PICS
What with this whole northern/southern hemisphere thing and opposite seasons, I sometimes grow a bit nostalgic. My mom tells me about all the things that happen and change in and around our home daily, and it’s almost like I’m there. Besides my family and my dogs, there are lots of little things I miss. They’re small things and silly stuff that reminds me of my childhood and growing up on a quiet farm.
Fireflies
My little brother and I used to spend whole evenings chasing fireflies in the fields and around our house. We would get on our bicycles and slowly ride until we spot one. Then came jumping off and frantic scrambling who’ll get to it first. I promise that (almost) no fireflies were hurt in the process. We never used to keep them in jars or anything, watching them and running like mad kids was more than enough.
Hay
Yup – hay! Or should I rather say, the scent of hay. So I grew up on a farm and manual labour was part of our lives. It was nothing bad or too hard, but when there was work around, my brother and I would help out. One of the most common jobs we used to have was to help my grandpa load and unload hay. He had lots of horses and cows, so it all had to be stored for the winter. Oh, and for us to jump on. Nothing like jumping off a barn beam into a nice, fresh batch of hay. Yeah, we would scratch the shit out of ourselves. We would be dusty head-to-toe and have black boogers for a few days, but it was well worth it.
Bicycles
It’s not that I can’t ride a bicycle in South Africa, it’s just not the same. We would ride around the village and every single path that we could find. Some led to more fields and nothing in particular, some led to old abandoned houses and ponds full of frogs. We explored them all, fell off hundreds of times, came home with bloody knees and elbows and we loved every second of it.
Cherries
We had cherry trees all around our house and some are still there. My dad or my grandpa would put up ladders so we could reach all the high branches and each had to bring a bucket full of cherries back. Picking them for jams and juice would be less fun if we didn’t stuff ourselves (worms and all) until we felt ill.
There’s more, but I’ll be happy if you read even half of this. I know that none of those things would be the same even if I went back home right this second, so they’re just stuffed in my ‘nice memories’ draw. I take them out every now and then and they put the biggest happy/sad smile on my face.
/ 
Fireflies
My little brother and I used to spend whole evenings chasing fireflies in the fields and around our house. We would get on our bicycles and slowly ride until we spot one. Then came jumping off and frantic scrambling who’ll get to it first. I promise that (almost) no fireflies were hurt in the process. We never used to keep them in jars or anything, watching them and running like mad kids was more than enough.
Hay
Yup – hay! Or should I rather say, the scent of hay. So I grew up on a farm and manual labour was part of our lives. It was nothing bad or too hard, but when there was work around, my brother and I would help out. One of the most common jobs we used to have was to help my grandpa load and unload hay. He had lots of horses and cows, so it all had to be stored for the winter. Oh, and for us to jump on. Nothing like jumping off a barn beam into a nice, fresh batch of hay. Yeah, we would scratch the shit out of ourselves. We would be dusty head-to-toe and have black boogers for a few days, but it was well worth it.
Bicycles
It’s not that I can’t ride a bicycle in South Africa, it’s just not the same. We would ride around the village and every single path that we could find. Some led to more fields and nothing in particular, some led to old abandoned houses and ponds full of frogs. We explored them all, fell off hundreds of times, came home with bloody knees and elbows and we loved every second of it.
Cherries
We had cherry trees all around our house and some are still there. My dad or my grandpa would put up ladders so we could reach all the high branches and each had to bring a bucket full of cherries back. Picking them for jams and juice would be less fun if we didn’t stuff ourselves (worms and all) until we felt ill.
There’s more, but I’ll be happy if you read even half of this. I know that none of those things would be the same even if I went back home right this second, so they’re just stuffed in my ‘nice memories’ draw. I take them out every now and then and they put the biggest happy/sad smile on my face.
/ I won't lie, this is a video about nothing in particular, possibly about nothing at all. There's me and my cat and me saying 'you guys' about 20 times. I promise that the next one will be better, you guys. 
And something very cool (in a nerdy kind of way cool) happened yesterday; someone illustrated one of my tweets. Thank you HelloGiggles and Maritza Lugo.
And something very cool (in a nerdy kind of way cool) happened yesterday; someone illustrated one of my tweets. Thank you HelloGiggles and Maritza Lugo.
Today I had the pleasure of introducing one of my favourite places in our city to Vassilis and Cuddlefish – the car boot sale. It’s dodgy, dirty, loud and busy and tons of fun!
So here are a few car boot sale guidelines:
1) It’s massive and it’s busy, but in the words of Cuddlefish, it’s somewhat of a marathon, not a sprint. You’ve got to take your time, look at everything and keep an eye on people you’re with. It’s so crowded that you end up playing ‘where’s Waldo’ more often than not, minus the easily noticeable striped shirt.
2) A very few things are actually sold from car boots, and clothes are generally just piled on the floor. You need to dig in and I mean really dig in. Getting down on all fours helps.
3) Take photos of any hidden gems you find, because they’re usually one of the kind and the world will never see such wonders again.
Vassilis's fat pants!
OMG!!
4) Haggle and then haggle some more. If it’s useless, you’ll probably get it for free. For example, we have no idea what this wiggly purple thing is, but Vassilis is freaked out by it and my kitties have already killed it a dozen times over.
It’s impossible not to buy anything there, and this hunt’s treasures were a scarf, a skirt (both in the process of disinfecting at the moment) and five books. I’m a sucker for old books and this time I got a cool double book; Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass on one side and Five Little Peppers and How They Grew on the other (have no idea what that one is, never heard of it). The other four are all by Enid Blyton, who I absolutely adore.
The only bummer was that Lumo couldn’t come with, so we’re doing this again and soon.
Oh, and Croatia won another gold medal, this time for water polo. I'm so very proud of my country. Here's a sweet bromantic moment from after the match. Mmmmm, speedos....
So here are a few car boot sale guidelines:
1) It’s massive and it’s busy, but in the words of Cuddlefish, it’s somewhat of a marathon, not a sprint. You’ve got to take your time, look at everything and keep an eye on people you’re with. It’s so crowded that you end up playing ‘where’s Waldo’ more often than not, minus the easily noticeable striped shirt.
2) A very few things are actually sold from car boots, and clothes are generally just piled on the floor. You need to dig in and I mean really dig in. Getting down on all fours helps.
3) Take photos of any hidden gems you find, because they’re usually one of the kind and the world will never see such wonders again.
Vassilis's fat pants!
OMG!!
4) Haggle and then haggle some more. If it’s useless, you’ll probably get it for free. For example, we have no idea what this wiggly purple thing is, but Vassilis is freaked out by it and my kitties have already killed it a dozen times over.
It’s impossible not to buy anything there, and this hunt’s treasures were a scarf, a skirt (both in the process of disinfecting at the moment) and five books. I’m a sucker for old books and this time I got a cool double book; Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass on one side and Five Little Peppers and How They Grew on the other (have no idea what that one is, never heard of it). The other four are all by Enid Blyton, who I absolutely adore.
The only bummer was that Lumo couldn’t come with, so we’re doing this again and soon.
Oh, and Croatia won another gold medal, this time for water polo. I'm so very proud of my country. Here's a sweet bromantic moment from after the match. Mmmmm, speedos....
This week was pretty quiet and seemed so very short. Not sure if that’s good or not, but I can’t believe it’s almost mid August. On Tuesday the weather was crap and I don’t think I’ve ever been that cold in this part of Africa before. There were bloody waterfalls coming down from the sky and of course that was the night Vassilis, Lumo and I went for dinner. As per usual, I’ve got no photos to show. No excuse really, I was just too busy eating, talking and laughing (yes, all at once, I’ve got no manners sometimes) to snap photos. We went to Mooki Noodles Bar, which I’d like to nominate for the cutest little restaurant ever. The food is Asian and finger-licking good. In fact, right now I would kidnap a puppy for one of the banana chocolate spring rolls Lumo and I had. We went for a drink afterwards and froze our perky bums off, but it was well worth it. Oh, and Lumo got Vassilis and I roses. So yeah, let me know when you get a rose from your favourite SG.
Thursday was National Women’s Day in South Africa (in the memory of the 1956 march by South African women to petition against a law that required black people to carry the "pass", which reduced their freedom of movement during apartheid) and it’s a public holiday. I got to spend a bit of time with my sis-in-law and the rest of the family before she leaves for Australia. Also, there were screaming kids everywhere, which counts as a yearly dose of best natural contraception.
I used that extra time to do something that I wanted to do for a long time – get rid of my Facebook account. There were just too many people I don’t even know properly or that I used to know a long time ago. I kept on losing track of people that I genuinely care about and that I don’t get a chance to see often, so something had to be done. I deactivated the old one and opened a new one for a selected few that I want to be in regular contact with. Don’t think anyone will even notice I’m gone, that’s how active I was. I also made an effort to copy all my photo albums to the new ones, and I’ve found a few long forgotten gems.
My volunteering days at C.R.O.W.
Thursday was National Women’s Day in South Africa (in the memory of the 1956 march by South African women to petition against a law that required black people to carry the "pass", which reduced their freedom of movement during apartheid) and it’s a public holiday. I got to spend a bit of time with my sis-in-law and the rest of the family before she leaves for Australia. Also, there were screaming kids everywhere, which counts as a yearly dose of best natural contraception.
I used that extra time to do something that I wanted to do for a long time – get rid of my Facebook account. There were just too many people I don’t even know properly or that I used to know a long time ago. I kept on losing track of people that I genuinely care about and that I don’t get a chance to see often, so something had to be done. I deactivated the old one and opened a new one for a selected few that I want to be in regular contact with. Don’t think anyone will even notice I’m gone, that’s how active I was. I also made an effort to copy all my photo albums to the new ones, and I’ve found a few long forgotten gems.
My volunteering days at C.R.O.W.
The reason why I don’t go to Croatia in winter anymore. 
The time they let me kiss a dolphin (and I liked it).
Me and a few unsuspecting animals. I swear I was not squeezing that baby crocodile too hard.
I finally had enough time to catch up on some series this weekend and the first season of ‘The Walking Dead’ went down. Luckily there’s another season to go, because I’m hooked and I need more. Not only is it fun, but it got me thinking.
People have been into zombies and the whole concept of the apocalypse for a while now. Thanks to that and modern technology, we can visualise the dreaded end of the world better than ever before. I have absolutely no idea if it’s really appealing for whatever reason, or is it just morbid human curiosity, but I adore the genre. My favourite thing to do while watching that kind of stuff is to sit in front of the laptop, point my finger and comment. It goes kind of like this:
‘Why didn’t she take that can of beans, she’ll need it later or she’ll eat her own fingers.’
‘Just take it you idiot, he’s dead – he doesn’t care.’
‘What are you waiting for, shoot it in the head you moron.’
But would I really be all that badass if it happened? That is totally debatable. I do have a plan, though – at least if zombocalypse happens.
1) Shoot ‘em up!
Does it seem dead? Then it’s not dead enough! Finding a weapon and using it without hesitation is essential. No time for compassion or feelings if I want to survive. Zombies need a bullet in the head and the head needs to come off, just in case.
But…
People have been into zombies and the whole concept of the apocalypse for a while now. Thanks to that and modern technology, we can visualise the dreaded end of the world better than ever before. I have absolutely no idea if it’s really appealing for whatever reason, or is it just morbid human curiosity, but I adore the genre. My favourite thing to do while watching that kind of stuff is to sit in front of the laptop, point my finger and comment. It goes kind of like this:
‘Why didn’t she take that can of beans, she’ll need it later or she’ll eat her own fingers.’
‘Just take it you idiot, he’s dead – he doesn’t care.’
‘What are you waiting for, shoot it in the head you moron.’
But would I really be all that badass if it happened? That is totally debatable. I do have a plan, though – at least if zombocalypse happens.
1) Shoot ‘em up!
Does it seem dead? Then it’s not dead enough! Finding a weapon and using it without hesitation is essential. No time for compassion or feelings if I want to survive. Zombies need a bullet in the head and the head needs to come off, just in case.
But…
2) Get out of the damn city or any other populated areas.
That’s where they hang out, that’s where they look for living people stupid enough to stay behind. I’d just grab essentials (food, water, warm clothes) and get my ass out of there as fast as I could. I’d try to get to the mountains and spend the rest of my life picking berries, hunting and enjoying the view.
But…
3) Take what you need
Abandoned cars and houses would be the best place to look for supplies. I’d get rid of any nearby zombies or just sneak around them and carefully and methodically search every single one. There might be ammo, water, clothes, food and other cool stuff to trade with any other survivors. If you’ve played Fallout, you know how it works. No time to cry over lost lives or memories, survival is the key.
But…
So yeah, I like to believe I’d be all badass, a ‘things need to be done to survive’ kind of person, but I’d probably last a week at most. But thank you TV and video games for preparing us all. Without you I’d just hide under my bed and wait for some hot hero to drag me out and save my ass. 
Not much has been happening, so all I've got for you is...
Something cool...
Something cool...
Something I want....
Something funny....
And some cool fan art....
This week felt like the shortest week ever. In fact, I’m pretty convinced that it’s still Wednesday and you’re all just talking rubbish. No real updates on my friend I wrote about in my previous blog. She doesn’t want to talk about it, but I’ve emailed a local organisation and asked for advice or a contact number of someone I can talk to about it. I’m still waiting for a reply.
On Tuesday I had the pleasure of having Lumo and Cuddlefish over for pancakes and wine. And before you even ask, wine totally does go with pancakes, but only if there’s Nutella in them. I’ve got no pics for you though; we were too busy talking, drinking, eating and playing with the cats to even think of cameras.
The rest of the week was just work and tons of family stuff, as the big wedding day is tomorrow and everyone has come from overseas. I’ve met at least a dozen new people and I’m horrible with names, so a list of names with photos would be pretty damn helpful. However, ‘the little chubby kid’, ‘the queen bitch’, ‘the hottie’ and other similarly inappropriate nicknames are all I’ve got for now.
I also got my hands on a decent camera and I’ve wasted a big part of my evening snapping photos. They’re not good, but do applaud me for not dropping, knocking or breaking the camera.
On Tuesday I had the pleasure of having Lumo and Cuddlefish over for pancakes and wine. And before you even ask, wine totally does go with pancakes, but only if there’s Nutella in them. I’ve got no pics for you though; we were too busy talking, drinking, eating and playing with the cats to even think of cameras.
The rest of the week was just work and tons of family stuff, as the big wedding day is tomorrow and everyone has come from overseas. I’ve met at least a dozen new people and I’m horrible with names, so a list of names with photos would be pretty damn helpful. However, ‘the little chubby kid’, ‘the queen bitch’, ‘the hottie’ and other similarly inappropriate nicknames are all I’ve got for now.
I also got my hands on a decent camera and I’ve wasted a big part of my evening snapping photos. They’re not good, but do applaud me for not dropping, knocking or breaking the camera.
I have survived the equally dreaded and anticipated bachelorette party. Not only have I survived, but I was also the only semi-sober person there. Thanks to being extremely paranoid of getting pissed drunk in front of my in-laws and my sister-in-law’s future family, I didn’t get drunk at all. It was fun but I definitely didn’t have as much fun as everyone else. I didn’t go crazy, I didn’t dance like an idiot to horrible club music (I kind of wobbled, thinking ‘oh please turn it down’) and was generally very tame. Not good, I think I forgot how to let go without having a few shots of something stronger than beer. My fault though, that should’ve been my mood for the upcoming wedding party, not this one. 
The kitchen tea beforehand was awesome though. The girls organising it have put a crazy amount of effort and time in it and every single detail was perfect.
The kitchen tea beforehand was awesome though. The girls organising it have put a crazy amount of effort and time in it and every single detail was perfect.
The bar and club part was where I messed up (or didn’t mess up enough), but everyone else had tons of fun. Not many photos of me, as I was mostly on the other side of the camera or trying to get away from shots of tequila being poured down my throat.
