Shopaholic

So I think I might have a problem, I love shopping and all the things that come with it and my love of shopping  isn’t restricted to just clothing but to food and decor as well. I like nice things, like I’m sure most people do, but I often land up buying what I don’t really need.

Being a student is no fun, there is no stable income source of my own so my shopping habits in the last few months have been reduced in frequency. When I worked I would walk into the shops and anything I liked I would buy, I thought nothing of swiping my poor card. The worst part of all was that as part of my job I had to visit every mall in Cape Town once a week, now you can just imagine how torturous that must have been; it was like my job knew my love of shopping and forced me to act on it.

Once I’m done with this whole student thing I have made a decision, perhaps a silly decision, to blow my first pay cheque on the activity I love so much...shopping.

Our strengths can be our greatest weakness

So this is the topic we have been given to write about, well at least this is what I think the topic is. I can’t say I am really motivated to write anything about this because to be honest I can’t really think of anything.

The one thing I can relate to this topic would be to love someone. One of your greatest strengths could be the love you show to another human but at the same time that person can be your greatest weakness because if they hurt you, you will be destroyed. When you love someone, say a boyfriend, you put all your trust and love into the relationship and this can set you up for a large amount of pain and sadness if it doesn’t work out.

Some people reckon that it is easier not to love at all that way avoiding the hurt and pain that comes with having your heart broken. I think that the people that say that have clearly never been in love or truly loved someone before because a life without love is an empty one.

Safety on campus

So in light of the recent strikes that happened at CPUT I really don’t know how safe I feel at the institution I study at. What a sad thought, who would ever be afraid to attend the place they study at? Well at CPUT this is the case. Just last week I was locked up in a classroom being suffocated, well kind of, by a fire extinguisher that was being let off under the door and into our classroom – oh the joys!

Out of all my friends, I am the only one that studies at CPUT. When I told my friends, who study at UCT and Stellenbosch, about the violent strikes they were so shocked and couldn’t believe that something like this could happen at an educational institution. What a joke CPUT must be to the other universities in Cape Town. Never have I heard of any strikes, let alone violent strikes, at any of the other universities in Cape Town.

What is even funnier, in a way, is the fact that the strike doesn’t even surprise or shock me. It has become so normal; in my second year at CPUT we didn’t attend class for two weeks due to the strikes.

The scary thing is that these strikes are becoming more and more violent and have a sometimes useless or unreasonable motivation. At least it is my final year so I won’t have to deal with it for too much longer.

Try a Cliché

There are so many clichés that are all around us it’s hard to remember them all, so for this blog I will be documenting some of the most well known clichés around.

Wikipedia describes a cliché as an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, rendering it a stereotype, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. The term is frequently used in modern culture for an action or idea which is expected or predictable, based on a prior event.

Some clichés include:

Cliché:	Over the hill
Explanation:	1. Describes someone who is old and no longer good at their profession
Cliché:	Don't get your knickers in a knot
Explanation:	1. Don't get upset or angry
Cliché:	His bark is bigger than his bite
Explanation:	1. When someone shows their anger, but does not act on that anger. 2. When someone, who is angry, says they will do something in response to that anger, but usually does nothing
Cliché:	Bust your balls, To
Explanation:	1. Describes the act of someone scolding or berating you for something that they don't like
Cliché:	Acorn doesn't fall far from the tree, The
Explanation:	1. A child exhibits the same or very similar traits as his or her parents. 2. Children don't move very far from their parents or where they grew up
Cliché:	Spitting image
Explanation:	1. Closely resembles another person
Cliché:	Old ball and chain, The
Explanation:	1. A spouse. 2. A husband or wife
Cliché:	Thinking with the wrong head
Explanation:	1. Making decisions based on sexual desires
Cliché:	Another day another dollar
Explanation:	1. Used to describe a plain, unexciting job that one must go to everyday to earn money

Overseas Talk

So with my final year of studying coming to an end, it will soon be time for me to make some very tough maybe even life changing decisions. I have always said from the beginning of time, well almost, that after I was done with my studies that I would travel overseas, to Europe and America, and see all the places I have dreamed of for many years.

Well now, having almost arrived at the end of my studies, it is time to make my choice. My ideal plan would be to go on a month holiday to all the great places I love but this won’t really be option as it is way too expensive and simply not possible. So that doesn’t mean my dreams of going overseas are dead, it just means taking a different approach. This approach would be to go work overseas for a period time, meaning I could earn money and see the world. Many of my friends have, are or will be doing this in the next few months. It sounds so exciting almost too good to be true.

The one thing that puts me off is leaving behind all what is familiar and comfortable for what is new and maybe even scary. They say you haven’t lived until you have travelled and seen the world, I can believe this as I can’t see myself settling into an eight to five job until I have seen what I want and my sense for adventure has been fulfilled, even just a little.

Feelings follow behaviour

There is no doubt in my mind that this statement is 100% true no matter which way you look at it. Whatever you are feeling there will be a certain type of action or behaviour that will go with it, from a negative or positive aspect.

If you are feeling angry then there are certain actions that you do, I know that when I am really angry I start to cry, when I am irritated I become rude and snappy with the people around, when I am happy I smile a lot. I am sure a lot of people can relate to this as it becomes human nature to react or act a certain way when dealing with certain feelings.

Even silly things can affect our behaviour without us knowing. How many times have you been walking in a mall or been at club, spotted a hot boy, and without you even realising it you probably started flicking your hair around and giggling, I have seen this so many times...in fact I’m sure I have done the same thing myself a couple of times.

So the next time you overcome with feelings don’t fight it, just let the behaviour that comes with it be.

“Feelings are not supposed to be logical. Dangerous is the man who has rationalised his emotions.”

David Borenstein

It is better to practice a little than talk a lot?

Is that the same thing as if you talk the talk you have to walk the walk? I’m not too sure but what I am sure about is that we all have to do our part in life, whether it be a little or big contribution, to help others.

I was one of those people for a long time that spoke but did little action. I always used to see underprivileged children, sure I felt bad for them, but I never used to do anything to actually help them. So I decided to change that. I recently started helping out every Saturday at Summer Greens, a poor suburb near the Canal Walk. Every Saturday helpers from different suburbs meet at a big park in Summer Greens where we play games, sing and entertain the children. The children that come every Saturday are some of the poorest, they live in small homes with 15 other family members, often don’t have food to eat, no more than two pairs of clothes and don’t even know what Christmas is all about as their families don’t have money to buy them even one small gift. Many of these children, between the ages of 4 – 12, are prone to gangsterism, something that is rife in the area, or drugs. It is a common sight to see a 13 year old girl walking around aimlessly and...pregnant.

These children often have no hope in life but by us being there and encouraging them to a brighter future away from drugs and the dangers of gangs, maybe this small contribution will have a big life changing impact on them.

Cruising through work

So last night I met up with a friend who recently returned from a nine month cruise around the world. No she hadn’t returned from a holiday but rather from work. Work, you might ask? You see for the past nine months she has been on a small, if you class 420 people as small, cruise liner that travelled all over the world from America to Australia and everywhere in between. At this point you might be thinking how could you call this work, living on a luxury cruise liner and travelling around the world?In fact she studied cosmetology, for those that don’t know it includes learning massage techniques and anything to do with the world of beauty and because of this my friend worked on the boat as a masseuse for the people on the ship.

While we were having drinks last night she had so many stories to tell, from the crazy parties they had on the boat – with free alcohol I might add – to the amazing site seeing in Venice, Italy, London and Australia, to a romantic relationship that she had with one of the Romanian crew members, all while earning a large amount of money.

To me it sounds like a dream; travelling the world, on a luxury cruise liner, while earning money and meeting foreign boys. She loved it so much she is leaving again this Saturday for another nine months. Now that’s living life!