Today I had about 7 cups of coffee, a cup of tea, a brownie for breakfast and ¾ of an Aero chocolate slab for lunch. So very healthy.
Here’s a pic of me drinking coffee (after a glass of wine my dear) and eating dessert, taken by my lovely friend #KatiePie #Yum #HashtagsForKatie
Today I realised that I’m surrounded by newly married couples and ladies popping babies. I realised that one small gesture of goodwill can make someone else’s week, without you even realising the impact you had on them. Thanks go to Candice and Elanie for my breakfast and lunch!
I realised that most of my posts are written in the early hours of the morning when I struggle to sleep and that I had a dream last night; when I haven’t been dreaming for weeks. Most importantly, today I realised that I can’t ignore the soccer anymore; after hearing that Brazil lost to Germany in the 2014 Soccer World Cup being held in Brazil.
Soccer time Google says I’m awesome 🙂
Although I’ve always wanted to play in a girls soccer team, I never got that far and I don’t pay particular attention to many sports besides of course: Formula One. You can’t deny that there’s something about hot men, driving fast cars, in beautiful places, that’s exciting. But, more about hot men later.
I didn’t intend to write anything about the World Cup – but couldn’t ignore the memories it brought back when it was hosted in our beautiful South Africa, in 2010. The atmosphere was so lively, the people so vibrant. I felt like part of a giant South African family and people were generally much friendlier and happier. That amazing vibe, so catchy, so unforgettable. Oh yes I remember: “Phillip, he is here!” Although it slowly faded away; I could feel a bit of the same atmosphere when I was in London just before the London 2012 Olympics. Alas, it couldn’t compare to that soccer fever feeling we had in SA.
But 2010 was not only a big year for South Africans in general, it was also a big year for me. I finally got my drivers license at the age of 21. It was my final year of studying my degree and the beginning of a new chapter in my life – everything was exciting.
I was honoured to have done my formal internship at Switch Branding and Design; the very agency that was responsible for the 2010 Soccer World Cup logo. Since then, I have learnt a great deal about the world of advertising and design in general. I’ve worked really hard; sometimes even going a night or two without any sleep at all. I highly discourage this; as one needs one’s beauty sleep otherwise one might be a little bit Grumpy, maybe a little Sleepy – but definitely not a Happy.
After doing way too much self reflection recently, I did something really crazy. I resigned from a job that I loved and I know whoever replaced me will love it too. The thing is, there’s something inside me that thinks I’m more than just another designer, but I’ll never know unless I try something new, perhaps another challenge and the opportunity to explore again. I needed to visit some family in Cape Town and this gave me the chance to do so.
Being winter, I obviously didn’t plan on swimming so I cooked up a storm and had a few mini adventures in my week there. One day my two aunts and I went for a drive to Fish Hoek and another day we went to Hout Bay. Both days we had fish and chips for lunch, because it’s just what you do when you’re by the sea, right?
I squeezed in a visit to my friend Lynette who; after becoming a qualified physio and working for a while; decided she wanted to study Medicine and moved to Cape Town. My friends are crazy awesome inspiration for me. On the Friday night I was there, we went to a tasty gourmet burger place called Hudsons. On Saturday we had pancakes for brekkie and I got a mini tour of her view of the Mother City. We went to the Rhodes Memorial, drove through her running route, took a walk on Clifton beach and saw a photographic exhibition called ‘Soft Walls’ which was a sad yet insightful view of South African culture. We then went to the old Labia Theatre and viewed a cinematic beauty; ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’; which led me to do more self reflection.
I decided to do a conceptual photoshoot with myself as the subject somewhere in the scene and my photographer friend Brendon behind the lens. We met up, came up with a concept and decided on a location: the old power station next to the Orlando Towers in Soweto.
So naturally, when we went there to scout it out properly and we were literally 2 of the first people on the scene; to see it had collapsed.
Heres a quick pic Brendon took from the week before
Here’s a pic I took after it had collapsed
We watched as the cops, firemen and emergency services arrived to rescue an alleged 15 people trapped under the rubble. 4 people were confirmed dead. Life is certainly strange and unpredictable. We were actually running late that morning and if we had been there maybe an hour or two before, we could have been two of those people. Here’s a pic taken from above, sourced from this news story.
Today I realised that the Soccer World Cup changed this country for good. Today I realised that if I want to make any changes of my own; I have to start with myself. A lot can happen in 4 years – I changed immensely; I grew up. Inside I’ll always have a child like sense of wonder, but now I also have some experience and wisdom to reflect on what I’ve done, really think before I act, and appreciate the fact that I’m still alive.
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” – Maya Angelou
(Edited and republished. Originally posted on my old blog: Peaches and Pie)
