Sabbaticals, Babies and Naija to SA

It’s a year and two months since I started this blog. 

It was the genesis of my blogging career and online life. 

However, I recently had to make some very tough decisions about it. I’ve been between the devil and the deep blue sea for the longest time and its just not working out. Many promises brocken, schedules unkept have to lead to wake up calls at some point. 

So the decision is to streamline my online life which is currently all over the place at the moment. I can’t keep up with my online social obligations.

So this is the plan:

1. Fabulosity Nouveau (this blog) will be going on sabbatical for a period of six months with the possibility of extending to a year. One of my New Year resolutions is to work harder this year towards my finances and the other is to be more physically present to engage more with the world around me. I’m finding it hard to do all that and maintain the same momentum with my online presence. As a result this blog suffers.
2. Deactivate my personal Facebook  account and only maintain the one for Fabulosity Reads. I have a lot to download here to ensure I do not lose precious information so it may take a couple of weeks but in that time i’d also like my friends to switch over. So if you are my friend at Wendy Ewurum on Facebook then please send me a friend invite on Fabulosity Reads or like my page FabulosityReads4U.
3. This also means cancelling my participation on the A-Z challenge this year. But this just cannot be helped.

Now on to other news:

I know there will be times when I’ll be tempted to come back here because there are just some things that don’t fit well in the book review blog and I promise to try to not cave in thereby confusing you all. Well except on maybe two occasions:

1. We are expecting a new arrival in the family soon so I’d love to introduce you to her when she finally makes the big entrance. This I definitely have to share with you.
2. A friend is going to the Beer Fest in Germany in June and I am sooooo jealous but despite this debilitating emotion I will share a post about her experience with pictures and events when she’s there. If only to drool over it all.

Long overdue feedback:

The last some of you heard from me was when you were wishing me well with my permanent move to Nigeria. Well it was as permanent as any sane person can make it. Three months later, on the day my visa expired I and the kids were on plane back home.

Don’t get me completely wrong. 

Nigeria would be great to visit for a very short holiday say two weeks but for anything longer I imagine you have to grow hair on your teeth to survive. Especially if you come from a progressive country. It was the hardest three months of my life and all can say is God Bless South Africa number one and number two I understand the Nigerians wonderlust now. 

None the less, the experience was a huge eye opener not to mention an exceedingly expensive experiment that has left my hubby so disappointed but I’m ever so glad I did it in my younger years if you call mid thirties young.Well compared to doing it at 45 years I suppose it is.

Thanks to Special People

I do want to thank my special blog friend Misha, Sochi Azuh and J.L Campbell whom I bitched and moaned on when I felt I was going to die of depression. I’ve never met any of them but that’s the wonderful thing about blogging, you don’t need a face to face experience with someone for them to care for you. 

I also published a number of very depressing posts at that time and my blog friends here always had a word of wisdom or encouraging advise. I'm thinking of the likes of Karen Gowen, Tirzah Goodwin, Kiru Taye, etc. All of you guys are very special to me. Thank you.

Au Revior

Anyway I think I’ve covered what I had to for now. Fabulosity Nouveau wishes you love, happiness and success for the rest of this year and may we see each other again soon. 

To follow me on my other blog please visit Fabulosityread.blogspot.com. I promise to follow back when you do.

Fabulosity Reads is a book review blog where I do author interviews, guest blogging and Giveaways as well. I’ve thinking of resurrecting my art and galleries page with a theatre feature since I’ll be visiting these frequently soon.

Thank you to all the blog friends and followers I've met through my blogging journey and who stuck by my craziness, supersized ego and bottomless insecurities. You made me feel extraordinary.  

All my love.

Wendy Ewurum

Poetry Friday: The Tiger by William Blake

Some poems you fall inlove with because of the beautiful and creative use of words. 

Sometimes the poem itself even loses its meaning and wholeness because of how much the audience appreciates one aspect, such as the sound of the words in this case. 

I was watching the Mentalist the other day and the first stanza of William Blakes Tiger was recited by Patrick Jane whom I think is simply drool worthy by the way. 

Anyway it somehow stuck in my mind for days and a few days later having posted it on my Facebook wall someone commented that it was their most favourite nursery rhyme. Nursery Rhyme? Imagine that. I did this poem as part of my set-work in my senior year of high school. 

But when I read it again I realised on hindsight, that it was possible for it to have evolved into a nursery rhyme because those first lines are so beautiful mysterious and catchy. But it would really be such a pity of the reader never got to appreciate the depth of meaning and craftsmanship that went into the the rest of this poem.

What are you thoughts on it?

William Blake. 1757–1827 

 

TIGER, tiger, burning bright  

In the forests of the night,  

What immortal hand or eye  

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?  

In what distant deeps or skies         5

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?  

On what wings dare he aspire?  

What the hand dare seize the fire?  

And what shoulder and what art  

Could twist the sinews of thy heart?  10

And when thy heart began to beat,  

What dread hand and what dread feet?  

What the hammer? what the chain?  

In what furnace was thy brain?  

What the anvil? What dread grasp  15

Dare its deadly terrors clasp?  

When the stars threw down their spears,  

And water'd heaven with their tears,  

Did He smile His work to see?  

Did He who made the lamb make thee?  20

Tiger, tiger, burning bright  

In the forests of the night,  

What immortal hand or eye  

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Intelligence and Politics Can Good Bed Mates Make

There is so much going on in the world around me but at times I'm so focused on our own business I miss it all.

Today I listened to an hour interview with a politician for the very first time. I actually just wanted to see what was going on in the news, another rare curiosity and when I switched on the telly there she was. Our "notorious" Helen Zille. She's been nicknamed godzille but I think that's only because she's a straight shooter. She calls a pade a spade, the say it like it is type. 

Anyway I loved her TV interview. She was on her toes, knows her business, can account for hers and her parties actions and although it was open panel type and therefore the questions were impromptu both from the instudio audience and public (the public tweeted) she had great answers, she sounded articulate and transparent.

Now this is the first time my interest has ever been held by any talk or interview that is remotely political so I don't know much about Zille. However, after the interview I was left with the commitment to myself that when next an opportunity to vote was there, I would seize it. My right hasn't been practised since the first election I'm ashamed to say. I have been a very bad citizen.

I realise now though that there really are viable alternatives to the current diabolical governing body. The job is for me the citizen to take an interest in finding out about them. Oh and hope that should whoever I vote for next come to power, they will not also lose themselves in the power high and continue the craze.

What's happening in the political scene in your area do you know?