(: Happy Friday :)

Friday the thirteenth. I love superstitious people. They're such fun to laugh at. This poor,unsuspecting day that falls on the 13th as well as a friday has become a day of fear and dread for such people. In honour of them,and those of us who believe in more than bad luck ladders,we at Salt and Light youth made today Happy Friday. Instead of dressing up as grotesque creatures of the imagination,we adorned ourselves with smiley faces,bright colours and silly grins. I even wrote the word "Happy" in eighteen different languages on my sleeves. Our evening passed without any hint of misfortune or bad luck,despite the fact that my black cat ran in front of several times today. Happy Friday the thirteenth dear cyber space. :) :) :)

Just Keep Walking

Even though my last post ended with me choosing losing my mind over the current crazyness of life,I am fully determined to walk on through it. I have formulated a small list of things to keep me walking on the sane path instead of skipping over to the fields of insanity.

Going to youth;there's is something amazing in worshipping with people as crazy as yourself.

Running through piles of leaves.The sound and feel is almost theraputic.

Taking photos of random objects,such as shoes and eyes.

Tea,especially when I don't have to make it.

Reading New Moon,even though it is highly overrated and doesn't end the way I want it to.

Having smal,random crazy moments,like pulling faces in the mirror or laughing at nothing.

Recalling moments of intense laughter with my non-related relatives,namely Uncle Rob and Aunty Lou

Blogging.

These small,seemingly insignificant things keep me walking on. Walking,walking always walking...

Walking in red

Walking in black

Walking in yellow

Losing My Mind By Enhancing It

"The more we study the more we discover our ignorance." - Percy Bysshe Shelley


Over the past six weeks I have journeyed back to November last year and pulled out my Biology textbooks. The more I study,the less I seem to retain. I am starting to believe that twelve years of school is all any brain can take. Whatever the case,I soldier on in chilly Springs,anticipating either a victory or my demise over the next three weeks. As Margaret Thatcher so wisely states,"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it." So I'm still fighting,fighting,fighting. I will either win this battle or it will win me. I will hope for the former no matter how much the latter looms. Losing my mind seems a happy alternative at this point...

Joyfully losing it..

Home is Where...

As my few readers will know,I have been in Pinetown for the past two and a half months. I came back to Springs in April for two months to rewrite my Biology exams. While writing events onto a calender,I made the mistake of writing "home" on the day on which I return to Pinetown. My little sister was quite disgusted and has not let my small,unconscious blunder go.The fact that the day I arrived in Springs is marked with the same word meant little to her.

Where,then,is home? Is it where your family is? Is it where you grew up? Is it where you have the most memories? I have friends in Pinetown who are as close as family. Spending every minute of every day with people does that. I like to believe that I've grown up a little since leaving and I've made more memories in those few months than the whole of last year.

I think home is where the people understand you. It's where they don't question your obsession with polka dots and Chinese babies. It's where they like you even when you're grumpy. It's where they've seen you when you've just woken up. It's where they know your "I can't believe you own that" outfits. It's where a certain look can bring on a hug and a cup of tea. Home is where they've held you when you cry. It's where you have so many inside jokes you could form a new language. It's where you don't have to be polite all the time. Home is where people really know you and,for reasons unknown,still love you.

I firmly believe that Pinetown is as much my home as Springs is and Springs is no less my home than Pinetown is.

A few of my Pinetown "family" members.

My real family in Springs,at a Wild West dress up.

Pictures of things

Dandelion Dew

Pink Flower

Spiderweb

Weathered Dandelion

More Spiderwebs

Webs in the Grass

Yellow Flower

Spider in Disguise

Yet Another Wet Web

Within the Yellow Rose

George Is A Very Strong Man

George. The name of a old man who wears tweed and smokes a pipe. Our small,fat,female jack russel cross corgie. A slang term that means "you mixed the words in your sentence up and sounded like a fool." In Pinetown,amongst my dearest YOYL friends,this third George is a man we are all very well aquainted with. The combination of fatigue,coffee highs and typical teenage giggles have all made this George an old friend. We have even made a wall in honour of his ever present influence. Here are some of our best Georges.

"She has feet all the way down to her hair"-Shaydene,speaking of Rapunzel. Those knots will be tough to work through.

"I will come in the beach bag with you"-Manon,when saying she will join me on the bean bag. In her defense,she is Mauritian.

"Yesterday I had three cups of sugar"-Shaydene,apparently trying to say she had threecups of tea,with five sugars each. Either one explains her mood.

"I did not did it on purpose"-Madhvi,who is also Mauritian.

"We are fish of men"-Chelsea,on the fishermen preach at youth.

"I tried to spitted on her"-Shaydene,who tried to spit water on me.

"Do not be domestic violence!!"-Shaydene to Matt,who was pinching her.

"I better put my phone away before God comes"-Jodie,breaking Grant's no phone rule. What would Jesus think if He returned and you were holding that evil piece of technology?

"Just imagination it"-Shaydene,who is very close friends with George.

"Look whose stick is better than now"-Matt O. Who knows.

"What did Shaydene said?"-Tooks,in asking about Shay's George,makes his own.

"I have knees on my freckles"-Shaydene,who we are beginning to suspect is the feminine version of George.

"Always I say sometimes"-Matt P. And sometimes he makes sense.

"Stop making laugh of me!"-Yours Truly. I blame the effects their teasing has on me for my mistake.

We are not mentally disabled or uneducated. We do think before we speak and we do word our sentences correctly at times. Still,there is no denying the fact that George is indeed a very strong man..

A Week in the Life of a Yoylie: Threnodic Thursday

Threnodic is a word used to describe that which is mournful. While there is nothing particularly grievious about a Thursday,it seems to be the day on which certain Yoylies MOAN,making it a mournful day. Also,threnodic starts with "th",keeping the alliteration going..

5:30 Alarm goes off,but on Thursdays it isn't heard.
5:45 Alarm goes off again with the same effect: none.
6:00 Wake up.Jump out of bed. Wash face and brush teeth.
6:10 Get dressed.
6:20 Wonder why you are always late on Thursdays.Go downstairs.
6:30 Sit on couch watching Morning Live.
6:45 Realize that you haven't eaten. Go make milo and scratch around for a rusk.
7:00 Remember that you need showering things. Go upstairs and collect toiletries.
7:10 Go all the way down to wait for lift.
7:15 Remember that you need an extra change of clothing. Run upstairs like a ninja.
7:20 Run downstairs while packing clothes into bag. Stop long enoung to grab a packet of noodles.
7:25 Sit down just in time to have to get up and get in the car.
7:45 Arrive at church. Negotiate with a fellow Yoylie on who should make coffee.
7:50 Decide not to argue and make coffee for self and aforementioned fellow.
8:00 Go down to the Yoyl Room with coffee,bag and shoes that were never put on.
8:05 After putting bag away,run for the red bean bag. Everyone knows red bean bags are the best.
8:10 Grant comes downstairs and tells us that we are going to start. Several times.
8:15 Once everyone is over the latest joke,Grant finally assigns people to the day's tasks.
8:25 In case we might have misheard,Grant repeats himself.
8:30 After reading duties off the board,disperse to prepare a play,wash an entire kitchen,bake shortbread,make cards,cook food,move chairs,do DIY or make all the office staff coffee.
12:30 Go down to Yoyl Room to fetch lunch.
12:35 Swop sandwiches,fruit and other edible items with fellow yoylies. Pour juice for self.Sit down.
12:40 Get up to pour juice for lazy friends. Sit down on counter.
12:45 Finally,after more swopping and pouring,eat lunch.
12:55 Finish eating and wash glasses,plates and bowls.
13:00 Sit on counter hoping Grant has forgotten about us.
13:10 Get called by Grant. Go down to Yoyl Room.
13:15 Wait while Grant divides us into groups for the afternoon's activities.
13:30 Collect items such as rope,bottles,bricks,magazines,soccer balls,20 litres of juice and 100 plastic cups.
13:45 Run to parking lot shouting "JODIE!!" as Jodie's car is the favoured mode of transport and,being an uno,can only accommodate five yoylies.
13:50  Climb triumphantly into the back of the Uno. Smile and wave at those climbing into the bakkie with Grant.
14:15 Arrive at the school in Tshelimnyama. Unpack cars and wait for school to end.
14:20 Watch as about 100 grade 7s get welcomed to Life Group,our weekly discipleship program.
14:30 Lead the children to a field where they are split into groups to play tug of war,french cricket,ultimate frisbee,dodgeball and volleyball.
14:35 Play one of the above mentioned games.
15:00 Go into the classroom and pour 100 cups of juice.
15:10 Try not to be trampled as 100 children rush to the table.
15:15 Look for a tissue to wipe spilled juice off leg and feet.
15:17 Give up and sit down.
15:20 Take photos and listen to Grant give a lesson,with Tooks interpreting.
15:45 Hold up hands for Hi5s as the children leave.
15:50 Pack up and go home.
16:10 Arrive back at church. Wash cups and refill juice bottles.
16:20 Meet in Yoyl Room to give feedback.
16:30 Get dismissed.Run for the shower.
16:35 Shower
16:45 Make noodles. Climb on church roof.
16:50 Chill on roof either throwing stones at a glass bowl,throwing stones at one another,throwing stones over the edge of the roof or throwing stones onto the corrugated iron part of the roof.
17:35 Get down from roof.Run to Yoyl Room to make Milo before prayer starts at 17:30.
17:30 Run to the kitchen for milk, trying not to be seen be seen by Grant.Get seen.Get called.
17:35 Sneak out of prayer to fetch 1 to 5 mugs of Milo.
17:40 Pray
18:30 Prayer ends. Go down to Yoyl Room to collect bags.
18:35 Stash bag under cappuccino counter. Wash Milo mugs.
18:40 Get ready to go.
18:45 Remember that Cathy (house mate) is on band.Put bags back under counter.
18:50 Make tea for self and other unfortunate whose lift is also on band.
18:55 Chill on counter trying to hear above band practice noise.
19:10 Look in the fridges for something to eat.
19:15 Give up and eat old rusks.
19:20 Sit on counter and talk about the day's funny moments,annoying people and other interesting things.
20:00 Make coffee. Stay in kitchen where noise level is more bearable.
20:10 Insult one another's faces.mothers and pets.
20:25 Wash mugs and go back to sit on cappuccino counter.
20:30 Get bags and go home.
20:50 Arrive home. Take bag upstairs. Collapse on bed.
21:00 Go downstairs and eat dinner.
21:20 Wash plate and hands. Check Facebook.
21:35 Make Milo.
21:45 Wash mug. Go upstairs.
21:50 Fall asleep.
22:00 Wake up.Brush teeth,log onto Mxit.
22:20 Pack bag for next day. Read.
22:40 Draw.
23:10 Read.
00:00 Check that alarm is set and get into bed. Fall asleep.

Horribly long and extremely tiring,that is Thursday in a life of a Yoylie.