Every morning I drive in to Cape Town's central business district to go to work just like many others.
As I join onto the n1 I slowly start to see all the tall buildings with pollution just hanging above them. Drivers hooting and cars furiously overtaking each other are all drowned out when I see the mountain. It gets more beautiful with each day and this might just be why I sit in awe of it as I drive in to work. Pretty much just a big rock with a city built around it, this mountain represents so much more for people in the city.
Those who come from far, believe this is where they will become rich and be able to buy a big house in Camps Bay. Children coming from the Cape Flats also believe this is where you make your big break and the inhabitants of the old District 6 are just happy to be home again.
Cape Town is like a family home with Table Mountain as the living room table where everyone gets together to be a family again. It represents a dream and a home and anybody who has never lived in the city wouldn't understand.
This big rock rocks!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
We are what we do
"I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love." Mother Teresa
I am no Mother Teresa. I do bad things, sometimes hurt the ones a love and often forget to say thank you for just being alive and healthy. I use bad words, lie, cheat and can be quite selfish. I am obviously no Mother Teresa, although i'm sure even she has done some bad things too.
We are what we do means that with every wrong action we prove to ourselves that we are bad, and with every good deed we feel better because we couldn't be that bad after all. What will people remember you for when you are passed on? Will it be all that time you spent helping out charities or the man who always knocked on your door for food? Will it be for the smile you always had on your face when greeting a stranger or the way you nurtured and cared for children in the community?
I am a strong 21 year old woman raised by a strong single mother. There is no reason why i can't do more for others than what i'm doing right now. If we are what we do, then i really want to do more to help others. I believe that each person was put on this earth to be extraordinary and now is the perfect time for me to start my journey of giving unselfishly
The perfect way to give, is to give love. I will try each day to take out all the bad and try to be a much better person. This will make life so much more sweeter for me and all those around me.
I am no Mother Teresa. I do bad things, sometimes hurt the ones a love and often forget to say thank you for just being alive and healthy. I use bad words, lie, cheat and can be quite selfish. I am obviously no Mother Teresa, although i'm sure even she has done some bad things too.
We are what we do means that with every wrong action we prove to ourselves that we are bad, and with every good deed we feel better because we couldn't be that bad after all. What will people remember you for when you are passed on? Will it be all that time you spent helping out charities or the man who always knocked on your door for food? Will it be for the smile you always had on your face when greeting a stranger or the way you nurtured and cared for children in the community?
I am a strong 21 year old woman raised by a strong single mother. There is no reason why i can't do more for others than what i'm doing right now. If we are what we do, then i really want to do more to help others. I believe that each person was put on this earth to be extraordinary and now is the perfect time for me to start my journey of giving unselfishly
The perfect way to give, is to give love. I will try each day to take out all the bad and try to be a much better person. This will make life so much more sweeter for me and all those around me.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Human Right's Day - a part of South Africa's story
Monday, March 21, 2011. What does this day mean to you?
Is it about the apartheid struggle, the right of South Africans or a day to remember what we we once were and what we have become? Most South Africans spent today sleeping late, watching a movie or just enjoying the public holiday. The day signifies the freedom that we as South African's now enjoy and share together. The fact that we can now go to any movie theatre and not be discriminated against means that we have come quite a long way.
Do we still have a long way to go? Most definitely. We share diverse cultures, religions and races and this what makes our country unique. It should be celebrated, yet sometimes this still causes rifts between us. Looking at the earthquakes and other natural disasters that have recently caused havock in Japan and the way they handled the situation, makes me ashamed that we cannot work together like them.
South African's are stubborn and need to realise that the only way we can make our country better is by moving forward and embracing each others differences.
We have the right on this Human Right's Day to become better people and a stronger nation. If we have hate amongst ourselves, how will we ever become as great as Japan in a time of crises?
Is it about the apartheid struggle, the right of South Africans or a day to remember what we we once were and what we have become? Most South Africans spent today sleeping late, watching a movie or just enjoying the public holiday. The day signifies the freedom that we as South African's now enjoy and share together. The fact that we can now go to any movie theatre and not be discriminated against means that we have come quite a long way.
Do we still have a long way to go? Most definitely. We share diverse cultures, religions and races and this what makes our country unique. It should be celebrated, yet sometimes this still causes rifts between us. Looking at the earthquakes and other natural disasters that have recently caused havock in Japan and the way they handled the situation, makes me ashamed that we cannot work together like them.
South African's are stubborn and need to realise that the only way we can make our country better is by moving forward and embracing each others differences.
We have the right on this Human Right's Day to become better people and a stronger nation. If we have hate amongst ourselves, how will we ever become as great as Japan in a time of crises?
We are afraid of the wrong things
"Fear has its use, but cowardice has none. I may not put my hand into the jaws of a snake, but the very sight of the snake need not strike terror into me. The trouble is that we often die many times before death overtakes us.", Mahatma Gandhi.
It is human nature to be afraid of things we cannot control. When we are little, we are afraid of ghosts, creatures and other things that might be hiding in the closet. As we grow older, we are afraid of getting hurt, of loosing loved ones and ageing. Men are afraid of loosing their hair and loosing their youth while women are afraid of looking older and picking up weight.
Are these things really worth worrying over? We are actually just afraid of things that we cannot control. As human beings we like to believe that we control our destiny and everything that happens in the world is controlled by us. Supernatural things scare us because we don't want to believe that there might actually be something that we cannot explain.
Being afraid of all of these things are so meaningless, yet we are still afraid. Imagine if we didn't worry about the cellulite or the fact that we age with each day that goes by. Wouldn't it make the ride so much more pleasurable? Try just living life without worrying over the meaningless petty things. They are the least of our problems.
It is human nature to be afraid of things we cannot control. When we are little, we are afraid of ghosts, creatures and other things that might be hiding in the closet. As we grow older, we are afraid of getting hurt, of loosing loved ones and ageing. Men are afraid of loosing their hair and loosing their youth while women are afraid of looking older and picking up weight.
Are these things really worth worrying over? We are actually just afraid of things that we cannot control. As human beings we like to believe that we control our destiny and everything that happens in the world is controlled by us. Supernatural things scare us because we don't want to believe that there might actually be something that we cannot explain.
Being afraid of all of these things are so meaningless, yet we are still afraid. Imagine if we didn't worry about the cellulite or the fact that we age with each day that goes by. Wouldn't it make the ride so much more pleasurable? Try just living life without worrying over the meaningless petty things. They are the least of our problems.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Aren't we all a little 'crazy'?
I use the word 'crazy', not to be mean or small-minded, but to emphasise how loosely the term is used.
You could be crazy about someone you love, crazy over a song or when your friends refer to something reckless you did, they'd say, "you're crazy!"
We forget that there are people who aren't 'normal' according to us. People with Bipolar Disorder, Multi Personality Disorder and other diagnoses that make them 'crazy'. We forget that we are vulnerable to these disorders just like they were and poke fun at these people because we are so scared of becoming like them.
We are all a little 'crazy' sometimes and this is what makes us human. If something overwelms us and we feel like things are getting to much, the world seems crazy. We'd like to hide in a corner and wait for things to blow over.
I think about people who have actually overcome real diagnoses and even people who are still struggling with their disorders, and pray that we can understand what they go through each day.
I hope that people try to understand these disorders just a little bit better. It helps to know more about something when you're unsure and scared of it.
You could be crazy about someone you love, crazy over a song or when your friends refer to something reckless you did, they'd say, "you're crazy!"
We forget that there are people who aren't 'normal' according to us. People with Bipolar Disorder, Multi Personality Disorder and other diagnoses that make them 'crazy'. We forget that we are vulnerable to these disorders just like they were and poke fun at these people because we are so scared of becoming like them.
We are all a little 'crazy' sometimes and this is what makes us human. If something overwelms us and we feel like things are getting to much, the world seems crazy. We'd like to hide in a corner and wait for things to blow over.
I think about people who have actually overcome real diagnoses and even people who are still struggling with their disorders, and pray that we can understand what they go through each day.
I hope that people try to understand these disorders just a little bit better. It helps to know more about something when you're unsure and scared of it.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Fish falling from the sky
There are unexplained mysteries in the world that humans try to find out more about, but are still terribly afraid of what they might find.
In June 2009 a headline read, "Tadpoles, fish fall from sky in Japan." The same thing had happened in Australia and in other parts of the world. Even jellyfish, frogs and a cow torn into small pieces had fallen from the sky.
There have been a number of 'weird' things happening such as the supposed sightings of aliens or UFO's. While researching some interesting facts for my blog I came across a website where people can view the pictures other people supposeldy took of aliens. The funny thing was that these people registered on the sight because they believed that this mystery could be fact, yet everyone on the sight critised the images saying that they had been photoshopped.
Ghosts and other unexplainable phenomenons are also a cause of concern for humans, but most of us choose to ignore these strange things when others speak about them. This is because we are all afraid that there may be things we can't explain. We go to great lengths just to prove things (e.g space missions) so that we feel better, yet we make movies about everyting that can't be explained because we want to believe in the impossible.
There are things greater than us and I think this is what makes us scared. We've been the dominant species for as long as we can remember, and losing that would be too much for us as humans to even imagine.
In June 2009 a headline read, "Tadpoles, fish fall from sky in Japan." The same thing had happened in Australia and in other parts of the world. Even jellyfish, frogs and a cow torn into small pieces had fallen from the sky.
There have been a number of 'weird' things happening such as the supposed sightings of aliens or UFO's. While researching some interesting facts for my blog I came across a website where people can view the pictures other people supposeldy took of aliens. The funny thing was that these people registered on the sight because they believed that this mystery could be fact, yet everyone on the sight critised the images saying that they had been photoshopped.
Ghosts and other unexplainable phenomenons are also a cause of concern for humans, but most of us choose to ignore these strange things when others speak about them. This is because we are all afraid that there may be things we can't explain. We go to great lengths just to prove things (e.g space missions) so that we feel better, yet we make movies about everyting that can't be explained because we want to believe in the impossible.
There are things greater than us and I think this is what makes us scared. We've been the dominant species for as long as we can remember, and losing that would be too much for us as humans to even imagine.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
The adopted middle child of SA
Do we belong everywhere or nowhere?
Recent controversial statements in the media by celebrities and politicians have caused a stir in the coloured community. Always the middle child of South Africa, we've been silent and accepted every hand we've been given. We are pretty much the adopted middle child of this country. We belong everywhere, yet nowhere.
The term "coloured" refers to an ethnic group of mixed race people with roots all over the world. This group often possess substantial history from Europe, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaya, Mozambique, Mauritius, Saint Helena and Southern Africa. Genetic studies have proven that we have the highest levels of mixed ancestry in the world!
This should be something that coloured people should be proud of, yet we remain confused about where in the world we fit in. I believe that we represent the worlds potential, and deserve respect and recognition like every other race and culture.
We do have a culture, even though many other cultures don't believe this. The only place our generation know as home, is South Africa. Some of my ancestors may not have originated from this part of the world, but shouldn't the world be home?
We are a unique group. South Africa wouldn't be the same without us and its by time that the whole country realises this.
Yes Mr. Jimmy Manyi, Cape Town is overflowing with coloured people and we aren't going anywhere.
Recent controversial statements in the media by celebrities and politicians have caused a stir in the coloured community. Always the middle child of South Africa, we've been silent and accepted every hand we've been given. We are pretty much the adopted middle child of this country. We belong everywhere, yet nowhere.
The term "coloured" refers to an ethnic group of mixed race people with roots all over the world. This group often possess substantial history from Europe, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaya, Mozambique, Mauritius, Saint Helena and Southern Africa. Genetic studies have proven that we have the highest levels of mixed ancestry in the world!
This should be something that coloured people should be proud of, yet we remain confused about where in the world we fit in. I believe that we represent the worlds potential, and deserve respect and recognition like every other race and culture.
We do have a culture, even though many other cultures don't believe this. The only place our generation know as home, is South Africa. Some of my ancestors may not have originated from this part of the world, but shouldn't the world be home?
We are a unique group. South Africa wouldn't be the same without us and its by time that the whole country realises this.
Yes Mr. Jimmy Manyi, Cape Town is overflowing with coloured people and we aren't going anywhere.
What colour is the wind?
What colour is the wind? A song by Charlie Landsborough asks , "is a gentle breeze a lighter shade just like his friend the sea? The wind feels blue to me."
The wind has a personality and will therefore be a different colour when it changes its' mood. When there's a gentle breeze blowing on a hot summers day, the wind will be a baby blue in my opinion. When Cape Town gets those lovely gushes of wind caused by the south easterly, the colour of the wind will be a bright orange or red.
Nature throws a variety of wind types our way, and expects us to appreciate them all. A slight breeze in the summer or a heavy wind that could carry a girl to the other side of Cape Town in winter. This is why we love Cape Town. The personality of Cape Town's wind can be compared to that of a woman. Shy and sweet at times, but full of attitude and anger if you mess with her.
The colour of the wind is different every day and even though most people don't realise it, our moods often tie in with the mood of the wind.
The wind has a personality and will therefore be a different colour when it changes its' mood. When there's a gentle breeze blowing on a hot summers day, the wind will be a baby blue in my opinion. When Cape Town gets those lovely gushes of wind caused by the south easterly, the colour of the wind will be a bright orange or red.
Nature throws a variety of wind types our way, and expects us to appreciate them all. A slight breeze in the summer or a heavy wind that could carry a girl to the other side of Cape Town in winter. This is why we love Cape Town. The personality of Cape Town's wind can be compared to that of a woman. Shy and sweet at times, but full of attitude and anger if you mess with her.
The colour of the wind is different every day and even though most people don't realise it, our moods often tie in with the mood of the wind.
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