know if you can help out!

(And no, I really do not care about home decor.  I am a full-fledged political animal only allowing myself to spend time on these kinds of capitalist dreams when all other work has been done. I promise).

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What Does My Mobile Phone Say About Me?

Recently,  I have been thinking about upgrading my current phone (a very plain Nokia) to something sexier, for the following reasons:

  1. My address book on the old phone is full – who should I delete next time I need to take a number?

  2. On the oldie, I cannot send text messages in Swedish (and to be honest barely in English)

  3. I only yesterday found out what it really means to BBM someone (for you who ase as ignorant as I was but to not dare to ask: Sending a Message to another BlackBerry owner – for free!)

  4. I have not updated my Twitter status for weeks now because of Internet fire walls

  5. I love to update my Twitter status

I guess it also helped when I came across this article on the effect your phone has on your “personal brand”. I was hoping my personal brand would be shaped by this blog and myself IRL, I must admit I never thought about what  people think when I drag out my “yesterday phone” and say YELLO?

Well, so far I have not seen too many raised eyebrows (maybe my personal brand fits like a glove with an old Nokia, haha) and my phone has been functional in that it does the “phone things” well – rings, dials, charges fast etc.

Also, I am never scared of being mugged, but rather pity the fool who will then be left with a well used low range Nokia and look forward to having a real reason to go buy a new mobile…

But lets entertain the thought that I need a new phone – which one goes with my image? A Chris Blattman iPhone, an Adventures From BlackBerry, a – who really has an – android (Graham?), a E.K. Bensah OGO device or something else?

Photo borrowed from Fonearena.

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Graduate Student Resources and a Laugh

Borrowed from http://matt.might.net/articles/phd-school-in-pictures/

As I am now back in my office I had to read up on blogs I normally follow.

A favorite of mine is Chris Blattman, who even inspired my new blog both in content and style. Anyhoo, he posted among many more substantial things a funny link – the illustrated guide to a PhD.

It looks something like what you see to the left…”approaching the edge of human knowledge!” Haha! You just must see the whole thing! (click on the link above)

The funny guy coming up with this, Matt Might, also posted helpful book tips for graduate students (although I am missing Marian Petre’s brilliant The Unwritten Rules of PhD Research) as well as a list of productivity tips for academics – very useful as the fall semester approaches with speed!

This semester I will try to post research related posts on Fridays, lets see how it goes.

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Comparing Notes

One weekend morning I am walking around in our green backyard with only a cloth around my waist, aka with a naked upper body. Cheerily, I turn to my husband:

– Look, now it is like a African village here!

He looks at me and quickly replies:

– Or a European beach…

Touche!

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Ghana Scores Serbia

An hour ago the news reached me in Sweden that Ghana scored favorites (?) Serbia in the opening game for the Ghanaian Black Stars in the South Africa FIFA World Cup. Wohoo! Go Ghana!

In my room in Sweden I imagined the celebrations going on all over the crazy fotball nation that is Ghana and was lucky enough to stumble across the lovely and vivid pics on fellow Ghanablogging blogger Nana Kofi’s photo blog.

Pic of teary eyed Black Stars fan borrowed from Nana Kofi Acquah’s post on the Ghana vs Serbia celebrations in Accra.

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Coz Ov Moni feat. Wanlov the Kubolor and M3nsa

The world’s first musical movie in Ghanaian pidgen or slang English is soon coming to a screen near you. To start with, you get a glimpse of it here!

The theme “Coz ov moni” is smack on post-economic crisis in Ghana. Everything is because of money.

The singing stars of the movie Wanlov and M3nsa are already stars in Ghana. In the new Dust Magazine, both of them are interviewed. Wanlov, known as “the Kubolor” here in Ghana was asked if he is more known outside of Ghana – this is what he answered:

No, I walk through Holland, Copenhagen and once or twice everyday someone will recognise me and say, “You’re Wanlov, right?” Whereas over here, once every thirteen minutes or so, someone will shout, “Ei Kubolor!”

Haha, I think I might be guilty of one or two shout-outs like that. Read the full quirky interview here.

To me, the funky songs totally blends in with the almost rhytmical filming (think music video) to the extent that I’m thinking, “can this really be the first pidgen musical? It just fits so well!”

Must say I also love the scenography which I am guessing is all about finding the perfect real life setting and adding lights – nothing beats reality! Really, Accra’s backyards with its half dressed people and stuffy Internet cafés have never before looked so good!

The producer/director (I haven’t really done my homework here and I think it might be too early in the day to call him) is famous music producer Panji Anoff. UPDATE: The director is King Luu.

All in all, this movie can only be a hit. Can’t wait too see it!

(Yes, dear readers, I’ll put the details up here as soon as I have them!)

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>Inventory of Normality Feat. Paulo Coelho

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Ok, so normally, I hold a fair share of skepticism against everything signed Paulo Coelho.

You know – the bestseller writer who’s recipe for happiness is to “seek the truth in the desert” (The Alchemist) – however, when I stumbled across this list “Inventory of Normality” on his blog (Thanks, Cris) several of its items spoke to me.

Really, how did these things ever become normal?

3] Spending years at university and then not being able to find a job.

7] Trying to be financially successful instead of seeking happiness.

9] Comparing objects like cars, houses and clothes, and defining life according to these comparisons instead of really trying to find out the true reason for being alive.

24] Using all possible means to show that even though you are a normal person, you are infinitely superior to other human beings.

40] Avoiding depression with massive daily doses of television programs.

However, it is also interesting to see that certain things are just soo tied to geographic places/cultures – eg. would this happen in Ghana?:

5] Retiring only to discover that we have no more energy to enjoy life, and then dying of boredom after a few years.

H3! In Ghana, live after 70 is sweet-o.

25] In any kind of public transport, never looking straight into the eyes of the other passengers, as this may be taken for attempting to seduce them.

Haha, seduction is a constant part of public life including transport in Ghana! Why avoid starting it?

26] When in an elevator, looking straight at the door and pretending you are the only person inside, however crowded it may be.

In Ghana, in the few elevators I’ve been, you’ll politely say “Good morning/afternoon/evening” and then maybe chat the person up, see above!

27] Never laughing out loud in a restaurant, no matter how funny the story is.

Oh, every story is funny in a restaurant in Ghana! “Chale, serious? hahaHAHAHA!”

Anyways, this time I can still recommend Paulo Coelho.

Pic: A serious trotro where people do look each other in the eye.

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>Valentine’s Day in Ghana – All You Need To Know

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Valentine’s day became a day to celebrate in Ghana first after the airwaves were deregulated and private radio channels like Radio Gold and Joy FM entered the stage around 1995.

But if Valentine’s Day celebrations got to a late start, it sped up quickly and the celebration of romantic love is today widespread in Ghana!

Fellow blogger Nana Yaw writes a funny post including five stories of what high-school sweethearts go through around this time of year, like this one

Sometimes, you just didn’t have the money to compete, but couldn’t get her to understand. So, 1 week before the Day, you kicked up a baseless fight, and broke up. No need for presents. You waited for 5 days, and went back to you were sorry.

I hope you never had to do this artificial breakup maneuvre! Read all of Nana Yaw’s Valentine stories here.

Professor Jo Ellen Fair (who I met last year) have researched the topic of Valentine’s Day in Ghana and in summary says that celebrating “Val Day” is something the middle class in Ghana does to feel modern and cosmopolitan. This quote is from the conclusion of the paper “Me Do Wo: The Creation of Valentine’s Day in Accra, Ghana”. Find the whole paper here (pdf). or read a summary here.

Many say that the Valentine’s theme of love “clicks”
in Ghana. “Because love is universal, anyone in any culture can be a part of Val Day,” said one young woman (interview, Feb. 10, 2002). Valentine’s Day sanctions gestures and words of affection in a culture otherwise characterized by public and private reserve. Valentine’s Day is “the one chance you get to tell people how you feel,” said one female secondary student (interview, Feb. 5, 2002). “Valentine is wonderful. I can hold my boyfriend’s hand and walk down the street,” said another secondary student(interview, Feb. 5, 2002). Advocates of Val Day are insurgents for romance in aculture uncertain of the future of more practical approaches to relationships.

This morning, these inputs paved the way for an interesting discussion over breakfast with my sweetheart.

Pic: Walking together on a beach early in the morning – my idea of romance! Happy Valentine’s Day everybody!

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>Busy Everyday Life

>This week was also not a good blogging week – what is happening to me?
Well, let me tell you and at least that gives me a few days respite!

These days I teach Monday through Wednesday. It is a lot of preparation work, since I am teaching two classes that are new to me. It means all lectures, assignments, readings and handouts have to be prepared from scratch. I knew this semester was going to be heavy and truly, even though I love my work I have been very busy.

As you all know, I am also hoping to soon start my PhD at University of Ghana. The update is that my department in January arranged for supervisors and now it is up to the School of Research and Graduate Studies to officially admit me to the program. Yesterday, I was tired of waiting and wrote a letter of inquiry into the application process to involved parties. And I think that was a good thing to do, because all the three recipients were not in their offices when I came around.

Outside of work and study, I am engaging in civil society. I am a part of the Fabulous Feminists (FabFem), the Accra Book Club (ABC), the Accragio choir (but that’s a different blog post, Sppp) and the Ghanaian bloggers’ group Ghanablogging.com.

The FabFem met yesterday, a fun meeting as usual with young, female, fabulous, professionals with one or two things to say about feminism. Especially interesting for this meeting was that we talked about what we as a group can do for our community. I’ll keep you posted. (also, a new member of the group recognized me from my blog! celebrity life, here I come!)

The ABC last month read Swedish (!) writer Stieg Larsson’s book from the Millenium triology. I missed that meeting, so I look forward to saying a thing or two on Lisbeth Salander’s impact on Swedish society at the ABC meeting next week. This month we are reading Lawrence Hill’s The Book of Negroes (and hey, there’s another blog post).

Ghanablogging.com
is meeting the week after that, but as I am the anchor of the group, every week there are things to take into consideration. People who want to join our network, have meetings with us etc. Last week my colleague Edward and I spoke about blogging at Radio Universe, University of Ghana’s student run radio. At this point in time we want to spread the blogging habit or citizen media to others and are planning an event around that.

Tonight there is a performance with a female flamenco group with the scariest and best name, Mala Sangre, at the Alliance Francaise. 8.30 pm!

And that is my busy everyday life!

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>Involuntary Absense

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So some of you might think I decided to check out completely just because I turned 29 on Sunday.

But that is not the case. I mean, Yes, I was a bit shocked (“29, already? Wow, that means I am soon to be 30, iiiiaaaah”). Yes, I went to the beach to unwind. Yes, I had a glass of good, red wine (or two).

But my absence here has nothing to do with that and all to do with an Internet Service Provider that has painted the town red.

Literally.

Update: And I’m not the only one noticing, see Nyani‘s very similar post here!

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>Did I Dance with Kojo Antwi? Part III or Photo Evidence

>Finally, courtesy of pro-photographer Nyani Quarmyne there is photographic evidence of that

YES, I DANCED WITH KOJO ANTWI*!



This is for you my loyal readers! 🙂

Read Part I and Part II of this story here and here.

*a legend according to Esi, see for yourselves here.

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>Did I Dance with Kojo Antwi? Part II

>He gestures for me to come up on stage, “Come!” and I feel myself letting go of my handbag, barely glancing over to see if my husband takes it for me and taking a few decisive steps onto – is this happening? – the stage. Kojo Antwi helps me up and seductively holds my hand and leads me to the center of the stage. While walking he says something like “Clap for Obruni” in his microphone. The crowd starts to cheer.

The crowd? THE CROWD? Oh my! Some 1000 pairs of eyes look at me, some are clapping and selected laughters suggest that some are expecting a funny performance including a dancing obruni, but luckily stage lights are blinding me somewhat, and we start to dance.

The music is good, I am wearing comfortable shoes and my favorite dress, I am dancing with the man of Rocklyn, Afrafranto and Odo ye de sin sika and we are all in this place out of love and empathy for Haiti.

What he looked like up close, this mysterious Mr Music man? I do not remember. Was he holding my hands? I don’t remember. In the moment, I just decide to myself to enjoy the song, the dance, the moment of having so many individuals’ attention.

It only fully hit me much later, when the concert was over and I was congratulated by a smiling husband, a crowd of acquaintances and friends, including students at Ashesi University, that Yes, I did dance with Kojo Antwi!

DOES ANYBODY HAVE PICTURES OF THIS PERSONALLY SIGNIFICANT MOMENT? Please email to kajsahallberg -at- gmail.com
Thanks!

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