OMG I Cross To The Techie Side Of Life!

And so it came to pass. The #140Conf was a huge success. Quite pleasantly choreographed, especially for an event that was being held for the first time in Kenya.  Discussions were very informative. Many like me who mostly use Twitter as a chat room got to realize that it is an even better marketing tool than any marketing agency you can think of (don’t even think of quoting me!). It also made me realize that really, there is never good, bad or negative publicity. What tends to be negative is the reaction of the individuals, or in this case the companies (giggles) receiving the publicity.  While most journalists would not agree, it has pretty much been determined that Twitter is beginning to act as a very good source of all kinds of news, breaking, business or otherwise.  Companies have been jumping on board to take advantage of this very interesting phenomenon that has grabbed the country by storm.

The greatest advantage of online marketing and publicity is the fact that, as they say, Kenyans have very peculiar habits (don’t look at me like that! This is very true). When they like something, they go all out for it. Twitter is one such platform.  While I believe that Facebook has not done so well in terms of business/social uptake, Twitter is flying way high, and companies like K24, Kenya Airways, Mama Mikes, Toyota and the like have not been left behind in joining this very free and vast marketing media.

Other than marketing and chat room that Twitter has become, it has also been very instrumental as an online real-time update forum for humanitarian issues, e.g. disaster updates. Ushahidi has widely and successfully used twitter to give a play by play update of what is happening, where help is required, and disaster recovery efforts as they happen.  Wildlife Direct has also joined this bandwagon, and are always informing us of the events happening in the wild, ensuring that some of us who like paying visits in our minds can do an even better job with twitter on our side.  As one of the panelists said, what twitter has done is give a voice to people who are otherwise very good in what they do but would not have had a chance to prove this. You get the choice of following (or unfollowing) individuals who you feel have a lot to contribute especially in any sphere that interests you.

So, what am I saying? I think I am beginning to get poached into the techies side of life, and I might just like it! Thanks to the organizers of this and other events, I think we are in for a wonderful ride as we fully embrace the effects of online living. And thanks to another panelist, I get to join one more list!

After-School Fun

The reason I am on this particular post, is not so much as I have something extraordinarily brilliant to write about (I can be brilliant at times).  I am just tired, heavy day, and the first thing that comes to mind is my good old after-school primary school days.

Most of you already know that lately I have been living in my yester years. Simply because life then was so pleasant that I want to re-live that for a bit, and don’t anybody go raining on my parade. I know I am all grown-up and as such, I have a responsibility to build the nation.  That having been said, today I am re-living my after-school primary school hay days.

Good days those were!  I remember school ended at about 4:30 and no it’s not a coincidence.  This post comes to me round about that time.  You see, what used to happen, we packed our bags at about 4:20, leaving only one book on the desk, mostly for appearances sake, (you have got to love our brilliant little minds), that is, having made sure that the lesson for that evening was not maths.  You all know how my maths teacher was.  Quite touchy that guy, if you ask me.  The reason for packing our bags that early was because we needed to catch the cartoon hour, that came round about 4:45 (correct my times if I am wrong, all ye oldies out there), the station having opened at 4:00, with the national anthem, a prayer, Jacqueline Kamonya (or some other flowery presenter) and a rundown of programs for the evening.

Our work was get into the house, right about when the cartoon hour was commencing.  You could not afford to miss cartoon hour, because it meant missing out on the following day’s show and tell. This happened over break, where we discussed the events of He-Man or Sheila or Danger Mouse (insert all those brilliantly done cartoons), and if you did not watch the previous day’s cartoon, then you were better off dead, or hibernating, or pretending you had a bad headache and needed to go home long before break time.

Today? I don’t know what kids discuss. Do they even have break time I wonder?  Right now, I have over 6 cartoon channels on my TV, and these are the ones that I have been able to surf to, and it only includes pay TV.  On such occasions, I am glad that I am some kind of old timer, and I had such an exciting childhood!

My Boots Were Made for Walking

My boots and I were made for each other.
They have been faithful to me for the spell we have been together.
Often, my friends laugh at me when they see what am wearing.
They don’t understand that my boots and I keep each other company
On days when we are both so weary, we cheer each other up and onwards.
They have seen me go (literary and figuratively) through the toughest times and spots.
Yet they stay with me, urging me on, even when am at fault.

I walk to work, come rain come shine.
My boots carry me, through the paddles or the dust.
Someone said that the reason they love their boots,
It’s because their toes feel like 10 friends on a camping trip.
I never looked at it that way,
But that is yet another reason to love my boots.

When I get home all tired and weary,
I throw my boots with sometimes the utmost disrespect.
I jump to bed and do not turn till morning.
Then morning comes and I go looking for my boots.
I find them waiting for me, with a smile and a shine,
Ready to lead me to yet another productive day.
That’s when it dawns on me afresh that,
My boots and I were made for each other

For as long as my boots and I have each other,
My boots and I will keep on walking.

Changes

What is considered growth by one person is not nearly always what the next person would consider much. We should thus plan to grow on our own terms. This means that any pat on the back that we expect should be by ourselves only. If it comes from someone else, then let it be an added bonus.

I have watched a tiny boy grow into this almost very responsible man – save for the constant reminder that he needs to visit the bathroom. I take him to school and am on the verge of tears because he looks so small I wonder whether he is going to be alright. He sees other children and a very jovial teacher coming towards him and he gleefully runs towards them and he is completely absorbed.  For the next fifteen minutes, I cannot move. My heart fills with pride, awe at his immediate adaptation, sadness to see him fly away, not even remembering that I was right there. I remember what my mother said, that it never gets easier. Every time your babies disappear, even to the playground, to middle school, to high school, to college or even moving away from home, the feeling of sadness never becomes any less, even though you knew it was coming. Then, I am interrupted by tiny hands hugging my waist and saying “see you later mummy”. And off he runs again. I sit down for a while, to catch my breath. We must have done something right, his dad and I. That was the best last thought that crosses my mind.

I am now busy try to adapt. I realise that changes come all the time. They are never easy. They break our hearts. They help us grow. They move us to levels that we were never prepared for. Beauty about these changes is that they happen each and every day of our lives. Just because we are too busy to notice, it doesn’t mean that we do not grow or change as of the last hour.

If this is the case, I shall be more careful to watch what’s happening around me and appreciate everything that’s changing, and hope that the ones around me realise that they mean the world to me.

The Year That Was

And the year came to a spectacular end. It was a hell of a year. Roller coaster ride kind of year really. We laughed, we cried. We loved, we lived, we lost.

In the beginning, it was a very unsure year. Not knowing what to expect. Whether the year would be a fast one or not. Then as it progressed, lessons begun to be learned. I lost a hero in the process. Even when the loss seemed too difficult to bear, his music and kindness echoed through my heart, and for a moment, everything was ok. I gained friends. Strengthened existing ones and in the end, I was in a much better position than I was in the beginning of 2009.

Am happy. Am sad. Am nostalgic, but best of all, I am hopeful. The year starts with such promise and am glad that I get to be part of another anniversary. Not because I have a myriad of plans and resolves for the year, but because I am alive. Right here, right now and there is no greater blessing than that.