Can't buy me lo....ove, money cant buy me love.....Blackstreet

Maybe not, but it sure can bring love within striking distance....

How u boys and girls this rather summery(?) tuesday morning, well at least it is here in Jo'burg. Another new addition Miss Carnita, welcome to our little community where no comments should be spared and open debate is more than welcome. Should u at anytime feel that this is a waste of ur time, drop me a line and ur wish shall be my command.

Neway(like that Guilia?), as Dre would say...back to the lecture at hand...Well i was struggling to find something to talk about this week, then the ever insightful Charl gave me the idea, talk about money. To which i thought, y dont i?

Whoever coined the phrase money makes the world go round wasnt lying and its becoming more and more evident now, the days of a little cash getting u alot is so far gone. Now its all about the benjamins baby. And thats the truth, i mean how many of u livin in London are livin there cos u love the cold, wet weather, impersonal dull and grey undergrounds, whose only entertainment offered, well initially is that lady's voice askin u to "mind the gap please" and lack of vitamin (no sun, think its D)? How many of us are accountants, lawyers, bankers, reasearch analyst, technology guru's cos we find it absolutely riveting, actually even broader, how many of us do the work we do cos we absolutely love it, other than Dr Phil Nganwa, who became a doctor cos he really wanted to and Mr Mike Rea, whose job i' also love doing...flying around the world, meeting new people learning new cultures, oh ja and squeezing in some time to help companies sort out their corporate social responsibility..., i cant think of anyone who absolutely loves what they are doing. And if it werent for the cash or the prospects thereof, i for one would have done a course more stimulating, like philospohy or psychology etc.

Wars begin because of money, lets look at the african states, Ivory coast rebels want control over the country, thus control the country's resources which equates to the almighty dollar. DRC, diamonds, need i say more. Iraq, oil, case closed. Middle East, now theres a f*** up if ever i saw one, cos that land is as arid as a baby's bottom in new pampers ultra absorbant...Friendships and relationships can be broken because of money.

Need a new car need to be earning x before u can get it, need a new house, need some dollars, want to help people out, need some Titos...

And isnt it funny how money attracts money, look at all em people in showbiz, what are the chances of me ever getting with Halle Berry or J Lo? Minus x million, instead they with Eric Bennet and Ben Afleck, i mean other than decent looks, acting ability and a pot of gold, what do they have on me?? Ok bad example, cos those 2 are studs, lets try Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett, Iman and David Bowie, Maraiah Carey and that loser producer she was with, Jay Z and any hot las he bags...U go out to clubs and rich mofos(mutha f'ers) that can afford to pay, go in for free then there are some of us plebs who have to fork out 100zar to get in. U'd expect booze to be reasonably priced..., hell no!! Glass of wine 15zar..if u r lucky, a glass, buy 3 of em and u have bought a bottle at a bottle store, double vodka and dry lemon 30zar thats a bottle of russian bear right there. Neway my point is make money every opportunity u get cos hell i'd rather be happy with money than happy without, and the converse of that is also true i'd rather be sad with money than sad without!!

But i said this b4 and i'll say it again DON'T LET MONEY DEFINE U...lose not ur soul nor your way in the quest for monetary wealth for in the end u will have and be nothing...bloody hell y was i not a writer for f**k sakes! I guess i say this now cos i am either 3 years or 3 days from my millions...we'll c if anything has changed after this weekend when the lotto sets me free with 30milzar...if that happens u are all invited on my yatch, no worries negroes, i'll get some life jackets for us...

On a lighter note, well not really..heard on the news that a youngster was trampled to death by an angry elephant he was taunting, i mean what the kcuf?? R u stupid?? A couple of tons of prime cuts standing infront of u and u choose to make it angry? what do u think its gonna do? better still what r u gonna do when its starts hurtling towards u? jump over the gate and hope its a dog, bark a few times and go home? sheesh!!

Birthdays....

25th Abena A
26th Louise, Themba, Winnie and Me
28th Lucy Wilson and Tumi

Truely hope u all have amazing birthdays, successful and eventful years, and may your creator guide u in ur ways and bless u all with plenty more.

Quote
Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons. - Woody Allen
There was a time when a fool and his money were soon parted, but now it happens to everybody. - Adlai E. Stevenson2221_1.htm>
A wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart.- Jonathan Swift
It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good, too, to checkup once in a while and make sure you haven't lost the things money can't buy. - Anonymous

As always respek to the maximum and i am out...please use the site http://mondaymail.blogspot.com

Y

Take it most of u are coming down from your valentines weekend high, well good on u all. Appologies for the lateness of the mail, but a man was tired on sunday, plenty to do on monday and i still had to read the state of the nation address by president Mbeki.

NEway an addition to our world...Scotty G welcome to our weekly rants and raves lets actually make it my weekly rants and rave, cos after all that effort of setting up a site, minimal people seem to be using it.Guys, use it write what u feel if u have any comments whatsoever and u want to voice it feel free and u an even remain anonymous....the site again is http://mondaymail.blogspot.com.

Eish, now picture this...a man is pulling out the heavy arsenal ne, workin some magic on some fine las, well so he thinks, boy reckons this should be easy enuff, then true as bob out of the darkness, like the scarecrow that she is, steps her "if i aint gettin no play, she wont neither mate", her aim to mess with a brothers flow and boy does she try, ya i hear some of u boys snickering, u no what i mean...., Y? Y? Y? as if life isnt difficult enuff , but i suppose its all good...

NEway, on to more important things. On friday, president Mbeki issued his state of the nation speech. Just finished glancing over it, if u want to get it u can get it on www.news24.com/news24/south_africa/politics. This government has been in power since 1994, and in those 9 years i think they have done relatively well. I doubt the state of the economy has been in better shape, ever. South Africa in general has come a long way as well...I mean sheesh in 1984 if u saw a black face on tv, s/he was most probably getting a beat down at the hands of da police, now we have people asking questions like what makes u black on tv. We have come a helluva long way. Back to the presidents speech, there was plenty talk about improving education, providing priamary healthcare, providing opportunities for women and other historically disadvantaged South Africans, putting together plans etc to fuel black economic empowerment, entreprenuers, job creation etc., crimes against women and children have been given priority attention... And to all these, i say here here bravo etc. cos those fundamentals are necessary to create a stable and working economy and environment, but where my argument comes in is who are we creating this environment for when 25% yes 1 in every 4 of our citizens is HIV positive, or once every x seconds one of our citizens is mowed down by an AK or a Glock or even once every x seconds another fleeing person crosses the Limpopo to take part in this better life for all that was promised.

I know this sounds like me being a typical human being and focussing on the negatives, but its hard not to when the negatives are so real and so in your face that the powers that be fail to take cognizance of it. I applaud everything the president said, but really I cant overlook out of a 16 page speech, you dedicate one arb sentence to HIV and AIDS, which i believe is more directly threatening to our economy than the war in Iraq, which he took 2 paragraphs at least to pat the government on the back stating how well they have done to disarm and that they are sending a team of experts over to assist Iraq in disarming, blah, blah whatever. War in Iraq will be detrimental to the economy yes, but ok, firstly how much weight do u honestly think your voice carries with America. I mean if they are willing to disregard the UN, what difference is little old Tboz saying please lets not fight gonna do??? Hey dont get me wrong i am all for a peaceful solution to the conflict, but lets be real here. Ok say we succeed and there is no war, economy is saved, right....wrong, cos who is gonna do the work? a quarter of your workforce is either dying or constantly ill, there goes production time, there goes your target output there goes your economy and there goes your country. I may have painted an extreme possibly far fetched picture here, but trust me the shaite is real. What does SA have going for it at the moment...i say natural resources, gold etc. now all this has to be mined. Dont know the exact stats, but a ton load of the miners are HIV positive, and u cant deny that this is gonna cripple us, if nothing is done about it.

Then there is the issue of crime, lemme even take an arb example, there was mention of stamping out corruption, and right there in parliament sat uncle Tony, lookin so fly in his Armani suit and Gucci shades (actually dont know what he was wearing cos i didnt c the address, but thought it might b nice to add), the man has pleaded guilty for crying out loud...ooops there goes the innocent till proven guilty defence, what more do u need??? Crime is at ridiculous levels now, u dont hear so much about the hijackings etc, but the cash heists(almost one a week), family murders, child rapes, gay massacres, its just ridiculous, are we living in such a sick society...soemthing hs to be done.

Then there is Zim, i guess we can ask what can the president actually do, well i dont have the solution other than more than they actually are....

I could rant and rave forever, but its 30 min into work time so a brothers gotsta go earn his keep.

All those boys and girls that i saw this weekend...or made an effort...nudge nudge hint hint, much appreciated and it was great annoying u again, i mean seeing u again. Thanks for pickin me up Degs, and Magill shot for putting me up, Debs shot for swinging bye as well. Simmy u looked fantastic girl, wish u and Brian an eternity of happiness together.

Birthdays
14th Feb....Barbs, hope u had a great day, hopefully there was no passing out involved and u saved that for this weekend
18th Feb....SB, happy bday sunshine, hope London's skies are clear and grant u a splendid day

Quotes
It is wise to direct your anger towards problems -- not people; to focus your energies on answers -- not excuses.- William Arthur Ward
When anger rises, think of the consequences. - Confucius
Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten. - Buddha

Saianare

" Wish I had told her how I felt, maybe she'd be here right now, but instead...I'll pretend that i'm glad you went away, thesse four walls closing more everyday and I'm dying inside and nobody knows it but me. Like a clown I put on a show, pain is real even if nobody knows and I'm crying inside and nobody knows it but me...why didnt i say the things i needed to say, how could i let my angel get away now my world is just tumbling down, I could say it so clearly, but you nowhere around....nights are lonely and the days are so sad i just keep thinkin about the love that we had and i am missing you and nobody knows it but me...." tony rich project

Thats right boys and girls, tis that time of the year again...the time that we get all starry eyed, pouted lips, blood rushes, hot flushes....everytime u walk past or see or even think about your special someone, the song you are my sunshine, my only sunshine, u make me happy, when skys are grey, u dont know dear how much i love u...races through your mind....God forbid...but i am sure u get the picture!

27yrs in like 2 weeks and in all trueness, i have no idea what the fuss is over one day, when the year has 364 others that you can and should use to declare yur undying love/lust/desire for that special other. Ya fair enuff it is the day that the world hath made to proclaim such feelings but y conform and give into the comercial propaganda of this world. Its a conspiracy i tell u!!!

OK on a serious tip, me and Valentines day, Mothers day, Fathers day, Christmas have never been big and that is a personal thing, and its not cos i feel nothing for my parents nor my God, its because I am a cheap ass negro, no!... but thats an explanation i have been given. I think what grates me is the air of expectation that surrouds these days, its no longer about doing something cos u you wanna do it, but more like doing something cos u kinda have to.... I have absolutely nothing against these days at all, i am just against the comercialism that is surrounding them these days...trust me on friday i will b sitting at my post box with fingers crossed...my address is down below ladies...no excuses ;-)...even have a bunch of flowers on standby for myself, brother's got an image to try and generate...man doesnt wanna look like a loser...F**k sprite, image is everything!

Moving on, in keepin with the "say and regret rather than regret to say attitude", if there is this on person that is makin ur blood go down south (boys) and your ovaries do the flick flack...make your intentions or desires known, whats the worst that could happen s/he could say sorry for u, and on the other hand they might not, u miss 100% of the shots u dont take...something i have been guilty of in the past, but times they are changing ;-). Think not of what if's and what will people say or the if, but,...nothing, its all about u and how u feel! Re-read the extract above, u dont want to be there.....

Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?
Thou are more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And Summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd:
But thy eternal Summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

-William Shakespeare

For those who dont know I will post the origins of Valentines day on the site www.mondaymail.blogspot.com.

Was lovely seeing all the lads and lasses (Shanwynn, Michelle, Ingrid, Groovi), i havent seen in a while last week all unplanned but pleasant surprises. Ooh and the cricket world cup is upon us, at least now we have something that will divert the medias attentions from North Korea and Iraq!! Well played to the West Indies, great game to start off the the tournament.

Birthdays
12 Feb-Garrin, happy b-day cous, many more to come i hope, i say we have a drink this weekend.

Quotes
Who so loves believes the impossible. - Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Love is all we have, the only way that each can help the other. - Euripides
Love grows by giving. The love we give away is the only love we keep. The only way to retain love is to give it away. - Elbert Hubbard


To all the Cape Town masses, i should be there on the 14th God willing ofcours, so what say u all we get together for a big one...well i guess all the singles, cos i am sure the rest of y'all have plans.

Wishing u all a week of love and peace and a year of love and peace, hell a lifetime of love and peace. take care and may u be blessed!!!

Said it last year and i'll say it again...."what the world needs now, i love, sweet love, love is just the only thing there is just too little of..." come on sing it with me....

Maximum respek

The Origins of Valentines Day

5th Century, Rome Mid February was traditionally the time of the Lupercian festival, an ode to the God of fertility and a celebration of sensual pleasure, a time to meet and court a prospective mate. In AD 496, Pope Gelasius outlawed the pagan festival. But he was clever to replace it with a similar celebration, although one deemed morally suitable. He needed a "lovers" saint to replace the pagan deity Lupercus. The martyred Bishop Valentine was chosen as the patron saint of the new festival. Saint Valentine had been beheaded for helping young lovers marry against the wishes of the mad emperor Claudius. Before execution, Valentine himself had fallen in love with his jailer's daughter. He signed his final note to her, "From Your Valentine", a phrase that has lasted through the centuries. Pope Gelasius didn't get everything he wanted. The pagan festival died out, it is true, but he had further hoped people would emulate the lives of saints. Instead they latched onto the more romantic aspect of Saint Valentines religious life. While not immediately as popular as the more passionate pagan festival, eventually the concept of celebrating true love became known as Valentine's Day.

Yaw Peprah
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Whats happenin peeps?

Seems like the month for all those in love or hoping to be loved is upon us, and i wish all ur aspirations for this month are fulfilled, if that makes sense, if not....u know what i meant. Speaking of love, went to one of the best weddings eva this weekend, Jake and Lily i wish u an eternity of happiness together, appreciate the opportunity to share your day with u, was fantastic.

Hope all is well with you guys, as is becoming the norm with me, I am feeling pretty broken this monday morning, but i;ll get over it i guess.

I heard something a few weeks ago that i could put down as one of the funniest things i have ever heard in my life. There was an election in Cuba a few weeks ago, there was only one party in the running...I wonder who won the elections???!!! No prizes for guessing, what a joke! what a waste of money on ballot paper etc. anyway, different strokes for different folk!

Last week heard a brilliant speech by arguably the greatest statesman Mr Madiba Mandela. The man was ripping into George W and his foreign minister Tony B. I Could not agree more with everything Madiba said. There are those amongst us that believe the US has some intelligence that confirms that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, well all I say is show the world, maybe not the world at least show the UN for crying out loud!

There was however one part of Nelsons speech he could have done without, no matter how true it was. In my view, (and not re-iterating what was said in the press), Madiba tarnished a good argument by drawing on the race card. It might very well be true, because never once has a secretary general of the UN, been so marginalised as he is now, might well be a result of the clout or lack there of that any representative of Africa carries in the face of the world super powers. By drawing on the race card, the cynics amongst us will discredit the good argument and focus on the black issue and disregard the whole argumet as a result. Anyway as i was saying, that "its because I am black" card that some tend to hide behind once in a while, must go, and this I think applies especially to us in SA. We have a chance to build this country, and as Thabo commented last week on the website, the chalenge is for all of us to make a difference in this country.

We are all in a position to make a difference in the lives of if even one its alot. But many of us get caught up in the past, always blaming apartheid or some other injustice that was suffered in the past. Hey it was bad, 300 years of opression aint no joke its effects are still loud and clear to this day, but lets get over it. Lets all get together and make a change. This we were this, and they have done that,...is all in the past, and dwelling on it only makes u more of a slave to your past.

Anyway bottom line is we must put ourselves in a situation that if and when we fail its only cos (to put it frankly), we sucked at what we did, if that makes any sense? I say we should be put in a position that we are judged by our abilities only and not on external factors, that force us to fail.

Birthdays
8th Feb my 2 brothers Emmanuel Hinson and Kwaku and my uncle Mr Degbor, happy happy to you all, wishing u many more....

If your b-day is this week and i didnt mention, sorry from me, but hope u have a fantastic day as well.

Quote

Wise men are instructed by reason; men of less understanding, by experience; the most ignorant, by necessity; the beasts, by nature. - Marcus Tullius Cicero
Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world. - Helen Keller
Wise men never sit and wail their loss, but cheerily seek how to redress their harms. - William Shakespeare

Maximum respek, have a good week till next we e-speak.....

dont forget the site for comments....http://mondaymail.blogspot.com