I am in awe of the kind of world that N.K.Jemisin builds and The Inheritance Trilogy was a treat looking into the gods and mortals and a whole lot of history in between, but I’ve always wanted to read The Broken Earth Trilogy.
I was sad when I tried to get it from Amazon, but realized the shipping costs to Kenya would be twice the cost of the books. Fast forward to February and a colleague gifted me the whole set- so this right here is a post with two memorable quotes from the second book ( The Obelisk Gate) that I noted down.
Put people in a cage and they will devote themselves to escaping it, not cooperating with those who caged them.
But just because you can’t see or understand a thing doesn’t mean it can’t hurt you.
I learned from The Hot Goddess’ blog post that today is the International Day of Happiness. Yes, The United Nations in all the days of the year, allocated the 20th of March as the day to celebrate happiness. It recognizes happiness as a human goal and sees this day as a call “for a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes the happiness and well-being of all peoples.”
And it begs the question, “what is happiness?”
This leads to more questions like: are you happy? what makes you happy? how can you tell that you are happy? are the people around you happy? how do you know? (The World Happiness Report -for some stats on countries and expectations)
And as the United Nations celebrates this day, in four countries in Africa, there will be protests geared towards the need for improved policies, tax reductions and more consideration for the livelihood of citizens by their governments-and the countries are Kenya, South Africa, Tunisia and Nigeria.
So, am I happy? Right now as I write this, no. I am worried about the lives of friends, allies, young and old alike who will be out protesting for we may encounter police and in the city I reside, Kisumu, since 2007, conflicts with the police have resulted in more injuries, bodily harm and death-so no, I am anxious and scared, yet also certain that speaking against the influx in taxation and cost of goods is worth gaining the attention and consideration of the government.
And if you were to ask me the same question, two hours ago, I would have said ‘yes’ because I was reading N.K.Jemisin’s “The Obelisk Gate,” and as I seriously consider happiness, I find it fleeting.
Happiness is neither constant nor a guarantee in life.
So, if there is a sense of elation and content in a moment, place, activity, with or without a person-then that counts as a win and as the days roll by into years, and your memory still serves you, you can say you were happy or have experienced happiness.
It’s a cold Saturday morning. I still woke up at six and got to clean the house and now I’ve been sneezing non-stop, a subtle reminder that I don’t do well during the cold season.
Since I have been writing lately, there are many thoughts that assail me. They are questions on whether I am doing the right thing, sticking to something worthwhile and what I get out of it and the most persistent one has been ‘why do I still write?’
The answer that comes to mind is that I write because I still have stories to tell and the desire to pick up a pen and tell them.
And so, I shared a snippet of the book I am currently working on (this post here), hoping to continue working on it throughout this month and see where it leads me.
Until then, have a great weekend and if you’d not mind a recommendation from me- how about watching season 2 of Shadow and Bone on Netflix?
Call me Catherine. I’m your husband’s mistress. You probably know about me or are aware that there is someone like me lurking around your husband, taking his attention, affection and money. Yes, I am.
Do not hate me because I can do that much for you.
What I want is that you listen carefully to what I am about to tell you. This may take a while but if there is anything mistresses have is the audacity to speak up because we already know what crime we commit and who our accomplices are.
The one thing no one tells you about being a mistress is that you are an option. You are easier to make and cancel plans with. You know you always come second to whatever the man wishes because you came into his life after some sort of stability. You learn how to appear and disappear and it makes for such comic relief when your emotions are not involved.
This is why I turned down his proposal. I am content with being an option because now I know that he too has always been an option. However, times are hard and I know your eldest son just sat his KCSE exams and you are all waiting for that portal to open up so he can select some tertiary institutions. It must be hard trying to attend to everyone in such times, which is why I am interested in you- see, there are days when I have been right before you but you’ve never known how or why, and in a world of acquaintances I learned pretty early to make friends with those who may hurl stones at me.
You could put a bullet through my brain and I would gladly accept it, because there is something about you that even your husband does not know, but I do.
I took up crotchet last year, mainly because my Mom wanted yarn so she could knit my niece a sweater and I was taken in by the milky pink yarn that I wanted to make something for myself.
And since then, I reached out to LaDenser- on Instagram and get my yarn from her. She also has awesome tutorials on YouTube where she shares the process of some of the beautiful outfits she makes. I am nowhere near as fast, neat, or dedicated as she is, and you can check her out here:
Since then, I have made two storage baskets that have helped with the dirty laundry and pajamas.
Since then I have learned some things about myself and it is interesting to think these of myself:
I stick to something that works well for me. I made one storage basket, then instead of trying something new, I made another and I am currently making the third.
Crotchet is like meditation. When I am at it, my mind is quiet and I only follow through the pattern of stitching.
Time flies when you crotchet– and to me it is like reading when I say just one more page and end up reading a whole book, same with crocheting- sometimes I say I would do just one row and an hour later I have done three or four.
Crocheting is all about consistency- something that I struggle with when it comes to working out and writing- and being able to do it here, is a sure slap in the face that I haven’t put more effort in working out and writing like I have done with crotchet.
I know how to play safe, but when I do, I don’t grow. Read the first lesson I learned-and apply it to life, and you’ll probably pity or understand me-and I am stepping out of the boundaries I have set for myself slowly watching tutorials and trying out new things.
I’ll share the next design of the storage basket I am working on and probably watch more tutorials so I can make a dress or skirt next time, maybe.
I should amend that title and maybe go with ‘a year older and wiser,’ because I feel some type of way this Sunday morning.
The great thing about my birthday this year was that I was on the mend, feeling unwell and struggling with nausea, fatigue, and loss of appetite but my mind was set on having cake and coffee at Java House for my birthday over the weekend. My birthday, was overshadowed with best wishes for the International Women’s Day- and I snuggled in my duvet and binge watched the K-drama Unlock my Boss– and held onto the hope that Saturday would get here soon.
On writing: I am writing again and loving the time I get to sit down and focus on my current manuscript.
In keeping with my writing goals, I have submitted entries to three publications, received a rejection letter for one and hopeful that I met most of the requirements for the other two. There is something about long form writing that has me reading more articles, essays and researching topics that I would normally overlook like parenting, sci-fi movies, animation, politics.
And that’s a wrap for this birthday girl, I’ll probably go to the market later on. Have a great week ahead.
I bought two books by David Liss last year: The Coffee Trader and A Spectacle of Corruption and after enjoying the intrigue of Miguel’s woes in trade in the Coffee Trader, and his attempt to clear his debts and path in business, I found myself picking up A Spectacle of Corruption.
Set in 1722, with the author drawing from the history of significant events in England from as early as 1649, the story revolves around Benjamin Weaver who is set to hang from the beginning of the story. His crime being Murder. So, he manages to escape into the London night with one intention, to know who was behind his sentencing and why. Ideally, Weaver is a private investigator and I was taken by his guts to pursue the truth even if it meant landing a few blows and kicks here and there.
Weaver admits that, “London after dark is no place for the vulnerable, let alone the naked, but I had freed myself from the most dreaded prison in the kingdom, and I could rejoice that I still had shoes upon my feet,” the moment he finally escapes from Newgate prison.
As the story progresses, there are but twists and turns and from the very beginning he is pointed in the direction of Melbury, who is running for office in the elections and the husband to the only woman he has ever loved, Miriam. But he refuses to believe that Melbury would want to have him hanged out of jealousy and the more he digs, the more he learns that there is more to voting- to the electors, the politicians and the desire to win.
At some point, as he draws closer to Melbury, the parliamentarian tells Weaver that parliament, voting and the elections is nothing but a ‘spectacle of corruption,’ that it is all about a show of who has more votes, villains, money, a say-and so forth. This in a way got me thinking about voting, government, democracy and our election process in Kenya- and it indeed is a spectacle of corruption. Earlier on in the text, Melbury does not shy away from saying the cost of engaging in politics, “You know nothing of politics…you pay indeed! Politics is corrupt enough without asking the voters to pay for the campaigning.”
Weaver asks him, “why does it cost so much?” To this he responds, ” Because there is a great deal of money to be made, and because the other fellow will spend it of you don’t. The man whos wishes to sit in parliament must offer food and drink…” And how different is this from what we see in Kenya?
Overall, this like The Coffee Trader, is written around one main lead who suffers great injustice and goes about unraveling why and who is responsible using the only means they know- and I couldn’t help but find Weaver both charming and straightforward-kinda like Miguel- speaking his mind without flinching.
I thought of this as I was standing by the shores of Lake Victoria. It was a hot afternoon and I was waiting for food, see- most of the restaurants beside this magnificent being-so vast, yet powerful and soothing all believe that ‘food is prepared and served on order,’ this translates to ‘you place the order and wait for half an hour or more for it.’
And just like that with one foot in the water, another in the dark sand…I asked myself:
It’s been three months since I shared updates on life, more so on writing, reading and a whole bunch of experiences I’ve had along the way. This post is my attempt at some sanity after changing the theme of this blog six times. Trust me, I activated six themes before finally settling on this one so my mind is seeking refuge in this post.
On reading: February came with gifts and I got this trilogy set by N.K.Jemisin from a wonderful friend and mentor whose energy and love for others has me in awe. The set adds onto a number of books that I hope to read this year.
On writing: I need help! Truth is I feel at odds and unable to write and for a while I settled into it, but now there are two opposing forces in me- more like intentions- a part of me misses writing, yearns to write and demands that I do and the other part, does not want to do disturbed. I find myself unable to stop buying notebooks and pens-but gathering my wits to write has been unbearable. It does not help that I set one of my goals as writing and publishing a book in April.
On life: The first week of this month was busy because most of the people who support the projects I work on were in Kenya, some visiting for the first time and it was great showing them around while also visiting places I wanted to. We visited The Giraffe Centre in Nairobi, enjoyed many meals and evening talks by the shores of Lake Victoria while in Rusinga Island.
I always wanted to have some chicken biryani and tamarind juice and got to do this while at Mama Nilishe, in Kilimani-though now she opened up a bigger place at Kikao Place in Lavington. And while in Nairobi, we stayed at Eka Hotel along Mombasa Road where aside from exemplary reception and service I couldn’t help but be taken in by the glass bottles in our rooms.
On music: I am obsessed with Akoth Jumadi and Lisa Oduor Noah. Their songs calm my luo soul and makes me feel some type of way that’s got me loving the mood I’m in when I hear their voices.
That’s it for now on the life updates and maybe by the end of this month I shall have set my mind on what to do about the writing slump I find myself in, until then, have an awesome weekend.
nilichoandika 