It is 9:17pm as I start typing away and I know it will take me twelve minutes to finish writing what I have to say and hit that publish button. However, my love for referencing time in my blog posts stems from writing in my journal every evening and including the snippets of activities I did during the day.
So, here I am having embarked on a new writing project hoping that the part of me that is a bunch of opinions gets an outlet. I set up another blog this week called Achieng Writes.
I received my September book haul comprised of six books bought from Text Book Centre.
There are two things I am doing more often to improve my writing and that’s: one- writing every morning from nine to ten o’clock and two- taking down more notes, snippets of ideas from k-drama, music and my latest fascination are podcasts.
I started drafting a new book and from the very beginning, it oozes nothing but romance and my younger sister read the first chapter and since then I have been unable to look at it without seeing the sneer in her face!
This year, one of my goals was to publish at least two books and I recently published Laana: Daughter of the Middle World and so far, I still struggle with marketing the book and balancing the networks I have established who always buy my books. The greatest feat for me was connecting with Nuria Bookstore- both a physical shop and online store here in Kenya, to enhance accessibility to readers.
As we move into September, I find myself more at peace reading books written by other writers and taking time off my latest draft. In so doing, I am also listening to more music and the album I have on replay is Chike’s The Brother’s Keeper– the one song that speaks to my worries being Pour me a drink
Well, hello Friday! So, if you’ve been keeping up with my words then you are probably wondering where the next installment of 10 Reasons Why is, and you are right. You’ll read about Joyce and Javans’ adventure tomorrow-I for one, would love to know what will happen in Kereita forest.
However, let’s take a look at my week and the events leading up to this weekend.
I finally had my tooth extracted and what a joy it is to finally sleep without taking painkillers every four hours!
I am currently working on this years “Christmas” Edition of Nilichoandika magazine and while at it, I am learning that there is a lot more that I could do to produce quality content.
On reading: I cannot wait to read these titles this weekend:
On writing: I have not done much save for 10 Reasons Why and even as I write it, it’s not lost on me that I am yet to reach out to my mentor and work on a couple of drafts. Writing the final chapter of Sifuna has also been a chore because for some reason- a character that I find futile keeps making it to the end and it scares me not being able to write her off without killing the story’s flow.
This year has seen me listen to various albums and my go to “go get ’em” album is Kamikaze by Eminem and after watching the movie Venom six times, let’s just say that my ringtone had Grumpy asking questions with his eyebrows. I have also had Hillsong’s “There is More” on replay, often starting my day by listening to “Valentine” and “So Will I (100 Billion X)”- and then there’s this group, Why Don’t We, and being a hopeless romantic, I happened to listen to “Hard” and I have never looked anywhere else for a #thathurts kinda feeling, you feel me?
What albums have you listened to this month or this year that you keep turning to?
On my truth: I am learning that it is okay to let go of what hurts me, to look within and be gentle with myself when things do not go as I planned.
I am learning that my kind of love is uniquely my own and to label it, or try and fashion it into what other people expect it to be, is to slowly dim my spark.
I am learning that not everyone will find me successful because they’ll measure my success based on their standards- and my, what a score I’ll get, and how exhausted I’ll be if I keep trying to meet their standards.
Have a wonderful weekend and I hope you’ll drop by tomorrow to catch up with Joyce and Javans’ fun with nature challenge at Kereita forest!
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
Hello Monday! Is there any #NanoWrimo2017 participant freaking out because it’s three days to the end of November?
So, yesterday I went to the market and got my favorite things: Tamarind ( I used it to make some sauce for the fries), mangoes, lemons and of course the irish potatoes for making the fries! I had a laid back Sunday afternoon and when the sun was up, I managed to bask in it for a few minutes before making some calls.
On writing:
I am past 40,000 words on the project I’m submitting for NanoWrimo. It has been a very difficult week because my writing schedule has seen me waking up at 1 A.M. to write till 4 A.M. I’d admit that an hour of it was spent listening to drunkards argue on their way home, like the guy who lost his car keys on Friday and he had to let his friends flag down a tuk tuk for him 🙂 I wish I got the whole conversation, but the man kept shouting “my wife will think I sold the car!”
I started working on a new novella. Can I do my happy dance now?
On reading:
I have found myself drawn to a couple of titles this weekend and I am looking forward to reading these four titles this week:
On traveling:
My feet are itching to go backpacking and now that I have completed the 31 Day Fitness Challenge (by totally ignoring the planks and abdominal crunches) I can safely say that I’m ready for some adventure.
I have been listening to JP Cooper‘s album “Raised Under Grey Skies” when I write. This album has kept me company for almost 20,000 words of the NanoWrimo challenge!
I had no intention of leaving the house yesterday. I woke up and washed my clothes which in this case happened to be: my blue smurfs pajama pants, two pairs of black stocking, an orange tee-shirt and one floral bedsheet.
I knew the day had more in store for me, but I was stuck in a zone where I kept replaying the lyrics of Despacito…yes, catchy tune and all but there’s that part that goes something like “pasito a pasito suave suavecito,” that kept coming out of my lips like a chant! So, I took some tea, had a bath and changed into my all time fave; a grey tee-shirt and jeans and a pair of red ngomas and headed out to town. I also took my backpack along with some essentials:
I don’t know why I always carry cello-tape but it’s better than a pair of scissors right?
So, I make my first stop at The Darling store downtown and ask for some short braids. A lady writes down my order on a piece of paper, takes my money and hands it over to the cashier. While I’m standing there, someone taps my knee…I turn to my left and see this lady, she smiles. I smile back.
“Didn’t you see me when you got here?” She asks.
Are you a billboard? I shake my head and reply, ” I am sorry I did not, my mind’s miles away. How are you?”
“I am fine, seems like it took a tap to get your attention.”
“Seems so.” She starts to say something and then the cashier calls out my order and I take the braids off the counter and stuff them into my bag and leave. James is waiting for me outside. He is basking on the motorbike a.k.a Bajaj Boxer…spotting a NASA t-shirt and cap. When he sees me, he takes his position and we head out to the market.
I pay him his due and he takes off as I walk into the market scouting for two things: eggs and sweet bananas. You can never buy just two things at the market because vendors know how to advertise their goods in such a way that they reel you in with their chants and before you know it, you’ve bought two pairs of stockings that you are never going to wear! The first guy is busy shouting “Boyfriend na soo, kau boyfriend kae gi mia, weri gi ati oh lunch, ati oh sweetie, kau boyfriend gi mia, nyathi ma nyako nyakandisre.” (Buy a boyfriend jacket at a hundred shillings, forget the lunch or sweetie , and buy a boyfriend jacket because a girl’s gotta look good)
I look through a few jackets before getting distracted by a lady selling bags right behind him. I switch lanes and check out the bags. I spot a navy blue backpack and ask the lady how much it costs. She looks at me and then lifts up a brown leather handbag and says “How about this one? This is the kind of bag for you, that one has been taken already.”
“Thanks, I just liked the backpack. I could try some other day.”
“No, wait…listen look through this pile of handbags you might find something you like. A lady should always have a handbag you know.”
I took a step back and smiled and walked away. I don’t know what she had to say as I left but the man beside her was loud enough for me to hear, “why do you always have to make someone buy what you want? You should have sold that bag, now she left unhappy and we haven’t made a sale.” Maybe I looked unhappy to them. I have been told that not only do I wear my heart on my sleeve but I wear my expressions on my face. It must have been her conviction that a lady should always have a handbag that made me take a step back. It could also be that she wanted to reserve the navy blue backpack to sell at a higher price because it wasn’t singled out when I spotted it.
As I got back home, I poured myself a cup of tea and joined my sister in watching afrosinema.
T.M.I
Currently reading: Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert
Listening to: 7/27 by Fifth Harmony
Drinking: Coffee (my first cup of the day)
Writing: Ushanga (5 pages down…a whole lot to go!)
The art of spinning a tale has eluded me for a while now. Like smoke off a cigarette butt, it is caressed by the wind and vanishes unaware of my sorrows. I thought about it at 4am sitting on the cold cement floor in my bedroom, one leg stretched out to accept the cold and the other folded as though being introduced to the cold. I think at 4am, often write at 2am and clean the house from 6:30am when nothing but cold water reminds me of chores that are to come.
What usually starts with a word, a feeling and ends in a composition has left me thinking of what should not happen.
These thoughts keep me company as I take strong tea, brush up my hair and tie it in a bun and leave for work. I plug in my earphones and click on ‘No longer slaves’ by Jonathan and Melissa Hessler. I walk to work, slowly making my way past Uzima University (they have a new bus and students whose attention is always on the road and not their destination), Frank’s place– he makes the best chips and has chilli sauce for days. I walk past the Carpenter’s shop at Robert Ouko who walks into his shop every time he sees me approaching, mistaking me for my sister, he never fixed the drawers she had paid him to, in September 2014.
My feet advance me towards the Le Savanna Junction, where motorcyclists speed past you’d think the traffic police were right behind them, by this time the song I am listening to is almost ending.
So, I slow down and watch the vehicles speed past me, children rush past me to school and I take in the stench of the latrines of St. Mary’s Kibuye Girls. At this time, I am tempted to start dancing as Usher’s song, ‘No Limit’ starts playing and then I realize that I don’t got that same master p he’s talking about, but even as I smile and laugh, the people walking past me think I am crazy. They would not know the joy of listening to lyrics and not the beats of a song.
I walk on past Mountain View estate, four tuk tuks are parked, and the drivers in their seats ready to take passengers.
I make my way to the coca cola shop across the road, buy two sachets of Nescafe, hand the man twelve shillings- careful not to brush his fingers, he has yellow fingers- the kind Magda calls tinted fingers. He smiles, ‘have a good day today.’ I nod and walk past the woman who sells tea and hot mandazi to the boda boda guys every morning. She has a purple head wrap today. I love the yellow one, it’s the epitome of fresh sunflowers.
By this time, my playlist has reverted to either some Daughtry or what I always call mellow music. It gets me reflecting on my life and why I work every day. Who names their playlist ‘Sober?’ Seriously!
I cross the road, look at how much dust my feet have gathered and this time Justin Bieber‘s Sorry is playing and I am tempted to start twisting my ankles and swinging my hands in the air, but the office is only two minutes away, besides, I walk past The Neurosciences Center, I cannot unleash my crazy right there. So, I keep my cool and let my soul do the dancing.
And as I reach out to push the gate open, Kings Of Leon comes on and I suddenly wonder why I tap the shuffle icon on my playlist because clearly Sex on Fire is my jam and now I am officially under the complete scrutiny of the HR department and cannot wiggle, now do you understand why the art of spinning a tale has eluded me?
I love listening to music, and there’s nothing like a song to describe how you feel or get the kind of mood you’re in. The sound of the drums were heard in Africa, and long before our ancestors danced under the moonlight or celebrated festivals, they also blew horns to send word or used smoke and messengers to share word.
But, this is not all about the journey of music- but more about the feeling that music creates.
There have been numerous hits from the continent…I am talking about Femi Kuti, Brenda Fassie, Miriam Makeba and the list goes on, but you’ve not heard it all until you’ve listened to these ten songs!
Nothing beats some music you can dance to…now, am off to get some ingredients for preparing Jollof Rice and will tell you all about it tomorrow, wish me luck!
I can cross out numbers 5, 6, and 10! As for number one, am currently on it- got to page 15 of “The Help.” However, I found out something about making lists…you are tempted to complete them. If you manage to complete one task, you find yourself gearing up to complete another, bu on the extreme end…if that list is as long as the twelve labors of Hercules- then you find yourself quitting before you even start!
I had to get them done over this weekend, and I realized that walking downstairs with my hands in my pockets is uncomfortable and very dull. I felt like I was off balance and after making it down one floor- I released my hands and swung them as much as I wanted.
Number 6 was the easiest because I had a very busy schedule at work on Friday so much so that I made it thorugh the day without listening to Ed Sheeran and One Direction.
Number 10: walking around the house backwards for one hour.
Let’s just say that I have bruises that I did not anticipate like my toes hurting and my left elbow making me kneel over in agony! My sister, Jackie, laughed so much that she almost poured all the contents of her cup- and the dog barked so much that it was a circus for that one hour! It was also refreshing to know that I have not mapped out the house like I thought I had.
It’s been a lovely weekend and I have started this week with writing prompts and reports- and determination to complete that list!
PS:This girl is writing book three of The Currents Series titled, Wind, and has been going around the house like a zombie.
nilichoandika 