THE HANDSHAKE

The other day Our Prime Miniser was around, and I had the opportunity to shake his hand.

But I also had the possiblity to see more! I saw HIM, I saw kenyans, I saw things.

I had no excitement to see the Prime Minister, oh sorry, my Prime Minister.

But practically everyone did , no this is a lie. A majority of the troop apparently did, photos, photos photos, handshakes, more photos. “Oh, am so happy, I took a photo with him!” was said a lot. I did not.

But this Prime Minister guy intrigued me, he is a good diplomat, I loved that.

And he smiled to us all, but a tired smile, a very tired face. Which I understand, he is busy, and he had to leave for other functions. We were going to have lunch with him and get to discuss a bit. Lunch? No he left  after sipping coca cola, and another drink, an orange juice I suppose.

In between he gave a speech, he has a pretty good sense of humour, but Kenyans seem thirstier for laughter. Every single sentence made some of them laugh. It was annoying, even more annoying was that it was a particular group of girls with a particular girl who had a particular laughing style. I bit my lower lip all through the speech to calm myself, she was getting into my nerves!

An opportunity to ask questions came, equality demands, ratio of one to one(1:1), men to women. It was clearely stated, thirty seconds for each question and one question per person, in this case they never state how long the answer will take, anyway, what matters is spending”quality” time with the Prime Minister. I had at least two important questions, everone always does,but some people are good in these things, they sit in the first row, just oppostite the high table(oh no they stand, we did not sit!) This chance go to mediocre questions, you leave the place wondering why you ever set foot there.

There were lots of appetizers in the room, nothing odd, we were there for lunch, with the Prime Minister.

I did not see him leave the room, I was busy discussing with a friend and a new made friend, he lived in Kenya for sometime……..what must have made him Kenyan, or what on earth could he be doing in a Kenyan function? But he was interesting. I gave hime my contacts, still waiting for him to get back to me. He seemed to adore the Prime Minister. I told him that I was not so political, and had no opinion about him. We changed topics, why am Carol and not anything else, why there are more Kate, Lily, Tracy, and barely any Anyango, Chebet or Wangari. To make us uniform, one, was my reply.And that is how I missed the Prime Minister’s depature from the room.

We were left with a whole load of stuff, just to put you in a good appetite, then the rest will be completed in respective homes……..

He was around for dinner, in a Four Star restaurant, this time the list of thosse invited was extreemly strict. The meal must have been real too. Thank you for the visit ,Prime Minister. Thank you for coming with some ministers, I saw them too, but I can’t remenber shaking their hands, did I?

And that is how I had lunch with my Prime Minister the other day.

 

One of those calls we dislike.

This could be a true story, like most of my posts,or not, but does not allow any one to judge me on it, pleeeeeaaase!

 

Earlier today, I was preparing to leave my appartment, I was in no rush, so I took my time with the make up and stuff, when my phone rang.

Whenever it is someone on my phone repertoire, I react accordingly, not pick at all, answer immediately or let pass a few seconds…………

This time it was not the case, it was not a cell phone; most Land line calls are job offers and who would resist to salary rise in this tough world?

I picked and here it went,between the other person,( lets call her woman) and myself,(lbl)

Woman: Hi,my name is Woman(Don’t worry she gave her name)

Upon hearing it, I froze,wtf? Why would this family name call me?? I was asking myself..

Lbl:Ahh……..yes. I was hesitating, not knowing what to expect.By this time I was sure it was no job offer.She went on..

Woman:Tell me what are you doing with my husband?

LBL: What do you mean your husband, who is he?

She gave his name, but from the time she told me hers, I was sure it was him.

Now here is the the thing, I contested having anything to do with the guy, I even went telling her how I had a boyfriend and how I was happy and satisfied in my love life. I suggested to her to talk to the husband because I had a clear conscience, she refused and asked me to keep off her husband..My God, am I that nasty, do I go breaking couples? I have never thought of myself like that, normaly, a married man is automatically out my my game, he simply loses his charm…….what I know is that he belongs to someone else and can never belong to me, I do not believe in unfaithfulness,I always say, any unfaithful person should be condemned to lonelines, no more dates,no more love and no more sex.

The question is, what was it between me an the Woman’s Husband?

I met him at one diplomatic function, I did not know him, but I learned  that he works at an embassy…….again in a wedding, he asked for my number, I gave him(what is wrong with that?)……., I ran into him down the streets, this big city is small finaly……..we  thought of meeting again………..he suggested going for a weekend, I hesitated, not to offend him, I chose silence, till the day I received his mail, I replied, he text me, I replied, we fixed a rendezvous, for lunch. This was cool with me, He does not please me,hope he’s not in for anything.

The lunch was cool, learned  a bit about him, asked aech other questions, then, bye-bye. Out of courteousness, I sent him a text message, saying thanks for the lunch. He replied almost immediately with a”welcome”. A week or so later, he calls, I do not pick…three days after, why the silence, a message(sms) then a proposition to go out of the city for a weekend again. This time I reply. “I am ok, how about you? Have a lovely week”……..I ignore his weekend offer, again. It was aound 11 pm when I sent him this.

For a married man, he must be home with his wife. But to be sincere I had no idea that he had a wife, he is not young but I thought he should have informed me or something.

Here I must precise that he is African. The wife too, I suppose, and from her accent too.

So the woman said:

“Yes you say nothing, yet you go for lunch together?? You send him messages??”

I only defended myself by asking her if my messages were suspicious, no! But she refuses to listen to e, I told her that it was stupid of her……..

 I told her that I simply reply, in  most cases to his messages, but had no queer intetions, and to add to that I was not aware he was married. That is when she went,

“Now you know it,he is my husband and keep away!”

All I said was that I was sorry for the misunderstanding and that I was not and would never be interested in anyway by the husband.

I was about to mention that he was twice my age and that I was not that type of girl, but according to her, having lunch with him is something already.

She refused to ask him about me, she goes around spying his phone……….

And minutes ago, the man in question sends me an sms:Hi, how is the going?Talk to me! You do not talk much!

I choose silence, I would not call him to inform him this…….. but I refuse to dance to his music.

No wonder some couples are never happy, can’t people communicate between themselves?

 

Baby boom

I have to be clear from the beginning, I love kids, I adore them.

Children are so tender, so sincere, so harmless, they are angels.

AT times I try to contemplate how the world would be if we were all kids, I cannot figure it out. Who can anyway?

But now the worry is, everyone, and I mean it, my entire entourage is getting one. Right from family to friends, passing through neigbours and former classmates.

What is happening? Has it been announced(what I must have missed) that baby making is now or never?

I am begining to question my biological clock. Is it the retarted type……the one that goes till late 30s then it realizes that it is time to do something.

I have no problem with that, my fears are two, one , these studies that show that giving birth at 20s is the most advised, because,according to them; the system is most active! Two is that I will be breast feeding when my entourage will be sending their kids to play in the gardens, and they will be attending parties and evenings while the kids are in bed…….or with a baby sitter……..

But in order to get a baby, there has to be ‘the other one’. What should I go for? Long nose?  Muscles? Intelligence? Money(no one wants to reproduce with a poor man after all!)

I can date almost every kind of man, bad boys, not-so-funny type, not rich type(a bank account is essential even if it is almost dry, all time party, like the one on our way to a night club who decided to stay in the boot, or these that know how to have fun and amuse others, apparently it is a very fruitful sport!

 

NOw am putting into account the fact that I should have a baby too………….advice from mothers and experts highly encouraged!

 

IN TRIBUTE OF A GREAT MAN

 

It all started when I was 13, the year I was idle, when I had no books piled in front of my desk. That is when I had time to discover myself, what I liked to do and what kind nof stuff passioned me.

That is  when Michael Jackson and his music became part of me. My elder brothers had his music, they saw how bored I seemed all alone, and brought me two discs, Bad and Thriller. My days changed. From 8:30 am when everyone left the house, these two discs occupied my time. I played them at high blast, the advantage of my home is that neighbours are like miles away that they never notice that the volume of the music is so high, no one ever complained, unlike what would happen if I did the same in my present appartment.

I would play and replay them. Over the weekend, my brothers would come  back, and find me so deep in his music. One of them, the elder one told me “you know that there are loads and loads of  other singles, great hits that you should listen to.” I was sure of that , but I was so attatched to those I was listening to. I was not ready to let go, I did not want more. It was as if setting free the bird that I had in hand, and  with great fear that it would not come back to me. That was MJ’s music in me.

My brothers were impressed, they had never seen so much passion in me to discover music.They knew it would keep me busy, but not to the point of  being my all day occupation.

I naturally learned some singles by heart. I then played them and sung with him, in unison, my voice horse and nasty, not worth listening to, but it suited me so. I was home, alone drowned in MJ’s music, not even my own self would listen to my voice. My aim was singing along to the tune.

Later on, I listened to more of his music and watched his clips.

I tried dancing, the moon walk, but I failed. Who lied that all blacks are good dancers and capable of learning dancing styles so easily? I am a living proof that no!

In high school, I realized that not only did most of my fellow classmates knew little about him but also that some of them disliked him.

Why would anyone like or dislike anyone because of their ups and downs, that was high school,we were young; but even now,I hear people go like “oh, no, he is ugly;look at him; he looks pathetic.”  Just on looking at his physical traits.

I refuse to see people despise him because his skin changed gradually; I would like that he remains appreciated for what he brought to us, the music he fed us with, it was the love he gave to the enitire world, and his music will remain with us!

Thank you for those singles, those great hits that still linger; that the entire world appreciates!

Rest in Paece Michael!

 

Lawyers too had their share of the bitter cake

Their share of the cake, lawyers recieved it too. Who said the bitter cake is only for the less fortunate in the society? And that only manual workers are those who go through painful sacking?

In my endevous to visit Kenya over summer, I decided to search for a job, I am not going to ask my parents for financial aid this time round, not with all the support (more of moral than financial)they give throughout the academic year.

So I opted to keep in touch with old employers, those I parted with smiling and promising to go back once my books don’t take  me too fast anymore. Books have never taken me fast in the past, they are not about to.

So a few weeks back, one of them called me, Thank goodness I did not have to stoop low and call her myself. I refuse to swallow my dignity.I used to  work for her last year. Her main problem was her money, she was too rich to notice that I was not there for life and that I had ambitions too, that the end of my nose was not the limit of my imaginations. So I came up with this reason, that every student should adopt in order to escape from any employer who seems to cling too hard to them.The year ahead will be a tough one, that no time can be spared for part time jobs. That Parents back home are so lovely, so understanding that they will cater for fees, rent,food and transport for the year. That immediately things get better, they will be back working for them, bearing in mind that if possible,they will never set eyes on them. Mine worked. For sure I did not work for the first few months, it was the time I needed to get something else, plus I also wanted to breathe, work, work and more work is just not my thing!

So the call came in, I picked up and pretended to be very busy, so we fixed an appointment for a Sunday,two weeks after. BTW, for those who don’t know, the French are excelent in fixing appointments. No bumping into someone’s house because after all they are friends, or because you know each other so well that you do not even have to call, no!It is the same thing for the Doctor, you are sick but the guy will take an appointment, so if you always have a three day homa, you will see the Doctor seven days later, when you will be well! That is the french system and it seems untouchable!

So back to this lady, we had our “meeting”  in a Chinese restaurant. Why not simply stay home for half an hour or so, instead of going to a restaurant five minutes away? Well I told her that the year was well. She did not waste time to propose “something” for me for next year, I was hesitant! I had said that I passed well, so according to her, next year I would do even better. Who is she to tell that? She even went further to ask me if I had a boyfriend. Through out last year, I was single, apparently, it was not mormal, or so it seemed. I turned “red” or whatever coulour we Blacks turn to when we are embarassed. Damn you, damn you, “yes, I do” I told her, then I imagined an Electronic Technician  or something of the sort. It must have worked bacause the next thing I heard, was “wow, I am happy for you!”.

Now to her. She explained that she lost her job! What, that is now a bad surprise! With all the money she used to earn, she would act like she was going to have it eternally! I felt bad, and deep down my heart,I was sorry and told her that I hoped she would get a new law firm.

So when people are being sacked and I see them on Tv, it seems too far, but when I met someone who just ended jobless, I realize that no one, really no one is immune, from this financial crisis.

I would however love to know how things are in Kenya, now that joblessness has been our problem for decades.

 

The Beauty and The Beast

Whoever said beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, believe you me was right, yeah damn right!

I am not a fan of Facebbook, I must have said this before(the memory thing, failing me again!) But I however get connected from time to time. It feels good meeting long lost friends.

I end up straying, very often,this goes to seeing friends’ photos, and seeing friends’ friends’ photos and comments.And we all agree here that in facebook even enemies and those people we do not give a damn about are called “friends”.

Today, I strayed, as usual. And I fell on these photos, thank God I do not know who the person is. A friend had commented. One other comment was-I copy paste then translate-

T’es trop belle!! C’est dégueulasse pour les autres filles comme moi!!! lol

The translation being,

“you are so beautiful!!It’s disgusting for the other girls like me!!!lol”

The person who left this comment to me was not bad looking, I must say, it is not a personal taste but an average person would say the same.

The other comment is this one where this guy had like a kg of hair gel on his head, sun glasses (indoors) and a kind of pause I will not stand before me, yes. Another friend commented how this guy  had changed his look and looked pretty!

In both cases, the two people are ugly! I mean it. I saw the photos, just to find out how the look to be praised for their looks. I was shocked, ugly, I insist is what I saw.

 

Honest Scrap award

 Now that Savy awarded me this……..I must say, I am flattered, this award is really merited. And I earned it!

 

The Rules
* You must brag about the award
* You must include the name of the blogger who bestowed the award on you and link back to the blogger
* You must choose a minimum of seven (7) blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.
* Show their names and links and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with Honest Weblog.
* List at least ten (10) honest things about yourself. Then pass it on with the instructions!

I love salsa. This dance just sweeps me off my feet. It is the best way to go out, party and do something lovely.It started way back at home. It was an in thing and , I then got to a college that had cheap classes. But I was too broke to afford the “cheap classes”. I learned once in Paris there are salsa schools and evening classes around the city, I joined and that is where I fell deep in it! I love it!

 

261 euros is my highest  telephone bill, I mean in a month. Two months ago I spent that amount on phone calls and text messages………to mean I talk a lot? Or I listen a lot?

 

 

This weekend I participated in a TV show. It is a news show.Guests talked and one was defending the president of Equitorail Guinea, who is undergoing a curruption case. I was going to tell him to shut up because most African leaders are corrupt and we all know that. It was live. I loved it and it was crazy seeing the guy(presenter) who’s always on tv, just next to me. I was impressed.

 

I love sleeping. Whenever I can, I sleep till way past midday. I defend myself that I went to  boarding schools since the age of ten, I never had the chance to prolong my sleeps, not even over the weekends…….let alone during school vacations. We had only a week or so at home, before holiday tutions. The body needs rest, one day or another;

 I have never climbed up the Eiffel Tower.

When I first came to France, I knew that I would one day have to climb up there. When I first saw it, I loved it, I still remember how I gaped at it, it was so beautiful. I even promised to do so the following week.

Weeks have passed and I still haven’t. Reason? You go there and there are thousands of people in the queue. So you have to stand in a line that advances so slowly for three or four hours! I loose my patience. I end up touching(at times kissing) the foot of the tower. The funny part is trying to locate the middle, three or four people, so distant and each one insisting to be sure of the middle.

But I promise I will this summer.

 

I come from a big family that keeps growing as time goes, marriages in the past five years add up to three, I have two nephews whom I love more than anything on earth. My family despite the distance counts a lot for me. I love them.

 

I am a christian, a protestant. I was  baptized at 18.I last went to church several months ago, but that does not make me less a believer, does it?

 

I love swimming. I go to the swimming pool, at least once a week, or every two weeks. To me it is not a sport but a way to relax………and it is cheap for members in public swimming pools in Paris!! I am not fond of sports.

 

I love litterature, I read a lot.

 

I have never voted. And  I dare call myself a patriot.Shame on me!

 

I now pass the award to Sultry nutter, Pink Memoirs, Xs, Sybella,M,

 

Now This Teaching Profession

Ever since,I have been swearing that I will never,never be a teacher!

My mother is one,my maternal grandpa was one,its in the blood, I am afraid. But I tend to believe that some things in life, especially profession is more of a matter of choice than that of fate. So I refuse to be a teacher.

Strikes bring me to all this!

My University teachers are on strike and it sucks!Really. I had my two week vacation over Christmas, a short brake coz of exams and change of sem.In short,I have had enough of free time that I have had my time to do what I love most:sleep.

Back at home,I used to love those strikes.The school schedule was too tight for me that whenever teachers went on strike,I would sigh, of  relief.

But now surely,why why punish me?I was ready to study like never before.I got to class, as usual,five minutes late ,and I was ready to explain how public transport is just pure shit and how I would have been in class ten minutes in advance.He did not say anything,for once;my Professor! He was busy reading those manifestation posts,those notices done on the net.He let me in and did the same for those others who came in ten,twenty  and half an hour later!

I decided to dance to the music.The french are a serious people.When it means strike,it means all time and entire dedication.

I attended a General meeting. Professors act lust like high School kids, hitting tables and shouting, talking with no orginisation at all.

Oh,my dear teachers,why have you decided to strike?……………

 

Winter,My Nightmare.

“Oh,how I hate you winter!!”

Winter,this season is truly the worst thing nature offers.What should I do to evade it? Its driving me crazy,am even searching for cheap tickets, and am notgetting any! Well I have to console myself,what I cannot run away from, have to live with.If anything,it is stupid to go home for two weeks in plain winter,I will freeze to death when I come back.Let the cold just kill me slowly.Am not the kill me quick type.

It is already 7°!!

Why on earth am I single?Dear gods,why am I in this state? Could one living angel drop from the skies? To rescue me?

Why aren’t I a fish,a whale or even a frog?No, a koala.

If I were double(not single),I would cuddle the other one every night,that would generate heat,of course during summer I would not want to set my eyes on him(or her,or it)!Of course,his duty is to generate heat,no more, no less.

If I was a fish,life would be good,the cold, a few degrees lower than this,would not bother me.But I would have loved to be a koala,I would have made it through this winter………..but I am not in any of the situations.

I got a small solution,I no longer leave my windows open. “Dear bed bugs,please,if you happen to read this,or if any of your friends tell you,do not invade my flat,please.”

Ten minutes is the maximum the windows are open.Five in the morning before I leave and five in the evening.Otherwise I will die,real death.

Two days ago,it snowed,it was lovely,beautiful.That is the only thing that makes me smile during winter,I stayed indoors though,to gaze at the snow.They always insisted in school ‘As white as snow’.For twenty good years I believed it withouht questioning or asking for proof.I was told that teachers are ALWAYS right.

I now have a cogent evidence,I have seen it,touched it,played with it and of course walked on it.I have hated it too………..the cold that comes with it is unbearable.

Once again,it is here, this hard-hearted winter,I know I will make it through,and after that ,I will rejoice all spring,as I bid winter farewell and as I welcome summer,just as I did this past year.

 

ANALYSING IMF REPORT!

 

Kenya / Statement at the Conclusion of an International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Staff Mission to Kenya

 

NAIROBI, Kenya, July 3, 2008/African Press Organization (APO)/ — An International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff mission, headed by Mr. Thomas Krueger, visited Kenya during June 23-July 2, 2008, to conduct discussions for the 2008 Article IV consultation. The mission met with Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Finance Minister Amos Kimunya, Central Bank Governor Njuguna Ndung’u, and other senior government officials, as well as with representatives of the business community, labor unions, civil society and Kenya’s development partners.

The mission issued the following statement in Nairobi today:

“Economic growth in 2007 reached 7 percent, the highest growth in over two decades.

This cannot be the truth and has to be barred,completely!!!!!!!!!!!

Unless someone needs to define to me what Economic growth is.Oh sorry maybe it meant,everything,and I mean every fucking thing,from bread , via fertilizer to fuel and fare rises!

 This owed much to sound macroeconomic policies and progress on structural reforms—and Kenya also benefited from a favorable external environment. The strong momentum was interrupted, however, by the post-election turbulence in early 2008. This left a severe human toll and its economic effects were evident not only in Kenya, where tourism, agriculture, and transport were particularly affected, but also in the region as transport links were interrupted.

what on earth is this?Post -election turbulence?Spare me crap! Things that had been twice expensive,went just thrice or even four times more expe!

By the way,sikatai, Kenya had been a sort of island for a long time.Kenyans have been working so hard to keep end meet,stop blaming the election turmoil!It was Kenya’s way to show that they are fed up with corruption in front of their noses!
“With the formation of the grand coalition government, the economy is regaining its footing.

Am I dreaming?Its like the Grand Regency saga is just another economic growth!

While a full recovery in some sectors is likely to take time, including in tourism, the economy as a whole is already rebounding. Overall, we expect GDP to grow by some 4 percent in 2008—a respectable result given the events of the first quarter.
 

“We support the Central Bank of Kenya’s (CBK’s) recent actions to tighten monetary policy. Indeed, the CBK needs to be prepared to take further steps if this proves necessary to forestall second-round effects of rising food and energy prices on overall inflation. Inflation has clearly increased, even though the official consumer prices index (CPI) imparts a substantial upward bias. The mission looks forward to expeditiously implementing steps that would bring the CPI-compilation in line with international best practice.

“The government’s Vision 2030 sets out rightly ambitious longer-run objectives, with Kenya aiming to reach middle-income status. Achieving these objectives will require further structural reforms but also public spending to address crucial supply bottlenecks. The mission was encouraged by the widespread recognition that this needs to take place within a framework that has the private sector as the engine of growth and preserves macroeconomic stability. Strong growth will also require a highly competitive tradable sector. The mission agrees that improving competitiveness depends foremost on addressing supply bottlenecks and structural reforms—with progress all the more urgent in light of the strong exchange rate. On structural reforms, much has already been achieved in recent years, including with improvements in public procurement and the streamlining of business licensing requirements. Some of these steps formed part of the Governance Action Plan for 2006/07, and we look forward to its update. We also note the intense public debate concerning the sale of a property in the course of recovering a debt owed to the Central Bank of Kenya; the swift initiation of steps aimed at providing a full public account and taking follow up actions, as needed, is welcome.”

OK, lets see how this will go.

OH,Mps always see the economic growth,after all,they get more and more allowances,and salaries, always increased,so,things have never been better to them!
 

SOURCE : International Monetary Fund (IMF)

These are just my views,as a Kenyan, on the article.