Don't Fade, Faders!!!

As most of you who know me would know about the word that is loved by a few and hated by many.... Fade! I feel that this word is greatly misunderstood and it is my responsibility to take you back to school on this topic.

Fading is the verb, the noun is fader, and the adjective is fade. For example, "You are such a fader; your fading was done in true fade style".

Now, many people have different definitions of the word fade and I guess that is where the problem comes for those who are not well versed in the colloquial terms of the ebonic demographic.... So I'll help by giving you a general but not a totally exclusive definition of a fade. You have a fade when you have an expectation of a commitment and when that commitment is not fulfilled! The ambiguity arises in the definition of specific commitments as this is a very subjective parameter, as what maybe a commitment to one may not be a commitment to the next person but that person can is still qualified to be a fader. Fading is only judged by the person that used the word. For instance if someone calls you a fader because you have not fulfilled a commitment then you are a fader, whether or not you recognise that commitment or not!

While this may be a difficult concept for many to grasp once you get it you will hold on to it and use it any opportunity you have (LOL)... what is the moral of this random story? Just get with it and learn. People fear what they don't understand and hate what they can't conquer. All you haters out there, unfortunately this term is not going to fade. And since you can't beat us join us! (LOL!!!!)

Tales of a Blessed Man

Long time no see.... It has been a while since I've visited the land of blog!!! What can I say? Lots had been happening in my life since I last posted.... I had my computer die and come back from the grave all by itself, ran a 10 km race, went camping in the height of winter hiking 20 km through semi-raw wilderness, went ice skating for the first time, went salsa dancing, watched my first opera, saw a Motown show, had a return of a long lost friend, said goodbye to a few, struggled through a few things, laughed hard, had truck loads of revelations and found something really beautiful....

While I'd like to tell all those stories right now I think I'll savour them and slowly, relive some of these experiences again via my blog. All I can say is that I am truly alive and well! Enjoying life! Emersing myself in the blessing of living, of painting the portrait of my life and living it the way I want to remember it, continually on the search for something new! Seeing beauty in the mundane as well as the majestic.

The tales of a blessed man, coming soon....

Something SO Beautiful

Have you been on the top of a hill early in the morning and had the view obstructed by the fog? You know that somewhere through that cloudiness there is a beautiful view, something spectacular waiting to be seen. Often that fog doesn’t disappear all at once, it clears slowly as the sun rises until it is all, eventually, revealed! God has cleared the fog from my view! Now all I see is something Beautiful!

All This For A Piece of Paper

I am not one to go against the value of a good education but recently I had been thinking about what the point is of getting an education, and more specifically a university degree. It is weird how society puts such a high value on a piece of paper that you get after years of hard work and toil! As some of you might, or might not know, I graduated on the 17^th of April. And while I was very happy to be finally walking on stage to receive a piece of paper (that probably cost the university 20 cents to make) wearing ridiculous robes and a totally impractical hat, I couldn’t help but ask myself if this was worth the 20000 plus grand spent.

I really battled myself over this one… As most of you know, I’ve been now working in my first graduate job for about two months now and I have to say everyday I have been learning something new. The sad thing is I use very little of the knowledge I learnt from uni. So I have to wonder what the point is if I could have come straight from high school into my current position and just learnt on the job from there. Is there a need for people with degrees and does the fact that you have a degree make you a better option than someone without one?

Well… I have to admit that a degree is no way to judge someone in terms of ability and suitability, for some jobs. Meanwhile having a degree is a powerful tool. While the knowledge you gain from uni may or may not help you in your future career it is still invaluable. You see, the thing I learnt about university is that it is not so much about all the knowledge you acquire but, it is about how you think. Universities breed thinkers, people willing to challenge status quo. University is not there to fill your mind with other people’s options but rather teach you to develop your own. Not only through lectures and tutorials but through intellectual interaction with your peers.

This is what I valued about uni. All the different people I met from different culture, nations, religions and backgrounds. That is something many people who didn’t go to uni didn’t get the pleasure of experiencing because many get caught up in their small worlds and never venture out from there. University life is a world of its own where different worlds clash and seamlessly blend into one. Uni is more than assignments, tests, lectures, exams and holidays, it’s a learning and growing experience! I guess if you ask me now, in retrospect, whether I thought uni was worth it, I’d probably simply say, “It was the best time of my life!”

Drive on the Left, in Australia

I’ve had the pleasure of having my family over in Australia for the last 2 weeks, for my graduation. It was their first visit to Australia and I have to say, I had one of the best times of my life. While we didn’t do really exciting and adventurous things it was a really surreal and mind blowing experience. This trip I can say was an eye opener for me. I hadn’t seen my parents and brother for about a year and half so even though we had kept in contact for that time we still had a lot of catching up to do.

For the first time we were a complete family again staying under the same roof, under the wing of my father. While he was still the boss, he was in my territory. This really affected the family dynamic in a weird way because I was leading the family. I decided what we did and when and how! A total paradigm shift! At the end of it I guess my dad and I left with a new level of respect for each other. I respect him because I know how difficult and scary it is to run a family and he respects me because of the way I lead and the person I have become, who is so different to the person that they last saw! For me that was my biggest breakthrough I had over the short time we spent together. I thank God for that time!!!

Apart from that we all had a really good opportunity to let our hair down! I honestly felt I was on holiday with them. Totally got to see a different side to Melbourne, a side you don’t see when you are caught up in the day to day things of life. For instance, I actually leisurely enjoyed a tram ride! Yeah I did! How weird!?! Not having a timetable and a place to be felt so… uncomfortable, at first, but liberating at the end. We walked the streets and saw the beauty of it, laughed the whole way through doing groceries at Safeway and actually talked to each other while we were in elevators with other people! LOL!

It was an experience I would not trade for anything!!!