Monday Musings 4 November 2024: Surrender to the Flow
Last Monday I started the week by falling flat on my face. Or to be more specific, on all fours, in a river. Let me backtrack. The week before, I realised I spent 11 hours in front of my laptop in one day. I told my French class about it, and from the concerned looks […]
Monday Musings 28 October: “It’s okay to not be okay…”
This is the message of a hard-hitting radio campaign by HOT 102.7 FM focusing on mental health in South Africa and the many lifelines available to help us or those we care about. The campaign’s been running all month, with World Mental Health Day on the 10th as its centre point. In a series of […]
Monday Musings 14 October: Why is TikTok in a tizz over October?
Here we are, perched in the middle of October, and I can’t help but wonder: have you felt that shift in the air? No, I’m not talking about the weather (although, let’s be honest, Cape Town’s spring winds are certainly making themselves known). I’m talking about the phenomenon that’s got TikTok in a tizzy – […]
Monday Musings 16 September: The surprising link between novelty and nostalgia
The world is having a bit of a Y2K moment. Have you noticed? Dr Martens, Friends T-shirts, and Gilmore Girls binge marathons are popping up like psilocybin toadstools (no longer a sign of dancing faeries but dancing TikTokers). I’m all for this nostalgia. I’m buying those relaunched 90s lipstick shades as fast as you can […]
Monday Musings 9 September: “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there”
It’s not often in my age group that you get invited to a wedding. But on Saturday, a special friend got married in a much-anticipated event that brought together far-flung friends and family from around the world, some reuniting after decades! The bridal couple themselves have been UK residents for the last few years and […]
Monday Musings 26 August: How demurely do you board a plane?
Let’s talk about a phrase that’s taken over the internet faster than you can say “cutesy”. If you’ve been anywhere near social media lately, you’ve probably encountered “very demure, very mindful”. And if you haven’t, you’re in for a mindful treat. It all started with TikToker Jools Lebron and her recent “very demure, very mindful” […]
Monday Musings 22 July: Are we murdering the message?
A series called Better Off Ted came out in 2009. Like an off-the-wall version of The Office, it follows R&D Director Ted, his driven and slightly sadistic supervisor (Portia de Rossi), and their oddball team at the kind of ubiquitous company that’s all too common these days. You know the type – no one really […]
Monday Musings 15 July: An unexpected story of forgiveness
With Mandela Day later this week, South Africans will be coming together to honour Madiba’s legacy by devoting their 67 minutes in various ways. But the 18th isn’t only about charitable actions; it’s also about reflecting on his character and the example he set for the world through his empathy and immense capacity for forgiveness, […]
Monday Musings 1 July: Who’s Taylor Swift anyway?
While South Africa woke up to the news of a new cabinet after a Family Meeting last night, we’re shifting our focus to a different kind of unity today – one that spans continents, generations and musical tastes. Now, believe me, I’m no Swiftie. I can’t tell you the names of Taylor Swift’s cats or identify […]
Monday Musings 27 May: Cookie Dough and Flower Power
I’m a bit obsessed with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. At the end of May, I get my granny garden gloves on, prep a cup of strawberry tea, switch on the BBC coverage of the show, and get lost in the astonishing gardens the exhibitors conjure up in a matter of days. It’s utterly magical. […]
Monday Musings 20 May: All aboard the Magic Bus!
When I grow up, I want to be a gypsy. In the romantic sense of the word. Just as these colourful travellers led fascinating lives traversing continents, immersing themselves in intriguing destinations and cultures, each new day unfolding with a sense of wonder and “where to next?”, I want to be the modern version. Living […]
Monday Musings 6 May: Are you a secret Gen Zer at heart?
How many of you have found yourself picking up hobbies traditionally associated with retirees? If you’re nodding, you’re not alone, and you’ve got competition from Gen Z! According to Emma Beddington in The Guardian, Gen Z is “coming for our hobbies, and they’re much better at them”. It seems the Gen Zers (born between 1997 […]
Monday Musings 25 March: When Did I Become ‘Cheugy’?
I often gush over my dog Lucy’s cuteness and her ‘scrunchy puppy face’. The way her skin wrinkles a little by her muzzle is adorable. But, while applying makeup the other day, I realised that I, too, am developing a scrunchy puppy face. Putting on eyeliner was akin to dragging a crayon over tissue paper, […]
Monday Musings 18 March: Mind-bending musings
My new obsession? Podcasts – the video versions. It’s like going back to varsity but this time around, being in a global online lecture hall where your profs are delivering information on steroids! My mind has been opened to topics as diverse as near-death experiences, childhood trauma (looking at you, Dr Maté ) and AI […]
Monday Musings 4 March: Mind the “liking gap”
Have you ever felt that some people seem effortlessly likable while you have to work twice as hard to make a good impression? New research from academic scholars Boothby, Cooney, Sandstrom, and Clark on the “liking gap” suggests that certain traits like confidence, emotional intelligence, and charisma can ignite positive first impressions and easy rapport. […]
Monday Musings 5 February: Love Is in The Air
February, the month that arrives with a subtle but undeniable scent of infatuation and adoration. As a hopeless romantic, I am eager to dive into the annual celebration that can turn even the most stoic among us into starry-eyed admirers. But I must acknowledge that we are a dying breed. On Valentine’s Day, when Cupid […]
Monday Musings 22 January: A bookish travel adventure
Last year, I received the best gift for my birthday – I discovered a whole new genre of fiction that I love. By the end of the month, I’d read 15 books (plus all the bonus material on the author’s website), and I was hooked. I’m still going strong. When I was young, I could […]
Monday Musings 15 January: An unlikely catalyst for course correction.
While this is the first Monday Musings of the year, never fear; it won’t be about New Year’s Resolutions! But try this on for size: how does course correction sound? Course correction can be as simple as adjusting your priorities or making small changes that deviate from the way you’ve always done things – without […]
Monday Musings 4 December: The cosy girl era – a cry for comfort?
We may be welcoming sunshine and pool days here in Mzansi but up north, the world is awash in pumpkin spice, plaid, and all things hygge. Enter the “cosy girl” aesthetic dominating social media. The ‘cosy girl’ hashtag has racked up over 29 million TikTok views, with interest soaring over 20 times in three years. […]
Monday Musings 6 November: Neither here nor there, but right where we should be
Ah, November – the Malcolm in the Middle of months. South Africa is fresh off the 2023 Rugby World Cup victory, while homes and stores alike are deciding when to transition from Halloween to yuletide decorations. Which begs the question: what is November’s claim to fame? Is it the forgotten middle child of the calendar […]
Monday Musings 23 October: Juggling 101
You don’t have to be all things to all people. I love these 10 words. They serve as a mantra when I’m overwhelmed and stretched out like a sticky rubber band trying to please everyone and on the verge of snapping. I’m certainly not the only one who feels this tension. It’s in no small […]
Monday Musings 16 October 2023: The future of writers – according to ChatGPT
The recent Writers Guild of America strike cast a spotlight on the future of all writers, not only the scribes ensconced in Hollywood. Among the central issues were concerns about redundancy and exploitation. In their usual contractual negotiations that take place every three years, writers had asked studios not to use AI-generated scripts but the […]
Monday Musings 2 October: Musing on our search for meaning
What ARE we searching for? For now, scrap looking for the car keys or the answer to your existential crisis. We’re talking about those questions we pose to man’s other best friend – Google. Heard of Google Trends? Not only is it a nifty research tool for the serious stuff (work and, like, life stuff), […]
Monday Musings 4 September: What Learning a New Skill Can Teach You About Life
Two years ago, I bought myself a guitar. I’d chewed over the idea of learning to play for a couple of months and finally decided it would be a good hobby to pick up (as if hiking, target shooting, gardening, and painting weren’t enough). You must understand that my parents encouraged us to get into […]
Monday Musings 21 August: Aliens on earth and humans in space
Recently I got schooled by my eight-year-old nephew on the subject of – aliens. He gave me a comprehensive lesson on the types of aliens, their motives, their spacecrafts, the aggressive kind of aliens (apparently found in Mexico and the USA), and the friendly kind. “Do you know where you can find the Friendly Aliens?” […]
Monday Musings 14 August: People make the place
As the Good Things Guy keeps reminding us, South Africa is a very special place. Reading Brent’s post this week about how his website started, got me thinking about our one-of-a-kind people, including my precious group of “forever friends”, all born and raised here. These are friendships forged “a hundred years ago” – in primary […]
Monday Musings 31 July: Barbie or Ken – are you your everything?
If you go down to the movies today, no doubt you’ll see one of two flicks: Barbie or Oppenheimer. The simultaneous release of these two highly anticipated blockbuster films sparked the Barbenheimer phenomenon sweeping the world wide web and social media. (Fun fact: did you know that the word Barbenheimer – a combination of the two […]
Monday Musings 3 July: Turning The Mid-Year Slump into A Second Wind
We’ve officially crossed the half-year mark. All the generous public holidays that bled into weekends are behind us. With only a small reprieve in the form of Women’s Day and Heritage Day (which in fairness, does deliver a long weekend), a lot of us will be thinking ahead to the end of the year. Add […]
