Fort Portal is beautiful.

If you love to fly, then this might be it. School would have been so much fun if i had an idea what they were talking about. It’s years later, and who could have thought Geography was this interesting. Im talking about the Rwenzori mountains. It’s a whole wonder out here, and yes i might exaggerate a little but people from Fort portal, Bundibugyo, Kasese know exactly what i am saying. If you are afraid of heights, I can’t speak for you. The best view of the mountains is when you are driving down the slope , it’s quite steep with very sharp corners. The bad drivers, you might have to carry some discipline along with you. If you are in for a road trip, we all expect alcohol as part of the menu, but for your own safety and whoever you think cares about you, maximum attention is a plus.

Well, after a long driveway, Semliki ! That’s my first destination, I’m here for the hot springs, i love to meet new people, so thankfully, we just arrived with 2 other groups. That saves time and i think the guides like it too. At this point, a fee is expected to go view the springs, and if you think you do not need a guide, you might have to carry those eggs , take them home and boil them just there. The water is boiling at 98 degrees. How hot?

This is what you dont want to miss!

The female spring sprouts like a fountain with hot water oozing through. I was in awe at all these sights. Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to touch the water, but that’s for my own safety. The male offspring is somewhat boring, it’s located in a different place, just a few miles from the female, the only interesting bit about this was the path, adds on to the adventure. Unlike the female, I wasn’t even allowed to go near the male, you just have to stand and watch from a distance. It’s more like a pool.

Beautiful i know!

So i head to the cave after. Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru,
For the cultural enthusiasts, there is a rich cultural history attached to these rocks. The caves were named after King Bukuku’s daughter named Nyinamwiru. King Bukuku was one of the ancient Kings of the Batembuzi Dynasty that ruled at that time. I didn’t find the milk , explains why i barely took any photos, the disappointment on my face. Enroute , we passed by the waterfalls. Such discoveries raise intriguing questions.

I got lucky with the weather, very ideal for a trek. My last destination was the crater lakes. These crater lakes are breathtakingly beautiful to behold, and offer one of the best hiking places in the area. I must admit, my workouts have been doing a good thing. I made it to the top of a small mountain, really tiresome, but worth a try.

Welcome to heartbreak.

I’ve been struggling a whole lot with sleep lately. It’s been a constant week of waking up at 3 o’clock. On a normal day, a spiritual person would think the devil is out to get me. As much as I want to laugh at that, something is definitely out to get me no doubt. I don’t remember the last time I had insomnia because of a heartache. But wait, what exactly am I feeling? Empty, lonely is too strange a word for a loner . So I pick up the phone, try to drown my sorrows on social media, it’s beginning to feel a lot like home . Sucks much! Some people claim that expectation is the source of misery, while others claim that attachment is the root cause. It’s both.

Rushed into work today with eye bags, my workmate could swear I was crying the whole night, I’ve avoided this conversation so long , I can’t wait to erase your whole face out of my mind. None the less, we laugh about these eyebags and go on with this day. Deep down I’m afraid. Afraid to go home and face my worst fears. These demons I’ve created in my mind were once beautiful memories. I’m exhausted!

It’s painful, loving someone from afar.
Watching them – from the outside.
The once familiar elements of their life reduced to nothing more than occasional mentions in conversations and faces changing in photographs…..
They exist to you now as nothing more than living proof that something can still hurt you … with no contact at all.

So I sit down and imagine Utopia. I’ve lived here long enough and I will lead myself there anytime I’m not okay in this world. I draft my perfect routine for when I’m done with work so I can go home tired and sleep all through the night. Misery sure does love company and I know all this pain is because of all these memories I’m holding on to in my mind. Exercise, this time not at home but at the gym. If my thoughts won’t let me prosper, my body better be , for the next time I meet my soulmate. It’s also time for me to become an introverted extrovert. That should make me survive except that I’m so scared of meeting new people. I allow myself to gently fall apart, I’ve given my all and I will not pour out of an empty cup. I choose to let go.

By Grace….all heartbreak includes crossroads.

They Lied About Work.

After doing all those years at the University, I personally couldn’t wait to work. At this point, everything is exciting and I am so full of energy. The world has bounty to offer and we all can’t wait to receive. It’s been a rough couple of interesting years, but a whole new world is laid out ahead of me. I remember my first day at work. Aside from the fact that it was a lot further from my hometown, I was excited. Imagine having my own money in the bank, not seeking for permission to actually spend a single penny on any thing I wanted. I get to go out with my friends at any one given moment I choose. Exhilarating!

Financial freedom was right at my exposal , I thought to myself. With this mindset, I could take over the world, except that in reality, it’s nothing like this. The bills, oh yes, the bills and all my expenses were more than what I was earning. If you ask me how I survived, I wouldn’t have an answer for this. I was literally living off a deficit budget. In todays’ society, so many features of what people used to consider “employment security” are gone, melted into air. Instead, as a thousand articles and nearly as many books have told us over and over, we’re all exhausted, burned out, overworked, underpaid, and have no work-life balance or just no life. And this is the reality check we all notice after we get to snug ourselves a good old fashioned full time job. You’ve probably heard quite a number of people saying your mental health comes first. It literally does and should, but practically, not where I come from. Unemployment is another big troll on one’s mental health. Remember an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. So this too has more cons than pros. And with this, most people would rather be at jobs that suck the life out of them than face unemployment.

What’s a poor soul supposed to do anyways? I don’t even want to lie and say what you’ve heard before. That, do what you love thing, does not guarantee financial success and not everyone is privileged enough to start their own business. However much you don’t need a physical location to start a business in today’s society , there are other factors that still affect the self employed people. For instance if you run a business online, you still need funding however minimal it might be. Great customer engagement, and good marketing strategies are so critical. A lot of factors dictate where we end up working. Take an example, my first job was in the bank, and yes I might have wanted to end up here at some point, but my parents played a much bigger role for me to get here. And not to burst your bubble , if this is the career you want to take on, but my mental health was not at any one point at ease. I was literally losing my mind day In and day out. What I’d much rather say is, learn to love what you do and make sure you are flexible. That will save you a lot at your workplace when you are adapting. Look for all the positives at work and focus more on those. And just maybe you might make it out alive . 😂😂

Try so much to create time for yourself amidst your busy schedule. This contributed to my mental instability because , my workplace was hella busy and I had just one day to rest. Unfortunately I spent this day traveling all the weekends. My body just couldn’t do it and I didn’t know better. I couldn’t for one second even think that this was one of the many reasons I was so bitter. Even for my leave days, I’d take leave just to keep busy again. For anyone working in a the corporate world, I’m sure you relate. Employers should strive to make the work place a healthy space for the workers. A lot of people are having their dream jobs in toxic environments. This leads to workers being ungrateful for whatever they have, that others don’t. Absurd!

Bottom Line : Mindset is Everything and work won’t love you back!

For the love of cake.

“You know what’s fun? Being young. You get to do stupid things, make mistakes freely, and have a great body and a wrinkle-free face to boot. And while aging has its upsides—hello, acquired wisdom and legally available alcohol!—the grass will always seem greener on the younger side.”

I usually ask my close friends if they feel a little older on their birthdays and , I get the answer I want to hear. “Not one bit.” But lets be honest, for the ladies, it’s easier to cover up all our aging in cosmetics, starting from the body lotions, the make up , sunscreen and a whole lot of stuff I cannot even name. Growing older is a fact of life, but it doesn’t have to be an agonizing and annoying one. For every woman out there who fears the aging process, there’s another who’s not anxious at all, one who’s actually excited about it! Tell me about yourself. Why would anyone be excited about getting on in years? Because there’s so much to look forward to! There is a special glow about a woman who wears the passage of time with honor and grace. She realizes that with age comes a considerable amount of wisdom, experience, clarity, and overall advancement—if you do it right.

I sound like I have got it all figured out and you probably think I haven’t made a few mistakes on my journey. I have made more mistakes than I’d care to remember. I’ve also learnt from all my mistakes and created better experiences at life. The best part about my birthdays is the fact that I’m always busy, I would love to celebrate someday, but I don’t exactly take it as a big deal because, I come from a big home where it was hard remembering everyone’s birthday and so we just winged it and learnt to take all our days as the usual. Nothing extra ordinary. It’s quite weird that you’d expect my birthday to make more sense as a child, but I’ve been more engaged with it as an adult. It’s easier when I have my own plans all set and I am in control.

For this year, I was up at midnight dancing my way into my new age. The fact that I am healthy, well taken care of and full of life just reminded me of all the good things God has in store for me. Grateful cannot even cut it. I had a beautiful luncheon planned out just for me and that was enough. I spent the rest of my day thinking about how far I’ve come. Good food is always a plus for me and always remember, birthday cake calories don’t count.

Okay don’t panic but…… you’re not young anymore. Embrace it.

Is age just a number?

It’s a yes for me. I feel as alive as I did when I was 6. I am more energetic too. Frankly speaking, I look younger than I did when I was in high school. Of course I am a more responsible person now with a different schedule. I try to never skip my work outs, that doesn’t always go as planned , so at least I make sure i keep it to three times max. Genes also play a very big role in what someone looks like. We’ve all come across people we thought were older than what they looked like and vise versa. Have you ever lied about your age? Oh come on…. be honest. I have. Plenty of times and I’m not about to stop now. Whether I was trying to appear older or shaving just a few years off to appear younger, it always worked whichever way. I had an experience with a friend once and , after that day I learnt a trick I always use to avoid getting in people’s bad books. Whenever someone asks how old they look, the right thing to say is a number lower than whatever I think they look like. Lying won’t hurt , if the truth is going to ruin some ones day. Let’s accept, old age doesn’t sit well with most people, so they will always believe they look younger, and who are you to dull someone’s shine? Most people are also not comfortable talking about their age and that’s okay.

There are plenty of people running this Earth appearing a whole lot younger than they look. All thanks to a number of factors, technology inclusive. These apps with all the filters have made dreams come true for multitudes. However, it’s actually not hard to stay forever Young and always remember you are only as old as you feel. So if you feel 23 on your 40th birthday, all you have to do is to keep your driver’s license away. I’ll give you a few of my tips, and if they do not sit well with you, feel free to grab your bag and go get yourself that surgery.

Exercise! Not extra fries! Don’t get me wrong, I love junk, but if you keep eating like there’s no healthier food out there, you are going to regret it in no time. I downloaded all these crazy apps from app store until I realised all they were doing was taking up my space, so I love to use You tube for my workouts. Superhero fitness, works for me. Quite interesting actually. Most important is your diet. If you are as easily bored as I am , you won’t have a very big problem with this. Trying out the keto diet has got to be the most important decision I’ve ever made. I’ve got a sweet tooth, so I love chocolate fudge, milkshakes, that J word I don’t want to mention again, and on my best days, best believe, I wouldn’t trade any of that for anything healthy. Best way I keep this in check is to limit my intake, once a week won’t do no harm. And that Vegetarian diet isn’t as bad as you think. How many times did you hear water is life? Ring a bell? Great. A glass of water before all your meals will keep you from eating like you’ve been starved for a week.

What’s age got to do with it?

Elegance is no dresscode.

It’s a beautiful bright Saturday morning, I’ve got a party to attend today. I’ve always been excited for dressing up. You know that feeling when you go shopping and you just cannot wait to put that outfit to use. This being a corporate party, I suppose everyone will at least take their time to present themselves at their best. The theme of the party is Elegance.We head to the venue as early as 10:00 o’clock and for me that’s when the notes begin. I’m just so curious to know what people really think about Elegance. And I’m not surprised one bit, it’s basically a well fitted dress and a pair of heels for the ladies, whereas for the gentlemen, they are all clad in suits.

Elegance goes a long way than just the outside appearance. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t stop you from putting yourself together and wearing your best outfit. Remember, you only get one chance at a first impression. By the end of the party, I had learnt a few things about Elegance, I never cared to share.

𝘌𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘥, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥.

Giorgio Armani

The best outfit you can ever wear is good behavior. This could be wrapped up in the way you speak to people, be polite and remember your etiquette. Smile, smile and smile some more if not all the way. Not only do you look approachable, but you also make it comfortable for everyone around you.

Time management is key, it presents you as a more responsible person and also gives you time to get organized. I have never understood people who boast in being late to any events. Lasly, be sincere, not only with your complements, but also with your apologies. Do not wait to be in public to do all this. Charity really does begin at home.

Girl Get up!

It’s 6:00am and all my alarms have sounded. I’ve snoozed them all, successfully, and even with my eyes wide open, i still feel the need to snuggle with my sheets. Twist and turn , day dreaming begins now. I always believe i have a lot of time, explains me on some days. So i try to remember the dreams i had in the night, how much sense do they make to me? A little, to be honest. Procrastination is a cycle but I’ve learnt exactly how to deal with it . I used to plead guilty of it all the time and I believed this was just me being lazy, it was not. It was me not getting my work done on time, i cannot remember the times i set reminders for everything on my to do list more than thrice, it was me panicking every time i realized i had hit a deadline. Panic is not good for your sanity.

We always think we do not have time, but trust me we do. As long as i showed up at work , that seemed enough for me, until my body started to get out of hand, my tummy looked like I had swallowed someone, 🙄 literally, and the panic attacks didn’t do me any good. I had pushed all my workouts, to “some day’ So i picked myself up and lazy was not in my vocabulary. Not anymore. I’ve learnt to deal with my procrastination in a number of ways and I’m sure they can help you too.

First i always get ready the previous night, am not referring to the makeup sessions, or the dressing up, i pick out whatever it is i want to wear the following day, iron, organize my shoes, pick out whatever bag i want to hold and put all my accessories in one place, this saves me a whole hour the next day. Secondly, it’s something we all hate, those cold showers are still not my friends especially after getting out of a warm bed. But oh well, if you can put that out of your mind, you just achieved the first step in killing proscastinaton. Yes i still fight with them but if i can get under that cold shower, then i feel like i just conquered something big. Lastly i always set deadlines on everything i have to achieve on my to do list. This keeps me accountable, and for somebody who loves to win, this has worked a lot in my favor.

𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴.

Proverb

Kind words cost nothing.

I was taking my morning walk one of these days and i came across a group of people. They were boys, or rather men. I usually do this for like an hour everyday, mainly because if i decide to listen to a podcast at the comfort of my home, I’ll end up jumping right back into bed. So as I stroll over unbothered, they start to whistle to catch my attention. I always ignore such people, im sure a lot of girls can relate. Little did i know that me ignoring them would strike the world war. They started to hurl insults at me and this sent me wondering at how much bitter the world is.

Very many people wake up with the previous day’s baggage , very many people wake up worried about what their day holds and the minority wake up and and go about unbothered, that was me, that morning. Unfortunately if i tell you that my day went on just fine after this, i would be lying. I could not concentrate on my podcast, the dusty road seemed a lot rowdy than usual, everything just didn’t go as I expected. Simply put, my day was destroyed because i failed to put out whatever was said to me that morning, it got to me.

Yes I am human, as much as I recite my affirmations and practice positive living, the sun shines on me a little more brighter on some days. But i also would not be caught hurling insults at anyone, at anyone moment. Blame it on my parents, they did a good job grooming me. You do not want to be the person who destroys someone’s day either, a simple kind gesture could mean a lot to someone because you have no idea what they are going through.

Charity begins at home, they say.

Valentine And Away.

It is February 9th: five days until Valentine’s Day. I am dateless, as usual, deep in the vice grip of unrequited love. It was bad enough not having a boyfriend for New Year’s Eve. Now I have to cope with Valentine datelessness, feeling consummate social pressure from every where. Love is sure a beautiful thing, i think to myself. I mean, those gift hampers with wine, red roses, i’d never really have any use for, and the perfumes in the hampers make it all more exciting. I’ve figured i love to smell nice. At this point i am thinking of all the places that are inviting everyone out, kinda freaks me out to think of what valentines is like at all diners, and do people have to wear those red and black outfits just to spell it out for the ones with no dates? My mind is a maze.

Perfection in one pic.

Do i feel lonely? Absolutely not. I sure hope i am a normal human being with all senses because, there’s got to be a reason why people fuss about this one day. So since i am not participating, i might as well just sit here day dreaming about that vacation I’ve wanted to take since i was 16, or rather go to the mall and play dress up with all the clothes I’m not walking out with. And again, it’s a sunday, i might as well spend my day with Christ. Everything seems to have come easy this year. For those of you with loved ones you don’t care to flaunt, i got a variety of places you might want to try.

You could win yourself a trip to fort portal, all expenses paid for. All you have to do is post a picture of you and your loved one at any tourist destination in uganda, Check out @akatukunda’s post on twitter to participate in this. Comedy store has prepared a dinner at the Kampala Serena hotel with Afrigo band and plenty of other artists. Interesting, right? Am sure there’s quite a lot more than what i know going on, keep your ears alert, or maybe eyes.

Just like Dee says, normalize luxury in your life. If you would like to put a smile on your lover’s face, comment and I’ll send you details on how to order for a hamper.

𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔.

Beautiful Mornings.

We all love to have beautiful days right? I can’t be speaking for just myself. Gone are the days when, i barely cared about whatever happened in my day, as long as i got my work done. I’ve grown to realize, i live my life out loud with intention. Yes. my mornings usually set the tone for my day that is why I pay so much attention to whatever it is I do in the morning. Typical me would just dash out of bed, jump into the shower throw on whatever it is I want to wear for the day and run out, easier that way, and I’m sure a lot of people still live like this. What a shame!

My mornings have become so important to me because, if I have a beautiful morning then I believe I’m going to have a very beautiful day. Funny how just the first two hours of my day determine what kind of day I’ve decided to have. But what if, i get to work and nothing is working out? You may ask, but I’ve got news for you, everything that affects you, all depends on how you choose to take it in. Bad morning habits can slow down growth, lead to bad days and other unhealthy factors i have yet to discover. If you are working a normal 9 to 5 like I do, then you can pick a leaf from my morning routine.

I wake up at 5:30 AM, pretty early I know but for this to be possible you have to go to bed a little earlier so that you don’t press that snooze button when that alarm sounds. I used to have a very big problem with this, so I used to set like three different alarms in a space of 30 minutes. But even when I used to get up at the last alarm it still wasn’t enough sleep. So what I decided to do, I made sure I set a bedtime and i stuck to it. I also put a very interesting song for my alarm so I don’t have to wake up frustrated from all the alarm noise. The second habit I’ve trained myself to do is to not check my social media when I get up, this helps to reduce my stress levels because I don’t have to worry about a thing in the morning, and it enables me stay calm.

So I get out of my bed and lay it immediately . I do this to avoid jumping back into bed, those fuzzy sheets are really inviting. This also helps me come back home after my long day to a very comfortable and fresh bed plus i love my organized space. I take a glass of water to get my adrenaline rushing, and to hydrate the body because the body hasn’t taken any fluids for a couple of hours. Meditation, one of the most fulfilling habits, I’ve adopted. You can substitute this for prayer or sitting in stillness, whatever works for you. Then i head to the bathroom take a very cold shower, this is very hard considering you are coming from a very warm bed but it’s one of the best things you can do if you want to fight your procrastination. Once you start to take cold showers your learn that you are in control of what’s going on with you. And then I head for the dressing up session, this is usually a walk over taking into account that I always pick out my outfit the night before. I open up my windows because I love to do my make up with bright natural light while I listen to my affirmations. And then i walk out throwing confetti like I’ve not done before. If you are having a problem having beautiful mornings i suggest you read the 5AM CLUB.

Don’t be afraid to comment and ask for the link to the book.

My corporate world.

My journey with this career started in March 2017. I remember being a young girl and i really wanted to work in the bank. I’d imagine how i would feel serving people behind those glasses, to me it was stirring. When i was younger, I remember telling everyone who asked me what i wanted to be in future, I’d label myself an accountant. Truth be told, i had no idea what i was asking for. The corporate world is a very interesting industry to work in, but it requires a great deal of discipline, and in most cases, you actually learn the discipline while there.

If you can’t change it, change your attitude.

Maya Angelou.

For the love of dressing up.

Getting into this field was a whole lot engaging. For someone who loves to move honestly thought I wouldn’t make a year. It kept me busy the whole week, living for just the weekends. I am quite sure i needed this to keep me in check, get me out of the wild fires. Let me explain, see , i love to be outside, that’s the best explanation i have. Don’t get this confused with outgoing. I am really laid back, i just think better with fresh air rather than the AC, green vegetation rather than painted walls.

Studying in a christian university prepared me just fine for this moment. I was excited for my new life, the most disturbing part is the fact that i had to work upcountry. My whole life was in the city, so adapting to this was hard. I remember traveling back home every weekend for the first 2 years, that’s also due to the fact that i was afraid of making friends. I’m among the few who failed to adapt, so the journey got shorter and shorter. My parents were very understanding , they never asked me why i was always home, they considered me home sick.

The biggest advantage of working in the corporate world, is because you get to meet quite a number of people, that implies more connections because it’s quite a busy place. You learn to deal with each and every body because they are your clients and you are accountable to them all. If that doesn’t make you a more responsible person, then you are just docile. Empathy goes a long way. It turns you humane, maybe it did for me. The disadvantages of working in this sector could be many but being the person that I am, I love to see the good in every situation. My biggest challenge is leaving work late. This was my biggest frustration at work, I’m the kind of person who does not mind waking up so early to get busy because I am more active in the morning and I believe everybody is too. Call me a morning person.

I like to have some time to myself, I love to take my evening walks considering it’s rush-hour in the morning. But on the bright side this all made me create a morning routine for every day and this has helped me get my days in order, I’ll tell you about it soon. Secondly it’s the tension that comes with it. Once at the end of the year you get worried about transfers, this was so tormenting to me honestly because you didn’t know where next you would end up and sometimes you don’t even have a say in this. And lastly the one thing you have to forget about is your social life. This mainly happens when you are working very far away from home.

Remember when you lied at the interview, that you can work well under pressure, this is when you realize you meant it. And I’m not here to discourage you from chasing your dreams, If your dream is to work in the corporate world, all you need is a lot of self-discipline, you have to be ready to be accountable for everything you do and you must also be very flexible.