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!

Au revoir Achebe

Albert Chinualumogu Achebe

Something about greatness
When you're destined for greatness, you can hardly stick to one place in your lifetime. You may be born in Nigeria but your books will be read by thousands in Kenya as set books and you'll lecture in the US. This man Chinua Achebe. Quite a lot can be said about him.
Last night, I couldn't help but succumb to the overwhelming pressure to pen something in appreciation to this great figure in the world of literature. You know when you just can't stop thinking about something because ideas keep streaming and the solution is to write a few hundreds of words. And so in the process I got to notice something about man Chinua hence this entry.

He curved a niche for himself no doubt

Every outstanding person on this planet performs excellently in all if not almost everything that they do. But there's that niche that one curves for themselves as time goes by. For Achebe, it's writing. He most likely had a good command of the English language but we've all lived to define him as an iconic contributor to African literature through the art of writing. Not the legendary orator of all time.

It's amazing as I was watching the news of his passing on TV, I was in high anticipation of a video clip showing this great man speak. But no, all I saw was images. Images here black and white photos there. Just when I was on the verge of losing my patience, something close to an audio-visual clip was on the screen- a Chinua Achebe quote! Haha! Actually, a piece of advice that the late had WRITTEN.

Bottom line

When it's all said and done, keep on exploring everything and anything that you think is ability in you. Someone once said that the graveyard is the wealthiest place on earth because people live wasted lives by not exploiting their abilities. I don't think this applies for Chinua because he's lived a life of authentic expression of his inner rich self unlike millions upon millions on this same earth. You might be looking for wealth only to find out too late that you were holding it inside of you. So while you're busy trying to be a jack of all trades, keep in mind that there could actually be one trade that can make you stand out. It will define you. It will tell us who you are and, some bit of exaggeration just to drive a point home, it will be your second name. Just like Chinua, even if you kick the bucket, this trade will make you trend.

To finish, I leave you with one of Chinua's quotes;

"If you don't like someone's story, write your own!"
   

The Destitute

The Destitute

The destitute have nothing to keep for a rainy day,
Because everyday is a rainy day.
Hope is replaced by hopelessness,
and happiness by sadness.
Grief is the thought on their minds and the feeling in their hearts.

They know things could have been better,
 If only they would have made better choices,
but it’s too late, or is it?
They understand how hard it is to make a good choice.

Don’t speak to them about insurance because that’s a waste of money,
 It’s a demonstration of insecurity as opposed to security.
What are they to insure if they have nothing to secure in the first place?
They’re not assured of anything.

They just wish they could die and not live anymore,
Maybe that way they would not go through the turmoil and distress that befalls them at present,
Maybe by being inexistent, they wouldn’t know about problems or empty dreams or going to bed on a hungry stomach.
I bet they wish they couldn’t live at all.
What does life mean when you have nothing to show?

They wish they could start life all over again,
But again this comes with a question; if they could turn back the hands of time, would they make better choices or would they just make different mistakes?

Of course it doesn’t make sense to whine about the past when you’re doing nothing to avoid yesterday’s bad choices,
To the hopeless, however, what happened yesterday, the conditions they live in today, and what they can hope for tomorrow amounts to nothing.
These are the destitute, are you one of them?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

                                                                               the crying stone…