tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56029199255600030692024-03-08T14:33:48.840+03:00Writing with your eyes....by Joan KabuguJoan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-39480030725325110632020-12-31T13:02:00.004+03:002020-12-31T13:02:57.717+03:00Books, a re-introduction | Life Updates - 7 of 7<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUViP0myVllDsknHiITAtbF754nAg8lGRJlgijzqFiTpOtMeRLdN9d9z1Zs3YxwsxvYMp-yH1SnV5WB1FL2lTfMVWQFm7T381QWDvj8aMFPbTXOHP4OeyYQ0CKo1ovT6VE7q5PwBLAU8rj/s2016/image0-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="401" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUViP0myVllDsknHiITAtbF754nAg8lGRJlgijzqFiTpOtMeRLdN9d9z1Zs3YxwsxvYMp-yH1SnV5WB1FL2lTfMVWQFm7T381QWDvj8aMFPbTXOHP4OeyYQ0CKo1ovT6VE7q5PwBLAU8rj/w301-h401/image0-2.jpeg" width="301" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I’m out here trying to give myself a head start to reading 52 books in 2021. All my cool friends who are book-ish need to share tips of how I can stay afloat. I finished my birthday gift </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Thursdays </i><span style="font-family: georgia;">by Jackson Biko aka Bikozulu this December, and it’s going on to my 2021 reads. <i>Mtu asiniulize swali pris.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I started <i>A Promised Land</i> by Barrack Obama this past week, so far I’m getting into it. 700 pages is no joke; this will be the actual pacesetter. Msema kweli..<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Last year I read under 12 books, very underwhelming. Not proud of myself – I’ve done better. I did not do any gardening and baked three cakes in total so I kinda have no real excuse.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;">My best book last year was a psychological thriller <i>Silence of the Lambs</i> with the star being Hannibal Lecter. Remember the film featuring Anthony Hopkins? That book spooked me a good one and I loved every bit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Other books I read were <i>Swing Time</i> by Zadie Smith, I really struggled, anyone who’s read a lighter better book – give me shout. <i>She Speaks </i>by Yvette Cooper with different speeches from great women of our time really wowed me, I loved Benaziah Bhutto’s speech, Greta Thunberg’s speech and Wangari Maathai’s speech, they are still on my mind. I got a few kindles reads <i>D for Darien</i> by our Kenyan girl Mona Ombogo as well as about 4 spiritual inspiration books (<i>Consecrated Business, Laws of Leadership, Operating in the Courts of Heaven…</i>) courtesy of an intimate book club I’m part of; from this mini-list the book that floored me has to be <i>How to Interpret Dreams and Visions</i> by Perry Stone. I don’t remember half of my dreams, when I do they are epic, so it gave me good insights especially based on the Bible. There was also a 2019 birthday gift; Her <i>Mother’s hope</i> by Francine Rivers – a book set in another era, very heart wrenching and timely story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;">There are about 10 books on that makeshift shelf that I intended to read but did not get to it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I read for leisure yes, nothing like a good book to caress the soul. I also read to keep my creativity creative. Reading edifies the content I create, gives me insight on a whole spectrum of things that digest my creative juices. So, read I must. I also want to write a second book someday, so the gears need to be shifting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The target to read 52 is rather lofty don’t you think? but let’s see how it goes, the actual reading is not a problem maybe, it’s a welcome challenge. Question though is the budget!? top of my head, I’d spend about 80k for the books, that’s such a big price though, if you have any ideas where I can get good deals, let me know. I get one or two thrift books around about town, but you only come by good titles once in a long while. I also shop on kindle which at times is half priced but my love for the actual smell of a book and the page-turning-therapeutic-feeling is something I cherish. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This post wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t give a flash review of <i>Thursdays</i> by Bikozulu. It gets into a space that I really find deep. We won’t specify which spaces – my reputation for being a spoiler precedes me. So, for the main part I enjoyed the book. That said, being an ardent follower of his work, fan and student, I wanted more from the book. It scores a little less than<i> Drunk </i>his first book, but hey that’s just me. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What are you reading and why? I have a total of 12 books to get through so need suggestions for 40 more. Wish me luck.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Happy new year, 2021 awaits!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><div style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue Light", HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0pt 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; text-align: justify;">2020©</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; text-align: justify;">JoanKabugu</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span></p>Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-28137230586921243112020-11-17T12:08:00.002+03:002020-11-17T12:08:56.592+03:00Up Mt. Kenya | Life Updates - 6 of 7<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQ8KHxM9VPFqubgXj2JKoUCO4dFpywOIkhQlv0s3-MyHKpZBkd3uTQK7NHBHVtj8hccT28L2P74Zyx_YHOQixAUdH6pEksiK1PDmPOaD3XPIYkYj6ptQEZHnmVX4qCttO5Txd6OszNZy8/s1280/IMG-20201006-WA0162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQ8KHxM9VPFqubgXj2JKoUCO4dFpywOIkhQlv0s3-MyHKpZBkd3uTQK7NHBHVtj8hccT28L2P74Zyx_YHOQixAUdH6pEksiK1PDmPOaD3XPIYkYj6ptQEZHnmVX4qCttO5Txd6OszNZy8/w400-h300/IMG-20201006-WA0162.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Looking down Lk.Michaelson is like being sucked into an abyss of bliss, the shades of blue combined are indescribable in words, the pictures try but still fall short, some things are to be experienced, period.<b></b>The shot above was not mine, rather borrowed with permission. This is the only lake that I did not fully experience up-close – I saw it at a distance during the expedition. When the team went down, I had simply been overtaken by sleep and fatigue at Shipton camp on day three. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">I was freaking out that I had not slept the first two nights due to the cold and I did not trust my body to finish the mission. As others were sightseeing, I slept like a baby in my tent. That third night was the coldest of all, I was awake throughout counting sheep till 1am. Summit story starts, day four…<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">1am<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">D-day is here! It’s pitch dark and freezing cold at Shipton camp the last of the three camps that we’ve laid our heads along the journey. From 2950m at the Chogoria base camp to the Lenana peak at 4985m, the elevation is real. Clad in three layers of clothing, a backpack, head lamp and good vibes I’m set to leave the illusion of cold warmth that is my tent. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">2am<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Some biscuits and tea are served by our able porters who are incidentally all male, hmmmm. Eating on summit day is not a good idea lest the stomach doesn’t agree with the attitude high up and goes on a warpath from within. I’d not been really hungry since day two, nerves. Our faces shielded from the cold by balaclavas and hands warmed up by waterproof gloves it’s all systems go. We leave the porters pulling down everything and getting ready to get our extra bags and things to the last camp.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">2.30am - ish<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">The final trekking starts in zest, 11 pairs of legs in a single straight line. Our two guides are at the helm showing us the way. As the head lamps illuminate in the morning night. I step, she steps, he steps. The pace is slow and steady. The symphony for some reason takes me back to the state of emergency, I imagine the mau mau going up to hide in the crevices of the mountainous rocks as the <i>wabeberus </i>hunt them down.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">4am<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">After 1.5 hours of uninterrupted walk upwards, we take a break to catch our breaths as well as sip on the now freezing cold water and bite on some snacks to replenish the energy. While we are chewing on things in the dark our two guides decide to take the shortest of powernaps. At this point the cold has reached a crescendo but the adrenaline is also pumping and we’re rearing to go and see the sunrise at the peak of the mountain. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">5am<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">As the terrain gets a bit hardcore we’re almost getting on all fours especially the short ones like me (for some reason I tell people I’m 5.4, I’m actually 5.2 heheh). The climb steepens as the speed becomes faster, while this is happening, the body is getting warmer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">6am<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">The promise of a glorious sunrise at the top of the mountain catapults us forward, we quicken our steps, only that it’s not a race against time even though it feels like it. As we rush on we’re clueless of the fact that we will have to wait for at least 15 minutes until the sun is up. In those 15 minutes, we freeze, unfreeze and freeze again. It’s cold at the top! Damn right it is.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">6.30 – 6.45<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">The orange-yellow-red-gold sunrise is like we’ve never seen it before from Lenana peak, at least I haven’t. It comes out slowly beautifully and elegantly, like a lady in waiting for her prince charming who then turns into a Kingsman working for the secret service and whisks her away to a land unknown. All that to say it’s breathtaking and I never get a picture of it. Because all my gadgets are frozen. I’m forced to savor the moment, print it to memory and internalize it with all my senses. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">7am<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">As the warmth of the sun shines on, it’s deceptive and alluring allowing us to take pictures at the Lenana Peak board with the Kenyan flag and a banner from Outdoor Circuits who made the trip happen. The phone cameras are now working and like eskimos without igloos we enjoy the thrilling mountain peak for a few more minutes. A smaller group arrives, we allow them space to take pictures and soon after we hog the space again. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">We also do the Jerusalema dance which we had really rehearsed at Lake Ellis (Another beauty) and I was perfect, but the cold stole all my moves and groove heheh. Hola if you want to see my very bad frozen dancing tihihihi. I’ll maybe have that in the video that’s currently on my FCP.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">7.30 (Maybe)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">All good things come to an end and without a doubt this is it for us. We have to leave. It feels like when you’re single and you get to go back to your bachelorette pad after a nice homemade meal by your mum or bae *insert wink*(in this case my dad – he makes mean chapos). Another peak, another day. Or even better, I might just come back to this one just to see Lk.Michaelson at close range.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">…<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Is it the elevation that excited me enough to get here? or the thrill of scaling higher and higher like Icarus? only I saw the sun from a distance…maybe it was the hope of new connections? Or wanting to test my innate grit? All I know is that it being a milestone or an item on my bucket list would surely cheapen it, because it was so much more. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">I always have very high expectations, because my imagination is pretty wild. Most times <i>kwa ground vitu ni </i>different. On this trip, the only thing that I really missed was seeing lots and lots of snow, albeit everything else blew my mind. There was a point in the trek I felt as if I was in Namibia on the glorious set of the action thriller Mad Max Fury Road staring the South African badass – Charlize Theron, that film was dooope. Ok, back to the mountain. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Those four days just a few people knew my whereabouts and the two or three times I got phone coverage I made calls. That said, my phone abandoned me and I didn’t mind. I also learnt that busyness can always wait and Wi-Fi is not a must imagine (insert Kenyan accent). I allowed myself to pause and as I did that I thought of who I really am, who God created, why God created her that way, why people keep trying to change her and though it wasn’t apparent then, two weeks after I was back and me and God had a meeting, it all made sense – almost two months later and I still got the Mountain glow. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Another realization was that I’m a diva who doesn’t love the cold, who needs to improve her bad 2am sleeping habits and who needs to do more bush trips and get used to sleeping in tents and sleeping bags. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">So, who knows, if you decide to go we’ll meet at the top maybe. Three notes; ONE - use the Chogoria route, you will trek for upto 65 km but believe you me, your eyes will glaze at some of the most wondrous beauty you’ll ever see – from Nithi falls to being one with the clouds to landscapes in the wild to lakes that could only have been in the garden of Eden. Drinking water from flowing streams from the mountain reminded me of Wangari Maathai’s Nobel Peace Prize speech as she recounted her childhood experience – ‘a world of beauty and wonder’. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Your eyes and your spirit will feast. TWO – Maybe you are like me and sleep will elude you, still ensure that you pack the warmest of clothes, and even warmer sleeping bag and warm socks. THREE – it has less to do with how long you can hold a plank at the gym and more to do with where your mind is at and if you can master and muster that strength. Stay in the moment and enjoy every bit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">It would be awkward for me not to say that there was indeed another angle to this Mt. Kenya trip … yep, in which case we’re at 1438 words and I can’t really get into that can I? tihihihi… (to be continued) </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquM_hyd8ZJ4-h2s4VZ564-lYszqpvSf1imoe4aanHYORVT8KQxqlG4RDErW2vWlk4PjvPHP8zXtOt8_PZK6KhU5VynBovIJNoLBN7aO08JAy4-JgstQJXcbTMLRTYiLfRbwF23OlT9MHz/s1280/IMG-20201006-WA0045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Shipton Camp" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquM_hyd8ZJ4-h2s4VZ564-lYszqpvSf1imoe4aanHYORVT8KQxqlG4RDErW2vWlk4PjvPHP8zXtOt8_PZK6KhU5VynBovIJNoLBN7aO08JAy4-JgstQJXcbTMLRTYiLfRbwF23OlT9MHz/w400-h300/IMG-20201006-WA0045.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p>Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com0Kenya-0.023559 37.906193-28.333792836178844 2.7499430000000018 28.286674836178847 73.062443tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-12067897284889463632020-07-28T11:51:00.001+03:002020-07-28T11:53:34.301+03:00This Nairobi Life | Life Updates - 5 of 7 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If things are a bit topsy turvy, I got a Mary Poppins quote that sounds just right. 'When the world turns upside down, the best thing to do is to turn right along with it'. Perspective...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now let's talk about my little villa.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once it was just a house. A set of uneven walls of uninspired architecture. Maybe mishaps of a blueprint that became a red print. A place just to lay my head. I’ve come to appreciate it immensely. </span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At some point this year, I wanted to move (from the villa to a penthouse ha-ha), 2020 was like, relaaaax-hakuna kuhama! So I remodelled and renovated and reupholstered.</span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When you stay in a place for several years, things tend to change – been thinking of the changes over time. You get new inviting fruity curtains that sieve the aroma of the neighbour’s spicy pilau with the invisible scent that flows from his kitchenette to the living room, living you hungry.</span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The cold white tiles are slapped with a sentimental hand me down rug that caresses the feet of guests edging them to stay a little longer. Then there’s the ship antique from Maasai market that’s refused to sail to another owner. Loves Joan too much.</span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Plus there was a fella (story is never complete without the fellas, right?), he who was going to get me a big-ass TV. Did I wait or what! We finally agreed that two screens can never be enough seeing that at some point I’ll want to preview commissioned films in my cinema. I also don’t want Netflix vs Premier League vs Spongebob fights. Picking those very carefully abeg.</span></span></div>
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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A giant handbill version of the Kenyan flag hangs alongside a giant Supamodo poster near my corner work-desk. That flag keeps me optimistic about the Kenya I’m building relentlessly – some days it’s had to see the brighter side of freedom, especially when it translates to Uhuru. Sweeping across to the other wall is memorabilia in pictures. Those Kodak moments might be old school but ageless. One picture reminds me of very humble beginnings, of people once in my life who propelled me like a giant airbus, they held my wings and I overcame clouds filled with turbulence, I landed majestically. Some I’d have wished stayed in my life longer. Oh well - if a fella don't want to stay let him go. Yo! You! Thank you for the 12-in-1 photo frame...</span></span></div>
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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Albeit, I’ve forged lasting friendships with my grocery ladies, they have no chills or frills - simplicity. It’s so easy to get talking with them. Not like the next-door neighbours who are a pain, one literary ignored my adele-like </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">hello </em><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">for months. I assumed he spoke Chinese and stopped trying too hard – who knows maybe he thought I was speaking Japanese (want to learn it btw). That was a lesson in standoffishness. If someone ignores you exist, you create a wand that makes them invisible.</span></span></div>
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<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Of cars and robbers</span></strong></div>
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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once I double-parked and accidentally locked this lady in the parking. I was going to wake up early and sort her out. Only thing is I didn’t know she goes to a fancy gym out of the area code at the break of dawn. Then I was going to the local gym to lift weights before the world wakes, only to come home and find 50 missed calls from the caretaker. Lady was livid with fury, called me ‘selfish’ and eye-rolled me for the rest of the year. ION, the local gym is now a supermarket.</span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">More recently my Bentley was stolen, that shook me a good one. Have you ever looked for a car under another car? It was an epic moment. Shout out to the lady cop at Kasarani who wanted me to bribe her to get some assistance - ma'am I'm a standup Kenyan citizen - go earn your money! Hats off to the other senior lady cop who overruled her corrupt ways and lived up to the motto 'Utumishi kwa wote'.</span></span></div>
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<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Water, fire and sadness</span></strong></div>
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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Fate has also come our way quite a bit. A house on the ground floor caught fire last year. I was at work and two of my close pals in the neighbourhood called me up worried. The cloud of God's protection kept everyone safe. One random couch was turned to char though. Then there’s the spirit filed white turbaned caretaker that made away with our rent money worth 300k, never judge a man by their turban. Then, twice during the water rationing era, my house became river Chania and flooded after I accidentally left a tap on. The only silver lining in all these mini-dramas is I don’t live below any bed-breakers, that would be disastrous.</span></span></div>
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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Real dramas have come in drones too. Three years ago, a girl in the opposite apartment, in her 20s was found dead locked in her house, I was disturbed and kept asking our watchmen what happened. I never got a solid answer but it was suspected she’d had a cardiac arrest. Last month was also quite sad, a man was found dead in the flat opposite ours. What baffled me is that he had been there for a week. I kept wondering, how is it no one seemed to check on him? Where are his people? Yaani no one cared? Isn't that sad way to live, with no grasp of human connection?</span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Two doors away there’s a tenant. He’s been my neighbour for the six years. Guy got an interesting exercise regimen. Does the entire five flights of stairs four to five times during the week combined with neighbourhood walk on weekends? Not the standoffish or creepy type, always says hello and we chitchat for a few seconds. When I’ve been away MIA chasing African sunsets he’ll take note and welcome me back into the hood.</span></span></div>
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Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-37327328214898428592020-05-31T18:14:00.003+03:002020-05-31T18:15:56.939+03:00Of Karura and Company | Life Updates - 4 of 7<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This week I was conflicted on what to write, I started off writing a letter to my future husband, it’s still in the mail - hehe…then I started writing about Kigali, Addis and Lagos, too many missing gaps and nostalgia there. Then today I went to Karura and my endorphins and writing gears were reignited.</span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0e101a;">It's exactly six months since I went out to Karura. After the Stanchat Marathon, I got into a situation of sorts that left me feeling crappy and confused. It felt like day numero uno at Karura, which was January 2017. Last night, I turned in earlier than usual, set two alarms since at times I snooze one thinking it's all a dream. I was excited about a Karura comeback. More so, I was excited since today was a rare day and I’d have good company. It was bright, fresh, a little chilly and with a good dose of green. As I had secretly hoped, instead of the regular run we took a brisk walk. As I sit here feeling refreshed and energized for the week, six random things come to mind.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0e101a;">Friendships; finding great friends is like finding gold dust. The stickability is not as easy anymore. Life if you allow it becomes so selfish and demanding. At times friendships are based on the maxim, what’s in it for me? It’s like we're selling goods and services and the ROI needs to make sense. I’ve found and lost good friends. No one is to blame, at times its just busyness and laziness combined. I think at this point in my life and in the universe, I want to add value and light to anyone that comes my way. I also want to finesse the same value from within myself so that there's enough to go round, meaning on average the squad can’t be that large. </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0e101a;">Fitness goals; becoming fit is supposed to be habitual, the more you do it, the better you become at it and the more you enjoy it. So it's always better to choose something that tickles your fancy, an activity you look forward to or that which you live without. I’ve lifted weights in the gym, I’ve done a bit of yoga and kickboxing in the living room but since time immemorial, I’ve always loved running (in my former gym I earned the name Cherono). After my last marathon, I got a runner’s knee. The way I’ve bembelezad that knee, the tender love and care have paid off, I’m now officially back to my normal speed and running grit. Running with a mask is still not very alluring but tunajaribu, more Karura sessions in the pipeline.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0e101a;">Karura forest; I just finished reading a book called 'She Speaks' by Yvette Cooper, great read. It has speeches from powerful inspirational women of our time. The list had Benazir Bhutto, Maya Angelo, Angela Merkel, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Lupita Nyong’o, Michelle Obama Greta Thunberg and Wangari Maathai among others…of course, my favourite speech was Wangari Maathai’s. She speaks with simplicity and authenticity of a time when she could scoop water from a stream with her hands and drink it. Today my friend says that even when in The Aberdares with the most possible freshwater one would be thinking of pollution and would choose bottled water any day. Karura today was full of walkers and runners, Wangari Maathai’s legacy lives on. A quote from her speech reads, “Tree planting became a natural choice to address some of the initial basic needs identified by women. Also, tree planting is simple, attainable and guarantees quick successful results within a reasonable amount of time. This sustains interests interest and commitment”.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0e101a;">Investments; today I realized that on top of investing in friends you need to have a hard investment among friends. I know there’s a rule against friends and business or family and business, but I refute it every time. Your friends or family have something to lose if an investment goes wrong, friends owe you an explanation, friends are not likely to throw you under the bus, that’s if we’re referring to the friends I talked about earlier. Would love to hear about investments and Saccos and things…. would also want to hear a real account from someone who’s attended Centonomy. It’s been on my list…and going back to Karura, maybe I should find a place where I can plant a few trees to have a small forest someday, stay true to Wangari Maathai’s words.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0e101a;">Birthdays; I grew up in a household that never celebrated birthdays, maybe it’s because we also didn't bake. That said, it doesn't mean I can’t celebrate friends and family when I can. I know it’s important to offer preferential treat all day every day, but birthdays are some of those things that give us opportunities to pause and intentionally celebrate each other. It can be as simple as cooking a meal for a friend or as extravagant as taking someone for a surprise escapade to the Mara. Shoot your shot.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0e101a;">Burgers; Getting into the habit of exercising is so cool. You never get into the rut of continuously counting calories in food. Once you start seeing body sculpturing results, your kitchen life and eating etiquette changes. You finally get into a system of laissez-faire type of moderation and slowly the body systems adapt. So today after the 10km walk we had burgers. Well deserved, cheat day or not. Some of the top three habits that have come with regular exercise the last three months are; not eating a major meal after 7 pm, stopping processed sugar and drinking five to six glasses of water without fail.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-52025187579635805462020-05-18T12:48:00.002+03:002020-05-18T12:50:09.360+03:00Renew your Thoughts | Life Updates - 3 of 7<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #0e101a; font-weight: normal;">The last few years I’ve been listening to a number podcasts, my favourite is <i>How I Built This </i>by Guy Raz. He’s such a great interviewer...</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-weight: normal;">I like how Guy Raz gets the story out of people, even the most intimate ones. I think once he made someone cry and we had to wait for the interviewee to pause and collect himself.</span></span></strong><span style="color: #0e101a;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-weight: normal;">Guy has a special voice and has done very well for himself to maximize that and take us back to where it all began so beautifully. Sound did come before picture you know in terms of the media revolution - I tend to believe. Even if we achieve the wonders of augmented reality in content creation, sound will always be the queen on the chessboard.</span></span></strong><span style="color: #0e101a;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-weight: normal;">One of my most memorable HIBT episodes is the story of the Vice Media founder Suroosh Alvi, who was a hardcore junkie but was able to get clean long enough to start a small screen media entity (which sort of saved his life) that entity became a big name by its own right. I'm reminded of this piece I watched from Vice Media - </span></span></strong><span style="color: #0e101a;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqPARIKHbN8" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #4a6ee0;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqPARIKHbN8</span></span></a><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="font-weight: normal;">, it’s interestingly weird, not your regular story but tackles a popular topic with pizazz, immersive storytelling.</span></span></strong><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-weight: normal;">I’m also a big fan of the <i>Jesus and Jollof podcast </i>(we need a new season abeg) listening to Yvonne Orji and being a big fan of her work tells a deeper story of how as a content creator you will always be in the world even though you are not of the world. I truly believe that as children of God we’re following Christ and others will follow us while we’re on our quest, I think as a creator your mind is free but it’s also inspired by Christ so you need to allow him to show you where to draw lines. </span></span></strong><span style="color: #0e101a;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-weight: normal;">I know I’m writing in hooded metaphors. All I can say is that I self-censor myself a lot because what I create is inspired by something, I want something to have loads and loads of light even in darkness. You get what I’m saying (insert some black magic swag in that line).</span></span></strong><span style="color: #0e101a;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-weight: normal;">So since nimeamua kufungua roho, let’s open the floodgates. I’ve always been a horribly shy introverted girl. If there’s something I fought with punches and blows, it's this. Some of it is deeply seated and makes me who I am (sorta kinda like it ), I’ve however worked hard at being able to speak out powerfully, fought with the voices in my head that have conversations with each other. I’ve met people along the way whose eloquence I’ve admired, whose clarity of thought I have emulated. People like former president Barrack Obama…see how I did that.</span></span></strong><span style="color: #0e101a;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-weight: normal;">I was once on a set of an international Kenyan film called <i>Veve </i>(was on Neflix for a bit, should be on Showmax now, good political thriller) directed by a pal of mine called Seydou, he’s not from West Africa by the way hehe. We had this producer mentor who was working with young producers to get the film ready for production in a month’s time. I was in the directors' department but I would constantly eavesdrop on the conversations taking place in the producers' table. He was called David, he had such a knack for giving instructions clearly, categorical thought process, conversation with good vibes and even when you crossed the line, he corrected you like a gentleman. That was the first person I met with flawless communication skills. He left before we went on set to be on yet another set for a high profile Hollywood film. But the glimpse of how he did his manenos and managed the team of producers stayed with me for a long time.</span></span></strong><span style="color: #0e101a;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-weight: normal;">So you see, as the journey continues, I'm a shy introvert with the passion to be a good communicator. When I was finally getting the hang of being confident and speaking my mind clearly a few years after, I went to pitch a film idea to some funders and one of the panellists gave me notes then thought it wise to add that I should get rid of my shaky voice - as if it's a leather jacket I can just take of. Liiiiiiiike….after working that had you take me back to ground zero. That condescending line of criticism or correction if you like, stayed with me for years and would always linger when I had to defend proposals with a pitch presentation, I’ve since let it go, but it did create a bump on the road towards my transformation journey. </span></span></strong><span style="color: #0e101a;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-weight: normal;">Renewing your thoughts is about replacing the current status quo with a new way of being, new way of thinking that makes you a better person. Sometimes you have to let positive voices inspire you, other times you have to seek inner strength. A verse from Romans 12:2 says it better than my 700+ words ‘…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you man prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God’.</span></span></strong><span style="color: #0e101a;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-weight: normal;">Kudos to everyone who’s been part of ‘The 21 Days of Wellness’. Finding real-life stories has been hard since there’s so much stigma around the topic of mental health and wellness. That said, I will seek out and will share all my learnings with you in time.</span></span></strong><span style="color: #0e101a;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-weight: normal;">21 Days of Mental Wellness, Day 4 – Renew your mind.</span></span></strong><span style="color: #0e101a;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-25997778021657330932020-05-10T15:15:00.000+03:002020-05-10T15:22:46.541+03:00There’s no god like a Mother | Life Updates - 2 of 7<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">This week, I watched Becoming the Netflix Doc about Mitchelle Obama’s Becoming book tour. Was blown away. Then again, I’m a 2018 Obama Leader. I’m a normal clueless girl most days until I’m not. Malia and Sasha are all grown…they must be really proud of their mom.</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Back to what brings me here today. The title of this post is borrowed from a line I read in yet another book ‘Stay With Me’, one of my best reads from Nigeria by Ayòbámi Adébáyò</span>. Just think about it, a mother is truly like a demi-god, God used her as a co-creator, and more often than not moms really outdo themselves.</div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">My friend the other day got her mother a nice fridge which was sent by courier as a surprise. We never got to see a reaction video though - but I bet my friend scored some point, no pressure on when she's getting married for at least one year. This mother’s day, you don’t have to get a kitchen appliance. Give and show her some love or a long phone call where you will allow her to pressure you about marriage and why you seem to be waiting for a ding dong bell (this topic is a favorite :). Love on her, remind her of the good old days when she whipped you into a good character.</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">After 20 years, you imagine that not seeing your mother becomes kawa, that you are all cried out and all that remains are fond memories. It can be okay for many months until the most unusual of circumstances trigger it and balancing tears becomes a skill.</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">A few weeks back, I almost broke down in public (Story for another day), there would have been pandemonium in the building. Kwanza guys become hella clueless when girls start crying, we need to get a manual, or how-to video on this!</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Let’s take a bit of a roundabout …when I was 19 I was in a theatre group and we had a fundraising dinner at the Hilton – but do I say. At 19 I was also homeless - haha. Without getting into the details of the scene on stage, I was wearing a wedding gown and the action of the scene was to walk down the aisle, the reaction was to give an intense monologue then I’d break down in the middle of it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">During the rehearsals, the rest of the actors and actresses were getting pissed because when I got to that scene I did not shed a single tear, not once in the weeks leading up to performance day. They were certain I’d mess it up.</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Sasa, on d-day, when I got on stage and did my thing, I cried my heart out without the help of glycerine or onions and when the scene was done and I was off stage, I was still crying a river yaani - my colleagues were confused. Emotions can go on a journey of their own and take me hostage.</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">That said, I’m writing this from my living room and in case I feel mushy I can get some soft tissues and be embarrassed alone. Let me share a few things about my late mother.</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Most weekends mama was home from work, and she made it a treat. On sato we’d have Githeri and beef and then on Sundays she’d make chapos. Both days, we’d come from our playtime to get tasters of the meal in form of a small bowl of githeri karugarugai and two full chapos. Since play-dom was in zest, having a pre-snack of the main meal never got into the way of having dinner. This was a time in our lives (me and small bro) when there was no roadside chapatis or githeri.</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Mum’s tenacity, working hard, and working smart floored me. She worked as a civil servant in the ministry of roads and public works. As the others looted, she went to Gikomba to sell second-hand clothes part-time and when her business became legit she was getting outfits from Turkey at some point. The aftermath is she was a sharp dresser and dressed her family really well. Sometimes I feel I let her down, I don’t break the bank when it comes to clothes – since I’ve made a conscious choice not to compete with people who get clothes for free - hehe. Mmmmhhhh, half the clothes in my closet are from friends though. My ideal style would be African-Chic-Smart. Fundi tu ndio shida.</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Mom's commitment to the work of God was unmatched, I have this picture where she’s in a long skirt and t-shirt with a panga trying to clear the grass in what would become St. Mark’s Catholic Church Zimmerman, those Christian faithful really stood by me when she became an angel. Sunday nights found us singing some songs from the catholic songbook (It has a name, I forget). Myself, little bro, and her would sit on her bed and with crooning voices sing our hearts out.</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Super Special Sundays after church I’d settle into my seat to watch Sinbad and William Tell back to back and that’s the exact moment mom thought to send me to the shop to get something. Whenever dad brought lollipops for us, he brought one for her too. Guess he thought it wise not to pick a fight because of a lollipop.</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Now, I’ve shared a few of my mom’s memories and a large chunk of my soul, it would be heaven if you shared with me your memories, Indulge me. A piece of your mama…</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Happy Mother’s day, for you who are a mother, you rock!</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Happy Mother’s day, to your mother, see you now! Call her tell her you to love her.</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Happy Mother’s day, to your mother, even though she’s with the angels, one day…</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Happy Mother’s day, to your grandmother, and if you’re lucky to have a great grandmother (I got to see mine before she passed at 125-ish)</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Happy Mother’s day, to the single mother who’s both mommy and daddy.</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Happy Mother’s day to all wannabe mothers. God sees your heart’s desire.</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Adios, for now, let’s see what next week will bring. </span></div>
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Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-4002388065775035672020-05-02T07:44:00.000+03:002020-05-10T12:26:27.899+03:00Alone but not Lonely | Life Updates - 1 of 7<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've been going for jogs (in my mask), it's a hard life people. Full body workout plus breathing exercises...</span></span></div>
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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Currently thinking of personal life and work-life in multiples of 21 days. As my dominant optimist side fights with the realist submissive side, the God in me reminds me, that this too shall pass – and we will be able to pick up the lego pieces and rebuild. </span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We will be able to hug each other again. I didn't think of myself as a hugger, but I’ve truly missed a good warm hug more than I miss wearing lipstick or going to the cinema. </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let me digress even further since I made peace with the fact that I can’t write in a straight line.</span></div>
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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First off, the biggest life updates revolve around the complex world of relationships. If only it were as simple as the reality show ‘Love is blind’ makes it out to be. Great show, by the way, one season and perfectly short and shot. It's also not everyone’s cup of </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">chai</em><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">It makes me think of this one character – in flesh and blood, I have to mention her here, although anonymously. Come closer for the full <i>ketepa</i> tea. She thinks five guys are checking her out. </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Lakini situation kwa ground ni different, I tell you.</em><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Her other friends are too afraid to break it to her that it’s all in her head. Especially with social distancing, there's no date(s) to show for it, it’s all a mirage. Me? I won’t break it to her. I’m being a bad friend? Maybe…but a girl’s allowed to live in a big bubble once in her life – let’s just allow her to prosper. (How does a date all masked look like by the way?)</span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The concept of being alone but not lonely is something I know only too well. First as a writer then as a filmmaker, 60% of my work is filled with aloneness during creation, recreation (not the other one!!), story-making, story building, all in the confines of my home desk or office (I have an office because working from home exclusively stopped working when I replaced my 14inch TV). I’m also not married, my kids and husband are somewhere in Gaborone figuring out how to get to Nairobi.</span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not to say that I’m totally okay with all the aloneness wahala this season, I miss having friends over for dinner.</span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At this point in the universe, some people are alone because they are single; or because they are stuck away from home abroad; or away from home in the upcountry; or could not be evacuated in time; or it’s the better logistical logical plan to be away from loved ones….</span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The five things that keep me going are simple and thanks to technology simpler. One, I do loooooong wozzap calls with friends. 180 minutes’ worth of calls that leave your ears on fire, so I alternate between video and audio calls just so I can make fun of friends who are having bad hair days and wearing those trendy charcoal masks. When you call your boyfriend, which is the best cover-up for a bad hair day, a wig, weave, satin bonnet, or scarf? - asking for a friend. All that to say Wozzap is a lifesaver. It’s less formal and leaves you smiling. Also, if you have friends with unlimited postpaid, just request them to call you - no shame. I do it all the time with one who’s currently in Kericho.</span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Exercise, even though the gyms are closed, trying different home exercise routines really keeps your mind refreshed and energized. I’ve gone through different workout videos and currently, I’m on Popsugar and my favorite workouts in there are kickboxing; I’m a rookie and I punch like a girl, southpaw for who! I’m also loving pilates, and yoga for bedtime helps when I’m feeling wide awake at midnight when I’m done with the yoga I’m half-dragging myself to bed. Long walks and runs, come in handy. Chasing endorphins. Being in the house for 100 hours a week without getting some vitamin d will lighten your skin-tone but then it will make you grumpy.</span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Self-censorship; I’ve been finding social media depressing and some memes a bit too insensitive, striking an information balance is good. I’ve found that when I read stuff at night my heart is heavy and it takes forever for me to get sleep. So I listen to the press briefings in the early evenings before I have dinner and read world news then. I only post positivity on my pages. I appreciate cheap humor. Earlier in April, there was an explosion of memes of how there is no smog in the air. The one that killed it for me is that we could see the Egyptian pyramids all the way from Thika. These people who make memes from some dark corners. They are so committed to their jobs, who pays them?</span></span></div>
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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Small acts of kindness. Kindness can still work in social distance. My jirani who runs the neighbourhood grocery store got a baby the week we got patient zero. After three weeks, I was able to see her and congratulate her, not at her home of course. I was thinking of what to get her and since it’s tricky going to shop for a baby present right now - a few packets of milk for now as I figure out a present for the bouncing baby girl. When it comes to kindness, don’t look too far; family, friends, colleagues, or workmates need you.</span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Project zero. Write, vlog, language classes, read a book a week, bake …. the list is long. I want to do an impression of puppets. It’s a spinoff idea from my experience as a children writer. Mapping out. Tips? Gardening is also in zest. Once it gets going and I have a few plants and can plant my own rosemary. </span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Music, on YouTube for a long time now I have a daily playlist; it starts with Sugua from Mutua and Alice Kamanzi, then all of Alice Kamanzi's songs, Called out music, Fumbi, Mercy Masika, Kambua, For King and Country, Tauren Wells and YouTube gets the drift and auto-selects the rest after that …. That’s how I start my day every single day. It’s uplifting and gets you in the mood to give thanks to God for the night that was and the day ahead.</span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That said being alone can easily turn into loneliness. How I deal on a normal month is without trying so hard I have friends over for a meal; I have a secret chicken and guacamole recipe. For now, you can book an invite for a date soon. If we’ve not broken bread, we need to work on our friendship.</span></span></div>
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Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-32055776352302225852019-10-05T14:28:00.000+03:002019-10-05T14:43:22.240+03:00Relax, Renew, Revive | Leadership of Self 7 of 7<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">A few weeks ago, I was waiting for an evening meeting somewhere in the Nairobi CBD. Outside the premises, a motorcycle roars as it comes to a stop. Our meet for the evening arrives. A gentleman comes in with a bright smile, puts his massive helmet on the table and dislodges his prosthetic foot safely on the ground. He then orders a glass of juice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In the usual, initial chitchat, he narrates to us how he got into a motorbike accident almost five years ago that resulted to his foot being amputated. Slowly, and steadily he slipped into depression. Had he not sought therapy, a program that lasted up to eight months, maybe it would have escalated to a more serious case of clinical depression. As he speaks, I’m staring on his majestic helmet laying on the table and I’m reminded that bouncing back is a real concept.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This chapter of his life has led him into mental health advocacy. He demystifies mental health to be the everyday stuff you do that keeps your mind active and in check. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">According to WHO, mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On a deeper self-evaluation, I can give myself some props. Unknowingly, I’ve been taking care of my mental health ardently yet intentionally. It’s not an eight step routine. It’s everyday stuff that you enjoy. Here’s my list;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Running at Karura Forest<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">When I started these 10k runs, I’d make sure that my run across the forest was accompanied by good music. Overtime, I found it more appealing to be in nature, alone with my thoughts and the music took a back burner. Those thoughts have turned into moments for ideation where I try figure out how I’ll actualize some ideas. It’s also in these rare moments that I get to spot the cheeky monkeys obliviously staring at me from the bushes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Change of Environment<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I like moving about to rejuvenate my creative juices. I’m one to say yes to a spontaneous road trip or any trip for that matter. On that note, I’m glad to have visited the land of a thousand hills recently; Kigali, Rwanda. I still did the mistake of carrying my laptop, but oh well. Ruzibuka made my weekend…S</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">till on work environments, I have an office desk and a home desk in two different locations. I shift between the two work spaces because my creativity is scattered across Thika Road Superhighway. It is at its optimum when the scenes are constantly changing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It could be a roadtrip or a hiking weekend or a budget trip across the border. Whatever gets you there, do it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Sleep<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Oh dear sweet slumber. Over the last few months, taking tea in the evenings has started to affect my sleep patterns. That will please one Ms. Adundo, she never liked my tea drinking tendencies. Saying farewell to evening tea has not been easy but my sleep is proving to be more important and valuable. We could argue whether the best sleep duration is six, seven or eight hours till the cows come home in our little village called Miiri in Karatina, Nyeri County. What really matters is that the sleep is blissful and restful. Some days you’ll get a lot of hours, others the hours will be limited. That’s just life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Reading<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The internet revolution with its VR and AI is here to stay. That said, nothing will ever replace the smell of a paperback. It’s visceral. My relationship with books started when I was in primary school with Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys under the desk as the class teacher solved some Maths sum on the blackboard. In adulthood, the choices are plenty and Kindle is Bae. I’m currently reading three books; Fiction by Zadie Smith, Spiritual by Benny Hinn and Business by Phil Knight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Massage<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">After years of resisting, I indulged in this relaxation practice and to my utter shock, I enjoyed it! If you sit behind a computer half the year, and do rigorous field work the other half, you have to take care of those joints and muscles. It works wonders, especially if you are sporty too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">True Friendship<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Life is a compilation mix tape of ups and downs. The downs can be rock bottom sometimes and when we withdraw in such times, our friends call us out and seek us out. They help and elevate us. No one truly has 10 good friends. The list is less and less depending on your age and status quo. True friendship brings love, laughter and joy into our lives. We’re human and greatly flawed. They keep us smiling and smiling. True friends are blunt, unpretentious and know how to critic you with love. They will not allow you to show off your nakedness in public.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Meditation<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Quiet time can be through reading the bible, reading a spiritual book, practicing yoga or even listening to uplifting music. Whatever keeps you connected to a higher power is worthy to pursue on a daily basis. Feeding your spirit man on a daily basis has to be one of those innate things that rewards your body, your mind and spirit all at a go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">P.S</span> Issa Wrap! I’ve enjoyed writing this seven part series as much as I hope you have, indulging. Except for Amimo, who thinks I should maintain my frivolous fiction stories. Coming right up in October through to December!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">2019©</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">JoanKabugu</span></div>
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Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-88494898970633036852019-09-13T14:03:00.000+03:002019-09-13T14:03:39.260+03:00Corruption | Leadership of Self 6 of 7<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXX9yQgZTbUJTRmWjjCm9ZwkMXFq1UtqvfhpCUryY3SnnDGDlG-I2pyLGZaSlrymCmrjlK9U5quGTGjfg8VVMINFCqw9yA8aIlyYxoLx5AruFopBaL1c2M_bkGUtxvjwVl76_GDy4Paa_/s1600/photo-1564957163923-98701960787b.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1350" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXX9yQgZTbUJTRmWjjCm9ZwkMXFq1UtqvfhpCUryY3SnnDGDlG-I2pyLGZaSlrymCmrjlK9U5quGTGjfg8VVMINFCqw9yA8aIlyYxoLx5AruFopBaL1c2M_bkGUtxvjwVl76_GDy4Paa_/s400/photo-1564957163923-98701960787b.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you think corruption only exists in the political
corridors, by the big potbellied sheriffs, exclusively chauffeured in sleek
black V8 land cruisers, think again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Picture this, you are fresh in business, less than 12 months
to be precise. This is after a fairly half-decade long decorated career in
corporate Kenya. You have earned your stripes, and you’re pulling on your
networks from your former place of employment into the business. It happens,
and it’s not a sin. A few clients were taken by your charm and are willing to throw
you a bone and see how well you’ll catch. You are impressionable and slowly
business is starting to look up, small deals here and there, your guiding
principle; make money every day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Through an unexpected acquaintance at a launch party, you
land your first real contract that totals to eight digits. You can’t believe
your luck. After a lot of ups and downs, printing of tender documents, being
pre-qualified and winning the very competitive tender, you head out for the
first official meeting. You are crossing roads in uptown Nairobi like you own
the damn CBD and all its potholes for a good measure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">From the corridors of power, you are ushered into a plush
office with black leather seats and though your tie is suffocating you, you
decide that the labored breathing is for a good course. It’s not every day
newbie businessmen strike the seven zero gold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the plush office you wait, you try keep calm, and impatience
at bay. Random people come in and out, giving you a side eye as if they are
checking you out. You feel proud. They are probably shocked that such a young
chap could win such a hefty tender. You wait in unperturbed curiosity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After what seems like a lifetime, two chaps in mismatched
suits come and sit opposite you forming a semi-circle. They are not the CEO.
They introduce themselves as coming from procurement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Without flinching, they throw a curveball at you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They want a three million shillings kickback. Take it or
leave it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You are stunned. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At the crash course business class you attended, they taught
you that you use money to make money. In this case, you don’t have that money
and in addition, this is not an example of using money to make money. Just like
that, you lose the handsome deal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Crushed, you walk around the streets of Nairobi conflicted
about what just happened and replay it in your mind. What if you had three
million in the bank? What then?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The entire week you are abducted by thoughts of envelopes
under and above the table. You wonder what will keep you away from this 13 ft
giant. Is it the prayers your mother has prayed for you all your life? Is it
your reputation as a straight arrow, never cutting corners? Is it your hard
stand on justice and impunity? What is it that will keep you from saying no to
the unscrupulous hundreds of thousands time and time again? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This actually happened to someone I know and as I continue
with the ‘Leadership of Self’ series, this experience best exemplified the
constrained place of integrity in the aggressive, brutal corrupt society we
live in today. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Clean business is black and white, corrupt deals are grey
every day of the week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Very early on, you need to have your core values outlined
and at the top of the list rehash integrity to your brain very intentionally.
Integrity is no longer a word in these streets. It’s a lifestyle. In an era
when a random man will deposit an obscene amount of cash in your account and
wait to see if you’ll bite, integrity needs to be fizzing out of you like a
three degrees chilled Coke that’s been shaken by a little child.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A code of conduct feels absurd for a growing business, yet it
outlines the company culture, expounds on who you are and who you are not. It
sets apart the weed from the chaff. It helps fire the unruly people faster than
the Apprentice show contestants by the now leader of the ‘free world’. Is he
still building a wall? My sentiments are too enormous to make a debut in this
post in their totality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Contractual agreements always feel cumbersome but at the end
of the day, those dotted lines will save the day. If the dealing you are doing
doesn’t allow for any paperwork, be very scared. Very, very scared.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hire slowly and fire quickly. You can never police your team
and the minute you sense they are willing to take you down a rabbit hole that
will cost your reputation, detach and disengage.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br /><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; text-align: justify;">2019©</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; text-align: justify;">JoanKabugu</span></div>
Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-56638508720169318852019-09-06T14:26:00.000+03:002019-09-06T15:45:05.387+03:00Xfactor | Leadership of Self 5 of 7<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYbv5reuaTJZWrebf8u0HlA_W0ZMsYKsiapmGjIzlUi62dpBHpi9uV1fW74i7JU3vlZ5zBuf0ek0-7X_TLMiR24gYhGzv2PVZFda3hJw15bmtIdTa4GzgrgEO0P54TI-62SLO7OyxZaeV/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-09-03+at+10.50.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="569" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYbv5reuaTJZWrebf8u0HlA_W0ZMsYKsiapmGjIzlUi62dpBHpi9uV1fW74i7JU3vlZ5zBuf0ek0-7X_TLMiR24gYhGzv2PVZFda3hJw15bmtIdTa4GzgrgEO0P54TI-62SLO7OyxZaeV/s400/Screen+Shot+2019-09-03+at+10.50.50+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The other day I was in town, and on a whim called up a
friend for a coffee date cum belated birthday treat. In the busyness of life,
spontaneity always wins. It’s how relationships thrive; it’s how friendships
grow; it’s how we re-connect. If you wait for the perfect moment and for things
to be aligned, nothing will ever happen. Drifting apart happens slowly but
surely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As I had a coffee, my friend hand some chicken wings and we
reminisced about days gone by (read work, life, babies and my dating life).
She’s one of those intellectuals who will just drop some profound life mantras in
a random conversation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In describing the very essence of any human being, she gave
an analogy to describe how no one was born empty. We all have something special
to offer the world and there’s always a payoff on the other side, monetary or
otherwise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">From the analogy, I picked up five different life journeys
that can determine the whys and wherefores of your life. Some you discover by
chance; others you have to mine far and wide to find; yet others hide in plain
sight. All you need is to find where you are placed and dig out the secret
treasures that are aligned to your specific journey. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One, the Street smart. Have you ever met those people who
always know ‘a guy’ or another that has solutions for whatever crisis you think
you are in? These people know where everything can be found! You name it,
they’ll find it. These guys can start five businesses at a go and at least
three will thrive. They know the inroads to the business world. They are serial
entrepreneurs that end up with business branches across different cities in
Africa, they know when it’s time to cut their losses and walk away. They sense
a bad deal from a mile away by a mere gut feeling. Most of these guys don’t
have a Master’s degree and are not interested in a PHD. They have learnt from
the school of life and have perfected the subtle art of closing a deal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Two, the Book smart. Unlike the previous category, these
guys ate books for breakfast, lunch and supper in their heydays. They are
brainy, innovative and intellectual. They were the A and B+ students. Their
grades mattered and got them places of gainful employment. Most of them have
OCD tendencies, sticklers to details, are diligent and time keepers. When I
start complaining about the 8-4-4 system, I think about some of these people
and I’m convinced that not even a wrongly calibrated education system can stand
in the way of your destiny.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Three, The Gifted. These most times can be a mix of book
smarts and street smarts. These guys however have chosen one line and more
often than not lean more to the creative side. I’m reminded of a college friend
who used to make fancy t-shirts for the campus fraternity. 10 years later, he
has a fully-fledged branding business that also has an executive clothing line.
He has a workshop on river-road and a shop in uptown Nairobi.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Four, The people’s person (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mtu wa watu</i>). The life of the party in this definition but also
that person who despite meeting so many people is able to compartmentalize these
meetings and give each person undue special attention. It’s like they have filing
systems for all the people they’ve met who’ve left a mark in their lives. This
is the person who has at least a dozen close friends, greatly appreciated by
family and relatives, designated spokesperson for the `company and self-appointed
MC and hype man. The thing about this person is the respect and trust he’s
earned from peers and seniors. He’s extroverted and also truthful and
dependable. He knows when he’s wrong and is always quick to make amends. This
person will never be stuck, there are too many people rooting for his
well-being. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Five, The Old moneyed. The good book does say that a good
man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children. If you are lucky to be
the child’s child of a good man, that’s wonderful. As for you, the universe
conspired many decades ago to make sure that you’ll be successful. Many people
have followed in the footsteps of their parents and grandparents and years down
the line have managed to keep the family wealth intact. It’s quite the feat to
be a steward of something that you have gotten for free. It’s doable though. My
longtime friend once told us about his grandmother who in the 70s bought EABL
shares at a throwaway price, when she passed on she left the shares to her
children and the grandchildren have been receiving dividends ever since. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I can easily spot my X-factor in one of the five and over
the years I’ve come to accept that I’m unique in my own special way and this is
God’s avenue to bless and increase me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What’s your X-factor?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To the lovely friend who inspired this week’s piece. Thank
you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<br />
<o:p style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px;"> </o:p><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">2019©</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">JoanKabugu</span>Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-5580970905597821532019-08-31T23:54:00.000+03:002019-10-15T10:56:13.036+03:00Film Fundraising | Leadership of Self 4 of 7<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpQWPjphjuE52Vv8MZUylef6CviPQPPE2R2PujCh1ccZO8WcTNvT4N359xvbIgGVc4njOvYUYVBhR63dWhaDSeB0pK4VsA7r_ZFqQdGqefvknJbX59WRlVpdqtsrDkBejDhyeiwg8ELSq/s1600/IMG_20190204_213930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpQWPjphjuE52Vv8MZUylef6CviPQPPE2R2PujCh1ccZO8WcTNvT4N359xvbIgGVc4njOvYUYVBhR63dWhaDSeB0pK4VsA7r_ZFqQdGqefvknJbX59WRlVpdqtsrDkBejDhyeiwg8ELSq/s640/IMG_20190204_213930.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I do passion projects because, with each one, I hone my
craft and get an opportunity to spotlight a theme that is close to heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’m currently prepping for one passion project that’s
supposed to be ready in a few short weeks. This project is called Toycar and it
was conceived in 2014. I realized the other day that I should have started
fundraising a while ago. Now I have no choice but to bootstrap with the little
I have at hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If I’d have started fundraising a year ago to get to my
target 100%, I should have started with the goal setting. Fundraising goals
need to be SMART; Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and time bound.
Further to the goals being time bound, for fundraising, it’s good to set the
goals by month, by year and by specific dates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fundraising is preceded by vital questions. How many
proposals do I need to send? Based on my company’s SWOT analysis, what is the
best funding for me? Preparing proposals is hard work, therefore, send
proposals that are clearly in line with your strengths as a creative or
entrepreneur. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In any fundraising strategy, the backend is always thinking
about the resources you are putting in ahead of the project. Sweat capital
counts but investing in people and having some cash at hand comes in handy.
Alongside this, also figure out the sales strategy that will make an
interesting argument for the ROI - Return On Investment, say, you get an
investor on board.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fundraising and collaboration often go together. We're starting
another new project with a business partner in the next couple of months, and
as we start to prospect for funds, some of the steps we plan to follow are;
research around the sector we are interested in, qualify a few prospects who
are sure shots, devise a way on how to get close to the decision makers, verify
that these funders are aligned to our vision and fingers crossed, eventually close
the deals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of my filmmaker acquaintances who have a fundraising work
plan where they have aggregated all the film funds round the year and have them
in a single document. Whenever they have a project, they know that round the
year, they have proposals to send to specific film funds. Starting this process
can be daunting but once you get the first breakthrough, you get the hang of
how it works.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For all the filmmakers; here is a long list of funders and
financiers that could come through for a well-developed film project or idea;
some are for documentaries and others are for fiction projects. I got this list
way back and I’ve been grantee of at least two of these; Docubox (East African Documentary Film Fund) <span style="background: white;">World
Cinema Fund- Fiction</span>,
<span style="background: white;">Berlinale Residency (global competition by
application) Fiction</span>, <span style="background: white;">IDFA Fund
Documentary</span>, IDFA
Academy Documentary, CineMart Fiction, Hubert Bals Fund Fiction, Sundance
Documentary Institute Funding Documentary, Hot Docs Blue Ice Grants
Documentary, World View grants Fiction, World Cinema Support Fiction, Just Film
/ Ford Foundation Fiction, MNet Fiction, CFI - Canal France International
Fiction, Cannes Residency ( global competition by application) Fiction, One
Fine Day Training (Kenya - Africa wide annual) Fiction and Giving Nature a Voice Grants for environmental Documentaries. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Co-production markets where you are able to pitch story ideas and secure funding and get co-producer on board include; Berlinale Talent Campus, Durban FilmMart and </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Co-production markets where you are able to pitch story ideas and secure funding and get co-producer on board include; Berlinale Talent Campus, Durban FilmMart and </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">DISCOP
Film Market.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For social enterprises; Dangote Foundation, Higher life
foundation, Segal Family Foundation, Thousand currents, Global Giving,
Ford Foundation and Open Society.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The above are just a few of the ones I know. With google as
a trusted friend, you can come up with a longer list. Depending on the scope of
the project, there are other ways to fundraise other than grant funding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s important to note that at times as a startup or medium
level organization, you can find it hard to qualify for some of these funding.
It helps to align yourself with an organization that is the main grantee and
you can be a sub-grantee. It’s the same case as being a subcontractor for a
bigger agency. These deals however need to be preceded with integrity, clarity
and well laid out paper work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Finally, a few indicators on why your fundraising strategy
isn’t working; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Poor planning and not having a seamless calendar.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Having the wrong team or no team at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->No business development system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Lack of proper research<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Lack of follow up<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Marketing materials with errors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Lack of understanding of Return on Investment<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Not knowing how much to put in to get funding<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I first got into filmmaking, I did a short film called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Madam Chief</i>. I’d gotten a grant from
Maisha Labs. All the grant money went into production. I was however able to
sell the little short film to two regional broadcasters for some profit, not
much but an indicator that the system actually works especially if you own the
intellectual property for your content. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Personally, the one thing I’m grappling with is figuring out
how I can plug into the content real estate. I know for a fact that it’s
possible. This article is more for me as it is for you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">2019©</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">JoanKabugu</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-23788386614437528212019-08-23T07:59:00.001+03:002019-09-06T14:26:28.662+03:00Life Lessons | Leadership of Self 3 of 7<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVe0CvNPVSUB-D32pZdX9Sf65qAgaG-LoKXuvObtHN6In5s90TdcSFH3F0awXg4NcB5wYGhhp21HDBSt7X3hvpZ-jNXEcOERNIbKSU-beQ5ohMg4YdClEPZBWixA6ZMpMrq8PZMukjhQvK/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-08-22+at+2.57.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="953" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVe0CvNPVSUB-D32pZdX9Sf65qAgaG-LoKXuvObtHN6In5s90TdcSFH3F0awXg4NcB5wYGhhp21HDBSt7X3hvpZ-jNXEcOERNIbKSU-beQ5ohMg4YdClEPZBWixA6ZMpMrq8PZMukjhQvK/s400/Screen+Shot+2019-08-22+at+2.57.19+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A fortnight ago, my good friend Mercy and I went for a road
trip to Nyeri in Central Kenya. Home of tea and coffee plantations, also home
of Mt. Kenya, the only mountain that snows in this country. The minute city
types arrive, they catch a cold instantaneously. We were visiting Mercy’s
grandfather who is 83 years old. He was only 16 years when Sir EvenlyBaring
declared the State of Emergency in 1952. He remembers the events that followed;
the curfews that were sanctioned, the bombs that fell from the skies and the
whole <i>Mau Mau</i> versus <i>Homeguards</i> controversy as if it was yesterday. We chat
with him for over two hours and get schooled on Kenya’s history and sitting
there I can trace the problems ailing our lovely nation from the events of 1950
to date. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As he winds down the discussion, this proud octogenarian implores us to be the
best versions of ourselves. He sums up his life lessons to be honesty, hard work
and passion. The country shenanigans notwithstanding, ‘our grandfather’ is
looking back at his golden years with a smile. He did right by his children by
being a provider. He also did right by his community by pushing for a local
coffee factory to be set up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Life is a journey full of learning, re-learning and
unlearning. Growth requires us to take note of life lessons as we go. I’m not
83 yet but I’ve borrowed seven that really resonate with me; </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">build a strong
family base. </b>It’s one of those things that work things out behind the
scenes. When the wheels are turning in motion, the family is like oil that
ensures that there is no friction that the journey is smooth sailing. In my
short life, I’ve observed how marriages that are intentional, thrive from the
inside out. A family base also comes in form of supportive parents who are
helping millennials and xennials become the innovators of our time. For me,
having my father and my brother as my support system has seen me weather many
storms and I’m forever grateful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Two, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">levitate towards
your support network </b>such that it is always a place to go when things are
falling apart. It’s people who can get you out of all manner of fixes because
they genuinely care for you with no strings attached. These are long life
friends, trusted peers and understanding colleagues. Many times, we just need to
talk to someone for the burden to feel lighter. In the world of manufacturing ideas,
you win some, you lose some. The other day, I felt like a producer threw a
moving bus at me and instead of sending a scathing email or starting a rant on
twitter, I shared my turmoil with someone and freed my heart off the bad vibes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Three, this is a cluster. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Find your champions, roles models and critics</b>. Champions keep your
fire burning. They are interested in what you have to say any day of the week.
They encourage you and follow up on your work, constantly asking you the hard
questions. Once in a while, they even sponsor a project. Role models can be in
close proximity or can be Richard Branson. That reference point reminds you
that it has been done by someone before and you can actually do it. Critics are
a necessary evil. Critics are not faceless anonymous bullies on the internet.
Good critics give complete candid feedback face to face. They also give you a
right of reply sometimes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Four, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pray and have
accountability partners</b>. I’ve learnt that the world will hit you off your
feet more than once in this lifetime. When you are not looking you’ll get smacked
in the face, hard. That meme with batman slapping some guy comes to mind. I
believe we’re all God’s children, it doesn't matter if we are 8 or 80. My
friend’s baby who’s turning five came to my house the other day, her prayer
made my heart mellow. ‘God, bless mummy. God bless auntie Joan. God bless
auntie Ciku…’ Simple, fervent prayer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Five, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">be humble</b>.
This has to be the hardest thing in this social media age. We are all using
social media marketing to get our brands out there. If you are in TV, Film and
design, social media is necessary but not mandatory. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s not even start on pregant TV credits. Some
things you will be blessed to do; you will not take the credit. You’ll be happy
to be behind the scenes. That, sometimes can be the highest level of
achievement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Six, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">have a value
system and have enough courage to know what you stand for</b>. The other day I
was sitting with a friend of mine and he repeated a story. I’m sure he repeats
it because it still bedazzles him to date. When he was starting his
entrepreneurship journey in his late 20s, he landed a tender and an official
had the audacity to ask him for a three million bribe before the job
started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was as far as he got to
pursuing the deal. He let it go. Your value system will be tested, maybe you
won’t have the pleasure of refusing a three million bribe, but you will say no
to collaborations that look shifty or let go of deals that look dirty. Stand by
your values and let your no be NO.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Seven, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">invest in
others</b>. This one is pretty straight forward but quite the uphill task.
Always have a mentor who helps you make sense of the senseless stuff. You don't
even have to brand them as mentors. Leave the title at the door and the relationship
will be richer. You don’t need to meet your mentor every month, it’s not a
dose. You also don’t always go to your mentor when you need to be bailed out of
a fix, never ask them for money. Alafu, over the years you’ve received so much
in-terms of knowledge and information. Have mentees whom you can pass down all
that good stuff that makes you who you are. Lastly, have peers who edify you,
review your work, form collabos and grow with you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Braaaap!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Waiting to see what more lessons life will send my way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333;"> </o:p><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">2019©</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">JoanKabugu</span></div>
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Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-47540445451057405082019-08-09T15:38:00.001+03:002019-09-06T14:26:36.722+03:00Changemaker | Leadership of Self 2 of 7 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_m1wEkcDCf0LuVxbnRjmDpAkQaXp8FJcfmLG3YVqnF9v-Jt_IIKEQXc27Zd0ERAid1Da85rPCbZWJZqRjot_C4K7BlTSXNXJ-7lOk_6bNOsoAlUJKRUFg6oKoha6y0tAI6rxz92izCEh/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-08-09+at+9.19.30+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="994" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_m1wEkcDCf0LuVxbnRjmDpAkQaXp8FJcfmLG3YVqnF9v-Jt_IIKEQXc27Zd0ERAid1Da85rPCbZWJZqRjot_C4K7BlTSXNXJ-7lOk_6bNOsoAlUJKRUFg6oKoha6y0tAI6rxz92izCEh/s400/Screen+Shot+2019-08-09+at+9.19.30+AM.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">More and more thinkers, entrepreneurs and innovators are
creating solutions that are redundant. Why? Because they are thinking of the
consumer at the very end of the process. They haven’t walked a mile in the
shoes of those that the change will impact and they have no idea where it
pinches. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When of I think of a change maker, Teacher Kabichi comes to
mind. He won the Global Teachers Prize 2019 and a cash prize of Ksh.100M. Deep
in Nakuru County, this teacher makes science fun for young girls and boys. In
this era of robotics and AI, his students have topped the National Science
competitions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In this remote disenfranchised area, his students lack the
most basic needs. Beyond the Science Club, Teacher Kabichi even visits the
children at their homes. He knows the neediest of his students and he uses a
huge chunk of his salary to support some of these students. Such</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> support
also gives students a big boost of their self-esteem. If you were ever in the
long list of students who needed to go home because of fees arrears, you know
what I mean.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This Franciscan brother demystifies the parameters of being
a change maker. When they say ‘it doesn’t matter where you come from, what
matters is where you are going’, they should add that; your hand-holder too,
really matters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Change making for me
is hand – holding. It’s not just about self but others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Being a change maker is prompted by the need to make
people’s lives easier and better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
about influencing people and more so changing policy both internally and
externally. It interestingly comes with little resource and capacity. More
often than not, it is harder than it seems.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Let me pose a few questions;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To what extent do you want to create change?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the change making journey, you have to strike a delicate
balance. You can’t be too specific lest you demand too much. In the same stance,
you can’t be too generic lest your demands are too vague and negligible.
Deciding the scope and perimeter of your work leads to two more questions;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Why I’m I the best person to implement this change?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Why should people pause and listen to what I have to say? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In further search of clarity about this change agenda, it’s
important to ask; is the need for change greater than the pain of change? Truth
be told, change is a painful process and people don’t
embrace it openly. It's a whole myriad of trust issues combined with the fact
that everyone will always ask, what’s in it for you? What’s in it for me?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Change making is disruption at its best. It's about
convincing people, understanding people, being empathetic and strategic. It’s
hard work where you need to research, find information for months if not years
before committing a single cent. Knowing that if your assumptions are wrong,
your solution is a smokescreen and needs to go back into the lab.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It’s about access on all fronts. Be it government or private
sector. Most important, change happens when collaborations and partnerships
happen. If you carry the burden, it’s your work to seek out these people and
incorporate them into the process. Networks are great agents in change making.
They are the sounding boards, the sources of finance and testing fields. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tools of change come in many forms. You have to find tools
that are affordable and at your disposal.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It’s a whole range of things this change. It calls for going
big or going home. The dedication and motivation goes beyond everyday financial
needs. Your business and personal practices need to be married to your change
agenda, otherwise the world will see right through you and call you a fraud.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Some of these change initiatives start out for selfish
reasons. You can see money at the end of the tunnel. These selfish reasons
light the fire but for the fire to keep burning, you need to critically think
of the people your product or service is targeting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I started Ecila Films in 2013, I selfishly wanted to
create opportunities for myself to tell the stories that were deep within
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That and the fact that no one was
breaking my door down for me to tell their stories. Six years later, I’m slowly understanding that I use content to
create change. I need to understand four things which I consider as drivers of
change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What is it I want to change?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Who needs to change with me?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Why should they change with me?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How do I get them to change?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As a storyteller, I’m passionate about conservation and
education. The driver for these two areas are derived from my teenage years; the
best experiences at Nairobi National Park as a ranger assistance and my struggle
to get through the 8-4-4 education respectively. In these two areas, I’d like
to inspire through spotlighting positive stories. I’d also like to inspire
change by showing existing inconsistencies that can enforce policy change and
at some point as an impact producer, be part of that change.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> </o:p><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">2019©</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">JoanKabugu</span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br /><br />
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Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-15466400804537553232019-08-02T13:49:00.001+03:002019-09-06T14:26:40.269+03:00Resilience | Leadership of Self 1 of 7<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TivVVe6riwzWTev_5_YguvMzCqNsWN496e3GSog8Mofe_gRDql9WI-Cs9s-WX95xFGgmySy3w4ElWeu5byP6-BIDR0xRTXWEcE3Wp4iIKZds5Zs6ZCuZ5DOG-AEEdXmlCsLCn6BDS8vA/s1600/2010+Influencing+Policy+and+people+-+Selfie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="664" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TivVVe6riwzWTev_5_YguvMzCqNsWN496e3GSog8Mofe_gRDql9WI-Cs9s-WX95xFGgmySy3w4ElWeu5byP6-BIDR0xRTXWEcE3Wp4iIKZds5Zs6ZCuZ5DOG-AEEdXmlCsLCn6BDS8vA/s400/2010+Influencing+Policy+and+people+-+Selfie.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Resilience is all about adapting to situations calmly without
throwing a tantrum. It’s an internal pursuit for balance so that your mental,
spiritual, emotional and social faculties are in synch. And what an endeavor in
this journey of life?</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Often, we’re
surviving when ideally, we should be thriving.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Thriving is not only about the ching ching, really. It
includes all the other aspects of life balancing together perfectly as if on a
hypnotist’s pendulum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that my
friends, is real hard work. That’s why overtime, we got to build some
resilience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">How do we do this? I was reminded a few months ago that a
balanced resilient life comes in a box of threes. One, a yellow box marked
PERSONALITY, another white box marked BRAIN and the last red box marked MOOD. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When it comes to personality, we all have the dominant
traits which largely define our personalities. I once took a personality test
and realized that as much as I’m an introvert, I also have a little percentage
of an extrovert that ensures that I’m not a social misfit. Yes, I will draw my
strength from being alone and in quietness; the best version of me will be when
curled up in a warm corner reading a book about the men who spent their lifetime
in Alcatraz and once in a while, I’ll find a friend and we’ll go out to watch a
blood gutting beautifully crafted movie. Then on a whim, the extrovert will
sprout and with a chosen tribe we’ll go out and climb mountains, dance our
hearts out and go for road trips. Whatever personality you are, balance is
paramount since you’re not going to get onto Virgin Galactic and go live on
Mars forever. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Whether in its alert state or in sleeping mode, the brain is
always running on innate power. It is always on the lookout to protect you from
any impeding threats. The brain is sometimes sadistic and hardly recognizes
when good things happen. Always in collision and competition with the heart.
The brain jolts when the world seems to be crumbling and serves as a great master
for self-preservation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overtime, it
exercises the power of making the unconscious conscious so as to be fully aware
and be able to direct our lives. It forces us to be active rather than passive,
face problems head on, find solutions and stop complaining. The brain is a
doer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For optimum functionality, the
brain relies on simple practices such as; sleeping for at least seven hours,
exercising for at least 10 minutes, finding points in the day for silence or meditation;
social interactions, laughing and smiling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Then there is the mood, which sometimes betrays us. It’s a
battle of wills lording over this monster and deciding how to be. The choice to
act and react is all us. We influence our moods directly, creating ripple
effects flowing over to those around us. A few tricks that get our moods in the
right framework include having an attitude for gratitude, choosing acceptance
over opposition, expanding possibilities through stories, reading widely and
discovering more about the imperfect world to appreciate our own world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></o:p><b style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Life is not fair, it will never be. But we can choose our
attitude in all circumstances. I remember<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">
</b>when I was trying to get a foot into the word of filmmaking, the hardest
hurdle for me was getting filming gear to tell the little stories in my head. I
remember applying for this accelerator program that gave startups equipment in
exchange for community service. My ask was small; I wanted lights and cameras
for the action. I applied three years in a row with the same ask and three times
I was shortlisted, interviewed then I was rejected. A resounding NO. I’d never
heard it that louder before. That rejection stung for a while but it did not
deter me. You see tears at the end of the day dry up and leave a salty residue.
You win some, you lose some. My master plan has always been to create
opportunities for myself and hopefully, someone will notice and acknowledge my
work. This approach has been a lifeline over the last 10 years. Life also has
its way of restoring itself to order. And surely, it always does. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Resilience is one of the seven reflections from my extended
time with Obama Foundation’s select change makers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Reflection No.2 Next week! Until then, strive for that inner balance and stay centered. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Picture archive - 2010, photo shot on going for a magazine idea 'Gfactor' - that idea never saw the light of day.</span></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">2019©</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">JoanKabugu</span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br /></div>
Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-50267623489581954022019-05-08T20:38:00.001+03:002019-09-06T14:27:09.853+03:00The Smell of Books<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwCHg78x1R4jxdhcSFcdkjTfAB4ilT-OYW5M_T-269qfgNlxKroISns8u64ov7P3cylRtzcdQbRpXdwpL4dGsQUuJOdlm-IF_TeyffDG6CfexNr7twshQ79jSLfDa6y4uovudhA29RHE-/s1600/CSC_0286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwCHg78x1R4jxdhcSFcdkjTfAB4ilT-OYW5M_T-269qfgNlxKroISns8u64ov7P3cylRtzcdQbRpXdwpL4dGsQUuJOdlm-IF_TeyffDG6CfexNr7twshQ79jSLfDa6y4uovudhA29RHE-/s400/CSC_0286.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Do I miss the musky smell of books? Sometimes. When the need
becomes visceral, I go to my old school collection put together in over 10
years. Exhale, inhale. That’s a fix that will last me more than a couple of
months. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As a little girl, I had this love affair with books. In
class 4, when I’d zone off from a lesson, I’d read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nancy Drew</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hardy Boys</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Moses Series</i> by Barbara Kimenye under
my desk. The pages would flip, one after the other jetting into my being. In a
matter of days, I’d finish one book and start searching for a new read.
Constantly, I was annoyed at my younger brother who would steal my books and
read them in tandem and finish a few days before me. That boy is the underdog
genius in the family. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s not even
start with my dad who would steal set books, read and give him unsolicited
analysis. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I discovered Francine Rivers while in college. My roomie
Elsie and I were so hooked, we’d trans-night reading the trilogy – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mark of the Lion</i>. We both finished the
three books in three days! (I might have overstretched that truth a little) Still a big fan of Francine to date. And Richard
Branson’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Losing my Virginity</i> is an
all-time favourite biography. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As the years weave in and out, the reading flair has gone
from a book a day, to a book a week, to a book month and last year I was at a
book in three months. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In an effort to rekindle my love for reading, this year I finally
bowed to the pressure of the Kindle edition. It’s mostly got something to do
with the fact that reading on Kindle is so good for my pocket. You get to read
three books for the price of one. I’m also a vintage millennial who wonders how
people are able to have 77 apps running on their phones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">While the Kindle revolution was happening<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>from within, I got drafted into a book club a
few weeks ago. Starting a book club in this city is like planning a trip to the
Maldives when you don’t have a full-time job and have to convince everyone that
you are not living for the gram … just in need a break from the real world ,
case in point, Kenya being trillions in debt (who will pay?). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I digress. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Joining this club has been a breath of fresh air. In under
two months, I’ve grown in leaps and bounds, read four books in record time and
I’m mighty pleased with myself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On a rainy Saturday morning, a close knit group of readers
are warped up in discussions about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Soar</i>
by T.D Jakes which I’d finished in three weeks. There was definitely the
pressure of the book club hanging over my head. Knowing that I couldn’t show up
and wing it without having read the book. Reading reviews online as back up
crossed my mind a couple of times but I soldiered on and finished the book on
the morning of the book-club meeting. This powerful read is an insight into how
you can be able to forget your insecurities and go for that business, that
venture, that dream. Knowing TD Jakes has experience in the film business had
me edging even closer to listen once I got the momentum. It set me on a path of
thinking about my number two in the wake of innovation and disrupting the film
industry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I finished the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Brief
Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao</i> By Junot Diaz in four weeks. Diaz’s style of
writing is so alive, peppered with slang and Spanglish. The footnotes of the
political times and the obnoxious leaders of the day in Dominican Republic makes it more
captivating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Man! You can’t ignore those
foot notes, they are satire redefined. I discovered Junot from his New York
Times short stories which have true bluntness. He wrote a naked personal essay
that was so gripping and still vivid in my mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Long Way Gone</i> by
Charles Martins took me two weeks. This one gave me the feeling of the raved Lady Gaga remake of the movie <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Star is Born</i>. The book is set in the music
industry world and there’s intense description of the different types of
guitars such as the McPherson which got me wishing that I could play at least
one instrument. His other book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Mountain Between Us</i>, which has since been made into a film starring
Idris Elba and Kate Winslet is also dope.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Nigeria o! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The shocker is when I stumbled on my fourth read, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stay With Me</i> by Ayobami Adebayo. I
finished it in two sittings, totalling to eight hours. I think it’s the relaxed
tone it’s written in; the way the point of view is split between the two main
characters Akin and Yejide whom the book revolves around. There’s a thing about
Nigerian art that is so authentic and rooted that many of us need to learn
from.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I’m super excited. My next reads;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">YES! the prayer God loves to answer</i> by Don Nori, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Year of Yes </i>by Shonda Rhimes, and Furthermore biography by </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Judi Dench</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (Judi
is M in the the 21</span><sup style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">st</sup><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> installation of James Bond) she’s got quite a
long career. There's also <i>Becoming by Michelle Obama</i>, this one i have to smell.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I’m looking for a fresh Nigerian fiction read to complete
this equation. Any suggestions?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">2019©</span><span style="color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">JoanKabugu</span></div>
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<!--EndFragment--><br />Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-22685552037796399022019-04-23T15:53:00.000+03:002019-04-23T15:53:52.492+03:00Muscles and Moustaches<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwnIkErv0VdMFKr1ekQae02A2q8EkBnhFyKIZjPx0t13sB_WKOInZaoMQDWcjWhaRt7PfEausUCWWRdWXTWnBSY4NUoyPlieypZD1BLKOiIZvUUd6n76ccHbUuKPxS0t8WL-EI9w00FW8/s1600/marcus-bellamy-1389773-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwnIkErv0VdMFKr1ekQae02A2q8EkBnhFyKIZjPx0t13sB_WKOInZaoMQDWcjWhaRt7PfEausUCWWRdWXTWnBSY4NUoyPlieypZD1BLKOiIZvUUd6n76ccHbUuKPxS0t8WL-EI9w00FW8/s400/marcus-bellamy-1389773-unsplash.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Do muscles make a man? Maybe. It depends on the context and the perspective, who gets to see them? That said, even for your choice of #MCM there’s got to be something more than biceps and triceps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What of moustaches and goatees? Beards with a touch of neatness always win. Yet, it’s not even that which truly makes a man. When words flow out of someone’s mouth, only then do we start making an impression. But is it a lasting impression? Doubt it, it goes beyond words.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Do sex conquests make a man? In some spaces it does mean a lot and it’s makes for great conversation among a certain caliber of men. Add to the conversation enough alcoholic content and its ratchet paradise. Far from giving substance to the entirety of manhood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This manhood thing, is it a matter of age? Let’s see. They’re 26 year olds who are ready for marriage, not because they have all their ducks in a perfect row or money making noise at the bank. More like they’ve found the map of their lives and identified routes to get there and conquer. There are also know of 46 year olds who are stuck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Is it true that behind every successful man there’s a woman? More often than not. It could be a wife, it could be a sister, it could be a mother or even an aunt. When you think about it closely, the opposite is also true. Behind every successful woman, there’s a man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Can you easily separate the boys from the men? Even intuition can’t see that far. You need to get beyond the platonic chats and get to the seismic conversation that will reveal something tangible, something uncanny, something unguarded. Talk is the cheapest. Actions speak louder. Lifestyle volumes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There are no right or wrong answers on this one, just facts synonymous to individual experiences. Their men who’ve stood by Christ and Christ has stood by them in the most chaotic upside down situations in their lives. I also have a brother and a dad who mean the world to me and at different junctures, in their lives, I’ve seen them rise high and fall low and remain indomitable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It’s an anomaly for Kenyan men to commit femicides and blame it on misplaced masculinity. To let it slide and pretend it’s another government scandal is evil. Rejection has been a risk associated with relationships for eons. Men are rejected, women are rejected. That’s life. It’s not an ideal world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This God-given life is precious and only God should have control. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Let’s also applaud the brand of good men out there. In the same stance also recognize that the murderers in our midst are few and far between.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">2019©</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">JoanKabugu</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">photo credit - unsplash.com</span></div>
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Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-62716454600563678982019-03-24T16:24:00.000+03:002019-03-24T17:46:15.949+03:00Heart of hearts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Uninvited, the sun seeps in seductively past the chrome curtains, to the white walls, and reflecting back to his face. As the rays dance in the room, an aroma of a banana bread arrests him from the kitchen. Today </span>is cheat<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> day. He gets to replace the green smoothie with a coffee. Sitting on the bedside, he texts his barber, ‘I’ll be coming in for an early appointment’.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Usually, he maintains a clean cut for a week, and a little scruffy look for the following week then gets a nice trim bi-weekly. It’s not exactly the trim day but he needs a good hair day. Today is a special Saturday. <span lang="EN-GB" style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He takes a long bath jamming to some old school rap by Eminem on his phone. The munchkins are finishing up on breakfast. He grabs his coffee in a customized ‘Hello Handsome’ to-go office mug, the missus’ way of marking her territory. The girls are getting impatient; he takes a bite of the banana bread then off they go. He starts with Ally, drops her off at <i>Ligi Ndogo </i>for her weekly basketball game then takes Marge, the youngest, to her aunt for her cousin’s birthday party.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Marge is currently in the blackmailing phase and before he leaves, she lands a big one on his cheek and whispers ‘Can I stay on for a sleepover?’ He replies all smiles ‘I’ll ask mummy’. She frowns, she asked mummy last night and mummy said no. He’s so onto her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">An hour later, he’s sitting at the barber’s all done, fresh and clean. He looks in the mirror. The ‘good hair’ confidence is supposed to check in in 3, 2, 1, 0…instead, a wave of anxiety hits. He’s nervous.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Driving back home on the traffic-free highway, he reflects. He remembers how growing up, having a family was the ultimate dream. Success to him was synonymous with a home to return to, a wife and children to call his own. To look back and see that he’s got that today, tears balance in his eyes. He’s grateful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The sweet sun slowly turns menacing as he pulls up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Standing in the middle of the living room, he looks around. The room has a fancy OCD symmetry. Plus, when they grow up the house doesn’t always look like it’s constantly under takeover by aliens from untidyville. There’s pin-drop silence in the room. His wandering eyes land on the framed black and white family photo. He picks it up and stares hard at each of his three children. Though he’s six feet tall now, Bram, the firstborn, hasn’t changed much over the years. ‘Except for that fancy haircut he’s preferred in the recent past since I stopped escorting him to the barber’ he thinks to himself, shakes his head and smiles as he returns the photo back on the shelf.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The missus is out doing fancy grocery shopping at the organic market. His taste buds have experienced a rollercoaster of tastes these past couple of months; from fresh broccoli to mushrooms, purple cabbage and cauliflower. He’s not complaining.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Walking towards the kitchen, he notices his hands twitch slightly. He twiddles his thumbs. The wave of anxiety hits again. The nerves, it’s like nothing he’s felt in a long time. Incomparable to waiting for his bride on their wedding day. She was late for a cool thirty minutes. Unlike her, a conscious OCD timekeeper. The <i>wamama </i>was <i>lesso </i>had taken her hostage until she pulled a fast one and blind-sided her god-mother auntie and got out through the back door. He indulges the memory in an attempt to self-distract. Just then, his stomach grumbles. ‘I ate an entire deluxe burger at the KFC drive-in along Ngong road, first time in months. I’ve been banned from eating those burgers. But there’s no telling her I did.’ He resolves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He gets his phone and speeds dial her. Maybe hearing her croony radio voice will calm him down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">How far?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Round the corner.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Which corner?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Near the coca-cola ka-shop.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What did you get me other than the green stuff?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There’s also purple and yellow stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Sawa.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Stop pouting..<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I’m not.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Got your favourite sweet banana – plantain.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yes!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Breakfast for the week.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Okay. Get here already.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Relax, everything will be Okay.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He opens the fridge and tries to find something, the banana bread. Bram must have finished it all. He rummages for a minute then gets a tub of caramel ice-cream. He adds a scoop into a glass bowl then a voice tells him to add three more scoops. He’s all smiles – feeling a little mischievous. He sits on the kitchen counter and with a sense of abandon, he starts to enjoy it as its calming effects move from his tongue to his entire body.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He’s busted on the fourth spoonful as she waltzes through the kitchen door. He likes the sporty vibe she rocks during her Saturday morning errands. You’d think she’s coming from the gym although she claims the routine is equivalent to a workout session. Today, she’s in a black vest and black tights. He is especially piqued by the flashes of neon green on her vest which she is matching with the neon green Nike trainers he bought her. She sets her <i>kiondo </i>with fresh organic produce at the corner, washes her hands at the sink then comes over and pecks him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You’re stealing the babies’ ice-cream!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Teenage babies.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">How many scoops are in that?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He shrugs…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Give me that.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Aren’t you off sugar?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Not right now.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After a playful scramble for the ice cream, a moment of silence elapses. She holds his hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We can do this. Okay? <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Okay, let’s go upstairs.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">They go down the corridor to Bram’s room, holding hands. They can hear the soft chords of Bram’s guitar. He must be taking a break from his self-taught animation projects. Bram’s artistic side is stronger than anyone’s in the family. They knock and enter. Mummy hovers around touching items around her son’s room. He steals a glance at her, and they lock eyes and it is written all over his face “We can’t do this. Not today” She sits closer reaching for his hand as he searches for words.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">‘Bram, your mummy and I have something important to tell you’. He smiles, that calm disarming smile they fell in love with when he was only six months old.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">‘Okay’, Bram says with confidence beyond his years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">‘So, uum…’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">His voice is breaking. The script in his head lost. The missus comes through as always leaning in to touch Bram’s chest, tears slowly starting to well in her eyelids’. He rubs her back gently.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“Bram, the girls…your sisters, I carried in my belly, but you ....daddy and I carried you in our hearts.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Bram hugs her, she hugs him, daddy joins in and it’s a special emotional moment right there. In a muffled voice, Bram whispers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">‘I love you both.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">2019©</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">JoanKabugu</span></div>
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Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-37045188623797473412019-03-10T08:11:00.000+03:002019-03-10T08:11:21.973+03:00Beyond Zero Marathon: Not Boarding!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLCHKpMhEF5aV83tPsTj1TqpFpi9opcr3WexVkQdgCDIJDlGMqW0gtbzzD3VurdjN98nfd5e_2wAKbk0syeyp9UYKzMZbJ9LIKYQoUXFpkbTMJpAmE2_jTv-D6P51miNVePuqdOYe8qlI/s1600/IMG_20190218_182513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLCHKpMhEF5aV83tPsTj1TqpFpi9opcr3WexVkQdgCDIJDlGMqW0gtbzzD3VurdjN98nfd5e_2wAKbk0syeyp9UYKzMZbJ9LIKYQoUXFpkbTMJpAmE2_jTv-D6P51miNVePuqdOYe8qlI/s400/IMG_20190218_182513.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Running in the evening is a love affair with the sunset, its warmth and fuzziness as the darkness seeps in under the forest. It also means that waking up early in the morning on that day was a project. And to think of running any other time in the day, in this sun-stroked Nairobi, is likened to slow-baking in a heated oven. I'm not a salted caramel cake, I'll pass.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So after missing my morning window, I did my regular 10k last evening which partly explains why I’m not doing the (First Lady) Beyond Zero half marathon today. But really, I had not prepared. Note: It is recommended you do a fairly brisk easy run a day before the marathon not a fully throttle run. Unless you are an elite athlete, If you over exert the body, the chopper that picks up fallen runners will come to your rescue and give you a free ride. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A few of my friends are challenging themselves with the 21km though. It’s a personal choice in the bigger spectrum of fitness goals. Running and gyming are siblings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thought of signing up a few times after seeing the registration desks at the Karura grounds for a couple of weeks then I convinced myself otherwise. I’m rather apathetic towards the cause.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I wonder about the success of mobile clinics five years since the launch. Maternal mortality is still on an altime high. Last year when I lost someone close, the reality hit home. More than ever before, I realize that maternal health in Kenya is so poor and childbirth is such a risky affair, it could happen to the best of us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Just the other day one brave man decided to smuggle his newborn child out of hospital. Sad state of affairs. I also watched a documentary that made my heart ache and opened my eyes to how ravaging healthcare inequality can be the world over. It’s called <i>Welcome to the World. </i>I'll refrain from placing a link, it's deeeeep. Find it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Overnight, I became those Kenyans who hate watching the daily news. Too much bad news. Too many billions missing. Too many political plays. Too many ugly, gruesome, bizarre parables.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Band-Aid solutions can no longer work for Kenyans. The revolution is bubbling under. 2030 is around the corner and Agenda 1,2,3 and 4 and still stuck in a rusty rut. The government of the day can’t do the bare minimum for its people; Food, Shelter, Education and Health. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I did a bit of reading and digging last night about the mobile clinics deployed to the 47 counties and I wasn’t satisfied. The impact in five years isn’t tangible. Why? Who knows? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My two cents on this one, if you say you want to do something in either education or health, you either go big or go home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I could close one eye and hope for the best, but no. Martin Luther King Jnr words are ringing and giving me a migraine; “<i>Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter</i>”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So yeah, today I’d rather go to church and worship. Pray for this beloved country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If next year Beyond Zero reports a more legit success scorecard in reducing maternal mortality, I will reconsider. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Heck, if that happens the marathon should be relaunched again as a full marathon and I’ll challenge myself and run 42km in the blazing sun for almost four hours. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On a happier note, I’m looking forward to the Kigali marathon in June. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">2019©</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">JoanKabugu</span></div>
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Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-11916003634226192242019-03-02T18:44:00.000+03:002019-03-10T08:11:35.406+03:00Final Destination - Tokyo!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Durban :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Have you watched that not-so-new show called <i>Money Heist</i>? A Spanish subtitled show has never been so dope. Lady ‘Tokyo’, the protagonist, actually got me thinking about Tokyo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Anyway, finally, I have the new East Africa Community passport. It took eight weeks, three of which I sat pretty waiting for the Immigration office to text me to no avail. I got it yesterday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It came in a brown envelope, which I tore upon receipt, had one look at my photo and I laughed, almost collapsed in stitches at Nyayo House. Seriously, those photographers need to take some basic photography classes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Looking at my crisp clean new passport which I hope to get stamped soon, I reminisced how I acquired my very first passport in 2008.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Since life is short and the world is wide, the sooner you start exploring it the better - </span></i></b><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Simon Raven<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was an intern writer at a conservation NGO advocating for the rights of Flamingos. As an intern writer, my Friday JD was to go out for a bird walk every Friday morning. I’ve repeated this fact severally; mine was a dream internship that belonged to someone else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This internship was my official introduction to film making but lemme backtrack briefly to the many jobs I’d done beforehand. I started working when I was 12; car spare parts salesperson at daddy’s shop, travelling theatre actress, popcorn maker, popcorn salesperson, singer for the university choir, student writer, intern writer, camera operator, editor, VJ, series story liner, freelance newspaper writer, series scriptwriter, screenplay writer, director, producer, top cat and founder of ECILA Films. Detailing this journey will be another article on its own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Back to the internship, my supervisor was globetrotting during the advocacy campaign and I was a tad envious but inspired. In readiness for wanderlust, I decided to get a passport. My supervisor saw the glee in my eyes and gave me a day off to go apply for one, it was not until 2012 that I got to use it for the first time. Talk of a four-year wait.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My first trip was down to the picturesque coastal city of Durban, as an emerging filmmaker at the Durban Talent Campus (the call for 2019 is out btw) combined with PAS Nantes. My little film <i>Madam Chief t</i>ook me there. The experience was remarkable; the opening ceremony was breathtaking, I met this feisty African American filmmaker with whom I got stuck in the elevator (a first, I’ve been stuck in elevators thrice since). We almost missed the opening film <i>Amour</i>, a film that made me love stories about old people forever. At the event, I also got a front row seat to watch the African premiere of <i>Nairobi Half-life</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In 2013, I took a bus to Arusha to visit a friend and discover Tanzania. In the same year, I also went to Luxor, Egypt, again with my little film <i>Madam Chief</i>. I met the acclaimed filmmaker Haile Gerima and got a masterclass on cinematography from the one and only Bradford Young. I remember his notes on how to film in low light and how to use shadows to portray dark skin beautifully. His films do that and more, majestic works of art. I’m a big fan of his collaborative projects with Ava Duvenay, <i>Middle of Nowhere </i>is my no1. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I also had a blast with <i>Nairobi Half Life’s</i>star, Joseph Babu, who was in attendance and the only other Kenyan at the workshop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In 2014, Zanzibar came calling. I went for a writer’s workshop for what became my first feature film, <i>Marikiti Women</i>, two years later. Back then it used to be called ‘Twilight Mamas’ – such a sinister exciting name that never saw the light of day. I met my Ugandan friend Pat and Biyi Bandele asked me to pursue the film I want to tell about my mother. I ate Zanzibar street food and caught a stomach bug, went to the beach and marvelled at the island’s architecture. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In the same year, I also went to Monrovia for work for the first time. I was privileged to film President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf during a state of the nation speech whose story I’d followed when she became the first female African president. I also discovered that politics has the ability to corrupt even the noblest of hearts. I met some of my closest international friends Julia and Vanessa from Germany and Nigeria respectively. I also got culture shock from our male roommate who brought a lady of the night to our digs. I lived to tell and write about it, I re-named him, Jean Pierre. It’s one of my best-uncensored stories (I censor myself a lot, who knows why), find it in my archives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Working away from home needs stamina and guts, I wasn’t ready. Maybe the work was hard. I came home with painful ulcers that required me to get a shot every other day for a while. I also had for the first time a massive toothache and eventually lost a tooth. Lost a tonne of weight too. One thing though, my skin was supple and glowing from Monrovia Humid air. I have this one picture from when I was screening my second short film <i>40gs </i>the week I arrived home, I can almost not recognize myself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">2015, I went to Kampala, Uganda for a workshop then later for work for an entire month in 2016 across Gulu and Moyo. I did not get a <i>sebo</i>, but I ate to my delight and recovered lost weight from the previous year. The pearl of Africa has a lot to offer when it comes to cuisine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">2017, I went to Accra for a videography workshop about work in the extractive industries. We made a short flash film about Akiyem, one of the biggest gold mines in Ghana. My highlight was meeting the chiefs. In their glorious regalia. We will be back!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">2018 has been the best so far. I did a Europa tour. I reunited with my friends Vanessa and Julia. The first night in Germany I had my first ever Cameroonian cuisine in Berlin. I proceeded to Helsinki and boy did we sightsee with Julia who knows how to read a map better than google maps (did <u>a little hidden video </u>recently <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f30lTeItnms">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f30lTeItnms</a> ). Later we went to Vaasa for Vanessa’s wedding and ate plantain and celebrated in music and dance. Back in Berlin, I went for a German play with subtitles and went up the Berlin tower where I caught up on the history of the iconic city.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The highlight has to be Johannesburg as a 2018 Obama Leader, an invite from the Obama Foundation. Representing my country, representing my company, representing the work I want to do in Baringo, in Machakos, in Kenya, in Africa through my work as a filmmaker, creating authentic African stories that will bring about dialogue and transform society (yep, that’s my elevator pitch). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">10 amazing years, eight countries and twelve cities out and about the world. I’ve learnt a lot through these travels, I’ve been forced to open my mind and appreciate people, their struggles and their choices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">God has been my anchor all through. Where will I go next, Tokyo? Who knows? If wanderlust is synonymous to making it then, mama, I made it!! Or at least I am. My dreams are beyond the skies. They are spheres in my life that I’m still working on, still striving…every day is a blessing, making it count.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-8275059988375472262019-02-23T14:32:00.001+03:002019-02-23T14:33:14.519+03:00Feet - rubbing twosome<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They don’t notice it but as the sermon continues they are feet rubbing, their toes doing a dance with each other. A nondescript habit that doesn’t really count for PDA. It’s reflex, they always cross their feet in converging directions and their toes always find each other. After a week of high heels and office apparel, open sandals from Maasai market, jeans, a t-shirt for him and a shirt for her, are the Sunday bests. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It’s middle age coupling. He’s looking forward to the kids leaving the nest so he can go play pool and darts at the local since he quit drinking way back. She, on the other hand, can’t wait to be sweet sixteen again and walk freely around the house in her body suit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Their story is atypical, at least his version. When she tells it’s a fairy tale peppered with mint and rosemary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was at his small sister’s wedding. He was walking around with a sign written <b>Owner of KCR 110 – come to the parking lot.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He finally found the culprit who had double parked and blocked the rest of the guests from accessing the parking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">‘You packed in the middle at the entrance!’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">‘Pole…no one told me that.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">‘But<i>si</i>you have eyes duh!’ He wanted to add but decided against it. No need to be petty. He found her a parking slot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Her left-right coordination was making the reverse parking process a nightmare and waylaying the other partygoers. She was now stalling him on purpose and he was getting impatient. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Let me park for you…otherwise we’ll be here for a long time...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">‘No! I can follow directions…’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Such arrogance, he thought. He was having a good morning and didn’t want to argue so he kept his peace and they did the ‘move left, <i>kata yote…hio sio left, kata nusu then </i>right….’ In another five minutes, she was safely parked and he scattered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He was the default wedding planner seeing that this was his younger sister who was the rebel of the family and everyone was happy to see her married off. The pretty black sheep had caused the family grief when she relocated to India for a year to remap her life and meditate at the Taj Mahal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the course of the much-hyped colourful Rwandese themed wedding, he found himself alone in the middle of the dance floor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The crazy Emcee had cajoled the men to come dance then asked their better halves to pick them from the dance floor. He and two others were stranded waiting for partners who were a no-show.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then she came swinging to the beat of the playing song and got him off the dance floor. At the parking milieu, he’d not even seen her fancy mono-chrome off-the-shoulder dress that had the perfect cut showing off her sculptured arms, only her short-box-cut hairdo stood out. Although he preferred it when women wore their hair long.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">‘When you come to these weddings, at least bring your sister or something’ she joked brightly. He rolled his eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">‘I have a girlfriend’ he said with a touch of rudeness. He didn’t mean it. She’d struck a chord.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She smiled and then someone started calling him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">‘Jamo! Jamo! Wamefika…’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He excused himself. The couple was one minute away from the venue after their photo session. He had to ensure that their food was ready and that the Isikuti dancers were set to usher in the couple in dance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Jamo spotted her a couple of times busting follow the leader moves that got the wedding party grooving – clearly the life of the party this one. The couple went around the little dance floor thrice doing very daring <i>chini kwa chini </i>moves that shocked the attending guests from their little known home village of Kiangai.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The rest of the wedding went pretty fast. It was 6pm and Jamo had the truck that was going to ferry the wedding gifts on stand-by. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once the cake was cut, he opted to help with the serving since the bridesmaids were taking forever cat walking in their six-inch heels. Then he saw her at the back row getting the pre-packed pieces which he avoids like the plague at weddings. He found himself matching towards her like a fresh-cake knight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">‘This is the real deal – 100% mint chocolate…’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She smiled accepted the large piece he offered ‘Thanks…’. He went ahead to serve the rest of it to the people in her row.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He was sipping on some water waiting for the whole event to end. A faraway headache threatening. He waited to see if she’ll stand up for the single ladies’ number. She didn’t. He was disappointed. After the final prayer, she rushed to her car. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Jamo had bailed out of the evening party but changed his mind last minute and showed up in his favourite <i>'you guy my guy'</i> jacket. He was on a mission impossible, then she didn’t show up. He checked his phone it was 2am, he was bored and ready to leave.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then his phone buzzed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">‘Hey Jamo, it’s owner of KCR110..it was nice meeting you…’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That text was it! The smoking gun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">2019©</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">JoanKabugu</span></div>
Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-4758298127469746252019-01-21T11:19:00.002+03:002019-01-22T03:21:24.381+03:00Walk on a Wire...Flourish<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I vaguely remember watching <i>Man on Wire</i> during a documentary masterclass a few years ago. A clandestine documentary film that follows the French man Phillipe Petit as he takes on the challenge. He illegally sets up a high wire across the once famed Twin Towers of New York's World Trade Centre. The idea is not just to lay out the wire but to walk across it's entire length. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyone else doing the Walk would be preposterous. Not Phillipe, he’s after all a professional high-wire arist. How grand, that such a career exists, such a breathe of fresh forest air. Fancy if I’d meet a man who walks across wires for a living in these Nairoberry streets. How would that convo go;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Me: So what do you do (the so typically Kenyan question)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Him: I walk across wires.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Me: Wires? Like tight ropes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Him: Kinda.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Me: And you make money doing that?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Him: Yeah, I do okay. It’s extreme entertainment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Me: Would you walk across a wire for me? (flutters eye lashes)</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Anyway, Phillipe walks across the wire and wows the world with the show. He is in cahoots with some insiders working in the building. He’s arrested by local police after the spectacle. The whole media milieu causes ripples and the cops not wanting to deal with the blowback of the publicity decide to let him go. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I've walked on a wire (winks). More like a tight rope - almost the same? No? We’d gone to Brackenhurst a prestine retreat facility for team building activities, conferences et al. Somewhere near the Limuru tea plantations with temperatures at the lowest lows romanticized with fog and light showers. In the course of the short stay we were to do a couple of team exercises one of which was walking across tight ropes.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I’m nowhere near being a javelin champion. All that I’m good at is running at the local forest which anyone can do really. Walking on tight ropes and wires is a whole new daunting experience. Even with the assurance that no one can get hurt. All the tight rope walkers are holstered by a power rope fastened to the waist of a muscled person on the ground.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For the challenge, we’re put into boy-girl pairs. The double adrenaline support much needed. My partner is Eric from Uganda and we prep for the walk by taking selfies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">Once the exercise kicks off, no one really wants to go fast or last. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">T</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">here’s a beastly beauty in going first at anything. You don’t have any qualms and the possibilities of excelling are endless, no one has been there before you. The beast about it, is that if you do make a blunder you are unfortunately the example not to follow. Yet at the end of the day someone will have to go first. Me and Eric are not the first ones.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I actually don’t remember who went first, I however remember cheering some new found friends. A petite Ethiopian queen and a lanky tall gent from Tanzania. Halfway through the walk the lady starts having a panic attack of sorts and is ready to throw in the chips. Her partner close by encourages her to finish the walk and amidst tears she does to everyone's relief and cheers.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When me and Eric are up, I'm trembling. Eric walks on first and I follow mirroring his walking style which I take as strategy. Accidentally I miss a step and swing downwards ready to fall. I clumsily hold on to the rope above and I’m able to get my footing back. Eric reduces his speed to give me morale, with my baby steps I make it to the end. Hurray.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">All the while the cheering squad is energetic wading off the fear of heights. At the end of the walk you get to slide to the ground in the most carefree manner, it's almost like sliding down a staircase. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You need to walk on a wire sometime soon. This is why (gets into preacher-mode)...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It’s risky yes, but a one-of-a-kind experience that will test your resilience. It will open your eyes to new horizons. Like cruising on that imaginary Harley, the wind in your ears, the very idea that you even took the first step to overcome your fears will reinforce the believe in yourself that you’d forgotten you had.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And if you are set mentally and physically for the walk, you’ll also have by the sidelines your strong partners, teams, cheerleaders and family. Little beauty in walking alone……<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Once you’ve walked the entire length of the walk. You won’t remember the slip ups or the near falls. All that will remain is that heady feeling that you made across.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Eyes on the prize. Down is not the place to look when you have convinced yourself to pull such a stunt. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What if you fall? You will cry and be disappointed for a minute there. But be gentle with yourself, failure does teach success. When another chance comes up, you’ll be shocked how fast you'l take up the challenge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Once you ‘Walk on a wire’, you can join me for a bungee jump sometime this year. I hear the one in Jinja, Uganda is super.</span><b style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">2019©</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">JoanKabugu</span><br />
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Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-54669203429745343542018-12-12T15:43:00.001+03:002018-12-12T15:45:21.999+03:00Time for Thanksgiving <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">December is one of those months when you wish you had a combination of VR and AI super powers and could be in four different places at once. An ability to traverse across time with ease and also clone yourself effortlessly - how would that look like?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The other weekend I was caught in a situation that required me to find a time-machine and travel across time and space. In the grand scheme of things, I’d have to create a blackhole in space, shift the cosmic to my liking and attend a baby shower, a fundraiser and a thanksgiving event for a teen who recently took part in the highly guarded KCPE national examinations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The events were in three different locations at the same time. Who knows, in another few years the concept of relative time will be real.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What to do? All three are important, courtesy of close kith and kin. I cast lots and decide to go for the thanksgiving event.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Enter Double A, a young boy who a few weeks back went into the wilderness in the countryside where rites were performed and he emerged a young man. This being the first of many rites of passage that will usher him into different spheres of manhood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">His family owns a sizable mini-market where I buy household items, groceries and other consumer products. He has a younger brother, Lil M. Once in a while over the weekends they help their mum at the shop; freely learning the concept of making money in their formative years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Today is D-day and he’s got a new haircut, and newish grey t-shirt, a pair of maybe new jeans - worn neatly (sagging is so 1990) complete with a boyish smile. As a quorum of guests trickles in he’s busy setting up dual entertainment on TV and YouTube. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What you fail to see beyond his cool demeanor is that he’s a little devastated with the outcome of the national exams. He scored 391 marks out of 500, a solid A-, it’s an excellent score but no. The national exams in 1998, in 2008 and 2018 have been a numbers game for teenagers, parents and teachers. Most of the young-ins are in a bind the entire Christmas holiday because of their scores and the high school they'll go to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It’s a small intimate party of nine adults, six toddlers and two teenagers. I’m not the life of the party, not by a long shot. Being there with the rest of his aunts and uncles meant that I was proud of him and the many hours he spent revising for the exams. Of all the commitments that were threatening to split me three ways, this is where I needed to be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">His mama is the typical Kenyan mum who knows that the essence of any party is chapatis, chicken and the one-litre sodas. Today she’s still on work-mode multi-tasking between the mini-market and the party. When we catch glimpses of her long flowing texturised hair she flashes a welcoming smile. You can tell by how she allows Lil M to rush off and avoid the shenanigans of the party that she’s learned how to balance mother, friend and disciplinarian in smooth helicopter-mode.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Once she has the menu laid out, the party officially kicks off and Double A hitherto entertains guests. His DJing skills are not too shabby as he mixes Maroon 5 and Sauti Soul.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Meanwhile cat videos play on telly. The toddlers are imitating, laughing and making cooing sounds which is now even better entertainment for the adults. It’s amazing how toddlers don’t understand the idea of self-censorship, being two years old is so underrated <i>yaani.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Looking at the two teens in the room, I’m envious of how oyster-like life is at the moment. They have entire oceans to jump into; to discover talents, get into the arts, take up the world of sciences or start projects that will set them up to become philanthropists of their time. Veni, Vidi, Vici kinda exploration. A discovery stage that is sweet and short.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Another four years and they’ll be thinking of college and the world will come calling with careers in robotics and gaming. In the course of the party, Double A makes a joke that he’ll one day be on Churchill show as a standup comedian, and why not? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As he bops his head <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>to the music there's a vibe about him that tells you he's got the markings of a promising young man. Maybe it's in how he takes charge of the event and says grace for the meal, introduces himself amidst making random jokes, helps the guests clear the empty plates, gives out the Wi-Fi password and jokes with his mum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fast forward to 2035, Double A will be in his thirties and if the pieces on the chessboard play out well, he will be among the crop of young Kenyans who will enjoy the shade of trees whose seedlings are still sprouting.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; text-align: justify;">2018©</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; text-align: justify;">JoanKabugu</span></div>
</div>
Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-20273291026012060842018-11-14T15:23:00.001+03:002018-11-16T13:20:11.021+03:00Homebound<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJOqRguOySzjG76w3Ny3mPyvDIMiBaEDKZpTpsXbLF3OqutsKUKF1V_wvmG4JrCqKflya_dz7OmrzUYx3TjJIZyTFwoyz-Pi3NxlWgSgFlf6Su041I_v7lIA0NZPhJrWCwT0duYqPQjfy/s1600/IMG_20181105_173524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJOqRguOySzjG76w3Ny3mPyvDIMiBaEDKZpTpsXbLF3OqutsKUKF1V_wvmG4JrCqKflya_dz7OmrzUYx3TjJIZyTFwoyz-Pi3NxlWgSgFlf6Su041I_v7lIA0NZPhJrWCwT0duYqPQjfy/s400/IMG_20181105_173524.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">'A home only needs three
things; a good rug, a good mattress and at least one good seat'. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Mine was once
just a house; a set of uneven walls of uninspired architecture. Maybe mishaps
of a blue print. A place to lay my head.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It’s nothing compared to my mother’s inviting home. It had <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">uteos </i>hang on the walls<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">,</i> in my native tongue we call<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>them<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
gitaruru. </i>Translates to ‘winnowing trays.’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When you live in a place for half a decade, things tend to
change. You get new inviting fuchsia-mustard curtains that sieve the aroma of
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">jirani’</i>s spicy pilau, the
invisible scent flowing from his kitchenette to my living room, leaving me hungry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The hand me down carpet is replaced by a newer rug that caresses the feet of my guests edging them to stay a little longer.
Then there’s the ship antique from maasai market that refused to sail to
another owner. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There's also the fella who was going to get us a big-ass TV.
The wait was real! We finally agreed that two screens can never be enough
seeing that at some point I’ll want to preview films in my own private cinema. Netflix vs Football fights are not fun. Picking those very
carefully ooooohhhh – in Nigerian dramatics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A handbill version of the Kenyan flag hangs alongside my
hard-drive cables at a corner work-desk. It keeps me optimistic about the Kenya
I’m building for the grandkids. Sweeping across the wall are memorabilia in
pictures. Those Kodak moments might be old school but ageless. One picture
reminds me of very humble beginnings, interesting how some people in my life still
propel me to fly, to overcome clouds and turbulence and land majestically. It’s my birthday in December and someone needs to get me that classic 12-in-1 photo frame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I’ve forged lasting friendships with my grocery ladies, my
caretaker and the hip Maasai watchmen. It’s so easy to talk to them. Everyday Nairobians however, ignore adele-like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hellos </i>for a living. Out here it’s free lessons in
standoffishness. If someone ignores you exist, you create a wand that makes
them disappear. There is also the spooky league who starts a tirade of
stalker-like hi-s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Once I double parked and accidentally locked this lady in
the parking. I was going to wake up early and sort her out. Only thing is I
didn’t know she was also up and about at 5:15am. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Sweaty from doing
500 jumping jerks at 5am, I come home to find 50 missed calls. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">When the parking mess is finally sorted she
calls me ‘selfish’ and eye-rolls me for the rest of the year.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Over time a lot has happened. A house on ground floor caught
fire last year. I was at work and two of my estate friends called me worried.
No one was hurt, thank God. A couch was however turned to char. Three years
ago, a girl in the opposite apartment, mid 20s was found dead locked in her
house, I kept asking our caretaker what happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I never got a solid answer but it was
suspected she’d had a cardiac arrest. Then there’s the caretaker that made away
with our rent money worth 300k. Twice during the water rationing era, my house
became river Chania and flooded after I accidentally left a tap on. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My only
relief though, I don’t live below any bed-breakers, that would
be disastrous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Two doors away there’s a tenant I’ve seen this entire time.
Guy got an interesting exercise regimen. Does the entire five flights of stairs
four to five times during the week combined with walks to the nearby mall on
weekends. Always says hello and we chitchat
for a few seconds. When I’ve been MIA he’ll take note and welcome me back home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The other Thursday as the year turned a new month, I was
feeling extra friendly and wanted to defy the fact that I’ve turned into a
typical Nairobian. We met at the shopkeeper’s buying milk and walked to the apartment chatting. Then it hits me, I don’t know his name or anything about
him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He jokes about being from the village and a pro at
milking cows. Mentions that he only came to the city for his studies and stayed on. From his second name I figure out which part of Kenya he hails from. Tells me that
January can never be an odd month for him, it’s his name. First person
I’ve met named Januarius.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-size: xx-small;">2018©</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-size: xx-small;">JoanKabugu</span></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-25144101875790675572018-10-24T15:46:00.000+03:002018-10-24T16:13:22.430+03:00The State Aint Loyal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdayBrtP7Jtr4y4r1_dIrspFkktoxsOBXeMoIeRHWog1d1E8NbjHFf0VrD1iR1WltPDNJuEy7ldUHzeOSeJ0mrBqWbCnGsH_UXpub1lU-RjOb93HNN-TcBevPW7PODEpuBfX2gOnQS50V/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-10-24+at+3.25.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="459" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdayBrtP7Jtr4y4r1_dIrspFkktoxsOBXeMoIeRHWog1d1E8NbjHFf0VrD1iR1WltPDNJuEy7ldUHzeOSeJ0mrBqWbCnGsH_UXpub1lU-RjOb93HNN-TcBevPW7PODEpuBfX2gOnQS50V/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-10-24+at+3.25.18+PM.png" width="372" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I fondly remember reading Whispers – Wahome Mutahi’s political satire column growing up. It’s what made me see through the smoke screen of this place I call home. I also remember reading how he was tortured for his literary work in the Nyayo House Torture chambers, there’s this scene where he’d been barefoot in water, hungry and thirsty for days; his feet were rooting. He started peeling the soles of his feet and putting them into his mouth.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When I think of dictators that scene comes to mind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Democracy or dictatorship? After revolutions in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, it seems our nations need much more than protests to be truly liberated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The other day I attended a film screening organised by Docubox for the film <i>Whose Country?</i>, a highly controversial documentary. Set in Egypt, capturing the occurrences of the first and second revolution. The film is seen through the eyes of a filmmaker who forges a friendship with a conflicted policeman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm nostalgic of my first time in Egypt. In 2013 attending a film festival. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In that one week a few month shy off Morsi being overthrown, as a tourist I experienced all the history of the Nile, the Pyramids, the Temples, the Mummies. The political climate wasn’t affecting excursions or the film festival.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Revolutions that only apply to a section of the population miss the mark. It means not everyone understands what’s happening. They are oblivious of the protest and more importantly of the mapping out of new strategies to take the state forward. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After 30 years of Mubarak he was finally toppled, Morsi came in with the Muslim brotherhood, only he was not as </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the one to take the country to a new dawn. He was ousted. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The film Whose Country? premiered in 2016 </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and was banned in Egypt.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">During the panel discussion after the film screened in Nairobi, one of the panelists defied the concept of patriotism. Being loyal to the state.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Is the state loyal to me? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You can only be patriotic to a state you are proud of. It’s a subconscious state of mind which creeps in unawares. In optimism I once was. Lately though, there’s a glitch, like a frowning smiley. When I attend regional and international fora I have to do these flash intros which I fuss over because I don’t want to forget something crucial about who I am and what I do and the difference.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Once I’m done with my intro, I go bummer! I forgot to say that I’m Kenyan and there’s no second round to set that straight. It’s subliminal, that three decades later the state needs to earn my loyalty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">2022 closing in. V</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">oting lines in the biting cold at wee hours of morning. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Whose country will Kenya be? I’ve voted three times in my adult life. Not one to abscond my constitutional right. The last two times, my presidential vote amounted to zero. The first time was a charm though, my presidential vote took the day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When I think of democracy, I think of Thika Road Superhighway. Small beginnings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I used Thika road as a kid to go to catechism classes when it was a little unknown road. When<i> matatu</i> fare was three shillings and it was a great day when I managed to duck the conductor and get a free ride. Imagine my disbelief when it was decided that “my” road was going to be an eight-lane highway. I laughed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I still live on Thika road and when I drive along the superhighway with the eight lanes I have a sense of pride, my vote counted. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The top man is the most important vote of the day. I have nothing to say about how our democracy has been panning out. Maybe it would fair to say that in the last decade Kenya has been topping Corruption charts we need a hit single to match </span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">unbwogable</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I’m not going to stay loyal to state just because systems are becoming automated. Don’t promise me paved roads, I already have a highway. How about we make access to basic needs automatic for all Kenyans. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Food – Surely droughts and Hunger can’t be a story anymore. Kenya is the melting pot of technology! Food commodities should be a priority, farmers should be a priority.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Water – Clean water for drinking in rural, peri- urban and urban area is a must. Water shortages and rationing for something that God gave us for free! It all needs to stop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Health – Proper Medicare and medical covers should not be for the select few. Doctors and nurses should never have to down their tools.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Education – Experiential quality education for all should be a reality with laptops and drones. Then please pay the teachers, they’ve been striking since the 90s. It’s 2018! Going 2019. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That’s my list, until then my loyalty to state is suspect. I remain loyal to individuals; people with flesh, body and bones not a spineless institution.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602919925560003069.post-74670798914119837882018-10-13T16:10:00.000+03:002018-10-13T16:31:04.725+03:00Marathons – Chinese Compadres <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It’s Saturday. The first alarm rings – SNOOOZE, then the second one follows in close succession - SNOOOOOOOOZE. Saturdays were created for sleeping in for glowing skin; what with all the talk on beauty sleep. Why am I awake at 6am?! So long duvet darling, I’m off to Ndakaini, Muranga County in Central Kenya. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I’m running the marathon for the second year running, pun intended. Marathons are addictive. It’s a competition with my alter ego’s shadow. The goal this time round is to beat my 2017 record of one hour 13 minutes. Maybe, I could turn up at the finish line having clocked 45 minutes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It’s a sunny morning drive and I’m building air castles as the road unwinds beautifully. I imagine myself an Elite athlete, going back to my living room three thousand dollars richer. Daaaaaaaammnnnnn!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I arrive and the first thing I reminisce about is how the hilly parches gave me a hard time last year. I can’t turn back now though, not my MO. Not sure my legs are up for hilly running, my knees are another story altogether, they are getting weaker by the day from years of adding extra salt to avocadoes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The guy who is manning the start-line keeps pushing us to the back of the line like we’re high schoolers going for a cross country race. Parked like kale in a bunch we all wait for the gun to sound. It feels like the pushing and shoving through jabs to enter into a matatu during Nairobi flash floods. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As we enter the first leg of the marathon, my playlist is intertwined to my body, all the music I’m listening to has been upgraded to 8D sound. I’m literary on cloud nine listening to gospel country, gospel hiphop and Eminem. I zoom past a couple of Chinese nationals and wonder for a minute if they have a stake in Ndakaini. Wouldn’t put it past them, stranger deals have been brokered. The Chinese are tough, none of them is wearing a hat. Sun have mercy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I forgot to mention that the 10km run starts at 10am. This is the time the sun is quickly chomokaing out of the clouds to offer all its grandeur. Like Karura, no canopy shade of trees to offer shade these side of the woods. I have my P-Diddy cap over a bandana and two coats of sunscreen. Melanin does succumb to sunburns you know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Second leg is the defining factor between the runners and the crawlers – wheat and shaff. The ones who will run the entire length, those who will hop onto boda bodas shamelessly. Worst still some will dare fake-faint waiting to be air-lifted. What I get to see is the tenacity of my Chinese compadres. We are inconspicuously each other’s pacesetters, our shadows slowly elongating and competing with each other in silhouette fashion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At the water distribution point I discover an entire delegation of Chinese fans and spectators. The local community has joined in and is the Ying to the yang, the Chinese cheering squad is on fire. They pass congratulatory messages too early to their kin some of whom pose for photos.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As we enter the third leg, I maximize on the Chinese photo-op as a chance to increase my pace and put real distance between us. I’m in full rival-mode, they don’t call me Joan ‘Cherono’ at the gym for nothing. Up ahead the Chinese vibe still lingers. You know those Chinese hats that are used for harvesting rice in paddles? Someone actually called them ‘Asian rice hats’. I see a fellow countryman rocking one and I can’t help wonder if he’s a rice farmer from Mwea. King-slayer all the way. I’m just trying to figure out the weight of the hat (it’s made of bamboo?). At this point of the marathon, everything is starting to become dead weight. My system rejects any more water. Sweat is dripping off of me like it has been raining, and times like this I fully understand why I see people running in sports bras and shorts on Ngong road as if we are in sunny Cali. My pace must be dropping as I see the Chinese compadres zoom past me in a heartbeat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The fourth leg of the race is maybe at 6.5km and there’s yet another Chinese delegation of fans this times with the crimson flags. Check this out, they drape the flag sexily on the shoulders of the female runners, I think they also record a short video and a speech. I let them be. So long friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My energy is bailing on me as we go up a never ending hill. I’m forced to stop and catch my breath three times. I hate stopping. Why do I feel so fatigued? Off course I know what ails me. I’ve been sleeping for five hours five nights in a row the past week. Work combined with Netflix (for inspiration, surely, I’m allowed, <i>Gaga; Five Foot Two </i>a docu about Lady Gaga is a good one…who wants to go watch A Star is Born?), on the eve of the marathon I arrived home late from a work trip in Machakos, ate a not-so-healthy meal from Galitos and topped it up with a soda. The only healthy thing I did to prep for the marathon was drink my three litre daily intake of water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Entering the final leg of the marathon, the going gets tougher. The last two kilometres the mind is playing tricks. You see the finish sign from afar only to reach there and realise it’s the start sign from earlier. I’m glad that even the Chinese compadres share my sentiments. One of them collapses and sits unable to go on. Guess who appear s from the Ndakaini bushes. Yep, yet another Chinese delegation which cheers her on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Many of us run the last stretch heaving. Finally, the finish banner is in sight. I’m ahead of the Chinese delegation thank god, I finish 43<sup>rd</sup>and the Chinese closest to me finishes 46<sup>th</sup>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Walking back to the parking lot, I conveniently forget my rules on eating roadside fruits. I eat pieces of pineapples, an orange, a piece of water melon and hassle the guys giving out water for four bottles. There are some young-ins staggering about with cans of beers using the marathon as an excuse to get wasted in midday heat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If only I could teleport home. I’d sleep till next year’s marathon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: Unsplash.com</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">2018©</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">JoanKabugu</span></div>
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Joan Kabuguhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995722235597769765noreply@blogger.com0