Growing up

I am about to hit my quarter life crisis (25years old) and sometimes I feel like I have nothing to show for it; although I am proud to say I will have a degree in hand. A few of my friends already have degrees and at least one or two years of experience but I would like to imagine my worldly experience gives me some kind of a leg up in the working world.

It hasn’t been easy being 21,22,23 and now 24 years old staying at my parents’ house and pretty much really on them for money. I am independent by nature and this has been a serious spirit killer but what could I do…being a student doesn’t really allow one to get the best job so you are able to afford rent, food, electricity etc. What I have managed to do so far, is buy my own car which makes me very proud. I bought it four years ago and it is still in great condition. Today I bought myself the second most expensive item I have bought in my lifetime and that is a new laptop which I am currently writing this post on. I feel very proud of the fact that these two items were bought and paid for by yours truly and can’t wait to eventually be able to take both to my own home.

Growing up is a part of life. Not all of us do things at the same pace but for me the philosophy I have always lived by is, “It is easier to climb the ladder from the bottom and make the effort to get to the top, than start at the top and fall down.” So here’s to climbing the ladder and reaching the top.

How hard is it to follow instructions?

I would love to say it’s not hard at all just so that when I eventually become a mother I will be able to say that it isn’t hard to follow instructions to my children when they disobey me. Although I know for a fact that I often find it difficult to follow instructions. Following Chinese instructions is particularly difficult and I tend to steer clear of doing so whenever possible. 
 

Even though I am not the best when it comes to following instruction I can’t be all that bad cause I have made it to the point in my life where I am an inch or two away from attaining my degree and am lucky enough to have an internship at a fantastic company. I also bought myself a new laptop today and have successfully loaded everything and am therefore able to type out this blog post.

Without instructions life may seem easier but we all need some direction in order to move forward and for some it may even be the boundary they need to be able to function at all. So no matter how hard or easy the instructions are in life they are almost always needed.

Time flies when you’re having fun...

Is this statement 100% true, well not so much in my mind? Think about when we were little children and the days, months and years seemed to just keep on going on. We were always saying how long a year took and our moms and dads and well anyone older than us kept saying how quickly time goes by when you’re older.

My issue is that when your young and innocent life is sooo much fun yet it seems to take forever a day seems like a lifetime when your small. Now that I’ve grown up a fair amount and I’m responsible for myself and things are a lot harder than they used to be, now...time is flying.

For instance we have recently come to the end of our Varsity June/July holiday something I have always taken for granted and now that I think about it that holiday was the last 6 week long June/July holiday I will ever have well more than likely. I also have to take into consideration that if my company where I intern takes me on Full time at the end of this year that will be bye-bye long December holiday as well and yet...time is still flying by!! The link between time flies when one is having fun and time flies when getting older is far to close for comfort but I guess that is all part of getting older.

Andy Warhol said, “In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes. “You can’t choose the fifteen minutes but why would you be world famous.”

Ok so I’m not one of those individuals that people say; oh yeah Victoria-Rose Gough she is sooo talented at doing...I’m not really talented. I’m also not the type of person who can decide on a whim to run a marathon or enter into an MMA fight! So what can I do??? Well I can raise children, no not my own, other peoples babies. Yes my ovaries have been aching, if not screaming at me from the time I was able to pick up a baby and I wasn’t much bigger than a baby myself at that point. I never really wanted to carry around toy babies why would I when I could carry the real thing. I loved babies from the word go and haven’t stopped. I want my own one day but looking after other peoples little ones enough for now.

So how does this tie in with my 15minutes?? Well I’ve always loved that show “Super Nanny” and I have always wanted to create a similar show but perhaps either down here in South Africa or somewhere in Europe. My show would be longer than 15 minutes true but with everyone else, according to Mr Warhol, becoming ever so famous for just 15minutes, my show might not last long and I will only be remembered for my first 15minutes.

This show would teach new mothers or even old mothers how to deal with children. How to teach children manners and how to make sure your child doesn’t turn into a BRAT!! I have worked with enough children to know this may not be the easiest thing in the world but by showing them the time of day and giving them good strong boundaries it is most definitely possible.

My show will be a success, for how long, no one knows but I’ll love making it and I will definitely love teaching other mothers how to make the future generation worth living for...

A skill set called leadership

“Leadership is a relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow”. (Kouzes & Posner, 2002).

A person can either be born a leader or learn to be a leader and the same is said for those who follow. It is not easy to be a leader and I have never been one to choose to lead because the responsibility that comes with it can be overwhelming at times.

Another huge issue when it comes to being a great leader was well defined by Theodore Roosevelt who said, “The best executive is the one who has the sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” It is never easy to just sit back and watch once the wheels have been set in motion and I know I am the one who always tends to meddle where meddling is not needed.

It also seems as though some of the “best” leaders in our world have been some of our most dangerous, Hitler being the obvious example. A man in power is a dangerous one, no matter what the situation may be.

I feel that in conclusion leadership is a skill set I will never try to attain, as I believe it can do more harm than good in the WRONG hands, and knowing my track record of being super clumsy, I feel that I more than likely not the right person for the job.

June/July holidays...end of an era

I have just come to terms with the fact that my 6 week Uni vac is officially over but by over I mean I will never have another 6 week mid term Uni vac. I have now entered my final hurdle of being a full time student...the last 5months of my Btech are here and the work is about to start – I would say its an appropriate time to say FML!!! And for those of you who don’t know what that means stick it into the Google machine because I won’t be explaining it.

I decided I would end my vac with a ‘bang’ so I, and around 15 of my closest friends, headed up to Hermanus for a weekend of ‘fun in the sun’.

Arriving on the Friday night we got stuck right into the party mode and well...you know it’s a good braai when you only eat at around 12:30am. Saturday morning we all were up and about at around 10am. We decided the best way to nurse our hangovers from the night before was to head off to the local market for a healthier version of unhealthy hangover food.

Once that mission was complete we decided we were about ready to get back onto the ‘band wagon’ and headed off to a local wine tasting at La Vierge. WOW what a place it was set in the hills of Hermanus with the most stunning views and the wine well that was another story, besides being a little pricey, it was some of the best I have ever tried – a definite must visit!

We eventually decided it was time to leave and start the night’s activities of braaing and chilling on the farm. It was an awesome night with incredible friends and when Sunday showed its ugly head I wasn’t too pleased but hey at least I am lucky enough to have these opportunities in life!

Rock Journalism is people who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, for people who can't read." – Frank Zappa

When I first came across this quote I got the complete wrong idea about it and definitely put it out of its context in my own mind. There is nothing wrong with that and I could have had a lot of fun milling around with the idea in my own head but instead I went to the source of what this quote is actually about as I wanted to understand its true meaning.

When one does a little Google search on the quote a couple of pages come up but the only one which seems to be a “fair” reference point is Wikipedia and seems we will be learning more about “wiki’s” this term I decided it would be the perfect source.

According to Wikipedia it would seem that this statement or quote was spoken out of anger due to the bad publicity rockers seem to get via the press.

Below is the extract from Wikipedia:

“In the realm of rock music (as indeed in that of classical music), critics have not always been respected by their subjects. Frank Zappa declared that, "Most rock journalism is people who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, for people who can't read." In the Guns N' Roses song "Get in the Ring", Axl Rose verbally attacked critics who gave the band negative reviews because of their actions on stage; such critics as Andy Secher, Mick Wall and Bob Guccione, Jr. were mentioned by name.”

So there is no BIG conspiracy theory hiding within this quote. It would seem the only issue is that Frank didn’t really appreciate being spoken about in a critical manner and really who does...

Something Borrowed

My mom and I went off to the movies the other night, on a little GNO (girl’s night out). We watched a total chick flick, "Something Borrowed". It was sooo much fun and had us in stitches for at least 87% of the movie and the other 13% managed to fill our romance quota.

If your having a bad day or you just need a ‘pick me up’ this is the movie for you.

This is my favourite little dance scene from the movie I found on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2PRvux-kC4

And if your looking for the trailor:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qlMqqc7YdE

Then just for a laugh I wanted to add the latest two video's I have come across:

http://laughingsquid.com/two-dogs-and-a-girl-racing-each-other-in-tiny-cars/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+laughingsquid+%28Laughing+Squid%29&utm_content=Twitter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_sfnQDr1-o

Top 200 achievements

Walking-Talking-Feeding myself-Doing a number 1 in the toilet without the help of mom and dad-Running-Jumping-Swimming with arm bands-Riding a bike-Roller Blading-Swimming-Baking my first cake-Reading-Writing-Making my own porcelain doll-(Attempting to) Skip-Horse riding-Completing primary school-Becoming a vegetarian-Doing music competitions-Being picked to go on Rotary exchange-Going to France alone at the age of 17-Finishing High School-Turning 18-Being an American Au-Pair-Graduating from the au-pair training school-Getting my drivers license in the States-Not being pregnant when I love babies so much-Raising my first child (au-pair child)-Teaching Dawson (au-pair child) to speak-Teaching Dawson to walk-Learning from Dawson how to be innocent again –Travelling-Learning to read directions-Tiding my room-Washing my own clothes -Falling in love-Having my heart broken and putting the pieces back together again-Coming back to Cape Town-Being open minded-Being friendly-Being Environmentally friendly as often as I can-Loving without expecting to be loved in return-Buying my first car-Starting University-Passing 1^st year with almost all distinctions-passing 2^nd year with not as many distinctions-Having my first major op and waking up on the other side of it-First internship-Passing third year-Graduating-Receiving my first ever Diploma-Starting my second internship and loving it-

The list goes on and will go on as my life goes on. Some of these may not be the biggest or most impressive achievements but they are the stepping stones of my life and have made the person I am today.  

Big Kid

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Whilst discussing going ‘Green’ the other night and how take away coffee cups are so terrible for the environment, the topic of ‘The Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ came up. I decided to do some research into the matter and came across an interesting article.

“In t­he broad expanse of the northern Pacific Ocean, there exists the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a slowly moving, clockwise spiral of currents created by a high-pressure system of air currents. The area is an oceanic desert, filled with tiny phytoplankton but few big fish or mammals. Due to its lack of large fish and gentle breezes, fishermen and­ s­ailors rarely travel through the gyre. But the area is filled with something besides plankton: trash, millions of pounds of it, most of it plastic. It's the largest landfill in the world, and it floats in the middle of the ocean.

The gyre has actually given birth to two large masses of ever-accumulating trash, known as the Western and Eastern Pacific Garbage Patches, sometimes collectively called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The Eastern Garbage Patch floats between Hawaii and California; scientists estimate its size as two times bigger than Texas [source: LA Times]. The Western Garbage Patch forms east of Japan and west of Hawaii. Each swirling mass of refuse is massive and collects trash from all over the world. The patches are connected by a thin 6,000-mile long current called the Subtropical Convergence Zone. Research flights showed that significant amounts of trash also accumulate in the Convergence Zone.

The garbage patches present numerous hazards to marine life, fishing and tourism. But before we discuss those, it's important to look at the role of plastic. Plastic constitutes 90 percent of all trash floating in the world's oceans [source: LA Times]. The United Nations Environment Program estimated in 2006 that every square mile of ocean hosts 46,000 pieces of floating plastic [source: UN Environment Program]. In some areas, the amount of plastic outweighs the amount of plankton by a ratio of six to one. Of the more than 200 billion pounds of plastic the world produces each year, about 10 percent ends up in the ocean [source: Greenpeace]. Seventy percent of that eventually sinks, damaging life on the ocean floor [source: Greenpeace]. The rest floats; much of it ends up in gyres and the massive garbage patches that form there, with some plastic eventually washing up on a distant shore. “

I find this information seriously disturbing and now that I am more aware of the situation I hope to choose more eco-friendly products because being a vegetarian and understanding how all this plastic hurts all these little animals just breaks my heart. There are plenty of places becoming more eco-friendly and I am going to find them and start to frequent them on a more regular basis. Hope everyone who reads this will feel the same push towards all things ‘Green’.

This piece of plastic got stuck around this little guy when he was small and his shell has had to grow around it.

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What motivates me...?

I have never been highly motivated in life. If I can not see the end result and how it will benefit me...I will NEVER be motivated. A terrible trait, I know but unfortunately that is me and something I have had to deal with my entire life. I wish constantly, that I will find motivation and be pushed in the right direction but so far...nothing.

I have the same problem with being a night time person. In some professions this may be seen as a benefit but not for me. I know everyone seems to struggle to get up in the morning but I’m one of those people who only realises they are awake once you have driven half way to University , work or wherever I may be going, not the safest situation. On top of all this I am not a coffee addict and in fact due to my low iron I am not allowed to drink caffeine.

Coming back to motivation, I think something that does work for me is the fear of failure. I hate the idea and shame that comes along with failing and this often effects me negatively as well because I don’t like to try new things due to the fear of failing. In the long run this fear kicks my butt into gear and helps me to go forward in life.

Fear is my motivation.

In my day

I can’t believe how things have changed over the years. My mom always talked about how different her generation was in comparison to my own. Earlier today I was speaking to this old woman at my hairdresser about the boys of today and how in her day men were real gentlemen, nothing like today’s lot. They would open doors and make sure they stood up when a lady enters a room; something women are surprised by, if it happens in this day.

Now another thing that has become a more popular over the years is au-pairing. I have been an au-pair a few times in my short life time and have absolutely loved it. I do also understand how hard it must be for moms to find an au-pair they can trust as they are putting the life of their babies in their (hopefully) capable hands.

My cousin’s children were raised by an au-pair, Joanne. She was lovely and both girls absolutely adored her. Once my cousin Heather was able to start working half time the girls had reached school level and she was able to look after them herself.

Megan (6) and Amy (4) where driving home from school with my aunt the other day. Whilst driving home, Amy managed to show how her generation thinks. My aunty had just been saying that she saw baboons and the two girls were looking out the window trying to spot them as well; next thing the see a few of them all in a group on the side of the road. Amy saw a baby baboon sitting all on its own and proceeded to scream out, “Granny where is that baby baboons au-pair???”

Things are changing and at a heck of speed. I don think it won’t be long until I’m saying, “when I was your age....”