PLUS SIZE GIRL BEWARE OF SUCH…

Let me start by saying woooh! What a crazy weekend that was…not just crazy but extremely random and fun might I add thanks to team-mates and friends that graced the day. A simple training day turned into a swimming afternoon and a party night, talk of things falling in place one after another and mark you, we had no swimming costumes, we just rocked our underwear and sport bras to the pool and we looked fab. (I hope so!)

                                         Courtesy of Rosy image

I take a look around and it got me thinking about how we take so many things for granted. Last week I took up the gratitude challenge and managed to do 5 day of positivity and realized I am thankful for just the same things, I did not broaden my thinking. So here I say, if I have met you and we had a blast, thank you for your time.

So on the night out, after a couple of bottles of vodka we hit the party scene. Oh how we danced the night away and since I am now single (I might have forgotten to tell you that, it is now about three weeks) I loved all the attention, and I picked out one fellow (ken, is his name) from the pack of dogs in that club. I might add I picked a handsome one, looks like the drink doesn’t deceive my vision much.

All in all, Ken though a good guy, was not going anywhere with me, what I mean is, that our friendship would be short lived, I was not looking for a eternity friendship, those few moments did enough for me, but I left him a souvenir. Just guess what it was …you would laugh your head off!

To make the story short, it has come a time when I need not someone to be my companion. I do not need a dude at the club, or the game or any place actually. If myself please me, and I fulfil myself, THAT IS ALL I NEED. But let me tell a little about the guys that you are most likely to be fooled by.

The Athlete

Ever heard of the Kemboi story at a club with a young lady, am sure she thought she was the one for him. The dream and fantasies (Boston, London, all the countries he travels too) that were in her mind must have overtaken her reality (am just saying) not just her but many at times us (plus size) girls are led a stray by the obvious. I always go like “Girl please, He don’t love you” but do we ever listen?

This kind have a way with us…regardless of the sport, they will always deceive, they are sly men (most). It might be the physic or just the money or is it the popularity? You will never miss us ogling and dying to have him take us out. Proof; lets go to Nakuru this weekend, we can testify from there…am not suggesting anything!

They never want anything more than a good scoop, to bad for you if you get pregnant.

                                          Picha/MOHAMMED AMIN Na FRED MAINGI

The Pop star

These ones like the skinny type that would have to make a statement wherever they go. It would be unfortunate (maybe a little bit fortunate) if they are real gentlemen who genuinely fall for women regardless of size (especially plus size). Problem is they would seldom expose you. They feel the need for model kind of girls and I assure you not much of them last (Nick and Mariah for example). Girl do not bother yourself with this kind of man, if you’re plus size, beautiful and confident, do not stoop to his level.

                                          Courtesy of the The Gaurdian

The Club Guy

They often say the bottle guides him, therefore if he falls for you when he is intoxicated than you know, he is a NO NO!!!

I think that picking up a guy from the club (from experience) is the worst thing ever. Reason is, he will only want to meet you in the club; your date will be club oriented and you will talk about nothing except going to the club. Do you really want that, plus size girl. He will lower your self-esteem and make you feel like nothing rather than a club girl, which you are not.

Instead, meet the guy at the club, make him buy you and your pals drinks, have fun with your girlfriends and when home time comes and he is like, “Baby lets go home,” you just turn around and laugh it off, say goodbye and give him your number so he can remember the girl that turned him down.

                                         

                                          Copyright: Wallenrock

Those are the three kind of people, I think, that can really mess up with a plus size girls mind, but remember ladies…you are Phat and Fab…. let no one tell you any different!

Must I make it work?

So after visiting Sub-Way for the very first time about two weeks ago and having a chat with my mentor, I realized that sometimes, in his words, “You do not have to make it work.” Yet, we are constantly trying life and death to make it work (whatever it is).

I realized that when sitting in a chair, in front of a computer for about 8 hours a day doing almost nothing. Yes, I write once in a while but at the end of the month, I feel I have more wasted hours than productive ones, and I am still trying to make it work.

So why do we struggle so much to make it work? The main reason why I do it… I need the money at the end of the month. If I could get the same amount, or better yet more, at the end of every month, well, I would sit in mom’s kitchen eating and watch television all day long but again I have to make it work!

Had I not met the one great mentor of mine, I would never have realised that I was struggling to make irrelevant things work. So am heading into the last month of sitting at a computer for long hours with little production, after all even Mark Zuckerberg did not have to make it work. He did the work.

I feel that, we all get it twisted; we make it work instead of doing the work ourselves. We end up building other people’s companies, instead of struggling to come up with ours. So am setting off to do it for myself, wish me luck!... But then again…

Where will I get the capital to run this ‘work it” of mine? Oh NO! Do not tell me I have to depend on this 8 hour watching the screen thing… Wait!

Mark had no capital (according to the movie) and I believe most people never do when starting up. The main problem with most of us (me included) is that we fear the unknown, we fear letting go of something we are comfortable with, yet we may get something even better if we just have courage.

I always envy my brother who chose to find his own way, he has hustled and got so much experience in production, sales as well as IT, and I am very sure his success story is just about to break.

The rest of us choose an ordinary job.

Brings me back to an interesting talk given by the Kenya Queen of Radio (apparently) Caroline Mutoko, in a hot afternoon at the Kenyatta University Auditorium, though sleepy I managed to get a few points. She said, “I refuse ordinary. Once you accept ordinary, you become ordinary. You look for an ordinary job, an ordinary car, you get an ordinary spouse and an ordinary house. An ordinary life you will have.” So much of that word “ordinary” makes you want to jump off your seat trying to figure out if you are in the ordinary category and how you will get out. Well! I have the answer, take the risk! Quit the fear and the 'ordinariness', and maybe we will reap better fruits.

courtesy of kenyamagazines.com

So watch me take the last steps in this 8-hour screen watching thingy I do, and take the risk. Hopefully I will engage in something that I love to do and enjoy doing it.

Anyone want swimming lessons? Affordable and success rate 100%, give me a call….

My kind of girl-friends!

I was having a splendid conversation with one Dcknight, winger Nondies RFC, about ‘chips funga’ and it got me thinking about the kind of friends that we keep. I mean, “ Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are”.

I have those girlfriends that are always there for me, regardless of whether we meet often or just have coffee once every three months. After all, we are at that stage where everyone is trying to figure out who she will become, and what she will be doing for the rest of her life. So am comfortable with those five pots of coffee every three months at a local café.

I have another set of girlfriends that are more frequent and just as loyal as the first. They tend to be a backbone and are always there when I need them for fun or just to talk to. They are more reserved with the kind of people I associate with, and will never fail to tell me when the man I have picked is as simple as, “Uyo ako down”.

Going out with them is the perfect, why? There is always the watchdog to prevent the rest of the pod, yes I said it pod, from getting “scooped”. Awesome. The fact is, when we are together we are so compatible and well entertained that we need not any other species to help us enjoy ourselves. This is the kind of pod that you can as well drink till you drop. Be sure that you will get home safely, and wake up in your nightdress, almost as if you went to bed by yourself.

I am sure you know about those girlfriends that are good to party with but you become the watchdog; I do that a number of times. You are very afraid that if both of you get too drunk then hell will break loose. These are also the ones that depend on the pod for the drinks, they will insist on getting the 750ml bottle because they know it will keep them going all through the night. They never get ‘chips funguad’ at least not with you, but will get much of the attention from the crowd around. Your night is characterised by, “pole amelewa and wacha ujinga” but you end up having a real laugh and great memories, and meet new people. You will also get some free drinks from the guys she decided to “chokoza” and then run away. These girlfriends have their own level of standards that only they can explain.

 

The bad girl friends are those that depend on other parties to help them get to autopilot. This acclaimed “divas” will dress up and go to the club with their 150 bob, purchase a black-ice or better yet a Guarana or king fisher, sip it for three hours while trying to seduce a fellow from the crowd. Now you, or rather me, her sidekick, is forced to indulge and talk to the fellow’s friend. It is only the two of you at the table; others are getting to know each other through bend over and daggering. Living the club is scheduled for 6 am, as the last four hours were spent on the phone trying to figure out where the leader of your pod had gone. Let us just guess!

If you are a pretty girl am sure you have those friends that will push you to a fellow, insist how they are familiar with the guy and even pace set the conversation for you. They may think you are a bore and getting you occupied with an old guy with a Merc X at the parking is the best way to enjoy the night. They will insist you over indulge taking shots and downing drinks in seconds, to prepare you for the feast you are going to partake, as they enjoy their drinks filling the table.  She must accompany you to the bathroom to ensure you come back to the Merc X-ian table for her to be filled with the drinks and the foods she only dreams of. Her words are more often than not, “ Take one for the team.” We all know what that one is…with the old guy. Lust!

Those are the ones that I know; feel free to add any you have encountered. Open your eyes ladies and see it as it is…

MY LAST ‘24’ WEEKEND

It is about three years ago since I first visited the University of Nairobi grounds for a Mean Machine tournament. It was a Kenya Cup match and they were up against KCB lions, at the time the likes of Derrick Wamalwa a.k.a “burdizzo” as I knew him from back in the day when he played with my brother, was in the KCB squad.

I had heard about the team, but it was only when Fly half Filden Sinei insisted that on my number something ‘22’ weekend, we have a road trip from our prestigious campus in Eldoret to Nairobi for a game. So being the people’s person that I am (do not deny), I rounded up a couple of my best buds. Sophie, Njeri, Christine, Jossy were among those who made the grand appearance for a game they knew nothing about. (I am not in that category I was exposed to the game by my big bro when I was in primary school)

That was a small genesis of my “relationship” with the team, which was rekindled last Saturday at the pool party for their annual Chairman Mbuzi event. The event saw the likes of George Mutuku “Tuku” handing over captaincy after a splendid season playing for Kifaru and Kenya A. A nostalgic event it was, I remember how the first one I attended was characterised by darkness and disorganization. Then former captain Cedo set the standards with a wild bush party, organizing for transport and affordable drinks, though people slept in the cold. I must give it up for Tuku, he brought both the formality of the event as well as the fan aspect, having “live” awards for the job well done, and of course that concoction that takes contenders to auto pilot in an inch of a minute.

The Kenya lioness party I had left for the chairman’s mbuzi was still in place with my pod mate Emily ‘number 3’ bringing it to a super hype after a grand entrance, and I hear she made a grand exit as a passenger on an ‘apache’ motor bike. Well in!

My last ‘24’ weekend had lots of nyama choma, ugali, kachumbari and the other clear liquefied strong scented stuff. It was amazing to share it with people I played with, and had spent much time with in preparation for the Elgon cup, which we won in aggregate 72-25, not that am bragging.

The Eschuma one however caught my eye the most, having not seen some of the former players for a long time; it was more a reunion then a party. I had thought my ageing was individualized until I saw Motomoto and Smalls and realized mine is much slower, and ineffective.

These people, some of them my good friends, I blame them for the number ‘2’ position I have played in two years, yes them! Though I did it in high school their criticism, mockery and some kind of support went a long way in making me take on those tackles. I moved from fan to player in six months of intense training and weight loss, with the extensive help of 8^th man and Madegwa, and changed a major perception of who I was…. I have nothing but absolute appreciation.

 

Back to the day where food was in plenty, shots at Ksh 40 with a shortage of the popular Guarana drink, my bestie Winnie and I indulged, we even had scrum down competitions with some of the very old boys, who were unable to beat us. We are bad like that, but I don’t like to brag.

As I soon turn the page to a new dawn, I remember how on my ‘22’ day I had a party with Coco at Rodgers place in Langata. With Elly as the side kick they never failed to ensure that a well planned but not to capacity party went down with an ‘after party’ at Rafikis, that I had to miss cause of my work commitments.

I look back and think, and then remember my crazy campus days, which The Eschuma boys had a part to play in. Taking an 8-hour bus ride to enjoy the blue boys anxiously waiting to have one at Base ya Hard with Milly and Vostie, the former ensuring we are well entertained. I miss Vostie and Milly.

As my ‘25’ days start I feel that going back to those days would be insane. I am too weak for those weekly trips, too lazy for the weekend hangovers and too grown up to do anything without a worry of the world, plus my commitment to one engineer shall not be tested.

A character has definitely been seen from having built my faith on nothing else, memories that not even a concussion from a tackle by Christine Kizito can take away. My 24 was good, I managed to graduate, but unlike the others, it has been more reserved, focused with too much heart ache and too many disappointments. I am hoping the 25 will be a bit more exciting, not as much as the 22 but a good one would not hurt. I pray that I get to see the end of the 25 note it down, because I can see lots of success stories in it. Here we go…

 

DICKSON MUCHIRI Martial arts professional and advocate

At the age of 10, Dickson Muchiri, 26 chose to join a martial arts group rather than roam the streets of Lucky Summer estate in Babadogo ward, a place he refers to as the ghetto. With little knowledge of what it was, he started with the hope of making something out of life. He tells ME of his journey to becoming a martial arts champion.

The starting point …

A martial arts training session is underway as Dickson walks past, heading to a football play date. He stops to look at what is being done and is impressed with the fighting techniques showcased by the individuals. The man instructing them, Coach Hillary Wahanda, notices Dickson and immediately invites him to join the group. It was to be his first martial arts session.

“It was a way to avoid being bullied. In the ghetto if you did not do this, you will suffer in the hands of those bigger and older than you. I wanted to be a fighter and it was the only avenue I had come across. You know in the ghetto, not all that you want is provided for you,” he said with a chuckle.

As the interview progressed I noticed Dickson’s eloquence and jovial nature by the way he comfortably spoke of his youth in the ghetto. His tall stature and calm nature would tell how suitable he is for martial art, as he sat opposite me in the boardroom of the Orange House office along Valley Road.

Dickson immensely enjoyed the martial arts class and on learning the basics of the sport majored in Onwado- a traditional form of tae-kwon-do martial arts. He trained for five years in the art with the hope of one day making the national team. He also participated in various local competitions that were set up to build match fitness for the fighters with no awards.

His parents grateful that he had found an avenue to avoid the dangerous youth vices in their streets were skeptical about the safety of the sport to their fifth born child.

“I attended training sessions everyday after school and even on weekends. I had great passion. My parents supported me but cautioned me about taking up the sport competitively. They were afraid I would get hurt. I attended the tournaments without their knowledge until I got the call up to the national team later. Had it not been for this art, I would have been socializing with my friends; drinking and taking drugs.”

Secondary school was a difficult time in his career as a martial artist. The school he attended, Joy town Secondary School, did not participate in the sport; he was therefore forced to pass forward any training and competitions to holidays only. It is at this time also that wrangles within the martial arts federation developed and caused his coach to split to form his own club that would participate in a different martial art, Tong-il-Moo-do, a unique art that comprises of all the forms of martial arts; kick boxing (kicks and punches), tae-kwon-do (kicks only), judo (more physical and harmful, opponents look for joints to dislocate) and karate (low kicks an punches).

Torn between two, Dickson a Bachelor of Arts graduate, took a leap of faith and in 2005 chose to follow his Coach Hillary in founding the Best Kickers Club. As the only student for close to two years, he worked hard to meet the targets set and to build the sport to other young people, his classmates and neighbours, but was unsuccessful. Though persuaded to join the military to continue with the sport, Dickson opted to pursue his passion.

The United States International University (USIU) become his home for four years, and though a challenge to raise the fees, assistance from the school ‘work study’ program plus Higher Education Loans Board bursaries facilitated his degree in International Business Administration.

“It was easy for me to get the gist of the new art, Tong-il-Moo-do, due to my experience in the previous one. It was difficult to get people to join our team and we often concentrated on physical fitness and not art. We had no facilities and often trained in Hillary’s house. We got help from a church that allowed us to use their halls, which eventually become our governing body. We are now over 50 team members. I could have easily gone to the military, but that was not my path.” He said enthusiastically.

Achievements…

Dickson has a total of 21 gold, seven silver and three bronze medals. In his most recent tournament, The 7^th World Martial Arts Peace Cup, held on March 2014 in Thailand, Dickson managed to bag a gold medal and a trophy in the Tong-il –Moo-do category. He has also won many awards in various military martial arts tournaments.

Campus tournaments were also good grounds for his match fitness, bagging another two gold medals in competitions in 2007 and 2008 that led him into the leadership of the campus club and head of facilities.

Dickson was scheduled to attend an invite to an international tournament in Italy but poor support from the government and lack of sufficient funds hindered him from this desired journey.

He expressed his disappointment,” We have been forced to work with little resources. As a growing sport we hope that our efforts will eventually bear fruit to the future Martial Artists. I will continue with the sport, it fulfils me and hopefully in the next four to five years, I will have certified myself as a Tong-il-Moo-do coach in Kenya”.

Giving back to the community…

The best kickers club has established branches in slums and estates like Dandora, Kawangware, Rongai and Kabete in Nairobi as well as in Mombasa where young people take the opportunity to learn the art.

“It was not easy to choose, but I did. If I did not I would have been idling in the streets and end up like majority of my classmates, that are either thugs or dead. The girls have numerous children with no father. Tong-il-moo-do molded me to reach where I am today.” He said confidently.

He added that the rules of art that govern the sport are essential to the young people. The commandments and literature learned through training and practice build good character. The foundation of a church as a governing body makes it better as discipline of the students is paramount.

Dickson and his team, with the intention of exposing the youth to the sport and making them gain more interest, have organized schedules for games and tournaments. He further states that popularising the sport in those areas will persuade the youth and the children to join in early enough and grow in the sport, and especially avoid temptations.

Most of the members of the Best Kickers Club are unemployed and they formed a SACCO to help them come up with enough capital to start various businesses. Dickson, a committee member helps to advice on business plans and ideas that can help the individuals prosper financially.

“ We are getting the youth out of the streets and teaching them how to behave in life. Some of our members now own their own business, we promote them through fundraising. We have businesses that venture into fashion like salons and barbers, and entertainment through movie parlors. I organize funds to host our tournaments. So far so good.”

Since November 2010 working at Orange-Telkom Kenya has been a good experience for him and he has managed to rise in rankings from Intern to Analysis and Reporting Manager. Apart from Martial arts Dickson is a lover of football, and has played it even before joining coach Hillary’s team.

“We are providing a solid foundation for martial arts particularly Tong-il-Moo-do for the next generations in this country. Do not fear to venture into whatever you love. Nothing comes easy, find your potential, take risks and work with it. In the next few years Best Kickers will provide participants for the Olympic games, as an entity and not part of the military. I am happy with the far that we have come.”  Dickson enthusiastically concluded.

Email: Bestkickersmartialartsfitnessclub.com

Photo courtesy of Mboya Paul