I learnt a very important lesson this past week, primarily through my extensive karate course that the karate organization I belong to ran, and also through the stresses and challenges that a typical week at my high school offers.

Many times in life we’re always seeking to push the limit, and continuously put ourselves in the spotlight particularly because it’s to look good. We’re caught up in the rat race of modern civilization, our minds a swirling mess due to the influences modern media possesses.

Now you might think this last statement strange, considering that I am such a proponent of the Internet and Web 2.0. But sometimes we need to understand something about ourselves that I think is so drastically overlooked 90% of the time.

It’s a simply thing called your limit.

An abstract concept, yes, but it has solid groundings in who you are as a person, and how you perceive yourself to be. A strong ego in some of us can really influence this, and so too can small things like over-confidence. And so the important lesson I learnt this week was that we must understand ourselves on a deeper level, to the extent that we can establish our limit.

By knowing your limit, you know when and how to react to a situation. For example, I chose not to participate in a major upcoming competition due to the fact that I haven’t been training properly for it. This was due to the fact that I have indeed been very busy with other work lately, and haven’t managed to channel the right amount of time. Perhaps this also alludes to the management of a proper schedule that we must ensure be kept, but the main thing is that you know your limit.

It can also be transcended into writing, and technology. Companies need to know to what extent they can push the design and architecture of a product before they need to move on. Case in point: Microsoft. Windows Mobile is an ageing operating system – something that can clearly not compete with the upstarts from Apple, Google and BlackBerry. So, the Redmond giant decided to revamp it into Windows Phone 7 OS (confusing name, but a drastic improvement over its predecessor). They understood its limit.

And so when next you too get a fragment of time in this cacophony of chaos that we all live in, perhaps take the time to understand to what extent you can push yourself before you realise that you should step down. It can uphold your dignity and show the calibre of person that you are.

It has been months. And a lot has happened. But finally, I am really happy to write that I have now returned to the sanctuary that is Life in Pixels — one of the few constants that I can look forward to in my otherwise way-too-busy life.

First off, the Euro Tour. So I went on a cultural and history tour of quite a few cities in Europe back in the beginning of June. And it was amazing! I will write more about this in later posts, as I am currently involved in a few exciting (albeit extremely hectic) things.

Which brings me to my next aspect: you may have noticed that Life in Pixels was under a bit of change over the past few weeks. I’ve been campaigning for a leadership opportunity at school, something I’ve been looking forward to before I even set foot in Crawford College, and I decided that, to add a new angle on the campaigning I should take mine online. So I did a minor overhaul of the site to suit the requirements of my campaign, and I do hope the results are positive. Today was the voting, and after this there isn’t much that can be done in terms of getting votes; I sincerely hope, however, that I do get elected. I’ve got a cauldron of ideas (that metaphor never gets old, does it? ;)) that I’m really excited to implement.

So, moving on. School is crazy as usual, and this term has some exciting projects in store. Prime amongst those is my Grade 11 movie project, which is going really well. I can’t say much about this as yet (a mutual agreement between my friend Bryan and I), but we’re well into the story  (in fact, the screenplay is almost finished — just got the last scene or two to write now).

Then there’s my writing. Regular readers will know how much I love this. Yet there doesn’t seem to be much time for it anymore! I haven’t worked on my manuscript in quite some time, and I can’t wait to get a chance to work on it again. But in the mean time, I’ve decided to do something interesting. Now usually, I write my short stories on computer, with very little planning done on paper. But this time round, for my next short story, I’ve decided to put my Moleskine notebook to good use. I’m writing the entire thing on paper, and will then type it in digital format. I do intend to publish it on the blog once it’s done. It’s just a little experiment I’ve decided to undertake to take the monotony out of what my life is like right now.

I’m really glad to finally get back to the blog, and as usual, I do hope to post as often as possible.

I spend quite a lot of time writing about social media, and giving my two cents’ worth on what the latest technologies from Silicon Valley mean for the rest of us, that its quite refreshing to watch a video like the one below, which sums-up quite nicely what the whole social revolution is all about. Enjoy!

This past week, if ever, has been a blur. One moment, I was entering the Elizabeth Sneddon theatre to watch Monkey Nuts, and the next, I’m here, at the end of yet another busy week, completely brain-frizzled.

Mid-year exams are fast approaching; in fact, my Drama prac exam is this Tuesday, and so it’s once again back in the acting mode, this time for marks.

My writing is starting to take a small step into the back seat with each second nearer to the big exams. However, one last exciting bit before I press pause on the word pressing, is a really cool piece I’m working on for Byte Lounge. It’s a review piece for a new South African startup, but at this stage that’s all I can say. Watch the blog or follow me on Twitter to find out when it’s posted.

What really struck me this week is how fast life moves. Besides this coming week being the final approach to June exams, it also marks only three weeks until I leave for a two-week long tour of Europe. So there is light at the end of the tunnel! But this speed of life is starting to get to me. Society is increasingly becoming faster, in its needs and wants.

Take the recent Google I/O event that was held this week. The company released a plethora of new services aimed at taking down Apple, a once long-time best friend. There’s serious animosity spreading throughout Silicon Valley; Apple vs Adobe and Google. At the end of the day, this hate is throttling innovation, and at the rate our lives are moving, it’s a sad prospect.

Now, if ever, we need to put our differences aside for the sake of progress. Sure, competition is great. But only if it’s healthy, and the way brands once so respected like Apple are now doing business, we’re not treading that road.

Anyway, coming back to the smaller world of my own life, the end of one week and the beginning of another brings with it new challenges, more sleep-deprived nights and lots of hard work.

Bring it on.

I just watched the hilarious and brilliant one-man play, Monkey Nuts, at UKZN’s Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre. It’s performed by genius actor Matthew Ribnick, written by Geraldine Naidoo — yes, the same duo that brought us The Chilli Boy and Hoot, another two comedic plays that have a take on the lives of South Africans living in our new, free society.

Once again, Ribnick proved his theatrical brilliance in performing over 20 distinct characters, each with their own accents and idiosyncrasies. His acting has now been accentuated by his fun takes on singing and dancing; put together, it was a rip-roaring theatrical experience.

And this made me realise: the theatre is a magical place. To echo my Drama teacher’s words before we performed in the opening night of What the Dickens? last week, what happens on stage is magical; it’s something that may never again happen. In films and adverts, actors can do multiple takes to get the perfect shot. In theatre, there is only one shot, and the audience is watching your every move, unlike in film shooting, where the audience has yet to see what you’re to present.

But with the rise of home entertainment and social media, the question I’m finding that’s floating through my mind often is whether the time for the theatre is up. And I strongly feel that it certainly is not. The theatre is here to stay; it’s what instigated the desire for people to be entertained; to be elevated from the mundaneness of their lives and transformed into a world of intrigue and wonder.

Sure, films and YouTube are great; I’m a huge fan of both. That’s the entertainment of the 21st century. But the thing is that the theatre is still the centre of magic in the entertainment field. Hardly does a person feel that particular sense of excitement before the curtains rise to reveal the stage beyond it, when seated before the screen flashes to life in a cinema. The theatre has within it a sense of charm that no other house of art can emulate or mimic.

And that’s why I will always relish the opportunity to go and watch a play. Because of the rarity of this art form. And I feel that more people should also discover the theatre – especially the younger generations. The support of art is an integral part of our society; in fact, in Ancient Greece, it was compulsory for citizens to attend plays put on by the titans of the dramatic texts — the likes of Sophocles and Euripides.

So go out and watch a play. Be inspired. Laugh. Enjoy every minute of being within the theatre. Because this form of art is unique; what you see on stage will never again occur.