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Quick Beauty Tips: Mascara

Tip #1: How to use a lash comb.
For some, lash combs are simply too fussy. But for some makeup artists, they're a great invention and keep lashes glob-free and perfectly separated. So how do and should we use them? Apply mascara at the lash base. Then wiggle the lash comb through to the tips of your lashes. Get rid of clumbs by removing excess mascara from the wand. Wipe the wand on tissue, because this eliminates blobs BEFORE you start.
Tip #2: Try a clean mascara wand.
Sweep a clean, fresh mascara wand through lashes when they're wet.When you finish with the mascara, clean the wand in a capful of eye makeup remover, then wash with soap and dry. Keep it clean by washing it whenever you wash your makeup kit.

The Illiterate of the 21st century

There are so many challenges in my transformation right now.Its many things.Those many things are in me.I think its the first breakthrough that I recognice that Im the reason for my inertia and inaction in my life and MLM Business.

I am glad I have been educating myself.I met a Señora in a bar nearby our apartments after doing my round of putting up announcements and even giving out flyers(in total of 3!)She told me ¨Hay que informarse...¨It is necessary to educate oneself.She told me in order to be a maestra,I need to ¨moverse el culo¨!I stood in awe as she told me how her grandson who was formerly an architect does MLM Business and pulls in big orders.She told me,her grandson dresses up for every occassion.Its more than bread and butter as his company pays for all his trips and accomodation solely in 5 star hotels.Her grandosn realises this is his future and key to financial freedom.I picked up my jaw from the floor after also learning that her grandson sells at a much higher margin.In fact,she revealed this to me after I explained that I do MLM Business.Her first comment was that the products were expensive.I was about to justify that yes they were etecetera,when I received a great lesson.She was not complaining about it,i fact she told me about buying a 40€ lipstick.She opened myself to the fact that there is a market that can sustain exorbitant prices!However,in not so many words,from her Q&A of whether I use make-up myself etc...I got another important lesson.Sam Rehnborg,while in a seminary in Madrid earlier this year said, ¨be the product of your product¨.So yeah,the lesson is with my unplucked eyebrows and dry lips and unnourished scalp,could I really sell ¨high quality beauty and skin care products¨ to millions of men and women who want to invest their appearances in a reputable product.Shoo,Im humbled to say I have learned an obvious lesson.In fact through arogance or ignorance I have mumbled in my thoughts that even though I look unkempt,I can study the product and as long as I give information and samples I can sell.My,my my was I wrong!Presentation is king my friends.And when the señora kept tellling me that when you educate yourself,and you learn more you raise your class.Then you also associate with a higher class of people.You transcat in business deals with these people.Money,success begets more money,success begets more success my friends!

My favourite quotes here


“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
Alvin Toffler

Am I prejudiced?

The other day I had a discussion with a friend about the practice (now thats already prejudiced:) or culture or custome of a dog-based diet.I told her I did not like it at all.In fact I went on to elaborate that the reason was because dogs were our friends.My point of view was I would not eat my ¨friends¨!

My friend brought forward (sounds like a T Account,no?)an interesting point of view.In fact it was more of a spirited opinion.She said ¨Im tired of hearing people persistently complaining about this custom and saying it is disgusting.Im also fedúp of remarks like that its because its eating your friends.What about domesticaed pigs,chickens and turkey on a farm and also been eaten by the owners?¨

Well,yes,what about them.The animals are part of the homestead.The farm family might even start to give the animals names in a gesture of fondness.However,the reality is some of these animals get slaughtered for lunch or dinner.This topic which is usually a source of some tasteless (for lack of a better word!) jokes about some Asian nations snapped me to my reality of prejudice.

Am I prejudiced in my anti-prejudice behaviour.Am I a hypocrite or am I a classic example of environmental conditioning?I dont undermine people who eat dogs.However,I would be lying if I said I wouldn be shocked by the practice when I witness it.This reaction does not erase the fact that my opinion of:
Dogs are our trusted loyal friends.They respond and bond better in human relations,as a reason for my aversion for the custom is flawed!

While growing up in rural South Africa,we had livestock in our yard.And at some point the chicken we saw hatch from the dry mealie stalk egg-nest,ended up in our supper plates.The aversion is therefore not based on objectivity,but on subjective conditioning from childhood.This conditioning,not only about diet,has defined realities and norms for so many aspect of my life as long as I could make some independent choices-in a good and bad way.I am now relearning,unlearning and learning from scratch,given all this information,how do I proceed.

I like one Bhuddist quote which says ¨When the student is ready, the master appears.¨Im getting ready everyday!

Note:Im a practicing Christian and dont necessarily believe or follow Bhuddism!
PS:This article is not at all attempting to depict one opinion or custom as superior to another.The author is also sensitive and against all types of cruelty to animals.

Karim a la Gamba for Ahmed

The ingredients:

Beten Eggs
Gambas(Shrimps)
Olive Oil
Green Pepper
Grated Tomato
Diced Onion
Cinnamon

10 Tips of Network Marketing

In no particular order:

1.Relationships are key - Nurture them.
2.Follow-ups are key - Each one counts.
3.Guard the lessons - Objectify and quantify them.
4.Know why lost - Losses are vital lessons.
5.Do the out-of-the comfort - zone tendencies-Go to meetings,listen to tapes.
6.Hunt in packs - Approach cold/hot contacts with sponsors.The experience will be evident.
7.Keep learning - Inside and outside of your company.
8.Plan your days - If you fail to plan,you plan to fail.
9.Constantly grow and develop your networking circles - Think of untapped markets
10.Go Web 2.0 - Go to youtube and myspace to see the number of views.


See a short video here

My favourite websites and the reason why.

In no apparent order:

1)http://www.newt.clara.co.uk/isizulu/index.htm
This is a website with some basic Zulu phrases.I like Zulu as a language,and not the least being the fact that to use taxis in Johannesburg.Your Zulu has to be believable:)Most taxi drivers are Zulu,but it doesnt end there.Zulu is also a township language.And in townships in Gauteng in South Africa,people could be from whatever part of ethnic South Africa,bu t they would speak Zulu.Zulu can be heard in soapies,Kwaito music and townships mailny.
2)http://www.myspace.com/mlmpasta
This is myspace website.Im hoping to really launch my MLM ambitions here and meet like minded people.The traffic here is phenomenal and its subscription base is very broad.
3)www.sowetan.co.za
This is the first South African newspaper which I visit daily.The name comes from an adjective from the most famous township in South Africa,Soweto.The name Soweto is an acronymn for South Western Townships.Although I did not grow up in townships my six years in Johannesburg gave me a feel of what life in Soweto could be like.It has a colourful political heritage (Nelson Mandela and other political activists lived there) and dynamic social atmosphere for many Black South Africans living in Gauteng.
4)www.google.com
Need I say more?I have a separate article commemorating the rise and rise of Google in this blog.
5)http://couchsurfing.com/people/invictus26
This is a service that allows me and other youthful,backpackers to crash at other ¨couchsurfers¨places around the world.Its an excellent networking tool as well.The main value comes from the ease of asking if you could surf someone´s couch,or meet for coffee,and then do it.The other good thing is members can be verified,and through profiles a potential surfer can make up their mind about surfing a couch according to interests,personality etc.I have had the humbling pleasure of hosting a wonderful person.She had lived in Lesotho,and could speak Sesotho,so we hit it off from there and she was a devout Christian so she enriched my Christian life. Where are you Krisy:)
6)http://www.eliotwasmund.com/
Prior to my move to Spain,I was in a frustrating job,and as an outlet I tried my hand at a website.It was to be a woman´s magazine.It was also conceived to elevate myself out of feelings of non-appreciation and having being overlooked for a top position in a university club.There have been many moments like this...the buoyancy effect of negative feelings.If I get a ¨no¨,or a ¨you wont make it¨I rise.I thank God for this spirit.I mean I got excluded from university once,and I fought back.Through tears,doctor´s notes,pain,inferior feelings,shame God spurred me on!Anyway,back to the wesbite,one of the company owners my online magazine partner and I were approaching for a sponsorship,was nice enough to say even though our business plan sucked etc I should check out Eliot Wasmund´s blog.I fell in love with the idea of blogging,and being an info junkie( I have happily accepted this nickname from a good varsity friend),I tumbled into the online profitmaking,netowking,info-sharing,idea generating world.Though Im still not established in terms of niche and consistency.Im definitely doing better.I have since stumbled accross (StumbleUpon:) dynamic young people like Ivan who encouraged me through his story and achievements to start today.Its not too late to dream and cultivate.

Its 1:10am in Madrid,and I will finish this long-awaited article some other time!

Emgodini wa Technology!

In South Africa,the places where you find bargains are called Emgodinis.These could be factory shops of designer clother,luggage or even homeware stores.Sometimes you find some sill people who actually keep these ¨bargain finds¨to themselves.Anyway, my attention was drawn to two websites that allow a person to make free phonecalls to fixed lines in most European countries,to America and some of South American as well as Asian countries.That my friends is ¨Emgodini Find´ of the week.The websites are easy to use.All you need to do is download the program just like other similar applications like Skype and you are on your way.Here are the website:
www.voipchip.com and www.12voip.com.
By the way,Emgodini means hole,so in this case a bargain hole.

This is my evaluation findings!

I took a test and got the following evaluation,read on and take yours today:)

What Kind of Drink Are You?
	You are a Fine Glass of Wine. You are sophisticated and refined, but also complicated and hard to deal with. Not everyone loves you, but those who do swear that you're the coolest thing since sliced bread. One of these days the people that matter will understand you. Until then, you will be sitting on your throne as the distinguished product that not everyone has the taste to appreciate.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Make it count

We hear many things that urge us to hasten our efforts because time is not on our side.One of the most profound and practical being ¨ripping a day off a calendar at the end of every day and saying,here goes another day of my life¨.The question that comes after this feeling that time escapes us,is whether we have used some of the time which we could ¨freeze¨ wisely.Say years from now,call it twilight years,or a decade from now...I could even be dramatic and say this time tomorrow.Can I honestly say,yesterday was a day well spent.So if I want to feel that way tomorrow about today I will do things differently.Ideally we know the things that wont matter much in our twilight years,those things include presentations at work,weekend fashions or entertainment...at least I hope not.I want to have abundant memories,of time spent with loved ones,I want to know more about them starting yesterday,than office gossip.I want to know the details of my sisters dreams more than the details of a promotion package.I will not miss my sisters important dates,like birthdays,matric dinners,graduations unless I have to(being out of the country is one reason).I want to extend this resolution to the family God has planned for me.All in God´s time,but I pray I use that time productively!

I heard the expression make it count for the first time from my bestfriend at a basketball match.Each time a baller had a freethrow,she would shout ¨make it count¨.I got to understand that the expression draws its strong significance because,the chance to make a basket can be realised or not in that moment.So,therefore the baller had to make a freethrow the basket,score the shot in order to make it count.I think about that making it count analogy,in small tasks too because they count towards a bigger goal.They all count towards a bigger goal.It all matters.

Animals get intoxicated too

Love gone right

A topic well,or even overwritten,a topic for all seasons.I am a little weary to write about love from any angle.Its a subject that is simply over-evaluated.Well,here is my 2 cents worth.I will start with listing some cliches about love,and note observations,experience and my resolution.

1)Love is blind:
I guess this explains why we fall for and continue to stay in relationships that are dysfunctional.Your friends,your family could ridicule the relationship,but you just wont listen.Friends would ask,what do you see in him or her,and you would reply,I just love her.I just simply dig this person.They make me feel ¨......¨This feeling is so powerful,its like a high.Each time,they do something or even what they do not do to warrant you walking out of a relationship,you get a whiff of this high.You are back.

2)Love sets you free:
Well,this perspective,seemingly contradicts the one above.I am not at this level yet in my relationships,but a good friend told me that love set him free.I have seen him with his girlfriend and they are good together.Moreover,they have accepted each other,knowing sufficiently enough about each other to look forward to the future.They are happy with redefining themselves as a unit contrary to two individuals.As I said Im not there yet(implying I hope to use and apply this definition in my lovelife in this lifetime)It sounds like what dreams are made of.Total trust and a great sense of belonging,like finding yourself again,in someone else.

3)Love conquers all:
This is linked more or less to point 1 above.Its the certainty of purpose when people are in love.Its the invicible belief that the unity of love will help people endure.This cliche has been credited to many stories of hope and the overcoming of great trials and tribulations.

Many people could profess that they have loved.This conclusion,comes from various beliefs.In the book ¨The road less travelled¨by M Scott Peck,he talks about the process of falling for someone.The whole shabang,starting with noticing, flirting, courtship(this step does not happen for all),engagement and marriage.Please note that I noted all the aspects just for completion,not necessarily because they occur in that order or that they all occurt all,but to open a bigger discussion.Anyway,back to Scott Peck,in his book he describes love as the driving force behind spiritual growth. He considers the notion that romantic love exists a very destructive myth, that it is about dependency, that true love is "falling in love", that love is cathexis, that love is a feeling. Instead love is about the extending of one's ego boundaries to include another, and about the spiritual nurturing of another.In short he describes love as an effort.

His perspective on love (in The Road Less Traveled) is that love is not a feeling, it is an activity and an investment. He defines love as, "The will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth." Love is primarily actions towards nurturing the spiritual growth of another. Love cannot be sustained by mutual dependence, rather, love between two parties is made stronger when they are completely independent of one another.

Again,my friend would critisice this entry because he would observe that I quoted someone else.He would be dissappointed because I didnt relate directly,explicitly stories of my broken-heart in high school,betrayal and low self-esteem in university amidst distorted images of love which equated to sexuality or about giving oneself entirely to the other person.So yes,my friend again would argue that I must have learnt someting and have something personally valuable to share,well I think not.My stories of dissapointment ad self-doubt and mistakes probably mirror those of millions of others.How I dealt with pain and joy of love or falling in love also is nothing new or different or revolutionary.So I dont think,its really bringing any value.You see,I have thought starting from the source would be of help,finding out about love (what is is,how it is,when is it,wand why it is).So unlike my friend, topics in which Im not experienced,and that includes topics with bad results(in terms of love this means no decent past or present relationship status) I ask the experts.I ask the tried and tested.You know thats why we go to school for anything,any learning,to acquire something we dont know from someone who knows something more than us,and has experience and results to show.

Therefore since I had read M Scott Peck´s book a while back,and found it more that just riveting,I quote it here.I also think its useful,because I dont know many people in healthy relationships,and the problem is at the source.How people got together to the place and feeling they called love.Some people got it wrong the first time,some people say its falling in love for the wrong reasons like for money,for material posessions,for family ties,for power etc.Some people decide to get together and call it love because of fear,fear of being alone,fear of not feeling productive with their lives.Some people get together and call it love because they meet other people who they feel can make up for the wrong and inadequate things in their lives.For most people the decision and or feeling to fall in love is from psychological or physiological cause and iandequacy.The need to be completed.I was happy to hear the line from Jerry Maguire ¨You complete me¨is not so cool anymore to signify a deep bond of love.So the wheel turns...As for me my friend,since I have not been able to get this love thing right,I decided to call in the experts,and make love a decision,and fall in love the right way.Besides it was William Shakespeare who said ¨ Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments¨.

Inspirational-The Secret (The soundtrack is a bonus)

Filipino Prisoners-Re-enactment of Michael Jackson´s Thriller

Under the weather

,Im feeling a little under the weather today.I have a bit of fever.The weather in Madrid has not been that consistent.There has been windy days right after a heat wave and I think I was exposed.Plus I sleep with my window open.Anyway,there´s other types of brooding in the air.I hope it happens before Im 35:)Anyway,its been good to talk less today at work.It kind of feels like Im a different person,when Im not ill.Like a clown,a people pleaser,conversationalist,cheerleader...And it felt good to not have to do much,to be in a sublime state,to be introspective,and enjoy my latest craze:

http://www.tv-links.co.uk/

Invictus Through Christ

South Africa in Pictures

http://www.vagabonding.com/gallery_app/slideshow.php?set_albumName=southafrica

I miss South Africa because :

1)My family is there.

2)My childhood friends are there.

3)Most of my university friends are there

4)I can relate to people mostly face to face(offline)

5)Its easier and usual to make unannounced visits(within territory:)

6)Its a different feeling to call someone from local number to local number.It has nothing to do with clarity/reliability of a network,but the reality of being within one border.

7)The African print on clothing,mannerisms,food,interactions,places and people.

8)The food tastes different.Its not any more alimentation than it is...its more soul food.

9)The television programs mimic the life I have seen for most of my life.Think of South African soapies that have evolved over the years to continously track our lifestyle,our politics,our economy.The good thing is local content has increased and we even have movies that have captured the attention and imagination of an international audience.Think of Oscar winning movie Tsotsi and Sarafina.Its also heartening to see our stories being told,our struggles being shared.

10)I can passively listen.The languages are familiar.I speak 2 fluently(English and Sepedi),I can communicate faily in Afrikaans,and then its touch and go with Sotho dialects and Zulu!

11)Familiar gestures,habits,street slang,hood codes,fashion and people.Expressions like eish,joe after everh sentence.Popular street,township and suburbian fashion like All Stars,Loxion Kulcha,Stoned Cherrie,Billabong.South Africans can almost be segmented also by their fashion branding.

12)My roots are in many places.My history,my heritage,and a future I would still like to cling to.My family roots run deep in Africa,to places far and near.From Congo to Limpopo,sons and daughters of kings!

13)In the end,I miss South Africa because it has been part of my identity for 24 years of my life.I realised putting this together,that no matter how many pictures,words I could put down.The feeling,the reality the presence,the moments,the excitement,and sometimes dullness cannot be put down to completely capture how I feel when Im there.I appreciate South Africa more now that Im outside the country.When I touch down,its irresistible to kiss the African soil.

Invictus en Christo

Dedication

This poem is posted after tragic passing of a daughter of our pastor and her husband.Both were members of our church in South Africa.In the end its not how we die but how we lived our lives.The love we shared,the love we inspired and therefore the love we leave in people behind.Ultimately,as a Christian I need to be found in Christ,in happy and sad moments.I dedicate this poem to her family,friends and fellow congregants.

¨Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so,
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure: then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell;
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
-- John Donne

The Dots

Its important to connect the dots,before the whole picture comes together.The picture could be bad,so connecting the dots some time in advance,allows some time to adjust.

The following were the dots in my life.The turning points if you life.Signs that caught my attention.The whispers in my ear,before the fridge dropped on my head.You gotta listen to the whispers though,listen to the whispers and avoid a fridge dropping on your head.

Here are my dots:

1)I didnt have a career choice,and my cousin mentioned Industrial Engineer as a possible career.His reason was no one else in my family was one.
2)On hearing I wanted to be an Industrial Engineer,my principal told me I was more of a social science person.Maybe he was right,though,at the time,I thought he was undermining me.Its good and sufficient to just be a social person,a networker,a people´s person.People in these fields are teachers,sometimes nurses,sometimes psychologists...Bottom line is they serve people,why I rejected the notion at the time was a distorted view and appreciation of what a calling is.
3)After a guidance teacher blocked many of my bursary applications,I got one with a state owned company.In the end,this company was supportive and didnt drop me when I didnt pass all the courses. This was unlike the other sought after private companies.
4)While employed in my first job,I felt a great need to fight a lot.To fight for resources,to fight for training,to fight for recognition...then I got a job with a multinational,and this job took me places and showed me enormous confidence.They also invested in me.Wow,in the end I didnt have to fight.Sometimes we dont have to fight,for everything or some things in particular.Its important to recognise these,¨dont fight for me things¨in relationships,jobs,businesses .If yo have to fight for them,then these interactions lack the basic minimum ¨has to be there already¨items for me to become part of that environment.
5)An attractive,well punted job falls into the traps of bureacracy and internal politics.I knew that this scene,this script and I had seen it all before.I decide,I have to start drawing my own picture,building my own well and directing my own life story of success.I have to start now.
6)A potential sponsor sends me and a former partner away with a to-do list on our internet business proposal.I maintain contact with this business owner,and he introduces me to blogging.Since then my life has erupted with bigger fire that the most active volcano present.
7)Bloggind,internet marketing,people businesses,financial independence...words,concepts I heard before,all are coming together.There is lots of information,but in divergence I have already started seeing the potential for convergence.These trends depends and are built on knowledge of people(PSYCHOLOGY),on able,direct well-managed communicating (MARKETING),on emerging markets (WEB 2.0,social networks)....On taking advantage of massive audiences,communities,networks,groups (facebook,myspace etc.

Well,for now...INVICTUS

PAELLA IN MADRID

Sunday afternoon in a bar/restaurant of Paella.