Fast cars and butterflies

I dreamt I was driving in a really fast, really low slung car last night. (Similar to a DB9, but with a retractable glass roof and "beam me up Scottie" buttons.) I remembered this dream while sitting at my desk contemplating how fast the weeks seems to fly by at the moment. Each time I pull myself back into the present, another week has passed, the weekend is upon me and all I can think of is sleep. The mere thought of having to socialise, clean the house, go to gym or even go outside is to tiring to even contemplate.

So while wallowing away in my PJ's on a Saturday morning, I take solace in the fact that this seems to be the case for all my peers...

Two nights ago I bumped into friends of mine who too are taking strain under pressure of our hectic lifestyles. The fact that we were all training at 8'o clock at night, is a clear indication of our desperation to beat the flab while fighting the call to join the 6am rush which, face it, is a far more respectable hour was it not for the fact that none of us are morning people. The one thing that struck me though, was how every conversation I seem to have these days revolves around work, how busy life is and how we just don't get around to seeing everyone. As far as I am concerned, this is not a life - it's not even a semblance of a life and those who think it is, are delusional.

Yes, we might all enjoy what we are doing - we enjoy the endless parties and social events, we enjoy pioneering new territories and picking the fruits of our labour, but at what cost?

This all leads me to think that the car in my dreams is a representation of what I want to acquire in life (who doesn't want a DB9?), yet there is a need for transparency and honesty with myself (glass roof) and a blatant wake up call to prompt me to slow down.

Needless to say, a leisurely and care free road trip comes to mind. While on road trips I have often considered what butterflies experience when caught up in the turbulence created by the car that just almost cost them their life - I even do a 'butterfly caught in the slip stream' impersonation which only I seem to find funny. Naturally it occurs to me that the faster you drive the more insects you kill as they have no chance in hell to swerve in time or to even consider the possibility while on their way to where ever it was they were going to in the first place.

Now I have to ask: How many people get caught up in my turbulence? How does this affect their lives? Do I, as an individual, have the power to change the course of their lives and if I do, is it a good thing? How many of them figuratively smash into my wind shield that, because I am so busy, I don't even notice?

If I was driving slower, would there be less collateral damage?

Shoot the puppy

Disclaimer: This post was written two days ago in hard copy on a plane and albeit a bit belated I am posting it anyway - because I can.

I've just returned from two days in JHB. Two long, hard, interesting, trying, yet exciting days. I'm now stuck on a plane a few thousand feet above mother earth and contrary to logic I don't want the flight to end.

Although arriving in CPT means seeing Parri and Bono (my cat) and being home, it also means I have to face the real world where work and deadlines consume my life and I am reaching a point of having to schedule loo breaks. So why so melancholy?

Well, last weekend Parri and I went to watch Wanted starring Angelina Jolie (have I mentioned that in my next life I want to be a non-famous version of Angelina?) and apart from the fact that it was a great movie, it also made me think about my life in general. After watching all the intrigue, drama and high speed car chases that come standard with movies about a secret society of assassins, the movie ends off with the lead character asking:"What have you done lately?" What he implies by this is what have you done to change your life.

This made me think about the following things, things I know to be true yet often ignore or avoid:

• I'm chicken.
  
• Things have to change and it's up to me to change them.
  
• I don't like change, yet I crave it.
• It depends on me. Always has, always will.
• When I get to the pearly gates one day there is only one question I need to answer to: Was I happy? And the only answer there can be is YES.
• Always be respectful, considerate and compassionate towards those around you, but never sacrifice your happiness in exchange for theirs.
• If you're good at something, if you enjoy it and if an opportunity presents itself, grab it with both hands and ride the wave.
• Don't let people fuck you over. Even if they don't mean to.
• Be clear on what you want from life.
• Learn to say no.
• Acknowledge yourself.
• Do everything in your power to learn more, to understand more, to see both sides of every coin and to experience life in its totality.
• Have a bucket list.
• Be clear on your stance on religion and change it as often as you like.
• Find 'me' time.
• Be proactive.
• Spread the love.
• See and experience life through your heart.
• Travel.
• Be the best person you can be and then some.
• Stop worrying about what others think. There is a very big chance that they are merely a figment of your imagination anyway.
• Shoot the puppy.

My puppy's days are counted.

*sreaming from frustration*

I can't blog about this issue so let me just alleviate my frustration my typing:
AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More is nog `n dag.

Playing 'aan aan'

Doh, I've been tagged by justbcoz (my first time) and I feel like a royal ditz because if she didn't tell me, I never would have known. (See previous post on not getting to all the posts I want to read on a daily basis.)

So I have all of 42 minutes to complete this blog before my time expires. So here are 8 random personal things about me:

1. I'm actually Afrikaans although my full names (and I'm never going to live this one down) are Dorothy Catherine Lückhoff (pronounced 'Look-hoff'). My close friends and family call me Cath (I despise Cathy) and my name is spelt with a 'C'. I don't care how special 'K's are, I eat Special K for breakfast.
   
2. I am petrified of heights, spiders (all gogga's and creepy crawleys really), snakes, needles and fun fair rides. Clowns aren't that high up on my list either.
3. I read Heat magazine.
4. According to Parri my jaw cracks when I eat. *shudders* So does my one brother's actually so it must run in the family.
5. For 23 years I was the youngest of three. I now have a baby brother (actually half brother ,although we don't differentiate) who turns four in October. The kid is bright and I'm convinced the genes that determine your intelligence distilled as my father's brood grew. Petr knew 40 words at age 1, could speak in past and future tense (+ crack jokes) at 2 and now speaks like a 12 year old. Freaky.
   
6. I'm a fake blonde. When I say something intelligent people are amazed. When I say something stupid, they write it off to my hair colour. Handy.
   
7. I'm a very fussy eater. I only eat cheese when it's melted. I don't touch raw onions or tomatoes, capers, olives, sushi (all my food bar veg must be cooked), coriander, curries, no organs (kidneys, liver etc.), I only eat Hawaiian pizza, I don't eat any animal fat or skin, I don't drink coffee, the list goes on... I have a friend that refuses to eat anything that has eye lashes, so I'm not that weird.
   
8. I should have been a boy. I love reading spy novels, I'm car 'befok' (I drive an Audi A3 Sportback) and I hate shopping. (O! and I crashed my first car at age nine) Why I'm not a boy: I hate rugby. As far as I'm concerned it's 15 ugly men running after a ball that doesn't bounce in the right direction.
   

The little I know of justbcoz I really, really like. Here is a woman who is not only drop dead gorgeous, but who has raised to fine young men, runs her own business, survived a truck load and still manages to come out on top.

She's an incredible gift giver both literally and figuratively and she makes people feel incredibly special. E.g. Despite all her PS (personal sh*t) she still managed to come to my birthday party without ever having met me before which truly meant a great deal to me.

I admire her honesty, her respect for others (especially her boys), her willingness to say things like they are, to acknowledge her stuff and work on it and her ability to contribute to her community. I would love to get to know her better and will do my level best to do so.

Here are the 8 people I tag:

1. Joe
2. Feistyfemale
3. CathJenkin
4. Max Kaizen
5. Rafiq Phillips
6. Mike Stopforth
7. JP van der Spuy
   

This is a motley crew I know, but they have all featured in my life to some degree over the last 7 days so now's as good a time as any to find out more about them.

You all have till Wednesday :)

* The Rules, as per SheBee's original post:

• Name 8 random things about yourself personally that your readers wouldn’t otherwise know
• Tell me how wonderful I am before you tag 8 other bloggers
• Think long and hard about if your random 8’s are personal enough. If I tag you, you know how curious I am, so judge it by my standards, not yours.

Social networks vs. age

Came across this study re. social network users vs. age on Uwe Gutschow's blog. Check it out, it's rather interesting.

(Will figure out slide share shortly.)

To be part of a community, you must contribute

I've always been a bit of a loner. Sure I enjoy hanging with friends and being social, but only when it suits me. I could quite happily amuse myself for hours on end without feeling a need to be with people. ('People' excludes Parri of course. We're pretty much together 24/7 if time and commitments allow.)

I am however, acutely aware that if you want to form part of a community, you need to contribute to that community on a regular and consistent basis. You've got to give as good as you get. What happens though, when the community you wish to engage with becomes so big that contributing regularly becomes almost impossible?

For example, I couldn't possible read and comment on all the blogs I would want to even if I tried. (My google reader is shouting 568 unread posts as I type.) Between work, a constant barrage of emails and phone calls, the need to find quiet time, eating, sleeping, reading, spending time with family, friends and life in general, I'm just not getting to it all.

So with this post, I apologise to all those who include me in their community (both on and offline) and to whom I am not contributing as much as I would like. I am working on it and when I find the solution, will share it feverishly.

Brain dump

Joe calls these posts updates, I prefer to call them downloads as it helps to silence the noise in my head. So here is a list of things I have come to realise, know and accept in the last week:

• I love birthdays. I want one every week. Not only do they make you feel exceptionally loved, you also get loads of presents!
  
• I don't like curry. Never have, never will.
• I want to live in Franschoek. Every time I drive into the Franschoek valley, everything looks and feels right. I like the town, the scenery, the people, the location and the overall sense of community.
  
• I both love and hate airports. The joy of collecting someone you haven't seen for a very long time is incredible. The sadness of saying goodbye however, especially to those I love with all my heart, kills me.
• I really, really love my family. They may drive me nuts at times, but they are who they are and I am learning to accept that.
  
• You don't have to 'click' with everybody.
  
• Saying sorry and moving on is under rated. It's really great to have an old friend back in my life.
• Realising that some people just can't be 'saved' despite many years of wishful thinking, is a hard pill to swallow.
• Cape Town on a crisp winters day is undeniably the most beautiful city in the world.
• I work with the most amazing bunch of people that anyone could ask for.
• I like my life and the best part of all is that Parri makes it complete.

From FeistyFemale

How sweet is this poem that I got from FeistyFemale for my bday?

To the PRO

Happy birthday PR Superstar!
27!!! You have come so far.
Passionately exploring Web 2.0
[It’s really a zoo, you know.]

Taking on mobile like a storm
Watching it integrate and take form.
Of course you will impress
At the Rocking the Daisies fest!

You are a complete pro –
A laugh a minute – while on the go.
Despite working at a rapid pace
You always have a smile on your face!

I hope this will be a dazzling year,
Filled with love, fun and little fear.
While life is one ginormous test
Know – you are special and really the best!

All my love
FeistyFemale

27 and beyond

I've got pre-birthday blues. Bottom line: I DON'T WANT TO GET OLDER! Next thing you know I'm 30 with two kids and a spreading waist, butt and thigh line. (Sorry to all of you who have reached and exceeded 30, I mean no offence, I'm just having a moment.)

When I was in Std6, the matrics looked like middle aged women. At 18, all I wanted to be was 21. At 25 I had a quarter life crises and now....well now I'm just depressed.

There is so much I want to achieve/do before I am 30:

• I want to live in both Turkey and Tuscany for at least 6 months a pop.
• I want to attend a TED talk.
• I want to learn to snow board and I want to have the opportunity to practice till I rock at it.
  
• I would like to do a refresher course in French. (Will come in handy when I live in Tuscany and want to nip across to France for some croissants.)
  
• I want to learn to speak conversational Xhosa. It is shocking that I struggle to greet my neighbour in her mother tongue.
  
• I want to take up sculpting again and I would also like to be able to paint something that I would actually consider hanging in my house.
  
• I want to apply the Pareto principle to everything I do.
• I want to play more golf, take up mountain biking and be more fit over all. (i.e. I want to look like Giselle Bunchen)
  
• I want to spend more time with family and friends.
• I would like to do a cooking course and while I am at it, learn more about wine. The former in an attempt to avoid poisoning my future kids, the latter because I too want to smell banana, vanilla, wet dog and burnt almonds when drinking wine and impress my friends while doing it.
  
• I would love to do a flip over the Cape Peninsula in a helicopter. And not just a 15 minute flip, a loooong one that feels like it lasts for hours.
• I want to fly first class and in a lear jet.
  
• Believe it or not, I want to meet Oprah.

I'm sure there are a ton of things that I just don't have the head-space to think of right now, so I will have to add to the list as I go along.

Here's to my last night of being 26... *sniff*

Rocking the Daisies

Just had a kick-ass meeting with the team at 24.com regarding Rocking the Daisies 2008. I must admit, working on RTD is liking selling candy to a kid at 1c a lolly.

There are some really exciting projects in the pipeline including a Red Bull Speakerbox New Talent competition, limited edition RTD recycled jeans, RTD Butlers Pizza, a Sowing the Seeds party and more. The RTD blog comp also seems to be picking up speed, despite my rambling presentation at the 27Dinner. For the record, I hate public speaking.

Other exciting and random things that have happened lately:

• Was featured on the first Rex the Lion video - creepy
• Celebrated my 27th birthday, in conjunction with Joe at Asoka on Friday. The most amazing people pitched (I feel loved) and I was spoilt rotten (always fun). The hangover on Saturday was a killer though and reminded me why I've calmed down on the drinking of late.
• Been a week of family with Anton, Jacques and Rebecca (Jacques's wife) all here at once. Anton has subsequently left, but Jacques and Rebecca are still here and we are off to the Planet Bar and Saigon tonight. Nice to spend time with them. Reminds me how much I miss my family when they are in the UK.
  
• Must...go...to...gym... Been working till 8 most evenings and am starting to feel the strain (or is that the bulge?).
• The MANGO-OMC wiki is almost complete. I'm really in love with this project and look forward to seeing how clients, suppliers and media interface with it. Have a feeling it's going to change the way we do business...
• Ordered an 3G iPhone through Vodacom. Hope I get it as these guys can't be trusted.
  

OK, back to work.

Ouch

Last night rocked almost as much as my head does this morning. It's all worth it though as my 27th bash has turned out to be the best birthday by far.

Thank you to everyone who made it. Thank you for all my gifts. And thank you for making me feel so loved!

Roll on 28.

Friday dancing

Yay, yay it's Friday!

Friday's rock and today is especially cool because tonight is my 27th birthday bash! The way I feel is perhaps best described by my favourite Poo Bear quote:

"Honey is nice, but there is a moment before you eat it which is even nicer."

That's how I feel about Fridays in general and about today in particular. May this feeling last forever.

See you all tonight.

*stomp stomp stomp*

My life is like a game of Tetris

The best way I can describe my life at the moment is that it's like a game of Tetris. The problem is, I'm on level 10 and my brain can only handle level 3. As a result the shapes aren't lining up correctly which, in the end, will mean I have to start again.

I can't seem to stop the game mid level either, hence fixing the gaps is not an option. As far as the obvious choices go I either have to quit, or wait for round two. Of late a third option seems to be presenting itself namely: play a different game.

Things happen to me. Strange things. Things that would freak most people out if they were aware that in fact it happens to them too. Tristin describes it as being in touch with my sixth sense (and as a result bought me the book Blink). I prefer to describe it as an awareness, a willingness to listen (although I've learnt not to over analyze it as I then tend to screw it up).

I don't see the future (I wish) and am by no means clairvoyant, I just trust my gut feeling and in fact do 99% of business based on whether or not something feels right. It's airy fairy I know, but it seems to be working.

So when people and things cross my path, I try to figure out what I can learn from the resultant experience. Sometimes I merely learn that I never want to treat others the way the person I am dealing with treats me or those around him/her. Other times I learn bigger stuff, such as the importance of being happy if you wish to make those around you happy.

Despite being really busy and good at what I do, I can't say I've been happy and the scary thing is that I am starting so see the ripple effects. I've said it before and I will say it again: What we do in this life matters. Despite being blessed with kick-ass friends and family, amazing experiences and more things to be grateful for than you can shake a stick at, if you don't know what makes you happy you cannot make those around you happy.

So here's to figuring out the next game, the rules of engagement and the reasons for playing.

WTF

Yesterday I was having a WTF day. (Also known as a duvet day, a piss of and leave me the f$%^ alone day or a "I definitely think I could immigrate to Turkey" day.) Today is better, which is a good start.

I've been doing some research on what other people blog about. I, for one, am not keen on sharing my entire life story or my emotional ups and downs with the world at large. I'm also not interested in becoming an industry expert on a particular topic as it will require far too much time and energy that quite frankly, I don't have.

So, with the limited time at my disposal, I have opted for Google Reader, which has truly been a life saver in terms of categorising blogs and aggregating interesting content. I'm a firm believer in listening to what the audience wants despite what the individual/brand wants to communicate. I have therefore been perusing blogs who, despite their popularity, have as yet not sold their souls. Their followers are numerous, outspoken and active and form part of interchangeable communities that have clear, yet complex wants and needs.

The one that currently stands out from the crowd is Chris Roper's blog, which seems to hit the mark on numerous fronts.

Chris is an opinionated guy (to put it mildly) with a dry sense of humour, a firm grip on current affairs and an insatiable desire (or is that a need?) to comment on all things weird and wonderful. The sheer number of hits and comments his blog receives is remarkable and gives a clear indication of the power of the 24.com community.

Anything but mainstream, his blog boasts an impressive 13 000 hits since its inception on 22 May and is categorised under the most read blogs on the blogs.24.com homepage. What I find most interesting though is that his blog proves two very powerful things:

1. You don't have to conform to the so called bloggerati in order to be heard (a popular misconception)
2. Content is king. As long as your content informs, entertains, educates and/or amuses, the consumer is ready and willing to engage.

My big question though is: How many blogs can truly say that they write with the end-user in mind? Isn't blogging by definition a self serving activity that offers those with too much to say (or those with zero social skills for that matter) a platform to be heard? Which begs the last question: WTF am I doing this for?