My Dream Breakfast

Not long ago, I was listening to one of my favorite radio programmes. The topic of discussion of the day was, “3 people I would really want to have breakfast with.” I must say that I found the discussion very interesting as callers kept jamming up the lines, and text messages streamed in thick and fast. On my end, the topic reflected a time for reflection. It made me dig into my bucket list that contains the influential people I really dream of meeting one day. These are the people who I esteem highly and view as role models. My list of 3 was quite simple. Have a look below.

1. Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer delivering a sermon.

Credits: JoyceMeyerMinistries

Joyce Meyer is a Christian author and preacher at Joyce Meyer Ministries. Despite facing sexual abuse from her father, she grew up to where she is today and frequently shares about the abuse in her meetings.

I first came to know of Joyce through GOD TV programs back in primary school. Having little or no clue at all about what she was teaching, I used to change the channel and move on to interesting programmes. However, as I grew older, I gave more attention to her programme. I have made it a point to listen to her each morning at 4.30 a.m. on Family Radio 316 and I must say that her message usually gets me kick-started for the day! Supposing I miss the morning show, there is always a repeat at 1.00 p.m. Mondays to Friday.

Joyce uses exactly 25 minutes to deliver her message in a programme titled, “Enjoy Everyday Life.” It is amazing how she does not sweat out or seem to be in a hurry to get the message home or even lose track of what she is preaching on in such a short span of time. Besides preaching, she also has sessions where she answers questions regarding one’s walk with God in a programme titled, “Everyday Answers.” She also posts daily devotional messages. Her social media pages are full of messages of encouragement mostly drawn from scriptures. As an author, she has written several books such as Start Your New Life Today (2008), The Secret To True Happiness (2008), and the famous Battlefield of the Mind: Winning the Battle in Your Mind (1995).

I probably want to have breakfast with her as I seek answers to questions regarding life. I might even prompt her to go into her famously known stiff-armed imitation of a robot chanting, “What about me? What about me?”

Joyce Meyer imitating a robot

Video: Courtesy of Youtube

2. Strive Masiyiwa

Strive Masiyiwa

Credits: Unilever

Strive Masiyiwa is the founder of Econet Wireless, an international telecommunications group. He is also an established entrepreneur, businessman, and philanthropist. He is also a board member of several organizations such as the Rockefeller Foundation, Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), and The Pan African Strategic Institute among others.

I came to know of Mr. Masiyiwa back in 2015 when he was the Guest Speaker of Kenya’s National Prayer Breakfast. What caught my attention was his humility despite all the achievements. Additionally, I was really impressed with the charisma with which he delivered his 10 minute speech. After the address, the first thing I did was liking his Facebook page and realized what I had been missing.

Through his page, Mr. Masiyiwa usually shares golden tips regarding entrepreneurship. He also gives afterthoughts regarding topics that he has shared and even has the chance to answer few questions from his followers. Recently, his page was ranked as the most influential business leadership platform in the world in the month of April. It is hard to find a public figure like Strive who share tips on what made them get to the top. I urge you to take the time to like his page and follow on his tips.

I would really cherish a breakfast with Mr. Masiyiwa and probably have a chat on starting and running a successful multinational company.

 

Strive Masiyiwa during the 2015 National Prayer Breakfast

Video: Courtesy of Youtube

3. Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington

Credits: NeoGAF

When one is asked to create a list of successful African-American actors, Denzel’s name would probably be among the top if not top of the list. I bet our parents remember him for his portrayal of Steve Biko in the movie Cry Freedom (1987). I came to know of him after watching Remember The Titans (2000) in which he acted as an African-American coach of a high school team containing players of mixed races. His encouragement to the team members and the way he handled racial differences inspired me to make a follow up on other movies that he acted. Man on Fire (2004), Inside Man (2006), American Gangster (2007), Deja Vu (2006), and Equalizer (2014) are some of the interesting movies he has acted. His movie that impressed me the most is Training Day (2001) where he portrayed a rogue LAPD narcotics cop. In fact the movie earned him an Oscars Award.

Denzel knows how to bring the best out of movie characters that he is given. The charm with which he talks cannot fail to impress any observer. Besided acting, Denzel usually gives short keynote motivational and inspirational addresses. I have always looked forward to his quotable quotes and speeches.

I would probably cherish a breakfast with him and ask him a couple of questions regarding  what makes a successful actor and how one can also be charming and successful in life.

Denzel Washington commencement speech at The University of Pennsylvania

Video: Courtesy of Youtube

I would like to squezee in an extra person: Warren Buffet.

4. Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett

Credits: AP

Warren Buffet is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and one of the most successful investors in the world. He was recently ranked the second richest person in the United States, and fourth wealthiest in the world.

I came to know of Warren Buffett when I was selecting my university course. Back then, it was all about the money as is today. Money seems to be the guiding factor when one is making a choice on which course they will take up at the university. I settled on a business related course that would lead me into working at an investment firm. At first my parents wanted me to pursue accounting but I was against it. I became drunk with financial markets and therefore settled on finance. Over the campus years, I looked to Warren Buffett as a role model such that when we were required to present a proposal during Research Methods, I chose a topic related to the securities market. In fact, Security Analysis (1934), a book written by Benjamin Graham (Buffett’s mentor) and David Dodd was like a Bible that guided my group during the research process. It was not unusual to hear my group mates and some classmates referring to me as Warren Buffett. To date, I still look at him as a role model when it comes to matters to do with investing in stocks. I am an ardent follower of his advice regarding investment with a longterm view rather than the short term speculative view.

I would really like to have breakfast with him and probably ask for advice regarding the best stocks to invest in now at the Nairobi Securities Exchange especially at a time when the bourse is still recovering from its worst bear run of all time.

So that is my list. Who would you like to have breakfast with? Please share in the comments section below.

Lazylog

Lazylog.

That is the word that we coined together with the milk bar owner. It is a term we formed to refer to individuals who found it hard to own and clean a milk container. It is funny how we came up with the word. Remember 2012-13 when the current Kenyan regime used to refer to themselves as digital? Also, do you remember Smart Joker singing tumetoka analogue sasa tuko digital? Yes. That is how we formed the word. We have the analogue or the BBC (Born Before Computer) generation. We have the digital generation comprised of individuals born in the computer and internet era. They are the tech-savvy generation. Our lazylog generation was born out of the behavior of the present day individuals who found it hard to execute simple tasks such as washing a milk container. To these people, it was easy for them to hop into the milk bar, order their preferred quantity, and have it poured in a polythene bag. They would rather bite off the edge of the polyethene bag and empty the contents into a stainless steel sufuria than having a ubiquitous container. Moreover, they would rather use the disposable polythene bags that would not require them to do cleaning afterward than have a container that should be washed each moment they empty their milk in the sufuria to prepare tea, coffee, cocoa, milo or whatever.

Milka in polyethene bags.

Image Credits: smmartpkg.com

Milk in a container.

Image Credits: dreamstime.com

In this microwave economy where everyone is out to “save time,” it is not unusual to find these types of individuals. Besides that, we have another set of persons who prefer the “ready made” things. On one side, ready made has resulted in job creation in that you cannot fail to trace a mama mboga’s kibanda in any neighbourhood. However, on the other side, it has resulted in the lazylog generation. In the past, people would go to the market and order bunches of sukuma wiki. They would then walk home and chop the vegetables themselves. In the present day, you could come across as a rare species if you order the same sukuma wiki and proceed home to chop them yourself. As a matter of fact, mama mbogas have considered it their obligation to chop the vegetables each time a customer places an order. With long queues of customers waiting to be served, it is not surprising to encounter cases of quarrels among them because the mama mboga serves on an out of sight out of mind basis unlike the first come first served basis that is deeply bred in the minds and hearts of subscribers of the microwave economy. It is not rare to see them stocking the ready made vegetables in different quantities of ksh 10, ksh. 20, and ksh. 40.

Mama Mboga in her kibanda.

Image Credits: fenesi.com

Shopping malls are springing up fast like weeds in an unattended garden. In these shopping malls, there are supermarkets. These supermarkets have found a strategic way to appeal to the ever-growing middle class that exhibits the “save time” tendencies. Proud members of this social class deem themselves to be ever on the rise up the money ladder. To them, time is money in the form that if you do not save time-oh boy!- money will run away from you like a gazelle being chased by a lion. They want chapati they get it there and then, they want githeri they get it there and then, they want ugali beef/matumbo/kuku/mboga they get it there and then. Recently, there was an argument that the ready-to-eat foods found in the delicatessen (or deli) has led to the emergence of a generation of ladies who cannot cook. Simply put, she gets home with cooked meat, ugali,and mboga. Later, when the husband gets home, it just becomes a matter of her heating the food, guess how? You got that right, using a microwave. The couple then proceeds to eat the “fast” food, fast in the sense that it takes around 10-15 minutes to prepare a supper meal that would normally take close to one and a half hours! Woe unto her when she arrives at the deli late. That is the day she will display her poor cooking skills.

Garden City Mall.

Image Credits: potentash.com

On the contrary, delicatessens deserve praise because they fill a gap that used to bring trouble in the past, that is, convenience. Imagine this. You are starting out as a young couple each working in top corporations. You do not have a kid yet. To make matters worse, you stay in Ronga. You wake before the rest of Kenya wakes, and you reach home the last. The questions come: when shall the lady cook? When shall she have enough rest to be able to face the next day? How shall the couple create sufficient time to brainstorm and plan together? How will they find a chance to study? Again, you may be a young lad or lass, straight out of college and into your first job and because you are young, you are deemed as the company’s mtu wa mkono. By the end of the day, you feel wasted such that you find it hard to cook a simple meal of ugali mboga or even ugali and eggs. The questions still stream in: how shall you be able to maintain your top performance in the following day? How can you create extra hours of rest and sleep? How shall you get the time to catch up on the current top series and TV show? How will you create time to read your favorite novel? The questions go on and on, and this is where it becomes necessary to pursue the services of delicatessens.

Customers being served with already cooked food in Naivas supermarket’s delicatessen in Westlands, Nairobi.

Image Credits: Daily Nation.

The bottom line is that if one can chop the vegetables and meat, and also cook for themselves, well and good, let them do so. If one is inconvenienced by the above duties, well then, let them pursue convenient options. Moreover, we should not shy away from the execution of certain tasks. It would be good to learn at least how to cook to avoid unnecessary embarrassment. Picture this. You have welcomed a couple of friends or even business associates then you proceed to get them food from a delicatessen, and then you wife or nanny heats it in a microwave in their presence. How embarrassing! Some may even wonder why you got married to a useless wife. Again, one should avoid becoming a lazylog with an excuse of “saving time.” The joy of life is in the learning and execution of simple task such as washing the dishes, chopping meat and vegetables and even cooking chapati however tough these tasks are. Just try executing these tasks at your convenient time, and I assure you that you shall enjoy the work of your hands.