Recently, our household had the misfortune of being stranded with no regular internet service for a fortnight. When I say “no regular internet service”, I mean that our main computer crashed. Stopped working. Showed me the famous “blue screen”. Then committed suicide. I am not one of those fundis who tweet from my cellphone. I […]
Lifestyle
Posted inLifestyle
If your heart wore a label, what would it read?
“Damaged: handle with care.” “Always open.” “Stupid is as stupid does.” If you had to stick a label on your heart, what would it read? I got to thinking about this the other day after tweeting: “I need to label my hearts.” I meant typing up and printing out labels for my Seeing Life Feelingly […]
Posted inLifestyle
In memory of my father
The Things that Matter I Pale and bloody in the evening, the vlei is a new-born creature, ripples suckling, tugging at the light, gulls whimpering in the dark. Here, a place denied and unvisited for years and years, pebbles knocking my shoes, I’ll never forget your limp (toe amputated in World War II). Recalling that […]
Posted inGeneral, Lifestyle
Me trying not to be a sorrowful pain in the arse
“Just breathe deeply,” said James, ironically lighting his third cigarette in a row. “Just breathe … deeply … ” he muttered, placing his hand on his solar plexus and breathing in, “because all you have got IS now”. Or words to that effect. I noticed how James’s heartfelt, life teachings were a simple as a […]
Posted inGeneral, Lifestyle
Superman se gat! Here comes SuperVaclav!
The comic book superheroes we grew up with could do no wrong. They leapt over tall buildings with aplomb, sliced through steel girders with laser-beam eyes, and stopped runaway locomotives by holding up the palm of one hand. Policemen applauded them, ordinary folk adored them, and when they slipped back into anonymity by replacing their […]
Posted inLifestyle
Is the smartphone just a social crutch?
It’s a social crutch. A distraction that feeds our endemic ADD, and an insidious device that erodes our capacity to connect with the people who really matter. Or it’s a godsend for the shy, a way for the soft-spoken to have their voices heard; a tool that allows us to connect with others in meaningful […]
Posted inLifestyle
50 Shades se Moer
So there’s this book, 50 Shades of Grey, which is the fastest selling paperback of all time, faster even than Harry Potter. It’s a huge meme which is now all over the interwebs as 50 Sheds of Grey (my favourite), 50 Cents of Grey, 50 stuffed up grey lampshades, etc. 50 Shades of Grey started […]
Posted inLifestyle
If it weren’t for my ex-husband
Like most people who emerge on the other side of divorce, I don’t have very good memories of my ex. If memory with the pain removed is nostalgia, then I’ve experienced the opposite. But here’s the thing: it’s thanks to my ex-husband that I’m holding a solo exhibition and that, if I’m lucky, I’ll get […]
Posted inLifestyle
How much is your daughter?
By Mogale Moganedi If you were to ever ask a father that question you’d probably be kicked out of the house and maybe even given a free ride to somewhere in the neighbourhood of hell. Think of it though, isn’t that what is actually at the heart of all lobola negotiations? For those not familiar […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media
Standard Bank, you can stick your dishwasher where the sun don’t shine
Ek kan nie. Get a dishwasher for mom, while dad sits on his post-feminist patriarchal derriere and watches his new home theatre system? Nee. Ndixolele. Jammer, maar nee. I don’t think I need to go into what is wrong with this advert. If you don’t know by now, you will never ever ever know (apologies […]
Posted inGeneral, Lifestyle
My journey from Sydney to Joburg
I’m asking for your patience in advance, because I’m going to be spending much of this week reflecting on my journey over the past four years. The exhibition of my Joburg cityscapes opens at Velo in Braamfontein this week, so this is an obvious opportunity to reflect on my tale of two cities. In many […]
Posted inBusiness, General, Lifestyle
Occupy Philanthropy: From charity to change
What would an Occupy activist say to a group of 100 millionaires? I was recently asked to speak at the Nexus Global Youth Summit in London, a gathering of the most innovative and influential young millionaires and CEOs in Europe and the Americas. The conference focused on how to make philanthropy and social enterprise work […]