Food Lover's Market Nicolway Bryanston

I have been sitting at this place for all of seven minutes and my butt hurts something awful. Admittedly, this is a common problem for me, when I have been sitting in the same spot for anything more than an hour. But seven minutes is a new record for me.

These hard plastic chairs are just wrong! On so many levels. You know the plastic chairs that they use at funerals? Those, just with a beautiful bronze glass like finish....

Back to the start....I have always loved the versatility of a Food Lover's Market, but have strangely never sat down at their restaurant. I mean, all that food under one roof is a dream (or a nightmare when you are trying to cut down). But on the positive side, the food is all healthy, so your conscience is fairly clear. 

So, when two guys requested i set up a meeting between us at Nicolway, I saw a great opportunity. I set the appointment up at Food Lover's Market and I arrived an hour early so I can go through the menu thoroughly and have a bite or two before they get here. 

I was greeted warmly at the entrance and promptly shown to my seat. Great start. Menus literally arrived with me when I sat down. Also very good. I ordered a lime milkshake and told my waiter that I was expecting two other guys and would thus be alone for a while. The shake arrived so quickly, I wondered if the waiter communicates telepathically with the kitchen. I have had cans of cool drink take five times as long to arrive. Very impressed again.

I have been craving a poached eggs with smoked salmon for all of five days, now. But I was thirty minutes late for their breakfast cut off time so I had to move on to their lunch menu. They have quite a nice spread of croissants, toasts, tramezzinis and open sandwiches on rye, ciabatta and something called  rustic white (whatever that is). For the rabbits, they have a few salads most notably, a smoked salmon salad which even I (a confirmed salad phobe) would have considered.

I opted for a lamb burger with avo and blue cheese....(hey! healthy can park for a minute!) And the burger was spectacular! Thick and juicy, crumbles in the mouth when you bite it. Absolutely amazing. You know that home cooked burger that uses REAL meat? This is it! Not the ones that taste like cardboard.

By the time the boys arrived, two of the three guys decided not to eat anything (really letting the team down). But Mkhize never disappoints. He ordered an avo and cheddar beef burger and he really enjoyed it. He went mute for a while because he was too busy eating!

I saw a cheese platter too late. Would have really loved to sample that and will definitely be looking at that next time. And of course, there is that sushi bar that I will have to try when I am here on my own.

Ambiance in the place is quite nice. Loads of housewives and really just an eclectic mix of clientele.

All in all, the place is very pleasant. And I would highly recommend it for food on the go. A quick lunch or afternoon meal.

Food: 5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Decor/ Seating: 3/5

Q: L, was it you i saw on the Glasfit ad yesterday? And the voice in the Engen ad?

A: Glasfit, yes. Engen, no.

Q: Why don't you have a talk show yet?

A: All in good time!

Q: Dear uncle L,I hear that se*ercise is also good for weight loss,so how many times per week should one do it?

A: As often as you can get it!

Q: my so called bf hasnt communicated with me for a mnth nw,so if i move on(date again)would that count as cheating since we haven't officially broken up?

A: Get closure. Call him, text him or whatever. If only to confirm that you two are no more. Obviously it also depends on what the last thing was that you said to each other.

Q: Speaking of bad se* yho linda I have it all the time my man can't f*** to save his life and I tried every style there is but still nothing changes. His Dic* gets soft after he gets inside me. What can I do to help him?

A: Men's Clinic! Quickly! Even a GP will help!

I Love Cake

Anybody who knows me will tell you just how much I love cake. I am crazy about cheesecake. And I lose my mind over red velvet cake. And cupcakes. And my mom’s queen cakes. I love FOOD in general. And once I start, I consume COPIUOS amounts of it.

I am always amazed when I hear a big person say she is happy and she loves her fat. It inspires me and scares me at the same time. Loving yourself unconditionally is a beautiful thing. Especially when it comes to things you CANNOT change. But to love and accept something that you actually do have power over…astounding!

Here are my two favourites, in this regard. When Jeniffer Hudson first came out, in the days of Showgirls, Jen was a proud big girl. She gave hope to many big girls that you don’t have to be a size zero (whatever that is) to be popular in Hollywood. Her acting skills and her singing did all the talking.

Here’s another one: Mo’nique. Another proud fat sister. She was ghetto fabulous and proud. She told all the jokes about fat women and said that it is ok to be fat and proud.

And what did BOTH those sisters turn around and do? They went and lost weight! They pulled a Luther Vandross on us and they lost a LOT of weight!

They have both subsequently come out and said that they were very unhappy in their fat bodies and they only really got to do something about it once they had admitted that they were unhappy with being fat.

And honestly…as with many addictions: We all have to start with the admission that we have an unhealthy relationship with food.

There is a song I love by LL Cool J called 10 Million Stars where the interviewer asks him “Let’s talk about your body…how do you get to be so focused?” His response: “Mind Body and Soul. To live like a champion, you need to act like a champion. Standing in front of the mirror, with a cupcake in your mouth, talking about ‘I am tired of looking like this’….that don’t really work”

Now, before people jump down my throat…I am not talking about people who just had babies, or people with congenital illnesses. I am talking about the likes of me who just dig way too deep into the bowl. People who love their food. People who order super size then console themselves by ordering a diet coke. I remember asking on FB: “What did you have for lunch?” I kid you not, some people listed what one person could eat for a whole week!

So, fact….denial of the existence of a problem, that is never the solution. But, more importantly, identifying the problem, but doing nothing about it. Also useless.

I am often accused of being very insensitive when I ask the question: “Why does somebody only acknowledge the problem when they get to size 42?” If you were a size 32, then gradually grew to a 42….sorry, but what on earth were you thinking the whole time?

Let me tell you where it starts: Many people who are naturally thin will get used to the fact that they are naturally thin and that they can eat anything and never gain weight.  In fact, in our culture, our parents will be making an effort, feeding you like crazy, trying to take you from a size 26 that you are. And the day you start growing up and find yourself going from a size 26, to a 28….they will celebrate. And will keep feeding you. Finally, you are looking “healthy”. But the point is, as you grow older and your metabolism slows down, you are suddenly burning the food a lot slower. You are still eating a lot, but burning the food slower. Size 30.

Hey, 30 is still good. Even you are still happy. But the day you hit 42, you go…”I really need to do something about this weight” Really? You didn’t notice that things were going….ahem…pear shaped at let’s say…size 36?

I am not one to say the fight is lost, but I assure you, maintaining a 36 is a LOT less work and a lot easier than losing a 42.

The above story is (for the most part) all about me. When I got married, I was a size 28. And, I tell you now, a few months ago, when I tried on size 36 jeans at a shop, it broke my heart. That was me admitting defeat. And out of principle alone, I walked out of that shop and never bought them. Buying the next size up is admitting defeat.

I hated having a camera anywhere near me for a while. Rather ironic for somebody who partly makes a living from being in front of the camera. When I saw myself on Generations towards the end of the year, I literally wanted to hide from the world. I wanted to strangle anybody who showed up in front of me with a camera. I did NOT like what the camera was showing me. I stopped attending auditions, even when the Director specifically asked for me by name.

So first I stopped with the booze. And that helped in one regard...I wasn't gaining any more weight, but I was certainly not losing any either. I was starting to think I may have to just admit that I am a 36 now......I eventually decided to make the clothes I have in my wardrobe fit me. That made more sense than buying a whole new wardrobe. So, I took drastic steps. Nothing crazy that I can’t sustain. In the morning, I have a protein shake. It is a great food replacement and generally sustains me the entire day. In the afternoon/ early evening at around 6, I have my dinner. Normal dinner like everybody else.

I have it early enough to ensure that by the time I go to sleep, I am starting to feel hungry again. I LOVE those hunger pangs. Those say to me that I did not over eat.

The best part? I used to do that 5 days a week. Now that I am back at my target weight, I can cut that down to 2 days a week. The other 3 days, I can eat what I damn well please.

And the weight has stayed off. I confused my body. It never settles into a routine and as such, I have not picked up any weight.

No food on the face of the earth tastes as good as having a positive self image. I love cake, but not nearly as much as I love myself. I am going crazy, taking loads of pics right now, because…I love me again. 

Mini Coupe and Roadster

Mini Coupe and Roadster

They say everything is up to individual taste…some people love something while others hate it to bits. It was never so with the New Generation Mini. When BMW released the Mini Cooper in 2000, EVERYBODY loved it. There was not a single person who was not taken in by its charm.

I drove that car for a very brief period in my life and it was better than carrying a cute baby or a cute puppy. It was absolutely incredible. Everywhere I went, everybody either shot admiring glances or smiled and some even shot a thumbs up. It was THAT adorable! I felt like a rock star in that car. But a cute and cuddly rock star. I felt tall, I felt handsome, I felt sexy. But all of this while being cute and thus non-threatening. So, guys never felt the need to challenge me to a duel to the death. For that brief time, ladies wanted to be with me and the guys wanted to be me (sort of). I swear that car would have ended my marriage.

In short, the New Mini was everything for everybody. Yes, it had absolutely no leg room in the back, a flaw we were all willing to overlook. AND the front was far more spacious than the old Mini made by Leyland had ever been.

Fast forward to the current Mini Cooper Coupe and Cabrio…..Picture a fat American wearing a baseball cap, facing backwards. That’s what it looks like. It is still the Mini, but without the chiselled good looks of old. It is no longer cute because it is too old to be cute. It is just annoying. And it looks quite obnoxious, actually.

I won’t rattle off all the figures. But there has been a significant increase in size. Physically it is bigger than anything that has ever come from Mini. Yes, the Power output and Torque have been increased. But, I can tell you now, that extra grunt probably only serves to help carry the additional bulk.

These are nothing but first impressions. I will let you know once I have driven it…But, the future seems quite bleek, if you ask me.

Bleu De Chanel

There are two kinds of men, when it comes to fragrance: There are those that you can smell from across the room and those that you can smell only once you are in their personal space. The across the room guys are also the kind who will often get the most compliments about their cologne, despite the fact that most people GAG when they are up close.

See, with us personal space guys, if you are in the same room with us, you can’t even smell that we are wearing cologne. Whereas with the across the room guys, you will enjoy their fragrance when they are across the room, and you will choke when they are up close. They seem to take a bath in the cologne.
But Lord knows, I have an intense love affair with cologne. I wear it, not only when I am going out, but even on days when I am not going out. I feel incomplete without a dab of cologne on my chest. My outfit feels incomplete without a bit of cologne on my skin. However, I have always had one challenge. When I use the same cologne daily, I get sick of it. Literally. The smell makes me ill. So, I have reached the point where I have between five and ten different kinds of cologne at a time. And I jump around from one to the next. Interestingly, that also makes my cologne last longer. See, when you use the same cologne every single day, you end up building a tolerance to it and not smelling it on yourself, which inevitably makes you spray more and more of it on yourself.

Enter Bleu De Chanel…..

My relationship with the Chanel brand started years ago, when I was in high school. My dad used Chanel Pour Monsieur  and it was simply exquisite. I loved it so much, and of course, I was not allowed to touch it. I first wore it (officially) on the day of my Matric Dance. It was truly an amazing night for me.
When I left home for varsity, my dad surprised me with a bottle of Chanel. My very own bottle of Pour Monsieur. I am not joking when I say, that bottle lasted the entire four years that I was there. FOUR years! And I still kept the empty bottle as a keepsake for many years after that.

When I first started working, one of the number one things on my shopping list was a replacement bottle of Pour Monsieur. So, you can imagine my disappointment when I found out that Chanel were no longer bringing that fragrance into the country. I refused to even smell anything else.

Years later, I tried Allure, loved it. Tried Egoiste and loved it. And they became my next best thing to fill the void that was left by Pour Monsieur. It wasn’t until 2010, when Bleu De Chanel made it to the scene that I thought….”This is it!” I had found my signature scent. Bleu was unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life. Very clean, very fresh…it was like the most natural, most beautiful smell I had ever smelt.

When I wear Bleu, whoever hugs me does not want to let go. And whoever gets intimate with me…well…you get the picture. It has the most incredible effect on everybody that comes really close to me. I wish I could wear Bleu every single day, because it really is my signature scent.

PS: I did subsequently get a bottle of Pour Monsieur from Europe, but I assure you, it is purely for sentimental value. Bleu has eclipsed Pour Monsieur by far in terms of how good I feel when wearing it.
If you see me walking with a spring on my step and a mysterious smile on my face, it is not because I just had a morning glory. It is because I am wearing my Bleu De Chanel.

Q: Hey Uncle L...a friend was recently diagnosed with HIV and I don't like my reaction to the news..He trusted me enough to tell me and I behaved like a Dic*.any idea how I can make a mence to him

A: Look, it is never easy to talk to anybody about ones status. The scariest thing is always how people are going to react. Your friend trusted you enough to open up to you and you let him down. But I am sure he was not surprised. That is the biggest fear that everybody has. All you can do is go back to him and tell him that you got scared, and you freaked out. Apologise. And just be there for him. He will come around.

Skin on Skin (again)

 I'd like to meet ONE person who claims not to have been affected by AIDS somehow. Every day we are burying somebody because of it. Friend, neighbour, relative...whatever. Too many people, though, are perpetuating the problem with ignorance and with indifference. People are afraid of being judged for having AIDS...so, when somebody has pneumonia, which would have been curable had his CD4 count been high enough...they will still insist that they died of pneumonia and nothing more. As a result, you hardly ever hear of ANYBODY saying that they died of AIDS. It is true: AIDS does not kill anybody. It simply opens up the door for other diseases to kill you. As a result, a lot of people still live in denial about it. Hell, former President Mbeki made the irresponsible statement that he knew nobody personally who had died of AIDS. And, yes…he was correct. Nobody dies of AIDS. It simply opens you up for any and every other ailment to attack you. However, taken out of context, that statement can be taken to mean that he does not believe that AIDS kills people. Which it does.  

Now, as i said, I have buried many people who have died from AIDS related complications. But what pains me, what truly tears me apart is, so much of the death is just so unnecessary! Yes, no death is necessary....but when somebody dies of cancer, we say: nothing could have been done to prevent it. On the flip side, you see young people engaging in behaviour that puts them at risk of contracting HIV and THAT really bothers me. People go on like there is absolutely nothing they can do to prevent it. Girl…nobody is raping you. If you get raped and you contract HIV, my heart truly goes out to you. You are a victim. But if you have consensual sex with somebody and then turn around and say “He didn’t want to put it on…” Sorry…I feel NO pity for you. You didn’t try hard enough. If you adopt a no glove no love stance, believe me, he will have to know….he is either covering his man meat or keeping it away from you. Finish and klaar. You DO have a choice!

I think the older generation is a bit of a lost cause. They are set in their ways and there is no way I could convince a man my dad's age to wear a condom. Nor could I convince an older woman who KNOWS that her husband is sleeping around left right and centre to make him wear a condom.

However, the people I speak to on social networks are (usually) young and belong to a different generation. And THEY are the people who can break this cycle. And this they can start by changing their attitude. If you are at Campus Square Pharmacy buying the morning after pill on a Monday morning....you may have contracted HIV from that same sexual encounter. FACT. You don't need to have sex with somebody 5 times for them to infect you. So, the same sex that has you worried about being pregnant is the same sex that should have you worried about getting infected. So, what is the best thing? Prevention is ALWAYS better than cure. Make him wear a condom.

On a personal note....I got lucky. On so many levels. I grew up PETRIFIED of my dad and he told me, in no uncertain terms that if I ever get a girl pregnant while living in his house...No more school for me, I must move out, go get a job and support that child. That scared the hell out of me. When I became sexually active, I had never even heard of AIDS. All I feared was pregnancy. STD’s existed, but they scared me a LOT less than pregnancy. So...the day after my surprise first sex, I went and bought a pack of condoms. And for the next month I was scared shitless, waiting for the girl to tell me she had had her periods. I was 14. Couldn't concentrate in class, had nightmares at night. All of this despite the fact that I had pulled out just as I was ejaculating. When she eventually confirmed that she had her next periods, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. And I said NEVER AGAIN. Kept those condoms in my pocket for ever after that. It was a whole year before I had sex again....but I never ever went a day without condoms in my pockets again. And every time I had sex, I had a condom on. For me, I just never knew sex without a condom at all. I was conditioned that way. My friends all around me were getting STD’s and we would all laugh about it. It was proof that they were having sex, so getting gonorrhea was kinda “cool” in those days. And most of them DID get babies as teenagers. So, yes, in many ways, it is a case of me not missing something that I have never really had much of. So…when I use myself as an example, I am saying, it CAN be done. If I can do it, surely so can every other guy.

 While on the personal note...another reason I am actually cool with condoms is this: I love giving oral sex. Muffing. Cunnilingus. Whatever you choose to call it.I do this as foreplay, midplay, afterplay. Whenever. I'll stop mid-stroke, just to go back down there and do it again. Now....I absolutely HATE the thought of going down there if I have been busy ejaculating into it. That is quite a gross thought for me. So...I prefer the condom.

In conclusion, it really is a mind thing. If you respect your life and you don't know for sure what your partner is doing out there...the only way to make 100% certain that you are safe, is to take matters into your own hands and insist on a condom. Nobody spends ALL their time with their partners. I could tell you scary stories of married people having affairs in the office during office hours. Husband drops her off in the morning, picks her up in the afternoon, but all the things that she does at lunch time? Shocker. And believe me, I am not trying to come across as a saint. I know of these things because I have done them. Am not proud...but I KNOW what happens out there. 

So, your best bet is ALWAYS a condom. FACT. NO heat of the moment crap.

Q: So, you are single now? Can I take you on a date?

A: Sure.

Q: Malume uLinda what do i make of this?....my best friend always says ufuna siqabulane,even a baby kiss nje.

A: Usuke efuna ucansi. LOL! Girl, if you are not comfortable with the suggestion...just say no.

Q: Hi, L. Im forever thinking about se* even when I'm at work. Is that normal?

A: Well...what IS normal? Just as long as you can actually do your work, i guess.

Q: They way u going on about hiv and aids and the using of condoms. Is it somehow personal or you just decided to be an ambas*odor of the epidemic?

A: Somebody has to do it.

Q: If u were to go back and date ur ex's which one would it be?

A: An ex is an ex for a reason. So, NONE.

Q: hey Linda am a woman with 2 kids and am a size 40 my man is a size 32 and am worried about the size thing(how will we look like in 5years) the thing is he wants to marry me, his everything I have ever wanted in a man but in the wrong packaging. What do I do?

A: If i am understanding you correctly....he has no problem with your size. You have a problem with his. Am I right?

Q: Undengezi kamayebuka had how many wives ?

A: 38

If you're ready to learn....

Brian McKnight recently posted a video on YouTube entitled "If you're ready to learn...but we will all remember the song as the p*ussy song. We have all heard so many rappers and some of the more risque artists use the P word in their songs. But for Mr McKnight to use it came as a shock and a surprise to many. People were outraged! Here's the lyrics.....what's YOUR take?

Every time you give it up, you leave so unsatisfied.

Pointing the finger, the feelings that linger, leave you asking the question Why?

They talk a real good game, but they don’t know what a tongue is for.

They wine you and dine you, you let him untie you and you leave wanting more.

I did my post-grad in pussyology, so what I tell you might seem strange.

The things you don’t know about your physiology, you don’t have to be ashamed.

Chorus

Let meeee show you how your pussy works, since you didn’t bring it to me first.

I have lots of things to show you, if you’re ready to learn.

Let meeee show you how your pussy work, I becha didn’t know that it could squirt.

I have lots of things to show you, if you’re ready to learn.

Now...the question is....Has Brian lost his mind? For those who don't know, Brian McKnight holds the world record, at 16 of the most nominations without a win. I get the feeling he has just given up on a Grammy. When you have done songs like Anytime and Back At One and been repeatedly snubbed...well, you get to a point where you say; "I just don't give a F8ck. I"ll just do me" And honestly....I think that is where Brian is now. This song will probably never see the light of day. He was planning to release a mixtape of strictly "adult" tracks and released this one on YouTube to test the waters. People were VERY unhappy because they want him to stay within the realm that they are used to him in.

One thing is for sure...people are talking about Brian again after this. Everybody wants to see the video. Hey! He could have released a sex tape. This is way better. I quite enjoyed the song. But...I am open minded like that. I even enjoyed the title track on his Superhero album, which was as un-Brian as could be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_Sl1akAyas

I won the lotto

The first time I ever saw a Bentley Arnage, it was looking pitiful. It was filthy, covered in bird droppings and had clearly not moved in weeks.

I remember it like it was yesterday, visiting this lady’s house and listening to her complaining about her house. She had this Bentley parked in her yard and the car literally had bird poo all over it. It was parked right by the pool, and she mentioned that she just needs to move house because she has nowhere to park her car. See….her FOUR garages were already full with other cars. I was even afraid to ask what cars she had in there that needed shelter above a Bentley Arnage.

Good problem to have, that.

I must confess, I don’t aspire to that kind of wealth. I don’t want a mansion in the hills with twenty bedrooms. But I do want to be comfortable. I do want to have my own comfortable house in a golf estate (even though I refuse to play golf) and I want to have my two cars and my motorbike. Worst thing is….all these are long overdue. Anybody who knew me five, ten, fifteen, even twenty years ago would be shocked to discover that I don’t have all these….because I have always had the potential to have them. The one voted most likely to succeed.

I am not going to dwell on where it all went wrong, for now, (that is a topic for another day). I do, however, want to focus on all that is positive and what I should be doing about it.

You know those kids in the movies who have lemonade stands, then move on and become multi-millionaires when they grow up? That should have been me. I was ten years old when I started my first business. During school holidays, when other kids were in the street playing, I was at home working. Selling. We called them ice blocks in the hood. It was basically frozen mixed cool drinks, like Kool Aid and Sweeto that was always being sold all over the place. I used Sixxo. And, even back then I knew that I needed a USP (unique selling preposition). So, instead of using plastic bags to package my ice blocks, I used plastic cups. And I would pre-boil my mix for a few hours, because I found that it held the flavour for much longer when I did so. As a result, business was booming in summer. People would walk past many places that sold their ice blocks at 10c to come buy my product at 15c.

My next venture, was a stroke of genius. See, at about 14, I decided to take up Home Economics at school. So, suddenly, I knew how to cook and more importantly, I could bake a mean hot milk sponge cake. My chocolate cake had people visiting us all the time, just so they could sample it. And don’t get me started on my cheese scones…..to this day, over 20 years later, I am still asked for the recipe for those.

Whenever there were fund raisers at school, we would have cake sales or (more importantly) cake raffles. Where we would be asked to bake a cake, which would then be a prize at a raffle. And it hit me…..I baked the cake. I sold the raffle tickets. But the school got the money. Something is wrong here. So, after I saw how happy the winner was with the prize, I started holding weekly raffles. Sell 30 tickets, at R2 each, and just have a different winner every week. Bake a cake, which cost me nothing because I was using mom’s ingredients. And I would come out R60 on top, every single week. Brilliant! And to pay for the use of ingredients, I would generally bake two cakes. One for my clients and another for my mom. So, she was more than happy with the deal. And, of course, the clients were happy. They got to a point where people would buy four, five, six tickets per week. And of course, since I got to select the winner, I could even choose to have more than one winner per week, if I wanted to. That was Linda at fourteen.

With a mind like that, would you ever bet AGAINST me being successful in business?

Fast forward four years to my varsity years and it just so happened that my dad had some friends who came from Ghana. And they had these beautiful embroidered dresses that they were bringing in. At the time, those dresses were still fairly rare. I remember that Winnie Mandela popularised them. You only ever saw them on tv, with her wearing them. And I had the stash! I Started selling them to lecturers and to school teachers around Mankweng, the neighbourhood next to my university. It was nothing short of brilliant. And believe me, it made for amazing pocket money.

When I came out of varsity, I inevitably went and got a job, but the entrepreneurial spirit continued to burn in me. So, five years later, when my bosses, in their infinite wisdom, decided to fire me from my first job (I can’t even remember what stupid thing I had done), instead of feeling that it was the end of the world, I thought….”Finally! I can work for myself now.” Everybody thought I was psychotic to not be depressed at this.

Sure enough, within a few months, three friends and I opened the doors to our restaurant; “Marung Restaurant and Bar” 50^th floor, Carlton Centre. The highest restaurant in all of Joburg, hence the name Marung, which means “in the clouds”….. That place was awesome. I loved it. Poured my heart and soul into it. And every Friday, we would bring in a jazz band, give the place a nice jazzy vibe. And, of course, I would sing a track or two with the band. It was an awesome time!

The place had its many problems, we ended up pulling in many different directions as partners and in the end, the partnership was dissolved.  But, I assure you, I WILL have another Marung again. One that belongs to only me, this time. I mean….I have ventured twice into the restaurant industry. Third time’s the charm!

Moving right along! Every time I meet people who knew me years ago, they are always astounded that I am not filthy rich. And it bothers me that everybody saw all this potential in me and I have kind of let them down in a way. I remember when I was working for Mercedes Benz….I drove all these fancy expensive cars and everybody that I grew up with was just not surprised. They automatically assumed that the cars were mine, because, in their eyes, I was destined for them. My job was to make people fall in love with Mercedes Benz as a brand and believe me I hated that. Because, ultimately, the cars were not mine. And even though I looked the part and probably inspired many people to want to drive the cars, I needed some inspiration for myself.

So….here I am. I left Mercedes Benz, and I left corporate life for good this time, I hope. I have a LOT of people rooting for me to be successful. I always say, I could never ever win the lotto. God already blessed me abundantly with these brains that I have. And all this talent that I have been blessed with. My intelligence, my eloquence, my writing skills, my resonant voice, my singing voice, my average acting skills…… THAT is my lotto.

All I have to do, is cash in my ticket.