Milling around Souk Al Bahar…Echoes of my neighbourhood

April 28, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha34 Comments

On Thursday’s, I share pictures about ‘Echos of my Neighbourhood.

I would like to invite you to participate. The challenge is quite simple.

Every Thursday, share a photo of bits and pieces of wherever you are at any point in time. It could be a house, backgrounds of your neighbourhood, activities and so forth and you can tag it Echos of my Neighbourhood, add my link to your post so that I will get the ping from your post.

Every other Thursday, I will publish a post with the links of all those who participated the previous week.

This is just a fun way of getting to see more of the World around us through your eyes since we cannot all be at those places, we could, at least, see them through you.

Sitting on the staircase and enjoying the warmth of others

We had some guests over the weekend and visiting Dubai Mall was top on the list for them since it’s their first time in Dubai.

Close to the Dubai mall and the Burj Khalifa is the Souk Al Bahar. One of Dubai’s destinations for Al Fresco dining at its finest with it’s Cafe’s, Pubs and exclusive restaurants.

When you have August visitors in April, you play nice and give them a little treat if possible. So we mixed up the entertainment of showing the landmarks that time would allow, people watching, and enjoying a noisy meal and karaoke in the Cuban restaurant Cafe Habana.

They did the daring zip lining but I didn’t. Maybe on another day when the thought does not send my tummy plummeting 😉

Last Week Echoes took us to different neighbourhoods, hop on let’s go see and we will be glad to see some of yours.

A walk in the village A totally refreshing amble, good food and beautiful things to see. My kind of good time 🙂

Temptation gallery When you visit Jericho and Temptation Mount, prepare your mind to see just anything, even a smart local speaking your native language. It’s a small world.

Jazzy tower I think I can be naughty and if I had the film crew hanging around my backyard, I would probably use the opportunity to do my own filming 😉

Kat of Mercury Colliding takes us on a wander through the museum. I love visiting such places. You get to see an eclectic mix of interesting stuff.

Boy o boy He’s such a big boy that you have to see him for yourself.

Please do share a peek of your neighbourhood/ World with us. Regards

My regards,

Jacqueline

It was impossible to please mother…Personal recount from Linda of Nutsrok.

April 28, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha18 Comments

This is a post swap between Linda and I. Be sure to visit her end and read my own little naughty side 😉

We get to share a short story of each others childhood escapades.

Now, this is called collaboration and we should do more of such things in this space.

Linda’s one of my favourite bloggers in this space and if you haven’t been to Nutsrok, then you, my friend are so seriously missing out on very good chuckles and charming company.

She always has me in stitches and appreciative of life. Her real-life recounts on her growing up years is worth a movie and I don’t exaggerate.

It was impossible to tell what would land me in trouble when I was a little kid. Mother was impossible to please.

We had a new kitten. I found a kitty surprise in the baby bed and knew for a fact Mother wouldn’t be happy, so I went into the kitchen and got Mother’s salad tongs.

She didn’t use them a lot. I picked up the kitty surprise with the tongs and flushed it down the toilet.

The cat poop had been nice and dry and didn’t leave a mark on the clean sheet. Pleased with myself for being helpful, I tossed the salad tongs in the sink and went on my self-satisfied way, without even bragging on myself.

In a few minutes, Mother called me. I found her examining the tongs, critically, looking and sniffing. “Did you use these tongs?”

Proudly, I answered, “Yes, Ma’am. The cat gee-geed in the baby bed and I cleaned it up for you!” I waited humbly for her praise.

You’d have thought I broke a what-not like I had a few times!

“You cleaned up a cat mess with my kitchen tongs and put them back in the sink. Look at the mess left on here! Do you want that on your food? That’s filthy. I’m going to wear you out!”

She got the fly swat and flapped my bottom three times. I hardly felt it, but I was deeply offended at her ingratitude.

She never caught me cleaning up cat gee-gee again with kitchen tongs or anything else.

Blog · WordPress

DE-BUGGED!!

April 28, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha31 Comments

Like some of you know, it has been a hectic couple of days with my blog placed on quarantine *security alert*.

However, with concerted efforts on my side, your support, the very supportive assistance of WordPress Engineers and Google’s cooperation, my blog has been cleared of the malicious whatamacallit.

What I don’t have is a concrete explanation for what went wrong.

I however, came away with several useful knowledge. Hopefully, over the weekend, I can sit down and put together a quick post as a reference point that someone in such pickle can refer to, assuming the cases are related.

So, to my blog’s bill of health, I say let’s blog on with integrity.

According to my home people, we would say, no dulling my swag 😉

Thanks to everyone.

Uncategorized

Featured Posts # 43…Let me share your post links.

April 28, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha

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‘PLEASE KEEP SENDING IN THE LINKS.’

Today’s featured blogs are:

A flock of Seagulls. A beautiful day at the seaside and daring Seagulls that want to steal your lunch, okay not steal but beg 😉

To vent or explode We all need that space to vent, so Michelle just set up some space for herself.

Lost confluence Beautiful forlorn words that pull at you.

Destiny Inspiring post. You never give hope and keep working at it.

Baked honey garlic chicken nuggets healthy, easy to make and delicious.

Homecoming when your family loves you irrespective of other perceptions, that’s a beautiful thing. Sarn comes home to the only family he knows, where he’s accepted for who he is and not a magical freak.

‘Do you want more eyes on your words?’

Well then, add your LINK INTO THIS LOOP.

P.S. 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.

‘We create a cohesive community when we come together.’

Everyday People · Photographs · Quotes For You

Warm looking…Every day beautiful people # 30

April 28, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha7 Comments

‘Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things.’ Robert Brault

Whatever it is that he’s saying, must be delightful. Keep her smiling 😉

Memes · Midnight motivation and musings · Musings

Midnight Motivation and Musings 73

April 27, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha24 Comments

At no age does the learning of the mind stop except the strictures that we place on ourselves.

Most times the term being set in our ways that we loosely use is actually a self-imposed and nice way of saying, I don’t want to be bothered to change.

For as long as we can keep our minds open to assimilate knowledge, our inner core is rejuvenated, constantly growing and the perspectives of our horizons remains broad.

Poetry/Poems · Writer's Quote Wednesday · Writing

Writing chameleon… Writers quote Wednesday challenge

April 27, 2016August 17, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha19 Comments

This week’s writers quote challenge gives us the word artist as prompt.

Sometimes, I find it amusing when people question if writers are artists and it simply defines how myopic the stretch of their mind can be.

To all such people, I say ‘but of course, writers are artists, we simply paint our creation in words. A castle in the mist can be built in the mind.

I find this quote from Steve Martin interesting and I wrote a poem that came to me.

“Through the years, I have learned there is no harm in charging oneself up with delusions between moments of valid inspiration.”
― Steve Martin, Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life

Unperceived, imperceptible,
I scan with beady eyes
appreciating and critiquing
a second nature
whipping thoughts together
my truest pleasure

I am blazing hot and chilling cold
pencil tucked inside my unruly hair
occasionally interferes with the hoops in ears
my lips wet in dribbling anticipation
eyes dim and shine in secret reflections.
displeased with any interruptions.

In retro jeans and slack red T’s
with tinted hair in shades of wine
a pinch of blue is tossed inside
an enhancement of some rebellious side
now this is my bohemian side

I am chatty and I am snobbish
I wear heels with lots of flourish
engrossed in my beat
churning thoughts on spit
as ink is tossed with a relentless streak

My soul screams within
as voices chatter and cackle
my heart knows uncanny quietness
as I bash out the tempestuous battle

I am not a freak but an artist
a human writing chameleon of non-ebbing talent
emboldened by the beats of the mind
I dance like a puppet on my muse’s string.

I am making something out of nothing.

Uncategorized

Featured Posts # 42…Let me share your post links.

April 27, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha

1456149614808[1]

‘PLEASE KEEP SENDING IN THE LINKS.’

Today’s featured blogs are:

Looking fly Cool dude!

Some Tabata Do you Tabata and blast fat?

Life and death a very insightful post for everybody.

Epilogues to be written Which one are you expending your energy on? Epilogue or prologue? A thoughtful poem.

Pursued Sarn is drawing closer to his home turf and it’s good to get a peek into his background.

‘Do you want more eyes on your words?’

Well then, add your LINK INTO THIS LOOP.

P.S. 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.

‘We create a cohesive community when we come together.’

Art · Photographs · The Daily Post

MASK…

April 27, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha17 Comments

That man behind a mask

he’s chameleon to behold.

What does he hide?

The truth in his soul

♣

You must tread with care

and dine from afar

lest he turns you into a monster

that’ll eat up your heart.

Interestingly, I had set up the photos above to post for my Wordless Wednesday when today’s daily prompt word came in and it was a mask, so I simply added the short poem above.

How well done I said to myself. They are now syncing with my thoughts as well 🙂

Mask, The Daily Post Prompt.

appreciation · Gratitude

It’s been a trying moment and I am trying hard not to scream…

April 27, 2016February 2, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha33 Comments

It’s been a blog challenging, two days to say the least and definitely not amusing.

Having my blog harassed by malicious attempts or whatever, is not something I anticipated dealing with this week and for some good moments, I’ve been made to question and ask what if?

What if I woke up and my almost 1,200 posts have gone poof into thin air?

How will I take it?

I believe I will be hopping mad! I believe all my righteous indignation juices will overflow zealously and my write mode will go into overdrive.

So, after all, said and done and while WP happiness engineers are trying to restore my happy blog to robust health, I am thankful for friends who were concerned enough to reach out and send messages notifying me of the anomaly.

They didn’t run off scared throwing me to the dogs. Now that is called friendship.

I am thankful that I am not yet screaming myself blue in the face and throwing colourful strings of curses. Phew!! It felt good to say that.

It’s all good. I’ll just take a chill and have some cardamon tea while it takes whenever to get things back to square zero.

You can join Colline’s or Maria Jansson gratitude challenge platforms.