Dublin and Roma in 1 week (or, how to lose weight in a week…) Part I

The typical Irish hillside.

It finally happened. Finally got a chance to visit the little country, Ireland. It was the attraction to Celtic music (which is actually the wrong term – more details later) that drew me towards the country. The pacy rhythm of the fiddle set against a rhythmic triplet or 4/4 beat… The violin is probably one of the most difficult instruments to play. And playing at this pace without missing a beat or a note certainly sets new standards to music. Oh yes, their accents and beautiful countryside were draw cards too…

The multitude of stones lining the beach front at Bray.

Anyway… twas with great bubble that I landed at Dublin’s rather small airport. Ireland has been experiencing rapid growth in its economy (dubbed the Celtic Tiger) especially in its financial industry. This growth was apparent throughout the city by its big cranes, efficient public transport system, different multinational companies etc. The airport authorities though didn’t predict how great the necessity for a bigger airport would be.

Christ Church cathedral. Handel's Messiah was performed for the first time in this church.

We reached our hotel by midday on Saturday by taxi (the driver spoke English throughout but I battled throughout to get past the accent… hmm’s & aha’s helped the conversation along). After a quick drop-off, we hit the streets of Dublin with a trusty tourist map.

Temple Bar in the Temple Bar area. Widely popular with the locals and tourists.

Dublin’s gardens (like St. Stephen’s Green) and churches (Christ church, St. Patricks) are truly, remarkably, savage. We did a city bus-tour that touched all the major attractions of Dublin including the malt-scented Guinness store-house, the notorious Temple Bar area, the many churches, and the houses of parliament.

St. Stephen's Green. Greens within Dublin's concrete jungle.

We met a few friends in Dublin for a stand-up comedy show that evening in one of the many, many, pubs near the river Liffy. That night was perhaps the highlight of the Dublin trip – the comedians and MC were hilarious and interacted with the audience very well. The on-the-spot one-liners proved yet again why I find comedy nights so brilliant. I became the South-African drug dealer – was picked on a lot but it was all in good fun...

The Liffy river that divides the city into north and south. Division of classes exists too...

The next day we hit the DART railway system to the northern most seaside stations in the region. Noteworthy visits included Malahide Castle & Howth coast. Each little town in Ireland has its own special little something that makes the town the way it is. The pubs were also pretty grand. All the walking and rushing around made us pretty tired so we hit the beds early on Sunday.

Malahide castle - in Malahide. Old castle owned by some rich English count.

• 

The sea lions waiting for fish from onlookers at Howth. The dogs were going wild. Felt like tripping one over just for kicks...

We managed to spend the rest of the week doing many other different Irish activities. A few below:

• Riverdance concert – at the Gaiety theatre near St. Stephens. Awesome, awesome, awesome! Lovely mix of Gaelic jigs, tap dancing, fiddles… it was packed even for a weekday. The Irish sure know how to support their culture.

• The Seaside villages of Bray and Greystone – southern most part of the DART. Did a climb up the hillside in Bray. Took some lovely pics. Ate traditional fish & chips.

• 

The sea village of Bray. We climbed the hill in the background past the wheel. Got great pics. Greystone lies behind the hill.

• Traditional Irish musical pub crawl – hosted by 2 musicians who explained the history and traditions of Irish/Gaelic music (and not Celtic – it’s a common tourist mistake) while visiting some of the famous pubs in Dublin. The terms jig, reel, sessions etc. meant something after this one…

• Johnny Foxes pub on the Wicklow mountains – the highest pub in Ireland, splendid views, the interior in the pub was absolutely phenomenal. Many presidents and celebrities have visited the pub before and it made sense why. Bloddy shoddin’ expensive food though. I ate my food real slow.

• The national museum and Dublinia – fascinating look into the history of Ireland and Dublin. The role of the Vikings and the English was explained in detail in these 2 places.

• The pubs – off course, Ireland would not be Ireland without its pubs. Overwhelming atmosphere with crowds of people, Irish musicians, good food, Smithwicks beer, pretty colleen duns… The crack was good…

The disappointing aspect of Ireland has to be its younger crowd. The influence of money and alcohol is very apparent in the kids of Ireland through their behaviour and actions. I saw kids as young as 10 smoking cigarettes with a beer can in the other hand, doused in make-up, walking in skimpy clothes through the streets and DART stations.

A field overlooking a church in Malahide.

But, in all, the scenic beauty, the quality of life, the opportunities and the prospect for growth in a competitive market makes this place an ideal spot for the young career-focused individual.

The visit to Central & Northern Drakensberg

Given all the publicised cons of South Africa, the one feature that stands out for all the people residing in this country is the beauty of its landscape. Perhaps, apart from the rich mineral resources, this was one of the attractions for colonialists that spent centuries trying to stake a claim to this Southern part of the 'Dark Continent'.




One of the most pristine features of the country has to be the Drakensberg mountain range that lines the eastern half of SA along the KZN province of South Africa. The range can be divided into Northern, Central & Southern regions with each providing various 'touristy' attractions to match the traveller's expectations.

A few months ago, a couple of friends and I decided that we would tackle the Drakensberg... and see where we end up.

We decided to crash the nights in a converted home in the little town of Ladysmith not too far from the mountains. The first day was spent getting there from Jhb (took around 4hrs) and checking out the Central region of the Drakensberg. We had lunch at a local waffle restaurant that sold rugs made from sheep that were bred in the region. Racing against sunset, we just managed to catch a few of the famous peaks (Champagne Castle, Monk's Cowl...) that line the range including some 'adventure' activities like zip-line riding and off-road driving (to get to the zip-line place).

We stopped at a resort on the base of a peak (Devil's peak, I think), and spent some time admiring the starry night - refreshingly unpolluted from light and noise. Supper was at a reasonable restaurant filled with rugby crazy supporters (the Blue Bulls were playing that day down under, and Bryan Habana was in sublime form - hopefully repeatable in the Rugby World Cup later this year).

After an 'exhausting' night, and solid sleep, the next day was bright and sunny enough to tackle the Northern region. Using a trusty tourist map, we followed the north heading pathways admiring the various peaks along the road. We stopped at another 'adventure' spot and did some more zip-lines, trapezes etc. to build up an appetite. Lunch was at a quaint little restaurant along the hilltops in a town called Little Switzerland. The view outside was just breath-taking (for the lack of a better adjective).

On our way back to Jhb, we managed to catch other picturesque sights such as the massive Sterkfontein dam, the Vulture habitat and another beautiful dam which I can't remember the name of.

Ignore all the man-made problems here in Africa, and you soon will begin to realise why God decided that the Cradle of Mankind should be the 'Dark Continent'.

AFI's 100 most inspiring movies of all time

Found this list from the American Film Institute:

American Film Institute's 100 Most Inspiring Films of All Time

A jury of 1,500 film artists, critics and historians selected the classic It's a Wonderful Life, starring James Stewart, as the most inspiring movie of all time.

	Movie	Year
1	It's a Wonderful Life	1946
2	To Kill a Mockingbird	1962
3	Schindler's List	1993
4	Rocky	1976
5	Mr. Smith Goes to Washington	1939
6	E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial	1982
7	The Grapes of Wrath	1940
8	Breaking Away	1979
9	Miracle on 34th Street	1947
10	Saving Private Ryan	1998
11	The Best Years of Our Lives	1946
12	Apollo 13	1995
13	Hoosiers	1986
14	The Bridge on the River Kwai	1957
15	The Miracle Worker	1962
16	Norma Rae	1979
17	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest	1975
18	The Diary of Anne Frank	1959
19	The Right Stuff	1983
20	Philadelphia	1993
21	In the Heat of the Night	1967
22	The Pride of the Yankees	1942
23	The Shawshank Redemption	1994
24	National Velvet	1944
25	Sullivan's Travels	1941
26	The Wizard of Oz	1939
27	High Noon	1952
28	Field of Dreams	1989
29	Gandhi	1982
30	Lawrence of Arabia	1962
31	Glory	1989
32	Casablanca	1942
33	City Lights	1931
34	All the President's Men	1976
35	Guess Who's Coming to Dinner	1967
36	On the Waterfront	1954
37	Forrest Gump	1994
38	Pinocchio	1940
39	Star Wars	1977
40	Mrs. Miniver	1942
41	The Sound of Music	1965
42	12 Angry Men	1957
43	Gone With the Wind	1939
44	Spartacus	1960
45	On Golden Pond	1981
46	Lilies of the Field	1963
47	2001: A Space Odyssey	1968
48	The African Queen	1951
49	Meet John Doe	1941
50	Seabiscuit	2003
51	The Color Purple	1985
52	Dead Poet's Society	1989
53	Shane	1953
54	Rudy	1993
55	The Defiant Ones	1958
56	Ben-Hur	1959
57	Sergeant York	1941
58	Close Encounters of the Third Kind	1977
59	Dances With Wolves	1990
60	The Killing Fields	1984
61	Sounder	1972
62	Braveheart	1995
63	Rain Man	1988
64	The Black Stallion	1979
65	A Raisin in the Sun	1961
66	Silkwood	1983
67	The Day the Earth Stood Still	1951
68	An Officer and a Gentleman	1982
69	The Spirit of St. Louis	1957
70	Coal Miner's Daughter	1980
71	Cool Hand Luke	1967
72	Dark Victory	1939
73	Erin Brockovich	2000
74	Gunga Din	1939
75	The Verdict	1982
76	Birdman of Alcatraz	1962
77	Driving Miss Daisy	1989
78	Thelma & Louise	1991
79	The Ten Commandments	1956
80	Babe	1995
81	Boys Town	1938
82	Fiddler on the Roof	1971
83	Mr. Deeds Goes to Town	1936
84	Serpico	1973
85	What's Love Got to Do With It	1993
86	Stand and Deliver	1988
87	Working Girl	1988
88	Yankee Doodle Dandy	1942
89	Harold and Maude	1972
90	Hotel Rwanda	2004
91	The Paper Chase	1973
92	Fame	1980
93	A Beautiful Mind	2001
94	Captains Courageous	1937
95	Places in the Heart	1984
96	Searching for Bobby Fischer	1993
97	Madame Curie	1943
98	The Karate Kid	1984
99	Ray	2004
100	Chariots of Fire	1981

Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Its my opinion that inspiration is a mood thing. If you are in the right frame of mind, inspiration comes naturally. Else, its just another film.

A week in Congo Brazzaville

Restaurant overlooking the Congo river

In all my years recycling air on this blue ball, never did I ever imagine I'd get a chance to go to the heart of Africa, the dark jungles of hot and humid Congo. Images of dense forestation, populous streets, poor infrastructure, guns, bullets, diseases and so on and so on filled me a couple of days before. I also heard that Congo B was ranked last in a survey of the quality of life among places in the world. Now they are 2nd last thanks to events in Baghdad. I was even wary whether the plane would get there...

View from Tour Nimimbu over looking the Congo River & Kinshasa

Congo Brazzaville and its people had other ideas. The SA-financed 737 landed precariously on the tarred tarmac of the Mayo Mayo airport in Brazzaville after giving us passengers a view of the mighty Congo river that separates the two Congo countries (DRC & Congo B). The river was spectacular - clear sparking water as the sunlight reflected on the massive surface - and the vegetation and houses surrounding the river resembled the Google Earth map of Kerala, India.


Its the first time I've been greeted outside the plane by someone (no idea how he managed to get access to the plane). He quickly ushered us into the VIP lounge suite and took out passports for visas etc. He is generally known as the Protocol Man by people who've visited Congo B before. The casual tourist apparantly takes a couple of hours to get out of the airport with customs and officials taking turns at prying into belongings and looking for inroads into a potential bribe. We were done in half an hour and taken from there to our hotel - the Le Meridian.


I was there for work purposes (as you may have guessed). Node design of a client's network for GPRS functionality. Ok, that was the last of the techie stuff...

I was struck by the cleanliness of the streets of Brazzaville. Very neat and tidy. I heard the government actually employs people to clean the streets at midnight. Ok, so the city is nice. The people speak french, very friendly. Check. The food there is typically french - unique yet spiceless. Not too bad. Check. Apparently its possible to walk the streets of Brazzaville late at night (with a laptop) and not worry about getting stopped. (I saw this later in the week, so its true...). Check. Thats 2 basic necessities sorted (according to Manslow).

Its the health part thats not too great. We were warned of malaria, and were given tablets and lotions for protection. But, when I got there, it became apparent that there weren't really many mossies. Infact, I don't remember seeing any. But colleagues were catching malaria around me like it was the new IN thing. Feeling fluish today...? Malaria. Feeling weakly..? Malaria. It got all too scary towards the end of the week. Ok, so I'm being a bit Bourgeoise (excuse the pun)... but one type of malaria affects the cerebellum, and the other is lethal. So sue me for being paranoid.

The price of stuff (esp. food) was very European, but a week wasn't long enough to start feeling the hole in my pocket.

Unforgettable experience include the supper of fried fish on a resturant facing the mighty Congo river, the view from the top floor of the Tour Namimbu (from where one can see most of Brazzaville, the Congo river and parts of Kinshasa), the Lebanese resturant, the 'Park n Pay' shop that suddenly started playing Bollywood songs after I had entered. I heard there is an island a couple of hours away from Brazzaville where Gorillas are protected. The port city of Pointe-Noire I heard is also quite a good place to visit.




All in all, Congo B is pleasant enough to visit for a short period, but not too great if you've been assigned to be there long.

Advanced Access Content System (AACS) keys for blu ray & HD DVD cracked - part 2

Found this link:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6623331.stm

(thanks Madv)

As Suresh Gopi once said "mind it!"

- Can't wait... :) We're living in such exciting times... :)

Advanced Access Content System (AACS) keys for Blu Ray & HD DVD cracked

http://elliottback.com/wp/archives/2007/05/02/aacs-blu-ray-hd-dvd-key-cracked/

In keeping with tradition, a Doom9 hacker managed to break the content protection code for HD DVDs so that personal copies can be made.

09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0


HD DVDs and Blu ray discs haven't been popularised yet here in Africa... When it does, we'll be ready ;)

The furore surrounding Digg's censorship request is in the link... The latest on this is that Digg decided to ignore the notice and keep the code on...

One more victory under the belt.

Its over...! 4 years of waiting... and I hate cricket!

O India, India! Wherefore art though India?

After India's lame demise from the 2003 World cup, I decided to follow the general trend amongst fellow fans, and resort to another sport to get over the depression. About 2 years ago though, the hype started to kick in, and it was all Team India Go!

A pic from many moons ago. We'll probably not see anything like this in a long time, so consider Photoshopping this into colour

One can almost liken the situation to a tumultuous adolescence relationship. At first, its all systems go with the bond looking as strong as ever. Both sides aim to please each other through their actions (read: buying expensive tickets to watch Indian games, or skipping Calculus classes to watch the game on the big screen), with each of side working relatively hard to make it work.

Things are very touch and go at this stage, with both sides just hoping the other doesn't do anything wrong to break the fragile ice. Then, on that important occasion, the other side slips (read: 2003 WC final). The other side almost willingly messes up, and the bond breaks. The one side decides enough is enough, the heartbreaks were too much, things weren't working out, blah blah (catch the latest episode of Passions for more excuses)...

After a bit of away time, the heartbroken lass decides to give the casanova another go. Surely the same mistake cannot be repeated twice..? And it even looks like the other side has done something to mend its ways - like new friends (selectors and management), new qualities (players). Perhaps, things would change for the better... Maybe things might work out after all..?

Yeah right! The relationship was rekindled but unfortunately the after effects of the last breakup came back to haunt them. The other side started messing around again (India in SA, 2003), and when crunch time came, the true form came out. All is lost... The lass decides, enough is enough, and its time to move on. At least until the next World Cup.



Support the Aussies... they never disappoint

Thats my new outlook on life. Why would anyone want to seek disappointment? Surely, its the most feasible approach to take? I mean, the sports teams from this country never fail to please. Good at everything they do - be it cricket, hockey, swimming, rugby. Even the socceroos are doing well. Is there anything they're NOT good at? Hmmm... still thinking about that one...


Anyway, the final was a real thriller with the Sri Lankans showing a real competitive spirit clearly lacking in all the other teams in the tournament. If it wasn't for the wonder machine called Adam Gilchrist, perhaps the game would have turned out differently. It is my strong opinion that every international team's coach must have a checklist of all Aussie players that don't perform in a match - these players should be the ones who should be targeted on the next game, as they are the most likely to outperform the rest.


Its almost as if the Aussie management is hoping for a player to slump, so they could bounce back with venom in the next game. The Aussie 'keeper's batting will definitely be remembered as one of the greatest run routs in recent times. Any other game, and he would have probably crossed the 200 run barrier.



The Lankans showed some great fighting class, and looked really good at various stages of the game, but lady luck was working the morning shift, and had decided to call it a day by the second innings. The farce at the end at the closing ceremony is best not to be spoken about.


So now, 2 months later, things are the way it used to be. Where Aussie cricket ruled the world, where other players are just humans, where every action has an equal reaction. And where gravity brings us back to the real world...

Madam & Eve... another classic.

(Read: Cricket is generally a 'white' sport in ZA, while soccer a 'black' one... mostly due to the interests and past-times of the people that lived here pre-1994.)

Brian Lara retires... an ode to a legend.

After WI's huge defeat on Monday against SA in the Super-8 match of the World cup, I think it was much expectant that some sort of backlash would follow the 4 defeats in a row. Perhaps dropping the coach, or removing Lara from captaincy.

But it was really sad to hear that Brian Charles Lara, the kingpin of WI cricket for the last decade and a half, would be retiring from One Day cricket. A real mainstay of WI cricket, I believe he was one of the main reasons WI cricket hasn't fallen out of the face of the international media.

I remember his innings against SA (his favourite team) in the last 2 WCs. He's probably the reason SA hasn't taken the Cup yet (amongst other factors). His backfoot late cuts is probably one of the most stylish shots in World cricket. Hmm.. now there's a good tag... Maybe I'll work on it at the end of this post...

I've not been fortunate enough to watch him live. Hopefully he'll do a tour of SA sometime soon. But his legacy in ODI cricket as a batting star and a respectable captain will surely be missed. His role as captain in this latest ill-fated ODI was probably one of the most disastrous of his career, and there's little doubt his postponement of the Power Play against SA was the major factor in the opposition reaching that high score, and setting the team on the backfoot for the 2nd half of the match. Perhaps, he was imitating the wily Ponting's strategy from the game before that. Ponting's decision to postpone the last Power Play was sheer brilliance, Lara's looked like he was expecting a miracle. A real pity given his experience in the game.

Anyhow, his prowess was with the bat, in the middle of the field, with shots that made any opposition look tame. He's gonna be leaving a large vacant space in the ODI team, and its gonna take a real talent to fill his shoes.



Best cricket shots in the world:

1. Backfoot late cut to 3rd man: Brian Lara's favourite shot. Very stylish, easy single, resonably safe... Don't recall him every inside edging it to his stumps. Very elegant.

2. Frontfoot/Backfoot cover drive to long off: Sachin Tendulkar's very best. The little master's massive bat made the shot look like a movement in a ballet. His backfoot drive must be the most difficult shot ever - to be able to place it through the gaps and follow through with that straight bat is pure elegance. Another of his classic shots is his lap of the ball on his pads to the mid-wicket boundary.

3. The hook/pull shot to the on-side: Definitely not Ricky Ponting's only weapon in his armory, but I really believe he's the only player that can pull (pun intended) the shot without any difficulty (or clumsiness). Its a very elegant shot, thats a definite winner especially when its sails over the rope. I'm sure many bowlers have reconsidered bowling the shot ball to him after nothing his prowess.

4. The sweep (6): The late Hansie Cronje's favourite shot. Down on his knees, neat swing of the bat - the sweep 6. A very difficult shot to pull off - especially since the one knee is on the ground while the hands do all the hard work. Its a really beautiful shot, and a real pity its not seen anymore.

5. The reverse sweep: I'll be honest, I don't think any player has mastered this stroke. Many players in Bob Woolmer's SA team were quite inept at playing this stroke, but I've not really noticed it being played with conviction (i.e. off the middle of the bat). Paul Nixon's 6 off Murali was a once off - doesn't count :)

Poda 7 (mallu home-video ZA style!)

Check out this home-video made by a few mallu varsity guys here in ZA...

...its a rip-off a local show where the celeb presenter helps out his fans through his influence... he ends off Jerry Springer-style with wise words of wisdom... Hilarious stuff (for the rest of the audience).

The video has become quite a hit amongst us Gen-Y mallus in ZA.

My CWC has started... again!

The first couple of weeks of the CWC is over. Just when you're thinking the tournament is over (cause your favouritest team fails dismally in the first round), few tight matches between teams made up of players vying for their moment of fame on an oval stadium.

(read: not superheros - just players passionate about making a difference)

The Aus-SA match last weekend was turning into a classic encounter before those external forces (luck, weather, luck) changed the match into a rather tame encounter. I was fortunate enough to catch the action in a customised home entertainment centre at an acquaintance's abode. The feeling of being at the stadium during the run-chase was just exhilirating. The opening batsmen for SA played like real heros, made the Aussies look like Bangladeshi's for the first half of the game. With a bit of luck, perhaps the game would have swung the other way. Luckily, it was just a 'friendly' encounter, nothing lost as yet from both sides. But that run chase!? Wow - reminded me of the young pair from India in that Natwest Series final in England.

The SL-SA match yesterday was another special encounter. Lasith's last couple of overs were just exceptional. That ball after the 4th wicket must have missed the stumps by a molecule...

I hear the BCCI is planning a post-mortem on their team to the WC. I think the board should seriously think about bringing in young fielders into the team who can carry the bat and can bowl their hearts out. Team India needs youth, a risk-loving captain, passionate players, and one exceptional bowler.



Movies to catch if you're not entertained enough...

1. The prestige - well-scripted, performace-driven movie from the director that gave us Memento. Excellent cast, great art word. Brilliant story. Must see. Caution: requires concentration till the very end!

2. Salaam-e-ishq - yeah, yeah, say wot you want... This typical Bollywood movie was going strong till the 2nd half (is this a typical Indian thing...? Half-jobs..? Hmm...). The sequences between the couples were well interleaved. The 1st half was never dragging. Maybe it was a mood thing..?

3. The last king of Scotland - haven't finished it off yet, but its looking very good. The editing is quite slick - esp. when we see the close-up introduction of Idi Amin for the first time (with his both hands raised in the air).

4. Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd - Watch it if you're in one of those moods were anything slap-stick goes. Highlights include the spectacular scenery of Goa, the welcome change from your typical Bollywood movie, some humorous scenes, and Kay Kay Menon... Oh, almost forgot - the songs from Vishal & Shekher...

5. Prison Break Series 2 - Got the whole of the series till episode 18. It drags a bit in the middle, but finale looks pretty enticing (haven't reached there yet).

6. Udayon - Malayalam film's superhero Mohanlal in another time-pass double role. Jagathi was klassik as the grave-digging half-brother. He had some really klassic dialogues - "Yeda, mulberry monee..."

Moneyweb's car depreciation table

Its out... Moneyweb's car depreciation table.

Check it and weep! :(

(i'm off course referring to all the SA readers out there... i'm off to buy a Tazz... at least there's something to be made out of it....)

The cricket world cup... too much passion?

The cricket world cup in the carribean started with great pomp and splendor. I managed to catch pics of the opening ceremony. The West Indian people were all smiles and the tourists peppered throughtout the pictures had wide smiles that spoke lots in anticipation of the biggest tournament in the game.

Almost 2 weeks later, and I'm not sure whether I want to see the outcome. How the gentleman's game has been reduced to a political powerplay where money, corporates and bookies have their say in ensuring an outcome. The poor players and coaches in the middle bear the brunt of the struggle. I am off course alluding to the sad state of cricket that could have lent a hand in the demise of one of the better coaches in the sport.

Disbelief was probably the first emotion that went through me when I read the news on my mobile. I was really hoping Bob Woolmer would one day coach India - and transform the team into a group of gentlemen passionate and disciplined enough to lead the game into new territory (the same way I saw him contribute to South Africa's cricket team).

I've always been a fan of Pakistani cricket. The team is (cliche driven - please excuse) definitely one of the unpredictible teams in world cricket. Good enough to beat any team given the immense skill and talent in the team. Inzi's walk back to the dressing room after going out to Zimbabwe in the last Pakistani game was very moving as he walked past the applause from his teammates and the opposition. I wonder if his tears were from relief...

There's now much speculation that team India's early exit from the tournament could cost a lot of people billions. WTF??!! How does a sport progress if there is influence from all sides... Is the sport being reduced to theatre..? If India does make it against Sri Lanka, how can I, and the millions of other able supporters be sure it wasn't influenced? If they lose, would it lead to burning of effigies and stoning of buildings (ala Dhoni)?

Perhaps all sport passionate nations have these pressures, like the South American teams and their football. Feulling passions is what sport is all about. But controlling it before it reaches dangerous levels is something administrators, councils and sport bodies should seriously concentrate on.



On a lighter note, I was fortunate to watch Herchelle Gibbs' 36 run over live. The newspapers here were filled with pics of his spectacular heriocs. One even asked that he run for president...

Talking about SA politics, here's a cartoon from Madam & Eve... The cartoonists are geniuses...


For the non-SA's out there, the health minister was recently in hospital for some serious surgery (not sure what, the media have kept it under wraps). The National AIDS council chairperson was the one and only JZ (Zuma). And the police commisioner has been recently speculated to have links with the mafia.

Aaah.. only in SA..

Pics from Madagascar

Chilli con carne at a mex diner - yummy!

Pics from Madagascar

A street in tana

Its MADAGASCAR, my monochromatic friend...

A while back, after some carefree surfing, I came across a tag on a fellow blogger's recent posts that questioned his/her surroundings at the moment (wotz on ur desk?, what are u wearing? etc.)

Now is a perfect time to respond to this. For, my ceaseless reader, I'm currently bashing away from an office. My third day in Antananorivo (or Tana), the capital of Madagascar (Mada-who-ha? ;)) - the 4th largest island and 4th poorest country on earth. On my desk is my handy bottled water (very necessary!) and a packet of vanilla sticks (grown locally in the many tropical forests in Mada). The sweet, pungent smell of vanillya (as its written in Malagasy - the language spoken by the locals here) is very intoxicating and seems to lift the senses to new highs. The aroma is quite strong though, and seems reside in every corner in this floor.

The building is built on one of the steep hills that seem to surround the city. Its cloudy, and looks likely that it will rain anytime. The country this year has had record rainfalls and a number of cyclones. A trio of little children sit outside the steps and sing melodious songs with the aid of a bongo drum. Poverty is apparant everywhere in this city. Little children often run up to us begging in the little French they know. The divide between the rich and poor class is apparant, but not blatant like some other African countries. It was a bit emotional in the beginning walking past the hoards of poor people around, but (like the crime in SA) you sorta get used to it and carry on with your business.

Its very humid here which reminded me a lot of India. Its very green, the people love keeping themselves active - whether its little kids playing soccer and rugby in muddy swamps, or older men concentrating on some board or card game on the street corner. The food here is a major plus. Yesterday, I had the best fish (poisson) dish I've ever had (and I've had lotz, believe me). Anything and everything is cheap here (compared to SA) and we've not even really taken to the streets yet where bargaining is possible.

The French connection is very apparant here through the language, the types of cars around (Citroens, Peugeot 504s), and the types of foreigners frequenting the area. The people here are of a Monglioid descent with characteristics of Indonesian and Negroids. Apparantly Indonesians settled here hundreds of years ago. The people are very friendly, and put a lot of effort to please us tourists.

I've not had a chance to make a trip to the game-parks were the famous Lemurs and Foosas reside. These two animals are indigious to Madagascar and can be found in the wild only in this part of the world. The view from my room was breath-taking with the lake in my short focus with the hills and palace of the kings in the background (a UNESCO world heritage site).

Back to that tag... Its been around an hour now, and the little children are still going strong (they've been singing every morning for all the days I've been here). The clouds have disappeared and its bright and sunny. The vanilla sticks are still doing their job. My bottle is almost empty. My Malagasy colleagues are talking amongst themselves, each of them wear a pleasant smile on their faces.

We're catching the flight back to Jhb later this afternoon. I'm hoping I get a chance to come back to this tropical paradise. Perhaps, next time I'll get to spend more time exploring the jungles of this fascinating country. A couple of days ago, I was totally ignorant of this place (wasn't even sure whether it was Mozambique or Madagascar that constituted that island); now I'm just that little more experienced. Perhaps I should have seeked advice from the Lemur character in the Pixar animated 2005 movie Madagascar - "Its MadaGASCAR not WHO-HA, you Pansy..!"



I heard there's a cyclone brewing between that leg of water on the Straits of Mozambique. Great! Thats right into the flightpath on our way back. More adventure awaits...

The Island

After a bout of deep discussions with single souls about life, wealth and all that exists in between to take that away from you, I despondently came back home and tuned the TV to the national pay-channel and eased precariously on my half-wrecked 'sofa set'.

Just in time to catch Michael Bay's The Island with Ewan Mcgregor (who, incidently, I bumped into in a hotel in Malawi last year), Scarlett Johanssen (pretty as ever) and Sean Bean (I think thats his name) as the antagonist. Its a clever take on the issue of cloning in the 2050s where replacement tissues are 'cultured' in a secret government-backed (so cliche!) initiative to extend the lives of those living in the world. The clones are programmed to believe that their existence in their cozy underground warren was fortunate due to a contamination that happened in the outside world. An Island has been created in another part of the laboratory where a selected few are randomly picked to procreate in a Utopia. The hero challenges the system and his pursuit for freedom and the revelation of the lab forms the progress of the film to its conclusion.

How'd I do so far...? Did I need a spoiler warning..? :)

I felt this film was a major dissapointment, considering the extent that Michael Bay goes to form a movie. The plot was weak, the theme was apparant, and the actors were clinging to strands to make the film work. The characters of... can't remember his name... the giant from The Green Mile... wait... got it! Michael Duncan Clarke (I think) and Djmon (something - too lazy to google it) were wasted. The sets though were quite believable - credit to the art team.

Its a good time passer, but not really a film that can make a mark in filmdom. The opportunity to work on a sensitive theme was wasted, that was the major dissapointment in this film.

I wanna check out the director's next venture... saw a few trailers on tv in Germany. The S-FX look good.


I recommend trying out Hoodwinked. Hilarious, clever and on the ball through out. A must-see for anyone interested in the animation industry. I forsee this industry moving strides in the movie industry.

I Amsterdam

"Been there... done that..."

Amsterdamers love bicycles. There are very few over-weight people there.

If there ever was a list must-see PG-13 guide to Amsterdam, I'd probably be able to answer with that unmistakable phrase. One weekend was definitely not enough to explore this city of contrasts - the deep historical cultures and modern expressionisms, the aristocratic and the sleazy, the order and chaos, traditionalists and liberalists. This city has just about everything for everyone in this world.

One of the over 7000 canals in Amsterdam

We rolled our way into Amsterdam after a 3.5hr train journey from Aachen. Have I complimented the public transport system in Europe yet? I wanna stress again how efficient this system is... trains, buses (and Amsterdam's trams and canal boats) arrive and leave exactly on time. One can almost synchronise one's watches to this system. The city greeted us with a dready low lights and a chilly wind. After scouting around for possible accommodation, we eventually chose a slightly dingy hotel with common toilets (managed to set a new record time in colon block during my stay in Holland). For budget tourists like us this was perfectly fine.

Madame Tussards in Amsterdam. The tram rails were everywhere...

We hit the streets after dumping our stuff in our rooms. Though the intention was to check out the place, the general vector was towards the infamous Red Light District (called RLD from now on to minimise the shock factor). We had to see what all the fuss was about... :) A few hours and space brownies later, all was clear. Window shopping has never been this mind numbing. The brownies took their time but the effects were evident. The city comes alive in the night. There was a gentle mix of races, genders and ages in the RLD. The area was clearly demarked with raised platforms with red LEDs. The smell of weed that floated lightly in the air was mildly intoxicating. I remember gentle hallucinations while catching up with sleep that night… :)

The Dam built during prosperous Amsterdam. The Dam square is popular with street soccer in the night.

We spent the Saturday soaking in the culture of the city. Visited the Rembrandt and Van Gogh museums. It was refreshing to find the art museums filled mostly with young people. The Historical museum provided a fascinating insight into the history of Amsterdam. The first true entrepreneurs of the world were the Dutch East India Company (VOC) – their vision and influence in the world and in their company at the time can be none other than inspirational. Rembrandt was a meticulous artist who served the rich traders of the Netherlands and lived and died following his genius in art. Van Gogh was a demented genius who couldn’t break out of the mould around him and thus resorted to personal affliction to define his journey in life. 2 ‘stars’ of the cultural city that is Amsterdam.

Another spectacular palace on the banks of the River Amstel

We visited a few other museums (;)) and did the canal-boat tour of the city. The houses and canals that connect its residents to each part of the city were the most striking parts of the tour. We rounded the long day, avoiding speeding electric trams and cold winds, with a visit to the Dam amongst many other places…

Amsterdam's RLD. An intriquing mix of beauty and sleaze.

Sunday morning was spent collecting souvenirs and planning the trip back to Aachen. Calf muscles and the skin on the tip of my nose were worn out, and my back was aching, but this trip will always be in my mind. I will definitely come back to this city of contrasts. Amsterdam has without doubt left a mark in me. I Amsterdam.

The bicycle shelter next to the train station. Probably around 500, maybe more.

Watching the Daily Show with Jon Steward on Comedy Central - the host has hilariously slaughtered George W. Bush's state of the nation address last week... These guys are just brilliant. Three cheers to Freedom of Speech.

In Aachen, Germany!

One of the many types of beers on offer in Germany

Eventually the Gods smiled upon me, and I managed to pry out a company-sponsored trip to Germany (the real reason's M-PBN training). The training is happening in the company's training offices in Aachen, Germany. This little town is situated around 15 mins from the border to Netherlands in the old West Germany, further west of Bonn and Koln (Cologne).

The weather has been a tad different that the warm, sunny 20 degrees of Johannesburg, with the average temperature around the 2 degree mark. The locals describe the weather during the last few days a little chillier than usual with snow expected anytime soon.

Dusseldorf Flughawen bahnhof

We landed in Dusseldorf on Sunday afternoon with no idea how to get to Aachen around 2 hours away. The signs weren't really helpful, and colleagues had warned us against the attitude of Germans against foreigners. Our first experience wasn't that that great with the irritable Hofbahn information operator directing us to a German ticket machine with no option to change languages. I remember being quite angry but after reflection, I'm now thankful he made it difficult for us, 'cause its how we learnt how life works around here...

I now enjoy 'conversing' with the Germans. My mixture of Afrikaans with the few German words I've learnt seem to do the trick. We all have a big laugh after our conversation wondering how on earth we managed to get our points through. The people seem to warm up to tourists attempting to join them in their daily lives.

A massive gate in Aachen - remains of a fort around the city

A funny moment happened earlier this evening when we stopped for supper at the many 'Doner Kebaps' (hugely popular Persian/Turkish eat-outs that serve varieties of schwarmas and wursts) - I was trying to explain to the waiter that I was looking a typical German dish (he was light-skinned and had a typically Persian look). First attempts at Afrikaans and English failed to put the point through, so I resorted to sign language. All this while he and I were exchanging laughs at our attempts at understanding each other. Eventually he said something in German and I managed to pick out the words 'Indian' and 'sprekend'. I assumed he wanted to know if I speak any Indian languages so I started with Malayalam and moved on to Hindi (...nothing was working so what the hell!) A bit of broken Hindi seemed to do the trick as I discovered he was Pakistani. After attempting all the languages I knew, it seemed the least obvious one did the trick. He recommended a really delicious dish and gave us complimentary Turkish sweets (really delicious, may I add)...

A side of a cathedral in Aachen - don't let this poor pic fool u, this building was huge!

I'm really enjoying this country and town. There's a lot of history in this place, and the culture and people just add to the charm. Many really massive cathedrals, gates and renovated palaces. The weather is unfortunate but there are too many positives to even think of that. The machine that is the public transport system is truely inspiring.


Hoping to do Amsterdam this weekened. More on Germany later (hopefully better quality pics too)...

FPS in Javascript

Found this cool site with links to First Person Shootout code in Javascript... nice!