Happy Holidays

Many South African businesses, including clients, shut down for the Christmas and New Year holidays this week/today. If you're one of the people closing down today, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and we'll reconnect next year.

For now, I don't have to do any deadlined work, except for the milestones that I've set for myself. Spent most of the day reading bids. Bleh!

Went to the barber and cut my hair. Ja, I know I'm supposed to go to a hairdresser, but I've discovered I like having very short, no fuss hair. And it costs me only R10 (approx $1.25) per month for the haircut. So now I feel refreshed, and ready to take on summer. Yay!

Learning To Listen

This morning I realised why one new friend is in my life: to teach me to listen more and carefully my words more carefully before I speak. Nothing major happened. It's just that in the middle of conversation, I realised I was the one doing most of the talking. In terms of life in general, I prefer to listen than to talk. I already know enough about myself thanks. And as a writer, watching and listening to people is much more interesting. You learn about how other people think, approach problems, express themselves etc. But somehow, when my new friend is quiet or slow to talk, it's as if there's a prod that pushes me to fill the space. Huh! I wonder why that is.

Had a very good meeting today. Client very happy with the work I do for them. Feels I went the extra mile. And there was talk of extending the contract when this one expires in 3 months' time. Her words of appreciation were a lovely Christmas present.

Self-Service Cash Deposits

Went to the mall today and found out that First National Bank at the mall near my home has installed self-service stations which take the ATM to a whole new level. In the past, if you wanted to deposit bank notes into a First National Bank client account, you had to go see a teller to do the deposit.















(above: banking official shows customer how to use new service)

The new self-service allows you to deposit bank notes into the recipient's account directly, and the money is available to the recipent instantly. And you don't have to be an FN account holder or to even use your ATM card to do it. So essentially, I can walk to an ATM, launch the transaction, input the recipent banking details, put cash in, get receipt and that's it.

The big benefit of this service is that, if you don't have Internet access to do an instant transfer, and you're not registered for cellphone banking, you can still deposit money into a stranded friend or family member's account any time of the day or night, and they will be able to get the money instantly. Not sure how long they've had this service, but it is very useful for the majority of South Africans who don't have Internet access, and deal mostly on a cash basis.

Anyhoo, had a good client meeting this morning. We went through the newsletter I'm developing for them and she clarified some issues and i'm thinking that the next issue will be much better, more focussed on what she needs to communicate. She also has some design ideas that's going to give the newsletter a vibrant feel. Client used to be my editor about 15 years ago when I was a kidlet and getting into the business, so I trust her judgement and usually find her suggestions enhance my work. So the conversation was much more collaborative rather than client demanding something, which is nice.

Some Lessons I Learnt From Soliciting Bids

Updated the OneLove and Kwanda sites quickly, then spent a couple of hours going through bids. Learnt a couple of lessons from the process of finding a programmer:
a) Read the brief - Got a lot of emails/requests to chat, when the brief actually explains most of the issues. And the queries were usually about things that the brief already explained. Then there were the ones who sent me a portfolio saying "this is proof I can do the job" And my question is, yes, but where is your bid answering some of the questions I ask?
b) I don't like elevator pitches. Got a lot of "Dear Sir/Madam" letters, with contents which clearly indicated that the person did not read project brief. In future, when I'm looking for work, I too should refrain from using them. They don't really help you to stand out from a crowd ( and boy, what a large crowd it is!) And assuming that the person going through the bids wants to do it quickly, being generic does not help her choose you either.
c) Price is not the biggest issue. Obviously there's a set budget for the project and when it comes to the crunch, you want to hire someone you can afford. But bidding low does not make the provider more attractive to me than other bidders. Sadly enough, everyone and their cousin tends to bid extremely low. I believe that in most cases, you get what you pay for, so even though the project does not really have a big budget, I do want to be reasonable to attract the quality provider who'd dismiss me as a joker if I was shopping by price only.
d) The personal touch goes a long way to getting the attention of the person hiring. One guy explained why the project was interesting to him, and I found I warmed to him instantly. Obviously, he still had to meet the qualification/ skills/experience/affordability requirements, but he managed to make himself memorable.

Anyhoo, I am going to appply these lessons when I look for work. And I hope you do too.

Lotsa Bids

I'm buried under a mountain of bids from developers and web site designers who responded to the job advert I placed. I've decided not to start reading them until Tuesday, so I deal with the whole batch at once. Want to make the decision by Friday.

Anyhoo, the next time you need to have done by a freelancer, check out www.getacoder.com, www.getafreelancer.com and www.freelanceswitch.com. Obviously, some of the bidders give you an elevator pitch and don't really tell you what you need to know to make a well-informed decision, but a quick glance through some of the portfolios yielded some really impressive work.

Productive But Relaxed Day

The weather has been very nice the past couple of days, and I've been going with the flow - working hard in the mornings, and slowing down as the day warms and I feel tired/lazy, and then spending an hour or so in the garden in the late afternoon. It's been nice.

Looking for a programmer/designer of an online social network platform

Someone I know is looking for a programmer/designer to create an online social network platform. The network is to customised, and have some features available on Facebook, Ning, LinkedIn and even Google Wave. If you're interested or know someone who might be, email me directly for the job spec. We're also putting a job post on www.getafreelancer.com and www.getacoder.com. Advert will run for a week.

Getting Ready For Christmas

I've also published a series of articles on Alcohol and Sex on the OneLove web site. If you're interested, check out the front page for the newly published content. You can also check out my guide for responsible drinking.
And if you were inspired by Kwanda ( or the festive season) to help your community, check out the web site, where I have published some posts on how to organise yourself with friends and neighbours to create a volunteer enterprise. This series will continue into the new year.

I personally think this phase of the web site is very important, as it's no longer about us watching people on TV DO something, but actually about us finding ways to make a difference in someone else's life. As Fikile Mnguni, A TV viewer who wrote in said,"Please people, do not sit and say you do not have money to do anything, just trust God and and whatever your hands find to do with dilligence, the rest will follow!"

Anyhoo, Baby and I have been talking more than once every daythe past couple of days. Usually, I send her an SMS when I get up to say " Good morning," and then when she wakes up she either calls me or sends me an SMS. She also sends me quite a few emails throughout the day. Mostly she's been nagging me about decorating for Christmas. Finally, I grabbed Santa, put him on the door and voila, I have some Christmas cheer. The family is also coming up for Christmas, and Baby and I have a day set aside to spend together. So I am increasingly optimistic that we will find a way to stay connected. And we will have time to do more decorating.

A Day Of Planning

Spent the whole day at a OneLove steering committee meeting, where representatives from all nine countries spoke about their programmes and plans. The session was great - lots of radio dramas, public service announcements, booklets etc being developed to be released next year. Each country is also in the final stage of developing a love story in film format, to be broadcast in that country in February 2010. I can't wait to see the films.

Got samples of lots of the material, of course, and will post on the OneLove web site in due course. It was also nice to feel like I'm getting a lot done without being under pressure. Also had to redo my CV to include the work I've done in the past year or so, emphasising the competency to build online communities. Followed up on a conversation I had a couple of months ago with a potential client to find out if she is still considering using my services. And a friend of mine passed my contact details to a government department, assuring them that I'd be able to update their sadly out-of-date, very static web site. Hopefully, all this labour will result in tangible results in 2010.

Hurry Up And Wait

Had another good day. Finished working on two projects and sent drafts to clients. Now I wait for their input.

Arranged to attend a big client event tomorrow, so that will help with collecting information for media I'm doing for them in January and will allow me to do some networking.

I know there is more work I could do, but I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon/evening doing nothing. Maybe I'll read a novel. Or take a nap.

As Scarlett says: "tomorrow is another day."

Almost Back To My Old Self

Physically, I'm almost back to my old self. The spa was fantastic. I felt so pampered as they gave me a manicure and pedicure, and then a really nice facial that left me feeling very tired. In a good way. As if I could sleep for days and wake up refreshed.

Got home and found that my green beans and spinach were ready for my first harvest. And the pumpkin is running all over the garden ( as planned) and the cabbage is finally developing some body.

My other crops ( beetroot, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce and maize) also coming along and the flowers are also blooming nicely.

It's going to be a hectic day though. I have a lot of work to catch up on ( stuff I neglected because I was not feeling well) and the year is about to end, so I also need to develop a lot of content that will go live even when I'm not working. Client web sites don't go on Christmas holidays, you know:-)

BTW, the UNTOLD stories have been winning a lot of awards. UNTOLD is the largest locally developed HIV & AIDS prevention communication campaign in Africa.

Countries that took part in the UNTOLD initiative are Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Mozambique, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The 9 films were produced (one for each country participating in the regional programme) locally by local writers, producers and directors. The films form part of the partnership between organisations in the regional OneLove programme.

Here is a DVD of excerpts from five of the 9 films:

A Day Of Renewal

Going with a friend to a spa today, where they're going to massage, pluck, manicure and buff me until I look and feel almost new. Many thanks to my friend Christelle, who is treating me. Much appreciated. Anyhoo, I woke up early to publish on the OneLove and Kwanda sites, so life continues as normal in my absence:-)

If you want to know how the Kwanda TV series ended, check out this article. The short story is team Kwakwatsi in the Free State won the R1million prize and R500 000 from the Department of Social Development. Team Tjakastad in the Free State took second place and won the Dreamfields Project prize, courtesy of Old Mutual. All runners-up (Mthwalume, Pefferville, Lephephane and Tjakastad) also get R100 000, courtesy of Soul City. And judging by the work that these communities have already done, this money will be used very effectively to improve needy communities.

Also note that while the TV programme has ended, the Kwanda web site will continue to be updated. Currently, we're looking for inspiring stories of people who have worked to improve their communities. Send stories to damariasenne@gmail.com

Four Heads Are Better Than One

Baby spent the day at her new school today, writing evaluation test and doing some orientationn. She sounded like she was adjusting well and was fairly happy in her new environment. Reminded me of her first day of pre-school, when I kept phoning the school to ask how she was doing, and the principal eventually pointed out that mommy was the one with separation anxiety; Baby was doing very well thank you very much!

My friend's neighbour works from home as a communications consultant cum media planner, so this morning she came over for breakfast armed with a laptop. We sat facing each other across the dining-room table (while my friend prepared a feast of apricot/papaya smoothies, fried eggs, sausages and salad) and after cleaning our plates, worked like little demons. I managed to finish developing all copy for the newsletter, and am implementing changes from copy editor and client.

I also did a synopis for a possible supplement with a national publication and sent it to the commissioning person. The three of us brainstormed story ideas, and the women also shared contact detail of some of the sources that could participate with the stories. Interesting the contacts one can find in friends' addresss books! I also want to offer many thanks Tamara for the recommendation to the pub. Much appreciated.

Soul Sex
I also posted a copy of a free ebook from Soul City one the OneLove web site. Called Soul Sex, the 44-page booklet covers the following topics:
• What makes great relationships last?
• Getting to know your own body
• Understanding the joy of making love
• Love-making at different stages of adult life
• Sex and healthy living
• The “How’s your sex life?” quiz
• Useful support contacts
The book carries an age restriction of 16, and parental guidance for teenagers is recommended. I especially liked the chapter on "love-making at different stages of your life."

The chapter looks at teen sex, sex in your twenties, sex when you're pregnant, sex after childbirth, sexx in your forties etc. You can download the book for your own use, and to make it available to your readers on your own site.

Publisher seeks novel submissions
Meanwhile, one of the emails I got this morning was an announcement that Imisebe Publishers is looking for 5 new English novels to publish and take to the London Book Fair in April 2010.
Target group: Open
Length: Approximately 30 000 - 50 000 words
Submission date: 1 February 2010
Novels should:

• deal with issues relevant to South African readers,

• be original and not previously published,
• be submitted electronically to imisebe@khula.co.za.

Royalty payments will be negotiated with successful authors. Authors should keep copies of their manuscripts.

Being Creative With Food

Had an excellent writing day today. Maybe it's because I changed locations, and am currently visiting a friend (outside Joburg) who's on leave for a week. Got up early and had watermelon/spanspek smoothies for breakfast, and then I wrote like a mad woman until noon. Published 3 pieces on the OneLove web site, completed 3 articles for a newsletter and developed a pitch for an article for a national magazine.
Lunch was at a rustic restaurant, where they served a rich oxtail dish (very generous portions), samp, pumpkin cake and salad. I was especially fascinated by the the fruit/veg salad. Took a picture so I could make the salad for myself again.
P.S. No salad dressing was used, if you try this out.

The afternoon was also productive, and I managed to complete 3 more short articles. They do need heavy copy-editing and fact checking, but the basics are done. And I feel ever so much better:-)

World AIDS Day

Went to bed very early last night. The rest helped motivate me to get up this morning. That, and the fact that it's World AIDS Day and I had a number of posts I wanted to publish on the OneLove and Kwanda web sites this morning. I'd like to especially highlight the 4 Things You Can Do This World AIDS Day.

I'm also hosting a discusion on the OneLove and Kwanda Facebook pages asking: "What are you doing to make a difference in your community this World AIDS Day?" Join the discussion.

The big advantage when you live alone is that you don't have to think of anyone else's stomach except your own. The bad news is that it's hard to be motivated to cook. So for the past couple of days I've been living mostly on fruit and green salad. I know it's healthier to eat more veges and fruit, but mealtimes are not event any longer. Just something I do on the fly. And I miss that.

Afternoon update

A couple of fellow bloggers also had something to say about world AIDS Day. Gaynor Paynter is giving away 10% of her earnings for the 1 and 2nd December to The AIDS Foundation of South Africa. Tamara at Doodles of a Journo shares some facts about HIV.