The Pen Creative World

Category: Lifestyle

  • Football Was Never The Same Back In The Day

    Football Was Never The Same Back In The Day

    It is that time of the year, schools are closed and all boys are back in the village, except for the ‘born Tao’, who would be breezing in later in December to terrorize the hapless village boys with sheng, and those fake English they pick in city streets). You will agree with me on a lighter note that the of polythene menace became more pronounced when boys started playing balls bought from supermarkets and not making their own or simply abandoned the game all together for computer gadgets and mobile phones.

    Growing up, cane cutter and his gang had a way of keeping themselves away from bad activities; unless of cause bad activities also included stealing mangoes from Paskalia’s farm. Thus the ‘Juala’ (polythene) ball during holidays pitting my village boys against each other or my village against boys from the neighboring village would come in handy as we looked after the cows in the fields.

    There is nothing more nostalgic like images of some pot bellied lads roaming the village with their dogs some called Kiyombi, Simba, Gadafi, Rhodesia and Sadam, hunting for birds which by with catapults, chasing after squirrels, bush hare or just kicking around some balls made from discarded clothes and polythene papers. After a long day around, we would be taking the cows back home while blowing our crookedly crafted hands while some are chewing sugar cane; that is if the gods’ were on our side and the cows never sneaked home before us to cause rampage in the sorghum farms.

    Just like the 21st Fifa rules, we had our own albeit they were never written anywhere; still we mastered them. I hope after reading these rules, you would be laughing all the way to the bathroom.

    As a preliminary: Every open space could be a playing fiel

    ONE: The fat kid was always the goalkeeper.

    TWO: The owner of the ball decides who plays.

    It was always Otis owning the ball. Somehow my ball kept appearing from the ‘orepe’ fig tree behind our house. I came to learn later it was Otis who snitched them so that he kept dominating the village.

    THREE: The owner of the ball plays on the side which doesn’t remove the shirts or t-shirts; it was a privilege to be on the side that put the shirts on.

    A must: The owner of the ball captains both teams.

    FOU: Penalties were awarded only if the injured player curses a lot. Talking of injuries, cuts were dealt with by a quick first aid of rubbing dust on the bleeding spot.

    FIVE: If you were the goalkeeper, you could change the goal post from where the ball enters to the opposite side and claim no goal or remove all the sticks when the striker was approaching.

    SIX: No matter how many goals you scored, the winner will be determined by the last team to score.

    SEVEN: No referee and linesman, everyone is a referee; you could run with the ball even behind the goal post, then come back and score and the goal stood.

    EIGHT There were no such things as corners, throw-ins, free kicks or off sides; the closer you are to opposite goalkeeper the easier it was to score.

    NINE: If you don’t participate in repairing the ball you were given a match ban, so we were keen to be part of the repair team.

    TEN:If you’re picked last you’re a loser. The guy who was never picked was to fetch the ball when it got stuck under the old tractor or trailer-and boy don’t we have so many of them in our village or under the tunnel or over ‘Shosh’ Paskalia’s fence, of course Paskalia had ready abuses to hurl over the fence.

    ELEVEN: The guy who was  never picked was also to be the one looking after the cows lest they stray as we played, so he could play in the next match.

    TWELVE: When the owner of the ball gets annoyed, game over. Otis had a short temper so we made sure he was always in a good mood, by bringing him boiled potatoes or making sure we passed the ball to him more often than the others in the same team.

    THIRTEEN: The goal sticks did not have a cross bar. So long as the ball passed in between the two sticks, it was counted, never mind the height, it was a goal.

    FOURTEEN: You were allowed to change the goalkeeper in case of a penalty. 

    FIFTEEN: The match ended only when everyone was tired in normal circumstances or when we realized the cows are gone.

    SIXTEEN: When the owner of the ball was called home, it would be the end because he leaves with the ball.

    SEVENTEEN” The losing team especially from the other village is to be chased back across the river with dogs in pursuit.

    Looking back, I cannot help but laugh over them.

    MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, STAY SAFE. I LOVE YOU ALL

    Twitter: @CaneCutter2

  • The Stages of Man’s Financial Life

    The Stages of Man’s Financial Life

    Life is not fair to anyone. What man amases from life is a product of his determination and resolve. This informs the chasm between the rich and the poor. Nobody is born rich or poor. What we give to life is what life throws at us. Specifically speaking, some individuals, especially at old age, do experience poverty. Why and how does this happen to them. In simple terms, the manner in which they handle all-important stages of their human existence immensely contributes to the excruciating financial conditions.

    Human life contains three cardinal phases: early, middle and late. The early is the determining stage, which is called learning phase. This stage of life is the bedrock of man’s financial life. It is the stage characterized by freshness, vigour, acquisition of ideas and knowledge as well as skills. A stage when man goes to school to acquire knowledge and skills that enable him to be fit in the society where he lives in and respected among peers and mates. By virtue of the acquired experiences, man either secures a paid job or starts a personal business. In some cases, a combination of both is not impossible to be possessed by man.

    Middle stage, otherwise known as earning phase is a juncture when man translates all the knowledge and prowess acquired in learning stage into pecuniary gains. This is usually made possible through salary or wage collection, known as renumeration, or profit making. The relationship between man and money is a decider of destiny in this regard. If money is wiser than man, a challenge emanates, but if man is wiser, financial security, financial freedom and financial stability will be guaranteed to the maximum. This is because a solid financial base must have been built through circumspect spending, meticulous strategic savings and investment portfolios.

    The last stage is the yearning stage, which is in sharp contrast to the first one. It is the opposite of stage one, because it is featured with debilitating state, inactive and ineffective services rendered. This is a result of ‘wear and tear’ phenomenon. Retirement from active service takes place at this point. Man might be without any jobs. However, if man is jobless, it is an indicator that he has no investment portfolio whereas if he is business-inclined, he must have definitely appropriated business strategies and ideas acquired over the years. In order to ‘retire’ his retirement, he keeps the business going and money continues to work for him on this note. On the other hand, man who has no business investment portfolios might be confronted with poverty – stricken situations such as begging and dependence on others for survival. Embarrassment of old age may be inevitable. This can be avoided though.

  • Becoming Confident

    It happens severally that walking through a new environment, I suddenly lose my legs temporarily, I just wouldn’t know how exactly to walk especially when there is a cluster of unfamiliar faces probably just having fun or discussing a serious issue as it concerns them. It often seems as if all eyes are on me and no one could help me out of this difficult zone! I know I’m not alone on this and many have wondered if they can ever get themselves to be confident among people, especially strangers. Well, you don’t need to be shy anymore if you could just follow these simple steps to be shared below.

    What exactly is shyness? I’m not going to bore you with too much talk but go straight to the point. To be shy is to be in an awkward, unpleasant, uncomfortable situation or among unfamiliar faces that one can’t behave normal. It has been reported that shyness is a sign of people with low self-esteem. It is also said that fear of what people may think or say caused by ego is also a major characteristic of shyness. How then can we improve our social relations and stop being shy?

    1.) Act Confidently

    One major rule when in public space is don’t behave like a coward. Don’t let people see you as an adult with baby’s feeder in your mouth. Be confident in your actions! Understand that no one can do things the way you do, you have the Midas touch.

    2.) Get Involved

    Be involved in what’s going on. Don’t just stand unconcerned. If someone needs help, offer to help. If an issue needs to be settled probably a quarrel between two individuals, offer your assistance in settling the quarrel. Engage!

    3.) Discuss

    The more you talk, the more you get better and confident at talking. No man brought it all from up there, it is developed and nurtured. What you don’t nurture, gets to die eventually. Start practicing the art of talking to people more. Talk to your family more, talk to your friends some more, then go further by learning to pick up a conversation with a stranger. Perhaps you are scared of what to say, you can start by asking questions. Don’t just stand there, looking, talk! If asking questions, please make it open ended, that way you give room for the person to express himself/herself more than just giving a yes or no answer and also it gives you time to think and come up with an appropriate point of discussion.

    4.) Let go of Past Failures

    Shy people tend to hide more because of past failures. Something they did and didn’t work out according to plan, especially when the expectation from people was already high and yet they failed to meet up. The feeling of disappointment, failure, rejection, and frustration pushes them to run inside and refuse to ever come out. Failure has never been the fault of any man, it is only an event that has to occur so as to show how better you could handle same thing and achieve the best result. Never hold on to your failures, everyone fails at some point, you won’t be the first, neither will you be the last. You are not a failure, cheer up and go out on a date, picnic or something, enjoy yourself, discover and explore the world!

    5.) Appreciate Yourself at Every Opportunity

    Little drops of water they say makes a mighty ocean. You may not have gotten there yet but each step is taking you closer to your goals. Therefore take time out to appreciate yourself. You are making progress, it may not be as fast but you are not on the same spot, be happy!

    6.) Watch Others Relate with Confidence

    Although there may be circumstances where imitation could be harmful but not in every case I believe. If you are finding it hard to confidently relate with people, then watch how others do it effortlessly and try imitate them. Watch their actions, their tone when speaking, their eyes, and all other stuffs that help them be confident in approaching others publicly. If they can do it, you can do it too.

    7.) Dress Smart

    It is often said that the way you are dressed is the way you will be addressed! Well, whatever issues you may have with that statement, the truth is there is a level of confidence that dressing smart gives. You can’t dress shabby and still expect to exude out the kind of confidence you need in public, not possible. Learn to dress smart!

    8.) Believe in Yourself

    No one can believe in you if as a matter of necessity you didn’t first believe in yourself. When you doubt yourself, your abilities, you make it hard for others to believe in you. Shyness like said earlier is one of the signs of low self-esteem. To overcome this,trust and believe in yourself more than anyone else. Don’t let the opinion of others be more important than your own opinion about yourself. Take you more seriously!

    9.) Smile More

    Going out with a hard face, as if your bread was taken from you obviously sends potential friends and helpers far away from you! There is no normal human being who has a resistance to smile! It is the most easy gift among men to give and yet the scarcely given gift. The gift of a smile could lighten up someone’s day and also your own day. Smile daily, smile every hour, smile every minute, smile every seconds. Just don’t stop smiling!

    10.) Meet New People More Often
    As difficult as that sounds to a shy person, it is a very effective means of improving your communication. The more you meet strangers/new people, the more you become less shy. Challenge yourself to meet at least a new person each day for the next 30 days and see how greatly you’ll have reduced your shyness.

    Now, next time you are in the public, don’t feel awkward, the same way you relate with your family members is how you should relate with strangers. They are no different, they are all men. You can’t keep losing important appointments, business deals or contracts all because of shyness.

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