i r.cadillac

Don't Be Stressed Be Logical

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 17:38:00 +0000

With age comes stress. It's a thing that affects us all in some way or the other. No matter how chilled you are there will be something tiny that's scratching at the back door of your mind.

When Twenty One Pilots dropped their single 'Stressed Out' it was real. Everything about the song is basically how I feel every day. Sometimes it would be so rad to go back to being a kid, riding around the neighbourhood ringing door bells or building tree houses. My neightbour and I built some sweet tree houses!

Look, I'm quite the optimist as much as it annoys some people. But I truly believe that you can overcome stress with a few simple acts.

First you need to stop everything. Stop thoughts stop actions, just stop everything around you for a second.
Secondly, take a step back as if you're in a cyberspace movie where you can view your surroundings from outside of you. Point out the stressed and list them.

Then pioritise. Something will always be more important so start with that.

At this point maybe turn on some music that will calm you a little and make you feel relaxed. Panic is not the ideal situation for stressful situations.

Take that list, and slowly find solutions. Be they big or small you'll know what's right. Think about the journey and the outcome and before you know it you'll realise that some every day stresses are simple problems you never really took the time to lay out.

If you felt the realness of Twenty One Pilots please do download their latest album 'Blurryface' here. It's my top album of 2015, hands down.

Life is life, we just have to live it. More often than not our stresses are things we can easily get rid of. We're just too busy to stop and think. So stop. And think.

Be The Dinosaur You Want To See In The World

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 15:51:00 +0000

So I'm going to watch a movie on Sunday. A Disney animated film. The best part is I can take a few people with me.
I don't know anyone who doesn't enjoy a good animated film. They bring joy, song, laughter and usually endless adventure to our lives. They kind of make me want to go home and play a game based on the movie I just watched, like when I was a kid - "Hey, let's play Jungle Book Jungle Book!"

So here's the thing. I have a set of family tickets (2 adults and 2 kids) to watch The Good Dinosaur on Sunday (13 December), 12:30 at Cavendish Square.
After seeing the trailer, I am AMPED!

To enter, comment below with your favourite Disney movie of all time. Really, it's that easy.

And hey, if you don't win the tickets you have a lot to look forward to. Like the M-net Animania Festival happening these holidays. They're giving away weekly prizes in their Dubsmash competition, which if you know anything about me, it my favourite kind of competition!

Time Off, Jol On!

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 06:12:00 +0000

To me December is a time where traditions come around. There are things that you just end up doing because it's become habit over the years of you being here.

For the most part the best thing is the time off. The time with family and the time to sit back and do nothing. Watch movies all day, eat food all night and repeat. Not having to check your mails or answer to a boss is one of the greatest luxuries of the holiday season.

Here's a list of things to do in and around the house if you do end up getting bored of your time off.

Eat food.

Gather who ever is home, look up a recipe, cook it and eat it. Done.

Hang Out With The Fam.

It's the one time of the year where you deal with your family. We don't all live near them so take the time to enjoy the few weeks with them.
Invite the little cousins around for game days. Take them on adventures or take the great food you tried making and eat it with them while watching the M-Net Animania Festival. Everybody loves animated movies. Everybody knows the words to the songs and everybody has a favourite character!

Make Videos.

Take to Instagram and record the coolest Dubsmash videos you can find. This is literally one of my favourite things to do. Everyone wants to be in their own movie, even if it's only 15 seconds long.
Head over to M-Net Animania Festival's website and create a little video of your own to win some cool, cool Takealot stuff -There's a lot so do it!

Enter ALL The Competitions.

'Tis the season to win stuff. Meals, holidays, goodie bags, vouchers, discounts. You probably have way more chance of winning a competition than winning the lotto, so what do you have to lose?

Get Some Sun.

Safely, of course. South African summer is a glorious thing. Days by the pool or on the beach, sipping delightful refreshments, inviting friends over. What I'd give to do that every day of the year... Except for winter, then we'd move the jol inside.

The list is endless. Please let me know what else we could get up to, I have a short concentration span...

How International Men's Day Should Probably Work

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 08:44:00 +0000

I clicked on the "International Men's Day" trend on twitter earlier, and while there were some tweets celebrating men and what not there were a lot of angry, revengeful tweets against the celebration of the day.

Now I'm well aware of the world and how things in society are and I agree with the difficulties women face on a daily basis, but are we not all fighting for equality in some form? Why is a day like today being used as a vessel of negativity? Again, I understand why, but that kind of mentality doesn't make it easy for men or people in general.

I believe I have achieved some great things on my own as a man, but after seeing some of those tweets I don't want to talk about it in fear that I'll be lambasted by an army of women's right tweeters. I feel like it's almost become frowned upon to celebrate yourself as a man.

So, instead of bashing International Men's Day why can't we all work towards encouraging men to fight for a common cause - women's rights. At the same time also let men celebrate their personal victories without schooling them on the daily hardships women face. We know, or at least I do.

Now before you get all anti on this, remember that equality works for everything and everyone. I believe that talking down on someone and speaking angrily and even sarcastically on such a topic is not the correct approach. Open, honest and calm conversation is the way to go. I am willing to do what I have to to help those in need, but at the same time I am also human and have shit to deal with albeit more minor shit than others.

Long story (which you already ready, sorry) short - Don't be kak be lekker. If we encourage people to work together towards a common cause rather than confront them things will be a lot easier and maybe even move faster.

The world is overflowing with negativity and rage. This needs to stop.

"Man" and "woman" both contain the word "man" because we are all human. Lame but true.

I don't know, it's just an idea.

High School For Adults

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Mon, 16 Nov 2015 14:07:00 +0000

Maybe I'm trippin', but when I scroll through my Twitter feed I see high school.
I see cool kids, I see "nerds", I see the smarty pants, I see cliques, I see cool kids, I see passive-aggressive comments aimed at "friends" and frenemies alike.

I often think to myself, "I'm almost 30, most of the people I interact with are aged between mid 20s to mid 30s and everyone still acts so silly". I find more people having arguments about stupid things rather than just having an unbiased, open conversation. It's all about how much more right one person can be or how hard they can school you for being wrong, well,in their eyes at least.
Why can't we just talk and teach each other lessons without having to come off better than the other person for being so "intellectual"?

Sometimes I feel like people are too scared to share their thoughts because other people might aggressively question them and attack them for thinking what they do. I know I do. It's so easy to be a tough cat on the internet, but why would you want to be? Everyone is fighting for equality but no one wants to treat people equally on an intellectual level.

Just a thought - What if we actually spoke to each other instead of questioned each other? Reading someone's tone online is damn near impossible. But less use of exclamation marks and strategic caps can change a lot.
Maybe I'm overthinking this, but we need to learn how to talk to each other properly.

How To Not Be Kak

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 12:02:00 +0000

Every day we internet and there is kak. There are kak stories, kak music ( to some), kak photos, kak videos, kak blog posts, kak websites and kak people among other kak things. This might be one of the afore mentioned kak things, but whatever.

Here are three tips to not be kak. Be kak if you wish, but be kak on your own.

1. Don't wake up on the kak side of the bed.

If you wake up in a kak mood do something you think isn't kak. Like eat your favourite cereal, drink coffee, have a poo or go for a run. We all have things that we enjoy doing that we think are not kak. If you struggle to find a not kak thing to do then go back to sleep until you don't feel kak anymore.

2. Don't let the kak get on you.

You get a flat tire or you shart in your pants on the way to work, or you drop your lunch on a dirty carpet. Or maybe your double capufrappelatteflatty was mistakenly made with almond milk instead of soy milk. Or your favourite bagel place has run out of Norwegian salmon and only has poppy seed bagels left. These things happen and they happen to everyone. Don't let those kak things make your day kak. It could have happened to anyone but it happened to you that one time, this is what makes life fair. Kak things happen to all people and it will inevitably be your turn at one point.
When these things happen take a step back and say to yourself, "Today IS my day. Tomorrow can only be better". A wise person once said, "Shit gets kak. Rivers flow. Deal."

3. If you want to be kak then stay off the internet.

Hey, Baby... Don't Be A Doos

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 13:53:00 +0000

Earlier today Anja posted something on Glitz and Glamour that bummed me out a little. Okay, a lot. It's on the subject of catcallers/street harassers and really basic men.
Now I don't know about you, but this is not something I find joy in doing in my time off. In fact, even talking to girls is a little too difficult for me, never mind being all macho about it.

There are a few things I don't quite understand about the people who do this. Maybe you can help me find some answers. Also, why don't guys talk about this more? Chivalry, guys. We should work a bit harder on reviving that.

What are you guys trying to get at? Who on science's great earth do you think you are that you think you can just go up to a woman you've never met and act like that? Maybe I lack a bit of confidence, but that doesn't sound like confidence to me. It sounds a little more like douchebaggery. "Fuckboy" isn't even a strong enough word for you guys.

Luckily I have no friends who behave as such, but if I did I'd make noise about it. So there's a nice place to start. If you hear someone, whether you know them or not, do some sort of douchy, catcalling act you need to stop them.

I just don't understand it. Being "manly" doesn't mean you beating your chest and shout out derogatory things to women passing by. It doesn't mean following a girl for multiple blocks forcefully trying to get her number when it's clear she's not interested. Being manly is more about being polite, being respectful and knowing your boundaries. No matter who you are or who you're talking to.
Think of it as being ladylike, only the man version of it.

I have to agree with Anja that there needs to be some sort of rule about this kind of behaviour. It must be so crap to have to prepare yourself for things like this every time you step into the street. Behaviour like that is straight up unacceptable. A swift kick to the nuts or a taser to the face isn't even strong enough immediate punishment for it.

As grown-ass men the rest of us need to stand up to each other and stop these guys from being such savages. It's not cool. You're making things crap for everyone. Some dudes genuinely want to meet and get to know girls on a civil level but are unable to because of the ever growing population of assholes. #DouchebagsMustFall

Just Say It

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 17:02:00 +0000

This morning I woke up feeling fresh and bubbly, looking forward to the day ahead. As I got in my car to leave for work I got a call from a friend to inform me that the guy I lived with for my first year in Cape Town had suddenly passed away. It was shocking news to hear first thing in the morning as I'm sure the rest of our circle of friends could agree.

He was a humble, modest guy. Always the voice of reason and smart as hell. With a knowledge of music and literature like a boss.
We moved into a flat in town together in August last year barely knowing each other. We had different tastes in music, vastly different personalities but we got on well. A year or so later I moved out and we kept in touch, but not too closely.

So I got this call, I usually listen to music fairly loudly on the way to work, maybe record an instagram video or something on the way. But this morning I couldn't bring myself to listen to anything. Same for the rest of the day which is quite strange. Especially considering the wealth of music we shared with each other. So much I'd never heard before that I enjoyed, and visa versa. I guess that was one solid connection we had, the passion for good music no matter what it was.

I spent all day with my headphones on, not speaking much at all and reflecting on life, watching the odd fail video to distract myself. Didn't do a stitch of work as I couldn't bring myself to do any. Now I'm at home and I feel properly bummed about the situation and it upsets me even more that it takes something like the loss of a person in your life to realise just how fragile and unpredictable life can be. And I started questioning a few things...

Why are we so afraid of people? Why are we so afraid of telling the people really close to us what we think? Why when you care for someone so much is it so terrifying to tell them exactly what you think or how you feel for them? Why are we so afraid of getting hurt when we can fix that?

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not an amazing friend. The amount of times I've said to people "let's make a plan" or "we should meet up for a beer soon" is lost to me. It's been a lot. And I keep thinking it'll happen and we'll get around to it but more often than not it doesn't happen and we just end up meeting up by chance, or crossing paths on the promenade and saying a quick hello only to go back to the habit of saying we'll make a plan.

So if you're a friend of mine reading this I guess I'm sorry for all the false promises and vague plans. I hope I can make it up to you all soon. And if you're like me, let's try harder. Just know you're all in my mind regardless of us seeing each other often or not.

To Divan's friends and family - I'm so sorry for your loss. I know you all lost someone really great and unique.

To Divan - Thanks for being a newbie in town with me. We may have let dishes stack up and the house get dusty, but we had some jols, we shared some rad times so thank you for that.

In short, let's try be more brave and speak our minds and hearts. You never know what could happen overnight or in the next minute.

I have to go hang some washing now.

I Don't Know, So Here.

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 18:11:00 +0000

For a while I've been a bit bleh about writing. It's not that I have to write, it's because I want to. I just haven't felt strong enough about anything to write about it... but that could also be because I tweet so damn much. That's not to say I feel nothing. Real life has just been cool enough so at least I have that.

I thought I'd share a bunch of stuff that I have grown to learn through my mid to late twenties. I thought that might be a cool thing to write about. I guess it will differ for everyone, but this is by no means a "how to" on life. It's just a bunch of thoughts.
I'd be keen to hear any lessons you've picked up along your way through life. The internet is about being talky, right?

Here goes...

Good people usually attract good vibes and good food.

There's no such thing as a guilty pleasure.

Red wine is amazing.

Pink wine isn't that bad.

Always eat the food.

If it's free, smash it. All of it.

Don't try make friends, try keep friends.

Craft beer really is better than "mainstream" beer, it's just way overpriced.

Two blue ticks doesn't warrant a reply right away.

Exercise. Only because getting out is great and it does make you feel great. Even if it's a one kilometre walk.

Dogs are just as cool as cats.

If you're unsure just go for it.

Use the word "moist" as much as you can.

Office politics is silly.

Try food you think you'll hate. You might just not hate it.

Writing someone a poem can better their day in a big way.

Take selfies.

Be nice to everyone, even if you dislike them.

If you put your phone to your ear when listening to voice notes, as you would a phone call, no one will hear your voice note but you.

Try different clothes on.

Fedoras are pretty cool.

Racism will probably never die.

If you're full, wait a few minutes then eat more.

Someone will always think you're a dick.

Watch every live act you possibly can, you never know what might tickle your fancy.

Always bring biltong on road trips.

The word "narcissist" is very loosely used in this day and age.

Being a poes doesn't get you anywhere.

Show your butt more. We all have one.

Enjoy the small things.

Pink Steri-Stumpie is my favourite flavour.

Time sheets are a thing some of us have to deal with.

Learning to play musical instruments is the greatest thing I've ever done.

Hashtags are #Awesome.

Not being into politics and reading loads of thought-provoking novels doesn't make you stupid.

Kanye West isn't really a dick, he's just bad at communicating.

Typos happen.

Some pop music is a lot more intricate than you might thing.

Bird is not the word, nor is grease. They are just words and there is no one word that is the word.

Make lists.

Don't listen to everything everyone tells you.

Probably Why You Hate Brands On Social Media

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 18:15:00 +0000

So apparently the way to go about writing is to do so drunk then edit sober. Here I will attempt both in not the latter state. #YOLO.

The other day I had a thing on Twitter with someone who said community managers are making social media, more specifically Twitter, shit because of their rubbish content. While I understand where he is coming from, it is wrong. And I will attempt to explain why.

You so, community managers (social media people) are very limited in the content they post. Well, to an extent at least. The thing about social media is that it is quite a personal thing. You have people expressing their opinions and what not in a personal capacity. This leads to other people engaging in that and so on. The problem comes in when brands try and "fit in".
While brands want to be people, they are still very much brands. This is no fault of the community manager. We understand people and we understand brands, we are also hired to bridge that gap which is not alway possible. Let me explain even more...

The community manager will write an awesome content plan. A content plan is a document that basically has every post written a month prior to posting. This content plan goes through a whole process before it is approved to be put in the internet. I will explain this more now...

Step 1:
Community manager writes a month's worth of content. The posts are awesome, funny, risque in some circumstances, and very much human. This is from the perspective of a person who spends a substantial amount of time online and observing their communities - you people.
These ideas are rad for the most part. Well, I think so at least.

Step 2:
The content plan is then passed on to the next step of the process. Usually the account manager or client service person who understands where the community manager is coming from but also understands what the brand wants. They have to find a middle ground before the client receives their content plan. These people usually want to have the cool content (human stuff) happen, but unfortunately there is still one more step... They will come back to the community manager with reverts and advice on changes that will please the client. This is where it gets a bit more bleh.

Step 3:
Hold on I just need to check on my roast potatoes.

Real Step 3:
The client.
You see, more often than not the client is a person who doesn't completely understand social media. They just know that it is important and they need it, which, in this day and age, they do.
They are usually more worried about what will sell their product, whether the content is in the "brand tone", and whether the content it is safe or not. This is where the problem lies, because these people don't always understand that social media is quite a personal thing they don't understand that the brand tone needs to be adapted to a more natural, conversational tone.

The Community Manager At This Point In The Process

Are we still on the same page?
If not, holla at me.

Ultimately you want brands to not talk to you in a generic, high level and bland tone. You want them to talk to you like you would with any of your friends or followers. The thing is that brands cover such a broad spectrum of followers that it's quite difficult to be a cool person as a brand and appeal to everyone –
Having said that, some brands have it down. Those brands are usually a lot smaller and a lot more niche so they have a better idea of who is in their their community.

A brand is very much like a musician. It has its own way of saying things, its own outlook on life. And much like musicians, not everyone likes the same music. Some people understand some types of music while others just don't because it's not their thing.
I may have gone astray, but the point is that a lot of the time so much has changed from where the Twitter post you might see compared to where it starts. In the same way that a musician might have a great idea for a song, but by the time the record label and producer sees it they will have changed it to make it work for the listener. The only difference being the client of the community manager will more often than not know less about the industry and the audience than the producer and record label will.

Are we still on the same page?
If not, holla at me.

So when you see a shitty post from a brand on Twitter, take a second to process that the original idea may have been different. Also, the person you are ranting to is not the brand, it is a human. The postman between you and the brand.

I've lost count of the amount of times I've wanted to tell people to fuck off simply because f the horrible tone and abusive language they use. Remember, these platforms are still run by humans and these humans merely represent the brand, they are not the brand. So chill.

Pro Tip:
The next time you see a promoted Tweet, hover your cursor over the ad, click on the little x where it says "dismiss" and you can carry o living your life.

PS.
Stay lekker.

PSS.
Jon Snow dies.

An Open Letter To Vegans

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 18:09:00 +0000

Dear, vegans and some vegetarians.

I have been confronted by any of you over my years of existence and am even friends with some. There is a complete mutual understanding between myself and my vegetarian/vegan friends.
We love you and your enthusiasm but the problem arises when sometimes your enthusiasm comes across as a little too aggressive.
You see, us meat eaters completely understand where you come from and I will admit that the modern day processes are not ideal. We love animals just as much as you do and we want to cuddle them and pet them too. We even have pets, I know right?
I make an effort to eat as many vegetables as I can and regularly have meat-free meals. In fact, as I type this I am feasting on a moist, juicy and scrumptious roast potato. But as a human being with canines I feel it is beneficial to my diet to consume a certain amount of meat as we have been doing since the dawn of time. The problem is that now humans have become so greedy that we have taken over the planet and raped it of all it's vegetation, some of which is used in your every day lives. That's not cool, I will admit.
I want to free all the cows and pigs and chickens from their pens and let them live happy care-free lives, but I also want to eat some of them. I don't see this as "wrong" or a savage act. If you hadn't known any better or lived in an Amish community with not ties to the outside world you would probably see eating meat as normal. In fact, you would probably have to slaughter your own beast to obtain that meat anyway. I guess that is neither here nor there.

Again, I'm not saying any of that is right, but I'm also not saying it's wrong. If we were to free all the animals in the world that were raised for consumption we would be left with an overpopulation of animals breeding at a rapid rate. We would also have less air to breath because cow farts and burps are pretty toxic and will poison our precious oxygen supply, much like the car you drive does or the paper mill that supplies you paper does or the smoke caused by your furious online rants.

Unfortunately in this modern world there is no turning back. There is only slowing down. I will compromise and live a meat-free Monday from now on. Maybe if we all did it would make a significant change, but let's face it, we will never stop eating meat. We always have eaten eat and we always will.

Maybe one day we can resort to eating human meat to save a few more animals, but I don't see that going down too well with the general population.
See, I'm no scientist but I do know there are certain health benefits from not eating meat and I know there are certain health benefits if you do eat meat. To me, neither are less healthy, one is just a whole lot more tasty.

I urge you to keep fighting you fight, just fight it in a nicer way than most of you are now. For instance, don't go to a restaurant that only serves bacon and then complain about it when you don't eat meat in the first place. Humans have many differences and we have adjusted and learned to live with each other's differences so please, just be a nice human and live with those who don't follow the same practices that you do. You don't really have a choice... well, you do, but killing people on a mass scale is frowned upon, especially considering current affairs. And please, stop calling us murderers, because we aren't, we're humans just like you.

Much love;
Ricki and the meat eaters.

PS. Here is a picture of a steak.

What is music even?

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Mon, 11 May 2015 13:29:00 +0000

Firstly, excuse the fat body of text, blogger is blocked at work so I wrote this on my phone...

Musical taste, much like food, is something different for everyone. Everyone has been through a phase of loving a type so much that anyone who says anything against it makes you rage. But why?

I played in a metal band for the better part of 8 years and for those of you know know metalheads you'll know what they think of anything that isn't metal. In the same breath, metalheads love their music more than most people. The difference is they will refuse to accept.

Anyway, I got to a point where I felt the need to explore other musical avenues. Enter pop, dance music, folk and acoustic, everything! I grew up on classic rock, radio music and adult contemporary and further on punk. I think that listening to music from the likes of The Eagles to Boyz II Men to Joe Cocker and Tina Turner planted a seed in my mind that would only grow into a colourful hybrid of a musical tree later in life.

Music is music in whatever form you may find it. It all has a beat, be it fast or slow, it all has melody whether it's technical or even a simple groove. It's the same, just packaged differently. It's a little sad that people can be so mad/annoyed at each other for liking different types of music.

I'd like to put forward a little experiment. One day when you're home alone or one evening after work. Mail a bunch of your friends with different tastes in music. Say, 5 friends, get them to send you 2 or 3 of their favourite songs across their favourite genres or just their 3 favourite songs ever. Take those songs and add them to a playlist then find yourself a comfortable couch, bed, floor to zone out on, hit shuffle and just let it happen. If you don't have friends then go find a rad playlist of random music on YouTube.

LISTEN to the music. Close your eyes and let your ears take you past the annoying voices and weird sounds you may hear at first and you will find something else, something that repeats an awesome groove, or beat or melody. Every song has it but we don't always hear it because we don't want to listen. The key to appreciating any type of music is to listen to everything in it. Find the drums, find the separate instruments and vocal harmonies. I guarantee you there will be something in there that will catch your ear and possibly even blow your mind.

I'd like to hear your results, so if you like please do leave a comment. I truly believe that everyone can like any type of music, or at least appreciate it for what it is without dismissing it completely - There's something good in everything.
Let's share experiences, let's enjoy each other's brains.

The State Of Social Media Continued

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Tue, 05 May 2015 07:11:00 +0000

I'm just people watching the other people watching me. These are more things I have observed. Feel free to add more observations.

The Graphic Image Sharers

*Warning may upset sensitive viewers.
These people find joy in sharing the siffest, most horrifying images of death and injury. This makes spending your lunch break on Facebook a little less appetising.

Fitness People

You're making me feel bad about all the pizza I eat and the exercise I don't do. But it's okay because I'm good at other things... like eating pizza. Keep it up.

Parents

Like and comment on every photo. Ask weird questions that are visible to everyone and basically make you relive high school only online.
Also chat to us about those privacy settings... <3

The Hungover

These people feel very sorry for themselves, even though it's all their fault.

The self pity is strong and more time is being spent on telling the world how horrible they feel and none on fixing the actual problem. We've all been there.

The Fadnatics

These people, including myself, jump onto topics of conversation for the sake of not being left out. I'll be the first to say I don't know shit about boxing, but I hoped Manny Pacquiao would win.

Wannabe Bloggers

Hi, my name is Ricki.

The State Of Social Media... Kind Of.

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 07:22:00 +0000

As you may or may not know, I flippin' love Twitter. As of late my beloved platform has taken a dramatic shift. not a great one, I must add.
I tweet a lot, more than most, I guess. But as much as I tweet I also observe.

My job is in social media so I spend a good 6-8 hours a day online looking into trends, people's behaviour and all sorts of internetty shit, and there are a few things I have noticed. I'm not sure how I'm going to express these "opinions" without being too blunt. But I feel it's something that everyone knows about and no one really talks about. Well, some of these things at least, and it's these things that are making the internet less fun.
*Keep in mind that these points are not twitter specific. They exist on every social media platform imaginable.

Trolls

Everyone loves a good troll now and then. I myself have been on a few rampages but have really tried to keep away from such behaviour.
I lesson we've all be taught but have not always practices is "If you don't have anything nice to say don;t say anything at all". This should be rule number one of the internet. Have your opinion, but you can do that without being a dick. We're all adults, for the most part, so I don't see why we wouldn't act as such.
I guess the veil of anonymity is something people get a kick out of. This doesn't make you powerful at all, it makes you weak... if your opinion is so strong you should be strong enough to stand behind your opinion in your own capacity, not behind a fake name and cartoon picture. No one likes you.

The Happiness Haters

These people are my favourite. I'm also being really sarcastic.

These people find "joy" in talking down on people who project general happiness among all the clutter of news and rage. Yes, motivational posts can get a bit overboard now and then, but it's negative sentiment to genuinely happy people that gets me down.
I've recently been a victim of this. I use the word "victim" very lightly - I wouldn't want to make you think I feel sorry for myself for it. I don't.
Live and let live. How can these peoples' happiness possibly have such a negative effect on your life? You know where the unfollow/mute/block button is, use it. Until then, here's a happy dance for you.

The Everything Haters

Who hurt you? Talk to us, we're here to help. Yes, opinions are cool, but being an asshole isn't cool. Just chill.
That is all I have to say in this matter.

"Naysayers"

Much like everyone is entitled to their own opinions, people are entitled to their own beliefs. Now, before anyone gets offended, this is a two way road. If you cannot have a civil conversation about what ever belief it is you are against then don't even bother. Just block or unfollow and move on. It's really okay.
I do not see the need to talk down and ridicule people based on their beliefs. If I think the world was created by a giant crab and when I die I will go live in a giant oyster shell under the sea, why can't I? Who are you to tell me I can't think that. And who am I to tell you that you can't think what you think. We can all think for ourselves, so let others think for themselves too. We're all here now so there's no point in arguing about how we got here or where we'll go when we're done. We just don't know for sure. Let's just be friends while we're alive.

Subtweeters

These are my absolute favourites. I'm also being very sarcastic. They're not...

Once again, I've done this, but I don't see the point. We're all grown ups here (I think) so act like it. Conversation is one of the greatest things in life and subtweeting defeats the whole point of being in social media. note the word "Social"... My dear friend Merriam-Webster can help you here:

social: \ˈsō-shəl\ - relating to or involving activities in which people spend time talking to each other or doing enjoyable things with each other.- liking to be with and talk to people : happy to be with people- of or relating to people or society in general

If you don't like conversing with people or being with them, log off and go read a book or something.

The Creeps

Now this is a major one. Sadly some people might not even realise they fall in this category as it differs between the people they engage with.
Basically these are the people that make other leave the internet. They are the ones who are the first to favourite every tweet, double tap every instagram post, like every Facebook page. Yes by following that person I guess you do have the right to do so, but it really doesn't come across as healthy. These people infiltrate every social circle somehow and it's just plain weird. I'm sorry. It's this obsessive behaviour that makes people, especially girls, too nervous to tweet or post anything regularly. Again, chill. You can look from a distance, you don't need to like and comment on ev-ry-thing-ah. Again, you might need to log off a bit and discover the outside world and find more things to enjoy. I don't know.

In closing I must reiterate that these are things I have noticed myself and things I have heard others bring up in real life conversations (aka IRL). So I can't be too far off.
Long story short, don't be a dick, be rad and treat people the way you would like to be treated. Unless you like to be treated like an asshole then don't even bother.

Until next time. Be awesome.

Are You Gin?

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 08:45:00 +0000

It's pretty safe to say that gin has very much become "a thing" recently in Cape Town. From what was thought to be an old person;s drink to one of the trendiest cocktail ingredients known to man.I ain't complaining, it's probably one of the most refreshing drinks to have on a hot summer's day. Gin and tonic garnished with cucumber you - can't get much more fresh than that even if you're Will Smith.

I was invited to join Gordon's Gin #GordonsLegend winner Andrew Mphore at Mother's Ruin Gin Bar on the first of his many adventures in the week to come.
Andrew won Gordon's Gin's Legends competition, the prize consisted of 50 000 SA Ront and a week in Cape Town with a whole list of incredible activities and gin included. How rad?
Now Andrew is a police man from Johannesburg so that already is something to high five him for. He also donated 10% of his winnings to charity out of his own will. The world needs more people like this. So well deserved, man!

Upon arrival we were treating to a fresh gin and tonic with a choice of awesome garnish from cucumber to lime to mango and mint. I went for the grapefruit* which brings out the dryness of the tonic and gin and adds that oh-so-lovely grapefruit tang. I then proceeded to eat the left over orange slices... I don't know why.
We got chatting about the difference of life in Joburg vs Cape Town and discovered that Andrew served at a police station that I lived near to for a few years. We're basically best friends now.
*Fact: Grapefruit is in fact not related to grapes at all.

Now "London dry gin" does not mean it was distilled in London as the name may suggest. It is purely the way in which it's distilled that gives it that name. Traditionally twice distilled and made with juniper berries to give it that ginny taste. It's basically vodka distilled with something to give it an awesome flavour – it could be fynbos which gives local gin Inverroche its taste a dark, coppery colour even rosemary and black olives in the case of Gin Mare out of Spain.
Mother's Ruin manager, Mark, gave us the low down on all these things. Now, I wish the Gin Mare bottle wasn't empty because the rosemary/black olive small just leaves you wondering how great it tastes. Apparently Mark took the last bit home from the bar because it was just too good to sell.

Mark giving the lesson

I've worked with quite a few distilleries of all kinds but there's something about gin that just gets me all tingly. It's versatile, fresh and just a great all-round drink.
To end off the night I was treated to the James Bond Martini, AKA Vesper, as published in the 1953 Ian Fleming James Bonf book, Casino Royale. I thought it was pretty rad how Mr Bond asked for the gin in his drink by name. Maybe that was when blegging started?

"A dry martini," [Bond] said. "One. In a deep champagne goblet."

"Oui, monsieur."

"Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?"

"Certainly, monsieur." The barman seemed pleased with the idea.

"Gosh, that's certainly a drink," said Leiter.

Bond laughed. "When I'm...er...concentrating," he explained, "I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink's my own invention. I'm going to patent it when I can think of a good name."

—Ian Fleming, Casino Royale, Chapter 7, "Rouge et Noir'

It's a drink that'll put hair on your chest, and a great way to end a night. Big love to Gordon's Gin for letting me in on this experience. If you've never given gin a go, try it once at least. Gin, tonic and a slice or two of cucumber will not leave you disappointed.
If you find yourself in Cape Town, visit Mother's Ruin Gin Bar in Bree street for a world of gin. They have it all!
Until next time.

It's Happy Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 13:36:00 +0000

I don't know what took me so long, but I finally feel like I have a better understanding of life. Okay it happened a few months ago. Now not to say I know the meaning of it, or my purpose, but I know that what makes me happy is happiness. In every form possible.

It differs for everyone, but it's there. Life can be kak like, really kak at times. I get that, so before anyone says "ah, but like, you don't consider other peoples' situation, man"; just woah, bru. Of course I do, it would be stupid not to. Your situation could be completely awesome or it could be completely horrible, but there is something there that will lift you up and make you happy even if it's just for a moment.

Okay, if you watched that video, I realise it looks like a hashtag campaign with help from a major corporation. So what, that's not the point. The point is that it's a simple concept and it exists off line too – just make shit rad. This kid has made a difference in my life in the message he spreads. Just be rad and radness will spread.

*Why complain about how shit a band is, rather say how awesome a band you love is. It will probably make a better difference in that a lot of people are more likely to agree with you on that, and in turn, create a happy conversation that is more pleasurable for everyone to scroll past and enjoy themselves.
*That instance was not taken from a particular instance, it is just the easiest to explain.

Let people be happy for their things and be happy for yours. Why do anything else? There's really no point. People will always stick up for you and have your back in tough situations. Being more positive in general just makes it easier for other people to do that. It's how we get to know each other. We may be a bunch of randoms on the internet or a new group of friends, we just need to be "co-people" - some movie I can't remember right now.

Take this post for what you want. It just made me happy to put it out there. You decided to read it, so decide what you do with it from here on out.

In close, check this out too. The dude makes sense.

Stay awesome and #MakeItHappy.

The Story So far

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Fri, 26 Dec 2014 14:30:00 +0000

What better time to write than when on holiday, when your mind is clear and you have no every day troubles eating away at your mind. Plus it's about damn time.

I've been living in Cape town since July. And I fucking love it. Not because of the lovely surroundings and endless supply of obnoxious food and drink. Or the convenience of having everything within a few steps away from your front door. Or the fact that there's something do to every day of the week, or even if you're flat broke you can still have a good time somewhere somehow.
I love it because I have figured out who I am. I've learned to much about what I like and dislike, what it's like to be a lone in a big city and having to fend for myself. Some might say "what took you so long", to that I say this is simply my time. It happens earlier for some but it took me this long.
I see life in a completely new light now.

Of course I miss friends and family, but I've made new friends and family in Cape Town. I feel like I have the support I need, even though people are all busy with their own lives there will always be someone ready to lend a hand, ear, car. And of course, there's still the knowledge and support that comes from back home. Thank you guys for being there!

I've discovered so much through music too. Since before I moved I had been in talks with my CT bestie Alain about getting his and his brother's project, Veladraco, off the ground. Things are finally rolling. We have a band, we're practicing, Alain is writing like a machine and we're set to play our first show in January. Hold thumbs for us.

Musically speaking, my mind is open to so much more. I like to think I've always have a good tolerance for music no matter what type it is. There's no form of music I can say I hate. I just dislike Rihanna's voice a little.
In a city full of culture and sounds you are bound to come across new and amazing noises. The more music I listen to, the more I learn about myself through lyrics. I've heard so many songs I can relate to across the spectrum of music. This is something I cherish so much and I look forward to discovering the endless supply of music out there.

This girl gets me

I've become a stronger person through realising that not everything is about myself. The things you or I do can affect people in the hugest ways. Sometimes you learn the hard way, other times it hits you right there in the moment. I appreciate everyone that has entered my life since my move. There are some people that I cannot thank enough for being in my life. People from different paths who have lessons to share, people who love and care so much. I hope I can do the same for you all too.

I look forward to adventuring into the future with everything that I have gathered on my journey so far. And I hope that I can take everyone with me so we can be free and live the lives we want to live.

I guess form all of this I realise the significance of people. As much as the general public "hate humans" we are good beings. It just takes a little more effort to look deeper and understand why people do things in certain ways.

I'm really working hard to get rid of the word "hate" and to not spread negativity at all. It sounds all hippie and peace-loving stoner, but it's true. I've discovered so much more through taking time to understand why people do things and why they think the way they do.

We've developed this culture of negativity and hate, and not having time for things we don't like, even though we haven't given those things enough light of day to undertsand them.

"The haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate ,hate. I'm just gonna shake, shake shake, shake, shake. Shake it off!"

2014 has been one fucking crazy roller coaster ride for me. Thanks to all those who have jumped on and helped slow the speeding train to a nice cruising pace. I look forward to this journey with you all.

I leave you with a cheesy quote from one of my greatest heroes, Tom Delonge, out of the Angels and Airwaves song Rite of Spring: "And every day I wake, I tell myself a little harmless lie: The whole wide world is mine."

What is even how?

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 19:11:00 +0000

I don't even know why I have a blog.

Maybe I was peer pressured into it. But by who? I have no reason to really have thins. I could write about things I think are cool. But who cares? I'm so not cool.
People are funny on blogs, I guess. They talk about things that they've experienced, so I guess I could do that. Come to think of it they have probably thought all of these things too. But who am I to assume such a thing? Perhaps they have it all figured out and that's why people read their posts and look forward to every installment.
My spelling isn't even that good.

I moved to Cape Town, I could write about that. I hope I used that comma correctly. Life's just going, bru. I always seem to be doing someting but t the same time I'm also doing a lot of nothing. So it's not like I have an excuse not to "blog" more. What a silly words too. Blog. Blog.

Blog.

We tweet the silliest things. It's awesome, but why do we do it? I love it though. But why?

Funny thing. I was at this point that I stopped to tweet about how I have no idea what I'm doing and I received confirmation on this very subject. Thanks Leigh!

Okay. So now that I know that at east one other person has thought this, why am I ever writing about this?

Maybe I'll find my"path through life on the internet. But do I even need one at all? Why do we do this?

#Moist

#UltraMal

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 06:44:00 +0000

I'm loving it here. The people have been great, so welcoming and hospitable.
I'm two weeks into my new job and have been loving that too.
I experienced my first real office party on Friday which turned out being one of the coolest ones I've attended. Let's just say I may have left an impression.

Hawaiian office jol

It was my birthday last week and I felt all the love from near and far. From family and friends at home to the new ones I've made here. Thank you all for being such incredible human beings.

This week brings even more excitement and is the last step in ultimate radness. I move into my new apartment! I finally managed to find a place to stay. It's in the CBD, I can basically see my office from my lounge and I am one step closer to nearing my dream of a carless existence. Unless it rains...

I really have enjoyed my time here so far. It hasn't been long but it has been real. My musical endeavours are kicking off, I'm falling into routines as one should, I guess. Everything is becoming more normal. I see good things, I'm inspired, I'm driven and I'm lone ranger. The master of my own universe. I hope I can lead myself to great things. I feel it.

It's Happened

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 20:49:00 +0000

This is my first blog post from Cape Town.

It feels like forever but it has only been a week and a day since I arrived in Cape Town. I drove down with my brother over 2 days and we spent some time in town hanging out and doing brotherly things.
It was pretty emo leaving home, as expected, but once we hit the open road and I got my first speeding fine it was all down hill. Literally.

If you ever drive down to Cape Town and need a place to stay on the way down, don't stay at the Wagon Wheel Lodge in Beaufort West. It looks like a murdery set from an episode of Breaking Bad, and not in a cool Breaking Bad kind of way.
I've spent my last week hunting for a place to live. It's a flippin' mission and estate agents don't do much, really.
I started a new job at a new agency and it's been a productive first week. Nothing worse than joining a job and spending a week or two floating about waiting for someone to find something for you to do. I basically got straight in and am loving every minute of it.

The Maantin

Of course, I have already stuck my fingers into a musical pie or two. It's like moving to a new town and trying to find a new dealer... I would imagine. Except this is music, some may say it's a drug, once you get that first sweet hit and feel that high, you'll always want more. Or so I've heard from drug users.

I miss my friends and special people back home, but we keep in touch. There are a few extra specials who make extra sure I'm okay. Don't you worry, this lone ranger is just fine.

Walking is the greatest ode of transport and I am abusing that privilege as much as I can. I'm hoping to find an apartment where I can park my car, walk to work and only use it on weekends. Holding thumbs...

I have to give a big internet hug to Ingrid and Gord who have welcomed me into their home for the time being. Also, a huge internet belly scratch to Sakura and Rukia who have kept me warm by owning my bed 24/7. It's the best having cats around!

Rukia/Sakura

Until next time.
Tsek jou mal naaiers!

It's Happening.

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 15:03:00 +0000

I was born in the East (not too far East) of Joburg, spent the first few years of my life there before moving to the West (not too far West either).
We lived in one house for about 14 years before moving less than 2km away for the following 12 years. Now, I'm leaving Joburg all together. I've known no other city like I know Joburg. It has been my home, my playground, my life for a little more than 2 weeks short of 28 years.

I never thought I would leave home, it just never appealed to me. I had my band(s), job, home, cats – "I have everything I need here", "All those other places are there for us to go on holiday"... It's funny to think that the next time I'll be home will probably be for a holiday.

I'm damn excited for this. Everything I can take with me now is packed, all that's left to do is sleep, wake up and go. The past few days have been sad, seeing friends and family one last time is never fun. Well, it is, but you have to leave eventually.
I saw myself writing a novel of a post, but I'm not quite sure what to say. I can't thank everyone, there are just too many thanks to give.
The ones that are close to my heart know who they are. You are very special to me and I cherish every moment spent with you. Moments may be less from now on, but they will be richer when they do happen.

I'm looking forward to the friends, experiences and challenges that come with a new life in a new place. I'm looking forward to having my friends from home crash on my couch/spoon when they're in town. I'm looking forward to everything.
The sadness of leaving is heavy, but the excitement of arriving matches it. I think I know what I'm doing... we'll just have to wait it out.

Let Me Try Explain...

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 12:01:00 +0000

I know metal isn't for everyone, but we can still try.

Firstly, one needs to understand that there are SO many sub-genres of metal. I don't care for sub-genres. If it sounds good and it's metal, it's good metal.

Having said that, this particular style of metal (progressive metal, if you will) has been on the rise over the past few years. I like to think of it as a grown man's metal. Strange time signatures, odd tunings, technical riffing. It's mathematical and quite complex, musically.
The best part about this kind of metal is that it's so groove based. It will keep your head bobbing from start to finish.

Now I've listened to this song about 40 times in the past few days. It has been on repeat for the most part of those few days and I've analysed it hard.

Let's try this.

Things you will need: Good headphones. An open mind. A head to bob.
If you can read and listen at the same time, this would be idea.

This song is easy to groove to. The beat coupled with the guitars building up into the main riff in the intro is like a warm you up for what is soon to happen.
Now comes the hardest part for most. At 0:34 a huge growl kicks in with the main riff. Now, this is hard to do - This man's voice is so big and powerful, you just get goosebumps as it fades out.

The key to listening to metal vocals is you need to focus on the melody. Screaming is by no means pretty to listen to, but if you listen through the vocal melody onto the guitar you will see how well the 2 work together.

The drum beat is constantly driving in the background, it's never too over the top and keeps a solid beat for you to bob along to.

The clean singing is a treat. His voice is worthy of awards, I reckon. I get shivers at the thought of being able to belt out notes like that.
What's better is the contrasting tones of the screams and clean vocals. Both melodies are really catchy, they compliment each other well. Tasteful!

Just sit back and take it in. Until the breakdown, that is.

The breakdown is the climax of most metal songs. It's heavy, it's catchy, it's groovy and it end things off with a bang.
This breakdown in particular is a treat. Why? Well, at 4:39 you'll encounter a belting high note where the music pauses and drops into the tastiest chugging and riffing, ending the song with you wanting to start it all over again. It's all about that groove, man.

I hope this has given you at least a better understanding of what makes a metalhead such as myself tick. I like a lot of different kinds of music, but metal always surprises me with great things like this.

<3

I Promised Myself I'd Write Today

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 10:08:00 +0000

Here I sit in front of a blank screen while Facebook is down, hindering me from work. I'm not too upset about that at in the slightest... I kind of hope it never comes back.

So, writing, hey? It's something I've always loved but lost grip of a long time ago. That, and drawing. Both of which I have slowly been working on again.
Creativity makes life so much more exciting. The things you can add to a blank screen or clean sheet of paper are endless. If it's in your mind you can put it there.
At the risk of boring you with my theories, I'll write something. I'm not sure what it is or what it's about yet, but we'll see when I'm done, right?

HERE WE GO!

I like writing about people. Not in a skinnery, nonsensical way, just as observation.
We are fucking interesting things. We have brains that we think with, most of the time, and hearts that we feel with. You can't feel your heart, but so much comes from there.

We listen to music. Arrangements of noises put together to create something that we enjoy so damn much. I can't imagine what kind of world we would live in if we hadn't discovered music. Again, some of it brings weird feelings in our hearts, the place where you don't feel physically, but you feel.

We write blog posts fueled by flu medication and lack of sleep, hoping people in the world will read them. Throw a link out and see what happens. It could be something great, it could be something pointless. They'll only know once they get to the end, if they haven't stopped already...

We make irrational decisions - "If you don't try you won't know". We're adventurers! Well, some of us. To others adventures and experiences are scary and they would rather stay where they are comfortable. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but with a world of places and people what's not to adventure?

We create. We make things, we use our imaginations to interpret what we feel and experience and make them into tangible things that we share with the world. Some people get it, others don't. None of our minds are the same.

I think as shit as the human race can and has been at times, we are smarter than we allow ourselves to believe. It starts with your mind, once you can master that, there's no stopping you.

Let's discover.

It's What Makes You You.

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 18:47:00 +0000

I promised myself I'd write more. But recently I've had so much on my mind I haven't been able to pin one thing down for long enough to think about. I also think I've started too many posts with "I promised myself I'd write more" or something like that...

Basically, I have recently learned a whole lot about myself as a human and about humans in general.
For a long time I lived as part of a unit. It's something we all eventually want no matter how much anyone may deny it. There will inevitably come a time that you will feel like there's something that's just not making things as great as they could be. Having said that, that thing could be a pet, a hobby, learning something new or even getting rid of something old. Just something.
Having been a lone ranger as of late, I've been exposed to so many new feelings, situations and lessons. Some great, some scary but mostly all new. I have discovered who the important people really are. You'd be surprised where they come from. Some have always been there and I never really gave them the time to let them be there. Others are completely new. People that I had met along the way who showed who they truly are form the start.
Anyway, to the point. This is not meant to be an emo, bluesy post. It's really a list of great lessons I have picked up about us as people through some of my recent experiences. They may not all apply to you, but they all exist.

It's what makes you you.

We're great people. We have our doubts, but they are our doubts. Just because we have them it doesn't mean they exist to others. Those things make us the people others love. No one is perfect, no one is right.
No matter how confused, hurt or alone we might feel, there is always an answer. Our thoughts are our only fears and we are the ones scaring ourselves.

We are beautiful. We all have at least one thing we don't like about ourselves. But that's just what we we don't like. Those things are someone else's favourite things, and if we didn't have them they wouldn't be able to be appreciated. Beauty is merely a matter of perspective.

New things are scary. Think of how many things we've done for the first time that we were once scared of before. We can do it. We have done it.

We are talented. There's that one thing that we can do that someone will completely adore and appreciate to the ends of the world. It's that thing that you're so good at that people are in awe of every time they see you do it.

Why are we sorry? We don't need to apologise to anyone for the way we feel or the things we say. Unless they are silly, hurtful things that were in the heat of the moment, then, yes, apologise. You shouldn't feel sorry for your decisions. What's right for you won't always be right for someone else.

We often forget to take care of ourselves. We worry about the wellbeing of others, and that is great because we care, but we need to direct more of that towards ourselves. Sharing is caring, but you can also share with yourself :)

We make someone happy. Whether it's just by being able to spend time with us or being the love of someone's life, we make someone happy somehow. It's the happiness that counts.

There will be tears. I'll be the first to admit that few things take some weight off your shoulders like a good, hard, wailing cry session. Let it out.
I believe that the smiles always outweigh the tears, even when they feel like they don't. We remember the cries because they hurt more. We must remember more smiles.

We have each other. It's the people we spend our time with that make it all worth it. With the right mix of good people and good vibes there is nothing that can go wrong. We uplift each other through our laughs, our stories and our consumption of substances.

As different as we all are, we all have our simple needs and comforts in our personal life. I have learnt that by respecting each person's way of living, they too will accept you. At times we may not agree, but we still understand each other because we're all people. People are awesome. We are interesting, we are individual and we are exactly who we need to be.

We will feel down and out sometimes, but there is always a pocket of happiness that we know will make us feel better.

Here is a photo of a sleeping cat.

It Is Time

noreply@blogger.com (Cadillac) — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 09:11:00 +0000

New things. Let's make them happen.