Miranda meanders

I have two sisters who live abroad;one in Holland and one in Berlin and they have family (who I love so much) of their own. I occasionally visit them and when I do its always magical! I savour the sweet moments we share together, the sisterlyness of it all is so precious. I commend them greatly for their courage to live in another country and to this day forward they bloom in their own style and the limitless love between us grows stronger, even though we are afar. This poem I wrote highlights a bittersweet depiction of us being apart, and the technology which glues us together.. Its a blessing I will never take for granted for I cannot imagine how else we could communicate. I love you D and M.

We share the same sky, a blue blanket spread across the day, the sun, it smiles, lighting up my memories with you both, time you were both here on the same soil, on the same ground.

When the night falls, silence protrudes, my starry eye thinks of you, as I look to the sky, the moon so white, its above me and above you too

The waters divide us, but we are not, connected we are, unbreakable bond. Longer we are apart, the rich togetherness

can be felt through the tunnels of WiFi, on our phone.

The blessed phone.

I formed a pool of my sorrows when you both left, over time they slowly evaporated as I came to accept, the path you took, your happiness matters a lot to me.

When I spend time with you, its heaven. I cherish every second of every day smiling, laughing, spilling words all over the place, being content in a space filled with grace.

You dab away my eyes filled with bitter tears and infuse the sweetness of your spirit entwining with mine, hold my hand and tell me i’ll be fine.

And breathe.

I pocket these memories invigorating my soul, an irreplaceable feeling of bliss, I feel whole. Lift our heads high, it’s time to go.

I kiss goodbye.. And soon after say hello

On the blessed phone.

We are in the hood.

Kimchi powerfully represents one of Korea’s everyday must haves. It is eaten as a side dish and ooo it certainly sends happy vibes and just completes the meal from the beginning to the end. The crunch then the munch, then the mashiseyo and the feeling of genuine love for something as bitterlysourandlittlebitsweetsomehow can make you feel so happy. So I want to show you how my mum makes it. She agreed to me putting this on the blog even though she did say ‘you can find how to make kimchi on the internet’..but I want to show you her way because she puts a lil bit of her own personal spin and heart on it..and my mum certainly knows how to make gooooood kimchi. I think what’s beautiful about kimchi, is the nature of time and the evolving of flavour as it matures. I warn you ..the smell can linger on those Tupperware boxes..heehee

Sadly, I had to go work and was unable to take pictures of the mixing process ..so I took one from google images of unknown person mixing kimchi.lol.

7. Finally I was so happy to see the kimchi glowing with redness in the fridge. Of course I had to take a selfie with this lovingly prepared kimchi my mum had devoted her time and efforts towards..quite a commitment, I’m so grateful to her. I tasted it and it tasted divine. Next time, I hope to make it myself..hehe I’m not sure I can do it justice..

In midst of day to day living, there is one thing I like to do. Enter my safe haven for ‘me time’. To be within a space where I feel safe and sound, and draw attention to being in tune with my inner self. This safe haven tends to be in my room, as I sit on my chair with a cuppa lady grey tea.

However many things there are on my to do list, I always try to make room for a Miranda moment. And when I do, I experience a sense of self. A sense of control, allowing me to catch my breath and really immerse myself into the present moment.

In this present moment, I choose to be in my safe haven where I am subject to being aware of my current state of mind. A safe haven is a place of safety. I think we all have many safe havens whether it be in your room, or your favourite cafe or your bed….ultimately, being with your mind and body, will benefit you in the long run, to just be. Being still. I personally put down my phone and let my mind relax for a few moments, play soothing music in the background as I loosen up my joints in a nice comfy chair …and reflect…

Self reflection is so important. Crawling into the part of your mind and opening your awareness to feelings of fear, anxiety, happiness, exhaustion or sadness or omydaysineedtorest can be acknowledged in writing them down then and dealing with it later…I guess being mindful of our physical and internal self, can re-energise one to enter the big world again.

After all, as much as it is vital for ourselves to earn a living via means of working, paying the bills etc….just a simple breather for the soul for 5 mins at least with nothing in your hand is a feel good moment I encourage all to do. It’s borderline acceptable spacing out crossed with mindfulness crossed with you decide how to organise your thoughts… its also a break for the eyes from the blue light illuminating from our smart phones.

Also, after having a lil still moment to myself, I tend to read a few pages of something fruitful and nourishing for my inner self. Words of wisdom can rejuvenate you and fill you up with positive vibes. I encourage you all to do this. At the moment I am reading ‘The Untethered Soul’. It’s very good.

But yeah, just simply grabbing a cup of my lady grey tea (my fave) and a cheeky biccy, sitting in my comfy chair and just calming my thoughts for a bit is highly recommended people! It’s a good way to destress. Honestly.. its so nice. I’ll wrap this up by saying ….

BE KIND TO YOUR MIND , feel SAFE and put the E in HAVEN.. and it will feel like HEAVEN. Oh yeaaahh………🙃😝✌️✨🤭

The above drawing I did constitutes the image that springs to my mind of how this whole book presents itself. Sue Lloyd- Roberts, a well respected journalist casts light upon the terrors woman in countries across the world experience. Courageously, she exposes the harrowing ordeals girls and women go through, revealing personal accounts surrounding issues of FGM, trafficking, forced marriage, honour killings, oppression and other problems ongoing to this day forward..

Reading this was hard. It took me a while to finish it because as sensitive as I am to anything horrific and heavy, reading a chapter of a different predicament, was enough for one day. But I wanted to learn of life beyond the perimeters of my homeland, and the attitudes toward women.

My heart goes out to Sue Lloyd-Roberts as she exposed the worst atrocities inflicted on woman, with a determination to hear the voice of women robbed off of their dignity and freedom, bringing them out of the shadows under the light. Her sympathy could be felt in the way Sue interacted with them, and how she conveyed their stories; sensitively touching upon their desires, why they can’t be heard, and how a demand for change in laws reflects a bravery to fight back.

After completing this book, in all honesty I felt I wanted to live for these woman. Live for them out of my respect and strong desire for them to realise I am rooting for their freedom, I’m sure you are too. For them to be given a voice. I am so fortunate it pains me to see, where I have so much opportunity and freedom of speech-this is taken away from many women…So sad.

Sue Lloyd-Roberts highlighted real life situations. Lent an ear to women. And brought awareness to us on the severity of their lives. We are so fortunate, there are men in this country and in many parts of the world who can provide love, care and respect toward woman. Happiness can be felt. Let’s hope this can secure a positive future for society. And may a shift of laws and attitudes be changed in some places, where a woman’s worth can eventually be realised.