Table Mountain & Devil's Peak

One of the most signature sights of Cape Town is Table Mountain.

Named so because of its flat-topped feature.


the mould


So on the first day we visited this infamous Table Mountain after our ostrich ride.




We took the cable car up into the misty clouds.

Table Mountain is located between two other significant mountain called the Lion Head,



(Which was covered in clouds then)

simply because it looks like a sleeping lion from a distance
(but here is a view of the "lion's butt" instead)




(taken from near my hotel)


(my hotel - the President)


whereas the other side of Table Mountain is the Devil's Peak.




The misty peak in the distance on the left.

Close-up photo of the Devil's Peak.




Now the devil's peak is most of the time covered in clouds.

(Story time)
Folk-lore has it that there was once a Dutch man named Jan van Hunks who liked to smoke pipes a lot and he lived at the bottom of the mountain. But his wife wasn't too keen on his habit of smoking so everytime he would go out of the house to smoke.

One day during one of his smoking "strolls", he met a mysterious guy who was also smoking on the mountain's slope.

He bragged to the stranger that he's the best pipe smoker in the region/world, to which the stranger replied: "No, I AM the best pipe smoker."

So they decided to have a pipe smoking contest on the mountain's peak.

In the end, they smoked so much it clouded the entire peak of the mountain. Then the cloud has cleared, Jan van Hunks discovered there were two horns on the stranger's head.

Turned out the stranger was the Devil himself.

And since then, the peak was named the Devil's Peak and whenever there's cloud shrouding the top, people of Cape Town would say that the Devil and Jan van Hunks are having a smoking competition.




We were quite lucky as the top of Table Mountain that day was clear of clouds. Else we wouldn't have had these spectacular shots!
















Else (if it were covered in clouds), the shots we've taken would look more like this.




We also spotted this little creature chilling under the sea on the rock by the cliff above the beautiful Cape Town view underneath (damn glamour the bugger ok?).




I thought it was some sort of possom but turned out it a very common animal on Table Mountain called Dassie. According to this sign.




I didn't know the significant of this Mountain and how wonderful it is truly to be there until someone told me that a winner from the Nestle Drumstick Contest to South Africa actually cried when she was on the top of Table Mountain.




Apparently she has always seen the beautiful Table Mountain of Cape Town in TV but never dream herself to be one day standing on it.

Being there and then made her realised that she was really actually in South Africa. And the whole thing was like a dream come true.


view from top


It also made me realized how lucky I was to really be standing there, to be in South Africa, a tour that someone like me could not have afforded at my expense.




Sometimes you needed someone to remind you what a beautiful world you're living in. To treasure every moment you're living and to appreciate every good thing happens to you.




So thank you Nestle Drumstick, from all of us, for this crazy adventure.




More stories of a crazy adventure to be unfold. :)

The cure for procrastination? Forgive yourself!

There are so many things you'd rather be doing than what you ought to be doing and what happens is that you delay doing what you ought. All the evidence shows that this procrastination is bad for you, for your productivity, your school grades, for your health. But still we keep putting things off. Until. Tomorrow. Now Michael Wohl and colleagues have proposed a rather surprising cure - self-forgiveness. That's right, forgive yourself for you have procrastinated, move on, get over it and you'll be more likely to get going without delay next time around.

Wohl's team followed 134 first year undergrads through their first mid-term exams to just after their second lot of mid-terms. Before the initial exams, the students reported how much they'd procrastinated with their revision and how much they'd forgiven themselves. Next, midway between these exams and the second lot, the students reported how positive or negative they were feeling. Finally, just before the second round of mid-terms, the students once more reported how much they had procrastinated in their exam preparations.

The key finding was that students who'd forgiven themselves for their initial bout of procrastination subsequently showed less negative affect in the intermediate period between exams and were less likely to procrastinate before the second round of exams. Crucially, self-forgiveness wasn't related to performance in the first set of exams but it did predict better performance in the second set.

'Forgiveness allows the individual to move past maladaptive behaviour and focus on the upcoming examination without the burden of past acts to hinder studying,' the researchers said. 'By realising that procrastination was a transgression against the self and letting go of negative affect associated with the transgression via self-forgiveness, the student is able to constructively approach studying for the next exam.'
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Wohl, M., Pychyl, T., & Bennett, S. (2010). I forgive myself, now I can study: How self-forgiveness for procrastinating can reduce future procrastination. Personality and Individual Differences, 48 (7), 803-808 DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2010.01.029

Vicinity

"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose." -- Acts 16:25-26

I often tell people who are looking for more of God to hang out in the vicinity of some God Chasers. Houses of prayer, like the Oxford House of Prayer (OHOP), C-HOP, and IHOP are some of those places where you can expect to encounter a few God Chasers!

Paul and Silas got thrown in prison and being God Chasers they started praying and singing hymns to God. But don't miss what happened next ... everybody's chains came loose, not just the ones around Paul and Silas. This is one of those life-changing truths about God Chasing: When He comes, He tends to bless everyone in the vicinity! The only God Chasers in the prison that night were Paul and Silas and they began praising God through their circumstances. When they were done, God showed up and set everyone free. Lesson learned: It pays to be in the vicinity of a God Chaser!

Call yourself a traveller?

Saw this photo on my friend's facebook photo album recently and I felt obliged to share it.


photo stolen from Gerald's fb album. Hehehe


Seriously. Divers have the best sense of humor.

Chance to win a 4-pack of these fabulous summer-themed sectioned plates!

In anticipation of some possible changes to and new features on Full Plate, I’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to complete this brief, 10 question survey about Full Plate.

To thank you, at the bottom of the survey you have a chance to enter your name in a drawing for a 4-pack of these sectioned plates, perfect for summer! (The fine print: The winner will get to choose between 4 bicycle plates, 4 pinwheel plates, or 2 of each. I will choose the winner using random.org. The winning number generated will correspond with that number respondent on the questionnaire. So, it's all fair game! )

Thank you, in advance, for taking the time to share what you like about Full Plate, and what you'd like to see included in Full Plate posts going forward!

Sun, sea and pool

I am now in Langkawi.

Last day here. Flying out this evening after a very romantic float sunset dinner at Westin Langkawi. This is going to be the most expensive dinner I have ever had in my life. *nervous*




The past few days has been really pleasant. Not that I had enough of rest, been shooting throughout the days. But the experience is one definitely worth jotting down.

Will blog about it soon.

For now. I just want to chill.


Dinner shall start at 6:30pm. I better get packing, take my last dip in the pool, do up my hair. And head off for my last meal.


Ciao bella!

Love you all.

In the Name of God

It's Monday.

This is me.




To people who spend their time thinking the worst of people.

F**K U.


To the rest.

Happy Monday. :)