Love.it.or.hate.it.

Love it or hate it we are all susceptible to it.

We don’t understand it. 

Try to remove it, ignore it, dull it or kill it. 

We find ourselves influenced and persuaded by it but are not always convinced of it. 

We are driven by it and yet rage against it. 

Woman are mocked for it and men deny it. 

However, if it were removed from who we are we would not be classified as human beings. 

It differentiates us from robots and inanimate objects.

It holds us vulnerable to life itself. 

It gives fullness to everyday experiences and adds dimension to simplistic moments.

e·mo·tion

noun

1. an affective state of consciousness in which joy, sorrow, fear, hate, or the like, is experienced, as distinguished from cognitive and volitional states of consciousness.

2. any of the feelings of joy, sorrow, fear, hate, love, etc.

3. any strong agitation of the feelings actuated by experiencing love, hate, fear, etc., and usually accompanied by certain physiological changes, as increased heartbeat or respiration, and often overt manifestation, as crying or shaking.

4. something that causes such a reaction: the powerful emotion of a great symphony.

We relate to emotion.

When Mr Darcy speaks to Elizabeth Bennet in the last chapter of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice there is a very distinct well of emotion as he utters the following:

“You must know... surely, you must know it was all for you. You are too generous to trifle with me. I believe you spoke with my aunt last night, and it has taught me to hope as I'd scarcely allowed myself before. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes have not changed, but one word from you will silence me forever. If, however, your feelings have changed, I will have to tell you: you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on.”

When a friend is crying. 

When I baby is screaming. 

When a stranger is laughing. 

When a beautiful piece of music stirs you deep within. 

When the adrenaline rush of shock paralyzes your body. 

When an accomplishment wells up a sense of pride. 

When excitement about seeing someone gets you talking too fast. 

When knowledge brings peace to the frantic unknown. 

When hope is birthed within the arms of a lover. 

When clarity enables good decision-making. 

When joy is found in a simple act of kindness.

I know that my most heightened emotions have come from loving someone. 

I know that the moments where I have felt the most joy or the most hurt have been with those I am closest to because it is in love that we find ecstatic, overwhelming joy and deep-seated hurt simply because of the intimacy shared with someone else.

Mark Twain said, “Any emotion, if it is sincere, is involuntary.”

We may not fully understand it but I think we could begin with appreciating it.

Emotion enhances how we see and act and breathe and move on this planet.

It adds colour to the dull normality of our existence.

Love it or hate it we are susceptible to it.

ORDINARY.IS.NO.PLACE.TO.BE.

Have you ever imagined doing something completely impossible?

Have you ever pictured something happening to you and wondered how you would respond?

Have you ever dreamt of something and felt completely ridiculous?

I am sure everyone finds themselves in that place at some point in their lives. 

A moment. 

A situation.

A set of circumstances that surprise you and leave you in a place of wonder.

If not yet… then I encourage you to begin day-dreaming J

Over the last few months I have had the privilege of being involved in events and competitions that have seriously challenged and changed me <from the inside> in ways I could never have anticipated. I have decided to begin here with…

SA FASHION WEEK 2011

On Saturday the 24^th of September I modeled for the awesome Gert Johan Coetzee who is known to steal almost every show he is involved in. His work is unconventional but incredibly appealing.

It was my first ramp work ever and at an event of this status and profile you can just imagine the nerves. The model line-up for Gert’s collection was Christina Storm, Bonang Matheba, Shashi Naidoo, Jenna Dova and Weza Solange. I had one opportunity to walk down the ramp as a practice round and nothing more. However, besides for the terror of messing up, falling, tripping, not walking in a straight line or moving your hips in the correct manner - there is the tremendous excitement, the buzz, the phenomenal atmosphere and build up over a few hours. The hype over hair, make-up, nails, shoes and outfits…

I can honestly say that the adrenaline rush as you stand there waiting to walk down that ramp is beyond anything I have ever experienced. My heart felt like it was beating so hard it was about to explode inside of my chest. The high heels were stopping all blood circulation in my feet. Gert did his last check over our outfits as the music begins.

FLIP.

You walk.

Music pumping your legs forward.

The overwhelmingly bright lights don’t allow you to see the audience.

The non-stop flash of a million photographers on a grand stand directly in front of you.

It is literally a few seconds.

But it’s a few seconds that I will never forget.

As we were getting ready to walk the finale (all models simply walk out again before the designer comes out on stage) I thought back to a few years ago when I was watching Fashion TV and wondering what it must feel like to do just THAT. 

All I could do was smile. 

This is THAT.

So do it.

Dream of the impossible. 

Nomatter how seemingly insignificant or stupid. 

Imagine. 

Desire. 

Wonder.

Perhaps you will find yourself caught up in a moment where some Coldplay lyrics seems to be the only appropriate description of the place you find yourself in:

Look up, I look up at night,

Planets are moving at the speed of light.

Climb up, up in the trees,

every chance that you get, 

is a chance you seize.

Turn.It.Up

I love music. 

I love instrumental melodies. I love bass. I love rap. I love house. I love acoustic. I love jazz. I love rock. I love classical. I love dance. I love trance. I love vocal pop. I love indie. I love hip hop. I love a slick mix. I love discovering a new artist. I love listening to a new album and deciding on my top three favourites. I love lyrics that epitomize your situation. I love discovering an old album and being flooded with a mass of good memories. I love a beat that can do nothing else but get you moving… whether in the car or on the street or in your bedroom. I love running for kilometers on end with my i-pod pressed into my ears and the beat pushing my legs to run harder, faster. I love sending a song to someone in a moment when spoken words don’t do justice.

Besides for music… I love radio.

I spent some time and had good experience working at a Community Radio Station whilst I was studying in East London. It was there that I learnt how to “present” on air and hosted the Youth Show, the Top 40 and a daily half-hour community chat show. This was a good three years of experience. There wasn’t a set-apart moment when I recall knowing this was my passion. I just began having fun. There were many moments of skrewing up, saying the wrong thing, sounding flustered, being criticized and feeling as though I would never ‘master’ this skill. However, I believe that – similarly to any profession – if you apply yourself and work at improving the way in which you do something – you will eventually become increasingly excellent at what you do.

Although I do not consider myself to be a professional I do know that I love what I do. Preparing a show and presenting it to listeners who could possibly enjoy what I have to say is rewarding.  This kind of interaction with complete strangers is indescribably awesome. I guess you could compare a well-presented show to a brilliant sale or an excellent architectural design. The function can obviously vary from informative discussion to pure entertainment but the point is usually the vital establishment of a connection with your listeners. Through careful and strategic use of these functions you can easily encourage, persuade, uplift or simply engage your listeners with a topic of your choice.

I believe radio is one of the THE most powerful media tools. It is the one medium which is most accessible to people of all races and cultures in this world. Those in rural areas may not have an i-pod, an i-pad, a television, a washing machine or even a stove… but they have a radio. I remember going on outreach trips into Africa and walking into a hut where they sold ice-cold coca-cola and on the top of a box or wooden stool was a radio perched up in the best position for maximum quality reception. I have seen domestic workers listening to talk radio 702 as they work in the garden, teenagers begging their parents to change the frequency to 5fm, elderly folk singing along to Classic FM, patients in waiting rooms tapping their feet to Highveld, rappers crowded in circles listening to Y-fm, successful business women blasting the new Rihanna track on Kaya FM as they drive home from work, grown Afrikaans men speaking about Jacaranda FM, and students phoning in to express their opinion on 95.4.

Radio, unlike television, can be listened to whilst doing a million other activities. Washing dishes, ironing clothes, getting dressed, sitting in traffic, cooking, drawing, typing, chilling, planning, bathing, eating or even chatting to someone.

I’m passionate about it.

The presenters/ dj’s are my friends whether they like it or not. I talk back to them and laugh with them. I have listened to them in some of my best and worst moments. There may talk complete sense or absolute rubbish but there is always some kind of entertainment, comfort or amusement sought.

I believe radio can change and challenge our society.

So this week, when you find yourself in that inevitable place of listening to the radio, do one thing:

TURN

IT

UP.