Work Space

Research shows that the more time an employer puts into designing a proper work environment, the more content and more productive the employee. Proper lighting and ergonomic/functional surroundings are the key to high retention, production and dedication.

Research also shows that holding meetings, even redundant weekly ones, in different locations can inspire creativity and problem solving.

Taking these two things into account, I (Darcie) have been on the search for the perfectly inspiring workspaces. Yes, plural to keep the creativity flowing.

I have two coffee shops in three locations and my parents sweet deck as potential office addresses. They all offer quiet, well decorated and uplifting spaces so I feel settled as I stare at my computer and get things done!

At what point do I have to keep "office hours"?

Eye See Magazine

As most of you know we have started a magazine. On this blog you can now follow the process of the magazine, how we both are brainstorming, writing emails, drinking coffee, getting annoyed, updating news, and a lot about our emotions and thoughts during this process until the Mag will be launched.

(I knew this was possible!)

Fresh Start!

NO, the blog is not dead. (it was just on hold) Darcie and Marie are having some new brilliant ideas or more a project. (that of course was discussed way back in Hassans Cafe' in South Africa) He needs the credit for sure..But keep reading this fabilous blog that soon will update you on what this new project is and why we have this blog together when we are in different parts of the world..I know you are thinking "what are 2 pretty girls up to now?" curious? Just hold your horses and keep checking out the blog and you will find out more and maybe even be involved...










2 Pretty girls up to any mischief?

Countdown

With only 5 days left we have had a brilliant idea - we will do the following 5 things before we leave:


5. Run a marathon
4. Bake a cookie the shape of South Africa
3. Chase baboons and adopt them as our children
2. Give our left over money to the street kids
1. Be pirates

This is going to be a great week!

Pack or be packed

Don't worry, we have a plan . . .

Shove it all in a giant trash bag . . .

Then take a break!!!!

Welcome back!

Clapping hands, jumping up and down. That's how excited Two Brunettes and a Blonde were on the domestic airport to pick up Evelien. (after we had filled our hungry tummies with a toasted sandwish for lunch, which we ate so fast that the waiter wasn't even fast enough to ask if it taste well). We were slightly afraid that Evelien would have changed her haircolour leaving impossible for us to recognize her.

It was a strange early morning as we all were awake by 4 am, Evelien used the extra time to unpack and settle in. Darcie was convinced we should do workout with Gilad (a itunes workout video), I wanted to punch her right in the face and got jealous when she was the first one to fall back asleep. This day turned out in a slow pase and at 6.30 we were ready for bed.

PAARRRTTTTAAAYYYY!!!!

Today is Marie's last day at the radio station. We couldn't be more delighted. (What?!?!) It is true. Marie was made for freedom, not this 1-6 prison of news and anger. Okay, that is a bit dramatic, but, truthfully, the time has come for Marie to get a real job as full-time citizen of the world.

Meet the Author: Justin Cartwright

Kalk Bay books is a charming, award-winning bookstore planted in the heart of Kalk Bay, South Africa. Its front windows overlook the shimmering sea. Its overstuffed leather couches invite you to sit and enjoy a new find or an old favorite. Its ecclectic mix of local and international authors gives everyone something wonderful to peruse.
As a favorite among authors and readers, Kalk Bay Books hosts events designed to give the reader a glimpse into the life of novelists and journalists. Last night international novelist Justin Cartwright was the main attraction. His newest release, To Heaven by Water, has gotten rave reviews and recommendations. Marie, Michaela and I joined the interested audience as Cartwright was interviewed by The Big Issue Editor about his newest release.

As Cartwright shared, he mentioned several times the need for discipline in a writer. He said, "Everyone has got a novel inside of them. The problem is it is only 30 pages long." He spoke of the moment of desperation that sometimes is the only thing that drives a novelist - the need to finish and get paid. One attendee compared his writing style to Jane Austen, not in the romantic mold we see highlighted today, but in the ability to create characters the reader truly dislikes.

After the short interview, the finger-foods and a glass of wine (or two), I was inspired to work on my own novel, though it is still under 30 pages, I feel the desire to accomplish it. (Though not the desperation)

Inspired!

There is a little patio behind our fav bakery/cappuccino orgainic shop that is full of inspiration. Everytime we sit there the world is at our fingertips and issues of the day are solved. We came up with our plan for field assignment there. We sat and put together this blog idea there. We planned an international non-profit magazine there (that will be very successful, we are sure). We have ideas we didn't follow through on, too, like doing our whole promo video by playdough claymation.

What makes our patio so inspirational: the caffeine, the muffins, the organic feel, the chess board, the fact that you have to walk through the bakery to get there, the V.I.P. feel because there are only two tables and our great Australian/British French-speaking Muslim Host - Hassan and his pet pigeon, Francesca (or Francesco because we don't know the sex).

Slackers-not

Sorry for the slack of not updating this blog. There are no really good excuses more than things came in the way like; brainstorming, interviews, hours and hours in front of the computer trying to verify the numbers that were told during the interviews, writing query letters, watching Scrubs in break time, starting a book club (I got sick with a nasty virus in my stomach and was sick for a whole week, so Darcie solved this by starting the book club, she read out loud the books called "New Moon" and "Breaking Dawn"...about 1200pages). After a dry mouth and cured from the virus, some of our articles got published!! Darcie has published an article about Human Trafficking on the website www.ywam.org I have articles published in Sweden and South Africa..and more articles are in the process of getting published within the next months for us both. God has been so great and showed us the things he wants us to write about. It is our passion to honour God with our writings and open people's eyes to what is happening in the world to make a difference or get involved.

Easter-fun-time

I had such a great Easter weekend. The only way I can describe it is through these photos..Enjoy!

"Travy G's" A gigantic sandwish...

All students eat..


Until they feel like this...

Music Festival

This is how excited we were to watch Snow Patrol and Oasis

Great music + Great friends= Perfect day

Mr Cocky Guy
but I couldn't help singing along to"wonderwall"

I give this Easter weekend 5 out of 5 muffins

Hypocrisy or Honesty?

photo from www.telegraph.co.uk

I don't want to be a hypocrite.

Say you are sitting in your house, behind your locked door, on the inside of your brick wall, safely protected by your big gate, listening to Heidi Baker talk about desiring God, hungering in desperation and the poor of Mozambique and your bell rings.

You pause the message and peak out the window to be met with the deep brown eyes of 3 young boys and you don't open the gate. Rather, you sit in the living room and wrestle what you have been told and taught about the poor in South Africa.

Okay, by now you can understand that this is me (Darcie). It happened today and a battle raged between the words of Isaiah "Is this not the fast I have chosen . . . to share your food with the poor?" and the ongoing argument that handouts here are like tightening the chains of poverty.

So what do I do? If I ask myself the cliche question "What would Jesus do?" I get another battle in my head because my first response is that he would walk out of the house and give the kids even the last bit of bread he had sitting here. But I wonder if that is true. . . I wonder because I believe there is more to Jesus than I know, both as a man and as God. I have to believe that because the world I see needs deeper healing than a bandage and a pat on the back, and the God that would walk out and hand bread to a poor person is handing a band-aid to an accident victim. (Okay, not all the time, sometimes it is just bread that people need) Poverty and need aren't solved with a bit of food. The women that Elijah helped started a small business for goodness sake, she baked and sold and had enough to eat. There was a plan involved and that plan provided for the woman and her son for years to come, it didn't feed her once and create a pattern of reliance. . .however, I may have just sent my neighbor away saying, "be warm and well-fed," and done nothing to help them get there.

When I was a kid people used to drop groceries off on our front porch anonymously because we didn't have enough. To this day I hold a special place in my memory of those moments and desire to be a generous and giving person as well, but do I get to pick and choose? If I don't give to the boys standing outside my gate, but I give to my friend going on outreach does it really count? Does it really solidify the process of begging so rampant in this country if you give to every door to door begger that comes by? Or is this just the outcome of so many high walls and locked gates - hard hearts?

I am mid-thought on this one, comments welcome, even if you call me a hypocrite.

House stories part 2

Me (Marie) and Darcie's favourite spot in the house is the kitchen. A lot of great ideas are birthed here. Many articles are being typed, and delicious food is being made. Even the best TV show, Scrubs, is watched in here.

Here are some topics that are being discussed in the kitchen with friends from different parts of the world:

Now that I have started my internship at the radio station, I'm very up-to-date with the news. I decided to update my friends about the news from the G-20 meeting in London.

Marie: Thrillion!! They put a thrillion in to solve the world economy!
Anonymous: What the heck is a thrillion?
Marie: A lot of billions that will make a thrillion

Darcie: It's just as much as 50 000 camels

Lauren: Or all of the first born girls in China

Darcie browses through a magazine to see what to make for dinner...

Darcie: OOhh! I want to make these chocolate chip cookies!
Marie: Well just Crank up the music and Bake!
Lauren: Jamie Oliver thinks he is soo hot! (Looking through the same Magazine while she is eating a Darcie's home made chocolate chip cookie)...
Marie: No he is NOT hot!

Lauren: I said he THINKS he is..

We have also realized that we both suffer from short term memory loss and tiredness. Instead of solving it with eating more iron we enjoy these masterpieces Darcie threw together:

I give her 4 out of 5 muffins so she has room to improve...

Home Sweeeeeeet Home

As promised - the pictures of our AMAZING, WONDERFUL, FANTASTIC, HOME!

Day One-ish

We know we started this co-blog days ago, but something about life makes today feel like day one. Today we had our first early morning meeting with the Leader of AfriCom, Miranda Heathcote. We discussed all the big plans we have for the coming seven weeks and got loads of contact info and more ideas on how to pursue specific topics. We began talking to people we want to meet with weekly to improve our design, video and photography skills and we began sending out emails for interviews, information and meetings in the near future. Today was the first day we had to think about packing lunches because we would be "in the office" over lunch time and, sadly, only one of us did. I, Darcie, sit here now wishing I was the one that packed a lunch.

Yesterday was the official-feeling end to the previous page of our time here. We had to clean and move and move and clean throughout the day. We had to say goodbyes and see-ya-laters to various people and wash and re-make several beds. (You know, all those things that indicate leaving one page behind and turning to another.)

Yesterday we also talked with a woman working to prevent and educate people around the topic of human trafficking. Justice A.C.T.S. aims to inform communities about the possibility of 30,000-100,000 people being trafficked, mostly into the sex trade, in preparation for the 2010 World Cup happening here in Cape Town in just over a year. Justice A.C.T.S. works with local churches and non-profits to train people to recognize the warning signs of trafficked persons and multiply training into most at-risk communities. We hope to get more information and connections in regards to this heinous slavery and be able to raise awareness as well.

As the page turns, we are driving boldly forward!

Hus # 10

A new street name, A new house, new chapters in our lives have just started. I have No more struggles with allergies from non defeatble mould. I No longer have to be scared that the window is going to blow off and might hit a unlucky person that happens to walk by. I have enough space that I No longer have to dive in to my backpack in the mornings to find some wrinkly clothes to wear...

Instead I had fresh baked Ciabata, a Hot shower and Clean clothes.

House number 10 is treating us well!

New discovery

This morning we explored Olympia Cafe. No muffins but the most delicious Fig,Goat cheese and Avacado Salad was served.

Dalai Lama was not welcomed to the peace conference in South Africa, because the government are scared of China's reaction..(WHAT?) At least he is welcomed to this Cafe!

Our new favourite Cafe..5 out of 5 muffins

What is this?

For those of you coming to this page for the first time, you may find yourself asking, "Where the heck am I?" Well, I will tell you . . .

You are entering the world of two freelance journalism students currently living in Cape Town, South Africa. Over the coming seven weeks we will be exploring the South African culture and the many personalities that make up this neck of the woods and sharing our adventures with you. Here are our bios:

Marie, from Sweden (by Darcie): Marie is from the band ABBA. Okay, that is a lie. I am sorry. She is an amazing writer from Sweden that has specific gifts in sharing coffees, making coffee and exclaiming humbly WHAT?!?! when unsure. She enjoys the TV Show Scrubs, listening to great music and blogging while walking on the beach, taking pictures of sunsets and chasing pigeons. Yes, all at the same time. She hopes to see a Great White Shark jump out of the ocean to catch a bird while here in Cape Town (and also to punch a Great White in the face).

Darcie, from some foreign country (by Marie). I thought Darcie needed a new name so I renamed her Marcie after knowing her for 3 days. She is also a coffeelover and big fan of organic muffins, she must know every living creature on earth because I have never seen anyone sending as many snailmails as she is sending emails. That also explains her big compassionate heart and her passion for writing. She is absolutely the best surfer and sprinter I have ever seen.

New idea's will be birthed when Coffees and muffins are involved

Welcome to our new blog. After a brainy storm during today's breakfast (consisting of 2 cappucino's and banana/chocolate muffins) this beautiful idea was birthed. Please enjoy as we enjoy our organic muffins..