My bucket list: Some things (not 100) to do before I die

About a month ago I had a life changing experience which got me thinking that life is too short to sit on the sidelines. I then made a commitment to do something I have always wanted to do: travel and see the world.

So here are some more things I would love to do before I kick the bucket, in no specific order:

Meditate with monks, watch the bucket list, fall in love, break a heart, mend a heart, read a full series of books in a month, watch a 3D movie, experience another religion, go to the gym (and not for a class), own a fish tank with living fish inside....

.... enjoy sushi, lay on the beach for an entire day, do a 10km run for charity, have a pointless job with a huge office, buy a full body designer suit, own a bachelors pad on the 11th floor, be an extra in a coke commercial, travel to work in a boat, see the stars in the Hollywood walk of fame, eat with my eyes closed and last but not least meet Justin Bieber

If you had to teach something what would you teach?

Well for me this was very simple, because I have made this exact decision lately. About three weeks ago I accepted a job to teach English in Thailand. Am I just doing this because it is more money and less hours? Yes. Am I just doing this because in South Africa you are underappreciated and underpaid? Yes. But all that aside English is and will always be my first love.

It all started before I was born. My dad would read English poetry while I was in the womb. He loved the language so much and taught it for several years before his tragic death. As soon as I was old enough to read I was introduced to books such as Someday the Blue Bird, Buckingham Palace and the Winchester book of verse. I would sit in his classes and just let my mind absorb all the language.
My entire life all I wanted to do was teach this magnificent subject. I went into PR for the variety, for just in case one day I wanted to do something else. And that day has come.

Now, with a teaching contract awaiting me, and the world at my feet I cant wait to begin this adventure. Never mind all the movies you have seen like Gangster’s Paradise, Lean on Me, 187 and Bad Teacher, I am going to show them how the Linti does this. But to be fair I will warn them in advance that this teacher is serious about English.

You cannot chase two rabbits at the same time

Follow the white rabbit - an expression commonly used by addicts to chase the high of their first hit, and for those of us who watched the Matrix (come on I know you all have) it is symbolic as the way out. Follow the white rabbit....

But what does chasing two rabbits mean? It comes from the wise teachings of the Zen believe. The story is as follows:

A martial arts student approached his teacher with a question. “I would like to improve my knowledge of the martial arts. In addition to learning from you, I would like to study with another teacher in order to learn another style. What do you think of this idea?”

“The hunter who chases two rabbits catches neither one,” the master answered.
The assumptions that were drawn from this story is that to excel at something one has to focus all ones energy on the task at hand. Another popular one is “Jack of all trades, master on none.”

So in context of our lives I would say, yes we need to focus our energy on things that take priority in our lives but I would not fully agree with the teachings of the master. We also need to keep the balance between things to keep ourselves from going crazy. Maybe the master should have come to Cape Town so I could tell him: All work and no play makes for an unbalanced Menay.

When will CPUT improve their services?

As another Monday is upon us I sigh at the thought of the day that lies ahead. Not because I have a boss that thinks I don’t have a life but because at 17h15 every Monday night I find myself sitting at a broken desk, with a broke chair in a stuffy room (the air- conditioning is broken) in Roland Street. So yip you guessed it, this is a ‘complaining’ blog.

Firstly lets start with the basics. Why did CPUT move the Public Relations course (national diploma and B-tech) to the building in Roland Street? Surely they could have anticipated that this would be problematic for certain students. I think the ones that suffer the most are the part time students without motor vehicles, who now have to walk down to the main campus at night to use the library.

And then they provide us with chairs and tables that leave much to be desired.
All of this I can deal with but what about the bathrooms? No toilet paper, missing toilet seats, used sanitary towels on the floor as there are no bins, no hot water and a continuously filthy floor.

And last but not least, why is the administration system of CPUT so messed up? On two occasions, while registering at the administration department I was informed that I did not complete certain subjects. This was not the case, and after several hours of back and forth between more admin people and senior lecturers the problem was solved. But what if I was a foreign student that only came to CPUT on the day of registration?

So yes readers I am gatvol! I am counting the days till this campus is no longer part of my Monday- or any day for that matter!

Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when you only have one idea

Here is the deal - if you have one idea, no matter how great and mind blowing it is, you need to have a more than one. Even if you think it is the next best thing after sliced bread, ideas are like people (something my mom would always tell me), they like to have the company of those similar to them.

Although this friend expression was totally overplayed in my childhood, it holds true in this situation and many others.

Life is all about balance. We tend to forget that as we all want to be exceptional at something so we invest all our time and energy in a single thing. We want to be the smartest or the fastest so we study the hardest or train the most, not keeping in mind how important the balance is.

So when you have more than one idea, you can spread your attention and efforts and if the one does fail, it was not the thing that defined you. This can also prevent the common occurrence of people taking failure too personally and completely giving up.

So come up with as many ideas as possible, dream and do things that are ‘unlike you’. The only thing more dangerous than never dreaming is only having one dream.

Is red bull taking over the world?

While working on the Absa Cape Epic mountain bike stage race, there was a huge change in the energy of the crew in the media office, compared to that of previous years. Everyone had this bouncy energy. Encouraging but a bit weird. And there it was, large as life - a blue red bull fridge in the middle of all the commotion, with people freely taking of the beverages.

In their defence, they had had sugar free (or that’s what they call it) cans as well. I was initially against it but after a few hours I walked over and had one. I felt all the sugar and caffeine flow through my body- this must be what heaven feels like I thought. One turned into three and for the next seven days my morning only started after my can of red bull. They were even kind enough to give me 15 cans to take home. I did not see the catch.

Once my red bull had finished, I wanted more, but could not bring myself to pay the exorbitant price. I instead had a glass of boring water and turned the TV on. And then I saw it:

The red bull formula one

The red bull sponsored DJ’s

Red bull golf

Corporate red bull

Red bull stunt racers, bikers, divers, dancers, RED BULL EVERYTHING!!

Is it just me or is red bull taking over the world?

Have you figured out the second head fake?

When looking deeper into this topic I came across the last lecture of Randy Pausch. This lecture, which was seen as his most inspirational talk left a lasting impression on his friends, students and even strangers.

He presented his life, his dreams he had achieved and the lessons he had learnt. His first head fake was that one should not only pursue dreams but also lead a good and satisfied life. It is not the end result but the means that matter.

The second head fake was for his children, and not his students. He wanted them to know the kind of man he was, and not teach them what he had learned.

This man had several other wise words, among them I enjoyed:

Do not tell people how to live their lives. Just tell them stories, and they will figure out how those stories apply to them.

If I could give three words of advice, they would be “ tell the truth.” If I got three more I would add: “All the time.”

All about me as a Taurus

So according to my star sign this is what Menay is like.

The ones I agree with:
I am patient, reliable, warm hearted, loving, persistent, determined and security loving.  We are characterised by solidity, practicality, extreme determination and strength of will. “Nothing will ever drive us but we will loyally follow a leader we trust”- Astrology online

I am stable, balanced, conservative, good, law abiding citizen and a lover of peace. Respect for physical possessions and a horror of falling into debt makes me hostile to change and disrupting the security of the status quo.

The ones I don’t agree with:
I am jealous and possessive, resentful and inflexible, self indulgent and greedy. I can be too slavish to the conventions I admire. Apparently I am also a self righteous (someone please report this website), unoriginal, ultra conservative, argumentative bore stuck in a self centred rut.
Now for those of you that know me, it is easy for you to tell which of these are true and which are false. For those who don’t know me, there is so much a star sign does not tell you....

It doesn’t tell you if I am heterosexual, interesting, neat, quiet, mentally stable ect.
So the next man that tells me he knows my type, because I am a Taurus, has to think again.

Idols 2011- my take

So last night was the selection of the top 10 for South Africa. The show, which is supposed to make instant Idols of ordinary people, failed to impress me this year until last night.

The 15 contestants opened with the show stopping classis Don’t stop believing- always a winner, and for the first time I realised that out of this group of individuals there might actually be some talent. Five of them were voted off by the end of the night.

The nice thing about this year’s Idols is the variety of people. There are ladies, gentlemen, short, tall, fat, skinny, all colours, all races, introverts and ofcourse the ‘show horses’ – the performers of note.

All the contestants have one thing in common though- the dream of becoming the new SA Idol. Having their lives instantly put in the limelight. But how well has it really worked out for the previous Idols? In my opinion, not that well. The instant fame proved to be enough to send some of these SA stars over the edge. Others did not make music for longer than year.

Sad, but true, but I think that these Idols enjoy most of their fame while being on the show. Let’s see if this proves true for SA’s number one singer this year...

How hard is it to follow instructions

Now this seems like an easy question, but once you try doing something that you have never done before you will see that it is easier said than done.

This year I have embarked on some things that I have never done before. I have taken on 5 subjects in one year, taken a position as account executive, moved out of the nest and gone back to church for the first time in 5 years. Unfortunately none of these things came with instructions. Live and learn is the only way.

In light of this I am appreciating the things in my life that comes with instructions so much more. How well I am following these is up for discussion. Sometimes you have to compromise, whether it is to achieve the best results or simply to maintain your own sanity.

We live in a society where people are not fond of ‘colouring inside the lines’ and everyone is looking for a quick fix. Yet we still need rules and instructions to function, so my recommendation to all is: Follow the rules where you have to. Follow the instructions that are important in your life. Whether it is what your religion says you need to do, the directions on a google map or how to assemble a piece of furniture. Instructions are there for a reason, so make the most of them.

This weeks inspiration: Adele

The music sensation Adele has officially taken over the music world with her first album, 19, which was certified platinum four times in the UK and debuted at number one. My favourites on the album include the sing along soulful song chasing pavements and cold shoulder.

The entire world related to her. Every girl who had ever had her heart broken and every person that had turned a blind eye to the ugly part of love. And most of all so many who thought they were not good enough.

In 2011 she released her second album, 21, with a bang. A mind blowing performance of 'Someone like you' ensured the album hit the platinum status ten times and debuted at number one the Billboard chart in America.

She describes her style as heart broken soul- I see it as human. A rose is a rose by any other name, the fact remains it is a good listen and a soul healer for those difficult days.

Andy Warhol said, “In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes...

Andy Warhol said, “In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes.” You can’t choose the 5 minutes but why would you be world famous.

Andy, the American painter, printmaker and filmmaker, played a very important part in his time (which was 1928- 1987) as a figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. He coined the expression 15 minutes of fame.

Sadly he only had fifteen minutes of fame himself, when he died at 06:32 on 22 February 1987 in New York City from a routine gall bladder surgery.

If it were up to me my fifteen minutes would have to be something positive, like nursing the oldest lady in the world until she kicks the bucket, or raising orphans (without being in a Tomb Raider movie first). I would definitely hate for it to be for the wrong reasons such as crime, corruption or being assassinated because I kept on critiquing Julius Malema on twitter.

So I shall patiently wait for my fifteen minutes and hope that Andy was just another crazy artist.

What motivates me

Motivation – the reason for one acting in a particular way. The reason behind most madness. So what makes my clock tick? Well after a long time in a dark place, the reason I wake up every morning and the objective of my long term plan is simple - happiness.

Happiness on a small scale: Small laughs in the day to day things – watching a dog on you tube singing, or taking the time to finish your coffee before you jump behind your lap top, or even taking a few extra seconds to look at the rainbow as you take the post out. Really just laughing at life.

Happiness on a large scale: Knowing that you have a purpose and in fulfilling that purpose you will become all you can be - being completely self actualised.

At the end of the day the choice is yours, and I chose to be happy. So instead of waking up every morning and asking ‘why’ I rather ask ‘why not’.