Yelly Writes

Immersing myself in inspiration

Yelly

I have been wanting to revamp the blog and start blogging properly again.  But I needed inspiration – and probably a huge kick in the behind to get me off the proverbial couch and get to it.

I have been fangirling on Sara Tasker ever since I read an article on Stylist about how she quit her job and carved a lucrative career out of Instagram.  I thought, “Oh my gosh!  This girl!  Her photos!  How to be her?”  So it was because of Sara Tasker that I started seeking out women who inspired me, women who were brave to forge careers out of things that they were passionate about.

As with everything, I am easily distracted.  I completely forgot about improving the blog and allowed myself to be completely immersed and obsessed with Instagram.  While it was a creative outlet, it wasn’t what I was good at.  I did get quite a few likes on some of my photos though!  The photo below was actually liked 1,224 times!

Now that is a revelation because I knew it had a lot of likes but I don’t have a lot of photos that go over 200 in the like category, so when something gets 500+ or 700+, it is a major achievement.  It means my photo was interesting enough for people to look and click on that little heart icon.  Thank you to every single person who has liked my photos and posted comments!

Instagram is a lovely distraction, but I’ve always thought my writing was more sound than my photography skills.  So I searched for inspiration.  I read books – lots of books about blogging, writing. food writing, making money from my blog…I’ve read so many articles and was this close to buying an expensive book that “guaranteed” they would get you blogging and making a huge success of yourself and your blog after you read their book.  Nope, I didn’t buy the book – but I was tempted.

A friend of mine wanted to start a blog and helpful soul that I am, I said I’d help them set it up.  But I felt an awful fraud offering to help someone start a blog when my blog was right there, languishing in the corner!  I needed to brush up on inspiration basics, blog inspiration and tips!

Because Sara Tasker was my inspiration, I went back to her website.  I wanted to find inspiration.  I wanted to find social media tips.  I discovered she had a podcast – HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS?!?  So I quickly made room for the podcasts and started listening to her a few days ago.  The first 2 podcasts were mind-blowing.  It was an inspiration fest.  When I get excited I write – and one thing I’ve learned from working in an office is, if you want to remember things, WRITE IT DOWN.  It’s something to do with your brain remembering things better when there is an action related to the act of remembering (I read that in a magazine in high school, it suggested studying for exams by walking!).

I’m still listening to Sara and the wonderful group of creatives who join her on the podcast episodes.  I’m still writing down what I now call my Hashtag Authentic buzz words.  Because that is what they are – they give you a buzz and inspire you to create!

When her website is back up, I’ll post a link to the podcast and the podcast notes (which I thought was a clever way of making you come back to her website!).   You can also download the podcast on iTunes.

Be prepared though, because you will be inspired into action – action that focuses on authentic engagement.

 

Yelly Snaps

The drawing board

Yelly

I took this picture on a whim.  It was taken at a weird angle and no matter how much I straighten the photo, it would not look “normal”.

I haven’t really been blogging a lot lately.  I’ve been focusing on learning how to take pictures.  Actually, no, that’s not entirely true.  I have been taking pictures, but not entirely “learning.”  It’s only quite recently that I’ve started seeing something promising in the snapshots I’m taking.  I’ve got a lot to learn and I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.

I’ve also let the blogging and the writing slide.  I haven’t really, properly, written anything in weeks.  I have these writing projects floating about in my head but that’s where they currently live – in my head.  I keep saying to myself, yep, I’m going to write…soon.  But I’ve been procrastinating and now I’m looking at the blog and thinking, “Really? Is that all I have to offer?”  I know I can write but I haven’t, properly, exercised my writing muscles in a very long time.

I really think it’s time I harnessed what talent I have.

This piano represents my what I’m afraid will happen to my ability to string my thoughts together.  I played the piano beautifully once upon a time.  Now I can’t even remember if I can play Für Elise or Edelweiss anymore!  I don’t want to suddenly not be able to write down how I feel.  It’s a scary thought.  So I think I must think about how I want to rekindle my interest in writing.  I need to reconnect with the creative in me!

Yelly Writes

Bridge of dreams

Yelly

In early 2000, I went to VideoCity (a now non-existent [I think!] video rental business in the Philippines not unlike Blockbuster video) and rented out the the only Gwyneth Paltrow movie in the store that I hadn’t watched yet.  I didn’t know what the movie was about…just that it had Gwyneth Paltrow in it and the sleeve was yellow (Yellow was a favourite colour at the time).

And so began my (and my sister’s) love affair with the movie Sliding Doors.  We were obsessed.  We watched it all the time.  We had it on in the background whilst doing chores (even whilst vacuuming and washing the dishes – yes in a whole other room of the house!).  It came to a point where we would say the lines of the movie and collapse in giggles for no apparent reason.  I think we drove our brother crazy because we’d have the soundtrack on constant repeat.

I don’t think it helped our anglophilia, if anything, it made it worse!

And this is a major reason why I wanted to see the Albert Bridge…for the longest time!  I wanted to see if the bridge was as beautiful as it looked in the movie.  It wasn’t just for me.  It was for my Duckie too.  I was going to take a picture to send back.

Now I have.  And boy, did that bridge look phenomenal!

Yelly Eats

Best wings this side of the Atlantic!

Yelly

This was first published as a review on Tripadvisor.

I love me a good chicken wing, so when the invite came to go to Randy’s Wing Bar, I said yes. I am partial to chicken well done. I think it has something to do with growing up on home cooked fried chicken with mash as a staple Sunday lunch. So I’m always on the look out for places that specialise in chicken (be it fried, southern fried, roasted, steamed…the list goes on and I will probably give it a go!).

We sort of wandered into Randy’s Wing Bar…virtually. After hearing about Randy’s, we looked at the reviews and for the most part, people were raving about the wings. Which was good, because,if you’re going to specialise in something, you might as well do them amazingly well, right?

We booked a table for a Monday evening. They have eat all you can wings on Mondays at the Here East location, but remember, you can’t eat all you can if you don’t book. You pay £14 for each person plus the price of drinks plus 12.5% service charge. One important thing to note, if you want to wing all you can, your choices are limited to 3 variants: buffalo, gangnam (Korean-inspired flavours) and Kansas wings. BUT it is TOTALLY worth it.

We arrived at 7, as booked, and we were efficiently showed to our seats. The place was already alive with the music cranked up and everyone laughing and chatting. It is a bar so expect a vibrant atmosphere. Because we said it was our first time there, our server explained the “mechanics” of the eat all you can wings promotion. You each ordered a wing flavour, and you must all finish your plates before your party can order the next round of wings. I think they just didn’t want people to waste wings.

I started with my favourite flavour, the Korean-inspired wings called Gangnam. The wings were succulent but I guess it depended on who was cooking the wings because mine were a bit to soy saucy. My idea of Korean style food is a good combination of soy, sesame, garlic, spring onion and ginger. I found that it wasn’t quite the balance that I expected. Don’t get me wrong, the wings were amazing. But the glaze didn’t blow me away, flavour-wise.

The next plate I tried was the Kansas wings. And they were VERY GOOD. I make a good Kansas dry rub so I was prepared to be disappointed. But as soon as I took a bit, I went OMG! The flavours were as authentic as I thought they could be. It was a good balance of spicy, tangy and a great kick of heat. Kansas would be proud.

The star of this particular show, though, were the buffalo wings. The reviews weren’t fudged…the wings were sooooooo good. My barometer for good buffalo wings are that they’re not too hot, just right to make your mouth feel this zing brought on by the chilli, but there is a flowery note that hits your mouth too. I know this sounds all too fanciful for just a bowl of wings, but that’s what I was expecting and I got all that in spades! A good bowl of buffalo wings come with an excellent blue cheese dip and Randy’s did not disappoint. i don’t know if they make their own blue cheese dip, but it was really good. The buffalo sauce and the blue cheese dip were amazing. I’d begged the server for an extra helping of blue cheese sauce because I was afraid I’d burn my mouth on the buffalo sauce (it has happened before that people made their buffalo sauce atomically hot). Our server didn’t forget. The buffalo sauce was amazing and the wings came already drizzled with the blue cheese dip, so really, I didn’t need the extra. But because the blue cheese sauce was so good, I didn’t mind finishing it anyway!

Like I said, the bar atmosphere was alive and the noise levels were slightly high. I wasn’t too bothered about this because it was a bar. The music was good though…it added to the experience. It was nice, if slightly dark. I kind of felt like someone was a little heavy-handed with the dimmer. But there was enough lights from the light fixtures overhead for you to see exactly what you were eating. I did like how they furnished the bar…I don’t know if they meant you to have an American bar feel, but it felt like it. Each table has rolls of kitchen roll because you will need them to wipe your fingers. There are a selection of the usual sauces as well. They bring you a bucket for your wing bones and tissues and several packs of lemon scented wipes, which are also handy. I love that they consider the little details like this – it shows that they thought of the entire customer experience!

There are other sauces/glazes available for the wings. They also have burgers and a selection of sides. They only have one dessert item, a dulce de leech brownie that looks amazing! But if it’s like their wings, it’s going to be absolutely amazing. I’ve seen the pictures and it looks amazing!

You can make your way to Randy’s Wing Bar by walking through the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (if you’re feeling virtuous and want to make sure you deserve the meal), or you can get one of the shuttles from the Stratford Bus Station that go to Here East (we didn’t know you could get a shuttle when we were going!). If you look on the maps, it looks like it’s a short walk from the Hackney Wick station, but I can’t be sure.

To date, I can safely say, these are the best buffalo wings I’ve tasted in the UK. I am looking forward to going back because at £7.50 per serving of wings, it is great value for money because the bowls are sharing sized.

Yelly Eats

A meal in grand surroundings

Yelly

This was a review I published on my TripAdvisor page.

The current structure of the Royal Exchange in London was designed by William Tite and it was opened by Queen Victoria in 1844. It currently houses luxury shops and offices. I didn’t know that you could go in and look around it because I thought it was part of the Bank of England. I thought entry was restricted to people going there on official business.

I was recently told that there was a cafe inside and that it was open to the public. It was sign posted outside and we usually get on a bus that goes past the Royal Exchange. I don’t know how I missed the signs for a cafe and shopping outside! I guess when you don’t look for something, you completely miss it when you see it!

When you do go in, try to go in via the main entrance, where the portico and pediment are. Walk up the steps, walk past the gorgeous 8 Corinthian columns and go through the green iron-wrought gates. Once you are through the double glass doors, remember to look up. The interior of the Royal Exchange is breathtaking!

Right-smack-dab in the middle of the original Royal Exchange courtyard is the Royal Exchange Grand Cafe and Bar. When we went in May, the very chic oval bar was decorated with lovely cherry blossoms (I think the theme changes every season). I thought we would be underdressed because it was where the financiers of London worked (plus you had luxury shops like Boodle, Omega and Mont Blanc surrounding the courtyard) as we were dressed to be London tourists for the day. But we were greeted very warmly by the cafe staff and we were seated immediately (come early if you want to have a leisurely breakfast – I guarantee the surroundings will make you want to dawdle and gawp!).

The staff are very efficient but you don’t feel rushed. Our server was amazing, very friendly and I never felt scared to ask questions. The breakfast menu was quiet good: you had an option to go Continental and have toast and tea (or coffee) or your choice of an eggy breakfast (poached, scrambled, fried or in an omelette) with your choice of additions. If you preferred, you could have a pastry for breakfast or cake. It’s almost silver service but not formal enough for you not to enjoy your breakfast and stare at the sumptuous surroundings.

We chose to eat a light breakfast of toast and tea. I chose it because I loved sourdough bread and they served you that (you had the option of choosing the seeded bread too). When the toast came, I was pleasantly surprised because we got more than I expected to get. You get 2 types of jams (they came in individual-sized jam pots) per person and a large pat of French butter. The staff are solicitous and they do ask you if you need more jam or butter. I love to slather butter on my toast so I had to ask for more and they provide that with a smile and flourish. You get your tea served in a silver teapot but I do have to warn you, if you get the teapots with the metal handle, ask for an extra napkin to wrap around the handle because it is hot! The staff are very understanding though so they are happy to provide you with more napkins.

The Grand Cafe also does afternoon tea. They are currently running a Japanese-themed afternoon tea, which runs until 30 June. You may need to visit the Royal Exchange Grand Cafe website to see what their offerings are if you intend to visit after 30 June. You will be served a savoury course and then a sweet course. They aren’t stingy with the tea. I call it a tea-all-you-can service. You can change you tea choice mid-way if you choose. You can choose to start with a fruit infusion, or a mint tea and finish with a green or black tea option. If you don’t ask for more tea, the wait staff will ask you if you want more tea, and you don’t get charged for it. The teas are part of the set price that you pay. It is currently £20 for the classic afternoon tea and £28 for a cocktail afternoon tea. There is a 12.5% service charge.

Whilst they don’t do the traditional tiered cake stand type of presentation, I think it changes according to the afternoon themes. I might go back to find out!

It is good value for money, for where it’s situated. The service is wonderful and I can’t say it enough that I loved how friendly the staff were. They encourage you to have a wander around as well because there are gorgeous murals that can be viewed from the mezzanine level where the Gallery is situated.

It is an experience not to be missed, and not a lot of people know that you CAN have the experience!

Yelly Writes

Kindred souls

Yelly

I’ve always thought I was an extrovert.  I always thought I was very social.  But these days, I am finding that I like my own company (even with Alan constantly around, I do find that I cherish the moments when I am alone with just me, myself and I).  I always say to people that I am a chatterbox (I always say that I know that Alan and I are so well-suited because he doesn’t talk as much and I pretty much talk enough for the both of us) and I find that I do like to have the occasional natter.  I can be loud but I find that I can’t be loud for very long.  I think Alan has rubbed off on me a lot.  I find that I appreciate quiet as well.  Companionable silence is also a good thing (and Alan and I have that a lot, which in itself is a comfort – I’ve read in an article that couples who appreciate their companionable silences and understand the wisdom of it are stronger…but that’s another blog entry probably).

Almost a month ago now, I went on my second Instagram meet with Alan.  It was for the London Disclosure hub (@londondisclosure) and there was a walk around London photo spots planned.  I was terribly excited about the meet because, as I wrote in my last blog entry I had arranged to meet the Filipinos that I followed on Instagram.

I was quite subdued when I wrote about our mini meet up.  But it was quite momentous for me.  I was slightly fangirling because I thought these people were very talented and I loved the photos they posted on Instagram.  They all have considerably large followings on Instagram and I was just starting out on my photography journey.  I was worried that reality wouldn’t be quite as nice as the online interaction.  I kept telling myself to not build it up in my head and to try not to expect too much.  The online world can be very different from real life interaction.  I was also worried that Alan would feel very left out as he usually does when I meet with my family because the language of discussion is always mostly Filipino and he feels like the odd one out(which is probably why he doesn’t look forward to going out with my cousins – because everyone slips into Filipino).

With trepidation (and a heck of a lot of nervousness on my part) we walked into Somerset House so that we could meet the Filipinos before the actual meet up started.  We’d all seen each other’s profile photos on Instagram so I felt that I would recognise them when they walked in.  They also said they’d all be in black (I didn’t follow the uniform – but I did have a black cross-body bag and black sneakers!).

I saw them before they saw me (at least I think so), so I whispered to Alan that I’d seen them.  Cheryl (who goes by the Instagram handle @chic.wanders.in), I think spotted me first because I saw her smile and wave.  I waved back excitedly and then in a few minutes, we were inundated with a friendly wave of Filipino smiles.  There was a flurry of introductions and they surprised me with a loot bag filled with Filipino sweets and snacks (it had Chocnut, a peanut-chocolate sweet, Yan-Yan, pretzel sticks that you dip in the accompanying chocolate spread, tamarind candy and Kopik0, which is a coffee flavoured candy) and a lovely Jose Rizal bust-shaped tag that Ellapot (my nickname for @barefootnomad who is a little firecracker of a creative person) made especially to mark the first ever Instagram meet for what would be what we all now call the #pinoylondongrammers group.

©IYMedina

I had my mind blown about how small the world was when Jools (@jetaime.07) and I started talking about what our lives and jobs were in the Philippines.  She worked with one of my friends from PSALM and before they worked together in a energy-related firm, we discovered that we had something in common because we both worked in the Philippine power sector.  So I had my little six-degrees-of-separation moment, and it always makes me smile when I think that we weren’t actually separated by 6 degrees!

I hadn’t met Karla (@clickers.click) and Hazel (@hazel.parreno) before (and to be fair, I wasn’t following them on Instagram before we met) but it was really good to meet other Filipinos who shared my keen interest in photography.  I had a cheeky look at Instagram after the meet and made sure I followed them (especially Karla because I think we all agreed to get her to a 100 followers and that if she did reach that number, she’d treat us all to a lechon – a whole roasted suckling pig! Yum!) immediately!  I also missed meeting Vanessa (@lil_kim426) because she couldn’t stay for the LD meet but met the rest of the group at the lunch (we have yet to meet!).

I was quite starstruck when I met Teddy (who goes by @mutyyyaaa on Instagram and who I call Teddymeister) because I did love his photos on Instagram and he already had quite the following on Instagram already.  I would always see his photos on the top lists of the London hubs that I followed.

It was a great meet up.  Because  everyone was as lovely as they seemed to be on Instagram.  What I appreciated the most was that they tried to speak in English so that Alan would be included (they did say he was now an honorary Filipino).  Of course we’d lapse into Filipino (hey, it’s instinctive!) but we’d all try to go back to English or I’d remember to translate so that Alan would understand what was going on.  I am also glad that Alan liked them enough to verbalise that he thought they were a nice bunch of people.  I put a lot of stock in Alan’s opinion because his opinion of the people I hang out with matters a lot.

©C. Enario

My WhatsApp has never been more active and I’ve never had so many laugh out loud moments whilst reading my WhatsApp messages or my Instagram comments and chats.  I actually feel like I’ve made friends.  Friends who share my passion for photography and my love of London.  Friends who I’d like to keep in touch with – not just acquaintances.  It’s nice to know Filipinos who love being Filipino and are proud to be Filipino.  I am so happy I’ve met a group of people who do not ascribe to the typical Filipino crab mentality that you see in a lot of groups of Filipinos who live overseas.  I’m so happy that I’ve met a group of individuals who actually support each other and lift each other up.  For the first time, in a very long time, I’ve actually met a group of people who I think I’d be willing to move for because I’d love to live closer to them so we can hang out properly.  It doesn’t hurt that Alan enjoys my stories and takes interest in what we talk about in our WhatsApp group.  He has now taken to asking me “what’s happening now?”  He doesn’t ask me because he’s irritated about the amount of time I spend chatting to this lovely little group, he’s asking because (I think and hope!) that he is genuinely interested in what we’re all talking about.

©C. Enario

I’m really happy we went on that London Disclosure meet.  I know we would have probably met eventually.  But that meet allowed me to meet kindred souls sooner rather than later.  And because of that, I feel blessed.

©C. Enario
Yelly Writes

Back to the real world…

Yelly

After a lovely 4-day weekend, it’s time to go back to work.  Funnily enough, I’ve not really felt the weekend blues as much.  I think I needed the long break from work to gain perspective about things (that and to catch up on my ironing!).  I’m not dreading the early wake up call to get ready for an hour-long commute on the lovely Greater Anglia trains to get to my desk.

I’m thankful for the break, thankful that I’ve had time to reflect about my faith, come to terms with it and what I have to do to continue to nurture it, how to reconnect with that side of my personality and how to accept that everything that happens to me is something that isn’t part of what MY plan is.  My plans may or may not coincide with what God’s plans are for me.  Short of singing “Jesus take the wheel” at the top of my lungs, I am easing myself into the idea of surrendering to a higher power.  Because when I allow God to take control, it is His plan that I am following and not my own wilful heart.

I am thankful for the blessing that is Easter.  I am thankful for the rest it affords my body.  I am thankful for the rest it affords my brain (I wasn’t, at all, tempted to do anything work related – mind you, do and think about work are two different things!).  I am thankful for the rest that it has afforded my spirit and the chance to be alone with my thoughts about God, my faith and the way my life should reflect my beliefs.  I am thankful in the knowledge that I am an Easter person (because I am resurrected and I am renewed).

I am also thankful for the treats that have nourished my body (and to be honest, my spirit as well!).  Have you found all your Easter eggs?

Yelly Writes

Easter thoughts

Yelly

Easter brings a 4-day weekend with Bank Holiday Friday (aka Good Friday when I lived in Manila) and Easter Monday (which, thank you God, is also a bank holiday!).  Easter also brings a lot of chocolate and it’s been a tradition at the firm that I work in for the shareholders of the firm to give us Easter eggs before the office closes for the long weekend.  Easter also brings a time for me to rest.  I’ve not been a 100% per cent for a while, so I am thankful for the statutory time off!

Easter was quite different for me when I lived in the Philippines.  If you didn’t already know, the Philippines is a predominantly Christian country, where approximately 86% of the population are Roman Catholic (I belong to the 2% of the population, I think, who are protestant – I am a proud card-carrying Methodist!).  So Easter is a big thing in the Philippines – almost as big as Christmas.  But I think, whilst Christmas is a celebration of blessings (both spiritual and fiscal), Easter is more solemn…more devotional.

The country begins it’s slow down on Palm Sunday and all but shuts down in the afternoon of Holy Wednesday.  The proceedings begin on Maundy Tuesday, the evening when the ritual of the Last Supper is celebrated and everyone goes into a collective retrospective, spiritually contemplative and prayerful mood.  When I was younger, before the introduction of the mainstream cable TV subscription, local TV stations would cease their usual telecasts and it would only be “religious” films on TV (mostly about the last days of Christ, and Father Peyton TV specials).  Children weren’t allowed to play and we were all told to be quiet when we did laugh out loud.

When I started participating in my local church activities, the weeks leading up to Easter Sunday were very busy.  There were choir practices for the services that would be held for the evening of the Last Supper (Maundy Thursday evening) where we would have the ceremonial washing of the feet, the Last Supper and the service would end by the congregation stripping the altar of all its adornments in preparation for the afternoon service during Good Friday.  On Good Friday, there is a service in church where the focus of reflection is Jesus’ seven last statements whilst he was crucified on the cross.  I have been privileged to offer a reflection before.  There is a lot of hymn singing and the whole week is prayerful.

On Easter Sunday, most of the Catholic population celebrate Christ’s resurrection in an early morning (usually at around 4 or 5AM) ritual called Salubong (sah-loo-bong).  It is, most probably, the imagined reenactment of Jesus and Mary’s first meeting after Jesus has risen from the dead.  I’ve always known the Methodists (and other protestant congregations) to have an ecumenical (all are welcome) Easter sunrise service that usually starts at 5AM.  There is much singing and celebrating and then we all go back to our local churches to have our Easter Sunday services.  There is more celebrating via a church lunch following the requisite Easter egg hunt for the children.

Fairview Park United Methodist Church – photo credit: Matt de Guzman

The season of Lent is slightly different for me these days.  Since moving to the UK, because I’ve never really properly attached myself to a church, I don’t have the same Christian fellowship during these times.  I don’t have a choir to practice songs with, or a service to attend, during most times.  I know I should try to find a church, to regularly attend a Sunday service, to find Christian fellowship.  I find that whilst Easter still means a lot to me, because it represents the day Christ offered Himself to die for my sins, the day I became free from the shackles of death, it has become less contemplative.

I find that the life I live is more socially secular and more personally spiritual.  But I think that because of this lack of Christian fellowship, something is missing in my life.  I miss talking to people about my faith.  I miss sharing how little things in my life represent God’s goodness.  I miss talking about the instantness of God’s answers to my prayers.  I miss talking about how blessed I am to have certain people in my life because they represent God’s unconditional and illimitable love for me.  I miss talking about how amazing it is when I see God’s hand in the turn of events in my life.

While I lament the lack of opportunity to shout my faith from the mountaintops, I am also thankful for this personal stillness in my life.  I am reminded of the time when, in church, our youth group decided to focus on the internal spiritual growth of the church youth.  We decided that we needed to establish our fellowship first, before reaching out to other churches.  Because we felt the need for the bonds to be strengthened internally first before we reached out.  I think my move to the UK symbolised that as well.  Because after years of serving in church, after years of sharing myself, I needed to look inwardly and reassess my faith.  I needed to tend to my own relationship with my God and my Saviour Jesus Christ.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never felt removed from God, there wasn’t a sense that I wasn’t connected to God.  It was just I was letting Him do all the carrying (I don’t think He minded, but I know He would have loved it if I reached out to Him and carried my end of the yoke).  It is a relationship I have with my God.

I mean, ultimately, it is a commensalist relationship we have with our God.  Because whilst God can be without me (I am thankful that God loves me, and that this has never been a factor in His great plans for me), I am completely nothing without Him.  I benefit because I am with Him.  I am blessed because I am with Him.  Life would be a lot less if I existed without Him.

But I want to continue building my relationship with my God.  I stopped for a while.  I focused on myself but wanting to establish myself without His guidance is an exercise in futility.  Having my own way is what He has given us, we are free to make our own choices.  But ultimately, if we are not guided by Him and if we do not surrender to His will, we might as well walk our life journeys in circles.  When you do not have your internal compass you won’t get to where you need to go.

God has been waiting for me to properly come back, to pay attention to my relationship with Him.  He has been a constant presence in my life, in the people He has put in my life to remind me that I’ve not been walking the walk.  I am truly thankful that we have these Christian rituals during the year.  Because they serve as good reminders – of God’s love for us, and our responsibilities to Him.

Yelly Writes

Prayer for concentration at work

Yelly

I have always wanted to write more about my faith and my feelings.  Because if you can’t be yourself and say what you want on your blog, where else can you (provided that what you post isn’t illegal or offensive to other people’s civil liberties – I’d like to say it’s exercising responsible freedom of speech!) be?

I saw a comment on one of my old blogs, talking about how a prayer that I posted about concentration at work helped them (they were looking for a prayer for concentration and apparently my prayer was easily modified for purpose).

I thought I’d share it with y’all because I know that it was something I came across as well and that I modified according to what I needed.  I’m hoping that it helps someone who comes across this blog post too!  In this world of instants, there are so many distractions.  Sometimes it helps to just close one’s eyes and focus and draw into oneself and centre oneself by praying.

I hope this helps!

Dear Father,

I draw near You to seek Your help.  I have the assurance that You love me so very much. Lord, the Scripture says that You love the prosperity of Your children.  You know the importance of being able to concentrate at work.  Father, bless me with Your guidance and let me work on my things to do list properly.  Lord, I confess that I get distracted easily; I have more interest in less important things instead of what is urgent in my in-tray.

Please forgive me and gird me with You grace (I love the word gird Lord, because it makes me feel like I am going to battle, and oh I do love a battle!  See Lord, I am digressing, yet again!) and strength so that I concentrate in my work.  Without Your help I cannot achieve any success Lord!

Please help me to overcome all my weaknesses and strengthen my mind. Take full control of my wandering thoughts and give me Your wisdom and knowledge. Let me shine at work, Heavenly Father and let me be a blessing to to everyone. I lift all this up in Jesus’ name.  

Amen.

Yelly Writes

After the hiatus…?

Yelly

How many times have I taken a blogging sabbatical?  It happens all the time.  I allow the real world and work to take control of my life and the things that make me happy take a back seat.

Well, if I intend to be the boss of me eventually, if I intend to be responsible for my own time, then I need to take control of things don’t I?  Besides, whilst paying for my own domain name isn’t exactly breaking the bank (thank you WordPress for making this financially accessible!  You guys absolutely rock!), there must be some sort of return of investment!

So I am back in the land of the blogging!

Watch this space…again!

Oh and PS, thanks for sticking with me!  Mucho appreciated!❤️