What Do You Do?

Do you look on and say well, that's too bad? Or do you encourage it, go along with it, and even profit from it? Do you stand on the sidelines and watch it? Do you participate, not give it much thought? Do you take a stand, say no thanks go on without me? Do you fight it? What do you do?

"Evil thrives when good men do nothing" - Edmund Burke.

In his original words,

"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good men to do nothing."

         Katerina.

Marathon Time!

Hey, people, it's that time of the year again - Marathon time! And boy, am I excited! You see, I'm a physical exercise kind of person - a walker, a runner, a dancer (lol). Every year I go marathon-ing, along with thousands of other people, none of whom I know. Well, I do meet a few familiar faces amidst the mass of sweaty heaving fun-having bodies, but for the most part we are all just strangers having loads of running fun.

The MTN Kampala Marathon organisers tell us they organise it for charity. You can probably detect some scepticism in there. It's because I don't really trust these charity events organisers, and how much of the proceeds (HUGE proceeds!) really go to charity.

Sometimes I Cry - Jason Crabb

An Intro to this, here. Ignore if you got referred here from The Part-time Christian.

Sometimes I Cry

I look the part 

Blend in with the rest of the church crowd 

I know the routine 

I could list all the bible studies in town 

Watch christian TV I know all the preachers...their clichés 

Been born again, without a doubt I know I'm saved

But sometimes I hurt and sometimes I cry 

Sometimes I can't get it right 

No matter how hard I seem to try 

Sometimes I fall down 

Stumble over my own disguise 

I try to look strong 

As the whole world looks on 

But sometimes alone I cry 

I try to speak faith 

Never give the devil one inch to get in 

I do worship and praise 

Let everybody know just where that 

I stand On the back of my ride is a fish and a cross 

For the world to see 

I know God is good, all of the time 

Yes there's no doubt for me 

Wandering Wonderer

I haven't written in a long time. A week only, yes, but for me that's unreasonably long. Usually, I may go a day or two without writing and then, some days, I will find myself posting two, three new posts at once. I have concluded it must have something to do with how my mind wanders from tree top to tree top, making occasional stops in valleys and along slopes. I've been under some duress that somehow inhibited the usual flow of words from my brain through to my finger tips and finally onto my pages, here. When that happens I usually find myself with several drafts, half-stories, that end up staying in the drafts folder until my spirits are up again, high enough to feel up to some interaction. And even then, my mind still wanders. And wonders. And wanders. Take for example, this morning as I prepared for my morning shower, some excerpts.

  There wasn't much hot water in there last night, I better switch on that heater. In the meantime I'll brush my teeth.Wait, why don't I first do my facial wash routine? As I brush, the facial wash will be doing it's magic then I can wash it off later. Yeah, of course, as usual. I've got to go to the drug authority today, then call those pharmacy managers, then... what else? You know, what if there's a power cut later today, perhaps I should leave the heater on a little longer, that way there will be enough hot water even after I shower. I should get back to my blog, have lots to write about. I should take the laptop out and power it, such that when I'm done here it'll be good and ready and off we shall go writing. 

I finish brushing, put up my toothbrush and walk out of the bathroom, head to the bedroom to pick the said laptop. Inside, a song is playing on the radio. Reggae tone, dance-hall beats. These guys are wailing about the cunning of today's city girl. Tough love, it's a tough city. Everyone's scheming. What, you couldn't beat them so you joined them? Great move, Mr. Musician. Enter yours truly.

Wooh! I really love this song! I start dancing. T


heir song doesn't have much lyrical value but I have to agree that the storyline is quite funny. I just love these beats! My God, I haven't really danced in a long time. Not even at Grace's party. Still mad about that, I threw that do, THAT was my big chance to dance like crazy! Well, there is always next time. There is also NOW. 

The MuvuleTree

Ermisenda at ErmiliaBlog puts up a picture every week and invites readers to participate. It's called Picture it & Write and this is my first time to participate. The picture is used as inspiration to build a story, or poem. Here's the week's picture, and below it, my submission. Enjoy. And please do let me know what you think.

 

The Muvule Tree

Brow creased, she looked warily up at the sky, watched the lightning streak through the gray clouds and light up the sky for a split second. It was barely 6:00 pm and the day had gone dark, already. Out here, the sun usually set at 7:00 pm, promptly, everyday. This was worrying. It shouldn't be this dark this soon, not yet. A thunderstorm was fast approaching. It should not find her out here. It could not. Nayiga looked around the plains, searching for a shelter. A beautiful sunny day had just turned gray and gloomy. She needed shelter, fast. As far as the eye could see there was none to be seen. Several Muvule trees yards apart, but no real shelter, not even a shack, the kind that the villagers usually used for temporary food storage during the harvest. Recently, there had been so many lightning accidents. Children in a primary school nearby had been struck; 18 had died and 50 were injured. Three more - sisters - had also been struck dead on their way from school, three mourners had been killed at a funeral and reports were pouring in from all over the country, more people getting struck, killed and others injured, every time it rained. It was all very worrying. Some said it was happening because too many trees were getting cut down, hurting the environment and nature's balance.

Fab News! Again.

Lots of good is happening lately. Did I mention I saw a shooting star yesterday? It has nothing to do with today's fab news but well, we are happy!

 I won a prize from DW-TV. Participated in a discussion on an interview with Michael Michalsky, the Berlin-based designer, and well, won. I've been waiting for a couple of weeks now, and I finally got the prize today. Prizes, actually. The Urban Nomads range of beauty products from . I'm a very excited owner of the Urban Nomads Shower Gel, Body Lotion, Deodorant, and Eau de Parfum. I'm happy to say they smell really great (not to mention classy and luxurious!), and I'm counting myself one very lucky woman.

 

I was so excited I took a pic of the box, too. Talk about clueless(!) and... immature? I'm a sucker for capturing even the tiniest bits of memories. It was all accompanied by a letter in German that I couldn't even read; guess I should add German to my list of foreign languages!

Caught In The Cross Fire

The politicians are at it again. Their same old self-serving agendas. They have us stuck in ourhouses and close to home for fear of venturing out, lest we are struck by a stray bullet or end up having to swim blind through a sea and clouds of eye-scalding tear gas. We run around terrified, scared for our lives, our property and the lives of our loved ones while they, in their chicannery lead us as they will, dragging us to places we don't want to go and leaving us hanging once they've achieved their goals. The 'Walk to Work' is, on the surface, a great idea. Some activists and politicians (the opposition) come out and speak out against what's on the heart of every citizen, the injustices going on that the government doesn't seem to be doing enough about; then encourage people to 'walk to work' every morning by way of protest.

The Lovely Blog Award

I bear good news today. Since I brought my blog over from Blogger to WordPress it's been a pleasant experience, I've met some great souls here at WP - the WordPress bloggers are a very supportive lot. On to the good news, I've received my very first blog award, the 'One Lovely Blog Award' from the lovely Janice at Aurora Morealist. Goes without saying I'm happy as a lark. I'm pleased that Janice, and others find my blog worth a read, for I don't write about anything earth-shattering. Simply what interests me, what I think, feel, see. In the words of Daniel my blog here is also "just another Me, Me, Me blog like 300,000 other ones." Thank you, Janice.

From what I've learnt,  there are some rules to be followed upon receiving the award, which Janice in  her true JAM style :)  has tweaked a bit:

1. Thank the person that nominated you by linking back to them in your post.
2. Share 7 random facts about yourself.
3. Nominate 7 bloggers for the award (some say 7, 12 and others 15); Janice chose 8, guess I'll have to decide.
4. Drop them a note to let them know.

And the love goes on and on... . So, now for the tough part:

Bedazzled and Bejewelled

It's a Friday, so bring on the party mood fab people! Here's a little black number I've prepared for tonight. While looking through my many pair of shoes I tried on these River Island platforms, then decided I might as well take a pic or two for the Fab Fashion pages here.

And here, up close are the day's platforms. A pair from River Island. I love how well they fit, not to mention that zipper at the front. I could certainly hop around in these the whole night.

                                              

Now, believe me, when that dress is paired with these platforms the whole ensemble looks absolutely hideous! :-) But hey, it was fun having a photo-shoot on tiptoe. Obviously I had to rummage around for a different pair of shoes. This pair of platforms would go well with something more casual, which our little hot dress is not. So, on to finding a more elegant pair for the night.

Here's my dilemma: the evening is going to be filled with a lot of dancing AND to make my way to the venue I'll need to walk past some muddy patches. You can imagine what that would do to a fabulous pair of heels. So I have to choose wisely - something in which I'll be able to keep going all night long without breaking a limb and which can walk through some muddy patches without costing me an arm and a leg to repair, come Monday. Doesn't sound that hard a thing coming up with a pair of shoes, right? Well, 90% of my shoes are super high heels of delicate fabric.

Fingers crossed, 'cause wrong choice and I lose a limb, one way or another.

Au revoir! Much Love,

         Katerina.

Earth and Art

Food for thought ...



Image courtesy of Frock Candy.

Au revoir! Much Love,

         Katerina.

Style is forever ...

Much Love,

         Katerina.

Floral Oxfords

I'm not one to be left behind by a fashion trend, unless it's one of those really outrageous ones that I can't get away with in this conservative society in which I live.

Oxfords are in. They've been in for awhile now, and still are. So this week (what took me so long!) I went out and got myself a pair of Oxfords. There were many shades, monochrome and print alike. I got a pair in floral print and can't wait to try them on in a complete outfit.

Definitely not an outrageous trend, right?

Au revoir! Much Love,

         Katerina.

Some things I loved about India - and 10 I did not.

First, the loves. In no particular order.

1. I was popular. No, really, I was. On a couple of occasions I actually stopped on the street and waved like a Hollywood star - and got wave-backs too! People stopped me requesting me to take picture with their babies, mothers and wives. Pretty little girls and grown-ups a like. Did I mention it was insisted I carry the babies in my arms while the pictures were getting taken? In their defence [why am I defending them, I'm a pretty awesome person that deserves all the popularity the universe may send her way, aren't I?]: i) For most people, I was the first African they had ever seen. I really hadn't anticipated that, what with TV, the recent World Cup in Africa and all the talk about Global Village-ism. ii) At 5'11 I naturally stand out (and not just in India, but more so in India where I didn't find that many tall people, male or female) as ladies my height aren't that common. iii) I religiously never go anywhere without my red lipstick on. I've noticed that gets a few more heads to turn my way. Not my intention but hey, when life gives you lemons, et cetera. I promise I'm not vain. Just frank.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Soan Papdi - a certain spongy type of sweets. There are about a zillion types of sweets in India. There's one called Gulab Jamun. Put simply, these are balls of milk (yes!) floating in a sugar syrup. Yeah, how about that? And no, obesity isn't the greatest non-communicable disease there; it's actually hair-loss. Seriously, I checked.
3. Swings inside the house - this is a very Asian thing. I wondered, did these swings have anything to do with the hot (painfully hot!) climate - you know, a breeze is generated as you swing to and fro, bringing on a cooling effect - or were they just for the love of comfort and love for palatial comforts that's common in Asia? I concluded both.
4. I made some great friends. And met a kindred soul, too. The most thoughtful, selfless, generous girl I ever met.
5. The shopping malls weren't bad at all. At all.
6. The roads - way smoother and wider than those in my native homeland.  Ever heard of the pot-hole capital of the world?
   
   
   
   
   
7. The Taj Mahal. This should probably be higher up in this list but like I said, in no particular order. The Taj is truly a work of splendour. It's beauty is amazing, and so is the love that inspired it.
8. I got to see a real-life fort. Make that two. The Red Fort and Agra Fort. I love fairy tales, princes, knights and all that. So seeing some real-life forts was pretty awesome.
9. The number of women riding scooters and motor bikes. I still aspire to join that elite league.
10. India is the only country in this big wide world where each state speaks it's own language (in addition to the common national language - Hindi), has it's own unique cuisine and dress type. Now there's one huge dose of unity in diversity for you.

I'm all grown up now, Mum.

As a young girl, my eyes were always drawn to my mum's cup at breakfast.


The mark left by her red lipstick always caught my eye and I found it fascinating. I should add that I didn't like red lipstick much, then. Still, I found it fascinating. Now I look at my own cup at breakfast and think:

"I'm all grown up too, there is the proof."

It's no proof really, I know, but I truly am all grown up.

Au revoir! Much Love,

       Katerina.

One of those happy days...

This sculpture is found at Garden City mall. I think it’s a great piece of work … I can’t quite pinpoint exactly what I like about it, I just do; and it was one of those happy days so I took a picture with Mr Soldier there. 

I think it’s a pretty picture too, no? Yes? Yes. (:

XX - May be this post should also discuss my blue Harlem pants and pink sequinned vest? I'll think about that, and be sure to include the feet+shoes when I do post about the outfit!


Au revoir! Much Love,

         Katerina.

Gray and Grey

A recent post got me thinking about 'gray' and 'grey', and not for the first time too. Did you know that some colour charts consider grey and gray to be two different colours? Well, I did not. I often find myself debating on which of the two to use, the a or the e.  Usually I will choose depending on the letters in the following word. As in Gray Days I use 'gray' because it goes well with 'day'. Were it to be evening instead of day, I would choose grey instead. Being a fan of Grey’s Anatomy (both the Medical textbook and the TV show) didn’t help much either, as I seemed to have come to the conclusion that Grey is to names of people and Gray is to colours. Don’t ask me, I don’t how I came to the conclusion; my brain seems to have a lot of that going sometimes – drawing strange conclusions.

Google to the rescue. I decided to look characters Grey and Gray up; I’m not sure what took me so long seeing as I’m the ultimate Google poster girl. Apparently grey" (#D3D3D3) is considerably lighter than "gray" (#808080), and  some people see grey as a silver-like color, while seeing "gray" as a range of colours between white and black. British English uses 'grey' whereas American uses 'gray' although both will be found in usage in both types of English.

Warm gray, left; cool gray right.

Now that all that is ingrained in my gray matter I certainly won't be spending time debating over which one to use. Perhaps about which shade of grey compliments me better - of that I'm certain there will be some pause for thought.

Au revoir! Much Love,

         Katerina.

Gray Days

You know some of those days that just don’t go right no matter how hard you try, or what you do? Read a fav book, read a humour column or two, eat some comfort food ( three cheers to Snickers, the chocolate) but all in vain? On those days, I just wish I had a spell that could drive away gray clouds and leave everything rosy and gay.

And as if the world were conspiring against me, the clouds outside are literally gray and dark, and they’ve been so for the greater part of the day. Is my day gray because the universe looks gray, or am I feeling gray because the universe looks gray? Is the world simply agreeing with me, empathising with me and reflecting my gray-ness? Or am I simply taking on it’s colours? Is the universe for me or against me?

If the universe is for me why won’t the clouds let through a few bright rays of sunlight to brighten my gray day? Why do I hear no bird birds chattering gaily away. Has the gray day turned them sullen and gray too? Or have they just taken shelter from an impending storm? Should I, too?

Au revoir! Much Love,

         Katerina.

How To ... What!? No To Negativity

While browsing the web for some useful insight into blogging professionally I came across a WikiHow article on 'how to dissuade yourself from becoming a blogger.' What? Yeah, my sentiments exactly. It's not the kind of insight I was looking for but I really couldn't stop myself from clicking the link just to see how persuasive this dissuasion article was. "The article went ahead to list the steps one should follow to avoid the dreadful compulsion to blog. Ha. Step two stood out (for all the wrong reasons), it went thus:

"Consider that your voice, even if it is truly a good one, is a tiny peep against the massive wave of tripe out there. The odds of anyone you don't already know finding your blog are low."

Apparently this author figured such kind advice should talk anyone into resisting the urge to get into blogging, which I have found to be a beautiful world of self-expression, sharing and never ending learning. This person's how-to made me wonder at the odds that anyone would look up a how-to on not to blog. The irony.

On the positive side, there are more 'how to become a blogger' articles out there than there are ' how to dissuade yourself from becoming a blogger' articles. I don't see why anyone would attempt to talk well-meaning folks ( lol, the bloggers I've met are all well meaning, do ill-intentioned ones exist?) into believing that their voice is only but 'a tiny peep.'

It makes me feel for all people of low self-esteem out there. Sometimes there can be so much negativity going around, and as long as there's no harm in it I feel everyone deserves some support and a pat on the back for whatever it is they may want to venture into. Am I over-reacting? I don't think so, though. I'm a firm believer in all-shall-have-their-say and not hiding one's light under a bushel.

March on Bloggers! And you too, Go-getters!


Au revoir! Much Love,

         Katerina.

Home-Loving

I made a trip to the book-store intending to get my self  'Their eyes were watching God', a very good read, I hear. Well, as it turns out, my impulsive shopping doesn't stop at shoes, clothes, bags and chocolate. I instead left the bookshop with several books on house-keeping - some cookbooks and one on living room interior design.

I've wanted to re-do my living room for sometime now and had been looking for inspiration from magazines, et cetera. When I saw this book '101 Living Rooms' I just couldn't leave it behind! I can't wait to get started. Of course you know what this means... more shopping! Sigh. Well, good things cost. That's life.

Gorgeous Gadget Bags @ la Evelyn

As I shared with you HERE earlier, today was AGM and talking AGMs you know what that means: turn up looking your professional (and of course, stylish) best and get yourself ready for hours and hours of annual reports and members passionately discussing issues without literally pulling at each other's ties or pulling out their "adversary's" hair. But most of all (for the fun-loving ones among us) it means meeting old friends once again, especially those you only see once a year; catching up on old times and getting some juicy news on what's going down where with whom.

Evelyn is a friend with whom I went to medical school [don't look so surprised, I DID go to medical school! :) ] and I hadn't seen perhaps since we completed our hospital internship.  A lot has changed since, Evelyn is now a business lady, in addition to being a pharmacist and lecturing pharmacy students. I can't stop myself from smacking a little here, we are a bright, enterprising young lot I tell ya! :) Take a look at these.