Basic Instinct#3 (Manqué): Creating a Picture of Sartorial Eloquence

The other day, I dug around for the classic "Desiderata" for a fellow blogger, and realized there were some bits in it that I needed to heed, such as "take kindly the counsel of the years", which I never really understood that well—till last week, which I presumed to mean "appreciate the advice of the older generation."

So it was not going to come as any surprise that I would take kindly the counsel of none other than my parents, especially my Dad, who both offered a homily-cum-coaching of "sartorial eloquence", some two weekends ago.

Now, a quick google search brings up a slew of lyrics from the classic 1980s song by Elton John, which, btw, is a great song. As for the actual definition, it takes some time getting it, and when you do, it’s juicy, especially because the term that is most apt is "sartorial elegance", as in this BBC news report here, entitled "A picture of sartorial elegance": http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6264721.stm, which I am quoting:

"A picture of sartorial elegance, his suits are tailored from Savile Row in London."

The interesting answers.com website defines sartorial thus: Of or relating to a tailor, tailoring, or tailored clothing: sartorial elegance

Now, the reason for the homily was my Dad reckoned I need to renew my wardrobe. A basic instinct that has been mine since I started working professionally in 2000 was to wear a suit at best (2000-2004), or at worst a shirt and trousers—but no jeans. Jeans do not see the day of light at the office, and it never will, unless it’s our customary institutional retreat, where we feel more casual than normal.

He made a point about having a few blue, and white shirts—rather than one or two, which I think makes sense. As a son of a father who was in the international civil service milieu (from Ghana’s Foreign Ministry to ECOWAS, then OAU to Brussels) for over thirty years, I knew I was going to get some serious dressing down, without stretching any pun;-)

Dress down, he did do well. He intoned that it might be vanity, but it’s better to make a good impression and be considered vain, than be considered a slob. You can be the most intelligent person in the crowd, but being sartorially eloquent/elegant underscores not just your intellect, but a consideration and some might say respect for yourself?

In short, it behooved me to buy more shirts, of the blue, white and brown hue, with (fewer) t-shirts, and trousers that fit well and loosely;-)


Brown, especially of the beigish colour, is one that suits me fine down to the ground, so I’m going to concentrate on getting more of those, but upon great reflection, I do agree about all those points, as well as getting good shoes, including a brogue, among others.

Any more tips on dressing well? Clearing clutter from my bag, and my room is the next battle!

So You Think You Had a Bad Day?

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Thanks to Live Africa, the blog of an expat living in Ghana, for amusing me no-end with this post. Spread the love with this video.

Seeing as Youtube and Video posting is all the rage these days, I think I might just follow fashion;-)

Have a good day!

Tuesday Reflections: Month of Love; It's My Environment, So I'll Cry if I want to!

So, it's been a while, and it has not been so much the fact that I have too much work to do (it's been pretty quiet, in fact), as in me sorting myself out;-) It's February, yet again, and we've entered the so-called "Month of love", though quite why we cannot love ourselves every month confuses me...

In any event, in some ten days time, Valentines' day will be over, and those lonely souls would have realise that they're probably not as alone as they think they are. But more on that as the time approaches:-)

For now, I have been keeping a low profile, re-strategising on so many things that needs doing:

coming out with second edition of Bi-Monthly Analysis of Regional Integration (a pet project I cannot let go, and refuse to let go off!!)

managing my Presidency of the Ghanaian Association of Journalists in ICT

preparing for the heavy bits of my professional work as the quiet period slowly ebbs away

finishing off an article I should have finished last December, were it not for my laziness and great capacity to put new meaning to "procrastinate". When I write "finishing", I mean by the end of this week. Some new material I uncovered yesterday has compelled me to bring a new angle to the darned article!

clearing clutter from my room

planning for this year anad next year (already!), with should I consider buying a car next year already, or wait a bit

thinking of making more efficient the time with my significant other

making time for my (close) friends

saving enough to go to driving school

turning thirty

writing, never mind publishing the famed thriller;-))

in short, nothing heroic; just your average concerns, which are probably a fraction of what a number of contemporaries have to ponder!



But I'm also thinking about the environment, in the sense that last Friday, my post was cut short by the breaking news that the UN had come up with: that climate change was a man-made problem. You can read more here: http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?rep=2&aid=352311&sid=WOR .

My biggest concern was that with the heavy industrialisation that we are inflicting on the environment, we are going to see more major environmental problems. I like to consider them as Nature getting back at us for destroying it. What with parts of the Arctic melting and all that, and a prediction that by 2100, our environment might just have been detsroyed if we--as citizens imploring our policy-makers, and countries, like the US, etc, -- do not act on time:

"The effects of climate change are being felt across the globe, resulting in a decline in human health and loss in ecosystems," he warned in the message, read out by Deputy UNEP chief Shafqat Kakakhel.

Last week, climate scientists concluded in a hard-hitting report that global warming was "unequivocal" and that it was being spurred by a raft of human activity.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, its first for six years, said fossil fuel pollution would raise temperatures this century, worsen floods, droughts and hurricanes, melt polar ice and damage the climate system for a thousand years to come

So, all those thoughts about purchasing a car (second-hand, mind you) just struck me as trivial when I tried to consider how fossil fuels from old cars, like second hand cars(!!) are contributory elements to the depletion of the environment, and yet how it is a necessary evil, these days, to have a car. You might want to survuve on public transport, but the "freedoom" associated with thw car is all-too-tempting. Whadja think?

Finally, a good (female) friend has told me how she misses me quite a bit, despite the fact that she knows I'm with someone, and because I had had feelings for her last year, it is not that it's confusing me, it's making me have some bad thoughts, which can only be resisted, and left to fade into...dyspeptic significance--as it should be!!

Oh yeah: I'm also doing some community advocacy, and I've lost weight! Yay!! Three good kilos. But my exercise needs to be re-doubled to ensure that the weight goes down more.

I'm back to being Angry enough to Change! If only I updated that darn blog!;-))