That special spark, and drawing puns

Everyone probably has something that they thoroughly enjoy doing. Maybe my passion is drawing? I get seriously pumped up when I'm drawing something I like. I find that the hours slip by with a pencil in my hand, and I reach a peaceful calm state whilst I swipe my hand in all directions. Also, it's really fun to duplicate shapes and textures. Once in a while I actually get the result I wanted to begin with!

So, for those of you that would like to see what my significant other looks like, I have drawn a picture and attached it below the paragraph that you're reading. Yep, that's the one! But finish this paragraph before you get too drawn in, don't skip ahead! She just might hate me for posting this so publicly, or she'll love the show of devotion. It's a bit of a coin toss right now, search comments for the final verdict... (Jess, please post a comment. Otherwise I'll just look silly)

Your eyes drew me in the most Jess, so I drew them in to return the favour.

I'm really very proud of it. It's the first time that I've drawn from real life and I'd like to develop my skills far enough to fix all the problems I'm finding in this drawing. I won't pin-point them to you, you can make your own reviews of my talents (or lack there of if you're that pessimistic, just don't tell me you think so. I choose to believe that I'm more than okay at this ;) Negative comments will be ignored and/or removed).

Thank you for feeding my desire by reading yet another blog post of mine, all these page views are great ego builders! For your efforts I have rewarded you by attaching the original image. The source of my inspiration, my beautiful muse, Jess:

The original masterpiece, photographed by a pro. Sorry for cutting your face in half  Kelly!

Until next time, brave readers (Be careful of the spidersharks during your web surfing)
Yours in writing
Benjamin

Memories for a lifetime

Some people have really good memories. As I've stated before, I do not. I can't even remember what I had for breakfast 3 days ago or the hair colours of all my friends. I could take a guess but I don't actually recall the colour of someone's hair or eyes unless I make special note of it. The same goes for faces. If you asked me to give you the description of someone I know then it will likely be missing most of the important features, like if they have a nose or chin? I couldn't say...

I'm so FANCY!

So a good way to record memories would logically be by taking pictures and videos as often as you can! I went for a photo shoot with my girlfriend, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend on Saturday afternoon. I was looking forward to that quite excitedly, since we were all dressing up nice and fancy-looking. Well, kinda fancy I suppose. I wore a black shirt and blue jeans with my best shoes. They're black and formal-looking, and even have quite a heel on them. Gives me that extra inch or 2 so that I can make everyone feel shorter. I'm not short myself so I feel a little bad going up to 6' 3" or however high they make me.

The photo shoot was a lot of fun! I drove all the way to Pretoria to get to the golf course estate which we arranged to do the shoot at. After the sister's photos were taken (so about 1 hour later :P) we had group photos and then couple photos, with a Disney theme in mind for Jess and I. It really was quite fun! Twirling and swirling, sitting and kissing. I'm looking forward to seeing how they come out, and Jess looked positively amazing in that dress with the light make-up applied. I will post a picture here when I have one available :D


Ah yes, memories to keep for a lifetime... On the other hand, I don't carry a camera wherever I go. I don't like pulling out my phone to take a snap shot or interrupting the beautiful moments that I want to capture. I prefer to enjoy them and just struggle to remember them later! And anyway, I don't sit and browse through old pictures often enough for it to be worth while. So I'll leave it as a problem for the older me that might lose his memory, but I'm hoping he/I won't...

A Facebook page for my Blog posts

I made a page on Facebook to promote my blog! So I decided to shamelessly promote my Facebook page here so that you can like it, thereby getting Facebook updates for my new posts from my blog. Please and thank you! I have created this page because I was afraid my only activity on that social network - posting links to this blog - may have been getting on my family and friend's nerves. So I allow my readers to follow me willingly by liking my page instead of forcing it down their throats when they visit Facebook :P

Then I sent requests to everyone on my contact list to like my new page ;) Not forcing down throats, just asking nicely!

Fare thee well.
Yours in writing
Benjamin

THE END OF THE WORLD!

PUPPY!!!

It's the end of the world as we know it,
It's the end of the world as we know it,
It's the end of the world as we know it,
And I feel dry...

The world shall end not with a bang, but a water-less, crackly whimper...

That's right folks - there is drought in the air. I don't know how many days I've gone without a bath... Thank goodness I can shower every week! Seriously though. We didn't have water for nearly 2 whole days and I thought I was going to die :'( I felt so filthy because I couldn't shower on Tuesday evening like I normally do. I live for those weekly Tuesday showers... Not having running water is enough to drive you mad!

Well, with the drought and my random rants. That will probably drive you crazy rather soon. So now I'm treating the water that we do have with a great deal more respect, you're taught a little humility when you realise how lost you are without it. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, they say... And since you are made up of an astonishing 70% water, you get pretty fond pretty fast.

Speaking of distance

I really need to talk to my dad and sisters! I feel like a bad sibling-son when I don't talk to them for so long, why do I suck so much when it comes to keeping contact? I would like to take this time and space to send a shout-out first to my dad, thank you for being so great and raising me so lovingly. Then thank you Carol for marrying my dad and making him so happy. Thank you Kathryn for being the best (little) sister in the world, and I'm so proud of you for studying so far from home and your beloved family (I mostly mean me ;) but our parents too). Thank you Caroline for being the greatest (also little but older) sister in the world! Of course you also make me so proud, what with you having your own place in such a beautiful area and getting married. I am soooo excited for that. And lastly but not leastly, thank you Francois for bringing joy to my sister's heart. bro. Okay I think that's it for the shout-out, so lastly I just want you all to know that I love you! Even if I don't call every day. Or week. Or month... I do think of you all, I promise :)

As my beautiful girlfriend quoted on her blog, "Ohana"! (for those of you that don't know, Ohana means family. And family means no-body gets left behind, or forgotten)

- Thanks Jess

Yours in writing

Benjamin

Ads! Ad why not?

Yay, give me money!

Nah, I don't have a cold, I'm just being 'punny'. So I enjoy writing on this blog of mine, and in doing so I get the feeling I'm giving it life. So I'm gonna add ads to it and hopefully earn a little income here. Why not? I hope they don't inconvenience you at all, I'll give it a test run and if it doesn't work out I'll change back. Any concerns from my valuable readers? I'm pretty much set on the idea though. So hey! I've received over 700 page views! Thanks guys, whomever reads this, you make this endeavor very exciting (especially the occasional new comment, I get really hyped! Truly, thanks guys!).

Now allow me to make a change of topic.

Jessica!

-My beautiful girlfriend (left)
-Her older sister (right)

She doesn't like her name, but I do. I think it's a wonderful name! She makes me so happy whenever I see her or hear her voice, Jess you're amazing! Now you're not hi-jacking my blog, I love you with all my heart so please don't be discouraged when I'm not writing about you!

Here is a quick question that I've pondered at times:

"Do I love you because you're beautiful,

Or are you beautiful because I love you?" - Oscar Hammerstein II

P.S. I don't know who the man is but I really like that quote so I stole it. Viciously and without mercy. So bad-ass... He may have the credit though! well done Mr. Hammerstein II.

My epic sister!

Drawn by the amazing,
the hairy! (Unless shaven) - Francois Swart

My sister, Caroline, is releasing a book! It'll be coming out on the 2nd of November and it's so exciting, I can't wait to own my copy! Her children's book is aptly named "Carrie the Limping Lion", and it explains the struggles that children suffering from arthritis face, just as she did when she was younger. You can pre-order it and read up on it on her blog page, Caroline's Content, so please do so if you're interested! If you're not interested, read it anyway and become interested.

A note of thanks:

Google, I would like to show my appreciation for the continued use of your fabulous search engine for my blogging endeavors. Without you, I wouldn't know of Oscar Hammerstein's quote. I wouldn't have pretty and funny pictures in my blog, and it would be so hard to use all the big words I use so frequently! I increase my vocabulary and spelling accuracy with each post :)

My friends, keep being bad-ass! Every day!

Yours in writing,

Mr. B.

How long is a blog post?

Greetings!

My girlfriend wanted me to write a new blog post, and has told me that she checks this page regularly. So here it is! Just for you Jess, I did it! Another chance for you to peer through the black and white door of my digitally recorded soul. Yay! I chose the title for this post to indicate my philosophical nature and deep thoughts, HOW LONG IS A BLOG POST!? It's not that long really. In fact... This one is done!

An artists interpretation of how deeply
I am thinking whilst I write this.

• "So soon?"
• "Yes!"
• "But why bother then?"
• "I am dramatic!"
• "Both of you, shut up! This blog post is finished, you're dragging it on for no good reason. Dear reader, please pardon the voices in my head, they don't actually exist."

Fin