MAVUNO MEANS HARVEST!

I’m not entirely sure how much I have documented about my Spiritual lifestyle in this blog but I suspect it’s quite minimal. The reason for that is that since the age of nine I have been severely confused by the whole topic and I have delved into everything short of bribing my way into heaven to ensure that I was always spiritually in check. I’ve danced in church & in a group, joined worship teams, bible reading groups, teen discussion groups, church cells… Yet in the passed 5 years, I found myself accepting to live my life as far away from church fellowship & piety religion as I possibly could.

However of late I’ve felt an inkling of a desire to return to the whole church thing but it’s not a strong inkling enough to get me off my ass and get me there. So it was refreshing to hear on radio of a church launch that is to happen on the 1st of June (conveniently on my birth month). I guess if you don’t go to them they will find a way to come to you. I might attend… sorry for not being 100% affirmative on this one but hey… one has to start from somewhere.

So hope to see you there at The Mavuno Launch Service on the 1st June, 2008 from 11:00am at the Mavuno Dome, Belle-Vue Drive-In, off Mombasa Road.

THE PROMISE OF THE 23rd PSALMS…

The Lord is my Shepherd…
THAT’S RELATIONSHIP!

I shall not want…
THAT’S SUPPLY!

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures…
THAT’S REST!

He leadeth me beside still waters…
THAT’S REFRESHMENT!

He restoreth my soul…
THAT’S HEALING!

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness…
THAT’S GUIDANCE!

For His name sake…
THAT’S PURPOSE!

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…
THAT’S CHALLENGE!

I will fear no evil…
THAT’S ASSURANCE!

For thou art with me…
THAT’S FAITHFULNESS!

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me…
THAT’S SHELTER!

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies…
THAT’S HOPE!

Thou anointest my head with oil…
THAT’S CONSECRATION!

My cup runneth over…
THAT’S ABUNDANCE!

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…
THAT’S BLESSING!

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord…
THAT’S SECURITY!

Forever…
THAT’S ETERNITY!

NGWATILO ARISES!

I imagine a phoenix when I think of this lady… and nothing on the story of the bird rising from the ashes but just the majesty and beauty of the fabled creature. I first met her a couple of years ago and even did a piece on her called The Dare/Gold Dust. At the beginning of this year while our country was on her knees in despair, Ngwatilo sent me a recorded piece called Flag & Future that I immediately sent to all & sundry including Capital FM. They loved it as much as I did and played it over a number of weeks. But the first time I heard her words resonate on the radio I felt that we as a country would rise above our ashes - I cried. Now it’s great that her sweet & graceful name shall now resound in the archives of Kenya’s written & poetic history…

www.ngwatilo.com

GOOD TO KNOW…

Yesterday was my first performance of the year @ Dass & I was pretty psyched! I missed the first half but it was surely made up for by the poets in the 2nd half! Imani, Naliaka, Paul, Maik Kwambo… you guys rocked! Had a lot of chit chat with Nali and we talked about having a girls poetry jam - dressed in short skirts and sexy outfits… my addition to that would be that we need two shirtless buffed men on stage while we perform. I’m pretty excited about it (not the buffed men) but the girls jam!  I can so see the ladies that would surely bring the house down with their hot sensual female empowered poems! I’m also thinking the same for QCS but that is in the pipeline! I also promised to host one of the shows….I hope that wasn’t Imani’s Cosmopolitan talking!

I also talked to a number of guys who I’d not seen in a while and the thing that was good to know was that Kenya is very much ahead in the poetry & performance scene. I was talking to Buddah B. who has been championing the spread of WaPI across Africa & the world but he says Kenyans still stand out as the people who ‘get’ stuff… we are given something new and unique and we run with it. I also met up with another guy who works for an international news agency and he  said despite the many job offers he gets outside the country, but to him Kenya is the No.1 place to be… I think that’s just hot! For far too long Kenyan youth were busy dwelling on their circles of concern (i.e the things you can’t change) but the  more we get into our circles of influence (the things we can affect) such as performance poetry, getting an idea & executing it to the best of your ability then Kenya will move forward. So here is to all the guys pioneering our arts industry and giving Kenyan youth a voice! It’s good to know you are out there!

It’s been a great and fruitful week, despite having a full day of being mentally bored! Watching Ironman was just too much! It was worth doing it on the big screen. My pal & cousin got engaged on Wed! That’s awesome I’m really jazzed for you… let’s start talking wedding plans… I’m game. After this I’ll be heading for my friend’s graduation party! Totally psyched for that as well as I haven’t seen her in a while! Today the weather is a bit dull but not my spirit! Have a great weekend.

ALL I NEED TO KNOW…

… I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN.
Originally by by Robert Fulgham (remixed into a Kenyan Version)

I read this book some years back and it really touched my senses because of it’s simplicity in knowledge. Indeed all things I need to know I learned in nursery. I was going to post the original version until my workmate remixed it into the Kenyan version & I found myself on the floor laughing at how true it is and why Kenyans are the way they are.

1. Share everything
2. Play fair - Life isn’t fair and survival is for the fittest!
3. Don’t hit people - Hit them if they hit you!
4. Put things back where you found them - Not necessarily!
5. Clean up your own mess - Why when someone else can do it? or better yet… if you don’t you’ll be beaten!
6. Don’t take things that aren’t yours - Who says they aren’t yours?
7. Say sorry when you hurt somebody - Totally Odiero
8. Wash your hands before you eat - If water is available
9. Flush - True that!
10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you - Totally Odiero, porridge & Chai ya saa kumi was more like it
11. Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some - True that!
12. Take a nap every afternoon - And you’ll surely remain poor. Wake up early! Work hard!
13. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together - Totally Odeiro
14. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup? The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that - Who says?
15. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup - they all die - Hamster ndio nini?
16. And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: LOOK. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere - Peter & Jane.

my sense of you

by vee

 

i am intrigued by the infinity of sound

it’s where our inner selves are found

where our true spirits abound

it’s the things you say that i refuse to hear

the things i say that you ignore

it the things about us others hear

that make us fear

 

i am  tickled by the silkiness of skin

it’s when we can really say what’s within

where we can indulge in every sin

it’s the way you touch me that i enjoy

the way i touch you that you love

it the way others see us brush

that makes us blush

 

i am  intoxicated by the subtleness of smell

it’s how I know you oh so well

but you know i don’t kiss & tell

it’s the way you inhale & i exhale

it’s the way i inhale & you exhale

the way others sense us rhyme

that makes us live sublime

 

i am fascinated by the fullness of flavor

it’s something i love to savor

it’s what many desire never to waiver

it’s the way you crave & i satisfy you

the way that i crave, &  you satisfy me

it’s the way we don’t crave at all

that makes us want to brawl

 

i am amazed by the clarity of light

it’s here our dreams are never far from sight

where within ourselves we often fight

it’s the things you see in me that i don’t

the things i see in you that you don’t

the things we see in each other that others don’t see

that makes us just want to be

EARLY MORNING Co TRAINING? LET’S CONSIDER…

I can’t beginning to explain how dramatic my Saturday morning has been. First a few hours ago I was @ The Zone in Westlands listening to some serious Reggae tunes till a weeeeeee hour of the morning, however, I was surely sound asleep while on the dance floor. This is why I prefer clubbing to some high energy music such as dance & rock… how can you feel so sleepy while moving your body! By the way I thought someone had surely put something in my drink. Anyway yesterday was the farewell party of a very dear colleague and also a free bar night at the office due to winning some new and great account! Needless to say you’d understand me when I say that getting up today morning was a battle and getting to the company training at one hotel in the city was a struggle. The title of the talk was True Veins of Success and I sensed that time keeping would be on the top of that list as it always is. Sure enough, considering that I was already late and only found a maximum of 10 people (out of 100 employees) I knew time keeping was going to be the only trait to success at this talk.

One Eric Kimani (author of The Abundance vs Scarcity Mentality) was the speaker, he spoke, inspired and challenged me… most of all as I listened to his easy listening voice go on and on… I realized that one day I want to speak about life’s teachings with such confidence and humility! He also encouraged me on this my path of self discovery, personal branding and not giving up.

Apart from the intellectual part there was my favorite treat of all time - Breakfast Buffet - and along with that was peels of laughter as I watched one by one my other colleagues walked in with various shades of sheepish expressions! In a way it shouldn’t be so funny as as colleagues we should take responsibility of each other pretty much the same way we are sure to call someone to a night out, or lunch… so maybe in that respect we really aren’t helping each other be successful! But those are thoughts for another forum, all in all the dramatic morning ended well. Now I’m looking forward to heading back home, recap on the book I’m currently reading - How to get from where you Are to where you want to Be by Jack Canfield - then taking a nice nap while sleeping on the things that were told to me today.

DAR & BACK…

I must say it was a fruitful & nice weekend trip, despite the two full days of traveling by bus and thus being dead tired. My sole purpose was to scout for a business partner for the family business; but I also got to find a lot of things to love about the distant coastal city.

I was left wondering why we (as Kenyans) don’t hype up the trips down to Dar… the roads are good, the weather is conducive to some serious partying and enjoyment… the people are tooooo polite it become scary! Plus Zanzibar is just a hop, skip & jump away… if that doesn’t get you I don’t know what would. Anyway I plan to do another trip down but this time I’ll be prepared for some serious mwenjoyjoz… keep it here cause Phive! will definitely be organizing a Dar Invasion before the year is up!!!

I also got to catch up with a friend that I hadn’t talked to in a while… but as I mentioned to you my dear there is nothing like getting out of touch… it’s just about being busy with the things in our lives and hoping that we are all doing well & surviving.

GROOVE BACK?

I haven’t written a new poem or revised an old one in months… can’t say that it’s been a lack of inspiration… actually I can’t say it’s been anything save for laziness & serious lack of interest in general. So it was quite a shock to me when last night, the desire to perform one of my old poems came through my conscience… then today I got an invite from Project Heshima to perform at Dass Poetry Night… so hopefull this feeling will still be there next week… It’s on next Friday the 16th at Dass (the Ethiopian Restaurant next to Crooked Qs). Starts at 8.30pm… see you there?

LET’S DO: RHINO CHARGE ‘08

It’s plain and simple guys..

IT’S THE FULL OUTDOOR MWENJOYOZ!

No care in the world for days • drink • do what you want • see the charge motis up close • drink some more • see virgin kenyan territory that you never knew exsisted • meet other crazy random outdoorish people like you • dunda at the charge rave • dance under starry skies • get lovely memories on camera • drink some more….

Yup that’s your and or your pals at Rhino Charge this year!

DETAILS:

Date: 30th May - 2nd June 2008 (3 nights 4 Days)

Location: The Bush

Cost: 14,000Ksh per person

COST INCLUDES:

• 1 tent 2 person sharing
• 2 mattresses per tent
• 3 meals a day
• drinking water & juices
• showers & toilet
• transport to & fro the charge

PLEASE BRING:

• loads of alcohol & mixers
• torches & lanterns
• mosquito repellents
• toiletries
• beddings & sleeping bags
• loads of baby wipes

PAYMENT DEADLINE

Monday 12th May 2008

First pay first served basis.

CONTACT:

LT 0734 179 262 or Judy 0720 725 854

or email phivevents@gmail.com