The meaning of a book: a great post on a topic that most of us avoid like a plague. Borrowing Yinglan’s quote:
Religion and Politics. These are two topics you will never see me post on my blog. Why? Because those are two of the most opinionated and sensitive topics out there. Because those are two topics that essentially started wars and tore apart families, friends, and mankind. Because I dislike those two topics.
Playful Halloween costumes: Fun photos. It’s never too early to think ahead so you might get an idea or two from here.
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.’
Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.
When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.
She is amazing at describing love and life in her poems. She creates such beautiful images with her words. Truly, she is a talented writer and I’m so excited to have her poetry book and to continue reading through it.
Today’s echoes experienced an unexpected delay because I’ve been on a road trip and for some reason, my photos couldn’t load up on my pad. My apologies.
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.
Emirates Express to Ajman
Entering Ajman Emirates
Kempinski Hotel Lobby
Kempinski Beach
Beach
Kempinski
Boats, Kayaks…
Piano Bar Kempinski
Zanzibar – Kempinski
Kempinski Ajman
Boy’s at play
Boy’s at play
I love Ajman
Fast Food open area
Watching them off-load made me think of smugglers and pirates 😉
Lunch on the go – foot long lasagna
Garlic bread and Salad – Pizza hut
Last weekend found us visiting Ajman which is one of the Emirates (the smallest member State) that makes up UAE which comprises of 7 Emirates.
It’s a leisurely one-hour straight drive from Dubai if there’s no traffic, so it’s easily a day trip of 2-3 hours to and fro, but to enjoy the benefits of the pristine Gulf as well as getting a feel of the Emirate, an overnight stay wouldn’t be a bad idea.
A direct opposite of Dubai’s energetic pulse, it’s calm and much slower. Good for a quiet family weekend away.
There are several beautiful hotels to choose from, though we got a deal at Kempinski by making an early booking.
Last Week Echoes took us to different neighbourhoods, hop on let’s go see and we will be glad to see some of yours.
Giggles and Tales You’ve got to love Europe’s architecture and it’s passion for cycling. I remember my awe years ago, the first time I visited Amsterdam and saw all the bikes at a bike station.
Below is my first Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.
When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.
Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha’s poems portray images that stare us right in the face. Images of love, joy, death, pain, challenges, violation, and freedom. She writes in a language that’s rich in imagery, earthy, honest, vulnerable, yet full of the promise of hope, of loving and of Grace. A collection of light and dark soulful prose.
For this week’s Great book of lists, we get to outline our hobbies. Through the years, my hobbies have changed a bit. A lot have been dropped by the wayside due to push and pull factor of life. Some exigencies and recent moves found some things falling into the crack of lifes pavement.
However, there are some hobbies that have grown to become an intrinsic part of me:
I love to read and I read to live. As far back as my conscious mind can recall, I have been in love with the lettered word. Even as a child, I would spend my pocket change on a book instead of something else. I read voraciously. As an adult, I indulge in a book, two or more in any given month. Reading is my sleeping pill. After the day’s hustle, I settle my nerves down with a book and if the book is a compulsive read, I might read far into the night or toddle off to sleep as I read.
Writing. This is my way of thinking. I think through my fingers. Even before I ever started blogging which is just 11 months ago, I journalled every day.
Doodling. I sketch. I really don’t know how it works but sketching relaxes me. I just doodle whatever comes to my mind. Sometimes, they turn out very nicely.
The Running Man
Can people watching be classified as a hobby?
Taking photographs. I have thousands of random photos taken over time. I hope to find time to take professional lessons. It’s a hobby with a lot of potentials.
Dancing. It makes me very happy. I dance just for the sake of it. No celebration required. I get a shake of a leg in virtually every day. Somewhere, some how, I find my ten minutes of wiggle the waist 🙂
My daily me time gives me a little room to flex my mind, to tone down and just exhale. I could spend my me time just being quiet, or taking a walk and soaking in the things around me.
There are some hobbies that I miss doing, like crocheting, playing the piano, pottery making and sewing. I don’t know if it’s that the zeal has waned or due to time squeeze. I guess I can use the excuse of not having a piano here in Dubai to console myself.
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.
We found time during the weekend to go to the Miracle Garden where I took tons of photos. Just sharing a bit of some of them with you and will share a bit more another time.
It’s a lovely place to spend a day. Always teeming with tourists and families especially during the weekend.
There are blooming petals everywhere and the mingled floral essence of these flowers hangs delicately in the air as you have an ice-lolly and traipse around leisurely or enjoy relaxing in one of the sit-outs or swings to be found around the perimeters.
Today’s theme for Photo 101 is bliss. Well, it falls in rather nicely today. Yesterday it rained ceaselessly that the school sent a mail of no school today, so yours truly started having bliss from last night at the thought that I don’t have to jump up at 4:30 in the morning. Yours truly lounged in bed. Now that is bliss 🙂
My source of bliss are derived from the simple satisfaction that I can find in the daily life around me.
I make a conscious effort to cultivate a heightened sense of contentment and each source depends totally on my frame of mind.
Something as little as seeing a happy dog, gives me a sense of joy.
Below are some things that signify bliss for me.
Putting up my feet on a lazy weekend and indulging in a good read with some nibbles.
Listening to my music and stealing in some wiggles.
A lazy day at the beach.
Eating out with my lovelies. We get to spend time chit-chatting and I get an off day from the kitchen.
Walk in nature and emptying my thoughts. Sometimes, I use that time to pray as well.
Just sitting and watch children play freely gives me joy.
Getting a pedicure with foot massage. Ah!
The sauna helps to work out the kinks in those bunched muscles. Toss in a good professional massage and I am in happy land 🙂