The Day The World Stood Still!

"My fellow South Africans, our beloved Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the founding President of our democratic nation has departed."

 

Those words uttered by President Jacob Zuma froze the world. We knew it was coming, the minute we found out about the emergency family meeting, we started suspecting something was not right. When they said that the president would address the nation at 11.30pm, we started to fear the worst.....and when he came onto our tv sets and told us what we expected, we still were not ready.

 

Mandela had been in and out of hospital for the past 2-3 years; we knew his condition was not getting any better. When he was admitted into hospital in June, we started to mentally prepare ourselves......and then he was discharged. A collective sigh of relief was breathed, but we still knew it was not all clear. Many said "let him go, it is time".....many thought they were ready - I thoought I was ready.

 

Many years ago I went to Robben Isand on a school trip....I was in high school already and thought I knew quite a lot of what there was to know - my trip there inspired me to read Long Walk To Freedom, and that was when my mind was opened. The sacrifices that Mandela and many of his comrades made is indescribable - I often wonder if I would have the willpower to believe in and fight for a cause to that extent, that even when faced with death, I keep at it. Many were killed, thrown out of buildings, tortured, faced the hangman, exiled to other countries leaving their lives and families behind....but they stood for their cause and were willing to take anything.

 

When the president uttered those words, we knew what he was going to say, but still sat and watched silently, listening and grasping every word, almost in slow motion, in hopes that he wouldnt say what we knew he was going to. The world stood still, I became cold. I thought I was ready, but I honestly wasnt . I felt a lump in my throat as I sat there and listened to the rest of his address until "We will always love you Madiba! May your soul rest in peace. God Bless Africa. Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika.". Then it was done, final....done. I was sad, my soul was broken....I didnt realise the impact this would have. A nation was in mourning, the world was weeping.

 

It has been quite a week....with tributes, statues, fake interpreters, and Mandela family squabbles....but the amazing spirit of unity within the country was inspiring. For the first time since the soccer world cup in 2010 people stood together as one, felt the same pain, cried the same tears, celebrated a man's life together....and remembered the journey of this country and its young democracy.

 

There are many lessons to be learnt from this great man....but for me, one shining one is to stand for what you believe in, even when it looks like it wont be achieved. Never give up. Dedicate yourself, fall in love with your cause, be prepared to face anything inorder to see it come to being.

 Love it, Live it, Be it!

 

PS: credit to the owner of this pic...it isnt mine, I repeat, it isnt mine!

 

(Here's a short video of the celebrations outside Madiba's Houghton home)

 

18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013

Rest In Peace

 

We Sing and Dance....Always!

I went to Mandela's Houghton home and maaaan was it fun!! People celebrating the life of a man with song and dance. The reality of his death was there, but the celebratory mood was on another level. Take a look at this short video I managed to take while catching my breath in between the singing and dancing.

Its a wrap!!!

First boot camp completed!!! *runs around hysterically*

 

I did it.....I survived! Although i missed a number of days (not entirely my fault), I still completed it. The last week was particularly tough and demanding....I guess it was a farewell of sorts. I'm gonna be starting the next one in about a weeks time....and I'm actually looking forward to it. I. Kid. You. Not! I, Ms "I'd rather be sleeping", am actually looking forward to exercise! It was, each and everyday, the toughest and most trying hour of my life, but also the most fulfilling. Each time we started to stretch after a session, I'd feel a new burst of energy, and actually wish I would continue. This adrenaline thing is no myth.....I promise! I most of all enjoyed the feeling I would have afterwards - refreshed and renewed - and not as sluggish as I tend to be every other day. And our trainer....well, in a nutshell, she's the best!

 

Okay, I'm gonna stop blabbing now, but peep this picture....yes, that is where I do my boot camp. And no, it's not filtered! Now go ahead, be jealous of me.... I know you want to. :-)

 

 

"To whom much is given, much is required."

 

The bush is on FIRE!!!

I am very happy to report that I have a social life! Yes, I do...and a few weeks back I did what most people with social lives do - I had fun!

The 7th annual Bushfire Festival was happening in Swaziland and maaaan was it a blast! The event in the picturesque mountainous kingdom raises money for charity projects, and provides a blend of African and international musicians of different genres which is a treat to the music connoisseur's palate.

 

 

 

 

To say this was one of the highlights of my year would not be doing it justice. I had my favourite people around me, and a night of music with an atmosphere to match. The venue, open-air and filled with hundreds of people from all over the world set the scene for a thriller! The highlight of my night was watching one of my favourite bands, The Soil. I was staring at them, mouth ajar, in retard mode as they belted out smooth tunes to a raving crowd. This is one acapella band whose music I can sing backwards....yes, I am THAT much of a stan! And to top my night, I got to meet them. I will not get into the details....I choose not to embarrass myself, but let's just say I was completely blown away (read that as, I was in retard mode again)! I'm not sure what time we slept...and quite frankly I dont care!

 

Look, this was not my first Bushfire experience....but I can truly say it was my best. Well, that is, until next year tops it! ;-)

 

Week 1 done!! *and the crowd applaudes*

As mentioned in my previous posts, I am attending boot camp….and if you haven’t read my previous posts, well, you’re a loser! I joke, I joke, I kid! .........kinda.

Okay,  seriously though….I have put my body through the biggest shock ever by exercising, a relatively unknown concept in my world, and here is what I have learnt after my first week (btw, I’m missing today’s session due to other commitments *cough cough*):
 
1. I have a useless left arm. I genuinely thought it was going to fall off when doing a certain dumbbell manoeuver (word purposely used to make it seem complicated when it really isn’t).  Speaking of dumbbells…. 2. Thank God I bought 2kg dumbbells instead of 3kg as I had intended. Lightweight as it seems, when your arms are tired and half-dead, these weights end up feeling like you're carrying overfed piglets.
3. Stairs are not your friend! Well, not mine that is. As previously mentioned, I have an all-new respect for them….me and my thighs! Enough said!
4. Still on thighs, I look like a retard each time I need to sit on the toilet seat. It’s a whole process now….I get there, stare at it, and try to come up with a grand plan of how to get there with the least amount of pain. After formulating the strategy (I kid you not, it’s a whole complex strategy), it is then time for execution….needless to say, it never goes as planned, nor does it look as ladylike as imagined. Particularly when I lose all control and plonk down like a child learning to walk. Standing back up is also as bad….but I won’t go into detail – just know that it has something to do with waving my hands around and desperately trying to find something to grab on for balance. It’s bad.......that bad!
5. I am, and have always been horribly unfit – something I am glad I’m working on. Wheezing and gasping for breath while running a short distance is far from acceptable – and thankfully this is something I’m working towards changing.
6. It actually gets better as the days go by. Don’t get me wrong, it is still gruelling; however it is better than the first 2 days.
7. An hour is shorter than you think. Again, for clarity, it is not easy, and while in the middle of a lunge, the hour feels like a month (exaggerative, but true.)  

I am however slightly sad that I am missing a day mainly because I had started getting into the flow of things – my body is getting used to a routine of sorts and the muscle pains were getting better. But hey...I have 'commitments' that I couldn't bail on.

So that, in a nutshell, is week 1. Been tough on me mainly because of how unfit I am, however I’m happy.  

Bring on week 2!!

1 day down....39 to go!!

I am alive!!! Those are the good news – I lived through my first day of boot camp. The not-so-good news is that they went ‘easy’ on us because it was the first day….which means the pain in my thighs is just the tip of an iceberg larger than the one that sunk the titanic.  

In all honesty though, I can believe that they went easy on us….day 1 was not as bad as I had expected (considering I had already begun to draft my will). But I must admit, I have a new found respect for stairs – I had to pace myself yesterday (and today) when trying to climb up and down stairs....I repeated a mantra of ‘to whom much is given, much is required’ over and over again like a possessed devotee in deep meditation. My thighs are still on fire, and I have no idea how I will get through today! And it doesn’t help that I am catching a flu….this will be interesting.

However, I am looking forward to day 2…regardless of the aches and pains I feel now! Bring it on!! To whom much is given, much is required!! *begins possessed chanting*  

Call me masochist!

I have just 1 more day of life as I know it…*cues horror movie music*. A little dramatic? Yes? Good…that is exactly how I want my first post in almost 4 months to sound! Now lemme explain a little bit…  

My good friend Koko has somehow managed to con me into signing up for the most torturous 4 weeks of my life…boot camp!! The friends we have nowadays…smh! I will be actively engaging in intense, gruelling exercise for an hour a day, 5 days a week for the next 4 weeks. 1 hour….sounds easy, right? NOT RIGHT!! Considering I do not exercise ever, this will be absolute torture to every fibre of my being – I’m already feeling muscle pains, and I haven’t even started – just the thought of it gives my brain muscles pains. Sidebar: do brains have muscles?
Anyway, in my twisted mind, I foresee big buff women shouting orders like they do at boot camps for delinquents, and us shouting back “sir yes sir!!” (ma’am yes ma’am doesn’t quite have the same effect). Maybe I should slow down on the tv watching, huh?
 
But on the other hand, for some strange reason, I am quite excited. Pain and torture aside, I’m looking forward to pushing myself out of my comfort zone; I’m looking forward to stretching my pain threshold and see just how much I can take, but most of all I’m looking forward to the end result. There’s a certain feeling, a high, a climax, a peak, that comes with achieving a goal after putting in the hard work – and that is the high I’m chasing.   Did I mention the part about signing up for 2 boot camps?  No? Well yeah…2 boot camps with a 2 week break between both. I will try and update my boot camp experience as much as possible…that is if I live to tell the tale.

Wish me luck!!

Mortal Man

Two weeks.....in about two weeks, I will be moving and starting a new job in a new city, in a new province - a brand new start, and new beginnings. I am an absolute cocktail of emotions (no, I don't mean the mojito I had earlier....just emotions), but if I got into that, this would end up being a long soppy off-at-a-tangent essay.

So while clearing my rubble and putting things in boxes, I came across something I wrote a few years back after losing a friend to cancer....I guess I seeked solace in words. As short as it was, I let it bleed on paper as below (unedited):

Sometimes we don't truly understand the meaning of goodbye. We seem to think that life is endless - that, when we say goodbye, we'll automatically see that person again. We are mere mortals - it all ends. We make plans for tomorrow, for next week, for next month, for next year, and the years coming until we are 75 years young - and still have plans for after that....but we are mere mortals with no clue - even Albert Einstein, one of the most intelligent men in the world, had no idea that April 18, 1955 would be the day he took his last breath - no idea that he'd leave so many highschool students confused by his physics....hmmm, even I don't know my last moment - mere mortal. Lord, please help me:

• may I live my life to the fullest, understanding that each day could be my last.
• may my life make a difference, and have an impact on at least one person out there.
• may I be grateful for each breath I take, and never have regrets.
• may I appreciate all the people in my life.
• may I learn to smile and actually mean it.
• may I learn to say goodbye and realise that it could be the end....the last one...afterall
  I'm mere mortal man.

                                   (31/05/2007)