Caught in a trap

"We're caught in a trap, I can't move out..." - the famous words from a song by the King of Rock, Elvis Presley many years ago. Recently, this line was playing over and over in my head during a power-struggle with a friend.

To backtrack, this friend was there during a time when I needed someone. I accepted his help and appreciated it very much. My loyalty was undivided and unwavering.

So the master-slave relationship was born. Out of a once off acceptance of help, came a hold that was unbreakable.

I have since done everything from my side: I supported, I listened, I cried, I helped, I thanked, I cared... I even gave financial support to this friend, who is much better off financially than me. There was never a word of thanks or any acknowledgement of him noticing of appreciating what I did for him.

Eventually this situation started causing a lot of problems with family and friends as well as professionally. The 'relationship' started becoming taxing, it cost me money and jeopardised valuable relationships. I tried to end it many times, but my this man woudn't budge.

Eventually, a situation arised and although he was aware of the situation, he didn't offer assistance, although he was in a prime position to do so. I was not going to ask... but finally I realised that this was my out!

I ended the relationship and with that, dropped the weight of the world off my shoulders. I thought I'd miss this friendship, but I am not.

Sadly, sometimes a friendship is not all it seems. You may be over-invested in a relationship and the true elements of a friendship may be missing.

The perils of plastic

It comes in different colours and it's great when it's all yours...

Money is great, when you don't need to spend it. Everyone wants it, some will kill and lie for it. Some call it the root of all evil and some say that it makes the world go round. Truth is that money is everything - you need money for everything in life. Money buys food, money buys comfort and money buys luxuries.

With fraud at the order of the day, spending money has become increasingly complicated. You need your ID book to draw money from the bank and you need to do your damndest to hang onto it amidst crime and inflation. Drawing money from the ATM costs a lot of money - just add up the charges on your cash withdrawals and you'll see.

Hence, my payment method of choice is debit or credit cards. Sure, that comes with all the credit laws and all it's own disadvantages - but it's so much easier to use. What surprises me is the fact that some outlets still don't use it. Take for example my hairdresser - the most popular in the area and their prices are excellent, but they don't take card.

I usually have a haircut only as I have a natural perm and I'm blonde - there's just no room for improvement! Alas, a woman will always be a woman and never happy with her looks. I am sure that if I could pay by card, I would've been more inclined to find a reason to do unnecessary treatments at the hairdresser.

It's so much harder to spend cash. You actually have to hand over a number of notes, whereas with a credit / debit card, you only have to hand over one item and you get it back when the transaction is finalised!