Be Inspired by Miss Stone

As I sit here, on Christmas eve, I can't help but think back at the year that was. I tried refraining from the 'what 2013 has taught me' messages, but I just cannot. I mean, as I sit here thinking about the reason we celebrate Christmas, I cannot help but be thankful. Thankful to the Lord. Thankful for His birth. Thankful for His sacrifices. Thankful for the blessings He has bestowed upon me. Christmas has such an overwhelming effect on me. I find myself holding back tears, of both joy and sorrow. This year, two things happened that I am very proud of: I started my blog :) It seems all my talking and ranting can now finally be put to good use! All my opinions finally have a home. I also made it into the Clinical Psychology Masters programme for next year. A very selective programme, and one that I am honored to be a part of. I know that I am more than ready for this and I will reach the end of this journey having achieved my dream of becoming a Clinical Psychologist. ...

Today, South Africans all woke up with heavy hearts. Today, South Africa and the rest of the world mourn the death of an icon. A true legend. The father of our nation. Today, we mourn the death of uTata Nelson Mandela. Social networks were buzzing with the news since last night, and many beautiful messages have been sent out, but there is one I would like to share with you today. There is one message that I would like us all to carry with us on this day and for the rest of our lives. Gareth Cliff wrote this: ‘The Father of our nation has closed his eyes, so that the rest of the world may open theirs.’ After 27 years in prison, you came out, you forgave and you became our President. The people’s President. We will never forget you Tata. We salute you always!! And we thank you for everything you have done for us. Rest In Peace. Your Soul lives on forever. You have reached your final destination Tata. Your utopia awaits. Take Care Miss Stone

As I drive through my neighbourhood in the morning, on my way to work, there are a lot of images I see that disturb me. But slowly but surely, we are turning our community around. I get mad at people sometimes when they talk about Heidedal and all the bad things that accompany it. It angers me most when they generalize. They see people drinking and fighting and automatically think we are all like that. They think we are all drunkards. They see young school girls walking around with their big bellies and think that is what all young Coloured girls are destined to become: young mothers. Young mothers who have no future. Young mothers, who have no education. They see young boys getting drunk and high, and they think that is what all Coloured boys do. They think this is all they can do. They think our boys have no ambition in life. But with every neighbourbood, there is good and bad. It is sad that they can only see our bad. We have so much good in our community, but people do not...

So, it is done. Today I handed in my resignation. This has been a year filled with many losses for me. But it has also been a year of blessings. When I sit and think about the 11 months that have gone by, I do not know whether I should laugh or cry. One thing I do know though, is that I am thankful, oh so thankful. When 2013 started, I claimed it. I told myself that this was going to be my year. Little did I know just how right I was. I decided that after 4 years of working, I was going to apply for my Masters in Psychology. This was something I had thought about very carefully, considering that Psychology Masters is a full time course. I wondered how I would cope if I were accepted and what I would do to my house if I had no income for a year (from the 2 nd year, internship, I get paid). But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it would all fall into place. I knew it would. And so, when April came around, I sent in my application forms. I believed in myself an...

I have come across a lot of race related incidents lately that do not sit well with me. Yes, we live in a diverse country. We live in a country where many race groups are expected to live together and get along with one another. This is not always easy though, but it is something we strive towards every day. So, as I was on Twitter the other day, I came across a few tweets that were aimed at Coloured people, but there was a certain tweet that really caught my attention. It read something like this: ‘I am not racist, because racism is a crime, and crime is for Coloured people.’ I looked at this tweet for a while and thought about replying to the person, but I knew my response would not be a well thought out one, since I was rather upset. And after a while, I just decided not to say anything. But I kept thinking about it though. And the more I thought about it, the more it annoyed me. Yes, there was nothing I could do about someone else’s thinking, or lack thereof. Yes, that was the...

What is a bitch? A bitch is a female dog. That is what it is. However, somewhere along the way, we seem to have lost track and gave this word a different meaning. I asked a few men on Twitter what they meant when they referred to women as bitches and these are some of the answers I received: “Rudeness, arrogance and when she thinks nothing of herself ([I] don’t call women that though)” “I think it’s all about the context it is used in though it can never be in a good way. Bitch as in a whore, someone who sleeps with anyone and bitch as in cocky or bitchy.’’ One of my friends said, “Unless you’re having sex when you call a woman that, it is disrespectful.” Yes, so I laughed a little at the last one but I was still left feeling a little confused as more and more answers came in. You see, I just do not understand this concept. Are we that unimaginative that we cannot come up with new words to say to each other? Because calling someone a bitch is really getting old now. Th...

I drove past an accident scene early this morning. The vehicle was upside down, windscreen and windows smashed. It looked terrible. That was my eye opener. Early this morning, my eyes were opened. I saw that nothing is guaranteed in life. I saw that nothing lasts forever. I saw that nothing is promised. After seeing that vehicle, I drove to my parents’ home, said good morning to them, did my Mom’s hair and sat down and had a chat with my Dad. I cherished that little time I had with them. I was glad that I could share those moments with them and in the process, create more memories. I do not know how many of these moments I will still have with them, but I am grateful that this morning, I had it. This life has been given to us in order for us to live, not merely exist. This life has been given to us in order for us to experience, to see, taste, smell, hear and touch. This life has been given to us in order for us to savour the moments. Be in love with it. Have a love affair with ...

So, a few days after I did my fashion post, my car got broken into and sadly, my Steve Madden heels were stolen, along with many other personal items. I have been the victim of car theft three times now, and each time, the feeling gets worse. This time, they attempted to steal my car too and in the process, messed it up. My car is now at an assessment centre before it gets fixed. This saddens me, but it angers me even more. It makes me so angry that people can just take things that you work so hard for. They have no regard for your personal space. They do not care about your property or what it took for you to obtain all those items. Sometimes yes, poverty could be a possible explanation, but I also believe that it is selfish to take what belongs to others, especially if they work hard for it. Stealing is not always the only option. So the day after the incident happened, I was running around trying to sort things out at the police station and with my insurance company. It was an ...

Fashion is something that I always find inspiration in. And my personal style has evolved quite a bit since I started being more comfortable in my own skin. I wear clothes that make me feel happy. So, today, I thought I would do something a little different. Today, I am going to do a fashion piece highlighting some statement pieces I cannot go without. I was very nervous about doing this since my blog has been one where I mostly write stories, but I thought why not change things around for once. After all, this is still inspiration. It is one of my many sources of inspiration. And I am sure my friend Nadine will be happy about this post, she told me ages ago to start doing outfit posts J So here goes, my first fashion piece. Please note that this may not be what is in vogue at the moment, but it is still what I think I need in my closet, and who knows, you might think so too. Studs and spikes…              ...

Everything that is great, was once small. Everything significant, was once insignificant. We think small in order to think big. Inventions were simple ideas that manifested into greatness. Moments in time are captured in all its glory and turned into aesthetic art. Smiles turn into laughter. Like becomes love. Strangers become lovers. This is the way of the world, in all its splendour. That which is small, has the power to become great if we plant it with love, water it, care for it, and nurture it. And so, your dreams can manifest into greatness. Our dreams have the ability to become our reality if we make it happen, if we plant it and water it, and nurture it with love, hard work and dedication. Anything has the possibility for greatness. Seeds become trees. Caterpillars eventually become butterflies. There is greatness in everything and everyone. All we have to do is discover it. And so today, I hope that you search and find the greatness in you. Go ahead,...

What if every time we opened our mouths, we thought about what we were about to say before saying them? What if we thought about those words and who it would hurt? What if we thought about who we would upset? What if every time we opened our mouths, we thought about our words first, really thought about them, long and hard, and then only said them? In a perfect world, this would work out perfectly. Then, no one would get hurt by anyone’s words. No one would take offence. No would be angered. But, we do not live in a perfect world. We live in a world where we are definitely not perfect, but we should not use our imperfections as an excuse to hurt others. All too often we hear ‘Well I am not perfect’, and yes we are not, but is that reason enough to use others as our personal punching bags? No it is not! It is a thin line between love and hate. When we hurt those we love, or those we love hurt us, we so easily cross that line and say things we never imagined we would say. Such is ...

I heard once that you attract not what you want but what you are. When I heard those words, I thought about it for a while. And the more I thought about it, I started applying it to events in my life. You attract not what you want, but what you are. I dated someone once who was an amazing person when he was sober, but as soon as he had a few drinks, he was the total opposite. And when he was intoxicated, he brought out the worst in me. Now, when I think of it, it really isn’t fair giving him all the blame. I was at a point in my life where I attracted exactly who I was. A bit out of control. A bit rebellious. My confidence was at an all-time low. And so, I had received exactly who I was, only, I did not see it then. But as time went on, and this vicious cycle was getting harder and harder to bear, I realized that I should either get out while I had the chance, or I could stay and mess up my life for good. The latter was definitely not an option. And so I left and never looked back...

I knew a strong woman once. A woman who was brave. A woman who was larger than life. A woman who stood her ground. I knew a beautiful, elegant woman once, and it is because of her that I write this today. My Grandmother would have celebrated her birthday today. And although she has not been around for almost 8 years now, today I miss her terribly. I miss her like she has just left us. They say God picks his most beautiful flowers first, I do not know if we say this just to console ourselves, I guess we do, but one thing know, Rosalie was definitely one of His most beautiful flowers. The day before she died, she asked us to do her hair. She always looked amazing, even on an off day. I recall her saying that she had no concept of time; it did not worry me much, since she was happy and lively when she left our home that day. Little did I know it would be the last day I saw her. And so, the following day, on my sister’s birthday and a day before my birthday, my Ouma left us to be with...

Today, on this Heritage Day, I would like to share with you a famous speech by our former President, Thabo Mbeki. Regardless of race, culture, creed or religious domination; we are all African. Africa belongs to all those who live in it. Today, we should celebrate our heritage. Today we should celebrate that which makes us different, but also that which brings us together.   "I am an African. I owe my being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the trees, the flowers, the seas and the ever-changing seasons that define the face of our native land. My body has frozen in our frosts and in our latter day snows. It has thawed in the warmth of our sunshine and melted in the heat of the midday sun. The crack and the rumble of the summer thunders, lashed by startling lightening, have been a cause both of trembling and of hope. The fragrances of nature have been as pleasant to us as the sight of the wild blo...