whoever did these...

I think they are creative!

my friend map from facebook

 I know 97% of my facebook friends and have met them in person....oops the map's dull!

a house...

Yesterday I called the landlady and asked if she has ever thought of selling the flat/apartment I currently rent. It is a small house with decent finishing that I really like, it is one of 13 apartments in the building. I have lived in several other houses but this is the only one the thought of buying has crossed my mind.

I have wanted to construct a small house for the longest time ever. I have never liked paying rent.
I googled a small house plan and still thinking about it though could modify it as we move along. I would not want to construct a dream house yet, my thoughts and dreams are fashioning out currently (I did not grow up with a definite dream, in kindergarten/nursery I wouldn't say what I wished to be when I grew up as other children did)

I would wish to own several apartments and a vacation home and a dream home some day. 

The land lady had thought of selling the units but is not sure how to go about it. She asked me to research about it and get back to her. I currently do not have the money to buy the house but I don't mind following up on a mini dream... who knows I could land a couple of millions sometime and I wont have to sit and think hard of what to do with it!

Smiling as I write this at how ridiculous it sounds at my current state, I cant wait for things to start looking up!

Things have been on a roller coaster!

I am a bit frazzled but very hopeful of a positive income and outcome.

I have become more aware of myself, I can almost explain what my dreams are and not think 'I am just saying for saying'.

I asked a friend why we bother go to work, to keep busy and to get ahead of our peers she answered, really, seriously, surely? I had better come up with a better explanation soon...but it has something to do with making a difference to my community,society and world at large.

I think I know why I like Mr.Donald Trump, he is powerful that is one of my attraction criteria and especially because it is not a position power its more of 'The Leader Who had no Title' by Robin Sharma Kind.
He hasn't been asked by anyone to deliver on certain parameters, he just delivers. If it was for his children, he would have stopped a while back when he made enough to support them. If it is greed, he wouldn't be working as hard, he would have found ways to cut corners and make easy quick money. He has a drive one not too many have.

I am out of a job as of the end of this month, reasons are related to above write up. I need to figure where I am going, to do what and start moving in that direction.

I need to do a lot of practice on the things I enjoy doing, It is said to become an expert at something I need to invest 10,000 hours at it.

I have been accessing a lot of random information from books, reality shows, practical experience and they are forming a critical path, I should be very scared now that am out of a job but I am not sure I am, I am looking for the best route to get me to where I intend to go.

color code test...

Your Analysis (Vertical line = Average)


YELLOW MOTIVE: FUN

YELLOW NEEDS: To look good (socially), To be noticed, To be praised, Approval from the masses.

YELLOW WANTS: To hide insecurities (loosely), Happiness, Freedom, Playful adventure.

SUMMARY: Yellows value play. They consider life to be a party, and they're hosting. Yellows welcome praise. They need to be noticed. Little else improves a relationship with a Yellow more than praise. They need emotional connections. They often appear so nonchalant that people think they don't care about anything. Nothing can be further from the truth. They need a great deal of attention. They need to be stroked. They enjoy touching. To them, physical contact is often the most direct, comfortable intimate connection. Yellows want to be popular. They like to be center stage. Friendships command a high priority in their lives because popularity answers one of their basic needs - the need for general approval. Yellows like action. They are easily bored, and seek adventure. They can never sit still for long, so they choose friends who, like them, refuse to allow the "boring details" get in the way of the most important thing in life - play.


WHITE MOTIVE: PEACE

WHITE NEEDS: To feel good (inside), To be allowed their own space, To be respected, Tolerance.

WHITE WANTS: To withhold insecurities, Kindness, Independence, Contentment.

SUMMARY: Whites are motivated by peace. They will do almost anything to avoid confrontation. They like to flow through life without hassle or discomfort. Feeling good is even more important to them then being good. Whites need kindness. They resent being scolded. They dislike harsh words. They open up instantly to people who are kind, but Whites recoil from those who are hostile. Whites prefer quiet strength. they enjoy their quiet independence. This can often be perceived as bullheadedness. Whites like to keep a low profile. They like to be asked their opinions but they won't volunteer them. Whites are independent. Unlike Reds and Blues who want to control others, Whites seek only to avoid being controlled. They don't like to be pushed, and they can be fearsome when they finally "blow up." Whites are motivated by other peoples desires. They want suggestions however, not demands.


BLUE MOTIVE: Intimacy

BLUE NEEDS: To be good (morally), To be understood, To be appreciated, Acceptance.

BLUE WANTS: To reveal insecurities, Quality, Autonomy, Security.

SUMMARY: Blues are motivated by altruism. They love to do nice things for others. they look for opportunities to give up something in order to bring another person happiness. selflessness rather than selfishness is their guiding philosophy. Blues seek intimacy. They want to be loved and to love. A true blue will sacrifice a successful career to improve an important relationship. Blues crave being understood. They are gratified when they are listened to, when they feel understood and appreciated. Blues may have their hearts broken more than most people, but they also spend much more time in love. Blues are directed by a strong moral conscience. They have a moral code that guides them in their decision making, their value judgements, and their leisure time. A blue would rather lose than cheat. Ethically, blues are people who should be in positions of power, but seldom are.


RED MOTIVE: Power

RED NEEDS: To look good (Technically), To be right, To be respected, Approval from a select few.

RED WANTS: To hide insecurities (tightly), Productivity, Leadership, Challenging adventure

SUMMARY: Reds are hungry for power. simply stated reds want their own way. They can be manipulative. Reds find it almost impossible to relinquish their power and freedom when they meet with authority figures. Reds want to be productive. Reds like to work - in school, in their their careers, and in their relationships. They are often work-a-holics. They will, however, resist being forced to do anything that doesn't interest them. Reds want to look good to others. Reds need to appear knowledgeable. They want to be respected even more than they want to be loved. They want to be admired for their practical and logical minds. Reds shouldn't be taken too seriously. They often state the facts as they see them. They seldom say "in my opinion" before stating their opinions. Reds seek leadership opportunities. Reds are often called "control freaks." If a red can get an upper hand, she or he will.

http://www.okcupid.com/tests/the-color-code-test

disadvantaged?

I like oxymoron! a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms.

I came across one today on Pstr.M's blog trip to Singapore (edited)


'durain or the ‘king of fruits’. It has a tough green exterior with sharp thorns and cutting into it needs serious skills. It has a strong ammonia smell that sticks to your hands and mouth. The smell is so strong that it’s illegal to carry one onto public transportation! In light of which it’s sweet and creamy taste and texture come as quite a surprise. Eating it has been likened to eating strawberries and cream in a toilet!'


When I get to travel, many times I look out for,'what do they have that I/we don't,never have, never seen'. Coming from Africa where we are 'disadvantaged', am always looking out for the differences we have compared to others. Recently saw somewhere that in Africa from the day we are born we are disadvantaged, by just being born here! especially in comparison to children in developed countries.

Being a woman, the referred 'weaker sex', there goes another 'disadvantage'.

Now try, a Woman born in Africa!

I do not mind unglamorous reports about people, things, places etc, I find them intriguing. I try to find the possible or even just an ounce of good in them, and am always pleasantly surprised.
Same applies to glamorous reports of people, things or places that don't live up to their fame leading to buyer remorse and major disappointment.

I do not mind being thought little of,but I mind it a lot when I live up to the little thoughts.

3 things recently...

The Activist vs The Agent


I looked up the meaning of Activist and the meaning of Agent
Activist: an especially active vigorous advocate of a cause
vs
Agent: a person or thing that acts or has the power to act
Both kinds of individuals are great, they bring about change, more often desirable change, but I definitely prefer one.


The promised land

When the 12 spies were sent out to explore The Promised Land, it was not empty waiting for them to come and occupy it but for sure It was flowing with milk and honey.
This was what they found in Canaan...
"They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.
They gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.
The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan." ...and it did take quite a while to conquer it, but it was still The Promised Land.


The Monkey Problem

I came across a site by ManagerZine article The Second Skill: Getting Rid Of Monkeys
This is a what took it home. "We received a call from a far-flung reader with a monkey problem. He had three direct reports who were managers themselves. Each had some heavy new responsibilities. Turns out, they were not shy about getting him involved with their work.“Can you please review this before I send it out?” was a typical request.“I’ve got a problem. Here’s what happens” was another. Pretty soon, his work became their work and his time was not his own.
What is happening here is a classic back and forth game of who has responsibility. The subordinate puts the monkey on the manager when she asks for a review or when the boss is asked to solve a problem. When a manager picks up the monkey from a direct report, he or she is literally working for the subordinate. The manager’s time is being taken up by a subordinate’s work. Something is wrong with this picture."... very entertaining and infuriating.

my opinion

Developed Country vs Developing Country

Life in a developing country is far more expensive than in a developed country.

In Celebrity Apprentice, the winning team receives an award of $20,000 towards their choice charity, and it has been surprising to see the celebrities appreciate that as an award,not that it is not 'something', its just that had it been on this end, the equivalent would be around Ksh.1.6Million which for a foundation I work with currently would go towards supporting 8 children through their four years secondary education www.palmhsefoundation.org against a target of 70 children. This means that such an award would be not as competitive to a celebrity here as it is in the developed country and clearly the cost of basic education is quite expensive here.

I traveled to LA, California for RYLA-Rotary Youth Leadership Awards a while back a two weeks trip. I carried with me Ksh.50,000 ($640) and I made it back with Ksh.30,000 ($385). I would pay for my meals, take a bus or a cab and managed to bring back souvenirs for my family. That was far lower than I expected to spend and I was not a miser.
I bet that it was an issue of standard of living, I went for basic commodities that are quite expensive on this end as compared to the same in developed countries. I did not think of quality, rather availability.

The cost of communication is quite high in developing countries and the gadgets are only available to the elite few, transport costs are forbidding and we have many who walk to and fro work for long distances. In my country, we have been trying to develop a 24hr economy but offices and shops are located within the city centre while the population live in outskirts and with inadequate and expensive lighting structure, the city centre is deserted at night.

The low income earners spend more than middle and high income earners. They buy basic commodities in pieces which costs much more in the long run than bulk purchasing made by middle and high income earners. Our main evaluation of products is availability and not quality.

Local telecommunication campaigns only widen the gap between the rich and poor as costs are very expensive for low denomination value of airtime and internet which the poor are only able to afford, if and when the access it. The larger the denomination value, the cheaper it becomes and this locks out the poor.

The poor buy paraffin for cooking and lighting as a cheaper oil product as compared to buying LPG which comes packaged in bulk and thus cheaper in the long run, benefits the middle and high income earners.

Large multinationals are closing shop on this end as the costs of productions are steep and we have become net importers as our export is mainly agricultural products affected by changes in weather.

Of course corruption and poor systems increases our costs due to inadequacies which some take advantage of and exploit them. Black markets and hoarding also increase our costs to unbearable heights.

We also have many tax defaulters who do not contribute to development kitty, a scarcity mentality indeed as they would also have lower costs if accountability by all was observed.

The most unfortunate thing is that we have poverty of the mind. Compounds directly in-front of our houses are extremely dirty, we have litter everywhere, sewerage spew on the road and no one claims responsibility of these 'small things',we demand for responsibility from our leaders for 'large things' but we do not expect much as they come from us.

These among more could be reasons why costs in developing countries are higher than in developed countries.

different...

I have such an interesting and unique personality... just like everyone else.

I do not have time to rest, relax and enjoy myself.
I do not know how to let loose.
I do not have a standard fun thing.
I do not have a social life 'so to speak'.
I do not understand what motivation means.
I do not have a random sense of adventure.
I do not like living within people's expectations.

Instead

I join groups with an interesting agenda and enjoy myself at it.

I attend numerous meetings that I learn from. Not wedding committees and such that have a similar agenda with different cast.

I hang out with people whom we have a common goal of sorts, when it differs greatly our paths rarely cross.

I will enjoy the company of just anyone who is trying to get somewhere, the energy is just amazing and will not be too comfortable when they start settling, getting comfortable, and relaxed.

I like freedom a lot, I want to go where I want, do what I want and not do some things by just choice. As much as possible, I try to be where I want/feel like and where I am comfortable. Some take this as being difficult and stubbornness, its not.

I like time outs to think through things, I create them; take a book and find a park to sit and read,within a few moments I get to thinking world.

I enjoy doing just anything with lovely and brilliant company; sit and talk, go for a walk, do household chores, hiking, camping the list is endless. These are not my favorite things, I wouldn't be keen to do any of them with wrong company.

I always look for the purpose in things..even lame reasons (not excuses), as long as there is a reason, am good to go. Several examples follow;

A conversation I recently had with a friend;
Me:Lets go for the meeting
Friend: No, am working late, there's traffic, I hadn't planned to etc you just go.
Me: Nooo lets just go
Friend: you see you had the heart for it, I dont.
Me: Ok, that's a better answer now I understand.

Another I just remembered,a good friend dropped out of school and did not tell me and I found out later and was not very amused for being the last to know.
Me: Why didn't you tell me?
Him: (cant remember answers he gave)... I did not want to talk about it
Me: Why not,yet everyone else knew about it.
Him: Fine cause you really want me to tell you, I will but I will not feel good about myself. (he starts..)
Me : (interrupts)no don't tell me, it's ok, now you don't need to anymore.

This other resulted in a fight, my friend and I decided just to drop it and not because we understood each other.
Friend: I want to join the army
Me: Why, what for?
Friend: (cant remember specifics)..they have good training etc
a lot of back and forth
Me: Why the army?
Friend: Lets just drop it.

A couple of years later,
Friend: You know you think you know me too well but you don't.
Me: Why do you say that?
Friend: Remember when I wanted to join the army, you made it seem as if I couldn't do it, as if you knew what was best for me...but nope you were not right.
Me: What did I say wrong?
Friend: You questioned it a lot as if I did not know what I was doing.
Me: I am very sorry, but that was not the intention. I was looking for a reason.

I am different.

I have such an interesting and unique personality... just like everyone else.

leaders listen...

Just stumbled across something I wrote a while back. I had attended a Rotaract training and we were asked to make a commitment that we would hope to achieve and make a habit from. I picked, 'I'd read a book every month'. The moderator said the only way they'd confirm that I had read, is if I wrote a short summary of the book I read.

The end of the month came and it was just the wrong month because I had not read a new book. Fortunately, I had been attending a few church classes where we were trying to read through The Bible in one year, that evening I read Exodus chapter 18 and this is the summary I shared...


I decided to have a look at an inspirational book…The Bible…Apart from the religious aspect of it, it really is an inspirational book.

In Exodus Chapter 18- Jethro visits Moses.

In my understanding...

Jethro was Moses’s father in law and he came to visit Moses one day. Moses had sent home his wife and two sons after he saw what a great responsibility he had to handle the Israelites. I don’t know if that was a good decision but maybe it was inevitable for him then.

The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his father in law saw all that Moses was doing for the people he asked, “what is this you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone and judge, while all these people stand around from morning till evening?”

Moses answered him, “Because all these people come to seek God’s will.Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me and I decide the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and laws".

This guy had so much responsibility and I would imagine that he had to deal with petty crimes to hard rock kind of cases; sibling rivalry, murder, guys stealing chicken, other stealing lots and lots of gold and silver…there was no cash those days.

Moses’ father in law replied, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you, you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them the decrees and laws and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. But select capable men from all the people who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens (delegation). Have them serve as judges for the people at all times but have them bring every difficult case to you, the simple cases, they can decide for themselves. That will make your load lighter…

Now those days Moses used to be the overall say but he chose to listen to his father in law and did as he suggested and he had less strain and leadership roles developed just from delegation…results.

Responsibility – Listening – Action - Results.

Read it again today, I still think it is a lesson you cannot afford to live without.

Leaders Listen!

not shy... anything to avert too much attention

Some people are not shy, though they may appear to be, they just do anything to avert too much attention. They will not say too much unless its necessary or they are cornered, They will not dress strikingly or so absurd which will attract attention, They do not like to go to places where they will meet everyone they know, They will not volunteer for roles with maximum lime light, they are just average in appearance, not much to write home about.

They may appear to be in conflict with Marianne Williamson...
“Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.”

Instead...

They wear clothes a size bigger than they are, they say little or nothing to celebrities and will avoid them as much as possible, they are often embarrassed when given too much praise, they volunteer for seemingly small inconspicuous roles, They rarely share what is in their dreams as they have some fear of disappointment which is worse if 'everyone knew about it'.

Something else they do...

They study people around them, They silently listen to conversations around them,They have different types of conflicting friends as they do not engage in similar activities as their friends do but will sit around to listen in anyway... this often brings conflict with the quote "show me your friends and I'll show you who you are".

The confusing part...

If you are a friend, you probably think they are the most talkative people in the world! They say things in abstract form and most often appear complicated, while this is the safest way for them to express themselves. You probably know they can speak well or lead well but when asked to do it, they'll more often than not refuse and only step up if there is no other capable or willing person. With a comfortable public, they will come forth as 'know it all' as they know a bit of everything from all the people they are often around.

They are extroverted introverts ha!

you can have a life rehearsal...

When we were younger we had a lot of make believe games...not so for many children in recent times where play stations and computer games are the in -thing.

I am a member of the Rotaract Club; the club is a lesson and team work class. The other day a team went for a tree planting exercise and thereafter a party. There were very low confirmations initially but on the day for the event everyone showed up! The sleeping space was not adequate, the food was not enough and tempers flared. The leader was disappointed and the team disgruntled, its was a flop.

This is when the thought that 'you can have a life rehearsal' came alive. Had this event been in the corporate world, the repercussions could have been very heavy and drastic. In the corporate world closely related to the real world, participants have very low patience, consequences are terrible and rarely do you get second chances.
I am glad that the Rotaract members now know better and in similar circumstances, their response will be swift, different and could bet that the event would be a success. They had a life rehearsal.

When your girlfriends/ boys engage in an activity; run a small investment, join a local initiative, treat younger cousins to the movies, play a game, keep pets etc... join in, join in, join for all you know it could be your life rehearsal.

Today, I was thrown my 'Trump Challenge' as I will call it. I am to oversee to a successful completion a re-launch of the company I work for, re-launch the products and organize the re-launch event in 5 months. The company has been around for 15 years, its time to celebrate and mark new beginnings, I hope watching the Apprentice has been a life rehearsal for me...All the best to me, to us!

I'v grown to like him...

Mr. Donald J. Trump


I first read his book Think Big and Kick Ass.

I liked it though I thought he was too aggressive, sometimes unnecessarily.
I especially did not like a story on a certain woman he had hired who rose to senior position in his organization. Unfortunately he got into trouble and needed her help in contacting one of her friends who would help in sorting the problem but she refused. He then fired her and made her life miserable wherever she went.

I thought to myself, 'hey she has a choice to help you or not. She rose in position in your company because she was good at what she did not because you did her a favor by hiring her.' His view (in my view) was she was disloyal yet had he not found her and hired her she would not have amounted to much.
Today my view has modified, I agree she was disloyal and had his companies gone down, she would have gone down as well. However, I still hold that she did not owe him more than loyalty. She had worked her way up but he took too much credit for her achievements by messing her up.

In the same book, I liked the story of man who he had generally treated well when he came into his hotel since they were in the same industry (real estate), but this guy one day woke up and sued Mr.Trump for no good reason. Mr.Trump did not like him much thereafter and treated him badly whenever he went to the hotel, gave him the worst table and all but the guy never stopped going to the hotel and this did not please Mr.Trump much.
In my view this guy made clear his statement, 'we do not owe each other anything'. He probably realised that he shall someday have to pay for the good treatment he had been receiving and at that time he will not have a choice to pay or not.

I strongly think that all I owe anyone is respect, of their views, their opinions, their time, their property, their religion, anything that is truly theirs, the rest is my/your choice to give or not.

Just recently, I started watching The Apprentice from the first season, there has been so much talk about it over the years and often when I flow with the current, I end up disappointed as I prefer forming my own opinions.

The participants are ok (some great, some not so) but whoever has stood out is Mr. Trump himself.

He works from an informed point of view, he will let the participants fight in the boardroom, listen to opinion from his right hand 'men' but the verdict he delivers is his opinion. I like how he reasons, how he thinks.
So far, only one time did it not work this way, he had to hire a guy whom he had a few doubts about but it was the final level of the game and the general rules were stronger than opinion at this point.

I decided to google him up,he is larger than life! He is not limited by thought,many times our thoughts are along what we have been exposed to that's seemingly possible. His words are often leaning towards, 'bigger, better, larger than has ever been seen in the whole world, he's open to beyond what has ever been seen.That is limitless!

Someone may dismiss me as easily impressed since I come from a developing country and have not seen anything yet. That may be true to some extent :).

I hope to reach mind blowing levels in what I do and become, but am not blind to the fact that after I reach there, Mr.Trump reaches there, it shall no longer be 'mind blowing' and 'than has ever been seen' and someone else will conquer it but what a sense of accomplishment!

Excellence

Excellent is not the opposite of bad. It takes lots of effort to be excellent as not bad,average and good are normally acceptable.

We often seek excellence in tough and ultimate points such as the final examinations, interviews, presentations, in court etc but rarely in normal progress.
Sometimes if you perform excellently in a normal progress activity, it appears as a waste of energy and time... "what for? who needs it?"!
A supervisor who expects excellence in his department is often considered, 'too demanding, too rigid, and hard to please' On the other hand an employee who delivers excellently will be often regarded as 'missgoodytwoshoes, push over, or boss's pet'

We fail repeatedly to make excellence a habit.

In my view, excellence has a bad side to it when performing tasks that I do not necessarily like or enjoy. When I deliver excellently in these tasks, everyone assumes am good at these tasks and high chances are next time I will be picked to perform the same tasks. Once I had to put together an annual report for an organisation, I did not enjoy the task and thought the final product could have been better with professional advice. When I explained that it could have been better, it was taken to be modesty or too hard on myself.

Excellence has also not been too kind to many in their careers. When a person delivers excellently on a role far beneath their capabilities, the recipients tend to hold the person, selfishly I think, especially if more challenging positions are outside their organisation. This is a lose lose situation as one will remain a Pawn and not exploit the Queen potential and the other who's plays a potential Queen on a Pawns position will leave the King unprotected.

At the end of the day, excellence wins by a landslide. It generates value even when it is on 'passive' state. When small not so meaningful tasks are delivered excellently, the bar is raised, we now have a new level of excellence. If a score of 5/5 was excellent we can now move 10/10 as the new point and we can move the point all the way to the sky.

It is not too late for me, for you, for all of us to seek excellence!