Thursday, February 24, 2011

..KIds say the Darndest things...


Mombasa…always nostalgic. Went there over the weekend, and I have arrived at the realization that it’s my place one earth where I find my nexus, my center….like listening to James Blunt songs after a break-up..or loads of pistachio ice cream..therapy.


Yes, Mombasa, over the weekend, why? My dear brother is getting married, so it was an informal “meet-the-parents” sort of thing. It was mildly hotter than I remembered, without the humidity, but I was still sweating buckets!! “Mombasa…where every day is a Sunday..” . One thing I really do love about such occasions is the opportunity to sample local cuisine, and indulge I did. I stuffed my face with spicy rice, and marinated chicken…mental note: get double portions of Ethiopian tomorrow.





 
The meeting went smoothly, and I got a glimpse of my soon to be in-laws. Awesome people they are. Next day, I was feeling mighty adventures, and I toured Mombasa town again..got lost in section where I never imagined existed, haggled for eternity with the rickshaw or “Tuk-Tuk” taxi guy, but gave inn…there is just something about a guy with one tooth..that's..eeehh well…creepy..met with old friends..and stuffed my face with Swahili delicacies..am sooo going back there soon.









Today, I rescued this little lady from some drunken oaf. I couldn’t stand to leave her with him…now the naming bit..Isabella….Killer has a ring to it don’t you think?? OK..then Isabella it is…and in our home, we do it old-school..we like an official pet naming ceremony..wonder when is the next full moon..just kidding folks :-]







And my two year old nephew has taken a liking to the little guy, pulling Isabella’s tail notwithstanding, they are pretty much inseparable. Now, recently..we got a statuette and we decided to mount it up on the fire place. My sister had visitors over, and my nephew is always one to impress…just like his uncle..and he’s just running around the visitors trying to get their attention..then suddenly he looks up at the statuette and says “KOKO!!!”…”KOKO!!” ..the second time even louder. My sister and her gusts were just red with embarrassment. Well, looking at it, it sort of resembles a male appendage, so for all things sane..we decided to doom it the bottomless drawer of no return. Kids!!!




I bet he didn’t have any pun intended, he was just being..a kid. He cracks me up. Almost Friday, and I can’t wait for Ethiopian. Have an awesomely wicked rest of the week . Errant photography out!!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Is it a bird..a plane..no..it’s just some wet guy..

Am sitting in my car..waiting for that warm fuzzy feeling…almost…almost….there it is. Despite the fact that I am drenched to my unmentionables, I feel pretty good about myself right now. I am certainly not bragging folks, not at all..but when was the last time you helped a damsel in distress, stuck in a trench, in her car, in a pouring thunder storm, mmmh?? Am not saying that her amazingly perfect teeth, with the smile to boot and her exceptional radiance had anything to do with it either…am not saying,,but rarely do we help our fellow man…or lady for that matter, when they are obviously in a jam. No good deed goes unpunished??? Read on..


So now am at the counter of the supermarket, an invisible “S” on my chest..and humming that “superman” theme song in my head. It’s my turn at the counter..i fish out my wallet, and subconsciously hand the guy at the till a Thousand shilling note. But he just stares at my hand, like am holding a diseased rat to his face..i turn down..and all am holding is a discolored brown piece of paper. Closer inspection..its a discolored brown thousand note. Oohhh!!!! Well, it so happened that while I was out in the rain playing savoir of man kind and knight in shining armor my wallet got drenched as well. In turn, the dye ran..and colored all the money I had brown!

“Boss, you don’t have any other money??” the till guy impatiently asks…and of course the piercing glares from the other people in the queue was adding fuel to the fire…luckily I had my card. Later that day I burnt that accursed wallet at the stake!!

Am rocking a new wallet now, dye free. So back to my previous question, when was the last time you helped somebody out of a jam?? Random acts of kindness, may not necessarily turn all the money in your wallet brown, but that warm fuzzy feeling, nothing beats that. Go ahead, try it out today. Selfishness is sooooo last year..kindness, definitely inn!!

So yes, the blog is intentionally late with one day reason...On Sunday at exactly 1800 hours, the ultraviolet media test site will be up and running, that is, www.ultravioletmedia.biz go ahead, check it out, give me critique and be brutal..or not :-] but just check it out folks, many good things coming this year at ultraviolet media. And if you have nay suggestion, halla at your “errant” photographer!! Badaye.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

I CAN SEE.....

“ I can see..Fredy, I can see”, my grandma said to me the next morning while we were in the car. “Your, goatee looks even longer..you should really trim that thing!!” . At that moment I wish I had a pair of scissors (in retrospect, I am glad I didn’t :-]..am loving my goatee) . I always thought there two things in this world that could make my cry, that Will Smith movie, what was it called again...”In Pursuit of Happyness” ..yes, that’s it..and the loss of a loved one..but I couldn’t fight down tears when I saw the expression on my grandma’s face when she looked around and was identifying colors, my goatee, the color of the pants a lady walking by..and how it was unorthodoxicaly tight, the blueness of the clear Friday afternoon sky. All this things to her where a shade of white before the operation, that removed her cataract, and subsequently restored her vision in her left eye.



18 hours before….



My grandma sat next to me on unpolished mahogany bench, the overhead fan was making an eerie noise that made the situation more uncomfortable. She wasn’t looking at me now..and I knew that look..i’ve seen it on my father million and one times, and I bet people have seen it on me a million and two times too. The franchise “Oloo” am-not-budging look. The doctor walked by and I just nodded a “not yet” , he returned an “It’s Ok” look, and headed out the door. I held her ancient hands, and tried telling her how the operation was vital..if she wanted to ever see again. It took me about an hour, and she eventually gave in. the next day we were there bright and early, she wore her favorite scarf. Just before we left the car, I held her hands again, and told her to pray with me. She did a prayer in Swahili. I checked her inn, and the doctor was pleased we came back, she led her into a room, and me to another. I sat there, at what seemed like the longest 30 minuets of my life. The nurse led her in, and told me the operation was a success! The doctor told me to take her back the next day for a follow up.



The present..


I don’t know where you are in your life..but today folks, just look around you…see that terminal  cancer patient who only has a few days, that healthy 23 year old athlete who cant use his legs anymore because of a freak accident, the people going hungry, war ravaged and wore torn countries and suddenly your problems don’t seem that big. Stop complaining about every little thing and embrace life. Be grateful, for everything, even the dust on your perfectly polished shoes or the bird crap on your shoulder, for that tooth decay, your 9 pm curfew, that chick that just broke your heart…just be grateful..

Thursday, February 3, 2011

...Of Grannies and roasted goats...

So my beloved grandmother is around and we have been havin a few adventures ourselves. What’s not to love about a 75 year old granny who is slightly prejudiced about guys with long hair or ladies who wear trousers? or most recently, “women with babies in their bellies” or expectant ladies in our lingo.

But aaah yes I love my granny. I see where I get my sense of humor from. Let alone the fact that she hates my driving and my baby…the Hummer. But I do enjoy spending time with her. The other day we went to this building in town and she totally refused to get into the elevator, citing that the person who controls them is as much worse driver as me. Compromise, compromise. Yes, that’s always the word for the day.



 
More granny news later. So we went to Ole’Tepes and if you are a devourer of meat like me. you get me!! We had sizzling roast meat, “Nyama Choma” baby!!! Sumptuous, roasted potatoes…the largest I have ever seen, I was even afraid to partake off…succulent stewed goat..whaaaat. am so going back there again very soon. It was pure delight. And amazing how all decorum flies out the window when this delicacy is in play. I was almost shouting “ Women and Children first”, but I was reminded that this is not the Titanic, and if I keep blubbering…I’ll end up with a well licked plate.

But that side of town, I like. No hustles of daily life, it was soo picturesque I shade a tear...well, almost. And the cream of it all was the Zebras…like real life zebras just a few yards from me, wickedly enchanting it was. And that’s when I got an epiphany. If all else fails…I will buy land these sides and rear ostriches, like pedigree ostriches…and I’ll have Ostrich races, and Ostrich petting zoos. and “Ostrich-on-a-stick” mmmh wonder what Ostrich meat tastes like??

But one thing I do know…is that Ethiopian is food for the gods. My Taste buds go on frenzy every time there is a mention of it. So, every Friday, is “Ethiopian and Techno” and they go down together nicely. If you go Ethiopian, you never go back. And the Ethiopian gourmet coffee, Olalla.. just makes you speak another language.

So folks, it’s the weekend. Enjoy it. By all means Enjoy it to the fullest. Errant Photographer out!!!