Thursday, 5 March 2015

50 Random Things About ME

A close friend of mine recently posted this on her blog and I just loved reading through it! There were a few things there that I didn't know about her either...guess that's what all these topics are for.

I told her that I liked her post and she challenged me to do the same. So here goes, 50 (hopefully) random things about me:

1. When I was younger, I wanted to be a linguist when I grew up.

2. Currently, I speak 3 languages and none are my mother-tongue :P

3. I had classical piano training as a child.

4. I sing -I'm a natural soprano.

5. My first pet was a goldfish.

6. I once thought a chicken that had stayed in our house for weeks on end was my new pet. Until I came home one day and my "pet" chicken was in the fridge.

7. I've been wearing spectacles since I was 7 years old.

8. I had braces for 2 years in high school.

9. I attended 5 different primary schools.

10. I was lead actress in most of my primary school plays.

11. Often soloist for the traditional dances too :)

12. I helped write a play for our high school Christian drama team -and again, was the lead actress ;)
(okay, I'll stop bragging now)

13. Most people do not think I'm Kenyan because of my name.

14. I'm a coconut -black on the outside, white on the inside. You can call me an Oreo too. ;)

15. I have a number of aerobic routines forever etched in my memory -courtesy of attending my mother's aerobic classes with her.

16. I used to tell people that I had this German stud at home with the warmest brown eyes -and people thought he was a person :D

17. I name my water bottles. Well, I used to when I was in high school...not such much now.

18. My favourite bottle was a lilac one. I named her 'Nina'. Nina had a boyfriend -strong, black and handsome 'Sifa'. He was my closest friend's bottle.

(Jeez, this thing is hard!)

19. My first crush was in Standard 1.

20. I had a crush on a guy named Harry, and soon after J.K. Rowling released the first Harry Potter book. Coincidence? I think not!

21. I believe my fingers are beautiful. Even the one that never quite recovered from it's stint as a sausage finger.

22. My first ever anime love was Usui Takumi from Kaicho wa maid-sama.

23. And my first ever J-drama love was Hanazawa Rui from Hana Yori Dango.

24. Last but not least, my first ever K-drama love: Gu Jun-pyo from Boys Over Flowers.


(Rhoda, do you see your influence? ;) )
25. I'd like to travel to all the continents before I die. So far, I've done one (not counting the one I live in)

26. If I was a teen/young adult in the 80's -the disco era- I think I would have been out dancing every night. Explains why I really like John Newman's Tribute album.

27. My longest-lasting friendship is now in its (approximately) 24th year.

28. That friendship has (unfortunately) been mostly long-distance. It didn't start that way though.

29. My family has moved house 8 times -one house has been moved into twice.

30. I absolutely love musicals. If I lived in America, I think I would be on Broadway.

31. My great grandfather was of Borana origin. Explains our unusual looks when our direct lineage is Bantu. O.o

32. I love the British accent. Especially the high class clipped accent, not so much the Cockney one.

33. Which goes to say that I love British movies.

34. Actually, let’s just say I like European movies. I don’t watch as many of them as I would like to though

35. Greece is one of my dream travel destinations. Ah, the food, the culture, the scenic coasts, the chiseled men…

36. I’m fascinated by white people’s eyes. Some of them have such vivid colours that they seem unreal!

37. I have two doctor aunties. Their names have really opened doors for me on hospital visits ;)

38. My dream house is one that’s been designed by my father and his elder brother.

39. I have more pairs of earrings than I do shoes. And bags. Probably clothes too…

40. My first pair of spectacles were …umm, octagonal (I think) and striped in the Kenyan flag colours.

41. My first Labrador encounter was pure magic. They were our neighbour’s dogs at my father’s house-on-the-cliff. When the tide was out, the dogs would cross over into our compound (that was the only way to access it through the beach) and come play with us. And when evening came, before the tide rolled in, they would go back home, all by themselves.

42. I love the ocean. I believe water is in my essence. Figures since I was born in Mombasa.

43. Funny thing though, I was afraid of the water as a child. I only began to conquer my fear at around 8 years of age.

(Haiya, I’m almost done!)

44.  I love the smell of leather straps on watches. Especially when the strap ages….mmm. J

45. I don’t feel complete without a watch.

46. I love stories on mythologies, magic and the supernatural. So all the TV Series, movies and books on those topics fall into my ‘love’ category.

47. Sometimes, my mother, my siblings and I will put on an accent and speak to each other in it for as long as we can before we crack. It helps if we’ve been watching something that had characters speaking in that accent. :D


48. I'm quite taken by certain smells/scents. Sometimes, they can even take me back to the day when I first encountered that particular smell/scent. 

49. My first musical instrument was a small drum I got as a child from some 'Santa Claus' at an event. It was a really smelly drum. I think they didn't clean the leather properly. I didn't play it cause of that smell.

50. I played the drums for the praise and worship team at a church I used to go to. I was surprised to find I was good at it. I really miss playing the drums. 

Aaaaand, I'm done! That was fun! Hope you enjoyed reading through those random things, I know I enjoyed writing them. 


Wednesday, 25 February 2015

Stop. Listen.




Consider these two responses

Person 1: I have a lot going on in my life right now... I'm not sure I can handle that as well.

Person 2: I don't have time for such nonsense.

Which of these two people would you immediately understand and/or identify with?

Who do you think has 'more reason' in their answer?

If you're thinking person 1, you're wrong.
The answer is: neither of them.

You see, words have over time acquired certain implications and meanings that they may or may not have had when they were first created. There's no way of knowing for sure, this thing goes back to the creation of language....long, long, looong ago.
So why would you give Person 1 sympathy or understanding and not give the same to Person 2?

Don't you think that they're both saying the same thing? Or is it because Person 2 said 'I don't have time' and 'nonsense' that we immediately jump to conclusions?

Look, both of them are really saying, 'I can't do that' OR 'I won't do that'. All Person 2 did was go ahead and add how they felt about what they were being asked to do. They were being brutally honest. 

And what does brutal honesty get you? Nothing good, most of the time.
And we wonder why people would rather lie.

So what am I saying here?
I'm not sure I really know myself. Perhaps it's just that we need to take time to stop and listen more often than not.

Maybe then people would not need to continually repeat themselves.
Maybe then people would begin to feel heard.
Maybe then...maybe.

Stop. Listen.

PS: I'm very proud to say that the pictures and edits are my own. Quotes have been attributed within the edits :)


Thursday, 15 January 2015

Transition into 'real' adulthood

I'm at that point in life where you can no longer hide behind school. First degree is coming to an end and the whole world expects you to be thinking about what career path you'll be taking soon.

The question I've been hearing more often in the recent months is, "Hujamaliza shule bado?" (You're not done with school yet?)
The follow-up is usually, "So, what do you want to do after that?"

Let's be clear. As much as I've experienced a lot of change in my life, I am still not very comfortable with it. I'm scared as hell about this new life transition. And I'm hoping and praying my fear won't make me self-sabotage.

In a bid to cope, I've decided to come up with a few little reminders to keep myself going. Some are quotes I've picked up from my friends, both fictional and real.

1. Change is inevitable. And a lot of the time, it's not too bad. So embrace it, don't fight it.

2. A lot of the time when it comes to big decisions, the right decision and the wrong one look the same. It's only when you take time to scrutinize your decision is when you see you made the right choice.

3. Be YOU.

4. If you're scared or nervous, feel scared or nervous. Then move on. Don't let your feelings make your decisions for you.

5. Breathe. It'll be okay.

6. All is well.