I Am Proudly South African

Picture: Google

So I went about my day as per usual. Crazy alarm clock, Morning Live and my first tweet for the day (tweeting a headline!) up until I was made aware by one of my limited Twitter contacts that today marked a significant day, a day which Africans get to embrace their 'Africaness'. Yes today is 'Africa Day'. I naturally had a moment to myself and questioned 'what it truly means to be an African'.

Thinking of Mother Africa had an intellectual and most importantly spiritually fulfilling ambience. With her rich culture, history and wealth, her grace is endless. I scaled my thoughts down right to her Southern self where I hail from. And boy oh boy! I come from a rather interesting country.

Picture: Goolge

I remember recently (actually two days to be precise!) watching the headlines on E-tv where South African celebrities were involved in a CSI initiative in Soweto. Several public figures were interviewed. Yet the one message that stuck not only in my thoughts but with my very being came from hip-hop artist Proverb who mentioned somethig along these lines: 'No matter what hardships South Africa has gone through and has yet to experience, we always come out much stronger'.

And he was so right! We made it through Apartheid, made it through a 'Democratic newness', made it through the 'Arms Deal', made it through 'The Shower', made it through 'Shoot the Boer', made it through ' The Silencing of voices', made it through 'Racist tweets', still making it through 'The Spear'. And after all is said and done we're still standing together with our differences, with our flaws as we're “Proudly South African”.

Try a cliché

Image: Google.com

Try a cliché if you don’t have much to say or pretty much lack in the ‘creativity sphere’, bluntly put but honest. Surprisingly so many people use them, every second sentence is a cliché! And as much as people think that using a cliché translates into articulation, knowledge and generally being well read, it actually does the opposite (in my opinion anyway!). It makes one look ‘unoriginal’ for one, corny, lazy and much limited intellectually to say the least.

An even bigger question would be who comes up with these sayings or as others put it ‘words of wisdom’. Sound familiar…. ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’, ‘Always look on the bright side’, ‘Don’t bite the hand that feeds you’, ‘Money makes the world go round’, ‘That which does not kill you makes you stronger’ I could go on and on but seriously I’m not a fan of these phrases!

Not sure if this serves as a cliché or not but… ‘I’m done for the day’ Ciao. (That was one, who’s corny now? Ouch!)

Farewell Summer My Love

Image: Goolge

It’s here once again: wet roads, wet hair, road rage, accidents. Sound like a nightmare? Its called WINTER. While I may sound like I’m exaggerating, this is one dreadful season, totally cannot stand it. Surely, I’m grateful to God for always blessing me with both unbearable and blissful days throughout these years and seasons, yet if I had a way, it’d be summer everyday.

I have a string of reasons why I dislike winter so much, yet my personal top five are as follows:

1) Weight gain, weight gain, weight no good gain! This goes without saying is the number one most dreadful reason behind winter. Thanks to Milo, cookies, cake, melva pudding with custard and Mommy’s famous soup (with a thousand calories!).

2) It takes forever to dress up as I end up in my entire wardrobe.

3) Make-up is darker which makes you older! Its true.

4) One cannot enjoy the beautiful, green outdoors without puddles messing up your hairdo, which took a measly four hours to put together in the first place.

5) Its sooooo damn cold! And overall a boring, lonely season especially when you don’t have a partner to share it with (wink wink my lips are sealed).

So Farewell Summer My Love, soon we shall be reunited once again. *Sighs* Dies.

Image: 4bp.blogspot.com

Feelings follow behaviour

Image: Google Images

This is one statement that I truly support, it actually reminded me of two particular incidents that took place in the media recently or rather over the last few weeks. A cliché by now, but the axing and disgracing of Jessica Leandra is the perfect example how one’s behaviour may be influenced by their feelings.

The former model (haven’t heard of any regain of her fame yet) claimed that her racial remarks were governed by her anger at the time of her posting her incident on Twitter. Whether Jessica’s remarks were a true reflection of her beliefs or not is beside the point, she reacted according to her feelings at the time and ended up shooting herself in the foot.

Another incident, which supports this statement, is one of the racist CPUT Marketing student, Ken Sinclair who posted once again, racist remarks not on Twitter but on Face book, which saw the suspension of Sinclair from the institution.

Feelings following behaviour is not necessarily a bad thing take for example Mother Teresa, Florence Nightingale (I know!) Dr Martin Luther King and I’d be hanged in many individuals’ imaginations if I didn’t mention the ever-great Nelson Mandela. These figures let their feelings follow their behaviour, yet it was mostly their intelligence that led them to performing greatly towards the well-being of humanity.

While our feelings help express ourselves, its better to be intelligent when it comes to our actions as they too have their reactions.

Image: Google Images

It is better to practice a little than talk a lot

Image: Google Images

‘Empty vessels make the loudest noise’. This expression was continuously used by my former H.O.D Mr Huckle who ramped the corridors of the Marketing Department in search for his next victim to ridicule. We always used to laugh off his remarks, not because he we were empty (hope not!) but because we wanted to seem cool, young and invisible.

The truth is I ended up storing this expression in my ever precious “Thought congested box’ stored somewhere in whatever grey matter left in my head... I often use it whenever someone says something that they cannot back up!

Think of all the great athletes around us the likes of Lionel Messi, Natalie Du Toit, Michael Jordan, and Usain Bolt. Sure enough, these are gifted individuals yet they did not get to be well-known athletes out of merit, they knew that with practice they would not only be able to ‘walk the walk’ but ‘talk the talk’ too.

Many of us are not afraid of succeeding, the only frightening aspect of success is the time spent on achieving our goals. We all have a ‘life plan’ that we set out for ourselves and if nothing happens at a certain planned time we view our efforts as failure. However, the truth is its better to practice a little than talk a lot about nothing.

For nothing is not who we are. But something is what we can make out of nothing.

A reflection of Me

Picture : Google Images

“I’m so fat, how on earth can anyone get to this weight EUUWWW disgusting”. This is one statement I'd associate with a ramp model whose landed her 'First face' title to open a Vic & Victor Autumn/Fall show. Yet unfortunately they came from a very close source: my nine year old niece. You could've sworn my jaw fell on the ground! The shock on my face was priceless. I went and asked her reasons behind this absurd lie she just blurted, her answer was: 'Mommy says I should watch my weight and besides all pretty girls are skinny and wild'. I didn’t go as far as probing into the meaning of 'wild' but for the most sat her down to give her a prep talk which 'little Miss Pretty' dismissed as utter nonsense.

Before I could say a thing my niece once again barged in only this time to give me a piece of her mind. 'Aunt Aya, I appreciate your concern. I know you're about to tell me I'm special, pretty blah blah blah. I'm quite hungry, can we do this over a salad!' Yes, she rolled her eyes too.

I had a burger, she had a plate full of greens and a glass of water so big it covered her petite tiny face. I noticed while giving 'The Talk' that she was really concentrating, not on me but the burger under my nose. By the end of our chat, Sweet Pea was licking and tasting her fingers like a Survivor contestant. I thought she'd thank me for the 'one-on-one' but instead she surprised me with 'Can I have some more please?' Kids!

Picture: Google Images

Oh No She Didn’t!



Image: women24.com

This expression is usually used by African American women who are about to b*#^h slap someone. We see it in movies with a woman taking off her wig, throwing it on the ground, rolling her sleeves and getting ready to KICK SOME ASS!!!. Well I don’t go around kicking behinds! But I couldn’t help using the same expression today when I learnt of Jessica Leandra’s despicable behavior on Twitter. I was thinking, the audacity and nerve of this woman referring to a fellow South African as a k*#!%r and still posting it on Twitter.

Sure, she had her reasons for her outrage and outburst, but to post it on a social networking site such as Twitter is not only disrespectful and ignorant but just plain stupidity. And for what? She lost her contract and title with FHM and Quick Trim SA sponsorship. Yet even more important her reputation and integrity which is more than any riches in this senseless world we live in. I hope this serves as a lesson to not only Jessica, but to every South African celebrity and public figure  that ‘Nobody in this world is invisible’

Seriously! Didn’t she consider that beauty, stardom and fame eventually fade and next thing you know you’re like ‘a used condom’ as my beloved Malema would say.





Wedding Cake in the middle of the road

Image: Google.com

It’s not everyday that one finds a wedding cake in the middle of the road. I personally out of curiosity (which never kills and gets me into trouble) would probably want to stick my finger in it only to draw back a finger covered in chocolate icing and a thick yummy sticky caramel inside Oh so heavenly! (scene1).

Another take on this ‘wedding cake in the middle of the road’ would be by passers coming one by one towards this oddly placed cake. Taking pictures, inquiring on its very existence, tweeting, sharing the story on face book, my space, you tube and the story of the ‘Abandoned cake’ would go viral (scene 2).

Even better a headline on E-News featuring ‘Wedding Cake in Strand Street causes head on collision’.  Only to find that this is a lethal cake stuffed with drugs with the street value of 20 million rand (just a stretch of my imagination, scene 3).

I’ll be so kind as to let you use your imagination for the last scene… Dancing wedding cake, singing wedding cake, talking wedding cake, vibrating wedding cake, winking wedding cake, clapping wedding cake, kissing wedding cake.  No more wedding cake (The EndJ).


Image: Google.com