This week I have a truck load of sha ite to say so it cant wait till the end of the week. J

Let me start in the order of occurance.
1) I heard/read this story earlier this week. It was about a young lady who was wearing a mini skirt. Some taxi drivers and hawkers at Noord station took exception to her dress sense so they disrobed her, insulted her, poked at her privates, poured booze on her and basically just humiliated her to the cheers of plenty of onlookers. Someone please do remind me which age we are living in? Taxi drivers seem to be untouchable which is toilet! Another thing is Noord, is not a small quiet place. A lot of pooh goes down there, wait let me rather say a lot of pooh can go down there, can you believe that they don’t have security cameras there? Anyway so I read some articles written about this incident and there were some mixed reactions. The minister of transport, some youth and women’s leagues and the taxi association have openly condemned the attack and labeled it ‘barbaric and chauvinist’. But whats been quite concerning is the fact that some women have condoned the attack saying that women shouldn’t expose themselves etc etc. Hmm…by the way thank Tebo for the input into this email J. Anyway as I was saying, hmm…if I am not mistaken traditional South African attire, ok let me be specific and say Zulu attire cos that’s what we are exposed to (the Kings Reed dance etc.) But if memory serves me they merely wear loin cloths and they are pretty short…and that’s acceptable…no one complains, but no not at a taxi rank, what are u thinking woman?? Unless I am missing something, but I somehow struggle to understand how some people’s minds work. Why do we feel that we must always impose our opinions and beliefs on everyone else, y is it so hard to live and let live. Is she your daughter? Mmm no! so why do you feel that you must tell her how to dress or act? Anyway all I can do is shake my head!

2) The US shoots down a satellite which they claim poses a danger to humans if it re-enters the earth. Bravo! But were they not the same people that were leading the charge on the 11th January 2007 when the Chinese shot down one of its own weather satellites? Shooting down a satellite 247km in the sky (and beyond) traveling at speeds in excess of 7 000 miles/hr…smells a lot like missile testing to me, but ey who am i?


3) Always save the best for last. With respect, is JZ not fully compos mentis? Or even if not him, where are his advisors? Firstly the whole blacks only or any race only event in this day and age is just so not on. But be that at it may there are such forums floating about, some have merits but I fail to understand how and why a forum for black journalists needs to exist, but alas…So they decide to have a meeting and they invite the current president of the ANC Jacob Zuma and he accepts. PROBLEM!! If the forum had a meeting and they invited me, no one would bat an eyelid, but they didn’t invite me they invited Mr Zuma, potentially the next president of the Republic. He accepts…even if its not his intention, perception is everything. What are you thinking will happen if you accept such an invitation? Will people just laugh it off and say wow what a guy, being there for the black journalists? I think NOT!! Apparently allegedly, some white journalists heard about this meeting and attended and in his presence they were asked to leave. There is no mention of Mr. Zuma taking a stand and saying ey brudas and sisters, we cant be doing such cos we are trying to build a better life for all, we even have pledges for our childrens! The funny thing about this whole incident is a few months ago, the self same Mr. Zuma, complained to the public protector when Bulelani Ngcuka had an off the record meeting with black editors when Mr. Zuma was first being investigated, but I guess its all good now ;-)

BUT dear friends, its really not all doom and gloom, I was having a chat with my mate Thabang earlier and he brought up the same thing that people are looking to jump ship. But remember this 1994/5…when Madibas time was up…same story, oh no we are going to the dogs its going to be hell here, Zimbabwe here we come…if those of us that actually do care leave or bad mouth our country, well I guess it will become a self fulfilling prophecy. In the words of Midi, Maxi and Efti positive people live longer; don't be negative; just be positive…just incase u don’t remember that song, sing along with me bad bad boys come with me come with me…swiftly along like the Cape South Easter we move shall we. Bottom line we can make a difference!

Anyway my bed calls.

Birthdays
24th Patrick, Kirst and Olivier
25th Princess Seema, Miss Abey
26th Themba, Louise, Sarah and Me J
27th Zuraida
28th Glenda Hutchinson, Brett Mallen, Thlabas

Maximum respect

Y

“If you not first you last…”

“When this life tries to keep us apart, You keep callin me back to your heart.
Let me hear you say, I'm so glad you found me, Wrap your world around me.
Never find a love like this” – Natasha Bennnigfield

It totally slipped my mind when I was writing last week’s email that this is the month of love. I hope you were all well loved last week J

It looks like we are developing a trend of consistency, 3 from 3, but I guess that’s cos a brother has some sha ite to say J nowadays. Quick welcome to Miss Makgaretsa, I hope this little community adds some value in whatever way to your life. Should you have any comments please go to www.mondaymail.blogspot.com, alternatively please drop me a mail. If its weighing too much on your inbox, drop me a line and I will remove you.

So where do I begin? The end of an era in Cuba, Fidel steps down… more on that another time I guess. We have moved into our own little office space in Rivonia,, office moves are such a pain in the @@@# between finding space, getting the layout, coordinating Telkom…blah ITS DONE!! I R HAPPY!! We even have a boardroom iYo!

Anyway, for Lent I decided to do 2 things, the first being to stop swearing, something I am failing miserably, but at least I am making a conscious effort to watch my words, but trust you me its hard when you are surrounded by buffoons!! Really it is. The other one, the one that I particularly enjoy is doing something, ok ok, giving something… to someone who I in my mind is less fortunate than I.

Anyway so last week…and I am not writing this cos I want to tell you how great I am blah blah cos damnit you should know it by now J, ok so last week Wednesday I got home from work a long day cos I spent a lot of the last few weeks trying to co-ordinate an office move, so I got home from a wild goose chase and I was knackered so I decided to befriend my couch and it dawned on me, darn it, I haven’t done my Lent deed yet, I thought to myself dust I will do 2 drops tomorrow. Then I was like no you don’t so I got up and went to gym and then to the shops to buy some bread. Then I drove around the neighborhood looking for someone to give the bread to, eish sorree for me.

So I drove into Rivonia and parked my car, ordered some take away and set off down Rivonia Road, it started drizzling at that time, but there was not a soul to be seen, then appeared this old dude on the other side of the road pushing his trolley of goods. But he was struggling. So I ran to go and give him a hand to cross the road. As I got there I said hi and tried to help him cross the road, I think he though t I was trying to steal his trolley cos I was met with a rather disapproving HEEEEEY!!! So I explained myself and then helped him over the island and across the road. It was then that I gave him the loaf of bread, the smile on his face, and it was a single toothed smile if memory serves me correctly, the dude was like the happiest guy for that moment. Boys and girls its such a small thing but for me it was like one of the best feelings I have had this year. Just thought I’d share that with you all. On the flip side to that though is the fact that there are those that you give stuff to and still ask you for some money.

Next story, you guys know me right, generally an eternal optimist about this country and still remain optimistic, but I cant lie to you guys after that documentary flighted on Carte Blanche this Sunday, my optimism was brought into question momentarily. They had a little section where the interviewer is speaking to JZ…’is that so’ indeed it is so, and to be honest he didn’t say much and the documentary could well have been edited in a way so as to paint a picture depicting the kind of story about this country he wanted to portray so on that part the words I discount somewhat but what frightens me is his manner of speech. His combatitive manner and what I thought to be a lack of charisma and that edge, eish people it’s a problem, but ey give the dude a chance.

Then there was this part about those gangsters, my question though is if this reporter can find these dudes, he has on tape what they say they can and will do and not even give a hoot, what are the police doing about it?

Speaking of the police here is a response I received from a very knowledgeable person regarding the dismantling of the Scorpions, so its not all doom and gloom just yet, but we must raise objections and not just watch life pass us by as we tend to and then complain…”eish mara why??!!”

The Scorpions are created by legislation. (Rather than there being legislation that allows for them to be created, but leaving the actual establishment to the President or the National Prosecuting Authority, or whatever).

This means that they can only be gotten rid of by more legislation being passed by Parliament that revokes or amends the section setting them up.
For legislation that is of high public interest to be passed, Parliament must hold consultation with the public, and take into account the public's views. If they don't and pass the legislation in any event - where the public has made attempts to be heard or consulted - then the legislation may be invalid.

The bottom line is that there are two things that people can do to stop the Scorpions being dissolved -
1. write letters, articles etc now in public fora and to their representatives stating their belief that the future of the Scorpions is a matter of public importance on which the public should be heard. This is obviously less crucial than (2), because its already pretty clear that the public considers it a matter of public importance.

2. If and when the draft legislation dissolving the Scorpions is published for comment, people must write to the relevant authorities and attend the public hearings that are held, to call for the Scorpions to be maintained. This can be as individuals, coalitions, etc. I'm presuming that a signed petition would also be effective - provided it was properly administered with signatures and addresses/ID numbers to confirm that the people signing are real.

Once again i have another forwarded email to lift the spirits of those amongst us that may be feeling a tad dispondent at the moment, regarding the current state of affairs in SA.

This is the letter Alan Knott-Craig (MD of iBurst) sent to his team:
Hi guys,
2008 has certainly started with a bang! The future was rosy on 31 December 2007, but suddenly everyone is buying candles and researching property in Perth!
A combination of recession in the USA, global equity market negativity, high interest rates, the National Credit Act and power outages have combined to create the perfect storm.
But don’t panic!
This is not the first time there’s been doom and gloom. Every few years the same thing happens. We experience massive economic growth, everyone is optimistic and buying Nescafe Gold, and holiday homes, and Merc’s. The positivity gets ahead of itself and the economy overheats, and then panic sets in because the economy seems to be collapsing when in actual fact it’s simply making an adjustment back to a reasonable level.
It happened in 1989, when SA defaulted on its international loans and the stock market and Rand crashed, it happened in 1994 when the ANC took power and everyone thought war would break out, it happened in 1998 when interest rates hit 25% and you couldn’t give away your house, and it happened in 2001 when a fairly unstable guy by the name of Osama arranged for 2 Boeings to fly into the tallest buildings in New York!
On each of those occasions everyone thought it was the end of the world and that there was no light in sight. And on each occasion, believe it or not, the world did not actually end, it recovered and in fact things continued to get better.
I think 2008 will be a tough year, but I also see it as a great opportunity to seize the day whilst everyone else is whinging and get a front-seat on the inevitable boom that we’ll experience in 2009, 2010 and beyond.
Make sure you make a mental note of everything that is happening now, because it will happen again and again, and if you don’t recognize the symptoms you’ll be suckered into the same negativity, and forget to look for the opportunities.
It’s easy to be negative. Subconsciously, you WANT to be negative! Whenever you open the papers they tell you about the goriest hi-jacking and the most corrupt politicians. Why don’t they dedicate more pages to the fact that Joburg is the world’s biggest man-made forest, or to the corruption-free achievements of the vast majority of public officials? Because bad news sells. Good news is boring.
SA still has the best weather in world! We’re lucky enough to possess a huge chunk of the world’s resources, i.e.: gold, platinum, coal, iron. The growth in India and China will continue to accelerate (India and China sign 10mil new mobile customers every month), and so will their demand for our resources. The government has already embarked on massive infrastructure projects (some of them a tad late, i.e.: electricity), and this will pump money into the economy.
We are all lucky enough to be a part of the birth of a massive and all-encompassing industry. The Internet has and will continue to change the world. The enormity of its impact is up there with the wheel, electricity, TV, telephones, and possibly man’s greatest ever invention, coffee. Not only does it open up an entirely untapped world of commerce, but it is also the ultimate disseminator of information and news. Apartheid would not have lasted 40 years if the Internet had existed! And you’re part of it!
I’m looking forward to another year of ASA complaints, IR issues, Plug & Wireless parties, BTS roll-outs, billing runs, irate customers, happy customers, orange bubbles, faulty elevators, etc, etc. The nice stuff makes me feel good, and the challenges remind me why we can beat the competition. Most importantly I’m looking forward to having fun and making memories.
So ignore the doomsayers, install a timer on your geyser, and buy Ricoffee for a couple of months.
Cheers, 
Alan



Birthdays
16th Jane, Luntu
18th Lourie, Susan, SB
22nd Lindsay, Anja, Victoria and Kimmy K

Ok that’s me for another week, its almost over but in the words of DJ Fresh have a great week inspite of yourselves

Beeg love and the respect is huge!!

Y

‘Carpe Diem’

Woo hoo, twice in 2 consecutive weeks, I’m impressed with myself ! Whats going on people hope your yins and your yangs are well aligned, ya man the bounce is back and when the bounce is back…world beware ;-)

Who needs a shrink when you have TV? You all have heard of a TV show Grey’s Anatomy, many people swear by it, I hardly ever get to see it cos for some reason on Monday evenings like most other evenings I don’t get home before 8. Anyway I was fortunate enough to catch this last week’s episode, and those who watched it will know what I am referring to. There was a part when the one doctor,Dr Burke’s mom comes to the hospital to wait for this one doctor who was engaged to her son, but she has some really deep and insightful conversations, I swear in a couple of those instances, I thought she was speaking directly to me, one in particular when she asks Patrick Dempsey if he is an honorable man…its deep and I am sure it applies or has applied to us all at one stage in our lives.

Speaking of honor, there is this ongoing saga about the disbanding of the Scorpions in SA. For those of us who aren’t aware, the Scorpions is a stand alone agency that has been in the forefront of a good number of high profile corruption cases, such as the one against Shabir Shaik, Jacob Zuma and Jackie Selebi (the head of Interpol) to name but a few. The government is currently in the process of dismantling the unit and setting it up under the police services. A move that many of us believe is a croc of pooh! Imagine ok police commissioner, we are investigating you for corruption, ok cool go ahead, tell me what u find…errrr

My question is really what are we as citizens of this country, what are we going to do about it? I am no lawyer so I cant say I am familiar with our constitution but from what I have heard and from the plaudits around, it’s a pretty damn fine constitution, one that protects human rights and gives the people a voice. I am sure in there somewhere there must be something about challenging what we as a nation believe to be an absurd course of action. Those that know please help us, show us how we can make our voices heard. I am tired of us muttering amongst ourselves and saying how mad and senseless this course of action is, cos we cant really do anything by ourselves, but if we stand together and let our voices be heard, then I am well sure we can make a good constructive difference. What is the alternative? Sit in our corners and chat about it over dinner, at the bar, watching rugby, when the lights go out…and then it happens and then we moan some more cos we did so much to stop it….Just a thought…lets use it (notice no option of don’t use it)

I honestly would appreciate it if someone could show us the way forward in terms of opposing this action cos at the end of the day its our country, its us we are paying the government to serve…

Attached below is a great email I received from one of my sisters this morning:

Personal Growth, Personal Independence: The Limit Is Me
By Robin Good
One day all the employees reached the office and they saw a big advice on the door on which it was written:
'Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym'. In the beginning, they all got sad for the death of one of their colleagues, but after a while they started getting curious to know who was that man who hindered the growth of his colleagues and the company itself.
The excitement in the gym was such that security agents were ordered to control the crowd within the room. The more people reached the coffin, the more the excitement heated up. Everyone thought: 'Who is this guy who was hindering my progress? Well, at least he died!'. One by one the thrilled employees got closer to the coffin, and when they looked inside it they suddenly became speechless. They stood nearby the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul.
There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see himself.
There was also a sign next to the mirror that said:
'There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: it is YOU.
You are the only person who can revolutionize your life. You are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realization and your success. You are the only person who can help yourself.
Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your partner changes, when your company changes. Your life changes when YOU change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realize that you are the only one responsible for your life.
'The most important relationship you can have, is the one you have with yourself'
Examine yourself, watch yourself. Don't be afraid of difficulties, impossibilities and losses: be a winner, build yourself and your reality.
The world is like a mirror: it gives back to anyone the reflection of the thoughts in which one has strongly believed.
The world and your reality are like mirrors laying in a coffin, which show to any individual the death of his divine capability to imagine and create his happiness and his success.
It's the way you face Life that makes the difference

Birthdays
11th Zahir
12th Garrin and Nonku
14th Barbs
16th Jane

That’s me for another week hopefully I e-see u all next week.
Remember any comments please go to www.mondaymail.blogspot.com

Maximum respect as always…carpe diem

Y

“I've been so many places, I've seen so many things, But none quite so lovely as you, More beautiful than the Mona Lisa, Worth more than gold
And my eyes have the pleasure to behold”… Teddy P

It feels like just the other day I was licking my wounds and boarding a plane back from Cape Town after a rather pleasant December break and look, now we are well into Feb yikes, not too much time left to do all u plan to do this year, cos blink and it will be over…

Belinda, Tim, Brett and Jackie, welcome to our not so weekly weekly thought sharing session, I trust you will enjoy your time with us. At any stage if you feel the need to make a suggestion or a comment, please feel free to either drop me a line or visit www.mondaymail.blogspot.com, if at any time you find this email to be a mere space filler in your inbox kindly do drop me a line and I will remove you from the list.

I have been slack for a while now I know, but I struggle to find things to write about nowadays. I am so bored of hearing the same things over and over. You must forgive this email because its really more about random thoughts and discussions than anything in particular…

Yes we have an energy crisis in South Africa, who’s fault it is matters not, solutions yes, now we are talking, everyone is looking to point a finger and say its cos of the incompetent government hence why we have no electricity, maybe, but bottom line we have no electricity, boring me with who’s fault it was doesn’t give me lights to watch the African Cup does it. Its like with most things in our lives, blaming is really such a waste of time and more importantly energy, energy which I believe is better served when used to find a constructive solution. Let me ask you this, what are you doing to conserve power? Are u switching off appliances and lights when they are not being used? In broad daylight do we have 10 million lights on? Are you switching off the air cons in offices/meeting rooms once they are not occupied? I tell people this and they say what good is me doing this if the other person isn’t doing the same, I ask them imagine if everyone thought like that would anything ever get done? They say there is a water crisis on the horizon? What are we doing about it? Still standing under the shower and letting the water just run on down? Think about it…promise u 2 can make a difference!

I have been having a few chats with some mates. The first was around those the announcement of JZ as the leader of the ANC at the end of last year, now I don’t know about you, but I was utterly embarrassed to see the behaviour of some of those bafoons. I just shook my head and said to myself and those are the people I have representing me. But then again what can I say? I am here living in my own private little Idaho watching life pass by and all I ever do is just complain…sounds familiar? There are a whole bunch of people better suited to represent us but where are we all? On the outskirts, moaning that those that are there aren’t doing the job right…

Anyway so on Saturday I am having a chat with Miss D and its such a ripper how similar our thinking is and I am sure many of us share this sentiment. The world or my world at least is such a messed up place. Lets take for example on Monday morning a very close friend of mine (so close he is actually like my little brother ;-)) called me at 1.40am. He said to me in a very calm manner hey boss, I’ve just been jacked (hijacked) in Melville, heard him out found out if he was ok etc. But before I got up I said to him damn why did I answer this call, joke or no joke, its so not funny and so offsides, I was up in a bolt and shot off to go and help him out. I honestly was disgusted with myself with that even tho he and I chuckled on the fone, its not really a funny thing. This dude has just had a gun pointed at him, car taken and here I am being me…but that wasn’t the worst of it. So I get there, I ask him what happened, had he called the cops etc etc. He relays the story to me, he also adds that he was at this place called Six in Melville, (a place we really enjoy going to) prior to the incident. After waiting for a couple of minutes and the cops hadn’t arrived, he went to the venue to go and ask for some assistance, them being a restaurant etc. they would have easy access to the policia, you know what the guy who was at the door said to him? Sorry we cant help u we are closed, now u tell my what bollocks that is? It all boils down to the fact that we don’t actually care about how we treat each other. PERIOD!! We don’t treat each other as human beings so why should the bad elements of our society care much about stabbing or shooting us?

Take for example traffic, a person has indicated to change lanes or turn into the road, dude, let him or her in, what difference are those 5-10 seconds going to make to your life? If you are late I promise you 5-10 secs wont make much of a difference. I was on the plane the other day, I needed to make space for my laptop etc, so I moved some stuff very carefully etc. so that everything would fit in nicely. Plane lands and its time to get off this darn bonehead decides he is pissed off that I moved his stuff and he violently moves my stuff to the side, so for the whole 2 hr flight this action had been burning him, I looked at him, I think I even clapped and said well done or something sarcastic cos I just couldn’t believe it, and he was a grown man!! We have too much anger in us as a people and trust u me it will be the death of us all. Everyone feels hard done by. No one seems content with their lot in life. We are always chasing things generally a dream, something better, something faster, something hotter, the next fix and it will be the end of us! We take treating each so lightly and wonder why our schools are amongst the most dangerous in the world, when we scream and curse that we are going to kill someone when our paths are crossed or someone does anything untoward to us.

I look at the presidential race in the US. And any level headed person with just plain common sense will tell you that Barack Obama may well be the most sincere and best candidate for the job. I don’t know any of the candidates personally but their personality on TV and on radio is all I have to go by and so I don’t think my judgement is tainted much. I look at the Republicans and all I see is more of the same, McCain, Romney, Huckerby, all the same. Democrats, Clinton and Obama, I don’t think I trust Hillary much and to be honest, 2 Bushes now 2 Clintons the world needs a break. BUT WILL HE WIN and my answer is I think not, even though I cant prove it, I’d bet if he was a lighter shade of brown his chances would be doubtless. I don’t think America is ready for him, right guy, wrong time, even though I strongly believe it is the right time for him. One of those times I would gladly be wrong.

Today is the beginning of Lent for most Christians and some non. I would strongly suggest that we all look to try and be better people, not just for ourselves but for the world around us. I am definitely going to do my giving thing for the next 40 days who knows maybe longer, it may be a small thing but trust u me it goes a long way in someone else’s life. Greet people, smile instead of aggression, so what if they think u r crazy, its their issue not urs. Just do something positive for someone else.

Change honestly starts right here…with us!!!

Enough preaching I guess its time to start practicing.

Birthdays
21st Chris Snyman and Clayton Stewart
22nd Munier
25th Anna
27th Ingo
28th Belinda, Gareth
29th Lyndall
31st Refiloe R
1st Kirstin and Leila
2nd Ari
8th Bibi and Bro Kwaku

Many happy returns to you all, plenty of laughter, love and all else you strive for in your lives

On that note that’s me, its damn hard being pleasant particularly if you are surrounded by a bunch of dim wits, I mean inbetween writing this I had to rush off to a meeting and I don’t know how many people refused to let me in even tho they were traveling at a snails pace cos there were road works happening and the thoughts that rushed thru my mind…till I remembered what I was writing this week 

That song I started off with was dedicated to you from me. ;-) lets break into chorus here…

You're my latest, tell you you're my greatest, My latest, my greatest inspiration, You inspire me, inspire me, Don't you know, my latest, my greatest inspiration

You keep just keep on liftin' me up now
(Higher) Mmm
(Higher) You inspire me, I want you to keep liftin' me up
(Higher)
(Higher)

I want you to keep on liftin' me up, (Higher) Alright
(Higher) Alright
See, you got me, you got me doin' things
(Higher) I've never done before, (Higher) See, you inspire me, you inspire me….

That’s me for another wee…while, who knows I may have a flash of brilliance next week, but till we next e-speak stay blessed, be the change you want to see!

Beeg love and maximum respect

Y