Kabinti

So long since....

2010-07-12T14:27:00.001-05:00

Dusting off some cobwebs on this blog. Where did the time go?

Prodeejuwas, Providential, Prerogative, and so on and so forth...why do i say so?

2009-01-28T11:10:00.006-05:00

The title of this post is a nod to my favorite Kisumu district hospital health worker, Collins O. (start at 2:47). On to current affairs, it was quite interesting to discover that she will be my TA in class this semester. Anyway, the Big Apple is amazing after coming from gecagi (sp). Truly, why did I wait soooo long to discover?

Heartbreak is a mbish

2008-07-09T19:33:00.000-05:00

Nothing is being revived, blog is still dormant for a while...i think. I just feel like venting.....aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

I see you Archer!

Long weekend...

2007-05-29T18:31:00.000-05:00

Why oh why.....Long weekends zishindwe! Somehow I always end up lying to myself ati I will chill and relax like a nice girl, kula some r and r and avoid the rev. Lo and behold Memorial weekend just taught me how to avoid lying to myself. My ka-clock is now working backwards seeing that today i ingiad kazini thinking it was Monday therefore totally missing a meeting. I want last Friday back!!! Texas ishindwe! Now, does anyone know if those plane pillows (the ones that look like a ka-horseshoe) work? should I bother investing in one? I'm suffering from serious whip lash seeing that my ka-head was bobbing back and forth and sideways on the plane.

PS..God bless the inventor of Shiatsu massage chairs

Nashing...

2007-05-16T16:18:00.000-05:00

After reading Archer's post on his blogversary..i feel very ashamed since I totally missed on recognizing mine. Haidhuru. I've lost track on who is on the BT ala Milo (bilas train for you newbies). Needlessly, i've katad a tikiti to the land of tuliza for now...So whoever is on the train aka welcoming committee whereforth art thine?

Ama am I soloz?

Awake from your slumber..

2007-05-13T13:58:00.000-05:00

"Awake from your slumber

Arise from your sleep

A new day is dawning....."

Come on now sing along... in an effort to revive blogging mojo i thought the song "City of God" might do something....we'll see. I missed a couple of you folks....mnajijua..werokamu sitidowni!

Solace is...

2007-02-07T13:06:00.000-05:00

...Been going through some things. This is my pick me upper.

Cambry plays Beethoven Pathetique Sonata(2nd mvmt)

Decent ways of making bad manners...

2007-01-06T06:38:00.000-05:00

yes that is one of the comments from one of our (dis)honorable members...i can't remember what it was in connection to but i remember watching the 06 news recap and was like WTF??? Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!! Sooo we back in the swing of things quite reluctantly but what to do? reality has to check in at one point. It was great taking a break and if I could i would rewind and go back but alas! Anyway, pain is packing tusker malts and having them thrown away by airport security because of all this liquid carrying issues at the airport...yes i have to admit a lapse in judgement when i put them in my carry on badala ya main luggage. Whichever cracked up dutchman/woman is enjoying them in pretense of confiscation ashindwe na pepo kali!! Oh well c'est la vie ne c'est pas?

Crazy(remixx) By Violet Moyo

2006-12-12T17:31:00.000-05:00

Crazy(remixx) By Violet Moyo

Totally lost for words!! Go Violet Moyo do your thing girl!!!!!!!!

Wouldn't have found this video if it wasn't for Naija to the Core

Stereotyping

2006-12-06T15:00:00.000-05:00

Got this in my mailbox as part of a massive forward. Don't know who to credit. I thought it was really funny. No harm intended if you live in AL!!

P.S... about the pics promised from the last post...let's just say when it comes to tailgating events there should be a designated snapper i.e someone who will not indulge in adult beverages at least 4 hours before the game! The game was fantastic and I have to give Michigan props for their effort.

D-Day

2006-11-18T11:15:00.000-05:00

GOOOOOOOOOOO BUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, it's sheer and total madness out here today. Very exciting atmosphere. Will be having my first tailgating experience. Hope folks dont riot if things don't go the right way. Might post some pics....I'm hoping that I won't catch a cold but aside from that....GOOOOOOOOO BUUUUUUUUCCCCKKKKKKSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!

Daily Show with Jon S.

2006-11-03T09:14:00.000-05:00

Thoroughly enjoyed having Jon Stewart and his Midwest Midterm Midtacular shows in my town. Tried to get tickets to the tapings but of course they were freed out way before :( Anyway what he said about the rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan being almost like sunni vs shia... very true! GO BUCKS

Chipotle Fan

2006-10-04T11:06:00.000-05:00

I used to love food from Chipotle but now I'm so-so about it. I think it's because in the beginning I underwent a Chipotle overload and now I can only think of eating a burrito maybe once every 3 months. I came across this site and it has some pretty interesting nutrition facts on what you order from Chipotle. They have a Chipotle nutrition calculator and you can calculate what's loaded in your burrito or bol. So, if you are interested in knowing or not knowing more about your meal go right ahead! Here's what mine came to (Yikes!):

Chipotle Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 Burrito Bol


Amount Per Serving

Calories 1135	Calories from Fat 348

% DV*

Total Fat 39g

Saturated Fat 9g

Cholesterol 51mg

Sodium 2151mg

Total Carbohydrate 144g

Dietary Fiber 13.5g

Sugars 4g

Protein 51g


Vitamin A 114%

Vitamin C 50%

Calcium 11%

Iron 16%

Chipotle'>http://www.chipotlefan.com/index.php?id=nutrition_calculator">Chipotle Nutrition Results provided by:
Chipotle Fan.com

Beeing

2006-09-12T18:12:00.000-05:00

Seeing that I requested an "I Love Beeing Kenyan" shirt eons ago and it was unavailable, I'm glad these guys are doing something about it. So, please go to this site and vote for the Kenyan t-shirt. They have other cool designs for people from other countries. Check it out!

Props where they are due

2006-09-05T21:34:00.000-05:00

Reiterating what was said here Take Over Djs ROCK!!!! Sunday's party at Aqua was the BEST bash overall in DC's Labor of Love weekend. They definitely took us back home and everyone was jamming and screaming along. Mad props to DJs Babu, Fully Focus (T.O.D) and Dyme and Joe. I danced my heart out. Been a while since I had so much fun at a party homestyle!

Guilty Pleasure

2006-08-30T19:04:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite cartoon characters is Eric Cartman from South Park. Here he is described as "...Everyone's favorite lovable and opinionated bastard. Whether he's obsessively deadlocked singing Styx lyrics or plotting to wreak havoc over his current victim, it is nearly impossible to resist his charm..." I dont know how I became a South Park fan but somehow I got hooked. It also doesn't help that I have a workmate who is addicted and can imitate Cartman to a T. Wiki has a detailed page on Cartman that has some of his famous quotes. Call it a juvenile addiction but here are my favoritest quotes:

"Respect mah authoritah!" (Respect my authority)"

"Screw you guys…I'm goin' home."

"I'm not fat, I'm big boned!"

"But Meeehhhhmmm! ('Mom')" (when whining)"

"What-evah! I'll do what I waunt!"

Follow up

2006-08-28T22:23:00.000-05:00

As a follow up to my previous post. I decided to go to the holy grail of info on the web "Google" to see if I could pull up anything on genetic counseling in Kenya. Why I'm I so interested in genetic counseling? Probably has something to do with the fact that I'm in a nerdy environment where I get to see genetic testing done and get to talk about it and hear about it from professionals in the field. Didn't find much but pulled up the following information. Why should we be left behind when projects such as the Human Genome Project have been completed and can be researched upon to provide answers to some of the diseases that may be inherent in our gene pools and not in others? The quest continues..

http://www.genomecenter.howard.edu/units/genethics/default.htm
"...Engaging African Communities in the HapMap Project – The NHGC is participating in the International Human Haplotype Map (HapMap) Project, aimed at characterizing patterns of common variation across various populations or geographic regions as a means of developing a more efficient tool (haplotype map) for mapping genes underlying susceptibility to common disease. The overall project includes the engagement of a number of communities/populations around the world, collection of samples from members of these populations, genotyping of the samples, and analysis of the resulting data. The NHGC has been leading the effort to engage communities in west (Nigeria), east (Kenya), and southern Africa (South Africa) and to obtain appropriate approval and consent for participation in the HapMap Project. Community engagement involves several activities such as surveys, town meetings, focus groups, and in-depth interviews which combine to create a process for considering the risks, benefits, and relevance of the development of a haplotype map of the human genome. Community engagement and sample collection are proceeding at the sites....."

Here's another abstract that I found..

http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov/robot_pages/MeetingAbstracts/102276888.html

"...Challenges in supervision of VCT counselors.
Waweru HM, Bukusi D, Namwebya JH, Mulindi S, Musau F. Int Conf AIDS. 2004 Jul 11-16; 15: abstract no. B12243.

Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya

ISSUES: Different forms of counseling are used at a national referral hospital by counselors as they strive to provide support for patients suffering from. HIV/AIDS. Counselors have to deal with situations ranging from assessing clients risks, preparing clients for testing, test result counseling, identifying sources of support, referrals, negotiating disclosure, bereavement, coping with chronic illness, hopelessness, social and work related issues. They also have to deal with their own personal issues as well as the difficulties of coping in an environment of declining purchasing power. All this takes place within a context in which the position of the counselor is as yet not yet clearly established.
DESCRIPTION: This paper gives an overview of the different issues that the counselors have to deal with in the context of their service delivery and the subsequent challenges faced during supervision provided by counselor supervisors. The adequacy of skills acquired during training to face up to the challenges of supervising counselors, is reviewed.
LESSONS LEARNED: Supervision has been able to help counselors cope with their very heavy client loads especially relating to HIV/AIDS work. Supervision needs to be developed further both in terms of skill levels and in terms of numbers to cater for the large numbers of clients who need counseling.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Supervision should be mandatory in practice at all centers offering counseling. Monitoring of counselor supervisors is an area that needs development. The rapid rise in numbers of counselors calls for the training of many more counselor supervisors to meet the increasing challenges of counseling. Supervision of counseling supervisors needs to be strongly encouraged..."

2006-08-25T07:16:00.000-05:00

School children In Kenya

Children are simply amazing. This is a hilarious clip and it makes me smile. The kid on the left in red looks like he has some ADD ama dyslexia coz he seems not to be participating entirely and the little girl still shows 5 fingers when they are singing about number 9 :) Makes me think about how out here kids are diagnosed early when it comes to developmental disorders and placed in appropriate programs. Now in Kenya especially in a class like this one, there's nary a chance that anything will be done for a child without an obvious developmental disorder such as Down's (even then depending on finances or goodwill not much may be done). Does anyone know anything about Genetic Counselors in Kenya? I am interested ...

On other selfish thoughts....Kabinti (she and not her blog) turns a year older on Sunday....

2006-08-19T09:54:00.000-05:00

Nairobi: Easter

I know it's not Easter but this is what I miss when it comes to church services out here. I'm probably going to stick to posting videos on the blog for now until i get back some blog posting mojo. For now here's a weak a** way of showing that i have not disowned my blog!!

Jerusa

2006-08-19T09:45:00.000-05:00

Dholuo Rap

Absolutely love this video!

Summer slumber and other things...

2006-07-13T21:31:00.000-05:00

Was in a state of summer slumber until I came across this wake up call. The world cup is over and my nerves are back to a semi-normal state. Some people don't believe that I can sit down and enjoy a soccer match (i feel you KP). One jamaa had the cojones to tell me that I look like I would enjoy sports like figure skating badala ya soccer WTF?? One thing about me is that I hate the cold with a passion! Any sport that has to do with ice or snow is met with an upturned nose, a knit brow and a loud harrumpph! Winter just kills me and my friend if you happen to have a car with heated seats then we shall be joined at the hip! Enough about the cold, summer must be enjoyed in all it's hot and humid glory.

So I've been enjoying a couple of reads lately and ignored my blog. Came across In the Shadow of a Saint by Ken Wiwa. Read a little about the book here. I have to give credit where it's due as I would never have picked up the book if it wasn't for this post here. Kudos Cock and Bull Stories. I highly recommend the book.

On a different note, sometimes I feel like my work is so mundane and then I get a kick in the ass and a major reality check. That said, I really don't know what I would do without PBS. A while back a film called A Lion in the House was broadcast on PBS. "A LION IN THE HOUSE follows the stories of five exceptional children and their families as they battle pediatric cancer. From the trauma of diagnosis to the physical toll of treatment, this series documents the stresses that can tear a family apart as well as the courage of children facing the possibility of death with honesty, dignity and humor. As the film compresses six years into one narrative, it puts viewers in the shoes of parents, physicians, nurses, siblings, grandparents and social workers who struggle to defeat an indiscriminate and predatory disease" I'm not sure if they will be showing this film again but if by chance anyone gets to see it I recommend a copious amount of Kleenex nearby.

Tagged!

2006-06-26T15:40:00.000-05:00

Been tagged by Mental and Gay Nairobi Man. Here are my 6 weird ones.

Rules:

Post six weird facts/habits about yourself. These cannot be used against you later on.
At the bottom name the six people you will tag next.
Leave them a comment to let them know they’ve been tagged and to read your blog.

I never taste my food whilst cooking. I feel that tasting while cooking is like watching your christmas gift being wrapped and then expecting to retain the same surprise once you open despite knowing what it is already!

I cannot stand other hands stirring food that I'm preparing when it's in the process of simmering or stewing. Get you nasty hands of my creation ama just wait until it's on the table! (you said weird right?)

If sharing a bed with someone I always sleep furthest from the door. Have no idea why but has to do something with being the last one to be attacked by a visiting ghost

Have a crazy thing/obsession with Cadbury's Fudge and Crunchie. Maybe it's because it's hard to find out here and regardless I always find myself at this store buying Crunchie bars by the tons despite the outright daylight robbery of the price. Been known to eat fudge bars for breakfast

I suffer from the "I-have-nothing-to-wear" syndrome despite having a closet full of clothes (ok I think that one might be a bit universal)

Cannot stand to hear French or Spanish spoken in an American accent. It irritates the hell out of me!

That's it done!

Tagging: Labelle, Valedon, ..jamaapoa.., Kiplagat, Mrembo, kamikittens

Downtown Accra

2006-06-22T12:23:00.000-05:00

Wouldn't it be great to be in downtown Accra right now? Ghana made us proud!!

Paternity Test

2006-06-16T10:06:00.000-05:00

After reading M's post I couldn't help but envision this scene..... All characters in this scene are fictitious and the author is not responsible for the readers conclusion(s).

(Enter Maury Povich with paternity test in brown/yellow envelope. On the couch sitting nervously to the left of Emille are yours truly Marie W. and Winnie M.. To the right General Roocey and offspring. Maury opens the envelope and the audience holds their breath. Pin drop silence abounds as Maury pulls out the paternity results....)

Maury: Now Emille, we are here to determine whether Winnie is your daughter are you prepared to hear the results of the paternity test?

Emille: zzzzzz.....(drool dripping on his Polo golf shirt)

Maury: Emille??? Emille. How about you General? What do you think the paternity results will reveal?

G. Roocey: (incoherent mumbling)...it's the press that is trying to damage the First family which is mainly baba pookie, myself, La-won, Pookie and Sha-Qwanda. Peace up! O-town down!

Emille: ..zzzz...

Maury: Well before I read the results can we have a side by side picture of Emille and Winnie for the audience to see?

(Picture put up and audience oohs and aahs then heckles)

Marie: Even you can see the ears are alike and the eyes are similar....

(General is so offended that she jumps on the cameraman and slaps him and then races to attack Marie, bodyguards jump on stage to seperate the two women)

Marie: (Removing Maasai Market earrings and shedding off shoes) Wacha akuje hapa nimfundishe adabu! Pumbavu wewe!

(Audience excited at the probability of a fight start chanting fight! fight!)

G. Roocey: (foaming at the mouth and being held back by bodyguards as wig partially becomes lopsided) Adabu ni wewe na nyani wako! (Is taken back to her seat and she promptly orders offspring to move their chairs as far away from Marie's side. Offspring carry Emille plus chair to further corner)

Maury: Well here we go. Are you ready for the results? Well Emille (who ng'orotas and starts sucking thumb) The DNA test results show that you _______ (reader allowed to put are or are not in this space) the father of one Winnie M.

G. Roocey or Marie: (Running off stage into back room crying hysterically) I know he is/not the father! He is/notthe father! (Maury follows to console)

(Audience boos looseress and heckles remaining offspring off the stage. Meanwhile on Stage 2 Jerry Springer prepares to interview 2 Arsemenians and Winnie M heads into make up before being ushered into Jerry's show)

Work or World Cup?

2006-06-13T17:24:00.000-05:00

I hate to be a derailer lakini I had to do something about watching a few matches since my kaboss was not going to give me a whole month off just to watch the world cup. Therefore, I bring you live streaming of the World Cup. You have to download a zip file and then fuata instructions. Might be more of an advantage for those of you in the US. You didn't get it from me! Makofi to Nobel's comment on this blog, it opened the flood gates! Guess, I tried BBC but it won't allow users out of the UK to watch live streaming.

American Presenters on World Cup...Sijui Niseme...

2006-06-11T08:38:00.000-05:00

Talk about flavorless presentation. Really, do they have to shamelessly plug Team USA and its players in every single match? Inclusive of basketball references? Aaaaargghhhh! I'd rather watch the matches on the Hispanic channels. Even if you don't understand Spanish, the style of presenting is more captivating and you don't hear about Team Mexico or Ecuador or Paraguay plugged in at totally unnecessary moments.

P.S - Thanks to Ivory Coast for raising my blood pressure drastically!

Honda Commercial...Creativity

2006-06-07T11:25:00.000-05:00

Got this in my inbox yesterday and thought it pretty cool. Make sure you view the commercial (name of the site not withstanding) . Those of you in the UK you might have seen it......

This is pretty cool. Read first. Read before you watch. Read the story, and then hit the link to see the commercial. There are no computer graphics or digital tricks in the film. Everything you see really happened in real time exactly as you see it. The film took 606 takes. On the first 605 takes, something, usually very minor, didn't work. They would then have to set the whole thing up again. The crew spent weeks shooting night and day. By the time it was over, they were ready to change professions. The film cost six million dollars and took three months to complete including full engineering of the sequence. In addition, it is two minutes long so every time Honda airs the film on British television, they're shelling out enough dough to keep any one of us in clover for a lifetime. However, it is fast becoming the most downloaded advertisement in Internet history. Honda executives figure the ad will soon pay for itself simply in "free viewings" (Honda isn't paying a dime to have you watch this commercial!).
When the ad was pitched to senior executives, they signed off on it immediately without any hesitation - including the costs. There are six and only six hand-made Honda Accords in the world. To the horror of Honda engineers, the filmmakers disassembled two of them to make the film. Everything you see in the film (aside from the walls, floor, ramp, and complete Honda Accord) is parts from those two cars. The voiceover is Garrison Keillor. When the ad was shown to Honda executives, they liked it and commented on how amazing computer graphics have gotten. They fell off their chairs when they found out it was for real. Oh, and about those funky windshield wipers. On the new Accords, the windshield wipers have water sensors and are designed to start doing their thing automatically as soon as they become wet. It looks a bit weird in the commercial.

Click here http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/honda.php
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/honda.php

On Being a KBWer

2006-05-31T20:54:00.000-05:00

I volunteered to answer the call for Kenyan Bloggers Day on KBW not knowing where to begin. Should I rant about our MPs and Serikali? rave about the patient Kenyan masses who are thieved upon by their leaders? scream that we have a lack of young leadership in our country? What do I talk about without sounding like I just did it for the sake of fulfilling a chore on my to do list (no such list exists anyway). What about being a Kenyan blogger or being Kenyan should I share with the blogosphere that hasn't been said or done already? I thought about writing something on how we as a nation have not yet achieved Madaraka. However, that would be undermining all the efforts that our freedom fighters put into seeing that we as people would be independent to rule ourselves as we saw fit. Therefore, it's much easier for me to note a few things that I have gained as a Kenyan blogger. Being a KBWer is a learning experience for me. It is great to see the Kenyan blogosphere grow in leaps and bounds. Through KBW, I have been able to use some of the skills I learnt in Computer Science 101 that I thought would never be of use to me when it came to working on my template. Through KBW, I have read about commentaries and opinions on topics that I would never have thought of paying attention to. Hence, I'm glad to be a Kenyan blogger. I'm happy with the work I see put forth by every single member. Therefore, I look forward to great things in the Kenyan community both at home and in the diaspora. It is only through projects like these that we slowly but surely start to make a difference no matter how small in shaping our destiny as Kenyans.

Happy Madaraka Day!

Been a minute...

2006-05-15T21:51:00.000-05:00

It's been a while. I think I came down with a case of procrasti-lazy-bloggitis/aria. I have caught up on a few more reads and happened on some CDs that forever dotted my trip to shaggz with mine mater. I now own:

The Rough Guide to Franco: Africa's Legendary Guitar Maestro
and
The Very Best of the Rumba Giant of Zaire [Audio CD] Franco

Don't know whether it was conditioning which happened aforehand in my younger years cooped up in a car on a looooooooooooong ride to my grandparents but somehow, I now don't seem to mind Franco's music. The shady bone in me is quite inspired to acquire this one too. Considering artist on songs #1 and 6 was a constant fixture in my uncle's ride. As for reads, here's what I've been delving into:

Opening Spaces An Anthology of Contemporary African Women's Writing - Edited by Yvonne Vera
Discovering Home by Binyavanga Wainaina
Discovering Home - 3rd collection of stories from the Caine Prize for African Writing

If you've read any of the above books let me know what you thought about them and if you haven't share your thoughts when you read them. Suggestions on other interesting reads are most welcome...

Investing in our own...

2006-05-12T19:06:00.000-05:00

Been procrastinating on blogging the past few weeks. I know I promised to blog a little about the African Children's Choir since tene. I did go to the concert and I left wanting to take all those kids home with me. The children in the choir have experienced hardship be it through the death of a family member from HIV or from dire poverty. They tour and perform globally in efforts to raise more money for other children who they have left behind and also for those who are unseen yet exist. Most of the proceeds go towards education from primary through university. Each year a new choir is selected from different African countries. This particular choir was composed of kids from Kenya and Uganda (they have kids also from Rwanda, South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria). The Kenyan kids were mainly from Mombasa.
Needless to say the perfomances were amazing and energetic. The show brought back memories of how kids in Kenya and in Africa as a whole perform to the max showing some serious stage discipline and always with a smile. If you get a chance to see the kids please do so you can read more about their schedule on their website (they will be in the UK this summer). Apparently they have been touring all over Stato and have been here since Jan and will be going back to Kenya or Uganda at the end of the year. I asked one girl which state she liked best in their tour and she said she loved the places where she had met Kenyans (insert serious sniff here) - that should be incentive for you blogosphere to come out and support them. You can listen to one song Parapanda here (the link is also on the first sentence of this page). If you get to see them, I hope you enjoy their perfomance as much as I did.

Flashback: I went to a big city kanjo primo. Friday assembly always amused me since we had to sing the national anthem (in swa or kimombo). Considering that we had classes from pre-unit to standard eight and each standard had at least 150 kids we always ended up singing the anthem in rounds i.e we would start together but the upper primary kids would go through the anthem chepchep and the lower primary kids would sing polepole resulting in a resounding echo :o)

Muganda Man buying lingerie

2006-05-03T09:37:00.000-05:00

Another funny one from Jay's Idle Notes blog. Takes a minute to load so be patient
Jay's Idle Notes: Muganda Man buying lingerie

Only in Africa

2006-05-03T09:33:00.000-05:00

Not much on my end except I'm looking forward to seeing the African Children's Choir this evening. Will blog about that later. Came across this hilarious pic on Arjen Westra's blog.

Arjen Westra's African Weblog

The Value of Black Life - Food for thought

2006-04-26T21:41:00.000-05:00

My day began quite ordinarily and ended extraordinarily. I found out that Paul Rusesabagina, he of the Hotel Rwanda fame, was to speak on his experiences during the genocide that took place in April, 1994 in Rwanda. He was the main speaker at a "Critical Issues Series" organized by the Ohio State University Hillel. Watching the movie was in itself a harrowing experience. However, hearing first hand accounts of the atrocities of Africans shedding their brothers and sisters blood was to say the least, saddening, excruciating and mind numbing. I cannot begin to place myself in his shoes for those 100 days of slaughter and thereafter. I do not believe that I would have had the courage that he and so many others possessed and showed in the face of impending death. When asked how he had found the strength to do what he did, he simply replied that his advisor i.e his conscience, would not have allowed him to forsake his friends and the refugees at the Milles Collines Hotel. He also spoke about Darfur - which brings me to the title of this post.

One of the questions fielded to him was if he thought that the World has shown that Black Life is of no or little value. His response was to use an example of how world leaders marked the holocaust at Auschwitz (btw, Cheney's comment in this article left me flummoxed - as if such events in far off places would be justifiable). If you read that article and I highly encourage reading it, it makes you wonder what about that promise "Never again" changed when it came to people of Black skin. Case in point again would be Katrina (no need to recapitulate here). His second point was on Milosevic who killed at least 10, 000 Yugoslavians and yet was arrested and indicted in the Hague via the intelligence network of the so called developed countries. What is so different about the perpertrators of crimes against humanity in Africa? Could not the same 'intelligence" that was used to capture Milosevic be used in Rwanda, Darfur, the Congo?

Nonetheless, charity begins at home. We as Africans must stand up as one and begin to understand that our lives are ours to value and that no one will come to rescue us if we cannot rescue ourselves. Sad thing is how does one rescue oneself from oneself? I found Rusesabagina to not only be a captivating speaker but also a humble and straightfoward man. I am yet to read his book An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography however it is on my current list of books that i plan on reading.

Med Lab Week

2006-04-24T16:12:00.000-05:00

This week is National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (4/23-4/29) so we are/have(ing) some interesting activities going on. We have a quasi-olympic theme and had to do the whole flag carrying, speech and lighting the torch shebang. Each lab department had to make their own flag and display it. Need I say that ours was DA BOMB!! Apart from featuring a few DNA helices huku na kule, we had pics of everyone's derrieres with the caption "WE HAVE THE BEST GENES" (nerdy I know). My lab is made up of young cats (as in around mid 20s - mid 30s). The other labs have those jamaas who stick at one jobo for a gazabajillion years so they are as old as Methuselah and are clocking serious anniversary chumes from working so long in the same position. Anyway, being a ka-young group we definitely have some good times lakini we are also very opinionated hence a monthly drama event. Therefore, if you have been to a hosi and had to have lab work done, think about the invisible peeps who take time to do the background work so that your ailment is diagnosed correctly.

Kusoma Kwingi

2006-04-17T21:35:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things about KBW is the ability to learn from each other's experiences and insights. I've come across a couple of bloggers e.g spicebear talking about their favorite reads and I do plan to follow up on some of the books that have been mentioned. Reading for leisure has always been a passion of mine. Admittedly in Kenya I would try to get a hold of as many novels as I could. In primo I ravaged through Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox, Aesop's Fables, Beano, Tin Tin, Asterix and Obelix, including comic books on Lwanda Magere, Mundu Mugo, Nyakio the beautiful, Famous Five, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Sweet Dreams, Sweet Valley High, Danielle Steele and Sidney Sheldon. The list is endless. I never caught onto Mills and Boon although a lot of my girlfriends did. Somewhere around undergrad I lost touch with reading ya kujienjoy lakini I picked up again. I have tried to focus on reading more books by African authors (lazima tujisupport). That said, I thought I would share some interesting reads that I've thoroughly enjoyed fiction and non-fiction:

1) Kwani? (I have all 3 and cannot wait for the next)
2) Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail - Malika Oufkir
3) A is for Ancestors - A selection of works from the Caine Prize for African Writing BTW there is a great story by Andiah Kisia on living abroad. Check it out.
4) Books from the African Writer's Series (Most favorite was "The Concubine" by Elechi Amadi though there are many others that I like from that series)
6) Desert Flower - Waris Dirie (Talk about survival)
7) Kill Me Quick- Meja Mwangi (A classic)
8) Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found - Suketu Mehta (more maonis by Kenyan Pundit)
9) Writing Still New Stories from Zimbabwe (Not yet finished but so far so good)
10) So Long A Letter - Mariama Ba (Talk about lack of women's rights - loved every single bit)

These are just a few and I will continue to share as I come across more. Kwa hivyo nduguzanguni feel free to hit me up and share books that you have come across and are of value to you. I'm open to ideas.

Flashback: Fasihi was easily my least favorite 8-4-4 subject. So my smart self decided that I would only thoroughly study a few books namely "Shamba la Wanyama" and "Visiki". The rest, "Amezidi" and "Kisima cha Giningi" were browsed over lightly (lightly being an overstatement). Shock on me when I found that the Visiki question was a nash for me! So, I chose to answer a question from one of my non-fav books. All I can say is ni Mungu tu! Somehow I managed. And what was up with those shairis that had the konkest swa on the planet?

Agony and some

2006-04-07T22:29:00.000-05:00

So, it's been a couple of months of serious agony. I'm in the grad school application process and do I not envy those who are already in. The amount of money spent in applying and going for interviews out of state is just unbelievable. Waiting for a response is enough to send you to Mathare. For once and only once I would like to have at least a wee bit of control over my future and if I can't have any control, at least an illusion of control would be fine by me. So, if anyone out there knows where I can gather some kamuti to weka on these admissions counselors do not hesitate to holler.
On to other storoz. Apparently some characters have decided they would be fit for the presidency in Kenya. *yawn* nothing new about that, let me not waste your time... Spring is here and msichana has been procrastinating on exercising in preparation for the tumbo cut days i.e summer. I even felt inspired and bought some 5 pound dumbbells and a yoga mat ati to start doing some toning at home. Wapi?? Need I mention that those things haven't left the bag they came in from the store?

The Joy of Hair

2006-03-29T17:33:00.000-05:00

Oh the joy of loosing hair during winter!!! I swear I have given up! I'm slowly coming to the realization that God had things worked out when he gave me kinky hair huko in the womb. Females living in the near tundra regions (ohio could be one for all I care) can feel my pain. I remember not so long ago having to be dragged to the local hairdresser down the street. I'm sure you kumbuka the dusty kibanda with hair piece all over the floor. Artwork on the walls mainly consisted of hair designs artistically drawn on a board and a cracked mirror. All you had to say was "Nataka namba 1" (I want #1) and an exact replica would be masterfully produced on your head. Woe unto those who had serious visogos coz the style would take a dramatic twist unlike what was requested. It didn't help that as kids we had to sit on a low stool and when it came to the "banana" hairstyle, our faces were shoved into female nether regions for a good 20 minutes plus..... (retching...).
Braiding might be an option but the pain of sleeping shingo upande for subsequent days may be distressing to some. That is why I'm contemplating to nyoa yote!! I need to start from scratch, begin some neat dreads maybe. Manenoz of relaxerz kando! Considering you have to part with a cool $60 out here, natural may be the way to go for myself. So, if any ladies/gents perchance come across this post, hit me up and let me know how you feel.

New at this Shikamoooo!!!

2006-03-24T17:50:00.000-05:00

Completely new at this. Been inspired by a couple of jamaas from KBW. Hopefully un-nonsensical information will be posted here......Did I mention that I am the Queen of Procrastination?