Emails can be a bit of a hurdle if you haven't updated your browser in a while.
I am guilty of not updating my browsers, and alot of other things on my laptop, but when i go to a cyber cafe, i do expect to see theirs updated. I mean, their computers are connected to the internet, like all the time, so why, oh why, are their computers almost as slow as mine?
Recently, I was trying to use the email for the purpose of... well... emailing. I have a gmail account, and it has been pretty reliable. I do have a yahoo account I only log into once a year, but that was for Double The Trouble, and there's a Microsoft Outlook one which I logged into last about two years ago... In gmail, i currently have three email accounts. I have no idea why... but let's move on.
On this said day, I was so busy running around, that when i sat down to type this email out, I got so distracted by the many thoughts and slow connection that I sent an incomplete email. It was delivered.
I spent the rest of the week feeling assured that everything was great, only for me to get a huge surprise when I finally found time to use my phone for email. The attachments never attached, and the connection did not hold long enough for me to complete the email. I have never been so utterly confused, and upset at myself. then i realized that maybe i wasn't the only one to blame for the unsuccessful email attempt.
First, the network was slow, so i blame safaricom. I take the rest of the blame because I did not update the laptop prior to using it. Hence the slow action taken. I was also to blame because i had too many things on my mind, kind of like how i have too many things to think about right now.
At the end of all this, I just want you to know that updating your browsers and other programs on your computer is very important. Like my geek friend Elly would tell me every time my baby went "poof" updating is important. Update regularly. Update your antivirus, your browsers and all the programs your computer has. Okay Zainab?"
Now I have to go. Updating my other blog too. BYE!!!
Monday, 22 May 2017
Wednesday, 5 April 2017
Travel Diaries I
There's nothing I love more than indulging in a bit of traveling here and there.
Since the year began, I have been effectively focused on trying to find something to occupy my time. A job, a hobby, a little pampering once in a while, being brave... but my all time favorite has always been traveling.
In Early March, I found myself in Ukunda for an interview. Of course the trip was utterly exhausting, considering the fact that we were on the road for close to 24 hours. We began the journey from Eldoret at about 11pm on Monday of 27th February. We were in Nairobi before six in the morning. By around seven thirty, we had tickets to Mombasa, and we were headed out of Nairobi.
We got to Voi at around half past two, and were in Mombasa by around four or five pm. My dad and I were utterly drained, and still had to go on a ferry to Ukunda. A sweet tempered gentleman picked us up in his tuktuk and took us on the ferry over to the mainland and straight to Ukunda. We took a bit of a turn around Ukunda before booking a room at Diani Forest Lodge.
Hunger Games
While at Ukunda, my dad and I realized that somehow we missed lunch on all the nights we slept there. We'd get distracted, then find ourselves leaving the premises to go find food.
On our first night there (Tuesday) we went out and purchased milk, some fruit and a loaf of bread. We were lucky to be up for breakfast early. It was something similar to continental. There was fruit juice, jam and margarine for bread (which was either white or brown, your choice), tea, a sausage or egg (can't remember if they came together) and lots of cool breezes blowing in from the ocean which was about two to three kilometres from the hotel.
Lunch was buffet. Can't remember what they offered, but we ate till we were too full to get up for the next thirty minutes after eating. Then, at about four, we went out walking to the town, before convincing my dad that we weren't really in Ukunda unless we went to the beach. We were taken by a tuktuk driver and walked along the beach as the tide came in. The sand was powdery and white, and there was alot of seaweed deposited on it. I took off my shoes because sand kept getting in them anyway.
While we were at the beach, a local fisherman doubling as a tour guide regaled us with tales of an island that only reappeared when the tide went out. He told us about the boats with glass bottoms, which the tourists love d to go on. I listened as I tried to get the sand off my feet. I was utterly at peace in that moment, hearing the local language being spoken, seeing the waves crashing on the shore, and half heartedly trying to shake the wet sand off my feet.
Once again, we were late for dinner, so we had to go look for a place where we could grab a bite before going to the lodge. Our tuktuk broke down before we got to the main part of town, so we took our feet to the tarmac roads and sandy paths.
Hot, Long Nights
Ukunda was really hot at night. I found myself getting up in the middle of the night to drink water and turn the fan on.
Luckily, i packed a dira so that problem was lessened by half. My hair bore the brunt of the sweating, so much it was actually frizzy the entire time we were at Ukunda. I had to wash it in the morning when we were leaving Ukunda.
The heat at the coast does not allow women the freedom of putting protective hairstyles like weaves and heavy braids. It also limits your dark wardrobe, so you have to invest in lighter coloured and thin materialed clothes. Some women spent the entire day in khangas.
The nights were definitely longer because it was winter in the northern hemisphere, though the sun was overhead the equator roughly a month later. Kenya does not get severly affected by the sun being overhead both the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, but there are some deviations from the Equinox. Days either become longer, or much shorter. The heat at night makes everything worse. The fans were not a luxury, rather a necessity, despite the breeze coming in from the ocean.
Alarm clocks
Diani Forest Lodge was literally in the lowland forest. As such, there were monkeys playing on the roof of the rooms every morning. Once they started, they only got louder.
Exactlyu like an alarm clock!
Despite the obvious irritation these playful creatures displayed, I kept thinking about the encroachment of human settlements into their natural habitat. I wondered about the conflict this would bring. Being naturally curious, they could eventually end up being exterminated by us. Which sort of made me very sad, because this reminded me of a documentary aired on National Geographic about monkeys in India. Human beings have inadvertently spread urbanization smack into the habitats and ecosystems of animals, leaving them to respond almost instinctively to the threat humankind poses to them. Was that why they bounced on the roofs from dawn? Was that why they sat on the roofs of other houses and stared at us? What would be next? Throwing fruit and stones at us?
Eventually, we left Ukunda, feeling much healthier due to all the sweating we encountered. I had never gone beyond Likoni, and it was quite an experience for me. The journey back was just as exhausting, but it was totally worth it.
Next time i will be blogging about Eastleigh in Nairobi. Enjoy your day! I have quite a busy one ahead of me.
Since the year began, I have been effectively focused on trying to find something to occupy my time. A job, a hobby, a little pampering once in a while, being brave... but my all time favorite has always been traveling.
In Early March, I found myself in Ukunda for an interview. Of course the trip was utterly exhausting, considering the fact that we were on the road for close to 24 hours. We began the journey from Eldoret at about 11pm on Monday of 27th February. We were in Nairobi before six in the morning. By around seven thirty, we had tickets to Mombasa, and we were headed out of Nairobi.
We got to Voi at around half past two, and were in Mombasa by around four or five pm. My dad and I were utterly drained, and still had to go on a ferry to Ukunda. A sweet tempered gentleman picked us up in his tuktuk and took us on the ferry over to the mainland and straight to Ukunda. We took a bit of a turn around Ukunda before booking a room at Diani Forest Lodge.
Hunger Games
While at Ukunda, my dad and I realized that somehow we missed lunch on all the nights we slept there. We'd get distracted, then find ourselves leaving the premises to go find food.
On our first night there (Tuesday) we went out and purchased milk, some fruit and a loaf of bread. We were lucky to be up for breakfast early. It was something similar to continental. There was fruit juice, jam and margarine for bread (which was either white or brown, your choice), tea, a sausage or egg (can't remember if they came together) and lots of cool breezes blowing in from the ocean which was about two to three kilometres from the hotel.
Lunch was buffet. Can't remember what they offered, but we ate till we were too full to get up for the next thirty minutes after eating. Then, at about four, we went out walking to the town, before convincing my dad that we weren't really in Ukunda unless we went to the beach. We were taken by a tuktuk driver and walked along the beach as the tide came in. The sand was powdery and white, and there was alot of seaweed deposited on it. I took off my shoes because sand kept getting in them anyway.
While we were at the beach, a local fisherman doubling as a tour guide regaled us with tales of an island that only reappeared when the tide went out. He told us about the boats with glass bottoms, which the tourists love d to go on. I listened as I tried to get the sand off my feet. I was utterly at peace in that moment, hearing the local language being spoken, seeing the waves crashing on the shore, and half heartedly trying to shake the wet sand off my feet.
Once again, we were late for dinner, so we had to go look for a place where we could grab a bite before going to the lodge. Our tuktuk broke down before we got to the main part of town, so we took our feet to the tarmac roads and sandy paths.
Hot, Long Nights
Ukunda was really hot at night. I found myself getting up in the middle of the night to drink water and turn the fan on.
Luckily, i packed a dira so that problem was lessened by half. My hair bore the brunt of the sweating, so much it was actually frizzy the entire time we were at Ukunda. I had to wash it in the morning when we were leaving Ukunda.
The heat at the coast does not allow women the freedom of putting protective hairstyles like weaves and heavy braids. It also limits your dark wardrobe, so you have to invest in lighter coloured and thin materialed clothes. Some women spent the entire day in khangas.
The nights were definitely longer because it was winter in the northern hemisphere, though the sun was overhead the equator roughly a month later. Kenya does not get severly affected by the sun being overhead both the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, but there are some deviations from the Equinox. Days either become longer, or much shorter. The heat at night makes everything worse. The fans were not a luxury, rather a necessity, despite the breeze coming in from the ocean.
Alarm clocks
Diani Forest Lodge was literally in the lowland forest. As such, there were monkeys playing on the roof of the rooms every morning. Once they started, they only got louder.
Exactlyu like an alarm clock!
Despite the obvious irritation these playful creatures displayed, I kept thinking about the encroachment of human settlements into their natural habitat. I wondered about the conflict this would bring. Being naturally curious, they could eventually end up being exterminated by us. Which sort of made me very sad, because this reminded me of a documentary aired on National Geographic about monkeys in India. Human beings have inadvertently spread urbanization smack into the habitats and ecosystems of animals, leaving them to respond almost instinctively to the threat humankind poses to them. Was that why they bounced on the roofs from dawn? Was that why they sat on the roofs of other houses and stared at us? What would be next? Throwing fruit and stones at us?
Eventually, we left Ukunda, feeling much healthier due to all the sweating we encountered. I had never gone beyond Likoni, and it was quite an experience for me. The journey back was just as exhausting, but it was totally worth it.
Next time i will be blogging about Eastleigh in Nairobi. Enjoy your day! I have quite a busy one ahead of me.
Wednesday, 15 March 2017
Appreciating The Little Things In Life
I won't lie. These past few weeks have been the hardest for me. Since the first day of this month, things keep going wrong... well, until yesterday when I finally found things going well. I smiled freely for the first time in days. I even looked younger, and my heart felt much lighter. I was so happy to finally have one thing going right, and I thoughtfully decided to put up a new blog post today.
I won't bore you with the details of how crazy and worked up i have been, but it has left me stressed enough to start seeking comfort food (which I had stopped doing a while ago. I do not eat my emotions, but i love some crunchy snacks here and there), and I was constantly in a bad mood. I didn't even want to talk to my dad who, by the way, we have a lot of inside jokes with. I felt completely and utterly humiliated and no matter how many times my sister and my best friend told me that I wasn't a loser, I saw it on my forehead every time I looked in the mirror.
You know, when you've had a very conservative life during your teens, you tend to sort of try to avoid being upset. I have always been the kind of person who shoved the anger and pain and disappointment at the back of my mind. Somehow, I'd forget everything and go on living my life in whatever path it decided to take. Put simply, I'd like to think my disposition is happy-go-lucky. Since this month began, I have been anything but... and I feel it is better to talk about it than skulk in my room all day.
Despite the obvious anxiety and dissatisfaction i already felt, I tried to smile through it all and my cheeks were always hurting. I was so withdrawn, my mum realized something was wrong. Then she recently walked in on me awake at midnight. I had told my parents good night at about nine pm, but for three hours, I was lying in bed, dressed to sleep, covered warmly, with a full tummy, and i was just there.
Staring at the darkness as if it held all the answers to my predicaments.
I was stuck in a rut and I couldn't get myself out of it. Mum walked in, and I pretended i was asleep, but it took me about an hour to finally convince myself to actually do the task i had set my mind to.
Enter Karaoke
Those who read my posts know that I do love to sing and I even have accounts on social media where i forward my recordings for all who follow me to see.
Those who follow my twitter also know that I have been very busy promoting my music on that platform too. Especially, quite recently, Red Karaoke.
Now, Red Karaoke is an app i think every karaoke-inclined person should have. Why? Because from the safety of your enclosure, house, cube...you can make a very lovely cover. Been using it since mid last year... it helps me anytime I am upset.
So, last week, i got into the Zayn-Taylor cover mood, what with their single on the radio everyday. I went on Red Karaoke and found the audios. Then I did three duets with two people. The next day, I decided to do my own version.Then I couldn't stop singing. I swear the neighbours must have heard me. Not that I cared.
I was doing therapy. With every cover I published on the site, a little bit more of my happy-go-lucky disposition returned. When i finally called it a day, perfect audios or not, I was in a very good mood. The mood stayed with me until Monday of this week when I went to see a big boss in the PH office. I wasn't exactly pleased by the words he said, but i kept a brave face.
When I went to lunch, I cheered up because I went to this place where my friends and I went more than once when we lived in Kitale. I was a bit lonely, but i smiled as i watched people, used wattpad and listened to music on my phone. When i finally finished lunch,I sent the waitress who had been serving me a thankful smile. I don't know if she noticed the change in my demeanor, but she smiled back too. Told her I'd see her around sometime soon.
]
At the end of my very disturbing visit, i came back home and I sat through my night in obvvious agitation.
No One.
The next day (yesterday) i did as I had been requested by the council (PHOTC) and found myself thinking too much. When i got to EIA, I took a deep breath (not that the air around me was exactly freshening. Did it to prepare myself) and I decided to just go with what I would be told. See, Happy-go-lucky was back.
Somehow, the Universe decided i needed a different outcome, and surprisingly, my meeting went well. I took the long way to the exit, listening to Nick Jonas and just smiling to myself the entire time. When I got back home, in celebration, I did a few things around the house then... yes... Red Karaoke.
I sang two songs, but what made me happier was "No One" by Alicia Keys. It came out close to perfect according to my vocal range, which I am starting to think is nowhere near hers. Then I couldn't stop listening to my audio rendition of the song. I fell asleep listening to myself. It was lovely.
Which put me in a better mood today.
Right now I have facial scrub on my face. Have to go rinse off. Thank you sweetpies.
Sincerely,
Me.
Wednesday, 15 February 2017
Little Mix-ed Up
I won't lie... i am a little mixed up.
Welcome to 2017 people! Once again, i am present to make a few comments that even i am a little confused about. For the past few months, akin to a year, I have been involved with my internship which took me to Kitale, and I have been so excited and equally bummed about it. Especially since one year is a long long long time!
Even then, today's post is not about the sad existence that is our health care programme and ministry, the poor excuse it is, because it is just a little too disorganized for my chipper moods today.
I am in a musical mood!!! I know, I am almost always in a musical mood!
By now, you have probably heard of Little Mix, right? Well, if you are Kenyan, you probably have. If you aren't, you probably heard about them before 2015. Now, I heard about them in 2013. Since then, i regularly stalk their social media accounts because, truth be told, I am quite the stalker these days. Which reminds me, I really need to stop.
Anyway, I recently got to acquire "Touch" and i was blown away. I am actually thinking of doing a cover of that song. :-) It knocks the socks off my feet, only for me to wear them and again get them knocked off. Not that i don't care, i do. I hate cold feet. However, I don't mind being the sock-not sock kind of people.
I mean sock in the cleanest way possible. Any gutter minded people here should know that, just for clarification.
Then there's "Hair" which my oh my i can't forget. Then "shoutout to my ex" which plays on Kiss everyday. I love love love what these girls are doing. Really. They can knock my socks off anyday, anytime.
I have to go. Feeling exhausted (sigh) i know...!
Anyway, good evening!
Welcome to 2017 people! Once again, i am present to make a few comments that even i am a little confused about. For the past few months, akin to a year, I have been involved with my internship which took me to Kitale, and I have been so excited and equally bummed about it. Especially since one year is a long long long time!
Even then, today's post is not about the sad existence that is our health care programme and ministry, the poor excuse it is, because it is just a little too disorganized for my chipper moods today.
I am in a musical mood!!! I know, I am almost always in a musical mood!
By now, you have probably heard of Little Mix, right? Well, if you are Kenyan, you probably have. If you aren't, you probably heard about them before 2015. Now, I heard about them in 2013. Since then, i regularly stalk their social media accounts because, truth be told, I am quite the stalker these days. Which reminds me, I really need to stop.
Anyway, I recently got to acquire "Touch" and i was blown away. I am actually thinking of doing a cover of that song. :-) It knocks the socks off my feet, only for me to wear them and again get them knocked off. Not that i don't care, i do. I hate cold feet. However, I don't mind being the sock-not sock kind of people.
I mean sock in the cleanest way possible. Any gutter minded people here should know that, just for clarification.
Then there's "Hair" which my oh my i can't forget. Then "shoutout to my ex" which plays on Kiss everyday. I love love love what these girls are doing. Really. They can knock my socks off anyday, anytime.
I have to go. Feeling exhausted (sigh) i know...!
Anyway, good evening!
Happy New Year...!
Hello everyone! It is 2015!
I am sitting here in someone's swirly chair and asking myself what new thing i am doing... which... truth be told, is something i have done for a while now.
Something i have done for a while now...
Well, 2014 was quite a year! I won't lie. In my consecutive posts, i will tell you why. Right now though, I will start the year with song lyrics. This song is one of my favourite Sautisol lyrics... so... HIT IT!
Well, maybe it is more like TYPE IT!
*&*&*&*&
Sura Yako by Sautisol
(Instruments begin with a big and lovely intro.)
Nimekuchagua wewe, nikupende
mama, sitaki mwingine
aushi usiniache, usinitende,
mama, usipende mwingine.
Moyo wangu ni mwepesi
umenikalia chapati
nafanya vituko kama chizi
kukupenda sitasizi
moyo wangu ni mwepesi
umenikalia chapati
nafanya vituko kama chizi
kukupenda sitasizi
sura yako muzuri mama
muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama
tabasamu lako maua,
muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama
sura yako muzuri mama
muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama
tabasamu lako maua, yeah, yeah
muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama.
Itabidi nikulinde, nikutunze
mama usikose lolote
pete nayo nikuvishe, nikuoe
mama, usiende popote
Juu moyo wangu ishakubali
umenikalia chapati
nitakulinda kama polisi
itabidi kumarry
juu moyo wangu ishakubali
umenikalia chapati
nitakulinda kama polisi
itabidi kumarry
na sura yako muzuri mama
muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama
tabasamu lako maua,
muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama,
sura yako muzuri mama
muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama
ni figure yako kama ya chupaa
muzuri mama, (yeah) muzuri mama, (yeah) muzuri mama
Piga densi kidogo, piga
piga densi kidogo,
densi kidogo,
piga, piga densi kidogo
densi kidogo
piga, piga densi kidogo
piga densi kidogo...
sura yako muzuri mama
muzuri mama, (eeh) muzuri mama,(eeh) muzuri mama
tabasamu lako maua,
muzuri mama, (ooh yeah) muzuri mama, (yeah, yeah) muzuri mama,
sura yako muzuri mama, you're so, you are so beautiful, yeah
(muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama)
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeeeeeeeaaaaaaah baby, yeah
piga densi kidogo,baby
densi kidogo
mama densi kidogo,
(muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama)
na figure yako kama ya chupa
(muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama)
Sura yako muzuri mama
ooh yeah, yeah
piga densi kidogo,
piga, piga densi kidogo
baby densi kidogo
mama densi kidogo
piga densi kidogo
baby, densi kidogo
mama, densi kidogo
ni wewe, ni wewe
ni wewe, ni wewe
yeah!
(instruments finish off the song bila any more singing. :-D)
I am sitting here in someone's swirly chair and asking myself what new thing i am doing... which... truth be told, is something i have done for a while now.
Something i have done for a while now...
Well, 2014 was quite a year! I won't lie. In my consecutive posts, i will tell you why. Right now though, I will start the year with song lyrics. This song is one of my favourite Sautisol lyrics... so... HIT IT!
Well, maybe it is more like TYPE IT!
*&*&*&*&
Sura Yako by Sautisol
(Instruments begin with a big and lovely intro.)
Nimekuchagua wewe, nikupende
mama, sitaki mwingine
aushi usiniache, usinitende,
mama, usipende mwingine.
Moyo wangu ni mwepesi
umenikalia chapati
nafanya vituko kama chizi
kukupenda sitasizi
moyo wangu ni mwepesi
umenikalia chapati
nafanya vituko kama chizi
kukupenda sitasizi
sura yako muzuri mama
muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama
tabasamu lako maua,
muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama
sura yako muzuri mama
muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama
tabasamu lako maua, yeah, yeah
muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama.
Itabidi nikulinde, nikutunze
mama usikose lolote
pete nayo nikuvishe, nikuoe
mama, usiende popote
Juu moyo wangu ishakubali
umenikalia chapati
nitakulinda kama polisi
itabidi kumarry
juu moyo wangu ishakubali
umenikalia chapati
nitakulinda kama polisi
itabidi kumarry
na sura yako muzuri mama
muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama
tabasamu lako maua,
muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama,
sura yako muzuri mama
muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama
ni figure yako kama ya chupaa
muzuri mama, (yeah) muzuri mama, (yeah) muzuri mama
Piga densi kidogo, piga
piga densi kidogo,
densi kidogo,
piga, piga densi kidogo
densi kidogo
piga, piga densi kidogo
piga densi kidogo...
sura yako muzuri mama
muzuri mama, (eeh) muzuri mama,(eeh) muzuri mama
tabasamu lako maua,
muzuri mama, (ooh yeah) muzuri mama, (yeah, yeah) muzuri mama,
sura yako muzuri mama, you're so, you are so beautiful, yeah
(muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama)
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeeeeeeeaaaaaaah baby, yeah
piga densi kidogo,baby
densi kidogo
mama densi kidogo,
(muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama)
na figure yako kama ya chupa
(muzuri mama, muzuri mama, muzuri mama)
Sura yako muzuri mama
ooh yeah, yeah
piga densi kidogo,
piga, piga densi kidogo
baby densi kidogo
mama densi kidogo
piga densi kidogo
baby, densi kidogo
mama, densi kidogo
ni wewe, ni wewe
ni wewe, ni wewe
yeah!
(instruments finish off the song bila any more singing. :-D)
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