New beginnings

I have been running this blog for about 4 years now. From the humble beginnings on My space, to Blogger, to Wordpress (for a few hours yesterday night).

As I was sitting in the office, in the dead of the night, it came to me. My blog has been undergoing the same changes as me. It has been reflecting the mood, state of mind and state of being of what is going on in my life. I think that is what blogs are supposed to do anyway.

I noticed that when Nate and I got together, I changed my blog template. I had been meaning to do that, I just never got around to doing it. I guess there is an unconcious need in me to change my stuff with a new change in my life.

So, I have changed the blog's header to Nate's Girl. Because that is what I love being. His girl. I have refrained from getting all mushy and lovey on the blog for the period we have been together, and most of my readers have no idea who this Nate is that i suddenely started blogging about. Not to worry, I will tell all soon. And possibly , you will notice that he is about to become a permanent fixture on this blog. Along with Frosty, Biggie and Blackie. Anf Togetherness Supreme, our film. No, the film is not about us. It's about this.

Welcome to the changes.

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Temporary Insanity

...that is what I had yesterday night. It was a blessing in disguise as it made my mind so tired, I promtly fell I asleep when I finally went to bed. At 1 am. Trying to figure out CSS and contemplating my new move.

I had a short stint at Wordpress. Long enough to discover that I could not make any changes to my CSS. Oh, I could make changes, I just could not save them. Until I purchased the upgrade. I am cheap, when it comes to blogging. I know maintaining these things requires money, but in my reasoning, since my blogging is not for money but to merely bore entertain you with my life escapades, I chose to stay here at Blogger. 

I just noticed that they (Blogger) have also reworked their text  / post editor and its now so much better! Maybe my threat to move did get some heads rolling!

Blogger, I am back.

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Being a Woman

Today is one of those days when I am in a mood. A mood that makes me even hate to be with myself. The most annoying thing about this mood is that I don't understand it myself. If I did, I would know how to get out of it, right? Maybe...

I can't seem to want to enjoy anything. Not even Nate's attempt at dinner by making what he knows best. Hotdogs. Oh, those are his second best. His first is the source of my woes. Pasta.

So while in this in mood, I have decided that Blogger is crap. I have no idea why since I don't know the first thing about blogging in Wordpress.

So, I have packed all my bags ( read posts) and moved to Wordpress. And I am going to hate myself fo this. I know this. I will curse this move. And i might be not  come back But I am in a mood that is out to punish me... and I am playing along. Here I come Wordpress.

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Adopt-a-Black-Baby.com

We live in a quiet, if you like, leafy suburb, with everything within a 10 -15 minutes walking distance. Serious, we walk our lovely spitz-terrier to the vet, wakj to the gymn, walk to the shopping mall, cinema, bookstore, grocery and if we ever get kids while still here, they will literally walk to school.

We are also suspect that we are dangerously close to some adoption agency. More than 30% of the apartments have a white couple with a little pram that houses a black baby. They like to walk them to the above mentioned facilities and speak to them in Dutch. At first, it was a joke between Nate and I as to where they get the babies. I suggested that maybe there is a Babies R US but i later found out that that shop deals with Baby Stuff not babies themselves. Then we thouhgt that maybe they get the babies from some website called something in the line of adopt-a-black-baby.com. I Googled that, just for kicks, and for sure, it exists! I found adopt-a-black-baby.com.

Their motto is, We are better than Oxfam!


They also realise the importance of marketing. And what best way to do that than to post this:

All I need to do is find out the physical location. As i said, it can't be too far from us!

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World's Oldest Student is Dead

He made headlines, in Kenya and internationally as being the oldest pupil in the world. He had taken advantage of the free primary school that the Kenyan Thieves Government had pretended to offer for free. His main aim for going to school was, he said, to learn how to read the bible.

At the (tender) age of 84, he enrolled at Kapkenduiywo Primary School in Eldoret. The post elections violence that rocked most parts of the Rift Valley and other areas in Kenya, Maruge lost his property and had to move to Nairobi. At one time, he almost quit school. He moved to Nairobi, moved to the not so affluent Kariobangi Estate, where he continued his studies.

In May this year, he was baptised during the celebration of the World Communications Day ay the Kariobangi Holy Trinity Parish in Nairobi, taking 'Stephen' as his patron saint. He died at Cheshire Home for the Aged, in Nairobi’s Kariobangi South estate where he has been staying, according to police and officials there.

“He passed away at 1.30pm; his body is still lying in the house. He has been sick and his condition had deteriorated lately,” an official at the home Donatila Ekuyi said.

Maruge, a widower whose life is about to become a major Hollywood film will never see his life epitomised on film. The film has been going back and forth, between the international producers, with a 'fight' as to where the film will be shot; South Africa or Kenya.

Given that the man championing for it to be brought to Kenya has tendered his resignation from the Kenya Film Commission, David Maingi was seen to be the one to help shape the country's industry, and have films like The First Grader shot here. After all, it is a Kenyan story... Maybe Maruge's death will touch the hearts of the thie...ahem, I mean the hearts of the government (people) to give rebates and tax breaks and make sure that the film is shot here, if only to honor the courageous man.

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Sad Saturday

It's a lazy Saturday afternoon, and having just done a productive instructors meeting at the Kibera Film School which is opening on Monday, ( a story for another day Nate and I are lying in bed watching badly produced afternoon TV shows. I flip the channel and there is the breaking news.

A plane has crashed over Nairobi's Highrise Estate. The plane owned by AIM was on its way to Kibera to take pictures / film. The plane, with 4 on board, hit an electricity post, caught fire, and then crashed next to a house in Highrise Estate the middle class apartments adjoining Kibera. The plane came down at around 3PM (Kenyan time, +3GMT) having taken off Wilson Airport.
It is feared that 2 of the passengers have died on the spot, while the other two have been rushed to hospital with intensive burns.The nationalities of those on board is yet to be established.

I don't normally report any news here but this is very close to me. On July 5, less than a month ago, I was on a mission similar to that - filming over Kibera on a plane that we had hired from ALS, an air charter company based at the same airport.

Whatever caused the crash, it is still sad.

Later I will post photos I took from that filming trip

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A tiny country called Africa

To help reduce the amount of ignorance that Americans, eer sorry, rest of the world has for Kenya and the rest of Africa, I will dedicate the next couple of posts to the Africa Awareness. No, I will not hold sessions and workshops to educate them, I will post some of the most stupid questiions ever asked, and the equally stupid answers they recieved.

These questions about Kenya were posted on a Kenyan Tourism portal and were answered by the website owner.

Q: Does it ever get windy in Kenya ? I have never seen it rain on TV, so how do the plants grow? (UK )
A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.

Q: Will I be able to see elephants in the street? (USA )
A: Depends how much you've been drinking.

Q: I want to walk from Mombasa to Nakuru - can I follow the railroad tracks? ( Sweden)
A: Sure, it's only two thousand kilometres....take lots of water.

Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in Kenya ? (Sweden).
A: So it's true what they say about Swedes.

Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Kenya ? Can you send me a list of them in Nairobi and Mombasa? (UK)
A: What did your last slave die of?

Q: Can you give me some information about Koala Bear racing in Kenya ? (USA)
A: Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the pacific. A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe which does not ...oh forget it! Sure, the Koala Bear racing is every Tuesday night in Koinange Street. Come naked.

Q: Which direction is north in Kenya ? (USA)
A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.

Q: Can I bring cutlery into Kenya ? ( UK)
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.

Q: Do you have perfume in Kenya ? ( France)
A: No. We don't stink.

Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in Kenya? (USA )
A: Anywhere where a significant number of Americans gather.

Q: Can you tell me the regions in Kenya where the female population is smaller than the male population? (Italy )
A: Yes, gay nightclubs.

Q: Do you celebrate Christmas in Kenya ? (France)
A: Only at Christmas.

Q: Are there killer bees in Kenya ? ( Germany)
A: Not yet, but for you, we'll import them.

Q: Are there supermarkets in Nairobi and is milk available all year round?
A: No, we are a peaceful civilisation of vegan hunter-gatherers. Milk is illegal.

Q: Please send a list of all doctors in Kenya who can dispense rattlesnake serum. (USA)
A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca, which is where YOU come from. All Kenyan snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets.

Q: I was in Kenya in 1969 and I want to contact the girl I dated while I was staying in Mombasa. Can you help? ( USA)
A: Yes, but you will probably still have to pay her by the hour.

Q: Will I be able to speek English most places I go? (USA )
A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first.

Thanks to the divemaster, Simon R.

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