Dubai · Success · Travel

We Have A Record…

GEMS largest human sentence

We may not be Emiratis, but we do live here and we feel proud to share in breaking the Guinness World Records along with our host country, especially as my daughter was among the almost 7,000 United Arab Emirates pupils who formed the World’s Largest Human Sentence.

We beat China, the previous record holder by several hundreds.

In the sea of whites, my daughter is a shiny white dot among the letter D.

Now, this has made my traipsing from shop to shop like a mall rat, while looking for a no-frills white shirt and the daunting feat of  engaging a selfish selfie taker in the restroom/washroom – that’s what we mainly call it here, worth all the trouble.

Remember, no selfies in the washrooms please. Thank you very much.

I am still smiling and feeling very magnanimous, I may just be a bit more forgiving to indiscreet toilet photographers if and when I catch them 🙂

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

Image Credit: The National News

A link to my neighbours/Community · Inspiration - Motivation · Life · Musings · Quotes For You · Tips for the day · Weave that Dream

Stretching The Vision….

Our external vision are absolutely important, but without our internal vision we are more or less blind.

One’s internal vision acts like a compass, steering wheel and rudder that directs our sweet spirits, whispering through our lives with guidance and grace. Vision

Our internal vision can be nurtured even beyond what our physical eyes can behold and our expectations.

Have you ever wondered how some of those who have challenged physical capabilities are able to do exceeding great things?

It is from their internal vision.They nourish and nurture it constantly despite adversity.

They walk by faith and not by sight.

What are you doing to build, foster, nurture and encourage your internal vision?

What are you looking at?

Remember that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he!

Thank you izzyasabee for inviting me for a round of 3 day quote challenge. I appreciate the opportunity.

I will equally invite these 3 awesome bloggers to join the quote challenge.

Nedoux

Emma of Shut that negative noise off!

Mary of MLou’s photography blog

A link to my neighbours/Community · Blogging · Creative Writing · Fiction · Humor - Bellyful of laughter · Love · Short Stories Series

On The Prowl! Husband Wanted Urgently!…

Black couples

Tess sifted through dozens of photographs of possible date matches. It was a surprise to discover an entire World of supposed eligible bachelors out there.

Putting up her own profile was a task she hadn’t expected to be that demanding. Her attempt to make a headline grabber, the right smile, the right amount of information was not as simple as she had thought.

The increased pings of her messenger for her new dating account, increased her excited nerves even though she still had trepidation about the whole thing, especially with the list of do’s and don’ts Kate had mentioned to her.

It was almost beginning to sound like an espionage escapade.

”Make sure you have a pepper spray handy!”

”Set up a separate email account.”

”Don’t give out your address or house number.”

If need be, invest in a stun gun!” ”What? I don’t want to go shooting anyone!” She had shrieked.

”Only meet them at a public place.”

”Use spiked drink detector nail polish, so you don’t find yourself suddenly floating along with all his requests.”

”Don’t allow kisses on the first date.”

”No going to apartments for a night cafe etc, etc.”

”Make eye contacts as you talk to him.” ”If they are shifty, don’t trust him!”

Blah, yadda, blah, blah..

Whats a girl’s to do when she needs to do to find her prince in these tough times, she thought to herself?

These days, the competition was stiffer.

The good guys were all grabbed and even a lot of very delicious looking ones were into other dudes.

She still recalled her utmost disappointment when she had moved in and met the very polite handsome Latino hunk of a male specimen living downstairs, Steve; he was equally taken by another interesting looking bloke!

This one doesn’t look so bad, she mused to herself as she stared at the face on her laptop. He had such a sincere, earnest, open look and not too bad looking as well. His bio also read well.

”Nothing ventured, nothing gained”, she muttered to herself as she clicked the button to initiate a chat.

”I cannot afford to live through the debacle of another uncoupled birthday with my folks.”

”I’d rather buy a ticket to Mexico than go through that embarrassing episode again.”

How could Mama invite Deaconess Elfrida’s son, Humphrey to pair up with me?

He is such a sanctimonious and pompous ass!

Auntie Virginia had kept rattling on and on in her persnickety high-pitched voice on ”Tips of how to catch a guy.” A most mortifying moment.

”Time for hair touch-up girl”, She thought, as she idly fingered her locks.

To be continued. Husband wanted urgently Part 1

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

This was meant to go out last week Saturday, but I couldn’t bring myself to send it out in the light of recent activities and in that time, I have found more gems in my neighbours garden. Do take a peek with me.

10 ways to be grateful even on bad days, found in the yadadarcyyada’s front lawn.

Vital security information for the holidays, by Tasha.

Shrimp Po Boys, from What’s for Dinner Moms?

Some sweet and Delicious chocolate cookies, from Lynz Real Cooking.

A beautiful read, the boy who dared to be great, from MLou.

A poignant civil war letter- found, in a corner of Elusive Tropes troves.

The simple truth handed by The adventures and musings of an Arch Druidess through the auspices of Sepultura’s blog

This quote shared by Meg Sorick reminds me of someone I know 😉

10 easy ways you can make the world a better place, by Danny of Dream Big, Dream Often.

Good budgeting tips here at how to stuff your pig, especially during holiday seasons when overspending tends to happen more.

It’s a wrap my good people. Let’s have a calm weekend shall we. God Bless and take care.

Image credit: Pinterest.

Creative Writing · Fiction · Short Stories · The Daily Post

Who is this Mysterious Sender?…

Secret admirerA different bouquet arrived day after day with no indication of the sender.

Sally was uncomfortable with the whole scenario.

It had started without any card attached.

Then proceeded to an unsigned card with cut out words that simply said,

I saw you today. You look beautiful in white.

I saw you today. You look ravishing in red.

I saw you today. You look gorgeous in green.

All in reference to the colour she wore that day.

By day sixteen she was tired.

The notes had changed their tone. They now read:

I want you. To be mine.

I need you. You must be mine.

I will have you. You have no choice.

The stairwell to her apartment now scared her.

Her neighbours all looked like suspects in her eyes.

Could it be one of the three odd flatmates in the opposite flat?

Was it the shirtless guy who stood on his patio every evening smoking as she walked home from work?

Was it the old geezer who always passed her on the street with his dog?

She didn’t know what to think anymore.

This was no longer funny.

It is time to report to the police.

The Daily Post prompt Secret Admirers

You return home to discover a huge flower bouquet waiting for you, no card attached. Who is it from — and why did they send it to you.

Hope · Life · Poetry/Poems · The Daily Post

The Answer Blows in the Wind…

Future

Here I often sit and ponder,
As the days go by,
The rising and setting sun,
So quickly passing by,
Where yonder shall tomorrow find me?
It’s only God in heaven that knows!
For that answer my friend is blowing in the wind!

Will I mingle with the free?
Will I be among the living?
For these answers I do not know my friend,
For it is blowing in the wind!

Will I scribble to the delight of others?
Putting smiles and streaking hearts with joy?
For this I shall strive some more,
But the answer my friend, is blowing in the wind!

Shall I rock grand-babies on my bent knees?
Singing hush lullabies to darling little ears.
This I know not my friend,
For the answer is blowing in the wind!

Shall tomorrow meet me,
Sipping warm cocoa in my rocking chair,
Telling tales of days gone by?
The answer my friend is blowing in the wind!

Yesterday is gone!
Tomorrow belongs to God!
My today is a present gift as I sit here!
Let me be happy, and have peace!
I shall leave tomorrow’s answer, to the blowing wind.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

The Daily Post prompt Six of one, half a dozen of the other

Write a six-word story about what you think the future holds for you, and then expand on it in a post.

Family · Humor - Bellyful of laughter · Life · Love · Personal story

In Many Ways, We Become Our Parents…

One of the voluntary days spent teaching children etiquette in a school in Lagos
One of the voluntary days spent teaching children etiquette at a school in Lagos

Except where parents are as mean as rattle snakes, during their formative years, most children look up to their parents as their heroes or role models without clay feet and worthy of emulating.

They soak in mannerisms, attitudes, lifestyle and a host of character moulding outlooks from those who have been placed in positions of authority as their custodians. This serves as a reminder that it is very needful to exercise diligent caution in writing positively all over the clean slate of life of these young ones whom we are responsible for.

Recently, I find myself gravitating towards a lot of things that my parents used to do and those that they inculcated in me in years that I hardly knew anything.

I catch myself these days, repeating certain statements that my mother makes.

The wise adages and idioms which laced my fathers enunciation’s line my speech and thoughts every other day.Your children

Asides from working for the University until they both retired, they both dabbled into so many other things such as side businesses, farming, arts and craft etc. and I can proudly say that maybe I did inherit some art skills and entrepreneurial abilities from them.

Though it seems I haven’t been a successful green-fingers like my dad. I think my lack of success has been out of sheer laziness. Plants thrived under dad’s fingers, but in my own case, I have been more inclined in putting in the plant into the soil, watering  and whispering to it a few times, then with a pat on the head, I stroll along, expecting the sapling to know what to do and to thrive. Of course the poor young sapling either strives to thrive or dies trying :/

Career wise, I did dabble into working in a school environment for a while but it didn’t hold my interest for too long. I reverted to volunteering my time to school work.

My mother told us a lot of stories when we were growing up and since we have long flown the coop, she currently enjoys the pleasure of volunteering her story moulding services regularly to the children’s church and it is always impressive to see how these children hang on to her and adore her. They call her mummy ever so often that I even feel twinges of jealousy occasionally.

I think I must have acquired storytelling genes from her.

I cannot recollect making conscious decisions to follow in their footsteps, but I catch myself sliding in directions that they have taken and it does make me ponder for a moment….maybe, I am becoming my parents. Who knows, I may still become a plant-whisperer as the days go by. Not a bad feeling at all is it? 🙂

In response to NaBloPoMo prompt – Wednesday, November 4

When you were a kid, did you want to have the same job or a different job than your parents when you grew up?