Make me an Instrument

I just realised how busy November has been,since I only blogged twice in the entire month!The life of a working class gal.Our manager jokingly(or not) referred to the waiters as "slaves".Presently,I reminded him that the last indentured slaves were emancipated in 1834(almost 200 years ago)That seemed to deter him from making any further comments about our apparent slave status.Work is steedily becoming interesting and fun,but now that I ardently seek to make some money(not in an avaricious way,it is just a discouraging to stand the whole day without any purpose to my work),my tables never fill up.It will more than likely change in season time,but at the moment I am glad that I have the day off tomorrow to relax and clear my head.

In other news,there is nothing particularily.My life revolves around work currently,or lack thereof may be more apt.I seem to be fighting with my family whenever I get home.I despise it so,they think I am be stubborn whereas I am just exhausted and I unintentionally make them angry.God has been good,blessing me with a job,I just don't want to become self-absorbed.Things can only improve from here.All I can say ,is that I hope the Lord makes me an instrument to use for His glory at work and that I portray His goodness at all times.I want to bless those around me.I do sometimes fall short of the benchmark,but He is there to catch me.

"I work for the bla bla with a license to bla."

It's been awhile since I graced my own blog.Life has been hectic of late and I am perpetually tired and listless.But I am honing my skills as a waitress and I no longer feel so overwhelmed.
I have been waitressing on the floor for an entire week now,and so far it hasn't been overtly taxing.I wrote my waitressing test last Monday and I got 91%,so I was very pleased and my role play with the manager went extremely well.I am starting to have fun now and going to work everyday is less daunting now that I know the procedures and what is expected of me.Most days I see a customer in the restaurant that I know and that makes my day because it's a familiar face and everyone is keen to support Barracudas if they know an employee there.


Today is my parents 25th wedding anniversary.It is so encouraging to me.My parents are a wonderful example to me of a godly and loving relationship and I hope in the future to reach such a milestone when I myself get married.Their day was splendid.A trip to wine-estate,a delectable picnic,some mementos from the wine-estate,a delicious coffee cake upon their arrival home and then a funny action movie to end off the evening.What a wonderful way to spend such a momentous occasion with the one you love!


The movie,incidentally,was where I appropriated my title from.The movie centres around a dour but beautiful women vacationing in Nice,France with her overbearing parents.She meets this handsome young man and they begin their romance with it culminating in their betrothal.In their third year of marriage,she discovers that he is a professional assassin and there is 20 million dollar bounty on his head.When she furiously confronts him after an intense car chase and eventually death of one of the assassins demanding to know who he works for,he says,"I work for the bla bla with a license to bla."It was an hilarious moment in the movie and one of the best lines.I apologise for the un-inventive title,alas,my head cannot conjure up a more apt title for my blog post.


Enough for now.Ciao.

Much Ado about...Everything

This past week alone has been very eventful...
We went away for the weekend to help serve ladies on a homeschooling moms retreat.It was very both tiring and rewarding at the same time.The location was beautiful and we took many photos....

Before we left on Friday,I got a job working as a waitress at a new restaurant called Baracudas.I started this week on Tuesday,and so far it has been fun and exhausting!I much to learn and haven't as yet started working as a fully-fledged waitress by myself.I have to be trained first.I have to shadow a more experienced waitron and will work in bar,the pass(kitchen jargon for standing in the kitchen learning dishes) and in the kitchen itself in both the hot kitchen(where hot meals are prepared) and the cold kitchen(where cold dishes are prepared)I work long hours without food or rest but I know it will all be worth it when I get my first paycheck.Thank you Lord for giving me a way to save up for college and potentially my own car...

I wear a pristine uniform(A white and turquoise blue collared golf shirt,black pants,black shoes and a white apron armed with two black dinner service cloths,a white polishing cloth,a blue cleaning cloth,three pens,a calculator,a docket book,cash float and a wine opener) At this present moment,I don't have all the equipment,it will be issued to me when I am on the floor(Jargon for waitressing)Every piece is deducted out of my final paycheck at the end of the month.Boo hoo...This job is tough,there is a high standard to maintain and the managers can be very strict.Watch this space for more exciting news.

My day was made complete upon receiving my acceptance letter from UCT.I am officially going to college next year!Oh yeah.So thus far hath the Lord help me,he has made a path for me in every avenue I chose.What a great and mighty God we serve!

Weekend...

This past weekend was completely frivolous ,but I couldn't imagine a better way to spend it.
On Saturday morning,I awoke to the steady pulse of rain falling,much to my dismay.I was undeterred and got dressed in my bikini,a gray T-shirt and denim shorts.I was determined to go to Springtide,whatever the weather.I made cupcakes for the occasion,iced with them with chocolate icing and sprinkled dark chocolate on top.My best friend Bianca arrived to the finish the task of making our scrumptious picnic,then we were off.We met our friends at the bottom of Ou Kaapse Weg,several of them arriving in an array of outfits ranging from warm winter clothes complete with a scarf to dresses and leggings to T-shirts,shorts and bare legs(myself).


Then came debacle of placing people in cars.One Toyota Yaris.One BMW.One Peugeot 206CC.Five girls.Six guys.It seemed as if everyone had left their brains behind,because lo and behold 3 guys clamber to squash themselves into the the Peugeot(A small sports car to say the least) leaving the remaining girls and younger guys with ample room in the other two cars!We travelled in the BMW with myself,Donna,Bianca and Jaco as the driver.We followed James,driving the Peugeot,with Louis and Nathan,and Chelsey,driving the Yaris,with Chelsea,Sam and Yonan.They were mediocre naviagtors to say the least,but strangely enough we were the last to arrive.


We had to walk from George(according to Bianca) to get to the beach.It didn't help matters that Jaco was a mile ahead while I lagged behind,carrying cumbersome bags.Finally,we supposedly get to the rendezvous point with the others,but they are nowhere to be found!We phone them again,this time they say they are by Nandos,so we walk there,still no sign of them.We walk back to the bathrooms,look around,nobody is there.We phone them again,then we they say they are walking towards on the pavement,however,there are pavemenst on both sides of the road.Finally,we spot them walking towards us.I was beside myself with exhaustion at this point.Presently,we found a little spot on the beach and got settled there.The weather,you may ask?It was stunning.Sunny,hot and not a breath of wind.Was the scarf  necessary?Hell no.


The day was wonderful.Donna,Bianca and myself ventured towards the water,and wet our feet...It was freezing!I wanted to cool off though,so I tentatively inched deeper until a big wave almost knocked me over.Everyone in our group was watching me,but I didn't know this,so I gaily plodded foward,completely oblivious to people's eyes on my back.It was kind of intimidating to think about it afterwards.I was just wearing a pink polka-dot bikini and white shorts.But apparently they wanted someone to come in and give me a hug to knock me over into the water,because I was taking too long!Please...None of them were brave to swim,not even the boys!That plan never came to fruition.Pity though.Depended on who they were sending out...


Later one we had Death by Chocolate ice-creams.They.were.so.good!After we had had our fill of the sand and sun,we came home.Bianca and I got Valentine's Day out from the DVD shop.We came home and showered to get rid of all the sand and salty air that made us feel sticky.Following that,we made a card for our school friend whose mom had just passed away.A supper of tortillas and mince commenced,followed by a dessert of strawberries and cream.We watched the DVD in our pyjamas,with blankets and sweets as our companions.The movie was very sweet,but the disc was badly scratched,so we missed large chunks of it,but I already watched so I was able to fill in the missing parts.Bed was calling after our long day in the sun and we gladly heeded its call.After chatting extensively in our beds,we dozed off to sleep at midnight.


I awoke early on Sunday morning.I had had very little sleep,but it was still excited to go to church.After a short spell of titivating and our regular morning victuals,we went to church.Worship was incredible and I think it moved many people.I didn't stay in for the service as I was helping Donna with children's church.Bianca elected to come with us.The kids were really cute albeit rambunctious,and it was busy but rewarding time.Later after a hasty and delicious lunch of cocktail rolls,vegetables,salad and chicken,us girls (Donna,Bianca and myself) went to watch Charlie St.Cloud at the movies.It was kind of sad but still an inspiring movie.Bianca's friend Ali joined us for the movie and afterwards we went to Mug'n Bean to chat.I ordered a half slice of lemon meringue pie,Donna;a Horlicks milkshake,Ali;a Horlicks and Bianca;A slice of chocolate cake.It was all delicious.We said our farewells and Bianca came back to my house.We chatted outside in the sun in our bikinis until her mom arrived.


Omelettes was the order of the day for supper.Simone and I then went to the evening church service at the Baptist Church.It was an amazing time of worship and an incredible message was preached.The perfect end to the perfect weekend...

Monday....

Back from our weekend jaunt to Barrydale and arriving home in abysmal weather,I was never more glad to return home.The torrential rain and gale force wind were frightfully strong and I prayed the whole way home for safe travels.Our weekend away however was a lovely,relaxing moment in time.The drive to Barrydale on Friday was surprising short and we arrived in time for afternoon tea.A supper of homemade burgers with onion rings and salad followed,accompanied by a hilarious pantomine put on by the Barrydale Amateur Dramatic Society.The pantomine was based on the fairytale story of Sleeping Beauty,adapted to fit the quirky characters of "Barrydalia" and was thus a huge success.The soup and rolls served in the interval were delicious and the community feel and look of the play was really wonderful to witness.Saturday's pace was slow and laid-back.Breakfast, every morning, was a hearty bowl of oats and several slices of toast and strawberry jam, served with juice.
After breakfast,we meandered into the town for a small dose of retail therapy.

Simone and I then prepared a gourmet lunch as part of Simone's hospitality studies.It was absolutely delectable.Therafter we had short siesta.In the late afternoon sun,Simone took some photos of me.It must be noted that I am not a particularily photogenic person and I am not often inclined to have photos taken of me,but the surroundings were so beautiful and the weather was so perfect,so I consented.I think she did a stellar job too.We read the rest of the evening and partook of a wonderful supper of roasted vegetables,chicken and rice.Upon the completion of dinner,my sister and I took our leave and headed to bed to read our books.Sunday dawned and we had a leisurely start yet again.Most of the morning we relaxed and read some more.I gazed out our bedroom window and I was struck at the way trees yielded to the winds force.The leaves were dancing and it almost seemed as if they were raising their branches in praise.It reminded me of that song that says,"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."It was a special moment for me as it reminded me of God's soverignty and power in creating the heavens and the earth.Lunch that afternoon consisted of ciabatta rolls,boerewors,chicken kebabs,salad,beetroot.My siblings and I watched TV(hilarious Disney channel programmes)while my parents and Graham and Beulah(family friends who own the farm we were staying on) chatted after lunch over a bowl of amazing home-made ice-cream.In short,we had an excellent time away on the farm.Thank Lord for providing the oppurtunity!

Off to Barrydale

Today was a fairly uneventful day.I tutored Maths in the morning,came home and ate lunch at 10:30!(It was unbelievable how hungry we all were...)Later in the afternoon we had a homeschooling family come to our house so we could outline to them how the SATS exams work and detail what the exams entail.It was fairly pleasant but entirely too long.Eventually,we baked brownies and lemon delight cheesecake for my mom's bookclub tonight.The aroma of said brownies is wafting up the stairs as I type.I do so love chocolate brownies....I had to rush to complete the book I was currently reading before my mom's bookclub was due to begin.(Each lady has a turn to host it monthly;today is my mom's chance)


In other news,we are heading down the trail to a quaint farming community of Barrydale tomorrow.We have friends there who own a magnificent farm which has several,lovely self-catering cottages.Our family last visited them in June,the last pitstop in our journey home from Mozambique.I was busy preparing for my SATS exams,which were mere days away,and consequently didn't have the oppurtunity to socialise and relax as much as I would have desired.This weekend will provide such an oppurtunity.Sometimes it is wonderful to get away from the monotony of our ordinary schedule and just enjoy the ebb and flow of a quieter existence.I hope to use the time to gain direction for my life and perspective and ask of Father what He would have me do in the coming days to glorify Him.I am grateful for the oppurtunity for my parents to relax after all the hard work and effort they have put into renovating the house.I sincerely hope that my siblings will enjoy the time away too.My sister works every Saturday so it will be a well-deserved break for her.Off to pack....

Many a Word

Yesterday,a group of my friends & I gathered together to play Scrabble.For starters,we were playing Scrabble in Mug n Bean(a coffee shop),not the most conspicious of places.And,secondly,our regular spot,cleverly chosen for its inconspicious traits(it is well hidden from curious and amused bystanders)was taken up by a single patron.I mean,really.He was one person!We had a group of seven people.Eventually the old geyser moved along.I mean,he probably didn't have that long left to live anyway,and it was smooth sailing from there onwards.Or so I thought.

I will be the first to admit,I can be slightly competitive at times.Especially when it comes to Scrabble.If you are gifted with words,you will understand this sentiment.So I when I took an early lead,I was elated.However,it seemed that I was outwitted by puny words placed strategically for optimal points by a person who was entirely intoxicated with coffee,thereby increasing his brain power(supposedly).I came in close second.Naturally,it was disappointing as the last time I won twice.Nevertheless,I took it in my stride.I mean,it was purely the inconceivable amount of coffee Aaron consumed that gave him such an advantage.Pffft,I wish.Then it was on to a rather banal game of Uno,where I also placed second.In short,it was a fun evening,filled with much spillage of coffee,an intense game of Scrabble and a lot of made up words.The very definition of fun...not.

Here at Last

I didn't think at the beginning of this day that I would accomplish all I had set out to do.Yet,here I am.A fully-fledged blogger,so to speak,Naturally,my blog could use a little tweaking...well,everywhere!Nevertheless,with the kind(?) assistance of my loving(?) sister(a blogger herself),my blog is more or less up and running.As of yet,I haven't decided whether this is merely a personal online journal or something I wish my friends and family to view and enjoy.I think I will eventually come to the place of allowing it to be a public blog,but for now I am honing my blogging skills on private,so as to not appear foolish and inept :) I am excited that I chose to set up a place for expression of thoughts.I am rather lazy when it comes to written journals surprisingly enough.Here is to perseverance!