3D REFLECTIONS OF LIFE

Ayesha (far right), my past student and now wonderful radiologist, posing with me after the mammogram and ultrasound moments.   On 18 May, it was a year after I had a lumpectomy.  As you will recall, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and the option my surgeon, Dr Edge, recommended was a lumpectomy. Fortunately, there was no evidence of spreading after the binodal biopsy and thus I had to only go for radiation after the operation. The year had flown past. Just the other day, my family and I were dealing with all the visits to the hospital for the lumpectomy, the 30 daily sessions of radiation and then the recovery period. In fact, our lives went back to normal pretty soon after this trauma and life has been good. Sometimes when certain well-meaning folk enquire about my health whenever they see me, my mischievous streak hovers below the surface. When they ask , "And how is your health  now?" their voices drop, their mouths contort ...

Meg Rickards (film director, Tess) and Christia Visser ( lead actress, Tess) at the premiere of Tess at the Durban International Film Festival   The film, Tess ,  is based on the book, Whiplash by South African novelist, Tracey Farren. Tess  is a gut-wrenching film that grapples with the abuse of women within the soul-destroying context of drug addiction, prostitution, violence and poverty. We see the brutality against women through the eyes of Tess , the main character. Tess , the prostitute and drug addict, lives recklessly by selling her body to men who violently abuse her as they see her as a sex object worthy of their lust and disgust. It is only when Tess becomes pregnant that she starts her own painful journey of healing. Reluctant at first, she confronts her dark, horrifying past of being sexually-abused as a child and then becomes more determined to transform her life.  Although there are glimpses of hope for Tess and h...

The Moses Mabidha stadium where you can see the leg of the Y-section of the roof arch   The Moses Mabhida stadium is indeed an architectural and an engineering masterpiece. View from the platform on top of the roof   We took the Skycar up the striking Y-shaped arch of the roof of the stadium. When you reach the top of the stadium roof, you can spend time soaking in 360 degree views of the Indian Ocean and the Durban city.    After this experience we went on a guided tour of the Moses Mabhida stadium. The stadium is named after one of our struggle veterans who played a key role in setting the stage for our democracy.  The Moses Mabhida stadium replaced the Kings stadium. The Kings stadium was demolished and the concrete was used to lay the foundation of the Moses Mabhida stadium. The stadium, that cost about R1,4 billion to build, took three years.  The tour starts in the amphitheatre which is flanked by the Imbizo, a belt o...

Paddy rice fields viewed as we sped past in the speed train at 305km/h This is the ninth post in the Ni ha (Hello) China Travelogue . After a glorious week in Guangzhou, we travelled to Beijing via their speed or bullet train. We travelled at an average speed of 307 kilometers per hour and arrived in Beijing after 8 hours.  As we travelled through the countryside,we could see the many rice paddies. Interesting nuggets we learned from our tour guide Kong Li (Leo) Our travel guide in Beijing was Leo. Leo is the 76th generation of Confucius, a history that he is very proud of. Leo may not be the philosopher his ancestor was, but he is a brilliant tour guide and an entrepreneur de luxe ! Because of his ingenuity and his amazing network of contacts, we had hitched rides on the rickshaws and had lunch in one of the hutongs - the old courtyard style residential areas reminiscent of the old Beijing. The Seal. The box that contains your name, stamp and Chinese horoscope ...

This is post number eight in the Ni hao (Hello) China Travelogue. Mina, our tour guide and me on the boat. We knew we were ending our stay in South China with a cruise on the Pearl River, but not in my wildest dreams did I expect such a spectacular experience. It was drizzling and foggy almost the entire day, but the evening of our river cruise the heavens opened. Landie and Jean having fun.  One of the bridges lit up  We boarded our boat and were mesmerized for the next hour or so. All the buildings that surround the Pearl River switch on their headlights to create a static pyrotechnic display. Each of the riverboats glittered with their neon displays on the dark river waters. Even the bridges became part of this multi-coloured, fantastic playground. The Pearl river is 2,400 kilometers long and it is the third largest river in China. Many such colourful boats are seen on the river The lights on the buildings reflecting in the ...

My sisters and I decided to explore Cape Town City Centre. We decided to travel by train - 3rd class - to Cape Town. Our first bonus was that the total cost for our return tickets from Plumstead to Cape Town, was a mere R45,00. Our first stop was the Apache Spur because Hilary was hungry. Once the tummies were sorted, we went to the Slave Lodge. The plague explain the history of the Slave Lodge building Levona and Hilary having fun in the foyer area.  We met Ms Williams with a few of her Littlewood Primary School learners  at the Slave Lodge. Ms Williams explained that she brought these learners on this outing because they earned it. Imagine giving up your public holiday to take children out!  Ms Williams and her children I acted as a tour guide for my sisters, remembering some of the details we were given when our education district visited the Slave Lodge.  As expected, my siblings loved the exhibitions. They listened to all the audio ...

This is post number 7 in the Ni hao (Hallo) China Travelogue . After our tea experience, we spent the rest of the day at Guangzhou's Flower City Square. It is now the largest square in Guangzhou. On Flower City Square.  There are many attractions that surround Flower City Square. You can see the Opera house, the museum, the massive public library and the Canton Tower from the square. Because it was raining (again) and misty, we could not see the Canton Tower. Our tour guide, Mina, said " she was hiding because she was shy. Landie Diamond walking in the rain. In the background is the stadium where the opening ceremony of the Asian 2010 games was held. The Guangzhou Public library The Guangzhou public library designed like a "Z" and it resembles an open book The Guangzhou library is an architectural and cultural marvel. This public library was designed by an international team from Japan and China. The library resembles an ...