Blogger Meet-up

One of the merits of blogging is that you get to interact with people who you would not ordinarily have interacted with. Call it the beauty of the internet, if you will. It kind of expands your horizon across borders, continents and even time zones.

The last thing that I had in mind when I started blogging was meeting other bloggers or even networking with people over web. That said blogging has opened for me a whole new frontier. From communicating with people through comments, others by email, a few by phone and even meeting face to face with some bloggers. I'll start by confessing that I have known a few Kenyan bloggers even before I started blogging. My next confession is that since I started blogging I have met a few bloggers though I have never introduced myself.

Recently I was honoured to meet the blogger commonly referred to as Maina. Surprisingly, I was able to identify him in a crowd of people at the said venue of our meeting. I took him totally by surprise as I showed up earlier than we had agreed though I knew he was going to turn up earlier than me. Not that I wanted to see him first before meeting him, it's just that my flight landed on time and I was spared the agony of going though the long immigration lines at the airport.

After which we linked up later at his home for lunch and some chit chat. Meeting him and his family was a blessing as we got to spend the afternoon chatting away after a sumptuous meal prepared by his lovely missus. The chapos I ate just made my day and if anything made the meet-up worthwhile. The funny thing is that we talked like long lost friends who had just been re-united. Turned out that we share a few things in common and in many ways we were able to connect on various aspects.

I was truly blessed for the few hours that I spent with him and his family. As such this post is to publicly embarrass thank him and his wife for their hospitality. The fact that they offered me a place to spend the night really touched me as it showed their generosity.

That said, I look forward to meeting one or two other bloggers should our geographical paths cross. Hopefully as the world gets much smaller and we continue to outgrow our physical boundaries, it will only be a matter of time before this happens.

Once again, thank you Maina & Co for your hospitality and generosity. I look forward to meeting you guys again and should your travels bring you to my neck of the woods, I will certainly marshal up my forces and revenge. God bless.

Gas Pump Price Shock

With oil prices hovering above $90 per barrel, it may be a matter of time before that figure rises past the psychological $100 mark. Fortunately, this sharp increase has not translated into higher gas prices in the US and the pump prices are still below the $3 per gallon post-Katrina prices. This has been attributed to a myriad of factors in addition to the drop in post-summer gas demand.

During my recent trip to the UK, as is always the case when I rent a car, I selected an economy model vehicle because of the nature of the roads and the high petrol prices in the UK. Unfortunately, Avis did not have an automatic economy model on the morning that I arrived and instead offered me an upgrade that comes with the automatic transmission. At first I declined and decided to take the manual economy vehicle instead of the full size Volkswagon Passat Estate. However, after some thought over the ease of driving a manual in a foreign land and the recommendation of the Avis agent I accepted the upgrade. The turning point for me was when she said it is has a better fuel economy as it was a diesel model.

Because I'd never driven a VW before I decided I might as well try it just in case I want to buy one in the future. When I picked the car, the tank was full so I did not have to refuel it and I had hoped that I will refuel it somewhere near Heathrow airport on the day of departure. True to my wishes the fuel lasted until I made my way back to the airport. Just as I left Bluewater shopping mall and got onto the M25, the low fuel warning icon lit up. With the nearest motorway service less than 15 miles away I choose to drive to it as it was in the direction to the airport rather than get off the highway.

I got to the gas station and started refueling the car with diesel. Unlike the gas pumps in the US, the pump was not automatic. You have to manually pump the petrol into your car until you are done. As I refueled, I wondered how much it would take to fill the tank. My guess was that it would cost me no more than £40 for the just over £1 per liter diesel.

So you can imagine my surprise when I fueled past the £40 mark then the £50 and then finally the £60 mark. Blimey! In total I was paying more than $135 dollars at the current exchange rate to fill up the station wagon. As if it was not enough that I had trouble trying to parallel park the estate and drive through the narrow streets, here I was literally paying through the nose for what was supposed to be a fuel economy model.

My guesstimate is that I averaged over 30 miles on the gallon driving a total of 600 miles during the few days I was in the UK. The majority of which were on the motorways as I travelled a bit in the South East.

The $137 I paid to fill-up the car is definitely a new gas pump record for me. Prior to this, the highest I had ever paid was $70 and even then this was for less than $3 per gallon gas in a Manhattan full-service gas station (attendant pumps the gas). And this amount included the tip for the attendant who in addition wiped clean the car's windscreen.

Had I been in the US, the 16.94 liters of diesel would have cost $52. Even in Kenya, I don't think I've ever paid more than 5,000 shillings for petrol to fill up the car tank. In this case, I would have paid 4,750 shillings for the approximately 17 liters of diesel had I been in Nairobi. Basically, diesel in the UK costs almost three times as much than in the US. As for the cost of the car rental, that would be another post altogether. Possibly a post on driving in the UK. For now, I'm just waiting to receive my credit card statement though I've had a peek at it online.

The Seven Wonders of England

Having blogged about the seven wonders of Kenya, I thought it would be interesting to come up with a similar post on the seven wonders of England. There are so many things that amaze me in Britain or England to be specific. Although I could come up with a long list, it's quite hard for me to narrow it down to seven. With the seven wonders that I will elaborate below, they consist of things that have jazzed me during the many times I have visited the UK.

First on my list has got to be the stiff upper lip of the Britons. No offence mates but Britain has got to be the most unhospitable, unwelcoming and unfriendly Island in the world. Even though I have many British friends, I must add that no nation beats Blighty when it comes to having the stiff upper lip and matching yellow teeth. You would think it is a capital offence to smile or nod your head or make eye contact with strangers. And when it comes to having long faces, no prizes for guessing which nation leads in having the longest faces. Even when it comes to walking your dogs, your dog is allowed to smell other people's dogs unless they have been properly introduced by their owners. I could say the same for their European neighbours but the Brits just take it to another level.

Second on my list are the narrow roads that line the English countryside. Ask any visitor if they can drive in the UK and they'll look at you like you are crazy. The narrow lane roads in the cities and rural areas makes me wonder if they are the same roads that were used in the 19th century by horse drawn carriages. If you are renting a car in the United Kingdom, make sure it's the economy models. Parking or driving a full sized sedan or SUV requires nerves of steel to manouvre around in England. It's no wonder that it takes more than one attempt to pass the UK driving test. And if you are driving in the rural areas, please be aware that some houses do border the roads and you have to drive carefully so as not to end up right in the middle of someone's living room.

Of all the English cities that I've been to, the city of Oxford has got to be the most unique and a sight to behold. Forget London. It's overated, over-crowded and over-polluted. I can't remember how old the city is but it still has buildings that are several centuries old. If I'm not wrong, part of the roads are still the same network that were made before the industrial revolution. The architecture in Oxford is simply amazing though it took me more than one visit to appreciate owing to my liking of all things modern. I think I saw some wooden gates that must have been as old the city itself. If you are visiting Oxford, be careful when driving around the city as it has some of the narrowest streets that you will ever find on this earth. At some point, I think I drove on the pavement barely touching the walls of the ancient buildings in one of the back street alleys.

The English cuisine definitely deserves its place on this list. If you are planning on moving to the British Isles please bring with you a lot of spices to help you enjoy their foods. Till today, I am not sure what causes their food to loose its taste. Is it the rain, the soil or just the lack of enough sunshine? It's no wonder that Indian curry or Chinese cuisine have almost become the official English food. And if you are acustomed to the American Cheesecake factory servings, you had better forget about it. The only good thing about the servings is the small potions help to keep the flabs in check. And don't expect to get free drink re-fills. It doesn't rain Coke-a-Cola in England. Never have and never will. You have to pay for every single pint of soda. As if that is not enough, some fast food resturants charge for the condiments or sauces!

How about their tiny cars? Want to drive an SUV? Yeah, right. Smartcar, Shmartcar. In England, the smaller the car the better. Driving on the motorways, you'll be forgiven if you thought you are starring in some toyland virtual reality show. Dotted across the roads are Ford Kas, Nissan Microns, Mini Coopers and Toyota Auris. Even though you have to give it up for the number of Merc's, Audi's and Beamer's on their roads, there are simply no end in the number of tiny cars on the roads. And they don't come cheap as you will have to pay in the region of up to $20,000 just to get yourself one of these fancy shopping trolley's. But first you will have to pass their strigent driving test before you get the privilage of owning a car. Unlike the in the US, driving in England is deemed to be a privilage and not a right. The government makes it dificult for people to own cars and instead encourages the use of the public transport network due to the small size of the country and it's high population.

You cannot discuss England without mentioning their dreaded weather. Talk to the millions of Britons who head out to the Spanish coasts every year and they'll tell you that British summer is a myth made up by the Royal Meteorological Society to appease the queens subjects. If it's rain, then England must have been the present land where Noah lived during the floods. Even if it doesn't rain, you can kiss the sunshine goodbye. Grey clouds are the common feature of the English skyline. Come summer, autumn, winter and even spring. The sun simply don't shine in England. The green lush countryside is a testament of how wet the country is. The dull weather has got to be one of the reasons why Britons are immigrationg to sunnier countries like Spain, the Aussies and even America. In the winter you can expect dark, drizzling and cold mornings and evening comutes. If anything, I would blame the weather for the long faces and stiff upper lip attitude that wears down on the people. It's so had to be cheerful with this kind of weather. May be that is why the Brits have a strong liking for alcohol just to lift up their spirits.

Last and by no means least, the crown of the seven wonders of England goes to their department stores. From John Lewis to Marks & Spencer to House of Frazer, just to name a few of the well known British retailers. Don't let the over-crowded stores put you off from hitting the high street. Some of the best peices of clothing and accessories are found in this country. Buy a pair of trousers here and you can be sure your children will pass it on to your grand-children. Though it will cost you an arm and an leg compared to the cloth prices in the US. If you shop right you will find clothes that will outlast any fashion. Good quality and long lasting. Forget the American clothes that get worn out after a few washes. I've still got clothes that were bought more than a decade ago. If the Amricans invented the jeans, then it must have been the brits who invented Khaki wear. Despite the high price of clothes, it's worth the while shopping for some good bargains when visiting England.

Overall, England is not as terrible as I may have potrayed it. It's influence can be seen in the remotest corners of the world and especially countries that were once it's colonies. Britain is one of the top tourist destinations and I would not discourage anyone from visiting the country and enjoying their rich culture and heritage.

Hanging Out At The Mall

When it comes to shopping in the United Kingdom, Oxford street is definitely the mecca of the tourist shopping experience. Situated in Central London, the area between Tottenham Court Road and Marble Arch and the surrounding areas, Oxford Street is by far the largest collection of shops in Europe. So it is very common for tourists visiting London to make a stop at Oxford Street and carry out their shopping in some of the major stores like Nike Town, Hamley's, Selfridges and Debenhams. It is therefore not unusual to rub shoulders with the high and mighty carrying out their shopping on these streets accompanied with their bodyguards or aides.

Like most tourists, there's not been a time that I have visited London and failed to make the mandatory visit to Oxford Street. However, this changed in my last visit to Blighty as I never set my foot in Oxford street. Even though I did drive through the thoroughfare, I made a decision to instead go and shop elsewhere other than Oxford street.

It is for that reason that I paid a visit to the second largest shopping mall in the UK. Situated right at the outskirts of the M25 motorway, the Bluewater Shopping Mall boasts a collection of the high street stores, beauty shops, eateries and a cinema plaza set on two floors. The mall which overlooks the Queen Elizabeth II bridge across the River Thames is one of the best kept secrets of London as it is mainly accessible by car. Even though they've had their fair share of teenagers causing problems in the mall, the mall offers a different experience to that found in Oxford street. As with most malls it is congested during the peak shopping seasons though I prefer the complex because you don't have to battle out with large crowds of people trying to get onto the tube or buses with their shopping. Instead you just have to put up with other drivers trying to get in and out of the mall.

On the first night that I visited the mall, I carried out some shopping before settling for dinner in one of the restaurants. Rather than eat in one of the two food courts I choose a Spanish cafe called Abaco as I wanted a quiet place to unwind after the long day. Unlike American restaurants, the bread and olive oil was not free and neither were the soda refills. The atmosphere was very soothing with friendly waitresses. Not wanting to spoil my spirits I settled for the familiar 10 oz strip loin steak and a side of spinach instead of trying out their tapas.

After my early dinner, I hit out into the shops again to see if I could get myself some good bargains. My main focus was buying some presents for my family and a few things for myself. I bought close to 20 pairs of socks as I seem to have lost most of my socks when I went on vacation. Not being a fan of the high calf length US socks, I took this opportunity to replenish my stock of socks.

I avoided the southern and western wings of the square shaped shopping mall as you will find the high priced designer stores on these two sides. Only after I had gotten everything that I wanted from Marks & Spencer did I venture out into the other shops. Most of the shops here cater for adults and teenagers so I had a hard time trying to find things for the kids. Particularly, there are hardly any toy shops and the few stores fall far short of what you can find at Hamley's on Regent Street. On the other hand, there seemed to be a number of shops that catered for new-borns.

Because one night is not enough to go through the shops, I came back for a second visit and managed to get the remainder of the things on my shopping list minus the toys. As I took the pictures of the place I was confronted by the shopping mall security who warned me that the establishment discourages shoppers from taking pictures due to security reasons. Even though I did not see any uniformed police patrolling the mall, there is high security in the mall by way of security guard patrols and closed circuit television. Like most malls, they have had a lot of problems with unruly teens hanging out at the mall on weekends. Because of this, they have banned shoppers from coming into the mall with hooded tops and increased security patrols especially on weekends.

I was satisfied with the shopping experience although with the dollar at record lows against the British pound, shopping in Britain is a very painful experience if you are from America. For this reason, I kept my shopping to a minimum mainly buying stuff for my family.

Pub Lunch? No Thanks

One of the hallmarks of Britain is the pub grub. This usually involves queuing up at the bar and ordering your meal through the bar tender. Ask any Briton who lives abroad what they miss most about Britain, chances are that they'll mention having a pint at their local pub as they wait for their grub to be served. Not sure if they miss the food or the warm pints, but one thing that is certain is the uniqueness of pub lunch.

This week the Good Pub guide announced that the average cost of a two-course pub grub has risen to over 20 quid even though the basic ingredients of cow pats and chef sweat have remained the same. To put that into perspective, at the current exchange rate if an American tourist decides to sample out some British delicacy, they'll have to fork out $40. A steep price if you ask me for the poor service, no ambiance and tasteless food.

Holed up in the UK, I called up some old time friends of mine and asked that we meet over lunch and a few pints of adult beverages. Characteristic of most Britons, their first choice was that we meet up in a pub for the lunch date and reminisce the days gone by. Not being a fan of bangers and mash or steak and kidney pie served with green peas and thick cut chips, I tried to talk my way out of it. Unfortunately, my friends would hear none of it. Apparently, they were convinced that I needed to detoxify myself out of what they call the American junk food cuisine. Burgers and over salted fries.

So in less than an hour I'll be meeting my friends in an old poorly lit pub in rural England for the taste of authentic British cuisine. Because of the drizzzly weather, we are likely to sit inside and miss out on the typical overcast outdoor atmosphere. I can't say I'm looking forward to the meal, though meeting my friends will certainly make the experience worthwhile. As for the tab, I'll be surprised if I don't pay something in the region of $30 for the steak and kidney pie meal that I intend to consume. Not sure if it's because the US dollar is becoming worthless or food prices in the UK have shot up to the moon.

Prosperity Theology

Growing up in Kenya, among one of the most famous church song's was "Toa ndugu, Toa dada, ulichonacho wewe, Bwana anakuona, mpaka moyoni wako". Usually, this song accompanied the collection of offering during the Sunday services. So as the church choir sang the song, the ushers would pass over the collection baskets to the solemn congregation. Back then as a kid, I remember we used to be given a few coins by our parents for the Sadaka which sometimes ended up at the kiosk in exchange of a few sweets.

Twenty something odd years later, I attended a church service during the summer holidays in Kenya. Come offering time and the preacher leading the congregation into offering starts by reading a scripture from the bible. After the reading, he goes on to share a few points with the faithful before the choir sings during the collection of the offering. Just as he is about done, he reminds the church members that they should not give coins in the offering basket as the Lord does not want coins.

Going back into the bible it's very hard for me to understand what the preacher was saying or rather what he meant. You see, if you read Mark 12:41-44, Jesus himself commends the widow who gave two mites which is approximately a penny. While many of the rich were making large contributions in the temple, the poor widow gave all that she had to live on. According to Jesus, the poor widow put more into the collection than all the others who gave out of their wealth.

Here was a preacher who slept soundly the previous night and woke up to a decent breakfast before driving to the church service. At this particular church, the congregation consisted of people from all walks of life. From the high and mighty to the lowly of the lowest. A good number of the church goers had walked to church as the could not afford the bus fare and it is possible that some did not know where their next meal is going to come from. Driven by despair, they made their way to church hoping to get a word of encouragement in addition to seeking the Lord to help them out of their misery.

If I were to get a dollar for every time someone criticizes preachers for being interested in making money through the church, I would be a rich man. It is with good reason that people are critical of some men and women of the cloth.

How To Be A Kenyan by Wahome Mutahi

How do you explain a preachers living in a huge mansions in up-market areas like Runda while the majority of their congregation are blue collar workers who come from low income areas. It doesn't make sense for the preacher to be at a different social economic level from their congregation, yet when they started the church they were as poor as the church members. A few years later and you can't tell the difference between the church property and their personal property. They not only control every bit of it as if it were their own but they also have a fanatical following by their church members.

I have nothing against people of the cloth being rich if anything it is God's will that ALL Christians prosper in every way (3 John 1:2). Apostle Paul is even clear when he says that it is for our sake that Christ become poor, so that through his poverty we might become rich by Gods grace (2 Cor 8:9).

The sad part is that there is no law to protect poor people from such priests in Kenya. That is why I like the US where at least the IRS which grants religious organizations the 501 3 (c) status makes sure that individuals do not enrich themselves through charitable organizations that they run. Even if they don't do a good job at preventing individuals from enriching themselves, they at least respond when they receive any complaints. And should they escape the tentacles of the IRS, they have to wiggle their way in the courts should they be sued by their congregation or members of their staff in addition to being exposed and ridiculed in the media.

That said, I think Kenyans in the diaspora encourage and fuel such behaviours by hosting self-appointed Bishops who have made it a habit to hold regular crusades abroad. I blame the people more than the preachers for their attitude when it comes to giving in church. Just like in the parable of the sower in Mark 4:2-8, it matters a lot as to which churches we give to. If we are to expect a hundred fold harvest, we should sow wisely and not just scatter our seeds along paths or in rocky soil.

That is why it is important to prayerfully consider which church to attend. While there may be a few preachers who give the Church a bad image, there are a lot of good churches out there which are faithful custodians and putting every penny they receive into what the money is intended for.

Finding My Way Around

This past month I was fortunate enough to receive a Portable Car Satellite Navigation system as one of the birthday presents. As is the case with new electronics, I've been toying around with it even though I know the roads where I live pretty well.

I remember the first time I ever drove a car with a GPS was a rental car in the UK a few years back. The reason I'll never forget this is because as I drove through the Blackwall tunnel in London, I crossed the Greenwich Meantime geographical coordinates (i.e. 0°00′00″). It was totally unexpected and I only caught it because the traffic was moving slowly in the tunnel. That moment was akin to what tourists experience when they visit Kenya and take pictures at the 'You are crossing the Equator' signs posted along roads in parts of the Rift Valley and Eastern provinces that are situated across the Equator.

Back then Sat Nav systems were very basic unlike today where they come with all manner of functions ranging from blue-tooth dialing, MP3 players/connection, calenders, dictionaries, language translators, destination guides and even extra memory for storage of digital pictures.

Every now and then, especially during weekends I try and use the GPS to find new roads that I would otherwise not have known. I program my journeys such that I take the shortest route instead of the fastest and it gets to direct me through obscure roads. That way, I have made several discoveries in the county that I live in. The best feature about the GPS is that it comes with addresses and a directory of businesses and tourist attractions. Therefore it is possible to search for a destination just like you would do so online with Google maps or Map-quest. Because it displays the telephone number, you can directly dial up the place say a restaurant and make your reservations.

Basically, my days of searching for directions or looking up phone numbers in the directory or on-line seem to be coming to an end. As it is, its been a while since I last looked up for directions online. The other feature that I like with the GPS is the re-directing option. Say I ignore it's directions it automatically re-routes me from the point that I changed my course. And then you can also choose the language and voice of instruction. So far, there is no Swahili but there is South Africa's Afrikaners. For some reason my kids love it when it speaks out the directions. You can buy different English accents or celebrity voices though I intend on purchasing the granny voice. The GPS also allows you to change the car icon among many other features that allow you to further customize it to your preference.

The GPS present couldn't have come at a better time as we are planning on taking road trips in the US next year. I'm now done with driving around with maps or print-outs looking for directions or addresses. Even though I have never considered buying a GPS, this is one of the best birthday presents I have ever received in a long time.

Like the cell phone, I'm beginning to wonder how I survived without a GPS unit. Interestingly, Nokia last week purchased Navteq in a move signaling the importance of the technology. Nokia seeks to expand the number of it's models with integrated GPS. Anssi Vanjoki, head of Nokia's multimedia unit, intends to have tens of navigation-enabled devices on the market by the end of next year.

Ailing Walgreens Gets A Dose Of Wall Street Medicine

The past few days have been brutal for Walgreen's shareholders as the stock plummeted from close to it's 52-week high price a new 52-week low price. The first three days after Walgreens reported their 4th quarter results, more than 120 million shares changed hands with a loss of more than 15% of it's market capitalization. The culprit. Reduced profit margin due to pressures from Medicare part D reimbursements and increased (payroll, operational and advertising) expenses resulting in lower than expected earnings.

With the stock lingering below the $40 mark, value buyers may be tempted to own a piece of this growth story. Walgreens has over the years shunned acquisitions in favor of organic growth and continues to open new stores across America. At the last count, they had more than 5,300 stores with another 475 new stores planned for the next fiscal year. CVS, a major competitor of Walgreens, has seen its share price appreciate even as Walgreens continues to trade within a range. Unlike Walgreens, CVS has chosen to take the mergers and acquisition route to grow its pharmacy and pharmacy benefits manager businesses. It's merger with Caremark seemed to have paid off and has the company positioned to protect it's pharmacy business from shrinking prescription re-imbursements.

Now that Walgreens is trading at it's 52-week low price, is this the right time to become a shareholder of this once respected growth story?

The answer lies in its valuation. Historically, Walgreens has always traded at 40 to 60 times its earnings. However, over the last decade, there has been a contraction in it's price-earnings ration. From the highs of 50's in the 90's and the turn of the millennium, the stock today trades at a multiple of 19. The less than double digit growth as is now evident with the chain has in-turn resulted in investors punishing the chain driving down it's earnings multiple.

Assuming that the continued store openings, the aging of the not-so-healthy baby boomers, increased generic use as more blockbusters come off-patent and the introduction of pharmacy-only category of medicines, it is safe to assume that Walgreens will grow its revenues in the coming years.

So what is the company's fair value? Is it still over-valued at $39? Without doubt, I believe the stock is oversold at this level. Assuming that they successfully grow the business as we approach an economic slowdown, they should achieve at least 5% rate. Assuming further contraction of their EPS from low 30’s to 25 it is safe to value the stock at $43. Therefore, at $39 the stock is indeed undervalued by at least 10%. Since Walgreens has always traded at a premium, my target price in the coming 12 months including a 10% premium is $47. However, the just released results makes it hard to justify such a rich premium on the company.

Currently trading at $39 and change, I have placed a limit order at the $39 mark as I missed the sale that happened last week after they reported their results. Even though, its no longer an aggressive growth play, the current price makes it an attractive value stock with a possible 10% appreciation by the end of the year. At this point, the upside outweighs the risk for this growing company that boasts no debt in it’s books.

Dezo Dezo - Tshala Mwana

I recently searched the whole of Nairobi for Tshala Mwana's music CD containing her most famous track, Dezo Dezo, without success. I could only find one compilation of her music that did not have the said track. Thanks to the world wide web, I was able to find it on the web and I have it saved on my computer in preparation for the day that I become a proud owner of an iPod.

This video featuring a performance of Dezo Dezo was done by a talented band in Diani at the hotel that we stayed in. They performed for two nights, with the first night featuring a collection of Kenyan songs. Fortunately, I had carried my tripod which came in handy as I recorded most of the songs.

Time allowing, I will post some of the songs on Youtube as it's taking a lot of my time trying to edit the songs that I recorded on DVD format. I don't know the titles of some of the ethnic songs which I like very much so I'll be requesting some help in identifying the name of the songs and their original singers. Unfortunately, I will not post the ones that feature myself or family members dancing to their wonderful tunes.

PS. Does anyone know the song proceeding this one which ends with something like "Omera nyane Kisumu"? I have it edited and ready to post on Youtube.

Confessions Of A Reckless Driver

There is something about cars and men that is hard to explain. This complex association is similar to that of ladies and knitting diamonds. When it comes to cars, it's sort of like the Beauty and the Beast relationship. To a varying extent, a powerful car brings out the beast in even in the meekest men.

It all started when my friend phoned me at close to midnight as I was just about to retire and asked me if I could accompany him on a road trip. Normally, I would have turned down the request but this was no ordinary offer. Here was someone who could whip out a couple of million dollars in lose change asking me to hang out with him for a few days. Just me and him. And a few thousand of his hard earned dollars. Not that he was going to give me any money but there was no way I would have turned down his request considering this was something we had chatted about a year or two ago and it would give me the opportunity to learn a few business tricks from my friend. Luckily for me I asked my missus, who was already asleep, if I could go for a road trip the following week and she unknowingly agreed as she was in deep slumber. Within 30 minutes I had booked my air ticket and all that was left of me was to get a few days off work.

Come Wednesday evening the following week, I flew out East not knowing what to expect of the road trip as we hadn't planned anything. To my delight, instead of sending a cab to pick me up he turned up in his chauffeur driven Rolls Royce to pick me up. Over a late dinner at his place we planned the road trip and then he dropped me off at a nearby hotel that where I was booked to spend the night.

Expecting the Rolls the following day, I was awed when he turned up in a powerful monster of a car. Even before I could compose myself he handed me the keys and jumped into the passenger seat. Here I was, expected to drive a car that I didn't even know how to start. When I sat in the car I felt like a fish that had been taken out of the water. After going through the car controls with him I mustered all my confidence and drove off the car.

Until that moment I had thought all the cars were the same. This was The Car. Talk about performance. Everything thing was like a touch tone key pad. The slightest pressure on the accelerator would take you to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds. The fact that I would be driving the car for the next few days was unbelievable. Still in awe of the car, I cautiously drove out of Manhattan while I accustomed myself with the controls. For a car costing more than the median price of a house and with a two year wait list, it doesn't get better than this. The car had more functions than any computer or machine I had ever operated and yet I was supposed to be driving it without causing a scratch as it would cost almost $4,000 for a body touch up.

By the time we got out of the city I had familiarised myself with the dashboard and all the gadgetry that came with the car. And that is when the beast in me came out. If I was ever going to get a traffic ticket in the US this was my chance. There's no better way to prove my advanced driver training than getting a ticket. With my friend quietly praying under his breath, I broke every traffic rule on the interstates and highways. The in-built police radar detector gave me the freedom to drive as I pleased. I was drove at twice the speed limit over bends knowing too well that the car was fully grounded on the road and out raced any driver who thought they could race with us. And believe me when I say almost anyone on the road who thought they had a powerful car wanted us to race with them. Of course, I left them miles behind cause not even a M3 or AMG can handle tortuous roads at full power without the driver losing control of the car. In my case it was like the car glued to the tarmac. Only once did we come close to getting into an accident when some kid with a beaten-up Ford Mustang drove too close and almost hit us as he was busy trying to make high five hand gestures while grinning ear to ear at us.

The best part of the ride was the adaptive cruise control that allows you to drive the car without having to worry about other cars on the road, though we had to have the car cleaned twice a day so that it could function properly. Everytime we stopped at a car wash, everyone would come out wanting to clean the car so that they can drive it into the car wash and also get a fat $20 tip. There was this one car wash where the manager came out rushing from his office to wash the car. You should have seen him dismissing away his car wash guys so that he could take care of the car.

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After a day or two into the road trip the excitement dwindled save for when other drivers with Beamers or Mercs dared us to race them. To my amazement I never got the ticket that I had hoped for and I didn't even scratch the car despite my reckless driving. Surprisingly, I averaged 13 mpg which my friend told me was as good as a professional driver on the 500 plus horsepower fuel guzzler. A lot of the people we met thought I was some sought of professional player and my friend was my manager. This is because I was the one driving and I was dressed in jeans and sneakers while my friend was dressed business casual.

After four days on the road, which was about all I could handle, we got back to New York and I took the evening flight back to reality.

I'm supposed to take another road trip some time next spring but this time with the Phantom Drophead Coupe. Unfortunately, my missus will hear none of it as she was not amused with the road trip and instead we might all go and spend a few days with my friend at his summer home in the North East.

Either way, I can't wait to get my hands on the Phantom Drophead Coupe. Who knows, I might just get the speeding ticket that I am yearning for but fortunately for me I will not pay for it as my deep pocketed friend has promised to take care of any tickets should I get one.

Margin Call

Ever since the 18th of September I've been getting calls everyday from my mortgage lender. The first day I got the call, it was a pre-recorded message asking me to contact them. My thoughts at that time were that because the Feds had cut the overnight interest rates, they were trying to get me to refinance to a fixed rate mortgage to lock in my interest rate or they were trying to get me to take a second mortgage on my equity. Since my rates don't adjust till mid 2009 and I've sworn never to be sucked into the world of mortgage equity withdrawals, I decided not to take their calls or call them back. With each call everyday I rejected their calls and they left the same pre-recorded voicemail.

So I get a call on my office line. I look at the number and I recognize it as the same number as that from my mortgage company. I decide to pick it up with the intention of hanging up but there is a human voice at the other end.

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"Could I speak to Christopher Ssembonge," asks the caller.

"Speaking," I reply.

"This is Blah Blah Blah Mortgage calling regarding your account. Could you please confirm your home address?" she adds.

"Is this a marketing call?" I ask her.

"No," she retorts.

"What's up with you guys? You've been calling me like crazy of late. I'm I in trouble or what?" I inquire from her.

"No Sir. Could you please confirm your address"? She asks again.

Since I'm not certain as to the identity of the caller, I refuse to divulge my personal details until she tells me why she is calling. On the other hand she won't divulge any information until she confirms my identity. Not wanting to waste my time we agree to end the call. Later on I decide to check out the status of my mortgage account online.

To my surprise, I find out that my last month's mortgage payment is outstanding and I am yet to pay this months bill. So this is why they have been calling me all the time. Apparently, they changed their website such that I have to go back and re-establish my automatic mortgage payments. For all the years I've had a mortgage, I've always had the money taken out from my checking account automatically. And since I've not checked my bank statements lately, I had no idea that my mortgage payments were outstanding. I had no reason to believe that my payments were not being processed plus they never sent me a notice in the mail. If they did, I must have shredded it together with all the junk mail I receive.

After this discovery, I called the bank to clarify that I will immediately pay the outstanding balance. As expected, they understood that it was because of the changes they had made to their online payment system. I know they sent me an email, but I was in Kenya then and I couldn't be bothered at that time. Thankfully, they will refund me the late payment fee as this is the first time I have missed my payments and it was not entirely my fault.

Now I know what it feels like to have a creditor or stock broker call you everyday because of an outstanding debt or margin. At some point I felt like calling them back and asking them to stop calling me all the time. I can imagine this is what defaulters have to go through everyday. Considering that they are cash-strapped, the calls only serve to stress them. No wonder defaulters suffer from high blood pressure with some being driven to insanity. Just imagine someone calling you 24/7 regarding a debt you owe them. Cell phone companies should introduce a feature that allows you to block certain callers. Reminding someone is one thing as opposed to barraging debtors with useless calls.

Shopping At Sam's Club

For as long as I can remember my missus has been suggesting that we join Sam's Club but I have always refused. Sams Club, named after Walmart's founder Sam Walton, is one of the discount shopping warehouse supermarket's that sells household goods in bulk sizes. It is supposedly meant to serve small business owners but a sizable proportion of it's members are individual shoppers.

The first time I ever shopped at Sam's Club was when I had accompanied a friend to the store. I ended buying a huge jar of spices which lasted for eternity. I had to throw it away as I got fed-up of it and it also consumed a sizable proportion of shelf space in the kitchen. And it is for this reason that I've always refused that we enrol as members. In addition they charge $40 per year for every household membership.

Convinced that we were missing out on the savings offered by the store, my wife decided to pay the membership fee. Eventually I later agreed to getting a membership card though I still wasn't keen on shopping at the store. Instead, I still prefer to buy household goods like soaps, detergent, toothpaste, tissue, gardening consumables and breakfast cereals from Walmart.

At the back of my mind, I've always wondered whether it's really cheaper to shop at Sam's club as a lot of people claim. In search of the truth, I decided to compare the prices between Walmart and Sam's Club. Even though I have two Sam's Clubs and three Walmarts within a 10 mile radius of where I live, I chose to compare prices between one of the Sam's Club that is situated less than half a mile from a Walmart store. This is because the prices between Sam's Club stores can vary with the location. In this case, any differences in prices between Walmart and Sam's Club will not be attributed to the location as they are in the same strip mall.

My expectation from the comparison was that not everything in Sam's Club would be cheaper than Walmart. I expected Walmart to sell some things cheaper than Sam's Club. To my surprise, Sam's Club sold every item that I checked cheaper than Walmart. Though everything that I pooled was of a much larger quantity in Sam's Club than in Walmart with the exception of the books. My guess is that shopping at Sam's Club is a few dollars cheaper than Walmart and one ends up making fewer trips to the store as their over-sized items tend to last longer. Factoring in the $40 annual membership fee, it's not worth it shopping for staple goods at Sam's Club.

The savings may be with durable goods and electronics which I did not check. But considering that both Walmart and Sam's Club carry a limited choice of electronics, it still doesn't make economic sense to shop at Sam's Club. If anything, I think people who have Sam's Club membership tend to be loyal customers who may be less willing to shop in other supermarkets like Target, Safeway, SuperValu and even Walgreens because they feel compelled to fully utilize their membership. That way, they miss out on a wide choice of goods from other stores as they are tied to Sam's Club. In a way, it's a win-win situation for Walmart because they use the psychology of the membership card to gain customer loyalty.

Even after carrying out this comparison, I'm still not switching to Sam's Club. There is no way I would be willing to buy over sized household supplies. However, I will continue to shop for consumables with the exception of groceries, meats and fruits from Walmart. The same applies to electronics and other durable goods. There is no way I'm willing to fill my pantry, fridge and freezer with stuff that lasts for weeks without getting finished. I don't think I'll have a hard time convincing my missus not to renew the membership next year as she has minimized frequenting Sam's Club.

I think shopping at Sam's Club is more suited for schools, churches, large families (4 plus kids) and also when hosting social gatherings or parties. That would be people looking to buy things in bulk rather than to save money on households and groceries. As it is, consumable products in the US are larger sized compared to those sold in Africa or Europe and therefore I don't understand why the fascination with super sized stuff.

If anything, buying things in bulk only serves to encourage over consumption and wastage which is very prevalent here in America. On the bright side, I think it is possible to have free lunches or meals at Sam's Club. All you need to do is go round the frozen food section and sample every food that they offer people to taste. If it's not that I hate processed frozen food I would have tried having free lunch at the Sam's Club closest to my place of work.