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stephenfeb June 2006 - Prince of Wales Colliery Pontefract - Subscribe
SF Ltd has been appointed by UK Coal with Public Arts Wakefield to provide a tourism and culture plan for the former Prince of Wales colliery site at Ponterfact, West Yorkshire. The master plan for the 380 acre site will provide residential and commercial uses. It is adjacent to the M62 motorway at junction 32 and is close to Pontefract racecourse. We expect to work closely with Whitelaw Turkington, landscape architects on developing a solution for the site which combines cultural, leisure and commercial uses. The site has enormous potential for events and outdoor sporting activity. It is situated on the opposite side of the junction to the enormously successful Xscape indoor leisure operation.

For more information contact:
Spawforth Associates
0 Comments
Mood: boastful

gatwiri The Marriage Breaking Association - Higher and Higher Education Jul 29th, 2006 5:43:27 am - Subscribe


Just when I thought I had finished my education! I always thought that life is like a book with distinct chapters, you finish one and move to the other. With a full stop, you close one chapter and move to the next. But it is not so with education, especially nowadays! Increasing competition for limited spaces and a globalising economy has pushed people who are past school age back to school. To manoeuvre through out-sourcing, Wi-Max, techno-stress, and other heavy English words, you need to go back to school and get an MBA.

Enrolment to this club is at an all time high, especially where I come from. The high expectations for productivity at work have pushed people back to school, in an effort to improve their careers and pay check. Some go back to school to improve themselves, while most go back because of peer pressure. Adults suddenly regress to their teenage years and do things because everyone is doing it. The statistics are staggering! In most universities, the number of mature students is almost equal to the real students (those who go to uni right after high school)

I was informed that among those who are married, the quest for more knowledge has mutated the harmless Master of Business Association into the Marriage Breaking Association. People use the MBA as a convenient excuse to avoid confronting the issues they face in their houses. If it means more education, then so be it. As a result, spouses rarely see one another, because they are both tired from term paper research and work. The poor children eat supper alone and grow up like weeds because there is no one to provide direction and discipline.

As a result homes are split in the middle as each party pursues separate interests. They both grow in different directions, driven by one more nail in the coffin, or bed if you must. Children become more demanding and undisciplined to get attention from the parents, which drives the parents up the wall as they try to deal with them. Eventually, we have a tired couple who sleep back to back, dreaming of the peace at work and class.

I remember hearing gossip about a couple of mature students in the evening classes at my uni who were planning their affair. (NB. They are both married to other people.) The woman was telling the man, "you can’t come to my house today, my husband is coming home."The man says, "Then let’s go to a hotel for the weekend”. What are they going to a hotel for?

Take it or leave it, an MBA is almost mandatory. Learn from this piece of gossip and finish school once and for all. The cost of education is very high my friend.
1 Comments
Mood: Amused

gatwiri Ghana Rocks Jun 23rd, 2006 5:56:47 am - Subscribe
The World Cup is on!! As we approach the second round, all of Africa is ecstatic that Ghana has made it thru. The other teams have proved themselves to be stong contenders which makes me happy.

Now that Ghana is thru to round two, i hope they can make it past Brazil, who seem to have woken up after a rather dull start. All the best to Ghana! Go out and kick Samba butt!!
0 Comments
Mood: Ecstatic
: Life

gatwiri The World Cup is here!! Jun 9th, 2006 2:46:53 am - Subscribe
Finally, in around 12 hours I get to watch the first match of the world cup with the rest of the world. Research shows only 8% of women will watch and I guess I am part of that group.

The most important match as I have said before, is Portugal vs Angola. I hope it is like the Senegal vs France match of 2002. What better way to teach your former colonisers one or two lessons. I want an Angola win so badly!!!

Concerning other teams, I will be the first to say that Brazil may not get to the finals, because the hype 4 that team is too much! I make it my mission to support the underdogs, but I really dont know who I want to win this cup. One thing is certain, I dont want England, Germany, Italy, Spain, or any other of the "favourites" to win, but lets see what happens on July 9.

Another intersting thing is thow the whole world is ecstatic about this event except America. In 2002, while studying in an American university, I remember only 2 Americans watching the USA matches. The rest of the crowd(and we were many) was composed of everyone else, Kenyans and foreign students. Alot is said about that in these articles http://www.nique.net/issues/2006-06-02/opinions/2 and http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/worldcup06/2006/06/06/get_ready_to_dislike_america.html and http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-06-05-voa34.cfm

When all is said and done, LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!
5 Comments
Mood: ECSTATIC
: Life, Opinion

gatwiri Decoding and Recoding the Da Vinci Code May 25th, 2006 2:44:18 am - Subscribe
There has been a lot of hype surrounding a certain book called the Da Vinci code. Apparently, it contains information that will “shake” the foundations of Christianity. (Here is where I say YEAH RIGHT!) I somehow can’t picture Jesus crying and complaining to God, (like a son complaining to the father about bullies) “Look at what those people you sent me to die for are saying about me!” Instead, he intercedes for them. (For non-religious people, intercede in Christian-ese means “pray or petition on behalf of.”)

Anywho, the movie was released worldwide on Friday, and movie theatres here in Kenya stopped screening other movies to show this one. Somehow, the poor reviews it got at the Cannes Film Festival have not eaten into its box office earnings. It has grossed lots of money, which is good for the business people involved in producing it, but will confuse a big number of impressionable people. Poor things! But does Hollywood care?

My premise is that the book rehashes controversial old tales, and with skilful authoring, has become a best seller. No doubt Danny Boy is a master at weaving a story, regardless. But who hasn’t heard about the theory that Jesus could have married Mary Magdalene? If I was controversial enough at the time I heard it, I could have written the same story! But Danny Boy beat me to it. Dang! I’d be rolling in money.

I don’t believe that it will shake the foundations of Christianity. Why? Because through out the history of the church, there have been other teachings, that were predicted to “shake the foundations of Christianity”. After some time the hype died, much like ripples in water. Another example is the Gospel of Judas. One month after it was on the front cover of National Geographic, who is even thinking about it? So Danny Boy’s book is nothing new, just the same old, same old, as we say here.

Gnostic writings like this gospel were rampant in the three centuries after Christ. The early church trying to establish itself faced a problem with subtle, under-the-radar teachings that didn’t quite deny the existence of Jesus. As the Bible says, there is nothing new under the sun, and this book saga is proof. The same ideologies recycled to ignorant people will provoke a crisis of faith, in the early church and now, which is unfortunate.

So what do we do with people whose faith is “shaken” by these passing clouds? I say, get informed. Read about church history and theology. You don’t have to go to a seminary to do this, there’s enough information in a library for you. Don’t just accept worldly teachings as the truth, Christians are told to test everything to make sure it is of the Lord. You have no excuse to be swayed if you are able to read, and you should take the initiative to countercheck the claims that he makes in the book. Ignorance is no defense. Just don’t rubbish his book without any facts to support yourself. Take this is an opportunity to learn more about your faith, and grow deeper in it.

A movie-goer was asked about his impression of the movie and said that it is interesting that people can write anything about Christianity, but wouldn’t dare write anything about Islam (remember the cartoons?) Which is why Danny Boy can get away with what he has written and make madd cash while at it.

When banning the movie in the Philippines, a resolution was passed saying, “the movie is undoubtedly offensive and contrary to established beliefs, which cannot take precedence over the right of the persons involved in the film to freedom of expression”. Nuff said!

I’ll try to save up some money to buy the book, seeing as I am damn broke! Hook me up!
1 Comments
Mood: woozy
: Opinion

gatwiri The Almighty Shilling May 19th, 2006 5:43:34 am - Subscribe
Excitement was in the air as the largest IPO (Initial Public Offering) in Kenyan history was launched (The government selling 30% of its stake in the electricity generating company KenGen.) Kenyans, being the people we are, came out in large numbers to buy the shares. I am part of the group that decided to do the patriotic thing and buy into an indigenous company (even if it is government owned.)

What is interesting to note is the large number of subscribers and the places the subscribers came from. For one, the IPO was over subscribed by 337%. The IPO is valued at 7 billion shillings, while the total amount placed was 26 billion shillings. The receiving bank has started the process of returning the extra 18 billion shillings to unlucky investors.

The applications for the IPO came from all corners of the country, and even from outside the country, because of the well coordinated advertising (which was very classy for a government institution). Even those in the remote of remote areas of the country were not to be left behind. Every one I know from all over the country, whether employed or broke, seems to have applied for these shares. Share applications also came in from people and companies outside Kenya, from as far as Bermuda, Singapore, Denmark e.t.c.

The interest in these shares is good because it shows that Kenyans are willing and able to invest in their stock market. It has been suggested that the country needs a second stock market because there is an interest and a market for shares. The Nairobi Stock Exchange actually has one of the highest return on equity investment (say what?) in the world, after the exchanges in Zambia and Uganda. With Nairobi as the financial center of East and Central Africa, it is a good proposition to increase the market space. (It will go a long way in allowing Rich Dad wannabes like me finally reach our dream of financial plenty)

The shares started trading on the exchange at 10 a.m. on 17 May, and was it a free for all, capitalist fight. In a short time, the price had risen from KES 11.90 to 60-something, and then down to 40-something. Clearly, I need to visit my broker to discuss selling strategies.

I have been trying to read on how the stock market works, so I may soon be the next billionaire. Show me the stock exchange!!
0 Comments
Mood: Rich, Like A Million Bucks
: Life

gatwiri High on Speed Apr 10th, 2006 3:37:23 am - Subscribe

I love cars. I love fast cars. As a matter of fact, it is my ambition to own a Mercedes Benz in the next 5 years. I told a friend of mine that I saw myself driving one, with my three (yet to be born) children. There is no better feeling than that of a car accelerating in response to your step on the pedal! But the speed I am talking about is not cars, but the strange phenomenon called speed dating.

Like a scene from a horror movie, I heard an advert on the radio saying there is a speed dating party going down at one of the trendier night spots of Nairobi. I’ll bet you the place will be crawling with yuppies. It is good that there are so many new ways to meet people like internet dating, single bars and speed dating, but I see a bigger issue here.

In Africa, there is no shortage to the social gatherings where people would be able to meet potential dates. From weddings to family gatherings, funerals (yes!) to work, and religious assemblies to social areas, heck, you can meet anyone anywhere. In Cameroon, there are inter-village wrestling matches where men and women meet potential partners. As an African, I cannot complain that there are no places to meet men.

With the wide range of social gatherings we have, how did some of these foreign dating methods find a way into our society? Not that they are bad, but I hope the people attending this function have exhausted all the other avenues open to them for meeting partners. (Considering that the Nairobi yuppies will be in attendance, it is probably an effort to look westernized.)

Maybe people are trying hard to erase any trace of African-ness by abandoning the “traditional” dating methods and adopting western ideas. I listened to a feature on the BBC where girls at an inter-village wrestling match said that they do not go to scout for partners but would rather date. Apparently, checking guys out at one of these functions is backward, traditional and out of date. Dating and going out is the in, hip thing! Sorry girls, but those sweaty hunks of meat are what you will come back to after speed dating fails.

What's more interesting is what happens to those who try these new methods of dating. They end up finding their partners using traditional methods like an introduction from a friend, work related activities or that fine ass dude sitting in the pew in front of them at church. We look at new ideas in the hope that they will solve our old problems, but it seems that the answer is always right in front of you.

I {sincerely} hope those who attended this party were at least able to get phone numbers.
0 Comments
Mood: wonderful
: Opinion

gatwiri The Aliens Have Landed Feb 25th, 2006 5:10:01 am - Subscribe

There's a new species in town. OK, not new, but it is strange all the same. It’s the yuppie i.e. Young Urban Professional Person. The profile reads like this: Young Kenyan, earns a whole lot of money, drives a car (or rather rolls in the ride), lives in a "high rise" apartment on the richer side of town (furnished with imported furnishings), dresses in Remron or Prada shoes, sports a Rolex, reads international magazines like Time and Economist (only), and will not be caught dead in a disco or using public transport. These new age Kenyans live for their career, friends and image. They could care less about their family.

Not that there's anything wrong with spending money you have earned through hard work. I would buy myself Manolo’s any day as a reward for hard work (just as soon as I get that job). But I have another name for these types: Eggplants - Black on the outside, White on the inside. Why do I call them that? They have the melanin of an African, but some mental traits of a white person, like individualism.

The fact that they don’t really care for their family makes it worse. This individualism is not African. But then, they become yuppies to distance themselves from their African-ness. I don’t know about you but I can’t marry someone who doesn’t care for his own family. What's to stop him from leaving you and the yuppie-ling in the high-rise apartment, to go discuss investment plans and mutual trusts with his fellow eggplants? You become part of the expensive imported furniture, another trophy on the shelf of yuppie achievements.

Some of them earn huge salaries but are in debt. My cousin told me of a person who earns 200,000 Kenya shillings p.m. (which is big bucks here) but is broke 2 weeks later. What a loser! They try so hard to fit in with their peers that they overshoot their budget. So on the outside, they look real good, but are a walking financial and emotional mess.

To make matters worse, I don’t like the furnishing these people do in their houses. I have worked in a furniture making business, so I can tell the different types of timber and their quality. I cringe when I see yuppies showing off their "imported" furniture made from 2nd rate wood products. This type of furniture is made from material that looks like wood, but is obviously not the real thing. I can tell the difference between real and fake mahogany, so imagine my infuriation when someone announces that their imported leather couch has mahogany, when I can see that it is made of synthetic wood-ish material and generic leather. The wood finishing of the apartment is also synthetic material like MDF, so I secretly know that there’s nothing to brag about.

Well, these yuppies are also part of the "MBA movement", a generation of Kenyans who must do MBA’s. I will start mine in September, so I will have to meet them at uni. Two things can happen, either I become a yuppie by osmosis or I remain amazed at their shallow definition of themselves. Who knows what the future holds? And how do yuppies in other parts of the world behave?
2 Comments
Mood: SUPER PISSED!
: Opinion

gatwiri B-Mode Feb 25th, 2006 5:06:43 am - Subscribe

Eventful does not capture the happenings of the past few weeks, both in the personal and political arena. What with job hunting and revelations of scandals!! After finishing my degree course requirements, comes the realization that I am never going to be a child again. Worse still, I am going to be an adult for the rest of my life. If I look at my time line for the next 50 years, all that remains is to be an adult. Adults are not my favourite people at the moment, considering how much suffering people who are supposed to be "grown up" have caused. After this realisation, I felt myself growing a Peter Pan complex, but quickly decided that I can be different from the useless adults I have seen.

If I look at the political situation in the country at the moment, I see a bunch of adults, who really should know better, stealing money, threatening others on tape, and abetting blatant corruption. If they are so dubious, what moral values did they bring up their children with? Well, it is a common stereotype that the children of politicians are a bunch of spoilt brats, but the dubious parenting skills of adults got them there. Ask me, I went to school with them.

I volunteer at a school where I have seen the end result of bad parenting in my little students. Volunteering with kids is great, I must say, but I feel like rapping the knuckles of their parents. Many children, I have discovered, do not do well because parents are not involved in their learning process. I guess they assume that the teacher's job is to teach, so they leave the teaching to the teacher. The parents do not follow up on their children or even check on their homework. At the very least, these teachers are paid by the taxes the parents remit, so the parents should check to see where their hard earned money is going.

I remember as a child, I would read the paper to my dad in the evening and as I grew, I read a wide range of material from whichever source I came across. Not everyone has to be sneaky and read steamy romance novels in class like I did, but parents should enforce good reading habits from childhood. Reading is something close to my heart, and that's why I get infuriated when I see children who have a problem with reading. What are the parents doing? Can't you take some time to read with your kids? (I am on a roll right now, I am spewing bile, I can't even see straight.)

Anyway, I decided that I will remedy the situation. I won't wait for Oprah to come and "save" us, so I want to start an organization that distributes books, especially to children from less fortunate backgrounds, and get parents involved in reading with their kids. Most parents need to expand their reading repertoire from the daily newspapers anyway, so I can kill two birds with one stone.

The moral of the story is, think hard before you have children, and if you can't handle the responsibility, don't have sex. Then teachers won't waste precious nation building time trying to do your work.
0 Comments
Mood: Soo MADD!
: Opinion, Life

gatwiri Talk Show Mania Jan 27th, 2006 2:27:53 am - Subscribe
Is it me or are there too many talk shows on TV? The latest one to be screened on the box (and mine really is a box) is the Tyra Banks show, which started in September 2005, if I am not wrong. I’m thinking that after 20 years of Oprah, every topic under the sun has been discussed!

Yet people are still drawn to talk shows, and every new show is guaranteed to have a viewing. What draws people to these shows (me included)? Is it the joy of watching people air their dirty linen on TV? Or is it that we have too much time on our hands? Maybe it’s the hype surrounding the show host, like Oprah or Tyra. I guess the main appeal comes from people who don’t have a problem talking about personal issues on the box. We can sit at home and watch people talk about issues we may be facing but can’t deal with.

TV shows have also brought about a revolution in people behavior. I remember watching a show called “Men, Women and Dogs” or something like that. Two male friends were comparing notes on how to pick up women (what else?) One, lets call him X, is the more dorky and sensitive dude, while Y is the down and dirty playa. So X tells Y that he checks out women from book stores. He takes Y to a book store and explains the different type of women he can find in such a place. According to dorky X, women who pick books featured on Oprah’s Book Club are women who don’t really have a mind of their own. Well, at the end, each dude found a lady to date. Since that episode, I am very conscious not to rush to Oprah’s book section (even if I didn’t like that program). Sad, but true. Thankfully she doesn’t really feature non-American books, so I’m safe.

I can imagine if we had a talk show here. Oh the drama! Would it last a week? The general perception is “you do not air your dirty laundry for all to see”. But we are still wajuaji - nosy people. I can imagine people would enjoy watching others air their linen, but wouldn’t do so themselves.

In the mean time, we have taken a 3-week break from non-stop talk shows because of the Africa Nations Cup. Not that I’m complaining!! Watching men playing football is eye candy :-) Can’t wait for the World Cup!
0 Comments
Mood: Weirded Out
: Opinion, Life

gatwiri 2006 In Review Jan 16th, 2006 2:04:47 am - Subscribe

Happy New Year all!! My New Year was great!! I hang out with my friends, counted down the New Year with screaming and excitement and then continued hanging out till morning. I didn't sleep till Sunday night, which was almost 36 hrs of insomnia. I think that was time well spent.

Anyway, this is a pivotal year because I have decided to do the unthinkable. I am going to set some New Year resolutions. This, my friends, is an unprecedented happening. Never, in the history of my life, have I written anything of such magnitude like resolutions. I tell you, it's BIG!! But I will write them (sometime soon) and maybe share some on this thing. But you can be assured that one resolution will be to lose weight. This is probably the most common resolution at the beginning of the year, and the most broken resolution at the end of the year. But what are New Year resolutions if you don't say you want to lose weight.

Resolutions aside, there are a few things that I want to see happening this year. I checked out my horoscope predictions for the year just for the sake of it. The predictions say a lot nice things. (They should, or no one will believe them!) Apparently, I should change careers or business from September, watch my health especially in March, and watch my financial decisions during April and May. But horoscopes are not real. I mean, how can I and 510 million Aquarians have the same pattern of life?

So, here are my predictions of what's going to happen this year

1. January - I will be one year older. Yes, I am a January baby. Just so you know, my ideal present would be a laptop, or maybe roller blades, but I'll eat pizza for sure.

2. February - “clever" men know the time to start dating is February 15th. On February 14th, we will be assaulted by flowers in all hues of red. Those who take it more seriously will dress up in red. Wallets will be empty, and credit cards maxed out by 15th.

3. March - A slow month with nothing major. The interaction of Mars and the stars will give away Osama bin Laden's hideout. The position of the sun over the Indian Ocean must bring rain to our parched country.

4. April - The heavy rain season continues in full swing. I will consider stealing a car because walking around in rain is not good on my hair or clothes.

5. May - I will begin my Masters degree. In spite of my genuine excuse that I am working, my professors will do their best to drown me in work.

6. June - One public holiday, at least. This is time for colonial retribution. During the World Cup, (which I will watch religiously) Angola will win Portugal 1 - 0 in a thrilling match. This is the most important match in my opinion. PS: If you are from a country with a team in the World Cup, I need you to send me a mini-flag and team jersey to wear while cheering.

7. July - Boring, cold, slow month after the World Cup. My sister turns one year older, which means pizza!!

8. August - A cursed month in Kenya. All sorts of mishaps and deaths occur at this time, except last year, so let's see what happens this year. The stars are a bit fuzzy on this one.

9. September - 2nd semester of my MBA. Those professors are at it again with all their assignments. I'll prolly have cut weight from all that work.

10. October - two public holidays, hurray!! 2 days off school and work. This is a good star!!

11. November - No referendum this time, so it will be just another month. Al Zarqawi will be shot by the Sagittarius arrow.

12. December - time to take a chill-pill and enjoy the end of another year. This means party after party after party. Hurray!

Happy New Year! grin.gif

5 Comments
Mood: Anticipative
: Life

gatwiri Merry Christmas Dec 22nd, 2005 1:54:29 am - Subscribe
Merry Christmas All and A Happy New Year.

This is the conclusion of another great year. A time to eat and enjoy myself and meet with my relatives. I have no complaints, except of course, that I didnt lose the weight I said I would. Infact, I have gained some. Oh well, there's always next year.

In this age of materialistic commercialisation of holidays, I choose to remember the true reason and meaning of the holiday. Jesus was born, one night, in downtown Bethlehem, to bring salvation to those who believe in Him.

I have been watching this Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays bull going round in the western hemisphere. What the hell is Happy Holidays? Political Correctness at its best!! I could go on and on about it, but I'd rather look forward to doing Christmas the Kenyan way.

So I will go to church on Christmas morning, sing christmas carols at the top of my (hoarse) voice, wish my buddies a Merry Christmas, go for our family get together, sing some more carols and have a Christmas sermonette, eat, drink and be merry with my relatives, and then go home in the middle of the night. Or maybe Monday morning.

Christmas IS the best time of the year.
1 Comments
Mood: ((( Excited )))
: Opinion

gatwiri Madd Progress Dec 15th, 2005 11:00:57 pm - Subscribe
Microsoft released the Kiswahili Language Interface Pack for Office 2003. They will release Windows XP in Kiswahili sometime next year.

I downloaded it yesterday and I must say I am terribly excited. Finally, I can use something in my own language. Its very interesting the way, technologies seems so much more accessible, now that it is in Kiswahili. I mean, I am in the IT field, so I am no stranger to computers, but this latest development makes computers seem nearer somehow.

For those who use OpenOffice, there is Jambo OpenOffice - the Kiswahili version. It was released late last year. BTW, Open Office is free software. One problem though. The team did not involve Kiswahili speakers of other countries, except Tanzania. The rest of East and Central Africa speak Kiswahili, so why were they left out? sad.gif You can download the latest version at www.openoffice.org .

If you are a Kiswahili speaker, you had better get this software ASAP. grin.gif
0 Comments
Mood: Excited
: Stuff

gatwiri The Scariest Day of the Year Dec 6th, 2005 12:48:35 am - Subscribe
OH MY GOODNESS! On Monday afternoon there was an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter Scale. I was in the office, on 19th Floor somewhere in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Nairobi. There I was, doing the whole IT thing, when I decided to step out of the office. As I walked down the corridor, I noticed people running around, which is unusual, because I am the hyper one.

I thought a colleague had collapsed at the lift or something, so I asked someone, "what's going on?" There's an earthquake, she tells me. I started giggling (how inappropriate) and went to one of the windows in the reception. I looked out of the building and noticed that it was swaying! Like the Kenya flag on a Friday!

Our building is near the site of the 1998 Bomb Blast, so the people milling around the windows were told to move away quickly, lest flying glass cuts them. After a few minutes of helpless inaction, we decided that it's best to scamper for safety.

That's when I started feeling woozy, like I had been jumping on a trampoline. My (very) short life didn't flash before my eyes as I rushed back to the office. I quickly grabbed every woman's essentials, my handbag and cell phone, and took off down the stairs. When we got outside there was already a big crowd of Nairobians that had spilled out onto the streets.

And true to the Kenyan spirit, rumours started flying around. Apparently, a text message had been going round that warned people that there would be an earthquake. How true that is, I dunno!! Some people said they thought they were having heart attacks, while others thought something from lunch was punishing them. Oh the drama!

I didn't think it was a big deal till I saw on the news that it affected East and Central Africa. The upside (if there's any) was that no one died, except in D.R Congo, and I left the office an hour early. What a day!
6 Comments
Mood: lovely
: Scrrrrddd!!

gatwiri State Of The Marital Union - Part 2 Dec 6th, 2005 12:36:09 am - Subscribe
Celebrities have made a fashion of making a mockery of marriage. It's too bad we look up to them (other people, not me :-)). If it isn't Elizabeth Taylor and her collection of husbands, it is our dear Nick and Jessica, or Brad and Jen, take your pick. In high school, we had a slang phrase for people who kept changing things and opinions on a whim. For example, you could say, "So and so changes her nail polish/ hair style/ boyfriend like underwear." In the same breath, we could say such and such a celebrity changes boy/girlfriends like underwear.

I really need to understand what big problem people have with being married. Marriage-haters seem to be more that married folk. Everywhere you turn, there is someone, most probably a woman, saying she doesn't believe in marriage. Yeah, right. Most of these people are not married, and have never been married, so what do they know?

Me, I personally believe that the problem is not marriage, but the people who marry. When you come together with a partner, that is the only time you can create the space called marriage. If you are in that space, you know what it feels like, and so you are qualified to speak, and possibly complain.

If you don't come together with another person, then you can't create it. If you are not married, how can you complain about marriage, when you and another person are not in that space? However, if you are, you can complain, because you are in that space.

My point, there are some things you can't start to comprehend until you get there. If you are born without a physical challenge, then it's kinda hard to really know what lack of hearing or sight is. In this situation, you can empathize from what you see or hear about physical disability.

If by accident you lose either, then you come to truly understand what a person born in that situation is going through. It's prolly the same with being married. When you get in is when you truly understand what happens, otherwise when you are outside, you do not have that very vital first hand experience.

This is not to say that being outside a situation doesn't give you a valid viewpoint. I'd just rather hear about the trials and tribulations of being married from a person who has actually been there, at least once. It's a credibility issue! But then again, we have all seen things about marriage that we don't like, like infidelity and abuse, and so we don't want to go there. But then we have to remember it's one or both of the married people in that ‘space' are the ones who commit infidelity, not the marriage.

Now to these celebs, I should prolly feel sorry for them. But maybe they would say they wouldn't want my pity. Have they heard of pre-marital counselling? They can afford the best shrinks before marriage and avoid the most expensive lawyers after. It only makes logical sense. (I'm being cruel, hehehe, but I had to say it.)

Thus, we need to be very careful about the sources of our information. If someone complains about marriage, they may be covering up an issue like fear of rejection. I believe that there is a message behind a person's words, there is something they are trying to say underneath the words they use. Just think of your own words. How many times do you say, ‘men are dogs'? (words) You hope that your friend will pick up on the fact that you want to talk because some dude dumped you (message behind the words). Then you wait expectantly for them to ask, "What's wrong?", but all they heard was ‘Men are dogs'.

But then again, some people really just don't believe in marriage. Take your pick.
2 Comments
Mood: Kidogo Amused
: Opinion, Life

gatwiri Statistics - Whats Going On? Nov 30th, 2005 5:19:07 am - Subscribe
In the Numbers section of the Nov. 28 Time Magazine is an interesting, what do I call it - fact. Apparently it took Apple Computers online store 20 days to reach 1 million downloads for the new video iPod, while it took only 7 days for a website offering porn videos for iPod to reach the same mark.

I, for one, am totally in lust with Apple Products, like the Ipod and the 17 inch G4 Powerbook. (I want one of each for Christmas.) But thats not the point. I wonder, were these people spending hard earned money to buy iPods (which are not cheap), just to view porn? I hope not. Or maybe its not hard-earned. Anywho, its interesting how much faster the porn downloads were, 3 times as fast. Steve Jobs and his people at Apple couldn't have seen this coming.

This little statistic is tucked away at the corner of page 25, but has big implications. Apparently the porn industry is very huge, earning millions of dollars. So, I guess it makes perfect sense for the businessmen and women of the industry to diversify their product range and target market. Soon they will start PODcasts, a fancy name for broadcasting pre recorded media content over the web. (I hope I haven't given someone a business idea!) This, my friends, is what is called capitalism - Show me the money!

How far are we willing to go to make money? Pornography and the term porn, draw the biggest number of hits on the Net, followed by the term religion. Do the people at Apple just this event as an indicator of the popularity of their gadget? It translates to good sales of that beautiful gadget, but there are other considerations. Of course, Apple cannot start telling people how to use their IPod, but the ethical question rests on those who use that technology to propagate porn. (Hold on, we are asking the wrong people ethical questions.) Ok, I'm hating, but honestly, what's going on?

In other news, Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, (ati who??) have announced their split after 3-odd years. Celebrities, what planet do they live on? However, that's for another day.
2 Comments
Mood: Kinda Bored
: Life, Opinion

gatwiri I-Vote, Therefore, I-Rock Nov 23rd, 2005 4:17:12 am - Subscribe
Hurray!! The referendum period is now over. After months of noise in the public domain, we can now get back to important things, like the coming Christmas holiday (oohh! and building the country).

Voting is sooo exciting!! I could vote everyday if it was possible! Kenyans came out in their numbers, some 6 million people, and 57% of them rejected the proposed constitution. That number includes ME!!

Thankfully, the process was very peaceful, not to mention free and fair. We are quite the democratic bunch, arent we?

There are a number of things that came out of this period. One, the loong weekend, from Saturday to Tuesday. Needless to say I did absolutely NOTHING!! I loved doing nothing.

Two, we once again proved that we know what democracy is. Its not a big concept to wage war over, just the ability to go to a polling station, cross a space on a paper, place the paper in a box, and wait for the results.

The next voting period is two years away, and in that period, knowing how Kenyans are, we will see all sorts of things in the political arena. I wonder whats next. It had better be accompanied by a long holiday.


I-Vote, Therefore, I-Rock!!
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Mood: Totally Jazzed
: Life

gatwiri Who Asked For Your Opinion - Part 2: So We Are All The Same? Nov 2nd, 2005 11:14:12 pm - Subscribe

" I cant escape this life that I'm living,
I'm in a fix, I'm in love with two women,
I've got two honies on my mind,
And I don't wanna let none of them GO!" - Lost Boys (hip hop group)

I'll tell you where you can GO; Netherlands. Apparently, polygamous civil unions are possible in the country where smoking weed and same-sex marriage are legal. A heterosexual man, Victor, "married" two bi-sexual women, Mirjam and Bianca, in one civil union function. What is the world coming to? Are Africans being beaten at their own game? At least a polygamous African man will marry one wife and take a break before getting another!

I almost died of laughter reading this story. I passed it round the office and needless to say it livened the dull, rainy afternoon. I mean, how can you upstage an African? We run this!!

On the serious side (yeah right!), there are a number of issues that intrigue me. When the missionaries came (even from Netherlands) to spread the Gospel in Africa, they set about to eradicate the "backward and retrogressive practices of the war-like natives" like polygamy. Barely a century later, their descendants are in the final stages of legalizing the same "practices" Africans are still castigated about. Talk about preaching water and drinking wine. (I wish these missionaries could rise from the dead now and see what is going on in their countries!! Hehehe! )

Which brings me to the million guilder, no, euro question, do we as Africans need to listen to foreign opinion about our culture and traditions? Why should we be made to feel inferior about our traditions, when some years later, those castigating us will rename and adopt our traditions? And why is it that when Europeans adopt such "unions" they are viewed as progressive and "LIBERAL" (oh how that word irritates me!), while Africans are called backward and retrogressive people out to stifle "women's rights"? Note that in Africa, polygamy is culturally acceptable.

On the other hand you can not compare the African view of polygamy with this newfangled Dutch version. There were cultural, (note - cultural) reasons for polygamy in Africa e.g. the necessity of labour in agrarian societies, pride and prestige of polygamous families, safety and security against high mortality rates e.t.c. Someone said culture establishes social institutions to maintain the continuity of a society, and polygamy was one of those institutions in Africa.

I can help wondering if polygamy in Netherlands is the logical progression down the "slippery slope". The slope started with civil unions then same-sex marriages. Now that same-sex marriages are allowed, it is only a matter of time before polygamy and polyandry and other group-type marriages are legalized. Watch this space. I'm interested to see how long this marriage will last.

What will they pick up next (from Africa)? Hmmm. There are those pushing for marriages where a woman can marry many men. Polyandry, I think. Before the liberals claim it as another progressive, industrialised thought, may I note that it is already practiced by the Irigwe and Tiriki communities of Nigeria (a country in Africa, for those who are deficient in geography), amongst other African communities .

We could go on, but I have a term paper due some time soon. In the mean time, it will be very interesting to see what new developments take place.

In the words of my fave singer Jill Scott - "What goes around comes around really do, really does come back around"
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Mood: Tickled
: Life

gatwiri State of the (Marital) Union Oct 26th, 2005 5:27:07 am - Subscribe
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." Not my words, I hasten to add, before I am accused of plagiarism. The first sentence of that awesome book Pride and Prejudice still rings true today, even though people pretend that they don’t see the need for that institution.

So I was chatting with someone about the prevalence of sugar daddies, and now sugar mummies. These are the older, married folk of society who have affairs with younger members of the opposite sex, i.e. sugar daddy gets a young girl who he piles with money and expensive gifts and gets an especially warm bed in return. A sugar mummy is the female version. For a long time sugar daddies were the norm in society, partly because men have more opportunity to accumulate wealth and power. These men of "stature" still attract women at their feet like flies to rotting meat.

Sugar mummies are more interesting, more so, in the African context where such ideas do not apply. It’s not an issue of whether it is right or wrong, moral or immoral, dating and marrying older women is just not African. Take it or leave it.

But then feminism came along, and there was an outbreak of sugar mummies. These women have beaten men at their own game. They may be wealthy, lonely women trapped in loveless marriages, whose husbands are getting a little extra marital loving. So they go out and do the same, after all, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. And the young men are not complaining!! Would you, if you had women beating down your door?

This phenomenon is also encouraged by the hard economic times and a lack of jobs for the youth. Sugar daddies and mummies started adulthood in a time when jobs were common like air. 20-30 years later, the concept of job availability and security is at display in the museum. If you look for a job for a long time in this harsh and competitive environment, and you can’t find any, (and you have bills to pay), what do you do? Get a sugar someone!!

Any way, back to this person; he is not amused by the shortage of marriageable women. "Sugar people" have totally obscured the courtship landscape. Check out this scenario: A guy of say 25, with little in terms of material possessions to his name, wants an wifey. He started working at 22, so he doesn’t have a lot. Like a typical bachelor, he has 1 (plastic) cup, one spoon, 1 (small) cooking pot, 1 chair, 1 (undersize) bed and a huge state-of-the-art entertainment system.

A lady of 25 has more material possessions (and a better furnished house) than he does, courtesy of her sugar daddy. Of course, the lady wont dare hook up with a broke dude. The dude is now resigned to non marital bliss until his net worth increases. What is he to do? End of scenario.

I finished reading Pride and Prejudice for the fifth time (love that book!), and I still don’t know what to think of the situation. Its not that all women have sugar daddies! No, but they are a blip on the dating radar that cannot be wished away for some people. So, is my friend looking in the wrong place, or is he looking in the wrong place purposefully because he has commitment-o-phobia? Or are there no women to marry? Heck, do we need to marry? Hmmm.

9 Comments
Mood: confuzzled
: Life

gatwiri Who Asked For Your Opinion? Part 1. - The Know It Alls Oct 7th, 2005 1:49:58 am - Subscribe
Stop the press!! The Westerners are at it again!! Just when you think they have called us all the names, they go out and come up with a new one. The latest tag they have yoked on us (Kenya) is that of a "failed state." I think I am gonna puke!!! Results from research done by a "top" research organization show Kenya as having all the characteristics of the so-called failed state. BTW, a failed state is "one that has lost control of its territory or of the monopoly on the legitimate use of force and has thus earned the label." In short, they are countries about to go over the cliff. Check out the July/August edition of Foreign policy magazine for more on this crap.

I don't know what we ever did to this particular country. For one, they have refused to remove the travel advisory against Kenya, even when tourist arrivals from their country have increased by around 20%. They have gone to renew these advisories no less than three times. Just the other day they advised their cruise ships not to dock at Mombasa, because political temperatures are rising with the coming referendum. And now this. Talk about MADD hating!!

The source of the research material is also incredulous. They say they used software to analyse data from tens of thousands of international and local media sources. If international media houses portray Africa in a negative light (as they always do), and their stories are used as sources, then the results drawn from this research are already skewed to show countries like Kenya are "failed states". We all know that international media houses have nothing positive to write about Africa.

At the end of the day, such "reports" end up perpetuating negative stereotypes of Africa, specifically Kenya. To those equally ignorant readers, the countries listed sound like war zones, or battle scenes right out of Rambo movies. (Though I never watched them). Most of the countries listed are African countries (of course), so the stereotype of Africa as a jungle full of warring natives is perpetuated.

As an African, I don't have to put up with this poop anymore. In this period that they did their research, did they forget that Kenya mediated peace agreements for Sudan and Somalia? Failed states don't do that! Or that Kenya is practically the economic center of Eastern Africa? Or that after 42 years of independence, our country is still in one piece? There are sooo many right things with our country that they conveniently overlook, but we can put it down to selective memory.

If this was a person writing falsehoods about another, he would be sued for libel, slander or defamation or emotional turmoil. We should prolly do the same. This report makes me wonder if we should waste any time listening to these westerners and their opinions about our continent. After all, what do they know? Their minds are already skewed with all the negative media about Africa, so you can hardly expect any objectivity. Their research is basically done to prove what they already think they know. Such articles also dent the pride and esteem of a country. Who wants to hear negative things about them all the time?

On the other hand, I may be lashing out instead of being objective. I should try to see the merits of their argument. (Yeah right!) I'm human; first I want to scratch your face, then I can talk about the issues. So now the Objective Me remembers the period between 1988 -1992 when the country could easily have plunged into civil war, or the insecurity we now face. But which country has not seen uncertain and perilous times? How quickly they forget that their own country went through a civil war. Even if it is a historical footnote now, they should not be so quick to "research".

I'll admit, things are far from ideal, very far. I don't know how we have made it this far without hacking one another to death. Our infrastructure could use a facelift and security must be tightened. Our dear roads are in a failed state :-). There are many areas to improve, which means many areas of opportunity for employment and work. But I have faith that we will get there, in spite of these doomsday prophesies.

We have made it through 42 years; the next 42 are a piece of cake.
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Mood: Pissed, trrying to be \"Objective\"
: Opinion