It's been a while since I've blogged about anything... but my computer's been crap, so I couldn't really help it!
Anyway, I'm off to South Africa (YAY HOME) on Friday and hope to sort out my laptop woes once I'm there.
In the meantime, I hope you all have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, no matter where in the world you are, and a fantastic New Year!
Stay safe whatever you'll be doing!
Peace and love to all...
N
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Friday, November 09, 2007
Happy Birthday to my babyyyyyyyyy
It was Fidel's birthday yesterday! How cute. He's 8 years old and still a gorgeous little thing. He hasn't slowed down much since his bird-hunting puppyhood and still tends to run my mother ragged! Can't WAIT to see him in December... am sure you all know that I miss him heaps (it's a bone of contention between m'mummy and me, cos she feels I should miss her more than the dog).
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Amabokoboko you RULE!!!
Then (1995)
South Africa - Rugby World Champions 2007. The Bokke played fantastically throughout the tournament and deserved this win - even if it wasn't the most exciting game in the history of the world (personally I think we would have had a more exciting match if it had been a rematch of the '95 WC Final. Even an Aussie/SA match up had more potential! And those Fijians certainly gave us a run for our money in the quarters! Worthy opponents all)
Thanks Vonnie for the call and the cheers from your fellow party goers! So wish I could have been there... it was no fun watching over here. A pretty lonely feeling, actually! So it was great to hear from you guys! Hope you had a LEKKER jol, ne! Am sure the partying went on 'til well into the early hours of the morning!
I'll say it again, cos it bears saying twice: South Africa are the Rugby Champions of the World! For the second time in 12 years! I can't stop smiling! Dankie manne... ons is so trots op julle!
...and now (2007)
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Stimela si qhamuka eSouth Africa
Some Queen for the English Pansies (I mean... ROSES)
Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight yeah
You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
We're just waiting
For the hammer to fall
What the hell we fighting for?
Just surrender and it won't hurt at all
You just got time to say your prayers
While you’re waiting for the hammer to hammer to fall
Welcome to the Rugby World Cup Final 2007: South Africa vs England! 4 More days before the game and I’m a nervous wreck! Hate to think of how the players must be feeling. So who will win?! Well, if the sports gods are fair and just, it should be South Africa for sure… but the English team seems to have been casting these weird ass voodoo spells over all their opponents and has managed to scrape through every game (by the grace of the rugby gods and JW’s fecking annoying boot). So I suppose anything can happen! I take nothing for granted after watching teams like Australia and NEW ZEALAND inexplicably crash out of contention – it has been a decidedly strange WC! South Africa in the final is the only thing that is as it should be… but the other supposed given, South Africa WINNING the World Cup – well, that remains to be seen! The sports gods are fickle and may reward the crappier team (I mean ENGLAND, of course) on the day!
Anyway it looks like Madiba can’t make it to the match on Saturday (the guy is 89, really, WHAT were they expecting?) – but am sure his Magic is just as effective from a distance. So, with a little bit of Madiba Magic, a healthy dose of Shosholoza Fighting Spirit and the prayers of 47 million South Africans behind them, I know that the Amabokoboko will play their hearts out and give those Pansies a run for their money. Maak hulle SUFFER, manne!
Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight yeah
You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
We're just waiting
For the hammer to fall
What the hell we fighting for?
Just surrender and it won't hurt at all
You just got time to say your prayers
While you’re waiting for the hammer to hammer to fall
Welcome to the Rugby World Cup Final 2007: South Africa vs England! 4 More days before the game and I’m a nervous wreck! Hate to think of how the players must be feeling. So who will win?! Well, if the sports gods are fair and just, it should be South Africa for sure… but the English team seems to have been casting these weird ass voodoo spells over all their opponents and has managed to scrape through every game (by the grace of the rugby gods and JW’s fecking annoying boot). So I suppose anything can happen! I take nothing for granted after watching teams like Australia and NEW ZEALAND inexplicably crash out of contention – it has been a decidedly strange WC! South Africa in the final is the only thing that is as it should be… but the other supposed given, South Africa WINNING the World Cup – well, that remains to be seen! The sports gods are fickle and may reward the crappier team (I mean ENGLAND, of course) on the day!
Anyway it looks like Madiba can’t make it to the match on Saturday (the guy is 89, really, WHAT were they expecting?) – but am sure his Magic is just as effective from a distance. So, with a little bit of Madiba Magic, a healthy dose of Shosholoza Fighting Spirit and the prayers of 47 million South Africans behind them, I know that the Amabokoboko will play their hearts out and give those Pansies a run for their money. Maak hulle SUFFER, manne!
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Random Acts of Kindness...
There are a lot of reasons why I still enjoy living in Japan (and whole bunch of other reasons why I don't – but you're always hearing about those, so I thought I'd talk about something positive for a change) and a few incidents recently have reminded me of exactly why I still like it here more than I hate it.
Last month I went to one of my visit schools for the first time, I wasn't teaching or anything, I just wanted to check out the route and do a quick “yoroshiku”. This particular school is the one everybody told me would be the most difficult to get to, two trains and a (rarely seen) bus from the train station. I, however, discovered that there is a bus that goes directly from my station to the school and vice versa (which is great, cos the school is miles away from the station) and I was testing out the bus service on the day in question. No fuss, no mess... I got to the school without a problem and stayed for a couple of hours before heading home (it was my half day). Now I had some vague notion of the return time being between 11 and 11:15 (I didn’t think to check the schedule at the bus stop when I got off that morning) – so I thought I'd be okay if I left at exactly 11. Unfortunately it was raining (pouring actually – am sure you can all imagine my frame of mind at that time!) and the bus stop is about 3 minutes away on a clear day but it's slow going in a torrential downpour when you're wearing sandals and struggling with an umbrella. It was as I was still walking down the side street toward the main road (where the bus stop is) that I saw the damned bus pass by... I started running (it would have been funny if it wasn't so pathetic – my feet were soaked, my sandals were slip-sliding all over my feet and the umbrella was about as effective as a plaster (Band Aid for you brand-obsessed Americans out there) on a gaping wound!
I was about ten metres away from the bus stop when the bus simply moved along its merry way. I remember holding up a hand and shouting “Stooooooop!” but naturally the driver didn't hear me or see me! So I limped up to the bus stop time table to check when the next bus would be and I was horrified to discover that it would arrive more than an hour later! I felt like crying. I remember stomping my foot (in a puddle of water that frikken splashed up and under my skirt – NOT pleasant) and practically screaming: “FUCKFUCKFUUUUUUUCK!!”… it was at that time when I realized that there was a car standing behind me (it had stopped while I was desperately trying hail the bus) and the driver had obviously seen my rant (I sincerely hope he hadn’t understood my language)... he gestured for me to come closer... and I approached his car a bit warily, wondering what the hell this was all about now!
He simply asked if I was okay and I was all gestures and English/Japanese wails of despair as I explained about the bus simply leaving me behind. He was quite sympathetic and immediately offered me a lift to chase down the bus (only about a minute had passed since the bus had disappeared). I wasn't too sure about this – I mean back home I wouldn't even have entertained the notion of accepting a lift from some man – no matter how well-intentioned he seemed (I mean, all those serial killers must have seemed quite well-intentioned to their victims, I'm sure). My options were either to stand at that bus stop seething with resentment at my terrible luck or heading back to school to seethe with resentment at my terrible luck in a dry environment (neither option was particularly appealing) – or I could take my chances with this tiny potential serial killer – who was obviously in his company car (there was a logo on the side) and wearing his company t-shirt (logo on the breast pocket) and who looked like a strong wind could knock him over! I figured I could probably beat the crap out of him if he tried anything and hopped into his car.
This lovely little fella went completely OUT of his way to chase down that bus... the stupid bus was frustratingly elusive… it was always just around the next bend and once we JUST missed it when it stopped at a bus stop! I was afraid the guy would wind up taking me all the way to Higashi Sanjo, when eventually we caught up with the bus (about five minutes later) – and after a whole lot of heartfelt thanks (countered with a bunch of doitachimashite’s) I leapt out of the car and onto the bus. When I looked out to wave at my savior, he was turning his car and heading back in the other direction. It was so sweet and unexpected! But rest assured it's not something I would do everyday!
Anyway, in a completely unrelated story... let me tell you about another little incident that simply made me shake my head in amazement. A week ago I was in a huge rush to catch a train to work... I parked my wheels in the allotted parking area outside the station and dashed inside to catch my train (made it with seconds to spare – phew!) – it was just as I was sitting down in the train that I realized I didn't have my keys with me. This meant one of two things – I'd left the key in the bicycle – or I’d dropped it somewhere in station (I was togging my self-intro stuff, a bag, an umbrella – I don't even think I brushed my hair... it was one of THOSE mornings, okay?!). I was a bit panicky at the thought of not having my keys, because a) my bike is new and therefore a temptation for any bicycle thief worth his/her salt, b)my aparto keys are on the same key ring and c)I (stupidly) have a tag on my key with my address on it!
I thought I could get to school and call the station asking them to keep an eye out for the keys but was I immediately swamped when I got to work, so I had to shove that concern to the back of my mind. I never got the opportunity to call, so I was feeling a bit nervous about the bike situation – and worse, the flat situation – when I got back to Higashi Sanjo station that night. I KNOW what would have happened back home – my bike would be missing and my home would be ransacked (now be honest enough to admit that that would probably have happened in YOUR country too) and I had a nasty moment when I realized that the bike had been moved from the spot I'd left it in that morning. After a brief, panicked look around, I discovered that it had merely been relocated by the magical bicycle fairies who occasionally move people's bikes from one spot to another for seemingly no reason on earth other than to have us wandering aimlessly up and down the bicycle lot looking for our wheels! The same mischievous magical bicycle fairies had very kindly removed my keys from the lock, placed it in the basket and taped it down so that a random gust of wind wouldn't blow it away, I guess! This would not deter an experienced thief back home – they have tools to combat sticky tape – but over here it served its purpose and I was totally chuffed (and actually little bit offended) to realize that nobody was interested in stealing my bike or ransacking my flat. Phew!!!
And then finally... last night... the best thing in the world happened!! I'd ordered a book from Amazon.co.jp and I had been waiting for it for aaaaaaaaaages! So last night I got home to discover the Pelican Delivery Service slip of non-delivery! So I called them and asked them if I could have it delivered that night (it was after six) – the lady on the other end was all apologetic and I got the gist of what she was saying, sorry their driver was running late, he probably would not be able to make it back to my part of the world in time to deliver the package, etc etc! I must have sounded as devastated as I felt (I had fond visions of starting the book as soon as I got it! It's been a while since I've read something new... and I was in the mood to be intellectually stimulated <- you'll get this particular joke if you know me well!) so she said she would ask the driver and then call me back! The call back was a long time coming and when it finally came it wasn't the girl in the call centre but the driver himself! Same story, he couldn't make it that night, could he deliver it tomorrow? I think I must've sounded pretty sad about it, because he was using his best consoling voice. In the end I thanked him, we reconfirmed that he would deliver the following day (tonight) at 7 pm and that was that! So there I was, sitting in front of The Dinosaur – disappointed that my huge and exciting plans for the evening had fallen through – trying to open an email from Lorinda (it was taking forever! The Dinosaur does nothing in a hurry) when my doorbell rang, followed by an authoritative knock! Who was it but my dear friend, the Pelican Delivery Guy?! I think I had a HUGE smile on my face and I couldn't thank him enough! What a nice dude, he's one of my new favourite people! He looked quite chuffed with himself too, because I think he realized that he had just made my week!
So there you have it! I know this is long but it's been a slow day and I had time to kill...
Oh and by the way, it's a rather lovely day today!
Last month I went to one of my visit schools for the first time, I wasn't teaching or anything, I just wanted to check out the route and do a quick “yoroshiku”. This particular school is the one everybody told me would be the most difficult to get to, two trains and a (rarely seen) bus from the train station. I, however, discovered that there is a bus that goes directly from my station to the school and vice versa (which is great, cos the school is miles away from the station) and I was testing out the bus service on the day in question. No fuss, no mess... I got to the school without a problem and stayed for a couple of hours before heading home (it was my half day). Now I had some vague notion of the return time being between 11 and 11:15 (I didn’t think to check the schedule at the bus stop when I got off that morning) – so I thought I'd be okay if I left at exactly 11. Unfortunately it was raining (pouring actually – am sure you can all imagine my frame of mind at that time!) and the bus stop is about 3 minutes away on a clear day but it's slow going in a torrential downpour when you're wearing sandals and struggling with an umbrella. It was as I was still walking down the side street toward the main road (where the bus stop is) that I saw the damned bus pass by... I started running (it would have been funny if it wasn't so pathetic – my feet were soaked, my sandals were slip-sliding all over my feet and the umbrella was about as effective as a plaster (Band Aid for you brand-obsessed Americans out there) on a gaping wound!
I was about ten metres away from the bus stop when the bus simply moved along its merry way. I remember holding up a hand and shouting “Stooooooop!” but naturally the driver didn't hear me or see me! So I limped up to the bus stop time table to check when the next bus would be and I was horrified to discover that it would arrive more than an hour later! I felt like crying. I remember stomping my foot (in a puddle of water that frikken splashed up and under my skirt – NOT pleasant) and practically screaming: “FUCKFUCKFUUUUUUUCK!!”… it was at that time when I realized that there was a car standing behind me (it had stopped while I was desperately trying hail the bus) and the driver had obviously seen my rant (I sincerely hope he hadn’t understood my language)... he gestured for me to come closer... and I approached his car a bit warily, wondering what the hell this was all about now!
He simply asked if I was okay and I was all gestures and English/Japanese wails of despair as I explained about the bus simply leaving me behind. He was quite sympathetic and immediately offered me a lift to chase down the bus (only about a minute had passed since the bus had disappeared). I wasn't too sure about this – I mean back home I wouldn't even have entertained the notion of accepting a lift from some man – no matter how well-intentioned he seemed (I mean, all those serial killers must have seemed quite well-intentioned to their victims, I'm sure). My options were either to stand at that bus stop seething with resentment at my terrible luck or heading back to school to seethe with resentment at my terrible luck in a dry environment (neither option was particularly appealing) – or I could take my chances with this tiny potential serial killer – who was obviously in his company car (there was a logo on the side) and wearing his company t-shirt (logo on the breast pocket) and who looked like a strong wind could knock him over! I figured I could probably beat the crap out of him if he tried anything and hopped into his car.
This lovely little fella went completely OUT of his way to chase down that bus... the stupid bus was frustratingly elusive… it was always just around the next bend and once we JUST missed it when it stopped at a bus stop! I was afraid the guy would wind up taking me all the way to Higashi Sanjo, when eventually we caught up with the bus (about five minutes later) – and after a whole lot of heartfelt thanks (countered with a bunch of doitachimashite’s) I leapt out of the car and onto the bus. When I looked out to wave at my savior, he was turning his car and heading back in the other direction. It was so sweet and unexpected! But rest assured it's not something I would do everyday!
Anyway, in a completely unrelated story... let me tell you about another little incident that simply made me shake my head in amazement. A week ago I was in a huge rush to catch a train to work... I parked my wheels in the allotted parking area outside the station and dashed inside to catch my train (made it with seconds to spare – phew!) – it was just as I was sitting down in the train that I realized I didn't have my keys with me. This meant one of two things – I'd left the key in the bicycle – or I’d dropped it somewhere in station (I was togging my self-intro stuff, a bag, an umbrella – I don't even think I brushed my hair... it was one of THOSE mornings, okay?!). I was a bit panicky at the thought of not having my keys, because a) my bike is new and therefore a temptation for any bicycle thief worth his/her salt, b)my aparto keys are on the same key ring and c)I (stupidly) have a tag on my key with my address on it!
I thought I could get to school and call the station asking them to keep an eye out for the keys but was I immediately swamped when I got to work, so I had to shove that concern to the back of my mind. I never got the opportunity to call, so I was feeling a bit nervous about the bike situation – and worse, the flat situation – when I got back to Higashi Sanjo station that night. I KNOW what would have happened back home – my bike would be missing and my home would be ransacked (now be honest enough to admit that that would probably have happened in YOUR country too) and I had a nasty moment when I realized that the bike had been moved from the spot I'd left it in that morning. After a brief, panicked look around, I discovered that it had merely been relocated by the magical bicycle fairies who occasionally move people's bikes from one spot to another for seemingly no reason on earth other than to have us wandering aimlessly up and down the bicycle lot looking for our wheels! The same mischievous magical bicycle fairies had very kindly removed my keys from the lock, placed it in the basket and taped it down so that a random gust of wind wouldn't blow it away, I guess! This would not deter an experienced thief back home – they have tools to combat sticky tape – but over here it served its purpose and I was totally chuffed (and actually little bit offended) to realize that nobody was interested in stealing my bike or ransacking my flat. Phew!!!
And then finally... last night... the best thing in the world happened!! I'd ordered a book from Amazon.co.jp and I had been waiting for it for aaaaaaaaaages! So last night I got home to discover the Pelican Delivery Service slip of non-delivery! So I called them and asked them if I could have it delivered that night (it was after six) – the lady on the other end was all apologetic and I got the gist of what she was saying, sorry their driver was running late, he probably would not be able to make it back to my part of the world in time to deliver the package, etc etc! I must have sounded as devastated as I felt (I had fond visions of starting the book as soon as I got it! It's been a while since I've read something new... and I was in the mood to be intellectually stimulated <- you'll get this particular joke if you know me well!) so she said she would ask the driver and then call me back! The call back was a long time coming and when it finally came it wasn't the girl in the call centre but the driver himself! Same story, he couldn't make it that night, could he deliver it tomorrow? I think I must've sounded pretty sad about it, because he was using his best consoling voice. In the end I thanked him, we reconfirmed that he would deliver the following day (tonight) at 7 pm and that was that! So there I was, sitting in front of The Dinosaur – disappointed that my huge and exciting plans for the evening had fallen through – trying to open an email from Lorinda (it was taking forever! The Dinosaur does nothing in a hurry) when my doorbell rang, followed by an authoritative knock! Who was it but my dear friend, the Pelican Delivery Guy?! I think I had a HUGE smile on my face and I couldn't thank him enough! What a nice dude, he's one of my new favourite people! He looked quite chuffed with himself too, because I think he realized that he had just made my week!
So there you have it! I know this is long but it's been a slow day and I had time to kill...
Oh and by the way, it's a rather lovely day today!
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Chotto chilly!!
Okay so every year I write one of these despairing notes about the weather changing and all that! I’ve decided to be no different this year… why be original when you can stick to what you know?!
It’s COLD people!!! COLDCOLDCOLD! And I’m not liking it ONE bit!! So last Thursday it was warm – hot even… Friday brought rain (I won’t touch on how much I hate rain because I think you all know this already) and after that it was just plain cold!! I went from having my a/c on to sleeping with two blankets on my bed! Yesterday I wore long sleeves to school (for the first time in four months) but it was just one layer, so I got quite cold in the staffroom. I had to go out and sit in a patch of sunlight for an hour or so (positively reptilian, I know – I mean that’s the kind of thing cold-blooded animals do isn’t it?) before I felt warmed up enough to move again. I don’t understand how people can still wear short sleeves – it’s unnatural. I keep hoping it will warm up again. In fact, I was kind of hoping for another “unnatural” winter like last year but it looks like that’s not gonna happen… we’re probably gonna get record amounts of snow again (bleh). Sooooooooooo glad I’m going home for three weeks during winter – give me a lovely Cape Town summer anytime, surf, sand, sun, sexy bods (niiiiiiiiiice)!
Anyway, just thought I’d share this with y’all! It’s been a while since I blogged and I thought it would be nice for you all to experience my bitching and moaning again! Just in case you forgot what it was like.
In other news… Hmmm… I don’t think there IS any other news. How sad. The best thing I’ve done in the past month or so was make up my mind to go home for Christmas! I booked my ticket, paid my deposit and am now having fond daydreams of all the stuff I’ll do when I get home. It’s been two years – so I’m totally excited. The last time I went home I was SHOCKED to discover that they’d painted the local mall, built a petrol station behind our house and changed the money!! I was disgusted with both friends and family for not informing me of these shattering changes! I hope they see fit to warn me of anything like that before I get home this time. Changes I know about; Chevon has a bf, Lorinda has a bf, Nathan has a gf, Cousin Melanie is getting married (finally), one of my other cousins is getting divorced, grandparents are moving, mother has a bf (SHOCKER!), Garth has twins, Roberto and JP have moved, Dina Rodrigues was found guilty of murder (and justice is SERVED! Thank you very much), Thabo Mbeki has been on a power trip and firing all and sundry, Tokyo Sexwale may run for president, Helen Zille was arrested for something stupid (what the HELL?! Talk about screwed up –arresting the mayor of Cape Town for participating in an anti-drug march – but making no progress in actually arresting the drug lords out there! Then again am sure the drug lords and the cops have a lovely little symbiotic relationship going), Jackie Selebi is nuts – gosh I LOVE my country! It’s all fun and games over there! Never a dull moment in ole Minami Afurika! Anyway… so I do know about SOME changes but I swear, if I get home and discover that the neighbour has painted his house blue, or M-Net has changed their logo and no-one bothered to tell me, I’m gonna lose it!
So excited… will be nice to go on a road trip with the girls, play with my baby, spend time with my brother, argue (and go shopping) with my mother! Buy presents for the kids!! I can’t wait…
It’s COLD people!!! COLDCOLDCOLD! And I’m not liking it ONE bit!! So last Thursday it was warm – hot even… Friday brought rain (I won’t touch on how much I hate rain because I think you all know this already) and after that it was just plain cold!! I went from having my a/c on to sleeping with two blankets on my bed! Yesterday I wore long sleeves to school (for the first time in four months) but it was just one layer, so I got quite cold in the staffroom. I had to go out and sit in a patch of sunlight for an hour or so (positively reptilian, I know – I mean that’s the kind of thing cold-blooded animals do isn’t it?) before I felt warmed up enough to move again. I don’t understand how people can still wear short sleeves – it’s unnatural. I keep hoping it will warm up again. In fact, I was kind of hoping for another “unnatural” winter like last year but it looks like that’s not gonna happen… we’re probably gonna get record amounts of snow again (bleh). Sooooooooooo glad I’m going home for three weeks during winter – give me a lovely Cape Town summer anytime, surf, sand, sun, sexy bods (niiiiiiiiiice)!
Anyway, just thought I’d share this with y’all! It’s been a while since I blogged and I thought it would be nice for you all to experience my bitching and moaning again! Just in case you forgot what it was like.
In other news… Hmmm… I don’t think there IS any other news. How sad. The best thing I’ve done in the past month or so was make up my mind to go home for Christmas! I booked my ticket, paid my deposit and am now having fond daydreams of all the stuff I’ll do when I get home. It’s been two years – so I’m totally excited. The last time I went home I was SHOCKED to discover that they’d painted the local mall, built a petrol station behind our house and changed the money!! I was disgusted with both friends and family for not informing me of these shattering changes! I hope they see fit to warn me of anything like that before I get home this time. Changes I know about; Chevon has a bf, Lorinda has a bf, Nathan has a gf, Cousin Melanie is getting married (finally), one of my other cousins is getting divorced, grandparents are moving, mother has a bf (SHOCKER!), Garth has twins, Roberto and JP have moved, Dina Rodrigues was found guilty of murder (and justice is SERVED! Thank you very much), Thabo Mbeki has been on a power trip and firing all and sundry, Tokyo Sexwale may run for president, Helen Zille was arrested for something stupid (what the HELL?! Talk about screwed up –arresting the mayor of Cape Town for participating in an anti-drug march – but making no progress in actually arresting the drug lords out there! Then again am sure the drug lords and the cops have a lovely little symbiotic relationship going), Jackie Selebi is nuts – gosh I LOVE my country! It’s all fun and games over there! Never a dull moment in ole Minami Afurika! Anyway… so I do know about SOME changes but I swear, if I get home and discover that the neighbour has painted his house blue, or M-Net has changed their logo and no-one bothered to tell me, I’m gonna lose it!
So excited… will be nice to go on a road trip with the girls, play with my baby, spend time with my brother, argue (and go shopping) with my mother! Buy presents for the kids!! I can’t wait…
Monday, September 17, 2007
Saturday, September 15, 2007
England! The Rugby World Cup Chumps!
Got up at 4am to watch the SA vs England rugby world cup match! I was expecting a Battle Royale... instead the Boks wiped them out 36-0!! And to be honest, it should have been a higher score for SA! Glad I'm South African and NOT English today!
Hier kommie Bokke!!
Hier kommie Bokke!!
Monday, September 10, 2007
Home
Found this lovely little montage on youtube. The photographer is pretty talented! Oh and Rondebosch is her/his home. I'm a Cape Flats girl m'self! The University of Cape Town is my Alma Mater though.
Anyway I got so homesick watching this... I miss the Cape!
Am gonna try to book my flight home for Christmas today!
Thursday, August 23, 2007
SPCA Commercial
Great message. I miss my doggy... but I know he's getting heaps of attention back home!
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Shudder
They're everywhere in summer... and I have SERIOUS fear of them (ask anyone!) - but when I see one this big and situated low enough for me to get a decent photo, I couldn't let the opportunity slip by! It was about the size of a mouse and I risked life and limb to get this pic - but here it is... *cringe*
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Sob...
The girls are all gone and I miss them already!! Thanks for a fabulous year, ladies. I'll never forget you!
Till we meet again...
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Sweet...
It's my last day at this school (and if you know how I feel about Tuesdays, then you can probably all guess how I feel about not having to come back here)... and one of my English Club girls (I DO love my EC here) just gave me a letter, because she can't come to EC this afternoon!
Here's an excerpt from the letter:
"Your smile is like sunflowers. Your words are like bright water. Because you are a very nice person!"
Now I feel all weepy.
Here's an excerpt from the letter:
"Your smile is like sunflowers. Your words are like bright water. Because you are a very nice person!"
Now I feel all weepy.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Jishin
Yes. Another one... bloody earthquake jerked me out of a nice, sound sleep this morning (it was 10:13, maybe too late to be lounging around in bed! But it's a public holiday, I'll lounge if I want to). Scared the bejesus out of me, cos it felt bigger than the last one! It wasn't bigger, I was just closer to the epicentre this time! So things went flying from my walls, lamps fell over, my wind chimes finally got to jingle a bit, while I stood braced in my bathroom doorway, clutching my duvet to my chest and trying not to scream!
The epicentre was in Kashiwazaki... trust God, or Mother Nature - whichever one is in charge of earthquakes - to place the epicentre right under the biggest frikken Nuclear Power Plant in Japan! Betcha They're both laughing their asses off at us right now! Naturally to add to the drama a small fire broke out at the plant! Sheesh... at least I was at home this time and not stranded in the city with no way of getting home!
In a fit of nostalgia I read up on some of my 2004 earthquake reportbacks! Hilarious... I don't feel half as shaky as I did back then! Even though this one felt so much bigger (that one was 6.8, this one 6.6), I'm just kinda "Meh" about it! Last time I sent a massive email home about being stuck in Niigata, there were no trains, we didn't know how to get home, 3 of the other gals were stranded at Nuria's place for two weeks! Of course that one felt more catastrophic because of the drama surrounding cancelled trains and derailed shinks! Not quite that much excitement in being at home when it happens! Although I'm much happier to be home... that last time was way too stressful!
Footnote: they had a couple of 50 cm tsunamis in Kashi! How the hell do you know a 50 cm wave is a tsunami anyway!? It's just a frikken ripple, isn't it?! Weird that!
Anyway, cheers! If you're in Niigata... stay safe... remember to turn off your gas and watch for falling debris when you leave your home!
The epicentre was in Kashiwazaki... trust God, or Mother Nature - whichever one is in charge of earthquakes - to place the epicentre right under the biggest frikken Nuclear Power Plant in Japan! Betcha They're both laughing their asses off at us right now! Naturally to add to the drama a small fire broke out at the plant! Sheesh... at least I was at home this time and not stranded in the city with no way of getting home!
In a fit of nostalgia I read up on some of my 2004 earthquake reportbacks! Hilarious... I don't feel half as shaky as I did back then! Even though this one felt so much bigger (that one was 6.8, this one 6.6), I'm just kinda "Meh" about it! Last time I sent a massive email home about being stuck in Niigata, there were no trains, we didn't know how to get home, 3 of the other gals were stranded at Nuria's place for two weeks! Of course that one felt more catastrophic because of the drama surrounding cancelled trains and derailed shinks! Not quite that much excitement in being at home when it happens! Although I'm much happier to be home... that last time was way too stressful!
Footnote: they had a couple of 50 cm tsunamis in Kashi! How the hell do you know a 50 cm wave is a tsunami anyway!? It's just a frikken ripple, isn't it?! Weird that!
Anyway, cheers! If you're in Niigata... stay safe... remember to turn off your gas and watch for falling debris when you leave your home!
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Canyoning...
Okay, so I'm not blogging in chronological order! I'm just going with the flow and adding whatever suits my mood! Today, I feel like touching on the canyoning adventure we all (that's Johanna, Kristen, Kristen's "boys" Jimmy and Jeffrey, Pamela, Rosalind, Paul, Martin, Keiko, Kirsten and Sunny) went on a couple of weeks ago! Now, anything I will say would be redundant, because both Pamela and Kristen have already blogged about it! I urge you to have a read through their posts, because they were much more entertaining about it than I am likely to be.
We went canyoning in Minakami, it was the adventure of a lifetime and I promised myself that I would definitely do it again. We had a few minor injuries (Martin hit his head after leaping from a waterfall - talk about drama! His forehead bled for, like, AGES after that!), a few near brushes with disaster... (both Keiko and I had rather unfortunate luck when it came to jumping from a ledge into a churning mass of water below us - I try not to watch the video too many times because it makes me feel all queasy) and we all overcame a few personal fears. With Johanna it was a fear of heights... with me, it was a fear of exercise. I think Kristen is fearless (although she did scream like a girl on a few of those jumps) - Rosalind makes these cute, girly, squealy "oh dear" sounds when she's alarmed and Pamela tends to say "Oh Jaysus Christ" a whole lot more than usualwhen she's nervous!
All in all, it was great fun and definitely worth doing again!
Oh... and by the way... the most difficult part of the day for me was definitely getting into and out of those fecking wetsuits!!!
The "Safety" speech
Before 
That's me, bringing up the rear as always
The first waterfall (20 m)
Getting ready to take the 20 m plunge (that nose plug wasn't effective at all)
Pam - looking a bit nervous
Martin and Keiko - just after he banged his head
After 
Water fight!
We went canyoning in Minakami, it was the adventure of a lifetime and I promised myself that I would definitely do it again. We had a few minor injuries (Martin hit his head after leaping from a waterfall - talk about drama! His forehead bled for, like, AGES after that!), a few near brushes with disaster... (both Keiko and I had rather unfortunate luck when it came to jumping from a ledge into a churning mass of water below us - I try not to watch the video too many times because it makes me feel all queasy) and we all overcame a few personal fears. With Johanna it was a fear of heights... with me, it was a fear of exercise. I think Kristen is fearless (although she did scream like a girl on a few of those jumps) - Rosalind makes these cute, girly, squealy "oh dear" sounds when she's alarmed and Pamela tends to say "Oh Jaysus Christ" a whole lot more than usualwhen she's nervous!
All in all, it was great fun and definitely worth doing again!
Oh... and by the way... the most difficult part of the day for me was definitely getting into and out of those fecking wetsuits!!!
The "Safety" speech
Before
That's me, bringing up the rear as always
The first waterfall (20 m)
Getting ready to take the 20 m plunge (that nose plug wasn't effective at all)
Pam - looking a bit nervous
Martin and Keiko - just after he banged his head
After
Water fight!
Monday, July 02, 2007
The molehill that turned into a mountain!!!
Today I want to tell you a tale of turmoil, strife, personal triumph and the age old clash between good and evil (okay, maybe the last bit was slightly exaggerated). The names in this story have been changed to protect the identities of the people involved. Everything else is strictly true. (*pictures posed by re-enactment models).
So off they went! It was all quite pretty – they “discovered” previously unknown shrines (well unknown to them), explored the bucolic countryside with smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts (they’re just those kind of girls). They stopped and took pictures of farmers working their fields, graveyards, dilapidated houses – anything that caught their fancy. All in all it was rather pleasant. Good weather and great company. Like the eager Rosalie so memorably commented, “What a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon!”
After exhausting one side road they tried another and then another, happily chatting and snapping pics at every available opportunity. Every time they came across a fork or junction in the road – whichever one of them happened to be leading at the time would call out “Left or right” to the other and off they would go in the chosen direction. 
They were rather proud of themselves and all the ground they were covering – until they encountered a farmer they’d seen nearly an hour before – he was on foot! They were both shocked to realize that they hadn’t gone as far as they’d thought! That, or the farmer was some kind of teleporter who could conveniently zip between places at the speed of light. Sheesh… 
(could somebody please tell us what these gross foamy things are?!)
It was really beautiful, the road was very quiet, they encountered only two cars in the first ten minutes. The rice fields soon fell behind them and they were bordered by only trees. All they could hear were insects droning away in the green leaves and relaxing bird song. They were both eager to see where this road would lead and even when it started gently inclining Natalia (whom you would expect to protest at this point), said nothing about turning back. The two women chatted happily, stopped to take the occasional picture, remarked on how quiet the road was and kept cycling on their merry way. Now this was just one straight road, no turns off it and both ladies were eager to see where it led. Soon the sounds of civilization faded entirely, there were only birds, bugs and the sound of female laughter. They made off-colour jokes about how if they had been in a movie some psycho in a truck would pass them, before circling back to hunt them and torture them in all kinds of imaginative ways.
The road was steep but it was sneaky in that it always FELT manageable! Every time they rounded another corner they would groan inwardly when they realized that it wasn’t heading downhill yet! They hadn’t seen a car in over an hour... the pretty birdsong started to sound mocking, the butterflies seemed to taunt them and the trees loomed ominously above them! Nothing about this was pleasant anymore...
FINALLY, after what seemed (and were) hours, they realized that the road ahead of them had started to dip... they were both ecstatic! There was a lookout point at the apex of the road (they were horrified - and feeling more than a little triumphant - when they saw how high up they actually were) and they stopped there to take a few "jumping with joy" pics from the top and to celebrate their “victory”. After congratulating themselves for a while, they jumped on their bikes and eagerly freewheeled down the mountain... it was bliss... the wind felt cool on their overheated, sweaty bodies and they were both laughing and happy to finally be done with this nightmare...
Then... disaster struck... the fucken bastarding RAT of a road (do excuse the profanity) kicked UP again!!! Both women were appalled! Now they were truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. Before they’d always had the option to turn back... but now, after coming down that steep road, they were faced with two unpalatable possibilities – to go back they would have to go uphill – to go forward they would have to go uphill! The terrible thing was not knowing what lie ahead of them! How long would this road keep going on for?! They’d been walking for nearly 2 hours... how much further would they have to walk to get off that damned road?! Going back didn’t seem viable and would make the whole afternoon seem like a waste of time... the only option was to (stubbornly) keep going forward! So once again, their shoulders drooping with exhaustion and resignation, they trudged uphill, pushing their burdensome bikes all the way.
This time there was no laughter, there was no stopping for pictures and gasping at the surrounding beauty... this time there was mostly silence, accompanied by heavy breathing, the occasional groan and rare comment. The birds cackled in glee, the bugs chirruped in laughter and the trees shook with mirth... The whole world seemed out to get them.
They were challenged one more time when they encountered a fork in the road and an uninformative sign! Their decision this time was based purely on which road looked easier! One headed uphill again and the other downhill! No prizes for guessing which one they chose!
The End
Our story begins with a young woman named Natalia, who believed that it would be fun to go on a leisurely bike ride with her friends in order to check out the little-explored countryside surrounding their homes. Just recently, Natalia and one of her friends, Rosalie, finally acted on this dream – when for the first time in absolute ages, they both found themselves with a free Sunday. The weather was pretty good and they were both up for it...
*
They agreed to meet halfway between Kamo and Sanjo on Route 403 – a plan which was flawlessly executed when they met up almost exactly halfway down the 403. They stopped at conbenie to get some lunch and then headed to Honai Botanical Gardens to have a picnic. The Botanical Garden was Rosalie’s idea (of course), she always seems to know about random plant places in the middle of nowhere and despite the uphill trek to the picnic spot (during which Natalia quite heroically kept the complaints down to a minimum. She really did. Seriously) it was all very pretty. After lunch, Natalia could see the yearning in Rosalie’s eyes to explore the gardens further, but she (Natalia) nipped that right in the bud by reminding Rosalie that they were on a biking trip, not an uphill hike (Natalia isn’t too fond of hiking). So they left and when they got back to their bikes Rosalie (rather snarkily – in this author’s opinion) invited Natalia to lead the way because she seemed to have “firm ideas of how the trip was to go”! Now Natalia had no firm ideas, no map in her mind of how the little excursion was to go, her main aim was to keep the very idea of “hiking” out of Rosalie’s head! In Natalia’s opinion, Rosalie is WAY too keen on stuff like that.
They agreed to meet halfway between Kamo and Sanjo on Route 403 – a plan which was flawlessly executed when they met up almost exactly halfway down the 403. They stopped at conbenie to get some lunch and then headed to Honai Botanical Gardens to have a picnic. The Botanical Garden was Rosalie’s idea (of course), she always seems to know about random plant places in the middle of nowhere and despite the uphill trek to the picnic spot (during which Natalia quite heroically kept the complaints down to a minimum. She really did. Seriously) it was all very pretty. After lunch, Natalia could see the yearning in Rosalie’s eyes to explore the gardens further, but she (Natalia) nipped that right in the bud by reminding Rosalie that they were on a biking trip, not an uphill hike (Natalia isn’t too fond of hiking). So they left and when they got back to their bikes Rosalie (rather snarkily – in this author’s opinion) invited Natalia to lead the way because she seemed to have “firm ideas of how the trip was to go”! Now Natalia had no firm ideas, no map in her mind of how the little excursion was to go, her main aim was to keep the very idea of “hiking” out of Rosalie’s head! In Natalia’s opinion, Rosalie is WAY too keen on stuff like that. 
So off they went! It was all quite pretty – they “discovered” previously unknown shrines (well unknown to them), explored the bucolic countryside with smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts (they’re just those kind of girls). They stopped and took pictures of farmers working their fields, graveyards, dilapidated houses – anything that caught their fancy. All in all it was rather pleasant. Good weather and great company. Like the eager Rosalie so memorably commented, “What a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon!”
They were rather proud of themselves and all the ground they were covering – until they encountered a farmer they’d seen nearly an hour before – he was on foot! They were both shocked to realize that they hadn’t gone as far as they’d thought! That, or the farmer was some kind of teleporter who could conveniently zip between places at the speed of light. Sheesh… Natalia – disgruntled by this power-walking farmer – suggested they check out a river that she knew of and Rosalie, ever eager, agreed to that. So they made their leisurely way toward the river. En-route, they discovered another road, one bordered by rice fields and heading toward some trees and they decided to explore it for a little while.
(could somebody please tell us what these gross foamy things are?!)The incline gradually grew steeper... and Natalia got off her bike and started pushing it... they were both hot and sweaty by this time, but after nearly 40 minutes on this road neither of them were willing to give up on it! So they pushed forward – knowing (because they had encountered a road sign earlier) that this road would lead straight to Kamo – which meant that they were familiar with the destination and really, Kamo isn’t that far from Sanjo at all! After more than an hour, both were grimly determined to see it through! Their “leisurely” Sunday afternoon bike ride had become the UNTHINKABLE – an exercise in endurance and worse (for Natalia at least) an uphill frikken HIKE! Both women were pushing their bikes by this time as the road kept heading up – they still managed to keep their flagging spirits up by valiantly joking that “SURELY the road would decline after the next corner. SURELY”! They couldn’t see further than 100 metres up the road at any given moment because it twisted and turned so much, but one look over the side would show them how high up they were. Still, not one word of surrender... oh no, not these two stubborn women. They would bloody well get to Kamo or die trying! Besides, it wasn’t THAT bad... they could do this! They knew they could!
The road was steep but it was sneaky in that it always FELT manageable! Every time they rounded another corner they would groan inwardly when they realized that it wasn’t heading downhill yet! They hadn’t seen a car in over an hour... the pretty birdsong started to sound mocking, the butterflies seemed to taunt them and the trees loomed ominously above them! Nothing about this was pleasant anymore...
FINALLY, after what seemed (and were) hours, they realized that the road ahead of them had started to dip... they were both ecstatic! There was a lookout point at the apex of the road (they were horrified - and feeling more than a little triumphant - when they saw how high up they actually were) and they stopped there to take a few "jumping with joy" pics from the top and to celebrate their “victory”. After congratulating themselves for a while, they jumped on their bikes and eagerly freewheeled down the mountain... it was bliss... the wind felt cool on their overheated, sweaty bodies and they were both laughing and happy to finally be done with this nightmare...
Then... disaster struck... the fucken bastarding RAT of a road (do excuse the profanity) kicked UP again!!! Both women were appalled! Now they were truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. Before they’d always had the option to turn back... but now, after coming down that steep road, they were faced with two unpalatable possibilities – to go back they would have to go uphill – to go forward they would have to go uphill! The terrible thing was not knowing what lie ahead of them! How long would this road keep going on for?! They’d been walking for nearly 2 hours... how much further would they have to walk to get off that damned road?! Going back didn’t seem viable and would make the whole afternoon seem like a waste of time... the only option was to (stubbornly) keep going forward! So once again, their shoulders drooping with exhaustion and resignation, they trudged uphill, pushing their burdensome bikes all the way.
This time there was no laughter, there was no stopping for pictures and gasping at the surrounding beauty... this time there was mostly silence, accompanied by heavy breathing, the occasional groan and rare comment. The birds cackled in glee, the bugs chirruped in laughter and the trees shook with mirth... The whole world seemed out to get them.This time the uphill journey seemed longer and steeper – they never knew for sure... the sky was clouding over and they prayed that it would not rain! They were both hungry, in need of the bathroom and exhausted! Finally... after forever... their epic journey uphill ended and they were both so relieved they could have wept with joy! Still their odyssey wasn’t over yet... the rest of the way may have been downhill, but they weren’t sure how long it would last, weren’t sure if it would start going uphill again... weren’t sure of anything except that they were very, very tired!
They were challenged one more time when they encountered a fork in the road and an uninformative sign! Their decision this time was based purely on which road looked easier! One headed uphill again and the other downhill! No prizes for guessing which one they chose!They chose well because the easier road led to Gejo Dam (close to Kamo) – there were a few more twists and turns a few more baby hills and suddenly they were there, at the dam! There were toilets, vending machines and EVERYTHING! It was Paradise, Utopia and Shangri-la all rolled into one! They could have wept with joy. They had been cycling and walking for nearly 4 hours (5 and a half in total if you add the ideal beginning).
They left Gejo dam after resting for a while and headed for the 403 (they were never happier than when they saw the sign leading back to the 403). They were never so happy to see cars, people and smell pollution in their lives before! Life had finally gone back to making sense...
They left Gejo dam after resting for a while and headed for the 403 (they were never happier than when they saw the sign leading back to the 403). They were never so happy to see cars, people and smell pollution in their lives before! Life had finally gone back to making sense...
The End
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