Surfing for a Nelson - Earth Wave 2012

111. That was the number to attain a Guinness World Record on Sunday 30th September at Muizenberg Beach in Cape Town. The record was for the "most surfers riding the same wave" and it was South Africas' 5th attempt. Little did I know that the event, known globally as Earthwave, has grown to epic proportions with not just a world record attempt, but loads of competitions, events and general beach playfulness.

Arriving late (as only a Capetonian knows how), I managed to squeeze in a parking and suit up relatively quickly. I hadn't surfed in ages, but I wasn't going to miss this. With my backpack,  hula hoop, surfboard and a ridiculous grin I headed through the throngs to find my camp of fellow hoopers. By the time I got down there, they had had a good first attempt - time was not to be wasted! I headed into the water and was pleasantly surprised when my toes didn't shrink into themselves. Getting out to the back line with my 6'6" was easy enough, dodging the long boards was not. I was in for the next two attempts which were the best ones - as spoken by the very generous MC of the event.

There was a beautiful uproar from the beach as we started paddling and the scene was set for a few seconds of unified glory. The water itself was amassed with hordes of black-suited human seals, schooled into a wavering line and waiting for the prompt from the MC of, "Paddle, paddle, Go, Go, Go!! This is the one!!" Thankfully the NSRI had our backs, cruising beyond the breakers for any signs of our toothy underwater friends.

I actually managed to get on the final wave, if only for a few seconds before a comrade fell and hit my board with what sounded like his head. Being a good lad, I dropped out to check if he was okay. No blood, just a sour face. I headed in after catching a few more little waves and was amazed at how many people were still in for the long haul. A beach party it truly was. We didn't make the Earthwave Guinness World Record and got a fair shot of 84 surfers on one wave. Next year will come and this time, I'll be early with a long board.

Pecha Kucha Cape Town Episode 20

The Assembly as I have never seen it before - masses of people ushering themselves up the stairs and into the main stage area populated by white plastic armless chairs. The buzz and chatter is that of a theatre waiting for the curtains to open. I take a gander at the seated area and quickly realise the open chairs are in fact reserved for friends of the seated. Moving to the bar, I find many standers and the almost invisible paper sign stating "Cash Bar Only." Bummer. Water it is tonight, which doesn't go without the accompanied vexed look from the barman - but who's to say he isn't just hungover? I let it slide. 

I find a stair seat and upon placing my thin arse down, I realise my butt cheeks will not survive the night. This is of little consequence however, as I came to see what Pecha Kucha is all about. I will be deterred by nothing. Except a bomb scare or rotten milk. Looking out over the crowd I recognise absolutely no-one. I am quite surpleased (surprised and pleased - its my blog I can make up words if I deem it necessary) at this. As more people with the need for random information filter in, the chairs, stairs and standers get more and more tightly mashed together. Soon I can smell at least four different perfumes around me. And I'm loving it.

The night starts with Dave Cotton, in what I assume to be his usual crazy self, thanking sponsors and introducing all the organizers and helpers for the evening. He warms up with a video of the Founders, Astrid Klein and Mary Dytham, who made a short clip to congratulate Cape Town on their 20th Pecha Kucha. Full of energy and excitement, they explain that Pecha Kucha, pronounced something like pe-cha-cha, is Japanese for chatter or the buzz of chatter. Very apt. Crazy geniuses are the most fun. After this, Assembly Radio Speaker dude steps up and announces himself presenter of the presenters.

The presenters are only 8 in number. We are informed there was a last minute pull out. No names, no matter, the show must go on. I wont keep up with the laborious details of each speaker but more the ones that really stood out. For me it was, in no particular order and by my own calling: 

- The Hip Hop Guy 

- The Colombian 

- Ultimate: The Game is On.

The Hip Hop Guy suffuses the crowd with anticipation after his first line, "My name is Jerome Rex and I am a long time lover... (adequate pause for laughter)... of Hip Hop." He moves swiftly with "keen lyrical agility™" (his words) through the basic history and different aspects of Hip Hop Culture. This entails DJ-ing/turntablism, graffiti, break dancing and rap/emceeing. Between the focused eyes, he slides in a quick verse in Afrikaans to the whoops of delight from a bunch of girls to my right. I'm sure they are the only ones who actually understood it. The representation he brings to the stage is about Hip Hop as a performance art, not just a a style of music. As he closes he speaks with passion about his passion and the good it can do. I am relieved to not hear anything about 50Cent. 

Check out his styles www.jerome-rex.blogspot.com.

I am surprised and informed to hear from Ultimate: The Game is On that Ultimate Frisbee has been taken down as the name of the sport, as Frisbee is a brand make of a disk. Much like Kleenex or Lil Lets. That is a bad analogy in case you didn't notice. So here is the run down of Ultimate:

The game itself was started, and I quote the speaker Ryan Purcell, "... by a bunch of hippies throwing a disc around and making up rules as they went." Well said and most likely very true. For me, the biggest bonus about this sport is that you can have co-ed teams. It's a spectator sport everyone can enjoy. Another very different aspect is the players on both sides adhere to a code of honour - Spirit of the Game™. The game is to be played in good spirits from both sides and is entirely non contact. The clincher to this code of honour? No referee. (At this point a mass enstartlement ensued throughout the audience with hushed whispers of, "A game without a ref?!") The players work out any goals or penalties among themselves, taking into account the level at which they are playing.

Ryan, who is the trainer of the National Team, really does have a passion for the sport. As he sheds some light on an otherwise unknown sport and invites everyone to join in, I find myself allured to the disk now in his hand... like a Border Collie.

See the latest and greatest of the game http://japan2012.southafricanultimate.co.za/

And now The Colombian. Full name Marcela Guerrero Casas. Born and raised in Colombia, she moved to Cape Town in 2006 and fell in love with the Mother City (don't they all?). Even though she is the second speaker, I am enthralled. She is one of the most hard hitting speakers because of her true enthusiasm for Open Streets: 

In the 60's in Columbia a group of locals were getting fed up with the traffic, so they took to the streets one Sunday and occupied a whole stretch of it for a number of hours. After this, the Open Streets movement grew. Today, on that same road in Columbia, over 1 million people gather every Sunday to walk, cycle, exercise, play, explore, integrate and just have loads of fun. And It has grown into a worldwide movement. Look at the recent Occupy movements or even our very own 2010 World Cup. These can all be seen as Open Streets movements. They are happening all around the world and are consistently growing. The concept, she tells us with a smile to light the room, is not only to reduce the carbon footprint. It is to create a healthy space for recreational activities that link communities and foster social integration. I start to really feel her now. I understand the vision and I am truly moved by it. I think to myself, "Cape Town needs this." 

Open Streets has a long way to go in South Africa. However in Cape Town, she is planning her first Open Street in November. The date is yet to be set, but this project guarantees to be a monumental starting point for community driven collaboration. She leaves the stage to a mass of applause and even a few people standing, these simple words ringing in my heart, "Community driven happiness."

Join in the fun and get prepared marcela@openstreets.co.za

As the last speaker finishes and the Assembly Radio dude grabs the mike once more i find myself slightly disillusioned at the prospect that this is only going to happen again in November. It is far too long to wait to hear my fellow brothers and sisters opening themselves up to an appreciative audience. The crowd crams their way down the stairs (which I think is a bit unnecessary since we all just had such a good time) as I wait to chat briefly with Dave Cotton. Hence why I know he is his usual crazy self. Thanks for being you Dave. I wait a little longer for the majority of the crowd to disperse and take my time to head out doors, head spinning with fresh ideas and nuances made clear.

Talking to myself whilst making Soup

I made a flock of soup the other day. I use flock because it did fly everywhere when I blended and it then took roost in a number of different homes. So here is my recipe for a soup of delicious proportions, depending on the portions:

Needs
1 Large Pot
1 Stove Plate, gas or electric (if this isn't available, build a fire)
1 Sharp Knife (bigger, in this case, is better)
1 Chopping Board
1 Blender (in which case electricity is necessary so nevermind about the fire)
1 Large Container
1 Pair of Hands, minimum seven fingers total (opposable thumbs a necessity)
1 Constant Feeling of Love

Ingredients (NB: Quantities vary according to your own particular taste - experiment!)
Onions
Garlic
Butternut
Potatoes
Carrots
Ginger
Chilli
Butter
Oil (Olive preferably)
Water

Method
1. Using Pair of Hands, place Large Pot onto Stove Plate and fill about halfway with Water. Put generous amount of Butter and less generous amounts of Oil into Large Pot. Turn Stove Plate onto medium heat
2. Using Pair of Hands, Sharp Knife and Chopping Board, skin the Onions and Garlic. With Carrots, Potatoes, Butternut, Ginger and Water, you can leave the skin on. Its healthier and adds to the flavour.
3. Using the afore mentioned tools, fine chop the Ginger with Constant Feeling of Love (its a deep root so more flavour is released if its open)
4.  Again with the same tools, chop everything else into fair size chunks with Constant Feeling of Love
5. Chuck it all into Large Pot and place lid on. Say, "Thank you."
6. Allow to simmer for 2-3 hours.

INTERVAL 

During this period you may want to relax and read a book. Perhaps a meditation is in order. Or better yet, use your valuable time to come up with something that no one else has ever done before, phone a few friends and start a business. Remember to use Constant Feeling of Love.

INTERVAL 

7. Taste test by tasting watery substance in pot. If you like, then turn off Stove Plate and allow to cool. If you don't like, add some more of what you do like and follow step 5, 6 and 7.
8. Using Pair of Hands, add sectioned amounts into Blender and place lid on Blender. Turn Blender on.
9. Blend until you think its right (once again experiment with chunky or smooth!). Pour resultant goodness into Large Container.
10. Enjoy immediately, save some for me or as shown below.

Distance Learning: A Culture for the 21st Century

Twenty years ago the world of computers and the internet was largely unknown. Yes there were the creators and designers of software and hardware that were slaving away and creating a basis for what we take for granted today. The majority of the population however, was computer illiterate. Less than 10 years later, desktop computers were a must have for the home and office. This sharp increase of development in such a short period of time has not happened before in human history. But if you have internet access, you probably already knew that.

The Information Age has brought with it a not seen before benefit in the realm of personal development (in a broad sense of the phrase). Whether you want to learn about history, the arts, politics, dieting or how to train your dog, the internet has it. So with all this free information why is it that people mostly shy away from online or correspondence learning? Perhaps it is that we learnt from a classroom platform at school and it is ingrained in us that the best way to learn is directly from teacher to pupil. Or perhaps we find it difficult to motivate ourselves to study from home. Whatever the reason, the concept of distance learning is, for most people, a foreign one.

I will delve into one region of studies for a moment. Metaphysics. Or, if you prefer, esoteric studies. Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy that unravels the seen and unseen forces that govern our lives. It holds very similar values to that of life coaching or life training in that it teaches us self development above all else. This is by far one of the tougher regions of study as the subject is you. As I’m sure you are aware, sometimes you don’t want to know what causes your anger or frustration. You just get on with it.

It becomes even more difficult when you study self development via distance learning. It means that every time you get stuck, you don’t have a teacher or lecturer to answer your question. You are given a certain time period to finish your course but are seldom given a guideline as to the pace you should be working. Most frustrating is that once you have bought or signed up for your course, there is very little or no contact from the institution. There is little wonder then that the growth of distance learning is so slow. A study published in 2011 by the U.S. Department of Education found that “From 2000 to 2008, the percentage of undergraduates enrolled in at least one distance learning class expanded from 8 percent to 20 percent, and the percentage enrolled in a distance learning degree program increased from 2 percent to 4 percent.”

With metaphysics, there are a few institutions who are coming up to speed with the times.  One such place is MetaVarsity. They offer all their courses predominantly via distance learning and have taken initiative in restructuring their distance learning program. They provide one on one facilitators through whom questions can be answered. This facilitator is assigned to the learner personally and is with the learner throughout the course. They also provide a study plan that gives a definite guideline as to how much time should be spent on different chapters. Most notably they provide online tutorials which is an online class based environment. With this in mind, MetaVarsity has a distance learning completion rate of 55% for the self development courses. This may not seem like a high number, but when compared to a study by the U.S. Department of Education from 2007/2008 it was found that less than 20% of students who studied distance learning completed their entire course.

Beyond the steady uphill battle of distance learning that institutes face, as a safe and secure option of study, there are the traditionalists who would say, “There is no school like the old school.” And they may be right. Distance learning is different. But its not anything to be afraid of. If you have the will to study, then you will study. It is that simple. No matter if you choose distance learning or campus based, you will study and find your own path of personal development.

Self Criticism

Yes, I know. The last post was in November and I promised an insight into the dream I had. I haven tread over that dream, nor I have I bothered to write anything besides. I will not give the reasons for this as, if you have the time to scroll through the 7 odd posts i have, it is quite clear why.

I dislike being held to something that someone else has told me. And that includes myself.

I like to wallow in my own self pity, ingratiated by the fact that pitiful is as pitiful does.

My overall stance on the subject of criticism is that everyone does it. Its anothe form of judgement which has become rudely acceptable in todays world. If you want to good at something, then other peoples opinions matter. If you think you are awesome, then chances are you probably are awesome. But only to yourself. The rest of the world either doesnt know you or couldnt care less. 

We are individual pack animals. We think our ideas are brilliant and that everyone should know about and agree with them. When they dont agree we get upset and go bcak to a safety zone, usually involving people who we know will agree with us or at least not shoot down our brilliant ideas. And so we are contented.

Slipping into my pants this morning I thought, "These might be dirty." They're just fine.

Sharing my cup of coffee with my girlfriend this morning i thought, "I wonder if she cares about my saliva being in that cup." She didnt.

Seeing a guy crossing the street I was turning into on the way to work this morning I though, "Idiot should look where he's going, now I have to look out for him." He didnt care. I did.

And thats where the difference comes in.

If you care, you dont feel the need to criticise so much. It might hurt the person you are criticising.

If you dont care, criticism comes naturally. You will hurt the person you are criticising becasue you only care about yourself.