Nov 30, 2009

Losing UBHH-virginity

This post is possibly related to one of those escapades that seem to derail me. Things that want to stick by me and stay with me. The thorough thought of it makes me want to get a stick shove it right through my intestines and pluck out that piece of the grasshopper leg that I swallowed. I belch. Disgusting I know. That’s it. I think am too high on those grasshoppers. Yummy. I have too many of them.

So it happens to have been UBHH last week, it was my very first. Since it ss the African continent, I actually got to the venue at 7pm after a hectic day at work. In my black suit and my precious bag I'm waiting. Uganda Telecom is to blame. My twitter wasn’t working. I couldn’t receive any update. Rogue King had sent me details on how to ID the bloggers. I couldn’t read any of them. My sister TRP also tried but all in vain. Then payo wanted me to let him know how UBHH was going. I just couldn’t find these guys. 7:30, still no-one. I meet this friend whom I had last seen 3years ago. He gets excited and offers buy me a Coca-Cola. I accept it. The beauty of Kampala is that there is a lot to admire, especially at night. Especially the nice cars (I hope you agree). So as my friend peels away, look who appears, Streetsider.  I walk over to the tableless area and introduce myself. It is me guys, I am the real guy.

Santosh appeared and we talked, safyre wrapped in his gemstone overtly thought I was so old. Solomon King sat calmly in talking to um and for sometime  until Solomon King stood up and walked out. Then he appeared a few minutes later. Not alone but with Yvonne. The usual introductions go on. She then leaves.  Then Normzo appears. Sleek joins us. Jny23ug comes around but he has to head off to a Virgil. So he lasts only a few minutes and leaves. And then Darlyne.

Sleek and Street take sometime and engage in a conversation. Xiona shows up. Safyre and I engage her in a conversation about cars. Safyre tells me the lady loves cars. She lasted less than a 10minutes, she moves to the interior. Meanwhile am salvaging on my third alvaro. Solomon King and Normzo are embedded in a conversation. Things happen so fast and then Normzo leaves, safyre is also plotting an exit. The 4 S boys stick around (Santosh,Solomon King,Sleek and Street) and Darlyne also sticks around. I plot my exit and take a leave out of the A to the rea.

My first BHH wasn’t that bad. Can’t wait for the next one. YZ is in the country and then for Ugandan Girl maybe will meet in the next one. Mudamuli, also you.

Nov 24, 2009

When the post becomes long.

The weekend sailed by and I missed the Kampala Marathon. Honestly I would have finished the race. That is according to what I think. My weight has been a problem, especially the belly that had become an issue. It seemed to be protruding each day. This has raised dust. Yes I know it is not any of your business. But I have started skipping the rope and engaging myself in stretching. It wasn’t easy. I stretched and my muscles are hurting. It is real pain. I can tell why Rafael Nadal is not looking like a world number 2.

So why the torture? Maybe it is because I want to be fit so I can run next years’ marathon. Since the usual suspects have failed to win the money I would take it on (terms and conditions apply). Ok in the long post I’d like to introduce the cast: Thiery Henry, Jennifer Lopez, Charles Darwin, Pastor X, Stephanie Meyer and K’naan

Scene one

For those who follow football know that Theiry Henry attempted the slam dunk but could only afford a super assist. France is now in the world Cup. The guy had to cheat to get France to the World Cup. There is what we call sportsman ship. Do you know the guy who embezzles money and then says “the auditors did not get the flaw so it is not my problem.” Do we have to wait for a court to convict us or find us guilty? Do we have to get to this point?

Scene two

When the one and only J-lo falls in a move while at performing at the American Music awards, she fell on the only part of her body that builds her brand. Fact is she fell and then in split second stood up and continued to perform. How would you explain this? She is human. Even the best can fall. There is no-one who is perfect BUT we need to struggle to be the best. We meet some hurdles we can’t jump, we fall flat and stand up straight and move on.

Scene three

The origin of species, we celebrate this theory (150years). Science is appreciated. Charles Darwin left us, but to this day we remember his theory. It’s the beauty of how he sees the world that perfects the art of life and diverse thought. I have been engaging myself in some literature on diverse issues; this has opened up my mind and kind of made me a critical thinker (I think). I guess we need to listen to people and get different perspectives.

Scene four

I was thinking of Adolf Hitler but I can’t find him a role in the play. Now instead of Hitler or any of the self styled dicatators I’ll give pastor X who never delivers a sermon in Church, he will preach for 5minutes and will spend more than an hour “anointing.” Am not questioning what he can do but the essence of Church for me is changing. The message is key, I noticed he made an alter call before he could preach and after all the anointing he never made an alter call. The church was down, people fell. Then I told my friend who had brought me that I couldn’t stand this. I left. He had invited me to his church. Now this part I can’t quite explain. If you ain’t sure you are doing the right thing consult others or talk to someone. At this point I wasn’t sure why I was in this place so I had to move out. Creepy I thought

Scene five

Stephanie Meyer, a storyteller in her own right. She was sleeping and then dreamt. She then started writing. The Twilight series have become a very popular among teenage readers. New Moon  has be transformed into a movie. How nice? Remember she just dreamt.The story has no explicit scenes but people love it. JK Rowling has sold like hot chocolate and movies have been made about her Harry Potter books. I need a movie on “No Longer at ease,” “gods bits of wood” and well atleast I have watched Jill Scott act a beautiful story about a book on Botswana “the No.1 first ladies detective.” If you read the Book then you will know how beautiful the story is. Am I blind? I have seen the Nigerians act but the African story is not there. We can do better when we take up those opportunities.

Scene six

K’naan, he came to Uganda and his story is amazing. He is great guy to interact with. One thing is he has very strong lyrics and he is a poet. Ok he is from Somalia (now what do you know about Somalia: war). He left Somalia at the age of 13. He now lives in Canada. His accent is so not American (A guy will go to the USA and after 1 month, accent has changed), the guy speaks fluent amaharic and he is so down to earth (cliche’). Anyway he insists that there is a story about Somalia we do not know. He told me how the people there are great poets and know art. Pictures and words. Poetry is very much a way of life in Somalia. Despite how negative we can be, there is always something positive about life that we should have or look to or appreciate


I did go off topic; this is the month where the delicacy comes once. They are sweet and if you don’t eat them then you are slightly missing something. They engage the gums. They have been compared to the pizza (If you have been at Steers you know what am talking about). They have been compared to bacon. Others call it popcorn; there are those that refer to it as crisps. I’d like to introduce the grasshopper.


Have a great week

Nov 11, 2009

great thinkers

Am I a great thinker?
Am not the one who designed, its a friend who did.
So I decided I should get an opinion....
On this day(the pic was taken). I was in one of the most
boring lectures. One of the photojournalism students decided
it was a fabulous pic. I was thinking.

Its around 7:00am, and have to get busy now......
Be back later........

Nov 9, 2009

Ain’t worth that

The preamble

I will not say I know the unemployment rate in Uganda, but it is pretty high. Every year thousands graduate across the country. The number is so high but the jobs....well are not seen. When I was growing up I always told myself and people around me that I can never be unemployed. This was much courage that carried. Why I said that was because I knew I was going to be a doctor and jobs are very available. Slowly this began to glide away.

I have had opportunities to get jobs but I have suffered a few setbacks, most of them beyond my own making. Journalism is tough but fun. The first time I got to practice serious journalism was in the western part of Uganda, It was for a radio station. It was pretty easy, but that wasn’t the key issue. There was just too much I learnt. The journalists I met had amazing stories most of which were around sex. Or even the time I went to the high court and found this registrar who wanted to pay me to talk about a case. I was rookie so most of these things were new to me. In my internship, the owner of the radio station was so tough that one day he decided I work at the reception desk. Not cool at all.

Then one day I came with a “hot” story. That is what I thought. It was about a very powerful man in the area, who is alleged to have sacrificed an old woman at the foundation of his posh hospital. It was to be a powerful a story, then I was only disappointed when I was told by the “station owner,” that we couldn’t use the story. I was shocked, but not for long, I got to learn that these two were friends and.

Journalism has taught me many things, including how to survive around. I got to do my second internship at a business paper and this taught me how to live a life working hard, adding value and all you get is a thank you. Though I think my chance to be big is still available. The stories I always hear from some PR firms, is that journalists love money. Well, have they ever asked themselves why some of these journalists ask them for money? That I honestly don’t know.

Dinning with people from the corporate world has kept my eyes wide open. Getting close to the bigshots and asking them questions makes me proud. Any journalist will tell how good they felt each time they saw their by-line. I have always known journalism and writing is a passion. Am very passionate when I am doing my work but of-late I am beginning to lose it. Slowly the interest is going. So much effort I put in and what I gain is less. Last week I was given an offer, but I turned it down. I refused the offer because it wasn’t worth it. The offer would increase my workload yet the pay is worse. My boss always tells me that writing is passion no matter the pay. Blogging would best fit in his argument, but then investing my time, money, airtime and freedom for peanuts ain’t worth it.

An apology.


Now I would like to apologise the bloggers at BHH, the reason I missed is because I got a phone call from my boss to go attend a function, he wanted the story by 8am the next day. I was standing at jumbo plaza opposite nandos when I got the phone call.

Nov 3, 2009

The little things

About 22 years I was brought into this world. I became part of the human infested planet. Not a bad idea. In growing up I never lived with my parents. I only started living with them when I was 17. Not the reason why I did not go to the most prestigious schools around Uganda. Growing up in the very rural area with no TV and internet, my only friend was a small portable radio. This is where I would get all the information I need. And my auntie had all the novels and books that would sink myself into every evening and read. It had become so obvious that I was destined to be a doctor but on course I met the worst nightmare, a terrible lifestyle that cost me that dream. And well it was also my desire for too much novel reading cost me the chemistry and the biology I was supposed to read. The only thing I knew in chemistry was titration (mixing chlorine with hydrochloric acid) and then there was this
Cl + O2 = CLO2
Then they would ask you to balance the equation. What a nightmare.

So then back to the little things. My relationship with my parents did not improve too much after I was 17. I hardly had a decent conversation with my parents. I would sit with my dad in the car and for over 15k/ms there was no coversation. I would try to talk but all I could say was "now look at how that man is overtaking" or "this road is quite pathetic." I would never tell my father am broke. I would suck it in and swallow my tongue, die with my brokeness. If I had a problem I would do the same. I never made phonecalls to my parents and rarely did they. At times I would think they are angry because of my past tribulations, but I think I was wrong. They did not look angry at all.

When I joined campass it was the same, nothing new. The conversation would be, "what is your Gpa?", "How much do you need for tuition?" "when is the holiday and when are you coming home?"
But something changed a month ago. After I graduated my father seems to have changed, he calls me regulary to find out if I have a job or if am broke and need some money. This makes me proud. On graduation, my mother cried and my dad looked so calm. My nephews call him "Mr Cool" and they say he is always in "Chiller mode."
It is quite amazing how things have turned around.

Its those little things in life, like someone saying thank you, sending you text, telling you how jesus died for you, praying for you, smiling, saying hullo and caring among others that make the difference.


Listen to....
The little things that give you away - linkin Park.
Held - Natale grant.
(If you dont have these two, just drop me an e-mail)