Cheryl Anne Roelofsz’s Registered & Protected Web Page

http://shackledmuse.info

Copyright:

All Rights Reserved
Registered:

2011-07-21 17:50:00 UTC
Title:

The Shackled Muse
Description:

http://shackledmuse.info Protected on 2011-07-21 17:50:00 UTC

Text:

Show the Web Page Copyright text

Home
About ME
My Guest Posts
Watch me melt
Achievements
My Digital Life
Products Page

The Shackled Muse
The musings, thoughts and opinions of a living contradiction
stay updated via rss

Blog me, Baby!
Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

All the Goodness

Shackled’s Journal
Opinion Pieces
Dear Diary
Anger management

Shackled’s Poetry

Unshackle Your Budget
Money Savers
Recipes

Unshackle your creativity
Beading and Jewelry design
Digital and Traditional Arts
Blogging
Poetry and Prose

Unshackle Your Environment
Plastic Pollution
Beaches and Waterways

Unshackle your life
Emotionally
Gadgetry
Financially
Mentally
Physically
Productivity

Unshackle your mind
Neuro Programming
Third Eye
Crystals

Blogroll
Bazzabent's Blog
Lun'Acushla online shop
Lyrica's Lee Art Profile
Monetize Your Life Blog
My deviantART page
My Digital Life
Shackled Muse on Facebook

Link Love: Isabella Thorne

Original Articles. Constant-Content.

Link Love: Isabella Thorne’s eBooks

Tags

angelina jolie
art
bad luck
balance
blog
Blogging
budget
categories
cooking
creative
dairy
deviantart
digital arts
exercise
facebook
fairy tales
fiverr
goals
guide
hands of fate
how to
how to guide
inspiration
joy of butter
love
michael jackson
movie review
music
photomanipulation
poetry
power of positive thinking
Princess Bride
Productivity
purpose
relationships
review
shopping
site set up
songs
twitter
wanted
wine and dine
workout
writers block
writing

A flash back & the general state of affairs in the land of the Muse
Posted: 17th July 2011 by The Shackled Muse in Dear Diary, Mentally, Shackled's Journal, Unshackle your life
Tags: career choices, depression, Journalism, poetry

This has been floating around in my drafts since March… lol
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’m at a cross road; I realized as I sat sobbing on my bed yesterday. My day started of fairly okay: quality chat time with the bf, soaking in the bath, reading Stiletto. Had eggs for lunch. The bio I’ve been reading inspired me to write. Anything. Just write. So I pulled my laptop closer, made myself comfortable on the floor while the bf played UFC on the PS3.
Somewhere between switching the laptop on and breeze wafting through the room, my psycho-self took over and I decided to google a certain someone. It’s been a while since I googled her, and the last search didn’t bring up much dirt. Just a facebook profile, a few people we knew in common and a thank you note on some debt forum. But the new search revealed she expanded her online persona a lil bit. Just a teensy bit.
Read the rest of this entry »

Anonymous Bloggers
Posted: 16th July 2011 by The Shackled Muse in Blogging, Unshackle your creativity
Tags: anonymous, blogger, Blogging

I’m not an anonymous blogger, even though that was the plan when I started out. My name is Cheryl, I live in Johannesburg and many of my friends “in real life” follow my blog (even if they only pop in once in a while.) They know who The Shackled Muse is. And I’m sure Source has me somewhere on a video at MYDL…

On the one hand, I stand by the notion that if you want to say something, have to balls to do so without a Nome de plume. On the other hand, there is something enticing about being unknown.
However, some bloggers prefer anonymity. There are many reasons, some people would prefer if they’re details were not easily available. Others blog about sensitive subjects that could get them in trouble.
Read the rest of this entry »

Android Apps
Posted: 15th July 2011 by The Shackled Muse in Gadgetry
Tags: android, applications, apps, htc, top ten, wildfire

Having joined the Android crowd recently, I find myself constantly downloading new apps. It’s really quite addictive…

Addictive, and hard to choose a favourite, or ten favourite. The ones currently in use are as follows, in no particular order: (Facebook aside, because that’s a given)
Read the rest of this entry »

HTC Wildfire Review
Posted: 14th July 2011 by The Shackled Muse in Gadgetry, Money Savers, Unshackle Your Budget
Tags: cellphone review, htc desire, htc wilfire review, wildfire vs desire

At first glance, the HTC Wildfire can be mistaken for the Desire and sports many of the same features – including the powerful Android 2.1 Eclair with HTC Sense. Other similarities include the touch buttons and the optical trackpad, as well as fashionable design of the device itself. In a nutshell, the Wildfire promises to be a more affordable, entry level version of it predecessors, the Desire and Legend.

When designing a budget smartphone affordable to the masses, however, something has got to give. The processing speed is slightly disappointing, causing some applications to slow down, or force close. Another notable difference is the screen. It sports a LED screen, and even though there is nothing really wrong with the size of the touch screen, the 320 x 240 resolution is slightly disappointing.
The 7 home screens provide more than enough space for all your shortcuts, widgets and applications, without being cluttered. Pressing the Home button situated on the far left below the screen activates the Leap View function, allowing you to see thumbnails of all 7 screens at once. Of course, you can customize your home screens however you see fit, either using the pre-designed templates, or starting from scratch with the Clean Slate template.
As a social media tool, the Wildfire surely measures up to all the expectations set by our ever increasing need for online interaction. Friendstream provides me with my daily fix (or two, or four) of social networking as it collects all your updates from Facebook, Twitter and what ever else tickles your fancy, and brings everything together in one tidy application.
The Android Market has a plethora of applications available, ranging from a very user friendly and easy on the eye Facebook Application to PDF Readers, Games to Office Tools and GPS navigation. A few small annoyances are some minor bugs and software gremlins; these might cause the application to force close or your phone to switch off altogether. Luckily the Market has a handy feature which allows you to see similar apps, and reading the comments left by users will give you a basic idea of its functionality. Unfortunately I’m constantly faced with the "running low on storage" reminder, and its hard to believe that I’ve already used up the 384 MB internal memory. And for this very reason, Micro SD cards exist.
I have absolutely no problem with the 3G HSPA internet access and extremely fast download speeds. The Wildfire will use the fastest connection available, therefore I mainly connect via Wi-Fi, and this offers even less difficulty than my laptop gives me.
Of course, my favourite part of any phone has to be the camera. The Wildfire sports a 5MP lens, and the quality is almost as good as my digital camera. I also get to share my photo’s, by uploading them to Facebook, Flickr, Evernote, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. Geo tagging can be activated and it is fairly easy to change the settings when you need to compensate for different lighting conditions. The flash is powerful enough to take crisp clear images in utter darkness.
Surprisingly, the battery lasts close to two days on one charge. That is quite impressive if you keep in mind how much I use it.
All the little grievances aside, the Wildfire surely lives up to its name and provides value for money, especially when you consider it was designed to be a budget option to the HTC Desire.
Technorati Tags: wildfire vs desire,htc wilfire review,htc desire,cellphone review

So, it’s been a while…
Posted: 14th November 2010 by The Shackled Muse in Anger management, Dear Diary, Shackled's Journal

My first entry in nearly 2 months… So much changed. Went from no job, to temp job to permanent job. A job that’s making old before my time, but it’s money in my pocket. A pocket that was fairly empty for 6 months, so I’m not really complaining.
Didn’t get around to NaNoWriMo this year, sadyly. Again. By now I’m probably 25000 words behind anyway. Not to mention my other paid posts that I’m behind as well. We shall blame my lack of free time on work.
Been having a bit of a restless feeling lately. Dunno why. That damn cagedness again. I need to get out more. On my own. Michael has his Wing Tsun (I am not gonna go into detail right here and now about why I refuse to do Wing Tsun with him, even though I’ve been oh so graciously invited to. whoop-di-doo.) But yeah, he has his WT thing three times a week, and I have nothing. No “external” friends or activities or anything to make me feel more like a human being instead of a human doing. (yeah they’ve been playing Scatman on the radio this past week. Good line that. Human doing.)
Also gotta start driving. When I find something to do, whatever it may be, I want to get there and back on my own. He will not drop me off/pick me up. I want something that is completely me. Completely separate. That might make sense, or might make me sound completely crazy, but that’s how I feel and I make no apologies for it.
On a lighter note, I can afford stuff now. Lol. I’m no where near “well off” yet, but I can pay my own way again. It helps. I’ve been in charge of my finances since the ripe old age of 17 and it was very hard to break that cycle after a decade of being able to pay my way. To celebrate, I did something very unlike me: shopping. I don’t even like shopping, but I got back into the game with a bang. Not even expensive stuff, mind you.
So there, now you’re all updated. I shall drop by again soon

Artists For A Pristine Planet
Posted: 27th August 2010 by The Shackled Muse in Anger management, Beaches and Waterways, Opinion Pieces, Plastic Pollution, Shackled's Journal, Unshackle Your Environment
Tags: animals, art, beaches and waterways, fiverr, jewellry, paintings, plastic water bottles, pollution, the great pacific garbage patch

I met an extraordinary woman on Fiverr. (as you know, fiverr is the site where people do gigs or jobs for $5, and I’ve made a substantial amount so far writing articles, designing logo’s, etc.) I responded to an ad, to do research. Turned out the research I had to do was the effects of plastic water bottles on the environment and aspects related to it.
Now, I knew pollution is a real problem, we see it all around us. I knew plastic bags (like the types beer and soda cans comes in) takes up to 1000 years to decompose, I knew many sea animals mistake plastic bags for jelly fish and suffocate or starve when digesting it.
I never knew the situation was so bad!!
Read the rest of this entry »

Lets see who can finish this list first!
Posted: 8th August 2010 by The Shackled Muse in Poetry and Prose, Unshackle your creativity
Tags: fiction, poetry, prose, writers block, writing assignments

Ah writer’s block, an age old enemy since days of yore… Once again I find myself blocked while the muse sits ever so contentedly shackled on my shoulder, mocking me. Sure, I’ve been writing gadgety and technical articles daily, but when it comes to poetry, prose, fiction – there’s nothing.
My good friend Vicky (aka Lyrica-Lee) always says: Just Write. Whether its good or bad, when faced with writer’s block, JUST WRITE. Good sound advice.
Below you’ll find a list of writing prompts.
Those of you who know me and stalk my various online hideouts will know that this list popped up many many times before.
Read the rest of this entry »

New artsy beginnings!
Posted: 26th July 2010 by The Shackled Muse in Beading and Jewelry design, Blogging, Dear Diary, Shackled's Journal, Unshackle your creativity, Unshackle your life
Tags: etsy, fiverr, hand made, jewelry, online shopping

My apologies for the long long absence! I’ve been hard at work expanding my arty endeavours. I’d love to say that I designed countless jewelry pieces during my offline hours, but sadly that would be a lie. (I made a few though…)
I’ve been reading. Yes, my new book on beading techniques. More than 300 techniques, thats a lot to learn. I’ve been reading Etsy help articles; everything from taking better pictures (they really cant stress that enough…) to top seller advices and tips, to seller blog and blog sites. You name it, I read it. (applying everything I read is a different matter.) I’ve been commenting in a lot of forums to get my name out there. To be seen.
(I’ve also been reading all the Final Notices creditors like to send out when people (me) don’t pay their accounts… So, yeah, all my online endeavours better be a success!
Its growing, thankfully. I’m $60 richer since signing up at Fiverr. Even though the Fiverr gigs are for, well, a fiver (as in $5) I’ve made some headway off the site. I contacted a potential client on Fiverr with regards to a logo he needs. He was happy enough with my work and we’ve moved negotiations and business off Fiverr, which makes the payment process go so much quicker. Also, its a really good deal. So, THANK YOU FIVERR. On a side note, I signed up at Dealerr aswell, Fiverr’s European rival. All the best will hopefully come from it.
Blog-wise I’ve been expanding too. A new domain has been registered, sadly the site is still empty. Only has a link to my Etsy store. The entire purpose of the new site is to act as my online store. Jewelry, Digital Art, Traditional Art, Hand made stuffs. You name it. Doubt I’ll add my poetry but we’ll see how that goes.
The whole etsy thing made me realize I need a stand alone shop as well. Plus a blog. So this shall solely be the blog from now, but all handmade goodies will be displayed over at The Shackled Muse Studio.
Awesome, right!

The Joy Of Butter Blog
Posted: 26th July 2010 by The Shackled Muse in Opinion Pieces, Shackled's Journal, Unshackle your life
Tags: joy of butter, music, review, tango, wine and dine

I’ve stumbled upon a little gem of a blog. Its called the Joy of Butter. Oh, don’t let the title throw you, its not a blog about butter. To quote the tagline: “The Joy Of Butter: a collection of thoughts about a life complete with food, wine, dance and passion.”
Now if you ask me, those are all the good stuff that make life worthwhile! Just to give you an example, the latest blog entry is all about the tango.
This is not merely a form of dance, its a form of art…
As Brandi says: I am absolutely head over heels in love with this dance. I began taking lessons about three months ago and after the first class I knew I had found something that I could and wanted to devote my time and energy to. For the first time (in a long time) I have found something that takes me out of my head, something that requires precision, presence and concentration. The steps and dance are not only beautiful and powerful but almost become a meditation, you almost enter this trance-like state when you’re fully in the moment. My world has changed.

Also, MUSIC!! Followers of this blog will know how much music means to me. Not pop, not Britney Spears. Real Music. Performed by real artists.
Throughout the ages music has been used to express our feelings, our emotions, whether its sorrow or joy. English is not our universal language. Music is. If you agree with me, then take a look at this article!!
THE JOY OF BUTTER

Music, and artistic interpretation, is my life…
Posted: 3rd July 2010 by The Shackled Muse in Opinion Pieces, Shackled's Journal, Unshackle your creativity
Tags: art, deviantart, michael jackson, music, songs

Okay… So, it’s 5:07AM I’m listening to a variety of songs on Media Player while searching for stock images online. (stock images to use for Photo Manipulation.) And I think the laptop’s glare is messing with my love’s sleep, he tried to kick me off the bed, twice…

Earlier this lovely evening I had a plan. The plan involved watching the Ghana vs Uruguay match, putting my sick boyfriend to bed and then, right, then put on some Binaural beats to stimulate my creative side while I write countless articles. (Okay, not countless, but at least 6 MyDigitalLife articles for the coming week, 4 for this site, maybe 4 or 5 for Helium and 3 for my other blogger account.)
Don’t look at me in that tone of voice, I discovered that it is possible to write all that in one go. I know your dying to find out how, and I promise I’ll cover that in my next article. Or at the very least, when I attempt to write again…
Anyway, that was plan. So, where did it all go wrong, I hear you ask.
Read the rest of this entry »

Older Entries

Social Connections
Facebook
Twitter
Flickr

Blog Roll
Bazzabent's Blog
Lun'Acushla online shop
Lyrica's Lee Art Profile
Monetize Your Life Blog My deviantART page
My Digital Life
Shackled Muse on Facebook