It's inevitable, but how you chose to deal with it is your choice.

Change. Change is inevitable.
Everything keeps on changing in my life, and I think it's more frequent than with other people. I move away, into a new adventure. I meet new people, make new friends. But soon they move away as well. Then I make new acquaintances, new friends. And I change. I am no more who I used to be at the beginning of the year...
It's hard to accept all the changes in life, although some area easier to cope with whilst others are not. Of course we all experiences changes in life that we are hugely thankful for, but what are we supposed to do when we don't want some things to change? I've seen myself cope with changes better than I could ever have imagined, and I surprise myself with that. I moved away from home--everything and everyone I knew--to a new town... Away from my family. It was super hard. But it was so awesome to start being independent--although it scared the daylights out of me.
Looking back, I notice how I've come through so much and how I've learned so much in the process. And I see that I've grown, and in the end I made it through without real harm done. I know it's truly thanks to God for helping me through--I could never have done it all on my own. And I guess that's what we all need when it comes to dealing with change in our lives. Even though it scares us, we have to stay confident that we'll make it through (I mean we don't really have a choice, do we?). We have to embrace it and make the best of it. And persevere. Without perseverance, no great invention would've been made, no Olympic athlete would've finished in first place, and we certainly won't cope well. But most importantly--and I speak from experience, trust me--we have to give it all to God. In the end He gives us the ultimate strength we need. He has grace for us, and all we need to do is hold on to that, and we'll get through.
One last thing: with change we can either grow or regress. Follow those steps I mentioned, and you will certainly grow--you'll be wiser, stronger, better, and more capable of coping with tough situations than ever before...and you'll see the beautiful things in life and learn to be thankful.
Or you can stress yourself until you hyperventilate (which I did as well) like a machine on overdrive, and you won't be able to cope with a single thing. It's your choice.

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

                       -Nelson Mandela

Boldly Yourself

Lately I have really been challenged with seeking people's acceptance and wanting to conform to society's expectations--or what I feel society expects of me. But after several people have chatted with me, it's like God is saying to me that I must just be myself, not be afraid in doing that, and live boldly for Him. So I encourage whoever reads this to be yourself no matter what others say. And be bold for what you believe in. Because true happiness comes from being true!

:)

Emakhaya

A video about some truly inspiring stuff here in the Transkei, South Africa. A MUST SEE.
 :)

Nostalgia

When I'm not in the mood to write like I usually do, here's what I turn to: poetry. Corny as it may seem, poetry is a good way to let go of all that emotion building up inside. So here's a poem, about memories with my family...

I miss the days gone by
when we could just drive, my family and I
drive and see new places
experience new things, see new faces.

I long for those days 
days that won't return.

Gazing from behind the car's window
the sun peeking through the trees 
their reflections playing across the glass
my eyes drinking in everything they see.

Those images return to me now,
polaroids of joy
in my lonely hour.
They tug at my heart
making me wish I'd been there longer
making me yearn for just another minute
with my mom, my dad, my sister.

“There are a few moments in your life when you are truly and completely happy, and you remember to give thanks. Even as it happens you are nostalgic for the moment, you are tucking it away in your scrapbook.” ― David Benioff, When the Nines Roll Over and Other Stories

Departures

Sometimes it's good to leave. Sometimes it's bad. Many times it's both good and bad... That's what it will be like tomorrow.

You ask, "What happens tomorrow?" Tomorrow I leave. My vacation ends and I go back to school.
I wish I could stay longer, and not have to leave my family behind. Chill time has ended and now it's time to say goodbye, but having to go away makes me both sad and happy at the same time. Right now, though, having to go is quite overwhelming. However...thinking of all the good memories made this holiday and all those waiting to be made just around the corner, I don't need to feel sad about going.

So to all of you who have to say goodbye tomorrow, or sometime soon; I know it's not easy. But cherish the good memories you've acquired, trust God to keep you safe & hold your hand during the process, and never forget that even though it feels bad to have to leave, departing can be a good thing too.

God bless :)

A picture's worth a thousand words

They say a picture's worth a thousand words. Today photography has been on my mind. Maybe you've noticed, maybe you haven't, but I just want to say photography is so dear to my heart. I love being able to capture a moment in time forever.I love being able to take something not always noticed by people, and bring it into view. I simply adore being able to take the people whom I love, with me wherever I go, thanks to a plain old photography.

And most of all, I love the fact that any message, emotion, and event in life can be portrayed through a simple photograph to be remembered forever.

My motivation

I know I haven't been a very dedicated and committed blogger...at all. In fact, a friend of mine has been telling me it's about time I head back and blog (yes, you know who you are). Everytime I tell her: 'Sure, soon.' And then "soon" comes way too quickly and I don't get around to it or whatever. Mostly I really can't get around to it. And when I do get time, I don't know what to write. I really have no clue.

But today I just decided to wing it and write. (It's type, actually...) What will I write about? Ah, yes. I know. What motivates me.

So,
What motivates me to be who I am?
What motivates me to take a stand against wrong?
What motivates me to get up every day?
What motivates me to work hard so I can live to my full potential?
And, most importantly, what motivates me to really live?

The answer is simple.

God motivates me.

Let God be your motivation to get up and enjoy every day,
and let His awesome love inspire you  a m a z i n g l y  :)

(I know I am...)

A Chapter Closed

What do you do when you finish a chapter in a good book? You read on. It's the same in real life: when one "chapter" of your life comes to an end, you live on.
The day after tomorrow, a 5-year long chapter of my life comes to an end. I can't say that I'm very sad about leaving what has become my home over the past few years, because I'm more excited to see what lies ahead! But tonight, as I was taking pictures and cards off my door, I couldn't help feeling a twinge of sadness. This chapter of my life, which I'm now leaving behind, has been the most exciting and awesome part of my life. But, although it's going to be hard, I'm ready to move on, and I'm ready to follow God's plan for my life. Once again, things are shifting around...but I can't say it's a bad move.

As scary and exciting as the days ahead seem, I have total peace that everything will be just fine because I know for sure that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose [Romans 8:28]. Let the adventure begin!

xx

Just...because.

I have been very scarce on this blog for a while now [ja, ja...apologies, apologies...]. So, I thought, why not post some photos?

So here are a couple of my favourite shots from a visit to a place I simply adore... the KwaZulu-Natal ♥ 

 just because :)

Raw talent in action

And lastly...
Ballito, making me long for a good board and some time on my hands...
xx

It's a new year, it's a new look!

 It's 2013. It's already February. It's been [almost] a year since I started this blog.It's time for some change, people! So it's very obvious to see that I have given my blog a bit of a... face-lift...I hope you recognize it!  ;)

Over the past few weeks I scoured tons and tons of blogs, (I'll post links of my favourites soon) and I grew tired of my blog's looks. It felt so worn-out and lame in contrast to all the fantastic designs the other blogs had. It was all fresh and modern, and I got excited reading them, but going back to my blog, there was nothing. Nothing. As in: I didn't feel any excitement for it anymore. No enthusiasm and ideas for new posts...Nada. I saw no LIFE in it! :(

So. Fast forward a few days later, and I've finally succeeded in getting my blog to inspire me again. Where I looked at it previously, thinking, "Ugh...", I know look at it...and smile.

I hope you like it too!

Check That off my Bucket-List...

 I don't know whether you have picked it up through my past blog posts...but I have wanted to learn how to surf for a relatively long, long time. I love surf photography (as much as I love photography as a whole) and I l o v e the ocean. I think the ocean is one of God's most awesome creations--scary as it can be at times.  But during the vacation I was on for the bulk of the month of January, I learned to surf! Which was like, the highlight of my holiday...and probably an experience I will never forget.

Yes, I do admit that I still need a LOT of improvement when it comes to surfing, but during the roughly 5 hours that I have surfed in my life now (facepalm...what?? only 5 hours?! I rest my case.) I learned a couple of great lessons which apply to life outside the water. The most important lesson of which was perseverance. After about 2 hours trying to surf, I was so exhausted that I couldn't even push myself up from the board. The waves got rough and hard to move through, and in my opinion there was a lack of really good waves to "surf." I was aiming for better waves than those miniature little "foamies" that kept pestering me... But even though those waves were small, they packed some punch! I was so tired of lifting my board continually and not getting a chance to surf while others around me were getting better with each wave I [also] missed. But I remembered just when I felt like giving up that I had to persevere and, most importantly, focus on having fun (as our instructor had pointed out very clearly at the start of the lesson) and not on the others' surfing. Just then the right wave came and I got onto my board, and stood for the first time. This hit home because in any tough situation the key to conquering it is not in letting yourself stay down, or worse: bail out, but the key is in pushing forward while trusting God to give you strength to do it, because most of the times there is light at the end of the tunnel.

[Another thing I learnt--of course--was that surfing doesn't come easy, especially for those less fit than others... For 4 days (or was it more?) I felt every muscle in my body ache--it felt like the aches were actually working through one muscle after the other, so I was limping a lot. My legs also felt as if they were sweltering and pounding (a.k.a. bad sunburn, so a top tip for anyone wanting to surf is: cover yourself with sunscreen until you look like a snowman), and I had bruises all over the place. However, it felt good to know that all these ridiculous aches and stuff were for a worthwhile cause.]

Heading out for the 1st time & not knowing what we were letting ourselves in for...

And the next day we went back, immense pain and all, because the surfing bug had bitten us...