I (used to) find myself in THAT crazy country...

Walking with Giants

2007-08-10T15:20:00.000-07:00

It seems such an age since my last instalment. Dissertation took lead then the exams and then the aweful 'odd' student job to catch up on my finances. Time has moved and much has changed.

My friends from school who always used to laugh at me for taking forever to complete my first degree will be happy to know that I now have one. It's a bit late to switch courses now as I've been graded and got the highest achievable classification - guess who's having the last laugh? I really enjoyed my final year. I seemed to have a greater sense of purpose in my mathematics. It really is the main reason why I'm off to the Warwick Maths Institute this autumn. It's really a case of that I'm discovering how chaos theory and fractal geometry can be applied to the future projects that I will be working on. It's a tough asking - quite a lot of the new emerging financial mathematics questions the hard and fast rules which have been around for decades. I love questioning ideas - the answering part is what I can never get my head around.

The books I'm reading have been fascinanting. I feel as though I'm walking with giants in Nature's Numbers by Ian Stewart, Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Taleb, The (mis)Behaviour of Markets by Benoit Mandelbrot... Thinkers of our time byond my imagination. Mandelbrot is an interesting character and his style is elegant and yet so amusing and incredibly informative.

I lost a million bucks today on the fantasy stock exchange. DRAT!! What's up with all the markets shrinking? Taleb calls it the Black Swan - the next book on my list.

Life in lecture

2007-05-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

As today’s end fast approaches, it’s as though I am closing the last chapter of my studies here and beginning the epilogue of exams. My final two hours of instruction were aptly on proving existence of some equilibria in nonlinear dynamics. Well, my life’s dynamic is at some equilibrium, possibly a fixed point or a cycle of daily activities which keep me busy, really BUSY!! (See Poincare-Bendixson Theorem). I have a life, and it was all in my final lecture.

Scientific computing at one of the country’s top institutes beckons. The application is in, emails to the professor have been sent and references sought. I hope to find a way in (as they say!) because I’m talking about a top five mathematics school here, oozing with great minds. I feel I can do more justice to the stuff I covered in my dissertation. Maybe try and reinvent the wheel or something less spectacular. I remember how pointless high school maths seemed to be. It’s almost as though they save the best for last – it really is only making bags of sense now and I actually love it. I’m also into the interesting “new” mathematics with applications everywhere (hence the scientific computing) and I could potentially find myself being in the company with one of my all time favourite modern science writers.

It’s all happening too quickly. A year ago I was only making it back from the US and now I’m contemplating another move. No rest for the wicked. But for now, I really must crack on and study hard from my exams. There's three back-to-back next week.

Who am I?

2007-04-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

I may have grown up in the same Matabeleland province as parents, but my upbringing was a reflection of what they never had, or possibly would be been the stuff their childhood dreams were made of. They didn’t go to a pre-school that gave elocution lessons, or had the chance enrol in one of the country’s finest schools steeped in a culture of all round excellence. While my father in his youth may have had to bring the cattle home after school in rural Kezi, I had cricket and tennis in the afternoons and while my mother’s packed lunch may have been imbhambhayila (sweet potato) in her rural Insiza setting, I found the cold meats and salad lunch unpalatable.

Inasmuch as I may believe to be a product of a modern democratic Zimbabwe ruled by the black majority, I remain a minority. Few have been so fortunate to have a privileged upbringing in a country where poverty and social injustice is the norm. Now in university abroad, suddenly I am aware that I can hardly spell in SiNdebele or complete a sentence without borrowing a word from English. I daren't try read. I may have a Nguni name with such gracious meaning but then again I have to second guess what my first language is. I sometimes ask myself what language I actually think in.

So who am I? I am a product of those pedigree dreams which our African parents had for us - to be all they could never be. But it has turned us into mongrels, hybrids who can command an intellectual debate on western philosophy but shy away issues concerning the continent at present: AIDS, malaria, poverty, conflict and democracy.

Art, Music, Philosophy...

2007-04-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

I’m busy running simulations on the other PC. I have an SA kwaito/house mix playlist going. I feel as though I’m on a serious work flow stream. It’s not yet hectic but I have already budgeted about four hours sleep for this coming week.

Deadline for my write is 2pm on Thursday. I can see myself fighting with the binder at 1.45pm and then tippexing out my misspelt name. Gosh, I love pressure. I’m one of those thrill seekers when it comes academics. The closer the deadline, the more I’m forced to think, the more my brain works, the better the work I produce. I speak from experience but I hope my tutors don’t get wind of this. We don’t want to jeopardise academic references et al. Ah well, it’s a bit late now. It’s been blogged.

I rather like the computational work I’m doing on the other PC. I’ve reached an interesting point in my short mathematical-career-in-the-making. I mentioned this in my last post. Well, it gets better. It’s part when the science goes out the window and in comes in the art. Tweaking routines, adjusting parameters, hitting the run key, waiting anxiously for an answer. Making the slight change here, fine-tuning another small bit, fiddling with something else, run again. Wait. Result. One more time… There’s ways of getting it almost perfect. That’s called optimisation but that will be in a completely different study and setting. Let me just get on with art!!

Thandiswa - Lahlumlenze is now jamming. Lost her CD (along with 80 others in a snazzy Napster case) on a flight to Joburg a couple of years ago! South African music from the new generation seems to be getting bigger and being recognised world over. The likes of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba have left a strong legacy. Cape Town’s Freshlyground has just exploded into the scene. If you haven’t heard of them, educate yourself or spend two weeks in the Cape. HMV stocks their CD. That’s if it’s been sold out at Amazon.

I’ll be reading philosophy this summer. Kant, Russell maybe Giddens – we’ll see how that goes.

Writing hard science

2007-04-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

I have toyed with the idea of being a science writer, some correspondent for some weekend paper discussing the intricasies of the things around us. I know I'm a bit wacky, possibly a bit nerdy too but it is a wish. I think I'd like it very much.

My dissertation has two crucial chapters to go and I've got to a point where my brain is refusing to work. I'm saturated and I find myself writing statements and arguments that contradict themselves. I love my subject to bits and I sometimes marvel at the small new discoveries that I make, especially the parts when mathematics becomes more of an art than a science. When you have to go with your gut and fine tune routines by simply playing around them. It's almost as though hard science suddenly becomes malleable so that one can reach optimal solutions. How small should my time step be? How many simulation paths should I take? I shant go on.

By the way, it's Easter. I need some chocolate. (How random!!)

Give me Wiiings

2007-03-12T13:49:00.000-07:00

As I open my first can of Red Bull...

I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to survive the next eight weeks. My exam timetable has been published and I kick of my finals with Fluid Dynamics and end it all with Advanced Statistics. Suddenly, there’s this wave of restlessness over me and I feel rather pusillanimous about the whole experience. (Look up that word!!!) The dissertation write up is moving slowly – just try type out hundreds of equations in Word and see what I mean. It’s torture. I really should invest in LateX or MathType. That has to be done before next academic year.

I had signed up for this course with Education faculty this week but I think I might give it a miss. (I went to their building last week for the first time – a bit swanky) As much as I love teaching and think highly of teachers – especially Maths teachers, my academics mean a lot more right now. I can’t miss a day of lectures and three evenings of solid graft. I just hope I won’t offend them. I have considered teaching high school Maths but only as a career after I’ve had my kids and lost my hair.

My head’s buzzing with rush of the cans Red Bull I’ve just had. I won’t say how many as my loving girlfriend might kill me. Vitalised body and mind!!! Let’s get to work!

A fresh start

2007-03-08T11:31:00.000-08:00

One would think that i had been evicted from cyberspace. My presence (or rather lack of) has been disturbing. Anyway, we shall pick up from where we left of. Now where was I...

The last time I was here I was busy with a massive career hunt! Well - actually, it's turned to more of a self-assessment exercise. Never mind the interviews I got or the shoulders I rubbed with in the City, I think I'm more atuned with what will make me ME for the next sixty or so years- save the bits that will eventually fall off!

I've rediscovered the joy of facebook and youtube. Sad, I know - especially at time when I'm under sooooo much pressure. It takes numbness away though. There's also some crazy South African comedian with a channel full of laughs. You should check khayav out - and subscribe to him. Legend in the making. That camera I bought way back when in San Francisco busted last summer and I still haven't gotten around to fixing it.

At present, I'm busy writing my dissertation. When I signed up for Mathematics instead of Law, I thought I was evading the extensive research and long write-ups. Guess I was so wrong. Coupled with all the research and writing, there's also the model building process in some programming language which understands statements like:

d1:=(ln(S1[0]/K)+(r+0.5*sigma^2)*T)/(sigma*sqrt(T)):

Let me not bore you with syntax. My supervisor can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Pity I can't. Anyway five weeks to go now.

I seem so lost blogging again. Um... what do I say next? Right! I'm putting through some applications for Graduate School. Unlike the job applications, I will not spam universities across the UK, cross fingers and hope one will bite. My advisors and powers reckon that I should be selective and exercise my power to chose. There was very little choice for me growing up. Options beyond our small little realm in Bulawayo were very limited. Now I have plenty. And so my friends, Romans and countrymen... I shall go forth and make a fresh start.

Standing still

2006-12-06T10:46:00.000-08:00

In case, anyone's been wondering, life has not stood still. It keeps moving at such a rapid pace, it's almost impossible to keep up.

I got off work 90 minutes ago and I find myself in a lab at uni trying to work out how to programme some Adams-Moulton routines in Maple. I'm tired, my back is sore, my legs are aching, I really can not be in the mood to put in the extra hours but if I don't who will. The motivation may wilting slightly but there's still that silver lining in those dark dark clouds.

I've spent the past month spamming some investment houses with graduate applications. I must say that they can be daunting. I already see myself in the City. I targeted about four prime ones which I found quite attractive and then the rest were just 'what the hell!!' I've had to become egotistic and very self-praising - something we aren't brought up to be. But all the same I'm glad because it's given me the chance to pat my own back - I seem to have done so much in so little time. But I still wish I'd done more. I can feel that whiff of motivation coming back now.

Final year is not easy. Deadlines are looming and the day doesn't seem to have enough hours. Having to work is also a shlep - I seriously could do with an extra day mathematics than spending it faffing around smiling plastically at incessant customers. I shall remain a smiler, not a whiner, I shall be braver and bolder as I grow older and I shall be less of a wisher and more of a doer. I shall a take a moment, stand still and go forth and conquer the world!

If -

2006-10-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

I remember my first years of high school being made to cram and recite poems and ideals which were supposed to later shape the man I was to become. We blinded complied and wondered what all the fuss was all about. Well today, one of those poems came back to haunt me. In the midst of all the chaos and mayhem that surrounds, I found myself starting to recite, “If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run…”

Precious lines from Rudyard Kipling’s poem If. As I press on with final year woes, City graduate job applications and general student-skintness, I think I may be going through some quarter-life crisis: wondering what the hell the rest of my life will be. It’s a period of plenty If’s and each one is extremely open-ended. If it’s the City then… If my career takes off then… If it’s Graduate School then… If I consider a life in academia then… If it’s back to Africa then…

Kipling’s poem pretty much brings to life the journey that I have to take here onwards. It’s very prophetic in its statements and yet so candid in its expressions. I could be at my lowest ebb or highest peak and it would still make sense. Those aren't merely just words in four verses. Those are tools, pitch forks and spades, to equip, mould and build every man, woman and child. For your own sake read it here.

Far from being random

2006-10-09T05:41:00.000-07:00

I think I have some interesting courses to look forward to this academic year: FIVE mathematics and ONE statistics. I miss the diversity I had a year ago in the States but nonetheless. I've already immersed myself in the vector calculus that surrounds fluid dynamics, nonlinear maps in real analysis, PDEs which boggle the mind, the building blocks of financial maths coupled with my fine project and a whole lot of binary logistic regressions to churn out. Sorry if that went way over your head. I'm pretty much in the same boat as you - gazing at the stars, wondering if there'll ever really fall off the sky.

I have a whole lot of Analyst applications to churn out to the top financial houses in the City. My CV needs plenty tweaking. I'm sure I'll find an interesting job doing some sort of equity research. So if you happen to be a connected individual, this is the time to share those connections with me. You can even charge a small fee. I'll have to size them up though to see if they're worth it though. Last week I thought I may as well have a look at the sort of taught graduate programs that would suit me. There's plenty out there. Warwick, Leeds and Essex are leading right now. I seriously have to consider both post-graduation avenues, especially at this early stage of the game.

Life as a whole has become a lot less random and more monotonous. I do try break it. I just joined the Investment and Banking Society at the Union. It should keep me occupied along with my fantasy trading on Yahoo! Finance. On the job front, I'll be starting soon on a part-time basis. I look forward to a good term.

Randomness 401

2006-09-29T06:05:00.000-07:00

I sit here and wonder what on earth I have got myself into. Year 4, Week 1. Learning has never been an easy task. On this my first week of the autumn semester I’m pretty much ahead of the pack as far as my dissertation goes. I have pretty much made up my mind on what area of focus I should take. But the mathematics behind it all is mind boggling. I have plenty of recollection to be done. A year away from it all has taken its toll and I have to go through notes and notes from yester year.

However it is interesting being introduced to Monte Carlo Simulation. I’m quite interested in building models around it in option pricing and risk analysis. Weiner processes have to be mastered and refined. I’m gained a passion for playing around with randomness – mathematics can be a random subject. I’m just a random being in a random world exploring its randomness.

I’m also submitting an article to Tempus, published by the School of Mathematical Sciences. It’s going to a short account of my research in US Money Demand. I hope to make it an interesting read.

No jokes to share. Only a quotation I read in Nelson Mandela’s autobiography. It goes: “I am fundamentally an optimist…Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed towards the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lay defeat and death.” Great book! Read it.

Seasonal Change

2006-09-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

As my summer draws to a close, so must some episodes in my life. The beauty of it all is that with an end there's always a new beginnings which one must look forward to. I had my last day at work last Friday. My goodbyes were bittersweet (excuse the cliche!). Quite happy to go back to doing what I like best - my mathematics - but also sad to say bid farewell to the characters that played interesting roles in this summer fanfare. I was pretty chuffed that my boss's boss came over to my cubicle to say Thank You. I also has some words with a lady in HR and I might find myself joining their graduate program next year.

It's now all back to the books. I was back on campus this morning - Fresher's Week. I'm employed by the university on a small stint helping a fresher with a learning disability starting his joint honours degree in maths and drama get settled in. Jay's a really cool kid, very personable and I'm sure he'll excel. Today we did all the laborious task of getting the enrolment paper trail out the way. Wednesday and Thursday will be insightful as far as his course is concerned and Friday will introduce him to the debauchery of student life - the excessive indulgence in all things improper at the Freshers' Fair.

Classes begin next Monday. Campus has been transformed in my absence. New Village, State-of-the-Art Gym, transformed Student Union, a touchy-feely central zone with chic styled lounges complete with brand new leather furniture. With this iPod generation, let's just see how long this will last?

all in a name

2006-08-31T07:17:00.000-07:00

i am one of those fortune people from the Motherland who is blessed with a full zulu name which inadvertantly poses problems to people when it comes to pronouncing it. even people from parts of zimbabwe can't say it without flinching. as for vanilla folks... well, it gets really butchered.

i've had a whole lot of nicknames since i was able to speak. it seemed like a nice substitute to those would wanted to call me. i used to be the skinny kid with the big head. one can only imagine what nicknames would crop up to denigrate my physical appearance. then when i acquired a pair of specs the names coul only get worse. however there is one that stuck and it has stuck for a good sixteen years. in fact all through high school it was used to refer to me as i have a popular surname. i quite liked this nickname. it did increase my self esteem and gave everyone a sense that i was intelluctual. maybe i am. you decide. it got so bad that my initial changed from "M" to "P". in my old school circles i am still referred to by that very nickname.

when i started my new short life in england. i decided to lose that image and off went that name. i reverted to my first name. after all it is a novelty over the seas, especially with the complex consonant structure. how many words this side of the planet do you get with "mhl" - then try pronounce it. i've tried my best to educate them but i must admit most have been unwilling to learn. most have just cut it down to just "M" - with a handsome measure of mystique attached to it.

fascinatingly enough, i now work with a great bunch of people who have now invented some very interesting names for me. one is Diablo - after the car and not the devil! the other two which i kinda hope will stick are Goolie and Gools. they make sound goofy but a part of me likes them. it's as though i'm started a new chapter in my life and with new leaves turned new names are learned. my name keeps on revolving, so what's your name?

two weddings and a removal

2006-08-21T02:31:00.000-07:00

summer has it that there will always be celebrations. last weekend i attended a lovely wedding with beautiful reception at the leicester tigers rugby ground. despite the fact that it was raining, the whole affair was superb. full sit down three course meal followed by even more after dinner snacks during the reception. it was also a nice cultural mix - west indian, english... all joyful and happy. i didn't actually have an invite but my good friend who i was staying with sweet talked my way in and i posed as a friend who had just landed from the states and couldn't be let deserted at home.

then yesterday i attended sipho and kudzi's wedding somewhere in the midlands. manje this one was a home grown affair, pure pure ndebele-style complete with inyama enengi. we love our meat to the core. it was grand. the dance moves. i hadn't forgotten cabbage exists. lengquzu futhi sihlabel' ugwayimana. and then bus stop and cha cha afterwards. probably the most emotional bit was a dance off they had for married couples with pairs being eliminated by the number of years they had been married. the last standing two had been married for 25 years. they were then joined by the newly weds. very beautifully done.

as tired and bhabhalazed as i am i have to move today. there's also been drama in that end as our supposed new landlord pulled out at 4pm on friday emini leaving to scrounge around on saturday for an immediate move-in. thenkfully something pulled through and removals are in progress. i'm looking forward to my new canvas of a room to personalise and make my own for the course of this coming year.

Renewed senses

2006-08-19T00:25:00.000-07:00

Bristol thus far has been kind to me. Since I got back from my big American dream. I feel as though I have a renewed sense of purpose and that I am on the right track to do and achieve. It's not a selfish sense but one of learning, understanding and appreciating a particular system which can be replicated elsewhere back in my home country. I am one of those sad people who is overly proud of his country and the more I live and work in the western world the more I want to go back and establish certain systems for the good of my countrymen.

When one buys a coffee or a burger from their local Starbucks or MacDonalds, one is a consumer of a simplified system. They didn't reinvent coffee or the or the burger, they just re-packaged it. I'm working for a company that created a system to distribute vehicles to a specific demographic of society in the United Kingdom. There's nothing amazing to it - that's why I like it. It's a grand business operating in the billions of pounds but it's main emphasis is on the individual person who they serve. In as much as it may be an unknown capitalist giant, it has a greater good and an ambition to serve.

The time there expires in a month but I believe I'll be back. I'm reconsidering what path to take with my honours degree. Should I go on to do a straight-laced masters and perfect my mathematics on should I commit myself to a strigent graduate program and return to the classroom to do my MBA? Hope beckons and glory shines. Regardless it's all going to be Ad Definitum Finem.

Routines, Money Demand and the Heat

2006-07-20T10:44:00.000-07:00

For some reason I haven't being able to log into blogger for a while now. I actually thought that maybe they had decided to axe my blog. After all it is suffering from serious neglect.

So what has changed? Nothing really. I am now used to my new routine. It's only for the summer and once that's over I'll be back in uni again. I quite like uni because I know that everyday will be different, each with it's challenges and opportunities. I now really wonder if I'm cut out for the rigid corporate world. I feel as though my sense of adventure might get lost with all the monotony that will surround me. My very kind manager even expressed her concerns that this mathematician might be bored stiff with the level of work they are shedding on me. However, I like the ethos behind this company which I now believe is Great Britain's best kept secret.

On the side, I'm busy tweaking a research paper I authored during my time in the States with high hopes of publication. I really have nothing to lose. It's an econometric study on Postwar US Money Demand. It's a welcome challenge. I have no trouble with the statistics (even though they can get laborious), it's the economic theory I'm trying to get my head around. Since my life academically, I've always chosen to avoid all things accounting, economic or commercial. And now that I'm taking the time out to educate myself, I really don't think I missed out on a whole lot. It doesn't compare to the intricacies and the blood sweat and tears mathematics throws at you. I'm sure a host of people would beg to differ but I'm really not tickled pink by Keynes's ideas.

This week the heat is on. Heat, dry dry heat. It's brought back memories of a sultry October in South West Zimbabwe. What's missing are the Jacarandas and their beautiful purple carpets. The last time I was this hot was on a drive to Las Vegas three months ago. The Nevada desert was not kind. I'm amazed at this country's reaction to extreme weather conditions. Schools close because they can't cope with the heat; two weeks ago more schools turned away their pupils because of thunderstorms and come winter more pupils will be turned away because of too much snow. I guess it sums up the general attitude of the population: a country content with the mediocre, too much of anything puts them off.

Thursday

2006-07-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

I've had one those days I wish I'd throw back and get a refund but life must move. Work's going great, really great but the workload increases exponentially. We were supposed to have a launch for our new department this week but things have been way too hectic to even think of celebrating. However, our kind bosses graced each of our cubicles with a bottle of wine. I take back all I said in my last post about how stingy British people are. They really are a nice bunch. As I speak, my new world sauvignon blanc is chilling in the fridge (excuse the pun!)

Tomorrow I'm having a tete-a-tete with my immediate boss to discuss my progress and what sort of direction I need to steer myself to maximise my production and reach for way out targets. I love my little cubicle existence. I feel like a working ant in colony building an empire for the good of humankind so big for me to even see. Working for a not-for-profit company can have its ulterior rewards. My day's monotony is broken by moments realising what lies beneath each contract that passes by me. I really do like this company's profile. I considering doing their 18 month graduate business leadership stint which is split between Bristol and the Square Mile in London.

On my way back from the office I was almost run over by a red and yellow Royal Mail van being driven by a post man who used stop my old place of work.
He shouts at me, "Hey you, I thought you were in America!"
My quick response, "I used to be!"
Even though part of me wishes I was still in California, it's good to be back.

Cube Monkey

2006-07-03T09:59:00.001-07:00

Today happened to be my birthday. I wasn't anticipating fireworks. In fact I dread the day now so much I simply wish it would pass by without me noticing. But that's very hard to escape when I had plenty paperwork waiting to be dated on my tiny desk.

So what's been up with me lately? My absence from all things online has been long. I find myself enslaved in a tiny cubicle, shackled by the demands of a capitalist corporate world. I can't complain. I thrive when it comes to pressure, deadlines and sign offs. I'm attached on a short term lease to a finance company with plenty of interesting twists in their business which I enjoy. It's in North Bristol, right next to my uni campus. My aim is to perform and out-peform just so I may stick around well into the academic year. With the workload they've shed on me, I know they need all the help they can get.

Hectic it seems, but alas things across the pond didn't seem so busy. I suppose Californians are a bit laid back and not as rigid these Brits. I'm used to plenty of slack and here I have none. I remember those little incentives they used to throw at us for the slightest bit of effort - oh the CDs, DVDs, binoculars, cameras I accumulated - and here, well... you'll be lucky if you get a smile. It's a difference in attitudes and only now are they very apparent to me.

I'm crashing with friends right now in their flat and we are busy on the hunt for a house to share. If you are a landlord looking for decent tenants, do apply. I also wondering if anyone can donate a small car to a needy African (I'm allowed - it's Live 8 anniversary week!) Good runner maybe, cheap on tax and insurance will do me just fine. I'm a bit sick of the erratic buses.

Bristle

2006-06-19T06:13:00.000-07:00

I knew I was in Bristol when a lady at Temple Meads thanked me by saying, "Churz me luvver!" I love Bristolians and their dialect - adding an -awl to words that end with vowels. Where else does one hear, "Gurt lush!" for "Very nice! or "Wheres Eetoo?" for "Where is he?"

I had a great weekend. Footie on the telly and Ghana won their first match at the World Cup. I really was not looking forward to going back to work. This football thing can be addictive. I even finding myself Googling team statistics in between matches. I'm not embarassed and I certainly won't apologise either.

I started an assognment for this agency I'm working for today. It's actually simple admin work, or rather, boring admin work. I got there at 745am, was told what to do, I go on with it, then at midday, I go ask for more for the supervisor. She gives me the Dickensian look and roars, "More?" "Yes, please I want some more." It turns out that I completed a task which was supposed to last me 8 hours in 4 hours and so they let me go home. I apologise for being very efficient.

Hello England!

2006-06-05T23:35:00.000-07:00

I'm back in England now so this really will no longer be blogged from the Land of the Free. I'm quite looking forward to a summer of nothing but work work work as I really could do with the extra cash. I got two nice emails in my inbox yesterday from two companies who came across my resume online. Such is the beauty of a connected world. I have an interview for a post on Friday in Bristol.

I suppose it's good to take a moment and take stock of just what the hell I've been up to since last August. When I packed my bags last year, I really did not know what to anticipate. From the the very start, i sort decided to do almost everything impromptu. My mother had reservations about me landing in New York without so much as a room booked. Travel plans to DC, Maryland and California were hatched up overnight. My final week in back on the eastern seaboard was completely action packed and yet I didn't really make any concrete plans. And whatever plans I made all pretty much fell through. I suppose it gave me a new sense of adventure. I could hardly sleep on the flight back, even though I had a whole row to myself, retracing my steps in the back of my mind.

I have all this internal gratitude and yet I don't know who to thank. Well, God for starters, then my parents, my family, my friends, my teachers, my colleagues, my acquaintances, the man on the street... I have been given a reason to greet each day with a smile and I intend to do so. I also have this burning desire to share my experiences with fresh and young minds. It's a desire to go back to Zimbabwe and attach myself for some really insignificant school. (Yep, once a teacher always a teacher!) It's a desire to share a dream with the hope of allowing other people to dream.

A bit drenched

2006-06-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

Early this week, my old housemaster Roy Jones sent me an email asking me to check out his new website for Old Prunitians. It's really cool, got forums and I can add my five cents worth on some crazy episodes we had all those years ago (and maybe not get hired when my prospective boss reads my hogwash) and possibly catch up with some guys from the old school. There's also a 20 year reunion in South Africa on the first week of September. I may be young for this one but it would be great making it to that one. There was something defining about Plumtree that I now almost model or compare everything and every experience to my time at school. It's hard for people in this country to understand such attachment to one's Alma Mater. It's different and you have to be a "prune" to really understand. If you're reading this and are an OP, click HERE NOW and then sign up and leave you name and whatever you've been up to on the Roll Call Forum. If you're not, you can click here and read about some of the finest people on this planet. That's out of the way!

It's Saturday afternoon. I'm indoors and New York is soaking under some massive thunderstorms. I was supposed to go back to England yesterday but decided to extend my stay by a couple more days - and those couple more days have turned out to be dreadful days. So much for venturing out to Governor's Island and bargain hunting in Harlem.

I can almost say that I've almost become a local of the East Village. I've almost seemed to gravitate to either Astor Place or Washington Square. It's probably where trendy meets cheap and hip mets art. I spent a good part of Wednesday at Poetry Club on Bowery listening to some Spoken Word. I stopped writing anything meaningful since high school and this blog is really my mainstay. I just happened to be uploading some of my crazy videos on You Tube when I stumbled on some pretty interesting stuff from a group at Stanford - The Stanford Spoken Word Collective. I regret not having come across their websites and videos because I could have seen them live when I was still in the Valley. I also bumped into a couple of Brits back at that Belgian beer place. I laughed at the how Europeans always seem to end up at a European water hole.

I really don't know what to make of this blog when I leave this crazy country. I started off thinking I wouldn't last two months in blogosphere and now I spend hours on end reading anecdotes from all over the world. Anyway, I have a feeling that I shall now look at good ol' Mud Island with a different set of eyes. And with the weather today in New York; what a way to bid farewell to this country - with a cheap umbrella I bought at a subway station, a precursor of what I should expect at the other end.

I "heart" New York

2006-05-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

I got here last Wednesday and it's been action packed throughout. My aunt, Dr Moyo, picked me up from the airport and I'm staying at her place in The Bronx. It's so cool being back in a busy bustling city. Police sirens and fire engines waking you you up in the middle of the night and the endless honking of horns. I quite like the idea that there's life outside the four walls I live in.

It was a pleasure rediscovering public transport. Silicon Valley is way too snooty to catch onto the idea of a bus or train. Even though this is my second time being in this city, this time around I have plenty of time to really discover the small bits which make up the big apple. I met up Emman down near where he works in the financial district. We ended up having drinks at a sidewalk café on 42nd and Park opposite an entrance to Grand Central Station. I suppose the timing was perfect because I was struck by the diversity which unfolded from the masses of New Yorkers heading back to their homes - or wherever they were going. Later on we were joined by Leom and it was great catching up of life thus far.

One of my highlights so far has been the MoMA. I've never been to anything like it. I worked my way up six floors in nothing but awe. It's almost as though the exhibits build up some sort of momentum as you go up floor by floor. In many ways I was inspired to live and breathe my genius by simply observing some fine work by Warhol, or that piece by Picasso or that Dali sculpture. I had to pinch myself. Once again, little me from rag-tag country in a place so amazing. Plenty to write home about.

On Saturday MB came over from DC and we decided to go bar hopping in the East Village with a bunch of other guys. We were being shunted around by the local villagers. Quite a lot of the places were brimming with NYU students playing drinking games or chatting very loudly. We ended up at this Belgian beer place. I almost dismissed this joint as we walked in becasue it almost seemed as though we were walking into a parking lot. But such is New York where a seemingly hole-in-the-wall bar can have the ultimate ambience and an edgy but yet intellectual crowd. The Stellas began flowing and conservations were lubricated until MB and I were interrupted mid-conversation by some dude who knew what language we were conversing in: Ndebele. This guy has never been to Zim but he spent some time in Uganda which brought Emman (our dear friend from Kampala) into the convo. MB and I are from the same city. Then we met more people and more people and more people that Sunday and Monday plans were taken care of by a barbeque in Brooklyn and a picnic in Central Park.

One defining feature of this city I believe are its weird smells and littered streets. Seriously! I dont even think London is this filthy. But for some reason, I like it the way it is. Every little piece of junk and every little smell has a story to tell, kinda like the people who make up the population. Easy-going, hard-going, criminal, saint, hobo, millionaire, busker, broadway performer, cab driver, skate boarder, black, white, african, chinese, italian, irish, spanish, brazilian... I could go on and on. It's a melting pot of ginomous proportions but each story is unique and different - fitting for a city like this with a big heart.

I "heart" New York. I remember those words my taxi driver said to me last August: Welcome to New York where all you need is a dollar and dream. I'm still dreaming.

Where I've been

2006-05-23T14:05:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since my last installment and I'm getting a lot of flack for it. I hadn't realised that I had a strong fan base - sorry fans. I've been moving, connections were servered but I'm back, though still on the go!

Where am I? Or rather where have I been? I've just penned a postcard to my youngest sister Min'enhle in Zimbabwe telling her that San Francisco is problably the most vibrant city I've ever been to outside my very own home city. It beats Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, London, Madrd, Johannesburg, Durban, Toronto, New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, Las Vegas and paltry Pittsburg. She starts college in North America in later this year and I'm sure she's looking forward to plenty.

I've officially bade farewell to Silicon Valley but I don't really want to change my locale on this blog. I'm still attached. There's plenty about the area which amazes me to this day. Being from rag-tag country, rubbing shoulders with big giants in the hitech industry is a huge deal. My old school pioneered computing and computer eductation in Zimbabwe. It was the first school in the country to include it in its curriculum. By the time I started, we were miles ahead of the bunch. I remember toying around with old 286 motherboards back in high school. The main server was a faster 386!! But at the time we were the envy of them all. And when we lost the old stock and got the new Pentiums, we were out in full force to showcase to the country just how good we were in this computing business.

Why am I going on about this? Spending an afternoon at Intel brought back so many of old memories. The idea of semiconductor always fascinated me (should have done Physics instead of Chemistry!!). I was envious of the guy explaining to me the design process which goes into making a microprocessor. Yes, I got to see how Intel progressed from the 286 to 386 to 486 to Pentium - and now they've dropped Pentium. It's so old school and they are way beyond that. Going back to my school days, it didn't even dawn on me that I would one day quiz people who work in the semiconductor industry, fully clad in a bunny suit inside a clean room - not just any clean room, an Intel Clean Room. Wow - is all I can say!

San Jose is also in a good locality. Ski slopes two hours away, beaches forty-five minutes away and San Francisco thirty-five minutes away. SF is a beautiful city. I wish I had taken the time to catch the train up more frequently. It oozes history, beauty and countless smiling faces. The cable car up California Street to Chinatown, the walk along to Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf, the historic F line streetcars and the beautiful bridges: Golden Gate and Bay. Postcard perfect views wherever you set your eyes. And then there's the food. The first time I had clam chowder was in SF and I loved it. Especially when they serve it in that bread bowl. And there's clam strips, crab sandwiches, ahh man!! Can I do this everyday?

My itinerary: I'm in Sacramento right now, staying with my uncle. My flight to New York leaves in four hours. Supper will be in Phoenix where I connect. Then on Friday, I'm going down to DC for the long weekend and I'll be back New York next Monday. On Tuesday I'll be up early to join the live audience at ABC's Good Morning America and the rest of the week will be eventful I'm sure. On Friday the 2nd, I fly back to London Heathrow where I'll catch a coach to Birmingham. There I will spend the next two days catching up with my cousins.

Thereafter... God knows. All I know is that I will no longer be in this crazy country.

El Cinco de Mayo

2006-05-05T16:26:00.000-07:00

Why is it that wherever I go, immigration almost always seems to be a touchy issue? In South Africa they are worried about the "kwere kweres", in England it's all about these foreigners taking "our" jobs and abusing the NHS and here in the States is about the Latinos taking over our country.

To some degree I feel I've had a great deal of acceptance in this country, California to be precise, as compared to England. It's almost as though people here are overwhelmed with the fact that I've seen a bit of the world. Whereas in England... where should I start?

I remember getting my job at a post office way back in 2003. I was greeted with much reservation, particular because of my nationality and at the time Zimbabwe was making serious headlines. [ it still is!] The guy who hired me on didn't two shoots where I was from but some of the old English post office salt and pepper hair types put their guard on. Even some of the regular customers, in particular the old ladies collecting their state pensions, would rather wait than be served by me. Me being me just turned a blind eye. After all, this wasn't my country and why should I complain?

Also to some degree, there seems to be a glass ceiling in England. The old school tie and the golf club membership play crucial roles in being hired and advancing in one's career. I may be wrong but that's the idea I got. In order for me to be on level playing ground I'd have to be twice as good as the guy I'd be competing with. My old school tie points to Southern Africa, I attend a "new" university and I can't afford the golf club subscriptions (yet!) so I wonder what sort of future lies ahead for me on the tiny mud island.

The Californians that I've had the pleasure of working with and forming relationships with have been extremely straight up with me. Before some corporate lunches I'm even asked to use some of my bragging rights and spice up conversations with a bit of a culture banter on Zimbabwe. It keeps clients entertained, which is good if you want them to sign on the dotted line. I don't really think people in England are this relaxed to even care for my five cents worth. It's too cheap, too colonial.

Much as I'd like to bask in my new found appreciation in the corporate scene, I believe that plenty goes by unnoticed from the 50 million invisible immigrants from south of the border. One doesn't have to look too far to see hispanics playing almost the backstage crew in keeping life's grand theatre in action: street sweepers, garbage collectors, security guards, newspaper boys, the nannies, the guy at the fast food counter, the bus boy at that restaurant...

This lady I work with even confessed to me that she'd rather leave her kids with the nanny than her own sisters. That alone speaks volumes about trust and assurance. So today, I'll also celebrate El Cinqo de Mayo because I know what it's like to work your butt off in a foreign country and receive very little appreciation.

What am I telling myself?

2006-04-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

That's a really good question. What am I telling myself?

It would be nice to decipher the inner workings of the subconcious mind and figure out it's mechanics. Maybe it would unravel the secrets of how best I can train it. I've been reading some interesting books on how winners and leaders think and I'm now training my mind to tell myself things I need to hear. It seems so spatial but I believe the mind is such a powerful thing that we sometimes don't take too seriously.

The biggest fear which I have is the Fear of I Am Not Able. It's perfectly natural to believe that most things are beyond the scope of my thinking and in reality they are. Growing up, my teachers and peers would constantly reaffirm this with the words "Get real", "That's not possible" or "You really need to get down to earth." We are also told as children to "Never talk to strangers."

That's how the world around me lives. Somehow our successes are pre-determined by our beliefs and our social interaction is confined to the people we feel comfortable communicating with. Correct me if I'm wrong. So I ask me, What am I telling myself? When I get up in the morning, what's the first things that crosses my mind? Before I go to sleep, what's the last thing that crosses my mind? How am I attacking my fears on life, the future and success?

I am an able human being with strong convictions, but when I'm in deep conversation with me, What am I telling myself?

IYADWYADYAGWYAG

2006-04-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting philosophy from one of the brokers at work:

If You Always Do What You Always Did, You Always Get What You Always Got!

Go figure.

Almost Goodbye

2006-04-15T16:09:00.001-07:00

Good Ol' Uncle Sam hasn't extended my visa yet. Ergo, I may have to return to the land of endless rain sooner that I had hoped. I've grown to love California and I'm seriously considering a life in this fine area. It's very hip and yet down to earth, very warm with a certain coolness to it and very welcoming with a certain air of over-confidence.

I work with such an amazing bunch of people who really take me seriously. It's as though my opinion counts, even though I sometimes feel like I'm a small fish in a big pond. I also like that fact that I command a certain level of interest. When I open my mouth to speak, they all assume I'm from England but I go on further and infrom them that I've only passed through the tiny island from the big dark continent. I like the fact that my stories of a very African upbringing with some level of western influence are very intriguing. Yes, we also have tapped water, electric lights and satellite TV, even the internet but we also the pleasure of living at grassroots level - experiencing new ideas and life as humble human beings.

If there's anything I've loved about my life is I've had the opportunity of living and working in three different countries on three different continents - and also visited a couple more. How many people on this planet are that lucky? I'm just blessed and I count them tiny blessings everyday. Even if my stay in this country may end abruptly, I cherish the fact that I've had a jolly good time. I'm met some interesting people from all sorts of countries. Here I am trying to figure out how I'm going to afford two weeks in Malaysia this summer because of my contacts. Wow!

From desire to reality

2006-04-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

Through some strange and powerful principle of mental chemistry, nature wraps up in the impulse of a strong desire that something which recognises no such word as impossible and accepts no such reality as failure. - Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich)

Some practical steps to transform a burning desire into reality

1. Fix in your mind an exact picture of what you desire. It's not sufficient merely to say, for example, "I want plenty of money." Be definite as to the amount.

2. Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for the thing you desire. There's no such reality as something for nothing.

3. Establish a definite date by which you intend to possess the desired thing.

4. Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you feel entirely ready or not to put this plan into action.

5. Write out a clear, concise statement of your responses to the preceding four steps.

6. Read your written statement out aloud twice daily. Once after arising in the morning and once before retiring at night. As you read, see and feel and believe yourself already in possession of whatever your goal happens to be.

SoCal

2006-04-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

This blog has had some serious neglection. I'm down in San Diego for a business convention. Somebody please pinch me. I need a reality check. All this is pretty hard to digest as I seem to have been catapulted into the clouds and it now seems like a dream. I can only be grateful.

As I recount all the steps I've taken thus far, it seems as though my journey has only begun. I'm on an amazing run. Another thing is I've had the most fascinating epiphany. After all is said and done about success and how to reach my goals and stay motivated, the motivation can run dry. Inspiration is key to everything in life. I needed a big WHY and I believe I have found mine. It's not a physical or monetary one, it's bigger than myself and larger than life. All this from talking, networking and mingling with people who have made it big. The key is simply keeping it simple and being willing to give back to a specific cause more than you can imagine. That way you'll find your WHY.

SoCal is beautiful and sunny. San Diego is a fine city. I'm staying in the Historic Gaslamp Quarter. This place is oozing with culture and vibrancy. Plenty construction is evidence of new money being splashed around at leisure for leisure. Plenty of restaurants, sidewalk cafes and bespoke coffee houses. There's a certain air of COOOOLness around. We took dinner on a yacht out in the bay. Warm, breezy, classy, so me! I discover and rediscover some of the finest spots on the planet.

I'm just happy and appreciative for the small blessings that this life has afforded me.

Missed Fortune 101

2006-03-28T15:27:00.000-08:00

Has anyone read Missed Fortune 101 by Douglas R. Andrew? [ISBN 0-446-57657-3] If not, read it! I believe that every American should be use this book a tool for success. I've read countless self-help manuals on how to retire young and comfortably but none have gone as far as give you tangible facts and build on real strategies to ensure a very secure end. Rather than being information based, it is insight based. It motivates immediate change and the best part about it is that tells you just how you can also join the seven figure club. Read it!

Phone Call, Home, Future

2006-03-23T21:17:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I spoke to my people back home. I should make an effort this weekend to connect. I miss the long phone calls that we used to have. I miss the familiar voices, I miss the friendly warm laughter. Ahh.. I'm tired today. This week has just zoomed past and it somewhat scares me. I like where I am right now, but I'm scared of the next step I'll have to take. I wonder where I'll end up.

I'm surrounded by people who are grounded in what they are doing and have mapped out lives ahead of them. I'd love to do that but my life is too complicated right now. I feel like a man of no fixed abode. Everytime I fill out a form, I second guess myself on which address would be suitable as a home address. My home away from home [back in Bulawayo] seems to have become Planet Earth. Just as with Set Theory, the complement of my birth home has become my second home.

What future lies ahead? I wish I could say. All I know is that all my struggles will pay off. One has to lick the pavement first before they decide to own it. I guess I have an idea of what lies ahead, so maybe I shouldn't even be worrying. Argh... just let me go to bed. I'm tired, famished and homesick.

confessions on the train

2006-03-22T18:05:00.000-08:00

The reason why I haven't started driving yet is because I figured I need the money more than the convenience. Besides I get to meet the real people of America. Ergo, i still take the train. I had a long lunch - one of the days - and decided to go check out eBay on North First Street.

these kids get on the train. one is wearing a shirt and tie, the other a t-shirt.

t-shirt kid: so how long have you been on probation
with tie kid: about a year [this is when my cellphone was brought out recording purposes]
t: that long!
w: yeah, i keep on getting caught violating. first i was on for six weeks, then it was extended to three months, then six, then a year, then i went to prison and when i got out then gave me a year's probation. [methinks: okay, this kid's into some crazy sheeee]
t: that's real bad man, this is first time on probation.
w: really, how old are you?
t: 19, turn 20 next month.
w: you're 19 and this your first time. man, i was 12 when i went on my first probation. [methinks: oh my goodness, he's actually bragging]
t: yeah, but i've been to prison five times [methinks: okay, we have a contest]
w: so do you still do some sh*t.
t: yeah i do but stop five days before i get tested.
w: you also get tested every weeks?
t: yeah i do.
w: you know what i do, i still do coke, weed and some other shit and the day before i get tested i drink a glass of baking soda in water.
t: does it work?
w: of course it does. what you have to do is take a good piss before you drink it. make sure you get rid of all the piss in your system, drink it and dont piss until you go in for testing.
t: and that works?
w: it works for me and i've never been caught [methinks: hang on, this is the kid who has had his probation periodically extended because he has been caught several times]
t: i should try that [methinks: you gotta be stupid]

I love this country!

Finding that Genius

2006-03-18T17:20:00.000-08:00

Is having Risk really having Control?

Take driving a car for instance. Driving the car is a risk because you could be in an accident. But the very act of driving the car shows that your have control. Control of the steering wheel, the gas pedal, the brakes and the gear shift. You also need a licence and insurance to cover you too.

So maybe having Risk is having Control.

Robert Kiyosaki talks about the Cash Flow quandrant and the need to become a Business Owner and an Investor is order to generate an unending flow of wealth. But to do this you need control of keys elements in your life:

1. Income
2. Expenses
3. Assets
4. Liabilities
5. Financial Education and Management
6. Insurance

No 5. doesn't imply that you need an Ivy League business education. You simply have to know how money works and be willing to invest. Take that risk and that risk will lead to control.

Now the key question: where do I start? I wasn't born with a silver spoon. Tiger Woods is brilliant on the golf course; Oprah Winfrey is brilliant on TV; I have to find that environment where my Genius will come out just as these people have. This can be in any field where I can do, not as I'm told, but where my Genius lies.

Life Strategies

2006-03-16T18:11:00.001-08:00

As the days pass on, I see myself become a different being - thanks to this lovely job I have. I'm always the one to think that I know it all, head up in the sky, always the first one to the post but I have learnt some key life aspects which would have passed me by if I hadn't landed here.When would I have thought of a solid financial life strategy? Yeah. I mean I've always lived from hand to mouth - one thing most zimbos are all too familiar with - but this time I'm actually asking myself valuable questions. The cool thing is that I may not be able to answer all the questions right now but I sure am working on them.

I think people in this country have so many cool privileges and advantages. The sad thing is that they don't know what's out there and how they can better their own lives by approaching life very differently. It's almost as if people are stuck in the "American Dream" illusion. Get yourself a good job, drive a nice car, start a family, get a mortgage and have some God goals. It's all good and proper but this country has changed a lot in last sixty years.The people I come across in my line of work are ordinary middle class Americans in search for a better life for their kids and their children's chilren. They work normal jobs, live in the suburbia and drop their kids off at soccer practice or something. The shocking thing howver is that at least 80% of them are only three months from bankruptcy. If they had to get laid off next week, their lovely lifestyles would be up in smoke because of the very illusion of the "American Dream." What's worse is that most of the people born between 1945 and 1965 are either going to retire destitute or work until they are 75 years old at a check out point. Money isn't everything but it sure gets you by.

Good life strategies begin at the personal level. One has to switch off to the rest of the world and be selfish. Ask yourself what do I want? Then move on and ask about what my family wants. Note: I am saying want and not need. We all have needs but once we have figured out our wants, our needs will be covered. [I'm not on about silly wants!] One must never say I can never afford something. Rather say, how can I afford it? [I heard that from Robert Kiyosaki on PBS]

As for me, what do I want? I want financial independence. By that I mean more money coming in than going out, without me having to go to work. Sounds cool, huh! Why? If I never have to work and get paid for it, I can devote my entire life to my family and their needs and wants. But how am I going to do it? By creating a personal financial life strategy. Even if it begins with a penny, it's a start. I want to align myself with products that outpace inflation and reduce taxation. That's how the wealthy operate. Most of America unfortunately doesn't operate this way, and yet they have all these privileges going to waste. I would like people to realise that there's more to just the American Dream which this world yearns for. Dreaming's a fantastic thing. You've just got to have the right dreams.

You've got mail!

2006-03-06T14:47:00.000-08:00

I realised this morning just how impersonal the mail I receive from the postman has become. Ergo, I have decided to lobby for postcards from all over the world. Let's see if this works.

Kindly send to me a whacky postcard from wherever you are reading this. A stamp and a card hardly costs more than a bottle of Sprite. So go on, be nice. My address:

2285 Royaltree Circle
San Jose
California 95131
United States of America.

Thanks for being kind!

Self Belief

2006-02-27T17:18:00.000-08:00

Argh, work work work. I've had one of those days which has left me irritated and agitated, Hence, I shall try pick up my spirits with this entry.

The Law of Belief says that whatever you truly believe, with feeling, becomes your reality. Beliefs act as a set of fliters that screen out information that is inconsisent with them. All one needs to do is to see what you already believe without having to believe what you see. It is necessary to refrain from judging situations in our lives until we have enough information to make informed decisions. Most importantly, we must refrain from prejudging ourselves and our possibilities.

Well, for me, no-one is better than me and no-one is smarter than me. If other people are doing better, it is largely because they have developed their natural talents and abilities more than I have. Hence, I need to continually free my mind from doubt and fear and imagine I have no limitations. I need to challenge the self limiting beliefs that are holding me back. This way I will not perform below my potential.

Memento vivere

2006-02-19T13:10:00.000-08:00

I made some contact with old but close family in Atlanta, GA last night. It was a pleasure to hear crazy stories from middle aged Ndebele relatives. One of the drawbacks of being here in San Jose is that I don't know any sub-saharans. No-one to share the ambiguities and idiosyncrasies that are thrown at me everyday. Life in this part of the world is different and those very disparities only add to our longing for a speedy home coming. Today is one of those days in which I find myself dreadfully homesick and have no-one in my 20 mile radius to ramble on about our past lives.

From the nondescript clanging of ice-cream man's bell as he cycled down the street in his red and white livery and you chasing after him, bare feet and all, armed with fifty cent coins and a beaming face, to seeing how far your stone skim would across Maleme Dam, to running around in the blinding sun during winter, to winning the Grade 1's 60 metre dash and showing off your red ribbon to the entire infant school for a week, to days when Wimpy (8th Ave opp Edgars) was a special treat topped with mouth watering Banana Boat, to happily chatting to maid while she did the aftertoon's ironing, to helping your gogo decide which chicken to have for supper, to thanking your gogo for her 20 cent gift after a week in the makhayas, to trying out green blazers four times your size at Haddon & Sly with the hope of growing into one of them, to realising how naive you were to think that high school was a form of heaven, to learning how to own up to one's faults - the hard way, to losing all that innocence in adolescence.... The rest, well, we'll just leave it at that.

I may find myself in some crazy country but it's hard to drift away from my beautiful and idyllic past. Describing my personal African experience is something I enjoy doing with people I encounter here. It is very different to images the rest of the world sees on the evening news. Someone asked me the other day just how it can be that privileges in our society could be divided by a thin and very austere line. Looking back, I realise just how hard my parents worked to afford us better lives than they had. It didn't come cheap and the pendulum could have swung either way.

But then again, the feathers of our Zimbabwe Bird have been ruffled and it somehow feels like a paradise lost, a distant memory. Maybe Shakespeare could concur that all our yesterdays may have lighted fools. One thing I will always be is a dreamer. See this entry. I'm the eternal optimist. An aficionado of the good things that life has to offer, never forgetting to remember to live. Memento vivere.

foot soldier

2006-02-15T18:39:00.000-08:00

I realised today that I'm being trained for the frontline. The volume of work that I'm getting now has more than doubled and I find myself sanctioned to hard labour. I can't complain. Figuring out insurance codes and interpreting strict California laws only adds to my pleasure. Where else would I be getting such stellar treatment?

I am a foot soldier being trained for battle. For reasons unknown to me, there's widespread belief in the confines of my work place that I am capable of closing anything - I just have to open my mouth and stay smooth. Oooh Boy! I really wasn't expecting to be thrown into the deep end. I now have to put my powers of persuasion to good use. I have been fore-warned and my armour has been ordered from the NASD so that I am regulated by the SEC. I am being transitioned into a life of acronyms and legal jargon. I have bit the bullet and I am training hard. I will fight for God and country - and maybe a fat wallet for me too. The chopper hovering above whispers dealer of securities. I hope they cover me, for this battle is going to be a hard fought one. And I shall prevail. Just wait and see.

[you know the funny part. four weeks ago i was broke, jobless and clueless]

car ridden

2006-02-14T17:58:00.000-08:00

really don't know which offer to accept.

I was chatting with one of my superiors at work about life, my travels and my very bright future the other day. It's always a pleasant conversation - I'm only trying to blend in. She on the hand gave mesome inside information - basically what they say about me in my absence. Apperently, I have set a different mood at the office.

Me according to them: I'm quirky and charming and have an extremely good sense of humour. I ask all the right questions and get the assignments done. I don't make excuses and I'm at the office on time everytime. Hmmm! Then she asks, are all people from Zimbabwe like me? I really don't mean to be big headed, I'm just that kind of guy.

Well, honestly, the only reason why I'm so nice to everyone is because I'm looking for friends. Quirky... I don't think so, maybe geeky. Sense of humour... well, you all laugh at my jokes because you've never heard them. About the "mood", maybe I should burn more CDs with SouthAfrican House Music (yebo yes, there's a house CD in the kitchenette). And the only reason why I'm always at the office on time is because I lead such a sad life and go to bed at 8pm!

As if that was enough, she went on to mass-email the office, requesting if anyone had a "spare car" to lend me while I was in America (we had figured that I'm the only one at the office whocatches the train - apart from the cleaning ladies). I didn't think much or it until this morning. As I walked in this morning, unplugging Brenda Fassie's music from my ears, one senior associate stops me and asks, Do you know how to drive a stick? Do I know??? I practically grew up on a stick (in the sticks!!) An hour later, two more cars popped up. I now have three cars (and counting) to choose from. The only sore point in accepting one car is that I have to turn down allthe other offers. I hope this doesn't give me a bad name

Taco Guy

2006-02-04T15:18:00.000-08:00

Oooh Boy. I've just got back from an event at work. They've just expanded to office space and they had a small Saturday do which included food. Me being me didn't bother with breakfast and so by the time noon came I was starving. Forget the corporate hogwash, I just want the food. There I was in front of the Taco guy feasting away shamelessly. My excuse: It's the first time I've ever had Tacos. They fell for it.

I now find myself the king of a porcelain crown with fits of agony as my crowning glory. Thanks Taco Guy.

I'm contemplating going anonymous on this blog now that I work for a proper company. I'm afraid I might right something which could give me the sack. I was reading The NY Times and some guy was fired because of his blog. Is that really fair? Who really cares if I'm airing my views out to the whole wide web. So much for free speech in a free country. Actually while I'm on the subject, I must confess that I have another blog - yes yes yes - which has been running anonymously for some time and I'm thinking of making myself known it because it has taken off so well. Ah well, questions questions questions, very little answers.

What am I doing indoor? The Californian sun beckons. Ciao.

Amazing Feat

2006-01-28T14:29:00.000-08:00

This really shouldn't shock many Zimbabweans. Geeky me [yes I admit I am a geek!] was browsing through the Guiness World Records website [for fun - I am boring] and I stumbled onto a record set by our beloved country.

It goes, "The country with the world's highest rate of inflation is Zimbabwe with 385% in 2003, where consumer prices increased by five times!" Check it out it here.

I'm also proud to say that we broke it in 2004 and in 2005. Something to brag about.

Is Steve reading this?

2006-01-26T17:06:00.000-08:00

I find it almost impressive that I find myself in this specific part of the planet. I first read of Silicon Valley in Bill Gates' book The Road Ahead when I was still in rag tag Zim. Back then it seems like some far off distant land and now, I find myself in its capital. It really is hard to fathom that my commuter light rail train goes past Cisco and eBay. Sorry, I may sound a bit silly but for the kid who grew up making mud pies during holidays in rural Kezi, this is huge!

On the other hand, I must be the only kid in the valley without a computer. If Steve Jobs is reading this (or if you know him), can you donate to a technologically starved african? I know you no longer make $1 a year and you could spare just one iBook. It will not do your wallet any harm. Go on, Steve, you can do it.

I'm renting a room from a very decent family, much unlike the weirdos I encountered during my quest. They are very easy going and we actually went out for a meal together last night. It was very enjoyable.

Work's very interesting. There's a lot to take in but, as my uncle says, it's called a job. I like to idea of being part of some tangible group working with real life issues. I've picked up on two very interesting financial ideas which I will implement as soon as I start earning some real dollar.

Moving is never easy

2006-01-23T21:10:00.000-08:00

As I come to terms with the fact that I will be abandoning a beautiful modern home with central air, own bathroom, cable TV in my room, big screen TV downstairs, high speed internet, pantry at my disposal, fridge to raid and a car parked in the garage, my quest for a room to board has ended. Suddenly I feel like I’ve been brought down to size and will have to put up with sharing bathrooms and kitchens with strangers. I mention these two as in any house; they are the two rooms I am really particular about. Who really wants to catch a dump in a dreadful toilet and who would want to eat food from a dirty counter?

My quest has been somewhat eventful. I came across some really weird people.

1. The lonely girl
Miss bizarre interviewed me over the phone to be a roommate of hers. She wanted me to massage her 3 times a week, walk in my underwear when I got home from work every night. Accompany her shopping and bar hopping twice a month among other things all for a mere $200 reduction in the rent.

2. The lonely guy
I really ought to introduce him to Miss bizarre. Basically, he wants somebody, male or female, to his friend for only $20 a month. That’s it. He will cover al expenses, i.e. food, transport, shopping trips. This would include weekend holiday breaks, hiking trips and skiing. But you have to sleep in the same room - same bed!

3. bi-sexual naturist
A bi advertising exec with a huge house who is renting out a room for a fraction of the cost. One must be open minded and expect him to walk around in the nude, especially when he is on his way to the hot-tub across the front room. This is entertainment for your guests when they come over.

4. Vegan with body odor
She wants you to cook food that is on a specified list. It must not be processed, be fresh but not picked. Plants and fruits have feelings - they radiate energy - and hence must die a natural death. You must also use all things natural. No fragrances, no soap, no shampoo, no cleaning agents, no TV. Basically, just crawl into her cave and simply exist.

5. Swinging in the family
This sister and brother duo have a pleasant family house in the valley. They have eight dogs, an aviary and a couple of cats. She’s in her 50's and he's in his 40's but he's "a bit slow" and weighs 280 pounds. Now read this carefully. They don’t really work. They run a family business. Every Friday and Saturday night they have adult entertainment parties for couples. Couples only, no singletons. At precisely 9pm, the curtains and blinds are shut, the front door is locked and the telephone is unplugged. He puts on the porn video, while she dishes of the condoms. Once everyone gets in the mood, coitus follows before they switch partners and end up with big happy orgy. no to worry about the mess, while everyone's at play, she runs around armed with bleach spray and sponge disinfecting everything, including the door knobs (just in case they have a virus!). They make a thousand bucks a months easy!

Silicon Goal

2006-01-19T09:56:00.000-08:00

I now have found a job - a pretty cool internship. I'll be working for a Fortune 500 securities company in San Jose on some sort of rotational program. I'll deal with anything from equities, persnal finance, corporate finance, managing portfolios, meeting with clients. Suddenly I feel as though this will an interesting experience, considering the fact that it's also in the heart of Silicon Valley.

I attended a corporate review evening at their offices on Tuesday evening with about 50 other applicants. They are basically looking for about 20 associates. Their presentations were above par and I decided (to myself) that I wanted whatever gave them the passion and energy. One of the recruiters (this middle aged lovely lady) got my resume online and invited at pretty short notice. Afterwards, I hung around chatting to one of the associates, and ended up being invited into their follow-up associate meeting with the other employees. A bit more chatting ended up getting me an instant interview which led to an instant hiring on the spot. I'm still a bit perplexed with just how quick it happened.

Here I am, desperately searching for a short term room in San Jose. I'm sure you all know just how dear that area is. Then again, there's an excuse for being dear - everyone there is loaded, so I may as well join them.

Pondering

2006-01-17T09:10:00.000-08:00

The prospect of me going to Grad School in this country grows by the day. I have fallen in love with the whole system in this country and the opportunities that the schools offer. There are so many schools to choose from but me being me is being a bit too selective.

Under the guidance of my professor uncle, I went to Stanford last Friday. It was yet another fine accomplishment. Meeting people who work in the specific department that I may join one day is an interesting exercise which also makes the goal attainable.

All I ever knew of Stanford was that it was some pretty posh research institution where a president's daughter might go. I, on the other hand, had a rather different experience. Very down to earth types, solid academia and a campus to woo any potential student. I found myself gaping at the William Gates Computer Center before reclining in the library under The New York Times. I had a sense of belonging.

And so I ponder, is it going to be Caltech, UCLA, Stanford or Maryland?

Gold Standard

2006-01-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

So here I am, finally perched in front of a computer, blogging away after the crazy CRAZY holidays. Where should I begin?

Christmas Eve: Party at this beautiful home in Los Lagos, an exclusive gated estate which boasts Eddie Murphy as one of the residents. I couldn’t get over the green moss on the rocks at the top on this hill in the back garden. Add flavour to the whole item, was the eight foot waterfall into the hot tub at the other end. Beautiful home! What I can’t get over is the door leading outside from the master suite.

Christmas Day: Spent mostly hopping from house to house eating other people’s food. Why bother cooking when you can eat elsewhere?

Then a couple of days after that my uncle and I drove down to Los Angeles. Interstate 5 Highway is the most boring stretch of road ever. It passes through a desert which makes very interesting driving down a very straight road. It got a very interesting as we approached LA with all its valleys and mountains.

That week: Catalina Island was pleasant. Lots of old people though but the weather was good and so was the boat ride there and back. Universal Studios – I did the whole thing. Even went down Wysteria Lane! I had lots of surreal moments.

And the rest: well, with help of Dr Dube, I compiled my Statement of Intent for my grad school applications and emailed it to the universities in LA. I ended up spending valuable time at Caltech and UCLA. They do the most amazing collaborative graduate program on experimental asset pricing. Add to that, UCLA has the best labs in their Economics Department in the world. You can’t beat that. I’ll probably end up there. I’m pretty confident that I’ll get my PhD from UCLA. That would be my gold standard. I’ll still got some schools to look at before I go back to England: Stanford, Berkley, MIT, Chicago and Columbia. I’m really going for broke here.

Now that I’m up to speed, I shall keep you posted on further development.

California

2005-12-18T11:09:00.000-08:00

So, I didn't really go to sleep on Friday night. It's not that I was anxious about missing my coach to the airport and consequently missing my flight. No. It's just that we had a fair amount to drink and sleeping was not an option.

I had a good final night in Indiana. Tap had bought me some french brandy which quickly warmed up my spirits (excuse the pun). We drank, we talked, we laughed at the episodes we had. Did we have plenty of those? After that, we had one last time at the Coney where I met these two girls from Zim who went to Arundel! My connection with that school goes back to the 90's. They were so cool and party animals.

I had to do Funky's house just one last time. We were all in the living room sat around drinks and a guitar. We must have gone from Jim Beam to Jack Daniels to John Denver. I passed on the other substitutes on offer. I just can't get over that night because only then did I realise that I was in fact leaving these people. When that moment hit me, the story of my life ran past one more time. Always bidding farewell to some people to meet more at my new destination.

I'm staying with my good uncle Dr Dube in his beautiful Sacramento home. My cousin Sabs (whom I have little childhood memory of at all) is picking me up to go galavanting around the city. What lies ahead will soon follow. Will keep you posted.

Terminating Effects

2005-12-13T12:50:00.000-08:00

Academia has a strange way of having a two aspects of "the terminating effect". It's either you have a huge "eureka" moment with a magnificent fireworks display or a damp squib which fizzles away into oblivion and abhorrence never to be seen again. Who am I kidding? In this life, it will creep up on my again when I least expect it. Hence I must mentally prepare myself for this learning journey will have its plethora of surprises. As I wind up my semester with a final week of judgement, I ask myself: did I really learn anything here? After all, what does a rag tag town rural outpost in the Pennsylvania (of all states!) have to offer me? A great, I've come to realise, actually.

I've had a completely different experience. I suppose being confined to the enveloped college setting and not the vast metropolis I was so used to, helped me develop some perspectives of this beautiful life. I've seriously had a chance to meet people, something of which I had a hard time doing in Bristol. And they've all come in various shapes and sizes from all sorts of weird and wonderful places. I could name at least half a dozen countries I feel inspired to visit because of their altruistic ambassadors. My residence hall t-shirt aptly sums this attitude with the words,"Esch Hall: People come from all over the world to sleep with us!" And they sure do but please don't take it too literally!

One regret I have however has not being able to actually meet any black people from this country. I not only speak for myself but for a whole load of other black Africans who find themselves in my predicament. I really don't know if there is some perception of superiority on either end of the scale. But then again, I have tried very hard to intergrate myself into this close community and have received nothing more than a cold shoulder. Getting a simple salutation could be like drawing blood out of a stone. I found it really embrassing and will not shut up and pretend it didn't happen. Because it did. I really don't know if it is the way I speak, dress or conduct myself socially with this diverse world around me. I really don't want to point any fingers and so I won't. I still have more of this country, beyond PA, to discover. I will board my jet plane on Saturday, bound westward for the Golden State.

barely alive

2005-12-12T15:17:00.000-08:00

i'm still alive. barely. but i promise to get back to normal after my exams are over!!

Tips for Term Papers

2005-12-05T17:28:00.000-08:00

As my term comes swiftly to an end, I have decided to share with you (especially all those studious friends out there) a technique which I have developed to help tackle my term papers.

1. Sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a well lighted place with plenty of freshly sharpened pencils.

2. Read over the assignment carefully, to make certain you understand it.

3. Walk down to the vending machines and buy some coffee to help you concentrate.

4. Stop off at the third floor on the way back and visit with your friend from class. If your friend also hasn't started the paper yet, you can both walk to McDonald's and buy a hamburger to help you concentrate. If your friend shows you his paper, typed, double-spaced, and bound in one of those irritating see-thru plastic folders, drop him.

5. When you get back to your room, sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a clean, well lighted place with plenty of freshly sharpened pencils.

6. Read over the assignment again to make absolutely certain you understand it.

7. You remember that you owe that old friend from high school who’s now in Australia a phone call. So you decide to call him now and get it out of the way so you can concentrate.

8. Go look at your teeth in the bathroom mirror.

9. Listen (and sing along) to your favorite Coldplay CD and that's it, I mean it, as soon as it's over you are going to start that paper.

10. Listen to it again!

11. Rearrange all of your CDs into alphabetical order.

12. Phone your friend on the third floor and ask if he's started writing yet. Exchange derogatory remarks about your professor, the course, the university, the world at large.

13. Sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a clean, well lighted place with plenty of freshly sharpened pencils.

14. Read over the assignment again; roll the words across your tongue.

15. Check the newspaper listings to make sure you aren't missing something truly worthwhile on TV. NOTE: When you have a paper due in less than 12 hours, anything on TV from Masterpiece Theater to Monty Python is truly worthwhile.

16. Catch the last forty five minutes of Monty Python and the Holy Grail on channel 52.

17. Phone your friend on the third floor to see if he was watching. Discuss the finer points.

18. Go through your entire blog and add a new entry.

19. Look through your roommate's book of pictures from home. Ask who everyone is.

20. Sit down and do some serious thinking about your plans for the future.

21. Read through your entire blog and check for any silly mistakes.

22. Sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a clean, well lighted place with plenty of freshly sharpened pencils.

23. Read over the assignment one more time, just for the hell of it.

24. Scoot your chair across the room to the window and watch the sunrise.

25. Lie face down on the floor and moan.

26. Leap up, realize that you have just two hours to deadline and write the paper. After all, you work best under pressure.

I've had such a boring week and got this from some silly website. Hope you enjoyed it. I must get some work done now. I have a term paper due tomorrow.

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes

2005-12-01T09:34:00.000-08:00

I've just come back from the Oak Grove where I was part of a red human ribbon to observe World AIDS Day. The ribbon was veiwed here. It was a very sober moment for me coming from a country with one of the highest infection rates in the world. Moreso, I've lost close friends and relatives and it was good to reflect and shed a couple of tears in their memory. It also gave me an opportunity to ask myself, "What am I really doing in my life about HIV and AIDS?"

We sang that wonderful song from the musical "Rent", Seasons of Love. It was a really beautiful chorus. Lyrics were very appropriate and so I'll include them for you to read and reflect.

Seasons of Love - RENT

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Moments So Dear
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure - Measure A Year?

In Daylights - In Sunsets - In Midnights -
In Cups Of Coffee - In Inches - In Miles In Laughter - In Strife
In - Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure A Year In The Life

How About Love?
Measure In Love
Seasons Of Love Seasons Of Love

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Journeys To Plan
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure The Life Of A Woman Or A Man?

In Truths That She Learned Or In Times That He Cried
In Bridges He Burned Or The Way That She Died
It's Time Now - To Sing Out Tho' The Story Never Ends
Let's Celebrate Remember A Year In The Life Of Friends

Remember The Love
Measure In Love
Measure, Measure Your Life In Love
Seasons Of Love

About Thankgiving

2005-11-27T22:19:00.000-08:00

I’m recovering from my five day bonding session I’ve just got back from. It was spent in the suburbia of the capital of this beautiful country. I was completely submerged in it that it reminded of the pleasures of being a metropole. What really made my weekend actually were the three gentlemen I spent it with: M, T and E. Thanksgiving in America is huge. We decided to make it huge for ourselves and it worked superbly. It was the typical guy stuff: you know, gossip about girls, plough our way through shopping mall after mall, exchange tips on what looks good on who and eat out at the finest restaurants. Yeah, typical!

M stays with his uncle and aunt (the Ndlovus) in Gaithersburg, MD and they were really kind hosts. We were treated to proper Zimbabwean food: isitshwala (sadza for some), oxtail, tsunga (stewed green veggies), wild delele (similar to okra when cooked) and many others. Food we took from granted back home is now a delicacy. How sad? We also sampled food from all sorts of countries too when we ate out: Brazilian buffet with meat to die for, proper Mexican burritos, Thai seafood and an Indian buffet. I’m sure I’ve put on at least five pounds and I’m not complaining. I am a stick insect after all.

On Saturday we enticed ourselves at this exclusive mall called Tysons Galleria in Virginia. As the name suggests, we just saw it as an art gallery. We even took pictures. Why? It’s not often that one goes to a high end mall with marble floors that offers valet parking and a concierge service should you need assistance in enhancing your shopping experience. Or rather, how often do you get shops like Versace Jeans Couture, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Thomas Pink, Ralph Lauren to name a few under one roof? The place and its patrons were just oozing with money; we felt so out of place with plenty bursts of exclamation and momentarily passing out at the $3000 tie. I’m sorry for sounding really S.R.B.* The Versace joint had no price tags!! Why bother? The shop assistant also asked, “Do you have any questions?” like it was a gallery of some sort. Most shops ask “Can I help?” or “What would you like?” or “Is there anything you would like?” However, me being me managed to talk my way into a hand massage at Neiman Marcus (which had this lovely $6000 coat I'd buy any day) from this lovely lady. I did the whole sit on the white stool thing and be pampered while engaging myself in small talk with a smart gentleman in a CHAPS sports jacket next to me as she rubbed this $200 cream on my hands. I chose not to buy it for obvious reasons. Come to think of it now the thing I spent was the penny I spent in the restroom. Was very generous too. After all, I had to see what the bathrooms looked like! (There goes the S.R.B* again!!)

That night we headed to the bright lights of Georgetown. We ended up at this place called Mein Yu. It was very eclectic with the almost perfect feng shui. House music added some sort of harmony to the ambience and I enjoyed it. Steep prices on their drinks though. Now I’m back in PA. I’ve got a pile of books staring at me but I don’t really care. I had a good break with time well spent with some good friends coupled with some good photographs. What more could I ask for?

*S.R.B. (pronounced esi ara bee) – acronym for Strong Rural Background. A derogatory term used in Zimbabwe to describe socially challenged individuals.

Running on batteries

2005-11-20T20:20:00.000-08:00

We carry on here, in some sort of existence somewhere in Pennsylvania. It’s frightening to think that I’ve got one more month left here and I’m gone. Just as I was beginning to gel into this unique way of life thrown at me here, I’ll have to say more good-byes. I think that really is the story of my life over the past three or so years – constantly bidding farewell to new faces only to greet some fresh ones at the other end. I’m spending Christmas in California and thereafter it’s pretty impromptu.

I really do wish I had funny stories to share but I don’t. This week has flown past and I haven’t been able to keep tabs of anything particularly juicy. I know of people who are dying to read my latest installment and so I guess I’ll say something.

My visit to the Social Security on Friday was probably the biggest non-event. I tried to go there once before and ended up giving up in disgust (see this entry). This time around I found the bus stop and enjoyed a 40 minute bus tour of the eastern side of town. Anyway, I eventually got to the office I took my ticket at the door to join the queue. Only two people were there anyway and so I had high hopes of spending as little time there as possible. Who likes hanging about government offices anyway? They’ve got this common weird smell – paper or machine or something! A frail looking man came in a couple of minutes after me. Poor bloke wasn’t looking too well with white electronic box strapped around his waist. I got his queue ticket for him and he sat next me. Nosy me tried to squint really hard to figure out that “white box” but failed dismally.

Then we waited. After that we waited. I think there was one lady attending some other pensioner. Then we waited again. After that we waited again. Hmmm. Oh, there’s another one but what is she doing? Can’t she see us? Then the old bloke with the “box” next to me yelps out with the frailest voice, “How long is the wait here? My heart’s running on batteries and I can’t wait any longer!” At that point I thought, OK, we don’t want a situation here. Would somebody else please get on the bloody counter? I don’t think the Duracell batteries in my disc man would have helped either. Shame, I really did feel the guy’s pain and he didn’t look like he was fit to be outdoors. Hmmm. So that’s what that box is doing – supplying energy to his heart. The wonders of modern medicine. African boy like me has never seen such (outside a TV screen).

All of a sudden three more ladies pop out from some back office and we’ve got service. More wonders of modern medicine! Without that little white box we’d still be stuck in the queue. Way to go old guy. However, after all that it turned out that the university had made me fill out the wrong form and there was nothing they could do to help me. I hate forms, red tape and all the inconvenience they cause. I have to go back there again on Monday or Tuesday!! Mercy please! I’m tempted to strap a white box to my waist and pull the battery trick if they take forever to serve me. Then again at my age, I don’t think I’ll be convincing.

An Ordinary Man

2005-11-14T18:32:00.000-08:00

I remember watching the movie Hotel Rwanda in this rather new cinema at Rosebank Mall in Sandton, Johannesburg this past August. It was gut-wrenching stuff and I don’t think they were many dry eyes there. For goodness, I was watching it in South Africa! Well this evening I attended a lecture by Paul Rusasebagina (the guy played by Don Cheadle in the movie) on “The Lessons Yet to be Learned” from the Rwandan genocide 11 years ago. He had this wonderful air of charm and charisma about him. His descriptions were chilling and he spoke with such detail as if it had happened yesterday. Not much has been done to remedy the injustices that occurred at that time. However his good work continues and has set up a foundation.

There’s a part of me which still makes me wonder why we, as people, simply stand and watch when such madness is going on. One aspect which the movie portrayed was that simple fact that we watch the evening news and then go, “Oh, how sad!” and then go on with our lives worrying about how thick we want the slices on our bread to be when some go without a single slice. I know I’m guilty. Even with the current political mayhem in Zimbabwe, I sometimes just turn a blind eye and imagine it’s not happening. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t be gallivanting in all sorts of weird and wonderful places if Zim wasn’t such a bad place to be.

His book, “An Ordinary Man” will be published next April. By my taking, this is no ordinary man but the title suggests that ordinary you and I have the ability to have some influence on this world. You can order it online from here. If you haven’t seen the movie, go to local video store and rent one. In fact even better, buy one or worse, steal one. Trust me, spending a day in the slammers or a slight criminal record will be well worth it!

On Constitution Ave

2005-11-12T16:59:00.000-08:00

We had an Economics Research Day yesterday here. I attended part of it in between classes to listen to a number of paper being presented – mostly by undergraduate students. The guest speaker is the most obnoxious character I’ve ever come across. He was completely full of himself – the sort that’s in your face. He’s an alumnus and is now a top researcher for a big pharmaceutical company and had some interesting ideas on optimization of sales forces in their line work. But I couldn’t stand the way the guy went on about just how important he was to this company, the fact that he’s in the top one percentile of researchers in his field, his line of work is so superior that my professors wouldn’t dream of doing what he does, blah blah blah! Okay, we know you’re smart, just give us the facts and cut the crap.

Funny enough, I happened to spend a day in Washington DC and met some really smart individuals. One presentation was by a former M.I.T. chemical engineer who (with others of course) had developed a way of converting carbon dioxide waste to bio-fuel with the help of algae. Yep, the green scum that lurks in your fishpond manufacturing bio-diesel. A very approachable and reserved demeanor, unlike our economist friend.

We also had a mini-adventure in DC. A fellow student drove our van down there which gave us some degree of independence as to what we did and where we went. At about 3pm we were a bit tired of seeing a bunch of middle-aged men congratulate themselves and hence we took off to discover a bit of the city. We weren’t sure if we could just ‘borrow’ the van for leisure purposes (no-one dared asked our professor either) but all those monuments were just begging to be explored. We parked our van opposite the Washington Memorial on Constitution Ave and went walkabouts. Took loads of been-there-done-that photos on everything that screamed history or America. All was well until the Lincoln Memorial. My geeky self was exploring this book store and they all just left me there. I really wasn’t in the mood of looking for people and it was getting a bit late and I decided to go back to our parked van. This is when things go a bit interesting.

I’m walking along Constitution Ave without a care in the world, beaming because of my day’s accomplishments. As I approach the van, I see it moving – backwards – and there’s no-one inside. (Very big HANG ON moment) Then I see orange flashing lights – Ooooh no, we’re being towed. I glance at the parking signs and they do state in big bold lettering that you can park up to 4pm. It’s already 4.35. Obviously that didn’t matter when we parked. So there I was, in a pin stripe suit, running after some tow truck to rescue our only means of getting anywhere. How on earth were we going to explain being towed in the middle of DC?

Thankfully the tow guy just planted the van on the sidewalk, like all the other cars I had dodged when I was running after him, slapped us a $100 fine and left me looking ever so suspicious. When my eight partners in crime returned, it was all fits of laughter but it was worth it. By the time we got back to the conference, the President’s (that’s not George Bush) reception had started in foyer and so we quietly slipped in and continued small talk as if nothing had happened. A lovely dinner afterwards, followed by a speech by some Republican Congressman (Chris Cannon). I still wonder if Dr Ali found out. Besides, who cares?

Lost in Translation

2005-11-10T23:58:00.000-08:00

It's really late and I should be in bed but I'd better log this in now before the thought leaves my head. I've just returned from a productive trip to Washington DC. I'll mention details of that later when I'm coherent. However, whilst in DC, this one guy who goes to my college were talking about different language structures. He's an American who spent three years in Japan and tried to learn language. He was impressed with my own home language - isiNdebele - with its "click" sounds (see this Pronunciation Guide). We, who speak it, don't see this fascination at all. Anyway, he asked me what my first language was. I really don't know. As I write this, my brain is thinking in English. But, there are times, especially when I'm frusfrated that I instinctively say things in isiNdebele without actually having to think about it. I find this a unique marvel as we (people from the developing world) have, I believe, an intellectual upper hand than most people in this country. Not many Americans can switch between languages without having to think about it. I'm sorry but I find this fascinating. Maybe I should ditch the mathematics and take on study on language and the mind. It's 3am. What am I doing?

About Dreams

2005-11-08T15:51:00.000-08:00

I see myself as a dreamer partly because I’ve had some of my dreams come true but mainly because I’m the eternal optimist. It has a lot to do with where I was brought I and what sort of education I got. I wouldn’t call it an education because at the time I saw it as a way of life – a lifestyle in which my true being was growing and ultimately turning out the person I call ME. My parents, the greatest fantasists, love the world of dreams and would always encourage me to dream beyond my wildest dreams. They still do. It creates a sense of hope, a clear vision of what tomorrow can be and we all need it.

I’m a dreamer. I dream of places, I dream of sights, I dream of sounds and I dream of people. In my little insignificant journey of life, I hope to inspire others to dream. I’m no sage but just another guy with a tomorrow to look forward to. Go on, dream on!

Why I hate homework.

2005-11-05T16:01:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who has emailed their comments to me. My mother enjoys my entries (that’s if she gets a connection from Zim). I wish I could update it more frequently but being in the middle of nowhere, not much drama happens. Well, actually, sometimes things do happen which can be newsworthy, but it’s usually bad news which I don’t like sharing. I’m sure you all get your fair share of that sort on the evening news.

Somebody up there did close the freezer (yes Siphiwo! – she knows what I’m on about) and the weather this week has been splendid. My body must be confused right now. In three weeks, we’ve gone from blistering heat, to torrential rain, to snow storm, to lovely cool autumn breeze. Maybe, that’s the reason I can’t get much sleep these days. Anyway, I had a pleasant day today and spent some of it taking pictures on this beautiful campus. It’s littered with oak trees and they turn into all sorts of bright cheerful colors. Take a quick look at the Oak Grove. Back in Zim, we only had the ‘hot’ season and the ‘cold’ season – the in between bits were confused! And England was worse. It rained pretty much the entire year that there was really not much difference between January and July. I remember friends of mine having a barbeque (braai for us, I mean!) in the summer while it rained in Bristol. Their excuse for not calling it off was because it was ‘summer rain.’ I believe the UK must be the only country which can tell the difference between summer rain, autumn rain, spring rain and winter rain. To the rest of us, it’s just rain!

School’s good. I thought I’d mention as my parents 10 000 miles away could be reading this. I must maintain that ‘image.’ I had a draft research paper for my Econometrics class to hand in on Thursday. I think I had six hours sleep in a 48 hour timeframe. I love being a student. I get to brag about insomniac habits. I now have homework up to my eye-brows before Monday. Homework – one word I detest about this country’s college education system. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the work but dislike the tag. Why can’t they call it assignment, task, maybe exercises, project or something a bit more politically correct? If my memory serves me right, my last piece of assigned homework was in primary school – the sort my parents had to sign to make sure I’d done it. By high school, we called it ‘prep’ which was a bit cool. Then in Sixth Form, we dropped that label and had ‘assignments’ as we were now students not pupils. Now in university, professors dish out homework like Big Macs at McD’s. The circle has been completed and I’m back where I started.

It’s a lovely Saturday evening and I shall try to resist the powers that be not to stick a pistol to head to my head and carry me to the bars tonight. After all, those powers are invisible.

Even squirrels fall off trees.

2005-10-30T18:05:00.000-08:00

I had my first real introduction to the craziness of an American Halloween. The mayhem began on Friday with an invitation to a number of “haunted” houses on campus. I ended up figuring my way through a dark maze, intricately assembled to resemble something out of the Japanese movie “Ringu”. The Japanese Student Association had set the whole thing up. It was well orchestrated and I managed to answer the ringing phone. It was all in good humor.

Almost immediately afterwards I rushed to the cozy Studio Theater for a small production of an adaptation of Chekhov’s “The Bear”. To be honest, the term adaptation doesn’t cut just how different the whole concept was. For starters, the show actually started as the audience was filtering in which created a bit of a stir. The entire performance was fairly avante garde theater with excellent direction by a Croatian student. It stirred a lot of roller coaster emotion, between laughter and pain, sorrow and joy! So excellent it was that I saw the Saturday performance for good measure. That’s another thumbs up for the Arts in this university.

The rest of the weekend was wild beyond compare. I had no idea that Halloween was so serious in this country. This one girl on my floor (bless her!) was panicking because she hadn’t been able to find a suitable costume. Give me a break! My boring old self stuck my usual unfashionable dress sense. However I did come across some comical characters: my roommate Dikesh and friend Ronnie, the naughty priest and his saucy pregnant nun (funny as words); Winnie the Pooh and Tigger who could barely walk in a straight line (whatever honey they were on I want some); Long John (he’s about seven feet and long as his name suggests) as Britney Spears (hit me baby one more time!) and there was Sylvia, the dignified Frida Kahlo.

Then, today as if I’d woken up from a really bad dream, I was greeted by sunny skies and a cool atmosphere. I soaked up what I could at The Oak Grove before walking for an oriental bite on the strip with Harayz and Sylvia. Poor Syl almost stepped on this dead squirrel on the sidewalk under a tree. We were a bit puzzled just how a creature at home on a tree would fall to its demise. Harayz, oozing with wisdom, summed it up and said there’s a Malaysian saying which goes “Even squirrels fall off trees!” Yeah, go figure!

A bit of tweaking

2005-10-27T23:44:00.000-07:00

I did the blogaholic thing today and spent six hours redesigning my blog! I hope you like it - not the dull generic thing I had before. There's one page which is resisting change and I've opted to ignore it.

But here's the catch: I have been blogging while I should have been working; I've skipped a meal; I've commented on as many blogs as possible just so that people visit mine; I've had about 3 liters of coffee in the past hour and I've spent the past ten minutes clicking the republish button just so my blog would appear on the recently published list.

Does anyone know of any support groups in Western Pennsylvania?

Growing up insipidly

2005-10-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

Fall Break has just whizzed past and I decided to stick around town and not create any adventures for myself elsewhere. At the beginning of the semester I had the temptation to join a group of other students to fly out to Miami. That excursion was also foiled with Wilma knocking her way through Florida. (What is it about this country and hurricanes?). Either way, I'd still be here. It has been a peaceful weekend and I’m glad I stayed. One needs his peace every once in a while and I found that peace right here – all the people who happen to get on my nerves aren’t here and that makes me extremely delighted.

With no real agenda, I sort of did a bit of work and watched loads of TV. I did find myself on call however – using my mathematical prowess (or lack of) to aid some hapless individuals. I received distress calls from three different people and had myself thinking that maybe I had had an impact on this place. I also did a bit of surfing for old school buddies on www.hi5.com. All those innocent boys from that little quaint boarding school in that quiet corner of Zimbabwe have grown into these ogres of drunkenness and riotousness – all evident from the photo galleries on full display. Whatever happened to growing up insipidly?

On the other hand the harsh reality that struck me was that most of them had in fact left the country and were churning up lives somewhere in the Western World. I sometimes wonder if we’ll ever go back. The only connection we have now consists of keyboards, monitors and high speed modems.

Alarmingly, we had our first snow this week – and it’s only October! I wasn’t prepared for the Arctic chill to start so early. Just last week I was walking around in shorts and a t-shirt enjoying the sun! Whoever opened the darn freezer up there, kindly close it.

Only in America.

2005-10-21T09:07:00.000-07:00

Life seems to go on very rapidly here. For some reason I’ve stopped worrying about deadlines and have decided that things will happen when they happen. It's a different attitude but I think it will work. One can only handle so much of college life. Besides I’m here to appreciate the country and being here for almost two months now has made me realize just how unique this it is. I’ve picked up on a few Americanisms and I’m sure there’ll be loads more to come.

Only in America is meal complete only if it has cheese: cheese on everything including fries!

Only in America do people pronounce the letter “z” as “zee” instead of “zed”. Drives me nuts in my Maths (not Math) classes! Even Canada says “zed”!

Only in America is football not really football!

Only in America can film stars end up being politicians and run for public office: Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Warren Beatty are examples.

Only in America can a talk show host operate with tremendous influence that it put the most powerful government in the world to shame: get the country reading a literary giant (Faulkner), reach out to people in need after a hurricane before the federal officials do so (am I exaggerating?) and help catch sex offenders who have been on the run for years: Oprah Winfrey.

Only in America do you get educated college-attending individuals who don’t know who Nelson Mandela is!! Actually this might hold for most of the Western World.

Only in America do people think Zimbabwe is in Europe! Okay, I know there’s loads of Zimbos in the UK but somebody actually asked me if Zimbabwe was right next to England. I categorically affirmed that it was a 12 hour flight away – and no, we don’t speak French!

Have a great weekend!

Come on America!

2005-10-19T17:06:00.000-07:00

The whole purpose of being here is to assimilate into the grand American way of life and embrace it to its fullest - so that I am able to take something away with me at the end of my year. However, I find myself in a tiny little outpost in the middle of nowhere which is still stuck in the 1950s. I was completely at odds this afternoon - for a simple reason too! We had our "Indian Summer" afternoon and so I decided I needed to sort out my Social Security rubbish and go to their offices.

As instructed in the bus schedule leaflet thing, I went to board my bus somewhere near the County Jail and the Library (only in Indiana, PA will you find librarians and prisoners co-existing happily as neighbours). There was no bus stop sign or anything of that nature in that vicinity. I walked up and down the block as I had some minutes to spare and eventually I thought I'd wait by the library door - somewhat less suspicious. A bus pulls up, I flag it down and the darn driver doesn't pay the slightest iota of attention to me. Was I supposed to jump in front of the bus? I was fuming - way past boiling point - and the main reason was that the next bus was in an hour's time. That was at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, mind! Why do bus services here run on an hourly basis? Do people not move around here?

I eventually calm down and think let me not waste my afternoon and go to the mall and sort out my State ID. Then I wouldn't have to carry my passport around. I wait another 57 minutes from a different bus stop and when there, I'm told that they only work Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Does anything outside the big city in this country not work? Come on America!

Some Zambian Kwacha to spare.

2005-10-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

I wasn't really supposed to go out last night but the powers that be here bundled me up, stuck a pistol to my head and carried me to Cozumel. Cunning as I am, I armed myself with an age old 50 Zambian Kwacha note, worth about one US cent! This Mexican Bar, a mecca for international students, honors its cliente with a framed display of world curriencies. Don't ask me what I was doing with Zambian money. The good news is that my 50 Kwacha guareented me an endless flow of tequila and margarita for the two hours I was there. Not bad! I shall spend this week hunting for exotic currencies to complement my weekend drinking budget.

This morning was lazy with me reading about how undemocratic the American constitution is. Don't be thinking that I'm a bit of a geek - I have to read it for my midterm on Tuesday. The more I read about this country, it's history and political structures, the more I warm up to it. I really don't know if that's such a good thing. I can be a bit skeptical of American sometimes. Sorry for the honesty.

The latter part of day was spent clearing litter of a two mile stretch of Route 286 with the Math Club. We do such cool stuff, don't we? There were ten of us - we spent the first 13 minutes working out how many bodies were needed on a particular stretch making sure we got our proportions and ratios correct - also bearing in mind speed of which we would clear the litter. We also had these cool orange vests which minimised the probabilty of being struck by a passing vehicle. We are such geeks after all!!

Homesickness Day

2005-10-15T15:58:00.000-07:00

I had a busy day catching up with lots of work, even though those weren't my initial plans for the day. A bit of home-sickness set in as well and I needed to get my mind on other things less important. I sometimes find that when I do work, I completely lose myself in it and forget that there's a world out there. It's more of an escape than anything else and I do like my little hole.

"Minor Demons" was great and I enjoyed it immensely. Saw it last night. It was my first time being inside the Theater By The Grove and was taken aback by the stage setting. It felt as though I was in an arena, having the audience consumed into the drama itself. Acting, direction, sound/lighting effects were brill. Afterwards I watched a bit of TV (boring) and ended up at another party - don't these people ever rest. This one was small and I got to do a lot more talking than drinking or dancing. Suna (this lovely Cypriot girl) loves my blog. Thanks Suna. I find that I'm actually beginning to meet people on personal basis (not just the Wassup!-type scenario) and do hope that those bonds last. On the other hand, I miss the people, places and faces I've left behind. And yet almost everyone I grew up with is scattered everywhere but in Africa. As a child, growing up in Bulawayo I used to enjoy to this track by a South African musician which used play my father's car stereo. The lyrics of the chorus came back to haunt me today:

And we are the scatterlings of Africa

On a journey to the stars

Far below, we leave forever

Dreams of what we were

Thanks to Marcus Welby Rance

2005-10-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Mr Marcus Welby Rance for your comments about my blog - the first person to officially do so. He's doing pretty good in the Cape in South Africa. I quite like writing and I don't get the chance like I used to with the Interacter back at Plumtree where I'd write anything and people would enjoy it. Weblogs should keep me busy. I would kill for a copy of the Interacter. It defined the true essence of the Plumtree scene and I miss that a lot.

I've still got hectic social timetable and somehow I find time to do some work as well. I'm enjoying though. I've got a play I have to go see this evening called "Minor Demons". It's the second play I'll be seeing this semester - told you the Arts here are great!! I'm in touch with Ross quite a bit. In fact we're planning on taking some PhD programs together at the same university - we haven't figured out which college but it's a distant thought. The last time I spoke to him over the phone, he was telling me that his dad had caught flight to SA and KK (from high school) was the captain. Wow. That's really cool. I won't mention what happened on the flight which had to make an emergency landing - but that Air Zim for you.

I'm intrigued by SA politics and liking this whole Mbeki-Zuma fiasco that ensuing at present. I read this book called "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Gavin Bell which I've forwarded to my dad. It's brilliant and it gives a candid look at present South Africa. Just hope it doesn't turn out to be another Zim in the making - it would be a much bigger scale. Regardless, I still want to work in SA for a time - I love that country so much.

Homecoming

2005-10-10T06:21:00.000-07:00

We've just had homecoming weekend. It was a bit of a thrill. Friday, Emmanuel was around from New York and Mbonisi as well from DC.We got silly drunk, tried to go out to Cozumel but got there when it had shut. That's how late we were. On the way to Andy's party, some guy stopped Lee and I and offered us something and I thought he had tried to offer us Crack. I burst out and gave him a mouthful of insults - how dare he think I'm such a low-life. Little did I know that my slow to hear ears in the wee hours of the morning had deceived me and he had in fact offered us Crackers!! Ooops, silly moi. Anyway, Andy's was good and I had to beg him to throw me out at 4.30am because I had had enough.

Made some friends too. Sammy came around with his signficant other and hence did a lot of talking. Also met Mbonisi's other half. It was all good speak. We had a brill supper at Dr Masilela's (that's Mbonisi's uncle who also happens to a friend of my dad's) with proper Zim food kindly prepared by Mrs Mas. Took loads of pics - will post some on here once I get hold them. Cozumel's was booting: crazy latin dancing and Tapiwa introduced me to El Diablo. Don't ask!! Made it to Andy's afterwards. Really don't know how I survived that night and it didn't really end there....

Have a Complex Variables midterm today. Perfect timing!!

Maryland and back

2005-10-07T19:29:00.000-07:00

Had a merry trip to the suburbs of Washington DC and I've just got back. Exhausted but with the prospect of Homecoming weekend upon us, I can't afford to be boring. I picked up lots of info on Grad School and feel fired up to pursue that distant PhD. UMD Grad School was really great. It's a long process but the people I spoke to seemed to be enjoying themselves. It's good to be around people who have an interest in exponential Besov spaces and their applications. What do you expect? For a change I didn't feel crazy.

The trip back was long and extended - traffic was a nightmare. I'm back, I'm good and rearing to have a good weekend. Funny thing is that I really should be preparing for 3 midterms for next week but.... that's another week!!

Small town auction

2005-10-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

A month has gone by and I think that I'm getting used to this place. Small town America does tend to have its charms. The town is littered with small cafes and boutiques and everybody goes about their business. The college campus is impressive and beautiful - day and night. The Arts are superb!! Two large theatres - we've just had a Broadway tour pass through (I missed it though). It's a bit reminiscent of good ol' Plumtree - a timetable of full of action with a routine you blindly follow coupled with lazy weekends with nothing but a book to read. Most of the university itself is cross section of population of Penn, with a fair share of internationals. The internationals I think are friendliest of all. Almost all are well travelled and make friends from the first "Hello".

I like the mellow American Politics class with the political sessions - Loads of discussions - I get to give them Americans a taste of what the world REALLY thinks of America!!! And I don't think they it (the truth does hurt). I've also started doing some intensive research for my final year thesis, labouriously reading through journal after journal waiting for that AHA moment. I'm concentrating on Financial Mathematics - if you know any experts let me know!

It's Saturday evening. From this Computer Lab on the first floor of the HUB building at IUP, I can hear the auction downstairs - very loud but it's allowed. The Iota Fraternity is auctioning off willing individuals to desperate bidders. I'll make my way to see what's spotting. I might venture to this Mexican bar, Cozumel, uptown a bit later on. It's the hang-out joint for most "internationals". I'll have to see how the rest of the night progresses.

Quarter Life Crisis

2005-09-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

I really don't know just how we all wound up being so desperate. Got an email from Ross in Harare and for some reason he sounded really desperate. He spent a day at Peterhouse and bumped into an old teacher and his stunning teenage daughter - and the one thing he wished was that she were slightly older - maybe he would have made a move. I call it the "quarter life crisis"!

The real Desperado (Blessing for those you don't know him) is getting hitched on October 22nd. Despy has stopped replying my emails completely and will use this platform to wish him the very best. I'd send he and his wife a card but he hasn't replied with an address. Despy - have a good life!!

Neyman and Pearson are my cousins!

2005-09-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about this weird theory today - the Neyman-Pearson Lemma - that stuff was tricky, MAN. I did it in Bristol as part of my Mathematical Stats course. I had a goood exam though and maintained my Distinction grade. The Stats we do in the UK (and in Zim for that matter) is way too advanced than what they actually do in the States at undergrd level. The same goes for some of the Maths. The Abstract Algebra course I'm doing is interesting enough - there are lots of proofs to be done and it is demanding.

The big difference here with Econometrics is that we have to do lots of research on the net and do an extensive project as part of the final. I've done the Stats - in fact - they just do Regression here (A' Level stuff) and don't even do the serious Time Series analysis. How Sad??? There's lots of reading and Economic Theory involved!!

American Politics is an eye opener for an outside like me. i'm glad i took it. The guy who takes me for Complex Variables is the best. He looks like he's just walked out of a cave. Seriously, just follow this link and you'll understand. He's really sharp though and knows his mathematics. Hey, don't laugh at the guy, I might just end up like that!

I'm working hard on establishing some contacts for Grad School. I've lined up to go to University of Maryland early October to get some inside Grad School info.

Slaughter of the Goat

2005-09-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

I think I took some pretty hard courses though. Both Maths classes are so demanding with their Proofs. I can't think of anything i haven't proved in the past three weeks. I also think the professors here seem to push their students by giving loads of work. We actually get homework. Not this independent study we're all used to. At least it's good to know a different system of education.

There's no news about this place - small town. Nothing happens. I lie. Last weekend, I went out to slaughter a goat with my dad's friend at this red-neck's small farm. It was really cool. This red-neck, name is Phil, is absolutely wacky - and so is his family. He literally slaughtered the goat in his front unfenced yard in full view of the vegetarian neighbour who was mowing his lawn across the road. As if that was enough, his two sons, aged 7 and 9 were running around shooting stray rabbits. His wife proudly showed me a trophy from the last Demolition Derby she took part in. You when they stick a beat-up car in a huge a arena and see who can bash it first with one of those huge 4x4's with tractor tyres. Yep!! He's want's to take me to this auction next Weds to see the Amish people. There just aren't enough words!!!

I'm busy cracking my head with homework. I'll let you get on with your life.

Amazing How People can push for an Agenda

2005-09-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

Got email for Neil in Masvingo - thanks for this mal joke:
The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".

In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kanhave one less letter. There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kanbe expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away. By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v".

During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru. Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.

Nomvula's birthday

2005-09-10T19:09:00.000-07:00

Today's my sister Nomvula's birthday. She's six hours away in Toronto across the border. I called her up to check if her card had arrived and lo and behold it hadn't. Ah well! It's the thought that counts.

First week in the US

2005-08-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

Flew in with British Airways last Sunday 21st. Since their caterers were on strike I had to pile up on food at the terminal prior to leaving or face 7 to 8 hours of hunger. At least, they gave us 10 pounds worth of food vouchers to spend. Flight to New York and clearing through immigration and customs was pretty uneventful. I suddenly found myself outside Terminal 7 at JFK airport in the hot New York summer sun with nothing but a pocketful of dreams. I was in America.

The series of surreal moments started when I boarded my very first big yellow taxi bound for Manhattan. I had made a rushed booking a cheap hotel. A 20 minute journey with a taxi driver so keen to share this city and this country - all conjured up with a warm welcome message, "Welcome to America where all you need is a dollar and dream!" Suddenly Lexington Avenue pops up, Fifth Avenue then Avenue of the Americas, Broadway amongst the hustle and bustle of blaring horns and waving arms. My little inn was nestled between 5th and 6th on West 35th St. The glass and concrete view from my room window turned out to be the Empire State building - a mere block away. How nice!

The next precious hours I had were spent exploring Manhattan. Walked to Penn Station by the Madison Sq Garden, sent postcards at the big US Post Office across the road then caught the subway and headed downtown - to South Ferry. Thankfully there were works going on in the subway system and had to connect with a shuttle bus. Past Wall St, Twin Towers site right down to the bottom where I caught the Staten Island ferry round trip. Had postcard perfect views of the Stature of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge and the New York skyline.

That was my New York in a day. Next day, as I struggled loading my bags into the taxi's boot (rather trunk), some guy just picked up the other end and helped me chuck it in. Are New Yorkers really that helpful? I caught my Greyhound bound for Indiana, PA the from a station on 42nd and 8th. For those who do know, it's right by Times Square. There aren't enough superlatives to describe the precinct. We had the weirdest of drivers who must had thought he was Fidel Castro or something. Basically he ordered all the passengers to turn their mobile phones off or put on silent mode and to limit the number of phone calls they made. Conversations were to be kept to a minimum and because he delayed leaving New York we would not be making the first rest stop!! As if that didn't satisfy his ego, he put the air conditioning on full blast and turned the bus into an ice box on wheels. Eight hours on torture!!

And now, had my freshers week and now ready for classes which begin tomorrow. Taking Complex Variables, Abstract Algebra, Econometrics and American Politics. Also will spend a couple of hours a week at an Options and Financial Derivatives seminar. Interesting, I think. This small town American College has suddenly come to life and is now reminiscent of the typical teen movie. Watched the college season's first home football match yesterday, in it's complete grandiosity of the marching band, drum majors and cheerleaders. The match itself was as boring as two halves of a melon. Stop start stop start. Didn't really get the rules and so didn't really understand how we lost.

Give me two months and all this will seem normal.

I've had a leisurely day today. I've got dinner later on with an old friend of my dad who teaches geography here and runs some scholarship program. I didn't really get to meet his family when I saw him on Tuesday. I'm looking forward to a good year.