i think this is my most embarrassing photo ever [and for me, that's saying a lot]. i call it my fat face photo and i keep it to remind me of a time when my face was about as wide as it was long. This is me in Umtata in 2002 and clearly it wasn't an epidemic of weighty proportions, because by Umtata 2003 i'm looking pretty healthy and average sized again... [...]
When it comes to genies and wishes, the first two tend to get all the fame and attention, but in the absence of being able to wish for more wishes [read the small print] we wondered aloud what would you do with your final wish? You know, once you had already used up the two good ones? [The Story So Far: Every Wednesday at 12 noon South African time [6 am EDT] an inspired and growing [...]
A year of not drinking alcohol... completed in something like twenty days time... Felt like a good time to check in and let you know how it's been and invite you to join me on a different Giving Up adventure in 2018 - WAIT!!! COME BACK HERE! So why'd i give it up [for those of you who might have missed that detail]? Well, i just did really. No big story. No struggle with alcohol [...]
At @AFrikkinHashtag we pride ourselves on being creative in our Hashtagging which is why you will never find a Trump tag [except the one that was #NotTrumpOrChristmas [which you have to admit is pretty creative!]] and i don't know if we've ever done a word limit tag [we certainly don't limit words in our tags, ha ha] and this one was a classic as Jess climbed back into the co-hosting seat for a game where [...]
Dear Principal, This week we have all been shocked and deeply dismayed to witness the Selborne College Class of 2017 scandal with the dog-faced Hector Pieterson photo incident. Another week, another SA school making the headlines for all the wrong reasons. I’m sure you hope your school isn’t next - there are no quick fix solutions, but there are proven strategies available to ensure you’re not. As the person overseeing an educational institution in South [...]
Last night tbV and i attended the end of year function - AGM and celebration - of the local non-profit organisation Bottomup. Who are Bottomup? i will let them introduce themselves to you in their own words: What is Bottomup?: Bottomup positions itself as a catalyst for organizational change in the under-resourced schools in the Grassy Park, Lotus River and Ottery area. We aim to apply an assets based approach, assisting schools to leverage their existing [...]
Let me introduce you to Ujamaa... Definition: The Swahili word ujamaa means 'extended family', 'brotherhood' or 'socialism'; as a political concept it asserts that a person becomes a person through the people or community. Yesterday i was given the privilege of hanging out with a small group of truly inspirational people doing small but country-transforming things. The Ujamaa Collective, as they are known, are in the middle of a seven-day walk, starting in Khayelitsha where [...]
We know that people love to make excuses for everything. But what if we were able to tune into the excuses that animals might make? How PUNderful would they be? Turns out very. Very PUNderful indeed. The Story So Far: Every Wednesday at 12 noon South African time [6 am EDT] an inspired and growing number of brilliant, creative and absolutely fun people from all around the world take part in what is called a Hashtag [...]
Can't we all just be a little more kind to people online? And maybe offline too..? i would say, "Yes, absolutely!" But also, "No!" Well, i mean kinda, but probably not in the way you understand Kindness. Because often when somebody posts an inspirational or challenging message like this, what they are actually wanting people to be is nice. And it isn't super helpful to confuse Kind with Nice. Exhibit A Your three-year-old kid is [...]
What kind of church will you be part of? i have written a little bit before about my diving into studies this year with a course called Leadership in Urban Transformation, a one year certificate through the University of Pretoria looking at Theology and the City. This week finds us in week four of our physical class weeks and so i had an assignment due and read a book called 'The Prophetic Imagination' by Walter [...]
