What is love

Love is not want…

Love is need!

When you want someone it mostly carries the baggage of, what you can get.

What you can get in terms of esteem, based on appearances, materially or any other void that would like plugged.

When the void is plugged or the want can not be satiated, then the importance of this other person ends.

However, when you need someone it is not tied to anything.

Because you need them with or without add-ons. Appearances, material things are all add-ons.

I’m not saying add-ons are bad, far from it. But if they make you feel the same way on a sandy beach or a public park, then you have found love.

And if you think of going for it, don’t dilly dally tell and start that journey for the longhaul.

And my hope is that you will spread true happiness that comes from within….

 

Ngong Hills Hike #MtKenyaChallenge2017

Ngong hills

The last preparatory hike was Ngong hills now we were ready to take on the #MtKenyaChallenge2017 and the team had already firmed up. This was going to be a laid back affair since Ngong ni hapa tu…

As usual our meeting time was 5.30 so that we leave at 6.00am. I was in town about quarter to six and meet other members who were ready for the challenge. It looks like it might rain and Nnena our newest gang member needs to get a few items for the day that will be. Some random guy passes by with his rain cover, Brian the Magician swings into action and starts chatting him up to convince him to sell his rain cover since we’d be out there in the wild and Nnena would need one talk of team cohesion… The guy is adamant and refuses, it was a nice shot though, Nnena is in luck as Duncan has pochos and she gets sorted.

Everyone is finally assembled and Yvonne is not yet here, on calling her she is still at home, at 6.00!! Now it is playing delaying tactics to see how much time can be bought but long story short she caught up :-).

We get to Ngong town about 7.30 am and wait for Rachel who was to link up with us there. After refilling a second time with breakfast we start our hike. We get some armed escort for the hike and after warming up where Jeremy pulls an unforgettable toe stand move I should get a camera with quicker shutter speed to get some of these moments…

It is all foggy and you could not see more than a few metres ahead of you. I would hear lots of noises only to be told they were windmills. On getting closer is when you got to see them but with the fog that was there you could not paint a proper picture. What I liked about the Ngong hills was that there were so many people who were there hiking and especially older mature coupes, how beautiful is that? When you are probably in your sixties you take the love of your life out there to take a walk as you try to keep fit, life does not sync more than that does it?

Ngong hills has this amazing view that cuts across Kajiado and Narok Counties when the mist clears up you want to keep going round to take it all in and register those memories. One thing you get to notice is that it is very windy. And not just any wind, strong winds that will blow sand into your face that you actually feel pain, it is like someone stinging you with toothpicks, aha, this then explains why even Kengen decided to put up the wind powered generators.

The view coming down

Some clean energy here…

We have our lunch and get briefed about what to expect during the #MtKenyaChallenge2017. Thereafter we have a session of Zumba with Beatrice and Maryanne leading the team. People got turnt like real turnt, this team has just reached new levels of team cohesion… You can see the bush zumba video below. The #MtKenyaChallenge2017 continued….

 

The Ngong hills are absolutely amazing #Hiking #MtKenyaChallenge2017

A post shared by Mackel Tisa (@mackel9) on Apr 10, 2017 at 5:13am PDT

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There is a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow, and yours truly was searching for that pot… #MtKenyaChallenge2017 #xtrymadventures

A post shared by Mackel Tisa (@mackel9) on Apr 10, 2017 at 5:22am PDT

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Karura Forest #MtKenyaChallenge2017

After my first hike on Kiima Kiu in preparation for the #MtKenyaChallenge2017 I realized I was a mess. Let me take you back a bit, I don’t know if I mentioned this, but the real motivation behind hiking was, because, iwastiredoffatshaming, “you have grown so big”, “you should be having a family at this size” gosh is this you Kel?” “Naona maisha inakupeleka poa”… Something had to give and it had to be the fat. What I needed now was to do something I had never done before to shed weight like I had never shed before. It had become apparent what I used to do before was not taking me anywhere especially since I did not want to divorce some simple pleasures of my life like my daily dose of chapatti…  So I join the weight watchers club with my main activity being hiking at least once a month.

 

2017 we are dropping it like it’s hot. Maybe a potato; chips! Operation make the buckle visible again!

A post shared by Mackel Tisa (@mackel9) on Feb 26, 2017 at 9:13pm PST

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On top of nearing 90 kilos here I was not able to maneuver a small hill without panting like a donkey. I had got fed up of the mandatory wardrobe changes every four months. As we were coming back to Nairobi Yvonne mentioned Karura, I had heard about it but never had it occurred to me I should try it, so this time I jumped in on the idea. It was quite some distance from where I live but they say nothing easy comes easy right? Saturday and Sunday mornings would find me there either cycling or running my ass the longest track I could find. The bicycles provided me with the flexibility to change my route and take as many detours as opposed to running, you feel like you will drop dead when you thought you had finished your circuit only to realize you are on the Limuru gate and you need to get out of Kiambu road one, that is a cool 8km.

The struggle is real fam…. At least the moobs stopped vibrating as I run, that is good yes?

A post shared by Mackel Tisa (@mackel9) on Mar 4, 2017 at 1:28am PST

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So Sensei @b_kimtai is this good enough? Or with that time I should have done 40kms? Haha

A post shared by Mackel Tisa (@mackel9) on Mar 5, 2017 at 12:23am PST

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The magic started happening and I would take to my instagram page to brag about it. I am proud to say from nearing nineties at the beginning of the year, I managed to hit the seventies in three months and still get my chapos, I know I know had I dumped gluten I would have lost even more, but for now, I will have my cake and eat it. Each weekend the circuit felt easier and easier, I would push so hard that my knees would start squirming. In my mind this was only a sign I was getting ready for #MtKenyaChallenge2017 but only time would tell. At that point and time I needed to start working on a better method of running and landing to avoid more injury…

 

Another week another kilo. 28km done, 2 km short of target them I plateau….

A post shared by Mackel Tisa (@mackel9) on Mar 12, 2017 at 12:51am PST

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Nathan and Kenton Hills Hike #MtKenyaChallenge2017

After Kiima Kiu I realized my fitness levels were pathetic and Karura forest became my friend every Saturday and Sunday, this was not going to be an option if I was to complete the #mtkenyachallenge2017. I would try to hit a minimum of 8km either cycling or running. Let me tell you every week I would shed a kilo or more, I was dropping weight like it was hot… haha.

The second preparatory hike would be the Kenton and Nathan hills, these are named after the early settlers in the Kijabe area. We are picked up early in the morning, Duncan the CEO of Xtrym has become synonymous with “The bus leaves with or without you” so I do not try my owlish habits the night before hikes…

Nathan Hills Photo credits: Ruskin Onyambu

We pick up other hikers along the way and head on our way to Kenton. We get a small break at the escarpments and get to take pictures with all smiley faces ‘the calm before the storm moments’. Our trip starts just before you get to Maai mahiu and boy oh boy is that hill steep.

I am wearing leather boots because in my head I am thinking they should be able to do the job, that’s what boots are for right? Wrong! Anyway I will tell you about them later. Our initial climb is gradual, since I know how crappy my fitness level is I am at peace sweeping guys from the back. The hill after the SGR gets very steep and thorny and just as you think you are about to get to the top you encounter another steep climb! The #MtKenyaChallenge2017 is not for the faint hearted, clearly!

SGR Railwayline, Kijabe. Photo credits: Ruskin Onyambu

This time I am already well acquainted with how Xtrym hikes go, and they do call for grit and resilience and in my head I have decided before I give up I would need to have fainted and totally immobile. I have fainted once when I skipped breakfast and lunch a long time ago and since that day I hardly play around with food, especially breakfast, let me get there late but I am not missing that, do not dare judge me!

We finally manage to get to the top of Nathan hill and we start to descend to start our ascend on Kenton hill, we meet a couple who have come to paraglide. The Wind seems strong enough to sustain a flight, we joke with them how they are crazy jumping off a cliff with that contraption, they retort how we are the crazy ones walking the whole day when you can fly and have all the view in 15 minutes *laughter*. We wish each other well and head on our way.

Going down the hill that is when I start bearing the brunt of my misplaced shoes. I curse myself for being so silly but then again, since choices have consequences I decide to carry my cross without bitching and whining about it. I don’t take “I told you so” very well…

We pass by Kijabe Mission Hospital and boy wouldn’t I love to work in such a serene environment, if I could make peace with needles I would become a doctor and find how I could get posted here. There are huge quarters with big windows on the balcony and living room which I presume must belong to guys working in the hospital.

Right after Kijabe town we begin a climb that takes us to our lunch point. When I have finished gobbling my snacks I pull my socks and fold them under my soles to get more padding. I can feel blisters forming and I don’t want them to start forming because at the end of the day I know I will get them.

The view is very scenic as we proceed the hike, we meet this old guy:

Him: Habari yenu?

Us: Mzuri sana!

Him: Mnaenda wapi?

Us: Tuko hike tunatembea

Him: Kutoka wapi?

Us: Kutoka huko Nathan hio barabara ya Narok sasa tunaenda huko ile pande ingine ya highway

Him: Na si mmechoka sana, mmekula? Kujeni mpewe ngwaci mpate nguvu kidogo.

Us: Asante sana, labda ile wakati ingine kama hatuna haraka. Bakia salama

Him: Pia nyinyi muende salama na muje kutusalimia tena.

Further up we meet a group of five to eight year olds, who look excited to see us and greet every single one of us. People out of Nairobi are really friendly, you need to reset your Nairobiness when you go out there, people are more trusting and friendly, which I find very refreshing every single time I go on a hike. The last climb must have been on a 70⁰ incline. I would take five steps then rest up, the residents would pass us and tell us how they are used to the hill by now, I think to myself how fit they must be. If I lived here and forgot something say like my wallet in the house which was down that hill, there would be no way I would go back for it, I would have to pass by Njoro’s shop and ask for a soft loan till I retrieve my wallet.

When we finish the climb my legs are screaming but then again the ego tells my mouth to shut up! The remaining part before we get to the bus is fairly level ground and I am thankful for that. We finish earlier than usual and I get home when there is still light. When I remove my shoes I swear never to wear the wrong shoe for a hike, I was a fool so that you can learn. Wear the appropriate shoes for the appropriate occasion… The #MountKenyaChallenge2017 continued…

 

 

When to realise that sports betting is not for you

It was a good evening when I was catching up with my boy Tony, everyone in the local was glued to the tv screens and kept on watching their phone screens. Tony tells me that everyone there had placed a bet that why they were all glued, he even tells me that he also at times places bets when he is confident about the matches that are going to take place.

I get recruited

I download the local bookmaker apps and get my first lesson on what odds are and what they mean. I place my first bet with 1000 bob 90 minutes later I have 2000 bob. How excited was I? Is this beginner’s luck or what? I am sold to this thing now. So like everyone the second time I stake more and guess what happened? Arsenal lost to Everton. I tell Kev about what happened and he tells me first rule of betting is to avoid betting with emotions, you guessed right I support Arsenal. So that got me my first loss.

Change of strategy

I decide after taking to few friends to now stop staking high amounts but put multibets. The multibets would come through at other times they would lose me money. The losses were more trust me. By the end of that month, I knew all the major leagues and teams, especially those ones that lost me money. This from someone who never used to like football was something.

Fixed matches

A long the way I came across the urban legend called fixed matches. Boy wasn’t I excited, so I find some guy who swears by his games and capitalised on my greed.

With the “sure odds” I put an even bolder stake. Since the games were late at night I go to sleep thinking how I would wake a rich man. When the alarm goes off at five the first  thing I do is check my bet slip. Lo and behold there was a red mark on my betslip. I just started laughing.

The turning point

I then realised that I had been gambling all through and not betting and that I had been blinded by the allure of quick gains. I then stopped and now when I see someone talking about betting, I want to tell them go slow, I have been there. It doesn’t matter if someone has been doing it for years, my one month experience supercedes most because it was intense. Look at it like a crash course in sports betting.

I should become a betting consultant, what do you think?

 

My Codeine Moment

For quite some time I have been having these crazy headaches for a while now. There are moments I would be walking and I get a feeling of sudden dizziness. I usually have to stop when that happens before I fall and the good Samaritans who might decide to loosen me up for fresh air get shocked at faded or lack of undergarments like momma always warned…

I made an appointment with the doctor and told him what was eating me up. He took blood samples against my protests, aren’t there non intrusive ways to get blood without needles, urine and so forth. He suspected it could be low blood sugar, but it seems everything was okay. He then asks me how was work and life in general; he thought I was having stress. I told him everything was okay just a bit of pressure but manageable, he then writes a two day sick off for me to rest and gave me some drugs, codeine was among them. He reminded to take care of myself as there are no spare parts.

When I get home and I begin my two day sick off. I popped the pills and I admit my headache fizzled and I would be feeling kind of like I was floating in the house. I would find my comedy collection insanely hilarious. In the middle of the night when I was asleep I started laughing out loudly! So loudly I was startled and had to sit up for ten minutes. I couldn’t remember why I was laughing so hard that my ribs hurt but it was the weirdest moment I ever had. I went and took out the instructions sheet, I find that it had opiate in the ingredients and could cause hallucinations, no wonder I was so jolly for those couple of days….

What has been your weirdest drug interaction moment?

 

Its been six years! Happy Anniversary Mackel9's Blog

Happy 6th Anniversary to Mackel9’s Blog! It is now 6 years down this line of random stories from the experiences all around the world. I would like to thank all of you fam and a special mention goes to @Woolie he is never shy to leave a trail. That is not to leave out the ghost readers, I always see you in my stats, Thank you! 🙂

Happy 6th anniversary @mackel9‘sblog

 

A love story

Scars

After being broken, she took time to begin her healing process. Far away from everyone. The pain had to be forgotten, walls were built and barbs to ward off all the attempts of entry.

Like they say time sure does heal…

She would sit and wonder “will I ever find him?” How many nice guys are left? How come I am the only one who seems to be left behind all my friends prosper? Where can I meet these nice guys and not a deadbeat? It was crazy. People kept on telling her she needs to put”herself out there”. But where is “out there”?. She had been to many places, and simply out there seems never to exist.

The yearning for love and be loved always haunted her in her sleep. All the checklist items, she had put out never seemed to come in one package. What to do?

After broken, he saw all women as the same. People to be related with at an arms length. He too built up walls, high walls…

He became really aloof. No regard to being tied down. Or getting committed again. He saw commitment as a weakness, something that made you vulnerable. Vulnerabilities were not allowed in his new self. Not ever, not again.

But then again, there was his mother. Always up his neck. “I am getting old you know? I need to see grandchildren”. He would laugh it off and tell her she would get a handful of them, when the time is right and when he finds someone he was ready to spend the rest of his life with. This would eat him up at night when he went to sleep. He still believed love existed, but his wounded heart was just not ready just yet. It wanted to stay where it felt safe and secure.

He wanted to get over the “what ifs and what would have been”. Cleanse himself of all her memories, forget the hurt, because even with all this he felt it would be unfair to drag someone innocent into his mess. “I shouldn’t let the wreck in me wreck other people he would say.”

Yin and Yang

One day they happened to have those functions for the youth at church. He still volunteered in such.

As they were preparing for the event, he saw her.

This new face all bright and bubbly.

He felt a gush of déjà vu. It was like he knew her from somewhere. He just couldn’t recollect where, even though it was totally a new face because he didn’t think he would have forgotten such a personality.

As they say, déjà vu is a sign of love at first sight.

He went over to her and said hi and tried to hit on her to make small talk. She totally ignored him. She thought, “he is probably like the rest of them” I don’t think I want to risk that again.

The function went well and she would keep hearing what a nice person he was. She sat opposite him and stared. He was actually someone she would love to get to know. He had good sense of humour, and for some reason she found his jokes insanely hilarious.

Courage the cowardly dog!

As they were finishing the function, she went up to him said “I think you are cute”. That got him by surprise. Big surprise, he was stunned, he didn’t know whether to blush or say thank you or whatever. This was new to him. So was it to her. She had decided there was nothing to lose. She had to make a move or forever keep her peace. He loved how bold she was.

“That is random, after ignoring me all this time you just drop a bombshell like this?”

She laughs.

“So is this where we get to kiss?”

“Hahahaha yes, in your dreams…”

“Can I get your number?”

“Sure”

“Coffee?”

“I would really love that”

Healing and fresh beginning

Both of them were scared of going all in at once. As the time rolled on by they realized they were the missing piece of each other’s puzzle and thus a love story was born.

 

Broken!

She met this guy, he was her world, everything she thought she ever wanted.

He had that flair, made her happy, incredibly so. One day her friend tells her how her “man” is hers and for many others too.

She couldn’t believe it, how could her friend try to destroy what she had yearned for for such a long time.

Why couldn’t she let them prosper?

But love is blind, thank God, that, her friend knew….

She invited her friend to go out at this new place.

They walk in and guess who they find at the corner lounge kissing someone else?

Her bae, lover, man…

She couldn’t believe it.

She felt so betrayed, when she had just thought she had finished her search for the one, then this?

How now?

She started doubting love exists, but she still believed in it, because the fire that he had lit, even though it had now died, it yearned to be reignited.

Broken!

He had met her in church.

She was very coy, something he found irresistibly alluring.

He chased her for as long as he could remember.

Then one day as he walked her home from church she said yes.

Imagine the joy, he felt like could burst.

Finally he had found someone he could introduce to his friends and family.

His baby girl moved to another town for work, they promised each other to stay faithful.

The future was bright for them as a couple, they would joke about how many babies they would have.

He wanted many, she wanted two, twins if the heavens willed it.

Communication started waning, the long evening calls started being short and far in between.

He asks for leave, picks his bag and travels to see his baby girl.

He can not let this fire die, he had to show the commitment.

After travelling the whole day, he got to the other town, went to a store and bought her those white chocolates she loves and a flower.

Yes a flower. Because he wanted her and only her forever to be by his side, that is how committed he was.

He walks up her doorway and rings the bell.

A man in boxer shorts opens the door, he asks where she was.

He is told she was in the kitchen.

“Babe, who is it?” she calls out across the hallway.

The guy in boxer shorts replies with, “there is someone here with a message for you.”

She comes through the doorway in a nightdress and stops on her tracks frozen.

He stands up says hello to her, picks his bags and leaves.

Not another word, he gives the chocolates to a street boy, and he books the next bus home.

On his trip back he thanks God for not carrying his firearm, he would have made another statistic.

He calls his boy and pours his heart out the whole commute.

He cannot believe she could do this to him.

After he had made all these commitments for a lifelong future with her….

Broken!

 

Barbershop

My barber quit and moved, so did I, now
I am keeping my hair. Do you know how long it takes to get a good barber who understands you. Who doesn’t ask why don’t you like “cuts” he shaves you to your liking without many madoido and you never get those bumps and ingrown hairs afterwards.

Finding a good barber is like falling in love, you keep testing the waters until you meet them. Maybe I should keep locks ey?