i don't think i've ever had a span of 4 or 5 days filled with so much fun and frustration like i did this long easter weekend (we, in sa, got fri and monday off, because apparently the people here are christians and like holidays). i'll start with the frustrating partS:
car issues #1: after being in the shop for 3+ weeks, hakuna matata (my car's name for now, thanks to my boy biede) came home. you would think that being away for so long, they had to have fixed the problems, right? wrong. the funny noises were still there. the air conditioning still didnt work properly. so what did they do? i'm completely convinced that they gave the car to one of the workers/technicians and he took it on vacation to botswana or zim or china, drove up the mileage (majorly) and then returned it back and boom, it was "fixed".
car issues #2: exhibit #2 that someone had taken the car for a fun ride and brought it back "fixed", i noticed the engine was very week; in fact, i had to sit in the dealer's office when i got it back while i waited for him to charge it up. this was wed. thurs,it felt even weaker. friday, it refused to start. luckily i was staying over with a friend who had jumper cables (a bit more about that later). sat, it refused to start. by now i figure the battery's not weak; it's dead. luckily i had just enough (barely) airtime to call a friend and we drove to an auto shop in just enough time (they were 5 minutes from closing) to buy a new battery. btw, u can call me mr mechanic bcuz my friend and i fixed the battery ourselves (amid sparks flying and instructions in the handbook that simply said "to replace the battery take your vehicle to the nearest audi dealership")
car issues #3: ok, this is not really an issue, but easter sunday i take it to church, get home and realize that the right front light was hanging down. apparently, i think i scraped it in the new, hill-y, and pot hole filled church car park (some easter present, huh). so i put on my handyman cap again and tried my best to push the light in and screw on the peace of the bumper that was also hanging down.
cell-phone issues: vodacom, one of the big cellphone companies here, is now the devil to me. theyve been successful at giving me hell in trying to set up a monthly contract with them. so i finally decided i want none of it; call them; demanded cancellation; told them i would not pay the cancellation fee, as the phone never was fully activated and certainly never used; and demanded a full refund of all the money i'd paid so far. after about 4 calls TODAY (including finally to corporate), they have told me that part of the refund is on its way. i now have to keep fighting for the rest of it.
ok, the negatives of this weekend may seem overwhelming, but it didnt really bother me too much, because the positives were immensely better. i had more fun this weekend than i have in a while here. the low-down:
thur: i ventured to the east rand (that's east of jo-burg...seemed like another country!) for the first time. a friend of mine (that i met through another friend) finally had enough of sa and was shipping it to the UK, so she had a farewell party. i found out at work that day that the east rand has a "special" reputation. apparently even english south africans dont hang out much there, as it is mostly an afrikaans area (tho this girl's family was scottish). turns out it wasn't that bad at all. still very white, of course, but not too bad. i met a lot of very friendly people (lots). party-ed all night there; spent the night at the girls brother's place (who luckily had the jumper cables); and left on friday morning.
fri: had lunch with some work colleagues. it was more of a brunch/lunch/dinner, cuz we spent a lot of time at the restaurant. it was good to just hang out and chill tho. sat: after fixing the battery in my car, i was ready for some good chicken; so we had some. a lot actually. the night was extremely good too. went to 2 clubs here in jo-burg. one was very mmts, mmts, mmts (they reallllly like the techno, house, trance-type music here). could only stand so much of that, so we continued to a much more freindlier atmosphere of hip hip. i'm not one for clubs but this place is now probly one of my favorite. they played both new hip hop and a lot of old school stuff and the dj really mixed it up all night. it was nice, met lots more nice people, and actually danced all night (thats right i danced!)...until my feet could barely move. sun and mon were spent going to church, having lunch with friends, and running away from the police twice (ok, maybe it wasn't that serious/cool, but thats my story and im sticking to it). but overall, one of the best weekends i've had in a while. i took no pictures, but i can't guarantee that some will not be popping up on facebook.
im taking this friday off (so reallly short wk for me) to go hiking in Drakensburg, so i'll def have pictures up for my next post, for you textually-challenged group!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
blessings and curses and race
change of plans: i was planning on blogging today (actually yesterday or so...) about the men's church conference that i went to this past weekend. well now something else has my attention (i'll get to that below). just to say a bit about the conf, it was a bit weird at first, cuz i walked in early on saturday morning (after nearly turning back cuz i was a bit late and the gate wouldn't open) and all i could see was old men. i mean reallly old men. it wasn't until i sat down and cleared my eyes and mind that i spotted a couple people my age (though the majority was still old men). with all my doubts tho, the conf turned out really good. i got to meet some amazing people and surprisingly (to me at least) people really opened up and shared stuff in ways i didn't expect (including myself). the theme was blessings and curses and even though we touched on some areas that i strongly disagree with (e.g. aids possibly being a curse from god or abortion on any level inviting god's curse...), the underlying theme of being aware of forces at work around and among us was a really enlightening one. we even talked about spirits and demons (oooh, ahhh)...topics that westernized people rarely like to talk about; but ask any african, indian, other asian, etc, and they will testify to u that things do happen on a supernatural level that need to be acknowledged. anyway, i may be getting too deep for y'all, but i'm glad i went and not only did i meet some new people, i got my learn on a bit.
so on to the new topic. a few weeks ago, i was at a braai and we somehow got on the topic of race in the US and in South Africa. the south african seemed to believe that one problem is that america has only covered up the issue and pushed it aside, but has not adequately faced it head on. hence, when anyone says anything that could even remotely be considered derogatory all hell breaks loose. i agree with that. however, he also contrasted that with south africa, believing that south africans were on a better path because they were actually facing the race issue head on. not so sure about that.
anyway, i was reminded of this convo today as i got home from work and turned on CNN (as is routine) and the breaking news was that obama was making a major speech on race. i must admit, my first instinct was "oh no...he's digging himself in a bigger hole". all week id read about the whole "issue" with his pastors comments,etc; which was all frankly annoying. so i was, unfortunately, under the impression that he should just let this blow over and ignore it and hope it gets lost in the other "irrelevant" news stories of..uhm...lets see...maybe iraq, or the economy, or jobs, or education...
well, this man's got some balls. after hearing the speech i was impressed. i think for the first time in a long time someone was actually speaking about the issue of race and racial relations in a REAL way. no innuendos. no beating around the subject. he brilliantly spoke about this issue in a way that i believe everyone has experienced in some way. black anger. white guilt. white frustration. hispanic frustration. black pride. his words: "issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we’ve never really worked through...But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now...the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races...This is where we are right now. It’s a racial stalemate we’ve been stuck in for years."
He goes on to say a lot of other awesome things, but those are some of the ones that stuck out to me. i suggest listening to or reading the rest of the speech. so yes, its another speech. why should we put stuck in speeches anyway. well first of all racial dialog is something that seriously needs to happen on a meaningful level in the states. to see a major presidential actually address it, in a way potentially damaging to his candidacy, is inspiring. barack likes to say change happens from the bottom-up but it almost always takes urging, agreement, and work from the top down as well to make anything happen. it would seem like in an obama presidency, there will be support from the top jolting (and sometimes spurring on) action from the bottom on issues such as these (contrast that with the current administration).
finally, i thought he took a serious gamble in making this speech. it could still backfire on him. depending on how the commentators and pundits decipher it, i can see many people completely using it against him. for me, i must admire his courage in speaking honestly about race and confronting it head on. who else has been able to do that in an intelligent, non-biased way? certainly not bill "the first black president" clinton, nor jesse jackson, nor al "i will do/say anything to remain relevant" sharpton, nor rev jeremiah wright. this was more than mere politics.
post-post: i really did try to refrain from blogging politics (at least us politics) for a while; ill try harder next time.
so on to the new topic. a few weeks ago, i was at a braai and we somehow got on the topic of race in the US and in South Africa. the south african seemed to believe that one problem is that america has only covered up the issue and pushed it aside, but has not adequately faced it head on. hence, when anyone says anything that could even remotely be considered derogatory all hell breaks loose. i agree with that. however, he also contrasted that with south africa, believing that south africans were on a better path because they were actually facing the race issue head on. not so sure about that.
anyway, i was reminded of this convo today as i got home from work and turned on CNN (as is routine) and the breaking news was that obama was making a major speech on race. i must admit, my first instinct was "oh no...he's digging himself in a bigger hole". all week id read about the whole "issue" with his pastors comments,etc; which was all frankly annoying. so i was, unfortunately, under the impression that he should just let this blow over and ignore it and hope it gets lost in the other "irrelevant" news stories of..uhm...lets see...maybe iraq, or the economy, or jobs, or education...
well, this man's got some balls. after hearing the speech i was impressed. i think for the first time in a long time someone was actually speaking about the issue of race and racial relations in a REAL way. no innuendos. no beating around the subject. he brilliantly spoke about this issue in a way that i believe everyone has experienced in some way. black anger. white guilt. white frustration. hispanic frustration. black pride. his words: "issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we’ve never really worked through...But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now...the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races...This is where we are right now. It’s a racial stalemate we’ve been stuck in for years."
He goes on to say a lot of other awesome things, but those are some of the ones that stuck out to me. i suggest listening to or reading the rest of the speech. so yes, its another speech. why should we put stuck in speeches anyway. well first of all racial dialog is something that seriously needs to happen on a meaningful level in the states. to see a major presidential actually address it, in a way potentially damaging to his candidacy, is inspiring. barack likes to say change happens from the bottom-up but it almost always takes urging, agreement, and work from the top down as well to make anything happen. it would seem like in an obama presidency, there will be support from the top jolting (and sometimes spurring on) action from the bottom on issues such as these (contrast that with the current administration).
finally, i thought he took a serious gamble in making this speech. it could still backfire on him. depending on how the commentators and pundits decipher it, i can see many people completely using it against him. for me, i must admire his courage in speaking honestly about race and confronting it head on. who else has been able to do that in an intelligent, non-biased way? certainly not bill "the first black president" clinton, nor jesse jackson, nor al "i will do/say anything to remain relevant" sharpton, nor rev jeremiah wright. this was more than mere politics.
post-post: i really did try to refrain from blogging politics (at least us politics) for a while; ill try harder next time.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
naija wknd
this wknd, i hung out mostly with my nigerian friends. did some braai-ing (bbq; pretty much an all day event), ping pong (oh, how i'd missed the best game on earth), foosball, talking naija and politics and obviously how to fix the world and dancing...i must say, i learned an immensely valuable lesson on sat: seriously need to work on my dance steps before chill'n with naijas. ok, i know nigerians can dance, but i didn't think i was THAT bad. well, i am. it was a shame. it is a shame. i was a disagrace to all that is nigerian. i apologise. and vow to spend the rest of my life fixing this problem. ok, maybe not a vow. and maybe not the rest of my life. but one of these days...watch out!: i'll be dancing like the tru american...uh, i mean nigerian i was meant to be... i blame the US for spoiling me.
fortunately, there were no incriminating pictures taken of me trying and failing to dance (at least none that i'm aware of), but heres one of us men discussing how we would fix all the world's problems. the other pic is me taking the ping pong table (and would-be opponents) to school...
in the spirit of blaming the states for my problems, sunday afternoon presented another blame america moment. we went go-karting at some random place in the middle of nowhere. apparently go-karting is when u just drive the go-kart around and maybe try to win the race by safely overtaking others and making good time. well, the sign may have said go-karting, but my mind registerred "bumper cars". so there i was lovingly (of course) shoving (maybe a bit of bumping and crashing into) other karts out of my way on my quest to win and win big. result: we almost got kicked out of the place. apaprently ur not supposed to bump people in go-karting....how was i to know man. i'm only a stupid american...
post-post shoutouts: (1) the IRS (US version of SARS) for my nice tax return; i could use the money...actually i already have...
(2) if only i had known that all those times when i was losing matches i could've conjured up a deal that goes something like this: hey i may be losing, but if you take 2nd place, i'll take first place. deal? hmm...
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
random quips
- well, i'm a bit (or actually a lot) tired this morning as i got little to no sleep last night; thought i'd watch as the primary results for texas and ohio (and vermont and RI) came in. bug mistake. not only am i extremely tired, i'm also grumpy and not so happy with the results (or with the clinton smear and attack campaign in the final days before the primaries..."shame on you")
-it's been almost 2 weeks now that my hakuna-mutata has been in the shop and they still don't know when it will be ready to pick up. i'm not complaining tho, i like the upgrade they gave me to use in the meantime. so no worries (get it...get it...!!)
-i'm also a bit sore from the "active" weekend that i had. including going to the gym on friday (doesn't happen all too often, but i did learn that i have 12.3% body fat...i think thats good, no), paintballing on sat, and playing some serious soccer (futbol) on sunday. i think u can find some pics of paintballing on facebook...'twas all good, tho; plus i need to condition myself for going hiking 2 consecutive wknds at the end of the month. eish
-going out friday night, i noticed everywhere was packed and traffic was backed-up everywhere. as in much much more than usual. so i ask a friend what was going on. a concert? play? nelson mandela? actually, none of the above. it was the end of the month, and since people here get paid only once a month at the end of the month, everyone goes out and spends like crazy at month's end. note to self: avoid shopping at month's end
-still waiting for my cell phone to be activated....my land line may or may not be installed on sat or sun
i'll try to think of something more substantive to write next time...
-it's been almost 2 weeks now that my hakuna-mutata has been in the shop and they still don't know when it will be ready to pick up. i'm not complaining tho, i like the upgrade they gave me to use in the meantime. so no worries (get it...get it...!!)
-i'm also a bit sore from the "active" weekend that i had. including going to the gym on friday (doesn't happen all too often, but i did learn that i have 12.3% body fat...i think thats good, no), paintballing on sat, and playing some serious soccer (futbol) on sunday. i think u can find some pics of paintballing on facebook...'twas all good, tho; plus i need to condition myself for going hiking 2 consecutive wknds at the end of the month. eish
-going out friday night, i noticed everywhere was packed and traffic was backed-up everywhere. as in much much more than usual. so i ask a friend what was going on. a concert? play? nelson mandela? actually, none of the above. it was the end of the month, and since people here get paid only once a month at the end of the month, everyone goes out and spends like crazy at month's end. note to self: avoid shopping at month's end
-still waiting for my cell phone to be activated....my land line may or may not be installed on sat or sun
i'll try to think of something more substantive to write next time...
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
bit of a rant. forgive me.
consider yourselves lucky, you get 2 consecutive blog entries in as many days...
alright, allow me to vet a bit this morning (i need it); check out this article from the NYT, i've included some clips below:
"Senator John McCain apologized Tuesday after a conservative radio host who helped introduce him before a rally used Senator Barack Obama’s middle name, Hussein, three times, while disparaging him....
“Whatever suggestion that was made that was any way disparaging to the integrity, character, honesty of either Senator Obama or Senator Clinton was wrong,” Mr. McCain said. “I condemn it, and if I have any responsibility, I will take the responsibility, and I apologize for it.”...
He also said that it was not appropriate to invoke Mr. Obama’s middle name. “I absolutely repudiate such comments,” Mr. McCain said. “It will never happen again.”"
This angers me. and NO, im not angry with the radio commentator for using BO's middle name. I'm angry at john mccain and the media actually for insinuating that somehow someone's middle name is inappropriate to use addressing a person. if the commentator decides to try to suggest something by using BO's middle name, he's simply a coward and needs to say in plain words what he wants to convey. HOWEVER, the notion that somehow a man who's name comes from an immigrant father should be ashamed of his name because its muslim is offensive and clearly, hypocritical. For years now, the Bush administration has been attempting to paint the war on terrorism as a war on militant islamists, not on the muslim faith. mccain's claim that it is inapprorpiate to use BO's middle name, doesn't exactly help the cause. it has the undertones that if you have a muslim (or just different) name, you should attempt to somehow hide it because it would conjure up some memories.
what this is, is a slap to the american intellectual ability (this will probably be the only time that i'll defend americans as been smart). its offensive to think that americans aren't smart enough to know that not everyone named hussein is a bad person (and i would venture to claim that many many americans, especially young americans, know someone, someone good, named hussein). so why label the use of one's middle name as inappropriate, never to be used again? its his friggin middle name. use it. let everyone know that your name does not prescribe that theres a target on your head.
i'm probably botching up this argument, cuz it was very much a knee jerk reaction, but the article and mccain's apology just seems to imply that somehow BO should be ashamed of his middle name and no one should use it. everyone should use their middle names and be proud of it, if they so wish. and people wonder why i strongly dislike republicans at times. this is why.
btw, anyone that wants to use Oluwatofarati is more than welcome to use it when introducing me. And if anyone apologizes to me and implies that somehow its offensive to use my middle name, i'll cut u. [end rant]
alright, allow me to vet a bit this morning (i need it); check out this article from the NYT, i've included some clips below:
"Senator John McCain apologized Tuesday after a conservative radio host who helped introduce him before a rally used Senator Barack Obama’s middle name, Hussein, three times, while disparaging him....
“Whatever suggestion that was made that was any way disparaging to the integrity, character, honesty of either Senator Obama or Senator Clinton was wrong,” Mr. McCain said. “I condemn it, and if I have any responsibility, I will take the responsibility, and I apologize for it.”...
He also said that it was not appropriate to invoke Mr. Obama’s middle name. “I absolutely repudiate such comments,” Mr. McCain said. “It will never happen again.”"
This angers me. and NO, im not angry with the radio commentator for using BO's middle name. I'm angry at john mccain and the media actually for insinuating that somehow someone's middle name is inappropriate to use addressing a person. if the commentator decides to try to suggest something by using BO's middle name, he's simply a coward and needs to say in plain words what he wants to convey. HOWEVER, the notion that somehow a man who's name comes from an immigrant father should be ashamed of his name because its muslim is offensive and clearly, hypocritical. For years now, the Bush administration has been attempting to paint the war on terrorism as a war on militant islamists, not on the muslim faith. mccain's claim that it is inapprorpiate to use BO's middle name, doesn't exactly help the cause. it has the undertones that if you have a muslim (or just different) name, you should attempt to somehow hide it because it would conjure up some memories.
what this is, is a slap to the american intellectual ability (this will probably be the only time that i'll defend americans as been smart). its offensive to think that americans aren't smart enough to know that not everyone named hussein is a bad person (and i would venture to claim that many many americans, especially young americans, know someone, someone good, named hussein). so why label the use of one's middle name as inappropriate, never to be used again? its his friggin middle name. use it. let everyone know that your name does not prescribe that theres a target on your head.
i'm probably botching up this argument, cuz it was very much a knee jerk reaction, but the article and mccain's apology just seems to imply that somehow BO should be ashamed of his middle name and no one should use it. everyone should use their middle names and be proud of it, if they so wish. and people wonder why i strongly dislike republicans at times. this is why.
btw, anyone that wants to use Oluwatofarati is more than welcome to use it when introducing me. And if anyone apologizes to me and implies that somehow its offensive to use my middle name, i'll cut u. [end rant]
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
politics and more
Alright, i've been scolded a few times now for not posting new stuff on my blog. its really not my fault...just that my life hasn't been all too interesting lately and i didn't wanna have to bore you with the way in which i got up from bed, brushed my teeth, got into my car (which is in the shop for the second time), turned on the radio, got to work, etc...i will mention the fact that i almost lost it with the phone people the other day. i've been trying to get a contract phone for ~a month now (i'm still on pay-as-you-go) and everytime i go theres one problem or another. this past saturday, i finally got the contract fully authorized and actually got my new phone and was told it would be activated in 24-48hrs. well, 48hrs came and went and nothing happened...i gave it more time and eventually checked the new phone to find that i'd received an sms welcoming me to vodacom and giving me my new number and stating what contract plan i was on. 2 problems: 1. my number was not supposed to change; 2. it stated the wrong plan. so i call the store and they apologize and tell me that they're fixing the problem, but they need to give me a new sim card which i have to come to get. 1 problem: 1. this store is 45 minutes away from me. so i ask if they're going to pay for my gas to get there and for all the other times i'd been there fruitlessly. i wasnt joking. well, eventually i got them to agree to ship the sim card to a nearer-by store and it should be there by thursday. im not holding my breath.
lets talk politics a bit - south-african-style:
many people are worried about the inevitable "election" of jacob zuma as president next year. tho i must say, i'm impressed that i've also noticed a lot of people who are desperately trying to put the situation in the best light, knowing there's really not much they can do. i've been hearing on the radio lately that people should just give this guy a chance, and given all his mistakes, he could actually turn out good for the s.african people and even the economic situation. i also heard today a dj mocking people for expecting political leaders to be moral leaders. i kind of agree with this; however, i got to thinking...i liked prez clinton even during his much publicized infidelities, so what makes zuma, and his much publicized polygamous ways, different. but i think there's a difference, ne? there was a sense that clinton knew what he was doing was wrong and so tried to keep it hidden. zuma, on the other hand, makes no effort to conceal the fact that hes on wife 4 (and working on #5 and 6, all simultaneously). now i recognize that polygamy still occurs in some cultures and it may be fine in some older communities, but in the world we live in today, i am a strong believer that the incumbent of the office of presidency of any nation should be someone worthy of being a role model. what does it say to the society when the most developed country in africa is led by a 60-something yr old man, taking 20-something yr old women as wives? and why isnt there more discussion about the inevitable ensuing fight among the women regarding who will be first lady? anyway, just strikes me as not right.
2ndly: the latest bruhahah is over a forum for black journalists that was held here recently. white journalists that were excluded from the meeting weren't too happy. so the question arose: in a democratic south africa, is there room for organizations solely based on race? my initial reaction was of course not. but its not that simple. if a group feels there are issues that pertain especially to them, they should be able to organize to find ways to deal with those issues, ne? however, if a similar organization for white journalists was established, wouldn't there be a huge row about the racist nature of such organization? in america there are many race based organization (congressional black caucus, society of black engineers, black student associations, etc). i think the very definition of democracy is the ability for any group to organize based on pretty much any interest as long as it does not unnecessarily or violently infringe on the rights or the interests of other groups. so where do you draw the line? are these organizations acceptable cuz their membership at one time were discriminated against? or is it because they are minorities and minorities, at times, need to organize to get their voices heard? if the latter is the case, then the s. african situation is a bit awkward, because whites are the minority and, with that argument, they could organize and claim that the black govt is not listening well to them...touchy issues. thoughts?
to the US we go:
have you seen John mccain's wife. i mean, have you looked into her eyes? next time she's on tv take a good gaze into her eyes and you'll notice, you cannot see the brown (or whatever color it is) in her eyes. it looks all white. its really scary. like a ghost. it freaked me out. and still does. and when i heard her speak, i almost shit my pants. for all my conservative friends, there's no insult meant by my comments; her eyes just freak the hell out of me. i actually like john mccain, except for his unwavering support for the war and new found fondness, and courtship, of W.
lamest campaign line: "that's not change you can believe in, that's change you can xerox"...luckily she redeemed herself later with a sentimental, congratulatory nod to BO ("...i am honoured to be here with barack obama..."). thanks for the endorsement hillary. thanks for the memories.
post-post: i just saw some pics of snow covered chicago. i love snow, so it looked lovely, but i also know it won't take long for that snow to turn into dangerous, disgusting ice, so i feel bad for y'all chicago-ans. its nice and sunny and warm here, so feel free to drop by for the weekend for some warm weather!
lets talk politics a bit - south-african-style:
many people are worried about the inevitable "election" of jacob zuma as president next year. tho i must say, i'm impressed that i've also noticed a lot of people who are desperately trying to put the situation in the best light, knowing there's really not much they can do. i've been hearing on the radio lately that people should just give this guy a chance, and given all his mistakes, he could actually turn out good for the s.african people and even the economic situation. i also heard today a dj mocking people for expecting political leaders to be moral leaders. i kind of agree with this; however, i got to thinking...i liked prez clinton even during his much publicized infidelities, so what makes zuma, and his much publicized polygamous ways, different. but i think there's a difference, ne? there was a sense that clinton knew what he was doing was wrong and so tried to keep it hidden. zuma, on the other hand, makes no effort to conceal the fact that hes on wife 4 (and working on #5 and 6, all simultaneously). now i recognize that polygamy still occurs in some cultures and it may be fine in some older communities, but in the world we live in today, i am a strong believer that the incumbent of the office of presidency of any nation should be someone worthy of being a role model. what does it say to the society when the most developed country in africa is led by a 60-something yr old man, taking 20-something yr old women as wives? and why isnt there more discussion about the inevitable ensuing fight among the women regarding who will be first lady? anyway, just strikes me as not right.
2ndly: the latest bruhahah is over a forum for black journalists that was held here recently. white journalists that were excluded from the meeting weren't too happy. so the question arose: in a democratic south africa, is there room for organizations solely based on race? my initial reaction was of course not. but its not that simple. if a group feels there are issues that pertain especially to them, they should be able to organize to find ways to deal with those issues, ne? however, if a similar organization for white journalists was established, wouldn't there be a huge row about the racist nature of such organization? in america there are many race based organization (congressional black caucus, society of black engineers, black student associations, etc). i think the very definition of democracy is the ability for any group to organize based on pretty much any interest as long as it does not unnecessarily or violently infringe on the rights or the interests of other groups. so where do you draw the line? are these organizations acceptable cuz their membership at one time were discriminated against? or is it because they are minorities and minorities, at times, need to organize to get their voices heard? if the latter is the case, then the s. african situation is a bit awkward, because whites are the minority and, with that argument, they could organize and claim that the black govt is not listening well to them...touchy issues. thoughts?
to the US we go:
have you seen John mccain's wife. i mean, have you looked into her eyes? next time she's on tv take a good gaze into her eyes and you'll notice, you cannot see the brown (or whatever color it is) in her eyes. it looks all white. its really scary. like a ghost. it freaked me out. and still does. and when i heard her speak, i almost shit my pants. for all my conservative friends, there's no insult meant by my comments; her eyes just freak the hell out of me. i actually like john mccain, except for his unwavering support for the war and new found fondness, and courtship, of W.
lamest campaign line: "that's not change you can believe in, that's change you can xerox"...luckily she redeemed herself later with a sentimental, congratulatory nod to BO ("...i am honoured to be here with barack obama..."). thanks for the endorsement hillary. thanks for the memories.
post-post: i just saw some pics of snow covered chicago. i love snow, so it looked lovely, but i also know it won't take long for that snow to turn into dangerous, disgusting ice, so i feel bad for y'all chicago-ans. its nice and sunny and warm here, so feel free to drop by for the weekend for some warm weather!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
sunday musings
best singles awareness day love line: "my love for you is like diarrhea...i just can't hold it in". there were lots more good ones on the radio, but my memory fails me.
lesson of the week: i learned a valuable lesson this week, thats actually been brewing a bit for a while. outsiders be advised that when a south african gives you directions and tell you "don't worry...its straight forward...you can't miss it," be worried. very worried. chances are it is not straight forward, and you have to try really hard NOT to miss it. this has happened a few times now and initially i was content to think that it was my lack of directional skills, but no longer.
one of my bosses asked me to be in pretoria (30min-2hrs from joburg, depending on traffic) on thursday within the hour, so i pack up my stuff, ask a couple people how to get there, got the "it'll be right in front of you; you can't miss it" response and was on my way. without much traffic at all, i got there 2 hrs, 14 illegal u-turns, a foray into the heart of downtown pretoria, and 6 "where the hell am i!$" exclamations later. the place was so confusing to find and the company building was hidden (the opposite of "you can't miss it") and the sign was as small as my pinky finger. hmph, not a fun experience. south africans are really good at finding their way around, just not explaining that to anyone else in a reasonable way. yes its a generalization, but my limited experience so far tells me its true. thats my story and im sticking to it.
saturday was an interesting day. after i tried for the 7th time to get my contract phone and for the 7th time failed (i wont bore you with the details), i went to get some fried chicken, like a good african (this was around 5pm, i had played some futbol earlier, was running on an empty stomach and carrying a dizzying headache which made me feel like i was gonna faint). while waiting for my chicken i decided to go to the fruit and veg store next door and maybe get some fruit. before i entered i saw these gigantic mangos on display outside (probably among the biggest mangos i've ever seen). so when the owner came out to ask me what i wanted i joked (or tried) around by asking what lab those mangos were genetically engineered from. welll this guy (who looked exactly like the scary white guy from the addams family, and talked like him) did not take that joke very lightly. he started on this rant about how he's a christian and would never do such a thing (hmm, i'm sure there are some christian genetic engineers, no?!). then he went on to ask me if i was a christian and even after telling him i was, went on to preach to me for a good 10 minutes while holding the medium-sized mangos i decided to buy. and it wasn't good preaching; rather incompressible jargon that would have made even less sense if i didn't know much about christianity. anyway, i think he had good intentions, so i can't fault him for that; but with that addams family voice, height, and facial structure, i thought i unleashed a freakin devil and all i wanted were some sweet mangos. i'll put that joke in the ever rapidly growing list of jokes never to tell again.
today, i found my new favorite store: builder's warehouse. its so close to me and even tho i had been looking for a place like this, i didn't realize that it was just down the street. think home depot, only better. by far. i know, i asked myself the same question: what could be better than home depot? but i found the answer, and its builder's warehouse. its got pretty much everything u can think of when it comes to home improvement. i just walked around the store (which is huuge) and had the sincere urge to build something, anything. it was nice. then at the end, this beautiful store became even more awesome. as i was walking out, the guy that checked my bag, gave me a free sunday newspaper. FREE. no strings attached (well, except that i bought something from the store of course). but how cool is that.
post-post: on a much more serious note...sometimes i think i try to come off as a hard person, but i think i'm pretty soft on the inside. this NIU shooting really got to me and if anyone knows people at the university or has any affiliations there, just want you to know that my thoughts and prayers are with you all. i'm not sure exactly why it got to me so much (these things are getting increasingly numerous); perhaps it was because it conjured up images of how i felt when the events at columbine happened and how my high school rallied around one another and around other schools in the community. or because it reminded me of 9/11 and brought everyone in my uni together and accelerated the feeling of community, even tho i'd only been there for a few months at the time. whatever it was, for a little bit on friday, things were put into perspective for me. still not sure exactly what to make of it, but its helped raised even more questions in my mind. life is short; live it to the fullest. if i died right now, i'm not sure i would be able to say that i've lived my life to the fullest...
lesson of the week: i learned a valuable lesson this week, thats actually been brewing a bit for a while. outsiders be advised that when a south african gives you directions and tell you "don't worry...its straight forward...you can't miss it," be worried. very worried. chances are it is not straight forward, and you have to try really hard NOT to miss it. this has happened a few times now and initially i was content to think that it was my lack of directional skills, but no longer.
one of my bosses asked me to be in pretoria (30min-2hrs from joburg, depending on traffic) on thursday within the hour, so i pack up my stuff, ask a couple people how to get there, got the "it'll be right in front of you; you can't miss it" response and was on my way. without much traffic at all, i got there 2 hrs, 14 illegal u-turns, a foray into the heart of downtown pretoria, and 6 "where the hell am i!$" exclamations later. the place was so confusing to find and the company building was hidden (the opposite of "you can't miss it") and the sign was as small as my pinky finger. hmph, not a fun experience. south africans are really good at finding their way around, just not explaining that to anyone else in a reasonable way. yes its a generalization, but my limited experience so far tells me its true. thats my story and im sticking to it.
saturday was an interesting day. after i tried for the 7th time to get my contract phone and for the 7th time failed (i wont bore you with the details), i went to get some fried chicken, like a good african (this was around 5pm, i had played some futbol earlier, was running on an empty stomach and carrying a dizzying headache which made me feel like i was gonna faint). while waiting for my chicken i decided to go to the fruit and veg store next door and maybe get some fruit. before i entered i saw these gigantic mangos on display outside (probably among the biggest mangos i've ever seen). so when the owner came out to ask me what i wanted i joked (or tried) around by asking what lab those mangos were genetically engineered from. welll this guy (who looked exactly like the scary white guy from the addams family, and talked like him) did not take that joke very lightly. he started on this rant about how he's a christian and would never do such a thing (hmm, i'm sure there are some christian genetic engineers, no?!). then he went on to ask me if i was a christian and even after telling him i was, went on to preach to me for a good 10 minutes while holding the medium-sized mangos i decided to buy. and it wasn't good preaching; rather incompressible jargon that would have made even less sense if i didn't know much about christianity. anyway, i think he had good intentions, so i can't fault him for that; but with that addams family voice, height, and facial structure, i thought i unleashed a freakin devil and all i wanted were some sweet mangos. i'll put that joke in the ever rapidly growing list of jokes never to tell again.
today, i found my new favorite store: builder's warehouse. its so close to me and even tho i had been looking for a place like this, i didn't realize that it was just down the street. think home depot, only better. by far. i know, i asked myself the same question: what could be better than home depot? but i found the answer, and its builder's warehouse. its got pretty much everything u can think of when it comes to home improvement. i just walked around the store (which is huuge) and had the sincere urge to build something, anything. it was nice. then at the end, this beautiful store became even more awesome. as i was walking out, the guy that checked my bag, gave me a free sunday newspaper. FREE. no strings attached (well, except that i bought something from the store of course). but how cool is that.
post-post: on a much more serious note...sometimes i think i try to come off as a hard person, but i think i'm pretty soft on the inside. this NIU shooting really got to me and if anyone knows people at the university or has any affiliations there, just want you to know that my thoughts and prayers are with you all. i'm not sure exactly why it got to me so much (these things are getting increasingly numerous); perhaps it was because it conjured up images of how i felt when the events at columbine happened and how my high school rallied around one another and around other schools in the community. or because it reminded me of 9/11 and brought everyone in my uni together and accelerated the feeling of community, even tho i'd only been there for a few months at the time. whatever it was, for a little bit on friday, things were put into perspective for me. still not sure exactly what to make of it, but its helped raised even more questions in my mind. life is short; live it to the fullest. if i died right now, i'm not sure i would be able to say that i've lived my life to the fullest...
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Singles Awareness Day
i apologize...this post really has little to do with s. africa, except to say that most everyone here has a girlfriend or boyfriend (or several)...tracking devises (in the case of girlfriends), as a friend so rightly put it. so if there's one thing the US has over SA, its the fact that i had way more support for my state of bachelor-hood there than here. in any case, on to the topic...
remember back in the day when you used to start essays with "webster defines xyz as..." (ok, maybe u didn't but i was a not-so-good essay writer and constantly needed webster to define xyz for me and serve as my topic sentence)? well, its 2008 and webster has been replaced. so i say to you: wikipedia defines this day many people celebrate on feb 14 as "the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending cards, flowers, or offering confectionery. The holiday is named after two among the numerous Early Christian martyrs. yea, its a christian holiday u pagans. anyway the whole thing is a scam to me. wikipedia actually has a nice history and blurb about it (good read). but what it boils down to is that this day is a hallmark and de beers holiday.
why can't i show my "love" any other day of the year? or buy flowers at other times of the year? why do you make me (or other guys) feel obligated to go all out and find the best restaurant, the best card, the best flower arrangements, the best diamonds, just to please the lady? the way i look at it, i (myself, me, just me) should be more than enough for any girl; no need for flowers and candy and jewelry (this may explain why i don't currently have a girlfriend, but thats beside the point...). i thought this was only a western thing before, but its pretty wide spread around here as well. I keep getting asked what am i doing for v-day? who's the lucky lady? and i tell them: "Get Thee Behind Me, Hallmark!".
this brings me to my next point: why can't we celebrate this day the way the japanese and koreans now do. according to wikipedia, this day "has emerged in Japan and Korea as a day on which women...give candy, chocolate or flowers" to their men. damn straight. how 'bout some recognition the other way, huh?? show a little appreciation. ok. fine. seriously, no need to give in to hallmark either way. i really have nothing against you lovers out there (or at least not too much), but sometimes this day and its preparations can get out of hand and its just simply unnecessary. in fact, its gotten so out of hand that people refer to it now as singles awareness day; why don't y'all with significant others just rub it in our faces and we'll just sit in our coaches and watch cnn and afmag and order chinese take out and take it.
i would like to offer a much better celebration of feb 14. really this day should be celebrated for what it is. the true essence of tomorrow and why i cannot wait: it is the official FIRST DAY OF TRAINING CAMP. yes that is right. american baseball is right around the corner and pitchers and catchers report to camp tomorrow. although prospects for my team (the ex-world champions St. Louis Cardinals) are a bit dim, i still will follow a lot of the action. probably not the best thing as it's probably gonna cut into my sleep time, but whats sleep when you've got baseball to watch. so lets celebrate feb 14: Baseball Begins Day.
post-post: as promised, I dedicate this post to mina. the apple of my eye. the finisher of my sentences. the completer of my life. the lo in my ve. (disclaimer: im only joking. foreal. no hate mails, please).
for another good read, check out:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/opinion/13alsanea.html?th&emc=th
remember back in the day when you used to start essays with "webster defines xyz as..." (ok, maybe u didn't but i was a not-so-good essay writer and constantly needed webster to define xyz for me and serve as my topic sentence)? well, its 2008 and webster has been replaced. so i say to you: wikipedia defines this day many people celebrate on feb 14 as "the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending cards, flowers, or offering confectionery. The holiday is named after two among the numerous Early Christian martyrs. yea, its a christian holiday u pagans. anyway the whole thing is a scam to me. wikipedia actually has a nice history and blurb about it (good read). but what it boils down to is that this day is a hallmark and de beers holiday.
why can't i show my "love" any other day of the year? or buy flowers at other times of the year? why do you make me (or other guys) feel obligated to go all out and find the best restaurant, the best card, the best flower arrangements, the best diamonds, just to please the lady? the way i look at it, i (myself, me, just me) should be more than enough for any girl; no need for flowers and candy and jewelry (this may explain why i don't currently have a girlfriend, but thats beside the point...). i thought this was only a western thing before, but its pretty wide spread around here as well. I keep getting asked what am i doing for v-day? who's the lucky lady? and i tell them: "Get Thee Behind Me, Hallmark!".
this brings me to my next point: why can't we celebrate this day the way the japanese and koreans now do. according to wikipedia, this day "has emerged in Japan and Korea as a day on which women...give candy, chocolate or flowers" to their men. damn straight. how 'bout some recognition the other way, huh?? show a little appreciation. ok. fine. seriously, no need to give in to hallmark either way. i really have nothing against you lovers out there (or at least not too much), but sometimes this day and its preparations can get out of hand and its just simply unnecessary. in fact, its gotten so out of hand that people refer to it now as singles awareness day; why don't y'all with significant others just rub it in our faces and we'll just sit in our coaches and watch cnn and afmag and order chinese take out and take it.
i would like to offer a much better celebration of feb 14. really this day should be celebrated for what it is. the true essence of tomorrow and why i cannot wait: it is the official FIRST DAY OF TRAINING CAMP. yes that is right. american baseball is right around the corner and pitchers and catchers report to camp tomorrow. although prospects for my team (the ex-world champions St. Louis Cardinals) are a bit dim, i still will follow a lot of the action. probably not the best thing as it's probably gonna cut into my sleep time, but whats sleep when you've got baseball to watch. so lets celebrate feb 14: Baseball Begins Day.
post-post: as promised, I dedicate this post to mina. the apple of my eye. the finisher of my sentences. the completer of my life. the lo in my ve. (disclaimer: im only joking. foreal. no hate mails, please).
for another good read, check out:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/opinion/13alsanea.html?th&emc=th
Thursday, February 7, 2008
sun city fun
so this company must have racked in seriously last year. the last 2 days (tues, wed), they just sponsored a "thank you" day away at the amazingly extravagnt resort called sun city here in joburg. it was actually a lot of fun (you'll rarely hear me complain about 2 days away from work). in addition to meeting new people, there were some interesting activities planned (e.g. an "amazing race" comp. including blow darts, soccer, golf, jet skiing, swimming, sliding, etc...). They also sponsored an open bar night (always dangerous) with lots of dancing and invited Freshly Ground (an awesome South African band) to perform live. They were simply amazing; very unique sound. needless to say the night was lots of fun and the morning was painful. i've posted some pictures...check 'em out.
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/okunadef/SunCity_Feb08
random post #45734: my awesome baby (still searching for a proper name) has a couple problems; she makes funny sounds and the AC decides when it feels like working (apparently its a problem with the compressor...whatever that is; im a city boy, what do i know about cars??!). So I took her to the audi shop and they gave me a loaner car. its a station wagon which is not so cool, but its an a4, 1.8T, all leather, all auto. i was really looking forward to doing some damage in it, but i just got a call from the dealership to tell me that its ready for pick up. man, if only i could pick what people would be effecient with. that was super fast, and now i have to give the loaner car back. well, good thing i like my baby.
for the user feedback section of this blog, the lines are now open for suggestions on what her name should be...
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/okunadef/SunCity_Feb08
random post #45734: my awesome baby (still searching for a proper name) has a couple problems; she makes funny sounds and the AC decides when it feels like working (apparently its a problem with the compressor...whatever that is; im a city boy, what do i know about cars??!). So I took her to the audi shop and they gave me a loaner car. its a station wagon which is not so cool, but its an a4, 1.8T, all leather, all auto. i was really looking forward to doing some damage in it, but i just got a call from the dealership to tell me that its ready for pick up. man, if only i could pick what people would be effecient with. that was super fast, and now i have to give the loaner car back. well, good thing i like my baby.
for the user feedback section of this blog, the lines are now open for suggestions on what her name should be...
Monday, February 4, 2008
still so so bitter
i apologize in advance to those of you how don't give a rats bottom about this post, but i MUST dedicate this entry to american football. let me go on record to say: suck it pats! i didn't get any sleep last night because i stayed up to watch the superbowl and it was worth every minute. as much as i dislike the giants and eli manning, nothing compares to the awesome feeling of watching the pats, and pretty-boy-brady lose in grand fashion. yes, i'm still bitter from several years ago, when the pats stole the trophy from my beloved st. louis rams, but i think i've been vilified. this couldn't have been a better ending, with the cocky pats on the verge of making history, thinking nothing could get in their way, esp. not the manning family. well thats pretty much it; i hope the pats go home and sulk in their loss, cry themselves to sleep, then drown in their tears, then suck for the next 96 years.
staying with the bitter theme, i watched the nigeria v. ghana match in the quaterfinals of the african cup of nations. it was disgusting. the eagles actually played pretty super for the first half and the first 10minutes of the second half. then they suddenly forgot their new found, revitalized game and reverted to the old sucky one. they lost. i was not happy. until, of course, the last minute of the superbowl...
staying with the bitter theme, i watched the nigeria v. ghana match in the quaterfinals of the african cup of nations. it was disgusting. the eagles actually played pretty super for the first half and the first 10minutes of the second half. then they suddenly forgot their new found, revitalized game and reverted to the old sucky one. they lost. i was not happy. until, of course, the last minute of the superbowl...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)