Dear Human

Hello, I am student 170058, my name is Juane, but most people call me by my surname Dames. This is my blog where I'll be posting some tasks for this year, so check back regularly for some cool things! I created this blog for one of my subjects at the Open Window Institute of South Africa

[deer-human]

Dear Human

Today (24 October) – This Post is a bit overdue I had to go get printing done for a certain subject and as the lady who helped me, said the words: “It will take about an hour” I decided to do another challenge while I waited:

Go to a public place and draw everyone you see for at least an hour

I sat down in the corner and took out my notebook and started drawing the people standing in line. I am not very good at realistic drawings, and they take me too long. So I decided to draw with a black pen and try to draw them in a comical way, focusing on their most prominent features and drawing them as fast as I can. It was quite awkward, because every time I look at them I have to wait for them to turn around or to stand still. I first made quick sketches just to get the hang of it and then I started drawing them as fast as I can, I took about 7 min for each drawing. The first couple of drawings were a bit uneasy and I could have done better, but I really like the old lady and the girl with her earphones and the baby was rather funny, she made a lot of different faces. I realised that I need to improve my drawing and that I have to start drawing a lot more, because I know that I can do better.

[deer-human]

Make a Sculpture

Dear Human

I’ve been thinking of making sculptures for a long time, but I know to make proper ones you need specific utensils and also use certain techniques, together with a lot of practice, but I decided to try it anyway. I used normal pottery clay, because that was the cheaper option and I bought a few utensils at the Crazy store. I am a collector of animated figurines from Disney, Pixar and any other animation films that I find interesting and for the past two years I have been looking for a ‘Toothless’ Dragon from How to train your dragon, but I could never find one that I really liked. I decided to make my own instead, so I designed his head from the pottery clay, while watching the film of course. I baked it at 180 degrees for an hour and then I painted it with acrylic paint, because it was all paint I had at that moment. I think it came out pretty nice, a bit silly, but I think it is good for a first try for sculpting. I will definitely like to do it more and get better at it eventually. It was a really fun project! I like my dragon, but I’ll probably still buy a proper one if I come across it.

[deer-human]

Dear Human

This challenge was the best:

Go to a Music Festival and stay sober

I went to Oppikoppie this year and decided to complete this challenge. I did it proudly and I would not have done it any other way. I drank Coke Zero and Water for the three days and ate a lot of food. I photographed everyone on stage and all the people enjoying themselves off stage. It was truly a fun experience to see how everyone is jamming and enjoying the music. I did not take a lot of photos of all the acts because most of the time I was dancing and losing myself in the music and I was completely in AWH with the main acts, The Naked and Famous and Two Door Cinema Club, they were truly great! 

I would probably have enjoyed having a drink now and then, but I don’t like getting drunk so I was okay with staying sober. Next year I will do it again, but I will drink something now and then throughout the day, but I really enjoyed laughing at everyone with their hangovers and bad choices.  

[deer-human]

Dear Human

This is the challenge of:

Do something on a rooftop somewhere

This happened a while ago when I was in Dubai. My dad lives in an apartment suite building called, Rode Metha Suites and at the top of the building is a very nice swimming pool and an even more astounding view. We went swimming one evening and the swimming pool has a cooling system and not a heating one, which was very unfamiliar to me, because in SA everyone is trying to heat up their pools, even with the cooling system the pool was still average bathe water so there was no cooling down in the pool after the long day of walking around in the sun, for that you need to take a shower. We stayed in the pool for quite a while till it got dark and all the city lights lit up. All the rooftops in Dubai have something on them, whether it is a helicopter pad, gallons of water for the toilets (all the malls do this) or large swimming pools, there is always entertainment on the roofs in Dubai. 

[deer-human]

Listen to a new music album that you wouldn’t normally listen to 5 times

Dear Human

I listened to Taylor Swift’s new album Reputation. I normally do not like her music at all, I used to like one song of hers way back, but I never grew a liking for her music. I listened to the album 5 times and there are a few songs that I have a love/hate relationship with and then there is one that I really like and the rest is just not my taste in music. I probably know all the words to all the songs by now though, because of listening to it so many times

[deer-human]

Reject every social opportunity for a week

Dear Human

This challenge was easier than I thought it would be, but that was because I kept it for my last challenge and I did it the week before hand-in. Some of my friends actually went out every second night and I was just sitting at home doing my work and getting cabin fever. On Sunday night I could not wait to go to campus and just feel human interaction after the long week of being anti-social and alone in my room in front of a computer with work that never seems to finish. I have to admit that it helped a lot and that all my work was almost done a week before hand-in, which was a real bonus. I would recommend this to anyone who has not done their work for the entire term, but if you are not that far behind, it gets quite boring sitting at home and having FOMO (Fear of missing out). 

[deer-human]

Dear Human

Today my friend and I visited the art gallery of Anton Smit in Bronkhorspruit to complete my challenge of:

Attend an Art Exhibition

The trip on our way there was quite fun, we just chilled in the car and ate too many snacks. On arrival at the Art gallery there are many beautiful statues outside along the driveway ( The first picture above is the biggest one there and the first thing you see). They renovated the entire gallery and it looked amazing. Anton has made so many statues in so many ways. There is even a restaurant with some nice special which keeps it in the budget. we each had a meal and shared a chocolate cake. After we were stuffed we walked around the gallery and all the new works that were being exhibited for the first time. There were a lot of people and creatives there and I can see why. Anton Smit looks very differently at the human figure and tries to create new perspectives of how humans can be fierce, free, fragile, agile and even weak. In all of his works throughout the years you can see that he really likes to experiment a lot. I truly found some inspiration at the art exhibition and I found that I should also probably practise my figure drawing skills if I want to be as good as him in figures.

It was a really fun day and I would definitely do it again. I would also like to spend more time visiting all kind of different art exhibitions and learn more about different creatives and what their processes are.

[deer-human]

Spend an Evening without Electricity

Dear Human

Tonight is the night we spend in darkness. I switched off the main switch on the DB board, just so that we cannot chicken out and turn on the lights. My boyfriend and I ordered pizza from Romans, go out our bottle of wine (the big glass is mine). We made a circle of pillows on the ground in the lounge and packed all the different board games on top of each other in alphabetical order. We lit a few candles to set the mood (and to see what we are doing) and then we started playing. We played each board game once and our evening ended at 11 o’clock.  We are both competitive players so it turned into a lot of fun. Then we put the lights back on, got into bed, turned them back off and went to sleep. The evening gave us a good chance to bond a bit over pizza, board games and wine, without cellphones or television distracting our attention from the task at hand. I will probably do this activity again, but without the restrictions of no electricity, so that we can play a bit of music and watch some series afterwards.

[deer-human]

Try spending no money for 3 days in a row

Dear Human

This was quite a challenge for me, because I spend money almost every day, because I buy groceries and maintain my home on a daily basis and not a weekly one, which I know is a silly way to go about it. So I decided to dedicate my weekend to spend money and then I start on the Monday to Wednesday journey of not using any money. 

The Sunday I went to the shops and bought everything that will last me in my house for 3 days at least, food, drinks and so on. The Monday made myself food and took it to Campus and I managed to not spend any money without struggles. Tuesday was a bit harder because I overslept and had to hurry to Campus so I did not have any food for breakfast and lunch, I rushed home between my two-hour break just to get food in my system and then I was fine again. Wednesday was just sad, my friends went out to party and have a few drinks, but because we of the challenge I had to stay home and drink the little bit of wine that I had left in my fridge. What a tragedy, but on Thursday I bought my friend and I a nice breakfast and I was good again. I did not learn too much from this experience, but I can definitely work better with my food choices and I can save money with the food that I can just make at home and rather not buy it at the Food Bar as well as cutting down on spending at parties. 

[deer-human]

Let someone give you a massage

Dear Human

This challenge was rather hard for me because I hate massages, but I decided to try it. My friend who is doing a course in becoming a masseuse gave me one because massage parlours are expensive and I am not letting just anyone touch my feet. She was quite gentle, but it tingled a lot and she said that I had a lot of stress in my feet, because there are a lot of bumps and that is why it tingled so much. I did like it a little though, and my feet felt quite soft afterwards, because she used really nice cream. I won’t do it often though, and I’d rather just take a back rub or someone playing with my hair. 

[deer-human]

Watch a film you have no interest in seeing

Dear Human

Since my friend had a look at the challenges that I have to do, he got obsessed with this one, because he’s been begging me for 2 years to watch Star Wars, but I have never shown any interest. I don’t like Sci-Fi films in general, they are just not my taste, or maybe I just don’t like the supernatural creatures and spaceships. I tried to stall it and to not watch the film, but he caught me in a bored moment and we watched the first Episode: The Phantom Menace. To be honest, I did fade a bit here and there and then he had to refresh my memory of what just happened, but the film was not bad. It was especially cool for me to watch it, because we learned in Film Theory about the Movie Brats and George Lucas, the director was one of them. I will probably watch the other episodes in time so that I can understand the whole story, but I am going to watch it in the right order, not in the way they were released. I know my friend will be proud if I watch the rest, because he is obsessed with Star Wars, and always will be. 

[deer-human]

Eat Something Culturally New

Dear Human

I decided to go on a road trip for the day to the Nan Hua Temple in Bronkhorspruit. It is the biggest Buddist temple in South Africa. There is a Buddist school for girls that do not have families and they live on the premises, they become Buddhists and learn Chinese, they are also part of a dancing community of the “Dragon Dancers’ and they get sponsored to go to China and perform their dances there.

We arrived just in time for their lunch session. We paid R30 to join them for their lunch buffet. This is where the culturally new subject comes in. Inside the hall you may not take any photos, nor my you talk or make noise. We stood in line with the girls in front of the hall, they said a prayer in Chinese and then they invited us in first. They give you a plate and chopsticks and then you can serve the food up yourself. Most of the food I have never seen before in my life, but I tried everything. There were green, cooked leafy things, that I did not enjoy very much. Black beans, that I have never liked before and grilled onions in soya sauce, which wasn't too bad. Some weird looking bits of crunchy things, I still do not know if it was meat or tofu or another animal but it had a different taste, it was sweet and sour and minty??... but I enjoyed their deep fried vegetable balls and yummy Jasmine rice and when you are done eating you get apple slices, which I presume to cleanse your pallet.

It was a really great experience to see how all the girls walk through the line. They sit with their backs to each other and no one looks at anyone. When they are finished eating they bow to the Buddha statue in front of the hall, bow again at the exit and walk out. We did not know if we should bow as well, so we just sat there quietly till everyone left, because my boyfriend and I did not want to disrespect their culture. We also ate some dumplings and sticky ribbons (Like Koeksusters) at the Cafe, which were delicious.

We walked over the road to the main temple and walked around inside the prayer rooms and we each wrote a quote in Chinese with ink pens and lit an incense stick, to complete our experience.  

I must say that I find their culture very interesting and I respect what they believe in, they are mostly about, soul, love, movement and trust. Which is not a bad thing in any religion.

I would recommend everyone to experience something like this at least once in their lifetime.

[deer-human]

Talk to a Stranger

Dear Human 

In Dubai I met a lot of taxi drivers, most of them were quiet and uninviting, but others were nice and talkative. This is my challenge for having a conversation with a stranger. He is a normal taxi driver and he comes from Pakistan. He has lived in Dubai for seven years ongoing and has 2 children and a wife back home. He loves cricket and was very proud to announce that his team won our South African team, but he thinks our team plays very good. I asked him what he thinks of Dubai and he told me that he likes the place and that it is the only place where he can get good money for his family, but he does not like the heat nor the artificialness of Dubai. He likes the dunes and the camels, but not all the man-made structures. I also asked him about his job and he told me that they have twelve hour shifts in which they have time to collect their quota of 600AED which is a lot for a taxi driver, because a short trip costs about 20AED and a long trip about 70AED so they have to drive around a lot and pay for petrol and fines on their own dime, but he also said that it is a lot better in Dubai that in his home country so he tries not to complain. It was rather intriguing to hear from someone who lives an ordinary life in Dubai every day and not just see the tourist side of things, I quite enjoyed talking to him and when it was time for us to say goodbye he introduced himself as Abdul.

[deer-human]

Dear Human 

For the last two weeks, I visited my dad in Dubai from the 22nd of June until the 8th of July. In Dubai everyone uses public transport, the metro trains, trams and taxis are everywhere in the city. So this is my challenge:

Using public transport for a couple of days... 

AND

Spend time in a place where you are the minority

We mostly drove in taxis everywhere and they have monitors in front of the car that show how much the drive is thus far, it starts at 5AED ( which is R17,5) if it picks you up somewhere random, but starts from 12AED (which is R42) at any Mall and Airport. Every min the meter goes up with 0.50AED when it stands still and I could not figure out how the kilometres worked. Our most expensive taxi was 112AED (R392) to the Dubai Parks which is far out of the city. All the taxis belong to different companies and their colour roofs differentiate them from each other, but all the companies belong to the RTA (Road and Transport Authority) no one may have an independent taxi and all the drivers have to go for tests and wear certain uniforms. There are also special pink roofed taxis that are reserved for woman and children only and some of the taxis are hybrid. Most of the taxi drivers are very friendly and some of them talk to you, but others just want to get the job done. At different malls they have a certain spot that you have to walk to, to get in the taxis. They all wait in a line and then you have to get into the first one, if you fail to do so you and the taxi driver that let you in will get a fine.

It was a rather invigorating experience to be in a place where very, very few people understand your maiden language (Afrikaans) and where you are the minority among a lot of other races. You feel out of place and you don’t always know if you may stand here or walk there or talk and so on. Some of the locals were quite friendly, those that worked in the shops and restaurants, but the locals that strolled around were not as friendly, but we were respectful and kept our distance. 

[deer-human]

Dear Human Today I treated myself to a new hairstyle. To complete the challenge of:

Changing my appearance

My hair looked really bad, grown out and faded. So I decided to try a new colour and cut a side fringe. I wanted white stripes and an overall dark body, but the bleach did not take so good with the faded red, but I really like the new look and how it came out. Excited to maintain it and make it look better over time!

[deer-human]

Last night I did my 9th challenge of:

Asking someone out on a date and going on the date. 

Since I am on a budget I asked my boyfriend if he would meet me at my house for an at home date. I placed candles and plates with wine glasses at the table with two chairs in the middle of the living room. I got us Romans pizza and good wine with a chocolate to share. I played some music in the background and dimmed all the lights. It was a really fun evening and after we ate our pizza we moved to the couch to watch the rest of the movie.

[deer-human]

A 100 Questions to ask on a blind date

My challenge for writing a 100 questions: 1. How old are you? 2. How many siblings doe you have? 3. What is your favourite colour? 4. What is your favourite type of food? 5. Do you like to dance? 6. Where did you go to school? 7. Do like playing sports? 8. Do you like watching sports? 9. What type of music do you like? 10. Do you watch a lot of movies? 11. Do you have a favourite movie? 12. Do you like books? 13. What book did you read in the last 6 months? 14. When was the last time you got scared? 15. Do you like animals? 16. Do you have any pets? 17. What is your favourite animal? 18. Have you ever traveled abroad? 19. What is your favourite place you have seen? 20. What is your favourite type of weather? 21. Do you like cats or dogs? 22. Do you have any hobbies? 23. Do you like art? 24. Do you like taking photos? 25. Do you play any games? 26. Do you have favourite game? 27. Are you studying or working? 28. Do you enjoy your work/studies? 29. Do you like flowers? 30. What is your favourite childhood movie? 31. If you could go anywhere, where would it be? 32. Do you like teddy bears? 33. Do you like children? 34. Do you like drawing? 35. Do you have a favourite TV series? 36. Where do you live? 37. How many people have you dated? 38. What is your favourite type of drink? 39. Do you like to go to clubs? 40. Do you like bonfires? 41. What would you say you are good at? 42. What would you really want to try in your lifetime 43. Have you ever laughed at someone while they cried? 44. Would you rather hang out with men or woman? 45. Do you have a lot of friends? 46. How many boyfriends have you had? 47. Do you like spending time alone? 48. What would you normally do in your free time? 49. Would your rather take a bath or a shower? 50. What is your worst quality? 51. What is your best quality? 52. Do you like taking care of others? 53. Do you have a big family? 54. What type of person are you in general? 55. What do you like in a woman/man? 56. Do you like people? 57. Do you like driving? 58. Where would you want to live? 59. What activities do you like to do when you go out? 60. Do you like exercise? 61. Do you get high sometimes? 62. Do you like walking? 63. Do you like getting drunk? 64. What has been the best experience in your life thus far? 65. Are you a clingy person? 66. What was your favourite toy when you where little? 67. Do you like being neat? 68. Do you get angry a lot? 69. Do you like having a routine? 70. Do you have a best friend? 71. What sweets do you like? 72. Are you a chocoholic? 73. Do you like technology? 74. Android or IOS? 75. Do you consider yourself a typical millennial? 76. Do you like social media? 77. What would you call a perfect gift? 78. Do you like going to concerts? 79. Do you like road trips? 80. Do your pets sleep with you on the bed? 81. Have you ever stayed in a hotel? 82. Have you ever done something illegal? 83. Have you ever eaten something weird? 84. Have you ever been on a beach? 85. What is your best memory with friends? 86. Do you like mysteries? 87. When did you feel most beautiful? 88. What is your favourite memory? 89. Do you sleep a lot? 90. What was your best vacation you had? 91. What are your parents names? 92. What is your pet's name? 93. Do you like shopping? 94. Do you like clothes? 95. Do you own a lot of shoes? 96. Have you ever been in love? 97. Have you ever felt crazy? 98. Sombre colours or bright colours? 99. Are you a perfectionist? 100. When did you last feel truly happy?