Made in South Africa

If i got 20cents everytime somebody asked me what race i am i would be a millionaire by now. My whole life i have been confronted with this question and only until i reached matric did i come to terms with my heritage and truly embrace it.

I am proudly made in South Africa...

Quite literally i am the product of different raced parents brought together in joburg. my parents met many years ago in Johannesburg when they both moved from their respective towns seeking to fulfill their dreams and goals.

I usually call myself 'Chinese' to avoid any further questions from people because my roots are quite an entangled web.

not that i mind telling people where i come from, but because it becomes quite a long conversation or more a Q & A session than anything.

Do you speak Chinese? ----> NO!

Have you been to China? ----YES!

Do you eat noodles every night? ----> NO!

well you get my drift..

To be technical my father is half Chinese and half Afrikaans but more Afrikaans than he looks. He grew up on a farm in Port Elizabeth, his grandfather was the headmaster of the Chinese school in the town but he grew up speaking fluent Afrikaans and working in his dad's shop.

Since he works in construction his skin is quite tanned so during the apartheid era my aunt nicknamed him "Mario" so he could pass as a continental something and get work.

On my mother's side her father was adopted and then had an arranged marriage to her mom back in China. They eventually moved to Cape Town where they started up a string of family shops in Retreat. If you speak to the older generation of folk there they fondly refer to my grandad as the "mayor of Retreat" because of his influence and well known presence in the community.

Well put them in a pot and mix them around and you get my siblings and i.

We don't speak or write or understand Chinese but we love our Chinese roots nonetheless.

I love the new generation of proudly made South Africans.. you can see how we love our country and don't see race but embrace all no matter where they come from or how they were made.

Ponte Love

While commenting on a fellow blogger's post it compelled me to source some archived photo's of a tour i took of Ponte back in 2007. These photo's were taken during the transition phase which promised a new and radically changed Ponte City however the deal fell through and the original owners were left to pick up the pieces and continue the refurbishment on their own.

The Ponte building has always been my #1 favourite due to various reasons, one being it guides me home whenever i get lost anywhere! i just look for that gray tower and head in that direction.. works every time!

Look out for a "Ponte Love" part two as i am trying to wrangle another visit of the tower to check out the new refurbishments.

Halala Award

AFHCO recently won the Halala award for one of our buildings, Cavendish in the "Living Joburg" category. These awards are handed out by the JDA recognising the efforts by various ventures in our city. To celebrate we all got Lucky Moo's for lunch as well as a shiny trophy which sits proudly in our head office.

Congrats to all my fellow colleagues who made it happen!

p.s to read a full article on the awards check out the blog CitiChat by Neil Fraser

Cavendish Entrance Lobby Before

Cavendish Entrance Lobby After

Our award winning lunch :)

Show Unit

One of my favourite buildings that AFHCO owns is Purchase Place... mainly because for many years i would drive past it and think to myself "what nice apartments you could have in that building" little did i know that a few years down the road i would be working for the company involved in creating those apartments i had envisioned! life has a funny way of giving you your dreams you know :)

Anyway so one Friday an order comes from one of the Big Cheese's to arrange a show unit in Purchase Place that needs to be ready for Tuesday for some VIP clients. *Eeek!* was my first response but with the help of many hands i managed to create an inviting interior that even i was tempted to sign the lease papers on the spot!

So here it is: A typical one bedroom apartment in Purchase Place

View of the compact kitchen unit
bedroom

open plan dining and lounge

open plan lounge

Today

Just had lunch at Nina's, took a walk through Small street mall to the coffee shop which is in a lawyers office building. Saw the most adorable toddler soccer kits for every international team plus matching shoes. I've never seen so many lawyers in matching black suits and white bibs before! i was also especially surprised to see how happy they all were! call me stereotypical for thinking that all lawyers were grumpy and stuck up! definitely my mistake.

Oriental Flavours in Jozi

(photo courtesy of Flikr)

This weekend felt like i was getting back in touch with my oriental heritage..

Saturday saw us taking a trip to China Mall in Mayfair to do some budget shopping before swinging past the Oriental Plaza for some material swatches for my sister's latest fashion piece.

Even the Plaza has been infected with soccer fever by displaying huge soccer balls in the bazaar (wish i had my camera with me) it was a bit strange i must admit but props to management for feeling the fever :)

After 4 hours of spices and the smell of plastic it was a relief to sit down in a familiar setting at Swallows Inn in the original China Town on Commissioner. Thankfully they have finished with the pavement renovations so we didn't have to tip-toe to the entrance through the mud.

NOTE: Swallows Inn makes THE BEST crispy garlic beef and bo bart soup.. yum...

(photo courtesy of urban joburg)

The best thing i love about Swallows Inn is that it is in the basement of the building known as The United Chinese Club (1947/8) which was designed by Wilhelm Pabst. We learnt about him in varsity and if you really look at the building you will note that it is beautilfully tiled in blue and has features of adding and subtracting to balance the sides... it really is a heritage building as well as a reminder of how advanced we once were with regards to keeping up with architectural trends during the time. The story of Pabst is also a sad and interestng one for those who have heard it.

Trying to become Jozified

I've been thinking lately about what it means to truly love your city.. i think the best way would be to familiarize yourself with the city (duh).
so that's what i am going to be doing more fervently from now on!

THINGS TO LOVE:
1. The Shopping
I've walked around my office block up and down Bree & Jeppe street, i definitely love shopping in town, you can always find a bargain and everything is a fraction of normal store prices. i bought Caleb a pair of converse shoes from a sidewalk vendor for only R35!
[Jozi=1; Suburbs=0]
The people are uber friendly and sooper helpful which is more than i can say for the folk in department stores.
[Jozi=2; Suburbs=0]

2. Eateries
Filling your pit is soooper easy in town.. everyone does deliveries so you don't even have to budge from your 'comfy' office chair and there is a wide range of foodies to pick from. popular choices in my office are; the bacon express from Captein Do'Rega's (R20);Toasted cheese from G-Roc (R8);samoosa's from the oriental plaze (R2.50 each);and our new favourite is the mongolian beef from Lucky Moo.
oh and not to mention there is a mac donalds in our building for those chocolate mac flurry runs.

THINGS TO CRINGE:
1. Safety
Unfortunately you can't ignore the fact that you have to conduct yourself with a bit of street savvyness when adventuring town. lets face it, don't make yourself an easy target. my shopping buddy alice and i always go downstairs empty handed.. our money tucked away in secret pockets or intimate garments and we never venture too far from our parking security.
[Jozi=2; Burbs=1]

2. Crime
I have had the unfortunate incident of witnessing the aftermath of a crime while walking down Bree... i felt sick to my depths at the sight of a human body on the floor. it doesn't matter to me what he may have done, did he really have to die for it?
[Jozi=2; Burbs=2]

anyway, that's all from me for now.
pics to follow!

My Amazing Son

I have made many mistakes in my life but my son has taught me that God can turn any wrong into a right as long as you are willing to fall on your knees and choose to put Christ first in your life above all. It sounds really cheesy but Caleb saved me..

If i had not of chosen God when i did i can gaurentee you that i would be a complete wreck but because of His grace and mercy upon me i was rescued from a bad situation.

Working in the CBD

I've been working for the Affordable Housing Company(AFHCO) for 6 months now. its been a real experience working in the heart of JHB CBD. It has opened up my eyes and mind to how the majority of our city lives. its not all urban chic and cool, but rather raw living trying to make it through each day by the skin of your teeth. the people of our city are struggling, you see it on their faces as i drive to work everyday, it makes me so grateful for what i have and feel blessed to be able to help in a way by uplifting the city with the work we do.

I love my job and love my city!

The Beginning

This is my first official blog! wow its taken me a while to get up to speed with it.
Anyway, today's friday and everyone i the office is counting the minutes until 3pm so we can all sneak out the office and relax!

this week has been intense is all i can say.

Anyway, i will get better at this blog thing!

p.s. thanks Felis for inspiring me to create my own blog :) i just loved your one!