Titans: Spoiler-Lite Review

The 11-episode arc of season one has finally come to an abrupt end (one episode shorter than was originally touted), so now's as good a time as any to give my two cents about the show.

Now, if you had watched the trailers for the TV show, you knew that they were going for a really edgy feel with this series. In any case, that seems to be the baseline for most DCEU fanfare (with the exception of perhaps Aquaman). Once you heard a "pre-NightWing" Robin (Brenton Thwaites) drop the F-bomb whilst referring to Batman, you should've known that they weren't playing.

The central conflict on this story revolves around Rachel Roth (Teagan Croft) who will become the future Raven. Her inner demons have awakened, and a dark cabal of individuals come out of the woodwork to try to ensure that the darkest permutation of her potential future comes to pass. Fate, however, conspires to place her into the hands of Dick Grayson who does his best to keep her as his ward. Along the way, Koriand'r (aka Cory Ander aka StarFire), an amnesiac pyrokinetic  and Gar Logan (aka Beast Boy) join in to protect Raven.

The show is a slow-burn for most of its run because it decided to bring the team together when all its heroes are pretty new to their abilities, with the exception of Robin. Having to sit through an amnesiac StarFire, Raven and Beast Boy slowly coming to terms with their abilities saps the life out of the show. They chose a "Hero-of-the-week" type format to introduce us to other superheroes within this shared universe in order to propel the story in different directions. In some cases, this plays out interestingly because it answers the question concerning Robin's replacement in Gotham once he parts ways with Batman; it also serves to expose Beast Boy's comic book origins in which he was initially affiliated with the Doom Patrol. It also finds a compelling way to deal with the changed Hawk and Dove roster that also occurred in the comics with what proved to be one of the strongest arcs captured in the show (Episode: Hank and Dawn).

For all the potential teased earlier on, the show fails to deliver in a lot of areas. This new edginess, complete with extreme cursing, is a mere crutch that most times tries to disguise edginess for poorly written characters. The level of angst a lot of the characters portray doesn't feel earned in the least. Robin is extremely ultra-violent and blames Batman for just about everything, but this merely comes off as him being ungrateful, and the way events play out, he appears to be more "fallen" than his mentor. He is sanctimonious, but there really isn't a good display of core character to even make you side with him. His replacement, Jason Todd, is an even worse caricature and is an outright villain. If you've watched the impressive DC animated movie "Batman: Under the Red Hood", you'd know Jason Todd's future pretty well, and you'd see that this series is selling him pretty short. The only character who only really seems to organically shine in this faux pas world is Donna Troy, and even her cursing seems appropriate when she openly curses out Robin later on in the series.

Some of the CGI choices are also a bit questionable. Sure, it might happen in quick cuts in which they need to show us a hero jumping off some massive height, but it comes off as really poorly done. You can spot the digital duplicate from a mile away; it seems like even half-decent "wire work" would have made a better stylistic choice. They probably also bit off more than they could chew by choosing to bring Beast Boy into the mix. For whatever reason, we are only stuck with him transforming into his Tiger form for the entirety of this season; if that wasn't enough, they are choosing to have some level of realism in this, meaning that he has to strip in and out of his clothes to make these transformations. It gets annoying pretty quickly, and it makes you long for the animated Teen Titans  show whereby his suit just automatically changed with him in and out of transformations.

I have to go after the wardrobe department on this one too. StarFire (Anna Diop) seems to spend a lot of time in the same outfit. This is a lady who's dishing out $100 bills at the drop of a hat, but can't seem to change out of her purple suit. I can understand that they're trying to channel her costume from other media, but it left me cringing just as much as when I watched Marvel's Slob-supreme,  Jessica Jones. (Made me feel like I needed a shower). Come to think of it, Beast Boy also suffers from a similar setback. They definitely needed to be a differentiation for their costumes and their street-wear, which is obviously done well with Robin.

Lastly, I can understand that they're trying to shed the "Teen" from "Teen Titans", and so they've ramped up the maturity level a whole lot on this one. Relationships that occurred organically throughout the course of the comics will definitely be rehashed in this series. However, at this point they're just ham-fisting these relationships; and they're making it worse by mixing it up with some poor sex scenes. You can see some of these moments coming from a mile away, and it just leaves you feeling like the showrunners are striving for the lowest common denominator. This edginess for edginess' sake will be the end of the DCEU. The fundamentals still remain the same - people want to relate to these characters, empathize with them; and if we can't empathize, at least we need to understand their spirals down destructive paths.

Watching this season felt like an arduous task, and to tell you the truth, without any clear hinted saving grace in terms of interesting character development and proper plot-pacing for the next season, this might be as far as I go with this series.

I rate this a solid C.

Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse "Spoiler-Free" Review



It is indeed a rare occasion when an animated feature gives more traditional films a run for their money. This movie was stacked up against quite a number of odds: Sony hasn't had a good record of representing the web-head on screen since the critically acclaimed Spider-Man II; Sam Raimi's Spider-Man III fell short because of studio interference, and The Amazing Spider-Man franchise was an unnecessary addition that disintegrated when it sacrificed concise storytelling for the sake of trying to saddle us with a spin-off that no one requested (basically, the Blade Trinity treatment). Tom Holland's Spider-Man is basically touted as an MCU-property, and then we've had the strange spin-off that was Venom.

On top of that, they chose to give us an alternative protagonist choice in the form of the Ultimate Universe's Miles Morales, in addition to weaving the stories of multiple spider-folk from alternate universes. Lastly, they opted for an art-house look to this movie, to give us the feeling a comic was unfolding in front of our eyes.

I am glad to proclaim that everything about this movie works. It is a beautiful introduction to Miles Morales, his complicated relationship with his cop-father who tries to balance his love for Miles with the need to ensure that he can secure a better future for his son; we also delve into Miles' relationship with his uncle, Aaron Davis (his father's estranged brother), who embraces Miles' awkwardness and offers a respite to the turn of events bulldozing through Miles' life. Of course the spider bite throws an even bigger wrench into Miles' life, and leads him on a path of self discovery.

It might have been hard for Miles to pick up on the superhero biz if he was left to his own devices, but, luckily, the rest of the Spiderverse comes to his aid. Peter Parker (Sam Raimi's version) serves as Miles principal mentor, providing a sarcastic, grizzled and jaded outlook to the fledgling superhero's expectations. However, deep down, he still maintains the compassion necessary to empathize with Miles' innocence, confusion and slow start to heroism. Spider-Gwen (an alternate Gwen Stacy), is Miles' peer, and provides an alternative to Peter Parker's war-weary view on the world.

Going by the clips already released, you realize that Spider-Man Noir, Peni Parker and Spider-Ham get smaller roles in this movie; however, they chew up the scenes in which they star. Nicholas Cage's over-the-top black and white characterization gives Noir a seriousness that is very comical. Spider-Ham is something out of a Looney Toons short, fitting perfectly into the absurd mould cast for him, and even proving that a cuddly cartoon character is not one to be messed with. I feel like Peni Parker got the short end of the stick when it comes to vocal characterization, but she is a packaged deal (her and her robot sidekick), so we get something of a montage of her doing science-y things within the robot.

A lot of praise needs to be given to the assembly of the rogues' gallery for this spectacle. The Kingpin is a hulking behemoth of a man, and as if that wasn't enough, he has multiple enforcers (one of whom is such a lovely surprise that organically unfolds in the course of the movie). The Prowler definitely makes this seem like more than a PG-movie, because he is a scary character who provides a fair share of jump-scares. Whenever he's around, he's shrouded by an eerie guttural growl that makes him seem like a wraith. Tombstone plays out like a typical enforcer, and the (monstrous) Green Goblin and Scorpion are characterized as more brawn than brains. As the main antagonist, Kingpin's story borrows a lot from Netflix's portrayal by Vincent D'Onofrio, juxtaposing his ruthlessness against his ultimate motives.

Everything about this movie screams an appreciation for the rich Spider-Man lore that's preceded it, even poking fun at Raimi's Spider-Man III or an age old Spider-Man meme. The style of this movie is unique, and there's nothing jarring about it. From the very beginning, they set out to make a unique living comic book, and it provides a feast for the senses whether it's approaching the slower sentimental parts or wowing us with jaw-dropping action sequences.

The soundtrack also elevates this movie to another level. I've been on Youtube, and what's listed as the soundtrack is mostly current features, most of which are autotune and triplet flow heavy. Some of the tracks are more enjoyable when they're not divorced from the movie, and it is really sad that they haven't published a version of "What's up Danger" that's accompanied by the movie score as occurs in the "Becoming Spider-Man clip"; however, there are old school tracks peppered aplenty within the movie. Watching Miles' pursue a day at school to the tune of Blackalicious' "Chemical Calesthenics" is a godsend; listening to Aaron Davis play and then modulate the levels for Biggie's "Hypnotize" will have you wilding out in the theatre when you hear it. Congratulations to the crate-diggers who made this movie a reality.

Lastly, thanks are due for a writing team that respected both the source material and the audience to whom they present it. The comedy always lands, but they do not shy away from giving us the deep conflict that Stan Lee always sought to show us is inherent to being a hero like Spider-Man despite the insurmountable odds. They weave loss deep into the fabric of this movie, again reflecting that sacrifice and helplessness are also tied to the life of a hero.

I could not sing enough praises for this movie because it is the total package, a breath of fresh air in a movie landscape that has not posed too many surprises lately. I definitely have to watch it again to relive this experience anew. A world class A+ for this magical feat.

God Bless.

Reasons Why Matatu Culture Needs to Die!

Lord knows there's no love lost between me and the matatu industry, especially now that I've spent enough time behind the steering wheel of a car to know how infinitely hazardous they are on the roads. However, for a little reference, I will give you an experience from my time spent in China

Anyone who's been to China will no doubt be familiar with the dynamics of things during the Spring Festival (their Lunar New Year Celebrations). Things in a lot of places can come to a literal standstill as people travel to their hometowns for the celebrations, literally turning some locales into ghost towns. Such was the scenario I faced in Chashan, Wenzhou, which was the location for our university town. Well, as luck would have it, while everyone was disappearing for the holidays, I still had to commute to the city for my internship -commitments at the hospital. I remember setting off one morning, and there were only about 3 other commuters on the bus. The bus driver dutifully stopped at each bus stop, and kept time. I think there were never more than 10 commuters on that bus, but we suffered no delays and business went on as usual 

Compare this to the typical Kenyan scenario that takes place on the weekends, in my case on Sundays.

Kenya is a not a unique case when it comes to the issue of Matatus. Just the other day, someone made it known to me that even South Africa has something akin to the matatu industry; I remember my Ghanaian friends mentioning "Tro Tros", and even remarking about how glad they were that bus fares down in Wenzhou wouldn't suddenly shoot up for no apparent reason during the rainy season (exploiting people is definitely a cultural universal).

Personally, growing up in Kenya in the 80s was a diametrically different experience. Matatus were something of a rarity; we actually had a functioning Bus system (the Kenya Bus Service - KBS), which had been in play for the longest time. It had a wide reaching and functional network, with clearly laid out fares and bus times (unbeknownst to me, it was a private company). I don't think I even entered a matatu before the mid 90s. One would wonder why matatus were actually introduced when the formal bus system was doing such a good job of getting commuters to their destinations so efficiently. As with all things in Kenya, the reason was Greed. As I've heard it explained, seeking to capitalize on the transport industry, government officials in Jomo Kenyatta's government sought his permission to introduce the vehicles as an extra source of income. (Perhaps it was linked to someone's acquiring of a Nissan Urvan tender - tenderpreneurship has always run deep in this country). Never truly fully legislated, the matatu industry went on to grow in prominence like a cancer.

It was very sad that the Kenya Bus Company went on to flounder in the latter part of the 90s. For a private company with all its resources and reputation which was practically ingrained into Kenyan psyches to fail so dramatically was something of a miracle. However, after having dealt with a slew of such mishaps in the recent memorable past (Uchumi, Nakumatt), it has become increasingly clear that the issue is always mismanagement; sometimes it is merely mismanagement with an aim of scuttling a business so as to make it easier to establish a similar business in the same market space. At least, this appears to be what George Thuo did as he rose through the ranks at KBS, and then left it to form his own transport company - City Hoppa.

With few exceptions, attempts to regulate the matatu industry have really been failures. The "Michuki Rules" seemed to be a step in the right direction, but those truly only worked because they were one man's Iron-willed affront (backed by the President) to a practically rogue entity. The matatus initially rose up defiantly and went on a massive strike, but Hon. Michuki stuck to his guns and business sense prevailed. "The Michuki Rules" were not perfect, but they were a start in the right direction.  Only problem is that President Kibaki followed this massive success by moving Hon. Michuki to the Ministry of Environment and replaced him with Amb. Ali Mwakwere. The gains made under Hon. Michuki were eroded almost immediately, but the death knell happened during one moment Kenyans vividly remember: as usual, the Ministry of Transport had deployed its familiar routine of mounting roadside operations to put the matatus in check; shortly afterwards, Amb. Mwakwere called off the operation, citing the fact that even he as a matatu owner was suffering. After that, the plummet back to sheer lawlessness is history.

Recently, parliamentarians have been calling for a resumption of the "Michuki Rules" on our roads in order to try to bring some sanity to the transport industry. In my opinion, this is a rather lazy course of action. The "Michuki Rules"had their time and place: what they really were was a symbol that matatus could be controlled if the right kind of pressure was applied. However, they were not perfect and needed to be revised. Two immediate revisions are as follows:

1.  There is no need to outlaw standing in buses. The world over, people stand in buses: the buses are actually designed for it
   Solution: Dedicated Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lanes coupled with larger buses would both help to ease traffic jams and aid in shuttling passengers to their destinations.
2. Wearing seatbelts in a bus is unnecessary.
   I realized this might have been a way for them to ensure that only a specific number of passengers were carried within a vehicle, but it is actually a safety hazard. People surmise that seatbelts will help in case of an accident, but the opposite is true. First off, the seatbelts have only been retrofitted, not designed with the specific vehicle from the beginning. Second, the seatbelts are usually poorly-adjusted, which was a reason why so many of them hang down to the floor, picking up all manner of dirt that will end up deposited on your clothing. Third, what exactly are you tethering the passenger to? The seats in our matatus are merely welded to the sheet metal that lightly sits on top of the chassis, and when an accident arises, the seats just tumble like dominoes, effectively trapping you under a cascade of chairs. The seatbelt would only further impede your ability to be extricated from such a wreck.
   
   In the short time that I worked at an Orthopaedic Department, I saw 2 leg fractures that arose from 2 matatu accidents with a similar scenario to the one listed above. Talking to engineers and orthopaedic surgeons will only make you aware of how precarious the situation really is.
   
   Solution: the institutions in-charge really have to tackle this from the start - ensuring proper body construction, and that the matatus are driven within proper speed limits.

I am sincerely amazed at the carelessness of matatu drivers on the road. The other day, as I was driving,  I witnessed a matatu basically force someone to swerve off the road to avoid an impending calamity. I can remember one policeman remarking during my driving license test that "Matatu drivers are probably the best drivers because they know all the rules, and thus how to skirt around them." His point was basically a rebuttal of the assumption that roads could be made safer by forcing matatu drivers to retake driving licensing tests, because they would basically pass them without any issues.

However, I'm reaching out to a higher ideal here. We cannot continue to have the most reckless foolhardy drivers transporting the majority of our populace and not expect a high level calamity to occur...it is just insane. I've ridden in buses in both the US and China, and can without a doubt attest that the bus drivers are the safest drivers on the roads. That especially comes in handy in a place like China because most other road users are resounding lunatics. I remember one time seeing a college student on a scooter just calmly merge carelessly onto a road, cutting off a bus driver, and forcing the driver to stop dramatically. Having a matatu in the hands of a reckless driver is basically turning the matatu into an armed missile; hurtling at neck breaking speed, it really is just a petrol bomb aimed at innocent bystanders and fellow road users, and also likely a sarcophagus for its passengers. We need to take the "maximum number of trips = maximum profits" away from the industry so that we can focus on safety and sanity. 

However, matatu culture is not merely the preserve of matatus; the whole transport industry also sadly indulges in it. I have a big issue with matatus stopping all over the place. One day a driver must just have been trying to test my patience: he stopped in the middle of the road to drop off a passenger; then, I kid you not, he drove 15 metres ahead and pulled off into a bus stop to pick up a few passengers!!! However, driving along some roads, it's very easy to notice that there is not one single designated bus stop for public service vehicles to pull into. Therefore, is it any wonder that matatus are so unruly if even the authorities cannot provide such simple fixes.

In the same vein, it has always been a foolish idea to use the police to enforce these "traffic operations". I was disgusted at how diligent officers appeared to be about stopping matatus once the "Michuki Rules" were re-introduced, yet they were the same ones previously abetting matatus in their bad behaviour so long as they got a bribe. At one previous point, I remember passing as many as 18 policemen scattered between 3 checkpoints on my early morning commute, and that didn't count for any sort of deterrence because perilous matatu driving was the norm. It is an infinitely foolish idea to underpay an entire rung of essential service personnel, and expect them to act honourably. Add to this the fact that Kenya lacks any sort of effective "Conflict of Interest" laws and you end up with politicians (the likes of Amb. Mwakwere) and even the very policemen who are supposed to protect us indulging in the very industry that they are meant to surveil.

We really have to go back to basics in order to deal with this colossal mess. Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja believes that the answer is for the government to provide a metro system that he feels could be profitable, which I feel is a bit misguided. Governments the world over heavily subsidize metro systems, to the point of incurring visible losses just so that they can ensure that people are efficiently shuttled to their destinations. It all balances out in the end because everyone knows that enduring traffic jams pose a financial impediment, as well as contributing additional stress and health hazards to the populace sitting in traffic. Quite simply speaking, there is no room for matatus and "matatu culture" in the considerations of a well-functioning Kenya; maybe as just a vestigial accessory, but not as the principal means of transporting our people around.

I wish Pres. Kenyatta would pursue this issue with more vigour than he does the SGR (Standard Gauge Railway). The SGR probably won't even be profitable before his term in office ends; however, 1 - 2 years of consistent attention paid to public transportation would have fully borne all its fruit. The question is whether anyone's really thinking about this issue; our slumbering Members of Parliament are simply slapping an outdated band-aid on a system that they've never even bothered to understand because they've never had to use it.

God Almighty, please show us the way 

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - Mild Spoiler Review

This played out like a Harry Potter movie!

That really isn't saying a lot: I loved the Harry Potter books, but I hated all the movies. This was one of the few times where I'd read the book before encountering a movie, but there was just something that the movies fared poorly at translating to screen. I was especially peeved that they were unable to make any useful headway in bringing "The Prisoner of Azkaban" - the most adult-oriented, and in my opinion,the best of the books - to the big screen.

Bearing that in mind, I had loved the very first Fantastic Beasts feature. Sure, everyone knew that it was in the "Harry Potter Universe", but that didn't stop it from being a wonderful self-contained story. We were given an idiosyncratic protagonist whose misadventures and fascination with the extraordinary were a joy to watch. However, lingering in the undertones of the movie was the antagonist - Grindelwald: though his presence may have been guised for most of the movie, it made for an unlikely reveal at the end of the movie. I grew invested in the main posse of Newt, Jacob, Tina and Queenie, and it was saddening to see Jacob's memories of all the whole incident erased; however, his baking creations drew eerie inspiration from his time with Newt, and of course, Queenie did pop on by to visit him.

From that wonderfully nuanced bit of storytelling, we are thrust into this new instalment which is forcefully trying to weave itself immediately into as much of Harry Potter's lore it can within the movie's runtime. Don't get me wrong, Jude Law played a nice rendition of a youthful Dumbledore, and his relationship with Grindelwald (brilliantly played by Johnny Depp) complicates his ability to go to war with the series antagonist; however, they abruptly insert Credence (played by Ezra Miller), whose "curse"(the Obscurus) provided quite the spectacle in the prior instalment's finale. It was saddening to see him seemingly vaporized, but we held out some form of hope that he'd survived after Newt noted that a fragment of the Obscurus survived. None of that is acknowledged in this movie, and instead we find him on a quest to unearth his family; and along for the ride, we have Nagini. Now, I had totally forgotten that Nagini was in fact Voldemort's massive snake from the Harry Potter series, but after the useless part she played in the plot, this bit of fan service just fell flat on its face.

Another atrocity is the manner in which Queenie and Jacob are handled this time around; they are in a full-blown relationship (undercover, of course), but tensions are rising between them because the tenets of the magical world forbid them from getting married. Queenie, as evidenced from her last outing, is a powerful "telepath", but it seems like they use her lovesickness to drag her character down an unlikely path.

Worst of all, however, is the poor manner in which the story is told. I realize that they laid this out as a five movie deal from the start, but that doesn't absolve them from the right to give us completely contained stories. There are so many loose ends and unnecessary plot points to this movie, that it seems that they are trying to pose all the questions that will be answered in the next 3 movies. The way that try to make Credence resoundingly important by throwing a smoke screen about his lineage was the worst of these sins. To also try to make us believe that Grindelwald has any chance of working with Credence after the final events of the first movie is beyond suspension of disbelief.

This movie shook me to my core. I've heard people call this a "cash-grab", and I certainly can't say that they're wrong. It got so bad watching this, that though there were 3 girls seated next to me fan-girling for two-thirds of the movie, I couldn't even bring myself to care about their poor cinema etiquette. There isn't much "Fantastic Beasts" about this instalment, and it remains to be seen whether they'll continue to maintain that moniker going forward because I'm certain that'll only be diluted further in subsequent sequels

In fact, I change my initial statement about this movie: this was WORSE than a Harry Potter movie. Not even worth watching on Bootleg DVD. D- material!!!

The Music of Hans Zimmer: The Last Samurai Soundtrack

The movie "The Last Samurai" is probably one of my all time favourites. Can't say that's how it started out from the beginning. I remember the very first time the teaser dropped it was set against the backdrop of wordless scenes from the movie, and this text about the ways of a warrior; finally, it ended with Tom Cruise in-shot and the title splashed on the screen. Seemed wholly pretentious at the time, as if they were trying to give us some "White Saviour" kind of movie. Further trailers changed my perception of the movie, and by the time I finally watched the movie it was apparent that this was a work of art. Even till today, characters like Algren, Katsumuto, Ujio and Taka are still deeply engraved in my psyche. The movie was well shot, but the musical score stands out as a character all on its own.

Fast forward to Wenzhou, China in 2007 and my love for this soundtrack was rekindled. Joyce Wang,  a Taiwanese-American who stayed shortly at Wenzhou University, gave me this soundtrack (in addition to the "Batman Begins" soundtrack, which deserves a whole post of its own). Even though I had watched the movie almost 4 years prior, the music crystallized the movie's images anew. Listening to "Idyll's End" will immediately remind you of Algren's journey back to the city after his extended sojourn in the mountain village, and "A Hard Teacher" is a mystical journey through Algren's first days of confusion as a derided outsider in the village.

Looking critically at it now, I am surprised that the whole suite is merely short of 40 minutes. Like many a movie score, there are certain themes, similar elements that are scattered throughout the breadth of the score's 11 songs. There is a Melancholic theme tied to Algren (aka the Zen theme) reflecting the sadness tied to his life, particularly for being complicit to some atrocities committed under General Custer; there is also an upbeat Warrior theme, set to booming brass and played with all-out gusto. This is precisely why the track "Idyll's End" is so memorable: the first half encompasses the melacholy, and the second half is all at once triumphant as the hero is welcomed back into society, having found favour amongst those who once held him captive.

In order to tie in with the movie's epic length of 154 minutes, the musical suite ends up being chopped up and reused in several scenes throughout the movie, however, "Idyll's End" is played out in its entirety; another noteworthy mention is "A Hard Teacher". This song, like a lot of the songs, is a two-parter, and in both instances in which it is played, it accompanies Algren on his journey through the village. The first time we encounter it, its 2nd half is being played; set to the sombre tone of a flute, the song follows Algren as he walks through the village after having recovered from his drunken stupor; accompanied by his silent but stoic bodyguard "Bob", visualizing the people's way of life, and committing some faux pas moves along the way. The second time it's played is shortly thereafter, again as he stands in awe of his captors' ways; this time, however, it's slower melancholious first half is played. Similarly, during Algren's return to the village, it is cued up again.

From the movie itself, those two were my stand out favourites, but then the score exposed me to the beauty of yet another song: "Safe Passage". If you look carefully at the soundtrack, having watched the movie, you'd quickly notice that some of the track titles were taken word-for-word from the script. Thus, in retrospect, it seemed to me like "Idyll's End" should ideally have been named "Safe Passage"; but anyway, naming conventions aside, the first time we encounter Safe Passage, the situation is anything but! Another name I've heard given to this cue from the  movie is "The beating in the rain." It's intense first third is played as Ujio beats the stuffing out of Algren in the midst of a rain storm. The song is an interesting three-parter: firstly melancholic, starting off with Algren's theme, then slightly more hopeful. There is this beautiful soft build up of the Warrior theme, and finally it culminates in the beautiful crescendo captured in the clip below which highlights Algren's introduction to the concept of "No Mind". The only way to appreciate the beauty of this complex piece is through hearing it as a whole in the musical score.

I would describe the whole suite as follows:

1. A Way of Life - the introduction, containing all the broad strokes that Mr. Zimmer will put into crafting this whole suite of songs
2. Spectres in the Fog - yet another introduction, emphasizing the War theme. (Really has a beautiful intro consisting of the Warrior theme, which was actually sacrificed in the one scene this played out in during the movie)
3. Taken  - True to its name, this is the theme played when Algren is taken captive. It really goes hand-in-hand with "Idyll's End", which is "Taken" expanded in most glorious fashion. At only half the length of its counterpart, this song focuses most on a subdued form of the Warrior Theme, hinting that despite Algren's heroics, victory has as yet eluded him.
4. A Hard Teacher - Silent and contemplative, initially slow and meditative, but switching up the pace in its latter half to convey a sense of wonder, whimsy almost.
5. To Know My Enemy - This is framed by a dirge like atmosphere with sad wordless vocalizations (synced to Algren's nightmares in the movie). One of the shorter songs on the list, but poignant for putting into words how tortured our protagonist feels.
6. Idyll's End - initially slow and tranquil like peaceful village life, then loud and booming like city life. Perhaps a metaphor for the life of a warrior/soldier: to be able to enjoy a moment of peace, yet being ready to dive back into the fray as required.
7. Safe Passage - the best offering from the whole suite! The piece starts off with Algren's theme played using softly booming brass to concoct the imagery of a brewing storm, and then transitions into the Warrior Theme; starting off with a string-infused interval, Mr. Zimmer then lets loose the Japanese strings and provides one of the most beautiful musical cues you will ever encounter. The Japanese strings weave in a beautiful tapestry of a melody, punctuated by great flute work, and the booming brass maintains the storm-like ambiance. It is Mr. Zimmer's most unique take on the familiar themes he designed for this movie. A work of art  
8. Ronin - Short and heightened; it builds up to a taiko-drum heavy segment that heightens tension even further. (I feel like I've heard this specific song reused for a trailer somewhere)
9. Red Warrior - the war cry; before Mr. Zimmer dabbled in using the "Rise" chant for the Dark Knight Rises, he came up with this song. The tension build slowly into the warrior theme framed by the drummers' chant. From there, the war elements are ramped up, ending in a frenzied brass-violin mash that gives you the impression you're deep in a melee
10. The Way of The Sword - the emotions of war; initially fast-paced to reflect the frenetic pacing of war; however, this song contains a sadder rendition of the warrior theme, perhaps reflecting that loss is a concept tied to the warrior's way of life, as much as it too contains bravado and elation. The latter third is about as simple a dirge as you can get. 
11. A Small Measure of Peace - the end; seguing directly from "The Way of the Sword", this is a full length exploration of Algren's theme. 

This is one of the greatest soundtracks that you can enjoy at any time really. You don't even have to have watched the movie to recognize the cues; if you have though, it refreshes those scenes in your mind. Mr. Zimmer crafted this in such a way that it'll remain timeless and revered.

Give it a listen if you get the chance.

God Bless.

Venom: Review

It's time to revisit the lovable anti-hero who has proved to be many a fan favorite when it comes to his Spider-man antagonist role, or when he branches out to seek his own brand of justice in other adventures. He wasn't done nearly enough justice when he was portrayed by Topher Grace in Sam Raimi's Spider-man III (side note: apart from the bad casting in that movie, having too many villains and multiple story arcs to balance basically tanked the movie; however, one of my guilty pleasures is watching the beautiful dance sequences set to the jazzy music.)

Speaking about music, as if it was a bad omen, this movie was book-ended by some of the worst music I've ever heard. First up was a musical montage for the movie "Small Foot" set to the song "Moment of truth" by Cyn. This is about the cheesiest bubble-gum pop number you could ever concoct with the most cheesy repetitive millennial whoop chorus ever. I can picture parents just being tortured by their impressionable offspring who get this tune stuck in their heads. The song just seriously messed up my mojo. Next up was Eminem's "Venom": this was just a terrible song; never have particularly liked the combination of his nasally voice combined with the slurring of his lyrics, which is on full display here. And it seems like we got a 2-for-1 special on cheesy chorus day because the chorus is an assault on the senses. Seems like that Rap God nonsense is getting to his head.

A little tangent there. So basically, this was a chance to do something different (read: better), and to carry the character in a new direction. It was going to be quite the uphill task getting things done because this time around they tore out Spider-man's part from Venom's origin. A common part of that origin has been Spidey rejecting the symbiote, which then proceeds to bond with a dejected Eddie Brock who's similarly peeved at Spidey. Sans such a back story, the movie attempts to give us an extensive overview of Eddie thriving after suffering a previous setback while he was in New York; he's reinvented himself in San Francisco and made quite the name for himself, until he decides to tangle with The Life Foundation and gets shown exactly how far down the rock bottom path he can be taken.

People have complained that the first part of the story is a slow-burn. Apart from Eddie Brock's re-imagined history, we have the introduction of the symbiotes played out like the movie Species II (which is about all I could say without descending into serious "Spoiler" territory). In the end though, even with the explanations about the symbiotes, the movie still leaves you with some questions about things like the hierarchy suggested in symbiote society. Perhaps they're saving that part for the planned sequel, and we'll just have to wait on it.

This movie really is a mixed bag. That very intro to the symbiotes sees them establish a horror-like tone for the movie, but since they decided to make this a PG-13 movie (16+ down here in Kenya) they can't really commit to the horror element of things. I noticed that in the trailers, you have Eddie Brock walking down the street "communing" with Venom: in some trailers he tells Venom that he can't just go around HURTING people; in other trailers he tells Venom that he can't just go around EATING people. So, lo and behold, for some people not familiar with the comic book lore, the symbiotes (which sometimes act like parasites feeding off their hosts) are at times downright capable of consuming people. Now, you wouldn't be able to tell that from this movie, because whenever Venom's long tongue and chompers do a dirty deed it's basically hidden from the cameras. How do they expect to have a universe in which brutal characters like Venom and Carnage are meant to exist, and then assault us with these PG-13 type shenanigans?

The action is also a mixed bag. Eddie remains oblivious of his augmentation initially, but circumstances don't allow him to process it. Eventually, in a full on confrontation with some mercs,  Venom bubbles to the surface, and basically commandeers Eddie's body like a vehicle and basically ensures their self-preservation. The effects held up for this extended sequence and are enjoyable. The Eddie/Venom dynamic provides by far the most interesting bits of the movie. However, the last symbiote vs. symbiote fight will just leave you confused. Having 2 dark sometimes amorphous bodies of goo going at it, at breakneck speeds means that you'll miss out on a lot of what's happening. Honestly, set against the dark palette of the night time scenery, you will miss out on a lot of detail, and you'll be begging for some Slow-mo to get yourself centred.

Tom Hardy gets a lot of praise for his work, and he deserves it too. At least he went with an accent that we can make sense of (yeah, Bane's accent was atrocious!). Most of the actors do their parts well, but I feel like the writing is what lets them down, especially with regards to the villain. I don't know what it is about movies trying to plug in Mark Zuckerberg-esque type villains these days (must be a millennial trend!) It certainly didn't work out with the disastrous BvS's Lex Luthor Jr. (Jesse Eisenberg) from Justice League, and it just didn't gel even with Riz Ahmed's take on "Carlton Drake" in this movie. Let's just stick to the established old menacing rich guys for a change.

Something is just off about this movie, but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe somewhere in this hodgepodge of ideas was a great movie, but it is executed in a most dastardly manner. Perhaps, it's because of a certain time jump that randomly gets plopped in this movie; or maybe even in the manner in which some character motivations (and changes) are just randomly glossed over and accepted. I  also keep thinking back to one of the trailers where it seemed like something telekinetically shoved people away from their desks, and that seemed menacing as hell. However, in the finished product, (teased in later trailers with completed CGI) seeing the symbiote Riot supposedly fashion massive blades from his hands, and then proceed to gut people in so sanitized a manner with barely anything askew just tipped me beyond the suspension of disbelief scale.

I'd give this movie a 60% rating (probably something like a C+), and would recommend that you'd rather watch this at home. I just feel discombobulated.       

Trying to Develop a "Green Thumb"

I haven't had much luck with growing plants in the past, so I'm trying to change a few things this year. I enjoy buying up a few new plants for the compound from time to time, but I'd also love to grow something from seed. Despite undergoing a lot of neglect, some Agapanthus that I started growing around March last year is probably big enough for me to transplant. Unfortunately, all the bauhinias that I had planted are no longer with us, but I might just try them once again. They weren't that difficult to tend (truthfully speaking).

This time I'm going for something a little different. I'm setting my sights on growing something exotic. My time at Messiah College exposed me to

1. Redbud (I still remember the beautiful specimen that sat to the left of the back door to the Jordan Science Centre!). 
2. Cherry Blossoms: we didn't have many at Messiah, but right in front of the Climenhaga Building there was a beautiful specimen (Yeoshino Cherry, I believe) which some students had given to the school as a gift.
3. Oaks and Maples 

And then there're inspiration from my Dad's books. Thus, I recently purchased a few seeds online (Redbud, Yulan Magnolia, Japanese Cherry, Crape Myrtle and Creeping Thyme). My very first experiment was with Creeping Thyme, but that didn't work out so well. The seed was so tiny and I sowed about half of it on an embankment close to a fence. In fact, I sowed it over the whole length of the embankment, but it only managed to sprout in one secluded spot.

Creeping Thyme

Creeping Myrtle

Round about the same time, I also tried my hand at planting the Crape Myrtle. I decided to get some planting trays, and even put some potting mix together; unfortunately, it seems like the potting mix is a bit too light, and water drains through it a bit too quickly; in addition, the potting mix is likely to be washed out of the trays. This combination of factors will prove disastrous if I try to have this stuff out in the open to take advantage of the oncoming rains.

Soil Test

Therefore, I'm running a bit of an experiment with regards to finding the right blend of soil-to-potting mix. The soil by itself dries out quickly, and ends up hardening and becoming caked up. It's seems like the sweet spot exists between either a 1:1 blend or perhaps a 1:2 blend.

All this will be necessary very soon, because I am busy preparing for the Redbud, Sakura and Magnolia seeds. I've basically been stratifying them (exposing them to a pseudo-winter) in the confines of my fridge, so I can stimulate them to germinate. By mid-October, I should be ready to plant the Redbud and Magnolia seed. 

Seed Stratification

I really am hoping for something special. At this point, I'm just concerned about getting them to germinate and thrive. I have something special up my sleeve for when they need to be transplanted, but I'll need to have some things come through before that happens.

Anyways, wish me luck!

God Bless

P.S: Finished the "soil test" and the winner came as a surprise to me! The 1:4 (Soil:Potting Mix) was the undisputed winner. The 1:1, which initially showed an much promise, ended up being a groggy mess.

I figured out that it is essential to pre-wet the soil mix before putting it into the seed trays...and that's exactly what I did while sowing some Fountain Grass (pink and green). Lesson learned!

Some Observations about China

African Leaders in China (Gado)

I've had it on my mind to discuss some of my Chinese memories for a while; this has been pushed to the forefront lately because, as far as many people are concerned, China pretty much seems on course to colonize some of the world's lesser developed countries. In my opinion, it's a pretty harsh way to judge China because as experience shows, our politicians pretty much lay our lives on the line every time by making thoughtless and fiscally irresponsible decisions any chance they can.

But anyway, let's tone things down. Before we get into the heavy stuff, I'd like to share a memory from my first year in China (2007).

Randomly, the price of instant noodles had shot up. It wasn't by much really: just a couple of cents. (My memory fails me, but it definitely hadn't crossed the "1 Yuan" mark). Seeing as it was such a small price hike (a move usually sprung on us back home), I didn't think much of it at the time. However, from the eventual buzz that ended up being generated, it was quite a big deal! Instant noodles have never been something I've found particularly palatable, but I am aware that a lot of people (particularly college students) survive on a quick meal of Ramen. People were not happy! I remember the matter eventually escalated to the point that the government got involved; in fact, there was a news report in which the government clarified that there was no clear justification for the increase in the price of instant noodles, and that all shops were required to revert back to the previous prices or risk having their businesses closed! After the proclamation, swift reversion to previous prices ensued, and that was the end of that matter.

It was a small gesture, but it made a world of difference to me; practically earth-shattering to think that the government would actually intervene positively in something that affected the common individual. Back home in Kenya, my mind thinks back to that time when Energy Minister, Kiraitu Murungi, made veiled threats to petroleum companies due to the steep prices that we were subjected to. Then he changed his tone and began to advise the petroleum companies, and in the end he ended up imploring them to reduce prices; his words carried no weight and the petroleum companies continued to run roughshod over ordinary Kenyans, and sadly, things have never changed.

So let's get back to current events:

1. Zambia's broke and is basically handing over strategic state resources to China (covertly).
2. Kenya is up to her eyeballs in debt (mostly Chinese), and is still saddled with projects of questionable economic feasibility.
3. African leaders moved en masse to China seeking further aid for Lord knows what kind of development projects
4. The Chinese staff at the Standard Gauge Railway have been highlighted as being vindictive to the native staff, denying them opportunities for advancement or even menial jobs (in favour of Chinese workers).
5. The leaders in Kenya have come up with an idea to supposedly tax the country into prosperity

Truthfully speaking (for Kenya), everything that's happening now is a culmination of all our preceding actions. I remember during the Kibaki-era when politicians were basically saying that they were tired of the stringent conditions tied to loans from Western countries/organizations, so they were basically looking East (read China).

In my opinion, China has always been a bad option for Kenya when it comes to lending. This is not to be taken as a condemnation on my part for the Chinese people/government; rather, one should delve into their collective psyche to understand this. Despite where China appears to be currently positioned globally, they've gone through a lot in their past. Many people in China would tell you that they have some 1st world areas, but then 3rd world areas still majorly abound in the country. They've seen their fair bit of humiliations (Hong Kong, Japanese attempts at colonization), famine and starvation, etc., and of course alienation and clashing of heads resulting from the Communism-Capitalism divide. They have weathered most of these storms to become the current nation that they are today, but deep beneath the surface you can still see the influences of their past experiences. I'll consider the concept of LENDING for one: the Chinese (government) looks at those it's lending money to as "brothers" who are merely in need of money; they are regarded as having responsibly considered how they intend to spend that money, thus the Chinese see no reason in placing extra requirements upon them. They only require that the money be returned according to agreed upon conditions at the end of a stipulated period.

If Kenya were a responsible borrower, this would have been a perfect option; however, Kenya's track record proves otherwise. "White Elephant" projects, extreme corruption, and a bloated political setup means that we've basically reached the point where we're borrowing to fund recurrent expenditure and pie-in-the-sky ideals; not to mention funding our own politicians' opulent lifestyles and personal accumulation of wealth.

The likelihood that Kenya ends up reneging on agreements is very very high. As such, in my opinion, they should have stuck to the likes of Western Donors. These donors may reek of questionable "benevolent" ideals, but at least they still have to maintain the illusion that they are helping lesser developed countries, even going to the extremes of placing stringent measures (mandating that some of the aid be directed towards projects that directly benefit the common man) in essence protecting the common man from the very predatory governments at the helm of the lesser developed countries. In addition, western donors are answerable to their people, and thus can be implored upon to consider debt forgiveness as an option to help out lesser developed countries. As usual the lesser developed countries stand ever ready to lay out how they've been encumbered by their past colonial histories.

Guilt trips might work on the western donors; none of this will work on the Chinese. They've pretty much suffered an equal measure of the very things all lesser developed countries underwent, but they DO NOT go around parading those things as badges of honour. I find a befitting parallel in the conversation I once had with a (South) Korean friend of mine about the drive of Koreans. He basically said,

"We strive so hard because we are ashamed of the things that happened to us in the past"

Despite being innocent victims in the past, they strive towards a level of excellence that will ensure that they will never face that humiliation again. I see that same spirit in the Chinese people. I wish it was a sentiment that Kenyans (especially their leaders) would adopt.

Thus, at the end of the day, Kenyans should really be annoyed when our leaders send such big delegations to beg for aid. Not only do they waste so much on unnecessary expense, but as most pictures prove, none of them appears to be taking any sort of notes about the things they discuss. I remember when we used to complain about the Chinese people who are settling down in Kenya after their road-building jobs are done, some of whom even end up hawking goods and doing things like roasting maize. Our gutless leaders hide behind the banner of "bilateral agreements" to excuse such lapses, forgetting the fact that China would very quickly deport a Kenyan for purporting to do a simple job that a Chinese citizen could do; it would basically amount to taking jobs away from the Chinese people (Renmin), and the Chinese government wouldn't tolerate that. No one's going into bilateral agreements hoping for you to import Kiosk proprietors and menial labourers! (no offence to the aforementioned groups mentioned); rather, they hope to benefit from far deep-seated signs of investment or unique opportunities for that matter. Even in China, they wouldn't want you as a Kenyan to open a mere Kiosk (to sell groceries and other daily consumables); but, if you were to sell uniquely Kenyan product in that small store, you'd actually be adding something of value to their setup.

That the Chinese Embassy in Kenya would be the first authority to speak about the matter of railway employees being mistreated speaks volumes. Can we really seriously go around touting the sovereignty of our country when our leaders treat us as something to be expediently ignored until election season comes knocking? In the interest of this very specific entity that is entirely a bilateral agreement conception, our government should have had people on site liaising and getting to the root cause of the issues; and those people should indeed be a permanent fixture on the project sites. This isn't a case of some Kenyan domestic workers being mistreated in some distant Arabian country - these are Kenyan citizens facing dubious treatment in the heart of their own country!

What it all comes down to is a respect for the laws of the land. Chinese people are traversing the lands looking for many opportunities for themselves. In my experience, they will respect the rules of the land. None of them considers a tango with law enforcement while back home in their native China worthwhile, so mind you they're also hoping to avoid being on the wrong side of things. I am not claiming that China is corruption-free and that all Chinese people's scruples are above board, but the Chinese authorities take their role in punishment very seriously. Thus, set against the backdrop of their experience back home, imagine what they feel like in Kenya once they learn that the law is quite "malleable"? That police enforcement is very lax and dropping a few shillings will basically get major charges dropped? They are basically having a field day out here and it's all our fault!

Again, for reference sake, in my first year in China, my mother sent me a newspaper article detailing how about 54 - 57 Kenyans had been hang in China for drug-related offences (gotta love that "Zero-Tolerance" policy); and I also had that experience of seeing the case of one Kenyan lady who was also indicted for drug-trafficking - only, in her case, due to some lobbying by the Kenyan government, her death sentence was commuted down to life imprisonment in a Chinese prison which probably isn't a better alternative. (Personally, if it was me getting the short end of the stick and I was given a choice, I would've picked an execution by firing squad). And let's not forget that the Chinese government can also mete out death sentences for things like Panda poaching. There is no lopsided bilateral agreement that states that China has the right to severely punish Kenyan citizens whilst their Kenyan counterparts have to treat Chinese citizens with "kiddie gloves": we can definitely enforce the same measures on Chinese nationals reveling in the Ivory trade, or even those mistreating Kenyans (not just the one idiot who gets caught insulting our president!)

The day that we learn that there is nothing exceedingly exceptional about all these people that we look up to for donor aid, that's when we start to progress as a nation. Hard work, excellence, discipline and compassion for the situation of the common man with equitable distribution of resources will help us come alive as a nation. Let's hope that in the time it takes us to collectively realize that we won't wake up to discover that our leaders have already sold off our nation to the highest bidder.

God help us all 

The Misconception about "Made in China"

Having left China 5 years ago after I graduated from medical school, I still find that I carry a few of those Chinese "sensibilities"with me. You can't really expect to live somewhere for 6 long years and not be changed by it. Now that I'm back home, I've noted a great proliferation of Chinese people in Kenya, considerably outnumbering most other non-black foreigners. In fact, I've seen situations arise where whole grocery store signs and even billboard posters are written in Chinese characters (hanzi). This latter item is a cause of great concern, especially since it signifies that the Kenyan government has, as usual, retreated to its laissez-faire approach to dealing with important issues. But, I digress, that's a matter for another time and place.

I was in the city shopping for some pants recently. Being the "old-school" fellow that I am, a  fervent fan of Dockers, and someone who despises the ultra-tight chinos that seem to be all the rage these days, I was basically shopping for Dockers, or whichever good khakis I could find. I remember the experience, particularly because of this one seller at a shop in Moi Avenue. From our interaction, I learnt that,

1. Dockers are no longer the in-thing, and thus they no longer stock them
2. His khaki pants were of such high quality that he was willing to charge the premium price of sh. 6000 (roughly $60) for the pants.
3. These were not Chinese-quality pants

Lord knows I didn't end up buying the pants at that store. Sure, I was downtown, but the ambiance of the store and the pants themselves didn't exactly seem to reflect sh. 6000 worth of value. If I was being generous, I wouldn't have parted with more than half that amount. However, the lasting impression from that conversation was that "Chinese-quality" jibe, which, in light of all my experiences, is certainly undeserved.


China for me was a hodgepodge of experiences, especially in the beginning. I remember going to the country with the mindset that things would be cheap and affordable; the agent who'd helped me get into school had assured me that I could really just rock up and pretty much just buy everything I needed when I got to my destination in China. Of course, someone had forgotten to inform him that Wenzhou is a very peculiar city; infinitesimally small, by Chinese standards, but renowned throughout China for its entrepreneurs. One other thing about Wenzhou was that things were quite expensive. I remember my friend once discussing how she went out shopping with her mother in the city, and they were shocked at how expensive things were. So much for the notion of "Made in China being cheap!"


Another fascinating aspect of shopping in Wenzhou was that you were expected to bargain for prices. Personally, I like a concrete price; don't want to feel like I need to have this relationship with a seller where I'd have to haggle over prices. If I haggle too much, then I feel like I've cheated someone out of their money; if I don't bargain enough, I end up "getting taken to the cleaners," and having my wallet suffer. Before becoming conversant in (Mandarin) Chinese, this would play out with the aid of a mere calculator; then later the phrases "Tai gui le!" (extremely expensive),  "Pianyi yi dian(r)" (make it cheaper) and "Da zhe" (Bargain) would be used often; and beyond even that, you'd end up having full fleshed out conversations with your seller.


Despite China being the world's factory (an image that they're currently working to change), it was also an issue getting things that you wanted. As usual, people stock things according to market demand. Therefore, getting the styles, sizes, colours that you wanted really depended on the sensibilities of the general populace. So, in the beginning, most of Wenzhou's fashion seemed like this tight-fitting K-Pop and Chinese celeb attire that I had never (and never will) come to embrace. Of course, after coming to understand the language, and thanks to word-of-mouth from fellow foreigners, I learnt where I could get different stuff within the city and without (Yiwu), and even where I could get things specially tailored. Moral of the story,

"If you know where to look for it, you will find it!" 

Some of my friends were certainly adventurous and had business ventures at home that they stocked from China. Once you understood the language, you weren't merely confined to the middlemen in cities like Guangzhou (an African favourite); you could actually travel to far-flung areas where you could personally liaise with factory owners and get the goods prepared as per your exact specifications. (Imagine my surprise at being able to have Kitenges - an East/West/Central African staple of fabric - tailor made at a Chinese factory in the middle of nowhere). In addition, China is all about volume. Sure, you only wanted a few hundred 'whatevers' for your store, and they'd give it to you at a good price; however, if you upped the volume to 500 or even a couple of 1000s, there'd be a drastic drop in the item price. Take home message,

"Don't be afraid to buy in bulk...a massive amount of bulk!"

One last fascinating aspect of China is that there is varying quality of goods. Initially, my friends and I came up with a scale for the range of qualities that existed: (in ascending order)

1. For African countries and other less-developed areas
2. For the domestic Chinese market
3. For export to the United States and prominent European countries

So, there were chances that you could end up with say US-export bound goods, but you would pay for them at a premium. Reflecting back on my early shopping experiences at Wenzhou, I remember this one time when I walked into a Li-Ning store looking to buy some sneakers. A friend of mine (Dr. Michael) had intimated that Li-Ning was probably one of the best Chinese brands, and I decided to check it out for myself. I remember asking if the price could be lowered on a certain pair of sneakers, and the seller's response was simply,

"No, that won't be possible. However, you can walk on over to those stores over there and you'll be able to get shoes at the price that you want."

Finally, a concrete price! Someone so confident about the quality of his goods that he'd only sell them at one price! It was like a breath of fresh air.

Thus I had to rework some of the notions I had developed while living in China. There were in fact even premium products made specifically for the Chinese population, and Li-Ning became one of my go-to brands. Dealing with sellers clarified things further. For instance, you could be trying to buy a specific wrench/spanner; you'd find that the seller has 3 similar looking items, but differently priced; upon inquiry, he'd be very honest and let you know that the spanners are of varying quality: the 1st would probably only be good for a year; the 2nd he could guarantee for roughly 3 years, and on the 3rd he could give you a lifelong warranty.

Therefore, the weakest link is the actual buyer. People decide to buy the cheapest item on the shelf, and then charge a premium for it as if it was made of gold. Imagine my shock on coming back to Kenya, and finding goods - purchased in Guangzhou at one-third the price they would go for in Wenzhou - being sold at 3 times the going Wenzhou-rate in Kenya! People are busy making excessive profit margins, but they're undercutting the quality at every turn.

I've already stated how disappointed I am that Chinese would pull off this kind of tactic with regards to quality, but as long as there's a sucker around to buy this kind of stuff, who are they "to look a gift horse in the mouth?" The responsibility really lies with our sellers/distributors and government regulatory bodies to make sure that only the best things are being brought into the country; they need to be looking out for us all, and getting us the best in terms of deals and quality.

China has another task altogether. It's understandable that we all have to start from somewhere. People nowadays might not remember the time when "Made in Japan" was considered inferior in all aspects  (Akio Morita's book about SONY - aptly titled "Made in Japan" -  was an eye-opener). I also remember the time when Korea's LG used to be known as "Goldstar" (and I wasn't rocking with anything Goldstar-affiliated). Everyone has to go through the phase where they copy what's hip-and-new, but then they eventually have to innovate and progress; make their own mark in the world. Eventually, China will get there, but it would help if they shelved these half-baked poorly made Chinese products, and sought to make "Made in China" a singularly premium product. I think the world would be better off for it.

All in all, there's a lot going on in all the variability concerning "Made in China" products; but in my honest opinion, the biggest problem is the local/domestic sellers who are being underhanded. Until they understand that "Cheap is really Expensive", not much is going to improve. 

God Bless.

Ant-Man and the Wasp "Spoiler-Free" Review

Seems that it's no longer a rarity for me to wind up all alone in theaters anymore. In just my last two recent outings - The Incredibles 2 and this time around - I've been the only soul in the theater...and I love it! Thank God (again) for the early morning showings

Time to get back into things Team Marvel after the devastation witnessed in Avengers: Infinity War. This takes place about 2 years after the events of Captain America: Civil War, and just prior to the events of Infinity War. This catches up on the events of one of the wild cards from Civil War (Hawkeye still somewhere in the ether) and the story lets us explore the dynamic of Scott Lang's life after the fallout. He's under house arrest, has a better relationship with his family (even with his Ex's current husband) and he and his crew of delinquents (Luiz, Dave and Kurt) have set up a security firm. The only thing that's not working out for him is that Hank Pym and his daughter Hope have basically abandoned him since his little dalliance with Cap. He's basically going through the motions so he can get done with his house arrest stint and revert to living a normal life. That all changes when he somehow ends up quantum-entangled with Janet Van Dyne, the previous incarnation of the Wasp and also a Pym; so this movie sets out to unlock the secrets of the quantum realm in order to free her. Since Hank and Hope have had to go off-grid, not only do they have the FBI on their backs, but their black market dealings have invited a two-faced seedy character (Sonny Burch) into their lives. As if that wasn't enough, they have the ethereal "Ghost" hot on their trail for the keys to the quantum realm, which might be her only way of finding a solution to her condition.

I really enjoyed this movie for much the same reason that people are giving it so much grief. First off, the stakes are not as high in this movie, which is fine; this wasn't meant to be another movie in the tune of Infinity War. It is so diametrically different from the first Ant-Man that they can barely be compared: the first movie was a wonderful heist film mixed in with some industrial espionage in the same right as the first Iron Man; the sequel keeps matters close to the chest and seeks to close the Janet Van Dyne arc that it started in the first movie by having us explore more profoundly the concept of the quantum realm (which comic book/cartoon fans would recognize because Hank Pym has used it to house criminals).

Another complaint about this movie is that Marvel has yet again given us a movie with a weak villain. Well, to truly expound on that, this movie has no real villains. (to-may-to, to-mah-to!). In my opinion, the movie doesn't suffer one bit from this turn of events. Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins) is a villain in a portrayal similar to Iron Man's "Justin Hammer"; to him, this is all about business and he's just trying to land the biggest score. Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) is a most unfortunate character who's merely out for her own survival; her problem is that "the end essentially justifies the means" in her mind. Considering how rough her childhood was, you can't exactly blame her for not truly developing a sense of empathy. The collision of all these competing interests still provides enough conflict to elegantly propel the story forward. (I would argue that Captain America: Civil War also played around with the villain in the same way. The only true villain they had was "Crossbones", and after his speedy exit we get "Baron Zemo" whose machinations only revolved around him setting up conflict within the heroes' ranks).

The characters from the last outing are all present here and mostly share the wonderful chemistry set up in the first Ant-Man. Thanks to the fallout from Civil War, Scott Lang's relationship with Hank Pym and Hope gets set back to zero, with even more disdain than he faced last time around. Hope sheds her business suit and has more screen time as her alter ego, and she gets to more intensely utilize the combat skills that she previously took out only on Scott. Thankfully, they also got rid of her horrific haircut from the first movie and allowed her to loosen up a bit more. Among the newcomers, Hannah John-Kamen nicely captures the other-worldliness of the antagonist; Laurence Fishburne's turn as Bill Foster was also a pleasure to behold - part nemesis to Hank Pym and part father figure, his stake in the film was relatable. Randall Park plays a pretty by-the-numbers FBI agent Jimmy Woo; though, I instantly recognized him as the patient from House MD who tried to circumcise himself with a pair of box-cutters, but I digress.

As usual, the visual effects are a feast for the senses. The alternate shrinking-growth melds really well with the fighting and looks just as believable as it did first time around. Ghost's phasing ability is so gloriously rendered that it would be considered a cool superpower, if it wasn't for the fact that it causes her a great level of pain. This movie also did its bit of scientific research and you will be impressed by how well they are able to represent the cuddly yet deadly tardigrades.

This movie is a great addition to the MCU and something lighter for you to get into after Infinity War. It is not mere filler: it is a more down to earth family-oriented movie. Enjoy it for what it is, Grade A in my books.

The Things That Medical School Won''t Teach You (9): The Ick Factor

I was just thinking about one recent night while I was on duty at the Casualty Department. As (bad) luck would have it, I ended up with the kind of patient that the nurses swore that I attracted to the department: someone with Per Vaginal (PV) Bleeding. Unfortunately, we didn't have ultrasound services operating at night, so we either had to send such cases out to a place where they could get urgent ultrasonography done, or tough it out with the little that we had at hand (good ol' back-to-basics medicine).

On this one occasion, I remember the patient being really embarrassed; it wasn't because of the invasive procedure that I was performing (which is the usual suspect); rather, she was embarrassed because she felt she was tasking me with dealing with this particular unsavoury medical malady. I just calmed the patient down, and let her know that this was basically what I had trained for, and she had no reason to feel ashamed. (I didn't mention that I'm also paid to do this kind of stuff, but money isn't exactly the thing I'd highlight as a saving grace).

This whole incident made me think about exactly what I've been through to get to where I currently am. As if on cue, the first memory that popped in my head was an incident from my internship - the surgical rotation to be exact. 

My rotation consisted of 4 sections (Male Ward, Female Ward, Theater, Casualty) which the 4 interns of the surgical department rotated among weekly. This just happened to be my first week on the Casualty rotation; so, it's Sunday morning - 8 AM-ish - and the Casualty Department is pretty nice and quiet...until it isn't anymore! They rush a patient in who's had a traumatic amputation of his right forearm. There's a tourniquet in place, but still, it's one of the more macabre things that you could witness in a day. Story goes that the gentleman set about using his chaff cutter early in the morning (before even 6 am), and while he was at it his right long sleeve got pulled into the machine, and his forearm followed thereafter. Thus, here he is before us, missing more than half of his forearm.

Dastardly as things might seem, you only get a few seconds of pause before instinct kicks in: get IV access, get vitals, draw blood for tests including blood grouping and cross-matching, shred clothing, run fluids to get his pressure up, get the patient warm and covered, call up theater to have it prepped for an emergency and then call up the Consultant Surgeon so that he can get down to the hospital pronto. Some of the steps actually overlap and are not so easily delineated in practice. So we finally get the man into theater to basically finish off what the chaff cutter started. (Unfortunately, the limb was too mangled and we were missing the other half which the chaff cutter must've  made literal mince meat of).  We deal with the veins and arteries, then we take care of any visible nerve endings, cut them as far back as we can; next we prune the bone fragments, remove the traumatized flesh and shape things up so that we can have a nice stump. All this is important because we want to improve his chances of being able to be fitted for a prosthesis later on, if the opportunity avails itself.

When surgery's over, he gets wheeled out into recovery, and we can all take a collective breath; and then, in one of those very weird medical occasions, we end up with a light moment. The anaesthetist had used Ketamine to anaesthetize the patient, (clinicians recognize Ketamine as "truth serum") so when he wakes up he's basically bawling about not being able to pay for the weddings of his unmarried son and daughter; he goes into detail about the whole thing (most of which goes over my head because he's speaking in Kisii), but the theater staff translate some of it for me in the midst of their chuckling. As always, my Consultant could be trusted to deliver a scathing remark, and even this time he didn't disappoint, "Why didn't he just leave that task for his workers to perform? This was just pure greed!"

By the time I met him in the ward, the Ketamine-induced reverie had ended, and he was stable. It might have seemed very heartless of us, but after the shock of the experience, I'd rather settle for a wailing patient than a dead one. On the plus side, we'd guaranteed that he'd live another day, such that he'd be able to thank his lucky stars, or alternatively be able to mourn for a lost limb.

I remember running into him at the hospital a couple of months later when he was coming to the hospital for physiotherapy, and he was in a jovial mood. I also ended up treating him for some nerve issues later on. It's always a strange experience when a patient who's had a limb amputated tells you they can feel their digits - in this case "Fingers" - itching or even hurting (the marvels of the human body). All in all, it was good to be able to glean a positive outcome out of such a bad situation.

Against the backdrop of such an experience, it should be clear that any medical professional before you (of sound training) is an amalgamation of many unique formative experiences, some of them quite terrible indeed. However, it is this very training which helps mould "book smarts" into actual experience, instinct and second nature. Many a time, I'm quick to remind interns that they haven't really had a true internship experience until they have intimately interacted with all manner of substances that a patient's body can produce. If your personal effects have not come into contact with Saliva, Blood, Faeces, Mucus, Urine, Pus, Meconium, Sweat, Vomit in any of their variations, then you've had a pretty sheltered internship. 

The more I think about it, medical practice sounds a lot like Motherhood. I doubt any mother would deny that they've had to weather all the aforementioned substances in taking care of their families; in our case, the only difference is that many a time we are doing this stuff while taking care of complete strangers, which might make it harder.  

The medical practice involves getting accustomed to a cornucopia of sights and sounds (even smells!). I'm reminded of my stint at Messiah College when I took an elective Anatomy class, which had somewhat of a tricky time slot; my only choice at getting a meal was either to eat right before the class, or grab a meal after it ended at about 5pm; the first time I had that class, I might have skipped the instructor's reminder to change gloves often because the smell of cadaver-infused formaldehyde seemed to leach into the gloves and become one with my skin. I vividly remember that I grabbed a burger as my late lunch that day, and it took sheer willpower to finish it as I battled my sense of smell to get through with the deed. Wouldn't have taken much imagination to have me reckon that I was sinking my teeth into some good ol' cadaver-du-jour. Fast forward a week or so later, and we'd all gotten so used to dissecting the cadaver, I'm pretty sure we could've had a meal in the classroom (if the situation had called for it).

My instructor - Sheri Boyce - told us that it wasn't unusual for some people to end up forgoing some specific meals after spending some time in the class. There was just something about the consistency of  roast beef or spaghetti that strikingly resembled some of what they were dissecting in the cadaver, so they could never bring themselves to sample those foods again. (Glad to say, I had no such problems, even in light of the "hamburger experience").

However, nothing reminds you about how much you've changed, until you interact with "normal" people. I don't quite remember how it happened, but one day a group of art students popped in to sketch the cadavers. Apparently they had the sentiment that sketching the human body in its most raw form was the pinnacle of an artist's experience. I guess they weren't prepared for what that raw form would look like once you'd peeled off some of the layers. All I can remember is that they came in with their sketch pads raised and started to watch us work, but for such an animated crew (some of whom I had interacted with) they were unusually quiet. Next time I peeked over, their sketch pads were down by their sides, and they were just staring, their faces a few shades paler. Suffice it to say, my attention was more fixed on the cadaver, with all the sharp instruments and sharp shards of bone posing quite the imminent risk, so I never really quite noticed when the artists disappeared, but when my attention shifted to them later, they were all gone. Takes a really strong constitution and some getting used to to handle some of this stuff!

I don't think it's a mere coincidence that one of the words I've used most often today is experience; that really is what makes all the difference. First time experiences need not be so pleasant with regards to half of this stuff because it really is a steep learning curve. I'm reminded of

1. a few medical school colleagues who would go faint at the thought of having their blood drawn or at the sight of blood; (always astounded me how afraid some medical staff are of needles!)
2. that one time I had a nursing student hold a child as I was attempting to perform a lumbar puncture (spinal tap). Must've been something about the novelty of the experience and him bending down to hold the child (maybe dehydration), because a minute or so afterwards, he felt light headed and I had him go sit down on a nearby bench where he promptly passed out.
3. drawing blood from a patient in the casualty department, and having his relative (who was standing by for moral support) suddenly collapse in a heap onto the casualty floor. Oh the joy of having one emergency suddenly turn into two!
4. the smell of singed flesh when first encountering the diathermy. Nothing quite prepares you for the sensation of burnt/roasted human flesh when someone uses the diathermy to cauterize tissues or to cause clotting.
5. dealing with any sort of perforated gut contents. You'd think the patient was sick enough when you reviewed them in the wards, but when you get them on the operating table and open them up, the most nefarious of smells will assault your senses. It's like literally being immersed in a septic tank. We always joked that the operating room was done for the day after such a procedure. Would need thorough cleaning and the grace of God before another procedure could happen in there again.
6. standing in during a delivery, and guiding the mother on when to push during her contractions; this one time though, the mother, being uncooperative, grabs my arm instead of her knee, promptly painting my coat sleeve with meconium. (Sadly, civilians seldom believe me when I tell them that child delivery is not the "sanitized process" they believe it to be, especially with regards to the mother's psyche)  

Fortunately, medical training is a marathon, and not a sprint. Ideally, a good superior will not hold initial uncertainty and inexperience against you, but will use it as a teaching point to enable you to gain the confidence you need to become a skilled clinician. (Perhaps it might even allow them to reminisce on how they were when they started out); and it is always an opportunity to derive a much needed laugh at the comedy that arises.

"We learn to do something by doing it. There is no other way." – John Holt

As usual, people should revel in the fact that "their medical friends" are all a little insane; but then again, someone would have to be slightly unhinged to do what we do on a daily basis. May your little bit of insanity bring stability and healing to this precious world.

God Bless

Transition

Transitions of a man's mission

To turn the moment, into something he owns

Not just for him, but for them

To understand, this is peace of a man

Woman beside providing balance

So that we can do our best, with God's talents

"We Live Today" - Common 

I have taken quite a hiatus from writing anything lately, and this time it was for a decent enough reason: I finally switched jobs and moved over from the PCEA Kikuyu Hospital to the bigger Nairobi Hospital.

Lord knows that PCEA Kikuyu had defined my work experience for quite some time (2 years and 2 months to be exact). It had been my first job after the latter disastrous portion of my internship, and it has taught me quite a few things about myself:

1. I still live for the thrill of surgery. I didn't really do any sort of surgery for the most part while I was in the Internal Medicine Department, but locum work (which I initially didn't want) afforded me the chance to perform some surgical procedures. After all this time, it affirmed that doing surgery is my life's passion, and there are no substitutes.
2. Long term employment at one company is probably not in the books. I used to think that I'd find the perfect job and could devote myself to working at one company for a lifetime. Well, it's still a possibility, but one much rarer these days. Though I'm in medicine, where people are expected to be more "humanitarian", I still need to be able to look out for myself at the end of the day; meaning, I need to be ready to leave when a better opportunity presents itself. Not very many companies find themselves deserving of undying loyalty (especially these days), so you need to know where the company ends and you begin.
3. Confidence is key. Never one to look forward to "rocking the boat", my inherent response to things has been to put up and ride out the rough times; this is usually to my own detriment. However, like all things in life, speaking up for yourself need not be seen as belligerence; just as much as confidence comes through on the operating table when situations get a little hairy, it is just as essential to life, with all its defining experiences.

I'm currently in my 3rd week at Nairobi Hospital, and there's still a lot of getting used to how things run at the place. The place gets really busy sometimes (Idd weekend was a surprising titan of a couple of days), but I love the staffing ratios. There certainly are a lot of doctors and nurses to keep the place covered. I also love the central heating because Nairobi (and Kenya as a whole) is experiencing an extremely frigid winter, which only threatens to get worse as the days go by; not having to layer up while indoors is a plus.

I had thought that one of the things I would be giving up by moving to Nairobi Hospital would be the close vicinity to my home; despite the increase in distance, I spend a small amount of time on Ngong Road (about as much as I did when I was at Kikuyu), and then usually zip right onto the bypass and avoid the rest of the horror that is Ngong Road (especially the Lenana - Dagoretti area). I'd say, that as a whole, I'm spending the same amount of time on the road.

I'll be on probation for 6 months, and from what I hear, it'll involve a whirlwind of experiences within the behemoth that Nairobi Hospital has turned into. I'm looking forward to getting used to everything, and settling in to the new family. Wish me luck.


God Bless