The Online Samurai

I remember when you were younger & your mother proudly introduced you to guests. Now she hides you from the world - when she is not hiding from you. Her cheeks, once succulent with hope, now hang precariously. You must quit Khat and Alcohol. You have caused enough pain.  Such was a time when your father laughed with you, and your sister laughed around you. Now, they dread your company. Your arrival triggers worrying glances and stern countenance. They had a son and a brother, now they have a burden to be kept at arm's length. It is time. I'm finally seeing what my father really is and he's finally seeing me for what I really am; Scared. It's harder to disappoint your father than to let him know he disappointed you.

Money is an object of strong attraction. He who finds his highest happiness in counting and recounting his treasures — will be likely to begin early to introduce the same craving desires into the mind of his offspring. The youth will be drilled in the arts of business. The associations of business and the chances of bargaining will regularly court his attention, and a great fortune will be represented as the ground of respectability, and the source of influence and pleasure. Under such a training, what wonder that in the mind of youth all other considerations, but the simple one of acquiring wealth, should be forgotten and obliterated. But there are other considerations; and as high as your hopes may rise, and as bright as may be your anticipations of lucre or renown — there are subjects of still higher import, objects which should more strongly attract the soul. Even, were the earthly object obtained — were the thing, coveted so eagerly, obtained, how soon must you relinquish it: ...

The aim of the scam is to encourage those who get a missed call to ring the number, after which they will be ripped off as the call will be re-routed to premium rate number overseas & will be subsequently billed exorbitant sums for listening to pre-recorded messages. What should you do if you get a suspected Wangiri call? If you receive calls like this, be assured that you haven’t been specifically targeted. It’s likely that the fraudster has generated a missed call to a whole range of mobile numbers that happens to include yours. We recommend that you don’t return calls to international numbers that you don’t recognise. Calls to Wangiri numbers will often result in a charge being incurred and encourage the fraudster to generate more missed calls to customers who choose to call back.If the worst happens and you return the Wangiri call, we encourage you to call your mobile service provider, explain the situation & help them block some of these numbers.

"We do not play chess to keep all your pieces alive and win with all your material intact. We trade, make sacrifices, with just one goal: checkmate! ".  If I could transfer all my wisdom into someone else's head and they received it all in an instant, I believe most would go utterly insane in an almost near instant from the barrage of dark and perverse poetry. That's what wisdom does; makes the weak insane, and the strong weird. Weirdness then is just knowing what the crazy people know without becoming unhinged and paranoid.Insanity = cannot handle the truths they've discovered, find themselves in existential crisis & nihilism prone Insanity = cannot handle the truths they've discovered, find themselves in existential crisis & nihilism.

I'm thankful for the gift of life. Earlier today I saw a tweet that said, "Ever since the pandemic started, I haven't lacked anything." I really felt that. I also watched the 7PM news and saw a story about a man who has been feeding via a tube/pipe for the last 12 years or so and suddenly it dawned on me how lucky I am.  It is simply God's grace that I am alive, healthy and safe. I won't take it for granted and certainly will try to be thankful for the 'little' blessings that the most High bestows upon my life. It's at this point in time that I remember the lyrics from a talented American RnB artist, Jordin Sparks who I actually wonder where she is nowadays; "One Step at a time, there's no need to rush...."

Kyalo had just finished high school and was looking for employment. Being the first born in a family of six, he knew he had to get a job to help his parents and his siblings. His father was a peasant farmer while the mother was a house wife. People like Kyalo didn't dream of joining college. Their only goal in life was getting a job, get married and fill the earth as instructed by God in the Bible. It is just the way things were in Kathiani, Machakos County. After working odd jobs, buying goats, reselling the goats after a while and saving his profits, Kyalo decided it was time to go look for greener pastures in Mombasa where his Uncle Kimanzi resided. He had heard stories of how easy it was to get a well paying job in the coastal town. After all, his Uncle was uneducated yet worked at Kenya Ports Authority and was one of the richest people in Kathiani. Maybe, just maybe Kyalo would follow in his footsteps... Kyalo bid his family goodbye and embarked on his journey of financial fre...

Add caption "If only I hadn't made the dumb decision to wash clothes at 11pm I wouldn't be in this mess." Kinyua regrets. Decisions have consequences and lately he's been making bad ones or has he? Earlier during the day Kinyua was idling at his chill spot AKA base pondering where his next meal was going to come from. A sly-looking guy came to the base, bought his Ketepa and started chewing the precious 'delicacy'. After a few pleasantries here and there, the guy offers to buy Kinyua's cap at a meagre KSHs 150. At first Kinyua is disinterested but knowing very well how his favorite cap is just but a luxurious item with sentimental value he agrees to the deal. Fast forward curfew time approaches. Kinyua goes home and cooks every Kenyan bachelor's daily meal: Sukuma wiki, Eggs and Ugali. Satisfied he partakes in the activity he's been waiting for since the mystery man bought his cap. Chewing Khat! The high hits and he starts doing house chores. A...