Not all who wander are lost

“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring”. This is one of the most famous quotes from author J.R.R. Tolkien form the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Okay, okay so maybe I am a bit of a geek, but I love fantasy.

Not everything is as simple as black and white. We love judging books by their covers (excuse the pun). The quote itself is about perception, and us as PRP’s know all about the important role of perception. We presume to think that if someone looks lost, that they most certainly are. We like to deduce our own conclusions. ‘All that is gold does not glitter’, everything is not always as it seems, and looks can most certainly be deceiving. This is the journey called life, where we learn by trial and tribulation and some of us will indeed seem lost, but I think we’re just resting

How do you step from the top of a 100-foot pole?

How do you step from the top of a 100-foot pole? The answer: you don’t! At least nobody in their right frame of mind would.

Well, in the metaphoric sense sometimes all we need to do is close our eyes and just let it all go (says the girl who’s afraid of the future). Things are always easier said than done, but life is about taking risks. That 100-foot pole is our challenge in life. I know that it is my challenge. You do remember that life is never easy? What would it be without a few twists and turns?

We obviously climbed to the top of the pole, all that’s left to do is take that very small step and leave everything up to chance. Besides, I bet the view is good from up there.

“I definitely need to use my chances when they come because definitely there won’t be many” Roger Federer. Just try to imagine if he didn’t take that small step.

We are what we do

Many countries are engaged in civil war, especially in Africa, and children grow up having bullets for breakfast, lunch and supper. They are educated in knowing nothing else but war. It is their first and only education.

I pity them. Most of them will never get a proper education. They are indoctrinated into believing certain things and we label them murderers, rapists and thieves. They are being defined by what they do, which I think is unfair. Think about it, is it fair to them to say ‘you are what you do’, when they don’t have a choice. Their lives are not their own.

I think that was a bit hectic for a blog, but the truth. I also know most of you won’t agree with me. However the point is, there are some instances in which we can define people by what they do and other times you simply cannot judge.

We are what we do, yes our actions define us, and ‘actions speak louder than words’. Many will agree with that. However our actions aren’t always our intentions.

We are afraid of the wrong things

Not many people know this (and I am about to share this with the whole world, yikes!), one of my biggest fears is the dark, especially being alone in the dark. So many things come out during the blackness. Maybe I’ve just watched one too many horror flicks.

Seriously though, what should we be afraid of? Snakes and everything that crawls? Just thinking about it makes me quiver. How about the future? It is quite daunting; no matter how well we map it, nothing ever goes according to plan. Suppose that’s what they call ‘Murphy’s Law’.

My future is my fear. Is that the wrong thing to be afraid of? I think not. How many of us can say with absolute certainty that you are not afraid of what the future holds? We know what we want, we know how we’re going to achieve it, but will it actually happen, even if we work our asses off? The future will always be a mystery, but what I do know is that whatever I do now, in the present, will definitely impact my future.

What is the colour of the wind?

The wind has no colour. You can imagine the various colours the wind could have been if it were a colour. Would it have been aggressive, powerful and dangerous like the colour red? Or would it have been blue, tranquil, confident and loyal?

I think it would have been the latter, cool and calming. I imagine myself in an open green field, the smell of fresh grass in the air (the best smell in the world). The bright yellow sun is not too hot; it’s a dazzling spring day. All I feel on my skin is the cool, spring breeze. Now isn’t that just heavenly? The colour blue, tranquillity at it’s best.

Then again, I live in Cape Town. What would my great city be without the Cape Doctor; the fierce South-Easterly that blows all my troubles away? Aggressive and powerful.

If I were the boss

What would I do if I were the boss? That is actually a difficult question to answer (at least for me). It seems relatively easy when you sitting at your desk in front of your computer with piles of work, then that’s very easy to answer. Of course it has its perks, a bigger office, perhaps even a better car; the respect of your sub-ordinates? Not necessarily, respect needs to be earned, you give respect and you’ll get respect in return.

That still doesn’t answer the question does it? To be the boss, all that responsibility…

I think I’d like a cool working environment, so here is my list:

1. I’d have weekly update meetings with the various departments. This promotes communication.
2. I’d have a “chill-out” zone instead of a staff room. It will contain a refreshment station, cool lounges and video games. Nintendo wii and Playstation and X-Box.
3. I will give my employees incentives for good, hard work, and a pat on the back for effort.
4. I want a work environment that’s funky and fresh and still professional. The work environment must make my workers want to work.
   
   Those I think are my top 4 requirements if I were the boss.

Things I'd like to discuss

1. Anything relevant, except global warming, it has been done to death!

2. Social Media.

3. Is there still place for face-to-face communication in the technology future?

4. How does PRP's stay afloat when we will be the first retrenched if companies need to "tighten their belts".

5. Will Barack Obama be a good president in the long run?

SA bands suck?

South Africa is known as the "rainbow nation", with diverse cultures and people. That aspect is displayed in the South African music industry, with great SA bands such as Freshly Ground, The Parlotones, The Dirty Skirts, Zebra and Giraffe to name but a few. SA bands suck? Are you insane? SA bands rock! (thank you Rudolf).

Have any of you actually taken the time to listen to Prime Circle or Crash Car Burn? Now that's good quality South African music.

We as South African's have the tendency to compare our local music to that of the international acts. There is no comparison. Had Freshly Ground not proven that? Staying true to their African roots, they won Best African Act at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards. What more do these bands need to do in order to prove, to the rough SA crowd, that they are of the best?

We don't always appreciate anything 'Proudly South African'. Besides SA rock bands, how many of us can honestly say we religously or even seldomly listen to kwaito? Kwaito is SA at it's best, and in my opinion, doesn't receive the credit it deserves. If any of you can honestly say that you knew Arthur Mafokate was one of the founding fathers of kwaito, I'd be very impressed.

My take on Designer PR

At first I thought, ‘how in the world can Public Relations Management be a design course?’ Sure, it takes a lot of creative thinking, but design? Is that not way off the topic? “Public Relations is the management of perceptions” (PRISA, 1997). Nowhere in this definition is there mention of the ‘design of perceptions’. However, if we really get down to it PR requires PRP’s to design successful strategies in order to manage an organisations image and the perception its internal and external publics has. So, to what conclusion can we derive, simply put, the move to the design faculty gives PR so much more; for lack of a better word; scope. The article 'Designer PR' gives us students comfort, and has certainly helped me think further than my nose.