>: DONT JUDGE OTHER PEOPLE!!!!

Thats pretty much it... Oh and New York is a place like no other, I'm really going to miss it.

>: Racism

If you think that racism doesn't exist, come and help me catch a cab in New York

Union square is lovely

Take time to walk alone through your city, when it is cool outside, you see so much more

Kenyan beaches are the best

You Dont have to be like anyone else, just be you

Normal people, are more often than not just regular people, there is really no such thing as a 'normal' person

I like cheese movies with corney happy endings

Clubing gets old

God bless Alexanda Bells decendants

God BLESS ME!!! (please :))

>: shape shifting

I think im the world’s biggest chameleon, at least at times.
Sort of a reverse chameleon, kinda, well anyway, the reason is, unlike a chameleon
which changes its colour to match that of its surroundings so that it can feel
more comfortable and secure in that environment, I tend to colour change and
shape shift so as to make my environment and those around it more comfortable
with me.



I think I could make almost anyone comfortable with me (well except maybe a
white supremacist, that ones a tough one...). Sometimes the skill comes in
handy when it comes to negotiating in situations where diplomacy is of the
essence, being able to shift around greatly increases my ability to employ tact
in these situations. For one thing, in able to use the ability properly, I need
to know what to change into before I change, this intrinsically necessitates careful
analysis of the environment, a skill I have been honing for quite some time
now. I analyze and I analyze fast... lots of subtle cues tell me a whole lot
about my surroundings and those in. It’s often not quite necessary for me to
see things happening, I make inferences and have on many occasions been proved
right. I take pleasure in making the inference then not telling anyone and
watching as the true slowly appears to the less observant.



Its not entirely a good thing though, with the power of diplomacy comes a
serious side effect that I will call jellyfishisis, a grave condition characterized
by lack of backbone and/or concrete resolve. Not to be confused with lack of will,
and ability to deliver. I am wroth to break a promise that I make, when it is
made to someone other than me. You can take a promise that I make to you to the
bank. Promises to myself on the other hand are often not worth the paper they
are written. Hence my total inability to maintain a regular exercise schedule,
time table or properly execute any other task that would involve extended
periods of self regulation.



Anyway it is an ability that I have just the same and I am going to make the
most of it whilst I have it, I hope God shows me why he gave it to me.

>: WOW! Ravelers weekend at weeks-end

MOvida


This was a crazy weekend considering i had resolutely decided on Friday that i wasnt going to go out coz my throught was aching from some cold i seem to be catching. Well long story short, i ended up going out every night this weekend and i cant say i regret the decission one but. Ofcourse my head now feels like a 10kg brick on my shoulder on account of the now agrivated cold.

I went to 2 clubs, Movida on friday at which the bounce was wearing girls shoes, ripped jeans and was actually skinnier than me, which is saying something. The techno was bangin tho and after we got done with the noble task of chasing away all the pseudo-sophisticated people who were filling up the upper dance floor but feeling too cool to dance, we were dancing the night away until about 3:30 am.

The second was 'Manhattan' on sato night, now this was FUNNNNN! We were supposed to actually be going to this egyptian lounge called tuts but there was a fire inspection there so no one was being let in. Turned out pretty well. I had such a good time and met a whole bunch of interesting people, danced like my life depended on it and then some. The DJ on the lower dance floor was off the chains!Thank you mister DJ. We were clubbing till about 4:30am

Found a church and went for the 11:15am, i wasnt really what i was expecting but it was a wonderfull service and the church is nice, think ill be going to this one.

Well work again tomorrow. This is midsummer evalation week, pray for a good review for me will ya!!

Cheers


PS. Still trying to hook up a plot for the the coming long weekend. Any adeas for a brotha in NYC?

> : Yesterdays life lesson

Never put ramen noodles in the microwave without water then proceed to leave the appartment and go so laundry, whilst leaving unsuspecting room mate asleep...

>: Hungry in New York

Ive been in the big apple for about 3 weeks now and im still being facinated at every turn. Its an amazing city to say the least and I'd be lying if i said that it hasn't started working its magic (good or bad) on me. I think i began to change the minute I got of the supper shuttle from la guardia, it in the air you breath here, New York seeps into your skin, through your pores, its an inevitably. You cant escape it by running away.

The only way to get away (if you wish to), is to take it all in, let it seep in then, work your way through the haze of you 'big city life high' and convince your self that the bright lichts and colors are just but an illusion, the city is a mistress you can only escape by conquering. I dont know what i think of new york, i think, like any other place it has its good and bad effects.Onething that really got me from the get-go was how much it reminds me of Nairobi.

See to me new york is not so much a city as it is a culture, a way of living, a sort of zeitgeist, a spirit, a mood, a state of being. From thelittle observing that i have doe so far, i feel you can 'be new york' in LA, you can 'be new york' in dallas, or florida, yes even Arlinnton Texas. Its just that the big city 'defaults' one to 'being new york' and so its easier here to be that way where as in Arlington it takes a pretty serious consious effort to 'be new york'.

But anyway, if your wondering  why  NYC reminds me  of  NAI, its coz you walk down some streets and its like walking down that road for odeon cinema, guys are on the hustle mbaya mbovu! as in this is the first time since i left kenya that i have seen jamaz selling bootleg dvds layed out on black polithin bags on the side walks, selling used books, wooden girraffs and other trinkets out of carts. little shops with the same set of merchendise populate whole streets, its like de ja vue avenue half the time around here. its pretty amazing, and this is in the financial district by the way, bartly a block away from the famous wall street (speaking of witch i went and saw and touched the wall street bull, the ultimate simble of capitalism, dont know whether to kiss it or burn it...), guys wana hastle 24-7-365 bana and it aint no joke.

oh and its irreverently expensive here, im yet to eat a meal that i can say i really enjoyed here, (i must admit they have some excelent pizza though). im not going to speak about how expensive it is here coz it will spoil my mood, but just know that it is.

Jersey city seems so laid back, so chilled, so slow, so... country when your coming straingt out of the city, its strange coz its a whole lot more alive and vibrant than the sity where i live but now i look at it and im like, who slowed down the planet!? weird... im taking it in though, working on concuring it, once i get a back balance of some kind i ill purchase a mini wall street bull to remind me of what i have to conquor to achieve my dreams for my country (Kenya) and my continent (Africa). Mine is a battle fought in my opponents camp, while studying his training equpment, observing his training teqnic and stealling his secret tactics, using them for the benefit of those that are withme in the struggle to elevate richest continent on the planet to its rightfull position.

Aluta continua!

>: DALLAS!!! enroute to New York

Yeah, ive been in dallas for a while now, since Thursday last week actulally, school ended and now im looking forward to the NYC!! Its Monday now and I must say that today was a really productive day, I did a lot of stuff that I have been putting off for aproximately, mostof it to do with NYC. I think I finally figured out how the road systems in this country work, I think… the roads literaly don’t change names until you take a corner, well I guess they eventually do but it takes quite a while. This combined with the fact they all cross each other ina grid formation actualy makes it pretty easy to navigate, tomorrow im planning to try to get to Los Collinas all by my lonesome. Hope I can make it.

I can believe my sis is already 16!!! I cant belive it!! Her birthday was actually some time back but I guess it never really hit me until today when it was mentioned in a casual conversation. I litteraly cant picture it in my head. Fo real I’ve been away way too long, im miss all their growing up! Sniff…

Just got through watching ‘the island’, pretty good movie, a little of stretch but still good, the African guy from Amistad (which I am ashamed to say I haven’t watched… yet) is in it and you know African and Sci Fi are two things that could sell me on almost any movie. Well its 3am now, I wonderi if ill be able to wake up on time to run all my erands kesho, hope so, insh Alah.

Im almost through with the python ideo tutorial, It has been really enjoyable and I would really really recommend it to anyone who would like to learn the language. Ideas of how to raise capital are still percolating in my mind and we about to brainstorm on them, still working on other stuff too. No time to waste, wakati ni mbesha! . The kengen IPO went through the roof as predicted, literaly quadrupled at the close of the first day it traded, Kudos people.

Africans Unite!!!

>:the price of internet access

Here's an interesting post i found on whiteafrican

>: All roads lead to egypt

I want to go to Egypt
And when I go to Egypt
Well, then I’ll be in Egypt
And I’ll see all there is to see in Egypt
Because Egypt is where I’ll be.

And when I’ve been to Egypt,
I’ll tell you all about Egypt,
Because I’ll have been to Egypt,
And seen what is in Egypt to see.

Will you come with me to Egypt?
When I go to Egypt?
To see all there is in Egypt?
Because Egypt is where we’ll be?

Egypt, Egypt, Egypt,
Oh Egypt here we come
We’re on our way to Egypt,
Yes Egypt’s where we’ll be.

Just in case you’re wondering why suddenly all about Egypt, we’re googlebombing for Alaa Abdel Fatah, an Egyptian blogger recently detained by the Egyptian government for participating in a peaceful protest.

All roads lead to Egypt. So to Egypt we will go. See you in Egypt.

>: No more Finals!!!!!!!!!!!!

As the post suggest im just too happy tooo  happy to be finally done with finals, yanii it was begining to be a bit too much, now its just muenjoyo and lounging until i head of to the NYC baby! these pas tfew weeks have been nothing but study to put it mildly but God has come through for me in was that are beyond description and I just want to uencourage y'all to get used to asking Mungu for the imossible, he likes a challange coz you know there aint nothin that can phase Him.
A good friend of mine is gonna be leaving UT this semester, she is absolutely, positively the most 110% real person that I have ever met and i am soo so sad to see her leave but im sure that she has a special calling where she is going and she will be a blessing wherever she goes.
We had an African dinner jana after miy final and I 'made' my now famous chicken, as usaual we ended up talking and just hanging out until about 4 in the morning, it was fun. Speaking of parties, here is a pic from my other friend birthday party, notice the sweat from the SIRIOUS katikaing that we always get up to :-) I love ASA parties coz we are the only people who can throw a party without alchohal and still get everyone wanting to come and dancing non stop till 6 in the morning! I feel most people tend to 'buy' party attendees with the promise of alchohal, free or otherwise, then  count on pint to get them too wasted to remember how much the night sucked.
Anyway...

>: The interview of Joshua Noreh (test tube babies)

He was an orphan, he is now a celebrity
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another inspiring story from Kenya, this exeplifies the tanatious nature of the generation thats going to change my country. Kudos Joshua.

Taken from The East African Standard Friday 12th 2006
By Abiya Achola

Doctor Joshua Noreh, the man behind the historic medical achievement of In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) was an orphan who made it in school through sheer determination.


Dr Joshua Noreh, during the interview yesterday

Although he was orphaned at a tender age of five years, today, the 46-year-old gynaecologist has risen to the charts of Kenya’s most treasured medics. He cruised through difficulties to turn around his situation. But even as he was steeled by his determination to make it in life, he probably never thought that he would change the course of medicine in his country. Today Prof Noreh is basking in the glory of giving Kenya the first test tube baby through the Intro Vitro Technology now in wide use in the developed world.

Noreh’s mother, Priscilla, died when he was five while his father Elisha passed on six years later. The demise of his parents left him in the hands of his eldest sister Neddy Mudereganyi Noreh and Wilson Godia Noreh. Neddy worked with Barclays Bank while Godia is the director of Kenya Society for the Blind. In the hands of these two, a national celebrity was nurtured.

A visit to his home in Voi village in Kapsengere location portrays humility. His house, on the three-acre land, is an old Victorian brick house constructed by his father way back in 1965.

The second last-born child in a family of seven, Dr Noreh was brought up in a strict Christian family attending the local Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church or Anglican Church.

The orphaned family passed through difficult times. Although Neddy and Godia paid for his school fees, the young Joshua supplemented this by engaging in cabbage production, which he sold at the market.


A young Joshua Noreh (seated left) with his family members in a file photo in the early 1960’s

While at the University, Dr Noreh continued with farming Sukuma Wiki, (Kales) which he sold and got pocket money. He, in fact, bought a pick up truck from the proceeds.

Dr Noreh’s history is one of humility, respect and hard work. He made a timetable while at home, which he strictly followed as if it was a Bible.

"He is a God fearing man and a teetotaller. Even after making it to the university to study medicine, pride never took over his manners," said Neddy.

She says her younger sibling was always good in sciences and often wanted to be a physician after at a tender age the young Joshua witnessed a horrifying train accident and watched helplessly as victims bled and writhed in pain.

"We are happy that our son has soared high in medicine. It is satisfying that he comes from such humble background," Neddy told The Saturday Standard at the quiet home in the picturesque Aldai area of the Nandi escarpment.

In April 2004, Dr Noreh approached Neddy with the idea that he planned to undertake a delicate experiment on IVF.

Because charity begins at home, he asked the local church in Kapsengere to pray for him as he undertook the fragile task.

"He asked me to ask the church here to pray for him. He said the aim was not to make huge profits but to assist the many couples who cannot have children," she said adding that the success of Dr Noreh’s experiment was the joy of the family, relatives and church who have given him support through prayer.

Rev Benjamin Saina of ACK Gambo Parish said the gynaecologist has continuously briefed him on the progress of the IVF project.

"Basically, I am a conservative so I grilled him and he told me the intention was to give hope to couples who cannot afford to go overseas to have IVF and yet they want children. I readily accepted and I have prayed for the project," said Rev Saina.

He said the community was jubilant that their son had made a big difference. "He has brought hope to many disadvantaged couples," he said.

"Just before the press highlighted the new development, Dr Noreh had already telephoned us saying he was almost through with the experiment and we should be prepared for the major announcement," said Rev Saina.

Neddy says there was jubilation in the village adding the family has hosted several delegations from local churches who have paid tribute to the doctor.

"We are planning a grand reception for our son. Many people have pledged to come and it will be a real party coupled with prayers because this was God’s glory," she said.

Dr Noreh was born in 1960 to Elisha Noreh and Priscilla Angano. He went to Nyang’ori Primary School and Nyang’ori Secondary. He scored a Division One with 17 points and proceeded to Mangu High School for his A-Levels.

He joined the University of Nairobi for a bachelor’s degree in medicine. He completed in 1987 and worked at the Kakamega Provincial Hospital until 1991 before starting a clinic in Nairobi.

Neddy says that Dr Noreh’s success is a big lesson to other orphans that they should not give up hope in life but work hard so that they could make a difference in the society

me i love kenya just the same

You know what, yeah, most of the time the news comin from back home sucks, and I get mad. But I love kenya all the same and I'm going to play my part to make it better. for those of you who havent heard 'homesick' by wawesh, you should

Quote: A patriot should always be ready to protect his country from his government - (I forget who said this)

Farm subsidies

Hey,

Its been a busy week, finals coming up and im trying to stay on top of things. Going good so far an di hope it keeps getting better. Jana was my sisi's birth day and i wasn't even able to call her yanni, i feel mbaya, but i'll make sure I do soon. Anyway I read this interesting blog on 'soul on ice's blog and thought id reproduce it here since i really dont have time to blog a long one.


Was listening to a radio show about the Chealsea flower show. One of the organisers was on a big rant how the proposed hose pipe ban would kill off this prestigious event. A cynical smile crept over my face. In Somalia citizens and animal are dying from the lack of this liquid gold and here's a guy ranting over a stupid flower show? Makes you want to pick up the phone and scream at the fool. But you check yourself. This is his concern and the plight of people in a faraway land doesnt cut into his world view. but no. it's his world view that's kept these people from developing a strategy to deal with mother nature's fury. I pray for the Somalians cos the drought is a vicious one. don't waste the water.

So this is all about world view. Some things make you pull your hair out and moan. Take the farm subsidy for example. This ish was put in place to help Europe redevelop their agricultural industry after the second world war. war's long over so why is it still in place? whats the point of trade talks when the landscape is unbalanced. and what do they do with the money anyway? found this great letter in a newspaper, The Captial News (right wing but i tend to read all sorts anyway, gotta know what the others are saying):



Open Letter to the UK secretary of state for agriculture

Sir,

My friend, who is in farming at the moment, received a cheque for £3,000 from the government for not rearing pigs. I now wish to go into the rearing pigs' business.

In your opinion, what is the best kind of farm not to rear pigs on, and which is the best breed of pigs not to rear? I want to be sure I approach this endeavour in keeping with all government policies, as dictated by the EU under the Common Agricultural Policy.

I would prefer not to rear bacon pigs, but if this is not the type you want rearing. I will just as gladly not rear porkers. Are there any advantages in not rearing breeds such as Saddlebacks or Gloucester Old spots, or are there too many people already not rearing these?

As I see it the hardest part of this programme will be keepping an accurate of how many pigs I haven't reared.

Are there any Government Local Authority courses on this? My friend is very satisfied with this business. He has reared pigs for twenty years or so, the best he ever made on them was £1,422 in 1968 until this year when he received a cheque for not rearing any.

If I get £3,000 for not rearing 50 pigs will i get £6000 for not rearing 100?

I plan to operate on a small scale at first, holding myself down to about 4,000 pigs not raised which will mean about £240,000 for the first year. Then I can afford to buy an aeroplane.

Another point. These pigs I plan not to rear will not eat 2,000 tons of cereals. I understand that you also pay farmers for not growing crops. Will I qualify for payments for not growing cereals to not feed the pigs i don't rear? I am also considering the not milking cows business so please send me the information you have on that to. Please could you also include the Government information on set-aside fields? Can this be done on an e-commercial basis with virtual-reality fields?

In view of the above you will realise I will be totally unemployed, and will qualify for unemployment benefit. I shalll of course vote for you at the next general election.

Sincerely

The Laughing No-Pig Farmer.

cool new service for bloggers

This is something that should be very intersting to all those bloggers with access, just read about this sit called blurb that actually lets you creat a real offline book form blogs and other online content! yanni you get it printed in hard cover with custom cover jacket with prices starting at jst $30 dollars. I think it could make for some very interesting and inovative memrabilia (think a quarterly or annual hard cover edition of the best of the KBW, now thats somwthing i would buy! plus it would raise money for KWB to be able to do even greater things). think on it people... and check it out here.

Ps got through my second last test leo, or should I jana since its technically wednesday now, hopefully the last one before finals is leo. prey people.
Random thought: of late im finding kenyan news more depressing than usual, amusement if fast turning into disgust, the antics of those so called leaders.... let me stop...

>: Of finding time and strange new interests

Ok ive finally come to the realization that if i dont just stop an dblog i will never 'find the time' yanni there are just oo many things wrestling for the 24hours i have. Anyway, a lot has cut since my last post and now im blogging i think more form the fear of forgeting the most important developments than from having finally settled down to doing so. On to it then...

first of all i must say, last week was simply a miracle! big up to M-U-N-G-U, due to a combination of excess work in some classes and a chroic case pf 'procatination-itis' i found my self 7 chapters behind in one of my classes that wouldn't have been so bad if not for the fact that this is a self passed class and this you have to take a test before moving to the next chapter! anyway the long and short of it is that i ombad and God just worked wonders and bearly a week latter im on the brink of finishng all the chapters ahead of shedual!

I have developed to strange new inerest (starange at least to me). the first is country music (courtasy of rascal flatts), i don't know... maybe im just getting old... but the songs are sounding so sweet its not evenn funny, i find myself singing out in the halways forgeting that no one else can hear the music blearing out the ear buds of my ipod (which i got free by the way, but do i say). I mean i thing ive know for some time now that i was a 'closet country fan'. I remember musing to myself some time back that its (with roots regea as the other) is one of the two genre's where there is still some sort of positive social message in thelyrics (som o dat positvie vibration :-) but now i think my love for the music i think has been catalised by the Texas air, im sure there is some 'texifiying agent ' floating around thats responsible for imarting southern tensdancies on any who dare to venture into these parts, so travellers be war lest you unwittingly suffer my fate (ramndo fact: Country is te biggest selling genre in the country, yes, higher than rock! true story).

ok the other facination/strange new interest is Kiswahili! who'd a thunk! this coming from a man who swore never to utter another word of swa after kcse was over and done with. why lie high school swa with its strange obsetion with 'ngeli' all other incurambly boring aspects o fthe language is nothing if not pure torture and more suited to killing the interest all buut the most ardent fans of the language, add to the mix a medicur set book like 'siku njema' and you have the silver bullet. Well i think having been distanced from all things swahili for quite a bit of time now has given me time to heal and now i find myself inextricabl drawn to the swahili blogs on KBW just to read and hear the sounds of the words in my head. having grown up in mombasa raha, my 'mental swahili voice' (unlike my real one) is quite nice to listen to if i do say so my self :-) anyway so that the other strange interest ive developed.

the 'save darfur rally' jana and regretably i was unable to go since i had a bunch of catching to do, bought the t-shirt though and will be repin it all over the place, ill take a pic and blog it soon.

one

> AHHHHHHH!!!! Fort Minor!!!

I can't believe it!!! i just had to post on this! i cant believe it!! for any of you linkin park fans out there y'all are gonna FREAK OUT!!! Mike Shinoda (yes the man himself) Has dropped a Hip album and its SICK!!!!! Hes called Fort Minor for his hip hp act. Man its first single is already going up the charts like a flame a up an oiled rope. All i can say is 'where's you go' and 'remember the name' are some of the best tracks ive heard, period, ever. that ryu kid hes got on the album sounds sick too! check out the link on the left

Hey! common ROCKKKKSS!!!

The man himseluf:

Lots has happens since the last time i bloged (isnt that always the case), i wont write all about them but i really really have to emention the COMMON concert that took place last week, it was off the chains!!! to put it very very mildly, i mean that dude knows how to put ona good show haki ya nani. Yaani i was shouting so hard that like a quarter way through the concert my voice was so gone i couldnt even hear a sqeek!

Heres a pic of be shouting my head off:

yaani the jama breakdanced on stage and even free styled about UT bana! it was bumpin.
been doing the night shift for the past few weeks. sleeping at about 5am on average. I dont think i would have servived this past round of exams with out doing that though its really starting to take its tole on me. Of coures i have found my self feeling to busy to do my devotion and the usuall consequences have followed, when will i ever learn, i dont know how God puts up with it, with me... anyway, i guess thats why ananibamba.

gonna try and keep in touch with my peeps around the continent more often, i came to the realization that friendships, true friendships are extremely important and should always be nurtured. oh did i mention that i won an ipod shuffle some time back which has become a permanent fixture around my neck. quite sad reaally but hey 'wettin man go do' :-).
check out this new blog on kenyan soccer i think its a really cool idea

More than you can ask or imagine

I just want to say the, for real, when God says that he will give you more than yo can ask or imagine, he really means it. Man, don't underestimate Him for real. especially when you feel that he has a plan for you but you dont know how its gonna come together, it will come together, so just trust and be easy coz for real He is unstoppable!

Well I've spent almost half of spring break in school now, and you know what, I've had soooo much fun its crazy!! went to see 16 blocks on saturday (fantastic movie! you absolutely do not want to miss this one!! for real) then went to eat out on sunday before chilling with friends lsting to music in the evening. Had to work till four on monday (gotta make that money) butit was that bad, plus me and some hottt friends went to san marcos and did some shopping then came back and wathed Dave chappels block party which was pretty good (the music was absolutely fantastic) just that they curse ever 5 nano seconds!

Turns out ill be spending summer in New York! :-) (was in 'the city' begining of last week by the way for an interview, ill reserve judgment on the city till i've been there longer.) that should be lots of fun, can't wait!

Going swimming today!! Will be training fro about an hour then just wallowing in the water with my hottt friends for another hour (in case your wondering, im using 'hottt' as the African alternative to 'awesome' coz i dislike that word and it has totally lost meaning in this country.)

Again i conclude by saying God is awesome/hottt (had to use it there coz he really his )

one
/>

>Play: Oscar for Africa by Africa!!

Hey!!

Finally, the African film industry is starting to gain recognition on the world stage. With Tsotsi winning the oscar for best foreign film! One small step for Tsotsi, one giant leap for the African film industry! I hope to able to see it soon, then maybe i can blog more comprehensively about this. If you get a chance to see it, don't hesitate to let me know what you thought of it.

> Play: Whispering willows

Here is a poem i wrote about Wangari mathai for our legends banquet on the 25th of Feb 2006. Who would have though i would ever write a poem about Wangari Mathai!?
Up Africa! Up!

"Seeing Kenya through the eyes of Kenyans will forever change the way you see the world." - Wangari Mathai

Whispering Willows

I sit staring out of the window
Looking past the willows,
Swaying in the mild and mellow wind
Swaying like whispering palm trees
Whispering soft calls for salvation
Whispering soft sighs, longing for self preservation
Whispering…
“I know he’s coming!
Can you hear them? NO?!
What so you mean?
What’s wrong with you?!
I know he’s coming
Coming to cut me down
To hack through my skin
To watch me bleed and not care
Coz its alright as long as no one stands and calls this unfair
But wait! You can do it! You can be the one!
You can defend me
You can make him go away!”

I’m taken aback
Unsure of how to respond
For one thing, trees aren’t supposed to talk!
So why do I keep hearing voices form the whispering palms?
And anyway, why me? Why do I have to do the defending?
I need defending!

I feel a churning in my stomach
Feels like that ‘fear of the unknown’ kind of feeling
That all too well known kind of feeling
That ‘afraid to get up on stage’ kind of feeling
Like that ‘how can I pick you up when I’m kneeling’ kinda feeling

I want to back out, back up
Sit back, rewind, get out of the way,
Do anything but sit down, and stick this through,
Do anything but stay

I want to wait, at least until tomorrow
Why??
Coz this isn’t easy!!
Its never easy, the walk to action is never easy.


I reminisce, thinking on times gone by
Its was so easy, back in the day
Yeah, it’s always easier back in the day
Os is it? Its must be right?
Otherwise why would people sing song like…
“Bring back those simple days of, yesterday…”
But is it really? I think not!
Coz when my eyes emerge from behind the vial
And the smoke screen of illusion and fantasy is pushed aside
I see that yesterday is just as hard as today is just as hard as tomorrow,
Is just as beautiful as yesterday, today and tomorrow,
But the fact is, all we have is today
Not tomorrow,
Not yesterday,
Just today
I know it’s not easy
But as Nelson Mandela said
“There is no easy walk to freedom”

Yeah, that’s easy for him to say!
Sure he was in prison for longer than I’ve been alive,
But now he’s an ex-president and people speak his name in hushed toned, with a reverence usually reserved for saints!
I on the other hand, I am just,… just… me!
Who’s going to listen to me?
Pleading, asking them to let the trees be
Who’s going to listen to me?

Scenes flash before my eyes
I can’t tell for sure but I have a feeling it’s the whispering palms again
They are speaking to me again!
This time not with words but with pictures
Pictures strung together with invisible seams
Pictures strung together to form scenes
Scenes too harsh and terrible to put back into words
Words lack the weight to express the hurt
Hurt so deep it threatens to drown me and leaving me aimlessly drifting into oblivion

I think I final understand
Because now as I see the man approaching,
Wielding his axe high in the air, like a soldier ready for battle
I shudder at the thought of what I know I am about to whiteness




The axe begins its ominous decent
3 NO! Don’t do it!!!

2 STOP!! You don’t understand!!!

1 STOP!!!!
BANG!!

I cringe as I see the axe sink six inches into the willow
And I hear the familiar crack of breaking bark and splitting skin
But alas!
The tree doesn’t bleed!
Instead, a steady stream of red comes coursing out of the mans side,
The blood is dark, as if tainted with sadness
I finally understand

So I turn back to the willows
Swaying in the mild and mellow wind as the north wind bellows
Swaying like whispering palms that speak in my dreams
Whispering soft calls for salvation
Whispering soft sighs, longing for self preservation
I turn to them and say,
“I WILL defend you.”

>Play: More on this later

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:

* Condemn these attacks in the strongest terms possible.
* Dismiss any member of your government who played a role in the attacks.
* 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.

EDIT: Got to Mental's site NOW for Brilliant pics of the raid!

Image from mental's blog

The boys of baraka

From the npr website, a synopsys of the film:


he documentary follows three African-American students who get the
opportunity to attend an academically rigorous school in Kenya designed
to give them a path out of the violence and poverty of inner-city
Baltimore.




I think this simply an amazing concept and definately set for great things, i have been searching the web for a means of purchasing the film not just for my self but also to screen for ASA maybe in conjunction with other on campus organizations that may be interested. I haven't had much luck yet though i did find out that the 'Inwood theater' in dallas will be screening it starting 3/17/2006, a bit far but hey at least its a start. I hear its also up for an Academy award! I cant wait to see it!.

Here is a link to the films website:
http://lokifilms.com/site/index.html

<< Rewind: Daylight Saving What!?

Who would have thought that such a simple and routine procedure (as far as most Americans are concerned) could cause me so much strife and confusion!? I couldn’t believe it; people all over the continent were knowingly changing the time on every clock in sight, setting then back by one hour, A WHOLE HOUR! I was in utter and total disbelief.
Now you have to take into consideration that I come from a country that is dissected into two roughly equal parts by the equator. Consequently, year in year out, season after season, the sun rises at roughly 7am and sets at 7pm. Its like clock work! (Pun intended). When you have lived all your life in such an environment, the time on your watch or wall clock becomes one of those universal constant that no mere mortal has the right to tamper with lest he or she run the risk of upsetting the delicate balance of the universe. Like gravity and the polar coordinates, time and its consistency becomes one of those factors that hold the world together and no one would ever dream of tampering with it on the scale of what I was soon to observe courtesy of my first encounter with ‘daylight saving time’.
You may be wondering at this point whether we don’t even have times zones in my country, and if you are, the simple answer is ‘No’, for reasons I will soon make plain. Kenya is a country situated on the east coast of the continent of Africa bordered by Ethiopia, and Sudan to the North, Uganda and the Lake Victoria (Source of the Nile to the West), Tanzania to the South and the Indian Ocean and Somalia to the East. Despite having a section of the Great Rift Valley, the Serengeti and Mt. Kilimajaro (Africa’s highest Mountain) in it, it is still quite significantly smaller than Texas! Hence the entire country is in a single time zone. This only serves to further inculcate Kenyans with the notion of time being forever constant.
It is no surprise therefore that I was utterly flabbergasted when I heard that I was required to partake in this ritual of ‘daylight saving’ along with others who seamed a whole lot more comfortable with the exercise. Thousands of questions that seem absurd, even to me these few months later, were running through my mind and my confusion seemed to grow exponentially with every new one. ‘How dare they change time?’, ‘What if we forget to change it back?’ If we are gonna change it back anyway, why not just leave it as it is?’, ‘What difference does it really make if everyone knows that it’s 9 o’clock but we are going to call it 10 o’clock for a couple of months!?’. I was at a loss and panic was quickly setting in. The library closing one hour early was the straw the broke the camels back, I had enough of this. Indignant, I mused that a terrible injustice had been done to respecters of time the world over and as I sullenly sauntered back towards my dorm room, assured myself that it would not go unpunished.
I was mildly amused when I woke up the following morning to find that the universe indeed had not collapsed in on itself as I slept, there had not been any major crashes due traffic scheduling conflicts, no one I knew had missed a plane or a first class of the day. Every thing seemed to be run just as it should. Just like clock work!

>Play: One year on...

It’s been almost a year now since I arrived, alone and timid at the DFW airport, welcomed the cheery smiles and open arms of my uncles, aunts and cousins. I would love to say that I remember the day as if it was yesterday but truth be told I have but a very vague recollection of the event, besides I find the statement “I remember it as if it was yesterday” painfully cliché. Looking back, I find processing all that has taken place since an amazingly mind boggling task. I am in awe of the average human’s capacity for growth and adaptation.
I am well aware of the fact the college experience has and still is (I dare say to a lesser degree, but that’s another story) been commonly associated with great revelation and insight into oneself and into the world that one lives in. Colleges the world over are famed as the places at which the world greatest minds, found wings and took flight to lead the way into uncharted territories of though, pulling the rest of humanity along with the shear strength of their passion and dedication. Yet I would venture to say that mine has been a unique college experience, a unique awakening, a unique occasion for internal and external reflection and revelation. “Why?” you may ask do I presume to think my college experience this past year has been different enough to warrant special mention? Well here’s your answer, for the past one year have been able to live, work, play and observe the goings on at UT from the perspective of an international student, and not just any international student mind you, an African International student.
Taken superficially the above mentioned fact may seem little more than an interesting footnote too an otherwise typical story of a year spent at our dear University, but then, a basic characteristic of superficial analysis is that the details are often missed and as they say “the devil is in the details”. One would be utterly surprised at how much being an International student, nay, an African international student can affect ones collage experience, and how literally everything looks… more interesting when viewed through the eyes of one whose culture and background is so profoundly different. The effect of the “cultural lens” becomes clearer with each observation, each comment, each right analysis and each hopeless misinterpretation.
Some would be tempted to view this so called “culture shock” experience as a something negative, something to be quickly gotten over so as to smoothen the way for a less “shocking” semester or year. I on the other hand see it is a boon to my college experience and the very spice which makes college so vibrant and alive. If it is a malady, then it is one that I am not ready to recover from yet. At the very least it enables me to reanalyze things that have long since been thought too mundane to look into and bring out aspects that can only be seen when viewed from my angle, my view point, my cultural lens. Furthermore it allows me the leisure of skipping between the worlds of the typical UT student, the Engineering student, the International student and the African student at UT with relative ease, collecting tidbits from each to form the interesting collection of experiences that form my unique UT experience.
As overwhelming as it may seem, having to maneuver my way between these different realms, often feeling like the title of default ambassador/ representative has been thrust upon by all those to whom you claim affiliation, I wouldn’t have it any other way, if only for the joy of watching others light up as I give them a peak at the world through my end of the looking glass.