Our greatest strengths are our greatest weaknesses

What does this mean? How can this be? When a woman is independent, that's a strength right? Or when a man is sensitive, that's a strength too?

Wrong. Depending on the situation, these can both turn into our weaknesses. A woman who is too independent or won't allow herself to depend on anyone else, this can eventually lead to a lonely life. When a man is sensitive, people could take advantage of this and it could also turn into a weakness.

These are only examples as to how our greatest strengths can become our greatest weaknesses. I've recently watched a movie called, 'Due date.' It was basically about a woman who decides to become pregnant through artificial insemination. On the same day she meets the man of her dreams and he is willing to accept the baby, but she's independent. A little too much. She doesn't trust anybody and thinks that this man will eventually leave her.

The point is that, things that are our strengths can easily become our weaknesses.

We all need balance. That's how our weaknesses are still our weaknesses but we can overcome them.

The age old debate about feminism - in 2011

As part of my Public Relations B-Tech studies, we focused on the topic at hand for one of our subjects. Knowing what the overall meaning behind feminism was, i thought that this subject would be easy and wouldn't affect me as there weren't many chauvenists and "old school" men out there, right? WRONG.

I recently had an encounter with such a man that literally caused me to see red. I was angered that this MAN thought i was beneath him because im a woman. Showing no respect to me while in a heated argument and pretty much blowing me off, either because im a women or because im young, is what makes my blood really boil, i've found.

As a Scorpio and only child to a single mother, i have no experience with men treating me badly and this first hand experience has taught me that i can really get ANGRY at a chauvinst. I'm normally quite calm and try not to take things too personally, but it seems i've found my weak spot.

Other than being angry, i'm dissapointed and hurt that such blatant discrimination can still take place in 2011. Any kind of discrimination is wrong and although we cannot change the views of such people, i can make sure that something gets done.

Being a powerful, educated young women, i have the power to do much more than the women before me. I will take this experience, learn from it and use it to overcome any other chauvenist that might cross my path.

ITS TIME FOR CHANGE AND 2011 IS THE YEAR TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

The end of the world....! can't it wait, i still have so much work to do

So many times throughout my existence, there were assumptions that the world was going to end on a certain day in a certain year. Instead of running around like headless chickens or hiding in an attic, waiting for the end, many people went about with their daily activities.

It seems nobody has time for anything, not even the end of the World. I was stuck in my room doing work when the end was recently supposed to be here, and if the end really had to come, thats how many people would've gone. (especially B-Tech part time PR students at CPUT)

Its quite sad actually. If aliens had to invade, i swear we would've all asked them to help us reseach or do our readings for a certain boring subject, instead of staring wide eyed at the little green creatures.

Have we just become way too busy or have people stopped believing all the assumptions because of science and technology? I can't answer for everybody else, but i just don't have the time to stop for even a minute and wait to see if its all true... my assignments would be late if i did!

Try a cliche

Something that really makes my blood boil and rubs me up the wrong way is when people are so lazy that they use cliche's all the time. So unoriginal.

We should live and learn to use better ways of expressing ourselves, but we all know that this its easier said than done. Have i hit the nail on the head yet?

We are taught that using cliches are bad and makes a story oh so boring, but have you ever actually tried using a cliche. Meaning, actually doing what the cliche says.

Example: An apple a day keeps the Doctor away. Now you might not actually need to eat the apple everyday, but rather eat heatlhy and take care of your body.

Many cliches actually make sense, but we don't really take note of this becuase they are so overused.

Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Try a cliche!!
Just remember Rome wasn't built in a day....annoyed yet????

:-)

Feelings follow behavior

As children, we did things we knew we weren’t supposed to. Only when reprimanded did we think about the consequences of our actions and how we could’ve done things differently. As teens we went through the same things, and even as adults we face feelings that follow our bad behaviours.

The difference when you’re all grown up is that there are now other ways of reprimanding you. Ways that doesn’t just include a scolding or a smack on the bum from your mother. You will now face the law when doing something criminal, your religious leaders or you God depending on your religion when doing something sinful or another adult if you’ve done something to that person to upset them.

This concept of “feelings follow behavior” makes me think about the people who are in prison and facing a long life sentence. Recently, a story appeared in the news about a girl and her boyfriend satanically and brutally killing a random stranger. They are now facing jail time. They must be thinking about their actions now, because as we all know, we only feel bad when something bad happens to us.

The concept that many adults either don’t understand or refuse to take note of is that everything has consequences. Think about all of your actions before you do them and not afterwards, when it’s way too late.

This is just a friendly reminder to think, because there are many normal people like you and me facing the consequences of their actions in a small 1m cell with a bunk bed for them and their new “love.”

The election wars

The definition of the elections of South Africa in post President Mandela times, according to me, is just another term for "empty promises."

I've been keeping an eye on the election wars on the news, on billboards, on the radio and even on Twitter! Debate has unfolded and a war has erupted. The two main parties who seem to be fighting for power (and not the people) is the Democratic Alliance lead by Helen Zille and the African National Congress lead by President Jacob Zuma.

While i am a little bit biased because i support one of these parties, mainly because they've actually delivered a small piece of what they promised, i must say that the tactics by all of the parties are just so distasteful. Fight a good fight based on what you deliver and not on what the other party doesn't deliver!

Cape Town wants to be run by a good party that is really "for the people." We love our city and we want a democratic party that loves it just as much as we do. We don't care how silly you look when dancing, or if the colour of your skin is brown. We want a party who doesn't have ulterior motives or who merely wants Cape Town in order to have control of the whole country.

The City of Cape Town has a slogon which says, "Help us make this city great." Please, please leading party that eventually wins the local elections, HELP US MAKE THIS CITY GREAT!!

Spending quality time with my loved ones

A car accident that I had this past Friday reminded me of the things in life that are actually worth living for.

I planned on going for brunch with my mother on Mothers Day but due to my injuries, I couldn't. I planned on going to the opening of my boyfriends store but also couldn't because of my injuries. I'm thankful that the accident wasn't as bad as it couldv'e been, but it has definetly opened my eyes to the more imporantant things in life.

I go to work and then to tech and somehow make time for the people I care about. My career is imporant to me, very imporantant but my loved-ones are the real reason that I'm happy and content everyday.

I want to plan a trip for the end of the year with me and people I care about and who care about me. People often take their loved-ones for granted and I don't want to be one of them.

Something can easily take away your loved-ones at any time. Always let them know that you appreciate them and that they mean the world to you.

It is better to practice a little than talk a lot

"If at first you don't succeed, try and try again." This is the little famous quote my primary school principal always drilled in our heads.

This was quite difficult over the years as it is so easy to just give up than to practice, practice and practice again, yet I never gave up. I ask myself why I never give up and my principal's head pops up in a little bubble on the side of my head. "Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again" he would also say.

I've come to realise that moaning about getting something done takes so much longer than trying and trying again to actually get it done.

Its really much better to practice a little, than to talk a lot.

IN THE TIME OF DISTRICT SIX

In doing research for an assignment, i came across some interesting information about the history of District Six.

I come from a family that grew up in District Six and am now at a University of Technology that was built on the grounds of what once was District Six. Its quite ironic that the same place that my mother was forcibly removed from is now the place that I'm getting further education from. Its like the land was taken away from people who loved it and is now giving a different generation the opportunity to reach their dreams and those of their parents.

In a book called William Street, District Six by Hettie Adams and Hermoine Suttner the process of the forced removal of coloured people in District Six is beautifully described. Adams says, "Sammy used to go to William Street every Saturday for some time, that was when all was empty but not knocked down yet, and he just sat there and looked and cried. Slowly, slowly, everyone went, and Cape Town died."

The houses were in very poor condition, the streets were filled with rubble and rats and the people were so poor that fifteen people lived in one house, but there was a culture that the people that lived there treasured.

That culture will forever live in the hearts of the people of District Six.

The houses and streets of District 6

Wedding cake in the middle of the road

Why do people get married? Some get married because they love each other and want to be recognized as a married couple legally and religiously. Others get married because their partner is wealthy and they want to live the good life. Then there are some who get married because they are forced to or because their family believes that it’s the only way to gain status in a community.

Whatever the reasons for getting married, more people seem to be getting divorced. This is my interpretation of wedding cake in the middle of the road. Data published by the site, My Digital Life about divorce statistics indicate that the number of granted cases in South Africa has been fluctuating between 37 098 and 28 924 per annum in the past decade (1999-2008).

The royal wedding ceremony between Prince William and Kate Middleton, which took place on April 29, 2011, was a grand affair. People from all over the world watched this very romantic ceremony. The couple looked very much in love and ready to show the world just how much. The question I would like to pose is, what makes people turn from complete love and adoration to hate and disgust. Sometimes divorce is a mutual thing, but sometimes it can also be part of a hateful process.

Weddings and grand affairs to celebrate the love between two people are beautiful when they marry for the right reasons, but when they marry for all the wrong reasons, they might just as well throw their wedding cake in the middle of the road.