The Wondrous Wandering Tornado

  Alrighty, so today is the last day of 2021. My goodness, it has been a year! It started with the loss of close family members and ended with a day of reflection. As I write this I hope that the New Year brings with it some brightness and good energy. Many have faced hardship this year and the collective mental health drain has been immense. Around the world, every one of us is exhausted mentally. I am not going to write any resolutions, well not in a way that these are normally written as to-do lists But rather as what I learnt this year and want to apply next year and beyond. The Husband and I endeavoured to give Widget and Smudge new experiences because that's what parents do for their children. So they went on three mini holidays that adhered to strict COVID-19 protocols and had no one besides us staying there, mostly: 1. Ons see Huisie 2. Wildberry Farm 3. Afrika Three very different experiences for the two woofs, meeting other dogs and animals especially horses and cows, fro...

  I know, it's been three weeks but I got busy with a book. In fact, a book about Fixed and Growth Mindsets. It was so fascinating to me that now you have a blog about it. You're welcome. Don't worry, it's very condensed. Basically, a mindset is a thought or belief and this can be built up over time. A lot of what we believe and how we see the world has been based on childhood learnings. Things we learned at school, from our parents and other adults that influenced our lives. When we become adults then react to things we see or occurrences in our environment based on the mindset we have developed over time. There are various types of mindsets but the main two are fixed and growth and are polar opposites of each other. But keep in mind that mindsets are spectrums, so you won't necessarily have one or the other just think differently about certain things. Fixed mindsets entail thinking that success is based on talent and intelligence, not hard work. People who think t...

  My last blog was over a month and a half ago which seems like a lifetime. Just getting started again took some effort but here we are. How quickly the time had passed for me thinking about a lot of things. One of which is time management which I thought was the reason for my inability to meet my weekly blog publish target.  I had started on a new project that was quite technical and was trying to finish it before going on holiday but had ended up burning out and writing it whilst on holiday. It also meant I couldn't write any blog posts or do much with my succulent plant business. It was frustrating not being able to do anything else with so many deadlines looming and expectations and responsibilities that I found myself getting depressed again and longing to be back on my pills to cope. It also reminded me that I needed my psychologist more than ever and if I wasn't careful I would fall hard.  This is a good lesson on mental health folks, it's a continuous journey and ...

  All around the world Tamils fast around this time, the holy month of Purtassi(September and the sixth month in the Tamil calendar) in dedication to Lord Vishnu, the Preserver. It is a cleansing time for the body and the soul as we forgo meat, eggs, alcohol, and the like for a month. Some choose to do a week but all Tamils fast on the Saturday as it is dedicated to the deity in the form of Lord Venkateswara( Balaji). I am sure by now you have discovered that in Hinduism all the Gods and Goddesses like to Cosplay into different forms or people. They're cool like that. Before I go any further, I want to tackle a very annoying comment I get when I tell people I am fasting. And it only happens in Cape Town.  The comment goes, "But that's not fasting."I suspect people get confused because the Muslim community fasts for Eid and they dry fast between sunrise and sunset. Hindus can choose to dry fast if they wish but there is more than one type of fast. Fasting can mean abst...

  As a child, I used to read the Archie comics and all the Harvey Comics favourites - Casper the Friendly Ghost, Hot Stuff the Little Devil, Little Audrey, Little Dot, Baby Huey, Richie Rich and the list goes on! That was my introduction into the wonderful world of comic books and as I write this I have flashbacks of beautiful memories of my mum and me reading these treasures. As I got older, Batman movies started appearing, piquing my interest which solidified once Spiderman reached the small screen and became my favourite superhero of all time. Still is despite my growing list of 'other favourites', I will always be a webhead. Around that time I bought my very first comic book, I can't remember how old I was, around 13 maybe. I used to buy a magazine called Top 40 Music Magazine when I could afford it and there it was. Gen13, a teaser comic book really but mine. I still have it although young me didn't really look after it. It is only years into my adulthood that I st...

  Today is the day that most South Africans will be braaing all day long and what perfect weather for it too! But why is today actually a public holiday? Why is it so special? It can't be just so we can spend the day outside braaing, surely not. The 24th of September used to be known as Shaka Day in Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) to commemorate Shaka Zulu because it is presumed that he died on this day in 1828. Shaka Zulu was important for various reasons, most of all, and the reason for the celebration is that he united the Zulu clans into the Zulu Nation when he was alive. If you don't know anything about Shaka Zulu, time to educate yourself. In 1996, the 24th of September was not part of the full public holiday list proposed for the new post-Apartheid South Africa until the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) raised this as a concern. Instead of Shaka Day, a compromise was reached so that the title would be Heritage Day so that South Africa's rainbow nation of cultures could be celebrated...

Today marks the day that Lord Ganesha checks in to Earth with his mother Parvati and it's a pretty big deal for us Hindus. Of the many Gods, Shri Ganesha is one of the most known in the Hindu pantheon and most popular, not just amongst Hindus. Ganapati, one of his many names, means elephant-headed Hindu god of beginnings. He is celebrated as the remover of obstacles and is honoured at the beginning of each prayer, this was the case with the recent Luxmi prayers I had done a few weeks ago. It might be lesser known that he is invoked as a patron of letters and learning during writing sessions. That is excellent news for me since I became a ghostwriter and blogger. His creation tale is interesting and I know it off by heart because my mum tells it so well. There are other versions but this one is the most known. I will attempt to do my best but please forgive me for not being anywhere close to the way she tells it.  Mother Parvati was alone whilst Lord Shiva was out hunting and she so...