Teenage relationships…

Hey…

A while ago me and a friend of mine discussed this particular issue.. Why do teenagers want and have relationships – more specific – romantic relationships??

 Is it because they want to feel wanted, is it because they want to prove something? Some teenagers go so far it’s almost as if they feel justified by a boyfriends or girlfriend??

 Maybe they have them just to have someone to kiss or to make out with, someone they can spend their time on rather that doing  nothing and being bored…

Yes, those few relationships exist that last and really mean something, but is it really worth it? When I was in std.5 a girl told us about her experiences and how everytime you have a relationship, you give a part of yourself away, like the way you might give away a block off a slab chocolate… What do you do when you have little or nothing left when that perfect person comes along? The reason I say ‘they’ all the time, is because I exclude myself, I have never had a romantic relationship in all my life, although I currently have an amazing friend who fills the role of a boyfriend in my life…

Yes, that might sound weird but when you think about it there is only so much that you get out of a romantic relationship, especially those small meaningless ones that most teenagers have in school… all they do is break your heart and leave you perhaps empty and wanting more, in the end giving away more, wasting more…

It’s almost as if teenagers are trying to full a void in their lives and according to the media and friends and other sources, the best way to full the void is to have a romantic relationship with someone that momentarily makes your heart beat a little faster?!

They aren’t all bad I suppose but that depends on how you handle them… Sorry to say, but all I have seen caused by them is dissapointment and hurt, damn that sounds so pessimistic…! I’m a optimistic person at heart, but not a dreamer, sometimes you have to be realistic about some things, it isn’t all fairy tales and happy endings…

Some argue that these relationships train you for one day when you will have a truely meaningfull relationship and that so, these relationships as teenagers are a necessity… I don’t agree, ’cause what do they teach you?

Anyway… If you choose not to have a relationship now, there is nothing wrong with you, you might just be a little more mature that your mates…

Another thought…

Thought…

Hey…

Atlast a moment to myself, although I could have made time to blog, I was too exhausted…

Neway, something I’ve been thinking about, why is it that people compare?? Why is it that as soon as you are placed in a position of power or one that might be the envy of someone else, people tend to start “hating” you. Not hate as in the true sense of the word, but they start being mean, they start gossiping behind your back and they start making your life as hard as they possible can??? Luckily this hasn’t happened to me yet, but what if it does…

At our school te new LRC (learner representative counsel) was chosen last week. I have had the privilege of being chosen. So did a whole lot of my friends, but a whole lot of my friends also weren’t chosen. Now, some of them have experienced the situations that I mentioned above. And they told me, not to gossip, but to get it of their chests…

They say that now is the time that you will truely discover your true friends, ’cause they are the ones who will be sticking with you till the end, through everything…

A thought that I would just like to share, one that is also what I said to every single person who came to talk to me about how they felt about it all. God has long decided where you will be today, He is the one who decided who will receive the honour to be chosen, and who would not. He has a plan with all of our lives and if it entails us not allways getting what we want, then so be it… He knows best after all…

I say this as a word of hope to all who feel down sometimes… Rely on God, He will carry through whatever happens in your life, as long as you have faith… And if you get dissapointed, remember that most things in life are planned and meant to be, He has a plan with everything…

 Till next time…  

Thanx…

I just wanna thank everyone for visiting my blog and commenting on my blog. I want to apologize for there being no new posts. Things are going to be silent until after the 25th of August. That’s when we finish with our schools musical. Things have been hectic… After that I promise to post atleast every second day…

Thanx again… 

Uitdunning van Diere – Natuurbewaring…?

Natuurbewaring is ‘n baie belangrike kwessie reg oor die wêreld. Mense spandeer baie geld aan die bewaring van diere, plante, natuurlike hulpbronne en ons aarde, maar ook daaraan om mense daarvan bewus te maak. Bewaring is ‘n ernstige saak en moet met groot voorsorg benader word.

In die verlede het die mens nie besef watter skade hul aanrig nie. Die jag van diere as voedsel en die doodmaak van diere wat as ‘n bedreiging gesien is, het hand uitgeruk en tot die gevolgtrekking gelei dat menigte diere vandag uitgesterf of bedreig is. Wildstelery en stropery deur gewetenlose jagters het net so ‘n ernstige effek tot gevolg gehad.

Vandag bestaan daar Wette teen en vir verskeie handelinge wat plante en diere raak. Bedreigde plant- en dierspesies word deur die wetgewing beskerm. Geen inheemse wilde diere, insluitende voëls, mag sonder ‘n permit in gevangenisskap of as troeteldiere aangehou word nie. Jy het ‘n jaglisensie nodig om wilde diere te jag en ‘n visvanglisensie om vis te vang. Stropers wat lewendige organismes doodmaak of steel, word gevonnis. Die straf vir die stroop van renosters vir hul horings of olifante vir hul tande kan tot soveel as R100 000 wees of vyf jaar tronkstraf.

Ekosisteme is in wese sikliese, gebalanseerde en selfonderhoudende stelsels. Indien ‘n bepaalde kommoditeit verwyder word, verkeer die stelsel nie meer in ewewig nie, maar stuur dit op biologiese gevaar af. Dit maak nie saak watter deel van die ekosisteem vernietig word nie, of dit ‘n skakel in die voedselketting is of ‘n stof wat deel uitmaak van ‘n natuurlike siklus, die uitwerking van dié verlies kan ewe ernstig wees. Ons moet ons diverse verskeidenheid plante- en dierelewe beskerm. Die enigste manier om ‘n stabiele en volhoubare omgewing te verkry is deur ‘n effektiewe program vir die bestuur en bewaring van die omgewing te implementeer. Die doelwit word deur die Wet op Nasionale Omgewingsbestuur: Biodiversiteit, Wet 10 van 2004 (WNOB) onder skraag.

Die doelstellings van dié wet is:
• om voorsiening te maak vir die bestuur en bewaring van Suid-Afrika se biodiversiteit binne die raamwerk van die Wet op Nasionale Omgewingsbestuur 1998 (Wet 107 van 1998)
• die beskerming van spesies en ekosisteme wat nasionale beskerming regverdig
• die volhoubare benutting van inheemse biologiese hulpbronne
• die regverdige en billike verdeling onder belanghebbers van voordele wat vanweë bio-prospektering met inheemse biologiese bronne gerealiseer word
• om voorsiening te maak vir koöperatiewe bestuur, beheer en bewaring van biodiversiteit
• om voorsiening te maak vir ‘n Suid-Afrikaanse Nasionale Biodiversiteit Instituut wat bystand moet verleen om die doelstellings van die wet te verwesenlik.

Soms groei ‘n bevolking met ‘n hoë reproduktiewe potensiaal so dramaties gedurende die eksponensiële groei-fase dat dit die dravermoë van die ekosisteem oorskry. Die omgewing kan die bevolking nie langer onderhou nie en omgewingsweerstand tree in. Die resultaat hiervan is dat die toename in die bevolking vinnig tot ‘n einde kom, en dat die kenmerkende “ineenstorting” plaasvind. Die verskynsel staan bekend as die “oplewing-ineenstorting”-sindroom (boom-and-bust). Die bevolking toon weer ‘n oplewing, maar volg weer dieselfde patroon, hierdie keer teen ‘n verlaagde dravermoë.

In die natuur is daar ‘n baie delikate balans tussen elke aspek daarvan. Die omgewing, habitat en al die organismes wat daarin voortbestaan werk ten nouste saam. In ‘n voedselketting is diere afhanklik van mekaar vir voedsel. Plante maak die basis van enige voedselketting uit, dus is hulle bekend as die produsente, daarna staan alle herbivore en diere wat van plante af lewe bekend as primêre verbruikers. So gaan die ketting aan met sekondêre en tersiêre verbruikers. Sou een bevolking in die voedselketting vermeerder sou die verbruikers wat van hulle afhanklik is, bevoordeel word tot op ‘n punt en ook vermeerder want hul voedselbron is groter. Die vermeerdering van daardie bevolking het ongelukkig nie ‘n positiewe effek op die bevolking wat as hul voedsel dien nie. Die bevolking is skielik groter en verbruik dus meer voedsel en hulpbronne. Soveel so dat die balans versteur word want daardie voedselgroep is nie groot genoeg om te kan voorsien aan die skielike vermeerdering nie.

Dit kan vergelyk word met vraag en aanbod. Die bevolking vermeerder en dus is die vraag groter, maar die voedselgroep is nie in staan om die aanbod te vermeerder nie, en kan dus uitgeput word. Sodra ‘n voedselgroep opgebruik of uitgeput word, word die ander verbruikers wat ook van die voedselgroep afhanklik was, benadeel want hul is ‘n bron van voedsel kwyt. Die bevolking wat aan die begin die probleem veroorsaak het, word ook benadeel want hulle is ook ‘n voedselbron kwyt. Dit kan weer in uiterste gevalle die uitsterwing of bedreiging van ‘n spesie tot gevolg hê. Op die ou einde het die vermeerdering van een bevolking ‘n effek gehad wat soos ‘n golf weer ‘n effek gehad het op al die organismes in dieselfde omgewing of habitat.

Om so ‘n situasie te voorkom moet omgewingsbestuur toegepas word. Die getalle van bevolking moet in toom gehou word om te verseker dat ‘n drastiese vermeerdering nie plaasvind nie. Daar is baie verskeie metodes om so ‘n probleem te voorkom. As daar ‘n vermeerdering plaasvind kan van die diere verwyder word en na ‘n omgewing verskuif word waar daar dalk ‘n tekort of baie lae syfer is van die betrokke dier. ‘n Ander opsie is uitdunning. Mense kan getalle in toom hou deur te verseker daar bestaan ‘n balans tussen die geboortesyfer en sterftesyfer van ‘n bevolking. As ‘n bevolking se geboortesyfer verhoog terwyl die sterftesyfer nie toeneem of in balans bly nie, kan uitdunning toegepas word. Uitdunning is, om dit baie kras te stel, die doodmaak van ‘n groep diere om getalle te verminder. Dit kan nie vergelyk word met stropery en word nie alleenlik as die enigste opsie gesien nie. Uitdunning word meeste van die tyd toegepas wanneer alle ander opsies oorweeg is en die bestes onsuksesvol toegepas is.

“Mnr. Marthinus van Schalkwyk, minister van omgewingsake en toerisme, behoort geprys te word omdat hy bewaringsbestuur as ‘n wetenskaplike aktiwiteit beskou. Só het prof. Rudi van Aarde, hoogleraar in dierkunde aan die universiteit van Pretoria, gesê in reaksie op die nuwe voorgestelde norme en standaarde vir olifantbestuur in Suid-Afrika, wat Van Schalkwyk gister bekendgestel het. Van Aarde, wat ook ‘n leerstoel in bewaringsekologie aan die universiteit beklee, het gesê olifante moet binne ‘n breë konteks bestuur word omdat hulle tussen drade is. Dit gaan nog veel verder, omdat watergate, deurgange en hul beweging in die toekoms ook bestuur gaan word. Dit is dus ‘n “holistiese bestuursplan”, waarin die uitdunning van olifante net een van die opsies is”, skryf Elise Tempelhoff in ‘n berig op 28 Februarie 2007.

Van Aarde het gesê: “Met hierdie plan sal die foute van die verlede ook reggestel word. Die dae van net olifante uitroei is verby, maar in die uiterste gevalle sal dit móét kom.” Elsie skryf verder: “Dr. Rob Little, waarnemende hoofbeampte van die bewaringsgroep WWF, het gesê dié organisasie besef dat plaaslike gebiede waar olifante voorkom oorbevolk is, en dat dit vir die meeste Suider-Afrikaanse state ‘n besondere uitdaging gaan wees om die getalle te bestuur. Van Schalkwyk het voorgestel uitdunning is met die bestuur van water, geslote gebiede, die skep van deurgange, hervestiging en die toediening van voorbehoedmiddels net een van die opsies in die nuwe bestuurplan.” Little het gesê: “Die WWF is nie voorstaanders van uitdunning as die enigste bestuursmoontlikheid nie. Ons meen olifante moet alleen as ‘n laaste uitweg uitgedun word nadat alle ander moontlikhede uitgeskakel is.”

Hierdie berig is slegs ‘n voorbeeld van waar uitdunning een van talle opsies is om getalle van diere te beheer. Olifante, nes enige ander bevolkingsgroep, se getalle kan hand uitruk, en daarom word uitdunning as ‘n opsie voorgestel. Die mens hanteer duidelik die besluit om uitdunning toe te pas as ‘n baie ernstige saak en baie navorsing word eers vooraf gedoen om te bepaal watter opsies die beste sal werk en watter nie suksesvolle resultate sal kan oplewer nie. Om die bevolkings van bepaalde spesies te bestuur is geen maklike taak nie. Aan die een kant wil ons oorbenutting verhoed, waar teveel individue verwyder word. Maar ons wil ook onderbenutting verhoed, waar heelwat minder individue verwyder word as wat die dravermoë regverdig. Dit is selfs hier baie moeilik om te besluit waar die ideale tussenvlak van ontginning tussen hierdie twee uiterste situasies lê.

Ongelukkig sukkel die wêreld vandag met oorbevolking. Die aarde kan net soveel lewe huisves en daarmee word nie geïnsinueer dat die mens diere se getalle moet verminder sodat daar meer ‘spasie’ vir ons bedrywighede is nie. Daar word slegs bedoel dat natuurlike hulpbronne so bestuur moet word ten einde alle partye te bevoordeel. Ons moet omsien na die Aarde. Die uitdunning van diere is natuurbewaring, maar dit is nie die enigste uitweg nie. Ander opsies moet ook in konsiderasie geneem word. Uitdunning moet ook verkieslik as ‘n laaste uitweg gekies en toegepas word, omdat dit nie altyd die beste of mees aangenaamste of effektiefste opsie is nie. Om diere dood te maak is ver van die ideaal af, maar partykeer is dit die enigste uitweg, mits dit op die beste moontlike manier gedoen word.

Personality Changes on Mxit…

This also started out as a comment…

So many teenagers think that mxit doesn’t effect their personality, especially when chatting. If you say that you stay the same, and express the real you, how is mxit able to degrade your moral values. Don’t get me wrong, I love mxit, purely for the fact that it’s a cheap, quick way to stay in touch with my group of friends that I rarely see, it enables us to have contact.

But I do think that it is infact not a great way to meet people, it’s a great way to meet mxit personalities, and even the people I truly know personally and love, are different on mxit, it’s just the way it is. You don’t need to obtain a whole new personality to “change” on mxit. It’s easier so say stuff, it’s easier to lie, it’s easier to ignore.

Mxit is not to blame, I think the concept is a good one, I blame irresponsible users. Don’t you have anything better to do than sit around on mxit chatting to total strangers.. there does exist a limit to communication.  One can only talk so much sense, and after that, well who knows what could come up as the next topic… how you use mxit is a personal decision, learning from mistakes you’ve made on mxit could do you good, or you can just adapt the sense to avoid those mistakes altogether… not entirely easy if you make it hard…

Negativity about mxit won’t help us at all. We have a better chance of getting somewhere by embracing it and finding guidelines and the best ways of handling mxit and of making it a save experience, one that could have a good positive effect on all parties envolved…

Try it, my parents did, in fact they are both mxit users, even it theirs only gets used once in a while, hehe. But thats besides the point. By trusting your parents with your communication, you can earn their trust on the issue…

Open and honest works…

Our Future in South Africa…

This post was originally created as a comment on another blog. It was a reply on a post youth in South Africa on mycontemplations.wordpress.com. Since then I have decided to create my own blog, with this as my first post…

This is something I often think about! How many teenagers stare into the stone wall built by what their parents say, how many have already given up the fight, even if there wasn’t even a fight to begin with. One day apartheid will die, finally die, because all the people who are keeping it alive are going to die aswell. Everyday in my school I talk to my friends, and from time to time we do discuss politics, not intensively, but we do. And although we differ from race or culture, our views don’t differ like our parents’ views do. We can work together, and in that fact I see a bright future for South Africa. Yeah, the fact that I’m an optimistic person does help…

I’ve always seen it this way, my generation’s grandparents still respect each other in the ways that existed during apartheid, they don’t blame each other nearly as much as my generation’s parents do. To a point where a year ago, a lady working at a till in Piet Retief randomly told my grandmother that according to her, South Africa was in a better state during apartheid. I don’t necessarily agree on that point, I wasn’t there and therefore don’t think I want to have an opinion. Apartheid could have been a mistake, and I think it was to a point, but what came after apartheid, and how apartheid effects us today, is an even worse mistake!

Imagine a SA being populated by all the races who grew up with each other, who learned to accept each other from an early age and who can work together. Ok so it’s not all moonshine and roses, a lot of parents still transfer their feelings and opinions to their children who blindly follow the same route. They want to fight in a war that long since doesn’t exist anymore!!! We should be working for a better future, a brand new future, not working for history to repeat itself.

I do realise that our government is far from perfect and leaves a lot to be desired, there is definitily room for improvement, and for those of you that thought that it only happens in SA, guess again!! Our Brazilian exchange student expressed to me how she and her family and friends feel about their government. All over the world power is given to men, men who might not deserve it and who are only human, mistakes and all. How can perfection be expected if the one expecting it isn’t even perfect, those of you who are perfect, be my guest, you can be the first to throw a stone, because you alone should have the right to do so!!! The youth of SA do infact have a future, and even of we have to work really hard to make the best of it, then so be it. It makes it all the more worth it, don’t you think?!!! Who would want something that just falls into your lap.

I don’t think there exists a “De La Rey” generation, a confused generation yes, one that is being pulled in different directions by different opinions, influences, like the media, and authorities. And of course by our own opinions and dreams and plans!! Yes, we do have those too, not that all of us know how to express them though. I’m sad to say that I don’t think racism will ever completely end.. It’s in the nature of many people to discriminate or not accept differences, to think they are better because of skin colour or culture or language or knowledge or experience or circumstances or money or social standing or religion or sex or location or moral values or you name it. Never will everyone accept everyone, not all actions will be accepted by all. To a point we can bridge most differences by working at them and respecting them. But differences will always exist, point blank…

In our future there will certainly be differences, but not differences that are totaly unbridgeable, the youth of today should stand together proudly and claim the country that belongs to us too, especially to us, the future!!! I say stand aside and watch us stay positive, and never give up! Watch us work together and make SA an overall beter place! It might not happen now or in the immediate future just yet, but believe me when I say it is going to happen, and the best time to start it is now, not later, now!! Waiting for better days isn’t going to get us anywhere, I for one want to get somewhere, being nowhere is just boring and lame, hehe! I have a future in SA because I choose to have one, the choice is yours!! It always has been, and I’m not going to let anyone convince me otherwise!! I know that my future is in Good Hands, The Best Hands.. I don’t need to worry, I need to have faith!!

About my Afrikaner identity, the past is what made the present, but that’s all it has done, it didn’t make me and it certainly didn’t decide my future. According to me, we should respect out ancestors, they did have a lot to do with today’s present, and they are what ended in the making of a beautiful country, but I for one am more than ready to live my out present, to anticipate and enjoy my own future and to create my own past, a past that I hope I can one day be proud of, that I can proudly share with my children and grandchildren…

Black youth is to a point just as fed up with affirmative action as the white youth is. It’s not a great feeling to know that you for example you got a job because of your skin colour or sex. You want to know you got a job because you are the best and thet all the hard work paid off. These are my opinions, and the opinions of some of my friends and some of the people I have discussed these issues with, but mostly they are my opinions and interpretations… There where we are destined to be and to live and to work one day, there we will be, live and work one day…

Have faith South Africa, all will be well, Stay positive, keep on working for the future you want, in the end the work will pay off and you will be rewarded with the best future imagineable…

Optimistic at heart and soul and mind till the end . . .