Friday, June 15, 2007

Do we ever stop wanting?

I grew up in a small village, I had little desires, in fact one of the things I remember wanting most as a kid was to walk to school barefooted. Most other kids went to school barefooted but my mother rightly wouldn't let me. One day, when she had taken a trip to Kampala, I was left to my own devices and barefooted I strolled to school. It was a lovely feeling that day. I was like everyone else. Then I remember wanting to go and play "gogoli". A form of sledding minus all the safety gear and the snow. It involved a steep slope of about 150m or so, a banana plant stem and gravity. The safety net being a muddy pool of water. After an afternoon of "gogoli", I strolled home with my backside on display (shorts got worn out in one afternoon) to meet my mother's disapproving gaze and a few lashes on my now exposed behind. Still I had a great time. Then there was the game of "parapara", which basically was making a rotor using reeds, paper and some plant sap (engineering for beginners) and then running around so that the wind could rotate the mechanism….basically those were my desires then.

Fast forward 15 years and the only thing I want is more and more money. It's a far cry from those innocent days of my childhood. Sometimes I think that if I hadn't learnt a few things I would have been much happier with a hoe than with a pen. So when Dimples told that sometimes she wonders if we ever stop wanting, if we get to a point and say "yes, I think this is enough", I didn't have the heart to tell her it never ends. The never ending cascade of wanting more and more will never end until you draw your last breath, fruitlessly bargaining with death for a little "MORE" time.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

ENIGMAS

Why am i here? Can I make a difference? How? How can I take your pain away? Does love conquer all? Is it enough? Am I wasting my life? What's the point anyway? Do you ever feel the other person's pain? Do you share in their joy? Is the grass really greener on the other side? Why does the journey back always seem shorter? Do I love you? Do you love me? Who am I? Why is that kid on the street? What is his story? Have we failed him? What is your story? Do you give alms? Why? Does it make you feel better? Does it absolve you? Are you guilty anyway? Of what? Did you love him enough? Did you love her enough? Is anybody there? Beyond the veiled sky? Do they care? About you? About me? Can they change it? Would they?

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Hiro and the Future

I love comics, in fact I have a 5Gb collection of them, my favorites being Tintin, X men, Superman…etc. I also love movies based on comics, I enjoyed the Xmen, The Matrix, Siperman. One thing that I've failed to find however, is a good TV Series based on a comic book, or one with superheroes and stuff. Sure, there's Blade, Mutant X, and a few others I'm sure I know nothing about…but nothing outstanding. Enter Heroes , a tale of ordinary people waking up one day with extraordinary abilities, kind of like Mutants in the Marvel Universe. While it employs the usual tricks on leaving you hanging at the end of each episode, it is a beautifully written script, and one of those few things that get my "Masterpiece" tag, that's if they don't do another season. It ranks up there in my list of "works of art" which includes

Books

  1. The Sandman - Neil Gaiman
  2. The Kiterunner - Khaled Hosseini
  3. The Lord of The Rings - JRR Tolkien
  4. The Bartimaeus Trilogy - Jonathan Stroud
  5. Salems Lot - Stephen King
  6. The Shining - Stephen King
  7. Snow Falling on Cedars -
  8. The Wisdom of Crowds -
  9. Blink -
  10. Opening Skinner's Box

Movies

  1. The Fellowship of the Ring
  2. The Phantom Menace
  3. The Matrix
  4. Revenge of the Sith
  5. The Two Towers
  6. In America
  7. Braveheart
  8. Dogma
  9. Hearts In Atlantis
  10. The Last Samurai
  11. Gladiator
  12. A Beautiful Mind

Comics and Comic Strips

  1. Calvin and Hobbes
  2. The Far Side
  3. TinTin
  4. Wolverine: Enemy of The State
  5. X Men: The Dark Phoenix
  6. Kingdom Come
.....................to be continued

Friday, May 04, 2007

The Demons Within

We had an agreement, you stupid body, you with those flailing arms and meandering legs. We slit our palms and joined our hands, and promised we wouldn't let each other down, in these here dark times, when the sun hides her warmth and the moon shyly skips behind the clouds. Yet now you give up on me and let others inhabit your nooks and crannies; I will not let you, this here ours, is an apothecary race, so I will give you the concoctions you need and you will stand up tall and strong and together we will walk through that damn valley of the shadow of death, because beyond the pass lies a field of flowers bathed in rainbow sunshine.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

The Roman, the Christian and the Atheist!

We stumble at noon as in the twilight,

Among the vigorous as though we were dead.

We all growl like bears;

Like doves we moan mournfully.

We wait for justice, but there is none;

For salvation, but it is far from us.

For our transgressions before you are many,

And our sins testify against us.

........................Isaiah 59

Some very powerful imagery in the bible.


SPQR

I was a watching a documentary on Ancient Rome the other day; Did u know that the Ancient Romans had a senate as early as 67BC. In the early years of Rome, it's people were ruled by the……, who oppressed them. On doing away with them the Romans decided that they would never be ruled by a king again so they formed a senate of handful of represenatives of the people who were elected to office every year. Hence the motto "Senatos Populos Que Romanos (SPQR)" basically Senate and People of Rome. They also had a provision in their constitution for when they were at war, to elect a supreme dictator who had absolute power and held office for only 6 months. The first person to hold this title was a general …….. Who was called from his farm to fight a war with the Gauls, after the war was over, this guy gave up his power in 14 days and returned to his farm!



Tribulations

Sometimes to get to the good life, one must walk "The Path of Daggers". I think I'm walking that path now bse life is getting too tight, which of course is all my own doing but I could seriously do without one or two of dem daggers.



Victories
Started writing my short story this morning, and words just started flowing, then I realised some of the ideas popping into my head were themes from movies and books I had read, so now I have to think of a novel way of telling an old story. The words though are coming back…hopefully with some humor too.


Nostalgia
I am of this world,

Earth, Wind, Water and Fire

Of the beyond,

I have no desire

I am guilty of the sins of man

All shades of colour under the sun

Red blue and sometimes cyan

My fate is not beyond the clouds

Nor am I destined for hell's hounds

A flower of these gentle grounds

I must sway to life's sounds

I must climb the mountains

Sail the calm and the stormy seas

Walk through the dark forests

And dance on the flower filled leas

And when my dance is done

I must take my place in the mud

Forever under the sun

For I am of this world.

…..Raymond


Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Pressure Makes Diamonds!

Things have been tough, infact the last three weeks have been so bad that I started thinking I must have been like Ghengis Khan in a past life and this is retribution for all my past life indiscretions. But some cowboy with a moustache and a guitar once said that pressure makes diamonds so in light of that, and that is my only inspiration by the way, I'm pulling myself out of this pit.

Been reading "The Satanic Verses" and it has to go among that small list of books I have struggled to read. First of all it's not some diabolically inspired version of the bible. Nope it's a simple tale of human nature, divine intervention and other things. Don't read it unless you're sixty and have nothing else to do.

Guitar Lessons; the only thing saving my sanity. Learnt 6 chords so far...can play 2 songs fairly well...with a pause here and there. Want to play "You were meant for me" by Jewel and Baby Can I hold You by Tracy Chapman.

Still Reading "The End of Poverty" by Jeffrey Sachs...will fill u in.

Broken all my new year resolutions already but only twice...so I can end the year and have broken them only aout 4 times...that's not bad at all.

coming soon...my short story

make sure you watch...300.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Moving Forward

I don't know why I haven't posted in a long time....every time I open the browser to do so, I get stuck. There's stuff I want to say but I don't know how. Anyway my failings aside...last sunday was my birthday, enjoyed it immensely. My 25th birthday freaked me out bse I was getting older and had a long list of "things to do before you die"...Well I'm 26 now, the list is obviously a bit longer but for some reason this time I'm very optimistic.

Just finished reading Lords of Poverty by Graham Hancock and I have to say it's a sobering read. It's about the AID industry and how corrupt and sometimes, if not most, inhuman it is. It has made me look at AID agencies in a different light and I can't say it's a good one. I'm now reading Jeffrey Sach's "The End Of Poverty" I think it will restore some of my faith.


Thursday, February 01, 2007

I may know the word, but not say it

Normally I make resolutions on my birthday or thereabouts, but this year, I decided to make some as the new year was walking in the front door and the old one quietly stealing out the back. Resolutions though are tricky things, they must be made with care and consideration because when you flounder (and you will), you risk feeling guilty, disappointed, feckless....among other things. Anyway with that in mind I chose to give up a few things and do others this year but picking ones that I'd enjoy if I faltered and those that I wouldn't miss i didn't get round to doing them.

1. No drinking alcohol this year

2. No eating meat ( happened to go for a barbecue last saturday) for the rest of the year.

3. Go mountain climbing

4. Run the MTN marathon

...and many more


Belated christmas post

Was supposed to post this last year, but seeing as I can do anything on my blog here I go

'It's christmas once again, it's amazing when you grow older how some of the things that meant so much just become... well ordinary. I used to love christmas, especially the christmas songs. I would grab a radio on the night before christmas and climb onto the top of the garage and then I would listen to Boney M until it was past midnight. The garage was flat topped so I would lay down a mat, stare at the sky and sing along to Silent Night. It was magical. Sometimes I would go for midnight mass. It's funny how we are always in a hurry to grow up and after having done so we nostalgically remember the days so fast gone by. I still love the christmas songs, my favorites being "winter wonderland, silent night and Let it snow."


So a very merry christmas to all and a happy new year. May all your wishes for the year come true.'

Monday, January 15, 2007

Peace And Love To All

A happy new year to everyone out there, and those of you in here, wherever that may be. It's been a while but just so u know I've been OK. So here's to wishing you all the best for this new year. Godspeed