Lately there are so many awesome things that are taking up my time, but these are a few of my current obsessions:
1. Dexter
2. Hunger Games Books
3. Chai Lattes
4. Angry Birds
Apr15
Apr2
I’m crushed
Turns out that your spirit can be crushed twice, and in my case, it was all by the same person.
I truly believed that the first time the MD of our company told me that “I take my job too seriously, nobody takes their jobs seriously” she actually did me a favour. This was way back in 2008 and I remember those words like it was yesterday.
I have had yet another fight with her because she didn’t do hotel payments I sent her which meant that hotels were refusing to let my clients check in because she isn’t doing her job, which creates even more work for me and which meant that I had to beg and lie, just to get my clients into hotels and my clients were thinking it was me not doing my job. At that stage I was working about 18 hour days, with no extra pay for after hours just to get through my work, and the MD not making payments was almost a daily occurrence (something that is still a huge problem).
With the MD of the company telling me they don’t care if I work hard or not, my work ethic completely changed. I didn’t care if I got through my work or if clients had to wait 4 or 5 days for me to get back to them, I worked only office hours and I refused to work as much as 1 minute later. It took a lot of stress and pressure off me.
Then, on Friday, my colleague resigned. She is lucky enough that she can spend 2 or 3 months at home to relax and recover before following her passions and working for animal shelters full time. This has been coming a long way as we are both very unhappy at this company; we haven’t received increases for over 2 years and the 2 of us have been doing the work of 4 consultants for the last 7 months and they absolutely refused to get us a third consultant. In January we complained about the lack of increases again and the MD promised that we will get “really good” increases on our March salaries. March salaries came and we got nothing. Not a cent more.
The MD called my colleague and begged her to stay, like they always do, and my colleague explained that she is not going to change her mind, she is leaving to do what she is passionate about. At 1pm on Friday afternoon, the MD calls me and tells me I must beg my colleague to stay. (Top points for professionalism). I told our MD, very politely that she cannot ask me to do that, and that I won’t beg her to stay as she is not leaving for another job in travel, she is leaving to do what she is passionate about. I also told her that she cannot expect us to remain positive and happy if they promise us things and then don’t follow through. So she was shocked and started shouting at me asking me what I was talking about. So I told her that we were promised increases in March and we got nothing. Then she got even more upset and told me, firstly, that she never promised us any increases (wow, that just makes it better). Then she completely changed her tune and told me that I wasn’t even going to get an increase because I never asked and that everybody else in the office was going to get increases on their April salaries, except for me. (Things just keep getting better especially since my sales are always the highest in the office). So I told her, that I spoke to my manager (the colleague who resigned) in January and that she requested it on my behalf, the way things are supposed to be done, but I understand that I was just going to be passed over. Then she yelled at me that I should just leave, they don’t need me, I should just leave, this on the same day that the only other consultant (and manager) resigned.
Needless to say I was shocked and I hate to admit it, but I was also very hurt. Even though I am unhappy and I refuse to work late4, I still work very hard and do my job well, as it is a reflection on me personally. This company definitely don’t deserve me. I will look for another job and hopefully I’ll be able to leave this company in the next 2 months. I really do not need to take this at all.
Mar22
Firsts
I am a little bit late in starting with my Scintilla Project blogs, but as they say “Better late than never”.
Life is a series of firsts, but I think for a girl, the most important first would be losing her virginity. Even if you say it isn’t important, it is still something that you will remember forever. For the good girl that I was (and loved to be) my first time really was not what I would have expected.
Even though I am the oldest of 2 girls, my sister did the slutty, easy girl thing and I did the academic thing. I didn’t really care about boys much, which is a good thing considering I was in a school for the arts and the majority of boys were gay and those who were not, really weren’t that interesting at all. I also did not have the most ordinary life while I was in high school; Having my parents divorced relatively later than most, I moved in with my dad and my uncle on the farm. I regularly jetted off to Cape Town with my dad when he traveled on business or stayed home organising work functions they used to host on the farm. So while most girls my age were fooling around with boys, I was playing Lady of the Manor, and I enjoyed every minute of it!
I never had this ideal of waiting to get married before having sex, but I also didn’t want to just sleep with the first guy I met. I did have a few dates with a couple of guys that was nothing serious until the proverbial Bad Boy set his sights on me. And as we all know from way too many RomComs, the Good Girl simply cannot resist the Bad Boy. Turns out to be all too true in real life with the slight difference that the Bad Boy does not suddenly grow a conscious and become hopelessly devoted to the Good Girl and live happily ever after, but I digress.
I have known Bad Boy for a couple of years as he is a close family friend. Then one day he started coming out to the farm a lot more often, talking to me more, constantly complimenting me and just turning on that irresistible Bad Boy Charm (damn, these bastards can be so charming when they want to be and to this day I sometimes miss it). And that is how the flirtation started which brings me to my “firsts”. Bad Boy ended up being 2 firsts for me; My first love and the first time I had sex.
One Saturday, we went to a party thrown by mutual friends of ours, we had a good time and we did drink a lot too. When we finally drove home, he was serenading me with songs by his favourite band, Seether and he kept stopping next to the road to pick me wild flowers (it was cosmos time). We were laughing and singing and stopping next to the road, picking flowers, kissing and having drinks under the stars. In this way, it took us over 2 hours to make the 30 minute drive back home. And things did not cool down when we got home, it just got steamier. And that is how this very inebriated Good Girl lost her virginity.
Thinking back over that disastrous relationship, this night is still my favourite memory out of the whole relationship and even though I have gone through stages wishing I could change the guy, today as I sit here, I actually would not like to change that night. I think this is what closure is; accepting and owning a moment from the past.
Mar21
Holidays: Filled with family and choking
As far as our family gatherings go, today was a very relaxed and toned down affair. We celebrated my uncle’s birthday with a lunch time braai on the farm. What I didn’t know was that my uncle only invited his close family, ie his sisters, mother and his daughter and my sister and I, seeing that we are actually closer to him than his real daughter. This means that none of the other cousins were present. And for some reason, my uncle’s daughter is just one of those people that I inherently dislike, and I’m not even going to say anything about her husband. But despite that, I had a really good day and my uncle seems to have enjoyed it too and for a change he did not turn into an ogre with anyone.
We hardly ever have a family gathering without any fighting and people getting on each other’s nerves, but today we were all just really relaxed with each other. Even my uncle’s mother was pleasant towards me and made no snide remarks, within hearing. Perhaps it was all because it was such a lovely Autumn day today.
I did have 2 little moments, where I almost died today. Firstly, I choked while eating a Flake chocolate. It just completely went down the wrong side. So after a huge coughing fit and loads of water I finally managed to get some breath and recover. Nobody even cared that it felt like I was dying of Consumption, even if it was only consumption of chocolate.
Then later, while my sister was telling me a disgusting story about the medical condition of one of the staff on the farm, I was taking a headache tablet and for some reason, it just stuck in the back of my mouth and didn’t want to go down. After much gagging and choking, it finally came flying out of my mouth. So I survived that episode, although I had the taste of the half dissolved pill stuck in my throat for a long time afterwards.
Almost dying twice today, could maybe explain why I found the day so enjoyable 
Mar14
I am a Travel Agent
This e-mail is quite old but it made it’s way back into my Inbox and I decided to share it. Not because it is funny, but because these are things my clients regularly expect of me, or actually of Travel Agents in general. Receiving this e-mail again combined with the fact that I will be celebrating 10 years of being a Travel Agent next month makes me want to pack up my personal belongings, drive down to Cape Town and become a Bergie on the beach.
I am a travel agent….I have advance degrees in accounting, public relations, marketing, business building, computer science, civil engineering, and Swahili.
I am a travel agent….Of course I remember the reservation you booked six years ago, even though you don’t have a confirmation number and you think it was made under a last name that begins with a T.
I am a travel agent….It’ s no problem for me to give you seven connecting non-smoking poolside suites with 2 king beds and 4 rollaways in each, and yes, it is my fault that the hotel does not have a helicopter pad.
I am a travel agent….I speak all languages and have visited EVERY destination.
I am a travel agent….It’ s obvious to me when you book your reservation for Friday, you really mean Saturday.
I am a travel agent….My company has entrusted me with financial information, and yet I can’t tell you why your hotel bill for March 2001 had a charge for a R50 phone call because, of course, you shouldn’t have to pay for calls.
I am a travel agent….I understand that Joe Blow Ltd. is a vast empire and will make or break my agency.
I am a travel agent….Yes, I am lying when I say there are no seats left at the lowest price during Spring Break, Thanksgiving or Christmas.
I am a travel agent….No, it’s not a problem for me to quickly construct several more guest rooms at the hotel you want, and this time I will not forget the helicopter landing pad!
I am a travel agent….I am capable of checking fares for three people, taking five reservations and answering fifteen calls simultaneously.
I am a travel agent….I always know where to find the best vegetarian, kosher and Mongolian barbecue restaurants.
I am a travel agent….I know exactly what to do in all cities without spending money.
I am a travel agent….I take responsibility for airline food, traffic jams, rental car flat tires, weather, hotel locations, and the national economy.
I am a travel agent….Of course I can fit you into the hotel at the special corporate rate because you are affiliated with the Blackburn North Lawn Bowling club.
I am a travel agent… I am never offended when I spend 10 hours researching a 12 day Europe itinerary only to hear you say you “I booked it myself over the internet and saved $30 !!!” I also never gloat when you call back to say the rate was sold out or that you are stuck in the middle of nowhere since they cancelled your flight and you cannot “call” your internet provider to be booked on another flight.
I am a travel agent… I love when people walk up to me at parties and out of the blue expect me to know the latest airline fares from Melbourne to Ibiza via Byron Bay, the Maldives and Nairobi “off the top of my head”.
I am a travel agent… I love that everyone assumes I get to travel everywhere for free and when I do get to take advantage of a perk people act like it is a sin against nature. If you ask me to get you the rate at my “travel agent discount” I will kill you.
I am a travel agent…Don’ t bother telling me any dates or cities since I am a mind reader and already have the reservation in my crystal ball before you can tell me.
I smile, empathize, sympathize, console, cajole, up-sell, down-sell, cross-sell, perform, sing, dance, make coffee and fix the printer…..
…….. I AM A TRAVEL AGENT!!!
Mar13
Come Dine With Me Farm Edition
Some photos of the final outcome of my contribution to our family Come Dine With Me Competition:
My Menu:
The Table Setting:
The Starter:
The Main Course:
Mar12
Come Dine With Me Farm Edition
So our family Come Dine With Me competition has finally kicked off yesterday. We are doing one lunch per month as we are having it on the farm, so it’s easier for all of us involved (me, my dad, the sister and my uncle) to have it spread out to once a month. THe rules for our competition are basically a choice of 2 courses, starter and main or main and dessert and you have to decorate the table. If you want to do more and add some speciality drinks, that is up to you. After every lunch, the 3 “guests” cast their vote out of 10 and then at the end of the 4th lunch, we will count the votes and the winner gets R1200. In the case of a tie, we will have a cook-off, which will then add an additional 2 lunches to our competition.
Seeing that the competition was my idea, I was the first to “host” a lunch, and it was the best decision ever. I have set the standard (and according to my uncle, it is a very high standard (yay)) and now I can just sit back and enjoy the rest of the lunches. I am really looking forward to seeing what everybody else is going to prepare for us, and I am very confident that I am going to win. I’ve been letting out some very not so subtle subliminal messages during my lunch that will make everybody score me 10/10.
But the most important reason that I am so excruciatingly happy that I did the cooking thing first, is because I hate it. I hate cooking so much, there actually isn’t a word strong enough to describe my feelings accurately. Why then, I can feel you wonder, did I suggest a cooking competition? I was asking myself the same thing, just yesterday and the answer actually came to me during the long hours I spent in the boiling hot kitchen. I’m vain. Due to some freak twist of fate, I am really good in the kitchen. And about twice a year (less if I can help it), I knock out a killer meal that keep the people talking about how good my food is without me actually having to cook regularly.
Anyway, I outdid myself yesterday (even if I say so myself), and I made everything from scratch, even the hummus and the pizza dough for the focaccia (not something I usually do as I like to make things easy for myself, but this was a competition after all) . My starter was an antipasto with focaccia, hummus, olive & sweet pepper pate, crumbed mushrooms, stuffed peppadews, cheese burek and Italian cold meats served with a watermelon salad. For a main I made lamb kebabs on a Moroccan couscous salad and baked brinjals. I also served welcome cocktails; champagne with a splash of Chambord and after dinner freezoccinos with a flake.
It was a really great ending to the weekend and a fun way to spend time with the family doing something different. The next lunch will be on the 15th April, and my dad will be hosting the lunch. So looking forward to what he is going to cook for us.
Mar8
Say Aah
I like watching The Voice and with Season 2 that just started recently, I found my latest song obsession. Lindsay Pavao did her own take on Tray Songz’s Say Aah and I was blown away. I love her voice, I love what she did with the song and I cannot stop listening to it. So far, she is my favourite contestant and I really hope she wins The Voice.
Mar6
The 1st week
Yay! I made it through the first week of detox. And that with minimal cheating. But, in my defence, a person can only drink so much black coffee before sneaking in the milk.
I have quite enjoyed knowing exactly what I’m going to eat every day and having a stocked fridge, but for somebody who doesn’t regularly eat meat, I think all the protein is making me feel a bit ill. It’s a good thing my BFF just became vegetarian, so I’m just eating her share of meat in stead of killing more animals.
It’s too early to tell if my body is recovering with the new diet, but at least I’ve lost some weight, which is always a good thing. I will just have to keep eating better and healthier until my system can expel all the toxins in it and return to a healthier body.
Despite taking daily vitamins I have been feeling out of sorts for a while now. I’ve noticed my nails are getting weaker, my skin is acting out and I’ve been experiencing some serious hair shedding (which completely freaks me out). All this inspired me to try this detox and then change my eating habits. All the research seems to point at the fact that most of our health problems come from bad diet, so I figured I’ll start there. If things doesn’t improve, I will have to find myself a doctor. But I’m hoping for the best
Mar3
Challenge
I saw this Challenge on Donna’s Blog and thought it would be great fun to try and do some of the things on this list. So here is how it works:
It’s a challenge where you have a list of things to do in 30 days. You don’t have to do them all, but see how many you can do. So, I have 30 days, until April 3rd to do as many of these things as possible
- Throw a dinner party
- Send a surprise, I think you’re fabulous card to someone
- Unplug for a whole day
- Get a massage
- Flirt with a stranger *brief eye contact, smile and look away*
- Go for a stroll after dinner
- Have champagne for no reason other than to celebrate life
- Set a timer, say a gratitude on the hour
- Remove 5 things from your environment that doesn’t make you feel beautiful
- Do something complete out of character
- Invite someone you want to get to know for lunch
- Kiss someone
- Read a poem to someone you love
- Watch a foreign film
- Throw a slumber party
- Send your worst enemy flowers anonymously
- Donate $10 to charity
- Put something beautiful on a blank wall you see everyday
- Spend an afternoon reading
- Have a luncheon-midday cloth napkins & wine included
- Spend an afternoon taking care of those pesky life admin issued and then treat yourself to a delicious coffee or tea
- Donate 5 items out of your closet that don’t make you feel stunningly beautiful
- Buy an utterly frivolous piece of lingerie
- Get rid of 5 items in your home that don’t bring you pleasure
- Hold a baby
- Read a biography of your favorite screen star or the bravest most badass chick
- Write down your wildest dreams
- Create an occasion to wear your most outrageous shoes (maybe throw in a wig too)
- Make lemonade
- Jump into a body of water
- Give someone a hug- let them let go first
- Research something that sparks your curiosity. If you are still curious after 15 minutes delve deeper
- Forgive yourself
- Forgive someone else
- Spend an hour in silent reflection
- Select something in your house and organize it.
- Upgrade your sleepwear for a night- or go Marilyn Style
- Pretend for a day you are as amazing as you want to be.
- Do one thing you are sad isn’t on this list
- Go to a play ground, swing on the swing set.
