I am... a pacifist

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“I am a lover not a fighter”.  This year I realised that I am definitely not a person who likes fighting.  I do not like conflict or any negativity. If fighting occurs, I would see it as an opportunity to solve a problem, nothing otherwise. 

Punching someone in the nose would create another problem (a nose bleed at least) and would not solve anything. People creating an uproar/awareness about an issue are a totally different story. There is a thin line between trouble makers and activists. One should know where to draw the line. 

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When one takes ‘fighting’ to an entirely new level, it makes me realise that I completely dislike ‘wars’ of any kind. I do not like countries dropping bombs and destroying the environment, the planet and creations of life. It is unnecessary in every sense of the word and extremely selfish!

All in all, I drew a conclusion: I think I was a hippie in my previous life. Why? That is simple: Make love, not war.  Peace out!

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Friends VS Coupling

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Six friends; three guys, three girls. All of these characters are in their 30’s experiencing problems and adventures in their very own comedy sitcom. A perfect description of two ‘different’ series titled Friends and Coupling. One major difference: one is an American series (Friends) and the other English (Coupling).  Both are filmed in front of a live audience. What makes them so different? 

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When one looks at the filmmaking techniques used in these series, one can find a clear differentiation: Friends follows the traditional style of filmmaking by using characteristics of Traditional/Continuity editing while Coupling has a more experimental approach. Instead of following the book, they tend to construct their episodes in an anti-chronological timeline whereas Friends follow the opposite (chronological).

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Also, Coupling makes use of split screens to deliver their message more visually whereas Friends are very dependant on their script. The environment and culture of these two nations has an obvious effect on how these sitcoms are produced. It is extremely refreshing to watch both series and experience a totally different journey.

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PS. High-FIVE to all those filmmakers who created these addictive series! It made me laugh, it made me cry and most importantly, it made me ‘feel’ something.

“In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes.” Andy Warhol. Why would I be world famous?

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(Fade in)

I want to make a change. It can be big or small, but I would like to be an influential icon.  Ultimately, I want South Africa’s film industry to be on the same standard as Bollywood and Hollywood. 

I want the world to see that South Africans have what it takes to be successful. The country has the most diverse natural locations and provides the film industry with a monstrous amount of talent; skilled and passionate filmmakers. 

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Our country has so many stories to tell, beautiful stories of love and loss. Every single city does not have a flowery history- they moved on and so should we. 

I want the South African film industry to kick some serious butt! With all the tools at our disposal, we need to draw up a solid outline we can shade with all the colours of the nation. My dream can come true if I could represent our nation with an Oscar at the Academy Awards.

(And CUT!)   

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A skill set called leadership

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One of the most influential men in the 21^st century is Chef Gordon Ramsay. Why apply leadership to Ramsay? Well his characteristics speak for themselves.

As a Chef, he takes control of the entire restaurant set-up. He guides the restaurant owners to take charge by providing customers with fresh, good quality meals. He does not change the ‘culture’ of a restaurant, but enhances its uniqueness. He encourages and helps the chefs of a restaurant to work faster and maintain a higher standard. 

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He provides small business owners with confidence although tightens the leash to keep them inline. Gordon Ramsay is a respected man on an international stage. Sure, he curses and throws his toys but this does not stop him pouring his heart and soul into each and every project he works on. An aspiring man, a leader. ..also, the mere fact that he is good looking, does not hurt either. 

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Breaking Pointe

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The day that I found out that one could become a professional ballerina for a well deserved salary, my jaw dropped and I fell off my chair. Here is some interesting facts about the ballet industry.

Like different managerial posts at organisations, there are different ‘rankings’ with social hierarchies at a ballet company: 

 

• Corpse Ballet: A large group made up out of males and females.

• Demi- Soloist: First stepping stone for your career.

• Soloist: A featured dancer. 

• Principal: The highest title one could get in a company.  

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Each dancer has a contract with the company which gets renewed each year. In some cases, your contract is not renewed and you are left to find another job or audition to become a part of another ballet company. These dancers train harder and longer than Olympic athletes.

Since it is a very competitive industry, one has to work hard in order to keep food on the table. One wonders why do ballerinas put themselves through this emotional and physical strain. The answer is simple: passion and determination to become the best.

Image obtained from balletwest.org

We could learn so much from ballerinas: discipline, strength and stamina- just by naming a few. With passion and determination on your side, nothing is impossible!

Information obtained from the series: Breaking Pointe

 

Aging: A word of advice

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Every birthday is a new chapter in life; although you are only as old as you feel! Ladies and gentlemen, every year there is a special ‘laid out’ day just for you: your birthday! Some dread it, some love it, some count their wrinkles, some experience a mid life crisis. 

An interesting yet silly question always pops up: Now that I am older, what should I do now? Logically one thinks they should ‘mature’. Empty out all their Hello Kitty merchandise; take all their posters off the wall and painfully eliminating their soft toys and action figurines. 

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I would say one should live like a child again! Experiencing the sun rays on your face for the first time, jumping into the pool with all you clothes on, getting high off a sugar rush! 

My best friend told me that he wishes me to age like a good bottle of wine: “Becoming more rare, incredible, irreplaceable and priceless.”. So ladies and gentlemen, I wish you happy birthday and encourage you to be reborn once a year. Live a little! 

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A new law: Stopping divorces

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As a freelance filmmaker, I engage with editing A LOT of weddings. It is a special day (one should hope) for the bride, groom and their families. Thus, I try to make this spectacular day look amazing and magical as possible!

Now why do people get married in the first place if it ends with a sticky divorce? “I am not in love anymore” “He/she cheated” “I don’t see a future for us”. Blah blah blah, those are pathetic excuses! You should of thought about that in the first place! Do not get me wrong; if one abuses his/her partner, that could be a valid reason. 

All in all, I came up with a solution: One should watch the wedding video (DVD) before an enquiry is made to be divorced. Maybe this could help couples to realise that they love each other unconditionally. The ‘honeymoon phase’ could last...if you put your back into it and work on your marriage!

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“Rock journalism is people who can’t write interviewing people who can’t talk for people who can’t read” (Frank Zappa)

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In a nutshell, Zappa’s comment of rock journalism sums up the ‘rock scene’ accurately. Then again, when one looks critically at it, there are a few exceptions. Let’s measure this up.

One of my personal favourite bands of all time is Queen. Each member had some sort of degree in music. Contrast these legends with The Runaways; these ladies dropped out of school to pursue their career in music. It comes to show that there are different learning methods after all; there are more than thirteen ways to kill a cat. 

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Thus, rock journalism ‘captures’ the essence of the rock scene. Why? It appeals to their audiences. Imagine reading a Harvard style article of Greenday in the Kerrang or Rolling Stone? It would simply not appeal to their target audience and it will definitely not sell.

Mr. Zappa had a good point, although he tends to stereotype that all musicians and aspiring musicians are idiots. This is NOT the case.  Indirectly he would call himself a moron since he dropped out of school and taught the art of music to himself.

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Top 200 achievements...completed before I depart from this life

Ladies and gentlemen, this is indeed my ‘bucket list”.  Why list 200 things I have accomplished tediously if there could be a twist? How about listing 200 things I still WANT to achieve. This list will leave you in giggles and disbelief!  Love it, hate it, I don’t mind. It is my journey, join me for a ride!

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1. Finishing my 4^th study year with a distinction.
2. Road trip from Cape Town to the Oppiekoppie Music Festival.
3. Go on a “Ghost Tour” in Cape Town.
4. Pick strawberries at a farm.
5. Successfully grow out my fringe.
6. Have a group of 20+ friends going to Rocking the Daises (music festival) and form our own communion for the weekend.
7. Swim with dolphins.
8. Ride on an elephants back.
9. Milk a cow!
10. Donate clothes, toys and food to an orphanage.
11. Go on the Cable Car (Table Mountain) on my birthday.
12. Name my first white cat Hello Kitty.
13. Work as an editor at Universal Pictures.
14. Go on a wine tour in Stellenbosch.
15. Obtaining my Master Degree in film.
16. Party on a ‘Party bus’.
17. Go to the Blip Festival in New York.
18. Go for horse riding/jumping lessons.
19. Live in the UK for a year.
20. Skiing and snowboarding in the Alps.
21. Dress-up as a Zebra for a Halloween party.
22. Help build houses for underprivileged people.
23. Hike through Mozambique.
24. Plant my own tree in my garden.
25. Have a coffee at Starbucks.
26. Create/shoot a scary South African horror film.
27. Stand underneath a waterfall.
28. Experiencing a Christmas in the snow.
29. Participating in a horse jumping competition and earning first prize.
30. Have a successful editing career.
31. Indulging at a Day Spa for a weekend.
32. Go for a fencing lesson.
33. Complete a marathon! (jogging)
34. Master the art of Ballroom dancing.
35. Do the splits vertically and horizontally.
36. Dancing in a company for a year.
37. Strolling down the red carpet in a beautiful evening gown.
38. Ride a unicycle.
39. Achieve my ideal weight and BMI.
40. Fly in a helicopter.
41. Work with director Baz Luhrman.
42. Eating nachos and drinking tequila in Mexico.
43. Become a Victoria Secret model.
44. Watching a runway show in Paris during Fashion Week.
45. Visiting a coffee shop in Amsterdam.
46. Learn how to communicate in a different language: French.
47. Go to watch Skrillex live!
48. Own an apartment.
49. Learn how to play the Saxophone
50. Master the art of Modern Dancing.



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51. Experience a new year’s evening at “Resonance”.
52. Visit Thailand with only one back-pack.
53. Understanding exactly how Adobe After Effects and Adobe Photoshop works.
54. Obtaining my PHD in film.
55. Visit a volcano. 
56. Being able to shoot properly with a fire arm.
57. Ride on a camel’s back.
58. Get a firearm license.
59. Volunteer to wash oil off penguins.
60. Participate in an international dancing competition.
61. Shave a sheep.
62. Go on the ‘Orange River Tour’ via canoe.
63. Drive around an entire day and hand-out sandwiches to homeless people.
64. Work on at least a 100 music videos.
65. Witness the Victoria Falls.
66. Make a seven layer dark, white and milk chocolate cake.
67. Buy my own car: Mini Cooper.
68. Shake Nelson Mandela’s hand.
69. Fly first class on British Airways.
70. Earn an income of LMS 9.
71. Get my ‘Teachers Certificate’ for Modern Dancing.  
72. Become a model at Boss Models.
73. Volunteer at a rehab centre to keep the patients company.
74. See the Northern Lights.
75. Make my own strawberry jam.
76. Grow my own herb garden.
77. Be a Maid of Honour for at least one of my friends.
78. Become a member of the Editors Guild in Cape Town.
79. Doing a course in Neurology.
80. Learn how to communicate in a different language: Portuguese.
81. Go scuba diving!
82. Climb out Table Mountain.
83. Master the art of Ballet.
84. Learn glassblowing.
85. Eat sushi in Japan.
86. Visit all the castles in Scotland.
87. Work on a film which receives an Oscar.
88. Have a vacation on a Holiday Cruise.
89. Grow Bonsai trees.
90. Visit Roswell, New Mexico and look for UFO's.
91. Watch a live show of Darren Brown.
92. Represent SA at an international Film Festival.
93. See the 7 Wonders of the World.
94. Understanding exactly how the software Pro Tools work.
95. Participate as a show girl for one evening.
96. Become the editor of an international TV series.
97. Shoot and edit at least 200 wedding videos.
98. Attend October Fest in Germany.
99. Squash grapes with my feet and make my own wine.
100. Learn how to play the Cello.
101. Bar crawling in Ireland.
102. Participating in the Zombie Walk in Cape Town.
103. Win a competition (ANY!).
104. Create my very own walk-in cupboard.
105. Having a sandwich stand at a music festival (Zanwhich Cafe).
106. Go to Las Vegas!
107. Go fishing!
108. Ride on one of the biggest roller coasters.
109. Visit Butterfly World.
110. Go on a safari.
111. Visit the Grand Canyon.
112. Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
113. Attend the Carnival in Rio.
114. Grow orchids.
115. Learn how to fold origami figures.
116. Adopt an animal from the SPCA.
117. Shop at Harrods in London.
     
118. Create my Family Tree.
119. Own a Queen Size bed!
120. Build a tree house.
121. Host a Murder Mystery Dinner.
122. Have my own exclusive clothing range.
123. Dance at Arts Cape, Cape Town.
124. Go to The Sundance Film Festival.
125. Ride on a Segway.
126. Finnish a crossword puzzle.
127. Go to Times Square on New Year's Eve.
128. Get a henna tattoo.
129. Create a fragrance.
130. Watch the Top 100 Best Movies of All-Time.
131. Go to a nude beach.
132. Make a bonfire!
133. Learn to bartend.
134. Sleep in a hammock.
135. Drink a cocktail out of a coconut.
136. Dance with Hula dancers in Hawaii.
137. Participate in a protest.
138. Stand in the crown of the Statue of Liberty.
139. Open a champagne bottle with a sword.
140. Attend a braai  at Mzolies, Cape Town.
141. Eat at one of Gordon Ramsey’s restaurants.
142. Ride in a Hot Air Balloon.
143. Learn how to surf.
144. Eat Turkish Delight in Turkey.
145. Go through a Hedge Maze.
146. Attend a cooking class.
147. Make a sushi platter from scratch.
148. Go on an Amazon Rainforest adventure.



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149. Create a splat painting in my lounge. 
150. Visit Monkey Town.
151. Create a photo wall.
152. Learn Sign Language.
153. Play in an orchestra.  
154. Do a Photography course.
155. Purchase a state of the art video camera.
156. Create my own editing studio.
157. Jump from a cliff into deep water.
158. Become a Wine Connoisseur.
159. Learn how to knit.
160. Go Green!
161. Try ALL the women’s products at The Body Shop.
162. Audition for a leading role in a movie.
163. Participate in an antique auction.
164. Recycle all my waste (papers, plastic, glass, fruit peels etc.)
165. Design my own furniture.
166. Try eating oysters.
167. Create a six course meal for me and my loved one.
168. Learn how to make smoothies.
169. Have a water balloon fight.
170. Make a tie-die dress.
171. Learn how to shoot on a Phantom camera.
172. Do a First-Aid course.
173. Drive in a South African taxi.
174. See a real life panda bear.
175. Go for a pedicure and ask the person to paint all your toenails different colours.
176. Go sky-diving.
177. Be a back-up dancer in a music video/live performance.
178. Throw a major dress-up party!
179. Pose naked in front of an art class.
180. Watch a fireworks show at the beach.
181. Go paintballing!
182. Take a photo a day for a year.
183. Go white water rafting.
184. Go skinny dipping at midnight.
185. Visit Bora Bora.
186. Have a day train trip.
187. Walk on fire.
188. Sleep under the stars.
189. Learn how to interpret dreams.
190. Stage dive and crowd surf at a rock concert.
191. Become a mascot for one event.
192. Be able to do the difficult yoga poses
193. Go on a detox diet for 21 days.
194. Kiss passionately in the rain.
195. Survive an endurance camp.
196. Visit Sea World.
197. Take a trip to see glaciers and polar bears.
198. Stand at the North or South Pole.
199. Participate in the world’s biggest water fight during Thailand’s New Year’s festivities.
200. Visit a “real” blues bar in Chicago.

What’s on the cards?

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Have you ever looked at the pictures printed on a King, Queen and Jack? Have you realised that each and every King, Queen and Jack differs from each other when one compares different suits (hearts, diamonds, clovers and spades). I was absolutely horrified to see that the King of Hearts is actually stabbing himself with a sword! Immediately, the investigation began! What do these drawings mean? Let’s find out!

Image obtained from deviantart.net

Ace of Hearts:            A love letter; the home, love, friendship, joy

                                the start   of a romance.

King of Hearts:           A good-natured, fair-haired man. Good advice.   

Queen of Hearts:         A kindly fair-haired woman.

Jack of Hearts:           A close friend or a good-natured youth

Image obtained from fineartamerica.com

Ace of Diamonds:       News about money; a letter, a ring or present of 

                                jewellery.

King of Diamonds:      A stubborn and influential man.

Queen of Diamonds:    A flirtatious woman who loves to party and to gossip.

Jack of Diamonds:       A relative whom watch out for dishonesty or 

                                unreliability.

Image obtained from wikipedia.com

Ace of Clubs:             Wealth, health, love and happiness. A letter concerning

                                money.

King of Clubs:            An honest, generous and affectionate man.

Queen of Clubs:         An attractive, self-confident woman.

Jack of Clubs:            A reliable friend.

Image obtained from deviantart.net

Ace of Spades:           Emotional conflict, obsession, death.

King of Spades:          An ambitious and authoritative man.

Queen of Spades:        A widow and unscrupulous woman.

Jack of Spades:           A well-meaning but immature and unreliable youth.

The meaning behind the ‘King of Hearts’ (good advice) does not match the imagery UNLESS it implies that it is a good idea to kill yourself. What have you come across when comparing the meaning and imagery of a normal deck of cards? Have a look and post a comment.

                                    Information obtained from

                     http://www.serenapowers.com/playingcards2.html