Me? A 'queen'?

At a recent poetry reading in Wolverhampton I bumped into the very well-respected poet Jane Seabourne. She is the author of Bright Morning which is one of the top ten poetry books recommended by Poetry on Loan.

I asked her to sign my copy of Bright Morning. She had heard me recite my poetry before and read a couple of my works. I was really humbled when she wrote these words for me.

It is very humbling when somebody praises my works but for a well-respected poet to actually tagged me as "The queen of images" it's a different story! It's very overwhelming!

I am very thankful. These kind words just make me want to improve my writing even more!





A literary e-zine that will take you as far as South-east Asia

Two of my poems are recently published in Anak Sastra Literary E-zine.

So what is Anak Sastra?

They say that they're 'a quarterly publication which hopes to provide a venue for Southeast Asian writers to promote their writings in English. The magazine also encourages expats, tourists, and regional connoisseurs alike to submit writings that share their experiences (real or imagined) living or traveling in Southeast Asia. '

Their recent issue is out now and can be read HERE.

If  you want to try writing in the theme of South east Asia, this ezine is actually a good platform on which to start.

 So go on, read this issue to get a taste of what they publish and get submitting!

Llanymynech Rocks - Oswestry England

 Last week I travelled with two of my friends to Oswestry Shropshire for Offa's Press' full day writing workshop. The workshop's theme was 'work' and Simon Fletcher, owner and editor of OP, together with Marion Cockin, led the workshop.

 

I really enjoyed our road trip from West Midlands to Oswestry. Because of a road work, we had to detour and go to Wales for a while in order to get to Oswestry. One minute we were in England, the next we were in Wales! It felt surreal seeing that "Welcome to England" sign, and not even noticing that we have left the country at all!

 

In the morning, we did some writing workshop about previous/current works we have done. Then we went out for a walk by midday and visited the Llanymynech Rocks. We perched on the limestone rocks, had our lunch with a flock of ba-ba-black sheep before walking back to the main workshop hall where we did more writing.

 

Yes, keep smiling.

 

The trek

 

Magnificent view 

 

For the first time I saw alpacas in person!

 

Munching on my boiled eggs for lunch. lol 

 

Picnic with my friends and poets Kuli Kohli and Cherry Doyle

 

My work in Southlight literary magazine

I am very delighted to receive a copy of Southlight literary magazine in which my two poems have been published.

These poems are The Wait and What's become of me?

The Wait was written three years ago while What's become of me? was written three months ago.

What does it say apart from you need rigorous editing before you get a magazine acceptance?

This only shows that everything and everyone has their time. It might not be your time to shine today but believe me, someday, with patience and hard work, you will.

  

  

Bright Morning

I am currently lovin' this poetry collection by the well-respected West Midland poet, Jane Seabourne!

This poetry book is called "Bright Morning" and it is her debut collection. It is published by Offa's Press in 2012.



What they say: "Jane Seabourne’s début collection will be a delight for anyone who enjoys well-crafted and witty contemporary poetry. There are oddities here and there are illuminations. Some of these poems are so beautiful they make you want to steal them."

That is SOOOO true! The poems in this collection is peppered with beautiful images and precious insight to extraordinary moments of our life. I have just read about 20 poems so far as I got it just two days ago and I've had a busy couple of days; but I can assure you - it is so beautiful you wish you are the one who has written it! 

I particularly love the poem "What Love is Like" in this collection.

"Midsummer

and we're half-lost in a wood

of mountain ash and elm...

[...]

"the air is so alive, it breathes itself."

[...]

And here we are, ankle deep in

orchids and enchanter's nightshade

and I swear that when I looked

I saw you smiling.

Some people will probably say a book is so beautiful that they can't put it down, but this one is  special. It's so beautiful you want to schedule a time in a day to do nothing but read it! It is the kind of book I want to read at night, before bed, when all the chaos of work has silenced and the world seems to stand still to read with you. And then the next day, when you face another 'bright morning', you will feel fresh with the thoughts of this book. A must read!

How clean is your skin?

 

Okay so today I want to do a review of a facial product I have been using. Just for a change. I am reviewing this ever-so good DHC Deep cleansing oil. It claims to 'completely dissolve all dirt and cosmetics' on your face. All you need to do is rub a few drops on your face then rinse thoroughly. It can be bought at DHC website for a quite pricey £21.50. Actually and honestly, it is much more expensive than your ordinary make-up remover. But does it work?

 



  

 

 

So after I smothered it all over my face and rinsed with warm water, I use this cleansing water from Nivea to check if there's any more dirt left...

 

 

 

 

And voila! Not bad (well, the lighting is bad and does not do this picture justice) You could still see specks of dust/remnant of dirt. But hey, yes. It is completely worth buying! My skin feels smoother too and you could notice a little bit of radiance upon rinsing. Also, my face feels so clean and light.

 

 

 

Will I buy this product again? Yes and No. Yes  if I can't be bothered to try other products. No for the price. Perhaps when I'm not too busy I will actually look for and test other products if they can do the job this oil does.  But for now, I will use this. Easy to buy (via their website) and DHC often sends their customers freebies and samples. Love it.