Snow, Sting and Memory Lane

It's snowing! It's snowing!! I have lived here for five and a half years now but I am still like a kid when it snows and it's snowed every year since I arrived. I just get so excited. Everywhere is so lovely and white and clean!!! Because all the grime is hiding underneath all the beautiful snow. My daughter will be well pleased when see wakes up from her nap and looks out of the window.

I had a very pleasant morning today. I dug out my old Sting CD 'Dream of the Blue Turtles' and listened to it while having a full English breakfast with my daughter. Oh, did it transport me down memory lane or what? All those old ghosts from the past coming up, albeit pleasantly, to haunt me. It reminded me so much of Uni... those were my intense music listening days. I don't listen to music very much these days, something I am trying to rectify though. Personally, I think Dream of the Blue Turtles is Stings best album. But listening to it today after many years of not, it surprised me to note how dark it is and quite political. I guess fifteen years ago I wasn't paying much attention to the words - I listened more to the music and the rhymes ( I used to write poetry back in the day as well - mostly depressing stuff as I tended to write when I had had my heart broken yet again)- but today I actually listened to the words. It was great.

I am reading The Opposite of Fate by Amy Tan. I found it a couple of years ago while I was browsing in The Works ( it's surprising what you can find in that bookshop from time to time, real gems) and it sat on my shelf collecting dust up until four days ago when I got bored and was looking for something to read. And it's really quite good - it's the story of her life as written by her. And since I have a passion for reading about other people I think I am going to enjoy this book very much.

I have also decided to take up journaling again. I used to in my very late teens and early twenties and I really enjoyed it. Huddled under my blanket or curled up in a chair scribbling away. It was a kind of release for me. I gave it up though when I got caught up with the busyness of life but now I feel I am ready to start again but this time I think I will be more creative with my journal pages... Colour, drawings, quotes. Blogging is not quite the same thing because although I am anonymous I still consciously hold back from blogging about stuff that is up close and personal. Besides, I believe that writing is becoming a dying art ( I only have to look at my handwriting to confirm it) what with the advent of the PC and texting and stuff, so this will be my one cents worth of keeping it alive. There's nothing like watching words form on a blank page of a book.

God and Life in the Undergrowth

Just finished watching the new David Attenborough documentary Life in the Undergrowth. Amazing, absolutely amazing. I have come away just overawed at the way Gods mind works. Nobody, not even David, can convince me that all those creatures were created by any other means apart from God. What a creative and wondrous mind He has and it has underpinned so strongly to me that when God said that I was made in His own image, He meant His mind as well and reason tells me that it follows that I have been blessed with a well of untapped creativeness just waiting to burst out.

I go to bed truly happy tonight. Good night.

This, that and the other

Something strange happens to me when I want to add a post to my blog and the 'create' window pops up... my mind draws a blank when I see the little 'Title' pane. I absolutely freeze. My mind goes into overdrive wondering what I will call this particular entry of mine. Shall I go for a witty title?or an intelligent (I hope) sounding one? shall I leave it blank (in which case no one will ever read it)? or shall I go for a vague non-descript title. Oh, the stress of it all. Today I am neither here nor there in terms of what I am blogging about so I am settling for a vague, non-descript title.

Is it COLD TODAY OR WHAT????? The fog is just crazy. I half expect to see Frankenstein or Freddy Kruger walking down our street, it's that creepy.

Finally knuckled down and produced a prototype of the product for my business. It's good to see a finished item but just making it has thrown up a lot of things that I hadn't taken into consideration when I wrote up my business plan especially the marketing section of the plan. It's back to the drawing board for me. My marketing strategy definitely has to change. I think I was planning to hit the road running as opposed to starting with a sprint. But it's all good. At least I have made a start and I am being realistic in terms of what I will be able to cope with. But I tell you its a nightmare trying to get suppliers in this country. They are either too expensive or they just don't stock what I require. I have already had to source one item from Taiwan!!! It's a fraction of the price of what I will pay in the UK.

Found another photo in my achieves which I thought fellow bloggers may find interesting ( my African iPod one seems to have amused quite a few people. This may be a solution when the fuel crisis that hits Naija from time to time happens again.

A few days ago I posted a blog asking people to join me in a Collaborative Journal Project and I must say I was under the very mistaken impression that quite a few people would be interested. Well... I was dead wrong. Infact, only one person has shown keen interest. Come on people, what are you all scared of. Or is the suspicious human (or naija ) nature of 'wetin she wan take that info do?' kicking in? Oh well, if I have no other takers then I will just have to scrap the idea and do a localized one instead. Sorry Bola! :-(

I don't know if I am the only one who has noticed this but do your posts publish with lots of errors when you type them in and publish them directly from MS Word using the blogger bar?

What I know now that I wish I had known then - Collaborative Journal Project

What do you know now that you wish you had known at 16, 26, 36, two days ago? Once you have your answer, here is what you do: express it, in any way you choose -written words, pictures, illustrations, whatever - on your very own personal spread of the journal. When you are done, just pass it along. of the journal. When you are done, just pass it along.


Here's how it works (the long version):A physical journal will be mailed around to everyone who wants to participate, one by one. When you get it, you can take an entire spread to write and/or draw what you know now that you wish you had known then.

The goal is simply to provide a method for interaction and shared creativity and yes, pleasure!
What happens to us growing up? We begin to fear criticism, and tend to keep our creativity and thoughts to ourselves. Many people keep journals, of writing or sketching, but not many share them with people. (When was the last time a friend invited you to read their diary?) You will not be judged here. And you will have company. This is for you. For everyone.

Sign up to participate by emailing me with your name and your email address formatted like this: olive dot girl at hotmail dot com. I will post a list of participants on my blog (not sure of this yet as I may set up an msn group to track the journal) in that format (makes it difficult to spam). Then I'll mail the journal to the first person on the list. That person answers the question, emails the next person on the list to find out their address, and sends it off to them. That way no one has to post their personal address on the web.You can keep the journal for one week. Then mail it off to the next person.

I am only taking 25 participants so we can finish this project quickly. And as this is the pilot project I want to see how long it takes for the journal to get back to me. If it��s moving along really quickly I may start another one simultaneously. I��ll see how it goes.

Please check my blog to see if there are any more available.


So, the short version:

1. Email me your name and email like this: olive dot girl at hotmail dot com.

2. When the journal comes to you, answer the question: What I know now that I wish I had known then

3. Email the next person on the list after you to get their mailing address.

4. Send it to them.Whoever is last on the list (or finishes the journal) can email me for my address and mail it back. Then we can start a second if we need to.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a spread?
A spread is two pages - the back of one page and the front of the facing page. Basically, open a book and you're looking at a spread.

Who can participate?
Anyone. In any country.

Who pays for postage?
You do. It's just kind of the luck of the draw if the next person in line is on the other side of the globe. Sorry. :)

What if I illustrate digitally?
You can print it off and paste or tape things in the book if you'd like.

What can't I do?
You can't mess with anyone else��s page already in the book. Please just use your own spread to answer the question. And you can't tear out any pages.

Why am I hosting this?
I simply just love the idea. I think this will be a fun and creative way for people to express themselves and at the same time learn some new things from people around the world. Besides, isn��t it a positive way to spend your time - you just may discover something you had never known :-)

That��s it!

Discovering music

I know I will be thought of as being rather naff for admitting this but do I really care? Ansa: NO.

I have just 'discovered' the Will Young CD (yes him of Pop Idol fame) Fridays Child and it is absolutely brilliant. I didn't realize he had so much talent. Until I got the CD the only songs I knew were Leave Right Now and The Game. But there are some other really really nice ones on the CD. And yes, I did vote for him and I am glad I did.

The African iPod

Aren't you glad Apple stepped in?

Collaborative Journal Project

A Collaborative Journal Project

A collaborative journal (or circle journals as they are sometimes known) is a physical book which is sent out to people to record their thoughts, feelings and ideas/experiences on a particular given subject. These thoughts, feelings or ideas could be written or illustrated.. basically go with the flow. The journal gets mailed out to ANYONE AROUND THE WORLD and at the end of the project it is mailed back to the originator (in this case me).
I really love the idea and want to start one. I think it will be an incredibly interesting thing to do and I have started working on a list of possible Journal Topics.
If you will be interested in joining the circle leave some feedback and keep checking this blog for further information. If you have any topics you think may be interesting to Journal on then feel free to suggest them.

Back to life

Fever broke on Wednesday night so I am feeling on top of the world today. Even looking forward to my driving lesson this evening havent had one in two weeks. Gosh its great to have my health back.. I am positively glowing.

Gotta dash now, I have a meeting to attend.

Aches and Pains

Goodness, I have never felt so awful. I am a mass of aches and pains. And because I am never ill, this has really knocked me for six. I have spent virtually the whole day in bed - sans my Sudoku I hasten to add - still don't know if I'll be able to make it into work tomorrow. It's really getting on my nerves being out of action like this.