a cooking pot and twisted tales
Thoughts and Tales…A Lifestyle Blog with a Zing.
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.
The photo was taken lying down lazying around on the rug with the kiddos’.
I like how it turned out. The outstretched appendage belongs to my son 🙂
A beautiful and fascinating lady writer whom I admire greatly. It is said that one’s words are a mirror into their soul and Tanya’s one amazing writer who’s words reach you on another level.
My pen is a mighty tool. I’ve been using it all my life to tell stories and explore this world in all its natural wonder and human diversity. I write everything from the diminutive, but powerful, haiku to the full-bodied epic adventure. Of all my writing endeavors in the past few years, I’m most proud of the successful use of some of my work a juvenile detention center in SE Wisconsin to foster creative expression and encourage these children to develop their unique talents.
My passion for human rights manifests in a strong voice of advocacy for the persecuted and poor and an ongoing family effort that supports a range of humanitarian efforts. Watch where you step on my blog. I shatter a lot of glass of past hypocrisies with my pointed quill.
I love working with the camera and use my photography to illustrate the pieces I share on my blog, with a special emphasis on nature shots and work with a macro lens. The credit for all the photos of me goes to my talented 13-year-old daughter, who shares my enthusiasm for a good capture.
I’m a classically trained flutist with a rich and eclectic taste in music, performing everything from Mozart to jazz improvisation. My favorite playing hours, however, find me behind the piano keys.
I am a graduate from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
I started my blog just over a year ago as a platform to support the fantasy novel I had just published and to grow my writing skills. On my blog, I write everything from the diminutive haiku to free verse poetry to short stories. I have even begun sharing stop-motion videos that I produce. My work often serves as a platform for social commentary and critique and a voice of support for those who have nothing. My passion for nature finds frequent expression through words and photos on my blog. I love my interactions with bloggers all over the world and take great inspiration from their friendships and encouragements.
I recently retooled my blog to include new projects that I have and directions I’m exploring. This involved clearing a lot of old writing off my blog and completely redoing my home pages – a major facelift.
My first-in-series epic, fantasy novel, Tales from the Valdaren – The Prodigal Son, was published just over a year ago and maintains a 4.5-star rating on Amazon. The second novel is in development.
I just published, A Haiku for Ricky Baker, a book of poetry including Haiku, Tanka and free verse poems telling the stories of neglected and at-risk children. All proceeds from that book go to fund art and writing programs for children in juvenile detention. I also hope to use this book to introduce Haiku and Tanka to these children as a method of developing strong writing and reading skills.
The second book of poetry and short stories, The Politically Empty Glass, will be released shortly. This book explores the hypocritical application of “liberty” in the United States through a combination of Haiku, Tanka, free verse poems and satirical short stories. It is a work that has come about, in part, due to the encouragements of my blogging friends.
I am also delving into screenplay work, using the development of stop-motions videos as an initial platform. I love the challenge of telling a story through this medium.
How on earth do humans forget so quickly that xenophobic history continually repeats itself? I thought that like is commonly said that experience is the best teacher should have taught us hard earned lessons by now that hate is such a destructive fuel that divides and dehumanizes?
How can we explain recent wicked acts that are perpetrated in civil society? How can we condone these things as though they are normal?
Watching recent vile, vivid videos about Xenophobic attacks in South Africa – acts of hatred perpetrated by black South Africans on other African natives residing over there, people from Nations who stood by South Africans through Apartheid – where the perpetrators cite the lack of jobs in their community as the fault of non-indigenes who have taken all their jobs. A particular video making the rounds issues a serious warning of more attacks if the non-SA residents don’t leave in the next 14 days.
I wish that my brain could unwatch these despicable acts of horror. How exactly do these specimens of homo sapiens live with themselves after their deplorable acts?
My mind hovers on the current situation in the States and I fear for the degeneration of situations. Some may have not seen the documentary, but an underground network of sanctuaries is sprouting up anonymously in the US by concerned citizens who want to help victims caught up in the ICE windstorm.
Does this not bring the underground railroad set up for slaves to mind? Are we retrogressing or what?
How have we forgotten the horrors of the holocaust, the annihilation of the Native Americans, the bitter fruits of slavery still being harvested till today? How do humans make such poor students and such horrible mistakes?
I am still struggling to understand how hate can consume the mind so much that all reasoning fails. Sometimes, I wonder if people fail to realize that none of us will get out of here alive. That the piece of red earth we fight tooth and nail, kill and maim others for will still fall to the termites?
How far are we willing to degenerate before we can rise up and say enough?
We are better than this. We are one human race and I hope someday that we’ll realize this somehow.
Jacqueline
Nothing complements each other like a celebration with good friends, good food, great conversation, and laughter. An excellent combination that memories are made of.
Secrets they hid away
their perversion no one saw
yet the perched little birdie watched in silence
he knew it all.
∴
© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha
‘PLEASE SEND IN YOUR LINKS.’
Today’s featured blogs posts are:
Do step in and show some love.
Surprising and disturbing discovery Pt 2. Nothing is as satisfying as solving a mystery, even with your microscope. You’ve got to follow this 🙂
In the moment I totally enjoyed reading this. Gave me warm fuzzies. Most times life takes us round a corner so that we can enjoy the moments that we are given.
When there are no words When we have no words to speak, let our hearts speak for us. This is a beautiful read.
The new normal or no Normal What’s your own definition of normal? I find this post thought-provoking. 
A detonation of fate A story for your weekend. Enjoy 🙂
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It’s the start of the weekend here and I just grabbed a fresh batch of baguettes.
My love for fresh baguettes grew from younger days of living in France.
There’s something simply mouth-watering about the fresh smell of baked baguettes/bread floating out of the windows of the local boulangerie.
Some say it’s the bewitching magic of yeast.
I also believe that my people-watching days started from this time back in the days when I would sit and nurse a cup of hot cocoa and a fresh sandwich of choice.
I am feeling nostalgic.
Little thoughts give birth to big things.
Bernadette at http://www.HaddonMusings.com
Jacqueline at http://www.Acookingpotandtwistedtales.com
Joan at http://www.familyparentingandbeyoned.wordpress.com
Oneta at http://www.onetahayes.com
This week is my turn. I hope you enjoy the quote.
DISSENT
Women in pink hats
Looked a little bats.
The powerful called them wrong.
The wise called them strong.
And unassisted
They persisted.
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One fervent thought that is crystal clear in my mind is to enjoy where ever I am at each point in time. To be at peace with myself and my environment.
Sometimes people ask me ‘how do you cope with living in a predominantly Muslim society,‘ and I smile in response with a simple statement ‘I’m loving it.’
The differences in culture and society are certainly there but the real truth is that this place is a potpourri of nationalities and there’s so much to learn from being around others.
My message here is that wherever you find yourself – even if it’s in your good old hometown, live with open eyes’ embrace each day with positive energy.
My weekly meanderings took me to the central souk in Sharjah. I always try to find a new location within a day’s travel at most from me to visit and I enjoy a leisurely train/bus ride to the place. Sometimes, I drive myself as well but most times, I just enjoy the process of the journey – that’s the fun part.
Lady Lee shares her weekly smile with us. Do take a make and grab a smile 🙂
If you would like to show us your neighbourhood, the challenge is quite simple and you can find out more about it through this link.
Jacqueline
♦
This poetry is my contribution to Oneta’s quote for last Writers quote challenge prompt:
“I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.” Helen Keller
Interestingly, Helen Keller’s quote reminds me of a saying that my parents were fond of ‘anything worth doing is worth doing well.’
This principle ‘to give it my best,’ has stuck with me in the little and the big things and especially now as I wisen up each day. I may fail in my attempt, but I am certainly going to keep doing it until I get it right.
I find that chores that used to bore or irritate me in the past have ceased to be so because of my approach and positive attitude towards them.
I’ve been training my mind to see the beauty and the positive sides of even the most mundane task and the interesting thing is that my views and perspective keeps expanding by the day.
Even the weekly task of cleaning the house that I do with the kiddos, we turn up the music and jive to the beats while dusting and polishing and the chore just breezes by 🙂
Positive energy can make a lot of difference.
The Writer’s Quote Challenge is a weekly blogging event. Either make up your own sayings or use a quote from a famous author that you find gives you inspiration. Each Thursday, a hostess will post the prompt and all you have to do is participate.
Our hostesses are:
Bernadette at http://www.HaddonMusings.com
Jacqueline at http://www.Acookingpotandtwistedtales.com
Joan at http://www.familyparentingandbeyoned.wordpress.com
Oneta at http://www.onetahayes.com
Please join us. You can check this link for more information.
I look forward to seeing you.
Jacqueline
a cooking pot and twisted tales 
