the prayer.

"Tonight make me unstoppable

And I will charm, I will slice

I will dazzle them with my wit

Tonight make me unstoppable

And I will charm, I will slice

I will dazzle, I will outshine them all"

a simple enough request, yes?

sometimes all we as people want is to stand out above the rabble. to make ourselves more noticeable to certain individuals. or to simply "dazzle" and "outshine".

it's something that has always fascinated me about the human psyche. we aren't content with being on the same level as everyone else. especially when a prominent member of the opposite sex is present and may be taking notes.

and for the better too. can you imagine if every single person was content with being mediocre? life would not be worth living. in the slightest.

and i'm sure many people, even if for just one night, would highly cherish some divine empowerment in order to make the right kind of impression on a potential partner.

which all ties in to our caveman roots. i mean, all the lovely ladies were only interested in the neanderthal that could swing his club hard enough to actually knock them unconscious.

so, next time you yearn to impress your prospective acquisitions, think of how cavemanlike you are being.

where's my jetpack?

you know.

one thing about the 21st century that has disappointed me to no end is the lack of technological leaps and bounds. sure, we as humans have made some astounding techno break-thrus. whether it be medical or chemical, or in the fields of transport or modern warfare, or just pure childish fun, the human race has churned out a few absolutely mind-blowing inventions.

but, subconsciously, we were all expecting even more amazing things. there were to be flying cars moving soundlessly over our cities, instead of stupid internal combustion cars driving around and thru them. we were all supposed to be jetting around on personal rockets, or making use of the conveyor-belt-like sidewalks to get to our destinations. meals were supposed to be injected, or consumed via pill. even sex, the most primal of our desires, was to be supplemented with innovations that would make us feel something that we could only ever dream of. x-ray vision? hoverboards? space vacations? the hologram thingy from star wars? nothing. not even lousy invisible camouflage. even damn nuclear powered ray guns!? grrr.

basically, the thought of the 'amazing science fiction future that we never got' has left me utterly disillusioned.

what i wouldn't do for some cryogenic freezing right now..

together we'll grow young.

you know what i realised today?

i was thinking about where i might end up when i'm all grown up.

and then a massive list of infamously soulstealing places in europe formed in my mind. like nice in france, or taormina in italy, or barcelona in spain. or infact anywhere in greece.

and then i started thinking more towards the north west. usa to be precise. altho, the only place in america that i'd be happy to live in would be north dakota, on a farm, with horses. other than that, i'd be too scared of getting fat.

then i moved south. to rio de janeiro in brazil, maybe los andes in chile. only 80 000 people would be spectacular.

after that i took a quick jaunt across the pacific, to australasia. which is a place in which i would never even consider living. i hate the accents too much.

so i moved up north. straight to phuket. it's the only place in asia that is stunning enough to keep me from going insane due to all the lil hairless oriental men running around.

eventually i returned to darkest africa. maybe cairo in egypt? a madhuge farm on the coast of tanzania? mozambique anyone?

no.

the one place i want to be when i'm older, is right here.

south africa.

cape town.

i love it.

with, of course, whoever chooses to join me.

and together we'll grow young.

a beginning, from an end.

i lost a friend today. no, wait, that's wrong. rather: it was confirmed that i lost a friend today. Daniel Booysen. dubbed 'Hobbit' by the maties rowing community. i hardly knew him, and yet his passing has shaken me to the very foundations of my being. i met him on the 5th, less than 2 weeks ago. he was such an amazing young man, always smiling, always keen for a jol, someone to have fun with. someone i could see as being a good friend in the future. or not, i guess.

it happened on wednesday, as does everything else in stellenbosch. he was taken to kyamandi, the township, with kim, another rowing member. he was stabbed in the neck and left for dead. she remained unharmed. today, i lost hope for my friend. i will miss him.

and yet. his passing has inspired me. inspired me to do something that i have been meaning to do since january 2009. better late than never, right? right. his senseless death has reminded me of just how fleeting and fragile life really is. so why not leave something behind for people to enjoy, even if it is just my mother who searches my google chrome bookmarks.

join me.