As 2015 takes its first steps

I did one thing in 2014 that I have never done before: I resigned from my job.

There were many contributing factors that led to that decision, things like:

1. Consistent, constant over time with no payment for it
2. Working under immense pressure
3. Working on weekends and evenings became a regular occurrence
4. Always playing catch-up with my work, despite the long hours
5. Hitting the glass ceiling
6. The nature of the work
7. The tug and pull between corporate egos versus the work that actually needs to be done
8. Not doing my best writing because of tight time constraints

Now, with 2015 still taking it's first steps into a brave world, I have taken my first steps into a new job. It feels strange to be the 'newbie' again. It feels strange to befriend an entire new office. And it feels strange to be not-as-busy as I was in my old job.

And now that my weekends will not be occupied with work, I actually feel at a loss as to how to fill my time. Then again, I need to catch-up on my to-do list that has been getting longer and longer for the past year.

I also feel torn asunder from the year that was - emotionally and mentally. It feels like my job had dragged me under a tractor for kilometres on end. And that is not a very nice sensation at all!

I can only come to one conclusion: this is a year where I need to focus on myself. I need to use my time wisely to once again engage with activities that bring me joy: like writing, cooking, doing yoga, and giving expression to my creative side.

Cheers to 2015, and here's to me!

Marriage - a retrospective

I've been married for about 1 and a half years, and in that time I have felt myself evolving, being pushed, challenged, and getting forced out of my comfort zone.

There is a strange sort of synchronicity and intimacy that develops when two people live together. I have found this initially terrifying, and now oddly comforting. The S.O* has become someone I rely on with anything and everything. It is he whom I will go to with any sort of a problem and he is the first one I want to share good news with. There are about a million little things that happen throughout the day and I think: "I need to tell him." And he is the only one who can challenge me in his unique way - he sees the world very differently from me.

But let me be the first to admit, it has not been easy, in fact, the exact opposite. I would describe the first year of marriage as being in a pressure cooker. Granted, we had our unique circumstances (for e.g: I was working every weekend, which meant we had very little leisure time together), but I am sure other couples have also experienced the 'first year marriage blues' syndrome. I am very glad to say it seems we have made it through.

Now we have settled into a comfortable routine, I am not working every weekend so we have time to do fun things together. We both still swear by maintaining our individual personalities, but are also nurturing our joint life. As a friend once told me: "A young marriage needs time to be nurtured." Never were there truer words spoken.

I still say I never wanted to get married, but all in all, its been an experience I think I needed. I have grown, so has he. It's not easy, but it is worth it, because it is great living with your best friend... and one you can snuggle up to.

*S.O - Significant Other 

Frustrations of social media

From working on many social media accounts, for various reality TV shows, channels, and companies, I have learnt the following (and forgive the rant!):

• The audience assumes there is an omnipotent presence monitoring the accounts 24/7, 365, and said presence has all the answers related to the brand on that social media account. No, people, it is just a normal personal employed to manage and maintain these accounts. Most of the time, answering queries is a back and forth process between departments to get just the right answer. 
• It has made people lazy to search for the information they want. Ever heard of google? Its an ingenious search engine, that will help you find anything on the web, really! Want to know what time a TV show starts, or when is the repeat? Here's a tip: Look in the TV guide.
• In relation to the above, people do not read the updates with the attention it deserves. For example, if the status update reads: "Tune into the show tonight at 17:00 on [insert channel]." We will no doubt see comments like "when is the show?", "what channel?". READ. THE. UPDATE! 
• Online, people have no filter, they say anything, and I do mean anything! It has actually made me loose a lot of faith in human kind. I wonder if such people would ever say those things in person! Highly doubtful...
• And the spam! Stop with the damn pornographic content, xenophobia, racism, ponzi schemes, and get-rich-quick cons. It makes moderating pages a nightmare! 
• People are forgetting how to spell and structure proper sentences... the level of deterioration of English is scary!
• It astounds me how the audience invests so much into these shows. Its a TV show, that is all. Get over it. 
• Audiences are rarely happy with anything that happens on a show, we've seen it all: "The judges are crap", "voting is rigged", "I won't watch the show anymore", "bring back the ousted contestant". Yawn! 

It has altered my personal approach to my accounts, and how I deal with brands too. So before you fire off on any social media platform in the future, please remember these points. 

Who Would Have Thought?

It's been a strange couple of days...

The past weekend, I went to Sun City for work. I do not usually share stories about work but this experience is an exception to my rules.

The company I work for produced the Miss South Africa pageant, and televised it live!

I never before experienced the intensity of this sort of a production. I have mainly worked in print  media, but my current job combines online, production, and broadcast... all immensely busy platforms.

In any case, it was quite a hoot to see burly production guys cheer and jeer... for a beauty pageant. It was as if they were watching a sports match in a pub. They all had their favourite finalists, and some were surprised by the results. I never thought I'd see the day when men were invested in beauty pageants... and in fact, neither am I.

But, the thing is, when you work so closely on a project, you unwittingly become invested in it. We have been working on "The Road to Miss SA" from August 2013. And because it has been so long, you feel you have held the contestants' hands through their incredible journey. And I suppose that is the lure of reality TV, as fake as it is, audiences are still able identify with the characters.

And Just Like That, It Is 2014

I began writing this post in December 2013:

This has been such a strange, stressful but wonderful, crazy year.

While I got married and I am loving creating a home with S.O*, I hated every millisecond of the wedding... the event itself and the year of planning. I really thought it was going to give me an aneurysm. Seriously, weddings are so over-rated. I would have rather invested all that money into my future home, or future endeavors like travel or study.

Then there is married life and maintaining a home... not easy when you are working practically six days a week and work is intensely busy. I feel I have neglected myself, my S.O, my writing, my well-being and my new home. But I have learnt something through all of this - no matter what, don't kill yourself for the sake of work. And that will stay with me, even going into this new year. In all likelihood, work will be even busier than this year. But I need to remember my life while fulfilling work obligations.

I immensely enjoy having S.O in cuddle distance. We waited to live together, and only did so after marriage. It sure is a treat to have him around! However, balancing our two very different personalities has been a great learning curve. We challenge each other, but we also comfort each other. 

To sum up, my highlights of the year has been:

• Taking months to renovate our new home, and especially the kitchen (You can see pictures of the house here)
• Having an epic bridal shower 
• Surviving the wedding, and the memorable honeymoon thereafter. Mauritius is certainly a food haven for vegetarians!
• Seeing so many loved ones from abroad, and far away, attending the wedding
• Moving into our new home, and being so welcomed and loved by S.O's family 
• Learning to live with my S.O, and having him challenge my way of thinking, taking me out of my box
• Building a structure and pattern for our new lifestyle - but feeling as if we are playing house! :) 
• Waiting the entire year for the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special (I know, I know... but I am a self-confessed, proud Whovian!)
• Attending an unforgettable Amazing Race Party, and learning so much about Jo'burg I didn't know. Mind you, we did this dressed as pirates.... arrr! (Pictured above) 
• And still to come - a quickie trip to the coast for a friend's wedding and then another to Doha to see some of my favourite people 

Dressed as pirates! 

Two of the photos from the wedding, taken by Joylight Photography. 

The bridal shower cake.

Travelling to Doha has left me seeing with a new pair of eyes. I appreciate the freedom South Africa enshrines in its constitution, but it has left me missing my dear friends even more. I love that when we see each other, it is as if no time has passed and we slot right back into our comfort zones. 

Hope 2014 is good to each and every one of you! 

S.O - Significant Other 

A Writer's Block

According to this article on Huffington Post, Jason Crombie recommends writers do the following: 

Drink

All the great writers drank like fish: Ernest Hemmingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ethan Hawke, etc. There's no point trying to write a single word sober, you'll only disappoint yourself and your family. Start the workday with a six-pack, and then work your way up to a bottle of Johnny Walker Black; that's when the magic happens.

Don't bother with rewrites

You've written it; it's there on the page, see? Job done. Now why in the name of heck would you do it again? To make it better? Don't be stupid. Ever heard of a little thing called, 'First thought, best thought'?

(Click here if you want to read more)

I found the tips refreshingly sarcastic and wonderfully entertaining. Then I stared at my computer screen and realised my writing has reached a horrible stagnant stage...and I cannot see beyond the murkiness. Fact is, I am not writing the way I should, the way I want to. This blog has suffered, and there are even blank pages in my diary, where the past year should have been documented... 

There was a time when words flowed out of me, when I did not struggle with every paraphrase and paragraph. That was when I did not second guess myself, and stare at blank word documents on my computer. I almost feel crippled by fear at the thought of jotting something down now. 

Life seems to have gotten in the way - too many things to juggle and I always have these points in the future (after the wedding, after I move house, after I settle in, when I am not so tired) that  I think I can write again.  My job has also put me in a formulaic mode of writing - making me, God forbid! - such a lazy writer. 

These are precisely my mistakes, aren't they? I have excuses instead of forging on. I have more reasons defending myself, than to persevere and prosper despite circumstances. Because, as Jason mentions in his first line, "Good writers write. They don't always write well, but they must write!" I suppose this is a good a start as any... 

I have good reasons for my absence

A work colleague once told me that getting married and getting a new house in the same year is a bit over ambitious. Now I understand what she meant. Since December last year, I have been "Wedding Mode Engaged" plus trying to move house. It feels like I have not had a weekend since then.

Two of my closest friends (more like sisters, really) flew to South Africa from Doha for the wedding. They hosted such an epic bachelorette and I was so touched. It was the only weekend that I really enjoyed this year! They were also invaluable in the week run-up to the wedding. It was so busy and overwhelming, I am so grateful to have had them there.

Thankfully, the 17th of March came and went, with only a few glitches. What else can be expected out of a wedding, right? The honeymoon in Mauritius was much needed RnR, and then there was just another week to set up the house before I returned to work. It felt like I came right back into intense busy-ness! (Is there such a word?!)

I am now sitting at my office desk, feeling all of this has happened to someone else. It has been a surreal experience - me - getting married?! I see pictures friends and family took, and I sit there gobsmacked. Surely, that is not us...surely.

Pictures of the new house and the wedding (when I have it) to follow in the near future!

Chocolate Monday: Week 13

I cannot recall where I found this image, but the smiley on the end of the spoon is much too adorable. And I really need something like this today because I did not sleep well last night, so I am rather cranky and irritable. I wish I could leave work and snuggle into my duvet...if only for a few hours.

World's. Largest. Chocolate!

OhMyGosh - I read an article about the largest chocolate sculpture and man, oh man, I want it now! 

Qzina Speciality Foods built it to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Read the article here on the Gourmet Guys website.  I love how they pay homage to the Mayans, and take into account the Mayan calendar too.

Excuse me as I wipe the drool off my computer.

**Still salivating though.**

PS: They may sign me up to 'destroy the structure' in December 2012.

Tag 1 of 2 - in recent tags

Raj  tagged me in the  7×7 Link Award. Thank you!

Basically, this is what needs to happen:

1: Tell everyone something about yourself that nobody knows.

2: Link to a post that fits the following categories: The Most Beautiful Piece, Most Helpful Piece, Most Popular Piece, Most Controversial Piece, Most Surprisingly Successful Piece, Most Underrated Piece, Most Pride-worthy Piece.

3: Pass this on to 7 fellow bloggers.

Right then, let me get to it.

1.
Hmmm...I almost studied Optometry instead of Journalism. I know, I know, those are worlds apart. Let's just say I had some family influence thinking I could do the former. Thank God I got back to my writing roots.

2.
Linking to these posts was more difficult than I realised. I have this blog since 2006 and by George, I cannot even remember what I used to post back then. It was also difficult to think of my blog posts in these terms too. Nevertheless I dug into the archives:

The Most Beautiful Piece: I hate thinking of my writing in these terms, but I really enjoyed writing this piece.

Most Surprisingly Successful Piece: Every damn year my parents have to remind me when I was conceived. Read that post here.

Most Helpful Piece: I like to to know everything about something I am interested in. And so it was with the Phantom of the Opera. Want to know more about how the story started in Paris? Read this.

Most Popular Piece: My most popular pieces in terms of views must be Chocolate Mondays. See them here.

Most Controversial Piece: I don't really do controversial.

Most Underrated Piece: I think this has to be it. Find it here.

Most Pride-worthy Piece: Again, it was difficult to think myself proud of my writing. However, I did feel proud of SA when I attended the opening of the Oprah Winfrey School. Read more  here.

3. 
Pass on to seven bloggers. Any takers? Especially if you have started thinking of your blog posts in these terms...go on and do this tag! Let me know.

I've been tagged

I am feeling rather popular - I have been tagged twice in a matter of weeks by the lovely Azra and the fascinating Raj.

This is a promise post that I will do the tags as soon as I possibly can. Work is currently giving new definition to the word 'manic'!

Thanks!

Chocolate Monday - Week 5

Image found on Imgfave

Okay, I know I have been slacking off on Chocolate Mondays. Sorry about that!

Reason being is that I have been on leave for a very short while. But on the down side my company is talking about restructuring Editorial to Cape Town. While I would love to move to that beautiful city, it is not possible at the moment. S.O* and I are getting married, I cannot ask him to resign and start anew because my job needs to move. And I cannot just pack up the rest of my life and move to another city for the sake of a job...

There has been talk of retrenchments and I suspect because I cannot relocate, I will get the axe. It has been a scary and stressful few weeks in this regard. 

*S.O = Significant Other 

Chocolate Mondays have been created to banish Monday Blues, or at least lessen the sting of a new working week.

Tragic or hilarious?

I heard something really funny on the radio today. Wanna know more? Read this post

If I could shut my brain down for a bit, I would

Recently, I've been irritable, listless and needing some down time. Work wise, I have not really taken decent leave since April 2011 and you know what? I think I have reached the end of my tolerance threshold.

December was a crazy, and I mean an absolutely insane month, having taken on some responsibilities of a colleague who had resigned, plus having had new tasks added to that. Burnt-out and frustrated, that is what I am. I am also so annoyed by how companies everywhere are treating employees in this current economic climate - it is really not fair! It makes me want to punch many CEOs!

I have been fantasising about taking leave from my life, even if it is for a short while. Venture off to an adventure where I am anonymous and not accountable. Dangerous, I know. But what is a gal to do? S.O* and I are hoping to set a date for a wedding in March next year - the families will meet this Sunday to discuss it. Yeah, that is how my little ethnic community operates. Sigh. We want to get a house and make it into a home. I want to begin our life, under our roof and I cannot wait for that. Yet, me and marriage go together like wearing a bikini in a snow storm. I feel I am going against my very nature. (If you need to remember just how much I am against marriage, read this post.)

My dreams have also been vivid and downright odd. I've been waking up long before my alarm, recalling them perfectly, only to fall asleep and have the dreams fall through my memory. That makes me sad. I remember one dream could have been a great fictional story and now I cannot bloody remember it. I wish I could kick myself at times.

I have also been reading a lot less that what I usually do. This is not because I have a low supply of books. No, it is because I am too tired in the evenings! When I do read, I manage a few pages, before I realise I am not concentrating and the book is falling out of my hands. Another reason to kick myself!

This post perfectly reflects my state of mind: scattered, unfocused and downright grumpy.If you managed to read it till the end, a huge congratulations to you. Thanks for lending an eye to my venting session.

*S.O = Significant Other

Chocolate Monday: Week 2

Oh my word, this Monday is turning out to be annoying! Even though it is only 6:30am, the following has happened:

• The boom into my office parking lot did not open, after numerous attempts of inserting the access card. So I drove around the block again to speak to one of those attendants. "I will let my supervisor to meet you there," the idiot says. So I wait, and wait, and bloody wait some more. Eventually, I decided to park outside and walk up. Oh, I will have words with that parking office today! 
• The doors of the elevator refused to close. On the fifth attempt, they did though. The fifth attempt! 
• The milk in my cornflakes did not taste good at all. I had to spit it out and throw out my breakfast. I never really knew that Soy Milk can go bad...
• To top all of this off, I only got in about 4 hours sleep last night. I almost feel as if the universe is telling me that is is a day to stay under my duvet, where I can be safe from agitations. 

This Chocolate Monday oozes goodness. And I really need some of that to rub off onto me today. 

Chocolate Mondays have been created to banish Monday Blues, or at least lessen the sting of a new working week.  

Gotta keep on going

December slow down...what December slow down? My happy fantasies about work getting a bit more quiet are being dashed day by day. My mind and body feels like it needs to shut down and enjoy doing nothing. But alas, the Big Work Monster rears its ugly, slobbering face and demands more time. I guess that is the nature of the media so lemme continue to write and write and write...and get on with it. Whimpering certainly won't help me tick off my to do list!

Chocolate Monday

I think the chocolate cake made into a castle is a divine idea! I would like to dig in! Picture found here.
Chocolate Mondays have been created to banish Monday Blues, or at least lessen the sting of a new working week.   
P.S: Is it just me or are Mondays become more cruel and harsh?... Waking up has never been such a horrendously difficult task! My brain still feels fuzzy even though it is already 6:27am. Even though I am already work, I am so tempted to go back into the parking lot and have a nap in my car! Sigh...

And to help make Chocolate Monday become Chocolate Seven-Days-A-Week, my dear friend and Editor, gave me this book. It is her last day at work today and as testament to her kind soul, she is the one giving her work colleagues presents, when she is the one leaving!  A very huge 'Thank You' to her. Lord knows, she will be sorely missed. As for her new path, I hope it is filled with many wanders, words galore, laughs, beach holidays and tales to enthral!
The recipe book is packed with over 300 treats - more than enough to make you want to  live on chocolate alone.

Show us the real Prixie, please!

Recently, I have been finding it very hard to stay up beyond 9pm. I start reading a book and not even 10 minutes later I am struggling to keep my eyes open. I fall asleep minutes after starting to watch a TV program or movie. 

I have noticed that since I stopped freelancing and got a full time job, my time for reading and other leisure activities has been greatly reduced and this is extremely saddening. Tiredness seems to be with me constantly...  maybe it because I wake up so early to be at work at 6am. Crazy, right? 

I actually hardly recognise myself any longer. Who is this person, working full time? Yawning most of the time? Paying off debit orders galore? And having so little me-time? Who are you and what have you done with Prixie? 

Into the land of fantasy

I've always been a great fan of stories with fantasy and magical elements such as Chronicles of Narnia, Peter Pan, The Lord of the Rings and so many more.  I have dozens of my own ideas dancing around in my head,  I am only too scared to type them out. The fear of mediocre work overwhelms me and it paralyses me into immobility. Regardless, there are others who think like me and this image proves that. It gives me a little courage to bring my magical creatures alive on paper and into the hearts and minds of readers.

A chocolate to start the day

The company has recently moved offices. We are now near a Vida e Caffè and they hand out these small Lindt chocolates (as seen above) when you buy a coffee. Scott, a great work colleague, went there this morning to get his caffeine ration for the day. Lo and behold, he walks into the office, straight to where I sat and hands me this little treasure!

I shrieked in happiness, something along the lines: "Oh wow, really? This is for me?! Thanks! You've made my day!" My eyes shone bright with the thoughtfulness behind the gesture.

I love it when people support my choco-holism.

**content sigh**