2010 stadium... the amazing progress

I can see this stadium from work and everyday without fail and stare at it for a couple of seconds and admire the amazing progress that is going on... it makes me really proud that South Africa and Durban can pull off something so amazing!! Bring on 2010... we will be ready :)

The progress is amazing... that arc grows everyday!

Jelly fish in a tank

I got a bee in my bonnet the other day and decided to sort out all my fotos from my travels and life and rediscovered this foto i took at the Denver Aquarium... Jelly fish under the spot light, one of my favourite! :)

Winter beach

Salt Rock on a chilly winter's day

Spring has sprung :)

Spring has arrived in South Africa and here i am, sick in bed with flu... oh the joys, but after my last experience with the flu which landed me with a dodgy ticker i've decided to take it easy and not push myself!!

Winter was a very busy season for me, loads of events from mid-xmas and The July to Madam Zingara and the Durban Airshow, not to forget supporting Trish as she ran the Comrades and helping out the the KZN Rowing Regatta... i think my liver got a big wake up call, but i had an awesome (yes i used that word) winter and met some fantastic people! :)

But i think the biggest developement is my pending return to the states (37 days and counting), i got my visa, resigned from Billys (really enjoyed that) and am now just waiting on the plane ticket but everything is in place... except my head, which is lagging a little but coming around slowly!! As much as i'm excited about going back to the states, i've been home for 2 years now and have settled back into the South African way of life and am really enjoying myself, but i know i need to go... for many reasons, its a chance of a lifetime!

I'm now in the middle of studying for a couple of exams i write before i leave and planning a trip to Cape Town and the Otter Trail at the end of September... loads to look forward to in the next couple of weeks... so, as the song says, "Wake Me Up When September Ends" :)

Winter is HOT, HOT, HOT in Durbs

It's been a busy couple of weeks in Durbs... definitely the best place to be during winter in SA with temperatures averaging around 23C!

the Beach Cafe and a beautiful winters' morning in Durbs

Two weekends ago myself and da crew made the trip inland to Underberg, where we had rented an 8 bedroom house, Haycroft Lodge, complete with it's own lake, industrial kitchen and full on bar for mid-xmas!!! We indulged in a full on xmas dinner and a suffient amount of alcohol... it was an awesome weekend and great to get out of Durbs for a little while!

da crew enjoying mid xmas dinner

the amazing view from our house

This last weekend was the famous Vodacom July, myself and da crew rented our site, doned our gear and packed our cooler boxes for a fabuloous day out at the races... yes, there are horses at the July! The highlight of the evening was the very yummy bunny chow... you can't beat curry in bread! :)

the girls tarting it up

the boys... being boys

proof that there are horses at the July

Today is exactly TWO years since i arrived back on the shores of South Africa... i can't believe its been so long. I never thought i'd manage to stay 'home' for this long, but i seem to do everything in 2s and with my pending trip to the states coming up, the trend looks set to continue!! It's been an eventful and challenging 2 years in which i have achieved quite a bit... travelled through Africa, almost finished my degree (btw, i passed all my exams), made some amazing friends and most importantly, i've grown as a person!

I have my visa interview at the US consulate on Wednesday... so i'll let you know how that goes, fingers crossed!

Wake me up when September ends...

... cos i'm leaving on a jet plane at the beginning of October, Florida bound! :)

Going back to the states has always been in the pipeline but i haven't been able to get it right... until now and i'm super stoked! I've got a waitressing job at one of the top golf estates in the states, Johns Island Club in Vero Beach, Fl... the job sounds almost to good to be true but it is true and i'll be there (visa pending) at the beginning of October! Watch this space for more details :)

In other news, i've just finished another semester of studying... this degree is slowly but surely getting done and who knows maybe one day i'll have some kind of qualification from an actual university and not just honours from the university of life! :)

The Billys crew

This Sunday just past was my work xmas party... yes, xmas in June, this is what we do! :) we had an awesome day, the first half was spent chilling at the dam on bean bags around a fire while some of the crazy boys went Wake-boarding... bbbbbrrrrrr. For the second half of the day we took over Taco Zulu for lunch and a few too many drinks, but fun was had by all! :) i am gonna miss the crazy bunch i work with but i'm moving onto bigger and better!!

The bestest waitresses in Durbs, oh and the bossman :)

Zebra crossing ;)

A zebra X-ing :)

My altercaton with a motor vehicle

So, there i was... doing the responsible thing by catching a cab home from work a couple Fridays ago! The cab had to do a U-turn to make it's way towards my humble abode... i hadn't even been in the cab a minute and we hadn't moved more than 10 meters when all of a sardine some drunken arsehole comes flying down the road and slams into the back of us. The whole thing happened so quickly, i don't really remember how i got hurt but a couple seconds after the impact i realised something was wrong. A friend of mine came running over and pulled me out the cab, took one look at my head and rushed me off for ice... by this stage i was curious as to what all the fuss was about, i put my hand to my left eyebrow and damn... i had inherited a golf ball!!!

Taken at the hospital, just after the accident

The paramedics arrived and decided i needed to visit the hospital just to ensure there was no internal head injury so i got my first ride in an ambulance... was a little bummed though, there were no sirens or lights, i was obviously not that important. The doctor did a once over of my head, had a giggle about the size of my golf ball and a laugh about the fact that i was off to a wedding the following day looking like Quasi Moto... hehe!

The next morning... getting ready for the wedding

My accessory at Tristan and Jackie's wedding!

Anyway, 2 weeks down the line and i still have a black eye that would rival any black eye given by Mike Tyson. I'm actually quite proud of my shiner.... pretty good for a first attempt! :)

2 weeks old... looking like permanent make-up!!

Row, row, row your boat!!

Some how i managed to get a weekend off work that actually corresponded with something... KZN and Gauteng Rowing Champs at Albert Falls. Budg and i packed our stuff and headed to the dam on friday afternoon, we were greeted with a hail storm as we drove into Martizburg.

Once we got the boat lauched, we were out on the water putting the final touches on the lanes... 4 lanes, 4.3kms and 400 buoys per lane, no easy task laying those, which had been going on since the weekend before! We set up camp and enjoyed a few cold beers and a braai at the yacht club!

Home sweet home

Up early and on the water before sunrise on regatta day to add yet more final touches... finally, let the race begin! The regatta was a complete success thanks to all the hard work put in by everyone including budg... well done you! I was promoted to an official during the regatta as well... i became a time keeper, great fun!!


The Saturday night party was a big one... needless to say i can't remember how, what and when i got back to my tent and woke up on Sunday morning with a mother of all hangovers!!! I spent a lot of Sunday lying in the sun... recovering, whilst the others pulled in the lanes again! This process continued well into the evening and we finally finished in the freezing cold, driving rain!!!

It was a long night of hard drinking

All and all it was a great weekend... i met some awesome people and have some great fun! :)

Home sweet home

The view from my front door

The view from my balcony door

Durban is in the middle of a usual summer heat wave, with temps hitting 32 degrees and more everyday. I ventured down to the beach front this morning and took this photo... doesn't it look gorgeous? :)

Durban Harbour

Ok, i'm crap... posting a foto a day is a little to much work for me, so it's now a foto a week... or when i remember! :) i took this foto from the very cool and chilled Bat Centre... a very cool spot to enjoy a drink or 3 and watch the daily grind of Durban Harbour! :)

Potd: A day at the cricket

Mom and i went to watch SA play West Indies... SA is of course kicking arse!

Potd: My best friend's wedding

The bride and bridesmaids doing the Baywatch!

Bridesmaids gone wild :)

Potd: Dragonfly

In an effort to improve my photography i'm reinstating the pic of the day feature... i'm gonna try really hard to post a foto a day taken during my day!

Taken on the farm in Weenen

Flower of Weenen

Weenen you ask... where the hell is that??? Well it's a little farming town in the heart of KZN and where a friend of mine has a pecanut farm! I've just returned home from a chilling 3 days on the farm, where i did nothing more than chill, eat and walk the beautiful gardens taking fotos... here is a sample, click here to see the rest! :) i'm very keen to start taking photography more seriously... like that's my next project once my degree is done with!





I hope everyone had an awesome christmas and new years'... my festive season was very quiet but very chilled and it's been great catching up with family and friends again! Here's wishing you all a fantasic 2008, may all your goals be achieve! :)

The xmas gang :)

Turning the Golden Mile Green

The celebrating is still continuing as the Springboks and the Webb Ellis Trophy do a South Africa road trip! Sunday morning was Durbs' turn and after a quick Wimpy breakfast we joined the hundreds of Springboks fans alone the Golden Mile to applaud our World Champs! The atmosphere was amazing as a group of people sang Shosholoza and got everyone involved!

AMA BOKKE BOKKE

What an amazing game and night... and to wake up in the morning with this feeling of being the World Champs again, thankfully there was something to mask the hangover... it was all worth it!!!

Myself and a group of friends went to the rugby party at my flatmate's parent's house in Ballito... there was a sea of green and an amazing atmosphere! We are greeted at the door with a Springbok shooter and that set the tone for the rest of the evening! :)

The celebrations carried on into the early hours of this morning... to see the photos, click on the Picasa Photos Link! :)

AMA BOKKE BOKKE rule the world! :)

Coming face to face with the sharks of the open sea

So i arrive at work on a Tuesday afternoon after a hectic weekend, where Billys opened on a rare Sunday afternoon to host a Redbull function which featured an awesome South African duo called Goldfish, to the news that i was going diving with sharks the following Saturday! What, where and how??? Apparently there was an incentive for us waitresses... whoever sold the most Vodka Redbulls would win a shark dive... oh cool! :)


Saturday morning arrives and a group of us are off down the coast... the morning started a bit chilly and overcast! We arrive at Blue Wilderness, Rocky Bay and are quickly kitted up with wetsuit, flippers, goggle and snorkel. After a group shot and a short orientation from the lead diver, it as time to hit the beach. The rain started to come down at this point and the sea was looking very rough. We had a pretty rough but exciting 30 minutes boat ride to the dive site where the chum was dropped and within seconds we saw our first shark from the safety of the boat! While staring in disbelief into the open waters... we spotted a Southern Right Whale jumping in the distance! :)


After about 20 minutes of chumming the water, we were surround by sharks, who were breaking the surface is a frantic race to get to the sardines... gulp!!! The lead diver then says, "get in"... what, in there??? I eventually pluck up all my courage and plunge into the depths of the Indian Ocean. Once i got the water out of my goggles and controlled my breathing i realised i was surrounded by sharks, everywhere i looked! The visibility was very poor and the sea very rough which made the experience even more intense. There were Black Tip sharks swimming around us, below us and through us... it was crazy awesome!

That's me with the bright yellow flippers!

After being in the water for about 30 minutes, and floating on the rough surface i started to feel the horrible feeling of sea-sickness and nearly threw up in my snorkel... i an attempt to avoid that and attracting the sharks i made a beeline for the boat so i could throw up from the safety! I remained in the boat for the remainder of the dive unable to get the sickness under control, only to watch as one of our guys received medical attention on his shark bite... yes, shark bite! Well it was more a scratch... but inflicted by a shark no less, there goes the companies 10 year safety record!!! :)

Thankfully, for my sack we headed home on what felt like the longest and roughest boat ride of my life... but fun never-the-less, i never shy away from a roller coaster ride! :) myself and my stomach were very relieved to have my feet firmly planted on sand again.


There are not many words that can describe an experience like that... something you always think is impossible until you're actually there and realise how awesome it is! Yes, i would most definitely do it again... but with motion sickness pills in tow! :)

You can have a look at more photos by clicking on my Picasa Photos link!

The Tanzania Dash through Rasta's eyes

I apologise for the delay in filling you in on the adventures of my amazing journey through Africa! That duty now falls on the hairy shoulders of Rasta, the littlest member of the Dashers... here is the story (which is being updated everyday) through his eyes!

I'd just like to say thank you to Marilyn for putting Rasta's story together!