Hey World!

Does anybody still read this blog??  i doubt it.. in all honesty ive become a horrible blogger havent i.. but you never know.. i might have a some better friends than i think lurking around online or possibly even a few die hard obsessors in some random part of the world.. everyone needs their medicine!

well.. a lot has happened since i last (regrettably) called mbeki a c*cksucker!  turns out i wasn’t the only one who thought this.. so did his own party.. and they have since disposed of our president in a rather orderly and unafrican fashion!  there were no riots.. no major losses of confidence.. just a change in direction, and a slightly messy end to a career of a man who leaves mixed memories in my mind!

to be honest i currently hold more interest in American politics.. because its clear that the american leadership will shape our future as it has the past.  ive even been up at some of the early hours of the morning watching the US presidential debates, and I have to say im a pretty big Obama fan!  this guy says all the right things, he talks about leading america with more careful planning, long term steady solutions and bringing back respect to the american dream by much better interaction and communication with the rest of the world.  this is a revelation, and in my opinion in stark contrast to mccain, who other than being rather annoying, looks set to follow another 10 years of Bush-ism!

as for me.. well.. a lot has happened i guess!  not so much in events but more so in my ideas about normality.  you may recall some time ago i blogged saying i was applying for a permanent job within my company.  well i did, i was granted an interview, got half way through my interview and decided this really wasn’t what i wanted , and then proceeded to pull out of the race!  typical.. stupid me got all caught up in the need for safety and security.. long term planning.. ooo i need a proper job with prospects.. blah blah blah!  really.. i dont!  as it turns out, i got what i wanted.  my contract has since been extended.. and i do the same job as i did before which i quite enjoy, and im still free as a bird because i know i can walk away any time i want to.

i really have started to become comfortable with a totally unplanned and unsecure life.  ive also managed to take some positives from normality such as stability, good pay and the ability to plan activities based around routine.. all of which I quite like.. but always with the hint of knowing the next ‘big idea’ could be just around the corner.  its been an exciting way to live for the past 10 years, so why shouldnt it continue.

i feel like my time in newbury is nearing an end.. i don’t know for sure yet where the next ‘big idea’ is, but i feel like its coming.. and i like it!

to conclude.. i wish to announce an end to my blogging expeditions.  suburban shmeim it has to be said has been nothing more than an average blog, and i just feel normality just doesnt really create the larger than life personality that a blog needs.  also with the growing popularity of websites such as facebook these days, it feels like a blog is no longer my first point of communication with the outside world anymore.. so it has to be said the time feels right to retire from blogging.

thank u to all who have read my warped ideas over the past 2 years! :-)

adios!

Fuck you Thabo Mbeki! your loyalty to zimbabwean president robert mugabe, who continues to pillage his people and defy all practices of democracy, is nothing short of sickening, and is a betrayel to the african struggle.

youre a complete embarressment to all south african citizens, black and white, and your actions set a worrying trend for the future of democracy in our own country.

good luck with the new south africa mate, and COUNT ME OUT!

The below article is taken from http://www.africasia.com (THIS IS THE LAST STRAW.. BEING THANKED FOR SUPPORTING SEVERE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE!)

Harare thanks Mbeki for refusing to yield to Western pressure

Zimbabwe’s government thanked Saturday the countries that blocked UN sanctions against its regime, and particularly South African President Thabo Mbeki for having refused to yield to Western pressure.

“We would like to thank countries that supported us at the United Nations and we would like to tell them that we would not disappoint them as we would address our problems ourselves,” Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said.

“We would like to thank President Thabo Mbeki, who is a leader par excellence as he has not yielded to international pressure and to the machinations of the West led by Britain and United States,” Ndlovu told AFP.

China and Russia on Friday vetoed targeted UN sanctions on Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe over his disputed re-election.

South Africa voted against the US draft which received the support of nine of the UN Security Council 15 members.

“Yesterday’s veto at the United Nations is an international diplomatic victory, not only for Zimbabwe, but for the rest of Africa, (the) Southern African Development Community and the developing world,” added Ndlovu.

“It is a victory that is really welcome, as for the first time Britain and United States wanted to use the United Nations to install their own puppet as president here,” he said.

Mugabe was re-elected in a run-off last month after main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), pulled out, citing a campaign of intimidation and violence against his supporters that killed dozens and injured thousands.

Tsvangirai had earlier won the first round but fell short of a majority.

Britain, the former colonial power in Zimbabwe, has been vocal in criticising Mugabe and his ruling ZANU-PF party over the elections amid claims of rigging. The US dismissed the election as a “sham.”

“Britain and United States wanted to practice international racism against us at the UN,” said Ndlovu, adding that it was pleased that the UN had refused to allow members to use the Security Council to “settle their scores.”

“We are not a British colony, we are happy that reason prevailed at the end of the day and we hope such things never happen again,” he added.

Tsvangirai has been critical of Mbeki and earlier called for him to be axed as the region’s mediator over his perceived bias towards Mugabe.

Sunday morning.. so i thought i’d share some spirtual teachings!  forgive me for sounding like the cult-master once again.. but it just sounds cooler.. here’s a little something my flat mate shirlz and i put together a few months ago to represent our spiritual way of thinking..

Shmeim, What religion do you subscribe to?
None.  Personal faith.

Personal faith?  I havent heard of this movement!  Where can I sign up?
Its not a movement, it’s a faith, your own faith in your life path and the choices you make.  Personal faith is a belief individual to each person which comes from questioning, contemplating and life experience.

But all the world’s religions have set beliefs and moral rules.  So how can religion be individual?
The majority of religions subscribe to a similar set of moral codes, believe in a higher being and strive to become more spiritually in contact with that being.  They differ on who that higher being is and the path on which they gain greater spiritual fulfilment with that being  You could argue that personal faith is no different, except that my beliefs to reach a greater spiritual awareness are totally individual to me.

So how would an individual like me attain a greater spiritual awareness through personal faith?
Its about self exploration.  Think about everything you’ve been taught, meet as many people as possible and listen intently to their stories, question everything you know and find out about what you don’t know.  Be open.  The key to personal faith is that we are all individuals and we must all attain our own path to truly reach a greater spiritual awareness.

So whose your God?
God exists within everything and everyone.  He is probably something bigger than we could possibly understand.  What’s important to realise though is that God is not the big guy sitting at the top playing school master, he’s a force, an energy that lives here with us on earth.

God lives on earth?!?!  Wow, can we go round for tea?  I’d like to meet him!
No silly!  As I said God is not a physical person, he is an energy.  Energy is present everywhere you look in nature, its present in us.  We all have energy, otherwise known as karma.  Those with good karma have better clarity of mind and approach life with a better spiritual awareness than those with bad karma.  To gain better karma one should act positively and view the world we live in in a positive light as much as possible.

Hmmm, this is getting a bit complicated..
Sure!  Well lets look at this example..
2 men are stuck on the wrong side of a river.  There is no food or shelter on this side of the river, and so they must cross the river safely in order to survive.  The one man kneels on the river bank, and begins to pray.  He asks god to guide him safely to the other side.  The other man starts to think of possible ways he can cross the river.  He decides it may be possible to build a makeshift bridge, and gets to work straight away.  Which man do you think has more chance of surviving?

Well.. I guess a bridge would be pretty handy.
Exactly.  There is a famous saying that says God helps those who help themselves, and its very true.  By thinking, questioning and growing positively through all of life’s situations we are building the bridges that lead us to a greater understanding of the world we live in and beyond.

Ok!  I think I got it.  So you call this personal faith..
Yes.  They key to personal faith is to take an individualistic approach to gaining a greater spiritual awareness as opposed to submitting to a set of defined rules and beliefs as in the case of an organised religion.  Faith is defined as a “Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing” and it takes a certain kind of confidence to give up traditional beliefs in search of your own spiritual path.

Hey Hey!!  so after literally punching the office lifestyle in the chest, and ripping its heart out.. GET THIS!!! ….

This week I applied for a permanent job within my team!!  yes indeed, i’ve gone against everything i stood for and am looking to join the corporate magnet!  what a sell out i hear u say.. what a fraud.. what a phoney.. LOSER.. where’s shmeim’s credibility???

ok ok so before u close down your browser and delete Suburban Shmeim from your favourites, hear me out will u!  to bring some credibility to my complete lack of credibility i must now argue in favour of the enemy..

so shmeim.. since when did delivery targets become so important?  well to be honest they didnt.  i mean dont get me wrong.. im a perfectionist, and i always try hard at work (except on a Friday after 3pm) .. but let me assure u my nose is turned up towards corporate life more than ever before.. its just.. and i really wish i didnt have to say this.. but sometimes in life selling out is the right option.

hey.. lets face facts.. we all need cash to make things happen, and if youve travelled too much like me and your bank balance has a little negative sign next to it, then you’ve got to be real and sort it out!  and thats what im doing.. im selling out briefly with a view to investing in the future.. gonna lie low.. save some cash.. make the cv look pleasing for the next time i need to sell out.. and inbetween im gonna do something great.. like move to london in search of a new adventure, meet people full of energy, and open myself up to a 1000 new worlds in one big city!!

now thats worth selling out for isnt it?!!  stay tuned.. suburban shmeim still has a whole host of suburban tales to tell until then..

Morning all.. its saturday!! yeeesssss!! i can lie in bed a couple extra hours, listen to music, surf the web and drink tea.. anyone who lives a ‘normal’ life will know that this is definitely something to celebrate!!

well its been over 4 months since i kicked off this blog, and i thought it was high time we revisited the hot topic this blog was initially set out to report on.. normality.. life in suburbia!!

so.. i have to say that suburban life has treated me quite well over the past few months.. my job is pleasant at the best of times, the people i work with are very nice and sociable, my daily route to work is an 18 minute walk down some quiet, pretty streets, i live with nice people, including shirlz who is someone i trust and share similar life goals with, im playing sport twice a week and getting fitter and im able to save money like never before which means im able to enjoy a few holidays and pay off those travel debts from last year at the same time!

so you might say.. congrats shmeim.. youve done it.. youve successfully joined and integrated with the rest of the suburban world.. youre doing all the normal things people do and your life appears to have balance.. good stuff.. u must be really satisfied and ready to step it up to the next level.. u know how it goes shmeim.. work a little harder and impress them at work.. get the promotion.. meet a nice small town girl at the local fair on a sunny weekend.. start shopping for a house.. plan weekend braais with the jones’s……………..

sounds like im on track.. except there are just a few problems.. well more than a few problems to be honest. for starters try and explain to me that feeling i get when i first sit down at my desk in the morning at work, and i open my inbox and masses of emails start arriving.. emails about stuff that people pretend are really important.. and require instant action from me.. but in all reality make no difference to my philosophy of life whatsoever. am i really expected to stress and push other people to prioritse what i need done, just so a batch of mobile phones get delivered today and not tomorrow? not to mention, later that week there will be a team meeting to discuss how effectively we are meeting our delivery targets.. 2 hours worth of acronym english thrown around the table, which is even harder to follow than text (sms) lingo .. sitting there nodding appropriately at the right times, expressing my opinion occasionally just to convince my manager that delivery targets really are the reason i was brought into this world .. god its fantastic isnt it!

then at the end of my working day, my body demands that i run around a squash court for an hour to compensate for the fact that all ive really done during the day is sit on my ass and eat a big lunch (if only thinking burnt calories!!).. and finally its home time.. (if youre a single guy) a quick microwave meal dinner (married guys normally get dinner cooked for them but trust me this deal comes with a whole new set of extra obstacles which im certain are impossible to juggle when you have so little time to dedicate) .. a bit of tele to recover.. and finally to top it all off.. the best part of the day.. bills! the ultimate reminder that all your dedication to unworthy purposes was really just to prolong the suffering so you can do it all again tomorrow, and god willing make it to the weekend!!

im sorry that i paint such a dire snapshot of life.. maybe u see it all very differently.. everybody has different priorities and takes pleasure from different aspects of life.. but in my eyes.. the path i am on now will ultimately lead to this. a life so average and void of creativity that i honestly would rather be dead. hehehe thats sounds really awful doesnt it.. sorry.. a bit of strong english is always a good shock factor and adds to the overall emotion of the passage.. but its not to say i want to kill myself.. not at all.. its just a timely reminder that i need to follow my instincts and think hard before i commit to anything that doesnt feel right.

so im still not sure what to make of normality.. there are aspects of it that i now like.. i like having a familiar home and familiar people in my life.. but i also like to have the opportunity to see new places from time to time, and i think its important that new people are always coming into ones life, otherwise the view never changes. i dont think i will ever be the stable office job type.. i need to create.. and this is ultimately the path i will follow and need to start putting my efforts into. creative, non routine based career paths are not as easy to manufacture, and for sure this path will put the picket fence home lifestyle in jeopardy, but there isnt really a choice. if i strike it lucky, i will be one of a privileged few who will be recognised and handsomely rewarded, and if not, then i will always be a struggling artist, but content in myself. i will wake up each day with less, but with passion burning in my soul. and when people meet me in the street, they will feel my energy, and i will feel there’s.

surely nothing can be more important than that?

xx