MUSIC TO MY SOUL…

It was all in the midst of childhood when I learnt of death, when an old woman of statue passed on in my family. I was in class when my aunt came to collect me from school to my late (Gogo) grandmother’s house, hence by then I wasn't even told of her life journey ending. While driving with my aunt tries to start a conversation by asking me if I remembered what my “Gogo” used to say to me about celebrating one’s life, the ever inquisitive me then asked where “Gogo” was. I saw tears in auntie’s eyes & her voice starting to sound rough & deep, full of pain and she then parked on the side of the road to hug me & whispered “O fodile” meaning “She’s now healed/well”. She sounded more like Gogo her tone went deeper, I choked on my own saliva & coughed my lungs out as my aunt was a bit slow with pouring me the juice in the Styrofoam cup. Only to find that she was deep in tears & now decided to tell me straight up that “Gogo is no more”, I kind of knew what she meant hence being a little boy I asked whether she was sure. From there it was only silence in the loud engine car, I fell asleep right there & then.

The worst moment of every human’s departure is the burial, the cemetery is mostly filled to the brim in the black neighborhoods in South Africa and the Saturday in August 1990 was the day we celebrated Gogo’s life with songs and praises. That old woman pass on at the age of 86 yrs and as I put this pen to paper I’m not even half the age she lived. She always referred to me as her hubby because her husband was fond of me more than any other cousin or sibling, he is the man that moulded my tune. He loved music so much that it was the only thing I heard on the day of Gogo’s funeral, it brought her whole village together & the only thing was that they were all strangers to me but knew me enough to know that my passion was the song.

The priest came forth with only hymns that left everybody slow & emotional, seeing that it was sad I convinced my cousin to start a chorus from the outside of the cemetery tents. She started the most joyous & thankful song only to get a hiding of her life, I felt guilty the whole day till we got home and as a family we sang the very same song to commemorate Gogo. “I remember mamma in happy way” was then & even though it wasn't a gospel song it was perfect for the occasion & even the funeral, funerals still scare me today…I wish I could be absent on mine, because people crying became Music to My Soul!!! So many I lost along the way and even the daughter to my grand-mother, my mother passed on and it feels like the spoon I use keep digging everybody’s grave. Again today I sing the very same song that got my cousin sister a hiding at Gogo’s funeral, “I remember mamma in happy way”. Excuse my key for those who never talk about death, to all those that passed on & they knew me…DEATH BE NO PROUD!!!

EXCUSE MY KEY…

Thanks for listening to my nerves, damn you got me nervous…

…pardon my story isn't Mr Lonely, my real name is Rufus

King William II had it as his last, some of that greatness onto me was passed…

…never mind my past, I hope this isn't lust

Hoping more that you aren't venomous, something like this can be dangerous…

…hazardous to emotions, girl I’m scared

Not of the past hence the future, damn I’m scared…

…in life I lost and found, still I am lost

“Finding what was never lost doesn't make it yours” my late mother told me that when we spoke about love…

…I know I had enough, ownership ain't my game just teach me how to love you

EXCUSE MY KEY…

I learned my notes in the pain lab…

…with Dr Dre in the background playing I conclude that never will I ever find the missing Rib-bone on my chest

I want to let my heart rest…

…with you it feels like the last test

That maybe I found the missing Rib-bone on my chest…!!!

EXCUSE MY KEY…

…notes I learned are sultry – POETRY and nothing else

All I want is her & her words…

…her swag can’t be a problem, word!!!

EXCUSE MY KEY…

…all I know is the notes I play are never astray – MELODY and nothing else

And only you have to EXCUSE MY KEY…

Man vs Lion

Just after I watched this video I knew I had to share it with the fearful...

...it's not about the fearless but strategy. Success is only about strategy...

DEATH BE NOT PROUD

As we approaching Christmas day & going deep into the festive season, most of us look back to the beginning of the year on the new years' resolutions we had then. And some of us also look back to the previous years and what they had brought to our Christmas Lunch tables, gifts we received & people we'll definitely miss because they couldn't make it to this point. Today I am writing this Blog post just to express respects to those who made it and those who couldn't, the likes of utata Nelson Mandela, Muammar Gaddafi, Senzo Meyiwa, Reeva Steenkamp, Mbulayeni Mulaudzi, Lebo Mathosa, Brenda Fassie and e.t.c

Today I want to pay my respect to the infamous friends & family we lost along the way, people who lived a positive life to the day they took their last breath. This coming Saturday is one of those Soldiers to our everyday struggle in this time & era, Rest In Peace Tshepo "Loopy" Molopa. Here I am writing this message and remembering all the friends I lost along the way till today, I look up to the sky with amazement & inquisitive thoughts. When is my time? Will anybody ever write anything like this just to show their respect or express how they feel? Will it be to glorify the life I lived or to embrace my presence in their lives?

I know most of those who'll read this will driving over a 100 of kilometres to go to different destination to pay their last respects to their loved ones, to all of those who passed on to another world...RIP - Rest In Peace. These Blog post was inspired by my old time favourite poem or should I say the first poem to ever got me to love Poetry, Death Be Not Proud by John Donne . And for all that death had taken from us, I have little to say but the words from that poem...

"One short sleep past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die"

Death Be Not Proud...for we shall meet again with those who passed on, I would love to see the frown on Death's face as we move on to greater heights.

PAINTING BY GOD

A perfect little thing...
...all I ever I wanted for me
Face of the season spring...
...like it's flowers, you bring out the best in me
So Da Vinci's Mona Lisa...
...just a million times bigger
More clearer
As I get nearer
Its my pleasure to say...
"Picasso did paint"
But your beauty is the best art ever
That declares God the best artist ever
There-fore you are the best Painting By God

Framed with love & respect...
...nothing these world could expect
Signed by God himself...
...his signature in your eyes
Placed in his Gallery...
...it has no price tag
It's worth no money...
...God is a scientist
His paintings can move...
...he's a perfectionist
I've seen it & that's proof
Its my pleasure to say...
"Picasso did paint"
God is the best, better than the rest
There-fore you are the best Painting By God

CORRUPT & SELF-ENRICHING...?

It's only a matter of time before the people unite again, the same way they did in the previous years against apartheid government in this country(South Africa). I don't want to point fingers when it comes to corruption hence I believe it has to come to an end, maybe not by us or our generation & knowing Africa and its history I predict brother on brother war that will affect wrong people. When I saw the above picture I was not sure where I fall, the poor or the rich?

I know one thing though, when people choose anything to eat they prefer more quantity. Like for instance if we were to go buy a sheep for a weekend braai(barbecue), you'll chose the bigger/fat one right? "One-day The Poor Will Have Nothing Left To Eat But The Rich" is the funniest statement that to me because I can't imagine being part of that cuisine or meal to anyone as skinny as I am. Who would be first in the line among the rich people you know? I don't even want to attempt to choose anyone because we live in a crazy country, it might happen that particular person dies in the hands of poor carnivals looking for that last meal or even nyeope(man-drugs).

We need to unite & fight this poverty, a hungry man is an angry man & that does no good for our society. Yes I agree that corruption is killing economical growth of our country hence we're not helping at all when we keep drifting away from each other as a nation, didn't we learn from our history that unity is the power? Or maybe we're patiently waiting for another Steve Biko/Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe/Nelson Mandela to free us? Or maybe we have accepted the situation & working individually to improve our households? Still that doesn't guarantee you that you won't be part of the rich to be eaten by the poor when they nothing left to eat.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT...

Growth...

Ownership

Affirming

Leading yourself in the better direction than that of yesterday or yesteryear!!!

THERE ARE ONLY 2 TYPES OF CARS IN THE WORLD, MERCEDES BENZ & THE REST...

When you have the love for a woman or brand nothing can really shake it. I still remember my first crush like it was yesterday even though it has been decades since then, I know that very person is now not what my heart desires or admire. I have grown to understand more than what the eye can see, like the first time I saw a Mercedes Benz. I saw an elegant car that was competing with likes of AUDI, BMW,Volkswagen(VW), Opel and few other brands I knew at that time. I fell in love with Mercedes Benz since the very first time I laid my eyes on it and even more when I took the first ride, then later that love developed into obsession that gave birth to the passion that is helping to write this.

Yes I know a lot of people will be against this hence I need not to go into details or even technicalities on this one, I'm not writing this blog post for Mercedes Benz and neither are they paying me to write this. I don't want to know much about what other cars' lovers feel about me or what I write about my love for the car(Mercedes Benz), I don't know much about its history hence the little I heard & read. Mr Karl Benz created the first one & named it after his daughter Mercedes, surely there was no ways that he could have made anything named after his Princess look ugly or perform with defects. Their slogan "Das Beste oder nichts" which translate "The best or nothing" really defines the way they have approached innovation & inventions in their own company & its history. Not so long ago I read the article "The Mercedes-Benz Future Truck drives itself" and that really confirmed the very same statement I make every time when an argument about cars arises, "There are only 2 types of cars in the world and that is Mercedes Benz & The rest.

I don't want spoil anything said or written about the Future Truck, all left for me is to salute the Slogan "Das Beste oder nichts" because it applies to me & it's the very reason I choose Mercedes Benz over any other car. In fact these technology of a Truck driving itself will be used in cars soon, hence it is expected to be in use from 2020 on normal cars & 2022 on trucks'. If the car is not a Mercedes Benz then it is their Competition off which I have to repeat my own slogan "THERE ARE ONLY 2 TYPES OF CARS IN THE WORLD, MERCEDES BENZ & THE REST..."

Yes I am well aware of the other top German technologies in the world of automobiles, from "Vorsprung durch Technik(Advancement through Technology)"/"Wahrheit in der Technik(Truth in Engineering)" to The Ultimate Driving Machine/Sheer Driving Pleasure "Freude am Fahren". What more can I say? Even the slogans speak for themselves...when everybody is trying to give us the pleasures of driving technology or advancing to the truth in technology, Mercedes Benz is committed to giving you the BEST better than the REST.

Das Beste Oder Nichts/Best Or Nothing defines Mercedes Benz & they define my interest in Automobiles...it is Mercedes Benz or Nothing!!!