...Another week - Wishing on a Star

Like I've always said one victory leads to a new challenge.

As an ACCA Affiliate I am challenged to fill out my STR with relevant experience (imagine all those days flipping buggers are not relevant! - outrageous)

Monday was bank holiday here I did the necessary - stayed in doors and made some job applications and sure as the sun rises every morning I got a call from a company I've always wanted to be associated with.
Nothing much only that the lady called me 10am I was still in a sleeping mode and I had a brief telephone interview and she promised to call back within seven days. My fingers are crossed I'm hoping I was convincing enough because getting an interview is not that easy.


So people that's the challenge I'm facing at the moment huge yes, not impossible.


Don't let them hold you back

A nation of fatties

Is it good news when you hear that the population of those who are well fed (obese?) has overtaken the starving?

If you are from sub-saharan Africa you wonder what this is all about. Images of children starving to death is all too common.


This only emphaises the gap that continues to grow between the haves and the have nots. And it is a cruel world everyone is looking for an opportunity to acquire more and more.

Guess I'm just feeling guilty - I am better off than most people but still hard to reach a point of being contented.

...What next?....

Now that I am an Affiliate it's just the beginning of the interesting part of my career. Coz to have the ACCA title against my name I have to do some RELEVANT accounting work and above it has to be signed off by a professional.

Before starting the ACCA I had previous accounting experience for over 3 years - does that count? I doubt it because in Kenya we did it differently (It hurts, kills me! --- sorry I'm listening to Ginuiwine on capital). If only I could backdate my experience. Anyway slowly but surely I will get there.

The relevant experience is important now. Last year I attended an Afro-Carribean function hosted by Ernst & Young here in London. I got my hopes very high after the function but lost interest after sometime - my contact kept sending me emails that they are still looking for something for me, by the time my exams were getting nearer I had to give less attention to that. Guess this is the time to go back to them - fingers crossed.

Yes it can be tough for foreigners here when it comes to getting RELEVANT experience - a friend from Ghana is going back home next month to see if things will work out, if not he will be back here after a month.

Should I do the same thing? mmmm!

Keeps Getting Better

One thing that was on my mind through out this period was the exam results that were due out soon. I came home on Monday morning went online and I'm happy and proud of my feat I passed all the papers.

Ant other way would have been an anti climax. My prayers were surely answered - it still pays to be positve always.

How important were the results - officially I am an ACCA Affiliate! Feels good.


To add to all this positive vibe I was getting at around 1 pm I got a text message from a good buddy of mine his wife just got baby girl - I can't wait to see the new family member.

It's still a beautiful world!

I have been basking in my new found joy honestly in one of the papers I thought I had done myself dis-favour when I 'forgot' to answer one compulsory question only to realize when I had like 30 minutes to go. (You should have seen me sweating!!!)

Of course passing the exams brings on new challenges - quite different but all the same manageable. Is it not the irony of life to win today only to face a new challenge?
Bring 'em on!

Links

I notice some of the links I have here are not doing what they are s'pposed to do, lead to more information.

I need help.!.!.!.!

And also I found the kenyan weblogs - interesting stuff.

Ni Furahi-Day!

Yep! I'm feeling good but wondering why I always seem to find an excuse not to go out nowadays. I wonder if it has anything to do with my constant obsession with money?

There's this theory I came across sometime ago - You become what you abhor. Why is it that I child who is molested is likely to end being a molester? Or the son who witnesses his dad beating his mum ands up doing the same in future? It is like a viscious cycle. What am I aiming at?

There's this old man I work with he counts every cent he spends - woe unto you if he buys a cup of coffee. Just say NO! It's a trick he will remind you for the rest of your life! I think he is miserable but I wonder using the theory of viscious cycle if there is any remote chance I would end up like him? God forbid.

I got my tickets for the concert in Birmingham and bought train tickets for the journey on Sunday afternoon - my plans is to arrive there just before the concert starts and let the evening flow. I can't wait. Only hope he will come with a descent line-up, but I'm excited.

Am I obssessed with money?

OOOOoops! Big Brother final tonight! (Who cares!!!) Another evening well spent? God I need to have my own crib where I hold the remote control. That's the adjustment I had to make when I came to the UK - we not only have many channels but people's tastes are far and wide. Imagine I know someone who is still interested in watching Rambo 3! What's the world turning to?

Birmingham here I come!!

Finally received my tickets for the A.Hamilton concert this morning..... actually tickets cost £15.00 but with postage and everything else I'm paying £23.00! (daylight robbery if you ask me)

Sad I will be on my own - it's hard to get people so committed at such a short notice and realizeded it is not everyday I get opportunity to see mfavoritete artists.

Still not sure whether I need to book a B&B - or it's an all night thing. I will see what's up on Sunday night.


It's all good!

I had to include Goapele's (Gwa-pel) picture - Fellas she is hot! Is it just me or what? Anytime I come across a beautiful lady I feel like I can never be more ready than now to get married? Naw! It's just me.

Sad the shows are all sold out at the London Hammersmith Apollo - same rookie mistake, I should've bought them immediately I got the news. Second time I've Anthony Hamilton in London.

On the positive side he's performing on Sunday in Birmingham and I just ordered the tickets online £24.75 (cheaper than the £31.75 in London). On the downside is I got to get myself to Birmingham - and probably somewhere to sleep!

Even worse Goapele will probably not be in the line-up, I was looking forward to seeing her perform! lol

Corporate World

Rumour had it that Vodafone's CEO was poised to be replaced and Friday afternoon there was a beehive of activities in the stock exchange. I am made to understand that between 2 and 3 pm about 200m shares exchanged hands! That man is between a rock and a hard place, the foxes are out for the kill.

Just made me realise again how much pressure the executive jobs carry and the contrast between Executives at home and in the developed world. One has to account for his time in office by meeting targets.

It's not in our culture to hold our leaders to account for what they have done in office. Maybe I'm wrong. It's far from home and information is scarce - guess that's why I'm avoiding specifics when it comes to commenting on some issues.


Anyway it's weekend, I'm FREE! and I have an opportunity to get some tickets for next weekends concert (gig). Checkout the line -up: Angie Stone and Anthony Hamilton supported by an artist I've never heard before but Ithink I will love her Goapele.

Be Better Tomorrow Than You Are Today

I am reading John C. Maxwell's book "The 360 Degrees Leader"and came across this story:

A turkey was chatting with a bull.
'I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree, but I haven't got the energy.'
"Well," replied the bull, "why don't you nibble on some of my droppings? They're packed with nutrients."
The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found that it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, there he was proudly perched at the top of the tree. But he was promptly spotted by a hunter, who shot him down out of the tree.

The moral of the story: BS might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.

M&S

Oops I meant to attach the share movement over the years and accidentally forgot here we go.
For the last 2 years there has a positive movement - this what I beleive we call value creation. Through the years that is what Shareholder Value creation is all about.

Infatuation? You Tell Me!

Not sure I'm on Uchumi's case always, maybe I see the potential that lies in the company. I mean it shouldn't be where it is at the moment, or is it that I see a clear opportunity for a Kenyan to succeed as a CEO? Would it not be encouraging to see a Kenyan business leader coming along and building this 'giant' - he would be a hero.

Simply because Uchumi was an icon a brand that has not been exploited. It is a fact that the biggest lie we grew up with (well most accountants maybe and the masses) was that the balance sheet represented the worth of a company. Since the ENRON/WorldCom saga it is clear balance sheet figures are unreliable.

So I was reading an article by Sebastian Mallaby (a Washington Post columist). Basically his argument is that brand name/identity has become very important.

The number of people who have grown up going to Uchumi are many and I'm sure so many would love to support the supermarket - I hope the new team sees this potential and is working on it. Maybe it's just me having crush on this supermarket.

Again what's the strategy? Especially with managing the brand name? Therein lies goodwill. Most companies would kill to have what Uchumi has (I only hope the directors know that). I hate to make comparisons with companies here but others have succeeded in their turnaround strategies.

A good and favourite case in point is Marks & Spencer here in the UK - two years ago it was strugling, facing takeover threats from the rival BHS, which at the time was the darling of the city. There was so much politics involved in resisting unwanted advances from the favoured bhs owner Phillip Green (I think he is a sir now)
To cut the long story short M&S went through a period of re-branding and not long after it has been perfoming well - new bold adverts for its designer fashion clothing, stores well laid out and above all looking for a new strong management team. This has been reflected in the stock market

Interesting piece from the NY Times

We Want Pre-nup!

It's been ages since I was here. Commitments, that's my excuse. I mean I couldn't even spare a minute to stop by. Interesting....Right.

When I started blogging I thought it would be easy. I mean just jot down my thoughts and experiences - mostly on my finances or rather business. Like other people I have dreams which I hope will not just be dreams. Is it not scary just to have dreams, I mean as you grow older it scares the hell out of you. Nah maybe it's just me - I've been told many times that I'm too cautious. Honestly I believe the opinions have been rather cagey - people telling me half truths.
Which is okay. I mean I'm the same when it comes to others affairs, guilty as charged.

Oh by the way it was a nice week for me. Big story was the £48m divorce settlement of this 'self-made' millionaire. Why what was the problem there when they got married 30 years ago they had 'nothing'. This is believed to be Britain's largest divorce award. John Charman is mad (he will definitely appeal) he had earlier offered his former wife £20m arguing it was "impossible for any reasonable person to spend in their life time".
What I know about divorce cases is that they are not the best of times to expect the spouses to be reasonable - for heaven's sake they wil look for every opportunity to screw each other. Beware the fury of a scorned woman - she just found out that her husband was moving witha younger woman! I would do the same thing - squeeze the guys balls.

Pattni once said 'People living in glass houses should never throw stones'... and some other wise man said 'Do not piss on against the wind, you will end up pissing on yourself'
Yes I'm a guy but I think the woman deserves to be nasty to the man otherwise this wouldn't be a divorce!

PS: £48m is only 37% of Mr. Charman's £131m assets.

Mr. Justice Coleridge: "This was a long marriage where the parties started with nothing and all the wealth was effectively created during its subsitence." Makes you wonder why all the gold diggers still get a huge chunk during court cases - we remember Tyson and of course O.J. Simpson (he didn't have to do it but we can try to understand)