TokisoM Writes

We landed at 06.38 - London time on Monday morning. A bit delayed due to turbulence disturbance - according to the announcement . Great flight it was . I kept looking out the window as we were descending to see if I recognised any of the structures from the sky. I saw the London Eye . Hopefully it is close proximity to where I will be staying so I can visit . From the runway, Heathrow Airport looked like any other airport . Busy and buzzing with people going about their business . As we land, there is ample traffic of planes coming in and flying out. The  Captain announced that there temperature is a chilling 11 degrees. My word - I think. I best get my big ass coat out as soon as I get a chance.  It didn't take me long through the border and security, getting my bag (still in tact) and finding my driver - Moses. There is nothing mind blowing about this airport. Felt like any other big airport. I might be wrong but I think it is a bit smaller than OR Tambo....

The first time I flew long distance was when I went to Germany a couple of years ago. I was so nervous and excited I really do not remember the flight that well. So this time around, a little less nervous (especially since there was no stop over and connector flight - that shit ain't fun for a first timer) I was fully aware of my trip. I didn't make my family do the whole, drive her to the airport vibe. Instead, I spent my Sunday with my daughter and husband. I then dropped off my child at her grans, hubby then took me to the Gautrain. In the Gautrain I met a woman who lives in London. She gave me some tips on the city. The word 'Grey' was used a lot. I had checked the weather before packing and yep I know I am visiting during a grey, wet and cold time. I really need to visit Europe during their summer. This winter/autumn trend has to pass.  I have not been on a Gautrain in years, happy to see that it was still a painless process and well maintained. A...

I am excited that I am slowly finding my reading-for-pleasure rhythm after the two-year break of focusing on academics and becoming a new mom. It is only when you are done with your post-grad studies do you realise to what extent you sacrificed so much of your life to see it through. So, after a good two years of a limited social life and putting my fitness business on pause - I had to figure out how to be a social person again. Mind you in that two it was not just books I was focused on but I also moved houses twice due to a natural disaster and became a mom. So I come out of these two years a totally different person. Picking up Dale Carnegie's HowTo Win Friends and Influence People  was perfect timing for this current phase of relearning myself and how I fit into the world again. The book was first released in 1936 and since then has sold over 15-million copies. I understand why it has such staying power. It is easy to digest read, short chapters and gets straight...

Credit: BL Hectically trying to complete my Masters and learning to mother my new born baby, I suddenly had an urge to read a favourite book again. I reread Zoo by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge for one key reason: to escape to a world that has the potential to happen considering how humans are rapidly damaging the earth. My interest in the book was also peaked by the series Zoo , based on the book, which I binge watched on Netflix whilst on Maternity Leave. The series really worked for me. It captured the intensity of the book and the plot twist for TV was not too off the mark from the intention of the book. What was Zoo about? Well, imagine if all the world's animals got together and turned on us. By turn on us, I mean, hunt and brutally killed us. An animal revolution. We are told the story from the eyes of a varsity dropout biologist, Jackson Oz, who discovers that there is something wrong with the animals and no one believes him because of his lack of c...

“Sometimes we are so steeped in what has been prescribed for us that we need to completely recreate ourselves. That takes guts. Standing against stereotypes sends you on a journey of learning and unlearning, which takes a long time” (Sephodi, 2017:29). This quote from Malebo Sephodi ’s Miss Behave best describes my life since 2013. A journey of self-discovery. A journey of unpacking who Tokiso is and what she is about. A journey of forgiveness. A journey of letting go. It hasn’t been an easy one. Hence reading Malebo’s book was so personal. It felt like she was talking about me as she walked us through her learnt experience as a black South African woman. I went to the 2017 Abantu book festival in Soweto knowing that this would be one of the books I would walk away with. I thought that I would read it throughout my December break – but I found myself hooked to the book and done with it within two days. It was an emotional ride. The chapter that spoke to me the most was...

Such a refreshing read! There is something special about reading a well thought out piece that you relate to and that speaks about a context that is in your time. I am not throwing shade at thoughts penned before I was even an idea – I am just excited that my generation of peers are writing about our struggles. The scary thing about reading Writing What We Like , edited by Yolisa Qunta , is that most of the struggles feel like the continuation of the struggles our parents faced. Didn’t my mom and her peers fight the system so we would be living better lives? One would argue that we are living better lives but this would depend on which side of the class fence you sit. The race issues in South Africa are far from over. Although the topic is dealt with in different manners – these essays highlight the different stories of the black struggle. What Qunta has managed to do with this book is eliminate the single story regarding black struggle. Advertising agencies would be doing them...

What a miserable ending to a really soul capturing novel! London, Cape Town, Joburg by ZukiswaWanner had me hooked from day one but I must say, I was never really ready for that ending – plot twist of note. To be fair, the story starts with two parents mourning their only son who had committed suicide. From the onset you know that something really bad must have happened for a thirteen-year-old to kill himself but before the author lets us in on the reason, she takes us through one of the best, heart-warming, authentic love stories I have read in a while. Martin O’Malley and Germaine Spencer, are two imperfect people who come together and build what seems like a perfect nest. They understand each other, defend each other, fight, make up, have loads of sex and most importantly love and respect one another. I loved every moment of their love story. From the insecurities, jealous moments, moving from city to city and how they grew into such cool, yet strict parents. Wanner t...