just poppin' in

Oh my, what an atrosion (implying that this sorry state of non-blogging is simply quite atrocious)! It dawned on me, as I sat here resisting the lure of slumber, that it has been an awfully long time since I last posted anything. So, this is my meager offering which I'm hoping will be the spoonful of sugar needed to keep any remaining blogees sweet.
What can I say that wont require cutting into precious sleep time (I fear that I have long passed the hour that ensures I acquire the necessary 8 hrs I must have in order to function at my perkiest)? Work is busy...no, life is busy. We watched a hilarious showed called Boeing, Boeing last week. I found myself doubled over for the most part while Fox expressed his appreciation at being subjected to something cultural that didn't include ten sung monolgues and an equal number of dance routines.
As much as I'd love to divulge all from the last month I really just wanted to say that I'm still alive and well...and happy. Hope you are too (well and happy, that is - of course you're alive if you're reading this).

neither here nor there

Now that’s out of my system I guess I should try to lift the tone. So, what’s been happening over the last 3 weeks? I’ve been to Hamburg, Bath, Reading and Edinburgh. Yes, those are a lot of different place in one month. Some may say too many; I’m inclined to agree as my body and mind start to revolt against me in an attempt to tie me to London for just one weekend. I’m off to Malshanger for a pastorate retreat this weekend but then I’m restricting my diary and refusing any entries that require travel to a destination further than Zone 2 (or 3 at a push) for at least a month.
I feel I’m settling into my new job well and am so much happier when I wake up in the morning. None of that, “please let me get sick so that I don’t have to go into work” nonsense. I have moments when I’m sitting at my desk and I get this little bubbly feeling because I really love my job.
We watched some pretty lousy shows at the Edinburgh Fringe festival while there to watch the South Africa VS Scotland rugby (Bokke!). If it wasn’t over-acting or out-of-tune singing it was just pure vulgarity (however humorous). I feel the need to book a show on the West End just to restore my faith in the Arts.
We watched a great South African band last night, Rory Eliot and the Reason. The band was known as Plush until one of the core band members was killed, while trying to cross the road after a gig, by a drunken driver. At an unexplored venue in Putney (how can that be? I thought I’d covered every pub/restaurant in the area!), the Half Moon is intimate and had it not been for the bulky guy beside me grinding offensively through the entire gig, I might have appreciated the cosiness of it all.
I’d say "that’s a wrap" but it probably isn’t, however, it is all I can make of the blur since I last blogged. Thanks to my bloggees who have written to enquire about roxblurb updates. It’s nice to be missed. I’m going to be more efficient (and if I’m not, I’ll just come and delete this line).

roxblurb lives

It's just been crazy lately. The days and weeks seem to have simply vanished and I find myself in my second week of a new job unable to believe that I'm free from the confines of O&L and actually wanting to get out of bed in the mornings.
I've spent the last two weekends outside of London town: one in Hamburg and this last one in Kent. The sun shone the whole weekend which meant that camping was a delight and I acquired a tan. I have newly restored faith in English weather (summer might just arrive after all!).
Despite all of this good I felt a little down today. Nothing major, just being a girl I guess. To cheer myself up I've painted my nails a shocking shade of pink. The logic behind this is yet to come to me but I think it has something to do with luminosity of my nails brightening my day.
I know I've been a shocking blogger of late and chances are that no one will read this as I've lost all my devoted blogees to my lack of posting. Rest assured, Roxblurb will recommence regular updates when Rox herself is feeling a little less disheveled from chasing her tail.

wise words on the 414

As well as a number of really odd people (was it a full moon?) Fox and I spotted this on the 414 bus on the way home from date night at Shikara in Chelsea…

Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit and not a vegetable; wisdom is knowing not to include it in a fruit salad. (Anon)

Cracked me up!

brother too big to avoid

I have a confession. I just need to get it off my chest but, before I do that, let me just establish that my actions were totally unintentional. I found myself in a compromising situation…and I caved.
This morning, while eating my breakfast, I watched last night’s repeat of Big Brother.
For all of you who thought I couldn’t resist all 3 months…well…you were right. The thing is, I had the intention of watching the morning news but when I switched on the TV it was already on Channel4. Before I knew what I was doing I caught myself hanging on every one of Ziggy’s words as he relayed his struggle to BB as to whether the lovely Chanel is perhaps a little too young for him. Then there was the fight between Charlie and another housemate over the hair-straighteners (you go girl – fight for that GHD!).
I would also like to clarify that there is no connection between my watching BB and being late for work this morning. That was due to an early morning run with Fox and my inability to regain full functionality of my legs, post-exercise. Thus, an unavoidable bus trip which landed me in rush-hour traffic. See, nothing to do with the urgency to watch the final 5 mins of the show just to see how all the shenanigans worked out.
My craving is still manageable. But then I think to myself, why fight it? Who needs to know what is happening in the real world when you can eat your brekkie and watch a bunch of people who have created a world that is, frankly, a little less depressing than the news? I guess it just means a decline in commentary regarding current affairs, but then, I’m rarely inclined to subject my bloggees to such dreariness anyway.

semi-update

I know I've been really cruel in leaving you hanging for so many days. I'm afraid I still have my hesitancy's at divulging too many details regarding recent events but I hope to be able to reveal all by early next week. Sorry bloggees!
This week has been really stressful, made evident by headaches, loss of appetite and water spillage from my eyes at the most inappropriate times. Sometimes I've come so far from being that girl who used to worry herself to sleep at night and others I can't remember what ever made me think that.
Other than that there really isn't much to report. A few activities planned for the weekend - work drinks, watching Oceans 13, Portobello market, catching a bit of SA whipping some Wallaby bums in the rugby, maybe a trip to Greenwich and some sleep if I can find the time. Hhm, normality really isn't a writer's greatest inspirtaion. But sometimes it's just what a girl needs.

what curiosity did

I have something quite exciting coming up tomorrow. I would love to blog all about it but, unfortunately, I have to keep mum for another few days.
Doesn’t it just drive you mad when people do that? “I have something that I really want to tell you…but I can’t.” Uhm, okay. Now you are left in a personal battle of ethics whereby you could either plead it out of them, in the full knowledge that they are breaking someone else’s confidence, or just leave it there and appear disinterested. At this point, if you were a cat, you’d be dead.
So I’m really sorry that I’m doing this to you but I’m excruciatingly bored at work today and tomorrow’s event is really all that is on my mind.
Okay, there’s other stuff there too…
Fox returned to London for the weekend *big smile* which somehow swept past in a haze of activity; catching up, watching him demonstrate his skill in touch rugby at Battersea Park, church and the Casting Crowns concert on Sunday night. I would be far saner if my work-week rushed by as quickly.
I’m looking into doing pump classes at the local leisure centre from next week. I distinctly remember the last time I undertook this particular exercise regime. Every step I took in the subsequent week was sheer agony. I was acutely aware of each and every muscle in my entire body. It was more pain than I thought I could bear. And here I am considering doing it all again. Perhaps it’s that work induced lunacy.
I know I’ve been a little slack on the blog updates lately but it seems that a life of routine is counterproductive to a full-life of blogging. But you know what curiosity does? It brings you back.

big brother’s summer snare

It’s that time of the year again. Summer is here and TV producers need the “good stuff” to keep us indoors rather than leave us to enjoy the sunshine (I’ve merely heard of this phenomenon) and all that the outdoors has to offer.
This is when they pull out Big Brother.
I’m not even lowering myself to the depths of trying to describe the characters that we get to observe for 3 months. But as ludicrous as I might find the whole shenanigans, all it takes is one episode to hook me…and then I just can’t get enough. So, the trick is just to steer clear of channel-surfing during summer months because, low and behold, if BB is the only thing showing while I eat my dinner, I’ve had it! I’ll find myself coming home late at night and tuning into channel E4+1 just to watch the housemates sleep; or logging onto BBC each Monday to see who was evicted while I was out living my “real” life; or looking over my shoulder in Sainsbury’s as I page through a Heat magazine to read the latest on the quirkiest characters.
So far so good. I’ve merely caught snippets on the news of the latest evictee being thrown out of the house thanks to her use of the “n” word and have obtained minor feedback from Mom who gave me the rundown on her favourites. I might have lingered around reception a little longer than necessary this morning as I eavesdropped on a conversation, regarding evictions, between colleagues. But I’m really quite disinterested.
In reality, there is no avoiding the BB hype - you either get involved or you happen upon it. I’m well aware that the summer is in its infancy and I only have so much willpower. Perhaps I’ll make a habit of eating my dinner in the park.

friday to sun-day

I got word from Dad today that Desi is doing fine. There’s no apparent organ damage but, of course, she’s still suffering the broken pelvis. Thanks so much for all the prayers!
So, it’s practically the weekend and I couldn’t be happier to get out of this office today. After losing my assignment due to an unexplainable technical glitch, hearing of Desi’s accident, missing Fox and sleep deprivation, I’ve really had enough for this week.
I’m off to Mom’s tonight to watch “Little Miss Sunshine” (that movie SERIOUSLY cracks me up) and appreciate a mom-cooked meal.
Jo and I are taking a road trip to Oxford tomorrow. As much as I love London for its ‘big city’ qualities, I LOVE getting out of it too.
Then it’s Sunday and then it’s….no, I can’t bear to even think it.
If you happen to have sunshine in whatever country you inhabit this weekend, please enjoy it for me. London seems to have mislaid it.

no such thing as free lunch

I happen to work directly outside the conference rooms on our floor at work and as a result benefit from catering that is regularly supplied for the meetings.
Today, one of the ladies came out and asked if I had had my lunch yet and offered me a nutritious salad which was spare as the 'wheat-free' lady never turned up.
Who said there is no such thing as a free lunch?
Five minutes later she came out and asked if I could assist in changing the temperature in the room. I was happy to oblige as she had just given me lunch. But this did mean that it was no longer free, as I had paid for it with my time which could otherwise have been spent surfing the net! A small price to pay but nevertheless, whoever came up with that theory has been proven right again and I lose another opportunity to point out genuine good in the world.

foxy hotshots

I finally gave in. I could no longer stand being tormented by incessant football talk at my desk and as a result have joined the Fantasy Football league.
What does a South African girl know about football, I hear you ask? Absolutely nothing....which is what made picking a team so amusing!

Please see my team selection below:
Edwin van der Sar - his name sounded South African
Wayne Bridge - one of my close friends' names is Bridget
John OShea - I like Irish people and his name sounds Irish
Christian Dailly - I am a Christian!
Michael Dawson - Dawson's Creek was my favourite TV series
Damien Duff - Hilary Duff is a cool chick
Luis Garcia - people with the surname Garcia are usually very good looking
Scott Parker - he has same initials as Sarah Jessica Parker so must have great taste in shoes
Thierry Henry - most expensive striker on the list and I always need a couple of good quality items
Juan Pablo Angel - I believe in angels
Peter Crouch - I got bored so I just moved my mouse around a bit and picked whoever it landed on

Although my selection methods may seem amateur, don't be fooled into thinking there isn't a deep underlying strategy.
I may not know much about managing a football team, but with a budget of £50million to spend, when it comes to shopping, I know my stuff!
Click here to join in the fun!

gone camping

I will be away for the next couple of days on a Hillsong youth summer camp. Those of you who know me can have your snigger now as you contemplate me with no place to plug in my hair straightener!
I will be the first to admit that I am not what you would label your typical 'happy camper' but I am focussing on the awesome time I will have away as opposed to sleeping in a tent on the hard, cold ground (you wouldn't be far off if you were comparing my situation to the story of 'The Princess and the Pea').
Undoubtedly, I will have a number of stories, on my return, of how I was attacked by nasty teenage boys with water-balloons and shaving cream.
Fun, fun....

"remember you are not a salmon"

Fellow chocolate connoisseurs may have noticed this completely random statement on their Kit Kat wrappers recently. I have contemplated it many times over the last few weeks, done some research and still can't seem to come up with a sensible theory.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Nestle for putting my mind at ease over a question that has been burning me on the inside for way too long: Am I or am I not a fish?

Any explanations are welcome!

Please see evidence (captured by groc, another amused consumer) on flickr.

old school photos

Feeling the urge to reminisce? The World School Photographs site is great. They found two pictures of me.
Where do they get them? And what was I thinking with that hair?
Ah, the good old nineties.

think before you click

I have been polite long enough! Today I received the same forwarded email FOUR times....and it wasn't even a good one. This has become a common occurrence of late and the real pain of the situation is that I was the original sender. It seems I had just been included every time it went around our intimate little email circle. Perhaps if I didn't think it was all that amusing in the first place, I shouldn't have sent it back out into cyberspace, but is this the price I pay for trying to bring a smile to the face of fellow '9-5ers'?

This state of affairs concerns me for a number of reasons:
1. It's just plain annoying
2. My friends have obviously not taken the time, like I do, to think about who in their life would truly appreciate that particular message and have just sent it to everyone on their 'mailing list'
3. Precious megabytes are being used from my work email quota and when I exceed my limit the IT department are likely to hunt me down and make me work overtime until I have slaved to pay it all back or even worse......block my internet account all together!! How would I then pass the time during the day?? This would be a true tragedy.
4. When I see that I have a new email I get so excited, only to realise that it is in fact one that I have already seen. Thereafter my elation turns to disillusionment and I am sad for a few moments as I get over my disappointment.

So this is my appeal to all those serial 'forwarders' in my world. Spare a thought for my sanity and 'think before you click'.

hop, skip and a jump

This is so much fun!! A friend from church, Sarah, suggested I check out the Racing Frogs website. What a sound piece of advice.
Every morning I log into my email with expectancy, hoping that my nurturing and training has paid off. My 'little froggy' has made a fantastic comeback!
Give it a try. It's bound to provide great entertainment until the novelty wears off.