my heart beats south africa

As always, World Cup fever sets in and patriotism takes on a whole new meaning. Everyone goes out of their way to buy "SA RUGBY" shirts and proudly wears the green and gold every Friday and for every game. The Springboks win the first three games in their (very tough) pool.

Sunday the 9th of October comes around, and thousands of South Africans wake up early to watch the 7am game between SA and Australia, their hearts full of hope for a victory.
Sadly that victory doesn't come. We play a good game of rugby, we hold 76% of the territory and we hardly allow Australia to even play. But unfortunately for us, the ref wears an Australian jersey. So that's it then, the team has to return home with sad hearts, knowing that they could have claimed that World Cup for the third time.

However, when they arrive at O.R Tambo International airport on Monday the 10th of October, they are greeted by over 300 ecstatic fans who are waving flags, wearing Springbok shirts and cheering them on as if they had come home with the gold.

That's the thing about this country, we don't need a title or a trophy to define who we are. We know we are winners, we know that we have battled through the toughest of obstacles, we have pursued our dreams, we have overcome our fears and we have emerged a nation that is full of culture, spirit, heart and colour. Our reaction to our loss of this years World Cup just proves that we care more about our country than any trophy. Sure, it would have been nice to win, I know that I for one was screaming and shouting at the screen all through that final match. Yet, I couldn't be prouder of our boys, because they played with all their hearts. They played like true South Africans.

I am just so in love with this country - for everything it has accomplished and for all the potential it still has. We may not have won the RWC 2011, but we have emerged victorious with our hands firmly placed over our hearts.

Pretty Flippin Kiff

So I realised today that so many of my friends are ridiculously gifted in terms of music and creativity. Sometimes I see them play at a gig, or on a video clip and I can't believe I actually know them. South Africa truly has so much untapped potential. Here are a few of my mates who I reckon are pretty flippin kiff!


The Kiffness.
My mates Dave and Mike Scott make up The Kiffness. They have an electro/jazz/awesome sound and this is one of my favourite songs and videos of theirs. You can find The Kiffness on Facebook - do yourself a favour.

BERGIES FLY

The Brothers Streep

I have one word for them. AMAZEFRIKKINHILARIOUS. I know right. You can also find them on facebook. This is a song they recently performed at the finale of SA IDOLS. It's brilliance in a band.

WE'RE NEVER GONNA BE (SA IDOLS)



Matthew Mole.

He's from the small, pretty boring town of Fishhoek (ha) but possibly has one of the best voices I have heard this side of the world. I know it's a claim, but just listen to pure talent. please.

BLIND

To Our Divine.

Okay so Matthew Mole and Ash  Stephenson form this duo of electro/indie music. Such a jam and a talented pairing! Once again, if you wanna hear more, you can find them on Facebook. This is an accoustic version of one of their songs.

INDIE THREE

Thoughts on leaving the 031.

3months and a week or so until I have to say goodbye to the province that has been my home for the last 20 years, and say hello to "the windy city" better known as Cape Town. Sheesh, life just got real up in here.

I must admit I am not the most experienced mover, seeing as I have pretty much been living in the same complex for most of my life, so this was a pretty darn scary decision for me. It still is.
I made the decision to study my honours degree at UCT about a year ago, at a time when Durban just seemed very boring and I felt like I was stuck in a rut here. I think I visited Cape Town about five times last year, which made my friends here in Durbs really feel like they weren't that important to me. I am sorry about that guys, truly.

 It's funny how things can change though.
 This year I have discovered all the potential and awesomness ( can I say awesomness?) that this province has to offer, and in the process I have formed much closer relationships with my friends here as well as making a bunch of new friends whom I treasure a lot. In fact I even started thinking that maybe Cape Town wasn't such a good idea. Reality kicks in though and you realise you need to start making decisions not based solely on the moment but rather on what is best for your future, and, no matter what angle I looked at it in, Cape Town was the best place for me to get my honours degree and a job in the journalism field.

So here I find myself, not yet having received an acceptance letter from UCT, scouring for a digs to stay in, planning how I am going to transport everything I own without paying a gazillion rand for a moving van, and wondering how many visits to Durbs I can actually afford next year. Basically my mind is feeling very stressed at the moment, but through it all, God has given me such peace about this decision and I am confident that it's the right one.

As hard as it is, I think what I have realised is that you can't stay in the same place and have everything be exactly how it is now, for the rest of your life.Things change and people change. As cliched as that is, it's true. I have learnt to enjoy the moments I have going to Unit 11 gigs, hanging out with my friends here, feeling safe and comfortable and all the rest of it, but I know that everything has a season. So next year I will be building relationships with people in Cape Town, getting a job and working towards having a career ( I believe its called growing up). The great thing is that, thanks to our generations obsession with taking photos and videos, I will always have the memories of my life in Durbs - and who knows, maybe I'll be back here one day- and thanks to the advent of Social Media, the friendships I have formed will last a lifetime no matter where I am in the world.

I'm so excited for this new journey. Frikkin scared, but excited.

Thought of the Week

This is a little something my friend Pasqua wrote a while ago. It really moved me and I thought every girl and guy out there should have the opportunity to read it. We all really need to learn to see each other through God's eyes.



EVERY GIRL - Pasqua Heard

She is not a"slut"
or any other derogatory name you think defines her.
She is not an object symbolising sex...
Neither is she a "random hookup" or "vibe".
She means something.
She is created in His image: Pure, Blameless, Beautiful.
He knit her together in her mother's womb.
She is forgiven.
He died for her.
He died for her sins. (Which include: comparing herself to others; drunkeness; envy; promiscuity...)
He knows her from the inside out. It is her heart - rather than her outside beauty - He is more concerned about. He sees through the designer clothes and immaculate make-up.
She is his daughter. And he has perfect plans for her life.
But when you entice her with deceptive charm and flattery, tempt her with alcohol, superficial acceptance, admiration and momentary satifisfactions, you rob her of noticing His plans.
But the truth remains the same, whether you or she chooses to accept it:
She is dearly loved by a Father who wishes to gather her in His arms and protect her from evil - a Father who will one day wipe away every tear from her eyes if she simply turns to Him.
I challenge you to see her as He sees her.
She is His beloved.

Braaiday - Rebecca Black Parody

So we all know how much we love to hate, Rebecca Blacks infamous song, " Friday". If you haven't heard it, please, do yourself a favour and don't Youtube it. Rather, take a look at possibly the most epic parody of all time. Classic South Africa.