O P o t B

Sitting on the couch legs folded beneath me I looked across at my friend as he sipped his coffee in an effort to ward of the chill which filled the air. The weather had been rather severe and I cannot remember when last I felt so cold. We have known each other since we were three, and have remained friends through elementary school and later through high school. We remained in contact even when I left home to make my way through college and he took a gap year, which turned into five, as he made his way from London across Europe to finally end up in India. He looked exactly as I remember him. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul and I saw in his the a contentment that I so longed for.  He seemed to be quite happy to just sit there sipping his coffee at peace with himself and the world. "In my travels I have seen many things" he said, breaking the silence that I was beginning to become accustomed too. "I have met many men, loved many women, played

Although I have been surprised on many occasions in my life, very few have left an impression on me. There are even fewer where i can admit that i have been at a complete loss for words. On Wednesday I was surprised, pleasantly I might add, but to such an extent that I was, for a significant amount of time, at a complete loss for words. A friend of mine, that I had not seen in the last thirty years, and I arranged to meet at Sandton City for a cup of coffee.  Walking through Nelson Mandela Square, i could not help but notice, that all the restaurants were filled with tourists from all over the globe who had come to our beautiful country to share in the World Cup experience.  The chatter of people in various tongues contributed to the cosmopolitan atmosphere that prevailed in the square. We made our way to a coffee shop and proceeded to catch up on the last thirty years.  It was fascinating listening and chatting about how our lives had turned out.  It occurred to me at that moment

Sometimes I seem, even to myself, over bearing.  It was not always like this, and I can remember a time when I was fairly detached from people and preferred the company of my computer. I recent months all that changed.  As I discover more and more about myself, I find that I am quite sympathetic and empathetic and I have discovered the joys of being with people.  One thing that saddens me at times, is that I never developed social skills to the level I would have liked too.  These skills are normally developed early in youth and shaped through the teenage years.  Being an Indian, and born into a family that had a business, I was denied the chance to interact socially in my teens.  So while my friends were busy being teenagers, building friendships and developing vital social skills,  I was standing behind a shop counter with little or no social stimulation besides having to deal with odd irate customer. So I find myself in the odd and often curious situation of becomin

I have been a father for over 24 years.  Having married for the first time at a very young age, I fathered three children, two boys and a girl and in my second marriage one boy.  Having grown up for most of my young life as a single child, my sister was born when I was fourteen, I always dreamed of having more children and somehow the number six came to mind.  By the time my fourth child was born, I realised that as a father, I had to change. Unlike animals, where instinct drives the role of the parents in the offspring's life, for human beings things are different.  It is said in the scriptures, that the love and bond a parent has for a child is a gift from the Almighty.  While this is true for all human beings, circumstance, society, social norms, opinion and the example of our own parents can stunt or even block out this gift.  Unfortunately, while the gift is very real, as human beings we have been given the choice to accept or reject this gift. For parenting, there is no m

As I walk-exploring the new landscape I find myself in-easel, canvas, brushes and paints under my arm, I can see in the near distance a fork in my path.  On the left, the colour texture and surface looks familiar and promises to offer me an experience that is new yet familiar.  The fork on the right looks completely different and the changes in colour and texture.  It changes and transforms to that which is unknown and promises a completely new experience. The familiar path stretches forth to the horizon, the unfamiliar one rises sharply, and secretly conceals itself from my view.  I reach the fork, set down my easel and dip my brush into the paint.  Red for the risks I need to take and I apply it to my canvas.   I contemplate my masterpiece, while waiting for the paint to dry. Blue for love and the peace and tranquility it brings to my being, orange for the warmth that is generated from the core of my being, white for the spaces between that are essential to life and red for the r

We have a chance!  We definitely have a chance of making it to the next round in the Word Cup.  This is so exciting.  After watching the match between France and Mexico last night and I know we have a chance.   For those of you who are not in the know, I have done a bit of research to determine if it is possible for us to make it to the next round.      According to the rules of the tournament, the the first and second placed teams, in each group, proceed to the next round.  Determining who those teams are is bit more complicated then just looking at the points.  To understand this, let us look at how the score card works.  When a match is played, the score card is updated as follows: 3 points are awarded for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for a loss Goals for and against are tallied and updated on the score card At the end of the group matches, the first and second placed teams are determined by the following criteria: The goal difference in all group matches Number of

"What happened tonight?", was the thought that entered my mind and I am sure the minds of all South African supporters who watched the match.  The fact of the matter is, if you think about it and you do not have to be a football buff to see it, we were outplayed.  We were completely dominated by a team that came with a plan, something we seemed to have lacked, and by a player, Forlan, who seemed to have orchestrated our defeat.  I think, that while it may look that way, it certainly is not.  The team played the exact game that they played when we played Mexico and because of this we were easily dominated by the team that could exploit the weakness in our game plan.  Was the money we spent on the coach, in the hope that we could build a world class team, an exercise in futility? Or did we just learn a very expensive lesson? My opinion is that we learned a very expensive lesson and it is not whether or not the coach is competent.  He has the credentials that prove he is com

World Cup fever has gripped the nation and I have not been unaffected.  Having favored Brazil from a very young age after seeing Pele in the film documentary "Giants of Brazil".  I do not follow football, or soccer as it is more commonly known in SA, when it comes to the FIFA World Cup, I make an attempt to watch as many games as I can.  The truth be told that I have no idea who all the players are, well not quite, I know a few but hardly enough to count on one hand.  Now the die hard soccer fan may frown at this but I believe I have a distinct advantage.  Firstly not knowing the players, I can discover the talents that each of the countries bring to the tournament.  Since I do not know the players, any player that displays a reasonable amount of skill gets my admiration.  When watching a game I get excited if either of the teams make an attempt at goal or score a goal.  I am able to stand apart and appreciate the sheer beauty and brilliance of the players on the field. T

I have invested in an HD PVR in order to enjoy the great detail offered by HD TV and I am not disappointed.  The three, or should I say four channels offered on HD provide better picture quality and sound.  I do have two gripes however.  Both with the live broadcasts of the matches on the HD channel.  The first one is the sound on the live broadcasts.  I have the HD pvr connected to my surround sound system and in order to hear the commentary and enjoy the sounds of the stadium I have to turn up the volume significantly.  Obviously the sound levels on the commercials seem to be much higher, and I have almost blown my eardrums when they switch over to a commercial.  This is a cause for extreme frustration.  I assume that the service providers have invested a significant amount of money in broadcasting equipment and I cannot believe that they cannot adjust the sound levels that they match those of the commercials. Now the next one is more serious.  The time and scoreboard graphic on

Yesterday I woke to the sound of vuvuzelas being blown.  Driving to the supermarket, the road was lined with vendors peddling flags, in all sizes, of the participating nations.  Blowing on their vuvuzela's to attract attention and to tempt potential customers into buying the flags.  The atmosphere was electric as the nation waited in anticipation for the start of the greatest sporting event in the world, the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The stadium at Soccer City opened its gates at 10am, and by 12pm, each major city in the country was gridlocked as thousands of fans made their way to the stadium or to one of the many fan parks that dotted the country.  A sea of yellow and green displaying their support for the nations team, Bafana Bafana, who would do battle with Mexico in South Africa's premier football stadium. Just under 100 000 people gathered together at the stadium, while thousands more gathered at the fan parks and billions switched their tv's to bear witness to Africa&

I was reading the blog of a friend of mine where she describes various places in Cape Town where you can find Halaal food. And I thought to myself why not present the culinary delights of Fordsburg in the same vein.  So I decided to take the liberty of describing my experience with a restaurant, which shall remain anonymous, to protect the innocent people involved. Sunday afternoon, I decided that I would try some food from the Mecca of Indian foods in Johannesburg, Fordsburg.  Driving from my house, which is located in an upper middle class area, one cannot fail to notice the change in scenery as you approach Fordsburg.  An area that has always been part of the Indian community for as long as I can remember.  Traditionally the South African Indian community was not one that ate out.  This has changed in recent years, and the stores that once were the main attraction of the area, have now been replaced by a plethora of restaurants selling Indian cuisine.  This change was triggered of

The excitement is building.  We are on the brink of hosting the most spectacular event in the sporting calendar, the 2010 FIFA World Cup.  As the hours tick by bringing us closer to I contemplate my life thus far. If a couple of months ago someone had told me that my life would undergo a change that is comparable to staging a World Cup, I would not have believed them.  2010 thus has significant meaning for me other than just witnessing the FIFA World Cup.  It is the year of unprecedented growth for me and through it all I am discovering the real me. It is indeed true that we only grow when we face a life changing challenge.  But it all starts when we ask the question, "is this what it is all about?", and we feel a certain amount of emptiness and lack of contentment.  What then follows usually, is some event which pushes us over the edge and we then have a choice, take a view of the world tainted by our perception, or face the reality of the situation.  I chose reality.

The new house is warm and cozy.  It feels familiar and an expression of my own individuality.  At first I was skeptical that I would ever get use to the place, but now even after a day it feels wholly familiar.  The memories that I thought I would be retaining have faded and been replaced by a certain contentment that I feel.  I finally have a space in the universe that I can truly call my own, even if only for the blink of an eye. This is a place I can fully express myself, something until now, I never knew how importance of.   In the past, my expression would be scattered and littered amongst the expression of others, a shelf here a cabinet there, but to have a space to entirely contain my own expression of self is truly bliss. The personalization of space seems to be something that every human being requires.  Even in the open plan areas at work I have noticed how many have stuck photographs, added fairies or pictures that their kids have drawn to their areas to demarcate their