Wanjiku's Take...

• Bungee jumping on Vic falls....

  Posted: March 28, 2011, 12:14 am by rebecca

  For many people, when I said I bungee jumped or wanted to, they thought, how crazy can you be? Others thought I had lost it. To some extent yes, coz I remember lacking the words when I called my mum to say I arrived safely. I could not call her before going to the Victoria Falls coz I wasnt sure I would come back safe, its always a gamble.

  Can imagine me explaining to my mum "nyuma kuruga ndaraca-ini handu maikagia mundu ta kigutha" loosely translated to mean I was at the bridge where they catapult you below. Sounds absurd considering that most of our lives are interesting enough and may not need some of the risks.

  However, I had made up my mind, if I was in Livingstone, I wanted to do the bungee and no amount of pressure would make me bark off, thats why I could not tell my mum before hand, am sure she would have talked me out of it or called me every five minutes to know if I was ok.

  Victoria Falls has 100% records, there has been no accidents but there's always a first. I must say that the guys are very good, professional and funny. You start on the slide, which is just the wire from one end to the other....its gives you a taste of what to expect.

  I was determined and there was no turning back; but the free fall feeling is something... by the time I was 110 meters below, I remember thinking, I must be crazy. By the time they throw you up and down.... you feel the stretch on the ankles.

  The funny thing was, I never asked the guys how I was supposed to come up, but I knew I had to....and I finally did.... It was all worth it!

  Was it crazy? Maybe....

  
  

• Turning side, back ways....

  Posted: March 28, 2011, 1:26 pm by rebecca

  You get to experience it all...

  
  
  

• Upward swing

  Posted: March 28, 2011, 1:25 pm by rebecca

  There is this part when they pull you up then throw you down again.... I was thinking the rope will come off... but what could I do? Just enjoy..

  
  
  

• Full stretch....

  Posted: March 28, 2011, 1:20 pm by rebecca

  Its 111 meters and you think... this is it...

  
  
  

• Admitting am crazy

  Posted: March 28, 2011, 1:17 pm by rebecca

  Its only after I saw the rocks that I thought; I am crazy. At this point, I was like oh my God, I am crazy....

  
  
  

• Its upside down

  Posted: March 28, 2011, 1:13 pm by rebecca

  You go head first... perfect upside down..

  
  
  

• Its a free fall....

  Posted: March 28, 2011, 1:11 pm by rebecca

  The free fall is something.....to experience

  
  
  

• 1..2...3...bungee

  Posted: March 28, 2011, 1:08 pm by rebecca

  There was no turning back...

  
  
  

• 1..2....3....

  Posted: March 28, 2011, 1:05 pm by rebecca

  Getting the instructions....look to the horizon and jump as far away as you can....

  
  
  

• At the start line...

  Posted: March 28, 2011, 12:37 pm by rebecca

  The guys getting me ready.....

  
  
  

• At the start line...

  Posted: March 28, 2011, 12:34 pm by rebecca

  First you have to get off the shoes.... or the jump will be very expensive...

  
  
  

• Travel Diary: Bungee jumping at Victoria Falls

  Posted: March 28, 2011, 12:28 pm by rebecca

  What do you say to someone who says they want to go bungee jumping, 111 meters below Victoria Falls bridge?

  
  
  

• Why hold Kenya conference in Bellagio, Italy?

  Posted: March 15, 2011, 2:39 pm by rebecca

  The other day, I saw an press release that The Kenya ICT Board was holding a conference on Kenya's ICT industry attractiveness in Bellagio, Italy.

  I know the Bellagio Forum is high level and attracts the heavy weights in the ICT industry but the first question that came to mind was, why hold a conference about Kenya in Italy? In my folklore, there is a saying that "Mburi ndiendagio ii gichegu" loosely translated to mean that you can not sell a goat that is still in the shed, the buyer needs to see what they are buying and compare with the superlatives that you may be heaping on it.

  In this case, I thought that if the board wanted to demonstrate how the Kenyan industry has grown, the easiest thing was to bring the hot shots here, visit the BPO centers, both large and small and let them pitch idea etc.

  I have no problem when conferences are held in exclusive lodges in Mombasa, because it blocks people from walking in and out but Italy? I thought that was a bit far.

  To understand the matter better, I caught up with Paul Kukubo, CEO of ICT board, and sought to just understand the rationale behind the conference in Italy. It was during the iHub one year anniversary so we didn't get to talk much but I got the gist. (He is also posting very nice tweets and photos from Italy).

  Here are the main points that he shared:

  1. The conference is sponsored by Rockefeller Foundation

  To me this didn't make much sense because if it was an issue of money, the govt has more than enough. I am not convinced that Italy was the only venue that the foundation could fund, am sure they can do it in Kenya too.

  2. Some of those participants may never step into Kenya, because of a combination of reasons

  I understand, Kenya's image may not be the best internationally, blame it on the media but if we know they may never come or make positive influences, why bother? Maybe we need to concentrate on markets that may be open to us. One insider, who owns an outsourcing firm, told me that it may be better to go to company owners and execs directly instead of consultants, who may not have our interests at heart.

  3. It was a perfect opportunity to market Kenya

  I have no doubt about this, but will it yield to business for the BPO industry, coz am sure thats what many of them in the industry are concerned about.

  I am sure that to some, this post demonstrates ignorance and a lack of understanding of the industry but am also aware of people in the BPO industry who have complained that such trips include the same BPO owners over and over again, so if there is any business to be made, then the same BPO owners are set to benefit.

  Is this fair? Yes, No, Maybe.

  
  

• Are bloggers being censored?

  Posted: March 8, 2011, 12:08 pm by rebecca

  The other day I read a post from Idd Salim on why Kenya has or is full of pussy bloggers, depending on how you look at it. My first instinct was to take issue with the naming, why you have to be a pussy blogger just because you cant say things as they are. I thought the title was and still is sexist but thats debate for another day.

  It happened that we had a bloggers meeting shortly after the blog post went up and several bloggers, including Salim, were there. I remember we joked about who could qualify as the so called pussy blogger and it became obvious that bloggers are also being forced to think twice about complaining or writing negative stuff.

  Case one

  You probably know this guy as the most stinging and his language is unparalleled, those days, when blogging was still new, this guy could attract an average of 22 comments per post. You have to know him to know he is the blogger but its not obvious from the blog.

  So, this guy wrote a post against a giant telco, and it happened that the company he works for was abut to get a huge deal with the telco. Apparently, the guys at the telco investigated and knew where the guy worked and they exerted pressure to have the guy apologize or lose his job. He tried to deny that he wasn't the blogger but it was made clear, am sure they searched for the IP and traced it back to him, and being the sharp techie he is, he chose to just apologize. I met him during that meeting and he said "I apologized profusely" and we all laughed.

  Case Two

  The funniest thing is that this was not even in a blog entry, it was a rant on a mailing list, and the guy was forced to retract or you know the consequences. The two companies happened to be doing business together and the complaints meant loss of business. And the writer had to apologize, forget that the discussions were not even public.

  It is very easy to say that bloggers are bad because they do not seek a comment from the other side like journalists do but in some of the cases, the posts are based on personal experiences.

  So, are we likely to see defamation cases against bloggers? My bet is that soon, litigation will be very different and the judicature Act will be amended.

  
  

• Bloggers: the good, the bad, eyeballs and opportunities...

  Posted: March 3, 2011, 12:46 pm by rebecca

  There is a debate that tends to irritate me; are bloggers journalists and should they be taken seriously? In some cases, people hold me lesser because they think am "just a blogger" and others think am not a real journalist because my work is mainly online.

  Usually I dont argue with these perceptions but the other day I was incensed by one exec. It was a lunch for journalists and the PR agency had invited me I think because we have know each other for long. In attendance were journalists who I have known for some time, and we started catching up. The exec said, one would think you are a journo the way you are familiar with these guys. I asked: kwani what am I? He said: you are a blogger. Shock on me, maybe he thought I was only there to enjoy the meal.

  Then there is the debate by mainstream media and the way they vilify bloggers, like it or hate it, they serve a purpose and they have an audience. I think one of the blogs that has evoked the emotions of media houses is media madness they have managed to have all the gossip and truths about media houses. For the longest time, the media has been untouchable and no one could comment on anything but now blogs allow people to be veiled and reveal all they can.

  The blog has its following, I recall there was a post with 250 comments, cant trace it but suffice to say that within the first two hours of posts on the site going up, there are usually 50 comments. Now, imagine how many people read but dont comment.

  I like taking a time out and reading what they have to say, I love it when they say someone was escorted to the lifts by guards, meaning someone was fired at the Nation Media Group. I have never worked at NMG, maybe I can never make the grade but tales of how people were escorted by guards to clear their desks and get off the building were always chilling. I have always wondered, how can an org. that fights for human rights treat its people that way? As I said, I cant make the grade, so allow me to rant on that.

  Then take some of the writers you have online wamathai.com is an example of the writers who are seeking opportunities. How many journalists have that kind of creativity and eloquence demonstrated in some of those articles? Even I can't write some of those, they require time and extensive reading to enrich my vocabulary, which has sort of gone south as I pursue more money making ventures.

  I am not by any chance saying that journalists cant write, look at Bikozulu.wordpress.com he averages 60 comments and his style makes you want to read more and more. Forget that they say you must break the text with photos and make it short to attract more readers, his are longer pieces and still people read and comment.

  There is no doubt that blogs have allowed people to tell tales that they would otherwise not share. Eaxample: nairobinights.co.cc allows the author to share her exploits as a prostitute. The language tells you that this is someone who is well educated and knows her style. At this rate, am sure she will attract clients online and maybe go on to establish an office backed by e-commerce and Mpesa.

  Such are the opportunities blogging can provide!

  So, love or hate, blogging will go on. Maybe it will be the new way to have checks and balances, in the media, government etc....

  
  

Blah blah blah

Fish cakes

Alas a fish cake.

Yet more fish cakes

Guess what ... yeah ... fish cakes.

The end of the fish cakes