What's in a song....?

There is always that one song - the one which you sing in your x-factor voice and it damn near brings you to tears.....that song!

I spent last weekend road-tripping to places which I have been wanting to see -  places which were sitting on my imaginary bucket-list (I'll write one next year, I promise). It was a long and exhuasting day, but well worth it still. And in the evening, as I was in the shower (which also doubles as my recording studio) I sang a song which reminded me just how blessed I am. 2012 hasn't been the best for me - I have had many disappointments, lost loved ones, and been kicked by life a couple of times. But still, I'm standing! It hasn't been all bad...I have had many good days.I have seen growth, and coming more into myself. Making decisions, sticking to them. Knowing what I want, and going for it....not what others want for me. Doing what makes me happy.....knowing what makes me happy. Fun, flirtatious, frilly....emotional wreck at times - and just letting that be! Loud laughs, high heels, red wine....all in my 2012!

2013? Its only gonna be better - and guess what, I'm ready!! Cause I'm still standing! No matter what life throws, I'll take it in my stride, lift my head high and keep standing! 2013 is gonna be better....it has to be!

Now allow me to step into my recording studio, and sing the song that warms my heart:

"Something beautiful, something good,
All my confusion He understood,
All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife,
But he made something beautiful of my life."

Here's to 2012, soon to be gone, but surely wont be forgotten! And a to kickass 2013....I'm ready!!!

AU-GUST!!

I finally get it....now I know why it's called August......its because it's a windy month! August....gust...as in, wind...geddit? Don't ask about the 'Au' part - I don't have an explanation for it. Unless of course it's French for something.....okay, forget it! Either way, I find August kind of irritating...it's windy, it drags, and just all round lousy! Also, it's pre-September.....and September rocks! So it's just a useless stumbling block before we get to spring and my birthday month so full of awesomeness! The only good thing about this wretched month however is that it's Women's Month - a month to celebrate the strength of a Woman! I don't think I need to explain much.....a world without the strong, confident, bold, and beautiful woman would be just bleak!

So here's to all my Women........you are EVERYTHING and ALL!!

My type of L.O.V.E!

I'm a weakling for well written stuff....books, poetry, songs, even corny greeting cards....I'm a complete sucker for such! If it catches me from the first two sentences, then I'm hooked! When buying books, I have to read a little while in the shop before I head to the cashier - even if it's a well recommended book. The other day (by this I mean I cannot remember when) I came across this beautiful piece of spoken word on twitter.....well, it wasn't spoken on twitter, but after I interacted with my old friend google, I found it in the form of spoken word! A few more search pages down the line, and I got the full transcript.

It's a piece by Brent Rice called 'A Crucifixion Type Love'. What he does is describe love in it's purest form, from which it originally stems. It stole my heart completely.

A Crucifixion Type Love – Brent Rice

My biggest prayer is to love her right
I want to…
Love her like Christ loved the church
Love her like her Father in Heaven Loves HerLove her like the Holy Spirit loves her soul
And love her like she was created to be loved

But sometimes….
Sometimes my flesh tries to intimidate me with that kind of love
It’s like my spirit cries out from the depths of this corrupted prison
With the voice of Abel screaming that I have not loved her to the extent Christ loves the church
I want a crucifixion type love

Our Deepest Fear....

So the last post just brought to mind the below piece by Marianne Williamson. Remember the movie coach Carter? Yeah, that same piece. This is one poem that wrongly accredited to many people....Nelson Mandela, The Dalai Lama, Michael Jackson....I'm pretty sure someone slipped in Wayne Rooney there once! (okay, I joke, I kid!). But seriously, this poem and the previous post kind of relate! Enjoy! :)


 

Our Deepest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.

For the love of..........

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” That is what that wise man Confucius said.

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.....admittedly, it sounds a bit exaggerated, and not to be taken literally - but he has a point. The struggle that many 20-something year olds (and even older) go through is trying to find what really drives them. You wake up in the morning and slip into your normal routine, get to work and do what you do daily, then head back home without once feeling like you will burst at the seams from excitement. This is the cycle that many have considered the norm, so much that they see nothing wrong with it. Others spend time trying to search, find and figure out what it is that is their passion, what it is that they should be doing. But here's what I realised - you're wasting time searching for something that could easily be staring at you right in the face. The only reason you don't notice or realise this is that you spend your time calling it a hobby.

There is that one thing that gives you a rush while you're doing it....that one thing which excites you, but you find that you do not even realise that this is where your calling is, because you're spending too much time trying find yourself (whatever that means). And don't get me wrong....I love to eat, I love to sleep, but my destiny most definitely is not to break world eating records, or to be the world's greatest bed-tester. But I do wish to spend my life doing the things I love the most - to explore and to exploit that passion. We spend endless amounts of time indulging in things that give us pleasure - but never consider to turn those into our pay-cheques. We doubt ourselves. We are unsure of our abilities. We live in a society that tells us what to do. We don't dare to break the barrier.We don't dare to step out of the norm. We fear failure............we fear failure. And in that, we eventually fail to be happy.

Maybe now is the time to change all of that......reset, refocus, realign! Let your heart guide you. Take a leap of faith. Do it....what you want...DO IT!!

Happy days!!!!

Few things make me as happy as football - wait, no wait, let me try this again.....few things bring me as much Joy as football does. Because there is a distinctive difference between happiness and Joy...and oh, football brings me Joy! It makes me smile from within....it makes my heart sing and my soul dance.

So right now, with the domestic leagues being over until August, while we're caught in the mess called 'trasfer rumours' and awaiting those pre-season games, we are blessed to have the Euro 2012 and the World Cup 2014 qualifiers to keep us company. Yup, it's one of those beautiful years with soccer all year round!! Look, I don't know where I'm going with any of this....actually, I'm not going anywhere with it....except this, I'm spending my days indulging in the things that I love, and that just fills me with Joy! And that is what life should be all about!!

Here's to the beautiful game....and days filled with Joy!!

Yes, it's a corny title, but -------> Y.O.L.O!!

Bitter-sweet....that's the only way I can properly explain the past week. From my highest of highs to my lowest of lows....all in a space of less than a week. It's strange....bitter-sweet.....almost like chilli-chocolate (we'll discuss that taste of nonsense some other day)!

I attended my graduation ceremony - and even though I thought it wasn't a big deal, the look on my parents faces as I climbed that podium made that moment and that day oh so glorious! So as I throw confetti on myself, I am now truly grateful for my 2 seconds of fame! (also, Orlando Pirates clinched a treble for the 2nd time in a row....epicness!!!!!!!!!!). This was unfortunately followed 5 days later by the loss of a loved one.....to say devastation took centre stage in my world does not even begin to capture or express it. I've never been one to express such feelings out in the open, therefore I will not get into much detail....but I will share little facts - facts we should all already know:

1. Life is short. There's a song by Drake called 'the motto' (I booty hop to it when nobody is watching) - it puts it plain and simple - You Only Live Once!!

1. Life is short. Always leave a lasting impression....preferably a positive one. Even if its awkward booty-hopping to Drake songs.

3.Life is short. Write a bucket list, and start ticking things off!

4. Life is short. Stop concentrating on the fact that I wrote 1. twice and didn't write 2.!

5. Life is short. Laugh out loud! Alone.

No seriously, I have a lot to say.....

Okay, I admit, this title is slightly misleading....but alas, that is what was going through this wobbly bobbly thing called my brain. I genuinely have a lot to say! Seriously! It's like a waterfall of thoughts gushing through my head.....just not as crisp, cool and inviting as the Victoria Falls (which, I might add, is on my 2012 bucket list). ***note to self: remember to draw up a bucket list.

I have these thoughts of all the things I want to blog about, but when I sit to write, I draw a blank. My hand itches to type words at a speed I'm not familiar with, my head is just throwing all these thoughts at me, pushing me to spew them out.....but the words just aren't forming. Fortunately though, it's a long weekend, which gives me ample time to turn these thoughts into words. So, as I vanish into hiding for the weekend (to a place unknown to do things unspoken of), I leave you with this.....

Uhmmmmm......

           Uhhhhh.......

                      Wait, hold on, gimme a second......

                                          hmmmmmmmmmm...........





*sigh* forget it!

HAPPY WEEKEND!!!

Celebrating What's Right With The World!!!

I had trouble waking up....argh, it was one of those mornings! But I told myself that I NEED to lift myself up and be happy - and man was I annoyingly happy all day - I even got a few complaints after I constantly sang 'la la la' like a pre-schooler all day! But I started to go on a dip - the day got the better of me. Fortunately, one thing remained was my bbm status which read "when last did you celebrate what's right with the world?". So at midnight, just when my world was looking to Thursday, I was celebrating in my mind what is right in MY world:

• My parents - not a day goes by without me thinking about them - Dear God, I am grateful! Daddy turned the big 60, they will be celebrating their 33rd anniversary, and they managed to raise a pretty decent bunch of kids. Thank you God!
• I have the most beautiful, precious genius of a niece who will be turning 12 this year. She was upset that she 'failed' maths after getting 70%. I kid you not....in mathematics!  
• A few Fridays back, I spent the evening with one of my BFFs (for those living in 1996, that's young-and-hip language for Best Friends Forever). For some odd reason we were walking around barefoot, randomly kicking a soccer ball in the still of the night, while talking non-stop about absolutely everything! A simple reminder that I have the best friends in the world: people who understand me, who I can spill my heart to, talk crap with and most importantly laugh with - the people who warm my soul. There are very few of them because I keep a small circle (blame my sociable hermit ways), but I love each of them to pieces.
•  I have no kids - and I am saying this in my 'I love kids but am not ready for my own yet' voice - no sarcasm, I promise! I am fortunate though to have friends who do have kids! That kinda makes me a serial 'aunt' and god-mommy....and I love it! Children have a way of sneaking into your heart and setting up house.....that goes for mine!

There's something special about growing up, and no, it's not the mystery of this thing called 'wrinkles'. I'm a 1987 baby - and this year I turn 25. That's a quarter of a century, and I feel this needs to be celebrated! Soon I will be 'over the fence' and be considered to be in my 'late 20s'. The true beauty of growth comes with realising and accepting your weaknesses, because from there you know your strengths.

So here's to knowing and growing! And celebrating what's right with the world!

(sidenote: Cape Town sunsets are definitely among what's right with the world)

Oh that wretched disease again!

I love Fridays! This day makes me thoroughly happy! So happy that I suspect its a disease.....a disease of happy....with a disease-like name such as Fridayitism! I also love Sunday...the only problem with my relationship with Sunday is that it is followed by that mean little blue devil with a single horn sticking out of its forehead called Monday....I hate Monday, he takes away my Joy! But Friday, she is precious! On Fridays, I try to avoid all the serious, heavy and deep type of conversations. If I see a group of people standing and chatting, I'll stop by and pretend to tie my shoelaces (or whatever other inane activity) while casually stretching my neck to listen in and try to figure out what they are talking about....but if I hear anything political, if it's about the sad state of the world, or even how mean the cashier at the shop was, then I stand up and keep walking!

Because on Fridays, we only do happy. We do light-hearted. We do frilly. We do pink. We do giggles. We do hearts. We do strawberry-scented. We do baby-soft. We do cherry-flavoured. We do crisp. We do tulips. We do pretty. We do fluffy. We do sunshine. We do summer rain........We only do happy!!

Eat. Pray. Love......and weddings???

Eat. Pray. Love. I know, I know....I have written about this before here! A whole blah blah blah about how I fell in love with the movie. But this isnt about that!

I am happy to report hat I finally got around to buying the book! A few pages in, and I'm hooked! I've never nodded so many times while reading, let alone going back and reading the same words over and over because of how much I relate. Let me put it this way......the book is just perfect! I'm yet to continue on and read, but so far, so excellent!

On to other news.....

Its the weekend, and I'm going to a wedding. Yes, a wedding. Did you notice the lack of exclamation marks? Yes, that's how excited I am. I'm not a big fan of weddings....you know, people are just making their problems ours. Okay, that's a joke...a really bad one.
Seriously though, I would much rather sit in front of the tv and watch some good footy, or continue with my book....but alas, I will watch a blushing bride and her man tie the knot. There is the Soweto derby this Saturday.....I will be at a wedding! To make this all a little more interesting (read that as depressing).....I'm going as a plus 1! I don't know the people getting married, a friend invited me. So hip hip hooray, I'm headed to a wedding. <----- insert sarcasm here.

I guess I need to handle this like any reasonabe person would..........*raises glass of something potent* CHEERS TO THE FREAKEN WEEKEND!!!!!

Books...Biltong...and Beauty!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Is it a little late to say that? Yes? I thought so too! *sigh*

I've started out my year the way I wanted to....with a list! I won't call them resolutions (because I never keep those), but rather plans....or goals if you may! One of my goals is to read! I'm not much of a reader - save for the random soccer magazine, I don't read....at all! So the plan is to read...actual books...at least one every month! First book is Robin Sharma's 'The monk who sold his ferrari', as recommended by a friend. I have a whole list of other recommendations - but one milestone at a time hmmmmkay!

Great year to be alive......and I'm looking forward to a year of more biltong (because it makes my heart dance)....more beauty (spiritually, emotionally and yes, physically), and lots and lots of books! Let's have a great 2012....I know I will! *blows pink kisses*