I’m no prude. Granted, there are probably Mennonite housewives who are having a wilder time than me right now, but as a rule I’m quite relaxed when it comes to what more delicate types might describe as “colourful” language. It takes a lot to offend me. Hell, I’ve written three books in which I record […]
Lifestyle
Posted inEquality, Lifestyle
Gendercide
If you could, would you choose the sex of your unborn child? I was browsing my Blackberry App world on Sunday and found a scary little app. Some might think it’s cute, or useful or even a great thing to pass on. The app in question is called “Gender Predictor” and its message says: “This […]
Posted inBusiness, Lifestyle, Media, News/Politics
Another day in the shattered dream that is SA
Driving back from an appointment at the state-run Helen Joseph Hospital — how she would cringe at the “place of weeping” that bears her name and which most people call the Hell & Joseph — I see the massive traffic jam snaking back a kilometre down Hendrik Potgieter Road in Roodepoort. The words of a […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media
Has the internet sidetracked us from greatness?
Yesterday we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s flight into space. Yesterday we celebrated the bravery of one man and the heroic effort of many to launch him into space. Our first step on the path to becoming intergalactic beings. But that was yesterday, and today is today. And in the cold harsh light […]
Posted inLifestyle
Short drive to Voortrekker Road
It all started so innocently. Just another brilliant autumn day, not too hot, not too cold, and I was spending the day with my family. We were in Oudtshoorn for the week, where I had a few shows at the KKNK. We were going to watch a play, then hang around the flea market, maybe […]
Posted inLifestyle
To blank or not to blank?
Ah, the mutual blank. Along with the uncomfortable half-hug, blanking is one of my favourite forms of social awkwardness. This non-greeting, which occurs when two people either pretend they haven’t seen one another, or simply don’t acknowledge the other’s presence, is an essential weapon in one’s interpersonal communication arsenal. You never know when you might […]
Posted inLifestyle
Why do we care so much about closure?
It struck me again on Monday. There, on the front page of The Citizen, was a story about Earl, the Great Dane whose portrait I painted recently; he had found a headless body in the bushes in Durban — a location 500m from the home of murder accused and former Blue Bulls player Joseph Ntshongwana. […]
Posted inBusiness, Lifestyle
Vodacom is not red — Vodacom is dead
How dumb does Vodacom think we are? We know what Vodafone’s logo looks like. It’s a red pointy thing with a white circle around. I realise creative advertising sometimes leaves something to the imagination but slapping the word Vodacom on Vodafone branding and expecting us to imagine it’s still Vodacom is a bit much. The […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media
I tweet, therefore I am…happier
A significant event in my life took place last week and I didn’t even notice it at the time. No, not speaking at the Tomorrow’s Leaders conference — I certainly noticed that, and can report that sitting on a stage with Jimmy Manyi, Vusi Pikoli and Saki Macozoma was an experience that bordered on the […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Forgiveness in Afghanistan
Kabul airport was a run-down, high-security version of “Bloemfontein international”. It was dotted with military freight planes and helicopters, hidden behind concrete walls and sandbags. One’s baggage is scanned on the way into the country, the officials behind the counter eagerly confiscating the bottles of duty-free booze from Dubai. In the arrivals hall outside I […]
Posted inLifestyle
Dispatch from behind the Portajohn door
This morning I peered with trepidation from behind the Portajohn door. The signs were good, though I don’t think you want to know precisely what they were. For four days I had suffered the effects of some sordid little stomach bug, and on each day I had climbed on my bike hoping to finish another […]
Posted inLifestyle
Cape Epic Day 4: Not real mountain biking
“Today I give a gold medal for the most stupid stage I ever done :( that’s not real mountain biking! Good luck to all the amateurs on the course.” This was a tweet from four-time Cape Epic winner Karl Platt after finishing a gruelling day 4 (Stage 3) this afternoon. Starting on Saronsberg wine farm […]