Love Storey: Rice & Foil.

I look at you I see joy

I look at you I see happiness 

Your beautiful eyes make me stagger

I fall into your ocean of love

I get wet

I drown

I don't die 

Your shiny face gives me life

Your chubby cheeks make me smile 

Your dimples...

Oh damn it you don't have dimples you moron! 

Bye 

Sam Poet

Bob Collymore is dead

Kenya and the telecommunications industry has lost one of its best. In a facebook post this morning, State House broke the sad news that Safaricom's Bob Collymore is no more after a long and strong battle with cancer.

The post reads;

"It is with deep sadness that I have this morning received news of the death of Safaricom CEO Mr Bob Collymore after years of battling cancer. As a country, we've lost a distinguished corporate leader whose contribution to our national wellbeing will be missed." ~ President Uhuru Kenyatta

The Rooney factor & more in Kenya vs Tanzania

Kenyan striker Michael Olunga (Courtesy of YouTube) 

Just before the KENTAN match started, I posted a video of England's Wayne Rooney's popular long shot goal predicting that a similar goal was definitely going to feature. Well, minutes into the game, it wasn't a replica of Rooney's long shot goal that was scored but history still repeated itselefu through Olunga's bicycle kick. Bottom line? My prediction wasn't too far from reality. Perhaps I'm your African Cup octopus after all.

How the rain started beating us

In my observation, the main cause of the first unexpected goal is the very fact that it was unexpected. Team Kenya went in all puffed up knowing that they were playing against a weaker team and there was no way they were going home without thrashing them. Unfortunately for ke, bongo fellas didn't come to play but to pounce on every slight opportunity to score! It's my general assumption that they knew too well the general perception of kenyan fans and even more importantly the attitude of the players. And just like that the football game turned into a mind game as TZ twisted the plot and stung when we least anticipated. If your phone has ever been snatched you understand this feeling.  The principle that the Taifa Stars were riding on is; when you play against a truly or purported stronger team, make the greatest attempt to score in the starting minutes when their guard is low. Defend hard and counter attack sharp and fast!

Much needed win

Considering the current diplomatic wrangles brought about by our hit making legislator, I wouldn't say it was a deserved victory for Kenya, rather a needed one. We also need a new entrant into the prime international football scene and grow past the Wanyamas and Marigas.
Fast forward to a few weeks or months later, Olunga will probably be playing in the premier league or serie a or la liga coupled by several endorsement deals. Not to mean that other leagues don't matter as much but the above mentioned put a player on the spotlight which is what I would wish for Olunga. When all is said and done, the most important thing is to accept the results and move on with life. I am happy to note that this is the thinking that Taifa Stars and their fans appear to generally share. Congratulations to Harambee Stars!

Dating Tips

I've been reading 'Waiting and Dating' by Myles Munroe and here are a few lessons/highlights from the second chapter which is titled 'Friendship Building: The Purpose of Dating'.

One 

Building a best-friend status is the primary purpose of dating.

Two

Friendship as a foundation guarantees success in any long-term relationship as opposed to any need or incompleteness.

Three

The nature and purpose of friendship is to build character.

Four

None of our encounters are accidental.

Five

Praying for a friend is the most important thing you can do for them

Six

The presence/absence of commitment is the main way to distinguish between levels of friendship.

Seven

Shared sorrow is halved while shared joy is doubled.

Eight

Being meek has a lot to do with having strength under control.

Nine

True friendship, like true love, always focuses on the other instead of self.

Ten

Help your friend identify and overcome hindrances to the achievement of their goals.

In conclusion...

As you can tell, having a good relationship does not start with having a good partner but a good friend. So be friends first and build up over time. All the best! :)

Why You Shouldn't Care About Joho's Grade

Folks are cyber bullying the President of Kenya and the Governor of Mombasa over school papers. I know for some it's such a fun moment and this is the moment they've been waiting for and there's really no big deal about it. No comment on that. I'll just say what I think about the whole issue not because spending time and energy that would have been used to perform more meaningful tasks to mock a President and a Governor is a classic case of misplaced priorities, lack of wisdom or both, but simply because I come from a different school of thought. I'm no better than you but I could be a little bit more bitter than you.

If you're like me, a quick analysis of the political scene in Kenya will lead you to comfortably conclude that, quite frankly, it is a political sin. The terms politics, political governance, political leader or leadership are originally used to describe the systems, men and women who are rich in wisdom, selfless and sacrificially serve the public while upholding national values with integrity, honesty, accountability and so on as their backbone. In Kenya, most political aspirants are usually successful people who supposedly seek to harvest from their 'hard work' or position themselves at a place where the government will give back to them. It's a moment of rest, the pinnacle of success, ultimate goal in the quest for self actualization. So hey, certificate or not, truth is these men were doing fine before they got to into politics. Maybe you should get to the level they were before they became democratically elected leaders then you can go on trolling.

Luhya Spokesman Dream

It all happened when I was watching the evening news. Out of the blue, my 'chicken friends' were planning to make a big announcement. This was pretty new, interesting and fishy at the same time. You see, I've heard of a Village Elder, an Area Chief, a National Assembly mheshimiwa (Parliamentarian) who is sometimes mockingly referred to as a 'pig', a County Assembly mheshimiwa (Member of County Assembly) who is occasionally given the title 'panya' (rat). Speaking of 'panya', how about 'kung fu panya'?... Hehehe, okay. I've even heard of gods who must be crazy! But spokesman? Never ever. 

Mixed feelings 

One side of me felt that it was a great idea for such a time as this as the sentiments of the not-so-outspoken and less fortunate will finally be aired out by this outspoken, compassionate, caring and more fortunate fellow blablabla... They'd have an advocate, a voice, an authority - in this man. Behold, the community is not divided after all. They have a common purpose and they got their backs. They speak one language, move in one direction, have one of their own they can take pride in.

The other side of me felt that this was a retrogressive idea that will direct us to tribal thinking and give us the 'my tribe is better than yours, so what' mentality. I was afraid that the spokesman would dictate or control the power that lies within the people. My worry was that the luhya people would enslave themselves in the mob-psychology-like, self-seeking, egocentric rationale that 'we will vote for candidate x because that's who, we, as members of this community, have decided to vote for! And there's nothing you can do about it!' 'We have a luhya Spokesman, but is there loo ya spokesman?' I thought. Moving on, I was concerned that whoever was behind this idea may have had the intention of 'unifying' or 'classifying' 'the luhya vote' and sell it to tribal-minded presidential candidates. My point is, I personally don't mind if all communities have spokespeople so long as the members of that community understand that their spokesman needs not dictate the political direction they wish to take. Every luhya (read Kenyan) has an individual right, as a Kenyan citizen, to vote for whoever they like. And they will live happily ever after. 

Credits: Photo by Isaac Waale of Nation Media Group

Broken English - Five words we easily mispronounce or misuse

Words can't come back once they leave through our mouths. It's impossible. They have the ability to inspire or demotivate, strengthen or weaken, breathe life or drain life out of a person. For this reason, it would only be fair to show a little bit of respect in our dealings with words by using and pronouncing them the correct way. I found some words/expressions that have fallen victim of our unending disregard of their worth.

welcome v/s welcomed

Let it be known today that we don't say 'You are welcomed' but 'You are welcome'. The word 'welcome' is an adjective without the suffix -ed. The moment it reads 'welcomed' it's a verb.

Adjective:

You are welcome.

 

Verb:

We welcomed the guests into the house.

decision 

Most people put a 'z' sound immediately after the 'de...' to make it sound 'diZHishon'

/dɪˈsɪʒn/ is the correct pronunciation. 

advise/advice

This is a big one usually in writing. People put advise in the place of advice for the simple reason that they cannot tell which between the two is the verb or the noun. Just know that the one with an 'S' is a verb and you're good to go.

Tudor

Sorry guys, I know /chuda/ has been with us for a long time. We've grown up hearing people call it that way but the dictionaries differ.

Correct pronunciation is /too-der/ or /tyoo-der/ 

Catwalk

This is a really big one. I feel like fainting each time I hear someone use this word as a verb. We don't 'catwalk' we simply walk on the catwalk/runway. 

That's all for today.

The retreat that was (PHOTOS)

Just arrived at the retreat venue

Yes this is me...

Me again...

And again...

And again...

They say when the future is too bright, you may need a pair of shades...

Yeaaaaaaaaa!

Sometimes ladies make me blush :)

A man's gotta cook

Army look...lion feeling

The Sanctity of Life

At the beginning of life, we hope for longevity. At the end, we notice its brevity. For some reason, we never get satisfied with the time of life we live on earth. At least that's the general feeling of the bereaved. Anyway, what is long life with no relevance to the society? And is life really short or does death catch us by surprise? 

I'd be easily convinced if I was told that there isn't a single key task in the late Nelson Mandela's to-do list that hasn't been performed. He lived his life to the maximum. He left a legacy that everyone wants to emulate. I pray that the same becomes of me and you. That our lives may not be a matter of inhaling and exhaling but of resourcefulness and giving back to the community. 

Life is a drama, a movie and you're the main actor. Unfortunately for you, there's no rehearsal, so you've got to do your best right from the start. Fortunately enough, you can make mistakes and start all over again, not from the top, but from where you went wrong. 

Each new day is a new opportunity. A new chance to prove to yourself and to the world that you've got what it takes to do what your heart desires. To be who you want to be. To defy the odds and change the course of your life. Like the sun, even though you go down and it looks like you're no more, wake up the next day and brighten up the world.

Men of the cloth, where be your clothes???

Many stories have been told of several not-so-good escapades of ordained pastors who choose to act as ordinary figures in the society and lay pastors who opt to lay low. Now, I cannot speculate, I am not sure if it's true or not. It's a rumor I've heard from anonymous sources just like you. I didn't mean to go Ole Lenku, but I hope you got my point. By all means this post serves;

• not to judge the clergy but to condemn a shameful vice
• not to suggest that I am in any possible way perfect
• not to indicate that Christianity is a questionable faith (judge not a religion by the actions of its followers but by the rules in its holy book)

Decay kwenye beat
A rumor is told of a  pastor's Prado with a johnny walker bumper sticker- now that's swag gone wrong. That guy right there is busy preaching water and drinking wine. In fact, he has a box of bottles of Red wine from France in the backseat. As he's driving Mary- the sassy worship leader off to dine, the woofers in the 4 by 4 are coughing "Una maswali mingi kwani we ni..." SMH, indeed there's decay kwenye beat (no offence to the asusu hit-maker). 

Takes off his clothes
Everyone is busy pointing a finger on this supposed example- the public figure, the moral figure. He's not doing much to defend himself anyway, he's busy bowing down to his not so upright desires and choosing to sit on his principles instead of standing ​on them. Truly it's so sad as the man of the cloth goes ahead and takes off his clothes.

In his arms

For the rest of my life,
In his arms is where I long to be,
As a father holds his baby,
In his arms he will hold me,
As a bird cautiously covers its eggs,
In his arms he will protect me,
As a mother pacifies a child with a lullaby,
In his arms he will give me peace,
In his arms I will close my eyes,
And I will forget about everything. Forever.

On his shoulder I shall lay,
His heartbeat I shall feel,
As it pounds against my chest,
And vibrates through my body,
Resonating with my soul,
It's the only noise I hear,
The silent noise,
The calmness of his love,
I long to be in his arms.
 

The freshness of his presence,
The richness of his grace,
The abundance of his peace,
I long to be in his arms.

There's no turmoil, worry or disruption, in his arms
When the storm comes,
He will lift his right arm,
And he will hold me with the other,
For even before I was born, he was my father.
 

In his arms I will forget my fears,
I will forget my failures, my regrets and past mistakes,
It's a new beginning, a fresh start.
I won't need my achievements, accomplishments, victories or my strengths,
For being in His arms is my success.

"The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." Deuteronomy 33:27

Quotes Corner

Below are 10 quotes from some people I follow on twitter. Check them out!  

1. Maturity is the ability to reap without apology and not complain when things don't go well. ~ Jim Rohn 
   
2. Haters don't really hate you. They hate themselves because you are reflection of what they wish to be. Poor, confused ppl. - ajamagra fred ‏@mr_leadership
3. a good example is twice the value of a good advice. - ajamagra fred ‏@mr_leadership
4. No God, No Peace... Know God, Know Peace. - MicahStampley ‏@MicahStampley
5.  For as long as you stay hopeful, keep smiling and trusting God patiently, the devil won't hold what God has in store for you. - Joyce Meyer
6.  Don't get burned twice by the same flame. - Bill Gates
7. There is no right way to do something wrong. - M.Jed ‏@_jedm
8. There is free cheese only in a mouse trap.- Petteri Tarkkonen ‏@ptarkkonen
9. It's so amazing that the things we spend a lifetime chasing after really don't matter much in the end.  - Gibson Anduvate ‏@anduvate
10. If your relationship has more issues than your magazine...you need to cancel your subscription. - ajamagra fred ‏@mr_leadership

Kitchen Cabinet

So right now as we speak the 4^th President of Kenya is in deep consultation with his counterpart so as to design the new cabinet. Coincidentally, last evening as I was preparing supper in the kitchen, it hit me- why don’t we have a kitchen cabinet? There are spices, ingredients and fruits we really really really like (I don’t want to sound extremist so I don’t use the word love albeit that may just be the right word) and we just want to tell the world about it! Having said that, I sourced for contribution from some friends (see the list below) on what their best foods/spices/ingredients/fruits are, hence this post!

Welcome to the Kitchen Cabinet- 5 ministers only. Hahaha! Boom!                                                                                                                                                                                            

      1.    Fried meat and Mukimo
        Men I so love this stuff I’ll actually tell you how I prepare it! Let’s get started. So, for the mukimu, all you need is young maize, potatoes and beans. Boil the beans and maize together then add some potatoes. Pour hot water and smash the mixture. That’s it. For the meat stew, you’ll need some garlic, tomatoes, ginger. How do you do it? Smash the garlic and the ginger together as one! Boil the meat till ready then fry the onion till it turns golden brown. Add the mixture of crushed garlic and ginger then add potatoes. Wait till it cooks. Serve while hot with the mukimo n refresh yourself with milk :) DISCLAIMER: PLEASE DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME! : )

    2.    The Pear
 

           I like the colorless juice on its flesh. It’s so crispy too!

   
3.    Turmeric 

            I love turmeric so much. Firstly, it gives the food good color and makes it attractive to the guest. Secondly, it enhances flavor to the food. I really like it in fish or coconut sauce- it really gives the sauce its original color.

     4.    Ginger
       I love ginger; it smells good plus it’s got many health benefits.

 

   5.    Brinjals
     I don’t know where to start with these beauties. From their shape, to the color- they’re just so authentic. Well I like them mostly due to their contribution in soup. To me, soup or stew without brinjals is a waste. It’s like having that 50% but missing that 1 crucial vote. I will brinjalize my soup for the following reasons;

·     Its thickening capacity- men, have I told you how much stew can add weight if it met brother brinjal? I know it’s a rhetorical question but I’ll answer it anyway. HELL NO I HAVEN’T TOLD YOU!!! Okay, back to the subject. This species, ingredient I mean (mark you there’s a difference between a spice and an ingredient), has a way of thickening soup. It becomes highly viscous and strong. It actually looks healthy. So next time you cook, please try brinjals. : )

·     Its beautifying qualities- well. Only so much can be said about this ‘constituent’- BY ME THAT IS. And I’d be crazy to leave out the fact that brinjalized stew is like the most beautiful thing you’ll ever see. Trust me on that one- I’m a witness. Okay, let me try and sound like a scientist for a little bit- when this ingredient boils up in your ‘cooking pot’, the immense heat causes its particles to disintegrate and in the process, little tiny bits of grain-like substances are produced. These are the beautifying subjects. Understood? I hope.

·    I just like them. Full stop.

There you have it. I hope this kills your curiosity of how the new cabinet will look like. Remember, curiosity killed the cat.

Hats off to the contributors!

Diva Rose, Baba Jimmy, Rogozz, Tiqwan and myself!

If by any chance, you would like to contribute any article to this blog, it’s simple- let me know!