"Hearing him say " I love you" to me especially during hard times in our relationship pumps some sort of emotional energy in me which refreshes me with a reassuring feeling that aside every storm he got my back", a lady friend told me.
" I really feel happy when I hear those sweet words from him especially when its done out of the blue" another revealed to me.
How you treat a person you love is important, it usually shows how you feel within.Though there are different ways through which "I love you" can be said, people still want to hear their loved one say " I love you" to them.
Saying "I love you" is usually a sweet thing to say to your partner in a relationship. Most people feel happy and appreciated when they hear these sweet words from their partners. However, some people do not get to hear these words from their partners at all.
Here are some reasons why you shouldn't underestimate these words:
Reaffirms commitment A relationship often has its ups and downs which sometimes causes partners to doubt their love for each other. Occasionally saying "I love you" to your partner brings a refreshing feeling to him or her which reassures him/her that in spite of the challenges, the love still abounds. Its romantic "Its so romantic when he suddenly pauses during a serious conversation we are having just to whisper "I love you" to me, a lady told me. Whispering these words to your partner create a romantic atmosphere which brings joy. Its humanly comforting Your partner might be facing personal issues not necessarily related to the relationship. saying a simple "I love you" may go a long way to comfort him or her. It boosts self esteem A person hearing that he/she is loved over and over again can help change how he sees himself/ herself. This can help bring some sort of self love if they were feeling unloved, undervalued or unappreciated. It could shoot out some positivity and self value within the individual instead of self underestimation. It brings joy Hearing your loved one say 'I love you" to you could bring smiles on your face which eventually grows into joy that stays with you the whole day! Imagine in between your hard and busy day, your partner calls just to say "I love you"!
All too soon 2014 is almost ended and this may be my last blog post for the year. Its been a very wonderful year for me (one of my best years actually!). I thought I should do this blog post how my year went with some lessons as well, and since it's a Super Wednesday, its the best time to do this.
I have undoubtedly become a much better person than I was last year, though I have already shared on some of these areas, I shall go a bit more into detail as I promised. Yibellla Journal I'm sure you have already guessed I was going to talk about this first. (and why wouldn't I talk about it anyway? I love it!). Yibellla Journal is my baby and my blog ,yes here (in case you didn't know). I have kept this blog since 2013 and within this year, I have written more richer, interesting and informative content which wrought great and positive feedback. Within 2014, I introduced three awesome segments here; Young Legends of Inspiration ,Super Wednesday and the Science segment where I feature scientific articles I write for ghscientific. People found these very useful and have helped increased readership on this blog as well. I am extremely glad about this because I love blogging and it makes me happy that I have been able to improve greatly here. I can proudly say the growth of this blog has inspired others to take on initiatives they are passionate about and guess what? They are doing great! With this I say, look for that thing that makes you tick, grow it and nurture it to it fullest and it will unbelievably bring to you some awesome things your way! Winner of ''I know a Ghanaian star writing contest"
Winning this competition is one of the biggest achievements of my life so far. I knew this was for me the very moment I saw the ad. This is not to say it was an easy deal, far from that perhaps you should ask Ato Ulzen-Appiah and Francis Addai the wahala I went through to get this. I was able to make it through to the top 5 and finally won. Winning this has made me an admiration in the eyes of others. I won't forget how awesomely I felt receiving congratulatory phone calls and messages from people who found this great. Within this period, I have had colleagues at school and other people approaching me to tell me how much I inspire them through what I do. With writing as my passion, I am extremely glad I have been able to make this achievement in my writing journey. I hope to have more winnings in the coming year. This task looked and proved herculean but through hardwork I was able to make the mark. With this I say work hard always because it definitely will pay! Meeting the Legends
Wow! this brings goose pimples all over my body any time I remember it. Within 2014, I had this great idea through which this brainchild of mine was born. So I said to myself, why don't I bring down some amazing people I know and have featured on the Young Legends of Inspiration segment down to my school, Ghana Institute of Journalism to come share to my colleagues and other students on their various initiative and inspire them as well? Then I put it action! With the help of a great team, this dream of mine became reality. This event was set for a day that wasn't really favourably for students to attend and it amazed me how great the turn out was! Over 60 people for a start! I had Ato Ulzen-Appiah, Naa Oyoo Quartey and Gabriel Obodai Torgbor- Ashong come share with them. They were just so great with their deliveries, the audience were inspired and loved them! It was so good that some people came asking me how much I had to pay them for the excellent sessions they mentored them in. They thought it would be damn expensive! But I kept on smiling and telling them they did it for free because they believed in this initiative and also also due to the of the good relationships I have with them. More on this can be found here. I am very grateful to them and to everyone who helped one way or the other to make this a success. In this coming year make it a point to network, make great contacts for you may never know who that saviour might be! The other cool things There have been great improvement in my reading habits, trust me I have read more than any other year! Insightful articles, great write-ups which has made me more knowledgeable! I also became a paid freelancer this year! I began writing stem related articles for GhScientific which is means more learning, improved writing and more experience! I also joined the Wikimedia Ghana User Group where we write and edit Ghanaian related content on Wikipedia. It has been a good learning experience working with Oral Ofori. That guy knows a lot! Aside many of which I can't even remember I have met great minds like Ama Atta-Aidoo, Jemila Abdulai, Manasseh Azure Awuni, Prof. Agyeman Badu Akosa, and a lot more which time will fail me to mention. These were the big deals of my 2014, I hope to do more and strike great achievements in 2015. God be my helper!. Do leave a comment, let me though what your thoughts are.
Autism (or Autism Spectrum Disorders) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the way a person views and interacts with the world around him. It is a wide spectrum disorder that challenges a person’s communication and interactive skills, which means that no two people with autism will show the exact same combination and degree of symptoms. Some may have mild symptoms whereas others will present severe symptoms. Although the condition occurs in both sexes, it is about 5 times more common among boys (1 in 42 boys) than among girls (1 in 189 girls).
Like most conditions that affect brain and behaviour, there is not an exact cause of autism, however autism risk factors can be narrowed down to genetic and/or prenatal causes.
GENETIC FACTORS: Genetic factors may be the most significant cause for autism spectrum disorders. The genetics of autism are complex and more than one gene may be involved in different individuals. Furthermore the genes may interact with each other or with environmental factors with differenct consequences and this could be the reason why the disorder has a wide spectrum. Several candidate genes have been located within which mutations increase the risk of autism and the study of these mutations remains an active research area.
PRENATAL ENVIRONMENT: The risk of autism is also associated with several prenatal risk factors which occur during pregnancy or delivery. Advanced age in either parent may increase gene mutations that lead to autism, use of psychiatric drugs by the mother during pregnancy, bleeding and diabetes could all contribute to the child been born autistic. Autism has also been linked to birth defect agents acting during the first eight weeks from conception, though these cases are rare.
With such a broad spectrum, the Autistic symptoms can only be identified in a person by looking at the various areas of life where a child with autism may behave differently. Some of these areas include:
SOCIAL SKILLS
People who have autism are socially clumsy. They have difficulty with social interaction and usually prefer to be alone to the extent of been uninterested in other people at all. The person with ASD might give the impression that he is talking at people, rather than with or to them because they hardly make any eye contact. In addition, autistic individuals are very likely to miss the subtle social cues used in everyday society. They are not the “people-kind” and seem to be in their own world mostly sometimes struggling with the playing and talking skills we have come to accept as a norm.
EMPATHY
An autistic child may also find it very hard to be aware of and understand the feelings of other people. Unlike most people, autistic individuals have a weaker ability to instinctively empathize with others. In spite of this, their ability to take other people’s feelings into account can improve tremendously if they are frequently reminded of this. Nonetheless, empathy does not come natural to most.
REPETITIVE BEHAVIOURS
Routine is one thing an autistic individual can get comfortable with. Most love to go through doing the same things over and over again, for example drawing the same picture again and again, page after page or jumping from one end to another again and again.
DEVELOPMENT
Autistic children do not develop at a relatively harmonious rate. It is common to find that while cognitive skills may develop fast, language skills may trail behind or while language may develop rapidly, motor skills are lacking. Social skills of an autistic child will not develop at the same pace as other people.
SPEECH
The higher the severity of the autism, the more affected the person’s speaking skills. They will often repeat words they hear (echolalia) and this is one way they learn to engage effectively with the surrounding environment.
PHYSICAL CONTACT
Some kids with ASD do not like to be cuddled or touched. Not all autistic kids are like this though; some will greatly appreciate a hug from a relative and may actually find more comfort in this than most other children will. In this case only a parent, carer or sibling will know best. One thing is for sure though, isolating an autistic child is never a good idea.
SENSORY SENSITIVITY
Some autistic children find loud noises unpleasant and quite shocking, the same can happen with some smells and sudden changes in light intensity. This level of sensitivity can be reduced by warning a child of of what is to happen, he or she can then cope with it better than when it happens out of the blue.
AUTISM IN GHANA
In Ghana having a child with autism is viewed by most as a curse on the family, or worse still in certain places the mother is labeled a witch which may cause mother and child to be shunned by certain quarters of society. A lack of education in this area means that many are not seeking the necessary help that they need; instead they are hiding these children at home, locking them up in their rooms. Many children in mainstream schools who have autism but can somewhat express themselves suffer discrimination and teasing from peers.
AUTISM AWARENESS CARE AND TRAINING CENTRE
The Autism Awareness Care and Training centre [AACT] Accra seeks to fill in this much needed gap in education and service provision. The centre was set up by Mrs. Serwah Quaynor about 15 years ago when she returned to Ghana from the USA after her son had been diagnosed with autism at age 2. At her return, searching for autism services for her child proved difficult, thus she began autism awareness in Ghana.
“Nortey, my son, was sixteen years old with raging hormones, many challenging behaviors, ranging from self-injurious behaviours, aggression and insomnia, to mention a few. Sleep at night was a luxury (I was lucky if I got two (2) hours). What was I to do in a country where there were no services for children with autism? I felt like an outcast, dejected, alone, and petrified!” Mrs. Quaynor explains. Since then, through fifteen years of service, it has assisted hundreds of children and their families. The centre provides many services and encourages inclusion into mainstream education and society. AACT’s training focuses on behavior management (which is the core of the entire training programme), functional academics, music and art therapy, speech and occupational therapy and life skills training. Resources to train these children simply aren’t available here in Ghana, however, the centre is fortunate to receive speech/language and occupational therapy resources from international volunteers. They use local materials like the dry seed of the flamboyant tree as music shakers and Djembes drums for drumming to teach music and dance.
The centre has been successful in spite of challenges such as unavailability and insufficient resources. They currently work with close to forty autistic people, ranging from preschoolers to young adults (Find out more about the centre here).
TIPS FOR RELATING WITH AN AUTISTIC CHILD
Routines are easier to work with so establish them early and change them rarely.
In the first moment you want to teach a new behavior you must use consistency and continuity or you will fail.
Isolating an autistic child is never a good idea and only enforces their condition.
Praise positive behaviour no matter how minute
Involve them visually and physically, the more animated and fun the better
Most of all be patient and know that there are other parents out there who could help you with any and all challenges
FAMOUS PEOPLE WITH AUTISM
With all this been said, there are many historical figures who are believed to have had varying degrees of Autism and have also been extremely gifted and talented. These include Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart [Composer], Sir Isaac Newton [Physicist], Albert Einstein[ Scientist], Michelangelo [Artist, Architect, Engineer, and Donna Williams [artist, sculptor, composer and screenwriter]
I have never done anything like this, it's a dream coming true and every fibre of me is expectant and filled with joy in await of this event. Few months ago the idea of organising this great event popped into my mind, I told myself I must do this before the year ends. The idea initially came out of this blog; why don't I organise an event to bring together the people I featured on the "Young Legends of Inspiration" segment of this blog, to talk about the wonderful initiatives the they have taken to inspire others to do more? I made my intentions known to "that man, that inspiration" and he thought it would be a wonderful initiative to carry out and offered to sponsor it! (I'm looking foward to more people and organisations sponsoring this in the subsequent editions.)
Next step? I approached my first legend Ato Ulzen-Appiah and fortunately, he urged me on and agreed to be on the program. That encouragement injected a lot of #vim into me. Some I approached weren't positive but at the end of the day, I managed to get Naa Oyoo Quartey and Gabriel Obodai Torgbor-Ashong on the bill as well, they were really positive about this! With the help of an awesome team, everything has been put in place. This isn't going to be a one time event but will grow stronger into a yearly one.
Still wondering who these legends are? Let me shortly introduce them.
Ato Ulzen-Appiah is an entrepreneur, manager and blogger. He hails from Elmina, grew up in Kumasi and lives in Accra. A notable alumni of Presec, he studied at MIT for his Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering and had his Master's degree at Stanford in construction and engineering management.
He currently works at Rancard as product manager building new revenue services off its platform, in charge of payments and content hosting.notable alumni of Presec
He's the director at the GhanaThink Foundation which mobilizes and organizes talent for the primary benefit of Ghana. GhanaThink, since its inception, has given birth to Kasahorow and Museke. It currently runs the Barcamp Ghanaprogram (37 events since 2008) from which the Junior Camp Ghana program was created (7 events since 2013). Through GhanaThink, he also initiated National Volunteer Day, which is now part of the Ghana Volunteer Program. More of him can be found here.
Naa Oyoo Quartey is a Ghanaian lifestyle blogger with an authentic and refreshing style of creative writing on lifestyle topics ranging from; movie reviews, events in Ghana, relationship topics, health topics, reviews of restaurants in Ghana, short stories, fashion events and tips, social media, wedding planning tips, social issues, etc. She won two awards at the Ghana Social Media awards for Best Lifestyle Blogger and Best Short Story, Creative Writing Blogger at the BloggingGhana awards in 2013. Her love for all things people, food, travel, health and innovation ensures the blog is relevant for every reader. Her hobby includes creating handmade accessories which is under the label Roots by Naa, writing and dashes of style photography. More about her can be found here.
Gabriel Obodai Torgbor-Ashong is a broadcast journalist at Metro Television and was the former SRC General secretary of the Ghana Institute of Journalism. His zeal and hardwork helped the SRC chalk notable successes during his administration. He loves working with and for children, hence volunteers at Curious Mind, a group which advocates the rights of young people. More about him can be found here. More other awesome legends like Edward Amartey Tagoe of Nandi Mobile Ltd will be featured in the next edition of this.
This great event will he held at the lecture hall I of the Ghana Institute of Journalism on 14th November, 2014 at 3:30pm. This would have the legends come share on their various initiatives to inspire us to take action and do more!
You just can't miss this,come let's get inspired to take action!
You have a suggestion or want to sponsor? Kindly send a mail to yibelllajournal@gmail.com.
Ghanaian ladies lately seem to have gone back to the earlier days of their mothers and grandmothers when growing and keeping natural hair was the order of the day. Back then, it was the usual thing to keep virgin natural hair till permed hair became the new thing. Most ladies followed the perm trend, but the story is different now.
For sometime now, I have seen lots of young ladies in Ghana go through the big chop to start growing natural hair. Don’t get me wrong, they don’t keep outmoded styles from the past, but rather modern and very stylish ones. Trust me, I am always awed when I come across well kept and stylish natural hair.
After interacting with a few ladies to find out why they decided to go natural, I found some responses which summed up recurring sentiments:
“Perm chemicals are harmful in nature”
“Perm is so painful, I don’t know if it is worth it”
“Did you know perm leads to baldness?!”
“Natural hair is versatile. You can do numerous thing with natural hair that perm can’t do. I could have it wild and crazy one minute, then tame the next with a scarf or in a bun.”
“No pretensions. I think African ladies should know ourselves as we came into the world.”
“I think natural hair just has a genuine texture and look. Really interesting and authentic.”
Talking about well kept hair, let me quickly drop some maintenance tips in case you decide to switch too. Switching from perm to natural hair isn’t really difficult, it’s simple.
Natural Hair Maintenance.
Keep your hair in braids for at least 2 months before the big chop. The big chop is cutting off the remains of the perm of your hair to stay natural.
Try to ignore comments from “unnatural” advisors, just do your thing.
After the big chop, you can observe the following tips to make your hair look great.
Co-wash your hair every week if you can. Co-washing is using conditioner to wash your hair.
Use conditioner instead of shampoo because shampoo strips your hair of moisture.
Use products with organic contents and avoid products with petro oil and mineral oils. Opt for products such as jojoba, coconut oil and almonds.
Minimize heat. Lots of heat applied to your hair may cause breakage. I can bet you wouldn’t want that.
Detangle your hair regularly. Be patient when detangling, washing, twisting, do it with care.
Use the right products! There are various brands so every natural needs to find the ones that works best for their hair.
Do protective styles like twists, cornrows or braids.
If you want great and very healthy hair, you ought to know how your hair works, grows and what to eat or not eat. Let’s get to know more about the science of hair now.
Hair is a very common component of the human body. It is a protein filament that grows from a skin organ called follicles and goes through three main stages when growing, namely: Anagen, Catagen and Telogen.
Anagen Stage
It is the primary phase of hair growth also known as the active stage and right now about 85% of your hair is at this stage. Hair can be in the Anagen stage for 3-6 years and in this stage hair grows approximately 4 inches per year. The longer your hair stays in this stage, the longer it will grow.
Catagen Stage.
Hair gets to the Catagen stage once the Anagen stage ends. This is also known as the maturation stage. Here, the lower part of the hair is destroyed, the follicles shrink and the hair gets pushed out of the skin in preparation for the last stage. This phase last about 2 weeks.
Telogen Stage.
This is the resting stage of hair growth and at any given time, about 10% of all hairs on your head are resting. At this stage, hair is capable of shedding.
Food Nutrients That Boosts Hair Growth
What you eat has a say in how your hair turns out or looks. Nutrients play an important role for hair growth and not all kind of foods support good and healthy hair growth. To boost hair growth and make hair luscious, look out for some of these nutrients in your diet:
Protein
Proteins are life’s basic building blocks allowing repair and replacement of hair. Inadequate protein in diet can slow the rate of new hair growth and cause your hair to be weak/ brittle. Some sources of protein are eggs, legumes and dairy products.
Zinc
Zinc is an important nutrient in relation to hair growth as it maintains function of the oil glands around the hair follicles. When zinc levels fall, hair loss, slow growth and dandruff follows.
Zinc can be found in oysters, lobster, crabs, sunflower seeds, skinless chicken and cashew.
B Vitamins (foliate, B6,B12)
These vitamins are vital in the creation of red blood cells which carry oxygen and nutrients to all body cells including those of the scalp, follicles and growing hair. Lack of these vitamins can cause shedding or slow growth as well as promote hair breakage.
Essential B vitamins can be found in bananas, tomatos, groundnut paste, watermelons, shrimps and strawberries.
Iron
Iron is one big thing in hair growth, helping a great deal in the overall growth and wellness of hair. Low levels or lack of iron can cause hair to fall out and lead to even baldness.
Iron can be derived from egg yolks, whole grains, chicken, dried fruits and beans.
If you ever wondered whether what you eat has an effect on the quality of your hair, well it does! Including these nutrients in your diet will go a long way of keeping your natural hair healthy, luscious and strong!
Taking a trip down memory lane, I can clearly recall and almost relive memories of interviews I have had in the past. I
had a couple of interviews even before hitting nineteen ranging from scholarship interviews, job interviews, etc. I will share some of these experiences later on.
Last
week, I came across an article on interview tips by Jemila Abdulai
which I found really insightful and useful. If only I knew some of those
before my very first interview for scholarship when I was nineteen... I
wouldn't want anybody saying "if only they knew this earlier" as I
am saying now, so I thought it would be thoughtful to hit on some these tips Jemila shared.
1. Research Research Research
Ignorance
is really no excuse in an interview. Find out a bit more about the
company you are interviewing with, dig deeper into their affairs, what
interests them, and top up your knowledge on them. Well preparedness
for a battle brings confidence and confidence on the job is a marvel to
behold!
2. Structure your responses.
Structuring your responses in an interview goes a long way in providing accurate responses. Interview
questions could be tricky, make sure you listen carefully to note if
the questions of the interviewer are two-in-one questions or not. A two part question should have a two part response.
Your
tone shouldn't be too low or too high but just right. It is mostly
better to be sure you are heard by your interviewer than weren't heard. Don't shy away from asking "can you hear me?" when there is bad Internet connection in the case of a virtual interview.
3. Look presentable and be yourself
Whether a virtual or one - on- one interview, take that extra time to make sure you look presentable at least. Being
yourself whiles trying to be cautious in an interview is important.
Even though your cover letter and CV talks about you, an interview
helps the company to get to know you better. It's a way of they getting
acquainted with you and knowing more of you, aside the things stated in
your cover letter and CV. Don't forget to wear a smile often when necessary during the interview, it could help do the magic! 4. Follow up and say thank you It shows thoughtfulness to follow up with an e-mail to your employer to say thank you. Not only does it show thoughtfulness but keeps you in their thoughts and mind. 5.Ask Questions if possible. Asking a question during an interview doesn't mean you are bugging the employer, it rather helps to clear and flush out doubts you may have concerning the job and this may go a long way to prevent future misunderstandings. I didn't know some of these tips shared above earlier but I'm glad I do now. Kindly share, you might never know who badly needs this to make that mark! ☺
Winning Konnect Africa's "I know a Ghanaian Star" writing competition is a big achievement for me and a great step in my writing journey. It feels awesome when your effort pays, trust me. It is not completely about the prize but about the experience and fulfilment. I have blogged about it already but this is to bring life and evidence to complete the whole story.
August 9,2014 was the day scheduled for the Prize giving Lunch which was to take place at Buka Restaurant located in Osu, Accra. This long awaited Saturday finally arrived and it was so awesome. It was a colourful, fun filled and wonderful. It's one of those days which you don,t need to mark in your best days column in your diary but you simply and naturally remember it for the rest of your life.
The organisers safely arrived by 7 am in Accra from Nigeria for the event. By12:30 noon, the organisers, winners and a special guest were all gathered at Buka Restaurant in Osu. Buka is a beautiful African restaurant. Their building, interior,exterior and everything portrays Africa. Only African dishes are available and served, so in case you are craving for Ampesi, fufu, akpl3 and fetri detsi, Buka is the right place to head to.
We had an awesome time connecting with each other, learning, eating and receiving our prices!
