Wonky

It's a sad realization that one person alone could make my emotions all wonky tonky....

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Grim

Some time back, I read Dominique Lapierre's City of Joy. I remember crying at parts, cringing at most , and generally felt uneasy reading the memoir of a foreigner in his adopted city. But like one does with seashells picked up from the shore, I was fascinated and mulled over some of what I read and tucked the rest at the back of my memory.  

This report and this story brings it all back. There really are no words to describe how grim and evil the world can get. Whilst I may never understand the fear of living with abusive men, or of getting blasts and blows instead of hugs and kisses, I can only hope to remember how privileged I am to have an education and the ability to stand on my own two feet and fight back. And owning the precious knowledge that when all else fails, someone has got my back. 

Oh, and by the way, it is the chromosome from men that determines the sex of a baby. When will they EVER get that ??!! Numbskulls. 

If you don't change your mindset, it doesn't matter how advanced your technology progresses, or how rich your economy gets ...  a barbarian will always be a barbarian. And turning a blind eye and a hardened heart makes us as privy of the crime as the perpetrators themselves. 

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I love this saying : 

" Your life may be the only Bible some people read" 

Great way to put being an exemplary child of God in context eh :) 

Lethargy

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I know I have lots to be thankful for, but here's a confession :
Sometimes I'm just so tired of feelings
and the energy to nurture hopes and dreams just seeps out ...

I don't want to be a woman who needs a man. 

I'll be a woman a man needs 

=)

Thank you

So this post is purely for me. I'm not boasting or showing off. It's something I'm writing so that when the times get tough and the road ahead gets uncertain and challenging, I'll look back and remember what spurred me on to start this journey. 

I got my full scholarship to do my PhD !!

It's amazing because I've dreamt of attending this university since I was 16, but things didn't work out that way, and for a while I walked around aimless, desolate and bitter. Early this year, I decided to take up an off chance opportunity on a fluke , and spent some time agonizing over whether it was the right decision. There were lots of times when I felt like giving up, but I just couldn't bear to throw the towel in just yet. And looking back now, God has always had a plan for me. =)

I thank the Lord for continually being my strength, 

I'm grateful that He sent me awesome parents, 

Supportive friends, 

The little things that count

And for never forsaking me even when things were low and I was confused and hurt. 

Weave in faith, and God will find the thread - Anon


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Yours, mine, ours

Watch this. A grim reminder of how small changes could bring about big impacts.



I am reminded,
Not to turn away when I see someone being pushed aside,
Not to discriminate and judge through coloured lenses,
Not to whine when things don't go 'my way',
Not to take my freedom for granted,
Nor waste a grain of rice, because children are dying of hunger,
I hope you won't either,
Because this responsibility is yours, mine and ours to carry.

Enough is enough

Sometimes it doesn't matter whether you're good enough
Sometimes enough just never is enough

Tell me your story

I have this peculiar habit of people watching ( in France it's considered a legit pastime, so perhaps I'm in the wrong country eh, but I digress ) . When I'm stuck in the commuter for long journeys, my mind wanders, and I make up stories. After all, everyone has one to tell. 

I see one in your eyes,
Little girl with the red shoes,
I hope you keep that bright sense of wonderment,
Even when you grow grey and old.

I see one in your heart,
Doting mother,
Rambunctious boys in tow,
You wonder if into dashing gentlemen they're grow.

I see one in your gnarled fingers,
Gentleman, bent and frail,
The years you've toiled,
Contentment now nestles in your chest.

I see one in your set jaws and unseeing eyes, 

Young career woman, 

Time is ticking and racing off, 

But so is the yarn of life

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A man's face is his autobiography; a woman's , her work of fiction. - Oscar Wilde

Coupon Chief

Just thought I'd share this with you guys. I was chatting with my cousin who’s studying in the US recently, and he happened to mention this really awesome site, Coupon Chief. Intrigued, I hopped over to the site just to have a look. Now,  if you know me well, you’d know that I tend to be a little bit of a scrooge when it comes to spending. Being a student myself, and having to self support my studies, every cent counts. Looking over the site, Coupon Chief has the largest online coupons and store discounts for apparels, electronices, travels, entertainment, car rentals and much more ! How not to go absolutely over the moon for this ? 

The site hosts coupons for 1000s of retail brands , all of which are valid and rated by the community. If that’s not good enough, you get a 2% rebate of your expenditure paid into your Paypal account. The site has established a reputation as one of the fastest growing online coupon sites, with over 250k visitors per month and 50k coupons for 15000 stores. If you’re looking for cash back on top of discounts, Coupon Chief is definitely worth a shot. Charity is dear to me, and I adore the Coupons-4-Causes program that they have. Donate to your favorite cause every time you shop ? Sounds fantastic to me. Do visit their site if you’re interested in saving on huge discounts, getting attractive rebates and contributing to charity all at once. 

The most demanding job

All our lives, we work so hard to secure the best jobs. We toil, we cry, we suffer and we get stressed out just to stay on top of the game. On observation , I found the recipe of skills needed for the most demanding job one could ever hold :

A generous dollop of Patience

For whines, ceaseless complaints and disobedient rebellion

A bucketful of Generosity

For the times when there's not enough dessert to go around the table and 2 greedy mouths to feed. 

Doses of Depthless love

For loving the unlovable, the difficult and the obstinate

A reservoir of Energy

For cleaning up the messes that 2 year olds find funny
and know-it-all 20 year olds have a knack of getting into.

Eternal ounces of Selflessness

For being friend, comforter, ally and partner-in-crime

Infectious sense of Fun

For the times when life is taken too seriously 

The healing touch

For cuts, scrapes, disappointments and broken hearts

Thank you dearest mummy for holding the toughest job

for being my safety net, my crying shoulder and backbone of support 

and excelling at it in ways that no one else can ! 

I love you !!!  

xoxo
Jo

Maybe

Tonight will be for the ethereal and intangible,
Tonight I give free reign to my imagination,
Hopes and dreams take form here in this bubble of make believe,

Maybe,
Just maybe,
I could put a name to contain this emotional outpouring of feelings,
And anxiety would poof into nothingness.


Maybe,
Just maybe,
When thunders roar,
Mythical gods in shining armor are slaying battles to preserve peace.

Maybe,
Just maybe,
If I close my eyes now,
I'll feel the whisper of you close to me.

Maybe ,
Just maybe,
Wishes could have power,
and the bubble of wishes would spill forth into magical reality.

London

 

Looking through my pictures the other day I realized I haven't blogged about London. Shocking, because there were so many things about London that left a permanent mark on my memory.  So this post is for posterity.. for the days when I need that little lift of spirits, days when I need that little reminding of what was and could have been ...  

Best musical ever ! Period

What would London be without the sight of red double decker buses

I love this shot .. 

Anyone who knows me knows I go gaga over books. These were from the infamous Any Amount of Books at Charing Cross Road. Books going for a song ... *drool 

Needless to say, some came home with me ... *eyes downcast in appropriate repentance

Colourful buildings dotting the Camden Lock Market. I love all everything's so lovely and pastel despite the grey, overcast skies

The inside of Cyberdog looked very much like a neo-modern pub. Neon lights and neon coloured drinks. Very futuristic

Scooter seats ! 

Bits and knick knacks. Love the hot air balloons 

Oil paintings. Oh, how I wish I could have brought them back with me .... *drool 

The archways to the Horse Tunnel Market. 

A pretty mosaic bench. I could look at this for hours and hours and not grow tired of the splash of vivid colour on this one. 

The beginnings of autumn. Pretty ain't it ? 

And the obligatory red-phone-booth shot .... 

Just the other day someone told me about this website that offers booklet printing. If only I'd known earlier, I might have just gone and ordered some to put the intangible into tangible remembrance. It would have been amazing having glossy print outs of custom made booklets. I like the way this website offers you the flexibility to custom design your booklets to reflect the theme and setting of a particular event or occasion. Really worth looking into if you ask me .... 

For now, here's hoping that you've enjoyed looking at these amateur-ish recordings of dreams, passions, hopes and fleeting glimpses of the past. 

Toodle loos !!!