Serious Conversations

When I was younger, I never understood how adults could watch news and actually be interested. My granny took the cup though, she watched the Afrikaans, then English, then the Zulu news (to this day I think she watches the two former for visual effects and the latter for confirmation).
But as I have gotten older I have come to understand the importance of keeping up to speed with current affairs (no, NOT who's currently having an affair with who). Conversations have gotten more serious too, like this one that I had with a friend of mine, Sifiso which was sparked by my profile picture on BBM (as seen below) :



Sifiso: U like grapefruit?

Zee: First time eating it. Not as bitter as people say it is.

S: I've learnt that fruits have varying tastes... What kinda taste do strawberries have?

Zee: Like strawberry milkshake? I don't like strawberries though. Strawberry milkshakes however are awesome.

S: That's my point!!! Strawberry flavoured goods don't taste like strawberries!!! They tend to taste better than strawberries... Strawberry flavour is a lie the white man has perpetuated!

Z: True

S: I want the world to discover the truth about strawberries! But my issue is being considered less important than climate change and renewable energy

Z: I think you just need the right platform. I feel like people are just turning a blind eye. THE REVOLUTION WILL BE TELEVISED

S: Yeah! that's my concern too... I also need to address the grapefruit issue... There is no connection between grapes and grapefruit. Why are we being mislead?!?

Z: I think they're just tryna divert our attention from the oil shortage issue...and they are doing a very good job at it...huh? What shortage? I'll just eat my grapefruit...

S: Glad we made the connection between oil shortage and grapefruit by inspecting your profile pic...

**the end**

A small thank you to Sifiso Maphanga for giving me permission to share our conversation with the world;)

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa

It's been a while since I last wrote to you. I hope your address hasn't changed because I really need you to read this letter.

I trust your super powers and your ability to decipher between who's been naughty and who's been nice. Just so we're on the same page, I'd like you to know that I've been extremely nice, just ask the old lady who I helped cross the street or that mosquito that wouldn't let me sleep on Thursday night who's life I decided to spare.

Now Santa, I haven't asked you for anything for over a decade so I sincerely hope that I've accumulated some points here. Now I know that this letter may be a bit early but it's just that I don't want any excuses come christmas. I want my gifts, Santa, no pressure.

Since there's this rumour going around about 12 days of Christmas I've decided on a gift a day, so please Santa, make it happen.

On the 12th day of Christmas I would like an iPad and a new cellphone for my little brother so he can stop asking me for one.

On the 11th day of Christmas I would like breakfast with Khanyi Dhlomo, lunch with Trevor Manuel, supper with Chris Gardner and ice cream with Oprah in between.

On the 10th day of Christmas I would like you to drop a degree on my lap. I'll use it wisely, I promise.

On the 9th day of Christmas I would like success. Lots and lots of it. I'm sure you know how much I fear failure.

On the 8th day of Christmas I would like for you to help me find a new church family here. I'm feeling slightly spiritually starved.

On the 7th day of Christmas I would like strength to help me get over the 21st of May 2011, the accident and the family members I lost that day. May their souls rest in piece.

On the 6th day of Christmas I would like a getaway. No wait, make that a boat cruise with all of my friends.

On the 5th day of Christmas I would like you to finish off my car instalments then throw in a BMW 125i while you're at it;)

On the 4th day of Christmas I would like for you to instill in me a love for sports so I too can partake in corridor conversations at work.

On the 3rd day of Christmas...well you see there's this thing at work called a raise...

On the 2nd day of Christmas I would like you to fill me up with gratitude because I'm going to require a lot of it to thank you for gifts 12 to 3.

On the 1st day of Christmas...ok, let's just clarify here is the 1st day the 25th of December? Ok, let's assume it is.
On the first day I would like Ty Pennington and his team from "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" to come to my parents house and give it a make over and whisk the family and I away to some resort while they do so.

I know this will be so easy for a big guy like yourself. I don't have a chimney but just PING me when all my things are ready.

P.S please find BBM pin on the back of the envelope

With love,
Zee

She...

One not so great thing about working is that the luxury of holidays four times a year is no more. Today I've been feeling really homesick and to make matters worse, I received a call from my dad and for the first time ever he told me he misses me. This only means one thing: I NEED to go home soon! I need to see my family and I need to see my mom. To find temporary comfort I pulled out my Bible and stumbled upon this, it describes my mother so beautifully:


Proverbs 31:10-31
New International Version (NIV)

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Honour her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

I thank you....

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" ~ Laozi

Thank you for the appreciation (you, yes you)!

Big thank you to Nomvula, Refiloe and Sifiso ( P.S No payments were made for the lovely compliments)

Manini, Amantle, Theola, Danielle, Lulu, Zama Timande....Thank you for the blog lovin and spreading the word....you can collect your thank you gifts from your nearest Jaguar dealership.

As long as you keep reading, I'll keep writing!

TwEntY sOmEThinG

It was my birthday on the 3rd of September. I turned 20 and 48months *clears throat*. To celebrate, I went to Hermanus and Kleinmond in the Western Cape. Such pretty places! It was so cold but that didn't matter (even though I had packed for warm weather). Went horse riding for the first time...and for the next couple of days I felt the after effects...oh how my body hurt!

It felt good though, to get away, unwind and just take my mind off work! And what a week it had been! My direct manager had gone on holiday in Thailand and I was trusted enough to fully take over the team and manage them for a week and a half! Stressful at first; he's such a perfectionist (10 times worse than me) and I didn't want to mess up! It got better with time though and just as I was "missioning" to take over the company (and the world), he came back! Dammit! I could've been MD/CEO by now! He's a great man though. The day he came back to work I had to leave for Cape Town for an "Emotional Intelligence" workshop so we met for a very early morning coffee session (I ended up having breakfast *hides*) at O.R Tambo before I took off at 9am (almost missed my flight-don't ask).

The workshop was quite insightful. Won't go on too much about it because I want to do a separate blog on EQ (emotional intelligence) sometime soon.

I look back to this time last year. I was in the final stages of wrapping up my dissertation. Stressful times. Now I'm in the development stages of my career. And I love my company because they are BIG on developing future leaders. I could have worked anywhere maybe even earned more but I wouldn't trade in the amount of learning and experience I have gained this year thus far for anything. As a wise young man recently said to me; don't just have a job, have a career (loosely quoted). So that's me, and that's my vision; to work towards a bigger goal, a bigger me: World, are you ready?

P.S Now that I'm 24. I mean, 20 and 48months, I feel like everyone is 21! I keep meeting young(er) people, and they make me feel old! Soon I'll be a fossil! *faints*



Monday 29 August: Supper at Devon Valley Hotel, my friend Lulu told the waiter it was my birthday and I got a complimentary chocolate tart....no, it wasn't my birthday



Its that BlackBerry curse!



I'm weak to all things pastry!




The lake in Klienmond





Horse riding through the vineyards





Took so many shots to get this photo. I was so far and had to zoom in to the max. Love how the crashing waves look like clouds in the background



The Social Beat

In my last blog I promised to post one of  Faith's pieces, so here goes....



THE SOCIAL BEAT
Sibongile Faith Kuta

Trapped in the social vibe
An inevitable state of society
The dreaded life of conceived inhumanity
Ignorance crawls
Betrayal walks
Corruption runs
Are these truths or rather accepted ideals
Hark to the voice of the children
Consider the groans of the voiceless...

What becomes of humanity in a vibe society?
There are many questions without answers
And many answers unquestioned
The beat goes on...

I am a woman whose arms have been burnt
Bruised both inside and outside
My husband does it all the time
His hobby affirms that he is my hubby

These bruises are better concealed and not reported
What about his progeny?
He is the provider of peanut butter and jelly
I am trapped in this social vibe
And so it goes on and on...

His name is Peter
A young chap dumped in a plastic bag two days after birth
He grew up without a surname
Removed from foster home to foster home
He is a deviant, a drug dealer in his youth
He pauses at the thought of death
Takes a deep breath as he commits suicide
Another one escaping the social vibe.

Her name is Phindiwe
Born in a small village of Eastern Cape
A 5-year old without parents
Robbed of her virginity
Snatched of her childhood... a premature sexual partner
Ta-Jakes the uncle pleasures himself
In repeatedly raping her behind closed doors
Diagnosed with HIV she becomes a victim...
Another statistic!

What becomes of humanity in a vibe society?
There are many questions without answers
And many answers unquestioned
The beat goes on...

He wakes up on a Monday morning
To realize the mess he caused yesterday evening
In his drunken recall
He broke all the windows
Broke the heart of his wife
And chased his children away
They call him Mr. Yesterday...
Pondering soberly, faced with the cost of his actions
Another story told again!

They think it strange
That I walk barefoot on a cold winter afternoon
Assuming I lack sanity, perhaps I do
I don’t know what’s normal and what’s not
How I wish they would put themselves in my shoes
The very shoes I do not have
At the thought of my barren years
I beat my daily drum, the idea of sound perfected
I gain momentum.

What becomes of humanity in a vibe society?
There are many questions without answers
And many answers unquestioned
And so the beat goes on...

The League of Extraordinary Women

In honour of women's month I have decided to dedicate this blog to four great women that you should look out for.

They are not world leaders, they are not mothers, they are not freedom fighters, they were not there on the ninth of August 1956 when crowds of women marched to the union buildings in protest of the Urban Areas Act (Pass Laws) chanting, "Wathint'Abafazi Wathint'imbokodo!" (you strike a woman, you strike a rock).

They are just four young women (all under 25) I have had the pleasure of meeting and befriending in life...

When they make it big....don't say I didn't warn you...

1. Sibongile Faith Kuta

I first met Faith in my first year at Wits when we were room mates at Girton Hall, a res off main campus. We both thought we wanted to be doctors then both dropped medicine after a year of ‘finding ourselves’. She went on to pursue a BA degree in Social Work taking it all the way up to honours level.

What I admire about this lady is her faith (excuse the pun); she lost both her parents at a very young age and as a result was raised by her grandmother along with her siblings and cousins in Tembisa, a township east of Johannesburg, yet this did not shake her or make her doubt her belief, or have her throw a pity party. She soldiered on. Everyone who knows Faith knows she is synonymous with "ray of sunshine"; always happy, caring, courageous and full of love! A very ambitious young woman who just wants to help others…oh, and she’s a poet too (promise to post one of her pieces sometime in the near future)

2. Theola Akermanidis

Theola and I, May 2011

Theola is my little Greek goddess. One, cause she's really little (half my height...ok, maybe not half) and two, cause she's Greek. We majored in the same courses but only became friends in our honours year when we realized we had more than education in common: fashion! (before that we just smiled at each other to acknowledge the other’s existence) Theola graduated with an undergrad degree in B.Comm Finance and Marketing then an Honours degree (with distinction) in Marketing. She's really THAT smart. As if being the smartest girl in class, and tutoring undergrads wasn't enough, she started her own accessories range called Theoalagy (smart name isn't it?) in 2010. Miss Akermandis is currently working at TNS, a marketing research company. More on Theola and her range in my next blog.

3. S'onqoba Nonkululeko Maseko

If I had to describe S'onqoba in one word it would be HUMBLE! Born on the same day as Oprah Winfrey, it is no surprise that she is, simply put; an OVER achiever. I met S'onqoba in 2006 when she shared rooms with a very close friend of mine. Being in first year, everyone was on a mission to prove themselves; "I passed my matric with 6 distinctions", "I was captain of my netball team", I had national colours in hockey"...and so the boasting went on...Not once did she mention her being Dux, prefect and RCL president at Germinston High School. While most people peak in high school only to become none achievers post that, Sonqoba just kept rising. Graduated with a BSC degree and then a hounours degree in Actuarial Sciences (Wits University). Was FNB campus ambassador two years running, president of the Golden Key International Honours Society (if you do not know Golden Key, ask my good friend, Google...if I had to go on about her achievements I would be forced to write a book so I will try state as many as I can in one breath..*takes deep breath in*

Helped find a N.P.O. (Advocates For Change) in 2006 and still serve as its Deputy Director (organization focuses on Youth Development in the Soweto and Alexandra).

As part of Golden Key she spoke at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls on two occasions

In late 2009 appointed Chief Operations Officer of an Investment Holdings company called Lante Investment Holdings

Currently working at FNB as an Actuarial Analyst (was promoted to Senior Actuarial Analyst in just 6 months)

Recently elected as a member of the Wits University Convocation EXCO as well as the Secretary of the South African Actuaries Development Programme’s Alumni.

Biggest Achievement?

Presenting BSc Honours Research Paper in 2009 at the South African Actuarial Development Programme's (SAADP) Launch. The audience included Actuarial Science lecturers, Actuarial commercial entities and businesses, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Blade Nzimande and Actuarial Science students and graduates.

Next move?

Registering a Consultancy that will deal with Personal Development

*some text missing* (no, really, a lot of editing was done here)

Remember I said Theola's half my height? Sonqoba is half Theola's height.

4. Pokuaa Busumru-Banson

Pokuaa (center, on Graca Machel's left)

Former Wits University SRC president (2009) but not your typical politician; smart, stylish, an amazing personality and a great sense of humour…not Julius Malema type of funny though (no offense if Malema is your uncle). While we’re on that topic, I think it is fit to mention that Pokuaa was recently part of the panel on MTV Base Meets with MTN, that got the opportunity to sit and chat with Malema, as a representative for African youth.

In 2010, this Ghanaian-born, Umtata raised, Wits University Law student was elected as part of a panel for the Fortune Global Forum where world leaders including the likes of Sir Richard Branson, Kofi Annan, Graca Machel, Mary Robinson, Jimmy Carter, Ela Bhatt were in attendance.

Pokuaa holds a BA degree in International Relations with Honours (Wits) and in 2008 was appointed chairperson of the Wits International Students Committee, and like S'onqoba, you can add member of the Wits University Executive Committee of Convocation to her list of credentials.

Once Pokuaa is done with her millionth degree, I’m sure she will be taking the world by storm and quite frankly, it’s about time the world got some morally grounded leaders!

And that’s a wrap folks! After putting all this down on “paper”, I’m feeling like quite the under achiever right now… so while you carry on with your life I’m going to go out there and save the world! I’m out! *does the Moonwalk*