love is.... .

knowing that you are both in it... .

I need you,
I need you in my life
as much as I need
food or water or sleep.

For the longest time,
I've had a thirst deep inside
to be known and understood
and loved for who I am.

I've longed for someone
to share my life with....
the ups and downs
and everything in between.

The you walked in,
quenching my thirst,
satisfying my longing...
and I knew you were the one--
the one I've been waiting for
all this time.

I love you and I need you
more than I can usually
find words to say.

But today and always,
know that you're the one for me...
and I never want to let you go.

in his own words

I know I'm not
always the easiest person to get along with
but I know we'll make it because
of how much I love you.
We'll have a beautiful family one day,
just hang in there with me.

and I cried. because I love him. and I know we'll make it.
love is growing up. and realizing that a relationship is hard work.
realizing that after several years you start taking each other for granted.
and that you have to remember that your love needs to last.
Don't stop.
Because I won't stop.

darling, matumbo for dinner?

This is a short post. Growing up I never ate matumbo. And now I understand why. My mom had a very weak stomach... very weak. If you said something inappropriate at the table she would not finish her lunch or dinner. 

Fastforward to my first matumbo meal. This was a year ago when my boyfriend treated us to a meal of matumbo, ugali and mbogas. It was yummy, delicious. In fact, we had a friend over. And he loved it. He said it was the best matumbo he had had in a long time (well, since leaving home).

A few days ago, old boy decides he wants to make matumbo again. He was running late, so he asked me to chop up the meat. I had no shida with the liver. BUT, the intenstines were disgusting. My nose was twitching as I cut them up. Terrible smell. Even writing this is making me sick to my stomach. Eeeeeewwww.

Thankfully, I am very good at blocking off things, so once he had prepared the dinner, I was ready to eat, and did not remember the gooey stuff..... . 

How can something so nasty taste so good? I know next time I will have nothing to do with chopping up that stuff. I will keep a safe distance from the kitchen. 

missing you

It's been quite a long time, and I find that I miss reading your blogs and discovering new voices, and all that... so I am going to attempt to come back.

Saw this blog meme going around (put I gun to my head, pengine I will do the Facebook 25 list meme); wasn't tagged, coz I was gone, BUT here I am! I will tag folks I knew from back in the day.

four things I am passionate about

• My Family-- My immediate family, I mean. I cannot go through a couple of days without talking to my siblings. Thanks to technology: Skype and my smart phone! I can do this anytime anywhere.
• My partner-- I would say my boyfriend, but he is more than that.
  
• My work-- I love my job, I wouldn't have it any other way. Many times I get frustrated about different things in my profession, but I keep going.
• Good food-- Growing up I did not realize I was a picky eater. Probably because I learned to eat everything my mother put on the table (hahaha, did I have a choice?) As I grew older I discovered that I am very particular about tastes and new foods.

four words I use alot
I had to really think about this one.

• Dude
• Really- which I need to drop. One of my friends uses it a lot, and it often sounds like she doubts you although its just a figure of speech (I picked it up from her)
• I know (hahahhaha, I really do)
• I'll call you (coz I have to make lots of calls a day)
  

four things I want to do before I die
Hahaha, I have never really thought about this one! Let me see:

• visit at least 15 African countries (so far made it to three)
• go to all 50 US states (quite practical for me, and a lot cheaper since I am already here. 32 to go!)
  

four things I have learned in the past

• that you can walk away from family if they are jerks. If someone continuously causes you misery, walk away. It's one of the hardest things to do, but not impossible.
• work hard to maintain friendships, long-term friends are worth keeping. humans, we are social beings.
• ambition will take you to places you only dream about. if you work hard enough, even with sleepless nights. but with the right people, you will get connected to the right places.
• mistakes, we all make them. I get embarassed about some things that I have done, but I try not to repeat them. learn from my mistakes; in every aspect of my life: relationship, friends, career.
  

People I miss: Nakeel, 3N, Nubian Queen, Msazi, 3TOC, Egm, Neema Divine, Kipepeo, Half N Half, Farm gal, Antipop, the intelligensia, the Acolyte, Mrembo, Kirima, and more.. the list is not conclusive!

And this meme I found at Aco's:
1. Where is your cell phone? Here

2. Your significant other? Yes.

3. Your hair? long

4. Your mother? miss her

5. Your father? strange

6. Your favorite? internet

7. Your dream last night? flight

8. Your favorite drink? rum

9. Your dream/goal? huge

10. What room you are in? livingroom

11. Your hobby? reading

12. Your fear? children

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Kenya

14. Where were you last night? out

15. Something that you are not? unkind

16. Muffins? yes!

17. Wish list item? amazon booklist

18. Where you grew up? Kenya

19. Last thing you did? Shower

20. What are you wearing? headscarf

21. Your TV? too big

22. Your pets? never!

23. Friends? rediscovering

24. Your life? simple

25. Your mood? hyper

26. Missing someone? always

27. Car? junk

28. Something you're not wearing? dress

29. Your favorite store? Half Price Book Store

30. Your favorite color? yellow!

33. When is the last time you laughed? Jana

34. Last time you cried? Hmmm

35. Who will resend this? blogit!

36. One place that I go to over and over? internet ;)

37. One person who texts me regularly? Cuz

38. My favorite place to eat? Dining

39. My favorite food? Ethiopian

going natural

I don't know if I blogged about this. I have always hated treating my hair, but for some reason, I have always been talked into perming my hair. I should never have done it the first time, as it really destroyed my hair. Anyway, sometime last year, or the year before (cannot keep track of these things), I decided to grow an afro. It was quite healthy and puffy, and then it became unmanageable... so before I found my way to chemicals again, I decided to lock it.

So peoples with dreads, what products do you use? Through one of my hairdressers, I discovered Dread Hq. She uses their wax on my hair, since I am not an expert, I cannot really tell the difference between that and other lock products. What I can swear by is their shampoo. Kwanza it does not leave your hair dry, and then it wachas hair soft and supple... soooo good :)

So I started off with this Ethiopian woman... she charged $60 every two weeks for the first couple of months, and then went down to $30. She had a falling out with the owner of the shop where she did hair at, and has since disappeared. Then I found this Jamaican who does a wonderful job, except for one thing! After twisting and wekaing the wax, she puts me under the dryer, and the heat was bad. I left the place with a bad headache, and vowed never to go back. Now, I discovered a couple of Ivorians, who charge $30... haha, you get what you pay for. They did a shoddy job. It looks like I am going back to the Jamaican, but I am not going under the dryer.

checking in... .

how are people doing?
what's new?
anyone in China? watching the Olympics?
I wish I was.
or playing for Kenya?
heard we have 54 people there. not counting the ones who have changed their citizenship and are playing for the Quataris.
working on coming back.
was just saying walapa.

beautiful dress

love it! now, where can I get one? or make one?

except the model wearing it ( Ruslana Korshunova) committed suicide a few days ago. Speaking of models, heard Vogue is having an all Black issue this month. Someone thinks its racist? Need to check that out!

girl with eight limbs

I have been gone for so long, I don't know if I remember how to blog. Habari ya watu?

Anyway, remember that little girl from India who had a parasitic twin? Last night I watched a documentary on the NGC (if you missed the show, a repeat on the 29th). If not, follow that link, and the story is great. She was operated on, and it went well... really well.

It was interesting to see the reaction from her community. She was considered a blessing, and people traveled from far and wide to see her... as they revered her as the goddess Lakshmi (incidentally, she was born during the festival of Lakshmi and was named thus, by her parents). Gr8 thing that she was not considered deformed and cast away as many disabled children are.

have you ever seen the rain?

Hallo peoples!
I cannot for the life of me determine who sang this song best. A great oldie! Lol, I even like the one in the GE commercial.

Someone told me long ago

There's a calm before the storm, I know;
It's been comin' for some time.
When it's over, so they say,
It'll rain a sunny day, I know;
Shinin' down like water.
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain
Comin' down on a sunny day?
Yesterday, and days before,
Sun is cold and rain is hard, I know;
Been that way for all my time.
'Til forever, on it goes
Through the circle, fast and slow, I know;
It can't stop, I wonder. I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain
Comin' down on a sunny day?
Yeah! I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
I want to know, have you
ever seen the rain
Comin' down on a sunny day?

Bonnie Tyler's is too rock and roll for me. I love Rod Stewart's! Also sang by Creedance Clearwater Revival, The Jeevas, John Fogerty and a fast paced version by the Ramones.

Photo showing wrecked house in Hugo, Minnesota, from the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Speaking of rain, we had a terrible storm this weekend. It was pretty scary hearing the tornado warnings, and sirens. The city I lived in was spared, however, only thirty minutes from here the storm was disastrous. In Hugo, a small town of 1000, a child was killed, and hundreds of people injured and lost their homes as the tornado swept through. Poleni.

If you are interested in helping out the Star Tribune has a list of ways one can do this [click here].

12 things you can get for free

In the spirit of making the best of the system, what with a cowing economy and crazy gas prices, here's how to save monies. Kumbe all the time I spend online is not for nought! as I learn something new everyday! Its a list from CNN, will just add notes on what I know or don't ;). Enjoy!!!

1. Free education: What what? MIT in Boston offers loads of free online classes. This will definitely favor folks from all over the world... so get on it! If anything, this can be great material for classes that you are already taking. And then of course there are those BBC language classes. Free!!
2. 
   Free classes: Almost the same as above. I have taken one of these business classes through the US Small Business Administration. Great stuff. Whatsmore, if you don't want to go for the classes, you can request a book that details how to start and run a small business. And yes, its free!
   
   
3. Free culture: Lol, I use this all the time. And its hard to imagine that more people don't know about this. Many museums, at least in the US, are free to attend. And even those that charge have a free day/evening. Which reminds me I have free tickets to a gallery, I should really go before the tickets expire. Hmm, now where did I put them? Some of these also offer classes or an opportunity to volunteer as a tour guide which gives you unlimited access to things you might not necessarily afford.
   
   
4. Free Gyms: Ehh, I don't know about this one. The most I have seen is one or two free days. Hmm... not enough, not worth it for me :(
   
   
5. Free photos; Yay! snapfish. Every time you invite a friend, you get 20 free prints, as do new users. Hehehe, I have invited about everyone I know.. never had to pay for photos. And great storage too! CNN lists: Adorama, Dotphoto and Kodak.
   
   
6. Free Pets: Hmm, I am not interested. But if you are apparently, you can get a free cat or dog from Craigslist and Petfinder-- hehehe, no adoption fee!
   
   
7. Free phone service: yay Skype. I use this to call home all the time. For folks who haven't used this, the person you are calling has to have internet and Skype on their comp. Gr8 for conference calls too! It is free!! I even wrote a paper when Skype first came out. Yahoo and MSN also have voice chat. hahaha, and there is this site Popularity Dialer where you can have someone call you to get you out of a meeting.... like calling in sick ;)
   
   
8. Free email reminders-- The article suggests using Memo to Me. I use good old google!
   
   
9. Free ice-cream cone-- Once a yr Ben & Jerry's give free cones. Long lines! I missed this year's coz it was snowy and cold over here :(
   
   
10. Free used books-- Did not know about this one. PaperBackSwap and Title Trader. I am on it! Public libraries in the US also sell books for 25c, not free, but good enough!
    
    
11. Free household items-- from the Freecycle Network. One needs patience, I am yet to see something that I like here, but it might work for you.
    
    
12. Free Samples: Start Sampling, Olay- samples of their new products, Sephora and Procter & Gamble (www.homemadesimple.com, www.tide.com) for coupons and samples.

Anyone care to share their freebies? As I was writing these I thought of others that I use... so I will sambaza in soon-to-come post.

bridal shower

I went to my first bridal shower this weekend. I was sort of saving it for myself.. u know my own bridal shower. I wasn't exactly thrilled to be there, tagged along with a friend. The girl getting married is an acquaintance, not a friend really. Since I had never been to a bridal shower, I was interested in seeing if it was as interesting as the movies make it out to be.

First off, before you'all get too excited, there was no male stripper... So first strike against the movies. So there are games that are played at every shower... being the junkie that I am as soon as I came home I googled bridal shower games to find that we played most of them. Speaking of google.. now when I am going to a party of someone I don't know, to get an appropriate gift, all I do is google... and get the perfect gift. (more on the bridal gifts in a minute)

SO the games:
There were trivia games... like the names of the groom, and things about the bride... most of which I did not know seeing as I don't know the chic well. And then there was the bridal runway. So chic leaves the room and we have to guess what she was wearing.

Gifts-- this was interesting... She got almost 15 pieces of lingerie. Whatsmore they were all white. Basically, folks were not that creative.. . I suppose you can't have one too many... one for each day of the week, and then some.

And then the discussion turned to relationship advise: that marriage is hard work, etc.

Lunch time!