Wa wa wee wa! What’s good boys and girls? Write to meeeeee!

Fat welcome to Miss Sylvia, I hope you enjoy this weekly email. Any comments or suggestions please mail me or go to www.mondaymail.blogspot.com

Last week I forgot to mention 2 very important celebrations. Happy New Year to my Jewish peeps and Ramadan Mubarak to my Muslim peeps!

Its absolutely ridiculous, well not really, but something as natural as a change in season can cause such an insane change in peoples attitudes. On Sunday I was with some mates and I was wondering what to write about this week and a friend of mine said write about rejuvenation – “the phenomenon of vitality and freshness being restored”

At first I was like what the fork?? And I am still like what the fork, but rejuvenation is all around us, sun rears its head everyone is happy, festive, it’s all about good times. Gyms are ‘fuller’, everyone has a smile on their faces, flowing and floral dresses are being flaunted…makes me want to break out in song…oh happy day...oh happy day…

I am feeling very frisky this week, started off with a fast on Monday, very refreshing, clear mind, resolve, halitosis. J To be honest though, the best part of the day was breaking my fast in the evening. Not because I had food to eat, but because I could break fast. I chose to go hungry, unlike many others who have no choice, its their lot in life…It’s their reality! I gave huge thanks for my little existence that I live I tell u!

This weeks email although I am feeling frisky is full of beef. Financial institutions! Financial institutions give me grief. Just like many of you, I struggle to see the justification behind banks charging me to deposit money into my account (other than because they can). I earn 1 or 2 % or whatever nominal interest rate I receive on this money and they lend the money out at anywhere from 7% to sometimes in excess of 21%. So basically I am paying you, to use my money, to make money. My money is cheaper than borrowing from the reserve bank, who I think charge around 10% (bankers please correct me if I am wrong with any of my thinking) That just doesn’t seem right to me. Yes the cost of handling cash has increased, because of cash in transit heists hiring people etc. but come on there has to be some cost of business that the banks should bear other than hiring all the clever people?? Then when it comes to lending to companies, financial institutions want to take next to zero risk but then charge prime or prime plus something silly…if you are fortunate enough to get any money. If there is no risk, shouldn’t the financial institutions be charging at the risk free rate?? But wait there’s more. Isn’t it funny that when you have money everything is given to you? The financial institutions will throw money at you for no security even if you don’t need it…here’s a R100mil facility, just tell us when you want to activate it. Mr x comes with a proper business case, a list of 10 million and one conditions precedents (hoops you must jump through before we think we may want to chat to you).

Financial institutions charge bank charges for either using an ATM or going into the banks, but internet banking is much cheaper, so who are the guys that stand in the queues? It’s not the well to do, it’s the poor dudes without ama-ADSL or 3G card. Then it comes to borrowing. Poor dude comes to borrow money, s/he gets asked what collateral (in cash or cash equivalent) do you have for this money, now if I had the money would I be borrowing?? But hey I guess it’s a hard knock life. I am sure the rest of you living over the seas have no clue what we go through here, but wait there’s more…

Then we have the mobile phone network operators. They are making money hand over fist, every time I dial your number and you pick up all they hear is chi-ching and I say EISH…that’s R2 odd gone right there just for getting connected, then the have the guile to drop my calls which then means I have to call again another R2. Their excuse the load on the networks is too much. Bra, build more towers!! I am sure most of the hardware has been repaid and all the money they are currently making from all our calls texts etc. is laughing all the way to the bank…along with them. I was really hoping that Virgin would come and shake up this cartel environment that we are subjected to but alas.

But the coup de gras of all is this story. I have a mate. Such a top dude in all honesty. I only met him this year but you know when you know that a person has a good soul, so anyway. The any he was looking down so I asked hey boss whats going on. He just shook his head and he told me this story which even though personal I have his permission to share with you because I think its totally insane. A couple of weeks ago his girlfriend started acting a tad funny, so he did some investigation and found out that she has started seeing another guy about twice her age, with 4 kids (the eldest being 18. He and his girlfriend have been together for almost 4 yrs now. Granted I have hardly been around them together but the little time that I spent with them was like wow this happy stuff does really exist, I mean the bra used to give her a couple of grand to buy clothes, help her with her college work etc. He was a proper boyfriend. Because he digs this lass he said its cool, you have cheated on me you are only 22, we all make mistakes lets try and work through this. So things were slowly working themselves out till earlier this week, she calls him over, and he runs to her side, they are chatting for a couple of hours when all of a sudden she waves at something and he notices a ring on her wedding finger. Shocked is an understatement, I mean this girl is his girlfriend of close on 4 years. So he asks her what is that? She answers, oh didn’t I tell you? I am engaged…so callous, like whatever to you dude…what do you do and I’m getting married tomorrow…TO A 43 YEAR OLD GUY WITH 4 KIDS I MET A LITTLE OVER A MONTH AGO!! What the F***??! Granted this is only one side of the story but he is not the type of guy that would fabricate such stories

To this minute whilst I sit here writing this email I scratch my head and wonder what am I missing because that does not seem like the behavior of a fully compos mentis person. Ey but what can u do…live and learn.

On a more positive note. On Monday I received a call from a mate of mine, just randomly to say hi what a pleasure!! Then yesterday I received an SMS from this mate of mine and all it said was “just hi, and I hope you are having a super day”. It’s so random but the smile on my face…priceless, for everything else there’s mastercard J

Birthdays
16th Al
18th Thuli, Chetan
21st Cute Nat

Maximum respect and happy heritage day to us South Africans, try and get to know your fellow citizens, what drives them and what makes them who they are, that way you can respect what they represent.

Y

Que sera sera