The Cicada’s are louder this morning
insight observations, just an opinion and ob..., Looking around, looking forward, On Writing, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, positive mindset, Reflections, writing community Sylvia Jimenez insight observations, just an opinion and ob..., Looking around, looking forward, On Writing, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, positive mindset, Reflections, writing community Sylvia Jimenez

The Cicada’s are louder this morning

I welcome the first day of 2025 not by the sound of the alarm, or the coffee machine that has an auto cleaning mechanism that scares the bejeezus out of us in the middle of the night, but by the sound of the Cicadas, which according to the encyclopedia, varies between a: the weather (well it’s pretty effin hot in Sydney today) and b: their mating season ritual, so in fact, these delicate little creatures of the male kind have woken me due to their persistence to procreate. Did I mention they were extremely loud this morning? And no, I’m not nursing a post new year celebration hangover and my ears are not ringing, I feel completely awake and if I had to take a breathalyser, It would probably come up as having .000001% of alcohol in my system, but nothing to get worried about. And it’s too early to move out from under the freshly laundered sheets in my oh-so-comfy bed. So husband has delivered the prescribed second latte, the cat has been fed and the dog has curled up for yet another mid-morning snooze and I am awake, like really awake listening to the Cicadas.

Published: Sylvia Jimenez

Read More
Unexpected Joys: Human Connection in Japan
Connecting with people, insight observations, just an opinion and ob..., Memories captured, observing people, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, positive, Postcard commentary, psychology of people w..., Reflections, travel, wanderlust, writing community Sylvia Jimenez Connecting with people, insight observations, just an opinion and ob..., Memories captured, observing people, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, positive, Postcard commentary, psychology of people w..., Reflections, travel, wanderlust, writing community Sylvia Jimenez

Unexpected Joys: Human Connection in Japan

The trip to Japan was memorable not for its famous sights but for the warmth of human connections. A simple interaction with a kind store assistant named Koji highlighted the profound nature of kindness in daily life. Small gestures, like his assistance with laundry supplies, left a lasting impression, showcasing Japan's culture of respect.

Published: Sylvia Jimenez

Read More
Friends come and go and come and go
Connecting with people, insight observations, Looking around, looking forward, Memories captured, observing people, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, positive, Reflections, Taking time out, The Beach, writing community Sylvia Jimenez Connecting with people, insight observations, Looking around, looking forward, Memories captured, observing people, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, positive, Reflections, Taking time out, The Beach, writing community Sylvia Jimenez

Friends come and go and come and go

I hear the ping of the messages’ arrival on my phone. It’s 5:45 am, fifteen minutes before my set alarm, but I already know who the message’s sender is. Madam Z is an insomniac and most days is found watching the sunrise at the nearby beach amongst the hard-core joggers and dog walkers. She listened intently the day I revealed my love of the ocean because ever since then, she has sent me a beach photo (almost daily) that lights up my bleary eyes even on the coldest winter days.

Published: Sylvia Jimenez

Read More
2023 rules according to me
#keepinghealthy, communications, Connecting with people, insight observations, just an opinion and ob..., looking forward, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, positive, Reflections, Uncategorized, writing community Sylvia Jimenez #keepinghealthy, communications, Connecting with people, insight observations, just an opinion and ob..., looking forward, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, positive, Reflections, Uncategorized, writing community Sylvia Jimenez

2023 rules according to me

The ball dropped, the gong went off, the clock struck midnight. 2023 was born under a sky of crackers, hugs, kisses, smooches and well-wishers (those who were awake at least) who welcomed the new year with (I hope) the anticipation of better things to come. My very own FB post read a summerised version of the below.

Published: Sylvia Jimenez

Read More
Niceness is (thankfully) still alive
Connecting with people, insight observations, Looking around, Memories captured, observing people, open letter, Personal Story, psychology of people w..., Reflections, writing community Sylvia Jimenez Connecting with people, insight observations, Looking around, Memories captured, observing people, open letter, Personal Story, psychology of people w..., Reflections, writing community Sylvia Jimenez

Niceness is (thankfully) still alive

This post is more of a happy affirmation rather than an observation, but if taken in the context of human behaviour, then I’m pleased to say that people are still inherently nice. My youngest, Master V, is employed as a Trolley boy at a local garden nursery. It is his first officially paid casual job means he is privy to the perfect balance of fresh air, movement and a clientele of grey nomads with a common interest of the gardening kind. And for me, it’s a great source of character observations for my upcoming stories, but that is for another time.

Published: Sylvia Jimenez

Read More
Love Letters and other hotel slippers
#family, humour, Looking around, Memories captured, open letter, Personal Story, Postcard commentary, writing community Sylvia Jimenez #family, humour, Looking around, Memories captured, open letter, Personal Story, Postcard commentary, writing community Sylvia Jimenez

Love Letters and other hotel slippers

There are two kinds of people. Hoarders and non-hoarders. And if you happen to be the offspring of a baby boomer, chances are you would have likely shared a home with a hoarder. This was evident in the days I dedicated to clearing a dead man’s history. I had an inkling that dear old dad used to hang onto just about everything, not because I found shoeboxes filled with mini soaps, tiny shampoo and conditioner containers, toothpaste packets, tea and coffee pouches swiped from the hotel rooms he frequented since retiring, nor did the drawers full of medicine receipts, travel booking confirmations and retro postcards sent decades before, but in the cupboard, yes, a cupboard full of pristine, still-in-the plastic-wrap hotel slippers. The type that robust bodies saunter about when the sauna session is complete.

Published: Sylvia Jimenez

Read More
How having a Beta Reader has made me a Better Reader
Authors work, getting creative, looking forward, On Writing, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, positive, writing community Sylvia Jimenez Authors work, getting creative, looking forward, On Writing, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, positive, writing community Sylvia Jimenez

How having a Beta Reader has made me a Better Reader

To all those writers, journo’s, bloggers, vloggers, poets, laureates, composers and so forth, you would understand that the joy of writing, while creative and intuitive is somewhat an isolated process. We draft and redraft. Edit, sub edit, antagonise, get caught up on, rewrite and finally, when we are ready for our writing to emerge from our subconscious and the conscious world (where all great ideas form), having not only Alpha readers but a Beta Reader is better for the creative process.

Published: Sylvia Jimenez

Read More
Mentors – make the connection.
Authors work, communications, Connecting with people, Introduction, looking forward, On Writing, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, positive, positive mindset, Reflections, writing community Sylvia Jimenez Authors work, communications, Connecting with people, Introduction, looking forward, On Writing, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, positive, positive mindset, Reflections, writing community Sylvia Jimenez

Mentors – make the connection.

This blog post isn’t about the importance of acquiring a mentor; there are several excellent articles written about the importance of a good mentor; I am concentrating on my experience and connection with two people who have and still mentor me to this day.

Published: Sylvia Jimenez

Read More
Why holidays make you lose your mind…metaphorically speaking
looking forward, open letter, Personal Story, positive, Reflections, Taking time out, The Beach, writing community Sylvia Jimenez looking forward, open letter, Personal Story, positive, Reflections, Taking time out, The Beach, writing community Sylvia Jimenez

Why holidays make you lose your mind…metaphorically speaking

‘Have you lost your mind?’ was one of the poignant comments my mother would say to me as a child when I did something wrong and many decades later, I say the same. Prominently this is referring to getting sunburnt to a crisp on the first day of the Summer Vacay. And Vacays are for blue skies, bikinis and bathing; it’s a BBB in Byron Bay.

Published: Sylvia Jimenez

Read More
It started with an 80s mix tape...
#family, 80s flashback, humour, insight observations, just an opinion and ob..., looking forward, Memories captured, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, Reflections Sylvia Jimenez #family, 80s flashback, humour, insight observations, just an opinion and ob..., looking forward, Memories captured, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, Reflections Sylvia Jimenez

It started with an 80s mix tape...

…and a Covid project that propelled me to pull out every single photo album and take out each photograph on a lockdown infused Sunday afternoon. The idea is to scan each and every pic so that it’s forever captured digitally. This will probably take years I know, but pausing at images, some I didn’t even remember, tested my long term memory to categorise scenarios into chronological order. Thank goodness for one of my besties. She just looks at an image and knows exactly when it occurred. She is now my official curator of memories!

Published: Sylvia Jimenez

Read More
An open letter to my offspring
#family, insight observations, just an opinion and ob..., Looking around, looking forward, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, positive, positive mindset, Reflections Sylvia Jimenez #family, insight observations, just an opinion and ob..., Looking around, looking forward, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, positive, positive mindset, Reflections Sylvia Jimenez

An open letter to my offspring

To the millennials and the something i-generation, I’m (we are all) learning from you.


Published: Sylvia Jimenez

Read More