The Gitts Zone

30. You have only one life, live it to the maximum

2011-12-30T01:00:00.000+03:00

You only get one shot at this short life. It has it's ups and downs, good and bad, you gain some you lose some and the world keeps on spinning. As long as you're breathing and on this side you got something to be thankful and an opportunity to do a lot so as they say eat it with a big spoon. Laugh, love, go places, meet people, do things, make your contribution and most of all always remember to acknowledge God in everything that you do.

This is the last of my numbered posts for now. In case you've been wondering what it's all about it's not a countdown to my wedding as some people first thought so girls don't worry... Anyway the reason is today is my 30th birthday, yep the big 3 0 , quite a milestone in my few years on this Earth and I thought of doing a post about 30 things from my 30 years. Lessons I've learnt and I'm still learning and some I'm yet to get grips with about life, work, God, people and relationships. I had a few bright ideas at first but the number was quite large and I decided to do daily posts to spread them out. Sometimes I would be inspired and write many at a go and other times the trickle was slow. However I'm happy to finally have put my 'sage' skills to good use. Hope you enjoyed reading.

This is just the beginning and I pray God will give me many more. I'm thankful for these first 30, the experiences I've had, the friends I've made and looking forward to the next 30!

The beauty of having a birthday at the end of the year is that everything fits in so well chronologically so as 2011 ends I wish you all a prosperous 2012.

God bless you all!

29. You reap what you sow

2011-12-29T09:00:00.000+03:00

The good book says in Galatians 6: 7 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap."
One of the universal laws, if you plant potatoes you get potatoes not beans, what you invest is what you get back. This is not only restricted to Agriculture but to life as well. n that bible chapter we are told that we sow in the flesh, we reap destruction and we sow in the spirit we reap eternal life. In the prayer of St Francis of Assisi he asks to sow love where there is hatred, hope where there is despair etc, truly noble goals.
Wherever we go we have a choice as to what seed to sow, good seed or bad seed, invest in the wrong things or in the right things.
What seed are you sowing? Where are you sowing the seed?

28. Think before you talk /leap

2011-12-28T01:00:00.000+03:00

This one is pretty much self explanatory. You can avoid a whole lot of trouble if you measure your words before they come outta your mouth.

Similarly before you do something take sometime to consider and weigh.

27. Not everybody will like you so it's pointless trying to make them

2011-12-27T01:00:00.000+03:00

Fame is deceptive. One moment you're selling like hotcakes the next you are in the gutter and few remain consistently popular thanks to the capricious public. However looking for fame for fame's sake is not a very worthwhile pursuit as we've seen some big stars end up dying miserably such as Michael Jackson.

Though not all of us are pop stars or movie stars we all enjoy being liked but the fact is not everybody will like you out there. There are some who you won't get along with, some who are just simply destructive so spending time being a people pleaser is not worth it. Best be yourself and the real people will appreciate you for what you really are, the rest will sort themselves out!

26. Celebrate the differences

2011-12-26T01:00:00.000+03:00

There's this funny quote that goes "You're unique just like everybody else" I'm not here to debate the oxymoron but to appreciate that everybody is different. You'll never find another you and how boring it would be if we were all the same. Variety truly is the spice of life and meeting people from different backgrounds and who've had a different life experience is always an interesting experience.

One thing I've come to see about us human beings is that we will always find a way to divide ourselves be it based on religion, race, social standing, ethnicity, football club etc. What''s even more sad is when we use this differences as a basis for conflict e.g religious differences in Northern Ireland, the numerous tribal conflicts in Africa. What's worse is that even some of the same ethnicity decide to fight each other based on clan differences like in Somalia. Makes you ask the question can't we all just get along? Can we ever embrace unity in diversity and understand our differences are not a reason to fight but to stick together?

Something else closely related to this is that as humans we often fear what we don't understand. This is played out a lot in the social sphere where we fear new people who we don't understand, sometimes even concocting stories about them. For example some tribes are said to be cannibals and such kind of things and in some communities in the US people fearing blacks ans Hispanics because of crime. WE even go to the extent of spreading so called FUD- fear uncertainty and doubt about the unknown, pretty common in the computer world for instance Microsoft telling people stories about Linux when it was knew. We needn't fear but rather take time to understand that which is new.

I'm learning that as I go along in life I will encountered many who I differ with and have to learn to get along. After all what is war good for? absolutely nothing. This is very relevant in Kenya where we are trying to build ethnic cohesion, let's laugh at each others quirks and get along not use it as a cause for conflict as we did in the last elections

25. You can't know everything that's why what you get in University is just a degree

2011-12-25T01:00:00.000+03:00

First of all. Merry Christmas everybody! First time I've ever posted on this day!

Now back to business. This is pretty much an obvious statement. Nobody holds the monopoly of knowledge in the world. More so in this age when there is so much information flying around and being generated in a daily basis. I once read that from a newspaper in a major city you can learn more than people a couple of centuries ago did their entire lives! How about that? crazy huh? So it would be silly to think that you know it all, in any case who likes a Mr. know it all. In my younger days I used to be labelled a 'mjuaji' (know it all- hey even at some point I was branded a walking encyclopedia) most likely due to thinking my classroom prowess meant I knew everything in the world. Time has shown me quite the opposite and I'm all the wiser what's more with information at our fingertips nobody looks quite that sharp any more- Google has mad it so hard to win arguments!- but I digress.

We can only get to know so much in our short lives so I have come to accept that many times I'll be in a position of ignorance and have to listen to others more knowledgeable than me. Similarly when dealing with people learning to be patient knowing that Rome wasn't built in a day, you can't just know somebody at a sitting, it takes a life time.

This ties in a lot to the previous point of continuous learning. Nobody knows it all

24. Without God life becomes empty and meaningless

2011-12-24T01:00:00.000+03:00

In the book of Ecclesiastes the preacher son of David, king in Jerusalem starts off by telling us how it is all vanity Chapter 1 verse 2 and laments on his pursuit of things that he thought mattered in life. This is a rich man talking, a wise man too he had so much going for him that a lot of us look for but he still came to the conclusion that it is all vanity.

Makes you wonder how such a 'successful' man would reach such a conclusion. I mean this is a guy who had it all- power, money, wisdom, entertainment, etc. However at the very end he says "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man" Chapter 12 verse 13. Throughout the book he remembers the sovereignty of God in everything and though many things down here don't make sense he ultimately has the answer.

A lot in life doesn't make sense and is beyond us. We also ask the ultimate question- why am I here? A lot of the answers lie with our maker, the manufacturer knows the product best so it is with us and our God. Only He can fill that vacuum within our hearts for a sense of meaning and belonging. The best relationship we can ever have is with our almighty God. Do you have that relationship? are you living the abundant life that Jesus promised to his sheep? - John 10:10.

23. You will not be remembered for your possessions but the mark you left in people's hearts

2011-12-23T11:12:00.001+03:00

Alert: this is post number 100!

In the last few months I've attended quite a number of funerals in the last few months and listened to many Euologies. As usual people dwell on the good the departed have done. In all those numerous speeches memories that were left are recounted from loved ones, friends and colleagues. Laughs you had good things you did together and the impact made in the life of those left behind. Some of those who passed away were wealthy and though their achievements may have been mentioned it was just in passing.Nobody talked about the big cars, land or houses that were left. What mattered more was the people. It is great to acquire wealth but in the final analysis you'll leave it here and your descendants will enjoy it.So as we live our lives physical capital is not the most important but the 'human capital' i.e the impact we have on the people around us. SO go ahead and build those memories!

22. Accept when you're wrong

2011-12-22T11:13:00.000+03:00

We al make mistakes and though we may not realise it at first the reality dawns on us later. Nobody is perfect and so we'll do something wrong. However once we do what's important is to agree and make amends. Goes a long way as opposed to sweeping stuff under the carpet. It's not the sweetest but every now and then we eat humble pie. Even the first step in recovery is to admit you have a problem in the first place

Even to receive God's forgiveness we start by confession. 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

21. Words are powerful

2011-12-21T04:00:00.000+03:00

Words have the power to build and the power to destroy. An often quoted bible verse is "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" proverbs 18: 21. What we say with our mouths can work out for the good and also the bad for the hearers and for ourselves too. We can discourage as well as encourage ourselves by the words we confess and make things happen due to words that shape our attitudes and inspire our actions. Taken literally somebody's death can be declared by somebody else's decree but I've noticed there's another power that lies in words. A couple of times I've heard people wish death upon upon themselves and sure enough it came and took them. Serious it's not superstition I've seen it happen which made me wonder afresh about the meaning of that statement. Probably those negative words affected their will to live and it's not that they were terminally ill or anything but in good health.

Closer to home in Kenya in 2007-2008 we saw people displaced and killed due to careless words spoken by so called 'leaders'. Same can be said in countless other instances all over the world. On the other side words of encouragement and positivity from leaders have brought change and transformation in peoples lives all around. All it takes is the right words at the tight time.

So we see the tongue wields great power and can change situations- that power is to be used wisely. Speak positive and you'll get positive results, speak negative and you'll reap negative results!

20. Proper prior preparation prevents poor performance

2011-12-20T02:00:00.000+03:00

Practice makes perfect goes the old proverb. Nothing can substitute good preparation.
I remember in high school before any event we had to go through vigorous rehearsals to make sure everything is right. In my time I've also participated in a number of drama productions and know how important preparation is. every time you see a good performance on stage, you best believe a lot of work went into that. Of course we all know about exams and how we must prepare for them.

Generally for whatever we do, good preparation makes a world of difference, let the day not find you unprepared. Remember the story of the virgins in Matthew 25? the wise ones were ready when the bridegroom came.

Don't get caught out, be ready!

19. The closer you are to somebody the more likely they are to piss you off

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000+03:00

This is so very true I'll repost something i wrote a couple of years back...

One of the scriptures that is frequently quoted with respect to friendship is proverbs 27:17- " Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend" (KJV)

Now consider how this happens, two knives do not sit up next to each other warm and cosy and then they magically become sharp. No what happens is they strike each other and sometimes sparks fly, that's how it goes down. Similarly with our friends there can be those heated moments which come up when due to our humanity our flaws become evident. Nobody's perfect and so we do not see eye to eye all the time but we can build each other using the right words and end up being the better.

Let me quote Dr. James Dobson who put it so well in his book "Life on the edge"

" Whenever two human beings spend time together, sooner or later they will probably irritate one another. This is true of best friends, married couples, parents and children, or teachers and students. The question is: How to respond when friction occur? There are four basic ways they can react.

- internalize anger and send it downwards into a memory bank that never forgets. This creates great pressure within and can even result in disease and other problems

- They can pout and be rude without discussing the issues. This further irritates the other person and leaves him or her to draw his or her own conclusions about what the problem may be.

-they can blow up and they to hurt the other person. This causes the death of friendships, marriages, homes and businesses.

- Or they can talk to one another about their feelings, being very careful not to attack the dignity and worth of the other person. This approach often leads to permanent and healthy relationships."

And I end with the words of Psalm 133:1 "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell in unity"

18. Do not put all your eggs in one basket

2011-12-18T01:00:00.000+03:00

Now this is one concept I have come to have close knowledge of in my short life. It is wise to think of eventualities and cover your risk because if the plan of action you have chosen fails to go as planned it's best to have something to fall back on. It really hits you when the worst that could have happened does and it finds you unprepared. Tough lesson to learn but all the wiser...

17. Be grateful

2011-12-17T11:03:00.000+03:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. - 1 Thessalonians 5:18
In Luke 17 there were 10 lepers healed by Jesus Christ but only one came back to give thanks.

Gratitude is a wonderful thing, I bet everybody likes receiving words or deeds of appreciation, more so God Himself who though we don't usually acknowledge has already done so much for us. When some things are going bad there's always the small stuff to be thankful for, it may be good health, family, friends a job etc. Not that we should be complacent where we are but when yo look at it there's always something to be thankful for- it's never really that bad.

So every once in a while take some time to say thanks and appreciate God and the people around you!

16. Use the magic words- please, sorry and thank you

2011-12-16T01:00:00.000+03:00

They always go a long way! Politeness and gratitude are marks of refinement and will make it much easier to get along with everybody. Not much explanation needed there...

15. Don't expect too much from politicians

2011-12-15T01:00:00.000+03:00

Politicians! We love to hate them don't we? Overpaid, under worked, liars, etc... If there's one thing Kenyans love talking about is politics. Even the news bulletins have a good amount of time dedicated to their shenanigans and 'misquoted' statements. Many have moaned about them in the Blogosphere and this is not another rant just a reality check. Every 5 years they do the same thing- come to us with promises of utopia then once they get to business they forget the masses who brought them in and dwell on their own stomachs. Sadly during the last elections some lost their lives in support of these guys.

Granted there are a few good apples in the basket the truth is there's a difference between good politicians and good leaders. The visionaries are few and far between while the tribal chieftains and demagogues are a plenty. Sometimes I think we put so much faith in them to take us forward yet it is the businessmen, entrepreneurs and thinkers who takes us forward. This looking for messiahs in politicians is sad because we get sidetracked by smooth words and don't realise the hands that have been stuck in our pockets and the broken promises.

Basically we as the individual citizens have the power to determine our destiny through our hard work and votes. Let's give credit to the hard workers and shun the empty cans which make a lot of noise. Our future lies in our hands those guys riding in big cars and sitting in expensive chairs are not the answer to all our problems

14. No is a perfectly good answer- to give and receive

2011-12-14T23:25:00.000+03:00

In the movie Yes Man Jim Carrey says yes to everything after attending a motivational seminar. At first it releases him but later on he discovers you can't say yes to everybody, you have to draw the line somewhere lest you spread yourself too thin or wear yourself out. Common wisdom that, as much as you would like to be the 'nice guy' at some point you have to realise your limitations and just say no without feeling guilty about it. You can't please everybody so at some point you have to say no to people who are well meaning for all intents and purposes.

Conversely I've come to realise that you also have to be prepared to hear no too. It could be in the form of a job that you thought was yours- been there or a relationship that didn't quite go the way you wanted. Some doors have to be shut for others to open and you see that everything doesn't go your way all the time. Rejection matures you and reminds you that you are not infallible or invincible and that these things do happen but dust yourself up and try again.

13. Beware of anger

2011-12-13T07:00:00.000+03:00

Anger is a powerful emotion and we all at one time get angry, pretty much unavoidable as they are annoyances all over especially if you drive on Kenyan roads but that's not my topic for today. As much as it's unavoidable how we deal with it is a totally different matter. It is so easy to do and say stupid things when in a fit of rage and I can attest to that myself and one of the hings I've learnt is that managing it is very important and one of the hallmarks of wisdom.

The bible says"A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention." Proverbs 15:18 and also says "Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly." Proverbs 14:29 Here we see the wisdom of being slow to anger, can be simply taking a breath before blowing your top but it helps. Sometimes we may thing we're "keeping it real" when we get all pissed and drop f- bombs and such but when you've calmed down you realise perhaps there was a better way to deal with it.

A good example is what we see on the football pitch for instance Wayne Rooney is a talented football player but every now and then the 'red mist' gets the better of him and he pays the price through red cards and suspensions. Who can forget Zinedine Zidane one of the greatest footballers of our era who took his final bow with a red card thanks to a head butt resulting from anger.

The list goes on and on...In conclusion- we'll get angry but what happens next is up to us. Peace!

12. Learn continuously

2011-12-12T11:00:00.000+03:00

The day you stop learning is the day that you die. I'm in an industry whereby continuous learning and training is the order of the day. You can never be complacent and say you've arrived. This is particularly true in the world of today where technology is moving at a break neck pace. For instance 2 years ago nobody knew what an ipad is but it is now ubiquitous. So it is in life you've got to keep on improving, keep learning new ways, new tricks and techniques to survive.

If we continue leaning on what we've learnt before we could render ourselves obsolete. If you look at the business world there are countless companies that fell by the wayside due to their reluctance to adapt e.g the once mighty Kodak is teetering on the brink of collapse. The ones who survive are the ones who are able to read trends and react to them constantly on the look out and constantly improving. There's something I was taught in a talk given by Titus Naikuni when I was still in uni- expect 3 things change, complexity and competition.

So don't get complacent keep learning and not just academically but from the world at large. That way you'll keep yourself relevant.

11. Human beings are not linear time invariant systems...

2011-12-11T01:00:00.000+03:00

human behaviour is hard to predict and you really can't tell how people will react in different circumstances. We are not like machines where you just flip a switch and voila you get what you want. Human behaviour borders on chaos. Expect the unexpected

10. Stop and ask for directions

2011-12-10T01:00:00.000+03:00

It's a common joke that men don't stop and ask for directions and I have been guilty of this many times. One of the things I have was taught in flying school is when you are temporarily unsure of position - i.e lost the first thing you do is confess. Hard thing to accept that you're lost but it's the first step in getting back on track. Asking for directions is not stupid, nobody knows everything so if you don't have that map or GPS ask! This can be extended to any other situation where you have inadequate knowledge to move yourself forward, ask others who've been there before!

9. Intelligence alone does not guarantee success

2011-12-09T01:00:00.000+03:00

We live in a country that puts a big emphasis on exam results and book smarts. However important classroom performance is, it is not the only thing that will help you be successful in life. More important is so called emotional intelligence, how you relate with other people and the so called 'soft skills.' Coming from a technical background I've come to realise how important this is in the marketplace. Out in the real world it's not only the hard skills that count but how good you are at building relationships with the people around you.

8. Generally people care less about what you know but would rather know that you care

2011-12-08T01:00:00.000+03:00

Having knowledge and information may be great but when somebody is going through something they'd rather you take your time to listen than load them with facts. Everybody likes to have somebody who cares not necessarily one who has the answers or the solution. A lesson we as men are learning all the time...

7. Everything in it's time

2011-12-07T01:00:00.000+03:00

"There's a time for every purpose under heaven" comes from the famous words in Ecclesiastes 3:1-15. Timeless wisdom right there (pun not intended) Timing is an art that is hardest to master and there's nothing better than doing the right thing at the right time. It takes a lot of wisdom to discern the times and seasons but it is always best when you get it right. For example how beautiful it is say in a game of football when the striker arrives just at the right moment to receive the pass and strike the ball into the back of the net.

That sense comes with practice and attention. Learn it!

6. Do not confuse motion with progress

2011-12-06T14:53:00.001+03:00

I got this little pearl listening to John Hagee on TV. He was talking about how the children of Israel spent 40 years going around in the desert because they refused to learn the lessons necessary to go into the promised land. Even in our lives we could find ourselves doing round in circles instead of towards our goal. Another way of saying it is don't confuse activity with productivity. It's easy to engage in a lot of activity to procrastinate but in the end it is wise to invest in activity that will take you forward.

5. Be on time. If you don't like people wasting your time don't waste theirs

2011-12-01T00:50:00.001+03:00

I can be sure nobody likes their time being wasted. I'm one of those who doesn't like tardiness but as much as I don't like being kept waiting I find it important not to keep others waiting as well. Speaking as one well acquainted with African time I know all about people being late. However in these days of mobile phones it is at the very least polite to say when you'll be late.

4. Go where you're celebrated not tolerated

2011-11-30T14:26:00.001+03:00

One of the things about overstaying your welcome is that you don't know quite when you're doing it. The old Kiswahili saying goes 'akufukuzaye hakuambii enda' - The one who chases you away does not tell you go. The best place for one to be is where your contribution makes a difference and where you're solving a problem and making things better. However this does not mean you always hang around yes men as there are places where you'll not have a very welcome message but the hearers need to hear it. Generally if you're in a place where your contribution is not being appreciated it's time to move along.

3. Bad things happen to good people

2011-11-30T12:41:00.001+03:00

We always wonder why there's so much suffering in the world, hoe God allows it to happen, why the bad guys look to win. Some of these things make no sense whatsoever and you wonder why the good guys end up having bad things happening. One of the mysteries of life doesn't make sense to me either. However even though bad things happen do the right thing anyway for the steps of a righteous man are ordered of the Lord Ps 37:23

2. Listen

2011-11-30T12:29:00.001+03:00

We were given two ears and one mouth so that we listen twice as much as we talk. Another old saying full of wisdom. Listening is hard at times but before we go all out and express our opinions take some time to listen to what the other person is saying. That goes a long way as everybody appreciates being listened to, Ir's very easy to judge somebody but before you do take a minute to listen to where they're coming from

1. Honesty is the best policy

2011-11-30T12:28:00.001+03:00

An old saying that still holds true. Lies may get you out of trouble initially but in the end you'll be in more trouble when the truth is found out. It is best to tell the truth at all times to save you from problems later.

Nipe Nyahunyo!

2011-11-29T11:33:00.001+03:00

We are at it again folks! My pet peeve, the topic that's always sure to get me worked up and spewing vitriol... Our lovely Kenyan roads with their 'well diciplined' and 'courteous' drivers, quite a peachy lot they are -NOT! What comes to mind is the old Kiswahili saying "Akili Nyingi huondoa maarifa" loosely translated as if you try to be too clever you end up becoming foolish. Let me explain vis a vis this 'overlapping' disease that has reached epidemic proportions on our roads. first a couple of examples.

This past weekend I was on Thika road( should be called Thicker road) on both Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. On Saturday night was around the old Castle brewery heading towards Nairobiand had the pleasure of spending almost an hour there. It got so bad that I turned off the engine stepped out and started calling people and one of them told me that people stay there till 11 on average. . Only one side of the road is open and they've put stones to separate Nairobi bound and Thika bound traffic. However there's no red ribbon or signage to help people. During the day there are workers but at night there's nobody with a clue. Now this clueless state is probably what led to the following events.

The two lanes on either side should have been been sufficient but some geniuses on either side decided to occupy all four lanes and a gridlock ensued with nobody moving. What made matters worse is others who perceived that they had even greater intellectual capacity i.e overlappers came into play with no less than four lanes of traffic on the side of the road.I decided I was not laughing with people and did not yield an inch to them, was basically on the bumper of the car ahead of me. If I hadn't done that would have spent way more time on that road.

Similar story on Sunday afternoon. The good students at Kenyatta University decided to unleash their fury on unsuspecting motorists and the road was blocked. Lucky for me I was given advance warning and used the bypass. However I was not the only one and near Thome estate there was a big build up thanks to people avoiding Thika road trying to get on the road. nobody was willing to give way and yet again both sides of the road were blocked. Same script different cast and MENSA Kenya chapter were on the sides of the road as usual. Wasted an extra 30 mins trying to get out of it.

While sitting there I was really thinking if somebody would give me a whip I'd go out there and administer some corporal punishment on people. There are these ads that they show on TV about 'Ushenzi' i.e foolishness and that's exactly what such behaviour is. Blocking traffic moving in the other direction or trying to come in from outside the road only makes things worse, you won't get where you're going any faster just be patient and stay in line and eventually things will move albeit slowly which is better than a complete standstill! So please if you're reading this and get tempted to so something silly out there don't. If you're overlapping as Francis Atwoli would say "wewe ni Mshenzi!" " yes!"

Now where's that whip...

Another one for the Great Scot

2011-11-07T12:50:00.000+03:00

Now I revisit a subject that I've covered before here . The one and only Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of the greatest football club in the world Manchester United! This past weekend he celebrated the major milestone of 25 years in charge, no mean feat in these days of managerial jobs being like a revolving door.
The only Manager who has survived at one club since the inception of the FA Premier League and of course the one who has won the most titles at 12 so far and this year finally broke the Liverpool record of league titles with their 19th. The next challenge I guess would be beating Liverpool's European titles.

Some may ask what's the big deal? First it's rare in this age of modern football with impatient boards and mega-rich owners for a manager to keep his job for long. Also he's an old school manager who has authority over his team even if they earn hundreds of thousands of pounds per week and he has shown he can let them go no matter how talented they are or think they are. However on thing that has stood out over his reign is how he keeps reinventing the team when new challenges come up. In the nineties he saw off Blackburn with their galaxy of stars and after that Arsenal with their french army assembled by Arsene Wenger. Even when Abramovich arrived with his billions at Chelsea their run didn't last too long and Fergie was back in 2007-2009 to grab a hat-trick of titles. Now what remains to be seen is if he can deal with the 'noisy neighbours' Manchester City who are running riot in the league this season. Granted now with other rich clubs their power in the transfer market has been diminished and they can't always afford the top players as in years gone by. We'll see what the new bunch of youngsters can do.

To illustrate his longevity on the job I remember as a child in the late 80s watching the 'Road to Wembley' coverage of the FA cup which used to air on KBC (Kenya Broadcasting Corporation) - then VOK (Voice of Kenya). One night Manchester United were playing Sheffield United and I was rooting for United and when they lost I cried! Amazing that even then Ferguson was still the manager!

So here's to the Great Scot and long may he continue to deliver more great football and titles!

It came in a ship

2011-10-11T12:58:00.002+03:00

A common saying in Kenya is "kizungu kilikuja na meli" loosely translated to mean that English came in a ship hence our struggles with it. Having grown up in a house where both parents at were at one time teachers has made me learn the finer details of the language by default. I remember as child when I'd go home and use some of the colloquialisms I learnt in school my parents would be quick to correct me. After all they were in school during the colonial days so were taught by native speakers. In high school too our director who was Kenyan by birth but English by descent also took the liberty to teach us a few things about the English language especially about pronunciation. I'll never forget how to pronounce Goliath correctly. With this background it is no surprise that once in a while I find myself in the 'grammar Nazi category' Now let's have a few examples of some words and phrases that are not very well used particularly in the press where they have achieved cliche status.

Let us begin with a little nugget I learnt from Dr Griffin. Last week we lost a great Kenyan in Professor Wangari Maathai and to mourn her death the president ordered the flag to be flown at half mast. Now at first glance you'd think that half mast means hoisting the flag halfway up the post but I came to learn from the good old director that what that actually means is the flag is flown the width of the flag below the top. Interesting that, not so much about grammar but tradition. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-staff

Another word which I had erroneously thought meant something else is one which is very often quoted in the media is impunity. They're always talking about ending the culture of impunity etc. At some point it had started being used all over the place like when matatus raise fares that's impunity or when the cabinet decided to amend the constitution to suit their own ends they were accused of impunity. I had come to be leave that the word meant disregard or 'madharau' in kiswahili. However one day I consulted the 'msema kweli' (the one who speaks the truth) and looked it up in the dictionary and found out the real meaning of the word to be as follows... courtesy of http://www.thefreedictionary.com/impunity
Impunity -Exemption from punishment, penalty, or harm.

Also when somebody does something without regard for the consequences they are said to do so 'with impunity'. So for example saying that the Hague would end impunity in Kenya would be correct as the accused face consequences which they would otherwise have not. However in the case of constitution amendments it sounds out of place as there is no punishment involved there... that could be up for debate as there could be other unwelcome consequences.

We move on to another word which is a pet peeve for me due to it's common misuse. The word epitome. Some have used it to mean the height of something e.g "he has reached the epitome" yet in actual fact it means that which characterizes something or in other words the quintessence, a perfect example. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/epitome. It sounds more to describe a state than a place where somebody gets.

Another nugget which I found out was the real meaning of dowry. When people go to discuss what they'll give the family of the bride before a wedding we usually call that dowry negotiations while the actual fact is that in our culture here in Kenya what we're really negotiation is the bride price. Technically dowry is what the bride brings into the marriage not what you give her parents. Wikipedia explains it excellently here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dowry . Was surprised when I found that out. Nowadays when I come across a word I'm not sure about always make an effort to look it up in the dictionary, bet I'll get more surprises along the way.

There are also other little things that my parents always pick up on TV or in speech, I'll call them Kenyanisms. Phrases like "I was bought for" starting sentences with double pronouns"me I", "us we", "them they" come up pretty often. Oh and written language exposes even more grammatical and spelling errors.

What other common Kenyanisms can you think of that will awaken the Grammar Nazis among us?

Who Am I?

2011-09-22T13:31:00.001+03:00

That's just the question of questions isn't it? Self definition, when you can reach that place when you can describe exactly who you are.

The idea for this post came up when I was talking with my parents and they were talking about how people define themselves by their careers especially the prestigious ones. When introducing themselves they say I'm so and so and I'm a Doctor, Lawyer, Engineer etc. Then they were like that's what you DO but is exactly what you ARE? A career is what you do for a few hours a day but who you are encompasses way more than that, what you think about, what you dream about when you sleep, what you talk about most. Describing one self is not so easy as saying as what you do 9-5 Monday to Friday. I fond this particular definition interesting because professionally I can describe myself in two different ways, maybe even three yet I'm not actively engaged in any as a career so it would be restrictive to use any as a definition.

In life we have so many frames of references which we use to describe ourselves. I gave the example of career but what else could it be?

When we are children you're somebody's son/daughter.
In School we are identified by the school we attend, the more prestigious it is the more proud we are
When working it's the company we work for, the chosen career.
When Married you introduce yourself as somebody's husband or wife.
When you have children you become Baba nani or Mama nani
The list goes on and on, we use our environment to describe who we are yet what matters most is who we are within.

Self actualization and a search for purpose are the highest pursuits in human life and I can bet there's nothing better than knowing exactly who you are and what you are here for and to stand up and say I am _ and not restrict yourself to the above definitions but speak from a position of authority. So when I meet people who are so passionate about a cause and know that's what their calling is I'm really moved and go like "When I grow up I want to be like him/her"

In the good book Jesus Christ asks a similar question to one of his disciples - Luke 9:18 but He had already demonstrated time and time again He knew who He was, not just a carpenter as they would have defined Him using his profession.

Was reminded of these thoughts when I read this note Which reminds us that God as our maker knows who we are as our maker and if we are to get these answers the first place to look is up to Him for answers. So for all my fellow hunters- yet to get and answer happy hunting, go to the manufacturer for more information.

I sign off with this beautiful song by Casting crowns

Waxing Philosophical!- a totally pointless post or almost

2011-09-14T14:17:00.002+03:00

An idle mind is the devil's workshop goes the old saying, right now there's deafening sounds coming from the said workshop like he's hammering a karai or something like those guys at Gikomba...

A while back I noticed an interesting status update on Facebook that went like this "How come nobody ever says "everything happens for a reason" after something good happens?" Major point made right there! When was the last time when somebody got a new job, promotion or other great achievement talk like that? I can picture it it now after a guy gets a spanking new Mercedes Benz his pal comes by and tells him "everything happens for a reason" Chances aof that happening are next to nil! It's only when we're disappointed or something doesn't go your way that all of a sudden you become philosophical. That's probably the case due to a need for hope that we all have that one day things will get better. So question is success doesn't happen for a reason too?

Another area where philosophizing is common is in the area of relationships. I can bet top dollar whenever I hear somebody complain about the way me/women are or come up with theories the person is single or if not unhappy if they're in a relationship. People in love just walk around starry eyed like their feet are on clouds... Find it funny when somebody gets hooked up and starts asking the single people why aren't you dating- like they forgot the time when they were single... haha life is interesting.

Another philosophical time is when death comes knocking close by and reminds us of our mortality. It may be months or years since you lost a close or loved one but when it happens the perceived immortality that we have in our youth disappears and you realise it could happen to anybody. Well this is one thing we can not escape but it shouldn't leas us to fear but to strenghten our resoilve to live full lives in the limited time we have- oops here I go getting all philosophical on y'all but the truth is you only get...

Yep you guessed it- the grim reaper has swung his sscythe nearby. However this time I celebreate a young life that was nipped in the bud, one who in the short time I knew her was a woman full of life, full of talent and full of laughter too. One who truly lived up to her name sweetie and brought so much laughter into our lives and lives on in her little daughter's life. Death is so cruel but we who remain live on. R.I.P Faith Nancy Kilinda.

Also sincere condolences to all who lost loved ones in the Sinai fire. Even as we mourn may we learn

Now now my philosophies begin to grow thin so let me get back to my armchair cynicism with my fellow talkers...

Guilty Until Proven Innocent

2011-09-06T11:50:00.000+03:00

Over the last few days our televisionsscreen have been filled with the proceedings at the InternationalCriminal Court at the Hague. Three men stand accused of bearing thegreatest responsibility for the post election violence that tookplace in early 2008 in Kenya. The prosecutor Moreno Ocampo has comeup with a list of charges with evidence which he believes proves theguilt of the supposed perpetrators. So he and his team have gone togreat lengths to nail the accused, their job is to prove without adoubt that what they claim happened when he said it happened.

At the same time the accused haveassembled teams of bright legal minds to defend their case before thejudges. Right now they're trying to discredit the charges before itgoes to trial. The defence has also worked hard if not harder to gettheir clients off the hook and paint the prosecutor as an accuserwith no solid case whatsoever.

The truth of the charges and thedefence is yet to be seen and we pray that the wheels of justice willturn for the benefit of the victims and the country as a whole. Thatwe will never allow such a thing to happen at the time. This wholecourtroom drama at the Hague got me thinking...

There's another courtroom where eachand every one of us is to stand, not in this physical world butbefore God, the final and the almighty judge. There is a prosecutor-an accuser of the brethren rev 12:10 who stands before God to showhow sinful and terrible we are. Every time we commit sin and disobeyGod we give him ammunition to go and present in his case against us.He's never been our friend and wants us to join him in his end ofeternal damnation.

Many of us try to walk into that courtand attempt to defend ourselves against the charges placed againstus. They say he who represents himself has a fool for a lawyer, evenworse in this court where you will be torn to shreds by the accusingenemy. So how will you prepare yourself for these proceedings? Yourown testimony will not be enough to exonerate yourself. Praise Godthat he has created a way for us, he has even provided representationpro bono. We don't have to pay exorbitant legal fees as the price hasalready been paid by His own dear son Jesus Christ on the cross.

In 1 John 2:1 when writing to thebelievers he says “Mylittle children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. Andif any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ therighteous:” When you believe in Christ you draft him into yourlegal team and he stands as an advocate before God the Father foryou. Whereas in an earthly court you're innocent till proven guiltyin court, before God you're guilty until proven innocent by the bloodof Jesus Christ by which we obtain forgiveness from sins.

Sonow I ask are you trying to defend yourself before God on your own?By your own works or have you by faith received the gift of God whichis salvation through his son. Have you drafted Christ into your legalteam or are you still allowing the enemy to continue building hiscase against you. Freedom is available in Christ today!

God bless

Where are you digging?

2011-08-30T10:04:00.000+03:00

In John Chapter 4 Jesus meets the Woman at the well and asks her for water. she's surprised that a Jew would actually talk to a Samaritan but Jesus tells her something very interesting “whoever drinks the water from the well shall thirst again but the water I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up to eternal life”- vs 14.

What are the characteristics of this water

It is eternal, lasts forever not just for a time and leads to eternal life,
The water springs from within and whoever drinks out of him shall flow rivers of living water. It is not only for the recipient but will flow to others around.

It is obvious that this water he talks about his figurative and he was referring to the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives satisfies, it is not a temporary high but a source of eternal hope ans sustenance for our spirits. Not only for us but it flows to bless and impact those around us.

Contrast this with the earthly water which comes from a well. After drinking it you will eventually become thirsty again. So it is with earthly physical things, they are temporary just as life on earth is temporary. You find them here and you shall leave them here when you die. They can only satisfy for a time and they will leave you hungering and thirsting for more. In this woman's case you can tell it had to do with love/sex because of the 5 husbands story.

What are these things that people try to satisfy themselves with?

Food
Money
Sex /love
Power
Entertainment, etc

The list could go on and on. There's a common saying that there's a God shaped vacuum in every one of us. One of the greatest needs for us as human beings is for significance, a sense of purpose and many a time we try to fill our lives with a lot of those things some of which I have listed above but in the end we still find ourselves empty. Why? It is because it's 'water that is from the well', not the living water hence we thirst again and the cycle continues.

However if we come to the well of Living water Jesus Christ we shall find rest for our souls. He shall take away the burden of sin that holds us down and give us a new sense of purpose, God is the one who created us and has the answers to those questions that we seek. If we believe in him he has promised us eternal life...

In the old testament the people of Judah were accused of abandoning the living well and digging broken cisterns- Jeremiah 2:13. These cisterns were dug in the ground to hold water for use in the dry season but if it was broken the water would leak out and all you'd scoop is sand! God had given them his laws but they chose to disobey and worship idols forsaking Him 'the fountain of living water.' They knew the true God and went outside to serve useless gods who could do nothing for them but bring destruction. Even the other nations around them had never left their own gods but they did. They are urged by the prophet Jeremiah to come back to that fountain.

Jesus said that whoever believes in Him shall have river of living water shall flow out of his belly. In our day as Christians we are even more privileged to have Christ living within us and so it is even more tragic for us when we look to other sources for fulfilment.

In Jeremiah's time the people of Judah looked to idolatry and immorality- broken cisterns which were flawed in their very design and would never hold any water. Even we as Christians can easily fall into that trap by allowing ourselves to yield to worldly desires yet Christ is the one who is our source, the giver of every good thing. The best is in Christ not out in the world where there is so much that does not give real purpose and meaning. Let us return to Christ and be refreshed again. We could be letting other things become our priority which in the end will not give us satisfaction.

These could be the things listed above but also sometimes also we can be looking for fulfilment in something like career which is not inherently bad but once again it is only temporary not permanent and should not blind us from seeing the bigger picture. So what is it that is substituting for Christ? Is it your job? Is it you family? Is it political ambitions? Is is money? Is it a relationship or the search for love? Is it entertainment in a quest to cure boredom to fill the emptiness within?

In conclusion there are two groups of people reading this. If you are looking for meaning and purpose in your life, wearied by the struggles of this life, trying to work it all out on your own, like the woman at the well come to Christ and get that living water that you shall never thirst again. I'm also speaking to those who have tasted of that living fountain and are trying to dig other wells that do not hold water. It will not work! Return to the source and be refreshed again then the waters shall flow in and through you...

you dig?
God bless

My Five Links

2011-07-28T12:55:00.000+03:00

I was tagged by @savvykenya

Most Popular Post

The post I did after I was completely underwhelmed by something they tried to pass off as a play at Heartstrings. Seriously I was pissed by what I saw or is it didn't see. Got over 200 views in less than two hours. sadly comments were not working so I didn't get to gauge gauge the reactions

Post That Didn’t Get The Attention It Deserved

A post I did asking Kenyans if we have learnt anything from 2007 and how to avoid it again

Post Whose Success Surprised Me

My very first post which is basically saying nothing but somehow keep s getting viewed all the time

My Most Controversial Post

I think it would have to be my rant against overlappers

Post I Am Most Proud Of

The post I would be most proud of is the one on Faith in difficult times as it's one that is from my life experience

Enjoy, ladies and gentlemen.

I hereby tag @mountainous - come on out of your slumber @neemom and @ndinda_

Is He Kenyan?

2011-07-04T11:00:00.001+03:00

This past Saturday I was walking in the city of Nairobi and noticed something very peculiar. Not Peculiar in the way Sunny Bindra refers to 'Peculiar Kenyans' in his book but strange in the sense that it was not the peculiarity I was expecting, in fact was quite the opposite. Now before I descend into logical confusion let me tell you what I'm talking about.

I had gone into town in a matatu and just before we got to the stage we had to stop due to traffic, however the conductor did not allow us to “shuka na jam” (alight in the traffic). The reason was rather obvious , place was crawling with 'ma-kanjo' -City Council officers (4 of them around the bus stop to be precise-funny it was 'end month' when wallets are fat, hmmmm) , a dreaded bunch they are even more than the police due to the way they enforce city by laws with great enthusiasm. So I had to wait until the vehicle came to a complete stop at the stage before alighting. This was to be expected given the circumstances, question is would it have been the same if not for the presence of the askaris(officers)? By the way that is not the strange event, that comes up next.

After alighting I had to cross the road. Now that there are working traffic lights in the CBD you have to give them a good look before crossing more so when there are 'kanjos' around. Even when they are not I do my best to adhere to the instructions, the other pedestrians were not as alert and were crossing whenever they go the chance. When standing there looking like an 'idiot' waiting for the light to turn green I noticed that I was not alone. “Hmmm now that's odd” I said to myself very rare indeed. When the light's turned green we crossed but the ones on the other side of the road were red so we had to stop in the middle- this was on Kenyatta Avenue. Once again it was just the two of us ( hey that sounds like a song, but I digress), there was no traffic and so the other pedestrians were crossing and after standing for along time waiting for the light to change, I was like what the heck? Funny that when it did turn green there were vehicles turning into the road from the nearby junction so we couldn't cross. Wonder whether the lights were malfunctioning or there was mass running of a red light. After that I decided to cross once the road was clear colour of the lights notwithstanding. So when I got the chance I took it but my friend remained rooted to the spot. Now that's what I found really peculiar- to the point of asking myself “is he Kenyan?” Seriously I'd never seen anybody else behave like that, you may say he was being pedantic but actually he was doing what we all should have been.

Another question I asked was whether he was doing it for fear of the 'kanjo', maybe he'd paid a hefty fine in the past for a misdemeanour and didn't want to take his chances. A more important question to ask is why don't we have more like him? People who will play by the rules all the time? Earlier on I had mentioned Sunny Bindra's book- which I'm yet to read being myself a peculiar Kenyan who doesn't read much. If you read his articles in the Sunday Nation you'll see how much he talks about the need for change in our behaviour in our nation. One of my pet subjects is our Kenyan roads which sometimes look like the biggest assylum in our country. The behaviour on our roads tells a lot about out national psyche and our attitude to rules and laws. I'm also guilty as you have seen of being 'pragmatic' as opposed to sticking to the rules to the letter. They're there for our benefit but somehow you feel that you can bend them- after all I'm in a hurry, though somehow we Kenyans tend to be late a lot.

The example of traffic lights is a good one to use. However it's worth noting that for a long time they were inoperative so a generation of city motorists has never experienced them beyond the few theoretical sessions in driving school. That has made us think running red lights is not a big thing, we do it practically all the time, heck even the cops instruct us to do it, leaving us sometimes to wonder who to obey, the policeman or the lights. When the junction is clear you say to yourself, “nobody's watching I'll cross, everybody's doing it” been there myself. What's more if you decide to be a good law abiding citizen and stop, you'll be bombarded by the din of blaring horns and if you stand your ground you can read the lips of the other motorists to see what they think. So what's the purpose of having them if they are not to be obeyed? I wonder if it's just a Kenyan thing. I remember when in South Africa late on a Saurday night with the road pretty much empty the driver still had to stop! It may look silly but that's what integrity and character is all about, doing what is right even when nobody is watching.

We want change in Kenya, we want a just society, we want and end to corruption and impunity, we want a social revolution, we want to see vision2030 realised. Right now any casual of observer looking at this great City of Nairobi will realise there's a lot of disorder from the roads, to the hawkers, to the garbage, to the leaking sewage etc. However there are laws and regulations to maintain the order, just that we are ignorant or we refuse to follow them because we think we are somehow above the law. By the way that's the same kind of thinking that's in the minds of those who are looting and destroying our economy, letting people put up dangerous buildings that collapse, destroying our environment. The list is endless.

There is an answer if we in our our own little ways stand out from the crowd like my friend at the lights and choose to follow the law to the letter not partially like I did. Imagine how it would be if we had 10000 pedestrians like him who behaved exactly like that. Imagine how it would be if we had drivers who actually exercised the highway code they learnt in driving school- for those who didn't buy their licences. We could start a 'good revolution' , revolutions are not all about walking in the streets or going into the bush with guns but about taking a stand. In this case a stand for what is right, in our own small seemingly insignificant ways but in the end contributing to the bigger picture. I recently saw an oft quoted statement mention in a sermon at a city church “evil triumphs when the good people do nothing”.

This time I'm not ranting and raving about disorder but my friend on Saturday- who I didn't even talk to on Saturday made me realise there's is good in our country and there can be greater good if we choose to play by the rules. Who's with me? It can be done!

Have you read it?

2011-06-28T14:43:00.002+03:00

I have one of those Huawei Ideos Android phones. Small but powerful device thanks to the operating system and a number of applications I’ve downloaded to make maximum use of the phone. I acquired it because I knew about its flexibility and capabilities and being a techie who likes being online it was cool to have a device that would keep me plugged in to the online world on the go. However all the goodies come with a price, the fast 3G internet access really takes a toll on the battery life as well as my airtime! First thing I learnt was the tricks of how to maximize the battery life and minimize data usage and even downloaded an application to help me out with that. So after a couple of months of studying the device I pretty much know my way around it and how to get every last minute of battery life out of it as well as minimize the impact on my pocket.

Yesterday I came across another who owns the same device and she was complaining about it as expected- how it is a black hole for airtime and the daily battery charging ritual. So I asked whether she’s turned off the automatic synchronization as well as managed the data use. It was news to her, all that time she was oblivious to the tricks I’d become so accustomed to. So being the techie I made a few tweaks and told her “now watch and see how much longer your airtime and battery will last.” There’s this little power management widget on the phone that allows you to control what running on the phone- wifi, synchronization, GPS and the screen brightness. Upon seeing it she asked “What does this mean?” pointing at the GPS logo I said that was GPS. Next question- “What is GPS?”. Okay! right then I realized not everybody speaks geek like me and knows these acronyms off head. Gave a brief explanation and told her if she doesn’t use it, turning it off will be to her benefit.

When complaining about how I had to learn all this in the first week or so and how the 600MB Safaricom offers was quickly finished. Another question ‘”what’s 600MB?” Now tempted as I was didn’t go all Sheldon Cooper (he of the Big Bang theory fame ) on her. Once again I was reminded was not among geeks, turns out she had no idea about the offer at all, heck she hadn’t even used the 1000 bob airtime that came with the phone! That was strange to me as all those riders are what had made the phone such a bargain in the first place but she knew nothing of them. So being the good helpful geek I am I activated the bundle and went on to explain how economical data bundles are as opposed to using airtime for browsing.

Now the point of this story is not to up my geek cred or to ‘Sheldon’ her about not being with ‘IT’ pun intended  No what I wanted to highlight is that she did not know what she had in her hands. She did not know how to maximize the potential of the product she was holding. She was oblivious of the tricks of the game that the owner of the device needs to know. That got me thinking of the way as Christians we sometimes forget the power within that comes from Christ. The manufacturers of the phone- in this case Huawei printed a manual and tell you to read the manual before operating it- yeah I know you’re smiling because y’all hardly ever do that. One of the famous answers when one asks a computer related question is “read the manual”- that’s the nice version…

Similarly God as our creator can be likened to the manufacturer, He has also given a manual in His word the bible and many times we don’t realize the power of God because like the lady I met we are ignorant of what is in His word. Jesus said – ‘you have not because you ask not.’ Matthew 7:7 How can we know what to ask for if we do not know our rights and privileges as the children of God? We’ve got to get connected to the ‘manufacturer’ to know the tricks in this game of life. These tricks are also known as wisdom- knowledge applied to the situations in life.

So now I ask you who’s reading this. When was the last time you looked at the manual? You may just be missing out on the answers contained therein… If you are to succeed in the Christian walk it is important to do that. So how about giving the good old manual a look? I’ll leave you with these words

Ps 19:7 “ The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The testimonies of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.”(NIV)

2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (NIV)

Be blessed

Why do we pay?

2011-06-23T11:46:00.000+03:00

As I watched the re-branding of KPLC to Kenya power I asked myself a question which I've asked before

Why do we pay them to get connections and transformers closer to us? i.e the Umeme pamoja scheme. Where do customers pay for a service to be brought to them? I mean their business is selling power. Do safaricom and the other networks ask us to pa to set up base stations, I dunno the exact cost but I'm sure it's much more than the cost of a transformer and 2km of power lines! Isn't a business supposed to spend money on infrastructure? The mobile networks spend billions every year in expansion. Kenya Airways spends billions to acquire new aircraft to fill with passengers etc.

I think this is just an antiquated business model back from the parastatal days. Hey even their sister company Kengen does not ask us to pay for new generators... The only thing we should pay for is customer premises equipment like meters

Just thinking...

Necessary Hating

2011-06-09T13:27:00.001+03:00

"Those who can do - those who can not criticize"

I've done movie reviews and managed to put a book review now to try my hand at a theatre review. Uh oh I think I'm becoming one of those described above.

I've attended many a play done by Heartstrings Ensemble at the Alliance Francaise which are usually hilarious and well worth my money. They used to do a lot of adaptations of British productions but nowadays they have local works usually written by Daniel "Churchill" Ndambuki. Yesterday was my first and here are some of my honest observations...

The production was titled "Men are from Kenya women are from Pluto" so I was looking forward to a riveting tale about the battle of the sexes in Kenya. The best part was the humorous commentary by Larry Asego in between the scenes about the difference between men and women. The jokes delivered by the cast were great too, one liners that kept the audience in stitches. That's the good stuff however...

For all the jokes and humour thrown into the production there was a very important ingredient missing- the story wasn't flowing. It turned out to be a mish mash of one liners and skits strewn together for comic effect but no overarching storyline. This may be harsh but that's my honest opinion. Humour isn't an end in itself but a tool used to enhance a story. In the end I asked myself what exactly I watched and couldn't explain- like the title I was somewhere in Pluto. Sadly this kind of approach is way too common in our dramatic productions and it is worrying. I may never have written a play myself but I can appreciate a good one and yesterday I left disappointed and may even say annoyed. Sometimes honest criticism is needed to at least up the game! Churchill is a good comedian no doubt but his show is at times trite, comedy is a tough business so you have to keep re inventing yourself. Honestly on his show the person I see putting a lot of work into his act is Eric Omondi and it comes out on stage.

If we are to get our local arts industry at par with giants in the continent such as Nigeria who've flooded our screen we have to up our game in story telling. They're able to churn out hundreds of pictures typically 4 hours long in 2 parts which are able to engage people with their story telling. Same can be said about the Mexican soaps which have flooded our screens. We are being captivated by other peoples stories yet I believe there are great stories just waiting to be told here in Kenya. Let me give an example. Rhythm City is a South African 'Soapie' which has been running for about 3 years or so and can be seen at 1930 Kenyan time weekdays. For those few years they've been able for 5 days a week to keep a running story with humour, tragedy, contoversy suspense and the rest as well as character development. I long for the day when we can pull this off and I know we can. Through interactions in social media I know they are great 'creatives' in this country, poets, writers, screenwriters, directors etc just waiting to be discovered. When I see the works of a wordsmith as Bikozulu who recently called for writers I know it can be done. Others like Wamathai are creating a platform for poets and writers to put their work out. In this day in age traditional channels are not the only way to go e.g Justin Bieber was brought to us through youtube. Then again that's not the best example...

When I began writing this post what I had in mind was a raging polemic against a work that fell way short of my expectations but I find it more constructive to give a rallying call to all those with a dream out there to get it going. The tools are there with Wordpress and Blogger you can easily let your words, pictures, videos, music out. That brings me to my next point that of quality. One of the most memorable movie quotes comes from field of dreams 'If you build it they will come'. I apply it in the sense that if you create good quality creative works the recognition will come and in due course the $$$ . In Kiswahili 'Chema chajiuza kibaya chajitembeza' literally translated the good sells itself , the bad just fronts itself. Everybody loves a good story, a good laugh, good music or even a good photograph and people will detect the good stuff, but you actually have to put it out there. Sometimes I get complimented about good writing thinking, I look around and see greater ones, all I've done is simply put pen to paper. Another example is in order

I'm sure many of you have seen the photography work of @truthslinger on his blog and website. I've known him for a while and have seen how he has harnessed the power of social media to develop his passion and bring his work out and in due time the quality was seen by all and he got the recognition he deserved. Looking through the blog and website you can see the craftsmanship and attention to detail in the design and also the execution of the shots. Now that's the way to do it, we all believe in our local artists but local is no reason to let the quality go down. So I was sad when a one time higher education minister suggested the govt cut down on funding liberal arts.

In conclusion I strongly believe we've got great artists out there and when you argue you lack a platform look at the story above. I can be done, yes we can! I was really annoyed by what I saw last night and saw it fit to make some noise and ruffle a few feathers if at least to awake some sleeping giant somewhere. Please let us make friends with excellence and make mediocrity our enemy Tuamke! Forward ever backward never...

The Beautiful Game

2011-06-07T12:34:00.000+03:00

Artistry, poetry in motion, such beautiful movement it almost brings tears to your eyes... That's how football is when it is played at it's best and over the last few months we've been treated to team that has exemplified the tenets of this beautiful game. It goes without saying I'm talking about the exploits of the deserved 2011 European champions FC Barcelona. Some would argue like Jose Mourinho that they got a little help from match officials but in the final analysis the quality of the football spoke for itself. The red cards against Arsenal and Real Madrid may have been dodgy but I wonder what would have happened with even eleven men still on the pitch.

So what makes the team so great. Is it the triumvirate of Messi, Iniesta and Xavi with their slick passing and positioning? Is it Messi's trickery which makes one wonder whether he applies super glue on his boots before the game? Is it David Villa and his quality in front of goal? Is it the coaches tactics? I could go on and on to find out the secret behind this well oiled machine. Personally I don't think it's the coach so much as the quality in the players, I believe even a baboon could coach those guys and they'll still excel.

Barcelona are excellent in possession but what is even more important is what they do when they are off the ball. They keep pressing at you and you make mistakes... When they're on it you're afraid to press as you may expose yourselves to your own embarrassment. Not to taking anything away from their victory but I'm surprised Manchester United didn't learn anything from their loss in 2009. It was like a case of same script different cast. Granted the lackadaisical approach of players like Micheal Carrick and the old legs of Ryan Giggs were always going to find it tough going against team Barcelona.

So as the Catalan artists- sometimes actors especially one Sergio Busquets sit on their perch at the top of European football we ask who'll unseat them? in 2010 The Special One was able to navigate around but in 2011 it was tough going against 12 men. However I think his defensive tactics may have done it but Sir Alex's traditional 4-4-2 is clearly not the way to go. For now we;ll continue being Messimerized by them until somebody comes and unseat the 'best club side in history.' I've seen a few in my time like the Galacticos of real Madrid but I've never seen the game played so beautifully, a joy to watch and the Manchester United players clearly agreed with me...

Adios!

The Artful dodgers

2011-05-23T20:06:00.000+03:00

My good Friend Mr Charlie Bravo

In Flight school one of the exercises we're taught is called precautionary inspections. A technique to be used in case of bad weather and you have to put the plane down on a surface you're unsure of. Pretty much one of those things you do academically and hope that you won't get to do in real life. If you're operating in and out of well equipped airports with tarmac runways you needn't worry too much. The instrument facilities will help you get through the bad stuff. Now when you're flying in the bush it's a totally different matter and you have to do it free style.

Luckily for us this past Sunday the rain falling at the destination was light though it got heavy very close to touchdown. The cloud base was really low but the flat topography was a plus as there was no high ground to worry about. That was at Pochala right at the border of Ethiopia and the plane got a nice baptism in the mud you'd think it was one of the cars from the old fashioned Safari rally. That went pretty well.

Now the next leg to Boma was a little more interesting as Boma is at the base of some hills and what's more there were a couple of thunderstorms nearby. The clouds looked really dark and ominous, when you see a cumulonimbus ( or CB in short also known more affectionately as a Charlie Bravo) cloud en route it's a cause for concern, I've heard enough stories about them and one of the cardinal rules of flying is never to fly into a thunderstorm. Good thing is some geniuses created a device called weather radar which indicates areas of precipitation and helps to avoid those dreaded storms. After consulting it a bit we found that it was clear over the destination and manoeuvred around the rain. However that particular strip is really nasty when wet and we had to give it a look before committing to land. Getting in is easy but the mud would make departure difficult. So the plan was to fly over and assess the surface. First time spotted some water on it and me being a member of the cowards club said we give it a miss but the captain wanted a closer look so we came round again. His assessment was that it was do able and when we came in a third time it worked out fine and he was satisfied with the surface. When I got out I realised that gum boots are not such a bad idea for shoes, was crazy muddy! All that time passangers were very quiet and when we landed they told us about how they wondered about was happening.

Another captain had told me about his experience with that particular field. A couple of years back he was landing there and the brakes decided to go on holiday. What's more at the end of the runway there was a grass thatched hut one of those that's all too common over here. Oh and top that the hut was right next to the hot exhaust, so you can guess what happened next... Oh and did I mention that the fuel tanks are on the wing tips? Now that tight there was a recipe for disaster! Thanks to some quick evacuation from the crew fortunately there were no casualties though one of the pilots got burns. Part of one of the wings is still there as evidence of that sad event...

Boma with a nice hill in the background. Ethiopia lies beyond

For our stay there the weather always looked threatening. You have to pardon a pilot's obsession with the weather. So as expected on our way back we met a few more of our friend Charlie Bravo. However this time the weather radar decided to start misbehaving on us! So we had to rely on our eyes. Up ahead things were not looking too good but right behind us were sunny skies. An instrument rated pilot needn't be afraid of clouds but when you have a thunderstorm ahead with no idea what's inside you've got to make the decision to look for plan B. So once again the artful dodgers were at it again taking a round trip around the storm. After a little while we saw some sunshine- hallelujah! We were home free so we reoriented ourselves and were back in business! A little rain here and there but nothing we couldn't handle. So far so good until we were about 50 miles from our destination and we see some really heavy rain right on our track to Bor our intended destination, clearly our celebrations were premature. As we got closer we could feel the turbulence beginning to build up and we were already weighing our options. We could easily have decided to go to Juba our home base but the airport there closes at 4. Since we had enough fuel it we decided to go around the edge and see if it's good. Even considered giving a guy on the ground a call to find out what the weather was like.

As we got closer we saw the Nile – a good sign then the roofs of the town, Hallelujah once again- sweat wiped from brow! Fortunately for us the rain hadn't quite reached Bor, so we wasted no time in landing there and getting ourselves to the hotel for some rest and relaxation after an interesting day in the air- what flying is all about!

Riding Shotgun

2011-05-23T19:39:00.002+03:00

Juba International

The newest nation in the world, a land that has been ravaged by years of war and is trying to get to get back on it's own two feet. Yeah you guessed it, Southern Sudan, yet to know what they'll call themselves on their official day of independence coming up on July 9th 2011. Haven't been here very long but there's a few things that I've observed in my first week here.

First thing that hits you- literally when you touch down is the heat, was a nice 'cool' 29 degrees when I got here, I'm told I came at a good time during the rainy season when the temperatures are a bit mild otherwise I'd be toasting somewhere around the forties. Hmm perhaps this sun explains the dark complexion that is so prevalent here- by the way there are some who are light skinned and I'm not talking about foreigners, was actually surprised!

Another thing is that is the land is flat and not like the plains we have back home in Kenya. In Juba there are a number of hills around but in some places you look all around and there's not so much as a mound in sight. Probably why the White Nile meanders lazily around the countryside- another thing contrary to what I expected there's a lot of greenery, naturally around the river but even inland it's not a total desert.

The people I've met are pretty friendly though quite a number have war experience so you've got to be careful lest you get yourself in a brawl. Oh and many have been to Kenya to school so it's easy to find people to speak Kiswahili with. About the way experience there's this guy who was telling us how he learnt to use an AK- 47 as a child and how they would shoot each other jokingly not knowing the finality of the bullet. They thought the person shot would come back shock on them when he didn't. There's a lot of evidence of war in crashed aeroplanes near airstrips, wrecked vehicles etc but though it's peaceful right now there are some areas with some tension in the especially in the Northern parts near the border.

On my second night here got the privilege to spent some time in the wilderness at Kauda near the Nuba mountains, one of the places where there could be some tension. When I asked if there are any wild animals about the answer was no, all that bombardment during the way pretty much scared them away. The wilderness experience was pretty interesting particularly showering under the stars expressed to the elements. Also managed to scale a nearby hill with my captain to get a wider view and discovered not only a breathtaking view but how unfit I was! One of the local officials managed to get us some accommodation with Samaritan's purse a relief organisation in that area. Their camp was pretty nice with creature comforts like internet and electricity but unfortunately the net was down when we got there but hey not too bad to be unplugged from the matrix.

Sunset over the Nuba Mountains from atop the hill

Traditional huts in Kauda

Samaritan's Purse at Kauda our gracious hosts

A typical scene this one was at Yuai

When there I got to learn a little nugget, the origin of the phrase 'riding shotgun'. Back in the 'old west' in America the horse driven coaches would have somebody would sit at the front with the driver- if that's the correct term and you guessed it he'd have a shotgun to deal with any miscreants they'd meet on the way be it bandits or disgruntled locals. Well you learn something new every day! After my little adventure it was back to riding shotgun in the Cessna Caravan!

See you all in a few!

Good bye!

2011-04-15T11:58:00.000+03:00

Every once in a while somebody comes into your life,
You don't know exactly how it starts but they bring so much joy and laughter,
They open their heart you open yours,
You listen to each others' troubles,
Rejoice in each others victories,
Pray for each other,
Reach out to each other.

Every once in a while somebody else takes them away,
for those who love the Lord we know to a better place,
It's hard to let go but it is the end of every one of us,
So we can only accept and remember how fragile life is,
They may be far in body but will live forever in our hearts.

Dear friend I will not forget the time we had together,
You came into my life when I wasn't looking and gave me the greatest gift,
That of a true friend,
one who cares, one who shares, one who loved her family and friends
One who is not afraid to speak the truth whether I wanted to hear it or not
One who knew to lift me when I was down
One who never lost her sense of humour despite all the odds
One who ate life with a big spoon, little did we know you were take your last scoop so soon.

Good bye dear friend, you memories will last
Never to be forgotten, ever to be cherished,
You loved and were loved by many,
Till we meet again at Jesus' feet,
Fare thee well Colleta Wanjiru Muchangi

Gituma Nturibi

What next for Us?

2011-04-01T13:04:00.000+03:00

No doubt some of you may have noticed a political slant in the last few weeks on this blog. Part of my thoughts have been inspired by a book I was reading- The State of Africa by Martin Meridith which gives a brief history of the first 50 years of independence for African states. If you like history as much as I do you'll definitely enjoy the journey like I did. I've done a few movie reviews in the past so now it's time for an amateur book review...

Though the book is written by a British author it's not a condescending as you would think, it just details what happened in our continent over the last half century or so. Starting with the oldest member of the independence club Ghana with it's famous leader Kwame Nkurumah and ending with the goings on of the early 21st century. What's interesting to note is the numerous revolutions that have happened starting with independence which had so much promise- Africa finally in the hands of Africans. However in many countries those dreams soon turned to nightmares with the flurry of military coups which were quite popular during the cold war era with either Soviet or American support depending on their interests.

Many a time a revolutionary would come in with so much promise of ridding the country of the corruption of the past and handing over power peacefully. However more often than not the military leaders would end up being even more corrupt and adding other atrocities on top. A good example is Joseph Mobutu who was basically planted to deal with Patrice Lumumba who was considered to be an unstable socialist. In his first few years Zaire experienced growth under his leadership but he soon slid into corrupt and plundering ways and got his infamous name of Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga loosely translated as 'invincible warrior; cock who leaves no chick intact.' However one would take into account that the Belgians didn't invest much in the education of locals and when they left, the Africans were ill prepared to take over leadership. That may be true for them but even in countries with well educated people tsimilar things happened. It was like a case of same script different cast. Another point which blows the bubble of those who believe youth is the answer is that these coup leaders were young e.g Mobutu - 29 Gaddafi- 27

Due to this economic mismanagement by the 1980s many nations had become reliant on 'aid' from the west and with that came conditions which reduced decision making power. On top of food crises and tropical diseases the AIDS scourge also came to haunt us in a big way. We were basically running a very bad show. However there were a few highlights like the end of Apartheid in South Africa to smile about.

One statement which really hit home is the way African politicians have become 'ethnic entreprenuers' promising their communities all kinds of goodies once in power. We have seen the result of this ethnocentrism in Kenya after the last elections as well as other tribal wars, the most devastating being the Rwandan genocide. It's amazing how as people we focus on what makes us different so much.

I'd recommend the book to anybody interested in the history of our beloved continent

As I read I wondered what next for our continent will the youth take us to greater heights? We've seen them move governments in the North but now will we grow a new African order which will eradicate the vicious cycle of corruption and suffering in our land? Once again I talk to my fellow Kenyans, next year we have the chance to vote for leaders with vision and on a mission. I'm yet to see one who is articulating his vision as opposed to tearing into their opponents. The time is now, we can build a new future together for our continent!

God bless Kenya God bless Africa!

The Garden Route

2011-03-17T16:23:00.001+03:00

Been a while since I did a photo post and this time I take you down south to the Eastern and Western Cape provinces. The Garden route has to be the most picturesque coastline I've seen so far, sampled our own flying coastwise from Mombasa to Malindi and it quite doesn't measure up to the time I had the privilege of flying coastwise from George to Port Elizabeth a couple of years back.

What's particularly breathtaking is that there are mountain ranges like the Tsitsikama right next to the coast and you get some high cliffs and gorgeous (pun intended) deep river cut valleys like Storms river with it's bridge. Even before you get there there's the Beautiful Knysna lagoon and Plettenberg bay to feast your eyes on. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words so let's go to the eye candy... click for a larger view...

The Beautiful Knysna lagoon

Stanley's Island, Plettenberg Bay

The famous Storms River bridge

Cape St. Francis Lighthouse

Van Stadens close to Port Elizabeth not really on the route but threw it in

Here we go again?

2011-03-14T11:30:00.000+03:00

Ocampo 6, deferral, hate speech, mudslinging, sound bites from the last couple of weeks in Kenya. The temperatures have already started rising and it's not even an election year! what's more if we are to follow the constitution as it is we're even closer to it than in other pre- election years.

When I look at all the dust that's been raised by the ICC process I look back to what started it all the 2008 Post Election Violence, and even further to the 2007 campaigns. I believe those two are connected somewhat but to what degree is another question.

Before the election I remember seeing a very worrying trend of hate speech I remember once reading an email and getting really worried about what would happen. The bile that was being unleashed about a certain community was simply worrying and it ended up manifesting itself in the PEV in 2008. Character assassination was flowing both ways against Raila and Kibaki until it looked no more like a political competition but a mud slinging match. More so were the texts that were being sent, the ones I got dissing Raila, they looked funny at the time but in hindsight very foolish. All these you may argue are just words but they are very powerful more so when they come from people who've been idolised by their communities.

A good development is that we now have the Cohesiona and integration commission to check on the hate speech coming from our leaders. However there's still our own role to play in refusing to forward hateful messages be it email, sms or on the social networks that are all the rage. We all have a role to play in keeping the peace in this ethnically diverse community of ours. I pray that we've learn from the mistakes of last time and will check what we say and write as we don't want a repeat of that dark hour in our nation's history! A few weeks back we rallied together to sing our national anthem let's keep that peace, love and unity going. Na ukinitumia some bure (useless) message it's going straight to the trash!

God bless Kenya!

Faith during difficult times

2011-02-19T15:37:00.002+03:00

Today I'm going to share from a message I delivered in church this past Sunday. Basically from my notes with a few additions but I'd encourage you to go through the biblical references too. It's actually something that came to my mind about a year ago when I was going through the toughest season in my life so far and shares it during one of our small group fellowships. Hope it will be encouraging to you.

Scripture references

Hebrews 11:1-11

Ecclesiastes 3 :1-11

Psalms 37:4-8, 18-25

Genesis 37:3-10

Heb 11:1-11

The Nature of Faith- you can't see it , you hope for it. If you could see it it wouldn't be faith now would it?

vs 6 without faith it's impossible to please God for He who comes to Him must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Even the very act of prayer is one of Faith as we can not see God with our own eyes but believe He is there listening to us.

In this chapter we are given numerous examples of people from the old testament who exhibited this faith.

Noah- had never seen rain before, his contemporaries scoffed at him thinking he was crazy but he didn't waiver in following God's instructions to build the ark and when the flood came he was safe

Abraham- did not know where he was going. He was in Ur f the Chaldeans living his life but when called out to a land he didn't know he went ahead. Even when asked to sacrifice his own son he trusted God and went along anyway.

Sarah- received a child even in her old age. The very thought of conceiving made her laugh no doubt because of how ridiculous it sounded but she eventually received the son of promise

Eccl 3

There's a time for every purpose. There'll be seasons of waiting, trials, preparation but it is God who knows it all -verse 11 and He has made everything beautiful in His time. It may look during the season of preparation or of waiting that the destination seems far away but it's only for a time, a different time will come.

Ps 37- 4-8

Delight yourself in the Lord and Hill give you the desires of your heart, commit to Him, trust in Him, wait patiently for Him. The source of our joy is in God

Do not despair when you see the wicked prosper. It looks like that a lot, the guys who get ahead take short cuts, engage in illegal activities but what about the honest, hard-working people working so hard but not getting ahead? However the prosperity of the wicked is only for a while...

18-25

The steps of the righteous are ordered of the Lord. He will not forsake his righteous, neither shall their children beg for bread vs 25

An example of a man in the old testament who endured a lot in his faith is Joseph- let's see what we can learn from him

The Life of Joseph

He received a vision Genesis 37: 3-10
Joseph gets 2 visions and shares them with his brothers but they are angry and plot against him and he ends up being sold into slavery in Egypt
He remained faithful and diligent at all times
In Potiphar's house he was hard working and loyal to his master- exhibited by his resisting His wife's advances.
In the prison he was also exemplary
In Pharoaoh's service he carried out his duties well
Things went from bad to worse but he did not lose his vision
chapter 37: his brothers plotted against him and sold him as a slave
Chapter 39 he is in Potiphar's house as a slave but he is made overseer vs 1-5.
He is Falsely accused and thrown into prison but even there he was elevated vs 22-23
ch 40- he interprets the butler's and the baker's dreams but it took another 2 years for the baker to remember his promise.
He is raised up by Pharaoh after interpreting his dream 41:39-40
Whenever people tried to pull him down he still ended up rising to the top- you just couldn't take the favour away from him!
He had to wait 13 years for it to come to pass
41:46 He was 30 when appointed by pharaoh, 17 when he had the vision 37: 2. Sometimes it's going to take time for you to reach your goal kind of like his father who had to wait 14 years for Rachel.

Be blessed

Poly-ticks and Poly-tricks

2011-02-07T10:38:00.000+03:00

We love to hate them don't we? Those smooth talkers who come to entice us every five years promising us heaven on earth and and end to all our problems if only we give them a vote. Hearing some of them talk you would think every valley would be filled and every mountain made low if only we gave them the chance... Funny that's not peculiar to Kenya, I remember in university one of our lecturers telling us how politicians in Japan pull the same trick when campaigning. Anyway wouldn't blame them for wooing us with sweet words of a better tomorrow, we all want an escape and they offer it and we unwittingly swallow the bait. The campaign period is always very interesting- everybody's an angel, singing funny campaign songs, a lot of hope and euphoria is whipped up. A popular line is change! Change you can see! change you can believe in! etc. Now that's what we call the 'advertising phase' kind of the way dating is referred to as that before marriage. Good they do the dance and we give them the chance to emancipate us from 'slavery'

Now after the elections the real work begins- or does it now. I'm amazed at how quickly in Kenya whenever a proposal for increase in salaries is put forward it passes in record time whereas some other bills have barely enough quorum to pull them through. Increase allowances- yes! Cars- yes! Retreat at some posh hotel- oh yes! Tax their salaries- errr errr. Very interesting but then again if given the power to raise your own salary what would you do? However I wonder sometimes whether if it's only self interest that motivates our politicians, what about service. For instance right now we are on the brink of famine but somehow the priority ends up being how to raise money for the Ocampo six... Anyway their days are numbered 2012 is just around the corner. Let them enjoy what little time they have up there, just hope our eyes have been opened and we'll be welcoming them back home... Then these poly-ticks will stop sucking our hard earned money.

Now now these politicians always have a bag of tricks with them. During campaigns they dish out money for votes- I wonder why people fall for that after all you can still vote against even after taking their money. One of the popular lines is 'I was misquoted' even when is was very clear what they said, remember the 'weka tyre' incident? Guy even had the audacity to say 'weka tyre gari ipite' Our latest circus comes from one who suggested that people living with HIV be quarantined... though in retrospect it looks like the clever work of news editors but then again I could be wrong. I think that the microphone has some magic powers over our politicians as when they grab it they tend to say some very strange things indeed!

It's not only what they say, some have made a habit of diversionary tactics to get the heat off their scandals. Common ones 'money has been pured', 'they are targeting my community' and such like excuses- like the whole community was there doing the crime! Yet somehow it works and their 'people' congregate around them.

Politics is a game of perceptions, there are many tricks that are carried out to pull the wool over our eyes and we will see very many in the coming days, more than ever before as there'll be more seats on offer. However I really pray that we Kenyans may vote in leaders who have a proven record of serving us not those who have a CV full of scandals in which they have been swindling us. Leaders who will be good custodians of the resources and responsibilities given to them. Leaders committed to taking us to the next level in all spheres and break the cycle of poverty, disease and hunger. Leaders who are wise and God fearing who do what is right for the country and are ready to make unpopular decisions to move us forward!

Each and every one of us with a vote has the power to make the choice please lets make a wise one in 2012 and lets us not fall for the poly-tricks that we so often fall for...

Road rage- addendum

2011-01-19T12:38:00.000+03:00

Still on that road rage theme here's an old Disney clip on the same

The Overlap and other stories from Kenya

2011-01-18T23:39:00.000+03:00

We all know them those people who think they're geniuses on the road... Then again don't we all. Words which I heard a long time ago and have never left my mind is 'everybody no matter who they are considers themselves an above average driver' - me included! :) Anyway I'm not here to blow my own trumpet about how I epitomize sane and courteous driving I've discovered that on Kenyan roads you have to have a bit of bite lest you're pushed around we've heard of defensive driving here it's more like attacking driving! Naturally the biggest culprits of tomfoolery and all kinds of roguish behaviour on the roads are the infamous matatu crewa and for those who've been around Mt. Kenya my miraa carrying Mbrathas (sic)

Before I sart digressing too much let me get to the main point of this post- this phenomenon known as 'overlapping'. I read some guys on twitter complain how it has become such a common occurence nowadays, the norm rather than the exception as opposed to a few years back when it was vice versa. I'd tend to agree with that, it;s really annoing and has taken some new dimensions. Nowadays even when you wait for a car in front of you turn at a junction it's become pretty much normal for other cars to overtake you on the other side. A few years ago I never used to see this, Matatu culture has really crept into our everyday life. Just yesterday somebody had the audacity to hoot at me as I waited for the car in front to turn as he was on the 'overlap'. Today again a matatu guy was overlapping me and that really ticked me off didn't even let him have a chance to get back into the road. You may say that's extreme but seriously sometimes you just have to stand up to these clowns hence my previous assertion about having some bite.

In my humble opinion the road- that thing with bitumen and markings is where cars should be! I guess that's pretty much common sense unless you bought your driving licence! the shoulders- hard, soft, whatever they may be are not for cars, neither are sidewalks! those are are for pedestrians, cyclists, farm animals, martians and whatever else not for you to use in your imaptience- I wonder if we are in such a hurry on the roads why are we late most of the times. So next time you feel tempted to use the side of the road please consider the rest of us insane people who are kind to our cars suspensions and stick to the road! Sometimes I wish I could just get a sack of nails an pour them on the side of the road!

Silly antics are not confined to the above phenomenon. Another silly and in my opinion totally pointless habit is hooting when the lights go green. Pointless because anybody behind the wheel of a car knows what a green light means and so what are you warning them about with your horn? Sorry unlike you our cars don't have instant acceleration from a complete stop.

Now on to my pet peeve. The most basic rule of all which everybody is taught in driving school- What is the rule of the road in Kenya? keep left! Now now if I had a shilling for every time I met a fully laden track hobbling down the right lane of a dual carriageway at 30 km/h showing no signs of turning right at the next exit... Same holds for slow drivers on the inside lane. Our good friends at the automobile association have done us the good favour of putting up signs to remind us of this. So no snide comments or rants this time, just a simple request- I beg, I beg oh! Please, please, please, unless you're overtaking or turning right at the next junction keep left- will go along way in aiding smooth traffic flow on the dual carriageway.

Driving does not require you to be a genius, just a little courtesy and consideration will go a long way and if you want to get there on time so does everybody else, you're not more special! So next time you get the urge to join the cattle on the side of the road- don't.

If you see any bad driving don't hesitate to post it at www.overlap.co.ke

Now what are your pet peeves on the road?

I met God

2011-01-14T10:48:00.000+03:00

It was a Sunday morning like any other
Got myself out of home and to church
where I was to meet my God

I sung great songs
lifted my hands in the air seeking his presence
I prayed fervently, I heard the word
soon it was time to for me to go back home

Little did I know He would be out there
waiting for me
Not quite what I expected you know

Was about five feet tall
Kind of shaggy looking fellow

His clothes not the latest fashions

He stood there as the masses passed
hand stretched out
Asking 'ninunulie chakula' *

And that is how I met God
on a Sunday that I thought was like any other
Matthew 25:40...

* kiswahili for 'buy me food'

Waiting for the Palace

2010-12-09T14:03:00.000+03:00

The other day flipping through the channels I heard one of those preachers on tv exhorting his congregation not to wait for the palace to serve God, you can do it even when you're in the pit. That analogy was clearly from the story of Joseph in Genesis. They sold him to slavery in Egypt but he was still faithful to his master, they threw him in prison but he became the 'chief prisoner' or so to speak. Wherever he was he didn't let circumstances determine his attitude to service and devotion to God. So I king of got what the pastor was talking about though I listened only a couple of seconds.

Thinking about it made me realise that sometimes in life when things aren't so rosy we're like I'll do this and this when I get the money, or when I get that big job but we tend to forget that when we are faithful with the little we'll be entrusted with much- Luke 16:10. Really hits homw for me coz right now I'm at a stage in my life where I feel I'm limited in what I can do but when I think about it I've got the greatest resource of them all- time and that's priceless. So as I work towards getting to the palace I can do something in the pit to bless those around me! At the same time there's no need to despise the day of small beginnings Zech 4:10

Barikiweni

The Story

2010-11-11T22:56:00.000+03:00

We all have a story to tell
Who are you?
Where are you coming from?
Where you at ?
Where are you going?
Could think of thousands of questions to ask

What I see now is a work in progress
The creator made you gave you to those two who cared for you
Gave many more who came along the way
Many have been your day
Some tears, some laugh
Some ups some downs

With each passing minute the Good Lord gives it continues to unfold
Everyday a new page is written in the book
See a good story is enjoyed slowly
Page by page letter by letter
Some chapters move fast, some slow but I still would like to read
This story called your life

There is another story I know all to well
Ready to tell if you treat me well
I have a tale that may not sound oh so swell
but it will all come together if you choose to dwell

There is yet another story
For which pen is yet to meet paper
This ones different as it'll take two to tell

So now as I stand here looking and asking
What's your story?
Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine
Then hand in hand we will set out to write ours
And when the Good Lord sees fit he'll put the final dot
On that final page

Does it work?

2010-11-03T12:31:00.000+03:00

There's been a lot happening on the transport scene in Kenya in the last few weeks. Quite a number of pronouncements from the transport minister Amos Kimunya on the way forward for the public transport sector. At the same time the Nairobi town ~~jerk~~ clerk decided to make motorist fork out more for the 'first class' parking facilities in our city and then giving analogies of Whisky and Busaa... Anyway I'm not here to discuss drinks but one of my pet topics- the traffic jams in Nairobi in which I've spent many an hour.

The government and authorities can be given credit for realising that we do have a problem here whether it is to 'restore sanity'- was it there in the first place or to reduce congestion. I'm no urban planning genius but I ask the question will it work? They've tried other methods before like doubling parking fees a few years back and we still have the same issues. Another effort which in my opinion failed in it's set objectives is the 'Michuki rules' which were introduced in 2004 and have ended up being watered down, especially in 2007 as a campaign gimick. Now let me use my ignorance to poke holes in that initiative.

Now about that sanity, there's a this habit that is simply annoying and the biggest culprits are matatus- 'overlapping'. I tell you the number of times I've felt like I can just spill a sack of nails on the roadside to stop them Now that's insanity right there like the rest of us who are keeping our cars on the road are mad you decide to use the outside of the road. Nowadays even when you're waiting to turn at a junction some guy will overlap you- insanity I tell you!

When bwana Michuki set out to whip the matatu boys into shape we were all applauding. We'd finally get good, clean and efficient public transportation. Gone would be the days of miraa chewing, scruffy looking youths hanging on the doors of vehicles blasting music at deafening volumes while terrorizing the other road users. That would be replaced with nice polite service with clean uniforms and name tags... so much for that! Lasted a few months and if there's one thing that was achieved then it was ridiculous queues at the Motor Vehicle department as the matatu crews struggled to comply.

Once again in my humble opinion, the most important regulation was that of speed governors, seat belts in my opinion have no place in buses which are operating in the CBD. I believe that these regulations led to the 'matatu-ization' of public transport in Nairobi at least. Let me take you back a few years to when KBS was Kenya Bus Services not the glorified matatus of today. Back then they served all major routes in the city and you'd be assured of getting to where you wanted to go in good time as they were regular. Another thing is that they had standing passengers- a minor inconvenience if you were going a short distance but wore unto you if you had to stand all the way from Nairobi to Ngong like it so often happened. The service was affordable and did the job well enough but that one company was clearly not able to handle all the passengers and they got overloaded most of the times. Oh and standing passengers means more capacity per vehicle hence less traffic on the road but I think only proper buses should be allowed to carry standing passengers not Matatus.

That was then fast forward to now. Standing at the Kencom stage you realise that these buses be it City Hoppa, Shuttle, KBS, Double M etc are behaving like big matatus, soliciting for passengers as they cause a long traffic hold-up along Moi Avenue. What's more they don't even serve all the city routes just the short ones that have been deemed profitable to them. There's no standardization or timetable so that you can tell when the next bus is coming. In my opinion all this sprung up from the Michuki rules which in essence were good but they were never reviewed so as to make the system more effective and efficient to the 'common mwananchi' (that famous cliche)

So looking at it critically have the Michuki rules really worked as well as we'd expected. I'd say no! it's made public transport more expensive and less convenient for many though progress may have been made in the area of comfort. However I believe that change is inevitable and however good a policy may look at first it may need to be tweaked later.

Clearly our policy makers have their work cut out for them! I'm wondering if this isn't one of the reasons we have a Nairobi Metropolitan ministry. Nairobi residents need a good transport SERVICE. Emphasis on service as right now it's pretty much a dog eat dog world of profiteering matatu operators whereas what is needed is (cliche alert) public private partnerships that will deliver value to the customers at minimum cost. May I say that the local authorities should also subsidize the system if they are to justify milking more money from us- no taxation without service delivery! Therefore I laud the latest effort of having Matatus run by Saccos and companies- that would be a good way to pool resources so that they can acquire high capacity vehicles. I think we may have to move back to move forward by re-introducing the buses that could carry up to 90 passengers. That way we'd reduce the number of vehicles by a factor of at least 6 considering 14 seaters.

That's just one suggestion I'm sure that with greater consultations better solutions to our problems can be found. We are already wasting too many man hours in traffic. The new highways may help but only if we use them effectively and efficiently!

Another aspect of our transport system which I believe hasn't been used to the maximum is bicycles. A large portion of the City is pretty much flat i.e Eastlands and building cyclist lanes on those roads will provide a cheaper and more environmentally friendly means of transport.

Just a few thoughts but I believe that if we put our heads together we can come up with lasting solutions. Additions, subtractions and criticisms are welcome

Brown Envelope...

2010-10-28T17:02:00.001+03:00

Those of you who live in Nairobi have heard of 'jobless corner' that area outside the Hilton where you may find frustrated Kenyans some young. some old holding brown envelopes looking all beat with dusty shoes. I once was in that category 'consultants' who were freelancing. Was a few years back just after I'd left campus and it's so easy to forget that dry period once you get settled in the working world. That I did after finally making it to the land of milk and honey after roaming in the desert for a while.

It truly is a time of ups and downs, false hopes, trails that lead to nowhere, some that lead somewhere but it is so gratifying when you find that all elusive jobs. Who likes receiving those all too common regret letters- usually from your dream employer who you may have been praying, even fasting for. Attending interviews some promising, some total train wrecks as you are out of your depth because they're clearly expecting a more experienced person. There are also those that may have even gone smoothly but you never heard back again from the prospective employer!

Graduates usually come into the working world with great expectations and their dream career mapped out in their heads and after a few months you realise what a jungle it is out there. You may have been thinking what a superstar like me with an honours degree? they'll be jumping over each other to snap me up! They are of course th fortunate few who like step out of campus into work and even have to take leave for graduation then they are those who stay for months even years before getting a job. You really can't predict what will happen next. Then as usual there's those adverts that ask for somebody with x years of experience and you wonder what to do with 0 years! Crazy time it is and the Kenyan job market is pretty much an employers' market and many find themselves snapping up the first thing that comes along.

Inevitably frustration may creep in when you find yourself still hanging there months later, maybe you do an internship or something like that for little or no pay but all of us want that big pay slip at the end of the month. What a relief it is when the waiting finally ends and you get called for that interview and what can measure to the joy of hearing that you've actually been hired for the job? Before then you have to survive on hope and prayer as it's a season that is temporary not permanent.

Well all this hits pretty close to home for me, not the first time as a 'consultant' but have the unenviable title of being between jobs. Experience is a bit more intense as I know what it is like to have an income and so have even greater motivation and sometimes frustration esp when I know I gave something up for what I expected would be better. Of all the virtues we aspire to have patience is the hardest one to cultivate- somebody once said it carries a lot of wait but I know in the end I'll emerge stronger. as for now it's waiting praying and walking around with those brown envelopes!

One of them!

2010-10-28T16:36:00.001+03:00

All Kikuyus like money!

All Luos are proud

All Merus are bad tempered

Guess you've heard them all before

All men are dogs

All women want is money

You can't trust men

Maybe you've heard that too

It may be true that some are

It is also true that some are not

But how will you know

Without a chance given?

See all men have their flaws

Women too are not left behind

Life may deal have dealt you a bad hand

There is yet a different tomorrow

Just because the other did it

needn't mean the next one will

Lest you end up giving the label

He is just one of them!

Essential Reading

2010-10-06T20:26:00.000+03:00

Been a while since I trudged the land that is the blogosphere but I've come across some Kenyan blogs of late that are a great read mainly due to their humour, wit and great writing

Here goes
http://bikozulu.wordpress.com/
http://diasporadical.wordpress.com/

enjoy!

Be Prepared!

2010-09-28T12:18:00.000+03:00

Ephesians 6:10-20

Vs 13: put on the armour so that you may stand in the evil day.

The time to put on the armour is all the time especially when things are good- keep training yourself. Even when there is no war soldiers are constantly training so that when the battle comes they’re ready. Keep exercising your spiritual muscles! ! Tim 4:8

If you don’t prepare before when the battle comes you’ll be exposed and easily defeated. A soldier does not start donning his armour when he sees the battle at hand, he does it way earlier in the barracks before he set out.

What is this armour that we are told to put on? The fact that we have to put it on means that it doesn’t come from ourselves but from God It’s actually described in the order in which it is put on by the typical Roman soldier.

The Belt of truth: Verse 14 The belt was the first item to be worn with leather strips hanging down to protect the legs. As a Christian you are supposed to live a life of practical truthfulness and honesty otherwise how else can you stand against the father of lies? Also just as a belt holds the armour together truth will hold our life together with a sense of direction and purpose

Breastplate of righteousness: Verse 14b Was made of hard leather or metal and goes all the way around the upper body. This righteousness is not just that of Christ received through salvation but the righteous, practical character of believers. Doing that which is good and right will guard our hearts whereas ungodly living brings on emotional guilt as well as judicial guilt.

Feet ready with the gospel of peace: Verse 15 The soldier wore hard studded shoes to protect his feet. The Christian should always be ready to go out to defend and spread the gospel.

Shield of faith: Verse 16 This is above all. The shield was large 4 feet long and 2 and half feet wide and offered sufficient protection for most of the body. When we put our faith in God Satan’s assaults cannot penetrate

Helmet of Salvation: Verse 17a Protects the head. A blow to the head will most likely be nearly fatal. The same way a helmet protects the head the "hope" that salvation provides can protect our minds against things like despair and fear.

Sword of the spirit: Verse 17b This is the only offensive weapon in the armour of God. In Hebrews 4:12 the word of God is likened to a sword A believer has to have an intimate knowledge of he bible and not only that but speak specific words into the specific situation

Prayer: Verse 18 It may not be part of the armour per se without prayer the armour would be of no use and we are told to “pray always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit” vs 18. It is a continuous process come rain come sunshine we have to keep praying. In fact when things are going well that’s the best time to stock up your spiritual reserves and build your muscles because a time will come when you will not have the strength to do it yourself and others will have to stand in the gap for you. When Joseph was in Egypt (Genesis 41:17-36) they had 7 years of plenty in which they filled their stores for the 7 years of famine that were to come. However we may not always have the luxury of knowing the coming season but if we are always prepared the battle shall not overcome us.

This message was inspired by a conversation I had recently with some of my friends about a season of trials that came my way recently but somehow before then my spiritual roots had been deepened and it was like God was preparing me for what was to come. If the battle had found me far from God I would so easily have succumbed but thank God that my shield of faith had been strengthened and was able to use the sword of the spirit to wage war. So my final word to you is keep working at it, praying, spending time in God’s word even when your life seems flat you can always stand with those in the midst of hard times and the time will surely come when they’ll stand with you.

Be blessed

P.S saw this somewhere on facebook

A Christian streaker - someone who puts on ONLY the helmut of salvation! We also need the belt of truth,the breastplate of righteousness,the shoes of readiness to share God's peace, and the shield of faith! And above all, we need ALWAYS to trust in God thru prayer. Barbara Johnson.

and that's the 1st sermon :)

In your Dreams

2010-09-13T22:55:00.000+03:00

It's that time of year again where I blog about an exceptional movie I have had the pleasure of viewing. Last year Avatar gave us a visual feast but may have been a tad bit thin on storyline. However this year's pick takes the cake. What's more this is a repeat offender - Christopher Nolan directed my 2008 pick The Dark Night. This time he's taken even more honours as the writer and director of Inception. Similar to Avatar for James Cameron, Inception is a labour of love for Chris with him having started work on it in 2001 and it was well worth the wait!

Chris has delivered a movie that requires your complete concentration from start to end due to it's intricate multi-layered storyline- bat an eyelid and you may miss something. I suppose if I watch it again I'll pick up some details I missed the first time round. The storyline is pretty fresh too, the last movie I watched concerning dreams was Nightmare on Elm Street though it bears a lot of similarities. Complex as it is that doesn't mean that it's all cerebral as it has a good number of eye catching action sequences to give your eyes a feast. Another thing I liked about it was that the dialogue was pretty clean not laden with profanity like some other action movies.

One thing I'm not falling for is 'Mombasa' They tried really hard to fool us but any Kenyan who's been there will realise it's not authentic. Kind of sad that a scene like that which would have easily been shot locally and done some good for our film and tourism industries ended up being shot in Morocco.

The only negative thing I can think of about the movie is that there was no strong main character but in general it's a good movie which will get nominations for Technical aspects at the Oscars. I'm guessing Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, maybe even Best Director and Best Picture who knows. Christopher Nolan has struck again!

And for my parting shot something I came across on the net- ' Leonardo DiCaprio looks really dreamy in Inception'

Only on paper?

2010-08-10T12:51:00.000+03:00

We have a new constitution. Last week we went out in our numbers to give our opinion on the proposed law and the overwhelming majority approved of it. This is a long awaited moment in the history of our country, the culmination of a long struggle which started about twenty years ago. No doubt this is a significant event as we put the pieces together for a new Kenya after the tragedy of the post election chaos in 2008 otherwise known as agenda 4. Some have gone as far as to say that we have a new Kenya. In the heat of the moment we would be tempted to make such conclusions but is it really true? Do we really have a new nation or is it just new on paper for now?

A new Kenya spelt out in that document, changes to our political and social order which well executed will have great benefits to all. However for now it remains as a book- a collection of words on paper. It will take human effort from our leaders and the citizenry at large to make it work. For instance since it was approved social ills like bribery, corruption, inequality still exist. Political change is easy on paper but the social change needs to come from the minds and hearts of the people who have to be willing to change, so let’s pull together and make it happen.

Similarly a long time ago a people were set apart by God for special blessings and were given a set of laws by which to live by and God promised them good success if they kept them –Joshua 1:9. They were numerous and covered many areas of life and would no doubt be hard to maintain, looking at them critically they offered a way to walk clean and righteous. However they failed miserably time and time again and suffered the consequences for it by being taken into captivity and in various other ways. Of course I’m talking about the story of children of Israel in the old testament who were called out of Egypt into the Promised Land. They may have failed in keeping those laws but the Lord promised a new better covenant where he would write the laws in their hearts forgive them their sins and would not need anybody to teach them. Jeremiah 31:31-35. A different kind of law where God does not leave them to their own devices but promised to pour out his spirit on them-

The lesson we learn from the Israelites and their numerous failures is that the written law can not produce the desired change, the people have to obey and change the way they live. In other words the transformation comes from the inside out not outside in. How great it is that we now have a covenant where the law is now in our hearts through Christ who is in us Romans 8:9-11 not just the dead letter of the law 1 Corinthians 3:6.

So now as we reflect on change in our country, my question is have you experienced the greatest and most lasting change? That can only come from God working within you and obedience to his will. Be blessed

Microsoft and Safaricom- a comparison

2010-07-29T22:22:00.000+03:00

Was thinking about these two companies which have become giants in their respective fields over the years and I noticed there are some similarities between the two that go beyond their dominance. So please take a few min to look at my observations.

We begin at the top of the two companies. Both have been driven by leaders who are similar in some ways, Microsoft had Bill Gates as it's founding president and Safaricom Michael Joseph also known as MJ. They're both said to be bullies and driven by results and another vital element is their vision. Gates' vision was to have a computer on every desk and MJ's driving force was to take communication to the people. Largely both companies have succeeded in that and most importantly their strategy was to go for the common consumer while their competitors went for the niche markets- Apple in the case of MS decided to keep their architecture locked up while Kencell went for the high end of the market. So by catering to the masses they achieved their now dominant positions.

Another similarity os found in their early days. When MS- DOS was chosen as the operating sytem for the IBM Personal computer in 1981 they hit the jackpot. This was probably the event that propelled them to the great heights they enjoy today. In essence they piggy- backed on a bigger company and that enabled them to support the other clone makers too. Safaricom on the other hand were also part of Telkom Kenya and had the luxury of using their infrastructure as they were setting up.

Another thing that I've also touched on a bit is their competitors. Apple produced the Macintosh which was generally considered to be technically superior and had a better interface but had the disadvantage of being more costly. Therefore the average computer user stuck to the good old black and white interface of DOS. Closer to home Kencell too had a more reliable and congestion free network but they also suffered the same disadvantage of cost as Apple did and the masses flocked to Safaricom.

The public relations and marketing of the 2 companies is also similar. MS may not have created the graphical user interface but they popularised it as they did word processing with Word, spreadsheets with excel and presentations with powerpoint. They were alble to package and market the products in a format that was acceptable to everybody. Safaricom too were not the first network to offer for example internet services or airtime transfer but with innovative products with catchy names like bambanet and sambaza they endeared themselves to the Kenyan people.

As far as accusations go they have been 'guilty' of similar crimes. Microsoft have been for a long time accused of monopolistic practices by using their market dominance to undercut the competition. A good example was the bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows which led to Netscape's demise. Safaricom have also had their fair share of problems being accused of locking their subscribers in with tariffs that discourage off net calls.

Interesting coincidences can you think of any more?

If only I had...

2010-07-27T14:24:00.000+03:00

This Sunday in church we asked an interesting question "if only I had 'X 'my life would be complete" or something in those lines. Got me thinking about my focus in life and if I really got what I wanted I'd be complete. Many times in life we look for that thing that will make us happy, complete us or show us that we have arrived. For some it's education, a job, money, a man/ woman or an object such as a house or car. However once you get it you still find yourself wanting something else. FOr example when working you feel that your salary is never enough and keep looking for that raise but at the end of it even when you're earning millions it's still not enough.

For me that thing was a car, to be more precise I thought once I get myself a Range Rover sport I'll have arrives and would just sit back and tell God " I'm done now you can take me home". Looking back that was a foolish thing to say and was thinking- what if God takes that seriously? Not the greatest thing to live for now. Another thing I realised is that what I thought was so great and special is quite common today. I'm even tempted to say the Range Rover sport is the mew Vitz as there are so many on our roads today! Same would be said if I was seeking a mate or a child for example I would just walk down the streets and see lots of people have that too. So I search for something special that not everybody has but is only meant for me- my own purpose from God and once I get that I'll be more fulfilled than anything provided by a material thing or person.

Jesus Christ asked what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his own soul(Matthew 16:26) and these words resonate with me now more than ever as I see that it's not all about acquiring more stuff but laying my treasures up in heaven (Matt 6:20) and I pray that I may always have the right focus to seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). Really hard with all these messages coming all around us about what success is.

Be blessed all as you get focused!

All About The Game

2010-07-10T17:06:00.002+03:00

What a month it’s been. The greatest sporting event going on in Africa! The world came to Africa and we welcomed them with the open arms. In the beginning we thought that this would be Africa’s time to shine but turns out that home ground advantage counts for nothing. In any case the wintry weather being experienced right now would be quite hard for us in tropical Africa to handle it I don’t think that’s an excuse. The African football game has come a long way with some of our own plying their trade in the big European leagues and making a name for themselves. Naturally some names like Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o and Michael Essien come to mind. So with those stars you would think African teams would have done something significant but we’ve been shown that we need to up our game!

However we can not ignore the great run Ghana had even without their big star Essien. They did us proud by making it to the quarter finals and though there exit was under somewhat dubious circumstances they fought bravely and gave a good account of themselves. What’s more being the world under 20 champions the future is bright and the only way to go is up.

If there’s one thing that has made this tournament spicier than most is the unpredictability. Some who were pre-tournament favourites were bundled out and we had quite a number of upsets in the group stages. The finalists in the last tournament both booked early tickets home, one for a lack of ideas the other for lack of discipline which was a huge shame for former world champions. Ha even a final consisting of Serbia and Uruguay was plausible at some point. At one point the balance of football power appeared to have moved to the South Americans but in the end Europe held their own.

Although football is just a game there are some lessons that can be drawn from it. Forrest Gump said that life is like a box of chocolates, I say that life is a game of football- you’ve got to have the right tactics, wisdom it is called. Comparison of life to sport with life with sport is also found in the bible where Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:24 “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” Similarly on 11th June 32 teams were in contention for the world cup but only one will be crowned champion on 11th July…

In football to succeed you need the right tactics and in life you need the right wisdom which is the most important thing Prov 4:7 “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” About tactics it’ now obvious that football is very highly tactical gone are they days when people would just kick a ball in the air and somebody would run after it. Also missing which I find sad is the end to end dribbling and trickery that used to be there in the days of old. In fact a few of the early games were boring in that the teams were more interested in not losing than actually winning games! However in spite of that a team like Germany was able to stamp its authority playing positive attacking football. You may keep possession of the ball and have a good defence but in the end the only statistic that matters is goals so you have to play to win.

Another lesson can be obtained from the dismal performance of the African teams especially Nigeria and Cameroon. They play good football but couldn’t pull themselves together in front of goal. A case in point is that of Yakubu Aiyegbeni and his miss of the tournament. Nigeria had found themselves in a very good position where even though they had no points all they needed was a win to take them to the next round but they decided to become their own worst enemies. For African football to get to the next football we need to be more ruthless at finishing like the Germans. So lesson number two is you got to take your chances and well too not having 10 shots on goal and zero on target!

Next up are the underperformers like Italy and France who only have the past to look to. Oh and who could forget England and their favourite song about 1966 the only time they lifted the cup. Italy were reigning world champions coming into the tournament but that counts for nothing on the day and they struggled against lowly opposition such as New Zealand! Lesson number three- the past doesn’t count you have to perform on the day or you start packing!

France made a fool of themselves with their theatrics off the pitch prompting some to say that it was Karma visiting them after that dubious handball that sent them to South Africa. Their display of indiscipline in disrespecting their coaching staff was a blot to an otherwise good tournament. Naturally their lack of discipline translated to poor performance on the pitch. They also had a galaxy of stars but they couldn’t deliver as a team. Contrast this with Germany who were written off by their own Lothar Matthaus as below par without their injured star Michael Ballack. The proved the critics wrong with the best attacking team play of the tournament scoring 4 goals on 3 occasions. Teamwork took them to those great heights; every time they went forward they looked dangerous dues to their speed and accurate passing and good positioning, the hallmarks of good team play. Lesson number four- teamwork will win.

Oh and who could forget the excuses. One given by France was noise from the vuvuzelas keeping them awake. That horn has come up for criticisms from the players saying that they can’t hear themselves or the ref’s whistle. The ball was also criticized for being erratic at times; however I find it strange that Japan could use it so well in set pieces. In my opinion that’s just hot air! When we lose or under perform it’s easy to give excuses but they are not always the reason why. Lesson five- No excuses!

All African football fans will find the quarter final match between Ghana and Uruguay hard to forget. I for one have never been so disappointed by a football match. After dominating for long periods they were given a golden opportunity to win with a last minute penalty but that was not to be. They had been cruelly denied by a hand ball on the line but Asamoah Gyan who was consistent from the spot failed to deliver on the big day. Sometimes no matter how hard you try it’s just not your day but that shouldn’t stop you from trying. Lesson number 6.

We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve experienced the thrill of the victory and the agony of defeat but in the end only one will prevail. Similarly in life we have ups and downs but we’ve got to keep our eyes on the mark and finish well. In South Africa they are fighting for a trophy that doesn’t last, after 4 years it will be gone but there is another crown an incorruptible one that Paul talks of in 1 Corinthians 9:25 “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. “

So the question is- are you running after a crown that lasts?

Can you handle the truth?

2010-05-30T17:08:00.000+03:00

"You can't handle the truth!" is a famous line in the movie A Few Good Men is spoken by Jack Nicholson's character in response to being told " I want the truth"

I doubt if anybody being likes being lied to so I would guess that we all like being told the truth. At the same time "the truth hurts" is a well known saying. It's easy to say that I want the truth but what if the truth is not exactly what you want to hear but is what you need to hear?

Recently I read this somewhere " A communication consultant says many people fear that honesty will cost them friendships, love, or respect. So they will either keep their lips zipped or say something other than what they mean. Lack of self-worth and fear of hurting someone's feelings also impede honest communication." How true that is especially when we know the truth has the possibility of hurting the other person's feelings.

However once in a while we( me included) all need a little kick to bring us back to our senses since it's so easy to see others' faults yet overlook our own- see the mote in your brother's eye in other words. So the challenge is how to speak the truth in a loving manner that will bring goodwill and build each other like in one of my earlier articles- Irons sharpens iron. For instance what do you say to your friend who you know is being unfaithful to his or her partner or perhaps one of your friends who you're hanging out with is developing a drinking problem. Or maybe if your close friend or partner has done something that hurt you. It may be tough to speak uncomfortable words but sometimes it may be necessary for we are told in proverbs 27:5 it is written "Open rebuke is better than secret love".

So how exactly do we "speak the truth in love" as we are told in Ephesians 4:15? Honesty may hurt, but if we speak kindly and compassion we may give the support that somebody needs to face reality. It's obvious that we need great wisdom from above! we can get some of that divine wisdom which helps us speak effectively from the book of James 3:17 "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."

Naturally criticism is easy to give but hard to receive. It's all too easy to give somebody a piece of your mind but not quite so when the shoe is on the other foot now is it? One of the hardest things to cultivate is humility to listen first and that is something that I personally have to learn so I ask once again " Can you handle the truth?"

Be blessed

Heavily borrowed from Matt De Haan's word's in the "Daily bread" for May 22nd

Faith reminders

2010-02-16T12:51:00.000+03:00

Some scriptures to build your faith in God. Be blessed

If you ask anything in my name I will do it. John 14:14

Is anything too hard for the Lord?- Genesis 18:14

You are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love Nehemiah 9:17

You are precious in my eyes, and honoured and I love you Isaiah 43:4

If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will and it shall be done for you John 15:7

Have faith in God Mark 11:22

Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours Mark 11:24

Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full. John 16:24

Your father knows what you need before you ask him. Matthew 6:8

He took our infirmities and bore our diseases Matthew 8:17

Through God you are no longer a slave but a son Gal 4:4-6

Give and it shall be given back to you ; good measure, pressed down shaken together, running over, will be put in your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back. Luke 6:38

Hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience.Luke 8:15

If we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:12

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end Lamentations 3:22-24

If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my father in heaven Matthew 18:19

Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be yours as well. Matthew 6:33

condensed from the book 'anything you ask' by Colin Urquhart

Bumps on the Road

2010-02-16T12:49:00.000+03:00

Every once in awhile some bumps come in the road of life, some big some small but they all add to the experience of the ride. Wouldn't be the same if life was just a straight and flat road.

I've recently gone through one of those 'bumps' had it all figured out and everything was going all right and looking forward to big things then all of a sudden things changed. Disappointing it was at first but if there's one thing I'm thankful is for God's presence through it and the help, support an prayers of family and friends. I'm also learning to trust more and more in God and His plans for my life. This journey is nowhere near over yet! All is well in His hands

So to all of you thanks a lot and God bless you, been a blessing to me

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Rubbing the Wrong Way

2010-02-16T12:48:00.000+03:00

One thing in life is the people closest to you are the ones who have the greatest effect on you. They can give you the happiest moments and the saddest moments. It's easy to think that life is all clear blue skies and when a cloudy patch comes up you wonder what's up and think that something major is wrong.

One of the scriptures that is frequently quoted with respect to friendship is proverbs 27:17- " Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend" (KJV)
Now consider how this happens, two knives do not sit up next to each other warm and cosy and then they magically become sharp. No what happens is they strike each other and sometimes sparks fly, that's how it goes down. Similarly with our friends there can be those heated moments which come up when due to our humanity our flaws become evident. Nobody's perfect and so we do not see eye to eye all the time but we can build each other using the right words and end up being the better.

Let me quote Dr. James Dobson who put it so well in his book "Life on the edge"

" Whenever two human beings spend time together, sooner or later they will probably irritate one another. This is true of best friends, married couples, parents and children, or teachers and students. The question is: How to respond when friction occur? There are four basic ways they can react.

- internalize anger and send it downwards into a memory bank that never forgets. This creates great pressure within and can even result in disease and other problems
- They can pout and be rude without discussing the issues. This further irritates the other person and leaves him or her to draw his or her own conclusions about what the problem may be.
-they can blow up and they to hurt the other person. This causes the death of friendships, marriages, homes and businesses.
- Or they can talk to one another about their feelings, being very careful not to attack the dignity and worth of the other person. This approach often leads to permanent and healthy relationships."

And I end with the words of Psalm 133:1 "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell in unity"

Monkey Business

2010-02-16T12:47:00.001+03:00

Picture this.
An ape in the forest high up in the trees, moving along with his troop. Every time he switches trees he has to hold on to the tree he's on, grab the next then release the current one so as to keep moving.

Was just thinking about this in relation to life. We have to keep moving from one stage to the next as we progress. However if we try to grab onto the future and still insist on holding on to the past- the old branch so to speak we'll just end up hanging in the air not progressing. So to move forward you've got to let go if the past, with it's victories, failures, disappointments etc and reach out to the future with it's new possibilities!

In those same lines consider what Paul said "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. " Phil 3:13-14.

Don't get hang up on the past keep moving forward to greater things!

A Work of Art

2009-12-26T13:48:00.000+03:00

Just realized that the last couple of years I've written a post about the most outstanding movie I'd watched during that year. In 2007 it was Transformers if only for the visuals and last year it was obviously The Dark Night the highlight being the performance by the late Heath Ledger.

This year saw the sequel to transformers though a roller coaster of special effect and action lacked the wow factor of the first. I'm a big science fiction fan so when I heard James Cameron had a new movie coming out I knew it would be quite something. After all he is the man who brought us The Terminator which also had a sequel this year. There had been a lot of buzz about Avatar so when it came out I had to give it a look to see the special effects. This is the same man who took the game a notch higher with Terminator 2 back in the day, both in terms of special effects and budget and he has outdone himself once again.

He's well known for being late and over budget and for the third time one of his movies is the most expensive ever made and he's been quiet since his last Titanic effort (pun intended). I can say that the wait was worth it. Would have loved to see it in 3D but with the nearest IMAX over 1000km away I watched it the old fashioned 2D way. It is visually stunning and looked 'realistic' even though Pandora was a fantasy world. Story was good too deepest not exactly but good enough to keep me on the edge of my seat and though it was long just kept wishing it wouldn't end- however knowing hollywood they could try to milk this one with a sequel.

One particularly interesting aspect of the story is a departure from the humans are good aliens are bad theme we usually have. Found it sort of similar to District 9 in that respect and you really get to sympathize with the aliens' plight. I also think that this movie is some sort of Allegory of the bush invation of Iraq. In fact some of his catch phrases like 'pre-emptive attack' and 'shock and awe' and the obvious invasion because of mineral resources. Entertaining but also makes youu think of human nature and greed.

So this year they saved the best for last. I give this one 5 stars without reservation.

My tree

2009-10-10T00:45:00.000+03:00

I have a tree in my garden
When the wind blows, the gusts do not reach me,
When the sun scorches I hide in it's shade,
When I am hungry it's fruits satisfy
It's flowers delight both the eyes with their beauty and the nose with their fragrance
What a treasure it is

But my tree needs to be watered, lest it's flowers fade and leaves wither and die
Any good farmer must tend his own and so shall I
As I the Lord sustains with the rain from above

If you wonder what I call my tree
Friendship is it's name
And tend my tree I shall

by
Gituma Nturibi

Have we learnt?

2009-09-18T16:42:00.000+03:00

This is not so much a rant but food for thought.
I was just thinking the other day.. Looking back at 1999 Kenya was going through the same problems, rains had failed, dams were running dry and this lead to water and power rationing. Fast forward to 10 years later 2009, same problems yet again kind of made me wonder whether we learnt anything from our pas experience. Granted we rely a lot on hydro-electricity and diversification has been fast and slow plus of course we can't control the weather, there are some things we could have done.

Okay so we can't control the weather but there's a meteorological department that had warned us of the drought, from previous experience plans could have been made earlier for emergency power generation to mitigate the effects. The government is always talking about development, looks like we still have a long way to go, hope 10 years down the line we won't be going through the same stuff again.

The power rationing is sad but the thing that I'm really worried about is whether we learnt anything from the post election violence last year. Recent events raise questions as to whether people are still reasoning from their tribal cocoons. Case in point is the whole Mau forest issue and most importantly the Truth, Justice and reconciliation commission. The commission affords an opportunity to seek a solution for past ills but it looks like some want to use it to settle scores. Personally I wonder why some would want to use it to prosecute suspects of post election violence. However I think it will be long road to the truth, not necessarily a quick fix for all our problems hope we can be patient.

Just hope that come 2012 our people will have their eyes opened and that people will not be laying down their lives for their leaders, it is the leaders who should be loyal to them. We must never tire of praying for our country!

Gotta Go!

2009-07-28T21:34:00.000+03:00

Now as promised some stories

Almost immediately after I got my Private Pilot Licence it was time to do the long cross country flights. The First one we do is from Port Elizabeth to East London, on to Queenstown and back. I was initially scheduled to do it all on my own as my licence wasn't ready yet so I couldn't carry a passanger. Pretty daunting to go all that way alone first time but somehow it ended up being postponed and later on I could get somebody to go with me.

Took a while before the weather was good enough for me to on the flight, what's more it could only be done on a weekend as I was in class during the week. After a couple of postponements I got up early on a Sunday ready to go but yet again the weather was dodgy so I gave up and went for breakfast. Now as I was having my breakfast I was told that I had to for the flight, The big man had come that morning and said that all guys scheduled to fly should get on with it. I talked about him in my earlier post, old British guy with this Sean Connery voice thing going on. His theory was that the bad weather was only at the coast and on our way back once past the mountains all we had to do was descend below the clouds and we'll be all right. We had to take his word for it and off we went.

No sooner had we taken off than we met some clouds, could hardly see the horizon but fortunately for us it was just a small patch and further on things were ok. As we got closer to East London it was pretty clear. Now my passenger had decided to have a little too much juice that morning and you can imagine the side effects. Now a little physics lesson here, as you go lower the atmospheric pressure increases so you can imagine how his bladder was feeling as we descended to East London. As soon as we landed he couldn't take it any more, he Simply HAD TO GO! So he decided to relieve himself out the door as we were taxiing along. Hope nobody up there in the tower had binoculars...

So busy was he that he forgot to talk to tell me about the marshaller( who directs where to park) who I passed and went all the way to the end of the apron and asked the tower where the marshaller was and was told " but sir, you've just passed the marshaller!" Talk about embarassment. After that we did the necessary refuelling and stuff and went on with the rest of our trip. The rest was pretty much uneventful though it was pretty bumpy in the mountainous Queenstown area. We didn't hang around for long as we were told that the weather in PE was getting bad.

As we got closer to our destionation the clouds kept increasing and getting lower and lower and we had to keep on descending. Was pretty stressful but once we were past the mountains it worked pretty much as the old man had told us. It was getting worse as we went along and we arrived back at the school just in time as the clouds were rolling in at low altitude. 5 minutes later and we'd have been in trouble.

Phew it was finally over first experience, had doubts but what is amazing is how the old man had got it spot on about the weather, it's like he had a sixth sense or something. Truly experience is the best teacher. Yeah and I nkow better than to drink a lot before a long flight!

The Learning Curve

2009-07-14T23:01:00.000+03:00

Hmm. I have so fallen into the trap that has caught many other bloggers.What with Facebook and twitter hogging my attention the blog has suffered. Seven months into the year and no post whatsoever. better late than never!

So Last time I was in the blogosphere I was on about my first experience as the Pilot in command. A lot has happened since then, logged many more solo hours and learnt a lot along the way. I eventually got my Private Pilot license and recently passed the 100 hour mark. There's a saying that goes at 100 hours a pilot thinks he knows everything, at 1000 he does know everything and at 10000 hours he realizes that he knows nothing! So you can see where I fall in all of this right now.

Flying is interesting, there's always something new to learn and I doubt there's any pilot who can say he knows everything. In my short aviation career I've had numerous lessons drilled into me, some with ease and others with difficulty. There's one lesson that really stuck as I'll explain.

Referreing to my previous post I had detailed how prior to my first solo I had gone on a check ride with the big man of the school and that he had taken some time to take me back to basics. The exercise he drilled me on was called control co-ordinaton, here's where I launch into some technical mumbo- jumbo so please bear with me. Let me explain, turning an aeroplane is a delicate art which invollve proper co-ordination of hands, eyes and feet. Naturally you would think that you bank( turn i.e) usign the control column alone but your feet have to move in tandem otherwise the result won't be so good to put it simply. Hope you get the picture. It's a pretty basic skill but at the time my handling of it was not to his satisfaction so I had to endure the embarassment of being taught again.

Fast forward to a few weeks later when I went on anothe check ride with another instructor. It was a mess of a flight could hardly get anything right and he ended up recommending that I repeat it. However there was one positive remark in all of it- "You can co-ordinate!" Still laugh when I remember that story, lesson learnt- the hard way!

More on my adventures and misadventures in the air shall be coming soon, stay tuned...

Up, Up and Away

2008-12-16T10:59:00.001+03:00

It's been a while since I last posted as I've been quite busy getting the hang of flying so let me share a little experience that I had over the last few days that has been major.

By last week I had already done quite a number of hours and it was
about time for me to go solo so I was taken to a senior instructor who I flew with a couple times punctuated by a three day gap due to some lousy weather last week. However on Friday I was taken to the chief instructor who I had to stick with till he released me for my first solo. First flight on Friday went pretty well and he had some good encouraging words for me even telling me to believe in myself and I could do it.

The second flight on Saturday was a different story.I hadn't flown for 2 consecutive days for quite a while and those gaps tend to make you a bit rusty so I thought that this was my chance to get some good consistency. However after a relatively good start I made some of the same mistakes of the previous day and even some new ones. At one point I was given quite a dressing down in the cockpit and thought things had gone really bad. Afterward I was told that on Sunday morning I'd fly with the big boy himself, the owner of the school. He's quite an imposing figure a tall old man with a big grey beard who has a lot of experience under his belt so I knew the standards would be pretty high.

So on Sunday morning I woke up to another fine cloudless morning and I was surprised as the weather is hardly ever consistent. My flight was a little delayed as he was dealing with another student before me. When my time came he gave me a briefing first and looked at the comments from the previous flight and gave me some pointers on what to do. Soon after it was time to get going. Even when we were on the ground he had quite a number of comments to make on the things I was doing wrong and more when I got into the air. Probably due to nervousness I kept making some very silly mistakes which so got to him that he had to revise some of the basics with me in the air. This was really embarrassing for somebody who was already quite some way into the course. You can imagine how I felt after the de-briefing. I had really been brought down to earth or so to speak.After that I did quite a lot of thinking and praying, "have to pull up my socks" I kept telling myself. Fortunately on Monday I was scheduled to fly with the chief instructor so I was relieved.

Once again perfect weather on Monday morning, cloudless and only a slight hint of wind. This was truly amazing for me 4 days in a row of good weather was a first. I guess at this point you're probably thinking that I'm obsessed with the weather but it's part of the job! So as I was saying I was back with the CFI with a lot on my mind no doubt- "have to get to right this time, you can do it!" Went through the usual drill and he even expedited it so that we could get into the air much faster. Off we went into the sky, did a good flight and for the first time made a good landing, previously that had been my biggest problem. He went on to congratulate me for the good landing and of course there was the inevitable but- I had turned too early. Made the same mistake again and I was chastised but managed to fix it on the third try. I knew that what he was looking for was 3 good landings and that would be it. 1st one was good, misjudged the 2nd so
I didn't touch down but the next 3 were ok. On the last as I was about to get airborne again he took hold of the controls and just then I knew the moment I had been waiting for had finally arrived! A smile started forming on my face and I started psyching myself up. He asked
how I was doing whether I was ok and stuff and explained what I had to do next was to go up and do a circuit on my own.

Once he was through with the briefing he stepped out and it was time for me to do my thing. I gave him a thumbs up, put my hands on the controls, did my radio call and got going. The first thing that was really weird was the empty seat beside me and once I got airborne it felt really light and had to keep making adjustments. The flight went pretty well and it was definitely less stressful not having somebody there making comments every time you made a little mistake. Soon it was time for me to land and I was lined up on the final approach to the runway. Had to work on what was usually my weak point all on my own. This approach is particularly tricky as there are some trees just before the edge of the runway and so you have to be really careful so
that you don't end up perched on them. As I came in I noticed I was getting low and heading towards them. Naturally you would try to pull the plane up but this is a no-no as that would cause you to slow down and sink faster, I almost fell into this trap but I quickly increased the power and got over them and was back on course. Once Over them I was basically over the fence and went ahead to do a not so bad landing even if I do say so myself. It was finally done, the first solo, the first major milestone in my flying and 15th December 2008 shall remain permanently etched in my memory. After touching down I taxied back to the apron where the CFI was on hand to congratulate me and the other students were the to carry to the pool for a dip.

It's really hard to explain the feeling as I was really happy and at the same time relieved as it had taken me a while to get there as most of my colleagues had already gone before me. However I thank God for the way it went and the experience with the big boy which gave me a
wake up call.

Now it's on to the next stage.

Relfections on the victory

2008-11-17T15:37:00.000+03:00

A lot no doubt has already been said about Barrack Obama's triumph in the US elections that have firmly etched his name in history as the first African American to win. This of course not being his only first as he was the first African American candidate to win nomination for the presidency. It all looks like a fairy tale but it really is true. I never for once thought that I'd see the day when somebody other than a white man would rise to the most powerful office in the land. In fact when the writer of 24 created a black president it looked very highly unlikely little did we know that a few years later the fiction would become reality.

As an African I'm proud to see a man of colour in that office more so when his father hailed from my home country of Kenya. It's amazing the way we've taken him to be one of our own yet his father was largely absent during his upbringing. I'll not dwell too much on this but will instead focus on another aspect of this story that makes it so inspiring.

Four years ago Barrack introduced himself to the world with an outstanding speech a the democratic national convention when he was still a senate candidate. Right there everybody sensed something special about the “skinny guy with a funny name.” Some had already started seeing him as a atrong contender for the presidency. That was his moment and he had to strike while the iron was hot. he easily won his senate seat as well as the hearts and minds of many Americans who saw him as a symbol of hope and as expected he eventually announced his candidacy for the presidency.

That decision in itself was very bold- a first time senator and more to that a young black man running for president. The odds seemed to be stacked against him but he kept on. Even during the democratic primaries his main rival Hillary Clinton kept highlighting his inexperience and after the initial predictions you would have thought he didn't stand a chance. Honestly even I myself did not see him succeeding against the Clinton name and a white woman looked somewhat more likely to win the nomination than a black man. the first few results may have been discouraging but he stood firm and so did his supporters behind his slogan of “Yes We Can”

His was a different campaign giving hope to a country that needed it. While Hillary kept trying to attack him, he maintained his cool and overtook her in the race and finally clinched the nomination. Even I was surprised at the turn of events and after my initial scepticism became a believer. That stage finished he went on to face John McCain who looked well past his sell by date and couldn't match the youthful enthusiasm and charisma of his opponent. Desperation set in and his nomination of a female Vice presidential candidate proved to be a flop. The rest as they say is history.

One thing that stands out in this his whole story is how he seized the moment. he could have backed down and said that he needed more experience or that the country was not ready for him. However he cast the doubts aside and went straight for it, it's really admirable as it can be so easy to avoid the risk and stay in a comfort zone but as the saying goes a ship is safe in the harbour but that is not what it was made for. I can not say any more about his feat but it has shown us that when you believe in something and make use of the opportunity truly great feats can be achieved- truly Yes We Can!

Around the mountain

2008-10-17T22:07:00.001+03:00

his post has been a long time coming due to moving and all so without much further ado...

A few weeks ago on the weekend of the 26th and 27th September some pals and I decided to go on a road trip. It was pretty spontaneous but ended up being the most fun weekend I've had in a long time and probably in my life. There was a lot of long night driving but the company and scenery all made it worth the effort.

Started off on Friday evening from Nairobi at around 6 p.m and I being the genius I am decided to use the Bypass route from Embakasi to Thika road. After asking for a few directions we found our way to Kangundo road where as per directions we continued on a murram road and came literally to the end of the road- and this was at night mind you. Lost in an unfamiliar place in the cover of darkness is not a very nice experience believe me. Fortunately there were some Maasais around who guided us back to safety.

After that brief detour we got back on the Kangudo road and got on Thika road and arrive at Thika town to meet my pals at round about 8. After stocking up on energy drinks for the long night drive to Embu we set off. Gone down that road many time before so I was able to navigate well even in the dark to the next rendezvous point at Embu town. met the rest of the party there and headed on to Kamburu dam for the night.

On Saturday morning the adventure continued with a drive to Kiambere club right at the end of the Seven forks Dam series. Place was like a steaming cauldron with all that head and some of us took the inevitable swim. We hang around there till even then went on to Embu en route to the next destination- Kangu Baraka farm in Chuka.

More night driving but I had a nagging headache and so bought some pain killers at the supermarket in Embu. However after a can of XL energy drink the headache miraculously disappeared must have been the lack of sleep. We finally got to the farm some time after nine after a long delay on the road which was in particularly bad condition all the way from the Meru road junction. We were so wasted after the journey so a quick supper of sandwiches was enough and off to bed we went.

Got up early on Sunday morning as we had to be in Nanyuki by 9 to visit some 'surprise location' which was '20 min' away from the town. So 6 a.m found us ready to depart with pick up full of hay. The morning drive to Nanyuki gave us a very clear view of Mount Kenya before the clouds gather around it- was very picturesque, however the ice cap on the mountain was conspicuously absent- global warming anybody. 9 a.m found us in Nanyuki so we were right on schedule just 20 min left- right? Shock on us!

We left Nanyuki and followed our "guide's" Directions. Somehere about one hour later and over 10 kms from the end of the tarmac we had to stop and ask whether we are on the right track and he re-assured us that we were. You can imagine how we felt bwing far from civilization and the surroundings looking like this but we accepted that not all have the gift of estimating time and distance.

After a few more minutes on the dirt road we finally reached our destination- Ol Jogi game reserve. One of my ever resourceful mates whipped out his phone to check our location in google maps an to our surprise we were in Anaheim, California- I kid you not!

The joint is pretty neat- a private wildlife reserve owned by some Mzungu as usual. The landscape was beautiful but what was really interesting was the array of exotic animals there like

The Albino leopard

Russian bear- The only one in tropical Africa.

The show stopper however was a couple of our very own African elephants like the one at the top of the page.

After feasting our eyes on the show we made our way back to Nanyuki where we spent some time fixing auto issues caused by our roads and at about 4.30 we started the return to Nairobi. Arrived in Nairobi at about 8 tired but satisfied after a super fun weekend.

After this trip I truly understand how beautiful my country is and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Just want to thank all my pals who made this weekend so much fun- You know yourselves.

At the ball game

2008-09-09T16:51:00.000+03:00

All set for kick off

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to witness the brave warriors of Namibia get a lesson or two about football by the Harambee stars. Kudos to the boys for getting one step closer to World cup qualification. Let's hope they can pull something off when they meet Guinea away.

This being my first live national team football match I went with a lot of anticipation. Reports were that the match was sold out and the traffic on Thika road pointed to the fact. An interesting thing I noted was that there were a lot of the middle class rugby crowd headed there from the cars which were draped with the national flag and associated paraphernalia. A good thing to note that the game has such wide appeal hopefully at this rate we'll see better things for Kenyan football. However one of my pals pointed out that a lot of the support was because the team is doing well and I would tend to agree that we are fair weather supporters.

A section of the crowd at gate 13

After braving the traffic we made our way into the stadium a few minutes before kick-off. The crowd was not as large as I had anticipated and it was easy to get space. The thin crowd made it hard to pull off the Mexican wave as it kind of got lost at the gaps. The atmosphere was ok though I noticed that we are yet to learn the art of cheering in this country as there were quite a number of silent moments. That all changed when a goal came from the penalty spot and the stadium erupted into wild celebrations. Had to watch my head as people threw bottles from the upper terraces.

The team's performance was good enough to grind out a win though not without some tense moments in the second half. One area that really needs improvement is set pieces. We had so many free kick but we never so much as threatened the opposition from them. Also worth noting is our lack of attacking options; the absence of star forward Dennis Oliech was clearly evident. We need to get that talent pipeline moving because I know the next Oliech is out there just waiting to be discovered.

Once the final whistle was blown we quickly made our way to the exit. However our exit was not without incident. At around the point we joined Thika road one of the wheels of the car we were in ran over a lady's foot. What even made it more startling was the way she was screaming and writhing on the ground. The shock made me freeze for a minute before we bundled her and her friends into the car and rushed her to hospital. The ride was quite an experience with her wails and groans of pain especially since she had sprained that same foot before. You can imagine the kind of pain she was in! Fortunately for her there was no major damage and she received treatment at the hospital.

Fortunately for us there was no other drama that day as we went back home!

Oh no! not again!

2008-08-28T23:04:00.000+03:00

Ha!
Had to blog this before i went to bed.

I paid a visit to the 'wall' this evening. Inserted my card as requested and waited....

"Insert your card" was still being displayed- what could have been wrong? a few seconds later " "This ATM is temporarily out of service." What?

The guard told me to chill a bit and see if my card would re-emerge. After a while he said that since it was more than 2 minutes the card had been retained. being one to keep faith I waited. The wretched contraption made some noise and hope began to rise within me. The familiar "Insert your card" came back on but no card was returned. Card had been retained according to the guard. Doooooh! Nothing else to do but to go and collect it from the bank again.

Funny thing is that there are 3 ATMs on my way home. Had a strange feeling that I should alight where the first two are but decided against it as it was farther away. Next time I had better trust my gut feeling.

So it's back to the banking hall for me- isn't that sweet?

Arrrrgggggh!... ... Phew!

2008-08-26T12:24:00.000+03:00

Now where do I start? I think the best place to start is the beginning.

About 3 weeks ago my wallet decided to grow legs and walk out of my pocket. Must have dropped it in a mat but on further inquiry it was nowhere to be seen, apparently somebody had an eye for good wallets. Anyhow luckily for me no vital documents were inside but a very important ATM card was in there. I have since learnt that ATM cards are the best thing since sliced bread, without it I’ve had to brave the snaking queues at the farmers’ bank.

Naturally on learning of the card’s disappearance I hastily made arrangements to have it cancelled and applied for a replacement not without spending a good amount of time in the banking hall to get that done. Was told to come back in 10 days so I waited until the due date.

It was ready for collection last week and I made arrangements to leave work early so as to get to town before 4 p.m. Thought leaving by 3 would give me enough time but as always the traffic on Mombasa road had other ideas. Got to the city centre at 4.30 so much for that. Tried again on Saturday but the 45 min I’d given myself looked inadequate so my trip had to be postponed to Monday.

Come Monday with the benefit of experience my exit from the office was done at 2.45 p.m. Surely by any estimation that should have been adequate time to make it to town by 4. So I cleared with my supervisor and made my way to the gate. Luckily there was a matatu right there so I quickly got on and began my journey.

Before we even got to Mombasa road there was already traffic on airport north road. Even the driver was surprised and wondered whether the president was still around as he had passed that way earlier in the day. After a few manouvres on the road we got onto Msa road which looked to have a high amount of traffic for that time in the afternoon. The matatu was pretty empty so we had to make a few stops but it filled up quickly and according to my watch there was still a lot of time. Once it was filled up I was confident that it would be an express trip into town.

Shock on me when we got to south C and found a snarl up that is characteristic of rush hour and not 3.30 p.m! the driver too was confounded since that time is usually free flowing. Once again some overlapping was done on the road towards the Nyayo stadium roundabout, once we got there it would be all good- or so we thought. We had not even gone through the roundabout before we came to a stop to the horror of even the driver. Strangely all other roads heading into the roundabout were also held up. Knowing that our fate was practically sealed we moved slowly towards the city centre. In the meantime the driver was sharing how frustrating his job can get and I totally agreed.

Just after the Bunyala road roundabout ( side note: how many of those things do we have to pass? They must go, by yesterday!) I looked at my watch, 12 minutes left to bank closing time. Looked out the window and wondered if I alighted then whether I could make it. After a little thinking I decided it was best to stick in to the mat and told God- “please, let me make it in time”.

2 minutes to 4 still on the road, What’s more the contractors working on the road had parked a lorry with concrete blocks on our lane. Thought they were supposed to be working at night not in the middle of the afternoon! Arrrgh! I tell you sometimes you can just shoot people. Thanks to that little obstruction 4 o’clock found us at the Haile Selassie roundabout. I had no option but to alight from the mat in traffic.

Got of the mat and ran to the bank and you guessed it- closed by 4.03 p.m. tried to negotiate with the guards to let me in but hey wouldn’t budge, ati I should come the next day. “what!” After all the trouble I’d been through that was not an option. At this point I was livid, cursing the traffic, for crying out loud, I had done my best to get there in time! Tried calling a pal who works in the bank but he was busy.

As I was outside there brooding and almost going captain haddock on those guys hope arrived. I saw my cousin whose mum works at the bank come out of the door. “Halleluyah!” I thought. Told her my situation and she spoke to her mum. Strangely she noticed that her mum’s number was already on my phone but I guess in the situation I forgot. A few minutes later I was sorted and was smiling all the way out the bank.

Relflecting on that situation I really thanked God for coming through for me again like this time and this. Was a really frustrating experiences but it worked out well in the end. Thanks be to God.

Lakini this traffic is in a horrible state! One of my pet subjects but that’s for another day

Games Over!

2008-08-24T20:16:00.001+03:00

Wow! what an Olympics it's been for my countrymen and women. Nothing could have been better than having the Kenyan national anthem being the last on the playlist and that's exactly what happened when Samuel Wanjiru had the honour of being he first ever Kenyan Olympic marathon champion. This Olympiad has had a number of firsts for the Kenyans.

Jason Dunford was the first Kenyan swimmer to get to the finals and more to that he broke the olympic record on the way there. Some may say that he peaked to early but something tells me there's more to come especially from his younger brother David.

The next first was Pamela Jelimo who earned her place in the history books as the first Kenyan female Olypic champion. A lot was expected from this young lady 'the Kaptagat Express' and her counterpart 'the Eldoret Express' Janeth Jepkosgei. Lucky for us we managed to prise Pam from the Americans who wanted to ship her off to the far away lands. The last pioneer of course was Wanjiru(which is actually a Woman's name).

The Haul of 5 gold 5 silver and 4 bronze is our best ever. The only time we came close to that was in Seoul where we garnered 5 gold 2 silver and 2 bronze. Last year's no 2 position at the IAAF world championships was a tough act to follow but the boys and girls have shown that they've got what it takes to do even better.

Of all the 5 Gold medalists Jelimo, Kipruto, Langat, Bungei and Wanjiru some of them deserve a special mention. Jelimo has already been dealt with but the standout performance was from the relatively unknown Nancy Jebet Langat who won the women's 1500m, on that day the race was not a medla hope but she rose to the ocassion even without team mates to help her on. Next up is Bungei who as the captain made up for the dissappointment of not making the finals at the last Olympics. Last but not least is Wanjiru who won the marathon despite the favorite Martin Lel falling by the wayside .

Once again I congratulate the boys and girls for their performance which was outstanding, phenomenal, great even. As we celebrate let us not rest on our laurels as staying number one in Africa is not as easy as becoming number one. The beloved Ethiopians are constantly on our heels as evidenced by their double in the 5000 and 1000m. As I said in my earlier post these guys can be beaten but we have to be more strategic. Former Olympic champion John Ngugi( the last Kenyan to win the 5000m) higlighted this in an interview recently.

One thing that the Ethiopians have mastered is majoring on the majors as opposed to us who have guys running in the IAAF golden league and missing out on the olypmpics. Credit goes to Athletics Kenya for being strict this time round which I'm sure helped our performance. Teamwork wins every time!

Another thing that is vital is money, money, money! the Government and sponsors should do all they can to make sure the athletes get paid well for their efforts lest they defect to Qatar or Bahrain like some have. I wonder if we can even make athletics our national sport as that's our forte.

Kweli leo Najivunia Kuwa Mkenya

In a totally unrelated story came across these interesting pictures of Nairobi courtesy of Ntwiga's blog.

Games time!

2008-08-18T14:48:00.000+03:00

This past weekend was pretty interesting as far as sports goes. Made my way to the RFUEA grounds where I watched Kenya come from behind and win the Elgon cup not without some last minute suspense where a converted try would have handed the cup to The visitors. Think I'm getting hooked on to this rugby thing.

The 'real' Olympics began on Friday with the first track and field events. However there was a Kenyan- Jason Dunford who was also in contention for a medal in the 100m butterfly. He didn't make it to the medal positions but he had a good showing at the games by being the first to break the Olympic record though it was broken only minutes later. At least he got his 15 min of fame plus a new African and national record. Making it to the finals was no small feat and we hope to see more of him and his brother in London 2012.

The first major track medal predictably went to Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba in the10000m women and 2 days later Kenenisa Bekele also made of with Gold. Watching the two winners, it is easy to see that their weapon is the final kick in the last lap. That's the same way they've been beating the Kenyans since the early 90s. I'm no athletics expert but I think by now we should know what to expect and adapt to their style lest the Kenyans get forgotten. I stand to be corrected on this. You have to admit those Ethiopians have something special there, running for almost 10 km and still being able to sprint. What was even more amazing was the sprint at the end of the Women's marathon.

"This just in" Kenya have won their first 2 gold Medals. As expected Brimin Kipruto won the 3000m steeplechase( no 1,2,3 though some Frenchman spoiled the party) and Pamela Jelimo became the first Kenyan Woman to get an olympic gold in the 800m. Next up is 1500m men let's hope for something there too.

For a parting shot, the 'freshest' ad of the year

Of Good Samiritans and Dark Knights

2008-07-27T18:23:00.000+03:00

This past Tuesday I found myself having to go to the CID headquarters to get a certificate of good conduct. I had planned to collect in 28th after the usual two weeks but something came up and I needed to get it more urgently.

Not wanting to go all the way there only to bounce I asked if anybody in the office knew somebody at he CID so that I could confirm that the cert was ready. Luckily for me one of my colleagues knows a lady who works there however he didn't have her her number at the time neither did he know her name. He told me that he could somehow contact her through somebody at her home. after making a couple of calls he sot into contact with her gave her my details and confirmed that it was ready. I swiftly made arrangements to go and collect it that afternoon.

When I got to the CID headquarters I called the lady- who I learnt is called Winne to ask where Ican pick it up and was directed accordingly. On arriving at the collection point I gave my receipt. There was a problem though- the serial number had not been stamped "dooh" I thought to my self. How could I have forgotten that? I was directed to an office where I could get the number from the computer system. They checked my details and unfortunately the number was not available. However if I produced my ID they could get it. This where I remembered deciding not to carry my ID with me in the morning, after all I didn't know that I needed it. "dooh and double dooh."

At that point I decided to call Winnie up about the matter and she told me to call her back in 2 minutes. True to her word when I called her back she had the number ready and I quickly noted it down and went back to the office to collect the cert. To y relief it was ready but I still had to sign for it. "Where's your ID?" I was asked as I was about to sign. "Oh no not again!" I thought but he let me go easy.

After that experience I made sure to call Winnie and express my gratitude. Somebody I neiher knew or had seen had done a lot to help me without asking or anything in return. It's good to know that there are still genuine people out there. Made me think about how I can be a better person. It also reminded me of this other story.

Now for something completely different.

On Saturday I went to the movies. I had two choices either Wanted or The Dark Knight. Since I had been eagerly waiting for the next Batman movie I was leaning towards that side and after I read a bad review of Wanted the decision was much easier. One word comes to mind- wow! Great action movie the best I've seen this year which has been full of comic book(or is it graphic novel?) heroes. The most outstanding performance was Heath Ledger(Pity he's gine) as The Joker. Also there's lots of explosions and action galore. Story is good too with suspense that makes the 2 and half hours or so look so short. I give this one 5 stars most definitely. No wonder it's breaking records left, right and centre.

PRICE WARS: EPISODE III - Attack of the clone

2008-07-04T17:16:00.000+03:00

The Green empire have retreated to their base to nurse the bruises from the last battle and plan their next course of action. The free calls almost ran their network to the ground and they had to adjust it due to the peculiar calling habits in the republic.

The Red team launch an assault, more like a clone of the Greens- 'free' calls yet again! they promise that the network can handle it, but can they now?

Meanwhile a new power is on the horizon the Orange empire are building their troops readying for an attack. The Blues in the other hand try to forge an alliance with the green empire.

The saga continues...

Barcamp Re-cap

2008-06-23T10:19:00.000+03:00

Wow!

That's the first word that comes to my mind about Barcamp Nairobi '08 which was held on 21st June. The turn out was great, sessions interesting, and lots of interesting discussions as well.

It is also worth noting that the Permanent Secretary for information made an appearance towards the end. He said that some policy changes will have to be made based on what he had there. We hope this means that the policy makers in Kenya will now work together with the tech community for development. Of course we will continue keeping them on their toes.

Thanks goes out to the organisers and those who attended for making it such a great day. Looking forward to the next one!

Safari Sevens

2008-06-23T09:58:00.000+03:00

This Sunday for the first time Ever I managed to make my way to the Rugby Football Union of East Africa grounds on Ngong road for Kenya's premier rugby event the Tusker Safari sevens. Lets just say I discovered what I've been missing all this years. It was a great day weather was fine unlike the previous day which had been freezing cold.

Almost immediately after I came in I witnessed our own Kenyan boys beat the world champions Fiji in the quarter finals on their way to the title. There was a really big crowd and it looks like soon we'll need arugby stadium to cater for all those fans. Also in attendance were the Prime minister and his deputy who was presenting the trophies.

Here are some pics (note:taken from a phone hence the quality) of the goings on.
Kenya vs Fiji at the quarters
Some of us at the 'Russia' stand

The dying minutes of the final- Kenya vs Emerging Springboks
Yet another shot from the finals

All in all it capped a fantastic weekend which began with the hugely successful Barcamp on Saturday. Now it's back to work after my week off...

Live at the Barcamp

2008-06-21T13:27:00.000+03:00

Setting things up

An the games began

and continued
Chilling out in the google room.

Le Barcamp c'est back!

2008-06-13T09:43:00.000+03:00

When: Saturday, June 21
Time: 10am - 5pm (of course, this goes later, and I would stick around for any evening fun and conversation...)
Where: Jacaranda Hotel - (website) - (Google Map)
[UPDATE: venue was officially changed to the Jacaranda Hotel in Westlands, sorry for any confusion. We will NOT be meeting at the 680 any longer.]

Barcamp Nairobi '08 is an unconference made up of of technical professionals, Internet enthusiasts, bloggers, designers and other clever people in the Nairobi area who wish to share and learn in an open environment.

Attendees don't just watch a set list of speakers. They give their own talks. Podcasting. Web standards. Microformats. Gum stick computers. Physical security. Robotics. Evolutionary algorithms. It can be anything. This event is not just for stuffy developer types - one of the best barcamp presentations ever given was about sandwiches. Barcamp is what you make of it.

Groan of the week: The Finance minister made a sin-tax error in his budget speech!

PRICE WARS: EPISODE II - The Empire strikes Back

2008-06-04T22:54:00.000+03:00

War!
A lot is afoot in the galaxy, the war is beginning to gather pace. Thegreen empire is doing well, trade is at an all time high and profitsare unprecendented. This time the empire is kind enough to 'reward'it's subjects for their loyalty. Free calls all night from 9 to 6 onlyafter paying the required tribute no less. The masses get excited andresort to their peculiar habits and the network soon gets clogged.

Meanwhile on the other side the members of the red alliance continueenjoying the congestion free network. However there is a sense thatthe green empire could yet have some more tricks up their sleeves...

Great Scot!

2008-05-22T21:09:00.000+03:00

Now let me turn my attention to the greatest football team in the world and its manager the one and only Sir. Alex Ferguson. When he took up the job way back in 1986 he promised to "knock Liverpool off their perch." That took a while to accomplish as he got his first league title in 1993 and has since then guided his team to within 1 win of Livepool's record 18 triumphs. What's interesting to note is that he is the only coach to have survived since the inception of the English premiership, only Arsene Wenger comes close at 12 years. During last night's champions league final one of the commentators remarked that he's the last of the old style managers. Nowadays they are controlled by billionaire owners but he has a firm grip on things, cross his path and you are out of the door ask David Beckham and Ruud Van Nistelrooy. Another thing to note is how patient the club was with him, it took him 4 years to win his first title the 1990 FA cup. I don't know how long he would last today, patience paid off handsomely. Another Interesting thing to note is that he is like the only manager of a big European club still in his job since 1999 when they won the treble. Truly a great man and their latest victory crowned a fantastic season.

The attack has been on a roll this season with the trio of Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo all in the double digits. Of course the biggest hero of the latest triumph is the Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo, what a season he's had. As Randy Jackson of American Idol would say check this out dog.

	Appearances	Goals
Premier League	38	31
Domestic Cup	3	3
Europe	11	8

The stats speak for themselves and he got a good number of individual awards too. Let's see whether he'll become the first premiership based winner of the FIFA World Player of the year award. He has often been criticized for not performing on the big stage, I'm sure has now answered his critics with his performance at the final.

The success has been a great team effort and a special mention is in order for the exceptional defensive partnership of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic with the support of Patrice Evra and Wes Brown. The shrewd summer buys also helped with all 3 major signings Anderson, Nani and Hagreaves settling well into the team so much so that Paul Scholes long injury absence went almost unnoticed.

There's little more one can say about that ensemble of the worlds most talented footballers and their Manager so I'll leave it at that. Congratulations Manchester United!!

And now for something completely different. Thank you John Terry! you were well, Terrific

Price Wars!

2008-05-20T17:07:00.000+03:00

A long time ago in a country not so far away...

The evil monopoly of the sole operator affectionately known as 'Posta' draws to a close. It is the dawn of new area, people all over celebrate the arrival of the new operators who will give them the freedom to communicate. Slowly everywhere what was previously a status symbol finds its way into the hands of the ordinary mwananchi. However the costs are high, they have to 'recoup their investment' they say.

A battle ensues, one of them does not read the market well enough and falls to the wayside. The other continues to gain more and more market share until it becomes almost another monopoly. Congestion sets in, people get well acquainted with the words 'mteja hapitakani' so much so that they become part of the vocabulary. Still they hang on after all the services are cheap(within the network). The second player is down but not out, tries to get back in the game but nothing doing, the force is too strong.

However more is happening in the galaxy, two new players are coming in, this could herald a new age of competition. An oracle predicts that soon the rates will go down to 2 bob. Even before the words can be digested we hear 3 bob being mentioned somewhere with a swift response of 10 bob from the other side...

The story unfolds...

Marking Territory

2008-05-18T21:53:00.000+03:00

This time I take you to the Nairobi Safari Walk- beautiful place, If you haven't been there what are you waiting for?

This past weekend a few friends and I visited the place this past weekend to hang out and check out some of the flora and fauna. Got to see quite a number of the animals on display but we couldn't spot the leopard( pun very much intended)However the king of the jungle was very visible and that's what I'll dwell on for this post.

First let me say that lion is a true poser like Alex from Madagascar. I don't whether he could see us but he was strutting majestically in his enclosure like a model on the runway. after strutting his stuff he positioned himself on a platform and gave some very deadly poses like a magazine shoot even turning his head so that we could get a better view. Then again all the showbiz could be my imagination but I must admit it seemed uncanny.

The view from behind the glass was no enough to satisfy us so we went for a closer look right next to the chain link fence. Got to see the lionesses up close and got a couple of photos for good measure. Never been that close to a lion before wonder hoe it would have been if there was no chain link but I digress. After our photo shoot with the lionesses Mr. Simba came by and started rubbing his neck on the fence. .

After the rubbing he proceeded on to his territory ritual. He turned away from us and as we were about to start snapping away the beast released some marking fluid(otherwise known as urine) from it's posterior right at us! For some reason the girls in our group got the lion's share(groan!) of the stuff. I guess the chicks had acquired a new admirer in the lion. This whole experience of course attracted some amused looks from the other visitors who also gave us some knowing looks outside the gate.

On the brighter side at least now we can walk in the park and fear no lions as we've already been marked.

This story is all true, I'm not lyin' to you( final groan or is roar?) I have availed a nice shot of the offending beast at the top of this post.

Views from the Great Rift Valley

2008-03-13T21:12:00.001+03:00

A little eye candy from the Great Rift Valley, one of the wonders of our world. Photo credits all yours truly. Enjoy

This photo was taken by chance from inside a moving vehicle way back in 2005.
Location: Corner Baridi

The next one was also taken from a moving car- nice view of Mt.Longonot.
Location: Nakuru highway

A view of the valley side on Ngong hills

Location: Ngong Hills

Criminal Element

2008-03-11T21:25:00.001+03:00

The story begins on the morning of 9th March.

Early that morning, 6 o’clock to be precise I was dropping my brother off at the airport. As we approached the gate he was reading a text message on his phone which distracted him from the road. I noticed he was about to hit the police check sign but before I could warn him to swerve he hit it. Made aloud noise as it hit the ground and inevitably the policeman ahead started waving his torch- doooh! The phone was quickly hidden- if it was seen that would be it.

So he pulled over and the cop asked him funny questions like can’t you tell the size of the car, why did you knock the sign- etc so he went out to sort things out. After a little pleading he set thins right and was let go. In the meantime another cop asked who was traveling and then asked me for my license and I gladly presented it and we proceeded to the terminal where I dropped him off. Once again another cop asked for my license, all was ok, went on with my journey. End of part one.

Later on in the evening I was helping some pals drop of some stuff with the car and in the course of conversation I mentioned how a cop can always find something wrong with a car. I was later to find out that I had just jinxed myself there. As we set off I told my passengers to belt up as I was going to be driving fast on Thika road. Later on after zooming down the road I reached the police check at Clayworks and was pulled over. You guessed it! Belts not on, which was quickly pointed out by the cop. Back to the drill again- license etc. At this point I was so pissed at my pals for not belting up after I had warned them. What’s more the cop discovered that my license was unsigned. Please note this is the third time I was presenting on that day and now is when it’s discovered at around 10.30 p.m. Murphy’s law!

Okay I’ve been busted I begin my defense, “we’ve just come from a church function” “oh it’s Sunday, please forgive me.” By the way my appeals were very passionate at one point I Almost went on my knees. First he threatened a court appearance the next day- that didn’t work, then a ‘fine’ ( in fact he told me to ask my friends how much we were willing to pay) that didn’t work either kept on pleading with hands clasped and tears coming to my eyes. Eventually he told me get back into the car, I kept on pleading but once I got back inside to my great relief my license was returned and I went scot free. My pals congratulated me on an Oscar winning performance! I also called my bro who was in Congo by then, (one network can you beat that, bonga na bob with somebody that far away, thank you Celtel) He just laughed. However that is not the end of the story. End of part two.

Early the next morning I set off for Nairobi, Imagine there was traffic at 5.40 a.m. Thika road is special. After passing the snarl up at GSU roundabout which stretched back all the way to Safari park, (this is 6 a.m. mind you) I diverted to Outer Ring Road. There some funny matatu guy who was trying to overlap managed to knock the left indicator out. A couple of people pointed out to me that it was hanging so I removed it at a petrol station and left a gaping hole in it’s place. Got to Embakassi roundabout about 2 hours later- yes! The day pretty much went well, had to deliver the car back to my dad’s office in Hurlingham, did that in the evening. The journey was ok save for nasty traffic on Mombasa road, however when I got to city Mortuary roundabout one of the boys in blue stopped me-
“Oh no not again” I said to myself. The reason this time was the gaping hole on the left, license again- this time it was ‘mutilated’ Hey even one of my tyres was too smooth. Man our cops really know their work. Once again pleading- “I’m going to my dad’s office. It’s nearby” ( I was like less than a Km away!). Eventually he let me go ( yeah he asked for something small but I didn’t give in) and I delivered the car to my dad successfully.

So that is how I became one of Kenya’s most wanted. What a weekend!

Tagged!

2008-03-06T19:35:00.000+03:00

thanks to The mountain
The Rules:

- Link to the person that tagged you.

- Post the rules on your blog.

- Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.

- Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.

- Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website

1. I eat bananas with the peel completely removed i.e a naked banana- something that my house mate finds really wierd. Learnt this Habit from this guy

2. When I'm working on something, especially when it's tough my toungue sticks out of my mouth. A habit shared with Michael Jordan so no sweat there

3. I don't put sugar in my tea/coffee. Habit I learnt from a friend in campus, been sugar free since September 2006. In fact nowadays when I put sugar in coffee I find the taste awful!

4. I zone out a lot. Could say I have a short attention span and sleep a lot in classes so I'm usually the butt of many jokes.

5. I find it impossible to litter. Hate it when people throw stuff out of car windows, would rather have my pockets full of sweet wrappers than throw one on the ground. However funny enough I'm not exactly the most organised guy.

6. I have missing tooth a molar to be precise so you wouldn't notice, not lost in a fight by the way. I'm too young to be losing teeth!

I will tag the following just to go with the flow so sorry to:

Aduda
FarmGal
Kafei
Gichungwa
Tweedle dee, tweedle dumb
Unyc

One quiet Sunday

2008-03-06T19:29:00.000+03:00

After a long hiatus I come back into the Blogosphere.

Let me just share an interesting thing I saw in the last 2 weeks, last Sunday to be precise. My housemate was hosting some of his pals for a birthday party in the crib. 3 of them were having a joint party 2 guys and a chick. Apparently one of the chicks was going out with the dude so after the cake cutting ceremony he proceeded to give a special gift to his chick.

He started off with a long of story of how they've known each other since their school days and cracked some jokes here and there as he held a card in his hands. After a not so long speech he had something else to say. He reached towards his pocket and started getting down on one knee- could it be? as you guessed a small package came out of his pocket. Inside the box was a tanzanite ring! then he asked- 'want more cake?' hehehe.

Yeah a question was asked and he girl went into shock covering her head and fanning herself with her hands- temperature had risen through the roof! After a while she cooled down and luckily for him a positive response was given.

Well that's something I probably won't get to see again. Notes taken :)

Game on

2007-11-01T19:15:00.000+03:00

After postponing my next post here goes on to do with posts(pun very much intended...

At the beginning of the season many people( me included) had written off Arsenal due to the departure of their top scorer of all time Thierry Henry. In fact a friend of mine who is an Arsenal fan went on to say that it the Manchester United vs Arsenal fixture would not be a crucial game. Granted every one of th 38 games is a key fixture what he probably meant is that he didn't expect it it to be a top two encounter.

Well a lot has changed since then with Arsenal's youngsters coming of age in sensational style with Cesc Fabregas pulling the strings in mid-field. He''s probably a top contender for young player of the year, and if he keeps it up it's his for the taking. Not to forget the contribution of others like Adebayor who now finds the net more frequently and Robin Van Persie. Save for last week's encounter with Liverpool, the team has been in very good form (17 games without loss). The thing is of course Manchester United have also had a good run of their own- 8 wins in a row 16 goals in the last 4 matches need I say more?

So all is set for a meeting of the form teams in the FA premiership. No predictions here, with the teams on display it's anyone's guess. However I think Sir Alex will as usual try to stop Arsenals passing game by adding a hassler in midfield like Fletcher, this is one game where Hargreaves will come in really handy.

Looks like a mouth-watering encounter. Game on!

Protect / Destroy

2007-08-18T12:18:00.000+03:00

What a week it has been, 2 exams at work and lots of classes in between. So I really enjoy the opportunity to just chill out at home on Saturday.

The highlight of the week was Tuesday night when I got to hang out with some bloggers and watch Transformers. I hadn't planned to see it but my my bro called me as I was coming home from work and saw it as a good way to unwind after doing an exam that morning. oh and there's this quiz- which tranformer are you?

What a roller coaster ride it was, not exactly Oscar winning material but it was pure entertainment. It had action, great one-liners, hot chicks, hot racks( the cars i.e) al in all a great package, the coolest bit was 'pimp my ride' by bumblebee.

Now on to other stuff as I was browsing came across an interesting blog from a Nigerian sister about how she met her husband- interesting reading oh! Plus another one who calls herself a wild virgin. Check em' out.

Oh and I remember before i had complained about the parking lot that is Mombasa road- The lord heard my cry, the southern bypass to Langata road has finally been opened- cuts a clean hour off commuting time- yay! Right now it's more like a cattle track than a superhighway but it's still a good 'panya' route.