Thursday, September 27, 2007

On the eve of her 33rd birthday…




… Carmi Carm is feeling a little contemplative.
I’ve been thinking about birthdays past and the kind of shizzle that normally goes down around that time (for me). Not so good, all of it.
When I was three my brother Dono was born a month or 2 before my birthday. It must have been quite a traumatic thing for me, because I actually still remember it! My earliest memory is of the night that my mom went into labour and went into hospital to squeeze Dono out. I remember that I was spending the night at my gran’s place. I was in my peach pajamas and safely tucked in for the night, when I heard my gran whisper to my grandad that mom was in hospital. I remember getting out of bed and walking barefoot to the kitchen on the cold floor and asking where mom was, and I remember my gran walking towards me and scooping me up to take me back to bed. Must’ve been a kak birthday with a new baby brother. My mom tells me that Dono didn’t sleep for the first few months of his life, ‘cos I basically stood outside his door and sang on top of my lungs to wake him up everytime he dozed off. I got lots of klaps for it, but it seemed worth it at the time. We’ve since grown to love each other. It took 30 years but we’re nearly there! (I was The Princess and he stole my limelight… WHAT?!!?!)
Then when I turned 7 we moved into our current house. Momentous. It was a spring filled with those bright gross locusts getting stuck to my clothes as we played in the freshly cleared area that was our yard… But 2 good things came out of that year. Well one good thing: Brendan, my baby brother, was born. (He’s still my baby and always will be! I hope he’s reading this, cos I really need a new bottle of D&G for my birthday. The last bottle he bought me is kaput. *snigger*) And I started school. Yuck.
My parents nearly called it quits ON my 21st birthday… On the actual DAY!
I survived typhoon season in Taiwan in the year that I was teaching English there… (I commuted to my 4 schools on a little bike the whole time the rain pelted down on me. I was just grateful that the rain mixed with the tears, so nobody could see how miserable I was…)
Last year I got kicked up the ass by my old workplace the day after my birthday.
And a week later my best cousin Lyn died in a car crash.
There have been lots of other little things along the way but those were the biggies.
It’s like… this year, I want to find a safe place to crawl into and just hide it out for a bit. I don’t mind getting older. It’s not about that. In fact, I love becoming more of a woman who knows who she is with each and every year. It’s the stuff I can’t control that’s freaking me out. Dumb, hey?
I suppose I could get drunk. (Stifled yawn.)
Or high. (SO 3 years ago.)
I could go dancing. But I do that everyday anyway.
I know what I want out of Life, but it gets quite frustrating waiting for it all to fall into place… My own place. Making the business a success. Financial independence. Lasting relationship/s… Sometimes birthdays can be a good time to enjoy looking back on how far you’ve come. Sometimes they’re just a shitty reminder that yet another year has past and you’re still singing the same old tune on a lot of the stuff you’ve been bitching about in the past.
This IS going to be a better birthday for me this year for a number of reasons… New someone in my life. Being with a great company and workmates. God and I are finally cool with each other, after me blaming Him for a lot of crap that I invited into my life… There are lots of cool things going on.
So what is this feeling?
Why won’t it go away?
i think I just need a whisky or seven. That should fix it!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

What can say, Durbz?!



How do you spend the perfect weekend in laid-back Durban? Easy…
Friday night you spend quality time with your hot man, just chilling after a strenuous long week.
Saturday night you start off by catching a live band (Love Jones), then you down a couple of giant margaritas at a popular hotspot (Bean Ban Bohemia) and finish the night off by busting out on the dancfloor at a gay club (The Lounge)… because noboby knows how to throw a party like The Gays!
Sunday you can spend with your family, playfully yelling foul language at the tv while you watch the cricket with your dad.
(Oh… and secretly dream of your hot man.)

Monday, September 10, 2007

Sunday = decadence



Even though I was completely tired from my dad's party, I refused to let Sunday go by without doing something special... So I opted for pure indulgence and decadence! Strawberries and cream for breakfast. Chocolate mousse for lunch. A good, refreshing glug of berry juice every-so-often. Afternoon sunshine on my face. Good company to make me smile...
Every Sunday should be this way.

What a jorl! Birthday parties rock… the party!



This Saturday the 8th was my dad’s 60th birthday fat massive jorl at the racecourse. (I mentioned it a couple of blogs ago.) What a day and night!
I had to do a speech on behalf of my mom and brothers. Here it is. I think it says everything…
Good evening everyone!
Thanks for joining us as we celebrate the birthday of a really special dude… My dad, Eric! But you know that already…
I’m quite surprised that dad asked me to speak today. I thought he would have asked the favourite, who shall remain nameless (Donovan!), but I think the favourtie was wise enough to buy his way out of the speech thing will a really expensive gift! Nice one Dono!
What can I say about dad that you don’t know? What you see is what you get! The happy, funny good-guy that all of you see, is the same happy, funny good-guy we know at home! People often ask me it it’s weird working with your own dad… and I have to say, no! Not at all! It’s an absolute pleasure! Everyone loves him! Dad has the power to lift the mood in any room the moment he walks in! With or without his guitar! He’s just joined us at publicaddress as our production manager and I know he’s going to bring that same awesome energy with him when he starts.
Mom and dad have made such a great home for us that none of us have actually managed to leave! Every-so-often the space gets a little cramped and one of us might bugger off for a few months, but in no time at all we’re back… Much to mom and dad’s dismay! Who would pass up the free weekly car washes and awesome sunday breakfasts?!??! That’s just crazy!
And if there’s one thing that dad brought to our home in his own unique way, it’s got to be music. My childhood memories are of the 5 of us cooking sunday lunch, in time to whatever was blaring out of the livingroom hi-fi. I think Dono, Bren and I knew the words to Bohemian Rhapsody before we could do eensy-weensy-spider! (Rock out!) It was an awesome childhood that I know both mom and dad worked really hard to give us. Thanks dad! I don’t know how you find the strength to work a normal 9 to fiver, go to church 3 nights a week for choir practise etc , and still have the power to rock the party a couple of nights a week with band practise and the gigs! It’s mental, but you do it. No questions asked! So I say, thank you for the music. The songs you’re singing… Thanks for all the joy they’re bringing… Hey! Why does that sound familiar? Brendan, having released an album in Taiwan will tell you that he’s the most talented of the lot, but I think not! Nursery rhyms may have made him big in Japan, but I say he’s still an unknown here.
Dad you’ve spoilt the three of us rotten! You’re always in the background, quietly taking care of stuff. I think this year was the first time I actually put my new license disk onto the car by myself! Normally the reminder arrives, money changes hands, and the disk materialises on the windscreen almost by magic! In fact, if you search Brendan’s bag right now you’ll find his disk still neatly folded in an envelope waiting for dad to work his magic! And that’s dad…
Dad, I just wanna take this opportunity to wish you the best ever 60th birthday on behalf of Jeana, Dono, Brend, Beena (the cat) and myself… I hope you’re blessed with a ga-jillion ba-jilllion more, cos we really couldn’t do without you. We’ll always love you.
Have a fat massive jorl tonight! You deserve it!
Happy birthday!

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

My CheriBeri knows just how to make me smile…

I got up feeling so strong and together this morning, but as the hours wore on, I couldn’t help but feel a little bleak. Well… More than a little bleak. The Guy and I hit a bit of a speed bump and I wasn’t dealing very well.
So my breast friend Cheri decided to meet me for lunch... ALL the way from Hillcrest. I’m in Umhlanga… You can’t COMPREHEND just how far that is unless you live in KZN. And she had to drive all the way back to her desk… AND she bought me this gorgeous bunch of flowers to cheer me up.



I love you Cheri… I want to have your baby some day. But that will really wreck my body, so how about I just hold your baby that you have with someone else someday. Just for a few minutes. Nothing too involved.

I’m probably gonna get sued for this, but I couldn’t be bovv’ed!

I just have to share with you this license plate that I passed the other day…



It says “NOBHOPE”. I’m pretty sure it’s a Zulu surname or first name or something, but in English, I read it as “Nob Hope”.
WAAAAH HA HA HA HA HAAA!
Come on, man! You HAVE TO find that funny…
As I overtook the young chicky who was driving the car, I gave her a little smile to say:
Yeah, chicky! As a fellow woman, I can relate… I think most of us chicks live in a constant state of Nob Hope, ie the hope that some kind gentleman will put a smile on your dial with some serious SERIOUS nobbing.
WAAAAH HA HA HA HA HAAA!
Too funny for words…

My ballie is officially 60, guys!

How cool is that?
Dad turned 60 on the 30th August and we’re having the biggest birthday bash EVER for him on Saturday (8th September) at the Racecourse. It’s gonna be so cool! Because my dad is a musician, they’ll be loads of muse-o’s there, so there’ll be live music and lots of dancing. I can’t wait! My dress is an absolute KNOCKOUT! (Let’s just say I won’t be eating any cheese or carbz for the next few days… LOL!) I’ll make sure that the photographer takes loads of kiff pics for my blog and facebook. Here are a couple of pics from the sushi lunch we had for his birthday at the John Dory’s (Gateway)…
My mom and dad…



My hot brother, Brendan…



And the beautiful sushi bar.