A friend came along for a Surf...

Those of you that know me know that I really enjoy body boarding (We shall refer to it as surfing throughout this post), so recently when a friend of mine told me he wants to learn to surf (stand up) I offered to teach him the basics and get him started.

When you learn to surf however, you traditionally go to Muizenberg, or if you are afrikaans, Blouberg.... These spots provide you with safe oceans with little rips or back wash, have extremely small and slow waves, and you are surrounded by many like wise learning individuals. The problem with these places for people who surf quite often though is that it's, in lack of a better word, shit. This is the reason when this newbie to the sport friend of mine wanted to go for the first time, I took him with me and my mates to one of our local spots, Llundadno.

Cruising down mid afternoon on a beaut of a Cape Town day, I knew the surf was cranking, and a mate of mine who was just ahead of us had texted me that Llundadno in fact couldn't handle the swell. This meant one thing, a sneaky little trip down the little bush path around the corner to Sandy Bay. Sandies is known to handle bigger swell better than Llundadno, and is a fast, hollow, barrelling wave. Upon arrival Nic (The newbie) got into a spare suit, grabbed his board and off we went.... Coming over the dune before Sandies you could see the waves were rolling through, and I will be honest, I had a little chuckle at what Nic was unknowingly in for...

After about 5minutes of him trying to figure out how to put on the remaining part of the wetsuit, we were off. Luckily with Sandies the paddle to the back is super easy, and you can almost walk there between sets (Meaning it breaks extremely shallow). After catching up with a mate at the back I quickly looked for Nic, who at that time was 25metres further out to sea than anyone else and had to perform a mini emergency paddle to not join the tankers out in the deep blue... Floating around for 30 minutes watching people catch waves, Nic then decided it was his turn. On one of the biggest waves of the day, a 4 ft mini Sandies stinker, Nic goes paddling in.... Clyde has been quoted as saying he will never forget this sight in his life, and I for one am not sure how he is still alive.... Falling down the face of the wave, head first parallel to his bored, Nic performed one of the little Asian peoples Olympic diving manoeuvres, followed by a wave on top of his head!! A little concerned, we waited to see if he was alright, but sure enough, the trooper he is, Nic popped out the water with the biggest smile on his face with a "Can I have another one" grin on his face!

With an EPIC introduction to surfing, Nic is more keen than  ever to get this whole surfing thing aced! So the motto of the story: Don't be scared of the unknown....But take a big breath the first time ;)

Sexual Abstinence Wrap Up

I must apologise about the lack of posts about this as we got deeper into our 40 days, it kind of all went a little pear shaped. I thought however it would however be cool to give a final wrap up of what happened in the last few weeks, and also inform you if indeed some one did make it all the way...

As you know a few people cracked after just a week or two, which resulted in a horse being used as a ride in more ways than one.... Miranda..... This individual also took advantage of a fellow class member in brought daylight by end of week two. (Guys, keep a look out for her in the clubs, she is a fire cracker...)
Our puppy also encountered problems early on, claiming love, which soon resulted in the end of lent completely... I actually still need to find out whats plotting here... Myself and one of the other girls got within one (or two) weeks to go before a drunken Tiger evening took us out of it...together. Awkward....
That brings us to Russ, our Leprechaun. Russel does not remember hooking up with anyone throughout the entire lent period and thus would make him our  WINNER. The key part of that last sentence being 'does not remember' as I mentioned to you all the degree of Russ's party side beforehand...

Our group will be having a little fines evening when the puppy comes down from Joburg at which time everyone will tell their little dark secrets and be fined accordingly. All in all it was a pretty cool little vibe, which was due to a really cool group of people and some entertaining group chats. 40 Days is extreeeeemly long however and at the end of the day a bit painful... literally (Guys, do not attempt no self pleasure for longer than four weeks. Your prostate LITERALLY gets sore).

Awesome vibe, awesome experience. Next time hopefully a better feed of updates.
Till then, peace!

Weekend Two - 40 Day Sexual Abstinence

This past week has been interesting to say the least. Up front, I am going to say one word that I am sure the group can agree was the highlight of this week. This word is sure to make the guilty individual cringe, for they know what is coming.

The word for this week is: Horse.

Now you may all be wondering: Horse? Really? Why? And I hear you, it is a strange word, isn't it.... But let me explain....
Now all of you know the rules, and what is fair play and what is not.
This past week one of the group went on a horse ride along Noordhoek beach.... Sounds innocent right? Well it should have been just that, innocent, but no no....
This certain individual was casually riding along Noordhoek beach when they realised they were in fact  starting to enjoy the feeling between their legs of the horse ride, going up and down against the saddle... This individual has then admitted they started shouting for the horse to go faster and faster, and faster some more... resulting in a certain satisfaction in the groin area for said person. They have also admitted to letting one or two farts loose on this poor horses back. I am not sure about you guys, but this is hectic.
She, oops, now you know it is one of the girls, will now be know as Horse Woman.

The sad news of this past weekend is that The Leprechaun and The Puppy ended up inflicting some self mutilation upon themselves. They are however still in the 40 day quest of no women, just without the self satisfaction factor, which to be fair, is pretty ridiculous. If I can comment from a males perspective here, it is NOT easy. Laying in bed in the morning becomes less and less of an option, and certain morning man problems are far more prominent. I will continue to hold out on this one for the guys, but we will have to see how long this lasts.

Claire has become far more quiet, often passing remarks on how she is going to win this. The guys all think she is cheating, but time will tell.

Random news of the week:

- Miranda is now named Amanda (Or a certain other relevant nickname.... Hint)
- Adam has met the love of his life and his dying to kiss him... I mean her.
- Russel is continually meeting belters, but is finding the strength to socialise with them without hooking up (Building up a supply for post 40 days I feel)
- Claire's quest to quit smoking is going strong, while at the same time being abstinent- respect!
- Miranda has tried to break the boys by telling us her mother is an alleged MILF.

Any other news that crops up in week three will be reported on the weekend, or if we have any really big events or news, I will update you all accordingly.

Over and out. D.

Weekend One- 40 Day Sexual Abstinence

Sunday night, end of Day 5 on the first weekend of six.

Phew, the first weekend out of six, and it seems everyone in the group took a bit of strain. The terrible twins were out on the town, the puppy was rocking sowing the seeds off his face (we will come back to this), the Leprechaun was phoning people at 3am in order to try get them to drive him 130km to a shneaky outdoor, and I had a more chilled weekend than the rest at the Rugby.

When looking at highlights from this past weekend we have to start with the exciting announcement of a new member, 'Cheese', as he introduced himself... (Potentially taking strain already) to the group. That makes our group 7 members strong now, all of which are still in it to win it. This past weekend Claire pulled one out the bag for the women and saved Miranda as she starting letting her goose loose on the dance floor with the initial part of some grinding action. Up in Joburg, Adam attended Sowing the Seeds with the attitude of 'being so drunk that he would literally throw up on a chick if she tried to kiss him'. On Sunday morning however he woke up rather hung over with a strong urge for porn and self satisfaction, but fought through this and continues to fight the battle. Russel was pretty solid, partying up the storm that he does, leaving an interesting voice mailbox message on my phone of.... 15 seconds of music, 'Dean', 10 seconds of music...beep. Then followed up by a voice message of 'fuck'. He is however still alive, and was not found naked on the streets of Sea Point this morning... Frances used her very own brother as a cock block tactic when going out, and was the one shining hope for the womens chances this weekend. 'Cheese' made a self confession of seeing a Jessica Simpson advert on TV this afternoon (Sunday) and having a desperate desire to inflict some self-mutilation upon himself. He is however happy to report this urge was averted.

Quote of the weekend goes to Miranda, courtesy of Clairea stabbing her fellow woman in the back. Upon waking up after a heavy night on Saturday, Miranda, doing things a woman does, that no man ever wants to know a woman does, Miranda is qouted as saying: "Having such a phenom shit." Hectic. Nice one Miranda.... One star to you.

I however think that the general consensus of this weekend is that this is all going downhill fast. The no self satisfaction aspect is a massive hurdle.
So far I would say due to Miranda's looseness of the groin on the dance floor, the women are at the bottom of the log for now. Russel has to be at the top, as he is the most quiet when it comes to the moaning and seems to be cruising still. Adams pillow is getting more and more scared of an abusive raping by the day, and if Claire doesn't drink herself to death before hand, may make it to 40 days.

Will have a mid week blog update to see where we all at, but at the moment, 5 days out of 40 down, and it can go any way!

Sexual Abstinence- Day 2

Day two of forty.

Let me start off by introducing you to the group of us that are partaking in this little sexual abstinence. You have Russel, Adam, Miranda, Claire and myself. Let us start with Adam, as he has hooked up an awesome little 'Sexual Abstinence' group on Whatsapp where we all talk about what each person is thinking, whats happening, and just general shit really. We can say Adam is the puppy in the group, not a puppy in the cute kind of way unfortunately though, instead he is the puppy that wants to go around dry humping your friends legs when they visit you. Then you have Russel, the meanest smutting party goer one will come across. Russel lives on the prowl of dark cornered dance floors, sneaky belter pull ins, and just plain general party greatness. We will say he is the Leprechaun of the group, as he is pretty small, and for some reason just reminds me of one as I am writing this. Then there are the girls... Miranda and Claire. I have not met Miranda, and for this reason we will classify these two together. Claire is one of those bad ass girls that seems to be able to rock a party. Her and Miranda are getting in the habit of sending sneaky photos to the group of them holding hands, kissing each other on the cheek, etc, and one can only see their tactic in this. We will name these two the Evil Twins until a better suited name comes a long, which no doubt will happen over the next few days. You all know me, and for that reason we will leave it as so.

So this morning our group wanted to clarify the ground rules, so everyone is on the same page. The rules are as follows:

1) There will be no kissing, or any sexual activity beyond that.
2) There will be no masturbation for the entire 40 days.
3) There is no dry humping/grinding to take place.
4) Holding hands is fine.
5) Dance floor grinding is not allowed.
6) Sending or receiving of naughty photos is allowed.
7) Kissing on the cheek is fine.
8) Girls can go to the toilet together (Miranda and Claire asked...who know what is going on there..)
9) No removing of another persons clothing.
10) No 'spilling' of the peanut butter and getting your dog to remove it (sorry Adam).

There you go, 10 'simple' rules that the five of us will abide to for 40 days. People have said we cannot do it, bets have been offered, egos are on the line. The general feeling is that the women are going to try make this even harder (pardon the pun) for the guys with their sneaky photos. We also feel Adam may dry hump an old lady in public by the end of week two. I however think the guys have this covered, and come the end of 40 days, the power will once again lay in the men's hands.
Game on!!!

Sexual Abstinence- 40 Days, 40 Nights

When I heard Lent was coming up, I sat down and thought what I should give up this year.
I will be the last person to claim that I am a religious man, with mixed opinions on my religious views, and a somewhat undecided standing, I will not even pretend that I am an annual Lent participant. However, I really do appreciate peoples participation in this annual time, and the deeper reason behind it. When doing a bit of research on the matter, my eyes were opened, and I have grown some what fond of this passage of time in fact. During Lent there is a some what unity between the people participating, each with their own battle against their sacrificed vices, and in todays modern age, any extra unity in our community is great.

After much deliberation, I have decided to be sexually abstinent in all forms for the 40 Days and 40 Nights of Lent. There is no way to describe this as an easy task, and thus I think it will make a fantastic event to blog about, sharing experiences and awkward public boner moments. But what this will give me is time to live life without the constant distraction of women that most men face. It will be time to clear my head from the working out the conundrum that is the womans mind, and with this I am actually looking forward to the experience.
A few mates have now joined me on this crazy little task, and I will be bringing to you views of both females and males as they complete this. Will the males outlast the females? Will anyone crack? It is going to be interesting, that is for sure, so sit back, and enjoy.

Day 1:

Today is Day 1. Nothing out of the ordinary what so ever, and I would in fact be quite worried if there was. That would be a worrying sign of what the next 40 days are to bring. The biggest tingle I feel in fact is that I actually need to pee.

What I am keen for though, is an opinion of whoever reads this. Give me feedback, give me thoughts, make a bet on how long I will last. Whatever, keen for some interaction.

Anyway guys and girls, Day 1 almost down, and going strong.....

How Old Is Old?

With growing up comes more responsibilities, more commitments, a changing view on matters, and a general changing of scenes that you may find yourself in, but how old is old? This may seem a some what ridiculous question in your eyes, but there is no guide that says, "Ok, it is that time, you are now old". Surely in a world where the average living age is rising, the age of getting the proverbial 'old' should too?

I find it sad to see people, even friends for that matter, getting old before they are in fact old. What is the rush to grow up really? Once you do it, that is that, the youth days are behind you, and I for one am in no rush to reach that stage of my life just yet. On the other side of the scale, I hold nothing against some one who feels it IS their time, as this is all a matter of opinion really, but why rush it.

The point of this blog post though is to analyse the decision taken by someone to say that the time has come. Is it subconscious, is it a realisation, or is it the ever increasing external pressure to conform with an old trended society expectation that may rush one to get there. I see far too many people rushing into marriage (a whole nother post shall be written about this little blossom of opinion), ditching their true friends on nights out repeatedly while trying to make excuses for why they couldn't join (fuck, if you want to be an old geyser at least act mature like your decision represents and be honest about how your interests are changing), etc.

It really is all a matter of mind at the end of the day. A matter of mind that should be decided by you, and you yourself. If you are over being young, and think that you are ready to watch from the sidelines for the next 50 years, then by all means... But, if you can get over youth and acting like a youngster in a matter of years, what is going to happen in the next 50 years of being a 'grown up'.
You always hear older members of family saying how they use to do this and that, or how they wish they could still...

Do not get old before you are old. Do not get old to conform to a social expectation of age. Do it for you, yourself, and you alone, and make sure that you have done all you ever wished with your youth before you do so. Go travel, take a risk, do the silly thing that are frowned upon, and most of all, LIVE.

My European Adventure- Puma

With the return of my European adventure being in the middle of the Christmas rush, it took me some time to finally be able to sit back and actually think about my crazy adventure. Eight months ago, I received an email from the Puma HR department to inform me that I had been chosen to join the European Trade Marketing team on an internship, based in Herzo at the Puma head office in Germany.

Here I was, about to put it all out there, too travel half way across the world, to a country I knew no one, with a spoken language I did not speak. All I had was the chance of a life time to experience the global market with my favourite Sports Lifestyle brand since I was a kid.

Sitting here now makes it all seem quite surreal. Exactly one week ago I was sitting in Germany, on the eve of my long trip home, wondering where the 6 odd months I spent in Germany had actually gone. I still cannot really tell you the answer to this question.

If I look back and think of what this opportunity gave me, I have to instantly think of my first experience with the German people. It started with a German business man who guided me during his busy schedule all the way from Munich airport basically to my hotel door 200km away in the small town of Erlangen.Upon my arrival there, the German love for beer, and the festivities that go with it were instantly shown, and this was no ordinary introduction either,as my arrival coincided with 'The Berg', the oldest Beer festival in the world, which was being hosted in my town at the time.
You hear stories about the German people and their beer all over the world, but upon your first contact with it, it is really quite special. Together with this is the presence of the great respect the German people have for this age old tradition.

Apart from amazing beer festivals, great German parties, traditional sexy German outfits, and the occasional Schnitzel, I also got to experience a bit more of Europe. With Germany basically being the hub of Europe, it allowed to further my travels to both France and the Czech Republic, where I got to experience some of the top cities Europe has to offer, being Paris, Prague, as well as Berlin which was closer to home.

Then the reason I was in Germany, Puma. First off, what a company. I had the pleasure of working with some of the greatest people I have the pleasure of knowing. The atmosphere of the company is a direct representation of the brand itself. With a Fussball table in the office, Social clubs in the canteen, the greatest company parties, after hour sporting groups, and a generally great atmosphere, I must say it surpassed every expectation I had. The amount I learnt while there was extraordinary. I had the pleasure of engaging with people of all various nationalities, and I can honestly say I have left with friends all across the world.
Working as part of a European hub team allows you to see how the brand operates in various markets, and gain a better overall understanding of what Puma really is. It really is a global and environmentally conscious brand.

I lived with German students during my time there, and they really provided me with a great opportunity to understand the German people from an inside stand point. Many people share some apprehension about Germany and its people after their struggled past, and with all right so. However if you get to know Germany and its people with an open mind, you will see what a great country Germany really is. The events of decades past seem almost non existent in present day German life, and the opportunity to learn and experience the history of the country will give you chills. Upon standing next to the Berlin Wall one day, I took a few moments to myself to think of events that had happened at this very spot, and it really does blow your mind being there, a place you have been told so many stories about and where so much of spoken upon history unfolded.

Now, December 27th 2011, I am sitting at my home in Cape Town, looking back and thinking of these experiences, and it all seems some what like a fairy tale. I must tell you all reading this: Get out there, follow your dreams, and reach for the stars. I took a jump when I went I started this adventure, and when I look back now, it was some of the best months of my life, with people I will cherish forever, and memories I will think on for the rest of my life.

Puma was that brand that I had always been a fan of, but after knowing the inner workings and the passion of the people that work there, it is a brand I love. It may not be as big as adidas or Nike, but the heart and passion that goes into the items you receive surpasses anything that either of those companies will offer you.

Reach for the stars, follow your dreams. It really does pay off big if you follow them with your heart.

Share Housing

When most young people move overseas for what ever reason, they often resort to share housing as a means of low cost accomodation. Like most things in life, it has both its pros and cons.... Living in Germany has provided me with my second share housing experience and I though it would be cool to lay out my experiences of them.

Like everything thing in life, people enjoy the positives the most, so lets look at the Pros of share housing are:

1. Cheap- Share housing is pretty much the best way to live in a good area at a fraction of the cost. Obviously the cost of the residence is devided by all the house members, as well as bills, and often or not cleaning materials. I stayed in an upmarket central London appartment for a competitive proce and am now statying an awesome student town for less money than most people spend on their girlfriends in a month.
2. Meeting People- Often people find themselves moving to countries where they do not know a lot of people. Share housing provides an opportunity to meet people in the area, and meet their friends, giving you a good network of people in your new city. This can be a pro or a con. I have met a few very cool people in my places, but I will tell you in the cons about the opposite side of that coin.
3. Events- When you live with a bunch of people there is always something going on. My house mates are constantly going partying, going for runs, going to the pool, etc, so I have never been bored... But I have often woken up at 11am on the weekend wondering WHAT happened the night before!


Ok ok, enough about that, I want to talk about the Cons, my experiences that have left me with some funny, 'Is this oke out of his fucking mind' moments....


To give some background on the two different places, in London I stayed in a share house with a few older Australians and Brits. Australians are often quite cool, but I had a fucking lunitic. Literally, this chick had something wrong, not to metion a lil heavy on the booze and a huge belly.
In Germany however, I stay with a LOT of student in this massive floor apartment, student share vibe. They are pretty good with me and often speak English to eachother if I am involved in the convo.

But lets look at some facts.

1. Whiney Bitches- When you get a guy whining like a little kid thats lost his first lolly pop, you kind of have to laugh. One guy is like a little bitch about some RANDOM things, and I most of the time ignore him. The Australian girl mentioned before was even worse, she was a mare! Often resisting an urge to push her down the stairs.

2. Dirty Bastards- Some humans should just live in a cage. They literally live like pigs, and from what I have seen in the shower, probably become warewolfs twice a day at least. The dirty bastard is always a bad one. Coincedently in London, the cycotic Australian and her boyfriend (30 year old uneducated British sales assistant at some downand out store, which says a lot) also took the dirty bastard awards in the house.

3. Opera- When you get woken up at 2am by some RANDOM playing Opera music at full volume, it is kind of fucking irratating.

4. Friends of House mates- You know the saying you can't pick your family, but you can pick your friend'? Well, you also can't pick your house mates friends. I have met some awesome people like I said before, but idiots who come and hold on your doorbell at 3.30am when they do not even live there,completely pissed out their mind, and their friend(who is the resident) is not even there, gives you con number 4.

All in all, there are heaps more. When looking for a house, the big threats are The Dirty Bastard and The Whiney Bitch, with the triple threat being a person who is both of those and has a boyfriend or girlfriend, as they are also suspect if they can put up with them.

Puma Fashion Show

A Fashion Show... Sounds like fun right? That is what I thought.. Organising a Fashion show is hard work. Apart from the location and all those details, you need the correct outfits, you need dressers, you need the right looking models for your product, you need the right aged models for your consumer to associate with, you need accessories for your outfits, you need fittings, and the list goes on and on.

My supervisor and I were two indiduals organising all the show aspects. All the aspects that I mentioned above in fact. In the beginning you go through model castings to generate a list of potentials and alternatives. This gets discussed with the big bosses and a model selection is made. We then needed dressers, which comprised of 17 fellow workers who would be the back stage operation of the show. Yes, a dresser does dress the models... amazing right? Then you have your team come in who designs the show, the dance scenes and how all the outfits for all the show will be put together. Those guys work haaaard!

But I am being a bit dramatic, Fashion shows are amazing events to be apart of! You meet models, make new friends with people from work you may not have met before, and you get to be apart of making something special.

On the night it was all nerves. The dressers have to get their assigned model in and out of their clothes as fast as possible to ensure they are ready for their next walk. Thongs, bra's and a lot of skin were everywhere. The toughest part I found in fact was getting models feet in sample size shoes... random right? Watching a Fashion show you never think that the guy walking down the runway may have a size 11 foot in a size 8 shoe... True story, and pretty entertaining to watch back stage!!

After the Fashion show we had another one of the famous Puma staff functions, all based around Octoberfest. Free alchohol, free food, live bands, and great people. Needless to say all in all it was a cracking night, with some great people!

360 Meeting Week

So twice a year, before the new season begins, there is a golabl meeting held where all the major heads in most departments attend. This meeting was held in our offices Brand Center, where 300 people from all countries came for a week.

It was a week of massive learning, monstorous working hours, and networking with people from all over the world. Our department was organising the events fashion show, and my job role included product management, dressers management, model and dancer overview, information coordination.

Together with this event, I was also in charge of the Marketing Booth for the week, where I met most of the companies Sales and Marketing managers and directors. The thing with Puma is however, that all of these people are so down to earth. The company consists of so many like minded individuals that it makes it an absoloute pleasure to do your job and communicate with people from different countries.

I actually had a long chat to the companies CEO behind stage before his first big speech to the companies heads. The fact that a man with so much pressure can take time out of schedule just to have a chat with one of the interns is amazing. Thats how it is though at Puma. Many of the full time employees were once interns themselves, and most of the time interns are treated as full time employees performing full time employee like duties.

The week of the 360 was a long one, but the people I got to meet and the experiences I shared will last forever. The lessons learnt will stick with me forever, and I feel it is just another great feather in my cap that Puma has provided me with.

My European Internship

When I came over to Germany I did a lot of research to see how to maximise the benifit gained from doing a six month internship abroad. After all it is a pretty amazing opportunity and I want to make the most of it. One of the interesting things I came across was to blog about your time there. It makes sense really and sounds pretty easy, but when I logged in tonight and saw I hadn't posted a blog something in quite a while, it made me realise something: time does not wait for anyone.

The days here in Germany fly by, weeks are a blur, and months keep ticking.
Next week I have a sit down for my mid way feedback session, which is going to be a great benchmark to see how I have developed, as well as allow me to pull out my weaknesses and focus on them during my remaining time.
It all seems quite bizarre the phrase 'remaining time', as it feels I got to Germany just a few weeks ago, when in fact this weekend I have been here for three months already!!

I have met some amazing people during that time. Mexicans that would always have your back, even if its after a bottle of tequila racing down the roads on bikes. I have met British people. The end. Joking all you British people..They really cool, and are a great break for pure english conversing. I have met German people, naturally, but the key thing is, I have met NORTHERN German people and SOUTHERN German people. Very different from eachother in many ways! The North of Germanys people tend to be far friednlier, but in that same breath, I have some amazing friends from the South of Germany too. On that note, most old German people hate English people. The number of times I have been ignored... jeepers!!

I am in my forth residence in Germany now, one that I will be at till I leave to go home. It is a mainly all German student hostel and there are some very cool people. I personally do find the German culture challenging at times though, and living with such a large number of Germans is a lesson in itself, all be it a good one I feel.

Nuremberg

The trend of late is to take a 5minute cruise on my bike down to the train station, jump on a quick 20 minute train ride, and get to a little place I like to call: The City of Gold. Nuremberg!

Nuremberg is the biggest city in the near vicinity to my little residing student town, and is a place that provides much entertainment. Many of the people that I have met at my job reside here, and it is fact the place is quite a vibe. The problem I have when I go here though, is that I have no idea where I am when I go out, how to get home, the reoccurring language barrier problem is a major factor, and I continue to follow my life long trend of `let´s just go with it and see what happens, it will work out`.

This has all been quite a problem.
It has led to me finding myself lost at student parties, forgetting bicycles in places we can´t remember, crashing into bushes on said bicycles while lifting mates after prematches, torn clothes that the local Stitching company frowns upon me for, and all in all, those dreadful Facebook photos that you just don´t remember being taken!

It is different though, and German people really do party hard. With local night clubs closing at 5.30am on regular occasion, prematches lasting till past 12am, Mexicans passing out from South African kings before even making it out, and a large abundance of eager to party interns, Nuremberg is an awesome adventure!

Steven and His Adventures

Steven is the name of my bike. My German bike. my German bike that cost me 20 Euros. The bike that I have used ever since I bought it to get practically everywhere I go.

The story about this bad boy though, is he is old school. He has a rack, he has mudguards, wide tires, weights about 20kg´s, and is purple and black. But shit son, he is rad!!!

Everyday I do a commute of 30 minutes from my home in Erlangen(a small university town just outside Nuremberg, very similar to Stellenbosch). This commute brings me to work in Herzogenaurach(which is pronounced no where NEAR how it is spelt) which is a small town in the middle of nowhere that has two of the biggest sporting names in the worlds headquarters in it! Adidas and Puma where both born in this town, and to this day, over 60 years later, their head offices are still kept here. With both companies just building new buildings, this looks set to stay this way, which is nice really as too often you see companies forget where they have come from.

With at least an hour a day together, me and Steven have become good friends. He has payed himself off a long time ago in relation to the bus fairs I would have incurred, and quite frankly, the cycle to work each day is awesome. Germany has some amazing country side, and each day my journey takes in 2 cycle paths, a river crossing, 3 small German towns, 1 one car width tunnel, a couple horses, many bakeries, the Adidas headquarters, and finally, a cresting of a hill that opens up to the view of a beautifully branded building that is the Puma headquarters. My work.

Its funny though, no matter the weather, rain, shine, cold, boiling, every day I do this hour commute on Steven, mainly because it is just so fun. Fresh air, and clear the mind. With my orange headphones pumping the beats, my sunnies on, and my bag strapped to my rack, it really is quite a vibe!
Winter may be a different story however, with many people talking of SNOW from November time. Jeepers.
For now though, when you are sitting in your car, in traffic, swearing, getting frustrated, think of me, out in the country side, beats pumping, on my way to another awesome day at the Puma headquarters!

The Accomodation Hunt

Looking for a place to live, in a country you don´t know, in a language you can´t speak, to people who don´t understand what you are saying, in a town you not quite sure where the better parts are, and on sites you can´t read, is really not a fun job.

When I arrived in Germany I decided I will stay in a little hotel for a few nights till I get settled. Boy o boy was this fun. i didn´t to leave actually. I maaaay of even had a moment where I tried to sell the feasibility of them renting a room to me on a monthly basis for a greatly reduced rate, to curve the loss of unbooked rooms. No Luck.
As my days in my hotel ran out, so did my options for a place to move into. At the end of the day my hand was twisted, and I was heading to hell. Otherwise known as a 35 man hostel kind of vibe in the old part of town. In a bed that sang you a creaky tune every time you dared move, with toilets that constantly smelt like some one was doing the dirty on them, and in a shower where, to this day, I am convinced the hairiest men in the world showered. No common decency in this place! The kitchen was a whole other story really, haha, you have to laugh. 35 people, 8square meters, 3 cooker tops. Enjoy...
I became a professional at sourcing the best value for money take aways in town!!

Since things have turned around though. Staying in a new place now, I have two fellow house mates, both very cool women. One from Romania, the other from the Philippines. Last night was in fact Tequila night, a wonderful night of the week where my Romanian house mate and her friend have shots of tequila till they finish an entire bottle!! Needless to say this was EXTREMELY funny to watch sober!
But I love my new house, even though it is just for one month. It is extremely affordable, centrally located, awesome peeps, CLEAN, and it rally is nice to be able to shower without slops again..

At the end of the month I have found a permanent place for the remainder of my stay. The key word about it would be budget, but that would soon be followed by an awesome vibe, rad student house mates, and something different. I never stayed in a digs during my study days, and that is exactly what my new place is all about. A room in a student dorm, with a huge  lounge for socializing and games. Hell, they have already invited me to jam and I am still a month away from moving in! ha-ha.

It is coming up to my first month in Germany already being complete, and the amount I have already experienced is insane. i have seen ALOT, and met tons of people. It really has been a great adventure so far, and now it my accommodation story finally being sorted in a satisfactory way, all I have to do is sit back, and enjoy the ride...

Settling In

So I won´t lie, it was not easy settling in to this Germany place. It's rather bloody different in many aspects. Going to the shops and having to decipher what you are buying from the picture displayed on the product. Asking shop attendants where something is and getting a blank look like English is a language that has jsut landed on earth from a far off distant place was not a rare occurrence during my first few days(it still isn´t). The first few days where lonely though, not knowing a single person within a 500 km radius I think can often be underestimated. To make matters worse, when meeting new people, they don´t understand what you are saying and it all often ends in a failed situation of separating of paths.

BUT, my dear little English speaking friends, the coin has turned. I started work a few days after I arrived, and since then things have really turned around. With employees from all parts of the world (except Africa really) the opportunities to meet new peeps are endless. And meet new peeps I have, lots. There is really alot of like minded individuals here, and I’ve made alot of really good friends. Each Monday we play social soccer, and thank the lord it is social, because I seem to have taken a note from our national football team and am pretty dam useless. Luckily I scored a fluke of a goal on my first outing so have been saved from a raging a bit!

On the first summers day of summer (it does not seem to happen often), we all headed down the communal pool after work. We swam and played volleyball. Yes, volleyball. Another sport that I am absolutely no good at. But it was really cool none the less!

The accomodation part of my journey is a whole other story, and really need to be told in a whole other blog. Let´s just say, it has been a hectic roller coaster so far...

Let's go to Europe

So getting ready for Germany was not an easy thing. How do you really prepare to travel half way around the world, to a country you dont know, a place you know no one, and  where there is a language spoken that you dont understand.

The day came however that I was due to leave. Bags were packed, tickets were booked, and visa was sorted. I was ready. Ready to rock Germany. 17hours of flying, changing aircrafts once, a short visit to Doha, and a 2 and a half hour train ride, I arrived in my new home for the year. A little German town called Erlangen. Erlangen is a small town just outside Nuremberg. A student town very similar to Stellenbosch.

On my day of arrival, the towns big annual beer fest begun. The oldest beer festival in the world, called something in German relating to The Berg. The first night of my trip, the town was buzzing with festival excitement, so after a quick shower I headed down to the festival. It was a 15min walk from my hotel, and the streets were packed the entire way. These gorgeous german woman in their traditional german outfits that you thought only existed in fairy tails.


Decided to try out the much famed German steins and I will tell you know, their reputation is justifiable. Wow. 1 litre of some of the best beer you have tasted. That mixed with an insane atmosphere, european summer, live music and some amazing eye candy made it a hit on my list.

Next up though, October Feest, the biggest beer festival in the world..

Writers Block

3 blogs. All half done. No ending. Saved as a draft.


Don't expect a story here either...

The. End.

Where's My Soccer Ball??

Like at any major party, there is always that one moment in the night where you ask yourself, "Seriously, what the fuck am I doing?". At a recent outdoor trance party, this was no exception. Being situated in a little valley in a forest, the location was awesome. Apart from the fact we got there late and our car was at the top of the valley. Our car and valley separated by one big ass hill. It was a monster, it was muddy, it was intimidating, especially when drunk, and it is the reason for this story.


We hit this party hard, Lucy paid some due fines, and we were well on our way.. Losing one our group at about 4.30 that morning with the car keys, my mate and I partied on. At about 5.30 we decided we should find a random tent in the valley and have a little power nap. It didn't matter what tent, as long as it was empty. We searched and searched, most tents being full. Finally we found one, a lil 1metre beast. As we were unzipping the door, we hear a girl start shouting at us.. OH SHIT!!! Some girl came running over and asked us what the hell we were doing... Well, the first thing that came out my mates mouth was, "I'm looking for my soccer ball..." Hahaha... it worked, we then convinced her to have a nap in the tent, which was apparently her mates, who would be chilled with it.. Okkaaaaaay.... Heads in the tent, legs lying out, we were sorted!! Or so we thought.. 2 minutes... and again, shouting. FML... really people!! The oke whose tent it was had arrived to find two pairs of legs stretching out his tent, belonging to two randoms he had never seen. Needless to say, HE MINDED...

My mate, as gone as he was, casually dragged himself down the road, between tents, only to be found 1 hour later passed our in the back of my car, awkward spooning the mate we had lost 2 hours earlier.. Awkward moments... Anyway, the next day was interesting.. Piecing together pieces of each others nights, and having a great laugh on the way back home, we all just nodded and agreed..... "I'm just looking for my soccer ball...."

Life...

Something happened yesterday.. Something tragic. It shocked the world of professional cycling, and was an eye opener for a lot more than just the cyclist's involved. Yesterday, during the 3rd stage of the 2nd biggest cycling race in the world, the Giro d Italia, Wouter Weylandt fell tragically to his death within 30km's form the finish.

At 26 years of age, he was a baby. A bright smiled, optimistic rider, who sacrificed himself on most occasions for the success of others, yet ironically had won the very same stage, of the very same race, just a year before. Leaving behind a pregnant wife, family and friends, it was an absolutely tragic loss, like any death. This was different though, he was doing what he loved, cycling professionally, working... In a sport where deaths are so rare, the whole raced was rocked into mourning. Not even 24 hours before, they had sat around the breakfast table laughing, looking forward to a great days racing, his team mates now sat empty, questioning such a pointless loss.

And that's how quickly it happens. Just like that, parents were minus a son, a wife minus a husband, and an unborn baby minus a father. It's one big ass reality check. Don't waste time, don't waste opportunities, and NEVER take tomorrow for granted. Use the time you have, don't have regrets, and see the people you want to see NOW, don't wait. Nobody gets second chances. Tell your parents you love them, don't neglect your friends, and do shit with a smile on your face.. Next time you're sitting around bored, make a plan to get out and do something. Next time you're unhappy or feeling down, fix it. Don't wait.

As the world of cycling mourns this loss, I for one will making every second I have count. I love you mom, I love you dad, and I will be happy. Make your time count peeps.. No regrets...