Tuesday 5th January 2010
I have spent the whole day trying to find something positive without success. Some friends and I went to the China Mart this morning. I was convinced that this would be a great positive to write about. A little China within the SA context is a good sign of how well this country is handling the diverse population - Mandela's rainbow nation, but alas our exotice shopping experience was a fiasco because after a 30 minute drive in the pouring rain we only managed fifteen minutes shopping before the outages began - we waited half an hour for eskom to reconnect but when that did not happen we left. Outages are definite negatives whichever way you want to look at it.
Working on my computer I get frustrated with the slow speed of the internet even though i have an ADSL line - so this is definitely a big negative. Everywhere I look I see one negative after another. I think I am going to give up to-day - perhaps tomorrow I will find something....
05 January 2010
03 January 2010
The Mall and the Coffee Addict
Monday 4th January 2010
This is the first day of the working year. Many will go back to work today and I am supposed to write one more positive factor for living in South AFrica. It is raining cuts and dogs outside - the normally sunny sky is dark and gloomy - and I have ran out of positives.
Voila I have found one more thing. The Good News South Africa website http://www.sagoodnews.co.za/ has published an article about John Mauldin, an investment expert, who visited SA recently and had a great number of positives to report, one of them being that 'Johannesburg is a world-class city, on a par with New York or London or any major city in terms of facilities, shops, infrastructure ... and traffic.'
Yes I have to agree - I love shopping in the malls - from books to clothes to food -Sandton City must be equivalent to any in New York, London or Sydney. Hyde Park Mall is more exlcusive and terribly upmarket and Fourways Mall more down to earth and easier to navigate, to mention but a few of the endless choices the many, many malls around. In fact the whole country is scattered with shopping malls - from cities, to towns and townships - you can find the top global brands fightigthing it out. We have developed a mall culture that can be quite addictive if we don't watch out, because it is so easy to overspend and buy stuff we don't need just because they look so good under the sophisticated lights of the malls and the joie de vivre atmosphere created to lure us shoppers into a hypnotic state to buy and buy and buy......
We have the opportunity to dress well, eat well and live well, for a fraction of the price that it costs those in the developed world. And I must say I prefer our locals when it comes to service. I know we always complain but when I was in London last year most of the shop assistants were foreigners and could not understand what I was asking - very frustrating it was indeed.....
Another positive about shopping in SA is that there is always parking at the malls. Yes I know that I moan about parking but that is because I am actually quite spoiled and want to find parking right in front of the entrance, which I have to say, I often do. I remember one year in Athens, we drove around for over an hour to find parking for our rented car and when we did find a space, eight blocks away, we were reluctant to move the car out of it - the result was that we used public transport. How bizarre that was!! We only realised a day later that we were paying for a car that we could not use because refused to endure the huge frustration and time wasted to re park it - so we returned the car and struggled with shopping bags thereafter - try lugging a watermelon and a two-litre coke bottle for a couple of blocks and then you'll understand the value of accessible parking. Taxis are never around when you need them and they particularly avoid people with parcels or luggage!!! London is even worse - cost of parking is prohibitively expensive so you have to think really carefully before you decide to shop until you drop because you will have to carry all your parcels through the quite intricate and exhaustive public transport system.
The best part of shopping in the malls in SA is the watering holes or eating places, especially for a coffee addict like me. Shopping is a ritual that I cannot and will not rush. Besides purchasing what I need, I like to stroll, pick up my post, visit the loo (which is free and very clean, compared to many in the developed world) have a cup of good quality coffee - cappucino, americano or latte, and a salad made up of the wonderful varieties of fresh garden vegetables, often organic, which is something I take for granted until I am in another country and discover how expensive it is to eat fresh salads.
I have to say that I need my shopping fix at least once a week - and it is quite a pleasant fix at that... Difficult to get my fix anywhere else in the world, so I guess this is a great personal positive for living in SA.
One more day successfully completed............will speak tomorrow...... chao for now...
This is the first day of the working year. Many will go back to work today and I am supposed to write one more positive factor for living in South AFrica. It is raining cuts and dogs outside - the normally sunny sky is dark and gloomy - and I have ran out of positives.
Voila I have found one more thing. The Good News South Africa website http://www.sagoodnews.co.za/ has published an article about John Mauldin, an investment expert, who visited SA recently and had a great number of positives to report, one of them being that 'Johannesburg is a world-class city, on a par with New York or London or any major city in terms of facilities, shops, infrastructure ... and traffic.'
Yes I have to agree - I love shopping in the malls - from books to clothes to food -Sandton City must be equivalent to any in New York, London or Sydney. Hyde Park Mall is more exlcusive and terribly upmarket and Fourways Mall more down to earth and easier to navigate, to mention but a few of the endless choices the many, many malls around. In fact the whole country is scattered with shopping malls - from cities, to towns and townships - you can find the top global brands fightigthing it out. We have developed a mall culture that can be quite addictive if we don't watch out, because it is so easy to overspend and buy stuff we don't need just because they look so good under the sophisticated lights of the malls and the joie de vivre atmosphere created to lure us shoppers into a hypnotic state to buy and buy and buy......
We have the opportunity to dress well, eat well and live well, for a fraction of the price that it costs those in the developed world. And I must say I prefer our locals when it comes to service. I know we always complain but when I was in London last year most of the shop assistants were foreigners and could not understand what I was asking - very frustrating it was indeed.....
Another positive about shopping in SA is that there is always parking at the malls. Yes I know that I moan about parking but that is because I am actually quite spoiled and want to find parking right in front of the entrance, which I have to say, I often do. I remember one year in Athens, we drove around for over an hour to find parking for our rented car and when we did find a space, eight blocks away, we were reluctant to move the car out of it - the result was that we used public transport. How bizarre that was!! We only realised a day later that we were paying for a car that we could not use because refused to endure the huge frustration and time wasted to re park it - so we returned the car and struggled with shopping bags thereafter - try lugging a watermelon and a two-litre coke bottle for a couple of blocks and then you'll understand the value of accessible parking. Taxis are never around when you need them and they particularly avoid people with parcels or luggage!!! London is even worse - cost of parking is prohibitively expensive so you have to think really carefully before you decide to shop until you drop because you will have to carry all your parcels through the quite intricate and exhaustive public transport system.
The best part of shopping in the malls in SA is the watering holes or eating places, especially for a coffee addict like me. Shopping is a ritual that I cannot and will not rush. Besides purchasing what I need, I like to stroll, pick up my post, visit the loo (which is free and very clean, compared to many in the developed world) have a cup of good quality coffee - cappucino, americano or latte, and a salad made up of the wonderful varieties of fresh garden vegetables, often organic, which is something I take for granted until I am in another country and discover how expensive it is to eat fresh salads.
I have to say that I need my shopping fix at least once a week - and it is quite a pleasant fix at that... Difficult to get my fix anywhere else in the world, so I guess this is a great personal positive for living in SA.
One more day successfully completed............will speak tomorrow...... chao for now...
The Spirit of Nelson Mandela
Sunday 3rd January 2010
Okay so I am scraping the bottom of the barrel but I have come up with the Jewel of the world. This is the 3rd day of the year and I have to find another positive thing to say about living in South Africa, which I am finding to be a daunting task. However as this project is my ONE and ONLY New Year's resolution, I will do everything in my power to stick to it, reminding myself that self discipline and commitment are great tools for building character.
Today is Sunday – I want to focus on a spiritual aspect, and immediately I think of Nelson Mandela, the greatest man that ever lived in my lifetime. The first time I heard the name Nelson Mandela was in 1990 just before he was released from prison. I followed his release in the news and then read his book, Walk to Freedom, and was overwhelmed by such confusing feelings as admiration, fear, trepidation, especially as a white South African woman who grew up in Pretoria in the 60s and 70s.
I went to see Invictus, the movie, in Durban on vacation last week a non-beach, rainy day, with a friend. This hugely inspirational movie contributed to my decision to undertake this project of finding 365 positives for living in South Africa. If Nelson Mandela can spend 26 years of his life in prison and come out with such a magnanimous spirit, creating the space for the miracle of a peaceful transition to take place, I must also do something, anything, no matter how small, to help his dream survive.
The movie is based on the iconic moment when one man, has the character and foresight to save the country from bloodshed and destruction by appearing to millions in and out of SA, in support of the Springbok National Rugby Team, the symbol of pride and joy of the people who had jailed him. When Nelson Mandela appears in the distinctive green and gold jersey, including the cap with the Springbok logo, raising the William Webb Ellis trophy after they defeated New Zealand in the 1995 World Cup Final, it was more than a seemingly simple act of reconciliation, more than a demonstration of his unifying leadership through the power of sport. At the a pivotal moment in SAs long struggle to a democratic, unified country, this was the embodiment of a fully developed human being – a man who understood the bondage of toxic emotions such as revenge, hate, jealousy, anger, greed. A man who was able to abandon his mental shackles and chains and free his spirit – such a man can create miracles around him, a purer life, a larger life, a truly happy life.
This movie captures simply the height of the human spirit in the person of Nelson Mandela which is more, much more, than the spirit of ubuntu and social justice. It is a true example of what is possible in each and every one of us if we remove the layers of negativity and pessimism - free ourselves from their bondage of fear and hate, creating the reality of abundance.
The Greeks said that character is destiny, and no better example of this than Nelson Mandela. Every time I hear some politician or ‘wannabee’ politician puffing himself or herself up with self importance and unquenchable greed, I will not allow their words to poison my soul; instead I will bring to mind the spirit of Nelson Mandela. I will keep asking ‘What can I do for my country?’ rather than ‘What can my country do for me?’. I will 'become the change I want to see'.
Wow - I feel more powerful already..... thank you Nelson Mandela!
Okay so I am scraping the bottom of the barrel but I have come up with the Jewel of the world. This is the 3rd day of the year and I have to find another positive thing to say about living in South Africa, which I am finding to be a daunting task. However as this project is my ONE and ONLY New Year's resolution, I will do everything in my power to stick to it, reminding myself that self discipline and commitment are great tools for building character.
Today is Sunday – I want to focus on a spiritual aspect, and immediately I think of Nelson Mandela, the greatest man that ever lived in my lifetime. The first time I heard the name Nelson Mandela was in 1990 just before he was released from prison. I followed his release in the news and then read his book, Walk to Freedom, and was overwhelmed by such confusing feelings as admiration, fear, trepidation, especially as a white South African woman who grew up in Pretoria in the 60s and 70s.
I went to see Invictus, the movie, in Durban on vacation last week a non-beach, rainy day, with a friend. This hugely inspirational movie contributed to my decision to undertake this project of finding 365 positives for living in South Africa. If Nelson Mandela can spend 26 years of his life in prison and come out with such a magnanimous spirit, creating the space for the miracle of a peaceful transition to take place, I must also do something, anything, no matter how small, to help his dream survive.
The movie is based on the iconic moment when one man, has the character and foresight to save the country from bloodshed and destruction by appearing to millions in and out of SA, in support of the Springbok National Rugby Team, the symbol of pride and joy of the people who had jailed him. When Nelson Mandela appears in the distinctive green and gold jersey, including the cap with the Springbok logo, raising the William Webb Ellis trophy after they defeated New Zealand in the 1995 World Cup Final, it was more than a seemingly simple act of reconciliation, more than a demonstration of his unifying leadership through the power of sport. At the a pivotal moment in SAs long struggle to a democratic, unified country, this was the embodiment of a fully developed human being – a man who understood the bondage of toxic emotions such as revenge, hate, jealousy, anger, greed. A man who was able to abandon his mental shackles and chains and free his spirit – such a man can create miracles around him, a purer life, a larger life, a truly happy life.
This movie captures simply the height of the human spirit in the person of Nelson Mandela which is more, much more, than the spirit of ubuntu and social justice. It is a true example of what is possible in each and every one of us if we remove the layers of negativity and pessimism - free ourselves from their bondage of fear and hate, creating the reality of abundance.
The Greeks said that character is destiny, and no better example of this than Nelson Mandela. Every time I hear some politician or ‘wannabee’ politician puffing himself or herself up with self importance and unquenchable greed, I will not allow their words to poison my soul; instead I will bring to mind the spirit of Nelson Mandela. I will keep asking ‘What can I do for my country?’ rather than ‘What can my country do for me?’. I will 'become the change I want to see'.
Wow - I feel more powerful already..... thank you Nelson Mandela!
02 January 2010
The Braai and the Boerewors
Saturday 2nd January 2010
This is only the second out of the 365 days and I am already battling to find a second SA positive.... This is very stressful..... I googled for help and inspiration and all I can find is a bunch of negatives - mainly racism - whites blaming blacks for job restrictions because of affirmative action and blacks blaming whites for apartheid. Even foreigners are complaining - mainly about extreme crime which they attribute to weak government control. What am I going to do? Please help... anyone out there care to give me a positive....
OK... I got it - the BRAAI!! Today my daughter and her fiance are coming for a BRAAI! That's a true positively SA tradition that cuts across all race groups, class and education levels. The Braai is more than a 'barbeque' - it is the one tradition I miss when I am travelling outside the country. It is a great way (if not the best way) to entertain because it connects people in a very special way. It is an easy, simple way to cater for an unlimited number of people in a healthy fashion, experiencing great South African outdoor living - whether in peoples' gardens, around their pools, in campsites or parks all over the country - anywhere and everywhere at any time in the day - breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner - at any time of the year summer, autumn, winter and spring.
This healthy way of entertaining consists of food that is either grilled (no fat but soaked in tasty marinades) or served raw. It includes a variety of meats(South Arican meat is considered one of the best in the world whether beef, lamb or pork), chicken or fish, served with salads and fruit, however the signature ingredient of the braai is the 'boerewors' a truly distinctive sausage - you only need one bite to get hooked for life. A more modern contribution to the braai is the 'garlic' bread. South Africans only began eating garlic after the 70s - in the past us'continentals' were mocked because we ate garlic and olive oil - thankfully this state of affairs has changed - now everyone eats garlic - in fact our late Dr Msimang, the previous health minister, really understood the amazing powers of garlic and went as far as encouraging the whole country to eat garlic, particularly as a cure for aids.
The braai is truly a positive factor because it is not only a very tasty, very healthy way of eating, it is also a way to connect and bond people together as everyone is expected to participate. And as the host, I don't have to be kitchen-bound - all I have to do is prepare the raw food, cover it, set the table, and sit back and enjoy the afternoon - yes it is an all afternoon experience - a braai is never rushed. The men light the fire and cook the meat and everyone chips in with the cooking, serving, drinking beer or wine, and talking and very often, if you are lucky, the cleaning up afterwards.
Most of all it is one of the few cultural traditions that is enjoyed by all in the new rainbow nation that is South Africa today - black, white, coloured, Indian, vegetarian, continental, straight, gay, rural or city dweller. Our weather, our wonderful year round selection of fruit and vegetables, our great tasting boerewors, our good quality meats and our great open spaces make the braai a life enhancing experience.
Yes, I can truly say that the BRAAI is a second positive for living in South AFrican - somehow it never tastes the same anywhere else in the world...
Hew... I managed to complete my second day task.. 363 positives to go!
Posted by Frances Kazan at 9:16 PM 0 comments
This is only the second out of the 365 days and I am already battling to find a second SA positive.... This is very stressful..... I googled for help and inspiration and all I can find is a bunch of negatives - mainly racism - whites blaming blacks for job restrictions because of affirmative action and blacks blaming whites for apartheid. Even foreigners are complaining - mainly about extreme crime which they attribute to weak government control. What am I going to do? Please help... anyone out there care to give me a positive....
OK... I got it - the BRAAI!! Today my daughter and her fiance are coming for a BRAAI! That's a true positively SA tradition that cuts across all race groups, class and education levels. The Braai is more than a 'barbeque' - it is the one tradition I miss when I am travelling outside the country. It is a great way (if not the best way) to entertain because it connects people in a very special way. It is an easy, simple way to cater for an unlimited number of people in a healthy fashion, experiencing great South African outdoor living - whether in peoples' gardens, around their pools, in campsites or parks all over the country - anywhere and everywhere at any time in the day - breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner - at any time of the year summer, autumn, winter and spring.
This healthy way of entertaining consists of food that is either grilled (no fat but soaked in tasty marinades) or served raw. It includes a variety of meats(South Arican meat is considered one of the best in the world whether beef, lamb or pork), chicken or fish, served with salads and fruit, however the signature ingredient of the braai is the 'boerewors' a truly distinctive sausage - you only need one bite to get hooked for life. A more modern contribution to the braai is the 'garlic' bread. South Africans only began eating garlic after the 70s - in the past us'continentals' were mocked because we ate garlic and olive oil - thankfully this state of affairs has changed - now everyone eats garlic - in fact our late Dr Msimang, the previous health minister, really understood the amazing powers of garlic and went as far as encouraging the whole country to eat garlic, particularly as a cure for aids.
The braai is truly a positive factor because it is not only a very tasty, very healthy way of eating, it is also a way to connect and bond people together as everyone is expected to participate. And as the host, I don't have to be kitchen-bound - all I have to do is prepare the raw food, cover it, set the table, and sit back and enjoy the afternoon - yes it is an all afternoon experience - a braai is never rushed. The men light the fire and cook the meat and everyone chips in with the cooking, serving, drinking beer or wine, and talking and very often, if you are lucky, the cleaning up afterwards.
Most of all it is one of the few cultural traditions that is enjoyed by all in the new rainbow nation that is South Africa today - black, white, coloured, Indian, vegetarian, continental, straight, gay, rural or city dweller. Our weather, our wonderful year round selection of fruit and vegetables, our great tasting boerewors, our good quality meats and our great open spaces make the braai a life enhancing experience.
Yes, I can truly say that the BRAAI is a second positive for living in South AFrican - somehow it never tastes the same anywhere else in the world...
Hew... I managed to complete my second day task.. 363 positives to go!
Posted by Frances Kazan at 9:16 PM 0 comments
01 January 2010
Glorious Open Spaces to Move, Live and Think!
Friday 1st January 2010
I woke up on this first day of the New Year tired from a late night, to face a cloudy day. Is this some kind of cosmic test? The first thing I was going to write about South Africa that is wihtout a doubt a big positive factor, is the weather. Now I have to find one other positive - just for today!!
So what is positive about living in South Africa today.... What can I feel grateful about today, the 1st January 2010???
The Space.....yes the great open spaces – room to move and live. Looking around my home, although I live in a cluster, it is still pretty spacious. Later when I will be driving to the family lunch, using the highways and biways that are comparable to any in the first world (bar the portholes - no negatives Frances!!!) listening to the New Year music programme on Radio 702.... wow not bad, in fact quite positive, pretty powerful stuff!
And it goes without saying that there will be space to park my car when I get to my destination.
Yes 'space' is definitely a great plus for living in Johannesburg - a city with ample space - where the competition for 'open spaces' and 'development' is still in favour of 'open spaces' - not many cities in the world can claim that. And space is important for a quality life...
I am happy to have found my first positive thought for 2010!
Posted by Frances Kazan at 8:06 PM 0 comments
I woke up on this first day of the New Year tired from a late night, to face a cloudy day. Is this some kind of cosmic test? The first thing I was going to write about South Africa that is wihtout a doubt a big positive factor, is the weather. Now I have to find one other positive - just for today!!
So what is positive about living in South Africa today.... What can I feel grateful about today, the 1st January 2010???
The Space.....yes the great open spaces – room to move and live. Looking around my home, although I live in a cluster, it is still pretty spacious. Later when I will be driving to the family lunch, using the highways and biways that are comparable to any in the first world (bar the portholes - no negatives Frances!!!) listening to the New Year music programme on Radio 702.... wow not bad, in fact quite positive, pretty powerful stuff!
And it goes without saying that there will be space to park my car when I get to my destination.
Yes 'space' is definitely a great plus for living in Johannesburg - a city with ample space - where the competition for 'open spaces' and 'development' is still in favour of 'open spaces' - not many cities in the world can claim that. And space is important for a quality life...
I am happy to have found my first positive thought for 2010!
Posted by Frances Kazan at 8:06 PM 0 comments
31 December 2009
If You Cant Beat Them, Join Them!
When you bury your head in the sand, the only thing people see is your ass.
Is positive thinking a technique used to bury your head in the sand? I have had a love / hate relationship with the positive thinking industry for over 20 years. I am never quite sure about its philosophy - is it wishful thinking, a kind of self hypnosis, or a tool for successful living? Well, this is the year that I am going to find out.
My project for the next 365 days is to write in my blong one positive thing about living in South AFrica every day for the whole of 2010 in order to build psychological capital of 365 positive thoughts and change my energy.
Why?
Simply because the negativity that I am immersed in is drowing me! I am completely overwhelmed by a number of fear factors:
1. The first and most important fear factor is the violence - this is real - we have the highest violent crime rate in the world - there are many reason given for the high violence but the single overriding reason is because they can.
2. The second fear factor is that of increasing poverty. Everywhere I look I see corruption and mismanagement. In my recruitment business I come face to face with pure greed, stealing and plundering, people whose only aim is to get onto the gravy train and accumulate wealth for their own satisfaction - people who use up more resources than they need or can provide. They are slowly but surely depleting the country's resources.
3. The third fear factor is that there are only 4 million registered taxpayers (submitted returns to SARS in Octover 2009) contributing for the upliftment 50 million people (more likely 70 million). No amount of positive thinking can make me believe that this is possible.
In order to build my confidence and belief in a prosperous future for South Africa and become a fully contributing member of my community, I need to find out whether positive thinking has any real power to change my life.
My one and only New Year's resolution for 2010 is to find the self discipline to write 365 positive thoughts about South Africa and publish them in my blog in the hope that I will start focusing on the possible.
South Africa's transition from a Nat Government to ANC Government was indeed a miracle. And Nelson Mandela was the angel that prevented a blood bath. Now it is up to me to create my own miracle. My miracle begins today!
So here goes....... check me out tomorrow for my first positive post of 2010.
Is positive thinking a technique used to bury your head in the sand? I have had a love / hate relationship with the positive thinking industry for over 20 years. I am never quite sure about its philosophy - is it wishful thinking, a kind of self hypnosis, or a tool for successful living? Well, this is the year that I am going to find out.
My project for the next 365 days is to write in my blong one positive thing about living in South AFrica every day for the whole of 2010 in order to build psychological capital of 365 positive thoughts and change my energy.
Why?
Simply because the negativity that I am immersed in is drowing me! I am completely overwhelmed by a number of fear factors:
1. The first and most important fear factor is the violence - this is real - we have the highest violent crime rate in the world - there are many reason given for the high violence but the single overriding reason is because they can.
2. The second fear factor is that of increasing poverty. Everywhere I look I see corruption and mismanagement. In my recruitment business I come face to face with pure greed, stealing and plundering, people whose only aim is to get onto the gravy train and accumulate wealth for their own satisfaction - people who use up more resources than they need or can provide. They are slowly but surely depleting the country's resources.
3. The third fear factor is that there are only 4 million registered taxpayers (submitted returns to SARS in Octover 2009) contributing for the upliftment 50 million people (more likely 70 million). No amount of positive thinking can make me believe that this is possible.
In order to build my confidence and belief in a prosperous future for South Africa and become a fully contributing member of my community, I need to find out whether positive thinking has any real power to change my life.
My one and only New Year's resolution for 2010 is to find the self discipline to write 365 positive thoughts about South Africa and publish them in my blog in the hope that I will start focusing on the possible.
South Africa's transition from a Nat Government to ANC Government was indeed a miracle. And Nelson Mandela was the angel that prevented a blood bath. Now it is up to me to create my own miracle. My miracle begins today!
So here goes....... check me out tomorrow for my first positive post of 2010.
12 December 2009
The Abolition of Work
Bob Black wrote that work must be abolished. This article has stirred some pretty strong feelings in me. When I look back I cant help but ask myself how much of my life have I wasted on doing work that I hate, squandered it on meaningless tasks just to pay the rent and the school fees. 'Work is the source of nearly all the misery in the world' says Bob hitting the nail on the head. He goes on to say that 'In order to stop suffering, we have to stop working' but 'we dont have to stop doing things'. This I dont understand. He explains that we carry on doing things only in the form of play. Does he mean that if we dont feel like doing whatever needs to be done, we just dont do it? How would that kind of system play itself out? (excuse the pun). How would we feed ourselves and our family? Or provide for our needs? Does this mean we have to go back to the stone age and live in caves hunting and gathering for food? It is a great concept - to stop working - but what happens to all the goods and services that we produce whilst working? Has anyone out there know of an alternative system to the current system of production and consumption that requires us all to work?
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