Kelewele Date with Marietta (29/04/16) Beach Break

Hello! Hello!! Hello!!!

*sighs* Last month, we did not have a kelewele date. Well, it is back, and I feel happy and inspired not to go on blogging break again. Unless, there is a critical reason not to.

Welcome to the 3^rd #keleweledate of the year. But there is a little bit of bad news.

Plantain is not in season *gasps*. Which has made plantain to be super expensive. That explains the reason why I haven’t had kelewele in April.

Bummer.

But that doesn’t prevent us from having our date. Let the date begin………… (Drumroll, please).

Since I came back from the blogging break, I gave some life updates, so go here to read it.

Nowadays, I don’t want to see the beach again. I have been visiting the place so many times, I think I have had enough. Maybe, I need a beach break.

We are in the month of April and it means, a few days to the Aboakyer Festival which will start the first week in May. How of you Ghanaians are coming to witness?

Exams is just around the corner and we are eager to finish hard because of the unwanted stress we have acquired. We are going on long vac and get ready for our internships in the next academic year. I still haven’t actually decided where to have my internship. I hope to get a place before June.

The weather nowadays is hoooot! Hot, I tell ya! We are supposed to be entering into the rainy season by now, but it is directly the opposite. It is raining heat. As if the wind has come to a standstill. You might decide to sit outside, and yet, outside is hotter than the room. Sometimes, in the evening, the weather is a bit cool, but you just can’t sit outside, just because of mosquitos.

Bummer.

My fitness routine is still not I expect. I don’t know whether it is the academic pressure or something else, that is preventing me from working out. Speaking of academics, I wrote a Bollywood movie review, not too long ago. You can check out the review here.

Now, let's talk about avocado pears. Last year, a storm destroyed our beloved avocado tree, and I was super sad about it. This year, it is growing back beautifully but hasn't started bearing fruits yet. Ms. Cara has made me cry the more with her recipe. Meaning, I have to buy to make the recipe while I could have gotten the fruit for free!!!

Anyway, it doesn't matter. I have to try this. Looks DELICIOUS.

That's it for today's #keleweledate.

If you were to have a real kelewele date with me, what would you tell me?

Grab yourself some fan because the weather is indeed, hooooot.

Songs That Feels Like Home

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well, if not at all, you are grateful for something in your heart. Exams start in less than a week (sympathize with me, lolz xx), and Aboakyer Festival is just around the corner. Can you imagine? Exams is the opening ceremony of the festival. Meaning, Exams start before the celebration of the festival.

Bummer.

How on earth would you chill while there are books to read and codes to write?

Anyway, since exams start soon, it means, we are looking forward to the long vac. A time to relax after a stressful academic year.

Before I began this semester, I decided to play one of the CDs that we normally play at home. Mummy was recovering at that time, so I decided to play one of our CDs and listen while going about doing some house chores. I began to wonder why we had these CDs, why my parents bought them. I wonder why, because anytime, I sing them, no one seems to know the songs.

Yes!

Most of the CDs we play at home are not popular in this society that I live in. They are modern folk music, oldies from the 70’s, the Beatles, Portuguese music, Spanish, Arabic, Reggae, silly songs and others.

Sometimes, I wonder why I listen to them. It’s not because I love them or anything, but it’s because, they feel like home.

At least, if you miss home, listen to those songs and you will feel like you are still there.

At times too, the songs remind me of my childhood. They were the songs that were mostly played when I was just a child. I don’t remember listening to Japanese songs, even if I did, I don’t think I’ll remember them, except the educational ones.

I miss the Shogakukhan educational songs. That’s where I learnt most of my Japanese words, but they are all gone.

The Carpenters is one of my favourite CDs played at home. The CD has two artistes’ music on it. The Carpenters and Simon and Garfunkel. Simon and Garfunkel’s music are sort of, er……. (I can’t think of a word. It’s not a bad word, though).

Lambada is another CD, I love to play, to bring energy and life into the house. It is entirely in Portuguese but we still play it, anyway. By the way, have you watched the movie? (The Forbidden Dance)

We have more than 20, 30, 40 CDs that remind me of my childhood. It’s amazing how, I did not like listening to them because none of my friends knew the songs, but now, I listen to them to revisit my childhood.

They are the songs that feels like home.

Wake Up With Me In Winneba: My Sunday Chapter

My Sunday at its best: Church, beverages, waffles, religious magazines, sea breeze, religious/inspirational music.

The world looks different on Sundays, especially in the society in which I come from. We usually honour the day by attending Church.

Sundays are quiet time alone for me, especially, after Church.

My Sunday routine is actually not any unique one biaa. (I’ve started talking like I am speaking to my friends, lolz xx). I wake up in the morning, put on some good religious music (most of the time, it is either the good local Gospel songs or The Mormon Tabernacle Choir), or watch some inspirational videos from the Mormon Channel or any other inspirational video. I usually get my Sunday clothes ironed and shoes picked the day before. After dressing up, I go to Church.

After church, it’s time for pictures taking with friends and a little bit of chatting here and there. Anyway, it is all good.

I come back home, and have some quiet time alone. I either read more inspiring messages, do some scripture studies, have some beautiful music playing in the background with snacks or just take a nap. Actually, it doesn’t even end there. I might go in for some sea breeze with some friends.

But for me, Sunday is the Sabbath Day. A day of rest, a day for family, a day for reflection and a day for gratitude.

How are your Sundays spent? 

Editor In Chief

I always dream of this: the title.

Does this photo make me look like girlboss?

Editor in chief?

Chief Executive Officer?

It was my dream and it is still my dream of working for a magazine company, whether a popular one or my own magazine company.

That’s one of the reasons why I started this blog; TheMarietta DeGrant Blog is like my magazine company and I am the CEO and editor in chief.

I always imagine the life of someone working in a magazine company.

Having planners with events and duties

Abundance of cameras and studio equipment

Cute notebooks of ideas

Reviewing and rejecting articles (ouch)

Working on drafts

Photoshoots

Interviewing ordinary people and celebrities

Selfies at work pictures

Editorial conferences

Sending newsletters

Website and social media updates

Typing and editing

Designing magazine covers

I will work there. Someday.

Movie Review: Like Stars on Earth

Hello. Good morning! It’s a beautiful day and although, I’m not sure of the weather forecast and the sun is not yet out, I hope the sun shines (not so hard, lol), so that the light can enter my room to make it feel lively.

Today, I bring to you a movie review. I don’t remember the last time I wrote a movie review on the blog since La Bamba. I normally do novel reviews, but hey, no problem. Today is a movie review of a movie I watched recently, and it's from Bollywood. I’m probably the last one to watch this, but I have watched it more than five times already since the Easter Break.

Alright, the movie is Like Stars on Earth, originally titles Taare Zameen Par. It is a movie of a boy, Ishaan Awasthi, played by Darsheel. He is what we call, a student with special needs.

Ishaan Awasthi is an eight year old boy who had academic problems and no one understood him. He was always compared to his big brother his big brother, Yohaan (Yohaan loved his brother so much), who excels well in school. Apart from his academic failure, he has poor grooming skills. No one understood him, and his father thought he was just been lazy and so, he was sent to a boarding school.

Depression and loneliness sets in.

There, he made a friend, Rajan and met a teacher, Ram Shankar Nikumbh, played by Aamir Khan, who helped him to change his academic performance to a better one.

Amazingly, Ishaan has a great talent for art. His imagination might be absurd but he turns them into art.

Reasons why I love the movie+ Lessons I learnt

The movie is great for teachers to know that, every child is special no matter how dumb he is

Ishaan, though, had lots of problems, has a huge sense of humour

Success is not defined by being a doctor or engineer. You can be whatever you want, success is yours.

I found out about famous people who suffered from dyslexia

There are many students with special needs. They special needs are not physical only. You have to be patient with such students.

Develop your talent and embrace it.

Brothers love you, not matter what you are.

Quotes from the movie that I loved

 "There's a merciless and competitive world out there. And in this crazy world, everybody wants to grow toppers and rankers. Everyone wants a genius for a kid. Doctors, engineers, MBA. Nothing less is tolerated. 95.5%. 95.6%. 95.7%. Anything less is blasphemy, isn't it?"

 "Every child has his own capabilities, his own desires, his own dreams."

 "To show you that there have been such gems amongst us who have changed the course of the world because they could look at the world differently. Their thinking was out of box and not everyone understood them"

"On the Solomon islands, when the tribes need to clear the jungle to make way for fields, they don't cut down the trees, they simply gather and collect around it, and hurl abuses at the tree, they curse it. Slowly but surely, after some days, the trees begin to wither. It dies on its own."

Have you watched the movie? What did you learn from it?

PS. Cute faces of Ishaan