tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53307351004978399862024-03-13T04:23:41.035-07:00made you lookTarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-71951059122068155832012-04-09T22:56:00.002-07:002012-04-09T22:56:42.051-07:00The iPhone identity<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-ZA">My husband got his first iPhone last week
after a few years believing his BlackBerry was his most prized possession,
until the last month or two when it started giving hassles and he believed it
would look better in a thousand pieces on the floor.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-ZA">I’m due for an upgrade next month and I
also plan on replacing my tiny Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini with an iPhone. I’m
excited but also extremely nervous.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-ZA">Maybe I’m showing my age, but my husband
said something a few days ago that has stuck with me ever since. He said having
an iPhone is not like having any old phone; it’s a whole new identity.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-ZA">I can vouch for his claims, because ever since
he acquired the device, I’ve become chopped liver and get more attention from
the television set. I’m trying not to complain too much about it because I
imagine I’ll be the same when it’s my turn. We’re all like that with a new
phone, right? It’s a new toy; something we’ll fiddle with for hours on end
during the first few weeks.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-ZA">In just two days, my husband has been swallowed
up by Instagram, Draw Something, iChat and a motocross game he finds incredibly
fascinating because he can control the bike simply by tilting his phone. In his
place is a person with a vague resemblance to my husband, only with squint eyes
and warped thumbs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-ZA">And still, the “whole new identity” bit is
haunting. Social networking only really took off when we were in our early
twenties. We use some platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, but not others,
like Mxit – we missed that age train by a few years. It’s strange – even though
my brother is only eight years younger than I am, I still feel as though he was
born into a whole new generation. Social networking is all he’s ever known.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-ZA">And even though a journalist friend of mine
recently attended an event that revealed that youngsters think people with
iPhones are old, the iPhone is still an incredibly connected device that
facilitates social networking like no other in a way I have never experienced
before – and I’m scared. I don’t want to be like one of those teenagers with
their thumbs permanently glued to their phones and their eyes averted from the
path in front of them. I want to be here when I’m here; not here, but not here
because I’m somewhere else via the iPhone.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-ZA">For now, I’ll enjoy only using my phone to
send text messages, make calls and browse the Internet occasionally. Who knows
what I’ll be doing this time next month.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-ZA">I hope you’ll still recognise me with
squint eyes and warped thumbs.</span></div>Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-80638085159850996862012-03-29T01:56:00.000-07:002012-03-29T01:56:55.241-07:00Want a hot cross bun? Show me your Bible first<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've come across two instances this week of Christian irrationality.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I have quite a few Christian friends, and I respect their beliefs, which is why I never blogged on the Red Bull ad that got a bunch of Christians hot under the collar. I'll admit, when my husband and I saw the ad on TV, we exchanged knowing looks that it would be pulled the next day in response to Christian outcry.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/tFK6oimrbrQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />What I didn't expect from Christians, however, was the claim that <a href="http://www.asasa.org.za/ResultDetail.aspx?Ruling=6014">Red Bull should have asked Jesus' permission</a> before featuring him in its ad. Really? Really??</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Ok, I said I wouldn't comment on this, so I'll change topic to why I'm really writing.<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some Christians have taken issue with the fact that <a href="http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Woolies-facing-wrath-over-hot-cross-buns-20120329">Woolworths had a Halaal symbol on its hot cross bun packaging</a>. Because, apparently, Christians have laid claim to hot cross buns and no one else is allowed to eat them. I wonder how many Christians eat matzos at this time of year? (I highly recommend you read the comments under this story, by the way).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And some are even threatening to boycott Woolworths because of it. Some are even more extreme in their anger:<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">“I hate woolworths... How can you do that to the Christians, I hope that God will have mercy on you. And dnt be surprised if your shops run bankrupt.. I will pray to my living God and you will see what he is capable of! [sic]”. Wow, very Christian-like indeed.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">Maybe they should be more like the bishop who said "t</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">here are a lot more weighty issues to deal with in SA than a few 'hot cross Christians'". *snigger*</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Hot cross buns, believe it or not, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_cross_bun">pre-dated Christianity</a>. <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">"...it is believed that buns marked with a cross were eaten by </span>Saxons<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"> in honour of the goddess </span>Eostre<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"> (the cross is thought to have symbolised the four quarters of the moon);</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"> "Eostre" is probably the origin of the name "Easter".</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">Anyway, whatever.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">Now Woolworths is making separate buns for non-Christians. I find this all very petty and pathetic.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">Is </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">Christianity</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"> not supposed to be about tolerance and acceptance of all? To me, it seems like a very exclusive club. Religion is causing </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">unnecessary</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"> tension in a society that has a lot more pressing issues to busy itself with, and fighting over who may or may not eat hot cross buns is reflective of very closed-minded thinking. </span>Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-86010156146689393712012-02-24T04:50:00.002-08:002012-02-24T04:50:27.170-08:00A different perspective<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-ZA">“My cat was arrested for stealing my
neighbour’s milk and fish. Need money for bail.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-ZA">I had to look twice to make sure I had read
the message on the street beggar’s sign correctly. Normally I’d avert my eyes
and sheepishly fiddle with the radio or my cellphone each time a beggar or
vendor sidles up to my car window, silently pleading with the robot (traffic
light, for the Americans) to turn green so that I wouldn’t have to
unsympathetically shrug my shoulders and shake my head. But this guy tricked
me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-ZA">I laughed. He saw me laugh. His cheesy,
toothless grin didn’t help, either. I had to give him the R2 coin, reserved for
helpful car guards, that was lying in my car door storage compartment. He
tucked the sign under his arm, screamed thank you in my direction, before rushing
off to collect more money from more outstretched arms. His tactic was working.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-ZA">This got me thinking. The “industry” this
guy operates in is so saturated. It’s uncommon to see a robot (traffic light,
for the Americans) sans beggar-slash-street-vendor-slash-child-abuser. We’ve
become immune to the “No work, no food, 5 kids, 3 wives, 20 dogs” signs;
they’re as common Julius Malema’s word vomit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-ZA">Until one guy thought up a way to stand out
from the rest, to force people to notice him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-ZA">Sure, we quickly wind up our windows as we
approach intersections; avoid eye contact with those regarded by most as a
nuisance. But the fact of the matter is that the government has failed them.
There are no jobs, no skills training. This guy made the smallest change to a
tried-and-tested model and probably got R10 in the two minutes I was waiting
for the light to change.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-ZA">It’s something we should all apply in our
lives; one small change could make the biggest difference. Rewrite the rules,
don’t be afraid to break away from tradition, and force people to acknowledge
you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-ZA">It’s too easy to go with the flow, to blend
in. It takes guts to dare to be different, with the thought of failure looming
in the background.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-ZA">For the street beggar, it’s the only way
he’s surviving.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-ZA">For those of us who are already surviving,
one small change could be the key to living.</span></div>Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-59802840146562169812012-02-08T03:09:00.000-08:002012-02-08T03:09:07.847-08:00Stephen Fry is my hero<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
He really is.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Although this obsession only recently started gaining momentum.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It all began with this tweet:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qlzQI6TF6u0/TzJRMVOjfVI/AAAAAAAAAJk/tRI31AOKQZk/s1600/Fry2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qlzQI6TF6u0/TzJRMVOjfVI/AAAAAAAAAJk/tRI31AOKQZk/s320/Fry2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Swoon indeed. I didn't even know he had produced this documentary series. I eagerly read the blurb to my husband, part of which reads: "<i>The series travels the globe as Fry takes viewers on a journey through the thousands of years since man first mastered speech to the cyber world of today ... Revealing how language is used, abused and continues to evolve, Fry's Planet Word looks at whether we are any closer to understanding the most complex activity of the human brain</i>."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Well, I bet that made your day," said my husband, after I paused for breath.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And, boy, did it! Until I discovered that the documentary - all 291 blissful minutes of it - is not (yet, I hope) available in South Africa. Damn and blast!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The book is, however. And I need them both. NEED them!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And then this too-awesome-for-er-words video appeared by chance in my inbox yesterday, in a newsletter forwarded to me by my boss. I've watched it ten times, and it's playing in my ear as I type. Two Stephen Fry nuggets of gold in one week! What luck!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/J7E-aoXLZGY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<span style="text-align: left;">AND it just so happens that a </span><i style="text-align: left;">Top Gear</i><span style="text-align: left;"> re-run on SABC 3 on Sunday featured none other than the man himself, although I must say that he's better at steering language than he is a reasonably-priced car.</span>
<br />
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="text-align: left;">I think the universe is trying to tell me something...</span><br />
<br />
I'm only glad that I have a handful of friends and an awesome professor who get as excited as I do about all things language, grammar and punctuation. It might be a good place to point out that I am in the language business and am also a current language student. No bias, whatsoever, then.<br />
<br />
Now you'll excuse me while I watch that video for the 11th time....Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-79974188505324733862012-02-07T06:30:00.000-08:002012-02-07T06:31:40.208-08:00A racial storm in a misplaced teacup<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The <a href="http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/gauteng/gym-member-tells-of-racist-insults-1.1227985"><span style="color: #990000;">Virgin
Active “racism” saga</span></a> is not sitting well with me, and although I shouldn’t
be, I’m a little annoyed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m annoyed because the issue at hand was never about race
to begin with; it was about inappropriate behaviour in a public environment,
but being South Africa, that card had to be played. It always does.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a nutshell, a Virgin Active member, Liz Hleza, claims she
was a victim of racial abuse when, in a spinning class, she was attacked by a
fellow spinner who didn’t appreciate her enthusiasm, which was expressed by
yelling ‘yebo’ every so often. Hleza claims she was called a cockroach, a c**t
and a k****r.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Internet and social networks have run wild with this,
slamming Virgin Active for not reacting appropriately and calling for the
alleged racist to be named and shamed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here’s how I see it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Being an avid spinner myself, I know that it is not uncommon
to have the odd over-excitable spinner who likes to make his or her enjoyment
known through the odd whoop or whistle. Nothing wrong with that. Spinning
classes are, after all, about the energy rush and the pure satisfaction you get
after completing a level 10 climb without bursting your main artery. Hell, one
of my instructors makes us sing that awful “Hey baby (I wanna know if you’ll be
my girl) song; if we don’t sing loud enough, she makes us turn up the
resistance. Making a noise is <i>encouraged</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What annoys me to no end in a spinning class are the two
friends that sit next to each other and jabber the whole way through the class,
straining their voices over the blaring music. It’s enough to make me want to
squirt them with my water bottle and tell them to “shoosh”, as the alleged
Virgin Active offender’s friend did to Hleza.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I can understand the guy’s frustration at the continuous
shouting throughout the class. Spinning takes a lot of concentration (sticking
to the beat while hovering your butt over the seat is no small feat), and that
concentration is very easily broken, especially when you’re trying to hear your
next orders from the drill sergeant, er, I mean instructor. When you eventually
are in your zone, it’s highly annoying to be jerked out of it by mindless
chatter or, in this case, constant screaming.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hleza, who felt she didn’t get the right response from
Virgin Active’s management, took her frustrations to the media.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Shock. Horror. Queue social media outcry. Racism is, once
again, in the spotlight.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Conspicuously absent from the media reports, however, was
the alleged bully’s side of the story or any neutral account from other people
in the class at the time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Granted, if there was tension to that degree in the class,
the instructor should have tried to defuse it, asking one or both offenders to
leave the class. Granted, too, if the situation did indeed escalate to the
point that the ‘k word’ was thrown about, then management should have gotten
involved.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let’s just state for the record that every South African and
his dog knows how offensive that word is and how much trouble one can get into
for even whispering it under your breath. Throwing it around loosely in the
same way that one would, say ‘idiot’, is social suicide. Why would you do that?
It’s just stupid.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The problem is, according to a <a href="http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za/Story.aspx?Id=82198">witness account</a>
on Ray White’s 702 Early Breakfast this morning, that word was <i>never</i> used. Not once.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to the witness, the ‘bully’ first asked Hleza to
keep it down. In response, she yelled louder and more frequently. The bully
called her a cockroach. He deserved to be pushed off his bike for that (with
his cleats still fastened). But then … Hleza apparently proceeded to antagonise
him, daring him to call her the ‘k word’.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The situation reminds me of a time, years ago, when I would
irritate my sister until she hit me, just so I could get her into trouble with
my parents. Childs play, really.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This smacks of attention seeking to me. The fact that she
took her story to the media and said that he had used the expletive, when
witnesses say he didn’t, means something is deeply wrong in our society.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, what’s even more disturbing is that the media
jumped on the racial bandwagon, without once reporting the other party’s side
of the story or even bothering to contact witnesses. Unethical and
irresponsible reporting to the extreme.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Has anyone ever once stopped to spare a thought for the
alleged bully? He’s been made out to be an intolerant racist, yet he was merely
trying to enjoy his exercise session.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Added to this the can of worms that has exploded all over
Virgin Active’s face. Now people are emerging from cracks in the walls, telling
of how they, too, have been victims of racism at the health clubs. Even more
worrying is that the Mail & Guardian is encouraging people to <a href="http://mg.co.za/article/2012-02-07-racism-at-gyms-tell-us-your-experience">share
their racism experiences</a> at Virgin Active, designing an entire form for
people to fill out detailing the incidents. What are we doing?? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pouring fuel onto an inferno is the <i>last</i> thing the media should be doing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s bad enough that people all over Twitter are supporting
the victim, with the word ‘yebo’ even trending and being bandied about like a
joke. Mail and Guardian editor Nic Dawes even tweeted: “YEBO! As you heft that
weight, YEBO! As you hit the pool, YEBO! On the treadmill and the bike. YEBO!”<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #eeeeee; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #444444; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span>So much for
balanced and fair reporting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Where’s the other side in this? Where are the witnesses? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The fact remains. This was about inappropriate behaviour,
not about race. It’s sad how easy it is to start a racial war in this country.
More tolerance, people. It’s the only way we’ll survive.</div>Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-50471524685000181922012-02-05T20:45:00.000-08:002012-02-05T20:47:36.358-08:00The truth hurtsBut sometimes it needs to be heard.<br />
<br />
I have found myself in the awkward position on more than one occasion recently where I have had to tell close friends, family members and colleagues that their words and/or actions have been harmful to those around them and those closest to them.<br />
<br />
Never one for confrontation, this was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Ever.<br />
<br />
In the past, I most probably would never have said anything to the offenders, turning a blind eye or a deaf ear, but the three encounters I've had over this past month have been deeply personal and my husband gave me a swift kick up the you-know-what, saying it was time I stood up for myself and spoke my mind.<br />
<br />
So I did.<br />
<br />
And I felt like crap doing it.<br />
<br />
But after the fact, I never felt better. And I came to realise that sometimes people just don't realise that what they are saying or doing is affecting anyone else but themselves. I guess it's human nature to be selfish, and in the age we're living in, that's ok - to an extent.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lvUm2-GjnwM/Ty9afWxAA7I/AAAAAAAAAJc/e-oj7o9e9ZQ/s1600/Truth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lvUm2-GjnwM/Ty9afWxAA7I/AAAAAAAAAJc/e-oj7o9e9ZQ/s320/Truth.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Image from Google Images, Pro Bono Coaching Web site)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Of course, the flip side is that the person you're confronting might get defensive and/or offended and it's at that point where you need to re-evaluate that relationship and consider whether the best option would be to sever ties. In my case, I lost one relationship, but that was my choice. It was a poisonous relationship and one that wasn't adding any value to my life.<br />
<br />
Speaking my mind on two issues actually improved my relationships with my folks and my oldest friend, and though it was extremely difficult at the time, I'm glad I did it.<br />
<br />
Of course, if I were on the other side of the confrontation, I would want to know if someone was not happy with something I had done or said. I know it would be hard to hear; I take things very personally and would probably dwell on it for months, but sometimes reflection and correction are necessary in an age of selfishness.Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-29207908938136613512012-01-29T00:23:00.000-08:002012-01-29T01:50:24.392-08:00Time flies when you have no social lifeThe topic of blogs came up in a conversation between my friend, Tessa, and I recently. We'd been reading some particularly horrid ones and ones that were pure inspiration on a computer screen.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>It got me thinking about my own blog and the neglect it had been subjected to this past year. I decided to pay my shunned child a visit and was quite shocked to find out that the last time I (properly) blogged was just over a year ago. This realisation made me feel both ashamed (as I had promised my handful of readers that I would get better at this) and somewhat numb by the fact that an entire year had passed!</div><div><br />
</div><div>So Tessa and I made a deal. I would write a post this week, and she would start her own blog, with the intention of sharing her gardening and cooking experiences. The idea is that we would encourage each other to post at least once every two weeks.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So, I figured, what better place to start than a follow-up on my year-ago (proper) <a href="http://madeyoulook01.blogspot.com/2011/01/put-down-your-sandwich.html"><span style="color: blue;">post</span></a>?</div><div><br />
</div><div>On 14 January 2011, I blogged that I had joined a gym. This was no small feat, considering my past gym/exercise experiences, and I wasn't convinced I would stick it out (money-saving incentives aside). Who would have thought that a year down the line I would be an avid spinner who hauled her ass to the chlorine-smelling establishment three times a week for some good ol' torture. I love it! And I do believe it's played a huge part in my stress management this past year.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Gym aside, I made some pretty big decisions in 2011, I discovered what I am capable of, changed jobs, and even got a bout of bad news, but nothing that a positive mindset can't cope with.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I decided early on in the year to go back to university. I started my Honours in Journalism after I got my degree in 2006, but dropped out after a month or two when I realised it wasn't for me. I remember my mom being very upset, I think she may have even cried. I promised her then that I would get my honours one day, although I wasn't entirely convinced myself at the time. Fast-forward six years and I finally decided to take the plunge. Deciding to study towards my Honours in Linguistics part-time while working full-time was absolutely terrifying. That being said, I am halfway through and I actually can't believe it, even if it did murder my social life. I start my second year next month and I'm actually excited. *Insert mental image of my teenage brother yelling 'nerd!'* It helped having the support of my husband and family as well as the encouragement of my professor to push through to Masters level. Hmmm, well.... no decision there, yet.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I also abandoned my comfortable position and the toxic environment of my previous job and started working for ITWeb. The people, the work, the appreciation was like chalk and cheese and I can't believe it took me so long to cut my losses and move on. They say we're creatures of habit and I do feel that returning to my old job in 2010 after spending nine months in London was probably not the smartest move I've made, but it was a necessary one. I'm glad I did because I had some epiphanies, the biggest of which is that one environment can produce the best of friends and the worst of enemies, but they're all life lessons I'm glad I signed up for, because they made me a stronger person and gave me the courage and confidence to change my path and seek a healthier environment.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I found out, too, in 2011 that I have arthritis in my right ankle. After my car accident of 2006, the doctor warned me that it would happen, I just wasn't expecting it to happen so soon. It was a bitter pill to swallow. I allowed myself to wallow in self-pity for a few weeks, but at the end of the day, I can still walk, I can still spin (whoopee!) and I have it mild compared to others. The arthritis hasn't bothered me much, I have uncomfortable days but I'll never admit to them. My grandmother, who never complained once while cancer ravaged her body, was a great inspiration to me. People have their own issues to deal with; they don't need to shoulder your burdens, too.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So as I enter another whirlwind year, I thought I'd change my blog design and my outdated profile picture. After years with raven hair, I also went red in 2011; they say everything happens in threes; apparently the same goes for life changes in one year. Time permitting, I'll try my best to stick to the one-post-every-two-weeks agreement, but I can't promise anything.</div><div><br />
</div><div>In the event that I don't, click through to some of my friends' inspirational blogs:</div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://jozibelle.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Jozibelle</span></a> - Warrior mom in the city of gold - by Paula.</div><div><a href="http://food.outies.co.za/author/michelle/page/11/"><span style="color: blue;">Food 101</span></a> by Michelle.</div><div>Tessa's to follow soon.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Viva 2012!</div>Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-52021826135612431532011-05-05T04:04:00.000-07:002011-05-05T04:04:17.480-07:00Virtual reality + real life = money spinner<a href="http://blog.coup.co.za/2011/05/virtual-reality-real-life-money-spinner/">http://blog.coup.co.za/2011/05/virtual-reality-real-life-money-spinner/</a><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">I’ve never understood the Farmville craze. I’ll admit that I played Petville for oh, I don’t know, maybe a week, but the novelty wore off very quickly. The only lesson provided by the time and effort it took to keep a non-existent pet alive, decorate its living quarters and pick up its smelly socks and banana peels was to give me a taste of what it must be like living with a teenager. The fact that I got no love in return from my purple, vampire-toothed ‘dog’, other than a silly dance and a weird cooing sound when I fed it cake, cemented my hesitance to even think about having children.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Similarly, if I had to spend hours on end tending a farm I could never touch, planting carrots I could never eat and buying cows I could never milk, I would have to seriously question my mental state. I want to see the efforts of my, er, labour and get tangible results.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">So when I first heard that 10 000 virtual farmers will be making decisions about a real farm in the UK, with real animals and real plants, I might have scoffed at the ridiculousness of it all. Are we really getting that lazy that we find it appealing to farm from behind a computer screen? For £30 a month, subscribers can make decisions ranging from which crops to grow to which livestock to rear on <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13276102?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Wimpole Home Farm</span></a>. I’m not kidding.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Partly inspired by Farmville, “subscribers will be expected to make key decisions on which crops to plant, which animals to buy and whether to put in measures such as new hedgerows to help wildlife. They will be asked to make 12 major monthly decisions during the course of the year as well as other choices”. Dame Fiona Reynolds , director-general of National Trust, which is managing the farm, said the scheme was “all about reconnecting people with farming, giving them the chance to get involved with and feel part of the farming community and farming life and give them a greater understanding on how the food they eat gets to their shopping basket”.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">While you could probably convince me to play this version of Farmville before I venture into Petville land again (I’m sure my dog must be dead by now, I can’t even remember his name), it still smacks a bit of a money-making scheme. If the initiative were to attract the desired 10 000 subscribers, that would bring in £300 000 (R3 290 618.45 at current exchange rates) a year. That’s quite a pretty penny for a farm that is reported as being “currently commercially self-sustaining”. Why didn’t I think of this?!</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">We were warned about this – that virtual reality would one day merge with real life. It seems Second Life was onto something all along. I wonder if the virtual farmers get a slice of the produce pie? Seems a bit unfair to expect them to pay an annual fee and not get at least a pint of milk in return.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What are your thoughts on the translation of virtual reality into real life? Do you think initiatives such as this will be successful?</div>Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-41814158423203551542011-05-05T01:19:00.002-07:002011-05-05T01:26:55.029-07:00It’s a Royal Wedding tsunami! (And we’re all in the way)<a href="http://blog.coup.co.za/2011/04/royalweddingtsunami/">http://blog.coup.co.za/2011/04/royalweddingtsunami/</a><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">When I first heard that Wills and Kate were taking the ultimate plunge, I can’t say I reacted any differently to how I would react if I were told that ‘Brangelina’ were splitting and reclaiming their own identities. Who cares? Well, apparently, quite a lot of people.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What I didn’t expect was that the grand event would take place so soon after the engagement, but when you have an entire staff complement attending to your most basic of needs, and you don’t need to fret about the flowers, the dress, the bridesmaids’ dresses, the DJ, the venue, the menu, the minister, the rings, the invitations, the seating arrangements, the wedding favours, (can you tell I’ve got the ‘been there, done that’ wedding T-shirt?) then why not just get it over and done with … and when you’re the hottest Royal couple of the moment, the pressure to deliver is enormous.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">And so we stare down the steamroller that is the 29 April Royal Wedding and we ask, again, why all the fuss? If we were guaranteed that the ceremony would play out like <strong><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnKW7cSesxY&feature=fvst" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">the one mobile operator, T-Mobile, put together</span></a></strong>, then I’d shamelessly admit that I’d be the one with the biggest box of popcorn, sitting a metre away from the television screen, because seeing Prince Charles shimmy down the aisle is a priceless moment in itself, never mind the duo of the hour!</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The internet has gone Royal Wedding mad. Even though there is an <strong><a href="http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/tag/homepage/page/1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">official Royal Wedding website</span></a></strong> and a dedicated <strong><a href="http://www.youtube.com/theroyalchannel" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">YouTube Royal Channel</span></a></strong>, there are still those out there hoping to make a quick buck off the event. BrewDog, a UK brewer, has even <strong><a href="http://www.iol.co.za/tonight/viagra-and-beer-in-one-bottle-1.1060081" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">concocted a very special ale</span></a></strong> to commemorate the occasion – drinking just three bottles of Royal Virility Performance, with the tagline ‘Arise Prince Willy’, is equivalent to taking one Viagra pill (I foresee a lot of babies named Kate and William in nine months’ time).</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The official YouTube Channel features a wedding book where anyone can upload a personal message or video, and while I suspect that the prince and his new princess will never have enough time in the world to watch hours of rehashed good wishes from strangers, I do like the fact that they’ve opened up their Charitable Gift Fund to the public – at least one sensible thing will come of the obsessive insanity.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">In the past month, Yahoo! noted a 1 523% increase in internet searches related to the Royal Wedding, prompting it to set up its own <strong><a href="http://royalwedding.yahoo.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">website</span></a></strong> dedicated to the wedding, featuring everything from news to videos to photo galleries to a guestbook (because we’re all invited, apparently), oh, and an advert by Spur – clever! Because when predictions are that more than two-billion people will be watching the event, compared to just 750-million who watched Charles and Diana’s wedding in 1981 (how the digital world has changed the real world!), strategic ad placement will get you everywhere.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Us South Africans can’t scoff at the absurdness of it all – we’re just us guilty of rubbernecking. Howzit MSN launched its <strong><a href="http://entertainment.za.msn.com/royal-wedding/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Royal Wedding special content</span></a></strong> on 9 April and recorded 500 000 page views in its first week! Compare this to only 200 000 hits for the month for the cricket page that was put up for the World Cup. Tut tut.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">If you are one of the few that haven’t been swept up in the Royal Wedding wave, first of all, well done! Second of all, prepare to be force-fed come 29 April, because that’s all that will be on TV, social media, radio and the internet. NewsTime reports, “The BBC will deploy at least 550 staff on the day, using about 100 cameras in Westminster Abbey and along the procession route to provide a live feed to dozens of countries and footage to many more. About 140 broadcast trucks are expected to set up in Green Park near Buckingham Palace and 48 television studios have been purpose-built nearby in what is thought to be [the] largest outside broadcast ever seen.”</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Oh dear.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">I’m pretty sure there was something else happening on 29 April. Something with a lot more significance than the wedding of the decade…?</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Oh yes, that’s right, 29 April is the shuttle Endeavour’s final mission to the International Space Station. I wonder if there are any news crews available to cover it?</div>Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-8301215682275594972011-05-05T01:19:00.000-07:002011-05-05T01:27:40.209-07:00The rise and rise of Zulu<a href="http://blog.coup.co.za/2011/04/the-rise-and-rise-of-zulu/">http://blog.coup.co.za/2011/04/the-rise-and-rise-of-zulu/</a><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande kicked up a stink this week when he proposed that all university degrees include an African language as part of their programmes of study. As a condition for graduating, all students would need to learn an African language.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Personally, I think it’s an excellent idea as it champions the cause of minority language rights. The problem, however, is that while it’s great in theory, actually implementing this might prove tricky. Perhaps a better option would be to start with the teaching of additional languages at the primary school level, rather than expect students who have been speaking one or two languages for the past 20-odd years to suddenly pick up an additional language – and be able to speak it coherently by the time their three-year degrees come to an end.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">That being said, if given a choice, which language would you choose? I’m going with Zulu.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">By no means a minority language, Zulu has been quite prolific in the media space in the past six months, especially the online space. It all started in November last year when <em>Sunday Times </em>launched a Zulu edition – a language spoken by 50% of the South African population and is the mother tongue of 24% of the population, according to the Pan SA Language Board.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">In March this year, it was reported that News24 had followed suit, launching a <strong><a href="http://isizulu.news24.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Zulu version</span></a></strong> of its popular news service, offering the latest in headlines, sport, finance and weather. Just days later, it was reported that Mozilla’s Firefox Web browser (which is already available in North Sotho) had been customised by <strong><a href="http://translate.org.za/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">translators</span></a></strong> to support Zulu. I’m beginning to see a pattern here…</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">A recent <strong><a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gxT0TM9M7y4QR0FnWdi89EJ2AYSg?docId=CNG.5f98b068a2f9c4f448173fe0d7c7b4c1.1f1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">article</span></a> </strong>by AFP reported that while most South African print media are battling declining circulations and an advertising drought, Zulu-language papers are flourishing, with more titles appearing and sales rising. Take<em>Isolezwe</em>, for example, which was launched in 2002 and is now South Africa’s third most popular newspaper, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Sales of its daily edition topped 104 000 last year; and at R2.80 a copy, it’s hardly surprising – quality news at an affordable price.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">I’m hoping to see some of our minority languages afforded the same recognition at some stage. And if, in so doing, it means including African languages in university modules, then I’m 100% for it.</div>Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-62687376811679608362011-05-05T01:18:00.004-07:002011-05-05T01:29:50.743-07:00Vodacom advertising goes ‘viral’<a href="http://blog.coup.co.za/2011/05/vodacom-advertising-goes-viral/">http://blog.coup.co.za/2011/05/vodacom-advertising-goes-viral/</a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Vodacom is getting a lot of things right lately. I blogged a few weeks ago about how much I enjoyed <a href="http://blog.coup.co.za/2011/04/rebranding-vodacomgetsitright/" style="text-decoration: none;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Vodacom’s re-branding adverts</span></strong></a>, with my colleague, Kerryn le Cordeur, reporting on how Vodacom set the wheels of the ‘red bandwagon’ in motion, with the likes of <strong><a href="http://blog.coup.co.za/2011/04/virgin-active-and-dulux-on-red/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Virgin Active and Dulux</span></a></strong> scrambling for a sliver of the limelight and basking in the glow of the awesomeness that is Vodacom.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">I thought the Vodacom hype was simmering down, and then it comes out with <strong><a href="http://10and5.com/2011/04/26/vodacom-tv-ad-power-to/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">this</span></a></strong>. Vodacom’s new TV advert embraces everything that is good about social media and viral advertising and makes it that much cooler. In the latest offering, Marcus (who looks to be around 11 or 12) takes delivery of his brand new Vodacom phone. He turns the phone’s camera on himself, marches into his bedroom, props the phone up and proceeds to make a video. But this isn’t just any old video. It features more South African celebrities than a bumper issue of Heat magazine. And if his huge brown eyes don’t get you, Marcus with the raucous’ rapping skills certainly will – as will his uncanny ability to make celebrities such as HHP, Loyiso, Freshlyground, Corné and Twakkie, Prime Circle, Tamara Dey, Elvis Blue and Gang of Instrumentals literally crawl out of the cracks of his room and morph from his linen.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The clever word play (“And I get what I want, even got digits for Tanya van Graan; but I stay freshly-grounded and the girls just really, really like it”) and good-sport celebrities dancing around in sleeping bags, singing into desk lamps and zooting around the room on office chairs make this the exact kind of video I like to share with my friends – it’s catchy, has familiar faces and is just so damn clever!</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">And you know what they say about videos shared by friends – people tend to watch them for three times longer than if they had stumbled across it themselves (read<strong> <a href="http://www.coup.co.za/issues/9/32.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Leigh Andrews’ article</span></a></strong> on what makes a video go viral).</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The ad opens as if it’s a regular YouTube video, zooming in when it has received just fewer than 100 views. At the end of the ad, after Ross from Prime Circle spins Marcus’ chair around and all the featured celebs cram into the screenshot, the camera zooms out again, putting the viewing tally at nearly 28-million.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">I suspect Vodacom won’t need to spend too much money airing this ad on TV. I’ve already forced everyone in the office to watch it and a friend of mine on Facebook has declared his intention to adopt Marcus. That is, not if I get to him first.</div>Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-23678796173611490482011-05-05T01:18:00.002-07:002011-05-05T01:21:05.154-07:00Re-branding: Vodacom gets it right<a href="http://blog.coup.co.za/2011/04/rebranding-vodacomgetsitright/">http://blog.coup.co.za/2011/04/rebranding-vodacomgetsitright/</a><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">For the most part, Vodacom did a damn fine job keeping its new branding under wraps until the official launch on 1 April. Granted, we all pretty much knew that it was going to adopt the colours of its parent company, Vodafone; that it was going to be red; and that it might, too, adopt Vodafone’s logo.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What we weren’t expecting, however, was the sheer brilliance in the execution of the rebranding and the enormous creativity behind it. I was feeling rather unmotivated at the offering on Sunday prime time television last night, there was nothing interesting to watch and I was considering bundling myself off to bed for an early night … until I saw the first Vodacom rebrand ad, and the next, and the next. I was convinced to sit through hours of boring programming in the hopes that, during the ad breaks, I would catch another one that I hadn’t seen yet.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The genius ad campaign saw Vodacom bring together characters of adverts past, including Bankole Omotoso (Yebo Gogo!), Michael de Pina, Trevor Gumbi (“Are you free, or are you dom?”), Daddy Cool and that crazy dancing meerkat, among others. In pairs of two (or alone, if you’re a meerkat), they sit in a blue room with a bucket of red paint and proceed to splash said paint all over the blue wall via rather, erm, creative methods, from catapulting themselves into the wall, to shooting paintballs at it, to falling off scaffolding and accidently splashing the wall, to kicking paint bombs at a mock rugby post. The thirteen-second ads are perfect in length, each featuring different, amusing content, and each with a familiar face that forces you to draw on past Vodacom ads.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Besides the brilliant TV and print ads, Vodacom effectively executed its rebranding strategy on the ground, too. At the press briefing on Friday night, CEO Pieter Uys was looking rather spiffy in his red golf shirt and the new red branding was already visible on the sporting field when the Vodacom Blue Bulls took on the Wellington Hurricanes in a Super 15 match in New Zealand. New Zealand! They even got the branding right in another country! The Bulls won, in case you were wondering…</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Compared to Cell C’s re-branding, Vodacom is streets ahead, including the entire Vodacom family in the event, as opposed to employing a random comedian (don’t get me wrong, I love your work, Trevor) as its “brand ambassador”. It somehow made it more real to me.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"></div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">My husband pointed out that he’d noticed I was partial to short, funny ads that have different content (And no, Outsurance’s Invisible Man does not count), so maybe I’m biased, but hey, if it works, it works.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Nicely played, Vodacom. More Power to You.</div><br />
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</div>Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-40645056774331441862011-05-05T01:18:00.000-07:002011-05-05T01:29:11.037-07:00The Oxford English Dictionary has gone loco!<a href="http://blog.coup.co.za/2011/04/oxford-dictionary-has-gone-loco/">http://blog.coup.co.za/2011/04/oxford-dictionary-has-gone-loco/</a><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">OMG! Did you hear about the tanorexic gazillionaire who was wearing a mankini over budgie smugglers while having a looky-loo at the bajillion retweets on Twitter? Fnarr fnarr! At the same time, he was eating a sammie, muttering “nom nom”. TMI for you?</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">It’s a sad day for grammarians when the Oxford English Dictionary adds words that usually only form part of a teenager’s vocabulary to its official lexicon. It’s an even worse day when it accepts SMS acronyms as proper words. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is now acceptable to use LOL and OMG in every-day writing.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">While we at <em><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_67330870">COUP</a></em><a href="http://www.coup.co.za/"> </a>are thrilled at the addition of words such as ‘bloggable’ and ‘retweet’, we cry quietly at the thought of SMS-speak tainting our copy.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Funnily enough, I recently wrote a university assignment on whether language practitioners felt that the enforcement of correct language usage was good or bad. One of the focus areas was the use of SMS-speak in areas other than the cellphone. Not surprisingly, just about all the respondents vehemently opposed its use – some believe it doesn’t even belong in SMSes. <em>COUP</em> Content Editor, Marie Straub, said, “SMS speak is a pet hate of mine. I even avoid it when SMSing. I don’t think it is acceptable outside of SMSing. Also, with a vast number of young people using SMS- and internet-speak in their online communications (which are increasing all the time), their grammar is suffering, with spelling following fast behind.” Kerryn le Cordeur, Deputy Editor of Media Update, believes SMS-speak “dumbs down” communication; while Bronwyn Raitt, a teacher, believes that SMS-speak is making people lazy and that it is a disgrace to the English language. Another concern raised by language practitioner Kate Wright is that the addition of ‘OMG’ to the Dictionary somehow made blasphemy acceptable, too.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">I tend to agree with all of the above.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">On the other hand, should we not be happy that our wonderful language is changing with the times and is accommodating new terms and phrases? Being a language practitioner myself, I might come across as biased when I say that the addition of new words thrills me – provided they are useful! Andragogy, avoision, calligram, recessionista (<strong><a href="http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">look them up</span></a></strong>) – all new words added to the Dictionary and all excellent! However, when it comes to boo-yah and woot, I feel the need to assume the foetal position and rock slowly from side-to-side.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What are your thoughts? A boon for the English language or the beginning of the end of a literate society?</div>Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-57452954135818501082011-05-05T01:17:00.001-07:002011-05-05T01:31:01.122-07:00A movie-type trailer for a book? I’d rather judge it by its cover…<a href="http://blog.coup.co.za/2011/03/booktrailer/">http://blog.coup.co.za/2011/03/booktrailer/</a><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">I’m the first to admit that I never read the entire blurb of any book or DVD. My judgement starts with the cover (shallow, I know), after which I’ll flip the book/DVD in question over and skim over the blurb, looking for words that jump out, like ‘psychopath’, ‘controversy’, and ‘scandal’.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">So when I heard that there was a movie-like <em><strong><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuaKaNmQT1A" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">trailer</span></a></strong></em> punting Mike Nicol’s new book, <em>Black Heart, </em>I got a little giddy – my laziness had reached a new level; or rather, technology had leveraged my laziness to a new level, as seems to be occurring more and more these days.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">I have to admit, though, I was slightly disappointed. The trailer wasn’t very forthcoming with clues as to what the story is about, other than revenge. Something somebody did in the past was coming back to haunt said person as another person wants revenge. Not vague at all. The trailer also tells us that <em>Black Heart </em>is the third book in Nicol’s Revenge Trilogy. Thanks for that, but for someone who has never read a Nicol novel; this is not much use to me. Right now there are a million possibilities running through my mind as to what the revenge centres on. A love triangle? A business deal gone awry? A beauty queen bitter that an opponent sabotaged the dress she was meant to wear in the Evening Gown walk?</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">I tracked down the <em><strong><a href="http://www.randomstruik.co.za/title-page.php?titleID=4186&imprintID=6" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">actual blurb</span></a></strong></em> and it goes something like this: Sheemina has a vendetta against security operative, Mace, who is in a spot of trouble himself, as his partner has been shot and a foreigner under their protection has been kidnapped. “In the final part of Mike Nicol’s Revenge Trilogy the hidden hand of Sheemina February is everywhere. Her finger tightening on the trigger.”</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">I was nowhere close, apparently.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">My <em>modus operandi</em> is as follows – pick up eye-catching book (and yes, I would’ve picked up <em>Black Heart, </em>based on its cover), take note of words that ‘pop’, open book on random page and read a few sentences to get a feel for the writer’s style, then either put the book back on the shelf or tuck it under my arm and mosey on to the tills. This experience was obviously missing in trailer format and that, for me, is a big deciding factor with regards to whether I want to read a book or not.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">That being said, I wouldn’t discount the idea of trailers-for-books completely. With better execution, it could definitely work. Perhaps the characters in the trailer could actually <em>say</em> something as this could convey a sense of the writer’s style to a degree. Also, the trailer needs context. As mentioned above, I had no idea what the book was about based solely on watching the trailer and had to hunt down the blurb for more information.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Or maybe I just put way too much thought into the whole process. What do you think of trailers for books?</div>Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-90386962024965362342011-01-14T06:53:00.000-08:002011-01-14T06:53:00.177-08:00Put down your sandwich...I've joined a gym.<br />
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Don't say I didn't warn you before you guffawed with a mouth full of food. I'll wait while you dislodge the morsel from your throat...<br />
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All better? Good.<br />
<br />
Signing my unhealthy life away on the dotted line at the bottom of the gym contract was not something I imagined myself doing. Ever. Sure, I've been a gym member before, but that was back in the day when daddy was paying and nobody really cared if I went or not.<br />
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But now I have no choice. If I don't gym at least 10 times a month, I have to pay the full membership fee, which borders on, *gulp*, R500 a month. However, the more I gym, the less I pay - you gotta love these medical aid incentive programmes - talk about motivation!<br />
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And even though I inked the deal on 1 January, this was by no means a New Year's resolution - who makes those any more, anyway?<br />
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I have to say it though, the sceptic in me has been delivered a hearty kick up the arse by the gym bunny I never knew lived inside me. I'm actually enjoying it and the novelty hasn't warn off yet - two weeks in! This is some kind of record, I'm sure! Even though it hurts like hell, I'm loving my stiff thighs and the extra effort it takes to lift the tomato sauce bottle ever since those push-ups two days ago. It also helps having a fitness freak for a sister and a three-year-old nephew that can't get enough of the kids' club.<br />
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Although I don't want to speak too soon and jinx my positivity, I think I'm going to stick this one out. Ask me again in six months though, I might just be swiping my gym card to buy a smoothie from the in-gym Kauai and then walking straight out again with a sheepish, guilt-ridden face. After all, the medical aid just counts how often the card is swiped, not how long you spent in the gym...Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-43653894088887521332010-11-22T08:12:00.000-08:002010-11-22T08:31:26.372-08:00The gods are telling me somethingI either need to change my working hours or change my job. My mother thinks I should just change the route I take to work, but where's the fun in that?<div><br /></div><div>Why the drastic steps? Well, this morning, on my way to the grindstone at the ridiculous hour of 05:15, I see flashing lights from a police car in the distance. Thinking nothing of it, I continue on my not-so-merry Monday way. This is South Africa after all, flashing police lights are as common as red buses in London. </div><div><br /></div><div>The vehicle to which said flashing lights belong to, without warning, ramps up the centre island and spews out two officers wielding menacing firearms and just as menacing facial expressions. Expressions that tell me I should probably stop my car in the middle of a main road (so what if it's 05:15 and there's no traffic!) to let them cross. At least one cop said thank you ... And that's when the guns were in the air, shouts of "Get down!" filled the otherwise peaceful morning and two rather bewildered blokes quietly surrendered as they stared down the barrel of an AK47. I would, too.</div><div><br /></div><div>Praying that the guys on the barrel-end of the gun wouldn't draw their own weapons, rendering me a victim of collateral damage, I eased my car around the officer and continued on my way. Ah, just another day in sunny SA.</div><div><br /></div><div>So why the need to change my route, you ask? </div><div><br /></div><div>See this is not the first time I've been an almost-victim of crime on my way to work. I was once nearly involved in a smash-and-grab and have also been pushed off the road by a government vehicle.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think the gods are trying to tell me something. Like, why, oh why, are you up at stupid 'o clock every morning, you stupid woman?! </div>Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-11093251911888561612010-07-10T03:40:00.000-07:002010-07-10T03:44:34.188-07:00The kinds of kicks up the arse I need...My dear friend Kate recently lambasted me for not updating my blog often enough. She usually gives me a roasting at least once a month. I appreciate these <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">tellings</span>-off, because if it weren't for the constant reminding, I would probably forget about the blog altogether. Plus ... it's nice to know that someone is actually reading it! :-)<div><br /></div><div>So ... I know I've said this before, but I will try be better at this blog-keeping thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, if only I had something to write about...</div>Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-46055980558773646262010-01-21T01:28:00.000-08:002010-01-21T01:54:09.334-08:00How to make yourself smarter, for dummiesI have always admired my husband for being a hive of what I call "useless information". He always seems to know something about everything, from the history of most countries, to the inner workings of computers - topics that the average person (read: me) would have to research or seek help on. <div><br /></div><div>And this makes me jealous. </div><div><br /></div><div>I want to know useless information! I want to appear to be the smart one in conversations, rather than the one making silent mental notes to read up on Abraham Lincoln upon hearing his name to find out just what made him so special.</div><div><br /></div><div>And so I have made a New Year's resolution. I have decided to research at least two topics of interest a week in an attempt to broaden my general knowledge base and give me the upper hand in intelligent conversations. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm starting with Abe Lincoln (who apparently detested being called "Abe"). I always knew that he was an American president; what I did not know is that he was the first American president to be assassinated and was responsible for the abolishment of slavery in the States. Mmmm ... so <i>that's</i> what made him famous!</div><div><br /></div><div>I have a feeling I'm going to stick this resolution out. If all goes according to plan, I would have researched 98 topics by the end of the year (bearing in mind that I've already missed out on three weeks). Ask me this time next year what my favourite website is and I imagine it will be Wikipedia, and not Facebook!</div><div><br /></div><div>Next research topic: the Berlin Wall! </div>Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-8507326251339749542010-01-15T01:39:00.000-08:002010-01-15T02:08:40.293-08:00If there was ever a time to bite your tongue...I receive a daily newsletter from back home, purely because I want to keep up with the goings on in my home country. It's usually pretty standard: crime, car accidents, corrupt officials, police abuse, electricity prices, etc.<div><br /></div><div>However, this morning's newsletter left me absolutely gob-smacked. Under the "most read" section was an article on a <a href="http://www.news24.com/Content/SouthAfrica/News/1059/977052ba72d8415ca0ab1f678169bb50/14-01-2010-09-17/Armed_men_hold_up_school">school in Port Elizabeth that was held up by thugs, who made off with a substantial amount of cash</a> - the day's takings in school fees.</div><div><br /></div><div>For starters, I want to know why this story was in the "most read" section, rather than the "news you should know" or "top stories" sections? Has South Africa become <i>that much </i>accustomed to violent crime that incidents of terrorists waltzing into schools with loaded guns are only afforded a mere mention?</div><div><br /></div><div>This is not the source of my shock, however. A very smart police captain was quoted as saying, "I can't divulge the amount of money because criminals will now know they can make easy money from schools." Who says that?! Well done, Captain Rheeder, you didn't need to divulge the amount, you just single-handedly made every school in the country vulnerable to attack. You should be downplaying the amount or, better yet, not even mentioning the money!</div><div><br /></div><div>Is it not enough that thugs have taken away our children's right to play in parks and streets without fear? </div><div><br /></div><div>Now, thanks to poorly-chosen words, criminals have education by the throat also. Way to go, Captain.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-68080672654944499732010-01-14T07:09:00.001-08:002010-01-14T07:50:09.552-08:00I suck at thisI have come to the realisation that I am terrible at keeping a blog. My mind is full of topics to write about, but when I actually sit down to write about them, they suddenly sound silly. Abraham Lincoln was wise when he said, "Tis better to be silent and to be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt."<div><br /></div><div>So, I thought of turning my blog into a sort of online diary, but it would be selfish exposing readers to my mindless diatribes about trying to find Wellies that actually fit and look cool at the same time, or about my attempts to lose weight and get fit ... using the Wii.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then again, my ramblings might be amusing to some of you, so I guess I'll never know unless I try. Behold, dear readers, part one of my blog-turned-diary. I expect comments. Lots of them. Good and bad. </div><div><br /></div><div>I am sad to report that my hopes for studying further in the UK have been dashed. The procrastinatory (yes, I know that's not a word) side of my personality saw to it that I left it too late to book the photography course I was so keen on and all the spaces were taken up. Strike one.</div><div><br /></div><div>Not to worry, I have the Indesign course to fall back on, which is more important and relevant to my career aspirations anyway. This time I made sure I called well in advance to secure my seat. "I'm sorry," said the lady on the other end of the line, "but that course has been cancelled due to a lack of interest." Great. I'm being punished for being lax in booking the photography course. Strike two.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hmmmm....well, there's always the web design course. Not my first choice, but something that will still look good on my CV, right? Wrong. Turns out that this course is out of my price range so that idea was shelved. Strike three and you're out.</div><div><br /></div><div>I wonder if future employers will hold it against me that I will not have worked in my field for nine months by the time I get home and start looking again?</div>Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-40628707565202675262009-10-27T08:53:00.000-07:002009-10-28T04:51:30.459-07:00I have a broom, therefore I am a street sweeperSeeing as though I'm not putting my Journalism degree to use in London, I figured I would look into short courses that would broaden my knowledge and would hopefully stand me in good stead when I do go job hunting in my field again.<div><br /></div><div>I was amazed at the sheer volume of courses available to me - and all affordable and within reach! The difference between the South African and British governments is that the latter <i>wants </i>its citizens to study and be the best they can be when it comes to education and supporting themselves and their families. Every council has an adult education centre where one can study anything from basic computer skills to street cleaning. Yes, street cleaning. </div><div><br /></div><div>Apparently, cleaning streets is not just about sweeping rubbish into stormwater drains and then taking a nap on the freshly-cut grass. Nosiree. To be able to proudly call yourself a street cleaner in London, you need to be able to assess the area to be cleaned, know which cleaning products to use, know which litter needs to be segregated, know the proper procedures for emptying out bins and be able to identify problems and report them to the council. And I haven't even touched on health and safety procedures yet.</div><div><br /></div><div>Becoming a taxi driver in London doesn't involve buying a licence and finding a people carrier that's in semi-working order. London's Black Cab drivers take great pride in their jobs (although you wouldn't say so judging from the amount of obscenities that are shouted from those particular vehicles). They often choose that career because their fathers and grandfathers were drivers. It's a generation thing. And it's not easy. Cabbies have to study for an average of<i> two years</i> before they can start carting passengers around. They need to be knowledgeable in London's 25 000 streets and know where all the tourist hotspots, hospitals and places of worship are; not to mention the best place to get a chicken burger at 3am.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've come to realise that South Africans have it easy in the sense that they can pick up a hammer and call themselves a builder; yet they have it extremely tough because there is no support from the government. Further education institutions are mostly private, charging R3000 for a course I can do in London for R700. It seems almost criminal, really. Education should be free to everyone - and should be of a superior quality. If half the South Africans were trained to do their jobs properly from the start, perhaps half our problems would be solved.</div><div><br /></div><div>All I know is that I hope to take full advantage of London's adult education system while I am lucky enough to be in a position to afford and appreciate it. First course: photography. Because I want to know how a camera <i>really</i> works and because my pride won't let me pick up a camera and call myself a photographer. </div><div><br /></div>Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-40659106438906622832009-09-08T14:19:00.001-07:002009-09-08T14:53:43.903-07:00I don’t want to miss a thing<p>I’ve come under a lot of pressure lately from people I know, and people I don’t, to relocate to London permanently. While the thought has crossed my mind on numerous occasions, when I think about it, there’s more pulling me back to South Africa than there is keeping me in London.</p><p>Truth be told, I can’t wait to go home. To hug my family, to snuggle my pets, to be silly with my friends… While I am loving (almost) every minute here, home really is where the heart is.</p><p>I worry every day that I am being selfish in not wanting to forget everything and stay. My husband loves it here (actually, I think ‘love’ isn’t a strong enough word), and while I acknowledge that there probably are better opportunities for the both of us, I’m just not getting excited about the prospects. For hubby, London is the obvious choice: his line of work is more accepted and mainstream; he has access to virtually any artist and is learning amazing things from them; and everything he wants, whether it be a new machine or fancy inks, is in reach for him – both physically and financially. It’s no longer just a pipe dream.</p><p>Granted, I could probably say the same for myself. I probably COULD get a fantastic job; I probably COULD get some awesome experience; I probably COULD earn a half-decent salary, but I couldn’t be bothered to go out and look for it. Perhaps I’m too scared that something good will come along and then I won’t WANT to leave – that terrifies me.</p><p>Being in London for three months, I have missed two friends’ weddings, another friend’s pregnancy and, most importantly, my nephew growing up, my brother’s first real girlfriend and the most exciting time of my sister’s life. I am petrified that something should happen to someone close to me in SA while I am here, and I won’t be able to say that I spent their last few months with them or that I was there to experience something thrilling in their lives. While this is something I could probably overlook until early next year when we are due to come home, it’s not something I could live with permanently. I don’t want to miss out on the important things.</p><p>Yes, the transport here is super-efficient, but I miss my car and not having to rely on bus schedules. Yes, it’s great not having to worry about crime, but I’m still convinced it’s a false sense of security. Yes, there is a ton of cool stuff to do and places to go, but I miss not having my best friends around to share it with. Yes, anything is accessible, whether it be a fancy flatscreen or the latest iPhone, but I miss good old family time minus the material bullshit.</p><p>I want to live a life where my sister is just a phone call away, I can pop over to my folks’ whenever I want to, and have a handful of close friends over for some good laughs. I don’t care about free medical, once-a-year insurance and super-fast trains.</p><p>That's not important to me. Family is and I don’t want to miss a thing.</p>Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-55816927237108388112009-08-16T09:16:00.001-07:002009-08-16T09:16:55.946-07:00A life lesson learnt – from an animal<p>I was gutted to learn the other day that Sam the Koala had died.</p> <p>Those that follow the news will remember the devastating Australian<a href="http://www.news24.com/Content/SciTech/News/1132/bdd02808768a4520b01fd63b1699c246/05-08-2009%2002-08/Saved_koala_Sam_very_ill"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Sam" border="0" alt="Sam" align="right" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_uRByXoRW1R0/Sogw9Ib_oII/AAAAAAAAAGM/__kQ9IrFswg/Sam%5B9%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="195" height="240" /></a>  fires of last year. We were flooded with <a href="http://www.news24.com/Content/SciTech/News/1132/ca2c92712c704334b457d9012a41d9d0//Burned_lungs_and_singed_paws">heart-wrenching stories</a> about kangaroos with burnt paws, tortoises with melted shells, baby wallabies with burnt ears and birds dropping from the skies because of the fires – a result of suspected arson. God, how selfish we humans are. And yet Sam served as a beacon of hope when she shimmied up to a fire-fighter and accepted a drink from his water bottle. If nothing else, I’ll bet that very moment made the burnt lungs and hours of tireless work worth it for this fire-fighter. Apparently, koalas aren’t the friendliest of creatures.</p> <p><a href="http://www.news24.com/Content/SciTech/News/1132/ca2c92712c704334b457d9012a41d9d0//Burned_lungs_and_singed_paws"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Sam2" border="0" alt="Sam2" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_uRByXoRW1R0/Sogw9njSLOI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/qQqjjTWaOJA/Sam2%5B5%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="214" height="240" /></a> I remember crying after seeing pictures of Sam with her singed paws all bandaged up; and then laughing when I read that she had <a href="http://www.news24.com/Content/SciTech/News/1132/0645921c4f6941489a14969ad8fb5c05//Koala_love_story_wins_hearts">met a boyfriend</a>, Bob, at the shelter where she was recovering. Despite the hundreds of lost lives, the miles of burnt forest, and the thousands of devastated lives, the story of Sam made it all somewhat easier to accept. It was no longer about loss and suffering; but about a lesson that one precious animal had to teach us humans: that, yes, shit happens, but it’s up to us to make the most of the shit situations, even if it means getting off our high horses and accepting a little assistance from someone we normally wouldn’t give the time of day to.</p> Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-1134023360223118202009-08-11T13:48:00.001-07:002009-08-11T13:48:14.606-07:00The Piercing Bible – a review<p>A review I was asked to write on The Piercing Bible by Elayne Angel.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_uRByXoRW1R0/SoHZCz8i6bI/AAAAAAAAAGE/2an763Q2fNU/s1600-h/piercing-bible%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="piercing-bible" border="0" alt="piercing-bible" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_uRByXoRW1R0/SoHZDYkshtI/AAAAAAAAAGI/v1RFf2JEpD8/piercing-bible_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="166" height="246" /></a> </p> <p>Thank the powers that be for Elayne Angel! Her book, The Piercing Bible, is a must-read for anyone considering this art form as a career, anyone thinking of getting pierced, anyone who is already pierced and everyone in-between.</p> <p>Elayne leaves no stone unturned in this thoroughly researched guide to safe body piercing. She delves into the history of piercing and the effect this has had, and will likely have, on many generations, before exploring it in its current form as well as its future possibilities. From deciding what to pierce, to finding an accomplished and conscientious piercer; from hygiene issues to piercing trouble-shooting, Elayne has touched on it all.</p> <p>Being relatively new to the art, I found myself starved for solid, trustworthy information and, with decades of experience under her belt, Elayne shares a wealth of knowledge, dispels many misconceptions and offers sound advice from the effects your new piercing could have on society’s perceptions of you to lifestyle changes that might be necessary if you want to live in harmony with your piercing. The book also discusses different jewellery styles and sizes, equipment used during the different procedures, stretching of piercings, retiring of piercings, problems that may arise, and special situations such as breastfeeding and sex that may be compromised, or enhanced, by the piercing.</p> <p>The industry has waited a long time for this book and, after reading it, you might be able to tell your doctor a thing or two about infection control, blood-borne pathogens and cross-contamination. </p> Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5330735100497839986.post-38168419880378009462009-07-27T12:10:00.000-07:002009-07-27T12:47:43.865-07:00The right to dieThere's a big <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">hoo</span>-ha in London at the moment about assisted suicide and the right to die, as well as the ethics surrounding it.<br /><br />This comes after the Royal College of Nursing moved to a neutral position on assisted suicide (from being opposed to it) and has called for more guidance on the issue. Understandably, this has opened up an entire can of worms and has sparked a heated debate focusing more on terminally ill patients than on highly-strung teenagers who off themselves for random reasons.<br /><br />This got me thinking - who are we to tell a person who is living in agony that they have to continue living in agony until they die naturally? Surely if that person's quality of life has no chance of improving, it is entirely their choice whether they want to end it or stick it out? Personally, I think the bone of contention here is the word "assisted". Granted, it is quite a morbid thought that someone would help a family member commit suicide and this would undoubtedly have knock-on effects for the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">former's</span> mental health, but again, is it not a matter of choice? If the family member is convinced that he or she will be better off, and they are comfortable with helping, then why not?<br /><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Ironically</span>, humans are quick to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">euthanize</span> an animal who falls deathly ill - are the animals ever asked if they want to live or die? No. And that's because we believe they can't make those kinds of decisions for themselves (not taking into account the fact that we can't communicate with them, of course). But the difference is that humans CAN think for themselves and if they want to die, if they KNOW they do not want to live out the last few months or years of their lives in pain and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">uncomfort</span>, why put up barriers? They'd do it themselves if they had the means to anyway. We had a Boxer who I was hopelessly attached to and, in his old age, he developed a heart defect. The poor animal could not walk or breathe properly and lay, slowly dying, on the dining room floor. My dad made the difficult decision to put him down even though the vet said that with a traumatic operation and feeding him pills everyday, "he might last another six months". Why do that to him? Is it not more cruel to force him to live another six months in pain than to kiss and hug him and wish him well on his journey to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">doggie</span> heaven?<br /><br />While discussing the topic with friends the other day, one brought up the issue of abortion and referred also to animals whose lives are snuffed out without a second thought if they are born with a disability. He believes that it should be <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">ok</span> to abort a human baby who is going to be born mentally disabled and will never have a chance at a normal life. While I have never thought of it in this way before, I think he has a point.<br /><br />Concerns have been raised that if assisted suicide was legalised in the UK, then the elderly would feel pressured into committing suicide, rather than becoming a burden to family members as they lose the ability to care for themselves. While incontinence may not be pleasant, it definitely should not fall into the same disability category as being permanently paralysed or brain damaged from a car accident. I know that if I had become a vegetable as a result of my accident, I would look back on my life, say it was a good one; and then ask for kisses and hugs and well wishes as I continued with my journey to the after-life.<br /><br />But maybe that's just me.Tarrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11105934057899164563noreply@blogger.com1