O P o t B

It occurred  to me in this world of mobile phones, computers and the internet that the art of writing is dying.  How can this be possible where most of the information we seek is in the form of words? But is it really writing? Of course, you may say, for they give us the information we want, the knowledge we seek and surely that is sufficient! But do they move you? Do they stop and make you think? Do they change your perspective on life? I have come to love reading the classics where the wrier painstakingly built an image of a scene through words, not only describing the scene, but also the emotion evoked, and then carefully placing in it characters that either complement or contrast the scene. In my meager writings in these few blogs I have attempted, rather poorly, to do just that. To write words that not only paints a picture but moves the heart.  And even though, at times, it seems as though something may come of the words it always seems to elude. Lookin...

How come when you late for an appointment you land up behind the slowest driver on the freeway while cars scream past on either side of you preventing you passing?  And if by some miracle you do manage to switch lanes the lane you switch too immediately slows down to such an extent that the slow driver, you had been trapped behind, passes you and disappears into the distance leaving you wondering how the heck did they manage it? Or when you get to the checkout queue at the super market and you strategically chose one that has the least amount of people in it and everything goes well till they get to the person in front of you.  And as you see the last item being rung up and start unpacking your trolley the person in front of you decides that this is the exact moment in time to cash in the coins that they have been collecting for the last decade to settle the bill.  And as logic dictates the process begins with the smallest denomination and you have to strongly resist ...

My first sight in Rio was the Maracana stadium to watch the quarter final match between Germany and France.  Without a South American team the atmosphere while electric did not have the flare that we experienced later that evening while watching the Brazil vs Columbia match.  Standing on the sidewalk watching the multitude of TV screens at the Mud Bug, a popular sports bar Copacabana, all with "live" feeds and every second one four seconds later than the others (depending on the broadcaster) giving one a chance to have a instant replay four seconds later.  From our vantage point the only screens that were visible were the ones that were 4 seconds later and we heard the cheer before the goals were scored on our televised service. As the song and dance erupted from the front of the store four seconds later we were treated to the spectacle that resulted in the eruption. A goal! Cheering and song as the crowd celebrated the goal fit for any self respecting spectator in any...

My fiftieth year has dawned upon me and one thing I can tell you, without any doubt, that it felt the same when I was 49, or for that matter when I was 40, everything before that seems to be too far away to contemplate and requires way to much energy. Besides I am not one to hanker over the past, because, the fact of the matter is firstly, no, I would not know any better no matter how much I think I would, and secondly, I would make exactly the same decisions and choices and would be right where I am, right here, where I need to be.  I guess that is the one thing that happens to you when you age you become more forgiving and accepting of the decisions and choices you make. Make no mistake, things do change around you, suddenly you are propelled into the category of "old" and automatically those much younger than you give you the title "Uncle" or "Oom", even though there is no way under the sun you could have legitimately inherited the title.  I must adm...

Seeing my son after two months was absolutely fantastic and yet, in this elation, my heart felt a touch of sadness as it dawned on me that i would not be seeinng him again for another two months.  I guess as you get older, and your motallity stares you in the face each and every moment becomes increasingly precious.  For reasons of my sons health my ex decided to relocate to the picturesque town of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape.  It is a university town with the university campus essentially a part of the town and everywhere you go are the youngsters who are starting there lifes journey on their way to adulthood.  Being the center of wine farms in South Africa adds to the atmosphere and tourists keen to experience the taste of the best South African wines, and some woud argue the world, flock to this quant little town in the Western Cape.   Many claim that the quality of life here is much better than anywhere else in South Africa, but that is subjectivve and ...

Oh no, I missed he flight! Despite all my efforts I missed the flight.  To put in into perspective, my usual drill when catching a flight is to pack the morning of the flight.  Does not matter whether it is local or international, for a day trip or a three week trip.  I then just make it to the checkin counter, with minutes to spare.  Then it is fishing out passports, boarding passes and the like and by the time I get into the departure hall I am highly stressed out. This time though I thought I should avoid all the stress and started out by checking in online, exactly 24 hours before the flight, selecting my seat and booking my meal.  At night I packed my bags and got all my things together and before retiring I had, for the first time, everything ready for departure.   This morning I made my way to work for a meeting and even managed to leave at the time I planned.  I got to the airport a hour and a half before the flight, checked in my luggage and n...

As I sat by my window watching the sun dip below the rooftops, turning the sky into the deep orange of sunset, I contemplated the ending of another year.  I know that this is the sixth day of the new year but, until today, I have not had the time to contemplate the passing of 2013. As we get older time seems to pass us by faster like a sprinter picking up speed to the finish.  I think that as we get older we realise more and more that the most precious thing in life is time and we are most concerned that we unable to utilise our time to its fullest. Having been alone, for the last three years, has also made me realise how important it is to have the right partner to share time with, something I did not contemplate when I first got married, and something I thought I had taped when I got married for the second time.  But it seems that I had missed the boat on both occasions. I realised that, as a result of this I have missed, some of the most memorable events that a ...