If this city in the sun as we like to brand it as could tell tales, what would it reveal to us? Let’s put our beers or our whisky on the table for a minute or two and allow our minds to wander and catch a glimpse of all the wisdom these streets have soaked up over time. In fact, let us leave our drinks in the care of our favorite bartenders and get into our rides and drive to …
Blog Posts
They say a change is as good as a rest – and rest is good for the soul. This saying rings true especially at this time. For years, this space has been home to the beautiful stories by yours truly. Here, I found my voice as a writer. I struggled with insecurities. Belabored against powerful creative blocks. Fought against the wind that almost carried away my voice. Experienced deep growth as a creative & a writer. Learnt important lessons. Accepted …
”Someone asked me what it was like being a twenty-year-old mum, and I had to pause and think because from where I sit now I am not even sure how I made it. I keep telling people that I would study up to PhD level and it still would not equate to the kind of pressure I felt then. Imagine being 20, married to a man 11 years your senior and having this human being that is completely dependent on …
Have you ever wondered what defines ‘being young’? Is it an age thing, as in, can we say, for instance, that if you’re between the ages of 0-30, then you’re young? If that’s so, then what happens as soon as you hit 31? Do people automatically just start referring to you as mzee, or mama nani? If that’s not the case, is ‘being young’ a state of being? Those who say they are ‘young at heart’, even when their bones …
A few months ago, I took a 'power-nap' from writing on this space. A power nap ideally that was supposed to take a week or so, but look, months have elapsed since then. I was supposed to come back with lots of gusto, a rejuvenated mind in which you can enjoy taking trips in. But time waits for no man, not even the one who's lying on his back taking a nap. You can't own time like you own money. …
When you lie in bed at night, do you think about the same things that I do? Do you often stare at the ceiling, your eyes unblinking, your mind hazy from the incessant furry of mundane thoughts and worries? Do you think about the past and the future, how the two are inextricably intertwined, how the past continues to leave an indelible mark that stretches out to the present? And what about the future, does it bother you? Sometimes I …
Do you remember the friend who was always late? There was that Friday night when when he called and texted, you didn’t pick up. You didn’t pick up because you didn’t hear the phone ring. You didn’t hear the phone ring because you were sound asleep on the couch. You were sound asleep on the couch because you’d had a long day, and your energy was spent like a bullet cartridge. While sleep had taken over you, he was at …
We all have that one friend who seems to never be on time. If life was a party, he’d show up after the fun has ended, a bottle of whiskey in his right hand and car keys jingling in his left. He’d stand at the door awkwardly, eyes darting left and right hoping to land on a familiar face. You’d see him before he sees you, noticing how his aura is encased in a distinct sense of carelessness, his demeanor …
Can you remember when you first wore a mask? You might have been so young, relishing in the joys of childhood. Perhaps it was in school, and the school bully teased you so much that you allowed the tears to flow freely down your smooth innocent cheeks. Remember the subsequent laughter from your classmates, the stern warning from your teacher, ‘boys don’t cry’, and the disapproval of your peers. Over time you internalized that crying signified inherent weakness, and you learnt …
So let’s say this young guy is living in a ramshackle room in that side of the city where no one likes to talk about. There, homes are crammed together, set over a foundation of broken sewer, competing for space in a clearly space-less setting. This jostling for space defines the nature of housing there, extending over the horizon, filling the landscape like a canvas. There is no place for kids to play and even grow up. There you are …
Let’s suppose that you’re a singer waiting for your turn on the stage. You’re young, eager to prove yourself to the world, yearning to make your mark on the world. You take a deep breath, drawing air deep down to your belly, then you slowly exhale, just like you’ve been practicing in front of the mirror. Only that before the mirror, you only had your reflection to conquer. Now, the whole world is looking at you with unabated anticipation, their …
Imagine yourself falling in love, whatever that means to you. Let’s say it happens the conventional way. You bump into her at a party, or in church perhaps. A week later, you two are an item. It becomes disruptive, your life turns upside down, priorities shift like political alliances. Mornings become a time for anticipation, will you wake up to a ‘good morning baby’ text from her? Gradually, your head space becomes invaded with constant thoughts of her. Scenes of …
Imagine yourself plopped up on your office seat with your elbows leaning on your desk, your fingers punching furiously at the keyboard of your computer, and your eyes squinting at the screen in front of you. There is a mug on the desk, half full with coffee that has now turned cold because it’s been a couple of minutes before you took your last sip. It’s one of those days when your in-tray is overflowing with work, ambition is flowing in …