I found myself!

While watching a video report on the Mail & Guardian's website, I found some proof that we really did go see the SA Olympic Swimming Team return home.  Hiehie.





Crazy groupie or just proud fan?

I saw The Chad aka Welcome Back Golden Boys

On Monday I posted some eye candy in the form of Olympic swimmers such as Chad Le Clos. The very next day I heard that the South African swimming team is arriving back in the country on Thursday (today) and that everyone should go to O.R. Tambo and welcome them home. Say whaaaat! I'm there.

So this morning, on a public holiday, I dragged my husband out of bed at 5am - off to the airport dressed in every South African flag we had. When we arrived there shortly after 7am, the arrivals hall was already packed! Scores of kids with swimming caps in hand, proud South Africans with LeadSA-sponsored posters, and gawking teenage girls ready to ask for Chad's hand in marriage.

Luckily I am freakishly tall and could point my iPhone over their heads, but chances of good photographs were slim, so don't judge okay. (Remember, my trusty Nikon died while ballooning a week ago).

The atmosphere was electric - whether it was sheer pride or just hormones. Banners covered the balconies. Cheers, shrieks, Shosholoza, and the vuvuzelas' thundering filled the arrivals atrium. We were ready to see our Golden Boys, Cameron van der Burgh and Chad Le Clos. It was really was a proudly South African morning. (If you still don't know why these guys are awesome, you have either been living under a rock, or watching NBC news).

Flying the flag

Here they come!

The golden boys, Chad and Cameron (or Cameroon as Sport Minister Fikile Mbalula said)

Sporting makarapas and medals

Police, security and Aki Anastasiou

But let us not forget the other goal of the day, to snap a pic of The Chad. And I did. Mostly out of focus, and I missed the moment when they lifted their sweatshirts, sending the crowd into delirium, but I finally got close enough...

Autographs, Cameron and Chad

"That's my boy!"

Just so darn cute, isn't he?

It was tough, but I made it. I narrowly escaped the crowds of shrieking girls, and so did the boys. Jeepers, if it was not for the walls of police and military looking security guards, those girls would have torn off every last piece of clothing they had on.

Well done to all our swimmers! It was fantastic watching every race, witnessing history being made, and being there today, welcoming you home. I love this country!

Snow day in Jozi

When I go dressed this morning it was -1º C outside. I know this because I check the weather every morning before I get dressed, for what it's worth. I put on my trusty Michelin Man Coat and braced the cold, and the snow.

Yes, snow! During the course of the day it started snowing. In Johannesburg. In August. The last time it snowed substantially here was in 2007, and before then it was somewhere in the 80s.

First it was just a few sleety crumbs. But then came the flakes and that was it. Productivity in Joburg plummeted. Everyone ran out of the office and danced in the snow. I don't know how many Joburgers have ever seen snow, but it did not seem to matter, because it was snowing in Joburg. Not Europe. Not Lesotho. Awesomeness. The snowflakes came and went a couple of times during the day, and yes, we ran outside almost every time. Silliness.

So if you have not been on Facebook today, or you don't know anyone from Johannesburg on Facebook, here are some pics. Oh, and even though I practiced photographing snow in Ohio, it is still does not give the full impression. The video worked a bit better.

 And this was the (freezing) sunset at the end of the day:



But my favorite part of the day has to be this photograph from the Johannesburg Zoo. It just sums up all the giddiness:

 

Side note: I am busy redesigning my blog. Not quite there yet...

Olympic swimmer in the making *in my mind*.

Okay, okay. The Olympic swimming events are over. Time to stop watching the swimming (swimmers) and start doing the swimming thing again.

In February of this year (2012) I swam the Midmar Mile. I am still not sure how or why, but I did. I started training round about September of 2011. It is now August 2012, and yes, I am starting to officially train again. Yes, I am doing the Midmar Mile again. Yes, it is a bit crazy. Yes, I think I am slightly in love. With swimming. Not the swimmers.

But let's have a look at those Olympians again one more time.



Back to swimming. Did I mention that I have never really been a swimmer, apart from splashing about in the family pool? I wanted to be, but realised this too late and was too slow for the high school team. So after watching various youtube videos, and peaking at the kids being coached at the gym, I managed to swim a mile without drowning. But now I want to be faster. It is a competition after all. Along came Ryk Neethling and Chad Le Clos, my personal coaches. Okay, not mine personally, nor do get to actually meet them, but thanks to Virgin Active I have access to training programmes and videos by none other than our golden boys. Have a look.

Did I take enough note of the techniques they demonstrated? This remains to be seen. My first challenge of the season arrives 20 October, at Sun City. Check back then and hold thumbs.

Oh alright, let's just look at these guys one last time.  

Up, up and away in a beautiful balloon

Recently our creative studio got jumbled up and divided into 3 new teams. And with a new team comes...team building exercise '99 of course. Go team.

Now, during my school and varsity years I have participated in close to 20 team building camps/days/sessions. I have climbed through rope mazes, balanced on beams, plotted around blindfolded, did trust falls, scaled trees (and refused to come down again), and got turned into a giant newspaper snail. What more could I possibly go through? The answer, very drunkenly suggested, was skydiving. Did I mention I sat up 20m tree for over an hour once, due to my acute fear of heights? This idea was not going to fly.

But flying we were stuck on. Thank goodness skydiving became hot air ballooning. Much more romantic, yet still terrifying.

Monday arrived. D-day. Off we went towards Hartbeespoort, to Bill Harrop's Original Balloon Safaris. Our pilot would later tell the tale of how Bill and his wife Mary, keen yachtsmen from England, came to South Africa after Bill had a eureka moment, running out into his garden with only a towel on, or something like that. Anyway. They have been running this company for over 60 years, and have one of the biggest balloons in the world. Oh, they also offer afternoon flights, the main reason we choice them.

So, after arriving at Bill's, being greated by super nice staff, and enjoying a tequila or two, we clambered into the balloon basket. It really is a basket! Unfortunately, the only drawback with afternoon flights is the wind. We could not take off. Well, we could, but we risked having to land somewhere near Pelindaba, being dragged across shards of rock and dying. Extreme trust falls?

Here are some pics:



The decision was made that we would return for the next morning's flight. At 6am. Which ment getting up at 4am. Did I mention we are an advertising creative team and most of our bedtimes are only at 1am. Torture! But we did it. We made it there on time, freezing our little bums off. A miracle. So here we go again, sans tequila this time:

We were joined by another group. They had the big one. Apparently a balloon of that size is worth around R1.8 million!

"Goeie more, Suid-Afrika!"

Just like that we have lift-off.

I actually peered over the edge of the basket to take this photo.

My trusty Nikon decided to give me an error message after this photo, and I had to resort to using my iPhone from here on. Thank goodness for Steve Jobs.




 Oh, and what about the fear of heights you ask? Amazingly, no fear! Even the pilot has vertigo, but is not affected in the balloon. I could stay up there for hours. You lose track of time, just watching the world go by. Complete silence apart from the gushing flame every now and again. Bliss. Just don't touch me while I am dangling my iPhone over the basket edge!