CLEAN VALUES

WHEN YOUR VALUES ARE CLEAR TO YOU, MAKING DECISIONS BECOMES EASIER

Many years ago all feeling and emotions have gathered to spend their vacation on a coastal island. Each of them was having a good time, but one day there was announced a warning of a storm and everyone had to leave the island.
This caused a panic, all rushed to their boats and only Love did not wish to be in a hurry. There was so much to do, so Love was the last, who realized that it was time to leave. However, no free boats were left and Love looked around with hope.
As Prosperity was passing by in its classy boat, Love asked: „Please, take me in your boat“. But Prosperity replied: „My boat is full of gold and other precious possessions, there is no place for you“.
Then Vanity came by in a lovely boat. Love asked: „Vanity, could you take me in your boat? Please, help me.” Vanity said: „No, your feet are muddy, and I don‘t want my boat get dirty.”
A bit later Sorrow was passing by and Love called for help. But Sorrow answered: „I am so sad, I want to be by myself“.
Then Happiness came by, Love asked for help, but Happiness was too happy, it hardly concerned about anyone.
Suddenly somebody called out: „Love, I will take you with me“. Love did not recognize its saviour, just gratefully jumped on to the boat.
When everyone had reached safe place, Love get off the boat and met Knowledge. Love asked: „Knowledge, do you know who helped me when everyone else turned away?”
Knowledge smiled: „That was Time, because only Time knows Love‘s true value and what Love is capable of. Only Love can bring peace and happiness.”
The message of this story is that when we are prosperous, we underrate Love. When we feel important, we do not appreciate love. And even in happiness and sorrow we overlook love. Only with time we realize the true value of love. Why wait and not cherish Love every day of your life?

BY----DHARIT PATEL

OF COURSE I AM A REFLECTION OF SUCCESS

Of COURSE I am a reflection of success

It was only yesterday, I was lost, hopeless and hollow.

Ponytails, pumps and gorgeous smiles defined who I was.

Look at me now, come on, and take a look

 Or

Does my confidence repulse you?

Or

 Is it my diligence offending you?

Or

Is it that I am walking like I have got hardiness pumping in my veins?

My grand paps/father once told me “honey, you can become anything you want”

From then onwards,

My dreams are infinite, my ambitions limitless

I have conquered everything that has come my way

And, I assure you,

I shall victoriously conquer what is yet to come!

To all those who think I am all household chores and nothing out of place

Hahahhh, shock on you

I am all messy; I am an engineer in the making, a success story waiting to be published.

This is not a dream, fellow students. This is a guarantee!

Success is not just a word, an ordinary word like happy or funny. Success is a seven letter word with an array of meanings.

Let me define success for you. Success is achieving a goal, success is achieving a dream.

Success is me in 10 years.

Can I get an Amen! Success is you in the future

Listen, listen carefully, Allan Cormack did not invent the CT scan, accidentally; neither did Alex Jeffrey stumble upon DNA finger printing.

Hardwork , focus , perseverance , motivation , confidence and courage was involved  in making them who they are now.

I am here to tell you,

If they made it, then you can. Yes, you can become anything you want to be. Lawyer, doctor, actor, the list is endless.

I have read countless books, flipped infinite magazines.

I have read about how our forefathers fought for our education, with every single limb they had.

I have understood how the struggle was real, the hassle tough.

But

Here we are,

Atrocious and impulsive in our actions,

Mindlessly throwing away what our forefathers fought hard to provide.

What are we? Who are we?

Society we are ungracious, headless and unmindful hormonal teenagers.

But

We have room to prove them wrong!

How about we take a stand to better ourselves? How about we produce the Einstein’s of tomorrow or how about we give rise to the Nelson Mandela of the future, or how about we become the change of today!

I know this is possible because as Barrack Obama once said,

“Yes we can”

Done by Alice Wambui

FRIENDSHIP GOALS

FRIENDSHIP GOALS

Normal people would prefer to end their writings with a quote, but I’d like to start with one.’ “Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light” (Hellen Keller).

Friendship is not about apologizing; true friendship is about blaming the person that it’s all because of you! Friendship is not about “I understand “ its  about asking the person, “ is it me who should understand you all the time” , friendship is not about “ I am  happy for your success” its about “time for a treat  babe,” and lastly friendship is not about “ I miss you “ its about asking the person  where he/she  had disappeared for all these days”.

“Love is friendship that has caught fire”. It is quiet, understanding; mutual, confidence, sharing and forgiving .It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weakness” (Ann Landers).

“Friendship” is a mild word for such an extraordinary, unforgettable, and death defying relationships some of us will ever experience. When you try to lose weight alone, they will also support you; but by saying “just have a cookie honey”

 Signs of genuine friendship

-          The push to be more accepting of one selves.

-          They call us out when we are in the wrong.

-           They are present

-          They support us through our highs and lows.

The list is endless. The best definition of a friend is an individual who will love you the way you are and will be your life long companion. A person who will ask you to go for a long drive when you have just woken up. Thank god that you have at least one person in your life that will love you and keep you in their hearts fffooorrreverrrrr!!!!! Guess who!!!!!

Done by Ria R

Club president.

THE MIND OF A CROOKED TEENAGER

WHAT A DAY

As a boy; I think, it’s important that I set my goals. I need to know what comes first and what comes last in my life.

First, I will put my God first.  I intend to be more spiritual and fear and respect God. I will do my best to obey his commandments and just be good to humanity.

My family (papa, mama and my young sister) will come in second. The make my world.

Then my education, as a 9^th grader student. I am told I need to give my best in my academics. I have been lazy and I have  not been giving the best in my studies. I have decided to give it 100% to realize my full potential.

Last, I will cultivate good relationship with my friends, I want to keep good friends who will not  lead me astray.

My mind  is not pure , some time am distracted  by negative thoughts.

My major destructor is girls. I am so overwhelmed by this thought that am left tired and restlessness.

I was talking to one of my teachers about this issue and he told me that, I must have some mental exercises to help me overcome this particular thought. Later own I may share with you some of the mental exercise I was told/given by my teacher.

The other negative thought I have, is the urge to destroy, harm or kill myself.

I have been rejected so many times, that I sometime start blaming my parents for having brought me into this world. But I never get answers to my many questions.

I am a crooked teenager , I never think straight , am an introvert ,I some time  hate  my parents and my small sister.

But all these negative feelings will never stop me from achieving my goals.

I know regardless of how people perceive and think about me, I will prove them wrong.

I have a low self esteem. I know I was not born with this feeling, but it has been implanted into my mind by those who have been talking negative things about me.

I have been regarded as a loser by my parents, friends and classmates.

In my junior school, I was seen and looked at as a person who could not do well in sports and academic. I have been blamed over things I did not do.  I have been bulled, abused and called all sorts of names.

At home where I thought I could get solace / peace, it has turned into a small hell on earth.

But all these will not stop me from achieving my goals. I will overcome all the negative issues in my life and make lemonade out of lemon.

My parents are so spiritual they attend religious functions faithfully every Sunday and sometime on Saturday. They pray every day. Indeed, they have a special room , where  they take their prayers  and meditations.

Matters spiritual are not to be compromised. ‘You must obey the God’s teaching’, my dad tells me. I have been made a slave of this route, which must be done religiously without any complain.

I think, matters religious, one should not be forced into them.

I will be an obedient student until a time, when I will make my own decision. I will not be rude or disobey my parents.

My parents have always been there for me. They  have cared  and protected me well. They have fed me and clothed me. They have taken me to their spiritual centers for prayer and to hospital when am sick.

The only area , where they have not performed satisfactorily , is in the area of my personal growth. They have lowered my self confidence. I do not have self esteem. Am never proud of myself. I feel am not made of first class material. Rather am a second rate fellow. This has been brought about by the teasing and being down graded by the people around me. They have always wondered why I can not perform   well in academic and sports. They think am lazy. They wrongly compare me , with my cousins who are doing so well in both sports  and academic…………………………………

Talk later

MIND OF CROOKED TEENAGER

WHAT A DAY

I told you guys that, I must discover myself ; this year 2017. I do not want to be indecisive any more. I must know what I want and go for it.

I am not getting any younger, therefore, I must shape a clear path for myself.

Today, the 7^th day of February, 2017, the day has started well. We have mid term exams. Thanks to the power that is  ,  my mind is settled. I am focused on my exams. Hope I remain at peace until the end of the day.

In September, I turn 15 years. Am told this is the time hormones do overwhelm a teenager. Am keen to see what is going to happen.

Am full of excitement  , that my parents have agreed that I can make some decisions on my own as long as I let them know  what am doing. In the past one or two years it has  been a serious conflict between  me  and my parents.

They were taking me as a small boy who could not make  any decision. Thanks, that I can make some decisions , it feels really important  and a sign of maturity. It is a positive sign that my parents have confidence in my judgment.

Guys ,…….. decisions  .. decisions, this one major issue affecting the teenagers.

Most teenagers  are unable to make sound  and  reasonable decisions.

Do I fall under this group; I was but not any more.

One major decision I must make this month is whether to get a serious girlfriend or not. I have been debating over this issue for sometime, and now its time, to make the decision.

My dad was talking to me the other day about girl’s issues. He is a liberal guy, he says, its up to me to make the decisions that now am turning 15 years.

WHERE IS MY MIND

MIND OF A CROOKED TEENAGER

Hello guys , i had gone into hibernation for few months, but am back. I went into searching for my mind , unfortunately , am yet to find it. Am saying this because up to now  i really don't know what i want . Yesterday , i thought , was almost sure that, i would never talk to my best friend Titi , but as soon as i saw him , i was all over him , excited to see him.

I don't  really know , what i want , in terms of friends , career choice  and generally life itself. There is too much pressure for me to do well. My parents , relatives , teachers and even friends expect too much from me. Where do i go to hide, this is really driving me crazy.....................................

This new year 2017, i want to try and refocus , so that i  can really know what i want in life. What comes first and what comes last..................talk later

INNER VS OUTER BEAUTY

INNER VS OUTER BEAUTY

SALUTE!!.  MY FELLOW READERS.

Today my article is on something that, according to me , should be highly discussed!

I would like to start off with a story,

Most of you might have heard this story about “the most beautiful heart “so here is how it goes………

In  a  heavy crowded  area  , a young man walked around shouting ‘ people look here’ , I have the most beautiful heart in the world . Many people looked towards him and were stunned to see such a beautiful heart. It didn’t have even a single flaw in its beauty. However , there came an old man from  the  crowd who challenged the young man;….. ‘Son’ I have got the most beautiful heart in the world’. The old man’s heart was very rough, uneven and had scars). It appeared like bits and pieces joined together in various colours and it had some rough edges too. Looking at the heart of the old man the young man burst into laughter and asked the old man ‘how can this  heart be beautiful? My heart is flawless and yours is filled with scars ‘. The old man answered , ‘son  this scars you see represent  the love I shared ; I share  love with others  and get in return a piece of heart  and fit it at the place I had torn a piece! ‘He continued ‘my heart is not in shape because sometimes ‘I never get the love in return from those I gave it. So where do you see the real beauty? After listening to the old man the young man stood still with no words.

 Heart touching huh? This story proves that outer/physical beauty doesn’t define who a person really is, what defines a person is how ‘beautiful their heart is ‘and how much love they can receive in return. Yes a person may be flawless from the outside, but if the person has no respect, no manners …….. He/she doesn’t deserve to be flawless, ‘beauty is not in the face or appearance; beauty is a light in the heart”

Conclusion: Many give importance and respect to physical beauty, yet, physical appearance is not the really beauty!

Done by Ria R.

A FEAST FOR THE SENSES

A FEAST FOR THE SENSES

The market place doesn’t sell only one thing in particular, it sells are variety of items. It was not the cleanest market but   it served one of the most authentic and delicious food around. One  of  my favorite things  about this place  was the bliss of colours ; how  the fruit and vegetable  colours meshed with  the grilled fish or the Egyptian silk  robes .

This was the busiest market place because all the venders at different stalls were trying to attract customers by yelling at the top of their lungs. The buzz of people never stopped because there was either an argument over space, customers or better yet merchandise. A large amount of foreign travelers brought the most exotic food of all. There was an assortment of spices which ranged from Indian spices, all the way to the lost African spice.

I was most fascinated by the hand – woven illustration on each dress, and that every dress had its own story behind it. The coherent shoes they sell. Moccasins – native American shoes worn for pleasure and comfort. My goodness! The traditional jewelry and instruments on display were breathtaking. The twist and turn of the sounds are woven to create an embellishment of sounds.

My favorite dish is shawarma with grilled meat inside with mixed spices. It does not require much to make this simple yet delicious meal. Despite! The shabby looking appearance it brings the mix of flavours, tingling in your mouth on your first bite. For the basics, all that is there is its quesadilla, friend, and soft, seasoned to perfection. Last of all the thyme, parsley and mint tops it off.

Let’s talk about the whole market. The market is a people infested, congested and polluted area. The odour is nose wrinkling, straight from the sewer and the scorching sun does not make it any better. As much as the sweet smelling aroma fills me, I can’t stand  the stench , with one sniff my eyes started to water.

But overall the traditional  festive people comfort me and  gives me a warm feeling.

Unfortunately,  when the party has been crashed , I smell so unbelievably disgusting.

Done by Christine Mugure

LIVING LIFE

LIVING LIFE

Life is short, so as they say,’ live as if you were to die tomorrow’.

As the sun rises on the east and sets in the west, each day individual lives go on. Some wake up in the morning, say a prayer to God, hoping there will be a tomorrow. Others wake up with the thought that there will always be a tomorrow. But throughout the day the unexpected happens; with this comes regret.

I believe that everyday is a new day for an adventure and an achievement; whether social, academic or in any other field of life. This is because none of us know how tomorrow will go.

Therefore do not hold yourself back on opportunities.

 Follow the three Ls –

-          Live,

-          Laugh

-          and Love.

When it comes to living, don’t restrict yourself from having the time of your life. By that, I give dieting a big NO! Do something extraordinary from your usual to make a worthwhile memory.

Laugh, laughter is the best medicine. First of all, it is free! Its heart warming and stress relieving. Even though most teenagers or children can hardly control their laughter, yes it may be annoying, but is it not wonderful to see the smile on a child’s face? Because one day when they grow older and hard times set in, a smile on their face will be priceless.

Lastly, love, there is nothing more powerful in this world than love. Motherly love, brotherly love, neighboring love even love for animals. Especially , you should love your enemy  for God is love . Love them with all your heart and soul because they will always love you no matter what the situation is.

So live, laugh and love because without that your glass will be half empty

Done by Marilyn  Cheptekei

DEATH BED

DEATH BED

There i lay, next to my beloved one

I have very little time left on this earth,

But there were neither resentment nor regret

I spent my time well with my loved one

I remember it like if it were yesterday

Those days are gone indeed

I remember your blue eyes at the beach

The days of our honeymoon, with pristine vividness

Oh Linda, we had the   world in our palms,

But now look at me, waiting for my time to come

I remember the first time we met, by the local diner

You were gorgeous wearing that red dress

You were the love of my life, and always will be

And as I stare into this dark, never-ending abyss,

I not worry about my self, but you,

It is painful to leave you, but my path is set

Know that I will always be beside you,

And full heartedly hope to see you on the other side

Till then my love, you will always be a part of me.

Done by Imran Fersal

LOST LOVE

LOST LOVE

I remember your sweet voice, words trailing in my mind

If only I could have the one I most desire

I do be a man with no regrets, but who am I to want,

What I can not have, what was never mine

Her eyes shine in the light like stars in the night

Her smile makes a thousand men cry

Her kiss is the taste of life, sugar with no rust

But like water, she slips through my fingers.

But now  I weep for my chance is gone

Trust to rust, for her I must

If I can start again, with you I’d chose

You’re my everlasting love, innocence.

I am losing the one I love

The one I wanted, oh so bad

I will never love another the way I loved you

My sweet …..sweet  …………… deceit

Done by  Kimanzi Kahumbu

LOVE - am i wrong

LOVE

Am I wrong?

For thinking that we could be something for real

As I stand across you

All I can do is wonder

If you are only mine in my dreams.

Am I wrong?

As I look into the sky and all I see is you!

When I look to the perfect green grass and I see your perfect hair?

Or as I look into crystal clear water and I see you

And when the earth fades into darkness and the stairs twinkle the

 Way you do in my life.

Am I wrong?

When I see a twinkle fades in your eye when you see me,

When I feel the love die in my presence,

I guess you just do belong in my dreams

Oh, am I wrong.

Done  Jeff Munene

TRANSCENDING LOVE

TRANSCENDING LOVE

And as our hands intertwined,

I felt her gnarled red palms

It was an unexplainable fear I encountered,

But with our thoughts linked she comforted it somehow

As she smiled, I noticed the faint flush of red that guarded her cheekbones.

It was her nature to laugh, a laughter that brightened even a sun deprived day

She was the light of my life, shining too the depth of the world

I believe then that she represented the dome of all heavenly grace.

Never did I worry when her companionship was within my reach

And undoubtedly she was a blossom, a blossom that never withered

Her eyes lit the skies overhead making me think she was the genesis of all things lovely

For me , she would ransack the pits of hell and come back to kiss me goodnight.

She was like itself

She was my grandmother!

And my love for her transcend this barrier called death

Done by Donna Morara

LETTER WRITING SAMPLE

LETTER WRITING SAMPLE

OCTOBER – NOVEMEBR  2007 (PAPER 3)

Dear organizers,

I would like to apply for the position of junior leader during the activity days you are providing. I believe that I am the ideal candidate for this position, for  I have various  suitable skills that I am willing to exercise as a junior leader.

In line with that , I would  like to draw your attention to my distinguished swimming dexterity that has earned me a certified life saving certificate ( that  I am willing to show you in person). Owing to the fact that  I  feel experienced enough to this  field, it would be of  great  honour to train  the children; and tap into their swimming capability.

In addition to this , I would like to mention  that I am quite vast in other outdoor sporting activities, as well as in the arts department. On the contrary , I have  taken part in a few  marathons ; tennis  , javelin and mosaic tournaments. Therefore , I am capable of offering guidance  to each  and every child of any age group  - to exercise their skills in those particular activities.

Aside from that , I am very  fond of children , thus I am able  to interact with them despite of their  age group or gender. Moreover , I am patient enough to ensure  that every child is well familiar with the various activities  on that note , I am keen enough to enough to ensure  that every child is safe. However , in the event that an emergency occurs, I will be more  than willing to vouch for the safety of an injured child – for I have had several practices on basic first aid.

As I conclude , I would like  to get your  response as soon as possible . I am very eager to get a  positive response.

Yours faithfully

Liz Masika