Live concerts

There’s something so great about seeing music artists live in concert, especially ones whose music you’re into of course. 😉

Bands/artists I’ve been to see are:-

Indecent Obsession (*gag* – I was very young okay!)
Depeche Mode (were good but not as great as I expected 😦 )
Iron Maiden (they are such great down to earth guys)
Just Jinger (many times – love them)
Henry Ate (amazing band)
Counting Crows (a very emotional poetic concert – epic!)
Sting (I SO regret being horribly wasted at this concert 😦 )
Battery 9 (Awesome!)
Mean Mr Mustard (was a poor attendance so I felt embarassed to dance my mad-ass way)
Lenny Kravitz (he was a bit disappointing)
The Cult (the most awesome rockers out)
Goo Goo Dolls (wow… just wow… they are so amazing)
Springbok Nude Girls (ah they’re awesome)
Freshly Ground (the sound wasn’t so great)
Robbie Williams (geez… an entertainer of note! He blew me away!)

I’ve seen a ton of DJ’s… some of which are:-

Small Paul (Tilt – Sherbet Dip)
Funkstar Deluxe (Skyybar)
Tim Deluxe (Harbour)
DJ Sammy (330)
Faithless (ICC Durban)
Ann Savage (330)
Surge (Tiger Tiger)

There have been more but the memory ain’t that great so I’ll add them as I remember. I’m getting old now. :-p

A huge move

Hi all, and sorry I haven’t made any blog entries is so long. On 1 June my boys and I moved to Ladismith in the Western Cape to live with my mother and younger brother. The reason for the move is a personal one, which I will go into detail about in a few months time.

Ladismith is a tiny little town with not much in it, but the people are friendly and it’s "healing". We’re situated right next to the Swartberge (Black Mountains) which are at the moment white as they are covered in snow. So yes it’s very chilly and quite an adjustment from the warm weather of surf-city – Durban (where I grew up).

I will try my best to post some pics and do some more blog entries.

Take care all, much love xxx

Sing your life, South Africans

South Africa became a democracy in 1994. I was in Standard 9, aged 16 years old. I couldn’t vote yet as I was not 18 years old at the time, but it didn’t phase me much as I was just enjoying the change that our country was experiencing. In my matric year (1995) we learnt about apartheid in our History classes, something that I am immensely proud of, as years of history matriculants before me didn’t get a chance to learn that.

One thing however that I missed out on being taught at school, was the new South African anthem, Nkosi Sikilele. We were still singing Die Stem when I left matric in 1995, I think they started learning the new anthem the year after that, or in 1997. So here I sit, 16 years down the line from South Africa becoming a democracy, and I STILL do not know how to sing the whole of our new South African anthem… shocking!

What’s even more shocking, is that my 6 year old son can sing the entire anthem from beginning to end. On Freedom day, 27 April 2010, Matthew stood proudly swinging his South African flag and sang the anthem in our living room. We all stood and listened and watched with huge proud grins on our faces. So here is the South African national anthem and I am going to learn it, because as a citizen of your country you should know your national anthem. It should be imprinted on your brain like your shoe size, bra size or whatever size you are.

The anthem comprises of 5 of the official languages:

(Xhosa) Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika Maluphakanyisw’ uphondo lwayo,

(Zulu) Yizwa imithandazo yethu, Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.

(Sesotho) Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso, O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho, O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso, Setjhaba sa, South Afrika, South Africa

(Afrikaans) Uit die blou van onse hemel, Uit die diepte van ons see, Oor ons ewige gebergtes, Waar die kranse antwoord gee,

(English) Sounds the call to come together, And united we shall stand, Let us live and strive for freedom, In South Africa our land.

And that, ladies and gentleman, is our national anthem. *proud grin*