Category: Thinking Out Loud

  • Everyone has lost their tastebuds

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    by

    phumzile qwaqwa
    in

    When I was 15, I did something stupid.The irony is, I thought I was being smart. I was in Grade 10, and we often had to write essays for different subjects. One day, our Life Sciences teacher gave us an assignment: The Effects of Deforestation. Because it had the furthest deadline, I told myself I’d…

  • How to have original ideas

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    by

    phumzile qwaqwa
    in

    If you’ve been around computers long enough you might have heard the term “bug” – a flaw or error in a software program that causes it to behave unexpectedly. There are debates over who coined it. Some credit Thomas Edison in an 1878 letter. Others credit Grace Hopper, the American computer scientist and mathematician, who…

  • The worry isn’t AI – it’s kids not learning how to think.

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    by

    phumzile qwaqwa
    in

    In primary school, we were subjected to the torture of writing essays on our first day back from the holidays. It was torture because the essays were in Afrikaans and I wasn’t a big fan of the subject.. mostly because I sucked at it. So writing a full one-page opstel (“composition”) was never fun for…

  • Nothing Will Free You Like Being Yourself

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    by

    phumzile qwaqwa
    in

    It’s interesting how most people – myself included – avoid thinking about their own death. Understandably, it’s a dark topic that can drain the mood in any room. Growing up in the village, elders would scold you for mentioning death: “Suthetha ngokufa uyahlola” (Stop talking about death; you’re speaking it into existence). And like the…

  • Don’t Sit Too Close to the TV: You’ll Go Blind

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    by

    phumzile qwaqwa
    in

    The first TV I remember at home was a small, black-and-white Japanese set, about 11 inches wide. I still can’t believe black-and-white TVs and chunky phones with aerials existed in my lifetime, even though I’m still fairly young. It’s amazing how quickly time has moved, and how vivid those memories remain. That little TV had…

  • Rizz 101 for My Unborn Son

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    by

    phumzile qwaqwa
    in

    At the time of writing this, it’s 2025… and the dating pool? It’s less pool, more like a sewage dam. Women are making money twerking on an app called “OnlyFans” and calling themselves “influencers.” I still don’t know what they’re influencing, son, but that’s the job title. Twerking, by the way, is basically dancing with…

  • These Are the Good Ol’ Days

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    by

    phumzile qwaqwa
    in ,

    At the time of writing this, I have exactly 9 years and 4 months’ experience as a twenty-something-year-old. Which means I’m left with exactly 8 months before entering a new decade – my 30s. Like any other birthday, I know nothing will magically change when I reach that age. Sure, I might gain a fresher…

  • Never Let Your Child Spirit Die

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    by

    phumzile qwaqwa
    in

    A Personal Essay on Having Fun, Being Weird, and Doing Things Just Because Before I attended one of those “English medium” schools, as they called them, I was already convinced I could speak English. This was obviously a lie, but in my head, I really believed I could. After all, I’d written English raps and…

  • I’m Shy… But No One Cares Anymore!

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    by

    phumzile qwaqwa
    in

    When I was in Grade 5, I liked this girl. Big eyes, long hair, skin dark like a model, and a smile that could melt even the grumpiest person’s mood. Her name was Gcina. I’d write her surname too, but I’ll leave it out… just in case she ever stumbles on this one day. Looking…