Rumblings in the Jungle

Hugh Laurie's Music

2012-02-01T23:08:00.000+02:00

This makes me happy. Someone fulfilling a dream at 50, I say, "Good on you, Hughy!"

Happy Birthday Kenji and Jeremy!

2012-01-29T00:39:00.000+02:00

I got to chat to my brothers on the phone today while they were taking a lunch break from snow boarding up in Big Bear, something they've done for 9 years on their birthday. I'm so proud of them and can't WAIT to visit them for Christmas (which is our big plan.) Please pray it happens!

To Kenji and Jeremy:

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,

may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Cape Town- Beautiful Views

2012-01-22T18:30:00.000+02:00

Cape Town- Art

2012-01-17T15:30:00.000+02:00

This is really just a tiny glimpse of what art lovers can enjoy in the beautiful Cape. I've lived with more typical African art and love that as well so this was quite a new style and I felt it lived up to it's stunning surroundings. A lot of the sculptures were modern and impressionistic but with plenty of African flavour. This first one is my favourite.

The word tree

Wonder how long it took to make it?!

This was made from a random piece of driftwood. Gorgeous.

Cape Town- Architecture

2012-01-16T21:32:00.001+02:00

I've always loved beautiful buildings. The art in the design and the way they're made to take in as much of the view of the ocean from every room. Eduan loves designing houses and we sometimes draw our 'dream house' layout which is great fun and always changing depending on new concepts we discover or new ideas. Anyway for those of you who appreciate such things here are a few that caught my eye and my camera.

The Cape Town Stadium built for the World Cup

This house was featured in the top ten of our favorite Lifestyle magazine, it was cool to see it up close.

Next post I'm featuring art. ;)

Cape Town- Strawberry farm and Vineyards

2012-01-11T21:33:00.000+02:00

Now, that's a wine shop.

For when the doctor says one bottle of bubbly a day? ;)

Oh yes I did!! These are my absolute favourite!
Last time I had them in Holland 11 years ago so was very happy to find such a treasure!

Very effective scarecrows, you couldn't tell them apart from the ladies picking strawberries.

Now for some serious gorgeousness from the Waterford Estate... I think if I ever do a 'big' wedding do one day, it might just have to be here:

More plus-size bottles of wine for those times when 750ml just isn't enough:

Most incredible dessert wine ever, tasted EXACTLY like litchi! The chocolate was amazing as well. :)

My favourite. :)

Much happiness!

Cape Town- The Village Lodge, Soho and streets

2012-01-09T23:34:00.000+02:00

Cape Town is such a photographer's dream. I can say that because I don't consider myself a photographer. I just love taking photos! I'm not so happy with my choice of camera right now (Just say NO to Nikon and YES to Sony when it comes to point-and-shooters, Amen?). Still, I'm very thankful for it and that every now and then it does the scene justice.

The thing I love here are the streets, it's very European with Dutch, English and French influences. Sidewalk cafes everywhere, pubs and shops. It's the culinary and wine capital of South Africa. In the gorgeous little lodge where we stayed a few nights they had a tiny Thai restaurant downstairs called 'Soho' with beautiful decor and the manager and chefs are all THAI! They made authentic, exquisite food with great care. Since it's my favourite food in the whole world I was a very happy girl that they did it right. :)

On the roof of the lodge was the Sky Bar with a lap pool and seating area overlooking, Table Mountain on one side and the streets with the ocean on the horizon.

The old slave quarters of the Aparteid era have been transformed into a colourful line of homes.

Inside most are refurbished with very modern interiors.

Coffee!

Sanskrit Proverb

2012-01-09T22:32:00.000+02:00

For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow is only a vision:
But today well lived
Makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well, therefore, to this day.

Cape Town- The Beach

2012-01-09T10:42:00.000+02:00

We only had one rainy day so far in Cape Town and it still managed to be beautiful! The sky is just always much more blue even through the clouds.

Toby the tortoise after we saved his life by not driving over him. :)

The incredible blues of the Cape Town sky

Not bad for a timer shot. :D

Yup, I've been in the Atlantic ocean! It's FREEZING!

On most days the sun is very warm but you have this constant ocean breeze so if you step into any shade it's perfectly cool. Just perfect!

Cape Town- The Waterfront and Aquarium

2012-01-06T15:51:00.000+02:00

This guy was made out of Coke crates

See? :p

Look! I found Nemo!

Some eternally surprised eels...

I want some of these babies.

The working harbour

Hi From Uganda!!!

2011-12-27T23:50:00.000+02:00

I've had such an awesome time in Uganda with my family so far, doing shows, enjoying Christmas and going on Safari (just wish my baby and Kaycee could have come). It's so nice to see some of my good friends after so long! Coming back here always feels like home.

I mean where else do you get to see this??

My pretty niece Zohra

My nephew, Aslan with my awesomely groovy sister, Machi.

One of the cutest things I've ever seen!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T16:26:00.000+02:00

My darling hubby and sister connived to get me to be with my family in Uganda for Christmas which has been so special for me. We made it a surprise for mom which extra fun! Machi picked me up from the airport and snuck me to her party where mom and a lot of our friends were. The hardest part was not saying anything on FB. :)

It's hard to believe it's been 2 years since I was here last!! The only thing that gives it away is how much my niece and nephew have grown and the kids I used to teach who are now TOWERING over me! (Then again, most people over the age of 10 tower over me. Heh. )

It's so nice to see my family and I always feel immediately at home from the first time I hear "Webale nyo". Very Happy!

And to all of my friends and family around the world, Happy Christmas Eve!!

I dug this ancient treasure up for hubby...

Zuma, Zuma, Zuma.... I have no words.

2011-12-21T18:02:00.000+02:00

Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma has berated Christianity for bringing on the existence of orphans and old age homes, The Times reported on Wednesday.

"As Africans, long before the arrival of religion and [the] gospel, we had our own ways of doing things," Zuma was quoted as saying at the launch of a road safety and crime awareness campaign at KwaMaphumulo in KwaZulu-Natal.

"Those were times that the religious people refer to as dark days but we know that, during those times, there were no orphans or old-age homes. Christianity has brought along these things," he said.

Zuma, who in 2007 was ordained as an honorary pastor at a meeting of independent charismatic churches in Durban, told the crowd that South Africans should return to the "old way of doing things" because modernity had been harmful to society.

"We have passed laws that prohibit you as a parent [from using] corporal punishment. Today, when, as a parent, you bring your child [to] order by using corporal punishment, you are breaking the law, but the person who passed that law cannot raise your child the way you want to."

Zuma said while he did not blame such legislation, "I can't be diplomatic about this. It's a fact".

Zuma's apparent criticism of Christianity is in marked contrast to the ANC's long history of using religious terminology to promote itself.

Rule for eternity

On Tuesday, ANC Chief Whip Mathole Motshekga said the ANC needed to remain steadfast as the ruler of South Africa until Jesus returned to the world.

Motshekga received thunderous applause after he told attendants at the Limpopo African National Congress's elective conference in Polokwane, "the organisation has a responsibility to rule until Jesus pays us another visit".

These remarks echoed comments made by Zuma in June 2009 at a rally in Mpumalanga, when he said that the ANC "will rule until Jesus comes".

In February this year, Zuma caused outrage after he apparently tried to woo Eastern Cape voters for the local elections by telling them they would go to heaven if they voted for the ANC; and conversely would experience fiery damnation if they did not.

A Democratic Alliance transcript of Zuma's remarks during the voter registration drive in Mthatha claimed he said: "When you vote for the ANC, you are also choosing to go to heaven. When you don't vote for the ANC you should know that you are choosing that man who carries a fork... who cooks people.

"When you are carrying an ANC membership card, you are blessed. When you get up there, there are different cards used but when you have an ANC card, you will be let through to go to heaven."

At the time, ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said that if the word "heaven" was inappropriate in a figurative sense, expressions such as 'marriage made in heaven', 'heavenly voices' and 'sweets from heaven' would not exist.

Six months earlier, Free State ANC leader Ace Magashule told some 900 ANC delegates at a provincial list conference in Bethlehem that they should follow party leader Zuma the same way people in church followed Jesus.

Persecution

In December 2008, Magashule told Volksblad newspaper that Zuma was suffering just like Jesus Christ did.

"Jesus was persecuted. He was called names and betrayed. It's the same kind of suffering Mr Zuma has had to bear recently, but he's still standing strong. He's not giving up."

At the time Zuma was involved in appealing with a Supreme Court of Appeal case where he was defending a High Court ruling that saw graft charges dropped against him.

The ruling was later upheld.

Magashule said at the time he was not saying Zuma was Jesus.

"He can't be Jesus. I merely compared the kind of persecution that had to be endured."

In November 2008, Zuma said that South Africa was a country based on the rules and principles of God.

Speaking at a national presidential religious leaders’ conference he said: "When all of us take office in government... we raise our right hand and indeed pronounce... so help me God. I believe no-one can argue South Africa is not based on the principles of God," said Zuma.

During Zuma's 2006 trial rape, many of his supporters likened him to Jesus.

"Zuma is Jesus," read one a banner outside the South Gauteng High Court at the time, while another supporter carried a white, wooden home-made crucifix asking: "Why are you crucifying Zuma?"

The crucifix also bore a decoupaged picture of Zuma with outstretched arms.

- SAPA

Favourite Christmas Albums

2011-12-20T13:03:00.000+02:00

I find only the albums I've listened to for years have that special 'Christmasy' feeling for me. Nothing carries happy Christmas memories quite like a few classics. For me those are:

Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas
Celine Dion: These are Special Times
Bebe and Cece Winans: First Christmas
Aurora Productions: Christmas Moments
First Call: An Evening in December

I love new albums too and can't wait to get Michael Buble's and Jackie Evancho's and I hope they will create a whole new batch of memories with my little family in the years to come. ;)

Sixpence None the Richer- Silent Night

2011-12-18T19:02:00.000+02:00

I love the simplicity of this version. :)

Christmas Song of the Day- Michael Buble'

2011-12-16T19:07:00.000+02:00

Kids' Christmas Show

2011-12-07T23:27:00.001+02:00

We did a show with Family Care SA at the Princess Christian Home for seniors and the children were absolutely adorable. The Biards sang Christmas songs (amazingly on key!) and Kaycee and Danni did dances to Deck the Halls and Jingle Bells and they ended up with Feliz Navidad with everyone including 2 year old Charlie. :)

Proud Mommy

2011-12-07T11:29:00.000+02:00

Kaycee and Eduan

Kaycee's Class 7W

The brilliant and hilarious guest speaker Mr. Derek Jackson

Kaycee's self portrait which was one of the pieces chosen to be in the school foyer on Valediction day.

My smarty pants daughter just graduated primary school and I got to attend her valediction. Being her first year in a public school after home schooling she adjusted very well and got very good grades! I'm so proud of her.

We went out for Pizza and banana splits with Oli and Marie (who's son Darren graduated in the same school) to celebrate. Good times.

Slightly scared of all that High School will bring (especially Grade 8 where you're at the bottom of the totem pole) but I guess everyone else survives and I'm sure she'll be great. I wish I could tell her all the things to do like, being smart is more important than being cool, don't worry about what your peers think of you as they won't matter when you grow up but I know all that has to be learned the slow way and you can't help the butterfly out of it's cocoon any faster.

Today she's off to perform at a retirement home for Christmas. I'm one proud mom.

Happy Birthday Kaycee!

2011-12-04T13:55:00.000+02:00

Yesterday was Kaycee's 12 birthday. We had 7 of her friends over (4 of whom came over for a sleep over and caused general chaos). We all went out to the mall for arcade games, the sweets store, watched Puss in Boots and ended with Pizza and Ice cream which the waiters brought out with sparklers, popped balloons and sang to her. :) It was so nice meeting all her friends and they were really lovely girls, some taller than me of course!

We gave her her presents in the morning and Eduan had gotten a very cute kitchen gadget from his PA which is a grater plate, you can grate chocolate, garlic, lemons or anything on the plate itself and it came with a matching basting brush and garlic peel remover. All bright yellow with directions.

So naturally, we decided to wrap it for Kaycee's fake birthday present (which has become somewhat of a tradition and still works every time!). It was so much fun seeing her crestfallen face getting that for her birthday. : D One of her friends makes really good pottery and had given her a little plate and cup she made with matching cats on it and it definitely helped make our present look more believable. Needless to say she was that much MORE thrilled when we showed her real present of a phone (since her last one took a unfortunate swim).

(Note to mom's: It was so fun having such a successful birthday party, she even said her best ever, and no major mess to clean up after as everyone got picked up from the mall at the set time.) Score! ;)

Next month- High School!

Through the Looking Glass

2011-11-30T17:00:00.002+02:00

A friend told me once that they stopped going to FB because it made them envious of other's lives and mine in particular. I know I'm very blessed to be able to do something I love so much and that many others only get to do as a hobby rather than a career. It's fun and exciting and doesn't have a 9-5 time frame on it. I get to wear beautiful costumes and perform in gorgeous venues.

That is the fun side of my life. Like everyone, I have a whole boat load of challenges that I face in my personal life. Issues of motherhood and relationships and difficult situations with colleagues feeling misunderstood and hurt. I'm not at the point where I feel I want to drag them through cyberspace though so tend to only write about good things in my life.

I'm also an extreme, eternal optimist. You know the type, "Everything will work out", "We'll make a plan", "I'm sure they didn't mean to" etc... I physically forget bad things immediately after they happen and have a terrible time trying to hold on to grudges. I forgive easily and forget as well, the downside in doing that is that I leave myself open to being hurt fairly often.

I don't wear my emotions on my sleeve, I can look and seem happy while going through deep emotional turmoil. On the one hand I think it's good, I hate seeing people physically trying to demonstrate how annoyed or upset they are by huffing, frowning and stomping around the house. I find it rather funny. :) On the other hand it gives the false impression that you have a perfect life, that nothing is difficult and that everything is a walk in the park for you.

I guess the only way to really know someone is to talk to them, write them, see what they need prayer for or if they have any thing they want to talk about. A good friend invited me over for coffee and we had just planned to chat and catch up and both of us were actually going through fairly major ordeals. It was good to talk it out and encourage the other. When you see what's behind the smile and what it takes to put on their 'happy face' and battle through life you admire them so much more and might be more inclined to keep them in your prayers. I guess every rose has it's thorns even when we can't see them.

“When the world says, ‘Give up,’ Hope whispers, ‘Try it one more time.’”

Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.-Emily Dickinson

Two Years of Moments

2011-11-21T23:12:00.001+02:00

I met my gorgeous husband 2 years ago today. I saw on FB that it's two of my friend's 2 year wedding anniversary today as well. Must have been a good line up of the planets for some reason.

The first two years of a relationship are really when you get to know each other, truly and deeply. You see the best and the worst of them. They see the best and worst of you. To me, that's when love becomes the most meaningful when someone loves you just as you are with your quirks, your bad habits, your pet peeves and all the baggage and issues us humans tend to accumulate.

Since meeting Eduan, I feel very blessed. I found someone who truly brings out the best in me and is strong in the areas I'm not. Whatever the future brings he's been the reason for the happiest moments in my life and I love him more than ever. :)

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

I thought I'd now bombard you with photos of some of those special moments of mine...

At the Christmas lunch with some of my dearest friends before they left to far flung destinations.

I love how my Baby accompanies me to all my shows at all hours, entertaining us girls and making the trips there and back so much fun.

I love how he's nice to my and Kaycee's cat even though she's not the prettiest thing, (ahem) even when she'd hunt birds and make a mess.

I love his brilliant sense of humour, how he puts up with two crazy chicks he decided to make his family.

I love his amazing taste for nice presents, remembering anything you casually mention and getting mommy/daughter versions to make it even more special.

I love how well he gets on with my awesome family and how they've truly adopted him. (Can't wait till he meets the rest.)

I love the crazy adventures he took my friends and I on when we were first dating and how he wasn't afraid to dance with Kathy to Kaptein in the middle of a classy pub. : D

I love how he took Kaycee and her friends to places like the Rand Show and Gold Reef City even though he truly dislikes amusement parks and long hours in the sun being spun or thrown around for no reason. Heh.

I especially love how he married me!!

I love how he kisses me every day before he goes for work, something we've missed only twice.
Makes my day every time.

I love you Darling.

Rules for Success

2011-11-18T01:37:00.000+02:00

The basic rules for success may be defined as follows: Know what you want. Find out what it takes to get it. Act on it and persevere.

It is doubtful if anyone ever made a success of anything who waited around until all the conditions were "just right" before starting.

Formula for failure: Try to please everybody.

For Natalie Anne

2011-11-16T20:44:00.001+02:00

A beautiful friend is lost to us in our shallow plane today. She's gone on to something greater and everlasting like waking from a dream and finding reality far more beautiful. Still, we'll miss her down here...

"Every beauty which is seen here below by persons

of perception resemble more than anything else that celestial

source from which we all are come...."

-Michelangelo (1475-1564)

Let us believe that when death comes, and it will come sooner or later to every human being, we can be assured it will come as a friend who lovingly leads us to our eternal home, Heaven.--C.L. Allen

“Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.”- Eskimo Proverb

2011-11-11T16:46:00.001+02:00

Since this auspicious date only comes around once every 100 years I've decided to dedicate it to the memory of a lovely little film I grew up with called "Brigadoon" and share my favourite song lyrics and the original trailer with you. The dancing back then really was magnificent and who didn't want one of her dresses to run through the heather in?? :) Aye...

"The only Scot she knows comes out of a bottle..."

FIONA:

Many a lassie as ev'ryone knows'll

Try to be married before twenty-five.

So she'll agree to most any proposal.

All he mus' be is a man, an' alive.

I hold a dream an' there's no compromisin'

I know there's one certain laddie for me.

One day he'll come walkin' o'er the horizon:

But should he not, then an old maid I'll be.

Foolish, ye may say.

Foolish I will stay.

Waitin' for my dearie, an' happy am I

to hold my heart till he comes strollin' by.

When he comes, my dearie, one look an' I'll know

That he's the dearie I've been wantin' so.

Though I'll live forty lives till the day he arrives,

I'll not ever, ever grieve.

For my hopes will be high that he'll come strollin' by;

For ye see, I believe

That there's a laddie weary, and wanderin' free,

Who's waitin' for his dearie:

Me!

1ST GIRL:

What do ye do while ye're waitin' around

For your lad to come your way?

FIONA:

Well, when no one is lookin', ye kneel on the ground,

An' ye pray an' pray an' pray!

2ND GIRL:

But when lassies sit an' have no men,

Oh, how long becomes the night.

FIONA:

But I fear the night is longer when the lad's no' right.

Waitin' for my dearie is sweeter to me

Than wooin' any laddie on the lea.

GIRLS:

Dreamin' of your dearie, an' idlin' the day

FIONA:

That's how I am an' how I'll ever stay.

Though I'll live forty lives till the day he arrives,

I'll not ever, ever grieve.

For my hopes will be high that he'll come strollin' by;

For ye see, I believe

FIONA AND GIRLS:

That there's a laddie weary, an' wanderin' free,

who's waitin' for his dearie:

FIONA:

Me!

Stop and think...

2011-11-11T10:29:00.000+02:00

I think quotations are wonderful things. You can read whole books or listen to entire seminars where the point can be summed up in one concise, honest sentence, that usually resounds much more with me than the drawn out version.

If I were to list quotes that had a book of meaning in each one, these would be some of them.

If you don't like how things are, change it! You're not a tree. ~Jim Rohn

Give thanks for what you are now, and keep fighting for what you want to be tomorrow. ~Fernanda Miramontes-Landeros

You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him. ~Leo Aikman

I would not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum. ~Frances Willard

We have a choice every day - to act on yesterday's good intentions or get an early start on tomorrow's regrets. ~Robert Brault

Be nice to those you meet on the way up. They're the same folks you'll meet on the way down. ~Walter Winchell

Never saw off the branch you are on, unless you are being hanged from it. ~Stanislaw Lec

Last Night....

2011-11-04T12:08:00.001+02:00

Bobby has an amazing voice and sang such beautiful songs. He shared his testimony of how he came to know the Lord 4 years ago and wrote a beautiful song while he was in Jerusalem called "Messiah" about Jesus being his Father. He's now the dad of a 1 week old son and said he finally understood the meaning of being a Father. We backed him up for his hit "Spieltjie" which means 'Mirror' he said he wrote the song about how you don't find yourself looking in the mirror and seeing how others see you but by looking at the Lord.

With Elvis Blue and 2 of Die Dahlings- I swear I'm not that short in real life! :"D

Elvis sang 2 of my favourite songs 'Lighthouse' (the song from my last post) and a guy did sand art to it which I'd never seen before. He drew pictures that turned into other pictures and went from a lamp to a boat on the sea by the lighthouse which turned into a cross. It was so beautiful and matched the singing perfectly! The finale was "Hallelujah" which was sung by all the singers together while we danced with streamers. A friend watched the show and took pictures which you can see here.

With the genius Navi Redd acapella singers. I love their tagline "No Music, No Problem". Heh. They sang a brilliant version of "Apple Bottom Jeans" with beat boxing and all after a friend had told them in a club that they were good but they couldn't sing the kind of dance music that was playing so they took it up as a personal challenge and totally mastered it!

Our costumes for "Gewertjie" (little pistol) which was a 50's song by Die Darlings about loving rugby players. I going to need some excuses to wear those gloves! :)

Net Vir Jou

2011-11-03T12:38:00.000+02:00

Since I'm dancing in the ExpresSing Hope concert this evening to back up lots of awesome South African singers including the singer of my favourite sad Afrikaans love song, "Net Vir Jou" which means "Just For You" I thought I'd post it for you to have a taste of Afrikaans music.

There's also Elvis Blue the winner of last years SA Pop Idol who has since recorded an album with some gorgeous songs including this one 'Lighthouse'... don't worry my non Afrikaans speaking friends this one's in English. ;)

A Few of My Favourite Things...

2011-10-30T22:36:00.000+02:00

Ryan's 5 beagle puppies are the most adorable things, so playful and it's lovely having them around for a few weeks till they're off to their new homes!

Eduan and Aisha holding 'Princess Y' so named by Aisha for the Y shape on her forehead,
Not sure if it will stick. : D

My gorgeous hubby and the puppies, lots of things to make me smile. ;)

I got to face paint for 3 days over the weekend thanks to a gig from Sombrero Entertainment I just made split cakes (which only you face painting fanatics will understand) out of my trusty face painting kit and had lots of fun with it. I loved painting the kids who came up with original ideas like a Tinkerbell (on her knee!), a teddy bear and one little girl wanted me to write 'Daddy's Little Darling" on her cheek with sparkles. I loved when they'd look in the mirror and say, "I look awesome!" You gotta admire that confidence!

Here's Aisha's dragon and one girl who wanted a sunset on the beach. :)

Fun Stuff...

2011-10-29T22:37:00.000+02:00

Been busy dancing, practicing, writing articles and I even dusted off my face paints for promotions I'm painting at this weekend! :)

ExpresSing Hope Benefit Concert is on in 4 days. Our dance group, Oriental Fire gets to back up some of SA's best artists with contemporary, hip hop and 50's style dance numbers so it should be great fun! We had a run through of all our numbers at the Mosaiek Theatre and I'm so blessed to work with such talented dancers! Awesome stuff!

Here are some of the artists we'll be backing up:

Die Dahlings

Marlee van der Merwe

The ExpresSing Hope Benefit Concert is an iniative of Mosaiek`s Missional Expressions team, to raise funds for their various social upliftment and empowement projects. If you're in Gauteng come check it out!

My Political Rant for the Day...

2011-10-25T11:44:00.000+02:00

I've never been to Libya but the friends I had in Uganda worked with a Libyan bank set up there just to help boost the Ugandan economy and help locals start up small businesses. They talked about how the schooling system worked in Libya, by the time you're 16 you get an apprenticeship in the business of your choice. They train you for free while you work part time and finish studies part time. After 2 years when you're 18 you have enough job experience to get a decent job in the company you trained with or the know how to start your own business. Sounded pretty clever to me. I don't think he was perfect and I'm sure he did many awful things as well (shock horror, a political leader doing awful things?!?) but from what I can see he also did a lot more of what political leaders are supposed to do for their people.

Gaddafi would come often to visit Uganda and try to meet with political leaders to unite Africa to better use their natural resources and to open the borders to make trade easier within Africa. Uganda to Libyans was a rich country as if you have fresh water, you can have food and live on it, you can't live on oil. Uganda, and other small African countries just need the training to make the best use of it.

Regardless of how much of this is accurate, seeing anyone be so disrespectful about the death of a human being grieves me. The alleged shooter boasts how he saw him walking with women and children when he shot him. Really? That's supposed to fill us with pride and admiration? Not to mention the spectacle they've made of it since.

In Zimbabwe, Mugabe was openly starving his people and ruining their well developed agricultural trade by killing farmers and their families and giving the farms to his relatives and soldiers who knew nothing about farming and instead killed all the livestock and burned the equipment causing wide-spread famine. To me, that spells just a bit of a contrast with what I've heard about rights in Libya:

‎1. There is no electricity bill in Libya; electricity is free for all its citizens.
2. There is no interest on loans, banks in Libya are state-owned
3. Home considered a human right in Libya – Gaddafi vowed that his parents would not get a house until everyone ...in Libya had a home.
Gaddafi’s father has died while him, his wife and his mother are still living in a tent.
4. All newlyweds in Libya receive $60,000 Dinar (US$50,000) by the government to buy their first apartment so to help start up the family.
5. Education and medical treatments are free in Libya. Before Gaddafi only 25% of Libyans are literate. Today the figure is 83%.
6. Should Libyans want to take up farming career, they would receive farming land, a farming house, equipment, seeds and livestock to kick-start their farms – all for free.
7. If Libyans cannot find the education or medical facilities they need in Libya, the government funds them to go abroad for it – not only free but they get US$2,300/mth accommodation and car allowance.
8. In Libyan, if a Libyan buys a car, the government subsidized 50% of the price.
9. The price of petrol in Libya is $0.14 per liter.
10. Libya has no external debt and its reserves amount to $150 billion –now frozen globally.
11. If a Libyan is unable to get employment after graduation the state would pay the average salary of the profession as if he or she is employed until employment is found.
12. A portion of Libyan oil sale is, credited directly to the bank accounts of all Libyan citizens.
13. A mother who gave birth to a child receive US$5,000
14. 40 loaves of bread in Libya costs $ 0.15
15. 25% of Libyans have a university degree
16. Gaddafi carried out the world’s largest irrigation project, known as the Great Man-Made River project, to make water readily available throughout the desert country.

I guess the lesson is if you're going to be a dictator you have the be the right kind to be left alone. Sorry, Gaddafi, you definitely weren't it.

Something I read today...

2011-10-17T11:44:00.002+02:00

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."
--- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Diwali Show Part 1

2011-10-16T01:56:00.001+02:00

We performed with live singers for our Aishwarya Rai medley at the FNB Gauteng Diwali Festival which proved to be waaaay more challenging than with a track. Still, it was a good experience and I think with a lot of practice it could be good. I feel you don't get to really showcase the singers or the dancers at their best when combining them unless you have worked together a long time. The crowd did really seem to appreciate it though and were happily singing and clapping along.

The organizers donated a stall for Family Care to use for the children's entertainment section so they had balloons, Phoebe's amazing face painting skills and all that good stuff going on. The crowd steadily got bigger as the day went on. We got interviewed by DSTV and The Star newspaper so hopefully if you're in SA you'll see us. :)

We also rocked our fire performance with 6 fire dancers which is our record! We got it all on video so I'll post it soon. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of us dancing but here's me with some of the other performers and a glimpse of the stage and crowd.

We have another show at the big Diwali Festival next week in Lenasia. Yay me!

On eTV

2011-10-16T01:40:00.002+02:00

We were one of two groups picked to promote the shows at the Diwali Festival so Eduan, Terri and I got up at 3:30am (surprisingly quite a bit easier than getting up at 5:30!)and drove to their studios and met up with Chloe and Beth. We filmed live in between the Sunrise morning show so just had to wait till the camera man got the signal and the music started. All went very well even though they accidentally played the same song twice rather than our second song but we just did the wrong choreography to it as we were in totally different places and went with the flow. Not much room for replay on live TV but the girls as usual were total pros and we managed to make it work rather well! At least we had huge smiles from nearly dying of laughter.

Ah yes, one more funny thing, after our first song the camera man who was in communication with the editing studio asked which one of us had the tattoo. Since it's me, I assumed they wanted me to cover it up so was very surprised when he said they wanted to make sure they got it on camera. Heh. "Funny things do happen."

I'm back...

2011-10-16T01:20:00.000+02:00

Last weekend we were at the Look and Feel Good Expo which was especially fun because Joyce, Terri, Bloss and I had said that our goal was to perform in the Coca Cola Dome which happens to be the venue any major star who performs in Joburg goes, David Guetta and Akon were there last night for example. :D Of course, this wasn't quite a big scale concert but it was an expo on health and beauty with a yoga demo stage and a small music and dance stage. We did a belly dance and Bollywood show and got great response, I talked to the crowd about the meaning of the some of the songs, the health benefits of learning those dance forms and all the fusion possiblities, we also got to get out our new fliers promoting our dance group on one side and our charity projects with www.familycaresa.com on the other.

I've been very blessed to do so much dancing and thus have been away from my beloved blog for a good spell. I thought rather than bore you with too many details of my dance shows I'll just post some photos. Cheers!

On the Road Again...

2011-10-05T11:14:00.000+02:00

Well we've settled into our fourth house of the year, this time I hope it'll be the one we stay in for the rest of the time in SA. As much as I love setting up a new house, redecorating and getting rid of all my junk I do really, strongly dislike packing. It's a lot of work and if you don't have it completely organised it can take awhile to find all your stuff again. Thankfully, with all the practice, we're getting pretty good at it and it's was definitely easier this time around.

We have a big gorgeous room with our own deck a perfect size swimming pool and live very close (as in a few houses away) from good friends of ours which makes it all the better. I'll post some pics once we've set up more.

We're prepping for a big wedding show the day after tomorrow where we'll be dancing Latin, Belly Dance and Bollywood for a beautiful couple who have 700 guests and it'll be covered by 2 TV stations and a magazine so time to put all our good feet forward. Heh. I will even be dancing as a boy with Terri backing up the groom which is the song I'm most looking forward to as it's pure Bollywood fun and humour.

The days after that we have 2 shows featuring Belly Dance and Bollywood at the Coca Cola dome for the Look and Feel Good Expo which features all styles of dance and exercise, nutrition, supplements etc... and then full on prep for Diwali. Good times...

That Time of Year...

2011-09-30T15:11:00.001+02:00

I usually post on my birthday but to be honest it's all a little crazy now as we're moving house tomorrow and been packing up on and off. I have to say we're getting pretty professional it this moving stuff. :)

Me and my darling on my birthday

Still, we managed to have a lot of fun and it was truly special. I had some good friends over for a crazy Karaoke girl's night the night before my birthday which was so much fun. Everyone sang a great mix of so many of my favourite songs old and new. Thanks for coming girls, you're awesome!!
Here are some of the snap shots Jasmine took:

Eduan and I even sang our song 'Chasing Cars' together for the first time ever! Terri Biard did an absolutely incredible contemporary dance to Turning Tables. I so regret not having it on camera but I hope she'll get a video properly made of her dancing soon, incredible stuff! Pheebs, Terri and I did an impromptu version of our flamenco dance which was even more challenging in high heels! Ahem.

On my birthday Eduan took me out to a gorgeous bistro called Thomas Maxwell. Magnificent food especially the steak tartare and mussels, my absolute favourite non-Asian food. We drank wine called The Mint which you actually taste very clearly and the aftertaste is like dark chocolate! Brilliant!

They all say your 30's is the decade where you're finally content with yourself, you're less worried about other's opinions, have more focus in your life goals and are more aware of your own capabilities and limits which is a very healthy place to be. :) I love challenging myself and hope I always will but I'm also very happy with my lot in life. I have so many things to be thankful for, my health, my beautiful daughter, an amazing husband and friends I truly value. I even appreciate the tough times because I know how much more I'll enjoy the good things that come my way because of it.

I'm accomplishing a lot of my dreams and dancing professionally in a capacity I'm very excited about. I also have a healthy set of priorities where I know my dreams are firmly below my loved ones and their happiness and what matters most to us as a family. It's a good place to be and I'm very thankful for that.

I think if I was to say what my wishes are for this next year it would be to be able to visit my family soon (and more often), that plans for the future will continue to fall into place and that my family and friends will always have all they need and want, and that (if possible), I can be involved in giving it to them. : D

Thanks so much to all my friends who wished me a Happy Birthday on Facebook. It always makes me so happy to hear from you and your wit and lovely wishes! Huge cyber hugs back to every one of you! Thanks for being in my life in some way. XXX

My Heart Attack for the Day

2011-09-27T11:32:00.001+02:00

I left my phone in my room for a few minutes and when I got back to it I had 3 missed calls from a number and a message from a lady speaking fast in Afrikaans, I could only catch some of the numbers and the word 'daughter'. When I phoned the number I got the switchboard of a hospital and the receptionist asking which department I wanted.

Since my daughter happens to be off gallivanting on a rafting, camping school trip it's definitely not a call you want to get!! I guessed the pediatric ward and made sure they didn't have any patients with my daughter's name which it seemed they didn't. They tried to put me through to HR to see if they could find someone with the lady's name who left the message and I got left on hold.

By my 4th call to the hospital they FINALLY put me through to the right lady who said she had gotten my number from a friend and wanted to ask about booking a belly dancer for her daughter's kitchen tea (bridal shower). Good Lord.

Note to alert readers, never leave a call back number for your office if you happen work for a hospital (and I would like to add the police), you could cause some serious panic attacks! The poor dear has no idea how much I wanted to beat her through the phone. Grrrrrr.

The Meanings of "Yes"

2011-09-26T13:20:00.002+02:00

If you've ever lived in Uganda and really any African country, you will appreciate this insightful narrative on the many interpretations of time and the word 'Yes' here in Africa. Gotta love it.
I've actually sat next to a business man in a restaurant drink in hand, talk urgently to a friend on the phone saying, 'Don't worry, me I'll be there just now!" and then calmly go on to order his lunch. I always learned to take a good book along when going on appointments which took a lot of the frustration out of the waiting, of course you couldn't do the same thing back as there was ALWAYS an exception to the rule and the wise old saying does not go, "Do unto others what they always do to you." So patience was a virtue well learnt and I do appreciate punctuality and a well prepared function all the more. Enjoy!

Dr. Ian Clarke
New Vision Uganda

I HAVE learned that when I ask someone to carry out a task, and they respond in the affirmative, that ‘yes’ is no guarantee at all that the task will actually be completed. This small three-letter word has many different meanings, depending who you are talking to and under which circumstances you receive the answer.

Here are some rules to ensure that you do not fall into the ‘yes trap’:

Never ask a leading question: “Is this the way to (wherever you are going)?” “Yes.” “Are we nearly there?” “Yes.” “Is church nearly over?” “Yes,” some of our favourite questions as kids. “Are you about to arrive?” “Yes.” Now if the person tells you. “I am about”, or “I am just round the corner”, or “I am just driving out”, be even more suspicious.

Find out which corner and where exactly he is leaving from; he might be in Gulu (a town far north in Uganda), and the person who is just driving out is probably still in the shower.

Also be careful about estimates of time. “When will you be here?” “In about twenty minutes.” Such estimates have a wide variation of error and twenty minutes could mean anything from an hour to not at all.

When you get on a boda boda (the public transport motorcycles), never ask: “Do you know the directions (to the destination)?” And then sit back and relax. Because he will head off in some random direction. Sit behind him and point.

If you want someone to do something for you, do not just explain the task and accept the ‘yes’ as an indication that the job will be done. Get the person to repeat what you have said, and then ask him specific questions, such as does he have the necessary equipment and exactly when will he do it.

If you are a mzungu (foreigner), never try to explain anything complicated over the phone. The person will definitely say ‘yes’ and hang up without having understood exactly what has been said. It is then like Chinese whispers because he will do what he thinks you have said – probably something completely different from what you want done.

There are very good cultural reasons why people say ‘yes’, one of which is the wish not to offend.
It is much better manners to say ‘yes’ and not do anything, than to say ‘no’ and cause offence. I know why people say ‘yes’ to me in particular. It is because they have not understood a word I have said and are desperate to make me go away! Usually, the person says ‘yes’ and nods enthusiastically as I go to great lengths to explain what I want done. Then as soon as I have left, he turns to someone else and asks: “What did he say?” But even among those who have understood me, there are many who say ‘yes’ simply as a matter of course because they are saying that at some point they have the intention to carry out the task but this depends on the circumstances.

Last week, one of the tyres on the JCB blew out. Knowing that there were other diggers in the yard, I called across and asked a mechanic if he would change a good tire for our blown tyre, to which he said ‘yes’. Two hours later, I called into the yard myself to discover that there was a tyre leaning against the wall; many people were sitting around, but no-one had done anything. This is an example of the difference between the intention and the result. The mechanics had the intention, but then the new tyre also had a puncture, and there was no fuel for the pick-up, and they did not have five thousand shillings to fix the tube, etc, etc. Consequently, nothing could happen.

So, always try to analyse which category a person is in when you receive the answer yes. Are they just being polite? Have they not understood you? Do they just want you to go away and get out of their face? Or do they genuinely have the intention? Sadly, we all know that there are multiple circumstances which can interfere with achieving a result.

This is Africa...

2011-09-23T09:47:00.001+02:00

by Yusef
Lenzinfo

WHEN Dr Goolam Moosa received his August home electricity bill of R93 527 (around $13,000) , he thought it was a result of the City of Joburg’s billing crisis. Moosa, whose monthly bill averages R1 000 (around $140), remained unconcerned as he knew City Power, the council’s electricity supply agency, would rectify it once he had alerted them to the electricity bill. “My wife just laughed about it and said she thought they must be mad,” he said. Barely 10 days later, Moosa, from Lenasia’s Extension 5, was jolted from his complacency when he received a heftier bill of R99 728.

Agitated, he phoned City Power a second time. The utility admitted immediately that it had overbilled him. “I was so shocked I thought this bill must be for the whole of Lenasia,” he said. Moosa was told he would be refunded R6 000 a month of the money he was overbilled. This was despite him not having paid a cent of the exorbitant bill. “This is a strange (case of) incompetence because nobody gets billed a lesser amount to the usual cost. It’s so ridiculous,” he said, adding it had not been for the first time he had been overbilled. “Most of the patients I see complain that they have had the same problem. Does it take a miracle to fix it?” he asked.

Attempts to get comment from City Power were unsuccessful.

Something Beautiful

2011-09-22T09:21:00.000+02:00

This is such an fascinating mix of art and dance. Never seen anything like it before. Heart!

The Million Dollar Question

2011-09-20T10:47:00.000+02:00

You must absolutely, sit down right now (preferably with an ice coffee) and read this, then stop and think about it. You'll thank me. I found it on my brothers' link blog, The Hollow Blah. They do post the greatest stuff on there.

The Million Dollar Question by Sebastian Marshall

Sorry Fellow Aussies!

2011-09-17T12:36:00.001+02:00

World events are so tough to know who to cheer for as I adopt several countries; The Aussies, of course, since that's my actual one-and-only nationality, the Japanese who I always consider my countrymen, the Saffers who I happily married into and think are pretty brilliant, the All Blacks who I support because they're just so damn good. So I always have some happiness and some sadness when one of my teams win and one of them lose. :(

Better luck next time Wallabies!

On a better day- at their Tri-Nations Win

PS: Thanks Anonymous for the Aussie slang lesson! I've never lived there, only visited so definitely don't speak it properly! Yikes. :)

Go Bokke!

2011-09-17T09:54:00.002+02:00

Well done to the Springboks! 49-3 against Fiji! There will be many happy people in SA today. :)

This guy was the shiner- Francois Steyn!

Show Pics

2011-09-16T17:57:00.000+02:00

Terri, Pheebs and me

I absolutely LOVE nice stages, this one at Sun City was gorgeous!

Doing my sword thang

Pheebs with Isis Wings and Terri and Chloe rocking the veil work

Funky Hat, Hair and Mask Day

2011-09-13T15:30:00.000+02:00

Kaycee's school has an awesome Funky Hat/Hair or Mask Day. I suppose one could do all 3 but most choose one of the other. She came up with this hair idea herself so I did this one for her and Darren got a serious faux hawk.

Sometimes I wish we could walk around with colourful hair all the time. :)

TV and Diwali Shows

2011-09-10T22:01:00.000+02:00

This weekend has been pretty busy, Eastern Mosaic filmed a feature on Oriental Fire which I posted some pictures of on my Dance Blog .

Today Terri and I went to meet with our sponsor for the Lenasia Diwali show which we'll be performing at on October 22nd and were guests at their press launch at the Vishnu Temple which had lovely performances from several Indian dance companies including Gungroo and Kashvita.

Tomorrow we go to practice our show with Indian musicians for another Diwali show on the 15th of October. Both events are expected to bring 20-25,000 people so very excited! :)

Best Thing I've Read in Ages...

2011-09-05T12:25:00.000+02:00

Do yourself a favour and go read the whole blog post from Austin Kleon right now.

Thanks Tom!

Dance

2011-09-04T19:26:00.000+02:00

The more I learn about dance the more I love it and the more I want to learn. When I'm dancing I'm definitely in my happy place. Yesterday I went to my first ATS (American Tribal Style) Belly Dance class and today I had my first taste of Flamenco! Absolutely gorgeous, I love the passion, the skirts/dresses, the stomping, the boots, the rhythm...everything! Definitely want to do more!

Too true...

2011-09-02T00:34:00.002+02:00

I Love What I Get To Do...

2011-08-31T13:52:00.003+02:00

Bullet Trains

2011-08-30T11:59:00.000+02:00

The kids all ran in to ask me if I've ever been on a bullet train before. Of course having lived in Japan for 12 years one rides the 'Shinkansen' often for long trips. They asked if you have to cram in and lie down, I guess they mentally pictured a human sized 'bullet' train. Ha. They were rather impressed when I told them you get comfy chairs and can buy overpriced snacks from a trolley like on an airplace. :)

Way too cute.

Sultans of Sync!!

2011-08-29T10:40:00.000+02:00

Good friends of mine are competing in an Airband competition at Gold Reef City along with 94.7 Highveld Radio Station. They're in the top 10 and have already performed in their live shows at the Lyric Theatre and at GRC. Now they need votes to win R80,000 (which is over $10,000 for all you non-Saffers.) They'll also be performing on Joburg Day with famous Jozi artists and musicians. Lots of awesomeness.

This was their original audition video that got them into the top 10:

Follow the link below to see their brilliant live performance at the Lyric Theatre and vote!
CLICK ME

Thanks for supporting them!! :)

Tying Apples to the Lilac Tree...

2011-08-22T14:52:00.000+02:00

Another one of those old songs that I grew up with. I just learned it was written by George Gartlan in 1920. Now THAT's a classic! :)

A little boy and a little girl,

In an ecstacy of bliss,

Said the little boy to the little girl,

"Pray give me just one kiss."

The girl drew back in great surprise.

"You're a stranger, sir," said she,

"Bul I will give you just one kiss

When the apples grow on the lilac tree!"

The boy felt very sad at heart;

She was the only one.

The girl felt quite remorseful

At the terrible wrong she had done.

So bright and early on the very next morn,

He was quite surprised to see

His little sweetheart standing in the garden

Tying apples on a lilac tree.

Someone Bigger Than Me

2011-08-22T01:48:00.000+02:00

by Eldora Sichrovsky (I lived with the author's family in Japan many years ago and taught some of her older sisters. I loved this article she wrote in the Activated Magazine).

I can still remember the first time I discovered what a few minutes in God's creation can do. I was in grade school and was frantically searching for a misplaced workbook that I needed for class the next day. The more I searched, the more confused and frustrated I became. I was exasperated and on the verge of tears when my mom came into the room. Seeing my dilemma, she suggested I go outside for some fresh air and sunshine. "Perhaps it will give you new energy and refresh your mind," she said.

My nine-year-old mind couldn't make sense of that, but I gave it a try anyway. Running down the path through our yard, I breathed in the fresh spring air and basked in the warm sunlight. I stopped to smell the fragrance of newly opened flowers and sat by the lily pond, watching the goldfish dart by as the water tickled my feet. Turning back to the house, I suddenly remembered that I'd left my workbook between the cushions on our living room sofa where I'd been sitting and watching TV the night before. I felt relieved and refreshed. Mom had been right.

I have often applied that childhood lesson to my adult life. When life's challenges leave me feeling low, when my work feels too demanding and the pressure too crushing, I love to take a few minutes with nature. Whether it's a few potted plants on a window sill or a breathtaking view from a mountaintop, there's just something about God's amazing handiwork in the diverse and colorful world around me that refreshes my mind and renews my spirit.

It's wonderfully reassuring to remember that, like His wonderful creation, my life is in the hands of someone bigger than me.

God is the supreme artist. God looked at His creation as it progressed and saw it was good; when He had completed it, He saw that it was "very good." The Great Artist was evidently much pleased with His world. It was a world filled with wonderful objects, shapes, and movements, a world abundant in rich colors like those of the rainbow and the rose, rich textures like those of beaver fur and magnolia leaves, rich odors like those of the quince and the honeysuckle, rich sounds like those of thunder and running streams, and rich tastes like those of watermelons and chocolate.—Clyde S. Kilby

Cosmopolitan Cover Girl Masterclass

2011-08-21T00:50:00.001+02:00

I had such a fun day today. My darling booked me in for the Cosmopolitan Cover Girl Masterclass. The held their annual workshop in Durban last week, Joburg this week and Cape Town is next. 40 women in each city got to have a workshop with the senior fashion editor of Cosmo, Robynne Kahn, on using fashion (that was the highlight for me as she was witty, funny and gave very helpful tips on having fun with what you wear like kids do when they dress up and how to draw the eye where you want it.) She also was the one who picked our cover outfits later and I absolutely LOVED mine and loved seeing what she chose for the different body types. It was sometimes surprising but always looked amazing when she was finished putting it all together.

We also had a great make up class from a Revlon rep. who demonstrated a full make up job on Poppy (5FM DJ). It was amazing, almost looked airbrushed without looking caked on at all.

I definitely enjoy make-up. I think it's like art, finding interesting colour combinations and seeing what brings out different features. I love that make up plays an important part in our dancing as well. Yay for Indian and Arabic smokey eyes! I got to chat with some very interesting ladies there and made some new friends.

We had a wonderful breakfast and lunch at the Fairway Golf Resort and had our hair (by Toni and Guy), make up and nails (by Revlon) done, then wardrobe (from Foschini and Donna-Claire) for our cover shoots. We all got our own Cosmo mag with our finished cover on it and goodies from the sponsors. They'll post all the behind-the-scenes pics on their website soon and in the November issue along with some of the covers so if you're in SA you can pick a copy up. (I'm also having a letter to the editor published in the October issue!)

It was a very fun girls' day and I'd love to drag some friends along next time. Thank you Baby!!

Bible Quiz Answers by Kids.

2011-08-17T23:48:00.000+02:00

Mom sent these to me. Too cute!!

This comes from a Catholic elementary school. Kids were asked questions about the Old and New Testaments. The following statements about the Bible were written by children. They have not been retouched or corrected (i.e., incorrect spelling has been left in.)

1. In the first book of the Bible, Guinessis, God got tired of creating the world, so he took the Sabbath off.
2. Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. Noah's wife was called Joan of Ark. Noah built an ark, which the animals come on to in pears.
3. Lot's wife was a pillar of salt by day, but a ball of fire by night.
4. The Jews were a proud people and throughout history they had trouble with the unsympathetic Genitals.
5. Samson was a strongman who let himself be led astray by a Jezebel like Delilah.
6. Samson slayed the Philistines with the axe of the Apostles.
7. Moses led the hebrews to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread which is bread without any ingredients.
8. The Egyptians were all drowned in the dessert. Afterwards, Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten ammendments.
9. The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat the apple.
10. The seventh commandment is thou shalt not admit adultery.
11. Moses died before he ever reached Canada. Then Joshua led the hebrews in the battle of Geritol.
12. The greatest miracle in the Bible is when Joshua told his son to stand still and he obeyed him.
13. David was a hebrew king skilled at playing the liar. He fought with the Finklesteins, a race of people who lived in Biblical times.
14. Solomon, one of David's sons, had 300 wives and 700 porcupines.
15. When Mary heard she was the mother of Jesus, she sang the Magna Carta.
16. When the three wise guys from the east side arrived, they found Jesus in the manager.
17. Jesus was born because Mary had an immaculate contraption.
18. St. John the blacksmith dumped water on his head.
19. Jesus enunciated the Golden Rule, which says to do one to others before they do one to you. He also explained, "a man doth not live by sweat alone."
20. It was a miracle when Jesus rose from the dead and managed to get the tombstone off the entrance.
21. The people who followed the lord were called the 12 decibels.
22. The epistles were the wives of the apostles.
23. One of the oppossums was St. Matthew who was also ataximan.
24. St. Paul cavorted to Christianity. He preached holy acrimony, which is another name for marriage.
25. Christians have only one spouse. This is called monotony.

The Love Boat and Leaves

2011-08-15T13:13:00.000+02:00

I had lots of fun this morning with these crazy genius children. Their mom went for a driving lesson so I got to have them for art class.

We made the picture of Noah's Ark behind them and they all drew their favorite animals.

While drawing the whale Sean made up a joke which he told us, "Why do fish swim in a school? IT'S A BUILDING!" Then he laughed, sighed and said, "That was a good joke."
I was very happy at least HE got it. Heh.

After having great fun devising ways to show the boy and girl animals by drawing ribbons in their hair, bow ties, different colour collars, eyelashes or in some cases lipstick (note Sean's whale) Brian wanted to write "The Loveboat" under the title "Noah's Ark". I asked him why and he said "Well, everyone on the boat has a girlfriend".
Hmmmm....Never thought of that before.

We also collected some leaves from the garden to make leaf art but had to rush inside when a mini-hailstorm started! That was especially fun after we all got to eat some hail. Quite exciting.

It's so nice to be around little kids when you haven't for awhile. They're full of wise words and are absolutely hilarious.

They have a way to cheer you up if you're feeling a little low or the weather is grey and cold. :)

Lyf

2011-08-11T21:26:00.001+02:00

I got to go with Marie and Terri to an amazing contemporary dance show called Lyf (Afrikaans for 'Body') by KMAD. "The dancers take the audience through the journey through the life of a woman- love lost, love found, never without heart ache."

Unfortunately, because a lot of the songs were in Afrikaans I'm sure I missed a lot of the stories and messages in between that were projected on the background. Still, it was beautiful and the dancers were really amazing.

The stories/scenarios that I did understand were beautifully portrayed and all the dancers emoted so much. They also had a sax player come out and reprise the song just played which added an interesting element. Gorgeous.

Crazy Day

2011-08-09T21:59:00.001+02:00

With Pheebs and El who I spent the whole day with. Thanks for making it bearable!

Had such a crazy day yesterday while shooting a Smirnoff commercial. They built sets in the beautiful Joburg station with huge arches where they set up scenes in different countries. Unfortunately our scene got moved from 9:30am to 10:30pm! So we spent the entire day there chatting with the other extras and actors, making friends, chilling with Pheebs and El and enjoying the endless coffee, tea and snack bar. It was probably the least organized shoot I'd ever been on but the end result did look pretty amazing so I'm looking forward to seeing how it all comes together. To keep busy during the 14 hour day, we had fun snapping pics around the set and our scene ended up being great fun. Definitely an interesting experience to tick off on my 'I Did List'. :)

Fame and Fortune...

2011-08-07T14:09:00.000+02:00

I'm going to be filming a commercial tomorrow with 9 others girls. If I'm recognizable in the final edit of the add I get lots of money (well, for me, anyway). Please pray they put all the short girls in the front, then I have a real shot. :-D

8 Things You Should Never Say to Your Husband

2011-08-03T12:22:00.001+02:00

I read this article on Yahoo news by Denise Schipani this morning and thought it was so true. I'm very thankful for the relationships that didn't work out in my life so that I would have a chance to learn SOMETHING from my mistakes and try to do better now that I'm married to 'The One'. :)

The one thing I probably can't stress enough is that you can't take anything back in a relationship. You can apologize if you've said something unkind and they can forgive you but the hurt remains and will come up every time something goes wrong. I try to think of my relationship as a clean slate, everything hurtful you do or say will mar that, every time you hold your tongue and do something in love instead you build it. There will always be times that our tempers get the best of us but keeping that clean slate in mind helps me think a little more and usually, gives me just enough time to make me realize that I'm only speaking out of frustration and don't really mean the hurtful things I'm tempted to say.

So here's the short list with my comments but the full article is definitely worth a read:

1. You're JUST like your father.
Of course in my case my hubby's dad was a great guy and so that would be a compliment. Heh. It's more that you don't want to say they're exhibiting the worst traits of their family which is nasty and belittling.

2. When are you going to find a new job?
Figure out what you're actually trying to say, do you resent him spending so much time away from home, is his job not paying him enough? Be specific and address the issues rather than sweeping statements that will attack his ability to provide and care for his family.

3. My mother warned me you'd do this!
If you're trying to impress him that you have others on your side all your doing is showing him you're not on his side. Again addressing specific issues will help you understand where he's coming from much better.

4. Leave it- I'll do it myself.
Okay, in my case, almost anything I can do, with the exception of singing, dancing and putting on make up, I think my hubby can do better, so hopefully he's reading this and will let me do some things substandard once in awhile just to make me feel helpful. :P (I promise if the situation is EVER reversed I'll do the same.)

5 You always... or You never...
The perfect words to put someone on the defensive and almost guarantee them not wanting to hear you out.

6. Do you really think those clothes are flattering?
Rather than insulting his taste, be specific and honest with what you like and don't like about their sense of style or appearance and be sure to compliment what you do like! This definitely works both ways.

7. Ugh, we're hanging out with him again?
You're not guaranteed to like each other's friends so you CAN do some things separately once in awhile that better suits your individual hobbies. If you feel the friend is a negative influence for some reason then be honest with your husband but then let him decide for himself over time.

8. Please watch the kids but don't do this or forget that...
If you always criticize the way he does things with the kids, a weak points for a lot of new moms especially, he'll feel less like getting involved at all. Everyone has different ways of doing things but letting them feel your trust and support brings out the best and you'll realise there are sometimes more than one way to do things right.

Bollywood Weekend and Moving

2011-08-01T12:35:00.000+02:00

I have to say I'm definitely one who prefers busy to bored so this weekend was just lovely in that respect. :) We had a show for a big bank here the same night as one in a city about 4 hours away so we were able to split our dance group to pull it off. Both shows went very well with the organisers writing me the next morning saying they'd love to have us again. Yay!

On Saturday night we had a show for just under 1000 people to a very full house in Lenasia, a predominantly Indian area which always feels like home to me having lived so many years in Uganda where most of the business community is Asian. (Asian being the preferred name for Indians in East Africa.)

We were part of the entertainment at a very big scale Mr. and Miss Bollywood Talent Search. The fashion show sections were amazing with some of the most gorgeous saris and Indian menswear. For some reason the men all thought whoever had the most glitter in their hair would catch the judges' eye and so they literally radiated! Ha. The tiny kids competing for the title of Little Miss Bollywood were soooo adorable. Decked out in jewelry, amazing hair styles and tiny fancy outfits they did the catwalk like true pros.

True to Indian time the event went several hours over schedule, I would have suggested the talent part of the competition be limited to 2 minutes each instead of 5 as with over 20 contestants it was a lot to fit in. Some of the highlights were an incredible demonstration from the Shotokan Karate school, the black belts did their patterns to techno music and it looked amazing!

One little girl, 6 years old, did a Kwaito dance with perfect rhythm and so much attitude, she had the judges on their feet for a standing ovation.

We kept getting special mention as the first International group ever to perform for this event and the hype and audience was really great. :) We performed Munni, Jai Ho and a Bhangra remix to Sean Kingston's Burning on the Dance floor with fire. We pulled off our latest addition, one-handed cartwheels with fire, just fine (much to my relief) heh and everyone LOVED it! They called us on stage and gave us a donation for our charity work www.familycaresa.com and www.thefamilyafrica.com ,certificates of participation and gifts.

In between all that, Eduan and I moved houses which we're getting rather good at now. :) We're staying with some good friends in another big, beautiful house till we settle on our long term plans. One of their kids goes to the same school as Kaycee which is really nice and going with them to school means she doesn't have to get up at 5 every day. Score!

You know what they say:

"Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better." -King Whitney Jr.

Dear Email Scammers...

2011-07-24T18:28:00.000+02:00

First off, thank you so much for the many business opportunities that you have informed me of. I'm sorry that none of them have interested me due to the slight drawback that none of them are real. However, I know you have a business to run so I thought I'd give you some suggestions.

I'd like to suggest that you take some English classes, just to brush up on those annoying things called 'Spelling' and 'Grammar' that most businesses try to make use of these days.
Impersonating a bank, a minister, a diplomat or UK lottery means you are trying to look like a distinguished, English speaking entity.

For someone such as myself, who obviously is of interest to you (otherwise why would you keep trying to convince me of the millions of dollars and pounds which could be mine if I would just sell my soul, oops, I mean my personal information and banking details to you), I need to see a professional letter with good spelling, proper grammar, oh, and actually knowing my name would be helpful.

Getting a letter that says that you think I would be a perfect partner for your oil drilling business or a feasible fake relative of a deceased Swedish dignitary makes me wonder if your researcher is not just a little hopeful, seeing as I have no actual oil drilling experience and am by no means Swedish.

Just this morning I got your lovely notice from you posing as my bank which I'm pasting as is:

Absa has initiated a protective procedure to secure all online banking accounts against theft and identity forgery.As a result of this Security Program, we require you to bear with us online for some minutes and follow the instructions as we will be sending you some sms for this verification purpose in other to finish the Security Program Activation.We would suspend your access for safety reasons until you upgrade. follow the link below

You see what I mean? Just a few extra spaces, a capital letter or two, some useful punctuation and I would be more inclined to smile and nod wisely before sending your email to junk mail. Now all I can do is shake my head at the poor sentence structure and wonder if you wouldn't be doing yourself a favor by doing something less useful like becoming the next South African Minister of Law and Order or at least director of Home Affairs.

Anyway, if you do take the time to learn English correctly you may find you can leave your spamming ways and avoid robbing poor uninformed retirees or (preferably) spending years in jail and go into business doing I.T.

Best of luck with your life change,

Tina

Of Bombs and Drugs...

2011-07-24T00:17:00.000+02:00

It's shocking, saddening and heart-wrenching hearing the news about the Oslo Bombing/Shooting spree, the death of Amy Winehouse who had an amazing talent overshadowed by her reckless life of alcohol and drug abuse, and other tragedies around the world. I find these quotes from The Shack to be very comforting when the world all seems a little too crazy.

"The Great Sadness had draped itself around Mack's shoulders like some invisible but almost tangibly heavy quilt. The weight of its presence dulled his eyes and stooped his shoulders. Even his efforts to shake it off were exhausting, as if his arms were sewn into its bleak folds of despair and he had somehow become part of it. He ate, worked, loved, dreamed and played in this garment of heaviness, weighed down as if he were wearing a leaden bathrobe -- trudging daily through the murky despondence that sucked the color out of everything. At times he could feel The Great Sadness slowly tightening around his chest and heart like the crushing coils of a constrictor, squeezing liquid from his eyes until he thought there no longer remained a reservoir."

Papa said, "Mack, just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn't mean I orchestrate the tragedies. Don't ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I need it to accomplish my purposes. That will only lead you to false notions about me. Grace doesn't depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors."

" Mackenzie, I never left him, and I have never left you"
"That makes no sense to me" he snapped
"I know it doesn't, at least not yet. Will you at least consider this: When all you can see is pain, perhaps then you lose sight of me?"

"Some of us live and some of us die
Someday God's going to tell us why
Open your heart and grow with what life sends
We'll meet again at the festival of friends."
- Quoting lyrics by Bruce Cockburn

How to Keep Your Girl Happy

2011-07-20T23:31:00.000+02:00

I recently discovered that as far as glossy magazines go, I quite enjoy GQ, insightful interviews, a wide range of articles from the serious and informative to the hilarious. Paul White wrote an article in this month's issue (in the SA version that is) with such helpful tips for keeping a smile on your lady friend's face that I had to share my favorite parts with you.

He says, "A few years ago, (make that quite a few) men's lives were a lot simpler. they went to work. They got married. They had children. They retired, then they died. (I'd like to suggest that they didn't retire, most just worked till they died falling over one day after plowing the fields.) They didn't have to worry about things like feelings or being attentive.

Now things have changed. You need to have opinions on things such as furniture... and know the difference between eau de nil and chartreuse (they're colours).

Step 1: Listen

Hearing is a physical thing. Listening, really listening is a spiritual thing. You hear with your ears , but you listen with your heart. And while most of us males can get by with affirmative grunts and positive feedback, if you're not really listening one grunt too many can quickly have you end up in a situation in which you wouldn't normally find yourself, such as the 'Third Annual Soft Furnishings and Wine Convention" and no man wants to go through that.

The first prize is to actually listen, but that is only suggested for the most evolved of men. With the following sentence, you will be able to charm your way out of any situation.

"Sorry, babe, I was thinking about what we should get your mom for Christmas. Would you mind repeating what you just said?" It's a sure-fire winner.

Step 2: Show Some Emotion

Remember that time your dog died and your eyes got that strange burning feeling and then everything went a little out of focus? That's called emotion and that's how girls feel. All. The. Time. If you really want to impress girls you should try crying in a movie. (I'd strongly suggest making sure it's a cry-worthy movie otherwise you might just scare her.) It shows that you're strong enough to be able to show weakness.

It's is suggested though that you begin with demonstrating the simple emotions such as sadness; move on to compassion and perhaps artistic misery, Only the pros can do emotions such as melancholy, commiseration and thoughtfulness. Whimsy has probably never been successfully felt or feigned by a man.

Step 3: Be Available

Being available basically means that you need to drop what you are doing immediately in order to listen to your girlfriend and make her feel better about whatever she wants to talk to you about.

A great way to excite your girlfriend and seem available is to suggest couple-themed events. Such as making scale models of your feelings for each other. You could also just give her money- it's worked for ugly men for ages.

- Paul White (Who is on his way to the third annual Soft Furnishings and Wine Convention)

Note to Self: Cancel my credit card before I die.

2011-07-20T12:37:00.002+02:00

(I have no idea if the following was a real exchange or not but from the customer service I've dealt with so often, I find it hard to believe it wasn't. Ha.)

A lady died this past January, and Citibank billed her for February and March for their annual service charges on her credit card, and added late fees and interest on the monthly charge. The balance had been $0.00 when she died, but now somewhere around $60.00. A family member placed a call to Citibank.
Here is the exchange:
Family Member: 'I am calling to tell you she died back in January.'
Citibank : ' The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply.'
Family Member: 'Maybe you should turn it over to collections.'
Citibank : 'Since it is two months past due, it already has been.'
Family Member: So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?'
Citibank : 'Either report her account to frauds division or report her to the credit bureau, maybe both!'
Family Member: 'Do you think God will be mad at her?'
Citibank : 'Excuse me?'
Family Member: 'Did you just get what I was telling you - the part about her being dead?'
Citibank : 'Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor.'
Supervisor gets on the phone:
Family Member: 'I'm calling to tell you, she died back in January with a $0 balance.'
Citibank : ' The account was never closed and late fees and charges still apply.'
Family Member: 'You mean you want to collect from her estate?'
Citibank : (Stammer) 'Are you her lawyer?'
Family Member: 'No, I'm her great-nephew.' (Lawyer info was given- in case she wanted one)
Citibank: 'Could you fax us a certificate of death?'
Family Member: 'Sure.' (Fax number was given- at least that was actually useful)

After they get the fax :

Citibank: 'Our system just isn't setup for death. I don't know what more I can do to help.'
Family Member: 'Well, if you figure it out, great! If not, you could just keep billing her. She won't care.'
Citibank: 'Well, the late fees and charges will still apply.'
(What is wrong with these people?!?)
Family Member: 'Would you like her new billing address?'
Citibank : 'That might help....'
Family Member: ' Odessa Memorial Cemetery , Highway 129, Plot Number 69.'
Citibank : 'Sir, that's a cemetery!'
Family Member: 'And what do you do with dead people on your planet???'

Quotes I like...

2011-07-17T23:25:00.000+02:00

Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go. ~William Feather

Don't give up. There are too many nay-sayers out there who will try to discourage you. Don't listen to them. The only one who can make you give up is yourself. -Sidney Sheldon

Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong. -Ella Fitzgerald

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. -Dale Carnegie

Fall seven times, stand up eight. -Japanese Proverb

The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground. ~Author Unknown

15 Successful Entrepreneurs Who Didn't Need College

2011-07-12T12:08:00.000+02:00

I'm all for degrees and qualifications, however, it does not a success make. :) After my last post along these lines I wanted to post some examples of those who have gone on to be very accomplished without degrees and some without high school diplomas. I'm sure we've all heard countless examples but it is motivating to remember. I put a lot more money on hard work, talent, people skills and networking then paper. But, like this article says, if you have the papers as well, more power to you! Plus, I love being able to call my hubby things like Advocate or Doctor, so I guess there's that... ;)

15 Successful Entrepreneurs Who Didn’t Need College
From College Start Up
November 5th, 2007

How many times were you told to make sure you worked hard in high school so you could go to college and get a good career job? Okay, maybe not all of you got nagged about it, but probably a good portion of today’s generation of adults did.

It’s natural to wonder whether college is really necessary. A college degree, as many have found, is no guarantee of a good career. On the flipside, there are many successful entrepreneurs who didn’t need their college education and become millionaires anyway. Here are fifteen of them, both contemporary and from the past, in alphabetical order.

Mary Kay Ash. The founder of Mary Kay Inc. started a cosmetics business. While she didn’t have a college education or any training, she successfully created a brand known throughout the world. To date, nearly half a million women have started Mary Kay businesses, selling cosmetics. Their appreciation for Mary Kay Ash is unwavering.

Richard Branson. Richard Branson is best known for his thrill seeking spirit and outrageous business tactics. He dropped out at the age of 16 and started his first successful business venture, Student Magazine. He is the owner of the Virgin brand and its 360 companies. His companies include Virgin Megastore and Virgin Atlantic Airway.

Coco Chanel. An orphan for many years, Gabrielle Coco Chanel trained as a seamstress. Determined to invent herself, she threw out the ideas that the fashion world deemed feminine, boldly using fabric and styles normally reserved for men. A perfume bearing her name, Chanel No. 5 kept her name famous.

Simon Cowell. Simon Cowell started in a mailroom for a music publishing company. He has since become an Artist and Repertoire (A&R) executive for Sony BMG in the UK, and a television producer and judge for major television talent contests including American Idol.

Michael Dell. With $1,000, dedication and desire, Michael Dell dropped out of college at age 19 to start PC’s Limited, later named Dell, Inc. Dell became the most profitable PC manufacturer in the world. In 1996, The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation offered a $50 million grant to The University of Texas at Austin to be used for children’s health and education in the city.

Barry Diller. Fox Broadcasting Company was started by a college dropout, Barry Diller. Diller is now chairman of Expedia, and CEO of of IAC/InterActiveCorp which includes Home Shopping Network and Ticketmaster.

Walt Disney. Having dropped out of high school at 16, Walt Disney’s career and accomplishments are astounding. The most influential animator, Disney holds the record for the most awards and nominations. Disney’s imagination included cartoons and theme parks. The Walt Disney Company now has annual revenue of $30 billion.

Debbi Fields. As a young, 20 year old housewife with no business experience, Debbi Fields started Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chippery. With a recipe for chocolate chip cookies, this young woman became the most successful cookie company owner. She later renamed, franchised, then sold Mrs. Field’s Cookies.

Henry Ford. At 16, Henry Ford left home to apprentice as a machinist. He later started Ford Motor Company to manufacture automobiles. Ford’s first major success, the Model T, allowed Ford to open a large factory and later start the assembly line production, revolutionalizing the auto-making industry.

Bill Gates. Ranked as the world’s richest person from 1995-2006, Bill Gates was a college drop out. He started the largest computer software company, Microsoft Corporation. Gates and his wife are philanthropists, starting The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with a focus on global health and learning.

Milton Hershey. With only a fourth grade education, Milton Hershey started his own chocolate company. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate became the first nationally marketed chocolate. Hershey also focused on building a wonderful community for his workers, known as Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Steve Jobs. After attending one semester of college, Steve Jobs worked for Atari before co-founding Apple Computers. Now without the “Computers” in their name, Apple includes innovative products such as the iPod, iTunes, and most recently the iPhone. Steve Jobs was also the CEO and co-founder of Pixar before it merged with Walt Disney.

Rachael Ray. Despite having no formal training in culinary arts, Rachel Ray has made a name for herself in the food industry. With numerous shows on the Food Network, a talk show and cookbooks, high-energy Rachael doesn’t slow down. She has also appeared in magazines as well has having her own magazine debut in 2006. She knew she was a success when a website dedicated to bashing her was created.

Ty Warner. Sole owner, CEO, and Chairman of Ty, Inc., Ty Warner is a savvy, yet private business man. Ty, Inc., made $700 million in a single year with the Beanie Babies craze without spending money on advertising! He has since expanded to include Ty Girlz dolls, directly competing with Bratz dolls.

Frank Lloyd Wright. Having never attended high school, Frank Lloyd Wright surpassed all odds when he became the most influential architect of the twentieth century. Wright designed more than 1,100 projects with about half actually being built. His designs have inspired numerous architects to look at the beauty around them and add to it.

Of course, just because these people made it does not of course mean that most people can do without a college degree. If you’ve got an entrepreneurial spirit, the degree is just a backup.

The Scarlet Pimpernel I presume...

2011-07-12T11:29:00.002+02:00

Finally got around to watching "The King's Speech" and loved it. Brilliant acting, wonderful characters, impeccable screen play (something which, in my opinion, makes or breaks a movie) and of course those marvelous English accents. The thing that made me happiest though was spotting my childhood crush, "The Scarlet Pimpernel" a.k.a Anthony Andrews, as the Prime Minister. I recognized him instantly, although of course, looking much older. I was so pleased to see he's still acting. Bravo.

Trampoline Fun

2011-07-11T16:56:00.003+02:00

Dance With Me Baby- Bollywood Spectacular

2011-07-10T13:44:00.000+02:00

I entered into a FB competition with 4CornerZ Entertainment to win tickets to this amazing Bollywood show which was hosted in Durban for 3 years and now showing in Joburg at the Lyric Theatre for 3 days. I was one of 5 lucky winners and thoroughly enjoyed the show!!

With 35 dancers and the wonderful choreography by Shivani Kara I loved the variety of party remixes, old classics (think Chaiyya Chaiyya, Leja Leja, Mahive, and Dhola Re Dhola), hip hop, gumboot dancing, a tribute to Michael Jackson and one of my favourites, the Chinese hand dance.

The show was 2 hours and 20 minutes long which I think is rather long for any dance show with no emceeing or singing but the costume changes (every song had a new costume up till the last half of the second act) helped keep it interesting. I loved the vast amounts of shiny material used and I think we shall definitely put more sparkle into our next costumes. :) The strong point was how good all the dancers got into character, they acted, danced and sang the songs perfectly! Shivani definitely showcased each principle dancer's strong points and talents which added a lot to the quality of the show.

During the show there was a very drunk guy in the front seat of the balcony who was continually yelling, swearing at people and standing up and disturbing the show. One guy got very offended at something he said and tried wailing on him but it was quite a small man so it didn't help much. Eduan pretty much picked the drunk guy up with one arm and escorted him out of the theatre much to everyone's relief. I called security and they had him removed from the premises. We enjoyed the rest of the show in peace.

The Lyric Theatre is beautiful and for the 2nd half we got to sit in our own box which I think was brilliant. You can see the dancers from a whole different perspective and watch the audience reactions too. The only thing I think she show was missing was an encore.

I would highly recommend "Dance With Me Baby" if you're a fan of Bollywood in all it's high energy, fast moves, big groups of dancers, expressive storylines and colourful costumes. It's a night to remember.

This girl was a great performer and featured in most of the hip hop dances.

The Michael Jackson Tribute

I loved this shredded costume look on stage and would love to make a girl version.

The Chinese Hand Dance

Some hip hop/gumboot fusion

The Grand Finale with all 35 Dancers on stage

The Metaphors of 15 year olds....

2011-07-08T09:46:00.000+02:00

Some of these are pure genius, some others... not so much. :D Enjoy!

Fresh from the pens of England's finest 15 year olds - these are metaphors from actual GCSE essays:

Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two other sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a tumble dryer.

She caught your eye like one of those pointy hook latches that used to dangle from doors and would fly up whenever you banged the door open again.

The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.

McMurphy fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a paper bag filled with vegetable soup.

Her eyes were like two brown circles with big black dots in the centre

Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

He was as tall as a six-foot-three-inch tree.

The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.

Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left York at 6:36 p.m. travelling at 55 mph, the other from Peterborough at 4:19p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.

The politician was gone but unnoticed, like the full stop after the Dr. on a Dr Pepper can.

John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

The thunder was ominous sounding, much like the sound of a thin sheet of metal being shaken backstage during the storm scene in a play..

The red brick wall was the colour of a brick-red crayon.

Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long it had rusted shut.

The door had been forced, as forced as the dialogue during the interview portion of Family Fortunes.

Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.

The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

Oh, Jason, take me!" she panted, her breasts heaving like a student on 31p-a-pint night.

He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck either, but a real duck that was actually lame. Maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

Her artistic sense was exquisitely refined, like someone who can tell butter from "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter."

She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

It came down the stairs looking very much like something no one had ever seen before.

The knife was as sharp as the tone used by Glenda Jackson MP in her first several points of parliamentary procedure made to Robin Cook MP, Leader of the House of Commons, in the House Judiciary Committee hearings on the suspension of Keith Vaz MP.

The ballerina rose gracefully en pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a lamppost.

The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free cashpoint.

The dandelion swayed in the gentle breeze like an oscillating electric fan set on medium.

It was a working class tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with their power tools.

He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a dustcart reversing.

She was as easy as the Daily Star crossword.

She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room- temperature British beef.

She walked into my office like a centipede with 98 missing legs.

Her voice had that tense, grating quality, like a first-generation thermal paper fax machine that needed a band tightened.

It hurt the way your tongue hurts after you accidentally staple it to the wall.

and my personal favourite...

The plan was simple, like my brother Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

Something I read today..

2011-07-06T00:18:00.000+02:00

MAKING THINGS RIGHT
Excerpts from the book by Paul Faulkner

If you put your arm in a sling and keep it inactive, soon it becomes limp and useless. The fish in Mammoth Cave are blind because they do not use their eyes. Stop acting in faith, and faith dies. Stop hoping, and hope dies. Use it or lose it; that's the message.

When I speak with appreciation of my wife and children, my attitude of appreciation toward them increases. When I go out of my way to do something that puts the interest of someone else above my own, my attitude of goodwill toward that person grows. When I express my love for God through my actions, the attitude of love for God blooms.--So exercise the qualities you want to acquire, with God's help, and you'll soon find yourself actually becoming like that.

***********

Right attitudes are the foundation stones of successful living. All that you are and do today is the sum total of your thoughts and attitudes of yesterday. You will travel the path tomorrow which your heart and mind blaze today. The thoughts, images and perceptions cast upon the screens of your mind become the blueprints you will use to build your future.

************

The answer is simple: Believe you can. Some psychologists would say that you can find happiness and contentment in life through your own human resources. They view each person as a self-sufficient being who can manufacture his own do-it-yourself kit to achieve whatever he believes. But I question that philosophy. I know many self-sufficient folks who see no need for an enabling power above or beyond their own. Yet, I know very few who have learned to be content "whatever the circumstances!" God has made it clear that whatever we accomplish is not by our own power, "but by My Spirit, says the Lord" (Zechariah 4:6 ).

How did Paul learn to be content in any set of circumstances? Did he learn it through his own human self-sufficiency? No way! Rather, he said, "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.... I can do all things through Him (Christ) who strengthens me" ( Philippians 4:11-13 ).

What exactly did Paul mean by this stunning claim? Was he actually saying that with Christ's help he could do anything? Some folks take it that way, but does that fit the context of what Paul said? I don't think Paul is claiming to be some sort of superman who can pray for Christ's help and then leap buildings in a single bound or catch bullets in his teeth. He is simply saying what any committed Christian can say: "In Christ's strength I can be content in whatever circumstances life may choose to hurl at me. His Spirit will help me do anything God wants me to do."

New Hair! Yay!

2011-07-02T19:33:00.001+02:00

A new hair salon had some very nice opening specials which I got to take advantage of and decided to get lots of highlights! Yay! Very happy with it as it's the one hair colour that's hard to do at home by yourself. (I'm a master DIY home hair dyer) so this is a really nice change and it's so fun to see your reflection and not recognize yourself. Heh.

PS: More details for interested ladies... I left lots of dark undertones as I prefer something long lasting and low maintenance (plus I don't really want to go for the Madonna or Agynes Deyn black eyebrows and blonde hair look. I haven't quite gotten around to liking the new 'ombre' style (see below picture 3) which I'll have naturally anyway if I let my blonde grow out a bit.

Yesterday, to get some ideas, I played around with Photoshop to look at styles I like and this was the very amusing result:

I got lots of helpful comments from my friends on Facebook and I agree for the 'number 4' I'd have to have that black vinyl suit and carry a powerful fan or constantly spin around to achieve the look properly. Maybe next time. :)

Dear Photograph...

2011-06-29T09:43:00.000+02:00

Dear Photograph is a seriously cool idea if you're one of those who still live or get to visit the places of your childhood.

"Dear Photograph Me and my first bike. The bike I have now goes a little bit faster.
@bizaaron

I've been blessed with getting to travel so much and can call so many places home that when I can go back to the 1 or 2 places where I actually stayed longer than a few years I have so many memories attached.

I suppose it 's called growing up when you can go back and see a bridge you used to run across now overgrown with vines and falling apart, or the fountain that used to be so beautiful now covered in moss and unused in over a decade, another house I lived in has become a parking lot which definitely boggles your mind looking at it.

At the same time, I don't wish to go back to any other part of my life than the part I'm living right now. My memories and life experience helped me become who I am and taught me what I don't want to be...again.

I've had a very interesting life and mistakes have been a good dose of that but in all honesty if I didn't make some then, I'd be making them now. I'm much more up for making new mistakes and creating new memories.

Dear Photograph Grandma loved this beach. -Dan Perry

But for all those people that have passed through my life, teachers, friends and family, thanks for being a part. I do sometimes wish I had a photograph.

Moving House

2011-06-28T11:22:00.002+02:00

Since our lovely landlady just sold her Pretoria house in order to buy one closer to where she lives, we've had to start house hunting after living there for a year and 4 months.

We're at a very interesting point in our lives where we want to make some longer term plans and they include living in a few choice locations. Because of that we needed to find somewhere short term to stay while we wait for certain things to play out. Some good friends of ours are travelling for a few months so we'll be staying in their home for awhile. It's really a gorgeous house with a big pool (it's so nice to look at even though the weather is freezing) a huge snooker table (YES!!) and gorgeous grounds.

Still, I'm looking forward to somewhere where we can really put our weight down and where I can paint the walls and set it up the way I like. I actually have a diploma for interior decorating and I've done my fair share of carpeting, wall papering and all that jazz.

It's so nice that Kaycee's school holidays are happening now so she didn't have to be involved in all the moving. Eduan and I packed and moved the entire house in one weekend. We rented a 1 ton trailer and Bakkie (the South African word for pick-up truck) and managed to fill it with one trip to storage and one trip to our temporary home so it was a crazy lot of work and resulted in some serious sore muscles- which I'll never complain about. :)

So for the next little bit this is the view from our room...

It's okay to be a teeny bit jealous. :p

This is a song to wake up to...

2011-06-23T11:24:00.000+02:00

It just makes me happy. :)

The Best Way to Take Control of Your Job Hunt

2011-06-22T11:42:00.000+02:00

Since many of my friends are currently job hunting or looking for that perfect long-term career I thought this article had some great advice. It can be pretty daunting as no one wants to be stuck in a job they don't feel fits right and they would much rather hold out for that dream job- getting paid to do something you love, however with the job market being what it is you can start to think you should take anything that comes. I think the reality might be somewhere in between.

By Miriam Salpeter,

Wouldn't it be nice to have a little more control over your job search? It's frustrating applying over and over again for jobs and never hearing back.

When you apply online, the odds are against you unless your qualifications exactly match what the employer wants. (In other words, unless you are applying for the job you already have.) It's not impossible to land an opportunity via an online application; many people do find jobs that way, but it doesn't change the fact that you're not likely to get hired from a resume drop.

What should you do instead? Stop looking for a job. Start looking for a company.

You may be surprised, but it may be the best career move you never considered. Instead of spending all of your time searching for appropriate job descriptions and targeting your resume to apply for them, you should consider shifting some of your efforts to identifying organizations whose goals are in line with your interests and whose problems you know you can solve.

Hannah Morgan of CareerSherpa.net suggests several steps to take rather than pursuing job postings:

-- Create a list of potential employers who need your kind of problem-solving abilities.

-- Be armed with research on these potential employers to understand their issues and how you can make a difference.

-- Prepare examples of your work in both story and written form.

-- Be able to present yourself as a solution. Know what makes you special and stick to it. Don't waiver.

How should you make lists of employers? Start with companies you know about and where you might want to work. Don't worry if they don't have openings, this research focuses on places you'd like to work-not companies advertising for jobs.

It's a good idea to steer your research to include companies where you already have networking connections. Where do your friends work?

-- Use LinkedIn to research organizations. Use the top toolbar, select "company." Then narrow your search by location, industry, and other factors (such as size, and even by companies where you have first-degree relationships).

Once you identify organizations of interest, start learning all you can about them. Luckily, this is much easier today than it ever was in the past. Examine the company's complete digital footprint. Many firms post videos, and manage Facebook pages and Twitter feeds touting their organizations and why you might want to work there.

Study each company's website and blog if they have one, and search for their employees on Twitter. Use FollowerWonk to search Twitter bios for company names. (A lot of people list where they work in their Twitter bios.) Look in LinkedIn for groups related to any company that interests you to identify people who work there and for industry specific groups where you'll meet people who work in organizations of interest.

Learn what you can about the organizations and their issues by keeping up-to-date with their online materials and by connecting with their employees. Move online relationships to in-person or telephone conversations to learn all you can. Share information about you with people who work in the organizations you're targeting. Informational meetings are key for career success.

Target your materials and prepare samples of your work to address those needs. First, be sure your resume focuses on the organization's needs. It shouldn't be a rehashing of "stuff" you've done in the past; make it about your future. Your LinkedIn profile should be completely filled out to indicate your expertise, especially the summary and specialties sections.

Create a social resume, or personal website to showcase your expertise and to tell your career story. You can use different pages on the site to highlight your experience in various areas and to focus the reader on the reasons you are well suited for the organization. When people you meet online Google you to learn more, or click through your profiles to find out about you, a well-written, in-depth social resume helps ensure they see exactly what you want them to learn about you.

Presenting yourself as the solution is easier once all the other pieces are in place. Try these approaches for a few weeks as part of your job hunt to see if it makes a difference for you!

Miriam Salpeter is a job search and social media consultant, career coach, author, speaker, resume writer and owner of Keppie Careers. She is author of Social Networking for Career Success. Miriam teaches job seekers and entrepreneurs how to incorporate social media tools along with traditional strategies to empower their success. Connect with her via Twitter @Keppie_Careers.

21st Birthday Party

2011-06-19T11:15:00.000+02:00

I performed for a lovely event yesterday a 21st birthday party with around 200 guests. As performers, we're always very lucky when the venue has lots of floor space which this certainly did! I think that's one thing about belly dancers, we have to think on our feet and when you show up you adjust your show to the setting as it's not always a set stage and quite often you end up with a 360 degree audience. Belly dancing is perfect for that as you can travel through the audience and face every side and some props, like veil and Isis wings, are extra fun when you have lots of room!

They showed photos of their son growing up and this family all seemed to be gifted at giving good speeches, they were all witty, funny and touching. It made me think about the day my little girl will turn 21, I can't imagine what that must be like for a parent, you've done all you can to raise a child and that's the final year you really step back and see what they've become or where they're headed and they're well and truly an adult.

Thankfully, I do have another 10 years before we're there but everyone tells me when it happens you look back and it'll seem that time has flown, so I want to make sure I enjoy the moments with her at every stage, oh, and keep good records of her growing up. They had a photo from every birthday till he turned 20 and it's such a priceless collection of memories. I think I'll start a special folder just for that.

Funny Translations

2011-06-18T14:41:00.002+02:00

These always make me smile! :)

[1] IN A BANGKOK TEMPLE:
IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN, EVEN A FOREIGNER, IF DRESSED AS A MAN.

[2] Cocktail Lounge, Norway:
LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR.

[3] Doctor's Office, Rome :
SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES.

[4] Dry Cleaners, Bangkok :
DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS.

[5] In a Nairobi Restaurant:
CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE, OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER.

[6] On the main road to Mombasa , leaving Nairobi :
TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE.

[7] On a Poster at Kencom:
ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO WE CAN HELP.

[8] In a City Restaurant:
OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS.

[9] In a Cemetery:
PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS, FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES.

[10] Tokyo hotel's rules and regulations:
GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE, OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED.

[11] On the menu of a Swiss Restaurant:
OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR.

[12] In a Tokyo Bar:
SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS.

[13] Hotel, Yugoslavia:
THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE, IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID.

[14] Hotel, Japan:
YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID.

[15] In the lobby of a Moscow Hotel, across from a Russian Orthodox Monastery:
YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY, WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY, EXCEPT THURSDAY.

[16] A sign posted in Germany 's Black Forest :
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE, THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONE TENT, UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE.

[17] Hotel, Zurich :
BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE.

[18] Advertisement for donkey rides, Thailand :
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ASS?

[19] Airline ticket office, Copenhagen :
WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS. (Just Like British Airways!!!)

[20] A Laundry in Rome :
LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND THEN SPEND THE AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME.

[21] Seen in an Abu Dhabi Souk shop window:
IF THE FRONT IS CLOSED PLEASE ENTER THROUGH MY BACKSIDE

Golden Shine Cleaning Infographic

2011-06-15T09:47:00.000+02:00

Check out what my brilliant brother made for his agency. Very groovy!

Via: Goldenshine.com

GNB

2011-06-14T12:47:00.000+02:00

All my homies who are in or associates of TFI. You can access the recently launched 'Good News Blog' which I'm contributing to along with some very good friends of mine which basically showcases some of the latest projects and outreach ministries going on around the world. If you haven't dropped by visit here and be the first to leave a comment (pick me!).

If you have a story about the work you're involved in that you want written up/edited or posted send it to me at tina@africawork.net. If you know someone doing something interesting or blog worthy send me their details and I'll weasel the story out of them. ;) It's been amazing reading all that's posted so far and the range of projects going on is really impressive. I'm looking forward to where everyone will be and what they'll be doing in a year or so. Life is exciting!

Getting your 20...

2011-06-14T09:19:00.000+02:00

I once read that if you're an actress or any sort of performer really, you have to go to a lot of auditions and for every 'yes' you should expect to get 20 'no's'. So far, I've had one 'no' so I have a lot more to get out of the way. I went to an audition yesterday for a cabaret style-girl's night out show and had to sing 4 songs and dance. I have to wait to see whether I get the call back or not, but for a change, I was very happy with how it went. I didn't feel nervous at all I just went to have fun. I love singing so I just saw it as a chance to sing with a great sound system and nice lighting to some nice people. Ha.

I think auditions are like my version of bungee jumping, I get very worked up and practice like crazy (on short notice sometimes you only know what they want to see a day or two before hand). I also hate losing so if I get a negative comment or even a 'it's great but not what we're looking for' I'll mentally berate myself for weeks. So I was very happy to see that, like taking the big jump, the more you do it the less scary it gets till you get to the point where you just enjoy it.

I'm sure I'll get nervous again in the future and no one likes to be rejected but I guess looking at them as an opportunity to learn from each time and worst case, get rid of some of those 'no's' you need to get through brings back the joy of just doing what you love and not pinning all your hopes on one thing. It's so good for you to get out of your comfort zone, do something crazy and see what comes of it.

This is my new favorite quote:

One should not pursue goals that are easily achieved. One must develop an instinct for what one can just barely achieve through one’s greatest efforts.—Albert Einstein

Good luck to all those of you trying something new, don't give up, every trial and error is a stepping stone towards where you want to go. ;)

The World Today. :)

2011-06-13T13:19:00.001+02:00

Awesome Dad

2011-06-08T19:58:00.001+02:00

I love this! If you missed it, it's a dad who decided to wave at his son's High School Bus as it passed by their home and at the last minute decided to wear a funny costume. It became a ritual where he wore a different costume every day. At first his son was embarrassed but it then became something he and his friends looked forward to and the dad became a local celebrity. I think it's so cute and you can see the mom's blog where she posted a photo from each day. You can have a lot of fun checking out all the pictures at her Wave at the Bus blog.

Pretty in Pink

Blushing Bride

Hawaiian Style

The Pirate

The (not so) Little Mermaid

The Oil Sheikh

Happy Birthday Mom!

2011-06-05T21:01:00.000+02:00

I'm so blessed to have a mom as wonderful as you! I'm praying this next year brings you loads of happiness, fulfillment, fun and all the desires of your heart. These quotes reminded me of you. ;)

If you have a mom, there is nowhere you are likely to go where a prayer has not already been.

~Robert Brault

Sweater, n.: a garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly.

~Ambrose Bierce

She never quite leaves her children at home, even when she doesn't take them along.

~Margaret Culkin Banning

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.

~Sophia Loren

Grown don't mean nothing to a mother. A child is a child. They get bigger, older, but grown? What's that suppose to mean? In my heart it don't mean a thing.

~Toni Morrison, Beloved, 1987

A mother's heart is a patchwork of love.

My mother is a poem

I'll never be able to write,

though everything I write

is a poem to my mother.

~Sharon Doubiago

Walkathon Tomorrow

2011-06-03T14:51:00.000+02:00

I'll be there with May Caroni face painting and colour spraying hair. If you want to come walk for a good cause you can pre-register online at http://www.childtrace.org/walkathon .

Don't forget to donate an item for the home and the shelter-you automatically get entered into the lucky draw. Check out their recent activity on Facebook . It will be a fun filled day for both adults and children! Put on your walking shoes and join Child Trace in keeping an eye on our children and fighting for their safety. See you there!

This struck a chord...

2011-05-31T12:29:00.000+02:00

It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal.

The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.

It is not a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled.

But it is a calamity not to dream.

It is not a disaster to be unable to capture your ideal,

But it is a disaster to have no ideal to capture.

It is not a disgrace not to reach the stars.

But it is a disgrace not to have stars to reach for.

Not failure, but low aim is a sin.

Dr Benjamin Elijah Mays

1894-1984

Rough Diamonds and Divas

2011-05-30T21:36:00.000+02:00

The other night I went to the Barnyard Theatre and watched the show, “Rough Diamonds and Divas” a tribute to the gravelly voiced superstars. It mainly featured Neil Diamond who I’ve learned is an exceptional favourite here in South Africa. Eduan grew up with his music and said the singer who performed his songs was perfect!

"Neil Diamond" and cast doing an amazing version of 'Hallelujah'.

His voice and style simply nailed it much to the audience’s delight. Some of the other featured singers were Tina Turner, Louis Armstrong, Bryan Adams, Alice Cooper, Bobby Brown, Joe Cocker, Bon Jovi, Bonnie Tyler and many more. I wished they would have added a few more recent gravelly voiced stars such as P!NK and Nickleback but I suppose when I make a show I can decide who goes in it.

Bonnie Tyler and Tina Turner

I absolutely adore live performances, nothing is quite as magical as watching everything as it happens, no re-takes, no digital tricks or fixes (unless, of course, you’re a lip syncing junkie or the Black Eyed Peas). It makes an amazing performance that much more magical.

Of course, I’d always rather be up on the stage with them. I would love to do more singing in the near future. We’ll see, life is a box of chocolates and so far in my box, they’ve been pretty interesting and always unexpected...

I did get to do another role in a TV series “Scandal” on eTV the other day. I was a reporter and didn’t have any lines this time just a lot of reacting and interacting with the stars of the show at 'Eddie Kumalo's' book launch and somehow managed to score a lot of camera time. It was another fun experience to tuck away. :)

On the Scandal set with some of the actors.

Entrepreneurs Fair

2011-05-27T16:43:00.001+02:00

Kaycee had been working hard for weeks to plan for todays very successful Entrepreneurs Fair. All the Grade 7's had to write up their business plans, costs and marketing strategies to promote whatever it was they were going to sell or run on the day. Kaycee did a beauty salon with hair color spray, make up, tattoos and face painting. Parents were invited so I got to help, even dad's were there running hot dog stands with their sons (all you Saffers know I mean Boerwors rolls). ;) I was very impressed with her focus on the day and she ended up doubling her investment money so all in all a very successful first business venture. Eduan helped us get set up and came to enjoy the last bit with us as well. Everyone was supposed to dress up colourfully or as a clown so Kaycee got to wear her wig which looked so cute.

They all get graded on different aspects of their business, so we'll find out next week how she did. Other fun things available were a parachute rocket thingee, a rodeo bull, trampoline pillow fights, nail salons, Darren's Delectable Brownies (we got 5 of those!), jewelery, toys, food and candy of all sorts. Since the weather's been freezing the last few days it was soooo nice that the sun came out and actually warmed things up once we got started, and it was nice to see more of the teachers and meet some of the other parents especially that lovely Biard family. :)

A world of colour.

Kaycee riding the rodeo

I was very impressed with how much they learned from this whole event. She made her own posters and flyers and we decided the prices, we set our limit for how much we'd invest in the stuff she'd sell and then she deducted that from her total income. So it's a great way for kids to understand the basics of business and marketing at their level and it's competitive and fun in that they all buy from each other (as well as the kids from all the grades in the school) and of course some free trades on the side. They even did surveys beforehand to see what level of interest there was in their products to see if their ideas were popular enough to be worth a stall. Good stuff.

Proud Mom

2011-05-24T23:37:00.001+02:00

At Kaycee’s school the students get ‘Cool Kids’ slips when they have good behaviour or complete a project exceptionally well which you put in a box, then they do a draw and if your slip gets picked you get a voucher for the tuck shop and your picture on the website! Kaycee scored today so lots of candy coming up! She promised to bring some home for mom, yay!

Family finds $45,000 in new home — then returns it.

2011-05-21T12:41:00.000+02:00

This is the kind of news story that renews your hope in the goodness and honesty mankind is capable of.

By CHI-CHI ZHANG, Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY – When Josh Ferrin closed on his family's first home, he never thought he'd make the discovery of a lifetime — then give it back. Ferrin picked up the keys earlier this week and decided to check out the house in the Salt Lake City suburb of Bountiful. He was excited to finally have a place his family could call their own.

As he walked into the garage, a piece of cloth that clung to an attic door caught his eye. He opened the hatch and climbed up the ladder, then pulled out a metal box that looked like a World War II ammunition case.
"I freaked out, locked it my car, and called my wife to tell her she wouldn't believe what I had found," said Ferrin, who works as an artist for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City.

Then he found seven more boxes, all stuffed full with tightly wound rolls of cash bundled together with twine — more than $40,000. Ferrin quickly took the boxes to his parent's house to count. Along with his wife and children, they spread out thousands of bills on a table, separating the bundles one by one. They stopped counting at $40,000, but estimated there was at least $5,000 more on the table. Ferrin thought about how such a large sum of money could go a long way, pay bills, buy things he never thought he could afford.

"I'm not perfect, and I wish I could say there was never any doubt in my mind. We knew we had to give it back, but it doesn't mean I didn't think about our car in need of repairs, how we would love to adopt a child and aren't able to do that right now, or fix up our outdated house that we just bought," Ferrin said. "But the money wasn't ours to keep and I don't believe you get a chance very often to do something radically honest, to do something ridiculously awesome for someone else and that is a lesson I hope to teach to my children."
He thought about the home's previous owner, Arnold Bangerter, who died in November and left the house to his children.

"I could imagine him in his workshop. From time to time, he would carefully bundle up $100 with twine, climb up into his attic and put it into a box to save. And he didn't do that for me," Ferrin said of the man who had worked as a biologist for the Utah Department of Fish and Game. Bangerter purchased the home in 1966 and lived there with his wife, who died in 2005.

After most of the money was counted, Ferrin called one of Bangerter's sons with the news. Kay Bangerter said he knew his father hid away money because he once found a bundle of cash taped beneath a drawer in their home, but he never considered his dad had stuffed away so much over the years. "He grew up in hard times and people that survived that era didn't have anything when they came out of it unless they saved it themselves," Kay Bangerter, the oldest of the six children, told the Deseret News. "He was a saver, not a spender."

Bangerter called the money's return "a story that will outlast our generation and probably yours as well."
"I'm a father, and I worry about the future for my kids," Ferrin said. "I can see him putting that money away for a rainy day and it would have been wrong of me to deny him that thing he worked on for years. I felt like I got to write a chapter in his life, a chapter he wasn't able to finish and see it through to its conclusion."

Why some people should get out more...

2011-05-19T14:56:00.001+02:00

Too funny! Washington D.C. Ticket Agent tells All... enjoy..

1. I had a New Hampshire Congresswoman ask for an aisle seat so that her hair wouldn't get messed up by being near the window. (On an airplane!)

2. I got a call from a Kansas Congressman's staffer, who wanted to go to Capetown. I started to explain the length of the flight and the passport information, and then he interrupted me with, ''I'm not trying to make you look stupid, but Capetown is in Massachusetts .....''
Without trying to make him look stupid, I calmly explained,''Cape Cod is in Massachusetts , Capetown is in Africa ''
His response -- click.

3. A senior Vermont Congressman called, furious about a Florida package we did. I asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando . He said he was expecting an ocean-view room. I tried to explain that's not possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state.
He replied, 'don't lie to me, I looked on the map and Florida is a very thin state!''

4. I got a call from a lawmaker's wife who asked, ''Is it possible to see England from Canada ?''
I said, ''No.''
She said, ''But they look so close on the map.''

5. An aide for a cabinet member once called and asked if he could rent a car in Dallas. I pulled up the reservation and noticed he had only a 1-hour layover in Dallas. When I asked him why he wanted to rent a car, he said, ''I heard Dallas was a big airport, and we will need a car to drive between gates to save time.''

6. An Illinois Congresswoman called last week. She needed to know how it was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:30 a.m., and got to Chicago at 8:33 a.m.

I explained that Michigan was an hour ahead of Illinois , but she couldn't understand the concept of time zones. Finally, I told her the plane went really fast, and she bought that.

7. A New York lawmaker, called and asked, ''Do airlines put your physical description on your bag so they know whose luggage belongs to whom?'' I said, 'No, why do you ask?'
He replied, ''Well, when I checked in with the airline, they put a tag on my luggage that said (FAT), and I'm overweight. I think that's very rude!''
After putting him on hold for a minute, while I looked into it. (I was dying laughing). I came back and explained the city code for Fresno, Ca. Is (FAT - Fresno Air Terminal), and the airline was just putting a destination tag on his luggage.

8. A Senator John Kerry aide called to inquire about a trip package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost info, she asked, ''Would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the train to Hawaii ?''

9. I just got off the phone with a freshman Congressman, from Ala who asked, ''How do I know which plane to get on?''
I asked him what exactly he meant, to which he replied, ''I was told my flight number is 823, but none of these planes have that number on them.''

10. A senator called and said, ''I need to fly to Pepsi-Cola , Florida . Do I have to get on one of those little computer planes?''
I asked if she meant fly to Pensacola , FL on a commuter plane
She said, ''Yeah, whatever, smarty!''

11. An LA. Senator called and had a question about the documents she needed in order to fly to China . After a lengthy discussion about passports, I reminded her that she needed a visa. 'Oh, no I don't. I've been to China many times and never had to have one of those.''
I double checked and sure enough, her stay required a visa. When I told her this she said, ''Look, I've been to China four times and every time they have accepted my American Express!''

12. A New Jersey Congressman called to make reservations, ''I want to go from Chicago to Rhino, New York .''
I was at a loss for words. Finally, I said, ''Are you sure that's the name of the town?''
'Yes, what flights do you have?'' replied the man.
After some searching, I came back with, ''I'm sorry, sir, I've looked up every airport code in the country and can't find a rhino anywhere."
''The man retorted, ''Oh, don't be silly! Everyone knows where it is. Check your map!''
So I scoured a map of the state of New York and finally offered, ''You don't mean Buffalo , do you?''
The reply? ''Whatever! I knew it was a big animal.''

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Cute Kidz

2011-05-17T11:13:00.000+02:00

From Mom: Last night I popped by Machi's (my sister in Uganda), & the kids were into painting. So I face painted them & they were hillarious. Aslan wanted me to draw big muscles. I did & he was so serious--he got on the work out machine & was hollering--IT worked!! Look Jajja (Luganda for grandma)! I can lift it so easily!!!

If only it were so simple! Ha!

Groovy people and my weekend...

2011-05-15T22:38:00.001+02:00

A very talented lady, Nyx Martinez and fellow missionary with me in Uganda for years wrote an article about life in Kampala which was published in the online Ilustrado magazine.

My mom also updated her website with some of their recent projects in Gulu, Northern Uganda. You can see some of their farming projects to help feed and support their orphanage. She's praying for a new dirt bike which is her main means of transport back and forth to the orphanage and home in Kampala.

My weekend was pretty spectacular. :) I got to play a doctor in a very well known local soapie called "Generations". A tiny scene but all the fun of the hair, costumes and make up and I didn't even forget my lines, although my poor co-star had a rough time with his long medical speech! Not easy!

With the nurses on the set and my co-star.

Saturday was World Belly Dance Day so me and the girls got to perform at Collabaret's Bellydance Spectacular show, organized by 3 amazing Belly Dance teachers and performers, which went to support the Reach for a Dream Foundation. They had some of the kids at the event and they were so much fun and joined in on our shimmython, which although I had prepared for serious competition by discovering I can shimmy for at least an hour straight when practicing, was more just a fun time all dancing together and teaching them some moves. Of course, my camera battery had to die on me but I'll post a few pics when I get them.

One Year Later...

2011-05-09T10:01:00.000+02:00

To my amazing, gorgeous husband: Thank you for making me your wife and for loving me so completely. I cherish every day with you, every moment is better because you're there and every joy is multiplied because I can share it with you. I love waking up with you next to me, being able to reach out and touch you and know you'll always be there. You're my dream. Thank you for sharing life with me. The ups and downs of life are just an adventure when you're there.

I love working with you; I love how smart you are, talking with you; how logical and honest you are, I love fighting with you; well, mainly because it's impossible to stay mad at you and I always know how much you care about me. I feel I can be completely myself with you and it's exactly what you love.

You make difficult times bearable and happy times unforgettable. I'm only half of me without you.

Happy Anniversary Baby!

Happy Supermom Day!

2011-05-08T12:02:00.000+02:00

My wise words for all your parents out there:

"Don't be discouraged. Remember the first 40 years of parenting are the hardest."

I was very happy to have an article I wrote about my dearest Mumzie printed in this month’s issue of the Activated magazine! You can have a read, it's called Motorcycle Mom. Yup, she's just that cool.

Mom in Uganda with my nephew Aslan.

Have a Happy Mothers' Day!

On Templates and Patience

2011-05-05T13:55:00.004+02:00

I finally got bored of my old one and thought this was adorable! I hope you like it and if you don't, you may make your own blog. :D

I feel this year for me is about transitioning. As if I'm about to start something big and this year is more of a breather to get ready for it. To be honest, I find it very difficult. I love running around with a million things to do. I didn't really know that about myself, I thought I only did that because I had to get things done but nope, I truly enjoy being busy!

Clarification: I enjoy being busy with something I am passionate about, not just work for the sake of it so don't invite me over just to wash your dishes, you'll have to make us dinner for that. ;) I love relaxing too, of course, but I guess it's like enjoying a delicious dessert when you've been regularly eating healthy and working out, it's far more enjoyable.

That being said, I've been belly dancing and doing what I can to get our Bollywood group up and running which has been so much fun. It's great to see such positive responses and we have some very fun shows coming up in the future. I also love working with Family Care SA who have fantastic projects that I want to help them fundraise for and get more backing for. They're going for their HIV counselling training course next week to get certification which will be a wonderful asset to the work they do with Pretoria East and Mamelodi Hospital.

If you're in a situation like me and feel like the best is right around the corner and you just have to hold on for a bit, here are some great quotes for you:

“The keys to patience are acceptance and faith. Accept things as they are, and look realistically at the world around you. Have faith in yourself and in the direction you have chosen.”- Ralph Marston

“The secret of patience is doing something else in the meanwhile”

“Patience is not passive; on the contrary, it is active; it is concentrated strength”-Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

"Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success." -Brian Adams

and I thought this was hilarious if slightly off topic...

“There will be a time when loud-mouthed, incompetent people seem to be getting the best of you. When that happens, you only have to be patient and wait for them to self destruct. It never fails.” -Richard Rybolt

Blogger Issues

2011-05-04T13:37:00.000+02:00

Having a bit of trouble with my blogger lately where the editing page won't load and so I can only post through email but can't edit it. Hopefully I get it fixed up soon. It's cramping my creative style. :)

Royal Madness

2011-05-01T23:50:00.000+02:00

I was rather annoyed with all the hype leading up to the royal wedding as they seemed to bombard every show with ads about the upcoming big day. I hadn’t planned on watching or following it at all. So it was pure chance that I was sitting reading in our living room with my daughter and she asked me when the big wedding was and we realised it was happening right then. We ended up watching it and of course it’s always fun to see a gorgeous wedding dress and I think it was fun to be swept up in the girlish reminiscence of princesses and carriages and dream weddings.

Actually, the best part were the insane hats which most people seemed to wear right on their foreheads! Such fun, I remember finding a crazy hat store in a mall in Durban and wished you could get away wearing some of those old classic styles. NOT, I clarify some of those nutty boat or octopus-like hats that are really rather insane and in my opinion should only be worn in costume parties, not a serious wedding, although having said that, it certainly made it more enjoyable. I always had a crush on what I imagined young prince William would look like older and no, he didn’t quite live up to it but they do make a lovely couple. I did LOVE her dress but thought it was a shame her hair stylists spent 4 months ‘practicing her hair’ and you couldn’t see it under that veil.

Now all that’s left on my ‘princess to do list’ is bring Kaycee to Disneyland. J