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How Do Birthdays Make You Feel?

How do birthdays make you feel? Do you remember eagerly waking up early as a youngster, excited to see what the day had in store for you?
As we grow older, I think it is only natural that they lose a little bit of their magical sparkle. Another birthday means another year older. Again, it is only when we are younger, and the days stretch on endlessly ahead of us, that we impatiently think about being older and all the additional benefits and freedom that we *imagine* comes with age.

Well here’s a newsflash – growing-up is a trap! *laughs dryly.

I remember being around 11 years old, and not being able to imagine what life would be like when I was 21. It seemed so far away. Now long past 21, the time feels like it has flown. Admittedly, it’s not all rockets and hoverboards like I imagined it might be, but it is scary how quickly age sneaks up on you. I was in such a rush to get older, that I don’t feel I truly treasured my youth. But then they do say youth is wasted on the young! I kind of see where that comes from now!

Almost three years ago, I lost my Mum. Now, my birthdays (along with most other days) seem to be tinged with her loss. Losing a parent serves as a stark reminder of our own mortality. And that is what has replaced birthday joy. My Mum was one of those “21 again” ladies. That makes me smile to remember. Again, I get that now. They do say you become your Mother, as a girl, and I can feel the words ’21 again’ just waiting to trip off my tongue. But I shall resist; for now at least. Or maybe not!

Growing older is something that is denied to many. While I can sit here wailing about getting old, I’m realistically not ‘that old’ (unless you asked a teenager :-p ) and I am grateful for the chance to live.

So, as today is my birthday and marks a fresh new year for me, I am going to make a conscious decision to do more ‘living’ over the year ahead and going forward. I have fallen into something of a trough over the last few years, but time really does wait for no man!

On The Subject Of Birthdays

Birthdays are milestones;
Like markers on your way
As you travel life’s journey.
Every 365 days,
Just exit the fast lane,
Pull up on the hard shoulder.
Another year wiser.
Another year older.

Reflect on the best.
Take your lessons from the rest.
Just don’t be depressed
That you’re not one digit less.

I confess I have been guilty. I have let my age define.
I have recoiled in fear at the thought of passing time.
It’s not like I expected, but I accept this age of mine
As it will be part of my younger days a few years down the line!

Life can be fragile
And what troubles me
Is that reaching another birthday
Is not always guaranteed.

So birthdays can be bittersweet
And remind us of the past
But I aim to make the best of it
As a year goes really fast!

On The Subject Of Birthdays is a poem written by Ms Moem.

How do birthdays make you feel?

How Youtube Killed Soap Operas

Soap operas are dead! Well, they are to me. It was just before Christmas that I took the decision to stop watching all the soaps that I had enjoyed for years.
For me, the stories are too depressing. It was not enhancing my life, so I cut them out and haven’t looked back. I’ve half-heartedly given them up before, but something always drew me back. This time it is different, and I don’t think that is likely to change.

At first, it was a case of thinking I had simply reclaimed x hours a week to do other stuff. What I found I had done though was substituted tv time for youtube time.
There are so many things on youtube, from tutorials and reviews, to vlogs, music and debates.I particularly enjoy some of the vlogs that some dedicated youtubers put up. In fact, I am fairly certain that they are what technically replaced soaps in my mind, leaving me free to walk away from the fictional.

Soap operas exist to fulfill our natural curiosities by giving us all a chance to imagine and visualise the lives of others. The trouble is, soap operas have to actually be written and moulded. What could be better but instead watching actual real lives!? Youtubers are giving snapshots of their lives and experiences in a far more compelling, cheerful and real way.

That’s not to say there isn’t some sad stuff involved sometimes, but the difference is they are not there to purely shoehorn death, misery, murder and scandal into our every day lives like soap operas are.

Some of the youtubers I enjoy watching include itsjudyslife, the SacconeJolys, Sprinkle of Glitter, Zoella and Jamie Oliver’s Foodtube.
Recently I was also introduced to London Real TV which hosts interesting interviews weekly with a diverse range of people who talk about their lives, businesses and experiences, all of which are things that interest me.

Youtube is open 24/7. I don’t have to worry about tuning in at a specific time, although I often do, because I want to; not because I will miss out if I don’t. I can subscribe to all the characters and shows that interest me most, and their content is sent straight to my homefeed to watch at a time that is convenient for me.

So this is how youtube killed the soap opera for me!

Poem In Memory Of Soap Operas

No more Weatherfield cobbles.
No trips across Albert Square.
Of the goings-on in Emmerdale
I’m completely unaware.

Soaps have lost their magic
And for me, have had their day.
For now, I’m into youtube;
Online content is here to stay.

I will not miss the misery,
The murders and despair.
I will not miss the angst
Of the unlikeliest affairs.

No more avoiding spoilers
(Which is harder than you might expect)
And no more hours watching
When I know what happens next.

That said, there have been good times,
Inducing empathy and laughter
But let’s face it, no soap characters
Are designed to live happily ever after.

So, farewell land of fiction.
Farewell soaps! Goodbye!
I’m at that crossroads in my life
And you’re with the TV spirits in the sky!

Poem In Memory Of Soap Operas is written by Ms Moem

Que Sera Sera?

Que Sera Sera? Whatever will be will be?

It’s a well worn phrase, but it’s not necessarily true. To some degree, what will be, will be. But you have the power to change outcomes through your choice of action.
Life will happen without you doing anything, because that’s just what it does. Time waits for no man.
You can live a passive life and just let things happen to you. But if you want to make things other things (read better things) happen, you can.
Accept liability for your own future!

Happy International Women’s Day

Celebrating women all around the world on this International Women’s Day! I believe the official theme is ‘Inspiring Change’.

International Women’s Day is important to me, and not least because I have four daughters.

Women should be holding out their hands to others and pulling them up. That is the first change that I would like to see.
All life starts within women. We raise children. We build businesses. We support others. We put others before ourselves. We laugh. We cry. We talk. We stand up for what we believe in. There is power in the feminine.

I would like to inspire the young women of today to know that they can do or be anything. I want them to feel the power of being a woman and never to feel held back by it. I want them to pass that knowledge down through the generations. I want them to know that they can be the change!

I want them to listen to their little voices!

Little Voice is a poem written by Ms Moem for International Women’s Day 2014

I’d like the inspired change to mean more confidence, more adventure, more compassion. Sisters are not just doing it for themselves, they are doing it for all women, all around the world!

Happy International Women’s Day!

Reinvention

reinvention

Reinvention. As we progress through life, that seems to be the key. Everyday we are getting older, and we acquire more knowledge, and are put in different situations. If we didn’t reinvent ourselves to fit our new situations, I am not sure that we would get through the changes.

I’m sure it is different for everyone, but for me, I like the idea of trying lots of different things. Some people might say one shouldn’t dabble in many things, but rather become a master of one thing. I would put myself firmly into the dabble category and I am more than happy to be there though I sometimes wonder if that might also put me into the ‘flighty’ category too. I don’t think I care really. The one thing I do want to focus on though, is to develop my finishing skills. The danger with trying lots of things and of reinvention, is that when your mind is buzzing with ideas, sometimes things don’t get all the way to completion before the next idea takes hold. There are so many things I want to do which will all contribute to the person I am yet to be. The person I am today is beginning to realise I really need to get on with my ‘must-do’ list as time waits for no man. So that requires a reinvention to start with, to get my ideas and my motivations and actions all on the same page.

No-one remembers the guy who was going to fix the world or whatever. They do remember the guy that did.

So, rather than say I am going to do x, y and z though, I want to be able to say I HAVE DONE x, y, z. This was the inspiration for the reinvention poem above. In other words, show, don’t tell. I’m going to use it as my own personal reinvention mantra.

Do not mention your intention
To pursue a re-invention
If it’s worthy of attention
Let them see your new dimension

Reinvention Poem by Ms Moem

Trying Something New | Digital Illustration

To keep my passions burning
And the love for what I do
I’ve made a conscious effort
To keep trying something new.

In an increasingly visual world
It’s all about colour and presentation
So the something new I’m trying here
Is digital illustration.

Poetry And Illustrations By Ms Moem

Imagine If The Internet Didn’t Exist

Imagine if the internet didn’t exist. I was sitting streaming content from youtube whilst looking through my poetry orders and chatting to my friends online, and I suddenly thought “what if the internet didn’t exist?”.
It is safe to say my life would be virtually unrecognisable if it didn’t.

I have made some amazing friends, some of whom I have spoken to daily for well over a decade, thanks to the brilliant interwebs. I started my own business because of the internet. I listen to greater range of music because the internet makes it so accessible.
I am inspired daily by the people around me because of the internet. I was able to start sharing my poetry purely because of the internet.

In fact, just written down it all sounds rather basic, and doesn’t capture just how greatly I value the internet. But it enhances my life in so many ways.
I can probably say 100% I would not be doing what I do now if it wasn’t for Tim Berners Lee and his vision for the World Wide Web.

That’s not to say that I think it is infallible though. I am part of the last generation to be born in a non-digital, not connected world. My children are all digital natives. They will never know a time that they haven’t been able to find anything they wanted to know at the click of a mouse. Their lives will be played out in a digital setting. And that is kind of scary because I don’t think we fully appreciate yet the legacy of a life lived online.

However for now I am going to focus on the positives. And there are so many of those. What would be different in your life without the internet?