8 Recently stumbled-upon realisations

Number 1: Spending a weekend snuggled on the couch in front of a roaring fire, with a good book and the sound of rain falling on the roof is great for the soul, but definitely not romantic if you're doing it by yourself.

Number 2: Cats can sit dangerously close to a heater for extended periods of time without spontaneously combusting into a flaming fireball. It's just not natural.

Number 3: Dreaming Big is crucial, yet utterly pointless if you're not prepared to take any risks. Pansy.

Number 4: Freelancing has its rewards. Just as long as you know a couple of heavies who can sort out the client who hasn't paid you yet. Grrrr...

Number 5: Ugly Betty is incredibly corny. That said, for some reason it makes me feel very optimistic about love love love.

Number 6: Being brunette is a much more fun than I thought it would be. So bye-bye blonde locks!

Number 7: No-one's told the last few die-hard mosquitoes that it's apparently winter, because they're still doing the rounds. You don't need to worry though. They're all at my place. And they only come out at about 3 a.frikken'.m. Bastards.

Number 8: Right now, at this point in my life, I prefer puppies to babies. Is that wrong?

Random Tuesday Waffling

So, did anyone watch Zuma's inauguration on Saturday? I caught snippets of it, including the arrival of Mugabe. (What a pity he was invited! I guess they kinda had to send him an invite, being neighbours and all, but still.) And at last all the mystery surrounding which of Zuma's wives would attend as the First Lady was cleared up. The winner being Wife Number One: Sizakele Khumalo. She's not quite a Michelle Obama but then again, JZ is no Barack Obama either. Oh well. His other two wives also attended, but they had to sit in the cheap(er) seats. Anyway, the new cabinet has been announced and today is Zuma's first proper day in his new office. I suppose all we can do now is watch and hold thumbs.

Jacob and Sizakele Khumalo Zuma a.k.a wife numero uno...

...and the other two wives, Thobeka Mabhija Zuma and Nompumelelo Ntuli Zuma.

Of course, mustn't forget the (rather happy-looking) ex-wife, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Speaking of new offices, I've also got a new one. It's certainly a down-grade though. I mentioned a while back that, like so many other companies, we too are feeling the effects of this $#&^*& recession. To cut overheads, we're sub-letting some of our office space. My office space. So I got kicked out of my pretty little corner with the lovely views to be stuffed into a little sardine can of an office where my colleagues and I are pretty much on top of each other. Sigh. As a result of the move, I've also lost my parking spot, which certainly has not helped my mood. Cape Town winters are generally wet and miserable and so covered parking is well-coveted here. Hopefully, I'll be given a new spot soon but I'm not too optimistic.

Anyway, enough moaning. Happy thoughts... happy thoughts...

Oh, something very cool happened to me recently. I entered an online competition and actually won it!!! The prize was a book hamper from Exclusives and so they sent me a box of their 'top 10'. I was So. Incredibly. Chuffed!!!! What a happy little nerd! (It's the little things, you know.) It happened at a good time because lately NOTHING has been going right and I'm really on the brink of dropping out of society and heading for the hills. Now at least I'll have lots to read once I've resorted to living off the land.

My fabulous loot

P.S. Thanks Getty, for the inauguration images. Please don't sue me for using them. Pretty please.

Dear 'guys in my office with your music blaring through your earphones',

Just a quick note to thank you both from the very bottom of my heart for sharing your own special and unique music tastes with someone as insignificant and undeserving as me. You display true selflessness as surely by now your ears must be haemorrhaging profusely as a direct result of your earphones being turned up to full volume. Oh, how I treasure the dependability of you spending a solid eight hours behind your desk, forsaking conversation altogether in order to provide me with a full music experience. Every. Single. Day.

What a pity though, that you do not confer with each other before proceeding to play your sweet music. Perhaps if you did, then that special leprechaun-type flute stuff you having been sharing with us for the last 84 minutes could be timed to harmoniously coincide with the delightful beat of the other’s rave bonanza, which is now into it’s fifth hour. But really, who am I to complain? Indeed, I am too spoilt. And to think I spent all my hard-earned money on an mp3 player of my very own. If I had only known how truly generous and sharing you two are, I could have saved myself a lot of money. No harm, though. After all, why on earth would I want to listen to my music when I have been afforded the special opportunity to listen to yours? Both of yours. At the very same time! Oh yes, I am a lucky, lucky girl to be sharing an office with the two of you. Bless.

Regards
Me in the corner

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Election day. It's been a long time coming but after much political drama, it's only a day away. Personally, I'm looking forward to voting. I'm also looking forward to no longer being bombarded with campaign material everywhere I go. And who knows, maybe Julius Malema will even quieten down after his idol is voted into the presidency. Nah, not likely. Anyway, the important thing is tomorrow we get to vote and have our say. I won't even begin to pretend I believe that Jacob Zuma isn't going to be the next president, but I'm certainly going to use my vote to help ensure he has a strong opposition.

The thing with politics, I feel, is the sense of helplessness the general public has. We see the craziest things happening and watch in shock and horror as high-ranking officials walk away from corruption scandals and the like unscathed. So when it comes to elections, it's almost as if a little bit of control is redeemed, giving people like you and me a chance to have our say - and be heard. It may be a little voice, but it can go a long way. So yeah, I'm looking forward to casting my vote tomorrow.

On a lighter note, have you guys seen any of the recent ads that play on the political slant? One of my favourites is the Nando's ad, which 'interviews' Julius Malema. (That's certainly got his panties all twisted, but it's not personally demeaning - it makes a play on the concept of 'change'.) I also LOVED this ad for Wimpy's Cups for Votes campaign. It's not a new concept - apparently Starbucks did something similar. But the ad itself is simple and quite, what's the word, touching? Nice copy, nice music. Check it out.

Anyhoo, seeing as tomorrow is a public holiday and there are more of those to come, I've put in for some additional leave and so will only be back in the office in about two weeks from now. Bliss! I'll miss the Internet access, but it's a small sacrifice for some much needed time out. Catch you on the flip side, and don't forget to vote!

Sweet 47 and never been kissed...

If the Monday blues are bringing you down, here's something that's bound to make you smile and perhaps even give you some goosebumps. Just in case you haven't already seen this, here's Scottish lass Susan Boyle's 'audition attempt' for the latest season of Britain's Got Talent...



Well, whoddathunkit, eh?

Much ado about nothing

Remember the (big and expensive) ad that appeared in the Sunday Times the other week... the one about lengthening the skirts depicted in restroom signs? (Here, this one):

Well, as suspected, it was indeed part of an ad campaign. For this:

Yup, that's right. Good ol' Mrs Ball's Chutney.

But what's the connection you may ask? Good question. Seems the marketing guys behind the Mrs Ball's brand are trying to get across this message: If it ain't broke, don't try fix it.

Hmmmm... It's a bit of a stretch if you ask me. I think advertising should be product-appropriate. For example, I hate watching a long and emotional ad that practically leaves me in tears, only to find out AT THE END that it's a frikken' Telkom ad. Another example: there was recently an ad on the telly in which a guy scales buildings and does some hectic stunts in a race 'against the clock' to put coins in his parking meter before the gap-toothed meter-maid gives him a ticket. The 'big finale' comes when he tosses his coin which bypasses the hungry meter and inserts itself snugly between the two front teeth of the surprised meter-maid. All this for a glass-fitting company(!!!). Too much, I say. I hate it when advertisements build you up and then let you down.

So I do think that all the fuss created around the 'NSEP' is a little OTT. Besides that, this sort of campaign misses the mark a bit when you have to stop and explain to the market what the correlation is. And all this for chutney? C'mon...

Post bunny ponderings

Well, I don't have much to talk about today. The long Easter weekend was really nice and filled with delicious chocolate and much-appreciated relaxation. I also went to a friend's birthday on Saturday which was pretty cool as I saw people there who I hadn't seen in ages. Nice bunch! And I'm pleased to report that I was very civilised with the wine and woke up the next morning without even the slightest hint of a hangover. Yeah, I know. Impressive. So it's back to work today and I must admit it was really hard to get out of bed this morning. What hasn't helped is that I've been struggling to sleep lately and so last night I took a couple of sleeping tablets. They certainly didn't help me fall - or stay - asleep, but they've made me feel seriously groggy this morning. I'm waiting for the caffeine to kick in and then I'm sure my day will improve considerably. But for now, I have a cotton-wool-filled noggin.

Anyhoo.

Cape Town has been enjoying some seriously beautiful weather over the last few days and so I took full advantage of the warm autumn sun and spent lots of time in my garden over the weekend, with a book and copious cups of tea. (See, it's not all about the wine!) I polished off 'The Inheritance of Loss' and I have to tell you, it's a pretty damn good read.

The novel has been sitting on my book case gathering dust for quite a while now. I bought it a book fair back in 2007, after hearing Marian Keyes rave about it. When I headed over to the Penguin stand to buy it, the author (Kiran Desai) was there doing a book signing so yeah, I've got a lovely little message from her in the front of the book. It's just a pity it took me so long to read it! I've got such a huge backlog of books at home that I still want to read, never mind the books I'm reading for my course. (I'm slowly working on an honours degree in English literature and this year I'm doing a paper on 19th century literature. I wish I could tell you that I love Victorian novels, but I'd be lying. So there.) Anyway, that's my excuse for not reading 'The Inheritance of Loss' sooner. It's a great read - if you come across it, be sure to grab it!

So what with all the reading in the ol' garden, there was also some local squirrel action. 'Cute little guy though nowhere near as friendly as his pals in the Gardens.

Here he certainly looks like a rat. You'll just have to take my word for it that he has a bushy tail and really is a squirrel.

All that squirrel/tree rustling piqued the cat's interest. Though considering the size of his gnarly squirrel gnashers, I reckon it would be a fair fight and so I'm not too worried about finding regurgitated squirrel bits on my lounge floor rug anytime soon.

Playing the waiting game...

(Ooh,' Al no corrida' is playing on the radio. Haven't heard that in ages - kinda corny but still a good song. Yeah, old school is cool!)

Okay now that I've resorted to waffling about random squirrels and my sleeping patterns now seems a good time to, erm, stop.

Insanely Happy Friday

Yeah, I know it's not quite Friday yet but seeing as tomorrow is a holiday, that makes today Friday in my mind. I'm doing cartwheels on the inside. Inner crazy, outer calm and all that. Anyway. Nothing lifts the spirits like a four-day weekend. Woohoo! :)

So however you plan on spending your Easter weekend, may the bunny be extra kind on the chocolate delivery and remember, chocolate tastes even better when accompanied by a lovely red wine. (Now you know how I plan to spend my weekend.)

La-La-La... I can't hear you...

With all the shenanigans of our local politicians, the nose dive in the economy and my distinct lack of optimism, it seems nothing is going to save my sanity except a practical stick-my-head-in-the-sand approach. That and heading for the nearest open bottle of pinotage. (Not in an alcoholic sort of way. More in a 'I really appreciate red wine' kind of way.)

Anyway, in keeping with the denial avenue, here are a couple of gorgeous pics by Hans Silvester. I'm going to read up a bit more on him, but so far I can tell you it seems he spends his time in beautiful parts of the world taking shots of cats in natural environments. I like his style. The image below of the old Greek lady with the cat is simple yet rather poignant.

Here's a great pic! 'Not sure if you can make it out properly as the pic is rather small but the colour is gorgeous and the kitty in the corner below completes the lovely composition (Ooh, listen to me. Sounding like an art critic and all...)

Anyway, before I head off for the aforementioned vino, did anybody see this half-page insert in the Sunday Times over the weekend?

C'mon, this has to be a teaser campaign for something. Surely they can't seriously want to change public restroom signs to show the ladies with longer skirts! Jonathan Cherry reckons it must have something to do with the upcoming elections. Weird, hey? I phoned the call centre and got through to an automated message. Then I visited their website, but can't make out if there's anything fishy. Bizarre! Surely there's no way something like this can be legit? Peculiar, eh?

One step forward. Two steps back.

I had a really great weekend. Great friends and too much wine was the order of the last two days. And so it was quite a downer to start the week off with the ridiculous yet unsurprising news that the NPA has dropped all charges against Jacob Zuma. Not because they have insufficient evidence that he's nasty and corrupt, but because they reckon there was political interference (from the Mbeki government) and abuse of power. Again, technicalities.

All along, it's been pretty obvious that Jacob Zuma is going to be South Africa's next president. A man who has been fired as Deputy President of South Africa... a man who has been caught up in a pretty nasty sex scandal though, granted, he was found innocent of rape charges... a man who has been accused of corruption on quite a grand scale... a man who practices polygamy... a man known to burst into song about his machine gun. Yeah, we all knew that he's going to be heading into power. But I had hoped - naively - that he would still have his day in court where he would have to prove to the people he claims to serve and represent that he is indeed innocent. Now we'll never know the truth.

After the fall of apartheid, South Africa really seemed poised for changed. It was a positive place, alive with the anticipation of rebirth. It seemed as if the liberation struggle had finally, finally paid off. But is this what people were fighting for? Replacing one corrupt regime with another one? What a shame that this is what we've done with such a wonderful opportunity. How very sad!

Yeah, today is not a proud day for South Africa or its people. The only winners here are Jacob Zuma and his ignorant, brain-washed supporters.

'Guess I'd better learn the words to Umshini Wami. Something tells me we're going to be hearing it more now than ever.