Doin' India Underground.....!
Extremely difficult week ended extremely weird.
Well, professionally a lot of setbacks occured this week and it all ended up in floats. Officially I has submitted my resignation from Degremont and from end of Feb I will be a free man. Why, well lets just say it has to do with politics and y'all know me. Politics isn't part of my game and actually I can not give a shit.
Phonecalls coming from all over the world requesting me to re-think my strategy, but time will tell. I had enough and enough is definately enough. End of Feb my contract will expire and now I will go to Paris for a couple of days. Renegotiations! Well does it always have to come to this point. Why can't people appreciate what they have before they really lost it. The good side of this all is that I will have a week to spend with all expenses paid anywhere I want and decided that if I am in France then I can just hop across border and visit Germany again with exceptional drinking experience.
Yeah, and as far as I know Nafiz will join. Timo brother, we want to visit you before you set off for the UK. So before 6 March we will have a reunion in Germany with all the boys on an extreme drinking experience. So, no questions about this decision of work.....Give it time and it will play out.
Tonight, Jane or Joint Venture Partner Accounted decided to take Sebastien & me out for dinner and beer and it all ended up Indian Underground. It was extremely underground so much so that you can snap your fingers and well, you can imagine the lap dance situation for yourself. It was extremely weird, but I have throughly enjoyed it. Bangra and all the honey bees around, it was an expreienced definately NOT to be missed. It was so hidden that someone will not even realize that is is that kind of place. The girls aged 20 -25 extremely beautiful and ja, the rest will be locked up hidden for ever. Like they say: You do not speak out of your bedroom.......
Anyway, a suggestion. I believe I should involve my buddist buddies into my activities. I believe Mr. Podi Bandara might just have the time of his life.....NO COMMENT!
But life has to go on and we will see each other soon. May god bless!
Ciao
Can you fucking believe it?
Sorry for the heading, but that is exactly how I feel at this point in time.
Well, since my return the work hasn't died off, not at all....It did actually picked up quite fiercely. I mean, since I woke up on Sunday morning 7am I actually only had 16 hours of sleep. What I mean is that people who knows me, knows I have to get my minimum 8 hours in daily or I'll get really grumpy as people found out on Tuesday. I had to go through Sunday and Monday and eventually got to bed on Tuesday morning 3am.
Since then, well....do the maths. Anyway, got up this morning at 5 am and set off to Bagamoyo that is 85kn away from DAR and I got there around 07:30. Soent there the whole day sorting out shit in 38degrees centigrade and left at 6pm. Then I decided to swop cars so that I can give some guys off this weekend and that I will drive equioment to our other site on Saturday 75km away.
The end result is that I got back to the office a couple of minutes ago and realised that my house keys is on my other set of car keys and the guy who has my car is in Bagamoyo. Do you think I will drive back to get my keys? No, fuck that. Got our local guy to come out and brings his angle grinder with. I will remove that oadlock later tonight with force and I will enjoy it.
Anyway, I have mentioned in my previous posting on the upcoming travelling and to be honest, the dates needs to be set. At this point in time it seems that it will not happen before May and latest starting around October '07. I will have more info on this in the next 2 weeks when I will know what will happen with my position here in Tanzania. I have to say that I did receive a couple of calls yesterday asking me to come back to South Africa.....So, this could now become definate within the next 4 - 6 weeks ann then just finishing up with the new contract in Senegal and then I guess I will be free from mid April. If I will stay in DAR, the earliest I suspect that I will start travelling in October '07. So Amu, I know that this is not very specific, but my life at the moment really has a lot of unknowns and varies from day to day. But, it will definately happen during this time. I just hope the Americans will give me a Visa though.
Cheers for now....
Just Imagine.....!
This whole thing in Tanzania might be over sooner than I inticipated for. For starters, my employment contract expires end of February although the Project will need to go on at least for another 42 weeks. Fucking too long if you ask me, but hey, this is my options:
1. I can re-negotiate my contract with France and well, if they do not agree to my terms then I will definately be out of here. That will mean that I can only go back home and maybe pursue a career in South Africa that could involve a lot of travelling in Africa. Woopee! As if I really care....
2. Otherwise I can shut my mouth & see this one through. This will be an incredible hard option for me to pursue, so France, you better get your attitude correct. Being almost 16 months in Tanzania doesn't really mean that I will tell my kids one day about my great adventures, get what I'm trying to say.
So, SA it might become very shortly or will even considder going to Uni and study my long last Architecture childhood dreams and change my career for the 2nd time in the last 10 years. But hey, tomorrow I would like to wake up with a smile and it has nothing to do with the morning glory theory.
So, as I promised earlier that this year will at least include a shit load travelling. Now that South African Airways are part of the STAR ALIANCE group with big names such United Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa that means we can also enjoy the benefits of around the world tickets.....Hmmmmm, lekka bru! I saw on Timo's blog that he already stated my plans coming over to Deutschland again......JA MAN, fuck, I believe the German Immigration should at least give me permanent residentship because of my patriotism to Deutschland without even being a Duitser. So, I checked out tonight my travel itenary and made some sort of travelling plans. The only thing I definately need to confirm is the dates and ach ja, the visas. But preliminary the travel plans look something like this:
1. Johannesburg to Brisbane, 2-3 weeks. Ja Dirk, I will be coming your way. It fucking takes me something like 20-23 hours via Singapore. Yeah mate, gonna get myself a Sheila.
2. Brisbane to West Palm Beach, Florida. +/- 10 days. Uma gal, I will be seeing you some time this year. Just get the party started.
3. West Palm Beach to NY (JFK). I will rent hopefully a convertable mustang and drive up north on the east coast of America to a place called New Haven, Conneticut. Jess, this one is for you baby. Will spend roughly 10 days there as well and then drive back.
4. NY (JFK) to Frankfurt. (2-3 weeks) Well people, this time around it will be just one incredible jol. Guys, I know some of you will be working and some of you will be going to school, but this time round I will be able to make it on my own and it will include a shit load of alcohol. Of coarse this time the same as the last, Wurzburg, Frankfurt & Berlin and maybe a bit exploring as well.
5. Then it is back home where I will get off on the way in Mauritius. (2 weeks) Hehehehe, guess what will happen there? Anyway, then it will be done and I will come back home to start my life again and forget about all you people. Live the life as borring as possible with the normal idea of everyone being a workaholic, family man and all the debt involved with it. Ja, was auch immer! Never,
A world ticket like this, inclusive of all flights, are only ZAR21,500.00 = USD3300 and to me that seems pretty reasonable. First I will cross the Indian Ocean, following with the Pacific and then lastly the Atlantic ocean. It is really a world tour and a shit load of flying involved, but a man has to do what a man has to do.
So, I believe I will enjoy now my time planning this and who knows, I might she you all sooner then you think. Have an absolutely great evening.
Technology.......!
One day, in line at the company cafeteria, Joe says to Mike behind him, my elbow hurts like hell. I guess I better see a doctor." Listen, you don't have to spend that kind of money," Mike replies, there's a diagnostic computer down at Woolworth's. Just give it a urine sample and the computer will tell you what's wrong and what to do about it. It takes ten seconds and costs USD 20.00 - a lot quicker and cheaper than a doctor.
So Joe deposits urine sample in a small jar and takes it to Woolies. He deposits USD20.00, and the computer lights up and asks for the urine sample. He pours the sample into the slot and waits. Ten seconds later, the computer ejects a printout:
"You have tennis elbow. Soak your arm in warm water and avoid heavy activity. It will improve in two weeks. Thank you for shopping @ Woolies.
That evening while thinking how amazing this new technology was, Joe began wondering if the computer could be fooled. He mixed some tap water, a stool sample from his dog, urine samples from his wife and daughter and a sperm sample for good measure. Joe hurries back to Woolies, eager to check the results. He deposits R20.00, pours in his concoction and waits for the results. The computer prints out the following:
1. Your tap water is too hard. Get a water softener. (Aisle 9)
2. Your dog has ringworm. Bathe him with anti-fungal shampoo. (Aisle7)
3. Your daughter has a cocaine habit. Get her into rehab.
4. Your wife is pregnant, Twins. They aren't yours. Get a lawyer. (1st Floor)
5. If you don't stop playing with yourself, your elbow will never get better.
Thank you for shopping @ Woolies.
Farewell to what I might of thought............
Since August '06 I had to make a decision on how to proceed with the Beast.......Well to be honest, I never wanted to let go of it, but I think it was definately in my best interest after all.
This decision was based purely by head and not by heart and that is probably why is still feels wrong to let go of it, but my head tells me that I have really survived the first accident underneath a MAJI SAFI water carrier and the second, well, I am still recovering from it.
I know after breaking a knee it will take extra long time to heal and I still endure the pain to an extent where I know that I will be with it for a very long time......So, alternatively the best option was to get rid of the beast and that was exactly what I did yesterday......Yeah, the Beast I and had to make our departure and I still wonder if that was the ebst decision after all....
But, NO more KTM and left with nothing of it except the pain and scars.....Maybe in another lifetime or different place. KTM 640 E
Something to remember it all by.......
They say that dreams only last as long as you can remember them by............I'am so glad that dreams doesn't necessarily become reality, otherwise life could have been a total different story. I see it only as a way to means......Maybe a tool of setting certain standards, goals and focussing on a set objective.
But what happens when you wake up one day and you realize that you just woken up from living a dream? Will the future be coloured in bold from that point on or could it mean that you have casted a solid foundation to base your future on what was great on the past?
Someone once told me history is very imprtant to our society due to the fact that we need to learn from it and that we shouldn't look in the future before we have looked in the past. By a statement made like this it means we need to be reminded of all the wrong we have done and we should strive for a better future.
I do not know of anyone who would wish for a bad future - what would we live for then? What will society offers us then?
To sum up what just has been said is that generally speaking we all strive for a great future by dreaming it (but we do not always remember that dream), but we live now by looking in the past to remind us what wrong we have done.What positive step could we possibily take forward to secure that great future that is so different from our past? I do not know the answer for this except that by living everyday as it was the last day of your life. Try to be brave, try to be great, try to smile each day & definately say thank you for another great day lived.
Tomorrow you will think back of the great life you have lived which makes the future just so much more colourfull. Just be yourself!
Reflect on 2006 with the eye on 2007.....
2006 has seen its end. Someone once told me that one should not look forward untill you understand what happened in the past.
Well, 2006 was a year that hold a lot of sadness at times, difficult times where there weren't any light shining down the line, but it also included incredible times, times with laughter, times with fun and as well a year where I did a lot of travel.
Sitting here thinking back I remembered a year that weren't really easy, but definately one year that I can say that I have truly learned a lot. I do not want to say that at times I wished that the time could go faster, but as usually in difficult times it seems to be the norm. We are all 'bout to be one year older, maybe wiser, but definately a time that we could look back in a couple of years and say that I definately experienced 2006 and what she threw at me and at the end.....hey, look, I'm still here and I have made it.
I see 2006 as a year of friendships. Whether it was saying goodbye to someone or just the normal hello. We cann't survive alone, whether we like it or not. Being back in South Africa really was a tremendous experience and I have learned so much that we normally take for granted. Being with your family, friends for life and just your normal surrounding.
It is incredible to think how quick we are getting older each day and it is funny to sit back and starting telling stories of my childhood and be thinking that I have now officially been out of school for 10 years and what have I accomplished? To tell you the honest truth....I do not know what happened with the time that elapsed so quickly, but I am so happy to be the person I am today. I am really happy with the people I associate myself with. Whether it is by word, emails or only by heart. That is what makes me the person who I am.
I know this coming year will be a year where a lot of my friends will get married, start their own families and somehow I sit here and wonder if that is what I would like to have. Ja maybe, but I do not feel too comfortable with that thought....Not now that is! Wayne & Lisa are getting married end of Feb and they are planning to have children really quick. I have been asked to be the godfather of the first born. Are you guys nuts? Do you really trust and know me? It definately will be the greatest honour in my life.
So, to wrap up this reflection I sit here and think about everyone out there that I love so much. It doesn't mean that if you do not hear from me that I do not care about you. No, believe me when I tell you that I always think so much about you guys.
Dirk, Dylan & Rieta - I miss you guys tremendously. Wayne & Lisa - Guys I love you all so much. Anne & Tom - I like Cape Town a lot. Timo & his whole family, Joern, Kevin, Kerstin, Hubert, Sandrine, Edina - I really think of you guys a lot and miss you so much. Nachi - Brother, India got fucked up in the cricket but I miss you. Nafiz - Brother, what's up? Jessica & Uma - Yanks, I miss you guys and hopefully I will see you somewhere this year. Wimpie, Megan, Nicholas, Morne, Patrick, Oliver, Annelize, Herman, Pierre - Guys, not to far now and I will be back home. For my family - Guys I really love you and I miss you all.
So, 2006 is officialy gone and 2007 is starting to unfolds its mysterious ways........
Happy New Year Y'all and God bless!
In Beloved Memory.......
A part of me has definately gone with you where ever you might be. You showed me the value of true friend & loyalty during you 11 year life as a Staffi, no matter what the circumstances. I will love you forever, my dog, GORI
August '96 - 25 December '06
3 Continents.....
Anne & me at Blue Peter Hotel - Bloubergstrand, Cape Town
Well, who would have thought that I would meet any one of my friends on different continents? Mauritius then Deutschland and now at my home town in South Africa.......
I called Anne up early last week just after I arrived in Cape Town to set a reunion. A reunion it truly was. Anne, me and then with Sandrine on the phone - nowhere else then at Quoy 4 in the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. Man, what a jol. First it was weird meeting again after Deutschland, but soon the rythm took its toll and we were set definately for a night to remember.
"OH, I like the Waterfront"........
For my second last night in Cape Town, Christmas Eve, Anne & decided that we had to meet up for the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean and at my most favourite spot, Blue Peter Hotel on Bloubergstrand. Well, Sunset occured at 19:59pm and Anne was right, she probably knows Cape Town better then I do.......
It was really awesome to meet up with her again and well, we have plans.......We have plans to go and visit America later this year if everything goes according to plan. That could really be awesome and funny enough I know now that it wasn't the last time that I saw her.......The world has really become such a small place.....for all of us.
Reality sets off.....
Sunset over the Atlantic Ocean - Bloubergstrand, Cape Town
Back to my roots......
Seal Island just of the coast from Houtbay
Back to my roots......
A view from Chpman's Peak towards Houtbay - Cape Town
