Inspiration

This past week has been busy, busy, busy, but oh so good. Work gets a thumbs up, social life gets a thumbs up, work | life | sleep gets a thumbs down, but I'm working on it.
Spending some time away from Joburg with some old friends - just a stone's throw from Vryburg in NW - has been such a blessing. It's such a beautiful thing to witness true, deeper love. Jansie and JF - all the best for your sparkly future, you two gave me more warm and fuzzy moments at your wedding than an episode of Extreme Makeover, and you didn't even have to try.
Having Duck and Johno over this week was lovely - I cant wait to have you "kids" over again, and I can't wait to say that I somehow had a hand in your future success story - keep doing what you do and never stop wanting to learn, grow and challenge yourselves.
Now there's lots to say still, but I need to get my thoughts sorted and into words before I get it onto here, and I seem to be unable to focus on writing tonight, could it be because it's a public holiday and my system doesn't know what an Off Monday is? Could it be new and exciting ventures lurking that have me all restless?
Who knows...
PS - a little Eva Mendes tribute

Shoowee, what a week

So I ask myself this everyday: "What am I doing today or tomorrow that will make me a better person, that will make me a more interesting person, that will make me a happy person?"
And these questions lead me to make a "bucket list" for 2010 at the end of last year. It was seriously time for me to start doing all the things I've either always wanted to do, or to at least start moulding my attitude of "wanting to do a lot of things but there's always tomorrow", because you know what? There isn't always tomorrow. And I realised it the hard way. Anyways, I decided one sunny day, while sitting at my desk - bored to tears with my job - that I am the ONLY one who can shape my destiny, and who can make things happen for me. That realisation lead to create my List.
The list consists of a few items, some silly and some scary, but all achievable within a year, and it is placed on my fridge for myself and anyone who cares, to see each day. In order of remembrance, here it is:
1. Run my first half marathon
2. Try out a water sport
3. Learn a new martial art
4. Learn to ride a motorbike, well
5. Buy property
6. Speak more Afrkaans
7. Bleach my teeth
8. Bungee jump
10. Get my scuba license
11. Master making nougat
12. Ride my bike more often
13. Paint something (like a picture, not a wall)
The existance of this list has made me realise that I've not been as dull and lazy in my life as I gave myself credit for - I started tallying all the great, the cool, the exciting and the not so exciting things that I've done and achieved so far in my short life. How wonderful! I call on everyone to keep track of what you get up to and high 5 yourself all the time, we give ourselves too little credit in life for how awesome we really, really are!!
The List has also helped me to recognise "in the moment opportunities" and grab them, even if it seems impossible or very, very scary or humiliating. Think getting my body painted for a radio station's FIFA event, standing nekkid next to schmodels in my Nigella Curvaliciousness! Think applying for becoming an egg donor with a lump in my throat, and getting That Email saying that my application is succesful and that I will now go onto the database for families to select me as a donor. Life changing stuff, for me at least. For the first time in my life (I've been a Christian all my life and never tried this, why I wonder?) I'm actively participating in my church and my religion - I'm sacrificing for Lent, I'm working with the kids on Sunday mornings while their parents are in the Big Church. Selfless acts you might say? No my friend, they are all selfish, I (read > my soul) need this so much more than what the recipients of my acts/time/money think they do.
I leave you with some words of wisdom: surround yourself with the positive and the positively challenging, and you will become your positive thoughts. Thoughts become actions become influence. You live once only, don't waste it before it is too late! When you're gone one day, people won't remember what you said to them, did, bought them and so on. But they will remember how you made them feel.

If you want to star in that movie, go do it! If you want to start your own little business, no one should be stopping you! What and who are you waiting for? You will nver know what you could have learnt in the process, or who you could have met, or where it might have taken you.

Love
Ikasan

When Scott was here

This past weekend has been crazy busy a la Amazing Race style - but so good for me! I had the pleasure of housing and feeding (ha ha!) a world traveler for 40 hours or so before sending him off to New Zeeland via Oz. He's Canadian and a friend of a friend, Adam, and his name is Scott Mackinnon, and his story is amazing.
I can't tell it as well as he can, so do yourself a favour and go check it out yourself on his blog, where he's documenting his year long trip around the world, passionately ticking off the items on his bucket list. On Facebook, search MYXTRAORDINARY or check out his blog. It might change your life, it might not, but it will definately inspire you, like it has inspired me.
In a nutshell - and I'm defuzzing it from all the inbetween rushing to print out flight confirmations, book rental cars, entertaining Billy etc - we managed to meet for the first time on Friday afternoon at Catz Pajamas, have MTN farewell drinks at FTV Cafe, ate the bestest pizza ever at Jolly Roger, run a 10km race in the Deloitte Pretoria Marathon on Saturday morning, picked up some niiiiiiice boeries for lunch before we explored Magaliesburg with Will and visited the Mount Grace hotel, played pool with the local bad boy in the local hangout and sampled some brandy and coke, went to the location, had a Black Label in a bona fide shebeen, bought biltong at a local shop in the village, went to a pub in Randburg to watch a rugby game and listen to a local band play live, had dinner at one of my favourite pubs - Thunderguns - and did a truly SA braai with lamb chops, mielies, braaibroodjies, bottled yellow peaches with homemade custard and ice cream on the Sunday before getting him to the airport. Breathe!
Topping it all off, I took my friend Robyn with me to the MK Music Awards at Teatro, Monte Casino - wowaweewah! I managed to get a teensy weensy little bit of sleep before Monday started again, only to start planning my next weekend, which will be just as exciting and busy.
I'm loving this year, I'm loving myself, I'm loving my friends, new and old, and I'm loving my family. This year is a year of challenges, pushing limits, revelations, adventures, end-of-the-month-Salty Cracks, and love, love, love.