...the point

It is important to be accountable to others, yes, but in addition you will need to
remain true to you. So you have a goal or a plan and you have friends to check on you; That's all good! But more importantly look at the mirror, and right there you will see the one person you should be accountable to... the one person on whom the success of the goal depends. By Rose Ndegwa

...another straight from heart post

Tough morning, tough start of the week been in the office for more than 2 hours and i have achieved negligible - saddening! Its one of those sad days, some low moments in life, beating my head up over some wrong moves. I need to find a balance, i need to hold on to the hand of God and keep the faith. God look down on me, thank you!

Journey to Burkina Faso

Another Birthday - Happy belated birthday Kamama ;-)

I just couldn't resist the temptation, to say it truthfully its more of pressure to write this article, you see my writing grease has kinda run out and now its not as smooth as it used though i still like to keep rolling the writing rollers.

I mean it's June, the month of my birthday and that is a BIG BIG deal, forget about people who say that they don't event notice when there's are approaching and i would like to come back here one day remind myself how it was turning 27!

So the day of my real birthday the 16th, i was in the middle of my exams and never managed to do anything big, actually i had -ve physc for any events. Nevertheless, i went out for coffee and cake with my friends, talk of a surprise coffee and cake plan, i love u guys...u made it special in its own way.

June 26, was thee day. How did it all happen? Am randomly talking to my colleague and she offers to buy a birthday cake, leave alone the fact that i had been asking myself why i didn't have any and i had been buying and organizing cake for my family members - they say its always comes back pressed down shaken together- yes it did for me (sample that beautiful cake in the pic above). Another one offers to bring some brandy glasses, and another one say they don't mind that i have limited space in the house they wanna come and see my new house and celebrate with me. Their wish was gladly my command and i had a gathering of friends at home and we had a memorable time chatting and talking and later on went out dancing.

Crap has happened in year 26 but i tried to keep it together all the same. Am still alive, i can still the sun rise and set everyday, i can still smile, i made more good friends all i can do now is say Thank You God and am sorry that i sometimes trip and fail to listen to your voice. Continue holding my hand in this journey called life and open my ears that i may listen and obey. I pray for a rewarding and happy new year with plenty of love and joyous moments.

2009 bday
2008 bday

Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man

The most recent book that i have read by Steve Harvey,what do i think about it? I absolutely loved it, enough of the things that he mentions truly makes sense to me.

Protect, Provide and Profess are the three things that a man should do for a woman and in return Support, Loyalty and the Cookie is what men want from women. Among these, there are couple of other things that he talks about e.g. how to find out if he the right guy for one, mistakes we make all these in a humorous and interesting way. Of all the books i have read, this one took me the shortest time to read (think i must have been the timing ;-)).

Some pics from Ethiopia - truly random

To win some and lose some

In May of 2008 i packed my few bags and left the comfort of my mum's house in May of 2010, i am settling to my new and more spacious new house. Looking back, am amazed a what a journey this had been, am overwhelmed by gratitude to my father in heaven because every achievement and every good thing i attribute to him. I have not only advanced in years but in other areas of my life and that is something to be thankful about since i know a number of people who are only advancing in age and retrogressing in the other areas.

It takes a lot of hard, determination, passion and my favourite - a positive attitude. I won good friendship, trust and respect from my mother when i moved out and lost my independence at the same time. Am sure some might think that it's independence that i got and i initially thought that too but how wrong i was, when i learnt that living by yourself calls for discipline beyond ones imagination and so am still learning to parent myself.

By moving to my new place, i have lost time as i spend a lot of time commuting to and fro work but l have won space, peace of mind and plenty of room to grow. I must find the perfect balance and make the most of my situation.

I toast to more growth, more blessings!

Defeat bad thoughts by thinking of something better by Rick Warren

Fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable. Philippians 4:8 (TEV)

The more you think about something, the stronger it takes hold of you, which is why the Bible teaches that we should, "Run from anything that gives you the evil thoughts . . . but stay close to anything that makes you want to do right." (2 Timothy 2:22, LB)

Temptation begins by capturing your attention. What gets your attention arouses your emotions. Then your emotions activate your behavior, and you act on what you felt. The more you focus on "I don't want to do this," the stronger it draws you into its web.

Ignoring a temptation is far more effective than fighting it. Once your mind is on something else, the temptation loses its power. So when temptation calls you on the phone, don't argue with it, just hang up!

Sometimes this means physically leaving a tempting situation. This is one time it is okay to run away. Get up and turn off the television set. Walk away from a group that is gossiping. Leave the theater in the middle of the movie. To avoid being stung, stay away from the bees.

Do whatever is necessary to turn your attention to something else.

Spiritually, your mind is your most vulnerable organ. To reduce temptation, keep your mind occupied with God's Word and other good thoughts. You defeat bad thoughts by thinking of something better. This is the principle of replacement. You overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).

Satan can't get your attention when your mind is preoccupied with something else. That's why the Bible repeatedly tells us to keep our minds focused: "Fix your thoughts on Jesus" (Hebrews 3:1 NIV).

"Fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable" (Philippians 4:8 TEV).

If you're serious about defeating temptation you must manage your mind and monitor your media intake. The wisest man who ever lived warned, "Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts" (Proverbs 4:23 TEV).

Abyssinia

After my maiden visit i was back again to Ethiopia, this time round to attend the Rotaract 22nd District Conference and Assembly and also double that up as my holiday. Sunday 25th April at 6am the plane landed and at 6.45 i had met my host and we were on our way home. I had travelled with 4 of my friends and we were 4 days earlier to the beginning of the conference.

After some consultations and advice we decided to go to Awasa on Monday 26th, the foreigners made up of 3 gals and 2 boys together with the map given to us set out to find this Awasa which is located to the south of Ethiopia about 250 km from Addis. The journey was about 4-4.5 hours, everything went well besides language barrier since majority of the people in Addis speak Amharic and now that we were not in the capital center it was even more difficult to find people who speak good English. Nonetheless i think i have learnt that the beauty of being a tourist is getting lost and discovering new areas in the process. Eventually we found a nice hotel close to the beautiful lake Awasa and after checking in and refreshing up we hurriedly left the hotel to venture into the night clubs that was of course after i had my first lovely injera fir fir dose for the 8 day holiday.

Our first stop was club yougovia and being a Monday we were shocked at how full the place was, until we realised that Awasa is more of a tourist town and thus most of the people there were out to have fun. There was a live band playing some lovely Ethiopian music (the beat of what ended up being one of my favourite tracks is ringing in my head something like.....injiga...injiga)and it didn't take long for us to start shaking our shoulders needless to say un-rhythmically! Our next stop was club climax which was more of hypee joint playing international music all. After a few hours we were totally swamped and went to sleep.

Day 2 in Awasa, we first went to the fish market to look around and the tourist aroma in us attracted some unwanted aroma and made us leave after a short while. Our next stop was to go and have lunch besides the lake which later lead me to my very first boat road. I must confess that i was thrilled not even feeling an inch of fear, being in the middle of the lake brought about some rejuvenating feeling, and we also saw Haile Gebrselassie's new hotel. We later on enjoyed the sight of sun setting and the night was spent partying and dancing to Ethiopian tunes.

Wednesday, was the day to hit the road back to the capital city in preparation for the conference. We arrived in the late evening and i went home to catch my rest before the beginning of yet another exciting 3 days and nights of the long awaited District Conference.

The venue for the opening ceremony where all the Rotarians and Rotaractors converged was Hilton Hotel and the place was packed with members and guests from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia. The president was there to officially open the ceremony and after the morning session the Rotaractors proceeded to their meeting venue at Dreamliner hotel. It was great to make friends and re-unite with old ones that i met during the last conference here in Nairobi. After all was said and done we had our dinner at Karamara cultural restaurant and went to tam tam restaurant for some brief but lovely night out.

Friday was spent in the meeting room discussing Rotaract affairs, past projects that have been successful, planning for the next year, saying thanks and goodbye to the outgoing District Representative and welcoming the new DRR. We later on went to the DRR banquet and partied the night away at Bailamos and Voltage (my favourite club in Addis, needless to say that i made friends there from my previous trip).

Saturday was the last day of the conference and after the official closing ceremony at 1pm we went for lunch at Ambassadors Park and spent the afternoon shopping. We had the District Governor's dinner at the Hilton and partied the night away at the famous Platinum.

On Sunday, was a day to start slowing down on the events. I went to the National Museum were i saw the remains of the famous Lucy, these are skeletons of the first remnants of man which were found in Ethiopia....talk of tracing my history all the way to Ethiopia :). After some lovely makiato (coffee with milk) and a light snack for dinner it was time to call it a day.

Monday was our return date back home. It was a hard day, after some small shopping i was on the road saying goodbye to the dear friends that i met and also exchanging some souvenirs. Big hugs and lots of kisses sent me to the airport.
10.30pm and we were boarding the plane back to Kenya holding on to many memories including a cd with my favourite Ethiopian tracks that brings back fresh memories of my best holiday so far and Lalibela, the teddy dear that i named after a holy Ethiopian city.

"It is better to have traveled, than to have money sitting in your bank account"

My last night in Addis

I just came from taking a loooong bath, felt extremely good soaking my body in the warm water in the tab as i reflect on the days that have been.
Six days ago i made my maiden visit to Ethiopia Addis Ababa, after a long while i was out of Kenya, the change of air, different people, different cultures was all too thrilling.

Day 1, before i engage into those details there is my yellow fever certificate that is giving serious jitters, it is less that 10 days old and i wonder if i will be allowed to travel. I contemplate a lot, among others changing the dates or looking for another one. After a lot i decide to trust God and tell myself that it will be well. It indeed went well, praise God for that!
We land at about 8pm after all the checking out and all, we make it to the hotel - Intercontinental at 11pm, i marvel at the beauty of the room as i eagerly wait to see the sunrise in Addis!

Day 2, true to my expectations its a beautiful day, the city looks nice just very old, ever seen ancient cabs? yes they have them here, blue, tiny and old! A wholesome and heavy breakfast which was to be the order of the morning for the week that am in Addis kicks off what was bound to be an extremely busy and hectic work schedule.

What have i been doing for the 6 day that i have been here? First and foremost a
lot of enjera/injera (still haven't gotten the right spelling as they spell it differently in different places) eating, to me the ones i have eaten so far have been way tastier than the Nairobi ones. Another interesting thing (foodwise) was that i ate raw meat 'kitfor', however it was minced, am told its meat picked from the arm of the cattle the red part of the meat. I only had a spoonful or something and there was nothing unusual about it, my colleague said that if i ate it a 2nd & 3rd time i would begin to find it tasty and i kinda believe him! i must mention the sausages are terrible (for lack of a polite word) i totally understand why we carry them for peeps here in Addis, am salivating just thinking of Kenyan sausages.

Site seeing wise, i have done zero of it, blame this on the busy work schedule however am riding on the advantage that i will be back soon for a real holiday. What i managed to do though, was buy some Ethiopian scarfs for my mum and sisters and some silver jewelery for myself and I :).

I need to pack up my computer so forgive me for the typos. Photos coming soon.

Of International Women's Day

For International Women's Day yesterday, i wished to let my mother and two sisters and other extended sisters know that i love them so much. As James Allen says in his book As a man thinketh, achievement of any kind is the crown of effort so it has to take effort to grow and cultivate the friendship between mother and daughter, sister and sister and other relationship.

My grannie, the oldest woman of the clan that am named after

Well, i am glad that the relationship with the gals in my family has really grown and is something that brings a smile on my face attributing this to our monthly get together and other things that we have committed to do together i still wish for more and much more. I wish for us to also be able to share not only somethings but also other things, the dark hidden secrets that still makes us scared of being judged. Nevertheless we have come from far and i believe that we are going far.


While looking forward to next year's women's day this year i choose to sit and reflect on the love shared between my inner circle of girls!

My niece, looking up to a brighter future, the youngest lady of the clan!

How to connect with people

One of the deepest needs we have in life is the need to be understood. We all desperately need to feel that somebody can feel what we're feeling and understand what we're thinking. We all need people who connect with us.

A study by the California Department of Health Mental found that if you're disconnected from other people -

* You're two-to-three times more likely to die an early death;
* You're four times more likely to suffer from emotional burnout;
* You're five times more likely to suffer clinical depression, and;
* You're ten times more likely to be hospitalized for an emotional or mental disorder.

We need human connections for physical, emotional, spiritual health. We need people who understand us, who relate to us and who can connect to us.

Learning how to connect with people on a heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul level is one of life's most important skills. Unfortunately, nobody ever teaches us how to do this. You learn science and geography, history and math in school, but nobody teaches you how to connect with people. You may be brilliant in some subject, but if you don't know how to connect with people, you're still not going to go very far in life.

Daily Hope by Rick Warren

Love Defined

I cor 13; 1 - 13 i believe was a good enough valentine's message from the pastor this morning.

Everything else without love is like water or should i say milk down the drain. And with that i shall passionately hold on to my books and read with all the love that i can (talk of Passioning oneself for exams ;))!

The Year of Prosperity

It is the beginning of another year, a time when we set the phase do a dummy or a skeleton on how we want to shape up things throughput the year. Firstly I totally feel blessed to be among the children of the universe this year and am very grateful to God for this blessing.

Last year I was riding on the theme the 'Year of Fulfillment' and looking back indeed I can say yes I was fulfilled of course there were hitches here and there, some events that left deep scars but what is life anyway without both sweet and sour moments! Diamonds are made under pressure and what is most important in life is to learn from our experiences, mistakes as well as successes and use those to become better people.

This year I am riding on the theme of Prosperity. Repeating what I said in my blog the year of fulfillment this is another feeling, an intuition that I can’t explain in depth.

As you sit there and read, my question to you is. What theme have you set for yourself? Its been said over and over again, stand for something or you will fall for anything.

Bidding Year 2009 Goodbye

With only a couple of hours to go before ushering the new year i want to take a few minutes and do the last 'pouring' out from my heart of 2009.

This year, i have blogged like never before and i have enjoyed and loved every minute of it. What i enjoy even more is going back to my older post and looking at where i have been and where i am now. In this process of capturing and cherishing the moments as well as sharing the events of my life i have learn't many lesson but what makes me even happier is learning that i have also been able to inspire others through writing.

A couple of years back if you were ever to ask me, i would have sworn that i was never born for writing and nothing artistic could be associated with me. Today i acknowledge that nothing is impossible as long as you put your heart to it and have passion for it. I have realised potential that i never thought existed in me!

Before i deviate any further, let me go back to the genesis of this post. This second last day of the year 2009 i want to say a big THANK YOU to all my blog 'fans' many of you are anonymous but i also know many of you :), whats the point of writing and having no one to read yah. To all those who i have inspired to start blogging, i am humbled and wish you the very best as we share. Learning comes from sharing and i hope that many more of my friends will also start blogging then we can all learn from each other.

As we usher in the new year i wish all my readers and friends the Very Nice Stuff that they desire for 2010.
Happy New Year with lots of love, Kamama