Multiple Blessings

When the story broke that a mum in the US had successfully given birth to Octuplets, there was a heated debate with some people terming it a blessing and others saying that more is not always better.

Those against claimed that people call it a blessing just because they’re following the rules of life which dictate that we rejoice and celebrate new life. It’s just this much more difficult to talk of new life in a negative light but the human mother is neither physically nor psychologically designed to give birth to and bring up 8 children at a go.

Extreme multiple births, which have become more common with the use of fertility drugs are often characterized by high mortality rates. Though not new, they’re still quite a phenomenon. There was a time triplets were a marvel, and still are to some extent. But more likely to make news are quadruplets, quintuplets, sextuplets, septuplets, octuplets, nonuplets, decaplets, undecaplets, duodecaplets, quindecaplets etc. Thankfully all the later are very rare.

There are many documented cases of fertility drug use resulting in multiple births. According to About.com, in 1996 a 23 year old mother had undecaplets (11). She elected to undergo selective reduction and reduce to 4. In those mundane words lies the chilling idea of authorizing the doctors to mercifully end the lives of the other 7. In 1971, in Italy, a mother had 15 fetuses removed form her womb after 4 months of pregnancy. In December, 1998, the Chukwu octuplets were born in US. They too were conceived with the use of fertility drugs. There are many more examples on that site.

The debate rages on. Is more always better?

Things To Do Before Age 50.

25-50 of things to do before you hit 50. Adopted from True Love Magazine

• Pick a dance and learn it reasonably well to not step on other people’s toes.

• Go white water rafting.

• Ride in a hot air balloon and finally understand what a bird’s eye view means.

• Climb a mountain. It renders pedicures and manicures luxuries.

• Be there for the next wildebeest migration and show some love for our very own wonder of the world.

• Go on a cruise the next time you’re off duty. Shake up your routine.

• Consolidate all your assets and count how many pennies you need to earn before you turn millionaire. Then start making phone calls to move financial mountains.

• Find the love of your life. Could be a man, a baby, a car, a career or a hobby. Just make sure you love it back.

• Take off to the next location where an international event you love is unfolding. A fashion week, Wimbledon, Olympics, world cup, something. Anything.

• Draw your family tree. No one wants to marry their (albeit hot) cousin.

• Learn the basics of car maintenance. The men in your life will be eternally grateful.

• Take a self defense class.

• Puncture an efficient hole in your wall with a power drill and hand up your stuff by yourself.

• Forgive yourself. It may be your own fault that you attracted all those deadbeats, but self flogging only makes you miserable for the rest of your love life.

• Forgive them. It works both ways.

• A woman needs a place where she can recover her sanity. Find one and let the healing begin.

• Make a list of books to read, places to travel to, movies to watch and people to meet and then get cracking.

• Be a radio presenter for 15 minutes. There’s so much to say in so little time.

• Have your portrait done. Hire the best photographer or artist you can think of. Take a look at yourself through another person’s eyes.

• Stroke a kitten and hear it purr.

• There is a sexual adventure playing in your mind. Explore it. Safely.

• Trust your intuition. If she says don’t, then don’t.

• Find God. And keep him.

• Compile your own list like. Leave nothing in your imagination unrecorded. Someone has already done that.

50 Things To Do Before You Turn 50

Forget new year resolutions. Grab life with both hands and start working on a life long list now.

Article adopted from True Love Magazine – December 2008 Edition.

• Chop off all your hair at least once in your life. Women have a morbid fear of hair loss. Once you face it, it stops haunting you.

• Fly a kite. Your full grown self meets the 5 year old who lurks within.

• Take up a 3 day water fast. Guaranteed to sort out your bloated tummy and will work wonders for your skin.

• Drive yourself to the coast, book a hotel and relax. Alternatively plan a pilgrimage.

• Write yourself a letter to be opened 10 years from now. Attach a picture. Include a joke you think is funny, how much you weigh and what your hair looks like.

• Go scuba diving, be it in the Indian Ocean with the lovely fish or a swimming pool. It offers an entirely new, cooler perspective on creation and the price air.

• Go skinny dipping. Your body is meant to be enjoyed.

• Drink an entire bottle of wine and purge it out of your system. You know you’ve always wanted to.

• Get an inside out, no holds barred physical exam and acquire a taste for second opinions.

• Book yourself into a spa for a weekend, switch off your phone and tell only one person where you went.

• Milk a goat or cow you urbanite.

• Slaughter, cook and feast on a bird without help.

• Use your passport regularly.

• That one thing that has always terrified you, do it.

• Find a signature style that is so you that the moment you walk into a clothing shop the attendants jump to bring you exactly what they think you want.

• Every woman must have a specialty dish she can rustle up for guests at a moments notice. Find yours and perfect it.

• Are you single and childless? Borrow a 3 year old for a day.

• Get up on that Karaoke and sing.

• Go bungee jumping.

• Go to a local football match at the stadium.

• Run at least one Stanchart marathon or take part in the Freedom from Hunger walk.

• Watch the sunset somewhere hundreds of miles away from home, preferably over the pyramids.

• Watch your single most hated sport from start to finish.

• Learn Chinese. Over a billion people speak it and they’re bound to be the next super power anyway.

• Learn to play an instrument that appeals to you. If anything, it reactivates degenerative brain cells.

To be continued ….....…..

They Done It!

My fellow bloggers have said it all.

Maisha Africa – Mr. President!

Rafiki Kenya – Malia Capturing History

Siku Moja – Obama’s Speech Transcript

Robbing The Dying

The phrase ‘robbing the dying’ will most likely remind Kenyans of one Margaret Gachara of the NACC corruption fame. It seemed to fit her perfectly as she allegedly swindled money from National Aids Control Council. Money that was meant to go a step in managing the HIV crisis in the country. Part of her reasons for seeking bail was that she was mentally stressed. She had two top notch psychiatrists compile reports to prove that she was indeed stressed and suffering from fear due to negative media reports following her sacking. Stressed? Stressed my foot! Try being HIV positive and not being able to access ARVs because someone stole the money. Then we can talk about stress.

But this is not about Margaret Gachara. In any case her amounts were not that staggering in the face of the recent mega scandals. This is about a bunch of equally sick minds that need psychiatric evaluation, not to establish their stress levels but whether they’re mentally stable at all. These are people who are redefining and embodying the ‘robbing the dying’ phrase a lot more accurately. Corruption at any level is wrong, be it in petroleum or tourism. But the maize saga is particularly disturbing. Someone lining their pockets as Kenyans go hungry is truly sick. Do they watch the news and see Kenyans eating wild roots for lack of basic food?

Worse still is the fact that the real culprits know that nothing will be done to them. With the current mounting pressure, there might be small fish caught here and there but the big ones will be left free to roam the land and organize more scandals. The smaller fish that will be caught will be come up with all sorts of diseases and spend their jail terms in hospital private wards. Then they’ll be given the option to return the cash and walk away.

Back To Blogs

Happy New Year people. Ok the year is a little bit old but good wishes all the same.

I’ve finally managed to bounce back into blogosphere after being off for close to a month. I missed the place but the break was well worth it.

It’s New Year and resolutions abound. Personally I have only two resolutions. Whatever I do, think outside the box and put some extra effort. That should cover all others that I’ve been making and breaking over the years. Health, fitness, self development etc etc should all fit in there. After all they’re not supposed to be New Year resolutions but a way of life.

So for me this is the year of going the extra mile. Let’s roll.