The writing (and all the typos) continues… and goes on… and on… and on… and on…

Peanuts!

My fingers are in non-stop mode and if it wasn’t for the limb I seem to be missing my head would actually be screwed on while attempting some smidgen of intelligent thought. What possessed me to think that I could possibly mole myself away and write over Christmas (and New Year?) is beyond me. I must have been on crack. ‘But onwards’ they shout! And march on we will. I’m more determined than ever to hand in now. I’ve just bloody come too darned far.

One of the biggest motivators to get my handing-in ass into gear has been the birth of my mentor’s baby girl. Since the little one’s been born, I’ve had this need (this real, insatiable need) to visit mum and baby in Cape Town. After years and years (and years and years) of trying she has given birth to a beautiful bundle of joy. Alas, fate is cruel and the little one has a hole in her heart and is refusing to eat. I want to be with my mentor so badly I could start walking to CT. This last leg of my masters has really exhausted my pocket and well, reality is reality – I can’t get to CT on a honeyed smile and a bit of cleavage. Feeling the need to burn plastic and get on a plane to be with my dearest friend has been a kick in the backside to get moving with this thing – hand it in and get working. Hell, if it’s a job as a janitor in an NGO I’m there like a bear. Yogi hankers for a foot in the door.

My life has been consumed with my thesis recently. Why, this evening I passed up an opportunity to watch the pantomime with my bhai (brother’s) kiddios in favour of burrowing away in my room – not to mention the constant harp harp at the back of my mind successfully preventing me from engaging with my world in any sort of meaningful manner. That being said – the writing is flowing baby! As much as I’m finding it difficult to navigate being at home and writing up, it’s been equally wonderful sitting down at my comp – the words just flow. What a blooming pleasure! Over the past year I’ve had the good fortune to meet a number of people who have been so very influential in supporting me mentally through my journey and I’m seeing (like literally seeing) their advice ‘happening’. It’s a blessing to have these angels touch my life. I’ve met some at my parent’s health store, some in social settings and others in the field. At the moment I let go, an an angel drifted into my life to part the clouds – how can I ever be grateful enough for this divine presence?

I spent a week at the end of November in Grahamstown taking stock and plotting the trajectory for the final leg of my journey and my – was it a trip! Not only was I missing a limb again (although that experience was lemon and herb to this peri-peri), it was a whirlwind experience which really set my course of action straight for me. It’s amazing how much focus I managed to gain by simply meeting face to face and communicating. If my masters has taught me anything – it’s the importance – the value – the necessity – the sheer enormity (!)  of communication. Part of this is letting go the fear. In my case, this would be letting go the fear of sounding like a dim-wit. It’s quite liberating I must say. Splaying yourself out, cringing at the thought of the ‘worst-case-scenario’ and then finally realising it’s not half as bad as you’d imagined it to be. After a few sessions in the tea room talking about my research and how much I’ve learnt, Robin is convinced that I’m in the ‘wrong’ profession – that I’m wasted on anthropology. According to the eldest Anthropod, I should be in stand-up. ;)

And so my friends it is on that note I bid you good night. May your dreams take you to your hearts desires and may your spirit work its magic to bring them to life.

Adieu…

Read More

So I haven't been all that good at regular posting and I haven't been great at keeping in touch... Bite me.

Life has me on a roller-coaster and I must admit, for all the bloody reflexive introspective re-evaluating reality-checking crap that I consistently find myself doing (possibly the only consistent thing in my life at the moment) I still find time to put out a mat on the front lawn and sip a cup of ice tea as the sun goes down. I am pleased to say I have almost but mastered the art of smelling the roses. This weekend Ashish and I watched 'In Time' - a futuristic movie about time becoming the new currency and I really must admit, it hit a few sore spots. It's one thing taking a moment to sip a glass of ice tea as the sun goes down and it's a complete other to be the master of your time. As crazy as life has been over the past few months, I feel blessed to have the sense of mind to know that things can be different (read: calmer) and I have a say in that change. And so phase two begins. Bring on the calm.

I'm also well-chaffed to share with you that on the 11th of the 11th at 7something in the morning I became a Masi (aunt) for the second time. :) *yogi takes a bow. You may hold your applause now. The chatti (naming ceremony) is on Wednesday and I'm itching to see the little one - not to mention my cousin the new old mom. ;)

This whole time issue really has me going. On one end there is the constant need (necessity!) to deliver and on the other there is a strong inclination towards maintaining the organic'ness of life. I rate, it's far too often that we're sucked into involving ourselves in activities and tasks that sap us of life-force - which is (to add insult to injury) hardly appreciated at all. It's not that there is this burning desire to ensure that with every task you volunteer your liver for you get a complimentary mint and a 'Thank You' card, but just ever so simply - is it really essential to world peace that you exhaust yourself to a pithy? *ahem. I talk to myself now. *blush.

God and yogi willing, my next post will be a blah blah woohaa about reaching the end of my thesis writing. By then I hope to be super organised, super cool and super relaxed.

Adieu dear friends...

Read More

and so the journey continues…

to grahamstown they say! as my quest to complete my masters continues i find myself being continually drawn to new experiences. there seems to be a never-ending cycle of new happenings that repeatedly remind me of the precious lessons learnt at lonavala – the most precious of which – WAIT AND WATCH!

and can the girl be patient already? yoh!

admin-wise, i have a new supervisor, a revamped project (continuing from the ‘old’ but with a fresh, more focused outlook) and second wind to ‘whack it’. i’ve declared 2011 as the ‘year of yogi’ and focus is the name of the game along with loads and loads of patience. boy, it’s not an easy lesson to learn and getting back on the tread-mill after yonks of laziness is well… a challenge. but i have faith! these lazy bones have loads of vooma in them and as the days pass and the more exposure i gain to the literature, i begin to see the links between what’s cutting ‘on the ground’ and the theory. my research aims to understand the search for the sacred within social context and already i see fireworks! i can’t wait to get started.

(are you feeling me on the patience thing?)

on the 27th of this month (wednesday) we celebrated freedom day in south africa (ironically my parent’s wedding anniversary too!) and the only thing on my mind was the plight of freedom seekers in the middle east (i use the term ‘seekers’ on purpose and  not fighters – is freedom a thing that you flight for or is it something you seek out?) i shed tears of pure joy watching egyptians in tahrir square erupt in elation at the news of former president hosni mubarak’s resignation. what a thing to behold! can you imagine what drives a person to risk everything – everything – for the sake of freedom? as a south african (indeed as a young south african) i feel privileged to live in a country that has emerged from the horrors of an oppressive regime relatively unscathed. it breaks my heart to see our leaders wallow in past achievements – riding on the merit of their predecessors. this freedom our fathers have worked so hard to achieve will lay to waste should we perpetually refuse to engage with what it means to be free. yes, politically, we have the freedom to elect our own government and have equal say in the governing of our country. but what of the freedom to make choices of our own based on our own inclinations and not what economics (for example) force us to? here i look specifically to the poor and destitute of our country. having no option but to accept the low-level of healthcare in the public health system many end up as victims of their circumstance – trapped in a system that allows for very little if any breathing space with regards to their own health. they have no freedom to chose the way in which they are treated, the place or the time. in a capitalist economy, and in this specific instance – money truly can buy time!

anyway, i digress from my point. my point simply is that i believe that we (as members of a ‘free’ nation) are obligated to ourselves and the nation – indeed humankind – to begin to think about this whole thing called freedom and what it is to be free. i certainly don’t expect the average bloke on the street to start discussing foucault’s theories of freedom at the weekly poker game, but what i am saying is that i think the more we are aware of it – the more open we make ourselves to the idea of freedom, the closer we come to achieving it. if the door is open, surely at some point someone will walk in?

and there i stop. i must apologise for my almost ‘over-emotionalness’ but since mauritius – this whole notion of freedom has been getting me going… and what better place than a blog to let rip. ;)

adieu dearest ones…

Read More

i’ve been out travelling again, sue me. :)

having refreshed my travel weary mind with loads of great sleep on my super awesome bed – i am bright eyed and bushy-tailed ready to tell the tales of my exciting travels in the motherland. india never fails to bring me to new experiences and this time – was no different! from the moment i landed, to the very last glimpses of mumbai through the itty-bitty windows of the airplane, i found myself gawping in amazement – at everything! this whole trip was as if i’d been in india for the first time. 

i kid you not dear friends. i felt like a japanese tourist floating through the streets of mumbai with my camera glued to one hand and the other nervously clutching my hand-bag (a nasty side-effect from an unfortunate encounter with a wanna-be pick-pocketer). i gawp wide-eyed at the vegetable seller and the mounds of ruby red tomatoes piled up in front of him, at the spice-walla with heaps and heaps of red hot chillies forming explosive mountains in neat rows ahead of me, at the bangle vendor squatting on the floor selling colourful glass bangles bound together with string in flower-like patterns, at the chai-walla who serves me chai in a rather questionable looking glass (but i just close my eyes and sniff-up the aromatic beauty of the chai). yoh, the list goes on.

my reasons for going – twofold. the first being darshan’s wedding (darshan and i did a house-to-house student exchange with rotary in 2003) and the second, ayurvedic panchakarma treatment at a centre in lonvala. both were valuable and insightful experiences. darshan’s wedding was a window into another world for me. it was anthropology ‘in action’ – happening live. of all the wedding events and ‘happeningings’ my favourite was the baraat (the bridegroom’s procession to the wedding-hall). i danced like a wild-thing and pummeled all my excitement and happiness in that one hour through dance and laughter.

lonavala was a different kind of outlet (oh the pun, the pun!) basically, panchakarma treatment is cleansing the body of accumulated toxins through 5 different methods. although not all methods are employed simultaneously. sometimes, not even all 5 methods are used – which in my case was… thank god! (for more info go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panchakarma) so basically, there’s loads of purging, loads and loads and loads of purging – physically and mentally. however, i think the most valuable for me was the mental purging. in all fairness, there’s loads of gunk still flapping around, but my approach to the mental gunk has changed… drastically! i feel more mental equilibrium and balanced in my problem-solving approaches. lonavala has taught me that as much of a hero i think i am, there ain’t no way i’m climbing everest in one gainormous leap – it’s all baby steps honey. i feel refreshed, revitalized, recharged – ready and steady to face the year.

i’m reading eat pray love at the moment and feeling like i’m reading my biography. there is so much about the way gilbert feels and writes that echos me to me. what a joy! :) there’s so much comfort to be found in knowing that i’m not the only crack-pot floating the universe in search of meaningful experiences. however, i have to admit it’s not all roses and periwinkles. i do find the book rather self-indulgent and i’m really not sure if it’s going to go on my ‘re-read’ list. there are moments i’m inclined to abandon the book halfway, but in anticipation of the bali-kand (kand meaning chapter in sanskrit) of the book, i hang in there… waiting to love ;)

with all my warmest, heartfelt best wishes for 2011 i bid you adieu till next time…

Read More