Once upon a time, long long ago when I was busy doing nothing and basically just minding my own business, my good friend Chiira asked me to check out his blog, The Trot and the Run. So I took like a minute and since I was using my phone, for some reason, it (the blog) did not get my attention. I should mention that at the time, there were like enough bloggers for me to count with my left hand and I had fewer followers on twitter than Ole Kiyapi has teeth. After a time, t, – in which it had passed my mind that the Chiira blogs – he again asked me to check out his blog and I spent the entire afternoon blog whoring on his blog. He is that good!

I spent the next three months learning from him by reading everything he was penning down. The problem with the Kenyan blogosphere now, unlike then, is there are people who stumble on a blog post and before they are done reading, they have their own blog, all signed up to wordpress or blogger and a lousy post in which they call themselves writers yet they have the audacity to use ‘am’ as a short form of ‘I am.’ As if that is not nauseating enough, it’s in the title and the post is full of grammatical mistakes and enough typos such that if the typos were votes, they would get Kamenchu elected as President in a landslide first round victory! Story for another day.

To circumcise the very long story, I started up The Greatrnk on My Opera and later, my mentor advised me to move to wordpress. Having blogged for a year, earned badges and honours, I called it quits. My mentor told me generals do not quit, they just take a break. Okay, have you ever listened to Kanye’s Big Brother? It is a song in which Kanye goes on and on about Jay, the guy who is legally married to and sleeps with Beyonce. To some point, the song almost makes Kanye look gay. I may be guilt of the same here. Anyways, true to my mentor’s words, I made a comeback from retirement like Jay, only that my comeback has not resulted in me getting a Beyonce for myself but I am working on it.

I am afraid, it is time for me to hang the boots again. I would like to thank everyone who took time to read, comment and share. You are all awesome people and I cannot thank you enough. Those who used their precious airtime to text me and tell me they loved my blog or a post, I am so grateful. The critics, I appreciate you too. You are just as important. The bloggers who provided guest posts for my blog, I cannot thank you enough. Basically, anyone who has taken their time for this blog, whether it is reading, commenting, sharing, hating etc, I salute you. I cannot mention all of you because you are too many and mainly because I risk forgetting one or two.

PARTING SHOT: Is someone at Ghafla writing about my retirement. I sure hope there is. Okay, I kid! There comes a time when the readers are more important than the writer. Obviously, this quote stolen from the late George, ahem, Saitoti has nothing to do with what I am about to say next. I have hung the boots on greatrnk.wordpress but do check me out on greatrnk.com. The website is still raw, but it is up. A lot is yet to be done, that is just the sketch and you will see many changes as time goes by. Also, everything that is here is also there, except this post. The welcome post is what I never did here. A poem!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE, it’s been real!

by Arum the Champ

Today I am going to write about something that I have been dealing with recently. Something that I became consciously aware of and it somewhat freaked me out. After noticing that I did it often I also realised that many other people did it too, which ofcourse forced me to analyze it and subsequently write something about it (yes writing is my therapy).

So anyway today I will talk about criticism and how we self-sabotage ourselves when we always focus on criticising others instead of ourselves. I have to admit, due to some of my personality traits I am good at focusing on flaws, mistakes and errors of other people. Infact, it does not help that I am a perfectionist who sometimes tries to prove others wrong just for the sake of feeling like I am right.

It is easy to criticize other people, infact when you criticize you somehow get a delusional feeling that you are better than another individual. A couple of years ago when I was going through a particular phase in my life, I came to learn of a concept called ‘projection.’

Simply explained, it states that the traits which we identify in others whether good or bad are somehow inherent in us. Yes, when you throw out that “she is so manipulative” comment at another, it may mean that deep inside we share that character trait. Projection and the awareness of our strengths/weaknesses is a fabolous way to master or discover who you really are. I would have gone deeper in to it but that is not my focus today.

Back to criticism….. the thing with criticism from a distance is that most of the time it may be coupled with hate or an inferiority complex. It is easy to focus on others flaws yet forget that we are human beings that have loads of issues to deal with.

to the point………

our progress as individual is greatly limited when we keep on focusing on what others need to do with their lives. I suggest that it would be better if you focused more on yourself and what we need to do to become better individuals.

Am I saying that we totally refrain from criticising injustices? no. What I mean is that we should focus more of our criticisms on our selves and continually challenge who we are on a daily basis. In our relationships/friendships instead of focusing on what others should do to make us happy, put your ego aside and instead ask yourself what you can do to improve ourselves and make them have a great experience when interacting with us.

Self criticism is one great way of taking control of our lives and constantly improving on who we are as people……

so, what do you need to improve on as a person?

write it down, share it with a friend and make a commitment to continually work on the issue no matter what it takes.

About the Author: Arum The Champ is a blogger who writes mostly about how people (should) behave on twitter. You can find his hilarious writing at The Rare Champ

The Vault, as the name suggests, is a medium through which Christian hip hop artists get to share the treasures that God wants to reveal to each and every person through His Word. With lyricism, rhymes, poetry and a journey of their experience in ministry and in salvation, these Kingdom ministers are set, not only to entertain but to point this generation to Christ.

The bi-monthly event was an idea of five close friends who shared a common love for Hip Hop music. The concept behind the vault was to create a platform where hip hop and poetic artists in Kenya and around the world can get an opportunity to showcase their talents without any limitations.

Dan Gee, one of the people behind the event says, “We found out that compared to artists from other genres, hip hop artists in Kenya barely get the opportunity to perform in this other events and most of them end up discouraged and eventually giving up on their dreams, it is for this reason that the Vault concept was born.”

The bi-monthly event aims at getting the artists this opportunities, exposure, mentorship and also training them on how to become artists of international standards. The idea behind having the event once in 2 months was to kill the monotony of having a monthly event, and also have people looking forward to the event.

The 2nd Edition will be held on Sunday the 16th of December 2012 at the Abondoz Restaurant Roof top that is situated at the Luther Plaza, along Uhuru highway opposite the central park as from 2PM to 8PM; this edition dubbed ‘the roof top party’ is set to be a Christmas party that all Hip hop fans will remember for a long time.

The 1st Edition, read about it here, was held in October 2012 at the Kenya National Theatre and was an instant hit, with performances by some of the best hip hop artists in Kenya, including Maluda, S.P.A.T, Kelele Takatifu, H3, Dan-gee, Nasara the poet among others.

The 2nd Edition will have one of Kenya’s pioneer hip hop artist and multiple award winner Holy Dave perform as the Focus artist of the day, Holy Dave is widely known for hits such as not a joke, Niko na reason, press on and his recent runaway hit Ni Msoh. He will also be sharing about his life, journey and music ministry.

Other performing artists include: veteran poet Number 8, Signature, Treble, B4C, G-Cho Pevu, Alex Newnique and TIO. On the wheels of steel will be the Vault’s official deejay Ken Tha DJ backed by one of the leading Gospel Hip hop deejays in Kenya, the one and only Deejay Gee Gee of the Tri Crew.

This Edition of the Vault is proudly sponsored by Butterfly Republic, CPR Radio, Kelele Republic, Epic Concepts and X-hoodz Entertainment.

If you are a hip hop enthusiastic, come bang your head to your favorite tunes mixed by your favorite Deejays. If you are not a hip hop fan, come hear what the best in hip hop have to offer as you enjoy the energetic performances, the beautiful view of Nairobi from a roof top, great food, great company and some Barbeque.

Lets go over the details again (which are on the poster):

Event: The Vault 2.0 – The Roof Top Party.

Venue: Abondoz Restaurant Roof Top

Time: 2PM to 8PM

Main Artist: Holy Dave

Other Performing Artists: Number 8, Signature, Treble, B4C, G-Cho Pevu, Alex Newnique and TIO

Damage: USD 2.34 (with the current prevailing rates) or Kshs. 200.

Also read about the event here by Ascofu. Like the Vault’s facebook page here follow the them on twitter here and RSVP the event on facebook here.

Everything about the event was awesome: From the praise and worship led by ZIADA to the live performances – which were backed by ZIADA – of Nasara, Carlisto, Mercy Wairegi and Makena to the performance by Mwanga Band (as the MCs and ZIADA went to change to different attire) to beat boxing by Nasara, Beat Marvel and Carlisto to the final performance by ZIADA and the cake commemorating 49 years since independence.

As I have stated, I find myself without words to express what went down. As they say a picture is worth more than 1,000 words, I got permission from Kweli Magazine to post some of their pictures on the event so that this post can be at least 10,000 words..More pictures can be found here 

Wahinyaj winning an album

Pastor Peter cutting cake

One Nation Under God

Number 8 doing his thing

Band Mwanga bringing the house down when the ZIADA team had gone to change

Nasara beat boxing

Mercy Wairegi

The next big thing Makena

Look at the kid

Gerriey Wainaina

David Ogara, the pianist.

Carlisto

They came back in colourful attire

Happy 49th birthday. Cake by Valentines Cake House

Band Mwanga

And here is what was said on twitter….

Safaricom live and Kenya music week should take notes from #ZiadaNairobi on how to manage gigs – Lellimandela

#ZiadaNairobi best way to finish my leave……now kesho jobo asubuhi – sushiwara

Totally blest at #ZiadaNairobi. – pinkyshizga

I’m out of words to explain the joy that I’m having … #ZiadaNairobi was just the bomb – VinMacharia

You guys are looking great,,, suggestion…just merge and remain ZIADA forever – busharoh

#ZiadaNairobi was awesome awesome – MudenganiT

I couldn’t make it to #ZiadaNairobi but whatever happened there must have been God’s doing!! The praise reports tell it all. ZiAda, keep on! – MissRipplez

#ZiAdaNairobi was pure bliss, on a level of its own. Whaatttt?? – vikmunala

Mad talent represented at #ZiadaNairobi equals to an epic day …#OneNationUnderGOD – Didi_romi

My 12.12.12 spent well at #ZiadaNairobi it was epic I tell u Epic:) – ms_makena

#ZiAdaNairobi AWESOME!AWESOME !YOU GUYS R A BLESSING – ElleOkumu

The #Kenyan flag decor at the #ZiadaNairobi concert, which was epic!! God bless Kenya. #Kenya365 #Kenya – Kenya_365

true definition of #beatboxin nasara the poet n carlisto at#ziadanairobi – antwanruiyot

So the lady had to M.C with an ipad. and the guy some piece of paper. yawa #ZiAdaNairobi – Owagah

Well done @EmeraldEventsKe on #ZiadaNairobi – well planned, organized, managed & executed event! Much respect! – justalffie

The event was sponsored by Orange Kenya, NTV, Cocacola, Valentines Cake House, Swizz Entertainment and RiqRiq. Mad respect to the MCs Faith Muturi and Larry Agufa for a job well done.

The  event was managed by Emerald Events Kenya. Follow them on twitter here and like their facebook page here.

All these numbers will be useless but one thing will remain; and that is our country Kenya. The state with which it remains depends on us as a people. We all know what happened after the 2007 general elections and as a country, we cannot afford to go through the same again. It is this in mind that ZIADA -which comprises of award winning bands (Zidi the Band and Adawnage Band); and reknown poet Number 8 – has come up with a peace concert dubbed ‘ZIADA Nairobi Worship Experience’ on the day Kenya got it’s independence, that is 12.12.12. The event’s main purpose is to unite the country ahead of next year’s polls under the theme One Nation Under God.

Brilliant works of photography on the beauty of our country captured by talented, professisional and widely celebrated photographers has been lined up. This work of photography will preceed a musical event in which ZIADA will perform featuring strong leads and additional home-grown artists auch as Mercy Wairegi, Nasara the poet, Carlisto, Makena and Mwanga Band. The photography and worship experience is set to be one whose impact will linger on long after 12.12.12.

Details about the event are on the poster but here they are again:

Event: ZIADA Nairobi Worship Experience.

Date: 12.12.12.

Time: 3 – 6 PM.

Venue: Parklands Baptist Church.

Artists: ZIADA (Zidi the Band, Adawnage and Number 8) featuring Mercy Wairegi, Nasara the Poet, Carlisto, Makena and Mwanga Band.

Theme: One Nation Under God.

Entrance: FREE!!!!!! (Just bring yourself).

Also, read about the event here by Kenyanmom, here by Kawiria and here by Kifalme.

Follow (and RSVP) the event on facebook here and follow Adawnage, Zidi the Band and Number 8 on twitter for more details about the event.

This is one event you will not want to miss!!!!

The holidays are a great time to be with the people you love. For many people, this means spending time with their husband or wife and their children. For many, it means spending time with their extended family, including those near and far.

For singles, the holidays can be a bittersweet time. It can be both a joyous time and a lonely time. By seeing everyone else with their spouses and their children, you may start dwelling on the fact that you are not with anyone. Add to that the inevitable questions, comments, or outright pressure you may face from family and friends about why you’re still single or just when you’re going to get married or have kids.

It doesn’t have to be this way. There are a few ways that you can get through the holiday season and make it just as fun and joyous not just in spite of your single status, but because of it. Here’s how to be single (and fabulous) at the holidays:

Spend Time with Other Singles

When you spend all your time with families and married couples, you may end up comparing your situation to theirs and feeling worse about your situation than you need to feel. You also might face the inevitable barrage of questions about your single status, which can annoy you and make you feel worse.

Don’t subject yourself to that. Instead, choose to spend the majority of your time around other singles. These are people who can commiserate with you about being single — or celebrate how fabulous it is to be single.

Attend Lots of Parties

Parties aren’t just a great way to celebrate the holiday season — they are also a great way to meet new people and to take your mind off things (like how you’re going to deal with your mother asking you why you still haven’t had a baby). You never know: You also just might meet someone fabulous at one of the parties!

Of course, not all parties are going to lift your spirits. If the invite comes from a married couple with kids, chances are that the other guests will also be married or have kids. Being around a lot of couples may only remind you of your single status — or bring obnoxious questions. Better to stick to parties with other singles, young people, or co-workers.

Host Your Own Party

Don’t wait to be asked to the dance — host your own! Hosting your own party can make you feel fun, popular, and loved — all the things you might not be feeling without a mate at your side during the holidays. Throw your own party and invite all your friends and co-workers. You’ll be too busy kissing under the mistletoe and singing Christmas carols to worry about why you’re single (or if it matters).

Have a Sense of Humor

Instead of getting defensive or angry at the inevitable questions you will get about your single status — “Do you think you’ll ever get married?” “Aren’t you worried it will be too late to have kids?” — adopt a sense of humor about it. Don’t honor the questions with genuine answers. Say things like, “No, I’m too young to get married” (even if you’re 50) or “Oh, man, I forgot that I need to have kids! I better make an appointment to do that next week.”

Of course, you’ll have to temper your humor for your audience. While you do want to deflect questions and make light of the situation, you don’t want to create a holiday rumble at the dinner table.

Remember the Benefits

One of the best ways to get through the holidays when you’re single is to remember all the reasons it’s great to be single. Think about it: You don’t have to argue about whose family you will visit for Christmas dinner. You don’t have to suffer unbearable in-laws. You can sleep in any day you want. You don’t have to put up a Christmas tree or decorations if you don’t want to. You can eat pumpkin pie and eggnog every day for breakfast if you want.

Being single means doing what you want when you want. Remember that and do something fun!

The holidays don’t have to be a lonely time or a dreaded time in which you subject yourself to even more questions about why you’re still not married. Use these tips to get you through the holidays so that it’s a fun and festive time for you, too — single or not.

How do you get through the holidays when you’re single? Share your tips in the comments!

About the Author: Kay Winders is presently the resident writer for www.badcreditloans.org, where she researches the best way for people to pay off their debts without damaging their credit. In her spare time, she enjoys freelance writing, the beach and gardening.

Filed under: Guest Posts, Relationships Tagged: Christmas, Christmas and holiday season, Dating, Family, Guest Posts, Holiday, relationships ]]> http://greatrnk.wordpress.com/2012/12/07/how-to-be-single-during-the-holidays/feed/ 2 greatrnk http://greatrnk.wordpress.com/2012/11/30/tangaza-mwangaza-by-mwanga-band/ http://greatrnk.wordpress.com/2012/11/30/tangaza-mwangaza-by-mwanga-band/#comments Fri, 30 Nov 2012 06:38:32 +0000 The Greatrnk http://greatrnk.wordpress.com/?p=748 Continue reading →]]>

Tangaza Mwangaza (Announce the Light) is the first Mwanga Band concert. Mwanga Band has been called to be the light to this generation through annointed and professional music, prayer, the word of God and also as fearless and fierce influencers. This concert which will be on Dec 1 at Parklands Baptist from 4pm-7pm and will focus on the issue of youth and HIV/AIDS with the main message being abstinence. Come and listen as they launch their music to the world.

Details are in the poster, but here they are again:

MAIN BAND: Mwanga Band

FEATURING ARTISTS/ BANDS: Adawnage, Christine Ndela, Kaberia, Zidi the Band

DATE: 1 December 2012

TIME: From 4PM

VENUE: Parklands Baptist Church

DAMAGE: FREE!!!!

For more details, like the mwanga band page on facebook, follow them on twitter and RSVP the event on facebook.

Pitch Five was formed in late November 2010. The name denotes five christian pillars that the band stands for, namely humility, prayer, discipleship, faith and truth. It is these pillars that define the band. Pitch five comprises eight versatile members. Due to the blend of different affiliations in genres and styles of music of the members, the band produces a rich sound and a unique fusion of a variety of tastes into one. Moreover, each distinct preference in approach complements the other without the domination of a style over the other. 

FOOTPRINTS is a story told in music of how a group of young men and women embarked on a journey to glorify God with their musical passion. It’s an outward expressions that God’s grace has had upon their lives when they look back and see how far the Lord has brought them (I Samuel 7:12). 

Pitch Five invites you to join them in this token appreciation and celebration of the glory of the Lord as they take you through their journey … how far the Lord has brought them. The event is dubbed FOOTPRINTS and the theme verse is I Samuel 7:12 … “Thus far has the LORD helped us.”

Details are on the poster but for the sake of us who need reminding, here they are again: 

DATE: Sunday, 2 December 2012

TIME: From 2:30PM

VENUE: Nairobi Baptist Church Ngong Road, Bethel Santuary

DAMAGE: FREE!!!! (just bring yourself)

 Like the pitch five page on facebook, follow them on twitter and RSVP the event on facebook.

 This is one event you do not want to miss!

I am angry. I have been angry almost all my life. This year I decided to deal with the real issues. Go back to where it all began; release. As part of letting go of my anger, I’ve decided to talk, and even though I remain anonymous, at least it’s a step… AND A BIG ONE for me.

You know what pisses me off?… Pedophiles, child rapists: Like how in the world with all the women running around loose, do you look at an 8 year old and get an arousal and even plan how you’re going to have your way with her. How in your twisted mind do you picture you inserting your full blown hard on in to her tiny Vagina…? What kind of sick person are you to get an arousal just by staring at her tiny tiny tits, things that do not even qualify to be called boobs because frankly they look like deflated pimples.

In what world do such people think it’s okay for you to take advantage of a child that loves you, with all the innocence that kids have, a child who cared deeply enough for you to call you UNCLE! Or is it because in all this innocence she decided to be coming to your house to help you do the dishes, because at even such a tender age of 8, she realized ‘unco’ is too busy to do dishes so she helped out. Did her undertaking these chores paint the evil image in your mind that she could be wife-able… such that you even imagine fucking the innocence out of her is a good idea?

I’m angry. I’m angry at horny dysfunctional house girls who think that they can get satisfaction by fucking the boss’ baby every day when she’s away at work. I’m angry that they get to get away with this because the nine year old child is too scared to speak – because you made her kneel down every day to ask God for forgiveness after fucking her to you fulfillment. Don’t watchmen love house helps? Or was that child the safer bet because she wouldn’t get her pregnant? And isn’t the joy of coitus the penetrations? How is humping a little girl’s pussy any satisfaction?

I’m angry… Angry at that teacher in Boarding School who thought it was appropriate to caress a student’s butt in the name of preparing it for caning … Feeling her tiny ass with your hands, are you looking for cancerous lumps or something? Doesn’t your wife at home sort out your needs? If not I’m sure there are many women out there wiling to sort you out? A student, surely what kinds of demons dwell within you!

I’m angry that this child did not have the courage to speak to anyone when all this happened because she was afraid; afraid of being judged, afraid of not being believed. Afraid because, as Africans we have not raised our children in this manner – to dialogue, about things that disturb them, things they go through every day.

I have forgiven, but not forgotten. And frankly I do not think such acts can be forgotten. You learn to live with them, to block it out each day and act like it never happened. But I got tired of pretending all is well with me; because on the outside I was this bubbly person, but on the inside I was broken, hurting, furious…. DAMAGED!

So I’m sorry if my anger bothers the world… But the world hasn’t exactly been kind to me either. My only regret is that it bothers such people, people I care about- for such people I chose to deal with this anger, asked God for help and let it go. Let it all go because walking around with such burdens took a toll on me. I want to be free. I want to believe that there’s a reason and a purpose this happened to me, and one day it will all make sense.

Someone told me that everyone has their own time of healing/ dealing. Some take a day others a lifetime. We are all different. But I know and believe that someday I’ll look back and not be angry; pain yes, but not anger. And that day is coming because I finally decided to accept what happened and move past it. All I need is TIME. As unknown wise man once said;

‘”You cannot put a Band-Aid on every boo-boo you’ve made, some just need time to heal ~ Unknown”

About the Author: Fancy Face is a very good friend of mine who wants to remain anonymous. If you think she should grace this space again with another post, let her know in the comments section.

1. Read bad books.
2. Read very bad books.
3. Read good books.
4. Read very good books.
5. Do not kiss a published author’s ass, especially if you have not read his or her book.
6. Prudishness is not your friend. Do not be a prude.

Prude: noun (disapproving) a person that you think is too easily shocked by things connected with sex.

Prudery: noun (formal, disapproving) the attitude or behaviour of people who seem very easily shocked by things connected with sex.

Prudish: adjective (disapproving) very easily shocked by things connected with sex.

-Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary-

7. Do not embarrass yourself with bad grammar. Good grammar matters. Forget what the idiota who failed English tells you about language being a versatile slut that can be pimped with abandon.
8. Edit your own work. Do not ask, “What is the work of an editor, then?” Editors will lick your boots if you submit clean copy.
9. Take advice and criticism like a man. Do not scratch it with your nails like a woman.
10. Buy an English dictionary at Bookpoint on Moi Avenue…or any other bookshop. But I highly recommend Bookpoint because it smells and looks as disorganised as a real bookshop should, ladders included. Dictionaries have words. A writer lives on words.
11. Talk to your demons. They have good story ideas.

About the Author: Akhatenje is crazy (in a good way). There are bad bloggers, bloggers, good bloggers, poor writers, writers, great writers and akhatenje. I am not even worthy to pick the lid of her pen if it falls. Very few are in her league and if you doubt me, look at some of her work here. While you are at it, you may want to look at spikey 58 poetry contest here and here.