It's not what you know, it's who you know

Rugby is a wonderful sport. It's popular for many reasons. It's brutal. It's fun. It brings out the best and worst in people. Rugby is especially important here in South Africa where we have won two world cups.

 

Rugby however may never be able to associate itself with fairness. Despite the many "attempts" to make rugby a game for the people, high tickets prices and blatant racism in rugby has been more what we have been used to. And you don't need me to give you any examples. I'm sure you read the news papers yourself.

 

Unfortunately it happens all the time. Wayne Holroyd is one of the most phenomenal physiotherapist I know. For myself and anyone else I would never recommend anyone else. Not because he's related to me but rather because since I've known him, I've seen his rise to the top first hand and it was all because of his own hard work. Wayne can without a doubt be named as one of the BEST physio's in Durban. After all his skill has allowed him to be invited into East Coast Radio as an expert and also lead to a feature about him in the Ridge magazine. You don't get to the top unless you're really good.

 

Or you know someone.

 

As qualified as Wayne is, it turns out that he and the rest of his family just don't seem to have friends in all the right places.  Earlier today I found out that despite being the best candidate there is, Wayne was passed over as Sharks Physio for the second time in his illustrious career. In both instances, the individual who was awarded the position had personal ties to the coach.   

 

 

It's irrelevant who or what those ties are, but it does make you stop and think. How can we trust him to make the right decision in the coming season with the players, if he can't pick the best person for the well being of the players?

it wasn't me

the banana bread turned out FINE.


it was the oven after all

Desperate Housewife

Back in the day before my two years of 8-5 employment, I was rather handy with a few baking ingredients and a good stove. Today marked what was meant to be my triumphant return to the baking arena.

Alas at present this is not so. I'm very tempted to blame the oven. After all I have followed the instructions exactly. That is what I do. But the banana bread I put into the oven half an hour ago is still not baked and I have no idea why. It very well could be the oven.

I am without doubt VERY disappointed. After all I do have a reputation to maintain. A reputation that has been on hold for two years but a reputation none the less. My speciality used to be Million Dollar Short bread. It was a gift to every one everywhere. The decedent combination of short bread topped with caramel and chocolate was enough to make even the manliest man swoon in anticipation.


But right now what was meant to be a wonderful banana loaf is not. Perhaps I should start from the beginning again.

Biscuits.

days with out job:

too many to count

So the days have been passing by. I spent most of December (after my life altering situation) in front of the TV watching endless episodes of CSI. I now look for signs of crimes every where I go. The new year rolled in and EVERYONE went back to work. Except me. The jobless one.

I stayed home and watched countless epsiodes of mindless drivel. Right at the top of the list would be Gosspi Girl. I watched the first season in three days I think. I went totally overboard on the first day and watch 13 episodes. I had to live somehow and watching the fictional rich and naughty of the upper east side seemed like a good way. It remnided me of the days that Shane and I spent watching endless episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and other favourite things. (we watched Sahara AGAIN the other day)

But Gossip Girl got me thinking about blogging. Specifially my own blog. I've not an introspective thing and gone reading back in time for a while and I wonder what I would find. Our troubles and problems don't seem so far off from what their own COULD be. They have some of the same kind of problems in better clothing which begs the question. Would my current situation be alot better with a few Waldorf originals.

I have thought about it and that would be an emphatic YES. I'de be able to sell the Waldorf originals on e-bay and buy a car.


and becasue I've watched to many episodes and it's stuck in my head.

you know you love me
xoxo

not sixteen candles

Sixteen days into the New Year and unfortunately the awaited phone call has still not arrived. Durban unfortunately is nothing like Johannesburg. At most there are two job posting on the Biz community website. Johannesburg on the other hand fills the entire page … just for one day.

I must admit that it is becoming pretty boring staying at home day after day after day. It all becomes very repetitive. Life changes and moves on. The things we take for granted disappear and we are forced to re-evaluate our situation.

I meant to tell everyone that I am very grateful to be alive right after the accident but I never really for around to it. Life changed faster than I could blink. When I opened my eyes, it had all changed.

I thought things had gone bad after I got retrenched but then I lost my car and worse went even lower but in the middle of that I still had my life. But it’s all mixed feelings. In the accident I hurt my hand and the simple act of picking up a coffee cup became a monumental task and then MISS INDEPENDENT had to rely on someone else for everything even taking my clothes off (not that he complained about that partJ). But even without the use of my hand I realised it could have all been so much worse. I could have lost the hand itself, I could have had my legs ripped open BUT none of it happened.

I suppose then that my biggest thing is that I should on my hands and knees and express my undying gratitude. I am able to do that but it doesn’t make life any easier. I don’t have a car or a job. But that doesn’t make me ungrateful. It only makes me human. No one could ever understand how grateful I am to be alive. It’s a topic I’m harping on, I know. But I never said thank you. So here goes.

To my mother – you taught me to be independent and to be strong. But you also taught me to have compassion and to help people even if they don’t deserve it.

To my darling brother - I love you more than you know and as long as I’m allowed to I will be here for whatever you need and NEVER judge you.

To the rest of my family: it takes a village to raise a child, thank you for raising me to be the extraordinary individual that I am.

To my wonderful friends, Antony, Baheya, Chris, Jacques and Shayne: You guys are my best friends. You mean more to me that you will ever know and I value your friendship and your input into my life.

To every one else in my life: don’t take me for granted. I ALMOST DIED.

To my darling husband: (insert corny lines here).

To GOD: thank you. There’s not really anything more that I can say.

FOUR MONTHS

There's been a lot going on in my life that I have not blogged about. In four months, life as I knew it changed drastically in ways that I could not have previously imagined. It all began in August last year. My laptop along with my mobile phone and my unborn child’s Max Lucado DVD were stolen out my Sunday school class at church. At the time I was very angry and hurt and very pissed off. I mean really. Who does that??? Who steals stuff from church?

At the time I didn’t realise that my journey was only just beginning. The next thing that happened was the fire in the kitchen. I have no idea how it started except that we no longer have an extractor above the stove. It wasn’t really a big deal outside of the horror of seeing the black billowing smoke inside the house. None the less we acted sensibly and switched on the electricity before dosing the entire thing in water.

Next up was my job. TWICE. Once in October and then again in November. This was both a blessing and a curse. It meant that I got December Holidays to myself and got to do what I wanted.

And then came December. December when I spent time doing nothing. Until December 12 when another car hit mine wrecking my car and my outlook on life entirely.

I suppose being in an almost dead situation can change your outlook on life. Before the accident I was dreading the New Year and the job-hunting situation. Now I’m just happy to be alive. I may not have a car or a nine-five job at the moment but I’m still here.

I’m also told that this kind of experience doesn’t leave you easily and really why should it?

I’m still alive and I’m holding on to that one single truth.