Check BBM and you will see...

So, I switch on my phone this AM and the first thing to come in, thick and fast, was a bunch of BBMs. Bzzz... Bzzzz... Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz incessantly.

BBM has become the main means of communication for most of my people (read: free) and the one thing I'm realising is how open people are compared to when they are communicating via SMSes and emails. They pretty much share anything.

By anything, I mean ANYTHANG! Like a friend who's shared how great sex is with her married boyfriend (in graphic detail!)... Two days ago I found myself in a group-chat about 'landing strips'... and another who had to share with me what was in her 'box of goodies' in her bedroom. So, you see the type of BBMs I get. They are not about how we'll conquer the JSE or how we need to figure out how we can be out of debt by end of the year...

My people discuss sex and drinking.

Last night I had a BBM convo with someone who was sitting less than a metre away from me. How crazy is that? I shall say though that BBMs are convenient when you need to talk about someone and they're right there with you. I love "Let's get outta here, this dude is boring the shit out of me" or "Want to get a drink? F this woman with her BS!". All this while smiling at them, pretending to be engaged.

Next time people around you pull out their BBerrys, know they could be talking about sex. Or you. Or your sex life.

S.

Shiny, Happy People

It's been a minute since I last blogged. My little brother was in Jozi for a quick visit. It was cool to hang with him and catch up. Even though we didn't talk about what I thought we'd talk about, we somehow connected. I know where he's at. He knows where I'm at. See, brothers don't have to say shit to be heard.

Anyway, we hit the streets hard; starting with Neh! in Alex. Gotta give props to the place. It's nice and proper. Even though a bottle of Jamesons will set you back a cool R600. We had two!
We then hit the NewsCafe (Jamesons bottle: R600) where my little bro and my friends promptly started hitting on two ugly girls. Now any bachelor worth his salt knows not to pull the trigger too early. Premature anything is a no-no! Mental note: Need to school my brother. Anyway, as expected the girls were more that happy to hang with 'us'. And I'm like WTF? I'm not the one to hit on women in places where one is expected to, but if I'm to meet someone worthy of my witty lines and charm, she's gotta be banging! I won't go into too much detail in terms of what happened in less than 15 minutes of one of my friends meeting the one girl. But haaaaaaaai maaaaaaan, it can't be that easy.
30 mins later, 3 scorching hot girls sat at a table next to ours. But it was too late, we'd already been tainted. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucccccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!

The next day, we hit Hooters on Witkoppen. It was one of those 'made for men' type of days... Rugby, Cricket, Football... So we drank litres of beers and got nice and trashed, celebrating a 6-0 Manchester United loss to Man City. Had my girls there to cheers us on. No stress, just love and laughter. We then went to Boza's Kishin (Jamesons bottle: R400), a shisanyama spot in Diepsloot, partly owned by a friend and more recently; a business partner. We had more alcoholic beverages. And I met a hot girl. The second hot girl in as many days. The life of a single man is just interesting, to say the least. I laugh at myself.

Yup, I'm recently single. Met my ex yesterday for a very emotional lunch. Some things were said. We were as honest as we could be under the circumstances. Some hurtful things were said. But it was all in the interest of saving our friendship. How we can be friends after how we ended, is going to be interesting. But nothing about us has ever made sense to the world.

After treating a motha of a hangover, I've decided to take a breather from alcohol and hot girls. We'll see.

Peace in your hood.
S.

Earth + Wind + Fire

Today I'm a skip, a hop and a jump from Cresta Mall. I'm at an animation studio, writing and animating at the same time, thanks to some fucked up client who just woke up about a presentation they need to present in Geneva on Monday. Anyway, we hustle or we don't eat.

This coulda been a shitty day, but I've got good company; Earth, Wind and Fire. Right now I'm listening to a jam called I'll Write a Song For You. Google it. One of those mellow tunes. I look forward to listening to a favourite of mine; Side By Side - coming up next, says Itunes. Oh, yes, I was at The Dome when they came to perform, at the back of their Cape Town Jazz Festival.

My mind's racing. Too many things to think about. I guess the only time I'll get to truly relax is when I'm in NY in December. No connection to any mobile phone. No roaming. No SMSes, Twitter, Facebook, BBM, homing pigeons... NOTHING!
I look forward to hitting the club scene, live bands, tourist attractions, long walks and interesting beverages... Been talking about it for too long. I'm also hoping to see Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings in Brooklyn...

Will also try to see the ultimate performer: Prince. He's in Seattle, at the Nectar Lounge in December. Sting is also in Seattle at the same time, at the Paramount Theatre. If I get to see these two guys, I'll die a happy man. How am I going to afford it? Three letters: BMF. That's how.

Oh, now I'm listening to Luther Vandross - A house in not a home. A lovely track. Yeah, Luther did his thang and then left like that. Rest In Peace, Mr Vandross.

Ok, that was my break. Done. I'm going back to work. Then maybe I'll hit Melville for a Tanqueray and Tonic.

Laters,
S.

Eric Benet once had good music

Today is my godson's birthday. Happy birthday Prince Ra! He turns 3. He better start looking for a job. It's cold out here for a pimp!
Anyway, Ratumo, may you grow up and be strong like your mom, Judith Mo, slaving her ass away in in foreign lands - for your unemployed ass.

Moving on swiftly...



Eric Benet

In the shower, in my nakedness, this morning I sang this song. (see below) And it reminded me of the first time I heard Eric Benet's voice on radio. That day I went straight to the CD shop and copped the album, as young people would say. I listened to it over and over and over. It was a beautiful winter with plenty of sex, thanks to Eric.
Cut to a few months later, Eric being vilified in the media for his sexcapades with other women. Him claiming to be a sex slave addict. Sidebar: Aren't all men addicted to the kuku? Sidesidebar: Eric Miyen is still in Melville. Is it coz of all the free Wi-Fi?

Anyway, Eric Benet went underground to come back with some lame ass shit. I met him at the airport here in Jozi and he was kind enough to stop and chat about this very track. Even though his body guards were giving me the grill. Fat bastards.

What I love about this song is how well written (read: bitter) it is, but most importantly, it is the fact that towards the end, it features grand master wizard; Roy Ayers. Some will remember him for his work with Nuyorican Soul on I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun. Another unsung talent.

So, Eric Benet, if you're reading this, come back dude. You are waaaaaaay more talented than you realise. Eric Miyeni, get 3G, dude.

Peace.

S.

The Ugly People versus The Beautiful people

So, a few weeks ago, I put on a friend onto The Czars. All it took is one track and she was hooked.

Made me think of how hard I was hit by their music. The music is languid, emotional and propvol of soothing melodies... however, what is striking about this album is how sad it makes me everytime I listen to it. One other band that does this to me is Coldplay (And I got to see them here in Johannesburg! Stunning concert).  The Ugly People vs The Beautiful People is a beautiful album with beautiful, sad and haunting words...

I'm the remains of what used to be a human
The transformation perfectly formed by something else
The skin, the bones, the insides falling down around you
The creature that you seem to be is a copy of something else

Baby did you try to speak, did you try to understand me?
No I'm not mad at you, just thought you were with someone else
I asked a question once but I didn't hear the answer
Did you even realize what you put back on the shelf?

But what got me is Lullaby 6000... Simple words, nothing complicated... So you are forced to let the music wash over you...

See my smile
I can hear your voice
coming from another room
in another land in a house
in a corner of my heart

So be quiet
Don't make a sound
Do not blink now
Don't look down

You don't know
you'd never ever know
I've forgotten all my lines
I feel like a fool in a cold
I don't even know myself
anymore

Come to me lay down beside me
and close your eyes kiss me sleep
for tonight

Wiki says the band was formed in 1994 in Denver by John Grant and Chris Pearson. They released six studio albums, one EP, and three singles in the duration of their career. After the release of Goodbye in 2004, five of the six members of The Czars left the band over the span of nine months, leaving John Grant as the sole member of the band. After the exit of the other members, John Grant continued to tour under the name before deciding to pursue a solo career.

I guess artists still suffer for good music.

These little words

I'm not the one for poems. I find them corny. However, today I found this one. Rather simple. Nothing to it, but the message. It just made me think of the things we do in the name of maintaining the images of ourselves we project to society. Strip me of my laugh, strip me of my smile, Strip me of everything I wanted to be; Strip me of my false pretense, and Then all you've got left is me. Take away my masks, take away my pride, Take away all the things you see; Take away my fake disguise, and I'm the only thing I can be. I took a moment and thought of who people think I am, versus the man I know I am. It's the lie versus the truth, ain't it? You go around looking a certain way, speaking with a borrowed accent, drinking double whiskies when all you are is, say, a cider drinker. Must be tiring. I wish we could all stop the bus and be who we are. Even if it's for one day. Imagine having to maintain the facade when you have no energy to. No wonder people commit suicide. So, today's lesson: I'm going to try and be me and allow the world to see me for who I am. If you accept me, great. If not, FUCK YOU!

The Big D!

So, dear reader, I have absolutely good news. Today at 9:30am, I signed my divorce papers. Yup, it's done. It's just a minor matter of taking them to the courts and by the end of the month (fingers crossed), I'll be a free man.

Free to commit to a new life. Fully.

I think this deserves another party. It's amazing how my life has turned for the better since two Sundays ago. It's been a long and trying year. One point five years actually. And now, I'm freeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Oh, I'm listening to Alexander O'neal. I'm a fan. Saw him at Rosebank mall about a month or so ago. Made my day.

I love this track. Absolutely awesome. Side bar: I love Alex and I absolutely adore Prince. The funny thing is that at some point Alex was signed to Prince's record label. But due to creative differences, they parted ways. Two of my favourite artist, fighting. Silly. Ok, here's one more track by Alex O'neal...

NB: You do know I don't own any of this music, right?

What's the relevance of Alex O'neal to this divorce situation? Hey, I don't know. My brain does these things from time to time. All I know is that I'm almost free. I'll treat myself to the NY trip I've been singing about for months. Snow in New York! Whoooooooooooooo!

Gotta go.

Peace out!

Karma is a bitch!

Do unto others as you would have them do to you.

That is my lesson for the day. So, I've been lying low, acting adult and shit... But today I got the funniest, most awesomest news about a situation I've been dealing with. It's funny and then sad. Someone I know has been going behind my back, bad-mouthing me to anyone within earshot. Pity these words got to a friend's ear who knows this person's very intimate, dirty and rather disgusting side. And now the whole of Joburg knows the story. The true story.

Karma is a whore.

As my peoples always say íkhiwane elihle ligcwala izibungu.

Bridge over troubled waters

Since this is my blog and no one can tell me isht, I'mma dedicate a song to a long-lost friend of mine; a fan of Aretha's Wonderful. 44, this one's for you.

Aretha Franklin - Bridge over troubled waters

My rhymes are like Debonairs pizza. They're free if you don't get them hot.

Today, I have my wits about me. Something I couldn't have said last night. Haaaaaaai, this Jo'burg has the most interesting people and I don't know why the universe pushes them my way. I can't stop laughing at the shit I saw with these very eyes. Now, I can claim to have seen it all!

But I digress. As I was saying, today I have my wits about me. I know exactly what's going down and I'm on top of things. I've already sent the pitch for a new TV show. If all works well, I'll soon stop writing TV scripts and lame copy for ads. I'll be out in the sun shooting shit that will make SA TV content more exciting. Yup, that's my new thing. TV.

Why the music video on the blog? Coz the rhymes is dope and I saw Cassper on Shiznit on e-TV a few weekends ago and I thought he was a breath of fresh air. His patna KT is also mad talented. Ok, I don't own any of these videos. I'm sure they are Casspers. So, I take no credit for them. Enjoy.

My nephews JubJub + WaWa = Peace.

2 in 1

Look at that, two posts in one day!

This one comes at the back of a telephone conversation I've just had. So, I call an old colleague of mine with the intention of hooking her up with a job opportunity. I know she's been looking to move for a while now. However, she chooses to speak about a matter that's so private that I refuse to discuss with anyone but the person involved. She is the 5th person chirping in my ear about what I shoulda done and what I should do... blah, blah, fucking blah.

Haai maaaaan! Why can't people stick to their own shit and not try to fix other peoples' lives? I don't remember sharing my shit with them in the first place, but I guess it's my fault. I never stopped them from commenting, even in jest. Now I'm paying for it. I wonder how the person involved feels (sorry, no names). It's really shite. Anyway, I had to vent a bit. So, there. The asshole will be resurrected . It worked with my expensive, slow, good-for-nothing lawyers. So, I guess it'll have to work again now.

BMF til the wheels fall off!

So, I had a wonderful time this past weekend. Took the whole day yesterday to recover from a MUTHA of a hangover. I think I should cut down on alcoholic beverages. For real, for real. Wine, Jamesons and Patron are not friends.