On your TV screens!

Yesterday I was informed of some awesomeness that'll be gracing TV screens all across the border!


That's right, the one and only Diamond Dealer will be featured doing his thing on SowetoTV (DSTv Channel 150) today.

I'll obviously be glued to my TV that time. My ritualistic PlayStationing immediately after work is gonna have to take the backseat. I wanna be there to witness history unfold!

You might be reading this and thinking, "what's the big deal!?". Well, let me ease your aching head...

The 051Free State range of t-shirts were only launched on the 15th of March 2010. And not even two months later they're gonna be on TV! <-- That right there is a big deal on it's own! Coupled with the fact that I basically took a giant leap in approaching a total stranger and asking them to be the brand ambassador for a brand that had only printed it's very first t-shirts in June 09. A brand that not a lot of people knew about. A brand that is determined to make it regardless of who said what. A brand that has had no sort of funding or exposure from any other big name. This could easily be the very best day of my life! The begining of it all! I just hope broadcast doesn't get postponed/canceled or anything along those lines. *touch wood* Deuces! Keep it 27degrees cool!

PS: Thanx to tehPaperCut Designs for the killa pic :)
PPS: I'm plugging myself like you wont believe.
PPPS: I don't care how that sounds!

read more...

Biiiiiiig mistake!

So this morning, after several unsuccessful attempts to log on to the interwebs. The network connection at work finally came about and to my surprise (or maybe I should say delight) all websites were open.

I noticed this when I could see Flickr-linked pictures on my website (http://27-degrees.com/). Needless to say, I jumped straight from that site to Flickr.com to see if it really is open. And well, you guessed it, it was. I smiled like a maniac!

Went straight to Twitter, and caught up with the rest of the social networld!
http://twitter.com/tehPaperCut
http://twitter.com/27_degrees

So I've been trying to update my Twitter page but that doesn't work, so either way it's still cool.

Obviously I also came to my blog and updated. OBVIOUSLY!

Biiiiig mistake on your side Mr Government-proxy-firewall-thingy person!

Deuces!

read more...

The Journey in Pursuit Happiness

Hello world!

Happiness: What is it? How does one attain it and hold on to it?

So many questions. Only one answer: Nobody knows.

But I do know this - happiness is all everywhere you are. Wherever you find yourself, in any position. In any situation, you always have a choice: what are you gonna make of this situation? Are you gonna be happy or concentrate on the negative.

Over the past 7 days; I have experienced happiness in it's truest form.


This time last week, I was headed back to Pretoria from having spent the whole day in the presence of people who really bring out the best in me. My best friend Fe, her boyfriend, my girlfriend and I were at Haartebeesport Dam for some Summer gig that had the craziest line-up you can ever imagine. The very best (and worst) musical talent (and lack thereof) South Africa has to offer.

Granted the night ended waaay too early for us for some inexplicable reasons; but instead of dwelling on that. Remembering that day isn't clouded by that tiny bit of detail. Not because we are acting like it never happened. But because if we chose to focus our attention on the negative, it would definately mess up our recollection of that fantastic (this is my first time using this word in any form of speech, so you know it was just too damn good - look) night.


Again a few days later, the Saturday, had a super chilled picnic with my girlfriend then later the whole gang went out again on a night of ass-kickery in the form of ten-pin bowling. I say ass-kickery with a big grin on my face because I was at the very top of my game. Playing like an endorsement deal was on the line. :)

I was (and still am) having the time of my life. And you can't blame me. I had just had a damn good four weeks at work, and was off (and still am) work for another four weeks. What more could I possibly ask for!? Don't answer that.

Today after spending a good two whole days indoors (internetting) , I decided to go into town just to see what I can get myself.

I got myself a copy of Musiq Soulchild's latest album - OnMyRadio. Playing it right now actually.

Anyway. On my way back from town. I decided to take a stroll in the rain while kicking some killa remixes to some songs playing in my head. Including the new Kid Cudi song titled "Pursuit of Happiness" (may not be new, but rather new to me!)

I may not have found complete happiness, but if I continue on this path; the journey won't be too long.

Halaala!

**edit: almost forgot. Got me these Smoking Bud Rasta in-earphones from Skullcandy:

read more...

Have a big break!

Check what I just had mailed to me...

Ingredients:

30 x Saisbury's Luxury Belgian Milk Chocolate
3 x ScotBlok Chocolate Flavour
Cake Covering
6 x Loacker Quadratini chocolate wafers
1 x Wallpaper
dipping trough
1 x Sticky backed vinyl floor tile

Day 1: We cut out the KitKat logo from the floor tile and stuck it to the bottom of the trough ( in reverse). Melted about 1 third of the chocolate and poured it into the mould.

Day 2: The chocolate set over night. Next stage was to arrange the wafers in five layers along the chocolate.

Then melted the rest of the chocolate and poured it carefully around the wafers, then over the top.

Day 3: Refregirate for 12hours

Vital statistics: Size L 59cm x W 17cm x H12cm 45,888 Calories 1860g saturated fat 1120 Weight Watchers points (this equates to 3 months worth of a daily allowance for a woman)

Please don't sue me.

If you know where this idea comes from, please let me know so I can credit who I need to.

Otherwise, this is pure heaven for a KitKat junkie like me...

:P

read more...

It's a happy birthday!!

I know at least 2 people who's birthday it is today.

One of them... well, the obvious... Nelson Mandela. Happy birthday dude!!

The other, my number one best-est friend in the whole wide world. Let's just call her F for now. ;) [pictured above]

It goes without saying that her birthday just might go unnoticed, coz Mandela's gonna be shining on her shine.

But I've got my priorities in check.

I know where my loyalties lie.

I called her at 5:30 am today just to wish her a happy birthday. sidenote: I didn't wake up at 5:30 just to call her, we (me & my girlfriend) were lying awake waiting for the alarm to go off (@ 6am) when she reminded me that it's F's birthday today. So we woke her up and sang for her. Turns out she had forgotten to set her meditation alarm (which is at 5am). So not only was it a thoughtful gesture, it also helped her start her day on a high note. With friends like us, who needs meditation?

huh?

EXACTLY!

Anyway. I just wanted to make sure the world knew that it's my best friend's birthday today and I hope she grows younger as the years go by.

Love you my friend!

Enjoy your day, and tomorrow, and the day after that and the day after that and the day after that and the day after that and the day after that and the day after that and the day after that!!

LOL!!!

This is her, by the way... clickclick!

read more...

KitKat = Happiness = KitKat = Happiness. Basically

I remember a time where KitKat came in that silver foil thingy you could slice open with your pinky fingernail? Hwy the fingernail you ask? Well, simple... that's what the guy in the ad did. And the all the girls thought it was the coolest thing ever!

Remember how you (actually I don't know about you, but I know I sure do) had the '2-finger' one for when times where hard?

Then as years rolled by, they introduced the 8-finger KitKat, the KitKat Chunky, and one with white chocolate instead of the usual brown - never really liked that one.

Clearly the people at Nestle don't wanna experiment with the South African market, coz there are around 25 different flavours of KitKat out there. Bastards!

Either way, I'm pretty sure I'd still stick to the ordinary one even if they did. Simply because it reminds me of when I was still a kid and used to wait for my mother to get back from work so she can give me R1.50 (1 Rand, fifty cents) to at least buy myself a 2-finger KitKat when the craving was really bad.

But during the school holidays when the living was easy, I knew I would wake up and there'd be at least R3 (3 Rand) to at least hook up the real McCoy... 4-fingers of pure heavenly bliss.

Being an only child has it's perks sometimes. But I had to wake up early so I can run to the corner store to buy it before my friends saw me, so I could indulge at my own pace. In the peace and quietness of home.

I remember the one time, I went to get my 2-finger fix (OMFG... that sounds so peadophilic...ew!).

Anyway. This one time, I ran into my one friend on my way back home. I was already visualising enjoying my KitKat in silent solitude. I quickly slid it in my back pocket. I remember coz I was wearing my favourite orange corduroy pants, you know how hot they get - yes ladies, I've been a fashionista from way back... Long story short... I ended up spending most of the day with him.

Needless to say when I finally got home at the end of the day, my dearest KitKat didn't quite end up as God intended. Most of it ended up on my pants, and the rest was just spread out all over the foil thingy.

Being the addict that I am. I didn't let even one calorie go to waste. I wasn't brought up like that.

I licked that pocket like it owed me something! My mother shook her head in amazement as she struggled to pull the pants away from me. As if to save them or something.

She didn't win.

I needed a break! Not just any kinda break, I'm talking about the kinda break only KitKat can give you!!

I'm a chocolate fiend, I'm not gonna lie...

Got some of the pics from this guy, others were from Wiki. Please don't sue me! :-(

:p

read more...

Twenty-three

I have absolutely no justification as to why I love this number. It has absolutely nothing to do with anything. I just think it's such a whole number.

Sure some of you might see it as an odd number which doesn't even come close to being as cool as 25, but I definately think 23 is the next big thing.

Maybe not for you but definately for me.

I just love how cool the two numbers look together. A 2 and a simple yet slightly superior 3. Put together to create one healthy number: 23.

I haven't been attracted to this number very long, just that, it's not very often you get to see it. (at least not since MJ retired from Basketball... all two times)

I think being 23 years old has some sort of significance. I'm just not quite sure what it is exactly.

Maybe it's got something to do with the fact that at the ripe age of 23 I will be embarking on a whole new chapter in my life. Something I've been wanting for as long as I can remember. Someting that's definately gonna make people sit up and pay attention!

Even those who didn't think I could do it will be taken aback!

Watch this here space!


ps: I have never watched the movie: The Number 23.

read more...

"How come you don't call me anymore?"

I believe it was the greatest funkadelic soul singer of all time; mister Prince Nelson himself. Or rather The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, also known as Symbol; who once uttered the words "How come you don't call me anymore?"

This famous phrase, was made even more famous, by the teenage singing sensation Ms. Alicia Keys. Who engraved the words even deeper into the minds of her adoring fans the world over.Now it seems, this popular phrase has become the nightmare soundtrack to my life lately.

Let me break this down...

You know how you are all single and stuff, and you spend hours on the phone chatting to your other single friends about how misserable le single life is? Well, that was the story of my life for quite some months. Granted we had some good times, got drunk as hell, went out clubbing, got drunk out of our minds, got to kick some serious knowledge (which didn't always include weed).

The great thing about this whole thing is that I got to spend some serious time with quality people. Talked about everything most of the time, and other times didn't even need to talk at all.We were on the same wave length most of the time.

It's only at these times that you really get to know people for who they really are. Not just the occasional SMS, I mean seriously getting to know this person with whom you've built this so-called friendship. Knowing what makes them tick, what they are really passionate about.

You know somebody's a true friend when they find your shoulder comforting enough for them let all inhibitions go and just cry if they feel like it.This is basically what most of my friendships are founded on. I also think the fact that almost all my friends are girls, this makes my bond with them even that much more special.

Then comes a time where neither of you have enough time in your 24hr day to call the other and check what they up to. Nevermind hooking up. Just a simple "hello".

I've gotta admit, I'm definately guilty of this flaw.

I tend to just not call people. Especially when I'm in a relationship or whatever.

Hey, at least I'm willing to admit this /in public even/

You call someone and the first thing they ask is "how come you haven't been calling?" I mean WTF! I could ask you the same thing.

It's only after you stop calling people that you actually realise that you've been making more calls than they ever have. But then again it's only when you stop seeing people that you realise how tight you all were, when you accidentally stumble upon that that made it onto the internet where you were all so out of it; you don't even remember when the picture was taken. But you remember how happy you were on that particular day!

read more...

Home

We spend most of our childhoods struggling to get the hell out and get your own crib.

Wanting to get always get your way so that you don't have to answer to anyone.

Then when it finally happens, you realise how hard it really is. Only when you have to be the hand that feeds you do you realise that it's actually not as easy as it was when you were still growing up working on your masterplan to chop up the apron-strings.

Then finally at some point you think you got it all planned out, something major happens. Completely shakes you the hell out of your comfort zone and the first thing you do is seek refuge.

Where else do you go except... home?

Everybody knows this is true. For some reason you know that the only place where you'll get welcomed back with open arms is always... home. Unless of course you just so happen to have torched your parent's bedroom while you were home along during the summer holidays. Then you're screwed. Unless of course that was your first offence. In which case you've earned enough brownie-points to get yourself a get-out-of-jail-free-card (hopefully). If not. You're screwed.

Even famous musicians know this to be true. How many songs out there have the word "Home" as their titles; or even have sell the idea of home being a happy carefree place?

Think about it.

:-)

read more...

The happiest motherfucker I know!

Now, I don't actually know a lot of motherfuckers, but I am, by far, the happiest motherfucker out there.

Isn't it funny how you only notice what you've got when you're happy. I mean you hardly take notice of all the blessings around you until something goes wrong. Only then do you start consoling yourself by counting your blessings. And even then it still doesn't feel like it's enough.

So simply because I'm not feeling crappy today, as clearly indicated in the title of this post, I decided I'd much rather celebrate the little things that I've been blessed with thus far.

There's absolutely no reason for me to feel down because I've got a girl who's in love with me. I know this because I can tell by the way she looks at me, the way she can't stop smiling whenever we're together. Besides, the fact that she tells me how she feels is also a dead giveaway.
I can't remember the last time I was so flippin happy with someone.
You know what I mean... where you're with this one person and you feel you don't really need anything else. Where you're both chilling on the couch with TV on, and yet you're not even watching it. Where the person next to you is more interesting than whatever's playing??
I love you babe...

Earlier today, I just found out my site (brainstormdesigns.co.za) has been listed on website-gallery.com, as one of those deserving of some recognition. I really appreciate that. I feel it definately says something about my designs. That clearly means I must be doing something right this time around. Though my other designs didn't get recognition, but I truly don't give a damn, as long as my site is on there. It's gotta mean something.

Plus, I just bagged my first real client for 2008. It's some guy who wants me to design him a website for his company, a shuttle/transport type thing. Added to that, the website is going to be advertised under South African tourism. So that obviously means I've definately gotta put my best into this one. It's gotta be something unique, but familiar all at the same time.

I'm gonna make sure it not only markets his company as a brand, but more importantly, stands out from the rest. Seeing as everyone wants a website...

An last but most definately not least, I installed some cool themes and applications on my phone. I know it's not such a big deal, but to me it is. Coz I was starting to lose interest in it. I was tired with all the features it had. That's why I added more. Hopefully the guys from Nokia aren't reading this and I hope it doesn't void my warranty.

So yeah, that's it for now.

One happy Motherfucker, signing out!

read more...

House music, is my friend

I'm a crazy House music fanatic.

I find that I'm more creative when listening to some serious House music.

I'm talking the likes of Quentin Harris, Ben Westbeech, Little Luie Vega, Osunlade, Four to the Floor, DJ Fresh, Fred Everything, Kings of Tomorrow, Afro Medusa, Blue six, Miguel Migs, Euphonik, Phonique, Blaze, Paul Johnson, Harrison Crump, Studio Apartment, Junior Jack, Franc Roger, Magic Number, Sam & Gigi, Dennis Ferrer, Tortured Soul, Pepe Braddock... the list goes on and on and on and on and on.

And my favourite ladies of house: Lisa Shaw, Barbara Tucker, Sia, Aya, Ultra Nate...

I know it has a lot to do with the tempo of the music, which is basically makes the waves in the brain go faster, therefore guaranteeing the creative juices flow non-stop. But I just can't help it. It does wonders for me though...

Oh, did I mention Quentin Harris and Tortured Soul. Oh ya, I did. Just wanted to make sure.

Damn!

I can basically wake up in the morning and play house music. I don't know, somehow it sets the tone for the rest of my day.

When I woke up this morning I played Champagne by Four to the Floor. Crazy tune. Needless to say my day's been pretty great.

Out!

(When I got to the end of this post, Kerri Chandler - So Let The Wind Come Down was playing!)

eish!

read more...

The 17 month breakup!

Yeah, so this is it.

Monday I broke up with my girlfriend. Not a big deal really. Only thing is that I'd been with this girl for about 17 months or so...

Let me tell you what happened that led to Monday (and the reasons why I dumped her)...

I met this chick at work. It was her first day and I kinda liked what I saw. So I decided to persue her... which I did. I later found out that she had a dude. Who lived outside the country (Botswana to be exact) They had met at varsity, so since she'd come to work in GP (and a few months before that) distance had already started to take it's toll on the relationship, as a result. They weren't necesarily as close as they used to be. But the love was still there apparently. because they'd been together for around 3 years or something.

So now, the months went by and we got very very close, we became the best of friends. Able to talk about anything and everything. Obviously at the beginning I wasn't seeing her as the mother of my kids and wedding bells and stuff like that, it was kind of a companionship thing. Although at the beginning I was also involved with someone, but it was nothing serious. I broke it off as soon as I met this new one. With no hopes of building anything serious or anything like that...

I couldn't trust her
As time went on, we had gotten so close, that her relationship with the dude (let's call him AB) was starting to seriously bother me. Because I felt like everytime she went back home or to Botswana, she would make sure that she hooked up with him.

She's a liar AND I couldn't trust her!
At around June, last year, I was chilling at my flat and she called me telling me she'd be going somewhere with her cousin. I wasn't bothered by this because she'd gone somewhere with her cousin before and she was alright.

I only found out later that night that she was nowhere near her cousin for a whole 4 hours. She had gone out with some dude who she claimed had known for a while from back home. So that seriously pissed me the fuck off. I couldn't understand why she'd said she would be going out with her cousin.
She couldn't come up with any good reason. Even the bad ones sucked.

So that night I spent most of the night in tears cause she'd fucking lied to me (repeatedly) simply to go out with someone she knew I was against her seeing. <- does that make sense?

Anywayz, after a whole lot of begging and pleading and crying and apologising, which took almost the whole week, I forgave her, but assured her that I could never ever trust her again.
(that was in June '06)

I ended up having to talk to this motherfucker, telling him to stay the fuck away from my girlfriend. He didn't wanna listen, claiming that they just friends and there's nothing for me to worry about. Bullshit, I wasn't gonna be taking advice from somebody who was meddling in my relationship knowing I existed. Fuck him.

...she fucked up again

October '06, she fucked up one more time, for good measure...

She started flirting with somebody in the same company we worked at. 'Behind my back', or so she thought. I was fully aware of what she was doing. Until one day I confronted her about it. Told her to stop this bullshit before this goes too far and somebody gets hurt. (that was on a Friday)

Then the following Monday, the flirting starts all over again. I make her aware that I know what she's up to, only then does she tell this mofo to back off a little coz quote "somebody doesn't like it" I was like what the fuck is that supposed to mean!?!

So later on in the week I confront her again, and only then does everything stop. I asked her what she was trying to do, and all I get is some stupid "nothing was going on" crap!

At the end of '06, they (AB & she) broke up coz AB was busy sleeping with somebody else and managed to let it slip during a phone conversation to her. [shame, poor bastard]

So anywayz, let me just fast forward to last week Friday...

So she had went home this past weekend, and was to return on the Sunday. She was supposed to start a new job on Monday...

In the mean time, we had had a fight over some lousy sms she'd sent me. So things were a bit tense over the weekend. We didn't speak much.

So on the Sunday she returned, and we chilled for a while but things were still not okay.

The Monday morning (of the breakup), I was supposed to go to work but then decided I wasn't going anymore. Made up some excuse to my boss that I was going to see a dentist later that day (which was true, but I could've still went to work).

So she leaves early to get to work. I walk her to go catch a cab, then I returned to my place, where I just chilled for a few seconds before she'd call to say she'd left her phone behind and that I should please switch it off for her.
That's when I started getting supicious. Then instead of doing what i was told, I decided to conduct some private investigating of my own. I went through her SMS inbox, and there was nothing there. OK. Then I proceeded to her call register. Went through her dialed calls, then noticed AB's number. This came as a surprise, because she had said to me that she didn't have airtime over the weekend which is why she never called me. Which I belived at the time, but now I was a bit confused. How is it possible that she managed to call him and not me. What the hell was going on here...????

So I checked her received calls, and saw that he also called her. That was fine. There's pretty much nothing I can do to stop him from calling. But they had broken up, why the fuck were they calling each other if they had broken up months ago??

I went back to her Inbox, to check if I had missed anything. I hadn't, there was nothing there. I think she had deleted all the SMSs they were sending each other.

This serously pissed me the fuck off!!

A few minutes later, she calls her own phone; obviously to check if I had switched it off, which I hadn't.

After that, she calls my phone, and asks me why I haven't switched it off yet. I tell her becuase she doesn't have voicemail, might as well at least see who called [Missed calls] so she can call them back or something. Instead she tells me to switch it off regardless, coz "you-know-who" might call.

That angered me even more. I was like "What the fuck is that supposed to mean, I thought you had broken off all comuncation with him." she says "I have." I'm like, "Fuck that, I know for a fact you two have been calling each other." She's like "SO!!" then habgs up. Obviously I'm feeling kinda helpless coz I can't call her back and give her a piece of my mind. So I decided to fucking dump her as soon as she walks though the door...

So I go to my dentist appointment...

As soon as I got back, I went straight to her stuff and started packing everything. All the stuff I had bought her, her photos, her underwear, EVERY-FUCKING-THING!

Later on in the day, when she got back, she tries to act like nothing's wrong. She comes in, asks me where her phone is, I point her to it, and as she goes to get it; she realises that all her shit's been packed and in full display. She turns to me and says "are you dumping me?" and I say no. Coz that would have been to easy and too painless. So I call her to the livingroom, where we site on the couch and i try to reason with her. I ask her to explain exactly what the fuck is going on between her and AB. She says "nothing" it was just a phone call.

after a lot of raw bullshit coming out of her mouth...

I told her that I wasn't gonna stand for this anymore. Asked her what else she was hiding from me, and that I'm not gonna sit around and wait for her to break my heart again. That she'd done that way too may times already. I told her that I don't wanna be with someone like her anymore, that if they were sorting things out behing my bcak i wasn't gonna sit around and wait to get dumped for somebody else. ANd that she's gonna fucking infect me with AIDS coz she'd obviously be sleeping with us both at some point. That I didn't trust her AT ALL and that I want absoltely nothing to dowith her. Which is why I packed everything that belongs to her. And everything I've ever bought her. I didn't/don't want anything that has anything to do with her.

That took around 2 to 3 hours...

At the end of it, she went the whole "I love you so much" route. But it had no impact or even an effect on me. Coz I had had over 8hours to prepare myself for everything. I had broken up with her, made up, dumped her, hated her, called het "bitch" so many time within that 8 hours that whatever she said just bounced off of me.

When she was about to leave, coz I had also kicked her the fuck out, she decided that she was gonna give me space and give me some time to be okay, and that I should call her when I'd made peace with everything so we could get back together.

It was obvious that this bitch didn't get the message, so I just agreed to that just to get her the fuck out of my face.

needless to say, she's till waiting...

There's only one more thing that's left behind, I forgot to pack it coz it was separate from her stuff, a vase I used to always buy her flowers with... <- I don't think that makes a lot of sense... anywayz...

I still have quite a lot on my chest so I'm gonna dump all over again when she comes to get it...

**aaaaahhh so much pain, so little time**

read more...