While we are keeping our social distance and enjoying time with our families and loved ones, let's rejoice in our travel memories. I am trying to not overshare but trim my clips to show a little bit of what I love so much about Mpumalanga.
Tuesday 14 April 2020
Mpumalanga, my happy place!
When all this is over, we shall travel again. In fact we will be making up for the lockdown. I foresee plenty of #shotlefts in the post corona pandemic era.
While we are keeping our social distance and enjoying time with our families and loved ones, let's rejoice in our travel memories. I am trying to not overshare but trim my clips to show a little bit of what I love so much about Mpumalanga.
I remember travelling with Kabelo and Mnakile, listening to the radio and discussing other things as we were staedily moving towards Hazyview, using the Kiepersol route. The car stopped suddenly and a frustrated Kabelo was confused. Putting his hands in the air as if to say "Hi taku hini?" he shouted "Wait wait wait", shushing us. "How can you chat and listen to the radio at the same time?" inquiring, clearly disturbed and baffled by our multitasking abilities.
While we are keeping our social distance and enjoying time with our families and loved ones, let's rejoice in our travel memories. I am trying to not overshare but trim my clips to show a little bit of what I love so much about Mpumalanga.
Monday 13 April 2020
I ain't no Robert Frost or Maya Angelou but I try
Without warning I changed. I can still be sweet but BS I do not take. I can still laugh and joke around, but step on my toes not. I no longer allow people to disseminate lies and skewed half truths about me, you will not get likes and laughs at my expense. Oh no you don't!
What hasn't changed is my hatred for belittling and disrespect. Don't you dare yell at me!
I transformed without warning. Toughened by life's smackdowns and fueled by childhood memories of a time when I couldn't stand up for myself, I changed without warning.
An eye for an eye is what you'll get. When you go low, I shall go lower.
#Catchmeoutside #Howaboutthat
#ghettopoetry
#afterschoolisafterschool
#iwritewhatilike
What hasn't changed is my hatred for belittling and disrespect. Don't you dare yell at me!
I transformed without warning. Toughened by life's smackdowns and fueled by childhood memories of a time when I couldn't stand up for myself, I changed without warning.
An eye for an eye is what you'll get. When you go low, I shall go lower.
#Catchmeoutside #Howaboutthat
#ghettopoetry
#afterschoolisafterschool
#iwritewhatilike
Sunday 12 April 2020
Excorcizing demons of the past
The other day I was chatting with my cousin (well, his mom and my dad are double cousins, they share both sets of grandparents) about how I got to my current state of mind and the current state of affairs.
He didn't believe that a job could cause someone so much distress and plainly said 'gazlam, if you were utterly heartbroken by a man, you know you can tell me right'.
I don't know what infuriated me more, the fact that he doesn't believe the hell I went through (along with some of my colleagues and friends: Tinyiko, Mnakza, Kabelo, @sibomkhize and @molotoz) or the misogynistic assumption and conclusion that I suffered heart failure because of heartbreak.
I could not be mad at him, who in the world makes his/her job their entire life. I used to think about work every waking moment and if I wasn't devising a new project, I would be thinking of ways to improve existing ones. Always tweaking things and getting resistance for it.
When I think back to the days that led to my hospitalization, there's a lot of red flags that I could pin point. My typical reaction when attacked was to fight back but when my former director accused me of racism, I just couldn't deal. It shouldn't have but it broke me down.
I remember poor @mnakilezwanedlamini trying to get me to calm down.
Some people can come for you and attack you from all angles, just for their own amusement. It's in their nature to toy with people's lives.
These are the flashbacks that threw me off when I went for a job interview on ash Wednesday. I am certain that I heard God tell me 'I don't want this for you'.
It totally threw me off and I am glad.
My mom's always said that she felt some type of way about nuns after attending boarding school, nursing training and working with them for many decades at a Catholic Hospital. One time she asked me if I wanted to become a nun and the sigh of relief and joy on her face when I said 'NO, HELL NO!'
I digress. It's not just nuns. Hell, not all nuns are evil and cruel. I have nun friends who are exceptions to the norm. Shout out to Sr V and Sr P.
I stand here a changed person because of the experiences of the past 13 years & the biggest lesson for me is that I come 1st.
JFC (Jwara Fried Chicken)
First time making my own bread crumbs👏👏👏👏. I knocked over the first batch and my niece had to clean the floors for me. I was a mess, I legit wanted to cry.
So I had to dry the bread slices in the oven and then grate them into smaller pieces. I then added aromat, cumin and coriander powder and crushed it further in the food processor. I seasoned the wings with salt and pepper.
I then egg washed the chicken wings and crumbed them. Let them sit for a bit and then deep fried until they looked and smelled like perfection.
Oh so yum! Even my picky eaters (mommy and Mbelukazi) wanted seconds. I count this as a win!!!
#feelingchuffed #freerangechicken #deepfried #yummy #yum #yummyeats #chickenwings #chicken #yummylicious #deliciously_sa #delicious #foodbloggers #tastyfoods #foodgasm #instaeatssouthafrica #southafricanfoodies #food24_sa #icook #homechef #cookathome #foodies #foodiesofinstagram #foodgram #foodiesofsa
So I had to dry the bread slices in the oven and then grate them into smaller pieces. I then added aromat, cumin and coriander powder and crushed it further in the food processor. I seasoned the wings with salt and pepper.
I then egg washed the chicken wings and crumbed them. Let them sit for a bit and then deep fried until they looked and smelled like perfection.
Oh so yum! Even my picky eaters (mommy and Mbelukazi) wanted seconds. I count this as a win!!!
#feelingchuffed #freerangechicken #deepfried #yummy #yum #yummyeats #chickenwings #chicken #yummylicious #deliciously_sa #delicious #foodbloggers #tastyfoods #foodgasm #instaeatssouthafrica #southafricanfoodies #food24_sa #icook #homechef #cookathome #foodies #foodiesofinstagram #foodgram #foodiesofsa
Friday 10 April 2020
Lot number 3, my childhood home
My childhood home. My dad's grandfather uSampula (Mgwabashe's last born) decided to give him this site, coz the 'powers that be' had refused to give my dad a plot.
In the days that followed, a group of men came to confront my dad about his new stand, wanting to give it to someone else who had asked for it previously.
Seeing this whole thing unfold, khokho Sampula joined the discussion and put his foot down and nobody dared to challenge him.
That's why gogo MaCele, mkhulu Menzelwa, Mkhulu Merco, Auntie Bongiwe, Bab'Busani will always be in our hearts.
We used to endure the singing and drumming of amazion for the entire Easter Tridium when Mkhulu Menzelwa was still alive. He was a giant, enebandla elikhulukazi!
#Jwara #Sjekula #grateful #family #land #Lot3
In the days that followed, a group of men came to confront my dad about his new stand, wanting to give it to someone else who had asked for it previously.
Seeing this whole thing unfold, khokho Sampula joined the discussion and put his foot down and nobody dared to challenge him.
That's why gogo MaCele, mkhulu Menzelwa, Mkhulu Merco, Auntie Bongiwe, Bab'Busani will always be in our hearts.
We used to endure the singing and drumming of amazion for the entire Easter Tridium when Mkhulu Menzelwa was still alive. He was a giant, enebandla elikhulukazi!
#Jwara #Sjekula #grateful #family #land #Lot3
Monday 6 April 2020
Happiness is an inside job
For the longest time I was extremely unhappy and in my head, everything had to line up perfectly and go smoothly before I could afford myself the indulgence of happiness. Looking back at this now I see how foolish I was to think and even believe such.
When my life was 'holistically' falling apart, work was a battlefield, church was unfortunately where I worked, home was even worse, money was beingssucked into a bottomless pit (aka a penthouse flat, which I had bought as an investment), love life was a stress I couldn't fully commit myself to on top of everything else. So, I found myself having to divorce God from the church and push away the love of my life in case he couldn't support me in the way I expected him to. I am a complicated person or as my former friend and former mentor Tshepo would say, I am indeed 'hectic'.
When I thought I had hit rock bottom, I soon discovered that I could still plunge deeper, and even deeper I plunged. Until one day I decided that I was just gonna be happy or at least pretend to be. Armed with my antidepressants and verbal diarrhea I became louder and I laughed deeper. I ditched my introversion and acted extremely extroverted. I focused on my work deliverables and tried daily to dodge trouble. Oh but trouble followed me, it loves me. I prayed harder. Enlisted the support of colleagues and friends.
We would have our own morning prayer upstairs in our office whilst the whole building went down to the chapel for Holy Mass. We didn't care for the snares, judgements and scoffs. We ate out almost everyday. Donuts, fried chicken and pizza were our preferred poison.
I must say though that during this time, I knew I could count on Sr Phuthunywa Siyali to listen to my many problems and give wise advice and we often found plenty of tissues and words of encouragement from Fr Paul Tatu. I honestly don't know what would have become of my faith had these two angels not been there.
I also found that a glowing skin and bright lipstick did wonders to uplift my mood, so I went crazy with my skin care routine and it showed.
I got inspiration from Cece Olisa to join airbnb as a host and make money on the side from my oh so expensive property. To my surprise, it worked. I got some financial relief. I remember when I was renting out my own bedroom and would have to store my personal belongings in Ntlantla and Sihle's room and I often asked Sihle to co-host guests as I would maje myself scarce during the days when my room was booked. I quite enjoyed this actually!
I was able to create a new normal, where I focused on the task at hand and on finding solutions without getting too emotional about the problem and focusing on the cause. I still could and often did throw my toys out of the cot when the situation warranted. Make no mistake, this Zulu woman from rural KZN is nobody's doormat.
At the beginning of this journey of finding or rather creating happiness within, I recorded this video, which I am very glad to share with you: https://youtu.be/k77CTF4hK58
Until next time.
Ciao! 😘
When my life was 'holistically' falling apart, work was a battlefield, church was unfortunately where I worked, home was even worse, money was beingssucked into a bottomless pit (aka a penthouse flat, which I had bought as an investment), love life was a stress I couldn't fully commit myself to on top of everything else. So, I found myself having to divorce God from the church and push away the love of my life in case he couldn't support me in the way I expected him to. I am a complicated person or as my former friend and former mentor Tshepo would say, I am indeed 'hectic'.
When I thought I had hit rock bottom, I soon discovered that I could still plunge deeper, and even deeper I plunged. Until one day I decided that I was just gonna be happy or at least pretend to be. Armed with my antidepressants and verbal diarrhea I became louder and I laughed deeper. I ditched my introversion and acted extremely extroverted. I focused on my work deliverables and tried daily to dodge trouble. Oh but trouble followed me, it loves me. I prayed harder. Enlisted the support of colleagues and friends.
We would have our own morning prayer upstairs in our office whilst the whole building went down to the chapel for Holy Mass. We didn't care for the snares, judgements and scoffs. We ate out almost everyday. Donuts, fried chicken and pizza were our preferred poison.
I must say though that during this time, I knew I could count on Sr Phuthunywa Siyali to listen to my many problems and give wise advice and we often found plenty of tissues and words of encouragement from Fr Paul Tatu. I honestly don't know what would have become of my faith had these two angels not been there.
I also found that a glowing skin and bright lipstick did wonders to uplift my mood, so I went crazy with my skin care routine and it showed.
I got inspiration from Cece Olisa to join airbnb as a host and make money on the side from my oh so expensive property. To my surprise, it worked. I got some financial relief. I remember when I was renting out my own bedroom and would have to store my personal belongings in Ntlantla and Sihle's room and I often asked Sihle to co-host guests as I would maje myself scarce during the days when my room was booked. I quite enjoyed this actually!
I was able to create a new normal, where I focused on the task at hand and on finding solutions without getting too emotional about the problem and focusing on the cause. I still could and often did throw my toys out of the cot when the situation warranted. Make no mistake, this Zulu woman from rural KZN is nobody's doormat.
At the beginning of this journey of finding or rather creating happiness within, I recorded this video, which I am very glad to share with you: https://youtu.be/k77CTF4hK58
Until next time.
Ciao! 😘
Wednesday 1 April 2020
In Studio with my niece
Ciao!
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