Hey 16 year old me

Daily writing prompt

What advice would you give to your teenage self?

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So much I would love to say but if I had to summarise it, I would say it all works out. In the long run, it always works out and it does so in ways it you could never imagine. Also, play as much sport as you can and definitely take up a hobby, it is not worth it to just focus on academics. Spread the fun.

Belated Sunday Reads

• Love her PhD work on such a personally interesting topic: language.
• Also this article on the benefits of being bilingual for younger kids.
• This short movie trailer is awesome. Then again, anything Chimamanda-related is 🙂
• Television shows for adults.
• I like this conversation on race but overall I am not impressed by Rachel’s choices on #TheBachelorette. But then again, I don’t have to be, it’s really her choice to make.
• In Africa we call these food services “friends and family”.
• Women are ushered into motherhood in such different ways globally. Some PC pics. 
• I know why I do not want to have a baby in the car 😦
• I went to a Christian University for my undergraduate studies.
• Self care that we need.
• How do adults make friends?

We mentally compress our networks when we are harassed, bullied or being threatened by job loss. We close ourselves off, isolating ourselves, creating a huge blind spot where we can’t see our resources, allies and opportunities.

Decisions that have made me

I have to make some life decisions and that always makes me draw back on previous decisions I made and how those turned out. Some of the decisions I have made in life that I am quite proud of:

1. The decision to accept Jesus as my Lord to live for Him after.
2. To study Economics.
3. To never try hard drugs.
4. To settle down with my husband.
5. To drop certain friendships.
6. Financial discipline.
7. To stop eating red meat and to a smaller extent chicken.
8. To leave a straining job with no prospects at the time.

Are there any decisions I regret? Sure but that’s another days post 🙂 

“Ship before you are ready, because you will never be ready”

I love Seth Godin and look forward to his daily blogs. Below, a recent one that totally challenged my work ethic, copied word for word from his blog here.

Show your work

It’s tempting to sit in the corner and then, voila, to amaze us all with your perfect answer.

But of course, that’s not what ever works.

What works is evolving in public, with the team. Showing your work. Thinking out loud. Failing on the way to succeeding, imperfecting on your way to better than good enough.

Do people want to be stuck with the first version of the iPhone, the Ford, the Chanel dress? Do they want to read the first draft of that novel, see the rough cut of that film? Of course not.

Ship before you’re ready, because you will never be ready. Ready implies you know it’s going to work, and you can’t know that. You should ship when you’re prepared, when it’s time to show your work, but not a minute later.

The purpose isn’t to please the critics. The purpose is to make your work better.

Polish with your peers, your true fans, the market. Because when we polish together, we make better work.

I tend to wait until I have the perfect answer, or I have the perfect report/ proposal or I have prepared the perfect meal before I speak up and sometimes what is required is that you give a suggestion or you show that you are engaging with the material.

I will now ship before I am ready because unlike the common saying, I will never be ready!!

March Goals

In keeping with my 2016 theme to be more rooted and connected, this is what I hope to do in March.

1. Reach out to close friends via calls, emails or messages to talk about what’s really happening in our lives. I mean group communication and Facebook is great but not all the time. Also, to get into the habit of praying for friends and family.
2. Do more outdoorsy stuff and enjoy the last of the Cape Town glorious weather.
3. Cook more and enjoy that time.
4. Get data and finalise topic for school.
5. Read more African literature (more on this later).
6. Host a high school friend and her family for lunch.
7. Hang up more pictures around the house.

Will post at the end of the month how it’s all going.

Sunday Reads

Also known as what happens in the real life that almost always constricts a great blogging schedule!

1. Upcycling old kitchenware beautifully!
2. Weep for this generation 😦
3. Great (and practical) ways to teach your children about money.
4. Yet another lentil recipe.YUM!!!
5. Another chai recipe – cupcakes this time.
6. Vegetarian biryani. YUM!
7. Something we also learn about marriage on the grind.
8. Because she is that bit close to John Legend.
9. On testing teenagers for AIDS.
10. I know someone whose Dr could not tell her the right size of her baby. Very scary and confusing for the mom-to-be.
11. Some things to do for yourself this year. I like the bit about having therapy, kinda feeling that vybe this year. Also, exploring your new city or going to a totally new place.
12. Five strategies to get your academic writing “unstuck”.
13. Youngest person to buy a Gulfstream Jet is a Malawian Pastor. Will leave that there.

Happy Sunday and reading!

 

Sunday Reads

1. The pitfall of comparing yourself with others  
2. More on female economists and their returns to solo vs group publishing of papers (Hint: publish solo or with mixed genders)
3. … and a follow up of initial thoughts and opinions on the article.
4. A healthy alternative to eating wraps!
5. Slay Taraji, slay!!
6. As a follow up to last weeks post on what the Brady/ Bundchen bunch eat, here is a list of recipes to adopt.
7. Free downloadable calendars: one and two.
8. The NYT recently published a list of 100 Notable books for 2015.
9. Good to know that Uganda doing well on the front of palliative health care – effectively and cheaply.

First Sunday Reads

Welcome back and I pray that your new year has started off with a bang!

1. I always knew the Russian Maffia doesn’t play!
2. Clap back of the century! Pow!!
3. Because mothers greatly influence their daughters sense of style. I certainly know mine did!
4. Did you know there are surrogacy agencies and they have annual fairs? Well there are …
5. I can actually taste this dish 🙂
6. This one too!!
7. The Atlantic lists their 50 best episodes for 2015 and has quite a few goodies.
8. Wonder what the cause of death by age and country would reveal for Africa.
9. Thoughtful reflections for anyone contemplating a PhD.
10. Fantastic seeing how a doodle artist does her work.
11. This article proves to me how women perpetuate patriachy.
12. Wonder whether this niche, sells a single book at a time bookstore will take.
13. What’s it like to be a private chef?
14. I have never really thought about the professionals that have to work on rape cases. Till now.

 

Reviewing 2015 through posts

I have enjoyed posting so much this year and pushing myself to write more, write in different formats or on different topics than the typical ones I would. Thanks for the reads, sharing and comments!

1. My theme this year was on obedience.
2. Listened to great music too!!
3. Took care of myself!!
4. Really got into podcasts.
5. Ten little things I enjoyed this year (the first of many similar posts)
6. I hurt when the Xenophobic attacks broke out! In February. Twice.
7. Read a lot about women struggling with infertility.
8. Cooked some nice things.
9. Read some good and bad books!! The invention of wings was easily my book of the year.
10. Made a personal announcement too!!

Enjoy and looking forward to 2016!!

Sunday Reads

1. ​This is so true of my Undergrad experience of Economics as a whole​.
2. Not really an Oatmeal fan, but this strip is very inspirational.
3. Great writing advice!!
   • The fuller article here if you are interested.
4. Article had such promise only to wind up with me asking, and then? so what?
5. ​This one too was well written about an emotionally evocative topic, white privilege.
6. ​Practical tips to help us think through nutrition. Also, thinking of stopping to take dairy and switch to alternatives.
7. Cue the farewell to 2015 posts!
8. How to respond when things go wrong.

Sunday Reads

1. Interesting to read that Chartered schools do not do any better for children in more suburban areas.
2. Planning an upcoming Cape Town city centre adventure.
3. Cooking with sweet potatoes
4. Celebrating love, marriage and all things in between. Also, check out their podcast, season 2 is coming up.
5. How to help a friend going through a rough time.
6. On meeting your biggest idol!

Sunday Reads

Better late than never ….

1. Because we all need to be more productive at work.
2. Liked some of these comments on the state of play between men and women and the chores at home.
3. The (silent) perils of a PhD.
4. I enjoyed this profile of Michael Phelps and congrats on the upcoming Baby.
5. Fascinated by the paths that people that go to highly sought after schools take afterwards.
6. Ain’t this life though?
7. Alanis Morissette redoes “Ironic”. HILARS!!
8. If you wish to read all of HONY’s stories on the Refugee plight in Europe.
9. Love this story about revealed and stated preferences.
10. Some great conversation starters
11. If you have loads of tea and love to cook with it.
12. Roasted green beans with hazelnuts

25. Sunday reads (Video overload)

1. Linguistically this is why Mama and Baba (Mother and Father in Kiswahili) is almost universal?
2. On the returns to tertiary education in South Africa. Also this.
3.  Some people really have a great calling on their lives!!
4. Beautiful pictures of African kids and their creative hairstyles.
5. My Pastor was on to something when he spoke about how the child’s environment in the womb is very important! (Video)
6. Funny how some product adverts go so left that at the end you have to think back to what they could have been advertising. This video is a case in point.
7. What a gem this video is, dismissive of North Korea but normal against Queen Elizabeth’s birthday and other Royal celebrations.
8. Would you know how to pronounce this town’s name, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio-gogogoch? Watch how to here.
9. Some people are really leading interesting lives and following some lovely passions they personally have, watch.
10. This is what contact lenses looked like 67 years ago!! Jeez!!
11. Quick and easy couscous salad

A friend is getting married today, shout outs and best wishes.

4. Sunday reads

Happy new month and here are some lovely reads for you this morning!

1. Interesting read on the long and short run effects of labour rigidity and the effects of being in a Union.
2. Separating truth from myth when considering the focus, magnitude and nature of Chinese investment in Africa.
3. Do married men or women give more and what does the success of household cash transfers depend on? Very interesting read – one of those where you wanna look at the underlying data.
4. In true Economist style, here is a slightly different view of the trust games between spouses.
5. What actually works where the intention is to keep girls in school. Here is a three part series attempting to answer that: One. Two . Three (Out in October, will update it later and link back to this).
6. This is why we need more women in power, but generally, a closer consideration of who we select to positions of leadership.
7. I don’t know, this just broke me!
8. In light of Tuesday’s post, Kim Cattrall talks not having babies.
9. All eleven of these successful relationship tips I FULLY AGREE WITH.
10. How DO YOU tell your little child they are HIV Positive? I feel like the article was too simplistic but hey, let me know your thoughts …
11. How do they get the writing on the Parmesan rind? Well now you know …
12. Ever lost something? Wondered where it went? Wished you could track it down? Well this lady lost her iPhone and found out where it went.
13. Stuff you can do to stay active mentally.
14. This is a good primer on blogging and why I write a post or not sometimes.
15. Recipes:
    1. Zuccini Rice gratin
    2. Ginger carrot salad with Quinoa
16. A simple enough DIY Project

 

 

 

 

Sunday reads

Hope you have a blessed and restful Sunday, enjoy your reads!

1. iPad Apps for the Kitchen
2. A good story coming out of Africa
3. Some lovely tips for dyeing natural hair. 
4. Boo to gender stereotypes but I also believe in traditional roles for wives and husbands 😦
5. A recipe I tried and definitely loved past week that had very good results – Zuccini Cake.
6. A feel good story that we all always need to hear every so often!
7. Beautiful natural hair looks to rock for weddings and other formal occasions
8. I love this couple. Viva!!!
9. An easy ricotta gelato recipe if you are interested to try

 

Preach Seth Godin

Best work followed by best work followed by more best work is far more useful and generous than merely doing your best work once and insisting we understand you.

So.Darn.True.

All the Time!!

Requires so much discipline to keep pushing when you feel like your best is good enough but there is so much more reward to doing so.

A visit to the Museum

Two weeks back I decided to check out the Wits Arts Museum (WAM) and they had an exhibition by Penny Siopsis and Peter Schutz. I much preferred Penny’s and thankfully we can take pictures (though flash is not allowed so excuse the quality of most). I love dolls so I greatly enjoyed the different installations she had that included them.

Wits Art Museum is proud to announce the exhibition, Time and Again showcasing a survey of the work of globally recognised South African artist, Penny Siopis. This exhibition reflects over three decades of Siopis’ creative production, and draws on the recurring themes of history, sexuality, race, memory, estrangement and violence. Many of the works on show were featured on her recent retrospective exhibition of the same title at the South African National Gallery in Cape Town. 

If you are going to go, no food and drink is allowed in the Museum, Besides that, entry is free and they are open from Wednesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and parking is readily available a few streets away. Also, on the first Saturday of every month, they have Art Classes between 12 and 1 for all levels of  expertise.

Enjoy!

Sunday Reads (Evening edition)

1. More benefits to all from paid paternity leave
2. Struggling to make a decision? Here’s how to go about it.
3. I know about schools like this.So much pressure to succeed or be the best. SO. MUCH.
4. A pea pilau recipe
5. A huge risk for little or no pay. So sad

Long weekend Reads

Tomorrow is a Public Holiday in South Africa so snuggle in and read up!

1. Is the World Bank becoming obsolete? I certainly hope not!
2. ‘Sexiness’ isn’t one of the main qualities that a girl needs to make it in a tough and competitive world, in my opinion. And if she is trading on that, then you’ve got a problem.” More here
3. Who doesn’t like to look at beautiful food?
4. Twelve types of peeps on Instagram (Aside: A close pal is on my bum to join and I.just.dont.feel.like)
5. Looking for a whole week of recipes to make?
6. I’d say this is a compulsion, but we all need something.
7. In case you ever wanted to make your own tea blend
8. Not so sure about this tech solution for the homeless. Not sour grapes, just not sure.
9. I love reading about teachers using contemporary sources to get students to learn and really engage with the material.
10. Because I just love Toni Morrison
11. This is how to teach Maths.
12. What a cool grannie!
13. How much does stuff cost in your parts of the world?
14. Crazy unintended consequences of the US’s Migration Policy.
15. Was talking about this with a friend earlier this week.

A week in pics

A few weeks back, I decided to try and take pics to showcase my week so here goes!

Tuesday– messy desk at the end of the week. My staples, earphones and a cuppa tea

Wednesday – I had training in this room that had beautiful art work all around.

Thursday – I read through four books in those three weeks so I went to the Library for four more. Tihiii, it helps that they were heavily Chick Lit

Friday: I got some beautiful scented candles from Mr P home. They are set against a khanga I received as a gift when my sister got married. It now dabbles as a table cloth in the kitchen as a touch of home!

Saturday: I took my nephew to the Ditsong National Museum of National History in Pretoria CBD. We walked for almost 2.5h and he had such a blast. He is ten years old, loves animals and is learning about some of them at school and so it helped for him to see them in their natural habitat.

Enjoy!