We show deeeeeeeeeeeeeeem!!!

As the world by now knows, South Africa erupted with soccer fever on 11 June and that fever, I’m afraid my friends, is still at an all time high! Man it’s great being South African!

Yellow jerseys, vuvuselas, flags and fans galore!!! Of course it’s what everyone talks about and everywhere you go there’s this amazing, electric vibe that cannot be escaped… so don’t even try. People who were never into the game at all cannot be distinguished from seasoned fans.


What I find rather amazing is the evident unity amongst South Africans that the tournament has created…. and that much needed unity has resulted in an excellent and well-organised tournament thus far. South Africans have done it once again, united behind a dream and made that dream a reality… Wait wait… think I gonna cry…

Today (and hours away) marks a rather important day for our Boys however and yes… win or lose guys (a much debated topic) every South African still has every reason to celebrate!! So lets do just that… support our boys with that fervor we know so well and not follow in the footsteps of Pretoria fans (not ayoba guys).

And, lastly, to all those critics who had such a lot to say prior to the tournament regarding our readiness and capability… WE SHOW DEEEEEEEEEEEM!!

(Pics: Muneera Allie)

It’s better to practice a little than talk a lot….

How easy…. how easy it is to pay lip service with possible good intentions… expressing our dreams and hopes … the wants and don’t wants… and how easy it is for it all to go down the drain when not backed by some action and thus just remain a dream.

Maybe it’s the instrument you’d love to play… the writer’s block that just won’t go away… the empire you dream of building… the travel destination you so long for…. it can be anything. It surely is nice to dream, but what about making it happen. How do we go about making the impossible happen. So here’s a little story of my own.

Once upon a time… I had this dream… to travel abroad. With no idea how to achieve it… it seemed like the impossible at the time. So a friend and I decided that that is exactly what we’ll do… dare to dream the impossible.

And did it work… did we get it right… of course we did! It took much sacrifice and discipline to realise this dream. Over time we saved and scrunched, pulled strings we didn’t know we had…to make this dream a reality. The result, we travelled some of Europe and had the time of our lives. With that dream realised… I knew the impossible is certainly possible when you put your mind, focus and, most importantly, action behind it. So lesson- its better to practice a little than talk a lot… apparently lip service does not realise dreams.

We talk and nauseate over the details at length… chat about the wonderful intentions and are ultimately left with 1 of 2 options:

1. Continue paying lip service to dreams and wait for that miracle that will make it happen.
2. Take some sort of action to realise your dream.

If you’re the patient kinda person… I’d say take option 1. It’s great for carving the dream to perfection. Only glitch is the waiting for the miracle to happen part. But heck… you have your whole life so why not just keep dreaming and waiting and who knows what might happen.

If you’re the not so patient kinda person… not quite into sitting idle, waiting for things to happen… you may want to consider option 2. Honestly – its not gonna bring instant results… but with one small action towards achieving that dream you’re on your way to making that impossible very possible.

And now for another little story…

Once upon a time… somebody dreamed that the 2010 Soccer World Cup tournament would be hosted on African soil… the end.

(Pic: http://blogs.mix947.com/files/2009/01/yappydog.jpg)

A Future Foretold

You are busy with a big project at the moment and concerned about its outcome. There is a person in your life whose name starts with an S and this person has a big influence on you. You are concerned about financial matters….

You’ve seen the little caravan and crystal ball at the carnival…. You’ve walked down St George’s Mall and received a mini-flyer from the herbalist (not the Cash for Gold ones- check before you throw them away ne)… and you’re wondering what your future holds… maybe a visit to the dude in the bookshop in Long Street who read palms… or the dude reading tarots at the Antique Market…. Maybe the psychic in the alley in Kalk Bay. But how to know whose legit or not??? Is that the question?

Well… what if I told you it’s impossible to predict the future… for anyone… I don’t care how psychic you are… and please … please… prove me wrong. In my humble little opinion- these “psychics” just read you as a person, make a coupla vague statements and state the obvious (well not obvious to the ignorant that is). Oh man! cumon!!… who does not know of a person whose name starts with S???... think about it and you’re always busy with some project. I say nobody has this supposed miraculous ability to tell the future. Instead, it’s a mixture of the art of reading people, looking for patterns and some guess work in between. Instilling some positive thoughts for you to focus on and vwala!! … you find love, money and the career. And if it doesn’t quite happen that way- maybe the stars moved two degrees left.

If there is a person who can predict your future…. its you! With every thought and action… you create your future. There’s no miracle about it- that big ship doesn’t exist… neither does that miraculous event or person that will make it all alright. Its all about you, what you think and believe is possible and what you do about it. The what you do about it part is most vital. I believe there are seen and unseen forces at play in our lives- some we have an influence on… others not. Through our thoughts and actions- we control those things we have some influence over. The rest I’m afraid is Que Sera Sera people.

How can anyone else think and act for you? How can anyone else tell you your future. And And And….. has anything ever… ever… turned out exactly as you envisioned?... exactly as foretold?

(Pic: http://taxdollars.freedomblogging.com/files/2008/10/fortune-teller-3.jpg)

Our Visiting Wheel

Whether you feel it not, its ………...!! Note that blinking for too long can be dangerous… when its gone … there’s no action replay.

Amidst all the shmangles that comes along with the 2010 World Cup, Cape Town sports the Wheel of Excellence… A mooooooeeeerse (50m) wheel as you come into the V&A Waterfront…. and to its traveller it offers a stunning birdseye view of Cape Town. Of course I had to check out this thing!



So you step into a spacy-looking capsule… dude give’s you quick run-down of some safety measures (you can actually chat to a controller in the event of some emergency), then you go round a few times with a little stop over here and there. The cabin features: a glass enclosure (so not weather dependant); two carpet-covered benches opposite each other…seating about 6 people; aircon, lighting and a TV too, of course, so special moments during a game cannot be missed. Much like a hi-tech version of the big wheel you’d visit at a local fair, the wheel offers views of the stadium, harbour, mountain and city surrounds….. BUT… yes there’s a but….if you asking me…the ride is nothing that special.

What was special, however, is the visual spectacle it transforms into at night. What is impressive is that the thing is lit up with 2 million lights … and not just any lights… LED lights (very low consumption) and only uses 2 kilowatts of energy per hour. So- when load shedding comes your way during the games…. don’t blame it on da wheel ne.

If you’re into the view thing though, …hint hint….I think the good old Cable Car gives a much better feel and view of Cape Town… maybe not the exclusivity the Wheel of Excellence offers or its fancy liggies, but definitely a waaaaaaaaaaaay better view of our stunning City.

(Pics: Muneera Allie)

Burning Passions

Have you ever had that feeling that whilst engaged in something, be it work or play, it feels like time has stopped? I’ve been told those are treasured moments as they indicate a true passion discovered... something that’s a part of who we truly are ... and not the exploration of someone else’s dream.

I discovered such a passion over 10 years ago… and like maybe the new car you bought….or new sport you’re involved in…. you only then start noticing things around you related to your new found joy. So- my time stopping moment is when I discovered and started playing djembe drums. Now - with over ten years of enjoying this passion- I often still notice many related aspects to djembe drumming. Be it a new master in town or just the various ways in which others too enjoy this activity.

Ever since I’ve started playing, I’ve noticed and love listening to Joe, Cape Town’s djembe busking legend, often found around St George’s Mall, Green Market Square or the Antique Market. Whenever I spot him, I stop in my tracks just to enjoy, witness and share in Joe’s time-spotting moment. Evident in his relentless exploration of his passion- during all this time, I’ve only ever spotted Joe playing around some café or walking around with what seems a natural extension of him… his djembe drum. These days, Joe can be seen with his guitar-clad friend as seen in the pic.

I think that exploring and unlocking our passions are important. When you do what you love doing, you find a special part of yourself and by sweeping you away, it’s as if nothing has the power to stop you. Also- when things are not going so great, it’s helpful to focus on those things you love. So, like Joe, when you find a little passion of your own, keep it burning. For in your passion you find the drive to pursue your very own dreams.


(Pic: by mwah)

Augmented Reshmality

PRP’s... I hope you sitting down... and up for this one! Whilst sitting down with our website guru recently- I learnt about something called Augmented Reality. In considering how social media has evolved, transforming peoples lives within such a short period of time... I’m afraid to think of what this Augmented Reality’s gonna do to us. From my limited understanding, it will (and already is) taking marketing and advertising by storm... maybe da pro... and it could also mean the end of privacy as we know it... da con?

Augmented Reality (AR) is the intermingling of our real and virtual worlds... using graphics and data from our virtual world and integrating it into our real world... as in REAL-TIME... now... ultimately enhancing what we see, hear, feel or smell...

Using software on eye-classes or on our mobile phones for example, AR allows us to interact with our real world like never before. Admittedly, me still a little fuzzy as to the mechanics of it all- ... but shoo! ... talk about blurring the lines.

Already used by Saatchi & Saatchi in a campaign for Wordsworth Books in SA... seems AR is gonna take brand communication to whoooole nother level! No doubt – it’s a matter of time before AR really rocks SA. What’s scary is when AR meets social media... imagine walking down the street and having graphics and audio coincide with what you see... info and ads popping up as you go along. Or what about an instant view of online profiles of those around you... people you might not even know?! ...”Ooooh... dat dude was at Mavericks last night and OMW!... he knows Cindy... small world ne!”. … so what? Bye-bye privacy?

Google it and check it out on YouTube people... AR is something that’s got me scared and excited at the same time. And to my fellow PRP’s, here’s to making magic with our future campaigns. If anything, AR is sure to change how we view our world.

(Picture by: http://www.mikearauz.com/images/socnetwork_AR_lg.jpg)