Becoming Credit Savvy

Apparently we live in a time where things are drastically easier...or so everyone wants you to believe.

I disagree strongly!

Look, I'll make you a deal: I won't go into too much detail, and you must promise me that you will at least have a wonderful weekend. Deal? Deal.

I decided to apply for a specific mobile phone contract. I have payments going off my bank account, so I figured I wouldn't have a problem with establishing a good credit record. Obviously, I was wrong. It took the mobile phone company three weeks to tell me exactly WHY they're refusing me the contract I want. And might I add, they didn't look at all keen to help me in the first place.

Well, easily remedied, just apply for a credit card at the bank I've used for 30 years. I mean, why wouldn't my own bank want to give me a credit card? Wrong again. Turns out I'm in a catch 22 situation...both the mobile company and the bank wants me to have a better credit history. Great.

So, last resort, I decide to open a clothes account at a shop I frequent. Success!

And this couldn't have come at a better time, seeing as I now have to buy almost a complete now "office" wardrobe.

Yes...I landed a really great job at a wonderful company that offers me a very good market related salary. And as if that isn't enough, I landed a second job that keeps me busy for almost 2 weekends a month. This second job requires me to go camping in the mountains. Yes, your eyes aren't deceiving you...camping.

Oh, and then there's the third job: typing up transcripts which I can do on the weekends I'm not going camping, and during the week when I'm not watching Vampire movies or Space travel stories.

God truly does look out for His beloved children. I knew this in my heart, even when I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. And now He's gone and blessed me above and beyond.

Well, from my elated heart to yours: Thank you for reading and enjoy your respective weekends.

Love

Me!

On the Topic of...

...names. Seeing how I've started off naming things in my previous post, I thought I'd carry on in the same vein.

I've always been interested in the meaning behind names, especially when they're different and strange. Needless to say, I've searched the meaning of my own name on different occasions, and in different formats.

For instance, I have a name book at home that is entirely Christian based. According to them, my name means "Steadfast".

Apparently it is also of Old-German origin, meaning "Wanderer". I hear what you're saying...steadfast and wanderer almost seem mutually exclusive. I don't think they are. You don't have to be a flake to be a wanderer.

Then there is the Polish origin. Apparently Wanda was the name of a princess in the 19th century and there the name means "A slender young tree". Hmmm, not too bad.

And then there is my personal favourite. My name is also of Slavic origin...and this time it means "The tribe of the vandals". Eat my fist suckahs!!

I've read that my name was apparently popular in the Hispanic culture as well, but couldn't find a meaning for it there.

So, there you have it: I'm a steadfast wandering, slender young tree from the tribe of the vandals. Awesome.

Giving It A Name

I was never one of those kids that used to give their blanket a name and take it with them everywhere they went. I also never had an imaginary friend. But I just realized I mentioned in a previous post, that I sometimes give things names. So, just for fun, I decided I would share them with you.

I have only given four things names. I don't see the point in naming my bedroom door "Zinger", because I don't love it, and it doesn't mean THAT much to me.

My car has a name, though. I call her Max. She might not look it, but she's got a mighty kick in her, and I always trust her. She's strong, stable and awesome. Max is the name of Jessica Alba's character in Dark Angel. Max originally doesn't have a name, only a barcode which she received when she was made in a petri dish in some freaky lab in the Wyoming Mountains. She's engineered to be a super-soldier in the X5 series, and her designation is X5-452. That's why I call my car Max.

My brand new computer is pretty brainy. It's got all the programming I need, it has more than enough memory so I can store all my pictures, movies, stories and whatnot on there. It runs smoothly, fast and without any hiccups. It processes whatever I need without any problems. I call it Daniel. Dr Daniel Jackson is an archaeologist and linguist on Stargate SG1. His social skills are amazing; his ability to stabilize explosive situations are commendable and he speaks 23 languages. Why wouldn't I name my Computer Daniel?

My memory stick comes in very handy, especially because I don't have internet access at home and I need to move information from one place to another. I don't go anywhere without my memory stick. After some thought, I settled on naming it Jack Bauer. I feel stupid for having to explain this, because somewhere in my mind I expect everyone to know who Jack Bauer is...but here goes. Jack starts out working for the Counter Terrorist Unit at the beginning of the show 24. He's a field agent. It's pretty obvious, then, why I've named my memory stick Jack, right?

Lastly, I take my iPod with me everywhere. It accompanied me on the tube, trains and buses in London, and I still listen to it on my way to work, mainly because I don't have a stereo in my car. I can't live without music, so my iPod is very important to me. Toby. Tobymac is one third of DC Talk (as a band they no longer exist). His music is always awesome, and his live shows are pumped full of adrenaline. It's simple really...obviously my iPod would be named Toby!

Okay, if I haven't bored you, and you've made it to the end of this post...thanks!

Ciao!

Losing Your Virginity

Eyebrows shoot up; gasps of surprise and shock can be heard echoing over cyberspace, and dear friends immediately grab their phones: Wanda has delivered a shocker!

Hang on to your underwear people!

I have finished reading my very first Francine Rivers novel, which means I am officially no longer a Francine Virgin!

For those of you who love reading, and don't mind a thick 400 page book every now and again, you will understand that I immediately realized I was going to be sleep deprived when my sister handed me Redeeming Love (sleep deprived, because once I start, there is no way of stopping me!).

And the emotions running through my veins and heart was overwhelming as I read this beautifully heartbreaking story. The lump in my throat refused to budge and I had to force myself countless times to swallow really hard. My tears were dangerously close to streaming down my cheeks at least once every chapter, and frustration gripped me a couple of times when I realized the characters were heading down a very dangerous and slippery road.

But the hope remained. And the realization of redemption and healing dawned on me so overwhelmingly, I had to stand in awe.

Exploring the character of Angel made me realize that all of us are haunted by a past that we see no way out of. We are constantly reminded that we are not worthy, and that we are not strong enough to claw our way out of it on our own.

And once the character of Daniel was introduced, I instinctively knew that I wanted to be like him, without a doubt. And the answer lies in the Guiding Hand that brings these two together.

If you don't think you're up to reading Redeeming Love, all is not lost. Go and read the story of Hosea and Gomer. Hosea wrote it down, detailed and proud, as a testimony of the redemption and healing I spoke of earlier. You'll find it in the book of Hosea, in the Old Testament of The Bible.

Someone Once Said...

..and I forget who, so please forgive me: "The only thing wrong with life is that there's no Soundtrack."

This is most probably why I bought myself an iPod while I was still in London. The beauty of the public transport system over there is that it allows you to live your life to your own soundtrack without having to concentrate on driving a car (i.e. reality interfering).

Wait, I'm actually blogging for a completely different reason. I always read up on the movies or shows I'm watching, and I've always found www.wikipedia.org a good source of information when it comes to bullet pointed tidbits regarding my latest story-watching expedition.

Take the show 24 for instance (Producer: Sean Callery). It won a couple of awards for its soundtrack, so this fact prompted me to consciously listen whenever I was watching my daily 6 episodes. It's so subtle, but so awesome.

Prisonbreak (Composer: Ramin Djawadi), in my opinion, has the most gripping theme song of any show I've ever seen. The music quickens your heartbeat and causes shallow, short gasps of anticipated breath. Perfect musical casting.

And then there's the Bourne Trilogy (Composer: John Powell). I love exploring the bonus material on discs (which is why I'll ALWAYS buy the boxsets of movies and TV shows); so yesterday I was watching an interview with the composer of the Bourne Soundtrack in which he briefly explains his motivation behind some of the themes he had chosen for the movies. That's when I realized, as a viewer I most definitely don't analyse the soundtrack, BUT it makes an enormous difference to my reaction and emotional connection to the movie. Duh! I hear you say, but you'll be surprised how many people do not realize how important the perfect music is to a scene.

I could obviously list numerous movie soundtracks that impacted me: Pirates of the Carribean (Composer: Hans Zimmer, Klaus Badelt), Gladiator (Composer: Hans Zimmer, Klaus Badelt), Avatar (Composer: James Horner),The Village (Composer: James Newton Howard) to name but a few. And I promise you you'll recognize some of these names, because they're almost as famous as the leading stars in the movies.

Point is, don't ever underestimate a movie or TV soundtrack. Those composers are geniuses.

"Reserve Me a Seat at the Identity Table Please"

You think it's only reserved for Teenagers; you think once you hit 21 you're safe; you believe if you've missed it, it won't zero in on you like a pre-programmed missile launcher.

It just has a different name, but it's still the same thing: Menopause, midlife crises, "a phase".

But you know what? It's fun discovering who you are! Every so often I discover, or make peace, with a part of me, and it's liberating. Who I am is much more complex than squeezing me into a suit and telling me I'll be the suit from now on. I wear the suit...the suit never wears me.

Happy Mondays

My blog WILL NOT be about the band with the same name. It's actually, literally descriptive of my current mood...even though it's Monday.

To be fair, this Monday didn't become happy all by itself...it's actually Sunday's fault, and more correctly, it's God's doing.

I'll explain, if you'd like. Firstly, I finished watching the Firefly series on Saturday, including the Serenity movie. I quite enjoyed it, seeing as it was my kind of thing (sci-fi, action, space travel, creepy storylines etc.) But the one thing that made me smile with my heart and not just my lips, is a piece of dialogue that got worked into the script in such a subtle and non-intrusive way, that it could easily have been missed. I'll set the scene for you:

Mal (the captain of the Firefly Class spaceship serenity) accepts a "job" in protecting a bunch of ladies from a control-freak chauvinist. Mal's crew consists of quite a few interesting people, including Shepherd Book, a preacher man. In their preparation to protect the ladies, the following dialogue happens:

Shepherd: "Captain, I'm pretty good with a hammer"

Mal: "You are?"

Shepherd: "Yes, I've been following in the footsteps of a Carpenter for quite some time now."

I paused the DVD and just reveled in it for a while.

And yesterday we danced to "Happy Day" by Tim Hughes. It's impossible to dance to that song and NOT smile. The choreography was simple, but it contained so much jumping and hopping that I was completely knackered afterwards, but it was immensely injoyable.

So...this morning while I was driving to work, I just loved my day, my life and what was happening in it, to it and with me. I'm really looking forward to this year and all it's potential.

Ta-ta!

My 2010

I keep telling people that I am very excited about this coming year. I truly believe that this year is the year in which I restore my previous financial independence and start building a life for me back in my home country.

Thinking about how we are all told (either at the beginning of a year, or at your birthday) that the ones you love hope good fortune will find you (with variations on the theme, of course), I decided that I am not going to sit on my well rounded arse and wait for good fortune to find me...I'm going to go out there and find it first!

That's why I made a list of all the things I want to do, learn and achieve this year.

And the things that are happening in my life are confirming my suspicions. This is my year...for sure!

Firstly, I agreed to teach a Hip-Hop class on a Monday night at our church's dance school. This "one class a week" now seems to be turning into two classes a week. This of course means more students and a more reliable extra income for me (which brings me closer to realizing my dreams and aspirations for this year).

I have also decided to, with renewed motivation, start looking for a new job, and what do you know! A friend of mine told me of a job-opening at the company she works for and it's right up my ally: Receptionist for the marketing department! And it's about 15 minutes drive from where I live.

So, say your prayers people...I'm truly and totally trusting God for this position.

Well...We'll speak again soon, but for now I actually have to carry on with my work at my current job.

Love you all!!!

Embarrassing Moment... # 2

So, who's up for hearing another Wanda Embarrassing Moment? I can see hands shooting up everywhere, and I even hear someone screaming; "Me, me!!"

Okay, here goes:

I'm pretty sure it was within my first week in High School and we were on our way from one class to the next (In South African Schools we file out of class single file and walk in an orderly manner, in line, to our next class in grade 8 and 9, because the whole class attends exactly the same classes for those two years). I was going down a flight of stairs, my school uniform's skirt hanging just below my knees (yes, very dorky, I know!!) and I was carrying a pretty big book bag...those ones with the seven different dividers.

So, there I was, looking totally geeky, strolling down, in line, one step at a time; and I honestly thought that my next step would be solid ground, no more stairs, but alas...it wasn't meant to be. I misjudged my step and went flying through the air, landing on all fours, bookcase flying out the hallway door.

And the best thing about this whole scenario? The seniors were on the other side of the staircase on their way up to their next class!! As I looked up from my very uncomfortable position on the floor, I found myself in front of one of the handsome young boys in the senior class.

Totally embarrassing...and everyone was laughing.

What else could I do? I got up, dusted myself off, nursed a bruised knee and carried on to my next class.

The end.

A List Of New Things

Some of you might know this already, but I'm saying it again mainly to explain my post. I decided a couple of years ago that I would like to learn something new each year. Yesterday I started wondering exactly how many new things I've learnt since then, and even before then.

Here's my list (working backwards because it's easier):

2010 I'm planning on studying part time: Proofreading & Copy Editing.

2009 I taught dances to young kids. Have always only worked with teenagers. I also River Rafted for the first time, on the Orange River.

2008 I was trained and operated as a Ropes Facilitator at a Summer Camp in America. First time doing ropes, first time in America, so pretty much first time doing quite a lot of things

2007 I was trained as a Sound Technician Assistant at Hillsong in London

2005/2006 I did a part-time course and received a Legal Secretarial Qualification.

2003/2004 I worked at a Wine Museum and learnt how to taste wine.

2003 (April) I went overseas for the first time and for 5 years I learnt about new cultures...too much to mention in one post!

2001/2002 I started working in an office for the first time after my studies. PA, Office Manger, Receptionist, Invoicing Clerk, it was all completely new to me.

1998-2000 I studied Dance, Drama, and Music at an Arts College

1997 I did Volunteer Evangelism for a year in schools

And that's pretty much it, at the moment...in a nutshell of course. Looking back at this, I love the fact that this shows how much one can grow as a human, and it motivates me to do it again and again!

I'll leave you with a great quote: "You can choose to live in a place of fear, or you can believe in the best version of yourself." Mac Taylor - CSI New York.

Embarrassing Moment... # 1

Quite randomly, I remembered one of my countless embarrassing moments. I decided to share it with the world.

We all know the painful scenario in a movie, when the geeky girl/guy is staring it his/her heartthrob (usually the most popular girl/guy in school) and the object of their affection seems to be waving at them, so obviously they wave back, thinking fate has finally smiled on them, only to realise that they weren't the intended recipient of the friendliness. And we all feel sorry for them...or we find it extremely hilarious?

Well, here's my story. It is customary for the grade 11's (standard 9's) to organize the Matric Farewell (senior dance) at the end of the year. In 1995 I was part of the committee organizing this event, and also doubled as a waitress for the evening. I honestly wasn't accustomed to the whole waitressing thing, so I didn't know the etiquette (maybe this is why I vowed never to be a waitress!), so when one of the seniors waved me over to ask for more drinks...I just waved back! I had NO idea! Only afterwards did I realize what had happened, and by that time it was too late to be embarrassed.

I can't even remember who the senior was...and to be honest, it doesn't really matter. Point is, I truly, in all senses of the word, was a geek in school...no jokes.

And I think I still am...but more on that subject some other time.

I hope this made all of you feel more capable!