The year it's new!!

Happy Christmas and Merry new year to all our readers... we hope you keep reading in the upcoming new year.

Much love and appreciation

v3rcity

HOLIDAY SPENDING ... Cynthia

Well, December is here and this is the holiday season. This is the month for merry making, get aways, partying and generally just having lots of fun. Granted Jesus was born during this month and for Christians, this is pretty significant; He is after all the son of God and our Savior. But we all know most of what we do has little to do with Jesus.

I love the holidays/ December because it is the month families get together and catch up. It is the time most people get time away from work or school and can distress. It is Christmas season so there is lots of cheer and a general atmosphere if fun. But it is also a time when we spend the most and due to poor planning; most of us end up having financially stressful Januarys and Februarys.

How do we go about our December spending and reduce the level of financial stress in the first months of the next year? As usual, my fist point of any ‘how to’ is planning.  Without planning, you are almost a lost cause and maybe have to wait until the next December after reading this article to reap from my two cents advice. What do I mean by panning? December is always eleven months away from January. So think eleven months prior. What would you like to do for your next holiday season when you have enough time away from work or out of school?  What does it entail? How much will it cost? Is it a group thing or an individual thing? How can you start saving to reach that target? The sooner you start planning for this the better.

Let’s say you have been ahead of the game this year and planned for December? You have your holiday fund nicely tucked away and are ready to party and make merry? First of all good for you because let’s face it, most of us cannot afford the December spending spree on our regular income because holiday or not, the bills still have to get paid. So how do you go about spending so that you get the maximum benefit out of your money while making sure you do not overspend and end up eating into the non-holiday fund? Remember the non-holiday fund has to untouched because January bills still have to be paid.

First and foremost, spend within your means. Don’t blow it all in one day at a pricey place that is way out of your league and be back at square zero the next day. The holiday season is generally from 20^th December to 3^rd January. That’s two weeks so pace yourself.

Being December, everyone is out to make some money. Be very careful that you are not overcharged or taken advantage of just for this reason. Pay for goods and services at their fair price and if you feel you are being overcharged, consider changing shop or venue. You do not want some establishment eating a big chunk out of your holiday fund in its quest to make mad profits during the season.

Go Dutch. Yes I know it is Christmas and you are feeling generous and want to treat your friends. But who will treat you when you are already out of cash and still have a number of days before the end of the holidays. Treat your friends once in a while, it is allowed. But also split the bill as much as possible. This way your holiday fund will last as intended.

Look for good deals. Just like you are feeling generous, most shops and establishments will be bitten by the generosity holiday bug and will be giving away good deals. Look out for offers such as buy one get one free or free drinks for first 20 patrons etc. This is a great way to ensure your holiday fund stretches out.

Make early bookings. I know we are proudly Kenyans but this culture of last minute rushes does us more harm than good. Remember my point about businesses being out to make mad profits? There best way for them to manage this is catch you when you are desperate and the last minute rush makes you desperate. Book your tickets, venues, supplies etc. in advance so that you get them at the normal price.

Last but not least, give back to society. It is Christmas, you have had a long year, worked hard and God has sustained you throughout the year.  Be thankful to Him and celebrate His Son’s birth by sharing with the less fortunate. As Jesus said, whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers…that you do unto me.

Happy Holidays!

Holiday Survival Tips ... Girl_Incognito

The one time we become even more confused than usual and believe me… that’s saying something! We spend all semester begging, pleading, praying (in tongues) for this sacred time to come. The countdown goes from months to weeks to days… and in those last moments when we’re so sure we’re not going to make it, we’re about to crash and disintegrate from the stress and tears of final projects and exams, hanging off the cliff with our last finger, the sunlight breaks through the storm-clouds and the time we've long awaited arrives and its good, real good in its first few weeks… but then… nothing. Waking up at whatever time we want begins to get monotonous, at 2 pm with nothing good on TV (Ha!) we let out that inevitable sigh of boredom. Let’s not forget how personal hygiene takes a back seat  We find ourselves wondering if we’d rather be back in school, but then as soon as the holiday comes to an end we’re filled with dread and doom and looming rain clouds at the thought of going back.  

Now that we’re in College/University holidays mean a different thing, for most of us that means going back home and for some of us that means starting the holiday with a flight home.

Tip 1: DO NOT get wasted on the plane if you are travelling alone. I know it seems like an opportune moment of complimentary liquor and nothing else to do, but when you start singing along to Rita Ora with your headphones on super blast and that evil eye from your neighbour can’t deter you, its downhill from there.

Afterwards come the comforts of home, all the things we took for granted in high school like home cooked meals and a clean bathroom, it’s almost enough to have you tearing up to Diddy’s “coming home”… until he starts rapping of course.

Tip 2: Your folks love to pamper you when your home, its 5 star treatment you never got when you actually lived there, but for extra pampering feign a little illness when you come back, pull a Lindsay and claim ‘exhaustion’ and malnourishment from the strenuous semester. Your treatment is very likely to increase at least 2 stars.

The best part about the holidays is all that free time you have on your hands.

Tip 3: Take time out to invest in things that need fixing, like a cluttered house or a spiritual connection or, you know your look (said in the most positive manner possible). 

There’s always room for improvement. The worst part of the holidays is all that free time on your hands, it’s not long before the dreaded boredom sets in, yet you still can’t muster energy to go job hunting (shudder). It does indeed become a dilemma

Tip 4: Sometimes when we can’t count on our old friends it’s time to make new ones… i.e.   Jack, Johnny and Jimmy if you catch my drift (*disclaimer ; no responsibility will be taken for any repercussions that may follow if the former advice is followed)

Lastly, we love to take advantage of the free time to spend with our friends, but let’s not forget about the family. As much as we missed them it takes me exactly four days before I start to hate them again, but they did invest for me to be here after all so

Tip 5: Do take some time out to bond with the folks, whether it’s Sunday dinners or drunken barbeques we did miss them, right?... Right?

C:\> LAUNCH holiday.exe ...theBoyThosh

Tis the season to be tipsy, falalalala lala la la,

Games, n raves , n trips with wifey falalala .... Oops, meant wi-fi

cause I need to stay connected all the time.

End of the year is finally here. Our faces full of cheer as we refill our mugs with beer. 

Who's been naughty, who's been nice? Who will eat coal, who will drink double Jameson with Ice. Everyone gets laid around Christmas time, even the nerds with words like a mine. 

And what time-waster in my hand I see? My my my, it's Assassin's Creed 3!

I have been working hard on my holiday response. So far I have:

• "What sorry excuse for a life do you have that you're still sending emails at this time of the year?" 
• "This email account has been suspend in order to avoid drunken email replies" 
• "Busy helping Agent 47 and Conner. Kindly forward any queries to Narnia" 
• "These very pissed off birds won't catapult themselves to some laughing pork factories on their own, so please email someone else" 

Let's face it, all we wanna do over the holidays is what we've been crying about all year. For some of us, it's not having to write new articles for our beloved magazine blog. For others its to finish constructing that anti-spill hand attachment for holding our drinks and game-pads at the same time. Whatever the case, we always end up still rising at the crack of dawn, staring at the computer for hours because we forgot what we wanted to
Google. We become serial slobs and hoarders. Leaving too many icons on the desktop, never emptying out the recycle bin, not doing side-missions in Mass Effect cause we just want the story to end. We forget to brush our teeth cause we're not talking to anyone anyway, as we've been in our rooms for 2 days straight.

Now that I think of it, the holiday doesn't seem to healthy for my liking. But who gives a crap, IT'S THE HOLIDAY! I can put on my batman t-shirt, then go to the circus and spank some girl-clowns while hanging upside down. Because for that short period before am cut+pasted to the setting of prison break, I can do anything because I am the Dork Knight.

When people ask me what I drink in December, I tell them All-cohol. And that's what the holiday is about; not being stuck up about beer giving you bellies and vodka making you drunk-text that stupid bitch who still has my Sonic the hedgehog t-shirt….. sorry, Holiday is also about forgiveness, and I forgive everyone except those who owe me money. Am talking to you Boss. Don't give me vouchers, gimme double my pay for crying out loud. Drinking times no longer end at 2 am … lets rage on till the world ends … pun intended … please mother nature, let the damn world end. Credit roll and give us a teaser for Earth-Life 2.

In hopes to get laid, here are my pick-up lines from my different video games:

• Assassin's Creed - "Hey baby, wanna see my hidden blade"
• Mass Effect - "I'm Commander Shepard, and i want to pilot through your ass effect field"
• Batman Arkham City - "I'm Batman"
• Deus Ex - "I don't need augmentations to play this stage ;)"
• Sonic the Hedgehog - "I got a gold ring with your name on it"

Hmmm, these lines may not work on the average gamer girl me thinks, but who cares. IT'S THE HOLIDAYS! I'll use it on the ones who play on easy.

Happy holidays to all you Muggles.

Viva la V3rcity!

@thuita

A Day In Your Life ... Chrisette Michele

Could you buy me a day
In your life 
When I'm wearing the clothes 
That you wear, 
And could you give me your dimes for a day 
And just for one day take my place 

See mama says that I am beautiful, yeah 
And I am lovely the way that I am 
But if I am so sweet 
Why won't life 
Just give me 
What you have
What you have 
What you have

Or can I get away with
Being you for a day
Oh I wonder if I can

Put me in a Box 
For a little while
Tomorrow
Take me out, again

Or am I already
As lovely as You
Are you in my window pane
Looking back at me
Saying, Here I am 
Girl,
You're Beautiful

Could be that I am just too afraid
To become who I already am
Could it be that the life 
That was spoken to me
Is indeed in my spirit, man, Oh

Mama said touch the sky with your heels 
And to fly on the wings of the Lord
Could I only believe that 
It is inside of me
To be free
To be free
To be free

Or can I get away with
Being you for a day
Oh I wonder if I can

Put me in a Box 
For a little while
Tomorrow
Take me out, again

Or am I already
As lovely as You
Are you in my window pane
Looking back at me
Saying, Here I am 
Girl,
You're Beautiful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Vdr0cSJPQYA

The Funniest Thing... Selina Tan

The things I find funny
People don’t laugh
Things I don’t find funny
People always laugh
The funny thing is
When I find things funny
People laugh

Sometimes

Vodka... Joel Brouwer

The Stoli bottle's frost melts to brilliance where I press my

fingers.

Evidence.

Proof I'm here, drunk in your lamp lit kitchen,

breathing up your rented air, no intention of leaving.

Our lust

squats blunt as a brick on the table between us.

We're low on

vocabulary.

We're vodkaquiet.

Vodkadeliquescent.

Vodka doesn't like theatrics: it walks into your midnight bedroom already

naked, slips in beside you, takes your shoulders in its icy hands

and shoves.

Is that a burglar at the window?

No, he lives with me, actually.

Well, let him in for Christ's sake, let's actually get this over with