Life is not without its little ironies. For example yesterday evening I attended Wakame’s Summer relaunch. However, as luck would have it; the 100 year storm hit our shores and it happened to be the frostiest evening in ages. Besides the un-timely weather the evening was a huge success with plenty of free food and drink to go around. I was particularly impressed when sampling some of the new sushi rolls on the menu and also had the opportunity to try out some of the new varieties of Dim Sum (although I was slightly reluctant to – as I’ve been burnt by Dim Sum before).
The winds from this storm have been devastating, sign posts have blown off, billboards have fallen and trees have been blown over. This morning, while at the gym; I also noticed that there were a lot more people than usual for a Sunday. I then overheard that it was because part of the roof at the Point gym had blown off, so people had decided to migrate to the one in Gardens.
Later, I decided to drive past the Green Point promenade, as I heard that the waves had been ridiculously big. Being a surfer, I’m always curious and decided to go check it out. All I can say is that I have never in my life seen the sea this rough and out of control. It was so hectic that the waves were breaking over the railings and the foam from the breaking waves was being blown onto the middle of the main road.
With Spring a day away, this is seriously unexpected. I guess sometimes expectations and plans are marred and you have to make the most of every situation. Kind of the same way Wakame did by just holding their opening despite harsh conditions. Anyways, tomorrow is the start of a new day, so good night and thanks for all the fish.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Coffee Club
I’ve been thinking…I know, I know…that’s pretty unusual isn’t it? Well what happened was, I woke up really early this morning at about 3am. I felt really parched, decided to stop by the 24 hour Woolies on Orange Street to pick up an Orange juice and went for a bit of a drive to clear my head.
What I noticed at the 24 hour store, at that late hour, was that there was a group of people trying to talk AT each other. I’m not sure if they were trying to impress, but I got this feeling that none of them were actually listening to each other and each person just wanted to land the last word in each sentence.
On the drive, I began thinking that people these days tend to talk AT each other rather than talk TO each other. The biggest difference between these two types of communication is that in the latter; one actually listens, digests the others ramblings and responds with an appropriate thought-about response.
That’s perhaps why I love our coffee club so much. Coffee Club was held at Loading Bay this morning, and what I’m really beginning to appreciate about our little meets are that there are all types of people from all different walks of life in different professions who just get together, socialise and enjoy each others company. And best of all it seems that people actually communicate and listen to one another.
Being selfish and egotistical I have a penchant of calling it MY coffee club, but to be honest it hasn’t been MY coffee club…well since ever…except when I was in Joburg and had all these meetings with myself. I get the sense that the coffee club is really starting to develop its own identity and become a special social event for many people at the beginning of every weekend.
What I noticed at the 24 hour store, at that late hour, was that there was a group of people trying to talk AT each other. I’m not sure if they were trying to impress, but I got this feeling that none of them were actually listening to each other and each person just wanted to land the last word in each sentence.
On the drive, I began thinking that people these days tend to talk AT each other rather than talk TO each other. The biggest difference between these two types of communication is that in the latter; one actually listens, digests the others ramblings and responds with an appropriate thought-about response.
That’s perhaps why I love our coffee club so much. Coffee Club was held at Loading Bay this morning, and what I’m really beginning to appreciate about our little meets are that there are all types of people from all different walks of life in different professions who just get together, socialise and enjoy each others company. And best of all it seems that people actually communicate and listen to one another.
Being selfish and egotistical I have a penchant of calling it MY coffee club, but to be honest it hasn’t been MY coffee club…well since ever…except when I was in Joburg and had all these meetings with myself. I get the sense that the coffee club is really starting to develop its own identity and become a special social event for many people at the beginning of every weekend.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Taking it Easy
Sometimes I like to just to sit around and vegetate. All I really want to do right now is kick back, relax watch something on the “idiot box”, order in some take out and sit there like a mindless, thoughtless muppet.
My excuse to lay low is also because I’m feeling slightly run down from the lack of sleep and sustenance I’ve been experiencing as of late. So I shan’t be seizing anything, least of all the day, lest it be the remote control or another slice of pizza…besides it's night time and isn’t really applicable in any case…”Seize the Day” who came up with that saying anyway? What about the night? Everyone who’s anyone knows that all the real action goes down, when the sun sets. Why didn’t they rather say “Seize the Night?”
Of course, the smarter thing to say would probably be “Seize the Moment” because then it would be applicable to any time. Perhaps I’m just being ridiculous and it’s just a matter of semantics, whatever the case...my brain is about to switch off.
My excuse to lay low is also because I’m feeling slightly run down from the lack of sleep and sustenance I’ve been experiencing as of late. So I shan’t be seizing anything, least of all the day, lest it be the remote control or another slice of pizza…besides it's night time and isn’t really applicable in any case…”Seize the Day” who came up with that saying anyway? What about the night? Everyone who’s anyone knows that all the real action goes down, when the sun sets. Why didn’t they rather say “Seize the Night?”
Of course, the smarter thing to say would probably be “Seize the Moment” because then it would be applicable to any time. Perhaps I’m just being ridiculous and it’s just a matter of semantics, whatever the case...my brain is about to switch off.
Love Devine
It’s been a long emotional day. But it’s been a good day. I woke up and received a message on my phone from my dear friend Jackie, who wanted to wish me some support for La’s funeral which was to take place later in the day.
Sadly, Jackie knows more about loss than anyone; having lost both a father and a brother in recent times, and I really thank her for her kind words of encouragement. She wrote a message to send me strength and warned me that the funeral would be emotional, but that it was good; and that it would bring about some peace a sense of closure.
I worked half a day today, and on my way home to get ready for the funeral I played a song by my other brother, Bryan’s band, the Finkelstiens called “Today”. As the words “Lift your head you’ll find your way, grit your teeth you’ll make it through today” resonated I felt some much needed courage coursing through my system.
The church, as suspected, was too small to cater for La’s memorial service; but then again, was there any ever doubt that it would be big enough? Friends came from far and wide to pay their respects and to show the Devine family their support, our friend Stef even travelled all the way back from NYC to do this. God, it was good to see her.
After the service finished, we moved on to La’s aunt’s house to see Ally, Gary, Mich and the rest of the family. One minute of meeting the Devine family and you start to understand where La’s qualities come from, with her sister equally as talented, loving and carin;, it is obvious that it is the environment that Ali and Gary have provided to produce, not one, but two spectacular women.
The mood lightened with some friends meeting up at Caprice to celebrate La’s life and it is evident to me now that La doesn’t just attract people…she attracts great people. Even after she’s gone, she still seems to bless us and has given all her loved ones the opportunity to unite.
At the end of this day, I am comforted by the fact that she is in a better place. I am really tired now - Jackie was right - I think that it was good for all the emotions to come out. Perhaps tonight I may finally get a restful night of sleep. Rest in Peace, beautiful Ms Devine.
Sadly, Jackie knows more about loss than anyone; having lost both a father and a brother in recent times, and I really thank her for her kind words of encouragement. She wrote a message to send me strength and warned me that the funeral would be emotional, but that it was good; and that it would bring about some peace a sense of closure.
I worked half a day today, and on my way home to get ready for the funeral I played a song by my other brother, Bryan’s band, the Finkelstiens called “Today”. As the words “Lift your head you’ll find your way, grit your teeth you’ll make it through today” resonated I felt some much needed courage coursing through my system.
The church, as suspected, was too small to cater for La’s memorial service; but then again, was there any ever doubt that it would be big enough? Friends came from far and wide to pay their respects and to show the Devine family their support, our friend Stef even travelled all the way back from NYC to do this. God, it was good to see her.
After the service finished, we moved on to La’s aunt’s house to see Ally, Gary, Mich and the rest of the family. One minute of meeting the Devine family and you start to understand where La’s qualities come from, with her sister equally as talented, loving and carin;, it is obvious that it is the environment that Ali and Gary have provided to produce, not one, but two spectacular women.
The mood lightened with some friends meeting up at Caprice to celebrate La’s life and it is evident to me now that La doesn’t just attract people…she attracts great people. Even after she’s gone, she still seems to bless us and has given all her loved ones the opportunity to unite.
At the end of this day, I am comforted by the fact that she is in a better place. I am really tired now - Jackie was right - I think that it was good for all the emotions to come out. Perhaps tonight I may finally get a restful night of sleep. Rest in Peace, beautiful Ms Devine.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Good Memories
It's official there isn't a square centimeter in this town that you can go without meeting someone who doesn't know Lauren Devine.
I found out someone in my office is also connected to her, and earlier, when I went to get my haircut for the funeral tomorrow (I needed to tidy up a bit to look some what respectful, as I was starting to look like the delinquent I actually am) I haphazardly bumped into a bunch of other folks who also know her. I can't remember who it was that said it, but whoever he or she was, was right. There isn't a church big enough in Cape Town that would be able to cater for La's friends.
Be it have been a long or short period that you knew her, she left her mark and made you feel like the most important person in the world. Things have been getting a little easier (relatively at least) for me and instead of focusing on what has happened, I've been focusing on the good times that we've shared - to be honest I think she wants it this way. I was so happy to find out, last night, when I visited one of her very close friends, Caz, that La had visited Charlies Bakery and had bought some cupcakes for her birthday there. We drove past Charlies about a week ago and when La saw the place she wondered if it was worth the effort to visit. I insisted that she should go, because they had the most phenominal cakes...I'm just glad that someone listened and took my advice for a change - generally most people look at me as if I'm daft.
When I was living up in Johannesburg, I missed the coffee club I had going in Cape Town so much, that I decided to try get one started up there as well. La was living up there at the time too and was the only other person besides me who ever attended. I hated living there and when ever I complained about it, it was to her. She obviously prefered Cape Town more as well and thats why she probably moved back down to Cape Town. But In true Devine style; she put a positive spin on it and convinced me that it wasn't all bad. She would always tell me that at least we had the Vida at 24 Central and the Tasha's - which I do admit now that I really miss and would probably hop on a plan to Joburg for, just to grab one of their cappucino's and breakfasts. She has this amazing ability to make the best of every situation...
My brother and I had dinner with some amazing friends this evening. It was awesome to catch up with Georgina and Andrew. We actually met La originally through Georgie a few years back and it was great to spend the eveing sharing some good memories with each other. I've come to realize that everyone mourns differently. I guess I really find comfort in writing about her and trying to convey what a wonderful person she is and to celebrate how positively she lived.
I found out someone in my office is also connected to her, and earlier, when I went to get my haircut for the funeral tomorrow (I needed to tidy up a bit to look some what respectful, as I was starting to look like the delinquent I actually am) I haphazardly bumped into a bunch of other folks who also know her. I can't remember who it was that said it, but whoever he or she was, was right. There isn't a church big enough in Cape Town that would be able to cater for La's friends.
Be it have been a long or short period that you knew her, she left her mark and made you feel like the most important person in the world. Things have been getting a little easier (relatively at least) for me and instead of focusing on what has happened, I've been focusing on the good times that we've shared - to be honest I think she wants it this way. I was so happy to find out, last night, when I visited one of her very close friends, Caz, that La had visited Charlies Bakery and had bought some cupcakes for her birthday there. We drove past Charlies about a week ago and when La saw the place she wondered if it was worth the effort to visit. I insisted that she should go, because they had the most phenominal cakes...I'm just glad that someone listened and took my advice for a change - generally most people look at me as if I'm daft.
When I was living up in Johannesburg, I missed the coffee club I had going in Cape Town so much, that I decided to try get one started up there as well. La was living up there at the time too and was the only other person besides me who ever attended. I hated living there and when ever I complained about it, it was to her. She obviously prefered Cape Town more as well and thats why she probably moved back down to Cape Town. But In true Devine style; she put a positive spin on it and convinced me that it wasn't all bad. She would always tell me that at least we had the Vida at 24 Central and the Tasha's - which I do admit now that I really miss and would probably hop on a plan to Joburg for, just to grab one of their cappucino's and breakfasts. She has this amazing ability to make the best of every situation...
My brother and I had dinner with some amazing friends this evening. It was awesome to catch up with Georgina and Andrew. We actually met La originally through Georgie a few years back and it was great to spend the eveing sharing some good memories with each other. I've come to realize that everyone mourns differently. I guess I really find comfort in writing about her and trying to convey what a wonderful person she is and to celebrate how positively she lived.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Take Care
Unfortunately I don’t have too much to say today. I’m pretty much emotionally spent and right now, I feel a little bit numb. I had a long day at work, just trying to keep busy and to keep my mind off things. Didn’t get much sleep last night and woke up really early, so I decided to go to work early to try keep myself occupied.
The one thing I have noticed myself doing a lot more and with a lot more sincerity, is finishing off mails or a tet-te-tet with the words “Take care”.
The one thing I have noticed myself doing a lot more and with a lot more sincerity, is finishing off mails or a tet-te-tet with the words “Take care”.
Monday, August 25, 2008
WWLDD
I haven’t had too much sleep and my appetite has been pretty much non-existent. I was finally able to catch a couple of hours yesterday evening, and when my alarm went off this morning, there was really, very little motivation for me to get out and face the day, let alone wake up. I wanted everything that had happened to be a bad dream. All I really wanted was to curl up, lie there and feel sorry for myself.
But I’m pretty certain that La wouldn’t have wanted that, so I gathered all my strength got out of bed and headed off to work. I tried to stay optimistic, and my mantra for the day to stay positive was “WWLDD” (What would Lauren Devine do – because – well really - she’s always so damn positive). For most part I did all right, but every now and then I had to slip to the bathroom. I don’t know if it’s a man thing or a matter of professionalism, but I don’t particularly like having my colleagues see me weep.
Sadly, I couldn’t make it through the whole day. The tipping point was when our CEO was commenting on how much he loved carrot cake, as someone kindly brought some to work due to it being their birthday. The mention of Carrot Cake just brought on a whole lot of memories.
The one thing I really appreciate, which I don’t say often enough, is that I appreciate the amazing bunch of people whom I have the pleasure of calling my friends. The support, words of encouragement and love amongst our group has been phenomenal. Ironically, when I’ve been by myself I tend to do better; but when I see one of my friends, for some reason I see La and it chokes me up. I guess she really has left a little bit of herself in all of us.
I can only pray that everyone else who is going through the same trials and tribulation have a similar support system.
But I’m pretty certain that La wouldn’t have wanted that, so I gathered all my strength got out of bed and headed off to work. I tried to stay optimistic, and my mantra for the day to stay positive was “WWLDD” (What would Lauren Devine do – because – well really - she’s always so damn positive). For most part I did all right, but every now and then I had to slip to the bathroom. I don’t know if it’s a man thing or a matter of professionalism, but I don’t particularly like having my colleagues see me weep.
Sadly, I couldn’t make it through the whole day. The tipping point was when our CEO was commenting on how much he loved carrot cake, as someone kindly brought some to work due to it being their birthday. The mention of Carrot Cake just brought on a whole lot of memories.
The one thing I really appreciate, which I don’t say often enough, is that I appreciate the amazing bunch of people whom I have the pleasure of calling my friends. The support, words of encouragement and love amongst our group has been phenomenal. Ironically, when I’ve been by myself I tend to do better; but when I see one of my friends, for some reason I see La and it chokes me up. I guess she really has left a little bit of herself in all of us.
I can only pray that everyone else who is going through the same trials and tribulation have a similar support system.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Lauren Devine
I am so tired but I can’t sleep.
This is my poor attempt to pay respect and tribute to a truly amazing person, as nothing I write can do Lauren Devine justice. Those of you, who know La, know that she is, divine! There is just no other word that describes her.
I’m shocked beyond comprehension, and can’t believe that she is no longer with us. I saw her yesterday while writing my blog, I was sitting in Xav’s flat (as Lauren was temporarily staying there) watching her zoop around, as she does, cleaning and tidying up in preparation to hand the flat back and make his welcome home special. I wanted to help out, but she wouldn’t let me; instead she made me a cup of tea.
As I helped gather the last of her things to leave for her aunts, I wished her goodbye and tried to find out when we were going to meet up at Asoka for her friends birthday in the evening. Sadly that was the last time I heard from her, a few hours later I received a phone call…
I have not felt this heart sore and emotionally drained since my grandfathers passing; and I imagine that what I’m feeling right now is felt by every person’s lives she has touched.
To say La had a lot of friends is an understatement, everywhere I’ve been with her, here in Cape Town and even in Johannesburg; some one knew her. And all who knows her, loves her incredibly. Her kindness, her loyalty, her absolute pure selflessness is un-comparable.
I remember yesterday how I was talking about how I was becoming jaded - While cleaning up, Lauren jokingly asked if she had made special mention in my blog post. I told her that she had, indirectly; she didn’t understand my comment and thought I was just being nice. But honestly, having her around was the inspiration for me to write about trying to be less calloused. She’s amazing to watch, she never lets anything get her down and to see the genuine caring that she shows towards her friends and family is uncanny. It inspires me and gives me hope.
To her friends, family and loved ones, we all share in a tragic loss. We are blessed to have been graced by a beautiful, beautiful being. And no words can express my sincerest condolences to everyone, in particular Michelle, Mom and Dad Devine.
And to my fun loving, tigering, vida drinking, key losing, compassionate, amazingly beautiful, beautiful friend La La Devine, I miss you! And will never forget you! Or the things that you have taught me!
Amidst all the confusion, chaos and hurt; I can almost hear her saying to me “Shame Ben, I don’t want this to be keeping you up.”
This is my poor attempt to pay respect and tribute to a truly amazing person, as nothing I write can do Lauren Devine justice. Those of you, who know La, know that she is, divine! There is just no other word that describes her.
I’m shocked beyond comprehension, and can’t believe that she is no longer with us. I saw her yesterday while writing my blog, I was sitting in Xav’s flat (as Lauren was temporarily staying there) watching her zoop around, as she does, cleaning and tidying up in preparation to hand the flat back and make his welcome home special. I wanted to help out, but she wouldn’t let me; instead she made me a cup of tea.
As I helped gather the last of her things to leave for her aunts, I wished her goodbye and tried to find out when we were going to meet up at Asoka for her friends birthday in the evening. Sadly that was the last time I heard from her, a few hours later I received a phone call…
I have not felt this heart sore and emotionally drained since my grandfathers passing; and I imagine that what I’m feeling right now is felt by every person’s lives she has touched.
To say La had a lot of friends is an understatement, everywhere I’ve been with her, here in Cape Town and even in Johannesburg; some one knew her. And all who knows her, loves her incredibly. Her kindness, her loyalty, her absolute pure selflessness is un-comparable.
I remember yesterday how I was talking about how I was becoming jaded - While cleaning up, Lauren jokingly asked if she had made special mention in my blog post. I told her that she had, indirectly; she didn’t understand my comment and thought I was just being nice. But honestly, having her around was the inspiration for me to write about trying to be less calloused. She’s amazing to watch, she never lets anything get her down and to see the genuine caring that she shows towards her friends and family is uncanny. It inspires me and gives me hope.
To her friends, family and loved ones, we all share in a tragic loss. We are blessed to have been graced by a beautiful, beautiful being. And no words can express my sincerest condolences to everyone, in particular Michelle, Mom and Dad Devine.
And to my fun loving, tigering, vida drinking, key losing, compassionate, amazingly beautiful, beautiful friend La La Devine, I miss you! And will never forget you! Or the things that you have taught me!
Amidst all the confusion, chaos and hurt; I can almost hear her saying to me “Shame Ben, I don’t want this to be keeping you up.”
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Going with the Flow
Strangely I have a lot to write about today:
Firstly Tiger Tiger, was exactly what I thought it would be like. It was kinda fun at first but it got a little bit much after a while, having a bunch of inebriated people constantly bumping into me, and having the aroma of somebody’ up-chuck lingering. I also found that the music was really disjoint which made it pretty difficult to get my groove on and “bring sexy back”.
Secondly, I just finished watching a pretty interesting film called A Man About Town, I felt that the acting, besides perhaps John Cleese’s hilarious performance, was slighty flat. The story however I found quite interesting. The movie follows Jack Giamoro, played by Ben Affleck, a high power talent agent in Hollywood, who seemingly has it all: A hot wife, cool car an amazing career; but under it all he is actually quite unhappy.
It was strange how much I could actually identify with the protagonist, I’m not sure if it was because throughout the film, on his path to self discovery he continuously writes in his journal (much like how I’m writing daily in my blog currently), how he was a fat teen, and how later in his life he felt an almost divine intuition that he was going to succeed. Success in this context is relative, as material success is not the be all and end all.
John Cleese’s character, Dr Pimpkin put it aptly as he said that ego can get you quite far - nice clothes, money etc but in the end you’ll more than likely still feel incomplete. More and more I realize that there needs to be a balance in my life. Introspectively I’m sitting at a bit of crossroads, for whatever reason in my life I feel that I need to take an aggressive stance in my career ambitions and because of this I tend to neglect other aspects of my life.
In the past year or so I’ve definitely felt like I’ve become a lot more jaded, and calloused. I’ve found that I’m certainly not as patient as I used to be and I tend to like having my way.... Going forward I feel that I need to be careful and not to let these become character flaws as they are or have certainly never been part of my character.
And lastly, lots of people have recently been asking me how I find ideas to write everyday. To be honest I’m not too sure, I guess I just write about anything that pops up in my head. Sometimes I don’t even have any clear thought, I start and see where it ends up, other times when I think I have a real plan about what I’m going to write, I start and it takes a completely different route. Ultimately I think that each entry just goes with the flow.
Firstly Tiger Tiger, was exactly what I thought it would be like. It was kinda fun at first but it got a little bit much after a while, having a bunch of inebriated people constantly bumping into me, and having the aroma of somebody’ up-chuck lingering. I also found that the music was really disjoint which made it pretty difficult to get my groove on and “bring sexy back”.
Secondly, I just finished watching a pretty interesting film called A Man About Town, I felt that the acting, besides perhaps John Cleese’s hilarious performance, was slighty flat. The story however I found quite interesting. The movie follows Jack Giamoro, played by Ben Affleck, a high power talent agent in Hollywood, who seemingly has it all: A hot wife, cool car an amazing career; but under it all he is actually quite unhappy.
It was strange how much I could actually identify with the protagonist, I’m not sure if it was because throughout the film, on his path to self discovery he continuously writes in his journal (much like how I’m writing daily in my blog currently), how he was a fat teen, and how later in his life he felt an almost divine intuition that he was going to succeed. Success in this context is relative, as material success is not the be all and end all.
John Cleese’s character, Dr Pimpkin put it aptly as he said that ego can get you quite far - nice clothes, money etc but in the end you’ll more than likely still feel incomplete. More and more I realize that there needs to be a balance in my life. Introspectively I’m sitting at a bit of crossroads, for whatever reason in my life I feel that I need to take an aggressive stance in my career ambitions and because of this I tend to neglect other aspects of my life.
In the past year or so I’ve definitely felt like I’ve become a lot more jaded, and calloused. I’ve found that I’m certainly not as patient as I used to be and I tend to like having my way.... Going forward I feel that I need to be careful and not to let these become character flaws as they are or have certainly never been part of my character.
And lastly, lots of people have recently been asking me how I find ideas to write everyday. To be honest I’m not too sure, I guess I just write about anything that pops up in my head. Sometimes I don’t even have any clear thought, I start and see where it ends up, other times when I think I have a real plan about what I’m going to write, I start and it takes a completely different route. Ultimately I think that each entry just goes with the flow.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Tiger Tigering
Oh my! It looks like I’ve somehow been roped into going to the burbs, for a spot of Tigering… at you guessed it Tiger Tiger. I can’t remember when last I was there, but I have a feeling that I might be in for a night of spotting the sober person.
It could be quite fun though – the music there is stuck in a bit of a time warp and you’ll be sure to hear your favourite tunes from 4 years back. Hmmm perhaps it’s time to get my groove on?
It could be quite fun though – the music there is stuck in a bit of a time warp and you’ll be sure to hear your favourite tunes from 4 years back. Hmmm perhaps it’s time to get my groove on?
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Reunion
Cool, so Dan and Xav are back from Ibiza this Saturday evening, so I'll be picking them up from the airport. Joe and I are getting pretty good at navigating to the airport seeing as how many of our friends are from all over. Joe fetched Paul from the airport on his return from the UK, and will be taking him back to the airport on Saturday morning, as he will be playing the part of SAS freedom fighter, in a documentary being filmed in Uppington. I love it, his character is described as being "more brawn then brains".
Joe and I have almost become like the official Cape Town shuttling service, and are becoming synonymous with being one of the first faces that you will see upon arrival in our fair city...well at least to our friends. Saturday evening would have been great for the gang to catch up and touch base again. With Dan being away in the UK and Ibiza, Xav having been away in France and NYC and Paul being away in the UK, but as always Paul had to go and ruin the plans. Thanks a lot Paul! Just kidding I just like giving Paul abuse...because he never retaliates - except for that one time I tried to steal a bite of his carrot cake - if you ever meet Paul, don't for the love of god, steal his carrot cake - it would be a seriously seriously bad move.
Joe and I have almost become like the official Cape Town shuttling service, and are becoming synonymous with being one of the first faces that you will see upon arrival in our fair city...well at least to our friends. Saturday evening would have been great for the gang to catch up and touch base again. With Dan being away in the UK and Ibiza, Xav having been away in France and NYC and Paul being away in the UK, but as always Paul had to go and ruin the plans. Thanks a lot Paul! Just kidding I just like giving Paul abuse...because he never retaliates - except for that one time I tried to steal a bite of his carrot cake - if you ever meet Paul, don't for the love of god, steal his carrot cake - it would be a seriously seriously bad move.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Beer Fest
Sometimes one just needs that little something in the middle of the week, to break the normal routine and instil some sanity back in ones life. The opening evening function at Loading Bay was just what the good doctor ordered after having a rough week at work amongst other things.
The Loading Bay is usually one of my morning hotspots for a bit of breakfast, so it seemed unusual that it was dark outside while sitting there. The theme of the evening was one of an up-market beer and food to compliment. The beers on showcase were the range of beers by Cervejas São Gabriel, which is the brainchild of some of the founding members of the Vida e Café brand (and we all know how much I love Vida). Unfortunately I’m not much of a beer drinker, as literally, half a beer would put me well on my way of making an ass of myself…what can I say I’m a cheap date. But I tasted some and it seemed pretty good so far as I can tell.
Prior to the opening of evening events (we’re told there will be more to follow), Ernst and I had been talking about unveiling our dance act to the world, and with JP’s permission all seemed good - however after scoping the terrain – we discovered that the shop wasn’t big enough, it’s not that the shop is small – but we need space, some serious room so we can really get going…
As an aside looks like my mission to lean down is working, as someone stopped me in the gym this morning, to find out what supplements I’m taking and what exercise routine I’m on. Woot! After close to three weeks in, I’m definitely seeing an improvement in muscle definition, which is good, but I’m not nearly even halfway to where I was previously when I was living up in Jozi. Being a Reflex man was tough and keeping in prestine condition was part of the job description. I’m at least 6 weeks out, and need to work hard if I want to get back to where I was.
The Loading Bay is usually one of my morning hotspots for a bit of breakfast, so it seemed unusual that it was dark outside while sitting there. The theme of the evening was one of an up-market beer and food to compliment. The beers on showcase were the range of beers by Cervejas São Gabriel, which is the brainchild of some of the founding members of the Vida e Café brand (and we all know how much I love Vida). Unfortunately I’m not much of a beer drinker, as literally, half a beer would put me well on my way of making an ass of myself…what can I say I’m a cheap date. But I tasted some and it seemed pretty good so far as I can tell.
Prior to the opening of evening events (we’re told there will be more to follow), Ernst and I had been talking about unveiling our dance act to the world, and with JP’s permission all seemed good - however after scoping the terrain – we discovered that the shop wasn’t big enough, it’s not that the shop is small – but we need space, some serious room so we can really get going…
As an aside looks like my mission to lean down is working, as someone stopped me in the gym this morning, to find out what supplements I’m taking and what exercise routine I’m on. Woot! After close to three weeks in, I’m definitely seeing an improvement in muscle definition, which is good, but I’m not nearly even halfway to where I was previously when I was living up in Jozi. Being a Reflex man was tough and keeping in prestine condition was part of the job description. I’m at least 6 weeks out, and need to work hard if I want to get back to where I was.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
R.I.P. - David Owen
It’s with a solemn heaviness that I write about the following. It came as quite a shock to me, as I had heard from him not more than a week ago, but yesterday I received the sad news that my friend, David Owen passed away.
I’m a little fuzzy on the details of what happened, apparently he was feeling ill and suddenly collapsed. But right now that doesn’t seem important. The fact is that we’ve suffered a great loss.
I met David as I began my high school career and I’ve always remembered him to be the same. He was…no! is, a positive, outgoing, caring and loyal friend. Always willing to help out when one was in need of a good laugh. His sudden departure from this world has sparked a great emptiness amongst all of those who had the pleasure of calling him their friend. And while we mourn his passing, his memory will carry on in our hearts.
With more than 6 billion people on this earth, with the population accelerating at an exponential rate; the world seems just a little bit emptier. You will be missed my comrade, my friend, my brother. R.I.P.
I’m a little fuzzy on the details of what happened, apparently he was feeling ill and suddenly collapsed. But right now that doesn’t seem important. The fact is that we’ve suffered a great loss.
I met David as I began my high school career and I’ve always remembered him to be the same. He was…no! is, a positive, outgoing, caring and loyal friend. Always willing to help out when one was in need of a good laugh. His sudden departure from this world has sparked a great emptiness amongst all of those who had the pleasure of calling him their friend. And while we mourn his passing, his memory will carry on in our hearts.
With more than 6 billion people on this earth, with the population accelerating at an exponential rate; the world seems just a little bit emptier. You will be missed my comrade, my friend, my brother. R.I.P.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Tailspin
Have you ever had one of those days when, work, your personal life and everything else just pulls you in every which direction. So much so that you get yourself in to a tailspin and plummet uncontrollably towards the ground? Yip, sparing you the gory details I had one of those days and just wanted to scream!
Luckily when I got home, I saw an opportunity to win something from a cool publication by writing in a letter (I’m being selfish I know - but I don’t want to give away which publication and dilute my chances of winning - sorry folks).
Feeling pretty sure of myself, I think I may have it in the bag…although that’s what I also said that one time I put all my money on Japan beating the All Blacks at the world cup rugby (as I recall I was horribly wrong and Japan lost by record breaking margins). If I do win however, I’ll be sure to post the prize-winning letter.
Luckily when I got home, I saw an opportunity to win something from a cool publication by writing in a letter (I’m being selfish I know - but I don’t want to give away which publication and dilute my chances of winning - sorry folks).
Feeling pretty sure of myself, I think I may have it in the bag…although that’s what I also said that one time I put all my money on Japan beating the All Blacks at the world cup rugby (as I recall I was horribly wrong and Japan lost by record breaking margins). If I do win however, I’ll be sure to post the prize-winning letter.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Miracale Substance!
Geez! I never knew how many uses there were for baking soda! But seems like Sodium Bicarbonate (the scientific formula) is a bit of a miracle substance and can do a multitude of things, from relieving sunburn, relieving indigestion, to removing melted plastic bread wrapper from toaster…
How I came across all these uses, was due to the fact that the leather straps on both my watches were getting unbearably…smelly. Trying a number of things to get rid of the smell, all of which failed. I decided to turn to my good ol trusty friend Google to see if there was a solution.
And what it suggested was for me to use a solution of baking soda and water…Awesome! Ummm now all I need is some baking soda and hopefully no more smelly watch straps!
How I came across all these uses, was due to the fact that the leather straps on both my watches were getting unbearably…smelly. Trying a number of things to get rid of the smell, all of which failed. I decided to turn to my good ol trusty friend Google to see if there was a solution.
And what it suggested was for me to use a solution of baking soda and water…Awesome! Ummm now all I need is some baking soda and hopefully no more smelly watch straps!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Carnage
There seems to be a bit of a money making racket, in the form of towing cars, that’s suddenly emerged in Cape Town. Two of my friend’s JP and Bevan both had their cars towed in consecutive day’s.
JP was the first victim and while we were having a really awesome dinner as a big group, last night. A massive tow truck rocked up in front of the restaurant to pick up his vehicle. He saw them trying to do this, and as he quickly ran out to confront them and persuade them to leave it alone, just give him the fine; rather than having to inconvenience him to be without transport and having to arrange to fetch it at the impound. They said it was impossible…I’m uncertain how it is impossible not to NOT tow a vehicle. Perhaps it escapes my simple mind, but it seems quite simple actually. Instead of lifting it, they could have just left it and given him a ticket.
The rest of our evening was spent on our quest to free JP’s vehicle. When we arrived at the impound we realized why it was “impossible”. On top of the R500 fine, there is an additional R800 release charge that needs to be paid.
In all the excitement poor La Devine misplaced the keys to her car. Trying to retrace our steps we searched high and low for them, we even checked close to where she had parked; unfortunately this happened in the rain and at 2 in the morning, tired and soaked we gave up. A Locksmith had to be called early in the morning to sort things out, I’ve actually saved the number onto my phone now…as you never know when you might need a good locksmith.
This morning, Bevan hardly even having been parked in a loading bay area for too long, on a weekend mind you, also had his car towed. After enquiring at the impound it seems that recently between 40-80 vehicles have been towed daily…now lets do the math here if you are towing between 40-80 vehicles a day at a fine of R500 and a release charge of R800 (sounds like one of those crazy math problems you used to get when you were at school doesn’t it?) that would mean the people responsible for towing (I hear that the towing department has been privatized) are bringing in between R52000 and R104000 a day just on towing vehicles…quite a lucrative little business methinks.
This post serves as a warning to be extra careful while parking in the Greenpoint, Seapoint areas, as it seems like someone out there is finding any excuse to make a quick buck.
JP was the first victim and while we were having a really awesome dinner as a big group, last night. A massive tow truck rocked up in front of the restaurant to pick up his vehicle. He saw them trying to do this, and as he quickly ran out to confront them and persuade them to leave it alone, just give him the fine; rather than having to inconvenience him to be without transport and having to arrange to fetch it at the impound. They said it was impossible…I’m uncertain how it is impossible not to NOT tow a vehicle. Perhaps it escapes my simple mind, but it seems quite simple actually. Instead of lifting it, they could have just left it and given him a ticket.
The rest of our evening was spent on our quest to free JP’s vehicle. When we arrived at the impound we realized why it was “impossible”. On top of the R500 fine, there is an additional R800 release charge that needs to be paid.
In all the excitement poor La Devine misplaced the keys to her car. Trying to retrace our steps we searched high and low for them, we even checked close to where she had parked; unfortunately this happened in the rain and at 2 in the morning, tired and soaked we gave up. A Locksmith had to be called early in the morning to sort things out, I’ve actually saved the number onto my phone now…as you never know when you might need a good locksmith.
This morning, Bevan hardly even having been parked in a loading bay area for too long, on a weekend mind you, also had his car towed. After enquiring at the impound it seems that recently between 40-80 vehicles have been towed daily…now lets do the math here if you are towing between 40-80 vehicles a day at a fine of R500 and a release charge of R800 (sounds like one of those crazy math problems you used to get when you were at school doesn’t it?) that would mean the people responsible for towing (I hear that the towing department has been privatized) are bringing in between R52000 and R104000 a day just on towing vehicles…quite a lucrative little business methinks.
This post serves as a warning to be extra careful while parking in the Greenpoint, Seapoint areas, as it seems like someone out there is finding any excuse to make a quick buck.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Matters of the Heart
Had a heart check up today, on a 5 yearly basis I have to have a routine check to see if my ticker is working correctly; due to a heart murmur that I have had since birth. It's actually nothing major at all and does not affect me in any way. But today I went to have it assessed because of a Life Assurance policy that I'm joining.
It was quite funny how excited my GP got, when he had to do the examinations. He himself, having a heart murmur, thought it was great to compare war stories. We had a session where he listened to my heart and then listened to his own; almost like old veterans showing off their old battle scars. Doctor Y (I can't for the life of me spell his surname) even let me put on the stethoscope to listen for myself.
A normal persons heart makes a rhythmic "dup-dup" noise. Mine on the other hand due to the murmur, or the correct terminology for my particular case, a VSD (ventricular septal defect) makes a "shoop-shoo" noise while his makes a "swoosh" noise. The contrast kind of indicates just how minor mine is.
In an extreme case of a murmur one can't really do sports or live an active lifestyle. In minor cases such as mine, I'm able to live a completely normal life; and have never had a problem which is good thing; because I just can't seem to sit still, sometimes (especially in my younger years) to the worry of my overprotective mother (as all Chinese mothers are).
It was quite funny how excited my GP got, when he had to do the examinations. He himself, having a heart murmur, thought it was great to compare war stories. We had a session where he listened to my heart and then listened to his own; almost like old veterans showing off their old battle scars. Doctor Y (I can't for the life of me spell his surname) even let me put on the stethoscope to listen for myself.
A normal persons heart makes a rhythmic "dup-dup" noise. Mine on the other hand due to the murmur, or the correct terminology for my particular case, a VSD (ventricular septal defect) makes a "shoop-shoo" noise while his makes a "swoosh" noise. The contrast kind of indicates just how minor mine is.
In an extreme case of a murmur one can't really do sports or live an active lifestyle. In minor cases such as mine, I'm able to live a completely normal life; and have never had a problem which is good thing; because I just can't seem to sit still, sometimes (especially in my younger years) to the worry of my overprotective mother (as all Chinese mothers are).
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Home Sweet Home
It’s crazy to think that I’d ever go to someplace other than Willoughby’s in the V&A Waterfront for sushi, seeing as how I love that place so much. But it just so happened that my brother and I bumped into our good friends Alex (who’s a girl) and her husband Jurgen while strolling from meeting up with Bevan to check out WiWallet in action again, this time at the Primi (it never ceases to amaze me how convenient WiWallet is, I would love to see the day that I no longer have to carry all my cards and wads of cash around).
Alex and Jurgs suggested that we catch up with a drink and a little bite, and seeing how we were lazy, we decided on the path of least resistance, and settled for the first spot in sight which was the new 221 Waterfront. None of us had been, so we were all excited to check it out. At first they seated us at the restaurant section which was pretty la-di-dah, too formal for a casual catch up, so we asked if we could move to the more relaxed, yet still very stylish, upmarket bar area.
Feeling quite peckish and after Alex convinced me, with her incredible sales pitch, about how she had heard they have one of the most sought after sushi chefs in the country, I settled for a little bit of sushi. I must say it didn’t disappoint and was very fresh and tasty, but if only considering the food; Willoughby’s is still superior in my honest opinion. The one upside that 221 Waterfront has over Willoughby’s though, is that you don’t feel like you’re sitting in the shopping centre.
I met Alex a few years back, when she was the manageress at FTV Café. She always had cool funky earrings, and I would always compliment her and comment about them (I’m still seriously all man…right?). Initially she thought I was a weird, freak; but after a while she realized I was quite cool and I became good friends with her and her then fiancé (speaking of fiancés…is it just me or have a lot of people being getting engaged lately...I just want to congratulate you all and wish you all a wonderful and prosperous future!)
We had some great conversation; one thing I love about Cape Town is that you meet people from all parts of the world. Alex is from Poland and we actually ended up discussing the differences between Europe and South Africa. With all its faults, I still believe we live in an amazing place, and after talking to Alex and Jurgen who’ve lived in different parts of Europe like Poland and Amsterdam, I’m even more convinced that where I am right now is where I want to be. Right here in good ol’ Cape Town.
Alex and Jurgs suggested that we catch up with a drink and a little bite, and seeing how we were lazy, we decided on the path of least resistance, and settled for the first spot in sight which was the new 221 Waterfront. None of us had been, so we were all excited to check it out. At first they seated us at the restaurant section which was pretty la-di-dah, too formal for a casual catch up, so we asked if we could move to the more relaxed, yet still very stylish, upmarket bar area.
Feeling quite peckish and after Alex convinced me, with her incredible sales pitch, about how she had heard they have one of the most sought after sushi chefs in the country, I settled for a little bit of sushi. I must say it didn’t disappoint and was very fresh and tasty, but if only considering the food; Willoughby’s is still superior in my honest opinion. The one upside that 221 Waterfront has over Willoughby’s though, is that you don’t feel like you’re sitting in the shopping centre.
I met Alex a few years back, when she was the manageress at FTV Café. She always had cool funky earrings, and I would always compliment her and comment about them (I’m still seriously all man…right?). Initially she thought I was a weird, freak; but after a while she realized I was quite cool and I became good friends with her and her then fiancé (speaking of fiancés…is it just me or have a lot of people being getting engaged lately...I just want to congratulate you all and wish you all a wonderful and prosperous future!)
We had some great conversation; one thing I love about Cape Town is that you meet people from all parts of the world. Alex is from Poland and we actually ended up discussing the differences between Europe and South Africa. With all its faults, I still believe we live in an amazing place, and after talking to Alex and Jurgen who’ve lived in different parts of Europe like Poland and Amsterdam, I’m even more convinced that where I am right now is where I want to be. Right here in good ol’ Cape Town.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
One Zero Zero -100
The number hundred has a lot of significance some reference it as a century, others a centennial. Whatever it is, most people consider it as a substantial amount; whether it is the number of runs scored by a cricketer or somebody’s age, it’s usually quite a milestone.
Today, besides still having a job (looks like my stuff wasn't boxed up after all) I’ve also reached my hundredth posting! I can’t believe how quickly it’s gone, when I first started out I didn’t think I would hit twenty, but being a determined little fellow I persisted and continued to post an entry every day (since it’s inception). Perhaps now people will realize just how serious I can be when I say that I’m going to do something.
But the hundredth posting doesn’t even hit the half way mark, if I’m to reach my intentional goal of writing something every day, till the end of the year (which I’m considering to extend even further until I reach three hundred and sixty five… a full year in my life).
Since beginning this blog I’ve already learnt a lot. To write about something everyday one is almost forced to find something interesting to write about and in the process one begins to learn about different topics and tries to find some new and exciting things to do. I’ve started to come up with some big and exciting plans for this blog (which I hope to reveal in the not so distant future).
There’s no guarantee that this dream will come to fruition, but one thing I believe to be certain is: If one fails to try they are doomed to fail, and if one fails to dream, they might as well, in my opinion, be dead.
Today, besides still having a job (looks like my stuff wasn't boxed up after all) I’ve also reached my hundredth posting! I can’t believe how quickly it’s gone, when I first started out I didn’t think I would hit twenty, but being a determined little fellow I persisted and continued to post an entry every day (since it’s inception). Perhaps now people will realize just how serious I can be when I say that I’m going to do something.
But the hundredth posting doesn’t even hit the half way mark, if I’m to reach my intentional goal of writing something every day, till the end of the year (which I’m considering to extend even further until I reach three hundred and sixty five… a full year in my life).
Since beginning this blog I’ve already learnt a lot. To write about something everyday one is almost forced to find something interesting to write about and in the process one begins to learn about different topics and tries to find some new and exciting things to do. I’ve started to come up with some big and exciting plans for this blog (which I hope to reveal in the not so distant future).
There’s no guarantee that this dream will come to fruition, but one thing I believe to be certain is: If one fails to try they are doomed to fail, and if one fails to dream, they might as well, in my opinion, be dead.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Career Limiting Moves
If ever someone has pulled a career limiting move, then today I pulled the power play of career limiting moves. For some reason in every company I’ve worked for the CEO of that particular company, trusts me to handle precious and confidential data….I don’t know maybe it’s because I have one of those trustworthy faces.
Anyways as fate would have it, recently our CEO decided that I’d be the lucky candidate process of some of his very confidential data, and unknowingly when I ran my code to change the files containing the data, it automatically corrupted it.
Unfortunately the changes are done internally by some application from a brand which I won’t name at this stage… but this fact is obviously not important to someone who doesn’t care about the technical aspects. Like me, if you’re a person who fancies his chances on climbing the corporate ladder, corrupting the CEO’s data is a serious, serious faux pas.
Luckily having a backup of the data, and after my technical analysis, and seeing how our CEO is pretty cool, I was let off the hook. Unless of course my stuff is getting boxed up as we speak…Let’s hope when I get to the office tomorrow morning I still have a job!
Anyways as fate would have it, recently our CEO decided that I’d be the lucky candidate process of some of his very confidential data, and unknowingly when I ran my code to change the files containing the data, it automatically corrupted it.
Unfortunately the changes are done internally by some application from a brand which I won’t name at this stage… but this fact is obviously not important to someone who doesn’t care about the technical aspects. Like me, if you’re a person who fancies his chances on climbing the corporate ladder, corrupting the CEO’s data is a serious, serious faux pas.
Luckily having a backup of the data, and after my technical analysis, and seeing how our CEO is pretty cool, I was let off the hook. Unless of course my stuff is getting boxed up as we speak…Let’s hope when I get to the office tomorrow morning I still have a job!
Monday, August 11, 2008
The Art of a Good Wing-Woman
Every eligible bachelor needs a good wing-man…someone to back him up when he’s in hot pursuit of a bogey (a Panda… perhaps a bad metaphor here…hmm how about just a member of the opposite sex), however even better than having a wing-man is having a really good wing-woman.
The biggest differences between a wing-woman and a wing-man are: firstly the wing-woman rarely ever (sometimes they do surprise you) go after the same targets and take the glory; and secondly they’re camouflaged, fly under the radar… so the bogy never suspects a thing, lulled into a false sense of security and is taken completely off guard…Mwahaha sneaky, very, very sneaky!
However you can also get bad wing-women of course. I remember an evening out, where one of our girl-friends was shot down before her solo flight. After briefing her on her mission she seemed extremely eager to participate and confirmed that she was crystal clear on the objectives, however before even taking off: she hitched up with a friend of ours, and left us hanging without any support…
There’s no set formula in finding a good one, but a few good characteristics to watch out for when choosing: is reliability, consistency and the willingness to go the extra mile. Yesterday La Devine who deserves special mention, went above and beyond the call of duty when she ran out of her way across Wembley Square and did some recognisance for one of her boys. She even went with business card in hand! Now that’s some good wing-womaning!
The biggest differences between a wing-woman and a wing-man are: firstly the wing-woman rarely ever (sometimes they do surprise you) go after the same targets and take the glory; and secondly they’re camouflaged, fly under the radar… so the bogy never suspects a thing, lulled into a false sense of security and is taken completely off guard…Mwahaha sneaky, very, very sneaky!
However you can also get bad wing-women of course. I remember an evening out, where one of our girl-friends was shot down before her solo flight. After briefing her on her mission she seemed extremely eager to participate and confirmed that she was crystal clear on the objectives, however before even taking off: she hitched up with a friend of ours, and left us hanging without any support…
There’s no set formula in finding a good one, but a few good characteristics to watch out for when choosing: is reliability, consistency and the willingness to go the extra mile. Yesterday La Devine who deserves special mention, went above and beyond the call of duty when she ran out of her way across Wembley Square and did some recognisance for one of her boys. She even went with business card in hand! Now that’s some good wing-womaning!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
C'est La Vie
A great day! An eventful day! But because of all the hustle and bustle it’s getting late and I’m pretty darn tired.
So I’ll be brief and summarise:
Started the day by hitting the gym. Grabbed a Meia De Leite (Half Espresso half steamed milk) with La, my new drink of choice at the Vida courtesy of Mister Vida himself, Grant Dutton. Followed by a sunny, brunch at La Vie with some mates. Then chilled with guitars at a pool. Had a near death experience in a car. Played some 30 Seconds and Uno; and ending off the day with a cherry of a movie.
Good day! And a good night to ya all!
So I’ll be brief and summarise:
Started the day by hitting the gym. Grabbed a Meia De Leite (Half Espresso half steamed milk) with La, my new drink of choice at the Vida courtesy of Mister Vida himself, Grant Dutton. Followed by a sunny, brunch at La Vie with some mates. Then chilled with guitars at a pool. Had a near death experience in a car. Played some 30 Seconds and Uno; and ending off the day with a cherry of a movie.
Good day! And a good night to ya all!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Women's Day and Bikini Contests!
Holy smokes! I can’t believe how fast the WiWallet mobile payment was! At coffee club this morning, Bevan showed us how to separate our bill and use WiWallet to pay for it!
The basic gist of it is that you download the application onto your phone (unfortunately not all phones are supported yet, but the lads at WiWallet are fast on it and have almost 400 phones loaded already). Once the application is downloaded you follow a few simple instructions to load your credit card account into the application and when a bill comes along, you simply give them your cell phone number. You then log into the application with your secure pin number, they then type the amount at their point of sale and a message pops up on your phone telling you that you have a transaction pending. You then simply click on a button to accept the transaction and the payment goes through.
It’s unbelievably simple and I’m convinced that it’s more secure than carrying your physical card around as you need a secret pin to be able to access a payment. So if someone steals your phone they still need the pin to complete a transaction while a person with your card would have free reign.
After Coffee Club at Café Neo, I grabbed a quick Yeggercheffe, flat white from Origin. Oh yeah…In case I forgot to mention, I’m back on coffee, but only on weekends as I’m still trying my best to boycott caffeine. On my way through I noticed that the Loading Bay is having a 50% Sale on selected fashion items, so if you are in the hunt for some new threads you should go check it out.
This evening I’m attending a Mr Fitness and Ms Bikini show with the Reflex crowd, including new South African, Wonder Bra Girl, Elbe van der Merwe (well done Elbe on securing the campaign). Seeing how it’s Women’s Day, I’m going to use the excuse that I’m only ogling the girls in bikinis due to professional reasons. I guess that’s one of the perks of being a founding a member of Reflex. As my friend Kevin, from Muscle Tech would say “I’m actually not enjoying this, this is strictly professional when, someone sees a nice bum…all I see are glutes.”
The basic gist of it is that you download the application onto your phone (unfortunately not all phones are supported yet, but the lads at WiWallet are fast on it and have almost 400 phones loaded already). Once the application is downloaded you follow a few simple instructions to load your credit card account into the application and when a bill comes along, you simply give them your cell phone number. You then log into the application with your secure pin number, they then type the amount at their point of sale and a message pops up on your phone telling you that you have a transaction pending. You then simply click on a button to accept the transaction and the payment goes through.
It’s unbelievably simple and I’m convinced that it’s more secure than carrying your physical card around as you need a secret pin to be able to access a payment. So if someone steals your phone they still need the pin to complete a transaction while a person with your card would have free reign.
After Coffee Club at Café Neo, I grabbed a quick Yeggercheffe, flat white from Origin. Oh yeah…In case I forgot to mention, I’m back on coffee, but only on weekends as I’m still trying my best to boycott caffeine. On my way through I noticed that the Loading Bay is having a 50% Sale on selected fashion items, so if you are in the hunt for some new threads you should go check it out.
This evening I’m attending a Mr Fitness and Ms Bikini show with the Reflex crowd, including new South African, Wonder Bra Girl, Elbe van der Merwe (well done Elbe on securing the campaign). Seeing how it’s Women’s Day, I’m going to use the excuse that I’m only ogling the girls in bikinis due to professional reasons. I guess that’s one of the perks of being a founding a member of Reflex. As my friend Kevin, from Muscle Tech would say “I’m actually not enjoying this, this is strictly professional when, someone sees a nice bum…all I see are glutes.”
Friday, August 8, 2008
08-08-08
I was so groggy and out of it this morning, that when I woke up my autopilot took me all the way to work instead of the gym! Double-backing like a maniac, at the time it was pretty amusing; and I thought it would be a seriously awesome topic to put into my blog…in hindsight it’s actually pretty lame and worse I’ve just revealed how dumb I can be.
On the plus side I made it into the Tunnel Rat’s Movie Poster…well sort of, if you squint really hard, there’s a pixelated blob next to Jeffrey Todd’s head that I think could be me. WOOT.
Anyways today is the 08-08-08 three 8’s in a row and according to Chinese superstition means that there will be good luck a plenty… that’s why they thought that it would be a super idea to start the Olympics today. I only caught a tiny bit of the opening, as I was really swamped with work, but from the looks of things, let’s hope I’m not speaking too soon, it looks like the Chinese have really pulled it off.
Besides the Olympics, WiWallet also launched today, hopefully tomorrow, I’ll get to try out my first Mobile transaction at Coffee Club which takes place at Café Neo.
A rushed blog today, gotta hurry up and get ready for an engagement part. Wow! It’s been a quite an eventful day.
On the plus side I made it into the Tunnel Rat’s Movie Poster…well sort of, if you squint really hard, there’s a pixelated blob next to Jeffrey Todd’s head that I think could be me. WOOT.
Anyways today is the 08-08-08 three 8’s in a row and according to Chinese superstition means that there will be good luck a plenty… that’s why they thought that it would be a super idea to start the Olympics today. I only caught a tiny bit of the opening, as I was really swamped with work, but from the looks of things, let’s hope I’m not speaking too soon, it looks like the Chinese have really pulled it off.
Besides the Olympics, WiWallet also launched today, hopefully tomorrow, I’ll get to try out my first Mobile transaction at Coffee Club which takes place at Café Neo.
A rushed blog today, gotta hurry up and get ready for an engagement part. Wow! It’s been a quite an eventful day.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Pulling off a "Benny"
Apparently it’s becoming a common thing amongst a group of my friends to call crashing their cars pulling off a “Benny”…allegedly due to my frequency and tendency to smash up vehicles.
My friend Darryn Van der Walt apparently t-boned (crashed into the side of) a Beamer earlier this morning and soon afterward news spread amongst the inner circle about how he had pulled off a “Benny”, the news swiftly travelled through the grape vine until it finally reached me. In my defence I’ve never crashed INTO a Beamer before, the only German vehicle that I have crashed INTO is a Mercedes.
Although I suppose I have crashed one…My family has an old 3 series which has been affectionately dubbed the Phoenix, owing to the fact that someone…I won’t mention who… wrote it off. Being seriously set in his ways, my dad who loved the car so much, replaced the it with an exact replica, the new one even came complete with the same tow bar which was not standard issue. I think the only difference between the vehicles was the colour of the leather seats. One had grey leather interiors while the other had Gun Metal (or some variance of grey).
I’m not proud of having car crashes named after me…but if I get royalties, I may just warm up to the idea!
My friend Darryn Van der Walt apparently t-boned (crashed into the side of) a Beamer earlier this morning and soon afterward news spread amongst the inner circle about how he had pulled off a “Benny”, the news swiftly travelled through the grape vine until it finally reached me. In my defence I’ve never crashed INTO a Beamer before, the only German vehicle that I have crashed INTO is a Mercedes.
Although I suppose I have crashed one…My family has an old 3 series which has been affectionately dubbed the Phoenix, owing to the fact that someone…I won’t mention who… wrote it off. Being seriously set in his ways, my dad who loved the car so much, replaced the it with an exact replica, the new one even came complete with the same tow bar which was not standard issue. I think the only difference between the vehicles was the colour of the leather seats. One had grey leather interiors while the other had Gun Metal (or some variance of grey).
I’m not proud of having car crashes named after me…but if I get royalties, I may just warm up to the idea!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
What's in a Name?
"What's in a Name?" as one William Shakespeare once asked. Obviously old Will was never ridiculed as a child, having a relatively well-known and ordinary name. But some folks are just not as fortunate. In my day to day grind at work I often get Requests from user to fix or modify parts of software. Today's request came form someone by the name of Dingo? As I read the name on the Request my first reaction was to laugh, thankfully, I didn't as I'm sure that would have inflicted some gaping wounds in our companies, client relations.
I realized that the poor fella must have had a hard time when he was younger, because children, as you know can be cruel. I've had my fair share of ridicule; with a surname like Ou it was difficult not too...the most common of which was when one asked my surname: "Hey! What's your surname". I'd reply: "Ou". To which they would "very cleverly" quip: "Oh! I get it." If I had a cent for every time I heard that crack I'd be filthy, stinking rich by now (I've got the first two parts down pat)! Having a two letter surname can cause for some interesting issues too. I remember once how I tried to apply for a contract at a video store, and how their system required the surname to be at least three letters or more, since their stupid system could not validate my surname, I had to reluctantly take my business else where. Surname discriminating bastards!
At least old Dingo, can spare his children the same fate. He can at least name them something different. My children will not have that luxury, they're stuck with my families legacy (sorry kids, you'll have to suffer, the same way daddy suffered). So from someone who has had experience in a naming misfortune, this is my plea to future parents everywhere: Please for the love of all that is good a decent, do not name your children something stupid, silly or that you may think is endearing. They will grow up hating you!
I realized that the poor fella must have had a hard time when he was younger, because children, as you know can be cruel. I've had my fair share of ridicule; with a surname like Ou it was difficult not too...the most common of which was when one asked my surname: "Hey! What's your surname". I'd reply: "Ou". To which they would "very cleverly" quip: "Oh! I get it." If I had a cent for every time I heard that crack I'd be filthy, stinking rich by now (I've got the first two parts down pat)! Having a two letter surname can cause for some interesting issues too. I remember once how I tried to apply for a contract at a video store, and how their system required the surname to be at least three letters or more, since their stupid system could not validate my surname, I had to reluctantly take my business else where. Surname discriminating bastards!
At least old Dingo, can spare his children the same fate. He can at least name them something different. My children will not have that luxury, they're stuck with my families legacy (sorry kids, you'll have to suffer, the same way daddy suffered). So from someone who has had experience in a naming misfortune, this is my plea to future parents everywhere: Please for the love of all that is good a decent, do not name your children something stupid, silly or that you may think is endearing. They will grow up hating you!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Can You Dig It?
There hasn't been a terrible amount of excitement in my life lately, with routine being the driving force behind my day to day activities. It's not a bad thing as some times, one needs a healthy dose of continuity. However in my opinion it does become a problem when one becomes way too comfortable and begins to settle into a deep, yet comfortable, self-dug rut, and starts to forget what their goals and dreams are. So it's pretty important from time to time to do some self reflection to assess that what one is actually digging isn't ones own grave.
This morning, before I got to the gym for my daily dose of self-abuse. I had an opportunity to think about why I was actually getting up ...everyone is motivated by different things some people are motivated to by their families, others perhaps, dare I say... money. Whatever it is it's important not to lose sight of these.
I had an interesting conversation with a couple of newly made friends, Sandras and Lele at Asoka last night; where a very interesting question was raised "Considering all things possible ,what is the one thing that you would be or do?" My answer was quite outlandish and bold (and because of this I dare not reveal it yet in fear of being laughed at and being mocked), and although it seems like a pipe dream. I realized that my motivation for getting up so ridiculously early in the morning (5 am in case you were wondering), training so hard, blogging every day was all connected to my goal to getting to doing/being exactly what I want to do/be.
Continuing with the digging analogy, sometimes you dig and you'll find nothing, it becomes laborious and it sucks; but if you have a purpose, reassess and dig somewhere else from time to time; you might actually hit a gem or two.
This morning, before I got to the gym for my daily dose of self-abuse. I had an opportunity to think about why I was actually getting up ...everyone is motivated by different things some people are motivated to by their families, others perhaps, dare I say... money. Whatever it is it's important not to lose sight of these.
I had an interesting conversation with a couple of newly made friends, Sandras and Lele at Asoka last night; where a very interesting question was raised "Considering all things possible ,what is the one thing that you would be or do?" My answer was quite outlandish and bold (and because of this I dare not reveal it yet in fear of being laughed at and being mocked), and although it seems like a pipe dream. I realized that my motivation for getting up so ridiculously early in the morning (5 am in case you were wondering), training so hard, blogging every day was all connected to my goal to getting to doing/being exactly what I want to do/be.
Continuing with the digging analogy, sometimes you dig and you'll find nothing, it becomes laborious and it sucks; but if you have a purpose, reassess and dig somewhere else from time to time; you might actually hit a gem or two.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Chivalry is dead, Sugar!
I dare not say it...but could it be that summer is around the corner? With two days of the most spectacular weather imaginable: sunny and warm but not unbearably hot and without a breath of wind! The last couple of days have in my opinion been the best weather in Cape Town this entire year! Lets hope I haven't jinxed it...but usually the mere mention of summer and mother nature seems to change its mind only to turn on me and send the most dreadful weather.
Seems fitting that nature is comparable to a woman, with their indecisive discourse, and temperamental behaviour...of course I just kid (as I feel a swift backhand coming my direction to correct my chauvinistic mentality).
With Woman's Day coming up on the 9th of August, I'd thought I'd take extra measure this week to show my appreciation and be more sensitive to members of the fairer sex...perhaps I'll stop blatantly staring at their cleavage's and even put a toilet seat or two down. Ha! And they said chivalry was dead. I scoff at such utter nonsense!
Seems fitting that nature is comparable to a woman, with their indecisive discourse, and temperamental behaviour...of course I just kid (as I feel a swift backhand coming my direction to correct my chauvinistic mentality).
With Woman's Day coming up on the 9th of August, I'd thought I'd take extra measure this week to show my appreciation and be more sensitive to members of the fairer sex...perhaps I'll stop blatantly staring at their cleavage's and even put a toilet seat or two down. Ha! And they said chivalry was dead. I scoff at such utter nonsense!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Bowling Extravaganzas
Wow there’s been a lot of Birthday’s this weekend…Having already attended Raeane’s and Suzelle’s Birthday celebrations on Friday and Saturday evening respectively, today was Paul’s too. One has to ask what exactly happened 9 months back to bring about so many birthdays in August. It’s a little bit disturbing but if you take your birthday and look 9 months back, you’ll usually find that there’s some significant day in your parental’s lives in which you were conceived…for example an anniversary or birthday etc.
For Paul’s big day we went to Stadium on Main and enjoyed some 10 Pin Bowling Extravaganzas! Coincidently the Birthday boy won the game…this was obviously because we let him win, and had nothing to do with the fact that he was way better than us of course…
For Paul’s big day we went to Stadium on Main and enjoyed some 10 Pin Bowling Extravaganzas! Coincidently the Birthday boy won the game…this was obviously because we let him win, and had nothing to do with the fact that he was way better than us of course…
Saturday, August 2, 2008
What's Your Age Again?
Either I have a freakishly large appetite or the KFC Fully Loaded Box Meal is a bit of a joke! I finished the supposedly “Man Sized” meal comfortably even after having 2 packets of Doritos, a cup cake, a piece of tart, scrambled eggs, beans and chorizo sausage on toast and 3 scoops of ice cream. Hooray for cheat day Saturday. Hmmm perhaps the KFC marketing team should go back to the drawing board seeing as this man is only 5ft nothing and barely pushing 60kg!
So I made a slight mistake organizing the coffee club at Gelato Mania this morning…seeing as how they only open at 12:30, but thankfully there was an awesome spot called Miss K right next door to serve as back up until Gelato Mania actually opened. Miss K is great and has tons of awesome little treats, the whole vibe, setup and food reminds me of my favourite Jozi breakfast spot called Tashas.
Raeanne’s Birthday yesterday evening at Relish was tons of fun. The birthday girl and Paul surprised us with some party accessories, and throughout the course of the evening, as a party rule we had to wear these monkey masks. Should ever you were caught not wearing the mask you were fined and had to do a shooter. Seeing as how I’m on a mission to lean down, meaning 6 days of extreme dieting eating ridiculously bland food I want to make sure that the torture I’m enduring is worth it, the last thing that you will catch me touching is anything containing alcohol.
Because of this I had the mask on almost permanently. I even kept it on while going to the bathroom. It was quite entertaining when some guy walked in, and Ernst and I greeted him while both wearing our masks…I’m sure that he thought he had walked into the bathroom, through some trans-dimensional worm hole and into another world.
After a while I grew pretty comfortable behind the mask and actually developed a new persona! Since no one could identify who I was behind the mask (except for perhaps the name which had been written our foreheads), I got up to all sorts of mischievous activities, for example trying some cheesy lines on some poor promotion girls. My M.O. was: I was wearing the mask because my face had been horribly disfigured while trying to save a bunch of babies from a burning orphanage…for some reason though I think they saw through it…
Tonight is Suzelle’s 21st, ahh to be 21 again. Do you remember when you were very young, and how massively conscious of your age you were? I mean you’d never forget how old you were would you? I remember when people used to ask: “How old are you little girl? 5?” I’d answer “Firstly I’m NOT a girl, I’m a boy and I’m actually I’m 18 and ¾.” So it was quite a foreign concept to me that older folks could “forget” how old they were. Sometime mid-week this week was the first time that I’ve forgotten my own age, I had to work it out by subtracting my birth year from the current year….this is seriously not a good sign, it most probably means I’m pushing on and soon becoming an old man.
So I made a slight mistake organizing the coffee club at Gelato Mania this morning…seeing as how they only open at 12:30, but thankfully there was an awesome spot called Miss K right next door to serve as back up until Gelato Mania actually opened. Miss K is great and has tons of awesome little treats, the whole vibe, setup and food reminds me of my favourite Jozi breakfast spot called Tashas.
Raeanne’s Birthday yesterday evening at Relish was tons of fun. The birthday girl and Paul surprised us with some party accessories, and throughout the course of the evening, as a party rule we had to wear these monkey masks. Should ever you were caught not wearing the mask you were fined and had to do a shooter. Seeing as how I’m on a mission to lean down, meaning 6 days of extreme dieting eating ridiculously bland food I want to make sure that the torture I’m enduring is worth it, the last thing that you will catch me touching is anything containing alcohol.
Because of this I had the mask on almost permanently. I even kept it on while going to the bathroom. It was quite entertaining when some guy walked in, and Ernst and I greeted him while both wearing our masks…I’m sure that he thought he had walked into the bathroom, through some trans-dimensional worm hole and into another world.
After a while I grew pretty comfortable behind the mask and actually developed a new persona! Since no one could identify who I was behind the mask (except for perhaps the name which had been written our foreheads), I got up to all sorts of mischievous activities, for example trying some cheesy lines on some poor promotion girls. My M.O. was: I was wearing the mask because my face had been horribly disfigured while trying to save a bunch of babies from a burning orphanage…for some reason though I think they saw through it…
Tonight is Suzelle’s 21st, ahh to be 21 again. Do you remember when you were very young, and how massively conscious of your age you were? I mean you’d never forget how old you were would you? I remember when people used to ask: “How old are you little girl? 5?” I’d answer “Firstly I’m NOT a girl, I’m a boy and I’m actually I’m 18 and ¾.” So it was quite a foreign concept to me that older folks could “forget” how old they were. Sometime mid-week this week was the first time that I’ve forgotten my own age, I had to work it out by subtracting my birth year from the current year….this is seriously not a good sign, it most probably means I’m pushing on and soon becoming an old man.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Fresh
Gosh! Idiot!... When I left home I was trying to figure out why I was feeling so uncomfortable, then I realized I had forgotten to brush my teeth! I swear if I didn't have my head screwed on I'd leave home without that too.
Nothing is worse than walking around without brushing your teeth (okay perhaps get maimed and killed by a badger is worse...but only that)...besides having "furry" teeth, morning breath is certainly unpleasant, not only for yourself but everyone around you too.
Stimrol Fresh Zone saved the day. Before entering the office I stopped by a corner cafe to pick some up and shoved the whole pack of gum into my mouth. Minty Fresh! It still doesn't mean I'm not aware that I haven't brushed my teeth and any chance I get I'm going home to clean these pearly's. Take that Gingivitis!
Anyways going to Relish again this eve...and again it should be awesome.
Nothing is worse than walking around without brushing your teeth (okay perhaps get maimed and killed by a badger is worse...but only that)...besides having "furry" teeth, morning breath is certainly unpleasant, not only for yourself but everyone around you too.
Stimrol Fresh Zone saved the day. Before entering the office I stopped by a corner cafe to pick some up and shoved the whole pack of gum into my mouth. Minty Fresh! It still doesn't mean I'm not aware that I haven't brushed my teeth and any chance I get I'm going home to clean these pearly's. Take that Gingivitis!
Anyways going to Relish again this eve...and again it should be awesome.
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