Are thou a Thinker or a Dreamer?

Did I give you a clue as to whom my spotlight is on? The picture the right speaks volumes of what reaction Lone Dreamer elicits from me. On her blog you will find a range of subjects from her cute little everyday mishaps, the most memorable being her slaying of the Somali language to touching moments, like memories of her father. She is a profound writer. One who is able to give you a glimpse at the tumultuous waters that are raging within before shutting the shutters on you. Lone Dreamer couples breadth with quality, making for an interesting and stimulating read,with an end result of HMMM.... Kudos to her, because I do believe she is one of our most up to date blogs not to mention greatest supporter of SomaliBlogs. Lone Dreamer seems to never run out of things to say (write) nor do we ever want her to. Keep on musing!

A long time coming

She is a warrior with words and a voyeur with images. Her works vibrate and emote what lies beneath the surface. She is BlueEpocha. A poet and photographer that hails from the Canadian country. BlueEpocha has two blogs, Anamnesis Vista hosts her photographic images including three official photoshoots and one prize winning picture. On the other hand, Vase of a Phase, showcases her poetic talent. There are thousands of folks that walk this earth and yet only a fraction of them will grace us with the essence of their soul. BlueEpocha captures two different worlds and merges them succinctly to form her world. A world that invites you the reader to connect through your internal dialogue. What you see and what you read in her blogs transcedes & brings forth the dialogue we hold within ourselves and with it, we (the reader) comes to a realization that there is a string of thought, of conscious, of being that runs through and between our worlds. She is an inspiration and in light of that, comes a dedication from the works of a Noble Prize poet.

But I forgot that your hands fed the roots,

watering the tangled roses,

till your fingertips bloomed

full, in a natural peace.

Like pets, your hoe and your sprinkling can

follow you around, biting and licking the earth.

That work is how you let this richness loose,

the carnations fiery freshness.

I wish the love and dignity of bees for your hands,

mixing and spreading their transparent brood

in the earth: they cultivate even my heart,

so that I am like scorched rock

that suddenly sings when you are near, because it drinks

the water you carry from the forest, in your voice

By Pablo Neruda.

Take light not what I said, for I do not think I did her justice. Seeing is believing and therefore take this opportunity to familiarize yourself with her works.

A PEACHY character

Pucca's corner aptly named after a Korean character that doesn't give up was brought forth by Pucca. At the moment, I do believe it is manned by two other individuals. During the course of a year or so, I have wandered over to her side of the blogosphere to see what she is up to. Pucca has grown infront of my eyes. She constantly questions concepts/norms around her. One of my most memorable posts is one about her grandfather and how he passed away due to a reckless driver. The other post was the discovery of a recurring nightmare that she finally realized was a memory of her family's flight during the civil war. In her twenties, she sometimes gives me food for thought with her posts. I am not one to place people in boxes but I do believe she is the first somali I have ever met who is into alternative rock. In closing, I would like to say to me Pucca is a character and an interesting one at that.

Collage of the world

On February the 16th, Espresso Royale Commentaries, the blog child of three people was conceived. The proud parents were Banaadir, Madame Mysterious and off course Urban-Geeljire. A precedent was set early on with the first post linking an article by Abubak Ali,"The Land of the Gods-A brief study of Somali Etymology and its historio-linguistic potential." From then on there was no looking back. From the Cartoon controversy to politics in East Africa to reflections of trips back home, this blog certainly does cater to most palates. Personally my blog hopping is not complete without taking a look at this blog. A recent addition to the contributors is Maua and Cjuu preceding her/him. Maua is a contributor to another website, which at first glance seems to be a commentary site geared to kenyans. I recently became more intuned to media and one phrase that has struck me is "imagined community". Somali blogs is my imagined community and to make this community flourish, I would urge each and everyone of you to arm themselves with information. Information that not only pertains to us but to the world as a whole. Building these connections within our virtual somali community can then be translated and practiced in a real time society. Make it then your aim to learn something/gain new understanding each time you visit our virtual and thriving somali community.

Bill Ainashe

Seriously I haven't abandoned you lot to fend for yourself. I apologize for not continuing to post the highlights for the bloogers as we find them. FOC has done a wonderful job of keeping me up with the new links and I appreciate and thank all those who help with tips and advice not to mention encourage us along the way.

Back to Bill Ainashe, shall we? What can I say about this brother? I am not one for politics as many of my friends can concur. I keep away from it at all cost. Somalia to me was but an abstract concept. I never set foot in the country nor was I ever inclined to find out about it. What Mukhtar Ainashe has done is open a portal for me to Somalia, put simply. Food crisis in Somalia is one of his sites that is linked in our blog. He is a graduate of University of Oslo, University of East Anglia & Sheffield Hallam University. He currently works at the World Bank in Washington DC and resides in the great state of Virginia. His blog doesn't only contain news about Somalia but it also contains very useful links to other sites that can help one to gather information on certain issues that he touches upon in his commentaries. Mukhtar is not afraid to speak his mind at all especially on issues that he feels passionately about. His approach seems to break down the issue in a logical progression which lets face it makes it easier for some of us who don't have a head for political discussion. Last but not least he is an avid cyber contributor in every sense of the word i.e he pops up in some sites and articles. I will wrap up the spotlight on Mukhtar Ainashe by stating a suspicion I have of him. I do believe he is an SOL member and I for one would be mighty interested to know his username on that forum board. So bloggers if you wish to find out what is going on in your homeland stop on by Mukhtar's blog!

Shafi Said

Peace of Mind is the name of Shafi's blog. The template that he chose for his blog is quite aptly put HIM; the old type quill that has fallen out of grace just like original thought in this day of age. Shafi has a handful of posts on his blog and out of them I would like to highlight a couple. The first one is the one that I read when I clicked on his link. The death of his friend and his feelings towards it. How life passes most of us by while we frolic in the sun believing in immortality due to age. He asks the questions that most of us are faced with when death comes too close to our lives. Human life is fickle and so is a human mind. We forget so easily that we are but visitors on this earth and death is there to remind us. Shafi also touches on issues of Somalia in his blog. His post on whether the elders have failed us is beautifully written and encompasses the youth desolute outlook at the land we called home to the ever present woman who has no choice but to work tirelessly and smooth away the wrinkles in her corner of the world. I would definately recommend for you (the reader) to check this blog out.

NGONGE

It would only be fitting if we started the ball rolling with our resident blogger Mr. Ngonge. His blog professes to know THE MYTH ABOUT GOLDFISH. Ngonge's blog is a blog that will let loose the mirth of childhood. He takes the mundane of things and builds a world of imagination around it. His style of writing is reminiscent of Paulo Coehlo in simplicity but Ngonge adds a dose of humor. More importantly to note though is that Ngonge's writing does not only amuse but educates. These stories leave a mark on your mind and at times they pull at your heart strings because they remind you of your past. Definately a wonderful blog to go through whenever you need amusement and smarts in the same dose.

Ps:- Ngonge also has a second blog with almost similar tales called Nomadic Ramblings.
Happy Reading.