I don't understand why the taxi's go on a go-slow or go on strike as a protest because they do not approve of the new Bus Rapid Transport. Surely by not providing their services they are encouraging commuters to use the BRT and therefore discover it really is better and cheaper than using a taxi? Would it not be a better tactical solution to flood the streets with taxi's and on top of that provide good service and therefore make the commuters feel as if there is no need to try out the BRT?
I don't understand how i got a missed call from an obscure +44207... number and on top of that, when I google the exact number there are at least 20 other people across the world who have received mysterious missed calls from EXACTLY the same number. Sounds like some one has let their little baby play with their phone too often. I googled numbers similar and got no results so it isn't a serialised number thing.
I don't understand why insurance companies have to make it so difficult to replace your stolen goods. I was legitimately burgled!! My replacement camera has to be fetched from an obscure shop on the far side of Fourways and my father has to accompany me to supposedly jump through hoops to qualify for the equipment. My replacement cellphone has been ordered through Cell C Benmore. No "we'll let you choose a shop close by to you" I suspect the Big Job at the insurance company is got a bit of favouritism going... or else if there is lots of insurance related paperwork - some anti-favouritism going. The trouble is that due to my experience with cellphone shops I am afraid that if I am not in the shop waiting at the exact moment that the mobile device arrives, it will get sold to the next highest bidder/whining client.
I don't understand Chinese culture... but it's still completely fascinating. Latest great read: Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart - Read it and you'll see why I am intrigued....
Monday, 31 August 2009
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
if woman(heartbeat) == true then woman = worried(anything)
women will conform to who they are and it doesnt mateer about teh circumstances, they will worry about things. For example right now I am worried about:
- That I don't have a bag to pack into because I am going to Gaborone for two nights.
- That I don't know what to pack for my two days of training in Gaborone
- That I am going on training to Gaborone and I might not make the most of the oppurtuinity (like fall asleep in the discussions or something lame)
- That I haven't booked leave for the single day I will off of work next month because my super is away
- That the 800 page document I just printed is wrong and Ill have to print it again
- That the 800 page document will not reach the required person on time
- That the 800 page document will reach the required preson but will be missing some vital detail
- That I will forget to rip the 800 page document to CD tomorrow
- That Ill have an accident on the way home because my brakes have started making a funny noise
- That I haven't washed my car in a while and that the adorning ancient bird poop is making my bonnet rust
- The fact that I am starving and that I will be served a horrible dinner
- That I signed my life away to Liberty life this morning and i might have done the wrong thing
- That I was supposed to organise a camp this weekend taht I havent done and I havent told any of the participants yet
- That insurance won't replace my cellphone with a new E63
- That Ill never manage to grow long hair again
- That Ill get swine flu while travelling to Botswana and back
- That I already have swine flu
- That Ill forget to fill up with petrol before the price goes up.
And so the list goes on and on and on. We havent even started with my deeper more midddle term and long term worries....
I wonder a guy would worry about?
- When he is going to eat?
- If he is going bald?
- Whether his lunch tomorrow will be better than his work colleague's lunch...
....ummm....
[Fred: I anticipate a response before the end of the week....]
- That I don't have a bag to pack into because I am going to Gaborone for two nights.
- That I don't know what to pack for my two days of training in Gaborone
- That I am going on training to Gaborone and I might not make the most of the oppurtuinity (like fall asleep in the discussions or something lame)
- That I haven't booked leave for the single day I will off of work next month because my super is away
- That the 800 page document I just printed is wrong and Ill have to print it again
- That the 800 page document will not reach the required person on time
- That the 800 page document will reach the required preson but will be missing some vital detail
- That I will forget to rip the 800 page document to CD tomorrow
- That Ill have an accident on the way home because my brakes have started making a funny noise
- That I haven't washed my car in a while and that the adorning ancient bird poop is making my bonnet rust
- The fact that I am starving and that I will be served a horrible dinner
- That I signed my life away to Liberty life this morning and i might have done the wrong thing
- That I was supposed to organise a camp this weekend taht I havent done and I havent told any of the participants yet
- That insurance won't replace my cellphone with a new E63
- That Ill never manage to grow long hair again
- That Ill get swine flu while travelling to Botswana and back
- That I already have swine flu
- That Ill forget to fill up with petrol before the price goes up.
And so the list goes on and on and on. We havent even started with my deeper more midddle term and long term worries....
I wonder a guy would worry about?
- When he is going to eat?
- If he is going bald?
- Whether his lunch tomorrow will be better than his work colleague's lunch...
....ummm....
[Fred: I anticipate a response before the end of the week....]
Thursday, 20 August 2009
You have no idea how great your life looks from my perspective
I have had a few low days of late (b ut bear with me a little longer here). It's probably a cyclical/hormonal/weather/seasonal thing but what really really irks me is that I keep meeting people who seem to have their lives so nicely together. The worst bit is that they are really nice people so I can't even dislike them for it.
I'm the moments when just as I’m feeling that my life is just the bees knees and I'm feeling really really proud about a part of it, someone comes along who is outshining me in that area and it simply naws away at my little piece of happiness. It may even be some throw back from 5 years of an all girls school and the effect of some competitive friends. For example:
I have a great job - You got head hunted
I get paid very decently - You get paid more
I thought I was becoming well travelled - You started travelling long before me
I thought I was adventurous - You went and had more adventures than me
I have some pretty cool friends - You have a husband and cooler friends
I thought I was clever - You're damn cleverererer (never know when to stop the 'er's)
I have a degree - You're half way through your second one
I finished varsity - They were disappointed when you left
I chatted up a guy when we were out together - He asked for your number and forgot my name
I bought my first car - Your parents picked one out for you for your birthday
I got some nice clothes together - You dressed fabulous on my ugly-day
And it's all silly petty jealousy because really my life isn’t that terrible - it's nice - just not as nice as everyone else’s looks sometimes. The envy and coveting really doesn’t take me anywhere - It’s unproductive really. It's not even the inspiring kind of envy where I am challenged to work harder.
So I have made a resolution - here's me trying to be mature - that I must be friends with these kinds of people. Because somewhere deep down I have a hope that if I am their friend then I could be proud of what they have done instead of filled with unhappy envy. Happy for you instead of letting your casual unintentionally bitterness-causing remarks eat away at my own happiness. I gain nothing really from envying nice people anyway - I can't even dislike you because you probably deserve the nice life you have. And maybe just maybe someone else looks at my life and wishes it were theirs...
I'm the moments when just as I’m feeling that my life is just the bees knees and I'm feeling really really proud about a part of it, someone comes along who is outshining me in that area and it simply naws away at my little piece of happiness. It may even be some throw back from 5 years of an all girls school and the effect of some competitive friends. For example:
I have a great job - You got head hunted
I get paid very decently - You get paid more
I thought I was becoming well travelled - You started travelling long before me
I thought I was adventurous - You went and had more adventures than me
I have some pretty cool friends - You have a husband and cooler friends
I thought I was clever - You're damn cleverererer (never know when to stop the 'er's)
I have a degree - You're half way through your second one
I finished varsity - They were disappointed when you left
I chatted up a guy when we were out together - He asked for your number and forgot my name
I bought my first car - Your parents picked one out for you for your birthday
I got some nice clothes together - You dressed fabulous on my ugly-day
And it's all silly petty jealousy because really my life isn’t that terrible - it's nice - just not as nice as everyone else’s looks sometimes. The envy and coveting really doesn’t take me anywhere - It’s unproductive really. It's not even the inspiring kind of envy where I am challenged to work harder.
So I have made a resolution - here's me trying to be mature - that I must be friends with these kinds of people. Because somewhere deep down I have a hope that if I am their friend then I could be proud of what they have done instead of filled with unhappy envy. Happy for you instead of letting your casual unintentionally bitterness-causing remarks eat away at my own happiness. I gain nothing really from envying nice people anyway - I can't even dislike you because you probably deserve the nice life you have. And maybe just maybe someone else looks at my life and wishes it were theirs...
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
a lesson in lending
It is time for another life lesson me thinks,
So, Lesson [n+1]: when you lend something to a friend, the time it takes for the article to be returned is an indication of how important it was to them
Friend in this borrowing/lending context is used only as a loose reference to a person with whom you are acquainted. {grrr wicked horrible people that never bring stuff back! it is like you are dead to me!}
And so the story to explain this lesson goes like this. You purchase say a new CD. Your friend borrows the CD to listen to it. If it is returned promptly, like the next time you see each other Or else the person mentions that they will give it back every time you see them until it is returned, THEN it means that the CD (in this example) means a lot to them, they really enjoyed it and they wished that it belonged to them.
However, if you don't see the CD for months and months and there is absolutely no mention from your friend that they still have it, then it means that either they care so little that they haven't even listened to it or have no regard for the CD in any way.
This may seem entirely logical or not but the basic theory is that the more they wish the item belonged to them, the more likely it is that it will be returned. (the exception of course is having scaly stealing friends)
This theory applies just as well to books, clothes and usually even money. (Altho lending and borrowing money amongst friends is a whole other school of life skills)
What I have observed is that when your friend makes use of what you have lent them, if they appreciate and covet the item, it is foremost in their minds and they find it very easy to remember that it belongs to you and it must be returned. Conversely if they have no regard for the item or even no regard for you, they dont think about what you have lent them and never remember to return it.
So the lesson out of this is when you discover something cool - be careful of lending it out to your friends because if they don't like it, they will never return it and you will now be minus an item that you really like. Not Cool!
Similarly, don't lend money to arbitrary work colleagues who don't know your name because they will forget to return it to you and because you are not very well acquainted, you will struggle to find the polite way of saying "Pay up you stingy Rogue! I lent you lunch money!"
Yes I am in the midst of a bad experience - The only icing on the cake is that the person who owes me stuff can't look me in the eye... I think she remembers! Suffer in guilt! You owe me money! And you owe me my shopping bag!
The problem is that if someone asks to borrow something - you feel like a tight lipped school teacher saying "Please make sure you give it back!" <wag fingers> I'm going to have to go practice my self-righteous face soon...
Thinking about it, I guess you could apply the same lesson to lending time and feelings as well...
So, Lesson [n+1]: when you lend something to a friend, the time it takes for the article to be returned is an indication of how important it was to them
Friend in this borrowing/lending context is used only as a loose reference to a person with whom you are acquainted. {grrr wicked horrible people that never bring stuff back! it is like you are dead to me!}
And so the story to explain this lesson goes like this. You purchase say a new CD. Your friend borrows the CD to listen to it. If it is returned promptly, like the next time you see each other Or else the person mentions that they will give it back every time you see them until it is returned, THEN it means that the CD (in this example) means a lot to them, they really enjoyed it and they wished that it belonged to them.
However, if you don't see the CD for months and months and there is absolutely no mention from your friend that they still have it, then it means that either they care so little that they haven't even listened to it or have no regard for the CD in any way.
This may seem entirely logical or not but the basic theory is that the more they wish the item belonged to them, the more likely it is that it will be returned. (the exception of course is having scaly stealing friends)
This theory applies just as well to books, clothes and usually even money. (Altho lending and borrowing money amongst friends is a whole other school of life skills)
What I have observed is that when your friend makes use of what you have lent them, if they appreciate and covet the item, it is foremost in their minds and they find it very easy to remember that it belongs to you and it must be returned. Conversely if they have no regard for the item or even no regard for you, they dont think about what you have lent them and never remember to return it.
So the lesson out of this is when you discover something cool - be careful of lending it out to your friends because if they don't like it, they will never return it and you will now be minus an item that you really like. Not Cool!
Similarly, don't lend money to arbitrary work colleagues who don't know your name because they will forget to return it to you and because you are not very well acquainted, you will struggle to find the polite way of saying "Pay up you stingy Rogue! I lent you lunch money!"
Yes I am in the midst of a bad experience - The only icing on the cake is that the person who owes me stuff can't look me in the eye... I think she remembers! Suffer in guilt! You owe me money! And you owe me my shopping bag!
The problem is that if someone asks to borrow something - you feel like a tight lipped school teacher saying "Please make sure you give it back!" <wag fingers> I'm going to have to go practice my self-righteous face soon...
Thinking about it, I guess you could apply the same lesson to lending time and feelings as well...
Monday, 17 August 2009
ok so maybe I am a little bitter
so as anyone standing in the vicinity near by to me last week would have heard, I was burgled and although I was asleep through the event and was not traumatised much I lost a lot in terms on monetary value. Oh maybe slightly traumatised since I get the chills when I think about the naughty little man having the audacity to walk into my bedroom while I was sleeping and picking up my handbag, and laptop (inside its bag) and my cellphone from right next to my head off my bedside table.
But other than that its a material hole in my pocket. And a hole in my heart because I really really liked my bright red cellphone and my nifty little camera.
so here is a list of things I lost that insurance can't really replace.
35 USD and 2 euro coins - more of a talking point than the value itself - yes im silly for keeping USD in my wallet - but perhaps the burglar was Zimbabwean and maybe he can use it better more than me.
many many photos of me with pink hair - no more profile picture updates sadly.
Photos of my trip with my friends up in Magaliesburg taken the day before the camera was stolen.
my entire day-to-day earring collection including some awesome silver hoops and all my beaded creations - all cheap but if I was charging at the hourly as an Electrical engineer for creating the earrings, the value of the loss would run into the R1000's
my brand new Regina Spektor CD - hidden in my laptop bag away from my sneaky brother - sorry for me for being selfish - I hadn't even listened to the CD fully yet!
Photos of Johannesburg - I firmly believe that Joburg is a very beautiful place in winter - ands i happen to work most days until sunset so I had a whole ton of stunning sunset pictures. I'm going to have to wait another year to take photos again to prove my point. the crystal clear dry air and the pollution makes for spectacular sights at 5:30 - 6:00 pm-ish in July!
about 6GB of memory cards.
and more ... but its home time now... I'll have to appreciate the sunset with my eyeballs instead
But other than that its a material hole in my pocket. And a hole in my heart because I really really liked my bright red cellphone and my nifty little camera.
so here is a list of things I lost that insurance can't really replace.
35 USD and 2 euro coins - more of a talking point than the value itself - yes im silly for keeping USD in my wallet - but perhaps the burglar was Zimbabwean and maybe he can use it better more than me.
many many photos of me with pink hair - no more profile picture updates sadly.
Photos of my trip with my friends up in Magaliesburg taken the day before the camera was stolen.
my entire day-to-day earring collection including some awesome silver hoops and all my beaded creations - all cheap but if I was charging at the hourly as an Electrical engineer for creating the earrings, the value of the loss would run into the R1000's
my brand new Regina Spektor CD - hidden in my laptop bag away from my sneaky brother - sorry for me for being selfish - I hadn't even listened to the CD fully yet!
Photos of Johannesburg - I firmly believe that Joburg is a very beautiful place in winter - ands i happen to work most days until sunset so I had a whole ton of stunning sunset pictures. I'm going to have to wait another year to take photos again to prove my point. the crystal clear dry air and the pollution makes for spectacular sights at 5:30 - 6:00 pm-ish in July!
about 6GB of memory cards.
and more ... but its home time now... I'll have to appreciate the sunset with my eyeballs instead
Thursday, 13 August 2009
It's 19:30 and Im still at work
and why? why am I working overtime I ask myself.
As I am alone in the office at its all quiet and its dark outside I have had some time to do some deep thinking about why I am at work and will continue to be at work for yet some time today... So in no particular order...
1. I do not deal well with a complete absence of supervision. I gotta have someone to go ask when I gather up the courage to take my problems to someone.
2. I am lazy - my cubicle gets warm in the afternoon so I snooze and work in an extra hour or so every Day - It's wicked for a 24 year old to do but I do find my productivity improves after my guilty little power nap.
3. I have a new friend. it's a bit random how it started but some nice man in the UK office started emailing me yesterday because we are both involved in Guiding/Scouting and we have been exchanging emails getting to know each other because we can. ...40 emails later... you can imagine how productive it is when you are keeping an eye on your inbox. We're facebook friends too woooo
4. I am sometimes too shy. So when the senior engineer says "Will you take on this proposal" what I said was "Yes Ill give it a bash" when I should have said "I would like to try but I have never done this before I have no idea how to do it, will I be allowed to do it if I need someone to guide me along? and Please don't assign the guy who works on site more often than in the office to supervise me!" Its so much easier to nod enthusiastically.
5. I have a low tolerance for being talked down to. So when someone is helping me and giving me tips on grammar and spelling instead of a discussion on how a technical document is assembled, I get a bit ticked off and snappy - Wickedly unprofessional behaviour- it happens when I'm a bit pressed.
6. I was burgled on Tuesday morning - I'm only slightly traumatised but my concentration span drifts a bit when you don't sleep well. and you want to figure out how you going to get everything replaced. I could make a whole separate blog post about this.
Six silly excuses is enough. Back to work for this very sad very hungry sorry lump of a workaholic.
As I am alone in the office at its all quiet and its dark outside I have had some time to do some deep thinking about why I am at work and will continue to be at work for yet some time today... So in no particular order...
1. I do not deal well with a complete absence of supervision. I gotta have someone to go ask when I gather up the courage to take my problems to someone.
2. I am lazy - my cubicle gets warm in the afternoon so I snooze and work in an extra hour or so every Day - It's wicked for a 24 year old to do but I do find my productivity improves after my guilty little power nap.
3. I have a new friend. it's a bit random how it started but some nice man in the UK office started emailing me yesterday because we are both involved in Guiding/Scouting and we have been exchanging emails getting to know each other because we can. ...40 emails later... you can imagine how productive it is when you are keeping an eye on your inbox. We're facebook friends too woooo
4. I am sometimes too shy. So when the senior engineer says "Will you take on this proposal" what I said was "Yes Ill give it a bash" when I should have said "I would like to try but I have never done this before I have no idea how to do it, will I be allowed to do it if I need someone to guide me along? and Please don't assign the guy who works on site more often than in the office to supervise me!" Its so much easier to nod enthusiastically.
5. I have a low tolerance for being talked down to. So when someone is helping me and giving me tips on grammar and spelling instead of a discussion on how a technical document is assembled, I get a bit ticked off and snappy - Wickedly unprofessional behaviour- it happens when I'm a bit pressed.
6. I was burgled on Tuesday morning - I'm only slightly traumatised but my concentration span drifts a bit when you don't sleep well. and you want to figure out how you going to get everything replaced. I could make a whole separate blog post about this.
Six silly excuses is enough. Back to work for this very sad very hungry sorry lump of a workaholic.
Friday, 7 August 2009
Employee satisfied!
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This Employee is Satisfied :)
Especially since the dept got pizza at lunch time... Now I gotta channel these happy feelings into productivity...
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
I am a coward
I made the depressing realisation today that I'm a big silly scaredy cat. I had two things that I had to get done today and both have been kinda sorta umm postponed because I was too afraid to go disturb people. I'm not even sure what I'm afraid of. Perhaps I'm afraid of being told No... Which translates into having to gather up the courage to ask someone else Except now instead having not done the required activities it translates into general incompetence.
The funny thing is that when I'm in a social context with a crowd, give me an opportunity to do the scary adventurous stuff and I'm front of the queue with my hand flapping in the air. Strap me in a 5 point harness and throw me out a tall tree (true story 11m up) Let me tight rope walk along thin planks across a cold lake on a wet rainy day (true story I Didn't fall in) Let me build a raft in the dead of a winters night to sail across a dam and steal the enemy teams toilet paper (true story I Did fall in) Let me ride an ostrich (true story They move Flippen fast) Strap me onto steel and fling me into the air and let me wave my middle finger at gravity for a while with my hair streaming in the wind (True story Eeeek here comes the ground! Straight at me!) I laugh in defiance of those afraid of heights.
And yet having to send an email to ask for some big Man's signature on a report is daunting. Having to go to my senior colleague with a question because I'm clueless (still clueless...) requires breathing exercises. Having to email the foreign colleague with the daunting (yet inspiring) long CV needs several rewrites and I close my eyes and wince when I press SEND ("Hello, You Are Awesome . May I use your CV... So I can say Our Company Is Awesome!?") I was asked to take on a new kind of project at work and I did some creative ducking and diving because I'm not sure how to do it... yet...
I don't know why I'm so scared of looking stupid and uninformed or even having to make myself be noticed professionally and yet I don't care if I look the clown in order to get a new adventure.
So at work I'm the cowardly chicken and at play I'm the unpredictable wild child...
Acknowledging this shortcoming still doesn't help when I'm two documents short for my morning meeting tomorrow...
Honestly now what's the worst that could have happened by making a pest of myself?
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