My mate Hoox’s mom was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 months ago. They removed it all, but she still has to undergo the very heavy task of chemotherapy for another year. After her first session, Hoox, who’s currently stationed in Albania, made a video to tell his mom she’s not alone.

From one baldy to another. Too awesome. You’re a legend, bro.

That’s my Don-ism for ‘The fear of receiving gifts and not knowing the correct amount of enthusiasm to return to present-giver whilst more than likely looking like an awkward pedo’.

I don’t like receiving gifts. Birthdays, Christmas, it’s awful. And I figured out why: I feel awkward when someone gives me something. The very bizarre thing though, is that I love to give gifts. The look on someone’s face when they figure out what it is. Priceless.

Hypocritical? Of course. A problem? Absolutely.

The reason for this post is because in a few days time I’ll be celebrating my birthday, and as like all birthdays, everyone is asking ‘What would you like for your birthday?’. My immediate response is ‘Nothing, please.’ People don’t really like this answer. I have 2 major problems with present-receiving at birthdays:

1. I suffer from Reactophobia (or Doronophobia perhaps), often feeling a sense of letdown on the present-giver’s face as my subtle non-bounce-around-the-room reaction is, well, just that. Too much enthusiasm looks like you’re acting. There’s such a fine line.

2. Why – just because I happened to be born on a specific day – do I deserve to get rewarded? If anyone should get something, it should be my folks. After all, it was their hard work that got me here in the first place. If I hit 100 years old, now that’s a feat, gimme something for that, preferably in the shape of a little blue pill and a dozen beautiful blondes. Awesome.

So I’ll keep this short and sweet: Please don’t buy me anything for my birthday. You don’t want me to feel awkward do you? And I really don’t deserve it, all I managed to do to get to this point in my life was stay alive. It’s not rocket science.

People always tell me I’m one of the most sharing people they know. I share my lunch, my dreams, my toothbrush and my bed. So it’s fitting that I share yet another stand-up comedy gig of mine right here on Jo’blog. Awesome.

Tattoos and stand-up comedy. These are primarily the two biggest conversations I have with people nowadays on a personal level.

What comes up more often than not are people’s longing to either do comedy or get a tattoo, but they just never had the guts to go through with it, almost always blaming the ‘too scared to get on stage’, or the ‘permanence’ or ’soon-to-be-boredom’ with tattoos. It’s like a broken record.

I’ve been creating and writing comedy for as long as I can remember. I was fortunate enough to have a group of friends, including my family, who could see humour in everything, which led me to begin writing things down so that I could one day use it, either on stage, TV or in film.

A few years ago when I was doing video production I did some work with Riaad Moosa. On the last day of shooting, we were leaving the set and he shouted across the parking lot “Get on stage Don!”, after our earlier conversation about open comedy spots at Cool Runnings in Melville. It was an awesome thing to hear from someone like him. So I continued to write comedy, but never really considered getting on stage to actually use it.

Then last year we were invited to Missing Link for a talk by John Vlismas about creativity, and obviously used comedy as an example. One of the guys asked him how people can get into it and he mentioned the open spots on Sunday nights at Cool Runnings. At that stage of my life I needed something to occupy my mind and free time, so after the talk I asked John how to book a spot, and got the number. Three days later, while driving to a meeting, I phoned Whacked Management and booked myself a spot. I put the phone down and felt like vomiting. It was honestly one of the scariest things I had to do. Taking that first step was huge, but now it was done, and all I had to do was show up and perform.

Long story short, I performed my first gig (which very few people have seen) and even though I look back on it now and think it wasn’t even close to what I’d expect to be a good set, I walked off stage feeling like I’d wrestled a lion, and tamed the bastard. No-one can ever explain that feeling of total bliss. Too rad.

The thing is, the big step wasn’t actually getting on stage, it was taking that first step and getting booked in. Once I knew I had to do it, I knuckled down and made it happen. I wrote a set, I consulted friends, I perfected it so that I could deliver as effective a show as possible. Now I just can’t get enough.

This doesn’t only apply to comedy or getting a tattoo. What, in business, are you thinking about doing but are too scared to implement? Do you have an idea that could possibly help your business? The worst that can happen is you fail, but at least you can say you tried.

This post (although old, but definitely still relevant) explains how, while few CEOs are as candid about the potential for failure as Isdell, many are wrestling with the same problem, trying to get their organisations to cosy up to the risk-taking that innovation requires. “Everyone fears failure. But breakthroughs depend on it. The best companies embrace their mistakes and learn from them.”

It goes back to that saying “You always regret the things you didn’t do.” You’ll never know unless you’ve tried.

Just do it.

At last, we managed to get my 16g white 3G iPhone unlocked and running on MTN. Yaay. I had to use a sim liner from any-network and it really did work as well as they said.

Just remember, I didn’t do it ‘cos I love Apple, I did it to spite ‘em…!

Update: Battery dies at around 16h00, and reception is dismal. Now the unlocker is giving up the ghost and 3G ain’t working – back to 1st gen for now

Just in case you were wondering, you can find the four of us on twitter.

Click the pics for links.

Disclaimer, we’re as crap there too..!

Your morning shower is directly proportional to how long the previous work day was.

You owe me a carwash…!

Update: Respect to Piet for responding in the comments below. Even more respect for not bringing it down to my level, I’m such an uncouth bastard

Our good friends over at Firewater Interactive are hiring:

Seriously, these guys rock, if you’re hot, and look great naked, give em a call…!

I know it’s late, but it was my birthday on Monday. For posterity, and because I’m a braggart, I decided to compile a list of things I got, that you didn’t:
1. Shaun of the Dead, DVD
2. Dawn of the Dead, DVD
3. Donnie Darko, DVD
4. Smashing Pumpkins – Greatest hits, DVD
5. Ozzy Osbourne velvet slippers, black
6. Door mat that says ‘Beware the owners’
7. Carcass – Choice cuts, CD
8. Dark Tranquility – Exposures, CD
9. Glass chess set
10. Lotto Plus ticket, 1 (thanks Don)
11. Macbre Miscellany – Geoffrey Abbott, book
12. Booze, assorted
13. Girls feeling each others’ boobs, kissing etc. (I have pics)
14. Gay, yet functional, bag
…and lots more

You get the picture. If that’s not a wish list for you non-birthday folk, I don’t know what is.

I’m telling myself that today so that I don’t feel so old. There’s something about ticking over a decade that makes you, well….shit yourself a little.

Truth be told though, I got all the cheering up I needed in the form of (a ton of) presents and cake, visiting my family in Cape Town for the weekend was a great idea.

Happy Birthday to me…!

Thanks to Ed for his support of us in our time of stardom.

And it seems folk are very keen to be a part of what Brad and Linda are putting together. This is a good sign for two reason:
1) It shows the interest of bloggers in having their own say about their own say (weblogs), which, in essence, is what the whole thing is about
2) We’re not the only publicity whores (sorry, Blogworkers) around

If anything is going to help your cause, Ed, Rich…! reckons that coming around and rubbing his nipples might just be the thing. It’s worked for others in the past…

Well, it seems SABC 2 are doing a similar piece in the near future, and guess who they want to interview.

C’mon. Guess.

Yeah! Us! Man, we’re so hot right now you could fry wors on our bottoms.

That’s two planned spots on local blogging, and it’s effects, that we know of. It’s nice to see this is catching on here in dark Africa, as it did in the rest of the world. It’s been a long time coming.

Update: I just received a bit more detail on the project, which you can, and should, read about here. It relates to blogging’s role in the “fight against centralised media and information control”. Quote unquote. It looks like it’s going to be a hoot.

Now ../Ant and D’ave start blogging again.

Lol

Publicity whores…!

In an attempt to keep the office up-to-date on public holidays, Helen posted all of them on an iCal calendar that we all get to organise shoots when we need to book cameras.

It’s official ladies, treat your pubes to the best holiday ever. Spa baths, mud packs, massages and more.

Can’t wait for Men’s Day Pubic Holiday.