Zuma Circus

On the way to work today, I picked up the Metro newspaper andfound myself looking at the laughing face of Jacob Zuma after the not guilty verdict was read out. Then I saw pictures of his fanatical and die hard supporters, cheering him on. I need to vent out my anger, frustration, and arrrgrrgrggrrrrgggg!!!

As a fellow South African, I can say that it is indeed a sad day for South African politics and the nation. How can a man who faces corruption charges, be reinstated as deputy president of the ANC. It’s shocking. And how can he placed in such a high position of power, when he is not even educated in the basic prevention of Aids. He is living in a country with the highest rate of AIDS infection in the world - yet he is so ignorant and arrogant about the fact that he had unprotected sex with a women with Aids and thought he would "wash himself clean" in the shower! Where is his logic? Where is his common sense? And this coming from a man set to be the next president.

There will never be fair justice in South Africa for the politicians that continue to corrupt and be corrupted. He may have been found innocent of rape charges, but what next? Now all his supporters will use this verdict as a campaign to ‘prove’ that Zuma is the man to take the next presidency. Where is the logic and common sense of these people – seriously if they can support a man who is still facing corruption charges - corruption of the very people he claims to ‘love and would die for’. It’s a joke.

Not to mention that its the tax payers who gets to foot his entourage of lawyers' bills for both cases. Good to see our nations money is being so well spent not by the politicians, but FOR the politicians.

I saw a documentary on channel 4 last week about the appalling conditions in Kenya. In one scene you saw almost a million people living on the biggest rubbish dump in the world, trying to exist in a country that will not even acknowledge their existence. Then in the next scene you see the ministers of Kenya all decked out in suits outside the parliament, driving away in the latest Mercedes Benz’s.

The investigator made such a startlingly accurate observations that if the African leaders would get over their insatiable lust for money and power, only then will the African people they ‘serve’ be truly served.

I vented my anger on the www.bbc.co.uk/news website and found these comments from people all over the world.

“What saddens me more than anything about not only the trial itself but also the circus that surrounded it (both media and various groups) trivialised not only the right to due process but also the courts ruling in this regard. This trail (circus) has set womens' rights in South Africa back 20 years, and any good that had so far been done in terms of educating the masses about HIV/AIDS and rape is now laid to waste.”

“What i can´t find an answer to yet,is this educated leaders who are suppose to bring about changes, goes about having unprotected sex and enriching themselves with public funds.”

“Guilty or not guilty, the whole episode is a serious indictment to Africa. We have leaders who say one thing and practice another. What makes this whole saga sickening is the fact that we have gullible men and women who blindly follow leaders just because they are from the same tribe. Zuma is morally dispicable and has shown a weaknesses that are unbecoming of a future leader. Zuma's supporters have nothing whatsoever to celebrate. With leaders of Zuma's calibre, South is headed for disaster. Just look to the north of Limpompo to see what a reckless leadership can do to a country.”

“Just a thought. If the complainant has to go into exile what will happen to the judge who takes the corruption case should he not rule in Zuma's favour.”

“Its a sad day for SA. Being black, I had hoped that we could have shown we are not like the rest of Africa, where power means you can do what you feel like and get away with it. Anyone with some common sense know what Zuma is, powercrazed and corrupt. I'm sure he'll be freed of the corruption charges even if anyone can see that his earnings could never pay for his lifestyle and property buys.Sadly the masses are easaly led and education is lacking, this makes it easy to corrupt these people.Now I can only see SA go the way of Zimbabwe - shame on us.”

“As a South African living abroad I felt this trail a least brought to light the evidence that he is not fit to be deputy or ever president. His poor knowledge of Aids , something that is affecting millions is unacceptable!”

Balance, Love and Life

I feel I have been neglecting my little blog, but I guess I have just been feeling ‘not with it’ for the last couple of days. Like my mom always said “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all.” I have just been having days when I am frustrated, irritated, anxious – and even more annoyed because I cannot pinpoint the exact reason why I am feeling like this…arrgg!! Ok breathe…no its all good. Ups and downs. Highs and lows. Such is the cycle of life.

But anyway so I figured I would just try to stop analysing people and situations, because it was just creating negative energy around me.

It seems like a lot of my friends are going through a bit of an emotional time right now. And even though you try to give them the best advice or motivation, they just can’t see past their pain and confusion. You just want to cocoon them in a bubble of love and warmth and tell them that everything will be alright. Everything will work out for the best. Then there is the reversal of this, like when friends fall hopelessly in love, and they tend to neglect their friends and consume all their time with a partner. I know they don’t do this intentionally, but still you can’t help but feel slightly brushed aside. Balance. I guess we all need a bit of balance in life, and I am trying to consciously be aware of that in what I do and also with who I am and around.

Anyway my good friend, Lee-ann, sent me this passage from Kent Nerburn’s “Letters to My Son” and I thought it was so beautifully expressed and written. And I thought I would share it too. It is titled “Falling in Love” but I think it applies to other relationships, friendships and life experiences as well.

***

Falling In Love

It is a mystery why we fall in love. It is a mystery how it happens. It is a mystery when it comes. It is a mystery why some love grows and it is a mystery why some love fails.

You can analyze this mystery and look for reasons and causes, but you will never do anymore than take the life out of the experience.

Just as life itself is more than the sum of the bones and muscles and electrical impulses in the body, love is more than the sum of the interests and attractions and commonalities that two people share.
And just as life is a gift that comes and goes in its own time, so too, the coming of love must be taken as an unfathomable gift that cannot be questioned in its ways.

Sometimes, hopefully at least once in your life - the gift of love will come to you in full flower, and you will take hold of it and celebrate it in all inexpressible beauty. This is the dream we all share.

More often, it will come and take hold of you, celebrate you for a brief moment, then move on.

When this happens to young people, they too often try to grasp the love and hold it to them, refusing to see that it is gift that is freely given and a gift that just as freely, moves away.

When they fall out of love, or the person they love feels the spirit of love leaving, they try desperately to reclaim the love that is lost rather than accepting the gift for what it was, then moving on.

They want answers where there are no answers. They want to know what is wrong in them that makes the other person no longer love them, or they try to get their lover to change, thinking that if some small things were different, love would bloom again.

They blame their circumstances and say that if they go far away and start a new life together, their love will grow.

They try anything to give meaning to what happened. But there is no meaning beyond the love itself, and until they accept its own mysterious ways, they live in a sea of misery.

You need to know this about love, and to accept it. You need to treat what it brings you with kindness.
If you find yourself in love with someone who does not love you, be gentle with yourself. There is nothing wrong with you. Love just didn't choose to rest in the other person's heart.

If you find someone else in love with you and you don't love her, feel honoured that love came and called at your door, but gently refuse the gift you cannot return. Do not take advantage, do not cause pain.

How you deal with love is how you deal with you, and all our hearts feel the same pains and joys, even if our lives and ways are different.

If you fall in love with another, and she falls in love with you, and then love chooses to leave, do not try to reclaim it or to assess blame. Let it go. There is a reason and there is a meaning. You will know in time.

Remember that you don't choose love. Love chooses you. All you can really do is accept it for all its mystery when it comes into your life. Feel the way it fills you to overflowing, then reach out and give it away.

Give it back to the person who brought it alive in you. Give it to others who deem it poor in spirit. Give it to the world around you in anyway you can. This is where many lovers go wrong. Having been so long without love, they understand love only as a need. They see their hearts as empty places that will be filled by love, and they begin to look at love as something that flows to them rather than from them.

The first blush of new love is filled to overflowing, but as their love cools, they revert to seeing their love as a need. They cease to be someone who generates love and instead becomes someone who seeks love. They forget that the secret of love is that it is a gift, and that it can be made to grow only by giving it away..

Remember this, and keep it to your heart. Love has its own time, its own seasons, and its own reasons for coming and going. You cannot bribe it or coerce it, or reason it into staying. You can only embrace it when it arrives and give it away when it comes to you. But if it choose to leave from your heart or from the heart of your lover, there is nothing you can do and there is nothing you should do.

Love always has been and always will be a mystery. Be glad that it came to live for a moment in your life.
If you keep your heart open, it will come again.

***

Love and Balance!
Orangeblossom xxx

My Matrix May Day May Day

Another long weekend come and gone, this one seemed to escape quicker than the others though.

I was blessed to have Jo and Sharon visit me in Coventry this weekend – how wonderful! We spent our days lazing and grazing in Memorial Park chatting to each other and listening to the birds singing their own songs. We roamed a bit around the cathedral and cathedral ruins – then went to this Spirit Fair in the church – it was refreshing to see Christianity mixing and merging with other holistic and alternative spiritualities.

Looking back on my weekend, there was a theme that kept running and resurfacing through, and I am not sure how to delve into the topic, so I will do as I usual do and just let the words flow onto the pages in whatever random order they wish.

Rebirth.

Rebirth or resurrection or awakening or whatever you may call it. Seeing something or someone for the first time in all its truth, even though it was right in front of you the whole time.

It’s like you don’t often fully appreciate the freedom that most of us have had since our childhood. Until we reach a certain age, we are dependant on our parents for nutrition, clothing, safety and love. When we start developing our own personalities, our own curiosities and our own opinions, our parents allow us to explore all these different things. We are allowed to fall, so that we can teach ourselves to rise. We are allowed to hurt, so that we can teach ourselves to heal. We are allowed to play, so that we can learn the importance of connecting with others and ourselves.

I guess sometimes our parents never full explain themselves in the way that we would understand. This is no fault of their own, they are just trying to do the best for their children. As adults and we think about some of the things our parents taught us, suddenly make sense and we can laugh about it, or cry about it, and most importantly appreciate it.

So what happens when you have not had freedom in your life? What we call freedom, could be another persons prison.

Which ‘world’ is the right world to exist in. The West and East continue to fight about this debate today. The West sees their world as one of freedom of expression and speech, democracy, just and full of opportunity. The East sees their world as one of tradition, spirit, discipline and faith. Both East and West see each other’s worlds as suppressing, controlling, corrupt, and faithless.

What is comes down to, is that everyone should be allowed the freedom…of choice.

And when you come across another that has not been able to share in this gift, you are astounded as first, but then a sense of deep sadness overcomes you. Ignorance is, indeed, bliss. We see it on tv, but it remains an image on a screen, it does not become real because the reality of it would overwhelm us too greatly. When it does become a reality – your reality – then it sets off little alarm bells in your head. You are taken back in time to your memories to reflect, remember and appreciate the good in your life.

I saw the Matrix again last night, and every time I see it, I see it in a new light. On a literal level, it seems quite straightforward. But scratch the surface, free your mind, and you will discover that the Matrix is like a metaphor for the world we live in. The Wachowski brothers probably scribbled a little P.S. note when they finished the script saying: “THINK FOR A MOMENT ABOUT YOUR EXISTENCE. What is the Matrix, you ask? Something that's closer to reality than you think.”

One of my favorite verbal exchanges is between arch enemies and nemesis’s Agent Smith and Neo when they are finally having the fight that will end all fights.

Agent Smith: Why, Mr. Anderson? Why do you do it? Why get up? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you're fighting for something? For more that your survival? Can you tell me what it is? Do you even know? Is it freedom? Or truth? Perhaps peace? Yes? No? Could it be for love? Illusions, Mr. Anderson. Vagaries of perception. The temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself, although only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now. You can't win. It's pointless to keep fighting. Why, Mr. Anderson? Why? Why do you persist?

Neo: Because I choose to.

So I will end this rambling of thoughts with something from Mother Teresa:

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is a beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is life, fight for it.

Then there are days when I feel that sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past …stop planning the future…stop trying to figure out precisely how we feel…stop deciding with our mind what we want our heart to feel and sometimes we just have to go with "whatever happens…happens".

How I love contradiction !!

Thanks Dimple Boffin and Lobelia for another inspiring and energetically, spirit fused weekend!

Peace, love and safe travels
Orangeblossom xxx

Proudly South African!

What does it mean to be South African?

Besides having it printed on your birth certificate and passport. Every nationality has its own culture, quirks, expressions etc and one way or another you always end up carrying a bit of this culture with you, wherever in the world you may find yourself. One tends to notice our unique Saffer tendencies more when you are out of SA, andyou cant help but wonder where and how on earth we came up with these expressions.

Those of you who have lived in London – you know exactly what I am talking about. You can see and hear the boereseuns with their khaki shorts and Springbok jerseys on, and you cringe. And we don’t cringe because we are offended by them, or think that we would react the same way if we were back home. I just guess that they represent a sort of extreme type of Saffer and that you don’t want them parading around giving other people the “wrong” or extreme impression of us. I know that sounds extremely judgemental (ok I admit, it is judgemental of me!) but when you step out of your country and into another, your views and opinions inevitably change. For the better or for the worst.

Sometimes I go down into London and I just don’t want to be around fellow Saffers (besides my precious Saffer friends from back home) because you see the change in them. We do have a reputation for sticking together, staying in our little clicks. You end up thinking “Is this how we really act? Or is it just for show? Is it a rebellion of sorts or celebration of new found independence that causes this change in behaviour?” It is like we rediscover our patriotism!

Like food that you suddenly miss (or discover a new affection or craving for!) when you are out of Safferland:

Biltong and droewors
Niknaks, Chappies, Fizzers, Lunch bars, Tex bars, Super C’s, Jelly tots
Mrs Balls chutney
Pronutro
Zoo biscuits, Romany Creams, Marie biscuits, Tennis biscuits, Ouma rusks
Fanta Grape, Sparletta Cream Soda and Lemon Twist, Milo, Rooibos Tea

Ok, so that might be an extreme look at things, but I think that it all boils down to that we are all really proud of being a South African (no matter what the current state of affairs is there) and we want the world to know about it how beautiful our country and her people are.

Our South Africanisms become even more apparent and obvious when you surrounded by non-Saffers (like Aussies, Kiwis, Pommies) and other nationalities even though to try explain our unique social, political, religious, geographical divisions to a foreigner can be quite complex and long winded. You just want to hand them “An Idiots Guide” because our culture is so rich and diverse, that one really has to experience it.

I will always remember one time in Australia, Shireen, Shae (my cousin) and I went to the shop and bought some goodies. Anyway Shireen has bought two things (I struggle to remember if they were chocs, drinks or food! Porridge brain alert!) and Shae asked if she was going to have them both at the same time. To which Shireen replied: “No, I am having this one so long, and the other Ill have just now.” I merely nodded my head in understanding. But Shae just stared blankly at us and asked “Sorry, what on earth did you just say? Are you speaking English? How can you have something so long? How long? Whats long? And Just now? That doesn’t even make sense!” We ended up hosing (see definition below!) ourselves and my aunt (who had been to SA, and had married a Saffer) just shook her head – she understands that while most of us speak Saffers speak fluent English, that doesn't mean you'll always understand what we're talking about!

A beginner's guide to the real South African language and culture:

Ag
This one of the most useful South African words. Pronounced like the "ach" in the German "achtung", it can be used to start a reply when you are asked a tricky question, as in: "Ag, I don't know." Or a sense of resignation: "Ag OK, I'll have some more mieliepap then." It can stand alone too as a signal of irritation.

Amped (Full of energy)
Usually induced by adrenaline, feeling wired or high on fear, either before paddling into a huge ocean, or the sheer stoke of being alive afterwards.

Aweh ('Ah-wear') (Greeting) eg "Aweh my bru" (Hello my friend) Also howzit, yooit, hoesit, yo.

Braai (pronounced br-eye)
What is a braai? It is the first thing you will be invited to when you visit South Africa. A braai is a backyard barbecue and it will take place whatever the weather.

Babalaas ('Bub-ba-lars')
The hangover from hell, fondly called a "Barbie". The Babalas is no mythical beast. But look at yourself in the mirror and you'll wonder as you examine that furry tongue slithering in a mumbling, parched mouth, puffy eyelids scraping bloodshot eyeballs.

Bakkie
This word is pronounced "bucky" and can refer to a small truck or pick-up. Boerewors (vorse)Farmstyle sausage or "wors". (Literally, "Farmers Sausage"). It is a spicy sausage made from hundreds of secret recipes all over the Platteland and beyond. It is consumed in vast quantities on braais all over the country.

Brew (Beer)
"Buy me a brew bru." (Buy me a beer mate)Bru ('Broo'), broer , brah, bro, bree, brahdeen(Brother, friend, mate, china, buddy) Variations include brah, bru, broer, bror, bro, bra, brra and brah. It's from the Afrikaans word for brother (broer), which is pronounced 'broo' with a roll of the rrr at the end. That's why lazy English speakers adopted only the 'broo' sound.

Cooldrink, colddrink
This is the common term for a soda. Ask for a soda in South Africa and you will receive a club soda. Coca-Cola is a colddrink or cooldrink.

Check (Look, do you see?)
"You check" (See what I mean? Do you follow? Are you with me?) or "Check this out" (Look at this) or "Are you checking me skeef?" (Are you looking at me crooked - do you want to fight me?)

China (A friend) And a colleague or acquaintance, or someone you don’t know at all.

Chuck (Depart, leave, go, split,) "Let's chuck."

Dof ('Dorf')
(Afrikaans – “not bright”, “dull”) Stupid. Dunce. Someone who is dof, is not necessarily that way all the time. It is often used to describe a temporary loss of brain cells. It can also be used as a noun "You doffie." (You stupid person)

Doss (Sleep) or take a nap of kip

Dop
A dop is a drink, a cocktail, a sundowner, a noggin.

Eina (‘aynah’)
Widely used by all language groups, this word, means "ouch."

Fully
This is also an affirmation. If this was the question: "Did you check that?” this might be the answer: "Fully bru."

Guava ('gwava')
Apart from meaning the fruit, South Africans use guava as an alternative name for a bottom, backside, bum or butt. "His skateboard hit a rock and he fell on his guava."

Hone (Stink) eg "Your feet hone bru"!

Hose (Laugh) eg "He was hosing himself when he fell in the pool."

Hey
Often used at the end of a sentence to emphasize the importance of what has just been said, as in "You're only going to get donnered if you come in late again, hey?" It can also stand alone as a question. Instead of saying "excuse me?" or "pardon me?" when you have not heard something directed at you, you can always say: "Hey?"
Howzit
This is a universal South African greeting, and you will hear this word throughout the country. It is often accompanied with the word "Yes!" as in: "Yes, howzit?". In which case you answer "No, fine."

Isit? (Izzit?)
This conversational word is used widely and in response to just about anything. Derived perhaps from the English way of saying "Is it really?" If you don't feel like participating in a conversation with a dik ou at a braai, but don't wish to appear rude, just say "Isit" at appropiate gaps in his description of how he decapitated a Kudu with his bare hands.

Jawelnofine
This is another conversation fallback. Derived from the four words:
"yes", "well", "no" and fine", it roughly means "OK". If your bank manager tells you your account is overdrawn, you can, with confidence, say: "Jawelnofine."

Jislaaik (pronounced yis-like)
This is an expression of surprise, as in: "Jislaaik, I can't believe that I won the national lottery!"

Just now (In a little bit)
Universally used in South Africa, If someone says he will do it "just now", be warned. It might be in 10 minutes, 10 hours or never. "I'll clean my room just now, Ma." If someone says "now now", you're making progress. It won't be done immediately, or instantly, but probably less than 10 minutes, barring distractions that relegate it back to "just now".

Klap ('klup')
An Afrikaans word meaning smack, whack or spank. If you spend too much time in front of the TV during exam time, you could end up getting a "klap" from your mother. In America, that is called child abuse. In South Africa, it is called promoting education.

Koki (pronounced koh-key) - A coloured marker or felt-tip pen.

Kak ('Kuk')
This is used in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways, in exactly the same way as the word "shit". Hence, "Don’t talk kak" or "Don’t give me kak" or "You're so full of kak” or “Having a kak day” or “He is in the kak” …

Lappie (pronounced luppie) - A cloth used for various cleaning purposes. It might be a kitchen cloth or the oil rag that your china is using while he works on his car.

Lame (Weak, feeble) "That was a lame excuse,bru."

Lank (A lot, much, many)
It’s used as an all-encompassing South African adjective to boost the size of things, whether objects, emotions, or whatever. "There are lank people in the water.", "I dig her lank."

Larny (Fancy, designer clothes, snob, friend)
A number of variations on a word denoting someone who is well-dressed, or designer clothes, or a well-to-do function. The person can be larney. The clothes can be larney as in "Jees, you are wearing larney clothes." or "Why are you dressed so larney?"

Lightey ('laai-tie')
Is a youngster eg "That lightey is a pretty good surfer, for a grommet." (That boy surfs well, considering he belongs to a lower caste)

Loskop (Afrikaans: "Loose Head")
Absent minded, forgetful . Someone with plenty of space between the ears for the brain to rattle around in.

Lekker
An Afrikaans word meaning nice, this word is used by all language groups to express approval. If you enjoyed a braai thoroughly, you can say: "Now that was lekk-errrrrrr!" while drawing out the last syllable.

Naught (No, Oh no!)
Used like "nooit". "Naught bru! Don't drop in on me again or I'll moer you with a pole." (No mate! Don't try and steal my wave or I will beat you with a pole.)

Now Now (In a little while)
"We're going surfing now now." (We're about to go surfing. Exactly when? Well, that depends on how long we take to finish watching the video and putting on the roofracks). The good thing about Now Now is that it is probably going to happen quicker than the even more flexi-time "Just now."

Padkos ('put-koss')(Afrikaans – lit. “road food”)
Food for the journey. Padkos is usually a few sarmies (sandwiches), some cooldrinks, chips, fruit and maybe a lekker stukkie biltong.

Park off (Chill out) When you park off, you sit down and relax. It can also mean to sit down, as in, "Pete, why don’t you park here?"

Poepol ('Poo-pawl')
Idiot, twit. Enough said.

Robot (Traffic light)
Peculiar way of describing a traffic light. But then, we only got TV in the mid 1970s. Sometimes they pronounce the word "row-bow". An example of usage would be when giving directions: "Turn left at the second robot."

Rock up
To rock up is to just, sort of arrive (called "gatecrash" in other parts of the world). You don't make an appointment or tell anyone you are coming - you just rock up. Friends can do that but you have to be selective about it. For example, you can't just rock up for a job interview.

Rooibos (Red bush tea)
This tannin-free herb tea comes mostly from the Clanwilliam area of the Western Cape. It is made from the Aspalathus linearis bush. Homesick South Africans buy it from gourmet stores around the world, even if they don't like it.

Sarmie (Sandwich) Kids sometimes take a sarmie to school in the morning.

Scale
To scale something is to steal it. A person who is "scaly" has a doubtful character, is possibly a scumbag, and should rather be left off the invitation list to your next braai.

Schlep (Hassle, hard work) "It's such a schlep working for someone."

Shot (Thanks, goodbye, yours sincerely)
"Shot bru", "Shot Dot", "Shot". You will end your letter, "Shot, Peter" You will say "shot bru" when you say goodbye to a friend. You will also say, "shot" when your bru (mate) buys you a brew (beer).

Sjoe ('Shoe') (Afrikaans expletive)
"Sjoe broer, that wave was awesome." Also shew and shewee.

Skeef ('Skee-urf') (Afrikaans - Bent, crooked, provocative)
A classic saying heard in bars around South Africa is "Are you checking me skeef, China?" (Are you looking at me funny, brah?)

Skeem ('Scheme')(Think, opinion)
"You skeem?" (You think so?) "What do you skeem?" (What do you think?)

Skedonk (Afrikaans) Battered car. A really beaten up old jalopy.

So long
Meaning ‘in the meantime’

Sosatie (Kebab)
Made from either chicken, lamb or beef, this is often interspersed with pieces of tomato, green pepper, onion and sometimes fruit, especially apricot.

Stukkend ('Stuk-int')(Afrikaans – broken.)
Broken, ruined, finished, wrecked, to the extreme. There are a number of variations, such as "I'm going to moer you stukkend if you do that again" (I am going to beat you senseless if you do that again". "When she left me my heart was stukkend" (my heart was smashed tight with despair), "I was stukkend last night" (wrecked) or "I smaak you stukkend" (I dig you lank).

Sukkel ('Sukul')(Afriikaans – Struggle, have difficulty with) eg "With the current so strong the surfers are sukkeling out there today."

Swak (‘swuk’)(Bad, nasty, downer) A disappointed surfer will choon, "Swak bru, the surf is flat."

Samoosa (pronounced suh-moo-suh) - A small, spicy, triangular-shaped pie that has been deep-fried in oil. Made by the Indian and Malay communities, samoosas are popular with South Africans in general.

Shame
Unlike elsewhere in the world, this is an expression that broadly denotes sympathetic feeling. For example, when admiring a baby someone might say: "Ag shame!" to indicate that the baby is cute.

Skinner
Gossip, as in: "Hey china, have you heard the latest skinner?" Someone who talks behind someone's back is known as a skinnerbek. Example: "Jislaaik bru, I'm going to donner that skinnerbek for skinnering about me." Translation: "Gee my friend, I'm going to hit that guy for gossiping about me behind my back."

Skrik
This word means fright and will often be used as follows: "I caught a big skrik." You'll catch a skrik when there is a sudden noise behind your back or if a car veers in front of you on the highway.

Slap chips (pronounced slup chips) - French fries, usually soft, oily and vinegar-drenched, bought in a brown paper bag. "Slap" is an Afrikaans word meaning "limp", which is how French fries are generally made here.

Slip-slops, slops
Sandals or rubber thongs worn to the beach. These usually have a thin strap between the big toe and the toe next to it. Not to be worn with socks!

Spanspek - The South African word for cantaloupe.

Still - Often used to mean "on the other hand", as in "Still ... you never know." It is also used in place of "nonetheless" or "regardless".

Tackies
These are sneakers or running shoes. The word is also used to describe automobile or truck tires. "Fat tackies" are really wide tires, as in: "You've got lekker fat tackies on your V?, hey?"

Tjommie (“chômmy”)(Originally Afrikaans - Mate, friend, bru)
Slightly old fashioned Afrikaans word that originates from the quaint Victorian word "Chum". Not to be confused with chumming, when you throw gore into the water to attract sharks. That's not a lekker way to treat your chinas, especially if they are surf "tjommies".

Tune grief
To be tuned grief is to be aggravated, harassed. For example, if you argue with somebody about a rugby game at a braai and the person had too much dop, he might easily get aggravated and say.: "You're tuning me grief, hey!". To continue the argument after this could be unwise and result in major tuning of grief.

Yissus, yerre, yussus, yurruh (Expression of surprise)
Many use it without knowing where it comes from. It's an expression of surprise, or fear, or shock.


Still my tjommies, you check what I am trying to say?! Ag, I must chuck now now and skeem I go find a place to park off and munch my lekker sarmie and drink my rooibos. Have a lank cool weekend hey!!

Peace, love, and safe travels
Orangeblossom xxx

My Path To Healing & Spiritual Growth

I am not sure where to start with this, my thoughts filter in and out so fast, that I need to consciously grab them and stick them all together in a little box somewhere in my brain – so they tend to get jumbled up and scrambled!

I have taken out a book called “The Idiots Guide to Buddism” because I have been gaining an interest in more Eastern philosophies and religions. Not that I am about to pack up my bags, trek to the Himalayas, shave my head and spend the rest of my days in deep mediation in a monastery (although how good does that sound?!!)

Why journey on a path of enlightenment? Why go through this “Spiritual Growth”?

Can it even be defined? Is it to find the meaning of life?Is it to find your self?Is it to get rid of the Self itself?Is it to become a better person?Is it to become a greater person?Is it to become enlightened?Is it to become at all?

Maybe, but there is this extract from The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying that can perhaps simply shed some light on our spiritual growth and why is it so hard to keep it nourished and flourishing:

I walk down the street

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I fall in.

I am lost.

I am hopeless.

It isn't my fault.

It takes forever to find a way out.

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I pretend I don't see it.

I fall in again.

I can't believe I'm in the same place again.

But it isn’t my fault.

It still takes long time to get out.

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I see it is there.

I still fall in, it's a habit.

My eyes are open.

I know where I am.

It is my fault.

I get out immediately.

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I walk around it.

I walk down another street.

My interpretation of this, is that instead of trying to ignore or forget our faults, disappointments, tragedies and failures – perhaps we should embrace and face up to them. Embrace them because without them, we would cease to find out just how high we can rise from the ashes.

Buddhism actually teaches that the essence of the unenlightened life IS suffering.

In my times of sadness, regret, pity, anger, heartache I often push myself to move on and be strong about it. But sometimes I don’t want to be this pillar of strength, I just want to grieve, feel the emptiness and sadness wash over me, as if I was lying on a deserted beach and allowing the tide to flow in, to a point where I am eventually drowning in the waves around me. But then with a gasp, I surface and breathe in the light that I couldn’t see in the darkness I was in.

You cannot find the Light unless you enter the darkness. There is always light – in life and in the people in your own life.

Some of the worst things and feelings that we experience at some point in our lives:

Being told that someone is better than you. Knowing that you're being lied to. Letting yourself be beat down. Crying hard. Losing someone close. Watching yourself fade away. Falling apart because you're alone. Being alone when you're falling apart. Hating yourself. Not being good enough. Being mad at someone because you're mad at yourself. Best friends falling apart. Being on the sidelines. Breaking up. Falling out of love. Being used. Being made fun of. Changing for someone else.

Whenever we are struck by such hardships in our lives, we tend to focus very inwardly and inflict unnecessary self blame. We ask “Why did this happen to me?” instead of saying “Ok this has happened. Now what lesson can be learnt from it?”

But perhaps we need to go through these trials and heartaches, to fully grow and move on. I found the following quote on a website called

www.boardofwisdom.com and I think it rings so true:

“Happiness needs sadness. Success needs failure. Benevolence needs evil. Love needs hatred. Victory needs defeat. Pleasure needs pain. You must experience and accept the extremes. Because if the contrast is lost, you lose appreciation; and when you lose appreciation, you lose the value of everything.” - Philippos

Through pain, we heal.

I think to start our own healing process, we need to forgive. Not just each other, but also ourselves.

The dictionary defines the word forgive as: to pardon, as to for-give an enemy; to cease to feel resentment for, as to forgive an offense.

Often times after we have been emotionally, physically or spiritually hurt, the pain quickly turns to anger and resentment. We go over the episodes of the past in our heads, re-living each painful moment again and again like a never-ending nightmare. Each time we do this the old feelings surface and we once again feel the gut-wrenching pain the person caused us. By doing this we are living in the past instead of the present and if we hold on to resentment, along with anger, hate, jealousy and other negative emotions. These will eat you up inside and can cause actual physical ailments and disease if they are not recognized and released.

By forgiving you are taking away the control the other person has over you. You are empowering yourself and growing by spiritual leaps and bounds. You will heal deep-rooted pain that perhaps you thought was gone a long time ago but has survived, living under all of the resentment that you have held onto for so long.

How do we release resentment and offer forgiveness? Try to begin by sending your loving thoughts and forgiveness to that person who has wronged you. Most importantly, you need to forgive yourself first and take responsibility for your own choices and actions towards that person as well. The pain you hold in your heart will slowly pour out, and you will be left feeling better about yourself and the other person.

The next time you think of the act of forgiveness, try not to only see the other person as the only recipient. You are the most important recipient involved, and you are well worth it.

To forgive is a freedom and a gift to others, and yourself. By forgiving, you are one step closer to your journey of self-growth and healing.

I am not an expert on healing, and I don’t claim to have all the answers (I wish I did! But then again that would defeat the purpose of my own existence), I am just a little seedling that has been planted in the garden of spiritual enlightenment – I crave and seek the sunshine of love and the water of knowledge.

Peace, Love and Healing
Orangeblossom xxx

Motivational Inspiration

Whenever I have seen these amazingly beautiful pictures, I always stare at them and marvel at the photographers’ talent in capturing the essence of motivational thought in one single shot.

Tyran is my inspiration for this posting, for somehow he gets me to delve deeper into my own philosophies about life. Like the timeless question begs “Why are we here?” “What is our purpose?”. Who knows really, I just think that instead of trying to live up to a lifestyle we have been sold, we should live LIFE in all its essence. And in this materialistic world, it is difficult to find life’s simple pleasures. But they are all around us, in the air we breathe, the raindrops that glisten on the grass, the sun that warms our core, and most apparent it can always be found in the people we hold closest to our hearts. The small, everyday moments that we take for granted. The best things in life, are indeed, in every sense of the words…free and freeing.

I have chosen those that I felt compelled and drawn to. Ones which resonate within me, at this specific moment in time. I have added underneath each picture and quote, and also my own interpretation of what each means to me.

Assurance
"Have the courage to follow your convictions."

Assurance that no matter what others may think or say, you still manage to find that courage within you to do what you feel is right for you. These days, encouragement is not freely given, there are so many external pressure surrounding us, and we are expected to deal with so many emotions on our own, we forget that we hold the power to give assurance, to and for ourselves.

Attitude
"It is in the ability to open our eyes and mind where limitless wonders are discovered."

It is attitude, not aptitude that ultimately defines our characters. A good attitude is about being able to see things, and indeed people, from all angles. To respect and consider those around us in whatever we do. Having a good attitude towards ourselves, to stay positive and believe in our own convictions and values.

Balance

“I am one with my body. I am one with my mind. I am one with my soul.”

To achieve a sense of balance in today’s world is a struggle on its very own. I think we all have our own balances, our own needs. To strive for balance is a delicate task, but as long as we are conscious of the need for our own balance, then the battle is half won.

Challenge
"Push yourself to the limits and experience wonders you never imagined."

So often the easiest route turns out to be the route so often traveled. Those that choose to take the road less traveled, are more fulfilled because they can appreciate and recognise what the challenge brings them. When reaching the summit of the mountain, you look out beyond the horizon and know that the limits you pushed yourself to, were worth it in the end, and you would do it all over again.


Commitment
"The strongest force in the world is the genuine and everlasting act of commitment. Commit yourself to find the source of your spirit."

Commitment brings such connotations of rigidness and confinement. But true commitment (whether it be commitment to a specific cause, to your work, to your studies, to another person) will never feel like a burden when it come from within you, from your own truth, always pushing you to be the best person you can be.


Communicate
“Build bridges, not walls.”

Communication is said to be the key to any successful venture or relationship. How true you realise this when it is not present. So often miscommunication leads to unnecessary or unintentional emotional harm. To be able to communicate effectively to others, I think one needs to be able to communicate with themselves first. To be able to know yourself and know your own truth, so that whenever you communicate, it will always be open, honest and sincere.

Courage
“Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it.”

The word freedom sends me images of William Wallace (in Braveheart) and how he had the courage to fight for not only his own freedom, but the freedom of his countrymen. Courage to express and defend your beliefs, views and opinions despite what backlash you may receive from strangers, but from those closest to you too. For when you have that kind of courage, you are indeed free.

Dedication
"It is the effort of many that create the ripples that can move mountains."

To have dedication to be able to envision the valley in spite of the mountains blocking your path. And dedication to work towards that vision, you will inspire others to see the valley too.

Determination
“There is in this world no greater force than the force of a man determined to rise.”

Determination of the human spirit is unparallel. When you see people stuck by disaster (be it natural or technological), and how they rise above the rubble to start over again. One can only hope that if that happened to us, we would be able to act with such bravery and hope. For what the mind and spirit can conceive and believe, it can and will achieve, through sheer determination for survival.

Discovery
"Wisdom comes to the inquisitive mind."

I often tell people that they should travel, because they will encounter so much beauty, culture and people. Curiosity of the unknown should be embraced and discovered for your self. Your own wisdom is gained through everything and everyone you discover and rediscover.

Imagination
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

If only we could imagine like when we were children. Children’s imaginations are so pure and colourful, and perhaps even enviable to us ‘adults’. We so often hold back our imaginations, for fear of failure or ridicule. But without imagination, we would not have dreams, and without dreams, we would cease to live a life full of rich rainbows.

Risk
“Fate loves the fearless.”

Sometimes I think that when we jump in and take a risk, that is when we are offered and given the most. Whether your risk brings you what you wanted in the first place, it pushes you to your limits. A risk is only a risk, if you have hold it against what or who you may lose from it. But it is only for yourself that you take the leaps of faith, for that faith will always lead you back or towards your own fate.

Beauty
“Appreciate Simplicity.”

I try to find both the conventional and unconventional beauty in nature in people. Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder and should not be judged or scrutinized. We are blessed with such immense beauty all around us, one just needs to really open their eyes to greet the flood of beauty that exists everywhere and in everyone.

Opportunity
"Where there is an open window there exists limitless opportunity."

There is so much opportunity for us to grab, but too often we just stare at the wall instead of opening the door. The limitless opportunity that is awaiting and is there for the taking, its whether we decide to take the chance to find out where it will eventually lead us, that perhaps hold us back.

Purpose
"You will never know what you can achieve unless you try."

Every one has a purpose in their lifetime. Whether it is a purpose to the greater good, to their job, to their family or to themselves. We each have a role to play in this existence and it is not up to us to judge or question one another’s motive or intentions to this purpose. Sometimes our purpose lays dormant and only discovered later on in life. Or we have an idea of what our purpose may be, but do not know how to act upon it. It is the knowledge or consciousness of this purpose that will ultimately push us to try and fulfill it. And there is never any harm in trying, only failing to try.

Serenity
"There is always a time and a place for peaceful reflections and kind acts."

In my random moments of quiet solitude and reflection, I feel that what we really need and desire in our lives are simple and so attainable. Peace. Love. Happiness. Peace will lead to love and love will lead to happiness.

The Easter Weekend Getaway & Smurf Village

Everything always seems a bit delayed and backwards after a long weekend. I woke up this morning feeling unsettled, thanks to a disturbing dream I had that took me back to high school with a serial psycho stalker after me! Then I found myself running after my regular bus (which was 5 minutes early – unheard of!), but I guess the festive Easter spirit had worn off him and he failed to stop for me.

So my day was already off to a rocky and unstable start, but my mood was lifted when I saw an article in the Metro newspaper about a Smurf holiday resort in Turkey with little Smurf mushroom bungalows – they looked so cute! I want one!!! I have attached a picture so you can share in my excitement!

So I was away this weekend down to visit Natasha and Jade down in Surrey. On Thursday night the moon was so magnificent – I looked out the window and felt like I could almost touch its cratered face. I really think the moon plays on our moods by touching the earth with its lunar energy!

Back in London with Jo and Shazz we had good intentions of visiting the Natural History Museum, but the queue was just so long, so we ventured to another museum and wandered about at the various sculptures, photography and architecture. In this one room they have these cavernous medieval archways that you can just stare at and marvel.

On Sunday we went to Hyde Park (I wanted to have our own little mini easter egg hunt, but that flew out the window when we came to Speaker Corner). You can really get lost in Hyde Park (smaller than New York’s Central Park, but it still carries its own unique energy) and stroll around the pathways, gardens, or just slump down on an open patch of grass and people watch. Anyway we joined the gathering at Speaker’s Corner…now for those that haven’t heard of this corner, here is a briefing that I found which explains it down to a tee…

“Located on the corner of Park Lane and Cumberland Gate, opposite Marble Arch tube, Speakers' Corner is the spiritual home of the British democratic tradition of soapbox oratory. Every Sunday since the right of free assembly was recognised in 1872, people from all walks of life have gathered to listen to speeches about anything and everything.

Amongst those who have attended meetings there, are the some of the most influential figures in world history like Karl Marx, Fredrick Engels and Lenin. Even Cromwell's corpse was hung up here in a cage for public display, after he had died as a warning to others who might wish to abolish the Monarchy. Speaker's Corner has had a more powerful influence than any "university" in the world, because here there are no entry requirements, no rules of intellectual formality and above all no class restrictions. It is as Leslie James the Hyde Park pamphleteer wrote a fitting location to represent "the century of the common man."
Tens of thousands of people come to Speaker's Corner once or twice a year, thousands more who come 5-10 times a year, and hundreds who come virtually through hell or high water. When you consider that there is nothing to buy here, there is no music, just human interaction without the mediation of machines and without any protection from the weather you begin to get a small glimpse of the significance of this place.

The human brain is however not static but undergoing constant change, a person may think one thing, and yet internally have doubts. Speaker's Corner may be seen as a dynamic refection of mass psychology in that you have here people from every walk of life, every class, and almost every country.
Speaker's Corner is perhaps the most dynamic mirror of human consciousness in the world.”

We ended up standing listening to this one guy standing on a ladder (I think his name was Nicholas) for hours, he was just so informative. With every verbal attack, he backed up his case with facts, figures and logic. It is a place that can easily make or break your faith or beliefs. After an information overload, our brains were feeling pretty wired, so we took a time out and lay on the grass for a while and fell asleep to the chirping birds and muffled sounds of people passing us by. We lay there enclosed in our own little bubble of white light and comfort.

On Monday I left London in the afternoon and made my way back up to Coventry. Along the way, I was totally wrapped up in my own thoughts. Like I was having a full conversation with myself with those little voices in my head that are always there. As long as they are my own little voices hey! But I was just thinking about how ones choices can change your life in so many ways. Like by taking one choice, opens doors to places and people that you would not have met or encountered if you had made the alternative choice. Sometimes we just focus so much energy on making the right choice and seeing the choices in black and white, that your indecision or procrastinating about the decision ends up becoming another choice. You are choosing to not make a choice yet.

Being overseas since I finished school, has forced me to make so many choices, that when I analyse each one, I get lost in such an intricate web of my own fate and destiny. I try not to dwell on each choice in my life, because that would just cause doubt within my self about the choices I made. Instead I am reflecting on my choices, seeing the good and experience it has brought me, and how it has contributed to my own inner growth. We can’t go back in time, yet we are so stuck in our own pasts, that we rarely embrace the present. We so often judge people by the ‘emotional baggage’ they carry, instead of seeing them in the present, how they are right now before us.

There are two sayings that I think of now when writing this, one says “Each horse thinks its pack is the heaviest” and the other “I complained because I had no shoes, until I met a man with no feet.”

I am not really sure if there is a point to my ramblings, but then again I don’t think there always needs to be a point. Sometimes you just want to air out your thoughts, before they become lost in the cobwebs of our minds.

Anyway I hope that whatever choices you make today and in the tomorrows, may you always follow your own truth.

Love, Peace and Safe Travels
Orangeblossom xxx

For the Eyes of Fellow Self Confessed Bookworms!

“A good book is the precious life-bloodof a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life.” - John Milton

In recent years, I have become quite the avid reader. Luckily I have grown up surrounded by people who share this love of reading and I was exposed and encouraged to read books about various subjects and stories.

I cant say I have a favorite ‘type’ of book as I love books based on fiction, non-fiction, history, and ones of the mind, body and spirit nature. Heck, lately I read about environmental and earth sciences! They all feed and satisfy my curiosity, and there is always more to learn and read up on.

I love it when you are told about a specific book by a friend or acquaintance, and then you are just randomly wandering about and you either see the book staring back at you. Or when you are in the bookstore or library, just browsing, and low and behold, there is the book! I’ts like once the title or story reaches your ears, it travels with you until the moment it all come back knocking on your conscious memory when the time is right. Its not just about the book, it’s about the exchange and sharing of knowledge.

Maybe that is why people get excited when they have both read a fantastic book – like we are sharing a universal book clubbers secret.

Books can connect and reach us in many ways, it can strike a cord within our very souls, without even trying to. It can take us to lands and worlds we never dreamt or imagine could exist, authors take us to the depths of their own imaginations.

If you have ever read the Harry Potter books, you will know what I am talking about. It is as if J.K Rowling casts her very own spell upon your mind and your eyes are immediately fixated and totally locked onto the pages that lead you right into Hogwarts. And you become addicted!

So I will share with you my most recent literary discoveries, and please feel free to do the same.

I have listed “The Invitation” by Oriah Mountain Dreamer, “The Time Travellers Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger, and “Empress Orchid” by Anchee Min. I loved all these books for various reasons, mostly because they made me smile, laugh (and even cry!) and left me with a happy glow :)

The Invitation - by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

"It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.

I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.It doesn’t interest me how old you are.I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...

I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade itor fix it.I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true.

I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence.I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.

I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here.

I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keepin the empty moments.”

The poem is a challenge to us and in this accessible and inspiring book Oriah Mountain Dreamer tells us how to meet that challenge.

The Invitation is more than just a poem. It is a profound invitation to a life that is more fulfilling and passionate, with greater integrity. She (Oriah Mountain Dreamer) invites readers to get a life instead of buying into a lifestyle. This book is a word-of-mouth sensation, whose truths have resonated with people all over the world.

She has created a pathway beyond the comfortable and the mundane into that which challenges and repels you. By addressing the edges of your personality and sensitivities, you can build on and extend your awareness and your reality in honest ways that better fit your inner self. The book is propelled from the author's emotionally intense vision of her life as expressed in this question: "Did I love well?"

Although her personal examples are simply there to help your own journey, their poignancy touched me deeply. If you are like me, you will admire the honesty and openness of her sharing. She has had two failed marriage and many failed relationships. She has had friends who experienced horrible personal setbacks. You will be seared by the pain, the truth, and the beauty in these experiences. And you will be the better for the vicarious experience.

The book is broken down into the statement of her invitation to follow her spiritual path by dealing with longing, fear, sorrow, joy, betrayal, beauty, failure, commitment, and fire to develop the deep sustenance to allows you to go to your true inner home. Each section contains personal experiences of her point, and ends with valuable meditation exercises to help you find your own "truth" in these areas.

Although the book sounds like another New Age tract, it is actually anti-New Age in many ways . . . especially in favoring emotional and physical reality over spiritual vagueness.

Here is a little of what she has to say on these subjects:

Accepting the Invitation: " . . .[You will experience, not just read about, the ache, the sorrow, the joy, the courage, the peace . . . ."
The Longing: "This is what I ask for: intimacy with myself, others, and the world . . . ."
The Fear: "We are afraid we will not be enough." " . . . Desire . . . brings the ecstasy of falling more deeply in love with my own life every day . . . ."
The Sorrow: "If we are strong enough to be weak enough, we are given a wound that never heals." "That wound is the gift that keeps the heart open."
The Joy: "The enemy of joy is the litany of 'not good enough' . . . ."
The Betrayal: "Sometimes, to choose life, we must break agreements; sometimes we must keep them although they are hard to keep."
The Beauty: " . . . Gratitude expands my ability to receive beauty." "It is what pulls us towards life."
The Failure: " . . . Often an attempt to avoid the paralysis of shame."
The Fire: "Difficult to keep our hearts open, to feel the fear and pain."
Finding Our Way Home: "Are you willing to meet yourself and not turn away from what you are?"

After you have finished your spiritual journey with this book as a guide, I suggest that you write out your own examples to match these topics from your own experience. This will make the material more accessible, especially if loving well is not your core reason for being.

Above all, this book is a call to have courage, courage to go beyond the comfortable into the important.

The Time Travelers Wife – by Audrey Niffenegger

This extraordinary, magical novel is the story of Clare and Henry who have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-two and Henry thirty.

Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: periodically his genetic clock resets and he finds himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. His disappearances are spontaneous and his experiences are alternately harrowing and amusing. Their struggle to lead normal lives in the face of a force they can neither prevent nor control is intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

The Time Traveler's Wife depicts the effects of time travel on Henry and Clare's passionate love for each other with grace and humour. Henry travels from the future where most of us are traveling from our pasts. The book and indeed the story itself, may be a metaphor that we are all time traveling anyway, every moment we're bringing baggage from the past, but with Henry, he is bringing baggage from the future.

Above all this story celebrates the importance of love, and its ability to transcend its biggest barrier of all – time.

The Empress Orchid – by Anchee Min

This book tells us the mesmerising story of Orchid, and begins when she is just seventeen. To rescue her family from poverty and avoid marrying her cousin, Orchid competes to be one of the Emperor's wives. When she is chosen as a lower-ranking concubine she enters the erotically charged and ritualised Forbidden City.
But beneath its immaculate facade lie whispers of murders and ghosts, and the thousands of concubines will go to any lengths to bear the Emperor's son. Orchid trains herself in the art of pleasuring a man, bribes her way into the royal bed, and seduces the monarch, drawing the attention of dangerous foes. Little does she know that China will collapse around her, and that she will be its last Empress.

Wonderful detail and characterisation. I particularly liked the way author wove in the historical events in such a way that I didn't skip them as I tend to do. I was gripped by the opulence and customs of the old Empire.

This book is so readable and the story flows beautifully. This novel is full of intricate detail, which really makes the world come alive. It's such a complex, yet readable story, that you can't help but get sucked in right from the start. It is breathtaking, from the first page you are transported into Orchid’s world, you feel her happiness and her pain (there are even points you dare not turn the page as you do not want to find out her fate). You feel every moment with her.

Extract from the book:
“The truth is that I have never been the mastermind of anything. I laugh when I hear people say that it was my desire to rule China from an early age. My life was shaped by forces at work before I was born. The dynasty's conspiracies were old, and men and women were caught up in cut-throat rivalries long before I entered the Forbidden City and became a concubine. My dynasty, the Ch'ing, has been beyond saving ever since we lost Opium Wars to Great Britain and its allies. My world has been inside my head. Not a day has gone by when I haven't felt like a mouse escaping one more trap. For half a century, I participated in the elaborate etiquette of the court in all its meticulous detail. While the men at court sought to impress each other with their intelligence, I hid mine I am like a painting from the Imperial portrait gallery. When I sit on the throne my appearance is gracious, pleasant and placid.”

Many Chinese history books have painted the last empress as cunning and cruel, but in a world that was ruled by men, this was the picture they created of her to hide their own failures and incompetence in resurrecting the empire of Chine back to its full glory.

Through Orchid’s eyes you witness how her dynasty has exhausted its essence as well as the collapse not only of her son, the last emperor, but of China itself.

***

For the Love of Chocolate

Chocolate. Could any one ingredient be more glorious? Doubtful.

In preparing for Easter this weekend, I thought I would post a article all about the wonders and delights that chocolate offers.

Tyran seems to think that I cannot live a day without chocolate, now that I am on a 10 day detox (which I might add is going really well, I have not given in to the chocolate temptation that surrounds me always – I mean sheesh Easter is this weekend and everywhere I go I see chocolate. I see that gorgeously wrapped Lindt bunny giving me the eye silently urging me to eat him!)

But to give Tyran credit, he does know me well…I am a serious chocoholic. But then most of you already know that hey ;)

Since I was a little girl, I loved anything sweet, especially chocolate. Perhaps it all started when I set sights upon Willy Wonka’s psychedelic wonderland full of chocolate rivers, giant edible mushrooms, neverending gobstoppers, lick-able wallpapers and sanctimonious Oompa Loompas. Roald Dahl must have been one serious chocoholic of note!

Nevertheless, I have developed a nose for it. No matter where my mom hid her stash, I always tracked it down and took my just reward! Having said that, I did at least put an IOU note on, just so that she would know it was me (like she didn’t know that already!).

Chemically speaking, chocolate really is the world's perfect food. So says a Mr Michael Levine, nutrition researcher, as quoted in The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars. Well I believe him.

I really don't understand why so many "so called" chocolate lovers complain about the calories in chocolate, when all true chocoholics know that it is a vegetable. It comes from the cocoa bean, beans are veggies, enough said.

I could give up chocolate but I'm not a quitter. Simply put... everyone has a price, mine is chocolate!

And I am not alone! Here are some amusing and factual quotes about chocolate…

“Life is like a box of chocolates...You never know what you're gonna get...”Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump”

"There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with CHOCOLATE.”Linda Grayson "The Pickwick Papers"

“Chocolate causes certain endocrine glands to secrete hormones that affect your feelings and behavior by making you happy. Therefore, it counteracts depression, in turn reducing the stress of depression. Your stress-free life helps you maintain a youthful disposition, both physically and mentally. So, eat lots of chocolate!” Elaine Sherman, Book of Divine Indulgences

“I never met a chocolate I didn't like.” Deanna Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation

“Exercise is a dirty word... Every time I hear it, I wash my mouth out with chocolate.” anon“Nuts just take up space where chocolate ought to be.” anon

“I have this theory that chocolate slows down the aging process.... It may not be true, but do I dare take the chance?” anon

“In the beginning, the Lord created chocolate, and he saw that it was good. Then he separated the light from the dark, and it was better.” anon

“Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done.” anon

So go forth and indulge yourselves in the sweet (or bittersweet, whichever is your fancy!) and heavenly Easter feast of chocolity delights. To deny such pleasure would be sinful...and I am not in such habit to encourage anything that will not soothe your soul and lift your spirits - it's good for you, I promise!

If you still feel that pang of guilt when reaching for those choccy eggs, why not venture to the 'dark side'? I saw an article now on www.skynews.co.uk confirming that dark chocolate is actually good for your heart. Here is the article:

It's the news Easter bunnies have been waiting for - chocolate could be good for you.
Laboratory experiments have suggested that dark chocolate can prevent blood flow problems and stave off heart attacks. It may also prevent arterties from hardening and reduce the risk of a blod clot.
Scientists are so excited about its health benefits that they are planning to prescribe it to heart patients to test it out. The news comes just days before Easter, when millions indulge in copious chocolate egg-eating.
Professor Roger Corder wants to give heart patients four squares of high quality dark chocolate every day.
Dark chocolate contains flavanols which some scientists believe can improve blood flow and reduce the risk of clotting, therefore preventing heart diseasae. They also believe it could lower blood pressure and help prevent strokes.
Prof Corder, head of experimental therapeutics at William Harvey Research Institute in London, has applied for approval to stage a formal trial in which any health benefits will be rigorously recorded.
He said it will be the first time that the effect of dark chocolate has been studied on heart patients who are already receiving traditional treatments.

The History of Chocolate
Most of us think of chocolate as a sweet candy created during modern times, but actually, chocolate dates back to the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica who mixed ground cacao seeds with various seasonings to make a spicy, frothy drink. For these people, chocolate wasn't just a favourite food, it also played an important role in their religious and social lives.

The history of chocolate starts about 2,000 years ago when the tasty secret of the cacao (kah KOW) tree was discovered by ancient Maya, in the tropical rainforests of the Americas. The pods of this tree contain seeds that can be processed into chocolate. The Maya and their ancestors in Mesoamerica took the tree from the rainforest and grew it in their own backyards, where they harvested, fermented, roasted, and ground the seeds into a paste.

By 1400, the Aztec empire dominated a sizeable segment of Mesoamerica. The Aztecs traded with Maya and other peoples for cacao and often required that citizens and conquered peoples pay their tribute in cacao seeds, a form of Aztec money.

Chocolate also played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events. Priests presented cacao seeds as offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies.

The history of chocolate in Europe came during the conquest of Mexico in 1521. The Spaniards recognized the value attached to cacao and observed the Aztec custom of drinking chocolate. Soon after, the Spanish began to ship cacao seeds back home, they doctored up the bitter brew with cinnamon and other spices and began sweetening it with sugar. They managed to keep their delicious drink a Spanish secret for almost 100 years before the rest of Europe discovered what they were missing, but then only those with money could afford to drink it as cacao and sugar were expensive imports. Eventually, to keep up with the demand for chocolate, Spain and many other European nations established colonial plantations for growing cacao and sugar.

For centuries, chocolate remained a handmade luxury sipped only by society's upper crust. But by the 1800s, mass production made solid chocolate candy affordable to a much broader public. The first European chocolate factury was setup in France in 1761 in the town of Bayonne. Exports at the time were limited to mainly Spain and Paris. The first hydraulic machine for crushing and mixing the chocolate paste was invented in 1778 and in 1819 the first steam-powered production plant was built.

Many famous chocolate companies today were founded as family run businesses in Europe such as Van Houten in the Netherlands in 1815, Menier in France in 1824, Cadbury and Rowntree in England; and Suchard, Nestlé, Lindt and Kohler in Switzerland.

After about 1850 the production of chocolate became a global business and production facilities were setup all around the world. To meet the demands of today's global market, chocolate manufacturing relies on both ancient techniques in the field and new technologies in the factory.

What Makes a Good Quality Chocolate?
Chocolate quality is very much dependent on the quality of the raw ingredients and also the care taken during the production process: roasting and crushing the cocoa beans and mixing the cocoa paste with sugar and any other ingredients such as milk.

High quality chocolate is shiny brown, breaks cleanly and is smooth, not containing any lumps, bubbles or white specs. Good chocolate should melt on the tongue like butter and should taste of pure chocolate rather than cocoa powder.

Fine chocolate should not be greasy or sticky at ambient room temperature. The higher the cocoa butter and vegetable fat content the better, with poor quality chocolates usually lacking sufficient quantities of these. For producing cakes and dessert a chocolate with a high cocoa content is recommended, whereas for decoration and fondants, a chocolate couverture is normally used.

The Milk, The Dark and the White
Chocolate comes in many forms: unsweetened, semi-sweet, bittersweet, milk chocolate and white chocolate (which technically isn't chocolate at all, but does have similarities so we'll include it here as well).

Chocolate is unique among vegetables in that its fat (cocoa butter) is solid at room temperature. Since this fat melts at mouth temperature, chocolate is an excellent flavor conductor. Cocoa powder is made by separating most of the cocoa butter out of the liquor.

Similar to coffee, cacao beans are dried and roasted before being hulled.

"Chocolate liquor", made from the roasted, ground cocoa bean nibs (the meat of the cacao bean) is what makes chocolate chocolate. Thus, unsweetened chocolate is pure chocolate liquor and about 50% cocoa butter. Bittersweet chocolate blends at least 35% liquor with as much as 50% with cocoa butter, sugar and vanilla. Semisweet chocolate has the same ingredients as bittersweet with the addition of more sugar. Milk chocolate, which contains about 10% chocolate liquor, takes the process a step further by adding about 12% milk solids.

White chocolate is made from cocoa butter, milk solids, sugar and vanilla. When buying white chocolate, look for a brand that contains cocoa butter. There are cheaper versions (which by law cannot be called chocolate) that don't contain any cocoa butter, but their flavor is inferior to those that do.

How To Melt Chocolate
Care must be taken when melting chocolate or you can easily end up with a grainy mess.

The lighter the chocolate, the higher the chances of this happening. The most important thing to remember is that chocolate melts better and faster at lower temperatures. Never let your chocolate get above 115° F.

The best method is using a double boiler (one pot that holds the chocolate that fits over another which contains about an inch of simmering water). If you don't have a double boiler, you can use a heat proof bowl which is large enough to be suspended over a pot without its bottom touching the simmering water. Simmer the water over low heat and stir the chocolate often. Remove from the heat as soon as the chocolate is melted and stir until smooth. Be extremely careful not to get any water (not even a drop) into the chocolate. Water will turn the chocolate into a grainy, lumpy mess. If this happens, you can add a little vegetable oil in order to make it smooth again, but this will affect the flavor.

The Swiss vs The Belgians
Who makes the best chocolate? Some argue the Swiss, others the Belgians…well you should make up your own mind, every chocoholic to their own!

Belgian Chocolates
From the beginning of its history in Belgium, chocolate was considered as a gift.In 1912, the Belgian confectionery created the "praline", a filled chocolate mouthful which perfectly complied with its gift vocation. The Belgian chocolate manufacturers take care to select the best cocoa as well as the finest components in order to produce the Belgian chocolate.
The expert Belgian artisans make almost all their chocolate by hand, and take particular pride in its decoration, as this has become a bit like their own, individual signature on the chocolate.

Swiss Chocolates
At the beginning, the Swiss chocolate pioneers had to struggle hard for their subsequent sweet success. In 1875 a Swiss manufacturer, Daniel Peters, found a way to combine chocolate with milk to produce the first milk chocolate. The Swiss pioneers continued to improve the quality and taste of the chocolate giving the country the reputation they have today.Quality Swiss chocolate melts in your mouth like butter. It is smooth and delicious, there is no grit. It does not cling stickily to the palate or leave any after-taste. Its flavour is fine, delicate and unique.

The Price of REAL Chocolate (5 Most expensive chocolate makers)
Chocopologie by Knipschildt = $2,600 per pound
Noka Vintages Collection = $854 per pound
Delafee = $508 per pound
Godiva "G" Collection and Richart = $120 per pound

Don’t feed chocolate to animals!
My mom has a parrot named Buddy. Buddy is the most spoilt parrot on the planet – he gets everything his little parrot heart desires except two things: avocado and …chocolate!

Reason for the later is because in sufficient amounts the theobromine found in chocolate is toxic to animals such as horses, dogs, parrots, and cats (kittens especially) because they are unable to metabolise the chemical effectively. If they are fed chocolate, the theobromine will remain in their bloodstream for up to 20 hours, and these animals may experience epileptic seizures, heart attacks, internal bleeding, and eventually death.

Health benefits – yes there are!!
Recent studies have shown that cocoa or dark chocolate has potent health benefits for people. Dark chocolate, with its high cocoa content, is full of the flavonoids epicatechin and gallic acid, which are antioxidants that help protect blood vessels, promote cardiac health, and prevent cancer. It also has been effectively demonstrated to counteract mild hypertension. In fact, dark chocolate has more flavonoids than any other antioxidant-rich food such as red wine, green and black tea, and blueberries. Chocolate is also a calorie-rich food with a high content of saturated fat, so daily intake of chocolate also requires reducing caloric intake of other foods.

Chocolate as a drug (well we knew that already hey - why else are we addicted?!)
Current research indicates that chocolate is a weak stimulant because of its content of theobromine.

However, chocolate contains too little of this compound for a reasonable serving to create effects in humans that are on par with a coffee buzz. The pharmacologist Ryan J. Huxtable aptly noted that "[Chocolate is] more than a food but less than a drug".

Chocolate also contains caffeine in significant amounts, though less than tea or coffee, according to careful scientific studies and despite a few websites which claim otherwise. Some chocolate products contain synthetic caffeine as an additive.

Pleasure of consuming chocolate (why else do we really eat it?!)
Part of the pleasure of eating chocolate is ascribed to the fact that its melting point is slightly below human body temperature; it melts in the mouth. Chocolate intake has been linked with release of serotonin in the brain, which is thought to produce feelings of pleasure.

Research has shown that heroin addicts tend to have an increased liking for chocolate; this may be because it triggers dopamine release in the brain's reinforcement systems – an effect, albeit a legal one, similar to that of opium.

Chocolate as an aphrodisiac
Romantic lore commonly identifies chocolate as an aphrodisiac. The reputed aphrodisiac qualities of chocolate are most often associated with the simple sensual pleasure of its consumption. More recently, suggestion has been made that serotonin and other chemicals found in chocolate, most notably phenethylamine, can act as mild sexual stimulants. While there is no firm proof that chocolate is indeed an aphrodisiac, giving a gift of chocolate to one's sweetheart is a familiar courtship ritual.

Significant chocolate makers
Popular or historically significant chocolate makers include:
Cadbury (UK)
Caffarel (Italy)
Callebaut (Belgium)
Côte d'Or (Belgium)
Dolfin (Belgium)
Fazer (Finland)
Ferrero SpA (Italy)
J. S. Fry & Sons (UK)
Godiva (US - Formerly Belgium)
Green & Black's (UK)
Hershey's (US)
Kraft Foods (Milka, Suchard, Toblerone, Côte d'Or, and many others)
Lindt & Sprüngli (Sprüngli developed conching) (Switzerland)
Mars Incorporated (M&M's, Dove) (US)
Nestlé (Switzerland)
Neuhaus (Belgium)
Perugina (Italy)
Ritter Sport (Germany)
Teuscher (Switzerland)
Thorntons (UK)