Another helping of bad service anyone? – Part 2

No more Mr Nice Guy!

  I guess it was merely a matter of time that the camel’s back was broken. In this case it is my wife and mine and the love/ hate relationship with a certain blue bank.

Standard Bank, I’m fed up with your bad service. Your cloaked promises and apathetic attitude toward loyal customers is disgraceful. So what was the straw that broke this camel’s back? Standard Bank two weeks ago transferred three amounts of money from my wife’s account to a beneficiary account.

When requesting a reversal of first two transactions she was met with a blank stare and an “I cannot promise anything because it needs to be reversed from head office”. 

We would have been content with the matter had it been our fault, however it wasn’t. This is a perfect example where Standard Bank has become so high on its own delusions of grandeur that basic customer service has flown out of the CEO’s office window. Standard Bank, before you spend millions on ad campaigns lying to South Africans about your great service, I’d suggest you make sure that your staff members receive the memo first.

Image: http://www.philipgraves.net

It is a poor idea to lie to yourself.

Are you trying to run away from a lie?

  Yes, it is a fact; however lying to oneself is sometimes a temporary necessity. It makes it easier to deal with an unwanted personal truth in order to successfully work through whatever may have transpired.

Personally I don’t think it’s the lie we tell ourselves (to overcome a hurt or disappointment) that’s the problem, it’s when we start believing that lie that it becomes a destructive force.

The deeper and more intricate the lie becomes, the more difficult it is to differentiate between reality and the lie. Being honest with oneself is never easy, and yes one can successfully live the lie ones whole life, BUT at what cost? Such lies have the tendency to fester and then manifesting themselves in the ugliest fashion. Don’t sell yourself short in life by lying to yourself, no what. The truth hurts, but it also has the remarkable ability to heal.

Image: http://www.thestrangecaseofdoctorjekyllandmrhyde.com

The sound of one hand clapping

Can you hear one hand clapping?

  Growing up on the Cape Flats the sound of one hand clapping was quite common, however for maximum visual and audio effect it’d often play out in shopping mall.

Scene 1: Mom and loud obnoxious child (Afrikaans speaking family from Hanover Park) standing in the Shoprite queue. Other customers clearly upset by this scene.

Scene 2: Having reached boiling point mother turns to child, grabs arm and says “Shut up or I’ll somma clap you with one hand!” Kid shuts up and stares at its mother out of sheer bewilderment.

Living on the Cape Flats = taking a walk on the wild side

Back in Hanover Park it would have come out as “Hou jou bek, ek klap somma met een hand!” Question is why do some coloured folk still feel the need to speak rah-rah when they go to a fancy shopping mall? Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as if I speak slang while walking in Canal Walk, but were I required to, I most certainly would. I am not ashamed to say that growing up I was exposed to Hanover Park in all its glory where the expression “Ek sal jou ‘n taai klap gee” rung out as frequently as gunshots.

Experiencing the good and bad of what the Flats had to offer greatly influenced me. It has taught me many valuable life lessons; one of which is that when you hear the sound of one hand clapping you know that somewhere in the hood there’s a disobedient child or drunken spouse on the receiving end of it.

Image (Rude kid): http://clipartof.com/102304

I’m gatvol!!!

Mr President don't forget your VOWS to us South Africans

So our president plans on taking a new wife. Well done. I reckon he’s planning for his future. Mr President what do you plan on doing with another retirement annuity? Oooops, sorry that meant to be another wife?

My take is that ol’ Jacob is ensuring that when he’s retired, he and his wives will be able to draw a cushy unemployment benefit while lesser privileged South Africans suffer in silence. I’m properly gatvol of how we’re being ripped off in SA; and with the threat of the secrecy bill looming, were it passed, we’ll definitely get nailed while we sit by and watch.

I can’t recall who it was, but someone said in passing that SA is fast on track to becoming another Zimbabwe. That’s scary. One consolation of being Zimbabwean is that they have fewer wives to support than us across the border.

Image: Zapiro (The Times, 17 April 2012, p14)

Not all who wander are lost



Take a bite out of life & enjoy.



In the indomitable words of rock legends U2, I still haven’t found what I’m looking for, not all those who wander are lost, and maybe they’re still just looking (for love, the job or the Promised Land).

Society is quick to label ‘wanderers’ as losers. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have the roadmap to their life clearly laid out. Who said that ‘wanderers’ aren’t more discerning than those who’ve settled for ‘normal’; and that maybe those who’ve settled for normal are the actual losers.

Ultimately one needs to trust (in God). Trust that one’s inner voice will eventually steer you in the best direction, no matter how long or arduous the journey. Keep wandering until your heart tells you to slow down and stop.

"If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on." Steve Jobs (Stanford Commencement, 2005)

Image: http://theinspirationroom.com

Getting rid of baggage?

Kick it right out of your life!

Is easier said than done! The quick fix; contrary to popular belief doesn’t work; there isn’t an easy way to ditch emotional baggage. Acknowledgement (of the baggage) is a good start. Accompanied with forgiveness it’s often the most difficult and introspective part.

Don’t fool yourself into believing that there’s nothing wrong; you’re just lying to yourself, and in the process hurting yourself and those around you. Learn to kick the crap out of that suitcase laden with shit, disown it, you’re better than it and don’t need it.

It’s not easy; it was never supposed to be. The beauty of humans is that we’re resilient creatures. Each of us has a never say die attitude lurking inside. We simply need to find it, harness it, forgive (ourselves + others) and allow healing start. Cut yourself some slack, you’ll get there eventually.

Image: http://connectedbygrace.files.wordpress.com/