Happy New Year 2005

by Ramon Thomas in Personal on 0101/101010/2011201120112011 • 1 Comment •

As I thought about what to write on my BLOG this week I remembered a famous quotation by Winston Churchill, “Never give in–never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” This is what I took from 2004, one of the best and worst years for me. In business I achieved some measure of success with my Online Dating project getting great media exposure in August 2004. I made the front page of now defunct daily South African newspaper ThisDay, and several stories in Cape Times, Pretoria News and a Durban based weekend paper. Interviews on P4 Durban, and twice on SAFM really allowed me to reach a wide audience but the cherry ontop was my interview for the eTV 7pm news! So I am eternally grateful to my mentor Arthur Goldstuck for his undying support in 2004.

Now on a personal note I broke up with two women and the last one was very traumatic. I never wanted to let go but had to in the end. Breaking my ankle in September 2004 certainly didn’t help the situation as I was left to my own devices hopping around like a mad cow around the house :-) But during this time alone I taught myself how to cook, and now I really enjoy that. Finally I can put Jamie Oliver’s cook book to good use! So in 2005 my plans will be to find a new love, having found new happiness inside myself. All the self-help books, tapes and CDs are making a difference in my life. All those people who continue to believe in me, thank you again.

Forward we march to conquer more in 2005. Together we stand, etc etc…

Stress Tension Loneliness Depression

by Ramon Thomas in Personal on 2828/090909/2011201120112011 • No Comments •

A friend of mine Jess Miller wrote a book called “We’re all in this together“. In the book he spoke about Stress, Tension, Loneliness and Depression (STLD). I have been trough two serious bouts of depression first in at the end of 1999 and into 2000 and then to a lesser extend in 2001. These days the depression is mild but I feel it from time to time. My thoughts are like those thoughts I had back then. Life is to much, everything is so complicated, I wish I could start all over again. It is in such times turning to God is much better then any therapist. Talking to God, talking to yourself, healing yourself. For some people this can seem self-centres but Jess told me once if I didn’t look after myself, FIRST, I wouldn’t be able to look out for or after my loved ones i.e. my mother, my sister, my brother and my father. The world we live is interactive, it is also interdependant. We cannot isolate ourselves like the ancient masters. When Buddha left his kingdom and meditated for so many years under the Bodi Trea it was a enourmous act of self-sacrifice. Many people depended on him but he let go of everything. So I think to myself, Ramon, are you read to let go of everything yet? And the answer is always “not yet”. So when I discovered the real issue is not letting go but rather letting things happen without trying to control and with trying to stop them, or bypass them, I realised there is still hope. Hope of a better future, hope of new found love, hope of making a difference and contributing to humanity as a creative benefactor. But before there is hope you have to start with desire. The desire to change for the better.

An Ode to Tania Hoffman

by Ramon Thomas in Personal on 2626/090909/2011201120112011 • 2 Comments • ,

I have beautiful memories about YOU. Thanks you for all you have taught me about Life. We had it all for a moment in time: friendship, love, pain, joy, happiness, anger, wisdom, pleasure, blessings. This is the last goodbye to my beautiful ex-girlfriend, Tania Hoffman. Loosing my Faith in Fate was the last poem I wrote in November 2004 after we broke up. You really inspired me more then anyone had done in many years.

Maybe I can remind you of how amazing things were not so long ago when I wrote my first poem for you in May 2004: Goodnight Kisses. This was my first poem in more then a year and it is one of my best I believe. When I posted this poem on Allpoetry.com one of the people commented as follows, “Whatever inspired you to write a poem as good as this one, keep it. Don’t let whatever or whomever inspired you to write get away. They did a really good job.” Within 2 weeks I wrote another poem, When You Opened the Door. I really felt inspired. Things were very good for a while and I though since we were good friends our love would only grow in leaps and bounds. Well you know how difficult it became. By August 2004 when I wrote There She Stands the writing was probably on the wall but I choose to ignore it.

Thank you for sharing this and many other gems with me…“The greatness comes not when things always go good for you. But the greatness comes when you’re really tested, when you take some knocks, some disappointments when sadness comes. Because only if you’ve been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.” Richard Nixon

I Want To Believe

by Ramon Thomas in Personal on 2525/090909/2011201120112011 • No Comments • , , ,

X-Files Poster - I Want To BelieveThis was a quote on a poster always present in the office of Fox Mulder from the X-Files. The last X-Files season ended about a month or two ago in South Africa.

Wanting to believe in something seems to be inherent in most of humanity. If you want to believe there is a God, whatever you want to call him, or if you want to believe there is NOT a God, it is your choice. However, we all strive to believe in something. There has been a proliferation of people calling themselves “spiritual but not religious”. How wonderful it is that we can claim to believe in a higher power without really committing ourselves to the cause.

Today I was surfing the Web and stumbled across and article by one of my favourite religious commentators: DM Murdock’s views on The Passion of the Christ. Reading through this reminded me of a confirmation of her views I found in the writing of Thomas Paine back in 1795. Paine wrote his most controversial piece The Age of Reason while in a French Prison. One of the founding father’s of America and his views are expressed so crisply and clearly if only people are willing to be more open minded.

Vista University – I salute you

by Ramon Thomas in Personal on 2525/090909/2011201120112011 • No Comments • ,

They say there is a time to reap, a time to sow. There’s a time to be happy and a time to be sad. Today as I’m preparing for exams on Tuesday, 8 June, I’m thinking back to my initial tertiary education at Vista University. In 1992 they visited my high school, Uitenhage High, and gave a presentation on the benefits on joining Vista. Thinking about it as logically as possible I concluded it was in the best interest of the family for me to go an do my BSc at Vista instead of University of Port Elizabeth, or even PE Technikon. These institutions are all being merged as from 1 Jan 2005. Vista itself will cease to exist from the end of June 2004. So it was with a heavy heart I can say goodbye to this institution that blessed me with so much. I wish there could have been closer co-operation with alumni, and that may yet happen. The changes in the South African tertiary landscape is for the better. I am convinced of this and it is in the best interest of the entire population we support these changes, embrace them and start to use the facilities and opportunities more. Viva Vista Viva!

Trying to imagine a future possibility

by Ramon Thomas in Personal on 2424/090909/2011201120112011 • No Comments • , ,

I’ve had a flu since last Friday and the coughing comes out in bursts. Besides that and little else I’ve been spending time with a real special person. She cannot be named right now but I hope to real soon. A good friend and more she has emerged from a shell and allowed me into her heart. Suffice it to say I’m on the road to happiness again !-)

Just kidding I’ve been very happy with my life for the last several years since I conqured depression the 2nd time around. I first read a book by Jess Miller called We’re all in this together. And I recently stumbled across some great articles written about famous people who suffer/suffered from bipolar disorder / manic depression. My advice to you is take it easy. Slow things down and enjoy the MOMENT for what it is.

Happy Birthday to Me in April 2004

by Ramon Thomas in Personal on 2424/090909/2011201120112011 • No Comments •

Well its that time of the year ago. But this time there is no cake, no candles to blow out. I’m supposed to be grown up. Well I still miss those things that makes you feel special. Between the ages of 10-13 my mother baked several cakes that resembled the numbers of my age. Those are still classic memories I have and the photos of the events put a huge smile on my face. Last week I split up with my girlfriend Sandra, and what a freak of nature it happens just before my birthday. Now I am alone but at least I’m not lonely. A good friend Cornel Rayners has moved up to Joburg from Cape Town. We’ll probably hook up with my friend Tania Hoffman for some drinks. So wish me luck, all the best for the new year, and 29 hugs and kisses!

Information Science exams to complete my Post Graduate Diploma

by Ramon Thomas in Personal on 2323/090909/2011201120112011 • No Comments • , , ,

Well I must apologise for not writing more often in the last 3 weeks. I am never afraid to face adversity as I have encountered much of it in the past 4 years. New challenges always rear their ugly head when you least expect it. I wrote exams during 3-7 November for my Information Science degree at Rand Afrikaans University in Johannesburg. I didn’t work particularly hard throughout the year as I found the areas of research very interesting. So I discovered I already had a lot of background information on the various topics and I just had to update myself with the detailed aspects of Information Science. I look forward to completing my 2nd year in 2004 so I can decide on a Masters thesis.

Merry Christmas To You in 2010

by Ramon Thomas in Personal on 2424/121212/2010201020102010 • No Comments • , , ,
Merry Christmas To You in 2010

Merry Christmas II You Mariah Carey new album 2010My Christmas wish for you, my friends
Is not a simple one
For I wish you hope and joy and peace
Days filled with warmth and sun

I wish you love and friendship too
Throughout the coming year
Lots of laughter and happiness
To fill your world with cheer

May you count your blessings, one by one
And when totalled by the lot
May you find all you’ve been given
To be more than what you sought

May your journeys be short, your burdens light
May your spirit never grow old
May all your clouds have silver linings
And your rainbows pots of gold

I wish this all and so much more
May all your dreams come true
May you have a wonderful Christmas And a happy New Year….

Much love and Gods richest Blessings to you and your family…

Happy birthday dearest Mother

by Ramon Thomas in Personal on 0303/030303/2010201020102010 • 2 Comments • , , ,

Today is my mother, Illona Murray’s 57th birthday. I’m not sure exactly what to say to my mother when I wish her today. She is living in Uitenhage and I live in Johannesburg. During February I spent 3 weeks visiting her and it was essentially my December holiday. Like all mothers and son’s we have have good times and bad times, we’re close and we’re far apart.

When I was growing up she was a strong role model, a single mother who worked for First National Bank for 33 years. Every day we spent a little bit of time together after she came home work. And there were times when I felt that she was not as caring as I would have liked her to be because I recall making my own lunch, walking myself to school, making my own bed. However, all these things helped me to become self reliant. And the lessons in independence were valuable later on when I lived in moved to Johannesburg in 1997, and moved to Cape Town in 1999, and eventually to United Arab Emirates in 2000.

The most important thing in her life post-1988 is God. She is a reborn Christian and currently with the Salvation Army. I always tell the story of how she wanted to be a nurse, but her father did not allow her to study in that direction. She settled for a job with the municipality and eventually found work with a bank. However, it clear since her early retirement in 2008 that she has found something that makes her happy on a daily basis. And I received more support from her in the last few years that could be expected. So in this blog post I want to acknowledge her contribution to my life. I honour and praise her resilience and her faith in me. She has never denied me when I asked her for help. And no matter how bad things were growing up, and now as an adult, her love is the foundation on which I built my own life.

So happy birthday Mom. You deserve all the richest blessings from God, and know you are instrumental in the direction of my daily life. The best memories I have is from the times you took me to work on weekends and how we used to enjoy Wimpy burgers on the train home from Port Elizabeth to Uitenhage. All those hours spent running around the bank when I was 4 or 5 comes back to me in a flash every now and then. And the happiness I experienced just being close to you is all that matters.

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