Phuthu Stay Phut, Don't go!

It’s National Braai Day on 24 September. Such a South African thing, I love it! And we all know that South Africans don’t need a challenge to remind them to have a braai. Nope. We use any excuse to toss a piece of meat around on a grill. We have the thirst, the tools and the ‘tude and we’re not scared to use it.

You’re probably thinking that the challenge this month is to have a braai. Now, that would be quite lame. Chances are we would all have one anyway. The Plan is this: We will be featuring 5 Brain teasers during the month of September and they are all related to braai’ing.

So start flexing your tongs and don’t miss out on these challenges every Tuesday. Right here.

Braai Challenge No. 1

Frans Steyn has been benched, he has been replaced as fullback by Ruan Pienaar. South Africa need to win one more game to cinch the Tri Nations Series. We have won every game so far. So all I can say is why. Why would you want to change a winning team? Why would you want to put more pressure on Pienaar to perform in another controversial, high profile game? If he messes up on the weekend, he might never regain his confidence?

Don’t get me wrong, Pienaar could potentially have a fantastic game and I really hope he does, he almost needs an identity, being swapped around from position to position and not settling in any of them, he needs a position to call home.

But can anyone explain to me why this decision was made now, why a scrumhalf/flyhalf (or whatever he ends up being) is playing a fullback position and why does Peter insist on changing a winning team?

By: Kerry Horrocks

Taking your partner on a regular date will not directly save the planet but it will definitely turn disgruntled Mary into happy Mary, which means Mary is more likely to do something good elsewhere.

No-one feels like saving a whale, care whether Bella the cow is being treated fairly on a organic farm or feel like hugging a tree if they haven’t been hugged in a while themselves. If your own life is dull, and lacking in fervour, you need to pull yourself towards yourself and arrange for a regular date night.

A happy home life will have positive spin-offs. Forget about clean water, pollution and recycling for a moment – our biggest asset is Time and we are waste way too much of it. Commit to spending more time with your loved ones and see the positive waves ripple out into all the areas of your life.

But what minutes! Count them by sensation, and not by calendars, and each moment is a day.
- Benjamin Disraeli

A true man does not need to romance a different girl every night, a true man romances the same girl for the rest of her life.
- Ana Alas

Reference: Going Green – 365 Ways to Change our World

Nestled between kranzes, rolling hills and indigenous bush not far from Eston, iNsingizi is one of the best kept secrets in KZN.

If you are feeling tired and stressed this is the place to relax and unwind. The lovely spa ladies have all got magic hands that will work all your tension away in a matter of a few hours. Feet, hands, head, face and body – everything is given full attention during a day of pampering at iNsingizi.

The main lodge and boma has a wonderful atmosphere, and the chalets are very comfortable. The romantic honeymoon suite is tucked away from the rest of the lodge, with beautiful views of kudu and eland grazing under the African sun.

Outdoor activities such as game drives, walks, bird watching and fishing are available. And last, but not least – the food is homemade and simply delicious.

The spa is currently running a midweek special which includes dinner, one night’s accommodation and a full spa day – foot massage, hand massage, head and shoulder massage, facial massage, Jacuzzi session on the outside deck, full body exfoliation, full body hot rocks massage, breakfast and lunch – at only R1220 per person sharing. So get your girlfriends together and treat yourself. Because you deserve it!

For more info tel 031 781 1767

By Katrine

Every week when I think that I’ve run dry of creative juices, then up pops yet another reason why I love this country so much.

This is so not a “look-at-me-I’m-into-charity” kinda post. The focus here is South African people in general. To be more specific, South Africans and their big hearts.

I got involved in a project at a crèche down in the valley at Inanda Dam (Hillcrest, KZN), a crèche that is seriously lacking the basic things in life like food, decent leak-proof buildings and funds to pay the teachers’ salaries.

My first aim is to try and get their roof fixed as September – the rain season – is fluttering its long grey eyelashes in a manner that is quite unnerving.

What amazes me about this country, though is its down to earth people that will do whatever they need to do, because of The Big Need. There are so many good people out there that are doing this kind of work for mahala. Behind-the-scene people that are always willing to put aside a bit of their grocery money to make someone else’s life more bearable. This is not a question of conquering, losing interest and moving on, but a journey of perseverance. Even when it seems like nothing much is happening on the fundraising side, there are always people who stay phut until something happens.

These people aren’t looking for greener pastures, they mix some good ol’ cow dung with foliage, make compost and green the area they’re in. I like.

More on this project next time! Watch this space.

Last week we discussed the first golden rule of accounting which was about the double entry system which involves recording the effects of each transaction as debits and credits.

This week we’re going to discuss the second golden rule of accounting which is: The left-hand side of an account is the debit side and the right-hand side is the credit side.

An account is often called a T account because of the way it is structured, the debit on the left, credit on the right and the title of the account on the top.

If this seems unfamiliar to you, then just think of your current account which has the same set of rules with debits on the left and credits on the right.

One of the difficult and confusing parts of accounting is remembering how different types of transactions are recorded in different T accounts. There are clear rules however so this part is about remembering the following rules:

Asset Accounts: Increased with debits and decreased with credits

Liabilities & Capital Accounts: Decreased with debits and increased with credits.

So how do you remember which side is which?

Well, think of the rock and roll band AC/DC and think for every account (AC) there is a debit (D) and a credit (C). Think debits come before credits and therefore debits are on the left and credits are on the right.

Ref: The 80 Minute MBA by Richard Reeves & John Knell

Part 1: The First Golden Rule of Accounting