ALBONE

 Whether by land, air or sea, there's lots of ways to get where you wanna be. Happy New Year!  December was two months ago. It's quite a travel heavy month worldwide. Many people are on holiday and take their time to visit family and friends or go on vacation somewhere. For those of you who have had the experience of taking a flight, how do you find it? Personally, I find flying to be quite an engaging experience; meaning that you have to be engaged the entire time. You need to know where your passport and other travel documents are at all times, monitor the time so that you don't miss your flight, etc. There's so much to do both before and after your flight; I find the flight itself to be the least stressful part of the entire experience (but that's just me). All you gotta do is sit down and do something until you arrive at your destination. Then there's road trips. These can be more fun than flying due to the reduced level of preparation and the increased flex...

 Sharing some thoughts on a charming little film.  I re-watched Marcelino, pan y vino (‘Marcelino Bread and Wine’) with my family recently. Even though it was probably over a decade since I’d last seen it, I remembered most of the plot as it’s pretty straightforward. I’d say the film’s strongest point is its simplicity. [OBLIGATORY SPOILER WARNING] Set in 19th-century Spain, the movie mostly takes place in a Franciscan monestary, where one monk discovers an orphaned baby left outside the monestary, the titular ‘Marcelino.’ The monks decide to raise Marcelino like a son and the rest of the movie follows Marcelino’s childhood. The attractive part of the film to me wasn’t necessarily Marcelino’s exploits, but the lives of the monks. The simple life of prayer and work is one I found quite interesting. It’s good to be reminded of the different ways in which communities around the world can live. Being a monk isn’t easy (but who’s life is?), but it’s certainly meaningful. Pablito Ca...

An attempt to remind ourselves what Christmas is all about. I'd like you to imagine that your birthday is coming up (if it is actually is, happy birthday in advance!). You've been looking forward to your birthday for a while: it's a day to celebrate with your friends and family. It's not like this is the only day where you spend time together, but it still is special. About a month or so before your birthday, you notice that your family members have begun to put up decorations. As much as you're looking forward to your birthday, you can't help feeling a little perturbed at their early preparations. Your family have started preparing invitations as well. Finally, the day arrives. Once you reach the party venue; you hear sounds of music and laughter. Excited; you try and enter but...the door's locked. You knock on the door repeatedly, but no one comes to open it  You try calling for help. No answer; not even on your phone. No one can hear you over all the nois...

I share my thoughts on an African financial framework. The phrase 'black tax' is one which I've heard several times. However, I didn't understand what it meant until I found out the definition a few weeks ago. The idea of black tax is that any successful black individual has an unwritten obligation to provide financial support to his or her family members. The term originated in South Africa, but the concept is one I'm very familiar with as a Kenyan.  Although I haven't began employed work yet; I have seen professionals constantly being called upon to provide support in one way or another to close relatives, extended family members and even people they aren't related to. This framework makes sense in an African context: African countries tend to be more collectivist; where support is important, particularly at the community level. Various fundraising initiatives that are carried out in Kenya come to mind: WhatsApp groups dedicated to raising funds to support...

Our devices make our lives easier, but that doesn’t always mean they make them better. Sometimes I think we really take for granted what technology allows us to do. I’m living in Thailand at the moment, and I sometimes use taxis to get around. Once, I was in a taxi and the driver needed to check something on his phone (probably directions to where we were headed). He spoke into his phone in Thai, and his speech was converted to Thai script on his screen. Text-to-speech has been common place for a while, but thinking about the fact that the driver’s phone was able to process Thai blew me away, as Thai is a character-based language. The internet has made our lives easier in so many ways. Google Translate has helped me overcome the challenging language barrier in Thailand. Information that would have taken a trip to a good library to acquire can now be found with a simple online search. We can communicate with anyone across the globe as long as we have a stable internet connection or mobi...

 We may have different religious views, but respect is something we can all agree on. Let's just get straight to it; the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony crossed a line. During the ceremony, there was a live performance which was staged to recreate Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper.  I didn’t watch it (and I wouldn't advise anyone to), but the performance was said to be a disgusting farce which mocked one of the most important moments in the New Testament of the Bible: Jesus' Last Supper with His Apostle. This event centres around the Institution of the Eucharist; Jesus' Ultimate Gift to His followers. The Last Supper is commemorated by billions of Christians every Sunday in the Mass and marked in a special way on Holy Thursday before Easter.    Following backlash on social media, the Olympic Committee later apologized for the performance, but I feel that this incident is emblematic of a larger problem in our society today: a general lack of respect for Christ...