Susana Kennedy... On my mind

Thursday, 26 July 2012

Mandela Day 2 Oceans Vibe Radio and Friends Pay it Forward

Today's post is a pay it forward post, I am not following any of my previous formats and I have added a lot of pictures.

"The overarching objective of Mandela Day is to inspire individuals to take action

to help change the world for the better, and in doing so build a global movement

for good. Ultimately it seeks to empower communities everywhere."

http://www4.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/One+Only+Cape+Town+Lunch+Benefit+Mandela+Childrens+1w_OCmjyhWRl.jpg

This is the wish of our Madiba. So this year (my first in Cape town) I decided to gather the Cape Town troops and do a little something for some incredible friends of mine in Gugulethu (affectionately known as Gug's). 2oceansvibe Media were amazing and with the support of Richard Hardiman and Kirsty Solomon we began to plot a course of action.

“Take Action; Inspire Change;

Make Every Day a Mandela Day.”

(Its funny ironic, not funny haha, that I made that the name of the event, because the actual point of Mandela Day is to inspire people to do service throughout the year, not just on Mandela Day, Mandela day should just be the starting point, a moment of inspiration which leads to ongoing action.)

It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.

There will be about 60 to 80 people to feed, including kids (ended up being about 100)

1. DJ’s please bring 5 -10 friends each

2. A Large pot of soup, roll’s and perhaps something sweet

(please also remember paper cups)

and 3. Spread the word and start collecting now!

This is the Creche'

The Crèche needs:
- Blanket's
- Mattresses (Baby bed/cot mattress),
- Hot water bottles,
- Any educational toys and books for 1 to 4 year olds
(If you have educational toys or books for slightly older kids, nothing will go to waste)
They also need some general supplies, nappies, formula, baby food, baby powder, baby aqueous, etc. These are ongoing needs and so you are always encouraged to drop off supplies at our studio)

Our make-shift stage

The Kids learnt what sounds animal's make so that they could join in with the story

Kiki, Dean, Dan, Dan Green, Kelly, Rox, Benita, Loamie, Aidan and Richard holding up his camera

The Gogo's helping prep lunch: "Shew, too many roll's to butter eish"

Mamzi and me singing “Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika” with the Kids "Remember kids, always hold your hands to your hearts kids"

The wonderful actors doing a reading of the selfish crocodile, far left Benita Doria and Loamie Van Rhyn, with guitar Vaneshran Sixface, and The Lion narrator Thabang Ruff Sidloyi

The grumpy crocodile was played by Aidan Whytock, he was a little too convincing as the poor kids got an incredible fright. Definitely one of the guiltiest moments in my life. but once he had wipped off his mask they calmed down and really did enjoy the story - Thank Goodness!

The 2oceansvibe team and guests enjoying the play perhaps even a little more than the kids by the looks of things!
From left: Kelly Sweet, Dean Delaney, Roxanne Bennett, Daniel Green, Dan Skinstad, Vanessa Lara Wood, Richard Hardiman, Kirsty Soloman and more.

Jen enthralled in the play

Vaneshran Sixface played various characters as well as the guitar,

Thabung our wonderful Lion narrator

The kids ended by running and hugging the crocodile - Thank goodness!

Richard taking more pictures as the kids came together to hug the animals from the play - its all about social media ;-)

Loamie played our mouse and other forest creatures
We all share soup and rolls ...

Jen with one of the kids who fell in love with her, did not want to move from her lap

Rox, Benita, Vanessa and Thabung

My lovely friend Sakhumzi taking pictures

Sakura, Shanna and Guto

Dean handing out soup: "Sorry Sipho we only have chicken and veg"

"So you strum it like this..."

Richard having a conversation about the importance of social media: So kid's you need to just get on the internet and tune into 2oceansvibe Radio as often as possible"

"Well, kind of, you'll get there just keep practicing"

"I cant, I just cant do it, I cant look at your face anymore"

"Ah look at Sipho trying to hide from Susana"

"I don't know what to do, it's not my fault, I only have this face"

Soccer time with the amanita (the boyz)

Jen: "Ok you can have another sweet little girl" "Um Benita, they for the kids"

Sakura: "So you smack your hands together Kelly: "One for you, and one for you, and

and it makes a clapping sound" one for - woops ok I'll have to go get more"

Shanna: "You might want to take the

sweets out of your hands first"

Vanessa: "Aidan you really scared those poor kids"
Aidan: "Personally I think they handled it really well"
Marlize: "Ah thats sweet, you sharing"

Susana: "Look Mamzi, its christmas!!!"

Mamzi: "OOOOoooo Hi-Bo, sisi it really is!"

In the kitchen with Dan Skinstad, he even washed my soup pot! Good Man!

Handing out sweets with my sister Kiki

A massive THANK YOU to 2oceansvibe and everyone that came out to Gugs or donated goods and made Mandela Day so special, Sakhumzi Mati,

Thabang Ruff Sidloyi, Marlize Swanepoel,Richard Hardiman, Benita Doria, Daniel Green,Kelly Sweet, Rita Chang, Aidan Whytock,Roxanne Bennett, Vanessa Lara Wood, Marlize Swanepoel, Dan Skinstad, Jen Stevens, Sakura Butler, Vaneshran Sixface, Shanna Freedman,Loamie Van Rhyn, Guto Bussab, Kristen Kennedy, Dax Fine and Dean Delaney.

I deeply hope that this experience has inspired you all to make Madela Day a regular habit.

My long term goal for the community the is to help buy the property that the crèche is on, so that it can be converted into a self sustaining community center. It is currently owned by a minister in the UK and he is asking a ridiculous price for it, which we are hoping to negotiate down.

There are currently on going needs of supplies as well so if you can help in any way or if you know of any sponsors that may want to come on board and assist on this project we would be extremely grateful, please e-mail me on info@susanakennedy.com

To 2oceansvibe and all my incredible friends, Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for all your support and enthusiasm, it will be forever remembered. Please feel free to share this post, send feed back and comments and have a wonderful week!

Thursday, 19 July 2012

My True Romance - Chapter two: “Um, Thing, that’s my thigh”

Again he ticked so many box’s, successful, sporty, good looking, I thought ok, why not, lets go on a date. He picked me up and we took a drive. We drove through the wine lands and out to the coast on the opposite side of Cape Town.

We sat at a gorgeous little restaurant right on the water, it was a beautiful afternoon and we spoke easily and drank red wine and ate prawns encrusted in garlic, chili and olive oil by a fire place. Magic.

I liked that he didn’t flinch at the garlic, obviously I eat garlic and loads of it, I’m Portuguese, it goes in everything, but its always safer if you both eat it.

But after the first glass of wine, his sense of personal space had evaporated and had been replaced by a curious creeping creature, resembling the likes of “Thing” from the Adam’s Family.

(Eek!)

I mean I am a hugely affectionate person when I am with someone, I absolutely love to touch and be touched and held as much as humanly possible...

(Love affection)

But on the first date to have “Thing” and his freaky cousin “Thing2” attempting to crawl all over every inch of my body and in a public place on top of it? Well lets just say, slightly uncomfortable doesn’t begin to describe it and to be perfectly honest, it put my walls up, quick and high and I completely withdrew.

(Help!!!!)

Over the next couple of days a few acquaintances were speaking about this same guy (not knowing I had been on a date with him) and were saying how he had been dating more than one girl at a time and just wanted to get girls in bed. Apparently, he led the girls to believe that he was serious about each one of them and they were devastated when they found out he was with other girls at the same time because they all thought he was in a relationship with just them (and this was not the first time).

(But I thought he was?!?! What the What????)

Which led me to a whole lot of questions about this so called “Dating world”. What are the rules? Do we make them up as we go along? Is that ok? What constitutes “Dating” VS “Seeing someone” VS “Girlfriend/Boyfriend”. Is the key simply honesty? Or do we still need to be responsible with our action and how they may effect others? All these confusions and complications make me want to run and hide, but...

I am currently feeling quite protected by the fact that for the next two and a half months I can be completely open and honest (but not ever mean or hurtful) and feel safe because I don’t have to hurt feelings by saying "you are not for me" (before I have even really found out) and I don’t have to be so vulnerable as to say ‘you are for me’ (no need to jump the gun) I can just be… and experience… and see what is actually out there...

(what I need to do)

If I am completely honest, I may say that I am not entirely ready for it right now, (and there is a large part of me that is still completely petrified) but I honestly do want a man who I adore and who adores me and a relationship that is brave enough, honest, deep and passionate enough that we bring out the best in each other (even if a few tick’s appear that I never thought to look for and others I thought I needed are replaced).

(I want to find someone to love the sh*t out of and who loves the sh*t out of me!)

A man who wants to be my husband and who wants me to be his wife and I feel the same way about him and we want to create a family together. Be together through the ups and downs and joys and challenges, because, yes, as much as I have been through and as devastating as it is having your heart properly broken, love is that great and it is worth it…

So I am going to say out loud, I am going to say what so many people are too scared to say: I do want love in my life again. Because a life without love is like a meat without salt, it lacks flavor, potential and fulfillment.

SO...

The DO's I learnt: "Do be honest with yourself about what you want"

I am as guilty of this one as anyone else, but it actually is ok to want love, in fact it makes you brave and strong to want it and be open to it. So many of my friends, girls and guys, say they love being single and are so happy being alone and are definitely not looking for a relationship and then when they are drunk or in passing comments they reveal how much they would actually like to share their lives with someone, to love someone and how they often feel so alone. Not all the time granted, I am happy being single, I have a great life of freedom and its been a wonderful experience. And while I know I will have to give up some of that freedom and adjust certain routines, I know that nothing compares to being in love and sharing your life with someone, when you find the right person, things shift naturally and you are no longer simply happily content, you are actually fully happy.

I actually think "Mr.Thing" does want love, we all have insecurities and feel vulnerable. And complete freedom means you have nothing worth losing (hence so many suffer from FOMO). So being in love and opening yourself up to hurt is scary, because you will get hurt, its inevitable, we are only hurt by people we care about, its just the way life is. But the rewards of love far out weigh all else and...

(Remember this)

The DON'T I learnt: "Thing"

If a girl is clearly uncomfortable with your hands on here, take them off!

If she's enjoying it, by all means let 'Thing's' roam freely and play!

But if she literally takes them off and places them away from herself and back onto you, keep them to yourself. And be straight up and honest if you seeing other people (will write a whole other post on this simple, simple, extremely complicated rule)

Thanks for reading and all your support

Remember I have a panel of friends who will be deciding who I go on dates with, so if anyone (this is sooo embarrassing, thanks again Sean) would like to go on a date with me, e-mail me your version of a "I'm the one to Date" CV and a recent pic info@susanakennedy.com (I wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole, so embarrassing, cant believe I agreed to do this, I cant believe people are writing in! Eek!)

Thank you! Thank You! Thank you!

Keep smiling and have an awesome week

Wednesday, 11 July 2012

Pay it Forward Fabulously it's oh so effortless...

Last Tuesday Night some girl friends and I got together for a glass of wine and to knit,

yes that's right to knit! One of my fab friends received this e-mail:

Hello

We're launching NOCTURNAL KNITTING for those who like a glass of wine served with their wool. Please join us and bring your husbands, boyfriends, partners and mates with big hearts and nimble hands. We need to get more knitting done to reach our target of 1000 blankets and we need to have fun doing it.

Join us at the quirky Alexander Bar (where you can dial the bar, another table

or listen to BBW World Radio from antique phones), 37 Strand Street,

3rd July, for an hour of madness and nocturnal knitting.

Please pass this on, everybody can knit, trust me, I learnt on u-tube.

Love

Me-a-Mama

So we gathered the troops and it was great! Such fun and it really is so easy to knit (ok I learnt as a kid but I haven't knitted since then) Even my date managed a few rows, yes a fully grown rugby playing red blooded male, managed to knit!

(Lovely Lorna and me)

Beautiful Klaudia and Vanessa

(In a far corner hidden away I found a man, yes a male who had joined in,

so men no excuses)

(The fab duo behind the grand effort

Nicola and Carey)

Then I discovered that not only were these fantastic woman doing something absolutely fabulous and Paying it Forward, but they also have the best maternity range I have ever come across! I think I loved every single one of their designs; the range is fashionable, elegant, comfortable, versatile, functional and just beautiful (and oh sooo affordable). If I ever find myself lucky enough to be having a baby, I will definitely be living in their maternity wear.

I really wish these two lovely ladies all the success in the world and I really hope that you will all launch your own NOCTURNAL KNITTING group, it's so easy and the perfect excuse to invite a few friends over and have some wine and snacks and enjoy a grand chin-wag while you Pay it Forward Fabulously by grabbing some knitting needles and yarn and knowing that the fun you are having will result in keeping a baby warm this winter, I just think its totally Fab!

I asked the ladies, where to get the best prices on wool and accessories, Elle Yarns - their very generous sponsor recommend:

Woolworld - Parow – 021 9301270

Kleen Eezy – Durbanville – 021 9492063

Mamaswool – Diep river – 021 7124573

Sorry these are all Cape Town based, please feel free to post suggestions in other area's.

"People are welcome to knit or crochet at home, any style, any wool.

It would be amazing if they complete a full baby blanket -

they simply need to aim to knit an 80x80cm final size.

They can also finish and decorate it any way they fancy."

After your night of wine, knitting and laughter, drop off your creations at one of the supporting coffee shops, hair-dressers or bars and help these ladies reach their goal, or be bold and aim to double their target!

Public knitting venues:

Me and You, 103 Sir Lowry Rd, Woodstock (Home of the brand & base camp)

Field Office, 37 Barrack Street, CBD

Superette, Albert Rd, Woodstock.

Alexander Bar, 76 Strand St

Fox & Vixen, Kloof St

La Cuccina, Hout Bay

Cape Town Science Centre, Obs

Kikka and Cherry Lane, Paarl

Elkanah School and Market, Sunningdale

Knead: Kloof St, CBD; Surfer's corner, Muizenberg: Dean St and Palmyra Juntion, Newlands; Wembley Square

CBD.