Great Lakes Adventure...chapter 2

Bujumbura…capital city of Burundi…and a bustling, living city that is just in the final stages of re-establishing order and peace after years of insecurity. I must say that despite the marked difference of development in Kigali and Bujumbura…and by that I mean, under-developed roads, aging infrastructure and power shortages among other indicators, Bujumbura was alive and real. There also seemed to be a lot more police/ army presence in the city…in addition to the UN Mission in Burundi.
Night one, just after we arrived, we began to look for a hotel, and ended up staying at this place, Hotel de l’Amitie, which was not overly impressive and quite over priced considering we were not even being given breakfast. Needless to say we were just there for the night and made a point to find somewhere that was more affordable and that had meals…

In the morning, we moved to the Anglican Church Guest house, much much much MUCH more affordable…and the director there was actually kind of cute.;) the only odd thing about this place, was that we had a curfew….so basically you had to be in before 11 or you would sleep out.

Initially the plan was to be there for two days, and then head over to Bukavu, but because we were soo busy with meetings, we decided to stay in Bujumbura for the weekend (Saturday..) and sightsee. We went to the market…and shopped!!! And then we went to the beach (la plage…) and had some of the freshest fish I have ever eaten! We even witnessed part of a traditional Burundi-an wedding.

Next day we were on the road again..this time heading to Bukavu in Easter DRC.
Quite the adventure to put it mildly; let’s just say that what was supposed to be a 3 hour trip ended up being a 7 hour ordeal, featuring ‘friendly and thirsty’ border officials, entry visa scams and phantom vaccinations.
Grace a Dieu (thanks to God), we made it to Bukavu before nightfall. EXHAUSTED but safe!

Chapter 3, Eastern DRC coming up

Great Lakes Adventure...chapter 1

My absence from the blogosphere for so long…this time,…has thankfully not been because of laziness, nor has it been caused by poor internet connections. I have been preparing to embark…and actually embarked on…a 2 week Great Lakes Region Adventure.
So I decided to take my time to try and compile some of the thoughts and experiences and realizations that came to me as I journeyed…and now…sitting in a speed boat upon Lake Kivu…with my old but trusted Ibook….i present to you part 1.

So…why am I on this adventure?.
As most of you ,know…I moved back to Kenya permanently to resettle here and find work and be in the land that I love. So as I have been hunting for the elusive ‘perfect’ job, I have been working with my dad…being the glorified family KYM…and loving EVERY moment of it…particularly the flexibility that it affords.

So then this phenomenal opportunity presented itself about 3 weeks back…to assist an institution called KIPPRA, along with Kenya Pipeline with some research that they were carrying out in the region…East and Central Africa. Why me? Well…in 3 of the countries that were part of the study….French is the preferred or official national language and wouldn’t you know it…..there was no French speaker in the team.
So…despite the fact that research is not my passion….and the professional fee was not going to be very much at all…here was an awesome opportunity to start working towards one of my personal goals ‡ to see all countries in Africa by 2016 (…any takers?)

Flight, accommodation and per diem taken care of….we boarded the plane for Kigali on Sunday 29th of October. Team of 7… 3 research assistants, two KIPPRA staff and 2 KPC staff.
The flight went from NBI to Kigali via Bujumbura was relatively uneventful and we arrived by about 4pm.

Rwanda, land of One Thousand Hills, is a BEAUTIFUL country. Smooth roads; lovely, humble people who are literally amazing, especially if one really thinks about the fact that it has only been 12 years since the official end of the genocide. The country and its government has made extraordinary strides to development and reconstruction of its infrastructure as well as a decided effort to restore pride in the country….not as Hutu or Tutsi…but as Rwandese. The order that is so evident everywhere is admirable…first thing you think is …can Kenya take a leaf out of this book?
But then there was also a slightly unsettling feeling that popped up as I was thinking about what I was witnessing in Kigali….is it really this organized…or is this artificial order? A façade for the benefit of the foreign investors and groups that are flocking to invest in what promises to be one of the region leaders.

We stayed at this guest house cum motel …One Hill, and it was clean, simple and very affordable. Had some extremely successful meetings (…big ups to the staff at the Kenyan Embassy, really helpful, knowledgeable and welcoming), visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial and learned a lot there about the history of this country. We even visited the “Mille Collines’ Hotel which is more popularly known as Hotel Rwanda.

Next stop, after 3 days in Kigali was a drive to Bujumbura, Burundi. Quite a drive, but the roads are phenomenal albeit extremely hilly and winding. Oh….how can I forget,…the CRAZY driver who thought it was a great idea to overtake at blind corners on a hill at a speed of 130km/.h!!! Wasn’t really impressed with that but thank God we made it just in time to avoid one of the territory border closures….

….chapter 2, B’ura coming up .

ok, i see the Bush Plague is working it's way around the world....mpaka ati now there are blog wars? Vix hook a guy up!Wat war is goin on?who started it and where do i sign up!?
ya i know, am special.they said the same thing about Sputnik and look where he ended up.

of ballers and wisdom

i watched coach carter, ya i know it's old like woa, but i watched it not only for the basketball that i was hopin to learn, but also for the lessons that the real coach carter passed on to his players. This http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0393162/quotes is truly something special!

Triangulation

sup cowi must admit twas a good day in the office after i saw that!good laugh
so how are things goin on in here? after readin viki's breakdown of bold and beautiful, i believe I've arrived at some conclusion:

1. all those actors/cast are nyphos, or atleast their characters are
2. that is inbreeding to a whole new level- they should stop kiddin us that those lovechildren look awesome, whenn we know that they should come out like some quadrapedal cyclops!
3. that is one of the reasons of broken homes in kenya
4. but it is also makin our folks cool!

wonder what cut to wangu, and the other peeps on a vow of silence

A BLOG OF ALL SORTS…

Wow, it feels good to be blogging again. I have been so busy and as a result, have lost my blog mojo. Anyway, here is the 411…

The Power of Prayer

My friend suffered from a subarachnoid haemorrhage (brain haemorrhage) 4 weeks ago. It is like an aneurysm. Apparently, some people are born with it and the affected brain vessels can burst at any time. The neurosurgeon told my other friends and I that our dear friend was not going to survive the operation. You can imagine how that felt…all these emotions-shock, disbelief and grief. I remember praying and feeling and consequently feeling a sense of peace. Anyway, the operation took about 4 hours and it was a success. The neurosurgeon told us that she would be able to talk or walk for quite a while and guess what? Guys prayed for our buddy to have a quick recovery and guess what? She was talking on the 2nd day after the surgery and walking on the 4th day. She was discharged after 3 weeks. The neurosurgeon was like he and the other doctors have never seen anyone recover so fast. Moral: Prayer is really powerful and it works.


Mu-sick

So, some of my friends ask me why I listen to old music. What the hell is wrong with listening to old music?
To understand music, you must be open to listening to all types of music. EWF as you all know is my fave group of all time. To me, music (arrangements, vocals-falsettos harmonised with tenors, the number of modulations or key changes that they have in one song is amazing, the members were talented-one guy could sing, play the trombone, play the base guitar and play the cello) = EWF. Just because I love EWF doesn’t mean ati that I listen to old music 24/7/365. I do listen to contemporary music. However, most of the songs these days lack sincerity and creativity. The good contemporary musicians for example the Legends, the Bailey-Raes and Wyclef Jeans are not given the media recognition they deserve. That is, here in Australia. Anyway let me stop rambling I was really pissed off at how my friends attacked me for listening to old music.

On a lighter note…


The BOLD and BEAUTIFUL relationships as of now…

Eric Forrester married to Stephanie Forrester = Ridge, Thorn, Felicia and Christine.

Christine marries some guy with HIV, adopts and African child and disappears from the program.

Ridge hooks up with Brooke Logan, then they break up when he meets Taylor and marries her = Thomas and girl twins.

Eric separates from Stephanie and marries Brooke Logan = Eric Jnr and Bridget.

Taylor ‘dies’ in a plane crash I think, Brooke divorces Eric and marries Ridge, then she falls for Thorn, marries him and divorces Ridge.

Taylor comes back to life and her life continues with Ridge.

Taylor ‘dies’ again. Brooke decides it’s Thorn no more. She goes single…you might think.

Eric Jnr, when he is all grown up, meets a chic called Amber and marries her. Amber’s ex is called Deakin, by the way. Deakin falls madly in love with Bridget and marries her. Deakin thinks Brooke is sexually attractive, so he sleeps with her. Their union produces a girl child. Bridget is pissed off, divorces Deakin.

Brooke is all regretful and s**t about the above incident. She falls madly in love with Ridge and they get married again.

Then comes a twist.

Stephanie slept with some Italian guy called Mossimo Morone when she was with Eric. So, it happens that she got pregnant and Eric thinking it’s his child marries Stephanie. You guessed it. Ridge is not Eric’s child.

Mossimo is married to this woman whose name I can’t remember. Let’s call her Eve.
Mossimo and Eve have a son called Nick. So, Nick is Ridge’s half brother.
So, something bad happens to Ridge and everyone thinks he is dead. So, Brooke in her so-called grief sleeps with Nick and gets herself pregnant.

But noooo…Ridge is alive and well and pissed of at Nick but forgives Brooke and they live happily ever after… or not!

Thomas, Ridge’s son starts to sleep with Amber. Bridget falls in love with Nick and they decide to get married. On the side, Deakin and Eve almost have a ka-thing.

Eric and Stephanie kosana and Eric starts to sleep with Eve. Then…wait for this…Taylor comes back to life. She comes back with this Italian guy called Dante. So, Ridge has to choose between Brooke and Taylor and to please his mum. He chooses Taylor. But Ridge is not in love with Taylor, so their relationship is not so smooth. Brooke at this time starts to fall in love with Nick. Ridge leaves Taylor and starts hounding Brooke.

Felicia comes into the picture and sleeps with Dante. They have a baby and get engaged. Dante starts to fall in love with Bridget and they begin to have a secret affair.

Brooke’s father comes into the picture. He sleeps with Eve and Taylor. Brooke and Nick get married.

To the above complex Bold and Beautiful relationships, my housemate says, ‘everyone in Bold is going to hell!’

Cheers.

Try this out

Try this one. What'll they invent next???????


Privacy has come to an end!!!!

On this site, you'll be able to enter any cellular phone number and it
will triangulate
the device's exact position on a map. This product utilizes technology
similar to Google Earth.

Don't forget to enter your country code before the number (e.g. in SA 082 123 4567 becomes +2782 123 4567).
http://paginas.terra.com.br/servicos/lstec/mdig/865.html

It's amazing what Americans will do in the name of antiterrorism....

After the Love is Gone

After the Love is gone

My Obsession?? Yes!

I Love these guys and what a beautiful song. Check out the original though. Which one is better?
Cheers guys.

Im no soothsayer but....SEPTEMBER 12th!

I have always been fascinated by the well backed doomsday
conspiracies; Just as there are those that enjoy to see idealistic
thought experiments fail - i see these conspiracies as complex
logical constructions that will either succeed or crumble by their
blatant assertions. As in u can't have an ambivalent / wishy-washy
prediction, so the stakes are always high.

I grew up going to NPC Valley Road in the days of a certain Barry
Smith, a bible scholar in every sense of the word. Dude knew his
bible. This guy would then use his technical, historical and
political stanpoints, weave these together into an incredibly
believable argument regarding an ESTIMATE period for the return of
Christ. He was a really entertaining guy with an awesome sense of
New Zealand type humor. I think he is the only reason i give any of
these uber-conservative theories the time of day..

Anyway remember Kenyans readying their bunkers for September 12th?
and me having a go at them...well... - behold the power of search -
What appears to be a subscriber to the beliefs of the House of Yahweh
"stumbled" across the post and left a long comment. I thought i
should share:

--

NUCLEAR WAR BEGINS SEPTEMBER 12, 2006

Abilene, TX August 14, 2006 ﷓ Yisrayl Hawkins, well known Bible
scholar and author reports that the Bible predicts the exact date and
the location that nuclear war will begin. Hawkins states that the
current crisis in the Middle East will go nuclear on September 12,
2006 in the area around the Euphrates River. Calling upon his 50
years of biblical research, Hawkins correlates numerous Bible
prophecies with world events to support his claim.

According to Yisrayl Hawkins the Countdown to nuclear war began with
the signing of the Oslo accords on the White House lawn on September
13, 2003. He says that the book of Daniel shows that although this is
a seven﷓year agreement, it would take fourteen years to be fully
carried out, ending on October 13, 2007. He then cites prophecies in
the book of Revelation showing that nuclear war would begin a year, a
month and a day prior to the end of the Oslo agreement.

Yisrayl Hawkins has a worldwide following. His Prophetic Word Program
focusing on peace through education, is broadcast 24 hours a day on
the Hotbird 6 satellite reaching Europe, North Africa and the Middle
East. On July 16, 2006, the BBC website reported on the activities of
followers of The House of Yahweh in Kenya, who are taking this
message seriously and preparing for this event.

Yisrayl Hawkins has met with dozens of leaders in the Middle East to
discuss the biblical way to peace, including The Prime Minister of
Israel, The President of Israel, Chief Rabbis of Israel, Islamic
Cleric, & Leaders, Government Ministers, Directors of numerous
International Research Centers arid Agencies Arab Leaders, City
Mayors, Ambassadors and Embassy Consuls, Chairmen of Parliamentary
Committees, Founders & Directors of Universities. Colleges & Schools,
Community Leaders, Members of Parliament and many others.

Full details can be found in his August 2006 newsletter which is
available by visiting his website www.yisraylhawkins.com

--

VALUABLES (FAMILY JEWELS) PROTECT AT ALL COSTS

Yet a few more hours spent on utube...this one was one of the highlights of that fine hour of mouse potatoing...

RE:solidarity with house of Yahweh

I now believe that those guys know something the rest of us dont. Before i was the normal sceptic, but with world war 3 breakin out in lebanon and the environs, am startin to see the this cataclysmic notion of nuclear finality may not be as far fetched as I would have led myself to believe.
I mean, Israel decides to go royal rumble on anyone who doesn't do what they want, the US are just playin deaf and dumb coz they're interests that they're meddling in that are now threatened, and I have a feeling that very soon with the Iranians pledging support for Lebanon, this thing will morph into some Jihad-death-to-the-US type of encounter. But what should we be doing? CONSULT HOUSE OF YAHWEH!
People, they have the inside track on the day of gloom, though I must say they may not be the brightest of the bunch with the whole earth-house security notion.
In typical Kenyan fashion, am gonna straddle the middle ground and see what ship to jump to when the time calls for it!
PS:for real, I think we should find a way to prevent the true rouge states (read; US,Israel,....) from taking advantage of the rest of us

Armagedon - sez House of Yahweh

Have your mud bunker ready? September the 12th is DDAY, say the
THE House of Yahweh:

"'There will be a 'nuclear winter' with temperatures dropping to below zero degrees centigrade (32 Fahrenheit) and killing all non-believers,' Wanjiku says, explaining the group's belief that conflict in the Middle East will cause the apocalypse."

It gets to -40 degrees c in montreal - which must mean we are in hell already?

Jobs Part II

Job 6
Frustrated with all the hard-yakka/difficult jobs that I had done, I felt that enough is enough. I swore to never see or smell the inside of a factory or kitchen again (although it seems inevitable that I may see a factory very soon. But I hope for the best). So, I decided to go into the nursing/caring industry.
My sixth job which was cleaning the homes of the elderly, gave me the needed headstart. Cleaning old peoples' homes is called 'domestic assistance' a polite way of saying 'MBOTCHING.' You know those weekly house-helps we have back in Kenya? Yeah, that was/is me.
(I could not get this job without having a car because they send you tolike 5 different subabrbs in 6 or so hours in a day. Ndio nikaamua kununua gari.) Anyway, this was such a nice job and my employers were extremely good and kind to me. They would call me 'darling' or 'love'...Which employer calls you 'darling'? eish...only mine! he he

I started off with 7 clients. They were all very kind to me and to repay for their kindness, I made sure I cleaned their houses to the best of my abilities. These were the happy days.
There things started to go pear shaped and I started losing my clients. The client that I was close to the most, fell in her lounge room and you know wazee, once they fall, everything breaks. She broke her leg and needed 24/7 care. (She needed a personal carer, not a 'mbotch.') Leaving her was difficult as I had become very attached to her. She even painted for me a landsacpe picture when I was leaving (sob). The next client was a man who had fought in the 2nd World War. He was quite aggressive but a good and very clean man. It was always a pleasure cleaning his clean house. One day though, he complained that I had not cleaned his shower doors well. After he told me, I cleaned them shower doors 3 times and each time he was dissatisfied. It followed that we had an argument and I reported him to my employers and guess what? The next week my employers called me and told me, "Mr X does not need your services anymore. It is not about you...you were not the problem, blah, blah, blah?" Like I was that stupid. I knew it was about me! The next client became very sick and also needed personal care. The other two also became too sick and lazy to wake up in the mornings, so they wanted an afternoon mbotch, which was impossible as I was in school most afternoons. I lost the last two clients because my uni timetable became crazy, so I asked for sometime off until uni was not too stressful, to which my employers agreed.
This made me really respect 'mbotches' because I have been in their shoes. You know whenever I was offered tea by some clients, they would put my cup of tea in the kitchen and they would go and have their tea in their living rooms. My place was in the kitchen, yes. I never felt that it was right to go with my cup of tea to the living room and sit, have a chat with my clients. I have seen this with some mbotches.
When doing this job, I also applied for a caring job...

Job 7
This is my current job. Caring for the mentally and physically disabled. A very challenging but rewarding job. It has it's disadvantages...It's a 45 minute drive to work, the women who I work with have no vibe but keep asking me, if I have met anyone special, if I have a boyfriend, and they keep gossiping and talking about who they hate. Another disadvantage is the event of death..one of the people I cared for passed on, which was very sad indeed.
Advantages...I work with the men most of the time which is outright fun, the employers appreciate you and your work (last week they gave all the employees picnic bags and sometimes we are given movie tickets). To date this has been one of the best jobs.

So, 7 jobs in 5 years, and I am still looking....

Jobs Part 1

Hey guys, just thought I would blog on the variety of jobs that I have done here in Aus.

Job 1
My first job...hmmm...was the easiest, though the money was not enough. My late Australian mother offered to pay me for cleaning her house, just 3 months after I arrived here in Aus. It was 2 days a week, for 2 hours. I think she felt pity on me being the poor student that I was. At least it gave me pocket money and it really felt good to treat my very close friends to a nice expensive dinners with the money that I had accumulated. After sometime, my Aus mother being the nice or embarrassing lady that she was went around her cul-de-sac, telling her neighbours that her Kenyan daughter is willing to earn some money for any job...
Job 2
And so I got my second job. One of the neigbours offered me a babysitting job. This was also a really good job. I think I was really lucky to take care of 3 really nice and well-behaved children. However, sometimes it was really frustrating. The last born, a really cute little boy would run around the cul-de-sac in the nude, so you had to run after him. This family had a pool, so the kids had swimming days, and that little boy would dive into the pool and stay under water for what seemed like an hour but was it like 10 minutes, and I would think to myself, 'if this boy dies what the hell am I going to do?' Luckily he never did.
It happened that my Aus mother became really sick and I had to move out of her home. I quit the babysitting job but kept cleaning my Aus mothers house. I decided to get another job.
Job 3
This was the worst job ever. The only advantage was that the salary was in cash and tax free and transport was ok. I had to take a bus and 2 trains, but that was not a problem.
The job was not that hard but the people who I worked with, the environment was just terrible. So, my third job was in a dog food factory. It was like an 8-10 hour job with a 5 minute tea break and a 30 minute lunch break. So, I would be standing like for 7 hours or 9 hours. Anyway, my position was sealing the dog food and I was never good at it. The women were always telling me how my sealing was crap and were always trying to show me how to do it. So, it was like 5 women, showing me how to seal in 5 different ways. Yet, they expected me to seal perfectly through all that confusion.
There was this woman, she was very talkative and that was the reason that she was not liked by the other women. The other women tried to instill their hatred of that woman in me from day one. They would tell me not to listen to what she says, they would tell me that if I sat with or next to her during the tea and lunch breaks, I would face their wrath. So, what I did during my lunch breaks; I would sit on my own and keep to myself. Their hatred for that woman escalated that one of the women threw dog food on her face.
Then the environment of the factory- It was a mabati factory, it had a musty smell, slaughtered Kangaroos would hang from the ceiling waiting to minced, Kangaroo blood was all over the floor mixed with rain water because the roofs were leaking, the place was dark, everyone was gloomy. Going home was another problem. Walking was so hard because of standing for 7 or 9 hours a day. I would walk with my legs apart and I would really stink. In the end I looked like syphilitic street kid. I could not take it any more, so I quit. Then came more bad news. My Aus mother passed way, so there was no cleaning for me to do. I was then jobless for like 3 weeks.
Job 4
So, I got a job at an egg factory as an egg packer. This was another frustrating job. The supervisor make the eggs machine work like twice as fast, so the eggs would just accumulate and break and again everyone would be shouting at you telling you you are not working as fast, the eggs would get onto your clothes. Getting to and from was a problem. There were no buses in that area, so I would catch a taxi every morning at 6 am and every evening at 6pm. I was really wasting money. This was a full-time job by the way, which I did during the summer holidays. Getting home as I mentioned above, was a problem until this nice Macedonian woman offered to be giving me lifts home. I ended up leaving the job when I went back to school. The employers told me that I needed to be there full time, so I quit.
Job 5
Then I became a kitchen-hand at a stadium's conference facilities. My position included serving the main meal and dessert, clearing and washing dishes. By the way, we would serve like over 2000 guests.
The serving process was so rushed and people would end up pouring food everywhere. The process was also hushed because the conference/dining area was next to the kitchen. The head chef would tell us, 'You wouldn't want them to know that there's a kitchen here, would you now?'
The job was really hard (imagine clearing and wahing 2000 dinner plates, spoons and forks, 2000 tea cups and desserts plates) but fun as I was working with some 2 Kenyan guys. We would finish like at 4am. Again there was no transport. Lucky for me the 2 kenyan guys made friends with some Iraqi guy who they asked for transport help to the train station. The Iraqi guys car, was driven by his hippie girlfriend, a woman who was extra jumpy and happy. At the back seat was this big white hairy dog, that was panting non-stop, then there was dog hair everywhere and the car was a mkebe, probably a 1965-75 small car. You can imagine the journey to the train station, extremely uncomfortable-you are squeezed in the back seat with 2 guys and a dog, you don't want dog hair to get on your clothes, so it's like you are sitting in the air, the dog is panting like hell, the dog breath was suspended in the air, mixed with the smell of incense from the hippie chics clothes. The car sounded like it was going to die any minute and the hippie chic would jump and turn her head to face us, asking silly questions. I was like thinking, 'woman please keep your eyes on the road.' To make things even worse, I had to make small talk (which I hate as I am reserved/introverted), then the small talk was coupled with awkward silences. At the end, the awkward silences were the best option.
Even after catching a train, I still needed to catch a taxi. I would earn like $80 and would spend $20-$30 on the taxi, which was very frustrating. It wasn't long before I quit this job as well.

Enough of my blabbing. Take care. Cheers

Worlds going crazy..

Not that it wasn't crazy enough with family visiting on incredibly short notice, my work turning upside its head, back to back road trips, chronic exhaustion - the middle east had to go exploding again.

Yeah..now we are on the verge of a third world annihalation. I watched CNN news yesterday in combination of disbelief, disgust and disdain - shocked at the now perfected tendacy of Main stream media to deliver incredibly honed knee jerk reactions to world crisis. Their polarization of this (and other) issue could not have been better. The capacity for deadlock is equally impressive -

USA->ISRAEL->LEBANON<-HIZBOLLA<-IRAN/SYRIA

Is it just me or does everyone the view just get cloudy for many during times of war and provocation? In the eyes of many human life ceases to be of equal value (if it ever was) the law of diminsihing return takes effect - the stimulus effected to solve the problem only aggrevates it further: The incessant bombings, the finger pointing, the inability of lebanese gvt to dissociate themselves from hizbolla, the silence of the US and Iran, the innefectual talking heads of the UN.

How do we also manage to forget all the others surrefing and fleeing their homes in other areas of the world? Surely, when it rains, it pours. This is a good opportunity for the world to re-align their priorities and really define what a crisis is - Suffering is suffering is suffering - no matter what time zone your in or what military power you wield. in a sad way this is a great opportunity for Darfur activists (a side job we have failed to adopt) to promote the cause of all those suffering africans.

There ends my rant on suffering and injustice. Just needed to get something off my chest this fine tuesday afternoon.

Conflict free day for you I hope.

AAARGH I can't take it any more

Well this world cup has finally taken its toll on me. I'm not too sure tollis the word for this but what the heck.

Iits quarter finals right, and i want five teams to make it to the semi's but they are playing each other!!!!!!!! AAAAAARRGGGHH

Like how in the world am I going to survive the Brazil vs France Game
or the Germany V Argentine, most of all how am I going to srvice teh England Portugal game? For those who do not know ENGLAND is my team. I don't expet us to reach the final but c'mon we just have to make the semi's.


WHAT TO DO

My friend just isn't watching the Brazil France game. Probably because he really wants France to win but the odds are against him and he won't admit it. (shiku must be hating me right now) I like france and I like Brazil same way I like Germany and Argentina....OOHHH just call it the semis and let me feel better.

WHY on earth did anyone invent sport to start with. UNNECESSARY DRAMA!

Later .....

Go England Go England go go ...

to be or not to be, that IS the question

so one of my friends forwarded this to me (it's video clip), and if you ever felt pressured into doing or being something, I think you'll think otherwise after watching this.....that is....once you stop cracking up, 'cause it's hilarious!!

INTIMATE MOMENTS WITH YOUR...

Ohhh…I know what you are thinking. The title to this blog is not intimate moments with your man or woman as some of you might’ve been thinking. This blog’s title is Intimate Moments with your TVD (i.e. TV + DVD = TVD). Yes, some of us are not as ‘double’/in relationships like some of you. Single people like me, love to spend time with their TVDs, just as you love to spend time with your significant others. Since I have an almost non-existent social life, every weekend is TVD weekend and boy my TVD never fails to make my weekends exciting (yeah…I can hear some ‘double’ people laughing at me right now, thinking, ‘what a freak. Well what am I supposed to do? I really am in love with my TVD!). The weekends get even more exciting when I am watching my TVD and eating chocolate (you know, the Cadburys, the Nestlés, the Lindts and the Ferreros. Awwww smooth, melt in your mouth chocolate…very hard to resist). The feeling I get is just…indescribable. ‘Double’ people should try it you know.

Anyway, following in the steps of akina Couch ‘Tato, I just wanted to recommend the following movies, that I have watched so far this year. This blog is reaching out to all the other TVD freaks, because I know I am not the only one but I am sure they have already watched all of them, besides they are indeed TVD freaks. I am also reaching out to people like Kibet, who love watching movies and ‘double’ people.

THE GOOD
Newish
A Love Song for Bobby Long- John Travolta
North Country-Charlize Theron
Jarhead- Jake Gyllenhaal
The Machinist- Christian Bale
The Truth about Love- Jennifer Love-Hewitt
40-year old Virgin- Steve Carell
Walk the Line- Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon
Lord of War- Nicholas Cage
Casanova- Heath Ledger
The Legend of Zorro- Antonio Banderas
Rumour Has It- Jennifer Aniston
Just Like Heaven- Reese Witherspoon
Just Friends- Ryan Reynolds
Thumbsucker- Vincent D’Onofrio and Vince Vaughn
Saw II- dunno any of the actors
The Family Stone- Sarah Jessica Parker
Fun with Dick and Jane- Jim Carrey
Underworld: Evolution- Kate Beckinsale
Big Momma’s House II- Martin Lawrence
The Da Vinci Code- Tom Hanks
Mr and Mrs Smith- Brangelina
Memoirs of a Geisha- Zhang Ziyi
Chronicles of Narnia- Tilda Swinton
Shopgirl- Clare Danes and Steve Martin
The Weatherman- Nicholas Cage

Oldish
The Jacket- Adrian Brody
Young Adam (why? because of the good storyline) - Ewan McGregor
Snatch- Brad Pitt
Marci X- Damon Wayans and Lisa Kudrow
Third Wheel- Luke Wilson
Juwanna Mann- Vivica A. Fox

THE BAD
Stage Beauty- Clare Danes
The Upside of Anger- Kevin Costner
Stay- Ewan McGregor

THE UGLY
Young Adam (why? because there were too many sex scenes-very irritating)
Waiting- Ryan Reynolds
House of Wax- Paris Hilton (no wonder it was crap)
I do but I don’t- Dean Cain
Cake- Heather Graham

I recommend that you watch all of them if you can because my goods may be your uglys and my bads may be your goods. Now I am off to watch the likes of Munich and Goal among others. What movies do you recommend I watch?
Got to go the TVD is calling. Cheers!

Found her Before Denis Did

You know how Denis has a penchant for finding this undiscovered artists with great sound and just what I love to hear.... I found one before he did HEHEHE. Ok so its not a competition but I have a hard time not winning so here I go again.

You loved, John Legend, you loved Shu, have a listen to Corrine Bailey Rae you wont be disappointed.

On the real though, my best friend Melissa introduced me unlike KG I didn't discover her on my own.

And lawyers made my week

My strongest urge to blog always checks in when am sitted on the hard benches of the criminal court in the city centre, like today and trying not to get irritated by
a) the pungent smell of remandees deprived of a variety of sanitary luxuries,
b) the Prosecutors lamest excuses for not producing his witnesses in court,
c) the mumbling of the witnesses while i struggle to scribble notes,
d) the guy sitting beside me dosing and always finding his head ON MY SHOULDER!!!!, etc

Wednesday i had a fresh irritation...well, fresh but sad. You know how we cry that Prosecutors in this country are incompetent; today i encountered a totally lost Advocate attempting to prosecute a matter on behalf of a governmental agency. This guy had totally no idea bout how to lead evidence. Almost all witnesses he called turned out to be useless because they were the wrong person to produce the documentary evidence. The Magistrate actually took time out to give the guy a quick class on evidence. The poor guy had to close his case without much documentary evidence. Sad day.

But Oh! Thursday compensated for the sad Wednesday. Guess who decides to stand in front of a bulldozer at 2am in the morning! Tsk tsk tsk.... one of my good old Professors! So this guy gets a call in the wee-est hours of the morning that some church is to be demolished by City Council and jumps out of bed- bundles his security detail out of their slumber ... and quicky rushed to the scene of the drama. Prof, upon reaching the scene, while still panting tries to reason & negotiate with the askaris. When this doesn't work he lifts his hand (hitler fashion), positions himself right on the monsters path and dares the askaris to continue.


Shock on the man... for the askaris either have no clue who this mad guy is; or they jua him but need to get back to swatch and thus have zero time for politics. NWAY! In the darkness of this busy night, the Hon. Prof gets bundled into the mouth of the bulldozer (for want of the right word!) and the story thereafter is the subject of a few hospital sheets, many press conferences and several good laughs.

You'd imagine that the Prof. would take up the matter with his peers (Minister for Local Govt or at worst the Mayor/ Town Clerk) instead of negotiating with Askaris (and later on branding them as drunkards at work). But again, what doesn't kill you can only makes you stronger (or wiser). Am confident the guy has gotten a hint or two on how not to stop midnight demolitions.

St. Francis Integrated School- Karen

Somebody brought to my attention a children's institution in Karen that really needs support. Kindly see the details here and search your heart and/or pocket to see what assistance you can offer.

Kenya's capacity development

I’ve been reading a magazine that I received in the mail from the World Bank Institute (after a subscription that I had totally forgotten about) called Development Outreach… the Sept. 05 edition on Capacity Development. An article by a member of the World Bank Task Force on Capacity Development was quite insightful.

The Task Force is apparently set up to recommend changes in the way the World Bank affects African capacity, both directly through operations aimed at capacity development, and indirectly the way it conducts its overall business of development lending and cooperation in Africa.

Callisto Madavo (the author of the article titled “Five Key Messages”) highlights the following five key messages gleaned from the Task force’s assessment of Africa’s capacity development efforts and consultation with Africans:

i) Capacity is the missing link in Africa’s achievement of the Millenium Development Goals.

ii) Capacity development aims at an effective state and an engaged society. A state is deemed effective when it delivers quality public goods and services meeting the needs of the population. The state will be effective only when an engages society demands change and holds the Government accountable for such delivery.

The effective state and engaged society together shall reach the end goals of poverty reduction, growth, empowerment, peace and security.

iii) Africans must take the lead in capacity development and aid management. To address the right issues and be effectively implemented, capacity development must be a home-grown country strategy developed and carried through by African country stakeholders and institutions.

iv) External partners must engage existing capacity in African countries. External partners must respect Africa’s ownership of the design and implementation of national capacity development strategies, should commit funding towards building indigenous capacity instead of expatriate salaries and support and funding and other support should be customized to meet the African country’s needs.

v) Achieving capacity outcomes requires independent monitoring. Mutual accountability encourages transparency, improved political and economic governance.

Hope you’re still there…. What I found most encouraging about the article is that the World Bank is actually concerned about Capacity Development. In my mind, this means that the bank is weaning African governments and other development institutions and we should soon be able to chew and enjoy a quality existence. But that’s only if we do our part… and agree to be the engaged society and/or the effective state that embraces and relentlessly pursues capacity development.

By the way, the World Bank Institute sends issues of this magazine for no cost to readers in 3rd World Countries(... i just don't remember how exactly i subscribed.)

Wild Wild RIFT!

Just incase you thought that Kenya had lost the "jungle" title, there is one man who's keeping the fire burning, and burning hot it is! Kenyans beware, he's rich,he's strapped, and.....he's white!
Dont get me wrong am no racist or anything, but I was thinkin the brightest thing that Cholmondeley could do was lay low until tensions cooled down after the first shooting. But i guess if you've inherited the title of Baron, well anything goes. My greatest fear is that the region will now sink into chaos, where the rule of law will be discarded, and matters will degenerate into a case of haves and have nots.

One more African country on the map..

40 something odd others to go...

They call it the "brangelina" effect - LOL these tabloid media folk...is there someone just paid to sit and think of catchy possible celibrity name combinations? This one has gone too far..

Namibia are shamelessly positioning themselves to cash in on this effect - and why not - would the world take notice any other time?

But hey whatever it takes to get the rest of the world to notice Africa.. All we need in Kenya now is for Bono to slice Tony Parker and hitch up with Eva Longoria and do the whole Malindi/Lamu thing.

I just find it fascinating how the mindless casual need to find out what a hollywood star had for breakfast can dramatically improve the quality of life for an impoversihed nation continents away. Globalization at its best?

Lessons in Entrepreneurship pt 1

I was blown away by this dude; actually more like challenged and intrigued:
1) He quit his (possibly) lucrative job in the US
2) He ventured into his passion before he left the US
3) he took a nose dive into Kenya with the same passion.
3) He zoned in and carried out market research to debunk industry assumptions. I.e. fail and try again cycle.
4) He is leveraging his contacts and resources in the states
5) He is making money, employing people, serviceing the economy, prying open a market.

I mean, it doesnt strike me as an incredibly innovative idea. I bet to the ordinary individual with potentially the SAME idea in his head, there must've been 10,000 reasons why this couldn't have worked. I'm sure we all have our own examples of life altering Ideas/inventions/services that are suppressed from ever seeing the light of day thanks to a myriad of life circumsntances.

But Muthuu Kagio is no ordinary guy. Go on, read about this incredible guy and his sms dating service.

This week my boss has been fond of rubbing this in:

"following the rules is the surest way to failure"

. It took me a while to accept this in its real form, once I restated it as -

"it pays off incredibly well to take risks."

In as much as I'm enamoured by this exploding industry (sms value added services - I'll tell you why in a seperate post soon), I'm more intrigued to find out how we can spawn and permeate more of the same fledging, risk taking culture among Kenyans in the diaspora.

New beginnings

The morning began with a pleasant surpise - the first leave/flower buds on the tree right outside my window had sprouted. New beginnings i thought...new beginnings..

What wasn't unexpected was how exhausted I was going to work. I have found myself wishing it were Friday every morning of this week - each day the wish growing in fervency, each day proportionately disappointed that the time fairies had not done me that ka one favor.

For anyone who's around me or speaks to me often, theres few and far in between might I add, will know that i whine quite a bit about my work - this is a subtle strategy to get them to believe that I am an incredibly hard worker who values career progression, pulls in crazy late hours and is riding the yuppie bandwagon till the wheels fall off.

Revelation..just between me an you - everything but the last part is true. two reasons..
1)I dont have the energy to keep up with yuppie trends (even though i recently acquired street cred for taking some friends to a really HIP breakfast joint that was absolutely fab).
2) I really really have been working hard. Pushing myself beyond the limit these past few days. Taking a LOT of shit from my superiors (as they are getting lots of shit from THEIR superiors) all in the name of time pressure and crunch. I have had to work with incompetent collegues, cover up for them (in the short term it really is the smarter thing to do), had to bear with the indecision of studio executives, and accomodate princess like tech gurus, all while letting them rub my inexperience in my face. All in a f**** days work i guess.

Ok so that was more than 2 reasons. sue me. Were certainly making A game, but it sure doesnt feel like one if you know what i mean. Politics, shareholders, Mergers and acquisitions, contractors, Licensing, patents, massive office growth,are all part of the ingredients to this game development experience. Edifying at this stage since I lack a frame of reference, but somehwat unneccesary to this newbies day to day activities.

Anyway, This cookie wont crumble. I have my performace review meeting with my manager coming up pretty soon..whoa does he not know what coming his way! anyway..If theres anything makign videogames has taught me..theres power in context. I will stage it like it was Broadway and I'm Annie. Hard knock life indeed. I get to pick the meeting day, set the environment, set the mood, basically control the flow of the meeting. I then have to hit him upside the head with all the stuff I've been handling under my sleeve, sprinkle some of the areas i think i need direction on - while smothering him with my approval of his mentorship. Thereafter just be agreeable. keep Him in a good mood. Haha all figured out..except I dont know what to say :)

I was checkaing with Angie vile were going to start a club of disgruntled entry level employees - The membership of this thing would hit the flipping roof I am sure. So many shared experiences.

On a nother note I am VERY frustrated with my side projects. Nchi Yetu Version 2 was bliss at the development stage and i was very happy when the progress i had made. But since i began deplying it on a shared server, all tech hell has broken loose. THis new language that i wrote it in (Ruby on Rails) is great for iteration, but deployment is just incredibly frustrating. I doubt theres any one of you reading who can sympathise, but cmon pretend. I'm soooo close to giving up and just paying someone to do it.

So we had take out at work today(as we do everyday with the sweatshop hours) - the chicken Korma i ordered was kadhaa. So being the Kenyan I am i packed up the remains, bebad it as I walked home. I have been noting a growing number of Homeless folk lining the montreal downtown streets at twilight, but I have never been bothered per se by my general apathy of their situation. Leo, with Chicken Korma wielded in hand, I was struck by some serious pangs of guilt as I passed this 40 yr old ish guy stuck in an 80 yr old mans body. Too proud to go back and give this guy my bakshish, I assuaged my guilt by thinking of the 10 or so others I would pass on the way home.
So I'm out of the metro station, and theres this one spot that's always has a dude there, looking dazed, yet vigilant of cops. Lo and behold he was there tonight. My chest up, oozing with righteousness, I asked if the guy was hungry. Shock on me. The guy pointed me to a bag on his side, made a quick nod, and went back to whatever he was doing. My pride was stung. This is some chicken Korma buddy. ONLY in CANADA. Homeless dude is not hungry. Ama I look that suspect. Anyway the next guy i found was GENUINELY starving and was profusely thankful, so it ended well this guilt trip of mine. Ahh the things we will do to make ourselves feel better about ourselves.
On a serious note though, I need to start giving more. I have so MUCH, relatively.. Others have so little. It doesnt matter if they are are here or in Kenya. Other peoples misfortunes are really disguised opportunities for you to do something good. The two are inextricably bound. Just like each one of those homeless guys was an opportunity for me - I challenge you guys to see the misfortune beseiging others close by you as a direct challenge of you character.

Tommorow morning the leaves will be reaching out, and it will be a brand new beginning, AND it will be Friday after all. Been a long time coming....

The X Journals: In search of a Goodman

These are Dr Xander’s journals.

Journal One
Location: A small science laboratory in the middle of the Perthazon jungle, Noongar Country. *
Time: Present

My name is Dr Xander and I am a Goodmanologist. Goodmanology* -the Kenyan chapter is my main area of expertise (at first it was the International chapter, then it became the African chapter. The African chapter was unsuccessful, so I decided to do the Kenyan chapter. It gave me a better and easier platform to work with, even though the rewards are unsatisfactory or non-existent). However, I have also studied Badmanology.*

I have been searching for a Goodman* for quite a while now. Sometime back Dr Othakenyan (my assistant) and Dr Aseean (trainee assistant) found a Goodman in the jungle. This Goodman was found among the Badmans. They brought it to the laboratory for further observation. However, I had to go for a conference. Took the first canoe ride out of the Perthazon and went for my conference. I left Dr Othakenyan with the task of doing what was necessary and success! With her success she had to resign. Now it’s just Dr Aseean and me. (sigh!)
I am currently about to close my laboratory as Goodmans are very hard to come by.
Yes, it’s been hard looking for Goodmans in the Perthazon. This is because, the Perthazon is saturated with so many Goodmanology scientists. As a result, most of the Goodmans have been ‘taken.’*

I feel sorry for my trainee assistant (She’s very ambitious. She has studied Goodmanology and wants to study Marriageology and Familyology, as soon as she gets a Goodman). What will she do without the lab? More importantly, what am I supposed to do? My time, energy and resources are going to waste. I need some assistance. I need someone to sponsor my experiments.

If any of you know where I can find a Goodman in this Godforsaken Perthazon jungle, please let me know.
You know where to find me- am at the small science laboratory…in the middle of the…yes! Perthazon jungle.

I finish this journal entry with these famous sayings:
"Why are all the Goodmans taken all the time?" Joe’s twin sister
"Don’t lose hope on all the Man Family" Nat Izzo

*Noongar Country also known as Aboriginal Country.
*Goodmanology- the study of finding a Goodman.
*Badmanology- the study of excessively flirting with the Badman species. Sometimes yields dangerous results.
*Goodman- a type of species from the Man Family. Other species from the Man Family include Badmans, etc.
*Taken-this is the process where a Goodmanology scientist finds a Goodman and experiments on it. Consequently, if the results are very successful, they have to resign from their jobs. With the Goodman, the scientists go on to study Dateology and Courtshipology (collectively known as ‘Going Out’) and maybe…just maybe study Marriageology.

Drowning in Happiness?

So last Friday I went to the salon after work to have my hair done. Ya’ll know I can’t be seen looking shabby, especially not at 23 ….you know spring chicken age and that.

Anyway it’d been raining for the past three days and like every Kenyan I was quite pleased. Mostly because the rain caught me safely tucked away in a building. This particular evening a really heavy shower is pouring and I’m thinking to myself there is no way ‘m going out in this rain. Eventually the rain lulls to a drizzle and I rush out to catch a mathree.

Yaani I hadn’t even fikad Afya centre from Standard Street and the rain had resumed with a vengeance yaani lightning, pathetic visibility the works. As fate would have it, there were no mats going my way. So here I am getting rain all over my new hair and basically hoping that a mathree shows up before I catch a cold (darn investing… I should bought that car)

Anyway, I’m pretty chatty and soon I’m in conversation with a similarly affected woman named Mercy. She’s just done her hair and need to get home in time for a date with her husband who coincidentally had asked to pick her up from town but she’d insisted on taking a taxi. Now the cab fare which is normally 500bob is hiked to 1000bob. I’m just desperate to get home so I offer to pay half.

Rain is worse now and I hurriedly buy and umbrella from the street vendor and brave the rain. When we get to the cab that had offered to take her home, the guy kataaz (refuses) to take us home. Wow. Bummer anyway we get another cabbie to say yes and start our journey. The jam is a mother and the cabbie decides to take Jogoo road. Jam is bad there too and we are in some water. It’s a fun chat and we talk about having the cab stall on Jogoo road as a result of all the water and how messed we would be. P.s the reason I took a cab was coz I was really pressed to go to the loo and couldn’t wait to get home. We laugh it off but I’m silently saying my prayers.

Since I don’t see the point of going all the way to GM just to come back down msa road to my house I ask the driver to use Bunyala road. Halfway home we are in a river. No kidding about this. The water is almost at the window and I’m thinking this car had better not stall here. Mercy is busy narrating stories about her sons and how a mathree she was in had stalled in a flooded zone and the tout had to carry them all the way to dry land though he charged them 20 bob each. We are in good spirits.

At this point I was really asking myself if Kenyans were really clever. All the time God had held back the rain, we were too busy asking for it instead of rebuilding our infrastructure to cope with the rain. I guess God must have been giving us a chance to prepare for the rain by giving us such a dry period but we were too busy thinking of what we didn’t have to appreciate what we did have.

Still in jam water up to our windows almost and guess what…..The cab stalls…. Worse still….water has sipped into the cab. I mean my feet are in the water, and I’m thinking oh heck. I came al this way to drown in a cab….no way. Some Kenyans can smell money in any situation so they show up to push the cab onto dry road all the while shouting about how it will cost us 1000bob. I’m thinking oh my God this is just unbelievable. Just when I though I could stop spending money. Oh well. While they are pushing us out, the water levels in the car have risen so high it's no longer making a difference that my feet are on the armrest, as my bum is getting wet since the seats are now soaking

Thankfully the guys accept 150Ksh thank God for Mercy coz I woulda parted with that k. I’m not street savvy like most.

I get home a few minutes later. So glad am I to be home that I had forgotten my bladder condition.

I enjoyed the experience but it really got me to thinking, what do we do between what we want and when we get it? Are we preparing ourselves to be able to accommodate it or will we be overwhelmed like Nairobi’s drainage system?

Kwanchetsi Makokha - a politicians nightmare

Commentry or not..this piece was smoldering.
Lies Too Often Told About the President (Page 1 of 2)

A tab bit too blatant if you ask me. Pesa zimemwagwa? Are we witnessing another Kwenda opnga in the making?

I think we need a new means to hold each author accountable for each article they publish..good or bad....WATCH THIS SPACE....

KENGEN for those abroad

Dear All,

I mean all out there who read VI and would like to cash in on KENGEN or just read more about what the buzz is all about.

Faida Brokers have done a website on the KENGEN IPO so you can get a lot of info on it and even buy online if you so wish.

I'll give you one positive and one negative piece of info on this share. Read the rest for yourslves, akuna spoonfeeding hapa

:) Stock is undervalued brokers tag it at 20KShs so likelihood of making returns on investment is pretty high

:( KENGEN have only one customer KPLC anything goes wrong at KPLC Kengen suffers big time so keep your eye out.

For all you MKA babies see you kesho

RE: Mercy and Eric

I'd have to agree that it's abit extreme. Yeah, he's probably tired of seeing that side of the family, but c'mon, there has to be a way to meet in the midle. But I have to say, making your significant other seem insignificant for the past 8 yrs by practically living with your rela's can have 'side effects'. Hope they sort out those differences.
So, I've been trying to play catch-up with the blogs (not doing a good job of it-vicki, will reply soon), but I caught onto Nathan's interest in the Da Vinci Code. Loved the book, own a copy, can't wait for the movie to come out in May. Here's a link to the trailer for those that may be interested. Don't think Tom Hanks will disappoint on that one. And it's a good thing that Africa's being recognized for more than the usually, with the coming of Tsotsi although I think it's already out. Speaking of which, heard of Shooting Dogs? It's based on the Rwanda genocide. Guess after "Constant Gardener", they figured that atrocities are the way to go, ama? But I think it would be an eye-opener for many people, hopefully not another way to capitalize on the negativity of our homeland. Only time will tell.

Mercy and Eric

OK

I've never been this stressed out at work. Everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Thanks to my title I have minions who need training. Apart from that alls well. I'm buying KENGEN putting all my money there too.Really saying that to irk soem people.

Hey thank God for kenyans like Dennis its good to have some of Kenya shine inside and outside of our borders.

Anyway my main point today, As I run to see a client this morning all stressed out coz our Engineers have a penchant for screwing me over, I heard an interesting story which I'd ike your opinons on.

So Mercy and Eric have been cohabitting for the last 8 years. ALl this time Mercy has habitually had rela's over to their house and visiting her folks every weekend. Now they recently got married. NEW RULES: Mercy is no longer allowed to have those relas of her in that house and she is also not allowed to go see her parents.

It seems Mark and I are the only people who percieve this move by Eric as hypocrisy. Ama the rules of engagement are supposed to flip on ring slipping?

Isn't dating all about impressing and courtship all about preparing yourselves for marriage. Should he have said something over the last 8 years. I think so.


Whats your take?

Tid bits

midweek brief..

Hosibitali
I am literally back from the dead this week. On the weekend i got the diagnosis that my right lung had collapsed, a medical case known as a pneumothorax. Totally spontanious, this thing is common in tall, lanky individuals such as yours truly. yeah , search me. I then was admitted to the emergency room, brutally invaded with a metal rod and tube in the chest, and spent sato and sunday high on morphine. Miraculously I am in no pain now, 2 days after i had a tube in my chest. ahh the wonders of morphine and health insurance. Bottomline the things that i felt i learnt in that short spell of pain was that:
- cliche, but really you cant afford to take every HOUR of your health for granted. On any given sunday, you could be using up that precious hour waiting that hour through in a ostpital bed amidsta sea of uncertainty and fear.
- Family, doting and obnoxiously nurturing as they can be, are meant to be just that i guess. Perhaps it would annoy me more if they showed any signs of nonchalance to my emergency.
- Insurance = ALWAYS WORTH IT.


Kengen
Left , right, center front, nyuma. The hype is best decribed my initial feeling of by this article i read in the nation . The raw speculative demand on this one is really just a turn off for this equity option. I think the better thing to do is spend more time analysing the market and picking up on the blue chips that many have been so quick to let go of in preperation for the almighty KG. then again, I could be the same guy a year form now in tears that i did not follow up on this offering..hmmm can i live with the regret? Can you?

Winter blues
Walking to work leo..it was relatively warm! Are we begining to experience the fringes of this beast of a season? I wouldnt place my moeny on it.but it cant hurt to hope...

Addicted
To the Daily show & the colbert report - their approaches to humor are similar yet so distant form one another, but equally satirical masterpieces. Charlie Rose on PBS is also great like reading a biography a day really. Some really interesting Americans out there. But really, none does it for tense drma like 24. Every eposide of this season has been lik watching an entire of the previous season. Kwani those writers/producers are on which kind drugs? i want some of that!!! Me and Chris are forming a Jack Baur fan club. We were thinking o starting by makign the shirts to signify our total idol worship of this man. ..but were not sure if we are the only ones in and over our heads...

EHHH VUTA PUMZ

Since you so subtly omitted yourself from the pics - ndio io.

Memories memories. I had no idea you could break it down like that Viks.

That song its like it has been hammered into my kiwchwa with a msumeno..It just wont go. what sucks is that i dont have it anywhere on tape or CD, so its just the one or 2 lines i remember in some serious loop action hehe..

Tazama the slideshow of the pics - much of this wouldve have been possible if you hadnt help me find my Camera! careless ol me :)

A taste of the holidays

Joy: 'Yiheeee'
Kibet: 'Well Yeah... I know am looking good...'
Wangu: 'Look at me eyes...me large eyes'
Anto: 'I have 2 pointing fingers, that can point into opposite directions!'
Eva: 'Am happy today!'
Deno: 'zzzzzzzzzz (smile) zzzzzz'

Very nice!!!

Salsa Nite

Yaani

I've been away from home for only a few days and all this drama has occured. This is the reason I love Kenya. Never a dull moment.

My two pence,

Well Kibaki should in no way condone the current of lack of respect for due process.

The press should be disciplined but the tactics being used here are barbaric if you ask me and should recieve no support from any self respecting Kenyan.

Can't wait to land and get this first hand. Can we hook up soon kenyan peeps. I'm thinkig Next week. Maybe thursday or sunday. Is how si we salsa or somin?

XxX

GVT reputation -up in flames

Those wishing to see some video footage of the media crisis on the ground - BBC have a neat piece, with footage of Maina Kiai, Michuki, and civil protests outside the Nation.

The reporters have been released on bail.

As shiroh commented recently on thinkers Piece, I just hope we dont get complacent about this issue too soon- something has got to give.

Woe to the downpressor...

this and that...: Press Freedom: Letter to Kibaki:

"Dear President Kibaki,

On March 2, 2006 armed police raided the headquarters and printing plant of the East African Standard Group. In addition to destroying equipment including the printing presses and burning newspapers, they shut down the Kenyan Television Network television station.

This latest attack follows the jailing of three journalists from the East African Standard newspaper, attacks on the Citizen Weekly, and ongoing harassment of journalists by government-sponsored forces.

I urge you to:

1. Condemn these attacks in the strongest terms possible.
2. Dismiss any member of your government who played a role in the attacks.
3. Live up to your promise to support freedom of the press.

Please copy and paste a copy of this letter on your blog. You may alter the wording to suit your needs."

Campaign started by Keguro, wording copied from Mental.

RE: freedom of the press

yes! am sure ur now know what transpired in our beloved country. And not one to walk away from controversy......here goes!
i may not agree with the method or fully support their actions, but I see where the "government" (because this is said not to be official action) was coming from. Talking from experience, I've witnessed first hand how the press has lost credibility and become mercenaries for hire. With a little nudging and a lot of money, you can get the press to sing your song. Let's face it, they are not being victimised because of highlighting corruption. Standard was inclining towards gutter-press standings. I think it was high time some action was taken, though not in the same way as we have witnessed. They should have promptly gone thru the KUJ, Media Owner's Association, and our so called Judicial process.

To other matters, Vicki u know we tight! Had a blast for the brief moments we shared. About the investment thing guys, I would like to remind you to remember some of us are just lowly students. The restaurant sound s like a plan, but I perceive it to be very intensive on time and money. I am discussing starting a company with my dad to go into stocks investment. It has in the pipeline as I was preparing a stock and investment portfolio. So i can get u guys some feedback on that.

PS: Wow to those who read the Da Vinci Code, I hear the movie is coming out soon. Does anyone know about the trailer?

How now would i call u stupid?

Dribbleglass knows how....sample this: "If her brains were put in a hummingbird, it would fly backwards" or "Some drink from the fountain of knowledge, but he just gargled". The page has just made my morning.

Githongo made it on the Times Europe Magazine, but funnily the article just didn't make good interesting reading. The whistle-blower's gotten enough attention already.

AFRO SKATING

Hey guys? hope you are all well.
Was watching the winter olympics figure skating competition with my housemate last week.She pointed out that she has never seen an African woman figure skate before. Well, I noticed I haven’t seen one either. So, why don’t African women figure skate?
We came up with a couple of reasons:
1. Look at this picture below

1a. Now imagine if it was an African woman doing this, (all of you knowing that most of them have a big behind). The Afro-chic's big behind would have kwaruzad/gwaruzad that floor of ice, right?

2.Look at this other picture

2a. Now imagine if it was an Afro-chic with a big above, (since most of them have been blessed with it).The Afro-chic would have lost balance ages ago.

So, why don't Afro-chics figure skate? I have given my 2 cents, correct if I am wrong.

Poor Boys

I empathise with the Nakuru High School guys who're will now have to do without the lovely company of the ladies. Having been a beneficiary of Co-ed institutions all my life, i find it sad that the School's administrators are unable to maintain a constructive co-ed environment.

Yesterday morning as i walked towards the bus-stop, the Weekly Citizens' Headline: KIBAKI SENILE caught my eye. My first thought was that this is quite some blog material :) and i was going to buy the paper and do some scanning. Ok... so i didn't buy the paper & the opportunities lost forever! The Kenya Police rid the town of the derogatory material. Next time, i'l buy on sight!

Amen Google video

A recent google goodie I found from fellow kenyan blogger white african was this mashup called Flashearth - which is sweet but im not sure how it performs at sub-broadband bandwidth... I zomme dinto Nai and imagine I couldnt recognize anything from the arial view. This is as far down as you can zoom, but im pretty sure that they are working on layering other important info. Only thing I could tell right off the bat was JKIA on the bottom left of the pic. Ca you guys spot any other major landmarks? Westi, Uhur Highway, Buruburu, Kibera?

And in some more google goodness, my bro sent me this absolute CLASSIC vid and God forbid, I opened it at work..i pasuad sana. Cant beat that for a google video can you?

forum/lunch

hi y'all. about the lunch at viki's maybe u can elaborate on a couple of those topics. If Kui remembers,we discussed the matter but not in detail. Kibet you remember the same?
Since I have Sato classes as well, i am unable to attend. These days am married to my women, books! although i often practice adultery and indulge in TV and sports!

Nice to know they cleared up the dog food saga. The owner of the company was grilled about it, and she said that she got together with a couple of her pals to source a supplement from huko New Zealand. But the only thing that caught our eye was that a lady who own a dog-food manufacturing firm is sending food to Kenya.She said she owns the company, but had no plans of sending the food as part of aid.

But lets ask...u know me i seek out controversy...

1. if the dog food came,would we be able to tell the difference?
2. let's face it, that dog food is better than what some Kenyans survive on.wats the harm?

Round of Applause

Don't u think this guy deserves a round of applause for his precedent setting resignation from Kibaki's cabinet. Even in the event that he's still found guilty or liable for negligence, i'll still respect for the courage of his selfless act. (i.e. assuming that he's resignation was a voluntary act!)

Dog food: How low is too low?

I appreciate that this apparently came in good faith..lakini hapana.

This is several notches lower than the GM food debate some time back. For those of you who missed it, Yesterdays Naiton told of a New Zealand company sending 42 tons of Dog Food in aid of the starving children in Kenya.

In the eyes of many, even those who have travelled, will we forever be percieved as sub-human?

Truly disgusted...


N/B Mutua - it has nothing to do with KBS or any quality standard - it has everything to do of intention and perception.

The Surgery is Done!

hey guys, am just out of dental surgery.Yes, I thought I would be in anaesthesia land at the moment but LO! the dentist did the surgery when I was fully awake. The dental tools were a nightmare-first it was a very big needle, then a blade, then a drill, then the suction pump, then the drill, then a hammer, then am told to relax- WHO CAN RELAX WHEN THEY CAN SEE NIGHTMARISH DENTAL TOOLS ENTERING THEIR MOUTHS! After that it was the stitching. I think the dentist stitched my tongue because he and his assistant shouted "Ngai", then he said "Oh ni sawa sasa." Right now I look like a Raila who has one swollen cheek, hell, am even talking like him. Anyway, am thankful it's not as complicated as I thought.

Briefs

Ok since i got called a mjua for janas post, i thought I should share some good ol, randomn, inconsequential tidbits of my life - lets keep pretending like you care..Its working so far.

* I just had all you can eat sushi with a Korean Friend of mine who hates Japanese people. and you thought ubaguzi was only in Africa. She assures me that Japanese have always treated Koreans like dirt and are in the process of rewriting history, something that makes her seethe with ire. Regardless the sushi was GREAT. I still cant find a position that i can sit comfortably in.

* Kobe Bryant NEEEEEEDs to get the MVP for single handedly putting his temain playoff contention. Superhuman is what this guy is. 81 points, 42 minutes. Bila lies. In an era when you have entire definsive gameplans for single players. And dont you dare call this guy selfish - when Wilt or Jordan do it - the are the eternal saviours of basketball. Poor Kobe will only get the superficial "wow" and the cautionary advice of team work - bana have you looked at the starting five of the lakers?..theres lamar odom, err..that ka guys ..whatshisface..ehhh - i rest my case. Score away Kobe! And Nike - what a smart bunch - buyng low (right before his kesi in court) and selling high - business investment 101.

* Perhaps the most popular post in kenyan blogospherric history - I was most enchanted by how Thinkers post on "Eating your cake and having it" spun out, touching upon many nerves on oth sides of the argument. I urge you all to read it and we piga gumzo about it further. All I'll say is that my cake is baking - i intend on eating it pretty soon - then baking anaa one. Chambua!

Briefs

Ok since i got called a mjua for janas post, i thought I should share some good ol, randomn, inconsequential tidbits of my life - lets keep pretending like you care..Its working so far.

* I just had all you can eat sushi with a Korean Friend of mine who hates Japanese people. and you thought ubaguzi was only in Africa. She assures me that Japanese have always treated Koreans like dirt and are in the process of rewriting history, something that makes her seethe with ire. Regardless the sushi was GREAT. I still cant find a position that i can sit comfortably in.

* Kobe Bryant NEEEEEEDs to get the MVP for single handedly putting his temain playoff contention. Superhuman is what this guy is. 81 points, 42 minutes. Bila lies. In an era when you have entire definsive gameplans for single players. And dont you dare call this guy selfish - when Wilt or Jordan do it - the are the eternal saviours of basketball. Poor Kobe will only get the superficial "wow" and the cautionary advice of team work - bana have you looked at the starting five of the lakers?..theres lamar odom, err..that ka guys ..whatshisface..ehhh - i rest my case. Score away Kobe! And Nike - what a smart bunch - buyng low (right before his kesi in court) and selling high - business investment 101.

* Perhaps the most popular post in kenyan blogospherric history - I was most enchanted by how Thinkers post on "Eating your cake and having it" spun out, touching upon many nerves on oth sides of the argument. I urge you all to read it and we piga gumzo about it further. All I'll say is that my cake is baking - i intend on eating it pretty soon - then baking anaa one. Chambua!

For The Denis' of this world

Hey Denis this is directly aimed at you and your kind. Would you buy this ?

Mature Politicking

My blogging mojo was roused after seeing wangus recent post - kweli the cows really do come home eh..blog on lakini!

Democracy has surely matured in this country. Canada was able to stage a successful election procedure 1 month from the time an election was called, allowing a 63% voter turnout average through the provinces. Eventually the conservative party won the minority seating in the house of commons.(READ - Gay Marriage hopefuls, immigrant professionals, international students looking to work outside campus: dont hold your breath!) . What impressed me most is that their gvt has really come to terms with the true essense of coalition gvt.

Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party (was 3rd in the race with 20 something out of 155 seats), was most profound when spelling out his parties role - brokering power between the remaining parties. Minority gvts are inherently in a tough spot becuase they have to warm up to anyone who can remotely appear to support them without selling out of their core values. So doesnt it seem obvious that the best positioned group is the small, well rounded party , such as Jack laytons NDP, which appeals to the mushier sides of the lefties or the righties on an "issue by issue' basis ? (one of the buzz phrases of a coalition relations)

Kenyan politicians can borrow a leaf of two from this. Power brokerage is just that - powerful. Our multi party system can benefit from more pragmatic greed.(since it is clear that greed is not going away!) Its not all in the presidency! Coalition parliaments dont mean that You have to merge your parties in orde rto survive. Kalonzo, Raila, you can forge your power bases seperately, and leverage that power on an issue by issue basis. kalonzo you can work with uhurus team when the bill is right. Raila, you can discuss the benefits of Nak working with you on a program that serves your needs by conceding and giving support to them on other less important issues.

At the end of the day, I feel that the constituents of these blocs/parties are left less disenfranchised than with these frequent , impractical party merges. Votes balloted for a discrete set of views are so much more valuable than those ballotted for a wide array fo views chiefly due to the fact that you can assess their value a whole lot easier. In summary, it is my contention, our votes need to speak more clearly for the values we endorse.

Will we learn as voters for 2007?

Yello

Hey guys how are you doing? am thinking of having a kalunch thingi in 2 weeks time on a Sato. Please keep that weekend free, though it's not a very concrete plan. On Friday am having a minor surgery for the menos. So, you guys pray for me-i don't want any complications. By the way, I met Thomas at bapo and Eva is asking Deno to invite her to the V.I blog community. Her email is karekim@yahoo.com. So invite her!!!!

WHY IS DEATH PRAWLING CLOSE TO ME

Hi all,

This morning I got news that my good friend and client was car jacked jana and shot dead.Its not the best of ways to start a day especially one that had started badly anyway.

So why pray I is death stalking so close by. Maybe if I vent death will leave my friends alone. Last year my two really close friends in england had miscarriages, then Kibet's Andrew and now Justin.

Please tell this Devil to mind his own business and stay away from my firends.


Guess there's not much you can do but feel I have to let this off my chest coz I'm really choking up today.

condolences

let me be the first to send rambirambi to Kibet about his nephew.Heard the news of his demise, ny prayers are with your family.
I know it seems like i take cover from y'all but not the case. Things have been hectic for a while and getting worse, u know with the uni vibe, lookin for job and trying to get a life. Deno pole man we dint get to cause havoc with you. Would have been nice to kick it.
Viki, hi there! many years eh? nice to hear some pple are enjoying themselves...am so jealous! Maybe we can do bowling or something sometime.
Speaking of lost, just heard from Jonathan. He's in the states, cleared and now he tells me he's pimpin rides. So Deno, u can vibe him about trickin out ur wheels.U should see his ride.....nice!
Kibet I feel you on the company issue. I believe it's also a maturity thing. Not just coming of age (as in 18yr+) but a self-awareness and clarity of purpose. I believe we all share that now. From what i've heard from Kui, Deno Kibet and I seem to reason like some responsible memebers. I would like to attribute it to my folks, who made us understand responsibility pretty early in life. And now with the pressure to bring someone home to them, and finding the right woman in life, the concept of settling down also comes as a reality check. U can tell am sprung...(T-pain luv his songs)

Oh Shu was actually in Bush. That is where he horned his talent, he used to play the ivories on the chapel organ like no other guy. And the thing a bout him is that he's multi-talented. From playing to directing. Full names...Mwashuma Nyatta!
til later y'all, if life hands you a lemon,don't complain. Just make lemonade.........and charge $2.50 per glass!

Always take the fish - LOL

Yep

Ricky Gervias (writer of the british sitcom the office) and his solution to making
poverty history.

This guy is jus mental...man nothing cheers me up like this guy...I just subscribed to his podcast...I felt like such a mwenda in the bus listening to it....

Anyone seen the show Extras yet?

Coming out the closet

Yep. Its been too long. the oppression has gone on for far too long.

I am an introvert. And proud of it.

Heres some great insight on Caring for this Introvert

Say a prayer

Leo am searching for some prayer warriors out here!

My 1 and a half month baby nephew was today diagnosed with a very rare disease known as Biliary Artesia , which is found in like 1 out of every 15,000 kids and is unfortunately not curable per se. In short, what happened is that he was born without a gall bladder and binary ducts (leaving the liver)... so leo he underwent some surgery to connect the bile drainage from the liver directly to the intestinal tract.

However, some kids respond to the said corrective surgery, while others don't & doctors can't jua whether or how long the kid will survive with the new connection. Thus, we are praying for divine intervention in Andrew's (that's his name) situation for both the short term and the long term.

Am certain that you'll remember him in your prayers.... that's one of the reasons i love you guys!

Shu: Kenyan John legend?

OK this is a break from the scheduled programming that was to be a recap and reminisce of my trip to my beautiful home Kenya.

It is a deserving break, as I grabbed it it from the email rounds it is probling making and deemed it neccessary for posting in outer space and for those of you kind and lucky readers of VI.

So sez his website:

Shu grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, with the strumming of his father’s guitar and simple Swahili songs about love and loss serving as his first musical backdrop.

Then came Havard, then Oxford on Rhode scholarship, and Shusic, his more than warmly recieved debut album, amidst this brainy schedule.

It only takes a brief listen of the club-engineered single "Can I take you home with me" to figure out that this raw talent is headed the big league and out of independent label mess. These predictions are not rushwad ovyo ovyo by yours truly... Those who will choose to remember when I hand picked John legend as the future of soul (hehe waaaaay before the 8 grammy nominations) - I am feeding off the same vibe from these tunes. The ka clip of Amor sent me credit-card weilding across the web in search for the album.

Support Kenyan talent. Nunua....Any word from you folk in Nai who heard him perform in October???

Nairobi - 24th Dec

It is temperately delicious at the airport. Although my layers sweaters and jackets are certainly not helping with the load - it is a very pleasant ,expected surprise.

No longer does everything seem distant and foreign - Somehow this trip feels like a drive to New York or a flight to BC. It seems like I have been doing this frequently and I haven't missed that much in the 1.5 years I have been away.

Seeing the folks and the girlfriend is great. I can tell right away this is going to be an intricate dance in sharing my affection for the two as their interactions are so delicately intertwined.

Not a minute to waste, My zacks is already on his relentless quest to showcase Nairobi's glamour life - the venue is Panari center/plaza along Mombasa road. There is something acutely unsettling about the whole scenario, and I cant quite put my finger on it.

However somewhere amidst the Waiters at "pampa churascaria" donning some incongruous brazilian hats...and the shrab-mangled weng unlashed by the maitre'd, and the meal that cost 10000 bob for 4 people - it became astonishingly clear. Nairobi is on the fringes of the worst ever identity crisis. Nairobi/Kenya has managed to unknowingly nurture deep into its a culture, a double edged sword - one tearing away at its "Have" and "Have-Not" fabric.

Somehow I resented being part of the "Have" fabric. I felt a need to be reborn into a new Kenya where none of this culture-created fabric existed. I feel that as we continue to try exist on both sides of the spectrum, We shall consume ourselves, like that fabled chinese snake, by eating our own tails as we forget who we TRULY are as Kenyans.