Cazzfest 2008 - Angels and Demons Collide

Its almost that time of the year when I turn another year older, but who is counting?(shuttttuppp). Since the devil's mother was ironically born on Christmas Day (nicknamed all sort of horrible things like "Nightmare on Christmas Day" and "Carols by Candlelight), the bash is taking place almost a month after. Due to Cazzfest 2007's great success - who could forget, oh wait, that would be me - I have decided to make this an annual event and will host the next one on January 19, 2008.

This time around the planning is a whole lot easier since I know what went wrong (getting motherless drunk, spending a ridiculous amount of money) and what went right (wonderful group of people there, bands etc). And now Im introducing a theme party to go with it, first one being the appropriately named "Angels vs Demons" theme. Guess who I will be coming dressed up as? Dont even need to dress up, lol.

Since money is a bit tight, Im probably not going to have as many bands as last time. So far I have Torment confirmed and I am so excited that they will be playing at my party. I really dig their music. Im still waiting to hear from another band, but no matter what, its bound to be a HELL of a party!!!

Once again, its an open event so please invite all your friends. Just let me know before-hand approximately how many people are coming so I can calculate numbers for drinks and snacks. All details are in facebook, under Cazzfest 2008.

I am soooooo excited, I cant wait!!!!
State your legions, NOW!

Broken Bones

Damn.

I struggled to get up this morning - first sign that last night was a damn good night. Rough, but damn good. Damn.

It was sort of a last minute decision to go to Zeplins in the end, because no one wanted to go except Ferdi, me and Shadley. But we thought, fuckit, it's The Narrow! We couldnt stay away. We would have gotten there early and paid R10 less for the entrance, but Ferdi decided to miss the turn-off and take us on a scenic route with pretty houses all lighted up with Christmas decorations. The bugger drove us around for over 40 minutes, having no clue where he was. We still got there early in terms of band starting times, but we still missed out on the cheaper entrance (less money for booze).

We first went to get some food in this dodgy aread. Its so dodgy that most fast food places were already closed. The boys wanted KFC, I wanted Steers since I dont eat chicken, but refused to go there on my own. Yes, I admit I was a big sissy. So I went with them to KFC and ordered me some chipsssss. Turns out this KFC was more dodgy than it looked, it had no chicken hamburgers or foldovers left, much to Ferdi's disappointment. So he had to settle for some chicken pieces and 10 chips (I counted them).

Once we were done we went to Zeplins, there was no queue so we didnt have to freeze for long outside and went straight to the bar. Shadley and I have now gotten into this habit of getting two Heinekens in one go (quite to my detriment as it all went straight to my head almost immediately). We went to the stage area and saw that the Straatligkinders were on stage. We had no desire to see them so we went back to the front bar and watched Mudvayne and NIN videos.

When we were sure that that band was done, we found a spot somewhere in the middle of the crowd and waited while Inersha set up. This time I phoned Berny while Inersha played so she could have a listen. I really need to get this chick back into the gig scene (mostly so I can watch Shad rip off Fred in front of her, loooool).

Five Heinekens later I was ready for The Narrow. I pushed my way right to the front and had the perfect spot right under Hanu's nose. I could even touch his feet, which made Shadley so jealous. Hahaha. At least I took a pic of his feet for him.


This night was better than the previous as the crowd went wild. I suffered more injuries this time as I was pushed against the stage everytime the mosh pit got crazy. I even received a punch to the head. Had I not used to stage as support, I probably would have gone down like a ton of bricks. Despite it all, my reflexes were on top form - some chick decided to use my jeans as support when she was about to fall (if only she knew how easy it is to get out of my jeans). She pushed down and as soon as I felt the tiniest cold breeze, I grabbed on for dear life and pushed them right back up. Phew! Disaster averted!

By the looks of it, Ferdi and Shad suffered more injuries too, and we left immediately after The Narrow ended, feeling worn out but highly satisfied with another good performance. Ferdi and I had the munchies again (I only had chips, remember? And Ferdi, well, he is fat) so we went to Hatfield and prayed something would be open. This time I managed to get my Steers. We sat there and chatted for a while and eventually went home. I couldnt stay awake, I was literally worn out.

Waking up this morning was a major task, I couldnt even lift my head, my neck hurt so much. But once that was done, I had to deal with a sore back that threatened to break into tiny little pieces. Had we not been invited to a braai at Shawn's house, I probably wouldnt have surfaced at all. But I made the effort. I really didnt want to drink but since Ferdi was playing barman, he spiked all my drinks and made me feel even worse. All I want to do now is pass out and die...Monday tomorrow, ugh. Its going to be a long week!

Best f"ing mosh pit ever

Last night was epic. It sure ended with a bang! It was so good that we are going to see The Narrow again tonight at Zeplins, if all goes well. What a night it was!

It started off badly, as people started to cancel on me left, right and centre. I was so miff that I didnt even want to go in the end, especially since my partner in crime, Berny, couldnt make it either. How could I possible jol without her? But after a "fuckit, lets just have fun" sms from Shadley, I was geared for a good night.

I waited at home alone with a sick Rooney while Ferdi went to fetch Uli and Shad, and Weasel returned with mom from the hospital after visiting dad. We were running a bit late but arrived just in time to see 16Stitch setting up on stage. The place was packed, which is understandable considering the top class bands that were playing there that night.

We couldnt really find a good spot to watch the band, and the bars were packed with people wanting to get drinks. It looked like Tempos was short-staffed. After 2 songs I couldnt handle it anymore, so Shad and I went to the inner bar to try and get some drinks. It seemed like mission impossible. Only one barmaid who had no sense of direction as she served random people in no specific order. My mood was beginning to worsen.

Shadley had clear instructions for that evening: to keep me away from the male species that night, except from Andrew from 16Stitch (sigh, he's gorgeous as ever). And he did a superb job except for the five minutes that he left me alone at the bar while he went to the toilet. In those few minutes I had already made friends with the guys next to me and I flirted unashamedly. One guy insisted I smile and wanted to give me a lift over the counter so I could serve drinks behind the bar. Another just randomly started to talk to me. Conversation went something like this:

Random guy: "You look angry. What's wrong?"

Me: "I need a drink, that's what's wrong"

RG: "Looks like you need a hug. Want a hug?"

Pause...

Me: "No, I need a drink"

RG: "You sure?"

Me: (almost did an Andy from Little Britain impersonation). "Yeah, I'm sure".

Shame, he was very sweet and cute, but I was a girl on a mission that night, and that was to get my drinks! After 20 minutes I blew a fuse and swore at the barman, I think I scared him. And now with Ferdi at my side I finally got some service. I wasnt prepared to queue again so I ordered in bulk. Armed with drinks I went to watch what was left of 16Stitch's performance. One song. Dammit.

I caught up with Andrew afterwards and had a short chat with him. After all these years he still remembers me. What an awesome guy. It was very surprising that they didnt get to play at Woodstock. Thank goodness I didnt go. The Inersha boys arrived in time for their set after 16Stitch, said hello to them and got my spot ready in front of the stage. Kerran looked strange with his blonde hair, not sure if it suits him. Shadley laughed when I got a hug from Fred - Berny is going to be so jealous (dont worry Berns, I know he is your dibs).

My mood improved a whole deal as we rocked to Inersha. They had a couple of new songs that were kickass. Hope to see more of them. Fred threw a couple of Inersha DVDs at the crowd but I was always out of reach, so I approached him afterwards and scored me one too, heheh.

Finally the moment we had all been waiting for had arrived - The Narrow on stage at Tempos again. We had the perfect spot right in front, though we knew things would get deadly once the mosh pit got under way. I didnt care, it was the freaking Narrow forfreaksakes!!!!

Now, throughout the years I have bought all their CDs, but, and this is a big but, you havent truely experienced the magic that is the Narrow until you see them perform live. They have amazing stage presence and will have the crowd rocking and begging for more. Something that you just cant capture on a CD.

When they walked on stage the crowd went wild. Hanu looked like he had spent seven years in Tibet. That beard of his freaked me out (Ferdi wants one). His brother Emile (sigh), cute as ever too. Drummer Lias looked like Jesus Christ and Jow looked normal without his dreadlocks. Sure, they might have changed their appearance ages ago, but I hadnt seen them in over a year. Berny gave me instructions to stare at Deon (her dibs too) for her, so while I was singing along to their tunes, our eyes met, I pretended I was Berny and gave him a big smile, which was immediately returned. Snap, bang, I was Caz again and set my eyes on Emile again. Lol.

This was Shadley's first mosh pit and the goofy smile on his face meant that he was having a ball. Every now and then he would get swept into the throes of the pit, and would eventually surface, a bit roughened at the edges. Ferdi, of course, was in his element as everyone dropped like dominoes the minute he dived in there. It was funny to watch. I didnt escape unscathed either. As the mosh pit got bigger and bigger I got sucked in and was headbutted by a chick in front of me, and another hit me hard on the cheekbone. But it was all good, I just carried on as normal. I was proud that Uli remained in front with me for most of the performance. We will make a rocker out of her yet. Both Uli and Shad get the thumbs up.

They played all the favourites, like "Travellers", "Lonely Lonely" (damn we went wild), "Push up the Level", "The Banded" as well as the "newer" ones like "20 Questions" and "Shoot the DJ". The crowd didnt let up for one minute, the band had us enthralled the whole time. Before I knew it they finished their set and walked off the stage. But we didnt let them get away that easily and immediately chanted "WE WANT MORE". Ten seconds later they were back on stage (a bit rehearsed, if you ask me) and ended off with one of my personal favourites "Promised the World".

So it definitely ended on a high note after the disastrous day I had. Trembling and sweaty, I moved closer to the stage and called Emile over. I asked him for his guitar pick and immediately he placed it in my hands (such soft hands. Snap out of it, Caz!). I smiled at him and walked away, looking at my new precious. It was purple, my favourite colour. Sigh.

We left soon after that, since we were all exhausted and injured. Not that that is going to stop us from more torture tonight! PUSH UP THE LEVEL!!!

The end of an era?

I think I have outgrown clubs, and by that I mean the trendy dance clubs filled with teeny-boppers dressed to impress, all glittery and sparkling. I certainly did that to death during the good ol' days of Bourbon Street and Hurricanes. Sigh, how time has flown. Just this week I took a trip down memory lane with some of my good mates from "those days". We used to get up to so much mischief and walked into the club as if we owned the place. One might think that we actually did, since we were there so often. I cant believe how much we have grown up since then, I realised just how much, last night.

After pre-cocktails with Ingrid and Sonja at the Blue Goose we followed Ferdi, Shadley and Michelle to Manhattans. I had only been there once before, quite recently actually and its amazing how drunk I had to have been that night to actually enjoy it. Last night was a different story. I made a promise to myself not to drink too much as I wanted to look alive for tonight's big event (The Narrow at Tempos!!!). So I took it slow.

When we arrived, Inki, Sonja and I went to the ladies bar and each had a complimentary Brutal Fruit Peach cocktail (very yummy). We couldnt find the others so we walked to the dancefloor and stayed there most of the night. But I just couldnt find the beat, mostly because I hate dance music. I can only tolerate so much. And being practically sober, I just couldnt enjoy it. Its sad, I know, but recent circumstances did not allow me to have a good time.

I did have one teeny tiny highlight that evening where my old self almost came to the fore. While I was looking around for the others, I saw a Collin Farrell look-alike in my midst. I would have followed him (he was that hot) but Im not a stalker...yet. Haha.

Sonja and Inki left just before 11 since they were going to Pretoria. We eventually found the others and after a drink, we went home. It felt good to be home early for a change, but I feel that last night was a bit of a downer. Sure, its always good to spend time with my friends, but Im not sure Manhattans is the place to go. Maybe its just me, and my crap mood of late, but if I have to go there again, it will have to involve more alcohol, lol.

But at least I have something to look forward to tonight. Not only am I seeing my sidekick Berny again (damn its been long), we are also going to what I think is going to be the gig of the year - The Narrow, 16Stitch, Inersha and more at Tempos. I havent seen the first two in over a year! Its crazy! Now THAT is my kind of scene, where I feel at home :)

Tempestual Times

If one more person tells me to get a grip and be positive, Im going to push them from the 18th floor of my office building, and then maybe I will give them a toothy grin. A bit extreme? Hell no. Im stuck in a rut and I cant help feeling miserable. Let me get on with it and eventually I will be back to my old cheerful self. I hope.

Thinking I could get my licence after 10 days's worth of nail-biting driving lessons was a tall order, and damn, did I work hard to get there. I spent all my hard earned cash to get what I should have gotten 10 years ago. (10 years ago? Daaaamn). I know most people dont pass first time, but I strive to succeed in everything I do, first time. I tried, really hard. But my nerves got the better of me, even after overdosing on rescue remedy drops (boy did I feel drunk afterwards! lol). I excelled in the yard, getting all my parking right, but as soon as we went out on the road, I just lost control. I caught a red robot and couldnt stop in time - going over the white line is an immediate fail. Shame, the examiner really did want to pass me (yeah right) but there was no way he could do so since I committed a "traffic violation".

Oh well, so Im back to square one, and hope that my instructor can organise me another booking before the end of the year - before I lose hope and everything that I learnt. I went home feeling sorry for myself and almost kicked the dog, when I really should have been kicking myself. The rest of the week passed me by while I was in a trance, thinking of what could have been.

One might think its silly of me to be depressed over something so trivial, but with everything that's been going on lately, this is the cherry on top of the yukky sundae. I needed something to cheer me up, some bit of good news, anything! In fact, Im still waiting. Not even the sun is present to put me in a good mood.

I did manage to drown my sorrows temporarily on Friday night at Shadleys. Too quick though. Way too quick. Way too many drunken conversations. Waking up with a serious hangover the next day was not pretty - I was bed-ridden for the rest of the weekend, except for Saturday night when we went to Stones and Winstons Pub. But I wasnt myself and did not have fun. How boring.

I lay in bed watching the first season of Little Britain. Occassionally it got a few giggles for me (it is hilariously funny, really) but mostly I just sat and watched idly like the guy in the wheelchair who loves Monster Trucks. I hope season 2 and 3, which Im about to get at lunch today, will brighten the mood a tad more.

Now will someone please give me a dose of good news already!!!

Beware on the roads

My dear boss has given me some time off so that I can for lessons to learn how to drive. Yes, I finally got my ducks in a row, got the number of a reputable instructor, and started with my lessons. Today was my second one, a bit disastrous at first, but it got better as we progressed. Im a very nervous driver, who fails to listen to instructions at the worst of times, and panics when there are other cars/cyclists/pedestrians on the road. Lol. But Im trying my best to set my fears aside and get this thing going. I dont have much time.

Im not going to say when my actual test is taking place, Im a bit superstitious about that. Only the ones that really need to know, know about it. Lets just say its soon, very soon, and thats why my instructor is practically throwing me in the deep end to get my up to speed, so to speak, in time for the painful, nerve-wrecking test.

For me, there is no other result than a pass. I will be bitterly disappointed if I fail, even though considering Im doing this in the nick of time, does allow me some leeway if it all goes wrong. It certainly wont be the end of the world. There will be other chances, Im sure, and most people I know have never passed on the first time. But I intend to, even if it kills my nerves!

F*ckiiiiitttttt

After my interesting afternoon at my high school reunion, I went back home to exercise my best powers of persuasion to get everyone to go to Berny's boss' place for a laid back braai. So what if we were all feeling a bit ill after all the week's festivities, and the thought of alcohol made us all go a bit green. So what? So F*cking What? S.F.W. Fuckiiiiittttt.

We got the troops together and went in convoy to the braai. Even Uli came with, I was so happy. I was feeling very lethargic but looked forward to a nice relaxed evening, sitting by the bar, and talking sh*t. And it was here where Mich, Berny and I came up with this "f*ckit" concept. Something getting you down? F*ckit. Someone giving you grief? F*ckit. Wish the world would open up and swallow you whole? F*CKIIIITTT!!!

I sipped my SoCo very carefully, massaging my sides every five seconds or so, but for some reason I felt tipsy quite quickly. So maybe its all a state of mind. Maybe my friends' company makes me giddy! Hahaha. After having a fit of laughter when Berny played only 10 seconds of Nicholas Louw due to our evil grins (last monday we predicted she would play that CD and made a pact to throw her in the pool. Lucky for her, she was landlocked so we couldnt get to her), she switched to the cribs' "Mans needs". Mich had another fit of laughter, because I was convinced that in one part of the song, they said "Apollo Creed". I still dont know the words to the song, so I like to add in my own bits. What surprised me was that no one around the bar knew who Apollo Creed was!!!! Shock horror! Rocky ring a bell anyone??? They didnt even get my "Adrienne" joke. The company I keep these days!!! Hmph.

So anyway, looking to have some more fun, Michelle and I decided to teach Jesse the parrot to say "F*ckit". We repeated it about a 100 times and eventually the bloody bird said it, though it sounded more like "packet". It would say it, then giggle. I think I nearly died. Haha. Hope Berny doesnt get fired, hehehh.

We didnt really get up to much the rest of the evening, since Shadly was stone cold sober, and refused to fight with me (please, lets not ever do that again!). In fact, we were all pretty much sober and extremely tired, so we packed up and left just after midnight. Shadley swears he is on sabbatical from now until the end of the month and I want to believe him, but I just dont see it lasting too long. Its just the wrong time to do it. But one thing we should all try and do is to have fun, but less drinking. Its way too damaging. And it gets people to call the cops on us. Lol.

Lets wait and see how this week goes.

My 10 year high school reunion

It pains me to say that out loud. It really gives me the willies! Yes, ladies and germs, yours truly attended her 10 year high school reunion yesterday. Brrrrrr. I can honestly say though, that it certainly doesnt feel like 10 years have passed at all!!! And all the girls that attended felt the same way. Lots has happened since we parted ways, but Im glad that I went and managed to catch up with some old friends and classmates.

After a short stint at Jeppe Prep, I went on to Jeppe High School for girls in Kensington, on a hot summer’s day in 1993. Lol, that sounds corny. Going to an all girls-school seemed a bit daunting at first for a shy but boy-crazy girl like me, but soon it proved to be the best choice I could have made. I was able to be myself, concentrate on my studies and make some of the best friends a girl could ever ask for. I still keep in contact with most of them, though sometimes it can be quite an effort as we go on with our separate lives!

Some of my best years were spent there, though at the time I didn’t seem to think so. All I wanted was to get out of there and get on with my life, and experience new and crazy adventures. I don’t miss the horrible green uniforms and black and white blazers (!!) but I do miss the carefree, fun-filled days spent with my friends at break and during class, getting up to all sorts of mischief and laughter. (Remember that time I got hold of the microphone during exams and sang “Only You” at break? Hahahaha, good times).

There are lot of stories I could tell, but I will leave that for some other time. As most of you know, I recently visited my best friend, Wendy, who lives in London. She was supposed to come down this week for the reunion, but due to unfortunate circumstances, was not able to make it. I would lie if I say that I wasn’t disappointed, because I really really was! We had a lot of plans for the week, but the last thing I wanted to do was make Wendy feel guilty as this was really beyond her control.

I considered not going to the reunion as I wasn’t up to facing most of these girls on my own. I hadn’t seen any of them since high school save for a few that attended some of my classes with me at varsity. In the end, literally at the very last minute, I sucked it in and went to our little reunion that was held at the Secret Garden in Fourways. Immediately I was welcomed with open arms and didn’t take long to break the ice and get back into the swing of things. The proceedings were opened by the Deputy-Head Girl who read some announcements, including a note from the Head Girl, who unfortunately couldn’t make it.

It was interesting to see that after a bit of mingling, everyone sat down with their picnic baskets in much the same sort of groups we had in high school. In one corner you had the “Blonde Brigade” (as Wendy once christened them. Never mind that she is blonde too! Haha), on another you had the intellectuals, on the other you had the Portuguese girls and on the other, you had, well us, the non-conformists, I guess you could call us. The wild, party girls? Hahaha. To be honest, I cant really give a name to our group. We were all unique, diverse, and I dare say, smart girls that complemented and supported each other through the tough and confusing high school years.

I was sad that my closest group of friends, as in Wendy, Kim, Tamsyn and Tanya, were not present, but at least I could catch up with other good friends that I hadn’t seen or spoken to all these years. I’m going to make an extra effort to remain in contact with them, and now with the wonders of facebook, its all the more easier to do so.

Its was also a bit daunting to see that while I’m still single and partying up a storm, others have been settled for years and are now proud mothers of one, two, three (!!) kids! Some even already have 9 year old kids! (pregnant during matric, you ask?) No, I didn’t get broody at all, in fact, I was quite scared, but it was interesting to watch these girls running after their kids, when it seemed that not so long ago, we were kids ourselves. Me, Im Peter Pan, dammit!

So where does that leave me now? Well, Im still going to carry on, living the life I have been living so far and have wanted to live so far. Im sure there are more adventures waiting for me out there, and Im ready for them, whatever’s out there. Like our school motto says “Forti Nihil Difficilius” – Nothing is too difficult for the Brave.

(ok, that was corny too).

Another epic party

(Im sitting here in the dark, a huge storm underway and no electricity, hoping my battery power will last until I finish retelling this story. Thunder scares me).

Thursday night was time for another Shaylin/Shadley night, and you just know that means trouble. Try as we did, Shaylin and I could not convince the others to go to Manhattans last night. But even so, we all had a laid-back, yet killer hangover-inducing party that ended in the early hours of the morning. My long weekend started early yesterday afternoon. After the office party the previous night, I was feeling fragile and had absolutely no ability to do anything productive i.e. work. My whole day was spent on msn and unpacking boxes at my new desk. In our boredom, Shay and I formed "Team Manhattan" and we got so excited that we were going to convince the gang to go jolling. We certainly didnt get far, haha.

By 15hoo I gave up trying to sit at my desk looking busy and got a lift home with one of my colleagues. The weekend had started. After a one and a half hour power nap and a long bath, I felt brand new and ready to party. The venue for this damage was to be at the house Shadley is busy looking after at the moment. He was eager for us to get there so straight after dinner, Ferdi made me rush out so we could get the proceedings started. We picked up Shay on the way and got to Shadleys just after 8. Michelle and her friend Sabrina were already there.

Despite the huge amounts of booze readily available on the kitchen counter, I was miff with Ferdi for forgetting to bring the Southern Comfort. Sure, it was my job to remind him, but he hurried me so much that I barely had time think.

The party started out slow, and I almost fell asleep on the couch while everyone sat and chilled. But not to worry, I did not disappoint, after a few drinks I was ready to roll. Michelle was on form, treating us to a few shows from upstairs with her hilarious posh English accent. This girl should become a comedian.

I took a walk with the girls around the complex, since the boys were lounging on camping chairs outside the door. We didnt find anything interesting, we couldnt even find the pool, so we went back to join the boys. We spent the rest of the evening having deep chats, hilarious chats, and drunken chats. Shadley was messing around with his pool cue the whole night. You could see he was incredibly pissed, but that was fine since he was sleeping there, nothing to worry about. That boy was so full of nonsense that I disowned him once more. We must have told each other to "F off" hundreds of times. LOL, good times. Definitely a lot of love in this family.

I cant believe how quickly the night went by. Once you start having fun, time surely flies. I wasnt too worried about the time since I had Friday off, but the rest had to go to work (but some didnt even make it *cough* Shadley *cough*). By 4am I was tucked in bed though I struggled to fall asleep. It was scary to think that if I hadnt taken the day off, I would have had one hour before my alarm went off so I could get up and get ready to work.

Instead, I woke up around 10 or 11 with a pounding in my head, a sore back, a painful liver and 8 (yes, I counted 8) bruises on my right knee, only one on the left knee. After many, many attempts, I got up, brought my laptop to bed and logged on msn to see how damaged everyone else was. Shadley was AWOL, Shay was feeling weak but at work, and Mich was back at res (I hear she didnt even get to do her show, lol).

Eventually I went down to the kitchen to be met with two stern-looking faces belonging to my parents. I muttered a hello and tried to avoid their gazes. We ate lunch in silence but eventually they could hold out no longer and I got a mouthful from them that these weeknight hauntings are becoming a bad habit, and that I should have seen in what state Ferdi went to work this morning. If he gets fired, its all my fault....ugh, they had a point but I just didnt know what to say so I shrugged my shoulders and went back upstairs. I felt like a teenager all over again. I really need my own place and independence. As soon as I get my wheels, Im out of there - and thats when the drinking stops!

Tonight we were supposed to go to Manhattans, and as it turns out, since we are all a tad (ok, VERY) weak and fragile, this night will be spent indoors. Because tomorrow night, yes tomorrow night, it all begins again. Till then, folks!

That's Classified

If you ask me what happened last night at our office party, all I can say is "That's classified". Dont ask, dont tell. It was a party of note, as most of our office bashes tend to be. It started at the Fashion TV Cafe, where we had the whole venue to ourselves, and well, the rest is history. Lol. What a party, what a night!!!

And Shadley, my boy, even though I partied like it was the end of the world last night, I am proud to say that I am alive and well this morning, so Rooney stays. No Stevie G for you! See ya all later!

Devil Worshipping - Another normal day in hell

These impromptu drinking fests are becoming a bit of a ritual now. And this week is sure to top all the rest, as regular devil worshipping and sacrificing of male virgins is scheduled for the rest of the week. And Im not complaining. Yesterday I had the mother of all Black Mondays (blue didnt even come close) for reasons I dont care to disclose. Lets just say my world was fast caving in, and as the day progressed, the bad news kept on flowing. I felt like there was no point in carrying on living.

Until I got the phone call that saved my life, that is. My saviours, Michelle and Shadley, were on their way to my neck of the woods, and asked me if I was up for a drink or three (hell yeah! No hesitations there!). I was to meet them at the News Cafe across the road from my work in five minutes, so I immediately packed up my things and raced out of the office faster than you could say, "Pusstenarbeit!" hahaha.

However, looks like I was too eager and got there too fast. They were nowhere to be seen. I phoned Shadley, and there conversation went something like this:
Me: "Where the feck are you?"
Shad: "Im on my way. Be there now"
Me: "Hurry up!"
Shad: "Feeeeck"

I got a table and pretended to look important by reading a manual I got from the office. Time was awasting and they still hadnt arrived. Ferdi was also on his way, but it would take him a good 15 minutes to get there. After looking up, back and forth, to and fro, for several minutes, I saw the familiar, eager to have fun, faces of Mich and Shad. Ferdi followed soon.

My first cocktail of the day was Gigglejuice, since Giggling was much needed too. It was huge, it was purple, it was WONDERFUL. The fact that I remember all I had to drink that night, got nicely pissed and had no hangover the next day, made it the perfect evening. I also had a yummy yummy Watermelon Mojito (yes, I did the Spanish accent) with chilli (after experimenting with Tabasco sauce at Primi, Im for all things spiciy and hot, hmmmm), and a Faithful Bitch (hell yeah! Good idea, Mich. Shad, you better delete THAT photo!).

I think the boys had more to drink than we did. Ferdi looked like he was going to pass out so I had to make sure he drank some water before we left. Of course, the regular drunken phone calls took place, in no particular order, to the following victims: Mommy (boy was she pissed. Lol), Shaylin, Cailin (Shadley pretended to be a girl and asked to speak to Martin), Martin (bugger didnt answer his phone cause he was watching Greys Anatomy, hahahahha!), Berny, and um, I think that was all folks. Shadley did get hold of my phone and sent random, ugly sms's to several people, including Martin. Im still gonna get my revenge. Soon. Better sleep with one eye open, Shad!

Since we always require a souvenir from all the places we visit (and subsequently get banned from), Michelle managed to "get" a Peroni glass. The first one didnt fit into her bag, so she secured a smaller, more appropriately sized glass. Shadley, Im stealing it.

Being a Monday and the beginning of another gruesome week, with lots of partying in between, we decided to make it an early night and so left around 9. Ferdi worried me as he couldnt stick to a lane and kept on saying to me whenever I asked him to slow down, "Dont hate the player, hate the game". His new slogan. Luckily we made it home safe, in one piece, only to face the wrath of mommy cause we didnt let her know that she had to warm up our dinner. I was ravenous so I just shrugged and raided the fridge. Ferdi repeated his slogan, mommy burst out laughing, and all was well once more in the evil household.

Stay tuned for more sacrifices to come this week. Oh hell.

We are about to lose Rooney

Stupidly I made a bet that might come back to bite me in the ass. It all started when I said to Shadley that I was in a mood for a party. That was asking for trouble already, Wednesday night’s party was still fresh in my mind and liver. We couldn’t make up our minds where to go, and eventually Michelle insisted we all go to Melville, despite Ferdi’s protests. On our way there, we had to stop in the middle of the road next to Cool Runnings as two cops stopped and chased after a stoned drug dealer trying to sell drugs to someone. He was shoved into the car by a manly, oh so sexy cop while the other took the potential buyer aside. We didn’t stick around to see the rest. What drama! Haha.

Melville turned out to be a disappointment. It was dead, nothing was happening there. Having lasted about two hours at Six and Transkei we finally decided to go to the Blue Goose near my place. We walked past Berny’s potplants and sat a table outside. Inside a Bon Jovi cover band was busy ruining some good songs. Next to us, what looked like a Batchelor’s party from Boksburg, was underway. So we were well placed.

We ordered our drinks (Purple Rain for me, of course!) and phoned random people in our drunken state: Basti was out celebrating his last day of high school with some friends and was coming to join us. He phoned back 5 minutes later to ask where the “Blue Hood” or “Blue Wood” was. Hahahaha, I hope he found it! Berny was AWOL and Vomit we woke up. He was sleeping cause he “had to work the next day”. Pffft, what a sissy. Eventually Berny phoned me back, just as pissed as we were, from Bundus. I hope she realised how much airtime she spent on that phone call. Hehheheh.I don’t think we phoned anyone else, if so, consider yourselves lucky!

As it always happens when we go to the Blue Goose, having a McDonalds right next door gave us the munchies so Mich and I went to get us all some Happy Meals with toys, of course. Shad and Mich played with their Ninja Turtles while Ferdi and I had some cool penguins from Surf’s Up. I still want a penguin as a pet! Christmas present, people! *cough* *cough*.

Basti finally realised that we were actually at the Blue Goose and not the Hood and got dropped off by some weird looking people. He looked pissed out of his mind, and so he should. Its not every day you finish high school (though Ferdi commented that Basti hasn’t realised yet that he is going back there next year, hehehheh).

Now here the Rooney story comes up. I was busy telling Shadley that next Wednesday I have this work party in Sandton, and since we are going to Manhattans again the next night, Im gonna be partying quite a bit but should still be able to survive it all. So Shadley took advantage of my drunken state and bet me that I wont be alive and well on Thursday. I bet him that I will. The stakes were simples, well, mine at least were: 2 jagerbombs. But he wanted something else: little Rooney!!! Before I could think about it and realise that he is not really mine to give, I said yes and shook on it. Ferdi looked at me in disbelief and almost cried out. Im going to have to put out all the stops to look fresh and alive on Thursday, or we kiss Rooney goodbye! You never know what Shadley could do to him. Gasp! He could rename him Steven Gerrard!!! Nooooooo!!!

After that faux-pas, we drank the last of our drinks and crawled home. Another night, another adventure. And here we go again tonight….*groan*

Meet Little Rooney

I’m not referring to the sexy Man United player, but our little pup, Rooney, named after the former. Well, he is not so little anymore, he is growing bigger and bigger by the minute, much to my mother’s concern as our house is just not big enough – Ferdi takes up most of the space.

We got him about 3 months ago from Martin and Berny. He could then barely fit in the little shoe box in which he was transported in. He looked so tiny and helpless; so scared and surely missing his mommy. My icy black heart almost melted for him on the spot. Im not very fond of animals, but I fell in love almost instantly with Rooney.


At first I had to fight with the rest of the family as to what to name him. Even though he technically belongs to Ferdi, I insisted he be called Rooney (could have been worse, my second option was Hitler). Ferdi wanted to name him Theodore (I don’t know what the hell he was thinking, poor dog), Weasel wanted to call him “The Grim Reaper” and the old folks just called him “Pookey” (how gay). So after facing a huge identity crisis, the name Rooney stuck. I won.

He was quite popular a week after we got him, at the Spring Bazaar and he got passed around from one drunken lap to the next. Poor thing was very sick in the beginning but gathered strength once he began to eat properly. Now the little bugger eats everything in sight (no doubt adding to his rapid size), finishes his food in 5 seconds flat then proceeds to place himself under our table and demand to be fed our scraps. He is so spoilt that he wont take no for an answer.

Despite all the numerous toys we have gotten for him, he has now taken ownership of my favourite Eeyore slippers. I fought to keep them at first but he chewed them so much it was no fun sinking my feet into slippers full of drool and doggy smell. His favourite place to put all his things is under the table, of course, and you can still find my slippers there as well.

He has a keen eye for gardening too and spends numerous hours outside “attending” to the plants and occasionally using the flower beds as a mattress while the mister naps. They tend to make a good, crunchy snack too. To show his appreciation, he sometimes drags in a flower or two, roots and all, into the house and gives it to my mother. He knows he is in big trouble and runs to his “safe house” under the couch before he gets smacked. You’d think those innocent puppy eyes looking up at you would make my mother think twice about punishing him but she is not falling for it anymore. Lol.

We are trying not to make him into a sissy and Ferdi is considering sending him to boot camp and learn some discipline while maintaining some “machoness”. We don’t want him to turn out like scruffy! Lol. But there are several things that scare him still, like the penguin on a surfboard that I got for Ferdi with his Happy Meal. Once you put it on the floor and let it surf in circles, Rooney runs away and hides next to my mother. It scares him sh*tless, hahaha.

Best Rooney Story: last Saturday when terrorist Kayla arrived, she went for him immediately with open arms. Rooney got so scared he ran under the couch and hid behind the curtains…and peed himself. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I almost peed MYSELF from laughing so much!!!!

Blame it on Shadley or Frank whatshisface.

Two hours sleep. Two *&@#$&* hours sleep, Shadley! Im feeling like an Ugly Betty right now. I blame you, my emancipated son. Last night's starring role goes to you, and best supporting act to Frank (Sinatra) whatshisface *Michelle would you be so kind as to spell his surname for me, thanks*. If I survive today, it will be a freaking miracle. Shadley day buggered me up a whole lot more than Shaylin day did. Not that I didnt have fun last night though. I just feel like I have been hit by a freight train and being left to rot on the tracks. So let me try recount last night's events.

After another hard day's work, my team mates and I went up to the 18th floor auditorium for a cocktail dinner we were hosting here for some execs from another division. Mingling was tiresome and engaging conversation was lacking. I drank my SoCos mostly in silence while I wished this dinner would come to an end. The menu was rather interesting, so interesting I didnt know how to eat the food placed in front of me. In between all this, I was busy planning my getaway with Ferdi and Shadley. At 19h30 sharp Ferdi was to pick me up from work, then pick up Shadley and go to play pool at Ballbreakers.

Before I knew it, Ferdi was here and the crazy Shadley night was in full force. We picked up Shadley, I told him he smelled like a woman and ducked when he tried to give me a backhand (kidding, but he did smell like a woman). Michelle and friends were already waiting for us, and after a few wrong turns (Shadley only knows how to go left. He doesnt even know where he lives) we got to Ballbreakers.

The trick with pool is that the more I drink, the better I get at this game, so it didnt take long for me to get in the groove (clearly, I drink like a fish. Wait, do fishes drink? Ah, next poll question!!). OK, Im getting sidetracked - I blame Shadley (TWO f'ing hours sleep!!!). I think I must have won about 2 games in the end, but we had tons of fun and a barrel of laughs - good for the belly.

Im not too sure what time we left, but the night was definitely not over. While Michelle dropped her friends off, we went to Shadleys and sat outside, in the rain and waited. Security drove past us several times, but didnt think we were suspicious enough (we should work on this). I passed out in the backseat for a bit, but when I realised that the boys had gone inside to get drinks and left me there all alone, I quickly sat up and forced myself to wake up. It was getting later and later and I had the munchies. But where do you find food at 1am???

Michelle soon got there and eventually we decided to go on a Great Trek to find food. It was like Mission Impossible (haha! flashback! Mich will get this one): McDs was closed (no shit, hey), even Fontanas. Eventually we found a garage and raided their food store. Thats when Frank showed up. Mich and I stayed in the car and locked the doors while Ferdi and Shad conversed with this weirdo. Apparently he needed money for petrol or something. After 5 minutes of my life gone, wasted, Ferdi gave him R20 so he could bugger off and we could finally get some food. Not that there was much. Damn Fat Ferdi got the last and only pie, I got some stale croissant. I vaguely recall Shad got some smarties and other random kak. Then off we went back to Shads, said our goodbyes and buggered off home.

Somewhere along the line mommy had phoned wanting to know when her babies were coming home. Poor old woman. I think we called Shaylin too but I just cant remember now. Oh no, wait, that was Shadley. I was just shouting obscenities in the background.

Ferdi and I got home at 3am. 3am! That meant I had less than 2 hours of shut-eye left and guaranteed grumpiness. It felt like as soon as I closed my eyes, my alarm went off. I dont know how I did it, but I got up immediately, forced myself to throw up and lay in the bath for eternity. I feel green, my hands are shaking and I am not sure if I will live to see tomorrow. Its one of those ugly days, when I feel revolting and dont want to be seen by human-kind. Yet here I am, ready for another hard day's work. Shadley, my boy, you are a legend. Despite all the torture Im facing today, last night was hilarious, and would gladly do it again. The pain is worth it.

Just call me Bettyyyyy. Wee-o wee-o wee-o wee-o wee-o wee-o wee-o.

The horrors of online dating

Everytime I hear the words "online dating", even "blind date" I run the other way screaming. If that is what it takes these days to meet people, then I'm sorry, I am not interested. I rather meet someone the conventional way, and then make my mind up as to whether they are dating material. Of course, there are exceptions. I have met a lot of people, with whom I first chatted online, and then ended up either becoming good friends with them or even dating them. But the difference here lies in the fact that the initial intention was to get to know the person, without there been any pressures to get "romantic". Or at least, that's the way I interpret it. You just never know what the other person is thinking on the other side of the screen, lol.

About a month ago, while I busy tackling another mountain of work and concentrating very very hard, my dearest colleagues brought to my attention an email that had been sent by our events co-ordinator about an upcoming Christmas Ball, where she had booked 3 tables for anyone interested in going. It was a formal event and no partners were allowed. In fact, they were looking for single people, who wanted to meet other single, "desperate, lonely" people at work. I immediately cringed at the thought (Im not desperate OR lonely) and ignored what my colleagues were telling me.

They were relentless, and insisted I go, after all, it was for a good cause. Eventually I got tired of them bugging me and just to get them off my back so I could return to my work, I gave in and replied to the email saying "what the hell, its for a good cause, put my name on the list". And that was that, I gave it no further thought.

We didnt receive any further information until last week, where I got to see the guest list. I didnt know 90% of the people that were going, but I decided this would be a perfect time to get to know other people at the bank since Im still quite new here. And I saw that one of my friends was also going so I wouldnt feel so alone and SCARED! (really the thought of going to this ball scared the poopypants out of me). I was just quite sceptical about the whole thing because we didnt receive much info about this ball. All I knew was the date, time and venue. Not much else. Googling didnt help. There was only one site that could have had some more insight but as luck would have it, it was BLOCKED (warning bells). What awaited me, really?

Saturday came and I already started to panic, and break out in a sweat. I really didnt want to go to this thing, I just had a bad feeling about it. I went looking for some dresses (always leave things to the last minute) and came home with 3 different black ones (to match my sombre mood) so I could choose in the comfort of my own bedroom. As time drew near, I procrastinated, and was looking for any excuse not to go. So I decided to go on the internet and check out that blocked site. And am I glad that I did!!!!!

Turns out that the event was being hosted by an online dating site (no. 1 reason not to go, Im so against these sites!) for single people between the ages of 30 to 55! (no. 2 reason: Im 27! and no. 3: Gross!). That just about convinced me not to go but I didnt want to leave my friend all alone to face all these weirdos! I wish I had had her cellphone so I could warn her. We had totally the wrong idea about this Ball!

I didnt know what to do, I was in two minds about it. I didnt want to go there and give the impression that I was "single, desperate and lonely" (as I am not!) but I also didnt want to leave my friend all alone. It was time to make a decision, and fast!

Jennifer, Cesar and little terrorist Kayla then arrived at my place for a braai. I hadnt seen them in ages, and wanted to spend some time with them. While I was blowdrying my hair upstairs in my room, Jennifer and Kayla were looking at my London trip photo albums while I told Jennifer about my dilemma. She said I should just go, but I wasnt convinced. The arrival of two surprise visitors did - to the contrary!

As I was finishing the gruesome task of dealing with my hair, I felt a "presence" outside my bedroom door. I didnt even look up, thinking it was Ferdi returning from Randfontein. I didnt think he would return so quickly and blurted "what the hell are you doing here?" A few seconds later, still feeling that presence, I looked up and gave a little scream. There was Shadley standing at my door and right next to him was Michelle! What a pleasant surprise! Shadley has a habit of sneaking up on me when Im in my room. A bit creepy, you might think, but we are family, right? lol

So again I shared my dilemma. Shad helped me come up with a few excuses not to go and so I sms'd the event organiser with apologies that I couldnt make it. The fact that the gang were planning to watch Resident Evil at the drive-in definitely convinced me not to go to this thing! Who can say no to "poisoned" slush puppies? Hahahaha.

I put all those dresses back in the shopping bags, changed into something more comfortable and Caz-like, and went downstairs and drank SEVERAL SoCos with Mich while we waited for Berny and Martin to arrive. It felt like I hadnt seen Berny in ages so that was another reason for staying!!! The night turned out to be awesome and I had no regrets. Not that I ever do, why waste time on regrets?

My decision turned out to be one of the best I have ever made. My poor friend IM'd me frantically on Monday morning asking me what had happened to me on Sat and that we must meet for coffee so she could tell me about the horrors of this evening. Apparently this do was so badly organised and so dodgy that even our events co-ordinator was not impressed. Our people made the most of it at least and tried to stick together, but she said "outsiders" were rather creepy and the minute there was an empty chair next to you one of them would hurry up, sit next to you and just STARE. If that is not creepy, I dont know what it.

Luckily she got rescued by her complex security guard informing her that her house alarm had gone off, so she literally raced home. Had I been there, she probably would have had more fun but she didnt blame me for not going. Poor girl.

Now I can breathe a huge sigh of relief. Give me a party anytime, but keep the weirdos away! LOL.

Back from the dead

Or the undead, since you cant really kill me, so many have tried and failed, sigh. Anyway, contrary to popular belief, Im not really dead, Im still here, just keeping a low profile for the time being. I briefly considered closing this blog since time is so precious lately, but since I enjoy writing about mundane stuff, I will keep it going, just not as regularly as I used to. I cant even remember the last time I updated it. Hang on a few secs while I check. Are you hanging? Cool.

Right! August 30!!! Jeepers, ok, it has been a while, and lots has happened since there but I wont bother to relate it all, since most of you should know what the Queen of Darkness has been up to lately: working hard, (very hard), travelling and running the underground. The highlight of the past few months has of course been my trip to London, which was long overdue. My dearest best friend, Wendy, moved there with her husband several years ago, and after much contemplating, I finally got my ass into gear and visited the madam.

And what a ball we had! I made the long trek via Dubai (where I spent 2 hours there and back, shopping like any crazy chick would, even during witching hour) and after spending 2 long hours queuing in immigration at Heathrow, my mate and I were re-united. She spent the first few days showing me around and teaching me about the wonders of the tube, which I mastered in no time when I had to travel around on my own while she went back to work.

I saw everything, and almost bought entire London (boy, did I cry when I came back home and saw my credit card bills). Richard Branson got a whole lot richer as I went mad at the Virgin Megastore by Piccadilly Circus. And even more so as I decided to make a second sneaky trip there a few days later!!!

During the two weekends that I was there, Wendy and I did 2 day tours on the Saturdays. First one we went to Windsor Castle, Bath (pretty town) and Stonehenge (my personal favourite), guided by the bossy Ginger Spice aka Military Spice. The other Saturday, we were very very lucky to go to: PARIS!!! I was so excited! It was a very rushed day, and by the end, Wendz and I were ready to kill each other as hunger and fatigue made us grumpy. We should have spent a night there but at least we got to see the main things: Da Vinci Code tour at the Louvre, bus tour through Paris, climb the top of the Eiffel tower (short-lived since Wendy is such a sissy, she was convinced the tower was swaying! Hahahhaha) and shopping on Champs Elysees towards the Arc de Triomphe.

I would gladly go back, it was an experience that I will always treasure. I even considered going to London to work for a few years, but the move there seems so tiresome. It certainly requires a lot of effort on my part. Plus the weather sucks. There is nothing better than SA weather! (though lately one might disagree, methinks I brought the London weather with me).

Ok, enough banter for today. Duty calls!

Oh, I was going to add some pics, but that also requires effort. Save me some trouble and check facebook!

Spring Bazaar

Saturday is our annual Spring Bazaar taking place in our church grounds, with the main attraction being the beer tent, showing live rugby. Yes, in our church grounds. I cannot wait. Lots to celebrate! Hope to see you all there!

Entrance is R2 and there are raffles with great prizes to be won!

Chaotic Times

After receiving a notice in my inbox earlier today that Tink commented on my last blog I looked back in horror and realised that I hadnt written a think since the 8th of August! 8th of August!! WTF? What does it say on the calendar today? Hmmmm 29th of August, that is more than 20 days after my last post. So what happened? Its been really crazy, let me tell you, in that a huge series of events have led me to shy away from the e-world, only to return fully this very morning, precisely at 10am.

A few days after my somewhat drunken convo with my boss at the Sun City Conference, where I told him how bored I was etc, I found myself bombarded with work, mostly from him and his two-I.C., plus my 10 other team-mates. My office looked like a tornado hit it once, twice and then one more time, for good measure, as I tried to make sense of what was plotting, and what needed to be done urgently. Dont get me wrong, I wasnt really complaining. I like to be kept busy, especially if its interesting work, like one of the projects I was busy with for my boss where I had to investigate the construction industry. But there were times that I wanted to pull my hair out when I couldnt seem to find the light at the end of the tunnel.

With perfect timing, my youngest brother, Ferdi, finally got a job at a small law firm, and began about 3 weeks ago, round about the same time that my workload increased. This meant that our working hours would now change as he only had to be in the office at 8, but would work till later. So instead of coming into the office early and leaving early like I have been used to, I now get here just before 8, and leave well after 5. This suited me, since I could work late, alone most of the time, and in peace. I only fell off the wagon once, when after all the frustrations, I decided to put the work aside for one afternoon and joined a few other late owls at the News Cafe across the road for a few drinks. It was what the doctor ordered.

So in addition to all that, I had to get my ducks in a row as our church's annual Spring Festival draws near (keep an eye out for details tomorrow, or search for "Spring Bazaar" on facebook). As I am the chairperson of the organising committee, I had to make sure that everything is going ahead smoothly. Again, I felt like I was having a nervous breakdown, but thanks to a few helping hands, especially Inki's very capable ones, I was assisted tremendously and it looks like this Saturday is going to be a roaring success.

Last but not least, I had to study for my learner's licence. Not wanting to repeat last year's tragic mistake of studying the day before after jolling too much, this time I hit the books seriously, in advance, and learnt everything as best I could. I wrote it early this morning in Sandton, and only did I pass, I PASSED WITH FULL MARKS! I was so chuffed. So now that leaves me to phone the call centre again and be put on the waiting list for my drivers. In fact, I am phoning them as soon as Im done typing this.

So all this didnt leave me much time for anything else really. I havent been jolling too much and even started a detox diet last week in efforts to get healthy before summer. And I joined the gym again! All this has really worn me out but I manage to keep my chin up nonetheless. In fact, I have an awesome holiday to look forward to in a few weeks time! Not to mention some celebrating this weekend!

So I am back! Lets hope I stick around longer this time!

Cold turkey anyone?

My hands are literally shaking right now. I can barely type. The reason is simple, I have done the unthinkable. The unspeakable. The impossible. This morning, all of a sudden I got this inspiration to clean out my purse, and cut out several of my credit and store cards! For years, some of my self-appointed financial advisors have told me, in no uncertain terms, that the only way to get me out of this debt-rut, was to cut all those cards and throw them away! As if! How dare they!!???

But enough is enough. Im not exactly bankrupt or in any danger whatsoever (yet) but Im tired of having to say goodbye to 75% of my salary during payday and then struggling to make the last few extra bucks stretch until the next payday. Its just not on anymore. I have devised a step-by-step plan on slowly getting rid of most of my short-term debt and then moving on from there. So Im not exactly going cold turkey just yet, that would be suicide. Like Tink said to me earlier today, that might just lead to a huge rebound shopping spree. No kidding! Im terrible at impulse shopping! Thats one thing I really hate about being female. Ugh.

My worst temptation right now are CDs, DVDs, and books. I spend thousands each year on them. At least I read the books and listen to the CDs until I completely kill the songs. But the DVDs? Im lucky if I get to see even one of them! There is a huge box sitting in my lounge full of DVDs that are gathering dust and laughing at themselves because I havent even bothered to open the boxes. Just yesterday I received a new shipment from Kalahari, with 5 new DVDs including the yummy, delectable, 300 Spartan men clad in almost nothing. Hmmmm, now that is one DVD I have to watch again and again...

Ok...got distracted there. So, anyway, debt, yes, right, debt. Im getting rid of it. Next year I will be conducting major expenses like buying a new car, possibly move out of the house for once and for all, and maybe take those photography lessons I crave. So now is a good time as any to get rid of that horrible plastic in my purse. Whether I will stick to it and not reapply for new cards, remains to be seen!

Party Weekend

This weekend I promised myself I would take it easy, but who can really do that when you are out having fun with crazy people? At least, I can assure myself that I had no blackouts or embarrasing cringe moments, phew! Friday night we got together with several of our UJfm chat room buddies, like Shadley and Shaylin. Even Michelle, the coolest DJ, joined us for a while. And what a good laugh it turned out to be.

After almost hitting a concrete wall due to Shadley (my son, the devil)'s beautiful directions, we got to Pantelis (spelling?) in Fourways in one piece. I gave a boy a piece of my mind for forgetting to mention an extra robot, but all was soon forgotten and the partying began. Berny, Cailin and Martin arrived just a few minutes after us, with concrete wall stories of their own (they followed the same directions).

I insisted I did not want to have any Jagerbombs that evening, that tequila would sufficem, but in the end my boy had the final ruling and orderered a round. I tried to do the Jager poem and got as far as "Das ist des Jagers Ehrenschild" then whatever whatever whatever, Prost! Wackhead Simpson was sitting a few tables behind us, and was having what looked to be a first date, hehehh. We should have given a taste of his own prank medicine, but we are not that cruel. Most of the time...

When it was time for us to leave, the bill was already astronomical. Shadley and co stayed until 5am, at which time he had to be carried home. Thats my boy!

Before I knew it, it was time to get up and get ready for the next big party. I was still in the shower, cursing, when Berny was dropped off at my place, just after 9am. After much rushing about, I was ready at 11 and off we went with Ferdi and the folks to Pretoria. No, my mommy and daddy did not party with us (though who says they cant, for their age, they can still have a good time). We dropped them off at a residence where they were catering that day and then we went to the Arcadia Church for their annual bazaar.

Inki and Rudi were late, in search of a damn ATM that worked, so in the meantime we got ourselves some beer, settled down and enjoyed the warm sun, which soon started to burn. Eventually they arrived and we took part in some of the games, like the fishing for the bottle, darts, shooting (wish Ferdi could have been the target, heheheh), golf etc. I must admit that the day dragged and I was starting to get bored. I chatted to some old friends, sat, and basically did nothing most of the time. Till we started to negotiate for the leftover booze....

After a few Jacks and cokes (and a few Jagers), the conversation got louder, Inki got rowdier and well, we wanted the leftover Brutal fruits to take to Hatfield for the after party. Inki's maths wasnt so good (the barman was none the wiser, haha) but luckily I managed to do some shrewd calcualtions that allowed us to get 18 bottles at cost price. So while the final auctions and cleaning up were taking place, we sat by the Jack Daniels tent, with our complimentary Jack Daniels bags and coasters and giggled like teenagers. Thats when things started to get fun and well, crazy! I have never seen Inki this drunk before, she was such a laugh.

As is tradition, the more we drink the more hungry we get. So where do you go when hunger kicks in? McDonalds, of course! Since we were going to Hatfield anyway, we went to the McDs across the road and I got the girls each a Happy Meal with the cutest little beach ball! I would like to apologise now to all the random people that got hit with those balls. Hehehheh.

We devoured our meal like wolves then got a table at Herr Gunthers. I had more Brutal Fruits than I cared for. Suddenly the tables seemed like a good spot to dance. Most of us took their turn, even Ferdi (shudder) who gave us a little striptease that none of us wanted or paid to see.

After so much dancing, twirling and singing, it was time to go. :( Time really flew, but it was so much fun!

Hold thumbs

I FINALLY GOT A BOOKING FOR MY LEARNERS' LICENCE! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I better not cock this up now. I have to have to have to have to pass this! Its now or never. I just dont think I will have the patience to do this one more time. After much agonising with the Call Centre and that damn enatis, I was put on the Sandton waiting list. On Monday night, I got an sms from them saying that a booking was available for me and must phone the call centre within 48 hours. And so I did, and stood in the queues for 2 hours this morning to pay for the booking. I write the test on the 29th of August. Any help with my studying will be greatly appreciated!!!

In other news...Im going to London in September for 2 weeks! WOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!!

The Conference at Sun City

After counting all the sleeps till the conference, the day had finally arrived - though it didnt seem like it. It was still pitch dark when I got up. 5am, ugh. I had only had about 4 hours sleep, having almost frozen to death at the drive-in the previous night. But nothing could damper my mood. This was my first time at the annual conference for the bank and from what I had heard from previous attendees, this was a must for all who love to party and get to know people from the other divisions.

So I dragged my sorry ass to the bath and finished packing before my two colleagues arrived at my house. They arrived early, so I had to rush out, and in my madness, I forgot to pack enough jerseys (hence me sick with flu right now). After 2 hours on the road, we got there just after 8:30am and went for breakfast at Wimpy since the conference only started at 10.

When we were done we had more coffee and pastries in the ballroom next to the Superbowl (well, the boys did, the thought of more food made me nauseous) and then collected our name tags outside the Superbowl. By the time we entered most of the tables at the back were taken so we had to settle for the ones right in front (so no chance of me catching a few zzzz's!).

The bank's choir kicked off the proceedings with their rendition of "You're the Voice". It was so moving I was almost in tears, thank goodness it was dark. The MC was our economist who kept us highly entertained with his witty remarks. Its customary for all newbies to stand up and be noticed, so yours truly had to stand up together with roughly 100 more people. Nice to know that I wasnt alone. Then each division got their chance on stage to present their achievements.

I was literally blown away by the talents that some of our colleagues possess. Most divisions, instead of doing a live performance on stage, filmed a short video about their business which was shown on the big screens. Some did both, which also really worked well. It made me regret not having taken part in these performances when asked for volunteers about a month ago. Note to self: take part next year! Some of the most memorable shows were: a radio show with Darren "Wackhead Simpson" (yes, we get to hire actors and celebrities too), a talk show with Johan van der Walt (hilarious! I almost pissed myself laughing!), our division did a "Mythbusters" episode (really impressive, one of our bosses looked almost like one of them!) and the best one - a short skit of the Rocky Horror Picture Show (kinky, sexy, very very professional!).

And there were lots more, plus with several awards being given out to the dealmakers of the year, this took us to almost 18:00. What a long day! Of course, we had two breaks in between, one for lunch and one for tea, during which we caught up with old friends, posed for pics, ate, got lozenges (for me, flu was already on the way), sorted out roomates since word on the street was that I was sleeping alone in the palace (not to worry, I managed to avoid roomates, heheheh).

As soon as it was over, I raced to the palace bus stop since it was too far to walk there. It seemed like forever, but eventually the bus arrived. The drive there seemed just as long, I think the driver took us on a tour of the whole of Sun City. By the time we got to the palace it was pitch dark. We all checked in and went to our respective rooms. I felt like I was living in a dream. The palace is really gorgeous, and if I had had more time, I would have walked around a bit more. As I got to my room, the maid was still busy there so I waited outside and made a couple of phone calls. I was definitely not sharing with anyone, since my bed was a huge king-size bed, unless, of course, he was male and gorgeous, hahaha!

I only had about 2 hours to get ready so I rushed and sulked a bit cause I couldnt really enjoy the room for a bit longer. A nap before the party would have been pure bliss. Just before 8, I ran out the room and prayed that there was still a bus there to take me back to the Superbowl. Just as I got outside, a very full bus was leaving. Damn. Luckily I wasnt the only one left behind , some of my colleagues were late too, and we were promised that another bus would come. And sure enough, not even 5 minutes later another bus drove up and took us to our destination.

I dont know why I rushed, because we were made to wait over 20 minutes outside the Superbowl while they got everything ready inside. I was miffed but soon got over it as we were led inside and sat at our respective tables. Drinking soon got under way, but I made damn sure not to get too pissed so as not to make my name gat at this prestigious event. Unfortunately, after half a bottle of wine, I had a heart to heart with my boss, and told him that I feel neglected by him. LOL! Of course, he thinks its funny, and is still teasing me about it. He will never forget.

After dinner and a few speeches, we were entertained by one of our opera singers (lots of talent here in the bank!) and then the highlight of the evening: Mr Johnny Clegg! I was really impressed by his performance. Just about every person, black, white, Indian, coloured, female, male, boss, CEO, plebs, was on the dancefloor jamming to the music. Amazing culture!

Then it was the DJ's turn. Since I wasnt too drunk to not care what music was being played, I danced to a few songs, showed my moves then mingled with my colleagues and accompanied them for several smoke breaks. I wish I had taken my jacket when I was outside, because Im really paying dearly for it now!

Eventually I decided that I wanted to enjoy the benefit of staying at the palace (I doubt I will get another chance anytime soon) so I sneaked out without anyone noticing and caught a ride to the palace. After a calming bath, I lay on the luxurious bed and fell asleep. Only to wake up a few minutes later shivering like crazy. I had forgotten to take out the duvet from the wardrobe. But I couldnt force myself to get out of bed. I'd rather just lie there and freeze - another dumbass reason for me being sick today.

Before I knew it my alarm went off and so it was time to get ready to leave. I showered, packed and raced to breakfast. Unfortunately, after a heavy night, breakfast is far from my mind so I ate as much as I could force myself to eat. I didnt have much time to waffle so after a few bites I got my stuff from my room, checked out and was picked up by my "drivers". We left at 9am as scheduled and got home just after 11. I was tired, damn tired. I must have gotten a total of 5 hours sleep that whole weekend, but I wasnt able to catch up on some sleep that Sunday.

After a braai at my aunts, Weasel and I caught up with Ferdi, Shawn and Basti in Sandton to see the Renault F1 cars. Wow, those cars can really make a noise! Sandton was freezing, full of people and it was uncomfortable to stand against a fence, but it was all worth it to see these cars speed on our roads. And what a hot stuk Giancarlo Fisichella is!! Yum!!!

So I was buggered, really buggered yesterday morning, and things are not looking up today either. But it was all really really worth it. I cant wait for the conference next year!

Quick round-up of the rest of my holidays

Before I get into reviewing one of the best weekends I had, let me give you a quick summary of the rest of the events that took place while I was on leave. After the two back-to-back Tempos gigs, I woke up on Sunday feeling groggy from all the late nights. But I had to get up eventually to celebrate my uncle's birthday next door. Nothing eventful, just lunch with the family and close friends. I ducked sooner than later cause chatting with the old folk drives me dilly. That evening I convinced Ferdi to drive me to the airport to see my bestest friend Wendy who was here for the weekend. Unfortunately it was a short trip and she was on her way back to London but it was nice to catch up with her after all these years. Last time I saw her was at her wedding about 4 years ago! And looks like we will be seeing each other again very soon...more on that later.

My week was very laid-back, as was intended. Waking up late and not having to bother even to get dressed was pure bliss. I spent my days watching movies, reading books and occassionally logging on the internet world to see whats cracking (I just cant get away). The highlight was going to the movies with Ferdi to see the new Harry Potter film - Im such an addict! I was hardly disappointed though it would have been nice if they could have included more of the book - though its not always possible. I waited in antici...pation for the final book to arrive as well.

Then weekend was here quicker than ever, and time to party. Friday night we celebrated Sonja's 21st birthday (again) and decided to have one of our wild Girls' Night Out at our local hangout, the Blue Goose. It was still too cold to sit outside so we went in and got a good table in front of the band - yes, they had a band. Brace yourselves. After ordering a round of Purple Rains (which turned out to be blue because they ran out of purple colouring) the giggling and cackling began. The band started soon after and sang all the good oldies. Confidence kicked in and so Berny and I started to dance. Ingrid, Sonja and Uli took turns to join us. Some even indulged in some sokkie and twists and turns with some strange looking men. Need I say who? Hahaha
It was so much fun that we didnt notice the time. There was so much loving going round that table, cocktails, shooters, laughter, a really good time was had by all. Sonja was even asked to come up and down her drink while we sang happy birthday to her. It was sad to leave but most of us need our beauty sleep. I was promised by the band that next time I can sing "I touch myself" with them, hehehehhh.

But we didnt go home just yet. Sonja and Berny decided to go with me to Exclusive Books at Cresta so I could get my pre-ordered Harry Potter book. One look at the hellishly long queue discouraged me completely. Im a fanatic, but Im not crazy. So we went home and I got the book at a more appropriate time, like 2 that afternoon!

Saturday I got a lift from Wesley from Torment to go see them and other kickass bands like Falling Short, Inersha, Chromium, Hikatori, Namuh and many more at Foundry Fly Lounge in Pretoria. The event was called The Rock Opera which was organised by Bianca as well as Reinard from Falling Short. I was chuffed that they made me a VIP guest but all those perks had its disadvantages - never give me free booze if you want me to stay alive and well enough to see the bands. But from what I did get to watch was damn fan-rocking-tastic. Torment - you guys will go places!!!
After waking up with a serious hangover on Sunday and trying to recover and remember...before I knew it I was back at work. Not as well-rested as I would have wanted to, but at least I got some much needed R&R in between all the partying. Now Im planning my next holiday!

Im off to Sun City tomorrow

For the first time ever, I am attending our annual work conference in Sun City so Im extremely excited about it! I cant wait, though many tell me that most of the day is pretty boring having to sit through a whole day of boring speeches and presentations as each division takes a turn on stage. That doesnt really concern me (Im counting on catching a few zzzz's when the lights go out) what Im really looking forward to is what comes after - THE PARTY!

Dont worry, I will behave, or try, or NOT! Im just going to have a good time. We are being entertained this year by Johnny Clegg, not too bad, it could have been worse. And I actually emjoy his music. And who can forget the day he walked past me when we were at the Cape Town airport recently!

The most exciting part about this weekend, I left for last. Yours truly, by some wonderful twist of events, is staying at the PALACE! Yes, the palace. Im still pinching myself. I won the lucky draw. Only a handful of us will be staying in these luxurious rooms while the rest stay in the Cabanas, Cascades and the main hotel. Im trying to keep it under a low profile here in the office as I dont want unexpected guests, but word is already travelling fast. At least they dont know my room number yet!

I promise to give a full report when I get back, but not before I finish recounting my tales of last week. So stay tuned!

Friday the 13th Fest II and Crossing Point

After the UJfm hijacking saga, we went home and found that the rest of the family had already started eating pizza. So we dug in and considered our options as to where to go next. Martin was definitely going home (wuss) and Weasel was tired, so that just left Ferdi and me. Baaah.

He wanted to go to Bohemians to see Crossing Point but I convinced him instead to go to Tempos to see Aion Truth and co, for the Friday the 13th Fest II. I don’t know how I succeeded, but 30 minutes later, we were on the road again. It was damn cold and I wasn’t really in the mood to party, but I wanted to surprise Dylan, Amy and the rest by showing up unexpectedly, since they thought we weren’t going to make it.

I was surprised to see that the parking lot wasn’t too full. But I guess with the cold weather, it wasn’t too much of a shock. We were met with hugs and happy smiles and caught up with the gang. Libido has just finished, and next up was Is that Blood? with a lead singer sick with flu. They still sounded amazing. I really love this band.

Then it was Aion Truth’s turn. They were on form as always and managed to catch the attention of a very drunk girl who insisted on doing some back-up screaming vocals for the band. Dylan was not so keen on giving up his mic, but she was too much for Johan. She took the mic and gave us a few squeaky screams. Amy was standing at the entrance and thought that it was Dylan who had suddenly lost his voice! Haha. Luckily she gave the mic back immediately and order was restored.

Knave and Chromium followed and kicked ass! I made several trips to the bar in between songs to get…WATER! Yes, water. I just wasn’t in the mood to drink, but guess what, still had a damn good time. I did oblige to having a tequila with Morgan, what a cool chick.

I thought that after Chromium, we’d go home as Ferdi had that look on his face that said “I want to go home”. So I was quite surprised when he said that we were staying to watch the next and last band, Death By Monkeys. And I am so glad we did! I got a fright when I walked to the stage and saw three guys there with gas masks on and getting ready to play. Quite scary, lol! There was no drummer, just a guitarist, bassist and a (now I don’t know what you would call him) a dude with a computer. The lead singer had the mic attached to his mask, it was hilarious! And their music! I loved it! Most of their songs began with a cute circus type of jingle and then broke into hardcore lyrics. I must say I was impressed and would love to see them again!

Saturday we were back at Tempos, to see Crossing Point (since Ferdi didn’t get to see them the previous night). They are a band from Durban that was touring Gauteng that weekend. The gig began sometime early that afternoon and we almost didn’t make it due to some miscommunication between Martin and Ferdi. Nevertheless we made it just after 7 in time to see Crossing Point. I have never heard their music before but I soon got into it. Unfortunately, just as we were all warming up, one of their guitars malfunctioned or whatever and had to bring their short performance to a stop. We were all disappointed but at least we got to see them for a bit.

After purchasing CDs and getting them signed, we watched Unlisted, and then we went home! I have never stayed a gig for such a short time, it was crazy! But we were all hungry and tired, so after a very quick stop at McD’s (where Weasel and Ferdi practically forced me to wolf down my McMeal) we got home and went off to bed for an early night. What a weekend!

How we hijacked UJfm

OK, so this is the first instalment of a series of events that took place the moment I stepped out of work on Friday the 13th and commenced my much deserved week's leave. I will gradually relate everything, but give me time, cause as you all know by now, Im lazy (plus I have been busy with Harry Potter - the book, not the boy, you pervs - and catching up with work).

So, anyway, since it was Ferdi's birthday on the 6th, he proclaimed it jubilee month, all by himself, which meant we had to celebrate the hellish day he stepped on earth and damned us all to hell, the whole bloody month. As if one day isnt enough! That Friday the 13th we had several options as to what we were gonna do to carry on with the celebrations, but were waiting for Mr Martin to arrive at our place that afternoon so we could decide and make plans. On our way home from work, while listening to DJ Russell on Ujfm, Martin sms'd Ferdi and said that he would come to our place for a bit and then go home because he was tired. So no celebrations, again, since Martin wasnt here for the 6th either.

Ferdi was upset that his friend was dropping him once more and decided that he was breaking up with him. So he asked Russell to please play Cindy Lauper's "Time after Time". Yes, I know what you are thinking - why the hell is Mr "I listen to hardcore music" Ferdi requesting such a naff song to be played on air? Is he mental? Maybe. But anyone who is a big fan of "My Name is Earl" would know that that is Randy's (Ferdi look-alike to the tee!) break up song. Hence the request. Now everyone, breathe.

Russell refused to play it, and Ferdi kept on bugging him to play it. Eventually we arrived at home and moments later so did Martin. He thought that song should be played too, so he phoned Russell and insisted he play it otherwise we would go there to the studio and beat him up. Russell said: I DARE YOU.

Well, that settled it. Ferdi came up to my room and asked if I wanted to go to the UJfm studios to beat Russell up. He quickly updated me on why we were going there and didnt hesitate to join them in this little rendezvous. After we parked at UJ and walked forever to get to E-Ring and figure out how to get in to the mighty UJfm fortress, Ferdi found a loophole and got us into the lifts near the auditorium. We soon found ourselves outside the tiny fishbowl studio, and waved at a perplexed Russell from outside the window.

The silly bugger let us in. If I had been him, I wouldnt have let us in. So its his fault. We sat on the couches next to him and tortured him for the rest of his show, one and a half hours to be exact. Well, the boys tortured him, I sat back and giggled and occassionally tried to get my voice on the airwaves. We told him which songs to play (no Cindy Lauper unfortunately on the playlist) and Martin tickled him while he read the news. I was quite impressed that he managed to read it without giggling, though he was suffering, I could see.

Occassionally, he would throw a scared look my way and I almost pitied him. But I think he did alright and managed to survive Ferdi and Martin's stinky smells and all. When he was done, the next DJ was ordered to play "Sexyback" for the boys. Im not sure if she did, cause we took a while to get to the parking lot and took forever to say goodbye to Russ.

He must have been traumatised, because the following week he visited while Nick was doing his show and warned him about certain visitors that crop up unexpectedly - Nick is scared too now. Hahaha.

I wonder if they have now barricated our secret entrance...