House of Stone

Zimbabwean love letter

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:50:00 +0000

Ah... Memories. I only wish I still had the images to go with it :)

Roll down to you sweetiepie Babie!

Time and ability plus double capacity has forced my pen to dance automatically on this benedicted sheet of paper. Why! this miraculous thing happened is because papie I love you spontaneously and as I stand horizontal to the wall and perpendicular to the ground I only think of you, since you are a fantastic and fabulous guy. papie please Stop haranguing with the feelings in my heart because I love you more than a snake loves rat. To me each day starts by thinking of you and ends by dreaming of you. Each time I see you my metabolism suddenly stops and my peristalysis goes in reverse gear. My medular-oblandata also stops functioning.

Crazy crazy crazy you may say but this is true. If only you knew what is going on in my encephalon you would understand. That's why I need to see you face to face with you, soon. I think I have to pen-off hear because I still haven't finished studying electrolysis and polymerization. Catch you pa- later. Sleep tight and don't let those bed bugs ever bite you coz you are too sweet a thing for them.

Yourz Ever,

Sugar tapi tapi:)

Stuck by the side of the road

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 10:54:00 +0000

As spotted in comments section somewhere, aka witty rejoinder

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:57:00 +0000

I found this too funny! ::-

Mike
I actually live in China and I can tell you this is a
completely amoral society. It's all about me (and
sometimes, possibly, my family) and that's it. The
end always justifies the means and money isn't
everything - it's the only thing. Those of you in
the West that fear China don't worry, China is China's own worst enemy. How many fake/
counterfeited parts have found their way into
China's military gear????

Janet
I actually live in the US and I can tell you that the
society is full of druggies. It's all about getting in
the moment (and sometimes, possibly, the entire
weekend) and that's it. The moment always
justifies the drug and marijuana isn't everything -
it's the only thing. Those of you in the East that fear US don't worry, US is US' own worst enemy.
How many drug addicts have found their way
into US army?

26 on Park

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 10:36:00 +0000

Accessorise- your roof??

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 18:57:00 +0000

A typical house in the high density suburbs of Bulawayo- including a roof accessory... :)

Tower Block

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:15:00 +0000

My favourite Nokia E72 apps and services

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 05:35:00 +0000

I know no one uses Nokia anymore (except most of the world still does, but appearances are everything); also that this post is almost or possibly already redundant. Partly because that's the truth about technology, but also because in the very near future I'm adding Android to my accumulated life experience. But my E72 has been awesome to use, and although most (US-based) companies producing phone apps have worked hard to make me feel irrelevant and unhip ;P, there are some useful apps and services that have made my E72 experience worthwhile- as follows, briefly: -Mail for Exchange is too awesome -Google Talk & Skype have kept my sister (2 000 km away) right next to me -Opera Mini- can one ever not sing the praises of this amazing invention? Seriously, the built-in browser is fine and all, even useful for flash-based sites, but I don't always want to finish my prepaid units on loading one page. Actually would mostly prefer not to. -Sugarsync: although I haven't used it very much, this is also very high on my list. I have used it to sync stuff (all sorts of stuff) between my phone and PC, and also to sync (and access) Dropbox. Just feel more secure knowing I can back up to the (almost mythical) mystical Cloud; also nice to put stuff online to access on the go. -Foursquare- although I had to quit my job and move to South Africa to access Ovi Store to download it as Zimbabwe is apparently country non grata, it's so clever, this thing, & I love that I have it on my phone. So do stalkers I guess. -QuickOffice: yeah, nifty! The fact that I can read pdf docs, make notes, scan business cards (who does that as a matter of course? But I'm not a business person yet). Yes, all of this is lovely. -S60 Bible, & other Java bibles (they have no name, as far as I can tell, but they are off Econet's mobi site). How awesome is it that I have the Bible on my phone? I wish I could wake King James up to show him. Whoever he was. -Snaptu: by far the bestest thing ever, even better than sliced bread (I mean seriously, sliced bread???). I don't even care that Twitter's revoked DMs. I access fb, twitter, and about a gazillion feeds. I don't use the shortcut links (cos that leads to frustration with Nokia's browser again, & no prepaid credit left), but they are there. -Nimbuzz: love the chat client integration, also loved the direct access to Twitter until Twitter revoked access to DMs *sadness* -Socially: I use it once in a while. I think it's prolly quite nifty, but I just get the feeling it hogs bandwidth, so I don't use it much. -Vlingo's a fun little thing that I always forget to use- still fun -Whatsapp has allowed a little irritation into my life- why is it always on, even if I exit?!- but is also terribly useful. I HATE giving my number out, so at the very least it's taught me to do that (heh). -Just started using biNu.... Yeah it's not very pretty, is it though? But how nice to have 4 free texts (is it every 10hrs or something?). -GTD: nifty little to-do app. Basic, clear. -Milkshake: another to-do thing. A little more to it than GTD, so necessarily a slightly steeper learning curve (but not very much so). -Fring: never seemed to stay properly online (-is that because they actually built something in to indicate your online status?) so I stopped using it. Now that I've remembered it's there, will try using it again. -Just for the record: the Bubble Popper game lol. I think Google is the company that's tried hardest to have a global view of things- you know, not everyone's on Android & those other things (heh). (Disclaimer: I'm a big fan of things Google). I have Google search and Gmail on my phone, and all the email accounts on my phone are Gmail. I sync Remember The Milk and Google Calendar with my built-in calendar (which, I must say, I've always hated- it's ugly! I wish there was an alternative). The only thing I've missed (a lot!) is Evernote, or some sort of decent note-taking app. On my PC I use both Evernote and OneNote. So I guess what's prompting my future move to something Android-powered (as my main phone, though I'm keeping my Nokia) is partly my love for Google (heh), but also the dearth of stuff for Nokia. Exacerbated, probably, by lack of Ovi Store access (I wonder if Nokia can hear me). I had thought of waiting for a Nokia/Windows phone- but ultimately, why bother? I have my eyes set on the Samsung Galaxy SII.

How to Worship

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 11:28:00 +0000

What is the way of it?

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 08:12:00 +0000

Our cat loves to play with light patterns reflected onto the wall when the light falls on anything shiny- from my cellphone, to light from our rechargeable lamp on mirrors during our too-frequent power cuts. Well, not so much loves as is obsessed with and wants to kill. So of course we love to tease her, and she hardly ever catches the maddening thing.

Watching her this morning, I wondered what she'd do if she did catch it. First, she seemed puzzled, because even with her paws on it, she must have been conscious that there was nothing there. Not really anyway. Then she sniffed at it. Then she looked around to see if she'd really caught the thing she'd been chasing. Then she looked at it again.

As I laughed inside, I began to ponder mystery. There are so many things we simply do not understand. Perhaps we don't have the intellect to do so (like the cat- I assume). Maybe some things are really just beyond understanding, because they're elementally mysterious. Too often we assume we know everything, that we should know everything. Especially about everything. Mystery is often a call to humility, a reminder of how finite we are.

Proverbs 30:18-19
There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Yes, four which I do not understand:
The way of an eagle in the air, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the midst of the sea, And the way of a man with a virgin.

There's no moral to this blog post; just a note to self about staying amazed in the face of what I do not know.

Google Video Resume

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:46:00 +0000

Yosemitebear Mountain Giant Double Rainbow 1-8-10

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:36:00 +0000

ZITF

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Sat, 07 May 2011 17:08:00 +0000

I went to the Fair today! ...Yes, I went to the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, an annual event that used to be the highlight of the year here in Bulawayo. I remember walking around the grounds and in the halls collecting every useless brochure (usually from mining companies and random foreign airlines) and sun visor I could get, eating loads of ice cream and candy floss, and topping it all off with a visit to the Luna Park. (In case you're quite confused, this would be when I was in junior school). I later became too cool for the Fair- teenagehood- and then moved away to university... But in the meantime the Fair was overtaken by changes in the Zimbabwean economy, and the general madness that came to be plastered on newspapers and tv screens everywhere. In fact, when I made the decision to go this year, it was because of the positive changes that are gradually happening in Zim. I thought that would be a good place to take the temperature of the economy, to see if things are really improving as much as I think.

Well, we went in early, and one of the first things I noticed is how small the crowds were compared to what I remember. By the time we left at lunchtime, things were a little better. (I think some people were probably twiddling their thumbs at home, and finally decided to check it out). The problem, I think, was the cost of entry; most ordinary people could not afford the $5 ticket (for adults). Still, I did see harried adults with streams and streams of children flowing behind them, so I guess some people made the sacrifice.

The second thing I noted was that there were not as many foreign exhibitors as I remember from my childhood. It seems to me there were many banks, NGOs, government departments and medical aid societies. There were some local manufacturers, and many, many SMEs. That seems a really good snapshot of the Zim economy right now. There are also many universities in Zim now- there were a lot of stands representing them. There were also a few countries represented, but it seemed to be mainly the SADC ones, and Iran.

I also saw a guy parachuting into the main arena- and people rushing towards the arena, attracted by this sight- so some things don't change, I'm happy to report :) Oh, and the interesting painting of the President- sorry, I didn't get the name of the artist :(

All in all, it was a good day out, and it brought back memories. I also did a bit of shopping, which is always the best part of any outing- right?

Images: The Coke Fountain, the Fair Spire, a painting of the Pres, the ZRP stand.

The Square Root of 3

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 21:58:00 +0000

I'm sure that I will always be
A lonely number like root three
The three is all that's good and right,
Why must my three keep out of sight
Beneath the vicious square root sign,
I wish instead I were a nine
For nine could thwart this evil trick,
with just some quick arithmetic
I know I'll never see the sun, as 1.7321
Such is my reality, a sad irrationality
When hark! What is this I see,
Another square root of a three
As quietly co-waltzing by,
Together now we multiply
To form a number we prefer,
Rejoicing as an integer
We break free from our mortal bonds
With the wave of magic wands
Our square root signs become unglued
Your love for me has been renewed.

-Dave Feinberg

The Square Root of 3

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 20:22:00 +0000

-Dave Feinberg

Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 07:07:00 +0000

"I will wait for you" by Official P4CM Poet JANETTE...IKZ

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:40:00 +0000

Thanks for the heads-up Zo :)

Happy Women's Day

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 04:25:00 +0000

In church on Sunday, distracted, I looked around at all the very different women... Hair all different... Clothing expressing each different personality.. Made-up or not... And I thought about the beauty of Eve. Her uniqueness in creation. There is something really special in being a woman, something perhaps holy and mysterious. Something we forget when we try to look like the next woman, compete with our friends or enemies, lose our identity in bad relationships, hide behind layers and layers of masks. My prayer today is for women around the world, hurting women, happy women, married moms and single mothers, wives and singletons, professionals and housewives. For the redemption of womanhood, for individual purpose achieved. For us to do what we were created to do, for His glory. Because- we are ''the crown of creation''.*

Happy women's day! <hugs and cute pink stuff>
-------
* from the book Captivating.

My soul rejoices

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 04:12:00 +0000

Hannah's song
1 Samuel 2:1 And Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
2 "No one is holy like the LORD, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.
3 "Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the LORD is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed.
4 "The bows of the mighty men are broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, And the hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren has borne seven, And she who has many children has become feeble.
6 "The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up.
7 The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up.
8 He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory.
"For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, And He has set the world upon them.
9 He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness.
"For by strength no man shall prevail.
10 The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth.
"He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed. "

Mary's song (The Magnificat)
Luke 1:46 And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.
50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty.
54 He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy,
55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever. "

(NKJV)

Egypt and Zimbabwe

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 21:08:00 +0000

There've been interesting discussions on Twitter since the fall of Mubarak. It puzzles me a bit that people can say that it happened in Egypt, ergo, Zimbabwe is next. It's important for the world to understand that you can't transfer a revolution- no such thing as a cut-and-paste revolution (or solution), especially in Africa. And certainly not for Zimbabwe.

While I admire the seemingly relatively 'easy' transition in Egypt, I suppose I must be considered a bit of a skeptic. I don't think overthrowing a government is a solution, especially because it leaves a power vacuum (currently being filled by the military in Egypt). The masses are always pleased by sudden changes in such a situation, but what happens next?

The current political crisis in Zim is very telling. Just today there was a demonstration against Tsvangirayi ('because he's not doing enough'). I have always said MDC's biggest problem is that it's a conglomeration of people and groups with wildly different interests, united by one thing: to remove Mugabe from power. It's a protest movement, standing for nothing, but against something. Once he's gone (if, maybe), will the MDC splinter into many groups pulling the leadership in different directions? Shouldn't we think at least a little about where we're going before we create chaos?

That's my ideological issue with the Egyptian revolution as a solution; removing Mubarak seems great today, but will whoever replaces him be tomorrow's horror?

Or is that just fear?

One blogger's take on the Egypt/Zim question: Hope For Zimbabwe

Because I enjoyed reading it.....

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 05:46:00 +0000

I'm going to recommend this article on Gizmodo:

Is the Internet God?
By Dave Pell

Thoughtful and raises an interesting question. Be sure to read the comments.

What Jesus Christ came to do

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 12:36:00 +0000

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Luke 4:18-19 (ESV)

Sesame Street: Song: There's An App For That

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 10:03:00 +0000

Hmm. Infiltration of all things Apple into our consciousness.

The T-Mobile Welcome Back

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 19:56:00 +0000

Black Tie Beach

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Finding the Unicorn

noreply@blogger.com (shona tiger) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 11:41:00 +0000

Following is a thought- provoking guest post by Adam Gonnerman from igneousquill.tumblr.com
(post link here)- thanks Adam.
__________________________________________________________
Which task do you suppose would be more challenging: Proving a unicorn exists somewhere in the world, or proving that no unicorns exist anywhere in the world? I’d hate to be given the job of proving no unicorn exists anywhere on earth, given I’d have the unenviable duty of proving a negative. Essentially, this is what atheists set out to do with regard to God.
Do I think it’s likely unicorns exist? No. I’m almost 35 years old, have read widely and traveled some. I grew up on a farm and know some things about animal husbandry and genetics. Where unicorns are concerned, I’m what you could call a doubter, perhaps even an unbeliever. What I definitely cannot be, however, is militant.
So, while I can’t prove that unicorns don’t exist, I can show that they are unlikely.
I dont believe unicorns, mermaids or leprechauns exist. Maybe they do, but I seriously doubt it. I believe YHWH exists, based on the testimony of Israel and the apostolic witness to the resurrected Jesus.
He is the God who, disturbingly, sent Abraham up on the mount to sacrifice Isaac. He is the God who allowed Israel to be enslaved, then rescued them from bondage in Epypt. He is a God of fierce wrath and immeasurable grace. He is the God whose hand was on Israel’s history, and who spoke through the prophets.
He is the God who became flesh and dwelt among us. He is the God who confronted the fallen rulers and authorities through the weakness and shame of tortured death nailed to a cross.
He is the God who favors the widows, orphans, aliens and outcasts.
Try to disprove His existence and you’ll crash against evidence for Him. Some of it you can invalidate, other parts you can deny, but there remains a lot that you’ll either have to admit or simply ignore.
So either seek Him or ignore Him, but don’t try to prove he doesn’t exist. Your time would be better spent looking for a unicorn.