Watch this Space

According to Wiktionary Watch this space is an (idiomatic) an indication that a development will follow. Watch this space is something that you say which means that you think there will soon be exciting changes in a situation, i.e. I have plans for my career. Watch this space.

I honestly think that the Cape Town stadium (Green Point) seriously needs a Watch this space moment. Somehow a really good strategy has to be thought out and implemented in order to save the beautiful stadium and to prevent having to depend on Cape Town citizens to pay for the stadium via tax. If only the individuals who are in charge of the stadium and all affiliations to it could just go the extra mile to come up with some good ideas all will go well. i.e. They could arrange that more local games be played at the stadium and charge the spectators a small entry fee, local rugby matches could even be played there and spectators could be charged to enter as well and fundraising events could be held at the stadium. Once the individuals who are in charge of the stadium and its well being would come up with a few efficient strategies the stadium might just be able to have its own “watch this space” moment.



My favourite Cat in the Hat book

To be honest, I have never read a single Cat in the Hat book. This might come as a surprise to most people but yes, it is the truth. I have no idea what the Cat in the Hat books are about, who the characters are and what the aim of the books are. The only thing I do know is that the books are published for kids and there was a movie/s made as well.


Even though I am all grown up now I will still see that I make an effort to read one of the well known Cat in the Hat books. Maybe then I’ll understand why it is as popular as it is.



My big fat BIG dream

Last night I had a dream, I’ve named it “my big fat BIG dream.” I dreamt that I was in this world that was so different to the one I currently live in. I was huge, both in length and width. I lived in a castle, a huge face brick castle. It was beautiful and had everything in it that I would ever need and want, from a tennis court to a beauty salon. It had all the food and luxuries in the world in it. That’s probably why I was that big. Even though I had this huge castle with so many material things in it I was still very unhappy. It was just me, myself and I in this castle of mine. There were no friends or family in sight. What a lonely life!

Thank goodness I woke up eventually realising that it was all just a big fat big dream. It made me realise that what I have right now is all I need, and that it is pointless gaining the whole world and loosing the things that are important in life such as family and friends. I’m actually grateful that I had this big fat big dream as it has helped me remind myself of who I am and kicked in some more humility. Thank God it was all just a big fat BIG dream!



Conventional is a good fallback position isn’t it?

Many individuals do not like coming out of their comfort zones. Sometimes it’s good to make a change, but individuals feel safer when going the conventional route.

We become so accustomed to doing things a certain way and end up being too afraid to try doing things differently. I believe that in life it is important to try new things and new ways of doing things. Doing the same thing over and over becomes boring even though sometimes we do not want to admit it to ourselves. But change is good! Why not explore all aspects of life and do something you’ve never done before? After all you never know if you’re still going to be on this earth tomorrow....



You cannot chase two rabbits at the same time

This statement is probably partly true. It is probably rather difficult to run after two really fast rabbits at the same time trying to catch them. I’d probably go crazy.

On the other hand if one relates this statement to goals in life I’d disagree. It is possible to chase more than one rabbit at the same time in this sense. The important thing is staying focused, and also not trying to embark in too much at once. Many a times there are individuals who are able to multi-task, i.e. an individual could be a business person who studies music at the same time.

I have learnt that as a PR person it is essential to be able to complete more than one task at the same time. If you’re unable to multi-task it will be very hard to be successful in this particular industry.

 

“Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when you only have one idea” (Alain)

I fully agree with the above statement. An idea refers to a person’s thought or concept. In today’s world individuals come up with various ideas and there is a continuous competition taking place as far as ideas are concerned. Who is able to come up with the newest, convenient, reliable and most unique item? Who is going to invent the next best thing? Even cars, planes, microwaves and ghd’s all started with an idea. It was not the first idea that made these new items a success. It took idea number one, two and possibly three to create an item that would make its customers happy.


It is always good to have a plan A and plan B when one has an idea, no matter what it is for. The reason for this is that plan A is not always bound to work out as planned. Therefore, having something to fall back on is always good. Having a one idea is dangerous. In the end two or more is always better than one.

Have you figured out the second head fake?

I simply love the fact that an individual who was faced with such a tragic illness was still able to stand boldly in front of people and speak positive and meaningful facts in their lives.

Randy Pausch’s last lecture has impacted many individuals lives in a positive manner. There are many lessons that could be learnt from it.
It is important that we strive to live each day to the fullest, not letting any circumstance that comes our way get us down. Life will not always be smooth sailing, but it is how we choose to deal with the difficult situations that matters. I firmly believe in living each day as if it is my last.

I have chosen to do the following daily:

• Have as much fun as possible

• Dance as much as I can

• Sing as much as I can

• Strive to go out of my way to help whomever I can

• Believe in myself at all times

• Keep on smilling

• Laugh as much as possible

• Do things that make me happy and not others





How hard is it to follow instructions?

Sometimes I wonder how certain individuals get it right to ignore or find it difficult to follow certain instructions that have been given to them. I can imagine how teachers and lecturers feel about this particular topic. Giving scholars and students instructions and experiencing how they are still able to complete a certain task without doing what they were instructed to do, this could be rather frustrating.


Having to follow instructions is not always fun but they are essential because they help things to turn out better. They also help to keep us safe, and they help us to make and do some really awesome things.

Many times we do not like being told what to do. We might be in a hurry or sometimes we would prefer to do things our way. In the end it is better to follow instructions if it was given to you or if you receive it in a manual when a new item is bought.





“Rock journalism is people who can’t write interviewing people who can’t talk for people who can’t read” (Frank Zappa)

According to Frank Zappa, "Rock journalism is people who can’t write interviewing people who can’t talk for people who can’t read." So what exactly does this statement mean?

It is evident that not everyone enjoys rock music. Rock music is definitely in a league of its own. It could be described as an “all over the place” genre, most of the time it is unstructured. My understanding of Frank Zappa’s statement is that it does not take an excellent individual to pull off rock journalism efficiently. Being a rock journalist is totally different to being an ordinary music journalist. The ordinary music journalist would review the latest Jazz or classical album to hit stores, over coffee in front of the fire, whereas the rock journalist would rather like to find out by personal experience by attending a rock concert alongside another fifty thousand rock-heads. Therefore, rock journalism is in a league of its own. It is unstructured, random and not a brain wrecker.



My top 200 achievements

1. Entering this world on the 11 June 1987.


2. Being blessed with the wonderful parents that I have.

3. Being part of a lovely family.

4. Being given the wonderful name that I have.

5. Being dedicated.

6. Starting to crawl after months of just being on the arms of loved ones and family friends.

7. Beginning to walk in my walking ring.

8. Having the ability to walk without the support of a walking ring or any other support object.

9. My first proper word (one that actually exists).

10. Getting rid of nappies.

11. Getting rid of the bottle.

12. Getting rid of the dummy.

13. Being able to eat my food by myself.

14. Being accepted at Crèche.

15. Progressing to Pre-school.

16. Being accepted at Excelsior Primary school.

17. Going to Grade 1.

18. Passing Grade 1.

19. Passing Grade 2

20. Being part of the school choir.

21. Passing Grade 3.

22. Joining the under 12B Netball team at school.

23. Taking part in a church production as a singer.

24. Passing Grade 4.

25. Being part of the under 13A Hockey team at school.

26. Passing Grade 5.

27. Passing Grade 6

28. Having had the ability to go on a hockey tour to Caledon with the under 15A girls hockey team.

29. Passing Grade 7.

30. Being accepted at Monument Park High School.

31. Joining the under 16A Hockey Team.

32. Becoming head cheer leader in Grade 12.

33. Passing High School.

34. Being accepted at CPUT.

35. Receiving a distinction for Spanish (first year subject).

36. Receiving a certificate for Spanish (first year subject).

37. Being nominated as a candidate for Co-Op student of the year (third year).

38. Graduating in April 2010.

39. Being accepted to do my Btech - Degree.

And the list goes on and on, but I will not continue any further as I think that is enough for now. We all have achieved certain things in life that we could/should be proud of. What are your achievements and have you ever thought about how these achievements have impacted your life?



Andy Warhol said, “In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes.” You can’t choose the fifteen minutes but why would you be world famous?

I would be famous for taking a stand and releasing the truth into the atmosphere. The truth that this nation needs to hear and be aware of. This truth is the truth that will set people free from bondages, this truth is so important to us as human beings. That truth that I am talking about is that we all need to live a life that is pleasing to God. We need to take a stand and be willing to give our hearts and every single ounce of our being to God.

While proclaiming this truth it is actually not me who would be made famous, because that is not the aim. My aim is to make the Almighty, the Most High God famous. Not that He needs to be made famous as He already is the most powerful. My desire is for people to open up their eyes and realise that they need to acknowledge that there is no Higher power, for them to realise that in order to live a prosperous life we all need God to be the foundation of it.



A skill set called leadership

Leadership is the process by which an individual has the ability to impact others positively in order to reach a specific goal or objective. Not everyone is born a leader but if you have the desire and you put your mind to it you are able to become an effective leader. Some individuals are better at following somebody else’s lead, whereas others are natural born leaders. Having the opportunity to be a leader (whether it is at school, varsity, work, church or for a project) is a good thing for individuals who have the ability to guide their team members. However, one has to make the most of this opportunity. It is important to lead by example, a leader that expects his/her followers to act in a certain manner or do a certain thing but does not display an example of this is a hypocrite.


A good leader has the ability to inspire their team members into a higher level of teamwork. They also continuously strive to improve their leadership skills. As a leader one should have an honest understanding of exactly who you are. You also need to be aware of what you know and what you are able to do. Followers will not perform well if they do not have confidence in their leader and in order for them to be confidence in their leader, the leader has to have confidence in them self first.

Our greatest strenghts are our greatest weaknessess.

After reading the heading for this blog I realised that this statement is true. Often we don’t even realise that our greatest strengths could be our greatest weakness. In many cases individuals use their strengths in the wrong way and this could lead to a negative impact on a situation. For example, there are numerous occasions where people who are in ‘high’ positions within an organisation or people who possess a lot of power use it in the wrong way. In this way their greatest strength which is their position or education becomes their greatest weakness.

Another example that comes to mind is if an individual is a peoples person, someone who strives to look out for the best interest of others, sometimes even putting others before themselves. This individual might care so much about the well-being of their friends, family and maybe even people that they interact with daily whether it is at school, varsity or their work colleagues, that they put these people first and really go out of their way to be good to others and at the end of the day these very same people that they strive to look out for are the ones who end up hurting this individual. In this way that strength becomes a weakness because in the end these people have the ability to walk all over this person.

Each and every one of us are different and we all have different strengths. However, it is important that we learn to use our strengths positively and not allow other people to take advantage of the strengths that God has blessed us with.

When 2010 comes to and end.

It’s really amazing how fast this year is going bye. It felt like it was just the other day that I registered to do my B-Tech at the beginning of this year. At this moment I really wish I knew where I am going to end up next year. I can’t help but wonder whether I’ll be studying further, working for a corporate organisation in South Africa, working overseas or starting my own business. All I know is that I will be a success and I’ll definitely have the answer to my question when 2010 comes to an end.


I’m sure that many of my fellow class mates are in the same space that I am right now. Wondering exactly where they’re going to end up next year. Yesterday, I started thinking about the past year and how we all have become used to seeing each other in class and I even started to think about the past three years that we’ve studied together. How we’ve grown in so many ways, the many life lessons we’ve learnt and the knowledge we’ve gained. It’s just so mind boggling how the time has just flown bye. I keep on wanting to pinch myself just so that I know that I am not dreaming and that I am awake.

At least I know that I have accomplished one of my goals in life, I would have studied for four years at the end of this year and I actually finished my course without dropping out or just giving up. So right now I’m pleased with myself because I know that when I strive to do something I do it to the best of my ability. I know that when 2010 comes to an end new opportunities, challengers and ventures will begin!

 

What motivates me?

The fact that I know that I have God in my life and just knowing that through Him I can do anything because it’s Him who gives me strength to accomplish my dreams is the main thing that keeps me motivated. Knowing what my goals are in life is also one of the many things that motivates me. By me knowing exactly where I’d like to end up one day and what I’d like to accomplish in life automatically causes me to steer towards my dreams, goals and my vision in life. If a person does not have a vision in life he/she will simply have no clue where they are going and would not be motivated.

I firmly believe that family is very important in one’s life. My family has been there for me through thick and thin. No matter what they’ll always be there for me. It’s my family that help motivate me when they say things like, “don’t worry” or “you did really well, keep up the good work”. Then of course there are those really trustworthy, reliable friends who also motivate me. Helping by steering me towards my goal and encouraging me when I feel really far from where I’d like to be, or simply when I just feel a bit negative about a situation.

Another important thing that motivates me is the fact that I know who I am and what I stand for, knowing my morals and values, not compromising these values and morals which I have. This makes me proud to be who I am and keeps me motivated because I know that I respect myself and others and therefore I will go far in life because I do not allow myself to be influenced by others and I stick to working towards my goals and dreams.

The 10 most unexpected consequences of being online

1. Going online looking for a something specific and ending up googling something completely different.

2. Telling oneself that “I am only going to be online for a few minutes” and then you end up surfing the net for hours.

3. When you’re on a site and all of a sudden you see a pop up on the screen stating that you’ve won $ 10 million and even though you keep trying to cancel it, it keeps popping up.

4. Meeting someone by chatting to them online and then finding out that they are a stalker.

5. Spending so much time on the internet thinking that your bill at the end of the month will not be that much, but then the bill comes and you figure out that you thought wrong.

6. Doing research for an important assignment on the last minute and then all of a sudden the following words appear on your screen, “Internet Explorer is unable to connect”.

7. Entering personal information into a site that claims to be legible and then finding out that you’ve been scammed.

8. Thinking that you are going to find specific information on Google fast but then you discover that it somehow is not giving you the correct information that you want.

9. Receiving emails from strange organisations and then trying to figure out how on earth they found your email address.

10. Becoming addicted to the internet.

The elephant in the room

Sometimes there are important and obvious topics which people are aware of but they do not discuss it at all due to the fact that such a discussion is considered to be uncomfortable. People just decide to ignore the important topic or issue just to avoid any awkwardness. At the end of the day it is better to confront any important topic even though it is going to create a sphere of awkwardness.

In some cases people might have issues with each other or they might be offended by something that the other person has done, but instead of opening their mouths and saying exactly how they feel they decide to sweep it under the carpet and have a negative attitude towards the other person. At the end of the day doing this just makes matters even worse than it already is. In other instances there are people who automatically decide to ignore important things that need to be discussed and beat around the bush or just do not mention it at all. People tend to avoid addressing important issues or topics.

I think the reason why some people do this is simply because of stubbornness. They feel that they are not the ones who are responsible for making the first move. I would advise any person who is aware of an important and obvious topic that they are aware of to address it even though they know that they are going to feel out of place whilst doing so. Instead of ignoring something important that has to be discussed and brushing it off, why not just let the big fat elephant in the room out?

Family

Just the other day I sat and wondered what life would be like without family. Would it be as filled with joyous occasions and laughter if we were to live without family? Would there be as many arguments and struggles? At the end of the day if you think of it, it’s our family that helps us through difficult and trying times. I don’t know what life would be like without family.


When I think of family I think of many generations. It’s like an onion, many different layers. Family is the same, there are many layers of family members. And all those layers make up one whole strong onion. And as soon as you try and chop up one of the layers or just a piece of it, your eyes will burn. That’s how families are, they stand together and support one another. And as soon as anyone tries to mess with a member of the family they will end up in tears.

Many individuals tend to take their family members for granted. They do not realise how fortunate they are to have a family and just see it as a normal, every day, “so what” thing. It’s important that we spend as much time with our families as we can and we should also make them aware of the fact that they are greatly appreciated. In the end blood is thicker than water….

The Bigger Picture

Today is just one of those days where I am sitting and pondering, so many thoughts running through my head at the moment. I’m wondering when people will eventually get the bigger picture. When will human beings realise that there is more to life than fame, money, popularity, partying, drinking, living reckless lives and thinking that the way they’ve been living is acceptable? I truly hope that every single person would stop for a moment, even if it’s just for a second. I hope that people will come to the realisation that tomorrow is not promised. We each have a purpose on this earth and we need to realise that living a life that is reckless and full of irresponsible decisions is not part of that purpose.

There’s more to life than just waking up in the morning and going to bed at night. When was the last time you showed someone an ounce of kindness? When was the last time you were more than willing to help someone in need? Whether it be a homeless person out on the streets in this unbearably cold weather or a close friend who simply needs you. In life we truly need to see the bigger picture, we need to realise that everything that we do in life should not just be to our benefit but we should strive to help others. We should show kindness to others, let those close to us know that they are loved, cared for and appreciated. After all, tomorrow is not promised so how will they know if we don’t tell them?

Many people are too concerned about things that aren’t important such as partying and living a life that is filled with ‘temporary feel good moments’ which in the end could lead you to make decisions that are irresponsible. So my question for you is when will you see the Bigger picture?

 

Winter warmers

This winter has probably been one of Cape Town’s coldest thus far. And keeping warm in these weather conditions is essential. I truly believe that winter is a wonderful season, even though it is the coldest season of the year. Even though winter has its disadvantages there are also many advantages. During this season there are many things that could be done. Most individuals prefer staying indoors during this season because of the cold whilst others are fine with going out as usual. There are many fun, exciting and relaxing activities to keep oneself occupied with when staying indoors. These activities include partaking in various exciting board games, watching movies, reading books, trying out new winter recipes and relaxing in front of the fire place with a lovely warm cup of hot chocolate.


Each of us have our different preferences when it comes to keeping warm and busy during the winter season. My personal favourite winter warmers are relaxing in front of the fire place; watching movies underneath warm blankets; cooking delicious warm dishes, layering myself with clothing; turning on my electric blanket when I get into bed, playing board games with friends and family; drinking lots of hot chocolate with marshmallows in it and exercising.

Winter is the perfect opportunity to spend loads of time with family and friends. But keeping warm is certainly the most important during this season. In cold weather, layered clothing is essential. I personally believe that one should wear at least three layers of clothing. Eating warming foods is also good during winter. This covers a large spectrum of foods. As you’ve read and already know there are many winter warmer tips which we could use. So don’t forget to keep warm!