Tag: Encouragement

Blog Awards · Inspiration - Motivation

Triple Rays of Sunshine…

jacquelineobyikocha48 Comments

the-sunshine-blogger-award-challengeIts an honor to be nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award by three different blogger friends Honestme363, hallenterprises132 and Inspiring Max.

This award is in recognition of blogs that share positivity in the blogging community.

As the saying ”three times a charm goes,” in that spirit, I humbly accept all three nominations and merge the rays so that I can leave some fingers of some Sun shine for other friends of mine 🙂

In my native land, when a person wishes that the Sun will shine on you, they project Life, Prosperity and Brightness in your life. The spoken word bears a lot of weight on our lives even when we fail to realize it. In deed, the power of life and death lies in our tongues. When you lift up your face to the rising Sun, may the shadows fall behind.

A big thank you to my nominator blog-some friends. Do take a little while and visit their virtual corners.

The Rules:

  • Thank the person/people who nominated you
  • Answer the eleven questions from your nominator(s), in this case 32 questions.
  • Nominate eleven other bloggers and give them eleven questions to answer

The merged questions: 30 in all

  • Where is your favourite place you have lived?

Ans: I have lived in so many places, briefly and lengthy. From the Eastern part of Nigeria to the Middle Belt, North and West in my growing up years. Stints in Europe and migrating to the US. I presently live in Dubai – United Arab Emirates, but in the innermost part of my heart, my favorite place is the place of my childhood. A small University community known as The University of Nigeria Nsukka. It was a childhood of dreams; a place, where it took a community to raise a child.

  • If you could change one thing what would it be?

Ans: The fact that I didn’t start writing seriously earlier than now!

  • What is your favourite childhood memory?

Ans: Christmas in the village 🙂

  • What is your dream job?

Ans: My aspirations have changed over time and snowballed back to my passion and first love which is writing. It’s time to take it to higher grounds.

  • What was your best subject at school?

Ans: English, History and Literature.

  • Do you prefer to live in the country or the city?

Ans: I love both places and since I am living right now in a major city, it is better to be in love with it.

  • If you were stranded on a desert island which celebrity would you take with you?

Ans:  I am not so much into celebrities but I could live with Oprah. I love the wisdom that she shares.

  • Everyone has a song that makes them want to dance, what is yours?

Ans: It is almost common knowledge that I will dance to anything called music apart from the cat’s noise.

  • Favourite colour?

Ans: I love them in splashes. Not fair to make me choose but there is something about orange and white.

  • Do you prefer camping, caravaning or staying in motels?

Ans: The thought of marauding snakes has made me not to enjoy camping; even when I was in the girls guide. Now, I would settle for the comfort of a decent motel. There must be a writing table in the corner.

  • How many different careers have you had?

Ans: Five

  • Name one aspect of yourself that you would consider quirky/odd/amusing/weird.

Ans: I cry over silly things.

  • What do you do to relax/unwind.

Ans: Reading, writing, dancing or lounging by the poolside, playing with my kids, people watching…..

  • Name one thing that is vital to your daily routine.

Ans: Writing things down and praying.

  • How many posts do you have in your drafts?

Ans: Fourteen posts.

  • Regarding blogging: are you…a) obsessed – you would be embarrassed to add up the hours you spend reading, writing, commenting etc. You also sneak a peek at WordPress while you are at work.
    b) intermediate – there are moments when you can’t leave the screen, but there are also times when you don’t look at it for days.
    c) you write your post and leave.

Ans: I think I am a B. I have been able to have a successful one week without looking at it.

  • The blogosphere is most often read through:

Ans: On my laptop.

  • Name one possession you covet – something that if your children/friends/family wish to touch, you hover over them protectively, watching them to make sure they handle it delicately, if you allow them to handle it all.

Ans: Nothing. My wedding rings, maybe? Oh yes! My laptop too! 😉

  • Name something that you read, or do, that you feel enhances your personal growth.

Ans: Asides from my Bible, lots of motivational books from different authors.

  • Since I enjoyed answering this question…If you could channel your soul into an animal, what would it be and why?Ans: An Eagle or a Panther

Ans: An Eagle. I would soar high and free. I would visit so many places and see so many things.

  • Who are your favorite published authors?

Ans: There are loads of them and more are joining the list. I am currently enjoying Marian Keyes.

  • What did you want to grow up to accomplish in your life?

Ans: Sincerely speaking, I am still growing up and learning new things. However, leaving my footprints in the sands of life through my writing, mentoring and life coaching would be my greatest accomplishments.

  • What is your favorite holiday and why?

Ans: A holiday at Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi combined with Burj Al Arab in Dubai. It was pure decadence.

  • If you got to choose your last meal in life, what would it be?

Ans: A very large greasy steak, with mashed potatoes and a glass of Veuve Cliquot, to send me off.

  • What is your favorite temperature? Mine is negative 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ans: 30 degrees sounds fine to me.

  • Introvert or Extrovert?

Ans: I am a blend of the two. An introverted extrovert 🙂

  • What about yourself would you change if you could?

Ans: Stop eating too many sweet things.

  • What scares you the most? Claustrophobic, myself. That and I hate needles.

Ans: Snakes. I don’t mind being cooped in as long as I have a good supply of good reads and a jotter + Food

  • Why do you blog?

Ans: So that I can meet people like you. So that I can share my thoughts

  • Who is your favorite musician?

Ans: Women of Faith, Dido, Bob Marley, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Nigerian Musicians: It is a very long list.

Here comes the Sun nominees…:

Anand’s Parodies & Caricatures

Christian Mihai

The Motivational Team

MLou Photography Blog

A Good Blog is Hard to Find

Lynz real cooking

Destination Enlightenment

Eloquentparadise

Tlizzy – My little bit of serenity

Haddons Musings

SabahBatul

Tasha

Just 11 questions..:

  1. Do you have unusual hobbies?
  2. Do you volunteer with any charity?
  3. What is something that you tried but will never do again?
  4. What quirky habit do you have?
  5. Any best friends?
  6. What is your biggest fear?
  7. Where is that one place in the World you wish you lived in?
  8. Who has most influenced your life?
  9. Who is your favorite author?
  10. What is the one career you would love to enter?
  11. What is that thing you used to do as a child that you wish you could still do?

Thank you for your time. I hope you enjoy the reflections the opportunity to answer the questions gave me.

Regards.

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

 

 

 

 

The Daily Post

Sick Dread….

jacquelineobyikocha10 Comments

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Phobia, Shmobia.”

Faith and fear

Would it be termed a phobia to have a deep dread for a phenomenon which is very natural to human existence?

I have no other way to express the fear that pools in my stomach and sends me palpitating at the contemplation of the loss of a dear one.

I try to philosophize it away and let it go but sometimes my fertile thoughts take a life of their own and grows into gigantic, fierce proportions when my mind dwells on such occurrence.

I have learnt to pray about it, to suppress it, but the fear remains banked within my bowels and waits for a little trigger to stoke its flames.

My total disregard for creepy crawlies, most especially snakes are far from evolving. I detest them and I hope the verb ‘detest’ is strong enough to express my aversion for snakes.

I would jog barefoot from Limpopo to Timbuktu at the mere thought of coming in contact with one. Please, don’t try to convince me to go for therapy and to get a grip of it. Not now, not tomorrow, not ever! NO THANK YOU!

I have a healthy dose of respect for heights and for anything deeper than the swimming pool.

I have recorded a good measure of success in ceasing to worry about the future and the fear of failing.

About the future, I have learnt that tomorrow turns up without my help and my role is to live that day as best as I can.

As for failure, I deserve nothing more than I get, if I don’t learn to try. So, I just keep trying and keep getting better at trying.

It is only by doing that perfection comes.

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

Blog Awards · Blogging · Inspiration - Motivation

It’s a harvest…Sisterhood

jacquelineobyikocha18 Comments

sisterhood of the world bloggersI have 2 biological sisters. They are very, very dear to my heart (the two very’s used here are for both of them, so that they don’t fight over who exactly the very is for, if I only use one 🙂 We fight and love each other to bits (never try to get your word in; you might find us showing you the way out, whilst we make a cuppa and settle our differences). They are my rocks of support and cheerleaders. Never hesitating for a moment to kick me in the butt when I need it; and plenty times too. Hey! Wait a minute! I am human you know 😉

Now, I have so many other sisters, across Continents and all the oceans that divide us. Their words of encouragement, humor, virtual hugs, pokes and friendly advise have come to mean so much to me and the saying that ”wherever we are, it is really our friends that make our World, be it one, two, three or a dozen” is very true.

Thank you aidly193 for this warm nomination. You sparkle 🙂 sisters

Now to the nitty gritty. The rules of the award are:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site

2. Put the award logo on your blog

3. Answer the ten questions sent to you

4. Make up ten new questions for your nominees to answer

5. Nominate five blogs!

The questions asked are:

1. What is something you’ve always wanted?

Ans: The whole truth and nothing but the truth, something that I have always wanted is actually not an item that can be put in finite figures, nor can it be bought in the shops. It is simply ‘Peace of mind.’

2. What is your dream car?

Ans: My dream car changes like fickle breeze. Today I would ooh and aah over a Tahoe, tomorrow it would be a Corvette. I once had an affair going with a Range Rover until my husband bought one. Then the ardor cooled off and my roving eyes started wandering to the Mercedes Benz G wagon. I have expensive taste. Come on! Girls like toys too you know 😉

3. What is your favorite meal?

Ans: This may come as a surprise. I love everything edible, but you can catch my goat any day with plain Yoghurt (not the flavored ones) sprinkled with nuts. However, the bane of my life is gooey, chocolaty cake or ice-cream.

4. What is your favorite book?

Ans: I have fallen in love with so many books over the years that it is really a difficult choice to settle on one. The book that sticks in my minds eye as a child is The magic faraway tree by Enid Blyton. It simply made the World magical to me. As an adult, nothing beats my Bible. The treasures buried within never cease to amaze me.

5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Ans: Recently, I have been thinking of so many parts of Asia.

6. What did you do for your latest birthday?

Ans: I was treated to a handsome breakfast orchestrated by hubby and kids. A lovely dinner (where I was allowed to have a large dollop of sinful ice-cream) and a beautiful set of silver jewellery, plus nail polish from my daughter, hand-picked flowers and body spray from my boys 🙂

7. What is your favorite genre of music?

Ans: My love for music is very eclectic and purely depends on the mood that I find myself in. It could be something calm and soothing to rollicking Afro pop. The short and simple thing is that I love every noise called music (that does not include the yowling from the cat).

8. What is something most people don’t know about you?

Ans: Shh! Can you keep a secret? I sometimes feel lonely in the midst of a crowd. Does that count as a secret?

9. If you could have dinner with anyone from history, who would it be?

Ans: Why does Adolf Hitler come to my mind? I would sit him down and give him a piece of my mind.

10. What is your shoe size?

Ans: A whooping size 11. I envy all those dainty feet of other women, but I guess the feet size has to match the height of it’s owner 5ft 11in.

Now my nominees are:

Lynz real cooking: For all those lovely meals you keep serving up online.

Nena: I am happy I found you.

Oluseye Ashiru: For your lovely prayers and sage parental counsel.

Lucid gypsy: For the lovely interactions. Your posts make me smile.

Nedoux: I am glad I found you.

Do follow the rules above and kindly spill your guts below. Enjoy 😉

  1. Are you a shopper or a penny pincher?
  2. Do you have any hidden talents?
  3. Do you dream often?
  4. Do you think romance books and fairy tales influence our choice of a partner?
  5. Are you an emotional person?
  6. Are there any causes that you strongly believe in?
  7. How are you feeling right now?
  8. How do you make decisions?
  9. What is your secret desire?
  10. In a short prose, describe your town.

Looking forward to reading the scoop. Be blessed.

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

 

Blog Awards · Blogging · Inspiration - Motivation

Liebster….Now isn’t that Sweet?..

jacquelineobyikocha15 Comments

liebster-award

Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers and having being nominated by Eloquentparadise I needed to know more. Looking up the meaning from different angles, I was pleasantly surprised to learn the meaning of Liebster.

Liebster is a German word which means sweet, kind, dearest, beloved, lovely, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcoming. It is a word that connotes loads of positives and getting to know the meaning made it’s worth go up so many notches in appreciation.

Well if that is not sweet, I don’t know what else is :).

Blogging is all about connecting and building a community and this is a way to help put out word about new bloggers/blogs out there. It helps build the backbones of budding bloggers like me. Like a balm to a writing soul and a lovely pat to an ample back like mine 🙂 Thank you Eloquentparadise for the honor.

Just 6 little rules to follow below:

  1. Link back the person who nominated you.
  2. Answer the 11 questions given to you by the nominator.
  3. Display the Liebster award logo in your post.
  4. Nominate other bloggers.
  5. Create 11 questions for the nominees.
  6. Notify all nominees via social media or blogs.

Now, to the nitty, gritty part of answering my 11 questions which are:

  • 1. Do you have a bucket list? If yes, what are top three things on it?

Ans: NO, I don’t have a bucket list. Not yet at least. Maybe because I haven’t given it much thought and think I will get to that when I am in my 70’s hopefully.

  • 2. What is the best thing about your personality?

Ans: My friendly nature and effervescent optimistic sense.

  • 3. Do you like to travel? What is your dream holiday escape?

Ans: I love to travel. I love seeing new places and observing new cultures. It feeds my curious mind. I soak new experience like sponge and every place my feet has stepped on so far on planet Earth has left its little annotation on my person. In respect to a dream holiday escape, I would like to think that my previous stay in Burj Al Arab in Dubai was not only decadent, but also one of my most relaxing vacation times. I am not big on planning for a vacation. I keep an open mind to the adventure of it all after the jet lag or drive lag.

  • 4. Books or Cinema?

Ans: I adore books, I adore books, I adore books, how many times am I allowed to say that :)?

  • 5. Friends or lover?

Ans: Friends are timeless. They are like the family that we choose for ourselves.

  • 6. Are you a morning person?

Ans: I am such a morning person. I try to get all the hardest stuff done early in the day so that I can have a guilt free evening to bury my nose in my book of the moment, watch a movie, dance or simply do nothing.

  • 7. What is your most longstanding dream?

Ans: To become an accomplished writer. That has been my steadfast dream in a line of pipe long dreams which has ranged from the desire to be an acclaimed actress. I can be very dramatic you know. I did some school dramas in my teens just in case you are considering me for a role – I can quickly dust up my rusty CV.

  • 8.Where do you see yourself 8 years from now?

Ans: 8 years is to far to think on. I live in the moment. I try to make the best of each day and take the year one after the other.

  • 9. Roses or Orchids?

Ans: I love all flowers, but since I have to choose I will take Orchids. They look more exotic.

  • 10. Skies or oceans?

Ans: The sky is everywhere and serves my imagination. I only have to look up to see the story painted in the sky. I have to go a distance to see the oceans.

  • 11. Do you have an ideology? What is it?

Ans: I believe in God!

My nominees are:

Bisimodupe1975

Miekeey

buggleboo

Whereshappy

Claremary P. Sweeney

Azhar Yousef

My questions are:

  1. What was the most difficult job you ever did?
  2. If there is one thing you could change about yourself what would that be?
  3. When you were growing up, did you think about becoming famous when you grow up?
  4. Name and share one song you listen to repeatedly and why?
  5. Do you enjoy dancing or are you a wall flower?
  6. What is that one thing that always brings a smile to your face?
  7. What is your favorite color?
  8. What would you like as a surprise vacation?
  9. Have you ever given much thought to the purpose of life?
  10. Do you believe in the existence of God?
  11. Have you ever volunteered for something?

I hope you have fun baring your thoughts. Cheers 🙂

 

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

 

Hope · Inspiration - Motivation

I am no Usain Bolt, but I’ve got my own THUNDER…

jacquelineobyikocha14 Comments

encouraging-thunder-award

“Encouragement is said to be the oxygen for the human spirit. Do not forget you are carrying someone’s air with you. Encourage them. Help them breathe” – anonymous.

The Encouraging Thunder Award comes with very simple rules:

a. The nominee posts the Award on their blog and adds the logo.

b. Pay it forward by nominating others.

c. Mention your purpose for blogging and thank the person that nominated you; also add their URL to your post for ping back.

For me, this nomination could not have come at a better time. In recent weeks, I have being overwhelmed with the responsibilities of family life, adapting to new things, trying to get my writing Mojo up to speed and in all honesty, there have been some days I just felt like pulling the duvet over my head and refusing to do anything.

Nothing like a little encouraging shove from the right quarters, to get up and get it going. Thank you KeenVision for your generosity of thought.

At the very beginning, May 6th 2015 precisely, this was my very first post on my blog;

“Now, why did I start this blog I ask myself? Just to share my quirky tales and thoughts as well as get to know yours. It’s not all ironed out yet, but what is life without a few wrinkles, I ask? So lets hobble along, tell some tales, read some minds, drink some wine and have some fun. Who knows? We just might end up making a perfect medley of this and that!”

I loved to write long before I knew what it meant to be a writer – now I wish I had taken better care of my young teen journals where I wrote uncensored; it would make a good read and laugh. However, I hated the supposed rigors and strictures I felt was required to make it as a writer, I have come to realize that the notion was a mental slavery in which I had trapped myself.

Writing as we all know, is not a walk in the park. It is hard work which requires boundless mental energy, steadfast inspiration, focus, acuity and even business savvy, so the efforts of writers should never be undermined. I doubted I had the above requisites nevertheless, I decided to try.

The desire for an outlet to share my stories, poems and perceptions as well as the need for a medium that would help keep me grounded and accountable in starting something and seeing it to fruition gave birth to my blog.

I tossed all the mental hindrance out of the window: the fear of putting myself out there, the fear of not having support, the fear of not being good enough and I chose to enjoy the experience and to take each day as it comes.

I am glad I ventured, the short stint of 3 months and a few days shy of 4 months has so far wrought many positive creative changes in me. The choppy bloggy waters are full of creative and encouraging currents, and it feels good to be here.

I would like to nominate a good number, but I am limited to only 5 bloggers:

Tasha

Pam Witzemann

Sarah C

Kay Morris

Sabiscuit

May our ink pots never run dry.

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

 

 

Weave that Dream

Nomination …Oscar pour moi ..

jacquelineobyikocha16 Comments

Oscar

A round of applause if you may please 🙂 Thank you very much 🙂
I can hear it in my mind as I take a bow.

Well, well, I have been triply nominated by awesome blogger friends of mine and yes indeed, I feel like I won an Oscar.. a blogging Oscar is a good thing you know. So let me preen a little please ;).

It is very gratifying when you are acknowledged in your little space in this humungous World of Blogging and it takes away the pinch from feeling all by yourself.

For the next three days, I will be doing posts about these Awards and will proudly post the badges on my blog.

My sincere thanks to Eloquentparadise for the Liebster nomination, to aidly193 for sisterhood of the World bloggers and keen vision for the Encouraging Thunder Award.

Your encouragement is worth it’s weight in gold.

 

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha