Project Me Cape Town

Posts Tagged With 'Cape Town'

FollowSA weekend complete at Crystal Towers – project me day 780

Posted by jodene February 21, 2012 No Comments »

#FollowSA photographer and my amazing fiance @patsloanephoto overlooking Cape Town from the glass pool edge of Crystal Towers hotel

Sometimes the world’s impression of you can have shadows of misconceptions that are so well masked behind years of practice. Faking my composure and the illusion that all my ducks are in a row is slowly becoming one of my finest qualities.

This weekend past … well it was one of the biggest I’ve ever known in my career. Friday night’s #FollowSA Tweetup marked another huge step as Lifeology continues to showcase our business offering as social media campaign and event strategists. The upside was riddled with excitement and pride … the downside is that I was petrified beyond words.

#FollowSA has grown into the culture of South Africa’s Twitter community to such an extent that brands have been beyond generous with their sponsorship and my gratitude goes out to so many who have supported our Tweetups over the months.

But this one was different … when all was said and done and the last Tweet settled onto the timeline, there was no going home to our familiarity. No cats to cuddle up to and no cars to jump into when the Tweetup ended. We weren’t home … we were out of towners breaking into an unfamiliar market with few faces that we recognised in the crowd.

Then how come we felt so at home? Had that car to jump into whenever we needed it? Had the comfort? Felt the welcome?

African Pride Crystal Towers Hotel and Spa … this girl who started a blog and got some Twitter followers, then blogged some more and got more Twitter followers. This girl who is passionate about social media and a Libran who just loves to see people meet and mingle. This girl who started #FollowSA as a hashtag, turned it into a Tweetup and then another, never thought that the belief in Lifeology and #FollowSA would extend to such generous hospitality and the sponsorship that helped make our Cape Town trip possible.

Our gorgeous hotel room

Okay, so on my vision board is 5 star accommodation. There’s a chauffeur in a shiny luxury car. There’s a doorman who looks like his next stop is opening the door for Mr Trump and there are hotel room suits that I spotted in magazines and pinned into my mind as a dream destination.

Reward comes in many different packages and the hard work and commitment to my career manifested the #FollowSA event and weekend but my belief in my dreams and my worth, well that manifested the generosity of Gary Koetser and the 5 star hospitality of the African Pride Crystal Towers staff.

Being fetched right on time from the airport, welcomed with a genuine knowing of who we were, settling into a hotel that is beyond words and getting us to the #FollowSA venue once we were cleaned, preened and ready to face the Twitter crowds of Cape Town … well that sorted the nerves out. Calmly and with so much excitement we headed off to make it all happen!!

And when all the work was done Crystal Towers turned into a mini honeymoon

But there’s more to Cape Town than just a Tweetup for me. That;’s where my folks were born and a place that was so close to my dad’s heart. Every corner of the Cape reminds me of him in some little way and I’m still working through the sadness of finally finding the man of my dreams, getting engaged and not having my dad around to know him. On the other end of the scale … Pat has never been to Cape Town so every little thing was an adventure and thanks to Crystal Towers, we didn’t have to go to far Pat and I to have a moment where #FollowSA successes were celebrated and we could spend a few hours being a couple in a city so close to my heart.

When I did my stint of dabbling into the answer to what life was and how it worked, I came across a teaching that said something about not being able to have it all because there was lacking in perfection. I think that was the day I decided to come up with my own beliefs instead and this weekend, Crystal Towers, my business partnership and my fiance proved me right … we can have it all. All at one time, in one place and with perfection.
For each person it’s called something different and founds somewhere different but for me it all happened at Crystal Towers!

I always say that everything starts with a Tweet … well in my world anyway. Many Tweets ago I met Andrew Ross and the Twitter connections began and grew stronger. Thank you Andrew for showing me that the power of #FollowSA works and for being fundamental in connecting Lifeology and African Pride hotels.

With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour

Heading to Cape Town thanks to Travel.co.za – project me day 775

Posted by jodene February 16, 2012 No Comments »

It’s been a crazy day even though I’ve been sitting in one spot for most of it.

I can’t believe that tomorrow is it … we’re flying to Cape Town for an event that I only dreamed of. Wait, I don’t think I even had this in my game plan at all, but it sure fits like a glove.

Yesterday Greggie and I were looking at the first time I mentioned #FollowSA in a blog post and that was in June last year. Lifeology then grabbed the excitement that everyone showed for the hashtag and created our first event on the 30th of August. Excitement bubbled over until the talks began with Travel.co.za for a Tweetup in Cape Town.
I remember putting it out there and not holding my breath for much of a response, but that wasn’t the case at all. Everyone in the Mother City seemed just as excited as the Joburg crowd to have a Tweetup.

And so the planning began.

Every step of the way, Talitha Spykerman and Darren Napier have been the most amazing support and Travel.co.za have been just as enthusiastic about the event as Greggie, Pat and myself who are traveling down.

The day is still a little mad, with a whole lot of last minute loose ends to tie up, and that’s a post I’m going to write in the air tomorrow as we my make our trip down. In the meantime I still have my aunt coming for dinner to meet Pat, a whole lot of packing to do and … a stage to find at this short hour for tomorrow’s event!

Gulp … but at least we know we’re getting there!!

T and Darren I’m so going to miss you tomorrow night and thank you for the most amazing support and belief in #FollowSA. I hope this event knocks the sock of everyone in Cape Town and it’s the first of many exciting ventures we have together. You are amazing travel partners who are helping #FollowSA take an unbelievable step in going nationwide!

With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour

A good old to do list – project me day 760

Posted by jodene January 31, 2012 No Comments »

Admittedly I didn’t wake up feeling much better than I had gone to sleep. Feeling sorry for myself and wanting some magic want to rush through time and get me to the point where there aren’t financial stresses and I’m done breaking into the industry, with a flush bank account.

There’s something very special about the person in your life telling you to get over yourself, get your ass out of bed and dragging you off to your business partner’s house even if your bottom lip is dragging behind the car.

In all my frustrations, I still had a business brainwave last night and told that to Greggie first before being a total drama queen and telling him I didn’t want to carry on anymore. Of course I do … we all know that by now.
I did have a mission today. I had to catch up on a whole lot of work that I didn’t get through because of my lower than low day yesterday. It had to do with a lot of emails for ‘your project me story’ that is seriously going live on air this Sunday. We also have the first Cape Town #FollowSA event on the 17th and I haven’t even begun to get through the list of South African peeps in the Mother City that I need to invite. Greggie and I were talking today and we know that in the end I won’t have to send out dozens of invites to the #FollowSA events because everyone will be keeping their eye out for them.

I’ve tried to do the to do list in outlook and I’ve also tried to keep on on my phone. There was even a Google option and the bouncing between pages or not being able to scribble off a list when the task is complete, well there is something so unsatisfying about that. So at the beginning of the year I went back to the good old fashioned black book that would be the home to all my tasks and chores for the year. It goes with me everywhere and I make notes and scribble them out as soon as they are done.

The more I scratched off, the greater I started to feel about me, Lifeology, life and everything in between. The paper list isn’t the only old fashioned thing about me. I know everyone sees me Tweeting and finding my days filled with the social media space, but boy do I still love making that phone call. My day was filled with to do’s that started with, “Call …” and I got to them all today. It was most exciting connecting with everyone in Cape Town who are making the Tweetup come to life. It’s great to be carrying the vibe that Joburg had last week onto the sister hotel, Fire and Ice Cape Town in two weeks time. Calls, calls, calls and long chats stepped up the mood and confidence yet another notch.

It’s very seldom that there are days when Greggie and I don’t have meetings and today was an absolute treat. It was so great to do the #FollowSA press release and not have to stop to go anywhere or do anything in between. We need more days like these. Actually, I think that we need to take a day a week where we don’t make any appointments and it’s all about admin and more admin. I’m not guaranteeing that Greggie had as much fun as me, but seeing as though my first job ever was a PA, I’m assuming that some part of my soul will always find comfort in a healthy to do list and a whole pile of admin to sift through!

With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour

Hello Cape Town – Project me day 521

Posted by jodene June 05, 2011 8 Comments »

I’m officially here, where the air is clearer, the seagulls fill the air and the memories are a little tougher to adjust to. Hello Cape Town!

Firstly, lets get the cons out the way … Although the sponsorship for the new laptop has been confirmed, it has been delivered yet and there was no way I could go away on a writing holiday still missing and ‘A’ and with no back up battery supply. Literally, as the plug leaves the wall, the laptop dies. I’m so grateful to my mom for letting me use her little travel laptop. It has full battery power and a very functional ‘A’. On the other hand, I’m completely not used to the size of the keyboard and every second letter that I hit is wrong. I’m waiting to adjust my brain to the keys and then I should be a little less frustrated.

Once again, I have no words to express how grateful I am to the family of 6 on 13th for allowing their home by the sea to be Greggie and my home for the next week and a bit. This place is absolutely gorgeous and is this quaint bachelor flat that I could see myself living in and writing in for the rest of my day. Unfortunately there is only a couch and my back hates couches. I can feel the strain on my back already, so it’s confirmed that I won’t be able to do much writing in the flat. On the other hand, most of the writing is done and there is only reading through and editing, so I’m going to see if that makes it any easier. If not, there shall be a lot of sitting in coffee shops while still being money conscious on this spontaneous holiday.

I’m here to finish the final edit of the novel. Yes .. I have one of those and I have been working on it for nearly 4 years now. Well, it has to be that long. My dad was still alive and I he has been gone 3 years in September. The crazy thing is that I love the story. For those of you who don’t know about it yet, it’s called Ephineah(Ee-fee-nee-yah). If you google it, there is no trace of the name except for my book and the crazy thing is that the name was given to me in a mediation and the story is based on real meditations that I journeyed through. That is one powerful story in my own opinion and I have finally come to terms with the fact that book is a little girlie. I think that is was has been the holdup … I have been trying to change it to suit every0ne on the planet except for just writing the story that I most want to tell. So the writing is a lot freer and the time to finish it is now!

I know there is so much to tell you about the Twitter Blanket Drive and a newly confirmed sponsorship but I have to stall that a little until I can figure out how to get my email onto this laptop and be a little more organised online. Lucky for me, the blanket counting isn’t finished as yet, because a special blog truly is needed for such a special experience.

As the days unfold I will share more of the bitter sweet memories of Cape Town and my family memories. I’m still in that phase of missing my dad terribly and I don’t want to become was someone who keeps bringing up my father at the turn of every corner … but today has been laced with that.
We just came back from a long walk along the Seapoint promenade and the memories are countless. It was special to let them wash over me in silence and Greggie and I took in the view of the sea, the mountain, the architecture and the beautiful boys. It’s beginning to be blazingly clear that I have been single for far too long and sunset by the sea always add that additional pang.

On the other hand I couldn’t stop praising my body for how far I have come. Just 9 months ago I was bedridden and walking to the bathroom to pee was a small feat. I thought about wheeling myself to and from the bed in an office chair and here I am sitting back in this gorgeous flat after having walked a good hour and a bit in the sea air. It wasn’t a stroll, trust me. With Greggie’s long legs I have to walk double time to keep up with him … but it did me the world of good. In the near future every Sunday’s blog with be ‘project body’ and today felt like a great way to acknowledge that. Of course, I’m petrified to get back into gym and it’s scarier to be doing it with a personal trainer who isn’t going to let me get away with 10 minutes around the walking track and then home. This is some serious stuff and the walk made me feel better about being fitter than I thought I was.

Ooh, ooh … the last thing is my exciting news about my witchy, winter pumpkin soup! It got published on the Jozi Kids blog … I’m thrilled to have been able to contribute something to a blog that I love and it’s so worth following them on Twitter if you are in the Jozi area or ever visit.

With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour

Proudly South African – project me day 520

Posted by jodene June 04, 2011 4 Comments »

Emmanuel Castic and me!

It’s 4 hours before I am heading off to the Twitter Blanket Drive at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Rosebank. It’s been one of those emotional days that people battle to understand about me. Yes, I cry for almost anything! The tears vary from excitement to fear … but there is undoubtedly one shed often.
While chatting to Melanie Minnaar, who is the founder of the drive, I had already had a lump in my throat. Well, there was a build up to that.

It all started when we collected an international guest from the Gautrain station in Sandton and I realised just how far we have come as an country that welcomes tourists here. I don’t go to Sandton much and I’m horrified to say that I didn’t even know where the Gautrain station was. With each phone call people were telling me that it was pretty hard to miss and only when I turned the corner and saw this gorgeous building that any South African would be proud of, did I understand what everyone meant!

Fetching an American and hearing ‘Safari’ roll of their tongue from the moment they begin talking really isn’t that unusual. It’s the other part of the conversation that made me so proud to be a girl from Africa! She had such beautiful things to say about every part of Africa that she had visited. No part of this special tourist had missed any of the beauty through fears of traveling to Africa. How refreshing. She also told me how expensive it is to travel here and how willing tourists are to pay. Once again, they all come for the safari.

This was the last leg of M’s trip before she met up with her folks on the other side of the world. She was supposed to say in a youth hostel overnight but that is certainly not South African hospitality. Instead, she stayed with my mom and I and got to share a special South African treat with her.

M, Emmanuel Castis, mom and me

Along the way of my ‘project me’ journey I have met people with such acceptance and willingness to share their ‘project me’ stories with me. Some of them have been interviewed but I haven’t had the privilege of meeting them personally. There the is the opposite in the case of Emmanuel Castis who started as a South African celeb with a story to tell and has blossomed into a friend.
Friends have many things to share with each other and last night was his turn to share his singing talents. It was the perfect opportunity to introduce M to some cool South African peeps, take her to an amazing SA restaurant and have her be entertained by a gorgeous singer. I had never heard Emmanuel sing live until last night and I can honestly say that I had to sneak a tear or two in. I was bought up with music being a very important part of 0ur lives and memories and last night there were far too many of them.

I know it’s difficult to find the things that strike up memories, but there was a huge meat slicer right by our table and I couldn’t help but miss my dad terribly. We grew up having a butcher as a dad. Not one who owned a butchery, but one who was MD of one of the biggest meat companies in SA … Bull Brand! Most of the time I was grossed out as a child, but now I appreciate a meat slicer. It did freak him out that I don’t appreciate a good rump or sirloin though. Sorry daddy!
My dad taught us to be proudly South African and it would take far more than one blog post to tell you all the reasons why, but one of the greatest reasons he shared with us is the humility of the nation. Only when M asked where the paparazi was and couldn’t believe that a famous person was mingling with the tables, did I realise just how humble we are.

After hours of chatting we started talking about what I do and it seem that around the world, blogging is beginning to become a recognised career. Of course, she told me stories of friends of hers who had made a fortune from blogging and I did feel a little 3rd world. On the other hand, when I told her about today and the Twitter Blanket Drive, I felt like the proudest person of this great nation.
I am in awe of us right now. Twitterers across South Africa getting ready to hit venues around the country and bring blankets for the needy. On the other hand, I’m equally proud of Greggie who will be singing at a CANSA function and holding the flag for Lifeology there. Most of all, I am proud that the voice of social networking is shouting something so positive today!

Many times I find myself riddled with frustration at how far behind South Africa is in the social networking arena. I have wanted to bash my head against the wall when I see how we don’t use the power of this great tool to our advantage … and then I am silenced by the unbelievable dedication of one woman and her team across SA. Melanie Minnaar has become my friend and that would never have happened had Twitter not bought us together. It was an honour to tell M all about today and I could see her wonderment at what we do for each other as a nation. Good God it was incredible!!!

Tomorrow I get on a plane and fly to Cape Town for 9 days! Greggie and I have meetings and I have a novel to finish. The SA kindness flows through so much of this trip and I always smile when I say: ‘It began with a Tweet’. Thank you to 6 on thirteen for opening up your Cape Town home to us so that we can make something special happen for our business and ourselves.

I could go on for hours about the reason why I’m bursting as a proud South African today, but instead, I’m going to put on my lipstick and head out the Twitter Blanket Drive to be amidst the greatness once again.

To Emmanuel for blowing away a woman who lives amidst Hollywood starts! To Melanie for blowing away that same woman who comes from a county who boasts about giving a fortune! To South Africa for blowing away that woman with our smiles, greeting of strangers and love for our land that seems to be worn on our sleeves … I thank you for making this ‘project me’ day such an incredibly moving one!

With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour