Thursday, 30 April 2009

I don't understand

Of all the things in this world. The one thing I don't understand the most is religion, or should I say, Christianity.

On my way to work today I somehow thought about this whole religion thing. Basically, why is it that religious people are so convinced that they're on their way to a better place? That they're just passing through this world to get to the next? Why?

I mean, if God (or whoever sent you down here) wanted you to be in Heaven (or abovementioned 'better place') wouldn't he have kept you there? Why would he send you down here, to this world full of temptation and sin, only to decide on your fate later? Whether you're going back into Heaven or you're doomed to eternal damnation... aka Hell.

Is that fair?
Is it fair to send a mere mortal down to a world full of everything good and bad only to see if they can make it? To see if they can jump the hurdles which are bound to be in their way only to judge them based on the decisions their brains (the ones that you gave them) thought to be right at the time??

I'm not questioning religion or Christianity in any way. I'm only questioning the logic behind this belief system.
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Thursday, 23 April 2009

A blessed design...

Hey, been a while since I last posted something worth reading here...

And as usual it's simply because I've been spending more time on my designs.


So one of the first 'works' I worked on as soon as I got back from my visit 700KMs away. Without ever opening Photoshop or any other image editing software out there. I worked on this...

Goapele
[This pic is also here: Behance deviantArt Flickr My website ]


Took me about thirty minutes to work on the initial look. Then around an hour fiddling with the background. Not sure of the colours to use, then settled on a simple black and white (b&w) image. I don't know why. I just have some sort of weird perversion when it comes to b&w pictures and graphics. So I settled on B&W.

I actually cut out one other pic while I was working on this image. But I've decided to finish it at a later stage.

Anyway, hope you didn't miss me too much. Feast your eyes on that in the mean time. (till I finish my other designs...)

Oh, wait, before I go...

The person in the pic is singer Goapele. A South African native living in America.

She's a friend (I don't wanna use the word contact, sounds less personal. lol) of mine on most social networking websites I'm on. I've been a fan since Closer came out while I was still dreaming to be "closer to my dreams". Now I am, and I just wanted to hook something up for her, to show some appreciation.

I first featured a mini-work of her on my first website... //click here / Didn't really do much to the pic except enhance it.

I sent her a message on Twitter asking her what she thought of the design, and without mincing her words, she basically said...

That's all the blessing I needed. And, NO I DIDN'T PHOTOSHOP THAT REPLY!


Thanx Goap!

(yeah, we on nickname basis now. I just gave her that. "Goap! That's what's up!" it rhymes, I know. ©PaperCut 2009-forever!)

Check her out on the following sites:

Peace & love!

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Tuesday, 7 April 2009

teh newness

This month is full of newness.

1. My new site is up
2. My blog also got a facelift!

So, it is what it is!
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Wednesday, 11 March 2009

Cool money

Apparently, there's a guy in Joburg, who while working at a construction site, stumbled upon a cooler box. And being the black guy he is. And also taking into account the fact that there are always bombs being tucked away 6 metres underground in cooler boxes, he didn't wanna take any chances.

He very immediately alerted his nearest police station. Upon arrival the cops, (note: THE COPS, not the bomb squad) opened the cooler box, only to find... 1.5 million rand. In R50 and R20 notes.

Imagine how dumb this idiot must feel. I'd fucking kill myself. I'd stab myself with a sharp object on the spot.

I mean, what are the chances that there's a massive bomb terrorist going around burrying bombs 6 metres into the earth in case some construction worker can accidentally detonate the thing and blow him to threads? Who would go through the trouble of making a bomb, only to plant it in some obscure location in hopes that it'll blow some random stranger(s) up?

That's dumb.

So what's in it for this dude? Let's see...

First off, he's already gotten enough mention (even if they're keeping him anonymous because of the utter embarrassment he'd face) all over the radio stations, news papers and online. But let's look at what happened first.

He found the money, called the cops to come open a cooler box for him, then what did he get immediately after that? That's right, a thank you. And probably a pat on the back to sweeten the deal. I mean, it's not like the cops were looking for a blue and white cooler box with undisclosed contents in exchange for a big reward?? It's not like he helped the community in any way by removing the potentially catastrophic coller box bomb off the streets and thereby making his working environment a safer place for all?! Great man!!

Imagine his popularity at home now? I'm sure the wife's pissed as hell everytime she sees him.

Like "You fucking idiot, hnow we gonna have tea without milk!"; "Great, now the bread is finished! Useless idiot!"; "Wonderful, we're having chicken again today!"
He could've done anything in the world. He chose to be the good guy who does the right thing.
I'd fucking kill myself, I swear. I'd actively go out looking for a goddamn bomb and blow myself up. I'd even make one, if push came to shove.

Seriously, he's gonna feel like crap everytime he doesn't have money for anything.

He's a fucking construction worker! He finds a cooler box. Why didn't he at least think that it might contain some beer or food or something else other than a stupid bomb. I don't understand. Even if it were, what are the chances that HE's the lucky bastard to find a bomb burried in the ground?

I doubt the Mayor of the town will actually give him some money as a token of appreciation. He'll probaby get a key to the city and that's about it. What do you need a key for? It's not like there's a place where only people with keys hang out and laugh at all the other idiots without keys; and now you have full access to that area?! I seriously doubt that. Even if he/she does give him smoney, it sure as hell wont be R1.5m.
Imagine what he could've done with all that money?
He could've very nicely told his stuck up boss to go to the nearest hell. Fed his family for yeeeears. Upgraded his life as whole basically.

I doubt he would've gone to school to learn something to make that R1.5m grow. He probably would be dead in two weeks. You know how black people always wanna show off? After buying a round of drinks for everyone at the local drinking hole. He would have proudly made an announcement that he;s now a millionnaire and no-one can touch him. Only to turn up two weeks later with 148 stab wounds. Talk about being untouchable.

I guess it's a good thing he did.

Good for you guy, you're a good South African citizen. That's the spirit. Trust the cops to open a cooler box for you simply because they're wearing a uniform. That doesn't make them less immune to getting blown up. And you were probably not too far from the box when it was opened, so you were gonna get fucked up anyway.

Shit.

Now he's stuck doing construction for years to come. He wont quit his job, every site he goes to, he'll be opening up shit. In hopes it'll have even a ten rand note in there.
Not gonna happen. Ever.
You stayed up all night praying to God to help you with your financial status, and when He does, you hand it over to the cops? He's not making that mistake again. Trust me.


*edit: that's not him in the pics.
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Wednesday, 4 March 2009

Next round of double standards is on me

So there I was, chilin on Facebook, when I came across an open request for a bootlegged copy of Microsoft Office.


Didn't really think much of it, but when I checked who had made this unapologetic request, I was a bit suprised with a dash of disapointment.

Thandiswa Mazwai with younger sister, Ntsiki
It was none other than... our very own... successful local poet Ms Ntsiki Mazwai. That's right, the very same younger sister to Thandiswa Mazwai and Nomsa Mazwai's older sister.


I'm not too sure what to think of this particular setup, whether to think less of her becuase she's crossed over to the piracy side of the anti-piracy bandwaggon that almost all South African artists have come to preach so much; of to basically appreciate the fact that she's afterall a regular South African who wont pay R7000+ for the software??

I dunno.

I guess I appreciate the fact that as an artist with 5000 friends on FB, the bravery in that alone is amazing. Imagine if somebody from the Business Software Alliance was one of her 'friends' and raised the flag. That would have turned out to be one of those 'we want to make an example of her' situations where a miinor issue is used as an example at all the anti-piracy campaigns by the BSA.

Well, I hope it doesn't get any further than this.

If you're that guy ripping, burning and selling local music CDs like there's no tomorrow... have faith, there's hope out there for you, even the stars themselves are doing it. Don't stop till you get enough.

No, wait, I'm not endorsing piracy or anything here, I'm just saying... since it's considered okay (by Ms Mazwai herself) to illegally copy and distribute international software, I guess it should also be okay to open your own manufacturing and distribution center in your own backyard.

At least that's what I'm getting from all this...





*sigh*


I don't know about you, but I expected something different...


// more here...
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