“Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people”
~Eleanor Roosevelt~
When you think about networking the first thing that comes to mind is a forum with people who have achieved something (big) and made it in life or the industry they represent and now this networking platform provides a point for which you can connect with the individuals and leverage on their experience and learnings. A forum where you can milk the folks who have tried and tested strategies, process and resources to be where they are. To be honest I did not think that way of ChessSunday. I first attended it like a month or two ago and to my very pleasant surprise I met with some great minds. I ate chips that I could count and still paid 200bob for them. But the biggest achievement for me was meeting with young people who just love Sunday and want an excuse to meet up and argue on different ideologies while playing a game of chess. I thought it was a forum to test wits and in my case chess and the tech conversations that I listened to just for a moment made me fill little in a way because I could not contribute to the fun on the table or the conversations on the ground. I had a choice, so the 1st time I went with my laptop and turned it on and tried to work but I kept eavesdropping on conversations and kept hearing great ideas. My second choice was to leave the laptop at home; stop looking all clever and stuff because these are just some simple people enjoying a Sunday. The people who attend this forum are entrepreneurs and some are still in campus but already got the passion and the drive to get ahead in life by doing one thing or the other. I also thought for a moment maybe I could make some new friends because that is what I am about thus my reason for joining Twitter/Facebook. It was here that I was reminded that there is no school better in the world that will teach you the art of getting around or doing business like seating with a group of people with a similar mind and passion like yours. People who share similar values and principles in life sharpen each other. When you are with these guys you stand corrected. For me that is what takes me to ChessSunday for the several times that I have been there. It is to meet with guys and understand the world of business; technology and just see what I can add into my daily vocabulary and my bucket list as well. Like how about learning what the word Android meant *giggles* I did not know and in that forum you can ask anything and get an honest response without feeling irrelevant. The groups of young people who seat in this forum are sharp and they challenge my status quo. If you always ask yourself these questions: when am I going to start my own business, what kind of support do you think I need to write a marketing proposal, who can give me advice on a creative revert that I preparing for a client – those and many more, at ChessSunday you will find a bunch of people who are warm and receptive to the person that you are and the value that you believe you can add to table to progress a business venture. They will hold your hand and guide your idea and possibly bring it to life depending on whether you accept their concepts. We, for example, argued about whether we should home school our kids in the near future, it was a yes for some and a no for some. The cocktail of experts represented at ChessSunday is thought/action provoking. Once you attend a session you feel compelled to attend another and another, purely because you make friends with these people you meet there and you are guaranteed an ear when you need a sounding board for your ideas. When you leave that session you feel like you can move the world an inch to then north – really – it feels like a group of giants with giant ideas. I believe if you haven’t attended one of these sessions I challenge you to do so. Come and get a taste of the Kings & Queens represented at this even and sample what I would call a change to socialize and speak ideologies, introduce authors that we can review you name it anything can fly on that platform. When I think about meeting with people who will make a difference in your life, come meet me and the rest…let’s play with our minds and move the pawns around and see whether we will topple others as we contribute to building each other…!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
THE 8 MONTH PLAN…
I have to take you back to 1996. Sweet 16. I took my 1st puff, and it’s been downhill from then. I was with my then boyfriend, being cosy in a bar, having a Pilsner – don’t you dare judge – and I took a drag off an Embassy Kings cigarette. It looked cool, it felt cool and when I kissed him, that smoky aroma tasted good. The end is still being scripted, but that there, was the beginning.
I am a lady. I know I am. However, I am often defined first by my smoking habit, and then by everything else. We all have our skeletons in the closet. We all have those bad habits we would love to wish away, but mine, is public. Why judge me for my smoking and yet, I judge you not by your rather disgusting nose picking, not by your silly habit of grabbing at your “Junk” every chance you get, but I judge you for who you really are as a person. I love my body and I don’t take it for granted. I know about the consequences of smoking and I am trying to quit. I am up against a brick wall, but I know, I can kick the habit. Will that make me more of a lady? Or will you simply refer to me as “Person x” on the 2nd floor who used to smoke, BUT is a lady! For my loved ones, I choose to quit. For my future well-being, I choose to kick the habit.
I have not been on the dating scene for a while now, however, many times I am told I am a potential partner but lacking in the traditional morals. Reason being? I smoke. A guy once told me, though he smokes and his mom believes it’s a bad habit, he would never take a woman who smokes home. Are we getting warmer? The plot thickens when the guys I hang out with say to me, ‘you are one of us’. But what does this mean? It just means you are one of the guys and no man wants to date another ‘guy’ woman. It is a painful acknowledgement and I have come to realize that no man wants to date a woman who smokes. It is a bad habit and does not bring finesse, sexy or lady-like features to the front. A man is attracted to you because of how you carry yourself. It is considered appalling for a woman who is going to be the mother of your child to be smoking so no man wants to get close to that.
This habit also says things about how you care for the things that concern your life. How are you supposed to care for others when you cannot care for yourself? A man will go to a woman who keeps herself and watches over herself and is guaranteed of a life together without worrying about any lung diseases, incurring medical costs and losing a loved one while they watch helplessly. A man who wants you can help you fight the habit. But if he won’t say anything then you know that he is not there to stay. So you better do something about it to make him stay.
I know you hold a senior role in a corporate; you are an incredible woman with a level of intelligence that is admirable. My role however is to be the mouth that will speak wisdom and the reality on the ground to you. How about we use our intelligence to teach the young girls who are getting into this habit the cost that they might have to pay in the future. It may look cool now when in the pub with your friends smoking away, however, when you grow older your will end up with your stick with no one to hold you.
FACT: the older women in their 40s who smoke are single!
Here is my 8 month plan:
• Quit smoking
• Start exercising
• Manage my WorkLifeBalance and find a new hobby
• Talk to young ladies who smoke about my experience.
“Big Tobacco” would have us believe that smoking is an “Adult choice”. They have us believe that smoking is a “Lifestyle choice”. They would have us believe that Smoking comes with some “sex appeal” and one looks like they have an edge over those that do not smoke. Truth is, by the time you realize it’s harmful for you, it’s too late. It is then, that you realize that, you no longer have control over your urges. You realize that it is not a lifestyle choice. I know no idiot that ever chose the life of slavery. It is an addiction. Smoking is a far from a choice and all it does, is to line the pockets of “Big Tobacco”. I look at myself, and I see nothing sexy in smoking. If anything, I have lost my sex appeal. Am I faced with a choice? YES... But it is not a fair choice. What took one puff to get me hooked, will take a strong will to get myself off its hook. Non smokers often ask me, how does smoking feel? My answer? Well, It’s not how you feel when you smoke... it’s how you feel when you don’t smoke!
I know quitting will not hook me up with “THAT GUY”... I know the act of quitting will not make me complete. However, I do know, it will make me a better person. Both on the inside and on the outside. It will make me more confident. It will make me stronger. Kicking the habit makes me that much further from kicking the bucket!
I am a lady. I know I am. However, I am often defined first by my smoking habit, and then by everything else. We all have our skeletons in the closet. We all have those bad habits we would love to wish away, but mine, is public. Why judge me for my smoking and yet, I judge you not by your rather disgusting nose picking, not by your silly habit of grabbing at your “Junk” every chance you get, but I judge you for who you really are as a person. I love my body and I don’t take it for granted. I know about the consequences of smoking and I am trying to quit. I am up against a brick wall, but I know, I can kick the habit. Will that make me more of a lady? Or will you simply refer to me as “Person x” on the 2nd floor who used to smoke, BUT is a lady! For my loved ones, I choose to quit. For my future well-being, I choose to kick the habit.
I have not been on the dating scene for a while now, however, many times I am told I am a potential partner but lacking in the traditional morals. Reason being? I smoke. A guy once told me, though he smokes and his mom believes it’s a bad habit, he would never take a woman who smokes home. Are we getting warmer? The plot thickens when the guys I hang out with say to me, ‘you are one of us’. But what does this mean? It just means you are one of the guys and no man wants to date another ‘guy’ woman. It is a painful acknowledgement and I have come to realize that no man wants to date a woman who smokes. It is a bad habit and does not bring finesse, sexy or lady-like features to the front. A man is attracted to you because of how you carry yourself. It is considered appalling for a woman who is going to be the mother of your child to be smoking so no man wants to get close to that.
This habit also says things about how you care for the things that concern your life. How are you supposed to care for others when you cannot care for yourself? A man will go to a woman who keeps herself and watches over herself and is guaranteed of a life together without worrying about any lung diseases, incurring medical costs and losing a loved one while they watch helplessly. A man who wants you can help you fight the habit. But if he won’t say anything then you know that he is not there to stay. So you better do something about it to make him stay.
I know you hold a senior role in a corporate; you are an incredible woman with a level of intelligence that is admirable. My role however is to be the mouth that will speak wisdom and the reality on the ground to you. How about we use our intelligence to teach the young girls who are getting into this habit the cost that they might have to pay in the future. It may look cool now when in the pub with your friends smoking away, however, when you grow older your will end up with your stick with no one to hold you.
FACT: the older women in their 40s who smoke are single!
Here is my 8 month plan:
• Quit smoking
• Start exercising
• Manage my WorkLifeBalance and find a new hobby
• Talk to young ladies who smoke about my experience.
“Big Tobacco” would have us believe that smoking is an “Adult choice”. They have us believe that smoking is a “Lifestyle choice”. They would have us believe that Smoking comes with some “sex appeal” and one looks like they have an edge over those that do not smoke. Truth is, by the time you realize it’s harmful for you, it’s too late. It is then, that you realize that, you no longer have control over your urges. You realize that it is not a lifestyle choice. I know no idiot that ever chose the life of slavery. It is an addiction. Smoking is a far from a choice and all it does, is to line the pockets of “Big Tobacco”. I look at myself, and I see nothing sexy in smoking. If anything, I have lost my sex appeal. Am I faced with a choice? YES... But it is not a fair choice. What took one puff to get me hooked, will take a strong will to get myself off its hook. Non smokers often ask me, how does smoking feel? My answer? Well, It’s not how you feel when you smoke... it’s how you feel when you don’t smoke!
I know quitting will not hook me up with “THAT GUY”... I know the act of quitting will not make me complete. However, I do know, it will make me a better person. Both on the inside and on the outside. It will make me more confident. It will make me stronger. Kicking the habit makes me that much further from kicking the bucket!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
My Race...Your Race
This one was inspired by Sunday's Sermon 20/6/2010 at MDT
I have thoughts present in my mind and for a while now I have been living in a fantasy world that I need to step out of before I ruin my chances in my current reality and my future as well.
I made choices that compromised my whole being’s wellness and I think the person that I owe this conversation to is God. Yet you ask, ‘well off you go…run to Jesus!’ But is it that easy to run to Him...I have my learnings and will gladly share them with all.
We drop the ball so quickly when we are faced by ‘bigger’ opportunities or a faster way out of a situation by our standards. A trigger goes off and whether or not we have the will within us to say no to something or anything the flesh is the culprit. Do we know whether the outcome of the choices we make will accelerate our reaching the goals we have set out for or deter us from the entire course and make it hard for us to complete?
I speak from a point where I stand alone in everything I do, say and think. Everything is on me. Long gone are the days when we had an entire city that would pay for the sins of one person, where thousands would be wiped out in the name of stopping the ‘bad seed’ from spreading any further. But in the long run it became about ME taking full responsibility for MY actions and face death – spiritually, mental and physically.
How many times have you promised yourself never to look back and always focus on the task or the goal at hand and not seen yourself complete the course because of the simple and tiny choices that we make that have a significant impact on your progression? Do you feel like the goal is a lost cause when you realize this was the wrong time to make that decision? Do you look at yourself with embarrassment, ashamed of what you’ve regressed into or that you are dealing with the same issue over and over and over that is seems like a burden to share with those who love you and care for you? Do you feel too comfortable to move from where you are into the unknown because you have been accustomed to pain that you live by it and for the fear of not being able to deal with a ‘new way of life’?
Well one thing is clear to me today…we cannot dwell on things that have passed. Let’s take our mantles and continue on with the race. Let us not wallow in the issues that we can do nothing about. Take back the wheel and continue to push on because whether or not you have the strength to continue someone else is looking out for you and is in your life to help you deal with this. It is also a walk of faith and we must understand that because of that there may seem that there is a lot at stake but that there is even more at stake if we do not take that step of faith into the unknown.
The thing we need to internalize is that even on this course that we fail several times and seem as though we are doomed to never see it to completion is that He the Lord that begun in you the good work is faithful and will see it to a full close and completion for His glory. You might think that sometimes the Lord sets us up for failure and ask Him many questions ‘why this or why the other’…it is what it is; move on with your hand firmly locked in His. He will not task you with anything that you have no strength to deal with for He knows what you are capable of managing and full well so.
Your death – spiritual, physical and mental may sometimes be a painful thing to go through, but be assured that for us the end goal is the promise of eternal life with no more sorrow, no more rough patches where all and everything will be living in harmony. How about we look forward to that…How about I look forward to that and stop being derailed off my course and journey. I need to look to the hills for my strength comes from the Lord who rightfully renews it strength for me to pick my cross and move on whilst we are still on this earth. If your flame feels like it is going out ask for Him to light it up again within you that you may continue to act as the beam for others who are on this earth today and living a similar experience and give each other HOPE for a victorious and glorious finish.
I close with my favorite line…it’s never that serious but it is when it begins to compromise your entire wellness. So focus on the end-goal and run the race as it is said in Hebrew 12:1-2 (NKJV) Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
~EW~
I have thoughts present in my mind and for a while now I have been living in a fantasy world that I need to step out of before I ruin my chances in my current reality and my future as well.
I made choices that compromised my whole being’s wellness and I think the person that I owe this conversation to is God. Yet you ask, ‘well off you go…run to Jesus!’ But is it that easy to run to Him...I have my learnings and will gladly share them with all.
We drop the ball so quickly when we are faced by ‘bigger’ opportunities or a faster way out of a situation by our standards. A trigger goes off and whether or not we have the will within us to say no to something or anything the flesh is the culprit. Do we know whether the outcome of the choices we make will accelerate our reaching the goals we have set out for or deter us from the entire course and make it hard for us to complete?
I speak from a point where I stand alone in everything I do, say and think. Everything is on me. Long gone are the days when we had an entire city that would pay for the sins of one person, where thousands would be wiped out in the name of stopping the ‘bad seed’ from spreading any further. But in the long run it became about ME taking full responsibility for MY actions and face death – spiritually, mental and physically.
How many times have you promised yourself never to look back and always focus on the task or the goal at hand and not seen yourself complete the course because of the simple and tiny choices that we make that have a significant impact on your progression? Do you feel like the goal is a lost cause when you realize this was the wrong time to make that decision? Do you look at yourself with embarrassment, ashamed of what you’ve regressed into or that you are dealing with the same issue over and over and over that is seems like a burden to share with those who love you and care for you? Do you feel too comfortable to move from where you are into the unknown because you have been accustomed to pain that you live by it and for the fear of not being able to deal with a ‘new way of life’?
Well one thing is clear to me today…we cannot dwell on things that have passed. Let’s take our mantles and continue on with the race. Let us not wallow in the issues that we can do nothing about. Take back the wheel and continue to push on because whether or not you have the strength to continue someone else is looking out for you and is in your life to help you deal with this. It is also a walk of faith and we must understand that because of that there may seem that there is a lot at stake but that there is even more at stake if we do not take that step of faith into the unknown.
The thing we need to internalize is that even on this course that we fail several times and seem as though we are doomed to never see it to completion is that He the Lord that begun in you the good work is faithful and will see it to a full close and completion for His glory. You might think that sometimes the Lord sets us up for failure and ask Him many questions ‘why this or why the other’…it is what it is; move on with your hand firmly locked in His. He will not task you with anything that you have no strength to deal with for He knows what you are capable of managing and full well so.
Your death – spiritual, physical and mental may sometimes be a painful thing to go through, but be assured that for us the end goal is the promise of eternal life with no more sorrow, no more rough patches where all and everything will be living in harmony. How about we look forward to that…How about I look forward to that and stop being derailed off my course and journey. I need to look to the hills for my strength comes from the Lord who rightfully renews it strength for me to pick my cross and move on whilst we are still on this earth. If your flame feels like it is going out ask for Him to light it up again within you that you may continue to act as the beam for others who are on this earth today and living a similar experience and give each other HOPE for a victorious and glorious finish.
I close with my favorite line…it’s never that serious but it is when it begins to compromise your entire wellness. So focus on the end-goal and run the race as it is said in Hebrew 12:1-2 (NKJV) Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
~EW~
Thursday, April 22, 2010
What About Me?
I think this is a great way of just keeping guys together and talking current...but I always ask this question, what about me?
You ask why? Does is sound vain at all?
Here is my POV...there is a breed that exists in the humankind and giving is their element and their everything. They give of their time and their being. They love you and they are constantly giving and never taking time to do a stock take of themselves. If they are not doing that they feel lost and out of place. They will run into your kitchen and check on the preparations for a meal and if you need help. They will call you and text you to check up on you. They will encourage you when you feel you are at your worst etc the list is endless of the things they do.
These people I have realized escape into the giving sphere subconsciously and yet do not realize that it is time for them to receive. That you should be on the seat, laying down with grapes and fruits being fed to you. You should be soaking in massage oils and getting a deep tissue rub down that would eventually make your blood circulation more vibrant.
So when do they ask about themselves? When they compare themselves to the world. They use the world as a measure to determine whether they are happy or deserving. That my friends is not a good place to be. They are very vulnerable when confronted by their own issues - fear of failure, rejection etc. Their I unit is GIVE and GIVE...receive is a foreign concept to them.
Let's take some time and recognize the people who are always in your face showing you love and without them you acknowledge the void. Let's ask them "What about you?"
You ask why? Does is sound vain at all?
Here is my POV...there is a breed that exists in the humankind and giving is their element and their everything. They give of their time and their being. They love you and they are constantly giving and never taking time to do a stock take of themselves. If they are not doing that they feel lost and out of place. They will run into your kitchen and check on the preparations for a meal and if you need help. They will call you and text you to check up on you. They will encourage you when you feel you are at your worst etc the list is endless of the things they do.
These people I have realized escape into the giving sphere subconsciously and yet do not realize that it is time for them to receive. That you should be on the seat, laying down with grapes and fruits being fed to you. You should be soaking in massage oils and getting a deep tissue rub down that would eventually make your blood circulation more vibrant.
So when do they ask about themselves? When they compare themselves to the world. They use the world as a measure to determine whether they are happy or deserving. That my friends is not a good place to be. They are very vulnerable when confronted by their own issues - fear of failure, rejection etc. Their I unit is GIVE and GIVE...receive is a foreign concept to them.
Let's take some time and recognize the people who are always in your face showing you love and without them you acknowledge the void. Let's ask them "What about you?"
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Untitled Part II
As I looked down at the paper in my hand, my heart raced in anticipation; battling in my mind what the content of the note would be. I thought I knew this feeling; this careless restlessness. I wanted to open it but Shelia, my colleague who professionally runs her mouth with every chance she gets, shouted my name from across the room where this guy, the guy who sent the note, stood. I guzzled that bubbly liquid and allowed it to do a confidence magic in me as I slowly walked across the room to meet them with the piece of paper nicely folded in my hand. As my mind continued to ask questions around what the note would contain, I begun to wonder whether this was the guy that Shelia kept talking about him being a potential partner. I then asked myself why would he be sending me a note and yet we do not even know each other. “Is he interested in me?”, “Does he like me…Oh my GOD!!!” Finally, someone noticed me in a party graced by ‘the people.” I was barely two meters away from the pair when suddenly, my next step was met by the firmly crossed legs of this gentleman and as though the crimpled, yellow linen dress was not enough, I lost my footing and found myself on the floor staring at the ceiling of the Equatorial Ballroom. Shelia in a panic run towards me yelling for assistance together with this guy. His fragrance then met my nose as he checked whether I had any injuries not knowing that I was in a different place and different time with him. I could not help it…! He had this intense look that sent my eyes locking with his. My imagination was running wild and wild in space. My body felt present in the room and so close to him as he checked my hand for a pulse. Then that tingly sensation down my spine and everything sounded musical. “Elsie, are you okay?” he asked. With a cracking voice I said yes whilst shaking my head sideways. I eventually stood upright and managed to disperse the small crowd of senior executives when I said repeatedly I am fine whilst straightening the yellow number that I had on. “You scared me,” Shelia shrieked. “I’m fine,” I reassured her as I sat in the chair on my left. She then introduced him as her date Davies. I swallowed hard as I stretched my hand to shake his. My hand in his and I felt the hair on my neck stand. “That was quite a fall…I hope you did not injure yourself in the process?” I grabbed another flute and took a long sip off it and listened to how these two met at this monthly writers’ forum and have been exchanging ideas on what articles to write and such like writer conversations – the latest book on the shelf; the new poet; styles of writing…! After a while, chance presented itself. Shelia walked away to use the bathroom and Davies then leaned in and asked me whether I had read his note…Meanwhile, the note that was my hand had now disappeared in the odd one hundred feet that stood in the ballroom.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Here is to Diversity and Stuff
Wow…so as usual, I planned my Friday evening to sleep in whilst at the hotel being my last night. And I met this lady whom I have spotted on the hotel grounds a couple of times. One time, I even met her on the steps as I was ransacking my handbag for my room keys. The humidity was killing me and I had waiter carrying my 8 bottles of Dasani to my room because you always have to hydrate or risk passing out due to thirst. So this lady has a sporty body and I promise almost looks like one of the William’s sisters. Note as well I had seen her when I landed in Mombasa whilst I was heading to catch my transfer to the hotel.
As my night unfolded my stomach was rumbling. I am not sure how this is possible because the last couple of days I’ve been stuffing myself like a turkey and I just could not stop eating. I am full but my stomach does not agree with me in this case. Seriously, there is a problem. My stomach looks like I am pregnant at 6months but I still want to eat. Somebody, explain.
So I dash to the Pavilion restaurant and I meet this lady again seated by herself and I decide to join her since a friend of mine earlier challenged me to step outside my box and meet new people and see new perspectives and way of life. So I did. And she welcomed me with my laptop (anti-social tool) and she thinks I am working through the night…and so I nod my head and excuse myself to serve myself.
I come back with some pieces of the bird and settle into a conversation with her. We talk about the weather; her business ventures; her 19 year old son; how she does not trust men; her Italian ambassador boyfriend...this lady could talk. PAUSE: as she was chatting away and entertaining me, I stopped for a minute to reflect on my life: She is 3 years older than me; had her son when she was 12 years old; she does not know her mom who left them when they were 2 or 3 months old; her father who died 2 years ago was a polygamist who left 29 kids behind, with her being the 1st born etc.
I am 30 on June 21, 2010. I have in the desire to mother my own kids soon; my mother and father are alive and well and our relationship is just the best….I could not ask for anything more or less; I know by 3 siblings and love them deeply and I am my dad’s 1st daughter and his 2nd born.
I enjoyed my session with her as I exchanged with her my career status as well as my personal scorecard. And she was enthralled by the fact that at a young age working for 6 years with a big company; living by myself; have Sasha so close to my heart I sound like the white folks; I do not have a boyfriend and my fear of getting my heart broken…!
But my session with her was just an eye opener to the fact that we all look to each other for different things. I guess even that boss of yours might look to you and admire for something you have in your life. I guess we cannot have everything that we dream and aspire for. Like she was in Mombasa on holiday; she’d lived in Europe for close to 9 years; she loves to shop in New York…etc. That is every woman’s dream. I wear black, framed BVLGARI glasses and come out looking inapproachable but to someone else, they want the glasses so that they can send a message to the world not to mess with her etc. I think we should learn from each other and borrow lessons of life from one another to enrich us further.
Now to the funny, I had breakfast again with her after I overslept and was rushing to the airport at 10.30am for an 11.50am flight….I know (It’s never that serious) I guess when you get to Mombasa, things begin to slow down and I guess if you are there long enough you will also take things slowly.
So now I am hurrying to the check-out desk and asking for a porter to take my bags to the car that is not there…so now I am boiling for my self-inflicted inconvenience. So I breathe in deeply as the Sales Manager manages to catch me for a quick chat. As he blabbers away, I cannot help but look at my watch just calculating the amount of time needed to get to the airport and check in. I notice he realized that he stood between me and my flight back to Nairobi. So our goodbyes and off we go with this sweaty driver in a humid air-tight vehicle. What did I do to deserve this whilst in Mombasa…?
On the way, you notice very few people on the streets and on enquiring the driver says it is a work day. I asked then why there is so much traffic. This is when the my imaginative mind went to a scene where I was evacuated from the vehicle as a chopper landed and white sand lifted off of the ground because of the air that was span around by the blades that cut through the air. In my shades and black sun dress, I evacuated the car and make my way to the chopper as people stood still to watch the drama…Screeeeeeeech….the ACTUAL breaks of the car that was back to back in traffic with a trailer in front of us. Back to reality, I ask him if there is another route to use to the airport since we had not made any head way the last 15minutes. He looked and me like “are you kidding me…don’t you rush me,” and I went back into the recline position at the back seat.
I then dialed the travel agent and asked her to check me in, and she could not do anything about it. But the good news was that I was able to catch the flight because it was now delayed by an hour to 1230..meaning I could check in at 11am…I shouted “God watches over me…”
So we get to the airport….no que (thankfully) and this attendant tells me “No we cannot check you in.” I immediately dropped my handbag and asked him why, and he responds by calling his manager because my facial expression instilled fear in him. So his manager comes and she says to me I am late and I ask her “are you checking me in or not…cos as far as I know the plane hasn’t even landed” so she says “how do you know…?” and I tell her I have my sources! KQ love to torture their clients…a story for another day.
Anyway, the plane has landed and now I leave you….Reporting live from The Mombasa International Airport, this is Elsie Wandera signing of for the day
As my night unfolded my stomach was rumbling. I am not sure how this is possible because the last couple of days I’ve been stuffing myself like a turkey and I just could not stop eating. I am full but my stomach does not agree with me in this case. Seriously, there is a problem. My stomach looks like I am pregnant at 6months but I still want to eat. Somebody, explain.
So I dash to the Pavilion restaurant and I meet this lady again seated by herself and I decide to join her since a friend of mine earlier challenged me to step outside my box and meet new people and see new perspectives and way of life. So I did. And she welcomed me with my laptop (anti-social tool) and she thinks I am working through the night…and so I nod my head and excuse myself to serve myself.
I come back with some pieces of the bird and settle into a conversation with her. We talk about the weather; her business ventures; her 19 year old son; how she does not trust men; her Italian ambassador boyfriend...this lady could talk. PAUSE: as she was chatting away and entertaining me, I stopped for a minute to reflect on my life: She is 3 years older than me; had her son when she was 12 years old; she does not know her mom who left them when they were 2 or 3 months old; her father who died 2 years ago was a polygamist who left 29 kids behind, with her being the 1st born etc.
I am 30 on June 21, 2010. I have in the desire to mother my own kids soon; my mother and father are alive and well and our relationship is just the best….I could not ask for anything more or less; I know by 3 siblings and love them deeply and I am my dad’s 1st daughter and his 2nd born.
I enjoyed my session with her as I exchanged with her my career status as well as my personal scorecard. And she was enthralled by the fact that at a young age working for 6 years with a big company; living by myself; have Sasha so close to my heart I sound like the white folks; I do not have a boyfriend and my fear of getting my heart broken…!
But my session with her was just an eye opener to the fact that we all look to each other for different things. I guess even that boss of yours might look to you and admire for something you have in your life. I guess we cannot have everything that we dream and aspire for. Like she was in Mombasa on holiday; she’d lived in Europe for close to 9 years; she loves to shop in New York…etc. That is every woman’s dream. I wear black, framed BVLGARI glasses and come out looking inapproachable but to someone else, they want the glasses so that they can send a message to the world not to mess with her etc. I think we should learn from each other and borrow lessons of life from one another to enrich us further.
Now to the funny, I had breakfast again with her after I overslept and was rushing to the airport at 10.30am for an 11.50am flight….I know (It’s never that serious) I guess when you get to Mombasa, things begin to slow down and I guess if you are there long enough you will also take things slowly.
So now I am hurrying to the check-out desk and asking for a porter to take my bags to the car that is not there…so now I am boiling for my self-inflicted inconvenience. So I breathe in deeply as the Sales Manager manages to catch me for a quick chat. As he blabbers away, I cannot help but look at my watch just calculating the amount of time needed to get to the airport and check in. I notice he realized that he stood between me and my flight back to Nairobi. So our goodbyes and off we go with this sweaty driver in a humid air-tight vehicle. What did I do to deserve this whilst in Mombasa…?
On the way, you notice very few people on the streets and on enquiring the driver says it is a work day. I asked then why there is so much traffic. This is when the my imaginative mind went to a scene where I was evacuated from the vehicle as a chopper landed and white sand lifted off of the ground because of the air that was span around by the blades that cut through the air. In my shades and black sun dress, I evacuated the car and make my way to the chopper as people stood still to watch the drama…Screeeeeeeech….the ACTUAL breaks of the car that was back to back in traffic with a trailer in front of us. Back to reality, I ask him if there is another route to use to the airport since we had not made any head way the last 15minutes. He looked and me like “are you kidding me…don’t you rush me,” and I went back into the recline position at the back seat.
I then dialed the travel agent and asked her to check me in, and she could not do anything about it. But the good news was that I was able to catch the flight because it was now delayed by an hour to 1230..meaning I could check in at 11am…I shouted “God watches over me…”
So we get to the airport….no que (thankfully) and this attendant tells me “No we cannot check you in.” I immediately dropped my handbag and asked him why, and he responds by calling his manager because my facial expression instilled fear in him. So his manager comes and she says to me I am late and I ask her “are you checking me in or not…cos as far as I know the plane hasn’t even landed” so she says “how do you know…?” and I tell her I have my sources! KQ love to torture their clients…a story for another day.
Anyway, the plane has landed and now I leave you….Reporting live from The Mombasa International Airport, this is Elsie Wandera signing of for the day
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Mix them Gather Them
I want to be as honest with my view as I possibly can without sound like I am pointing a finger at you
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