Yesterday, I forgot to upload the portrait. This is Kimi's official portrait, on her second day, actually, first day since she was still no more than 24 hours old. Kimi's weight at birth was 3.8kgs
........... did I mention that no amount of dowry shall be pegged on her name? She is a princess and will never be sold off!

Kimi.....a baby girl is born

On June 1st, 2007 at the Princess Zahra pavilion of the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi, at 10:14pm, a baby girl was born and Kimi is her name. She is the heir aparent and a princess in her own right. Kimi - 亲属 - is an oriental name with the meaning - The girl's name Kimi \k(i)-mi\ is pronounced kee-mee. It is of Japanese origin, and its meaning is "upright, righteous, She who is without equal". Kimiko (KEE-mee-koh) means "righteous child". In the 1990s, the trend is to drop the -ko diminutive ending on many Japanese girls' names.

mmmmm, nothing to rant about

Today, I have nothing to rant about, all seems well, although I had trouble waking up - slept quite late last night and had to be up very early - about 4am. All this to try and get some cash in my pocket to pay my rent and fuel my car, really looking forward to that day when my money will be waking up this early to work for me........till later!!

bride price: na bado am on it...

Yesterday, a friend asked me "dude, why are you so much against bride price, I want to understand why?", then I told him that he hadnt read my blog yet. I am not specifically against bride price, I am against exploitation of the youth, I am against buying of another human being, I am against parents taking kids to school (the girl child) and having it at the back of their heads that some dude one day will pay them back the money they spend on her education, I am against the old generation who had to go through the same by paying say, 10 cows for their wife, and saying that the daughter's suitor will pay him back the 10 cows in form of hard currency - this is mere exploitation.
I say this all the time, everyone who sits back and reason's with a clear mind will not be for this tradition. Our biggest problem right now as individuals is that if we discard this tradition, then no one will pay for 'our daughters' when we become old, and so its a loss of revenue - please!! thats so lame!! rise up and say no to such a tradition, even if its going to cause you 'losses' in future. Kenya, rise up from this stupidity, Africa, wake up from this slumber!!
It pains when a man saves some little cash in his bank account only for him to give it up to his father-in-law and start afresh. It pains evn more if this man now considers that he has a property called a wife. Its even more damn paining that the woman says she is truly married now, yet she is merely a property bought with cash!! Think, Think Think!!! thats all I ask of you, before you embrace this retrogressive tradition.

bride price: a quick thought

How come we are very fast to 'discard' traditions which do not favour our positions and not quick to discard anything which brings us some 'cash' even if its very wrong?

bride price: still on it....

There's was a commentary on Capital FM over the weekend from the Centre For Rights, Education and Awareness, canmpaigning to abolish this primitive tradition, those like minded can get in touch with the centre and also shout the loudest against it everywhere. What I believe is that it starts with me and you, no waiting for our kids generations or any later. say no to unwanted rip-off's, say no to traditions which make somebody someone elses's property.
Its also true that this is the biggest reason why gender violence can not be eradicated in our midst, men claim that since they pay so much a price for the women, then they become his property, and thus have a right to punish his property - dude, this is the 21st century for crying out loud!!!!

bride price: tradition or rip off?

Am back, and this time its for sure. Been along time since I shouted out, but this will change. Want to veer off my thoughts to what has been disturbing me for a long time. The question of bride price. This was a noble tradition in human history, but so much commercialized that it hurts. The tradition even in its roots had flaws since essentially the woman became the property of the man.
Any right thinking individual agrees that someone being property of the other is totally unacceptable, but the same people, I have no idea why, since want to advocate and support in one way or the other the paying of monies to a girls parents whenever she is to be married. Wht do you equate yourself to money? where is the line? Allow me to define money, from the Oxford Standard dictionary:
1 [U] what you earn by working or selling things, and use to buy things:
3 [U] a person's wealth including their property:
To me, anything which is paid for with money becomes something bought and equitable to someone's property. And please dont give me the crap of 'its a sign of appreciation' since if it was, the man would be giving what he thinks is ok, and can range from a worthless piece of paper with poeams written on, to a pair of shos bought off at some shaddy joint in River Road.
I'll be back wit more thoughts on this ......

Resolutions

A whole year past without anything from me to me, but now, another new year, and I promise to always say whats on my mind.

Still religiously confused, although havent done much on my desire to embrace Buddhism, hope I will do much this year.

Okechukwu's world

Okechukwu's world

Getting to know fundamental Buddhism

This is the greates thing that ever happened to me! I read and read and read and all is so real, looks like someone took my thoughts and put them on paper, and now I get to read my own thoughts, feeling, philosophies - what I really want to be! scary!!
Am very interested in meeting people who live this life of fundamental Buddhism, if you do, give me a shout!