Fire and Ice

 A few months ago a very popular meme was making the rounds on Twitter, where people were telling us a few interesting things about themselves and everything had the hashtag #100thingsaboutme . I liked the idea but thought that actually, Twitter was not the right place for me to publish a list like that, so I decided to write a blog post instead. This way I could elaborate on some of the more interesting items, while keeping the 100 things all together. So I started writing a list. I got to 50 pretty quickly but then things slowed down. Turns out, it is actually quite hard to write 100 interesting things about me! But I persevered and whenever I would think of something for the list, I'd add it so that gradually my list grew. It did take a few months though and that is my excuse reason for not having updated the blog in a while! Here is the list. You will notice that I haven't actually included 100 things about me, but am a few short. This is because I know that someone w...

I haven't done one of these for a while ... It's interesting how the focus of the words has changed quite a bit from the previous time. 'One' is now my biggest word! created in Wordle

My story is on another blog ! You all probably already know most of the story but what do you think?? Like the photos? Incidentally, I'll be back on the blog soon as I have adventures in Dubai to share... watch this space!

Very cool wordle created from the words on this blog: Never thought the word 'sentences' would be so large... (created on wordle.net )

(A few years ago I was in a design team and, as a part of it, I had to write articles regularly. I saved all the articles I wrote then and never added them to my blog... until now! This one is particularly special as it tackles what is possibly my favorite part of scrapbooking: journaling. Enjoy!) Journaling is the heart of your scrapbooks. Without it, the little details may be lost, the emotions forgotten and the moment incomplete. Some layouts only need a few written details, like names and dates, to be complete, but others demand a bit more attention. You may have read fantastic journaling entries by other scrappers: stories that really grab the moment and make you wish you could write like that. How do they do it? Well, generally the follow some easy pointers that come from the world of journalistic writing. These pointers come from the legendary “ Elements of Style” by William Strunk, Jr ., which is required reading for anyone that wishes to write better, clearer and more...

Considering how much I like technology, it’s always been a little bit puzzling (at least to me) that I don’t have an electronic diary. Rather, I have a paper one and quite enjoy writing my appointments on it – with pencil in case I have to erase them! I used to have an electronic diary but somehow didn’t ever get on with it, even though it was quite a lovely gadget, but I ended up back on familiar ground with a paper diary and a pencil. I feel the same about letters. I mean, I love email, as anyone that knows me will attest, but when it comes to writing from the heart, it’s just gotta be on paper and using a nice pen. There is something so different about writing paper letters that just can not be equalled with email. Email is of course quick and very convenient. I am also a very quick typist so I can write reams and reams in no time at all. However, there are times when I just feel better sitting down with some paper and a pen and pouring my heart out to someone. Or just letting...

I guess there are few things in life as disruptive as having a baby . There are of course events like getting married, moving house and others that create chaos but somehow, at least in my case, babies are definitely at the top of my "things that make me go argh!" list. Sure, they are cute and all that, but all hell appears to break loose around them and, because I do not do well with disorder, it drives me nuts. But anyway, the good thing is that what at first is disruptive after a while it becomes routine. Things start to settle down and while they may never be the same again, a sense of order re-appears and predictability ensues. I'm at that point now where I can actually plan my days, when I sort of know what will happen and when I can make decisions that go beyond the next three hours. This means I can carve out a little of time to myself a bit more easily. When it comes to filling that time, the possibilities are endless: I could spend it in a warm, relaxing bath or...

What is it about me and writing these days? It’s almost as if I can’t help it, all these words are just dying to come out of me and make their way into printed paper or journals or emails or whatever… A few days ago I read a quote on my daily quotes thingie in the iGoogle desktop: The only reason for being a professional writer is that you can't help it. (Leo Rosten) That’s what it feels like lately. I just can’t help it. I can’t call myself a professional writer but, let’s face it, it’s what I always wanted to do. Sometimes I called it Journalism, then it became Communications, these days it is Marketing or a blog , but what it means is that I just want to write stuff all day. Why? Even today when I don’t have such a thing as a story to tell I just have to get it down on paper. I’ve spent a couple of evenings now just writing away in my journal, trying to get all these words out. My last few runs – boring as they were on the treadmill – I passed the time by “wri...

I have noticed that today is turning into an 80s day – from the music I’m listening to at work to some stuff I’ve seen online to the emails I’ve received, lots of things today have something to do with the 80s. 1985 was a long time ago, over 20 years, but somehow events from this year and the rest of the 80s have shaped my life in different ways, subtle ways. I started (and finished) High School in the 80s and this was a time when I grew up, took more responsibility for my life and made some amazing discoveries about myself. For example, I decided to join the Drama department – even though I’d never really done anything like this before. I just heard that the cast parties were awesome so there I was… I ended up spending the rest of my academic life in theatres and surrounded by actors and dancers. I gained a new perspective on musicals and it led to a love of the live theatre that survives to this day. I also noticed that most of my friends are people I met during these days ...

I haven't done much scrapbooking lately. I think that it's a combination of having too much on, not enough inspiration and, quite frankly, that I've been spending my time on other things (like running and messing around on Facebook). But I have been writing on my journal, which I hadn't really done in a good loooong time. I often wonder if it's worth still keeping a journal when almost everything I do these days is documented in blogs, in scrapbook layouts and even in emails. If scrapbooking is about leaving a legacy, then I definitely have that covered! I like to believe that in some distant future someone will sit down and read all my journals and albums and be able to put together a great portrait of what I was like, what my life was like and what I was all about. So yes, sometimes I think it's time to ditch the journal and move on to all the other media I have embraced. But then I take out the book, the pen and something happens... I open my soul to a blank...