The Things I hear....

You might recall reading my snippets on “Taxi Talk” on a blog I had in my earlier days of my almost 7 years in Cape Town.

I used to quote dialogue heard in the Taxi which was so entertaining. Cape lingo at its best!

Now in the sandpit I have a variety of different bits of words,phrases and lingo used that on some days I can’t keep up with trying to figure out which nationality they stemmed from as people across all the different nationalities use the words/phrases/lingo mimick each other.

Here are two to share with you for today:

*When someone is sharing a story they use “blah,blah,blah….blah,blah,blah….” The word must be repeated 3 times after each other in a sing songy way and said in two sets. It’s a filler for cutting a long story short. I was told by my team mate that it’s a substitute for “etc.etc.etc.”

*When you call out someone’s name for their attention they respond by saying “Tell me”. This means “Go ahead I am listening” or like we would say “Yes xxxxx”.  When someone responds with “Tell me” for some unrelated reason the lyrics of the song “Tell him, tell him that the sun and moon rise in his eyes” plays through my mind which you can imagine makes whatever I say next amusing in my mind as I fight the urge to break out in song.

Stay tuned for the next “The Things I hear” post.

______________________________________________________________________

Don't leave me for too long in a cereal aisle!

Random yes...but hey this is MY BLOG where I share my random thoughts
and can ramble on...

Whenever I head into a supermarket and head into a cereal aisle I
really feel like a kid in a candy store! I could spend ages there
looking at the different types and if I wasn't health conscious I
would easily leave with a mountain of sugar coated cereals loaded in a
trolley to take home.

The brightly coloured boxes that allure you and the sweet flavours and
interestingly shaped cereal grains intrigue me. ( Is this the rebel in
me wanting to come out after years of having being made to sit and eat
the Original flavored Pronutro at the table which I couldn't stand at
the time but then later grew a liking to?)

More so here in the this part of the world I spend more time in this
dangerous aisle as we get loads of imported cereals. I was in my
absolute element when I first arrived here to see that I could get my
hands on "Shreddies" that I was introduced to in the U.K while on
holiday at Uncle Jay and Aunty Indira's place. Gee that was back in
1993!

As much as I would love to head home with a variety of cereal each
time I visit the supermarket I head home with Alpen no sugar added
muesli and a packet of oats! Last night I treated myself to a mini box
of Special K with the red fruits. Not much of a treat I imagine you
thinking right now! For me it's a cereal and that's the excitement.

I also am able to easily indulge in a bowl of cereal at anytime of day
and I know one or two peeps in my circle who share the same love for
cereal.
Yasmin Schrueder I know you miss your "Fruit Loops". I will bring you
a box when I next make a trip home.

What's in your cereal container?

Happy Sunday peeps!

How do you manage your Facebook account?

After receiving a facebook friend request from a complete stranger to me who is a friend of one of my friends on Facebook I took the opportunity last night to ask my two acquaintances I was with to get chatting on how they manage their accounts. Its something that intrigues me....

They shared that they add people that they meet but yes not particularly someone that they know too well however do interact with from time to time. The one gent shared that he is thinking of de-friending some people as he realized that they still don't know much about each other despite having been school mates and he felt why have him on there if they still don't interact or have anything in common.

It was also shared that some people love seeing their "Friends" counter going up despite not knowing that person at all really!!!! 500-1000+ friends....???? Should it not be titled as "People" and not "Friends".

Friend: "A person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard."

Facebook defines it's purpose as:"Helps you connect and share with the people in your life."

There are many different ways that people manage their Facebook accounts and as human behavior has always intrigued me so does this....

For the longest time I have used it as a platform to share...share...share. I am big on communicating and found this platform great to be able to share with my "friends"(Yes I have different types of friends on there and some people are ones I share common interests with and who I struck something meaningful and whose shares add some meaning to my life) and "family" my happenings, thoughts and photos. I have for a long time upset people by not accepting their requests and they couldn't understand why not. We all look at this platform differently and I ain't going to add someone who I just met at a tea party and had a once off pleasant conversation with and you didn't strike any chord in me. I am not going to have you get a window into my life and then you might just sit there and "graze" at my wall and then gossip to people around my shares.

The people I have on there know me and get me and therefore understand my shares. No judging or gossiping around it. Some yes are still getting to know me however my gut tells me if it's a good move or not and then after a while when I do my "De-friending" spring clean I get to delete the people who are not serving me well.

We all different beings and we all view Facebook differently....

How do you manage your Facebook account?

The view changes as your story goes on....

My friend Erica based in Cape Town and I often exchange photos with each other via whatsapp of our surroundings on our morning commute. Random pictures of the buildings...people...roads...anything really. The pics give her insight into my world and her pics give me a glimpse into something that I can relate to...home.

Over these past two weeks I have been meaning to document this post...

As our story unfolds so does our view from time to time...Through Erica sharing her pics and descriptions of the people around her it reminds me on a daily basis to stay in touch with my reality "Nothing lasts forever...we need to savor the current view and it's unique beauty."

The majestic "Table Mountain" (my big Romany Cream biscuit as I refer to it)...one of the "New 7 wonders of the world" was my daily view from my bed...my lounge...my work-place. (Both shots were taken from the balcony of the office at my previous workplace)
The mountain is a prominent landmark elevating to a height of 1085m that overlooks the city and is a major tourist attraction.

Signal Hill is the other breathtaking view just to the right of the mountain. The mountain and Signal Hill form the circumference of the 'bowl' of the Citybowl area. Often from the office we would see tour buses going up and smile inside feeling proud of our city.

During my 7 years in the "Mother city" I consciously took a moment each day to breathe in the beauty of these natural wonders.

Now my view has changed completely....

Every morning and evening I now I am passenger on a bus and am no longer the driver of my own ride. I try to make sure I always get a window seat where I can catch a glimpse of the everyday beat on the street. I look forward to that moment when we pass the tallest manmade structure in the world..."The Burj Khalifa." It towers to a height of 829.24m! It sure is an extraordinary union of engineering and art. It like my Table Mountain gives off a unique changing beauty as the day unfolds with the intensity of the light changing. I most enjoy looking at this wonder at night on the ride home. It sparkles with its many lights and stands out more so along the Dubai night sky.


Hmmm so I continue to enjoy this beauty but can't help but wonder what my next view might be...

4 months to go! Vision-board 2012 status check :)

This year's Vision-board has had it's spot above the headboard of my bed,a copy of it sits on my board on my work desk and a mini copy is in my diary in my handbag.

So....yes it has been and still feels like a big gift wrapped with a pretty bow. Every day is a gift and each day has brought me something special.

The girl on the top left with her big smile has a tank top on that says "Happiness,Image,Nutrition,Health,Fitness,Goals". Yes yes yes!!!!! This has held a steady and solid presence in 2012...a continuation from recent years. "Nutrition" is one that I can particularly single out for this year. I recently decided to do a few doctors visits as I knew that this area was being neglected and signs of this was starting to show up in my body. I am proud to say that I am on my way to a huge improvement in this area and I feel like I am glowing and this too has been echoed by friends and family. High fives all around!!!

"I can do this"...refers to "I can do another year in Dubai" and yay I am doing it!!! The choice to stay and the beautiful path that lured me on has been fruitful. I am really enjoying the content of my job...have met some awesome people...have started to enjoy Dubai a tad more. I knew in my heart that it wasn't time to head on home back in April and now I see why! Let's see where this path continues to lead me. More high fives!!!!

The Adrenalin Junkie: I have been keeping at my gyming and am mixing up the exercises to keep it motivating. Thanks to Endomondo I have my friends and family back home to exchange exercise notes and experiences with. You guys really keep me going. When the alarm goes off at 5am I still spring out of the bed at the thought of not only the rewards post the work-out but the thought of Aroon also being up early heading out to get his fix drives me too. More high fives!!!

Say it from the heart:I have always been one to speak from the heart but more so it becomes easier and easier each day. On some days it takes courage as you never know how some people will react however I feel so good knowing that I am being my authentic self in every moment and I speak from a place of love and concern for the next being. When given the opportunity to not only speak from however also act from the heart and you fall short of doing it I feel this is an injustice to yourself and life...life is too short not to! High fives and higher fives!


Out and About-Cape Town and Durban:Wow..wow...wow...What a magical S.A trip I had experienced back in June. Reflecting on it it felt like a closure after missing mum's funeral. I was longing for this trip to be on home soil for her 1 year and to be surrounded by the comfort and warmth of my dearest family and friends. This trip was magical...phenomenal...beautiful!!!! This holiday gave me great quality time with my siblings and their families. I actually cannot put into words how I feel about my time spent with them. High fives!!!!!!!

The Lindt Chocolatier Chef: You always see him in the adverts adding that last bit of the masterpiece to an item...their signature bell...I wanted my maintain my consciousness around having engaging moments with people and to continue giving every task my absolute consciousness best and imaging I am always leaving it with a "Sue touch."

Personal Breakthrough Journey/Open up to the world: I feel this has been going on for a few years now since I started a lot of self-reflection and discovering more so what I want out of my life. It is ongoing and some of you might recall me mentioning earlier in the year and recently that I feel that something is transforming within me. I can't tell you what is is exactly but it's something great. High fives for sure!!!!

The girl in the pretty dress and the girl on the bicycle resembles a "free and happy spirit" and that's what I strive for and consider myself on a daily basis :)

Travel/Fly-now/The Jet-setter/Unforgettable Holidays/Thailand/Dora the Explorer: Well this year has been about travel. February started off with a most beautiful holiday in Thailand! I did my first Contiki too which was something I always wanted to experience.At the time of planning the holiday it was a toss up between a yoga retreat in India somewhere or a contiki to Thailand and now it makes more sense as to why my heart led me to Thailand. Little did I know at the time that I would be meeting a work-mate from India who would be inviting me to his wedding ceremony. So yes!!!! I am off to India in November for an authentic Indian experience for a few nights. In-between these two trips was my trip to S.A too!

Here's to a girls night out: Had a few when I was home! I had been missing those nights where you get to sit and chill with your girlfriends. The ones who know you for who you are and you can sit and chill with for hours! Been having a few girls nights out here too and who knows how many more are to come!

Tea parties/culinary delights: Well there haven't been many tea parties however there have been many dining experiences. Explosions of awesome different tastes for the palette! It's been a foodie year. Lots more on the cards too!

Hello Kitty: I placed my much loved HK character there to remind me to stay young and silly!

Live for Greatness: When I part this planet one day I want to be remembered as someone who lived for greatness. Its a reminder to excel and embrace everything that comes my way.

The two girls with bright colored dresses laughing: To remind me that Laughter is so good for the soul and to remind me of that sunny summer feeling that l love.

Love her look: I placed these words on here and envisioned people admiring my look from the sheer radiance that my soul shines. So yes not only would I like to appear unique and in my own Sue-style but the core admiration must come from my radiating happy soul.

I love spice: I love spicing up my life in quirky and fun ways. Life is for living?

Make someone's day:This is my intention everyday and in every interaction this is my wish.

Two bags and a hot date/You make me feel like dancing/True romance/She's the one: hmmmm so this topic is still manifesting. The desert is dry of dates...hee hee. As much as yes I would have loved to have shared many of my Dubai experiences with a special someone I know in my heart that it's just the universes way of saying "The timing is not just right." I have been processing a lot of stuff from 2010 and I more so have felt "Ok Mr. Prince Charming I am now ready for you to find me. Kill that last dragon and work that sword and then have a shower,jump onto your horse and come galloping my way...and best you be ready to dance and explore true romance.". Have a feeling I am in for a whirlwind but a beautiful solid lasting one ;) THE ONE!

Well I have just taken a deep breathe and have a deep feeling of such joy and gratitude for all the beautiful gifts(people and experiences) that have come my way. There has been an abundance of special moments and well who knows what more the next four months bring!!!!

Time to exhale and say "Cheers to the next four months" Stay tuned for a further update :)