44-4 - 3rd World Cardinalz

My next blog is a rap I wrote when I was a member of the group 3rd World Cardinalz... It was a group of myself aka Billy Bones, William P. Obubo (the poet that couldn't rap), Julez Jigsaw, Julian E. Obubo, (the rapper with a stammer), Tha A.N.G., Angelo Portier,  (the shortest basketballer I knew and now established DJ, Music Producer & Engineer).
This was a high-school phase and I guess it kinda made us closer and we had a message to give to the world... we never got to record our music but the beats still exist and the raps are still in hard copy... MAYBE someday the 3WC (3rd World Cardinalz) will hit the charts... Someday...


Well to the rap, 

44-4 – 3^rd World Cardinalz

Where do I start counting after 4:44?

My day just started like the day before

The 44^th second and nearly a quarter past 4

I’m barely a quarter past 4 but I can’t take no more

And I can’t wait no more till I slam that door

Raise my hands; feel like I’m free once more

But no, my day is done at like 5:44

Walking home, blue-red-siren it’s the POPO

Now I’m thinking, be calm, it’s just some routine go

Raise your hands and take a step no more

What I do to invite this-tell me-I don’t know?

Before I could move I’m staring at four 44s

Running aint wise, cuz I’ll be gone before I hit the floor

Excuse me officer but what is the problem to you?

They aint talking still point their four 44s

The Mike Johnson in me wanna mark, set and go

Then I remembered, ey, I got my own 44

Should I respond, damn it’ll be like some Western show

I reached for it- but homie- I was just too slow

Adieu!!!

RE: Letter from the Prime Minister

Well, well... it's been a whole 9 days since my last blog, I sincerely apologize.  I've been pretty caught up with reading books on politics and social change and rounding up an essay on the collapse of apartheid in South Africa.  When I started the essay, I wasn't to sure if I could really write 4,000 words of logic and sense but after research and reading and several toilet and water breaks in-between I finally ended up with an essay I'm very confident in.
Well let's move on from the essays, yesterday I came home from a pretty long and interesting day to open my mailbox and I received a letter from Mr. Gordon Brown, that's right, the Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party as he so eloquently put it in the letter.  Writing about it, it kinda reminds me of times at home in Holland when the fax machine pours out several letters claiming they are from the President of Nigeria, difference is though, the fax letters were scams from 419ers telling us about several unthinkable millions of dollars that needs a bank account to be stored in.  It makes you wonder, are there really people out there that receive such letters or emails and actually fall for the unbelievable claims they make?  Cuz even the lottery just doesn't work that way, but I guess the saying 'money is the root of all evil' is so very true for people to be so greedy.
Well let's get back to the Prime Ministers letter, he opens like this 'Dear William Obubo, Since I last wrote to you...' Let's get the facts straight here Mr. PM, you've never written to me so please don't flatter me by sounding all friendly and familiar but I do commend the personal touch nevertheless.  He goes on to talk about how 'we' are going tough financial times; we? really you and I? Mr. PM, I'm sure you've never checked up on my Tesco shopping or offered to cover my Sky bill or T-mobile bill or even given me £2 to take a bus to the School of Management, so no, I disagree, we haven't been going through tough times together, I have, you haven't.  The truth of the matter is, you have seen several people like me go through tough times, there are even people worse off than myself and they have been immensely affected, so I'm sorry but I'd say the 'we' thing is grossly patronising and might be offensive to some people.
I'd be straight up with you Mr. PM, the attempt to win people over now with just about a week before the elections could not have been more dented by the 'bigotgate' as the media have so kindly named.  The question and answer sessions have done a lot to prove that there is a huge void between the electorate and the politicians, especially the leaders.  The only time they (the politicians) run to us really, is when they need our support or our votes. Once we are done voting, we are dumped on the streets like left over fish'n'chips... If a democracy is a government of the people, by the people, for the people then I'm sorry to say Mr. PM we aren't in a democracy.  The best leaders are the best servants, and simply put the country is lacking any.
So here is my reply Mr. PM;

Dear Gordon Brown,

Thank you for your last letter, it was very kind of you to write.  The events of the week ahead will help me decide how I'd vote.

Yours sincerely

William P. Obubo
Student and Member of the Electorate

Adieu!!!

PS: I'd scan the letter and post it soon....

To Want To

Hey...

A rather dull day I've been through, aside  from the the University of Bradford Students Union Election hustings and American football practise (of course!).

The hustings is an opportunity for candidates to convince the voters why they are the right and suitable candidate for the job (a lot like the candidates debate of last week where Clegg stole the show).  The funny thing is back in March we had the original hustings, however, due to some 'undisclosed' incidents the elections were temporarily suspended, then cancelled, then postponed.  Politics seems to be a dirty game at whatever level.

Well the UBU elections committee have introduced tighter measures to curb any discrepancies so hopefully we'd have a smooth affair.  However, from my opinion, the voters seem to have remembered the details of the manifestos so the turnout was nowhere near the original hustings, besides can you blame them, dissertation deadlines, coursework deadlines are only round the corner.  For a couple new faces it was a slightly nervous experience.

One candidate, yours truly, is running for International Students Officer, who is pretty much the mediator of over 20 nationalities and the Union and University.  As straightforward as it gets... NOT! But we shall see when the results are released.  I do wish all the candidates the best of luck may the right person win.  I extend this same reasoning to the May Elections... Nick Clegg seems to have created quite a force now as the polls are suggesting while dear Gordon says it is a 'brief political honeymoon' sounds like sour grapes to me.  

I really wish people vote for the right reasons.  But hey this is politics nothing, I repeat, nothing is black and white... or grey for that matter.

I do urge you to register in time to be able to vote in the May Elections, and for the Bradfordians go to www.ubuonline.co.uk/elections   VOTE RIGHT!!!

Well I seem to be a little sore in my arm muscles from stretching and my left knee needs a lil' TLC so this post will be coming to its finish line, but like promised about a week ago the daily poem is titled 'To Want To' enjoy!

To Want To

I was told not to

But I wanted to

So much that I thought to

Then I decided not to

But in my head I asked “don’t I want to”

I want to- knowing I’m not supposed to

At night I sleep eyes wide open wanting to

Then I stand believing that I had to

Later in the dark I crept to

Halfway there I decided I didn’t have to

For if I had to

I need not worry how to or when to

So I turned back not having had to

I admitted I didn’t need to

Meaning I heeded not to

I was told not to

But I wanted to

Yet in the end I didn’t need to. 

Adieu!!!

'20 burgers! how can 20 burgers be gone so quickly?'

Another day, another poem...but first...

 My activities today have been very very physical, I had some American Football practise, which was a lot of fun especially as I scored the last touchdown in pass-ball... It really felt good  even though the end-zone happened to be the 6-yard box on an astro-turf football (soccer) field, nevertheless I did my end-zone dance... With the sun shining brightly down on my beloved Bradford city, I couldn't have wished for a better day, uhmm... maybe I could but you know what I mean. The Red Devils once again showed their Blue brothers who is top-dog in the city of Manchester with a vintage performance from a football genius, Paul Scholes; and if that wasn't enough to make my day, in-form Tottenham sent a strong message to rest of the league as they press on for that much-sought-after fourth spot in the Premier League.  I bet the rest of London will take the Lillywhites very serious now especially as Gareth Bale is in the form of his life.  It is very pleasing, especially in Bradford University UBar, to see how many Manchester United haters get silenced when they win, grunts here and there, bad-mouthing of officials and what not... Oh the beautiful sound of silence...

A very good friend of mine, a Chelsea fan I should mention, was having a birthday bbq, he was taking advantage of the weather I guess; he had invited some friends of his who weren't familiar with our circle of friends.  Now before I go on, I will give you a quick history of my circle of friends when it comes to food, gatherings and eating.  We are unstoppable, we once ordered 10 12-inch pizzas of different toppings to be shared amongst six of us, all of the pizzas (crust included) were gone in just over 3 minutes 11 seconds.  Back to the bbq, apparently he had bought 20 burgers hoping that there will be plenty to go round and some to spare (the naive assumption of one of his friends).  When we arrived, we slowly made ourselves feel at home, scanning the area for the buns, cheese, burgers and salad dressings, slowly and steadily we got closer to the bbq stand and even helped out with the flipping. Unknown to the 'other' guests we issued ourselves with our rations and armed with two burgers to one soldier we munched away, one of his friends later came outside hoping to have some burger only to find an empty stand, with coal still burning away... In a defeated tone all he could utter was '20 burgers! how can 20 burgers be gone so quickly?'.  In the words of Bugs Bunny 'he don't know us very well, do he?' That has probably got to be the highlight of my day! Indeed!

                   where did they all go?

Well, the poem for today is... 
 The Negro Man

His voice, his tone, no different from theirs,

His thoughts, his logic just like theirs.

He reasons with wisdom and speaks with wit,

He has his policies and his rules are strict.

He knows good from bad, friend from foe.

His tears are shed from joy and woe.

His knuckles are bruised from labours of the land,

His knees grazed from bending over in sand.

He knows love and knows hate

He takes pain as part of life’s fate.

He is the Negro man.

Only of recent was he confirmed ‘a man’.

When the lights go off, can you pick him out?

We are all the same when the lights go out.

Adieu!

Tunes In My Head

Like I promised, I will be posting poems daily and today is no exception.  Today's poem is Tunes In My Head.
It is about the thoughts and feeling we have daily and how they being played out as music in our minds. 

Tunes In My Head

All alone, in the dark at night

I sit still, so still I could pass for dead

All alone, in the chill of the night

I speak to myself and the voices in my head

Inside is a constant star-lit night

A big camp-like fire burning bright

The dancers of my thoughts emerge at night

The drummers drum, the dances begin

Each mood blows the fire’s light

From the stamping of my dancers within

So when I’m sad, happy or indifferent, at night-

The drummers play to the tunes in my head

My dancers dance to the drums in my head

I alone can feel the pounding at night

I alone hum to the tunes in my head

All alone, in the quiet of the night

I listen out for the tunes in my head

All alone, in the stillness of the night

I also dance to the tunes in my head.

Adieu!