Ondria@ease

Seasons Greetings

2006-12-07T16:44:00.000+03:00

2006-11-02T14:31:00.000+03:00

HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY FOR THE 1ST NOVEMEBER
NATASHA!!!!!! YOU ARE VERY SPECIAL AND I MISS
YOU LOADS.

No title today, my imagination is lacking..

2006-10-31T17:48:00.000+03:00

I’m beginning to suspect that through my complete and utter blog laziness I may have bored my few readers to death. I’ll try to set things right.

So, who remembered it was my birthday on Saturday? That’s right, I turned a whole 26 and discovered what it’s like to be truly growed up. The first sign of human existence arrived in the form of Melissa at mid-day. In previous years I woke up to family and gifts and the whole bang shoot. This year I woke up to my sweet little Jasmine, a dirty floor and a broken mop.

In any event my day turned out to be quite lovely. After cleaning house I went to the shops, bought R700 worth of nothing for my braai and then when almost out the mall, a cigarette just barely in my mouth, I remembered I needed avo for the dip. So off I went to Woolies, stood in the longest queue ever just for 2 avos and next thing I know the gent behind me in the queue starts chatting me up! At first I thought it was because of my new flattering pants.. then I realised I’m 26, he has grey hair, this is a mature moment. Moving on.

I had friends and family over for the braai and it was great fun. No body got drunk or even slightly disorderly and I was in bed by 12. Not before my very own special stalker sent me birthday wishes (hehe, he is probably going to read this so I should watch what I say).

I must mention that my birthday would not have been as much of a delight if it weren’t for Melissa’s staid support. She is my rock. When things need to get done and my back needs watching, she is there.

I forgot to mention that the weekend before last Melissa, her girls, my dad and myself went off to the most lovely place in the Ceres Mountains. An apple farm that has a cottage on the river with trout and bass, Afrikaans speaking dogs, apple firewood and mice in the roof. I loved it. It felt like I found the new forest of my heart. Cats Mother, Keesie, myself and hopefully Tan and Bradon will be going back for New Year. See Pictures.
Ok, don't see pictures, I'm having difficulty downloading them so if they show, yay, if not too bad, I'll try again later.

A quick update and a funny hairdo.

2006-10-11T17:56:00.000+03:00

Once again I have allowed a few weeks to lapse since I last wrote anything. A quick update… I took my Robert back, and then broke up with him again. How sad. I finally realised once and for all that he is not the one for me. So instead I have taken up internet dating. What a weird experience! I have some Irish dude trying to get me to “chat” with him and his opening line includes something about kissing me in a very creepy way. Where’s that pukey face on messenger when you need it?

I’m also chatting to two seemingly nice guys from SA. Why do the Irish have to be so weird? The South African guys are friendly and non-icky but you never actually know on the internet…

I’ve taken up fly fishing.. My dad got me a rod for my birthday and I went and bought some more lead and some hooks. So, next weekend I’ll be going away with Melissa and the girls. We’re gonna spend some time in nature and I’m going to learn how to fish again. I’m gonna spend this coming weekend practicing my cast. Wouldn’t want to land up like guyk! Now for the life of me I don't know how to create a link to the story so you have to take my word for it - it's funny in a very gross way.

Anyhoo, gotta go now. It's the end of the work day and my dad's here to fetch me. I think I'm gonna make pap'n sous for supper tonight. That's like stiff maize porridge with tomatoe and onion sauce - preferably with boerewors (Afrikaans sausage)

Bye for now
XXX

A little of my world and my people.

2006-09-20T17:29:00.000+03:00

My family. OK, so Cat's Mama, Keesie and V aren't here but I can't really help that. I asked Keesie and Cat's Mother to send me pics from when they were here for Ouma's funeral... apparently they have electricity, like, never. So I'll keep asking...

My pretty friend Melissa. She's nuts and she writes the most beautiful songs and poems. We've been friends for almost 18 years. We spoke about getting tattoos together.

Melissa's first tatoo. Need I say much more? I'll hopefully get a better picture of it soon.

This is my gorgeous red-headed friend Natasha. She's so frickin brave!!! At the moment she is in South Korea teaching English for the Korean government. I am in awe of her bravery!

This is a pic of my dad and me, taken shortly before I stopped smoking last year. I think it was my 25th birthday..? Behind us you can see the Cape Fold Mountains. It's sooo beautiful out there.

Ok, so a friend of a friend has this website, Capuan Life. I met him, he's quite funky, check it out, you might find something interesting...

No title today - I'm out of ideas

2006-09-19T17:48:00.000+03:00

It's the last 20 minutes of my working day and I have honestly had enough. I want to go home, put on the Cat's Mother's giant polar fleece gown, curl up on the couch and yes... smoke a damn Gauloises. I know, it's a bummer. I've got no idea how I let it happen but once it starts, thats it! you gotta tackle the whole damn addiction all over again. I'm bracing myself!

Meanwhile, I finally did the deed and broke up with my Robert. So the last few weeks have been spent wondering whether I did the right thing. Poor guy, he's just so clueless and I do adore him so! Funny how the heart and the mind play tricks on us, from different sides of the fence to boot.

Anyone familiar with the Zuma fiasco. Us level headed people's heads are hung in shame... but love the jokes that have been circulating. Check it out! Ok one of the pics isn't working!!! I'll try get it for next time.

Kees and Mommy, if you read this, love you and miss you both!

Howdy!!! on a Friday

2006-09-01T17:49:00.000+03:00

I haven’t written since my bout of melodrama and I was beginning to feel quite guilty that I’ve been neglecting my devoted readers. Though Cat’s mama is away in Dar Es Salaam and will be off on an adventure to Zanzibar on the weekend. I am so jealous! I guess I’ve had enough time out to be thankful for. Major good news, my work gave me a raise!!! And I’m not talking a piddling ten percent or fifteen percent – 43%! I’m already plotting the treasures I can buy.

Meanwhile… in the last week I managed to fail two driver’s tests and narrowly escape a cult experience. Ok now I’m all for adventure and spiritual expression but when the Belgian Government apparently declares a particular group of “like minded individuals” as a “dangerous cult” that’s when I slip into reverse gear and get my spiritually inquisitive ass outa there.

Before I forget, I’d like to thank Ellison for his rather clever observation about my URL address. In typical blonde mode it didn’t even occur to me. Ondria a tease! Ha Ha. That’s so funny.

Anyhoo I’ve decided to give the drivers test thing a break for a while. I have to redo my learners anyway so bugger it I’ll catch the bus or break the law. I’m actually such a good girl that a little badness wouldn’t do me any harm – though preferably not cult bad. YYYIIIIKKKEEESSS!!!!!

So i just wanna get out of here. I've had enough of work for one week. Gonna love you all and leave you all.

XXXXXXX

I’m so very sad and feeling quite melodramatic

2006-08-16T18:03:00.000+03:00

I’m so very sad and feeling quite melodramatic. It dawned on me that my relationship with my Robert aint going so well and probably won’t pass the test of time. He’s too self-absorbed to really acknowledge and appreciate me and I’m too big to be ignored. Mimf. I was thinking about it the other day and I realised he has never asked me how I am or how work is or anything. Here I am trying to make him happy and all he can do is crack a joke or feel sorry for himself. He’s driving me f*cking nuts!!! Excuse my French. He doesn’t even realise and probably doesn’t care that he’s been put on probation, as in he hasn’t even been demoted, he’s about to be fired altogether!

The good news is at 6:30pm tonight I will get to see Cats Mother and KeesKennis! Unfortunately it is due to our loss of Ouma that we have this opportunity so I gotta say Thanks Ouma for bringing us together. I hope you’re happy and peaceful where you are. I’m very excited to see my mom and KK. I have missed them both so much.

I’m also doing my drivers test again on Saturday morning – hopefully this time I’ll pass.

Sherbet I have to go…

Till next time
XXX

I came across this article today...

2006-08-15T12:18:00.000+03:00

I came across this article today and I find it quite horrifying! This is so typical of the South African government and a large chunk of its population. While supporters ralley around Zuma - who seems to be of questionable character... and I mean ralley by way of claiming poverty and joblessness while they toyi-toyi all f***ing day - important pieces of legislation seems to just disappear or be sidelined. Example: the Domestic Violence Act that recognises male rape. Please read this article and open your eyes a bit. X

Child-rights Bill 'drops off Parliament's schedule'

Johannesburg, South Africa

Mail & Guardian
15 Aug 2006 08:33

Comprehensive legislation that would prevent child criminals from mixing with adult offenders and provide rehabilitation alternatives remains unenacted nearly three years after its preparation.

The Child Justice Bill, which received widespread public backing in 2003 and enjoyed cross-party support, has seemingly dropped off Parliament's schedule, child-rights organisations say.

Child offenders are currently tried in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act.

"The last time we heard of it [Child Justice Bill] was just before Parliament went into recess [in 2003], just before the 2004 election. After the elections, we got a new minister and a new parliamentary portfolio committee on justice. Nothing has happened since then," said Jackie Gallinetti, coordinator of Child Justice Alliance, a child rights advocacy group.

South Africa's Constitution calls for the use of prison sentences only as a last resort in cases involving children, but the alliance's statistics indicate that there are 1 069 children serving prison sentences. A further 1 138 are awaiting trial in prisons. The justice system currently does not separate children from adult offenders during pre- and post-trial detentions.

According to the International Centre for Prison Studies, there were 157 402 people incarcerated in South Africa last year, in a prison system designed to hold 114 796 people. About 41% of inmates were HIV-positive.

"Child offenders are held in inhumane, overcrowded prisons with all sorts of hardened adult criminals and repeat offenders," Gallinetti said. "They can be abused sexually and even physically. Regular gang violence and competition for resources is a major problem in prisons. This forces child offenders into survivalist situations that are not good for them."

There is an urgent need for children to have separate detention and prison centres, where restorative justice, which focuses less on the punishment and more on the rehabilitation of the offender, can be implemented, she said, but "this cannot be done without a law to compel all relevant government departments to provide such services".

The restorative justice system follows international guidelines, which consider the social, cultural, economic, psychological and educational background of the offenders. It also sees the "diversion" of offenders away from a criminal mindset, so that the child can become a productive member of society through interactions with the police, prosecutors and social workers.

Last year, NGOs instituted the restorative justice model and so far about 30 000 children have been inducted into it, according to the alliance. "The system is working but it is limited to a few organisations. We want to see it rolled out across the country at government level as well. This can happen within a legal framework, as offered by the Child Justice Bill," Gallinetti said.

"We would like Parliament and Cabinet to revisit the Bill as a matter of urgency and enact it. That is all that remains to be done, because budgeting for the implementation plan has also been done. The government departments have given their support, but the delay is in Parliament," she commented.

South Africa's crime rate has led to growing public calls for more severe penalties and even the reintroduction of the death penalty.

Professor Jaap Doek, of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Children, said more children are becoming involved in serious crimes. He told a recent workshop on child rights that there is an urgent need for enactment of the Bill, as many adults are using children to commit crimes, and the traditional approach of detaining and jailing offenders is proving too costly and ineffective.

"They [child offenders] should be diverted to community service, be made to apologise to those involved and repair what was damaged. The child should be diverted away from the traditional ways of dealing with crime," he said.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported earlier this year that juveniles continue to be incarcerated while awaiting trial in South Africa. This is a violation of international legal requirements that child offenders should not be detained except as a last resort. HRW also supported the urgent need for adoption of the Child Justice Bill.

"International standards stipulate that juveniles should be held in separate quarters from adults; however, this is not always the case in South Africa. Children in detention are reportedly victims of sexual abuse, violence and gang-related activities. The Child Justice Bill, deliberated in the South African Parliament in 2003, proposes a restorative justice approach in an attempt to move children out of the criminal justice system," the HRW report recommended.

There was no response from the government or the portfolio committee on justice on why the Bill was delayed. -- Irin

These are just some of my favorite things...

2006-08-10T14:40:00.000+03:00

Cigarettes - mostly just the memory...

Champagne

Tequila

Belly dancing - which I'm about to start again. The picture is taken from the Feminine Divine website in my links

And my favorite food - OYSTERS!!!

This is for the Cat's Mother

2006-08-03T17:48:00.000+03:00

Refreshed

2006-08-02T17:24:00.000+03:00

I’m back and I had a wonderful holiday. Just have a look at the pictures, I am so lucky to live in such a beautiful country. Unfortunately I’m a bit lacking in the humping animals department (KK and Melissa) but the funny looking duck is called the red knobbed coot – I wonder if there is any connection to the saying “as pissed as a coot”? You know, like when people get drunk and their noses turn red. Apparently these are birds and not ducks and they collect reeds from the lagoon which they stack from the bottom up (a couple of metres tall) until they have a nest to sit on on the surface of the water. Imagine the sight when the water is low and they are left with metre tall nests in the middle of nowhere! I couldn’t get a decent photo so here’s one I got from http://freespace.virgin.net/jacky.buckton/Birding/SA/SA4.htm
And the picture of the nest I got from http://www.kenyabirds.org.uk/coot.htm

Adios Amigos

2006-07-20T18:09:00.000+03:00

This is a very quick on to say Adios Amigos! I’m off on my holiday and won’t be able to take my laptop with so I’ll being taking lots of pics to post when I get back. Just for shits and giggles I have to tell you guys we had a bomb scare in our building today! Only here in sunny SA! Who would want to bomb our building anyway??? Anyhoo the bomb squad arrived with dogs and all and it was so terrible we had to go off for coffee for a couple of hours. Meanwhile check out my links! I did that all by myself Kees, figured it out just before you sent me the email. And I added my favourite newspaper! Also wanna say welcome to the World of blogging Lissy – she’s my best friend!
XXX

2006-07-18T17:43:00.000+03:00

It's Great to be a Souf Efrikan - thats me by the way

2006-07-12T19:12:00.000+03:00

This is a great country because:
1. You can eat half dried meat and not be considered disgusting.
2. Nothing is your fault, you can blame it all on apartheid.
3. You get to buy a new car every 3 months and the insurance company even pays for it.
4. You can experience k@k service in eleven official languages.
5. Where else can you get oranges with 45% alcohol content at rugby matches?
6. It's the only country in the world where striking workers show how angry they are by dancing and singing.
7. You're considered clumsy if you cannot: use a cell phone (without car kit), change CDs, drink a beer, put on make-up, read the newspaper and smoke, all at the same time while driving a car at 160 kph in a 60 kph zone.
8. Great accent. (!!!)
9. If you live in Jozi ( Johannesburg), you get to brag about living in the most dangerous city in the world.
10. Burglar bars become a feature, and a great selling point for your house.
11. You can decorate your garden walls with barbed wire.
12. The tow-trucks are the first on the scene for most major crimes, without being called. The police you have to call about three times.
13. Votes have to be recounted until the right party wins.
14. Illegal immigrants leave the country because the crime rate is too high.
15. The police ask you if they must follow up on the burglary you've just reported.
16. When a murderer gets a 6 month sentence and a pirate TV viewer 2 years.
17. The prisoners strike and get to vote in elections!
18. The police stations have panic buttons to call armed response when they are burgled
19. Police cars are fitted with immobilisers and gearlocks!
Ja nee!! Dis lekker hier!!

Long time no see!

2006-07-12T19:09:00.000+03:00

It has been quite a while since I last blogged. Lots has been going in my universe. I’m in Joburg at the moment, training our new recruits and will be seeing my sister this evening. That’s KKs youngest pumkin! I’m really looking forward to that.

Otherwise, work is going good – the pressure is on. For any curious minds, I work for headhunters – a bunch of extremely demanding and eccentric individuals with a taste for the high life. I, on the other hand, have been weighing up the merits of spending my hard earned money on a manicure. In my mind that would be the height of indulgence. Although, I have decided that since I’m spending so much bucks on medical insurance, I might as well take myself off to a physio therapist for a back rub.

Boyfriend has tried his hand at giving me a back rub but seems to get easily distracted so physio it is. Things are going so well on that front. My sister T and her boyfriend B invited Boyfriend and myself to join them for drinks – who knew B and Boyfriend got on like a house on fire! It was great! They even wound up getting pissed together – very funny.

Anyhow, Boyfriend has gone away on business again but this time I have too so we’re even steven. Boyfriend landed himself in the dogbox recently by forgetting the date of my drivers test. I was so upset that he didn’t call or message me to wish me luck but I found a healthy way around it. I figured that since he’s a guy and a very distracted IT person to boot, I would resolve this by inserting all my important dates in his diary or phone reminder – that way if he forgets I have a legitimate claim to volatility. However, when I discussed it with him he claimed not to have forgotten, but just wasn’t sure when the right time was to call – whatever… What redeemed him was when I asked him if I could have my way with his phone and diary – he said “you’re my girlfriend, you can have your way with anything of mine”. Swoon I’m not all that tough to please.

In case anyone is wondering, I did in fact fail my drivers but once I got over the gut-renching humiliation of it I realised it was all for a good reason. Actually, while I was lying awake in bed that night, mulling over the misfortune of getting a six-foot-something, obese traffic cop to be my examiner, I had a spiritual moment unlike any other I had experienced before. Somebody appeared next my bed and showed me why I failed. It was perfectly simple really, I was not ready and would have had a terrible accident. I saw the whole thing like a film or dream right before my eyes, but I had no control over my thoughts and feelings at the time – yet I was awake. To put it in a nutshell, I got to an intersection where I had right of way to continue driving but a bakkie (van?) turned. I saw it coming but didn’t react fast enough and it hit into my side. It would have been very bad. I opened my eyes and the presence slowly left. I kept thinking “thank you, thank you, thank you. I am so blessed and protected.” My mom says I could count that as my spiritual birth – my first vision – ha ha who knew?

So I think that’s enough for now. I’m exhausted from work and need to go be sociable. I’ll add some pics and stuff just for fun.

XXX

You know you're up shit creek when...

2006-06-26T11:31:00.000+03:00

Sunday, Beautiful Sunday

2006-06-26T09:43:00.000+03:00

Firstly, thanks to KK for setting up my site meter and adding yourself and Maeve to my links. Secondly thanks to Maeve for your feedback on my dream about the snakes. Your interpretation is actually very relevant and true to my status quo.

I know I said I would write more regularly but I’ve been crazy busy with work and then I caught a bad cold and just plain wasn’t in the mood.

At the moment I’m listening to some construction workers on the neighbouring construction site belting out R&B music at the top of their lungs in tune with the local radio station. They’re either drunk, gat vol of working on a Sunday, or very happy. Dare I ask them which? Regardless, they are quite inspiring. If you have ever witnessed a Cape Malay in full Mariah swing (KK or mom, remember Billy Bobs on Karaoke night?) then you will know what I’m talking about.

Another very loud sound is that of Harley Davidsons passing on their way to Chapmans Peak Drive. It is such a beautiful day! Um-friend got back from his work trip yesterday so we decided to spend the day together. We woke up late, went and had a full English breakfast and then went for a long walk on the mountain side. KK and Ma, you know the back end of Sandy Bay? It was great! We got to see the first lot of Southern Wright whales making their way to Hout Bay, clearly enjoying the summer day. They were leaping out of the water and flapping their tails. Um-friend says that’s to get the barnacles off but I prefer to think they’re playing and dancing. There must have been about fifteen of them though it was hard to count. We will soon know when they arrive.

Another very exciting development… My aunt and uncle have given us the use of their time share vacation spot, a house on a lake in Sedgefield on the east coast. I’m so excited. My work has even given me the seven days off that I requested. The place looks great. They have swimming pools, Jacuzzis, saunas, fishing, tennis, golf, boating, water skiing, you name it! And the house is fully furnished; all we need to take is clothing and food. My uncle also owns a tourism company so he is arranging a whole bunch of activities such as visits to local caves, cheetah farms, boat trips etc for absolutely free – the whole holiday is practically free! The best part is, the chalet has three bedrooms so my sister and her boyfriend are coming (it happens to be her last week of varsity vacation), my dad and then myself – um-friend has agreed to come for some of the time. This is a much needed break. I only wish cats mother and KeesKennis were here too but we will hopefully be seeing you guys fairly soon…

One last thing I want to mention, I bought myself a beautiful crystal called a red carnelian. What an amazing piece of nature and what fantastic qualities! Apparently it aids and assists with matters of the base chakra, particularly emerging courage and power. It is perfect for me because my fear is certainly a skin I need to shed. Ma, remember when you told me I’m no shrinking violet and I should stop acting like one? Perhaps this is what the snake dream was about, my fear and my perception of powerlessness. That is just what it is, a perception.

Anyhoo, enough of that. I have ten days to go till my driving test. Mom and Maeve, please send me good energy or something? This has to happen, I need my wings!

Till next time XX

(written on Sunday 25th June)

Headlines are unimportant

2006-06-17T19:39:00.000+03:00

Tomorrow is Father's Day!

2006-06-17T19:32:00.000+03:00

Ok, so tomorrow is Father’s Day and I need to say a few things in that spirit.

I want to dedicate this space today to KeesKennis. I’m choosing to talk about KK because I live with my dad and I get to tell him everyday that I love him and that I’m proud of him. Unfortunately I don’t get to see my mom and KK often enough and I definitely don’t talk to KK enough. So here is what I want to say…

KeesKennis I am so grateful to my God that you came into our lives. You are a truly wonderful person who has had a massive impact on my life, on all of our lives. You gave me the option to dream and the belief that I can do anything and be anything I choose. You have empowered me and I love you so much for that. I also love you because you are just plain wonderful and because you make my mom so happy.

I hope you have a wonderful wonderful wonderful Father’s Day. I will be thinking of you!

Meanwhile, lil pumkin has decided to graduate um-friend to boyfriend and stop the bullshit. Hold thumbs!

XXX

Bad dream...

2006-06-13T17:54:00.000+03:00

I had the most bizarre and frightening dream the other night and I can’t seem to get it out of my head. I dreamt that I was walking in the back yard of my home (not a home I actually recognise) and I was going to hang up some washing. It was very yellow and dry and the grass was quite long but there were also patches of dry sand. I could see holes in the sand and then I suddenly noticed that the holes were everywhere and there were snakes curled up inside them. I was already in the middle of it so I decided to carry on with my course and get it over with, but of course the snakes woke up and one bit me on my foot through my sneaker. I was very aware that if I called for help it would only get worse so I tried to keep moving. That’s when all of them came at me and I woke up.

How horrible is that? I’m not even particularly afraid of snakes. I don’t really consider them. They’re not great but I reckon spiders are worse. So why on earth would snakes come scare the crap out of me in my dreams? Any dream interpreters out there??? I tried googling it and the general message was that I’m about to be royally deceived. I would prefer a nicer explanation.

Anyone???

Oh before I forget, here is the pic of my Jasmine sleeping in her basket.

2006-06-12T11:25:00.001+03:00

2006-06-12T11:25:00.000+03:00

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2006-06-11T10:35:00.000+03:00

It's Sunday morning and I'm waiting for mother dearest to log onto messenger so we can chat. Hmmm... no sign of mother...

So while I wait I figured I might as well write a bit. I'm also in the middle of painting my nails and listening to Patsy Cline, Web Pierce and Johny Cash. I watched a movie about johnie Cash and June Carter last night - it was such a stunning movie. For once it didn't end in the junky rock star being immortalised through drug overdose and death.

I also watched the new Pride & Prejudice with Kiera Knightley. Now I'm a real classics junkie so I wasn't really able to appreciate much except for that gorgeous guy who played Darcy. It also occurred to me that the reason Darcy's first name isn't very widely known is probably because it's [Fitzwilliam]. Not quite as sexy as Darcy. So even though I appreciate that it was impossible to stick to the original storyline due to time constraints (1.5 hours vs. 6 hours)the exprience in my opinion was a far cry from the original. Much of the meaning is lost.

So if you ever want to experience a true romance either read the book or track down the BBC original that is word-for-word according to the book (it also has Collin Firth playing the divine Darcy).

I've been thinking that I need to add more to my blog. For starters I need to figure out how to add links. If Maeve and KeesKennis don't mind I would love to add the two of you once I figure it out.

A little update update on Jasmine... It's getting quite cold what with winter settling in, so dad and I decided to get her a sponge basket with hoody type contraption for her to sleep in. She sniffed and pawed at it disdainfully for about a week. She was sleeping on the floor next to it! So I decided it was time to get serious. I filled it with catnip and biltong and guess who has decided this is the best place ever... I will take a picture and load it next time. The funny part is that she seems to be embarrassed about it. You see, I strategically placed it next to my bed. This means that when my alarm goes off in the morning (and it's still dark) I can hear her little paws quietly stepping out of the basket. By the time the light is on she is curled up in a ball on the cold floor as if that is where she was all night. Funny creature. I managed to get a picture with my phone (in the dark using the night light).

Meanwhile its an hour later and mother still has not signed on or checked her messages so I have to post this and get on with it. My tennant was in a terrible accident on Friday and his brother is arriving in an hour or so from out of town - he'll be staying with us. This is all very stressful and I can't get into it now but suffice to say I have dishes to do. My favorite!

Until next time...

WICOE

2006-06-09T16:39:00.000+03:00

(Women In Charge Of Everything) is proud to announce the opening of its
EVENING CLASSES FOR MEN!
OPEN TO MEN ONLY
ALL ARE WELCOME

Note: due to the complexity and level of difficulty, each course will accept a maximum of eight participants

The course covers two days, and topics covered in this course include:

DAY ONE

HOW TO FILL ICE CUBE TRAYS
Step by step guide with slide presentation

TOILET ROLLS- DO THEY GROW ON THE HOLDERS?
Roundtable discussion

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LAUNDRY BASKET & FLOOR
Practicing with hamper (Pictures and graphics)

DISHES & SILVERWARE;
DO THEY LEVITATE/FLY TO KITCHEN SINK
OR DISHWASHER BY THEMSELVES?
Debate among a panel of experts.

REMOTE CONTROL
Losing the remote control - Help line and support groups

LEARNING HOW TO FIND THINGS
Starting with looking in the right place
instead of turning the house upside down while screaming -
Open forum

DAY TWO

EMPTY MILK CARTONS;
DO THEY BELONG IN THE FRIDGE OR THE BIN?
Group discussion and role play

HEALTH WATCH;
BRINGING HER FLOWERS IS NOT HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH
PowerPoint presentation

REAL MEN ASK FOR DIRECTIONS WHEN LOST
Real life testimonial from the one man who did

IS IT GENETICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SIT QUIETLY
AS SHE PARALLEL PARKS?
Driving simulation

LIVING WITH ADULTS;
BASIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
YOUR MOTHER AND YOUR PARTNER
Online class and role playing

HOW TO BE THE IDEAL SHOPPING COMPANION
Relaxation exercises, meditation and breathing techniques

REMEMBERING IMPORTANT DATES
& CALLING WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE
Bring your calendar or PDA to class

GETTING OVER IT;
LEARNING HOW TO LIVE WITH BEING WRONG ALL THE TIME
Individual counselors available

Hello fellow bloggers and the odd peeps who pop in.

2006-06-08T17:59:00.000+03:00

I had such a cool surprise waiting in my mail box! Cats mother please send me uncle’s email address so I can get into regular contact? HAHA how was that cartoon? I can just imagine my Jasmine selling family dogs on ebay – that is if she bothered to learn how to type!

I have decided that after my very fine lecture from mom about boys etc I’m not in the mood to discuss um-friend today. Today I want to talk about my Jasmine. Note picture.

I adopted Jasmine 9 months ago from the local animal rescue centre called DARG. She is the funniest creature but her story is quite sad. Her original owners moved house and left her behind. They lived in Bloubergstrand which is quite a distance out of Cape Town. Anyhow, after several months a neighbour noticed abandoned kitty digging in bin bags and generally making a pain of herself and decided to adopt her. What neighbour didn’t realise is that she’s a real bergie (Capetonian for street person but more literally means mountain dweller) and she doesn’t like to share, anything.

It took all of one month for new owner to decide she was just too aggressive with the other pets – maybe she did try to sell the dog on ebay – so she took obnoxious kitty off to DARG to see if they could find her a home. This is the story I was told by the DARG volunteer, mingled with my own understanding of my little gem.

Anyhow, enter Mr Pat and Ondria. I wasn’t supposed to get a pet yet. I only went there because bleeding heart Pat happened to pop in the day before and decided I needed to see all the sad creatures.

From the moment I stepped into that cage and she set her pretty eyes on me I was sold. Thinking it was the right thing to do to go around and pet all the kitties, I walked around the cage sharing my love and she just followed patiently and looked at me with such adoration. I just had to take her home.

The funny thing is that the adoring eyes are as close as I get to receiving affection from my little kitty. She never sits on my lap. Rarely sleeps on my bed - she prefers the cold floor! But I know she loves me because she stays and she looks at me with those eyes. She is my little spark of divine light.

The story of Jasmine will be continued…

This is turning into a [maybe] weekly thing!

2006-06-06T15:56:00.000+03:00

It’s been just over a week since I last wrote something – so much for keeping it up regularly. Sorry KeesKennis and mom. I have realised that this is such a fun way of updating the cat’s mother and her clever baboon. Snicker snicker, sorry couldn’t resist!

Life my side has been going fairly well since the last drama of late payments etc. Man! Money stresses me out badly! Anyhow, I’m trying to follow the tarot reader’s advice and not let it get me down. I’m trying to remind myself that the universe provides for my every need – I just need to remember to ask. Woosahhh…

So things with my um-friend are going quite well. I’m trying to figure out whether he’s trying to play hard-to-get arrogant arse with me but doing a bad job of it or whether he has just grown into a nice arrogant arse. Either way he is proving to be more and more lovely and I’m grossing myself out. Peuk! I’m finding myself getting all cooshy and it’s really quit fun and revolting at the same time. Can’t help but wonder when the penny’s gonna drop though. Anyway, he has gone to Jozy for a week of work – hopefully – and then he leaves on the day he returns to go for some sea rescue training (yum) for the whole weekend. I did the math and that means by the time he gets back we will have been um-friends for three weeks (one grace week). Very clever I thought.

Anyhow, I went book shopping today. I bought a book about fly fishing – I’ve been wanting to do that again for years! Oh the sound of silence in the bush with nothing but the trickle of water and the buzz of gogos! (gogo is a guttural sound that means anything that creeps around in the bush)

The other book I bought is what’s really getting me excited. It’s a book on divination using a pendulum. I’m so excited to try it out. I’ve been messing around with a pendulum for years so it is really exciting to find some sort of guidance on how to do it most effectively. The book explains how to use divination to find anything from water and minerals to lost property, missing pets, and it also explains how to pinpoint illness in the body! Mother how fun would that be??!!

Anyhow, that’s enough for today. I have loads of work to do. I have to quickly say though before I sign off that I absolutely love my job!!! KeesKennis I’m doing what you suggested and really enjoying it! (Remember our conversation about the merits of capitalists and elitists?)

Love and Light till next time and beyond…

Why are my pictures not showing?

2006-05-27T15:25:00.000+03:00

Hello KeesKennis! And Ellison too!

Thanks for the comments. I'm going to try post my pictures again - why isn't it working and how on earth do you create links?

Meanwhile KeesKennis, how cute is my kitty?

So, my new um-friend fetches me last night to go eat typically friend food - beer and steak!!! - but he's no longer driving his big sister's old car. I was very excited to find him driving an uber cool new Golf GTI. I know it's shallow but there is something so hot about a guy who drives a hot car. And to top it off we decide to watch a horror film for an extra dash of friendliness - White Noise.

Mother would love that one, not the movie but the concept! I don't know whether other people experience this but when I walk into any kind of appliance store, like Hi Corporation for example, I feel completely freaked out by all the TVs that are switched on but kept on silent. Ever noticed the humm thats not a humm? Creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepy!

On the less creepy side of things, I was quite agitated and stressed yesterday at work and believe me my work is pretty serious - no stuff ups allowed - trying to keep up with all the things I had to do when out of the blue, in a completely sealed up, air-conditioned office pops a feather! Lucky me an Angel popped in to remind me that all's good. I really needed that because sometimes I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew, but it's good to be reminded that I have a big mouth.

Meanwhile I must convince um-friend to let me learn how to drive in the GTI - not likely but worth a try. I've got just over a month to go until my drivers licence test. I'm looking forward to the day when I can just jump in my car and go - anywhere.

That's enough for now, I need to enjoy being able to drink and not drive while I can! So I'm off, till next time.

I'm in a seriously foul mood and need to offload!

2006-05-26T11:12:00.000+03:00

It's not as if anyone actually reads this blog except maybe KeesKennis, who happens to be a very popular blogger and is my Senior Pumpkin.

So why the foul mood? It's payday and I have apparently lost more than R800 of my salary! I am so pissed off! I have to work my ass off to earn money so that I can pay for corrupt government officials and striking dumb ass security guards! The worst part is I was promised a raise by my work so there I was planning what to spend my money on when in actual fact I barely have enough to get by.

HoHum... meanwhile, i'm trying to establish an um...friendship with someone. What's an um...friendship? An um-friendship is a friendship with benefits - but I have added the "exclusive" clause for personal safety purposes. The truth is, I'm terribly commitment phobic but I really like him - I think - and I would really like to have a relationship with him. The um-friendship part is my way of ensuring I don't feel trapped and decide to run for the friggin hills! The trick - I'm thinking - is to keep things quiet. If family and friends don't know then there is no pressure on me to be nice and make it work. That probably doesn't make any sense but I'm giving it a try anyway.

I always knew I was slow on the take when it comes to relationships but I only realised recently that I'm actually afraid of them. How sad is that? I'm 25 and I've only ever had one relationship, and that turned out to be a very unhealthy choice. I wish I could blame it all on the dumb ass ex but he really was just a symptom. So where do you draw the line? At what point do you decide to take on the challenge and try get over the fear? I always interpreted my fear as something else... I'd start feeling trapped, get nasty, start a fight, dump him... But if I actually take the time to think about it I am plain, old fashioned afraid. Mmmmf.

So, lets see where the weekend takes me... An um-friendship? Bankrupt? A bit of both?

Re: the pictures, I just lurve fishing boats - weird I know. And I lurve my kitty so here are some pics I took.

My baby and my home

2006-04-04T14:45:00.000+03:00

What is really important?

2006-04-04T10:44:00.000+03:00

I've been experiencing some very strange things lately, almost as if the universe is trying to send me a message or remind me of something.

The [plight] of starving and abused children is being highlighted in my world right now. I've been seeing them in movies (Beyond Borders - hectic), emails, and in the streets - no kidding, seriously immaciated kids everywhere!

I think we do our best in a pretty tough world and I'd like to think I'm conscientious enough to consider and be aware of the suffering that is out there but it is also so easy to get absorbed in our own little worlds of earning money, accumulating belongings, payng bills, partying with friends, etc. Can you imagine if half the energy that is focused on our losing sports teams was spent helping the less fortunate... I guess you can tell I'm not much of a sports fan!

To the young girl I met yesterday with the tiny little abandoned baby you're so kindly fostering, you are an inspiration. Even though you are so young (25) and have no children of your own, you have still volunteered to care for the baby until Child Welfare can find a home for him. Even though he is deathly ill from being left to starve and die on a sports field, you still have the courage and love in your heart to provide him with safety and give him what you can. Most people would be too afraid to look after an abandoned, sick baby.

I am certain that he was smiling at you!

In the meantime, I will have to think about how I can live with a clear conscience.