“Let your pain be my sorrow, Let your tears be my tears too, Let your courage be my model, That the north you find will be true, When there's no informationAnd the compass turns to nowhere that you know well…Let your soul be your pilotLet your soul guide youLet your soul guide youLet your soul guide you upon your way...” Sting
Hey all…
Two weeks ago I spoke of the ills of money defining you etc. Well last week and this week, I find myself in a tussle with my current employers. Here is the story, and I guess as with any story there are two sides to it, but seeing as I am writing this so here is my side of the story.
In April this year, my boss informed me that he was motivating a promotion and a promotional increase for about 6 of us. Yes there is no guarantee that I would get it, but all I want is to be a part of the evaluation process. I am assuming that the promotion was based on our performance being beyond what we were initially hired for or paid for. Well anyway the whole process started last week and I was told that I am not going to be included it, but I guess that is fair enuff because I am leaving the NEF, but what grates me is the fact that they are backdating the pay till April. Unless I am dof and am really missing something here, was I not working here from April till October when I resigned, at the same level that prompted this motivation to revise my remuneration? Am I not allowed some sort of compensation for my efforts during that period…especially if the motivation is to backdate this till April? At the risk of blowing my own horn, I have been involved in about 6 approved deals (some of which were not concluded due to some funding hiccups that happened last year or sellers walking away, etc.) which I think is 3 times more than any other team member, call it luck call it whatever, but it is what it is….I call it 6 approved deals the last one coming as recently as tuesday.
I approached management about this and their response is sorry for me because I am leaving! I just don’t find it a valid response. I mean really is it my fault that the structures weren’t in place here and as a result this thing has been dragged out till now? Very bleak with the whole thing, but maybe u guys can help me put it right in my head.
Grates me I tell u. Last year the only time I took any sort of leave, sick or otherwise was in December, fair enuff this year I took a month out to visit the states, but I think I have caught up on all my work. To think that people that call in sick, just because, leave work midday and never return will get one over on me, definitely not intending to pull anyone down (u get away with whatever u can), I am merely highlighting the theory of nice guys cumming last, if they cum at all J (excuse the crudeness). Ya I can hear u all now “boo hoo hoo”, and fair enuff those remarks are, but still I can vent cant i?!
Another issue that is related to my bleakness, is the fact that I have 2 guys who were on the same level as me, but they have more experience and as a result they were promoted to management. I spoke to both of these guys about whether if my thoughts of wanting to remain part of the process is valid. I engaged one of them more than the other on this topic, I even went as far as showing him the email I wanted to forward to management to keep me in the process. His response was no bra you should go for it, you have been working for it, u are entitled to ask, you mustn’t be like us blacks and keep quiet. Come the Monday management meeting… a whole different story, no one even raises a voice to defend my opinion, Not one damn soul!! I actually wouldn’t be surprised if they actually slated me there. Maybe the reason why I was so bleak was cos I would never have done that to anybody. I don’t care who I lose favour with, If something doesn’t sit right with me it doesn’t sit right with me and I will defend my stance until proven wrong and then I will eat humble pie gladly!
We were having issues here at work, we’d all sit in little huddles and bitch and moan amongst ourselves, but come meetings there would be about 1 or 2 of us who would stand up and speak our piece, everyone else would cower into little shells, then meeting over, blah blah blah again. But I guess the fear of losing face or being one of the boys is more important to certain individuals than saying what u believe and believe in what you are saying, I guess to some its all about looking good in front of the bosses. Kcuf that grates me! Live and learn!
Anyway…
After 2 weeks ago’s mail, I received another topic that kind of leads from the issue. The topic is about money in relationships how do you deal with it. In this life we are now living pre-nups are the order of the day. Till death do us part is no longer what it meant, first sign of trouble…”Eddie…, I want to talk to you Eddie….U treat me like animal…I WANT HALF!! As real as divorce is and as careful as we want to be, what kind of message does a pre-nup sending?...Babe, you are my first, my last, my everything, forever and ever, from now to the grave you are the one, before God and Man…but just sign over here first….
Lets even take one step down. You have a girlfriend/boyfriend and you guys have been vas for years and years, ok even months, but u have realized that no s/he is definitely the one…”no one else comes close to you no one makes me feel the way u do” that song rings in your head every time you see him or her. Marriage is something that is at the back of both your minds, but you are not ready yet, but you are very keen to move in together, buy a house together etc. How do you do it? (buying the house that is) Do you go in jointly? According to how much you earn? Furniture, day to day expenses? Do u set up a joint account or maintain your independent account? If a joint account what happens when u want to get those new clubs (trying to psych myself up to start golf) etc. Are these issues still issues when u get married?
If I had to give my thoughts on it, being such a huge expert on relationships and all, in marriage all individuality should be lost, you are in it as one. What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine J u know what I mean.
However, when it comes to just being on a girlfriend/boyfriend tip. I guess its all up to the people that are in these relationships, to decide what’s best for them and their situation, no one can prescribe to you how to conduct your relationships. In my view, arb expenditure like going out etc, should be like whatever…I don’t think u should keep tabs on that, if u can pay u should pay, if u cant the other should, if u both cant then u don’t go out…durrrr!!
But buying property together is quite a big deal. Has its pros and cons. If it all works out and you live happily ever after, its all good, but if it doesn’t go all that well but u still are pretty grown up about the split, it could be a good investment for the both of you, well in the current economic climate, but if u split cos one of you poked the others best friend etc, well that could get messy. Microwave is mine, Tv is mine, couches are mine…the kettle…mine, and so it goes on. The whole joint account thing too can get a tad sticky, especially if you are the major cheese winner in the relationship, cos if stuff goes sour you could get cheesed off, or your being the main cheese winner could lead to you getting cheesed off.
All this said, in all honesty though its all up to the person. I for one am on the fence on this issue, on the one hand in an ideal world where people aren’t out to get one over on the other, I would say all or nothing, go in it boots and all, pre-nup whatever, community of property all the way. But nowadays the world is an evil place, yes I know I paint a picture of doom and gloom, but this is being written by a person who has recently learnt a hard lesson, there is definitely plenty good left in the world, but I don’t know, divorces are becoming as common as marriages, people who have been with X, Y and Z will not even flinch at the thought of getting with another, it’s a doggy dog world out there and at the end of the day, the risk is yours to take…if you so choose.
Last week I think saw the beginning of the month of Ramadaan. Ramadaan is a month during which many Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. This period commemorates the month in which the Qur’aan, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs of the criterion between right and wrong, was revealed. Some of the many lessons to be learnt from fasting are:
The gaining of Taqwaa which is to act in obedience to Allah, when u act in obedience with Allah, habits, desires, seeking praise and fame etc. take a back seat and Allah is the main focus.
Seeking nearness to Allah, this is achieved through reading the Qur’aan, praying, going to Mosque. You forget self during this period and all thoughts of the heart are directed to Allah and His teachings
Acquiring patience. Fasting teaches self restraint and patience. Patience teaches us to cope with lifes ups and downs, patience teaches us to worship Allah with sincerity, not rushing through prayers because we feel we must pray. With patience we are able to restrain our souls from greed and stinginess, subdue ill temperaments etc.
Cultivating good manners this period should be used to abstain not only from food and drink, but also from thoughts, words and deeds that may be harmful to others
Sensing Muslim Unity During this period, the Islamic Nation is one, its united during the month of Ramadaan through fasting. Muslims become more aware of the state of affairs of the Muslims. Muslims help and assist each other during this period. During this period Muslims feel what their needy brothers and sisters endure when they have to go for days with neither food nor drink. The togetherness, assisting one another, that is one of the great fundamentals on which the Religion of Islam was built. This spirit of unity is not only displayed during the month of Ramadaan. Muslims are urged to say their 5 daily prayers in congregation as it is 27 times more ‘rewardful’ than praying individually. It is also very prevalent during the period of Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca)
There are many lessons that Non-Muslims can take from the lessons of Ramadaan, sincerity, ubuntu, patience doing good, doing right! A very tough period for Muslims, I doubt I could survive, much respect to you all who are fasting. Hope we all learn all these lessons through Ramadaan and beyond.
Birthdays
26th September Livia J
25th October Karina
Other than that, that’s me out for this week, much respect to you all, have a great weekend, remember comments and remarks appreciated, either by replying or www.mondaymail.blogspot.com
Much later
Y
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
A wet morning here in Johannesburg yet a beautiful morning none-the-less. I sincerely hope that you are all well of mind, body and soul.
My good friends, many thanks, to those of you that made the effort in helping me out with some topics for the weeks ahead. All those topics and websites are pretty interesting but there is one that I thought I should air out now, because it’s something that we all live (okay, the real reason is because I don’t have to dive into some tedious research on this one J) .
Before I carry on, I added a couple of names to this list those that I do remember are Kim and Vuyo, if I forgot you, no offence intended, but if u feel u must get offended well what can I do J? Guys that I have added and to the rest of you, whenever u feel the need to be removed from this list, please just holler!!
Anyway the topic this week is a topic that I have touched on in prior emails, but a topic worth talking about again, thanks Mia.
Do you remember growing up, well I do (still have plenty of it to do), so some memories are fresher than others J. My folks put in some decent hours at work, but they always were there for us whenever and however they could be. I suppose maybe it because they are both in education, but they just always seemed to be there…which wasn’t always such a good thing. The old folks always seemed to have time for themselves and for everybody else. Time to invite people over for lunch this weekend, that weekend etc. they had time to help us with our homework, they had time to take you to the library on Saturday morning, something I wished they didn’t have time for quite frankly, time to play tennis, soccer, badminton etc. with us. They had time to just mess around in the kitchen baking cakes, scones etc. We as young ones as well had lots of energy and time and no worries. I remember waking up in the morning the only intention was taking a step down Sissons str. to go visit Ed and Dave, and all we’d do was just mill around shooting hoops, playing table tennis, listening to music, watching …., walking up to the shops and back down again, visiting people I suggest we visit, but I end up not actually having anything to say to these people.
Most of the work in the house was done in-house, like mowing the lawn, washing dishes, cleaning pools (for those that who had pools) washing clothes (by hand)…I could go on, but what do we do now, cooking…whatever?!! Lets go get Wooolies microwave meals. Mowing my lawn, whatever!! Garden service duhh?! Baking from scratch? Ready mix… u get the picture. What does this mean? We are all always chasing the cheese, its all about a better job, better paying job at that, work, work, work…money, money, money.
Kids, running around, climbing trees, etc. nope, PS2, CD players, computers, TV, make up, drugs, sex at 13/14. I heard a shocking story the other day, my youngest brother who is all of 21 yrs old just told me that he just heard that one of his mates has recently died from an overdose and another had a drug related stroke and as a result half of his body is paralysed…the world is spinning on a different plane nowadays I tell u!
Everyone is looking at how to get one over on the next. A lot of us are of the opinion that what we have and who we are is just not good enough and we can do better. Striving for excellence, that’s all good and so too this pursuit of the ultimate us, but at what cost? At the cost of losing touch with our true selves…or is this Capitalist Us the real us? All these questions and no answers from me J cos I aint got them. But this pursuit of the better, capitalist us has many spin offs to it. It tends to result in us being classists (if such a word exists). I come from very humble beginnings and I’d be damned if I ever forget that, but many a time I tend to lose focus and the pursuit of that flashy car and the bling bling house, clouds the soul. Its all good and well to aspire to a better life than what you have known, but its another to lose your identity to labels…Hi I am Yaw, owner of 3 Ferraris, a mansion in Dainfern, a Villa in the South of France, a wardrobe full of Armani, Gucci and Ralph Lauren, and you are?
That is just so shallow and empty, we are soo much more than how much we earn, what we drive, where we live etc. Sometimes I sit back and all I can think is that we are so losing the plot. We live in a world that offers us so much opportunity to let the real us shine through, but our first question is, hmmmm what’s in it for me? For the Religious amongst us, we know what sacrifices were made for our salvation, we know what the teachings say, did any of them consider what was in it for them? We have become so elitist and self-absorbed, or can this attitude be classed as just not getting along with certain people or not having anything in common with them, so rather not have them in our circle?
I have a friend and the other day he was telling me a story. He has a 6 year old child, but through no fault of his own, the child is very slow in maturing, and as a result he doesn’t really listen, when you say ‘no don’t do it’ he carries on, he cant really speak yet neither, etc. He tends to take his child to visit some friends in the larney burbs, but the child tends to touch things and accidentally break things. He also takes his child to the township to visit some of his other friends who still live there, the child acts in the same manner there too. One day it all came to air that his friends that live in the burbs have an issue with his child, touching and breaking things etc. and that he is stubborn and doesn’t listen etc. but these people are very aware of the child’s condition. The total opposite can be said of the mates in iLoksion, they are so supportive, always asking how the child is, how he is progressing etc. Makes me think…
Who are u really? When you take a step back and look at your life are u entirely happy with what you have become, what you aspire to be? Are you entirely happy with all your actions? Where u are dissatisfied can you make a change? More importantly do you really sincerely want to make that change, because to change/do something and make it count and be meaningful in your life it definitely has to be a whole hearted event.
Another spin off is one I can’t seem to get away from at the moment, maybe because according to society I and a lot of my mates, u guys…are in that space at the moment. I guess before I go on I must congratulate Gretchen and Craig, Angela and Trevor, Garth and Lisa, Thabo and Chomba, Bontle and Mandea, Jake and Lilly, Rachel and Lambert, Liam and Tanya, Courts and Howard, Keith and Tarryn and Pete and Carla, for managing to get it right (if I have forgotten you in this list oops). A whole lot of my mates and people in this age group always seem to be bitching and moaning about looking for that special someone, but not being able to find them. Someone with that X factor, define the X factor and it’s the same old, smart, intelligent, happy with who they are, ambitious, real, real hot, funny, etc. but most of you the people that are telling me this fit the profile, yet they cant seem to find The One…The gals are complaining that the guys are all players and they are full of it, this and that and the guys are complaining that the girls all think they are all that, they are driven, they are ambitious and they think that they are all that and the moans can go on and on till the break of dawn…is our pursuit of career excellence getting in the way of our relationships as well, or are we in that space where what we have just aint good enough and there is something better around the corner? Ek weet nie (I don’t know). I am no relationship expert and have never professed to be one, but according to my parents, uncles and aunts, I am 28, finished studying, doing ok in terms of work etc, have a this that and the next, naturally the next step is to find the one… I don’t know about that one. Speaking for me I don’t think I am ready, but another school of thought is that I am just so darn lazy to make the effort, but that could also link back to the I don’t think I am ready bit, who knows.
I know I pose a lot of questions some/most of which I have no answers to, but u guys are a wise bunch maybe one of you can drop an idea or two.
I started writing this mail on Saturday afternoon, and I thought it was a very apt topic, working on a damn fine Saturday afternoon, then yesterday was on a call with the the lovely Karabo T, and she also fueled the topic. With the topic still fresh in my mind I thought it best to complete it now…
Any comments…reply to this mail or http://www.mondaymail.blogspot.com
Birthdays
11th Cousin George
16th Thabo
Happy birthday boys and anyone else who celebrates a birthday this week.
Quotes
“how good and how pleasant it would be before God and man to see the unification of all Africans” – Bob Marley
“ I have climbed highest mountains, I have run through the fields only to be with you, I have run, I have crawled, I have scaled, theses city walls only to be with you, but I still haven’t found what I am looking for…” U2
He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money. – Benjamin Franklin
Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody. – Benjamin Franklin
One must be poor to know the luxury of giving. – George Elliot
Make money your god and it will plague you like the devil. – Henry Fielding
Ps. I have just read an email just highlighting all the ‘crap’ all you ladies have to go through, from developing breasts through to menopause, and all I can say is big up and maximum respect to you all, thank the powers that be that I am male!!
Maximum respect and I’m out
Y
My good friends, many thanks, to those of you that made the effort in helping me out with some topics for the weeks ahead. All those topics and websites are pretty interesting but there is one that I thought I should air out now, because it’s something that we all live (okay, the real reason is because I don’t have to dive into some tedious research on this one J) .
Before I carry on, I added a couple of names to this list those that I do remember are Kim and Vuyo, if I forgot you, no offence intended, but if u feel u must get offended well what can I do J? Guys that I have added and to the rest of you, whenever u feel the need to be removed from this list, please just holler!!
Anyway the topic this week is a topic that I have touched on in prior emails, but a topic worth talking about again, thanks Mia.
Do you remember growing up, well I do (still have plenty of it to do), so some memories are fresher than others J. My folks put in some decent hours at work, but they always were there for us whenever and however they could be. I suppose maybe it because they are both in education, but they just always seemed to be there…which wasn’t always such a good thing. The old folks always seemed to have time for themselves and for everybody else. Time to invite people over for lunch this weekend, that weekend etc. they had time to help us with our homework, they had time to take you to the library on Saturday morning, something I wished they didn’t have time for quite frankly, time to play tennis, soccer, badminton etc. with us. They had time to just mess around in the kitchen baking cakes, scones etc. We as young ones as well had lots of energy and time and no worries. I remember waking up in the morning the only intention was taking a step down Sissons str. to go visit Ed and Dave, and all we’d do was just mill around shooting hoops, playing table tennis, listening to music, watching …., walking up to the shops and back down again, visiting people I suggest we visit, but I end up not actually having anything to say to these people.
Most of the work in the house was done in-house, like mowing the lawn, washing dishes, cleaning pools (for those that who had pools) washing clothes (by hand)…I could go on, but what do we do now, cooking…whatever?!! Lets go get Wooolies microwave meals. Mowing my lawn, whatever!! Garden service duhh?! Baking from scratch? Ready mix… u get the picture. What does this mean? We are all always chasing the cheese, its all about a better job, better paying job at that, work, work, work…money, money, money.
Kids, running around, climbing trees, etc. nope, PS2, CD players, computers, TV, make up, drugs, sex at 13/14. I heard a shocking story the other day, my youngest brother who is all of 21 yrs old just told me that he just heard that one of his mates has recently died from an overdose and another had a drug related stroke and as a result half of his body is paralysed…the world is spinning on a different plane nowadays I tell u!
Everyone is looking at how to get one over on the next. A lot of us are of the opinion that what we have and who we are is just not good enough and we can do better. Striving for excellence, that’s all good and so too this pursuit of the ultimate us, but at what cost? At the cost of losing touch with our true selves…or is this Capitalist Us the real us? All these questions and no answers from me J cos I aint got them. But this pursuit of the better, capitalist us has many spin offs to it. It tends to result in us being classists (if such a word exists). I come from very humble beginnings and I’d be damned if I ever forget that, but many a time I tend to lose focus and the pursuit of that flashy car and the bling bling house, clouds the soul. Its all good and well to aspire to a better life than what you have known, but its another to lose your identity to labels…Hi I am Yaw, owner of 3 Ferraris, a mansion in Dainfern, a Villa in the South of France, a wardrobe full of Armani, Gucci and Ralph Lauren, and you are?
That is just so shallow and empty, we are soo much more than how much we earn, what we drive, where we live etc. Sometimes I sit back and all I can think is that we are so losing the plot. We live in a world that offers us so much opportunity to let the real us shine through, but our first question is, hmmmm what’s in it for me? For the Religious amongst us, we know what sacrifices were made for our salvation, we know what the teachings say, did any of them consider what was in it for them? We have become so elitist and self-absorbed, or can this attitude be classed as just not getting along with certain people or not having anything in common with them, so rather not have them in our circle?
I have a friend and the other day he was telling me a story. He has a 6 year old child, but through no fault of his own, the child is very slow in maturing, and as a result he doesn’t really listen, when you say ‘no don’t do it’ he carries on, he cant really speak yet neither, etc. He tends to take his child to visit some friends in the larney burbs, but the child tends to touch things and accidentally break things. He also takes his child to the township to visit some of his other friends who still live there, the child acts in the same manner there too. One day it all came to air that his friends that live in the burbs have an issue with his child, touching and breaking things etc. and that he is stubborn and doesn’t listen etc. but these people are very aware of the child’s condition. The total opposite can be said of the mates in iLoksion, they are so supportive, always asking how the child is, how he is progressing etc. Makes me think…
Who are u really? When you take a step back and look at your life are u entirely happy with what you have become, what you aspire to be? Are you entirely happy with all your actions? Where u are dissatisfied can you make a change? More importantly do you really sincerely want to make that change, because to change/do something and make it count and be meaningful in your life it definitely has to be a whole hearted event.
Another spin off is one I can’t seem to get away from at the moment, maybe because according to society I and a lot of my mates, u guys…are in that space at the moment. I guess before I go on I must congratulate Gretchen and Craig, Angela and Trevor, Garth and Lisa, Thabo and Chomba, Bontle and Mandea, Jake and Lilly, Rachel and Lambert, Liam and Tanya, Courts and Howard, Keith and Tarryn and Pete and Carla, for managing to get it right (if I have forgotten you in this list oops). A whole lot of my mates and people in this age group always seem to be bitching and moaning about looking for that special someone, but not being able to find them. Someone with that X factor, define the X factor and it’s the same old, smart, intelligent, happy with who they are, ambitious, real, real hot, funny, etc. but most of you the people that are telling me this fit the profile, yet they cant seem to find The One…The gals are complaining that the guys are all players and they are full of it, this and that and the guys are complaining that the girls all think they are all that, they are driven, they are ambitious and they think that they are all that and the moans can go on and on till the break of dawn…is our pursuit of career excellence getting in the way of our relationships as well, or are we in that space where what we have just aint good enough and there is something better around the corner? Ek weet nie (I don’t know). I am no relationship expert and have never professed to be one, but according to my parents, uncles and aunts, I am 28, finished studying, doing ok in terms of work etc, have a this that and the next, naturally the next step is to find the one… I don’t know about that one. Speaking for me I don’t think I am ready, but another school of thought is that I am just so darn lazy to make the effort, but that could also link back to the I don’t think I am ready bit, who knows.
I know I pose a lot of questions some/most of which I have no answers to, but u guys are a wise bunch maybe one of you can drop an idea or two.
I started writing this mail on Saturday afternoon, and I thought it was a very apt topic, working on a damn fine Saturday afternoon, then yesterday was on a call with the the lovely Karabo T, and she also fueled the topic. With the topic still fresh in my mind I thought it best to complete it now…
Any comments…reply to this mail or http://www.mondaymail.blogspot.com
Birthdays
11th Cousin George
16th Thabo
Happy birthday boys and anyone else who celebrates a birthday this week.
Quotes
“how good and how pleasant it would be before God and man to see the unification of all Africans” – Bob Marley
“ I have climbed highest mountains, I have run through the fields only to be with you, I have run, I have crawled, I have scaled, theses city walls only to be with you, but I still haven’t found what I am looking for…” U2
He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money. – Benjamin Franklin
Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody. – Benjamin Franklin
One must be poor to know the luxury of giving. – George Elliot
Make money your god and it will plague you like the devil. – Henry Fielding
Ps. I have just read an email just highlighting all the ‘crap’ all you ladies have to go through, from developing breasts through to menopause, and all I can say is big up and maximum respect to you all, thank the powers that be that I am male!!
Maximum respect and I’m out
Y
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Morning Girls and Boys, trust the light that shines within is shining bright, bringing forth a feeling of contentment or the desire to strive to make tomorrow a better day.
I guess today is another day just like yesterday, with its challenges and rewards! A pinch of salt a coke and a smile, that’s what the doc ordered, cos hey, no matter what life dishes out, its how u take it in your mind that determines how it actually is, u no the saying if you mind then it doesn’t matter!
Enuff of the attempt at philosophy… or maybe not….
Sometimes I sit down and think…The world’s a pretty f ucked up place, life is pretty harsh too. It’s just so sad that the least fortunate in terms of material wealth are always the ones that seem to have the rug pulled out from under them time and time again, and they are the ones that just get the big fat boiled egg!!
There are the domestic workers and farm labourers who at the sound of a sparrow’s f art have to be up and about, sort out their home crud, whatever food for the family for the day, trek plenty km’s to get to public transport, sit in some dilapidated old jalopy with a maniac driver, (who also needs to drive like he does because if he doesn’t drop off his load and fetch another, he cant feed his family), your life is at risk every meter of the way because the taxi driver does not have the cash to fix his brakes and as a result uses cardboard etc. You get to work, and you as one person has to sort out a mess of a house, have to eat out of your special metal cup and plate (you are good enough to cook the meals, clean the house clean, the god damn crockery, but woe betide if you eat from them….all this for a mere what? R80/day if you are lucky, then you have to get to stepping once again, catch public transport, mission again home, clean up your home, sort out food for the family then back to sleep. Enter tomorrow…oh damn, its piss ing down with rain…oh well sorry for u, no such thing as sick leave so u best gets ur a ss to work.
Same thing for migrant labourers on the mines etc. Every day underground could be your last, every day is spent mining rocks and gold worth huge cash, have any of you ever been in a mine shaft? I have, and its K AK down there corridors are narrow, roofs are so low, air is thin, rocks look heavy…the work is hectically dangerous, inspite of all the precautions taken, any given day could be your last, is there any compensation in terms of danger pay…danger what??!! Bra if u get a 5 % increase they are doing you a favour, but then we have the fat cats in the boardrooms, one persons increase alone could cover the salaries of many if not all the mineworkers yearly wages and then some…
Enter Hurricane this that and the next, where does it hit, Cuba, Haiti, Carribean Islands, yes and Miami, but those peeps living in Miami have some sort of insurance to cover their speed boat or holiday house etc. or at least have alternative places to go to, so they can evacuate. Not the not so well to do, they barely have much, already living in squalor (clearly my interpretation, because to them this is most probably the best place on earth) the hand of God, deals them another blow and washes all their worldly possessions down the river literally! All they have now is that UN Truck that hopefully comes with supplies that may last you a day 2 days a week…if you are not robbed of it. It’s a mess there and the media footage is so sad!!
Then I see a story on Carte Blanche on Sunday, they showed footage of the massacre in Rwanda, Congo, the refugee camps etc. And it’s only the ones who have very little that have to flee for their lives, the ones who have very little in terms of worldly possessions that have to dodge the bullets, live in the cra py refugee camps, the ones that have very little in terms of worldly possessions those that are at the mercy of the Gods and governments when it comes to disease, infections etc.
But the funny thing though is that in these not so well to do communities, you generally find the spirit of community and humanity, they always have much time to help you if you require assistance, there are of course the odd bad apples, but in these communities people are generally happy and friendly, they are generally not in the news for suicide or drug abuse (maybe alcohol abuse to some extent). Their problems are more real, like where is my family’s next meal coming from? and ours when am I ever getting that damn 6-series convertible….
Birthdays
21st Moo
23rd Si Black
24th Vaughan
26th Tommie
28th John K
29th Eve
Quotes
Though I am grateful for the blessings of wealth, it hasn't changed who I am. My feet are still on the ground. I'm just wearing better shoes. – Oprah Winfrey
I care for riches, to make giftsTo friends, or lead a sick man back to healthWith ease and plenty. Else small aid is wealthFor daily gladness; once a man be doneWith hunger, rich and poor are all as one. - Euipides
The company of just and righteous men is better than wealth and a rich estate. - Euripides
Another edition over and out, for comments http://mondaymail.blogspot.com/
Nuff respect
Y
I guess today is another day just like yesterday, with its challenges and rewards! A pinch of salt a coke and a smile, that’s what the doc ordered, cos hey, no matter what life dishes out, its how u take it in your mind that determines how it actually is, u no the saying if you mind then it doesn’t matter!
Enuff of the attempt at philosophy… or maybe not….
Sometimes I sit down and think…The world’s a pretty f ucked up place, life is pretty harsh too. It’s just so sad that the least fortunate in terms of material wealth are always the ones that seem to have the rug pulled out from under them time and time again, and they are the ones that just get the big fat boiled egg!!
There are the domestic workers and farm labourers who at the sound of a sparrow’s f art have to be up and about, sort out their home crud, whatever food for the family for the day, trek plenty km’s to get to public transport, sit in some dilapidated old jalopy with a maniac driver, (who also needs to drive like he does because if he doesn’t drop off his load and fetch another, he cant feed his family), your life is at risk every meter of the way because the taxi driver does not have the cash to fix his brakes and as a result uses cardboard etc. You get to work, and you as one person has to sort out a mess of a house, have to eat out of your special metal cup and plate (you are good enough to cook the meals, clean the house clean, the god damn crockery, but woe betide if you eat from them….all this for a mere what? R80/day if you are lucky, then you have to get to stepping once again, catch public transport, mission again home, clean up your home, sort out food for the family then back to sleep. Enter tomorrow…oh damn, its piss ing down with rain…oh well sorry for u, no such thing as sick leave so u best gets ur a ss to work.
Same thing for migrant labourers on the mines etc. Every day underground could be your last, every day is spent mining rocks and gold worth huge cash, have any of you ever been in a mine shaft? I have, and its K AK down there corridors are narrow, roofs are so low, air is thin, rocks look heavy…the work is hectically dangerous, inspite of all the precautions taken, any given day could be your last, is there any compensation in terms of danger pay…danger what??!! Bra if u get a 5 % increase they are doing you a favour, but then we have the fat cats in the boardrooms, one persons increase alone could cover the salaries of many if not all the mineworkers yearly wages and then some…
Enter Hurricane this that and the next, where does it hit, Cuba, Haiti, Carribean Islands, yes and Miami, but those peeps living in Miami have some sort of insurance to cover their speed boat or holiday house etc. or at least have alternative places to go to, so they can evacuate. Not the not so well to do, they barely have much, already living in squalor (clearly my interpretation, because to them this is most probably the best place on earth) the hand of God, deals them another blow and washes all their worldly possessions down the river literally! All they have now is that UN Truck that hopefully comes with supplies that may last you a day 2 days a week…if you are not robbed of it. It’s a mess there and the media footage is so sad!!
Then I see a story on Carte Blanche on Sunday, they showed footage of the massacre in Rwanda, Congo, the refugee camps etc. And it’s only the ones who have very little that have to flee for their lives, the ones who have very little in terms of worldly possessions that have to dodge the bullets, live in the cra py refugee camps, the ones that have very little in terms of worldly possessions those that are at the mercy of the Gods and governments when it comes to disease, infections etc.
But the funny thing though is that in these not so well to do communities, you generally find the spirit of community and humanity, they always have much time to help you if you require assistance, there are of course the odd bad apples, but in these communities people are generally happy and friendly, they are generally not in the news for suicide or drug abuse (maybe alcohol abuse to some extent). Their problems are more real, like where is my family’s next meal coming from? and ours when am I ever getting that damn 6-series convertible….
Birthdays
21st Moo
23rd Si Black
24th Vaughan
26th Tommie
28th John K
29th Eve
Quotes
Though I am grateful for the blessings of wealth, it hasn't changed who I am. My feet are still on the ground. I'm just wearing better shoes. – Oprah Winfrey
I care for riches, to make giftsTo friends, or lead a sick man back to healthWith ease and plenty. Else small aid is wealthFor daily gladness; once a man be doneWith hunger, rich and poor are all as one. - Euipides
The company of just and righteous men is better than wealth and a rich estate. - Euripides
Another edition over and out, for comments http://mondaymail.blogspot.com/
Nuff respect
Y
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Just as I was getting back on form, I lose my way. Apologies for last week, but for my sins I was sent to Cape Town for a week to work, sigh, it’s a tough life but it has to be lived by someone I guess. Actually I joke, it wasn’t all fun and games this week, I was supposed to be off on Friday but sorry for me, I had to work. Anyway, hey the company footed the bill for an extra day, so as the saying goes….every cloud…..
New addition to the list…bro Kwaku, welcome to the electronic age…finally!! This week’s topic basically just asked to be written, freaky shaite I tell you. Has it ever happened that you are thinking of or about to call someone and ring ring, they either call or show up at ur doorstep? Have u been pondering something for a long while and you switch on the telly and they have the solution for you, or you open a book and there is the answer? U have been thinking blue or red and you venture outside and the first car you see is blue, every person is wearing blue etc? If you are like me you’d smile, think freaky shaite and write it off to coincidence…or is it really. For some reason I had this conversation at 2 different times with 2 pretty close mates whilst shooting the breeze this weekend. And I feces you not, Dave and I were driving to an area called Blouberg, which is currently experiencing horrific traffic congestions to and from Cape Town, so we were discussing the merits of having a ferry that would cut across from Blouberg to Cape Town to alleviate the traffic pressures and come the Sunday times front page….Ferry set for Cape Town (or something like that), it was an article about a hovercraft ferry which is in the pipelines to run from Blouberg area to the waterfront daily… another similar incident happened on Friday, for some reason we were talking about my crazy “Coolio” hairstyle I used to sport in my youth and I whipped out my drivers licence to show someone, and within an hour later we saw a guy with the exact hairstyle, and in all honesty I don’t think I have ever seen anyone with that hairstyle at least not in the last 4/5 years! And that wasn’t all, I was in town having breakfast with Campbell and I saw a whole bunch of arty type students walking around and I was wondering if I would see my friend Lauren who is in advertising school somewhere, and as we were walking back to the car guess whose car comes hurtling around the corner? That was a ripper!!
Well there is a term for this for of ‘coincidence’ and its termed synchronized swimming…eish sorry, I think the real name is synchronicity. It is a term coined by a Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, who was at one stage a colleague of Sigmund Freud, but broke away from Freudian psychoanalysis over the issue of the unconscious mind. Jung was a believer in astrology, spiritualism, telepathy, telekinesis, clairvoyance and ESP, and I think his beliefs may have clashed with those of Freud’s.
Synchronicities are people, places or events that your soul attracts into your life for one reason or another. This means that there are really no accidents, which would make sense, if you are of the belief that everything happens for a reason. Most of these reasons that your soul attracts beings or objects into your life is to offer you an opportunity to learn lessons which I guess are mostly about spiritual growth and your purpose on this earth. I say spiritual growth and not mental or any other growth, because a lot of these incidents just don’t make logical sense, but over time and through taking a step back you tend to see the lesson or find meaning in the incident…or not J
“synchronicity can be defined as a non-causal but meaningful relationship between events or states of mind within the human psyche and events in the outside world. More simply, we could call it the experiences of “meaningful coincidence”. We have all had experiences that we intuitively recognize as meaningful, though we could be hard pressed to explain them in rational terms. In fact, these “meaningful coincidences” are not coincidences at all but spontaneous realizations of the underlying interconnectedness of all things within the universe.” Laurence Boldt – Tao of abundance
Our lives are filled with coincidences, but it is up to you and your soul to give meaning to these coincidences. At work, at home, at school, at gym, in the bar, the world is offering you and your soul many lessons, but it’s up to us to open our minds and our souls to receive these lessons. De Ja Vu, dreams etc. are all forms of our subconscious mind interacting with our conscious mind.
Next time you bump into someone you haven’t seen in a while or have an experience that fills you with some sort of awe, take time to speak to the person or embrace the experience, you never know what you may learn.
Birthdays
13th Maud
14th Kyle and Will Mapham
15th Kuhle
18th Chetan and Thuli
21st Shareen
Quotes
I like coincidences. They make me wonder about destiny, and whether free will is an illusion or just a matter of perspective. They let me speculate on the idea of some master plan that, from time to time, we're allowed to see out of the corner of our eye. - Chuck
Coincidences are spiritual puns. – GK Chesterton
That’s it for this week, nuff respect
Y
New addition to the list…bro Kwaku, welcome to the electronic age…finally!! This week’s topic basically just asked to be written, freaky shaite I tell you. Has it ever happened that you are thinking of or about to call someone and ring ring, they either call or show up at ur doorstep? Have u been pondering something for a long while and you switch on the telly and they have the solution for you, or you open a book and there is the answer? U have been thinking blue or red and you venture outside and the first car you see is blue, every person is wearing blue etc? If you are like me you’d smile, think freaky shaite and write it off to coincidence…or is it really. For some reason I had this conversation at 2 different times with 2 pretty close mates whilst shooting the breeze this weekend. And I feces you not, Dave and I were driving to an area called Blouberg, which is currently experiencing horrific traffic congestions to and from Cape Town, so we were discussing the merits of having a ferry that would cut across from Blouberg to Cape Town to alleviate the traffic pressures and come the Sunday times front page….Ferry set for Cape Town (or something like that), it was an article about a hovercraft ferry which is in the pipelines to run from Blouberg area to the waterfront daily… another similar incident happened on Friday, for some reason we were talking about my crazy “Coolio” hairstyle I used to sport in my youth and I whipped out my drivers licence to show someone, and within an hour later we saw a guy with the exact hairstyle, and in all honesty I don’t think I have ever seen anyone with that hairstyle at least not in the last 4/5 years! And that wasn’t all, I was in town having breakfast with Campbell and I saw a whole bunch of arty type students walking around and I was wondering if I would see my friend Lauren who is in advertising school somewhere, and as we were walking back to the car guess whose car comes hurtling around the corner? That was a ripper!!
Well there is a term for this for of ‘coincidence’ and its termed synchronized swimming…eish sorry, I think the real name is synchronicity. It is a term coined by a Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, who was at one stage a colleague of Sigmund Freud, but broke away from Freudian psychoanalysis over the issue of the unconscious mind. Jung was a believer in astrology, spiritualism, telepathy, telekinesis, clairvoyance and ESP, and I think his beliefs may have clashed with those of Freud’s.
Synchronicities are people, places or events that your soul attracts into your life for one reason or another. This means that there are really no accidents, which would make sense, if you are of the belief that everything happens for a reason. Most of these reasons that your soul attracts beings or objects into your life is to offer you an opportunity to learn lessons which I guess are mostly about spiritual growth and your purpose on this earth. I say spiritual growth and not mental or any other growth, because a lot of these incidents just don’t make logical sense, but over time and through taking a step back you tend to see the lesson or find meaning in the incident…or not J
“synchronicity can be defined as a non-causal but meaningful relationship between events or states of mind within the human psyche and events in the outside world. More simply, we could call it the experiences of “meaningful coincidence”. We have all had experiences that we intuitively recognize as meaningful, though we could be hard pressed to explain them in rational terms. In fact, these “meaningful coincidences” are not coincidences at all but spontaneous realizations of the underlying interconnectedness of all things within the universe.” Laurence Boldt – Tao of abundance
Our lives are filled with coincidences, but it is up to you and your soul to give meaning to these coincidences. At work, at home, at school, at gym, in the bar, the world is offering you and your soul many lessons, but it’s up to us to open our minds and our souls to receive these lessons. De Ja Vu, dreams etc. are all forms of our subconscious mind interacting with our conscious mind.
Next time you bump into someone you haven’t seen in a while or have an experience that fills you with some sort of awe, take time to speak to the person or embrace the experience, you never know what you may learn.
Birthdays
13th Maud
14th Kyle and Will Mapham
15th Kuhle
18th Chetan and Thuli
21st Shareen
Quotes
I like coincidences. They make me wonder about destiny, and whether free will is an illusion or just a matter of perspective. They let me speculate on the idea of some master plan that, from time to time, we're allowed to see out of the corner of our eye. - Chuck
Coincidences are spiritual puns. – GK Chesterton
That’s it for this week, nuff respect
Y
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
“Why does Monday, come before Tuesday, Why do summers start in June Why do winters come too soon….
Why does Wednesday come after Tuesday, Why do flowers come in May Why springtime go away…
Tell me why, Tell me why…” 3T
Happy spring day to the masses out there, and to those in the Northern Hemisphere, sorry for u!! cos right here its gonna be a bright, btright, bright sunshiny day. 3 additions to the mailing list, Mandea, Priscilla and Lil bro Poks, if at anytime you feel this mail to be getting too much for you, please holler at me and I’ll take you off, Mandea, you are well aware of this function having previously exercised it J
I would sincerely like to thank all of you who responded to the last mail I sent, yes fair enuff it wasn’t deep etc. etc. but hey Rome wasn’t built in one day!
I find myself thinking a lot nowadays about very arbitrary things but things that form a significant part of our everyday living, hence why I started the mail with the extract from 3T’s song why… Some of theses questions definitely have answers, answers that I don’t have, but answers that I hope to have…for example:
This language that we write who came up with it and decided on the words like why is the background of this word document called white? How did it all begin was s/he just chillin one day and decided I’m bored let me come up with a new language.
How come there are so many different languages?
Why are there so many different religions?
Why are there so many different races mixed race people we can work out how they came about but the rest are soo far apart?
Why cant I understand what birds say, sing, chirp? Do birds understand each other? Same goes for all other animals…
Why do we have countries and different nationalities, why cant I just up and go wherever I feel like going on this earth if I can find the means to? Yeah yeah, capitalism, and the developed impracticality of having one big nation of the world, but why do we have to segregate people? How much strife would be alleviated then, or would there be?
Why does it look like the sky is blue (browny grey in Jo’burg) but in reality space is black I think (never been out to space) some argue that it’s because of the suns rays and the reflection/refraction of the colours of the spectrum, but the sun is still shines when you leave the earth’s atmosphere, but could it be that its power is just not as great?
Why does the sea look blue, when infact if u grab a test tube full of the water its relatively clear, is it a reflection of the sky? Or is the sky a reflection of the sea? Or neither…
Watching people dancing, is such a funny thing, sit back and watch people shaking what their mommas gave em in tune with a beat (well some), but this is fun…
It’s a fascinating thing this life thing and all its elements.
Speaking of life, I went to a little gathering yesterday. At this gathering, the co ordinator raises a random topic 4 guys who have never met before have to give their views on it. One of the topics raised is when are u alive, when do you start living. Some said when you become conscious and responsible for your actions. My thoughts on this matter is life begins from say when u r 3 or 4 yrs old, u know when you are conscious of your actions, when you are told not to do something and you do it anyway to get a reaction. Your actions, inactions and the reactions of your caretakers, assist in moulding you into the person you are now and the person you are to become in the future. Clapping your friends that come and visit you cos you are bored and in turn catching a fat one from the folks…that’s living.Climbing the louvers to get that puzzle that your mother said you shouldn’t touch, breaking all the louvers, hurting yourself and getting bliksemed thereafter, that’s living. Riding a skateboard down sissons street and catching a speed wobble and a huge wipe out and then trying to act all tough and hide your grazes and scars from your folks, cos they said don’t ride down that busy road, that’s living. Having mates that you go visit speak the utmost load of shaite about everything…that’s living. Having this one guy or girl on ur mind every day at school but not doing anything about it cos u think u know his/her opinion is of you, even though that doesn’t seem like its living, it is living. Getting full or half colours at school, getting to university or wherever else you get to and meeting new people, having fun, having conflicts, etc…yip that’s right that’s living. Getting a job, loving it then hating it, that’s living. Having a boy/girlfriend, loving him or her then drifting apart, that’s living. Buying a car styling initially, then it gets smashed, stolen, or just konks out…all living. Finding God as your parents or peers have directed you, or finding your own personal God as you have found them, finding something to believe in…that’s all living.
Ya I know its about enough now, but all I am trying to highlight here is there will be hard times there will be schweet times when everything just seems to be going your way. Enjoy all those moments, both good and bad, particularly the bad because through enjoying the bad times you realize how fortunate you are to ever experience the good times and that will also assist in appreciating the good times even more. Every experience in this life in my belief is all a step in the realization of self and as daft and as durr as the saying may be…’what doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger!’
A few quotes…
"To live is to suffer, but to survive, well, that's to find meaning in the suffering" –DMX
"We each walk the path/that we've chosen" –DMX
"I believe that everything that you do bad comes back to you. So everything that I do that's bad, I'm going to suffer from it. But in my mind, I believe what I'm doing is right. So I feel like I'm going to heaven" -2PAC
"All I want from you is what you are" - Paula Abdul
“First I'm gonna crawl, then I'm gonna walk Then I'm gonna stand, then I'm gonna talk But I gotta learn in order to teach Then I gotta burn in order to reach
…You gots to live life to the fullest …Everyday we live and learn, take it step-by-step
We create our own path until there's no life left” Extracts from DMX’s song
Birthdays
30th Aug Benjamin
Sometime in August Baba
2nd Sept Gavin
3rd Sept John C
4th Sept Alani
5th Sept Smangi
6th Sept Thalitha
10th Sept Leon
13th Sept Maud
14th Sept Kyle/ Will
15th Sept Kuhle
Note the extended list, just incase I don’t make next weeks mail, to the above mentioned and anyone else who I may not have mentioned, happy birthday to u all, hope u have blessed days and may your years ahead be all that you make it!!
Big love to Pete and Carla, who have decided to take their relationship to another level, very happy for you guys, after spending some time with you at the digs last year and in the states this year, you guys are definitely there, may it be a thrilling and fulfilling journey!!
Anyway I am out for now, comments so more than welcome, either to me to be forwarded to all or http://mondaymail.blogspot.com
Much peace, love and happiness to u all
Why does Wednesday come after Tuesday, Why do flowers come in May Why springtime go away…
Tell me why, Tell me why…” 3T
Happy spring day to the masses out there, and to those in the Northern Hemisphere, sorry for u!! cos right here its gonna be a bright, btright, bright sunshiny day. 3 additions to the mailing list, Mandea, Priscilla and Lil bro Poks, if at anytime you feel this mail to be getting too much for you, please holler at me and I’ll take you off, Mandea, you are well aware of this function having previously exercised it J
I would sincerely like to thank all of you who responded to the last mail I sent, yes fair enuff it wasn’t deep etc. etc. but hey Rome wasn’t built in one day!
I find myself thinking a lot nowadays about very arbitrary things but things that form a significant part of our everyday living, hence why I started the mail with the extract from 3T’s song why… Some of theses questions definitely have answers, answers that I don’t have, but answers that I hope to have…for example:
This language that we write who came up with it and decided on the words like why is the background of this word document called white? How did it all begin was s/he just chillin one day and decided I’m bored let me come up with a new language.
How come there are so many different languages?
Why are there so many different religions?
Why are there so many different races mixed race people we can work out how they came about but the rest are soo far apart?
Why cant I understand what birds say, sing, chirp? Do birds understand each other? Same goes for all other animals…
Why do we have countries and different nationalities, why cant I just up and go wherever I feel like going on this earth if I can find the means to? Yeah yeah, capitalism, and the developed impracticality of having one big nation of the world, but why do we have to segregate people? How much strife would be alleviated then, or would there be?
Why does it look like the sky is blue (browny grey in Jo’burg) but in reality space is black I think (never been out to space) some argue that it’s because of the suns rays and the reflection/refraction of the colours of the spectrum, but the sun is still shines when you leave the earth’s atmosphere, but could it be that its power is just not as great?
Why does the sea look blue, when infact if u grab a test tube full of the water its relatively clear, is it a reflection of the sky? Or is the sky a reflection of the sea? Or neither…
Watching people dancing, is such a funny thing, sit back and watch people shaking what their mommas gave em in tune with a beat (well some), but this is fun…
It’s a fascinating thing this life thing and all its elements.
Speaking of life, I went to a little gathering yesterday. At this gathering, the co ordinator raises a random topic 4 guys who have never met before have to give their views on it. One of the topics raised is when are u alive, when do you start living. Some said when you become conscious and responsible for your actions. My thoughts on this matter is life begins from say when u r 3 or 4 yrs old, u know when you are conscious of your actions, when you are told not to do something and you do it anyway to get a reaction. Your actions, inactions and the reactions of your caretakers, assist in moulding you into the person you are now and the person you are to become in the future. Clapping your friends that come and visit you cos you are bored and in turn catching a fat one from the folks…that’s living.Climbing the louvers to get that puzzle that your mother said you shouldn’t touch, breaking all the louvers, hurting yourself and getting bliksemed thereafter, that’s living. Riding a skateboard down sissons street and catching a speed wobble and a huge wipe out and then trying to act all tough and hide your grazes and scars from your folks, cos they said don’t ride down that busy road, that’s living. Having mates that you go visit speak the utmost load of shaite about everything…that’s living. Having this one guy or girl on ur mind every day at school but not doing anything about it cos u think u know his/her opinion is of you, even though that doesn’t seem like its living, it is living. Getting full or half colours at school, getting to university or wherever else you get to and meeting new people, having fun, having conflicts, etc…yip that’s right that’s living. Getting a job, loving it then hating it, that’s living. Having a boy/girlfriend, loving him or her then drifting apart, that’s living. Buying a car styling initially, then it gets smashed, stolen, or just konks out…all living. Finding God as your parents or peers have directed you, or finding your own personal God as you have found them, finding something to believe in…that’s all living.
Ya I know its about enough now, but all I am trying to highlight here is there will be hard times there will be schweet times when everything just seems to be going your way. Enjoy all those moments, both good and bad, particularly the bad because through enjoying the bad times you realize how fortunate you are to ever experience the good times and that will also assist in appreciating the good times even more. Every experience in this life in my belief is all a step in the realization of self and as daft and as durr as the saying may be…’what doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger!’
A few quotes…
"To live is to suffer, but to survive, well, that's to find meaning in the suffering" –DMX
"We each walk the path/that we've chosen" –DMX
"I believe that everything that you do bad comes back to you. So everything that I do that's bad, I'm going to suffer from it. But in my mind, I believe what I'm doing is right. So I feel like I'm going to heaven" -2PAC
"All I want from you is what you are" - Paula Abdul
“First I'm gonna crawl, then I'm gonna walk Then I'm gonna stand, then I'm gonna talk But I gotta learn in order to teach Then I gotta burn in order to reach
…You gots to live life to the fullest …Everyday we live and learn, take it step-by-step
We create our own path until there's no life left” Extracts from DMX’s song
Birthdays
30th Aug Benjamin
Sometime in August Baba
2nd Sept Gavin
3rd Sept John C
4th Sept Alani
5th Sept Smangi
6th Sept Thalitha
10th Sept Leon
13th Sept Maud
14th Sept Kyle/ Will
15th Sept Kuhle
Note the extended list, just incase I don’t make next weeks mail, to the above mentioned and anyone else who I may not have mentioned, happy birthday to u all, hope u have blessed days and may your years ahead be all that you make it!!
Big love to Pete and Carla, who have decided to take their relationship to another level, very happy for you guys, after spending some time with you at the digs last year and in the states this year, you guys are definitely there, may it be a thrilling and fulfilling journey!!
Anyway I am out for now, comments so more than welcome, either to me to be forwarded to all or http://mondaymail.blogspot.com
Much peace, love and happiness to u all
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
“She's out of my life, She's out of my life, And I don't know whether to laugh or cry, I don't know whether to live or die, And it cuts like a knife, She's out of my lifeIt's out of my hands, It's out of my hands, To think for two years she was here, And I took her for granted I was so cavalier, Now the way that it stands, She's out of my hands” Michael Jackson
For all those hardcore amongst us, now is a perfect time to delete this message and pick up the newspaper and read some story about the mom who slaughtered her 2 year old child.
How u all doing today, been a while and yes i have been slipping in the last 2 weeks but been pretty preoccupied, but i am working through it all, one day 'sanity' will prevail. Nowadays, I really struggle to find something worthy of debating or bringing to your attention and this week is no different, if its not the racial make up of the South African Olympic team its the situation in Iraq or the middle east or the US elections, so I have decided to put offer another piece of my life for scrutiny and ridicule or whatever, after all ain’t that what friends are for?
Many people keep asking me about my significant other and why no one has ever met her some have even gone as far as suggesting I am a closet case, (which I am not too aware of at the moment, but if that changes I’ll be sure to let you all know) but anyway when it comes to significant others, there is only one lass I know who has come close to fitting that profile in the last maybe 6 years.
Degs remember that Foreign students party at the Planet in Obs, a good few years ago, well that was when it all started. Mbumbs, Dave and myself waltzed to the doors and they said I think it was R15 for non members and R5 for members provided u have ur student card with the sticker showing u r a member of the foreign students society, we didn’t have our cards and that was irrelevant anyway cos neither of us were members. But anyway we got to the door and they ask for our R15, so I turn to the lass, lets call her Ann, and I say to her don’t act like u don’t remember us, after all those meetings blah blah (never met her before in my life), anyway she managed to convince her friend to let us in…now fellas, if that’s not a sign then I don’t know. Anyway as the nite wore on we exchanged glances and totally against true yaw fashion, I actually stepped to her to engage in dialogue, it was very cool, very calm and relaxed, no pretences nothing, got along like I had known her forever. We definitely connected on a level way beyond the physical, cos in my eyes she is one stunning piece of creation! (chi-ching). Anyway I guess the nite came to a close and I gave her my details and she said she would call, but there was a complication she had a man that she had been seeing for a very long time, so the odds on her calling were not looking good at all. Days, weeks, maybe even months passed, may not have been, but it felt like it…no call, didn’t even catch a glimpse of her on campus, in the mean time life went on, but I still remembered and hoped. Then one day whilst at work, God Bless that damn Health and Racquet job, guess who I bump into, yip u guessed it. We got to chatting she kinda let me know y she didn’t call etc. etc. well anyway I managed to twist her arm and she gave me her phone number, so we got to chatting and all, still don’t know her all that well, but got to know her and she is a really lovely lass…issues, but ey oh, oh ey, who doesn’t have em? Anyway she was still with her man so we were just mates and all, but the mates thing got a bit fuzzy over time.
We speak more than regularly; see each other once in a while…she stays in Cape Town you see, and Keith you thought all those trips to Cape Town were cos I missed u? J Anyway she had just stepped out of a long relationship and I am just always in my own little world so the fuzziness stayed as is, but still pretty aware of our feelings. Anyway whilst in the states she told me that she had been sent up to Jozi for ‘work’ J for at least a month, and even though I was having a pretty schweet time in the states, I wasn’t the least bit bleak to be leaving…ok just a teesy weensy bit. So anyway she arrived here and things were cool initially and the the c rap hit the fan, Jozi, just wasn’t treating her well work was c rap, car accident, phone got stolen, a ss of a landlord and to make matters worse I was being a bit of a turd too, but not through action, but more like through inaction, and I’ll wear that, but I have my reasons, everyday just felt like a test…a game, but no excuses here, excuses are for losers, oh wait Yawza that would be u!! J
She left yesterday, very bleak to see her leave, but very chuffed for her, cos she was just not loving this place. We had a fat chat at the airport which was really good. Where we stand, oh well…I guess my soul takes comfort in the saying ‘what will be will be’ the mind as we all know has its agenda. Definitely could have been more attentive at the risk of possibly being overbearing, but I guess live and learn, life’s a lesson...
Birthdays
4th – Slick
6th – Bavisha
8th – Claire
10th – Thlaleng
12th – Angela & Eleanor
14th – Degs
18th – Lerato
19th – Rob Lee
21st – Julius, Nhlanhla
Hope u all had/have great birthdays…
Quotes
Look, if you had one shot, one opportunityTo seize everything you ever wanted-One momentWould you capture it or just let it slip? - Eminem
Work she is a calling me, u all have a splendid week, and once again maximum respect to the masses!
Later all
Y
For all those hardcore amongst us, now is a perfect time to delete this message and pick up the newspaper and read some story about the mom who slaughtered her 2 year old child.
How u all doing today, been a while and yes i have been slipping in the last 2 weeks but been pretty preoccupied, but i am working through it all, one day 'sanity' will prevail. Nowadays, I really struggle to find something worthy of debating or bringing to your attention and this week is no different, if its not the racial make up of the South African Olympic team its the situation in Iraq or the middle east or the US elections, so I have decided to put offer another piece of my life for scrutiny and ridicule or whatever, after all ain’t that what friends are for?
Many people keep asking me about my significant other and why no one has ever met her some have even gone as far as suggesting I am a closet case, (which I am not too aware of at the moment, but if that changes I’ll be sure to let you all know) but anyway when it comes to significant others, there is only one lass I know who has come close to fitting that profile in the last maybe 6 years.
Degs remember that Foreign students party at the Planet in Obs, a good few years ago, well that was when it all started. Mbumbs, Dave and myself waltzed to the doors and they said I think it was R15 for non members and R5 for members provided u have ur student card with the sticker showing u r a member of the foreign students society, we didn’t have our cards and that was irrelevant anyway cos neither of us were members. But anyway we got to the door and they ask for our R15, so I turn to the lass, lets call her Ann, and I say to her don’t act like u don’t remember us, after all those meetings blah blah (never met her before in my life), anyway she managed to convince her friend to let us in…now fellas, if that’s not a sign then I don’t know. Anyway as the nite wore on we exchanged glances and totally against true yaw fashion, I actually stepped to her to engage in dialogue, it was very cool, very calm and relaxed, no pretences nothing, got along like I had known her forever. We definitely connected on a level way beyond the physical, cos in my eyes she is one stunning piece of creation! (chi-ching). Anyway I guess the nite came to a close and I gave her my details and she said she would call, but there was a complication she had a man that she had been seeing for a very long time, so the odds on her calling were not looking good at all. Days, weeks, maybe even months passed, may not have been, but it felt like it…no call, didn’t even catch a glimpse of her on campus, in the mean time life went on, but I still remembered and hoped. Then one day whilst at work, God Bless that damn Health and Racquet job, guess who I bump into, yip u guessed it. We got to chatting she kinda let me know y she didn’t call etc. etc. well anyway I managed to twist her arm and she gave me her phone number, so we got to chatting and all, still don’t know her all that well, but got to know her and she is a really lovely lass…issues, but ey oh, oh ey, who doesn’t have em? Anyway she was still with her man so we were just mates and all, but the mates thing got a bit fuzzy over time.
We speak more than regularly; see each other once in a while…she stays in Cape Town you see, and Keith you thought all those trips to Cape Town were cos I missed u? J Anyway she had just stepped out of a long relationship and I am just always in my own little world so the fuzziness stayed as is, but still pretty aware of our feelings. Anyway whilst in the states she told me that she had been sent up to Jozi for ‘work’ J for at least a month, and even though I was having a pretty schweet time in the states, I wasn’t the least bit bleak to be leaving…ok just a teesy weensy bit. So anyway she arrived here and things were cool initially and the the c rap hit the fan, Jozi, just wasn’t treating her well work was c rap, car accident, phone got stolen, a ss of a landlord and to make matters worse I was being a bit of a turd too, but not through action, but more like through inaction, and I’ll wear that, but I have my reasons, everyday just felt like a test…a game, but no excuses here, excuses are for losers, oh wait Yawza that would be u!! J
She left yesterday, very bleak to see her leave, but very chuffed for her, cos she was just not loving this place. We had a fat chat at the airport which was really good. Where we stand, oh well…I guess my soul takes comfort in the saying ‘what will be will be’ the mind as we all know has its agenda. Definitely could have been more attentive at the risk of possibly being overbearing, but I guess live and learn, life’s a lesson...
Birthdays
4th – Slick
6th – Bavisha
8th – Claire
10th – Thlaleng
12th – Angela & Eleanor
14th – Degs
18th – Lerato
19th – Rob Lee
21st – Julius, Nhlanhla
Hope u all had/have great birthdays…
Quotes
Look, if you had one shot, one opportunityTo seize everything you ever wanted-One momentWould you capture it or just let it slip? - Eminem
Work she is a calling me, u all have a splendid week, and once again maximum respect to the masses!
Later all
Y
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
| Back I am, after a good 4 or so weeks out in the writing wilderness the good old South African society in which I live has once again provided me with some material to revive my ailing writing abilities, however limited it may have been in the past.
Hope u all good, I am pretty schweet, just recently returned from a pretty cool trip over the sea to the nation that many hate but all would love to be a part of, yip that’s right to the United States of America. I really had a good time and to those that I met there on this list, thanks for the hospitality and all. On the topic of America, if you get a chance to see a movie called Fahrenheit 911 don’t let the opportunity slip u by, yes its very biased against Bush, but most of the media that we are exposed to is biased in favour of the man. Anyway, the reason I mention America, is that of the many people I met, the one common question on the tips of their tongues is, “you from South Africa yeah? Oh man, I hear the crime there is terrible, and me being the proud South Africa I am trying to be, if some of these narrow minded di ckweeds will let me, would you believe that I was hassled more trying to leave this country than I was getting into America, I couldn’t believe it, some dimwit thought it fit to hassle me about the fact that I was Ghanaian and holding a South African passport, I was almost offloaded from my flight, I get to the states and the only stress I got was a friendly what’s the purpose of your visit…anyway as usual I digress… my answer to all these questions about the crime is, yes there is crime, just like you have crime in your country, in London, in Japan, we too have our issues with crime, you cant get away from it, but its not as bad as its made out to be. Especially now it seems to be letting up a bit, but I am not sure if that’s a result of it not being reported as much or the police have gotten a handle on it. And I sincerely believed it. But on my return maybe I am in my own fairytale land as Tebo so beautifully sang once upon a time. Don’t be fooled there is crime in this country, how bad it is I guess is all relative. And we are all fuel this criminal element in our society. What…who…me… u might be asking and yip that’s right u, me, most everyone. How u might ask next? Well lets see, speed limit 120km, screw that, lemme do 150km/hr, just gotta be on the look out for those money hungry scaly cops! Perhaps 120km/hr is a ridiculous speed, but that’s neither here nor there it is the law. Drugs – illegal, but who cares we just having fun. Don’t drink and drive, and what did we do this past weekend? What are we going to do next weekend? That’s correct, get so ratfaced that we can’t remember who we are, get behind the wheel and mission home. And let us be stopped by them damn cops, the crime continues, out comes the hundred, 2 hundred, thousand, whatever it takes to get off. I know the examples I have stated may seem petty, but are they petty to a person who has to bury their child, friend, parent, sibling because we thought our actions were harmless? How different are we to a person who hijacks a car because he assumes that you are insured and things get out of hand and someone’s life ends. Very different cases u might argue, fair enuff, but the potential result I think is but too similar but hey, if its in contravention of the standing legislation it’s a crime!! Then there is the situation where we see someone doing wrong but we are oh too quick to turn a blind eye, afterall there is no real harm done, I mean its just a sweet that got lifted…whatever. We cultivate this criminal society. The right thing nowadays can be anything you want it to be. The price of life is so cheap here, one can be killed for a cellphone, one of the first articles I read was about a 19year old who was being laid to rest after being shot for a cell phone, then I hear the story of Leigh Mathews, who’s ransom was R50k or R500k not too sure (more on this one later). I am sure if I open the newspaper right now, I will find some crime somewhere, how do we stop the rot? I have no answers cos I am a part of the problem. We complain that the roads are shaite, the cops are underpaid, blah blah and how many of us are oh too quick to jippo our tax returns not pay our traffic fines, electricity bills etc? How do we expect the govt. to pay the crime busters if we don’t pay our dues? Then there are chirps of these damn criminals get off scott free, well if we bribe them to get off you tell me why the next person cant do the same? How do u think jail breaks happen? Bribery exists because we create the expectation. If a cop knew that he would see his a ss if he asked for a bribe how many of them do you think would actually focus on their jobs? And to make matters even worse our best weapon in the fight against crime has just recently thrown in the towel, sad day for public prosecutions I tell you. I have much respect for any person, who regardless of your social or political standing, is willing to put u on the spot and make u answer if they feel you are in the wrong, much respect to u Mr Bulelani Ngcuka, and I really do hope the president does not ratify your request to relieve your self of your post, because with you there, the fight against crime bears a flickering light albeit a great task to keep it shining! Back to this Leigh Mathews saga that recently took place, God rest the young lady’s soul and bring peace to her family. Very terrible thing that happened to her, didn’t know much about the young lady’s case other than she was abducted and her captors promise her return for the payment of ransom, ransom was paid and the only thing that was returned was a naked body with a few bullet holes in the head, very sad indeed. A nation mourns, the talk on everyones lips, the thoughts in many peoples minds… In Sudan many are dying…oh wait that’s too far, lets try that again…in Mitchels Plein another child is shot in gang crossfire, whilst walking home from school…”oh well…”, another woman in East Rand is abducted, her body is found headless…”sorry for her…”and that’s the end of that story…what inference can we draw from this, and I am in no way trivializing what the young lady’s ordeal, but is social standing a measure of a persons life? Is it a measure of the amount of pain, sorrow, loss and grief a family and friends feel? (credit for this last paragraph must go to Carl who highlighted this very issue to me) Birthdays.. 11th Santie/Rudi 12th Yao 15th Naeem 22nd Michelle 24th Vusi 25th Elmar and Poms 26th Gina 27th Mike and Courts 28th Jele, Reider and my folks 31st wedding anniversary 30th Eddie T.O. and Will Lee Sheesh from May to July delivery rooms seem to be pretty busy, hope u fellas, had/have splendid birthdays. Quotes….. “Petty crimes breed great crimes” – Marie Louise de la Ramee “Bad habits indulged in become a crime” – Anon “The reason there is so little crime in Germany is that it's against the law.” – Alex Levin Maximum respect and http://mondaymail.blogspot.com for any comments |
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
“Robert Mugabe…so…white people are upset with Robert Mugabe, I mean what the hell does he think he is doing, this whole stealing of land thing it was our idea!”…comedian at the king size comedy show
Top of the morning to y’all sports fans, here I am chillin in the fairest cape, with my boys Mbumbu and Dave, and all I can think of is writing to u all….aint u just the luckiest things? Enuff of the shaite, whats been going on gangsters? Oh wait u guys don’t respond much ? been slack lately, hope u guys appreciate that writing week after week is quite taxing cos I wanna try write interesting and relavant stuff.
Was speaking to a friend of mine Jacob the other day and he gave me the idea of Iraq as a topic…
Iraq has weapons of mass destruction so they claim, let us send in the UN weapons inspectors or we will bomb u, the US says, ok send them Iraq answers…Hans Blix (I think that was the man’s name) and his crew find sweet fcuk all except a few empty canisters that once upon a time could have contained weapons of mass destruction.. UN weapons inspectors gives Iraq the all clear. But the states is still adamant that there are weapons there, Iraq denies this…the States still decides to bomb them, because there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
First bomb drops, second….three hundredth drops, first city falls, second city falls…. Saddam falls, statue of Saddam falls and wha-la there are the weapons of mass destruction that many peoples children went to fight for! NOT…but hey the world seems happy because the mad man Saddam is now captured.
Well that’s the US’ story and they are sticking to it. In my mind that whole second gulf war, was merely an invasion under the guise of a search for weapons of mass destruction, and in my mind that is just as bad as Iraq invading Kuwait or the Serbs and the Croatian situation and the war Mongols in George Bush and his cronies must be held accountable, because I see them as no better than Slobadan Millosovich or Saddam himself!!
Fair enuff they can argue that they saved Iraqis from oppressive rule, but my argument is you cant impose democracy on others, actually lets take it one step backwards, you cant impose your way of thinking onto other people, just because you are a powerful nation, imagine if an Islamic or Jewish state had to invade us now because they do not like our so called democratic ways, how would that go down? But do we condemn this no, the worlds governing body, does it condemn this nope, the UN just sits in the corner seemingly oblivious to the US’s bully boy antics. Then again what can they do? Once again raising the question, what is the function of the UN?? Is there still a need for the UN, they say don’t bomb, but America bombs none-the-less.
Then we have the situation with the POW’s… assaulting the prisoners, subjecting them to indecent acts. Rulers of the free world indeed! But then again would the outrage have been so great had the roles been reversed, i.e. had it been Iraqi soldiers manhandling US prisoners of war, would our attitudes be “oh well what else do u expect? After all they are Iraqis…” Is this the right attitude? But then again I don’t think the Iraqis would be dumb enough to leave any photographic evidence of their mistreatment of POW’s, unless they wanted the world to know…like the beheading for instance.
I heard a statement this morning that all Muslims are potential terrorists, is this a fair statement? I see you nodding your head there, well how would you feel if I said all whites are racists or all blacks are cool…I mean hijackers, or all coloureds are thugs? Clearly my take is its not a fair comment, but unfortunately it’s the perpetrators of such deeds that gives the whole group a bad name.
Very fragmented email, but if you have any thoughts on this topic you wish to forward, please feel free to.
Birthdays…
27th Monica
29th Lauren and Delia
31st Nana Yaa and Andre
2nd Mame Ekua
6th Helen
Quote
You cant control what happens to you but you can control your attitude towards what happens. And in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.
U all be good now see, and if any of you have any friends in America that I would know, could you please forward me their details.
Outta here, maximum respect, peace, love and hair grease!!
Y
Top of the morning to y’all sports fans, here I am chillin in the fairest cape, with my boys Mbumbu and Dave, and all I can think of is writing to u all….aint u just the luckiest things? Enuff of the shaite, whats been going on gangsters? Oh wait u guys don’t respond much ? been slack lately, hope u guys appreciate that writing week after week is quite taxing cos I wanna try write interesting and relavant stuff.
Was speaking to a friend of mine Jacob the other day and he gave me the idea of Iraq as a topic…
Iraq has weapons of mass destruction so they claim, let us send in the UN weapons inspectors or we will bomb u, the US says, ok send them Iraq answers…Hans Blix (I think that was the man’s name) and his crew find sweet fcuk all except a few empty canisters that once upon a time could have contained weapons of mass destruction.. UN weapons inspectors gives Iraq the all clear. But the states is still adamant that there are weapons there, Iraq denies this…the States still decides to bomb them, because there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
First bomb drops, second….three hundredth drops, first city falls, second city falls…. Saddam falls, statue of Saddam falls and wha-la there are the weapons of mass destruction that many peoples children went to fight for! NOT…but hey the world seems happy because the mad man Saddam is now captured.
Well that’s the US’ story and they are sticking to it. In my mind that whole second gulf war, was merely an invasion under the guise of a search for weapons of mass destruction, and in my mind that is just as bad as Iraq invading Kuwait or the Serbs and the Croatian situation and the war Mongols in George Bush and his cronies must be held accountable, because I see them as no better than Slobadan Millosovich or Saddam himself!!
Fair enuff they can argue that they saved Iraqis from oppressive rule, but my argument is you cant impose democracy on others, actually lets take it one step backwards, you cant impose your way of thinking onto other people, just because you are a powerful nation, imagine if an Islamic or Jewish state had to invade us now because they do not like our so called democratic ways, how would that go down? But do we condemn this no, the worlds governing body, does it condemn this nope, the UN just sits in the corner seemingly oblivious to the US’s bully boy antics. Then again what can they do? Once again raising the question, what is the function of the UN?? Is there still a need for the UN, they say don’t bomb, but America bombs none-the-less.
Then we have the situation with the POW’s… assaulting the prisoners, subjecting them to indecent acts. Rulers of the free world indeed! But then again would the outrage have been so great had the roles been reversed, i.e. had it been Iraqi soldiers manhandling US prisoners of war, would our attitudes be “oh well what else do u expect? After all they are Iraqis…” Is this the right attitude? But then again I don’t think the Iraqis would be dumb enough to leave any photographic evidence of their mistreatment of POW’s, unless they wanted the world to know…like the beheading for instance.
I heard a statement this morning that all Muslims are potential terrorists, is this a fair statement? I see you nodding your head there, well how would you feel if I said all whites are racists or all blacks are cool…I mean hijackers, or all coloureds are thugs? Clearly my take is its not a fair comment, but unfortunately it’s the perpetrators of such deeds that gives the whole group a bad name.
Very fragmented email, but if you have any thoughts on this topic you wish to forward, please feel free to.
Birthdays…
27th Monica
29th Lauren and Delia
31st Nana Yaa and Andre
2nd Mame Ekua
6th Helen
Quote
You cant control what happens to you but you can control your attitude towards what happens. And in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.
U all be good now see, and if any of you have any friends in America that I would know, could you please forward me their details.
Outta here, maximum respect, peace, love and hair grease!!
Y
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Hey all, this weeks mail is just a transcript of a conversation I was having with a friend of mine, basically I asked him how he was and how things were with this young lady that he had shown interest in recently… I was taking the piss with my retort about the soul mate etc. but some of his remarks were quite thought provoking to say the least just out of interest…
Dude: she might be really nice and brutally hot... but at the end of the day she is just another chick... equal amounts fun and bullshit... just like all the others..
Yawpi: but....really nice and brutally hot...
Dude: ya.. but i say funk that.. the work to payoff ratio with girls like that is just way too skewed...
Dude: whole lotta work... so you get laid... fantastic… ...but then its phone calls, when do i get to see you... come meet my parents on sunday..blah, blah…Dude: and while i'm the first to admit that funking rocks... at this point in my life its just not a big enough deal to warrant all that effort….. there is more important shit going on..
Yawpi: thats such a male way to look at things, what about companionship, finding a soul mate that your heart desires, a friend, that u dont need to go out get pissed with and funk chicks, a person u can share your life with, your joys and your sadness, your everything…
Dude: i don't know who the funk this is...but please give yaw his PC back..
Yawpi: brb
Dude: no problem.. i'll type so long..
Dude: i'll break it down point by point..
Dude: companionship.. i have good friends and family who i can hang out with when and where i want... never had trouble hooking up something to do in at least the last 10 years...
Dude: .. and if everyone gets married and has kids in 10 years time, there is always playstation, the internet, and mailorder russian brides.. not to mention sports cars which mean easy lays... just because you don't have wife or kids to pay for..
Dude: friendship... see point 1
Dude: finding a soul mate... doesn't exist.. and if it does, the chances of you two "finding" each other at a time or place where you can both actually hook up, commit and make it work, are probably less than 1 in a million... and if you're investing time and energy into this "search", you're a funking idiot, because you can spend that time much more productively on things that actually have a chance of succeeding...
Dude: .. and to add to that point... you never really know if you DO end up with your soul mate, or whether the person you THINK is your soul mate is the same person that is going to cheat on you, take half of everything you have, and run off with some boy-toy 5 or 10 or 15 years down the line... ask any divorce lawyer in SA how many "soul mates" he's come accross.. i'd be surprised if the answer is greater than one..
Dude: hearts desire... that feeling is nothing more than biochemistry... a chemical process in the brain that makes you believe you are experiencing something emotional... and a chemical process that can successfully be replicated with equal amounts of chocolate, tequila, champagne, cocaine... whatever... When you find the right mix of chemicals, its love in a bottle... and the sooner we understand that love is nothing but unique combinations of periodic table elements finding their way into our central nervous system, the better... because then we can start thinking about love rationally, and realise there is very little rational about it... we basically do it to ourselves..
Dude: .."need to go out and get pissed with".. I don't NEED to go out and get pissed with my friends.. i WANT to .. ;-)
Dude: .. and its not like anyone ever goes out to get laid...at least i don't.. i just go out to have fun.. if opportunities present themselves, then sing hallelujah.. but if they don't.. then tomorrow is another day..
Dude: .. as far sharing your life goes... its a cool concept.. it would be great to have someone you can share everything with.. but think about that for a second... FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE... that's quite a line... so i end up asking myself..
Dude: .. this girl i'm supposed to marry... what if she was in a car accident tomorrow, and became a quadraplegic...
Dude: .. i know.. worst case scenario... but think about it... would i really want to face a lifetime of all that effort, no fun stuff, no sex, just missioning and changing adult diapers...
Dude: ... has anyone actually met a person where they can truly say that if that was what is meant by "WORSE", that they'd still be into it?.. i can't say that i have..
Dude: .. and i don't believe i have ever met a girl that felt that way about me.. and if they did, they should seek funking counceling...
Dude: .. so, to re-examine the odds.. what are the odds of finding two people who manage to hook up, and all the rest, that actually fell THAT way about one another... i would say we're getting pretty funking close to ZERO...
Dude: and as far as sharing joy and sadness... there's a saying.. "laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone"... the answer there is to just quit the crying shit and get on with it, because no-one wants to be around a manic depressive whiner..
Dude: .. so to some up.. try to find your happiness in others, and you will remain unhappy... find it in yourself... and others can come, go and do what they please... one girl, two, ten whatever... don't let the door hit them on the way out, because if you're happy as an individual, it doesn't much matter what they do... the only thing you have to make sure of, is that you don't care one ounce more than what is necessary... because otherwise their actions will affect you...
Dude: .. funked up viewpoint, huh?
Dude: the only thing more funked up, is that i'm right..
Birthdays
5th Nana and Peace
6th Claude and Taz Welsh
7th Shakira
9th Dear sis Nana
Thanks bro, very interesting thoughts, saved me from writing my own damn email this week, cos I am soooo snowed under, yea I heard that “for a change” remark…punks.
Back to the grind stone I go, take it easi boys and girls half way thru the week, yes please!! Take care and I no this mail deserves some comments! Respect.
http://mondaymail.blogspot.com
Dude: she might be really nice and brutally hot... but at the end of the day she is just another chick... equal amounts fun and bullshit... just like all the others..
Yawpi: but....really nice and brutally hot...
Dude: ya.. but i say funk that.. the work to payoff ratio with girls like that is just way too skewed...
Dude: whole lotta work... so you get laid... fantastic… ...but then its phone calls, when do i get to see you... come meet my parents on sunday..blah, blah…Dude: and while i'm the first to admit that funking rocks... at this point in my life its just not a big enough deal to warrant all that effort….. there is more important shit going on..
Yawpi: thats such a male way to look at things, what about companionship, finding a soul mate that your heart desires, a friend, that u dont need to go out get pissed with and funk chicks, a person u can share your life with, your joys and your sadness, your everything…
Dude: i don't know who the funk this is...but please give yaw his PC back..
Yawpi: brb
Dude: no problem.. i'll type so long..
Dude: i'll break it down point by point..
Dude: companionship.. i have good friends and family who i can hang out with when and where i want... never had trouble hooking up something to do in at least the last 10 years...
Dude: .. and if everyone gets married and has kids in 10 years time, there is always playstation, the internet, and mailorder russian brides.. not to mention sports cars which mean easy lays... just because you don't have wife or kids to pay for..
Dude: friendship... see point 1
Dude: finding a soul mate... doesn't exist.. and if it does, the chances of you two "finding" each other at a time or place where you can both actually hook up, commit and make it work, are probably less than 1 in a million... and if you're investing time and energy into this "search", you're a funking idiot, because you can spend that time much more productively on things that actually have a chance of succeeding...
Dude: .. and to add to that point... you never really know if you DO end up with your soul mate, or whether the person you THINK is your soul mate is the same person that is going to cheat on you, take half of everything you have, and run off with some boy-toy 5 or 10 or 15 years down the line... ask any divorce lawyer in SA how many "soul mates" he's come accross.. i'd be surprised if the answer is greater than one..
Dude: hearts desire... that feeling is nothing more than biochemistry... a chemical process in the brain that makes you believe you are experiencing something emotional... and a chemical process that can successfully be replicated with equal amounts of chocolate, tequila, champagne, cocaine... whatever... When you find the right mix of chemicals, its love in a bottle... and the sooner we understand that love is nothing but unique combinations of periodic table elements finding their way into our central nervous system, the better... because then we can start thinking about love rationally, and realise there is very little rational about it... we basically do it to ourselves..
Dude: .."need to go out and get pissed with".. I don't NEED to go out and get pissed with my friends.. i WANT to .. ;-)
Dude: .. and its not like anyone ever goes out to get laid...at least i don't.. i just go out to have fun.. if opportunities present themselves, then sing hallelujah.. but if they don't.. then tomorrow is another day..
Dude: .. as far sharing your life goes... its a cool concept.. it would be great to have someone you can share everything with.. but think about that for a second... FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE... that's quite a line... so i end up asking myself..
Dude: .. this girl i'm supposed to marry... what if she was in a car accident tomorrow, and became a quadraplegic...
Dude: .. i know.. worst case scenario... but think about it... would i really want to face a lifetime of all that effort, no fun stuff, no sex, just missioning and changing adult diapers...
Dude: ... has anyone actually met a person where they can truly say that if that was what is meant by "WORSE", that they'd still be into it?.. i can't say that i have..
Dude: .. and i don't believe i have ever met a girl that felt that way about me.. and if they did, they should seek funking counceling...
Dude: .. so, to re-examine the odds.. what are the odds of finding two people who manage to hook up, and all the rest, that actually fell THAT way about one another... i would say we're getting pretty funking close to ZERO...
Dude: and as far as sharing joy and sadness... there's a saying.. "laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone"... the answer there is to just quit the crying shit and get on with it, because no-one wants to be around a manic depressive whiner..
Dude: .. so to some up.. try to find your happiness in others, and you will remain unhappy... find it in yourself... and others can come, go and do what they please... one girl, two, ten whatever... don't let the door hit them on the way out, because if you're happy as an individual, it doesn't much matter what they do... the only thing you have to make sure of, is that you don't care one ounce more than what is necessary... because otherwise their actions will affect you...
Dude: .. funked up viewpoint, huh?
Dude: the only thing more funked up, is that i'm right..
Birthdays
5th Nana and Peace
6th Claude and Taz Welsh
7th Shakira
9th Dear sis Nana
Thanks bro, very interesting thoughts, saved me from writing my own damn email this week, cos I am soooo snowed under, yea I heard that “for a change” remark…punks.
Back to the grind stone I go, take it easi boys and girls half way thru the week, yes please!! Take care and I no this mail deserves some comments! Respect.
http://mondaymail.blogspot.com
Thursday, April 29, 2004
“…All I wanna say is that
They don't really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don't really care about us
Tell me what has become of my life
I have a wife and two children who love me
I am the victim of police brutality, now.
I'm tired of bein' the victim of hate
You're rapin' me of my pride
Oh for God's sake
I look to heaven to fulfill its prophecy...
Set me free…” – Michael Jackson
Ola!!
Yeah I know, its been a while, but ey a neega needs a break from time to time, 4 years or so of writing emails almost every week I am at work, it can get difficult conjuring up material worth writing about. And the struggle continued this week till I stepped over to a colleagues desk and we started chatting about arb stuff and all and all.
We have hit a bit of a wobbly at work, government organizations my friends, definitely a no-go and I am learning the hard way!! The work and the vision of the organization is point tight, the working team, I don’t think I could find a better group of dedicated people, but take it a step higher in terms of the board and our shareholders, well my enthusiasm fades, by the bucket load…and then some…..zero confidence in their commitment, the forkers say BEE this BEE that, but that’s all it is political gaming, in the words of Michael Jackson….”all I wanna say is that they don’t really care about us!”
There is a bit of a somber feeling amongst most of us at the moment, plenty of factors leading to it but we wont get into it now, cos it might make me verrrrry angry! But anyway Campbell and I got to chatting and it was concluded that human beings are programmed (well the majority) not to ever be happy and content. And the most susceptible to this behaviour are the ambitious and driven type, the ones always looking for something better out there.
Think about it, Joe Bloggs, working in a decent company, earning a decent amount of tom, has a fly ride or 2, owns a fat pad, a wife maybe some kids, and is able to pay off all his debt as they become due. Has a job that has its moments of demand, but is generally not too demanding, he then hears that there is some crap happening at his job that may or may not affect him, but currently is not really affecting him. What happens? Joe goes into a tail spin, “Fork” what am I doing here? Why did I come here to begin with? What next, I don’t even have a plan for my future, this is where I thought it was at….and the whining goes on…..
My conclusion is we create our own unhappiness most of the time. Lets look at Joe’s life shall we, went to school and thought, fork this, I want something better from this life so lemme go get a degree, as if that wasn’t enough, lemme go and do an MBA too, schweet, done, what next, let me go get a fat paying job, that will help me sleep better at night on the one hand, and also afford me time to spend with my family…done deal, go home and there he lives in the flyest pad that he dreamt of as a little one, parked in the garage, is a car or 2 that he wanted back in the day, maybe he got tired of being the playboy and having to swat off all the fine honies that just wanted a bit of his time, so he got hitched to his varsity/high school/or post all that sweetheart and he always wanted a little boy and a girl and he has that. U’d think Joe would be happy…..Hell no.
Work…there has got to be something better out there, like working for myself or working a job outdoors or a job that gives me steady income, and I don’t have to do all that much blah blah, the house, I need something bigger…or something smaller, I don’t like the neighborhood, the garden is too small…too big…Family…what did I get my self into, all the women out there I decided to stick with this one…till death do us part, motherforker that’s a long time, all she does is just nag, look at her a few kg’s heavier, she’s just letting herself go…and the kids…eish all they do is cry all night, cant get a decent nights sleep, they are adorable during the day when we playing and all…their school fees, varsity fees, first car, puberty will I survive. Oh and look at this car, I am so tired of this beemer, all I want now is a Porsche, will I ever afford one, well not with this job, wife, kids…..
Extreme case yes, but think about it, most people that are ambitious or always striving to be a better person, those in my mind are the ones that tend to generally be full of complaints, perhaps unhappy is a bit of a harsh one, but them people is never satisfied, with their lot in life…cos there is always something better out there…in their minds eye!!
Bottom line strive to be a better you, but never lose focus of what this life is really about…and that is a topic in itself!! Keep on striving, for happiness u shall find thoust be it momentary at times.
Birthdays…
30th Isaac Moletsane’s 30th
Quote
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)
Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.
Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)
Much respect to u all and a great week to u all
L8r
Y
They don't really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don't really care about us
Tell me what has become of my life
I have a wife and two children who love me
I am the victim of police brutality, now.
I'm tired of bein' the victim of hate
You're rapin' me of my pride
Oh for God's sake
I look to heaven to fulfill its prophecy...
Set me free…” – Michael Jackson
Ola!!
Yeah I know, its been a while, but ey a neega needs a break from time to time, 4 years or so of writing emails almost every week I am at work, it can get difficult conjuring up material worth writing about. And the struggle continued this week till I stepped over to a colleagues desk and we started chatting about arb stuff and all and all.
We have hit a bit of a wobbly at work, government organizations my friends, definitely a no-go and I am learning the hard way!! The work and the vision of the organization is point tight, the working team, I don’t think I could find a better group of dedicated people, but take it a step higher in terms of the board and our shareholders, well my enthusiasm fades, by the bucket load…and then some…..zero confidence in their commitment, the forkers say BEE this BEE that, but that’s all it is political gaming, in the words of Michael Jackson….”all I wanna say is that they don’t really care about us!”
There is a bit of a somber feeling amongst most of us at the moment, plenty of factors leading to it but we wont get into it now, cos it might make me verrrrry angry! But anyway Campbell and I got to chatting and it was concluded that human beings are programmed (well the majority) not to ever be happy and content. And the most susceptible to this behaviour are the ambitious and driven type, the ones always looking for something better out there.
Think about it, Joe Bloggs, working in a decent company, earning a decent amount of tom, has a fly ride or 2, owns a fat pad, a wife maybe some kids, and is able to pay off all his debt as they become due. Has a job that has its moments of demand, but is generally not too demanding, he then hears that there is some crap happening at his job that may or may not affect him, but currently is not really affecting him. What happens? Joe goes into a tail spin, “Fork” what am I doing here? Why did I come here to begin with? What next, I don’t even have a plan for my future, this is where I thought it was at….and the whining goes on…..
My conclusion is we create our own unhappiness most of the time. Lets look at Joe’s life shall we, went to school and thought, fork this, I want something better from this life so lemme go get a degree, as if that wasn’t enough, lemme go and do an MBA too, schweet, done, what next, let me go get a fat paying job, that will help me sleep better at night on the one hand, and also afford me time to spend with my family…done deal, go home and there he lives in the flyest pad that he dreamt of as a little one, parked in the garage, is a car or 2 that he wanted back in the day, maybe he got tired of being the playboy and having to swat off all the fine honies that just wanted a bit of his time, so he got hitched to his varsity/high school/or post all that sweetheart and he always wanted a little boy and a girl and he has that. U’d think Joe would be happy…..Hell no.
Work…there has got to be something better out there, like working for myself or working a job outdoors or a job that gives me steady income, and I don’t have to do all that much blah blah, the house, I need something bigger…or something smaller, I don’t like the neighborhood, the garden is too small…too big…Family…what did I get my self into, all the women out there I decided to stick with this one…till death do us part, motherforker that’s a long time, all she does is just nag, look at her a few kg’s heavier, she’s just letting herself go…and the kids…eish all they do is cry all night, cant get a decent nights sleep, they are adorable during the day when we playing and all…their school fees, varsity fees, first car, puberty will I survive. Oh and look at this car, I am so tired of this beemer, all I want now is a Porsche, will I ever afford one, well not with this job, wife, kids…..
Extreme case yes, but think about it, most people that are ambitious or always striving to be a better person, those in my mind are the ones that tend to generally be full of complaints, perhaps unhappy is a bit of a harsh one, but them people is never satisfied, with their lot in life…cos there is always something better out there…in their minds eye!!
Bottom line strive to be a better you, but never lose focus of what this life is really about…and that is a topic in itself!! Keep on striving, for happiness u shall find thoust be it momentary at times.
Birthdays…
30th Isaac Moletsane’s 30th
Quote
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)
Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.
Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)
Much respect to u all and a great week to u all
L8r
Y
Tuesday, April 06, 2004
“…The time for the healing of the wounds has come. The moment to bridge the chasms that divide us has come. The time to build is upon us. We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation. We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination….” Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela – 10 May 1994
A re-addition to the list…Mandea…welcome back, but should you feel that this mail is cloggin up your mail box, please feel free (as I know u will) to request your removal from the list. Please note again that the website for comments is www.mondaymail.blogspot.com
Easter weekend fast approaching and for those of u who are sacrificing the odd slab of chocolate or the alcohol binge, well ur ‘pain’ is almost over. Gotta love it, 4 day week this week, and then another 4… I mean 3, maybe even 2 if u decide to take off Tuesday too (for those of us who live in South Africa) day week next week…its all good!!
Yip election time is upon us.
South Africa…10 years on, has it changed? Hell yeah, for better or for worse, well what do u think? 10 years on we have a government for the people by the people. 10 years on we have a government that promised much but delivered some. 10 years on we have a government that is plagued by flaws…but we have a government that has instituted a constitution that encourages freedom of speech and thus allows itself to be criticized in the public domain.
10 years on we have a country where 80% of the land is still held by the minority, we have a government that has promised to at least deliver 30% of the land to the people in 15 years, but in a decade has only managed to deliver 3%....this in my mind is an issue that could explode very soon. Unfortunately though, the blame cannot be rested solely on the shoulders of the government, because for any sale to be effected, one needs a willing buyer and a WILLING SELLER, and I am of the opinion that these 2 parties are failing to reach an amicable agreement (lets forget the fact that the seller may well have obtained this land using some underhanded tactics). Many landless people are of the opinion that the government isn’t doing enough to address the land issue.
Speaking of land…10 years on we have 1.5 mil housing units and closing in on 2mil housing subsidies being offered, a drop in the ocean perhaps, but a drop nonetheless!! It is estimated that a further 2.2 million houses need to be built, and this was echoed in the ANC’s 2004 manifesto, but they have wisened up and they didn’t state any figures that they would be held accountable for….should they fail…because u and I both know that if they succeed in attaining these numbers, very little would be said, but dare they fail….
Still on housing…10 years on and you can live where you choose…provided you can afford it ofcourse, the acre plots laden with swimming pools and tennis courts, once reserved for the chosen few, are now accessible to the chosen all. Bus seats, restrooms, cinemas, hotels restaurants that many dared not peer into, other than to ask for “the job” are now open to all and you can freely tell the owner what you think of their service without starting the sentence with eish sorry boss…People forced from the homes in district 6 in Cape Town, to settle in the Plein or Gugs or wherever else were given back the keys to their new homes. Even though some, very few of the previously discriminated few are returning to the sa-barbs (suburbs), this number is few due largely to the economic inequality the years prior to the recent 10 years but what I haven’t seen though is the influx of the haves into eKasi, I mean afterall land there is cheap, its not too far out from our place of work, and hey it’s good enough for people to live in isn’t it?
10 years on and we have a society where the opportunity exists for any- and everyone to make money, we have a society where you can buy a beautifully designed house but who can see it because your walls are higher than the house and on top of that we have electrified fences? You can buy a flash car, because you like the look of the machine and well cos you can, but hey you not the only one who has an eye on that car (forgetting the fact that you are the only one who is sweating blood to make the payments). Is the crime worse now than in the past? Well I aint no expert, but my view is that now, more people are speaking out, come, think about it, 1989, would Marinda Boysens be caught dead at a police station reporting domestic violence to Superintendent Koos Basson? Hmmm I think not, cos, that action in itself (colluding with the enemy, as the police were known to be in the past) would book you a spot 6 feet under. Has crime increased, I don’t know, but what has happened though, is that we are all becoming more aware of it because its happening right under our noses, and not just in the townships etc. so we cant switch off from it. Just some stats from the Medical Research Council in 2001, Blacks are 17 times more a victim of murders than blacks more whites killed themselves (676) than were murdered (465). In ’99 some stats released were that 364 murders per 100 000 would happen in Hilbrow compared to 16 in Parkview, 502 rapes per 100 000 inhabitants would happen in Gugulethu compared to 49 in Claremont.
In 1999 only 1 in every 4 police officers was literate, now you tell me how they are supposed to police the community effectively being so under equipped? And, to top it off its not just the ‘burbs they have to patrol, its eKasi too!! But the government is trying, hiring and training new cops, getting them new fancy cars, there are camera’s all over the show linked to armed response, there are the scorpions that sting any-and everyone they deem to be dirty, but for some reason politicians seem to be immune to the sting.
10 years on and gone is the death penalty and ‘true’ democracy reigns, so much so that even criminals have rights (sometimes it seems like they have more rights than the law abiding citizens), criminals can vote…hey wait, are u a criminal? How would you feel about walking free, like I did, after all it is my birthday…
10 years on and unemployment is sitting at something like 40%...unofficially speaking. Many are linking the inability of the current government to create jobs as a reason for the ‘high’ crime rate. But can u blame this government, sure they have embraced privatization of state-owned assets, sure they have instituted acts that prescribe a minimum wage that should be paid to employees(but this minimum wage is far from a back breaker, if u take a step back and look at what these labourers have to deal with), all this and more this government may have done in the hope of a better life for all, but what can u do if a man of 30 was unable to achieve a matric pass or a university degree, because well because he merely didn’t have the opportunity, and even if he did, the opportunity was of such a substandard nature, that he may as well not have bothered!? What the government inherited in 1994 was “ an economy in an advanced state of decline, 10 years my friends is far from long enough to rectify this. 1.5 million houses have been built, about 700 clinics have been built 9 million people have access to water a further 4 million have electricity…this wasn’t no magicians wand being waved, jobs were created, to build and lay down this infrastructure, fair enough these jobs aren’t all sustainable, but hey in my eye its better than a kick in the balls.
10 years on and we have Health Ministers in the news…more often than not, but not to show the world how beautiful they are, hell no, its just one controversial statement…action or inaction after the other. African potatoes, olive oil, lemons are suggested instead of AZT or whatever anti-retroviral being administered elsewhere. There are still many doctors leaving the shores to go abroad, because y? well the working conditions are horrendous not to mention the remuneration, but hey no one cares, Y? because we can just import some under-trained Cuban doctors, hey if the patient dies, he wont really care much! Although I think this may be the most disasterous ministry, I have to applaud them for the provision of free primary healthcare to children under the age of 7 and pregnant women (which began in 1996), the provision of vaccines against Hepatitis B and other child immunizations, legalizing abortion (which some people might disagree with, but I believe the parents to be have the right to choose!)
10 years on and the Rand is sitting at less than R6.50 to the dollar compared to R3,70 in 1995, prime interest rate is at 11.5%. 10 years on and inflation has moved from a double digit figure to around 4%, net open foreign currency position has moved from a $25 billion deficit to $4.7 billion surplus. GDP broke the R1 trillion mark compared to R482 billion 10 years ago. The tourism industry in SA has been one of SA’s most prosperous industries, and y not? Other than an odd hijacking or mugging or being murdered by prostitutes, this country is a pretty safe place.
10 years on and South African sports is (maybe was) a force to be reckoned with, and what a fairy tale return it was picture this 1995, South Africa’s democratically elected president steps onto the stage to open the finals of the sport seen by many as the sport of the old regime, and what is the man wearing? Nothing other than a rugby jersey with the captains number on the back, that gave me goose bumps and to complete the fairy tale, the Springboks won their very first World cup they played in. The emotions all over the country even though there was anger in my heart (my team lost), there was definitely a lump in my throat. Lets not talk about whats happened since though. Then a year later and Madiba magic strikes again, this time on the soccer field, lets forget the fact that they humiliated my Ghanaian brothers to get to the finals, but Niel Tovey and his men took their place at the top of Africa’s table, things have gone a bit pear shaped since. SA’s cricketers haven’t been as fortunate in terms of winning world cup trophies but for many a year they were up there with the best if they weren’t the best themselves, earning not only money (legally or from the devil), but the respect and the recognition of their peers. In between there have been a few Olympic golds, silvers and bronzes.
10 years on and we have the self proclaimed Dr Death walking free, we have the Mr Robert Mcbride, apartheid bomber, cruising the streets armed with the title police superintendent.
10 years on and we can boast the first African in space….10 years on and damn a man’s getting old….10 years on and I still say it’s a beautiful place this South Africa…in spite of itself.
Birthdays…
If its your birthday this week hope u have a happy birthday. I don’t seem to have anyone’s birthday listed this week.
Quotes
“Out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster that lasted too long, must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud.”
“We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation. We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination.”
“We understand it still that there is no easy road to freedom. We know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success. We must therefore act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation building, for the birth of a new world.”
“Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world. Let freedom reign.”
- Nelson Mandela’s inaugural speech 10th May 1994
Much respect to the masses, happy and peaceful Easter and Pesach to you all.
Y
A re-addition to the list…Mandea…welcome back, but should you feel that this mail is cloggin up your mail box, please feel free (as I know u will) to request your removal from the list. Please note again that the website for comments is www.mondaymail.blogspot.com
Easter weekend fast approaching and for those of u who are sacrificing the odd slab of chocolate or the alcohol binge, well ur ‘pain’ is almost over. Gotta love it, 4 day week this week, and then another 4… I mean 3, maybe even 2 if u decide to take off Tuesday too (for those of us who live in South Africa) day week next week…its all good!!
Yip election time is upon us.
South Africa…10 years on, has it changed? Hell yeah, for better or for worse, well what do u think? 10 years on we have a government for the people by the people. 10 years on we have a government that promised much but delivered some. 10 years on we have a government that is plagued by flaws…but we have a government that has instituted a constitution that encourages freedom of speech and thus allows itself to be criticized in the public domain.
10 years on we have a country where 80% of the land is still held by the minority, we have a government that has promised to at least deliver 30% of the land to the people in 15 years, but in a decade has only managed to deliver 3%....this in my mind is an issue that could explode very soon. Unfortunately though, the blame cannot be rested solely on the shoulders of the government, because for any sale to be effected, one needs a willing buyer and a WILLING SELLER, and I am of the opinion that these 2 parties are failing to reach an amicable agreement (lets forget the fact that the seller may well have obtained this land using some underhanded tactics). Many landless people are of the opinion that the government isn’t doing enough to address the land issue.
Speaking of land…10 years on we have 1.5 mil housing units and closing in on 2mil housing subsidies being offered, a drop in the ocean perhaps, but a drop nonetheless!! It is estimated that a further 2.2 million houses need to be built, and this was echoed in the ANC’s 2004 manifesto, but they have wisened up and they didn’t state any figures that they would be held accountable for….should they fail…because u and I both know that if they succeed in attaining these numbers, very little would be said, but dare they fail….
Still on housing…10 years on and you can live where you choose…provided you can afford it ofcourse, the acre plots laden with swimming pools and tennis courts, once reserved for the chosen few, are now accessible to the chosen all. Bus seats, restrooms, cinemas, hotels restaurants that many dared not peer into, other than to ask for “the job” are now open to all and you can freely tell the owner what you think of their service without starting the sentence with eish sorry boss…People forced from the homes in district 6 in Cape Town, to settle in the Plein or Gugs or wherever else were given back the keys to their new homes. Even though some, very few of the previously discriminated few are returning to the sa-barbs (suburbs), this number is few due largely to the economic inequality the years prior to the recent 10 years but what I haven’t seen though is the influx of the haves into eKasi, I mean afterall land there is cheap, its not too far out from our place of work, and hey it’s good enough for people to live in isn’t it?
10 years on and we have a society where the opportunity exists for any- and everyone to make money, we have a society where you can buy a beautifully designed house but who can see it because your walls are higher than the house and on top of that we have electrified fences? You can buy a flash car, because you like the look of the machine and well cos you can, but hey you not the only one who has an eye on that car (forgetting the fact that you are the only one who is sweating blood to make the payments). Is the crime worse now than in the past? Well I aint no expert, but my view is that now, more people are speaking out, come, think about it, 1989, would Marinda Boysens be caught dead at a police station reporting domestic violence to Superintendent Koos Basson? Hmmm I think not, cos, that action in itself (colluding with the enemy, as the police were known to be in the past) would book you a spot 6 feet under. Has crime increased, I don’t know, but what has happened though, is that we are all becoming more aware of it because its happening right under our noses, and not just in the townships etc. so we cant switch off from it. Just some stats from the Medical Research Council in 2001, Blacks are 17 times more a victim of murders than blacks more whites killed themselves (676) than were murdered (465). In ’99 some stats released were that 364 murders per 100 000 would happen in Hilbrow compared to 16 in Parkview, 502 rapes per 100 000 inhabitants would happen in Gugulethu compared to 49 in Claremont.
In 1999 only 1 in every 4 police officers was literate, now you tell me how they are supposed to police the community effectively being so under equipped? And, to top it off its not just the ‘burbs they have to patrol, its eKasi too!! But the government is trying, hiring and training new cops, getting them new fancy cars, there are camera’s all over the show linked to armed response, there are the scorpions that sting any-and everyone they deem to be dirty, but for some reason politicians seem to be immune to the sting.
10 years on and gone is the death penalty and ‘true’ democracy reigns, so much so that even criminals have rights (sometimes it seems like they have more rights than the law abiding citizens), criminals can vote…hey wait, are u a criminal? How would you feel about walking free, like I did, after all it is my birthday…
10 years on and unemployment is sitting at something like 40%...unofficially speaking. Many are linking the inability of the current government to create jobs as a reason for the ‘high’ crime rate. But can u blame this government, sure they have embraced privatization of state-owned assets, sure they have instituted acts that prescribe a minimum wage that should be paid to employees(but this minimum wage is far from a back breaker, if u take a step back and look at what these labourers have to deal with), all this and more this government may have done in the hope of a better life for all, but what can u do if a man of 30 was unable to achieve a matric pass or a university degree, because well because he merely didn’t have the opportunity, and even if he did, the opportunity was of such a substandard nature, that he may as well not have bothered!? What the government inherited in 1994 was “ an economy in an advanced state of decline, 10 years my friends is far from long enough to rectify this. 1.5 million houses have been built, about 700 clinics have been built 9 million people have access to water a further 4 million have electricity…this wasn’t no magicians wand being waved, jobs were created, to build and lay down this infrastructure, fair enough these jobs aren’t all sustainable, but hey in my eye its better than a kick in the balls.
10 years on and we have Health Ministers in the news…more often than not, but not to show the world how beautiful they are, hell no, its just one controversial statement…action or inaction after the other. African potatoes, olive oil, lemons are suggested instead of AZT or whatever anti-retroviral being administered elsewhere. There are still many doctors leaving the shores to go abroad, because y? well the working conditions are horrendous not to mention the remuneration, but hey no one cares, Y? because we can just import some under-trained Cuban doctors, hey if the patient dies, he wont really care much! Although I think this may be the most disasterous ministry, I have to applaud them for the provision of free primary healthcare to children under the age of 7 and pregnant women (which began in 1996), the provision of vaccines against Hepatitis B and other child immunizations, legalizing abortion (which some people might disagree with, but I believe the parents to be have the right to choose!)
10 years on and the Rand is sitting at less than R6.50 to the dollar compared to R3,70 in 1995, prime interest rate is at 11.5%. 10 years on and inflation has moved from a double digit figure to around 4%, net open foreign currency position has moved from a $25 billion deficit to $4.7 billion surplus. GDP broke the R1 trillion mark compared to R482 billion 10 years ago. The tourism industry in SA has been one of SA’s most prosperous industries, and y not? Other than an odd hijacking or mugging or being murdered by prostitutes, this country is a pretty safe place.
10 years on and South African sports is (maybe was) a force to be reckoned with, and what a fairy tale return it was picture this 1995, South Africa’s democratically elected president steps onto the stage to open the finals of the sport seen by many as the sport of the old regime, and what is the man wearing? Nothing other than a rugby jersey with the captains number on the back, that gave me goose bumps and to complete the fairy tale, the Springboks won their very first World cup they played in. The emotions all over the country even though there was anger in my heart (my team lost), there was definitely a lump in my throat. Lets not talk about whats happened since though. Then a year later and Madiba magic strikes again, this time on the soccer field, lets forget the fact that they humiliated my Ghanaian brothers to get to the finals, but Niel Tovey and his men took their place at the top of Africa’s table, things have gone a bit pear shaped since. SA’s cricketers haven’t been as fortunate in terms of winning world cup trophies but for many a year they were up there with the best if they weren’t the best themselves, earning not only money (legally or from the devil), but the respect and the recognition of their peers. In between there have been a few Olympic golds, silvers and bronzes.
10 years on and we have the self proclaimed Dr Death walking free, we have the Mr Robert Mcbride, apartheid bomber, cruising the streets armed with the title police superintendent.
10 years on and we can boast the first African in space….10 years on and damn a man’s getting old….10 years on and I still say it’s a beautiful place this South Africa…in spite of itself.
Birthdays…
If its your birthday this week hope u have a happy birthday. I don’t seem to have anyone’s birthday listed this week.
Quotes
“Out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster that lasted too long, must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud.”
“We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation. We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination.”
“We understand it still that there is no easy road to freedom. We know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success. We must therefore act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation building, for the birth of a new world.”
“Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world. Let freedom reign.”
- Nelson Mandela’s inaugural speech 10th May 1994
Much respect to the masses, happy and peaceful Easter and Pesach to you all.
Y
Monday, March 29, 2004
¡§Until the philosophy which holds one race, Superior and another inferior, Is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned,Everywhere is war, me say war.
That until there is no longer first class, And second class citizens of any nation
Until the colour of a man's skin, Is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes, Me say war
That until the basic human rights are equally, Guaranteed to all, without regard to race, Dis a war." ¡V Once again that man they call Bob Marley
Look at the middle east, for that matter look at any war ravaged country, but this email is not about them, no, not this one, this one is about ¡¥our¡¦ beautiful land we call South Africa¡Khow does that song¡Koooo South Africa, we love you, our beautiful land, lets show the whole world we can bring peace to our land¡Kor something to that effect. 10 years on¡Kswitch on the tv¡K.10 years on, switch on the radio¡K.10 years on, drive past a billboard¡K10 years on¡K 10 years on and what have we achieved, well that my friends is a topic for another day, but we will however have a chat about one of the ¡¥most controversial¡¦ Acts the present day SA government has introduced and that will be the whole affirmative action, employment equity, black economic empowerment and quotas in sport, which are all really one in the same.
All of a sudden in the words of Nelly¡K¡¨its getting hot in here¡¨. The topic was brought to my attention by usis Mangi, I initially dismissed it for another day, but today, driving through Inanda, on my way to work and seeing some of those mammoth properties, I thought, NO! there is no better time than the present to talk about this burning issue on most South Africans minds.
Picture it, 1987, Innocent Mtungwana, a recently qualified chartered accountant, who happens to be a black male, out there looking for a job in corporate South Africa (and I don¡¦t mean the in the homeland states of Transkei, Ciskei, Boputhatswana or Venda, no such luck, he¡¦s looking in the heart of it all)¡K
u can¡¦t imagine it can we? There is definitely something wrong with that picture¡KIs it cos the laws of the past didn¡¦t allow for people of a certain race regardless of their qualification to get any decent paying jobs? Perhaps its cos in the past, reputable institutions of higher learning didn¡¦t afford people of colour the opportunity to attain higher learning? Or maybe, is it cos in the past, such people didn¡¦t have access to the finance to enroll in such institutions, after all, Innocent¡¦s parents were merely migrant labourers or domestic workers (if they infact worked at all), how much did they earn then, hell how much do they earn now? Or could it even be cos children such as Innocent to such horrendously substandard education that all that they could ever actually end up becoming was a migrant labourer or a domestic??
Creeeek¡Kthe door opens, enter the present day government¡Kand they said, let the workplace and the sports fields try and at least mirror the population demographics¡K.and the earth shook¡Kits absurd, why should we, who do they think they are¡K this that and the next.
So how do you propose we correct the imbalances of the past, or do we keep the status quo and allow every one an equal opportunity to compete for jobs or do we enforce employment equity targets? I say for a while we opt for the latter. Why do I say this, well its going to take more than 10 years for the wrongs of many years to be rectified, the education systems have to be overhauled in a big way the unemployment issue has to be addressed as well, because without the quan, there is no education and the cycle continues¡K Think about it honestly, without Quotas, would sports persons such as Gcobani Bobo, Makhaya Ntini, Ashwin Willemse, even be given a chance to show that they deserve the recognition they currently receive, for their natural talent¡K in my humble opinion I say hell no! Were it not for empowerment etc, would we equate the names of people such as Tokyo Sexwale and Cyril Ramaphosa to business? Isn¡¦t if funny how life works? The same people that funded the government that put these men in jail, are now offering these people millions of Rands for next to nothing to partner with them¡K.
There is the school of thought that affirmative action, employment equity etc. is exactly the same as the apartheid practices of the past. One might argue that I am living in the past, perhaps, but our situation today is a product of our past.
Yes, there is merit to that argument, but if a person such as Innocent, is able to triumph against all odds, and is in a situation to be considered for a top position, he deserves to get the position before Koos who has strolled through a charmed existence to date.
But in saying all this though, I am so against what is currently termed window dressing, if we can¡¦t find a historically disadvantaged person who can add value to an organization, or whose voice will carry some weight or at least be heard, do us all a favour and don¡¦t hire the person merely because he is ¡¥black¡¦ because in the end, the image it portrays is that of all ¡¥blacks¡¦ being incompetent, but not only that, your credibility is shot right out of the water, because people will be able to see right through your fakeness. Another thing that really worries me is that there is talk of institutions of higher learning dropping their standards, and I say f**k that!! NO compromise! Keep the bar where it is, raise it even. If I go to a doctor, I don¡¦t want to go to a doctor who obtained his/her qualification from a lucky packet, hell no! What must happen though, is that primary and secondary education must be jacked up, make people sweat, nothing in this life is for free, and the sooner you learn that the better, if you want to get somewhere through education, you gotta put in the hours, and that¡¦s the mentality that I think needs to be instilled in the present day youth, because they have life far too easy and it spells disaster¡Kin the words of Mr Van Der Walt, our headmaster¡K¡¨in order to get up in life, you have to get down and work hard¡¨ !!
Some might argue that the practices of the present day government are somewhat ¡§unfair¡¨, perhaps, but look at its results, we have the haves, seeking out to partner the have nots for the ultimate benefit to both parties, already we can see an increased economic participation by the masses. But AA and EE etc. are bad and no differenct from the practices of the past¡K.oh so now we have a voice? Where was this voice when the minority¡¦s interest were being protected and enhanced at the peril of the majority? Now we have a voice??!! Take a drive through Camps Bay, Constantia, Houghton, Inanda, Sandhurst, then go and take a drive through Gugulethu, Langa, Alexandra¡Kthen let me hear your voice¡K..
Now we have a voice??!!
My birthday diary shows me no birthdays for last week, but if it was your birthday, happy happy!!
This weeks birthdays¡Kassuming I don¡¦t get my email out this week ƒº
1st Carnita
2nd Diana and Gorata
Happy birthday ladies. Here is a quote for u.
¡§Failure is what we cry over, pain is what we grieve, dreams are what we go after, goals are what we achieve, success is what wee are rewarded with for all we have been through¡¨
And another for the rest of us¡K
In the state of nature...all men are born equal, but they cannot continue in this equality. Society makes them lose it, and they recover it only by the protection of the law. - Charles de Montesquieu (1689 - 1755)
That until there is no longer first class, And second class citizens of any nation
Until the colour of a man's skin, Is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes, Me say war
That until the basic human rights are equally, Guaranteed to all, without regard to race, Dis a war." ¡V Once again that man they call Bob Marley
Look at the middle east, for that matter look at any war ravaged country, but this email is not about them, no, not this one, this one is about ¡¥our¡¦ beautiful land we call South Africa¡Khow does that song¡Koooo South Africa, we love you, our beautiful land, lets show the whole world we can bring peace to our land¡Kor something to that effect. 10 years on¡Kswitch on the tv¡K.10 years on, switch on the radio¡K.10 years on, drive past a billboard¡K10 years on¡K 10 years on and what have we achieved, well that my friends is a topic for another day, but we will however have a chat about one of the ¡¥most controversial¡¦ Acts the present day SA government has introduced and that will be the whole affirmative action, employment equity, black economic empowerment and quotas in sport, which are all really one in the same.
All of a sudden in the words of Nelly¡K¡¨its getting hot in here¡¨. The topic was brought to my attention by usis Mangi, I initially dismissed it for another day, but today, driving through Inanda, on my way to work and seeing some of those mammoth properties, I thought, NO! there is no better time than the present to talk about this burning issue on most South Africans minds.
Picture it, 1987, Innocent Mtungwana, a recently qualified chartered accountant, who happens to be a black male, out there looking for a job in corporate South Africa (and I don¡¦t mean the in the homeland states of Transkei, Ciskei, Boputhatswana or Venda, no such luck, he¡¦s looking in the heart of it all)¡K
u can¡¦t imagine it can we? There is definitely something wrong with that picture¡KIs it cos the laws of the past didn¡¦t allow for people of a certain race regardless of their qualification to get any decent paying jobs? Perhaps its cos in the past, reputable institutions of higher learning didn¡¦t afford people of colour the opportunity to attain higher learning? Or maybe, is it cos in the past, such people didn¡¦t have access to the finance to enroll in such institutions, after all, Innocent¡¦s parents were merely migrant labourers or domestic workers (if they infact worked at all), how much did they earn then, hell how much do they earn now? Or could it even be cos children such as Innocent to such horrendously substandard education that all that they could ever actually end up becoming was a migrant labourer or a domestic??
Creeeek¡Kthe door opens, enter the present day government¡Kand they said, let the workplace and the sports fields try and at least mirror the population demographics¡K.and the earth shook¡Kits absurd, why should we, who do they think they are¡K this that and the next.
So how do you propose we correct the imbalances of the past, or do we keep the status quo and allow every one an equal opportunity to compete for jobs or do we enforce employment equity targets? I say for a while we opt for the latter. Why do I say this, well its going to take more than 10 years for the wrongs of many years to be rectified, the education systems have to be overhauled in a big way the unemployment issue has to be addressed as well, because without the quan, there is no education and the cycle continues¡K Think about it honestly, without Quotas, would sports persons such as Gcobani Bobo, Makhaya Ntini, Ashwin Willemse, even be given a chance to show that they deserve the recognition they currently receive, for their natural talent¡K in my humble opinion I say hell no! Were it not for empowerment etc, would we equate the names of people such as Tokyo Sexwale and Cyril Ramaphosa to business? Isn¡¦t if funny how life works? The same people that funded the government that put these men in jail, are now offering these people millions of Rands for next to nothing to partner with them¡K.
There is the school of thought that affirmative action, employment equity etc. is exactly the same as the apartheid practices of the past. One might argue that I am living in the past, perhaps, but our situation today is a product of our past.
Yes, there is merit to that argument, but if a person such as Innocent, is able to triumph against all odds, and is in a situation to be considered for a top position, he deserves to get the position before Koos who has strolled through a charmed existence to date.
But in saying all this though, I am so against what is currently termed window dressing, if we can¡¦t find a historically disadvantaged person who can add value to an organization, or whose voice will carry some weight or at least be heard, do us all a favour and don¡¦t hire the person merely because he is ¡¥black¡¦ because in the end, the image it portrays is that of all ¡¥blacks¡¦ being incompetent, but not only that, your credibility is shot right out of the water, because people will be able to see right through your fakeness. Another thing that really worries me is that there is talk of institutions of higher learning dropping their standards, and I say f**k that!! NO compromise! Keep the bar where it is, raise it even. If I go to a doctor, I don¡¦t want to go to a doctor who obtained his/her qualification from a lucky packet, hell no! What must happen though, is that primary and secondary education must be jacked up, make people sweat, nothing in this life is for free, and the sooner you learn that the better, if you want to get somewhere through education, you gotta put in the hours, and that¡¦s the mentality that I think needs to be instilled in the present day youth, because they have life far too easy and it spells disaster¡Kin the words of Mr Van Der Walt, our headmaster¡K¡¨in order to get up in life, you have to get down and work hard¡¨ !!
Some might argue that the practices of the present day government are somewhat ¡§unfair¡¨, perhaps, but look at its results, we have the haves, seeking out to partner the have nots for the ultimate benefit to both parties, already we can see an increased economic participation by the masses. But AA and EE etc. are bad and no differenct from the practices of the past¡K.oh so now we have a voice? Where was this voice when the minority¡¦s interest were being protected and enhanced at the peril of the majority? Now we have a voice??!! Take a drive through Camps Bay, Constantia, Houghton, Inanda, Sandhurst, then go and take a drive through Gugulethu, Langa, Alexandra¡Kthen let me hear your voice¡K..
Now we have a voice??!!
My birthday diary shows me no birthdays for last week, but if it was your birthday, happy happy!!
This weeks birthdays¡Kassuming I don¡¦t get my email out this week ƒº
1st Carnita
2nd Diana and Gorata
Happy birthday ladies. Here is a quote for u.
¡§Failure is what we cry over, pain is what we grieve, dreams are what we go after, goals are what we achieve, success is what wee are rewarded with for all we have been through¡¨
And another for the rest of us¡K
In the state of nature...all men are born equal, but they cannot continue in this equality. Society makes them lose it, and they recover it only by the protection of the law. - Charles de Montesquieu (1689 - 1755)
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
“Woman hold her head and cry, Cause her son had been, Shot down in the street, and died, From a stray bullet…
Woman hold her head and cry, Explaining to her was a passerby, Who saw the woman cry, Wondering how can she work it out, Now she knows that the Wages of sin is death, Gift of Jah is life, She cried....
Johnny was a goodman, Never did a thing wrong”
And many more Johnny’s to fall…America’s war on terrorism to make the world a ‘safer’ place may well lead to the extreme opposite desired effect. Spain was but the beginning (even though a part of me believes that it was a ploy by the new Spanish government to oust the old government, which couldn’t have worked any better, had it been rehearsed), now there are threats against France my extremist Muslim groups. They have vowed ‘spectacular’ acts of terrorism against them for not allowing Muslim school girls to wear the traditional headgear to school (which I believe was a ludicrous decree by the French to begin with).
The cells are so widespread, I don’t think they can ever be defeated, catch Osama, catch Saddam, stop the one Martyr… there will be another Martyr, there will be no violent end to the carnage. How do you fight an enemy you cant see, how do u strike fear into an enemy who is willing to die? Free Palestine, sort out the issues of that baron land and three quarters of the worlds ills will be cured.
Even though I don’t think, much will materialize from this threat, seeing as all the other attacks have gone unannounced, I still believe that they will strike upon Europe “with great vengeance” soon, I hope not, but tis mos a feeling in my feet, and I haven’t had a Tempo in a while…..har har har…
Something a tad more light hearted…my std 1 music classmates, remember this song…”in Dublin’s fair city where the girls are so pretty, I first laid my eyes on sweet molly Malone as she wheeled her wheel barrow through the streets broad and narrow, crying cockles and muscles alive alive oh….well today the 17th March is St Patrick’s Day.
St Patrick’s Day is celebrated by Irish all around the world. It is a day for spiritual renewal and a day where the Irish pray for missionaries all over the world. It is celebrated with plenty drinking, song and dance by Irish folk all over the world (wearing some item of green in their clothing). The 17th March was chosen because it is the day that many believe a Catholic Saint named Patrick died. St Patrick, born in the late 4th Century, is believed by many to be the Patron Saint who brought Christianity to Ireland. He is also credited with chasing out all the snakes in Ireland (which is a very unlikely story, because researchers claim that there were never any snakes in Ireland to begin with because it was separated from the mainland after the ice ages. He described himself as a “most humble-minded man, pouring forth a continuous paean of thanks to his Maker for having chosen him as the instrument whereby multitudes who had worshiped idols and unclean things had become the people of God.”
If you didn’t know now u know.
Outta here for the week, tomorrow afternoon cant come soon enuff. Happy Human rights day for Monday.
2 for the week I no, but I am slacking a bit this year
You all take it easi.
Y
Woman hold her head and cry, Explaining to her was a passerby, Who saw the woman cry, Wondering how can she work it out, Now she knows that the Wages of sin is death, Gift of Jah is life, She cried....
Johnny was a goodman, Never did a thing wrong”
And many more Johnny’s to fall…America’s war on terrorism to make the world a ‘safer’ place may well lead to the extreme opposite desired effect. Spain was but the beginning (even though a part of me believes that it was a ploy by the new Spanish government to oust the old government, which couldn’t have worked any better, had it been rehearsed), now there are threats against France my extremist Muslim groups. They have vowed ‘spectacular’ acts of terrorism against them for not allowing Muslim school girls to wear the traditional headgear to school (which I believe was a ludicrous decree by the French to begin with).
The cells are so widespread, I don’t think they can ever be defeated, catch Osama, catch Saddam, stop the one Martyr… there will be another Martyr, there will be no violent end to the carnage. How do you fight an enemy you cant see, how do u strike fear into an enemy who is willing to die? Free Palestine, sort out the issues of that baron land and three quarters of the worlds ills will be cured.
Even though I don’t think, much will materialize from this threat, seeing as all the other attacks have gone unannounced, I still believe that they will strike upon Europe “with great vengeance” soon, I hope not, but tis mos a feeling in my feet, and I haven’t had a Tempo in a while…..har har har…
Something a tad more light hearted…my std 1 music classmates, remember this song…”in Dublin’s fair city where the girls are so pretty, I first laid my eyes on sweet molly Malone as she wheeled her wheel barrow through the streets broad and narrow, crying cockles and muscles alive alive oh….well today the 17th March is St Patrick’s Day.
St Patrick’s Day is celebrated by Irish all around the world. It is a day for spiritual renewal and a day where the Irish pray for missionaries all over the world. It is celebrated with plenty drinking, song and dance by Irish folk all over the world (wearing some item of green in their clothing). The 17th March was chosen because it is the day that many believe a Catholic Saint named Patrick died. St Patrick, born in the late 4th Century, is believed by many to be the Patron Saint who brought Christianity to Ireland. He is also credited with chasing out all the snakes in Ireland (which is a very unlikely story, because researchers claim that there were never any snakes in Ireland to begin with because it was separated from the mainland after the ice ages. He described himself as a “most humble-minded man, pouring forth a continuous paean of thanks to his Maker for having chosen him as the instrument whereby multitudes who had worshiped idols and unclean things had become the people of God.”
If you didn’t know now u know.
Outta here for the week, tomorrow afternoon cant come soon enuff. Happy Human rights day for Monday.
2 for the week I no, but I am slacking a bit this year
You all take it easi.
Y
Monday, March 08, 2004
¡§Ebony and ivory Living in perfect harmony Side by side on my piano keyboard
Oh, Lord, why don¡¦t we¡KWe all know that people are the same where ever you go There is good and bad in everyone When we learn to live, we learn to give each other What we need to survive, together alive¡K¡¨ ¡V Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney
Another week to a close, another week closer to the next ļ Hope you all are doing fine just fine. Another addition to the list Kemi, welcome to our little world which was initially intended to be a discussion type forum, but lately its been just me doing the yakkin with an appreciated response here and there. Please feel free to let me know if you have any comments or ideas for this mailing list, on the other hand, if you find this to be a complete insult to your intelligence please do drop me a line requesting to be removed from the list and thine wish shall be my command.
Now onto this weeks email. Inter-racial relationships (thanks Kemi...gave it a bit of a remix though ƒº)¡K.They seem to be more prevalent in this rather conservative society we live in, it almost seems as though more people are attempting to break down the color barriers so that they can take a swim in the seas of colourless love (yes that¡¦s right its too good to be a Yaw original). Nowadays, it seems that society is becoming more accepting of such relationships¡K.or are they¡K.does it even matter???
Lebo, told me the other day that he was sitting at the movies in Sandton watching ¡§Love Actually¡¨ and there was a scene when a negro guy gets married to a Caucasian woman, when it reached the part of the ceremony when the priest says you may kiss the bride, a loud disapproving voice in Afrikaans, uttering the words ¡§Ag a nee man¡¨ (oh no man) echoed through the movie theatre.
I was in Cape Town at the end of last year and I saw many mixed couples floating happily along, mind you I did stop and stare for a sec or two, but mind you so too did many others some looks were followed by a disapproving shake of the head. But the couple didn¡¦t take heed and they carried on, on their merry way. They looked kinda happy in their own little world, and no it wasn¡¦t the norm of a decent looking negro brother with a really miff Caucasian sister, nor a shwanky young negro sister with a geriatric Caucasian grandpa. Those mixed couple types are the ones that are generally floating about, my question is y? Could it be that the white (Caucasian is too much of a mission to type out) person reckons they are doing you a favour? Or is it because the black person thinks he has hit the jackpot by being seen in public with this white girl or guy or maybe s/he sees this as an opportunity to get one back for his/her ancestors, is it because you find the other races to be easier to get, is it because you are curious¡Kor wait¡Kwhat about maybe they are actually together because of love.
Interracial relationships are great in the sense that it tries to bridge the divide between cultures, some might argue that that¡¦s a bad thing but I don¡¦t think so. I think the more you learn about, understand and respect another¡¦s culture, the greater the chances of peace and harmony on this earth. If you think about it, the majority of the worlds strife at the moment is caused by differences of race, tribe, religion etc. all of which can be prevented through the understanding, respect and tolerance of the diverse cultures of this earth. I suppose one can sum it all up by saying it promotes open-mindedness.
But on the other hand though, it could also lead to a clash of the cultures, which may result in unhappiness if the two parties aren¡¦t on a level where they can think through and work shaite out. The children will have it tough cos we all know that children are cruel and any opportunity they get to tease another they will grab with both hands, feet, teeth and hammer it home till the kid being teased cracks, and that carries on till kcuf knows when. There is also the issue of public scrutiny, which if u can¡¦t handle can become a huge issue in your lives, public scrutiny that I am referring to is having people stare when you walk together in the streets in the malls etc. sometimes people might even go as far as passing a comment or even provoking you. And then there is the family issue¡K¡¨Koos, if you get together with Busi, I am writing you out of the will and the farm will be donated to the AWB¡¨¡Ksuch relationships tend to cause a rift in families and then there are the friends, ¡§Oh Yaw, you are not like all the other blacks¡¨ or ¡§Ow James, and here I thought all whites were racists¡K¡¨ what I am trying to highlight here is the fact that there may be difficulties in relating to each others friends.
But you know, a relationship of any kind is fraught with difficulties, yes, I know interracial ones come with their own extra issues, but I reckon, forget what your friends will think of you, forget about this and about that, just do what feels right for you as long as you don¡¦t go out intentionally to hurt someone. If it feels right, make like Nike and ¡§just do it¡¨, you definitely will learn or gain something from the experience (wife, husband, friend, enemy whatever)! What are your thoughts?
Birthdays..
2nd ¡V Yalusa
3rd ¡V Al and John
4th ¡V Kakra and Penyin
9th ¡V Nicolette
10th ¡V Steve Miller
11th ¡V Bontle
Quite a list this is¡Khere¡¦s a quote just for u all¡KMaturity has more to do with what types of experiences you¡¦ve had, and what you¡¦ve learned from them, and less to do with how many birthdays you¡¦ve celebrated. - anonymous
This week¡¦s quotes
I have no methods; all I do is accept people as they are. - Joan Rivers
Almost every man wastes part of his life in attempts to display qualities which he does not possess, and to gain applauses which he cannot keep; so that scarcely can two persons meet, but one is offended or diverted by the ostentation of the other - Samuel Johnson
On that note ladies and gents I am outta here, have a great week and I await your responses, either a reply email or http://mondaymail.blogspot.co. maximum respect to the masses!!
Y
Oh, Lord, why don¡¦t we¡KWe all know that people are the same where ever you go There is good and bad in everyone When we learn to live, we learn to give each other What we need to survive, together alive¡K¡¨ ¡V Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney
Another week to a close, another week closer to the next ļ Hope you all are doing fine just fine. Another addition to the list Kemi, welcome to our little world which was initially intended to be a discussion type forum, but lately its been just me doing the yakkin with an appreciated response here and there. Please feel free to let me know if you have any comments or ideas for this mailing list, on the other hand, if you find this to be a complete insult to your intelligence please do drop me a line requesting to be removed from the list and thine wish shall be my command.
Now onto this weeks email. Inter-racial relationships (thanks Kemi...gave it a bit of a remix though ƒº)¡K.They seem to be more prevalent in this rather conservative society we live in, it almost seems as though more people are attempting to break down the color barriers so that they can take a swim in the seas of colourless love (yes that¡¦s right its too good to be a Yaw original). Nowadays, it seems that society is becoming more accepting of such relationships¡K.or are they¡K.does it even matter???
Lebo, told me the other day that he was sitting at the movies in Sandton watching ¡§Love Actually¡¨ and there was a scene when a negro guy gets married to a Caucasian woman, when it reached the part of the ceremony when the priest says you may kiss the bride, a loud disapproving voice in Afrikaans, uttering the words ¡§Ag a nee man¡¨ (oh no man) echoed through the movie theatre.
I was in Cape Town at the end of last year and I saw many mixed couples floating happily along, mind you I did stop and stare for a sec or two, but mind you so too did many others some looks were followed by a disapproving shake of the head. But the couple didn¡¦t take heed and they carried on, on their merry way. They looked kinda happy in their own little world, and no it wasn¡¦t the norm of a decent looking negro brother with a really miff Caucasian sister, nor a shwanky young negro sister with a geriatric Caucasian grandpa. Those mixed couple types are the ones that are generally floating about, my question is y? Could it be that the white (Caucasian is too much of a mission to type out) person reckons they are doing you a favour? Or is it because the black person thinks he has hit the jackpot by being seen in public with this white girl or guy or maybe s/he sees this as an opportunity to get one back for his/her ancestors, is it because you find the other races to be easier to get, is it because you are curious¡Kor wait¡Kwhat about maybe they are actually together because of love.
Interracial relationships are great in the sense that it tries to bridge the divide between cultures, some might argue that that¡¦s a bad thing but I don¡¦t think so. I think the more you learn about, understand and respect another¡¦s culture, the greater the chances of peace and harmony on this earth. If you think about it, the majority of the worlds strife at the moment is caused by differences of race, tribe, religion etc. all of which can be prevented through the understanding, respect and tolerance of the diverse cultures of this earth. I suppose one can sum it all up by saying it promotes open-mindedness.
But on the other hand though, it could also lead to a clash of the cultures, which may result in unhappiness if the two parties aren¡¦t on a level where they can think through and work shaite out. The children will have it tough cos we all know that children are cruel and any opportunity they get to tease another they will grab with both hands, feet, teeth and hammer it home till the kid being teased cracks, and that carries on till kcuf knows when. There is also the issue of public scrutiny, which if u can¡¦t handle can become a huge issue in your lives, public scrutiny that I am referring to is having people stare when you walk together in the streets in the malls etc. sometimes people might even go as far as passing a comment or even provoking you. And then there is the family issue¡K¡¨Koos, if you get together with Busi, I am writing you out of the will and the farm will be donated to the AWB¡¨¡Ksuch relationships tend to cause a rift in families and then there are the friends, ¡§Oh Yaw, you are not like all the other blacks¡¨ or ¡§Ow James, and here I thought all whites were racists¡K¡¨ what I am trying to highlight here is the fact that there may be difficulties in relating to each others friends.
But you know, a relationship of any kind is fraught with difficulties, yes, I know interracial ones come with their own extra issues, but I reckon, forget what your friends will think of you, forget about this and about that, just do what feels right for you as long as you don¡¦t go out intentionally to hurt someone. If it feels right, make like Nike and ¡§just do it¡¨, you definitely will learn or gain something from the experience (wife, husband, friend, enemy whatever)! What are your thoughts?
Birthdays..
2nd ¡V Yalusa
3rd ¡V Al and John
4th ¡V Kakra and Penyin
9th ¡V Nicolette
10th ¡V Steve Miller
11th ¡V Bontle
Quite a list this is¡Khere¡¦s a quote just for u all¡KMaturity has more to do with what types of experiences you¡¦ve had, and what you¡¦ve learned from them, and less to do with how many birthdays you¡¦ve celebrated. - anonymous
This week¡¦s quotes
I have no methods; all I do is accept people as they are. - Joan Rivers
Almost every man wastes part of his life in attempts to display qualities which he does not possess, and to gain applauses which he cannot keep; so that scarcely can two persons meet, but one is offended or diverted by the ostentation of the other - Samuel Johnson
On that note ladies and gents I am outta here, have a great week and I await your responses, either a reply email or http://mondaymail.blogspot.co. maximum respect to the masses!!
Y
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