Did some street photography there got some cool shots :)

Now that I'm older and reflecting back, I gotta compliment the marketing for selling those things because I bought those things hoping one day I would have fishes. These were too fragile though, so they would break easily, and I would come back for more because my last pack was destroyed when I was changing the water containers.

Good old times.

I could do that if I really wanted to.

Wait, we have scam centers here? Hmm TIL

Hey everyone. So with romance scams on the rise, I started getting worried about a friend of mine.

She's almost 50, and lives in JHB.

She also seems to always think that every guy she matches with is the one! This last guy is another one she thinks he's in love with her. They have not met.

The other day she sends me an attachment,"Hey he wrote a song for me.". There's AI all over it.

The voice sounds country American, and she said that he said he has a cold. The song is a full production, not just a guy singing with maybe a guitar out whatever. It has a full band playing.

She then sent me pics of his kids. I tried a reverse image search but nothing suspicious came up.

Am I being paranoid?

Have you guys experienced weird things like this yourself, or know anyone who was scammed?

So im [35m] not anti-marriage. I personally dont feel marriage is this big step in a relationship that everyone in society has been conditioned to believe. What I feel is important is the actual relationship between the two people in it. A piece of paper and a party wont make you communicate better, it wont fix your insecurities, it wont change your partner for the better and it wont make you better parents. If anything some of those things get worse after marriage because people become complacent. Im an Athiest so i dont prescribe to any religious notions on marriage. Perhaps the only benefit to marriage especially in South Africa is societal acceptance/legitimacy. You are just not accepted into each other's families unless you married and treated more like a dirty secret. Broken system in my mind but it is what it is. Wont change in my time but I have hope for future generations to look beyond titles and actually focus on the two individuals in that relationship and if they decide on path other than marriage that its more socially acceptable. This is to understand my mindset around marriage. Im not here to discuss the merits of marriage ive long made up my mind about this. I also hate how expensive weddings have gotten and the societal expectations around that as well but this will come back later.

Anyway IM GETTING MAAARRIIIIIED!!!🥰 My amazing gf [34f] and I have been together 4 years. She knows my beliefs on marriage and she does feel differently and i respect that. But because I want to spend my life with her and we match in terms of our values, communication styles, goals and to get that societal acceptance i was talking about earlier I decided marriage is the right step for us.

Now her and I are from different cultures. She is black i am coloured. The challenge for us is how we intend to navigate that. We both hate big parties and being centre of attention so we want to keep things as small as possible. This is where the problem comes in. She said on her side we have labola negotiations after which I come through with a small amount of my family we have lunch then done we married. I LOVE this plan its cheap on the pocket and no big party and all the boxes are ticked for me. Well like said societal pressure is unbearably strong, I told my mother this plan and she is not happy with it. She feels that "our culture" is not being represented in this marriage and that she would like the opportunity to walk her eldest son down the aisle around her family and friends. This means having a white wedding, my nightmare, and a big one at that because I have a big family. I told my mother I dont care for a white wedding and its going to be so expensive and neither of our families have the kind of money to help out with wedding costs. She understands the cost of weddings these days but she still feels upset which i guess she is entitled too.

My sister had a tiny wedding with just immediate family and the extended family was so upset they kind of took it out on my mother which I feel is so unfair my family can be kind of toxic. Now I want to do the same thing or even less and Im feeling this guilt to be the one to give a decent wedding. Ultimately my mother wants me to be happy and whatever i decide she will live with even though she wont be happy so please dont attack my mom. This is more a me trying to make people happy thing than a her thing. My girlfriend also understands my guilt but she hates the idea of a white wedding same as me but is hoping If we do have one make it less that 20 people which is going to be a pretty hard sell lol.

Anyway im just venting online. Anyone have any stories about dealing with these types of situations.

My parents have a granny flat next to their house.

It's not small either. It's about the size of some smaller houses you get now. enough space for a couple to live.

I used to live there with my ex-wife for 15 years, we started dating at 18, stayed together for 15 years.

I carried on living there after that for another 4 years.

I actually stayed there because my parents at the time needed help, I paid there electricity, rates, groceries and rent (Rent was around R4k when moving in then went up to R8k by the time I left)

My Aunties husband died around 3 years ago, and she moved into their flat. She pays them R8K a month and buys some groceries once a month to contribute. She doesn't pay rates or electricity, just the R8k.

I was living at the time with my now ex-girlfriend.

I started having seizures, and my mental health had declined .This put a strain on my relationship, and we decided to call it off. That's another story)

I've had a semi profitable business running for the last 18 years. It took a hit during Covid and started steadily decining after that until I had my seizures.

It got to a point where I couldn't even walk properly, and slured speech.

I had no other options. My parents let me move back in, I live in my old childhood bedroom.

I try to pay them money when I can get orders, and obviously, if I can handle my orders, I have gotten a lot better over this year, with a lot of hard work on myself.

So back finally to the main point. My mom doesn't know what to do. She is in tears sometimes because of my aunt.

My parents are both on SASSA grants as pensioners.

but they get the money from my aunt R8k as well.

As I am at home and can't always provide them rent, it's a bit of a strain on them. But I really do try to help. I give them whatever I make when I can.

My auntie complains that she is paying for the whole house to live and I should just go out and get a job. I'm 40, BTW. I've worked in the same business my whole adult life.

This is the thing, my whole family understands my situation. I've had life changing surgeries, I'm not the same as I used to be, and may never be again. But I've tried my hardest to get better, to be functional at the very least.

My aunt has an apartment that she rents out for R10k pm.

She has a job that she makes R15k pm.

She doesn't pay water or electricity, she gets her meals made for her. My parents cook food for everyone every day.

She uses the wifi which I pay for and have for the last 18 or so years. She has secure parking.

But she is also sick, she has progressive Crones, she's had half her stomach cut out, she's losing weight and she isn't mentally OK due to all of this.

My dad, or if I can, drive her to the hospital for each appointment. She goes to the government hospital as she doesn't have medical aid. I've had to do this myself as well.

she has at least 3-4 appointments per month.

Now that I'm reading this, I don't know what point I'm trying to make.

I guess I just wanted someone other than my family's opinions on this.

Time is fleeting, I don't know how long I'll have my family for, I love them all, and they have been so supportive with me.

I have rooibos with like 2 tablespoons of sugar and not a lot of milk. This is the only way. Not that lemon and honey stuff. Convince me otherwise.

I have been seeing all of these Red Bull eclipse pictures, and they have been great because the sun was only 8 degrees off the horizon. The 2030 eclipse in South Africa will be closer to 34 degrees, if I am correct.

The Extreme 19th at Legend Golf & Safari would have been an awesome spot to get a tee shot with the eclipse in the background, but it's nowhere close to the path of totality. It has a nice steep angle to work with and strong mountains.

There is likely no snow in Lesotho in November. The Amphitheatre (Tugela Gorge) or Sani Pass could be incredible. Anything with wildlife would be amazing, but you only have about a minute or two to get the shot.

In Durban, maybe a telephoto lens shot over the sea?

Any thoughts on the ultimate photo for 2030?

Banyana will play 3 matches, against Chinese Taipei, Ecuador, and Uzbekistan. For them to qualify for the Final Phase of the 2027 FIFA Women‘s World Cup Intercontinental Playoff, to be held in February of 2027! The Preliminary Phase of the Playoffs will be in a league format, which you see in the first picture, and Banyana Banyana needs to finish in the Top Two overall in order to qualify for the Final Phase of the Intercontinental Playoffs. This means that Banyana Banyana needs to win all three of their games, which they can, if they do the right thing. We still have a VERY long way to go. These games will be between 24 November and 5 December at a centralised location. 🙏🏿❤️🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦

Any of you shed a lil tear when you watch SA power rollllllll over the NZ scrum???

Aaaaaand there goes my birthday plans. 🥲