Weekly Photo Challenge: (escape)

another great wordpress photo challenge theme and so many different places where i could take this from but i decided this time to rather focus on one area – that of improv and my time with TheatreSports, now called Improguise, in South Africa who i got to spend about 11 years with making stuff up with and really just one of the most amazing opportunities and things to be a part of… like ‘Whose Line Is It Anyways?’ we get a stage and a live audience and some basic game rules and then a bunch of suggestions from the audience and we just make up whatever comes up in our minds with the phrase “Yes, lets” in mind – can be absolutely anyone or anything in any variety of locations and just so much complete silly ridiculous fun i can’t even explain… here are just a handful of pics that give a glimpse into the mayhem and madness and hilarity that have ensued…

It’s just not hockey! [oh wait, it is!]

on Friday i got to play a pick-up [social] game of field hockey at a club in Berkeley that a friend of mine from the internetweb [Thankx, Tamela!] told me about. and it was a most excellent time.

with my team in SA, there were some players who wouldn’t pass to me all that often because they didn’t think i was so good. because of this, it upped the pressure the few times someone did pass to me [messing up twice from eight attempts looks a lot less bad than messing up twice from two] which would often cause me to mess up [largely brought about by the fear of messing up] and so it was a spiralling cycle.

back to friday’s game where no-one knew me and so they didn’t know how crap i was supposed to be and so this weird thing happened – people started passing to me – and because they passed to me my confidence grew and so i played well – and got passed to more. in fact i would say it was the best i have played hockey in years and the most fun – scored a few goals and even ran some dribbles round some of their players… the highlight must have been when the one guy on the field asked if i could play for his match team and, not realising that he from a different team from the guy i’d been mailing i said “Sure!” and the guy from the email team called out, “Hey, no we’ve got him already!” and then basically started a bidding war on the field for my hockey services. that was classic.

the point being that it was a whole lot of fun, but more than that just being able to see the difference it can make to someone when you believe in them and take a chance on them. my whole game was lifted simply by the fact that people passed to me and so i played better and so people passed to me more. even my energy and fitness levels were affected as i was more encouraged to be right there in the action and choosing to run and push more than normal.

good lesson for those of us who are part of teams of different types to look out for people to encourage and maybe affect their performance in similar ways? anyone else got a story of being on the receiving end of this kind of encouragement and affirmation and the effect it had on you?

Saturday Round Up: The week that was: Episode 4: of Geeks & Wild Animals Eating Habits, a woman made of iron & a lot of mirrors

so recently i started another blog called ‘The Weekly Mash [and Peace!]‘ which has a different theme for every day and i have decided that i am going to post the Saturday Round Up on my Irresistibly Fish blog so that subscribers can have access to the week that we have just vibed through… so if you missed any of these, pick the ones that look interesting, and enjoy… [the FRIDAY one feels like one of the most significant things i have written for a while so would love for you to at least check that one out if you haven't and share it with your peoples]…

Monday saw us being enlightened as to the amusing eating habits of a variety of wild animals, performed by a rather silly man.

Tuesday took a look at the death of Margaret Thatcher and some of the unfortunate happenings related to that.

Wednesday asked the question of how your relationship with yourself is doing at the moment.

Thursday was some more self-reflection, but this time linked to the state of your heart, and God’s.

Friday took a rather cutting look at the labels we put on other people and what that might say to them, and to us. [MUST READ!]

[for Last Saturday's Round Up featuring celebrity marriage tips, angry umbrellas and Cloud Man, click here]

Manchester United beat Poverty by three goals to hunger.

So last night there was a game of football/soccer between Manchester United [soccer is one of my least supported sports but if i have ever supported a team it has been Manchester United... and then locally Kaizer Chiefs back in the day when Dr Khumalo played and i always back Bafana!] and Real Madrid in the Champion’s League. Real Madrid won 2-1 but of course there was “that red card incident” with Nani getting sent off…

i was out for the evening playing poker with some mates and so we missed the game, but it took me a minute on Facebook to find out what had happened – not that Real Madrid won or Manchester United lost but that there had been a “worst decision ever” and someone [or a really huge group of people from the sounds of it] “had been robbed” and so on…

i skimmed through one particular post with 30 plus comments in it and then wrote this Facebook status:

Imagine a world where people who cared that much about soccer/football cared that much about poor people…

i am still not quite sure why i did not cop more [or any, really] abuse for it – perhaps cos it was in the early hours of the morning when it was posted and most people missed it [maybe i should repost, hm?] because when i have posted questions about the absurd amounts of money soccer [or really most sports people] get paid, then people have come out blazing… i have never understood why so many of the people who have been so passionate about strongly disagreeing with me on my sports people salary opinion have been christians because i honestly cannot wrap my mind around how someone who reads and understands the Bible and following Jesus and the sheep and the goats story as one example can believe that it is okay for one person to receive $25 million while another person is allowed to die of malnutrition. i don’t think i’m judging anyone, i just cannot get my mind around that.

and not to say that people who are not christians should be okay with that, because i don’t think anyone should, but i do feel like Christ following people in particular [and yes, the distinction between christian and Christ following might be a first clue] should be outraged and upset at the completely ridiculous disparity between rich and poor [and yes, it is not confined to soccer - same with musicians, actors, politicians etc etc - soccer is just such an easy example]. to me it’s criminal. other people clearly think differently. i have just not ever had it adequately explained to me why.

the point with this particular quote though was not about people not being passionate about sport. the words “that much” are the key. i am simply expressing the desire to see people who are so passionate about sport [music, new year, latest Hollywood blockbuster movie] become that same amount of passionate about the poverty in our country, about treatment of women, about the insane levels of rape in our land [you would think something like "rape" merited more fervour than something like a sports match?]

and yes, it is a generalisation because there are definitely some people who are equally passionate about both, but i imagine if [just by browsing Facebook or Twitter after the game] every person who was above averagely passionate about the game last nite had the same amount of passion directed to even just one cause, person in need, situation… that our country would change overnight or within a month or year at least.

next year, there will be another Champion’s League trophy and quite probably a different team will win it. by then, this match will be forgotten. [Like Kony was within a week or two] Nobody will care any more. But they will care obsessively about the next match. And then the following year another Champion’s League will happen.

i find that sport and movies and books and music are amazing things to help me relax or get excited or spend time with mates or find a little escape in… and i think all of that is great. but get passionate, like i mean really passionate, foaming-at-the-mouth passionate about getting behind a cause, changing someone’s life, affecting the plight of the ‘least of these’, seeing someone rehabituated from prison, championing adoption or women’s rights, working towards reconciliation in the face of racism and so on… stuff to really put your life and energy and passion behind…

Imagine a world where people who cared that much about soccer/football cared that much about poor people…

the greatest cricket match of all time

i took a moment at lunchtime yesterday to step out of my body and just really take in what was happening in front of my eyes:

a guy busy in mid phone conversation running in to bowl to a batsman trying to play shots with just his left hand on the bat [as he had broken his right hand recently in a sister-encouraged skateboarding incident gone horribly wrong] while South African Sevens rugby player Paul Delport [who my two friends referred to as Thinus Delport the whole time and i didn't just cos i didn't know any better altho that was the name i recognised] stood to the side waiting for a catch…

okay it was not quite the 438 SA win over Australia that took place mostly while i was cycling a really enthusiastic Argus Cycle tour on the 12th of March, 2006, which in all probability was the greatest one day cricket match ever, but it felt like it should have been up there with the real sense of surreal that pervaded what was taking place before my eyes…

a moment later my friend MJ [aka Muscle-John, Majay, Michael-John] was writhing on the ground with the agony that cannot be properly addressed or tended to as my other mate [one armed skateboarding Roy Conrad Langhein] had the ‘great idea’ of emulating 2.21m [7 foot three] Pakistan bowling giant Mohammad Irfan by hoisting MJ on to his shoulders to bowl a ball from the same height, not taking into account that the forward motion and energy of delivering the ball might affect the centre of gravity so much that Mj would go tumbling forwards off Roy [altho with bits of him not able to go forward as easily due to Roy's head being in the way causing said infliction] and deciding to rather appreciate Irfan’s height and bowling ability from the stands.

we ended up sitting two rows behind Paul and he was just such a friendly dude. he spent a lot of time chatting to us about the rugby sevens set up and the first win SA had had in a tournament for a bunch of years which they had just returned from and some of the training schedules and so on. for me this really captured the heart of what test cricket watching in SA has always been about – the vibe and the people and the fun and the chance to unwind and forget for a second about the seriousness and tragedy of all that is going on in the country and the reminder of why it is important to leave the game at the end of the day and take up the struggles of being a part of making a difference in all those difficult areas so that days of cricket can be enjoyed.

the day ended with these two young black kids about ten rows in front of us just picking up the vibe of the beat of the music that was playing and dancing with such life and energy and just seemingly for themselves – we all cheered when the camera guy finally saw them and trained his camera on them and we are hoping they made it onto highlights footage of the day, but they really just seemed to encapsulate the hope and life and energy that exists in south africans and especially the youth of this country and the hope that difference and chance and betterment is possible and achievable and, dare i say it, even likely?

what a day. what a game. what a vibe. more, South Africa, more.

the one formula

so wot an amazing weekend then…

i started watching Formula 1 Grand Prix racing about 26 years ago when one of my Portuguese friends from Hillcrest Primary school in Johannesburg, South Africa invited me to watch this race – i remember it clearly because Nelson Piquet and his teammate led from start to finish and at the end of the race Piquet’s teammate was the only person he had not lapped and so from then on Nelson Piquet was ‘my guy’ and went on to win three world championships so a good pick, then…

26 years of F1 watching and the irony is i have ever only had two drivers – Piquet pretty much stopped racing as this guy called Schumacher started with a once off race for Jordan [which he got as the actual driver was imprisoned] and he qualified an amazing 7th [the team's best qualifying that year] but sadly retired on the first lap with clutch problems… but i saw something in him that i liked and so through all the ups and downs of his career [and there were many of both] i stuck with him, often vociferously defending against claims that he was arrogant or that he cheated] and it has been difficult to see him come out of retirement into what seems to be a real crummy car – he qualified an amazing 6th for Mercedes for this race and spent the race basically losing a position a lap so that was not so much fun to watch…

so when my brother in law invited me to watch this inaugural Austin Formula 1 Grand Prix live it was not quite a dream come true cos i never dreamed i would get to see a F1 Grand Prix live but it was a dream given to me. it sucked that he later was not able to come with me cos the tickets were sold out by the time he knew his work would allow him to come and so i got to experience the magic and the excitement of the weekend all by myself which ended up being a complete vibe.

stunning weekend. and if i had to name a highlight it would probably be seeing my friends [and in particular my wife, the beautiful Val] get excited for me – that really was the best part of this weekend – from my family who i am staying with, who went to a lot of expense to make it a smooth and amazing weekend, to friends on Twitter and Facebook and to Valerie repeatedly writing statuses [stati?] and sending messages and writing me heart shaped letters and just being generally excited… from Alice [my F1 fantasy league competitor ad often co-watcher for the last many years] to MJ and Rob and cuzzin Lance and Stef and John Zippy Benn [living vicariously through me] and Liam and others and especially again and again by my lovely wife it just encouraged me and added to my excitement and made the whole weekend extra special.

see, getting to attend a Formula 1 race live was an incredible experience and really worth a lot to me
but family. and community. and great friends scattered across the world… now that’s a real formula to an incredible life.
some would say priceless. i am one of those some.

thank you to everyone who cheered and messaged and looked out for me and posted and mailed and got super excited – you guys made this weekend super uber special.

return of the japanese [may contain traces of silly]

so it’s been a bit of a long while since i have watched japanese games shows and i figured there have to be some new ones around – for those of you who may have missed out on human tetris, binocular soccer/football and being-hit-in-the-nuts tongue twisters you can catch up on those over here and then on to here…

so i did a little searching and i did find some new ones [to me anyways] and they have not gotten any less bizarre and one of them even seems like a sequal to nuts, so when you get some time and bandwidth check out the latest Japanese game shows to vibe before my eyes such as:

giant shoe-kicking contest thing has to be seen to be believed

crazy dodge ball slash chair slash american football slash running lady…

oh wow this is like silent library but with a wall… most bizarre

and an ohmygosh classic add-the-dance-move sequal to tongue twister hit-in-the-nuts