#5150 Bela Bela – check
This last weekend my friend and I participated in our first ever Triathlon. It came about when we were thinking of a new goal for the year and we decided that triathlons would be something new and cool to do.
Initially we decided on the Sprints. We worked out a training programme and figured out that the #energadetriathlonseries would be great to do.
The 5150 race in Bela bela came up first though. It is an #Ironman event which was very cool. During the race, seeing the Ironman branding was quite inspirational.
I only trained for a month prior to the event, as I had initially thought it was too hard, too long and too difficult to do as a first race. I also did not have a road bike or that I did not know anything about trisuits, wetsuits or swimming in dams.
Plagued with winter flu and a distraction of a friends death, we kept training. I bought myself a #Trek Madone road bike with the grateful assistance of my friend @StuartHoy from #Lifestruck.
I was too petrified to actually ride it though, as the first time I ever sat on my mountain bike, I fell off it, still attached and in my driveway.
A week and a half before the race, we met up at the #KyalamiRaceTrack, which allows cyclists to ride on the track after 5pm Mondays to Thursdays.
I also invested in a black and pink #Orca Trisuit and a new pair of #NewBalance running shoes. I thought I was well prepared.
Two days before the race, reading the race rules, a shocking revelation that wetsuits might be mandatory in the swim and we had no wetsuits or what we needed them for.
Again, Stuart came to the rescue with a contact and two #Xterra wetsuits were in Gauteng from Cape Town.
The Friday afternoon saw me slightly hysterical waiting for a wetsuit, feeling nauseous about feeling unprepared and not knowing what to expect.
My friend took charge of the couriers and the wetsuits. Ensuring they all arrived safely and in time.
We were heading out of Jo’burg after work, so packing the car, getting the bikes on the back of the car and getting ready to wait for the traffic to subside so we could start the 90 minute trip to Warmbaths.
Tbc
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Putting your future in the hands of a Psychic – She wants me to smile more!
I know that not everybody believes in esoteric stuff like this, and this is not there to illicit a response of whether it is right or wrong to visit clairvoyants or not. It is about questioning your path in life.
I visited my regular lady the other day. And by regular, I mean every couple of years. I am currently at another cross roads in life and I always feel that if I remember to make the call to make an appointment and she can see me in a perfectly aligned way to my time and diary, then it is a good time to go see her.
So was the case this week.
She seemed more chatty than usual and because of this, she did not manage to touch on all the topics she wanted to get through.
Of the most critical pieces of advice she gave me was that it is not a weakness to be sensitive. Interesting…
By sensitive, she means more intuitive to other people and their emotions. Ok, I can buy that.
She also pointed out that I get affected by other people’s moods and feel that they are directly aimed at me. Of which 99% of the time they are not.
She pointed out that I need to hold back on giving so much of myself to everyone. Easier said than done.
The best piece of advice she gave though, was to look people in the eye, hold eye contact and smile. As opposed to get shy and look down embarrassed that someone was looking at me.
So, if you live in JHB and see some blonde chick staring at you and smiling cheesily, please just smile back.
I visited my regular lady the other day. And by regular, I mean every couple of years. I am currently at another cross roads in life and I always feel that if I remember to make the call to make an appointment and she can see me in a perfectly aligned way to my time and diary, then it is a good time to go see her.
So was the case this week.
She seemed more chatty than usual and because of this, she did not manage to touch on all the topics she wanted to get through.
Of the most critical pieces of advice she gave me was that it is not a weakness to be sensitive. Interesting…
By sensitive, she means more intuitive to other people and their emotions. Ok, I can buy that.
She also pointed out that I get affected by other people’s moods and feel that they are directly aimed at me. Of which 99% of the time they are not.
She pointed out that I need to hold back on giving so much of myself to everyone. Easier said than done.
The best piece of advice she gave though, was to look people in the eye, hold eye contact and smile. As opposed to get shy and look down embarrassed that someone was looking at me.
So, if you live in JHB and see some blonde chick staring at you and smiling cheesily, please just smile back.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Finding out about death on Facebook
My Friday should have been a typical one, work, have a drink after work, go home.
Instead, filled with flu I headed out to a very early morning meeting in Pretoria and then headed home to work on the couch.
This meant that I only logged on to my facebook in the afternoon. This was where I found out that yet another one of my friends had died.
A bit of further investigation revealed that he had taken his own life. The day after his birthday.
Now I understand that social media is the way of the future in terms of information dissemination, just look at the latest earthquake in Japan and all the consumer generated content that was then broadcast across the traditional media channels.
I am however feeling quite freaked out about the amount of friends I have lost over the last year or so and found out about their death via Facebook.
This time however, I have had a sleepless night about why? Not why did he do it, but why did no one step in and do more to help him deal with his depression.
Rob was recently dealing with a break-up of his relationship and for months he has been posting very tragic messages on Facebook about his feelings, which were obviously him reaching out. I had been in contact with him sending him songs that I would listen to and make me feel better about my own break-up. He seemed to be coming out of the deep depression, going out more and showing more joy in his posts. Unfortunately, in hindsight, he was just covering up.
I am not close enough to him to know what triggered the final decision to end his life except his birthday.
My concern however is peoples shock and horror at finding out that he had committed suicide. There are always signs. In hindsight, we can always see the signs. People start pulling back from friends and family, spending more and more time alone. It has become common for people who are feeling low and isolated to broadcast their pain on social media.
I have lost the trust of my nephew who was displaying the exact posts and pain that Rob was displaying. The difference is I spoke to my brother who confronted him about his posts and depression. My nephew de-friended me on Facebook, so I could not see his post anymore. I can only hope that I managed to save him from killing himself then and we can only hope that he has been thought to think of the pain he would leave behind if he ever did decide to take his own life. Maybe one day when he is older we can maybe discuss it and he can see that my intentions were not to alienate him or sell him out, but that my intentions were good. For his own good.
So today, I am going to ask everyone to take a good look at the people around you. Hug them, kiss them, tell them that you care and they mean so much to you. Open up that circle a little wider and find the people that might need you to tell them that too, to the people that might be feeling a bit down, sad, overwhelmed and hopeless. Today is the day you reach out.
Instead, filled with flu I headed out to a very early morning meeting in Pretoria and then headed home to work on the couch.
This meant that I only logged on to my facebook in the afternoon. This was where I found out that yet another one of my friends had died.
A bit of further investigation revealed that he had taken his own life. The day after his birthday.
Now I understand that social media is the way of the future in terms of information dissemination, just look at the latest earthquake in Japan and all the consumer generated content that was then broadcast across the traditional media channels.
I am however feeling quite freaked out about the amount of friends I have lost over the last year or so and found out about their death via Facebook.
This time however, I have had a sleepless night about why? Not why did he do it, but why did no one step in and do more to help him deal with his depression.
Rob was recently dealing with a break-up of his relationship and for months he has been posting very tragic messages on Facebook about his feelings, which were obviously him reaching out. I had been in contact with him sending him songs that I would listen to and make me feel better about my own break-up. He seemed to be coming out of the deep depression, going out more and showing more joy in his posts. Unfortunately, in hindsight, he was just covering up.
I am not close enough to him to know what triggered the final decision to end his life except his birthday.
My concern however is peoples shock and horror at finding out that he had committed suicide. There are always signs. In hindsight, we can always see the signs. People start pulling back from friends and family, spending more and more time alone. It has become common for people who are feeling low and isolated to broadcast their pain on social media.
I have lost the trust of my nephew who was displaying the exact posts and pain that Rob was displaying. The difference is I spoke to my brother who confronted him about his posts and depression. My nephew de-friended me on Facebook, so I could not see his post anymore. I can only hope that I managed to save him from killing himself then and we can only hope that he has been thought to think of the pain he would leave behind if he ever did decide to take his own life. Maybe one day when he is older we can maybe discuss it and he can see that my intentions were not to alienate him or sell him out, but that my intentions were good. For his own good.
So today, I am going to ask everyone to take a good look at the people around you. Hug them, kiss them, tell them that you care and they mean so much to you. Open up that circle a little wider and find the people that might need you to tell them that too, to the people that might be feeling a bit down, sad, overwhelmed and hopeless. Today is the day you reach out.
Monday, January 3, 2011
New Years Resolutions
The best topic of discussions being back at work has been what the year is holding for us going forward.
Everyone I know has suffered some kind of setback in 2010. No-one close to me has had a fantastic year, be in work, health, relationships...
So 2011 is set to be the next best thing to going vegan.
So for many years I have not made new years resolutions as such, rather trying to improve on aspects of my life and being every day / week / month.
General "I am going to be good to me and my body" resolutions have topped the list for the last 2 years.
This year however, I have quite a few things I would like to improve on.
Having been given and read the book "Skinny Bitch" I have vowed to eliminate as many animal products from my diet as I can possibly manage.
This is very hard to do, as eating out is a challenge in itself. The one vice I refuse to give up however, is Sushi. Sorry Mr Salmon, but you are on my hitlist! I did find out that Miso Soup is one of the healthiest meals you can consume. I have always had this as part of my sushi experience, but now I will have it every time I go.
The second vice I am eliminating for the month of Jan is booze. Now this is a serious commitment as my birthday is in Jan, so understand that this may take some serious control.
Thirdly, gymming more than 3 times a week is a must, with some added help from my friends. I am recruiting 2 friends to gym with to ensure this happens.
I have also committed to 2 new projects, opening a business with some friends and writing my first book.
These both have deadlines attached to them, so my time is going to be limited.
So the last resolution it to restrict and cull all unnecessary "friends", activities and guilt time that I give to people that I begrudge and rather spend this time on the people I love and care for.
2011 I am here to kick your butt!
BoYah!!
Everyone I know has suffered some kind of setback in 2010. No-one close to me has had a fantastic year, be in work, health, relationships...
So 2011 is set to be the next best thing to going vegan.
So for many years I have not made new years resolutions as such, rather trying to improve on aspects of my life and being every day / week / month.
General "I am going to be good to me and my body" resolutions have topped the list for the last 2 years.
This year however, I have quite a few things I would like to improve on.
Having been given and read the book "Skinny Bitch" I have vowed to eliminate as many animal products from my diet as I can possibly manage.
This is very hard to do, as eating out is a challenge in itself. The one vice I refuse to give up however, is Sushi. Sorry Mr Salmon, but you are on my hitlist! I did find out that Miso Soup is one of the healthiest meals you can consume. I have always had this as part of my sushi experience, but now I will have it every time I go.
The second vice I am eliminating for the month of Jan is booze. Now this is a serious commitment as my birthday is in Jan, so understand that this may take some serious control.
Thirdly, gymming more than 3 times a week is a must, with some added help from my friends. I am recruiting 2 friends to gym with to ensure this happens.
I have also committed to 2 new projects, opening a business with some friends and writing my first book.
These both have deadlines attached to them, so my time is going to be limited.
So the last resolution it to restrict and cull all unnecessary "friends", activities and guilt time that I give to people that I begrudge and rather spend this time on the people I love and care for.
2011 I am here to kick your butt!
BoYah!!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Cementing our own Limiting beliefs
I have been spending days on end mulling over life, love and trying to solve the world’s problems in my head and the one aspect of human nature that keeps coming up in conversation is based on our own limits we place on ourselves.
It is quite amusing when speaking to people, how you can pick up their blocks that they are building around themselves, all to the detriment of our own happiness.
Why is it that we naturally place deal breakers in place when building relationships?
Is this based on past experiences we have been through, or seen these happen in other people’s lives, or are we being indoctrinated by society, organizations and religion?
I have a friend that is so in love with someone of a different religion and has conditions in place for the special someone to convert to their religion before any sort of relationship can proceed. In my opinion, religion is a personal belief and something that should not be imposed onto someone else. But this person is denying themselves a potentially perfectly normal, happy and fulfilling relationship / soul mate / marriage and family based on someone else’s religious beliefs.
Personally my relationship deal breakers are based on abuse: Physical, alcohol and drug abuse to be exact. Coming from a household where this was so rife, I had to make a stand and vow never to be in that situation again. So as soon as I see these traits come out in someone, I remove myself from that situation.
Infidelity is a hard one, as this can take on many forms. Emotional infidelity, to me, has left the deepest scar. It is almost like the physical act does not compare to the lying, deceit and betrayal you feel on discovering your partner has not been honest. In fact, that they have been fabricating another life in order to cover up the infidelity.
What other barriers are we building with regards to friendships, work and adventure that we are cementing into firm beliefs? Truths that cannot be broken, even to our own detriment and happiness?
It is quite amusing when speaking to people, how you can pick up their blocks that they are building around themselves, all to the detriment of our own happiness.
Why is it that we naturally place deal breakers in place when building relationships?
Is this based on past experiences we have been through, or seen these happen in other people’s lives, or are we being indoctrinated by society, organizations and religion?
I have a friend that is so in love with someone of a different religion and has conditions in place for the special someone to convert to their religion before any sort of relationship can proceed. In my opinion, religion is a personal belief and something that should not be imposed onto someone else. But this person is denying themselves a potentially perfectly normal, happy and fulfilling relationship / soul mate / marriage and family based on someone else’s religious beliefs.
Personally my relationship deal breakers are based on abuse: Physical, alcohol and drug abuse to be exact. Coming from a household where this was so rife, I had to make a stand and vow never to be in that situation again. So as soon as I see these traits come out in someone, I remove myself from that situation.
Infidelity is a hard one, as this can take on many forms. Emotional infidelity, to me, has left the deepest scar. It is almost like the physical act does not compare to the lying, deceit and betrayal you feel on discovering your partner has not been honest. In fact, that they have been fabricating another life in order to cover up the infidelity.
What other barriers are we building with regards to friendships, work and adventure that we are cementing into firm beliefs? Truths that cannot be broken, even to our own detriment and happiness?
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
This life we live is an adventure, but it is the journey we should be taking note of
I have just arrived home from a premier of the movie 180’ South.
More of a documentary of one man’s quest to follow in the footsteps of some of his hero’s to climb the mountains of Patagonia.
His journey takes you through the trials and tribulations of him getting to the final destination as well as his personal learning’s along the way.
The sad part is that there is no Al Gore in a supporting role. You get taken on a rollercoaster ride of magnificent visuals, massive mountains, beautiful valleys and amazing surfing footage alongside the absolute raping of the natural environments for industry. But this is not something that is going to be widely viewed by the general money hungry population.
The one man’s quest for a summit of a particular mountain is overshadowed by the conservation efforts of a handful of people trying to stop large companies from building bridges across rivers in Patagonia to supply power to the major cities of Chile like Santiago.
I was constantly reminded of some friends that I have that have not conceded to the materialism of this planet and are those guys that pack up their lives in a backpack sans the surfboard and head off into unravelled territories to find solitude.
One quote from the movie stood out for me as majorly profound: “ The hardest thing you can do is simplify your life!”
I have on the odd occasion found myself culling possessions in this quest for simplification. And yet I felt massive pangs of guilt getting home and seeing that the very things these guys are trying to curb allow me to charge my ipod for hours on end.
As I embark on my own journey to Beline in Mozambique in just over 24 hours, I am taking the time to reflect on my place in this world. I know I need to heal my heart and soul, but I also want to connect with nature again. Clear my head and get close to the angels. With this in mind it made sense that today when I was looking for a book to take with in case of some bad weather, I found myself buying a blank journal. So I can spend my time reflecting.
I am looking forward to planning my next adventure. I have a list the length of my arm of places I still want to explore. We just need to remember that it is not the destination that we should be aiming for, but rather living in the moment of the journey, appreciating every day for the wonders of nature and the fantastic people that we allow into our lives.
More of a documentary of one man’s quest to follow in the footsteps of some of his hero’s to climb the mountains of Patagonia.
His journey takes you through the trials and tribulations of him getting to the final destination as well as his personal learning’s along the way.
The sad part is that there is no Al Gore in a supporting role. You get taken on a rollercoaster ride of magnificent visuals, massive mountains, beautiful valleys and amazing surfing footage alongside the absolute raping of the natural environments for industry. But this is not something that is going to be widely viewed by the general money hungry population.
The one man’s quest for a summit of a particular mountain is overshadowed by the conservation efforts of a handful of people trying to stop large companies from building bridges across rivers in Patagonia to supply power to the major cities of Chile like Santiago.
I was constantly reminded of some friends that I have that have not conceded to the materialism of this planet and are those guys that pack up their lives in a backpack sans the surfboard and head off into unravelled territories to find solitude.
One quote from the movie stood out for me as majorly profound: “ The hardest thing you can do is simplify your life!”
I have on the odd occasion found myself culling possessions in this quest for simplification. And yet I felt massive pangs of guilt getting home and seeing that the very things these guys are trying to curb allow me to charge my ipod for hours on end.
As I embark on my own journey to Beline in Mozambique in just over 24 hours, I am taking the time to reflect on my place in this world. I know I need to heal my heart and soul, but I also want to connect with nature again. Clear my head and get close to the angels. With this in mind it made sense that today when I was looking for a book to take with in case of some bad weather, I found myself buying a blank journal. So I can spend my time reflecting.
I am looking forward to planning my next adventure. I have a list the length of my arm of places I still want to explore. We just need to remember that it is not the destination that we should be aiming for, but rather living in the moment of the journey, appreciating every day for the wonders of nature and the fantastic people that we allow into our lives.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
At what point do you let go?
I am pretty sure that most people know someone that abuses some kind of substance.
Be it alcohol, weed or any harder kind of drug.
A mate of mine is addicted to Cocaine.
He is at a point where he has lost his job, lost all his friends and even if he has not realised it yet, is about to lose his paternal rights to his daughter.
So I was doing some research on the subject, as there needs to be a time where you say enough is enough!
Functional drug abusers are one thing, but to sit back and watch a friend hit rock bottom is worse. Hell is trying to help them and being slapped in the face around every corner.
Extracted from coca leaves, cocaine was originally developed as a painkiller. It is most often sniffed, with the powder absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal tissues. It can also be ingested or rubbed into the gums.
To more rapidly absorb the drug into the body, abusers inject it, but this substantially increases the risk of overdose. Inhaling it as smoke or vapor speeds absorption with less health risk than injection.
Popular street names include Aunt Nora, Bernice, binge, blow, Charlie, dust, mojo, nose candy, paradise, toot and white.
“Addiction should be understood as a chronic
recurring illness that requires treatment.”
Having watched endless episodes of Celebrity Rehab with Dr Drew, I did manage to understand some of the issues surrounding someone addicted to a drug of this nature.
The respect for themselves hits rock bottom, they lie, they cheat and they lie a little more.
All to get to the high that they think will get them out of the hole they are constantly digging for themselves.
So where to from here? Is rehab the only option? Does rehab work? How do you get to someone that is so far down the road that they need more than just an intervention, because if left alone after a 12 step programme, they will head back to the same dodgy street corner to score?
There are so many prescription pills on the market that are there to assist people to get off the harder stuff. But this is a never ending saga of going around in circles. I knew a guy that gave up booze only to chain smoke himself to death. Where do you draw the line?
What are the deal breakers for friends of addicts?
When do you let go?
Be it alcohol, weed or any harder kind of drug.
A mate of mine is addicted to Cocaine.
He is at a point where he has lost his job, lost all his friends and even if he has not realised it yet, is about to lose his paternal rights to his daughter.
So I was doing some research on the subject, as there needs to be a time where you say enough is enough!
Functional drug abusers are one thing, but to sit back and watch a friend hit rock bottom is worse. Hell is trying to help them and being slapped in the face around every corner.
Extracted from coca leaves, cocaine was originally developed as a painkiller. It is most often sniffed, with the powder absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal tissues. It can also be ingested or rubbed into the gums.
To more rapidly absorb the drug into the body, abusers inject it, but this substantially increases the risk of overdose. Inhaling it as smoke or vapor speeds absorption with less health risk than injection.
Popular street names include Aunt Nora, Bernice, binge, blow, Charlie, dust, mojo, nose candy, paradise, toot and white.
“Addiction should be understood as a chronic
recurring illness that requires treatment.”
Having watched endless episodes of Celebrity Rehab with Dr Drew, I did manage to understand some of the issues surrounding someone addicted to a drug of this nature.
The respect for themselves hits rock bottom, they lie, they cheat and they lie a little more.
All to get to the high that they think will get them out of the hole they are constantly digging for themselves.
So where to from here? Is rehab the only option? Does rehab work? How do you get to someone that is so far down the road that they need more than just an intervention, because if left alone after a 12 step programme, they will head back to the same dodgy street corner to score?
There are so many prescription pills on the market that are there to assist people to get off the harder stuff. But this is a never ending saga of going around in circles. I knew a guy that gave up booze only to chain smoke himself to death. Where do you draw the line?
What are the deal breakers for friends of addicts?
When do you let go?
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