cheese in a can: washington/virginia edition

i had the coolest long weekend with two american sisters, susan and mary {who my parents hosted in 2010 when they came to south africa for bruce and hlomphs' wedding}. we've stayed in touch, and it's been one of my highest priorities to see them while in the usa.

i was not disappointed :) we all met up in virginia and then roadtripped to washington. so here's the cheese in a can summary of the trip:

turbulence and the fear that i would lose my lunch {and dignity} to a brown paper bag.
so much excitement to see susan.
norfolk airport -- that has way too many indoor plants.
awesome shopping and lovely things at forever 21. and {finally} h&m.
guacamole at chilis.
meeting jackie o -- susan's amazing mom.
pancakes a la jackie.
getting an awesome, much needed haircut from sara at super cuts.
picking up mary j at the airport.
finally meeting olivia, the most loveliest baby {and susan's niece} this side of the atlantic.
roadtripping to dc {trying and failing to hold my breath going through the 3 mile undersea tunnel. it was ambitious, i know}.
driving past the pentagon and giant "octopus monument". twice. cause the gps is lame.
amazing hotel {still in virginia though, ten mins from washington}
catching the subway for the first time in the usa. sheesh, it's tough to understand the first time. think i got the hang of it.
dodgy smells in the shadows of the underground.
chinatown. and dinner at nandos. what an awesome surprise. and the food was pretty good too, almost as cool as south africa.
it's c-c-c-cold in washington. brrrr. but a welcome change from the 40 degree heat in texas.
raining in washington. again, a welcome change in weather.
too many giggles with two awesome girls. i swear mary, you crack me up.
breakfast bagels and lattes at starbucks before venturing off on our washington exploratory adventure.
mary not being the best navigator. susan and i firing mary as the navigator.
walking. walking. walking.
the lincoln memorial. really impressive.
the drained reflective pool that's just dirt due to renovations. not too impressive.
loads of asian tourists.
photo bombing asian tourist group photos.
the korean memorial. haunting.
posing by our countries engraved in the marble. fun :)
the einstein memorial and soggy bottoms. and more ridiculous laughter.
the washington monument.
the whitehouse.
super expensive lunch at the museum of american history. 140 south african bucks. sheesh. can you say, rip off in american english?
first lady inaugural dress exhibition.
the ruby slippers from the wizard of oz.
the first muppet puppets.
the first flag -- the star spangled banner. it really gives you goosebumps.
farrah fawcett's famous red swimsuit.
the museum of natural history. so, so, so cool. you can't help but imagine scenes from night at the museum. i would freak out if any of those things came alive at night.
the hope diamond.
a real life mummy. well, a dead one. but a real one.
the capitol.
the smithsonian institute.
back at the hotel and crashing. wow. we must have walked 5 miles.
great italian dinner at piola.
"we're on vacation" susan newman.
late night krispy kremes from safeway pharmacy.
breakfast at brooklyn bagel.
arlington cemetery.
the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier.
jfk and jackie o's grave site.
so many tombstones. it's quite overwhelming.
the iwa jima memorial {in the rain}.
cracker barrel. and dumplings. meh. not my fave.
sleeping for 3 hours. i am the best back seat driver on any roadtrip -- i sleep most of the way.
more shopping. love these girls :)
krispy kreme hot doughnuts. we made a point of going when the red light was on. and they really do melt in your mouth.
laughing at youtube videos.
virginia beach. it was soul-fulfilling seeing the ocean again.
funny photos with fake shells and neptune statues.
more starbucks.
mexican. surrounded by sailors {virginia has 5 naval bases}.
saying farewell to jackie o.
more shopping. yes yes yes!
"you is kind. you is smart. you is important." {somewhere there is a video, that may make it onto facebook}

trying to cram all my stuff into two carry-on bags. after breaking a sweat, almost pulling my hamstring and bursting several blood vessels i achieved success. {i refuse to pay $25 to check in a bag}.
farewells at norfolk airport. so sad to have to say good bye to my american sisters.
but...already planning future vacations and adventures.
 

x

pecan street festival

twice a year austin hosts the pecan street festival, where they close off the famous sixth street and artists and artisans display their goods. there's music, food, workshops and a diverse range of delightful things. we ventured through the wonderful stalls and came across some incredible artwork.

firstly, a german artist who uses mixed media -- he paints characters in acryllic over real photographs. and he must have about twenty portraits of people from russia to cairo to manhattan. i feel in love with this piece "trento, italy". the perspective is so effective. don't you just feel he's going to walk straight into you? i love his furrowed brow and big moustache :)

then, oh wow, i am obsessed with owls at the moment. and they are everywhere. on prints, pendants, artwork, earrings....everywhere. so this crazy-looking bird caught my eye, "uhu". he has such character. i love how frazzled he looks :)

here's the artist himself, who was so much fun to chat to:

we then had an interesting encounter at "alamosaics". this is amazing -- artwork made from small pieces of wood. the john lennon portrait is a masterpiece. as we walked into the tent, we saw a south african flag! turns out the artist has a cousin who married a guy from pretoria and they were the inspiration for the piece. it was such a cool surprise!

{belated} birthday love

there's nothing quite like getting a parcel from home. it reminds you that even though you are far away, you kind of never really are too far from people who love you. 

so i have some birthday love from johannesburg and cape town, south africa. and the words in the cards were so special. despite the delay in postage, the timing could not have been better than today x

cheese in a can: austin edition

oh my hat! it has been far too long since i added austin to my "cheese in a can" list of observations and experiences. it's a long list, hope you find it an interesting read -- you may have to take a break half way. can you believe i have been in the live music capital of the world for three months? what a ride. i love this city. full of art, music, culture and yes, weirdness. the city's motto is "keep austin weird". and people really, really do.

enjoy :)

giant guitars on the baggage carousel. welcome to austin!
quality time with my mad awesome cousin.
true blood at jo's on sunday nights.
willie nelson blvd.
free itunes downloads from starbucks. i heart freebies.
new music -- cold war kids, motopony, airborne toxic event, boxer rebellion.
taking the bus.
crazies in the bus :(
keep austin weird {word!}

lake travis.
40+ degree heat everyday.
long hot days at the pool.
volunteering.
colleagues who are now dear friends.
info sessions with prospective clients.
butterflies and accelerated heart beats {you may or may not be in on the secret}
press releases.
rain! {for 5 mins}
don't mess with texas.
greyhound. meh.
half a kings of leon gig. so, would that be 500mb?
dallas cowboys stadium. wow.
amazing generosity from strangers who are now friends.
partying on sixth street.
$5 pitchers of alcohol.
international students from paris, copenhagen, turkey, mexico and sydney.
amazing boutiques on 2nd street.

fredericksburg.
blisters :(
sunny, the amazing nigerian cab driver and my new homey.
kabomba -- awesome band who jammed at stubbs.
henry and the invisibles. also at stubbs, a one man band. cool name :)
networking. networking. networking.
whole foods. closest thing to woolworths. ahhh happiness.
starbucks and frapps in the morning. makes up for waking up at 5:30am.
waterloo records -- amazing music store since 1982.
the international food aisle at h.e.b is awesome -- marie biscuits and cadburys.

 such awesome fellowship and soul-refreshing worship and teaching at grace covenant church. it really feels like home, far away from home.
green.
organic.
old classic movies.
hopdoddy {organic} burgers with asal.
packages from home. mama sunshine you bring light into my life.
annie's cafe and free groupons.
art cinemas.
outlet malls -- 60-70% off designer brands. eeeep!
tax free weekend -- yes please!
the coolest skype call to a certain barndance with a front row view :)
austin city limits fest 3 day pass! i have amazing parents.
bon iver tickets!
loving that all the rad bands come to austin, don't have to go anywhere for cool music
drive thru starbucks. drive thru atms. drive thru post office. drive thru laundromat. drive thru pharmacy. sheesh. 

san antonio and the alamo. kind of haunting, really.
"pumped up kicks" -- my song of the summer.
watching world cup rugby at fados.
wishing more than anything to be at the johnston's wedding :(

jadey sending photos of everyone at the reception and making me feel a part of it :)
flags at half mast for 9/11 ten year anniversary
humbled by generous friends. speechlessness.
bon iver!!!!! ahhh, so much of amazingness.
so much birthday love -- too blessed for words.
flowers delivered to the door, all the way from maritzburg. thank you nancy and dean barber :)
birthday dinner at sandra bullock's restaurant. pity she wasn't there ;) but the company was still a-class!
austin city limits: three days of music, flu and oh maybe a billion people.

meeting a professional festival photographer -- and getting to use his super cool lens :) {it was the size of my arm and weighed a ton but so much fun to play around with}
coldplay! eeeeep!
stevie wonder. meh.
fleet foxes. eeeeep!
gillian welch. meh.
cold war kids. eeeep!
so homesick :( and fluish. pity party deluxe.
seeing 6 weeks of planning and team work come together for the 20x20 event. so much fun and so proud my girls narda and asal. go team austin!
publishing clients stories and seeing their gratitude, one client was moved to tears when he read what i wrote. wow. what an honour.
pecan street festival and buying amazing artwork from the artist himself.
more world cup rugby.
editing pics for photo comps. hold thumbs!
bonding with the p'nut {pronounced puh-noot} the audacious {it's a black cat for those who may not be acquainted with his winning personality and loving charm. he sometimes sleeps on my bed}
so grateful for good things happening in the lives of those i love. much to rejoice. 

x

quotable quote

{source}

lavaca & 6th

i am a recent hipstamatic app convert and took some of these pics while waiting for the 935 bus, on a corner in downtown austin. here are some things that caught my eye.

be sure to wear some flowers in your hair...

i will be here very soon...

{source}

{source}

and i cannot wait :)

what awesome days are made of...

i have incredible people in my life. fact. 

today i received the most wonderful package in the post. it took a long time to get to me, but the timing could not have been better {i needed this today of all days}. all the way from cold, wintery south africa came a "getting ready for winter love box" from my "other mom", whom i fondly call mama sunshine.

it includes a south african flag beanie and scarf, knitted winter socks {not just for me but for my cousin and her daughter}, a local magazine featuring the wedding of a south african to a royal {such a nice touch!} and of course the best chocolate in the whole world -- peppermint crisp, cadbury's and aero. oh yum! but the loveliest part was a letter and a hand made beaded bookmark for my bible.

here are some pics :)

wow, i am so loved.

x

quotable quote

my wonderfully talented friend meg {whom i love and miss dearly} told me about the coolest site pinterest.com. i can't stop looking at the amazing and inspiring things on the pin board and am waiting for my invitation to be approved to have my own pin board. oh if i were cool enough. in the meantime i am collecting things i love and this is one:

gotta love them rolling stones 

x

only in emergencies

ok so i've been really serious lately, so here's some fun stuff i've encountered in the states...

there's an amazing grocery store here called central market and it's pretty freaking awesome. if you love food {like i do} and appreciate everything from imported cheeses to coffees and having a panorama to choose from, mostly calculated by weight {so you can have a small serving of as many different kinds of granola as you like and only pay for what you need -- how about orange/macaroon or vanilla/macadamia?}

anyway, it's heaven. but they also have a huge selection of chocolates, including bloomsberry & co.'s "emergency chocolate" for immediate relief of: chocolate cravings, lovesickness, exam pressure, mild anxiety and extreme hunger. directions for use: tear open wrapper, break off desired dosage, and consume. alternatively massage into affected area. repeat dosage as required until finished. if symptoms persist, consult your local confectioner.

don't you just love it? i have to import these....

identity crisis

it's a funny thing, identity. it's more than that little green book you carry around -- as proof that you are who you say you are. a validation.

i have been wondering how much of my identity is found externally. i mean, where i was born. my family. my friends. my ethnicity. my culture. my career. the music i like. the clothes i wear. the persona i exude. my car. my church. the books i read.

and what am i outside of those things? i feel like lately, having been so far removed from many of those external things, i am being pushed into someone else's view of who i need to be. people that, in reality, have no idea who i really am.

in another context, another country, another social circumstance -- what is proof that i am who i say i am?

ultimately, i may not be enough. i may not have the right paperwork. the right degree. the right accent. i may be a nobody in this big foreign place. but i am HIS. i am child to a sovereign father. a loving redeemer. an eternal provider. 

and the proof of that was paid 2,000 years ago on a rugged, bloody cross.

and He has sustained and brought me safe thus far. so my future is decided. my tomorrow is secure.

and that, is no real crisis at all

x

there and here. and so much in between...

i had a strange realisation. it was a year ago to the day that i moved into my little townhouse in richmond park, in oakdene, south africa. and i realised that back then, as i lay my head down on my brand new bed --- that i had no idea 365 days later i would be sleeping in a very different bed in a very different time zone and hemisphere.

makes you think.

there is something powerful about writing a good story with your life. a better story. one where there is a hero{ine}. a challenge or an obstacle to overcome. an adventure. a villain.

i've been on a very different storyline these past 12 months. more specifically 9 months really. and the 9 is appropriate. there was a "conception" i guess. an expectancy. and something very new now. i feel so different in so many ways. i think finally at peace about many things.

i think back on things i said, feelings i felt and thoughts i thought and i don't recognize so much of me in those things, feelings and thoughts. i think i felt trapped in a way. and if you knew me in that time, really knew me and were part of those catalystic, formative, angst-filled conversations you would understand how angry i really was. and you loved me in that, and i love you for that.

i often think i was the villain in my own story. self-sabotaging. loving the world too much.

but there was a guilt too. a guilt at having so much, and still not being satisfied. people have sometimes confessed to me that they envy me {uh whuuuut, right?} and i feel like a total fraud/liar/fake because it wasn't real.

on my 28th birthday i cited the lyrics "things will be great when i turn 28". and they really are. i believe there is power in growing older. particularly when you pass 25. it's like you realize you're closer to 30 than you are to 20. and it's sobering.  there's no more stuffing around. your mistakes and risks have greater consequences {example: not paying your mom back the R20 you borrowed is not equal to missing a credit card payment or home loan installment}. but you don't sweat the small stuff like you used to. the more dissatisfied i became, the more urgency i felt. to create a turning point. a fork stuck in the road…{you get my greenday point, right}

so right now i am kind of stunned that a year ago i was there. now i am here.

here is uncertain.
here there are no back up plans.
here there is no reputation to ride on. resumé to support. bank balance to sustain.

here there is only small faith in a big GOD.
here there are big dreams. and endless possibilities. a heartful of gratitude.
here is humility.
here is lessons that suck to learn.
here is good.
here is now.
x

in dreams

i had the pleasure of traveling to alabama to spend some time with my sweet friend courtney and her wonderful family. we did some road-tripping and...well...got to see some amazing bands. in soaking rain. in scorching heat. we even got to shake the hands of some of them and say hi. it was more than epic :)

so i will just let these pictures speak for themselves....

what an inspiring, surreal, tick-off-my-list-of-stuff-to-do-before-i-die time in my life.

yip, i am loving every minute that i get to live this adventure.

x

ps. it was one of the last live performances crowder will ever do. this is something i will always appreciate and remember.

cheese in a can {the new york edition}

ok so here it is people of the blogging / facebook world...my update on new york city :) what a whirlwind of a business/pleasure trip. it was more of an LSD trip {not that i would even know what that's like but i can imagine it would be electrifying sensory overload and no sleep}...

extreme aiport security at branson airport {strange for an international airport the size of my living room back home and such intensity for a domestic flight}.

snoring obnoxious new yorker passenger.

funny missourian guy who laughed with me at the obnoxious snoring new yorker.

hello atlanta. good to re-connect {lame pun}

flying over the hudson and seeing lady liberty and central park from the airplane window.

hello la guardia.

awesome service from ray the mexican at shuttle services

a shuttle ride to the hotel

weird pakistani shuttle bus driver.

total disorientation. the place is HUGE!

minor secret freak out in the shuttle bus.

the new yorker hotel {just like google earth said it would be}

the view of the chrysler from my room on the 29th floor.

seeing people doing tango lessons in the dance studio below from my room on the 29th floor.

realising i am totally on. my. own. bring me a brown paper bag.

deciding on an early night and just walking to mcd's opposite the hotel {getting into bed 4 hours later}

$1 for a slice of pepperoni pizza. awesome! 

souvenir store and another pakistani who asked about my accent and then chatted to me about cricket.

times square.

mtv.

broadway.

the lights. wow. the lights are brighter than daylight.

starbucks in times square.

the people.

the accents.

the energy.

awesome police officers everywhere. heard that there are 40,000 of them in the city?

seeing john leguizamo.

stopping in at a deli at 11:30pm for fresh fruit and parfait.

realising everything is going to be awesome.

spiderman. elmo. posing for photos.

falling asleep to the sounds of the city that never sleeps {and feeling a guilt for being a fader at 2am}

running the last 2 blocks to grayline to meet with ruth and start the tour.

sergei the tour guide from former yugoslavia

manhattan in one day.

trump towers. nyc ballet. central park. harlem. apollo theatre. greenwich village. soho.

i heart ny shirts {cannot leave nyc without one}

pasta at azurro grotto in little italy.

rad conversations with a couple from british columbia and two friends from california.

really irritating tourist from michigan that hooked onto ruth and asked really dumb questions about africa "do you have one president that rules over all of africa? no? so it's a whole bunch of countries and governments?" and "the situation in libya is really bad for you guys, eh?"psh.

wall street. financial district.

statue of liberty. brooklyn bridge. manhattan bridge. gah it's awesome!

ground zero and sergei's stories of 9/11.

coffee and cheesecake at metro cafe.

top of the rock observatory in record time -- that's what a migraine will do.

black cars parked outside nbc studios. i imagined it was bradley cooper inside, prior to his appearance on snl that night.

 slow wander in the drizzle back to the hotel and totally passing out.

awake in time to watch snl. weird thinking it was being filmed a few blocks away.

the perfect sunday in new york wandering through the avenues.

introductions to elliot erwitt.

MoMA. too many awe-filled moments. had tears in my eyes standing in front of "flag" and "starry night". all the greats i had studied in school were there.

a south african exhibition {holding back the urge to scream out "i am from here! i am south african!}

pressata @ europa cafe

finally hearing defying gravity live. it was "wicked" :)

hailing a cab.

pre-conference meet up at a rad underground bar.

william the social performance measurement graduate telling me all about stats and validity ratios or something like that. *whoosh* over my head.

happy victory dancing in the elevator.

the best angus beef burger at tick tock diner.

walking the streets of nyc at 8am. people walking to work, walking their dogs, jogging, breakfasting at cafes, starbucksing en route to the office.

welcome to microfinance usa 2011!!!

the most awesome american roxanna sears. so grateful you chose our table at breakfast.

laughing at sign language conversations in times square and central park proposals and climbing kilimanjaro {her stories, not mine}.

cocktails and finger food at 230 5th avenue.

the rooftop and random super kitsch king kong decor and limited access due to a set up for a rolling stones concert. boom!

serendipitous encounters.

starbucks and stumbling across the empire state building. for reals.

day 2 of microfinance usa 2011.

networking networking networking.

more serendipitous encounters.

buying trendy buddy holly glasses i will probably never wear.

almond restaurant conference meet up.

interesting convos. interesting people.

meeting the director of fundraising for accion who is dating an afrikaans guy from stellenbosch. crazy!

pulling an all nighter to catch a 3am shuttle and 6am flight.

exploring all 4 levels of forever 21 and the m&m store.

bumping into jim parsons, ellen barkin, luke macfarlane and lee pace. boom!

fresh strawberry pancakes at 2am.

texting with lori :)

saying farewell to a city i fell in love with.

the city still very much alive at 3:30am. not surprised :)

a morgue-like la guardia airport.

feeling pretty awake but having no recollection of take off or in flight service/snacks...only touch down.

hello atlanta. good to re-connect {argh another lame pun!}

back in springfield, MO.

realisation i will never be the same.

bliss.

memories.

maturation.

bucket list big "tick".

making a promise to return for another bite of the big apple.

x

the genius of elliott erwitt

i discovered elliott erwitt in new york. there was an exhibition of his "personal best" at the international centre of photography and i wandered into the gallery not sure what to expect.

i always feel a great photographer captures moments. and mr. erwitt has captured a lifetime of these. from unknown strangers to marilyn monroe and jack kerouac and jackie kennedy at jfk's funeral. he sees the humour and irony in the everyday. there are photos of new york in the fifties. the racist tension in mississippi and the kkk. nudist wedding ceremonies in london. oh yes, those were funny :)

his photographs, all black and white {which i love}, will make you smile. or feel a sadness deep in your soul. or a strange nostalgia for an era long before you were born. or just take your breath away.

if only...i could be as good as this one day.
i can dream :)
x

{see more of his work here. go. right now. seriously. and be inspired}

lessons from oprah

so my next blog post should technically be about new york, as i just spent 4 days there.

nah.

i want to dedicate this post to someone who means a great deal to me. it's not oprah. but oprah was a part of our friendship that has spanned 23 years. katrina {or katinks as i call her} met in pat kirk's ballet class when we were 6 years old. we did some sunday school together, missed primary school, connected in high school, separated at varsity and are still close friends two decades later.

it sounds morbid, but i often wonder what people would say about me at my funeral, and i hope people don't leave the sincere compliments for when i'm dead. so katinks, i want to honour you right now with a memory that oprah's last show sparked, a memory that made me laugh out loud and cry at the same time.

me, in a black afro wig, in your mom's teal satin blouse and bracken high dri-mac slow mo running to paul simon singing the theme song for the 1996 season of oprah. ten years come and gone so fast i might as well be dreaming. we were tasked to produce a video for visual literacy and we chose oprah. {i think jacqui grant was also in our group?} maybe because i could fake an american accent. or because graham {my brother} did a great nelson mandela impersonation we could use in a "telephonic interview". but we did this absolutely crazy random shoot and ended up with a video that no one else found funny or entertaining. we thought it was pure oscar genius :) it's so rad how you were still friends with me in my worst moments. and being a white oprah was not the worst, believe me. i still hope that video has been destroyed by mold and moth.

that, was 15 years ago. and still, though we have not lived on the same continent for 2 years, i count you as one of my most precious gifts. things are different now, but not much has changed.

thanks for mtv music videos, teaching me how to smoke a cigarette, gladwrap slimming secrets, explaining me back to myself when i didn't make sense and life was even more nonsensical, for getting lost with me in greece, laughing at my lame jokes, spoems, hours and hours and hours of long conversations, introducing me to pashminas, always pointing me to the high road and encouraging me to be the bigger person, getting me employed at the bank {which was pivotal in leading me exactly where i am right now}, explaining the mi pack and an income statement to me {algebra in matric and nii in credit card} and for always being my number one cheerleader, advocate and voice of reason.

you are the most generous and selfless person i know. i have never known you to say a harsh word, neither to a person nor behind their back. you love so completely and without condition. you treat everyone with respect and dignity. you are fair and uphold justice and defend your values no matter what the circumstance. you believe in the best in people and this doesn't make you naive, in fact we need more of you in this world.

i miss you. i am grateful for you. and i look forward to many, many, many, many, many more seasons of life together.

oprah's 25 years may have come and gone, but i'm still in this. til we're grannies in greencross shoes. with awesome pink pashminas x

cheese in a can pt 3.

so i really don't know how many more of these i can write before it gets boring, but here's another update of cheese in a can…{by the way, cheese dispensed from a can is also known as aerosol cheese. what the heck, right?}

having my closet go from average to awesome in one night.
sun!!!
sun tan!!!
well, sun burn.
repeatedly accidentally dialing sa numbers because i'm getting used to the new iphone.
damn you autocorrect!
nail bar with asian ladies {i needed a translator, seriously}
fashion show in springfield. what an experience.
a 90 year old cowboy giving everyone the finger-gun. what an experience.
more guacamole and endemames from flo.
"electric cowboy": where 12 year olds line dance in flip flops and hot pants and have bachelorette parties.
karaoke bar. complete with over the top slightly disturbing boksburg-esque rendition of "proud mary". ummm….
exciting news from special friends at home.
reading miller's "through painted deserts" and feeling amazed at the parallels.
panero bread chicken soup which made flu less awful.
awesome convo with the lovely patersons. i miss them too much.
bar one chocolate. sigh.
14 hours of sleep -- flu is finally starting to go away.
skype with the awesome courtney browning.
planning summer holidays.
atlanta fest ticket booked!
so amped about the fact that i am going to finally see david crowder* band and switchfoot live.
pinching myself. repeatedly.
sweaty palms.
invitation to dinner at the home of the chairman of the rainbow network, a non-profit that is involved with poverty alleviation, building houses and {get this} microfinance in nicaragua.
feeling an excitement i cannot describe, chatting to someone who understands issues in africa and is part of the solution, not the problem and who is more in love with south africa than i am. and that was just on the phone. stoked for dinner next week :)
pinching myself. repeatedly.
burger buns that are STILL fresh. seriously??? it's been 3 weeks, people!!
may the fourth be with you {ahhhh it's too cheesy!}
devouring the lonely planet guide to NYC.
trying to understand the subway schedule on the website.
feeling inspired by awesome, talented and creative designer friends from home. megan bisset you are amazing.
opera singers from manhattan and russian taxi drivers from brooklyn.
tears on skype.
feeling so grateful for amazing, supportive parents who make me laugh and cry at the same time and who have always encouraged me to live my dream.
getting a ticket to see "wicked" on broadway. wow.
picking out a cocktail dress for drinks on a rooftop on 5th avenue.
pinching myself. repeatedly.
deciding to totally take the bull by the horns.
making connections with representatives at accion.
my first cinco de mayo celebration -- fun times :)
enjoying people enjoying my accent.
"it's appalling!" {pronounced ap-paaawwl-ing}
tired. too tired. what's wrong with me? seriously, who sleeps this much?
booking tickets.
booking hotels.
expedia autocorrecting to exotica. wow, that was an awkward moment on whatsapp.
damn you autocorrect!
singing "start spreading the news..." to myself. in my head.
eeek.
inspiring skype convos with the incredible roan cruickshank that make any day wonderful.
aaron. 'nuff said.
impromptu wine tasting.
sneaky mother's day planning.
bass pro. so much taxidermy and camo i almost threw up. i truly despise hunting.
camo bedding. camo lounge suites. camo teddy bears. camo lingerie. *vomit*
"that alligator's not real!"
trophy winning pulled pork at whole hog. it was pretty tasty. it's like pork from a spit braai.
krispy kreme doughnuts. just for warren wakefield.
swinging on swings in the park at twilight.

that's the story till now.
x

start spreading the news...

i am so stoked i just have to write this down somewhere / share it with the internet world and/or those who randomly read my blog...in two weeks time i will be in new york city. the big apple. phew.

this has been a dream of mine for so many years and it will be realised. for real. and i am not ashamed to be a total nerd about it.

there are so many things i am pee-in-my-pants excited about:

one. i am staying in an awesome hotel smack bang in the middle of the city. opposite madison square garden. penn station. a few blocks from the empire state building and central park. and opposite mcdonalds {because i can only afford $1 burgers for the 5 days i'm there. either that or i'm smuggling "lunchables" and special k bars in my hand luggage}.

two. i have secured my ticket to see the musical "wicked" on broadway. when i hear the opening verse of "defying gravity" i will cry tears of happiness. i think in a way it's a theme song for my trip. either that or "defying reason" in terms of how much it's costing me.

three. i will be networking and rubbing shoulders / picking brains / hearing thoughts and ideas of the top minds and trailblazers in microfinance at the microfinance usa 2011 conference. kiva. accion. citibank. chevron. cap one. grameen america.

four. as part of the conference i will be enjoying cocktails on the rooftop of 230 fifth avenue. google it. as well as a post conference social at almond restaurant. google that too.

five. i will have two full days to enjoy soho, chelsea, central park, moma and so many other amazing places. getting lost in the meatpacking district. stumbling upon cool art galleries and photo exhibitions.

i'm not being obnoxious or trying to make anyone jealous. i cannot express how much this means to me. i'll be on my own but i think it's cool that i will be on my own. i've never really been on my own. it's about doing something and not just talking about it. i'm tired of just talking about living.

and at the end of the day, the cost is not really a cost. the money i'm putting into going all out is more of an investment in a better story i am writing with my life.

that's all.
x

reasons why the royal wedding was {actually} cool

ok so i have been mulling over this for a few days. i was one of the weirdos that was awake at 4am watching the nuptials of the pre-duke and duchess. and yes, i was laughed at by some people for being awake that early {if i was on south african time it would have been totally acceptable}.

i've also read the cynical / romantic / ooh aahhh comments on facebook. but here are the reasons why i think it was cool:

one. i think william is genuinely a good guy. and i think he has handled this whole thing better than any of his predecessors. he has my respect more than any royal.

two. after the drama and immense sadness and tragedy over not only the public divorce but very public death of his mom, this story deserves a happy ending/beginning {just 3 months short of exactly 30 years after his parents married in july '81}

three. the middletons may be worth millions now, but they were not born into money. and this is the bigger idea that captured the imagination of not only britain but the world i.e. the royals are no longer an exclusive stuck up bunch of snobs. a girl whose parents actually earned their money can find a prince, who happens to be a good guy. suddenly the royals are accessible. normal. sort of.

they do not deserve our cynicism and self-righteous scathing comments about pomp and ceremony and "that" dress and will's bald patch. maybe you wouldn't like any of that for your wedding, but guess what? it wasn't your wedding.

this {i hope} is a different story.