hello little olive bun

i was so privileged to spend the morning with the practically brand new {5 day old} olivia van lieshout who was born to two wonderful parents, gary and chelsea, this last week. 

they were gracious enough to let me take some pics, and i am completely in awe of this beautiful little babe. chels fell pregnant while i was in the states, and there was a possibility i would not have been back for her birth, but i am so glad that i am back home, and that i get to witness this lovely little baby grow into a beautiful little girl and more.

congratulations gaz and chels, you could not be more blessed. love love love x

facebook 2012-2025...hmmm...

i don't usually post on tech stuff but this infographic does kind of make you think...

brian solis on his blog writes:

Every now and then an infographic comes along that isn't just informative, but it gets you to think beyond what you know or think you know. This is one such infographic...it opens the mind's door to explore possibilities in how a social network can change the world.

In a timeline that spans 13 years, we explore interesting milestones that imagine a future where we leave behind the nascence of a social network to become a Facebook nation.

2012 - Facebook Search
2013 - Facebook Pay
2014 - Facebook Loyalty (1.1 billion users estimated)
2015 - Facebook Reward
2016 - Facebook Trade
2017 - Facebook Bank (2.5 billion users)
2018 - Facebook Co-op
2019 - Facebook Power
2020 - Facebook Health (3.6 billion users)
2021 - Facebook Fly
2022 - Facebook Learn
2023 - Facebook Government
2024 - Facebook Defense
2025 - Facebook Nation

trees, leaves, insects and feathers...

i just completed a short course in photography and our final assignment was an outing at a conservation area east of joburg. the lighting, landscape, subject matter and 4:30am wake up call were all less than inspiring, but i managed {through some miracle} to get some cool shots. we aren't allowed to shoot raw and edit, so my submissions were more toned down than these slightly edited photos. i boosted contrast and saturation and did some cropping in lightroom.

hope you like them {even though nature is totally not my vibe!} on the side, one of the girls in my class is an artist specialising in oils and she asked for the barb wire pic to paint, aaaand she's going to give me the painting when she's done. very, very cool :)

forgotten stuff

i don't know what it is, but i am obsessed with old things. maybe it's part of realising we're mortal and life is finite {i'm not even 30 yet, but i think about this stuff a lot, jars of clay etc.}. i wonder what people 100 years from now will think about our photographs, clothing and 'high tech' gadgets like iphones and gps.

so you can understand why i love the hospice shop on louis botha in joburg. you have to sift through a lot of junk, but you can find real gems. like i found an old wooden piece scrabble set from 1948 for 20 bucks. 20 bucks!! it belonged to a boy named jonathan {at one time} who wrote his name in blue ink on the box in a juvenile writing. and, today, i came across some incredible old pictures, some from over 100 years ago. some people may find it macabre, but i think it's a bit magical. who were these people? did these "thrown away" possessions mean something? were they very sentimental? i'll never know. but i imagine the walls of the homes these pictures were hung on. if perhaps the man in a portrait was killed in WWI, or maybe survived a p.o.w camp. 

there are secret stories here.

so here are my amazing finds...a set of small bird ornaments {R5 for both}, two portraits from 1916 from a studio called 'the arcade', an old negative taken from someone's beach holiday {keen to get it developed}, and three small photos -- two from san sebastian and the third taken of a harbour in 1903.

sparklers and stuff

i had some frustrations to work off today so i decided to do an extended session at gym. and katy perry's "firework" came on my ipod. i've never really understood the value of power songs. until today. i played that track so incredibly loud. and about 8 times in a row.

there's something really empowering about that song. every time the pre-chorus built up into that big chorus, i increased my speed on the treadmill. i was officially, missioning it.

now, i'm not normally for cheese, but these lyrics are too good to miss. just where i am right now, i have a need to feel empowered. and to take back some strength that i have lost in the last few weeks. so when she sings:

do you know that there's still a chance for you / there's a spark in you

you just gotta ignite the light / and let it shine

just own the night / like the fourth of july

or

if you only knew what the future holds / after a hurricane comes a rainbow

maybe the reason why all the doors are closed / is so you can open one that leads you to the perfect road 
like a lightning bolt / your heart will glow / and when it's time you'll know

when i was in the usa i didn't see the fourth of july fireworks {there was a burn ban in texas due to the severe drought and fire hazard} but i was there for memorial day. and seeing those fireworks was gooseflesh-sublime.

i realised that these words are not just for angst-filled, lost teenagers who cry at katy perry concerts. these lyrics are for me, right now. and not just for 20 mins on the treadmill.

play it loud.

boom! boom! boom! even brighter than the moon, moon, moon.

unemployment benefits

flip. ok. it has been a while since i posted. i think i've been on a hiatus from blogging macdotcoza {more like a hiatus hernia i.e. having severe indigestion from consuming too much life experience and thus feeling incapacitated} but that's another blog post altogether.

so, some of you may know that i gave up my life of corporate ambition, promotion and over the top performance bonuses to pursue a noble quest. sort of. i returned from said noble quest about 2 months ago and have been intent on not returning to my old job {albeit an awesome comfort zone i am super tempted to get back into, but won't}. hence i am unemployed.

it's amazing how creative you can be with your time. honestly. here are some of the benefits to being unemployed. or self-employed...

one. i can go to gym at the least busy time of day. without queuing for a treadmill or bumping into people i know. i always look freaking terrible at gym so am not fond of chatting mid-elliptical revolution.

two. i can watch all the shows on dstv on demand/catch up. i am totally up to date on shows i didn't even know existed.

three. i can meet people for lunch and spend quality time with people who mean a lot to me. i realise how i used to fill my life with people who i lived to please, and whose company i didn't ever really enjoy.

four. i can watch an entire season of F.R.I.E.N.D.S in one day. it is beyond rad. no ad breaks, just bathroom breaks :)

five. i can invest time mentoring someone. our domestic worker's daughter made it into an awesome learnership programme with one of the major banks. i get to help her with computer skills, take her to cool places like salvation cafe where she had her first cappuccino and chat to her about the corporate world. and of course, we also did some shopping for a new work wardrobe. it's very cool. and humbling.

six. i can take as many photos as i like. in perfect, natural daylight. my laptop cannot handle it. i have run out of space on my mac.

seven. i realise how little i need to get by. sheesh, i can waste money. but when it's finite, you become more resourceful, more economical and more creative with how to manage your cash. eat at home, go out for dessert. make a sarmie, don't stop at mcds. make someone's gift, don't default to a gift card. re-use, don't buy more. assess what you want vs. what you need.

in the real world, i probably have 3 weeks left before i run out of savings. but i'm not worried. i know everything will work out awesomely. this is another season. and i get "daily bread", just enough every day to get by. i love how GOD provides to cover what we need.

and, of course, the dstv catch up is a cool bonus.

x

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