Cheers 2015... you were great!

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Hamjambo marafiki,

So here I am, turned 30 this year, my son lost his first milk tooth and he turned five. He is really getting tall by the way...he will be a tall guy :) sorry,  I digress!

I can tell you one thing for sure, 2015 has been a trip. I said that in a previous blog that life is about doing you, right? So I think that I have managed to do a bit of that in 2015, especially after turning the big three zero. I know there are things I should ensure no longer get to me, but I cannot help but react in the worst of ways sometimes. I wish there was a recipe for life, I would have already bought that manual / recipe because wow! it gets there sometimes.

I have a lot of aspirations and hope for the future, don't get me wrong. I however wish I knew when what would happen. The one thing that am sure I cannot do is throw in the towel.  Here is a few reasons why:

1. Life is never easy... Work hard now, enjoy later.

You have to work hard now to make the best laziest days of your life a walk in the park. I say laziest days because when you get older, you are no longer as active to do what ever you used to do when you were younger so work hard now when you still have the energy and your days will only get better with time.

2. If you really want it so bad, go get it yourself

Lets all face it, no one will give you what you want in life. If you really want it, you have to work hard and just go get what ever it is that you want. I have seen this happen to me. I used to want something so bad, then set a target that would help me get it. Once I got it, I'd set a new target for the next thing I thought I "needed " but in reality, I just wanted ..the minute I got that item, the hunger only grew bigger and in all honesty, it felt damn good to achieve the set goals.

3. Don't be selfish, a lot depends on you. C'mon now...

When you sit back and all you want to do is give up on being greater or achieving more, think, what will become of XXX if I give up? That is what drives me sometimes. For me, my son is my everything. This means that I have a lot of responsibilities that are not just all Shella, but also my son's. To me that is very important, to just make sure that " I got him". The one thing that can frustrate me here is if I dare depend on anyone to make that line " I got him " come true. Humans will always disappoint so to avoid that, always do whatever you can to ensure the one thing or person that depends on you is secure.
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4. Live ...Laugh... Love 

So I think that Love is a force! One ought to respect it big time. Love is one thing that just happens to you when you least expect it. Sometimes it happens so fast that you second guess it, while at times, it takes  A     V  E   R   Y       L         O          N            G   time to happen. Either way, if you are patient enough, the most amazing feeling happens at you, within you, outside of you... I cannot even find the words to describe the feeling. It is funny how it even feels like something not real... you have to pinch yourself to see if it is actually real! You have monologues in your head ... "Is this person mine? does s/he know much s/he means to me?? "

That is why , I think, it is such a rare thing. And that hat wins most of the time. Nothing good comes easy. It is easier to hate people, be mean / cruel... than to show love and kindness... many people want the easy route. However, once you fall in love, it is like you have just found out the meaning of what it is to be happy, and alive. To care for someone unconditionally, Nothing matters more than that one person. And when you do find that person ( your Boyfriend, Husband, best friend, son, siblings, parents... Husband ...lol.., yeah I said that twice...) life becomes much more bearable. They are there to calm your nerves just by their mere presence, glance, smile or touch! That is why, my dear friends... Love is , in my humble opinion, a force.

Life's a BEACH

Dear Friends,

Greetings from this petite African girl (princess is much better if you like). If you know me well enough, then you will instantly not be offended / misunderstand the tittle of this blog today... grab a glass of your favorite vino /whiskey - on the rocks, because I will definitely entertain you!

My love for the beach life begun when my eldest sister Hanifah moved to Mombasa. She always invited my younger sister and I to go visit her and seeing as this was all so very new to her (living in Mombasa), we were obliged to go. Trust me, when you are young, out of high school and got nothing to do until uni, life can be boring or rather unbearable!

Mombasa had always been good to me. The beach ... oh the beach! The first time I saw all that sand and water on my feet, with a never ending horizon where the water seemed to meet the sky, was just so mesmerizing! How did He create all this? So beautiful and natural ... so full of color that just brings this sense of freshness, tranquility and serenity to even the most disturbed human being! I bet that if most asylums were built next to the ocean, many disturbed minds would have a better time recovering... just my two cents!

I used to take enough bus rides down to the coast (considering I was fresh out of high school, flights were what one would consider a luxury). I recall this one time when I had so many bus tickets that I had collected from my numerous trips that this coastal bus conductor actually told me that if I showed up with ten tickets from my previous rides during my next booking, I would actually qualify for one way either to or from Mombasa free! Of course I got counting, and to no surprise, I earned my free ticket \0/ - born a winner.

The craziest time was when I had been invited by my sister in law to a cruise ship trip that she had booked for my sisters and I - Destination , Z A N Z I B A R !!!!! This was back in 2007... (if my memory serves me right). I was so excited about this trip. Went to work early in the morning, left work by 5:00pm (GMT +03:00) to catch an evening bus (see how easy it was for me to grab a bus to the coast?), got to Mombasa in the morning, said my greetings to the family and caught up with them for a few minutes before my sister Hanifah asked me if I had managed to get my EA pass. She quickly dashed me to CDB to get one and off we were with my two sisters Hanifah and Maureen, niece Ummukulthum and sister in-law Wahida to the port where we were to board into this huge, beautiful, white cruise ship that was to take us to this four days five nights tour to Zanzibar and neighboring islands!

Most of the crew who welcomed us and attended to us during our stay in that cruise ship had the most amazing service. They ensured that my niece was very comfortable considering she was barely one at that time. From Dolphins and at times sharks, star fish and turtles... we saw amazing creatures. Got sea sick, recovered, went sun bathing and even managed to crash a birthday party in the ship. Part of the itinerary was to visit the famous spice market and the slave market as well. We did not make it to watch the dolphins but friends we had made while on this trip mentioned that it was spectacular.

When the trip was over, I literally traveled  back to Mombasa, jumped into a taxi to Moi International airport and boarded a plane to Nairobi (My brother in law was feeling generous so he bought me a plane ticket), got into a taxi and was in the office in time as if i was just coming from my house. All in all, from the first time I set foot in Zanzibar, I fell in love with the destination and the love keeps growing each and every time I return.

So here's the thing right... Do not grow up, its a trap! Of late I do not visit Mombasa as much, however, when I do get the chance and time, I always have such a great time. I had gotten used to going to North coast, the parties there are crazy and really for the young at heart, body and soul ( My bestie Martha can tell you all about this, crazy days I tell you).

You see us here, this looks like an afternoon right,? wrong! It was like 8:00 am - Mombasa mornings, when Nairobians visiting the coast party like rock stars only to do it again that same evening till the morning comes!

Now I really enjoy South coast, especially Watamu. The beaches are more private. Here, you get to spend time just relaxing and appreciating life, taking in the beauty of the beach life and reflecting on either where you want to see your life or simply appreciating how far you have come.

The hotels are also very nice and the beach boys are not so much in your face. I recall having some calamari that this beach boy who has a local restaurant by the beach had caught - mouth watering my dear friends! I'd say the meal was actually even better than what the main hotels were serving. I think the main ingredients were salt and some splash of lemon! Simplicity to the core. The beach boys are also very quick to secure beach beds for you and serve you some fruit salad, coconut juice or what ever drink you would like to have. I think that Watamu is a destination that I'd always go back to over and over again.Cannot wait to take my son there (he has been to the coast but i'll write about that soon).

Come to think of it, my mom also did love beach. She loved going to Mombasa and just enjoying herself there with her friends. Life is a party and the beach only makes it better... It all makes sense now, i was born to love this beach life... don't you agree?

Until next time my darlings, Kwaherini!

x

She'll be 30 in a few...

Heya,

So this is extremely so new to me but trust me i will give it my best shot!

First things first, are you feeling as great as I am? Lately, I have been very good actually. All my 29 years in this planet we call home have been FABULOUS! So am turning the big three zero (Confused about how am feeling about it btw... )  in a bit and today morning something happened while I was just about to get out of bed and it made me think, I really need to start writing these things down. No one can make this stuff up! My son ( Tristan, 4 years of age) gets up and tells me to get out of bed, and I being the most laziest person on earth in the morning, responded by saying that i needed to just chill and think a while before jumping out of bed.. he goes like" think about ?" I was so surprised because I was not ready to respond.. so I smiled and told him that I just needed to think about life. Even before I knew it, he was also back in his sleeping position, face now facing the ceiling and you wouldn't imaging how cute he sounded when he told me what he was doing.." I am thinking" About? I asked in a surprised voice..." Nothing" LOL. I was so so excited to just sit there and look at this little angel that I call my very own.

And that's how ladies and gents, I introduced my baby to this blog life that I am about to embark on.  He is the sweetest thing on earth, amazing inside out! I am not just saying that because he is my son, you need to meet this kid to believe it. He is called Tristan Nanzai Washika... has my eyes, nose and cheeks. I think he is very kind and confident for his age. At  first I was worried when i first found out that i was expecting. Was I too young (26 Years old, then)? Would I be a great mom? Those are some of the thoughts that lingered on my mind. But oh, life and mother nature have a way of just making things that not even Google can ever prep you for, make you look like you were born to do it. Parenthood is just the thing I love the most, and to be honest, I am so honored to be this kid's mom! So I will be turning 30 in a few days and boy am I in a good place. I look back and I feel so so blessed to have this little young one in my life.I have made many decisions in my life , and good ones not to forget, due to his presence in my life. I owe him BIG time. I can never put to words how he has impacted my life in a positive  manner. I hope that one day I can be able to just sit and have coffee with him and just tell him all these things.

Thirty has made me come to a whole lot of thinking. I have come to realize that if I need to make progress in my life, I have to change a few things in my life. At times, I feel like we often let a lot of thing go by just because we do not want to deal with the drama that comes with the honesty of how we really feel and want things or do not want things done. Be it by a loved one, colleague , friend, or even relative. So, my dear friends, I am willing to just keep it real! By keeping it real, I want to ensure that I say NO more often to things or situations that no longer feel right or comfortable. No for sugar coating, no for waiting a few days to say what I really ought to have said, just keep it real! If I feel like that dress does not really look good, instead of telling my friend she looks OK. ish, I'll tell them straight to their face that I have seen them in better clothes (clearly I cannot be a mean girl .. lol) but folks, here is the thing, even bad news can be made better, depending on how they are delivered! If the number of friends that I have so far reduces, I'll just know the root cause is my very new found honest trait... (trust me they are not that many anyway ). If I feel like I just want to sit home on a Friday night, chill as I watch my fave show, or just have a glass of vino, then that's exactly what I will do. Besides, life begins at thirty (some say 40, but Shell's...says 30)

Until next time, lets all be kind to one another folks! Cheers to turning 30.  

Psst ... I will definitely tell you how the party goes... let the countdown begin!

xoxo
S

This right here is the place I'd love to see myself on my 30th - Zanzibar!