Christmas whisked past this year like a palm tree husk-sled sliding down a grassy hill, (I used to do this as a kid in the village), but anyway…so well it pretty much sums up the whole year in that everything went by so fast, yet so much was done in 2009.
But before I get to that, back to Christmas. So this Christmas instead of the three wise men rocking up to my door to give me some inside information, I was informed through three pregnancy tests that yes my number had finally been called. Yes people for Christmas I got the news that Callista and I are going to be parents and well obviously I’m gonna be a dad!!! Whoo Hooo..now those of you on facebook will have heard this news before, but yes there it is after 32 years of procrastinating its finally happening.
Now comes the major theological issue for my parents. I have to get married before the baby is born. So what to do? because I really want to do a nice wedding (which in code means an expensive wedding) so I’m gonna need time for that. And with friends and family from London to Lae I really do want to do something nice, like seriously if I could, I’d like to spend like a million bucks on the event. So need some advice, any thoughts on how to save me from breaching any catholic protocols?
On the work front 2009 was the first year that we took a stab at the music industry with our launch of www.rokrokmusic.com, its been a huge learning curve for us here as we got into Urban Bouncing and Operation Baby Blueing but in all of that the getting to know off artists, musicians, dancers, painters and just industry players has definitely opened my eyes to the possibilities of building a real link between art and the media business so as to make our artistic endeavours a sustainable exercise. There are massive challenges ahead but the more projects I do the more I feel that a movement of some sort is possible with more dialogue and linking up for projects. Maybe a creative association of some sort too? Who knows?
Our website work progressed steadily and our securing of the Exxon Mobil website and database contract will hold us in good stead throughout 2010. In fact the first database for vendors’ expressions of interest to the PNG LNG project is ready now and you can have a peek here. Our contract is for 4 years so we hope to assist where we can to maximise this project for PNG.
We already have some early interest in our SMS polling services for Colgate-Palmolive in 2010. So will advise if that comes through. Its been quiet on that front for a while and no doubt due to Digicel’s push to deliver these services as well. But I’m finding that there is a gap there for us for short run SMS campaigns, which I am hoping to exploit more in 2010 along with our music promotion activities. Actually if all goes well than hopefully we will be able to offer ringtones on our www.rokrokmusic.com in the next 2-3 months as well.
And for this blog, well I am eternally grateful to all the visitors that pop by to have a read. The sharing of ideas is truly priceless and I must apologise that the Christmas period has slowed down my posts a little and I’ve had more than one complaint about that so no worries will get back into it this week. But the blog is now skimming 14,000 hits a month which means now more than ever that I need to find a way to turn these discussions into real action. Remember no one is coming to save us, we have to take action for ourselves for whatever cause now and today if we want a better tomorrow.
So in terms of real social action stemming from an online discussion, a thought came to mind some months ago from a discussion I had with John Faunt from Hausboi. John was telling me how he wanted to do a video clip for his song ‘Speak Up’ and in his clip he wanted to show shots of poverty and then contrasting that with the governments new private jet. So I thought what if through the blog people could contribute via PayPal etc so that we could fundraise for his video clip. This would certainly be a different medium which we have not tried before in saying our piece on the mismanagement of the country, promoting our png music and the arts and just working together for change. Think of it as an exercise in People Power. One great example last year was Desmond Yaninen’s email on housing prices in PNG and how that went as far as the ICCC reviewing the issue. So I think more action from talk is in order for 2010.
By the way I actually typed this up at 2am on New Years day but have only got to posting it up now. So after having some glasses of wine with Callista on New Years, we just listend to the rain as it washed away the past years misdeeds and missed opportunities. Sadly however the splendid rain was also the cause for NCDC canning their fireworks for 2010. I guess a consolation was that we were within eye-shot of Lamana, so we could see their fireworks going off. Yes so a quiet one this New Years because obviously a good part of 2010 will be about music, etc so I’m not missing anything just yet.
2010 marks 9 years of running Masalai now. A company that I started when I was 23 years old. Many of the ideas I have had about media, I have been fortunate enough to try out over the years and although some of have not paid off as I had hoped, I feel as though I’ve come to a point now where I understand allot about what is possible and what is not. But as always there is still more to learn. I started all this as a way to get rich quickly and I had hoped, naively I must add, to be a millionaire by 25 but unfortunately I have not reached that mark yet. But besides honing one’s skills to pay the bills my hope is that through our discussions on this blog and elsewhere we can all empower ourselves and those around us to create exactly the type of future we want.
I hate to mention politics in anything because it is such a dirty word in this country, but unfortunately our futures in this country depends on what happens in politics. So 2012 is coming and I hope that from now till then we can inform ourselves and have some good debates on who and how we want the next 10 years to turn out for us and our children. Because the thing is I have a huge confession to make and that is that I have not voted for anyone in the last 2 elections. So yes you can shoot me down for complaining because quite rightly I have no right to complain if I did not make a decision for those last 2 terms. But Governor Parkop has given me some hope in the system and yes I shall make my vote count in 2012. I’m hoping also that by 2012 more thirty-somethings will be running for office.
Until then, a Happy, Blessed and Preposterously Prosperous 2010 to you and your families.
Masalai blog 