INSIGHTS

It’s been a crazy few days. Running around a zoo with little kids was the one of the most enjoyable parts of the weekend that passed. Its amazing how they make you want to see life in a different way. The kids that I was running after was 7 out of the big batch that arrived from the day care and aftercare centre south of Johannesburg. Osizweni – a Zulu term for ‘place of help’ – looks after orphans or children coming from broken homes. It is an Islamic Relief project and I firmly believe that it is doing an incredible job.

Most of the kids [or rather all of them] had never visited a zoo before and the most they know about the animals are those they hear in stories. “Roar like a lion”… “meow”… “no a cat meows”… “ok”

A small conversation passed between myself and some of the little ones and volunteers.

“Whats big and grey and uses its nose to eat with?”

“My favourite animal is a baboon. Can we see that?”

“most definitely”

We didn’t end up seeing the baboon though but a rather big gorilla which put on a splendid show for the kids by obliging and coming out of his little house in the enclosure and posing on the rocks before heading onto the ‘jungle gym’. Getting to leave that place may have taken a good half and hour of our time. Also it was about then that we started realising we had one little terror who wished to join the animals at every opportunity he got.

Little Eden kept us running on our toes but I thoroughly had a ball of a time with him. Unlike the rest who were quiet he and Yolanda – a pretty little thing with her corn rows and sunglasses – made my day. They were noisy, naughty and fun as little kids should be.

“So can you roar like a lion?”

“R-O-A-R”

“G-R-O-W-L”

The day moved steadily on. With loads of animals and really not much time to see them all, we minimised the animals we saw to keep it to the big ones and the ones they knew and recognised. Stamping towards the animals we came to the playful seals and Eden thought he could catch a swim with them. Nothing fazed him at all and this helped to get the others more and more involved.

Question – why does the lion enclosure and all the good animals have to be so so far away?

“I’m tired now. Its so hot. SIGH.”

“Let’s stop for a water break guys. Right everyone have some water.”

Lions, and tigers and bears and elephants and snakes and gorillas – lets not forget the snakes – thrilled them to bits. But where were the tigers hiding. “We can’t see them”.

Not knowing where they could be we walked towards a building that formed part of the enclosure. Strict instructions at the door. “Do not go pass the yellow line. You little ones hold on to an adults hands,” said the lady at the door. Fortunately she managed to catch us before Eden or Yolanda went through without us. “Where are they?” “There they are.” Seeing them Yolanda and Thembisile clutched tightly onto my hands. While thankfully John – an older child – had Eden by the hand while ‘Aunty Taahira’ and Aunty Dinah held the rest.

The day was broken with lunch and a rest and a birthday for one of the dear care givers at the centre.

I would write more about the events that occurred after including my run with the 3 older ones in our group from the main entrance to the croc area on the other side of the world but the story would just be a ramble.

Also check out the pic here.

**The care centre is an Islamic Relief project but huge thanks goes to Zeenat Ghoor for organising the countless volunteers and making sure we all had lovely groups of kids and to Aunty Lucy who did as much planning as anyone can to make sure the day was a success.**

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So I was surprisingly tagged after ages by Fatima who was absent for a while from the realm. Being Brazen and Prixie started the tag session and I should not complain much as this hasn't happened in a good while. 

So the whole thing is on current addictions and this in its self is hard to do…

I mean I still have my past addictions to deal with but here goes:

1. Social Media -- I have mentioned it before so will not repeat myself on this note.

 

2. Flings and Cream Soda -- this addiction is technically an old one but it resurfaced just before Ramadan started and only my darling Lulu and Sums would understand the need for flings with cream soda. ;)

3. Gadgets -- anything electronic I can lay my hands on regardless of the make which I know saddens Killa.

 

4. Books -- sadly unlike Fatima, I read everything and anything I can lay my hands on. Can't wait for Christopher Paollini's final book releasing end of this month.

 

5. Shoes but mainly new tekkies J

 

I'm sure there are many more addictions but I have to say many are old ones I can't get rid of J

 

So who to tag hmmm:

1. Killa
2. The Ever Great One
3. Organ Harvester
4. Mauro Correia
   

And the rules are:

What you need to do:

*Post at least five current addictions (with some details please).
*Mention the person who started this game of tag and also the person who just tagged you.
*Type your post with the heading "Current addictions".
*Tag at least two people and pass on the above rules.

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In the last month so much has come and gone. Yes to all my readers who I have neglected I am sorry.

It’s been a hectic month of running after stories, job hunting, interview pressure and excitement at being offered a job I would not have thought I was the best candidate for.

I have been offered the job of junior journalist at Inter Press Service Africa [www.ipsnews.net]. This is indeed a step up from being the Mail & Guardian intern but the one thing I have to say is that being an intern at the M&G is not like being an intern anywhere else.

Your job description on paper may say intern but in reality you one of the journalists working at the M&G. You are treated no differently and are expected to produce good, quality material at all times or when ever asked of you. I have learnt to write under pressure or relaxed. I have written hard breaking news and features. I have done stories of human interest, global issues, technology and economic issues. I wrote on subjects I had no idea about and through this have learnt a whole lot more.

I am ever grateful to the team at M&G who have nurtured me through the last year. The ones who put their trust in a very fresh young journalist who still needed to learn the ropes. The friendships I have forged with the team I will eternally hold on to.

Now on to the wide world. IPS will be amazing and challenging to work for and honestly … I’m thrilled at the prospect. With IPS there is also the opportunity of international recognition and the hope of travel.

I have the travel bug real bad and this may help that a little. Being based in the Africa office though that will be limited to stories in Africa but I don’t mind. I can honestly not wait.

Hopefully I don’t fall flat on my face though…but come what may I really look forward to it.

This last month has also seen other developments. I have become attached to my social mediums and have learnt that people I thought I knew are not the ones I really know. I have learnt that sometimes your friends are the ones you least expect. A few past friends have now renewed their friendships with me…makes me wonder why they stopped in the first place and I question their motives now but I gladly open my arms to them as we all have been through to much together not to. But I’m glad for these life lessons.

I’m so going to miss everyone here at M&G…

Love you all lots!!!

XOXOXOXO


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Been doing a little soul searching lately and came to the realisation I didn’t want to search my soul. The more I think and try to look for answers the more I loose myself. So what may come will come. I have made this decision before on numerous occasions but hopelessly I must admit never kept to it much. I fight with things that come my way and don’t let the inevitable happen as it should. But I guess that is my nature and that is what I have learnt in the past few years.

Though I wonder if there is a way I could have learnt things better. Or some times learnt the real lesson that needed to be learnt and not the other which is really meaningless to my existence.

Does life ever change?

The best thing some one said/sent to me in the last few days was:

“It's all a learning process. The day you stop learning is the day you start becoming irrelevant ;-)”

I guess then that come what may I most probably may or may not repeat the same mistakes over and over again and the day I start realising that I have learnt the wrong thing from that mistake and that’s the reason I keep repeating the mistake is the day I learn more then I had before.

(That some how made complete sense in my head!!!)

Thank you to the dude who gave me the most gorgeous bunch of flowers this past weekend. Will post a pic soon. And they are my favourite flowers. Thanks for brightening up my mood everyday I come home and see them.

Right now to the more important thing…

EURO 2008

I’m loving the ball that’s been played in the tournament so far. With the surprises and the quality on display its no wonder that the Euro’s have is the next most watched event after the Football World Cup. And may over take that in a few years (or even this year – we will await the figures after the tournament).

Turkey last night from the little we were able to watch was sublime and all credits to Germany who were able to contain the continuous onslaught to come out victorious. This I must remind you were a second string Turkish side as most were out through suspension or injury. Turkey you do your country proud.

The semi tonight is going to be just as spectacular. My friends keep reminding me not to forget the Guus Curse – the ability by Guus Hiddink to take the minnows of every tournament to the semi-finals. And boy can Russia produce some upsets. Spain may have beaten them in the round robins but this is a changed Russian team. They playing the type of football we use to seeing from countries like Italy and France who are not in the semi-finals this time around. I for one will not underestimate them or their talent.

(o and on the pic was too lazy to look for bigger image lol and hey killa its for you :P )

**

Next point:

Been doing some amazing stories lately and loving the thrill of deadlines. Though I’m in the market for a new job I’ve also found two other passions and have been pursing that a bit as of late.

Maybe its something that will ultimately just be more of a nothing then a something but I’m learning that I still have the ability to learn – and who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Lol

The first passion I’m sure people have caught on already… I’m becoming a bit of a social medium whore – and I love it.

You guys can find me on Twitter, Plurk, Facebook, Friendfeeder, and a few others I will not divulge as yet. I’m loving the interaction and sociability that I’m finding through these different platforms. The people I meet also have imparted more valuable knowledge then they realise. I’ve learnt more about my blog and how to blog and about sites and arb information I’m sure most of my immediate friends would never know or would not even care about. I’ve also made the most amazing friends through these mediums and for me that’s a total added bonus.

My other passion is something though I will keep as my secret for now…

But keep your ears open to the sounds of the underground ;)

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Since i will be away for a bit and will be neglecting all my wonderful friends and fellow bloggers and the world of blogging...I feel i should leave you all in the presence of something sweet and indulgent....mmmm enjoy...miss me and MWAH

So the bowling was a blast and we had a huge gang....
hmmm lets just say we didnt really care about the final scores ;)



















*Just a btw Neo = Arshad go figure why that name but Mazozo insisted on it lol Arsh go fight with him :)
Asad I'm sorry they spelt your name wrong please forgive me!!!

For full details on our brilliant night with friends check out Safs place. For a total hilarious analysis on our escapade see !Joe!
She always seems to capture moments in their true forms
To all those who were not there...hint hint jhb, pe and ct guys mmmm well when you come to the good place...DURBAN...we promise to have even more fun lol

So we all went bowling as i'm sure most of you gathered from Safs, Juns, and Dews blogs...
but the evilness of me want to put up our scoresheet...
will do so tomorrow
Hahahahahahaha
*efg*
*Me Evil* __

Yes people the above drink was the most amazing thing that could hav happened on Friday night. My darling cuz Az captioned the pic! Its a Creme Caramel Latte, one of the most amazing drinks I've had in ages. The Location - a nice sofa at Umhlanga Sands.

O btw for Yas's sake....darling here goes... "I'm a Bitch with a capital C"! lol

no its not insane...i got curly hair and i like straight hair...a ghdcosts R1500....why must i pay to "burn" my hair and going to the salon costs R100 a week x 52 weeks = 5200.00.....so its not insane .....even if have to go for a function , i don't have to go salon, just wash and go....how convenient....for 365 days ....costs R 3.28/day....a pack of cigarettes costs +/- R19.00...so if acid/arshad buys a pack every 2/3 days= +/- R 3467.50 = 288% insane if i am "insane"....and if they buy a pack a day then they get more insane.....;-))
*btw she spent 1200 (i think on her hair yday lol)
This insane mathematical formula was developed by the gorgeous Moh...she who argues the need of visiting the hair salon once a year :) Moh i understand thanks but still I wouldn't need to lol my hair is too straight, but for others of the female species i believe you should take Moh up on her formula lol

any way on a bit of an arb note...like wtf is Maroon5 thinking...yes R you can kill me later if you like but their new song reminds me totally of Backstreet Boys and N'Sync.
They gone from awesome (I own their cd) to totally pop bubble gum vomit inducing music....Yah sure the tune is catchy yah def it will stick in my head after a while but please somebody save them from themselves. Okay fine i'll wait till i hear their whole album but honestly if its more of this stuf *Zahira vomits*...then i'm def not investing in their cd...def not worth it.
*Zahira gives R death stares...* Don't even try killing me R you know I can take you down with my little finger lol

*ME EVIL*EFG* l__l

Hey last night was awesome...had a get together of old and new friends mainly bloggers...may this tradition continue...hehehe to those who didnt make it or we didnt have contact info sorry drop a line maybe next time we'll see you there...but hey to the guys who were thank you...lets just say there would never be a dull moment between insane crazy peeps :) mwah

*ME EVIL*EFG* l__l

Your Element Is Air

You dislike conflict, and you've been able to rise above the angst of the world. And when things don't go your way, you know they'll blow over quickly. Easygoing, you tend to find joy from the simple things in life. You roll with the punches, and as a result, your life is light and cheerful. You find it easy to adapt to most situations, and you're an open person. With you, what you see is what you get... and people love that!

Yah this is the kind of R&R i want...
A place where i can release built up frustration, and some how sooth and calm my soul.
So what you may i ask do i wish to R&R about...hmmm lots and at the same time nothing at all! yah exactly i want to R&R about the nothingness part of it all.
I was standing at the bus stop the other day... yes people i wait at the bus stop...and i was just enjoying the moment of solitude. Watched the cars go by and the buses (I was waiting for the mother peole!!!) and wondering how they seemed to pollute the same f%$^ing air I was breathing, but thats not the issue here. The issue is that i was actually enjoying this alone time of people, bus and car and the occasional bike watching. I could see people laughing, talking, fighting and kissing (Bus stop is near a robot sillys) in their cars. How differently we all see the world move by.
The other totally soothing thing about watching all this was that it began to drizzle. Me i love the rain (I LOVE H2O). Was desperatly wanting to play in the rain. Can you imagine me running between cars lol how much fun would that be...except on a main road i may get jailed *sigh*.
So have i gone off on a tangent or are you guys still following along in my mud?
The whole point of the above is to enjoy the simple things in life. And everything has its own beauty even the ugly.
My other R&R has to do with the fact that my friends don't seem to enjoy each moment as it comes. Why do they have to place in context with something else? Like I know sometimes i do that as well, but honestly can one not enjoy a moment with out worrying about someone else or something else or thinking if only the situation was different?
Are all humans ingrained withthis sense of 'publicity'? hmmm
O well screw them and screw the world i'm gonna enjoy each moment as is and when ever it throws itself at me...why bloody not?
I will def continue this R&R session...I feel so much better already :)
*ME EVIL*EFG* l__l
(for those who get it...to those who don't f^&k this shit don't make your problems mine!!!)

Hmmm wouldn't it be just purrfect to be there rite now and all innocent and relaxed...mmmm

LOl Been checking this on peoples pages decided to try it out...quiet interesting results i get lol

As you can see by the title of this post it kind of has something to do with Juns…
So Juns, finally decided to accompany me to the Time of the Writer’, which incidentally is running in its 10th year (I’m sure many people can not believe that fact!). That and the Film festival at campus are my two favorite things to go for… yes people I like all this cultural intelligence…
So I’m guessing you all wondering why the title for this blog piece…
Well Juns, I had a feeling, was highly bored during the whole process, even though he emphatically states he was not. (You know when a guy is lying when he keeps telling you otherwise) But I let him continue to believe he was impressing me ;) lol Just joking Juns stop having a heart attack…we already know what you think about it you posted on your blog already…Though is it the message or the medium you wish to acknowledge ;)
Dudes relax I’m getting to my point here….
Juns…bored…whips out a pen…hmmm is this for some note taking…
No?!?!?!?
Grabs Zoë’s hand…like dude what are you thinking…please no kinky business in the middle of the theatre…
Hmmm is this the art of branding you wish to portray…yes people he wanted to brand Zoë’s lovely delicate hand…Quickly she snatches it back before the skillful artistic talent of Juns comes into being…
Zoë opens her bag whips out a tiny ‘purple’ (wonder what she thinking) notebook and hands it to Juns…the result…
well take a look below…

PS: Juns finally understands XOXOXOXOXO

does age really matter...


who says we have to make age matter?


how come society dictates that we should live by the age factor?


been having this conversation with a friend a few years younger then me and was wondering how is it that we are able to be such good friends pass the age barrier but as soon as we talk about a guy its inherent that I don't feel comfortable dating one younger than me. I know that the Prophet (SAW) was younger than Khadija (RA) but that still does not change the fact that i view life in this way.

Wedding Fun...

Yah so I went to the A1 it was F&^$ing awesome...But that was me. I love cars and bikes...and the roar of those car downshifting from speeds of 220 to 100 to take the bend or making it through the chicane without blowing their undercarriage was amazing.

The sun though did kill me... i have permanent sunglasses at the moment but I don't care I'd do the same thing over again just to hear the roar of an A1 (next time hopefully F1) car. Not forgetting the super cars they had after the main race...totally yummy...think Lambos and lotuses, Porches and even an Aston martin...totally mind blowing...

Apparently I'm supposed to write the continuation of my holiday post but I just can't seem to get around to doing it :)

After the wedding was the Walimah in Durban, a week later... so was even better then making the way to Jhb... So this is the cousins yah mainly us girls with the one boy in the family who loves taking photos.
The holidays after that continued making me a total beach bum, especially since the Jhb cousins being around.
Not forgetting that Eid fell in between. Eid was a glorious family affair especially since a lot of the cousins from around SA were together after ages.
That night being new years was weird...we ended up at the beachfront though it was pouring, at my cousins place. All we did was stand on the balcony and carry on like kids...shouting at everyone passing by..was so much of fun :)
....More to follow....