Monday, July 26, 2010

Stellies Market


Glimpses of sun appear and you brave the winter’s day to go and experience another life in Stellie. Rise and shine...it’s an early start to the day but I know it will soon be worth it in the beautiful Stellenbosch surroundings. This time we have come prepared with cash to splash. There was nothing worse than stumbling on this prize and not having card facilities to swipe.

You start off cautious as you view the various stalls and your budget…and believe me there is something for everyone. I immediately fell in love with the shiny stuff (jewelry). The arts and crafts are amazing, the craftsmanship is done at such a high standard it will blow you mind.



I couldn't leave without getting a few things for the fam so I got mom a leather Bible cover, gran some home made delicious chutney and the boyfriend was content eating just about anything there.

There’s a taste and aroma for each and everyone. The smells travel through the air and tempt you to the next meal to blast your taste buds and imagination. You get spicy, healthy, sweet, savoury, samplers, wine, local food, Italian, Tapas etc. Why stop there...the wine selection is great and if you perhaps still feeling the effects of last nights party, try the freshly squeezed juices.


Note the following:
1. The flee market is only open on Saturdays, from 09h00 to 14h00.
2. Bring cash and loads of it; there is only one bar with a card facility and they do no favours for other stores - no matter how hard you beg.
3. The food varies from local to international cuisine – come hungry...better yet, come ravenous!!!
4. Product prices are a little steep considering it is a flee market. That being said, a steep price for helping a fellow South African be an entrepreneur should be seen as a blessing to helping the rise of SA talent.
5. Flee market is open during winter months; a marquee is erected to ensure that you don’t miss out.
6. Bring family and friends and make the most of the day, ideal for catch up with your girls over a glass of wine.
7. It is guaranteed that you won’t leave there disappointed...it's where the gees is.

What motivates me?


Without getting too mushy…I would have to say the 3 L’s (love, life and laughter). I know it sounds cliché but I’m a simple girl. All the rest…like getting the biggest engagement ring or a bigger salary is of course a bonus (hint…hint).

Love for my family and friends, their friendship, kind words and encouragement in hard times is what gets me through. These relationships help to make me the kind of person I would like to be. I mailed a friend today to mention how chaotic life has suddenly become with deadlines looming all around. He in return said but a few words, ‘You have been through worse man, you will be ok’. Those words that stared at me on my computer screen and made me realise to stop whining and to get on with things.

Life…the past struggles which I have overcome is proof that anything is possible. It motivates me to persevere. My circumstances keep me grounded because there is so much to be grateful for, that others do not have.

Life can be super crazy…there’s nothing like a weekend getaway to help put things back into perspective. The outdoors is remedy for the soul, it helps to push pause on a busy world. The world is an amazing place…exploring the long open road is true bliss.

Laughter is what gets me through many painfully boring days. It takes many forms, such as a friend being clumsy, a joke email or reminiscing about younger foolish days.

Goals that are set and achieved help me to see that the way forward is not as hard as it seems…that one small goal is one step closer to the big thing. When things are going alright, the high seems like it will last forever. When it doesn’t…I chase it to feel that initial high.

Now if you are having difficulty in feeling those initial highs…you can do what I do to motivate myself…a trip to the shops can cure any mood.

If the budget is tight a good track will do. You know what I mean…that song that gets your head bobbing and singing along. It takes on various genres such as Lady Hawk, Lady Antebellum, Sade…even Amy Winehouse.

I think the most important thing that motivates me is the fact that life and time waits for no one…so give yourself 5 minutes to moan about how unfair life is then best you get on with living life.

Monday, July 19, 2010

10 Most unexpected consequences of being online.

Life online has been a bitter sweet pill to swallow, here is a list of my unexpected experiences:

  1. I thought that online information at my finger tips would save me a trip to the library, yet all it has done was give everybody an opinion about everything…an opinion that may not be qualified on the topic.

  2. The monthly bill from Telkom for the ADSL line which DOES NOT work (since last year November), even after 2 hours on the phone with the technical support team. Those dreaded 24 month contracts…aaargh!

  3. Social networks have now become more corporate networks as businesses try and bombard us with services and products. We just can’t escape the corporate talk *sigh*.

  4. Online has created a monster as more hustlers trying to scam you out of your hard earned cash. We have all experienced this at least once…You have won 10 million US dollars; please deposit 500 dollars into our account so you can get your prize – yeah right, as if I’m that gullible.

  5. Airy of dirty laundry - perhaps you hurled after one too many and within seconds the whole world knows about it, even your boss.

  6. Nothing says freedom of speech like those funny comics taking the knock at politicians when they “put their foot in it”. One wrong word or movement and we will be there within seconds to laugh about it.

  7. Withdrawal symptoms when not being able to Google, msn messenger, use Twitter, Facebook or any other online application from your computer or mobile phone. Or when you message a friend online instead of going into the next office to chat. Much of this withdrawal was experienced during the “load shedding”. When these symptoms happen, you know that you have crossed over to the dark side of internet addiction.

  8. Those dreaded online forms that freeze every time just before you get a chance to submit the information. Then you have to start all over again. Usually there is a spike in the stress levels and the Serenity Prayer gets said to prevent me from smashing the machine.

  9. An increase in guilt trips by those annoying emails saying: email to ten of your friends so to help prevent abuse against animals OR you will have a lonely life followed by a painful death.

  10. Finding a relative online that you never knew you had. Even worse…perhaps you hooked up a few times not knowing he was a distant cousin…cringe.

Now while it may seem like life has handed some unexpected lemons from being online, always remember to make lemonade (and vodka to taste) and sip on that while having a rant on one of the many online complaint sites.

Elephant in the room


Dread and despair filled Timmy as he opened the 30 year reunion invite for the class of 1980. Timmy has always been a bit of a scatter brain, not to mention clumsy. However, he has managed to excel despite his reputation of being a loner and nerd at school. He has become a leader in the medical industry. He was every bit worthy of attending the reunion, if for no other reason than to showcase how successful he has become in life.

He walks into the beautifully decorated auditorium, confident and self-assured. He soothes himself with a double whisky on the rocks while running over his life story to date. His wife can not begin to understand his anxiety and torment of adolescent years, she being quiet popular at school. As Timmy walks to the table, someone shouts…’Hey! There’s Timmy the pants wetter!’

Mortified, he could feel the blood rush to his face as if he was that same insecure child 35 years ago. It felt as though there was nowhere to hide as all eyes were on him and the laughter roared through the room. His wife, concealing her smile, tried to offer words of comfort as she said, ‘kids can be so mean’. The reality is that these were grown-ups yet so few of them had actually grown up. Of all the memories which the brain could store why did his peers remember him wetting his pants in Grade 8? Some were gifted in having memory like an elephant – unfortunately that memory is to the detriment of another. Murphy’s Law there will always be one smart-arse with the memory of an elephant in the room.

Moral of story: never wet your pants in public. If wetting your pants can not be avoided, avoid all events where people who witnessed it are attending.