Archive for January, 2012
Monday, January 30th, 2012
One of the closest kept secrets in all the world is the lengths black women go to for our hair to look presentable to the rest of the world.
Most black men have no idea, much less people who were born with hair that can be washed and styled within half an hour and look like they’ve walked out of a hairdresser when they walk out of the shower in the morning.
Of course it’s our own faults. Instead of working with what we were born with, some of us (or our mothers when we were younger) opted for to straighten our hair to look like European women. Sort of.
For a lot of women that look comes at a price. For instance, my sister has very seldom, if ever, washed and styled her own hair. She’s been going to hairdressers on a weekly basis for most of her life.
I on the other hand have had a love/hate relationship with hairdressers. I wanted my hair to be straight, but not look too straight. Those poor hairdressers could very seldom please me.
However, I have spent hours at home trying to get my hair to behave. Typically about two and a half hours each time after I washed my hair.
After washing, it has to be put into rollers, dried for about 20 minutes and then straightened with a flat iron. And that is on days when it is not chemically straightened or dyed!
Well, I’ve had enough!
I have always loved natural black hair – especially curly hair and have always complimented people who wore their hair that way. Actually more than just complimented.
My newest colleague sometimes wear her natural hair curly and her hair is pretty much similar to how mine would be if I left it un-straightened. That poor woman must have wondered if I have a crush on her, because I have stared longingly at her lovely locks.
I mentioned to her that it’s her hair that I love!
So I have decided about two months ago to grow my hair without using chemical straightener ever again. To embrace my natural thick hair and deal with it as best I can.
There’s a transition phase that takes between one and three years – so the process will take time. Lots of time. I have tried to do it before – unsuccessfully – but this time I have found lots of resources online, including YouTube videos, with loads of advice.
And last Saturday I went and got my first fake hairpiece so I can try different hairstyles during the first few months. But that’s another story.
Posted in hair, Life | No Comments »
Friday, January 27th, 2012
Last Friday, just before leaving work, I was told to be prepared for a meeting with our Director and some other colleagues on Monday morning. As usual I tried to get as much information as I could by asking who else would be in attendance and what was on the agenda.
No one could or would tell me anything.
Monday morning I still tried to figure what the meeting was about by finding out who else would be there. But the mystery was soon solved when we sat down for our meeting and were told that some changed were about to take place in our job descriptions.
From 1 February my main job task would include IT support, information systems and online media!! Not that I wasn’t doing all that before. I was.
But there were other tasks that I had been doing for many years and was bored to tears. This was now tasked to someone else.
If I would have been asked what my dream job was, this would be it! I’ve been blogging, Facebooking, Tweeting and studying IT all towards getting this, my dream job!
Not everyone is as delighted as I am with my new job.
I should be flattered that my colleagues I worked with don’t want to see me leave my previous post, but at the same time I was a bit disappointed that they were not excited for me.
That’s life though…we have to move forward at some point. And I was languishing in that job for far too long.
So the year has started off with some excitement and new challenges.
Just today I was tasked with presenting information in our staff meeting. Something I have never been good at, but I relaxed and shared what was asked of me as best I could.
Of course now I have to deliver…
Posted in Life, work | No Comments »
Friday, January 27th, 2012
Wednesday 1 February
San-Mari and Kim decide to teach two-timing Bernard a lesson, while Oubaas and Hilda try to make a match for Marcel. Is Herman and Helena’s dinner date as innocent as they make it out to be?
Thursday 2 February
Daleen arrives in Hillside – but why is she suddenly so meek and mild? Bernard wonders why his girlfriends are giving him the cold shoulder and Helena is not impressed when Felicity returns sooner than expected.
Friday 3 February
How will the meeting between Daleen and Bonita go? Sanjay receives the lab reports on the skin lotion he had tested and why does Marko tell Paula she can’t work on the Miss Madeleine project anymore?
Monday 6 February
Vince and Bonita find a house they like, but will their offer be accepted? What is Helena’s agenda with Herman? San-Mari & Kim start manipulating Bernard.
Tuesday 7 February
San-Mari and Kim put Bernard on the spot at Ryno’s fish braai. Helena threatens to make life difficult for Herman. Is romance blossoming between Paula and Marko?
Wednesday 8 February
Why doesn’t Daleen want to return home when her apartment in Cape Town is burgled? Are there ulterior motives behind Helena’s sudden friendliness towards Felicity?
Thursday 9 February
Will head office approve Marko and Paula’s plans for the Miss Madeleine event? Helena sows the first seeds of doubt with Felicity about her marriage.
Friday 10 February
Sanjay suspects there’s a much bigger story behind the Daffodil Dew skin products. Will Neville find a buyer for the Gazette? Herman and Felicity hasten back from a weekend away when there’s a break-in at the boutique.
Monday 13 February
Annelie and Pieter have a row over his attitude. Will Vince & Bonita buy a house they can’t afford? A visitor from the Cape surprises Daleen.
Tuesday 14 February
Sanjay makes a breakthrough in his investigation of Zadar Laboratories. Will Bernard notice that San-Mari and Kim are playing games with him? Daleen realises she’s in trouble.
Wednesday 15 February
Bernard decides to turn the tables on the girls. Gary demands more and more, and Daleen is becoming desperate. Sanjay steps up his investigation. Helena’s behaviour worries Herman.
Thursday 16 February
Bonita finds out Vince wants to borrow R70 000 from private lenders to buy the house. Herman asks Xander for legal advice against Helena. Gary’s threats reduce Daleen to tears.
17 – 29 Feb
Vince gets an offer of financial assistance from an unexpected source, Xander tries to convince Helena to stop harassing Herman and Marko finds out about the threat to Miss Madeleine’s reputation.
Daleen is petrified that Vince and Xander might discover Gary in her apartment, Marko stresses about the Miss Madeleine crisis and will Helena succeed in destroying Herman and Felicity’s marriage?
Gary interferes in Daleen’s job hunting, Vince and Bonita receive good news and Xander gets an emergency call from Daleen… and the shock of his life at what he finds in her apartment.
Sanjay and the Miss Madeleine execs square off over his article, Neville confronts Vince about the money he borrowed from Gita and Gita shows her softer side to Zinzi.
Neville realises the Hillside Times is facing a cash flow problem, Pieter is faced with a difficult decision and Neville receives an upsetting phone call.
Sanjay makes a shocking discovery about Miss Madeleine, Zinzi realises she no longer wants to be without Tumi and will Felicity ever be able to forgive Herman?
Vince and Bonita are excited about moving into their new home and a phone call from a Miss Madeleine employee helps Marko to make a decision with far-reaching consequences.
Posted in 7de laan | 5 Comments »
Saturday, January 14th, 2012
While in Melbourne, we went to a Gold Class cinema to see The Iron Lady starring Meryl Streep.
I felt a bit weird at fiest reclining in my Lazy-Boy style seat with feet up, eating popcorn and drinking Coke. But the movie was so interesting, that I soon forgot my initial discomfort.
Nevertheless the movie started with the former British Prime Minister retired and suffering from dementia.
She sees and speaks to her deceased husband Dennis who had passed on 8 years previously. In her lucid moments she flashes back to the start of her political career.
It shows a young Margaret who fore goes outing with people her own age to attend political meetings (with only men in attendance) and working in her father’s grocery store.
All this foreshadows the type of political leader she would become. Strong. Not afraid to stand up to a room full of men and hard working – not feeling entitled to handouts.
And she expected the same from everyone else.
The movie looks at some personal aspects as well. Like her meeting her husband, some scenes with her twins – Mark and Carol. There are a few mentions of her husband going off to South Africa and her son Mark’s residency in SA at one point.
Meryl Streep is Margaret Thatcher in the film. You sometimes have to remind yourself that she isn’t the Iron Lady herself. Alexandra Roach plays the role of the young Margaret as you would imagine Margaret would have been in her younger days.
I enjoyed the sense of history and getting a glimpse of the inner workings of an era I was aware of, growing up in the 1980′s.
The movie was quite short – which I appreciated – what with every new movie seeming to be 3 hours long!
All in all a good night at the movies.
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Friday, January 13th, 2012
My year will be starting in earnest on Monday when it’s back to work and studies, so this is likely the right time to be looking ahead and setting some goals for the year.
Looking back at last year’s goals I have reason to set some more for this year.
I just came back from a trip to Australia that I stated I wanted to do at the end of December 2011. I went into apathetic mode for a while but was somehow pushed by life-happenings to book my ticket. Consequently, everything fell neatly into place. And I had the time of my life!
So for 2012 my goals are:
1. To put in the extra effort it will take to pass all 8 subjects I registering for this year. If I pass them all, I will be well on my way to completing to my course on schedule.
2. Socialise a lot more than in 2011, including visiting my Mitchell’s Plain aunty more often. I almost forgot how to deal with people outside of work! And they would probably say that I have no idea how to deal with people AT work 
3. Take photos! Arghhhhh I loved walking around with a camera in Melbourne – shooting all sorts of pictures. Some of which are on this site. The best pictures I couldn’t publish because they contained family pics.
4. Take another holiday in December – an island one – or a cruise! A water holiday!
5. Save, save, and save! Money, electricity, water, food, etc. by living a more conscious life.
6. Meditating daily. I do this most of the time and I’m not sure if meditation has made a difference, growing older or just a change in attitude, but I’m a lot calmer and accepting of life’s little annoyances these days.
7. Committing to a relationship. Probably my most challenging goal of the year!
8. Exercise, eat properly, spend time with my family, laugh as much as possible, read as many books as possible.
9. Go with the flow of what ever life throws my way in 2012.
10. Use my all my skills at work and step up to the challenges and opportunities that will surely come my way.
That’s one busy year that lies ahead! Let me get to it!
Posted in Life | No Comments »
