To do it or not to do it?

My trip to Johannesburg was interesting on many levels. Normally one goes on a trip for a single reason, not this one! I got to sup with good mates, run with the father of my Godchildren, put in a day of work, meet Aki, check out a car I have had my beady eye on, and wait around for my flight which was delayed by 4 hours.


OK, so I did not choose the last part!

At dinner on the first night, I met a good mate of the good mates with which I was dining. Yes, I know it sounds complicated, but it really isn’t! Whilst chewing on some ‘melt in your mouth’ calamari, he asked for our opinion on his indecent proposal. Obviously our ears pricked up and we paid a little more attention.

A lady friend of his had asked him to donate some time and his sperm so that she could produce a child. It was apparent that her biological clock was ticking very loudly. Not surprisingly, he was flattered by the proposal. His thinking was that as she was a good friend, it would be better for him to donate sperm that she scrape the barrel at the sperm bank. I suspect that he was also looking forward to making the donation in person, if you know what I mean.

Unfortunately he asked for my opinion...

I kindly explained that I was incredible pro the fatherhood movement, whatever that may be. In other words, children both need and deserve to have an active father in their lives. I sincerely believe that children with involved parents have a far greater chance of growing up into good and value adding adults, than those without.

I could not imagine having a child in this world and not being able to be a father. To know that your own child, your flesh and blood, walked the earth; and did not even know you existed.

How sad it is that we have come to a point where having a child can be an arrangement in convenience and selfishness. And then to put a good friend in a situation where they actually have to make this decision.

I am not sure that he will be calling me for a follow up chat!!

HIgh on life

Imagine a mad scramble through traffic to beat the rush hour of Johannesburg. A hotel overlooking the Wanderers cricket ground, submerged under the scaffolding of refurbishment. A meeting to discuss a piece of work with a common client.


Surely, you are completely bored by now.

Then imagine a man running in to this meeting; high on life and full of energy. And we are not talking about me now. A man bursting with ideas, spewing incredible stories, exuding passion like an aura, together with a few beads of sweat. Crazy thoughts linked together, humility, self depreciation, stacks of humour, and a scotch.

Now you have met Aki! A customer service guru, with attitude, ability, and adrenaline to spare.

And then this manifestation of energy asks me to work with him on another project. A project that could provide me with work on my terms for a number of years. It would require me to lift my game on a number of levels but could ultimately prepare me for one of my big ambitions; the public speaking circuit.

Funny how life works...

The sea, the beautiful sea

The bay has heaved and shuddered as the swell from storms thousands of kilometres away has released its pent up energy on our sandy beaches.


Joy hides deep inside the straddling of a block of fibreglass covered foam in a violent sea. Surrounded by endless ocean, looked down upon by mountain vistas, comforted by endless beaches. Pure freedom! Whales and otters, seals and dolphins, even sting rays make interesting companions. My crew, whether at my side or seeking waves down the point, are one with me in pursuit of that momentary high. A bond forged in adversity and filled with companionship.

I am humbled by the surf. Each wave has a lesson for me; a lesson of patience, or courage, or a deeper belief in God. The lessons are tough, and wrong answers are punished. I am so small and yet I am here, laughing, thrilled, and hungry for more.

Sometimes, very rarely; I swoop, glide, and fly.

And in that instant, Mother Nature takes hold of my heart in her bountiful hands, and loves me!

One step closer

This is how I look now:

The Max Facial Surgeon managed to specially contruct this amazing 'dof' look. And I paid him for it too...

All in all, not so bad, but looking forward to the end of bleeding and dinner! Not necessarily in that order...

How wonderful!

Today is the day.

This is what I look like now.

Today the big, dark, black, gap in my mouth changes in appearance. The gum will be sliced open and then the Maxillae Facial Surgeon will take out his drill and bore a hole into my jaw. Hopefully avoiding the roots of my other teeth and my pesky nerves! He will then place an implant and use the bone dust in the form of a nifty paste to build up the bone.

Then it is going to hurt.

And in 6 weeks, I will hopefully find myself the proud wearer of a new tooth!

The lives of Flies

I woke up this morning to the sound of a fly. A high pitched dentists drill that reverberated within my skill. Annoyed, frustrated, and irritated! But the fly did not seem to care. Careening all over our room in pointless orbits. Brief rest stops on Donna and I seemed to be part of its enjoyment. Donna disappeared under the duvet and I ground my teeth.


What do you do with a fly so early in the morning? With buzzing in my ears, I sat up, tears not far away. Moments later, it alighted on my knee. And its life ended abruptly as my hands smashed together just above the space where it once sat.

I snuggled back into my duvet and could not help wondering about the life of a fly. It seems rather pointless, flying around with careless abandon, annoying all the other creatures it comes into contact with, and then the stupid thing dies. The flies perspective is equally pointless, it just does what it does, looks for bad smells, lays some eggs, and considers life as a job well done.

Instead of me drifting off to sleep, I got to thinking about my life and how similar it is to that fly. Rushing from one thing to the next. Not really adding the real kind of value that could be added all of the time. Annoying and frustrating people along the way; even though that is not the intention at all.

And then one day, while I am contemplating my navel, it will all end rather suddenly.

Like the fly, my life may be seen as heaps of bluster and noise, even a good riddance!

I wonder if it will all have been worthwhile.

Fun and Fulfilment

I am feeling most fulfilled at the moment. I love enjoying what I am doing. It does not happen often, so when it does, it is a sensation to be savoured.


So what has made the difference you make ask?

Community projects! Strange but true! The project I had planned to be spending my time on was postponed, leaving me with a four week gap in work. The fact that this delay has taken place over Christmas has meant that this time has been my own. An incredible gift! It has also given me lots of time to spend on my community projects.

There is a small organisation called the Better Life Organisation which we have created in the last couple of days. It has the aim of improving the lives of people in our area that will never be able to improve their lives on their own. In essence the focus is on the sick, elderly, or disabled. Last year we managed to rebuild 5 houses, this year, with our new organisation, we hope to do a whole lot more.

There is also an incredibly exciting project involving film, religion, and internet broadcasting. Very interesting and just up my alley! This project will require lots of funding through Angel Investors and funding agencies. Things I never dreamt I would ever deal with! There is a whole lot of challenge in seeing if you can not only launch a whole new organisation but also find a way to do it even though it will always make a frightful loss!

And then there is my False Bay paddle. The idea is still in concept phase but I have started talking to other long distance paddlers, as well as shark experts in False Bay. This thing is going to require heaps of work in order to make it a reality. But it just seems like so much fun!

Soon I hope to be bored with all of this fun and actually go and do some work that will bring in an income!

Being human

Following on from my last post...

Was sitting at the dentist this morning, waiting and waiting. It was good to be able to sit and think and pray.

The day before yesterday I realised that I cannot focus on my needs and my kids needs at the same time, and expect that all needs will be met in the best possible way. Something has to give, and my role as a parent is to ensure that my needs are sacrificed in order to give my children my best.

This concept does not just hold true for parents and children, but for all relationships that we have. It got me to thinking about the things that I believe are important in my life versus the needs of those around me. And the fine balance that exists between the two.

And the tendancy I have to always err on the side of my needs. Surely if I really want to be a better person, I need to more aggressively look after the needs of others...

Jordy flying high

I had a big chance to really impact on my children’s lives yesterday, and I think I got it all wrong.

Jordy Smith, the number two surfer in the world, gathered a couple of his friends and put on a tow in aerial surfing display at Camps Bay. I thought it would be a really cool event to get some great photographs, and show my children something incredible. Jordy, for those that do not know, is a South African!

It started at 19h00 and ended around 22h00, a late night for my boys! The beach was absolutely packed, cameras bulged everywhere, and the sea lamely burped up a tame one foot high shore break. Somebody dropped a camera lens and it was sneakily removed by the sea; it will never be the same again!

The surfing manoeuvres were sublimely ridiculous, with surfers boosting 6 foot into the air and landing again in less than knee high water. It was incredible to see, and the show did not disappoint, regardless of the lack of swell.

My kids struggled with the late night, our lack of dinner preparations, and the crowds of people. I on the other hand was struggling with my camera, working the lighting, the background, the crowds, and the action. As it got dark, my big flash failed to work, which was rather annoying.

I packed away my camera and then only got busy with the issues of making the event fun for my boys. It was probably a bit too late. We went in search of dinner and after walking for a kilometre through thousands of revellers, we settled for the only thing available; ice cream! It was a beautiful evening and Camps Bay was rocking.

We made it back to the beach to see Jordy attacking the waves again, finishing the night with an incredible Superman.

In all, the evening was too late, too crowded, and too hungry for my boys, but jam packed with the spirit of adventure. They had heaps of fun and certainly had their eyes opened!

Before falling into bed, it occurred to me that the business of being a great dad and my photography do not mix very easily. Instead, both pursuits were only half what they could have been, which was a little sad!

Next time, family first!

Sleepy

Tired, so tired...


I am not sure that one is allowed to be tired after 3 weeks of holiday. I should be refreshed and rejuvenated.

Then again last night was a little trying. We spent the evening with friends at a braai. Their house is high on a mountain and overlooks most of Cape Town. The view is awesome. Isabella found it all far too exciting and decided that sleeping was not for her.

Dinner was rather late in the evening, and so a very tired family excused themselves early from the fun and headed home. I mistakenly thought that sleep would revitalise me. Unfortunately between the house alarm going off twice, throwing the cats out of the house twice, Isabella waking once, and me waking a couple more times, sleep was not what one would define as sleep.

Could tonight be the answer?

So tired!

First steps

My daughter is a charming little girl. Now just over 13 months and putting her best feet forward as she slowly masters the art of walking. She is however already a master of talking up a storm. Thankfully, I don’t understand a word.


I had forgotten the excitement of those first steps, and how such a simple act has banded the family together to speed up her progress. The zombie like gait with arms held out in front as she staggers forward has been incredibly amusing!

She had the family rolling on the floor in laughter the other morning. She staggered out of our room, swaying from side to side like a miniature drunk, let out a tremendous burp, giggled, and continued on her way.

Despite our laughter, we hope this is not a sign of things to come!

The glorious holidays

So much has happened since I last blogged.


Cricket, swimming, chess, backgammon, and movies have entertained the kids and I. Numerous books have been read, including 1984 by George Orwell, something that was missed in my youth. Time has been spent in the pool. Time has not been spent in the sea, due to the winds in the Cape over the last 2 weeks. Great insights have been made, including the need to back off making my children perfect and rather providing them with an environment in which they can have some fun as children. Christmas was quiet, not a food fest, filled with presents, and the real spirit of the feast; the birth of Jesus Christ. My mother’s new townhouse down the road is looking awesome after a bit of DIY refurbishment.

And the New Year has made its entrance. Apparently this all took place while I was fast asleep. Meaning of course that I had plenty of energy for my New Years day surf! A frigid, wave few, and somewhat fun experience!

Most importantly, I have had some great time off work and been able to throw myself into other projects. Ahem, those other projects did not include the house maintenance issues, or even the overgrown garden! Some of projects I even completed flat on my back with my eyes closed!

The thing is, I am now ready to tackle some serious work again. And that is wonderful!