New Environments & Comfort

'Allo Earthlings! I have been away [from my liar] for 2 weeks now, and tomorrow I'm going home!

You know something earthlings? Staying in a new or different environment for some while is actually good for you. The first few days that I was here, I direly missed home. I missed everything about my habitat. My shaggy disoriented room, my variety of yellow and bage socks, my late night eating weird habits and even my not so frequent brawls with my brother. 

I definitely love my comfort zone but I came to realize that it is alright to feel uncomfortable. Our mental states are very fragile when exposed to a new environment. That does not mean that our mental states are 'angry' about new environments? They just need some time to adjust.As a creative person, as a business person, partner and most importantly a learner, you are not new to different environments. As contradictory as that sounds, it means that you have gone through a lot of experiences that have made you learn about yourself, others and even things inanimate. New environments and the discomfort they bring only bring out the learners in us. 

The more comfortable you get in your daily schedules, the more concerned you are supposed to be. The human mind likes a challenge. It's not new to you that a lazy brain doesn't come up with any ideas. If you get out of that comfort zone once in a while, you get to see the world with a different perspective. A different perspective is just the basis of new and fresh ideas. Get out once in a while, hear what people have to say, listen to the wind and do different things like going to an ethnic restaurant and order the most 'ethnic' dish.

This week, I've learnt to listen more. I will continuing to implement what I've learnt as I go back home. Either way, I miss coming home from school, removing my brassiere and bursting into a Kikuyu Sunday School song and laughing like a mental case! Next week I will be making a To Not Do List rather than my usual To Do List. I'm taking baby steps with this Uncomfortability thing. I will not be jetting out to Fiji spontaneously when I'm supposed to be in my Business Math lecture. Well, not that I think of currently.

Well, I might just put it in mind ☻

Have a lovely time,

Siri.

Mind Your Business

 I wrote this a while ago during my Spring Break and found it under New File under New File of Siri's Archives, and thought to share it. Here you go:

As I type this, I am watching my small cousins play from a distance. I have taken a god-like position as I passively baby-sit these babies from the balcony, sipping my freshly squeezed lemonade. Baby-sit, anyone? OK. Moving on, I am not very kid-friendly, but I can handle what is required to be done. Today I have taken note of their mature behavior which I bet they hardly notice. They really do not care about what they are supposed not to care about. Why do I say that this is a mature behavior? It is because grown folk should do this but they end up not doing it. 


"Nosy adults!"


They are supposed to care for what is worth their time and other such related dynamics. That roughly means family, friends, work and their well-being. You and I both know that this is exactly what happens in a model world somewhere, but not frequently on Planet Earth.

I have slantingly noticed that most people tend to mind other people's businesses. Somewhere sometime, I believe that you have witnessed people [if not yourself] minding other people's businesses. This is done universally if not gallactically [Aliens are pretty nosy. Literally. I watch TV]. It does happen in various forms, and the two ways which I have observed are: gossip and judgement. I will briefly elaborate this just to make this post seem lengthy, and just maybe relevant.

1.) Gossip

I will not Google this word because it is not as fun as it was when people thought Google was an 88 year old clever Widower from Britain, who retired somewhere in Githunguri to teach English. Gossip needs no introduction to the human beings as it is currently taken up as a talent and even worse, by impulse. Gossip is an age-old solution to the problem of boredom. If boredom was not the problem, it was driven by lack. Lack of things other people had; envy. That has always been a conversation starter/ ice-breaker in whatever context. 


For example, Mama Joji [her neighbours in Githunguri are not fans of Western names. Yes, they just aren't!] was bought for a customized probox by her husband, Baba Joji. First, 'customized' in this context means it came with a speed governor and second, it better have been from Baba Joji. Baba Ninja [it's a boy!] has been darting his eyes around the areas that her leso sway and well, Mama Joji has that female instinct: Noticing things very quickly. So as Mama Daudi and Joy, the lady who thinks 32 is the new 19 and a half try to understand the new jargon Mama Joji has been using in the Women's Merry-Go-Round meeting that include words like parking, 'oiro', hiking petrol-prices and 'shockomsoba' [Shock-absorber], they watch her drive off, leaving a what they thought intentional smoke to speedily kill them so that they do not enjoy future cars from their husbands. They then unleash, yes the talk of the year.

"Joji hata Hajamaliza University! Joining the army was a clever way to hide those genes of stupidity that his mother passed on to him."

"I know! Baba Joji angejua! If he knew how Mama Joji agrees to be looked at by Baba Ninja's eyes! Hajui!"

For the keen readers, you noticed the audacious use of gossip that I did in the example above. That is just proof that gossip can easily be taken up. And just like any other skill, after a little practice, it definitely becomes perfect.

2.) Judgement

It is easy to judge others after taking one jab of judgement at them. Often, we find ourselves not comfortable with what others do or even say. From these points, we judge the sacks out of them! While judging others deeds and actions in the name of giving our opinions or the 2 cents they did not necessarily ask for, we mind their business. This is done by statements like this:

"I was just minding my business and I realized that you do this and that in a way I do not really agree with..."

Hold it! Have you just said that you were minding YOUR business then gave me your opinion on things related to MY business? How coy a sentence starter! That is arrogantly assuming that others asked for your 2 cents, which they did not ask for and therefore do not need. Harsh but true.

It may prove just a tad bit hard not to want to listen to the nosy neighbour's bathroom incident but you have succumbed much more tempting things. Like wanting to pound the character who decided to spell the word 'Riddimz' with two letter D's [face-palm]. 

         Have a lovely week, 

Siri.

This and That: Bez Ft. Praiz- That Stupid Song

Allo people. I am having a slow day and listening to some good music. I would like to share this video/song from one of my favorite African artists. He is the one and only Bez. I love his sound and skeeting in his tunes. I dance to his album 'Super-Sun' everytime I feel down or bored. Please give it a play. If you appreciate beautiful music- like I do :D, you will love him! I have sent my sister who is currently on exchange this song three times, without knowing it. She just informed me now on Twitter. It's a fun song! Enjoy it!

                

As I was clearing the semester's files which I now do not need, I found a photo I took while reading my favorite magazine in the library [via webcam]. Randomly sharing this for the archives :) Who says there's no eye candy while reading? I read a lot! Almost a fad as Natural Hair is! I digress.

I had on my macros for protective styling which I might put this holiday. And that is a whole other post coming soon. Beautiful man Hamilton is, no?

Have a lovely time, 

Siri Nusu.

Siri Nusu's Review:The Simpsons Show

THE SIMPSONS 1989- PRESENT


The Simpsons has for two decades spoofed major issues related to our day to day lives including the highly regarded American culture, religion, drugs and alcohol, Human sexuality and even matters even of intelligence and pints of education. The Simpsons has been rated as one of the longest running shows in the television series business. Created and fractionally conceptualised by American cartoonist, screen-writer and producer Matt Groening, he adapted characters and bits of the idea from his comedy strip Life In Hell. Matt extended his idea of the use of life-based issues from Life in Hell to The Simpsons and carefully orchestrated them into a cartoon series. The show would have hardly made it out of the fear that Matt Groening had of losing his own ownership rights from his show Life In Hell, as he would have been infringing his own copyright after taking up a more or less like idea from the comic strip, and even losing Life in Hell itself. 




The Simpsons is the TV equivalent of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [once parodied in the opening couch gag]. After it came along, nothing was the same and it established a generation's cultural references and sensibility, says the Times Magazine. [Is there any situation without a usable Simpsons quote?] Starting out as family cartoon, it grew a cast of hundreds that spanned celebrities [Rainier Wolfcastle], religion [the de-diddly-vout Flanders family, business[C. Montogomery Burns] and immigration [Apu Nahasapeemapetilon]. But maybe its the best and favorite subject has been TV itself- "Teacher, mother, Secret-Lover!" For all the series' ups and downs, it is still the best TV show ever.


The cast of The Simpsons mainly runs around  six main voice actors/actresses. This are Dan Castellaneta [Homer Jay Simpsom], Julie Kavner [Marge Simpsons], Nancy Cartwright [Bart Simpsons], Yeardley Smith [Lisa Simpson], Hank Azaria [Apu Nahasapeemapetilon] and Harry Shearer [Charles Montogomery Burns]. These voice actors/actresses also do the voices of other characters in the programme. The programme has also included feautured voices including some celebrities who even do voices for their parodied characters. The show is one of the few shows that has had more than a hundred characters as a telvision series. The Simpsons is apparently said to have had 180 voice actors/actresses.


As per Sam Kelly a writer and critic, "The Simpsons is an animated sitcom about the antics of a dysfunctional family called the Simpsons (surprise surprise). Homer is the oafish unhealthy beer loving father, Marge is the hardworking homemaker wife, Bart is the ten year old underachiever (and proud of it), Lisa is the unappreciated eight year old genius, and Maggie is the cute, pacifier loving silent infant." The Simpsons are a very politically incorrect family. Homer works with pride in a nuclear power plant run with more regard for profit that safety. His wife is Marge, a kind of supermom. Their three kids


In another not-so different light but different wording of the show, The Simpsons is the ultimate (if very unorthodox) nuclear family. Homer, the lovable intellectually-deficient father, stumbles apathetic ally through his family life and work at the local nuclear power plant. Marge, the overbearing but responsible mother, Bart, the 4th grade underachiever and nemesis to Springfield elementary's principal, Lisa, the brainy and responsible 8 year old, and Maggie, the oft-forgotten baby, round out the family. Based on a series of small cartoon sketches from the Tracy Ullman show, the Simpsons enjoy many wacky exploits in their hometown and beyond. Other characters include an incompetent lawyer, the tyrranical nuclear power plant owner, the too-perfect neighbors (the Flanders) of the Simpsons, and the less than perfect "Klown", Krusty. Colorful characters and situations abound.


Animated primetime series that follows the exploits of a hapless and semi-dysfunctional nuclear family named the Simpsons, who live in the fictional town of Springfield, whose various inhabitants add to the comedy, angst, satire and parody of this series. The Simpsons are a dysfunctional family living in Springfield. Homer, the man of the house, is a safety inspector at the Nuclear Power Plant. Homer constantly spends most of his time at Moe's Tavern getting drunk. Marge is a hard-working housewife of three children. Bart is a clever 10 year old who loves pranking others. Lisa is the genius of the Simpson family. She receives very excellent grades in school. She is the most trusted person in school and a "principal's pet". Maggie is the youngest. Maggie has not spoken yet.




The show has addressed different issues and expressed different emotions that coincide with the issues. The following are some of the issues that the show has addressed broadly. First, the power and effect of the American culture. The customs of Western civilization are slowly becoming a silent and not easily accepted Holy Grail for many people in the world. This is visibly seen by the effect and rapid spread of pop culture through the entertainment scene. The Simpsons has potrayed the entertainment scene through music. This is regularly done by the random 'musical outbursts' by the characters in the series. The music has shown off genres of Broadway and pop. The show has also played a huge part in expalining and somehow exposing American politics. With Springfield's motto being 'Corruptus in Extremis', the show has highlited a common political evil very common and relatable around the world, Corruption. The show also shows the presence of the two political based peoples, Republicans and Democrats. The on/off Mayor, Joe Quimby is represented as a Democrat and Slideshow Bob as a Republican during his brief tenure as Mayor. This is but an example of the more political relations and incinutions in the series.


The Simpsons has also highlighted the issue of immigration. This is through Apu Nahasapeemapetilon and Groundskeeper Willie and other characters. With Apu, the seemingly streotypical assumption that all Asian are proprietors for a living is clearly seen. His common phrase 'Thankyou, Come again' can to the least explain enough. Groundskeeper Willie is the Scottish groundkeeper for Springfield Elementary. Originally Dr. William McDougal, he is the uncouth, unpleasant but harmless heavy drunker who is a total patriot. There are episodes that distinctly though contradicting episodes about their immigration stories.




23 seasons in, The Simpsons has also faced controversy. The show has faced cancellation as one of the major controversial issues and not-so pleasing reviews from fans and critics.  As per The Huffington Post in October 2011, it was reported that the show's voice actors were locked in a bitter contract negotiation with 20th Century Fox, with the studio threatening to end production if the talent did not take a 45% pay cut. The actors were countering with an agreement that nets them a 30% reduction in salary but a small slice of the show's back-end earnings, which include the billion dollar syndication and merchandising empire that the studio had built over the past two plus decades. It was also reported by the Daily Beast that the show's voice actors -Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer - earn about $8 million a year, but do not get a cut of the show's much bigger ancillary profits.

My favorite Simpsons episode will always be Treehouse of Horror. Any Simpsons fan must have watched it.  Here is a promo for Treehouse of Horror XIII.

I hope you enjoyed my review. Thankyou.

Siri Nusu.

Guest Post: 30 Things to Stop Doing To Yourself

1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.  If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you.  You shouldn't have to fight for a spot.  Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth.  And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.
2. Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on.  No, it won’t be easy.  There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them.  We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems.  That’s not how we’re made.  In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall.  Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time.  This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.
3. Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself.  Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves.  Read The Road Less Traveled.
4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.  Yes, help others; but help yourself too.  If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.
5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you likeeveryone else.  Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you.  Don’t change so people will like you.  Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.
6. Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
7. Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing.  Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success.  You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.
8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us.  We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past.  But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future.  Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.
9. Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive.  But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.
10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either.  You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else.  Read Stumbling on Happiness.
11. Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.  Evaluate situations and take decisive action.  You cannot change what you refuse to confront.  Making progress involves risk.  Period!  You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.
12. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises.  Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.
13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely.  It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company.  There’s no need to rush.  If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.
14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet.  Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you.  But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.
15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others are doing better than you.  Concentrate on beating your own records every day.  Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.
16. Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.  Ask yourself this:  “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”
17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you.  You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough.  But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past.  You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation.  So smile!  Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.
18. Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart.  You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate.  Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.”  It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.”  Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself!  And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too.  If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.
19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.
20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway.  Just do what you know in your heart is right.
21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it.  If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.  Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.
22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things.  The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.
23. Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done.  Read Getting Things Done.
24. Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile.  Don’t take the easy way out.  Do something extraordinary.
25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while.  You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well.  You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears.  The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.
26. Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life.  When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.
27. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out.  But making one person smile CAN change the world.  Maybe not the whole world, but their world.  So narrow your focus.
28. Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy.  One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time?  Three years?  Five years?”  If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.
29. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen.  Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story.  If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.
30. Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life.  Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs.  Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.

~Written by Marc of Marc and Angel Hack Life