Black and White

Black and White, not the two ladies but the earphones they are wearing. Here are Ilana and Sandra, our Conceptual Designer and Graphic Designer hard at work that was until I disturbed them with my camera.

It was close to the end of another day and they still had their noses to the grindstone with music pumping from their beat boxes through their black and white earphones and into their heads. Now I am wondering if it is rock, classic, rap, metal, pop, blues, or better still punk.

Attack of the Swans

Forget Alfred Hitchcock and his Birds, at first we had the killer zebras and now we have the killer swans and geese. Poor Ella, she returned from the canteen bruised and battered after a ferocious attack by a pair of swans. She was covered in red welts all over her hands and what is covered by the safety pin. If it wasn’t the swans I wonder who has been giving her hickies? I mean love bites on her bum, now that is over share!

Mc Nab

There has been a drought of some sorts in KwaZulu-Natal since last summer and we decided to travel back up to Johannesburg towing an open trailer with Lynda’s stuff that remained after the sale of her house. Just as we were about to leave soft rain started falling. We said our goodbyes and took the final photos of the Mc Nab family, Greg, Hilton, and Lynda, before braving a soft drizzle. The light rain lasted well up into the midlands. It was looking like it wasn’t our day but eventually the clouds lifted and so did our spirits as the rain stopped.

After Harrismith our hopes were dashed as the clouds burst open but we just pressed on that was until the traffic came to a standstill from an earlier accident. While waiting for the traffic to clean, the clouds added insult to injury by spitting hail down upon us.

Once passed Villiers the traffic cleared up along with the rain as this too became a distant memory.

Nightmare Hotel Chantecler

After last night’s disaster dinner at The Chantecler Hotel in Bothas Hill, we didn’t want any fancy place so we ended up at Durban South Beach just as the weather closed in. So here we were enjoying Strawberry Daiquiris, yes a pink drink Richard, while watching a few brave surfers trying to catch a wave or two. It wasn’t the best Daiquiri I’ve ever tasted but it help us forget last night as the stormy weather started to threaten.

As for evening before I am sure I am going to use The Chantecler Hotel experience on how a waiter/waitress should not treat their guests as the launch our Food Crit Blog, so watch this space. I’ll leave you with a little insight on what transpired, my meal of spare ribs arrived to our table 15 minutes after ordering and no one else's at our table, an hour and a half later the 4 pizzas arrived. To make matters worse the quarter chicken order was totally forgotten and never placed through to the kitchen. Not once did the waitress come tell us that the kitchen or that she had a problem, we only found out after I had to get up and walk to the kitchen to seek out our waitress. Not to mention no front of house nor restaurant manager was seen at all during the entire traumatic experience.

Sigh, now that nightmare is off my chest, where is my pink drink.

Twenty Five Minutes to Five

Don’t take the clock on the wall on face value as every clock in the house has stopped ticking although not all at twenty minutes to nine but at different times. I am starting to think that I am stuck in Ms Havishams’ Satis House, where all the clocks had stopped but you can't stop time—or mildew, mold, and mice.

The words of Pip from The Great Expectations rang through my head “It was when I stood before her, avoiding her eyes, that I took note of the surrounding objects in detail, and saw that her watch had stopped at twenty minutes to nine, and that a clock in the room had stopped at twenty minutes to nine.”

But I wasn’t standing in front of Ms Havisham, but Mr Mc Nab, Lynda’s nearly octogenarian dad, and here time hadn’t stopped stop but was going backwards or could I sadly say downhill. After Lynda’s mom crossed over to heaven last year this four bedroom house plus cottage is both stuck in time and destroyed by time. Time is now to stop the backward slide, wind up the clocks or put fresh new batteries in, and start getting this place back into time. And to start living again.

“So!" she said, without being startled or surprised; "the days have worn away, have they?”

Walking Hoover

Greg came home after a hard day’s work and walked into Lynda’s busy kitchen. While he was rearranging the freezer, he pea’d onto the floor as frozen peas escaped the packet. Now he had to sweep up the peas without them becoming mushy peas under foot. Thank goodness Duke, the Rottweiler pavement special, was at hand as the walking hoover. Nothing sucks like good old Duke.

Dusty Mother Hen

Like a mother hen sitting on its nest, one of the largest Dutch Reformed Churches in South Africa, sits in the middle of the little Free State town of Warden, But his hen is brooding over what is left of this dusty town as all its chicks have left for the big city lights.

On our way down to KwaZulu-Natal for family matters, we past this remains of a town that was proclaimed in 1913. It was this large brown church building that drew us in. This church seats 1750 but I am sure the population of Warden is was less as this town has fallen apart since 1994. The tar roads have become so potholed that they are now simply rocky gravel. I wonder if this town will ever recover as mother hen sorry fully watches.

Sticky Toffee

Heritage Day aka Braai Day is tomorrow and because it is a public holiday, we celebrated Heritage today at work with staff who arrivied at work in their traditional clothes all snazzy like. A Heritage market was setup with traditional wares on offer such as tripe, ran-aways aka chicken feet, pap and wors, mutton biryani, dal, and cape malay mince curry with roti. Not so traditional treats were also on offer, beautifully sweat and just as delicious.

Here is Pabi sampling some sticky toffee that was dripping from some toffee apples, uhmmmm.

Pins and Needles

For those you are wondering about my ECG scare over the weekend, the results are back and there is nothing wrong with my ticker. Yes my heart was a concern because of my little overweight problem but all seems fine, thank goodness.

I still have the excessive pins and needles along with a dull pain in my left arm. So I was sent to get x-rays and the preliminary results are that my 5th and 6th vertebrate are a bit too close so they suspect that the nerves might be getting pinched. The x-rays have been sent through to the specialists so now it is another wait and see. Until then I will remain a pin cushion for a while longer.

Craig in Pink

Ja man what can I say other than seeing pink on a man is like trying to stare at the sun. They say that pink is the new power statement but so is a full beard and I think that the two would go well together.

I haven’t seen Craig for quite a long time and it was great meeting up with him after all this time even with his sugar and spice and all things nice side of Craig. All he needs now is that beard, yeah a full beard to go with that bright shirt.

Electrocardiogram

For the last month or two, my left arm has been behaving improper such as having pins and needles for no apparent reason. Last night my arm started to produce a dull ache as if I have been over enthusiastically throwing a ball with my left arm. The pins and needles had also increased so much so I started to worry. With no other symptoms such as chest pain, the signs were that I must have had a heart attack some time back. So in I went to get myself checked out.

The ECG or Electrocardiogram and my blood pressure results came back normal so they siphoned off some blood to check for signs of cardio markers. Now I wait.

In the meanwhile I have been told by the doctor that I have to book an appointment with a neurologist. I didn’t know that my brain was causing this pain in my left arm. I would have thought a cardiovascular specialist would be more what the doctor ordered, but no a neurologist?

Drummer Boy

Come they told me, pa rum pump pum pum
To play my drum for the King, pa rum pum pum

Stop! Stop, wrong song

Wahamba nathi, Oh wahamba nathi
Oh wahamba nathi, siyabonga
Siyabonga Jesu, siyabonga Ngonyama Yezulu
Siyabonga Jesu, siyabonga

Ah that is more like it as this drummer boy play with all his heart
As the African drum beat full the Imbizo with rhythm

Hamba nathi Mkhululi wethu

Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum

Trees Forget

What happened to Spring? Summer arrived so quickly that even the trees forgot to flourish. I enjoy this view of this bare leaf trees with its tiny leaves budding inside their white stone squares surrounded by green grass. Not quite there but the promise of growth is all there and soon they will blossom.

Cleaning Windows

A friend of mine who works in Dubai recently posted photos on her Facebook page of window cleaners suspended outside high rise buildings cleaning windows. I have heard the horror stories from the dark side of Dubai.

I am not taking about the Emiratis who rule like the slave masters of the past nor am I talking about the Expats like my friend and many others from the Western world now working in Dubai but about the unscrupulous side that enslave migrant workers as cheap labour. The Middle Eastern Shangri-la rose up out of the tumbleweeds and desert sands but behind the façade, hidden from view are the down trodden worker bees who built the city like the window cleaners in the photos of my friend.

Oh no I am procrastinating as I sit in my office, watching Jane, clean my office windows while my thoughts drift to those window cleaners in Dubai. Oh well my windows are nice and clean now so back to work I go.

Warning Speed Traps Ahead

The saying once bitten, twice shy rings true for me and this non-descript green box shown above. Warning to all vehicles traveling through Krugersdorp along Main Reef Road in the Luipaardsvlei area, this is a speed trap using a camera to record your vehicle’s speed and details. I have one traffic citation already, and since I travel this road one a week and every time it is there without anybody keeping an eye out for it so it must be a permanent installation. This time I stopped right in front of it and had a look around, no traffic officer was in attendance unless he was at the fried chicken fast food take away for lunch or asleep under a tree nearby.

Busting a Move

The sun was in the wrong position but I just had to grab the camera and snap as I saw Lawrence getting funky while he strolled past my window. Ahhh Mondays were we get down and bust the moves.

Waiting for the Summer Rain

Forget Spring and the fresh fragrance in the air, the heat of summer is here and soon we will be begging for the summer rains. Although the flowers in our garden are blooming we need to water manually until the rains come. Jim Morrison and The Doors got it wrong; this is not the end, beautiful friend, this is the beginning.

Sometimes the pain of the past winter is too much to examine, or even tolerate. It is the hope of the future given to us through grace that makes this new coming season worth the pain. Waiting for the summer rain, yeah!

First Season’s Braai

The weather has been glorious for the past weeks that it was about time to have our first braai of the summer season. Okay barbeque for my northern hemisphere friends and those down under. We braai therefore we are South African. Heritage Day or Braai Day is only in eleven days time on 24 September but with days like this we just couldn't wait.

So the ribs, kebabs, and wors found themselves onto the braai grill and soon were sizzling with taste. May the wors be with you as we braai the Beloved Country and as our beloved Archie, Desmond Tutu once said about the braai, "It is no sin to get sauce on your chin".

Sleepy Head Squish

Hello there sleepy head, now that the days are getting warmer, our local tortoise, Squish is up and about after his long winter sleep. A long time ago, Squish decided to find respite from the harsh summer sun by taking refuge under a parked car. When the driver returned to leave, they accidently reversed over Squish. The medics were rushed in and Squish’s shell was patched up.

That was then, now Squish lives on and it is Friday so time to come out of your shell Squish, time to party.

Punk Rocker Ella

Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair. Spring no scratch that summer is back with full vengeance albeit without the summer rains, that is yet to come. With the storms of 9/11, eTolls, Oscar our fallen hero, Nkandla, Marikana, Gaza, broken hearts, and suicide behind us, we are left with the struggle of living in the ruins of our shattered lives. Oh but we can dream until the next maelström.

Dreams of a better future for ourselves, take Ella for example, here she dreams of being a punk rocker with flowers in her hair from a time when anarchy was still a dream. So live your dreams, you can do it and remember life is too short to be living somebody else’s dream.

Bosasa Hlangana

Our Mpho aka Oompa Loompa, designed this hat for the Bosasa Hlangana which was held last Friday. Bosasa is the name of our company and also the Northern Sotho word for the future or tomorrow and Hlangana is the isiZulu word for togetherness. The Bosasa Hlangana day is celebrated to bring the family of the Future Together and celebrate the spring. A competition was held for the best hat made from recycled materials and this was Oompa Loomps’s entry, very bright with vibrant colours just like our future.

Focus Jerome Focus

I have so many balls up in the air at work that it is starting to get harder to focus on any one ball for too long.

Tomorrow is World Suicide Prevention Day as my sister, Raquel laid her 17 year old son Blade down to sleep for the last time this very morning. It hit me hard that this could have been prevented. Too many family secrets hiding in dark corners of our lives which the evil one wants to use to hurt us and those around us.

With time and hindsight we can understand some of the emotions and physical pain that a person goes through before reaching that dark place and we the survivors need to share with others to prevent further tragedies.

Blade,
Although we never met, I knew of you from your mother, Raquel, my sister.
I thought of you with Love today but that is nothing new.
I thought about you yesterday and the 17 years before that too.
I think of you in silence today as your mother lays you down to sleep.
Now all I have is a memory of you as a keepsake.
A memory which I will I'll never forget nor part.
God has you now in His keeping and I have you in my heart.

I didn’t know what photograph to take on this heavy day but the stark while flowers outside my office was glaringly obviously telling me to pick them. So many flowers, so much to focus on.

Desmond at Forty

Well some people make a big deal about reaching the middle point of their lives and others like Desmond shown above, well just move on as if it was just a small speed bump in their lives. If we didn’t keep quiet about it, no one would have known as the day slipped slowly by.

Oh well Des, happy fortieth birthday old man.

Saved Eric

Eric wore an interesting t-shirt to BBC today, quoting John 3:17 "God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world but to save the world through Him".

How easy it is for us, Christians me especially, to judge others that don’t reach our standards that we set, even when we can’t reach them ourselves. I am not perfect, in fact I am one of the most un perfect person out there but I use Jesus the Messiah as my crutch as I know that He never judged me, He took my place and paid my debt. So now I can proudly say "I know I am not but I know I Am!"

Remember before we put anyone in their place, we must put ourselves in their place. Judging others is the easy human thing to do.

Legend Man

Finally after many years, I have a new pair of glasses. For so long I haven’t been looking good and headaches have increased over the years. By headaches I mean like such pain behind the eyes that I had to stop myself gouging them out. So with these new specs based on a frame called Legend Man, I can good look again, like a legend.

The Big Fat Greek Wedding

Oh no Big Fats nor any Greeks but there was a wedding and a Greek Restaurant called “As Greek as it Gets” involved in my day.

My matrimonial day actually started three days ago when I received an SMS from my brother Anthony, “Hi Jerome, I’m getting married on the 4th, Friday, at court at 9:00am”, I choked on my tea, what, married this Friday! I then got him on the phone and asked him if this was a wedding invite or was he just being courteous and telling me that he was getting married.

So I left early this morning to get to Cullinan way to the north east of Gauteng. It was soon after I left that I had to toss my timings out of the car as I hit road works. Somewhere in Pretoria I realised that I wouldn’t make it in time. I arrived at the marriage court at 9:15 with my brother and his wife still waiting to get all their papers in order. About 10:30 we finally got shuffled into the marriage court.

Now today being Casual Day and the theme was Bling, I wasn’t expecting to see the marriage officer dressed in a red dress and silver chains hanging from her neck. At the end of one of the silver chains was a large silver marijuana leaf. Yes a large silver dagga leaf in court, nice move. Bling!

Okay back to the wedding at hand. After the formalities were over, rings swopped and spit, no sorry the kiss to seal their love, Anthony and Helene and the few guests went down to the old part of Cullinan for photos and lunch at the Greek Restaurant called “As Greek as it Gets”. The Greek proprietor, Stavros made us kalosorisate, most welcome and treated us like part of his family.

To Anthony and Helene, may your big fat Greek wedding lead to a blessed life full of love.

Ilana welcome to Bosasa

Well I have been so busy this week that I didn’t get round to welcoming our latest member, Ilana, to the eKayaMedia team. She has joined us as a Conceptual Designer and we from the digital side of the building welcome her into our Bosasa family. May you become an integral part of our effective team and that your career here be one of growth at Bosasa.

Blown by Nataniël

Preconceived - priːkənˈsiːvd/ an adjective which means of an idea or opinion that was formed before having the evidence for its truth or usefulness. In other words the same set of facts can be tailored to fit any preconceived belief, as if I am opinionated enough already.

Exercising the right of occasional suppression and slight modification, it is truly absurd to see how plastic a limited number of observations become, in the hands of men with preconceived ideas. Well it looks like I too made a judgment that was not founded on proof but circumstantial second hand information.

My friends what I saw in press about Nataniël le Roux, a South African singer, songwriter and entertainer lead me to have a preconceived opinion on who Nataniël was. I never went to see him for myself but relied on what my friends had to say about him without even them seeing him live at a performance. Yes I saw him on TV being interviewed and with my preconceived notions, I always thought Nataniël to be a controversial damp rag.

So began the breaking down of my preconceived ideas. Lynda phoned last week and told me that she won a pair of tickets to see Nataniël and his latest stage show Rainbow at Midnight now showing at Emperors Palace. I immediately started thinking who of my friends would love to go and watch Nataniël, none!

So in we walked Lynda and I with my preconceived ideas hand in hand and was blown away by this kaalkop going by the name of Nataniël. It was not what we expected, well the dialogue was, but his singing, ladies and gentlemen, I give you South Africa’s very own Elton John, aka Nataniël. His voice blew us away, well the whole cast of Rainbow at Midnight did. Not to mention the awesome costumes, wow!

We found Nataniël unpretentious with a voice that matches Elton John himself, note that is only when he is singing. When he talks he has his normal husky voice as if he has been chain smoking since he was a baby but when he sings, well shall we say that I am now a believer. We were blown away. Afterwards I dearly wanted a photograph of the two kaalkops together, and of course apologise. So if you ever read this blog post Nataniël, let’s get together for a wynjie.

One of my favourite authors, Charles de Lint once wrote… let me give you a piece of advice: Try to approach things without preconceived ideas, without supposing you already know everything there is to know about them. Get that trick down and you’ll be surprised at what’s really all around you.

Crowned Vespa

This young Grey Crowned Crane took quite a fancy to Scarlet, my red Vespa GTS 300 Super. He must have recognised a princess when he saw Scarlet, and couldn't keep his eyes off her as he bowed to royalty.

My office at Bosasa is set in the beautiful lush gardens of Mogale Business Park. This truly a park where you can work in tranquil settings full of birds and small game. Here my Scarlet finds herself relaxing with her feet up while gorgeous birds came to pay homage to her beauty and crown her Queen of the Park.

Hard at Worx

"Thank goodness, Monday is over", that is the words dripping off Lawrence’s lips as he shuffled in after a full day in the glorious first day of spring. Sunworx Solar is busy installing a photovoltaic solar system at a leading German motor manufacturing and our eKayaMedia photographic team was at hand to record the installation.

It is only the first day of spring and already the sun was hot hot hot, not to mentioning lugging all the camera equipment up to the installation site.