KENYAN BOOKS

Are Kenyan books good reads? This is my 150^th post on blogger (just saying and am a tad proud of it). I now have two Kenyan books under my cap since the begging of the year (sic). All published by Kwani?. Apparently Binyavanga Wainaina features prominently in mentorship by the two authors of the books withal. Kenya literature is past its nascent nappy stages of growth. The testosterone levels in writing are improving albeit much cannot be written home apart from the fact that we still adore the colonial literary behemoths in matters penmanship like the legendary Ngugi wa Thiong'o and Micere Mugo. If our mainstream media especially the dailies are anything to go by in terms of media coverage and mention. Plus they lecture in universities USA, a plus because Kenyans revere so much those who have made it in the west. Say an African weakness.

I will actually buy a book by the latter because she actually has this flawless goddess image when it comes to the literary scene in Kenya and because I have always taken for granted the notion of reading her previous works because of some unfathomable primal. Again which I have no clue about.

Actually, the books were good reads (those that I bought). I am planning to buy more books and ad to my library that I hope will inaugurate a series of works in immaculate condition and crisp so that there are no defects on the book or pages in the near future. How will I achieve this filial overture? I have a salary for heaven's sake. I will prorate a small portion of it to quench my reading thirst. Again it is not easy to get that someone I currently know of who has Kenyan books (lots of them) I can exchange the few books (read two) that I have.


This is the point I remind myself that I need to get out of the cocoon and reduce the introversive nature in me which is full of contentment but still inebriated to maintain my selfish status quo.

Going to buy the books was one of the decisions I had made last year. Whereas I have been postponing the purchase, I finally had the nerves to purchase them two weeks ago on a lousy Sunday mid-morning when I was feeling bored and the couch pastors on local telly were somehow not assuaging the nervous me to sit down and watch the sermon that would have had a spiritual impact on my already fragile amend with the Greater Spiritual Being.

I decided to leisurely foot to make it to the supermarket that sells books because taking a matatu would have instinctively meant I was not going to ponder on the state of affairs in the hood. I realized so much has changed within the little time that I have been tacitly absorbed by work, school and returning back to the house as my wonted. My current salary though cannot afford me a getaway from the city or dining in one of the ritzy restaurants serving gourmet cuisine which I will be eager to sample if matters go well with this beautiful girl who makes my heart skip a bit when I think about her (is this just infatuation or lust). I am complaining inwardly but things are looking up and they will ultimately turn rosy eventually.

On arrival at the supermarket, I was tempted. My initial intent was to procure a single Kenyan book since I was under the impression that one was retailing at Ksh.1000 but luckily, I found two which I settled on. Eve Kasaya's "Tale of Kasaya" and Stanley Gazemba's "The Stone Hills of Maragoli." Settling on the two books was not easy. I had heard of Stanley Gazemba. I initially had no idea on which book I was to buy actually. Still I just wanted to buy a Kenyan book though I had this notion that most authors are novices with their lingo and attribution of their works would be a little easy if not disappointing or full or inadequacy. When the two books turned out to be just slightly above the initial budget I had projected, I was salivating. My fingers were having this powerful feeling of fondling the books that had gathered dust on the shelves, a clear indication that they were less prestigious or in other words they were louche. I love the font used for publishing the books. It was just wow.

But there was an even better offer. It turned out that three books were retailing for just Ksh.1000. They were Western literature by big names all the publications being best sellers. And the way I LOVE how those authors are able to ingenuously tell stories by keep someone in suspense and creating flow that keeps makes you want to clutch on the edges even if you are feeling very gauche.

I pondered over the next available move but stuck on the initial decision. Buying Kenyan books which I did not find in the usual location where they had been placed the last time I went to the supermarket. They were hidden in my opine, because for the untrained eye with no fetish for books, one would even wonder that the same were in existence if you asked latter if they took notice of the Kenyan books. But how many people take their time to read Kenyan Books? The figure is mind boggling because I have no real statistic of the same.

Reading Kasaya’s book, I was eagerly awaiting for that time where she was to get to or complete high school. Apparently, there are very many high school graduates who I know of who cannot intuitively flow as her because she has very good spoken English. The fact that she was a maid past a dozen years and her near death experience working for an employee who also never paid her other than take her once to a salon where she was done her hair at a figure I am even feeling something inside me pierce the heart painfully because it is not what I can spend on beauty in my current state more than ten years down the line. Luckily her neighbors came in rescue and a pastor later told her to forgive as human is to err and instead of reporting the matter to the police, she followed the word of the minister.  

Watching her later on YouTube in Jeff Koinange’s “The Bench” on K24, I could see she was quite polished. Somehow she is achieving her dream because she has been able to move a notch higher in her societal status. Interacting with likes of Ngugi and Micere on the same dias is no mean fete for a class eight drop out. Bet by now, she has  completed her high school as she stated she was going to complete the same and even go to university. This is a true manifestation that the inhibitions in our brains are folly creations that only circumvent our aspiration into cruising a notch higher because time and tide waits for no man who clings on inertia.

The horrific experiences working as a maid was quite an eye opener on the general conditions some maids have to go through. From eating alone while standing in the kitchen, washing bloody underwear, walking at night to go fetch water, working with no pay for months and other unearthly instances such as the probability of being raped by the man of the house and since most do not know their rights, they end up suffering in silence.

A way from the Kasaya’s tale, Stanley Gazemba has a way of using language is sententious and rich, not too much purple prose such that you are lost in flourish of fancy wording. His magical and flowery use of words in a pictographic way leaves one with the impression that they are in the scene and the storyline resonates well with the rural folk with vivid descriptions that create a strong momentum that energizes you as a reader to continue flipping the pages without ceasing. His judicious use of vocabulary is on point keeping one captive and that is what I loved about his artistry in general.

Gazemba’s book was everything that I have always wanted to read in a nutshell. It usually sounds gloriously elegant and beautifully crafted to the eye with near perfect diction. The story setting takes you to a world full of fiction and though it does not capture the real life situation, it is the real deal. The creative fiction in it was however limiting because it oscillates within the rural set-up. Yet most rural folks have relatives in urban areas who they visit once on a while.

It was easy to dissect how the next chapter unravels because there are hints before the next chapter comes in quick succession. Say it’s like watching an Oga movie with a predictable flow. Ombima being the main character has his fair share of life hurdles (losing his daughter, then sight and finally his mistress). His goose is however cooked for deeping his loin in his seductive master’s better half honey pot that results in the latter’s house maid taking over the house when she is still cold six feet under.

HASTA LA VISTA BABY


[Picture Source: Photoshop Inverted Google Images]

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A START UP

It's easy to join a startup and speculate that the future prospects will not only be promising but also have a bountiful effect on the way you view how to operate a business from its nascent stages to that point in time where it can sustain itself into an abnormal profit making venture but also a body corporate which is preferred by many as the best place to start off their career. That is if it will mutate to such a position because most reach contentment stage very early.

I am currently on a sojourn with a startup because I have been frustrated and disillusioned by the whole process of finding an advertised job with better perks and because I want to build up on experience and even if they are going to pay me peanuts, I will have be safe. Being employed in Kenya is tricky. Plus you cannot get employment necessarily with the little knowledge you got in school. Thus maybe, I will change career because I was all intent on getting money. Working for an online shop is quite an experience. It will add up to my ken and who knows? I may get the best experience ever. I have taken a hibernation of a year now never to be applying for jobs. When things are not looking up, I will leave and venture elsewhere because this is not my career aspiration but a means of making money.

Most startups end up not attracting the best talent available in the market because they cannot pay the robust figures that such persons may require because it still has liquidity issues and this may mean only one or two such individuals are chosen while in some situations even none at all. Having meagre financial muscles are some of the causes why most start-up never get to that break-even point earlier on in their life. The worst prospects is that most of these companies or firms end up closing shop especially if the owner is not steadfast and resilient to counter the debilitating effects and conditions of loss making in the fledgling days.

It is even worse when it is one run by rookies who are still learning about the intricacies and ambivalence that beleaguer the industry in general. Education is important. It demarcates the knowledgeable from the riff ruffs who have no idea what they are doing or where to take the company to. The best incentive that a startup can capitalize on is to heavily take advantage of the readily available manpower in the country especially in Nairobi and actualize its mission and vision because there are so many Nairobians in need of an engagement but cannot find one. Its the best leverage.

The best thing so far about start-ups is the fact that they offer employment opportunities to the many Jane and John Does who are eagerly searching for employment (in some cases they take those experienced which is more than often the case). The pay is not at all motivating. The working conditions are worse but you just cope. Nothing like benefits exist. All because the owner is either adamant to offer the industry match or just wants to find out whether you can be patient enough to grow with the company up until that point where it will be minting enough and you sure will be liable for the same because you have contributed in one way or another in making the company live past its tentative years of failure.

There are so many lessons one can be able to learn while working for a company that is growing. As a prudent chap, the far you have reached and the place you are going is what matters. Obviously, all firms started from somewhere, what is however needed is the virility to surmount the challenges that come with the prevailing and upcoming storm and niceties that are bound to happen whether or not a proper plan or strategy is in place.

The best thing is that our company is slowly gaining traction. While it looked like it was going to be a tough ride, the fact that there is hope more than anything else, there is reason to be more buoyant even when things seem not to be working. What with the initial fear having been overcome. There was a time we had this notion that the enterprise will take several months to mature and stand strong on its feet, however, the strategy adopted makes some people just want to come back every other time. Our focus now is how to marshal the requisite market to be loyal and buy more. That way, employees are bound to see that the hard work they put in place does not go to waste.

Does the growth rate meet expectations? Not yet. Until that time when we shall be featured as a success story, we still have a long way to go. We still haven’t been able to reach the escape velocity necessary to be a large, innovative, independent player in the payments space where we can talk with temerity that we are actually there. We still envy those who drive albeit we keep on postulating that things will happen. Slowly, we shall be able to reap big from the patience we have dedicated. Seeing results and acting on it appropriately is far more motivating and time will unravel itself so that things will work just fine. All our employees use route eleven as a way of saving and keeping fit.

“Life, growth, and achievement work like a pendulum. On one side you have failure, rejection, pain and sadness. But on the other side, you have success, victory, joy and happiness.” A successful businessman was once told. The owner of the business knows this well and ultimately acts on it cautiously. There are those times we went without selling and it was tough and hectic. There was constant bickering that things were not going as they smooth as should have. However, now things look promising in the meantime.

Still there is fear among Kenyans about this whole thing of ecommerce and online shopping. Trust is not ingrained among many people. Like there was a lady who intimated about being conned having paid for goods online and it was somehow hard to convince her that we were legit and “gikmakamago”. The few who trust us actually resort back to their initial ways because it is not a traditional way most have been accustomed to. But like social media, most will come to appreciate the contribution this industry offers because life is not all that static. It’s flexibility is the reason why you can have faith that whatever you buy, it will reach you and in a good condition and more so warranted.

HASTA LA VISTA BABY

[Picture Source: My imagination from freepix images]

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REFLECTIONS

It’s almost a year ever since this blog got rejuvenated in terms of content posting after staying in hibernation untouched for close to two years since its inception. Actually, reminiscing the past, I can well say I have gotten more sluggish and indolent about the whole inkling of making an undeterred scribe. Not anymore. The dreams of going commercial or public are still under the woods or are underground in street parlance due to matters personal to the heart. I now wish I could muster the courage to write a book irrespective of the fact that I am even more than sure I may reach a point where I will be disillusioned and never write whatever I had in mind, because of having lost the motivation or imagination.

If this blog has become a struggle as I currently envisage my candour as a demurred grapnel at the onset of anchorage. This is because I have been sluggish to read any books and writing on a daily basis is now farfetched. Coming from a relatively middle class background, I have somehow developed deep feelings of inferiority and inadequacy. They decapitate my ambition sometimes much to my blogs chagrin because it has good content but no readers.

There is one kid I read about on the dailies but I have forgotten his name who kept his manuscript undisclosed until that point in time when he was published. My blog is still under such wraps until that point I will get a good designer to redo it and acquire a sensible domain name having maximized on effective search engine optimization or advertising on the social media platforms or the dominant search engines.

But hey! While I am not doing great in terms of the force I had started with in terms of writing, I can aptly say that just like whiskey, the more it ages and matures, the better I have become. When I consider the far that I have reached, I am no longer doubtful that it is something deep that drives me to do that which am doing. Money may be a major motivation but it ceases being a compelling force on my part. There is something about brilliance; it can never be replaced no matter what. If you are good, you are. But I also am sure that with hard work, the sky is the limit. Like I only spent say three or four months getting to know about graphic design and alas, while I may not be as creative and imaginative as some of those designs I admire, I can avidly say that the fruits of my labour have been partly achieved. Sometimes taking the initiative to learn on your own is rewarding even though the severity is what most cannot condone because learning something on YouTube or textbook and executing it can be a challenging endeavour.

Sometimes I wish I could have been a master orator, someone who can talk and capture the attention of an audience using banal anecdotes told in a passionate appeal, telling unmatched punch lines and with strong transitions executed smoothly with a vocal delivery that has a message that the audience is convinced of and will take with them. I want to get to that point where I can calmly adjust my delivery depending on how my audience engages with my material while on stage or on any other worthy platform.  There are times when I ponder how I will engage an audience, by getting them to laugh, cheer, gasp, or have any other emotional reaction. Since it usually takes time to get there, I am willing to patiently wait even if it means it will never see me do it while still alive. God forbid though! If it comes when am no longer in existence, then my lingering ghosts will be proud of what I did that is if I may never get to have children.

Oh! I know children make parents want to live to see them grow. I want my children to have a life that will not only be fulfilling but also worth living. Since I cannot deliver and provide that which I want for them, I will still give the marriage business a wide berth. It’s practical. Why should I let the mother and the child suffer because I cannot provide. I am not going to risk having a child. Not sooner. But again, no prospective woman is in mind. The one I had in mind is evasive and that is what I want. It takes me away from the troubles of thinking about someone else. She thinks I am unpredictable yet am as ordinary as the random Joe.

Ideally, women can't believe we men are so unobservant. This is aptly the reason why most people who get involved in accidents are men. Research shows that we are more a product of our biology than the victims of social stereotypes. We are different because our brain is wired differently. This causes us to perceive the world in different ways and have different values and priorities. Which could be the reason why the woman I am pursuing and I usually spend too much thinking about may find some of the very mundane things I intimate to her very fallacious.

'It's obvious that women are smarter than men. Think about it - diamonds are a girl's best friend; man's best friend is a dog. ' Joan Rivers

That was just a by-the-way. Onto more important matters now. How good it feels to know that beyond the shadow of the doubt I have, the information, strategies, philosophies, and skills that I have gained as far could assist any one of these people I envisage to indulge in empowering themselves to make the changes they desire most!

A flood of images and emotions will flow over me when I reach that point in time in life. I will have attained self-actualization, which some think has to do with having financial freedom or amassing vast wealth and assets which I cannot deny I am also in pursuit of, but the most important aspect is leaving an indelible mark in the hearts of people so that they will profess of how you aided them in overcoming one or two hurdles bestowed by mother nature.

Yet most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives. Controlled focus is like a laser beam that can cut through anything that seems to be stopping you. I wish I knew this earlier on in life to sharpen my skills so that they are at that level where they can no longer be flaccid.

When we focus consistently on improvement in any area, we develop unique distinctions on how to make that area better. Each of us has a talent, a gift, our own bit of genius just waiting to be tapped and harnessed to change the way humanity has envisaged itself.

As a matter of fact, I decided that somehow I must contribute in some way that would live on long after I was gone. I'm constantly figuring out how to communicate this knowledge with people in ways that truly empower them to improve their mental, emotional, physical, and financial destinies.

And I will succeed because I have understood the power of a truly committed decision that when acted upon, no matter what the conditions, on a continuous basis will eventually bring back the intended results.

Deciding to commit myself to long-term results, rather than short-term fixes, is as important as any decision I have made in my lifetime. Failing to do this can cause not only result in massive financial or societal pain, but sometimes even the ultimate personal pain. In that regard, I raised my standards, backed them up with new beliefs, and implemented the strategies I know I must. You may have heard of the Six "P" Formula. It says, "Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance."

This post cannot be complete without the mention that I have many posts that are hanging and need to be acted upon like yesterday. They somehow make me feel bad because I usually never plan prior to doing that which I am supposed to be doing. I am so full of procrastination. More than ten posts are still hanging which was not the intention of this blog.

When I started, I was very pessimistic about life and all that has to do with making in general. But as I progress, I am fully aware that courage and confidence will reinvent the person in me to achieve unmatched potential in life if well moderated so that it never reeks of arrogance. However, I am poignant that I will get there. I am not going to be chasing after nothing in particular with matters concerning life. Neither will I be betrothed to societal folly of peers herd mentality.

HASTA LA VISTA BABY.

[Picture Source: My Own]

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PARKLANDS

The number of Range Rover Evoque on this streets are far astounding. Mark you they are all brand new. Complemented by other Bavarian SUVs, and sports cars, you reaaly know you are not somehow in Kenya. These radically different types of machines owned mostly by Indians make you feel like there is something you are not doing right. Either you are hustling on the wrong job, or you are tied down to a form of employment which means you can never own such a machine because its fuel consumption on a monthly basis if driven daily is two to three times the net you take home. To make matters worse, it is usually Indian ladies or youthful dudes who are usually behind the wheels. The envy is real, add jealousy that they can make it in our country while we are busy working for them speaks volume. Let me check on the two because it may result into resentment. And apparently resentment gnaws away at us and can be a springboard to anger, hatred and even depression.

Albeit the machine (Range Rover Evoque) has never wowed me in terms of aesthetic values, it has uniquely designed sleek features and lightweight capability not forgetting that it is highly streamlined which makes it perfect for urban driving and a real beast on the road. Well, the guzzler is a trendy fit and breaks the monotony of Japanese littered roads that are synonymous with us Kenyans. Some say a machine whether cozy or not is for taking you from point A to B. Well they are idiosyncratic in my school of thought. But your arrival in such a contraption speaks boisterously of who you are regardless of whether you have hired it or own it to the mundane plebeian. If it evokes such desirability and oomph on yours truly, then you can be pretty sure that it has unmatched rivalry on our roads. As a breather, let me say that the Range Rover Evoque combines head-turning looks with awesome attributes, thanks to its blend of style, performance, economy and off-road ability. I had to emphasize the words in bold. Period.

Imbroglio. There is this man who KTN saw it best to say that he was hurling massive English (ENGLUO) and I was pretty much fascinated by his use of ubiquitous words which may well be vocabulary to some. Hitherto it had not occurred to me that he was that well versed until in his heavy jeng accent, he talked about some audit stuff being in imbroglio. However, his pronunciation was way out of how it should be said if in any way his insinuation was tied to this prodigious word that I knew but had to check with my lexicon on its intended literal connotation.

That is the state I was in on Monday when I was to take a car to Highridge where my new workstation is situated. Boy, it is ridiculous to even think of intimating the story. Like a rookie, I went to board vehicles headed to Parklands, totally different from those that are supposed to take you to Highridge. Thankfully, I made it to town early enough to mess up a little bit because in Swahili they say, “Kupotea njia, ndiyo kujua njia.” At this point there is so much temptation to switch to Swahili, however, that will be tantamount to calamitous because, ideally, there are words in Swahili so difficult to translate from English never forgetting that the flow of the prose will be subject to a lot of hesitation and Googling to find the right phrase using Google translator. And apparently, there are so many words in English that need a native Swahili name. Like I was once listening to a conversation and Lady Jay Dee was told to translate the word ‘tennis’ to Swahili. She said ‘tenisi’ ambivalently thinking there is a better word having done what is known as ‘kutohoa’ in Swahili. I was good in Swahili way back in high school. Now the remnants are still lurking somewhere though the real knowledge has gone to the dogs. I recall with nostalgia the makosa ya hijahi and ngeli. If the two still exist.

Ok, back to the main point. There are some conductors whose main motivation is usually the money and not the interest of the passenger they are to aid. As a person, you need to have some little bit of sense in you so as to be kosher. When you peg things on money at the expense of helping a friend in need, you might even loose the slightest opportunity of growth you would have been bestowed because it is better the hand that giveth than the hand than receiveth.

As a person who never knew where I was going to, I did ask him if he was going to show me the place I was heading to so that I could alight if indeed that was the route I was supposed to use. Unfortunately, he showed me the wrong place having entered his car. So upon alighting I had to ask the sentries the focal point of where I was to report to work. But at first, I went to a building that looked almost the same like the one that I was supposed to be reporting to having seen the images on Google. And speaking of Google, I was never even bothered to know where the place I was going to was situated, never mind that I had free internet in the house and a whole weekend to check on the google maps and ensure I got the exact destination on my fingertips.

Which reminds me, I remember getting lost on my way to search for Oshwal last year (Let’s just say, am not cognizant of this suburbs). That I have ended up in Strathmore is a story that has a close relation with Oshwal. My destination was supposed to be Highridge and the mat left me at a point where I was as green as the brown “Kidero” grass. Last year, it took me more than an hour to trace Oshwal College. Luckily, with the help of some very cordial sentries, I did find the institution which did not ooze the kind of flamboyance in terms of façade as I had thought and expected. It was too plain and it never seeking attention made the probable look kind of too much jejune. But what made me want to go to the institution was the beautiful girls who spoke splendid English using their noses and their light skin complexion. I love seeing beautiful girls. Beauty makes life worth living. Otherwise, if there was no beauty, what else would we be look for in life? Maybe we would have been reluctant to even work hard for better our prospects in life.

Away from last year reminisces. The sentry at Oshwal Primary was the most helpful. His accent sounded like that of a ‘murume’ and I did wonder how he ended up in such a pitiable situation because I rarely see people of this ethnicity plying their trade as watchmen. Had rather they sell Mogoka or Mira in the filthy streets of downtown Nairobi. He did give me the right direction of how I had to walk.

On reaching the point where I was to board a mat for Nakumatt Highridge Supermarket, the Thomas in me decided to hesitate in order to ask someone who maybe had the knowledge of where I was headed to. At that point, I felt like taking a ‘nduthi’ so that I could arrive at the job in time. But something told me not to be in a hurry. I asked someone who looked like he had the geographical coordinates of the area at the palm of his hand. However, he was the kind who take so many things for granted and was even more confused than I was. I thought the place I was headed to was still far because I was next to the administration offices (Later I knew it was Mwisho, Kwa Chief)

At that point, I decided to go ask a certain conductor to take me to my intended destination. Luckily, she was helpful. Ever realized that the number of ladies plying their trade as mat and bus conductors is biased towards Saps. The amount I was to be charged was a paltry Ksh. 10. I realized that sometimes, patience pays. If you hurry you might end up eating the entrails instead of the lean and tender parts of meat. Like I would have probably paid Ksh. 100 for a motorbike ride instead of saving Ksh.90.

The week also saw me search for a passport which I had started looking for the previous week. You see, I did not have a birth certificate which is a prerequisite for having passport. Luckily, I had the copy of my birth certificate. Again being broke and not intending to borrow money because am working, Mshwari came in handy. They are currently lending me a 5 digit figure which is not bad considering I am sometimes in a fix and need to use the service to solve one or three problems.

My old man being in town, he did aid robustly in the quest for a passport. As the first person in my nuclear family to own one, he was really proud. Never mind that it is only for exam registration which I found out later even though I had vague memories that I needed a passport.

In order to get the birth certificate faster, we called one of my aunts who works with the immigration department. There is always a queue of people looking for passports. I usually bypassed them because I knew people. In Kenya, if you act courageous and confident in what you are doing, not even the marauding and haughty Administration Police can bar you from making entry in the busy department while others are queuing.

My birth certificate was prepared in less than two hours on a Friday evening. But because I couldn’t be able to pick it, it was agreed that the person making it would deliver it to one Ben who worked at the immigration and was to be my acquaintance in the search for a passport at Nyayo. All this while, I was thinking of how I was wasting time not being in the job place. I was AWOL.

The person who was supposed to be receiving the certificate got too drunk to report to work on Monday. Civil servants sometimes do have a rosy time at the workforce, right? For the birth certificate, I forked out Sh. 1500. The other charges for the person preparing the passport at Nyayo house were settled by my old man because he is still more chummed than me.

To make matters worse, the invoice I had printed was not the one required. However, because I was being served by a person who knew there was kitu kidogo, he did not mind printing the required invoice which I found very relieving because if I had used the right mechanism instead of going backdoor, I would have probably spent ages looking for the passport owing to the shortfall that I was having.

So it took me like thirty minutes to have all the documentation certified factoring in the time spent for waiting for the officer who was to check the documents. Now I am only waiting for a foreign country to let me let me travel to it because am well armed.

Oh, and our graphic designer got fired. Just like that because of some nonsensical reason. We used to laugh together, and narrate stories but one story I intimated about a deaf prostitute made her laugh to tears. Sadly I was added some roles which I was not feeling like taking, of graphic design. I am still pondering on how to make graphics that stand out even though I am not highly skilled in this field (self taught). There is a lot of nitty gritty in designing. Color combination, using the right font, alignment of objects, and knowledge of how to use all the tools and coming up with an image that will capture the attention of the person you picture is intended is not an easy job. You really need to think in 3D using 4G now that our boss said that consulting is like eating into the time of another employee and he needs the results faster.

As our human resource continues to look for an employee who will fit the bill, I am still going to act on the role in the meantime though my work has really been compromized. Luckily, I have honed my designing skills and I can well say I am doing just fine.

Yes, I discovered a new eating spot in Highridge. It is made of iron sheets but much smaller than the Mama Mswahili’s place. Since it is the only place serving us. It sometimes get so full we have to wait outside in order to let those who are in to finish so that we can partake of our chow. The meal is not as delicious as Mama Mswahili’s. But it is a little bit cheaper. For some reason, I may not have the money to eat there daily but sooner, things will look up and I will move to something better because there are some Swahili dishes being made by a certain lady and even though it is actually the figure I spend on a day, I will be tempted to eat it.

However there is one incident that made me love our mat drivers. There was this traffic cop who wanted him to halt by the curb for some nonsensical reason.  But the bugger was quite sly because he did pretend to be stopping but accelerated entering into the nearby T-junction as we sped off. We kept on looking at the back but the guy knew panya routes and left us at a place you walk five minutes to work. Ideally, I usually take a minute for the distance.

Oh, and I am going to sometimes be boarding the Strathmore bus to school in order to save on fare. Who knows, I might just get a big break when the year blossoms. When I sometimes see my classmates in 4*4 and am doing route eleven to catch a mat, I feel that I am more challenged than ever before to try and be in the right class. I will ask for the tricks of getting there. But in the meantime, I will accept the status quo even though there is this chic who told me she find old moneyed men who reside in suburbs and drive fuel guzzlers with several businesses as the equal of who to marry her. It made my heart sink in destitution and I am on a legit mission to make real big money that my woman cannot spend. If I am not going to make it in the meantime, I will look for one lady who wants to grow with me steadily. Money is more attracted to people as they age. Ama sivyo?

HASTA LA VISTA BABY

[Picture Source: Google Images]

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