Cooking and the sink

I remember blogging about how we act alot like our parents a few months ago, yesterday I found myself at it again.
When I was young my mum used to give me basic cooking classes.So rest assurred The Acolyte would never starve.Being the young attention lad with the attention deficit that I was I would be too impatient to tend to what was on the cooker and instead I would run off to watch TV or play outside.Of course what would happen is that I would be alerted by an acrid smell coming from the kitchen and a cloud of smoke billowing from the pan or if I was lucky I would come back to find that half the contents have stuck to the bottom of the pan.After my mum realised that her lambasting was falling on deaf ears she resorted to giving me a hearty helping of my ashy cuisine.As a result I learned to pay attention to what I was cooking and to enable me to still watch TV as I cooked I would stay only for the fast cooking stuff like onions and tomatoes and then know how long it takes the other ingredients to get ready so that I would just pop in at various intervals to stir, add or reduce heat and serve while I continued doing what I was doing (yes we men can multi-task too!).
So yesterday evening I come into the house and walk into the kitchen and find that my room mate has decided to try his hand at cooking.First thing I had noticed is that he was cooking almost a whole pack of rice.Unless I have guests I prefer to cook a couple of glasses because when you cook too much food it ends up going to waste as you get tired of eating it and also just in case the recipe goes wrong for some reason you don't lose too much food (yes I don't like to waste food).Then he had adopted a cooking style that is said to be favoured by our compatriots from the Central Province.The young man had thrown in the vegetables with the rice (don't get me wrong, that may work for some people but I tend to be a purist; unless it is pilau the rice is cooked on it's own).
But I didn't tell the young lad all this.All I did was look at the temperature settings he had on the cooker.The heat was too low so what we would have had is ugali, so I upped the heat and told him that after 10 mins he should come and check on the rice so as to lower the heat and that it would be ready in 20 mins (the cooker was the same model as the one in my old aparment so I know the best temperatures for cooking rice on it). The young lad nodded dutifully and I told him that I was off to the library and would be back.
On my return as I walked into the house.The first thing that hit my nose was a faint burning smell reminiscent of my cooking lessons of the yester years.I went to the kitchen and looked at the rice.Not it hadn't been reduced to an ashy mass but it still had a burnt smell to it.The bad thing about that is that a burned smell translates to a slightly burned taste.
So I go to my roommates room as ask him what happened to the rice.
"It burned," he says."No sh*t sherlock! I wouldn't have guessed that!"I thought to myself.
So I then said, "Didn't I give instructions?"
He simply gave me this incredulous that insinuated that I had said the moon comes out at night instead of the day.I held back myself from uttering the words my mother had uttered to me some years back after I made some rice flambe, "The next time you burn food like that, you will eat the whole pan."
I mean after all I am not his mother!Then today morning I caught myself again.
I went to the kitchen and I looked at the sink and what do I find?Yesterday's dishes!Arrrghhhh!
(I am sure you all know about my sink issues) I have this simple rule, I you use it; you clean it.Since he had left and I was not in the mood to talk, I put a notice on the fridge.

No dishes sleeping in the sink,
If you make someting dirty,
WASH IT ASAP!

But that got me to thinking.Maybe I am not as easy to live with as I thought, or is it that some people are just slobs who can't clean after themselves when it comes to the small things?
Have a good weekend and enjoy the World Cup!

It just makes me sick

I read this story in The Standard and I was appalled.What is the world coming to?I know bullying is a fact of life in high school but when it extends to sodomy, that is unacceptable!I know that some people have their own sick sexual predilections and they are entitled to them behind closed doors but to force them on someone is just depraved.Fact is that it would have been easy for them to sneak out of the school to find someone willing to partake in their shennanigans and enjoy it to boot.
I have a feeling that this isn't the first time that rabble have done something like that as they even had drugs on hand to render their victim immobile.I wouldn't be suprised if the same thing happens in those up country high schools where the administration turn a blind eye to bullying.
Even though the damage has been done, I think that the book should be thrown at those animals and they should be tried as adults and put behind bars for as soon as possible so they can each get a chance to be someone's bitch for a change.

Regular programming will resume soon

While others live large others live small

...without any finance or income at all.I remember that line from a verse by Kenyan rapper Bamboo.
That line came into my mind after I read this article.It seems that our kleptocrats latest lair has been laid bare for our eyes to see.These exclusive villas are not advertised so you have to be part of the right crowd to hear about them. This luxurious enclave is owned by the Kenyatta Family (Why am I not surprised) and as the article points out only the high and mighty can afford to live here.
A price tag of 8,500,000 - 10,000, 000 is used to keep out the hoi polloi.
"It boasts elaborate recreation facilities such as an expansive golf course, a tennis court, swimming pools and an all-weather airstrip that are all available to residents at a discounted fee."
Talk about opulence!Instead of having to drive on the bad roads that are a result of their mismanagement of public funds our knuckle head MPs (Fred Gumo,Raphael Tuju, George Saitoti and Uhuru Kenyatta) can just fly in.Add to this the fact that the estate is 13km from highway so they can enjoy their spoils without any disturbance whatsoever from any locals (I doubt they would be let in anyway).
I have nothing against people living like this on hard earned money but it galls me when money from the public coffers is used to bankroll this lifestyle.Someone correct me if I am wrong but I read somewhere that Kenya has now surpassed Brazil in terms of unequal distribution of wealth among society.When I read this article I am not surprised, and instead of dealing with it; it is easier to establish enclaves where you don't have to see the poor and deal with them.Build your own walled city and just fly in and out when you want to.What I wonder is how long will this state of affairs continue before the hungry masses stage an uprising?It may seem unlikely but it has happened in other countries before and it can happen in Kenya too.

Let me tell you

Since my ex blog heart Mutumia dearest shared something near and dear about domestic affairs, so will I.
The chic who got me off the train from here forth reffered to as derailer is insecure.So during the post coital talk (when I would rather be sleeping) they often come out.There are many issues that dog her.
-She tells me that she is afraid that one day I will get bored of her and leave her. I do tell her that it won't happen anytime soon but then after I utter those words I remember point #1 of my previous post.
-She says that I have a cold and harsh side to me that I am hiding from her.What to say but it's true (not that I admit it).
-She is afraid that I will leave her for the next beautiful Kenyan girl who comes my way. I plead the 5th on that one!
-She says that the fact that she doesn't cook (she does cook but American style, straight from the box) , while I on the other hand prefer to cook from scratch (chopping vitungus and nyanyas upwords) and that she doesn't clean very well (dishes sleep in her sink for days while if you read the previous post you now know my thing about gleaming sinks) makes her wonder if I will put up with her for the long term.I cook and clean for myself so I am not hooking up with a mboch but.......
-She thinks the fact that she can't learn swahili is a major minus point against her (we all know how many Americans are just handicapped when it comes to languages), also she tells me that my face brightens up like a child who has gotten a new toy whenever I meet the other Kenyan dude on campus and we start yakking.For me it's no big deal but most of the chics I have been tight with who are American can speak more then one language.
-She listens to me talk about my plans ie the 5 year plan and she feels that she isn't ambitious enough for me.I agree with that but we all can't aim for the stars so I am fine with that as long as she is happy with what she is doing.
-Due to eating out a whole lot, cooking from boxes, lack of exercise and an aversion to fresh fruit and vegetables she has put on quite a few pounds, no she isnt one of those people who roll as oppossed to walking but she wont be on the cover of Shape magazine anytime soon.She's one of those peole who love the taste of food; she eats when she is happy, sad, bored.She once got depressed because one week she couldn't afford to eat out.At times she eats out 3 times a week, more if you add lunchtime take out, I on the other hand am a eat out once or twice a week kind of person (take out doesn't taste all that good more times then that for me).So we had a talk about it and I told her that if she isnt willing to change her diet then she should be willing to spend at least 30 mins a day working out.She has seen the dedication and time I can put towards keeping fit (but I have slacked off lately I admit) and she finds it daunting even though I tell her it is a one day at a time kind of thing.Anyway I think I have gone off course, this leads to the insecurity that I will leave her for the next slim thing that walks by.I will admit that men are visual beings and that looks matter to us greatly but I am not that fickle.
-To cap it all off she also at times feels that she is not what I am looking for in a woman.All I have to say is that I have never told her what I am looking for in a woman so I chalk that one up to general insecurities.

What makes this hard for me is that many of the women in my past have been extremely self confident and their periods of insecurity were few and far between so this is a whole new thing for me (constant validation), plus she thinks I am extremely self confident when in actuality I am just performing act II.I think maybe being the man of the house when I wasy young forced me to internalise my insecurities and work through or around them.Motivations has never been my strong suit so I can't go around telling her and other people to suck it up and move on can I?
But insecurities aside, it isn't doom and gloom with the two of us.We have a great time most of the time we are together.She has a good sense of humour that compliments mine, she doesn't take my easy going nature as a license to act the fool,we share alot of the same values,the strokes are good and we are very comfortable with each other.Whoever said dealing with the intricacies of women is easy?I think I will take this thing one day at a time and see how it turns out.

AOB
It hit me that you may have lived in the same country but have lived totally different lives yesterday.It took the better part of 30 mins for me to explain to my room mate what the digital box that your cable company gives you is, what it does and why we needed one.And I don' tthink he fully understood me after that.Seems some things are not as common place as we think they are for everyone.

Regular programming will resume soon!

Viva Free Enterprise!

In a market based on free enterprise, businesses do what they can to gain an advantage ahead of their competitors.There are many different ways this is done but the one I am going to talk about today is customer service.
In Kenya before the economy began to choke , customer service was unheard of.Most retailers would act like they were doing you a favour and getting a warranty honored at an electronics store was a herculean task.But as the amount of money people had on hand to spend began to reduce it became rather obvious that repeat business rather then new customers was what would keep a business going.So by the time I was leaving home things had began looking up, I don't know about the situation nowadays.
Anyway onto what made me write this post.The Acolyte loves ice cream.And now that summer is here more ice cream then ever will be consumed.So yesterday as I was going to return some books to the public library, I stopped at the gas station and bought myself one of these.


Seeing as I had alot of work to do and a class to go to, I put it in the office fridge and decided that I would partake of the chocolate goodness on the morrow.
So today after a lunch of leftover rice from the Chinese food I bought yesterday I took out the ice cream.I had been licking my chops anticpating the freezing sensation on my tongue moving down my throat.
I got my spoon ready and opened the container.
Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!There were lots of chocolate bubles masquerading as ice cream.I fought back lumps and swallowed the lump in my throat.I looked at the container and got ready to throw it in the bin.Before I did so I read on the side the following words;
"If for some reason you are not safisfied with this product call us at 1-888-blah blah and we will be more then happy to compensate you (or something like that)"
So I called the number on the back and after hearing the usual recorded spiel someone took my call and I aired my grievance as I held back my tears.The lady on the line listened patiently and asked me to read the USB numbers and the numbers on the botton of the box.
After I did so she asked me for my address and told me that since they did not have coupons for the pint that I had bought they would give me a coupon for the larger tub.
Order has been restored!

Tag!I'm It!

Girl Next Door tagged me, so I have to do the neccesary.This is how the tag goes:

Post six weird facts/habits about yourself.
These cannot be used against you later on : )
- At the bottom name the six people you will tag next.
- Leave them a comment to let them know they've been tagged and to read your blog.

6 Weird Facts About The Acolyte

1.I have a low attention span when it comes to most things.Be it class,friends,hobbies,women etc.There is a post where I say how proud I am for blogging as long as I have because at some points most things begin to bore me and I move on so to have kept on for 400 plus posts is a milestone for me.The worst thing is at times I am totally fascinated with something or someone, then one day I get up and it's out of my system and onto the next thing.I guess that is why I have very few close and long term friends and why it takes a special kind of woman to keep The Acolyte interested...
2.All the hangers in my wadrobe face the same direction.I am not an order freak but their are some things that I like done in a certain way.You may find my room a mess but the books and magazines must be in a pile, the shoes must all be in a row, the cds must be in a pile and in the closet the hangers must all face the same direction.
3.I can't stand dirty sinks esp bathroom sinks!The whole idea of washing my hands or brushing my teeth in a place filled with grime just sickens me!When I moved into my second apartment here, I had room mates who would fill the sink with dishes and leave them their for days!I resisted cleaning them and would only wash my own dishes till they began using the washing machine, but the bathroom sink that I shared with one of them had a layer of grime; ewwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!I had a special brush to deal with it and before I used it that sink had to shine!I guess this habit stems from the whipping or nagging we used to get as kids from my mum for leaving the kitchen and bathroom sinks filthy.
4. I once got sick when I ate some eggs at the age of 8 or so.I have never eaten an egg since!
5.My mother is a light sleeper and past those genes on to me.Also I can tune into certain sounds and ignore others when I am asleep.That is how I can sleep through the sounds of a fan and air conditioning but I can hear the foot steps of my room mate outside my room, people talking or if the radio goes off.Plus I can't live without afternoon naps!If I don't get one I get all slow and cranky by 3 pm.
6.People don't believe it when I tell them I am a deep introvert.I pretend to be somewhat social so as to detract attention from me.Affability is a mask that I wear to fit into society, most of the time I would rather be left to do my own thing in my own part of the world.So the next time you see me yukking it up with a crowd just know that I am doing Act 1 of my play!
Anyway I tag Mutumia, Nick, Movie Buff, Devious One, Mocha and Guess!

Something looks different...

You may have noticed that the digs looks very different.Far more pleasing to the eye if you ask me.Anyway what happened is that I was updating a change to my old template on a hunk of junk that decided to hang in the middle of the process.So as a result I was left with a blog that was made up of gibberish.I decided to do away with the old and bring in the new.New job, new house, new room mate, off the train (at least for now) and now new blog template!

One day on the train

Nick wonders what movie he can talk to Kenyanmusings about

The bila train moved slowly through the countryside.Milo sat next to Kenyanmusings attentively listening to her brief sojourn off the train. Nick sat in the back talking to Movie Buff about the last movie she watched. Kenyangal browsed through the latest issue of bridal dresses, all remained was a groom and she would be good to go!Kenyangal decided to get an opinion on how one of the grooms in the magazines looked.She knew she could count on Acolyte for a sarcastic and funny comment.She looked to where he usually sat admiring the scenery.He was nowhere to be seen.She panicked!She told Milo and the rest of the passengers.They searched up and down for The Acolyte.He was nowhere to be seen.
The Acolyte was no longer on the train.......