It is a bad idea to lie to yourself.... and others

We were all taught not to lie from an early age. When we would do something bad, blame someone else for it and then get caught, our parents would punish us for lying.

These days so many people in high positions lie, cheat and steal like their parents never taught them anything. Big companies lie to us to get more sales, politicians lie to get more votes and people in general lie to have things go their way.

The recent headlines in most of the national newspapers and other media have been about Shell's plans of "fracking" or hydraulic fracturing in the Karoo. The Karoo community, environmental activists and average South African citizens are trying to get the government to halt Shell's plans as they believe the fracking will be harmful to the environment and too much water will be lost because of the process of drilling into the earth.

I'm definitly not accusing Shell of lying to South Africans about the unharmful affects of fracking or accusing the citizens of South Africa and the Karoo of being overly sensitive. I'm trying to be biased, but still asking the question, how far would 'the big guy' go to trample on the little guy.

Would he lie, cheat and steal? In today's age of ruthlessness we never really know.

Procrastination

According to Wikipedia, "procrastination refers to the act of replacing high-priority with tasks of low priority, and thus putting off important tasks to a later time." "Procrastination may result in stress, a sense of guilt and crises, severe loss of personal productivity, as well as social disapproval for not meeting responsibilities or commitments. These feelings combined may promote further procrastination."

Do you ever procrastinate? I know i do it a lot and feel immense guilt afterwards. It causes so much stress afterwards that the actual act of putting work off isn't even worth it. 

I'm a reasonably organised person and strongly believe in time management, yet sometimes i do procrastinate when it feels like a have a heavy workload.

Severe procrastination can lead to stress and depression. The point of this blog is actually to try to stop myself from procrastinating and that's why I'm posing it early!

Its my new way of living life with less stress. I think it will do me well in 2011.

HOW TO BE A FASHION GODDESS 101: BE AN ORIGINAL

I’m dedicating this week’s blog to the South African fashion industry. What fashion industry you ask? Does South Africa even have a fashion industry and where is it?

We have so much talent in the design and fashion industries and I’ve been privileged to see some of the future talent at the recent graduation ceremony of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s Informatics and Design Faculty.

We know that we have talent, quality materials and labour, yet we refuse to buy local. So why not support our LOCAL TALENT by buying local and being original? We often look to America and other countries to guide us where fashion is concerned. Paris Hilton and the Kardashians must know what looks hot, and since they look good we want to be just like them.

Here’s news: If we were meant to be copies, we would’ve all looked and acted exactly the same. You are not a copy so…. BE AN ORIGINAL.

Young Star Originals, a new store opening in Claremont on May 7, supports local designers and original clothing and designs. The store will be launched on April 30 where models will show off some of the season’s hottest trends. This launch is just around the corner and i'm hoping it will be a huge success. Fashion bloggers and other lifestyle media will be attending, so if all goes well, we'll get some great coverage for the opening.

See the cool logo below and come support local talent on May 7!!!

The sound of one hand clapping

To me, the sound of one hand clapping represents two things: Silence and the feeling of being lonely.

When both hands are not working together to make the sound of a clap, there is utter silence. No roar of a hundred hands clapping to show someone they've done well and you acknowledge this by clapping your hands. Even as babies we knew that when our parents clapped their hands for something we did, they were proud.

There are times when we feel like we are lonely, just like one hand clapping. There could be a hundred people in a room and we'd still feel like none of them understand us.

Do you often feel like only one hand gets clapped for you? Maybe we need to put our hands together for each other more often. Show that you are proud of someone and acknowledge their achievements by putting both of your hands together.

Surely there's a reason we have two?

Not all who wander are lost

"All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost." J.R Toklien.

This phrase, mentioned twice in the Lord of the Rings series means that things are never as they seem. Someone may appear happy to the outside world, but this could be a farce. Its all about perceptions.

A man may have a big house in Camps Bay with the most expensive cars and the richest friends, but he may not be happy. He will appear happy to others because many people aspire to be where he is, yet they don't understand the difference between perceptions and reality.

Not all those who wander are lost. We could be more lost than the man on the street who has no home, money and food. Many of us don't know our purpose or we ignore it. The man who has everything might be searching for his higher purpose, yet the outside world will see him as having everything.

My vow is to stop using perceptions as my reality. Those who are lost need help. We need to see their reality and help them.

Gossip and scandal this way

So who am i and what am i all about? Wouldn't you like to know...

My life could never be compared to Heidi running on the hill in slow motion (very good) or being eaten alive by packman (very bad) Its something inbetween. I've had really tough times and very good times!!!

I was born on November 1, 1989 in Cape Town to Jacqueline and Louie (yes funny names) Sonnenberg. My father passed away a year later and it was the Megan and Jackie show ever since. I attended Parow High School, which is no Westerford but i think i've done quite okay with middle class education. I was given opportunities that many of my peers didn't have. My mother worked a stupid amount of hours just to get me through school. We started out with two beer crates for a lounge suit (sad but funny) and we pretty much had to do the male chores around the house too.

All of this has made me the person that i am today.

This is my boyfriend Marc (left) who i met two years ago at a party. He'll be opening a store in Claremont main road that helps young designers by displaying their clothing. Please support!!! The one on the right is one of my cousins. Looks like she's talking about something really important right? Nope, she just had a bit too much to drink at my 21st birthday party.

This is Fatima. She's like my mother's almost adopted child. Way too cute!

So that was just a very quick sneak peak into my life. There's still so much so much more to come...

Looking at the 'tik issue' in the Western Cape

Crystal Meth or 'Tik' as it is more commonly referred to in Cape Town, is the darker side of the beautiful city. When looking at the city from the top of Table Mountain or on the cover of tourism magazines one would never say that it has an evil side, yet it does.

I discovered that the evil side of this city has a name while doing a research assignment on tik and its' effects. See an abstract from a poem below that was written about this drug that takes and takes and eventually ruins those who become slaves to it and the ones who love them.

The voice of 'Tik':

"I'll take and take till you have no more to give,
When I finish with you, you have no more to give.
If you try me, be warned: this is not a game.
If I'm given the chance, I'll drive you insane.
I'll ravage your body, I'll control your mind.
I'll own you competely. Your soul will be mine."

A lot of information is available on the internet and in the media about tik, yet the problem still persists. Is it because of poverty, crime or the high unemployment rates? Is it the result of South Africa's history that is catching up to us?

Why is the government only seen talking about this problem around election time?

How do you step from the top of a 100-foot pole?

"How do you step from the top of a 100 foot pole?" This is a question from a famous story in Zen literature.

The main thought in the poem is that you cannot sit and wait while perched on the pole, you have to take a step forward and make a choice to do something. You have to take the risk and know that there may be a concrete floor waiting for you when you fall, but there might just be a soft landing.

So how do you actually step from this 100-foot pole? Do you just take a leap of faith? Do you prepare first and hope that this is enough? The only time to step from the pole is when you have the courage to do so. You cannot hope that a wind might push you or you'll fall accidentally. You must first be prepared to take the risk.

Courage is the main word here. There is a quote by Sven Goran Eriksson that says, "The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure."

How do you step from the top of a 100-foot pole?

"How do you step from the top of a 100 foot pole?" This is a question from a famous story in Zen literature.

The main thought in the poem is that you cannot sit and wait while perched on the pole, you have to take a step forward and make a choice to do something. You have to take the risk and know that there may be a concrete floor waiting for you when you fall, but there might just be a soft landing.

So how do you actually step from this 100-foot pole? Do you just take a leap of faith? Do you prepare first and hope that this is enough? The only time to step from the pole is when you have the courage to do so. You cannot hope that a wind might push you or you'll fall accidentally. You must first be prepared to take the risk.

Courage is the main word here. There is a quote by Sven Goran Eriksson that says, "The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure."