It’s the end of March and I cannot wait to experience another month with at least thirty days. April’s so cool it begins with a holiday! I have come to appreciate different styles of writing from different authors thanks to NetGalley. I have also had more time to edit and keep working on Sifuna before thinking about publishing it.
So, let’s get into my reading list and here are four books that I loved reading this month.
Work Stronger by Pete Leibman. This is a must-read and as I was going through it, I was tempted to recommend it to an employer who believes in longer working hours because well, that’s one sure way of killing productivity.
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. Oi…I loved reading this book because it’s all Trevor. The tone is very witty and conversational like Trevor and indeed, his mom’s the heroine of this story…but even more so, you can’t help but be inspired by his resilience. PS: If you’d love to read it, it’s on offer today on Amazon. The Kindle version goes for $1.17 that’s $26.83 off! Buy the book, enough with the PDF requests y’all, buy the book, respect the work!
Private Lies by Cynthia St. Aubin. When Avery’s mom goes missing on her graduation day, she definitely knows something’s off. Her mom’s a Private Investigator and Avery finds herself asking questions that lead her to places she never thought she’d be. I loved this because Avery is the Queen of clap-backs here.
I’ve got a couple more titles to read in April and I’d admit that I am looking forward to being on the road more and to definitely buying quite a number of books for my home library.
Have a wonderful Easter holiday break wherever you are.
There is a certain kind of waiting where the world does not understand your inaction.
What are you waiting for?
What are you doing with your life?
What are your plans?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
It’s almost as if the answer you give could slowly drain away your inactivity and suddenly put you on the stage of “doing something” or “being something.”
What’s your status?
I found myself talking to a fourteen year old girl. Her mom met me and she said, “would you please make her understand that she’s got to work hard if she wants to make it in life?” The girl looked away and then kept her eyes on the ground as though the earth knew her better than anyone did.
Who are you when the world turns their back?
I wanted to ask her what her mom was frustrated at but instead I found myself saying “take your time, you have one life and whatever you choose to do with it, you’ve got to own up to the consequences. It’s not about who makes it first, but that when you get to a place, you are certain that you put the effort in getting there.”
I turned to her Mom and smiled and said, “Do not worry Mama. She’ll get there and sometimes, we push so hard that we push them to their fall. Let her decide knowing that you have done your best to support her. You know a wheelbarrow can only go as far as you push it right? Well, she’s human, don’t push so much that you lose your breath and she topples over.”
“Thank you, but I will give her your number so you can keep encouraging her. It’s a tough world and you know she is your little sister, eh?”
“Okay Mama, I’ll do what I can.”
There is a certain kind of waiting, where the world does not understand your inaction. Where you are reduced to the number of likes and comments you get for posting a picture of you and your child eating out. Measuring the likes and comments as though they are the approval ratings forgetting that you had to take ten pictures before your child could smile but you never asked why. They sit beside you, walk where you say they should, all the while their minds are at war…fighting endless battles just to gain your approval.
A friend asked me, “What are you doing with your life?”
I thought of responding with the bio on my LinkedIn profile but I said “living it the best way I can,” and she laughed and said, “how can you do that? Life is so expensive!”
“Life is precious because it’s granted to us once. It’s not expensive because you cannot calculate how much your life costs, but the things we think we need around us to keep us happy, now those are expensive!”
She let out a sigh and said “You know, you can really preach, but I did not call to get a sermon. I was just checking up on you. Bye.”
There is a certain kind of waiting, where the world does not understand your inaction.
So, you wake up and do the same things over and over again.
I woke up this morning and as I was reading through my emails, I came across this nomination. Thank you for nominating me and y’all check out his awesome blog: Sidebar Books Blog
The Versatile Blogger Award was created to feature and recognize blogs that have unique content, high quality of writing, and fantastic photos. As the web-page about the Versatile Blogger Award says: Honor those bloggers who bring something special to your life whether every day or only now and then.
Here are the rules of The Versatile Blogger Award:
Thank the person who nominated you and share a link to their blog.
Nominate 15 superb bloggers for the award.
Talk about seven interesting facts about yourself, which your fellow bloggers will love to know about you.
So, let me start off by nominating superb bloggers and I’ll leave two slots open for anyone awesome blogger to climb aboard:
I can read a 300 page book undisturbed in 45 minutes.
I wake up at 2 a.m. every day to write for either an hour or sometimes, I reach out for my eReader and catch up on a book I was reading.
I’m all about positivity and when it comes to reviewing books, I rarely give a 2-star rating because I believe that the Writer took time, was courageous enough to live out their idea in a story all through to publication…and more often than not, that deserves more than a two star rating.
Coffee is my friend.
Chocolate cake’s my friend too. Whenever we meet, she blends well with coffee and I am often guaranteed a treat.
I’m a sucker for romance novels. If it’s about shifters and dragons to be specific, I’m all in I tell you.
Cooking especially frying food is just my treat. Whenever household shopping is involved, cooking oil is always at the top of the list!
I am falling. No, it’s neither in love nor asleep, but into a black hole. I have always known that I would have to write about myself.
Now that I have to, I fear that whatever it is I write, nothing may be as virtual as I would like it to be.
Someone once said that there is no line between fiction and non-fiction, the only difference is three letters ‘non.’ I have thought about this for twelve years. Truth is when I write it is never for anyone, but myself. Some stories have been to free myself of a guilty conscience while others to free others of theirs.
In essence it all boils down to me. I choose who lives and who dies, not when but just how. I leave the ‘why’ to you who’s reading this right now. So, if you could meet me for coffee and ask me one question, what would it be? What would you want to know about me? On the other hand, if I were to meet you for coffee and ask you one question, it would be ‘would you like to go for a walk with me?’ I learned this from my Grandmother. She told me, anyone willing to walk with you is worthy of your time. I did not understand the depth of her wisdom then. A friend once told me that life is never ending. He said this at his grand father’s funeral where we stood by him lulled by the wailing and the eulogies. He smiled and said he was glad the old man got some rest because dialysis was killing him. The thought that tubes went in and out of him broke his spirit more than the fact that the process was extending his life. He just stood there and said that life never ended. He said that one is born out of two people, lives, dies and moves onto the after-life.
What he could not bring himself to admit was that life only ended if whoever died never created any memories with those he/she left behind. And that’s why I want to live, such that generations to come will know about me, and I am glad that in Kenya, generations name their newborn after those who are long gone. Talk of a sure way to ensure reincarnation, and Romeo had the audacity to ask “what’s in a name?” And there are some things that I will never say, not out loud, and not even at my deathbed. The moment you think, ‘I have to share this with someone,’ it becomes a confession- words spoken in the hope of being understood and forgiven, but none of it makes sense.
Truth is most of them are memories they wish to realize again and again.
Hello Friday! I have been looking forward to this day for two reasons:
I finally get to share the second issue of Nilichoandika magazine.
I can sit back and work on the draft I’ve written this week.
Writing has been a thrill, but what’s been better has been listening to new music albums and reading books. I haven’t stopped listening to three albums:
I have indulged some awesome books this week and from a funeral director, to an Assistant District Attorney, a well renowned Pastor, let’s just say that my week’s bee interesting.
Here’s to a lovely weekend and as I raved on about earlier, grab your free copy of the second issue of the magazine. Nilichoandika
That’s exactly how my friend reacted when I told her that I’d created a magazine.
Well, I am all for trying new things and using different mediums to share stories and insights and when I was scrolling through Canva, I thought why not use their templates and create a six-page magazine.
Grace saw it, read it and she loved it! It’s her job to love everything I do as a friend 🙂 and so, now, hello world…here’s a copy of the Nilichoandika Magazine!
Hey, it’s been a year already and we all agree that 2017 was crazy and it seems like 2018 is the KARMA Menu.
I could probably list a couple of presidents who got what was coming to them served this year, but Kenya tops the list. We’ve got two presidents, a curriculum that’s flopped in the pilot phase, health practitioners on strike, an increased number of unemployed people, depleted forest cover and going on about it makes the bulk of this post.
Well, I’m turning a year older this Thursday! Last year was quite interesting because of all the books I got for my birthday but I’m nursing the blues this week.
I’ve been coughing throughout February and now I’m on medication which means more bed rest and very little time being up and about. I yearn for this cake from Java but the good Doctor told me today “no sugar, or processed sugars and cold drinks until you come back for check-up” .
I should have told him it’s my birthday on Thursday and I’m too old to get only best wishes and no treats!
So, I put my playlist on shuffle and guess what song came up?
Yep! Trust me the gods of truth were summoned to perch on my shoulder and reign on my sick parade today, but I did hum to the tune as I made my way to the Jubilee market here in Kisumu. I went to get some sukumawiki and eggs for supper because I was drowsy and every time I coughed people seemed to want to run away from me like I was a TB advert. Getting supper at 11:00 a.m. was the best idea I came up with today.
So, I got into the matatu and this guy gets into the seat beside me just as we make a quick stop outside Kisumu Girls. He looks at me and smiles “sasa,” and I respond “poa sana” because at this point my voice is super smokey I feel like hosting a late night talk show on radio.
He asks me what I’m listening to and I say “Daughtry,” and he says “tell me about Daughtry, I’ve never heard of them, or is it a he or she? Just don’t laugh, I’m more local.”
I tell him “We have different tastes in music, so, no worries. Daughtry’s a rock band but it’s actually named after Chris Daughtry, he was a runner’s up in a season of American Idol.”
“Yeah, it’s always cool that those who come in second always hustle and go further than those who get the crown or gold medal. I wonder, like why is that?”
At this point, I’m almost at my stop but it’s also great conversation and besides, this guy has maintained eye contact and he’s not ducked when I coughed, how awesome is that? So, I tell him, I’m at my stop and he says “Sure, you get well soon and I can’t wait to read Sifuna. You know, you should have hard copies here in Kenya so fans like me can brag about knowing you.”
I was too stunned to come up with a response and by posting this, I hope he’s going to stay tuned and reach out to me via facebook because I went through all my friends and followers and couldn’t spot him! So, yeah…”guy who made my sick day, quite okay by not ducking when I coughed or looking at me like I was a dog inside a human, send me a message and I’ll be sure to get you a signed copy of Sifuna.”
I got home and passed out on the couch. I woke up an hour ago and started typing this. I’m a year older and grateful for this life and for a very awesome family that’s had my back since I stopped working last year.
So, here are some of my birthday blues and dues:
I’ll be on bed rest dozed up on medication for Pneumonia.
Happy International Women’s Day to all the wonderful women and men out there. #GiveLove #PressForProgress
Writing Sifuna is on hold until I’m better.
I’ve learned that everyone’s got expectations but what’s important is setting my own and living up to them, because seriously…living up to 7 billion plus expectations is a nightmare.
There’s something blissful about falling in love and also something necessary about falling out of love.
YALI was the beginning. I’m already on Teens Kenya working to reach out to young boys and girls in my county.
#WakandaForever am I the only who wishes #Shuri was my younger sister?
Staying away from roasted maize and popcorns has been torture during this past month because nothing irritates the larynx like those two!
Here’s to me getting better, stronger, healthier and looking younger as I age. Here’s to your health and life!
#HappyInternationalWomen’s Day in advance y’all. 🙂
I came across my 2010 journals this morning. I sat down, opened the first journal and read my daily experiences in the month of February 2010 and something caught my attention.
I wrote about my frustration at not being able to read more books because I couldn’t check out all the books I wanted from the school library. I also shared insights on the story I was writing then “Yellow,” and made notes on revisions to make to the final draft.
As I kept reading, I realized that even back then I sought insights and wanted to gain a better perspective of my work. I wanted to be able to step back as a writer and go through my work as a reader to see if it resonated with me.
I’ll admit that editing and draft revision are the things I often struggle with but over the years, I have found that some things do help in gaining this much needed perspective and these are:
Put you work away for some time. Yes, simply set that manuscript aside and give yourself time to be engrossed in other things and then you can come back to it later. This gives you the clarity to focus on your flow of writing. I found new insights when I read through what I’d typed after a week or two, sometimes even a month.
Get better or like Stephen Covey says in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People- “sharpen your saw.” For years, I would freak about about the potential of getting a writer’s block by stepping away from my work. There’s nothing wrong with improving your mindset or your writing skills. Take time: read another book, listen to music, eat, dance, walk or go out with friends and then come back to your writing refreshed!
When in doubt, ask. A lot of writers would not do this. Let’s be honest with piracy and people who’d steal your ideas, who would want to share a snippet of their story line? Well, if you have a blog- share a snippet (check out how I did it) or if you have beta-readers, send them a sample chapter and get feedback, or bounce off your writing on another writer.
I’ve got these three insights in mind this weekend as I look forward to another week. My writing’s coming along just fine and I am trying not to revise so much that I end up losing the plot. It’s a laid back Saturday morning.
I’m nursing a very bad cough. I’ve had two cups of tea and cannot wait to brew some coffee after I’d had a cold shower.
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I told her and she looked into my eyes.
nilichoandika 