“Blimey, Yes We Can…” could also become a slogan for Indian Ugandans. Now that Obama is the first Black American in the White House, I think it might just be the opening of a door for the Patels in the Pearl of Africa to dream about taking over State House. Who said an Indian should not become Ugandan President or join Parliament? One of the Speakers in Parliament's History was a South Asian, right? How about this Indian parliamentarian from the East of Ug and Katongole Singh? More are coming up.
Sometimes I wish Amin had not chased them away (despite the economic threat they posed), they would have had better chances probably. Every human must have equal rights, first were the women, then blacks and next foreigners in Africa will have their chance. I have no problem seeing Indians prosper in my home country Uganda. As long as I can enjoy their success without being patronized, I’m okay with that. The only thing I object to are their multiple gods, that’s all. Otherwise East Africans should also beware ‘coz if the EAC federation comes through, then ‘Why Not?’. Imagine an Indian ruling Obama’s ancestral region ...
Saturday
November is Grasshopper Month
While growing up in Jinja (Busogaland), one of the best moments of my childhood was chasing the seasonal delicacies called nsenene (Luganda for Grasshoppers). When the season came, I would spend days and nights chasing the insects from around my neighbourhood to unknown territories. When I came to Kampala permanently around 1995, I continued with the nsenenexcitement.
At St. Mary’s College Kisubi (1997 - 2000), grasshoppers usually migrated while we were at school. That was when I noticed the trend that it usually happens in November. The month always found me in boarding school so one time, the SMACK secretary told me and a classmate named Mukasa to catch for him as many as possible since he had a big family. We obliged and he fried some for us in appreciation. But since Mukasa had suddenly gone (away from school to try and link up with his parents in UK), I received his perishable share which I savoured during evening tea.
At St. Mary’s College Kisubi (1997 - 2000), grasshoppers usually migrated while we were at school. That was when I noticed the trend that it usually happens in November. The month always found me in boarding school so one time, the SMACK secretary told me and a classmate named Mukasa to catch for him as many as possible since he had a big family. We obliged and he fried some for us in appreciation. But since Mukasa had suddenly gone (away from school to try and link up with his parents in UK), I received his perishable share which I savoured during evening tea.
Wednesday
Tribute to my 4 Grandparents
Within the same fortnight Barack Obama lost his white grandmother, I also lost my last grandparent, the mother of my mother. Something great should also happen in my life now that the Blackman is in the white house. I got an SMS from my third sister on Wednesday morning (22nd October 2008) that Wupa had passed away but tried not to cry because I was attending a COMESA Forum in Kasese and did not want to look all too sorrowful among the delegates. However when my father called me during the tea break, tears just flowed naturally though I did not cry. Big boys must not cry, but can shade tears. Seasoned UG journalist Joachim Buwembo was also on his phone talking about how some lady stole info from his computer after allowing her to use it. I told my dad that there was nothing I could do about the tragedy and he replied that it was okay. I could not even call to console my mum up to the time I got back to my room in the night. There was just too much intellectual work to be done and I shouldn’t have let sorrow ruin my composure. Mum also told me not to mind; I would just go to pay my respects later on in Aliba, Ayivu County where she was buried near her home. Otherwise, she had been sick for some time.
Four years before that (on 3rd December 2004), my father’s mother named ‘Ita’ (Lugbara for Esther) passed away. I was still at UCU Mukono University then but got the information only by reading my big brother’s email five days later. No one informed me because they thought I could not handle the pain but I took it well. Actually, I only shaded tears and didn’t wail while trekking towards town on Bishop Tucker Drive after reading the email at Technology Park in the night. It was the examination week and I dedicated my very last papers to her.
As for my grandfathers, they both died before I was born. The only memories I have of my maternal grandpa Onesimus (Reverand Onesemu A. Banito Inima) [1919 to 13th May 1983] are stories narrated by my relatives and also the books he left behind with his signatures. He is buried at St. John's Church Ajara.
Four years before that (on 3rd December 2004), my father’s mother named ‘Ita’ (Lugbara for Esther) passed away. I was still at UCU Mukono University then but got the information only by reading my big brother’s email five days later. No one informed me because they thought I could not handle the pain but I took it well. Actually, I only shaded tears and didn’t wail while trekking towards town on Bishop Tucker Drive after reading the email at Technology Park in the night. It was the examination week and I dedicated my very last papers to her.
As for my grandfathers, they both died before I was born. The only memories I have of my maternal grandpa Onesimus (Reverand Onesemu A. Banito Inima) [1919 to 13th May 1983] are stories narrated by my relatives and also the books he left behind with his signatures. He is buried at St. John's Church Ajara.
Tuesday
The 2008 Pammys
I wasn’t among the gathering at Shimoni on Saturday 1st November 2008 but got a glimpse of the rhythmic action live on WBS TV where quality matters. It was my first time to watch the PAM - Pearl of Africa Music - Awards live on telly and Gordon Wavamunno, the godfather of Ugandan entrepreneurship was on screen to bless the telecast before it started. The colour and contrast quality might have been less sharp but I have to admit that the ceremony was well organized. My favourite artiste Bebe Cool (Actually Wavah also confessed that he was his favourite) scooped three awards (Best Reggae, Ragga and Male Artiste of the Year) after 9 nominations (The next artiste had only 5).
The soulful song “Zuena” (which won Best New Act) is personally My Song of the Year (simply because that is the name of Bebe’s beautiful wife. People talked en talked saying the singer Mozey had beef against my main man in composing it). Radio’s other track entitled “Nakudata” with Chameleone’s kid bro Weasel won the Best Song Pammy and used to be my favourite when still fresh but on this night I wanted “Kuss Kuss” to take it since they were thrown in the same category. I first heard Bebe’s hit while working on a Maisha short film in August 2008 and was totally blown away by the exciting spirit in it. For sure, “Bebe Cool munene munene (Big is big)...” Daniel Arap Moi’s reading of the news headlines from Shimoni seemed out of place but was good for the humour it provided as the sleek talking Mitch and pompous J. Kazoora emceed.
The inaugural Best West Nile Artiste Award went to Dogman, not bad since he has been around hustling for quite some time (even in the Best Northern Artiste Category now reserved for only Acholi, Langi, Karimojong plus Teso Regions). Airplay for his music in the capital (mainly on UBC TV) seems to outweigh J.M. Kennedy’s (played on KFM) but I hoped the latter could win it because he is my preference and sings in high Lugbara. Despite all that though, I was very pleased to see Black Harmony chosen to perform on the 2008 Bell Lager PAM Award stage ushering in a new dawn for West Nile music. They came along with funky queen dancers wearing shorts and a lady singing a Luganda hook. The duo from Arua had verses in Lugbara (and a little English I guess).
Overall, the show sizzled … Isaac Mulindwa (the Brains behind the Awards) sat next to the Chief Guest Queen Sylvia Naginda (of Buganda) and so was the King for the Night. New comer Toniks who had a really compelling duet ‘Beera Nange’ (Probably took some anointing oil from Judith Babirye’s Gospel track with the same name) won a well deserved award. Pastor Wilson Bugembe meanwhile performed that night and received his accolade for ‘Best Gospel’ which Judith had rejected the previous year for his song ‘Komawo Eka’ whose video features local entertainers such as Bobi Wine and the Amarula Family. Best Artistes from all the other East African countries were also awarded making PAM a really big thing.
Juliana Kanyomozi (who looked beautiful like Halle Berry in a leopard-print dress) was the highlight of the Year and won the Most Important Nod to become the first woman in six years to clinch the “Artiste of the Year” Pammy beating ‘Mazzi Mawaanvu’ that is His Excellency the Ghetto President and ‘Mr. Munene’. I’m not a big fan of hers but she did wonders in the duet entitled “Sirinayo Omulala” (“I Don’t Have Another Lover”) with Sweet Kid.
Do you agree with the controversial reggae hit below also performed on the night: “Njagala kugenda ko Juba…mpulira Uganda entamiye, ejude nugu.” (“I want to go to Juba…I feel I’m tired of Uganda, it’s full of jealousy.”)? Well, personally, jealousy or less of it, Uganda’s music (plus maybe movie) industry, as Straka (WBS Late Show) said, could now be rated second only to Nigeria on the African continent. Don’t care what jealous haters say, play your role whether in music, film, business, agriculture, construction, politics, art, trade, tourism and so on! What I have discerned is that jealous people are just “the devil in disguise” trying to derail you from reaching your heaven-sent visions. Entertainment is now a well-designed business in Uganda and those who work hard at it will reap from it …
The soulful song “Zuena” (which won Best New Act) is personally My Song of the Year (simply because that is the name of Bebe’s beautiful wife. People talked en talked saying the singer Mozey had beef against my main man in composing it). Radio’s other track entitled “Nakudata” with Chameleone’s kid bro Weasel won the Best Song Pammy and used to be my favourite when still fresh but on this night I wanted “Kuss Kuss” to take it since they were thrown in the same category. I first heard Bebe’s hit while working on a Maisha short film in August 2008 and was totally blown away by the exciting spirit in it. For sure, “Bebe Cool munene munene (Big is big)...” Daniel Arap Moi’s reading of the news headlines from Shimoni seemed out of place but was good for the humour it provided as the sleek talking Mitch and pompous J. Kazoora emceed.
The inaugural Best West Nile Artiste Award went to Dogman, not bad since he has been around hustling for quite some time (even in the Best Northern Artiste Category now reserved for only Acholi, Langi, Karimojong plus Teso Regions). Airplay for his music in the capital (mainly on UBC TV) seems to outweigh J.M. Kennedy’s (played on KFM) but I hoped the latter could win it because he is my preference and sings in high Lugbara. Despite all that though, I was very pleased to see Black Harmony chosen to perform on the 2008 Bell Lager PAM Award stage ushering in a new dawn for West Nile music. They came along with funky queen dancers wearing shorts and a lady singing a Luganda hook. The duo from Arua had verses in Lugbara (and a little English I guess).
Overall, the show sizzled … Isaac Mulindwa (the Brains behind the Awards) sat next to the Chief Guest Queen Sylvia Naginda (of Buganda) and so was the King for the Night. New comer Toniks who had a really compelling duet ‘Beera Nange’ (Probably took some anointing oil from Judith Babirye’s Gospel track with the same name) won a well deserved award. Pastor Wilson Bugembe meanwhile performed that night and received his accolade for ‘Best Gospel’ which Judith had rejected the previous year for his song ‘Komawo Eka’ whose video features local entertainers such as Bobi Wine and the Amarula Family. Best Artistes from all the other East African countries were also awarded making PAM a really big thing.
Juliana Kanyomozi (who looked beautiful like Halle Berry in a leopard-print dress) was the highlight of the Year and won the Most Important Nod to become the first woman in six years to clinch the “Artiste of the Year” Pammy beating ‘Mazzi Mawaanvu’ that is His Excellency the Ghetto President and ‘Mr. Munene’. I’m not a big fan of hers but she did wonders in the duet entitled “Sirinayo Omulala” (“I Don’t Have Another Lover”) with Sweet Kid.
Do you agree with the controversial reggae hit below also performed on the night: “Njagala kugenda ko Juba…mpulira Uganda entamiye, ejude nugu.” (“I want to go to Juba…I feel I’m tired of Uganda, it’s full of jealousy.”)? Well, personally, jealousy or less of it, Uganda’s music (plus maybe movie) industry, as Straka (WBS Late Show) said, could now be rated second only to Nigeria on the African continent. Don’t care what jealous haters say, play your role whether in music, film, business, agriculture, construction, politics, art, trade, tourism and so on! What I have discerned is that jealous people are just “the devil in disguise” trying to derail you from reaching your heaven-sent visions. Entertainment is now a well-designed business in Uganda and those who work hard at it will reap from it …
Monday
TitanVic (2008 Film)
TITAN-VIC, a film envisioned by mentor Don McKellor and brought to life by the 9 screenwriters during the 2008 Maisha Film Makers' Lab...Savour the quotes below during the refreshing cruise on Lake Victoria:
PATRICIA: “So this is the ship they say is unsinkable?”
DAVID: “We are going to America.”
PITHON: “I’m the King of the World…”
VINCHO: “Pithon, this is where we first met.”
JUDITH: “Iceberg, right ahead!”
EDWARD: “GOD Almighty, half the people on this ship are gonna die.”
ANGELA: “And GOD shall wipe away all the tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death.”
The film will go on and on ... MARK and RACHEAL were the production assistants.
PATRICIA: “So this is the ship they say is unsinkable?”
DAVID: “We are going to America.”
PITHON: “I’m the King of the World…”
VINCHO: “Pithon, this is where we first met.”
JUDITH: “Iceberg, right ahead!”
EDWARD: “GOD Almighty, half the people on this ship are gonna die.”
ANGELA: “And GOD shall wipe away all the tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death.”
The film will go on and on ... MARK and RACHEAL were the production assistants.
The Voyage to Kasese
My pioneer voyage to Kasese ignited around 16:44 PM and ended midnight. I had travelled to Mukono during the morning of Monday 20th October 2008 to scan my Arua Boys Comic and send it to two individuals besides picking up the two copies of ‘The Standard’ newspaper I had missed but didn’t know what the day was going to bring. I managed to post the 5 pages to Talleah but while sending to Kristof, Martha Chemutai (my UCU Old Girl) phoned me around 10:30 AM to replace some dude called Jackson Gray Makkeni (who had a test paper on Tuesday at MUK) in covering a certain function. He had also replaced Martha in documenting a ‘Trading for Peace’ Forum for ‘International Alert’ in Kasese, Western Uganda between Monday 20th and Friday 24th October 2008.
I had talked quite freely that morning in the Standard Newsroom with Prever Mukasa (Lifestyle Editor) and Enoch Kassenyi (Sports Editor). John Semakula (Campus Life Editor) hadn’t come but my Managing Editor Brian Semujju was around to make me feel more comfortable. I honestly felt the spirit of that morning, it was calm and I wasn’t worried. Production Manager Wanyama Wangah had gone to teach and when he returned, Samuel Apedel came around looking for him. On seeing me, he asked Wanyama if I did not have the potential to become a good illustrator, “Wanyama is always a hard man to please; that’s why you should find out what he thinks.” Wanyama responded by saying that he had recommended me to David Mukholi, Sunday Vision Editor but the girl who was told to call me played science. Apedel added, “Today or yesterday, we had a meeting about this cartooning issue and concluded that it is like the work of a goalkeeper. However good you may be, you can still be benched. When Ras was given the job, he used to draw his own things...”
I waited till 11 AM for my comic art files to load the second time but they didn’t. So I just set off for Jumbo Plaza which I reached at exactly noon. Martha briefed me about the work and terms and by half past noon, I was setting off for home in Kyebando. The taxi delayed in the park but 1:04 PM found me opening the door. I packed clothes in Tina’s ‘Timberland’ bag and my own ‘Adventure’ Business bag before rushing to the Kyebando Taxi stage but there was only one woman waiting with me. It was now 2 PM, the time I had planned to set off to Kasese since Martha told me that it would take 5 hours to get there. I jumped on a boda and rode till Bukoto Market on the newly tarmacked link road (thanks to Government or Sudhir). Then I boarded a taxi to Kampala Road. While asking if it was going to the Old or New Park, the beautiful chick sitted on my right side suggested that I could hop on a different one from St. Andrews Stage. Unfortunately, I had no time to do that. Instead we jazzed until she dismounted around KPC. She told me she was doing Procurement at MUBS Nakawa after being sold by MUK. I also filled her in on the fact that I was usually at MTAC Campus Nakawa which they wanted to take over. She was visibly amused and I liked it ‘coz it’s a good feeling to see a beautiful woman chuckle under the weight of your cracks, talk of hilarious pick up lines though these weren’t pick up lines. I was too late for my voyage to a destination I had never visited before and had no time for womanizing. She was heading to her workplace at UTODA Martin Road (Deadline was 2.30 PM but she felt she couldn’t make it). I dismounted from Half London and walked till Kalita Buses. The 3 O’clock coach was leaving and the booking officer shifted to selling only Fort Portal tickets. I heard some guy also asking for a Kasese ticket and when all hope seemed lost, I asked him what we could do. He said we could catch one of the Link Buses.
So we walked to the Link Park yet that was the exact place where I had just ignored guys asking me if I was looking for a bus. We met a lady who took us to the Kasese-bound bus. She told the ticket master that the man beside me was a doctor she knew. On Saturday, I actually returned to Kampala with the same ticket master. The doctor gave me his ticket and I paid the 15,000 UgX. A fat woman sat next to me buying things like she was in a supermarket. She kept speaking to me in her language yet she could articulate English. Maybe she thought I also drink too much Ankole milk. So I pretended that I do since I got the gist of most of her utterances but didn’t utter many words in reply. There was traffic jam on Namirembe Road as we left the park and when Makkeni called, I told him that we hadn’t left the City of Impalas. We went up to Kampala Road traffic lights and he called again to assure me that he was going to leave some things (Documents) for me at the reception and had booked for me a room. We headed to Masaka Road and stopped to refuel at a petrol station where I noticed one of the managers I used to see at Shell Muyenga while painting Arshad’s Posh Pets Murals. Setting off from Gapco in the 5 O’Clock hour, we crossed the equator at exactly 6:20 PM. Guys behind me who had been talking about the richest musician in Uganda and other things turned to making fun of a place in Masaka where the main crime is sodomy and rape. We stopped somewhere to pee before driving full speed.
There were no problems on the way except maybe in Lyantonde when a trailer ahead of us failed to move forward in the muddy slope. We were blocked for several minutes but finally found a way. That’s the time I started communicating with Robinah Kajwenge (a Documentation Officer for ‘International Alert’ I was told to talk to). Passengers kept disembarking and by the time we reached Kasese, we were a handful. Martha had called me when we stopped in Mbarara, a wonderful place with picturesque architecture even if I viewed them in the dark. Rain started falling again when we reached Bushenyi and I told her I was close to my destination Kasese. I saw two hippos walking on the left side of the road, probably at a national park in Bushenyi. Julius called to confirm if I had finally arrived and I disappointed him again by saying ‘No’ but I finally smelt copper in the air and was glad to read KCCL on a gate. That stands for Kasese Cobalt Company Limited which meant that we had finally arrived. Thank GOD Kasese is well lighted and a bodaman helped me find Kasese Executive Inn Limited (Restaurant, Accommodation and Conference Hall) where a woman named Beatrice in her night gown gave me the key to Room 7, self contained with a TV in the corner. Unfortunately, I could mainly watch Sky News and occasionally G Prime, G Africa or G Sports. DStv could not be activated and the free channels like EATV and UBC had no signal. Kasese is actually hotter than I had imagined. Some nights I would throw away the heavy bed cover.
I had talked quite freely that morning in the Standard Newsroom with Prever Mukasa (Lifestyle Editor) and Enoch Kassenyi (Sports Editor). John Semakula (Campus Life Editor) hadn’t come but my Managing Editor Brian Semujju was around to make me feel more comfortable. I honestly felt the spirit of that morning, it was calm and I wasn’t worried. Production Manager Wanyama Wangah had gone to teach and when he returned, Samuel Apedel came around looking for him. On seeing me, he asked Wanyama if I did not have the potential to become a good illustrator, “Wanyama is always a hard man to please; that’s why you should find out what he thinks.” Wanyama responded by saying that he had recommended me to David Mukholi, Sunday Vision Editor but the girl who was told to call me played science. Apedel added, “Today or yesterday, we had a meeting about this cartooning issue and concluded that it is like the work of a goalkeeper. However good you may be, you can still be benched. When Ras was given the job, he used to draw his own things...”
I waited till 11 AM for my comic art files to load the second time but they didn’t. So I just set off for Jumbo Plaza which I reached at exactly noon. Martha briefed me about the work and terms and by half past noon, I was setting off for home in Kyebando. The taxi delayed in the park but 1:04 PM found me opening the door. I packed clothes in Tina’s ‘Timberland’ bag and my own ‘Adventure’ Business bag before rushing to the Kyebando Taxi stage but there was only one woman waiting with me. It was now 2 PM, the time I had planned to set off to Kasese since Martha told me that it would take 5 hours to get there. I jumped on a boda and rode till Bukoto Market on the newly tarmacked link road (thanks to Government or Sudhir). Then I boarded a taxi to Kampala Road. While asking if it was going to the Old or New Park, the beautiful chick sitted on my right side suggested that I could hop on a different one from St. Andrews Stage. Unfortunately, I had no time to do that. Instead we jazzed until she dismounted around KPC. She told me she was doing Procurement at MUBS Nakawa after being sold by MUK. I also filled her in on the fact that I was usually at MTAC Campus Nakawa which they wanted to take over. She was visibly amused and I liked it ‘coz it’s a good feeling to see a beautiful woman chuckle under the weight of your cracks, talk of hilarious pick up lines though these weren’t pick up lines. I was too late for my voyage to a destination I had never visited before and had no time for womanizing. She was heading to her workplace at UTODA Martin Road (Deadline was 2.30 PM but she felt she couldn’t make it). I dismounted from Half London and walked till Kalita Buses. The 3 O’clock coach was leaving and the booking officer shifted to selling only Fort Portal tickets. I heard some guy also asking for a Kasese ticket and when all hope seemed lost, I asked him what we could do. He said we could catch one of the Link Buses.
So we walked to the Link Park yet that was the exact place where I had just ignored guys asking me if I was looking for a bus. We met a lady who took us to the Kasese-bound bus. She told the ticket master that the man beside me was a doctor she knew. On Saturday, I actually returned to Kampala with the same ticket master. The doctor gave me his ticket and I paid the 15,000 UgX. A fat woman sat next to me buying things like she was in a supermarket. She kept speaking to me in her language yet she could articulate English. Maybe she thought I also drink too much Ankole milk. So I pretended that I do since I got the gist of most of her utterances but didn’t utter many words in reply. There was traffic jam on Namirembe Road as we left the park and when Makkeni called, I told him that we hadn’t left the City of Impalas. We went up to Kampala Road traffic lights and he called again to assure me that he was going to leave some things (Documents) for me at the reception and had booked for me a room. We headed to Masaka Road and stopped to refuel at a petrol station where I noticed one of the managers I used to see at Shell Muyenga while painting Arshad’s Posh Pets Murals. Setting off from Gapco in the 5 O’Clock hour, we crossed the equator at exactly 6:20 PM. Guys behind me who had been talking about the richest musician in Uganda and other things turned to making fun of a place in Masaka where the main crime is sodomy and rape. We stopped somewhere to pee before driving full speed.
There were no problems on the way except maybe in Lyantonde when a trailer ahead of us failed to move forward in the muddy slope. We were blocked for several minutes but finally found a way. That’s the time I started communicating with Robinah Kajwenge (a Documentation Officer for ‘International Alert’ I was told to talk to). Passengers kept disembarking and by the time we reached Kasese, we were a handful. Martha had called me when we stopped in Mbarara, a wonderful place with picturesque architecture even if I viewed them in the dark. Rain started falling again when we reached Bushenyi and I told her I was close to my destination Kasese. I saw two hippos walking on the left side of the road, probably at a national park in Bushenyi. Julius called to confirm if I had finally arrived and I disappointed him again by saying ‘No’ but I finally smelt copper in the air and was glad to read KCCL on a gate. That stands for Kasese Cobalt Company Limited which meant that we had finally arrived. Thank GOD Kasese is well lighted and a bodaman helped me find Kasese Executive Inn Limited (Restaurant, Accommodation and Conference Hall) where a woman named Beatrice in her night gown gave me the key to Room 7, self contained with a TV in the corner. Unfortunately, I could mainly watch Sky News and occasionally G Prime, G Africa or G Sports. DStv could not be activated and the free channels like EATV and UBC had no signal. Kasese is actually hotter than I had imagined. Some nights I would throw away the heavy bed cover.
LORD have Mercy...
The Holy QURAN is just like the Old Testament and Forbidden Scriptures of the Bible rolled into one poetic Book. I strongly believe if people read it with an unbiased mind, they will discover amazing answers to some questions bothering them, I did too...
Tobacco can be useful and unuseful...
On Thursday 2nd October 2008, I got amused by a story from India that “People caught smoking tobacco will be fined 200 Indian Rupees.” Banning smoking, tobacco selling and cigarette manufacture can reduce health risks but that means lesser profits for farmers and lesser taxes for world governments. I have seen people earn millions just by selling those demonized leaves. West Nile alone produces over 50 percent of Uganda’s tobacco. Banning the cash crop in Uganda may not be the solution. Switching the use of tobacco could just be the answer since the plant has enormous potential for medicine, cosmetics and energy. Some researchers believe tobacco can replace petroleum in cosmetics and has quality human food proteins for pharmaceutical therapy like the superior kind you find in milk and soybeans. The only problem is that tobacco is inedible but as the world finds healthier uses of the plant, smoking as a habit may one day become history.
In India, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica and Australia, it is illegal to sell tobacco. Hong Kong banned smoking on 1st January 2007 in the workplace and public spaces. New rules for smoking in India were passed on 2nd October 2008. The website www.india.com estimated that 40 % of India’s health problems stemmed from tobacco use. In 2007, Chandigarh became the first city in India to become ‘smoke-free’. The only country to have banned the sale and smoking of tobacco is Bhutan. The hospitality industry and restaurants that ban cigarette smoking haven’t suffered according to a report published in the online issue of Contemporary Economic Policy. The report, “Smoke-Free Laws and Employee Turnover,” is an indication of the link between advertising and increased tobacco use among India’s youth. India is the third largest tobacco producer (550 million kg annually) as well as the consumer in the world and earns several Rupees annually. Kanchipuram District already has a total ban on tobacco use. The use of tobacco among young girls in India has risen against 3.1 percent of adult women, a WHO report warns. Seventy four countries still allow smoking in health care institutions.
One more thing, smoking tobacco grown in hell drives away the Holy Spirit...
In India, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica and Australia, it is illegal to sell tobacco. Hong Kong banned smoking on 1st January 2007 in the workplace and public spaces. New rules for smoking in India were passed on 2nd October 2008. The website www.india.com estimated that 40 % of India’s health problems stemmed from tobacco use. In 2007, Chandigarh became the first city in India to become ‘smoke-free’. The only country to have banned the sale and smoking of tobacco is Bhutan. The hospitality industry and restaurants that ban cigarette smoking haven’t suffered according to a report published in the online issue of Contemporary Economic Policy. The report, “Smoke-Free Laws and Employee Turnover,” is an indication of the link between advertising and increased tobacco use among India’s youth. India is the third largest tobacco producer (550 million kg annually) as well as the consumer in the world and earns several Rupees annually. Kanchipuram District already has a total ban on tobacco use. The use of tobacco among young girls in India has risen against 3.1 percent of adult women, a WHO report warns. Seventy four countries still allow smoking in health care institutions.
One more thing, smoking tobacco grown in hell drives away the Holy Spirit...
Crazy Things We Do for Love: Sudhir, Yes Sudhir…
Sudhir (then in his late teens) and his cousin named Atul were riding on a red bus in London, number 83 from Golder’s Green when they spotted a pretty babe. Atul revealed that he knew her: they worked together at the Macfisheries store in London. She was a cashier at the till. Sudhir kept his cool long enough to act out the part of an innocent-customer-who-happened-to find a pretty-cashier-at-counter. Looking the pretty woman in the eye, the lovestruck youth whipped out a twenty pound note and paid for a Milky Way chocolate bar. Looking Sudhir in the eye, Jyotsna Nagrecha called the manager in to make the decision. Sudhir was too happy to stand by her till making eye contact and throwing a few calculated words at her because he had bought himself extra time waiting for his 19 pound 90 pence change. On 5th February 1977, at 21 years of age Sudhir Ruparelia got hitched to the younger and very good looking Jyotsna Nagrecha. By 2002, they had kids such as Sheena (of the Mercedes Benz S-Class birthday-gift-fame), Rajiv and Meera. (Excerpts borrowed from Sunday Vision around 2001)
Alex Lindsay's 'Digital Film Revolution' Workshop
On 24th May 2007, Alex Lindsay held a workshop organized by Maisha Filmlab from 9 AM to 5 PM at the National Theatre. His work involves designing Databases, editing Films, Graphics, Burning Movies, Website Design, Home Videos, Storyboards, Screenplays…
Creative Comments (Some Rights Reserved)…You can copy it and give to your friends but you can’t change it…Adverts in the film remain. (Mindset of the market: How do you grab their attention: Move like you are going to catch a horse, walk slowly and it will not see you…It always looks ahead)
“There is strength in numbers…” Mac vs. PC
Alex started programming at age 10 on a TRS AB computer, got into CAD work and worked in radio as a show host and music director, Prime Fox Network now Sky Sports…Studied Philosophy “Let’s get everybody making films…” 1992 Real Time Games Art Director, was at Lucas Film working for pre visualization of the first ‘Star Wars’ movie, made after 5 years. Industrial Light Magic did some shots for ‘Star Wars’ (It is a Rebel Mac Unit) “It takes a lot of people to get a piece done. In Zimbabwe, we have about 30 people on one piece.”
35,000 US Dollars for 7 seconds, Spent first 15 years of his career working for somebody else (Another person’s fingers) Apple has the most advantage because of the content they add to the media…Sony’s Playstation 3 is capable of High Definition TV. Microsoft has the X-Box [There is Joost, before that was Kazar, created Skype, GooTube, Podtech, Pod-dengo (Platform for posting videos), Dig, video on Demand (Subscribe for an extra charge)]…Airlines such as Virgin Atlantic allow you to select videos you wanna watch, 3 to 8 minute shows…
‘Pixel Corp’ is a guild for content creators. As craftsmen, we call ourselves artists. It is easer to build objects than paint on a canvas. We are on the way to 2,000 members. 150 hours of free video training, fantastic shooting of green screen videos and reduced purchase prices for very powerful software. “I’m kind of a frontpage of a bigger workshop.” Equipment, Resources from all over the world, Members trade work back and forth, Google Earth (Building 3D models of different cities. It doesn’t matter who gets it done. Create a big culture in which everybody gets the idea that it doesn’t matter where stuff gets done…” Quick Time, Flash, H264 has a better image in a smaller file, (HT60) recommended. Didex is popular among the pirates. iTunes is the biggest name when it comes to distributing music….Blue Ray Drive is 40 GB “We are not a news organization…” Online Distribution, Promotion, Put in time and work together, Motion sits on XML, Final Cut Pro Automator, Final Cut Smooth (removes bumpy shots) and Server (meant for news agencies), Invigorator Pro, Animator Pro, Motion 3 (80% of my work is done in motion”)
In games, you can use two cards for example trees instead of having a lot of data by shooting all the sides. You still have to go to AfterEffects for more edits. Conduit Editor takes a green screen, edits and puts it on a card, a frame. “Allow yourself to think about what’s possible…”
The Best Part of the New Final Cut
Weird Frame Blending can be edited with Optical Flow (watches how frames move, adds frames that make sense)… It does instant analysation, Sleek little tool, DI Screen (Digital Inter-Media fine tunes all the colour [Colour grading is done for all films/ Final Touch bought by Apple Full blown system: Basic Colour Correction, you can grab onto specific parts of the image…Every major feature film is colour graded. A DI pass costs around 600,000 US Dollars…Enormous amount of control, Adjust hues.
Manipulate the viewer to watch the story you want to tell/ Speed Grade (or Grad) 5 or 10,000 Dollars is another option/ Soundtrack Pro allows you to do multi-take work much better…
Resolution: Standard Definition, 720p (Most Panasonic Cameras, Minimum size on internet), 1080p (Big Screen)
“If you are shooting for the web, there is no reason to use Interlace, maybe just for TV…” 444 (For every pixel of black and white info, there is a colour pixel, DV Camera takes colour info, shoves it in one side, simply stretches it over the whole image); 411 (Jagged edges usually occur during green screens when you use it against the colour…)
Colour Difference Key takes different colour channels and separates them…
Infamous Green Spill (a little bit of the green screen comes around the image sometimes through parts of the image in context. Use Unspill to adjust it. Videoscopes help you do the colour maths. DG Mac Pro developed by themselves. With the HDV, you get more resolution in your images. Use the grey card to lock the white and blacks of two images…One in the front and the other clip at the back. Why use green? Is it a more easily manipulated photographic colour?
[IMDb: “Where does Superman pee?”
Rachel: “In the air, actually before he changes, sometimes he does before he leaves his office.”]
Alex speaks for Apple at their Worldwide Development Conference MacBreak
LCD Screens allow more creativity than placing viewfinders on the eye…
Watch Maria (A Speech from Zimbabwe) on YouTube. [Alex showed it during the workshop and personally, I felt this was a masterful performance by the guy reciting the poem.] Alex encouraged the audience, “All this stuff is doable, it’s just a matter of starting to play with it…”
Cinema 4D, Number One piece of software for broadcast work…
‘Scratch’ is a free programming tool that allows anyone to create their own animated stories, interactive artworks and video games…
Creative Comments (Some Rights Reserved)…You can copy it and give to your friends but you can’t change it…Adverts in the film remain. (Mindset of the market: How do you grab their attention: Move like you are going to catch a horse, walk slowly and it will not see you…It always looks ahead)
“There is strength in numbers…” Mac vs. PC
Alex started programming at age 10 on a TRS AB computer, got into CAD work and worked in radio as a show host and music director, Prime Fox Network now Sky Sports…Studied Philosophy “Let’s get everybody making films…” 1992 Real Time Games Art Director, was at Lucas Film working for pre visualization of the first ‘Star Wars’ movie, made after 5 years. Industrial Light Magic did some shots for ‘Star Wars’ (It is a Rebel Mac Unit) “It takes a lot of people to get a piece done. In Zimbabwe, we have about 30 people on one piece.”
35,000 US Dollars for 7 seconds, Spent first 15 years of his career working for somebody else (Another person’s fingers) Apple has the most advantage because of the content they add to the media…Sony’s Playstation 3 is capable of High Definition TV. Microsoft has the X-Box [There is Joost, before that was Kazar, created Skype, GooTube, Podtech, Pod-dengo (Platform for posting videos), Dig, video on Demand (Subscribe for an extra charge)]…Airlines such as Virgin Atlantic allow you to select videos you wanna watch, 3 to 8 minute shows…
‘Pixel Corp’ is a guild for content creators. As craftsmen, we call ourselves artists. It is easer to build objects than paint on a canvas. We are on the way to 2,000 members. 150 hours of free video training, fantastic shooting of green screen videos and reduced purchase prices for very powerful software. “I’m kind of a frontpage of a bigger workshop.” Equipment, Resources from all over the world, Members trade work back and forth, Google Earth (Building 3D models of different cities. It doesn’t matter who gets it done. Create a big culture in which everybody gets the idea that it doesn’t matter where stuff gets done…” Quick Time, Flash, H264 has a better image in a smaller file, (HT60) recommended. Didex is popular among the pirates. iTunes is the biggest name when it comes to distributing music….Blue Ray Drive is 40 GB “We are not a news organization…” Online Distribution, Promotion, Put in time and work together, Motion sits on XML, Final Cut Pro Automator, Final Cut Smooth (removes bumpy shots) and Server (meant for news agencies), Invigorator Pro, Animator Pro, Motion 3 (80% of my work is done in motion”)
In games, you can use two cards for example trees instead of having a lot of data by shooting all the sides. You still have to go to AfterEffects for more edits. Conduit Editor takes a green screen, edits and puts it on a card, a frame. “Allow yourself to think about what’s possible…”
The Best Part of the New Final Cut
Weird Frame Blending can be edited with Optical Flow (watches how frames move, adds frames that make sense)… It does instant analysation, Sleek little tool, DI Screen (Digital Inter-Media fine tunes all the colour [Colour grading is done for all films/ Final Touch bought by Apple Full blown system: Basic Colour Correction, you can grab onto specific parts of the image…Every major feature film is colour graded. A DI pass costs around 600,000 US Dollars…Enormous amount of control, Adjust hues.
Manipulate the viewer to watch the story you want to tell/ Speed Grade (or Grad) 5 or 10,000 Dollars is another option/ Soundtrack Pro allows you to do multi-take work much better…
Resolution: Standard Definition, 720p (Most Panasonic Cameras, Minimum size on internet), 1080p (Big Screen)
“If you are shooting for the web, there is no reason to use Interlace, maybe just for TV…” 444 (For every pixel of black and white info, there is a colour pixel, DV Camera takes colour info, shoves it in one side, simply stretches it over the whole image); 411 (Jagged edges usually occur during green screens when you use it against the colour…)
Colour Difference Key takes different colour channels and separates them…
Infamous Green Spill (a little bit of the green screen comes around the image sometimes through parts of the image in context. Use Unspill to adjust it. Videoscopes help you do the colour maths. DG Mac Pro developed by themselves. With the HDV, you get more resolution in your images. Use the grey card to lock the white and blacks of two images…One in the front and the other clip at the back. Why use green? Is it a more easily manipulated photographic colour?
[IMDb: “Where does Superman pee?”
Rachel: “In the air, actually before he changes, sometimes he does before he leaves his office.”]
Alex speaks for Apple at their Worldwide Development Conference MacBreak
LCD Screens allow more creativity than placing viewfinders on the eye…
Watch Maria (A Speech from Zimbabwe) on YouTube. [Alex showed it during the workshop and personally, I felt this was a masterful performance by the guy reciting the poem.] Alex encouraged the audience, “All this stuff is doable, it’s just a matter of starting to play with it…”
Cinema 4D, Number One piece of software for broadcast work…
‘Scratch’ is a free programming tool that allows anyone to create their own animated stories, interactive artworks and video games…
“…Unless you are Born Again.”
Tuesday 2nd December 1997: I did not think that this day would be one of the Most Important Days in my life. Although I was not surprised by what happened on this day, my heart was changed and I gave it to Jesus. Literally I was born again. From this day, I started throwing away my old self. But I once professed that I was a Christian. Now why should I depart from my old ways? Well, while watching LTV, Carman’s song “Serve the Lord” (1993 Absolute Best album) touched my soul greatly. I felt the presence of GOD’s spirit probably for my first time while I sat on the floor with the lights in the sitting room off. At that time, I was living in my father’s bungalow in Kyebando Kisalosalo. I realized that I had become filthy and rotten because of my sins and needed to seek forgiveness from GOD. The next day I prayed with Pat Robertson, one of the presenters on ‘The 700 Club’ and decided to live a renewed life. Actually, I had become sin-sick. I saw myself as the cheeky spark ignition for many disagreements. The quarelling made me irritable and I harbored a spirit that made my stomach burn with anger. People could see the emotion on my face and sometimes I got murderous thoughts.
After the rebirth, I learnt that by keeping silent when somebody disagrees with you about something you truly know is correct helps, so most of the time I avoided arguments. Changing from bad to good is very difficult. In fact it is impossible when somebody tries on one’s own but with GOD it is possible. His grace is abundant and helpful. It can change the most evil man into a holy son of GOD. I won’t deny the fact that I commit sin everyday because if I did I would be lying to myself. Some people think they are okay because they go to Church regularly but they might not know that the Devil is deceiving them. That is what I was going through and I tried to run way from my devilish existence. The year 1996 alone was a crazy time; As Kalinabiri Head-boy I made enemies by default not knowing what my actions and words were sparking off. A reliable friend from a different stream once informed me that his classmates hated me because I was proud. Maybe they were jealous of my academic prowess; I came from Jinja in the middle of the previous year and took over the school. Trying to befriend one of these guys I was warned about proved to me how much hate can destroy souls. I saw it in his eyes and I hated him back so when his father died, I wasn’t sorry for him. I felt he deserved it. That is the kind of evil I’m talking about that made me invite Christ to my heart. My Lugbara tribe calls it “Ole” or witchcraft. It starts in the heart. A verse in 1 John 10 asks how you can call yourself a son of GOD yet you hate your brother. Hate was staining my soul and I could feel it eating me up. It isn’t enough to be good in order to be put right with GOD. You must confess your past evil deeds and believe that Christ died for your sins.
At SMACK (1997-2000), I spent my first year jumping up and down doing and thinking whatever I wanted. Then on 25th August 1997, the final week after Second Term examinations, I started experiencing the Most Painful and Continuous headache ever. My relief was only when I closed my eyes and slept. I imagined that this was a punishment for my evil deeds. I really suffered and my relatives - I think - became tired of taking me to different doctors (about 5). Always they said it was a malaria problem just as my chest pains were viewed even after several x-rays the following year. Luckily for my headaches, one doctor diagnosed the problem as an eye defect and tinted spectacles were bought for me (A frame cost 62,000 UgX in 1997). My eye defect changed from one extreme to the other extreme. It’s like I was going through a serious battle. The chest pains meanwhile made me worry that I had angina (a heart disease) that can cause heart failure. Somehow I believe that was the formative time for my spiritual renewal. I needed it because my teenage years would have been a waste with all these thoughts and hormones going through me. So I basically made myself docile to avoid trouble though my dad later said that he couldn’t buy that but I know it kept me in people’s good books.
After the rebirth, I learnt that by keeping silent when somebody disagrees with you about something you truly know is correct helps, so most of the time I avoided arguments. Changing from bad to good is very difficult. In fact it is impossible when somebody tries on one’s own but with GOD it is possible. His grace is abundant and helpful. It can change the most evil man into a holy son of GOD. I won’t deny the fact that I commit sin everyday because if I did I would be lying to myself. Some people think they are okay because they go to Church regularly but they might not know that the Devil is deceiving them. That is what I was going through and I tried to run way from my devilish existence. The year 1996 alone was a crazy time; As Kalinabiri Head-boy I made enemies by default not knowing what my actions and words were sparking off. A reliable friend from a different stream once informed me that his classmates hated me because I was proud. Maybe they were jealous of my academic prowess; I came from Jinja in the middle of the previous year and took over the school. Trying to befriend one of these guys I was warned about proved to me how much hate can destroy souls. I saw it in his eyes and I hated him back so when his father died, I wasn’t sorry for him. I felt he deserved it. That is the kind of evil I’m talking about that made me invite Christ to my heart. My Lugbara tribe calls it “Ole” or witchcraft. It starts in the heart. A verse in 1 John 10 asks how you can call yourself a son of GOD yet you hate your brother. Hate was staining my soul and I could feel it eating me up. It isn’t enough to be good in order to be put right with GOD. You must confess your past evil deeds and believe that Christ died for your sins.
At SMACK (1997-2000), I spent my first year jumping up and down doing and thinking whatever I wanted. Then on 25th August 1997, the final week after Second Term examinations, I started experiencing the Most Painful and Continuous headache ever. My relief was only when I closed my eyes and slept. I imagined that this was a punishment for my evil deeds. I really suffered and my relatives - I think - became tired of taking me to different doctors (about 5). Always they said it was a malaria problem just as my chest pains were viewed even after several x-rays the following year. Luckily for my headaches, one doctor diagnosed the problem as an eye defect and tinted spectacles were bought for me (A frame cost 62,000 UgX in 1997). My eye defect changed from one extreme to the other extreme. It’s like I was going through a serious battle. The chest pains meanwhile made me worry that I had angina (a heart disease) that can cause heart failure. Somehow I believe that was the formative time for my spiritual renewal. I needed it because my teenage years would have been a waste with all these thoughts and hormones going through me. So I basically made myself docile to avoid trouble though my dad later said that he couldn’t buy that but I know it kept me in people’s good books.
Coping with Bed-wetting...
This is not about female ejaculation (squirting) nor male nocturnal emissions (wet dreams) but susu-ing on bed or how to cope with bedwetting. Almost everyone goes through this during childhood but most grow out of it quickly. For those who cannot, why? One Sunday morning, I overheard a mother shout at her son, “Today, I’m going to take you to your teacher and tell her to put you in front of the class so that children can sing, ‘Shame on you!’ You are seven years old but wet your bed everyday.” Can that really solve the issue? When I was that kid’s age, I used to also wet my bed. I would see dreams where I was apprehended along with others by a teacher on duty for late coming. We would be made to pick leaves around the school and when nature called, I would ease myself behind a tree or in the grass. When I woke up, there would be urine on my bed. My father threatened to cane me if I did it again. He never really did but I continued wetting my bed even up to boarding school which I started at age 11 in Primary Six, about four years later. The matron would take my wet mattress out and hang it on the wire fence; I wondered how she found out the first time. Between P.6 and 7, I slept about three times above someone, if I can remember well, and it’s only a mat under my mattress that stopped urine from dripping to the bed below. Since this was something I could not control, I never really cared what people thought. After P.7, I went to an all-boys O-Level school but never slept above anyone for four straight years. Even in a new school in S.5, I slept on the lower deck but in S.6, I told the guy below me that sometimes I wet my bed. He understandably told me that it’s okay. Those days I had made up my mind to put a red urine-tight sheet on my mattress before the bed sheets, so the worries were minimal. The frequency had also reduced and I never took my mattress out to dry. In fact, during holidays, I rarely wetted my bed maybe because academic stress and boarding school fatigue were non-existent.
My worst bed wetting experience was between S.1 and 2 whenever I left my mattress out to dry on the high walls of our showers. Housemates bathing at the washing bay would probably unconsciously splash water on it or tip it over in the path of dirty water used to scrub the showers and toilets. Consequently, it would have to dry for more days. Meanwhile at night, I had to sleep on metal springs, only cushioned by my blanket. It was a cold period in my school career I badly wished would end. I wondered why GOD allowed this. My mother said she was praying for me but nothing changed till S.3. She advised me to always relieve myself before sleeping but I still bed wetted. During holidays, I would be told to drink the morning dew on top of the leaves of yams grown in our compound but I still bed wetted. Another remedy was to avoid drinking liquids in the evening, but even if you don’t drink but eat sweet potatoes, matooke, yams or water melon, you will still take in lots of water. Porridge and booze are other causes. In O-Level, there was a classmate who also bed wetted. From his build, you wouldn’t expect him to have the same problem as me but when we met again while looking for an A-Level school, he told me that he had been operated on and his problem overturned.
Bedwetting is an experience so inglorious that even the girl you love and want to marry may not be able to cope with it; you literally become unreliable as a partner. Schoolmates may even say that you have no right to pocket because you bed wet. Maybe it is a status symbol for success and high society. Anyway, bed wetting should be handled with care by parents. Please do not chastise your kids, it isn’t their fault! Sometimes, it could even be demonic; a spirit takes you to a latrine and you feel you are in a convenient place to ease yourself, not knowing that you are still lying in your bed only to wake up in a pool. It makes you want to curse GOD. Maybe it’s a thorn in the flesh to keep some people humble, but keep praying, you could as well sleep late after easing yourself! Parents and teachers shouldn’t intimidate children as though they are worthless; YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHOM GOD BIRTHED INTO THIS WORLD THROUGH YOU! Wake up bedwetters in the middle of every night, between 2 and 3 AM, just in case they haven’t susu-ed on bed already or set up an alarm clock for them. Sweet dreams!
My worst bed wetting experience was between S.1 and 2 whenever I left my mattress out to dry on the high walls of our showers. Housemates bathing at the washing bay would probably unconsciously splash water on it or tip it over in the path of dirty water used to scrub the showers and toilets. Consequently, it would have to dry for more days. Meanwhile at night, I had to sleep on metal springs, only cushioned by my blanket. It was a cold period in my school career I badly wished would end. I wondered why GOD allowed this. My mother said she was praying for me but nothing changed till S.3. She advised me to always relieve myself before sleeping but I still bed wetted. During holidays, I would be told to drink the morning dew on top of the leaves of yams grown in our compound but I still bed wetted. Another remedy was to avoid drinking liquids in the evening, but even if you don’t drink but eat sweet potatoes, matooke, yams or water melon, you will still take in lots of water. Porridge and booze are other causes. In O-Level, there was a classmate who also bed wetted. From his build, you wouldn’t expect him to have the same problem as me but when we met again while looking for an A-Level school, he told me that he had been operated on and his problem overturned.
Bedwetting is an experience so inglorious that even the girl you love and want to marry may not be able to cope with it; you literally become unreliable as a partner. Schoolmates may even say that you have no right to pocket because you bed wet. Maybe it is a status symbol for success and high society. Anyway, bed wetting should be handled with care by parents. Please do not chastise your kids, it isn’t their fault! Sometimes, it could even be demonic; a spirit takes you to a latrine and you feel you are in a convenient place to ease yourself, not knowing that you are still lying in your bed only to wake up in a pool. It makes you want to curse GOD. Maybe it’s a thorn in the flesh to keep some people humble, but keep praying, you could as well sleep late after easing yourself! Parents and teachers shouldn’t intimidate children as though they are worthless; YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHOM GOD BIRTHED INTO THIS WORLD THROUGH YOU! Wake up bedwetters in the middle of every night, between 2 and 3 AM, just in case they haven’t susu-ed on bed already or set up an alarm clock for them. Sweet dreams!
Friday
September 11th
Where were you when the twin towers came crashing down? It was like Terror had dropped. I was oblivious of the event because at the exact time the tragedy happened, I was working in my parents' retail shop in Kyebando Kisalosalo while listening to Sanyu FM, 88.2 Today's Best Music. At the top of 4 O'Clock, the time when the diligently listened to Sanyu Sports Update was supposed to come on, the sportscaster started by conveying the breaking news: America had been attacked. Having grown up with the naive impression that America can never be defeated, I rushed to the main house to prove it for myself. My second cousin Edwin was watching CNN and I walked in just to get a glimpse of the second impact live. It was replayed over and over until I accepted that this wasn't a movie. How could someone normal do this if it wasn't just an accident?
Only GOD knew what would happen next and I left it at that, went on with my business. Afterall according to Nostradamus, an ancient French prophet, this event was meant to happen and he described it in his book entitled 'Centuries' like this: "Two winged silver fish will collide with tall twin towers..." [Not the exact wording though but how prophetic!] Now I'm waiting to see how that devilish event started off World War III which is supposed to last 27 years...
By the way some sources claim that Osama Bin Laden is the third Anti-Christ after Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler. Watch out!
Only GOD knew what would happen next and I left it at that, went on with my business. Afterall according to Nostradamus, an ancient French prophet, this event was meant to happen and he described it in his book entitled 'Centuries' like this: "Two winged silver fish will collide with tall twin towers..." [Not the exact wording though but how prophetic!] Now I'm waiting to see how that devilish event started off World War III which is supposed to last 27 years...
By the way some sources claim that Osama Bin Laden is the third Anti-Christ after Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler. Watch out!
Wednesday
Silence on Set; Lights, Camera, MICROPHONE and Action:
Savour this Lyrical Poem which is like a Personal Soundtrack of what I enjoyed at the 4th Annual Lab, it isn’t the official Maisha Rap Anthem yet, but I would fancy producing it if Vincho Nchogu, Maureen Nankya, Maurice Kirya or anyone else comes up with their version. These are my own feelings but can be remixed:
“I’m in the air like MIRA NAIR
I get it right like MUSARAIT
I’m amiable like AMI,
Second to none like STEVE and SABRINA
I’m the Don of Film like McKELLOR
(Lionel Richie once sang,) ‘Say You, SEMI, Say CHELLAS together, naturally’
I shine like SHENNY
I’m animated like ANNIE,
Guile like GILES,
Wise like CRAIG and brave like BARRY
I’m merry like MARIA ‘coz I can walk miles in your shoes like MYLES and his camera
When I go to the Pearly Gates, I carry my own key like KIZZA
I’m on a quest like KWEZI and it’s so easy ‘coz I gat LIZZY by my side, for Shizzy
I’m always ‘On Time’ like PATRICIA because Time is Money and more money somehow means more time
Life is hard but MARK told me even ‘The Casual’ get paid so I wont give up the hussle
JUDITH consoled me by saying that the hussle isn’t my fault but the ‘Sins of the Parents’,
So when I drink V&A, I think of VINCHO & ANGELA
I don’t love Ben but I love V&A. Botswana couldn’t exchange his hat with Britain, it had to be with China
‘After Luanda’ came another Luo hero named DAVID
PITHON brightened our ‘Dark Days’ while RACHAEL ironed out the ‘Flaws of our Time’
I wonder what really happened to EDWARD ‘Last Night’ ‘coz I hear he went out and his life changed
I’m a smooth camera-operator like RICHARD, HOCLAY and ABUBAKER, filming riots and not workshops
Maisha Filmlab is more than just music to my ears; ask GEORGE, GODFREY or SHANTOS – they listened to enough sounds
EMMANUEL, ANTHONY and THUO made it look so easy that I feel I’m now a Final Cut Professional
Shania Twain fans always sing that ‘The First Cut is the Deepest’ but I think the FINAL CUT is the Sweetest, in places like Royal Impala, Fressy Hotel Munyonyo, Godfrey Nyakaana’s Site, Seyani Brothers Kabalagala and the Kabaka’s Landing Site, et cetera.
JOHN MARY was the foremost and ‘mbest mason’; MAUREEN was so beautiful that everyone wanted a photo with her; SAMUEL is major, you feel me? ROGER must have eaten all the Team B snacks, where do you think Bruno got his tummy? KELOY, I need milk and bread please ‘coz I finally got the money; EVA didn’t speak in the movie but was very conversational behind the scenes; TIMOTHY is running for President fellas; CHARLES and SAM were the extra icing on ‘The Casual’ Cake …
JOEL served the food meant for the GIRL’s sick mother to ghost people I imagine, moreover ‘On Time’; Wasn’t SERAH the Team A runner the swimmer too, we need to get this clear because they filmed near the lake; DAPHNE looked like the romantic sunset itself at the end …
‘MAURICE rocks’, don’t forget what I just said; ‘ESTHER, your sister-in-law REHEMA is watching you like a Big Sister in your Big Brother’s House; Hey PAUL, is it true that because of ‘The Sins of the Parents’, the BOY Junior will still make it to Heaven? …
FRED, JOSEPH, BONY and HENRY please drive us home! It’s a Wrap!
[Lyrical Poem by Edward Aikobua]
“I’m in the air like MIRA NAIR
I get it right like MUSARAIT
I’m amiable like AMI,
Second to none like STEVE and SABRINA
I’m the Don of Film like McKELLOR
(Lionel Richie once sang,) ‘Say You, SEMI, Say CHELLAS together, naturally’
I shine like SHENNY
I’m animated like ANNIE,
Guile like GILES,
Wise like CRAIG and brave like BARRY
I’m merry like MARIA ‘coz I can walk miles in your shoes like MYLES and his camera
When I go to the Pearly Gates, I carry my own key like KIZZA
I’m on a quest like KWEZI and it’s so easy ‘coz I gat LIZZY by my side, for Shizzy
I’m always ‘On Time’ like PATRICIA because Time is Money and more money somehow means more time
Life is hard but MARK told me even ‘The Casual’ get paid so I wont give up the hussle
JUDITH consoled me by saying that the hussle isn’t my fault but the ‘Sins of the Parents’,
So when I drink V&A, I think of VINCHO & ANGELA
I don’t love Ben but I love V&A. Botswana couldn’t exchange his hat with Britain, it had to be with China
‘After Luanda’ came another Luo hero named DAVID
PITHON brightened our ‘Dark Days’ while RACHAEL ironed out the ‘Flaws of our Time’
I wonder what really happened to EDWARD ‘Last Night’ ‘coz I hear he went out and his life changed
I’m a smooth camera-operator like RICHARD, HOCLAY and ABUBAKER, filming riots and not workshops
Maisha Filmlab is more than just music to my ears; ask GEORGE, GODFREY or SHANTOS – they listened to enough sounds
EMMANUEL, ANTHONY and THUO made it look so easy that I feel I’m now a Final Cut Professional
Shania Twain fans always sing that ‘The First Cut is the Deepest’ but I think the FINAL CUT is the Sweetest, in places like Royal Impala, Fressy Hotel Munyonyo, Godfrey Nyakaana’s Site, Seyani Brothers Kabalagala and the Kabaka’s Landing Site, et cetera.
JOHN MARY was the foremost and ‘mbest mason’; MAUREEN was so beautiful that everyone wanted a photo with her; SAMUEL is major, you feel me? ROGER must have eaten all the Team B snacks, where do you think Bruno got his tummy? KELOY, I need milk and bread please ‘coz I finally got the money; EVA didn’t speak in the movie but was very conversational behind the scenes; TIMOTHY is running for President fellas; CHARLES and SAM were the extra icing on ‘The Casual’ Cake …
JOEL served the food meant for the GIRL’s sick mother to ghost people I imagine, moreover ‘On Time’; Wasn’t SERAH the Team A runner the swimmer too, we need to get this clear because they filmed near the lake; DAPHNE looked like the romantic sunset itself at the end …
‘MAURICE rocks’, don’t forget what I just said; ‘ESTHER, your sister-in-law REHEMA is watching you like a Big Sister in your Big Brother’s House; Hey PAUL, is it true that because of ‘The Sins of the Parents’, the BOY Junior will still make it to Heaven? …
FRED, JOSEPH, BONY and HENRY please drive us home! It’s a Wrap!
[Lyrical Poem by Edward Aikobua]
Thursday
WaPi (Words and Pictures)
(Roland's ArtWork, a few of the good paintings showcased during WaPi Kampala August 2008 ... Photo by Aiko)
It used to be and still is a big attraction in Kenya as KTN's Angela Wamai told me but WaPi (the British Council's Programme for revealing raw talent in Africa [Nigeria, Ghana, etc] through Words and Pictures) is still in its infancy within the Pearl of Africa. I missed the first in July 2008 because I was very busy trying to finish some work at my uncle's office. For the Second Edition, I got an SMS invitation, guess everyone did, telling me to identify myself ie 'Define my Identity'. There would also be free stalls with the theme "GWE' ANI?", a Luganda phrase meaning "Who Are You?"
I had to first get home after the Maisha experience and watch the first game of the new Premiership season at Ntinda's Corner View's Pavillion (Nasri's Efficiency and not Flamboyancy won Arsenal's game) before heading to the People's Space at Hotel Africana after 5PM. It was not so packed but I must confess that the youths present were innumerable. Before I could take my first photo, Paul Mugisha was tapping my shoulder to ask for his photos. I had to give him hope that I would email them because I try not to disappoint people who have placed their faith in my efficiency. Don't know if he believed me but anyway I was pleased to see Godwin at WaPi. He was going to shoot a video for his music. His brother Marsha wasn't feeling well so he couldn't come. I also spotted a very outgoing Macos Old Girl one class ahead of me for whom I had the hearts but I just let her pass. I was also pleased to find GNL again after he wasn't chosen as an actor during Maisha auditions. I hadn't promised him the world but reassured him that I would try to influence my Kenyan director to select him, which he didn't. Vincho Nchogu though was my biggest surprise at WaPi. I had just emailed her that we would never meet again but she replied that she wasn't flying back to Kenya yet and we would meet under unexplained circumstances. And so we did...Zippy was alongside her.
The WaPi music was hot and relevant, I wonder what this talent is doing in the Underground. It should be way up there. The fashions were also meticulous; the presentations before I left were done by Fenote, a well known Ethiopian fashion designer based in Muyenga. She ended with a bridal design for both the groom and bride and came along to accept the crowd's salutation.
Who am I, are you asking me? Okay, I'm not Angela Wamai, I'm just 'Ai' (meaning 'Love') like when you haven't added the letters K and O to create the echo in "Aiko" ... I'm a True Ugandan (Psycho) trying to paint the world with my dreams and madness ... come to think of it, I am who I am, the Image of GOD in Words and Pictures ...
Wednesday
The Casual (A Short Film by Mark Mutahi)
My director, Kenyan Mark Mutahi did not want a website for his short film (An Outrageous Personal Dream that vividly represented the 'Incredibly Insane' description that the Kenyan editor Anthony chose to be the attitude for our group thinking out of the box) but I decided to dedicate a blog post on my webbie as a feature for his comedic story selected among the Best 3 out of 9 during the 2008 Maisha Filmlab; it was also my choice because of its comedy alongside mine and another I won't disclose for selfish reasons. The mentors selected me to be his Production Manager and so was in the thick of the action right from the start...
"The Casual" is a story about infidelity in a low class society. Kim a construction worker is so poor that his beautiful wife Kanini starts having an affair with his boss Bruno. Interesting Trivia about the making of this movie include the fact that Buziga Country Resort, the location for Bruno's office has a conference room that the President's daughter Patience Rwabwogo started using as her church space sometime in June this year. The location for the construction site is actually Godfrey Nyakaana's house. He used to be a boxer before becoming a politician. His wife is also a very successful woman and she owns Centenary Park where Efendy's Turkish Restaurant is located adjacent to Hotel Africana in Kampala. John Mary Mukiza the actor chosen for Meja at first then Kim after audition day, is my SMACK old boy and very talented artist; his brother Jude Karuhanga - my peer - is actually a very great inspiration though I used to think John was better than him. Maureen Nankya, the actress for Kanini featured in Mariam Ndagire's "Down This Road I Walk" and has some music videos you could view on WBS TV or other stations... Eva Tumwesigye, the actress for Janet, the cashier/ receptionist (who also featured in 'Centre 4', a local medical drama) is a sister to Kwezi, assisting in location scouting plus overall management of props and costume distribution. Leroy who acts as Mama Mike is a make-up artist who also did the make up during Donald Mugisha's film "Divisionz"...Samuel Lutaaya first cast as Kim and then Meja is flexible and lively...Our first Shoot for the final movie happened a day before the scheduled day and we were driven to the location for Mama Mike's kiosk by Musarait Kashmiri in her white Mahindra truck (Made in India) simply because we hadn't planned for this change early on.
The first scheduled day of shooting (Friday 8th August 2008) was not so bad for me though what we shot for Bruno's office at Buziga Country Resort was kind of annoying to the editor...We had to do a re-shoot during the following week. However the Cashier scene at Fressy Hotel was not bad though for a moment I thought we would also have to do it again. There was a lot of soda - drinking, yapping with Kanini and trying to max with "da Vincho"
Shoot Day Two at Godfrey Nyakaana's Construction site was better than what we feared though it took us a long time to finish than we had under-estimated. The sun's heat was high but we managed to come through without fainting. Mira Nair came to our set around lunch time before two Al Jazeera guys (a man and woman) also surfaced.
The final Shoot Day started badly. We took long to set up and even after the setup around 10 AM, the camera's pictures were out of focus. I had to run to the editor to confirm. However after that, we managed to sail through though we changed location for the final scene at 5 PM. I had started setting up the room alongside Timothy Tabaaro, our runner from around 3 PM. So by the time the others came, the maize also came though a tin lamp was hard to set up. Luckily, one of the guys at the shop suggested that we use candles which was a million dollar suggestion. I bought that. The mishap in this final scene is that the drunk landlord's son who had allowed us to use his house for filming at 10,000 UgX two days before was now asking for 100,000 UgX probably because he had heard that there were whites in our group. What he didn't know was that this was just a training project. He later apologised thanks to the intervention of a Royal Impala Hotel employee called Hellen who was present the day we struck the deal ... She literally castigated the man since everytime there is work to do, the hotel calls him. Why was he letting them down now? Despite all the drama, I enjoyed listening to George's pink iPod.
The director called for an extra Shoot Day 4 which we executed at Mulongo Zone (Nyakaana's house) from 5 PM on Wednesday 13th August, Craig's Birthday and Farewell for Shenny - the Production Mentor attached to Team B ...
Rough Cuts of all the three movies were shown on the penultimate day - Thursday 14th August. Mira Nair, founder of Maisha Filmlab commented that this movie gave the audience a 20 degree doze of laughter higher than the other two. Barry Braverman thought it was flawless and so did Craig Weisemann
[More Coming Up]
"The Casual" is a story about infidelity in a low class society. Kim a construction worker is so poor that his beautiful wife Kanini starts having an affair with his boss Bruno. Interesting Trivia about the making of this movie include the fact that Buziga Country Resort, the location for Bruno's office has a conference room that the President's daughter Patience Rwabwogo started using as her church space sometime in June this year. The location for the construction site is actually Godfrey Nyakaana's house. He used to be a boxer before becoming a politician. His wife is also a very successful woman and she owns Centenary Park where Efendy's Turkish Restaurant is located adjacent to Hotel Africana in Kampala. John Mary Mukiza the actor chosen for Meja at first then Kim after audition day, is my SMACK old boy and very talented artist; his brother Jude Karuhanga - my peer - is actually a very great inspiration though I used to think John was better than him. Maureen Nankya, the actress for Kanini featured in Mariam Ndagire's "Down This Road I Walk" and has some music videos you could view on WBS TV or other stations... Eva Tumwesigye, the actress for Janet, the cashier/ receptionist (who also featured in 'Centre 4', a local medical drama) is a sister to Kwezi, assisting in location scouting plus overall management of props and costume distribution. Leroy who acts as Mama Mike is a make-up artist who also did the make up during Donald Mugisha's film "Divisionz"...Samuel Lutaaya first cast as Kim and then Meja is flexible and lively...Our first Shoot for the final movie happened a day before the scheduled day and we were driven to the location for Mama Mike's kiosk by Musarait Kashmiri in her white Mahindra truck (Made in India) simply because we hadn't planned for this change early on.
The first scheduled day of shooting (Friday 8th August 2008) was not so bad for me though what we shot for Bruno's office at Buziga Country Resort was kind of annoying to the editor...We had to do a re-shoot during the following week. However the Cashier scene at Fressy Hotel was not bad though for a moment I thought we would also have to do it again. There was a lot of soda - drinking, yapping with Kanini and trying to max with "da Vincho"
Shoot Day Two at Godfrey Nyakaana's Construction site was better than what we feared though it took us a long time to finish than we had under-estimated. The sun's heat was high but we managed to come through without fainting. Mira Nair came to our set around lunch time before two Al Jazeera guys (a man and woman) also surfaced.
The final Shoot Day started badly. We took long to set up and even after the setup around 10 AM, the camera's pictures were out of focus. I had to run to the editor to confirm. However after that, we managed to sail through though we changed location for the final scene at 5 PM. I had started setting up the room alongside Timothy Tabaaro, our runner from around 3 PM. So by the time the others came, the maize also came though a tin lamp was hard to set up. Luckily, one of the guys at the shop suggested that we use candles which was a million dollar suggestion. I bought that. The mishap in this final scene is that the drunk landlord's son who had allowed us to use his house for filming at 10,000 UgX two days before was now asking for 100,000 UgX probably because he had heard that there were whites in our group. What he didn't know was that this was just a training project. He later apologised thanks to the intervention of a Royal Impala Hotel employee called Hellen who was present the day we struck the deal ... She literally castigated the man since everytime there is work to do, the hotel calls him. Why was he letting them down now? Despite all the drama, I enjoyed listening to George's pink iPod.
The director called for an extra Shoot Day 4 which we executed at Mulongo Zone (Nyakaana's house) from 5 PM on Wednesday 13th August, Craig's Birthday and Farewell for Shenny - the Production Mentor attached to Team B ...
Rough Cuts of all the three movies were shown on the penultimate day - Thursday 14th August. Mira Nair, founder of Maisha Filmlab commented that this movie gave the audience a 20 degree doze of laughter higher than the other two. Barry Braverman thought it was flawless and so did Craig Weisemann
[More Coming Up]
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