“Sue, may I slide my fingers over your crotch? May I squeeze your bum? Rip off your panties?” These are questions men do not ask, and should not ask, as women prefer the alpha male who displays confidence, authority, boldness to go where no one has gone before without asking direct permission … or rather […]
Rod MacKenzie
CRACKING CHINA was previously the title of this blog. That title was used as the name for Rod MacKenzie's second book, Cracking China: a memoir of our first three years in China. From a review in the Johannesburg Star: " Mackenzie's writing is shot through with humour and there are many laugh-out-loud scenes". Cracking China is available as an eBook on Amazon Kindle or get a hard copy from www.knowledgethirstmedia.co.za.
His previous book is a collection of poetry,Gathering Light.
A born and bred South African, Rod now lives in Auckland, New Zealand, after a number of years working in southern mainland China and a stint in England.
Under the editorship of David Bullard and Michael Trapido he had a column called "The Mocking Truth" on NewsTime until the newszine folded.
He has a Master's Degree in Creative Writing from the University of Auckland. if you are a big, BIG publisher you should ask to see one of his many manuscript novels. Follow Rod on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/Rod_in_China
Posted inGeneral
Sexuality, creative blocks and our identities
One of the advantages of writing for the recently closed NewsTime was that I was “required” to produce a column every week. This I did dutifully for nearly a year except for a break over Christmas. “Required” is in inverted commas because there was no payment and therefore no absolute obligation. The idea was that […]
Posted inGeneral
My love for writing steamy sex scenes
The “juice” you will find below, excerpts from the erotic scenes in my unpublished novels, was at first a bit embarrassing to cut and paste into this column as I truly felt I was exposing myself in public. One reason for the initial embarrassment was the thought that some people might turn up their noses […]
Posted inMedia
NewsTime, David Bullard and the middle finger
I see a competition for a cover design idea is on for the forthcoming Out to Lunch: Ungagged book by David Bullard. The one I have thought of is a hand showing the middle finger, and the middle finger is in the shape of a spade. This sums up the essence of the manner of […]
Posted inGeneral
Hey babes! The mystery and juiciness of women
The female model on the billboard promoting cosmetics stares back at me with an emptiness that edges my skin with goose pimples. She is not smiling, but gazing emptily, vaguely, at me – with that hollowness which says she is not staring at me, but at the cold frost of camera lenses taken somewhere else […]
Posted inLifestyle
At long last! I help spy for Chinese people
I pressed the headphones to my ears here in China and listened carefully to the recorded message, an MP3 clip saved to my Chinese client’s PC. She was unable to understand the English as the two parties were speaking very fast and the MP3 device had been hidden in the room somewhere, further reducing the […]
Posted inNews/Politics
When Muslims rule the world
Osama bin Laden is not dead. There is good reason why his body was cremated and tossed into the ocean. As we all know, or should know, this was not only to insult devotees of certain segments of the broader Islamic faith; it was to ensure there was no DNA trace. No proof. What was […]
Posted inGeneral
Me? An SA refugee somewhere between Vreksonderwater and &*%$
It’s sort of fun being a virtual South African refugee. You never quite know which country you are going to be in next. And let’s face it: most people’s sense of peace and assurance is a false sense of security. Heck, your wife could die in a car accident tomorrow, or you find out you […]
Posted inGeneral
Hey Dutchman! The dignity and self-discipline of the Afrikaner
Crruuncch! It was like crashing against a concrete pillar. The Dutchman, erm, Afrikaner kid shrugged me off and ran towards the school rugby field touchline, the crowds roaring. I lay on the spiky grass, dazed from my attempt to tackle that big bastard. I was thirteen then and to this day I swear blind it […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Could ‘Shoot the Boer’ trial bring SA back together?
Readers who have followed my writings for a while will have picked up some of my history. I pretty much did not have, for various reasons, including deaths, any real family until I met Marion some eight years ago. For the most part I did not mind; I had a good circle of friends and […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Willow pollen and Llewellyn Kriel abused by SA cops
Amazing grace … The pollen twirls around me, brightening the canal with an extra layer of sparkle. They are clots of whitish-grey and pucker against my skin. Tiny elven fingers and thumbs, they are silent, as if they are hands clasped over tiny furry mouths. If they could make a sound it would be children’s […]
Posted inLifestyle
How to love people who are a pain in the arse
Pssshhhhhh … the toilet flushing in our apartment was the most beautiful sound I have heard in a long time. I sat in our lounge, revelling in its bubbly, splashy song, grinning at myself for finding this somewhat stercoraceous moment almost sublime. We have been living in Suzhou, China for just over the month and […]