A WRITING GOAL FOR 2015

YES, it seems funny that I am planning on a writing goal for 2015, but the fact is that I am.

If you have been following some of my posts (as in the Pacific Indigenous Writers page), you would have noticed that my goal in 2014 is to write “one poem a week” – apart from other things I like to create/polish.

So far I have gone well in keeping up with my goal.

At times I work on two or three different ones in a week but only post that one that I completed.

The process and skills in penning those verses has carried into another area that I am interested in – writing songs.

I have completed two (that includes the lyrics as well as the music is done) and am experimenting with others.

(When the time is right I will share them with you.)

For a time I was trying to decide what to write in 2015 – a short story per week, or an essay per week.

I made up my mind last week to write a letter a day.

Instead of writing it to many different people, I will be writing to my father.

And the themes will be on what is on my mind – or what is happening in our country and the world.

I do not expect my father to reply to the letters (as my late mother did).

I will be using it as an avenue to write about issues, news, or anything that comes to mind – and hopefully it can teach others to think through issues as well as appreciate and learn the skills involved in that exercise.

NOTE: Many people think writing a letter is so trivial and everybody can do it. However, the fact is few people can write good letters.

And the skill in writing good letters is the same as most skills you want to learn – you learn by writing letters, and write a lot of those.

I have seen letters written by “professionals” and it is sad that many people go around in circles.

Good business letters are short and get straight to the point. I might offer tips on letter writing in the future.    

It is my opinion that if you can write a good letter, you can easily translate some of those skills to other areas where writing is needed – news writing, creative writing or even screen/script writing.

POEM OF THE WEEK ... A NEW WEEK AHEAD

I WAS a bit stretched last week, attending two « outside » meetings and a function squeezed in between my working hours.

Hopefully, I should get some other stuff completed this week – things in line with my own list of personal goals.

Anyway may you all have a wonderful, productive week and here is the poem for the week. 

A REMINDER (March 23)

Last week He reminded me

About what I ought to be

There is this way of thinking

Of doing things and feeling

Which is not illegal, bad

But it is wrong and quite sad

When you saw a way better

And realized that later - 

You knew then it’s not the best

Although it’s praised in a fest

‘Twas from a movie, a film

A young man who had a dream

Things changed and so his notions -

Stop going thru the motions

As did many in the group

The man knew he had to stoop

By stooping he went further -

To fly to levels higher

ANOTHER WEEKEND COMING UP …

ANOTHER weekend is coming up.

I enjoyed the one hour-plus tonight celebrating the “le semaine de la langue française et de la Francophonie” (the week of the French language and French-speaking people) here in Port Moresby.

(I drank soda water.)

I spoke with a few people telling them of my experiences of learning French and the opportunities that came my way.

I hope the best for you this weekend.

Take care – and keep your thinking caps on at all times (there are a lot of crazy people out there). And use the time to learn something worthwhile.

Last week, while I was watching a good movie, I was reminded about something in the life of the young main character – a teenager.

I was reminded to change my way of thinking.

That way of thinking is okay – it accepted by almost everyone (it is not illegal), but the movie reminded me to change that.

No, it was not a direct command – but it made me think and look at myself again.

(The good lessons in life are often those that make us think and make good changes – without a direct command.)

Okay, I will stop here.

Please stay safe and stay healthy.

Bon week-end à tous! (Good weekend to all!)

A TOOL FOR K99

LAST fortnight I bought a guitar at a Chinese shop for K99 (US$42) – as shown in the picture.

That is cheap.

 Photo: The cheap guitar will be of great help to me. 

I aimed to buy the classical acoustic type from CHM, Tabari place, but when I walked in, a staff there told me that there weren’t any.

A few weeks back I saw many on the supports all over a guitar and amplifier section of the shop.

I thought to myself that with the start of the new school year, schools might have bought all the acoustic guitars on display.

So I walked some metres from CHM and saw this very simple guitar and decided to take it.

The reason was because I was working on some pieces and needed a guitar urgently.

Notice that this guitar is cheap but it has already helped me sort out some of things that I am working on – I mean music and songs. (Yes, that is one of my interest areas too.)

I reminded myself that even though the guitar is cheap, if I use it properly, I can get more value out of it – in terms of me practising as well providing the guitar sounds that I have missed for the last few months since I moved away from my step-mother and the rest of the family members.

(We had two guitars in that house – but they belonged to my brothers who are quite good on the instrument too.)

Late last year, in another social network, a cellist in America described a famous pianist who composed many songs but he did that using less than five chords.

I thought that was interesting.

The point here is: “Create stuff with whatever you have. You never know, some of the stuff you create may reward you (and others) big time.”

Cheers.

THE WEEK OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE … LEARNING THE LANGUAGE …

THIS week is known in the French-speaking world as “la semaine de la langue française et de la Francophonie” (the week of the French language and the French-speaking people).

I have just arrived from a function hosted by the French Ambassador here in Port Moresby to celebrate the week and had an opportunity to speak with him.

The ambassador is aware that many students who learned French in the past are in the top positions in the diplomatic corp.

But sadly, those were students who were given that opportunity back in the 1970s and early 1980s.

I also told him about the opportunities that came my way due to the fact that I learned (a bit of) the language.

I shared my making mistakes (which became learning experiences for me) while communicating with people in Nouméa and Wallis and Futuna recently.

A STUDENT CAREER TIP: If you are interested in pursuing a career in the diplomatic corp, journalism or as a language teacher, I suggest you take up French with your studies.

Journalists in top media firms in the world (e.g. CNN, BBC, etc) would certainly know another language, apart from English.

Your choice will reward you immensely.

Studying the language would enrich your life in some way.  

The University of PNG offers French courses as electives. I hear that the University of Goroka also offers French.