That we many never forget...

So this has been a summer of diverse reads for me....my journey started with fifty shades - which I left halfway - yeah am one of those feminists going like Oh no Mr Grey you did not or maybe unlike Rihanna chains dont excite me... so my journey continued with the book Accountants Story -  Medellin cartel in Colombia led by Pablo Escobar - the Al Capone of South America.This was one of the first cartels to make millions out of the boomin drug industry...I then travelled to Zimba ma Bawe in the book House of stone that captured the life of two families living in Southern Rhodesia -  Zimbabwe at the time- one a rich white Rhodesian family and the other a poor Shona family living in the era of revolutions and turmoils and the hope of empty promises that Mugabe begun to make thirty years ago.....I was tempted to re-read Left to tell - discovering God amidst the Rwandan genocide however an even more interesting book caught my eye - First they killed my father - a daughter of Cambodia remembers.I just finished that book yesterday and my oh my talk of hard to put down.The book is a page turner...I tell you you read that book and your problems seem like childs play...So in a nutshell Cambodia from '75-79 was under military rule of the Khmer rouge who terrorized citizens...it was so bad that when the came to power the called it - year 0 yani we are exterminating who we feel like and starting to rebuild this city from scratch.Yani there were like minnie concentration camps and if you belonged to the previous government you were killed anyway its a great book.The reason of my title "that we may never forget" is as I was reading of the struggles that th Cambodians endured I started to think of the many Cambodians I used to work with at some company - am talking third or fourth generation immigrants who were born here went to elementary high school and college here...and I was wonderign oh my goodness I hope they have an idea of the history of their country and the blood that was shed for them to be chasing this elusive American dream...I think of the year of the Rwandan genocide - just the other day - 1994 gosh I was comfortable in a standard three class somewhere in Nairobi while so many innocent lives were lost...ok am kinda diverting.But my point is as I was driving by the defunct Borders the other day oh no not even Borders I was at the clinic today with my mum and we see on a wall - every child who behaves takes a book to go with" or somethign to that extent.Basically here pls give your child a book.I thought wow I hoe our history does not get lost in translation over the generations...I hope ten twenty years from now you can ask a Kenyan kid born today pls tell me about the Mau Mau and the struggle for independence...I hope I will be able to have a conversation in twenty years with a Cambodian about the Khmer rouge without getting a deer in the headlights look.And I know some have argued let the past bury the dead but I feel if we do not have a heritage to look back to we will not have a  future to stand and fight for....anyway am loving expanding my reading horizons and oh oh oh I am following a blog that is so inspiring - a familys batttle with their young girls cancer its so inspiring...you can check it out here  http://gheemers.blogspot.com/

Isnt the paralympics just as special? - shame on you NBC

As usual I always blog when something bothers my heart...so here I am..I asked it in 08 and I will ask it again...is the regular olympics more important than the paralympics - thank heavens the name was changed from special olympics..I mean gosh NBC its just 11 days from your busy schedule.I dunno why you could do three whole weeks for the regular olympics and yet even the paralympics opening ceremony had no airtime...I have many solutions to this problem Mr Jaque Roggue 1.)i think paralympics should be held hand in hand with the regular olympics kwani all you have to do is increase the number of days. 2.)paralympics then should be held first if you must split them up 3.)have st least some coverage even though its midnight something at least for people to know there are paralympics going on hallo or am I the only one in on this...

Of freshman fever and alumnitis

So I was walking on campus the other day and I meet a group of freshmen walking in groups with their leaders according to their last names.Their excitement was palpable as they walked through the college campus with bright blue orientation bags carrying other paraphanelia...I felt a tinge of nostalgia looking back thinking wow there are just about to begin their college career.And as a fresh alumni I immediately begun to think wow they are starting off on an amazing journey.I wished I could gather them all together and tell them that they will start off as one hundred kids but not everyone will make it to graduation - and not because they will not make the grade - but for some they will realize that college may not be the path they want to take and will still succeed if they fully believe in themself - look at Mark Zukerburg...I would tell them to expose themself to classes outside the curriculum - from glassblowing to a spanish class, to study abroad if they can.I will tell them that in college some will meet their life long partners.I will tell them expect to change your major a million and one times - I did that four times from Bio to Psychology to business to Nursing - wasted time but it exposed me to the areas I know I particularly do not excell at.I will tell them to value their professors and its not enough to slip in and out of class and for the professor to know just their name on the roster - as the professors have some brilliant minds and (great networks in the job market).I would tell them to EXHAUST any resource they can on campus - scholarships, grants, research studies,internships.Speaking of internships I would tell them to spend half their semesters researching and applying for internships and fellowships,half their summers on the beach and the other half participating in internships from their first year - yes first year...I caught on too late cough cough ;)..I would tell them to diversify their friends circle - you will learn so much from the Chinese kid and the international student from Nigeria.I would tell them if they can find a way to pay off their loans bit by bit during summer breaks to avoid finishing with a huge loan after college,.I would tell them there are nights you will want to throw your hands in the air and  give up - cold winter nights when projects are due and you still have to work and make the grade - but it will all be worth it when you take that pic in your gown and cap with your loved on graduation day.I would tell them to be careful who they hung out with coz that close buddy of yours father is the CEO of a huge investment firm and will be guaranteed a position after college even if they get a 1.0 GPA and as for you ...you will just have your resume and diploma to show for it and not the nights you two spent partying....But most of all I would tell them enjoy the ride,enjoy the campus activities, make friends , take time off to smell the flowers on campus - life is never that serious...sigh I think I have a case of alumnitis...

Penny 101 - Ten random things you may(or may not know) about me

Its a random day at work - Labor day to be exact and am bored out of my mind.I have been on th einternet for a good two hours - doing a lot of going up and down the blogosphere - wow there are good writers out there..and here i am back to the place I call home - simply me...So i have decided to come up with a list of things about me my likes dislike kinda like am looking for a penpal lol remember that in that Saturday magazine growing up in Kenya what was the name of that magazine it was on Sunday - kitty help me out here - oh yes Young Nation I remember my sister had a penpal from Sweden and sijui where - funny they never wrote back to me lol - my letters boring much???

1.)I love Ferrero Rocher chocolate - yeah the hazelnut covered almond chocolate balls love love love my friend Fizz babes got me a whole 24 box for my 19th birthday I always remember her for that noble act.I always sneak one in the shoppping cart at Market Basket- hey they put them right there at the front as you wait for the line to move they are like literal gold nuggets calling out.."Pennny...Penny.."
2.)Outdoor, nature and water make me think of buying a cannon camera....dennz knows I am always  looking for places that are near water...
3.)Sagging jeans make me roll my eyes a million and one times..I saw some guy in lawrence the other day with jeans on his knees and I had to do a time check...are we in 2012....lol to think I dated a guy who used to sag his jeans from here to Mexico with huge Timbalands and thought he looked so cool(sheepish smile) - hey I was young..
4.)I am still a sucker for the Best man the movie like I can watch it again tonight like right now....I watched Think like a man yesterday well yesterday and today I just am not able to finish a whoel movie...and it was ok...eye candy definately but still does nto match up to best man...
5.)I was the shyest girl in primary like seriously I could go a whole day without talking to anybody...then Quabbz happened then America happened then Salem State happened then blogspot and voila I guess I slowly came out of the closet - not in that way butya feel me??
6.)I was the bell ringer in high school and yet I am such a horrible time keeper - like I just cant get to anywhere at the designated time - except work where there is a darn punching in machine...
7.)I always see the inherent good in everyone even though my sister says it will screw me over in life as not everyone has your best interests at heart...
8.)I love love to volunteer - though I have slowed down in the recent past....that gap year after high school when guys were in IT and German school I was at Barnados slicing carrots for lunch for the kids..I was so happy the day I got a "promotion" to the baby nursery from the kitchen and was holding and feeding the babies milk...lol...and volunteering in Georgia building houses was also a highlight in my college career - met some warm amazing people.There is something priceless about being a volunteer - and I have had a heated discussion with my good friend Prisci as she reckons volunteers need to be paid and therein lies the problem...for me I believe there is no price value you can attach on volunteering like its priceless what do you think??
9.)I think am such a free spirit.I love the travel channel and watching the bizzare foods show from different parts of the world...my favorite saying  "I believe the world is too round to sit at a corner." There are so many things to see so many cultures to experience foods to taste.
10.)My LONG -TERM memory is almost photogenic I can replay to you an event exactly the way it happened what happened next where we were what the person was wearing ..i know spooky right HOWEVER my SHORT term memory is PATHETIC.I have parked my car at an airport parkign lot and spent an HOUR an hour lookign for it..well it was a rental so maybe I can pas son that one..no but seriously I forgot things that just happened but ask me a year later about the parkign space and I will direct it to you...weird but true ...
11.)I have a thing with capital cities - maybe its tied in to my love for travel...I wish there was a game show called state the capital city - Turkey - Istanbul, Madagascar - Antananarivo,Algeria - Algiers,DR - Santo Domingo, Peru - Lima, Chad - Noukachot, Rwanda - Kigali,Belgium - Brussels,Niger - Niamey,Tunisia - Tunis.....I think the Geog teacher for primary was bad a**..

Okay thats my two minutes of fame for the day..;)
oh a line I loved from think like a man "Boys shack up men build homes ." Yeah its cliche but it was just so spot in in the movie....