Understanding ourselves and the world we live in.
Billy Osogo Writing is a beautiful and intriguing undertaking. Like most things in life, it makes certain demands of its practitioners. These include monk-like dedication, soldier-like loyalty and child-like curiosity. Ideas are the fuel on which this art runs on. They are as diverse as the billions of writers on this planet. In my experience,... Continue Reading →
"the same blood that runs through my veins, ran for centuries before me, and will continue to live on after me, each generation passing down their stories, like a medicine to inspire growth. (that did, indeed, inspire growth.)"--e.l. jayne This is an excerpt from my poem "Generations" on finding gratitude in our heritage. Did you... Continue Reading →
Hello everyone! How are you all? This week’s topic is patience. Why? Because I am not patient at all and I need to learn and I am, so I want to share my thoughts. I am naturally kind of impulsive and impatient. I want things to be done right away, even though they might need... Continue Reading →
The other night I got into a pointless argument with someone after they decided to leave a comment on one of my older posts telling me that I should have my head examined. (A fair point in retrospect.) She said that Trump is a true American unlike Biden who is a horrible person. Naturally, she went on... Continue Reading →
Billy Osogo I ponder endlessly on writing. As an art, there's so much to it that even those we look up to as its masters seem to be just scratching the surface. I recently came across an excerpt by Kenyan writer Bivanyanga Wainana. In his book, One Day I Will Write About this Place he... Continue Reading →
Here's a question for discussion: Is ego really the enemy? I look forward to hearing your thoughts. *** You can find AP2’s personal blog here at: https://clear-air-turbulence.com
Billy Osogo Last week, I wrote on the plight of South Africa. South Africa is still in my scope of focus. For good reason. Just three days ago, the world marked Mandela Day. A day named in honor of the South African-born, larger-than-life, global peace icon, Nelson Madiba Mandela. He is many things to many... Continue Reading →
Happy Sunday, folks, or Monday already depending on where and when you're reading this. I know a lot of us in this community are also writers, so I thought I'd share a quote that resonated with me this week:"We may think that the book we will write will be bad. Even worse will be the... Continue Reading →
Hello! How was your week? Hopefully, you had a peaceful week! I have been thinking about this lately (well, I actually think a lot about this always, but more so recently): Why are the people in our lives in our lives (friends or romantic interests)? Why do we attract them? Or how do they end... Continue Reading →
A couple of weeks ago, just past midnight on July 5th, I took off out of Hong Kong, flew across the Pacific Ocean, crossed the International date line and arrived in Los Angeles at 10pm on July 4th. There are few approaches during my ten year career I can think as memorable as that one.... Continue Reading →
For most non-Africans, South Africa is Africa and Africa is South Africa. Make no doubt about it, that's as ignorant as it gets. Nonetheless, the ubiquity of this thought speaks to the prominece of Africa's most industrialized nation. Home of Nelson Mandela. Yet, if the events of recent days are anything to go by, Mandela... Continue Reading →
By Troy Headrick In just a few more days, I’ll be traveling to Egypt with my spouse. We’ll do typical tourist stuff but also spend time visiting in-laws and hanging out at some of my old haunts. I’m really looking forward to the trip. Azza, my wife, is from Cairo, but we’ll go to lots... Continue Reading →
Creamy clouds dissipate to reveal sparkling waves. Makeshift linen dresses. Vineyard horizons. Tangerine colored terraces overlook the marble sand. Salty hair. Fresh strawberries. Sun-spotted hands. And we pause for a moment. If you stare at the sand for a while, tiny grains of sand fall from their mounds. Out of nowhere there's a change—unnoticeable to... Continue Reading →
Hello everyone! Let’s talk about the future today. Some years ago, I was the kind of person who had a very strict idea about how my future should look like and I got it all somehow. But then, at some point, suddenly, it started not working the way it used to. I was still envisioning... Continue Reading →
By Troy Headrick Last weekend, I was able to spend some time with my father. My wife and I drove up to Georgetown, Texas, the town where he and my stepmother live. We arrived on Saturday evening and stayed with them until Monday afternoon. I have written about my dad elsewhere in this blog. He... Continue Reading →
There’s a big difference between shame and guilt. Guilt is the feeling you get when you did something wrong, or perceived you did something wrong, whereas shame is a feeling that your whole self is wrong - a belief that you’re a bad person, or unworthy as an individual. Now, guilt isn’t necessarily a bad... Continue Reading →
Billy Osogo In my post last week I quoted Mario Vargas Llosa and made a clarion call to all writers. This week, I am maintaining Llosa as my source of inspiration and calling on all readers. In his amazing book Letters to a Young Novelist Llosa writes: "Read constantly, because it is impossible to acquire... Continue Reading →
There's such a push to do more. Don't you think? It seems like we're always being advised, persuaded, pushed, to do something more, something further. The advice is: add this other thing on top of all the things you already do. The subtext seems to be: you won't be happy unless you add this (whatever... Continue Reading →
By Troy Headrick It occurred to me, about a week or so ago, that I had an anniversary coming up. On July 3, 2015, I arrived back in Texas after living seven years in Cairo, Egypt. That means I’ve been in the United States, my home country, exactly six years. Of course, I brought my... Continue Reading →
By Jack Canfora So, fans of calendars will know July 4th is fast approaching, or as we Americans refer to it, July 4th. Or Independence Day, if we're feeling formal, or referring to the Will Smith/Jeff Goldblum blockbuster from the 90s. I've always been a little iffy about this holiday, although I do have a... Continue Reading →
