When I was still working from my home office in Gardens, I used to ogle my neighbour’s Audi A3 and dream of the day when I would own one.

Not long after, Parri and I started car shopping and researched everything from Ford Fiestas to C3′s. On a whim (yeah right), my car fanatic husband-to-be took me to the Audi dealership “to have a look”. Needless to say I fell hopelessly in love with the Audi A3 Sportback and promptly traded in my 1989 1.8 Citi Golf.

It’s now four years on and my hopelessly extravagant, yet never ending pleasure generating bullet is still lovingly caressed each time I slide behind the steering wheel. (I do the same with my Mac. Each time I open it, it gets a little pat of affection thanking it for being perfect, beautiful and for delivering 5+ hours of battery life.)

So when Joe suggested an Audi MVP day, I willingly volunteered my time and even offered to hang on to the back tyre if space was limited.

Some of you may remember by Tweet asking Audi drivers to put their hands up. I sent this list to the newly formed organising committee (Joe and the fabulous Chris Rawlinson) and sat back. As always, the boys delivered. Before I knew it they had Audi Centre Cape Town on board and a full out-ride had been planned.

My highlights:

• Driving the Q5, A5, TT Roadster and the new A4.
• Driving them responsibly. (*ahem splutter splutter*)
• Finally going to The Toad at Noordhoek Village.
• The boot closing button on the Q5.
• The clear, sunny, winter’s day – perfect for driving a TT.
• Having Joe as my driving partner. With him in the car I could sing as loudly as I liked.
• Dicing Gaby down Beach Road with her behind the wheel of an R8 and Joe driving the TT. My life, she did flash before my eyes.
• Getting slightly tipsy on Haute Cabrierre Chardonnay Pinot Noir on a Friday afternoon.
• My neighbour’s sms when he spotted me in a black top down number.

The verdict, I think a Q5 for weekends and a TT for the day-to-day commute should do just fine.

A big thanks to Wernich and his team at Audi Centre Cape Town for an unforgettable day.

Anyway, I’m not into seeding votes for personal gain so will only mention this nomination once, but considering the prizes are cool, do vote if you feel so inclined:

http://www.sablogawards.com/2009/

Ta.

Cath's ultimate happiness state.

I’m in love with Cape Town – it’s an alive, magical city filled with treasures and surprises that never cease to amaze me.

As opposed to looking from the inside out – catching only sidelong glances of blurred images depicting what is really important – I have attempted to view my cosmos from the other direction. The epiphany came when I realised I only have to be where I want to be when I want to be there, and that by being somewhere where you don’t want to be, or where you are not adding value, is being untruthful.

This holds true on many levels.

Based on a poignant comment Martin made on this blog a while back, I’ve decided that it’s about spending less time trying to be everything to everyone and more about enjoying quality time and creating meaningful experiences.

That said, I have already failed. Just last night I spent time at Asoka with some incredible people, only to leave when the going got good because I had committed to being somewhere else at the last minute. Despite the fact the the next engagement was fun and I’m truly glad I went, I realise that I inadvertently cheated myself out of a meaningful experience because I still have not learnt the art of saying ‘no’ and knowing that it’s OK to do so. As a result I try to squeeze in 140 characters here and another 140 there and never really touch on the fundamentals – the things that matter.

Lesson learnt. (And I am sure I will learn it a few times more.)

Brain dump:

• I absolutely love spring. Always have, always will. Blossoms, bright green leaves, longer days, clean crisp air, a general feeling of well being and excitement all round…I love it.
• Getting to know the ropes has been an interesting experience.
• Realisation: if you play with fire, expect to get burnt (and always have a fire extinguisher handy)
• Art class has been fun and I look forward to completing my first oil painting next week. I have a couple of projects on the go, but this one will be the first to see a wall other than that of the studio.
• Mia, Joe’s kid, is adorable. I hope my kids are half as cool one day.
• Never underestimate the self-centeredness of others and don’t let it get to you. Rather, treat it as a reality check.
• I suck at remembering names. I really, really need to work on that.
• The RTD Red Bull RADAR Project has launched better than even I could have imagined and I am so excited I can pop. A million thank you’s to Speakerbox and to the guys at Blueworld for making it happen. Over 25 bands have entered in less than a week and there are over 6000 votes!
• It was really good to meet Bradley Voges this week and to connect with Foxinni (sorry it took me so long to connect the dots), Allan Kent, Justin Hartman and Mike Stopforth albeit brief. (Yes Justin, I will attempt to blog more.)
• Celebrity exists – leaving without saying good bye in an attempt to avoid having to say that you don’t really want to be there for whatever reason – will become more common and if they are viewed as selfish, so-be-it.

I’m off to Robynn’s bday party and tomorrow it’s Sowing the Seeds (for Rocking the Daisies). I hope to see some of you there.

PS: Never tell a bunch of bloggers that they are pathetic. Not even when they are sitting outside in the biting cold, separate from the rest of the group, perpetuating the notion that they are elitist

XXX

There are some really exciting projects in the pipeline including a Red Bull Speakerbox New Talent competition, limited edition RTD recycled jeans, RTD Butlers Pizza, a Sowing the Seeds party and more. The RTD blog comp also seems to be picking up speed, despite my rambling presentation at the 27Dinner. For the record, I hate public speaking.

Other exciting and random things that have happened lately:

• Was featured on the first Rex the Lion video – creepy
• Celebrated my 27th birthday, in conjunction with Joe at Asoka on Friday. The most amazing people pitched (I feel loved) and I was spoilt rotten (always fun). The hangover on Saturday was a killer though and reminded me why I’ve calmed down on the drinking of late.
• Been a week of family with Anton, Jacques and Rebecca (Jacques’s wife) all here at once. Anton has subsequently left, but Jacques and Rebecca are still here and we are off to the Planet Bar and Saigon tonight. Nice to spend time with them. Reminds me how much I miss my family when they are in the UK.
• Must…go…to…gym… Been working till 8 most evenings and am starting to feel the strain (or is that the bulge?).
• The MANGO-OMC wiki is almost complete. I’m really in love with this project and look forward to seeing how clients, suppliers and media interface with it. Have a feeling it’s going to change the way we do business…
• Ordered an 3G iPhone through Vodacom. Hope I get it as these guys can’t be trusted.

OK, back to work.