It's the season of giving

Look around the social media scope and what do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel? If you're an avid social media user like many of us 21st century people, then you would've noticed the many opportunities to win prizes and get friends to win prizes this Christmas holiday. After all it is the season of giving and major commercial companies have to remedy to get you even more interested in their products and brands.

But allow me to introduce you to something else, Monique Kennedy, a fellow Jamaican and Award-winning fashion and lifestyle blogger at Mrkologie, graphic designer and aspiring image consultant has partnered with the Salvation Army to host a fundraiser this Sunday, December 23, 2012 at Market on the Lawn at Devon House, Kingston, Jamaica. 

This fundraiser comes in the form of a Raffle and Clothing Drive Fundraiser in which part proceeds go to benefit the Salvation Army. The event is also sponsored by some local fashion designers who have donated items that will serve as prizes for the winners of the raffle. The designers are White Skyy, Reve Jewelry & Accessories, Tarik & Tif and Yaad Trendz. A style profile of the designers and updates on the project can be found on the Mrkologie site. 

The public is invited to be a part of the splendid affair of fashion and charity. And I implore yoy all to do your part to help this initiative. Remember this is the season of giving and this is a great way to do it and show support of our local talents and organizations. Come on guys, let's do this!!!!

Check out the video promo: here

Happy Days!!!!

Much Love,

Nella

Poetry Wednesdays

I absolutely love writing poetry. It's one of the best ways that I know how to express myself, along with dancing. Being as closed off as I am sometimes the spoken word evades me and I'm left with a flood of unspoken lingual exchanges and a deep need to be released. I think, therefore I write. This is what keeps me passionate and captivated. This is what keeps me smiling and thoughtful. 

Read the poem, follow the blog and leave a comment. Spread the word and tell your friends! The journey with me is sure to be amazing!!!!

Therefore, without further ado..........from my mind  to your eyes............I introduce to you my latest poem:

Flower Child

by: Ornella Green

Releasing my inner gypsy

Flower child, Minx, and Imp

Finding all my flaws and imperfections to love

Nurturing my roaming spirit

Let's dance in the rain

Soaking away our trembling fears

Whispering our darkest desires

Take a taste of the eternal flame of desire

Drenched in the inferno of truth

Whereforth, lies my inner beast

Inner demons,

Subliminal sins,

Whereforth, 

My inhibitions escape

Briskly into the night

Shining on the dampened sky

The sun smiles at me in the newness of the air

Combating with the shadows for full control of my being

Where are my ruby red slippers?

My yellow brick road?

Find my tin man a heart

Give courage to the lion 

And a brain to the scarecrow

Dare I dream of going home

To my ladled bed of love and pleasure 

To discover the armoured knight

Awaiting my presence

Weekly Inspiration

Hey All,

I am someone who thrives on motivation, inspiration and learning to enjoy life's little moments. And one of my aims with this blog is to inspire others to be comfortable with who they are, seek inspiration in the world and to go confidently in the direction of that which excites them. I want to represent a symbol and a beacon showing that dreaming big and staying true to who you are is the best remedy for happiness, success and a wonderful life. This is the manifestation of my inspiration this week. It focuses on a few of that which I hold nearest and dearest to my heart.

1. Dreams

Our dreams are only limited by our imagination. Open your eyes and seek dreams in all around you. It's the little things that separate us from the withered.

2. Love

The heart is the greatest muscle in the human body. Not only does it pump the blood to supply our body with it's needs, it's the heartbeat that keeps us alive. It's capacity to love is never-ending and it's strength daunting.

3. Fashion

 Be a fashion icon in your own sense everyday you walk on this earth. Let it reflect your personality, your passions, what inspires you, and what motivates your everlasting spirit.

4. Positivity

Research has showed that the happiest people in the world have a few things in common: 1. Gratitude and 2. Positive Attitude. Your mind and thoughts reflect and transforms into the life you live. Whether things are good or bad, always look for the bright spark in the dim light and that will be your path to true happiness.

5. Adventure

Life often comes in the way of our accomplishing our heart's desire. We become consumed by fear and forget that the world is bigger than our doorstep. Do not become a victim of time but rather revel in the beauty of it's continuity. Seek to live, laugh, learn and love each day.

The world is like a book and not travelling is only reading one page. Fear is what separates us from what we can do and what we do do. We are far greater that we give ourselves credit for.

Our reality is a product of our dreams, decisions, thoughts and actions. Are you ready to live today?

Much Love,

Nella

NOMINATE ME FOR A BLOG AWARD!!!

Hey everyone,

A pleasant good morning to you all. I hope you're having a wonderful day.

Well people I've got some news for you............ the Jamaica Blog awards are back and ready for action. As you can see from my posts earlier this year. As Told By Nella (ATBN) was naominated and placed in the top 5 in the Best Lifestyle Blog and Best Personal Blog categories and I couldn't have made it possible without you. And I'm gonna need your support again. It's been a great year and the direction of the blog has changed a bit so let's go out with a bang and better our previous results of 5th and 3rd this year.

Please Nominate AS TOLD BY NELLA for BEST PERSONAL BLOG. It really doesn't matter where you are from. It's really simple to do! So nominate and look out for voting details.

Nominate As Told By Nella for BEST PERSONAL blog. Just click this link: http://jamaicablogawards.org/

"Click Nominate"

Then enter the details asked for.

The url for this blog is: http://as-told-by-nella.blogspot.com

See it's that simple. Looking forward to your support. 

Much Love, 

Nella

Lonely Heart Confessions- I can forgive

How many times in my happiness have I waited for the other shoe to drop to signal the end of my happiness? That the ones I love tend to leave me behind and I end up nursing a broken heart that seems to take indefinite amount of time to heal. That I’ve rarely had a moment in time when all the stars were aligned and everything in my life was going great. I’m always on the lookout for the bad in the good. It’s a constant fear that stalks me and keeps me guarded, uptight and subdued. Much unlike myself the free spirit whose only desire is to enjoy all that life has to offer and to achieve true happiness. Depression and disappointment at the forefront of my mind rather than gratitude and blessings.

How afraid was I truly to love? And worse yet to love and lose. How I often think ignorance is bliss rather than to lose the person you whole heartedly love. Letting this fear consume me and rather than make a life-changing risk in love. Not knowing how to deal with all the emotions I feel. Keeping others at a distance and shutting them out even those I know will always be here. I accept and forgive. I forgive myself. My senses that I so quickly disregard and find excuses. Convincing myself rather than believing my heart. Seeing the signs but not wanting to accept the direction it was taking me in or the journey I would end on. I forgive myself for not following my primal instincts and not knowing what to do to make things turn out different. 

I forgive myself for my heart palpitations and the fact that it still skips a beat every time I see his name, face or picture. For constantly being consumed by images of fear. Fear that he too shall one day depart like all others. I forgive myself for sometimes ignoring his words of commitment and taking it half-heartedly. For knowing he is serious but still being a little guarded. I forgive myself for thinking my heart as being fragile and not knowing and realizing it's true strength. I forgive myself for my flaws and failures. For not remembering my capacity to love openly, selflessly and beautifully. For forgetting my other dimensions of me that are lost in translation.  For needing reminders to be calm and enjoy the little things and knowing that sometimes ‘it’s not the destination but the journey’.

I now understand the philosophy of embracing life and all its possibilities rather than being the neurotic planner and control freak I tend to be. I understand that sometimes we need to just go with the flow and to enjoy the moments. Because while I’m spending my time planning and dreaming, life happens. Life happens to us whether we are sleeping or awake. Yes it happens to us! 

So I look back on all the failures and flaws and smile. I look on all my memories with family and friends and smile. Smile at the captured moments in time etched in my titanium vault of joy.  Memories that I can call on anytime. And I thank them for their love and for accepting mine. Our distances may be divided but our hearts are forever entwined in a spiritual dance. A dance that’s a reminder that we loved and we still love throughout time.

The first part of every journey begins with forgiveness. Letting go of what was and looking towards what can be. I begin my journey to fearlessness with this first step. How will you make the journey?

Much Love, 

Nella

Tuesday Tips: Say no to frivolous Christmas Spending

It's Christmas time again. The holiday season is filled with a lot of excitement. There are holiday parties, vacations, gifts, family, friends and a whole more that makes us want to jump for joy. With a season like this, there is a high possibility that we will overspend and wake up the next year dreading our empty pockets and wondering where has all the money gone.

Let's face it, we don't have money like we used and with the recession continuing undeterred, our financial climate has taken a negative downturn. It's hard. We don't want to disappoint our loved ones nor do we want to become house mice but we are truly strapped. So what do we do?

Here are some simple ideas to help you save more and still have a great holiday.

1. Make a list and check it twice

We all have heard about Santa's infamous naughty or nice list, but do you have a list of your own? Make a list of who you will be buying gifts for this year and write down an idea of what you intend to purchase for each person. Think about the right things that won't break the bank too much but will definitely make your recipient very happy.

2. Jingle all the way

Nope not referring to the bells but to your money. Have you worked out your holiday budget? It's normally advised to have a fixed amount saved up for the holiday season and to stick to that amount rather than overspending during the festive season. Unfortunately, many of us still fail to do that and end up broke into the New Year. So if you haven't worked out the logistics of your budget yet, get it done a.s.a.p. It's simple, just write down a raw figure of what you currently have and what you expect to receive soon if you’re expecting any additional money and from that deduct presumed expenses such as gifts, outings with friends and anything else you may need to spend money on.

Warning: It's not always about the cost of a gift but rather the durability, estimated use and the long-lasting benefits. If you buy it today and it's destroyed tomorrow then it's essentially a waste of money. Therefore consider carefully when you are buying gifts. Cheap isn't always better.

3. All I want for Christmas is........

If you truly don't have the money to spend on gifts, then consider alternative gifts. How about you make your gift instead? No not the cards that we all made for our parents as children (though if you are very artistic this may work for you), but let's think outside the box here. Make a gift certificate for a nice at home spa that you set up and operate, cook dinner and give the usual person a day off or set up a picnic in the park. If you are artistic then do a picture, sculpture, poem, painting or whatever your craft, make jewelry, write and perform a song, bake a cake or muffins or brownies, and even make your own gift basket. There are so many ways to give for less; you just have to get a little creative. Think about it. It's not about the size of the gift but rather the size of the heart that gives it.

4. Jesus, born on this day

It's not all about the parties and frivolous outings, but Christmas is a season of appreciation and giving. Remember the true meaning of Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ Jesus who came to die for our sins. Go to church and praise his holy name. Forget the commercial aspect and do something charitable this year. There are probably things that you have that you no longer use and are in fairly good condition, how about you donate it to charity or better yet donate your time and make a difference in someone's life. 

5. Have a holly jolly Christmas

Seek out adventure in the little things. You don’t always have to go to extravagant events to enjoy yourself, a simple movie Christmas dinner with your family, a movie night with friends, finding new inexpensive or free events to attend or even plan an exciting day trip. The most important thing is to enjoy time with those who matter most to you and enjoy their company into the new year.

All in all, the best advice is to focus on the best ways you can give without hurting your financial future. 

Nuff Love,

Nella

Lonely Heart Confessions- I'm afraid

Whew!!! It's been a long time since I made a post like this on this blog. Well this is a new feature that I'm planning to introduce and it's called Lonely Heart Confessions. The plan is that every Sunday by 9pm I will post a confession. It may be about my personal experiences, my inner thoughts, relationship stories, rants or anything else I feel to share with the world. So without further ado let's get to today's post. (P.S. I know it's almost 10)  The theme is: FEAR.

They say our fear is our guide. It guides us on our paths and away from things that may stand in the way of our destiny. But what about when it cripples? When does fear stop being a guide and start being more of quick sand, slowly but surely dragging us deeper and stagnant rather than helping us to move forward? This is the kind of fear I feel sometimes. 

My first confession tonight is that I'm afraid. I really am. I've always known it but after my last relationship which ended June of this year I was reminded of how much. I'm afraid to let people in. I'm afraid to let people know me completely and wholly. In relationships, I'm always prepared for the worst and have one foot out the door or the term I often said to myself in my last relationship was 'waiting for the other shoe to drop'. I'm afraid to let people in because in the end I always expect people to leave. It's why I've built up this wall of defense. I've even gotten so good at it that I can give the illusion of letting people in without doing so. Letting them know limited parts of me and passing it off as a whole. Never having to fear anyone getting to the root. Never having to fear the disappointment. 

Yes I admit it. I am very afraid. I'm afraid to fall in love and lose myself or aspects of myself. I'm afraid to lose my identity and when the person is gone I'm left crippled and without a sense of direction. I'm afraid to truly love another person and let them love me. I'm afraid to let them know me because once they know the real me they'll figure out how messed I am and disappear. That's what I'm afraid of. So I remain guarded and always prepared for everyone to leave my life whether by choice or not. And it certainly doesn't help that the one person I chose to let in did exactly as I feared and disappointed me gravely. Therefore, though I'm a bit more open than I used to be, I'm still as closed off as ever. A contradiction that makes sense once you think about it. 

Now I've entered a new relationship and I'm choosing to fight back. I don't want to be stifled by my own afflictions anymore. How will I ever truly find that which I so desperately desire? A unique kind of adventure that involves not just the lone wolf but a wholesome pack. The pack of family, friends, and other loved ones. Can I fight it? Stop being the lone ranger and become more? We'll see.

Now that I've identified my fear. What will I do to overcome it? Well you'll just have to wait and see as I bring you more confessions. Just think along the lines of fear cripples, risk heals. Keep reading.

Nuff Love, 

Nella