The Attack of the Terrorists...

After having slept at my girlfriends place last night, I was shocked to see that my home had been violated on my return. Some terrorists had successfully managed to throw three half-bricks through my room window. At this point, I would like to mention that I live at home with my folks, so, technically it is their house.

I call them terrorists because their intention was malicious. One brick landed on my bed, one just beyond my my little desk and glass shards (shrapnel) lay everywhere. The brick thrown through my moms office window was just as devastating.

In the movies a note is normally attached to the brick, not this time. The terrorists were obviously having a round of target practice with a hope, just a hope that they could inflict injury. I just say "Thank you God that I'm ok."

The Season to be jolly

So unbelievably fast Christmas is here once again. Celebrations of jubilation as people begin to get together with families and friends, while the cash flies out of the wallet for the season as people abuse their spending power and purchase all things electronic. What would christmas be without a battery operated toy?

My jubilation comes from my recent aquistion of a property. Technically and honestly speaking, its not altogether mine just yet. Though the seller has accepted my offer to purchase, I still need to wait for my bond to be approved. Ten comes the wait for the legalities to be processed. So, I may only take delivery next year round about March or so.

My cycling was on hold for some time now. I've become so incredibly unfit to the point where i just ride about 2km or so. My intention is to start racing next year, but if I don't pull up my socks, then this is an unrealistic wish.

I should also add that this is my most enthusiastic post for quite some time now. My recent post were only there so that my reader(s) would know that I have not abbandoned them (him). So, hopefully I will be adding content more regularly, it all depends on the season, what transpires that will be interesting enough to post.

Be jolly and in the words of the old country "L'Chaim"

The Italians

This is a shout out to the Italians for bringing us Italian Coffee, fine tailored clothing and of course, highly engineered, beautifully constructed motor-cars - the Ferrari and the Lamborghini.

Fiat and Alfa-Romeo are, as far as i know, part of the Ferrari stable. Lamborghini however, is now owned by Audi, a German company, who still manage to produce a beautiful Italian sports car.

Ferrari is an icon - it represents the Italian culture. Lamborghini is a beautiful car.

Playing Catchup

Hello to all my loyal readers and patriots. I have been quiet of late, due to the lack of motivation and interesting content. After my gruelling exams, I guess that I just lost the desire to add any content to my blog.

Nothing interesting has transipired since then, besides my girlfriends toe, which was kicked by an unknown assailant, Mr. X, to pieces, though not literally, but her toe-nail had to be removed!

I aquired a new MTN 3G Data Card, though Mac is too old to recognize it. I complained to my management and they gave me a new IBM T42 instead. That did not work either as I do not have the recovery CD's.

Thats about it - I'm listless. Perhaps I'll find some inspiration on the way.

Shalom

The BCX Christmas Party

Allow me firstly to welcome myslef back. Having written my last exam on Monday, I now have a little more time on my hands to desparately deliver my blog from the quagmire of unread despair.

Last night my girlfriend and I attended the Business Connexion (BCX) Christmas party. BCX by the way is the organization that I work for. The theme was supposed to be that of a Masquerade Ball. All that I found it to be was drab and dreary. On stage, was a live performance, in the form of 'Denim' - a local South African trio (one member shy of the original quartet). They rocked for a little while before the Steve Hofmeyer type 'treffers' and the songs relating to 'Ek wil huis toe gaan' came on.

The party was a dreary, dull bore from which my exit was swift and earlier than I had planned.

In the colloquial: BCX don't know how to rock a party!

Good Ol' Weekend

What a weekend! (Don't you find it odd that I started my introduction with a word that insinuates a question, though I end it with an exclamation mark?)

Apart from Michael Shumacher's extraordinary grand finale, I saw my Hindu and Gujarati friends celebrate Diwali (or Dipawali), a celebration of lights, their equivalent to the Christain Christmas. Quite correctly though, I didn't actually see and of my Hindu and Gujarati friends.

Tomorrow, the Muslims celebrate Eid - again its their equivalent of the Christain Christmas. I've always found it quite fascinating how the Muslims judge the position of the moon to the begining of a 30 day fasting period prior to Eid.

We had some friends over for the weekend and had a braai (the South African equivalent of a BBQ [for all my international readers]), enjoyed some exceptional weather and brilliant socialising.

For now - gotta get some work done.

Cheers for now.

My Girl Mummy

My girlfriends name is Mummy! She's a real hottie! She's taught me some Zulu, though not much. Shes smart and funny, though she says that my jokes are boring. She is currently employed at Nashua Mobile - no, she doesnt fix cell-phones, neither is she going to get you a special deal on the New Samsung D900 with 3Megapixel camera. Oh no, she is a training facilitator. Thats right - a trainer.

For now I'm outie!

Google Page Ranking

I just cant take it anymore - google page ranking is driving me nuts - one would expect that if one were to type into the google text bar "stubborn-delon" and then click the "I'm feeling lucky" button, one would arrive at this blog space - not so!

Google has for some reason not even listed my blog in the normal search. This is upsetting.

So where exactly do you end up when entering "stubborn-delon" and then clicking on the "I'm feeling lucky" button - well, you end up at my old friend Waseem's Stumbleupon link to my site!

Props to Waseem for getting me recognized - google does'nt like me!

Much respect hommie!

No Chance to Cycle Today

Day 2: I did not get an opportunity to ride today - I feel odd about it, I did however manage to buy a water bottle for my ride - which I should once again mention is a Raleigh RC 8000, Shimano Tiagra equipped.

My short term goal is to become fit, to pedal effortlessly, to ride tirelessly. My long term plans are to complete a 100km race next year (the Highveld 94.7 more correctly, which is actully 94.7km long).

In the iterim, I must become acustomed to drinking more water and reamaing hydrated. I think it's too soon to start using supplements like whey protein and the like.

Oh yes, another short term goal is to get a pair of fancy-tight cycling shorts with padding for the croch. I must say, sitting has never been such an intersting occasion - trying to redistribute my weight on alternate cheeks after even a short ride - great fun as I'm sure you can imagine! Have you seen the width of the average racing seat? If the seat were any narrower, I bet that Lance Armstrong or the Landis guy (Floyd) would have to have it surgically removed from below his tonsils!

For tonight, I dream of my girlfriend - then my bike!

Adios, Au voir, ciao and Good-bye!

Bike Ride Alpha

Today marked my maiden bicycle ride. It was a thrilling experience, adrenaline coursed its way through my viens, perspiration collected on my back, my manhood ached as I still need to get some padded tights, an item I don't believe will add anything to my important street cred.

I don't think that I completed anything more than 5km's today. My stamina was quickly depleted, I'm now feeling lathargic as I type. The problem that I had was trying to figure out how to properly and effectively change gears for maximum efficiency. There was a point when I assume I was riding at a speedy 30km per hour - this could be wrong - I don't know.

To end, it was very exciting. My bike, my helmet, my freedom. My new hobby, sport and developing passion. Lance Armstrong yellow "Livestrong" band on my right hand, implies that I belong to a certain sect of sportsman - the cyclist.

My new bicycle

I've just puchased a new bike yesterday. If you recall in a previous post, I mentioned that a good sport for me to persue would be cycling. I went out and did it - I purchased a road bike.

It's a Raleigh RC8000 - Shimano Tiagra Equiped, front forks and rear posts are carbon fibre. I believe that this is a good thing, because it provides for a more comfortable ride and makes the bike lighter (mine weighs 7.6kg).

Altogether, I'm elated. I took it for a bit of a trial ride around the block - I'm so unfit. I do however believe that I've made a wise choice.

D

Boring Guys; Monotonous Ties

Looking back at my deciscion to pursue a career in IT haunts me. The people I work with lack wit and creatitivity. They wear monotonous shirts, with screaming ties. I'm the only guy in the office who greets everyone in the monrning and who has an incling of style. I wear the multi-coloured, socially acceptable shirt and tie - the type of clothing that doesn't cause myself any embarrasment.

Not my colleagues though. Their male dominated IT industry, blue shirt on a daily basis, job suits them well, though they will all admit that it's hardly gratifying. My work bores me on most days - it's only the new customers I look forward too. But once that is mastered, it becomes a bore.

Anyways, I'm going down to the gazebo now for bit of a social with the colleagues. I forsee lots of fun - yeah, right!

Ciao

Waseems Advice

Following a recent discussion with my friend Waseem, I realised that my blog was primarily about technology. He pointed out to me that technology doesn't appeal to the masses - it doesn't provide them with content intriguing enough to return and read my blog again. So, I'm on a mission to bring some new and intriguing content, related to actual life experiences. Let me know what you think.

I celebrated my birthday last week, I'm now 24 years old. This partially entitles me to a reduced insurance premium on my car. I was in Durban for the week of my birthday, we went kite flying on the beach at Umhlanga Rocks and attended my best friends wedding. It was great, especially when my girlfriend and I danced the marangay. We did it perfectly, "no flops."

Tonight I go with my girlfriend and my family to Soweto. My grandmother is here in Johannesburg from Durban and she thought that dinner in Soweto would be a nice cultural experience. Besides that, my girlfriend is from a suburb in Soweto. I will post some pictures as soon as I can.

For now, I need to prepare for tonight.

Skinny little me

I've been a member the Virgin Active gym for some time now. I've also been trying to find a sport that is appropriate for me. The possibilities currently are cycling, golf, squash or tennins. I've considered swiming, but this is not an option, due to the fact that i swim with the very same poise and gracefullness that a stingray doesn't.

What i have determined is that my physique has not changed since 1999. I have gained a kilogram or two, nothing major though. I used protein powders and various shakes. Nothing however seems to work. This i believe is hereditary. My mom is rather slender, so is my dad. I came across an article which outlines the three major standard issue physiques. Ectomorphic, lean and thin; Mesomorphic, muscular with low bodyfat & Endomorphic, normally short and stout . I'm ectomorphic - I've tried to trick my metabolism into believing I'm buff, but I have not been able to gain any mass.

Bearing all this in mind, I tried a bit of golf practice on the weekend, hitting some practice balls over the house and into the pool. It went rather nicely - with my youngest brother the ball catcher under the 6 ball torent.

highly successful ipod

Last years most successful Christmas gift was undoubtedly the Apple iPod, the music and mp3 player that has set a new precedent by changing the personal entertainment market. The iPod’s distinctive milky white color (in most cases) makes it an aesthetic masterpiece, its compact size make it convenient for gym use, for strolling around campus or during those long inter-continental flights, without ever hearing the same song twice. (The 6O GB model holds on average around 15000 songs.)

This year it seems that the most popular gift items are iPod docks, a micro-hi-fi system into which the iPod plugs. This is specifically for home use and turns your iPod into a high powered sound system. It seems that many of the electronics and audio component manufacturers have jumped onto the dock bandwagon, JBL, Bose and Onkyo to name a few.

In-car audio systems now have an iPod connectivity feature built in, implying that you never need to have another CD in your car again. Eliminate the clutter, purchase an iPod compatible CD front loader from JVC or Pioneer.

I can only imagine that this is a multi-million dollar industry. iPod sales continue to increase and the iPod accessories market is growing proportionally.

In just two years the word iPod has become a household name, it’s joined the big-brand club. Even in developing countries iPods are well known, as I discovered during my recent trip to Blantyre, Malawi.

My conclusion, by an iPod – an apple a day makes Steve Jobs a very rich man.

dressing your ipod

I was just reading the 'Lifestyle', one of the most popular of inserts in the South African Sunday Times neswspaper. It seems that a Californian company have started selling clothing for your ipod. You can browse their website and choose something to match his or her (your ipod's) personality. I personally like the cowboy outfit, a little cowboy hat, tassle pants and a scarf.

Stupid, Old Compaq

I have not yet been discouraged by a lack of traffic to my weblog. I have just been too frustrated to care about that. You see, it's my old notebook that is causing me severe problems.

Ariving at the office today, a beautiful and sunny morning, my outlook of the day entirely changed. My computer took ages to boot, then Microsoft Outlook took forever to load & synchronize my e-mail. I poured myself a stiff cup of coffee. Cup of motivation in hand, i could become productive.

Unfortunately for me, things were not getting any better. Mac, the name I've given my Compaq laptop (perhaps in anticipation that he could one day mysteriously transform into a Mac), just did not want to perform. The disk-seek light flashed like a disco. Task Manager showed near 100% CPU utilization. What could this all be attributed to? I had no idea?

All that I could think of doing was to

Delete the files in C:\Windows\Prefetch

Defrag my hard-drive

Stop some apps from automatically starting on boot.

Wow, total performance gain now, possibly 0.3%. I have lots of faith in Windows XP, but because of performance, i question it often. XP is a hungry, resource instensive operating system. Outlook is a resource intense application. Total memory that Mac has 768Mb but i need both these tools to be productive.

Delon

My First Blog

Wow, hail the advent of the the blog. I consider myself a "tech junkie" but have never, up until now, tried this blogging thing. I though to myself, "It's about blogging time you join the masses and claim you individuality and try out this blogging thing." Bit of an oxymoron... methinks.

So, this is my first post. I have no idea how to monitor it, to see if people enjoyed reading it or if they even read it at all... who knows how things will transpire? I will continue in an attempt to provoke some conversation, perhaps inspire some interesting debate, debate on the South African deputy president, Jacob Zuma.

I am South African, patriotic as much as the next guy. When it comes to facing the embarresment though, of the highest degree when said deputy pres believes that a shower could minimise the risk of contracting the disease [hiv], it makes me wonder though.

On another note, it breaks my heart to see decent people having to buy their drivers license because of the corrupt nature of the systems, processes and people. There comes a point in trying to get your license legally that is eventually out-weighed by getting it illegally. The cost involved for honest re-attempts is a waste. Do it the corrupt way, save yourself some cash.

Cheers for now.
Delon