WHEN YOUR DOWN, HOW DO YOU GET BACK UP?

Another Friday, another day gone.....What have you done to ensure the day ends a success??? I hope you are well this Friday. I most certainly am.

Lately i have been lacking some much needed inspiration. Life is threatening to become a routine for me. A routine where the events of the day are pre planned. I hate it when i wake up in the morning and i know almost everything am gonna do throughout the day. Where is the element of surprise in that? Don't get me wrong, its advisable to plan your day, but when it reaches a point where you know how the entire day is gonna pan out then there is a problem. If you don't agree then i guess your a robot.

So here is the question, when you lack inspiration, when your short of focus and when you lack direction how do you get back on track? In life you are bound to face those days when you backslide. I have discovered that i am at my happiest when i link freely with God and my fellow men/women. When everything is smooth and everything is a great success.

However there are those days that things don't seem to work, when everything you do turns into a frustration. In those moments i always know that returning to God is the first step to recovery. However lately i shy away from God because i lack the zeal and the moral to talk to Him. Sometimes i start to pray then i fall asleep midway. Do you get the picture now?

In time like these there are a few things that i like to do to regain my focus and have a sense of purpose. You might have a different way of dealing with such situations and i would like to know how you deal with them. You might be shocked that what works for you works for me too.
 So here we go:
1) When i am faced with the above situation i turn to God. When i have an honest communication with God i always feel lifted.

2) I love nature. I have this big dream of one day owning a ranch. I love a good forest too, or a jungle. Where i live there is a beautiful ranch owned by the university. Its a vast land with nothing on it. Just grass. On the sidewalk their is a beautiful forest of eucalyptus trees lined along the narrow path. Every time i visit this place i always feel liberated. The place has a calming presence around it. The whistling of the tree leaves on  a windy evening on one side and  a vast unoccupied land on the the other side is a sight to behold. simply breathtaking.

3) Have you ever wondered why some people in your life are more important than others? One of the reason for this is because of what these people have to offer in our lives. I have one such person in my life and its none other that my cousin Danielle Dee Ochieng. The inspiration and love this woman has shown me over the years is unmatched. She gives me stability and the confidence. I pride myself in knowing that out there i have one of my greatest allies. The role she plays in my life has no substitute. Shes the pillar upon which most of my foundation is based.

4) Lastly when i am stuck and frustrated by life i make short term goals. Things that i can do to get quick results. We all love it when we accomplish things and i am no different. I normally highlight what i can do in  a short time with immediate results. This way i stay happy always.

That works for me, its your turn to find out what works for you.
Good day good people.

ROLLING BACK THE YEARS...

Hey y'all, do u believe that miracles still do happen? I never knew for sure if they even happened. Am talking about the kind of miracles that Jesus performed in his time like healing the sick and changing water into wine.

If i told you today i know of a place you can come and see miracles happen for yourself, would you consider coming? Well this Sunday i got such invitation. It was very early in the morning when my mother called me to join her at the historic Uhuru park. I was quite hesitant at first, one because it was too early for me to wake up and two, because i didn't believe any miracles still happened.

I could not turn down such an invitation though so i made my way to Uhuru park in Nairobi. I have always been a great believer in what i see with my own eyes so i really wanted to see. There was a national prayer day for Kenyans, focusing on repentance and forgiveness. The main purpose was to repent so that Kenya would not witness the kind of violence that took place during the post election violence. i have never seen Kenyans more united.

The meeting was being hosted by Dr. prophet David Owuor. All the eight presidential candidates were invited. If you know anything about the recent animosities between some of these candidates then you would have been forgiven to suggest they couldn't share a podium let alone show solidarity and commit to peace.

That sadly is not the miracles am talking about. What i witnessed was akin to the biblical times miracles. Lately i had been reading a book titled 'Do miracles really happen..' The book argues that the miracles performed by Jesus were no magic. They really did happen. moreover Jesus did them in public for all to see. Healing of the sick and feeding people on two fish and five loaves is no illusion. Actually when Jesus was arrested he was asked in whose name he performed these miracles and not questions on the authenticity of the miracles. This is because they really did happen.

On Sunday i saw a blind boy regain sight. He was a boy of ten who was born blind and now he could see. This was in the full glare of the public. Thousands of people had thronged the venue to witness healing and repentance. This was a three day meeting that started on Friday all through to Sunday. I am actually told the day for healing was a Saturday. I missed that but reliable sources indicates over twenty people were healed. If that is not a miracle then i don't know what is......

Good day happy people. May God bless you in all the good things you do today.

STILL THE PRETTIEST AT THE BALL....

Hello folks......i am almost embarrassed of my last posting on this blog. I was talking like a real fan who was hoping something magical would happen. How naive i was, stars don't change their shape in the sky overnight. Deep down i was hoping to be proven right but i guess fate had its own agenda. Sometimes its really hard to take but i guess i, just like every Arsenal fan out there will have to hope for the best in Munich.

Belief is something we all need to have. It is the last thing we cling on when the curtains are about to come down on us. I am a great believer in the underdogs. Not only Arsenal but life in general. There is no greater satisfaction than knowing you have been written off by almost everyone and yet you conjure something majestic to get everyone back on board. Believing again. This is going against the status quo.

When you have your back against the wall, when the fat lady is about to sing and when all hope is gone, what do you do? The simple answer is to quit. To give up and admit defeat. Almost everyone is happy when you succumb to failure. I can tell you that is the easy way out. You and i should be worth more than that. We are kings of comeback.

There is no one who knows you better than you. That is why you and you alone decide when you go home. You get to decide when the curtains will fall, you call the shots and declare the show over. No one should decide this for you. to fail when knowing fully well that you gave it your best is an acceptable failure. You might even feel good because you gave it your best.

People are declared champions when they do something extraordinary. Something no one expected of them. Good people are happy to believe in someone when things are great but there is always that element of fear that things will go wrong and you will eventually let them down. Their actions in this case will be justified. This is because you are the one to give them reason to believe. You are meant to inspire them. The confidence oozing from you will automatically radiate to them.

I hope you have been inspired by this post. Believe until there is no hope left. In short, you are still the prettiest at the ball, don't let the next queen of prom steal your shine. Tell her to wait her turn. Be the last to leave the party.
good day happy people.

CHAMPIONS

Today Arsenal will take on Bayern Munich in the UEFA champions league.  Many have written off arsenal's chances. I am a strong Arsenal supporter but on current form i don't blame those who are quick to criticize them. How did they lose that game against Blackburn, you wonder? Before the game if i told you Blackburn would beat Arsenal at the Emirates would you have believed me? 

In the same case Arsenal are touted as the underdogs. For some its a lost battle. Not for me though. Champions are not made when no one is watching but in full view of the public. When the stakes are high and the pressure is mounting a champion steps up. The saviour of the team stands up to be counted.

This is the same case with football players. Magical nights like the champions league only comes once in a while for these players. What better way to step up than on a chilly night in Landon.  The pressure is at its peek and the fans are looking for that one person who will write the history books.

The funny thing about history is that you never know when great history will be written  that is why every single day you wake up you should offer your best to whatever your doing. Great history does not sometimes appear great at the time of writing. Its only when its in the past that one realizes what a great achievement he has made.

That goal Danny welbeck scored in Madrid is one for the history books. Right now its just another goal scored by a youngster at Madrid, but i can tell you years to come it will be a reference point. 

What better way to write history than with your back against the wall. Go go arsenal....

SEX WITH THE NANNY.....

Hello good folks........i hope you are well this black Friday. I most certainly am.

About a week ago there was a story on the pullout section of the standard paper, crazy Monday. Crazy Monday is a pullout paper in the Monday issue of the standard paper. On it there was a story about young boys losing their virginity to the nannies. That story is actually true. Its happening here in Kenya and if you didn't know, now you know.

Sex with the nanny is not a story any boy will easily admit. Those who grew up with house helps almost certainly have a story similar to this. Their first sexual experience was with the house help. Most parents, especially those working parents, tend to trust the nannies with their children. They go to work in full knowledge that their kids are in safe hands.

This however is not always the case. Some of these nannies take it upon themselves to give these innocent kids their first sexual experience. I say innocent because that is what these boys are. However there are those that actually ask for it. Even though rare, its common practice.

Immediately i read that story i thought of a similar case. I know of a boy in my neighborhood where i grew up with a similar story. The boy is about 4 years old. Of course at this age the boy might be excused for not knowing much concerning the sexual act.

For the sake of this post i will name the boy Alex. Alex is a normal boy. He has never told me if he has had sex with nanny before. I, just like most of us in the neighborhood think that he is in that situation. Before you think i am on his case, allow me to tell you why i think he is having sex with the nanny. His behavior is not normal for his age. He, first of all does not tolerate boys at all. He prefers my sisters to me. He cries every time a  man touches him.

When he is carried by the ladies he often touches their boobies. How else would he know boobies apart from  lessons with the nanny. Alex also seems to perform the 'act' when he is carried by the ladies. He performs actions similar to those of the sexual act. I have no doubt that Alex learnt his trade from the lady who is charged with taking care of him.

Of course Alex's case is just one of the many cases out there. Boys don't like to admit it but it happens to them. It happened to me too. I think i was about 7 years then. Normally at that age i should have known of the 'deed'. It so happened that after school i would come back home, eat, shower then head to the bedroom for a nap.

Its at this time that i always had 'company' on my bed. Mine however was dry humping as far as i can remember. We had our cloths on. I would stay on top of her and 'do the deed'. Of course at that time i enjoyed it. I thought it was fun. This went on for a while until she was relieved of her duties.

Alex and i are just a fraction of those boys who had a similar experience. I cant help but think of how dangerous such a situation is. What if the nanny is HIV+? What if we had unprotected sex and i got the disease? At that young age boys cannot make informed choices. I hope many parents read that article. They need to be aware of the dangers they expose there kids to when they leave them with the nanny.

Good day folks.

WHEN QUITING IS NOT AN OPTION...

Howdy people, i hope your Monday has started off in a great way. Mine has. I always trust God to make my days productive and wonderful.

Days like these its hard being an Arsenal fan. Its at these times that one might ask why Arsenal supporters wont change teams. If anything its as easy as the easiest thing to do. But i can tell you those are not real fans. Changing teams is near impossible if not impossible. It is one of the hardest things to do.

The joy, the pain and the frustration one gets from supporting Arsenal is irreplaceable. Its just total bliss. The emotions it draws out of you is just priceless. It makes you alive. The adrenaline that rushes through you when you lose or win a game of football compares to nothing. Trust me nothing comes close. When your team wins a big match you are on cloud nine, When you lose, you swallow the bitter pill and hope your team beats the next opponent. Only with arsenal, you might have to wait a bit longer. They offer frustrations in double portions.

Take the issue of Arsene Wenger for example. Whenever my team lose i always look forward to his post match comments. Hoping that for once he will concede defeat. To admit that things are not working and a change is needed. Sadly the man never admits. Denial all the time. This weekend we lost to united. Thoroughly beaten. You would expect, for a man who knows football to admit his shortcomings, but alas, he talks of illusionary domination. He claimed Arsenal dominated Man u, only that we did not do anything with all that possession.

Arsene is a man with vast experience. However i believe that to much experience in one particular area is a disadvantage. It leads to stagnation, overconfidence, short-sightedness and inability to improve or accept correction. Staying dormant is a crime if you ask me. People should seek to grow. Today i am a student writing this blog, if after two years am still writing this blog as student that would be stagnation. I should be working by then.

However with all these frustrations, a true supporter cannot change clubs, not even dare think about it. By now am sure you understand what it means to be loyal. If this is not loyalty then i don't know what is. However this particular example of loyalty seem to be one sided. Its one way. The fan is loyal to the club but i doubt if the club gives a damn.

Tomorrow America votes. I support Obama but since i have no vote, i have no say. I just hope the Americans share my view. Barrack back to office and Mitt to a vacation wherever he chooses. That would be the ideal solution. May the best man win. My gut feeling hasn't kicked in  yet so i don't know who will win.

'The labourers appetite works for him, the hunger drives him on.'

A new week, new challenges. Drive on and work hard.
Good day folks.

LOYALTY

Loyalty is defined by the Wikipedia as the devotion or faithfulness to a person or  a cause. This is my say on it. I will also give you a link to Michael Owens blog so you can read what he had to say. Hello ghost reader, i hope you are good.

Loyalty works hand in hand with trust and commitment. If you commit to a certain cause or trust somebody then you certainly are loyal. Loyalty is very important to all of us. We all need people that are loyal to us. We tend to feel more secure that way. Everyone of us would be happy if there was an indicator that showed the level of loyalty those we surround ourselves with have toward us.

There are many things that dictate loyalty. I believe some of these include kindness and generosity and of cause honesty. Has someone ever showed you an act of kindness? How did you feel toward them in return? I am always attracted to those who are kind to me. Its normal. I in turn show a certain level of loyalty toward them. its the same with generosity. Generosity and kindness have a soft place in the heart.

Don't you just love it  when you can say with absolute certainty that so and so would never lie to you? Trust is hard to achieve, however its not impossible. The quickest way to earn trust is through honesty. Its only through trust that things like confidence and security emerge. Mostly we tend to trust our parents because they would rarely lie to us. Once honesty and trust are in place, loyalty builds. We automatically become loyal in the process.

I have a cat in my house. The situation surrounding me being the owner of the cat is questionable. This is because the cat is not legally mine. I don't know the true the owner. It just so happened that this cat loved coming to my house every time i got back from school. My fondness to it grew over time. I fed the cat whenever i could and even let it stay in my house. This cat had now become a part of my household.

The kindness i showed the cat must have drawn its loyalty. We became tight. Even to the point of it spending the night in my house. At first i objected to such a move. This is because the cat was dirty. It looks like a wild cat. It used to spend the night out in the cold. In the garbage. I feared it would somehow infect me. But all these objections i had were out weighed by the fact that the cat had shown loyalty to me. It had become my cat.

I could feel a sense of relief fill the cat. For the first time in many nights it was peaceful. No more sleeping with one eye open, always on the look out for that dog waiting to disturb its peace. This gave me joy. I no longer feared contracting diseases from the cat. After all i could seek medical treatment should it happen. I am sure you noticed i use past tense in referring to my relationship with the cat. Sadly for me the cat might be dead. By the time it was seeking solace in my house it was already wounded. Another cat might have hurt my cat. One day i got home and it was missing. I haven't seen it since then. I hope its fine wherever it is. Do you now see how true kindness and generosity breeds loyalty?

You could use the story of Ruth and Naomi in the bible.  The kindness that Naomi showed to Ruth resulted in loyalty. Ruth became loyal to Naomi and even left their gods and her family to follow Naomi and the God of Naomi.  Such a good story, read it when you can.

Lastly am sure you are aware that this weekend Arsenal will meet a former player. RVP. Many gunners have had their say regarding his loyalty. Everyone has an opinion on that. Read what Michael Owen had to say on that here. www.michaelowen.com/blog.htm

'The blessings from the Lord to a man will make him wealthy, and does not bring trouble with it.'

good day and good luck.