I loved this quote!

"It is of interest to note that while some dolphins are reported to have learned English - up to fifty words used in correct context - no human being has been reported to have learned dolphinese." - Carl Sagan

Anyone up to learn a new language?! I know I am...

How I missed it

The best part of this unbearable heat? The fierce summer thunderstorms! I missed how the parched earth is so refreshed after the heavens burst. I missed the lightening leaving me in awe. I missed the melody of the water rushing out of the gutter next to my bedroom window. It has got to be thee best lullaby.

Rewired into reality

Today was my first day back at work. It seems strange to have a 'grown up' job in South Africa. Before London, I freelanced from home. And before that there was an extended intern ship at a national newspaper. And prior to that were odd part time student jobs.

So, the next chapter begins... and I feel elated.

*smiles*

Old school charm

The Organ Harvester recently ran the Pen, Paper and Post Project. It simply involved bloggers writing actual letters to each other and posting them off.

Due to the civil servant strike, there were a few hiccups. But then again, with the South African Postal Service, there are always hiccups. And as for the theft, well, that is an entire different bitchin' session. Triple sigh...

So I finally received a letter from O.H himself. He saw fit to attach a Ms in front of my name on the envelope, and a Mr in front of his name on the return address - very old school and dare I say, charming.

Despite his gripes about his handwriting, I understood every word, without straining my eyes. And that says a lot, especially since I have been inflicted with an eye infection for the past month. I love that he wrote in cursive, which I also find to be old school charm too. The paper he used was of high quality, A4, ivory with a gold shimmer. I thought it was just gorgeous.

When I had pen-pals, long before the arrival of email, I used to love the thrill of getting letters every week. And I loved the anticipation of finding something in the post I was looking forward to again. Nonetheless, it was a challenging experience to write to someone I've only known through cyberspace.

He also mentioned in his letter it is awkward to find an ending, without sounding abrupt. But I loved the sincerity of his well wishes. And because I had had a very bad week, it brought on a case of slight sniffles.

So thanks O.H, for this. And maybe, hopefully, there will be further letters to look forward to.

Insomnia - the unwanted guest

For the past three hours I have been trying to sleep. My assistants were called in after a while and both Sleeping Pill1 and Sleeping Pill2 have failed me. I imagine sitting opposite them in a boardroom and saying: "You're fired!"

Hmphhhh...

Im melting, I'm melting

The Skank and I had a bit of document signing to do today. I also had some other errands to run in the busy business area, Sandton. I'd say we spent most of our time in the car. I hated the roads because of the construction. I hated the impatient drivers. I hated the clutch control cramp I got (and am still suffering from five hours later!). Let me not mention the traffic! And dammit, don't ever drive with 30 degree Celsius heat in a car where the air con is not working! I think we perspired litres of sweat. (Over share, I know, but I don't really care) And, chocolate is not making me feel better at all! What is this world coming to?

Two days

Duck feeding. Time with the girls. Breakfast in the sun. A few arguments and heart felt truths spilled out. Drinking cocktails out of jars.

Could all of this have something in common? Why, yes, of course! The S.O. and I did all of this past weekend.

Saturday: A good friend from London was down south for a brief visit. We met him for breakfast at a quaint restaurant at 44 Stanley. I've always loved this place and it was amazing to go there again. We ate outdoors with a witty waiter providing entertainment. Both Skanky and Slutty are back from their Euro trips so we spent the afternoon together. We could not stop talking! The S.O. picked me up at night and I remained a fly on the wall as he and the boys had beers. Inbetween all of this, S.O. and I were trying to sort out a few issues. It seems all the challenges we overcame before I left seems to have resurfaced. And of course there are new challenges as well because we had a long distance relationship for a year.

Sunday: S.O. wanted to talk so he picked me up in the morning. So we talked again...both being brutal with our honesty. It was a warm, pleasant day so by the afternoon I anxious to be outdoors. I wanted to go to the Zoo Lake to feed the ducks. Because the weather was so glorious, the place was packed with picnic goers. Thereafter we decided to have sun downers and eventually found our way to a wonderful place called Mammas Shebeen*. I had something called a Sophiatown Sunset and it was served in jar. :) I instantly fell in love with everything - the decor, the atmosphere, the hippy crowd. A live band completed the perfect picture.

* originally an illicit bar where alcohol was sold without a licence. Further reading can be found here

Bring me a tiara...and a prince

Deep down in the bowels of their heart, most girls wanted to be a princess at one stage in their lives - when they still had pig tails and ate lollipops. Besides wanting to be a princess, most girls had their favourite princess too. I got to say my absolute star is Ariel from the The Little Mermaid. Ahem...look at the recent change in my profile pic. She is adventurous and daring, and goes against the norm. She has a brave heart. Therefore I am quite surprised my results from the Which Disney Princess Are You Test I got the following:

It's a tie!

	You are part Belle. You are strong, deep, and you are not a slave to petty superficial things. You are independent and allow yourself to see inner beauty without sacrificing your values. You are almost too good of a person.
	You are part Pocahontas. You defy convention and sometimes do what is considered taboo. Unfortunately, others do not always appreciate your differences, so it's good that you are so strong-willed. You are loyal and you believe in fate. Your true love will find you one day.

I'm ready

Found on Postsecret

A sweet tooth that refuses to be satisfied

I am currently dog sitting at the Female Sibling Unit's house. Feeling peckish for something sweet, I baked a cake*. It was eaten in 24 hours, no kidding! I'm not sure whether I should be proud or ashamed.

*vegan friendly :)

But it is supposed to be!...

Banana baby goo

Mash sent me a link to a most interesting concept - one ingredient ice cream! Impossible - yeah I thought that too. Apparently, bananas are that one ingredient. Impossible - yeah I thought that too.

Once a banana has been peeled, sliced, frozen and then either popped into a blender or food processor, it makes for a creamy ice cream treat. Whoo Hoo, I thought! So I tried it...and yes, it was sorta creamy. But it looked more like baby goo than ice cream. And it tasted like banana baby goo more than ice cream. Maybe I needed those special ice cream spoons or maybe I should have put it into the food processor instead of the blender. Hmm...I am not altogether sure. But I will try again...another adventure of the kitchen sorts.

Soundless words

listening to silence

more and more and more

shatters ear drums.

And the remains 

wilted, withered, wrinkled, awry

wrong

To do list

Time and thoughts can be one's enemies. They seems to fester off each other when you have an abundance. Since returning to South Africa and subsequently starting my life again (and job hunting) there are times I am exceptionally bored. It is extremely restrictive to be without a car and life feels quite caged in. So there, that is it at the moment...

...but wait, I decided to turn this around. Many people would love to have time on their hands. So part of me knows I am lucky. Though, I've done most of what I wanted to do since coming back, I am going to think deeper about things I always wanted to do but never had time to.

I am also going to formulate a list of possible articles I could write for a job that will come up.

And since cooking soothes my nerves, I will spend more time in the kitchen! Yes, cooking does calm me. Even though there are not many people available to eat what I prepare, maybe I can merely give the food away as well.

I've always wanted to get back into an exercise routine. I managed to tally up my at-home-equipment and I have quite a variety. So, I am going to try to make myself physically strong. My petite frame tends to leave me unable to open many a jar.

Maybe I could even try to learn something new - like tai chi. I went for one disastrous class in London and came away with a book. Better to embarrass myself with me as my only audience.

The Male Parental Unit occasionally allows me to make use of his wheels, so I think I should take full advantage when I do get the opportunity. And no, that does not meet clocking an insane speed limit next to the boundaries on the N1 highway.

And I think I began these changes on a fabulous note today - I made pancakes for breakfast.

Born too soon

The Parental Units love to see me cringe - they are always telling me when I was conceived. *cringe*blech!* Anyway that fateful day was the 5th February, while they visited India. The doctor estimated I would be born on the 31st October. How wonderful it would have been to have a Halloween birthday! But no, I was impatient and decided to say hello to the world today, 27 years ago.

Days such as today always make me take stock of my life. And recently I realised maybe it is patience I need to learn. The word alone makes me scowl mentally. I realised I've sorely lacked it because I always liked to get things done. And starting over again in South Africa takes time. Lots and lots of it. So along with learning patience (cringe), I want to think up new life goals so I can work towards something, anything...else I will drift around aimlessly like a burnt orange autumn leaf.