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  • Kangai 11:54 am on December 21, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

    Taking stock of 2009… 

    It’s been quite a while since I last wrote anything here. It’s been a tough three or so months, but I’m glad that I’ve found some time to take stock of this past year, in preparation for 2010. This is the first part of a three-part series that I’ll do before 2010 that’ll help me (and maybe you) understand where I am in this journey called life, and figure out a path to follow for the future.

    I’ve been putting off this exercise for a while, uniting with millions of procrastinators worldwide who hadn’t found the time to look back on what succeeded and failed in 2009. But I’ve found the time, and I even found a template from http://writingherlife.blogspot.com that I found while flipping about the internet looking for a cool way to share my achievements with the world.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

    Learned how to really forgive, although it’s still a process.

    2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

    The end of 2008 was really difficult for me. I didn’t have the peace of mind to come up with even one resolution. But I think I’ve come to detest resolutions. They provide a certain level of excitement that can’t be kept up after the third week of January. I can’t even remember what they were, if there were any.

    3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

    YES! My former mentors Cindy and Leo have a cute baby girl… I just saw the Maranga’s cute newborn son yesterday… the Mbugua’s too have a baby boy… very cute…

    4. Did anyone close to you die?

    No, thankfully.

    5. What countries did you visit?

    None, although I plan to change that this year. Thanks, Chris Guillebeau, for giving me the sike (Swahili slang for excitement + energy + encouragement + exuberance + courage…) to go for my own personal visit-all-the-countries-in-the-world goal.

    6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

    Excellent health, no stress!!!, more time with my sisters and brother, more me-time, more time with close and real friends, and more Jesus n’ me time…

    7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

    October 07- our third anniversary
    September 25- my mama’s and his mama’s birthdays
    December 11- my last exam… ever

    8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

    finishing my undergraduate degree! WOOHOO!!!

    9. What was your biggest failure?

    One of them was not getting myself into a regular exercise routine again.

    10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

    Persistent migraines and a few allergic reactions, all due to stress.

    11. What was the best thing you bought?

    More makeup!

    12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

    My main man’s- he reminds me of a strong tree with roots so deep that it doesn’t break or fall over even in gale-force winds… I learned allot from him this year including #1.

    13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

    Too many politicians to name…

    14. Where did most of your money go?

    Transport (to and from school) and makeup…

    15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

    Working on film sets, finishing school, planning my life after school, moving out and saving for investment, retirement and giving.

    16. What song will always remind you of 2008?

    Actually, Beyonce’s entire album reminds me of 2008- I am Sasha Fierce… It’s what’s encouraging me for 2010 too!

    17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer?

    (a) happier; (b) I prefer to call it “thicker, more voluptuous and more goodness to go around”; (c) N/A

    18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

    Exercising, reading and writing

    19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

    Wasting time doing stupid things

    20. How did/will you spend Christmas?

    Not in shags, I can assure you. I’ll spend this Christmas with the people that I love…

    21. Did you fall in love in 2008?

    Still in love… although the new Mitsubishi Lancer kinda stole my heart too…

    22. What was your favorite TV program?

    N/A- I didn’t watch much tv…

    23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

    No hateration here. Just mad mad love… takes too much energy to hate someone.

    24. What was the best book you read?
    Both books by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Rich Dad’s Guide to Real Estate Investing

    25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

    …can’t think of a single one…

    26. What did you want and get?

    More makeup!

    27. What did you want and not get?
    Disciplined living, more happiness (more than I have right now- allot happened)…

    28. What was your favorite film of this year?

    Apocalypto- ok- so it didn’t exactly come out this year, but I finally got around to watching it…

    29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

    I spent the day in school (YAY), and spend the evening being appreciated by my parents and boyfriend… I turned 26.

    30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

    2009 was an ok year, mainly because it was personally, emotionally, mentally and physically taxing. I guess sticking to my physical goal would have made this year more satisfying. I gave up too soon…

    31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2000?

    Student-wear… although I’ve a couple of hot suits in my closet, and fabulous shoes too… I guess I was relaxed, yet had the ability to punch up my style at a whim.

    32. What kept you sane?

    My JESUS! My parents and my man.

    33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

    Beyonce! Of course!

    34. What political issue stirred you the most?

    The drought in Kenya, and how it was handled before and after the fact…

    35. Who did you miss?

    My siblings- they’re all in the States, and I really miss them. Also, my best friends Rachel, Mercy, Njambi, Brandon…

    36. Who was the best new person you met?

    Wow! I can’t think of anyone… I’m more introverted, very careful of the people I keep close to my heart. But I must say that Lucille K., Dan Muchai, Dr. Sule, my entire Life Group especially my prayer partner Joyce Karanja, and a slew of other peeps were the coolest people I met this year.
    37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

    I learned and understood why discipline = success, although it’s a life-time process. I know that it’s said out loud quite allot, but it’s not really practiced, and consequences are not meted out for failure, as they should. Thanks Dr. Sule.

    38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

    I’d rather quote a bible verse… Actually, just read Isaiah 54…

     

  • Kangai 12:06 pm on July 30, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

    By Seth Godin 

    This is dedicated to Royal Media Services, owners of companies such as Citizen TV and Radio, and many others. Hope it makes a difference to you, wherever you work.

    *Re-posted with Seth Godin’s permission. This is his most recent post, as of July 30, 2009 3:00pm Kenya Time.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    “All I do is work here”

    Over the past few months, I’ve had quite a few interactions with several people who work at a (previously great) brand.

    One person will email to ask me for a favor or a connection, and I’ll point out that just yesterday, I got three emails, all spam, from three different people at the organization either selling me something irrelevant or sending me a press release I didn’t ask for.  And the unsubscribe button doesn’t work. And I’ve unsubscribed ten times before. When I pointed this out, he said, “Oh, that’s those guys. I’m not related to them, all I do is work here. If you don’t like getting that stuff, you should take it up with them.”

    Then, a few days ago, I heard from someone in a different group at the same company, asking for help with a project she was working on. I explained that the last time I helped someone in her group with a project, I was misquoted, my time was wasted and they violated whatever trust we had. Susan said, and I’m quoting precisely the same line, “All I do is work here. They pay my salary, but I’m me, not them.”

    No, Susan, you are them.

    The reason your brand is falling apart is because so many of your colleagues are saying the same thing, denying the same responsibility. Consumers don’t believe (or care) that there are warrens and fiefdoms and monarchies within your company. All they know is that you leverage that brand name every day, as you have for decades, but now, instead of using that brand to polish your reputation as an individual, you’re being forced to accept responsibility for the actions of others.

    Do you really think someone who worked for Bernie Madoff will go far with this line? “I’m not Bernie, I just worked with him every day and took a great salary when times were good…” Not sure what the difference is. It’s even worse in your case, because you know what’s happening. You know, but you don’t want to do anything about it.

    If you’re not proud of where you work, go work somewhere else. You don’t get the benefit of the brand when it’s hot without accepting the blame of the brand when it’s wrong.

     

    • Sam 11:19 pm on August 6, 2009 Permalink

      Hi Kangai,just stubbled upon your website through Chris Guillibeau website.Guess i like what you are up to and doing.Give me a hit @ my mail;sam@africascopesafaris.com for mare tete a tete.

      If you don’t believe in status quo that is;Don’t conform!
      Cheers,
      Sam,Nairobi!

  • Kangai 8:07 am on May 14, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

    If you’ve got a job, check out Jordan Chark and Ideo 

    One of my friends in school is quite brilliant. She’s young, highly motivated, gets straight A’s and holds down a full-time job. Everything is going quite well- according to her master plan.

    This morning I found a blog (randomly) created by 15 year-old Jordan Chank- a resident high-school student in Canada. Jordan, through the power of New Marketing (the web and all its bells and whistles) has created a platform where he can experiment with niche markets, build his brand and make some extra cash on the side (extra being around $10,000 as a consultant). He’s a programmer, linguist, consultant, web designer, coder, photographer and physics-buff.

    The world is growing smaller and smaller, as globalization takes a stronghold. Having a job nowadays is not an end in itself. It actually is the end.Why? Because being simply employable and having the basic skills required for the job is one of the greatest dangers that you face.  Because once you’re employed, chances are that you’d work very hard to remain employable, especially in this age of retrenchment. Staying under the radar and not working to do something remarkable is the bane of many Kenyan employees’ existences. Having a job and standing out is a paradox in and of itself. And that’s what’ll get you retrenched.

    So do what Jordan did. Work on branding yourself, on writing, on learning Nordic languages (he’s proficient in two), on traveling, on learning C++, on investing and saving… Build yourself into something more than just an easily replaceable commodity. How? Just as the world is my oyster, Google can be yours. And just because you’re so cool, here are a few resources you can use. This post also goes over a few.

    Resources

    1. Track your money through mint
    2. Download the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People In Context
    3. Wanna learn Japanese? Chinese? Hungarian? Teso?
    4. Post-graduate degrees can be financed rather easily even for internationals (thanks Doreen for the heads up!) More scholarships can be found here!
    5. 10 Blogs and One Site that will boost your happiness!
    6. Get Rich Slowly, and make some money while you’re at it.
    7. Learn how Chris travels all over the world for an average of $340 per flight!
    8. Need some inspiration? Read Mariatu Kamara’s story- The Bite of the Mango or check out 1000 Awesome Things.
    9. Build your résumé and post it on the web for everyone in the world t see (let me know if you need any help coming up with yours!)
    10. Play Monopoly, read a random blog, or learn a new skill like knitting, deep-sea diving, public speaking or Setswana.

    As Seth mentions in Meatball Sundae, “the number of individuals trained in human factors, mechanical, electrical and software engineering, and in industrial and interaction design (all at once) is small indeed. And that’s the skill set leveraged by Ideo.”

    FYI: Ideo is the world’s best design company.

     

    • Jennifer 9:15 am on June 18, 2009 Permalink

      Hi Kangai,

      Ati that ka 15-yr old toi already makes his own serious chumes??? You didnt specifiy whether it was daily, monthly or weekly though.

      thanks for the info esp the mint website. I’ve been trying without success to d/load expensr but this will do as well.

      Ati

  • Kangai 1:31 pm on May 8, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

    Whistling in Bass- a remarkable ponderation 

    Pucker, finger, bootom-lip, hand, throat, teeth, roof or palatial... there are so many ways!

    It seems silly to think about it, but I recently wondered whether anyone could whistle in bass. No high-pitched trills, no middle-ranged calls. Just simple, deep bass tones whose vibrations would send tingles down spines and cause girls’ nape-hairs to rise ever so subtly. But honestly- what would the challenges be? If you could overcome those challenges, what new worlds would be open to you? Where would you go? Who’s albums would you collabo with (think Akon meets Kamaru)? Which babies would you scare with your scrunched-up face focusing on producing low notes through tightly pursed lips? Which lover would you melt with your renditions of James Brown/Tim Storms hits?

    On the plus (and very attractive) side- you’d be on the same level as Swiss yodellers, Andrea Bocelli, Dolly Patton or Britney Spears. You’d be on the road 46 weeks of the year, you’d rack up a couple million frequent-flyer miles, and you’d make your village of Kanyuambora quite famous, just as another famous man did for his Kogelo hometown. And if Mavuno’s resident bassist (Benja- you know who you are) works mighty hard to develop this skill, there’s no wondering where it’ll take him, and by extension- the church! Benja- this could well be your calling! Ponder over it for a while.

    And think about all the other uses of the much-overlooked whistle! And now- in Bass! You’d be in demand in so many industries- communicating with aliens, deep-sea diving with whales, cow-whispering, coaxing cats from tall trees… Oh the possibilities. And think about all the competitions you’d be eligible for. You could enter the Feadaíl Irish Whistling Competition where you’d go head-to-head with past and present champions like 2003-2007’s Aníde Uí Bhennéis, whose County Limerick swayed audiences, boggled judges and made little puppies whimper in delight. How cool would it be if Benja “Umevunwa” Bassman or Boris “Mike not Makena” Mbeizz Kutoka Muthya won the title of Irish Feadaíl 2009? That would put us on the map for something other than skinnily sweating it out over 26 miles.

    And did you know that the historic city of Louisburg, North  Carolina,  USA, is the world’s whistling capital? They even have a National Whistling Convention every year! How cool would it be to head to North Carolina every April to participate in “Happy Whistler’s Week”, compete against other American whistlers, take breath-control classes at the International School for Whistlers and generally shatter the international misconception that Africans live in trees and eat wild berries for lunch? (Don’t they know that their ambassador lives in the big acacia down the street, with monkeys as their ever-present neighbors? And they call us primitive!) Benja- you could show them a thing or two, being the only African bass whistler… ever! Plus each contestant gets a handy little downloadable guideline!

    Question- what’s your companies whistling range? Is there one so remarkable and unforgetable that everyone who sees/hears/touches/smells/tastes it is amazed and blown out of this world?

    Answer- hire or incorporate your own Benja “Umevunwa” Bassman.

     

  • Kangai 2:07 pm on May 5, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

    Happy Birthday… to my big bro and sis… 

    So, my three siblings enjoy birthdays within one month of each other. Bro- March 29, Sis- April 6, Sis- April 25.

    And somehow, I forgot to send TWO of them birthday poems. So here they are in al their glory. Love you guys!!!

    Note: my other sister’s is here.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~

    To the Sister down under…

    Kangaroo Birthday Fight

    Birthday dream I had last night,
    Kangaroo was in my sight,
    Charging in with all his might,
    Unavoidable boxing fight.

    Surprised me with his long-legged flight,
    Reached, enormous long-legged height,
    Smiled and quick- revealed his bite,
    This created all my fright.

    Weakened muscles were too tight,
    My chances were truly slight,
    Internal resistance to incite,
    Grasped, conclusion of polite.

    Suddenly, to my true delight,
    Victory! A birthday gift in sight,
    Kangaroo began his flight,
    To the rescue came the night.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~

    To the Bro up over…

    Young at Heart

    Happy birthday young at heart,
    So many decades, where to start?
    With energy, like that pink bunny,
    You make us look lazy, that’s not funny!

    Never-ending old school ways,
    Filled with stories, to Amaze!
    Listening has been lost with age,
    You belong on theatre stage.

    If you manage to forget,
    We’ll remind you, don’t you fret.
    Happy birthday young at heart,
    Smile with joy, you old fart.

     

    • Neva Mwiti 5:52 am on February 8, 2010 Permalink

      FUNNNYYYY!!!!!! & so sobbingly, heart wrenchingly LOVELYYYYYYYY!!!! (Your sis down under!!)

  • Kangai 12:32 pm on May 5, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

    10 Minutes 

    It just took me 10 minutes to complete a powerpoint presentation for some pretty big people in government.

    Time is of the essence. How much quicker can you get things done if you just… do it? Now?

    This was a revelation for me too.

     

  • Kangai 9:26 am on May 4, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

    Chris Guilleabeau, GTD, Steven Covey and Life Goals 

    I’ve taken the past two or so weeks to review my immediate, short-term, long-term and life-long goals. To say the least, my list has grown e’er so exponentially that I’m overwhelmed and excited- I’m anticipating the ride.

    To get things going, though, I had to be jolted from a small mental captivity, if you will. But I did it, with the help of these (and many more) resources. I claim no creation or authorship of these resources. Just a deep admiration and thankfulness.

    I’ll keep adding to this list as more resources come my way.

    :-)

    Happy goal-ing!

    ~~~~~~~~~~~

    1. The Art Of Non-Comformity by Chris Guilleabeau (and the cool resources on his site)
    2. GTD theories (that may be strange at first, but I try to learn something from anything and I think you should too)
    3. Steven Covey and his lovely books- First Things First, Principle Centered Living, 7 Habits and The 8th Habit
    4. The Beginner’s Guide to Zen Habits by the coolest Guamese dude ever (are they called Guamese?)
    5. 100 Pushups, 200 Situps and 200 Squats
    6. Billy Blanks (who knew he was a Christ-filled, buff, sweaty trainer?)
    7. NaNoWriMo and Write to Done (for those of you who need inspiration to write)
    8. Work from home, away from home or even in Angola… or Bolivia…. or Cape Town… or Durban… or in the Emirates…. or in India… or Japan… you get the idea.
    9. Eat sandwiches and be healthy… Some ideas and inspiration here
     

    • Dan 10:50 am on May 20, 2009 Permalink

      For implementing GTD you can use this web-based application:

      http://www.Gtdagenda.com

      You can use it to manage your goals, projects and tasks, set next actions and contexts, use checklists, schedules and a calendar.
      A mobile version is available too.

  • Kangai 10:37 am on April 30, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

    Kenyan women ban sex for a week, and give boost to prostitution 

    Ok- so that’s my own headline, but it’s true.

    Kenyans have been going through a lot of stress lately. The economic crisis is finally hitting us, prices are increasing, retrenchment is the buzzword of the day and our politicians are decreasing the overall intelligence of the average Kenyan.

    Our politicians have spent a few weeks debating on who’s power and influence should be greater, rather than implementing the changes they promised over a year ago when the coalition government came into power. These and other petty arguments have literally been the straw that broke the camel’s back, or in this case, the backs of their spouses who have been encouraged to stop rewarding their husbands with sex for a week. I am innately embarrassed to be a Kenyan woman, and for the next week I’m claiming Macedonian citizenship, or even Zimbabwean.

    First of all, our current government should not constitute a reason to sacrifice sex for change. Would you sacrifice the pleasures of your marital bed for a government that let 10 million people starve? That have been bickering about the content of agendas, rather than implementing them? That were responsible for the deaths of over 1000 people and the displacement of 100,000? That don’t even pay taxes on their fat salaries? I don’t think so.

    Second- is banning sex the most effective way to get our leaders to change? It has been tried before with stunting and surprising results (for the women, at least). As they say, you attract more flies with honey, not salt-and-lemon water laced with don’t-you-dare-touch-me-for-the-next-week-or-I’ll-scream! Wouldn’t it be more effective if we all, as Kenyans, just quietly ignore our politicians? Just stop listening to them and affording them the priviledge of our limited time and attention. Just like a screaming, tantrummy boy- slap, kick or beat him in the hope of discipline and he rebels. Ignore him while finding something else that’s more interesting and he comes crying for forgiveness, willing to change.

    Third- from what I’ve heard, sex is fun. It’s meant to be, and men will find other fun releases for their desires. We claim to be a country based on Christian principles, with foundations in biblical truths that never change. Sex within the confines of marriage is biblical, and denying a man in this way is a recipe for disaster.

    Fourth- have these women thought about the repurcussions of their actions? This is not a have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too scenario. It’s a have-your-cake-and-you-probably-will-never-have-it-again scenario. The surprise of a lifetime will unveil itself when these women return after their week-long fast to find men who will not desire to make babies with their wives.

    Fifth- these women are also working on a plan to pay prostitutes not to have sex for the week. In all honesty, and with the chance to capitalize on the daftness of the Women’s Development Coalition, no payout should be enough to make them stop. If they are wise, they’ll figure out that they can hike their prices (since demand would probably increase) making a tidy sum while promising the Women’s Development Coalition that they will not engage in sex. Prostitutes aren’t known for their morals anyway. Double the money, double the fun!

     

    • Livi 10:52 am on September 28, 2009 Permalink

      you said it.

  • Kangai 8:06 am on April 24, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

    It helps… 

    …to be nice. It’s something that I’m trying to teach myself every day, with varying degrees of success. I hope that my efforts have increased general sunshiney-ness in the lives of my family, friends and colleagues.

    Sadly, the News Editor at a leading radio station doesn’t like spreading cheer. Below is my attempt to display one of my desires to read the news… on radio. I thought I was nice.

    picture-11

    Being nice only takes three extra seconds of your time. My ignorance of the process is not an excuse. I’ve had my share of not being nice to other people, and I’ve learned the hard way that it only works against you. Sometimes it’s called for, especially if you’re facing a critic, or an idiot. In this case, I felt like the idiot. (I didn’t know that they require a demo, which in retrospect presented a fabulous *duh* moment for me). This response only encourages me to take my budding skills and attention elsewhere, like the TRNSMSSN show coming up soon.

     

  • Kangai 2:10 pm on April 15, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

    Right now… 

    … I need healing.

     

    • Faye 7:59 pm on April 15, 2009 Permalink

      Hey Kangai, I’ve thrown your name into the prayer hat. I hope everything is okay! Take care.

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