The Day moi found a G-spot...

1st of March 2011 I broke my on air virginity on the SOUND of the CITY baybee: 99.5fm was the new love of my life and as all new loves go: me and Gagasi kept each other ALIVE and awake at the wee hours of the morning or was that night? 

My spot on Gagasi 99.5fm (yes, thats the G-spot I am talking about) was from 10pm - 1am during the week and 6am-10am on Saturday mornings...how did I manage without going grey ? In between that was a business woman, an employee at the premier University of KwaZulu-Natal, a performing artist, a writer, a mother, a lover, a very supportive & in your face aunt & sister and daughther in law and sister in law *breaths in and out slowly*. Now I can gladly say: I am a survivor!

It was a lovely year of CONFESSIONS Monday's and on CHOOSE days we Touched lives. No, not like that silly. It was more appropriate and respectful than any person whose mind is in the gutter would have it be. We'd reach out and (((((hug))))) those who needed to be touched spiritually or those who were feeling down. Zarlings would call in and TOUCH their loved ones who lay in hospital beds or friends who needed encouragement. I always believe that a hug and a handshake is a ONE SIZE FITS ALL phenomena and if you cant shake their hands or hug them, then the Zookey Zone was the place to call, tweet or facebook on a Tuesday night.

Wednesday's we'd fly high and we changed our scope from sight to vision and started looking at things in the eyes of faith and hope. We called the feature: WINGS DAY  and therefore on wings day we'd WISH and share our hopes, dreams, intentions and thoughts and even share testimonies of little victories that make our lives better. Victories such as getting a drivers licence, a promotion, passing a difficult exam, finally breaking up with that abusive lover etc. All grounded on Hebrews 1:1, NOW faith is....

Thursday's saw me being called IQHIKIZA, an elder sister who had the eye and spirit of discernment, knowledge and wisdom when it came to matters of the heart and love. Few lovers got together and yes others had not so exciting n' experience but nonetheless lonely hearts soon became a thing of the past as we shared on what singles could get up to. We shared on various alternative hobbies that could keep singles happy, smiling and not feeling sorry for themselves.

Saturday....aaaah Saturday is when my beauty sleep was cut to an absolute minimum. Since when was I able to hold a conversation without pulling lip at 6am? Oh, Gagasi fm certainly turned me into a morning Saturday baby, a whole new me. My gruff baritone morning voice had no choice but to sing itself  awake or was that spoken word using musical lyrics? #yours truly can't sing to save her life.

Oh well its been a great year, but more than anything, I am an artist at heart. I love culture and inter-cultural relations and all things AFRICAN which means travelling into Africa and around the world promoting our Mzansi culture. I am not sure when that multi-arts & intercultural bug bit me, but I think its blood flows freely in my system and being on STAGE and in theatre houses, on film sets, styling musicians and working out their schedules is worse than dealing with a mother in law, but if you cant run away from the calling, you just dance to it.

With a diary filled with festivals to enjoy: whether as a project manager or artist facilitator, I bid farewell to the Zookey Zone and Sunnyside up Breakfast slots. I love being holistic and if you wanna here about my #celebrate-tea-time-no-chicken-no beef and my #shoot-me-please fashion police moments and other #once-upon-a-timez you better not miss out on the new lifestyle shows coming up on the Sound of the City...woop-woop!

Herewith lay my Gagasi Presenter Profile (does sound like an obituary don't it) :-)

Read my Gagasi blogs on this link: Blogs about the Zookey Zone, Sunnyside up show & all things Zarling

The fairest of them all...

I moved back to Durban just after the new millenium to work as the Public Relations Director for the 1st Miss India Worldwide in South Africa. This was a competition including 100 girls of Indian decent from around the world. I reckon, I will never go grey again, after keeping my sanity and all my dark black main during that time of Bombay, Johannesburg, negotiations, pre-Madonna's, breyani, curries and all things bling.

I enjoyed every experience and got to work closely with two very special ladies, the then reigning Miss India South Africa and the Miss India Worldwide.  I was sometimes a driver, other times I looked like the security but most of the times I was the mover and shaker who had to facilitate and make things happen. Such fun!! So much sari and panjabi wearing for one township girl from Ntuzuma.

 Some of my duties included networking, school visits, hospital visits, prison visits and introducing the ladies to business and government leaders alike...*takes a bow*. Every African-American coming to South Africa wants to meet Madiba and so it would only be fair that one of my projects include introducing the ladies to this great man who fought for the liberation of our dear rainbow nation: South Africa.

 Sarika the Miss India Worldwide 2001 got married and became a Public Relations Officer and blossomed into the beauty that she always was. Sorisha became a celebrated individual, writing Sunday Paper articles as a journalist, hosted a radio show and left her hospitality industry career and became a soapie opera actor and then a very successful business woman. Everytime I bumped into her, I was in awe of her gregarious and humble character. She never once did a "so who are you?" or "please remind me where I know you from.?"...oooh I have had plenty of those, until the next time the schlep-britty needed a favour.

It's when I did not recognise her because she had become so fair that I started to wonder what happened to my beauty queen. She was on billboards and magazines as a model of her very own brand of soaps and skin lightning creams. This is a phenomena I have seen a lot as I grew up, the only difference is that my mothers generation used a product called He Man, that left their skin with burn like marks and very sensitive to the sun.

I am thee light and I will keep shining in my dark tanned skin thank you. I fear attracting to much attention, that's all. Either way, in the language of all beauty queens, I believe "beauty comes from within" and for the sake of world peace I just rather not be the fairest of them all.