That's a wrap... for 2016 at least

It is almost that time of year when South Africa shuts down, and I know I won't be blogging again before the end of 2016. What a year it has been (for the world - for me, personally, it hasn't really been that noteworthy). I look forward to it being over and I hope that 2017 includes more rational decisions in the global community.  I hope that people will be kinder and make decisions that are rational rather than from a place of fear. I hope that science will not be ignored and that Trump will turn out to not be an idiot and that Zuma will stop being one. 

However, I hope to make the most of the rest of 2016 and I hope you do too. I love this time of year, I love the sunshine, the long days, the bubbles and crisp white wines. I love that I get to see most of my family and be in touch with friends I haven't spoken to in a while. 

I am looking forward to lazy days, early morning walks on the beach, plunges into the pool and cuddles with the dogs. I am looking forward to laughing and being a tiny bit silly. I can't wait to hug my folks (and all the people I love) and eat mom's mince pies. 

I am also looking forward to 2017 and making NY resolutions that I may, or may not keep. I want to explore my beautiful country more; to swim, in rivers, seas or pools; mostly, I want to make sure that no matter the number of horrible news stories I read, that I am kinder and optimistic and proactive in speaking up for things that matter to me. 

A campsite just outside Greyton. I can't wait to find more fab
places to visit in 2017! 

So, I wish you all the very best over this festive season and I hope it is safe and happy. I hope you have fun and come back to 2017 ready to also be kinder and optimistic and proactive in speaking up for things that matter to you, because, more and more, I think we need to stop relying on someone else to sort things out and we need to make sure our voices are heard. 

OK, but MOSTLY, just have a lovely festive season and drink champagne and wear sunscreen! (Apologies to those up north - but you can enjoy mulled wine and wear... LOTS!)

Champagne and happiness

After my previous grumpy post, it is quite nice to be able to write that things are looking a little brighter again - although that might also be because of my recent wine-drinking opportunities (more on that later). 

The Bay Hotel, Camps Bay. What a setting!

The charges against poor Pravin have been withdrawn and Abrahams looks silly (and is now sad that people are judging him in social media - but my sympathy is limited given what he did, very publicly, to Pravin and our economy).  And while I am having a TRULY awesome week, Zuma isn't which isn't a bad thing in my opinion. (Unfortunately I rather suspect that he is indifferent to public opinion and can't even be bothered to feel sad). Thanks to the magnificent Thuli's State Capture Report, Zuma, van Rooyen, Eskom and the Guptas etc. are under scrutiny and even though it might just be the beginning of the process and Zuma might still pull some magic out of his corruption hat, it is a start.

And in international wins, Namibia reversed the decision about phosphate mining! Whoop whoop! We will be keeping an eye on you (and South Africa's marine phosphate mining decisions) though! A huge marine protected area was declared in the Antarctic... not just huge, the hugest and it is a pretty amazing achievement because it required collaboration from a bunch of counties (which gives me hope for other things that need inter-country collaboration, e.g. climate change mitigation and stopping fishing subsidies). And wonderful Leo is doing wonderful things (which totally justify teenage-Shannon thinking he was the best-ever.) Not only has he made #BeforetheFlood (which I haven't watched yet, sorry Leo) but he is putting his name behind other environmental initiatives too (I realise, he isn't a saint, just someone lucky enough to be famous, but there are MANY famous people doing nothing).  

Even the coffee was extra special!

Of course, there are still unresolved problems and so, dear rational and active citizenry, please don't get too relaxed yet (and looting isn't justified during marches no matter what the cause you are marching for) but it is important to celebrate occasionally too.  

I had a fabulous but slightly surreal mid-week. Firstly, I drank wine at the ridiculously beautiful Bay Hotel in Camps Bay at the Norway-South Africa Science Week. The Science Week was all about discussing future opportunities for research and collaboration between the two countries which is a wonderfully hopeful thing to be discussing (particularly in beautiful settings, first Camps Bay and then the Waterfront).

Cheese should always have glitter and come with
champagne. It was all so pretty!

And then, I got to start celebrating Christmas early... Completely out of the blue, I received an email from Pick n Pay inviting me to their "A Taste of Christmas" event. I didn't really know what to think or what it would be or whether it was real (it wasn't Google-able).  BUT, it was real and it was magnificent. I am happy anytime I arrive somewhere and they hand me champagne (which really doesn't happen often enough) but that was really just the tip of the ice berg. All the staff were so welcoming and friendly, I felt like I had mistakenly found myself in the VIP section. Judging from the bewildered but happy faces around me, I think I wasn't the only one. 

Pick n Pay outdid themselves, the setting was stunning, the food amazing, the atmosphere fantastic. I kept waiting for a catch, but the only catch I found was that I ran out of space in my stomach (and even then, we were sent on our way with Christmas cake, a personalised Lindt teddy bear, Ferrero Rocher balls and a chocolate mince pie - although I sort of stole that, wrapped in a serviette). Pick n Pay has a great range of Christmas gifts too, we chatted to one of the buyers and she said they have increased their Christmas range by ten fold (maybe, I had had champagne and am never good at remembering details). 

Champagne with a view

I was very sad to leave the elegantly glittery cheese platters and the ridiculously delicious stollen (not to mention the gin cocktails, champagne and wines that I couldn't drink too much of because of that whole driving thing), but I am so grateful to Pick n Pay for such a fantastic evening. I felt completely spoiled and loved every moment of it! I only wish that I had had more room in my belly.


P.S. Don't worry Mom, I didn't waste space on mince pies, I know yours are the only ones worth eating! 

STOP! Smell the roses

Life is hectic and stressful and the world is starting to feel a little like Voldemort is gaining power. There are droughts and floods and mass dies offs and increasing racism and right wing tendencies even in countries we thought we could count on to be rational and nice (Sweden, I am so disappointed).









And yet, there is also so much beauty and happiness and good in the world. I think we all need to make a proper effort to appreciate that. And I don't mean snapping a quick picture with your camera phone but really properly focusing on all the good things. I know it might sound frivolous or new age-y but, so what? We get bombarded by bad news all the time let's just take a moment to actively look for goodness and happiness.






I am not sure if it is the change in the season, but at the moment every sunset and sunrise seems to be more breathtaking than the last. If you can't find anything else to be happy about, take a moment to appreciate that.

More and more it seems that being a workaholic is something to be proud of, but really, so is being a good friend, an interesting person and someone that appreciates beauty and Pinotage. The Awkward Yeti is awesome, follow your heart! See LINK and LINK and oh, LINK.

It would have been better if I actually had a picture of roses but, funnily enough, I don't really like roses.

Bit early - NYE Resolutions

So, the end of the year is coming at break neck speed. I am pretty excited because I know I have a job for January - so next year won't start out with me feeling lost and panicked... I have gotten sidetracked already... This blog came about because one of my friends sent me this link, hoping to inspire me to make the most of time but it also made me a little sad.

Say I live until 85... and pretend I am already 33...
It sounds depressing but read on for why I worked
this out. 

While I am excited about 2016 and the possibilities it brings, there are some things in my life I still need to change. A lot of these things are hangovers from the PhD - I know that's crazy because it has been a long time since I finished with that - but it really impacted on how I spend my time. From the start of my MSc I didn't really have a holiday, weekend or evening that I didn't spend working or feeling guilty about not working. (Since I am not all that diligent, the guilty probably outweighed the actually time spent working). It is a little bit exhausting feeling guilty all the time. 

Let's say I read a book a week... That's a lot of books still
to read which is pretty cool... but there are always so
 many books out there...
Let me know what you recommend!
Also - approximately
the number of chocolates I will get to eat
(blush - another NYR could be required)...
I wouldn't want to do this with glasses of wine.

Especially during my PhD, I limited what TV series and movies I allowed myself to watch (this means that while I frequently sit awkwardly in conversations about pop culture I have never heard of, I can/do quote the series I did watch more than anyone I know - go on, ask me about Harry Potter or How I Met Your Mother (but not the last season because it was a disappointment)...), I felt guilty if I went out. It meant that I didn't exercise as often as I should - this is a crazy thing because exercise would probably have helped my body cope with stress but it isn't something I enjoy so I would hardly prioritse is in a time-limited world - right? This left me feeling unfit and disinclined to join social activities  that required exercise - a real downward spiral. Oh, I also didn't have much money, so while there are some types of exercise I do enjoy, I didn't feel like I could spend money on it. Do you know, at one stage I stopped reading books - can you imagine?? (Actually, I remember when I was doing my MSc and had field work on Robben Island, I used to love that on the ferry trip over there I had 45 minutes of guilt free reading - because I really couldn't do anything else - which is crazy because that should not have been the only time I was doing my favourite favuorite thing.)

And say I get to go to a new country every year...
53 pins seemed a lot but it was tricky to place them
and lots of pins in Europe (sorry Australia). 

Anyway, this is not limited to PhD-ers of course. People are always busy! How often do you find that it has been weeks or months since you have spoken to, never mind seen the people that you really really care about? And it isn't that it is anyone's fault, it is just a fact of hectic life and geography. I hate the the time I can spend with the people I love is limited. For me, it never feels like enough. BUT, it is the festive season/year end so not a time for sadness but active reflection: it is important that when you are with people you love that you are truly PRESENT, that you make the most of it, that you embrace every moment and treasure it (even if the moment is annoyance or frustration or impatience - because Inside Out (yes, I watch movies these days) teaches us that all emotions are important).



The link summarises with three pieces of advise: 1) Live in the same place as the people you love 2) prioritise and 3) quality matters. I can't do much about 1, I have people I love all over the world and I am sure that most people have the same problem, but you can do something about 2 and 3.

53 Christmas Trees to decorate and Enjoy

So, as you spend time with your families this festive season, be grateful you are together (even over Skype/Whatsapp/Email - technology is pretty awesome) and be present! Go swimming, eat ice cream, SMILE, listen properly and laugh sincerely and drink only good quality wine/champagne! Gosh, I sound like a hallmark card... cringe. Seriously, my 2016 resolutions are to prioritse the people and relationships in my life, to exercise (but only the fun types of exercise), to be present and to have FUN - and to continue trying to save the world of course!!!

I have over 19 thousand days to make the most of... how about you?? And I am going to start by making the most of my awesome family (which is obviously the most awesome family in the world) all being together, so I might not write for a while, happy festive season!!!  

Looking back

The end of 2014 was a pretty busy time, what with having to watch all (but one - which I frustratingly forgot to bring on holiday) the Harry Potter movies (You should have guessed I am a fan and there is a study that shows that reading the Harry Potter novels made young people less xenophobic so I am not even going to be embarrassed by my fandom)... One of my friends suggested that binge watching Harry Potter movies was a perfectly reasonable way for people in their thirties to spend New Years Eve. 

OK, OK, and there was that whole graduation thing (which was totally Harry Potter-esque). So let me catch you up... 

My two PhD campuses:
University of Cape Town and
University of Pretoria (still intact)

While walking to the (what I thought would be cringey lunch) I couldn't help thinking that the arches of SMUTS residents are wasted on 18-year-old first years who are probably too young to have watched Harry Potter. The Smuts dining hall is lovely, and even if the first years have watched Harry Potter, I am sure they wouldn't recognise the crests of the four provinces of "Old South Africa" that adorn the stain glass windows.  The quad area is also fabulous. I felt sad that I had spent my first year in an ugly pink, spiral building at the bottom of the hill (Tugwell).

The lunch wasn't at all cringey. My main supervisor was also invited and it was really nice to sit with her and not talk about my thesis. (She did ask another PhD student at the table how long it had taken him and I couldn't help nudging her and telling her that it and "what are you doing next" are rude questions. He said it is the equivalent of asking "how old are you?" and "how much do you weigh?")  The food was delicious and it was a fabulous cheap thrill to have to stand up and bob my head (blushing furiously) when they called my name (every PhD got to stand up and bob - although the extroverted ones waved or bowed and didn't blush at all). It was also really great to have some friends graduating at the same time as me, so it was even more fun than expected to go collect our RED CAPES and try on the silly pouffy hats. 

Go on, you know you
can picture this in
Hogwarts... 

And then... I fell in love... 

When I graduated in 2003, I looked admiringly at the PhDs in their red capes and right there I decided I had to be one of them one day. Admittedly, an outfit - not matter how awesome - is probably not a good enough reason to do a PhD, but once I had that cape in my hands, I didn't want to ever give it back. 

blurry with excitement...
but that's pretty much the grin that
was plastered on my face all afternoon

So, we all know graduations are boring, you just have to sit and listen to a bunch of names that don't mean anything to you (although I have been a demonstrator for some of the BScs) waiting for the two seconds when you go up and spend the whole time concentrating so hard on not stuffing up that it all passes in a bit of a blur. However, even knowing and anticipating that (it is not my first graduation, you know) I spent the whole time grinning like a crazy person. We had awesome front row seats so lots of opportunity to comment on the ridiculous heels some people were wearing (no tripping, but there was one very close call) and I was right in front of our department's very lovely HOD. I am pretty sure she noticed me grinning like a crazy person, but I was really very happy to be there. 

The quality of the paper appears to
be related to the degree you are getting.

It was also really fantastic to have my folks down in Cape Town for a bit of a holiday and wine drinking. We went to Kirstenbosch's magical Carols by Glow stick. We celebrated at a lovely new restaurant in Harfield Village that serves responsible, seasonal and sustainable food - Graze - and let us drink lots of our own wine without charging corkage (this was because they are still waiting for their liquor licence so was a time-limited bonus). We also explored "The Spice Route" which isn't a route as such, but one place with loads of exciting things to do (wine tasting, chocolate tasting, beer tasting and delicious food at the restaurants). But, even if all we had done was go to graduation, it was lovely to share this huge moment with two of the people that made it possible, were forever supportive, generous and patient and never put pressure on me. I am, and always will be, so grateful to my amazing parents. 

I was also humbled (AGAIN - gosh this PhD thing is very humbling) by all the messages and support I got on the day and subsequent to it. And, did you know, graduation can result in gifts!? I did not expect that at all, but was very excited about them nonetheless! 

For those of you that are wondering if the pain and torture is worth it... (I am not going to mention the physical heart ache I felt when handing back the cloak and having to acknowledge that I am no longer a UCT student) I have to say that it is. (Well, graduation day is - I am currently unemployed, so in the bigger picture I am not sure whether or not it was). Yes, it is cheesy and old-fashioned and only a single day after years of PhD stress, but I was so thrilled to be there. I would possibly have worn that red cape (and even that silly pouffy hat) everyday for a year

if I didn't have to give it back. So do it - submit - and go to your graduation!

Of course, now to find a job.... 

Then and Now!

Happy days

Beautiful Benji in the holiday spirit

It is that time of year... I am heading off to KZN and intermittent internet so will not be posting much but will hopefully get some pictures up of "THE BIG DAY" which is... can you imagine.... tomorrow!!!!!!!

Today there is lunch with the Vice Chancellor and various other important people that I have obviously never had any dealings with before and tomorrow is "THE BIG DAY". I feel weirdly stressed out about it, but I imagine that will fade once I have the red cape... wait... RED CAPE! I am also not sure what to expect from this lunch, so hopefully, in between drinking lots of champagne, wine, cocktails and long walks on the beach (where the water is warm enough to swim in - if you can drag yourself away from the champagne, wine and cocktails) I will get a chance to tell you about "THE BIG DAY" and (probably slightly cringey) lunch. 

Meanwhile, HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Take a break and enjoy spending time with your family and switch off the stress a little! (I am still trying to figure out how to do that, but I think the change of scenery will help!) 

Never ending story

stolen off Facebook

The internet is amazing, and it turns out that I can see where the people that have looked at my blog posts have linked to the site from. (That was a poorly constructed thought, but I am running on adrenaline (I didn't sleep very well last night, 1 am seemed the perfect time to fix the font size of my page numbers) and carrot cake...) Mostly, the people that view my blog are my Facebook friends. So, that means that most of you have seen that I have handed in the FINAL copy of my thesis, but I am going to blog about it anyway. I promise that I will stop expecting you to be happy for me soon... but there is still graduation to come. 

I think some of it makes quite
pretty wrapping paper...

This is now the third time, so I am beginning to feel like a local in the DDB  (doctoral degrees board), and a little bit responsible for the deforestation in Brazil. (Although, if you receive a gift from me in the next couple of months, you can expect it to be wrapped in previous editions of my thesis.) After the tears and general sense of relief and weak knees when I got the result, this moment is some what of an anticlimax... Even though it is the end of something, I now have to try get the thing published so I need to start rewriting it - again. And of course, the dark cloud in the corner of my vision: the "what next" question needs to be dealt with. But when I left the DDB I decided that at very least I had to get a cake. 

It is, after all, important to celebrate everything. I mentioned this in one of my very early blogs, it doesn't have to be "the final hand-in" that you celebrate, it should be every small triumph along the way. Life is short and you don't need an excuse to drink champagne or eat cake. So, I am going to take the rest of the day off - COMPLETELY and enjoy the moment, but first, I have a mug to smash on Jammie steps... 

Happy Dance

I'm not going to lie, I was expecting the worst. I was picturing how I'd have to spend years explaining that, no, in fact, I do not have a PhD. I was trying to imagine how to put a positive spin on it in my CV. I've even had whiny conversations about: "what if" to which my sister replied "you won't be the first person in the world not to get their PhD". This is true. And I know that the people that love me, would love me the same amount with or without a PhD after my name, and I would after all still have an MSc, and those that know me, know I worked hard and no one can take that away from me...

And then, on the lucky 7th of October, I got an email that meant I wouldn't have to delete myself from social media and become a hermit in some cold country where no one would think to look for me! (Because even when you know that people will still love you, the sympathetic head tilts can still make you want to run away). 

I got my PhD!!!!!!

To set the scene: We had just finishing the first haul of the crab trap for the day, and I checked my phone for the time and saw that there was email. It was from the DDB (who should really write happy emails in pink and rainbows not with big bold bits highlighted in red as though I am in trouble!) I literally folded on to the side of the jetty and when my colleague asked how the catch had been I started to cry! I sent a Whatsapp to my family and my mom called in tears, and then my sister called in tears, and then I posted it to Facebook and had this sudden attack of doubt - did I misunderstand the email? I sent it to my sister for confirmation and luckily I hadn't just embarrassed myself in a horribly public way! 

I've had such an overwhelming outpouring of love and support and tears and relief that I'm just, well, overwhelmed and a tiny bit shell shocked. I'm so grateful for how genuinely supportive so many people have been about my grumpiness, stress, wine and whining. You know who you are and you are rock stars of my heart - all of you!!! (An "acknowledgements" blog is in pipeline). My phone's battery has not been up to the challenge of coping with the messages, Facebook posts and phone calls. 

And soon, I will get to wear that silly pouffy hat and awesome red cape and the drink the bottle of fancy wine I have been saving "just in case" for far too long, and maybe I'll have to drink some bubbles while in a whimsical frame of mind because (with a few extra wrinkles)...

 I SURVIVED!!!!!!

(I do have some few corrections to make that have to be done before the 24th November so I can graduate on the 20th December this year - eekkkkkkk graduation excitement!!!!! - but I think they are totally manageable and actually there are only 5 things I have to change, 4 of which could be done in less than an hour. One is the slightly ridiculous typo of "tichness" instead of "richness" - one has to wonder how these typos sneak in)

My favourite month

Words are powerful tools that can create worlds, bring fictional characters to life and into your heart, weave magic and beauty, but there are some tasks that words are inadequate for - or at least my power to yield them is inadequate - particularly when I am talking about something sad in a blog that is meant to embrace optimism... Sometimes it is difficult to find the right words... but I have to try.

My favourite beach 

This week was my birthday, a happy day spent travelling back from a weekend with my folks and one of my favourite ladies (thanks to their amazing generosity). An evening that was spent drinking champagne, eating beer bread and decorating cookies - bliss.

BUT 

This week would also have been my cousin's birthday... I have mentioned my cousin a couple of times in this blog and in "The other F word" I told you that she had passed away - two innocent, innocuous words for a world of sorrow and change.






I have always treasured that our birthdays were in the same month, just a couple of days apart. I am a few years younger than my sisters and cousins, and often felt as though I missed out a bit on growing up together and the closeness that that (being in school together, graffiti-ing the patio, early days of clubbing, first kisses etc) brings. (There was no small amount of hero-worshiping of my older sisters and cousins, you can tell and it grew into a deep love and respect as I got older...) So, it may seem silly, but sharing our birthday month made me feel like I had a special bond with my cousin too. I was even more excited when her daughter (my goddaughter) managed to be born in February too! 

The first page of my notebook

I have mentioned that having to resubmit my PhD was one of the reasons I started this blog. There was another motivator. Way back in 2006, for my birthday, my cousin gave me a lovely notebook. In the front she had written that it was a book for me to write stories, ideas, poetry in (see photo). She would often say that I had a nice writing style and that when she read an email from me it was like having me sit in the lounge with her and tell her a story. (If you have had an email from me you will know that they are usually LONG stories...) Instead, I used the book to write down snippets of books that I had fallen in love with, snippets of genius, or facts that I thought interesting but knew I would forget (I have a terrible memory when it comes to details). When she found that out, she was disappointed that I used it for other people's words and not my own.







So, this blog is a little bit for Sandra, because I like to think that she would have enjoyed seeing me write, and I am sure she would have read my blog and encouraged me - she always had my back. I loved that she retained the thought that I live a glamorous life (this is despite me telling her about the 1000's of fish I had to dissect and that you can't do dolphin research in Namibia in a bikini!) Happy birthday JHB Cuz. This blog is also to remind me, and you since you are reading it, to LIVE. Celebrate life. Don't put off everything until after you have finished this, that, or your PhD. Yes, work, work hard and finish it, but also live, laugh, love.

P.S. Life is about balance, and this tragedy has taught me that, while you shouldn't save the bottle of caramel vodka for a special occasion that might never come, you should also not drink it all on one New Year's Eve...

Happy Valentines Day

quick, from-the-car shot

I thought that seeing it is the "day of love" I would just list some of my favourite things (there are MANY but I am choosing some that I can mostly, but not exclusively, access from my desk)... If I was Oprah I would give you the give-able favourite things, but I am not... so, just enjoy the pictures :) 

Obviously, I love Cape Town and love UCT, not only is it one of the most beautiful campuses in the world (no, really, there was a vote) but it is where so many of my friends and people I admire are and, where I can have tea at 10:30.

Check out how beautiful it is by clicking here. 

For some of the reasons I love Cape Town, click here . (Incidentally, there are some in that list that aren't part of the reason I love Cape Town, but you'll get an idea of how awesome it is - especially in February! I love February!) 

Then, for keep me sane (?) and inspiring myself with lofty literary thoughts I stalk these two websites: 

PHD Comics (for reminding me that I am not alone in my frustrations/joys/geekiness, there is a valentine's day comic today click here) and Brain Pickings (that's for the lofty literary thoughts and because there are so many clever people out there and I love seeing how they think. Check out this one on LOVE) 

There are sooo many distractions out there, and I really don't need to introduce more to my world so I try avoid watching TV or getting sucked into new series. I do allow myself to love the brilliant How I Met Your Mother (because it deals with most things life throws at you in a funny way - which is just what I need) and Big Bang Theory (which is fair enough really, because they make me feel like a normal person in comparison to their uber-geekiness). If you talk about other shows I may stare at you blankly... I apologise (unless you are talking about Friends...I love Friends).

I also love reading, pretty much anything but of course I have my favourites (Douglas, Terry, Deanna, Bryce and definitely Jasper Fforde). There is unlikely to ever be a time that I will actually succeed in not being completely addicted to reading although I have tried to deny myself from time to time in order to increase PhD-productivity (it never lasts...). I find Good Reads helps me keep track of the books I have read and how I felt about them at the time but I love Book Drum which is the book equivalent of special features on a DVD (my very talented sister has a number of reviews on the site, and we worked together on The Eyre Affair).



To counteract sitting hunched over my PC or curled up with a book I do pilates, and, surprisingly for someone as anti exercise as I am, I truly do love it. I think it has a lot to do with the really lovely instructors, the beautiful garden outside the studio, the small classes and the visible improvements I have seen in the proximity of my toes to my fingers (Honest +Kerri, +Chris). Or, maybe it is because we get wine after class on Fridays!!! (Pretty excited that I have pilates today!)

Always keen for an excuse to enjoy
the beauty of Cape Town

I love the Couch Surfing project, because it is just awesome to think that there are so many cool people out there that will do things for  complete strangers with no monetary gain. I love that people just want to meet people from different cultures and show off their home (or adopted) towns. I also happen to love meeting people from all over the world and showing off the beautiful Cape Town. I love the fact that couch surfing can result in having adventures you would never have otherwise had - even in your own town (including getting to jump the queue to visit the Italian naval frigate docked at the Waterfront to visit my couch surfing friend in uniform).

Italian frigate - travelling around the world doing good -
exactly what war ships should be doing. 

This is also stolen off the internet. It is
KISS by Roy Lichtenstein. 

I don't love shopping (particularly grocery shopping which always seems like a waste of money; petrol is even worse!) If I were to choose websites where I enjoy browsing (because frankly that's mostly what I can afford to do) I love all the AWESOME kitchen gadgets on Yuppie Chef (they also have brilliant customer service, frequent competitions and are just a really funky business) and browsing Jack Vettriano's prints on the Heart break publishing site or looking for cool pop art pictures like those by Roy Lichtenstein. There are things I do love buying, for instance wine and chocolate, but I haven't resorted to doing that online.



I have also successfully completed my alcohol-free month so am very excited to be able to drink wine again - I do love wine! But I am mostly sticking to my chocolate only on the weekends rule - yay me! 

Then, there are things that I think are really neat and just want to tell you about, like a thing for scheduling dates that suit multiple people - RAD! And I have mentioned Work Rave in a previous blog. I definitely DO NOT want to tell you about Pottermore because it is a time thief... do NOT look at it, ever, resist! (But, if you do, I am in Hufflepuff and supposedly they aren't as useless as you think they are...)




Even if you are single, Life is Beautiful, there is so much to celebrate and are so many small things that I love: just-brushed teeth, the macro function on my camera, my camera, the smell of my pencil when I write, the sound my keyboard makes when I type quickly, the feeling of champagne bubbles on my tongue, pink (or minus-green) and, definitely, YOU for reading my blog!!!!

Happy Valentines Day!!!! 

I also LOVE this... but it made me cry... in a good way (not good for my mascara). Maybe since it is a week of love, we could all do some random act of kindness... If you want, tell me about it in the comments...

Last night I "Waka Waka"-ed with Freshly Ground

This post is named after the text I sent my friend +Monica  this morning, still buzzing with enthusiasm from last night's activities. This post (refreshingly) has nothing to do with my PhD, but since today is graduation day, and I am working hard on bottling the bitterness that I am not currently in a red gown glowing with happiness in my parents' photos, I think I will allow myself a bonus blog this week and gush about how awesome last night was. 

Mandela in Pink on the fan walk

We caught a train from Rondebosch and headed through to town. It was certainly reminiscent of the 2010 World Cup, a sense of anticipation, friendly camaraderie and an excessively full train from the southern suburbs to town. We even walk the fan walk (now re-dubbed the "walk of remembrance") from the station to the stadium. A fantastic traffic policewoman told us it was our right to cross the road with a big grin as she stopped the flow of cars - amazingly she kept this enthusiasm going all night when we spotted her on our return journey at 10:30pm still smiling. 

Once at the stadium the security was really relaxed, everyone seemingly more interested in being friendly than thorough. The crowd was also a really relaxed, friendly crowd, with people striking up conversations with random strangers sitting close to them. I think that is a general characteristic of South Africans at sporting venues (or at least it has been in my experience). 

"Sell out" crowd of 53 000 - rumour has it... 

We were sitting near the top of the stands and the sound wasn't awesome, so I was checking the twitter feeds to see if I was missing anything important and to tell me who some of the VIPs were that were speaking, because I couldn't quite catch the names. (I didn't really care that much about the sound because I was so happy to be there and it was an entirely free event hosted at short notice, and later we moved to where the sound was better anyway). Twitter mentioned something about boo-ing, but I didn't hear any, and I thought the atmosphere was generally friendly, celebratory, joyful and proudly South African! (I am anti booing; I was really disappointed to hear what happened in JHB, it wasn't the time or place, show your dissatisfaction with your votes.)

The first time I really identified as being "South African", and PROUDLY so, was during the 1995 Rugby World Cup - I was 12 years old. It was the last time I knew every single player on the national team, and what positions they played. I knew more about rugby then than I do now. I get goose bumps when I hear "Shosholoza", STILL! I can still picture the streets of northern suburbs Johannesburg after the final, and it brings a lump to my throat! It was fantastic to hear the then captain of our victorious rugby team still bring in the enthusiatic, voice-drowning cheers. Francois Pienaar, you beauty! 

Trevor Manual and Patricia De Lille
lapping up the crowd's cheers. 

You can check out the different articles online, and so won't go through everything. (Although my experience differs to what has been reported in some press e.g. this Mail and Guardian article which suggests that Annie Lennox was a welcome relief... And you can see photos here, including a selfie of Francois and Shado Twala referencing the selfie of Barack Obama, David Cameron and Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, (and some people from my department in the center of the photo 4). I thought Helen Zille gave a really brave, enthusiastic speech, I loved Francois of course, and I have always liked Trevor Manual and he didn't disappoint last night. What really stands out is the 11 year old poet, Botlhale Boikanyo she spoke with such passion and confidence, I was blown away. 

I wasn't sure about Annie Lennox, but I loved, will always love Johnny Clegg - the man is a legend and I wish he had stayed on stage for longer. The crowd were all on their feet for the Bala Brothers who were goose-bump brilliant. I haven't seen them before but I will definitely be trying to see them again. 

Somehow, we wangled our way on to the field once the sun was down and the dancing started in earnest. (The sound was infinitely better from there). I have wanted to see Freshly Ground live for years, and somehow or other I have never managed to coordinate my schedule and budget to their performances. I think that it was worth the wait that last night's magical celebration was the first time that I ending up seeing them; dancing to "Waka Waka" (+Dayne!!!!!!!!!) on the pitch of one of the World Cup 2010 Stadiums will be something I never forget. I was jumping up and down too much to get a photo. The evening ended with Ladysmith Black Mambazo's hauntingly beautiful voices. Well, and a train trip back to the southern suburbs with a lovely group of fellow train go-ers, and glimpsing the green lazer Mandela on the side of Table Mountain. What a night... What a magical way to remember and celebrate the life of the most extraordinary South African, the most amazing human.