There's patriotism in them thar air kisses

Some people think I glitz around blowing air kisses at celebrities for a living, but I am proud to announce that my social calendar this week included two events of national interest.

First up was the South African leg of the 100-day countdown to the 2012 Olympics, starting on July 27 in London. Pretoria was the first city to mark the countdown, and the next day it was New York's turn.

Guests hopped onto the Gautrain at Sandton on Tuesday afternoon and were met at Hatfield station in Pretoria before we headed off to the High Performance Centre at the University of Pretoria.

Champion athlete Oscar Pistorius, global brand ambassador for the Oakley sports brand , was the host, looking sexy in jeans, a T- shirt and funky glasses.

We were given an exclusive screening of his upcoming TV commercial for the brand, which shows off the eye-catching tattoo on his left shoulder. Apparently it's a verse from 1 Corinthians 9:8 that begins, "I do not run like a man running aimlessly ..." How divine.

He also gave us a glimpse of his mostly meat-free diet. Everyday he drinks a vegetable shake that, he said, tastes like mud, and he and his housemate plough through 8kg of nuts every week for energy.

''Our goal as athletes is to perform in a way that is beyond belief. People must be left speechless and be unable to understand how we do it," said Pistorius. The LiquidChef barmen were in attendance, so you can imagine how awesome the afternoon turned out to be.

Marathon runner René Kalmer, who was leaving that evening for London to run today's London Marathon, said she trains seven times a week for more that five hours. I asked her if she was married or in a relationship. She said no. I rest my case.

In bed with Mrs Fish

THE next day I went for an early breakfast at Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate near OR Tambo airport, for the launch of PSARU - People Search and Rescue Unit, a dedicated 24/7 helpline.

I was very heartbroken to learn that every six hours a child goes missing in South Africa, that 20% of them are never found, and that human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal enterprise worldwide.

Alarmingly, South Africa is rated fifth on the global human-trafficking scale.

The gorgeous ex- Binnelanders actor Hykie Berg was there, as were South African rock band The Parlotones and Mark Fish's ex-wife, Loui Fish.

Fish, wearing a two-carat platinum engagement ring from her Polish businessman beau Bartosz, was accompanied by her future mother in-law, Dorothy Rachwaska.

Her usual bubbly self, Fish said her soon-to-be-launched linen range was named In Bed with Loui Fish.

She will also be launching a book in July. She assured me that her ex-husband, the former Bafana Bafana player, will not have to leave town after the launch: "It's really nothing the public doesn't know. It's fun, juicy and a few sad things."

Snacking

After that I was off to Montecasino in Fourways, Johannesburg, for the launch of Tsogo Sun's new logo - they have rebranded all their hotels - where Bulgarian violinist Elena Zlatkava entertained us on arrival.

Guests included delectable soccer legend Lucas Radebe, socialite Jen Su, Rosie Motene and Masterchef SA judge Benny Masekwameng, who should start looking into hiring a personal trainer to keep the kilojoules down for the red carpet.

Media guru Jeremy Maggs grilled the Tsogo Sun bosses on their re-branding and whether it will improve their services.

Most guests paid more attention to the food - including irresistible canapés of parma ham, fig and trout caviar; oysters with chilli jellies; chicken and wild mushroom tortellini - than the formalities.

I did reluctantly blow some kisses across the room. What could I do? Jen Su was there.