Happy Valentines Day Bloggers!

First off, Happy Valentines Day. Ah - love is in the air. Couples everywhere seem to be holding hands and doing various other forms of serious PDA. As I flick through the channels on the radio, it appears that all of the hosts seem to be talking about the same thing.

I myself, have decided to love myself today and cleanse my inner being. Have you ever noticed what an effect your dirty room can have on your life? It can leave you feeling heavy and miserable.

My room is not the problem. My cupboards are. I have clothes that I have owned for over fourteen years laying dormant somewhere at the back of my cupboards! So today, while my boyfriend grinds away at work, I will grind away in my cupboards.

Not only will it help me get rid of a whole stack of clothing useless to me now, it will also give me a limited amount of extra spending money while I'm unemployed!

Lately, my mind has been practically exploding with Italian. As a major part of my new novel, I've had to crack out an Italian dictionary. The other night at Mario's I managed to have an entire (staggering) conversation in Italian with the owner!

I have written twenty one pages of complete and utter brilliance so far. Unfortunately I tire quickly from writing as I am kept cooped up in my repulsively hot room, behind an unmovable, large computer. I so desperately wish that I had a macbook / netbook to pack in a bag and take around with me, just for a change in scenery. Its amazing how much that can help.

I would absolutely adore carrying my laptop into Mugg & Bean, setting it up and ordering coffee after coffee as I type away...

I have managed to break away from the house once or twice though, I must admit. On Friday I went surfing with Michael and I was so proud and impressed with myself. It was the first time that I noticed a real improvement in my surfing. I rode down the face of the wave, staying up for longer than I ever have before and feeling a hell of a lot more confident than I ever have before for some unknown reason.

The most amazing alteration I noticed was when Michael told me to try catch a left, and I did!! Usually, when I ride a left wave, I end up going right anyway with or without me trying to. Its just my natural way. Yet on Friday, I concentrated and tried harder than I ever have and suddenly realized half way through that I had turned left and was riding down the face of the wave!

There is still a lot of room for improvement but for now I'm overjoyed with my progress!

Knysna is such a shit-hole. I apologize for my use of language here, but there is really no other way to put it! On Saturday Jobi threw a farewell braai at Buffs because he's heading back to Australia today. Having just finished a surf, there was no time to change or attempt to neaten up. We had a great night and a good party, then decided to check out the vibe at Swing Cafe. I arrived with no make-up on and a baggy grey t-shirt and jeans. I also had a shiny red nose and pink cheeks thanks to catching a little bit too much sun earlier in the day.

Over three people came up to me asking me if I was

A) alright?

B) drunk?

Clearly none of them had ever seen me looking outrageously natural before. Some of them even rudely commented how 'terrible' I looked! And yes, I am referring to you, Matthew Evans! Thank you very much!

Its amazing how people start to think that the classy, tight fitting clothing, perfectly flattened and clean hair and flawless makeup is who a person is, in this town.

Over the weekend I have actually been contemplating whether I should start wearing minimum to no makeup from now on. As a newly reformed 'surfer girl,' makeup just gets in the way anyway!

In latest news, it absolutely astounds me how someone close to entering their thirties can be so immature!!! Funie and I saw his ex at Buffs on Sunday and lets just say, she was less than friendly to me. I went as far as saying hello and asking how she was and she didn't even turn to face me....

A few weeks ago, she was fine with me. We spoke and she was very friendly and accepting. Yet now that she knows she doesn't stand a chance with Funie anymore and that I won in the strange situation the three of us found ourselves entangled in; she won't even look at me! I realize now that the whole time she was being polite to me was all fake, to show Funie that she was the bigger person. Now her true colors come out. It is her own fault though, which is something I wish she'd realize. She messed Funie around like he was a toy.

HAPPY THOUGHTS, HAPPY THOUGHTS.....! I can't help getting cross. There is no reason for her to be unfriendly to me. She makes out as though I came into her life just to destroy it. I have nothing to do with her. Of all people I am the last person she should be mad at! She doesn't even know me! It really does baffle me how some people's minds work.

I never wanted to hurt anyone. I didn't even know I was going to!

I had no idea he had an ex girlfriend that was still in the picture when we got together on Christmas day! - Just thought I'd put my side of the story out there!

Either way, Happy Valentines Day bloggers. Hope you all get spoiled rotten.

A Big Mistake

I thought that my job interview had gone well. I couldn't have made it more clear how equally perfect this job was for me and how perfect I was for the job. I knew that this position would lead me to true happiness. I didn't care that the salary was less than I had imagined and that I would have to work weekends. I knew that I would be passionate about this job through all of its ups and downs and it was the first time I felt like I really knew where I belonged. Yet they called me today to inform me that the gave the position to someone else.

As soon as they wished me luck for my job search and I said goodbye, I hung up and began to cry. I felt helpless. I was so sure that I was going to get this job.

My mom and grandmother told me not to worry. They said that it obviously wasn't meant to be and said that something better will come along. Yet they aren't the one's broke and bored out of their minds each and every day! I'm grasping onto my minuscule amount of cash laying dormant in my bank account with dear life.

They have made a mistake. That's all I can say. No one could have been happier and better at this job than me.

Unemployment

Sitting here in my room, hovering my fingers over the keyboard. Its a wet and dreary day, it should also be the second day of my new job at Easy Holidays. Alas, I decided against telemarketing. After accepting the job offer, I realized that there would be no basic salary. It was all commission based. It just seemed like too big a risk for me to take.

So I raise my mug filled to the brim with creamy, sweet coffee to all of you that, like me, are unemployed.

At first it was great to be able to spend my days lazing around my house, writing furiously into my computer, as I've been able to start a new novel. Now though, the money in my bank account is running out. I have about R500 to my name to last me through until I eventually find a job, then I still have to survive another month of working before getting my first pay check!

Its not like I haven't been searching for a job. I have had two job offers. One offer I was quite excited about. I got offered a job to be a Personal Trainer (one step up from Curves...) but just like Easy Holidays, its all based around commission. I need a monthly salary. Especially now that Funie and I are practically living together. I haven't slept at home in a month.

I adore sleeping over at Funie's house. Every morning he wakes me up in the most amazing way. He cuddles me close and kisses my neck, whispering 'good morning my angel' to me. Then every morning he adds something different after that. My two favorite one's were: 'Your the most beautiful girl in the world. If I had to choose anyone to be here with right now, it would be you...' and 'You make everything worth it.'

We've shared even more amazing memories since I last wrote. His brother Jaco, lent us his S.U.P this past Sunday, its a surf board that's about triple the size of me! We paddled out, me lying in front and him at the back. We caught some amazing waves, we rode down the face of the waves and stayed up for ages! It was so much fun and we had some funny wipe outs too.

We rode one waves for so long that when I finally lost balance and toppled over from excitement, we'd gone right over the reef and I got my first surfing injury. I kicked the reef with my feet, tore all the skin off my toes and sliced the top of my foot.

Was wondering when I was going to get my first surf injury!

Funie and I have also just celebrated our one month anniversary together! Time flies!

Back to the reason I am writing...

I also feel extra pressure now as my grandmother from the UK is down for a visit. I hate feeling like a failure. I want to show her that I am doing well for myself, but instead I'm an unemployed, beach bum to her. I feel like she is constantly judging me. My cousin, Jessica King, is her favorite grandchild and she makes it blatantly obvious. All she talks about is Jess. I tell myself each and every time that she comes down to visit that she will see I'm doing well for myself. I want her to be proud of me... Yet each and every time she comes down I muck something up and all she see's is a failure.

Last night Funie and I went out for dinner at Bosun's. I flicked through a copy of the Actions Ads and my heart literally did a double flip when I saw Wordsworth Books was advertising a vacancy for a full-time sales assistant.

I love literature. A book store sales assistant would be the perfect job for me. I went in and handed in my CV, I have a job interview at 2pm this afternoon. They gave me a wad of forms to fill in, in the meantime. Wow! They ask some pretty intense questions! Such as if I'm a refugee, if I have ever been convicted of a criminal offense and if I am willing to go on a lie detector!?!?!

2011 hasn't been a better year than the last just yet. A tragedy happened. My friends father, Dave Howarth, passed away on the 2nd of Feb. He was also my parents best friend and like a second father to me. He has been suffering from lung cancer, so everyone knew that it was coming. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone could prepare themselves for something like that. I am so proud of his daughter, Rachel, though. She has been so strong and amazing. I wouldn't be able to be so strong. At the funeral they played a recorded version of Dave singing 'Blackbird.' It tingled a couple of heart strings. Not wanting to cry in front of the family, I bolted outside and the tears gushed out. I couldn't stay there. As I walked back to my car, running away from the pain and heartbreak, a noticed a rainbow hanging perfectly over the building. It was a magical moment.

All we can hope for is 2011 improving. 2010 was bad enough, we need a break now. 2011 needs to be a better year.

Please.

... Wish me luck for my job interview!

Happiness is....

Things are going well with Funie and I. We've been together now for about two and a half weeks and I feel like we grow closer each and every day. We're so open with each other and tell each other everything. We goof around and laugh a lot. He makes me so happy.

My folks invited him over for dinner and he brought along a bottle of red wine as a gift. Instant hit with my mom! I also got invited over to meet his family and decided a box of chocolates would be a better idea to bring with me as at the end of the evening with my parents, Funie wasn't able to say goodbye because they were happily snoring on the sofa! Only my parents....

He also gets along great with Michael. That's a good thing because although Michael and I have ended things, we still consider each other very close friends. There are no hard feelings. Michael's one of those people that came into my life so unexpectedly, I think that he will always have a piece of my heart. But its time to face reality, grow up and move on. So although he'll always have a special piece of me, I'm giving Funie the rest.

Things seem to be working out perfectly.

Chantelle recieved R10'000 from Vodacom, which she's been ecstatic about. I don't think she's using the money wisely though. The gift card is valid until 2013; and on the first day that the card was activated she went out and bought jewelry and shoes! But its her money, her loss!

Valentines day is coming up and I've planned something lovely for Funie. I casually brought up presents and asked what sort of things he likes. He merely said that gifts are either a 'hit or a miss' with him. Hmm... Made me a bit nervous. So I've planned something else. He always asks me to massage his back and so I've booked him an amazing massage with my friend Janet. People don't stop talking about how amazing her massages are. So I've bought him a big valentines day card and inside will be his back massage information. Really hope he likes it!

Some more big news: I finally resigned from Curves. After a year there I finally realized that its not the industry I want to build my future around. Tomorrow is my last day there. Today work has been extremely stressful and a horrible way to end my employment there. We got robbed on Saturday afternoon. Whoever it was climbed through a window, forced open our cash box and must have cut themselves in the process. There's dry blood all over the window and I think he/she must have gotten a fright when our alarm went off because a wallet was found lying on the ground that wasn't there when I locked up. Inside the wallet was R40 and a couple of slips, one being an electricity slip, which could lead us straight to his house! So we're all keeping our fingers crossed that we catch whoever it was or else our Manager's said that we have to pay for what was taken out of our salaries..... So happy I stop working there tomorrow! It just seems paradoxical of them to say that we have to pay for someone breaking in and stealing money. It was theft! It wasn't our fault!

I got a job at Easy Holidays, a sales company. My role will be 'TeleMarketing.' I don't know if I'm going to enjoy it or do well, but I couldn't stay at Curves any longer so there's no harm in trying something else. I start on the 7th February, so I have 12 days to laze around and have a holiday before working again, in which I am praying for good weather so I can relax on the beach and surf for two weeks straight!

After I got the job on Friday, Funie took me out to celebrate. We partied so hard and only went to sleep at 05:30am on Saturday morning. We spent the whole day in bed like zombies.

On Sunday we finally felt human again and took Funie's puppy, Kasper, to the beach for a walk.

It was a good day. We always have good days.

I'm finally happy. I really hope it lasts.

Meeting Yoav

After clocking out of work on Tuesday afternoon I raced home to change before Funie came to pick me up in his white Colt bakkie.

He was taking me through to Plett to meet a famous musician, Yoav. His friend Warren, a wonderful, benevolent sort of guy, personally knows him from high school.

My ex boyfriend had introduced me to Yoav's music and I'd been hooked ever since, I couldn't believe that I had the benediction of meet him!

I was extremely let down and disappointed when I met him. Warren introduced me and I shook his hand, smiling like a goofy idiot and blurted out how big of a fan I was. He didn't smile, his only response was, "Oh, good," then retreated back to a board game with some anorexic harpist. He'd been completely disinterested. I wasn't sure exactly what I'd expected, but it definitely wasn't that!

Funie took me for lunch at The Heath, I had a big chicken salad and he had two scones. I've always enjoyed eating at The Heath. Lovely scenery, incredible food and a folk-like rustic vibe throughout the whole plot.

Out back is an Eagle Encounter center, where you can hold Eagle's on your arms and take advantage of the beauty of the world.

When you enter the bathrooms you have to be cautious of the wild monkey's roaming around, as a little girl I used to be petrified of going alone and with a tin roof top, any noise made me freak out.

In front is a beautiful maze garden and hammocks to lounge in. Its also a children-friendly place, with a small playground and exciting fuffy-slide that they only put in when I was too big to try it out, but either way I think it completes the place.

There's even a small trinklet shop selling African jewelry and other precious gems.

Warren works at The Heath and once we'd gotten there he apologized to us about Yoav's fictitious behavior.

Later that night we all met up by a camp fire for a braai and some drinks. Yoav was there (without the easily breakable harpist,) and seemed much more pleasant this time round.

I couldn't believe I was around a small campfire with only about five other people, including Yoav! He even got out his guitar and played us never before heard songs that he's working on and one of my favorite older numbers!

So maybe my first impression was wrong.

Yesterday has definitely been the highlight of my year so far; getting to snuggle into Funie while watching one of my favorite musicians unplugged around a warm camp fire.