'The first few pages of a new book..'

So there’s a flurry of new Year’s Resolutions and everyone struggling to keep up with them as we steady ourselves through the first week of the new year of 2012. The year we will hear of people selling all of their possessions and living their life to the utmost fullest so that when 'The End of The World' comes about they don't feel as guilty for not living as they would have.

My question is:

why have you failed at living so much? If you have the ideas and the plans what has stopped you so far?

For me, I'm only just reaching my final year of high school so that and parental controls have been my stop sign. I dream as others do, I want to travel and see the world, I want to save a life -thus I don't ask for someone to be in the need of saving-, and I want to road trip just to see my own country.

Everyone says South Africa is such an amazing place to be, the weathers good, the beaches are enjoyable, the mountains are incredible and the animals abundant (if we could finally stop killing them), but for me I've seen Cape Town a bit of the south-east coast, the north coast and the berg. That's like a cool story for a foreigner but I feel ashamed not knowing what 3 of our 7 provinces might look like.

That's one of my resolutions, as soon as I turn 18 and get my car I want to go on a road trip.

So back to the topic...

This is the 8th day into supposedly the last year of your life, believe it, but don't sell all your crap or quit your job unless it’s absolutely necessary just LIVE! It’s a good time to try, think of your kids and grandkids and the stories you could tell them.

This year will be epic and I hope you believe it too.

Have a blessed one. xoxo

Past? Done. Present? Working on it. Future? Getting there.

Last night, as I slugged into bed three quarters asleep, I heard my phone ching. Dragging my hand from under my soft pillow and squinting in the foreign light, I looked at the message my best friend from the northern hemisphere had sent me...

"I might be moving again."

You may think: oh what's the big deal? It won't make a difference, you guys aren't even in the same hemisphere anyway, what's the big deal for you. But yes, this meager little statement woke my mind, brain, eyes, and heart. I'm very observant, so I saw that and thought she would've just brought it up in a conversation if she was just moving around the corner or to a different suburb, and it was 11.30pm a time she usually tells me to go to bed and refuses any less, and, the last thing, she kept it simple; too simple. There was no laughing, no "oh well", nothing just tension.

She then tells me that she's moving to California. This means:

1. There's no longer a 1 or 2 hour difference, it's now 10 hours.
2. Skyping will be a bitch and we can't just go to eachother when we need the other.
3. She's now going to be in a new place (sure she's vacationed there) and able to drive.
4. When she can't come to me, she'll turn to someone else and vice versa, time zones will be our enemy.

And there's many more silly excuses why I don't want her to go. Although, I want her to go:

• She'll get a much better education (no offense wales, but you suck).
• She'll be happier in the sun.
• She loves America and wanted to retire there anyway.
• I know it's where she belongs, even though she was born here, grew up in Wales, returned and returned once again back to Wales, she deserves to be American.

(If I'm sounding cheesy please virtually slap me)

So as I almost cried myself to sleep I remembered when I had said the university I wanted to go to, she chose to pursue that aswell. It wasn't something she had to think about, she just wanted it too.

The next day, the ENTIRE day, I learnt all that I could about the University of California. Everything looked amazing until i looked at the fees, oh my torn cows bum! My sister is currently at university and her fees come up to less than R 20'ooo but these fees for UC +insert scared face+ are just over $31'ooo which comes up to a lovely R 210'ooo. 

I felt like crying.. why the hell is america so expensive!!! I could never figure out why american parents were always scared for paying for college!!!

Well this morning, while procrastinating getting up out of bed, I realised that since I was born my parents have been managing a savings account for when I'm 18 and have to buy a car! So if I use that money for UniCa fees instead - I won't need to buy a car as I won't be driving it in SA anyway - then I can afford to go there! I can work a student job after class and over the summer holidays and I''ll have a loving family over there! Its perfect.. Except for one thing, my family over here.

They won't be too impressed if I just get up and leave em behind...

But first, to find out for sure that she is going then where she's going and if I'm still welcome into their family..
And people on't believe me when I say I overthink things.

Dr Seuss (aka Theodor S. Geisel)

"I like nonsense - it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is necessay ingrediant in living. It's a way of looking at the wrong end of a telescope . . . and that enables you to laugh at all of life's realities."

So every child who has ever learnt to read  MUST MUST MUST know about Dr Seuss and his nonsense. Whether it be dozens of ways to get Marvin K. Mooney to bed or an oversized feline with a hat on, everyone knows of his work.

The first book I ever read by myself was a 4 in 1 story book with the basic reading in the beginning like "Hop on Pop" and stuff like that. As the pages turned the reading got more and more complex till the words were as long as 'Hallelulah' and "Timbuktu" and going in circles in really small fonts for a first grader.

My favourite story was Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!
At first his dad is saying he'll buy her a flying brromstick or a cow or stilts and even an oversized fish to send hiim to bed! He goes on saying he'll send her by Zumble-Zay (an elephant driven cart), a Ga-Zoom or a jet.

And the poor guy only wants his son to go to sleep! The things Dad comes up with are mysetriously wonderful and atlast Marvin feels tired enough to go and choses her transport, unfortunately for Mr Mooney, she chose the simplest option and went by broomstick.

I recently skyped a friend of mine while I found my precious book and halfway through our conversation started reading from the old pages. He unfortunately didn't enjoy it as much as I had and judgingly asked if i had the book as if it was a sin to a social life.

Needless to say we don't speak anymore.

I'm joking, he's just in 'busy' college life now.