The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 4,700 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 8 years to get that many views.
I’m teaching myself every day lately to think about the things that I have reason to be grateful for each day that I live.
There are so many things that we should be happy for every day. General things like our health, our families, our jobs, our bodies, our friends. The list is completely endless really. We could list hundreds of things to be grateful for, from the simple to the extreme.
But what I am enjoying lately is just taking time to think about some of the things that I really enjoy about life for me. So this is a list of just a few of my favourite things that I was thinking about this morning.
I have a HUGE soft spot for the Colonel Harland Sanders Kentucky Fried Chicken. It’s one of those fast foods that you can just eat forever, and never seem to get tired of. When I lived in Swansea, there was a stage that Jamie my best mate and I had KFC almost every day for lunch. He used to come over to the house each day to get to work, and KFC was on the way as he came over, so it was kind of logical to enjoy the lovely tastes of the chicken, the gravy maybe some coleslaw if we were feeling like it. Mom has a big fondness of their hot wings too, so it is fairly regular that we enjoy KFC although of late it has gotten massively expensive so is more of a treat than a norm these days.
Did you know that there are a couple of really fun blogs that follow and shout the praises of KFC? No, haha check these out.
Kentucky Fried Bloggin – Greg’s Grilling – The KFC Blog
K Love is a Canadian Christian Broadcasting Radio Station which my sister introduced me to a number of years ago now. Luckily their online streaming option means that I am able to enjoy the programming as well. Positive, Encouraging is their tag line, and to be honest I’d tend to agree with that. They have some remarkable programs that have a tendency to make you smile about life, and enjoy the time you spend tuned in to their radio station.
They are currently running a 30 day challenge, which I’d encourage you to check out, and get involved in. I am enjoying my time as I focus as much time as I can afford to spend the next 30 days listening in to as much K Love as I can. Join me. 🙂
The Wanela Project
Through my work with various 3rd Sector African Community projects, I have formed links with a project run out of Rotherham, and I really enjoy spending time with the people from my home country right here in South Yorkshire.
They are funny, typical Zimbabwean’s, generous, great people. We have a lot of fun talking about things we have in common, discussing the past, planning for the future, and making things happen for us and our community. It is good to have people around me that I can identify with, share with, and communicate with on a level that we each understand and appreciate.
Since my father’s death a number of years ago, my mom and I have been through many ups and downs. Living in the UK has been challenging, interesting, sometimes hard but at other times fun.
To have been able to go through it with possibly my best friend in life has been an amazing blessing. I love my mothers company, and even though we have certain medical issues to face and work through, I wouldn’t change the time I get to spend with her.
I draw a lot of encouragement and personal satisfaction from being able to be there for mom in her time of need, and enjoy the fact that while I am not wealthy or rich, I am richly blessed to have a personal relationship with a very special woman and a strong Christian lady.
I have really come to learn to love spending a bit of time thinking about what I want to write on my blog each time I sit down to share something with the readers of this blog.
For me writing has become a way of expressing myself, sharing my thoughts, but more importantly it has very much become a way for me to reach out to the bigger world out there and interact with some very interesting and great people. I have met some real friends through this blog, and while we may have never met, we have formed strong ties and relationships of friendship and understanding.
I learn much from the people I interact with. I love to share ideas and be challenged on a daily basis, and I’d encourage anyone that reads my blog that wants to chat with me to get in touch.
These are just a few of the things that today I have chosen to give thanks for. Each day this week I have found a number of things to reflect on and learn to appreciate in a more vibrant and real way in my life.
By choosing to think of the positives, I enjoy each day more, find strength to face the challenges of life, and feel a sense of gratefulness at the very fact that today I am alive to enjoy these things, share these thoughts, and give thanks for the simple things that make my life worth living.
Its been one of those days today that just means you really don’t get a moment infront of the PC until you feel too tired to really want to concentrate on writing anything at all, even though there are two things burning within me that I want to sit and write about. But when the time is right, and I’m finished drawing together the information I need, they remain as drafts. Still means that anyone who’s waiting to check out the lastest rant or thought does at least know that there is something in the pipeline.
I’ve been chatting to a couple of bloggers and people that do this a whole lot more than me, and as a result I’ve decided that there are a couple of new things that I’ll be doing on my blog. Fristly some of you may have already noticed that there is a Picture Page now added to the blog, and each day I’ll upload something that I’ve found, discovered, taken, or had refered to me. There are multitudes of pictures that I find on the net that are so amazingly beautiful. Sometimes I wish I could display them all on my wall. But my blog is as good a place as any, so yeah, have a look, and if you see something that you really like then please be sure to leave a comment and let me know.
Secondly, I plan to try blog a lot more, even if its just a short not or thought. Probably try aim for a post a day if at all possible, sometimes maybe even two. LOL. Apparently keeping a continual flow of thoughts and information makes your blog popular to visit and as I enjoy communicating with people in this way, this is what I will endeavour to do. We’ll see how well I do, because I know what I am like. There are days when just nothing wants to come out of me. So I guess there will be some holes in the show.
Ten years ago I remember being thrilled as I bought my first PC and logged onto the net. As it was back then I discovered the big world of social networking and meeting people online. Still based in Zimbabwe at the time, I was amazed at the ability and doors that the whole web opened to me. I was suddenly talking to people in the UK, US and even further afield. Who remembers faceparty? That was my very first internet profile, and I was caught up in this whole new world of creating an online presence and meeting new and very interesting people. I even had my very own Mailcity email address. The next big discovery was MSN Messenger and the fact that I could talk in real time to someone sat on the other side of the planet.
Since that time, the world of technology and computing have moved in leaps and bounds, and very often I have been left behind, choosing to stick with tried and tested methods, not realising that the world was running away from me as it developed. And so recently I have been dragged kicking and screaming into the whole world of online reality. I have taken a lot of time and effort to ensure that my current status in terms of technology has entered into the 21st century and in a lot of ways the effort has been well worth it. I don’t always understand fully the technology that I am using, but the net has become a powerful tool in learning, and if you’re willing to apply yourself and take time to find exactly what your looking for there is an awful lot of use in creating and maintaining an online presence for yourself.
From MSN Live, to Skype, to webcaming, to Twitter, Digg It, Stumble On It, WordPress, Facebook, Myspace, Bebo, My Yahoo, My MSN, everyone wants their pound of flesh as you take time to give out your personal details and create this indentity for yourself. Social Media is an addictive draw that captivates you and draws you in. You want to talk to people and tell everyone Hello World… This is me, take notice and be my friend. I am amazed at the way in which the internet has captivated people’s lives, and transformed work, jobs, the way we buy, sell, market and do business. 88% of the World Businesses have an online presence. 44% of Internet users will carry out almost every transaction in their day to day lives online. 21% of businesses give you a discount if you hold your account online as opposed to the traditional account options.
We are at an advantage in that we are linked to broadband access. We live in a first world country linked to first world technology that means we have a level of comfort in the knowledge that we get 98% reliability of service. We go wild if we are more than 12 hours without our trusty internet link. Our phones, PDA’s, laptops can all link to our online world as we travel, walk, talk, explore this world of ours. The powerful media applications on our phones mean that we carry a portable studio in our pocket every time we leave home. We are able to film, photograph, upload, blog and comment about anything and everything on the move. We store huge amounts of data on devices that if lost create levels of panic, horror and stress levels that were unthinkable 10 years ago. In some ways I miss the simplicity of life in Africa where your telephone was at home, and if you were out, you were out. But I have to be honest in saying that I am a creature of comfort, and my creature comforts have become a way of life for me. The ease of being able to make a call from anywhere to anyone provided you have their number stored and signal strength makes our lifestyles seem so much easier. And I spend inordinate amounts of time trawling the net for interesting blogs and content. My satnav is now a godsend, and that tatty old map book a thing of the past. (Although I still manage to get lost now and then) and when I do manage to leave my phone at home, its like life has come to a stand still.
There is a concern to having so much detail about our lifestyle in the public domain. GPS means you can be tracked down to a couple of metres and details of your movements stored for months on end. We are all well aware of the risks involved with hacking and protecting our bank details. Identity fraud is always a worry at the back of your mind. But on the flip side of the coin without taking the risks, you are limited as to the opportunities out there that are available to those willing to take the risk and market themselves. I think it is important to use a level headed approach and be sensible about the rewards potentially at your finger tips weighed up against the practical knowledge that certain levels of information are more than enough to get people interested in wanting to speak to you.
And so I bumble along learning daily about this whole wide world of Social Media and what it means to be involved. There are a lot of people that I should thank for taking the time to show me and guide me as I fumble around and get to grips with the ins and outs of the whole game. Alasdair Munn has been a great help in understanding the world of Social Media and he has a great blog that examines the world of Social Media and the impacts that it has on business and daily life. Follow the link and have a read. Its fascinating stuff. Sharon Gwati has also taken time to talk to me about the world of net travel and getting to grips with the world of internet marketing. And of course I have to mention my good friend Ashley who has always taken the time to work with me in understanding the net and working to present some of the most amazing internet sites. So I am armed and prepared for this world of social media and online presence and I enjoy each and every challenge I face in bringing myself up to speed for the 22nd century. Watch this space world. 🙂
A Collection of Thoughts & Opinions 