Back at the 4th Euro- Africa Cooperation Forum on ICT Research

Last year I was invited to speak at the 4th Euro- Africa Cooperation to speak about how RLabs is: Transferring Innovation On A Grassroots Level. This particular conference was held in Finland which meant me going over seas for seven days. This year this same conference is being held in Cape Town and I was once again invited to come and speak here.

I am so looking forward to all the presentation and to see how ICT is being utilized in Europe and Africa. The aim of today is networking as well and looking forward to meeting with potential future partners for RLabs. I am grateful for this opportunity to be able to represent RLabs at this conference. That is what RLabs is all about,it is about growth ..and this is me growing.

Happy April Fools Day All

Early this morning Craig and myself was sitting in the RLABS office and working (doing reports). During our discussion he reminded me that it was April’s Fools Day. Being the geek that I am I had saw an opportunity on how I could capitalize on this day and blog about it.

That is when we decided that I should announce that I am getting married soon as most of my followers know that I am single (on twitter and facebook). So this the status update I put up  on Facebook and Twitter:

My status update on Facebook

Needless to say that it was not long until someone commented on this post to congratulate me. And of course there were lots of questions asked. Some wanted to know who the lucky girl is. Other people were sceptical and mentioned that it was Aprils Fools Day and commented about it on facebook. However there was a plan of action in place. I simply deleted their comments and then thereafter sent them an inbox message informing them what I was doing. Luckily none of them was offended.

On Twitter I soon received @ messages from people congratulating me from all over the world. I soon sent a DM (Direct message) to all of them telling them what I am doing. Twitter is the Social Media application that I am best known on and some of my followers were not happy that I caught them out in this way lol. It is awesome to see how many people are actually interested in my life. I have nothing but love for you guys.

@ messages on Twitter

Just to say that the next time I do make the announcement, it will be for real. Problem now is that I have to just find her still. I am trusting God that He will show me who it is.

NB. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THIS BLOG POST.LOVE YOU ALL

MC for the Bussiness Conference 2020

Reagen Allen is the MC at today’s Business Conference. Reagen just brings a whole new dynamic when it comes to MC-ing .He had the audience captivated with his sharp sense of humour. Once this young man starts talking you can’t get enough.

During breakfast break I actually asked him if he is willing to come and give the RLABS staff a work shop on how to MC. This however is his gifting and I don’t think no one will be able to MC like he does. He has really brought a lively twist to this conference. Thank you brother for your awesomeness. You are a real encouragement to the rest of us.

*NB- I AM BLOGGING LIVE FROM THE BUSSINESS CONFERENCE

Dave Duarte speaks at the Business 2020 Conference

I am attending a business breakfast this morning that was organized by two dynamic young men, Kyle Jonck and Jason Martin. The conference is hosted Granger Bat Hotel in the beautiful Waterfront, Cape Town.

Dave Duarte

Kyle and Jason did the welcoming and up introduced the MC for the day Reagen Allen. Reagen is a young dynamic business man and i really look up to him. The first guest speaker up was Dave Duarte, a online marketing curator and well known on the Social Media scene. He shared so many interesting facts regarding marketing and social media.

Looking forward to what is still on store. I love this conference.

*NB I AM DOING LIVE BLOGGING FROM THE EVENT.

A Crayfish Expedition For The Guys

One of the guys diving

Over the weekend the guys from RLABS and me went on crayfishing expedition. This was our way of unwinding and taking a break from our hectic weekly schedule. We Saturday morning at the crack of dawn we hit the road and everyone was in high spirits.

The place where we go and catch crayfish and were we throw in our nets is very rocky and not for the faint hearted at all. But we have got to love this place and always seem to come back for more.

Were we dived is not for the faint hearted

The catch for the day was good and we even got to eat some of the crayfish on the beach.This was a day well spent with the guys and am looking at doing it real soon again. Thank you guys for an awesome day. God bless you my brothers.

Enjoying our catch on the rocks

Support these two dynamic young business men from New Trends and Outlooks

I would like to introduce you guys to two dynamic young men,Jason and Kyle. I am not going to say much about them as you can read more about them in the right up. I would just like to say that they encourage me so much,knowing from what background they come. You guys make me proud. But enough from me.Read more about them and please support them.

New trends & outlooks started with two youngsters from Bridgetown Athlone .Kyle Jonck (20yr )and Jason Martin(19yr) ex-drug addict met at the Impact centre ,they decided to start a business conference. New trends & outlooks endeavors to have business conference’s, where information could be exchanged, relationships built and doors with opportunity opened .The business conference also aims to serve as means for networking among leaders and entrepreneur’s. New trends would like businesses to think innovatively and to do things that are out of the box.

We would like to send you this special invite to attend our business conference.

Business 2020 Conference (half day breakfast.)

Business, Innovation & Mobile Trends

Type:	Meetings - Convention
Network:	Global

Date:	Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Time:	9:00am – 12:10pm
Location:	Granger Bay Restaurant

Business Conference 2020 for Business leaders, Entrepreneurs    and upcoming business men and women 31st of March breakfast will be served at the Granger Bay hotel. Ticket price: R250

Description

We’ll be hosting
Marlon Parker, Dave Duarte, as well as a representative from Rlabs and more. . .

Marlon Parker is a Social Entrepreneur, Web and mobile enthusiast, who use technology to empower communities, Educator. For more http://marlonparker.co.za/?page_id=2

Dave Duarte is an internet and mobile media educator and entrepreneur. He holds several senior positions in the academic, commercial, and non-profit sectors. He is Managing Director at Huddlemind. The company consults to numerous multinational corporations… for more http://daveduarte.co.za/about/
The Reconstructed Living Lab – is one of ten in South Africa, and the first one in the Western Cape. The project has grown out of collaboration between Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), a community organisation Impact Direct Ministries (IDM), and the Bridgetown Civic Organisation. It has features that are unique in living labs as it is community led and is based in a social deprived area in Cape Town…for more http://www.rlabs.org/about/

Drug Advice and Support Session In Progress

Drug Advice and Support (DAS) has now been running for more than 2 years. Over a million messages has already been sent on and over our service. On DAS we offer advice to people abusing and people affected by drugs. Here are some of the counselors hard at work and offering their time to help others.

Salute  to all the guys and to their families that allow and release these men do this work and help others that are destitute out there.

All glory to God for giving us the ability to do this work.It is only by His grace.

MADAM GEEK TEACHES US A TRICK OR TWO

Yesterday while we were working in the RLABS we had the privilege of being given a short blogging workshop by none other than Madam Geek ,Rene Parker. She showed us a couple of things on wordpress that we, as she puts it, well renown bloggers ,should have known. She actually put us to shame lol.

But it was a fun session and she taught us a trick or two. So she put Craig and myself  to shame I must admit. It was however a pleasure to see her getting excited about blogging. I suggested that we have a little blogging off friendly competition and just to encourage each other and teach each other new things about blogging.

I am so looking forward to this interaction and learning. That is why I love my work/job. Always an opportunity to learn something new on a daily basis.

I Now Pronounce You Black and White

As RLABS we have started to do Social Media consultancy for companies, NGO’s and other businesses. This is so that we can be a self sustainable and continue all our projects within RLABS without having to worry about finances to do so.

One of our clients for whom we are doing a Social Media Consultancy for is a production company by the name Ollywood productions. They are releasing a local movie called: I now Pronounce You Black and White. It is being branded as South Africa’s biggest romantic comedy.

Here is a read up on the movie:

Love and Marriage, it’s the iconic idea of joy and true happiness…unless you’re Simon and Jackie!

Simon Dawson (Up & Coming Tyrel Meyer) and his black girlfriend, Jackie Msolisi (Astara Mwakalumbwa) announce their engagement to each other, but Simon’s racist, white parents are more than furious.

Felix Dawson (Ian Roberts), a hardcore Afrikaner, and his pretentious, Jewish wife Sheila (Bo Petersen), are determined not to let their son “marry the help”, while Jackie’s parents, Pauline and Clarence Msolisi (Sylvia Mdunyelwa & Kwezi Kobus) are equally shocked by their daughter’s decision to marry “a Whitey”. Pauline vows to stop the wedding at any cost.

I Now Pronounce You Black and White is a ridiculously hilarious and fun film, full of “interesting” characters that will make your family look, well lets just say “normal”. As true love tries to conquer all, against all odds, this movie in true South African class will not leave you wanting.

I Now Pronounce You Black and White is South Africa’s “first” romantic comedy directed by Oliver Rodger that is set to launch in the middle of this month at the Cape Winelands Film Festival (CWFF).

Viewers can expect to see the first screening of I Now Pronounce You Black and White at their local Nu Metro cinema from 14th of May 2010.

To stay updated with happenings join I Now Pronounce You Black and White’s Facebook Fanpage or follow their Twitter stream

See you at the movies!

http://tinyurl.com/ya96nek

The Butterfly Author: Unknown

One day a man found a butterfly cocoon. He watched as a small opening appeared and he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole.

Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and could go no farther so the man decided to help the butterfly.

He took a pair of scissors and snipped the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily.

Something was strange, though. The butterfly had a swollen body and shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened; in fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and deformed wings. It was never able to fly.

What the man did not understand in his kindness and haste was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the small opening of the cocoon are Nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were allowed to go through all our life without any it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.

Not only would we never have the opportunity to know what we could have become……. we will never become it.

“Today really is the first day of the rest of your life and in this moment you can begin to make it magnificent.”
- J. Sewell Perkins