Bits and Books ...

The fastest year ever!

noreply@blogger.com (elana bowman) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 02:07:00 +0000

2011 has just whipped by!

I keep thinking that I should still be in February attending to my new year's resolutions which were to eat healthier and exercise more.

I have read hmmm lets' see over 250 books this year (mostly chick lit, memoirs and anything strange/interesting I find in St Vinnies) - my favourite businessy book of this year is I'm Feeling Lucky The Confessions of Employee Number 59 which is a funny, insightful and totally unexpected look into Google - it is the most incredible read. I am currently reading a Christmassy book and a love story about a bookshop owner - both semi-light reads. One of these days I will make a list of all the books I have read - it should be interesting looking back!

I have watched hundreds of B grade movies - mainly for entertainment value and because I take everything so literally it is so nice to switch off sometimes.

I adore and have enjoyed every episode of Modern Family , but have also loved True Blood, Dexter, Unforgettable, Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, Mildred Pierce, Frozen Planet and Happy Endings - it's one of the joys of having Foxtel, recording and watching later.

My favourite movie this year was My Name Is Khan, if you have not seen this yet, it's amazing. I was blown away by the lead actor who has Asperger's Syndrome in the movie, it combines Muslims and Christianity, good vs evil, finding love and ultimately it's a tear jerker.

I have had the most incredible year business wise, training, gaining new clients - even building up fans and followers! I've taught people the how, what, when, where and why of social media and have learnt an incredible amount.

Apart from following the news, reading everything I could get my hands on, meeting people, talking too much, learning and training away - I have also trying to make my own small difference in the world. (I tried to focus on one random act of kindness a day and ended up learning a lot about people!)

I have goals and resolutions in place for 2012 (I'll keep the business ones but have to focus on actually keeping the personal ones too) and a plan to travel to somewhere I have always wanted to go to in 2013.

Wishing you all a very happy holiday and a happy new year!

Dying for Food

noreply@blogger.com (elana bowman) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 09:21:00 +0000

Food is available to me.

Readily. I can pick up the phone and order for delivery. I can access the Internet and order online. I can pop into one of the hundreds of convenience stores in my area alone and pick up snacks, like chocolate, biscuits and lollies.

I shop for groceries at least once a week. And I usually buy way too much. And as soon as something expires, I throw it away. I waste. I don't finish my meals at restaurants, they are far too big. I throw out anything I can't give to someone and I donate tins of food to the hungry. ( when I was younger, now I donate to the WFP and other funds helping Africa online)

I have no understanding of the words I'm starving. We (the lucky ones) use that term when were hungry. And I often look into the fridge and find nothing that I wish to eat at that moment.

When I was young and living in South Africa, I had hot and cold clean running water AND electricity AND a roof over my head AND access to medicine. I had plenty of food, my childhood memories are of favourite meals and treats.

I have never experienced a single day without a meal - unless it was my choice. I have never woken up hungry, never gone to sleep hungry and never walked (or crawled, or swam or endangered my life) for kilometres in search of food.

I have never sucked on a seed to try and satiate a starving child or gone without a spoonful of porridge or rice, so someone else can be less hungry, less malnourished, less likely to die within the next day or so.

The WFP is providing nuritional food products which don't always have to be mixed with water, because the access to clean water fit for drinking is limited in some parts of Africa and in other countries all over the world. There are millions of people in conflict, experiencing war, prevented by terrorists/war lords/ misgoverned governments or poverty - to have access to two things which are our basic rights, food and water.

The world produces enough food to feed everyone. World agriculture produces 17 percent more calories per person today than it did 30 years ago, despite a 70 percent population increase. This is enough to provide everyone in the world with at least 2,720 kilocalories (kcal) per person per day (FAO 2002, p.9). The principal problem is that many people in the world do not have sufficient land to grow, or income to purchase, enough food.

Africa is still paying a world debt. The aid they have received has been misused and often people who need the resources, who need to help their dying families, communities and cattle cannot access the food needed to keep them alive. Not satiated, just simply alive. I have read stories of people who walked for 25 days to get aid. I have seen pictures of children crawling, dying just to get help.

Today is World Food Day (16th October) The FAO (whose headquarters are in Rome) have a motto “fiat panis” (let there be bread. Today is Blog Action Day with the topic of food to raise awareness of our universal relationship with food. To those without, to those who struggle with food choices, to those who eat too much or too little.

This post is in honour of all those who are dying for food. While I, the lucky one, have an abundance of food choices and access to food 24/7. I know that there are millions of people who have never had a pizza delivered to their home. Or have not been able to afford a chocolate bar. And this is to those people who have never seen a supermarket, convenience store, farmers market and would probably be stunned by so much abundance and choice.

I can, will and do donate. I want my funds to help educate, provide water and food to promote a healthy lifestyle and encourage a happy, healthy future for people who lose everything, risk everything on a constant basis while I am the lucky one.

This video was taken in 2008 of footage of starving and dying children in Africa. I hope that WFP and their nutritional products and our donations from afar will help children to live.

New Skills Festival

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:20:00 +0000

Over the month of September The New Skills Festival will give you a chance to learn something new.

Jo has some fabulous bloggers taking part and she has a great giveaway on the blog at the moment, to win a copy of Playful Learning ...

http://jojoebi.blogspot.com/2011/08/playful-learning-interview-and-givaway.html

Come learn something new everyday this September.

2011 why are you speeding by so fast?

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 00:59:00 +0000

I read a quote once that the days seem long but the years are short - by a father to his son watching how fast his granddaughter was growing up and it resonated with me.

I remember when I was young, time seemed to go on forever. School especially but I also recall spending hours in the garden, playing with our dog/s and sitting in a tree waving at a neighbour sitting on her jungle gym. ( Hi C! We reunited on Facebook)

This year, I feel older. I feel like the quote really has struck with me. The year has been and is speeding by and every time, I look, I think of updating this blog all I am reading is how March, April, May, June, July just sped by (boring!) and it just seems like I could write this whole year off. Bring back 2011!

Work balances between feeling like I need to fill more of my days and not having enough time in the day. Having a small business has taught me more about life than I ever expected. It has given me the chance to try so many alternatives, resource so much information, assess a multitude of choices and meet people, fascinating small business owners who have so much to share.

I have always believed - no - I have been lucky. I am highly educated, I come from a great deal of support, I have been taught values and principles, I am lucky. I don't have to, I have never felt forced to work in a job or make career choices because I have to, because of a financial or other reason. I can believe that I can do work I love and sometimes struggle with the confusion of too little or too many clients, too much or too little work to do to month by month. But I am of the lucky few - who can go around stating this.

I often feel like I cannot blog, I cannot say things publicly on this blog, because I am exceptionally lucky. And so I spend my time, my days trying to learn about others. When there were rioters in London last week, looting shops, burning cars and buildings, damaging properties and small businesses, I was reading people's comments, reactions and judgements on social media accounts.

It's easy to sit behind a computer screen or a mobile phone and make comments and assumptions. I couldn't, I was shocked and disgusted, because looters were stealing TVs and then smashing them outside shops and I couldn't understand why. I still don't. I would love to hear from them. I would love to understand or if not understand than just get a glimpse into their choices. I don't want to see pictures of them, I wanted to hear someone talk about his/her life, whether he/she was broken, lost, bored, unhappy -

Part of being on social media for me is training. I am lucky because I have been and am highly educated. I don't carry masters and I haven't graduated and thrown my black hat into the sky, where I came from education was vital. I cannot even begin to tell you how important I think books are, maybe because I am obsessed with books but honestly no matter what mood I am in, no matter my situation, my circumstance, whatever my day or week has been like, I turn to books.

Being a bookworm ( and meeting other bookworms) is funny. Introduce me to someone who loves books and reads - connects me. I have met online through blogging and joining all those book websites like Shelfari, online friends who became real friends.

I have been reading, getting lost in words, learning through reading and when I look up from a book, it seems that somehow I need to find more of a balance. I want to understand this world and social media training is brilliant for me. It means that I get to spend hours with clients and teams, getting to know them while training and days when I am training, advising, assisting are the best days - the days where I love my business the most.

It also means that I am getting paid for researching and reading, how amazing is that? I get to do the things I love and still call it work. And then I meet people who have to work, who have families, mortgages, are carers and get a swift knock on the head that my role, my path in life should contain 3 things, kindness, compassion and education.

It took me a long time to get here. To get to this point in my life. I never understood those 3 things, until I realised that those where the three things that guided me. Sometimes, on my worst days when I am angry and impatient and snappy and just plain ^&II^%%#, I think of those surprising unexpected moments of kindness.

I have many; a woman giving me a spoonful of honey when I was low and shaking and couldn't talk and she stroked my shoulder and feed me until I calmed down. A man and his friend who came up and talked to me and then hugged me when I was crying . Strangers just telling me things about of the blue, things I really needed to hear at that moment. Most of the acts of kindness and compassion are completely and utterly random and they come from strangers.

The days might seem long but the years are short. I seem to spend most of my days, trying to find out who I am - if only people in Somalia, India, Vietnam, China, Africa, in poverty stricken countries had that fortune.

Lots and lots

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 23:33:00 +0000

I spend a lot of time commenting on this blog not being able to believe how quickly time passes.

Looking back at past posts, I always am trying to assess what I am learning along the way and if indeed I am growing, improving, accomplishing anything at all.

That's why I read postsecret every Monday. I love it, it gives me a glimpse into other people's lives and apparent self perceived failings but what I love reading about the most is that when people attend the events where people come on stage to reveal their own secrets, there are so many people who connect with them and cannot believe their secrets are the same. And people find comfort and hope in that. And then seek out counselling or take active steps because really we all have something to share or something within.

The books I have been reading lately are female contemporary fiction and although they are meant to be a form of escapism, Miss Conceived by Emma Hannigan dealt with three women who all had issues with life, love, being single and struggling with the issues of parenthood. It was not light or fluffy at all, rather dealing with something all women face on a daily basis, relationships, pregnancy and choices they have to make. It was enjoyable to read because deep issues, serious and challenging issues were dealt with in a chatty informal manner in this book.

I have just started to read The Fortunes of Ruby White written by Lia Weston who has years of experience dealing with and practising New Age i.e. pagan rituals and this book seems to be a very fictitious look at all things mystical and spiritual. It is an amusing eye opener and Lia obviously writes with knowledge and experience regarding all sorts of practices, attractions, candles, elixirs and the like. In the book Ruby has to face and find out her own abilities and
challenge her own scepticism as well as people who are close to her.

Lots and lots of things have been happening.

So many that I don't get to blog nearly enough and that I am determined to learn and accomplish a balance of lifestyle. This blog began when I started working in a second hand bookshop learning new skills and the learning has never ended. Nor do I want it to. The more I learn, the more I realise how much I have to learn, want to achieve and accomplish and the more I learn the more challenging I find it. If only I could click my fingers and everything just falls into place, but the beauty is that along the way, I can feel how I am growing, achieving and accomplishing without truly realising.

Lots and lots of reading helps me. It gives me interest and knowledge of things I have no idea about. Work is part of that, my business mainly depends on training my clients and I can see the benefits and the results of what training entails.

From my own experiences and from this blog and from reading and learning as well as balancing, balancing to me is the most vital. Eating healthily, doing work I love, challenging myself to improve, learning from mistakes, accepting I have a long long way to go and staying curious, has given me lots and lots of chances to assess and to grow.

There is no better time to change who you are.

I am not talking a total robotic re haul. I mean do what you love, eat healthily, embrace the hobbies you love, find your own light.(Buddha- doubt everything, find your own light).

So many things could come unexpectedly both hard challenging things to learn and wonderful unexpected glee. To me, it's just lots and lots of learning and growing to do.

Yes I have been reading since my last post!

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Wed, 18 May 2011 10:18:00 +0000

And learning!

I am employed part time and I see clients and do social media work at home, the other two days so I have been busy learning and finding out information.

The one thing I still do, quite religiously is read books and because new books are so expensive, I spend a lot of time in second hand book shops and St Vinnie's. The advantage is I buy 3 or 4 books for a few dollars and I have no problem with giving them away when I have finished reading them.

I give away about 3 canvas shopping bags full of books every few months, but I keep the ones I love and glancing around me, I have books everywhere, on the couch, surrounding the bird cage (to keep the cat from leaping at the bird), and in every other room in my place.

I'm trying to balance work and books with Internet, social media, life ... and learning new work and tools. Time flies by, I love blogging and writing posts and I never seem to find the time to write.

I have been making and have become obsessed with salads and combining spices, sesame seeds and ingredients. I eat a huge bowl every night and I feel very healthy lately.

I have a whole lot of books I'd like to review and chat about on here, but tonight I'm going to make another huge salad and watch a few pre -recorded TV programmes before another day of learning, discovering and working.

Reading ...

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 01:52:00 +0000

I read on average a book a day. Which means I read a lot, mainly chick it - which I adore because I really relate to the modern 30 something, hip, positivity of these books even though I know the format.

Girls generally have menial or assistant jobs, they are single not happy with their lives and are looking for a change. Or a boyfriend. Or to leave their jobs. Or are choosing between two guys. Or are raising a child. Or are getting over something.

In chick lit books (I prefer to call them contemporary lit) I relate to the character because generally she is finding out things about herself and trying to make positive changes.

The books cover depression, break ups, moving to new cities, starting jobs, leaving jobs, money problems, weight issues, other issues and circumstances, starting their own businesses, really seeing a relationship for what it is and ultimately (and happily ending) finding their right paths.

And I gather the women who write these books (and men) write from their own experiences or observations or dreams or goals or imagination.

The books which stay with me are the ones with the least obvious endings and the ones where the main character finds her/his own path and happiness despite whatever happens to him/her throughout the pages.

Books, whether they are fiction or not, are to be a way of finding out who I am or not by reading about other lives. I love books that take pace in countries I haven't been to and about jobs which I have never done. The ones about parenting or money issues or weight issues, give me an insight into the choices or struggle or determination of characters and the ones that have a happy ending, make me feel good (and relieved - depending on the book itself).

I liked Jennifer Love Hewitt's The Day I Shot Cupid because it was sweet. It was how I imagined her to be. Sure, it was not the most brilliant nor there was nothing new there that I haven't already heard from peope who want to give others advice about love and relationships.

But it was honest. And quirky. About what she had learnt along her way and things she had found out about herself. And mistakes she had made and what she would and wouldn't do in the future. But it was too simple for me, a little too cutesy and as much as I love Jennifer Love Hewitt in Ghost Whisperer, I can see that she was reflecting and emphasising how much love, romance and getting it right with men (with some contradictions, from not playing games, to playing games, to being the woman the man wants you to be, to being more ballsy ... it was a bit confusing)

It got many many reviews, mainly referring to the book as cute, a bit pre-teen, a bit too fluffy and led me the to this blog about book reviews and Big Al's thoughts on negative book reviews. And got me thinking about book reviews.

We read what we want to read. I know that a lot of people have guilty reading pleasures and read books they would not admit to anyone, Mamamia's blog about book shame puts this very nicely; we don't all read classics and huge history tomes every day - at least I don't.

I don't read reviews and so don't really review books on here, because it is just my opinion. I am reading a book about influenza called the Last Town on Earth which I love because it is fascinating and intriguing and in my opinion very well written and I love learning about something whenever I read a book.

I have just finished I Never fancied Him Anyway where Cassie spends a lot of the book dealing with being psychic and finding out about herself. And love. And men. And work. I found the book fascinating because not all pyschics are stereotypical and Cassandra has to face strangers opinions of her.

Even if we are not love a holics like Jennifer or psychics or into a certain genre of books, reading reviews comes (for me) after I have read the book or when I write a post about a certain book . I don't read book reviews that often.

Funny, I am not like this with movies, I will read a review and then not go see a movie based on a stranger's opinion, I love Rotten Tomatoes and I think with me I'd prefer to read than see a movie and when I do, I want to make sure it is something I really want to see.

Not with books, I love to read, and if something is not as good, not as well written, I forget about it very quickly. But the ones that are good, well written, made some sort of impact on me, stay in my head.

Books give me insight, educate me, comfort me, feed me and inspire me. I read to learn.

Do you read reviews before you buy a book?

Or do you just read and read?

I choose books by their titles and covers and the little blurb at the back. And because I read so much, I buy second hand or from charity shops. You?

In the blink of an eye, it's March

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 05:24:00 +0000

This year is going by so quickly and I cannot believe that in a single swoop January and February 2011 are gone!

I've spent the past, well most of this blog assessing myself, my lifestyle and my business/ work or lack of work.

And I have spent a lot of time, reading, thinking about all the things I have to do and working on the things that are important to me, my health, my family, my 3 nieces and nephew, my business and have spent days, months and years trying to better myself.

Life happens when we're making other plans and this March, like this February I am carrying on reading, running my business, trying to find a job, building and keeping relationships healthy and keeping my own health in check and letting life just take over.

I loved walking around London and letting myself discover new things, places, people, businesses and cultures. When you tire of London, you're tire of life and I am pleased that there is so much of life, ready to grab me, to grab us, to make us put aside the best laid plans and to try and fill my life with everything I can.

While still adding fruit to my diet and slathering myself in sunscreen and reading up on marketing and technology and doing the things I need to do; I am also stepping back from all the shoulds and learning how to embrace and enjoy things a little more.

A few days ago, while I was flying back from the UK, an earthquake hit Christchurch New Zealand and took with it hundreds of lives and utter devastation. Today, this morning there was 2 minutes of silence to remember the victims.

With the floods in Queensland and this earthquake, these natural disasters have been a symbol for me to look at and appreciate my own circumstances.

May all the victims R.I.P. and thank you to the world, Japan, UK, the 10 000 students, Australia, New Zealand and the USA for helping, coming to both country's assistance and showing the world that people, pets, cleaning up. rebuilding comes first and is possible and the most important things are helping, loving and caring for each other.

January

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 04:23:00 +0000

January is the time for me to assess the past year and plan the future year.

It seems that, after reading magazines and endless news posts about the subject that January is natural for making plans, for making resolutions and to map out the year ahead.

For me, it's the time to assess everything that is working and not working in my life. To look at what I have become too comfortable with and need to change and re evaluate and to find ways to improve on my self, my business and my home life.

I have 6 pets, a kitten, a budgie and four fish and I need to clean the tank more and mix the food and vitamin intake up a bit. Pets are expensive and need care and the right food and I am not so good at cleaning out the gravel and really looking after the tank although the fish are incredibly hale and healthy - it must have something to do with the antioxidant Japanese gold fish pellets I feed them.

Business wise I am in the process of making a 6 month plan. I have advised all my clients to do this and set up a working to do list and I think I must have one for myself and the business this year.

And home life, there are so many things I can do better, clean better, tidy better, really, I would love to live in a designer compact home that looks like it belongs in a magazine and actually live it!. But I am surrounded by books (must have a giveaway/swap) soon and when I look around me, there are so many little things I have put off.

So while I am away, I am going to make the appointments needed to get my place into the kind of place I can have visitors popping in anytime (cheesy!) and sort out all the little niggly stuff I have been putting off.

As January leads into February, the shortest month of the year and this year is going to be a freezing one for me; I'd love this year to be about improvement, comfort and working on my business any way I can.

Happy happy

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 08:06:00 +0000

What a difference being employed makes!

I buy more books, don't have to justify the cost of every single thing and look at course options in the new year. I am still hooked on the idea of graphic design and I want to attend more talks, workshops and things.

I am taking a holiday in February and I have the huge advantage of having a small business; which means I can work from afar.

While I am away I am going to look at different aspects of social media and what the UK industry is like and hopefully gather information, ideas and marketing to bring back and use in Australia.

So I wish all my blog viewers and readers a very very happy holiday period and new years. may you do all the things you love, plan all the things you want to do but don't have time to do while you're working and am looking forward to 2011.

December ...

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 09:54:00 +0000

What a year it has been.

I now have part time employment doing social media, work I have been doing and loving for the past 3 years and I have a lot to learn and so much to gain in this role.

On my days off I assist my clients with their online marketing and I am looking at doing courses, basic courses to improve my skills next year.

It's Christmas in under a week and then new years and this year for me has all about finding work, using my skills and learning.

But also reading books and learning more and more and pursuing my career.

I am in the middle of Adrian Mole The Prostrate Years another incredible book by Sue Townsend. I love the Adrian Mole books, I find them absolutely hysterical and I love her writing.

This has been a full on year, so many interviews, books and trying to find a work. It's been busy, full on, exhausting, challenging, quiet, crazy and tiring.

I have thanked so many people and I am so lucky to have found work doing what I love.

November already?!

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 07:56:00 +0000

This year has sped by!

It's November and I am trying to assess what I have done and achieved this year.

I've read a LOT of books. I lost a cat and got a kitten (an incredible, fascinating, adorable, energetic ball of purr).

I've applied for hundreds of jobs and had some fantastic interviews. I've been doing the news story every day since February. I have found and been hired by clients. I have done some community exchange work, done temporary bit work, met loads of people who love their work and used Twitter to make connections and learn so much useless and mostly beneficial helpful stuff.

I have built up my business, made connections with some great people and learnt a great deal about both my business and the small business industry in general. Thanks to social media and networking and handing out business cards and talking to people.

I have social media endorsement after doing a 9 day workshop so I can give advice and assist other small businesses with what I have learnt while learning more and more myself.

I have watched way too much TV, terrible B grade horror movies, read hundreds of blogs, become too upset over the news and have not exercised nearly enough.

I am eating healthily and have fallen in love with coconut oil, organic products, wraps, nuts, seeds and herbs (and thrown them all over my food!)

I have watched people. Yes, this sounds strange but I have. I have watched how people are with each other. I have seen a great deal of love, kindness, great belief and faith this year and each time I have it restores me.

And I love what I do. I really do. I love what I do. I love the work I do, that it mostly doesn't feel like work and I have such a passion for it. I cannot believe how I have found work, a career, an industry which I love so much. This year has been the biggest learning year for me.

And now it's November. I've been giving advice about networking so I will take advantage of the quieter holiday period and network for myself and to help clients even more next year.

And no doubt I will read more books ...

Kindness, observing and drinking water ...

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 02:46:00 +0000

I have been drinking so much water lately; I feel a bit bad about the blog post about Africans who are in desperate need of pure/safe water that I have brought a stainless steel water bottle to fill and I aim to stop using plastic bottles and to fill up my bottle everyday instead.

I also am looking to donate towards a dam or treatment plant or sanitation plant in South Africa, if anyone knows?

I have got two weeks of my temporary job left and I have been learning that I am not used to a 9 to 5 environment. That I like being my own boss, being able to do errands and to plan my day around meetings, social media meet ups, networking functions or ideas, marketing, library visits and I read a lot more news sites, blogs and social media stuff in the morning to get inspired and to make plans for the day ahead.

Now I am rushing for the bus; doing what work needs to be done. And it is a great environment, lovely people and a bus away from my house. It's very pleasant.

At night I am coming home to do my story for my work the next day, catching up and I still have to find a 3/4 days a week job.

In between my temp job and my own business, I find the time to read on the bus to and from home. I have just started Sister by Rosamund Lupton which is an interesting creepy account of a girl who loses her sister and tries to piece everything together. It's really well written but a bit odd. I am trying to put all the pieces together so it is very intriguing.

And then for the acts of kindness. It takes one random act of kindness to help change the world. I have been looking at lists with suggestions on doing so. Over the next few weeks I am going to devise my own list and tick it off. It's acts of kindness for self and others.

I just hope that I am learning and can use all of this when I go back to my business and searching for part time work.For now, I am observing a great work environment with extremely nice people and learning about myself .

Africa needs safe water ...

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 00:11:00 +0000

Africa and Africans need safe water to drink. They need access to clean water.

It amazes me how I turn on the taps in the morning to bath/shower, to make coffee and breakfast, to water the garden, all at the touch of a button and that women still have to walk (according to greenanswers.com) about four miles and the weight of water they carry on their heads is about the equivalent to the average airport luggage allowance.

Today 1.1 billion people still do not have adequate access to safe water and 2.4 billion people are without appropriate sanitation.

1.1 billion people need water to drink, to bathe in, to cook, to wash, to sanitise, to grow food and plants and to stay hygienic.

Scientists at Stellenbosch University (in Cape Town) have developed a tea bag filter to provide safe drinking water. It has been developed for people who need it the most so it is an inexpensive filter which can fit into the neck of a bottle and can quickly purify drinking water.

The filter is composed of three integral parts, making it unique among filters, according to Professor Eugene Cloete, Dean of the Faculty of Science at Stellenbosch University and developer of the filter.

"Bacteria and viruses can't move through, and then we kill them so they don't concentrate inside the filter," Cloete said. "There's nothing like this in the world."

One of the advantages of the 'tea bag' water filter is that it is portable and can be used by people travelling to areas without clean water, or those who do not have a regular clean water supply. "It is simply impossible to build purification infrastructure at every polluted stream. So we have to take the solution to the people," Cloete told online magazine Science in Africa.
Cloete said he hopes to begin production of the filters by the end of 2010.

Read the entire story: http://allafrica.com/stories/201008310057.html

That's just one solution and it sounds like it can only be used on bottle necks, so still need a solution for cups, buckets, baths.

However this tea bag filter will prevent bacteria from getting through so it will save lives.

It is not going to be a primary source. Work in Africa is needed on dams, waterholes, wells, treatment plants and Africa is still reliant on help from the rest of the world to provide enough money and support to help them to become self-sufficient.

I have found a couple of businesses or charities who are trying to and working of finding solutions for providing safe/healthy/pure/clean water for all those in need in Africa:

http://solution4africa.com/ - water solution for Africa

http://www.ws4a.org/home.html - Water Solutions For Africa

http://www.nomadsland.com/video/rope-pump-a-simpler-solution-for-clean-water/ - rope pump

http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol21no3/213-water.html - Bringing water to Africa's poor

http://www.cleanwaterpartners.net/access-to-clean-water-in-africa/ - Clean Water Solution

Looks like Africa needs billions in aid. Billions to provide the entire continent with access to water, like we have here in Australia.

Most countries who cannot afford or do not have access to safe, pure, clean water have to rely on international donors for clean water.

And most countries without access to safe/clean/pure water have to develop technologies for purifying water.

I found a link that Kwazulu Natal has Umgeni Water Amanzi which supplies some 340 000 000 kilolitres of clean, safe drinking water to almost 4.8 million people annually.

I hope that one day, soon, all these people will have access to water, electricity, education, spare change, a roof over their heads and everything that I have (and take for granted).

Today is Blog Action Day; hopefully countries will start funding technologies, dams, waterholes, treatment plants in Africa to give these people access to water.

A little of this and that and this ...

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 03:27:00 +0000

I have been applying for jobs and looking for jobs the entire year, so reading this blog lately is as boring as enduring months and days of job hunting.

Having the business and a kitten and my own place and loads of books and a bird and four fish to care for, certainly makes the days interesting.

And so does doing social media, being on Twitter, going for job interviews and watching back to back episodes of Modern Family and Ghost Whisperer.

A friend got me a temp job which I am very grateful for because it breaks up the day and means that that I am going to be working full time for the next four weeks and feeling like I am actually contributing, catching buses, having lunch hours and doing things for the boss.

Everything to me is a learning experience. A life lesson.

I love Ghost Whisperer, it's very cheesy and happy endings but it is also about letting go, forgiveness and love. Some things are worth enduring and holding onto but most are not worth it. It's the letting go, the learning to forgive, the learning to see what is in front of you, someone else's viewpoint and the fact that you have to forgive and move on. That is love.

After reading An Arrow Through The Heart (link to book in blog below) Dawn has to let her body heal and to let go of being a career woman, and rushing about and flying to meetings, she has to accept that in order to heal, she has to change her lifestyle. And it isn't easy. But thew book is lovely; because she maps her journey over the year and comes out grateful and extremely proud.

So now, I am letting go for the next four weeks. Not of my business, or my after hours work or meetings or any of that. I mean allowing myself to take on a temp job which is not my field at all and just be grateful.

And whatever happens in the next four weeks should fall into the lessons folder...

On bits ...

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 08:34:00 +0000

Been reading so many books I think I need to get a book job.

Went to buy a cheap book today and helped two guys choose books based on what they liked, I love talking about books.

Just finished Beyond Ugly about Constance Briscoe's determination to put her past behind her, to no longer be ugly and to become a barrister. It was very inspiring to read how hard she worked and how determined she was to make something of her life even after her very difficult childhood and how hard she worked to overcome her Ugly label.

I just picked up An Arrow Through The Heart about Deborah Daw Hefferman's near fatal heart attack and how she one step at a time learnt how to do things all over again.

I am working part time as a waitress while still (can you believe it?!) still trying to find a part time 3/4 day job.

I am working on my business, doing basic computer training and a social media workshop this week. I am constantly finding ways to build my business and keep myself inspired and informed.

In the meantime, I am getting inspiration from other people's lives and journeys and these two women, learnt to overcome and to start again.

Father's Day ...

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:58:00 +0000

Buy your dad a book, CD or DVD this father's day .

Dymocks in Wynyard has 100s of gift ideas for your father.

Have a look at the entire catalogue; he could win a Greek island cruise, get 4 books for $40 or with 35% off specific titles, get your dad reading this Sunday!

Your father can read about beer, watch a Fifa South Africa DVD, learn to make tapas or even pore over a history book, there is something for every kind of dad.

Booklover Members can win prizes and there are some even great CDs and some fascinating, thoroughly original non fiction titles that your dad will love such as Slow Death by Rubber Duck - Rick Smith & Bruce Lourie RRP $34.95 and Secrets Of The Grownup Brain - Barbara Strauch RRP $27.95.

Click on the link above and get those orders in (usually ships in 24 hours) before father's Day this Sunday ...

August at Dymocks Wynyard ...

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:02:00 +0000

This August Dymocks Wynyard is offering biographies, 2 for $40!

With books like these; I know I will be curling up this August and they are all so good, I am not sure which one to read first.

I love the sound of Time of My Life by Lisa Niemi & Patrick Swayze; I watched Dirty Dancing when I was a teen and still remember the line, No one puts Baby in the corner. It should be an interesting read.

So come over to Dymocks Wynyard and choose any 2 Biographies below for $40:

DON'T TELL MUM I WORK ON THE RIGS - Paul Carter

EAT, PRAY, LOVE - Elizabeth Gilbert

THIS IS NOT DRILL - Paul Carter

ITS NOT ABOUT THE BIKE - Lance Armstrong

SHAKESPEARE - Bill Bryson

8 HOURS TRUE STORY SAS WAR HERO - Sandra Lee

NANCY WAKE B FORMAT - Peter Fitzsimmons

U2 BY U2

BILLY - CONNOLLY - Pamela Stephenson

WILD SWANS - Jung Chang

DAMAGE DONE - Warren Fellows

INTO THE WILD MOVIE TIE IN - Jon Krakauer

GALLIPOLI SNIPER BILLY SING - John Hamilton

LIFE IN HIS HANDS - Susan Wyndham

CATHERINE'S GIFT - John Little

HOSPITAL BY THE RIVER - Catherine Hamlin & John Little

BONE MAN OF KOKODA - Charles Happell

DIG TREE STORY OF BURKE WILLS - Sarah Murgatroyd

DREAMS FROM MY FATHER OBAMA - Barack Obama

DEAR FATTY PB - Dawn French

LIFE &TIMES OF THUNDERBOLT KID - Bill Bryson

ERIC CLAPTON AUTOBIOGRAPHY

ALWAYS LOOKING UP - Michael J Fox

PRINCESS MASAKO - Bem Hills

RISE & RISE OF KERRY PACKER - Paul Barry

WARRIOR BROTHERS - Keith Fennell

SOMME MUD - Edward PF Lynch

DEAD LUCKY LIFE AFTER DEATH MOUNT EVERES - Lincoln Hall

FAR FROM A STILL LIFE - Meg Stewart

MR NICE - Howard Marks

SALVATION CREEK - Susan Duncan

MONASH: THE OUTSIDER WHO WON A WAR - Roland Perry

THE MAN WHO OWNS THE NEWS - Michael Wolff

EIGHT LIVES DOWN - Chris Hunter

I AM NUJOOD - Nujood Ali with Delhine Minouie

THINGS I"VE BEEN SILENT ABOUT - Azar Nafisi

LIFE ON AIR - David Attenborough

CHRONICLES VOL 1 - Bob Dylan

INFIDEL - Ayaan Hirsi Ali

MEASURE OF A MAN - Sydney Poitier

TIME OF MY LIFE - Lisa Niemi & Patrick Swayze

Work, work, work

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 08:52:00 +0000

The past few weeks have all been about work.

About finding people I connect with and building their social media and profiles online.

I have spent my days thinking about the direction I want my life to head in and found that I love being green and finding people who are passionate about their work and have a strong belief about helping their communities.

I won two books, which I am reading side by side and I also am assisting with other small social media projects.

Thanks to Bob Marley who said love the life you live, live the live you love; it's a philosophy that I stand by.

I believe it's about making connections both online and socially.

More bits than books ...

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 10:39:00 +0000

Still:

Finding ways to keep warm
Loving exploring and drinking decaff coffee at different cafes
Buying scents, candles, sprays and essential oils
Freezing – it's been so cold in Sydney
Looking for a part time job to supplement my income
Reading 4 books a week
Trying to eat healthily
Thinking of exercise
Loving social media
Coming up with business ideas
Enrolling in workshops and seminars over the next two months
Starting a few courses in August and September
Contacting businesses for jobs or to do their social media
Tweeting at least 2 – 12 times a day
Writing blog posts
Listening to music on YouTube
Finding out who I am

week in, week out

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 08:32:00 +0000

How do you judge time?

By a week that has passed or by things you are planning on doing?

I judge by past, by the past week, any mistakes I have made, anything I have achieved by the week and anything I can improve on.

I am looking forward to doing an 8 week course in August and a 9 day social media course in September, so that helps with the week, in week out.

I spent the past 9 days without Internet going to Internet cafes and looking at things to keep me busy and have knitted a square, read a few books, spent time with my niece and had some friends over.

Each week I tell myself that the next week will be better than the last and then I spend the week improving myself, making plans for my business, coming up with business ideas and reading books.

I have just started How To Be Single an interesting look at the fact that women stay single for longer and are making different life choices. Julie goes around the world finding and connecting with single women and finding women who are happy and loving their lives.

I am in the middle of The Secret Scripture which I am finding absolutely brilliant. It is fascinating and about the lives of a DR and the life of a rather old woman Roseanne and a tale of their lives. The book is also an account of Ireland and Irish history through the years and I love how Sebastian Barry writes. It's amazingly personal and in depth and I love reading this.

Then I have also started By The Time You Read This an interesting YA book written for a girl who loses her dad when she was five and then finds him and herself in an unusual way. It's written for younger people and it is quite strange how spot on the book is and I find that a little too spot on; it is a wonderful way of looking at death and finding who you are written in a fictitious form. If anyone has experienced loss, this book may offer a tiny bit of comfort.

And I picked up a copy of I Hate Other People's Kids quite funny and wry, very short book but quite and amusing read. I picked up all the books in a discount book shop and they were well worth it.

So what I have learnt this week is everything sorts itself out, whether you work on it, whether someone can help you fix it, or if you just find other ways of doing things. And that it is freezing cold in Sydney.

And yes, no Internet and iPhone did makes things harder but it gave me a chance to look at my business, my work and consider my options. And I got to spend time in an Internet cafe in Bondi followed by a delicious drink called Lullaby (malted milk, nutmeg, cinnamon and honey) from Gertrude and Alice.

Internet, iPhone and other i words ...

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 07:51:00 +0000

I changed ISP Providers and what a hassle that was. I have to wait 3 to 5 days to switch over to another ISP provider which means Internet cafes for me for the next few days. Aaarrgghh it's tough changing providers and my ISP (which has been problematic since March) has made it increasingly difficult for me to stay with them or even say nice things about them. I am hoping that my new ISP provider will provide me with less hassle and better service.

I lost my iPhone yesterday, left it on a shop counter and wham! It disappeared. A moment of opportunity for someone I suppose. Now I am iPhoneless on an iPhone cap and sadly missing all my apps and the phone ... I think I fell in love with it and loved the apps especially the remind me, pedometer, Zen quotes and WiFi access.

So with the two I's missing in my life which I am so dependent on for business; I had to put a positive spin on this. I can get another phone (Yes it will be a chore and yes it will be ludicrously expensive, it will certainly teach me not to leave iPhones on counters). And my Internet is only 3 or 5 days away until I get connection with the new provider. That I have and can become too reliant on technology and I can and will go to Internet cafes and write everything I have to do for a few days.

My business will not fall apart without connection to the Internet, I can market, brain storm, concentrate on making my business better, network, write, come up with plans and make contact in other ways. In fact the past three months have been all about taking my small business to the next level.

Taking a step away from all the I's this weekend has made me think of something very important to do. I brought knitting needles and wool and I will be knitting squares for Wrap With Love Inc This is the first time I have knitted since I was a teen and it is quite relaxing but extremely slow going, I aim over the next few months to knit as many as I can and donate them at a drop off in Alexandria.

All this I stuff has taught me that sure it is cold in Sydney, but I have heaters and blankets. And by choosing to knit, even slowly knitting a few rows whenever I have the chance, has distracted me from all my technology hitches and made me realise that every square makes a blanket and that is one less person dying of cold.

I have been learning lessons since March; about my life, my career, my foot especially my life.

And each lesson according to Helen Keller is, “Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.” and learning that the only way forward to me is by being positive, learning, accepting with hope, thanks also to Oscar Wilde:

Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring.

Organising ...

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:23:00 +0000

I have a small business which takes a lot of work, effort and time. Even though I work from home, make appointments and visit clients; I spend a lot of time making sure that I make the most of my time with the business and my time away from doing work.

I realised that my life has to be and stay organised. I have to make time for pleasure and enjoyment and ensure that my home, my working environment not only suits me but also has to stimulate me and keep me motivated.

So this past week, I have been organising and envisioning what kind of work environment fits in with my home. My paperwork is paperless; things that need to be copied or on paper are filed away. I have a work manila file on top off my work cupboard in my spare room; so it's there but not taking over. I have a to do folder in my inbox and I have synchronised my tasks and appointments on my calendar with alarms so that my day is organised.

I have sorted out my mobile phone plan, my household expenses and am even looking at claiming work related expenses such as stationery, phone bills, petrol, travel expenses and lunches.Working from home, also means that I can take calls, watch movies, read and do other things as long as do my daily tasks.

I also have scheduled in lunch and coffee breaks away from the house to stimulate me more. And sometimes I can work (upload posts, create profiles, submit updates) until 9 at night.

I am looking for a part time job to stimulate my income and develop my skills further. I am deferring my Diploma of Marketing to do a Cert IV in Small Business Management and later on a graphic design course instead. I realised that although my key areas are marketing and networking; I also give small business advice, help with basic accounting, design and office admin assistance as well as organising events, submitting updates, marketing and networking ideas so I am thrilled that I am changing my course to benefit myself and my clients. I cannot wait to do Graphic Design, this is probably the semester after so I don't overload myself with studying and assignments. One course at a time!.

Organising has proven wonderful for me, my flat is tidy, my diary is synchronised and I even get to have a few hours off a day to sort things out, pay bills, get things fixed and have a coffee with a friend or a lunch meeting with a client.

This all means that things are falling into place for me. That I know where my skills and talents lie and I am so excited to watch my business grow and realise that I am loving my life. I planned to make it full and rewarding and I am slowly getting there. It has been the most incredible and empowering 7/8 weeks of my life.

A journey ...

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Sat, 22 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000

These past 5 weeks have been a journey.

I am going to bore you again and tell you I have been looking for full time work for over a year. That I have applied to many, many jobs. And I wanted to make sure that while I was unemployed and in this position; that I still did something with my life.

So I started a business and used it to go on a journey. I decided to do some studying whixh I started and have til next year to go; and I spent months researching, marketing, advertising, writing blog posts, setting up social media, reading books about all of this and building a personal brand for Social Status.

Bob Marley once said "Love the life you live, live the life you love." And for everyone, for me especially that means what ever choices I make and what ever direction I choose; I want it to be a full, passionate, interesting, learning, growing, exciting life, soulful, blissful and accepting. I believe in first do no harm and looking at people as role models, keeping healthy, addressing errors and issues and learning along the way. Oh and kindness, doing the occassional acts of kindness and being aware. And being surrounded by pets, books and having plants on my shelf and in my courtyard. And amazingly living like this; is suprisingly good and unexpected things keep happening.

I believe Bob Marley had it right; love your life, which I think means giving yourself permission to shine and allowing others to shine around you.To be proud of who you are, to being passionate and open and happy; really truly content.

My business is incredible. There is a lot of work involved and building the website took forever. But this passion, this feeling I get when I work and I don't feel like it is work (all the time, there are of course exceptions!) means that I am incredibly incredibly lucky.

It's a journey, a choice, decisions and growth some of us get the luxury and pure bliss in finally finding where our talents lie and our calling. And everything else, although it is hard and takes effort, work, energy and time, starts slotting into place.

Happiness is ...

noreply@blogger.com (ebbye) — Fri, 07 May 2010 06:56:00 +0000

Designing my own website on a free website program.

Getting sick and working out what supplements and things I need to get better as quickly as possible, I hate being sick. I love supplements, oats, nuts and seeds, LSA and wheatgerm, throwing berries on everything and I am still contemplating nutrition as a career.

Watching B Grade movies on Foxtel. I have watched so many bad movies while job searching and blogging and reading about social media.

Reading a very intense book written by Patricia Corwell about Jack the Ripper. It's all over the place and it seems like she throws information on every page and prattles so much that I keep losing sight of the case; but I love any history references. I love London, the medicine, the dirt, the poverty and disease of London in the middle ages and this book is gory, semi factual, quite appallingly written and yet I cannot put it down.

Learning to be more mindful, in the psychological sense, which means learning to be flexible, more accepting, very aware and more Zen. I love Zen philosophy but mindfulness is a hard thing to put into practice.

And happiness definitely is going through 5 weeks of hell and realising that I am actually better and stronger than I ever imagined. And my broken foot seemed to have magically healed itself.

And in all that time, I got a client (or three), started building my business and carried on learning.

I love giving business advice and learning about how to put my advice into practice. Six years of marketing experience definitely helps and I feel that everything I am teaching others I learnt myself through asking and doing.

Now I can offer my services as an advisor and help other market their businesses and become their own faces and voices.