Hi Joburg! - Day 10

Today has been great day. 

I am lying in my bed after a good few glasses of Wolftrap (Ps. Chere! She has such good taste!) and can quite happily say that my flat mate is a brunette extension of me. 

But let's rewind. 

This morning when I left my trusty old comfort zone for the last time, I had no expectations of the day ahead. The sky was grey and the roads were quiet but that didn't dampen the comedy show that trailed me well into the Freestate. My friends, my darling friends and our new found fun for video messaging. I don't know what I would have done without your retarded on screen skills. Between the giggles and hourly updates, you kept my spirits high on that lonely drive. And when the signal dropped, well, I dropped a few ballads into the sing along box. Oh girl, my high notes are high! 

It's one thing taking a drive into an unchartered adventure but another when the journey has a full stop to a new life. A permeant new life. And somehow it never did quite kick in until I rose over that last hill and saw my future ahead of me. Glistening, steel structures beaconing me with a sun ray wink. Once a quiet road into the known became a hustle of 'get tos' and freeways vaaing left and swinging right. My composed nature turned into a million runaway thoughts. My palms grew sweaty and I was convinced that my GPS was trying to get me lost ( and if it wasn't for an advising word) it would have completely skrewed me over. But then I found familiarity and settled into the notion of, I am here. I am finally here. 

How does one explain that moment of meeting someone for the first time? I sat waiting for her to arrive home from work for what felt like an hour. Replaying conversations I once had to previous first encounters, that sealed the deal. But this wasn't some first date floozie or job interview, this was my new flat mate. I needed to me, a better version of me. Was my outfit trendy enough, or was I too over dressed? I want her to think I am relaxed, but not lazy, sophisticated but not snobby.

She walks in. 

Hi Joburg, let's be friends. 

Lines of Thought

The last two weeks have been a blur of busyness. Work has occupied every second of my nine to five and my triathlon training had moved up a notch. On top of things I also decided to try my hand at drawing after many years and entered myself into an exhibition.

The Collective is a beautiful little art gallery, situated at the bottom of Florida Road, snuggly fit next to Ike's Bookstore. A space where artists or up-and-coming artist such as myself can show off their talents without the clinical eyes of art professionals. New exhibitions are launched every two weeks, with most opening nights on a Monday. All artwork is for sale at an affordable price giving the young art collectors/hipsters a chance to cash in on the art buying tradition of One-of-a-kinds.

Lines of Thought was the name of the exhibition I entered myself into, with only a blue ballpoint pen as your medium and an A5 booklet to fill - my creative mind was only to excited (and nervous) to let loose.

If I were to give advice to any apprehensive artists out there, I would tell you to just go ahead and do it. The feeling of finding your creative child again and exposing him/her to the world, is the most exhilarating thing anyone can do. Especially if you sell it all. Eeeeek!

Thank you Amy-Jo for giving my art a new home to live in. I hope it brings smiles to many an admirer :)

Life, among other things...

Let's talk about taking chances. How many of you out there have done something so out of your shell that it shocked those around you? Did it work out to be one of the most awesome experiences of your life? I bet it did.

I am turning 25 this year. Yes, I am still viewed as a little girl with many more experiences to encounter but jeez man, I am fully wide awake to the fact that in FIVE years I will be THIRTY. Five years is not a whole lot of time to take chances and 'fingers crossed' decide what I want to do with the rest of my life. But, is it ok to sometimes think, "What if I don't have it all figured out by then?" Will I be thirty, still single? Happily single? Married?! Working a job I only half love? Will I even have a job?! Would I have set up a house in SA? Will I even be in SA? And scarily of all, will I even be alive?

Have you ever looked back on your life and gone, I didn't do that. I would NEVER have done that, but you did. It wasn't dejavu honey, it was frikken real. It seems like everyday that I see my 20 year old self, her carelessness, her utter joy out of life and think, gosh she really did have it all sorted out. What happened? Well, one big regret happened, one which would have probably changed where I am today.

Taking chances with love. Two years ago I applied for a position as Beauty Editor at very well known international teen publication. I was tired of Durban, and ready for a move, a change, an opportunity to grow my talent. I flew to Cape Town, knowing that an interview over Skype would have sufficed but I needed this. So I took a chance. During this time I had met a guy in Durban and fallen head over heels in lust. He knew about this job opportunity and supported my decision. But, his support was littered with selfishness.

I got the job. I got the job I had dreamed about, a one way ticket to a door that was lying open waiting for me to walk in and I turned it down. I turned it down for a one month old relationship that had me clouded over in little smoke bombs of lust.

Eight Months later we ended it. I was jobless, single and heart broken. With no flashing red arrow pointing me in any direction.

The moral to this life experience still haunts me today, as I know that I broke down a lot of bridges whilst taking that chance. But, (there always has to be a but in a good and bad situation) I learnt one thing that will forever carve the path I walk on. Never give up something that will better you for the sake of another person. If that person loves you enough, you will find a way to work it out. Take a chance on your own life, not someone else's.

So here's to the next five years. May it be spontaneous, eventful and may I have at least taken one chance on my own life that will change it forever.