Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Money, money,money ooh aaahh




I have never been wealthy, but I have always been able to afford my rent, car payments etc. I even had a savings account many ages ago. I have never been poor either: never had to go without a meal, always had a roof over my head etc. So money was not a factor in my 'comfortable' life until....

This journey has made things less than comfortable for me (financially). I never thought I had to decide whether I should buy new pants, because I look like a hobo, or have 2 more studio sessions. I never thought I would be looking at (body) lotions prices and seeing which one is cheaper lol.


I have had some people ask me why I don't approach a label or a sponsour or find a rich sugar daddy... Okay, maybe the not the sugar daddy, but you get what I'm saying.The reason I used up all my savings, gotten a loan etc is because this is my journey. I have a very specific vision for how I want things to be and I don't want any interference so early in the process.


A few years ago when I was just starting out. I met a guy who wanted to help me out. Lets call him D. Bagerry. So D. Bagerry had all the right connections and was musically inclined and he had a business on the side and he was a from a wealthy family AND he was a know-it-all. I was so glad that someone was offering help, because I really didn't know where to start. Alarm bells started going off when he suggested I change my name. He said all the worlds biggest stars had names that were easy to say and something about the number of syllables or some crack pot B.S.

I said no to the name change and we moved on. Before I knew it he had written songs for me that were not really what I had in mind for myself. I couldn't write songs, so I thought I'd give it a try. When I failed to be who he wanted me to be he accused me of being a crappy singer and demanded everything back. I was so hurt because all I was looking for was a little bit of help and validation... Which was the problem.

I wanted someone to hold my hand and show me how things worked. Instead I got D.Bagerry and egg on my face. So on we moved and eventually learned how to write songs etc. The moral of the story is: no matter how great the intention is. As soon as somebody has put money into something, they want to give their opinion and input. And in most cases they will expect you to make those changes.


I reserve the right to tell people to EFF off if they try to tell me how to realise my vision. I am the one wearing old jeans, putting on cheap lotion and buying my greens at fruit and veg city... Therefore I am the one who has the last say. On the surface it may seem like 'money' stuff, but its really me taking ownership of my destiny. For now I will be juggling finances, putting a hold on Veuve and sushi days and be checking prices of lotion.


I sleep better knowing that whether my album makes it or bombs, it was my OWN.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Lost my job on my birthday

No lies... But that is not the point of this post. Although it does OFFICIALLY make me a full time musician (eeeek). This post is about my birthday.

Since today is my birthday it usually means gifts. I received a few great gifts, which I'm VERY VERY thankful for. But the one that stood out was THIS ONE:



When I received this gift on Saturday, my good buddy handed it to me and said "call me when you open it, so I can explain it to you." I thought it might need some assembling or something. OMG!!! I haven't called her because I think I have a fair idea what it is. Its sooo hilarious! I was having a crap birthday (because of loss of job) and opening that gift really cheered me up.


Now, I'm going to hide it somewhere in my room, until.... Until...
Oh who knows :)


Despite the loss of job, I have a lot to be grateful for:
Life
Family
Music



Enough money to buy me 2 months to figure out this loss of job crap
The Nosh that I'm eating right now
Friends



& an AMAZING best friend :)


Marcee thanks for EVERYTHING!!! Love you like... Like Caz loves Marcee

Sunday, March 15, 2009

In the past month and a bit...

I've ignored this blog (obviously), but I have been doing good things... PROMISE!!

I am working on recording a full length album (UNVEILED), which is costing me an arm and a leg, + GREEN getting lots of love on radio stations across South Africa. Yay!!


"If you're a teacup girl say yeah yeah..."
MYSPACE





Attended a good friends wedding. IT WAS LOVELY!!



Yummy edible, name tags!!!





Ate mine in NO TIME!!!

How PRETTY are those cupcakes *swoon*




Amazing view!!!
Me with the bride and groom



And... THE CAKE!!!


Attended Skouspel (at Grandwest casino). No judgements! It was good & a friend of mine was performing in the show.
Karin Zoids performance was a highlight for Marcee!!!


Performed at the Womens Show (YAY!!!)



That lady aked for a hug after I did the second song, so I obliged :)


And Marcee found a strange pet (more on that later)


His name is Max...

Okay, I'm back!!!.... For real this time!!!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Way-back-when-Wednesday (Cheers)

I wish I could go to a dive where everybody knows my name... Sigh!! Marcee and I are on the search for a pub that we can frequent without feeling grimey!

Cheers intro


My dad and I used to bond over Cheers, maybe that's why I grew up to love pubs so much LOL! I REALLY want a Cheers box set

Lesson learnt # 1

I've learnt many lessons on this amazing journey that I'm embarking on. Many of them pretty simple in theory and others that just blew my mind.


This weeks lesson: EVERYONE IS AN EXPERT!!!

When I started out 3.5 years ago, I couldn't read or write music and just didn't know how I was even going to start doing this 'music thing' on my own. I chose the person who believed in me the most to do the 'manager thing' and we set out on this journey clueless, but hopeful.

The very first person we attracted was a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none-ASSHOLE!!! He played 15 million instruments and knew EVERYONE (SMH just thinking about this guy). Barf! He basically wanted to take over and for about a week I was so grateful that someone was helping I went along with it. And then I happened to voice my opinion and JOATMONA suddenly blew his top and told me that I didn't have talent! Ouch! As it turns out said ASSHOLE didn't have any contacts at all. JACK ASS!!

Now I will be the first to admit that nobody was as bad as JOATMONA, but I would say 3 out every 5 I meet are all EXPERTS on something.

I don't have a problem with people who are experts, but I DISLIKE chancers. I can tell the chancers from the real thing now. A great man doesn't need to go on about his achievements, but chancers will always tell you about who their friends with and how many great things they achieved in 19-VOETSEK!!

After getting so much advice from chancers I've decided that I'm going to do what makes ME happy and will ask for advice when I need it. I love getting feedback from people, but I just need to selective about whose advice I take :)

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

History made!!!

Today the 44th president of the United States was sworn in. I don't need to tell you why this is historic. In a past post I said that I was too young to truly appreciate Nelson Mandela becoming the first democratically elected president of SA. Now that I am old enough to understand the significance of Obama becoming president I'm a little overwhelmed.



The whole world knows that things are not going to be easy for Obama, no one said it was going to be. I wish him and the American people lots of luck.
We are going to be voting soon and I can't help but wonder what the future holds for South Africa...

Saturday, January 10, 2009

What I learnt in 2008

The celebrations are over and people are back at work. I had to work on new years eve/day, so I couldn't really get out of control (thank God). Not partying gave me time to reflect without a hang over :)


In 2007 I did a post like this before the beginning of 2008, it was inspired by a post I saw over at Sickamore's blog. I know we're 10 days into Jan, but I've been a little distracted!



Caz/Tso/Ms Porcelain etc etc
Singer, Songwriter, radio presenter and writer
10 January 2009
Sitting on my red couch (Cape Town, South Africa)
10:40 pm

  • There are TOO MANY 'cheap boasters' in the world. My dad describes 'cheap boasters' as people who don't even (this is a direct translation, so it might not make sense) 'nails to scratch themselves'. In 2008 I met WAAAY toooo many of these people. You know the type: always talking about what they have/had, how men/women are always stalking them because their love is 'like WHOAH', talking about their 'fortune' and generally making sure that every conversation leads back to how fabulous they are.

  • NEVER GET COMPLACENT. Once at a team workshop we had a speaker, Dr Thibane, who said 'never arrive' because once you 'arrive' you stop achieving. People who have arrived usually turn into cheap boasters and believe me when I say cheap boasters NEVER EVER live up to their self-created hype.

  • A person who has achieved great things usually doesn't need to keep going on about what they've achieved. BECAUSE A GREAT MAN/WOMAN NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION!!

  • Gratitude STILL rocks. I am always amazed at how being grateful for what you have brings even more wonderful people/experiences into your life.

  • I learnt that if you need to stick to what you believe because EVERYONE will have an opinion on EVERYTHING in your life. From how you are growing your hair, to how to rehearse with your band and just about anything else you can think about.

  • I CAN live without TV. The last flat I lived in was fully furnished, so when I moved into my new flat I didn't think about getting a TV. I've been TV-less for about 6 months and I'm not any less entertained and I've read more books and had more ME time than I've ever had.

  • My mom is my ROCK!!

  • I'm not going to see all my good friends get married and have babies, because some people die young. A very good friend of mine was in a car crash and she didn't make it. I was so devastated because we (my friends and I) are always making plans for the future together. We even joke about who will get too drunk at whose wedding. There are no guarantees in life.

  • Heath Ledger gave the performance of his LIFE in Dark Knight. I want to make every performance that I have of 'dark night proportions'. Go hard or go home!!

  • Taking the mojo out for a walk really boosts your confidence. Not all flirting has to lead to sex/switching numbers or a relationship. Yessir!!

  • I have a lot of admiration for Kanye West. I don't know how many times in the past year I've said to Marc that I wish I had his... And start mentioning a million things.

  • I REALLY dislike working for other people. Ever since I left advertising I have worked from home more times than I've been at the office. I work harder and no 2 days are ever the same.

Obviously I learnt more than that, but those were the ones that stood out for me.

What did you learn in 2008?

Sunday, December 21, 2008

I FEEL CHEATED!!!!

I was watching TV and some show was playing Soul for Real (who are making a come back by the way) and Marcee and I got talking about how cheated we felt. When we were young we thought THEY WERE IT!! And now my niece thinks Chris brown is the ish.

WHY OH WHY did they not make them like that back in my day? WE FEEL SO CHEATED!! Marc reckons it's all the hormones in the food... And in case you think I'm exaggerating, pls view the evidence below.


WHAT WE HAD:










WHAT YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY HAVE:








Now this C Breezy guy makes me wanna although he could be a little immature for me (see what I did there? LOL). But it's his lady friend below that makes me think I don't stand a chance.




But if I did (stand a chance with that young man)... At least I know that he will be able to handle all this LMBAO!!!





I feel so CHEATED right now... SMH FOREVER!!!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

I'm STILL here + GOOD NEWS

First of all my apologies for being away for so long. I have been very busy believe it or not.


A little bit of music, a little bit of writing and a LOT of personal stuff. Lets just say that I'm in a weird space right now and I am slowly clawing my way out of 'the space'.

I have good news:


Capricorn FM has approved 2 of my songs: Teacup & Johnny *screaming & clapping*. I found out yesterday. so if you are in the Limpopo area don't be shy to go ahead and request your girls songs LOL!! Thanks CAPRICORN FM!!

UJ FM has added Teacup to their Summer list and I'm ECSTATIC!!! All you Jozi ppl that get UJ FM get requesting darlings.

If you don't know the songs: go over to the Black Porcelain MySpace and have a listen.

PS- MORE GOOD NEWS TO FOLLOW. I CANT SHARE YET, hang in there ;)

PS (again)- Those 10 CD were won and I STILL haven't posted them because of that 'space' thing. I will be posting them first thing next week I promise :) (My apologies)



I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Black love is so beautiful...

that is one of my fave quotes from my fav gossip blog: bossip. You know that I admire Will Smith, but I also admire him as a BLACK MAN!!! Just see the Black Love below. Jada is one lucky woman :)


There's hope ladies... There's hope!!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Quality time

I don't get to hang out with my friends a lot because most of them are in Jozi, but some of them are in Cape Town. Last week I visited my girl Zoe and when I looked back at the pictures I realised how much I love pulling funny faces when everyone else looks normal.


Zoe wearing my super styling sunnies :)


My girls


Trying my best not to act the fool

I can't help it...

Thursday, July 31, 2008

New Years resolutions

I have decided that I will not succumb to the madness of New Years resolutions come 1 January 2009. There are far too many people feeling stupidly hopeful just because it’s a new year and they all commit to things that they forget about before January is up.

So I have decided to do things my way. I have decided to work on ‘New years resolutions’ for August 2008 – December 2009. Yes I know that this is longer than 1 year, but this is how I’m doing things- MY WAY! So below are my New Years resolutions LOL!

Music:

  1. Get airplay on at least 2 national radio stations, I don’t need them to playlist all 5 tracks, but wouldn’t that be lovely… *evil laugh*
  2. Raise enough funds through gigs & downloads (hint to all the people that love and support me) of the EP, to record a high quality full length album
  3. Before I do the above I would like to get a band of very diverse musicians that I ‘click’ with, the search starts soon.
  4. Do a couple of gigs with Tidal Waves, Jacsharp, HHP & 7th Son.
  5. Make the cover of YourLMG… Mike I know you reading this! Could we please make it in colour? LMAO!


GREEN (the EP) by BLACK PORCELAIN coming IN 2 WEEKS!!!



Writing:

  1. Self publish my book before Feb 2009.
  2. Sign a deal with an independent distributor.
  3. Sell more that 5000 copies in SA (you may think that this is a low self esteem number… Don’t worry, so do I, but look at the next point).
  4. Get an agent and sign a deal with a US publisher, so my book is sold in a totally different market… Aaah the ambition of young people, you gotta love it.
  5. Start doing some freelance work for magazines locally. I miss writing and it's fun just to write an article as opposed to a whole book, sometimes.

Day Job:

  1. Increase listenership on my ‘graveyard’ show
  2. GET A PRODUCER… I really wanna do BIGGER things, but I simply can’t because I have my finger in 2 many pies ha ha ha ha.
  3. Move to another time slot, because I won’t be able to do midnight – 3am for too long, as much as I love my new show.

Home:

  1. We are moving into a new place and we won’t have TV for 2 months, because we are starting from scratch! Living in a new place has really spoilt us. So by December 2009, I want to have a TV and FULL furniture. So I feel at home in my little place.
  2. HAVE A DINNER PARTY with all my peoples in Cape Town and have some of my Jozi people over… I promise I will ladies (and gents) please just be patient.
  3. Have a black upright piano in my place; the place is not big enough for a baby grand (PLUS I CANNOT AFFORD ONE!!!!!)

Body

  1. I have never owned a bikini and I have seen Serena Williams in a bikini and she looks amazing, so I’m inspired by a sister who is not bone thin.
  2. I am going to loose about 5 kg’s and buy me a sexy bikini… Not sure if I ill post pictures.
  3. A while ago I had an eyebrow wax (which I will never do again, threading is the way to go) so I think I will dare to have a bikini wax ONCE in my life. If the results are great , I might give up shaving FOREVER (most unlikely, because I HATE pain).
  4. Have my beloved Green Drink (courtesy of Dr Oz) every morning… It’s actually not that bad, at least not the way that I make it.

Serena Williams REPRESENTING!!!



OTHER:

  1. INCREASE MY INCOME! I’m not doing badly, but I read a quote that said "There is no point at which having arrived we can remain." By a some smart anonymous person.
  2. Save at least 10% of my income every month.
  3. I am a late bloomer when it comes to hip hop, so I missed some really great acts when they made their way to SA (many years ago). One of these acts was Talib Kweli. I sent him a message on MySpace BEGGING him to show SA some love. He then replied (not sure if it was him or his people, but I still appreciated it) ,speedily might I add, saying he had been here 3 times already. He even enquired WHERE I WAS when all this was happening LOL! So since I was a mere seedling, my mission is to get promoters to get TALIB, MOS, COMMON & THE ROOTS down here for all of us SA to enjoy (get your mind out of the gutter THIS INSTANT!). If they refuse, I might have to do it myself.
  4. Make an effort to see at least 5 live performances a month, if Mike has it his way he might have us going out 3 times a week

I HAVE to get Talib to come back to SA, feel free to support me :)



Mike (from YourLMG), Marcia and I at DecoDANCE LOL!

Sunday, July 27, 2008

The week that was

I have been very bad at this posting game, but please allow me to explain why:

1. The wife and I are moving out of our tiny flat and there is a LOT OF CRAP that we need to get rid of. It's funny how we hang on to meaningless shit to fill the spaces in our homes. I feel like a mini hoarder. We want our new home not to be filled with useless stuff.

2. I took my braids out... WHAT A JOB! It'll take me a while before I get braids again. My hair was all knotted and gross. LOL!


3. I CUT MY HAIR!!!! Oh my goodness, what an experience. Me cutting my hair is my moms WORST nightmare. She has this idea of me being a 'perfect girl': with long neat hair, great figure who stays home with her parents until she gets married LMAO. Sorry ma you GOT ME LOL!! I initially thought I would be sad but I actually feel good. I will post a pic of my new hair as soon as I can.


4. Watched Wanted last night... I know, I know it's late, but I don't get out much. It was cool, really cool. James McAvoy even managed to look hot a few times. It was another one of those movies that made my inner little boy smile broadly and say 'LET'S DO THAT AGAIN'!
I particularly enjoyed the end when 'Wesley' says "This is me taking back control of my life. What the fuck have you done lately?"


5. FINISHED all my work on GREEN (the EP) and I'm ready to write more stuff. I listened to it and it was pretty cool. I feel like I've grown musically already. I'm almost ready to release my 'warm up project'. GREEN by BLACK PORCELAIN COMING SOON!



6. I laughed hard at bad album covers over at ATCN. Below are just a few that had Marcee and I REALLY enjoyed!

They aren't bad, but they are pretty awkward!







See more here

Monday, July 7, 2008

Looking for a new apartment

Is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

  1. Everything is overpriced in my area, but I wont move because I like it here.

  2. I REFUSE to live in a building filled with old women and cats. I have nothing against both, but I just don't want to live in a building that is as old as Jan CVan Riebeck: Where he sat having tea with his wife looking down at the natives saying 'darling the natives soon will be upon us, we have to devise some kind of plan to keep them down.' Uhm.... No!

  3. Having a decent bathroom and kitchen are my prerequisites. I don't know why I'm so fussy about those 2.

  4. I NEED to be in a safe block. I leave home before 11pm and return AFTER 3am for my show, so I need to know that I am SECURE.

  5. I have worked very hard the past 2 years and I deserve an upgrade of living conditions.

  6. I want to throw dinner parties and not be embarrassed that my guest can see my messy room. I NEED SPACE!!!

All that being said we have found THE PERFECT place, withing our price range and we are happy to say that by this time next month, we will be in a spacious, secure place with a LOVELY kitchen and bathroom. YESSIR!!!

This is how we feel (like we should be out drinking Jack n Lime celebrating and listening to a great band):

Friday, June 27, 2008

I give up

Okay... Not really! But I have decided to be kinder to myself. I feel like I have to remind myself to slow down once very 4 months. That's why I'm so grateful that I have people like Marcee and Bridget in my life.

I stayed in bed ALL DAY today. Well I didn't really stay in bed. I first had to go to work and do an interview for my show. Which was very interesting! I will tell you about that just now. Then I came home and lay in bed because I wasn't feeling well physically. While I was lying in bed I suddenly thought: all the things that are stressing me out REALLY DON'T MATTER! None of the deadlines, arguments, to-do lists... None of it really matters.

Don't get me wrong. I have to make a living like the next person, but some of the other things can be postponed. I struggle with that word... Postpone. It doesn't even sound right. But I have decided to postpone some things. I have decided to finish up work on the EP in the next 3 days and postpone sending in the first draft of manuscript to my editor. I listened to my entire Stephen Marley CD and suddenly everything was okay again. Had an afternoon nap and woke up a NEW woman.

I am now sitting here with a glass of red wine with a big smile on my face. I'm BACK!!!!!

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Feeling a little fragile

Woke up this morning feeling a little fragile (physically and emotionally). So I put together a playlist to perk me up:

  1. Corrine Bailey Rae- Call me when you get this
  2. Kanye West - Everything I am
  3. Common - The people
  4. Nina Simone - Baltimore
  5. John Mayer - Clarity
  6. Lupe Fiasco - Go baby
  7. N.E.R.D - Don;t worry about it
  8. Alicia Keys - Superwoman
  9. Common - It's your world
  10. Coldplay - Fix you
  11. Talib Kweli - Oh my stars
  12. Aerosmith - Jaded
  13. Dinah Washington - Mad about the boy
  14. Oleta Adams - New York state od mind
  15. Marvin Gaye - What's going on

I think I may have been a little unkind to my body, so I'm gonna TRY and take it easy today. I'm just chasing so many deadlines. Which wouldn't be a problem if I could just shake being an over-achiever. I'm not sure why there are still traces of this terrible illness in me. Sometimes when i think I've beat it, I find myself woking on a new song, while finishing off a chapter of my book, constructing and email and contemplating answering my phone (which would have been ringing non-stop for half an hour).

I woke up 36 minutes ago and I'm already thingking about what needs to be done and how much time I have. I think I might need to meditate after I have my oats. I'm terribly anxious this morning and the music is not working as well as it usually does when I'm feeling like this. a part of me knows that some of these deadlines are ridiculous and that I might need to give myself a bit of an extension, but the other part is fighting me. DAMMIT!!!

At the beginning of the year Alan Knott-Craig, the MD of iBurst wrote an email to his staff. You can have a look at it here. The words below struck a chord with me:

"The nice stuff makes me feel good, and the challenges remind me why we can beat the competition. Most importantly I'm looking forward to having fun and making memories."

This months has been filled with more deadlines, than stopping and enjoying life. Maybe that's why I'm feeling so fragile. I'm off to meditate for half an hour and hopefully I will feel a little better.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Living life like it's Golden

Yesterday I went to 'Laughter Yoga' for the first time, lead by my good buddy Bridget Mc Nulty. It was her first class and she was soooo nervous. I was also kind of nervous too, but we both decided to 'feel the fear and do it anyway'.

It was a little weird in the beginning, but once you get into the laughing you really can't stop. Well at least I couldn't... I LOVE to laugh! It makes me feel good and I like to do it more than 20 times a day. I bet if I felt that way about sex I would have a happy man LOL! I felt so light at the end of Laughter Yoga. I think everyone should try it just once.

After Laughter Yoga I started thinking about my life. I am so GRATEFUL that I am able to live the life that I live. Now I know I always say how grateful I am, but yesterday I was really moved. I am releasing my first EP (on my own terms with my own cash), writing my first novel (which I intend to self publish in SA), I have a radio show that I love (which focuses on positive things around our country), starting up my NPO to help the kids who need help, I'm moving into a bigger place AND I'm planning a December trip to New York!!! Yessir! What's not to love about that?

I made a decision to enjoy each day, regardless of how much madness is going down around me. I think sometimes we get so caught up in the madness that we forget how blessed we are. There is always something to be grateful for... ALWAYS!!! So go ahead and find something to be grateful for and then LIVE YOUR LIFE LIKE IT'S GOLDEN!!!

Thanks to Jilly from Philly for the song 'Golden'

Thursday, May 8, 2008

You know you're a girl when...

you hear the following quote while having a chilled night out:

"She was using fanny wax on her lip and she wonders what went wrong..."

I have pretty funny friends, but that is by far the funniest thing I've heard in a long time. We were looking so classy in our 'grown up' coats and sipping on exotic cocktails at cute place in Long Street (I had never heard of the place before and now I've forgotten the name).

You've got to love being a woman!!! The story of the fanny wax and the lip is not half as funny as that quote, so I wont bother telling you about it. I love these eloquent and gorgeous creatures who call themselves my friends. LMAO!

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Wise words

"Each of us has that right, that possibility, to invent ourselves daily. If a person does not invent herself, she will be invented. So, to be bodacious enough to invent ourselves is wise."
Maya Angelou
What a beautiful soul! She is one of the people I hope to meet in this lifetime.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Wise words

The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it
- Chinese proverb