Am I Fashion? - Who and What Am I?

I may come across as conservative in my views, but quite honestly I don’t care if I do. Can anyone please explain to me where the fashion trend of letting ones jeans hang around one’s knees comes from?

I’m just happy that my grandmother wasn’t alive; she’d surely have had a second heart attack seeing her grandsons wear their underwear in public. So where did I go wrong? OR better yet where did my parents go right?

WHO I was as a youth and am as an adult was not dependent on what I wore – Thanks to them. Youth, I am certain that it’s difficult being you, but there is no need to be young, awkward and look silly. Sure, individualism can be expressed through fashion, but stop me if I’m wrong; is individualism not all about being happy with one’s inner being without having to conform OR show it off to the world? If you really wish to be an individual, don’t follow the flock of sheep, and run the risk of looking like a chop.

Image: http://www.welivetobefree.blogspot.com

What is the colour of the wind?

Sometimes it’s dark, other times it’s a soft peppermint green hue. Other times it’s simply invisible. The colour of the wind is much like the colour of life.

It’s always changing from one day to the next. I’d like to think that experiences in life ARE much like the prevailing weather conditions. A few negative experiences here and there can have a less than positive effect on ones outlook on life, much like the effect that the South Easter or winter has on some Capetonians.

Should we allow those negative experiences to affect how we live? Should we allow it to steal our positive thunder? Why not blow those dark winds away and let the peppermint green hue of love and humanity prevail. Unlike the wind, we can change and we can choose to be the calming effect that blows in people’s lives. Why not challenge yourself to be the positive wind of change; and share your love with mankind.

Image: http://www.dreamstime.com/helping-the-needy-concept-thumb18713195.jpg

If I were the boss

It’d be something I’d relish. My first point of call would be to address all the known slackers in the office. You know the kind.

I would LURVVVV to walk into those oxygen thieves offices (and here I am referring to able bodied, feeble minded 30 year old staff) who sit around whole day, twiddling their thumbs only to draw a pay cheque at the end of the month, and say, in the voice  of Uncle Donald (Trump) “You’re fired”.

IF only it were that easy. How IS it that they get away with it? Have these persons actually perfected the art of looking busy while the rest of us overly dedicated chumps carry them? This is South Africa’s curse! I’m sure it happens elsewhere in the world, but that’s not my concern. How do we as a country break this cycle of laziness of the white collar worker?

Image: http://images.smh.com.au

Old dog, new tricks = a tricky dog

As employers go, they do sometimes expect their employees to jump through fiery hoops in order to get a job done. Every so often us ‘old dogs’ are also required learn new tricks e.g. how to use new PC software.

Not that it’s a problem, but some employers don’t seem to grasp the concept that coercing your employees into learning ‘new tricks’ while wielding a whip or in SA’s case a sjambok, is a sure fire way of getting the job done, BUT at what cost. Whatever happened to if it don’t broke, don’t try and fix it?

We’ll gladly learn new tricks Mr. Employer to stay ahead of the game (and to ensure our survival) but you’re eventually going to be left with a seriously tricky (miserable) dog.  Appreciate that which you have in a sound and dedicated workforce. Don’t neglect us, while pandering to your own ego.

NOTE: No animals OR employers were harmed during the writing of this piece.

Image: http://dearbornheights.wordpress.com

Shssssh!!! Don’t tell my wife … about my love affair with …

Chelsea Football Club. The affair has been going on for some while now. It just happened/ started all of 12 years ago. It seems much longer ago though. A boyish crush grew into a fully fledged (manly) love. That’s MY love for Chelsea.

This very tempestuous relationship has gone through many highs and many lows. There have also been many other suitors that have come along wanting to steer her in one direction, but they have all come and gone. It’s funny though what a suitor with megabucks can accomplish. I felt cheated and betrayed when he stole her away from me. It’s as if she became someone else. Something was lost.

Nevertheless, nothing can take away my love that I have for my Chelsea. We’ve been through to many joys and many more tears for me to just stop loving her. MY BLOOD IS BLUE, Chelsea Forever.

Image: UEFAClubs.com

Two people walk out of a building and into a story

Love IS a wonderful thing. Two unsuspecting persons (hearts) walk out of a building; lay eyes on one another for the first time and fall hopelessly in love (two hearts become one) and create their own love story.

Sorry if you think this is going to be a soppy love story, because it isn’t. Married for only two years has been a struggle. As is the case in many new marriages, young people fall in love so quickly only to become disillusioned with marriage, only seeing the other person’s faults and failures.

The beauty of our story is that once we’d committed our marriage to serve the Lord did we wake up to the reality that the other person wasn’t perfect and nor the enemy, it was then that things changed. Far be it from me to give marriage advice, but putting aside egos, and working toward reconciliation can improve things. All is NOT lost. Your vows to love one another through thick and thin should be that which gets you through the rough patches.

Image: http://memories-of-blue.deviantart.com/

.... following instructions? - Part II

So to highlight the point that I tried making on Friday, namely that instructions and some 13 year old boys are not necessarily the best of buddies, I thought I’d ask my sister to do some detective work for me. Under normal circumstances the rule in their household is that my nephew is tasked to do his homework on Friday afternoon, due to his oh so busy schedule over a weekend. I mean really, when I was 13 I reacll still playing with lego.

Well let’s just say he had other plans and like the motherly paparazzi figure that my sister can be she caught him on camera 'in the act' of staring off into the distance and not only just doodling but penning the livery of his favourite ‘wildlife’ (link below). I guess when nature calls as a 13 year old boy, instructions to do homework does seem to fade off into the distance.

https://plus.google.com/photos/112785817036374661432/albums/5708531782288844465

How hard is it to follow instructions?

I guess to get to the bottom of that question one should possibly ask a 13 year old (boy). I know a certain 13 year old chap (my nephew); let’s call him Lionel, or Leo (named after Lionel Messi from Barcelona) for argument sake who has reached that point in his life, puberty.

It just seems that when that magic number 13 is reached the world around seems to disappear.  It’s a milestone in any lad’s life. It’s that all important transitional stage, leaving the ‘boytjie’ label behind and now becoming a (fully fledged) boy in the eyes of the family. I can attest to that, and the fact that the world takes on a whole new appearance, seeing things in a completely different light, let alone the physiological changes or in this case the breaking of the voice.

If memory serves, taking instruction when all of this is going on was difficult, I mean who would be able to take instruction when all these things are going on? Which brings us back to how hard is it to follow instructions? I think if we were to ask any young boy going through this, its difficult, ask any mom, dad, grandma, grandpa or guardian; they have the premature grey hairs to prove it.  

Image: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/images/daydream.gif

Excuse me… did that just happen?

But that was the oddest week yet. It was the first week back at school; well that’s at least what I like to refer to as my Part time studies at CPUT as (BTech – PR). If I were to liken it to anything, It can very much be compared to the first week I had at BIG school, at the tender age of 14 years (in my case). BIG School. Yes, high school. It was just way to reminiscent of the first few days in Standard 6, or grade 8 to those folk who are too young to remember the good old days of the Standards. Nevertheless, I felt shaky, out of place as if a NEW world had simply opened up and swallowed me whole. It just did not have the same feeling compared to last year, which in itself was challenging and immensely fulfilling but admittedly felt very warm and (I’ll go as far as saying it was) cocooned.

I guess that's change for you. All I know is that it’s going to be a tough year, but a year filled with new challenges and immense learning curves. Really looking forward it.

Picture reference: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXRCkjYRp-MNJce4OoDIMOgDaUYt4aSnzm4mDUAnn9gudwkt5mnCcKHn1yDbbZBzu8fmFqGjZy1amZh0Vmb1sLGqRsedKTa7s3uMzHTMLTFk1fzKCykkHDXvWRTqIlxLH5Q8WhAL7dZA/s400/CEO+confused.jpg