Down with the Homophobes

This title should actually read: RIP Heath, but as it now stands, the so-called Christian biggots are taking the limelight from this talented actor who sadly and tragically, died too soon. I was shocked and literally knocked off my socks when I got to work on Wednesday morning and was told by my colleague that Heath, one of my all-time favourite actors, was dead. I thought she was joking, so I had to confirm my fears with news24. And there it was, my hero died of an overdose of sleeping pills.

Forget how he died. Forget about the possibility that this was suicide or just a tragic accident. Forget, even, that he was such a diverse and talented actor that tackled each role with precision and passion. DONT forget that he played a gay man in Brokeman Mountain (for which he was nominated for an Oscar as Best Actor), because that is what the US Evangelical Church is doing. They plan to picket any memorial that this man deserves, purely on the account that he once played a pansy.

Big whoopeee. Get off your high horse you damn bunch of biggots. I reckon you are all closet gays yourself who are too afraid to come out. Dont get me wrong. I am a Christian too, but I am not a homophobe. Gay people have rights too, and for these idiots to be trashing a dead man's memory is disgusting and so un-christian like (for the lack of a better word). You people make me sick. And please, dont come quoting your Bible verses at me, it will fall on deaf ears because you interpret the Bible the way you want to, just to discriminate when it suits you.

So, a legend is dead. Yes, a legend. He didnt make as many memorable movies like the likes of Mel Gibson, Robert Redford, Al Pacino and co, but he could definitely have been up there with this elite team of actors, had he not been taken from this world before his time. He will be sorely missed. I cant believe how much this has affected me, I really enjoyed his films and I look forward now with even more anticipation to his portrayal of the Joker in the next Batman movie, The Dark Night, which is due later this year.

So long Heath. May you rest in peace.

Cazzfest 2008 - The Review

I havent completely recovered from the party, which explains why I havent written about it as yet, but I thought, since I feel like Im dying, I better write this blog so I can finally die peacefully.

Even though I started to organise this event about 2 months ago, preparations went on full force last week, especially Friday when I took the day off to finalise the minor details. After a long, rainy shopping frenzy (which was depressing me to the extreme, this weather just wasnt getting any better) with Ingrid, we rushed to pick up Tink at the airport. Poor thing had to wait as Ferdi had to attend to some work at the last minute and then came head-to-head with the crazy Friday afternoon traffic. Tink didnt seem to mind as she settled in the Ocean Basket smoking room at the airport and waited for us.

I had a good giggle when we finally arrived and walked out the parking lot. Two well built, generally good-looking, super-tanned (too tanned actually) guys came out pushing their trolleys when one turned to the other and said, "You are such a SLUT!" and even did that naf hand movement. I burst out laughing and put my hand over my mouth before they could notice that I was laughing at them. Thats when I noticed just how gay they were as I watched them walk past us, hips in motion. My giggles turned to hysterical laughter when Ferdi said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the plane from Cape Town has landed". I was finished.

Once we finally got home with our new arrival from Cape Town, we had some of mommy's pizza then met Shadley, Mich, Shawn and Nick at Primi Junxion across the road from my house. Honestly I didnt want to do anything hectic that night as I wanted to be fresh as a daisy for Cazzfest. But since Nick was relinquishing his MC duties at Cazzfest and ditching me for the Queen of England (he had VIP tickets to see Elton John - pu-leeaaase! He could have sold them on eBay and bought me tons of drinks instead!) he wanted to make it up to me by celebrating that evening. I swore I was only going to drink one Jam Jar but that turned into 2 plus a tequila. I was quite giddy after that and all the crazy talk and almost gave in when Nick invited me to go to Manhattans. But I just couldnt. I had to say no. Yay for Cazz!

Next morning we dragged ourselves out of bed, went to Marks Park to decorate the hall and get out of there as soon as possible. Only it took longer than anticipated. Still, the hall looked fabulous - half heaven, half hell and I take my hats off to Ingrid and Tink who got the hall looking superb after all my ordering around, heheh. Owe you girls a lot. In the meantime, the heavyweights, Ferdi and Basti, did all the heavy lifting and setting up of the Hi-Fi. Weasel conveniently arrived late, just as we were finishing up.

Back home we ate and degreased in a hurry. Martin, Berny and Cailin arrived early to help with whatever still needed to be done. While I spent 3 hours at the hairdresser getting the do from hell, Cailin waited for me at home and the rest went to Marks Park to get the party started and help the sound guys set up.

Finally at 5 I was all done, gathered all my stuff and dashed with Cailin to the party. Everything was ready, the girls had put up all the movie posters that Shad got from work and the sound was kicking ass! (very impressive). I loved what the girls did with the boys' loo - they put up a "Back to Gaya" movie poster on the door, but removed the "A" at the end, heeehheee. I added my touch to it but putting a MEN sign right under the "Gay" Part. So "Back to Gay Men". How appropriate. No wonder the girls' toilet got the most action that night, most boys were afraid to enter the boys' loo.

I started to worry as 18h00 arrived and not many people were arriving. The stress was killing me. Perennial Darkness was the first band to arrive and I was so impressed with their outfits! They looked devilish. The rest of the bands arrived soon after, dressed for the occassion. My stress levels were peaking but after a few drinks and re-assuring words from Adam and Shadley, I was able to relax and have fun with the people that had actually bothered to pitch. And what a BASH IT WAS!!!!

It started and ended on a good note as Michelle introduced the first band, Acoustic Liquid, who kicked off with Berny's and my favourite song, The Pixies' "Where is my mind?". Immediately I was moving to the music and having a ball. After four great covers, Perennial Darkness came on (after being called on stage by Ferdi and Mich to down a Jagerbomb and SoCo - I SAID NO DOWN-DOWNS! I made my speech, no slurring this time) and blew my socks off. I was so impressed that I bought the lead singer a drink afterwards. Great band to watch! Thanks to Judd, their drummer, for organising!

Next came Torment, but not before we hogged the "stage" again and had another down-down and handed best dressed awards to Sonja and Bernd - y0u guys looked awesome. By then I was completely motherless, but I managed to still let my hair down and enjoy Torment's performance from beginning to end - and remember it! You guys were FANTASTIC! And the mosh pit was in full force, I even dared to enter it.

The rest is a bit of a blur as I engaged in several conversations with my guests, most of whom I met for the first time. To this day I still dont know why I had to get up on a chair and talk to the people. I saw the photos, nothing rings a bell - if anyone can shed some light on this, please give me a call. In the meantime, Fragmented Children was setting up. Unfortunately I missed some of their performance due to an "incident" in the parking lot but I was soon summoned and enjoyed their last few songs. You guys kick ass, cant wait to see you again!

When all that was done, we cleaned up and kicked everyone out before the clock struck 12 and Ferdi turned into a pumpkin again. I dont remember doing much cleaning, just showing my bloody knee and bandaged fingers to anyone that would pretend to care.

I was in bed, without getting sick (very weird) by 1h30 and instead of waking up with a hangover from hell (very weird indeed, considering all the down-downs, no hangover at all!), I had a stinging, burning pain in my knee that allowed little movement. With great difficulty I got dressed, limped carefully downstairs and had breakfast with everyone at McDs. We then went back to Marks Park to finish cleaning up. It was only 4 of us, Mich, Shad, Ferdi and me (Tink had been dropped off at a friend's house before she returned to Cape Town, sniff sniff), but luckily we managed to clear up in no time.

So, despite all the injuries and several no-shows, Cazzfest 2008 was a huge improvement from last year, and this only gives me hope for the next years to come! Bring on Cazzfest 2009!

Two more sleeps till the heavens collide!

I cant believe what a great response I have received about Cazzfest, taking place this Saturday. It looks like it's going to be bigger and better than last year, which means that this can definitely be something I can now do on a regular basis, as stressful as the planning can be!

It started with Torment agreeing to play at my bash and I now have 3 more bands to add to the line-up. An extra band approached me as well, but I could not fit them in due to time constraints. The disadvantage of having at Marks Park is that I have to make sure we are done by midnight (before I turn into Cinderella again, and Ferdi into a pumpkin hahahahaha!). But do it anywhere else, and the costs will be astronomical for me once more. As always, Cazzfest puts a huge dent in my pockets, but its all worth it. The band line-up is as follows:

19h00 Acoustic Liquid (Charles and Wez from Torment's side project)
20h00 Perennial Darkness
21h00 Torment
22h00 Fragmented Children

I'm really excited about this line-up, there is something in there for everybody!

More exciting news was that I managed to convince (well, not too much convincing, they are such cool people) DJ Michelle and DJ Nick from UJfm to be my MCs for the evening! How cool is that? Im looking forward to see what they have in store for us!

What is really making me nervous is the ever-growing guestlist! I want as many people as possible to attend, to give the bands exposure, so the response is awesome. I just hope it all goes smoothly. I dont know a lot of the people that have RSVPd but I look forward to meeting and getting to know them all.

Preparations are almost complete thanks to my efficient task team, and we are set to go and dress up as our inner demons / angels. Im off from work tomorrow to finalise everything and meet my sidekick from Cape Town, Tink - I cant wait to see you again, babe!

So hold thumbs everything goes well and we rock our socks off! This year I'm warning you all - I WILL NOT DO ANY DOWN-DOWNS! I WANT TO REMEMBER THE WHOLE OF CAZZFEST 2008!!!!

Watch this space for the review on Monday (or a week later, depending on how long I will need to recover!). See you all on Saturday!

The Dawn of a New Era

Ok, it just seems like dawn to me right now, hence the title. I woke up at the crack of dawn on my first day back at work for 2008, just so Weasel could be at work before 7, meaning I was probably one of the first people in the office buildings when I arrived here at 6:30 p.m. I feel like I have been hit by a freight train, and no, no alcohol was involved, just lack of sleep thanks to the damn mosquitoes that keep me awake at night.

The festive season came at went. Lots of merry making and cheering went on. We drank, we partied, we sang our hearts out. I am not going to go into detail, but it was one hell of a busy two weeks, that almost went by in a blur. I welcomed 2008 with a bang, just as I intended, armed with a 1.5 litre of water to avoid any hangovers (after the many I suffered the previous 10 000 parties). I endured a lot of teasing, but guess what? In the end I was one of the few that felt fresh and alive yesterday morning as I watched everyone else groan and moan in pain. Hahaha, touche!

As usual, I havent made any New Year's resolutions. Screw that. What's the point? I just want this year to be better than last year. I sure had my ups and downs, more downs than up that's for sure, so I intend to improve on a lot of things this year, but taking baby steps of course. No pressure. Just take it as it comes and hope for the best.

So here is to you all. Hope you have an awesome 2008! Bottoms up!

Here is a word from our sponsors, hee hee:

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!