*~My big fat BIG dream~*

My big fat BIG dream is not just one dream that I can define! I have lots of dreams which I hope to achieve one day... However, there is one specific big FAT dream that I have. In short, I have a huge passion for animals (as some of you may know by now), and hope to one day help all the abandoned, homeless and abused animals by owning a small holding where I provide a home, food and tons of love for each of them. Animals are not able to fend for themselves and so often get mistreated. It really upsets me and because they are not able to stand up for themselves, I would like to stand up for them and provide them with the life they deserve. So that is my SPECIFIC big fat BIG dream. One day it will become a reality!

*~Just for fun!~*

So this week I've been kind of bored with varsity work... I just can't seem to get motivated with any of these massive assignments we've been given. So, I decided to find some fun and interesting facts to share with you :)

I bet you didn't know:

• A rat can last longer without water than a camel.
• Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks or it will digest itself.
• The dot over the letter "i" is called a tittle.
• A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top (I have to try this!!!).
• A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate.
• Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying (Doesn't work with me).
• On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily! (That explains a few mysteries...)
• Sherlock Holmes NEVER said, "Elementary, my dear Watson."
• Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood (That's just sad).
• There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with orange, purple and silver.
• Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space because passing wind in a spacesuit damages them (Hahaha!!!!).
• The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin in World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo (Shame man).
• Weatherman Willard Scott was the first Ronald McDonald.
• If one places a tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion, it will instantly go mad and sting itself to death. (Who was the sadist who discovered this??)
• Bruce Lee was so fast that they actually had to s-l-o-w film down so you could see his moves. That's the opposite of the norm.
• The first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA."
• The original name for butterfly was flutterby.
• The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.
• Roses may be red, but violets are indeed violet.
• By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you cannot sink into quicksand.
• Celery has negative calories. It takes more calories to eat a hehe).
• Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest.

Hope you enjoyed reading these, I know it certainly helped distract me from my other important work, but at least I learnt something :) 

*~Conventional is a good fallback position isn't it?~*

The one thing that comes to mind when reading this topic, makes me think of how times have changed and people developed, but yet, returning to conventional methods of living always seem to work best. A simple example could be how years ago, people who supplied (and still supply) Woolworths and other Supermarkets with freshly baked breads and pastries used to bake each bread or pastry from scratch and with true manual labour (if you can call it that). Things used to taste home-made and fresh and you could almost taste the persons passion for what they have produced. Each batch had an individual taste. Nowadays, with the rapid growth of technology, we have machines that do everything for us. All these producers of breads and pastries need to do is press a button. Now everything tastes the same, and seem to be more boring. Yet, we still have home bakers who supply us with real home baked goodness which is the more conventional way of doing things. We often find these little jewels at slow food markets over weekends where the home-made foods are celebrated and devoured. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather prefer good old conventional methods of baking if the end result is that tasty... YUM!

*~Butterfly Dreams~*

Papillon Belle is the next item on my wish list. A good friend of mine introduced me to this amazing jewellery a few months ago and I am absolutely besotted! Papillon Belle is an exclusive range of jewellery designed by Cape Town graphic designer and illustrator Audrey Botha. She uses real butterfly wings (once they have passed on) and creates amazing jewellery. Their lifespan is between 1 and 4 weeks, so Audrey wanted to find a way to immortalise the beautiful creatures in pendents in order to hand them down from generation to generation. They are very special. The exotic butterfly wings are set in Stirling silver frames with a choice of perspex or glass setting. They range between R1700 and R3400. Quite pricey some would say, but to me they are worth every cent! They are absolutely stunning! I'd love to own one one day in order to be able to pass it down to my daughter and for her to pass it down to her daughter and let the generations continue. Just by looking at them, creates a sense of calmness to me and that is another element which makes it so special...

  

*~You cannot chase two rabbits at the same time~*

This statement reminds me of a similar one: You can't have your bread buttered on both sides. The first thing that jumps to mind.... MEN! Short and simple, guys always seem to want everything their way and no other way. But, unfortunately for them (or fortunately in some cases), females know what they want and how to get it, so manipulating a guy to understand that it is not acceptable to chase two rabbits at the same time or have their bread buttered on both sides is a pretty easy task! :)

*~Cooking with magic pots~*

So, another item on my wish list (because of my passion for cooking), is the range of Le Creuset cookware. Since 1925, the skilled craftsmen at Le Creuset have perfected enamelled cast iron cookware at its foundry in Fresnoy le Grand, France. Le Creuset continued to use the hand-crafted techniques and the original process of forging and casting in the manufacturing of its cookware. The attention to its heritage is also characteristic of the design. The Cocotte (French Oven), was one of the first cast iron items produced by Le Creuset and it is still the most popular item sold in a range of bright retro colours. The Flame (orange) one, is the company's trademark.

Beautiful cookware!

The Le Creuset cookware range comes at a high price, but I know that it will last a lifetime! I hope to own the entire range one day, so guess that it'll be one of the places for my wedding registry ;)

I think I may just pop down to the sale, maybe start my collection at the right price :)

*~Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when you only have one idea~*

Alain said: "Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when you only have one idea". I completely agree with this statement. Having only one idea can result in disastrous consequences. Many people have a more creative side and therefore are not as clued up when it comes to the business side of things. Creative people such as designers, inventors etc often have an idea (creative idea) and decide to run with it, without consulting what the consequences could be... Running with the one idea that they may have, could lead to financial loss, reputation damage and many other unnecessary negativity's. That is why, it is always best to have a back-up plan, or if you do not have the business sense for it, appoint someone to create a back-up plan in order to prevent failure of your one, very good idea...

*~Something BIG taking over Paarl~*

There are a couple of festivities which take place annually in Paarl, but not one as big as INTERSCHOOLS! Interschools takes place between the two/three biggest rival schools in Paarl - Paarl Boishaai (who team up with Paarl Girls' High) VS Paarl Gimnasium. It is the biggest Interschools in South Africa and well none across the globe (so we have been told). It takes place during the first weekend of August (this weekend), but already starts the week before. The town is filled with banners, flags, and stripes of the different colour schools... It really is insane. Not a single tree, lamppost, door or any object in the town for that matter is safe. Everything is filled with the blue, white and green vs the red, yellow and green banners.

Both the primary and high schools take part with the sports including; hockey, netball and rugby. Rugby is the main event (or the one that people look to for which team has won). The main game takes place on the Saturday afternoon at the Faure Street stadium and is packed, packed, packed! Even though it is a school event, I would have to say there are more "old boys" and "old girls" present than students. Paarl is filled with loyal people, each supporting their school and it is taken very seriously... However, it is very much about the celebrations. The drinking and socialising goes on ALL week long. One of the famous bars/ restaurants have informed us that they go through more than 40 Cases of Brandy alone over the weekend. So, you can just imagine the craziness! At the end of the day, no matter the score, it is pretty cool to be able to party with everyone, no matter the school they support.
So if you are looking for a perfect example of team spirit and good sportsmanship, you need look no further. Paarl during Interschools is the place to find it, and I guarantee you'll have an awesome time!

*~Have you figured out the second head fake?~*

When I first read this question/ topic, I was very confused, as I had no idea what it was about... I then went on to trusty Google and found out about the man who created the Second head fake, Randy Pausch. He was a life teacher and what an inspirational one he was. Randy was a Carnegie Mellon Professor with terminal cancer who died at the age of 47.
His final speech became an Internet sensation and the basis for a new book called, The Last Lecture.

I have yet to watch his entire speech, but some interesting and true quotes that I found, said by him include:

"You cannot change the cards you are dealt. Just how you play the hand."
"Don't complain. Just work harder."
"Luck is truly where preparation meets opportunity."
"Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted."
And one of my favourites:
"The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to chow how badly we want something. The brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough."

What I have found thus far about Randy Pausch has been truly inspiring and I am so glad we were given this topic to introduce him to me...

Lastly, he says: "Did you figure out the head fake? It's not about how to achieve your dreams. It's about how to lead your life the right way... the dreams will come to you. Did you figure out the second head fake? The talk's not for you (implying his students). It's for my kids."
With this he wanted his children to know the kind of man he was and to teach them what he had learned...