Friday 25 February 2011

The dangers of the road.

“Arrive alive.” “Speed kills.” “If you speed, you are a killer.” We see all these signs on the side of the road, yet we find ourselves speeding at 150km p/h on the open road. Maybe we like the rush or are in plain language…speed freaks.
I use to be a maniac on the road. My record for most speeding fines in one month is ten. I think the total for them were close to R2000. This stopped the moment when I was a victim of a car crash, well actually it was a bakkie on a dirt road and there were no other vehicles involved. I wasn’t the one driving though. My point is, I was in the hospital for four days and it wasn’t nice. I was lucky, it could have been worse. I literally was superman for a few seconds as I was flying through the air and ended up underneath the bakkie. I really did see my life flash in front of my eyes. I thought I was dead. The sad thing is that something terrible always has to happen to us before we learn our lesson, and sometimes we still don’t learn.
I’m writing about this, because yesterday I drove past a massive car crash on the N1. It was on the other side, so all I saw was a car laying on its roof, smashed like potatoes, a truck halfway on the road and halfway into the bushes, a whole lot of flashing red and blue lights and paramedics running around like crazy chickens. I immediately burst into tears and phoned my mother to calm me down. The rest of the cars were at a total standstill for kilometers as they could not pass the scene.
I realized that could have been anyone, somebody you know or somebody with a family who is waiting at home for that person/s to arrive. We don’t ask for something like that to happen and we certainly don’t want it to happen, but it still does and there is nothing we can do about it. Imagine driving home, you can’t wait to go watch your favorite T.V series and the next thing you know you are lying face down between your car and the ground hanging on a thread. We can still drive safe. Don’t speed, don’t get road rage, check your blind spot, use your mirrors and your indicators, pump your tires regularly etc. This may prevent some road accidents.
Life is precious and short. Be careful and responsible and definitely on the lookout for all the ‘idiots’ driving in front, behind and next to you. Arrive alive people!! J

If I were the boss.

I don’t like this topic. I feel it is kind of boring, but here it goes.

I feel people work way too hard and have too little time to live their lives. I know working is part of our lives, but come on. It sucks to get up early when you would rather go to the beach or have a yummy breakfast with a loved one.
If I were the boss I would be strict but kind. I would work hard to motivate and inspire my employees. I would try to find the time to get to know all my employees and show interest in their lives and their needs.
If I were the boss I would make every Friday a happy Friday and give all my employees permission to leave at one o’clock. I would make sure all my employees receive an additional day off sometime during each month. I will hold lots of team building exercises or days and try to make working for me as much fun as possible.
If I were the boss I would never ever ever rip my employees off or be unreasonable. You know you get people like that who think they can stomp all over you because they have authority over you and because they can. Well I think that is wrong, because we are all human beings. We are equal.
If I were the boss, I bet you would wish I was your boss.

Friday 18 February 2011

You are what you eat.


‘Only one more’, is what we always say when that plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies is on the dining room table. We always end up wanting ‘one’ more, which leads to two, three and four. You get the idea and you all know what I am talking about.
Everybody knows the expression: “a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.” That is what my mother always tells me when I grab another chocolate out of the box. It is so nice, how can I get myself to stop? I feel like getting all emotional now.
I will never forget the day I heard someone say: “Less eating, more running!!” That is so true and it works. Try it! You can also try to find a replacement. Every time you feel like stuffing your face, do like ten pushups or something. Hahaha, bet you that will get your mind off of it.
I have to confess, I do not always stick to ‘one more’ or ‘less eating, more running’. I love my food. I think to taste something is one of the best things ever.
I guess I will never be that supermodel you see in a magazine, I loooove food to much!!

Two people walk out of a building and into a story.

“Temporarily out of order”, said the sign placed on the elevator. “This is not nice”, the man said to the lady who was also on her way to the ground floor. They have to take eleven flights of stairs down if they wish to get out of there. Together they decided to start walking down the stairs.

Both in a hurry, they rushed down the stairs and eventually got to the ground floor. To their surprise, the front door of the building was locked. The new security system was being tested. There was no alternative way to leave the building. “Wow!! This is very dumb of management to do a security check in the middle of the day!!” the man said angrily to the lady. “How is this possible!!” said the lady.

Head of security informed the people that it will take up to twenty minutes to unlock the doors. The lady and the man went to sit in the cafeteria to grab something to drink. Both expressed their frustration and did not really bother to get to know one another.

After a while the doors opened and they walked out. They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. “Wait!! What is your name?” the man shouted.  “I’m Jesse” she replied. “It is short for Jessica” The man smiled and said: “Great, I am Jesse, just Jesse.”

So the story began…

Friday 11 February 2011

Designer PR

When I think about designer PR, I see a practitioner designing and implementing strategies within an organisation, as well as designing an event or some other kind of fun activity. I also think of a practitioner actually designing something! A web page or the lay out of a magazine, a brochure or an annual report, a stand for an exhibition or even something to do with fashion. You name it, a PR can do it!!   

I also think of that Kulula PR Campaign, where the ceramic cows were given to celebrities to decorate as they wanted to. I think that was great PR work and also fell into the designer category for coming up with something as creative as that. It got peoples attention and was a very persuasive method of communication. For just that reason I think it is important to develop your designer skills.

Being a successful practitioner, I think we all must develop our designer skills just as well as our communication skills, because in the future we might just have a lot of fun with it.

Thursday 10 February 2011

Beauty is only skin deep you say?

When do you consider someone to be beautiful? How do you measure beauty? I guess it is in the eye of the beholder.

We were taught not to judge a book by its cover, but we all still do sometimes. That is actually very shallow and mean, but people love to judge one another.

I had a teacher at school who once asked our class if we would approach a complete stranger who was extremely overweight and not really nice to look at, or a sexy young woman or man who makes your knees go weak and your heart beat faster. You all know who we chose, someone that is much easier on the eye of course.

My teacher said how are we suppose to get to know someone if we don't even want to approach them. He said for all we know the pretty one is a murderer waiting for their next victim, and the overweight person may be waiting for someone to which he/she can give a million rand to.

That just says, don't judge, beauty is only skin deep.

Friendship

Two of my best friends are having a huge fight, so they actually inspired me to write about friendship.

Friends are of great importance to everybody, or at least some kind of social interaction. I see friendship as a tiny seed which you have to give water to everyday to ensure that it will grow into a beautiful tree.

People long for physical contact, to feel loved and cared for. People need that friend you can turn to in your time of need, sadness, anger, happiness or just to talk to about any random crap you can think of.

BUT!! Friends can fight, get irritated or disagree with one another. Friends can be cruel and mean. You must always try to remember what that person means to you and try to find that (stupid) reason why you are fighting.

Why fight and give up a friendship when you have so much more to lose. Don't be stubborn and sort it out damit!! Why would you for one moment think it is worth losing a great friend over some fight?

Don't be an idiot!! Kiss and make up, unless that friend did something so horrible you cannot forgive them of course...

Thursday 3 February 2011

I am...not a morning person.

I am surprised to find myself in front of the mirror each morning at 6AM, and even more surprised not to take a two hour nap in the afternoon when I arrive home from a lecture.

Why? You know the feeling you get when you had a great night's rest (thanks to Sealy Postropedic)? You don't want to wake up, and try oh so hard to fall back to sleep to continue that awesome dream? I love that feeling and that is exactly how I spent most of my holiday.

Don't get me wrong, I am definitely not lazy. In fact, I like working hard, challenging myself and developing my skills. I embraced my holiday and slept in each morning until at least 10AM. I think that most "normal" students on holiday would do so, for we are breaking a sweat throughout the entire year. Well, most of us.

I dislike the early morning buzz in my ears, rush hour, dragging myself out of bed into the shower when I really don't want to and listening to a lecture when "klaas vakie's" bag of sand is still in my eyes.

Now, continuing the cycle of waking up (very) early and working hard, I perceive it as my years goal toward my next holiday.