My name is ERIC

"Is everything alright there"?

I turned back slowly half - embarrassed trying not to make eye contact with this person.

"Oh, hi! Hmm its just a hmmm..."

By this time, I realised that I was not being coherent, partly because of the piercing beautiful stunning blue eyes that were staring back at me rather quizzically and look at that curly brown hair...oh, what a man! But then I realised, considering the rather compromising position I was found by the object of my affection, I'd better speak up fast before he calls the police.

I stepped out to empty my bin when (awww, those eyes!) I heard the door shut behind me and I realised I didn't take my keys with me.

"Oh, you locked yourself out"

"Yeah"

"You must be freezing cold"

"Err....not really" Liar!

Suddenly, I became aware of the cold weather, I was obviously not dressed for this weather in my sleeveless pink chiffon blouse and blue shorts. I looked up to see him looking at me intently with those beautiful eyes I have come to like. His eyes fell on the long metal bar I was holding and his eyebrows arched. I quickly explained that I was trying to open the door through the letter box. In retrospect, I admit it was a silly idea but it made perfect sense at that time.

He looked around as if to check if anyone was coming but there was no one.

"I'll be back shortly"

I watched him walk away and noticed he was wearing flip flops so my guess was that he probably lives nearby.

He returned about two minutes later with a grey cashmere cardigan.

"Here, wear this and keep warm while we find a way to get you back into the house"

I collected it from him and wore it immediately.


Oh, thank you so much! I'm so grateful.


My name is Eric, I live three houses away. I'm not sure I've seen you around here before today.

Oh, I'm Tee and I live here (I flicked my hair and smiled graciously ;))  I've lived here for about a year.

And the conversation progressed nicely. He turned out to be a nice person and I was mesmerized by the sheer force of his.... OK, that's enough!

He stayed with me for about an hour while we waited for the return of my flatmate and within that hour, we sat on the fence and  chatted about different things like movies, music, my faith, politics and it turned out he also likes photography! Aww, bless..

I was blown away by his company and because he took the time to look after a (insert beautiful) damsel in distress in a moment of need ;) It is not very often that people care enough about those around them to do something about it. We are all so busy with our own lives that we are not aware of the need of those around us or we sometimes blatantly ignore them and I am also guilty of this. This experience has, to an extent restored my faith in humanity and I am grateful and I hope to pay more attention to the needs of others and help in any way I can.

Eric and I parted company that evening when my flatmate arrived with the spare key and as much as I enjoyed his company, it was a relief to be back in the warmth of my own home. Phew! I hope to see him again, he is a special person filled with the love and the milk of human kindness.

Hmmm, I'm so tempted to lock myself out of the house 'mistakenly' , maybe Eric will appear? Errrr... That might not be a good idea :)

Breasts & Other Drugs

In keeping with one of my new year resolutions of going out more and making new friends, I went to see the Love & Other Drugs with some friends and it was fun.Seeing Anne Hathaway brings back memories of the  socially awkward fifteen year old she played in the Princess Diaries some years ago now a grown woman whipping out her breast in this new movie. (sigh!) Life...

Regardless of the country you live, so much attention is paid to women's bosom in the media, on the streets, everywhere really. This makes me think what is the obsession with a woman's breast?

New Year Resolutions

Warning: If you are after intellectual material to stimulate extremely intelligent conversation, not today please. Thank you :)  Just thought I should get that off my chest, now let's continue.

As we approach the new year, new year resolutions are frequently discussed in social circles and I don't usually make them but I have decided to make an exception this year. I have heard quite a few already from friends and family. Here they are: lose weight (Nah!), get a better education (No thanks, I'll take the money), drink less alcohol (err mmm), quit smoking (haven't got that far),  recycle more (i think i already do too much of it).

I have put together my very own list:

Jump out of bed when the alarm rings

To jump out of bed when the alarm rings and not crawl out thirty minutes later, I can already see all the things I can achieve in the mornings: eat breakfast at home, apply my make up properly, time to plan the day before leaving home etc. Perhaps going to bed before 1am would be very helpful. 

Make more friends

By that I mean in real life not all those people I wish happy birthday once a year on Facebook! I haven't made new friends in ages and haven't really kept the old ones alive. Spending my weekends doing other things apart from sleeping will be a step in the right direction. Get out of the house, meet people, travel and do things people my age do (I wonder what that is)

Learn to dance properly

That bum wiggling, two dance move at the Christmas party must stop.

Get a better job

I have had enough of looking at those lovely dresses, shoes and bags on display with my face pressed to the shop windows. I will have to pay for all that shopping and travel I intend to do. Bye bye to the sale only shopping (err, maybe not!)

Get Married

If my mother has her way, then this is the year. Any takers? OK, maybe not straight away, but still, any takers?? ha! It would stop me from trying to catch the bouquet (without any luck) at weddings.

N.B: Broke guys need NOT apply.

Feel free to make suggestions of what you think I should add to my list or share your new year resolutions with me. Have a happy new year!

Midnight Thoughts

I was reading my Bible (No, don't stop reading now) when I came across a passage that I have read on many occasions but saw it in a completely different light today. It is in the book of Jeremiah 29:10-14. God through the prophet Jeremiah promised to deliver all the people Nebuchadnezzar carried into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon....well actually, He said He would keep His good  promise to them and visit them. He talked about HIS plan for them, to give them a hope and a final outcome. All these words must be sweet to hear for people exiled in another land and those held captive or perhaps they met the prophecy with absolute scepticism in the light of the difficulty they were facing . Only that there was a twist.... It will happen when seventy years have been completed. This is where I begin to wonder ....why? He is not lacking in ability or resources and could have done it immediately: cast blindness on the captors, change their language like he did in Babel, turn them on one another and release the Jews to go back to Jerusalem? But no! That is not his plan - It will happen in 70 years, oh dear! As if that is not enough, they are to call upon him and seek his face and require him as a vital necessity! Excuse me, in captivity? OK, lets get this straight, He allowed them to be taken into captivity because of their sins. He could have left them there to die, seized the opportunity to wipe them away from the face of the earth, use them as an example of the outcome of disobedience and raise a new people to serve Him but He didn't. 

But there's some comfort... He will be found if they search with all their heart  (AMP, vs 13). He promised to gather them from all the nations they have been scattered and driven to all over to the place for which He caused them to be taken captive from. That tells me something about the person of God, inspite of our disobedience and His chastisement, He still cares about what happens to us in the end. It's like telling your child that the consequences of his disobedience will not be waived but it does not stop your love for him.

So even when I am in the place of my "captivity", bound by my negative thoughts, unbelief and subtle lack of faith in God's abilities and sometimes, outright disobedience leaving me emotionally sapped and tired, He is still sending me messages... I am not alone, He has plans for me and even I cannot have better plans for myself... Seek me,  inquire for me, want me and you will find me.  Lord, I will obey and I thank you!

How far will you go to protect your child?

Hey Peeps! I watched a TV drama, it got me thinking and I decided to write about it. The story follows a family torn apart by a young daughter who having just begun at university, becomes pregnant, marries the guy and stopped studying. The guy in question  had no known family member - they were not present at the wedding, he was unfriendly to this in laws and snapped at his wife when she asked questions about his parents. Her father  became concerned or should I say could not contain his obsessive love for his daughter and and after some time hired a Private Investigator to dig into his son-in law's past and let's just say, a lot of  dirt was dug up. He also discovered that his son-in law physically and verbally abuses his daughter on a regular basis. This was however well disguised by the daughter's refusal to visit her family and when she finally did, she covered her face in heavy make up and pretended to be in a happy marriage. The story took an unexpected turn when the father again, hired a someone to give his son in law 'a good beating'.

This story got me thinking, "At what point does parental involvement become an unnecessary intrusion?". For any loving parent, I believe the first instinct will be to protect your son or daughter against any harm but then you realise that when children get to a certain age they need to be allowed to make their own mistakes and live their own lives. Personally, I believe hiring someone to beat up your son in law is a step too far in protecting one's daughter but should the father have stayed back and done nothing knowing his pregnant daughter is being abused by her husband? Where does one draw the line?

So, What Do You Do?

My first post... Yay!

People meet for the first time or the first time in a long time at a social gathering and after 4 minutes maximum comes the dreaded question, "So, what do you do"? or the typical "Where do you work now"?

I cannot but wonder why it is so important for someone I do not know or haven't seen in a long time find that piece of information important. Is it about finding out what we have in common, plain curiosity or just being nosy and somewhere in our sub-conscious does that information sometimes determine if we will keep in touch? or is everything now about 'networking' and seeing what we can possibly gain from our association with the other person. What happened to those days when we meet people and just like them, make friends and ask questions later. Oh, how I miss them! It didn't matter what your job title was then. 

Speaking of job titles, I have come across some interesting ones recently, why does the job title have to be so complicated when the job isn't? Please find listed those I find most interesting and see if you can guess the answers....

1. Hygiene Facilitation Operative

2. Strategic Pipeline Analyst

3. Director of First Impressions (My best!)

ANSWERS

1. Cleaner

2. Plumber

3. Receptionist

Now to this funny cartoon, I couldn't have put the words better!