Monday, August 25, 2008

Soap Opera

The past few days have been topsy turvy with enough drama to make up a day time soap opera. My cousin S is back home after her honeymoon of 2 weeks. She is back home as in never going back, as in on the verge of divorce. Yeah - that is the shocker that has got everyone in the family reeling.

S got married on the 9th of August. On Monday afternoon she left to go on honeymoon and from day one it was just one disaster after another. The issues range from him not talking to her at all, ignoring her, not making any form of conversation and last but not least rape. She cut the honeymoon short and got dropped off at our house on Thursday evening. She looked battered, sad and miserable. She stayed at our home on Thurday evening and we spoke to her for a really long time trying to make sense of all that had gone wrong. Her husband the dropped her off without a care in the world. He didn't call her or make any contact with her since he dropped her off on Thursday evening. All his family wants to do is reconcile the two but he hasn't made one positive step in that direction.

Her parents came to get her on Saturday and there was a lot of tears and anger at him. They met with him and his dad and eventually when the the meeting concluded they all decided that it was over. However I still think that they are going to continue pursuing the issue. She on the other hand wants nothing to do with him - she is repulsed by him. I am not sure exactly what he did to her but there is something and I have this feeling that it is something really terrible. I keep thinking back to that advert that Charlize Theron did a few years ago on "Real Men Don't Rape." In my opinion it all boils down to that.

I feel so sorry for her. Who gets married to get divorced 2 weeks later. I mean a honeymoon is supposed to be a really happy time and all she can say is that it was the worst 2 weeks of her life. I keep thinking I am also getting married in a few months time and the thought is just making me very scared. But in her case she didn't really know the man she was marrying. She met him in March, got engaged in April and got married in September. Too soon in my opinion to be chosing this person as one's life partner. He seemed to be a decent great guy and just turned out to be a real asshole.

Yesterday was very emotional for everyone and because we were in the thick of it - there were times when all I wanted to do was cry. I keep thinking that all these months were spent in preparing for the wedding. She was on this high and although at times she was a real bridezilla she planned everything herself. All the planning and the hive of activity has to end in such sorrow and pain. I am disgusted at him and keep thinking that if I have to see him there is no telling what I might do. For me he is the lowest of the low. Pond scum if you ask me.

In the middle of all this drama we were robbed last week Thursday. I am not sure if our domestic is involved but there are certain things pointing to her and I keep wondering if it is just pure coincidence or not. The drama of reporting it to the police and insurance is just proving to be another mission and I really hope that it isn't going to be a repetition of what happened 2 years ago when we were robbed and ended up being really short-changed regarding a claim that we had made. It's as though things are just going pear-shaped and I keep wondering what happens next. I'm crossing my fingers that nothing else happens.

Everything just seems to be a bit off kilter at the moment.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Dear Mr Con Artist

Dear Mr Con Artist

Who gave you the right to come into House No 2 yesterday afternoon, posing as some assessor or evaluator and than proceeded to steal every piece of jewellery in our home. Who or what gives you the right to rummage through our cupboards and personal items and what an audacity you have to pick and chose what items you want. You very nicely took all the gold and shiny stuff. The diamonds, the pearls and the rubies and left all the silvers and faux stuff. You took things things that do not belong to you, things that are off a great sentimental value and can never be replaced. Things that have been in my family for generations, you took it with you only to make what a couple of rands.

Dear Mr Con artist what gives you the right to go into people's homes and pretend to be doing a certain kind of day job. What makes you so special to take things that other people have worked damn hard for and what makes you think that you have a right over other people's belongings.

I don't know whether to laugh at your audacity or cry at the sheer helplessness of it all. You took my engagement ring, my gorgeous jewellery set that T bought me when we got engaged, my late grandmothers chain that glimmers and shines like a little pot of gold. These are just some off the stuff and as I look at the empty holders and cases my eyes well up with tears.

But dear Mr Con artist - you don't care. House no 2 was all in a days work for you and today you are probably conning some other home full of sentimenal valuables that can never be replaced. See Mr Con Artist why should you care. You don't need to work for what you want, you have the nicest job in the world - Affirmative Shopping in other people's homes.

That's the reality and there is absolutey nothing I can do about it -

So Guess what

You Win.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

So many things - So little time

I am back in the land of the living or more like the working. I was actually back yesterday and I typed this whole long post and somehow or the other it didn't save and I couldn't post it. So much for technology. So here's me trying to play catch up and trying again.

I have so much to write about and am not really sure where to start. I wasn't in the office for the better part of last week. Our annual conference started on Tuesday evening and ended on Friday. It was long and at times highly boring and at the end of it all I was more tired than a hard week at work. The fact that the weekend before we were at my cousin S wedding didn't help a bit. Trying to function on very minimal sleep is a really downer when all you have to do is concentrate and not appear rude as each speaker presents. It was hard work I tell you.

Let me recap a little:
On Saturday 9th of August we woke up super early and made the great trek to the North West. It was sunny but cold and when we arrived there, there really wasn't much left to do. The bride looked as though she was about to kill someone and looked so miserable. I don't know if it was just nerves or was she really pissed off at someone. I kept thinking Oops here we go again - Bridezilla. I was musing whether she would be at least smile as she walked down the aisle.

I went to my hairdresser the day before and she twisted my hair with newspaper to get my very straight hair curly. I probably looked like a walking birds nest as I walked out off there and scurried on home. After a very uncomfy sleep I woke up and let one loose just to see the effect. It looked lovely but was a bit too tight so I decided to open them up, donned a beanie on my head and was on my way. The curls were made on dry hair with no mousse or hairspray so they were supposed to fall out and look all loose and flowing. As if? Luckily I took my Ghd with and ended re washing my hair and straightening it out to look all sleek and pretty. Pheew that was a disaster in the making. So much for smart and funky hair.

The wedding was lovely although her colour scheme of bright green, pink and black fell kind of flat and her minimal use of decor kind of set a very dull and drab tone. Nonetheless all went well, she looked lovely and the wedding was over. It was freezing cold and attempting to walk in killer sandals with your toes icy cold is a mission and a half.

The next morning woke up and drove back to Joburg for another function that was being held in honour of the married couple. At this point all I wanted was my bed but had to get all dressed up and sit through lunch and dessert. The function was ok and we ended up having a really good time. It's really great when everyone gets together, pity we all have such busy lives to enjoy each others company more often. The function was over way too soon and after saying all our goodbyes we made it home craving for a hot shower and a warm bed.

Last week was just horrendously busy. Monday and Tuesday I was at the office but super busy as I needed to complete everything before the conference started. Tuesday evening there was an awards function and a colleague who I used to work with in my previous department was awarded for something that I had done. I was upset about it. I didn't want to be awarded and don't get me wrong this isn't a case of sour grapes, but I worked extremely hard on the project alone with no help and she gets the credit. I was shocked and really didn't know what to say. It is unfair and I guess when you suck up to the boss than that's what happens.

The conference itself was very informative. Although it was long, I learn't a great deal and they ended it with a really great presentation by Robin Banks. The presentation was very insightful and really hit a few home truths with me. It made me realise that positive thinking is way better than being bogged down with silly negative stuff. He is way hilarious and had us in stitches for the hour and a half that he presented to us.

I went and saw my decor lady this weekend. Wow was I impressed with her goodies and her ideas just roll out from her mouth. I have decided that she is my new best friend. I am really beginning to stress about the wedding. I feel there is so much to do and there are only 4 months left. It is scary and overwhelming at the same time.

This week is proving to be kind of challenging. I feel that there is so much to do and having lost out on a practically a whole week is making me feel very overwhelmed. Also dealing with child-like customers who feel like throwing mini tantrums seems to be the order off the day. I hope it gets better.....

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Catch Up

I am exhausted. I can't believe that tomorrow is already Friday. It's as though the weeks whizz by and I know that before long it's going to be my wedding day. There are days when I can't wait to be with T, to live with him and spend all my time with him. Yet there are days when I get a little scared and antsy about the future. T has such wierd parents and they just seem so strange. I am not marrying them right but it's not like they are going to go away or we are going to live in a different city to them. I also am going to miss my family like crazy. My eyes well up sometimes when I think about it. We share such a strong bond and a relationship that only the 4 of us can understand. I know that I will miss that the most.

I'm not really blogging about anything in particular. I find myself pressed for time these days. There is just so much happening in my world that I hardly have time to blog anymore. I miss it though. I have to admit that I am loving what I am doing. I love my new boss. She is so cool and sassy and fun and at our one on one today she told me that she is just loving having me in her team. It made me feel really great. I love being in her team too. She is really supportive and is putting me up for challenges that is really stretching me. Sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed but I am really enjoying it. If someone had to ask me about this role last year I would have scoffed at it and said I would hate it. But this is what you get for trying. If I didn't heed her advice and applied I wouldn't have known what it would be like. Im loving it.

It's my cousin's wedding on Saturday. She is such a bridezilla and I am quite interested to see her antics on Saturday. The last few months have been an endless array of fussings from her side that I am very curious about her. I hope it all goes well for her and all their plans and preps come out beautifully. Im not really looking forward to the weekend though. We leaving early on Saturday morning for the North West province (of all places), the wedding is on Saturday night and than on Sunday we come back to Jhb for another function that her husband and them are giving. So yeah there goes my entire weekend. At least we booked into a hotel for Saturday night and not just crashing at my aunts place. When my cousin S got engaged we stayed the night and the next morning ended up having a very cold shower and no fruit juice for breakfast. I'm complaining I know.

At least I get to leave early tomorrow. I am going to have something weird done with my hair - hope it works and comes out looking pretty....

Im just so glad that the week is almost over. As T likes to say its Quarter to Friday....