back to skool

So the strike is over, after 3 long months and my 2 cents on the matter it was a silly strike. York has one of the highest paid TA, in the province and possibly in the country yet they were demanding more. Then again, just about everything has gone up pricewise. The Uni wouldn't budge...and who gets screwed in the process...us the students...the very pple who pay large sums of $$ and sacrifice a lot to get a fundamental service.

Anyway I was at Uni today to get a few books...and I ran into a reporter from a local paper. Didn't give her my name but we had a good interview.She asked questions and I gave her my 2 cents. Anyway Monday we go to skool , and its a bittersweet moment..the students get to continue with their education, while nothing has been resolved with staff...basically they have been forced to head back. You'd wonder why the government waited 3 mnths to force the strikers back to work , and also u ask yourself if this back to work legislation solves the issue.

Anyway, I know that the days ahead will not be easy...there is a lot to be covered and I will be scarce on the blogosphere and facebook. I will pop in from time to time to give my 2bhobho on various issues.

A Moment in time

As I sit to pen ( type up) this blog a rush of lyrics rush to mind ; Give me one moment in time- Whitney Houston, A new day has come - Celine Dion, For a Moment like this some people wait a lifetime- Kelly Clarkson, I believe in the impossible - Fantasia....I could go on and on...so let me stop right now because I could get carried away.

All the lyrics above could apply to one moment or day.January 20, 2009 will forever be in our history books. Forget different time zones,backgrounds, races, political and religious affiliations,everyone took a moment to witness and be a small part of a historical moment. Whether you were tuned in on the telly , internet, radio or were there in person, one way or another it was a day the world tood still. From Rick Warren's prayer( Gosh I wish I could pray like that) to Miss Franklin's soulful singing..to the main event of the day...we all forgot abt our differences and seemed to be unified by one individual - Barack Obama.

As a black person(even though my skin colour is brown) I felt proud...because finally, a black man is in power in the US, something which may have been impossible. For white people they were happy, because they know the struggles we have faced due to the colour of our skin. In the heavens above, the Likes of Dr Martin Luther King and all those slaves ( Those who toiled in plantations, with the sun baking their backs whilst cruel masters hurled insults and beat them mercilessly, those who were lynched - crucified and torched to death for being black, I am also talking about those brothers and sisters who were tied to two horses facing different directions...and those horses would be whipped and they's run amok in opposite directions, splitting a live human in half all the way to his death. I am also talking aout those who died in the vast oceans, either due to disease, the heart ache from being seperated from the motherland and loved ones or those who tried to escape from the slavery ships etc)were rejoicing up above.

You see this has been a long time coming for black people and everything comes full circle. When Dr. King said he had a dream, he was halfway down the journey... he dreamt the dream...and he died after.His dream didn't die there, those left behind carried it on..over he years and Obama realized the dream. We were kings in Africa...were reduced to slaves and now we ware back on top.

You see our black skin represents our resilience...we can be beat but that doesn't kill our spirit. Yesterday was all about being there, so that in years to come we will tell our children it happened in our day. The young ones will tell their kids that instead of saying 'mama' and 'dada' as their first words, their first word was Obama.Children born around this day will be named Obamason, Obamaness, Obamakazi...u name it the list goes one coz y'all know we black folk are creative with names.

A few lessons i have learnt from Obamania... My African name or My Africaness is no barrier to success. I am proud to be African...but more so now than ever. Love and Hope extend beyond any race. Having a dream is no item of ridicule, because dreams can come true, maybe not in one's lifetime but they do come true, and lastly God can turn every impossibility into a possibility.

As I wrap up I pray God bestowes wisdom on Obama, because we all know, he is guiding a ship in uncertain waters, and as much as we're happy see a black man in power, there are a few who would like to see him fail. Only God knows why he has chosen a time like this to allow a man like Obama, to lead the world. I pray for God's divine protection, on America's first family and ask His Ministering Angels to watch over them.

A History Maker!

I am living in a day where just abt every invention has been made...and there really isn't much one can to do go into the History Books...unless if you are Barack Obama...America's 44th president and more importantly the first black prez of the the world's super power.

I will get back to Obama's presidency in another entry, but the purpose of this blog is to share his speech...In my books this was Mother of all speeches.It wasn't just a well written speech, but it was also a well executed speech too.
*** Please note... I did not write this speech,and I do not own any bit of it ..so please don go trying to sue me...I don't have a fat bank account either.

OBAMA: My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and co-operation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labour, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and travelled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favours only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defence, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater co-operation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the spectre of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defence, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honour them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have travelled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."
America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations

To my late great grandmother

I can't recall the very first time I met her, but she was a beautiful woman. Filled with so much Humour...she could turn a frown into a smile instantly. I called her gogo..because that was how my mum addressed her, and maybe because i found khokho a lil bit awkward. She was a woman with many names, the one we used was Gogo uShuwa. I know we hail from a place where u could probbaly find someone with a first name such as Peanut Butter or somethng of that nature...but we didn't call her uGogo uShuwa coz that was her name...she was called uGogo uShuwa because like my late Mamomdala they both liked to say ...akuthi shuwa. In Mutare they called her Gogo Matimati ...because she was a good Tomato farmer, and we nicknamed her Sosiji (Sausage) for anytime u went into town and asked wat she wanted all she would ask for was...isosiji mntanami. I am sure if u talk to any of her grand children or great-grandchildren we'd unearth more names. Come to think of it i don't know what her real name was...but that doesn't matter... she was a small resourceful and funny lady.

The last time I saw her,age had taken its toll on her, she'd lost all her teeth ...as a matter of fact she came with mum to visit while I was at Boarding school.I was so excited to see her, and yet she covered her mouth because she didn't want me to see her missing teeth, yet my young sis cracked one joke and we ere all roaring with laughter , and the hand that covered her mouth, uncovered it..and before u kno it her little smile and spark in her eyes had reduced me to tears.

I remember gng through the family album withher and we stumbled on a picture of her. It was her way back in her hayday. She was standing with her hubby rocking the standard hand by the waist pose. When I asked her wat was with the pose ...her answer was.. sasivela emtshadweni singela mali yebhasi, ngangigaya iplan. Looking at the said picture no one woulda guessed she had no bus fare.

Today I learnt this phenomenal woman passed away on the 23rd of Dec, 2008. I am a little bit sad...yeah a little...I kno she lived a good life. I was blessed to know such a soul, and not only kno her but also be a part of her. I don kno wat yr she was born and how old she was but I am convinced she'd passed the 100yr mark. I am also happy because her passing brought me closer to one long lost relative. She may be gone, but in my mind she'll be around and I'll talk and reminisce abt her because she was one wonderful lady, and I feel we were blessed, because in this life not everyone has the opportunity to meet their great grandma.

I feel as though I have lost my head... part of me is still in dreamland and hopes that when I wake up, I'll realize it has all been nothing but a nightmare.

Next week Wednesday I head to Sunnybrook for surgery, and nervous doesn't even begin to describe how I feel. Neva have I ever wished for a super power - something like the ability to freeze time... each day brings new fears with it. Today I went for my pre-assessment and as I sat in the waiting room, I felt as though I'd swallowed a hot potato. Just about anything could have triggered a downpour of tears.Ahha I have the right term(s) to describe how I feel - I am overwhelmed.

And you'd think by now I am used to the waiting rooms... but u neva get used to them. While most hospital staff are very pleasant, I feel as though a hospital waiting room is one deadly place. You look around and try and figure out why the other pple are there and I am sure they are doing the same. You see all sorts of things that make u even sicker than whne u came in. But that is nothing compared to the waiting room I have sat in as I wait to go for my ultrasound and/or mammogram. That one is the deadliest...it is very tiny, an in that small lil space are abt 4 lockers and 2 change rooms. There maybe about 6 or so chairs..and as we wait while dressed in hideous Hospital gowns nothing is worse than seeing all eyes on me with the most obvious question - wat is this lil one doing here. If Silence could kill, then no one dare walk into that waiting area. The only saving grace - if I should even call it saving is the telly that's on...wat do u kno they have the food network...like when I'm worried sick I could think of food... No one reads the Magazines in there...pple are just too busy clutching their purses and worrying abt the outcome...in that small world we forget abt the lastest Hollywood hook-ups, break-ups, scandals, cellulite, drastic weight gain or weight loss stories.

Then your name is called..and its in that room when u have been left alone, that is when u shed a tear to cry. At this point u don kno really why u are crying...could be the overwhelmed, fear combo. But u get your act together and by the time the technician... think tha'ts wat they are called come all the tears have dried..unless of course if your are like me and have tears that like to eascape from time to time.
Once u are done u put on your clothes...and forget abt that gruesome experience until u get the call from the doc's office 6 mnths down the road...and the whole cycle begins.

As I inch closer to Wednesday, I hang on to 3 things - the first being the amazing support of a few individuals, namely Sharon...who has been an anchor...she's been with me thru the thicks and thins and highs and lows of this journeys, and waited many a time for hours in waiting rooms for me. For Lynette, who not only has to deal with her own mother's battle with cancer, but has given every piece of advice she has, including the words I'll hang on to... to think positive because only my positive attitude can get me thru this, and Amy, who is taking a day off to come spend the day at the hospital with me on Wednesday , and for everyone who has kept me in their thoughts and Prayers.
The 2nd thing I hang on to is knowing that this is the beginning of the end...my whole breast-lump journey is coming to an end. This could mean no more hospital visits and undressing for just abt everyone in the medical field, and lastly and mostimportantly, I hang on my Faith in God,I know that he has seen me through all the stares, the pains the frustrations, and all moments of fear, and will continue to do so because I an do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

It has been 17hrs and a coupla minutes since we ushered in the New Year, and as I sit here I can't seem to make heads or tails of the next 364 days that lie ahead. I look back at the last 366 days and all i can do is be grateful, that I am still standing.

All i know that is I will be shifting a few gears around...that was quite evident in the way I welcomed the new year. The last day of 2008 , saw me give my place a thorough cleaning, and My 1st day saw me give my body a thorough cleaning both internally and externally...kinda like good-bye to 2008 junk. Who knows what else i'll be cleaning up...

As usual I have no resolutions...there are however one or 2 items that have found their way onto my bucket list.

For now, it feels like there is a lion residing in my belly...I need to cook me a sumptuous dinner. Happy New year to all, wishing you prosperity, good health and a year that is overflowing with blessings.