Cool breeze

Tosha gari!

2007-07-17T17:30:00.000+02:00

OK.Enough already with blogger.Want to hear more from me?Visit my new e-home @ http://turistaafricana.wordpress.com/(image credit: http://artexchangeafrica.com/shop/index.php?cPath=74_98)

Impossible

2007-07-16T13:43:00.000+02:00

Nothing's impossible. But we're allowed to fail. Che Guevara (by way of Jihan El-Tahri) Difficult takes a day. Impossible takes a week. Jay-Z Nothing is either [possible or impossible]. It's thinking that makes it so (liberally paraphrased quote of Shakespeare's) South Africa. Impossible.

Rant(-ish)

2007-07-13T14:34:00.000+02:00

I'm cruising blogs (my brain has refused to 'work' for the past couple of days) during work hours, when I come across Aco's post on several things, among them, Hot Ghetto Mess.Now, I must mention that I finally watched Spike Lee's Bamboozled last night. I couldn't make it thru the whole movie. It had less to do with Mr. Lee's movie-making prowess, and more to do with the content. It was just

Still on strategy :-)

2007-07-13T12:03:00.000+02:00

Good for a laugh, The Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord

Presto Chango

2007-07-13T11:02:00.000+02:00

(it's times like these when I really wish I would take the time out to migrate my site to wordpress... anywho...)Game theory and the Princess BrideFound this (download the clip) on the web while looking for material on game theory. Really must look for the movie this weekend. T'was a classic in my book. The solution in this particular scene taught me that sometimes the answer should be tweaked:

Cafeteria Catholicism

2007-07-12T12:03:00.000+02:00

Reading Onyango-Obbo this morning had me agreeing with him. Well, somewhat. He says:For starters, Mass simply takes too long these days. First the priests ramble on, trying to be funny with stale jokes and struggling to connect with the worshippers. Then laypersons are sometimes allowed to waste more time saying their two cents worth at the end. And the announcements sometimes go on for as long

La poesie

2007-07-12T10:58:00.000+02:00

Never been much of a fan of poetry. Everytime I read the words "poem/poetry" or hear "recite a poem", my eyes glaze over and my mind tunes out sharpish! It might be because when we had to interpret poems at school, my interpretation was waaay different from the "officially recognized" one.Must confess though, that the odd piece does slide under the radar to capture my attention and imagination.

Building the nation

2007-07-12T09:57:00.000+02:00

The one poem I learnt in high school that continues to echo in my mind is 'building the nation' by henry barlow.It resonated anew at a private viewing of the documentary "Jo'burg Rising" which premieres tomorrow (Friday) at NuMetro in Hyde Park.Yep, we're all building the nation, one dream at a time. And props to Sokari who contributed along the arduous path of the documentary

What a girl needs

2007-07-10T08:41:00.000+02:00

Just the boost needed early in the morning :-)After sweating through BBC's "Africa Quiz"You final Score is 6/8You just can't buy talent like yours! A magnificent display, if we had a trophy you'd probably win it. Keep polishing that diamond intellect with daily doses of Focus on Africa and Network Africa for next month.

The Life Aquatic (2 of 2)

2007-07-09T13:15:00.000+02:00

My 'boss' told stories of his encounters with reef sharks. He'd lived to tell, right? But I really didn't want to have to deal with that adrenaline rush. Ever thankful that I didn't need to. This doesn't mean that there weren't proxies for presence of a terrible predator nearby. I remember Malindi especially. We'd be swimming around counting fish (hey! someone's got to do it) and they'd suddenly

The Life Aquatic (1 of 2)

2007-07-09T12:59:00.000+02:00

Watching Poseidon brought to the fore, memories of a life once spent in the water/at sea. Reminded me that even as I miss the water, and even as I am certified the worst canoe-er and kayaker on earth, nothing weighs more than water, and nothing's more dangerous than life's most essential ingredient. Thrice I can recall doing the total opposite of what I should have in the water, and living to

My 'hood

2007-06-13T10:28:00.000+02:00

Took my camera on what started out as a run, but ended up as a walk, around my 'hood:1. Let's just say... if I keep up the walk/run story, I won't need to pay anyone's gym fees. This place is hilly!!2. This is the most happening street around here. The night life is incroyable! Too bad the parking is extremely limited.3. Stopped to take a picture of this mural and was closely watched by the local

Maendeleo ya Wanaume: TTD List

2007-06-08T17:24:00.000+02:00

I personally think this organization was started to defend Mr. Bishop Wanjiru, but now that it is in the public sphere, here's a list of things I'd like it to do:1. Tell us what Mr. Bishop is thinking. What took him so long?2. Make a movie in response to 'White Masai'. The Samburu lead man has absolutely no voice in this movie. Can they please track him down and tell his side of the story? Lord

L'envie

2007-06-08T12:22:00.000+02:00

Desire makes everything blossom; possession makes everything wither and fade. Marcel Proust, Les Plaisirs et les Jours Elle: J'ai tres envie de t'accueillir, mais suis trop grosse. On se 'verra' peut etre apres un mois?Lui: J'ai tres envie de te visiter - partout :-) Si tu es trop grosse, c'est mieux. J'ai des exercises pour toi et moi. On se 'verra' surement bientot.

(obsolete) Order Pachydermata and Class Aves

2007-06-06T14:31:00.000+02:00

(source)Human propensity to interfere in ecosystems and just generally in any working system has got to be unparalleled. In any past or future history of this galaxy.I am sure that God in her heaven puts a hand to her forehead (southern belle "I feel faint" style) whenever she peruses the news to see what her creation is up to. We know enough about elephant behavior to recognize that interfering

Bliss!

2007-05-30T10:39:00.000+02:00

Ah… bliss. Thy name is surely ‘kindred spirit’.Have you ever sat with a male version of yourself?But one that had actually lived your fantasies and pushed the envelope as far as you had wantedbut never had the cojones to?That, right there, is my definition of bliss.And it doesn’t have to have a carnal dimension, it’s all cerebral and experience-based.(ok, ok, so… somewhere deep, deep in the

Notes on ‘nads

2007-05-27T17:49:00.000+02:00

Female 'nads, of which I’m a proud owner:A doctor (female) was speaking on radio about menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). I listened up since I’m entering that period in my life. Now, I’m one of those purists who don’t believe in using pharmaceuticals if they are not necessary. E.g. if I have the flu, I’m not going to take antibiotics ‘cause flu is a virus, not a bacterium. The most

Back

2007-05-17T21:00:00.000+02:00

Ok, I'm back from outer space.(restaurant at the end of the universe wasn't too shabby)Decided "the responsible life" didn't suit me, so I jumped ship and find myself in an ocean a little bit different from the one I'd left behind.It feels good to be blogging again, and I look forward to moulting ... Nothing remotely close to my all time favorite female blogger though (totally envy her

Love the one you’re with

2007-05-13T09:18:00.000+02:00

(Follow up to “I think…”)I’ve recently realized the truth in Luther’s exhortation: “if you can’t be with the one you love, then love the one you’re with”. I have chosen to love ‘the one I’m with’… (can't believe it took me this long to realize this life truth!)Believe me, you are nowhere near as surprised as I am. I’ve always fancied myself the idealist, one who would sooner drive a stake through

Ciao

2007-01-22T16:44:00.000+02:00

Ciao bellos and bellas.Off to more responsible aspects of life,where it wouldn't do to get dooced .It's been real though.So long and thanks for all the fish ;-)Rista

Shamba za Cairo (Part Two)

2007-01-14T18:14:00.000+02:00

As we approach the lump that’s rising out of the morning haze, it starts to take the familiar form of the siphinix, and it becomes evident that we’re approaching it from behind. I admire her from the side, can’t touch her because she’s got a wall (and lots of space) around her, and there’s scaffolding around her body, indicating that maintenance work is going on. I smile at her and whisper that

I think...

2007-01-02T19:22:00.000+02:00

I think… I’ve fallen in love. I’ve been grinning madly, smiling secretly as I walk about town, smiling even at those who brusquely push past me… feeling really good, really happy, with no apparent source of these feelings… it must be love. When did it happen? Can one ever know? I suspect though, that it started while I was away. Away chasing dreams and fantasies, rainbows…. Away thinking that

The Pics - 2

2006-12-14T15:58:00.000+02:00

The River Nile (I know, I know, I'd imagined something more romantic... kinda like what leaves the watershed. My final take on the whole 'Nile waters treaty'? Blease let them have it. It's a hardknock life to have just one river running through ya).The lovely square where I was charged US$3 for a glass of chai rangiOutfits "for make good time with your husband"The viewpoint from which you can see

The Pics - 1

2006-12-14T14:40:00.000+02:00

My favorite pic from Giza :-)View of a golf course right below the pyramid areaTalk about building blocks! :-)The first (largest) pyramid. Ticket office in the foreground, plenty of 'tourism and antiquities' police milling around, either on foot or on camelsThe siphinix (sphinx)Sun setting behind the Red Sea mountainsForeground: Red Sea, background: Red Sea MountainsRed Sea beach at Hurghada

Shamba za Cairo (Part One)

2006-12-11T11:32:00.000+02:00

Cairo bwana, hamna shamba... so you have to understand, dear tourist, that shamba ni wewe. And you will be limwa'd without mercy. My time in Cairo is short… do I want to do history and culture, or do I want to bea headonistic, unapologetic mass tourist, and do the pyramids and bazaar experience? (stroking chin and sighing) Such tough decisions. My rationale is that the culture thing requires time

Talking eyes

2006-12-11T11:13:00.000+02:00

I had forgotten how expressive eyes can be. I am quickly reminded on my walk in search for food on my first day here. Two European women walk slightly ahead of me, both in heels and short skirts… (didn’t the guidebook say to dress demurely?) I observe a couple of waiters taking in the women’s exposed skin… hmmm would that I could inspire such lust ...But the expressive eyes do not speak only of

The beleaguered African

2006-12-11T10:54:00.000+02:00

I’ve never felt as beleaguered, as an African on this continent, as I have in the past 2 weeks. Mount the plane to Cairo, all hijab’d (too bad I forgot to change out of my trousers) and ready for adventure. I sit next to a gentleman who immediately asks me what country I’m from. I smile, counter with the same question, and he says Sudan. The smile freezes on my face

Amunmin... version 2 of the story

2006-12-05T20:08:00.000+02:00

(Thanks for the links, egm)Version 2, told to me this evening, goes like this:The king was mobilizing his army for war, and Amunmin went to mage his ablication. He was rejected on the grounds that he was disabled (missing his left arm), so he was left as the only man in the village. Since those days wars took a long time, by the time the king came back, he found a whole lotta young kids walking

Amin

2006-12-04T19:24:00.000+02:00

They left out a whole lot in history class!

2006-12-04T19:14:00.000+02:00

Got my hands on a couple of books on ancient Egypt in primary school and thereafter felt I knew all there was to know about it (pre-teenage… what can I say… 'tis the only time in life you truly believe you know everything). It took getting to Hurghada and allowing a shop owner to talk me into ‘trusting’ him, to realize just how much was left out of those books. The trusting is in quotes ‘cause …

Contact this company for information on shipping stuff to Kenya

2006-11-28T11:41:00.000+02:00

A few people have expressed interest in additional information on how sending stuff home via air or ship dispatch works:I've copied a short profile below, and am happy to shamelessly plug the company that rode up in its white pickup, complete with cargo-terminal-savvy knight in good walking armour, to save me from the dragon of clearing.Please send any clearing and forwarding questions straight

Planning to ship your stuff to Kenya?

2006-11-25T11:43:00.000+02:00

So… I’ve talked of returning home (for good – whatever that means) for a while, and decide the best course of action to take is to ship some of my stuff so that my mindset gets oriented in that direction. Besides, it’ll be so cool to a) sort out the mess that is my house by paring down to the bare necessities, b) have most of the stuff I care for back home when I go home for the holidays. A

Wildlife and forced "outting"

2006-11-24T18:23:00.000+02:00

African wildlife:Sometimes a happy thing (the wildebeest migration is now the 7th wonder of the world), sometimes not so happy (poor baby waby little cutesey wootsey lion cubs being (thankfully) poisoned right before a visit to the taxidermist). Never ceases to fascinate me, how we want to pursue pointless debates on being "outted", giving none of that heat and passion to discussions on behavior

R.I.P Mr. Bradley

2006-11-09T22:33:00.000+02:00

Really sad news. He was among my favorite 'silver templed' men and I loved his work. Last interview I watched was the one with Tiger Woods. Check out some 'best of' clips, love the one with Mohamed Ali.Reminds me to carpe diem, it's a short ride."The worst thing one can do is not to try, to be aware of what one wants and not give in to it, to spend years in silent hurt wondering if something

Died laughing!

2006-11-01T21:40:00.000+02:00

I've just checked out this on BJ's blog, and am still choking with laughter. Aco, check this out, the appropriate response/support to your beef. Enyewe, it is just so much simpler to do right. But simplicity, flimpicity... right?Wow.

The Man I Want To Marry

2006-10-31T06:21:00.000+02:00

Browsing Kenyan papers online this morning, I came across the man of my dreams: Marathon winner wants to be large-scale farmer in The Standard. (it's not the money that makes him attractive, it's the mindset... honest!)Hosea Kiprotich Rotich now wants to buy land with the Sh1.75 million he won during the Standard Chartered Marathon. "I have made up my mind to buy land with the prize money," he

Early to rise... therein lies the secret to effectiveness

2006-10-30T17:31:00.000+02:00

Was up at 4am yesterday to give a couple of friends a ride to a road race about 15km out of town. It's amazing how much you can accomplish when you get up that early. Picked them up, took them to the race, at 6.30am the race started, they ran (I.. ahem... had... paper... work to do so... i couldn't .... join them...), got to finish line, socialized with other runners, and then I dropped them back

English.... this foreign language

2006-10-30T17:12:00.001+02:00

Just came back from interacting with a travel agent. In the past, whenever I've dealt with travel agents, they have always read the itinerary back to me (or printed it out for my perusal) before taking that final step of issuing the ticket.I made a tentative booking early last week, emailed a query about the chances of getting to travel on another date later on in the week, but never once said "

Change is gon' come... are you ready?

2006-10-21T10:02:00.000+02:00

Life after CNN. Would you try to fit in, create your next step, or walk away from it all?Aww, ain't love grand?! Out of thin air/peep hole comes something beautiful :-)That's why traffic was so lite yesterday. Why I should pay more attention to 'special days'.Random sparks... prelude to the conflagration? One word... imminent. [doom and gloom? me?]

Log in the eye

2006-10-20T21:12:00.001+02:00

She says it beautifully! Africans and victimhoodIt goes out to all those who are happy to recount the successes of other nations and know of none in their own (and there are many of us).

Team human

2006-10-15T14:08:00.000+02:00

A pioneer passes on Finally! a stand against racismA case for CSI MiamiTeam human sinks to a new lowInsane in the membraneBut here's some good news and imagine this! and good news from Africa

L'amour... belle ou bête?

2006-10-14T21:25:00.000+02:00

May she rest in peace and may her family be comforted.Biodiversity bites the dust once more.It’s about time! but the very same potential beneficiaries will protest against this measure (as usual). Possession, 9/10ths of the law… but will she give it all back?

Hoist by my own petard (4 of 4)

2006-10-04T01:50:00.000+02:00

I’m talking to a woman at work… doing a really terrible job trying to justify why I haven’t bothered to learn a local language (simple answer? Shuffles feet, looks anywhere but straight into your eyes… a colonized mind… currently going through acceptance stage and seeing hope in the distant future…) and explaining that there are many words in isiZulu that are similar to Kiswahili… e.g. inywele –

Hypersensitive (3 of 4)

2006-10-04T00:39:00.000+02:00

When I say “one’s people”, I mean it generally. Yes, I have no relatives of southern African descent (that I know of), but it still hurts me when I hear of what southern Africans have been through. I think what personalizes it for me is the simple fact that, at face value, all these crimes were perpetrated against them due to their melanin-wealth. And that if I had been here at that time, I would

Perceptions (2 of 4)

2006-09-30T14:38:00.000+02:00

How does one de-personalize history? How does one not take personal the history of “one’s people” and all the crimes perpetrated against them?How is it ‘up north’? You came by a plane flown by black pilots? (black people can pilot planes?) You didn’t just jump the border? But you don’t look like you’re from 'up north'… I respond… but all the while my heart bleeds at my braa and sisi’s ignorance…

Perceptions (1 of 4)

2006-09-26T20:47:00.000+02:00

First time here. Flying in from a truly exotic location whose airport was about as sophisticated as Zambia’s Lusaka International Airport… as I’m going through immigration, a fellow traveler indicates that this (then Johannesburg International, now Oliver Tambo International) used to be a really lousy airport but they’ve been doing a good job of upgrading it. Find domestic departures and am on to

On dead dolphins and (dead) science

2006-09-18T13:47:00.000+02:00

This piece and a whole lot of drama surrounding it, marked my entry into the blogosphere waaay back in May.Know what? I didn't think I was a bunny hugger until I got terribly saddened at reading of the demise of HUNDREDS of dolphins in Zanzibar at the end of April this year. Truly the end is nigh. Couldn't hold back a shout of laughter, though, when I read that "those who had eaten the dead

Yummy Yum Yum!

2006-09-14T23:04:00.000+02:00

Can't wait for november when casino royale comes out in theatres... Looks very promising (more of the same old same old that I love). Yes I was upset when they didn't retain Pierce as 007, but truth be told, he was getting quite soft around the middle, and he could never fill out a (swim)suit quite like Daniel does.

Cool breeze: Here's another racist post

2006-09-10T20:37:00.000+02:00

(White?) African Blogger Conference in a WeekSour grapes

That's why we love Joberg!

2006-09-08T21:37:00.000+02:00

I always wonder how fact-based these warnings are, or whether they're simply another way to keep women terrorized... the old 'backseat killer/ankle-slashing gang' urban legend with a South African twist (tracker network, saps, 4x4 mercedes). Whatever the case though, full-scale vigilance never hurt anyone?Please take this message serious, this come from Tracker Network, who works directly with

"He's just not that fanatical about you"

2006-09-07T21:59:00.000+02:00

This man (and his writers) is something special :-)Relationship advice from Msr. Colbert:And some insight into maintaining the status quo... in any democratic country:

Here's another racist post

2006-09-07T17:39:00.000+02:00

This post has been inspired by the current discussion on AB&H's blog about the bloggers' conference in Grahamstown.I am not attacking the work you're doing... Vincent baby... love your efforts, think they're important for the continent 'cause... we wouldn't be having this discussion if you hadn't organized the conference now, would we? So you get an A+ (with stars and

Largest cojones

2006-09-06T01:17:00.000+02:00

Yep. He remains at the top of the pile (followed by Tiger, then by [fictional] Jack Bauer) in my hierarchy of manly men: Monsieur Zidane, for demonstrating the true role/purpose of a man.For those of you who feel that "women are invading men's space by earning more than their man does" (and other such baseless insecurities), please note that the real purpose of a man is protection of the family

I love this city!

2006-09-04T19:56:00.000+02:00

Maputo continues to live up to my romanticized image of it... Like every African city, it has the bourgie and the regular sides. I love the bourgie side of it... look forward to someday exploring the regular side.What I love most about it? The progress I've seen over the (past 5) years I've made my annual pilgrimage. The current mayor of the city is Michuki-esque in that he made enough money

Steve Irwin, felled by (surprise!) wildlife

2006-09-04T18:44:00.000+02:00

May he rest in peace and may his family find comfort in the fact that he passed away while doing what he loved. I must say the surprise for me is that he lived to the ripe old age of 44 given his high risk livelihood. Those saying they're shocked must mean they're shocked it wasn't a crocodile that dunnit.

Hyperventilating and paralyzed

2006-08-25T22:03:00.000+02:00

My room (metaphor for my life?) has been an unmitigated mess for the past 6 months, ostensibly because I was finishing ‘next week’ and would then pack all my stuff and get ready to move on to see what else life has in store for me.‘Next week’ is here and I cannot find the strength to tape together the first box and to catalogue the books I put into it. Cannot muster the psyche to go through

UNLEASHING THE WATCHDOG

2006-08-23T18:37:00.000+02:00

copied from http://hermes.wits.ac.za/wcs/display_article.asp?id=571Kenyan whistle-blower and former anti corruption chief, John Githongo will be coming to South Africa to launch the 2006 Power Reporting Workshop hosted by the Investigative Journalism Workshop (IJW) at Wits University. Githongo, left his post as Permanent Secretary for Ethics and Governance in the Office of the President in early

Beautiful Collabos

2006-08-21T22:29:00.000+02:00

(Pha)Relly is beyond puurty... he's beautiful (check out that facial bone structure)!Love collabos btwn talented folk from la belle Paris :-)There goes my grey matter as it prepares for the final quarter of 2006.

The 'Magic Eye' of HIV prevention; Smart Schools

2006-08-17T19:38:00.001+02:00

Am currently gathering HIV awareness/prevention material so I can prepare a presentation to deliver to a group of teenagers in 3 months' time. Not sure how well it (the presentation) will serve them, ‘cause even with everything I know about HIV and AIDS I still can’t claim to be 100% safe (i.e. I do very well at abstinence, and then one day, when the hormones, the stars and the wind are aligned

CRASH, changes, what’s the road to heaven paved with?

2006-08-13T23:28:00.000+02:00

Just watched CRASH… great movie, glad that this was recognized and it won an Oscar. We know we live in a cruel and unequal world, but I suppose in order to survive we push those thoughts aside and focus on the task at hand… figuring that it won’t do to “think too much”. This movie shows the anatomy of karma: how our unconscious actions (‘cause we’re too busy focusing on our own stuff, or trying

Biodiversity 101

2006-08-10T23:09:00.000+02:00

Having once been a card carrying environmentalist and conservationist, I broke rank with that fraternity when I came to understand that as things stand now, the best thing communities can do for themselves is to have a great big barbecue, feast on all the wild animals in their backyards, and on a full stomach, plan their way forward. Why I came to that conclusion is a story to be told on another

uThabo

2006-08-10T18:39:00.000+02:00

Thabo Mbeki possesses such knee-melting intellect that there are days I wish we could give him one term as President of Kenya (though he may yet rule us as the President of Africa). Yes he has his faults: alleged paranoia, alleged Napoleonic complex, ‘too’ intellectual... too much of an ideas man, always traveling around the world instead of addressing the needs of his country, too aloof and not

National Women's Day - August 9

2006-08-08T23:04:00.000+02:00

Attended a public conversation with Dr. Phyllis Ntantala this evening. What drew me to this particular lecture was (nope not the usual endeavor to put off doing what I have to do until the last possible minute) the way in which it was advertised, using a paragraph from her autobiography: “It was one evening at the Lincoln Center in New York. Pavarotti’s voice filled

muscle.

2006-08-06T00:07:00.000+02:00

Toned, sculpted, firm, definitely steroid-free, all the better if it’s all naturally (vs. gym) developed… I love muscle.Appreciate female muscle too, on Lourdes Mutola, Serena, Venus, and on me too (when I’m not being untrue to myself). But it’s the male muscle that melts me. From the beautiful calves of Michael Chan to the sunkist flesh of the frat boy/landscape architect (for those who’ve seen

Curtains for a national hero

2006-07-17T23:07:00.000+02:00

He is no longer of this world, that accidental hero who saved our economy more than we’ll ever know. David Munyakei has passed on, and all that's reported (so far) is that he developed breathing difficulties, was admitted to hospital and is now no more. Not quite the end I had pictured, I’d dared hope that someday sooner than later, he would be compensated for alerting us to the existence of the

Anatomy of a man

2006-07-14T19:44:00.000+02:00

That's right! the obvious.At this coooold cooold time of the year around here, the

I just wanted to touch him like a kitten

2006-07-06T20:11:00.000+02:00

"I tell you honestly, I just wanted to touch him like a kitten and that desire of mine ended in that act."I saw this story and was at a loss for words. My first thoughts: "can he spell N.A.M.B.L.A (or in this case, Ru.M.B.L.A?)"Maybe it's the culture? I know we're all hypersensitive about sexual vs. non-sexual touch these days, but methinks this very strange (unless in that culture it's perfectly

What should you do with it

2006-06-22T05:01:00.000+02:00

Heard this song for the 3rd time today and was able to listen without bawling... not sure if this means am now de-sensitized to the message, or if I've internalized it....Definitely a reality check, a call to live the examined life.Artist: Tim McGrawSong: Live Like You Were DyingHe said I was in my early forties, with a lot of life before meAnd one moment came that stopped me on a dimeI spent

Theory vs. (not a threat but a) promise

2006-06-17T19:00:00.000+02:00

The security guard stops me as I enter the building, wants to show me a picture of his 6 month-old daughter on his cell phone. I stop to take a look, and tell him she looks like him (me who can’t tell identical twins unless they’re dressed alike). He’s relieved to hear this because, he confesses, he wasn’t very sure that it was his child. I ask him “but weren’t you

Nursery rhymes banned in MP schools

2006-06-16T14:13:00.000+02:00

It's about time! Long live hindu nationalism (that makes positive changes)! and may this spirit catch on in Africa.So glad someone has finally done something about nursery rhymes (and hopefully the fairy tales) whose sole purpose in the developing world has been to brainwash little ones. Besides, how does twinkle twinkle little star/baa baa black sheep help you in life?

When God draws crooked/wrong lines in your life

2006-06-11T22:12:00.001+02:00

Saturday evening, 6pm… furiously working on something that’s due Monday, and planning to go grab some dinner at the only grocery store open this late before they close at 8pm. I get a call from a guy I haven’t seen in a while, and after a quick internal debate over whether or not I want to speak to him, I pick up. He says he’s 10 minutes away from the campus local, he’s coming to watch the

Where placenta goes after baby comes

2006-06-09T00:28:00.000+02:00

*warning: this might get a little ‘icky’ so steel yourself* Placenta - an ephemeral organ present only in female placental mammals during gestation After 2 weeks of “OMG it’s coming!” and then the embarrassed “oops, false alarm” after the hospital visit, I gave vicarious birth this afternoon. It’s actually technically more sound to say that I was present at a birth…

PETS

2006-06-07T01:17:00.000+02:00

Fascinating how some people lavish so much love and attention on their pets. You’d think the world had run out of humans in need! I hasten to add, though, that I can’t wait to get me a miniature dog. Yes, yes! it’s terrible that breeders have played with dog genes to that extent, etc. etc. However, now that they exist, I want me one. Once volunteered at a Y(MCA) “in

Much ado about a work of fiction - Da Vinci Code

2006-05-29T00:02:00.000+02:00

Went today to watch the Da Vinci Code and found movie posters around the theatre bearing the warning: “if not viewed in the fictional vein that’s intended, this story may offend religiously sensitive viewers”.I watched it at an el-cheapo movie theatre that charges only 30% of what “regular” theatres charge, and has a 99% miro client-base. I love this place ‘cause it offers free-seating, no A/C (

Menstruation? Optional

2006-05-22T14:09:00.000+02:00

Yet another instance of humans being used as guinea pigs. It's pitched to appear logical and palatable. Yet another manifestation of that feminism backlash, where women actively contribute to their objectification as sex toys. Curiouser and curiouser....

Freedom

2006-05-17T22:01:00.000+02:00

Lusaka, Zambia. Monument to Freedom FightersUnguja, Zanzibar: Memorial for Slaves who were taken from or passed through these islands.

Only elephants should

2006-05-17T21:28:00.000+02:00

Remember only elephants should wear ivory? It was on T-shirts, TV, everywhere you went back in the 80s, culminating in the 1989 PR exercise of the then President Moi burning 12 tons of ivory as a statement against poaching. Don’t know if this brainwashing worked on you, but I realized recently that it had slipped into a corner of my conscience, unobtrusively set up shop, and made its presence

Kaavya Viswanathan

2006-05-07T23:20:00.000+02:00

So Ms. Viswanathan has been in the news for the past couple of weeks. Came across her story quite accidentally… was checking how much butt Venus is kicking, and the next picture was hers, with her name below it and no additional information. You can read the story here. Briefly, she’s 19 and a sophomore at Harvard, signed a book deal at age 17, got a 500,000 dollar advance: "How Opal Mehta Got