Where Else!

I have been writing this post in my head for as far as I can remember (well at least since I last made a post). And, the only content I have is the previous line.

I went on a cross-country tour some weekends back and got some pictures. This one here was one of the more eyecatching. Very creative! Call me what you may I want to ride in that Kulula plane.



I have already Twitpic'd it. In hindsight I wish I'd poxed myself in it with something like this (maybe holding it in the palm of my hand) but, pray, be patient my chance will come.

My current home has the most beautiful sunsets I have ever witnessed. It is quite difficult to get good shots of the sunset because I stay towards the bottom of a hill and there are several obstacles blocking clear shots.

Recently, I took up jogging to keep fit. It’s not that easy to find the football game that I prefer. Running is less than fun and takes some real will power. Anyway the reward of a run is a clear shot of some glorious sunsets. Most times I have regretted not carrying the camera but never the view.

Three weeks ago I witnessed and listenned to the radio chatter during prior to a crash-landing. I took a couple of pictures as usual and the deficiency of my tools came out plainly. I was airborne once again. Solo. Why do these incidents always happen at these times? For a moment, I wondered whether I had made a mistake taking a break from the making of an Actuary out of myself to fly.

Anyway, I flying happily around an airfield working an perfecting my landings. On one of these circuits a distress call came on the radio. A Yak-52 (A Soviet-era aerobatics-trainer) had a mechanical problem. {Now this is one machine I wish I could get into, but that looks like it’s beyond the current realm of possibilities}. They could only fly straight & level and couldn’t pull-up or make the plane dive. The landing would be tricky. I did not want to believe what I heard but crying wolf is all but unheard of in aviation. One remarkable thing I noticed with the distress call was the calmness with which the pilot made it. He made it sound so routine, one could mistake it for a joke. But, this was serious stuff. You don’t get 16,000 Hours’ experience for nothing!

With the limited control he had the pilot managed to make a controlled crash and the two pilots made it out alive and safe despite the plane bouncing wildly on the runway three times and then crashing into a ball of fire by the runway.
Now that is a situation I would not like to find myself.

One of the few things I really wanted to do when I was in my teens was to sink my teeth into a big mac. You can blame the american-centric television content and what not but I don't care whatthe reason is. I just had to have my Big Mac. In the end, I waited 22 years and the chance finally came. Today, I had my second and here's some evidence just in case you choose to entertain any doubt.

I have a passion for many things; beautiful photographs is one of those. I have been taking my own shots when I can but I will now share some of them on the blog begining withtoday.

Most of my shots will be raw and I will touch them up as I gain more experience.




The image is an aerial view of The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth. More about it is here. I doubt they will allow any such low-level air-traffic over the area during the World Cup next year.

I've been reading the '100 Things ...' kind of notes on Facebook but I have never brought myself to the point of writing them out. I guess I am not too big on such disclosures. This one got me being the self confessed audiophile that I am. I would also recommend searching the title with your selected artist. It brings up some interesting choices posted in the Blogosphere.

Using only song titles from ONE artist/band, cleverly answer the following questions. Pass it on and include me. You cannot use the artist/band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think. Repost as "My Life According to (band name)"

Pick your artist: U2

Are you male or female? Fortunate Son

Describe yourself: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For

How do you feel? I Will Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight

Describe where you live: In God’s Country

If you could go anywhere, where would you go? City of Blinding Lights

Your favourite form of transportation? Fast Cars

Your best friend is? She's a Mystery to Me

What's the weather like? Electrical Storm

Favourite time of day? 11 O’clock Tick Tock

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called? A Day Without Me
If any explanation is required. It's that I wouldn't like/approve a TV show about my life.

What is life to you? Stories for Boys/Seconds/Running to Stand Still/ Another Day

You most fear: Electrical Storm/The Ocean

What is the best advice you have to give? With or Without You/Sometimes You Can’t make it on Your Own

Thought for the day: Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses

How would you like to die? (In) Seconds

Currently on your mind? Even Better than the Real Thing


Your motto is: Until the End of The World!

They say you should never meet with your heroes or stay too long with them. Soon enough, they begin to lose the air of whatever thingamajig that sets them apart from mere mortals. The very pillars that build our perceptions of their personalities tend to pass with the passing of time spent in close proximity.

So, recently I got a chance to pursue my childhood dream of being a pilot. This is like my own version of a The Hero. I doubt I have any personal heroes I aim to live after (this is a tale for tomorrow); I know I want to leave a mark on this world but in my own way and at my own terms. It was always beyond me, whether by an arm’s length or an ocean’s breadth. With age, I didn’t view the profession with the same perspective of the young boy who devoured any available material on flight and spent much of his free time designing, building and thinking up airplanes. The romanticism of the profession had somewhat faded. In fact it was one of the most difficult decisions I had to make in this short life of mine. Three years ago I would have snapped up the opportunity without affording it the merest suggestion of a second thought. See, I had a year left in university. And, I was quite comfortable and established in that career path even though the plan was to get my pilot’s licence and fly in the bush during the weekends.

This was a surreal moment in my life and my parents being atypical of the standard Kenyan family pretty much gave me a free hand when I needed a strong hand to guide my divided mind. I have had to make many such choices while some of my peers have had their path through life pretty much charted out. I guess I have no outlet for blame should I end up unhappy; all I will need to do is look inward.

Anyway, I chose to fly (keeping my university option wide open) and today I find myself thousands of Kilometres away from home in a foreign land. I am still conflicted wondering whether I made the right decision. Nevertheless, I am enjoying my hours in the class and in the air. You see my office has the best view in the planet.