I have a friend

I have a friend that says funny things and makes me laugh.

I have a friend that’s always the life of the party.

I have a friend that always has the best clothes and perfect hair styles.

I have a friend that doesn’t take any crap from anybody.

I have a friend for whom I’ve always been there for no matter what.

I have a friend who likes to publicly embarrass those she doesn’t like.

I have a friend that takes advantage of other people.

I have a friend that isn’t very honest with me.

I have a friend that only thinks of herself.

I have a friend that is troubled and has so many insecurities.

I have a friend whom I care a lot about.

I have a friend whom I try to talk to and get through to.

I have a friend that I’d really like to help.

I have a friend that will never change her ways.

I have a friend that doesn’t seem to care about hurting the ones that care for her.

I have a friend that when I needed her most, didn’t have time for me.

I had a friend like that once…

we are what we do

Wow how true isn’t this statement? What defines us is our attitude to life and to others, how we live our lives, how we treat other people. Times are tough, life isn’t always a joy ride – but it’s how we handle and rise from all the curve balls that life throws us that will determine who we are.

You know I look at people – I mean REALLY look at people who constantly talk about where they go shopping or where they’ve travelled all over the world or what kind of glamorous job they have and I truly feel sorry for them. Well, I also get annoyed by them but mostly I truly feel for them. Feeling like you have to constantly impress people by trying to paint them a picture of how perfect your life is shows me that these people aren’t truly happy inside. They’re lacking something – it could be that they don’t get attention from the ones close to them, or maybe they don’t have any true friends or maybe they’re so insecure about who they are.

It’s funny how the thing you know how to do the best, becomes the hardest thing to actually do and that is being yourself. You end up doing and saying things completely out of character just to give off a front. So maybe the statement “we are what we do” has room for speculation. If you act a certain way because you’re insecure about yourself, then it means that you’re not actually the person that everyone thinks you are.

But that’s just the thing: what people see when they look at you is the person you are. What you show people is how you will be defined. Always show your true colours whether people like it or not. It’s not important that people like you but that you live like the person you are or the person you want to be.

Go out and do amazing things. Love in everything you do. Give the best of yourself to people you love and meet. And that’s who you’ll be.

Zero Expectations

0 expectations = 0 disappointments,  right?

There is definitely a lot of truth to that equation. However, it’s not totally wrong to have expectations of someone. Of course, it depends on what you’re expecting and who you’re expecting it from.

I can’t stand part-time friends. If you want to be my friend, be my friend. Don’t walk all shady, talk all shady and then say that you’re my friend. What is up with that? I’m the type of person that will do anything and I mean ANYTHING for my friends. I’ll even give them my last Rolo. That’s just the type of person I am. So are you telling me that I shouldn’t expect anything from anybody ever?! I’ll always have my friend’s backs and I know that they have mine, right? Wrong! If I had a Rand for every time a part-time friend disappointed me, I would’ve been writing this blog from my holiday house in St. Tropez.

If anything else, having someone let you down is an eye opener, especially when it comes to friends. I know it has been for me. Life is full of disappointments. You win some, you lose some. You dust your shoulder off, pop your collar and move on forwards and upwards.

Expectation can bring a lot of disappointment but there’s nothing wrong with looking forward to something every now and then. It shows that you still have hope and that you still believe

We Are Afraid of the Wrong Things

We’re afraid of what people are going to think, what they’re going to say… According to whose standards though do we classify things as being right or wrong? Just a thought…

Are you doing things to keep others happy or do you put your own happiness first? As many of us have learnt, it’s impossible to keep everyone happy. There are those that drive themselves crazy, trying to get the approval of others. We’re afraid of being alone, afraid of being different, afraid of the pictures that others paint of us. I don’t believe that we should be afraid of anything really. Sure, there are some things that we may be unsure of, which could harbor the feeling of being afraid. But in the sense that there are “wrong things” to be afraid of, I don’t feel that there are “right things” to be afraid of.

The world is so superficial and filled with so much material crap. Our priorities have shifted and taken on an insignificant point-of-view. We’re so consumed with all the nonsense circulating in society that we’ve become afraid of meaningless things. We take the important, deep and self-fulfilling things for granted. Or worse of all, we no longer value them.

Fish falling from the sky

Fish falling from the sky is pretty gross if you think about it. Imagine walking down the street, strolling along, enjoying the beautiful weather and all of a sudden fish start falling from the sky. Imagine walking out of the hairdresser, you just had your hair done and you’re looking like a million bucks when all of a sudden fish start falling from the sky. It doesn’t matter whether they’re raw or cooked, dead or alive – fish falling from the sky is gross. (Scarily enough there have been reports of this REALLY happening in a few parts of the world. Click here if you don't believe me)

Besides the disgusting sight, think of the stench that all that fish would bring. It would be so hard to breathe. What a view astronauts would have! The earth would be surrounded by a thick green haze - hot lime green air circling the globe, something like you’d see in the cartoons.

The safest place you could be would be indoors with the windows closed so the falling fish don’t find their way inside and with the curtains closed so that you wouldn’t have to see all the shiny, slick fish bodies lying outside. Driving would be insane, flying would be disastrous...no no no your best bet would be definitely to stay indoors.

On the positive side, fish falling from the sky would feed the hungry. They might end up with protein poisoning though...

...I hate to end in the air like this but I need to go cancel my sushi date...

Laters guys!

Behind the Music

Rap music is definitely not what it used to be. Originating in the 1970s, its purpose was to positively express the voices, joys and struggles of the African-American population. Those days are long gone and now rap music is better known for its explicit sexual and violent lyrics. You know, like how many women they had sex with at once or how they killed someone for breathing the same air as them, that kind of thing.

 

The real problem is that the listeners are not just listening anymore. They want to live what they see and hear. 50 cent raps in his song 'Many Men', "I put a hole in a n---- for f---ing with me / Better watch how you talk, when you talk about me / 'cause I'll come and take your life away."   

 It’s no wonder that with these kinds of artists sending out messages into the world, so many unnecessary violent acts are being committed. The sad part is that all the crap they rap about has become a reality. Things that sound so far-fetched in songs, you best believe that people are going out and doing it. Children and teenagers are the ideal target market for the industry, especially those that come from disadvantaged or poorer communities. They have the strong need to identify with role models. They need a superman that they can look up to. 

Picture this: Money falling down from the sky, a pool filled with champagne, expensive clothes and jewellery. Life is just one big party. Sounds good right? Young people covet the lifestyle they see in music videos and will do anything to chase the rappers dream. Newsflash! Standing on corners and selling drugs is more likely going to get you thrown in jail than a record deal.

Many hip hop/rap artists have been involved in various crimes yet they do little to highlight the serious consequences that come with breaking the law. 

With famous rappers glamorising and promoting violence, it can be understood why their young fans frequently cross the fine line between image and reality.

Love Strawberries

One of my favourite childhood memories is picking strawberries with my grandmother in her garden. She used to put on her big red garden hat, I would carry a small basket and off we’d go to hunt for strawberries. I absolutely loved every second of it!  My grandmother – or Ma – as I called her, used to pick the strawberries and I had the very important job of putting them neatly into the basket. Needless to say, a lot of the strawberries never made it into the basket as soon as my Ma turned her back. But at eight years old, I thought I was being cleverly sneaky without realising that the strawberry stains on my face linked me directly to the crime.

My Ma passed away a couple years later and for a long time I missed our special strawberry time. I missed the talks we had, the things we laughed about and just being around her. To this day I still wish that I could go strawberry picking with my grandmother. What things would we talk about? What new life lessons would she pass on to me?

Besides being the best fruit ever, strawberries are one of the best memories I have of my grandmother.  Naturally I can’t recall every detail about our times together but I do remember that she taught me to always love and be thankful in life and of course, she taught me to love strawberries : )

What is the colour of the wind?

I think that the weather depicts the colour of the wind. In winter, I picture the wind to be an ice blue colour, drawing out the cold and dark feeling that the season inflicts on us. There’s a slightly eerie and calming feeling about the sound of a strong winter wind. If you listen closely, you can even hear that ice blue colour thrashing about outside, knocking everything out of its way.

With the turn of spring, the wind turns a very light green shade. Light green because it softly starts waking up the flowers, sleepy birds and little insects that are still wrapped up their cosy winter slumber. The wind blows in a fresh, new feeling into everything around it.

In summer, the wind is yellow, glowing as it blows softly over sun kissed skin, ice cream cones and umbrellas. The wind is light-hearted in summer so it laughs as it blows away hats and ruffles skirts. At sunset, the wind is relaxed and drifts about in a warm orange-red tone, perfectly complimenting the mood the sun has set.

Autumn is the season where the wind changes into its earthy tones. There’s nothing too striking about the colour of the wind during autumn. It represents a natural, bare and simple period – almost like the calm before the storm.