Chasing Noodles

When I was 14 I had the absolute privilege of going to my very first live concert. Who was it, you ask. Well, just  The Rolling Stones . Now I'm sorry, but unless you have no heartbeat, there is no way you don't get addicted to concerts after that. Watching Mick running up and down that stage, singing songs you grew up to was like a dream come true. Since then I've been lucky enough to see some of the most amazing bands and after almost all of them (apart from Kings of Leon, massive disappointment) I've thought they were the best. But this weekend I saw the Foo Fighters . I guess I didn't know what best was until then. They came out and played a three hour set. Let me just say that again, a THREE hour set. They played their hearts out and genuinely looked like they were having the time of their lives. The fact that they built a mini stage all the way out to us in cheap seats, just shows you how awesome they are. I felt like those Beatles fans back in the day. One...

In my little cottage there is a big white toy box. Before it was white, it was pink, before pink it was blue with white sponging (very 90's) and before that, it was the original wood. I think. It's been in our house all of my  23 years and somehow it's found it's way back into my life and little cottage. Today was the day I decided to open that little box of tricks. It wasn't at all what I thought would be in there. I found a whole bunch of art from while I was studying design at Tech as well as cards, photos and letters. I laughed and then I cried a little and then laughed some more. Funny how at 21 I thought I had my life sorted. I had a wonderful boyfriend, my whole Graphic Design career ahead of me, incredible friends, a brilliant social life and not a care in the world. I should have known that it would never be that easy. Since then, I've changed careers ...many times, changed boyfriends...quite a few times there too,...

How beautiful is this song? Can't get enough of it right now...  Settle down with me Cover me up Cuddle me in Lie down with me And hold me in your arms And your heart's against my chest, your lips pressed to my neck I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet And with a feeling I'll forget, I'm in love now Kiss me like you wanna be loved You wanna be loved You wanna be loved This feels like falling in love Falling in love We're falling in love Settle down with me And I'll be your safety You'll be my lady I was made to keep your body warm But I'm cold as the wind blows so hold me in your arms Yeah I've been feeling everything From hate to love From love to lust From lust to truth I guess that's how I know you So I hold you close to help you give it up So kiss me like you wanna be loved You wanna be loved You wanna be loved This feels like falling in love Falling in love We're falli...

I was given my first fishing rod when I was 3. It was red and shiny and the best Christmas gift ever. It couldn't have been more than a meter long but I was chuffed. I could not wait to go fishing with my Dad. Since then, I've moved on to fly fishing and I can honestly say that it is one of the most relaxing and peaceful things to do. But... It can also be a tad frustrating. Last year I went fishing with my Dad in the dead of winter and after nearly freezing to death for a couple hours, I'd still not even had a bite. There I was, feeling like Brad Pitt in "A river runs through it", casting like my life depended on it. But nothing.  As the morning cleared, so did the water and something caught my eye not two meters in front of me. There was this beautiful trout casually gliding past me, oblivious of the delicious looking fly just a little further in the deep end. I pulled my line in as quick as I could and cast in the area just in front of me. But by then,...

"So, how do you think I did?" "Ya, not bad. But if you had run at a slightly faster pace and ran up those hills instead of walked, you would have done a lot better. Just saying." Fail. Biggest mistake is to ask how you did, unless you are an Olympiad in training and you NEED advice. If you asking to get a compliment, you're asking for the wrong reasons and you should never do that again. We're all guilty of this, but I'd like to think we have mostly great friends that will say the right thing to make us feel better about ourselves. At the end of the day, you should have been doing it for yourself and the only opinion that matters is your own. And even then, try to not be so hard on yourself. The fact that you put yourself out there, with whatever performance it is you've chosen, and it is a great accomplishment. Own it and don't give a hoot what other people think. 

He made you cry He broke your heart He doesn't care anymore He is selfish He gave up He stopped trying He plays games with your emotions He wants you, and doesn't want you at the same time. That isn't fair He is all talk and no action, and will keep hurting you with that Please stay away this time, okay? Love, your heart

The Funeral is such a beautiful song that it actually makes me cry a little every time. I was looking at the lyrics and there were a couple comments about what people thought it meant. Interesting. From drug overdoses to death of family members, but after listening to an interview with the band, turns out it's just about how the writer hates his birthday and people making a fuss over him and getting gifts!?!? Haha. Made me love this band even more.

South Africa  1.  (Placename)  Republic of South Africa  a republic occupying the southernmost part of the African continent.  Mainly plateau with mountains in the south and east. Mineral production includes gold, diamonds, coal, and copper. Official languages: Afrikaans; English; Ndebele; Pedi; South Sotho; Swazi; Tsonga; Tswana; Venda; Xhosa; Zulu. Currency: rand. Capitals: Cape Town (legislative), Pretoria (administrative), Bloemfontein (judicial). Pop: 45 214 000 (2004 est). Area: 1 221 044 sq km  Today we celebrated National Heritage Day here in South Africa. All day I listened on the radio how different people from different walks of life described what being South African meant to them. There are so many things that make me so proud to be a South African. I could go on for hours about how we are a rainbow nation and we celebrate many different cultures and how we have come so far as a country, but instead, I'm going to just give a list of so...

"Since the day the late Gene Siskel asked me, "What do you know for sure?" and I got all flustered and started stuttering and couldn't come up with an answer, I've never stopped asking myself that question. And every month I must find yet another answer. Some months I feel I hardly know a thing, and I'm always pressed to make the deadline for this column. " Oprah Winfrey Here is my attempt at what I know for sure, so far. 1. When you need someone to hold your hand, you will ALWAYS have your person but often, some of the people that you "expect" would be there for you are not always available, and often who you had least expected at all that will be right there by your side. 2. Different people and situations come into your life for different reasons, most of the time you'll not be able to explain it, try not to question it.  3. Always carry a book with you.  4. You are more creative than you think. Just because you can't d...

I had the best luck stumbling upon this beautiful band with their song, All I want. The song is incredible, but after listening to a few more songs from their album "In a Perfect World", the Irish band  Kodaline has stolen my heart. The music video for All I want is what caught my attention and is pretty awesome. Here's an article by Huffington Post about the videos:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/09/kodaline-all-i-want_n_4066869.html Be sure to listen to "Love Like This", "One Day" and "High Hopes"

...but this one was bigger. Much bigger. Table Mountain bigger. It's been on my bucket list for a very long time and today I conquered it with the help of two amazing people.  I went back to the old post, " Today I climbed a mountain " and felt quite sad after reading it. At the time of that post I was trying so hard to see the good side of things and to be optimistic and hopeful and imagine all things sparkly and happy, but if I'm honest with myself, I am still fighting those battles. I'm still trying to find peace and still get really angry and sad.  That being said, todays climb was incredible. It had nothing to do with starting fresh or new beginnings. I didn't wish anyone any love and light. I wasn't thinking about forgiveness or feelings. I was thinking about climbing a big mountain and getting to the top without dying or passing out from exhaustion. I was thinking how lucky I was to be able to be taking in all this beauty and to have a healthy ...

"If you are praised, be silent. If you are scolded, be silent. If you incur losses, be silent. If you receive profit, be silent. If you are hungry, also be silent. And do not be afraid that there will be no fruit when all dies down; there will be! Not everything will die down. Energy will appear; and what energy! This rule is by Saint Feofil , a Russian Mystic. I find it rather odd. There is far too much silence and coming from my background, silence is not an option. Especially if you are hungry. And what does the fruit have to do with the silence? I am obviously missing the big picture here and after reading about this monks life, I'm just going to assume he means be humble when both praised or scolded, if you lose or gain and not to be afraid that all is lost.  The last bit about energy I can only assume he was on the Banting Diet and that is the energy he is speaking about :) Even though you not allowed fruit. Maybe he had a cheat day. 

History and I were never friends at school. Wait, it wasn't so much the history as it was the dates. I got to a point that just the word History used to make me break out in a cold sweat. Studying for History exams and tests was like torture. I swear at the time, sticking forks in my eyes would have sounded like a better option.  But in my old age I have started to appreciate History for what it is. The dates still mean nothing to me and I still avoid them like the plague but I enjoy a good old factual story every now and then. I think the appreciation has grown with my love of travel. Knowing the history about a place you are visiting makes you pay more attention while you are there. Well, thats how I feel.  But this rule isn't about that kind of history. It's about your own little book with your name on the front. There is no other story like yours. Not a single one. And there is a very good chance that if someone had to pick up your book and read it, they woul...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzsdgy_KJXQ Okay, I consider myself one of the biggest "So you think you can dance" fans. I have watched every single season and sob at least once in every episode. When it comes to my dancing skills, well, there are none. I'm about as flexible as a steel rod and the only beat I dance to is the beat in my head. But when I'm near music and something that even resembles a dance floor I think I have the talent of one of the all stars. True story. Nothing holds me back.  I have completely gone off track, let me get back to the point. A lot of the music I find is from the songs on "So you think you can dance". This one in particular came from a dance with Robert Roldan and Tucker Knox . I nearly died watching this dance, so breathtaking. There were tears. You need to watch the music video for the song and then you need to watch the dance. 

The other day I forgot to pull up my hand-brake up in the drive way and as I shut the door, it slowly starting heading straight towards the gate. Two completely flattened rose bushes later, thanks to my skew parking, and a big bump on the bumper it came to a holt. I just stood there and watched. And then I laughed. I mean, what else could I do? It was right in the middle of a three day exam run and my stress levels were sky high. I could have broken down and cried but how would that have helped anything? Sometimes life throws some poop things at us. A lot of times, its not as little as a bump and a rose bush. As the rule says, it really is all about how we react to these circumstances. And unless you are a Buddhist monk there is no ways you are going to be able to keep your cool with every single thing that happens.  Let's use a different example. Something less easy to laugh at. Say someone has hurt you and then turned it around to make you look bad. How would you react? Im...

"All I was searchin' for was me. Ooh all I was searchin' for was me... ...May you find happiness there, May all your hopes all turn out right. Ooh may you find happiness there, May you find warmth in the middle of the night." A while ago someone sent me this song. It's an incredibly beautiful song and I guess it can be interpreted a couple ways, but it means a whole lot to me. Sad thing is, I think that person doesn't even remember sending it. Today I'm sending it back to you. Just know that I miss you and think of you every single day.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADP65wbBUpc

This rule reminds me a little of rule number 73 . Stay home when you're drunk. It's not going to happen, especially after 97 shots of potency and a couple, um, lots of tequila red bulls. There isn't going to be a tired. And before you know it, the lights are on, they're playing 'Closing Time' and there are brooms bashing your ankles trying to get you out. Some of us know when the fun has stopped and it's time for home, and some of us have no idea and keep going until the smart friends take you home. By force.  I'm not speaking from experience here, just going on what I've heard ;)  Suffering from fomo , a very serious condition, really makes this rule even harder to live by. It certainly doesn't help you go home when you're tired as there is that instant crippling fear that you will be missing out on something.  I'm thinking, on a deeper level, that you can apply this rule to life and relationships too. Even when you know you ...

http://www.tomodell.com/uk/home Hells bells, what a song. He looks as though he is about 12 years old but has a voice like nothing in this world. This song makes me teary every time.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwpMEbgC7DA

Classic advice from the one and only Homer Simpson. Also, not the worst advice either, in a funny kind of way. I can honestly say that I have used the 'cover for me' line many many times. It has helped me out of quite a few tricky situations. What you need to do is to make sure that you always have a cover person. You might need a couple peeps though, one for work, one for when you out and a family member,  preferably .  The 'good idea boss' one I'm not so big on. But then again, I've never been big on authority. So don't listen to me on that. If you want to get promoted and stay in the good books, use this, I guess. Number three I can relate to more now that ever. Working with three and four year olds, this is the line you can guarantee you will hear at least a dozen times. Haha. And sometimes it almost works. It's all about your facial expression when you say it. You need to have big eyes. The bigger you make them, the less guilty you look. Kee...

Came across this song today and brought back so many memories. I adore The Cure. I don't think I can begin to put in words how much I actually adore them.  Weirdest music video, have a watch... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8UR2TFUp8w Love this musical rant. Props to Radio Not Found. http://radionotfound.wordpress.com/2013/11/21/musical-rant-but-what-about-the-cure/ 

To be rash is to act   too   hastily   or   without   due   consideration. That's the official meaning and also how I have made most decisions in my life. Luckily though a lot of those have turned out okay but that i believe is pure luck and some amazing angels watching over me. In the same breath, a couple of those decisions have pretty useless and self destructive.  Taking risks only came "later" in life, but after the first big risk, I was hooked. Making calculated ones didn't come naturally though and once your first rash decision turns out to be the best risk of your life, it's hard to kick the habit. So this rule is something I need to work on and will do my best to implement into my life so that I don't repeat some of the really idiotic rash decisions I have made, especially with regards to matters of the heart.  A calculated risk needs forethought, weighing outcomes and at the same time avoiding stupid actions. What you need to ask y...