...But my internet went down for most of the day. Am posting this from an internet cafe before I head home to fight with Telkom some more. Joy.
It has been a really eventful weekend. I feel completely exhausted, actually. But the majority of the weekend was good fun, so it was worth it.
My jewellery sale on Saturday was pathetic. I made a fraction of the sales I made last year and feel very bleak about it all because it impacts on my Christmas presents and holiday spending money. That said, I feel even worse for the other folks who were selling because they didn't do well either.
I'm not sure whether it was the super hot weather, the fact that it's the middle of the month or whether there were other things happening on the day, but turnout was poor. And then we had some drama too...
One of the ladies who lives in our complex, Jolie, is from the Democratic Republic of Congo and is a French speaker. Her English is quite poor, but between my extremely rusty French and her Pidgin English, we can usually get by just fine and we've become fairly friendly. We'll stop and chat if we see each other, but we're not at a point where we visit each other or have phone details etc.
Anyway, I saw Jolie on Friday and invited her to pop in on Sat, which she did. She seemed fine when she arrived, but said she wasn't feeling well. She couldn't, however, articulate her symptoms and I gathered from her gestures that she felt a bit dizzy or had a headache.
She spent about half an hour browsing through jewellery with one of my neighbours, Rosanna, and tried on various things. Then she said she really wasn't feeling well. Rosanna gave her some sugar water and she said she thought she's better go to the doctor. I followed her to the front door and as she walked out, she collapsed. A friend and I managed to each grab an arm as she went down, so she didn't hit her head on the ground, but we couldn't support her dead weight. Brett, who was displaying his photos, picked her up and carried her to the couch.
Thankfully one of my mates, Shannon, was there and worked as a paramedic for many years, so she knew what to do and propped Jolie's feet up on some pillows and took her pulse, which was racing. I managed to get her to take a few sips of water, but she wouldn’t' eat anything and Rosanna said she apparently hadn't eaten all day. We thought it might be low blood pressure, low blood sugar and the intense heat that had got to her, but she didn't seem to be getting any better and couldn't answer any questions. Of course, all my French went out the window and I couldn't think of how to ask her if this had happened before, if she was diabetic or pregnant or anything else useful.
Instead I jogged down the street in my high heels to her house and asked her domestic worker to wake her husband up as he was apparently sleeping. I'd never met him before, and I don't think he understood the situation as he only came sauntering down the road about 15 minutes later. Eventually, when he arrived, he saw how sick Jolie really was and went to fetch the car to take her to hospital.
Rosanna spoke to him later on and he said Jolie was fine, but the doctors were still trying to figure out what had happened. I don't have their phone numbers, so I'll walk across this afternoon and see how she's doing.
I think that little incident put a bit of a dampener on things too. The good part of the day, though, was getting to chat to the other sellers and visitors. Angel was selling her amazing cupcakes and I'm still trying to decide what's the best thing about them - how beautiful they are or how delicious they taste. I couldn't resist snapping a shot or two. Hopefully she gets some orders from the people who were there.
It was lovely to catch up with her, MJ, who was selling jewellery (totally different to mine, so we got some ideas from each other), Brett and Kim, selling photos, and everyone who popped by to browse. Despite the fact that so many people who said they'd come didn't arrive and I didn't make much money, I really enjoyed the morning.
I have so much stock left over though and I've decided I'm leaving it all unpacked as I have a couple of friends who couldn't be there and said they may come by later in the week to have a look. I'm also looking for other avenues to sell my stuff, so if you have any ideas, let me know.
The rest of the weekend was packed, but awesome, but I'll leave the details and photos for tomorrow's post, if my annoying internet connection stops playing up and lets me post at all ;-)
Hah! How true that last paragraph turned out to be!
Showing posts with label drama drama drama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drama drama drama. Show all posts
Monday, 15 November 2010
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Lots going on
Today I have not got much work done. TSC is home because some of the students are protesting at UJ. Yesterday his lecturers locked the students who were there to attend lectures (including TSC) into the building for their own safety while the protesters threw their weight around outside. The police eventually arrived with a water cannon and rubber bullets to disperse them.
They are protesting again today because the university has given them tomorrow as a deadline to pay their fees for this year (please note, it's nearly Sept and they haven't yet paid for 2010 studies). What drives TSC wild is that some of these students are just protesting with the others for the fun of it. In fact, one of the guys who tried to smash their classroom windows with a brick is employed part-time by the university while he studies, and he has a bursary to study. It makes me mad too, because it affects TSC and the other students who have paid and who are trying to attend class.
While he's at home, we have the guys here to pour the concrete to level the braai area (we've already ripped up the paving) and take the old, ugly tiles off the veranda. It's hard to work with the constant noise of digging, grinding, and (worst of all) the hammers knocking off the old tiles.
Yesterday TSC found out that a distant relation on his mom's side lost her 14-year old son to a horrible accident. He was knocked off his bicycle by a truck. His parents only found out about it once he was in ICU. He was declared brain dead and they had to switch off the life support. TSC hadn't met the kid, but his whole family's a bit shaken up. Such a horrible thing to happen, especially to someone so young.
My mom was the victim of a smash and grab last night. On her way home from the children's home where she volunteers, someone stuck a spark plug through the passenger window of her bakkie (pick up truck / utility vehicle) in Olifantsfontein and grabbed her handbag off the seat. She'd just taken her phone out and he demanded that too, but she threw it on the floor and he ran off.
Thankfully she's fine. My dad was very upset. They've reported the incident to the police and she spent today trying to get a temporary driver's licence.
The world seems to have gone a bit crazy. I'll be back when the noise and the drama cease for a bit.
They are protesting again today because the university has given them tomorrow as a deadline to pay their fees for this year (please note, it's nearly Sept and they haven't yet paid for 2010 studies). What drives TSC wild is that some of these students are just protesting with the others for the fun of it. In fact, one of the guys who tried to smash their classroom windows with a brick is employed part-time by the university while he studies, and he has a bursary to study. It makes me mad too, because it affects TSC and the other students who have paid and who are trying to attend class.
While he's at home, we have the guys here to pour the concrete to level the braai area (we've already ripped up the paving) and take the old, ugly tiles off the veranda. It's hard to work with the constant noise of digging, grinding, and (worst of all) the hammers knocking off the old tiles.
Yesterday TSC found out that a distant relation on his mom's side lost her 14-year old son to a horrible accident. He was knocked off his bicycle by a truck. His parents only found out about it once he was in ICU. He was declared brain dead and they had to switch off the life support. TSC hadn't met the kid, but his whole family's a bit shaken up. Such a horrible thing to happen, especially to someone so young.
My mom was the victim of a smash and grab last night. On her way home from the children's home where she volunteers, someone stuck a spark plug through the passenger window of her bakkie (pick up truck / utility vehicle) in Olifantsfontein and grabbed her handbag off the seat. She'd just taken her phone out and he demanded that too, but she threw it on the floor and he ran off.
Thankfully she's fine. My dad was very upset. They've reported the incident to the police and she spent today trying to get a temporary driver's licence.
The world seems to have gone a bit crazy. I'll be back when the noise and the drama cease for a bit.
Thursday, 30 July 2009
Sometimes I wonder why I watch F1
Honestly! I mean, it's fabulously exciting (and don't even think of giving me the "it's just noisy cars going round a track" line if you've ever watched a bloody five-day cricket match, which should be listed as the dictionary definition of boring). But the shenanigans that go on in my sport are enough to make even the Ice Man (Kimi Raikkonen) grimace once in awhile.
It's like a Hollywood film, with an ancient dictator (played to perfection by Max Mosely, although closely contested by Bernie Ecklestein) controlling the reins of the world's most lucrative sport. The hero is played by either the wounded Massa, the champion rookie Hamilton (who has returned to glory), the no-longer-retired Schumacher (yes, he has returned in a red Ferrari cape to "save the day/race" in Massa's place, German Superman style) or the only-just-beginning-to-battle Button / Brawn team... it all depends on your point of view, really.
Then there is the battle of wills between FOTA (Formula One Teams Association) and the FIA (the sport's governing body)... come now, keep up with the abbreviations... and the exit of the BMW-Sauber team, which announced yesterday that it is quitting the sport, much to the dismay of its drivers (Heidfeld admitted it was a total shock to him).
Drama drama drama...
But you know what? That's the way they like it. That's how they all engineer it. Take, for example, the whole "Return of the Schumacher" saga. On Tuesday, the story titled "Manager rules out Schumi F1 return" ran, in which the German's manager Willi Weber told the Daily Mail, "Whoever sits in the car at the next race in Valencia, it will not be Michael Schumacher. I am not 100 per cent sure; I am 200 per cent sure."
He continued to dig himself a hole saying, "The pressure on him would be huge. He would be expected to win, but he has not driven this car. When Michael was racing he would get as close to perfection as possible. In this case, it would not be perfection; it would be a gamble - and that's not Michael's style."
Hardy har har... On Wednesday, not even 24 hours later, the headlines screamed "Schumi returns to F1".
On his official website, ze mighty man wrote, "The most important thing first: thank God, all the news concerning Felipe is positive. I wish him all the best again." He then went on, "I met with [team principal] Stefano Domenicali and [Ferrari chairman] Luca di Montezemolo this afternoon and together we decided that I will prepare myself to take Felipe’s place... Although it is true that the Formula 1 chapter of my life has been closed completely and for a long while, it is also true that out of loyalty to the team I cannot ignore the unfortunate situation."
It's all a grand parade, this F1 thing, isn't it? A spectacle, a circus, a farce in which we, the fans, are managed by the experienced F1 crew of actors and directors. Smoke, mirrors and the smell of burnt rubber on the track.
Did he actually ever believe he wouldn't consider a return, or has that been the very-well-managed-in-terms-of-media-hype plan all along? And does it really matter?
I may as well start watching that WWE wrestling crap.
It's like a Hollywood film, with an ancient dictator (played to perfection by Max Mosely, although closely contested by Bernie Ecklestein) controlling the reins of the world's most lucrative sport. The hero is played by either the wounded Massa, the champion rookie Hamilton (who has returned to glory), the no-longer-retired Schumacher (yes, he has returned in a red Ferrari cape to "save the day/race" in Massa's place, German Superman style) or the only-just-beginning-to-battle Button / Brawn team... it all depends on your point of view, really.
Then there is the battle of wills between FOTA (Formula One Teams Association) and the FIA (the sport's governing body)... come now, keep up with the abbreviations... and the exit of the BMW-Sauber team, which announced yesterday that it is quitting the sport, much to the dismay of its drivers (Heidfeld admitted it was a total shock to him).
Drama drama drama...
But you know what? That's the way they like it. That's how they all engineer it. Take, for example, the whole "Return of the Schumacher" saga. On Tuesday, the story titled "Manager rules out Schumi F1 return" ran, in which the German's manager Willi Weber told the Daily Mail, "Whoever sits in the car at the next race in Valencia, it will not be Michael Schumacher. I am not 100 per cent sure; I am 200 per cent sure."
He continued to dig himself a hole saying, "The pressure on him would be huge. He would be expected to win, but he has not driven this car. When Michael was racing he would get as close to perfection as possible. In this case, it would not be perfection; it would be a gamble - and that's not Michael's style."
Hardy har har... On Wednesday, not even 24 hours later, the headlines screamed "Schumi returns to F1".
On his official website, ze mighty man wrote, "The most important thing first: thank God, all the news concerning Felipe is positive. I wish him all the best again." He then went on, "I met with [team principal] Stefano Domenicali and [Ferrari chairman] Luca di Montezemolo this afternoon and together we decided that I will prepare myself to take Felipe’s place... Although it is true that the Formula 1 chapter of my life has been closed completely and for a long while, it is also true that out of loyalty to the team I cannot ignore the unfortunate situation."
It's all a grand parade, this F1 thing, isn't it? A spectacle, a circus, a farce in which we, the fans, are managed by the experienced F1 crew of actors and directors. Smoke, mirrors and the smell of burnt rubber on the track.
Did he actually ever believe he wouldn't consider a return, or has that been the very-well-managed-in-terms-of-media-hype plan all along? And does it really matter?
I may as well start watching that WWE wrestling crap.
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Overload!
Seriously... this weekend was packed! Awesome, but packed. And Monday was infinitely less awesome, but packed with total drama. Again.
Let's do the fun stuff first... TSC and I invited six people we don't know really well for supper on Friday. It turned out to be a great evening. We enjoyed winter comfort food and good red wine while we chatted about everything from church to jobs to politics...
We clicked especially well with one couple and they only ended up leaving at 2am on Saturday morning after we'd been through a lot more good red wine. So nice to be at the start of a new friendship!
Saturday was spent buying TSC a new monitor for the computer I'm getting him (so that I can claim my notebook back) and then rushing to Bloggirls at Cafe Sophia. What a cool restaurant! Amazing tapas at reasonable prices, and four or five different types of sangria by the jug.
And what cool people! Some of the usual suspects, like Phillygirl and Angel (and Arkwife and Ruby who arrived late after I'd already left). And some new faces. I finally got to meet Boldly Benny (who I have been reading for ages. She went to the last Bloggirls but I was sick and missed it). I love her writing and so enjoyed meeting her IRL - different from how I pictured her, but just as gorgeous, glamourous and absolutely lovely.
I also met two people I have just recently started reading, Cybersass and Mellisoo. Cybersass was wearing the most awesome multi-wear dress she made herself and entertained us with stories of the life of an actress (kissing a co-star you have no interest in, for example). Mellisoo was quieter but has the best kick-ass sense of humour and a keen interest in Mojitos. I am so glad I got to meet both of them.
Unfortunately I had to dash off early for the stupid rugby. TSC had originally told me it was a 7pm game, so we'd said to my folks we'd watch it at their house. I sped home from Bloggirls, picked up TSC and whizzed through to Pretoria. Thankfully, one of my best friends, Noo, called to say her hubby was away for the weekend and asked if we could meet up. Instead of watching the men chasing the funny-shaped ball, we went to Fego's for some good coffee and a catch-up.
After that, it was supper with the folks at Brooklyn Mall. Sunday we drove home, madly cleaned the house and then had TSC's best friend and his girlfriend over for a braai before church, where we served on both services and got home at about 9.
It was super fun, but I felt like I needed a weekend to recover from the weekend. No chance of that though... Monday dawned chilly and ominous (as Mondays tend to do). I knew what lay ahead and felt like there was a big, cold stone in the bottom of my stomach.
TSC dropped me off for work (he had my car as his was in for a service). Icing didn't show up for work - she had left a note explaining to Boss that she wasn't coming back (even though she officially had 9 working days left). Chips was struggling to get hold of her fiance who had been on a boys' weekend in the bush. She then got a phone call from his mom to say he was in ICU after a car accident. Thankfully he was ok - just in shock. She left immediately.
Then JK resigned. She's found a job that pays three times better. Then a big press conference that was scheduled for today for one of our clients got moved to two weeks' time and we had to frantically let the media know.
It was an eventful day that ended up with Coach coming for supper. But that's a whole other post. How was your weekend / the start of your week?
Let's do the fun stuff first... TSC and I invited six people we don't know really well for supper on Friday. It turned out to be a great evening. We enjoyed winter comfort food and good red wine while we chatted about everything from church to jobs to politics...
We clicked especially well with one couple and they only ended up leaving at 2am on Saturday morning after we'd been through a lot more good red wine. So nice to be at the start of a new friendship!
Saturday was spent buying TSC a new monitor for the computer I'm getting him (so that I can claim my notebook back) and then rushing to Bloggirls at Cafe Sophia. What a cool restaurant! Amazing tapas at reasonable prices, and four or five different types of sangria by the jug.
And what cool people! Some of the usual suspects, like Phillygirl and Angel (and Arkwife and Ruby who arrived late after I'd already left). And some new faces. I finally got to meet Boldly Benny (who I have been reading for ages. She went to the last Bloggirls but I was sick and missed it). I love her writing and so enjoyed meeting her IRL - different from how I pictured her, but just as gorgeous, glamourous and absolutely lovely.
I also met two people I have just recently started reading, Cybersass and Mellisoo. Cybersass was wearing the most awesome multi-wear dress she made herself and entertained us with stories of the life of an actress (kissing a co-star you have no interest in, for example). Mellisoo was quieter but has the best kick-ass sense of humour and a keen interest in Mojitos. I am so glad I got to meet both of them.
Unfortunately I had to dash off early for the stupid rugby. TSC had originally told me it was a 7pm game, so we'd said to my folks we'd watch it at their house. I sped home from Bloggirls, picked up TSC and whizzed through to Pretoria. Thankfully, one of my best friends, Noo, called to say her hubby was away for the weekend and asked if we could meet up. Instead of watching the men chasing the funny-shaped ball, we went to Fego's for some good coffee and a catch-up.
After that, it was supper with the folks at Brooklyn Mall. Sunday we drove home, madly cleaned the house and then had TSC's best friend and his girlfriend over for a braai before church, where we served on both services and got home at about 9.
It was super fun, but I felt like I needed a weekend to recover from the weekend. No chance of that though... Monday dawned chilly and ominous (as Mondays tend to do). I knew what lay ahead and felt like there was a big, cold stone in the bottom of my stomach.
TSC dropped me off for work (he had my car as his was in for a service). Icing didn't show up for work - she had left a note explaining to Boss that she wasn't coming back (even though she officially had 9 working days left). Chips was struggling to get hold of her fiance who had been on a boys' weekend in the bush. She then got a phone call from his mom to say he was in ICU after a car accident. Thankfully he was ok - just in shock. She left immediately.
Then JK resigned. She's found a job that pays three times better. Then a big press conference that was scheduled for today for one of our clients got moved to two weeks' time and we had to frantically let the media know.
It was an eventful day that ended up with Coach coming for supper. But that's a whole other post. How was your weekend / the start of your week?
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Chew-on-this Tuesday
Today was drama at the office again. First Boss announced she is suing the last employee who left.
Then the latest addition to our motley crew, let's call her JK (who is a lovely girl, btw, just inexperienced), sent out an email to her contacts with her CV, saying this job doesn't pay enough. She accidentally CC-ed Boss into her email. Boss was understandably not too pleased.
She and JK butted heads. JK broke down in tears. Apologies were made, advice was dished out and things seemed settled.
Roo, one of our other employees, escaped the madness by leaving for her varsity lectures. Chips, our first-ever pregnant employee, kept quiet and maintained a low profile.
I busied myself with getting work done, seeing my computer has been on its best behaviour since Boss's return from holiday on Monday (how typical of this machine). I waited for the next piece of paw-paw (not Jackson's dog) to hit the fan, which I knew would be...
The person who has been around second longest (after me, leading with 10 months) informing Boss that she'd been made a job offer that pays a basic salary of double her current basic, plus commission and perks.
Boss remained remarkably calm throughout these events.
I left the office to come home and blog about it...
Then the latest addition to our motley crew, let's call her JK (who is a lovely girl, btw, just inexperienced), sent out an email to her contacts with her CV, saying this job doesn't pay enough. She accidentally CC-ed Boss into her email. Boss was understandably not too pleased.
She and JK butted heads. JK broke down in tears. Apologies were made, advice was dished out and things seemed settled.
Roo, one of our other employees, escaped the madness by leaving for her varsity lectures. Chips, our first-ever pregnant employee, kept quiet and maintained a low profile.
I busied myself with getting work done, seeing my computer has been on its best behaviour since Boss's return from holiday on Monday (how typical of this machine). I waited for the next piece of paw-paw (not Jackson's dog) to hit the fan, which I knew would be...
The person who has been around second longest (after me, leading with 10 months) informing Boss that she'd been made a job offer that pays a basic salary of double her current basic, plus commission and perks.
Boss remained remarkably calm throughout these events.
I left the office to come home and blog about it...
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