This is Bad!

This is bad.....no, in fact terrible! I have not been on these streets in a while, and I can purely blame it on.....on....on....errr....*sigh*....I have no excuse! This is bad! *hangs head in shame*

I'm watching 2011 coming to an end, and starting to recollect on all my achievements and failures. Here's failure number 1: I never got around to writing my resolutions for 2011. I wanted to, really I did.....but I somehow never got to it. So now as we step into December, I need to retrace my steps and see if I achieved all I had set out to.

It's been a great year - a lot of ups and downs, but all round good year. And now I can safely look to next year, and hopefully set (and write down) my resolutions for 2012. I will do it this time....I promise! :)

December is silly season - have fun, live it up, laugh it out....but most importantly, stay safe!!

Happy December!!!!

(A little something I came across on the 'interweb'....loved it!!)

Happy Weekend!!!

It's the weekend!! My favourite time ever! And the first free weekend I've had this month....I plan on sleeping all the way till Sunday!

A quote from one of my favourite women alive, Kimora Lee Simmons: "You can do anything you put your mind to, and you can do it in stilettos."
(err, if you are male, feel free to draw motivation from this also....hehehe)

Happy Weekend!!!!!!!!!

Eat. Pray. Love......my non-review

I’m not much of a reader (feel free to read that as ‘I don’t read at all’). The best I can do is a soccer magazine, and sometimes I don’t finish reading that either. As I write this, I have two magazines, both half read, which have been sitting opened on my bedside table for the past few weeks. I think we have ascertained that I don’t read – at all!

About a week ago I watched the movie adaptation of Eat. Pray. Love – a memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert. That is normally what I do – wait until they turn the book into a movie, and that’s the closest I get to reading. I don’t write reviews....of anything....ever! It might be because I don’t read reviews – I like to form my own view on a subject, and reading someone else’s opinion may alter and bias me even before I get the opportunity to judge for myself. So let’s get this straight – this is NOT a review.

XXIV

Accept the things I cannot change! That right there!! And just a day before my birthday, I remember the one thing I can not change -----> 24!! I sat down and googled 24...trying to find all the good things associated with the number. Naturally, the first thing that popped up is that television series - for once, google was not my friend! So I took it a step further....to wikipedia! Yeah, that's how I roll! As i scrolled through all their references of the number 24, I got more and more disheartened! Not one cool fact or inspirational story surrounding the number 24! Bleak! So I decided to let it go...and just be!

This year has whizzed by so quickly, it's amazing! Not too long ago we were staggering home from new years celebrations, and we are now already planning the next! I have been blessed with so much, the world just keeps looking more beautiful everyday! So today, a day before my birthday, I'm gonna take a moment to be grateful for all my blessings; for all the beautiful souls in my life - some I've met, some I 'know' but haven't met and yet I can proudly call friends (the power of social networking), and for the most amazing family a girl could ever ask for!!

I look to 24 as another challenge....there's still so much to achieve before this year comes to a close, and even more before I'm sitting here, same time next year discussing 25! Okay, 25 neh....let's not get excited, I'm still coming to terms with 24! For the entire week I have been doing a lot of thinking.....questioning some of the things I do, wondering of the difference, if any, that I make in others' lives, and taking decisions that will impact my future. This brought back a chance meeting a while back with a stranger that made me carefully assess the person I am now.
A few months back I was out with friends, indulging in some serious post-match celebrations (I wont start babbling about soccer, I promise)....Orlando Pirates had successfully made their mark in PSL history by lifting their third cup of the season - the first team to achieve that feat since the inception of the PSL. Now I was out to party - that was worth a celebration - and judging by the number of people at the spot where we were, it seemed many had the same idea! While waiting for our drinks from the barman, I was chatting to a male person who was also waiting for his drinks, when another guy just out of the royal blue turns to me and says 'I know you'. Taken aback, and being my silly self, I told him stop lying, asking him where he knew me from. He insisted he knew me, and told me where I used to study. Now this guy says to me 'you gave me R2.00....I know you, you gave me R2.00'. I was stunned....I couldn't even remember him from a bar of soap!! Apparently, while catching public transport to varsity, I gave him R2.00 because he didn't have enough money to get on the taxi. Now this brother was looking good.....well dressed, smelled great, and oh he knew it. "You gave me R2.00 to get to varsity - and I was so broke. Look at me now', he said tugging his jacket. That was the most humbling moment for me....that an act I did without putting much thought (or I was just annoyed and wanted to leave, I dunno) could have made such an impact in someone else's world! Since that day, many years back, he remembered me. That night I understood the true value of R2.00. Now I've been questioning whether to write about this or not - it was, after all, one of those experiences just for and about me - but now, holding a R2.00 coin in hand, I felt I should share it, mainly because of the lesson that I learnt from it: be kind, always....you could be changing a life. For me, that is the value of R2.00 And that is the person I strive to be - one who makes a difference, no matter how small!

24 neh.....24! I guess I must do more than just accept it because I can't change it.....I must embrace it, because with it comes grace, maturity, humility, and coming into my own as a young, independent, ambitious and focused woman. Yeah, 24!
Here's to another 24 years of stiletto shopping, weave-flicking, coffee drinking, loud laughing, and insult hurling during soccer matches! Yeah, here's to 24...and another 24, and another 24 and another freaken 24!!!
Now let the party begin.....after all, its my freaken birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, tomorrow! Hehehehehe!

That good old quarter life crisis!

I dated a motivational speaker once - yep, I did - for about 2 weeks. He was such a bubbly character, so full of life - probably why I got sick of him. He'd wake up in the morning and want to 'go, go, go', 'get out there', 'reach for life', 'grab that dream'.......all I wanted to do was 'go, go, go', 'get in the shower', 'reach for that toothbrush', 'grab that bar of soap'. Its freaken 6 in the morning.....who has that much energy so early?? So two weeks later, I had to end it - he made me feel inadequate.

This got me thinking though about where I am in my life - a young woman in her 20s making decisions that will impact her future. So many questions - where am I going? What do I really want out of life? Where do I see myself in the next 5 years? Am I happy where I am currently? What's the name of that vegetable that looks like a baby cabbage? Okay, scratch that last question! As a young woman coming into her own, I've been faced with many realities about myself, and the world around me - many of which I have been well shielded from because of constantly being surrounded by friends and family. I guess always having friends around meant conforming to a certain way of life - a way of life which isn't necessarily your own. And then came the moment of truth....when each of us had to live our own lives, and just be real with our true selves. So here I am now, looking into a mirror and reflecting on the person I see - I guess, for once, I'm looking at the real me, and in as much as I see a fabulous young woman who is incredibly in love with life, I also see some other bits that I'm not too proud of! It's an intersting journey of self-discovery, and and i'm learning so many things about myself, the world around me, and all that comes with being a young woman. It's called the quarter-life crisis, and im learning so many things as I go and grow:

1. Fake nails break – and it hurts. But it’s not a physical pain, no...it's more of an emotional one. The trauma that comes with not having a nail file within quick reach is the worst – I have scratched myself with those jagged edges one too many times.
2. Winter isn’t excuse enough to not shave. As it turns out, there are many warm days in an African winter, so keeping legs silky smooth is a must – just in case they have to come out and play! (speaking of winter, can I just say hip-hip hooray, happy days are here again....hello spring!!)

TOLERANCE: the sugar of life

I was clearing up some stuff that had been sitting on my desktop since forever; putting it in folders and making sense of my workspace when I came across this poem - to say I was moved is an understatement. It brought to mind what I have always viewed as the root of many evils - racism, homophobia, xenophobia, and all other forms of discrimination - a lack of tolerance. This goes for the workplace as well, and all other aspects of a person's life. I know it's not easy to love everyone, and as much as I try (seriously, I do), some people just need a kind of love that comes from a higher power - really beyond my efforts! I could go into a whole song and dance about my experiences and blah blah blah (like old folk who always have a real-life experience for every tall tale and all folklore), but I'd rather have you read this poem, and see exactly what I mean!

Six humans trapped by circumstance
In black and bitter cold
Each one possessed a stick of wood
Or so the story’s told.

Their dying fire in need of logs-
The first woman held hers back.
For on the faces around the fire
She noticed one was black.

The next man looked across the way,
Saw one not of his church
And couldn't bring himself to give
The fire his stick of birch.

The third one sat in tattered clothes,
He gave his coat a hitch.
Why should his log be put to use
To warm the idle rich?

The rich man just sat back and thought
Of the wealth he had in store,
And how to keep what he had earned
From the lazy, shiftless poor.

The black man’s face bespoke revenge
As the fire passed from his sight.
For all he saw in his stick of wood
Was the chance to spite the white.

And the last man of this forlorn group
Did nothing except for gain.
‘Giving only to those who gave’
Was how he played life’s game.

The logs held tight in death’s still hands
Were proof of fatal sin.
Because, you see, they didn't die from cold without,
They died from cold within.

Poem: The Cold Within by James Patrick Kinney

Protest...Uprise....blah blah blah!!

I have been trying so hard not to write about the sudden widespread uprisings sweeping through Africa. One day there is peace, the next, violence, beatings, bloodshed, and even loss of lives.

My biggest interest, naturally, is the uprising in Swaziland. The amount of media attention has caused me to kick off my nonchalant I-couldn't-be-moved attitude, and pay attention. Sorry, did I say media attention? Before you get it twisted, I meant SOUTH AFRICAN media attention - the international folk have been a bit preoccupied with Libya, Ivory Coast, and whichever other country is kicking their leader out!
So this uprising happened exactly as I expected.....the 'uprisers' came (12 April), took to the streets, were met with baton-wielding police and water cannons, and they ran for dear life. Word on the ground from yesterday (13 April) is that the streets were quiet and it was business as usual! Shocked? Surprised?? I’m not...

I've got many questions to the pro-democracy people (or can I just keep calling them 'uprisers'...I kinda like that word)....questions I have failed to get answers to without people getting personal, or getting emotional. So I will reserve my questions and comments, sip on a cocktail, and shake my head.

I read an interesting article on Times Live.....well, it was very much like the rest of the articles and comments I have read on twitter from South Africans calling for change in Swaziland (makes me wonder why it’s mostly the South Africans speaking and not the SWAZIS themselves....anyway, another story for another day!). The interesting bit of this article is a comment by a reader, Smindlo. He brought on a different light to the situation in the country, and showed ‘the other side’, and why Swazi’s are sitting out of this revolution. I couldn’t help but nod time and again.
As I said, I have been trying not to write about the uprisings...so I won’t! I’ll just let his comment do the talking, while I get a refill of my cocktail.......

WARNING: It is long! For the entire article, click here.

I was in Swaziland during the weekend of the 1st April 2011. My in-laws live in the rural hinterland, as subsistence farmers. They are well in their early eighties. No one has died in that part of the world generally at age 32 as the stats say. There is tap water and electricity, (all over rural Swaziland),thanks to the Chinese govt . The standard of living is generally ok. There are no hobboes in Mbabane and Manzini begging at the robots like in South Africa. The highway between oshoek to Manzini right up to Piet Retief is tarred and has street lights and has no single pothole. All the major South African chain stores and franchises are well represented in Swaziland. The social investment in Swaziland is one of the best.Their tourist industry is one of the best especially around the Ezulwini valley and the Malkerns areas.

There is a political system called Tinkhundla which is non-democratic and not representative of all swazi people and abuses the traditional chieftainship structure.

The Swaziland described by the pro-democratic groupings is very unreal. In my student days in Swaziland we marched and I was suprised when students and police started chatting together and forgetting to fight each other. i was soon taught that Swaziland is a homogenous country with one King, one set of traditions and one language. A far cry from the violent confronatational and divisive politics of South Africa.

Infact the pro-democracy group must remember that Swaziland while hosting refugees, was very much involved with the South African government and most ANC MK operatives were literally picked up by the Specail Branch police and frog-marched through Oshoek border psot with open Swazi police co-operation. It is the calibre of OR Tambo's l;eadership that the ANC did not use that in a destructive childish confrontation that would have cost us a set back of many years in the struggle.

Swazi have always had Kings dating back in the 1600's and they can all be accounted for name. It's not a modern contrivance but is a deeply embeded spiritual and cultural institution that all Swazi's unanimously love and cherish. So telling the world that you will destroy this institution in three days is not politically naive but sadly opportunistic. We South Africans failed to "destroy" the Boers in our struggle. And there is no repression of the kind of the Apartheid state in Swaziland. There is no franchise and it is the intellectual poverty of the opposition leadership to fail to grasp that and instead start using the "
Egyptian political script" regardless of the objective facts on the ground.

I dont want to criticise the Swazi activits but I cant help thinking they are using an old "struggle" script that will eventually work against them. having said that they must find ways and means to agitate for political freedomn and reforms in their country.

Not a single Swazi was killed during the "police brutality" while in South Africa scores of people were injured in Ficksburg just yesterday and one killed. Not a single name was given of the Swazi activists of their leaders detained.

The opposition will find it very difficult to convince everyone about their agenda. In fact there is a potential danger that the conservative rural masses of Swazi's may be unleashed to deal with them when they push too far about removing the King; an agenda that is divisive and naive and has the potential of causing civil war which the few middleclass civil servants mnay not win or may win at a terrible cost.

I often visit Swaziland and I am always amazed at the almost 100% airtime used on TV and radio to promote a virulent conservative superstitious kind of religious fundamentalism. You cannot win popular minds for a popular insurrection in that kind of climate. Essentially this is a bourgeosie struggle pushed forward by an educated midle class elite. I think some kind of honesty and integrity is needed on the part of the protesters to really come up with a new script. The credible goal is not to rubbish the Kingship but to work with it in order to find a new constitutional dispensation based on mutual respect and trust. The Brits got it right many years ago. Queen Elizabeth is also on the Forbes list of rich people and it is naive to expect Britons to stage a popular insurrection just because of that. In fact the difference between thwe quality of life enjoyed by Swazis can be seen by visiting neighbouring Mozambique which is still left behind by a solid 70 years of underdevelopement. Mozambicans have the vote but not the economic benefits. Swazi's have the economic benefits and not the vote.

King Mswati is not ranking with Bagbgo, Gaddafi or Mubarak. Swaziland circumstances are unique. And propaganda is a double edged sword it also cuts your own credibility if used indiscriminately without wisdom.

Having said that there is a strong case for political reforms in Swaziland and also Botswana where a single party has always held sway and intimidated others into submission and deliberately under- resourced the opposition.

I was in Mbabane and I almost thought I was in South Africa. Everyone was wearing bafana-bafana t-shirts , the political rhetoric was essentially South African, in churches, in pubs and infact one must be forgiven in thinking Swaziland was the 10th province of South Africa. It is not surprising for Swaziland protesters to "wait" for a political comment by Zuma on their political situation. They seem to have conveniently forgotten that both Zuma and Mandela are connected by family marriage bonds to King Mswati. I can bet my last two-bob that that comment will never materialise from Zuma.
While it is good for Africans to admire South africa any form of political-struggle colonial imperialism by South Africa will definitely be bad in the long run.

Oh but you are sneaky Government....sneaky sneaky!!

I wish you could see me now.....I've got one hand on my hip, and with the other I'm waving my index finger at you! To me, you are this 2 year old that is troublesome, and yet oh so lovable....err, okay, maybe scrap that last bit! I normally like sneaky...I do a lot of sneaky stuff myself, but I'm not so sure I'm all that comfortable with you being sneaky.

In his State of the Nation Address on the 10th February 2011 (read here if you are interested... and good luck!), the honourable President Jacob Zuma stated that for every tourist, 16 jobs are created in the country! Having studied and currently working in the industry myself, this immediately caught my attention. (side note: kudos to Gareth Cliff for his drinking game- by the end of the speech, I may have had a bladder full of Sprite zero, but I also had heard the entire speech - for the first time ever!). Where was I? Right...16 jobs for each tourist! 16 jobs!! That on its own strengthened what I already knew - that in a country so rich in diversity, we are sitting on a goldmine; one we aren't digging into enough! But hey, that's a whole song and dance for another day! This got me thinking - 16 jobs for each tourist? But now, how much of this is domestic tourism? Being the ever so inquisitive, or rather, young and curious brain-box that I am, I decided to visit my good old friend google! (side note: have you ever googled 'google'? I did today...silliness!)

According to South African Tourism, in 2009, the total spend on domestic tourism amounted to R22.4 billion...yes, billion! It is said that domestic tourism accounts for 75% of total tourism in South Africa. This being said, foreign tourism still brings in more revenue. And just in case you are wondering, I'm purposely using the 2009 stats....in 2010 we had the soccer world cup, a once off event that saw the numbers go sky high!
You are probably wondering, my sweet young government, why I am calling you sneaky, and feeding you these numbers? Simple really! Last Thursday, a colleague of mine mentioned a story she read about the Home Affairs price hikes. My heart almost fell out of my chest - really, for a second there I could feel it beating in my hand! Getting a passport (and pretty much all other documents) is now going to cost more than double what it used to!!! I thought about this, and I was boggled....double the amount?? But why?? Reading the article, I saw the answer! Apparently, among other baseless reasons, the 'new' passports would come with 'additional security features'. Well, I really hope this passport comes fitted with an alarm system, GPS, and has its own bodyguard, because I swear if my R400 passport gets stolen from or along with my handbag, there is going to be hell to pay!! R400 passport...just saying that sounds absurd! I wonder if insurance companies will cover passports too now? After all, why not capitalise on this ludicrousness?

Putting all of this together, it started to make sense; if domestic tourism contributes so much to our economy, and promoting it is turning out to be a significant failure (I don't ever see people going wild about sho't left - I stand corrected), then why not make it 'the only option'? By putting up barriers and fences, in this instance price, you have managed to make international travel an almost unnecessary expense! Exaggerating much? No, I'm not! Take for an example a family comprising of two parents, and three children - the costs of acquiring passports for all will be the equivalent of a 2 night stay at a fairly decent hotel. Travel outside of the country will now cost an additional R2000, which is probably why they would rather stay and travel within the country!

This is my theory, and I could be wrong! Or, as others already see it, this could just be some sort of money-making scheme to get the rich richer, and the poor poorer! But if my theory is on the mark, then I have to hand it to you....it's brilliant! Restricting people's movement and keeping them where you want for your own gain - really brilliant! It sort of sounds like something the apartheid regime would do (or rather, did....can you say, 'dompass'?) - but hey, to each his own!

Sneaky, under-handed tactics...very very sneaky! Oh my sweet sweet 2 year old...I don't quite like the little monster you are turning into!

And the Khaya Jumped Over the Moon

I'm sorry - I've heard that quite a number of times before (mainly from males, coincidentally)....I'm sorry, I apologise, it was never my intention to.....those are all words from a person normally filled with regret and to express remorse about an action. Normally!
I'm sorry and I apologise in most cases would suffice; and that person's remorse would be expressed enough to spur forgiveness - of course, depending on the action. I guess it's easy to apologise....you don't necessarily have to mean it. This was emphasized when I read this ------> Khaya Dlanga's apology for his tweets during the popular television show on SABC 1, Intersexions.

A little background on Intersexions: Intersexions is a unique episodic drama series with 25 independent but interrelated stand-alone episodes that follow the AIDS infection chain. The series starts with a wedding in a well-to-do suburb North of Johannesburg. The wife, Mandisa, dressing for her wedding, hears on the radio that a well-known DJ is dying of an AIDS-related illness. She freezes. The DJ had been her lover five years before. With this story, we begin our journey through the chain of transmission of the HIV virus.
Fast forward to last night's episode - episode 24, at the funeral of DJ Mo.

A little background on Khaya Dlanga (my take on him): well, I didn't know of him before twitter...but I did pick up on his popularity, and followed him. I found his tweets interesting...giving just the right mix of knowledge and information without being stiff and boring, and throwing in a bit of satire; to sum it up, I found him quite delightful to follow. (for a better understanding on who he is, click here)

Last night while watching Intersexions, I got a bbm from a very upset person which led me to Khaya's twitter timeline. I came across this: 'Or is it based on Dj Monde? That Dj Mo can't be a coincidence. #intersexions'. Clearly questioning if the character on Intersextions, Dj Mo, was based on Dj Monde, who passed away in December 2009. Naturally, fans of Dj Monde cried foul over this tweet. Khaya's subsequent tweet was, 'I think I just dug a grave for myself. Excuse the pun. #intersexions'. For me, that was the final straw...clearly he didn't give a hoot about how his tweets were affecting other people. I jumped on the bandwagon of the select few standing up to him about his tweets. (and the ones who were sending subliminal tweets)

He then vanished from twitter without responding to the tweets from the upset 'tweeps', and returned with the link to his apology! Whew...an apology at least! I read the apology, twice over, and realised that there was a lot of side-stepping.

It starts of with him expressing his own feelings on the matter, 'We have moments of foolishness. I have had more than my fair share of those in my life. I had that moment tonight during an episode of Intersexions'. I respect that, and fully agree with it. It was then followed by what could be seen as a justification; he mentions that he could justify it in three ways (I'm assuming this is his way of saying he wont justify his tweets, while actually justifying them). The one of the three that caught my eye is this, 'There are three ways I could justify myself by saying I didn’t say it because I didn’t actually say what people think I said. Nowhere do I say what I have been accused of saying. Considering the tweets I’d written before it is understandable how people could come to the conclusion that they did'. Nowhere do I say what I have been accused of saying. I replayed that over and over in my mind (and on my twitter page).....nowhere do I say what I am accused of saying. Maybe he's right...he didn't say it, he just asked a question...a question which insinuated something else. On Intersexions, Dj Mo dies of AIDS, or rather, an AIDS-related illness.....and questioning whether the episode is based on Dj Monde seems to be spreading the same idea. Maybe that was not what he meant, but it sure looked like it to me, and possibly to his over 12 000 followers, who went on to retweet it to further hundreds and possibly thousands...the power of one tweet.

This whole thing brought to mind an incident in December 2009 when Gareth Cliff tweeted something disrespectful after the death of Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. Gareth Cliff felt the wrath of many, including Khaya Dlanga, for speaking ill of the dead. So my question is, when does it become alright? When do the rules of the game change? Does it depend on who the speaker is? Does it depend on their social standing, their skin colour...what exactly? As I mentioned, a select few stood up to Khaya.....it leaves me boggled!

Reckless, tactless and insensitive. The apology starts with his justifications, and ends with, 'My apologies to those who will accept the apology, I will extend it to those who will not as well'. In the words of Kimberly Johnson "Never ruin an apology with an excuse".

My thoughts......Its fine, he apologised, I wont say I'm happy with it, but it's an apology....but the question is, are certain people happy with it? I ask this with someone in mind.....who went to bed hurt and upset at her brother's name and memory being desecrated by one mindless tweet.
Pause-----> think before you speak...think before you tweet!

I Would Rather Bleed to Death

The time is 7pm, on the 16th March 2011, four ladies rush into a hospital - one pregnant, feeling pains on her side. One remains behind to fill out the paperwork as the rest rush towards the maternity ward. This almost sounds like one of those happy tales that end with ‘it’s a boy’...but sadly, it isn’t so.

We get to the nurses in the maternity ward who tell her to change into some atrocious I-wouldn’t-be-caught-dead-in gown, and pick a bed, and they tell us that we can leave. Naturally dumbfounded, we just stand there and blankly stare at them. The nurses reiterate that we should leave, and that she is not leaving the hospital until she has had her baby. Pause....no tests, no asking her about the pains she is feeling...absolutely nothing?? They turn their attention back to each other, and continue with their conversation, as if we just wasted thier valuable chatting time. We then mention, seeing as they failed to ask, that she is eight months pregnant, so her leaving after she’s had her baby might be a bit of a stretch of hospital time. Only then does one of the nurses stand up to attend to her, whisking her off to some private room. Upon their return, the nurses send us to the emergency/casualty room to see the doctor! Right! So off we go....searching for this emergency room, seeing as all they did was point towards the door, offering no further assistance or direction.
Arriving at the emergency room, my eye catches a sight that causes my heart to sink – that of a mother carrying her 11 year old son on her back as they are sent from pillar to post in hospital! For a split second I worry about the shortage of resources, thinking that the hospital doesn’t have money for wheelchairs, but then wait, that’s not right...considering the big plasma Samsung televisions mounted on the walls...money certainly cannot be an issue here. As it turns out, wheelchairs they did have, but were seemingly only offered to ‘certain’ patients. When one of the nurses is questioned on this, all she did was look at us, turn around, and flatly ignore us – at that moment, Florence Nightingale must have turned in her grave.

One hour passes...we wait. Two hours pass...we wait. Three hours pass...we wait..and still, no doctor. Patients are growing in number, with our ‘patient’ grimacing in immense pain, and nobody to attend to her. The nurses aren’t of any help either...all they do is tell us to wait for the doctor, along with a lot of other patients. They pick a few and tell them that they will be admitted and spend the night...as for the rest, well, wait! After pacing, twiddling thumbs, sympathising, empathising and even starting conversations with other patients, we call it quits and decide to leave. This decision is spurred on further by another patient speaking from previous experience at the hospital, who nonchalantly says ‘trust me, at this hospital you sit until morning, when the morning doctors arrive’. Looking around, and judging from the casual attitude and behaviour of the nurses, this elusive doctor was nowhere near making his much anticipated appearance. Handing back the file to the nurses (who don’t even bat an eyelid about us leaving), I overhear one of them ask another ‘did the doctor say he’d be back?’. Pause-----> so this was common practise? Pause-----> there was a possibility that all those people would sit there until tomorrow morning, writhing in pain, waiting for a man who took an oath to do no harm? I then recall what one of the nurses in the maternity ward said, ‘you must come early, because the doctors get angry if we call them at night for something that isn’t serious, or an emergency’. Pause-----> the doctors get angry?? Really?? They get angry when called to do their jobs?? Really?? This doctor took an oath, but is as easy to find as Houdini! This doctor took an oath to do no harm....well, I guess he’s done no harm to all these patients waiting for him, afterall, he was nowhere near the hospital.
As for me, I’d rather bleed to death than be taken to Matikwana Hospital.

The Cocktail

If you are hoping to see a recipe including the likes of gin, vodka, rum with a splash of cranberry juice and a touch of mint...then you are looking in the wrong place (though I must admit, that sounds goooood)! Or if you expecting a long story relating how I woke up in a bathtub one morning, with videos of me table-dancing splashed all over youtube all thanks to the above-mentioned drink, yet again you will be disappointed (okay, lemme check youtube...just in case). The cocktail is quite simply...me!

These past few days I've been doing something that I found to be the most fun execise I have done in ages....writing a list! I know, it sounds about as exciting as watching paint dry...but give me a moment here! I wrote a list detailing the things I love - the things I hate - and the things I want. It turned out to be harder than I thought. My first few entries were quite simple.....

I love:
• Tulips
• Lindt chocolate (guilty pleasure)
• Soccer
• Nail-polish
• My blackberry
• Shoes - Christian Louboutins to be precise (a girl can dream)
I hate:
• Spiders
• The ugly brown frog I came across today
• Bad hair-dos
• Spiders
• Spiders
• Spiders

I want:
• Laughter - everyday of my life
• Money - to buy Louboutins...as many as I want!!
• A rich husband - it will make buying my Louboutins soooo much easier! Lol!
• Happiness and Joy - there is a differnce, hmmmkay!
• To graduate again! 2 seconds worth a lifetime!

These are just bits of each section of my list. But then the more I wrote, and the more honest I became with myself...the more difficult it proved to be. It's scary to think how you can be so caught up in the happenings of your daily life that you tend to forget the most important thing...yourself. I for one am guilty of that. I am an ever-changing being...as constant as the petrol prices. My tastes and preferences, my opinions and views, my entire outlook on life changes quite frequently...so much so that I don’t even notice it! Probably because I don’t spend enough time with me.

At the start of the year I intended on making resolutions....I don’t normally do it because I don’t keep them anyway! I never did get around to making those resolutions....so this should be it! Getting to know this complex, erratic, sometimes finicky, constantly giggling, tend to be fickle, silly, passionate being...with beauty both inside and out (yeah...I said it)!

Cocktail: n. A mixture of the good, the bad, and the ugly that make up a being. - The Happiness Factory Dictionary.

Now back to compiling my list...I’m still trying to decide which section olives fall under – one of those ‘acquired tastes’ I’m not too sure I’ve acquired just yet!
***Live , Love.....Laugh!***

As I Mature

I got this by email from a friend recently....couldn't help it! So funny...well, to me it is.....and that's all that matters!! *retreats to dark corner*

*steps out of corner* eer, you may have to click on it to enlarge it!! Boom...or should I say Zoom,just like magic!! *back into dark corner*

10 of 2010: 10 things that should have been left in 2010!!

My first blog was actually meant to be about me....a serious look into the future, my career, my life, blah blah blah......but, thankfully, I am a woman, which makes mind-changing my right!! So instead, it’s all about the one thing so close to my heart, it helps my blood circulation – the beautiful game, football! This is a look at things we hope we will never have to endure in 2011!

10. Gavin Hunt complaining: now, I know being a coach comes with so much pressure on your shoulders it makes Quasimodo’s load seem light, but Gavin please, we have had it with your constant complaints about anything and everything under the sun. I mean, this man is never happy or satisfied with anything. The year started, and before the matches of 2011 commenced, surprise surprise, Gavin had something to say. ‘I think they (the players) had nine days off, i don’t know why we break in the first place – we should just carry on playing.’ he was quoted saying (article here). He was questioning the festive break, which didn’t surprise me much. What Hunt may not realise is that in December people want to spend time with their families (most of which are in places far from soccer stadiums). The stadiums would be empty (which is normal for a Supersport United game), the players would not have time with their families, and be fatigued come end of season. With Hunt’s concerns in mind, I expected a scorching team to meet up with Orlando Pirates in their first match of the year, but alas, it was not to be. Losing with a solitary goal in the 91st minute, it seems Hunt should spend more time motivating his team, and less time bickering about the unnecessary.

9. Mohawks: Lawd hammercy!!!! I’m sure this has been the subject of many a conversation – can players let go of the Mohawk hairstyle already! I lose a small piece of me every time a different soccer player enters the pitch with the hairdo. It’s popularity was acceptable earlier in the year, through to the world cup (moment of silence for Kevin Prince Boateng *sigh*), but now its old and dated! LET-IT-GO!

8. Whining about the vuvuzela: I know this trend is not as common as it was during and just after the world cup, but that old lady down the street doesn’t seem to want to let it go! I cringe every time someone mentions that it should not be allowed in stadiums, hurts the eardrums, or is a dangerous weapon à la AK47. Get over it already! It may not have been there in 1964, but it is part of the beautiful game as we know it now in South Africa, and has made history worldwide!! Viva vuvu viva!!!

7. Cabbage throwing: *sigh*.....it seems hooliganism comes in all shapes and forms. Classic scenario – team ‘K’ is trailing behind in a match, the players are playing uninspiring football, the fans are disgruntled, next thing you know, cabbages are flying into the pitch! This type of behaviour taints the image of local soccer, and must be brought to an immediate stop! The teams in question need to be firmer with their supporters, supporters need to be firmer with their fellow supporters, and SAFA also needs to be firmer with the teams – a slap on the wrist just doesn’t cut it anymore!

6. Claiming to be stalked: yes Katlego Mphela, I’m looking at you! It seems our soccer stars are losing focus – making the papers, but not the back pages! Please stick to football, and stop trying to climb the social ladder! Mphela made claims of being stalked, but a subsequent article proved his claims to be nothing but a waste of everyone’s time – considering that he had been dating the alleged ‘stalker’ for 5 years! So why the stunts? That goes for you also Itumeleng Khune, and you also Benson Mhlongo....and any other footballer who made waves last year for all the wrong reasons! Save us the agony of having to feel sorry for you – silly boys!!

5. Yellow Card for taking off your shirt: now I personally find this rule unfair – why must FIFA do this to us! I, as a football loving female, enjoy seeing (and drooling over) the occasional show of six-packs! And it helps if I get to do it while watching my favourite sport – it’s a win-win situation for me (and i'm sure many other females)! I think FIFA must rethink their stand on this one!

4. Name calling: I remember in primary school when the other kids used to tease me and call me names – no wait, I don’t....it never used to happen to me! But that would have made for a nice story! Ah well! The name calling I am referring to is names such as ‘sunclowns, pie-rats, kaizer theifs...as fun as throwing insults and feuding is before big matches, I think this is an ancient and very juvenile habit. I actually would like to meet the first person who thought up each of these names – I would make good use of a cabbage then (see #7)!

3. Ruud Krol: yes, Ruud Krol himself should have been left in 2010. Just to be clear, yes, I am an Orlando Pirates fan, and have been all my life. I have stood behind this coach since he first to arrived at Orlando Pirates. He seems to have taught the players a lot, and I thoroughly enjoy watching them play. But for crying in a bucket, I am sick and tired of his predictability! I’m sure every team we play against know who will be in our starting 11! It’s ridiculous to say the least! It seems we have two teams....Orlando and Pirates! I swear if I meet this man on the street........*grabs cabbage*

2. Ugly tackles: the more I watch soccer, the more I get see players being stretchered off the field! Understandably, as the pace of a game rises, the players feel the pressure to perform, but they need to know where to draw the line. We, in the past, have seen tackles that threaten players careers, and even end them. I shudder every time I think of the injury that put Benson Mhlongo out of action and led him to a life of crime. All I am saying is, if I want to watch wrestling, then I will switch to e.tv!

1. Groupie tendencies: over the years, I have seen people turning into groupies, as opposed to genuine football-loving supporters. They are fans when things are looking up, but when the tide changes, so do they! Case in point is Bafana Bafana just before the world cup. They suffered an eight match losing streak, and all the prospects of impressing during the world cup were looking bleaker and bleaker! Enter, the groupies.....immediately they picked the teams they would back during the world cup, and threw all sorts of insults at what should have been the pride of the nation. Few real supporters were left, holding on to hopes that the team would rise to the occasion....and rise they did! The first goal scored by Siphiwe Tshabalala saw the groupies return, dressed in their full bafana gear, screaming with the same voice that was hurling insults not too long before that! Similarly, Teko Modise has suffered the same fate! Once the country’s golden boy...adored by all! He suffered a slump in his career, and the groupies did what they are known for! Fortunately, this did not damper Modise’s spirits, and he fought on, and worked harder. His game seems to be coming back, and so are the groupies. Much like insects, they are crawling out of the woodworks, cheering him on, saying they knew all along that he wasn’t down and out!! Shocker!!

My point here is, we need to be real supporters, stick by our teams and players, regardless of anything. This is what being a supporter is about! So whether you are in the stands of the stadium, at your local pub, bar, or shebeen, or sitting all alone in your living room – stand up and scream when a goal is scored, let out a huge ‘eiiiiiiiish’ when a good scoring opportunity is missed, and clap when the goalkeeper makes a good save. Also, lift your chin off the ground after a loss, and focus on the next match. Most importantly, please, leave the cabbages at home!