Only bad things happen quickly

I must say I completely disagree with this statement, for me all the good things happen quickly. When I'm having a good time, time literally flies by. Its when you're dealing with bad things in your personal or work life that the day never seems to end.

(image exported from www.winningateverything.com)

The Bungalow needs to learn something

They need to learn a little something something about good service that is.

I went down to The Bungalow this past Sunday for drinks with friends only to be disappointed. Not by the venue itself, that's superb. What was once the popular La Med in Clifton is now the newly renovated Bungalow Restaurant and Lounge. Same place, same views and same vibe, except at The Bungalow this weekend I was treated with unsatisfactory service.

It isn't even Summer yet, the place wasn't even full, and I waited 10 minutes at the bar for two beers and a mojito. Our friends who were waiting at a table for us had had a similar experience, on ordering two bottles of Rose they were not served in ice buckets but rather placed on the table in the late afternoon sun. Now I'm not a particularly fussy person, but I do hate bad service and I am not afraid to say so. However at a spot like The Bungalow you expect good service, its a classy joint and for a place like good service isn't just the cherry on top, its the second foundation layer just on top of the view. I've been known to vocalize my feelings in a restaurant but The Bungalow on a chilled Sunday evening just isn't the right spot, especially when you're comfortably seated with the sea right in front of you. So here it is, my written complaint about the service at The Bungalow. Please guys, sort yourselves out before Summer really is here, because the crowds are only going to grow down on that prime real estate you've got there.

(image exported from www.exclusivevillas.co.za)

(image exported from www.dining-out.co.za) 

(image exported from www.flickr.com) 

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Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid

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BE yourself,
make BOLD decisions,
practice, uphold AND follow
those MIGHTY thoughts
and FORCES
that WILL undoubtedly
COME and take over your being.
TO all who believe in you
and YOUR strengths,
AID them in understanding why and how you are so BOLD.

Be the person you wish to see in all of humanity.

If not now, then when?

Recently whenever I feel like I don't want to do something, or I'm tired and not in the mood, I have to remind myself that I'm young, yes, YOUNG! And whilst I am still young I need to start acting like it. This year has caused me to, or at least I've let it, take me about 10 steps backwards on the progress I made last year. So with Rocking the Daisies around the corner, I leave tomorrow, if not now, then when!?

Baby Jem has finally arrived

(image exported from www.dcellphoneusermanuals.com) 

I finally got my hands on her. After much deliberation I decided to go with it and get myself an iPad. I can't put her down, she's like this real lovable character and every App I add she just gets better!

Watch this space...

In the next few weeks we're going to release the band line-up for Up The Creek Music Festival. The confirmation emails have been sent out and post Daisies we'll start releasing the official line-up for 2013 so...watch this space! Or actually watch the official website because that's where it will be posted mid-October.

(image exported from  http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=372659759420266&set=a.372655372754038.95738.175311479155096&type=3&theater)

Team Ayoba! on the Mashie golf course

Bee and Robs (own photo)

The girls (own photo)

Waiting for the rest of the team (own photo)

Photo opportunity (own photo)

Robs warming up before tee-off (own photo)

Hole 7 (own photo)

Hole 7: Calf fetishes (own photo)

Follow through (own photo)

Coli's 'hat' at the formal (own photo)

My favourite Dr Seuss book

The Once-ler Wagon (image exported from www.greenopolis.com) 

My favourite is definitely The Lorax and for a number of different reasons:

1. It's got a message; Save Trees,
2. There's a love story within,
3. The movie version is just too cute,
4. And the trees are the coolest looking trees I've ever seen.

Why I have conversations?

(image exported from www.itsyfactor.com )

Where I work we thrive off conversation; bouncing ideas off of each other, using criticism constructively, etc. 

I have conversations so that the end product is better. 

 

Moving a lifetime worth of stuff

My grandparents have eventually agreed to move into a retirement village. Cue my mother and a sigh of relief. However, its not aneasy hill to climb. My grandmother is a type A hoarder, which means she can't let go of anything without much ummmm-ing and ahhh-ing. "Oh, but all old people are like that," you might say.  I hope not, for my sake as much as yours.

When my grandparents left their farm in Pietermaritzburg outside Durban, they downgraded the size of their home, but they didn't get rid of anything. Everything was boxed up and stored in their double garage. Boxes piled up to the ceiling with little paths created in between them is the order of the day it seems. 

My mum almost lot the plot last week when my grandmother refused to throw out two boxes worth of jam she'd made on the farm (more than 10 years ago), unless all the jam was emptied, the jars were cleaned, and  then taken to the recycling depot. Environmentally friendly she might be, but when you're scraping out all that rotting jam you just want to scream, 'SCREW YOU environment, these jars aren't worth the time OR energy!'

I'm off to do my duty on Thursday, and possibly stake my claim on some kitchenware, but Lord help me and grant me patience!

The pose I'm going to adopt on Thursday
(image exported from www.myinnerspaceblog.com) 

Drawing up a bucket list

Jumping into the unknown. Isn't that what a bucket list is all about!?

Cliff jumping: image exported from www.murraymitchell.com 

At the moment my bucket list may seem short but being the ultimate realist, I only write the things down I really think I can do, and with a shorter list I've got no excuses not to try.

I've been working my way (very slowly) through my current bucket list, but this post has made me want to add a couple more things. And so the list gets longer:

• Bungy Jump  (2009)
• Try Diving  (2010)
• Sky Diving
• Get my Dive Masters
• Visit Machu Picchu
• Canoe down the Orange River

Helloooooo sunshine!

Even though I can't pull myself away from my laptop today I've moved myself into my sunny lounge. The couch has become my temporary desk because I can't bear the thought of sitting in the cold dark study while there is all this sunshine out there.

Its days like these when I know why I could never live in the UK, I need the sun in my life, it makes me happy just knowing its out there. Even if I can't lie and bask in it I'll make damn sure I can soak it up from behind these glass doors!

Machu Picchu- My Big Fat Big Dream

There are so many things I'd love to do, note to self 'I need to write a bucket list sometime,' that it is difficult to decide between them all. How do I choose my 'big fat big' dream?

As most of you know by now I am a realist, and as one of my least favourite traits it is always the first 'person' to crush my dreams. Being a realist means that I always think of the things a lot of other people don't when I'm planning a trip or thinking of all the places around the world I'd love to see. But for the first time, in a long time, the realist on my shoulder didn't say anything, it just sat there in silence rolling the words around its mouth; Machu Picchu, Machu Picchu, Machu Picchu.

At a dinner last weekend I heard about this place for this first time. My cousin and I were discussing his honeymoon plans and he mentioned this place, Machu Picchu, that he'd love to visit sometime. He told me that it's in Peru, South America, and its a part of the Inca Trail. Now the Inca Trail I'd heard about, but the idea that there is this hidden city of ruins high up in the mountains just seemed so exciting. I'm not generally a big fan of hiking or venturing outdoors to do anything too adventurous; an outdoor music festival has enough dirt for me for one weekend! But, this idea has been floating around in my head for a couple of days now and just Google-ing some pictures has brought to this conclusion...

My Big Fat Big Dream is to some day see Machu Pichu!

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We're getting older... no duh

So I had my 5 year high school reunion last night. I think what probably surprised me the most was the fact that I was bang on par with the majority of my grade. Whew. Jokes, what can one really expect only five years post your high school graduation? Not much excitement except a few undergrads, some pushing through their masters, some odd jobs here and there, and then of course there's those who have travelled the world.

Take advantage of your youth, because I can guarantee the ten year reunion is going to be much more news worthy!

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Conventional is a good fallback position isn't it?

I don't know about you but I honestly think I'm pretty conventional, and what's wrong with that????

At least I don't try and act like I'm unconventional.

For me, conventional is not a fallback position, its my position, and a pretty good one at that!

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Ayoba! vs. Res Inc.

As Ayoba!s three year run came to an end this last weekend we managed a cracker of a game! I was very lucky this week to receive some 'crib notes' from Amy post-match, I was clearly too busy chatting at the back to realise what was going on half the time.
    
     1. Shelz, always afraid of the cold, wears tights under her shin-pads! According to Amy they
         do that in Malaysia because they're Muslim, although Shelz is not a practising Muslim we
         love it, it's a classy look for sure.

     2. Coach Batman missed the game...AGAIN, but Mikey Mike filled in and was kept busy
         coaching the forwards, lots of 'subbing'.
     3. 13 goals were scored through Res Inc.'s kicking-back's legs.
     4. Emma hurt her thumb...

     5. It was cold.
     6. Sammy did an interpretive dance on the side of the field, apparently it worked on
         Saturday night as a part of her 'naps' strategy.
     7. We're still not entirely sure if Bee played.
     8. Shelley scored a hat-trick; for that she was supposed to take her tights off.
     9. Donne's dreams of a hat-trick were quickly shattered when Mike pulled her off
         after her first.
   10. Candice's dreams of a hat-trick never existed.
   11. Monty shouted something strange at one point and then started running around weirdly.

For all those who have contributed in some way or another to Ayoba! and the past three years, the memories will last forever! Ayoba yoba yoba yo!

You can't chase two rabbits at the same time

Well Mr McGregor definitely proved that was true. Peter Rabbit had him do a complete runaround in Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit. The idea of trying to catch two of them as an old man would be near impossible, both would run in opposite directions.

Mr McGregor chasing Peter Rabbit
(www.agrippinglife.wordpress.com)

"Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when you only have one idea," ...

said no one without a plan B and C. If you've ever had an idea, something you really treasure, something you even call your 'baby,' then you know what I'm talking about.

Being a big planner there's always a back-up plan, if there isn't then it probably wasn't the greatest plan to begin with.



Always have your Back-up Plan!
(www.bestforfilm.com)



Have you figured out the second head fake?

When Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and 'given' between three and six months left to live he wrote The Last Lecture. This speech hit a cord with so many and led to him becoming famous worldwide. At the end of his speech he asked the audience whether they'd figured out the second head fake? He had written this beautiful piece of inspiration and advice for his children, not for those in attendance.

Randy wanted to leave something for his kids and this was it, a piece that discussed all the best advice he could think of, for when he wasn't there. On his personal website Randy expresses surprise at the amount of people,who have already viewed his speech video online. He admits that it was meant for his kids but that he's also really pleased if other people have taken value from it. At least the second head fake wasn't a waste. Go check it out at http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/ Be inspired!

Ayoba! Vs Carinus Cobras

This past weekend Ayoba! took on the Carinus Cobras and after a messy first goal by Bee, Ayoba! were off to a cracking start. Even the Cobras' coach's play board couldn't help them!

(image exported from www.clipartof.com )

If Ayoba! manage to keep up their winning streak we could be in the finals again this year, what a way that will be to end a great three year journey. That will definitely be ayoba!

I am...

I am a solid mass which can't be moved, at least without much persuasion that is.

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"Little Miss Stubborn is unstoppable and will do what she feels like doing, because that's what she wants."
Adam Hargreaves

Ayoba! vs Hot Shots

Two words: Dismal Attendance. The Hot Shots showed up with a team of seven players and so were forced to forfeit the game. A 5-0 win for Ayoba! was received with no complaints due to our position on the log, one below our steamy opposition, and as Bee was overheard saying, "thank goodness they didn't all pitch, we would have struggled to beat them." They might not have had loyalty and solid commitment like Ayoba! but some of those Hot Shots girls definitely had ball skills.

(www.facebook.com/#!/events/249138825189041/)

Now as we say farewell to some of Ayoba! heading out on Rhodes Tour, I can only hope that the baby birds, not quite ready to leave the nest that is Cape Town, will band together and make Donne proud. This weekend's match will be a test of the longstanding Ayoba! vibe. Can the leftovers bring home some points!?

Starting something new

Anyone a fan of good music, and time spent with good friends in the water? Anyone a fan of the Up the Creek Music Festival? Well I'm a lucky girl on all accounts. I recently joined the Up the Creek team, working on their social media and marketing. We're trying to address a new target audience in a number of different ways and this means thinking out of the box, doing something different, offering festival goers a unique experience.

We're in the process of launching our new website so if you're already a fan of this festival, or you have no idea what it's all about, like our Facebook page 'Up the Creek Music Festival', follow our twitter handle @Upthe_Creek and keep an eye on our website. We'll announce the new website, all our competitions and our 2013 line up on each of these platforms.

Hopefully see you all there... Up the Creek with or without a paddle.

(image exported from http://www.rwrant.co.za/)

Back to school, Back to non-reality.

I can't wait to officially enter 'Reality'. This inbetween place that I'm at, studying, is starting to become boring. However, I know I'll look back with longing one day, but at the moment the grasser just seems so much greener on the other side. As students we have this perfect image in our heads; weekends by the sea, evenings free of homework and full of wine and tv, but 'Reality' ain't so picture perfect.

Studying has become this inbetween stage for me. I feel ready to enter the big world, aka 'Reality', but I will also be the first to admit that I'm probably not as ready as I might feel. I love the idea of it; no more tests or assignments, no more waiting for classes, and no more homework. But 'Reality' has its own version of tests, assignments, waiting, and homework, and they go by the names of competition, tax, insurance, and overtime. So for the meantime I'll bide my time inbetween thank you very much, and hope that when the tax man comes knocking I will be able to part with my hard earned moola without shedding too many tears.

Yours,

Happily living in non-reality.

(http://www.hangingbyamoment21.xanga.com/)

"In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes," Andy Warhol

Why would I be world famous? Hmmm...

(http://www.wikipedia.org/)

Maybe I break a record and reach the highest word quota in one day.







(http://www.gottobemobile.com/)






Or I could do something stupid, or even something heroic, and make the news. Who am I kidding, heroism is not a common trait of mine.

(http://www.rebelsport.com.au/)

I could even become world famous by doing something seemingly insignificant and changing the world. Think of the person who thought to add ties to long socks, without our hockey socks would keep falling down. Sock ties are seemingly insignificant, but they're effective! Although, I don't know who came up with that idea, so not sure if they count as being world famous, but they could have had their fifteen minutes of fame.




Whatever it is I do to become world famous I just hope it comes with benefits, I'd hate to be famous and not get anything other than fame out of it!

A skill set called leadership

Leadership is like a cake recipe, it's a combination of things, some aspects need to be learnt, others need to be bought, and some are just there, pre-programmed. When I first baked a cake my mum showed me how to whisk eggs and how to grease a baking tin, these were skills I had to be taught. We went to a shop and bought flower, eggs, sugar, and butter, all ingredients that needed to be purchased. When the cake eventually came out of the oven I knew how I was going to decorate it, no one had to show me how to decorate a cake. Leadership is a skill set just as a cake recipe is a combination.

Leadership requires a number of different skills, all of which differ according to the environment. A good leader is taught kindness and respect during their upbringing; skills taught to them from a young age. An efficient leader delegates work to the person best suited. A great leader will always lead by example not because they want to or because someone tells them to, but because they know its the best possible way. Leadership is a combination, like a cake recipe, and its a combination of skills; some that are acquired from others and some that are just naturally part of one's personality. Becoming a great leader is like collecting a set of rare game cards; it takes patience, practice and perception.

Patience, Practice, and Perception: A three-tier cake
(http://www.thecattylife.com/)

Frank Zappa on Rock Journalism

                    Frank Zappa once said in an interview, "Rock journalism is people who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, for people who can't read."

I don't subscribe to Rolling Stone magazine or anything along similar lines, but it would seem to me that if I did I would fall into Zappa's category of those 'who can't read'. Surely if I decided to read a magazine about rock music I would need atleast one skill. I would need to be literate. Now like academics and research professionals who break down hypotheses to prove them right or wrong, I'm going to do the same with Zappa's seemingly simple statement.

Starting at the end is always a good place to start, working backwards. Now we've established that I can read, I am literate. If I then read rock journalism it doesn't suddenley become another type of journalism just because I can read it.

Zappa then suggests that rock journalism is someone interviewing people who can't talk. But, how can you interview someone who can't talk? Interviewing is typically a conversation between two or more people, one person generally asks questions and the other answers. How can someone expect to conduct an interview with another person if that person can't talk? Have you ever seen an episode of Larry King where he interviews a donkey? No, because animals can't talk. So it stands to reason that interviewing can only be done with a person who can talk.

Finally I've worked my way back to the first part of Zappa's statement; 'Rock journalism is people who can't write'. Well this statement just seems bizarre, how can you put together an article or piece of writing if you can't write. All journalists can put together a sentence, if they couldn't they wouldn't be called journalists.

Zappa could read my argument against his statement's validity and argue that it is not journalism of the highest standard, or that these musician's are not always the most well spoken characters, or even that the stereotype 'Rolling Stone' reader is not usually the kind of person who would also read the New York Times. And at this point my rebuttal would have to be that his statement says nothing of standards or levels, it only uses the word 'can't' and for that reason alone I have proven your statement invalid.



(The realities of rock journalism www.musicuse.wordpress.com)



Champagne anyone?

(http://www.businesslinkmagazine.co.za/)

Internships aren't always what you think they'll be, but a two week internship celebrated with champagne, chocolate cake and a gorgeous gift? How could I not be happy at the end of my experience? When I look back at my time with Champagne Events I will always remember the way I was treated. Everyone valued my opinion, they gave of their time to show me how to fill in the status reports or how to design the venue layout, and I felt like I was really part of a team.




It didn't matter that I was only there for two weeks, I could have been there for months. I still would have been given the same responsibilities, the same opportunities to practice. Mandy, my boss, stayed true to her philosophy that one learns best through practice. I was given my own little project, a small wedding, and had to start right at the beginning. Although I won't be able to attend the wedding, I left knowing the bride was happy with my proposal.

(http://www.ehow.com/)

What motivates me?

Fear.
The fear of failure.
The fear that I won't be all I think I'm capable of.
The fear that my future won't be as I want it.
Fear.

(image exported from http://www.dietschmiet.me/)

The 10 most UNexpected consequences of being online

1.    Unknown individuals could become a household name; be the next Bieber or Carly Rae Jepson.

2.    People are more easily stalked.

3.    Your computer could fall victim to malicious software.

4.    Individuals could develop an addiction.

5.    You could be a victim of identity theft.

6.    Anyone could change the world; look at Jimmy Wales the founder of Wikipedia.

7.    You could experience massive financial change.

8.    You could be the next prison inmate.

9.    The ever-increasing number of illegal downloads means the entertainment industry has suffered financial loss.

10. We have a two-speed society; those working online and those working offline.

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Missing my Pilates

I am away in Port Elizabeth at the moment and it’s been an entire week since I last did any Pilates. Now, I’m no expert or long term Pilates-practitioner, but like anything good in life, when it’s gone you miss it. Just when I felt like I was getting somewhere, just when I felt like I was understanding it all.

If you’re still able to enjoy your ‘thing’ then be grateful. I miss my Pilates, my ‘thing’.

(image exported from http://www.dancecafe.wozaonline.co.za/)

If you're in Cape Town and looking for a Pilates studio I can highly recommend Somersault Studios. Visit them at http://www.somersaultstudio.co.za/ 

Orphanage Cocktail Emporium

Situated on the corner of Bree and Orphan Street in the CBD area of Cape Town, Orphanage plays true to its quirky name. From one of the ceilings hang different keys, staff wear hats that would look right at home on the stage of an Oliver production. Patrons can purchase a cocktail called ‘More Tea Vicar?’ Made with Finlandia vanilla, rooibos syrup, cranberry and lemon, served in a tea cup and saucer, R15.00 of the total price goes to the St Francis Children’s Home to care for orphan boys.

Orphanage is only a short walk up from Long Street, their cocktail mixologists make an array of unusual drinks, and the vibe welcomes all kinds of characters. If the drinks menu seems too overwhelming and you’d like something fresh, try the Gentlemen’s Berry Relish, and of course it comes without saying you really should try the ‘More Tea Vicar?’

Check out Orphanage’s website at http://www.theorphanage.co.za/ and you’ll find an interesting set of ‘rules’ to read up on. As the new kid on the block Orphanage has proved its worth; they have a steady flow of regulars and inquisitive folk are always popping in to see what everyone’s talking about. Become a regular, try it out for yourself, or ignore it. Do as you please, but if you do go make sure you don’t request a song from the DJ…

(image exported from http://www.eatout.co.za/)

(image exported from http://www.capetownbuzz.com/)

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The elephant in the room

I've been in this situation many times. I've had to squirm without actually moving. I've been in a room with a figurative elephant, and it isn't ever a pleasant situation.

But this situation will keep recurring as long as I have good friends. It's called the stand off. Having a stubborn personality doesn't bode well for winning pointless arguments, especially if the other person in the argument is also stubborn. Silence just often seems the best way out. So we stay in silence until one of two things happen; one of us crumbles or we just ride it out and end up forgetting what we were fighting about. However, while riding out the silence its awkward to say the least. I have to hold my tongue, and that is something I can't do with ease.

(image exported from http://www.funstoo.blogspot.com/ )

It isn't always the right time

(image exported from http://www.help2read.org/)

I recently started volunteering with an NGO called Help2Read. One of the most important points I took from my training day was that ‘not everybody is at that point in their lives where they are ready to give of their time for others.’ It is so true; when I was in high school as part of our curriculum we had to do a certain amount of community work every year, whether we wanted to or not. During those five years the volunteer work I did was irregular and only done so that I could have my hours signed off on. I wasn’t really helping others, I was helping myself; doing my share of community service looked good on my high school transcript. Volunteering with Help2Read is worth more to me than my next transcript.

I heard about Help2Read at varsity one day and thinking back to my Gap Year and the amount of time I spent helping young children with their reading, I thought I might have something to offer. I certainly have time to offer; having two full days free of any lectures, I am available during school hours. After sending in my CV and application form I heard back almost immediately. Help2Read is always looking to increase their volunteer numbers; there will never be enough volunteers to help all those children struggling to read in what is so often not even their home language.

Now what made me contact Help2Read at this point in my life, I will never know exactly, but I did. I wanted to give some of my time. I wanted to volunteer my hours without receiving pay in a monetary form. I wanted to give up those two hours I spend in front of the television.

This post is not intended to persuade you to become a volunteer at Help2Read. I wrote this post to remind those of us that do volunteer that ‘not everybody is at that point in their lives where they are ready to give of their time for others.’ Some people have very demanding careers, and others have young children who need their support. These people should not be looked down on because they do not volunteer; you and I were once those people too. 



(image exported from http://www.macotar.blogspot.com/)





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