On Sunday the 6^th of January, the movie that has already become the highest grossing music biopic of all time – after little more than two months on the big screen – caused a major upset at the Golden Globes, winning ‘best drama film’ and ‘best actor’ for Rami Malek who portrays the iconic Freddie Mercury.

In his acceptance speech Malek thanked Queen band members Brian May and Roger Tailor, who were in attendance, for ensuring that ‘authenticity and inclusivity exist in music and in the world’; and to Freddie, who sadly left us in 1991, he had the following message: “Thank you to Freddie Mercury for giving me the joy of a lifetime. I love you, you beautiful man. This is for and because of you, gorgeous.”

Bohemian Rhapsody won the top award at the Golden Globes, Best Motion Picture – Drama, as well as the prized Best Actor award for Malek’s realistic portrayal of Mercury, from his joining the band Queen in 1970, to their spectacular Live Aid performance in 1985.

The success comes amid expectations that the film wouldn’t be well received.

Queen super fans and industry critics alike questioned the historical accuracy of the plot. But while it’s hard to cram fifteen years of the richest nuances in music history, into a two hour story line, it’s also unrealistic to expect a 100% factual big screen history lesson, when you’re celebrating one of the most entertaining people to ever grace the stage.

The makers of Bohemian Rhapsody also hit the skids a few times. Originally, Sacha Baron Cohen was appointed to the role of Freddie Mercury, but dropped out before filming started. Director Bryan Singer was fired and replaced two weeks before finishing filming, but will retain the ‘Director’ credit, as prescribed by Academy rules.

And even the LGBT media are showing resistance to accepting the film’s success, with online magazine ‘Out’ asking the question: “Is Bohemian Rhapsody, the Biggest Gay Film in History, Actually Gay?”

One thing is for sure … the film is 100% musically sound … and with that nobody differs. Queen’s masterful big progressive rock-opera sound, with Freddie Mercury’s unmistakable voice qualities, is something to behold… as they were in real life.

Music is the real winner at this year’s Golden Globes … not the secrets or the stories, or the politics of filmmaking. Who doesn’t love Freddie Mercury and Queen’s music? How many people do you know that doesn’t melt at the opportunity to hear the full six minutes of Bohemian Rhapsody? Or clap with We Will Rock You? Or sing out loud with We Are the Champions?

It’s good stuff … wonderful music that will stay with us forever. And it will always keep Freddie in our hearts.

It always shocks me when I think about how people ignore science and technology. It is literally the bedrock on which humanity’s progress is built.

While you may not see it as technology in the modern sense of the word, but just think about how the discovery of fire helped us vault forward as a species. And then it was the wheel. Think about what happened when the motor vehicle became broadly accessible to ordinary people. Suddenly you could live much further away from your place of work, or you could visit relatives living many miles away and still sleep in your own bed that night. Boats, planes, fridges, computers, disposable nappies and WiFi all came and revolutionised our daily lives. We can never again go back to the days before cell phones, ballpoint pens, elevators, or flushing toilets.

These were all great discoveries that made life a whole lot simpler and made its inventors super wealthy. But it also created other opportunities that revolutionised industries that wasn’t even thought of to begin with. In fact, one innovation can easily lead to dozens of new jobs that would never have been imagined before. Take the Internet and Facebook, for example. Sir Tim Berners-Lee was frustrated because his colleagues’ different computers couldn’t talk to each other, so he decided to write a code that would make that possible; which gave a young student, Mark Zuckerberg an idea that would allow his fellow students to connect. So he started writing the code for Facebook. Can you imagine explaining the concept of being a social media influencer, digital marketing manager, or an I.T support person to your great grand-parents? Try explaining smart phone Apps to them; or online banking; artificial intelligence or self-driving cars! If today’s jobs would confound those who lived a mere three generations ago, can you imagine how the jobs of the next 100 years are going to confuse you?

And if that isn’t frightening enough, consider something known as Moore’s Law, which accurately predicted in the 1960s that computing power would double every two years, making computers smaller and faster, but also impacted everything that relies on computers. Most science pundits now believe that Moore’s Law has been surpassed by our current speed of progress. In other words, things are moving a whole lot faster these days. And that brings me to the point I’m trying to drive home; don’t get left behind by the technological revolution that’s busy happening around us. And definitely don’t let your kids get left behind. This brave new world that’s being built is like watching a time-lapse of a skyscraper construction. It’s happening at a ridiculous speed and it’s going to impact your life, so you might as well jump on-board, and even exploit the possibilities.

Unlike previously, this Fourth Industrial Revolution comes with opportunities for everyone. Previously if you had a product, you would need to get it to people, or get customers to come to where you are. The odds of failure were fully stacked against you. Now in 2019, you have a market of billions of potential customers from all over the world, who can instantly appreciate your genius and purchase your product or service. And because the market-place is global, the prices of products have plummeted. There is almost no reason why you should not get involved, make money from it and simplify your life into the one you have always dreamed of. There isn’t an industry that is not affected by the relentless march of technology, and if there is one that’s still holding out, then I can assure you that it will eventually feel the impact.

What I’m trying to say is this: If you have been ignoring technology because it intimidates you, it’s time you get stuck into learning. Because if you don’t, you’re going to get left behind very soon.

This Youtube video will give you an idea of what tech is on the brink of taking over your life:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPXifzNHyYU

It’s been so exciting listening to all the wonderful stories of all our matriculants for the year of 2018. Many have overcome great adversity but have still managed to make it right to the end.

In the excitement however, we may forget those who have not managed to pass and what they may be going through.

It took a social media post from my colleague Bobby Brown to remind me of those students putting on a brave face but “feeling quietly dejected, panicked and even feeling worthless inside.”

Even in this dark space there is good news, and this is not the end. We are not measured by failure but by our resilience and the ability to stand up again and again no matter how many times we get knocked down.

I read this wonderful story about a young man who was in this boat thinking what his life could be but managed to turn it all around and achieve great success at the tender age of 21.

Siyakholwa Zazini failed his matric exams in 2014, but it would be the beginning of the rest of his life.

Zazini posted on his Facebook page that he was initially overcome with sadness and depression. But he picked himself up, and quite literally took flight. He aced his exams when he re-took them the following year and went on to work in a supermarket to make ends meet.

With his improved grades in tow, it wasn’t long until opportunity came knocking. He was accepted onto a flight training course and in 2018, he successfully qualified as a private pilot, at the tender age of 21.

Siya shared some salient advice via his social media page, and they’re words we can all live by:

“If you fail, always remember that you’re not the first one to fail. People before you have failed and then went back to claim victory. It’s also important to remember that athletes start their race together but finish at different times. We’re all going to make it but that all depends on our efforts… Don’t allow people to intimidate you with their criticism.”

Siya’s tips for success are inspiring stuff. Zazini has also developed a seven-point checklist for young South Africans looking to achieve their dreams. His pearls of wisdom include accepting your own mistakes, and having the ability to keep yourself in check:

• Acknowledge your mistakes.
• Ignore all the negativity.
• Self-motivation brings your best performance.
• Self-discipline helps improve decision making.
• Don’t compare yourself with others.
• Remain in your route and stay focused.
• Never let them belittle you.

Siya really is an inspiration to us all and if you are one of those students who feels you could have done better remember to shake it off, start over again and you will be sure to succeed.