Plain and Puzzling…

May 9, 2017May 10, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha9 Comments

When I saw Ronovan’s prompt for this week’s haiku ‘plain & fast’ I didn’t know where to go with it so I left it and went to brew myself a cup of something to drink.

I don’t know if it’s the cheap cup of homemade Cappucino that I am sipping, but as I stood by the kitchen counter pondering over something that’s being going on in my life in recent days, a thought just whispered into my ear ‘life is plain and simple, but we choose to complicate it and lose finding the beauty in every situation when we are in such a hurry to get past an uncomfortable experience.’ That was my answer right there 🙂

So, thanks to the little God of Thoughts and my cup of Cappucino.

In plain thoughts, life is a puzzle,
with no hard and fast rules.
Enjoy it as you fit the pieces.

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

Midnight motivation and musings

If We Wait, We Die Waiting – Midnight Motivation and Musings

May 8, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha4 Comments

It’s commonly said that when you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Living a successful life that you want requires conscientious steps to building the life that you want and like every builder worth his salt, you need your master blueprint to serve as your compass in your journey through living that successful life that you seek.

Your blueprint will make you more productive, progressive, inspired and fulfilled.

How to create your blueprint and what it does for you. Connect with me on my Vlog let’s talk.

Featured Blogs

Featured Posts – Share Your Post Links

May 8, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha1 Comment

Sharing, Blogs, Networking, Growing Readership, Connection, Bloggers, Blog Posts

‘PLEASE SEND IN YOUR LINKS.’

Today’s featured blogs are:

Do step in, explore these blogs and show some love.

Take a moment and breath: The fisherman’s village I could barely find words to express how good I felt reading Chanty’s post. You should read it

At times I’m left speechless at the curve-balls that we’re faced with so unexpectedly in our lives. As I’m reflecting on my life I am experiencing how God led me gently towards every emotional growth path possible that He knew was best for me. I’m exiting this phase with intensity in my soul that only God could orchestrate.

A very caring little bird What a sweet, sweet story. I know that I am going to have my sturdy rocking chair to watch the birds and bees go by 🙂

It begins with you A well thought out post. If only we checked what proceeds from our mouth we’ll be more at peace.

You never know that your words could be like a burden to them that they carry on their shoulders for forever and that would be so distressing.You never can tell if a person is dealing with anxiety.The nights are always disturbed. It’s crucial to be kind with each and everyone.

The Cross You’ll find something suitable to any situation that you might be passing through. Take a peek at this passage.

Styling and Profiling I call this ‘when you are loving your beautiful awesomeness‘ 😉

Do you want more eyes on your words?’

Well then, add your LINK INTO THIS LOOP.

Comments are disabled here to keep the loop tidy. Any comments or link you want to send can be added through the link in the post.

Thank you for your understanding and regards.

‘Remember, we create a cohesive community when we come together.

Fiction · Short Stories

The Other Dream…

May 8, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha11 Comments

As the pile of freshly felled tree trunks grew, so did Theo’s stress grow. The cycle just never seemed to stop. He truly didn’t mind the work, not in the least, but it also didn’t hold much of his interest.

Though he found the art of turning the logs into different purposes satisfying, at the same time, he felt a deep dissatisfaction with his life. After high-school graduation, he had wanted to proceed to college and pursue his dreams of becoming a Civil Engineer, but that thought had simply upset his dad.

His great-grandpa down to his dad were woodcutters and he was expected to be satisfied carrying on with the family business of logging. It’s been three years since graduation, he wanted to bring up the conversation of going back to college again, but the time never seemed right – there were bank loans to repay and dad’s health had taken a poor turn.

With each passing day, the displeasure simply weighed him down. He knew that he was called to be more than a lumberjack which was what life currently offered him.

In response to the FFAW photo prompt above. Thank you, Loretta, for the photo and Priceless Joy for this enchanting platform

InLinkz

Mundane Monday

Locomotion…Mundane Monday

May 8, 2017May 8, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha7 Comments

Mundane Monday challenge is created to find beauty in almost everything.

The challenge is simple. Find beauty in everyday mundane things, capture the beauty and upload the photographs.

When I saw the bicycle nicely tethered to the rail of the foot bridge and the slippers – sadly I didn’t see the owner – all that came to my mind was the word ‘locomotion.’

Assuming both items belong to the same person, he obviously wears the slippers to cycle on his bicycle from place to place, but he left both behind and probably wandered off barefoot. Who knows?

Stream of Consciousness Saturday.

Roller-coaster and intermissions – #SoCS

May 7, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha12 Comments

Parenting is by far the hardest job that I have ever done in my life. It’s interesting, challenging, full of ups and downs and sadly there’s no one size fit all manual that intercedes to help you wade through this amazing experience.
Sure there are helpful materials out there that one could read for sensible tips and advice, however, the truth is that no two children are the same and their interbehavioural attitudes differ and keep changing as they grow more independent.

This interdependent relationship that involves every human emotion and part of me that I can think of, is one relationship that I can’t even imagine what my life would be without it because our lives are completely intertwined. Sometimes as a parent I am completely overcome with fierce love and pride for my family and at other times I am as mad as ever but learning to handle these things has thought me more than any book will ever teach me. I had no idea before walking into wife-dom and motherhood that I had such deep well of internal patience.

Now, as I write this, in between thinking interesting thoughts of what I want to write, thoughts of what’s for lunch, dinner, tomorrow, a reminder to add toilet duck to the shopping list and to call the school to find out why I have to pay extra for inter-house sports rudely interrupt my train of thinking. My days are continuous roller-coasters with intermissions here and there, but that’s just life.

Jacqueline

#SoCS – Inter

P.S. You are invited to our monthly blog party taking place right now. Just check this link.

Uncategorized

It’s Party Time. Come Right In.

May 7, 2017May 7, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha

The party is still going on. You are welcome to join us.

a cooking pot and twisted tales

Hello There. Welcome. My end of the month’s blog party had to be postponed to this week due to some rickety behaviour of my system last weekend. It’s all sorted now and nothing is going to stop us from having a good time.

Do make yourself comfortable. Refreshments are nicely arranged down the page: Drinks, Chocolates, Cakes, Donuts, freshly squeezed juice, Coffee, Tea and so much more.

The little party rules.

Be friendly. Mix and mingle with others. Don’t be a wallflower. Blog parties offer the opportunity to meet many other bloggers in one place. Use the opportunity effectively.

Please leave your blog link or post link in the comment box below along with an introduction.

It’s one link per comment, but come back as often as you’d like, that way it’s easier for others to focus on a link one at a time.

Have fun, this is a great…

View original post 202 more words

Online Blog Party

It’s Party Time. Come Right In.

May 6, 2017May 6, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha35 Comments

Do make yourself comfortable. Refreshments are nicely arranged down the page: Drinks, Chocolates, Cakes, Donuts, freshly squeezed juice, Coffee, Tea and so much more.

The little party rules.

Be friendly. Mix and mingle with others. Don’t be a wallflower. Blog parties offer the opportunity to meet many other bloggers in one place. Use the opportunity effectively.

Please leave your blog link or post link in the comment box below along with an introduction.

It’s one link per comment, but come back as often as you’d like, that way it’s easier for others to focus on a link one at a time.

Have fun, this is a great way to find bloggers and have them find you.

Please show some love. Reblog this post. It helps all of us! The more people that see and participate in it, the more potential new follows! So, share and share voraciously!

Did You Know?

That the most highlighted books on Kindle according to Amazon are the Bible, the Steve Jobs biography, and The Hunger Games? There’s gotta to be something in those books.

That a tarantula can live without food for more than two years? No wonder it’s such a meanie!

That to produce a single pound of honey, a single bee would have to visit 2 million flowers? That’s a lot of buzzing.

That during your lifetime, you will produce enough saliva to fill two swimming pools? Stop dribbling 😉

That the tongue is the strongest muscle in the body? You don’t say!

Image result for image jokes

I found this silly quote and it’s just apt 🙂

Have you been to my other blog house ‘The Art of Beautiful Expressions?’ There are lots of gems to be found within.

Just click on the image below

Here’s my latest video sharing some good words with you. I hope you find it useful. Click and Subscribe 😉

Savouring a piece of ham and turkey quiche with salad.

Friday Fiction in Five Sentences · Short Stories

Calamity – Friday Fiction in Five Sentences

May 5, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha9 Comments

Scalding hot tears spilt out of Ifueko’s swollen eyes mingling with the salty dribble from her nostrils into her mouth.

She wailed in reckless abandon, her swaying form gathered into itself as she interjected her pitiful cries with grief-lade idioms ‘Chi mu o, ewu ata mu igu n’isi – My God, the goat has eaten palm fronds off the top of my head’.

‘Why? Chukwu Okike. Why has such calamity befallen me, she asked her God of creation.

The repeated echos of ‘ndo, sorry’ and other words of commiseration from the growing gathering of neighbours and friends fell on deaf ears.

Her five young ones surrounded her on the bare ground of their uncompleted home, their young minds unable to comprehend the gravity of their situation as the men of the compound struggled to bring out their father’s body from the well.

Quick Glossary

Chi mu o – My God

Chukwu Okike – God of Creation

Echos Of My Neighbourhood

Etihad – Echoes of My Neighbourhood

May 4, 2017May 4, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha9 Comments

Roughly translated, Etihad means ‘together, join into one,’ and that’s what the UAE is all about. The United Arab Emirates is made up of 7 Emirates that came to become one Federation, yet each Emirate is autonomous.

The enormous, extraordinary development this region has experienced can only be better appreciated when you see the stark, arid, unforgiving surroundings that it was carved out of.

My foray last week took me to Etihad museum. The museum is located on the same historical site of the Union House, which is where the constitution of the UAE was signed in 1971 to establish its independence.

Etihad is equipped with a library, an education centre, exhibition halls, restaurant/cafe. It offers a series of interactive pavilions, photos, films and more, where visitors can explore the UAE’s history with particular emphasis on the significant period between 1968 and 1974 – through photos, films and more.

It’s always my wish to develop better understanding and appreciation of where ever I am, which is why I haunt museums. Doing so gives one a glimpse into the history and heritage of their surrounding and allows you to see the place through different eyes.

Beautiful photos of fresh snow from Lady Lee’s neighbourhood.

On another hand, after much deliberation, Echoes of my neighbourhood will be evolving a bit. It has run consistently every week for well over a year and I am honestly surprised that I kept up with it. Sometimes, we don’t know how far we can go unless we start.

Going forward, it will evolve into a monthly feature on this blog and no longer weekly. The last Thursday of each month will offer a collage of photographs and post for Echoes. I am in the process of aligning my projects and other interests to create better balance.

You are most welcome to join Echoes of my neighbourhood – last Thursday’s of the month.