Memoirs

Many a time we set standards in almost all areas of our lives. Standard Setting is very advisable. Standard setting is the methodology used to define levels of achievement or proficiency and the cut-scores corresponding to those levels. A cut-score is simply the score that serves to classify the candidates whose score is below the cut-score into one level and the candidates whose score is at or above the cut-score into the next and higher level. Clearly, unless the cut-scores are appropriately set, the results of the assessment could come into question. For that reason, standard setting is a critical component of the test development process.  Take that up there and apply to day to day situations. We set standards for our friends, acquaintances. We selectively decide on who we allow on our friends' lists, even which relatives we visit or grow close to. (yes, there is such a thing as relatives we are not close to and others we don't like at all.) Thing is, we expect people to le...

“We are what we repeatedly do.” ~Aristotle That holds so true. I have become so routine I can go through my day in my sleep. As in, I will wake up uh-hm freshen the kids and I, get breakfast done and served and on.. (you get the drill) And I can do this with a blindfold. That is just so wrong- It's a small wonder I've not yet grown mold. What with the stagnancy and all. I officially add another year to my collection in a couple of days. And I got thinking.. you know how one goes down that melancholy road when the year is coming to an end? You get all serious, sentimental and everything bright and futuristic. Well, yes, I am at that place. Reviewed my life as was, is and how I want it to be. Life has been good to me. Really good. It has placed friends in my life. People I would not replace even though I had all artillery from the Gaza strip pointing at me. People like +Onadit  (hey man, sorry but I just can't get over your selflessness). I got quite a list of them great peop...

So I learnt a new word today.. Soliloquy a noun defined as "an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play." Away from new words and all, I learnt something new last night (aren't we always?) Well, I learnt that parenting is not so much about the your account balance but rather how much heart balance you have. Wait, before you tell me about the diapers and medical, school and all those other bills, hear me out. Parenting weighs more on the soul than it does on the wallet. You know that moment when you hear about the loss of the neighbor's thirteen year old daughter. That moment when you go through a list of apparent lumpens who should have been the ones to die instead (forgive me) but I don't have kind words for  That Guy  who molested and murdered a 7 year old child and is still roaming the village neighborhood. Atti released on police bond!!! So, Last night was one of those nights wh...

  Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light. I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night. – Sarah Williams Words are our most important discovery. Forget about fire, forget about all the places we’ve been to, and all the places we’ll reach. Words allow us to see farther than any telescope. And, at the same time, words allow us to see inside each and everyone of us, to see every lever and gauge and all the other tiny elements that make us work. So it’s also a microscope. Sometimes you read something a stranger wrote on a lonely night and you feel less lonely. You feel like you somehow know them, and your only regret in the world is that you haven’t read their words sooner. It doesn't matter that it’s late and you’re tired, it doesn't matter that tomorrow the words will still be there. Sometimes you read something that’s so good that you want to absorb it all, you want for those words to become you, to express  who you are. Words written...

So, here I was blushing and feeling all great and nice because he told me "You were made for comfort," Its not wrong. He was not wrong. That is what I am to him. His comfort. Been called a  'Guardian angel' (aaaaawwwwww.. cute right?) :) :D ) Yes, am all that above and more. Problem is, all the above does not change the fact that much as I love giving, am seeking a giver. Just the other day, it hit me after the lights had gone out. And I was in my bed alone, cold and sad. And Alone. That night, none of my charity runs made sense... all the smiles I'd helped put on so many people's faces earlier that day, and etc. None of them could hold me and tell me all was going to be OK. None of them was telling me that  My Son  was just teething and the stomach irritation would pass soon. I needed someone to address my House Searching issue. That statement "You were made for comfort" did nothing to help. Instead it made think about why I was only remembered whe...

The evening of July 3, 2014 is one  I will not forget anytime soon. I stood up in a crowd and danced to  Ssemusajja  it was actually laughable. The whole experience was laughable. Wait, i am working on something serious at an internet cafe, needed to send it yesterday at 6p.m but my phone blacked out at such an inconvenient time, had left my charger at my place of work and I was also in an environment where no one had a charger to lend or even an open socket where I would charge if I had somehow managed to find a charger. Times like these make me miss my laptop. One of these days, I should close my eyes and just replace the damn thing. I need it more now than I ever needed it before. I wish this money knew just how much I need it. Maybe then it would avail itself with ease. So, I was telling you about last night. The Sound Cup - honestly, I've been to Tutti Frutti before (the ice-cream is cheaper at the Fruitti place as opposed to The Sound Cup) naye I had never ventured ...

Little boy of three,  with cares so free, aiming for a life up in the tree, Because I was born to be free. Young Man of Fifteen, Not as active as other teens, See, my voice is locked up in a tin, I am a child with a Special Need, Autism is not a disease, I live inside my mind with ease, But y'all look at me with unease, I was not bewitched, I am a Special Person. Accept me as I am, I have accepted myself. (c) Okunga July2014 .................................. We continue our Journey  to DXB (the free Arab destination). Our boarding call finally came through and  by then I had been feasted on by all manner of mosquitoes, cold and hunger so I was so ready to move. Tried buying a chocolate bar, but I couldn't. The Uganda Shillings I had on me were not enough to be changed to Kenyan currency and oh no, I didn't wanna touch the USD I had on me. There was a long shopping list attached to that currency. In the wake of terrorist attacks, I was wary of four guys all dressed in Mos...

Time Check? Way past official working hours. The office room is deserted, everyone has gone home save for me. One would think I don't have a home to go. When In fact I do have more than enough reason to leave this place and rush home. See, (if you do not know) I have many children who have very many stories but seem to limit their vocabulary to just "Mummy?" when I am in the same building with them. Someone calls out "Mummy?" and calls again and again. No matter how sweetly, rudely or whatever-ly you respond, they just keep calling. Don't get me wrong, I love being called Mummy, even when am in the bath and have soap all over my body and someone is screaming for Mummy at the bathroom door. Or when I just took my place at the toilet seat............ (you get the picture, right?) So, I am in the office- Alone. Save for a couple of young men blasting away through my phone headset. There is this Song that I used to love and I think I still do love. Been playing...