New year resolutions

New Year resolutions

Happy, healthy and prosperous new year to you all.

The year is still brand new and most people including myself are happy to have kissed last year goodbye. In 2009, I met a girl who was struggling to finish her Masters programme. I'm sure there those who were struggling to finish elementary, high school and college. I met several people who had just lost their jobs; I met others whose salaries had been cut because of the economy, including my sister who was told that "when America sneezes, the world catches a cold". I met a family which was falling apart leading to a divorce and another family whose head of the family and the sole bread winner was dying of a liver cancer. I also met a mother whose son had been taken to juvenile jail. The list goes on and on. It was one of those years that tested my personal strength as a hard working young woman. It was as if I was chasing wind or worse still, pushing a wall. Alas, it's over and done away with. It's gone and only hoping it takes with it it's troubles and hardships leaving us with a peaceful 2010. Unfortunately, life is not that kind. We only have ourselves to be kind to us, so what are we going to do with the gift of life in a new year? I'm sure you all have To do lists written down, or inscribed somewhere in your mind. This is your time to shine even if it takes the next several years. Do not despise small beginnings. The rise starts now. Over the years, I committed myself to big resolutions that I definitely never followed through with, so this God given year I have resolved to make daily baby steps.

10 tips for a better year.

1. Get enough sleep
2. Eat at least 2 meals a day
3. Drink plenty of water as if your life depends on it because it does.
4. Smile, smile, smile. It is an ultimate anti-depressant, world peace starts with just that one smile, it makes you look more beautiful and if you run a business, it will definitely increase your sales.
5. Waste not your precious energy on the negative. It's not okay to worry because it doesn't help. No one wants to attend a pity party. It's okay though to be concerned and to find solutions. When things run out of hand, STOP! take a deep breath and count one to ten allowing yourself to think, act or react rationally
6. Rearrange your priorities at any given chance especially when at crossroads. It could be daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly. It makes it easy to make decisions on how to spend your time, your energies and your money.
7. Do yourself a favor, don't smoke your life away, and drink your self to stupor. If it's for fun, the morning will not be fun because the hangover awaits. If it's to escape troubles, whenever you are done, they will still be there unless you actually do something other than add on more troubles. They don't call them cancer sticks for nothing.
8. Money, technology, fame and fortune will not take care of you when you are sick and old but friends, family and even strangers will, so treat everyone with respect. You just never know.
9. Get off your butt and do something. Someone has to sow for anything to grow. We reap what we sow. Even if you do not feel up to anything, (you gotta do what you gotta do)
10. Get enough sleep( Please try it, you'll be amazed the value of resting)

Bonus

11. Before you go to bed complete the sentence: I am thankful for__________.

I wish you a better year than last year.

The Uuhs and Aahs of Today.

Hellos my friends.
Santa is visiting my neighborhood tonight. I came home from work this evening and found a decorated Christmas tree outside my door with extra lights and ornaments in a box. I wish I knew about this Santa when I was younger, my wish list would have made a booklet. I actually still don't understand the whole Santa deal, but I'm happy about the early present. Thoughtful of you Patricia, I love the tree. I know for sure there is a God who feeds the birds in the air and keeps his eye on the sparrow. He can't go wrong with our wish list. In fact, he sorts our toys and eliminates those that may contain lead which could be harmful to us. And of coarse the kids that we are, we get upset with him. Poor us.
Ok, enough of the sermon.
Something else happened today, well several things. I set my alarm last night for 8am but as usual I was able to reset it this morning in my sleep to give myself a few more minutes and of coarse didn't wake up until 10 minutes to 9am. This is my morning routine. My morning sleep is one thing I can't exchange for anything, and I mean anything. Not even the wifely duties. Well, I got to office before my boss did, and that was an aah (I sigh). I had taken a couple days off so my desk was a total mess especially if you work with the messiest boss ever known to man. I hope he doesn't read this but if he does, I would like him to know that he's the best boss I have ever had or known. Another uuh came during my lunch break, one of our clients brought us fudge and I could repeat the aahs and uuhs as it melted in my mouth, I now kind of understand the whole chocolate fetish, I think it's real. Long story short, I went to a Christmas dinner party, though I was late, I found a few pieces of bread for appetizer and just before I got to them, the waitress took the plate and exchanged it for a big platter of I don't know what it was, Something with cheese and chicken., but it was delicious. The cheese and chocolate cake for dessert gave the whole dinner a kick. Then "the pick or steal a present" game came on. We all picked numbers and I was number 12, No one stole the other's present until Brian opened the Frog hamper. Paul immediately stole it from him, one strike. Then I stole it from Paul, second strike. I almost left as soon as I got it because I had just got a home for my dirty clothes I left on my bedroom floor, Uuh, awesome. Then number 14 stole it from me, third and last strike, I couldn't steal it back. I wish I had gone home with my last pleasure of today. Santa is still in my neighborhood, I at least went home with something, a decorative plate. Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

My lost love, the stranger.

My lost love, the stranger.
I greet you all my friends. I hope you have had a fairly good to a very good year as it winds up. I count all my blessings even when there is been little to write home about lately.
I was pondering on the list of things I could have potentially kept in my journal and L.O.V.E kept popping up. Those who have rubbed shoulders with me can testify on my undivided commitment to that word but sadly, time has diluted and robbed some of it. L.O.V.E is such an ambiguous thing; I purposely give it no definition for the sake of avoiding a debate but highly associate it with kindness. Relax; I will not unleash all my love life here but just this one intriguing bit.
I read his letters and my heart feels a warmth indescribable, I listen to his voice and the face lights up. I try to resist the tempestuous feeling of passion until it overcomes me and I hide safely under the wings of HOPE (This could be it, "feeling"). A very good feeling, never felt before and yet anxiety inducing, bittersweet for lack of a better word. I enjoy painting a picture of his face and person in my head. Any color of beautiful, I use and make myself a perfect picture. God fearing, very elegant, kind, patient, attractive, intelligent, non-judgmental, faithful, enterprising etc, he fits them all until I meet or get to know him , he is non of the above. My love, the stranger, I lost him too until the next suitor, a stranger, my new love.

FASHION AND STYLE

Hello my dear friends. Good week to all of you. Time really flies. The holidays are around the corner, it feels like yesterday as we sat around the fire place on Christmas morning opening presents, with Prissy(cat) hopping from one lap to another, extending her little chin for a kiss,(don't say eewwh), She's adorable not the mice catching type. For those of you who did not get presents, I have one for you this year, just leave me a private message.
The title of this post may suggest that I know a whole lot about Fashion and/or style. I am sorry to disappoint you because I hardly know anything about anything, but I know so much about my taste and just for your eyes and ears, I was once told that I had style by a guy who clearly wanted more than a firm handshake, but we can give him a benefit of doubt.
Why fashion and Style? Well, don't we all wake up and get some clothes on? Don’t we enjoy it when people compliment us even when it is only courteous or they want something from us? Of coarse we do.
I would care less about fashion because it almost ruined my life.
Several months ago, I had made quite a bit of money so I decided to treat myself to a dress that was being advertised. The magazine or the show host, I do not remember which one called it “Steal Jessica Simpson's look for less", the look was dead gorgeous but the price, wallet breaking. What a heck, I thought to myself, I burst myself working hard, I need to quit the charity stores and catch the fashion epidemic. I went out and bought two dresses at a totally insane price, I had to put some on credit. Enough money to feed my whole village a couple of days. I invited myself to a lame theater show just to show off my Jessica Simpson's look. I had about half an hour to the show, so I decided to start on my laundry. I run the water on it as I gently perused my closet for the dress. I went back to the laundry to be sure the clothes were soaking well and I saw my dress in there. I quickly picked it out and the leather belt had bled all over it. The tag clearly read DRY CLEAN ONLY. It was too ruined to ever be worn. I did not just loose the dress, or the money I bought the ticket but had to work extra hours to repair my depleted account in the name of fashion. Fashion is so ugly that it has to be altered now and again. Therefore, I base my fashion taste on what will not itch, leave me too cold or too hot and give me enough room to eat and laugh.
My free advice, you can still look dead gorgeous for less. I will never forsake my charity stores again and fabulous I shall look.

AMUZED / DEMUZED HUSBAND

Hello my friends, I have missed you, I salute you all.
I have not been at my best in the last several weeks but I'm sure doing better than many in the world so I can't complain. I hope you enjoy reading my disconnect.

At first I’m not sure if I have seen correctly, Oh yes, I have. The strip has two red lines, I’m pregnant! Maybe not an exciting story for some of you but if you ask me, this one is.
Why now? Thinking loudly, I don't have a good grip on my career and as if that's not bad enough, ends are barely meeting. Well, what did I expect for not refilling the pill?
My husband comes back from work, his face so pale from a long day and the cold temperature of Fall, I can't help but feel sorry for the burden of another dependant coming his way and the nagging 9 months landlord of our little tenant I might become, like most pregnant women you know. He looks at me gracefully and assures me that whatever is bothering me is going to be okay. Months fly by and before we know it, I’m pushing with all my might to finally evict my little tenant. Every time I turn and look at my husband, I can see how a wonderful father he is going to be. Such a graceful heart, soft and strong hands to cushion the baby, a responsible and exciting dad a child could ever ask for. My eyes though weary, faintly beam with delight; all of a sudden I’m a proud mother. (I skipped a bunch of events in between). My husband had been working on a project that had finally rewarded him handsomely, so, financially secure, a new born baby, a beautiful wife, he can’t get his hands off me and trust me, my real husband will not enjoy watching that scene of the movie unless I don’t take the role. Nice script though.

THE MOVE

Hello everyone,
The last couple weeks have been the most crazy weeks of my third quarter, with both the sweet anticipation of moving to a new house and the bitter experience of loosing all my original documents, not the worst that could happen to anyone but pretty draining.(Good excuse for my complacency to write). So how have you guys been? I'm all ears for all your updates. Until then, so long. Watch this space.

FIRST TIME

I can't stop smiling every time I remember the first time, I meant to write , the first time I flew and then I remembered the first time I crossed the boarders of my birth country, oh! my first rotation on the hospital ward, the day I first arrived in the US, the list goes on and on.
The advantage of having a bad memory like mine, is that you enjoy the same things as if they were first time, so I wouldn't bet all these events were first time, hmm, I think they were.
I would love to tell of the wondrous story of each of them but I'll spare you the pain of reading a soap opera, I myself would rather watch it than read it.
This was in the early 2000's, I was in nursing school, a member of the choir at the cathedral, I was on the Red Cross youth committee and a volunteer with Right To Play, a children non-profit Organisation and I was running for the deputy Guild speaker on the student leadership, busy body. I loved every single bit of what I was doing and I couldn't imagine giving up one for the other until I was asked to travel to Northern part of Uganda( war-torn zone), in the displaced camps to train coaches in first aid. I would never have risked my precious life to the danger zone but this opportunity was a little less than touching the hem of Jesus' garment, I was going to fly to the training, Flying for the first time. I literally couldn't sleep, not anxiety, not insomnia but the excitement was too much to contain. I abandoned everything else that I was involved in and packed for the trip as if I was leaving for a vacation to the Bahamas for months. I was sure to include my passport because I kind of linked the airport with a passport, of coarse I didn't need one, I was not crossing any boarders. I told all those who cared to listen of my "morning flight", oh dear. You could see the envy in their eyes. I couldn't imagine being anyone else but me, because I envied me too.I arrived at the airport with another volunteer and it was a thrill just checking in the departure, though nothing as dramatic as I imagined . We got onto the ten seat plane, I made a point to call my uncle just for him to hear the noise of the plane as it took off, to be sure I was flying. You think this is funny but boy, this experience can be overwhelmingly exciting. Actually overwhelming. A few minutes in the air, I wished I had never got onto that thing called the plane. I felt intense pressure in my cranial, almost bursting through my ears, I felt like there was no content in my abdomen, I simply felt bad but still maintaining my demeanor, I leaned over the chair in front of me, fastened my neck scarf around my tummy and that kind of eased the discomfort. My poor fellow volunteer turned and convincingly told me how he was catching malaria, not to mention everyone else on the plane rushing through the door when we finally made the first stop. They were sick as a dog. You would think that they were used to flying to get sick since they must have travelled so far, telling from the colour of their skin. I later on found out that small planes are not the best for first time feel good flight. My next flight was with Boeing and believe me, I wish to have a bad memory with my first flying experience but it just won't happen. I almost forgot to say that we took the bus back home.