You cannot chase two rabbits at the same time.

Lord behold anybody who can take the time to chase any rabbit, those little cute things are fast...I say shoot them rather.  Problem solved!

This made me think of something I have been making excuses for.  Yet the truth is going off like my alarm clock in the morning, and I keep snoozing it.  We all out here, trying to establish ourselves, running around trying to make money, get degrees that will hopefully make life easier in the promised future.  Never mind that we have no certainty of being part of the future but we invest in it anyways.  It is better to be prepared, than to show up empty handed right?  See how fear creeps up, in places you did not even think it exists.

So we ignore life's little pleasures that are presented now, because we are adamant that later on will enjoy them thoroughly.  Overlooking that later will have its own excuses, that will postpone to later again.  Please am not saying do not have dreams or to respect deadlines, but look at this angle and enjoy now.

Wish I could utter these words to someone close to me, without it looking like am trying to stop his hustle.  But certain truths are better learnt first hand.  Better yet its never too late to learn anything, experience and life teaches you this.  You just have to hope that the people around you will have the patience to wait till you get this lesson.

I am thankful for...

Last week I decided that am going to put up 3 things I am grateful for every week...in no certain order.  Today, I woke up and followed yet another link out of sheer curiosity.  The link led me to a another link called KidsGiveMeHope.com.  Here I found a story that made me smile and cry at the same time...I highly suspect that the scarlet wave hence the tears streaming down my face.  I am grateful for this because it made me count my blessing even more.

"Today a friend told me about the kid she babysists who has muscular development problems.   At school when the kids have to run a race, he always finishes waaaay behind the other kids.  His elementary school classmates do not leave or sit down when they are done running.  They stand cheer for him until he finishes.  SOMETIMES FOR UP TO 20 MINUTES."

Do keep people and things that remind you about how kind and beautiful the world can still be.

Wednesday mornings...My lazy day.

Every Wednesday morning I make sure I take it easy and fully enjoy not rushing to campus.  So as usual am doing that right now.  Well today is supposed to be different because I have two assignments to hand in tomorrow but I just can't snap out of it, plus am waiting for the Play energy drink I just drank to kick in, he he he.

While browsing through twitter*a norm*, I saw one of my friends had put up a picture from Pin interest.  So I thought let me check it out.  I just registered but now I have to figure out how to use it.  It looks really cool, and has the most amazing pictures I have ever seen.   You basically say who or what you are by pictures...no words.

Anyways, I found one that I had always thought this is how am going to raise my children.  Especially if you are raising them in a country that is full of people from all walks of life*diversity*.  Life is hard as it is, but when you are constantly judged, it makes it even more hard.  I think we all yearn to be accepted just the way we are, with no tags. So as my pictures says, be curious, not judgmental, have an opinion, don't be condescending or rude.

P.S. am broody and random.  

This always puts a smile on my face.

Am thankful...

Every week from today on, I will put things 3 things am grateful for...in no order, but what is important for me.  Not anybody else but me.

I am thankful...

1.  that I got a chance to spend Women's day with Roxy, Christopher and Savvy-Sav.  I cooked samp and meat for them, hanged with the crazy Savvy Sav*the colored crazy version of me that one*.  I can safely say, in them I found my "new peeps" in Cape Town.  Christopher is a gem and one of those men you meet once inawhile.

2.  I am thankful for the random adventures I got to experience with Lee...the language barrier makes our conversations short, but he will never know how much he saved me last week.  On Sunday afternoon we went hiking in the Newlands Forest.

3.  For my Zimbabwean dollar, Sethekele Ncube, days are longer and better when you are around.  Chocolate doughnuts are just the little cherry on top.  You are an amazing spirit, I see you.

This is for my own sanity, as the weeks get crazier, but alas I shall try to capture every moment that will not be repeated.  Someone told me last week, life is about moments...choose your own moments.

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

The whole of last week I felt like the air is being squeezed out of my lungs...not gently, but in a terrible suffocating kind of way.  The whole time I kept thinking, the mess I am in, is so bad that I cannot even call my older sister.  The one person I believe has superman powers.  This is a terrible space to be in, a cruel lonely place, that makes you see no form of reason.

Then I read an article...am forever thankful for my love affair with words and the fact that I can read.  I am very stubborn, so listening to other people sometimes is hard, but when am reading it feels voluntary, not info being shoved down my throat...so the article went something like this...

1.  'It's a challenge, but I'll cope...'

2.  'It's not a good outcome, but its not the end of the world...'

3.  'Never mind my failure, I'll bounce back...'

4.  'Its not about me, I wont take it personally...'

5.  'Its a difficult problem, but I'll find a solution...'

6.  'This is only temporary, I can put it behind me...'

7. 'I made a mistake, but I can learn from it and improve...'

I think this is the only way I could explain the title of this week.  I do not even believe in reading self helping books, but I needed something to hold on to last week.  Stopping to breathe was not an option though.

P.S.  I read  badsheep.co.za's blog also, that guy is a freaking LEGEND!

A friend would not mistreat a friend.

I am beginning to slightly hate, or let me rephrase that, I have always hated this blogging story.  Now I loathe it even more, because the more we do it, the more you want to share the real stuff happening in your own life.  I have to remind myself every single week that everything is forever online.  Do I really want to come back in 10 years time and read all of this?  I wish I could keep my thoughts in the safety of my diary, yes I have one.  Every time I am home, I pull them out*from previous years* from my secret hiding place*under the bed, such a secret place, he he he* and read them.  I am always shocked with time, how much I have grown and accepted.

Yet till today, one thing I can never figure out is how long does one have to stay angry at another person?  Does staying angry really make the person, learn the lesson when you deprive them of talking to you or giving him or her the cold shoulder?  And why should people keep doing things they know will hurt you?  Logically, I always think, but am wasting time, missing great conversations with this person, then my pride kicks in...and I quickly justify why am angry...*so tiring*. 

A friend would not mistreat a friend...but we all human.  Half of the time I forgive people because I know when am sorry I truly am, and want to be forgiven.  Everybody deserves a second chance, but who says when you give them another chance they wont mistreat you even more????

Have you figured out the second head fake?

This is hilarious, am actually laughing so hard while am writing this, because am sitting in between Thandi and Lee.  They are both trying to explain to me what the title means*blank stare*.  Lee googled to see what it means in Korean and Thandi told me the first time round, now she refuses to tell me again*sad face*.  Lee says I must just lie.

I have no idea what it means...but you know there is always a but.  I think Thandi said its something like talking indirectly to someone, like the letter I wrote to my 18 year old self*refer to previous blog post*.  

With that being said, I am still not sure, no let me rephrase that, I don't know what it means.  There I said it.  This will not increase the price of bread nor will me not knowing what it means affect me, or will it*thinks hard*, am not exactly Jacob Zuma.  NOPE, it wont.  *laughing in my head* feel like am talking to my second fake head as it is.

I promise to look it up, when am not so exhausted from walking in the sun the whole day.  

P.S.  Whatevs<<<<<private joke for my PR people in the full time class.

My day with JungLee

So today I met up with Jung-Lee for what was supposed to be our Research group meeting.  We sat and tried to do the work and then we decided eff this lets do something fun...it is such a beautiful day outside.  So I have been in Cape Town for a couples of months now *yawn* and have not really done much, but eat.  So I tell Lee to be the Capetonian since his been here for 4 years and am the tourist and he must take me to where I have not been...Off to Muizenberg we went.

This is a terrible picture I took from my blackberry...in Muizenberg we walked around, which I enjoyed, my hair enjoyed the fresh sea breeze.  The people were staring at us the whole time, totally hilarious.  After walking, Lee suggested we go to Kalk Bay for lunch.

Lee took this picture, I totally look like a loser, no posing, just standing...bleh.  We had a lovely lunch at a place called Kalky's and walked around some more.  I am sure my legs are still shocked on the work out they got.  We found a little park and just chatted, it really was a nice day to be spent outside.  Today I learnt more about Lee and why he decided to come study in South Africa of all places.  

I tried something new, may my curiosity never be quenched...so that I have more of such days.

 

You know am back in Cape Town...

When every single date I went to in a space of two weeks, were simply for food consumption more than a romantic encounter.  I love Zinga Wings which is what I had right through the holidays,  I honestly would trade in a family member for them.  Yet the moment I got to Cape Town I started craving for fish, so I have been having that for the past two weeks.  I am beginning to think my cravings work by area codes.  Here is the evidence... 

Date 1:  Babalwa, Olwethu and I walked from campus to Long Street to a place called Food Inn for a gatsby that I personally think is the best in all of Cape Town.  When we got there we were told they open at 11.  Oh don't judge, yes we had a gatsy before 12#TeamBlockedArteries

Date 2:  Heard about a place called Nobantu and went to eat samp and tripe with Sethi and Olwethu...I died and went to heaven*white people really don't know what good food is.*

Date 3:  Nothing beats burgers at JCs after a draining class, so Roxy, Savvy-Sav and I had to go get some of that.

Date 4: Was talked into going to Cafe Sofia in Rhondies for a vegetarian burger*rolling my eyes*.

Date 5:  I had to return to Nobantu's this time with Zuzi for pap with mutton.

Date 6:  What would life be without dessert, so Tumi and I ventured  to Obz Cafe to have brownies with custard.

I still have to go to the Eastern Bazaar with Sivani.  After writing this post, am left thinking, should I be worried???  Am I being Lil Miss Piggy or does great company always include food?  Thank goodness its winter, I can still hide the lumps and bumps!!!

I am...

This is for the people who do not know me, but get to visit my blog and read the gibberish I blog about weekly.  If you had to sit with me for more than an hour, you would get to see or hear how much I love clothes, what a book fanatic I am*today I bought Hani: A life too short, with my last 50 rands and ignored the fact that I don't have food* and most importantly how much I love this country.  I was saying to Roxanne just the other day, I wish I could work for Brand South Africa, just to be able to boost people's morale about this beautiful country we live in.  Then 3 minutes ago, I read an email sent by a friend, and its written by Mrs Paton and its titled, Crying for the Beloved Country.  Here she writes about how she is leaving the country and moving to England.  This is a woman who's husband wrote Cry the Beloved Country and fought for black people's rights during the apartheid regime.  I am sad to say, even I as patriotic as I am, I felt so despondent after reading it.  I truly understood why she is leaving...with that being said, I still believe I have to share this poem that I love so deeply...its just an abstract...

I am an African.

I owe my being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the trees, the flowers, the seas and the ever-changing seasons that define the face of our native land.

My body has frozen in our frosts and in our latter day snows. It has thawed in the warmth of our sunshine and melted in the heat of the midday sun. The crack and the rumble of the summer thunders, lashed by startling lightening, have been a cause both of trembling and of hope.

The fragrances of nature have been as pleasant to us as the sight of the wild blooms of the citizens of the veld.

The dramatic shapes of the Drakensberg, the soil-coloured waters of the Lekoa, iGqili noThukela, and the sands of the Kgalagadi, have all been panels of the set on the natural stage on which we act out the foolish deeds of the theatre of our day.

At times, and in fear, I have wondered whether I should concede equal citizenship of our country to the leopard and the lion, the elephant and the springbok, the hyena, the black mamba and the pestilential mosquito.

A human presence among all these, a feature on the face of our native land thus defined, I know that none dare challenge me when I say - I am an African!