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January 2016

Monthly Archives

Weekly stocking the fridge for one

Colorful paprika on white background

Capsicum or paprika

Ever come home to an empty fridge? You have money, you are hungry but there’s nothing to eat. This is a very familiar narrative for single career people.

This does not have to be the case for you. It just needs proper time planning. After all, the same body that is busy working, needs proper food to fuel it. You need to find time to go to the market and purchase fresh produce to last you a week. You can set aside Saturdays or Sundays for this.

At the market, you find vegetables at a cheaper price saving you money. Another good thing with shopping at the market is you get a variety to choose from. You get a wide array of fresh vegetables at the market and this encourages you to eat healthy throughout the week.

With the variety in stock, you kill the monotony of boring bachelor/bachelorette food which is more often tea and bread or if you don’t mind using an extra coin, eating out.

Simple market list

For an easier shopping task, you should make a list of the supplies you need before going to the market. A simple shopping list like the one below would help.

  1. Tomatoes- Be careful of the quantity you buy to avoid ending up with rotten tomatoes in your house. Where you have a fridge, you can buy more because they will be preserved for a longer time.
  2. Green leafy vegetables- You find variety at the market therefore knock yourself out
  3. Onions- These can be bought to last you a month. Just select the ones that are nicely dry to avoid them rotting.
  4. Leeks- If you like some variety in the flavor of your food, then you will love adding leeks in your shopping list. They go well with soups, green vegetables and mashed potatoes.
  5. Capsicums- These can form part of your vegetable salad or can be added to food as one of the spices.
  6. Peas- These are seasonal, so take advantage when they are in season. You have the choice of
  7. Carrots- These are ideal as a snack or an accompaniment to a meal.
  8. Cauliflower & Broccoli- These are more expensive vegetables that you will not ordinarily find in the grocery shops. Good news is that they are easily stocked in supermarkets. Better yet, you can find them for a bargain at the market.
  9. Melon- Be sure to choose the ones that are nicely red. You can do this by asking the vendor to cut it so that you see the insides.
  10. Seasonal Fruits- Buy fruits that are in season because you are sure to get them fresh. Fruits can be used as snacks and also as smoothies. This is the mango season for example, you can capitalize on that fact and buy mangoes and pineapples.
  11. Potatoes- After buying all these supplies, you need a starch to go with them. Potatoes provide a substitute to other dry starches that we normally stock like rice and pasta.

This is a generalized list of supply. You may make one that suits you best. Contrary to the myth, people who live alone do not have to eat unhealthy meals. People who live alone also entertain guests. No need to scratch your head thinking of what to serve your guests. Have a healthy week.

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Kenyan Religious or Spirituality blogs

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The Blog Awards 2016 have been launched. Submissions of blogs are open until 10th of February. This year there are a total of 19 categories. They have added a spirituality/ religious category. Yesterday at the iHub, there were lots of questions about the awards.

One question I had in mind was how to recognize the blogs that fall into this new category. According to the Merriam Webster online dictionary, spirituality is the quality or state of being concerned with religion or religious matters : the quality or state of being spiritual. This is a fairly new category in Kenya and needs more development.

I therefore went on a search for Kenyan blogs that fall into this category. A general observation is that bloggers in this category need to post more content.

Kyesubire has a collection of devotionals and personal reflections. The blog has snippets of daily conversations, reflecting to the bible.

Reflections of a worshiper is a blog by Terry. This girl is very passionate about worship. Have a read, you might pick one or two things.

I would classify Stephen Siloma’s blog in this category. The guy is passionate about scripture. He quotes the bible as he tells his daily stories. Visit his blog and decide.

The Daystar Alumni blog would also fall in this category in my opinion. Most of their articles have a faith angle.

This reminds me of the Kenya Methodist University Christian fellowship. They have a blog that they post devotionals by students.

Naked Truth is a new blog that I see adopting stories from  a spiritual angle. Their introduction says they address issues surrounding relationships, sex, gender equality and others, drawing from the biblical perspective.

The African Yoga project can qualify as a spirituality blog.

I tried looking for an Islamic blog. I found a lifestyle blog which targets Muslims. I was unsure of whether to qualify it as a blog or a website.

Another addition is K- Krew BS. It is an organized blog in my view, with devotionals, inspirational articles and even a section for prayer requests.

Please give suggestions on more blogs in this category. I need to make my choice wisely.

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Unveiling ONGEA!- The East African Music Summit

SALI OYUGI SHOWCASE FLYER

ONGEA! Summit will take place on Thursday 28th to Sunday 31st January 2016, at Sarit Centre Expo Hall in Westlands, Nairobi. This will also serve as an unveiling of the new brand. The Kenya Music Week has re-branded to ONGEA! – The Eastern Africa Music Summit, in a move to bolster the Music Industry and widen the Forum’s profile Regionally and Globally.

The Summit is organized by PHAT! Music & Entertainment Limited. The move to Re-brand from KENYA MUSIC WEEK to ONGEA! is based on the need to ensure increased sustainability and relevance of this industry, by opening it up to a larger market.

Intercepted in 2004, the Kenya Music Week has achieved its objectives for the Kenya Music Industry. Some of the successes include initiating reform of the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) and installing tax waivers on musical instruments and artist performances. They are broadening the scope of the annual event, while still under the three Pillars of:

  1. Trade- through 57 exhibitors from East Africa for stakeholders to interact with other businesses from 12.00 pm to 10.00 pm
  2. Learn- through eight educational workshops, by different panels of experts informing hundreds of stakeholders on the issues surrounding the music industry over the four days from 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm and
  3. Showcase- through 30 minute live performances by upcoming and professional artists from 6.00 pm to 10.00 pm.

The activities lined up for these three days are engaging for any stakeholder in the music industry. There will be 32 performances over the 4 days from artistes such as Makadem, HART the band, ADAWNAGE, Kidum, Wyre, Sally Oyugi, Suzan Kerunen, Ms. Okinda, Parking Lot Grass and Cannibal among others.

The Sauti Academy will conduct auditions with two scholarships up for grabs. There will be a studio where you can record a free demo of your music courtesy of Ageless Entertainment. The demos will be showcased to attendants at the summit. Mobile Apps for the music industry will also be unveiled one of which is MzikiTrak.

Bloggers Association of Kenya will hold a Blogging and Social Media Training at this year’s ONGEA! Music summit from 9 am to 12 pm on Friday 29th January. The training will be at the showcase area of Sarit Centre Expo Hall. Topics to be tackled during the training include: personal online branding and management, writing skills and readership, understanding Copyright and fair use, Social Media ethics, among others.

The training will also touch on copyright in regard to content ownership, originality and authenticity. Participants will also be trained about the use of social media to market their brand. Participants interested in the training can register here by 22nd January, 2016. Entry to the whole summit is free.

Kenyan Blog Awards 2016 have been launched

Jane Mukami, Winner of Best Health Blog 2015

Jane Mukami, Winner of Best Health Blog 2015

Every year for the last four years, Bloggers Association of Kenya, BAKE embarks on an annual journey that culminates in the awarding of Kenyan bloggers, during the Kenyan Blog Awards.

The 5th Kenyan Blog Awards have been launched today. Going by tradition, this also coincides with the official opening of the submission phase. You can submit your favorite blogs in each of the categories. Thereafter judges will decide the best 5 in each category before the public votes for their best in each category. This year, one new category, the Best Religious/Spirituality blog, has been added to bring the number of categories to 19.

Past winners of the Kenyan Blog Awards include: Mutua MathekaSilvia NjokiSharon MundiaJackson Biko, Sam Wakoba, Dennis Machio and Limo Taboi.

To submit blogs into the Kenyan Blog Awards 2016, bloggers and their fans should visit this page.

The timeline for this year’s awards is as follows:

  1. Submission phase – January 8, 2016 to February 10,  2016
  2. Judging phase – February 11, 2016 to February 28, 2016
  3. Voting phase – March 2, 2016 to April 30, 2016.
  4. Winners’ announcement – May 7, 2016.

The annual Kenyan Blog Awards seek to reward and recognize exceptional bloggers that have great and useful content, are creative and innovative. These awards represent BAKE’s efforts in the promotion of quality content creation.

Here’s a glimpse of last year’s awards:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0K9BLA7zHY]

Nakumatt’s back to school gift adds value to loyal shoppers

Nakumatt Smart points for School fees

January comes with responsibilities that makes one feel like their money is not enough. Nakumatt Holdings, have got you covered. They are set to draw out more than 4,000 cheques, valued at more than Kshs. 200 million as part of their Smart Points redemption for School fees initiative.

Shoppers with the Nakumatt Global card can once again get good value for their accumulated points. The cheques, will be drawn out to loyal Nakumatt shoppers wishing to redeem their accumulated Smart Points at an attractive rate of Kshs 2 per point, providing a significant School fees, relief in the New Year.

As part of the retailer’s commitment, to support education development, Nakumatt will also provide a 10% added bonus for each redemption pushing the total redemption value to Kshs 2.20 per point.

Speaking, when he confirmed the launch of the program, Nakumatt Holdings, Regional Director, Operations and Strategy, Mr. Thiagarajan Ramamurthy, said, “The redemption program allows Nakumatt shoppers to redeem their accumulated Smart points for School fees cheques. He also added that the cheques will be drawn to their Schools of choice”. The redemption program will run through to early February.

Based on the program’s performance last year, which saw cheques valued at more than Kshs 160million drawn out, Ramamurthy, said the unique redemption programme has gained popularity as an avenue.

“In the true African spirit of sharing, we continue to note that most shoppers, including those who may not necessarily have School going children, redeem their points for the benefit of their family and friends and domestic workers,” he said, reiterating that all Nakumatt Smart Card holders are encouraged to routinely redeem their accumulated points at every start of a School term. “This is part of their value added benefits for shopping at Nakumatt”, he said.

The more than 1.3million Nakumatt Smart Card holders enjoy numerous benefits, which include discounts, earning extra points on purchase of specific products and higher redemption value for products during offer periods.

Following the 2013 launch of a new generation Nakumatt Global Prepaid MasterCard loyalty card, in partnership with Kenya Commercial Bank and Diamond Trust Bank, the retailer has been actively replacing its old generation smart cards with a new EMV compliant loyalty card.

The new generation multi-currency- Nakumatt Global Prepaid MasterCard loyalty card provides a range of enhanced benefits and security features. Nakumatt Global Prepaid MasterCard cardholders also earn smart points for purchases made with the card at any of the over 35.9 million acceptance points, including 2.1 million ATMs, where MasterCard is accepted worldwide.

Baby Showers-10 Unisex Gift Ideas

The term shower is often assumed to mean that the expectant mother is “showered” with gifts. In some countries, a baby shower is a way to celebrate the pending or recent birth of a child by presenting gifts to the mother at a party, whereas other cultures host a baby shower to celebrate the transformation of a woman into a mother.

There are various gift ideas to bring to a baby shower that the mother to be will appreciate having. Here are a few suggestions.

  1. Nursing pads are ideal for every woman who has just had a child. Nursing pads can be washable or disposable. Now, these help in absorbing the milk, and avoiding unsightly patches on her blouse. Breast milk sometimes leaves marks on a mother’s blouse.
  2. Nursing bra goes well with nursing pads. Some are fitted with a pocket to slip nursing pads into. Others come with a detachable strap that not only allows a mother to breastfeed her baby comfortably, it also ensures that everything is in place, in case you are in public.

    Baby nursing bra- Product-Medela-SeamlessUnderwireNursingBra2

    Baby nursing bra

  3. Speaking of the public. Breast Pumps are handy for mothers who need to go to work, yet they have infants. It’s easy, you just express your milk and store it in the refrigerator for warming when your baby needs a meal.
  4. Hygiene should be a top priority when handling baby’s feeding utensils. Sterilizers ensure you kill all those germs that could make you visit the hospital. There are steam sterilizers that are more sophisticated. You can also opt for the liquid cleanser. They are all available online.
  5. Coconut Oil is not only good for the baby; it also helps the mother deal with stretch marks that appear after birth. Once the baby is born, it can be used as a natural massage oil. It also acts as a natural diaper crème. Did you know you can also use coconut oil to ease teething problems? Now you know.
  6. You can never go wrong with diapers. These are the gift that a mother can never say she has received an excess of. Babies need diapers to change daily.
  7. Booties are a creative way to welcome an unborn baby. You can either knit or crochet some yourself by following online DIY steps like this one. Alternatively, you can just look for a fancy pair in baby shops. After all, tiny feet have to be protected, don’t they?

    Baby Booties

    Baby Booties

  8. A baby carrier can ease the life of a mother who has to multi-task. There are those babies who don’t like to be left alone for long. A mother can carry her baby and continue working. For mothers who would like to keep fit, baby carriers are the answer. How about taking a brisk walk with your baby strapped? This is definitely the gift to consider.
  9. A waterproof mackintosh helps keep everything dry. It can be used as a diaper changing mat that can be easily fitted into a bag. They come in different colors and sizes, so knock yourself out picking the color that would please the new mother.
  10. A Baby bag is important to every mother. Just ask how much mothers have to carry around in case they have to take their babies with them. There are beautiful baby bags that would help her organize everything her baby needs.

There are more gift ideas but for today, we will let’s call it a wrap.

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2015 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 280 times in 2015. If it were a cable car, it would take about 5 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.