MIA'S WORD

We have all found ourselves adjusting to the new normal. For companies, they have had to embrace new ways of working. From remote working , having skeleton staff in the office, moving meetings to virtual rooms instead of the physical meeting rooms. They have had to lay off some staff, had to take pay cuts, had to let go of contractors and so much more just to stay afloat.  But what did this mean to you and me? Everything going online. Well, for some of us it was about time! For others, it has been a headache. I know this for a fact since I worked with some really technically challenged individuals. Now that most of the work has to be done remotely and online, they are facing the Goliath of their work. I have received calls to help people with small tasks, as small as editing a document on Google to sharing a folder with a team to collaborate etc. Things that to me seem like a normal thing but someone else seems like algebra or very difficult math problems.  Challenges with going onli

We have all been there, broke and in need of a way out. A vicious pattern we can not seem to shake.   I have been there, well, who am I trying to kid. I am still there. Trying everyday to figure if out. So if you are just like me, take this journey of financial freedom with me. But first, let me introduce myself.  I am Amina aka Miamicia :),  a young lady that is trying to make it in this concrete jungle. A lady that believed so much in the words of our parents and the motivational songs they sang to us. A song that comes to mind " Someni vijana.... mpate kazi nzuri... "  I don't quite remember the song but someone who does can share and take us down memory lane. Okay,  I digress! I knew for a fact that all I had to do was study hard ( there was nothing like study smart back then. If you know, you know ) and the rest would fall in place. Like a great job with good, actually, great pay. I'd live in a furnished apartment that would overlook the Nairobi skyline and all

This art of duping someone of their money, belongings among other things started years ago. Most of them were very smart, using it as a means of making easy money. Some because of necessity while others it was because of what some would say their genetic code. The thing to note is that just like the superheroes in the movies there is always two sides to a coin. In most scenarios there are three sides to a coin. But let us look at the two sides first. The first way to look at these common day con artists is as criminals. They dupe people of their hard earned money because the times are hard. The other side is of those duping the rich that seem to deserve conning since some of them rob the common people blind. Some form of justice for them, quid pro quo if you would want to look at it that way. Though I might say that these type of con artists are rare. They have to be master minds, and on top of that considered as vigilantes.    Todays, con artists are everywhere. Preying on the

Barbara, the artist Beauty and brains is today's choice of a model for you. They also need to have drive, passion,talent and a worthy course. Well, not all the people with these qualifications become models. Some become executives, others teachers and even artists. Which brings me to my topic today, local artists. Local artists in Kenya have got little recognition. Take the graffiti guy in Nairobi  town who did the art work on politicians. That is talent with purpose. That kind of talent can not be let to waste. They need motivating to pursue their passion. In my case I motivate the beautiful Barbara. She is a young lady with an attractive personality as is her face. She is fun to be with and very smart. A student of IT and very responsible.For one to understand the paintings you need to know a little bit about the painter.  Some of her art, actually, most of her art is abstract but like her it is versatile.It involves current issues as well as her passions.  This is a s

My African Queen - Yuster Mwamburi Michuki Everyone has a beginning and mine starts with the beautiful African queen called Yuster Michuki, my beloved mother. I would like to let you all in on the woman that has to shape me into who I am. Like every ordinary child, I grew up knowing there is no one more beautiful, smart or amazing than my mother. Everything she did was magical. Secondborn to a family of seven, she is a humble Taita brought up by two loving parents, the late Mr and Mrs Mwamburi. I could not share the childhood that she had but from all the stories, I could picture it. A young bubbly and full of life girl. This brings me to look at her as a person, not this mystical angel and then the lens shifts. Everyone has there ups and downs, but how you handle them is what sets us apart as people. Now you may think I am saying this because she is my mum but no, this woman could be going through the toughest of problems but still manage to smile. She once told me, "Keep smili

STOCKHOLM SYNDROME Also known as Capture-bonding is a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and sympathy and have positive feelings toward their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them. These feelings are generally considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims, who essentially mistake a lack of abuse from their captors for an act of kindness. It can be seen as a form of traumatic bonding which does not necessarily require a hostage scenario, but which describes “strong emotional ties that develop between two persons where one person intermittently harasses, abuses, threatens, beats or intimidates the other.” In 1973, two men entered the Kreditbanken bank in Stockholm, Sweden, intending to rob it. When police entered the bank, the robbers shot them, and a hostage situation ensued. For six days, the robbers held four people at gunpoint, locked in a bank vault, sometimes strapped with explosives and other times forc

It is one that is brought up with good intentions but has harsh repercussions. The government has set up a way to cater for the poor if this bill is passed into law. They are offering them funds to help deal with the rise in  the cost of living due to the Value Added Tax on basic commodities like maize, wheat flour, sanitary towels, processed milk and others.  There are over 400 items in the present constitution that are zero rated. It could be noted that those products could help raise the deficit needed by the 2013 budget.  It is true that the current proposed bill will cut across all social classes.Whether it is implemented or not all the people in the country will be affected. The lower class will feel the pinch more because their income is in the lower side. Most of them are living below a dollar a day. That means that even with the government opting to offer funds to offset the imbalance by offering subsidies the poor will still be at a disadvantage. To solve the problem