The return...

Its been 2 weeks since I last blogged.

Feels like forever!

I have missed checking in on all my friends blogs and must apologise for this.

I must however fill you in on a little something that would help to explain why I have not left tons of love-filled comments as per usual.

We have dial-up here on the farm.

Yes, I just said dial-up.

Yes, you are probably groaning in sympathy.

Thank you for your care.

Just to explain furthur...it took me 10 mins to open this blog. My blog. 10 mins.

So, I double clicked on the little Internet Explorer icon that brings up all my friends that live in my computer.

Then I went and poured myself a glass of coke.

Came back.

Still no action on the precious computer.

Got a little anxious, but saw that the little green lines were loading at the bottom of the screen, so that meant at least there was progress.

Went and saw what was on the tv.

Came back and Google was there! Typed in my blog address.

Drank more coke.





Drank more coke.





Ate a cookie.




(At this rate Im going to put on weight everytime I want to blog)




Success!! My blog page was open.

Me: Click "sign in" on blog page.
Drink coke
Me: What! Still no sign in page?
Drink Coke
Me: Ok, this is beginning to slightly annoy me.
Drink more Coke
Finally! Blog sign in page open.


You can probably guess how the rest went. No need to torment myself furthur.

But..I am now here and Im going to do the unthinkable..Im going to try and load pictures! This might take awhile..at the moment, the date on the top of the page says 17th December. If you only however read this on the 18th or 19th you will know why.

I left SA on a bright and sunny Saturday morning on the 29th November. Leaving Ryan and my little flat and all my friends was heartbreaking. But, I had to concentrate on the fact that the ship was delayed, I had already given up my job and couldnt stay in SA for very much longer with no work. So, I packed my bags, gave notice at my flat and got on a plane to come and see my family that I havent seen for the past year.

After way too many hours of being in the air, (10 to be exact) I landed at Hong Kong Airport. This is where the fun starts because I had a 19hr wait at the airport to catch the next 12hr flight to New Zealand.

I did something very smart in my books.

I went and waited outside the doors of the First Class Airport lounge and asked everyone who went past if I could come in as their guest!!
I am sneaky I know. But every First Class passenger can bring a guest into the lounge, completely free of charge! So, in my opinion, why did I have to find a hard bench to lie on and try and sleep/watch that my luggage doesnt get scooped, when I could go into the lap of luxury.

After being there for a little while, I did get in!

Oh Joy! Happiness! Absolute elation!

Why am I so happy do you ask?

Is it maybe because they have HUGE showers and bathrooms, equipped with everything you need to feel better after such a long flight?

Answer: Yes

Is it also maybe because they have computers with FAST internet that you can stay on for hours for free?

Answer: Yes

Is it maybe because while you are on these amazingly fast internet machines, they bring you coffee and biscuits?

Answer: Yet again, yes.

There were also rooms that you could go and lie down in, complete with sleeping chair-thing, tv, music and aircon.

And of course, a buffet (Elastic...are you reading this? You would be proud) I ate 3 times at the buffet. Before you all shake your heads in disbelief, I was there for 19hrs remember?

While I was in the bathroom, I thought about my blog and what I could say on the next one (this one!) I then took these "cool" and "not so cool" things about my trip:

Cool: Buying a new bag before I left to use as a super-big-can-fit-the-kitchen-sink-bag for my travels.

Not so cool: Having the handle break when getting off the plane in Hong Kong.

Cool: Getting a box of yummy chocolate covered Almonds as a present from someone at work.

Not so cool: Having the above-mentioned Almonds all fall out into the bottom of the above-mentioned broken bag filled with too much stuff to find them until I got to NZ and could unpack.

And 2 very cool things I discovered once I got onto the plane to come to NZ:

We got the new plane! With cool seats and new audio visual equipment!!

And lastly..something that really is very cool indeed..being with my family...

Going for a bare-back ride with Ian, my little brother

Out in the city with Colleen...

So, thats about all from me for the time being..

ps: In the time it took me to upload these pics, I ate a choc bar, went and fetched somewarm warm to wear, put on socks and warm item of clothing, checked the tv guide and watched 5 mins of Pursuit of Happyness.

Thats all.

:)

Hello

Im in New Zealand.

I got here on Monday afternoon.

I miss Ryan.

Until I feel a little better, I will leave the "leaving, flying, landing" post for another day.

Just dont forget about me ok?

Thanks.

Last day...

Today I feel sad.

No, change that, I feel very sad.

Today is my last day at work, my last day in South Africa and my last day with Ryan.

I feel completely miserable.

I get on a plane tomorrow morning at 09.50am. As much as I was looking forward to going to see my family, Im feeling so heartsore to leave everything behind here. It always seems as though I am leaving somebody behind, with the love of my life in South Africa and my family in New Zealand.

Why does this have to be so hard? Why couldnt they just both be in the same place?

If you're reading this and you pray...pls pray for me for strength.

Ps: If you read this blog, please can you leave a comment so that I can follow through to your blog through the comments, as I dont have any blogs saved on any sort of reader, so when I leave here, I wont know whose blogs I read... :(

Pss: As from today, my new email address is lolli_ka_bolli@yahoo.com.au
I have changed it on blogger, so if you reply to a comment, it will come to that address...

Happiness!

Lauren often does a post as to why she is happy today.

Now its my turn.

The number one reason why Rochelle is happy today:





SHE WILL BE HERE ON MONDAY 1ST DECEMBER!!!





SHE IS GOING HOME TO NEW ZEALAND ON THE 29TH NOVEMBER!!!! (and yes, it takes an entire weekend to fly there, and yes, I have a 14hr transit in Hong Kong!)



God is beyond amazing. He has provided me with the means and money to buy a ticket to go home and see my family before I go on the ship next year.

The God I serve is truely awesome.

Thats about all I can manage to say for now..its hasnt really even sunk in yet.

PS: Its a complete surprise for my parents, so they have no idea I am almost on my way!!!!

I want to go home now...

Can anyone help with a 15 000 Rand air ticket to go back here for Christmas?

The ship is going to be delayed until 2009, so Im really down and just wanna go home - I got these pics today and just burst into tears at my desk. Am I a big 22 year old baby?

I will answer that.

Yes.

PS: I have looked at these only about 3 katrillion gazillion times today. Do I get teary eyed everytime?

You guessed it...

Why pets hate Halloween...

I know, I know, before you all start throwing calenders at me,its already mid-November, but I have been meaning to post this since Halloween, so it still counts.

So there.

Mondays...

...Are just too terrible for words.

Honestly, they are the worst day of the week. Just when you get used to the weekend, Monday comes along and spoils everything.

Mondays should be included in the weekend.

Who wants to start a campaign with me?

This weekend was a busy one to say the least.

But, before I get to that, I must address the question of the "9 inch heels" :) I use it as a figure of speech and so in fact, there were not actually 9 inches, but out of interest I did measure them and they are 4.5 inches. Which is bad enough to stand on for 6hrs a day, 2 days in a row. Here are the suckers. Sympathy is needed..go ahead. Especially since I have to do this again at the end of November. What is that I hear you say? I have a hole in my head? Yes dear friends, the need for some extra cash does strange things to ones reasoning.

I managed to get some colouring in books and crayons through my work to donate to a Christmas party that was held at one of the government hospitals nearby. I went along to it and to visit the kids that were in the hospital.

I went there thinking that I was going to be the one to make a difference in the kids lives, but came away feeling as though they were the ones who made a difference in my life.

The hospital is a typical South African government one. Underfunded and under staffed. They have to make do with broken/faulty machines and facilities that are in desperate need of upliftment. But, the nurses here are wonderful. They hardly get paid anything and yet, they give of themselves everyday. The children who are there are from families that cannot afford private health care and so, when the kids get sick, they land up there. Some children have been there for months. Parents dont stay nearby and dont have the transport to visit the children often and so, they get very lonely and bored. We stayed with them for 3 hrs on Saturday morning and gave them presents and treats. Because it was a Christian based party we prayed with some of the mothers who were there with their tiny babies who more often that not were HIV positive. Here are some of the precious children we spent time with.

If only people could appreciate what they have. Some of these kids have been there for months, have tubes coming out everywhere, but still smile when we come past. Its heart-wrenching and makes you realise that your problems arent so bad after all.

Whats Mac-happening lately?

Ok, the title is a little dumb, but someone I know always asks me this and when he says it it sounds sweet... as in Mac-Donalds...Mac-Chicken...ect ect ect blah blah blah.

Because the company I work for dont pay me NEAR enough to actually live on, I have to find extra jobs on the weekend to do. A good one is to do Promotions for companies. Like, this weekend I worked the whole weekend.

6hrs on Sat and 6hrs on Sun.

In 9 inch heels.

Yeah.

You can imagine how my feet were screaming at me to SIT DOWN!!! But, alas I could not as Sunsilk was paying me to stand and say : " If you buy any 2 Sunsilk products today, you get a free awesome, hot pink journal! "....with LOADS of enthiusiasm of course and a huge smile on my face...while all the while my feet are vowing never to speak to me again.

Ok, my feet dont actually speak, but you catch my drift Im sure.

Anyways, back to my point. When doing these promotions, you need to go for some basic training and wear what they tell you to wear. Normally its jeans and a company T-shirt and I can live with that. But, this time it was not.

This time it was this:

You cant see the heels in this pic, but believe me, they were there.

And I have the blisters to prove it.

Ok, next story.

You see this cat?

My terrible-excuses-for-human-beings-neighbours moved out and left this little darling behind. I know, its shocking. So, when he came begging at my door for food, I fed him.

And named him Max. Dont ask me why, but he just looked like a Max.

But, this guy can eat. Oh my word. I have gone through so much cat food and I can assure you, cat food isnt cheap. Especially not with the SA Rand falling so much. Its shocking. There has been a few times where I didnt have any cat food left and Max ate my left-overs. Not that he minded at all. Well, thats Max for you in a nutshell. Ok, not a nut shell really, but again, you kinda know what I mean?

Lastly...its this awesome womans birthday today. She is one of my best friends from school and she got married in July. I love her to bits and hope she has a day thats as amazing as she is.

Thats about all from me for now.

Oh, and Im getting flu.

Yay. Oh joy. Runny noses and sore throats really do it for me.

:)

Cannot...stop....laughing......

I got this in an email and am still trying to stop the tears that are rolling down my cheeks, I am laughing so hard! Hope this brightens your day! :)


Hair Removal...
All hair removal methods have tricked women with their promises of easy, painless removal - The Epilady, scissors, razors, Nair and now...the wax. Read on.........
My night began as any other normal weeknight. Come home, fix dinner, and play with the kids. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours:
'Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out of the medicine cabinet.' So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom.
It was one of those 'cold wax' kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off.
No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be? I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!)
So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck together. Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees.
('Cold wax' yeah...right!) I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. It works!
OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire.
With my next wax strip I move north. After checking on the kids, I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship. I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet. Using the same procedure, I apply the wax strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my hoo-ha and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek (it *was* a long strip) I inhale deeply and brace myself....RRRRIIIPPP!!!!
I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!
Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip. Another deep breath and RIPP! Everything is spinning and spotted. I think I may pass out...must stay conscious...must stay conscious.
Do I hear crashing drums??? Breathe, breathe...OK, back to normal.
I want to see my trophy - a wax covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair. I hold up the strip. There's no hair on it. Where is the hair??? WHERE IS THE WAX???
Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip...it's not! I touch. I am touching wax.
I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair. Then I make the next BIG mistake...remember my foot is still propped upon the toilet? I know I need to do something. So I put my foot down.
Sealed shut! My butt is sealed shut. Sealed shut!
I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself 'Please don't let me get the urge to poop, my head may pop off!' What can I do to melt the wax?
Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!! I'll run the hottest water I can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right???
*WRONG!!!!!!!*
I get in the tub - the water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit.
Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub...in scalding hot water, which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax.
So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cemented myself to the porcelain!! God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!!
I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone. It's a very good conversation starter 'So, my butt and hoo-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!'
There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me. She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, 'Are we talking cheeks or hole or hoo-ha?'
She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her. I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box.
YEAH!!!!! Right!! I should be the joke of someone else's night.
While we go through various solutions, I resort to trying to scrape the wax off with a razor. Nothing feels better than to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!!
By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this event.
My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax. What do I really have to lose at this point? I rub some on and OH MY!!!!!!!
The scream probably woke the kids and scared the dickens out of my friend. Its sooo painful, but I really don't care. 'IT WORKS!! It works!!'
I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up. I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair....THE HAIR IS STILL THERE.......ALL OF IT!
So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts. I could have amputated my own leg at this point.
Next week I'm going to try hair color...

Yes, this is post no 2 in one day...

Yes, I do realise that I normally only post once in every 2 weeks or so, but I just had to post this because I remembered it when I read this awesome womans blog. Hopefully you can bring yourself to read both posts and maybe, just maybe comment on both...

When I was little, probably about 8 or 9, my little sister, Colleen was about 6 or 7 and we were watching The Simpsons.

It was an episode where Abu, the immigrant in the series, was in fear of getting deported as he wasnt an American citizen.

The whole episode revolved around this.

Sometime during this, my adorable little sister starts looking very worried.

The longer the show went on and the closer Abu came to being deported, the more worried she got.

Eventually my dad then asked her what was wrong.

She looked up at him with her big worried eyes and asked:

(This one is a classic)

"Dad, are we American citizens?"

Needless to say we were almost rolling on the floor with laughter. She was so worried that we would also be deported.



Yes, she has yet to live this down.

PS: For those of you who dont know, I live in Africa. Not America. :)

I just don't know.

I suppose the title says it all.

I have had to tell the people at work, including my boss about my job on the cruise ship.

I didn't do it until last week because I wasn't sure of when I was going to join and didn't want to jeprodise my job or make him upset that I was leaving.

Then, he called me in and asked me what my plans were for next year as he needed to plan ahead, especially because the other lady I am a PA for is going on maternity leave at the end of Nov. So, I had to be honest and tell him that I wouldn't be here next year and that I would most probably be gone before this year is out.

It went alot better than I thought it would. He was happy for me and encouraged me to follow through with it as it was an amazing oppurtunity...blah blah blah...you get the picture. "You're young and free, do it now before you settle down"......

So, I have been feeling fine since then.

Today they interviewed (and found) the lady thats going to replace me.

I didnt think it would affect me as much as it did. Don't get me wrong, she is amazing. Tall, blonde and beautiful with a brain to boot. But, when she left, everyone carried on about how amazing she was. And pretty. And talented. And what an asset she was going to be. And how because she was married with a house ect, that she wouldn't up and leave after a short time.

That hurt.

I felt like standing on the desk and yelling : " The current employee is still in the room PEOPLE!"

I don't think they meant for it to hurt me as they are nice people who I get along with and who value me. But I really think that alot more tact could have been used. If they wanted to go on and on about her, couldnt they have waited till I was out the room?

Maybe Im being over emotional about it. But it hurt none the less.

She starts in November and I will probably still be here.

Not sure how I will be feeling then.

Will be sure to let you know.


Am I just being silly or do I have a right to feel like this?

Here I go again, oh oh, how can I resist you?

I was born in the wrong era.

Seriously.

I should have been born in the 1960's.

I would have had been able to see ABBA when they were still around and performing.

That would have been am...az...ing.

I am a huge ABBA fan and the last 2 weeks have been jam packed with them.

Last Tuesday we went to the Barnyard Theatre and watched Dancing Queen, which was a live performance, with tributes to ABBA and Queen. Wow. I sang and when they let us get up and dance...I shook what my mamma gave me.

Then, I have been DYING to go and see Mamma Mia at the cinema since it came out.

Ryan and I went and saw it last night.

...OH MY GOODNESS...

The whole cinema was singing to the songs and at the end the place actually broke out in clapping! I have never been to a movie where that happens before.

That has got to be in my top 3 movies of all times.

really.

no lies.

I came out there feeling like I was on the top of the world.

Singing...dancing...laughing to the car.

Ryan just laughed along with me.

Ok, maybe he laughed at me.

But thats ok, because I LOVED IT!!!

If you havent seen it.



GO...


GO NOW...





You still here?



I said go people! You will come out there a happier person because of it.





Sidenote: I think the ABBA people should pay me for this review.

Sidenote 2: I will be buying this this afternoon.