I’m so relieved. This week, I have managed to get my dirty hands on a [much needed] driver’s licence. After all the blood, sweat and tears, it has come my way. My eleven months of trying to get it has finally paid off and it has been a life-changing experience.

I don’t like the traffic department. In fact just thinking about walking into a centre anywhere in the country makes me cringe. I guess you could say that this is my attempt at reviewing their behaviour and work ethic [or lack thereof]. Here in Somerset West, where I passed my licence, they have a very blunt approach to the masses that pass through their unattractive premises, day in… and day out. You expect service, but you get none. Little, if any at all. It’s no wonder that people get fed up with them. Without the licence, you are limited – socially, in finding a job, your education, and in your independence. I know the feeling… and I’m glad that those setbacks are behind me now.

It was my third attempt at this hell. My third time, and R3000 later… I got the good news. Not a cash bribe – but R3000 of which includes lessons, application fees, and processing fees. It’s the news of my life, because really that is how important this is to young people in South Africa. I don’t at all rely on public transport, how can I? I don’t risk trains here…!

And the proposed “K53″ method of driving is just plain ridiculous. It involves a series of robotic movements you have to constantly engage in… to such an extent that your eyes are off the road most of the time. I guess because it was my third attempt… I had casual driving under my belt. That was to my advantage – don’t go into this without general knowledge of the road. I became a K53 junkie, I really did. And now I will never think about that method ever again. You’d think driving was rocket science… when it actually isn’t. It’s a technique you learn but which becomes eventual second nature. Easy.

I won’t go into detail about how I managed to fail twice before I managed to nail it the third time. Recalling it depresses me. And now I can be a happy driver… and hopefully not become a culprit for road rage. Mind you – with South African taxis on the roads, it isn’t at all hard to become impatient.

All I know is…  I got me my driver’s!

Later.

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What a weekend.

Event-wise, I am completely satisfied. I had no doubts about not having a potentially CRAZY time away.

Namely, “The Village”, held in a remote, picturesque venue is just the perfect location for a wild, wild trance party. No limits, no working, no haters and just complete, ultimate psychedelic euphoria.

Needless to say, it was one amazing time.

Let me attempt to describe or paint a picture of what a trance party is. And can be.

Set outdoors, these party’s happen in Cape Town during the Spring time. When the weather warms up, the dams start to fill, the weather starts to warm up and everything starts to glow. One thousand people [perhaps a quarter hippies] escape with their tents [booze] onto a protected piece of land and a stone’s throw away is a colourful dance floor.

The Village was held at Flenterskloof Farm, about 25 minutes outside of Stellenbosch. A great group of friends, great vibes and good attitudes all make it really worthwhile.

These types of events are so well co-ordinated and props go to the organizers for selecting the perfect venue, the BEST local trance DJ talent, the best artwork, great stalls and top facilities. Even though I was inebriated for most of the one-night two-day party, these small perfections I could pick up behind my stupor. Shweet.

Now let’s not go confusing a trance party with a “rave”. Unfortunately, these party’s have attracted the likes of real youngsters.

People who suddenly have a profound interest in the “Rasta Irie Vibe Bru”, like to gatecrash these events. I’m not defaming anyone here, what I’m trying to state is that these events unfortunately go commercially mainstream. Think Vortex or Earthdance. I’d still probably go to these, but they’re way too wide scale. I suppose one could blame Facebook for something like this.

“Log into Facebook – “Ooo, 1 new event invitation!” – R.S.V.P. “Attending” – Signed, sealed and delivered!

Something like that.

I’m not being a rebel either. It’s just a  human observation. Probably my sixth sense kicking in or something. Who knows.

My babble aside, it was a party to erm… remember. I look forward to the next one!

The Village had [has] a really intimate feel to it. With not too many people, a comfortable venue and a time away from civilization… it’s a great treat. Tickets costed R130… but I ended up spending substantially more [like the insidious fool I am!]… no regrets here.

Time to revert! Dam!

Jaydogg out.

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It’s that time of the year, or rather that time of the proposed “pandemic”. It’s a time where we are literally forced into a period of fear and complete misunderstanding as to what is going on.

It’s a swine flu outbreak. Oh, not another one of those you say; just another attempt or foothold the ever-profiting pharmaceutical companies have on us, the ones who have to indirectly bow down to their dim-witted global medicine moves.

But now the panic has died down, and everything is typically the same. You see, we’re brainwashed into believing that pandemics such as these are going to kill off half the general population, when in actual fact they are treatable. Swine Flu isn’t a death sentence, though some overly-zealous human life forms believe otherwise.

While the pharmaceutical companies begin to roll out vaccines to help vaccinate us against this horrifying event, it seems heavily rushed. Well, that is because it is.

The World Health Organization has admitted to releasing the virus into the population via “mock-up” vaccines. “Fast-tracked” vaccines are vaccines which haven’t received the necessary, adequate, laboratory testing that they need in order to fully work.

In effect, the medicine is rolled out, and essentially we become the test dummies in a money-making life-threatening game of Russian Roulette.

And this happen all before our very eyes, while GlaxoSmithKline states that “Clinical trials will be limited, due to the need to provide the vaccine to governments as quickly as possible. Additional studies will therefore be required and conducted after the vaccine is made available.” More proof is shown here that they perform minimal testing of the vaccine prior to making it publicly available.

The majority of nearly all the products created will include mercury, which carries a significant health risk. Pharmaceutical companies have an iron grip on their ability to carry out these projects without any legal financial consequences. They have bulletproof policies.

More recently, a local community clinic in Boston, America, started administering flu shots to residents. Those stood in queues received bracelets printed with unique codes that “identify” and track their health. Well, you could have fooled me. Excuse my conspiring, but this is all starting to sound like a plot to cash in and profit off humanity in the most invisible manner possible.

Do we have no privacy anymore? Something like this is way off, but there are inklings of this happening within the public. This is quite disturbing as it shows that pharmaceutical companies are devising plans to make more and more money. There have been incidences of drug companies creating medicines which purposefully make you more ill as you take them, so that you have to take a heavier and longer prescription.

What it sadly boils down to is money. The drug companies want us to get sick. They want us to buy their medicine, and how can we not? It’s a part of life. Statistics say that seven-hundred-and-fifty-thousand people a year die from modern forms of medicine. Surely this isn’t right? Well, the statistics, though true, mean very little to the industry.

Remember the Bird Flu scare? Nothing ever came of that, and now we are at a time where the panic has settled. It was a panic over nothing – a panic over a virus which has a substantially lower mortality rate than your typical seasonal flu outbreak. I think I’d be afraid if the Ebola virus mutated to form some liquid nation. Now that would be dangerous.

The WHO wants to scare you with outbreak forecasts. How are we really confident of the numbers? So many are incorrectly diagnosed as many don’t see the doctor or simply do a self-assessment. The media use these numbers to frighten you (and your health), which will apparently turn into a statistic.

Personally, I think that people need to realize what is happening. Many “submit” to these courses of action and essentially over a lifetime end up paying copious amounts towards pharmacy bills. And as the saying goes: As the rich get richer, the poor get poorer.

Luckily I have a jacked-up immune system. At least I know about these facts, and I am grateful of the knowledge I have in this subject. The next time you go to your doctor for what could well be a Swine Flu inoculation, think twice – unless you want to become the subject of a bio weapon experiment.

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Alex Marsh is now a  resident of Vredehoek, Cape Town.

He’s chosen a life in the Mother City and life in London for a few months of every year. Currently in a slick apartment on the slopes of Table Mountain, his boost will be the World Cup come next year.

Alex specialises in providing 360° videos to clients in various market sectors around the world. It is in rather high demand as it is a fantastic new form of advertising and marketing, particularly for the internet division.

This unique and interesting profession branches into a variety of sectors including the security, web advertising, reconnaissance and in exhibition work.

For the industry, there have been many challenges which have become a hindrance, particularly in travel and tourism.

“The economy is slow and budgets have been cut back considerably for 2009.”Alex told me. “As the economic crisis hit the West so hard, as a result, tourism has been on the decline in Cape Town, and numbers have dwindled.”

But Alex remains optimistic about the coming summer months. He adds that the winter weather is “dreadful” but confidently assures me that “summer in Cape Town allows for possibly the best outdoor filming anywhere in the world.”

Add onto that the addition of the World Cup, hopes are that the economy will stabilise, more than what people will predict.

I am quite fascinated. Mind you, I think that this type of camera work is revolutionary when it comes to the current generation of imagery we have in South Africa. These types of filming have been seen more recently in one of Google’s projects to create Street View for all of its existing maps. Just two days ago I saw a car with one hot-looking camera mounted on the roof-racks… the car was Google-branded.

With the implementation of this in a city such as Cape Town – there is a high demand for some new form of film technology. If we’re ever to advance technologically… I think that it is moves such as these that will effectively move us out of the “African Age” once and for all. In all honesty I feel that I am a first-world citizen reluctantly living in a third-world establishment. It’s time for change.

Check out Zippy’s offiical 360 Filming website here

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To our readers, hello and welcome.

Welcome to an alternatively-driven website, where you can expect to be in the know about almost anything and everything concerning you. Our hopes are that this very blog will be a cornerstone for you. Not just an information outlet, but an area of participation, where you can get involved… submit what you want, when you want.

Expozed.co.za is about evoking the senses… now, excuse the cliche, but this is a domain for you to voice your likes and dislikes. For you to blurt about how much of a bad day you’ve had, or how much of a good day for that matter. Who, what, when, where and why. Find answers to questions you have, learn about the classy and not-so-classy attractions in your area.

Me, I am based in Cape Town, or the “Mother City” as they (whoever that is) call it. Yes, I could tell you about all the tourist-driven, rip-off attractions around where I live, but if one were to  suss out the fineprint… as in explore, be adventurous and chuck out the mapbook or GPS for the duration of your stay… then you could be doing something you won’t regret. Cape Town is loaded with incredibly under-rated hideouts, which are unfortunately overshadowed by more over-rated attractions for example… – cough – … let’s just say Nelson’s ol’ den. ‘Nuff said.

I look forward to making a worthy contribution to the millions out there. The ball will be rolling, and hopefully quickly. For now, this is my mode of voice, to you, the prospective reader.

Blog out!

Peace & Respect

Jason

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