Why this is news is beyond me. Far beyond me.

Because Patricia de Lille has pretty much been in an alliance with the DA for a long time – at least 10 years - especially in the Western Cape. Not that the Independent Democrats have much support outside Mitchells Plain anymore, much less the Western Cape.

I don’t see what power the ID is negotiating with, since they don’t have any.

So why the so called engagement and not a straight marriage?

Apparently because the Independent Democrats aka Patricia de Lille isn’t yet sure that her (their) economic policies are in line with that of the Democratic Alliance’s.

Whatever!

The ID has absolutely no  leg to stand on.  Not in the long term, because their appeal is to a very limited demographic and the DA has already started reaching that democratic.

The biggest disappointment for me is the fact that Patricia de Lille and other black politicians/political parties have not been able to provide an opposition to the ANC.

Which means someone like me who would NEVER vote DA or for any alliance with the DA have no choice, other than again voting ANC or not voting at all.

Diaan Lawrenson, Paula van der Lecq, won favourite tv actress and part-timer Terrance Bridget, flamboyant Jerome, won best actor.

Numbers-wise, 7de Laan has around 2 million viewers. Less than Generations and E-tv’s Rhythm City.

The Laan’s viewers have also voted the soapie favourite at the SAFTA Awards earlier in the year.

Well done to all at 7de Laan. And congratulations to Diaan and Terrence as well.

Information about anything I can think of is at hand within seconds and my music is available to keep me company at work or while shopping, especially at Christmas time.

What I loathe most about my cellphone is the expectation that I have to answer it when it rings.

Regardless of where I am or what I’m doing!

To make matters worse we have SMSes, email and Facebook amongst other things to deal with.

There is no escape!

For instance…

I’m currently on leave. My job is not an essential service. I’m not a nuclear physicist or brain surgeon. I’m not even an Eskom worker.

But Monday, my first day of leave, I woke up at 10am to an email from work.

I first had a long bubble bath before opening the email. As expected the request wasn’t about creating world peace nor defusing a nuclear bomb.

It was so insignificant I asked my colleague to not contact me again unless absolutely necessary.

Tuesday afternoon after a relaxing morning, I picked up my phone only to find a collection of SMSes, emails, phone calls and even Facebook messages – from the office.

Hello…WTF?

I fumed, ranted and then asked them to call me.

My colleague actually laughed! And said she told them I wouldn’t answer my phone.

As if I wasn’t already pissed off.

The expectation was that while on leave I would be waiting for them to call me?

If only that was the end of it.

They called again on Thursday. Told me to keep my phone on in case they needed me.

Fortunately for them they didn’t because I kept my phone on silent and took a nap instead.

Thats not all…

Friday I checked my phone only to discover missed calls and an SMS from my family…

My cellphone is driving me crazy.

Me for one!

I used to love it back in the day when the late Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were furiously duelling for supremacy.

Then came the boring years with Damon Hill and co. And watching Michael Schumacher win race after race may have been fun for Ferrari fans, but for the rest of us…a snoozefest.

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso briefly brought F1 to life with their duel for the number 1 spot at McLaren.

That was sorted far too soon, because Alonso went to Ferrari!

When Jenson Button, World Champ and all, signed with McLaren, we expected a few more fireworks.

According to some reports, the two are not bestest buddies and so far their rivalry hasn’t really put to the test. Even if they did go on holiday together recently.

But that’s not the case at Red Bull. They have two drivers within 5 points of each other on the F1 log.

And they seemingly chose a favourite. Sebastian Vettel.

The team took the front wing off Mark Webber’s car and gave it to Vettel. This was meant to give Vettel the edge in the race.

Webber however won Sunday’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone and apparently quipped something to the tune of “not bad for a number two driver” to his technical team at the checquered flag.

He had more to say on the matter at the press conference.

Nine more races left. This should be fun!

Unfortunately I wont be going away on vacation.

But instead decided to create a relaxing time at home.

Wednesday I have to take a test at Unisa’s IT Centre in Parow, but even that isn’t a stressful exam.

As for my home relaxation, I slept until 10am this morning! A minor miracle!

Had breakfast of sausage (vegetarian of course), eggs, toast and coffee.

Then it was time for a long, hot bubble bath.

I put the heater on – a rarity – and am on the couch under my quilt, preparing to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.

Housework can wait, so can my planned trip to the bank in Claremont. (I got my Google Adsense cheque!)

The rest of the week will include more of the same, but also time with loved ones.

Today is all about restoring what sanity I have left.

She works in a large office and said it happened often.

I came upon this article that got me writing.

Fortunately I work in a smallish office and I mostly wear either neutral or unusual colours, so it doesn’t happen often.

It has happened with me though.

Oddly enough mostly with male colleagues wearing the same colours.

This winter my plan was to wear mostly black and/or grey. But that all changed when I lost a lot of weight.

Instead, I knitted up a few sleeveless pullovers – my own design – in bright purple and a royal blue/turquoise shade. Also pink and a brown ones. No one obviously had the same thing.

My individualistic nature means I dont particularly like looking like anyone else – male or female.

I like being different. Even if different means jeans and a t-shirt.

However a colleague and I wore the exact same ugly floral dress at another company we worked at a few years ago.

To make matters worse, we got called into the manager’s office to plan a new project on that particular day. He was amused, we were more embarrased than anything.

At another company we had to wear a uniform. I did everything I could to differentiate my uniform from my colleagues’.

I guess there’s a whole lot worse things that can and does go wrong in the office. I certainly dont drive myself crazy over this one!

But Bakkies Botha once again lost the plot by head-butting an opponent and then later got sin-binned for another offense.

This morning on Capetalk/702′s Weekend Breakfast, Bakkies was called out by host John Maytham and some listeners for being a bad Christian.

Quite ridiculous if you ask me and I’m not religious at all.

Ill-disciplined, impetuous, perhaps angry. Yes.

But are religious people exempt from negative emotions?

Botha can profess to be a Christian and still be prone to human emotions.

Whether you are religious or not makes no difference to the way we function. Although some people would like to think it does.

When asked about her religious practice I heard someone say, “I’m a Christian, you know.”

To the same question I replied, “I don’t do religion.”

However, it makes neither of us any less immoral nor more likely to gossip, take personal calls for most of the working day, drive over the speed limit, get upset when someone stands in the quick checkout line with more than 10 items in their basket, shouts at his/her children, swear at the ref on tv?

Does that mean we non-religious people get to do as we please because we don’t have 10 Commandments to adhere to?

Can we head-butt people at will and be as impetuous as we choose?

In similar vain, I had a conversation last week where someone told me she knew how someone else felt because she sometimes feels judged for wearing a head scarf (she’s Muslim).

I cringed because there’s the misconception that
people are only judged for their religion.

That’s not true.

You can be just as easily judged for being unmarried, choosing not to have children, being non-conformist. Or for liking/disliking the vuvuzela!

I didn’t mention it, but I’ve felt judged by her!

Religion has much less relevance in the way we behave than our genes, upbringing, experiences and learned behaviours.

Whether you are religious or not certainly doesn’t make
you a better person than anyone else.

Bakkies Botha acted like an idiot based on his personality. Christian or not.

Me being me said: “I don’t have to.” “We always use protection.”

But it turned out a lot differently when I found out something important he ‘forgot’ to tell me.

“How could you lie to me about something so important,” I cried.

I eventually forgave him because the lie wasn’t a deal breaker. He wasn’t married or a criminal.

And even though we continued dating for more than a year afterwards and I was falling in love with him, I knew I would break up with him eventually. Because I didn’t trust him to tell me the important stuff.

Trust is more than just the obvious “will he cheat on me?” or “will they rob me blind”.

With friends it’s about maintaining confidences and being able to share good and bad times.

At work I always thought trust wasn’t needed if you had proper systems in place. Financial as well as procedurial.

Until recently…

It’s not only about gossip or back-stabbing.

I think it’s more the fact that a discussion about my work and personal or perceived personal relationships took place behind my back.

While the people involved would be friendly to my face.

How do trust people like that?

As with any relationship – home, work and everything inbetween, it is easier to deal with someone when you know where you stand.

Uncertainty leads to mistrust.

If you know someone doesn’t like you, at least you can trust that.

The ones with a duplicituous nature are the ones you can’t trust.

Five years on, I wonder if my former boyfriend ever asked that question to another woman.

I do realise now that trust is sometimes implicit. It’s just there.

You only realise you had it once it’s broken.

She wasn’t sick or anything.

All I could think of was the funeral. I hate going to family funerals. Or any funeral for that matter.

The rest of the week felt unreal. I spoke with people but don’t recall much. It was like looking at my life through a sound proof glass window.

I bumped into a cousin on Friday morning. Which led to guilt and a funeral.

So we went to the church Saturday morning.

I’m glad I went, since the cousin whose mother died appreciated that we were there.

But I also got some insight about why I hate going to family funerals.

1. It’s having to think of losing my own immediate family at some stage.
2. Seeing my relatives aging and knowing they wont be around forever. None of us will be, believe it or not!
3. Dealing with grief – my own and that of others.

I can easily deal with being happy or even neutral in public, but not sadness.

It’s not just me. It is what society expects of us.

If no one won, the Powerball jackpot might be over 50 million Rand on Friday 2 July!

If I won that jackpot, picture this:

I would:

1. Quit my job! Immediately. No passing begin, no collecting R200.

2. After taking care of my family and a few charities I will book us a holiday. A secluded place with sunshine and hot temperatures. Arghhh I’ll first book the holiday.

3. Of course I will have to be a responsible adult and secure a lot of the 40+ million. So I never have to work another day in my life or think to much about my money.

4. Book our next holiday. To another warm place.

5. Find a nice secure house in my current surrounding neighbourhood.

6. Go on holiday. To (yes you’ve guessed it) another warm country.

7. Check in with family and friends – so they don’t think my lotto winnings have given me a big head. Although I might have a new accent with the jetsetting and all.

8. Go find myself at a luxury retreat (in a hot location!)

9. Come home to fetch my two best friends for another holiday in the sun, spa, whatever. As long as there’s sunshine and massages.

10. Pretty much live the life I’m living now, but no working and a few overseas and local holidays a year.

I better get my Powerball ticket!