After campus Memoirs Vol.1

Who wouldnt want to brush off some dust after 3 long years of hard earned education? Well after my finals on a wednesday, I partied from that night, thursday and friday.

Wednesday:
After making noise, giving goodbye hugs, (unfortunately I never got any peck. It was so annoying) and getting shirts signed(celebrity status) I decided to go out and treat myself to a very expensive meal. I disapeared into this cozy restuarant and treated myself to some oink oink. While I watched athletics. Then I thought what about the blue Label. So I drank two tastefully different blue labels. I went back to my hostel at around 1am and guess what I found. A house party. Alcholism I said to myself. I realised there was no soda and people getting rub-a-dubbed. I took cover in my sheets. I wasnt ready for the unexpected.

Thursday:
It wasnt a brutal hangover but I woke up a great man. Feeling releaved and happy. The morning wasnt fun. You know HTML (you must have seen it somewhere if you are a blogger). Well I tried posting on my blog and I kept on getting errors. It was so annoying and pathetic. Now the night. Which is always cold and chilly. For three years we had a discussion group that was wonderful. 5 boys and 6 girls. It was a cute group.

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I had fallen for one of the girls in our group in my first year. I got a no from her but we stayed friends.

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So we dicided we needed a small party. We had chocolate cake (not the hotloaf one with too much blueband. Just give me a call if you want the best cake), ice cream, mob soda and food. Later in the night we headed to Steak out for my favourite nights. Rock night. (effendy's rock in the park was my best). The great thing about this night was these girls had never been out at night so what I climax. Apperently I was let down by steakout rock that night. Pathetic. Too much rnb and hiphop.
The whole place was packed. MUK people especially the freshers. The girls got bored so they went to blue haze....(former cheese bar) and well there was local music and a handful of people. Their playlist was:

Alina Potential
Ayokya ayokya
Mr dj
kawonawo.

Well I had too keep close to the girls. Didnt want anyone messing around with them. Ohh then something happened. One of those sleek moments happened to me. I was standing outside, sending a text. And then this girl aproached me.

Girl: Hi....
Me: Hullo (As I sipped my blue label in a glass)
Girl: I think we've met somewhere.
Me: Sure? I dont think so. Normally my memory is that good.
Girl: I think you were at Kigezi H/s
Me; Yes
Girl: And you are McKeith
Me: Ofcourse. (A cold chill in my body)
Girl: I was in s.1 while you were in s.3. I do not think you would remember me.
(she then introduced herself)
Me: Wow pleased to meet you. How could you remember me?
Girl: Well you are still that sweet young baby you have always been.
booom she had dropped it. I felt terrible.
Me: Thats why am the most handsome guy around.

I hestitated like emi to get the phone number. I knew the next time I go for rock night i'll see her. She was cute though.

Then I also met this guy who stole my first girlfriend. He smiled at me. Well I did talk to him. He bought me a blue label, its something like 3k. Well two hours later I bought an energy drink for him. Its around 5k.

At around 6am we left. A night with less rock. I was annoyed. (I'll try the next thursday)

Walking in reverse

“Opportunity knocks once.” I don’t know whether it is proverb or a saying or a common statement used by the ordinary Ugandan. Whenever I pick The Saturday Vision and New Vision, I read the writers’ name before I let my eyes explore the story. There are particular people I’ll look out for. Carol (Natukunda/Kasujja/Kezaabu), Ernest Bazanye, Angela Kintu, Esther "Namungojji", Babara Among and Joseph Kabuleta. I’ll not want dwell too much in typing all the names. Its a whole list of columnists I follow. 

I was always told by people around me on how it is hard to get into New Vision as a writer. This made me believe that it was actually very hard and that I’d need connections to get in, but each time I’d read the newspaper I noticed the writers in there were very good at what they did. Despite that I gave up so fast and gave up on writing. 

DEC 2008. 

In my third year as a journalism student I had never written for a newspaper apart from our campus paper. So an opportunity appears. I apply to do my internship at the features desk of The New Vision. I probably had the longest application (Only new Visions’ human resource manager knows that). Driven by negative thoughts and people around me I was never with the belief I’d actually get in. 

Jan 2009

It is the second week. I have already given up on getting into New Vision so I got a place at Business Week. This was something differing of my beliefs. I take myself as an all round person, atleast I can write business, sports and politics. They offer me a contract that expired April 30th together with an ID card. In my mind I’d given up on that opportunity to work for New Vision. 

Feb 2009.

“When I was a young boy I tried to listen 

And I wanna feel like that 

Little white shadows

blink and miss them 

Part of a system, I am”

Theses are the words in my ringtone (White shadows by Coldplay). Unfortunately I have the polyphonic version. It’s around 9:00am on a Thursday, My phone rings and a soft sweet voice says

“Hullo, is this Mark?”

“Hullo, Mark here,” I reply

“I am calling from New Vision. You applied to be an intern, right?” She says

At the sound of that I freeze for a few seconds then I reply

“I did apply last year in December,” I say as I waited anxiously for what she’d tell me.

“You have been selected to do internship with us,” She says before I interrupt

“Sure?” I say. “Isn’t this some sort of prank or something,” I add

I can tell she wants to burst into laughter. She then replies “If you are still interested Just come next week on Wednesday at 8:00am. You will go to the editorial desk and ask for Helen.”

I freeze and all I say is “Ok, thank you very much.”

“If you have question, ask when you get to New Vision. Ok. Have a lovely day Mark,” She says

“Hope to see you,” I say “Have a lovely day and great weekend. It’s just one day to go,” I reply rather softly. I know how to be sweet.

There is a brief laughter and the line dies out. 

I start regretting why I was not patient and waited. I cannot terminate a contract. I did not have a convincing reason to tell my boss. Its Wednesday, I walk to industrial area, stand just at the entrance of New Vision for about 10mins then turned back and went back to Business week. Later that evening I cancel my supper plans, went to my bed and cried. The one chance I had to get in had been blown just because of a clause in a contract. 

I just wish walking in reverse was possible. In a few Months University life will be put to the shelf. I hope such a lifetime chance will appear again. I always imagine myself in the News room rubbing shoulders with some of Uganda’s good writers.