Love is tragic -
you don't know this, you're not ready.
Love is comic too -
remember to laugh.
Make fun of love,
loathe, fear,
embrace it.
Love is
physics.
Force.
I just watched W.E., a film by Madonna. Good film. Guess which other film was good? In the Land of Blood and Honey, directed by Angelina Jolie. I really should do a film ;) In other news, I just watched four-and-a-half seasons of Entourage.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Saturday, January 19, 2013
That's All - the original
The best song by Le'mmon in my opinion is this one.
It used to be called Fucking That's All, then just That's All, then the chorus and title were changed to Lovin' That's All (because you don't want to anger delicate ladies) then the song was retired completely and some crap compromise song given the same title.
So, yeah, as K'Naan said, it's not easy to want to get airplay and yet want to sing from the heart. But many times, the songs that are true are the ones that will "connect" and become unforgettable.
Pre-Lengoma Songlist:
1- The Original, Uncut, That's All
2- People Change
3- Radio
4- Have You Seen Her
5- Celebrate
6- Sweat
7- Unbelievable (vid)
The first four or so are really nice songs, even if nobody cares about them.
Thank God, he also has a booty-shake video and stuff too, so he can pay the bills, lol.
Rejected by All (Mixtape) songlist:
1 – F***ing Thats All
2 – Sounds Right
3- Lengoma (video)
4 – Pimp Blues
5 – Lust
6 – Sweet Dreams
7 – Immortality
8 – She Wants Ft Phenom
I mentioned Le'mmon before, here.
It used to be called Fucking That's All, then just That's All, then the chorus and title were changed to Lovin' That's All (because you don't want to anger delicate ladies) then the song was retired completely and some crap compromise song given the same title.
So, yeah, as K'Naan said, it's not easy to want to get airplay and yet want to sing from the heart. But many times, the songs that are true are the ones that will "connect" and become unforgettable.
Pre-Lengoma Songlist:
1- The Original, Uncut, That's All
2- People Change
3- Radio
4- Have You Seen Her
5- Celebrate
6- Sweat
7- Unbelievable (vid)
The first four or so are really nice songs, even if nobody cares about them.
 |
| Vincent Le'mmon Osuagwu |
Rejected by All (Mixtape) songlist:
1 – F***ing Thats All
2 – Sounds Right
3- Lengoma (video)
4 – Pimp Blues
5 – Lust
6 – Sweet Dreams
7 – Immortality
8 – She Wants Ft Phenom
I mentioned Le'mmon before, here.
Friday, January 18, 2013
I'm stealing this
Opinion: Censoring Myself for Success
By K’NAAN
Published: December 8, 2012
HERE is a story about fame. I heard it first as a fable in Somalia, before living it out in America.
The fox, they say, once had an elegant walk, for which the other animals
loved him. One day, he saw a prophet striding along and decided to
improve on what was already beautiful. He set out walking but could not
match the prophet’s gait. Worse, he forgot his own. So he was left with
the unremarkable way the fox walks today.
 |
| K'Naan |
Right now, the pressures of the music industry encourage me to change
the walk of my songs. When I write from the deepest part of my heart, my
advisers say, I remind people too much of Somalia, which I escaped as a
boy. My audience is in America, so my songs should reflect the land
where I have chosen to live and work.
They have a point. A musician’s songs are not just his own; he shares
them with an audience. Still, Somalia is where my life and poetry began.
It is my walk. And I don’t want to lose it. Or stifle it. Or censor it
in the name of marketing.
I first saw censorship as a child in Mogadishu, walking into my home’s
courtyard one day and hearing a radio hushed nearly to silence. The
adults hovered around, listening to a song. And I asked why one song had
to be played at a whisper while another could blast through the house.
A war was going on, I was told, and some songs had meanings the
government did not want deciphered. Those “anti songs” were different
from love songs, or folk songs. You had to take care in dressing the
words. In love songs, words could preen in bright colors; in anti songs,
they attacked in camouflage.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Food right now
I'm hungry so I think it'll be crackers and nutella right now.
Yum.
No light since yesterday, but NEPA was so good last week. I recognize this stunt, there may be no light for a while. And to think I just bought a kilo of chicken yesterday - gotta do something about the chicken before it spoils. Eat it? Well, at least cook.
Yum.
No light since yesterday, but NEPA was so good last week. I recognize this stunt, there may be no light for a while. And to think I just bought a kilo of chicken yesterday - gotta do something about the chicken before it spoils. Eat it? Well, at least cook.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Rhythm and Dunes
Some more music I like:
Aboki
Ice Prince is a leading Naijapop / hip-hop artiste.
Best known for Oleku (2010), but I like Aboki better.
Bad Girls
M.I.A. is a world-music / pop diva of Sri-Lankan heritage.
Best known for the song from the Slumdog Millionaire film.
Aboki
Ice Prince is a leading Naijapop / hip-hop artiste.
Best known for Oleku (2010), but I like Aboki better.
Bad Girls
M.I.A. is a world-music / pop diva of Sri-Lankan heritage.
Best known for the song from the Slumdog Millionaire film.
Sunday, January 06, 2013
On twitter feeling happy like I discovered hydroxyurea therapy or something
I decided to devote some time to thinking about malaria and sickle cell anaemia this month.
Started by checking out the origins of quinine and artemisinin online. Both were 'discovered' by local folk using them naturally hundreds of years ago, then rediscovered and sold in more deliberate forms.
Moved on to sickle cell where as one would expect, people have tried going into the stem cells for red-blood cell production and switching the one mutated point in patient's DNA right back.
Read about the wide variation in how rough people with this genetic disease have it: from not-so-bad in many of the Arabian occurrences to regular killer in Africa.
And of course, there is a treatment based on that: hydroxyurea is said to be so effective that it's a surprise not more people are using it.
Maybe I'll stop there for now.
But lots of questions still - remember the prophylactic 'Sunday-Sunday medicine' we used to take for malaria in boarding school - what was that about?
What other cool manipulations can prevent the occurrence of sickle-cell and its related suffering? Nowadays we tell people that 'AS shouldn't marry AS, only marry AA' but how easy is that to understand? And for those who understand it, I've seen how painful it can be for a young couple to have to break off their engagement after a drug test says they're both AS. More than 20% of Nigerians are either AS or SS according to this paper.
Started by checking out the origins of quinine and artemisinin online. Both were 'discovered' by local folk using them naturally hundreds of years ago, then rediscovered and sold in more deliberate forms.
Moved on to sickle cell where as one would expect, people have tried going into the stem cells for red-blood cell production and switching the one mutated point in patient's DNA right back.
 |
| Read from bottom to top |
Read about the wide variation in how rough people with this genetic disease have it: from not-so-bad in many of the Arabian occurrences to regular killer in Africa.
 |
| I don't really like twitter but yeah I'm @tosinbird |
 |
| Treatment, yay! |
But lots of questions still - remember the prophylactic 'Sunday-Sunday medicine' we used to take for malaria in boarding school - what was that about?
What other cool manipulations can prevent the occurrence of sickle-cell and its related suffering? Nowadays we tell people that 'AS shouldn't marry AS, only marry AA' but how easy is that to understand? And for those who understand it, I've seen how painful it can be for a young couple to have to break off their engagement after a drug test says they're both AS. More than 20% of Nigerians are either AS or SS according to this paper.
M.I.
Been soaking up M.I's incredible brand of mad music all day. Not sure why I love it - nostalgia, naija pride, or just the abundance of great lines. It's just soooo...artistic. I don't think most rap or hip hop is this good.
Click on each album cover to listen.
I'm feeling it.
And I like his new blog / entertainment site too: miabaga.com
Where do you learn to be so cool? Art school?
Click on each album cover to listen.
| MI2 : The Movie (2010) |
| M.I. : Talk About It (2008) |
And I like his new blog / entertainment site too: miabaga.com
Where do you learn to be so cool? Art school?
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Should I read The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling?
Yes, you should.
I am enjoying the novel right now. It may not be earth-shattering literature, technically speaking, but it's very competently done. That's also what I thought about the Harry Potter(s) I read, but I care more about the themes in The Causal Vacancy: harmony, or disharmony, in society.
It is intelligent and heartfelt and like I wrote before, will likely change the world. This novel enlightens on local governance systems too - not common in the US or in Nigeria, but apparently the practice in the UK. That's another topic that interests me greatly.
A few weeks ago, I watched again my favourite movie in the whole world: Arven (The Inheritance), a Danish film by Per Fly. Then I watched the other two films in his trilogy: Baenken (The Bench) and Drabet (Manslaughter).
Arven is about the upper class in their society. It's stern, with stern colours - or lack of colour I should say. Saturnine; Capricorn; suits, bare walls, sharp angles, winter. The rich own winter, I guess. I like everything about this film.
Baenken is a film of their lower class. They live in the projects, sort of like "The Fields" in J.K. Rowling's novel. Let's just say they didn't try to make this guy go to rehab because he didn't have Amy Winehouse's money. It's a lovely film. In terms of matter and language, the poor have so much more stuff, junk, in their sorroundings and in their language. By contrast, the people in Arven have so much more brutal silence.
Drabet is the middle-class film in the trilogy. There's a professor, there's divorce, there's terrorism...oh, there are ideas. Bigger than survival is the abstract principle in one's mind. It strikes me as the film version of JM Coetzee's acclaimed novel: Disgrace. I like the film better. Drabet won the Nordic Film Council Prize in 2005, a year before Zozo, the gorgeous immigrant film from the 2006 Arab Film Festival.
Early next year, I plan to release my poems of the upper class in our low-latitude society. I know you can't wait ;)
 |
| JK Rowling author of Harry Potter series |
It is intelligent and heartfelt and like I wrote before, will likely change the world. This novel enlightens on local governance systems too - not common in the US or in Nigeria, but apparently the practice in the UK. That's another topic that interests me greatly.
A few weeks ago, I watched again my favourite movie in the whole world: Arven (The Inheritance), a Danish film by Per Fly. Then I watched the other two films in his trilogy: Baenken (The Bench) and Drabet (Manslaughter).
Arven is about the upper class in their society. It's stern, with stern colours - or lack of colour I should say. Saturnine; Capricorn; suits, bare walls, sharp angles, winter. The rich own winter, I guess. I like everything about this film.
| Ulrich Thomsen leads the cast of Arven |
Baenken is a film of their lower class. They live in the projects, sort of like "The Fields" in J.K. Rowling's novel. Let's just say they didn't try to make this guy go to rehab because he didn't have Amy Winehouse's money. It's a lovely film. In terms of matter and language, the poor have so much more stuff, junk, in their sorroundings and in their language. By contrast, the people in Arven have so much more brutal silence.
| The Bench features alcoholic Jesper Christensen |
Drabet is the middle-class film in the trilogy. There's a professor, there's divorce, there's terrorism...oh, there are ideas. Bigger than survival is the abstract principle in one's mind. It strikes me as the film version of JM Coetzee's acclaimed novel: Disgrace. I like the film better. Drabet won the Nordic Film Council Prize in 2005, a year before Zozo, the gorgeous immigrant film from the 2006 Arab Film Festival.
Early next year, I plan to release my poems of the upper class in our low-latitude society. I know you can't wait ;)
Tuesday, November 06, 2012
They're still single?
The Venus and Serena show has come and gone. Lagos, Nigeria enjoyed their visit (pics), which included a glam gala (which I ALMOST attended) and an exhibition match (couldn't make that one, either.)
Well, a few years ago, I had nothing better to do, so I sat around matching people - celebs, friends, celebs with friends, etc. It must have been early 2009. I made 48 pairings.
Many of them are married now, not to each other. Some of those would mind if I wrote out their matches, so I'll keep them safely in my diary.
But Venus, well, she should hook up with Leonardo DiCaprio. Both are single, right?
I have Serena Williams with Mark Cuban. Not sure what I was thinking. She should just get back with musician Common.
Matched Dinara Safina with a friend of mine named Ali.
Matched Martina Hingis (oops, she's married) with Jonathan Rhys-Myers.
Justin Timberlake just got married, but not to my pick Chelsea Clinton. Lol.
Maria Sharapova just got un-engaged, so now she has another chance to grab her true soulmate Mario Ancic.
Ok, this one is weird, Chris Brown + Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Kirsten Dunst + Feliciano Lopez is not so bad.
Ivanka Trump + Novak Djokovic, though neither is on the market.
I found Xisca (Rafa Nadal's long-term girlfriend) a great alternative match, so, you know, tell her ;)
Matched my friend Lisa T. with David Ferrer. Another friend Lisa T. with James Blake. And a third Lisa with my high-school sweetheart K. Too much fun.
At least musically, Jennifer Hudson needs Babyface, Kenneth Edmonds.
I liked Marion Jones + Eddie Murphy, Jessica Simpson + Cristiano Ronaldo, Ana Ivanovic + Clive Owen, Lisa Ling + Jamie Foxx, ...
I'm going to match Malia (the legs) Obama with a new sport. Two words: cross country.
Many of them are married now, not to each other. Some of those would mind if I wrote out their matches, so I'll keep them safely in my diary.
But Venus, well, she should hook up with Leonardo DiCaprio. Both are single, right?
I have Serena Williams with Mark Cuban. Not sure what I was thinking. She should just get back with musician Common.
Matched Dinara Safina with a friend of mine named Ali.
Matched Martina Hingis (oops, she's married) with Jonathan Rhys-Myers.
Justin Timberlake just got married, but not to my pick Chelsea Clinton. Lol.
Maria Sharapova just got un-engaged, so now she has another chance to grab her true soulmate Mario Ancic.
Ok, this one is weird, Chris Brown + Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Kirsten Dunst + Feliciano Lopez is not so bad.
Ivanka Trump + Novak Djokovic, though neither is on the market.
I found Xisca (Rafa Nadal's long-term girlfriend) a great alternative match, so, you know, tell her ;)
Matched my friend Lisa T. with David Ferrer. Another friend Lisa T. with James Blake. And a third Lisa with my high-school sweetheart K. Too much fun.
At least musically, Jennifer Hudson needs Babyface, Kenneth Edmonds.
I liked Marion Jones + Eddie Murphy, Jessica Simpson + Cristiano Ronaldo, Ana Ivanovic + Clive Owen, Lisa Ling + Jamie Foxx, ...
 |
| Malia (l) and Sasha (r) Obama do tennis |
Saturday, November 03, 2012
Ebedi International Writers' Residency
...is housed in the semi-rural, somewhat Muslim, Yoruba town of Iseyin, an hour outside Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
The founder-patron is Dr. Wale Okediran, a soft-spoken medical doctor who is also a prolific and award-winning writer. With at least ten novels/memoirs to his credit, the man also runs a medical column in the Nigerian Tribune. Note: By all means read his Tenants of The House, 2010 winner of the Lumina (Wole Soyinka) prize for African Literature, and definitely one of the ten coolest novels Nigeria has produced in the past ten years.
Interestingly, Dr. Okediran is also a politician. He was the Secretary, then the President of ANA, the Association of Nigerian Authors. From 2003-2007, he was a legislator, representing Iseyin / Kajola / Iwujola / Itesiwaju area of Oyo State in the Nigerian National Assembly. He was the ACN candidate for Senate (Oyo North Senatorial District) in the 2011 election.
I would like to read his other (harder-to-find) works, which include (primary source) and a handful of others:
Call to Worship, 1990 - won American Poetry Association Book Prize
The Boys At The Border, 1991 - Commonwealth Literature Prize Shortlist
Rainbows are for Lovers, 2nd edition published by Spectrum Books 1993
The Rescue of Uncle Babs, 1998 - won ANA Prize for Children’s Literature
Dreams Die at Twilight, 2004 - NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature Shortlist
Strange Encounters, 2004 - published by Heinemann, won ANA Best Fiction Prize
The Weaving Loom, 2008 - shortlist Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa
Tenants of The House, 2010, cowinner with Coconuts (South Africa) is a captivating tale of politricks inspired by his tenure in the National Assembly.
Fearless, 2012, is a memoir of his House of Reps colleague, Femi Gbajabiamilla.
The Ebedi Residency is one of very few in Africa, and the only writers' residency I know of in Nigeria, so far.
It began humbly via blog/newsletter announcements in 2010.
Lola Okusami and Abiodun Adebiyi became the first residents in September 2010. After reading about it in NEXT, I thought: wow, I really really want to do this, and after the boys had had their run, I was in the fourth pair one year later. Yess!
In its second year, our little residency became more international with writers from West and East Africa, and bigger - with an intake class size of three, up from two at a time.
What will year three and beyond bring?
Why did Wale Okediran found the Ebedi Residency? Read an interview here.
Who can apply? How to apply? I believe a website is in the works. Otherwise, all I can say is that it is open to authors of fiction, poetry, or drama, and it is intended to develop the local community as well as enrich the larger world. Your best bet is either follow a writerly newsletter or blog for upcoming announcements or email ebediwriters@yahoo.com with enquiries about latest application requirements (usually a writing sample and bio/CV).
Cast and News for Ebedi International Writers' Residency
September/October 2010: Announcement, Press, Lola Olusami, Abiodun Adebiyi
November/December 2010: Interviews, Charles Oluyori, Kenechukwu Obi
January/February 2011: Press, NEXT, Trust, A. Igoni Barrett and Emmanuel Ugokwe (Igbo language)
August/September 2011: Story, Press, Guardian, Nation, Spencer Okoroafor, Anaele Ihuoma
October/November 2011: Press, Story, Reactions, Interview, , Ladi Opaluwa, Tosin Otitoju (me)
January/February 2012 : Forum, NSnews, Punch, Doreen Baingana (Uganda, Commonwealth Prize 2009), Dr. Dul Johnson, Nehru Odey
March/April 2012 class: Announcement, Tribune, Interviews, Temitayo Olofinlua, Barbara Oketta (Kenya/Uganda)
June/July 2012 class: Biographies, Press, Malawi's Stanley Kenani?, Press, Interview, Richard Ali, Niyi Fasanmi, Awwal Sakiwa (an illustrator)
September/October 2012 class: Interviews, Onyebuchi Nwosu, Macdell Joshua Sackey (from Ghana), Samuel Kolawole
November/December 2012 - three girls?
Recurring roles: Press, Salvation Otubu and the lovely secondary school students of Iseyin, Alhazan Abiodun, Aunty and Uncle Okediran, The Board (Alkasim Abdulkadir, Akintayo Abodunrin, Maryam Ali Ali, Uche Peter Umez, ...)
2013 updates:
Nov/Dec 2012: Interviews, Blessing Mba, Lillian Christopher, and Salamatu Sule
Jan/Feb 2013: Story, Punch, Elnathan John, Musa Idris Okpanachi, John Kofi Asiedu Sarpong
Mar/Apr 2013: Four Women: Ayodele Olofintuade , Agiresaasi Apophia, Yewande Omotosho, Rukayat Olaleye
NEW Official blog: EbediResidency.blogspot.com
Advertisement: Read my books. (Preview)
The founder-patron is Dr. Wale Okediran, a soft-spoken medical doctor who is also a prolific and award-winning writer. With at least ten novels/memoirs to his credit, the man also runs a medical column in the Nigerian Tribune. Note: By all means read his Tenants of The House, 2010 winner of the Lumina (Wole Soyinka) prize for African Literature, and definitely one of the ten coolest novels Nigeria has produced in the past ten years.
Interestingly, Dr. Okediran is also a politician. He was the Secretary, then the President of ANA, the Association of Nigerian Authors. From 2003-2007, he was a legislator, representing Iseyin / Kajola / Iwujola / Itesiwaju area of Oyo State in the Nigerian National Assembly. He was the ACN candidate for Senate (Oyo North Senatorial District) in the 2011 election.
I would like to read his other (harder-to-find) works, which include (primary source) and a handful of others:
Call to Worship, 1990 - won American Poetry Association Book Prize
The Boys At The Border, 1991 - Commonwealth Literature Prize Shortlist
Rainbows are for Lovers, 2nd edition published by Spectrum Books 1993
The Rescue of Uncle Babs, 1998 - won ANA Prize for Children’s Literature
Dreams Die at Twilight, 2004 - NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature Shortlist
Strange Encounters, 2004 - published by Heinemann, won ANA Best Fiction Prize
The Weaving Loom, 2008 - shortlist Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa
Tenants of The House, 2010, cowinner with Coconuts (South Africa) is a captivating tale of politricks inspired by his tenure in the National Assembly.
Fearless, 2012, is a memoir of his House of Reps colleague, Femi Gbajabiamilla.
The Ebedi Residency is one of very few in Africa, and the only writers' residency I know of in Nigeria, so far.
It began humbly via blog/newsletter announcements in 2010.
Lola Okusami and Abiodun Adebiyi became the first residents in September 2010. After reading about it in NEXT, I thought: wow, I really really want to do this, and after the boys had had their run, I was in the fourth pair one year later. Yess!
In its second year, our little residency became more international with writers from West and East Africa, and bigger - with an intake class size of three, up from two at a time.
What will year three and beyond bring?
 |
| Writers at Ebedi, Biodun and Lola |
Who can apply? How to apply? I believe a website is in the works. Otherwise, all I can say is that it is open to authors of fiction, poetry, or drama, and it is intended to develop the local community as well as enrich the larger world. Your best bet is either follow a writerly newsletter or blog for upcoming announcements or email ebediwriters@yahoo.com with enquiries about latest application requirements (usually a writing sample and bio/CV).
Cast and News for Ebedi International Writers' Residency
September/October 2010: Announcement, Press, Lola Olusami, Abiodun Adebiyi
November/December 2010: Interviews, Charles Oluyori, Kenechukwu Obi
January/February 2011: Press, NEXT, Trust, A. Igoni Barrett and Emmanuel Ugokwe (Igbo language)
August/September 2011: Story, Press, Guardian, Nation, Spencer Okoroafor, Anaele Ihuoma
October/November 2011: Press, Story, Reactions, Interview, , Ladi Opaluwa, Tosin Otitoju (me)
January/February 2012 : Forum, NSnews, Punch, Doreen Baingana (Uganda, Commonwealth Prize 2009), Dr. Dul Johnson, Nehru Odey
March/April 2012 class: Announcement, Tribune, Interviews, Temitayo Olofinlua, Barbara Oketta (Kenya/Uganda)
June/July 2012 class: Biographies, Press, Malawi's Stanley Kenani?, Press, Interview, Richard Ali, Niyi Fasanmi, Awwal Sakiwa (an illustrator)
September/October 2012 class: Interviews, Onyebuchi Nwosu, Macdell Joshua Sackey (from Ghana), Samuel Kolawole
November/December 2012 - three girls?
Recurring roles: Press, Salvation Otubu and the lovely secondary school students of Iseyin, Alhazan Abiodun, Aunty and Uncle Okediran, The Board (Alkasim Abdulkadir, Akintayo Abodunrin, Maryam Ali Ali, Uche Peter Umez, ...)
 |
| Dr. Wale Okediran, initiator of Ebedi Writers Residency Programme |
Nov/Dec 2012: Interviews, Blessing Mba, Lillian Christopher, and Salamatu Sule
Jan/Feb 2013: Story, Punch, Elnathan John, Musa Idris Okpanachi, John Kofi Asiedu Sarpong
Mar/Apr 2013: Four Women: Ayodele Olofintuade , Agiresaasi Apophia, Yewande Omotosho, Rukayat Olaleye
NEW Official blog: EbediResidency.blogspot.com
Advertisement: Read my books. (Preview)
Monday, October 29, 2012
Divine and divalicious
Found Two Against One on a Best (Under-rated) Songs of 2011 list. Perfect music+video.
I've also derived great pleasure recently from my Carla Bruni, Rufus Wainwright, and Miloš Karadaglić. Yep, just like I planned, been playing Quelqu'un m'a dit (Carla), Out of the Game, Songs for Lulu (Rufus's last two albums), and Mediterraneo (Miloš) over and over.
The best things in life are free.
50 odd weeks ago, besides cheesy telenovellas, this was the other cheesy viewing that helped me recuperate: Kathryn and Jakob on Season Six of So You Think You Can Dance. Divine.
Yep, happy one year anniversary of being very sick to me.
November 2011 (recuperation season) was horrid, with all the medicine and feeling strange and nauseous and feverish and all. But that was also when I first heard Miloš. Boy did I play this one over and over.
The best things in life are free.
50 odd weeks ago, besides cheesy telenovellas, this was the other cheesy viewing that helped me recuperate: Kathryn and Jakob on Season Six of So You Think You Can Dance. Divine.
Yep, happy one year anniversary of being very sick to me.
November 2011 (recuperation season) was horrid, with all the medicine and feeling strange and nauseous and feverish and all. But that was also when I first heard Miloš. Boy did I play this one over and over.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Impressions, August 2001
 |
| What I thought grad school would be - Tosin Otitoju |
Lower left:
the professors in my department - Richard Murray, Jerry Marsden, and John Doyle.
Panning right:
some quantum spin thingie.
The new kids - me, Shawn (the Texan) Shadden, Lun Li, and Lijun Chen.
The letters CDS.
A DNA double helix.
Me and some hottie. A 20-year old girl could dream.
Above:
I'd heard grad school was all about pizza (but I got to 'Caltech and changed that culture, so we started getting healthy and quality free food).
Money - I was going to get some.
A ducted fan I had seen in a basement lab.
A differential equation.
A computer.
The Saguaros and breathtaking landscape I had seen out West.
Twin single cells (amoeba?) eating. A book.
Advertisement: Read my books. (Preview)
Saturday, October 06, 2012
Events at Lagos Lawn Tennis Club this month
One, Venus and Serena are scheduled to tour Nigeria, giving tennis clinics, an exhibition match, and such, from October 30.
Two, Nigeria is hosting a few low-level international tennis tournaments.
No Top Nigerian Tennis Pros
Currently, all Africa has in the top 100 ATP/WTA rankings are 1 South African man (Kevin Anderson) and 1 South African woman.
All the Africans in the top 1000 (13 men / 6 women) are from South Africa (and Zimbabwe) or North Africa (Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco). There are however many unranked Nigerian players on the pro-circuit. I'll make an excuse for them: tennis is expensive.
Few Top Nigerian Juniors
The Africans have a bigger and more diverse presence on the JUNIOR rankings table of the International Tennis Federation(ITF). First of all, there are 3 boys and 4 girls from Africa in their top 100, with 53 boys and 42 girls in the top 1000.
Nigerian boys Emmanuel Udoko and Umaru Balami, and a girl Sarah Adegoke are in the respective top 1000 rankings for juniors.
I used to read about them in NEXT, and became colleagues and friends with Tolu Asaolu and the other sports reporters - Jide Alaka, Tunde Eludini, Ifeanyi Ibeh, Nnamdi Okosieme. Few paid attention to the junior sports stories, being so carried away with millionaire football stars.
But surely with good exposure and match play, some Nigerian
players may break into the top 1,000 and even the top ranks of tennis.
Cool tourneys in Lagos
I can't wait to finally watch some live, courtside tennis, my first time ever.
Besides the Chevron Junior Masters tennis championships currently on
at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, there is the Lagos Governor's Cup coming up in the second half of October.
Follow the tournaments
web: governorscuplagostennis.com fb: GovernorsCupLagosTennis , twitter @governorscuplag
Two, Nigeria is hosting a few low-level international tennis tournaments.
No Top Nigerian Tennis Pros
Currently, all Africa has in the top 100 ATP/WTA rankings are 1 South African man (Kevin Anderson) and 1 South African woman.
All the Africans in the top 1000 (13 men / 6 women) are from South Africa (and Zimbabwe) or North Africa (Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco). There are however many unranked Nigerian players on the pro-circuit. I'll make an excuse for them: tennis is expensive.
Few Top Nigerian Juniors
The Africans have a bigger and more diverse presence on the JUNIOR rankings table of the International Tennis Federation(ITF). First of all, there are 3 boys and 4 girls from Africa in their top 100, with 53 boys and 42 girls in the top 1000.
Nigerian boys Emmanuel Udoko and Umaru Balami, and a girl Sarah Adegoke are in the respective top 1000 rankings for juniors.
 |
| Umaru Balami of Nigeria |
 |
| Emmanuel Idoko of Nigeria |
I used to read about them in NEXT, and became colleagues and friends with Tolu Asaolu and the other sports reporters - Jide Alaka, Tunde Eludini, Ifeanyi Ibeh, Nnamdi Okosieme. Few paid attention to the junior sports stories, being so carried away with millionaire football stars.
 |
| Sarah Adegoke, click for photo source |
 | |
| Sarah Adegoke, Governors Cup Lagos Tennis |
Cool tourneys in Lagos
I can't wait to finally watch some live, courtside tennis, my first time ever.
 |
| Tafawa Balewa Square and Lagos Lawn Tennis Club (photo:ITF) |
Follow the tournaments
web: governorscuplagostennis.com fb: GovernorsCupLagosTennis , twitter @governorscuplag
 |
| Lagos Nigeria aerial view (photo: ITF) |
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Winning
It's time to slow down once again, even if I live in Nigeria not the harried CalSci USA.
Sad fact of "producing" work is that one becomes so eager to get one's own stuff out there, up front, and winning, that there is little time to consume the work of others.
Imagine how filmmakers feel about watching films - ah well, I can borrow this and this from Scorsese; or don't have time to read/travel/dance I have films to make.
Reasonable to think this way sometimes, then sometimes of course you want to broaden your experience, so that what you create might actually be new and dee-lightful.
Well, I am going to read. The winners of this year's Commonwealth Short Story prize, starting with the overall winner, from New Zealand. I really hope they're good. Then I'm going to read some essays from Foundational Questions in Physics.
I hear JK Rowling, who is loved for having made a fortune as the writer of Harry Potter, has a new novel out. I am very interested in reading it, having read a scathingly negative review that compared it to Barbara Pym (who wrote one of the best novels EVER.) I expect to find it very intelligent, with heartfelt insights about class. I expect it to change the world, actually, especially since so many are going to read it.
But why does Rowling's book have to go over 500 pages? One should rarely do that, but nowadays everybody seems to be going for the painfully long page count. Short and sweet, people, short and sweet.
Sometimes I can't believe how lovely it is to be in Nigeria.
Hahaha, super-serious people make me laugh. Why do "white people" like to make the most exciting things so serious?
Sad fact of "producing" work is that one becomes so eager to get one's own stuff out there, up front, and winning, that there is little time to consume the work of others.
Imagine how filmmakers feel about watching films - ah well, I can borrow this and this from Scorsese; or don't have time to read/travel/dance I have films to make.
Reasonable to think this way sometimes, then sometimes of course you want to broaden your experience, so that what you create might actually be new and dee-lightful.
Well, I am going to read. The winners of this year's Commonwealth Short Story prize, starting with the overall winner, from New Zealand. I really hope they're good. Then I'm going to read some essays from Foundational Questions in Physics.
 |
| NUMB3RS - Math + Film |
But why does Rowling's book have to go over 500 pages? One should rarely do that, but nowadays everybody seems to be going for the painfully long page count. Short and sweet, people, short and sweet.
Sometimes I can't believe how lovely it is to be in Nigeria.
Hahaha, super-serious people make me laugh. Why do "white people" like to make the most exciting things so serious?
Friday, September 14, 2012
NEXT Articles
From February to July 2011, I worked for a media company called NEXT. It was a fabulous job. As Digital Editor, I ran the team that ran the site that did the Wikileaks exclusive and new-media-style election coverage. (FUN!) We were number one for a moment there, and then the company died. The superstar staff scattered in a dozen award-winning directions.
I wasn't hired as a writer, but everyone at NEXT wrote occasionally at least. Here are the two articles I wrote for NEXT in 2011 (before they disappear completely from the internet). Thanks to the pirates that kept this data alive.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver announce separation
10th May 2011
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver have announced their separation after 25 years of marriage.
Arnold is former award-winning body builder, Austrian migrant to the US who became a hit movie star with hundreds of millions of dollars in the bank. When the drab Democratic governor of California was recalled (eight years ago?) like a hundred Californians threw their hat in the ring to take over, but it was Arnold that won, with his promises to terminate the problems of California.
Arnold ran as a Republican, but he was fully supported by the entire Kennedy family, which literally stood behind him on the podium, on the day of his crucial announcement.
Maybe it was partly his rippling body that endeared him to the American princess Maria in the seventies, when they first met. Maria is a first cousin of John F. Kennedy, a true case of an American blueblood marrying a commoner. Maria Shriver is also a broadcast journalist and very good long-term friends with Oprah Winfrey.
Maria and Arnold have known each other for most of their lives. The couple has done very well for themselves, with four kids, great careers, and we hope an enduring friendship.
Back with the queens
14th May 2011
The Queen's College (QC) Annual Speech and Prize-Giving Ceremony held on Thursday May 12 2011 at the College Hall on the premises of the school in Yaba, Lagos.
I arrived around 2pm during a spirited Atilogwu dance that meant I had just missed the National Anthem and Opening Prayer.
As for invited guests, the chairperson was not present but sent a representative, while the special guests of honour also had to cancel at the last-minute due to flight delays and work emergencies.
The former principals were in attendance; you can rely on them.
The guest speaker was Dayo Olumide Benjamin-Ajayi.
She was lively, in the tradition of the Black American Baptist preachers. Her performance began with her kneeling down, stilettoes and all, to greet ‘our mothers.'
She spoke of each person as ‘unstoppable' and taught about the Queen inside each one of us.
A Queen's College Old Girl herself, she had enthralling stories from her days stomping the same grounds, navigating some of the same challenges that the girls might face today, including the temptation to cheat, the fear of public speaking, and uncertainty about the future.
Before the guest speaker took the stage, the principal gave her report which showed, as usual, a very high pass rate at the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE).
93.5 percent of students had credit and above in English. 98 percent had five credits and above.
However, only 68 percent had five credits and above including Maths and English.
And the problem was with Mathematics - too many students still do poorly in Mathematics.
As a lifelong math-lover, I would like to offer my services to remedy this. The highest fail rates in SSCE in 2010 were in Mathematics, Accounting (each with five percent fail) and then Hausa and Yoruba (each with about 20 percent fail).
Other than these, most subjects had at or near 100 percent pass rate (by pass I mean ‘P' and above.)
As usual, the results in National Examination Council (NECO) were weaker than WAEC SSCE. It is thought that students just don't pay as much attention to the NECO exam as they do the other.
I attended Speech Day last year as the guest speaker. See July 2010 at www.lifelib.blogspot.com for the speech. There was an utterly attentive young student in the front row during my speech, and later in the afternoon. She turned out to be the highest-scoring student in her class.
This Prize-Giving day, Phinuella was back, and she carted off so many prizes that there were jokes in the audience about her getting a Ghana-must-go to hold them. Currently in SS3, she had the highest SS2 score in English Language, Igbo Language, Further Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Geography, Economics, and Music. At least she ‘allowed' another student to take the Mathematics prize, while another daring colleague snatched the Chemistry prize.
In QC tradition, we love watching the superstars at Speech Day, but not only in the core subjects. The choir was lovely, but would not match the angelic vocal performances of Lara Bajomo (now the famous Lara George) back in the nineties. The band was raucous fun, and the traditional dances were very good. I think the 21st century dancers beat us - the 90s girls - not only in costuming, but also in beauty and gait. I noticed that there was art and freer expression everywhere, likely reflecting the current principal's love of art.
Mrs Ogunnaike, the PQC (Principal, Queen's College) was my beloved art teacher. I still remember drawing and shading this metallic flask with the correct light and texture effects. As my art teacher, she was pretty and she was good. She taught my little sister, who is now, finally, an artist. She had been the art teacher (as a youth corps member) of the guest speaker too, thirty-something years ago. Now she was the principal, seven months running, of Queen's College and about to retire. I can't believe that she is anything near 60 years old, and it strikes me that many of our teachers are retirement-age but not tired. They still have a youthful spring in their step.
Also in Queen's College tradition, the highlight of Speech Day is the standing ovation. It usually goes to the "Best all-round student" who is usually the girl (now ‘Old Girl') with the best result in the last WAEC SSCE. Yetunde Noah won that in 1993 as I watched and plotted my turn. She was a "yellow" girl with frizzy hair and she turned up smartly for Speech Day in a sailor-inspired suit (smart white skirt, navy blue suit top, nice legs, frizzy hair.) Ah, yes, three years later I donned my own sailor suit. Well, this year, the standing ovation was shared. Ayodele Kadiri (Best all-round student in 2010 WAEC/SSCE) and Odigwe Osato (Best all-round student).
No sailor suits this year; Speech Day is a bit more casual these days.
I wasn't hired as a writer, but everyone at NEXT wrote occasionally at least. Here are the two articles I wrote for NEXT in 2011 (before they disappear completely from the internet). Thanks to the pirates that kept this data alive.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver announce separation
10th May 2011
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver have announced their separation after 25 years of marriage.
Arnold is former award-winning body builder, Austrian migrant to the US who became a hit movie star with hundreds of millions of dollars in the bank. When the drab Democratic governor of California was recalled (eight years ago?) like a hundred Californians threw their hat in the ring to take over, but it was Arnold that won, with his promises to terminate the problems of California.
Arnold ran as a Republican, but he was fully supported by the entire Kennedy family, which literally stood behind him on the podium, on the day of his crucial announcement.
Maybe it was partly his rippling body that endeared him to the American princess Maria in the seventies, when they first met. Maria is a first cousin of John F. Kennedy, a true case of an American blueblood marrying a commoner. Maria Shriver is also a broadcast journalist and very good long-term friends with Oprah Winfrey.
Maria and Arnold have known each other for most of their lives. The couple has done very well for themselves, with four kids, great careers, and we hope an enduring friendship.
Back with the queens
14th May 2011
The Queen's College (QC) Annual Speech and Prize-Giving Ceremony held on Thursday May 12 2011 at the College Hall on the premises of the school in Yaba, Lagos.
I arrived around 2pm during a spirited Atilogwu dance that meant I had just missed the National Anthem and Opening Prayer.
As for invited guests, the chairperson was not present but sent a representative, while the special guests of honour also had to cancel at the last-minute due to flight delays and work emergencies.
The former principals were in attendance; you can rely on them.
The guest speaker was Dayo Olumide Benjamin-Ajayi.
She was lively, in the tradition of the Black American Baptist preachers. Her performance began with her kneeling down, stilettoes and all, to greet ‘our mothers.'
She spoke of each person as ‘unstoppable' and taught about the Queen inside each one of us.
A Queen's College Old Girl herself, she had enthralling stories from her days stomping the same grounds, navigating some of the same challenges that the girls might face today, including the temptation to cheat, the fear of public speaking, and uncertainty about the future.
Before the guest speaker took the stage, the principal gave her report which showed, as usual, a very high pass rate at the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE).
93.5 percent of students had credit and above in English. 98 percent had five credits and above.
However, only 68 percent had five credits and above including Maths and English.
And the problem was with Mathematics - too many students still do poorly in Mathematics.
As a lifelong math-lover, I would like to offer my services to remedy this. The highest fail rates in SSCE in 2010 were in Mathematics, Accounting (each with five percent fail) and then Hausa and Yoruba (each with about 20 percent fail).
Other than these, most subjects had at or near 100 percent pass rate (by pass I mean ‘P' and above.)
As usual, the results in National Examination Council (NECO) were weaker than WAEC SSCE. It is thought that students just don't pay as much attention to the NECO exam as they do the other.
I attended Speech Day last year as the guest speaker. See July 2010 at www.lifelib.blogspot.com for the speech. There was an utterly attentive young student in the front row during my speech, and later in the afternoon. She turned out to be the highest-scoring student in her class.
This Prize-Giving day, Phinuella was back, and she carted off so many prizes that there were jokes in the audience about her getting a Ghana-must-go to hold them. Currently in SS3, she had the highest SS2 score in English Language, Igbo Language, Further Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Geography, Economics, and Music. At least she ‘allowed' another student to take the Mathematics prize, while another daring colleague snatched the Chemistry prize.
In QC tradition, we love watching the superstars at Speech Day, but not only in the core subjects. The choir was lovely, but would not match the angelic vocal performances of Lara Bajomo (now the famous Lara George) back in the nineties. The band was raucous fun, and the traditional dances were very good. I think the 21st century dancers beat us - the 90s girls - not only in costuming, but also in beauty and gait. I noticed that there was art and freer expression everywhere, likely reflecting the current principal's love of art.
Mrs Ogunnaike, the PQC (Principal, Queen's College) was my beloved art teacher. I still remember drawing and shading this metallic flask with the correct light and texture effects. As my art teacher, she was pretty and she was good. She taught my little sister, who is now, finally, an artist. She had been the art teacher (as a youth corps member) of the guest speaker too, thirty-something years ago. Now she was the principal, seven months running, of Queen's College and about to retire. I can't believe that she is anything near 60 years old, and it strikes me that many of our teachers are retirement-age but not tired. They still have a youthful spring in their step.
Also in Queen's College tradition, the highlight of Speech Day is the standing ovation. It usually goes to the "Best all-round student" who is usually the girl (now ‘Old Girl') with the best result in the last WAEC SSCE. Yetunde Noah won that in 1993 as I watched and plotted my turn. She was a "yellow" girl with frizzy hair and she turned up smartly for Speech Day in a sailor-inspired suit (smart white skirt, navy blue suit top, nice legs, frizzy hair.) Ah, yes, three years later I donned my own sailor suit. Well, this year, the standing ovation was shared. Ayodele Kadiri (Best all-round student in 2010 WAEC/SSCE) and Odigwe Osato (Best all-round student).
No sailor suits this year; Speech Day is a bit more casual these days.
Sunday, September 02, 2012
The Mistress of Spices
Here is another good movie: The Mistress of Spices , starring Aishwarya Rai with two important supporting actors with Nigerian names too.
Remember A Touch of Spice, that other aromatic movie I raved about six years ago?
Like, how many of these films taught me to dance, opened my eyes - or that other eye - and made me notice beauty more consciously. This has been especially true with the films I barely understood, so (for the right-brain, at least) it's the mystery that is so educational.
I want to thank them all, lol, all these little spiritualists that make movies. To think that "Mistress of Spices" got bad critical reviews and probably made only a million dollars. What a world, in which there are so many good movies that we don't know how to love them all.
Fenugreek, they say, is for Tuesdays. For me, Fenugreek is for Yemen, and that frothy bowl of saltah I had when I thought I might be getting ill, and of course I didn't get very sick in the end. The sun burned the sickness away. And the saltah and honey did the rest.
Remember A Touch of Spice, that other aromatic movie I raved about six years ago?
Like, how many of these films taught me to dance, opened my eyes - or that other eye - and made me notice beauty more consciously. This has been especially true with the films I barely understood, so (for the right-brain, at least) it's the mystery that is so educational.
 |
| Aish is the queen |
Fenugreek, they say, is for Tuesdays. For me, Fenugreek is for Yemen, and that frothy bowl of saltah I had when I thought I might be getting ill, and of course I didn't get very sick in the end. The sun burned the sickness away. And the saltah and honey did the rest.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Celebrate
Picked up a miserable computer virus yesterday. We got it rooted out, you know, without losing my data and programs and all. So I am happy.
(Oh and had a "chat" with a nice guy that lives on my street. And a friend visited just to check on my computer. A couple of other good chats. Including one with the watch-repair guy. So I now have nice straps and batteries on my old watches. And almost went to watch Maami. And ate TFC. And other fun got crammed into this amazing day off. )
Well, to celebrate having my computer back, here are some drawings from the vault :)
The first is dated April 2012. What was I thinking?
(Oh and had a "chat" with a nice guy that lives on my street. And a friend visited just to check on my computer. A couple of other good chats. Including one with the watch-repair guy. So I now have nice straps and batteries on my old watches. And almost went to watch Maami. And ate TFC. And other fun got crammed into this amazing day off. )
Well, to celebrate having my computer back, here are some drawings from the vault :)
The first is dated April 2012. What was I thinking?
 | |
| Jankara Market |
The second, Rufus Wainwright, is from December 2011. I will stop blabbing about Rufus for a bit. I hear he's getting married, let me check...TOMORROW, omg.
 |
| Rufus Wainwright |
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Poems of/for Rufus
Just dumped this on the internet. And how are you?
Poems of/for Rufus 1:
Wrote this mostly at Union Station in 2001. The summer I found Rufus Wainwright's 'Poses' and fell in love. Oh my God, by Greek song I was turned completely on.
Enjoy:
http://www.lifelib.blogspot.com/p/books.html
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
To my new love with Elvis’ sideburns
And Sahala’s cheekbones
And the black leather jacket:
Your heart beats out a snore, a drone,
What’s the word – a sonorous?
Tune that melts me, joins me to you.
Like you,
I want to sing about places and
Scrappy girls’ asses.
@
I fell for you – you came over me
And made me bob my head in recognition,
Association, identification.
Maybe you’re no Techie
But you must KNOW Yale,
Or Howard, or Julliard – surely.
Because you are not another
Happy white boy with a guitar –
You’re a trickster!
You belt out on the key of B flat to
Taunt me. I go off key.
You draw your “ah” for, like, five bars
As I fumble and lose count.
@
You wear the stupid black leather jacket
And place yourself next to Pete Yorn
At Olsson’s.
But you’re not one of them.
You’re Sahala: part Indonesian, part Swedish.
You’re part preppie, part bum.
Bourgie boy, silver spoon and all.
@
And you trick me into paying for
This portfolio, as it were;
This…beautiful sampler
Of your art.
It’s just art – just a job –
To you.
You made me love you, Rufus Baby.
Together we’ll wreak havoc, you and me!
(in Comrade, 2010)
Poems of/for Rufus 2:
I was writing a ton of ten-line poems a couple of years ago. Of course I wouldn't know what to write without Rufus, and a few of the poems are inspired by him indirectly. He introduced me to Jeff Buckley, Viktor & Rolf, ... reintroduced Edith Piaf...
But then I wrote this one about his mother and he, because well of course I think I know the family.
But isn't "Martha" heart-rending? And in those days too, "Dinner at Eight". And by Martha BMFA but not quite the same Cancerian wallowing in pain of Mr. Wainwright.
I hope he likes this,
KATE'S SONG FOR BABY
In that: my weather-worn trunk
With its cracks and warts
Would grant me such a
Fresh salmon-rose bud – you.
You will grow surrounded by
Lies. Tales of good spirits,
Good things; like Adam in the garden
You will believe everything.
Your daddy is not perfect.
You will be perfecter.
(coming soon at http://www.lifelib.blogspot.com/p/books.html )
Poems of/for Rufus 1:
Wrote this mostly at Union Station in 2001. The summer I found Rufus Wainwright's 'Poses' and fell in love. Oh my God, by Greek song I was turned completely on.
Enjoy:
http://www.lifelib.blogspot.com/p/books.html
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
To my new love with Elvis’ sideburns
And Sahala’s cheekbones
And the black leather jacket:
Your heart beats out a snore, a drone,
What’s the word – a sonorous?
Tune that melts me, joins me to you.
Like you,
I want to sing about places and
Scrappy girls’ asses.
@
I fell for you – you came over me
And made me bob my head in recognition,
Association, identification.
Maybe you’re no Techie
But you must KNOW Yale,
Or Howard, or Julliard – surely.
Because you are not another
Happy white boy with a guitar –
You’re a trickster!
You belt out on the key of B flat to
Taunt me. I go off key.
You draw your “ah” for, like, five bars
As I fumble and lose count.
@
You wear the stupid black leather jacket
And place yourself next to Pete Yorn
At Olsson’s.
But you’re not one of them.
You’re Sahala: part Indonesian, part Swedish.
You’re part preppie, part bum.
Bourgie boy, silver spoon and all.
@
And you trick me into paying for
This portfolio, as it were;
This…beautiful sampler
Of your art.
It’s just art – just a job –
To you.
You made me love you, Rufus Baby.
Together we’ll wreak havoc, you and me!
(in Comrade, 2010)
Poems of/for Rufus 2:
I was writing a ton of ten-line poems a couple of years ago. Of course I wouldn't know what to write without Rufus, and a few of the poems are inspired by him indirectly. He introduced me to Jeff Buckley, Viktor & Rolf, ... reintroduced Edith Piaf...
But then I wrote this one about his mother and he, because well of course I think I know the family.
But isn't "Martha" heart-rending? And in those days too, "Dinner at Eight". And by Martha BMFA but not quite the same Cancerian wallowing in pain of Mr. Wainwright.
I hope he likes this,
KATE'S SONG FOR BABY
In that: my weather-worn trunk
With its cracks and warts
Would grant me such a
Fresh salmon-rose bud – you.
You will grow surrounded by
Lies. Tales of good spirits,
Good things; like Adam in the garden
You will believe everything.
Your daddy is not perfect.
You will be perfecter.
(coming soon at http://www.lifelib.blogspot.com/p/books.html )
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Writing sucks: Love/Hate
It's the unofficial novel-writing (or novella-extension) month in town, since the writers' groups noticed a manuscript contest offered by Kwani? Literary Trust, deadline next month.
I bet the contest has inspired many like me to quickly finish up their novels.
I had a new 25,000 word sort-of manuscript when I first saw the announcement. Part of it is mentioned here, re: anthology. I was going to finish it last month to around 30,000, but then I thought, there may never be another major African reward for African writing, so BabyGirl why not try to almost reach 40,000 so you can maybe enter the contest.
Well, I'm doing that now and it's really bloody hard work. I wish the doggone thing would write itself. I look forward to not working on another novel for at least another year. It will be short stories all the way: done in two thousand words, lol
Seriously though, this book is becoming better as I extend it.
Worried first about diluting the writing I had so carefully built up, but instead it's becoming more complete and potentially satisfying to the reader.
Think:
Many people hate ambiguity within the novel, which I do for fun in poetry and which I had in the early drafts.
Example:
Did the terrorist meet the clerk or was it just another new dad?
What do YOU think - it could be either way.
It's your story - just tell me the answer.
Also, most people hate it when you just "stop in the middle of the story" like short story writers love to do. That is why so many stories end in weddings or proposals, death and finality.
Examples:
Tell me the ogre was banished to eternal prison and will never be able to kidnap little children again.
Or
Her husband finally died of cancer so he asked and she said yes and then he kissed her. Curtains! The End.
Well, I'm fixing things up to suit adumb brilliant but impatient reader, and exhausted excited that my first storybook will be finished in about three weeks.
I bet the contest has inspired many like me to quickly finish up their novels.
An actual reward for African writing?
Pass me some of that loving.
It seems Kwani announced back in April with a minimum length of 60,000 words.
SIX-TY THOUZ...!
Then they lowered the minimum to 45,000 words, moved the deadline from August 20th to September 17th, and won my attention :) I had a new 25,000 word sort-of manuscript when I first saw the announcement. Part of it is mentioned here, re: anthology. I was going to finish it last month to around 30,000, but then I thought, there may never be another major African reward for African writing, so BabyGirl why not try to almost reach 40,000 so you can maybe enter the contest.
Well, I'm doing that now and it's really bloody hard work. I wish the doggone thing would write itself. I look forward to not working on another novel for at least another year. It will be short stories all the way: done in two thousand words, lol
Seriously though, this book is becoming better as I extend it.
Worried first about diluting the writing I had so carefully built up, but instead it's becoming more complete and potentially satisfying to the reader.
Think:
Many people hate ambiguity within the novel, which I do for fun in poetry and which I had in the early drafts.
Example:
Did the terrorist meet the clerk or was it just another new dad?
What do YOU think - it could be either way.
It's your story - just tell me the answer.
Also, most people hate it when you just "stop in the middle of the story" like short story writers love to do. That is why so many stories end in weddings or proposals, death and finality.
Examples:
Tell me the ogre was banished to eternal prison and will never be able to kidnap little children again.
Or
Her husband finally died of cancer so he asked and she said yes and then he kissed her. Curtains! The End.
Well, I'm fixing things up to suit a
Thursday, August 16, 2012
I love Rufus in the summer when it sizzles
 |
| Why oh why do I love Rufus? |
Soooo I've got Rufus music. I LOVE Out of The Game of course - it's Rufus!
To be honest, it's only now I finally got the entire Lulu album too.
Could this be the end of internet-poverty in my corner of the 3rd world? Oh yeah.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)