Humbly Eating Burnt Offering…Streams of consciousness Saturday.

March 19, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha29 Comments

I smile in amusement as I write this little post. If not that Easter eggs are popping up every where, my thought would have been that Linda has bionic powers to see into my kitchen.

I just finished breakfast of partially burnt scrambled eggs offered by my daughter. We are learning to cook and I guess burning is part of the practice 🙂

I humbly ate the eggs with a thankful heart. Soon enough she will get the hang of it with practice.

I think fleetingly back to my growing up years and learning how to cook in my mother’s kitchen. Only God knows how many burnt pots of rice, yam, beans, soup, I had to go through before getting into it.

Eggs were treats back then, eaten mostly on Saturday and Sundays because we had to wait for our local, home bred chickens to lay enough of them and on some days during the week, they were stingy or lazy with the laying of the eggs.

It’s not like now, where trays and trays of different types of eggs are on display for customers to choose as many crates as they wish.

Back then, it used to be a delight to go to the chicken coop at the back and find a warm, just laid egg.

Occasionally we were blessed with seeing a little chick hatch from eggs that my grandma set aside.

How she knew the ones that would hatch is something that I never understood.

Getting Stuck…Ronovan’s weekly poetry haiku challenge.

March 15, 2016March 15, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha10 Comments

Ronovan’s Haiku prompt for this week ‘lift and plan’ gave me a lot of options, but I settled for these two. I enjoyed playing around with both words.

She got stuck in the creaky lift

The lights went off suddenly

That was simply not in the plan!

************

With no plan in place

and funds finished

She thumbed for a lift.

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Jiggly, Wobbly…Ronovan’s weekly poetry haiku challenge.

March 8, 2016March 8, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha40 Comments

Ronovan always chooses words that makes me titter. I like the pair that we got this week ‘class and firm.’ 🙂

Perched on ridiculous killer heels

Her bottom landed first on the class floor

And received a firm smack

Humor - Bellyful of laughter · Poetry/Poems · Uncategorized

Irresistible!…

March 3, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha53 Comments

I said I wouldn’t

I knew I shouldn’t

But I simply couldn’t

I wanted to get away

But she kept looking my way

So I took a nibble

And another nibble

And another

And…….

Until she stopped

Looking

way.

Memes · Quotes For You · Uncategorized

Perhaps…Writers quote Wednesday

March 2, 2016March 2, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha38 Comments

During my recent foray for freelance writing opportunities, the quote below jumped out from somewhere and glared me in the eyes.

The freelance writer is a man who is paid per piece, or per word or perhaps. Robert Benchley.

The ‘perhaps’ part got stuck in my head, drumming away at my thoughts and I knew that it’s my quote for Writer’s quote Wednesday.

I mulled over it nursing a mug of tea and toast and not willing to accept the perhaps part of these things.

I continued ruminating over it even as I later nursed this yogurt and granola beside me, still questioning the perhaps part of things.

My dull mind refused to acknowledge the fact that perhaps meant you may go for months and months as a writer, waxing brilliant and intelligent words and all, yet pauperized.

Perhaps meant, queries that may never get answered and yet you continue swallowing the bitter pill of your writers pride and keep sending the queries until your name is emblazoned on the medulla oblongata of the editor, until he/she decides to save himself a thriving headache and gives you a space to submit your write up on the different species of Cactus.

I ruminated further, taking off my rose-coloured spectacles and the truth of the matter is that we are all freelancing on our blogs, labouring lovingly over our words with the word ‘perhaps’ hanging in the balance of our thoughts.

‘Perhaps,’ in the long run, every single word would be worth the trouble and your medal as a writer, well worn with pride.

Blog · Featured Blogs · Share A Link

Featured blogs 10…Let’s Create A Fine Chain.

March 2, 2016March 2, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha4 Comments

Today’s featured blogs are:

Margos Views. You simply cannot ignore that little voice. I dare you 😉

Writing in North Norfolk Irresistible photos that connect with your spirit, body and soul.

Cane Pain What is there not to love about this article. I was glad I read it last thing before sleeping two nights ago and it gave me good chuckles.

A tribe untangled A new friend of mine and the beautiful bright words makes me feel good. I like positive things.

Leaping for freedom Have you met Colette? She has such a bright mind and her articles always brings out the drive in the reader.

Please visit their blogs and say hello. A few minutes may gain you a friendly support.

Do you want more eyes on your words?

Well then, add your LINK into this loop.

Regards

P.S. Comments are disabled here. You can add your link through the link in the post. It’s easier to be able to collate them that way. Thank you.

PLEASE KEEP THE LINKS COMING. DON’T LET OUR LOOP BREAK!

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It’s One Of Those Dear Diary Days….

March 2, 2016March 2, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha51 Comments

Today’s one of those days that I wake up questioning my madness once again. It’s 4.30 am and my mind was to toss the alarm clock under the bed.

My body felt heavy and I had a dull headache as if I hadn’t slept *well, some creatures were perambulating in my head as I was trying to get my beauty sleep* and I honestly felt like just getting the children to school in my nightwear and crawling back under my lovely duvet.

Excuse my French, I simply felt shitty! For so many reasons both known and unknown.

The primary thought on my mind is why on Earth am I grinding my teeth, determined to keep writing, when I can choose a nice calm career that might not require a lot of my mental faculties.

At this point I was beginning to think fleetingly that a career as a dog walker would be just fascinating and soothe my frazzled nerves.

The dogs will keep me in shape and amuse me as well, and I could tell my tales to them as they gaze at me in pure admiration. Madness.

I dragged myself into the steamy hot shower and allowed the water to cascade down for several minutes. It’s so soothing and blissful. It revs up my engine.

Jumping into my exercise gear, I dilly-dally on the computer a bit before waking the young’uns to get ready for school and breakfast.

Mind over matter, I kept muttering to my mind and mind won.

I hit the trail, poured out some sweat and the headache was lost in transit.

Now, I sit down here in Starbucks, checking out freelance opportunities and looking at people pass me by. It’s all good as I feel a lift in my spirit and I am thankful for the ability to literally drag myself by my boot straps and get going.

Indeed, there are days in our lives that are filled with such moments of misgivings, but when we sit and appreciate the little things that surrounds us and our well-being, the picture looks brighter.

Have you experienced one of such day’s recently? How did you handle it? I like learning new ways.

‘It will all end in praise.’

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

Blogging · Uncategorized

Your Gravatar Has Expired… Yes! It’s a rant

March 1, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha104 Comments

In the sea of gravatars, yours might not stand out much. As a matter of fact, it may have expired!

Your gravatar is not a postage stamp, that you slap on each blog post with such speed and sporadic turn that can leave someone dizzy.

I wonder how a blogger can go from liking one blog post to fifteen blog posts in 2 minutes flat? How possible is that?

On a serious note, no one expects that you will read all the blog posts out there. That’s not only impossible, but a suicide mission.

However, you have to make a bit of an attempt to engage with your friends, otherwise, they will never get to be your friends, because you will remain on the periphery of the blog chain. A fairly vague face or name, if at all.

This is one of the reasons that I feel so uncomfortable just sticking a ‘LIKE’ on a blog written in only a language that I cannot understand.

It makes me feel like a cheat and I simply don’t like that. I have even gone to extra lengths of dropping a line for the blogger and suggesting from a readers point of view, if they could at least just put an English title so that one has an idea what the whole thing is all about, but nope! Not even a response from any of them. Oh well!

With the amount of stress out there and a long list of blogs to read, it will not be easy on anyone to take the extra time each single moment to translate a blog post. Let’s call a spade what it is. A big, hard spade.

How does a blogger foster growth if they don’t engage with the readers and friends that they have made?

All the hard work that goes into preparing a blog is wasted if no one is reading it or commenting on it.

I would rather engage two decent readers than a blog full of gravatars.

Yes of course, there are days that we see a post and we have nothing to say, so we leave a tiny footprint of a like.

However, there are some, whose style is bulldozing through blogs with lightning speed and on a consistent basis.

Some are so rude that they won’t even bother commenting on a post, but the simply say ‘hey, come and check out my xyz post, it’s awesome’ and they stick on their URL without as much as a hey ho!

That is rudeness. It can be compared with going to someones’ house and barging in without knocking. It’s only burglars that do that.

That it’s a blog and online does not mean courtesy is dead.

For your information, to those few who barge in rudely, it’s not cute and secondly, everyone else is equally busy. So behave yourself!

We blog with integrity and the primary objective is to impact on those around us positively no matter how little that is.

I think that we shouldn’t lose sight of the objectives of what we are doing, which is to enrich lives, creativity, fulfillment, tranquility and not excluding making something economically meaningful of the effort if the opportunity arises.

If it’s just about crunching numbers, then be prepared to be frustrated and wear out fast, because that is not what pays over time.

What pays over time, is the building of relationships, as fleeting as online relationships might seem.

Blogging is a lifestyle like a lot of other social skills. It is not a sprint, but a long enduring marathon, where you walk when you tire, take a sip of water, pace yourself, listen to music and hobble along.

My two cents.

This is for those bloggers who go from one season to another, slapping their gravatars on posts like postage stamp.

Blog · Challenges · Poetry/Poems · Rononvan's Weekly Haiku Challenge

A Flash Dance…Ronovan’s Weekly Haiku Poetry Challenge.

March 1, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha38 Comments

Ronovan knows how to pick the words. For this week, we got ‘Flash & Dance.’ I enjoy this Haiku challenge and I am glad I took it up. Thank you kind Sir 🙂

The flash of lissome thighs
As her skirt flounced with the dance
Set his spirits on high

************

His flash of false teeth
And his toupee that flew with his twist
Made her dance steps falter.

Image credit: Google images

Blog · Personal · Photographs · Uncategorized

Leaping Along…personal

February 29, 2016February 29, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha17 Comments

My new skipping rope. The previous one was a killer rope in it's past life. — My new skipping rope. The previous one was a killer rope in it’s past life.

So here I am seated in-between Sugoi and Umami, two Far East Urban Cuisine/Japanese and trying to decide what to eat as well as checking my mails when I see Colette’s challenge sent to me to leap and the Daily post prompt to leap as well, so I will kill two birds with one stone.

Don’t think that I am a food addict. A girl has to eat to keep the brain cells functional and aside from a bowl of porridge and currants this morning, this is a late lunch of my decision, veggie rice and teriyaki prawns.

I enjoy the drone of voices. It’s amazing when you keep silent and just listen to the cacophonous buzz around you. My thoughts takes me back to the beginning of the year and how far I am leaping along.

Thinking about leaping made start looking at people’s feet as they passed by, for silly reasons. No one was leaping out-rightly, just a scurry, a flinch, a waddle and a slow trot.

Where have I leaped to between Jan and now?

I tried to leap high, but feared that I would break a precious bone, so I just hopped along.

I just bought a new skipping rope, a few minutes ago. Very apt for leaping out of a month. I will obviously leap a lot in March.
The last one I had was used for drilling young recruits in its past life. It kept flogging the back of my legs *no jokes* when I didn’t skip high enough, that I had to ask myself if the punishment was worth the result?

So, I finally finished collating my poetry book and hopefully, by next week, I will seek professional assistance with editing and book cover. The plan is to have it out between March and April, so it’s right on track and I can tick the box for hopping along with my set target to have four of my published works out this year.

Yes, I know its a tall challenge, but I believe in setting a high bar for myself so that even if I fail to meet all, I fail forward by achieving a good percentage.

I hopped to a writer’s critic group and asides from parting with too many dirhams buying coffee and sandwich, watching people feel snazzy and writer-like with the interesting hair-dos and streaks of colours, and a huge dragon tattoo running from one shoulder into her bosom *I didn’t get to see the bosom* but the dragon did, and a lot of Shisha smoking all around, I really didn’t get much out of the experience, so I am quite doubtful that I will repeat the experience.

I dared to submit one of my stories for a competition. The results don’t come out till March, though in all honesty, I am not expecting anything, since the whole World, their wives, pet garter snakes, dogs and cats made an appearance. A cool cat is most likely going to win the prize. I did it to push myself out of my comfort zone and get over the jitters.