The Running Golfer

The Tri-Annual Check In

2011-11-27T17:52:00.005+02:00

I'm not gonna promise to blog more. It won't happen. I have been really busy the last few months and it doesn't look like changing, so no empty promises.

I'm home alone at the moment. Hayley is away with Dale and Kerri. We bought an awesome weekend away through Wicount at Bushmans Hide, unfortunately I have been so busy at work that I had to cancel. So I'm the Macauley Culkin of Farrarmere until Tuesday.

I joked earlier that it's gonna be Summer Camp for the dogs and me for the next 2 days. It's not Summer Camp. I'm just sitting here sulking. This house is Hayley. With her not here, it just isn't the same.

I said on Twitter earlier that I'm the worst bachelor in the world and I am. I always have these big ideas about how much I'm gonna do and how much fun it's gonna be. It never works out like that. Never. I just sit and pine for my wife as soon as she's gone. Pathetic, I know.

The worst is that she's in an area with NO cellphone reception. Nothing, nada. So I can't even chat to her. It sucks.

So thank you for hearing me out. I know it's not fun listening to an emotional man on a Sunday night, just before Carte Blacnhe nogal. I apologise.

Please listen to My favourite song at the moment.. It is amazeballs.

It's me.

2011-07-17T13:32:00.000+02:00

It has been way too long, I know. I have been busy with a lot of things, just not blogging.

I have spent a lot of this time on my favourite pastime, namely Instagram. Now Instagram is an Iphone app (also available on Ipad). You take photos, play around with different filters, styles etc and post it. You have friends and followers who can then like or comment on the photos. You do likewise. It is the most addictive app I have found since Twitter.

So I thought I'd post a few of my Instagram pics over the last few weeks. Hope you like "em... :)

I promise to visit more regularly...

My blessed life

2011-03-06T21:25:00.007+02:00

It`s 21:25 on a Sunday night. I`m sitting in the study, listening to Pink`s "F***ng Perfect" on repeat and reading my wife`s blog.

I haven`t blogged in yonks. I just haven`t had much to say if I`m 100% honest. Life has been leading it`s inevitable course for the last 2 years. It`s been a pretty tough slog, with more downs than ups but we`ve been surviving and having a pretty good time doing just that.

We`ve rediscovered our friends. Since we came back to Joburg, just on 2 years ago, it`s been amazing spending time with our best friends. No matter how awesome Cape Town was, nothing could replace true friendship and I`m so blessed being back with my true friends. Friends and Family, nothing matters more. Nothing.

Hayley and I have also been on a big journey. Coming from a place where we could afford and do anything to not being able to do those same things, it`s been a hard road. A road I wouldn`t have been able to walk with anybody else. A road I`m thankful to have walked with my soulmate. We are and will always be best friends. I`m the luckiest guy in the world.

That brings me to the last 58 days. The last 58 days have been some of the most encouraging, reaffirming ones of my whole life. You see it happened on 7 January 2011. I was in Middelburg for business and I got a call from Hayley. She had told me about a house she had seen. It was for sale and she was totally in love with the place. I was on my way home and agreed to meet her to see the house. It meant nothing to me. I was still in the space where life was completely against me and nothing good was gonna happen. I met Hayley at the house and went through the motions. Even though I loved it, I was never gonna get excited. It was just too long a shot. The downside was just too big. I wasn`t gonna set myself up for that big a fall. AND there was an offer on it already.

Hayley was adamant that she loved the place. She called her folks and they agreed to come have a look with us on the Sunday. Hayley`s Dad also loved the place, much to my chagrin. I was counting on him having something negative to say! I was trying to convince myself that the house wasn`t for us, that the last 2 years had left it`s mark on everything.

Hayley however, refused to budge.

She convinced me to fill in the application form for the bond. She phoned my Private Banker in Somerset West and arranged EVERYTHING. I was a reluctant passenger. I did what she wanted but made in difficult.

On the Thursday we heard that the offer on the house had fallen through and I almost got excited. Almost.

So on that same Thursday our application was submitted. A long shot. On the Friday, I just got home and got a call from Hayley. She said the status on the internet read "application approved". I didn`t believe her and went to check for myself. It did say that. I was in tears. I never thought it would happen. Especially not in 2 days. I phoned my personal banker and she phoned the call centre. Both said the same thing.

"Congratulations".

We could not believe it. We were beyond excited. That little statement meant that our lives were ours again. A house of our own after 2 years of renting. Things we lived for were going to be ours again.

We signed for it the next week. We got the keys on the 25th of January 2011. Started painting and laying wooden floors the very same week. We have done so much during the last few weeks, it`s been amazing.

It is bound to be registered tomorrow, 59 days after that 1st viewing. We have had the keys for 41 days. We have transformed it into OUR home. Elvis and Phoebe love it here. We spend time next to the pool, playing ball in the garden, braaing, laughing and joking. It`s ours. It`s not just a house, it`s confirmation that we have our lives back. A life we lost and have craved for almost 3 years.

I owe it all to my wonderful wife. She is the most amazing person I have ever met. I owe her so much, I`ll never be able to repay her love and kindness. Thank you my Sweetie for making another shot at complete happiness possible. I love you more than life itself.....

The most amazing post script to our journey happened on the weekend. We got copies of the original plans for our house and they are dated 25 January 1961. 50 Years to the day when Hayley and I got the keys to our new home.

Meant to be?

I think so....

Christmas, the way it should be...

2010-12-07T15:22:00.005+02:00

Firstly, hello, my name is Francois and I have been neglecting my blog. I know it`s been a while but life seems to have gotten in the way of blogging.

I have made a decision though to give a bit more attention to my blog. It used to be such a big part of my life, a part I really loved and enjoyed. So I promise to make more of an effort from now on.

The reason for this post is to send you to my gorgeous wife`s blog. It is looking amazing at the moment and this post should make you fall in love too.

So, until the next time (which will be in soon, promise).

Man Cold

2010-05-24T09:27:00.000+02:00

For all you ladies who doubt the seriousness of this affliction, watch this video, then go apologize to your husband / boyfriend / brother / son... And then make him soup.

Mouse Trap

2010-05-21T08:51:00.005+02:00

Anniversary

2010-05-05T13:39:00.004+02:00

A quick one! I just wanted to say Happy Anniversary to my gorgeous Sweetie! It`s been 9 years since we tied the knot. NINE YEARS! I have truly been blessed with the most awesome wife anybody could wish for. She makes me happy every single day of my life (except maybe for a day or 2 sometime during the month) and she is without a doubt, the best thing that has ever happened to me.

So, happy anniversary Gorgeous! I love you with all my heart....

Update

2010-04-28T15:28:00.010+02:00

This isn`t a proper post, just some random thoughts thrown together.

Firstly, here`s the pic of me finishing the Two Oceans. I know I`ve probably killed the subject already but who cares, I`m terribly proud of it!

I have actually done another 21km after the Two Oceans. It was the Slow Mag Half Marathon, hosted by Benoni Northerns. The start was literally 1km from our place and I walked there! Pretty convenient, no? The race wasn`t too bad and I ended up doing my Personal Best (or PB as we refer to it in the trade) of 2:06:15. Fantastic.

The other news on this side is that we have finally found season 1 of Dexter. I missed the first few episodes on tv and didn`t want to get into it halfway. So we haven`t watched ONE episode. That`s until yesterday. I found seasons 1-3 in a MR Video, not too far from us. So yesterday Hayley and I settled in and watched the first 3 episodes (it would`ve been 6 but some idiot got to Season 1 Disk 2 before I could). It is AWESOME! So excited that we can finally watch it. I reckon it`s gonna become our Sunday ritual. Oh that and Hayley`s world famous chicken curry. Oh and a good bottle of wine.

We are besotted by Gordon Ramsay and especially his show Kitchen Nightmares. We PVR every single episode and never miss one. A lot of people dislike Gordon but damnit the man is good at what he does and let`s be honest, not many people can drop the F-Bomb like Gordon can. The show makes for great tv and Gordon is most certainly no shrinking violet, fights galore! Seeing as Channel 180 screens an episode every weeknight at 20:30, we are very, very happy campers.

Otherwise things are ok here. Winter is closing in very quickly but we`re ok with that. Give me some red wine, a couch, a blanket and some good tv & this boytjie is happy.

Friday 30 April will be the 7th anniversary of my Mom`s passing. Even after all these years the 30th April still gets to me. When the calender turns to April, I already look towards the 30th with dread. I know it`s just a day but it`s THE day. THE day where I lost my Mom, my best friend for so long. The one person who made my childhood so much easier than it should have been. I suppose it also gives me time to reflect on my Mom and how fortunate I was to have her.

She really was an Angel even before she became one 7 years ago.

Here is a post I did for my Mom a while ago.

So, until next time, fare-the-well my friends.

This is RG, signing out (till next time that is).

The 2 Oceans - What a day

2010-04-06T17:30:00.003+02:00

Wow! That`s all I can say. What an absolutely amazing day 3 April 2010 turned out to be.

It started early, pretty much at 21:30 on the 2nd of April. I went to bed at that time and then lay awake for most of the night. I just could not sleep. The excitement was way too much for me to be able to close an eye. All I could think of was the race. I had done 3 half marathons before this one. All of them went reasonably well, with the exception of the last one where my knee had me hobbling for the last 10 km`s. It was a toughie and I think was the main reason why I had almost 2 years before attempting another one. But this was the big one, the biggest race I had ever entered. More than 11, 000 runners.

So I lay awake, going through every part of the race in my head. The start, the tough climb along Southern Cross Drive, going past Kirstenbosch and finally entering the stadium. I had absolutely no idea how it would go. I knew I had trained well and that I was in good condition but race day is race day and you never know.

With all that running through my head, I got up before my alarm went off at 03:15. I took a quick shower and got dressed in my brand new Adidas running shorts, shirt and cap. Then I taped my toes and feet (and nipples but that`s another subject for another time), put on my shoes and was ready to go.

So at 03:50 the 3 runners Clive, (my Father-in-Law), Mark (my Brother-in-Law) and myself plus our 1 supporter Kyle (my nephew) hit the road and headed off to UCT. By the time we got there it was a hive of activity already. So many people up and about at 04:30! We walked past the finish on the way to the start and I remember not looking at it. I forced myself to look the other way. I`m not sure why I did it, I suppose I wanted to see the finish for the first time when I came around that corner on the field. It was like the promised land, that`s how special that little piece of earth was to me.

We headed to the start, which is roughly 2km from the finish. There were thousands of people already. They were singing and dancing, laughing and talking. It was an incredible atmosphere. Black, white, coloured, indian, none of that mattered. We were all South Africans. I was so nervous. I went for a bathroom break but had such bad stage fright that I gave up (after what felt like 10 minutes mind you!). My Father-in-Law was with me at the start. He`s always so good at calming things down and he certainly did this for me. The time went by so slowly, it was crazy. Then with a few minutes to go, we sang the anthem. A true goose bump moment. With about a minute to go, they played 'I gotta feeling' by The Blackeyed Peas. Everybody just went bananas! It was so cool. Not my favourite song but there, in that moment, it was awesome!

Then the gun went and the race started. Well, race is a bit of an exaggeration cos it probably took 2 minutes to get to the start. It was so slow. All I wanted to do was run but it was a very congested walk in the beginning. Slowly but surely the runners started spreading out and finally I could get into the race.

The race itself went really well. I ran all the way, not stopping once. Even ran all the way up Southern Cross Drive, which is one helluva climb. I felt strong all the way and just kept going. What a great feeling to know that all the hard work paid off big time. I was so chuffed. The crowds were amazing and cheered us all the way.

The most memorable moment came towards the end just before Kirstenbosch. I came around a bend and looked to my left and there, in the early morning sun was Table Mountain, looking absolutely magnificent. I had a moment there. I felt so blessed. Life was good.

The finish was awesome. Coming into the stadium and seeing all the people was such a rush. Everybody cheering and clapping and creating such a buzz. I came around the last bend and saw the finish. This time I took it in and ran the last 100 or so meters just staring at it. When I took up running 2 years ago, on the 1st of April, it was because of the 2 Oceans. I had been to the Expo with my Father-in-Law and Brother-in-Law and so wanted to be part of it. That next week I started running. Now, I had finished and was holding my very own 2 Oceans Half Marathon Medal. The clock read 2:15:30. I had done it.

That was not the end of it though! After the race I got to meet Old Friends. I had met Michelle and Charlene on Twitter and they had become really good friends. Hayley and I had grown very fond of them and we had shared many, many laughs during the last few months. They had become a really big part of our lives. Well, they also did the half marathon and we met up afterwards at Forries for well deserved beers! It was awesome. They were just as I had expected them to be and truth be told, even better! We also met up with Ann, another good Twitter friend and her sister Chantelle. It was so cool meeting these friends in real life.

So, as you can see, it was an amazing day all round. A day I want to re-live over and over again just this time I would love Hayley to be there too. That would have been the perfect day.

The 2 Oceans

2010-03-30T15:35:00.006+02:00

I know, I`m spoiling you (both my readers) by posting twice in a week but hey, I aim to please. Time has really been in short supply and the motivation to post has seriously been lacking too. I started a Posterous blog, which is basically blogging for lazy people, of which I apparently am one.
That site can be found at Running Golfers Posterous and is just a silly little sideline if I`m honest.

In any case, the reason for this post is to give you some feedback on my running. Yes, I am still running although I must say I haven`t taken it too seriously for the last year or so. In fact, I only got serious again in December, when I entered the 2 Oceans half marathon. The biggest race I have ever entered and I am beyond excited.

So it was the usual thing. I had to get fit and lose weight. Sounds like a replica of 2 years ago. Well, truth be told it has gone reasonably well. I lost the weight I needed too (9 kg`s AGAIN!!!) and have upped my fitness considerably. I have put in more miles during the last 7 weeks than I did during the 10 weeks leading up to my 1st half marathon. I am reasonably comfortable in the knowledge that I should be able to finish in a fairly decent time. I`d be happy with anything between 2:10:00 and 2:30:00.

I`m flying out to Cape Town tomorrow morning and then flying back on Sunday morning. The only sad thing is that Hayley can`t join me. That would really have been the icing on the cake. She has to work unfortunately. Her whole family is there and my Father-in-Law will pick me up at the airport tomorrow morning and we`ll head straight to the 2 Oceans Expo to register and collect our numbers etc. I cannot wait! I intend to spend some money there, that`s for sure!

So, that`s my story. I am really, really excited about the opportunity to run such an awesome race in the most beautiful place on earth. Such a blessing.

South Africa - A dream unfulfilled

2010-03-25T11:12:00.003+02:00

It`s been a tough few weeks in South Africa. We've had the usual Julius Malema tirades about nothing and everything, Jacob Zuma and his wives, Jacob Zuma and his kids, Premiers and their unpaid traffic fines, calls for lifestyle audits on Government Officials, Julius Malema singing "kill the boer, kill the farmer", some of the worst hate speech on his Facebook fan page, Government tenders being awarded to government ministers, the tax bill footed by the tax payers to sustain Jacob Zuma`s wives and 20 kids, protests due to non-delivery of vital services to poor communities, protests by school children outside a courthouse, etc etc etc. Sadly, it`s a very, very long list.

If we are honest with ourselves, it`s probably the worst it`s been since 1994, when the dream of the New South Africa was signed and sealed by all it`s citizens. Back then the nation was so excited for the dream to finally become a reality, it had been way too long in the making. The buzz of the New South Africa was tangible. 1995 followed and the Rugby World Cup was hosted here. A nation building exercise of the highest quality. Springbok supporters followed the progress of the team but a nation celebrated the winning of the cup. A cup that was presented by a true icon, wearing Francois Pienaar`s number 6 jersey. Nelson Mandela stood on the podium and heard a full Ellispark chant "Nelson, Nelson, Nelson". I still get goosebumps just thinking about it. Afterwards, we saw black and white dancing in the streets together, celebrating the victory by the Springboks.

The African Cup of Nations victory followed the next year. This time, white supporters embraced Bafana Bafana as their own and a nation celebrated as one once again. Neil Tovey was the Francois Pienaar this time but Nelson Mandela was once again there. The catalyst for all that was good. South Africans united and it felt right, it felt like the dream was real.

Fast forward now to current day South Africa. It`s been 14 years since the day that we won the Africa Cup of Nations. A lot has happened in that time but having said that, nothing has also happened in that time. I always think of the way people drive as an indicator of the bigger picture within a country. Next time you drive somewhere, see how many drivers use indicators or come to a complete stop at a Stop sign. See how many drivers cross solid white lines, drive in the emergency lanes, cut people off, disregard the speed limits etc. Once again, the list if very, very long. One could almost say that it`s a free for all. No rules or laws and it`s survival of the fittest (or fastest).

Now look at government. We have ministers enriching themselves, cheating, stealing and lying. Our president was in the news recently for not submitting his financial affairs, once he became head of state. This is required by law. Thabo Mbeki did it, as did Nelson Mandela. Mr Zuma then went and got legal opinion on how to circumvent this little conundrum. Something to hide maybe?
I listened to John Robbie on 702 this morning. He was interviewing the Premier of Gauteng, Mrs Nomvula Mokonyane. She has R 17, 000 in outstanding fines and 2 outstanding warrants of arrest. Surely she would see the errors of her ways? Nope, she took issue with the reporter who broke the case. That was her defence. John then asked her if she would be willing to have a lifestyle audit done on her. She was furious and could not believe that John could even fathom asking her such a thing. "Why must I have such a thing done? Why don`t you have one done?". Ummm, one small difference, John Robbie isn`t paid by the citizens of the province to make sure that they are being looked after.
We hear Julius Malema ranting and raving his little head off every single day. He spends more time in the Equality Court than at home I`m sure. Yet, we have not heard Mr Zuma tell Julius to watch his mouth. Isn`t that what a leader is supposed to do?

Before you say I`m just a normal conservative white guy, keep this in mind. Jenny Crwys Williams had a show towards the end of last year, where she invited people to call in and say what their biggest positive was of 2009. I phoned in and said that Jacob Zuma was the biggest positive for me. My point was that he had taken over amidst doom and gloom from a big portion of the population and had made work of crime and a lot of other issues. Unfortunately it looks like I might have been wrong in my assumptions.

So looking at the way people are ignoring the laws of the road and the way government and the ministers therein are ignoring the laws of the land, it is quite obvious why a comparison can be drawn between bad driving and a bad country.

Where does that leave us as a country? Does the Rainbow Nation have a future or is the dream gonna remain just that, a dream.

Look, I`m just a normal guy living his life and trying to make ends meet. All I can do is influence the people I come in contact with be it by my behaviour or my attitude. I cannot change the minds of guys like Julius Malema or Jacob Zuma but I can try to change the people around me, even if it`s just by driving properly. So, this is what I pledge to do:

I will always use my indicators.
I will always obey the speed limit.
I will always yield when it is my duty to.
I will always obey solid white lines and emergency lanes.
I will always say thank you if somebody lets my into the flow of traffic.
I will be kind to everybody around me, even if they don`t deserve it.
I will not read another story on Julius Malema or listen to him on the news.
I will be positive about my country, even when it is almost impossible to do so.

Silly and mostly mundane things you might say and they probably are but it`s a start.

Will I be able to do all this? I hope so. Most of it I do as a matter of course, like indicating and obeying the speed limit. I am however gonna try to change MY little world which surrounds me and the things I do have control over. I`ll leave the bad news for other people.

I have faith in this country and I know we can make it work. All I want to see is the dream of the Rainbow Nation, realised. A tough task no doubt but definitely possible.

Need you now - Lady Antebellum

2010-02-21T08:18:00.003+02:00

I know it`s been a while so I thought I`d pop in and share my favourite song of the moment. I adore this band. I`m not the biggest country fan but these guys are AWESOME.

Enjoy everybody!

Russian Miner Interview

2010-01-04T09:17:00.002+02:00

I won! (Part deux)

2009-11-13T09:43:00.002+02:00

Ok, you have to go watch this video! It`s on Bob Skinstad`s site and this is where he announces me as the winner. Not just that, he says the kindest things about little 'ol me. I`m so chuffed!

Not often you get to hear cool things being said about you, by your hero. Life is good this Friday morning!

I`ll post a photo of my Bob Skinstad Springbokjersey and of me IN my Bob Skinstad Springbok Jersey very soon. Will pick it up today and get photos done as soon as my better half is back home.

Vanilla Ice Castle Lite tv ad

2009-11-09T21:12:00.003+02:00

Great new tv ad for Castle Lite featuring Vanilla Ice.

I won!

2009-11-02T11:49:00.003+02:00

I am probably the most unlucky person on earth when it comes to competitions. I have never won anything. I do enter them but I never win, not even a chocolate.

That is until this weekend. Bob Skinstad, my all time rugby hero, runs a competition whereby you have to guess the exact score in order to win a rugby jersey. This competition has been running the whole year and I don`t think anybody has won it. It`s quite difficult. I mean guessing the EXACT score in a rugby match is virtually impossible.

So on Friday Bob announced that the winner of the #Guessthescore competition will win one of HIS Bok jerseys. Worth a shot I thought, so I emailed my score to him. I backed the Bulls to win the Currie Cup Final 36-24.

On Saturday we went to Riaan and Sally`s place and watched the game there. I supported the Cheetahs throughout the game but with about 20 minutes to go and the score 33-24, I kinda got the feeling that I might be in with a shout of winning Bob`s jersey. The Bulls then got a penalty with 14 minutes to go and Morne Steyn duly kicked it over. The score was 36-24 BUT there was still 13 minutes to play! I couldn`t watch anymore, so I walked around the garden popping in every now and again to check the score. Well, the final whistle went and the score was 36-24!

Bob confirmed that I was the winner on Twitter a while later and sent me a message asking me for my contact details. I literally couldn`t sleep on Saturday night! I woke up at 02:00 and couldn`t stop thinking about the prize I had won!

To put it into perspective, I have always been the biggest Bob Skinstad fan. To this day he remains my favourite rugby player of all time. My mate Andre Pretorius got him to sign a World Cup 7`s ticket for me, when they played in Argentina and it read 'Faffie, you rock!'. That is still one of my favourite possessions. Andre also arranged a game of golf with Bob when he signed for the Cats. We played at Blue Valley and it was one of the best days of my life.

So, to win a Springbok jersey, worn by my hero, is the biggest treat imaginable. I am beyond excited! AND, I finally won something!

Here`s a link to Bob`s blog, where he announced me as the winner!

61 days

2009-09-30T09:55:00.003+02:00

61 days, that`s how long it`s been since my last post. It`s not that I haven`t had much to say, it`s just that I haven`t had the urge to say anything.

Things are going ok on this side. Been working really hard but so not enjoying my job at the moment. At least there are things happening with regards something else and I am really praying that it`ll be a reality soon. I`m basically biding my time until I can finally do something I feel really passionate about again, which most certainly is not the case now.

So, this blog is called The Running Golfer, right? Well, I haven`t been the best runner since we moved back to Joburg. My golf is getting back to where it was and I feel pretty confident with a putter in the hand. The running has however taken a bit of a back seat over the last 6 or so months.

The real problem with that is that I have picked up 10 kg`s over the last 6 months. It sucks and I feel disgusting. It`s incredible how the body just lets go if you don`t look after it. My clothes are "toight like a toiger". Let`s leave it at that.

I got back on the road about a month ago. I try to run 3 or 4 times a week but it`s not always possible. I can`t go run after dark like I did in our estate in Somerset West, it`s just too dangerous. So I can only go on days where I get home early-(ish). I started off doing a minimum of 4 km`s and I had to walk at least once or twice on every run.

The last week I have seen a rapid improvement. I can now run a very comfortable 5 km and it feels great. My pace is increasing and my times are dropping. Heart rate is also getting used to the altitude.

So, at least I am starting to shed the pounds, which is great. Hayley and I have decided to go on a bit of a health kick until December. We wanna look good on the beach you see!

In any case, I know it`s a pretty boring post after 61 days of being incognito but at least it`s something, right?

Funniest email conversation ever - Part 2

2009-07-31T10:18:00.001+02:00

___________________________________________________________________

From:Jeff Peters
Date: Wednesday 8 April 2009 10.22am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Membership Renewal

Dear David

This is a friendly reminder to let you know your gym membership expired last week. Your membership is important to us and we would like to take this opportunity to show our appreciation by offering you a 20% discount on your membership renewal. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

All the best, Jeff Peters

___________________________________________________________________

From: David Thorne
Date: Wednesday 8 April 2009 1.37pm
To: Jeff Peters
Subject: Re: Membership Renewal

Dear Jeff,

Thankyou for your friendly reminder and the kind offer to reduce my membership by twenty percent. I own a calculator but I could not work out how to do percentages on it so have estimated that I save around $372.10 off the normal price of $420.00 - Please confirm that this is correct and I will renew my membership immediately.
Also, do I get a Fitness First sports bag with towel and drinking bottle included in the price? I own my own legwarmers and headband.

Regards, David.
___________________________________________________________________

From: Jeff Peters
Date: Thursday 9 April 2009 10.01am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due

Hello David

How did you come to that amount? Our half year membership fees are actually $460 but with the 20% discount as an existing member your renewing membership fee would be only $368 for the six months saving you almost $100 off the normal price. We are not Fitness First so do not have those bags.

Cheers, Jeff

___________________________________________________________________

From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 April 2009 10.18am
To: Jeff Peters
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due

Dear Jeff

Do I get free shipping with that?

Regards, David.

___________________________________________________________________

From: Jeff Peters
Date: Thursday 9 April 2009 12.48pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due

Free shipping with what? The $368 covers your membership fees for six months.

___________________________________________________________________

From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 April 2009 2.26pm
To: Jeff Peters
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due

Dear Jeff

By the power of Greyskull that is a lot of money but I admit to being in desperate need of increasing my body strength. My ten year old child often turns the taps off in the bathroom very tightly and I have to go several days without washing.
I feel bad constantly having to ask the lady from next door to come over and loosen them for me, what with her arthritis and limited wheelchair access to my apartment. To be honest, I originally joined your gym with full intentions of attending every few days but after waiting in vain for someone to offer me steroids, I began to suspect this was not going to happen and the realisation that I may have to exercise instead was, quite frankly, horrifying.
My aversion to work, along with the fact one of your employees, Justin, was rather rude, telling me to 'lift this', ''push that' dulled my initial enthusiasm of becoming muscular and I stopped attending.

Regards, David.

___________________________________________________________________

From: Jeff Peters
Date: Friday 10 April 2009 9.17am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due

Hello David

Not sure how to take your email, nobody here would offer you steroids, it is illegal and none of our staff would do this. Justin is one of our most experienced trainers and if you found him rude while he was trying to be helpful and just doing his job then there are plenty of other gyms you could look at joining instead.

Cheers, Jeff

___________________________________________________________________

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 April 2009 10.02am
To: Jeff Peters
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due

Dear Jeff

Yes, I have noticed that there are many gyms in my area. I assume the low qualification requirements of fitness trainers means that there is an over supply of these buffed but essentially otherwise purposeless professionals.
I knew a guy in high school who couldn't talk very well and collected sticks, he used to call the teacher 'mum' and during recess we would give him money to dance. Then sell him sticks to get our money back.
He went on to become a fitness instructor so I view gyms as kind of like those factories that provide a community service by employing people with down syndrome to lick stamps and pack boxes. Except with more Spandex obviously.

Regards, David.

___________________________________________________________________

From: Jeff Peters
Date: Friday 10 April 2009 10.32am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due

Go f$*k yourself.

___________________________________________________________________

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 April 2009 11.38am
To: Jeff Peters
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due

Dear Jeff

I was, at first, quite surprised at your response; one minute you are inviting me to renew my membership and asking me for money, the next insulting me. After doing a little research however, I have learnt that mood swings are an expected side effect of steroid abuse.
As another side effect is a reduction in the size of your p#$%, this gives you understandable cause to be an angry person. I have also learnt that Spandex contains carcinogenic properties so this does not bode well for yourself and your shiny friends.
If I woke up one morning and my p#$% was a quarter of the size I would probably take my anger out on those around me as well.
There are probably support groups or websites that could help you manage your problem more effectively and picture based books available on the subject for people with limited reading skills. When I am angry I like to Listen to music by Linkin Park. The added angst and desire to cut myself works similarly to the way firefighters fight forest fires by burning off sections, effectively canceling each other out and I find myself at peace.
I understand that you guys usually listen to Pet Shop Boys or Frankie Goes to Hollywood so this may be worth a try.

Regards, David.

___________________________________________________________________

From: Jeff Peters
Date: Friday 10 April 2009 1.04pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due

DO NOT EMAIL ME AGAIN

___________________________________________________________________

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 April 2009 1.15pm
To: Jeff Peters
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due

Ok.

___________________________________________________________________

From: Jeff Peters
Date: Friday 10 April 2009 1.25pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due

Is that you being a smartarse or agreeing not to email me again?

___________________________________________________________________

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 April 2009 1.32pm
To: Jeff Peters
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due

The middle one.

Funniest email conversation ever - Part 1

2009-07-30T09:22:00.006+02:00

__________________________________________________________________

From: Jane Gilles

Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.19pm

To: David Thorne

Subject: Overdue account

Dear David, Our records indicate that your account is overdue by the amount of $233.95. If you have already made this payment please contact us within the next 7 days to confirm payment has been applied to your account and is no longer outstanding.

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

__________________________________________________________________

From: David Thorne

Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.37pm

To: Jane Gilles

Subject: Re: Overdue account

Dear Jane, I do not have any money so am sending you this drawing I did of a spider instead. I value the drawing at $233.95 so trust that this settles the matter.

Regards, David.

__________________________________________________________________

From: Jane Gilles

Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 10.07am

To: David Thorne

Subject: Overdue account

Dear David,

Thank you for contacting us. Unfortunately we are unable to accept drawings as payment and your account remains in arrears of $233.95. Please contact us within the next 7 days to confirm payment has been applied to your account and is no longer outstanding.

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

___________________________________________________________________

From: David Thorne

Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 10.32am

To: Jane Gilles

Subject: Re: Overdue account

Dear Jane, Can I have my drawing of a spider back then please.

Regards, David.

__________________________________________________________________

From: Jane Gilles

Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 11.42am

To: David Thorne

Subject: Re: Re: Overdue account

Dear David, You emailed the drawing to me. Do you want me to email it back to you?

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

__________________________________________________________________

From: David Thorne

Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 11.56am

To: Jane Gilles

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Overdue account

Dear Jane,

Yes please.

Regards, David.

_________________________________________________________________

From: Jane Gilles

Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 12.14pm

To: David Thorne

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Overdue account

Attached

_________________________________________________________________

From: David Thorne

Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 09.22am

To: Jane Gilles

Subject: Whose spider is that?

Dear Jane, Are you sure this drawing of a spider is the one I sent you? This spider only has seven legs and I do not feel I would have made such an elementary mistake when I drew it.

Regards, David.

__________________________________________________________________

From: Jane Gilles

Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.03am

To: David Thorne

Subject: Re: Whose spider is that?

Dear David, Yes it is the same drawing. I copied and pasted it from the email you sent me on the 8th. David your account is still overdue by the amount of $233.95. Please make this payment as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

_________________________________________________________________

From: David Thorne

Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.05am

To: Jane Gilles

Subject: Automated Out of Office Response

Thankyou for contacting me. I am currently away on leave, traveling through time and will be returning last week.

Regards, David.

__________________________________________________________________

From: David Thorne

Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.08am

To: Jane Gilles

Subject: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

Hello, I am back and have read through your emails and accept that despite missing a leg, that drawing of a spider may indeed be the one I sent you. I realise with hindsight that it is possible you rejected the drawing of a spider due to this obvious limb ommission but did not point it out in an effort to avoid hurting my feelings. As such, I am sending you a revised drawing with the correct number of legs as full payment for any amount outstanding. I trust this will bring the matter to a conclusion.

Regards, David.

___________________________________________________________________

From: Jane Gilles

Date: Monday 13 Oct 2008 2.51pm

To: David Thorne

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

Dear David, As I have stated, we do not accept drawings in lei of money for accounts outstanding. We accept cheque, bank cheque, money order or cash. Please make a payment this week to avoid incurring any additional fees.

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

__________________________________________________________________

From: David Thorne

Date: Monday 13 Oct 2008 3.17pm

To: Jane Gilles

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

I understand and will definately make a payment this week if I remember. As you have not accepted my second drawing as payment, please return the drawing to me as soon as possible. It was silly of me to assume I could provide you with something of completely no value whatsoever, waste your time and then attach such a large amount to it.

Regards, David.

___________________________________________________________________

From: Jane Gilles

Date: Tuesday 14 Oct 2008 11.18am

To: David Thorne

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

Attached

A fairytale in process.... Ummm No.

2009-07-20T12:20:00.004+02:00

Ok, so yesterday`s post and "prediction" was not to be. Tom Watson came so close and we all suffered with him. All he needed was a par at the last to create history and surely something so historic that it would never have been beaten.

He played really good golf and gave us so much pleasure during the last few days. It was awesome to see an older guy stick it to the youngsters. The play-off though, was just a step too far. He was finished and when he missed that putt on the 18th, it was all over. Very sad but hey, he still has his name on the Claret Jug FIVE times. Don`t feel too bad for him.

A fairytale in process

2009-07-19T10:23:00.005+02:00

It is now Sunday morning and The Open Championship is about to write the final chapter of the 2009 version at Turnberry. Now The Open isn`t just any tournament. It is the oldest major championship in golf (the 2nd oldest being our own South African Open!). It isn`t known as the BRITISH Open but just as The Open. It is a very, very special thing.

Legends of the game have won The Open and held aloft the famous Claret Jug. Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Lee Trevino, Bobby Locke (South African with 4 Open Chamionships to his name) and the list goes on.

On this list you`ll find the name of a certain Mr Tom Watson 5 times. His first win was in 1975. He followed that up with wins in 1977, 1983,1980, 1982 and 1983.

He is 2nd on the list of all time Open winners behind Harry Vardon. Although it must be argued that Harry played in a time when there were much less, shall we say, competition. He also won 2 Masters and 1 US Open title to take his tally to 8 majors.

Tom Watson played in an era dominated by Jack Nicklaus and to a lesser extent Gary Player and Arnold Palmer. Keep in mind that these 3 are reckoned to be some of the best of all time and it becomes clear that 8 major titles is no small feat.

Now, coming back to The Open Championship and Turnberry. A certain Mr Tom Watson was the leader after the 1st round. We all got nostalgic but it was never gonna last. I mean the pros these days are super fit, with mechanically perfect swings, the best equipment, coaches, mind coaches, fitness coaches, media managers etc etc. You get the point.

But, after round 2 Mr Watson was still leading. To put that into perspective, the world best player, Tiger Woods failed to make the cut. Now, a 59 year old who recently had a hip replacement was leading. Once again, I thought 'nice story' but it could not possibly last.

Round 3 came and went and guess who was still leading? You guessed right, Mr Tom Watson.

So here we are, on the last day of the biggest major in the world. A 59 year old still the leader after 3 rounds. The oldest man to ever win a major was 48 years of age. Could it be?

I will be on the edge of my seat today, willing Tom on to the claret jug. These stories are so rare these days. A wily old campaigner who drives the ball about a 100 yards shorter than his younger counterparts but who has a silky putting stroke and wonderful short game. This is a fairytale in the making but instead of they all lived happily after the announcer will proclaim:

"and the Champion Golfer of the year, Mr Tom Watson"

Twitter vs Facebook

2009-07-16T16:17:00.009+02:00

Admit it, we all have either a Facebook or a Twitter account. I was always kinda the Facebook man. Twitter didn`t appeal to me too much. I mean watching people`s status updates the whole day? That just sounded dumb.

So a few months ago I took the step and opened a Twitter account. Not sure what to do I typed in a little status update and sat back. A few days later I went back and updated again. Things is, it still looked pretty dumb to me.

Then one night I sat next to my dearest wife or as I refer to her these days, @hayleymalherbe. She mentioned that Ryan Seacrest was pretty cool to follow. Huh? You can follow celebrities? I immediately grabbed the laptop and started searching. This became a bit of a hobby over the next few weeks. I would go onto Ryan`s profile (as an example) and check who HE follows. Suddenly a whole world of celebrity comings and goings started opening up. I found some awesome celebs and sportspeople. Larry King, Ashton Kutcher, Andy Roddick, Ian Poulter, Joel Houston of Hillsong Church, Josh Groban, Pink, Richard Quest, Brooke Fraser etc etc.

I then found the South African angle. Bob Skinstad, Aki Anastasiou, Koula, Louise Carver, Duncan Mcleod, Arthur Goldstuck, Chris Roper, Dan Nicholl, Simon Dingle and a lot more. Now I could find out what each of them were doing at the touch of a button.

The next piece of the puzzle fell into place when I started following Skysports, News24, Mail & Guardian, Manchester United, WP Rugby and the like. You would know exactly what was going on in the world by merely hanging around Twitter.

I have also hooked up with a whole lot of blogging, real life and internet friends. Kevin (@thirdplace), Heather (@heather2nicolel), Prodigal John (@prodigaljohn), Wenchy (@wenchy), Jacki (@scrappintimes), Henre (@henre), 6000 (@6000), Rambler Clive (@ramblerclive), Kerri (kerriisacks), Sleepy Jane (@SleepyJane). You get the point.

I downloaded Tweetdeck for the laptop and Ubertwitter for my Blackberry. Traffic, not a problem. I`ll play on Twitter. Having said that, I probably won`t be stuck in traffic cos Aki keeps us updated continuously. I have had conversations with people like Koula, Chris Roper, Duncan Mcleod, Bob Skinstad and Simon Dingle.

Twitter has become a major part of every day. In fact, it`s the first thing I check every single day. It has become my preferred source of information. As an example, I learned about the whales at Kommetjie, the massive earthquake near NZ, the plane crash in Iran, Andrew Flintoff retiring from test cricket and the death of Michael Jackson from Twitter. Not CNN, SKY or, the Good Lord help us, the SABC but TWITTER.

So, where does Facebook fit in? It doesn`t. I`ll only go on if I get a "Friend Request". It just doesn`t feature anymore. It bores me to death.

Hopefully I`ll get to see all of you who read this post on Twitter one day. Give me a follow if you want. @RunningGolfer would love to see you...

The greatest of all time - part 2

2009-07-08T11:34:00.003+02:00

Just a quick one.

Neal Manthorp is one of my favourite cricket writers. This is an excerpt from his latest article on Supersport and is not about cricket but about, you guessed it, Roger Federer.

"Then, after Devon, we stayed with friends and watched the Wimbledon final - the real one, on Sunday. What a game. What a champion. Not just the greatest player of all time, but one of the greatest sportsmen and one of the finest human beings.

At 7:20 am on Monday, the day after winning his record-breaking 15th 'major' by defeating Andy Roddick 16-14 in the fifth set, when Roger Federer should have been tucked up in bed or, at the very least making his heavily pregnant wife a cup of herbal tea, he was chatting to a reporter on BBC Radio Four's current affairs programme.

After a couple of minutes the interviewer, too, was struck by the anomaly and could no longer contain himself: "Why did you agree to do this interview?" he asked with a genuine sense of awe.
"Because," replied Federer, "many years ago I learned that journalists and reporters are merely a link between me and the people who support me and I am grateful for the chance you give me to speak to them." Bloody hell."

I rest my case, not just a great champion on the tennis courts but a true champion of a human being too.

South African Tourism - Questions from would be Tourists

2009-07-06T13:36:00.003+02:00

These are questions asked from a local Tourism Website and the replies were made by the webmaster. Very funny!

Q: Does it ever get windy in South Africa? I have never seen it rain on TV, so how do the plants grow? (UK)
A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.

Q: Will I be able to see elephants in the street? (USA)
A: Depends how much you've been drinking.

Q: I want to walk from Durban to Cape Town - can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden)
A: Sure, it's only two thousand kilometres take lots of water...

Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in South Africa ? (Sweden)
A: So it's true what they say about Swedes...

Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in South Africa? Can you send me a list of them in JHB, Cape Town , Knysna and Jeffrey's Bay? (UK)
A: What did your last slave die of?

Q: Can you give me some information about Koala Bear racing in South Africa? (USA)
A: Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the pacific. A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe which does not...oh forget it. Sure, the Koala Bear racing is every Tuesday night in Hillbrow. Come naked.

Q: Which direction is north in South Africa? (USA)
A: Face south and then turn 90 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.

Q: Can I bring cutlery into South Africa? (UK)
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.

Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? (USA)
A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is...oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Hillbrow, straight after the Koala Bear races. Come naked.

Q: Do you have perfume in South Africa? (France)
A: No, WE don 't stink.

Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in South Africa? (USA)
A: Anywhere where a significant number of Americans gather.

Q: Can you tell me the regions in South Africa where the female population is smaller than the male population? (Italy)
A: Yes, gay nightclubs.

Q: Do you celebrate Christmas in South Africa? (France)
A: Only at Christmas.

Q: Are there killer bees in South Africa? (Germany)
A: Not yet, but for you, we'll import them.

Q: Are there supermarkets in Cape Town and is milk available all year round?
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter-gatherers. Milk is illegal.

Q: Please send a list of all doctors in South Africa who can dispense rattlesnake serum. (USA)
A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca, which is where YOU come from. All South African snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets.

Q: I was in South Africa in 1969, and I want to contact the girl I dated while I was staying in Hillbrow. Can you help? ( USA ) >
A: Yes, but you will probably still have to pay her by the hour.

Q: Will I be able to speek English most places I go? (USA)
A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first.

The greatest of all time

2009-07-06T09:43:00.005+02:00

We can now officially call Roger Federer the greatest tennis player of all time. Yesterday he passed Pete Sampras as the winner of the most Grand Slam titles. Incredible what a year can do? A year ago a lot of people were writing him off. He proved them wrong in a big way!

Well done Roger, you are a credit to the world of sport, a true legend and now officially the greatest player ever to grace the courts.

Chris Daughtry - Poker Face

2009-07-03T13:04:00.008+02:00

First heard about this on Twitter, from the man himself. I obviously had to go check it out.

This is absolutely brilliant stuff! Just shows what a great musician Chris Daughtry really is.

By the way, things are still good. Been back in Joburg for almost 5 months. Can you believe it`s been that long? Somerset West and the Cape are just happy memories. Sometimes it feels like it never happened and that is was all just a dream. Albeit a dream swinging from the nightmarish to the absolutely sublime.

We will be back in Somerset West for a 5 day holiday at the beginning of August and I am so excited. Cannot believe how quickly the last almost 5 months have flown by. It will be awesome sleeping in our old house again. It is now a holiday home for the whole family. We are really fortunate that my Father-in-Law saw the potential in the place and decided to buy it from us. Now we`ll still get to spend time there every now and again.

I haven`t had a run in quite a while. Too busy working. I have picked up a lot of the weight I lost last year and feel horrible for it. Hayley reckons I look GOOOOOOD but I think she`s just making me feel better!

Anyways, I`m sitting at work at the moment and need to get a few things done. I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do cos he really made it awesome!

I hate to say it but I told you so

2009-06-10T16:02:00.006+02:00

On 6 July 2008 I wrote this post read it here. I wrote it literally 15 minutes after the epic Wimbledon Final in which Roger Federer lost to Rafael Nadal. I was devastated at the time. I`m like that, I would rather have my favourite sportsman or team, lose by a big margin than lose a very close game. I was ok after Man Utd lost the Champions League final to Barcelona, simply because they were completely outplayed. It was never a case of "if only this" or "if only that". We were beaten fair and square.

Roger though lost that final to Rafa in what has since become known as the greatest Wimbledon final of all time. I don`t think so, simply because Roger lost. If he had won THEN it would be the greatest Wimbledon final of all time. But he didn`t and it isn`t.

But during all the sadness after that match I wrote the above post and I proclaimed that Roger would not only equal Pete Sampras`s record of majors but would even do so by winning the French Open. Something Pistol Pete could never do. Well, as you all know by now, Roger did just that.

Hayley and I were in tears on Sunday. Watching Roger trying to hold back the tears during the Swiss National Anthem was enough to move anybody, I don`t care who you are (Robin Soderlingh, the losing finalist excluded of course).

So, my prophetic words from the 6th July 2008 came true. I am so grateful because nobody deserves it more than the gentleman of the courts, Roger Federer (who is half South African by the way). Well done Boet.....

African Wildlife

2009-06-02T18:00:00.001+02:00

So as you guys know, Africa is blessed with the most amazing wildlife. Lions, Elephants, Cheetahs and my own personal favourite the Leopard.

What exactly does that have to do with the video below. Nothing, absolutely nothing. If you haven`t been to an African game park before, you have to see this. The wild is truly amazing.

Adam Lambert

2009-05-28T07:00:00.000+02:00

I`m gonna use my bi-monthly blog post to bemoan the fact that Adam Lambert did not win American Idol. Why America why?

I started off as a Danny Gokey fan. Danny could do no wrong as far as I was concerned. I loved his voice and I loved his story. I suppose his story was what got me liking him in the first place.

But as the show progressed it became blatantly obvious that AI had uncovered probably the most talented male artist in the world. It started when he sang "Mad World". He came out in a suit, with his hair gelled back and I thought my wife was gonna have a seizure. The sensitivity in his voice made me sit up and take notice.

He followed that up with my favourite performance when he did "Tracks of my tears". I became a fan. Adam was consistently the best performer on the show. He took chances. I mean he did Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, U2, Tears for fears. There is nothing this man cannot do.

I am a huge AI fan. I watched the first season while holidaying in New Zealand and have watched every season since. I am a big fan of Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry and David Cook. All of them were amazing but none of them even comes close to Adam Lambert.

He is unique, brilliant and more talented than any Idol before and probably after.

If you get a chance go to MP3boo and download his AI album. Listen to "One", the studio version. I tell you, amazing doesn`t even begin to describe it.

This is a studio recording of "Tracks of my tears". Sit back and enjoy.

Audi Billboard Fail

2009-05-09T10:30:00.004+02:00

I love this! The ad campaigns between BMW, Mercedes Benz and Audi have always been awesome.

This one, takes the cake though!

Breathalyser Fail

2009-05-02T10:00:00.002+02:00

I`m sure most of you guys have seen this but it`s worth another look!

A frightening experience

2009-04-30T13:41:00.003+02:00

So, I finally get to blog and it`s because I`m sick in bed with Bronchitis (no Kevin, not swine flu, just bronchitis). I was booked off for the last 2 days but have been at work most of the time. However, at lunch time today I finally succumbed and came home to get into bed.

The last few days have been interesting, to say the least. Well firstly, we have been looking after Hayley`s sisters kids for the last week. Lindsay and Mark are in Britain with my in-laws. It`s been hard work but truth be told not as hard as I thought it was gonna be. Ok, Hayley gets up at night, I`m not built for that just yet.

I have also spent the last 2 nights at home cos I don`t want the kids to contract my illness. That would just complicate things immensely!

Yesterday I had a meeting in Isando (about 15km`s from home) at 09:00, so I used the opportunity to sleep in a bit and save myself from going out into the biting cold early in the morning. My chest needs all the protection it can get at the moment.

So I had just left home when my phone rang and it was Hayley. She was in a complete state and told me that someone had attacked Sarah (the live in nanny) at Lindsay`s house. I was literally 200 metres from there and immediately turned into their road. The road was full of police cars and armed response vehicles. I jumped out and found Sarah and little Adam standing in front the house surrounded by police.

It transpired that a guy had attacked Sarah when she was locking the security gate by the kitchen. He was armed with a knife. Sarah immediately fought back and grabbed the knife from him (she suffered a small cut on her palm). He then forced his way in and hit Sarah. She hit him back and kept fighting. Adam was sleeping in his room but woke up from the commotion and started screaming. Sarah then went to the front door and opened it while fighting off the attacker. She managed to get out and ran into the street screaming. As luck would have it a policeman was waiting at the traffic lights about 100 metres away. He immediately came to her assistance.

By this time the attacker had disappeared. The police were frantically searching for him. We all went inside the house and tried to calm Sarah down. She was so strong and brave. What a woman!

I got there probably 5 minutes after the attack. There were policemen and armed response guys running everywhere looking for the attacker. Hayley arrived about half an hour later. We all sat in the house. The police and armed response guys were combing the suburb. One of the policemen came back. He explained that the attackers usually find a place to hide and that they lay low for a few hours before running away. We then walked into the backyard and he went to have a look at Sarah`s room. I decided to go check the other side of the house. I looked behind trees and bushes and under sails laying around. The wendy house had been checked already but I opened the door and looked inside. It is FULL of stuff and I saw nothing untowards. Then a shoe caught my eye and I saw it had a foot in!!!! I got the fright of my life but kept calm and even whispered "nope, nothing here". I walked away slowly. As soon as I rounded the corner I ran and gestured at the cop that I had found the attacker. The cop called reinforcements and they arrested him. Well, not that easy cos he fought back and it took teargas to "settle" him down.

The police were awesome, absolutely awesome. They went above and beyond the call of duty and the way they acted really put my faith back into the SAP. Well done guys. They also confirmed that the attacker would not get bail and that it was pretty much an open and shut case. Put him away for a very long time. Scumbag.

All I can say is thank the Lord that nobody got hurt and that we caught the guy. It is so scary when something like that happens to you or to somebody close to you. What would have happened if the cops left and he came out later with only Hayley and Sarah there? I shudder to think.

It`s a horrible thing that happened and I don`t wish it upon anybody. I am thankful though that we were not left with "if only`s" or "I wish we had". We have learned valuable lessons and will most certainly use it in future AND nobody got hurt in the process. Praise God.

Howdy Campers

2009-04-18T12:35:00.004+02:00

Yes, I am still alive and kicking. Been working very hard and the long hours are draining to say the least. So obviously blogging has taken a backseat to real life. Not that blogging isn`t real life but it just seems like a million years ago where I could blog every single day, while doing the dishes and the washing and have time to prepare a wonderfully scrumptious supper. Real life is a very different place.

My day now starts at 05:30 when I get up to shower. I leave the house at about 06:00 and drink my coffee on the way to work. Depending on the traffic I get to work at about 06:50 or so. Then it`s work, work, work. I leave work at 17:30 and get home, once again depending on traffic, at about 18:30. Fortunately I get home to a nice supper every evening. Hayley and I would then watch some tv and by 20:00 we look at each other and nod and then we head to bed. We would then watch some tv in bed till about 20:30 or 21:00 (if we're feeling adventurous) and go to sleep. Then it`s up at 05:30 again and everything starts from scratch.

So as you can see, blogging is not really a possibility right now. I Twitter, mainly because I can do it on my Blackberry anytime during the day.

So that has been my life for the last month or so. It`s good to be back in the swing of things and part of the economy again!

On some other news Hayley and I finally saw the Susan Boyle clip yesterday and lump in the throat stuff that is, no doubt! Definitely reminded my of the Paul Potts clip which I featured on my blog a few months ago.

I have a little funny for you guys and this I found in my own home! Have a look and let me know if it would be your idea of a "housewife`s dream"...

Bat out of hell

2009-04-08T16:44:00.004+02:00

Seeing as though it`s the start of the new baseball season I thought I`d do this public service announcement.

BE CAREFUL IN THE STANDS!!!

Ps. I hope you guys are fine, still haven`t been able to come say hi. Sorry. Miss you guys.....

TV, the good and the not so good (part deux) and UPDATE

2009-03-29T09:03:00.006+02:00

Ok, idiot that I am I actually left my favourite show of all time off the list. That show is Damages. Hayley and I were absolutely rivetted by it and we cannot wait for season 2 to start.

It`s an amazing show, with very clever writing and awesome performances by Glenn Close and my own personal favourite Rose Byrne.

UPDATE ON THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE RUNNING GOLFER

I started a new job on Tuesday and it has been going pretty well. That`s the reason why I have been so scarce lately. I leave at 06:00 in the morning and only get home around 19:00, so obviously blogging has been taking a backseat. I will definitely keep the blog going but I`m afraid the every day updates will be put on hold for a bit.

I`m sorry for not being able to visit all your blogs as often as I used too. I`ll try my best to pop in every now and again.

Well, I have a pretty busy Sunday ahead of me, so I`m off! Adios and God bless!

from the Mrs. RunningGolfer.

2009-03-21T06:00:00.001+02:00

This is the Mrs. RunningGolfer. I am taking over the RunningGolfer’s blog today. For one big reason.

It’s his birthday!

So instead of writing on my blog about how fantastic he is, I thought what better place to do it than on his. He has no idea. I think he might be more surprised that I know his passwords than this actual post.

He is turning the 37 today. I know, I even had look down at the keyboard and look for those numbers. The thing is he is actually not a day over 16. And he would agree with that.

I am particularly fond of the 21 March 1972, because this is the day, that the man that was to one day become my husband was born. And I will be forever grateful. He is everything I ever dreamed of, and more.

Happy Birthday Sweetie.

You are my dream come true.

aka Mrs. RunningGolfer

My Joburg

2009-03-18T08:08:00.006+02:00

Wikipedia Facts

Johannesburg has more than 1o million trees and is the biggest man made forest in the world
There are more than 10 million people living in the greater Johannesburg area
The greater Johannesburg area consists of Ekhuruleni (East Rand), The West Rand, Lenasia, Soweto
Is one of the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the world
O.R. Tambo International is the largest and busiest airport in Africa
Johannesburg`s land area is 1, 645 square kilometres (635 square miles)
The average high for summer is 25 Celsius (77 Fahrenheit)
The average high for winter is 17 Celsius (63 Fahrenheit)
The highest recorded temperature is 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit)
The lowest recorded temperature is -8 Celsius (19 Fahrenheit)
Is 2000 metres above sea level
Produces 16% of the GDP of South Africa
The container terminal in City Deep is the largest "dry port" in the world
Johannesburg`s Sister Cities are Taipei (Republic of China), Birmingham (United Kingdom), New York City (USA), Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Xi`an (China)

My Johannesburg

Has the most amazing thunder storms
Has the most awesome friends in the world
Houses the best family-in-law in the world
Has some of my favourite golf courses
Has the best climate in the world
Has some of my favourite memories
Has an energy all it`s own
Has been our home for 7 of our 9 years together
Has the worst taxi drivers in the world
Is the place where we got married
Is the place where we raised our canine kids and God willing will one day raise our own kids
Is where I started my career and where I`ll get it back on track
Is where I plan on staying

Unfortunate t-shirts for a mugshot

2009-03-17T07:56:00.004+02:00

The Laundry Tag

2009-03-12T16:45:00.000+02:00

Bwaaaahahaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

Disclaimer: The above is not the opinion of the author of this amazing blog.

TV, the good and the not so good

2009-03-11T15:41:00.006+02:00

As you know, Hayley and I absolutely love our tv. We literally plan our evenings around the tv schedule. We are fortunate enough to have satelite and also a PVR (Tevo y`all). So we tend to either watch everything or tape everything.

Tv goes through good and bad times here in SA. We tend to have all the best shows on at the same time. Then we`ll go a few months with hardly anything to watch.

Fortunately now is a good time with lots of awesome shows on. We have The Amazing Race, Prison Break 4 and True Blood on Tuesdays; American Idol and The Mentalist on Wednesdays; American Idol and Fringe on Thursdays and The Office, Eli Stone, The Bachelor on Fridays. Saturdays are for sport as are most Sundays but we also have South African Idol on Sundays with the results shows on Mondays. I`m very embarrassed most of the time but we do have some talent, sometime....

This brings me to my favourite shows and my least favourites. Here is a list of my all time favourites and least favourites. A lot of my least favourites started of as favourites but then progressively got worse until I hated them.

My favourites

24
Prison Break - Season 1
The Office (British and American versions)
Roswell - Season 1 & 2
Friday Night Lights
Greys Anatomy - Season 1 & 2
Friends
Spin City
American Idol
The Mentalist
Fringe
CSI (Las Vegas - Grissom rocks)
Eli Stone
30 Rock
Dirty Sexy Money - Season 1
Ellen Degeneres
Riptide
Chips
X-Files
Will & Grace
Survivor
The Amazing Race
Seinfeld
Twin Peaks
Frasier
Lost

My Least Favourites

Greys Anatomy - Season 3 onwards
Dirty Sexy Money - Season 2 onwards
CSI Miami (Horatio Caine annoys the living daylights out of me)
Soapies - Days of our lives, etc etc etc
Oprah
The View - OBVIOUSLY
Dr Phil
Jerry Springer
The Coconuts (It just reminds me how backward South Africans actually are, so I stay away from the show and live in my own little cocoon)
EGOLI - Let me not start
Beauty and the Geek

So what do you think? Have I left your favourite off my list? Have I got your favourite as a Least favourite?

I`m sure I`ll sit down later and remember a whole bunch of shows that I forgot but that`s ok, it gives me another post!

Universe conspiring

2009-03-10T07:39:00.005+02:00

I got a message from my friend Nessie yesterday. She was wondering where in the world Faffie has been. Too be honest, I`m not sure. I`ve been here and things have been pretty hectic but it`s not that I haven`t had time to blog but more a case of the universe conspiring against me blogging.

First up, we are still busy unpacking and living out of boxes. Not the best environment to create a blogging masterpiece in. Secondly, I have been struggling my backside off with the 3G and more specifically the software of said 3G. I have downloaded new software of the website and tried everything but to no avail. Sometimes I have to restart my laptop 10 times before it reads the 3G card. I`m so sick of it. It drives me bonkers. By the time I get to restart number 9, I inevitably give up.

We had Unlimited Wireless Internet in Somerset West and it was such a good deal that the company who we signed with actually went bankrupt. Another company took over and they tried to swindle me into a 4Gig package for the same price. I said "no thank you I`m gonna shop around" and the salesperson said "hold on, let me call my boss" which he did and 30 seconds later he came back with "ok, we can continue your contract with unlimited internet". Fancy that.

So this 3G thing has been working on my nerves in a big way. Granted it`s faster but it is not the greatest, especially considering all the problems it`s been giving me. I reckon I`ll take it to a Vodacom 3G shop today, along with my laptop to see if somebody can assist.

Otherwise things are going well. It`s been great seeing the family often and spending some time with friends. Haven`t gotten to see them all yet but hopefully the small matter of Faffie`s birthday next weekend will sort that one out.... hint hint...

Just wanted to finish off by saying I`m really sorry for being so quiet and for not visiting your blogs during the last few days. I promise to make it up to all of you.

* Just to prove me point, this stupid 3G bombed out on me and I lost the last bit of my post which was all about running at altitude here in Joburg. Oh well, at least I can`t bore you anymore than I already have.

Magic Goat

2009-03-03T23:59:00.000+02:00

Heeeeere`s Johnny!!!

2009-03-03T15:22:00.004+02:00

And a good day to y'all! After a really Loooooooooooooong week, I can finally take my place in the blogging world again.

We are officially back in the Big Smoke and it`s great to be back. Although I love Somerset West and the Western Cape, you cannot replace family and lifelong friends. That is what we have here in Joburg. Awesome family and awesome friends.

And what can I say about the move? It was horrible and I`m glad it`s over. They dropped off our stuff yesterday, so now it`s just a matter of unpacking EVERYTHING, which is a massive job on it`s own. But at least we can do that in our own time.

The worst part of the whole move was the drive back. It took us 16 hours. 14 of those 16 hours was taken up by Elvis, hyperventilating. It was absolute hell. I nearly lost it a few times. As you know, bulldogs can overheat and die very easily. So I was literally waiting for Elvis to die in the back of the car. Nothing helped. We gave him medicine to calm him down, that didn`t work. We gave him food, that didn`t work, we gave him water, he didn`t drink. This went on for approximately 1, 300 km. He only fell asleep 2 hours outside Joburg. I also had the aircon on full blast, so the car was icy cold and I had no warm clothes with me. All in all, the worst trip of my life.

But, we are here now and all is forgiven and forgotten. Elvis is back to his normal self and him and Phoebe have just carried on where they left off. Hayley and I are slowly getting settled in our new place and I`m positive that it`s gonna be a good home for us.

Tonight we are off to the In-Laws for supper and wine and tomorrow we are going to Dale and Kerri`s for supper and wine. Happy days.

Ps. Thank you so much to all of you for your comments and kind words after my previous post. You guys are awesome friends and a massive part of our lives. We luv ya!

Quiet on the blogging front

2009-02-24T08:22:00.004+02:00

This week will be a bit quiter than normal. The big move is happening and it`s gonna be hectic, so I thought I`d apologise in advance. You will unfortunately not be getting your daily fix of the Running Golfer for the next few days. Rest assured however, he will be back. If everything goes to plan, I`ll be in Johannesburg by Saturday afternoon. So I`ll probably be back to my normal posting awesomeness by next week.

I`ll however try to pop in every now and again to check up on you guys but I don`t expect to have too much free time on my hands.

So till later, this is the Running Golfer signing off.

Ps. Our little girl Phoebe (ok she`s quite big but she`s our little girl) is going on the plane today. I`ll be dropping her off at 11:00 and then Hayley will pick her up in Jhb at 16:00. Elvis will drive up with Hayley and I on Friday night.

Tagged! Whooohooooo! - Part Deux

2009-02-20T08:41:00.001+02:00

I have been tagged by my friend Frank! Yay for me!

Here`s how it works:

Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It's really hard to only use one word answers. Be sure to tag the person you received it from and of course at least four others who hevn't been tagged yet (to the best of your knowledge)

Ok so here goes.

1. Where is your cell phone?
table

2. Your significant other?
supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

3. Your hair?
history

4. Your mother?
missed

5. Your father?
missed

6. Your favorite?
sport

7. Your dream last night?
scary

8. Your favorite drink?
ChaiTea

9. Your dream/goal?
happiness

10. What room you are in?
lounge

11. Your hobby?
golf

12. Your fear?
lots

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years?
happy

14. Where were you last night?
Steffanie`s

15. Something that you are not?
pro-golfer

16. Muffins?
bran

17. Wish list item?
AstonMartin (not really cheating)

18. Where you grew up?
Sasolburg

19. Last thing you did?
Ate

20. What are you wearing?
frown

21. Your TV?
42inch

22. Your pets?
HEART

23. Friends?
awesome

24. Your life?
blessed

25. Your mood?
inbetween

26. Missing some one?
Mom

27. Car?
BMW

28. Something you're not wearing?
Mascara

29. Your favorite store?
Apple

30. Your favorite color?
Blue

33. When is the last time you laughed?
Yesterday

34. Last time you cried?
recently

35. One place that I go to over and over?
bathroom

36. One person who texts me regularly?
Sweetie

38. My favorite place to eat?
Many

39. My favorite food?
the next meal

40. What did you do today?
organising

So I`m tagging EVERYBODY who hasn`t been tagged in this one before.

The introvert who never stops talking

2009-02-19T07:00:00.001+02:00

Hayley is one of a kind. She claims to be an introvert but she never stops talking. She will even tell you when she`s going to be quiet and then go on at length to explain exactly why. By the time she`s done the quiet time has come and gone with not a sound of silence in sight.

I found this video and I reckon this must have been what Hayley was like as a baby.

Happy birthday Gorgeous

2009-02-18T07:11:00.005+02:00

Today is my gorgeous wife`s birthday! I won`t tell you how old she is but I will say this, it is more than 5 x 5 and less than 6 x 6.

She is in Johannesburg today but is flying back at 15:00, so she`ll be here just after 17:00. I cannot wait! We will just go for a bite to eat tonight and spend some awesome time together.

To my Sweetie, I hope you have a wonderful day. You are the love of my life, my soulmate, my best friend and the most amazing life partner anybody can ask for.

I love you....

South African Music - Chapter 2

2009-02-16T10:30:00.006+02:00

This video showcases some of our best musicians and also some of my personal favourites. It is a song done for a Levi`s HIV campaign a few years ago and it features, amongst others, Karen Zoid, Louise Carver, Arno Carstens, Flat Stanley, Loyiso Bala, Chris Chameleon etc. A truly great song with a profound message. Awesome South African talent!

The Inverted Mohawk

2009-02-12T20:43:00.004+02:00

As I`ve mentioned before in my critically acclaimed post The Evolution of the Do, my hairstyle has been evolving. From a full head of hair to a head in 10 years. Incredible really. It hasn`t affected me as a person too much. You know the saying, What you lose on the swings, you make up on the roundabouts. That applies to me. Yes, I have lost hair, Yes I am able to name my remaining hair after all the members of a certain boyband and have a name left (it`s ok, it`s not like Robbie Williams belongs there anyway). But, I have also become more suave and intellectually superior to the puny weakling who used to wear a Ricky Schoeder middle path.

So that seamlessly brings me to my new hairstyle, The Inverted Mohawk. Not the mohawk made popular by one of the best method actors of his generation, Mr T. (I dare Robert De Niro to play BA Baracus with the same intensity or the same subtle nuances. It ain`t gonna happen Bob, you sucker fool).

No, my mohawk is inverted or well on it`s way to being inverted. I acknowledge that I`m not the first person to make this specific do fashionable. This was done by the Groot Krokodil a long time ago.

This photo (below) was taken last week when my gorgeous wife got back from Joburg. I admit, there is a slight case of hat hair but nothing can hide the fact that I`m on a downward spiral with regards the hair.

At least I got myself a hot wife before it was too late.

Refuse to be denied

2009-02-11T07:00:00.001+02:00

I absolutely adore this song and found it by accident.

One of the main radio stations here in SA is 5FM. Now it`s aimed at the younger market, so I obviously don`t listen to it very often. Not too keen on the dj`s or most of the music. Having said that I own many of the cd`s by the artists featured on that station. I know, I`m strange. It`s ok, I`ve made peace.

I have always liked one of the dj`s though. Her name is Koula. I suppose I started liking her when I read how she had taken up running and she even did the Comrades Ultra Marathon which is the best known race in South Africa. It is a murderous 90km and takes place between Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Thousands of runners from all over the world take part every year and it is massive. Probably the best known Ultra-Marathon in the world.

So she has always been the one 5FM dj that I have "followed" and enjoyed. We do tend to follow those people that we have something in common with.

One Saturday night, while Hayley was away, I was flicking tv channels and came upon a late night South African talk show. Koula was the guest, so I decided to check it out. She was chatting about her running and her job and it was the usual stuff. Then she started talking about her new tv show which was gonna air the next morning, called Psalted. It is a Music Show, featuring the best in Christian music. The host of the show was kinda shocked and said "Christian music?". Koula then went on and explained that she was a devoted Christian. She even joked and called herself a "happy clappy". Respect. I for one love it when people stand up for their beliefs at the risk of being mocked. Especially on live tv. Mind you, I don`t think this specific talk show has more than 50 viewers.

I digress.

So the next morning I made a point of watching the show. This song, Refuse to be denied by the Desperation Band was on. I had never heard of the group but immediately loved it. I`m sure you guys will too.

Let me know what you think.

SA News - Fresh and Accurate

2009-02-10T09:26:00.003+02:00

e.tv's own Bushism 10/02/2009 08:15 - (SA)

Cape Town - e.tv's news channel, eNews, inadvertently reported on Monday that George Bush had died.

The words "George Bush is dead" appeared on the television screen for approximately three seconds shortly after 14:00.

e.tv spokesperson Vasili Vass said the error crept in when the technical director wanted to test what a certain type of banner would look like on the screen.

"Instead of the preview button he pressed the one for direct broadcasting."

Now my question is this. Whatever happened to "testing, testing, 1, 2"?

This is what we did the whole weekend

2009-02-08T14:38:00.002+02:00

It`s been very hot here, so we had the aircon on full blast and just stay put. It`s been nice and cool inside and like the Sahara outside. So this is all you saw in our house this whole weekend.

Tagged! Whooohooooo!

2009-02-06T10:04:00.006+02:00

Thanks for the tag Mel! As I`ve said before, I love being tagged. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I know, I know, small things and small minds. Yadda yadda....

This is quite a cool one (although not the best one from a vanity point of view).

So this is what you do.

Sit down. (Just like Mel, I`m a bit of a rebel so I did the standing thing. Also, the only mirror, other than the ones in the bathrooms, is on the ceiling above our bed.... HA HA HA - just kidding!!! Seriously, just kidding!!!)

Take a picture of yourself right now.

Don't primp.

Upload it to a new post.

Tag 5 people to do the same.

So I`m tagging:

And remember, "don`t hate the player, hate the game"

The Dancing Knock Out

2009-02-05T11:34:00.002+02:00

Injudicious use of Exclamation Marks

2009-02-04T15:38:00.008+02:00

I just counted the total number of Exclamation Marks I used in my previous post + the comments on said post.

I am obviously a totally useless writer. I apologise.

But I`m really excited!

sorry, will try to do better.... ! yikes.....

I ain`t the Lone Ranger no more

2009-02-04T08:44:00.006+02:00

I am so happy!!! My Sweetie is coming home today! She will be working her last 3 weeks at her old company here in Somerset West! I am ecstatic! No more dinner for one with only 2 hungry bulldogs for company.

I`ll be picking her up at the airport this afternoon at 17:30.

So I ain`t the Lone Ranger no more.... YEEHAW!!!

Airline Pilot Cadet Programme

2009-02-02T12:31:00.003+02:00

I saw this ad in one of our Sunday Newspapers.

AIRLINE CADET PILOT PROGRAMME
If you have a genuine interest and the motivation to become an airline pilot for one of South Africa’s
premier airlines and you meet all the following requirements.

Requirements: •Should be a SA citizen •Not less than 1.6m tall •Academic achiever with Grade 12
mandatory English, Mathematics and preferably Physical Science (minimum of C symbols - Standard
Grade) OR a 5 score in each of the above-mentioned subjects in the new NCS - Senior Certificate
•No criminal record •Able to swim •Must be in possession of a PPL and minimum of 75 flying hours
•Prepared to comply with long-term contractual obligations.
A thorough evaluation process by the selection board will be undertaken and short-listed applicants will
be subjected to psychometric and medical assessments. The results of these assessments will influence
the outcome of the applications.
Kindly forward your CV to: Kedumetsi@xxxxxx.co.za or via fax: (011) 252 9139.
Closing date: 5 February 2009 at 12:00.
In accordance with the EE Act, preference will be given to suitably qualified candidates from the
designated groups.
Should you not hear from us by 27 February 2009 you may accept that your application has been
unsuccessful. No correspondence will be entered into.

Why on earth must a pilot be able to swim? Unless of course this low cost airline (who shall remain anonymous) do not have too much faith in their fleet of USED aircrafts. I`d prefer a pilot who couldn`t swim because I know he`ll try his utmost to keep the big bird in the air or away from big lakes, oceans, rivers, estuaries or olympic swimming pools.

Ok or Okay?

2009-01-29T14:46:00.005+02:00

We`re into week three of our "living in different cities until I can get the move sorted" or LIDCUICGTMS for short. The good news is that we have gotten a lot done and it looks like the move will take place in the second half of February, which cannot come soon enough.

I hate being apart from Hayley and speaking on the phone just doesn`t do it. I think both of us are getting a tad irritable cos the situation is starting to get to us now. But, it`s something that has to be done, so the sooner we can get through it the better.

Which brings me to the point of this post. As I`ve mentioned in previous posts, Hayley has a few quirks. I love her for it! She is definitely the most interesting* person I know.

We have obviously been on Blackberry Messenger quite a lot cos it saves money on those silly little phone calls like:

"What you doing?"
"Watching tv, you?"
"Me too"
.......
.......
"How`s about them Redsox"

So, as you can imagine, we chat quite a bit by text message. Now this is the point (finally I can hear you say), Hayley never, ever uses the short ok when she sends a text message. She always types the full one, okay. No matter how much in a hurry she is, she will NEVER use the short ok. Now I have no idea why, haven`t even discussed it with her but I find it so sweet that she always uses the full one.
I know, it sounds silly but it`s those little things that make me love her!

*Interesting = funny = weird.

Appearances can be deceiving

2009-01-26T15:33:00.004+02:00

This is one of my favourite stories ever. It involves a mobile phone salesman by the name of Paul Potts and a reality tv show called Britain`s Got Talent. Just sit back and enjoy, it is so worth it.

Courage Fail

2009-01-23T10:16:00.004+02:00

I laughed till I cried, epic fail on live tv!

Meet Logan

2009-01-21T16:06:00.002+02:00

Thanks to Sally J, Wife of Space J for this awesome video... :)

I`ve been tagged

2009-01-21T12:44:00.004+02:00

So I`ve been tagged by Jacki. What a thrill, I love being tagged, makes me feel all loved and popular!

The tag works like this:
1. navigate to where you keep your pictures, select the 6th folder, and the 6th picture in that folder.
2. Then post it on your blog with an explanation of the story behind the picture
3. tag 6 other people to do the same, and make sure you let them know about it.

Ok, so here`s the photo!

This was taken last year. Hayley and I flew to Johannesburg for Adam`s Christening. Adam is our little nephew. One of our favourite things in Johannesburg is breakfast at a little place called Harpers, in Eastgate. So this picture was taken on the Saturday morning and it is of my AWESOME In-Laws, Clive and Cheryl. They absolutely rock!

So the lucky ones I am tagging are:

So there you go guys, I`m looking forward to seeing the results!

South African Music - Chapter 1

2009-01-19T17:05:00.004+02:00

I have decided to share some South African music with all my overseas friends. I think we are pretty lucky to have some really talented people in this country and what a great way to show them off, here on this blog, which has had almost 6000 hits!! 6000 hits! Ok, I`m still 10, 000 behind David and I`ll never catch him but that`s another story for another time...

So, as I was saying. There are a lot of good SA bands / artists and I`ll try to give you a little glimpse into what we offer.

First up is Jesse Clegg, the son of Johnny Clegg. Johnny Clegg is a South African institution and together with his bands Juluka and Savuka penned a few classic SA songs. Most notably Impi which is an anthem at all Springbok rugby matches. Scatterlings of Africa, another of his hits, was on the soundtrack to the movie Rain Man.

But back to Jesse. This is his first song and I know Hayley is a massive fan of both the song and Jesse.

So I present to you, Jesse Clegg and the song Today.

A New Start

2009-01-18T21:51:00.008+02:00

I am currently sitting in bed, watching the Barack Obama Inaugural Celebration. I am a bit nostalgic because I walked those same steps at the Lincoln Memorial just over a year ago. Washington DC is one of my favourite places on earth.

Now I don`t care if you vote for the Democrats, Republicans, ANC, DP, COPE, Tories or Conservatives but tonight / today and the next few days are memorable days for all of us.

The last year has been one of the worst we have known. Companies that have been succesful for more than a century have folded. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs. The world as we know it has changed forever.

But tonight, sitting here in my bed, I feel really positive about the future. I really believe that a new day is about to dawn. The start of a new, bright future is here. We must just be open to the posibilities.

We have to get behind President Elect, Barack Obama and plot a new course. It`s in us to make a difference.

America, we are right next to you, let`s get out of this together...

How not to work out

2009-01-17T09:00:00.002+02:00

Cracking Headlines

2009-01-16T13:28:00.001+02:00

Knife Test

2009-01-15T08:48:00.003+02:00

Home Alone

2009-01-13T20:56:00.005+02:00

So as most of you know, Hayley left for Johannesburg on Sunday and I`m the Mccauley Culkin of Somerset West. Ok, maybe he has more hair but you get the picture. I`ll be here till at least end February to pack up the house and get everything ready for the big move back to Johannesburg.

Anybody who knows me, knows that I HATE being away from my wife. Hayley really is my best friend and we just get each other. We don`t have to do much to have a good time. Give us a tv and a few decent shows and we are set. I think we were meant to be together. Nobody else would put up with either of us!

So the last 3 days have been a bit of a struggle for me. I`m so used to our little routine. You really do get set in your ways as a couple, or at least we do. Most of our routine consists of tv, reading and eating. (As your can see we don`t have kids yet...). It works for us and makes us happy! Life at it`s best.

This afternoon I was watching tv and it just didn`t feel right. I missed Hayley and just didn`t feel like tv. I decided to get my Ipod, sit on the patio and watch the sunset. What an awesome idea!

I sat outside for 2 hours, watched an amazing sunset, listened to some of my favourite music and got all nostalgic. It was exactly what I needed. I had company in the shape of my 2 dogs, Elvis and Phoebe. They did not leave me alone for a second and only came inside when I decided to pack it in. They heart their Dad...

I have now decided that it`ll be a weekly thing. Even if I sit next to Hayley when she watches tv or reads but I will make an effort to listen to my music one night every week. It`s so strange that I`ve never done this before. I mean I absolutely love my music and it`s such a huge part of my life. Why do I often neglect it like I do?

So from now on, it`ll be musical Tuesday or Thursday, depending which night has the worst tv... :D

Oh Captain My Captain

2009-01-09T08:51:00.004+02:00

As you guys know, I`m still on a bit of a high after our cricket side made history by beating Australia, in Australia, for the first time in a test series. It has been a long time coming. Our last series in Australia (3 years ago) ended with us being whitewashed 3-0. It was ugly. Graeme Smith, our captain, was vilified both here and abroad for being brash, big mouthed and egotistical. I was one of his critics. In a big way.

But that was then and this is now. The Graeme Smith who captains this side is far removed from that brash youngster. He is a man now, a man who others follow willingly. A man who leads by example and a man who puts his body on the line for his team, his country and the fans.

Graeme Smith broke his hand during the first innings of the last test in Sydney. It was immediately put into a cast and announced that he would be out of cricket for at least 6 weeks. It did not matter because South Africa had already won the series and were leading 2-0. The Sydney test was therefore a dead rubber.

But, on the last day of the test, South Africa was fighting to stave of defeat. Our top order had been bowled out and the bowlers were now trying to save it. A 2-0 result sounds better than a 2-1. Over after over was bowled and yet, unbeliebably we hung on. We were 8 wickets down and the Aussies knew they only needed one more to win the test because Graeme Smith would not be able to bat. Then the 9th wicket fell and the Aussies started celebrating.

But then, the unthinkable happened. Graeme Smith came out the dressing room and walked onto the field. He had cut the cast off and was willing to bat with a broken hand to save the test for SOuth Africa. The Aussie crowd stood as one and started cheering this great man. Graeme Smith had come full circle. The man who was mocked 3 years earlier now got a standing ovation.

Graeme batted bravely for 6 overs and was the last man out, 10 balls from saving the test. The Aussies came up to him and you could see the utter respect they all have for him now. Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain, called it the single bravest thing he has ever seen.

Graeme Smith flew back to South Africa and got here to a heroes welcome yesterday. His own fans now see him as their captain. The man had turned public perception around. In the interview at the airport he seemed shocked at all the attention and adulation. He shouldn`t be, he deserves every second of it.

Oh Captain, OUR Captain, we salute you...

This is an excerpt of an article that appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald. The writer is Andrew Stevenson and his words make me extremely proud of my cricket team and the characcter they showed during the test series.

"Nationalism is, indeed, the last refuge of the scoundrel and I have to admit I've had a few sleep-overs there, most especially during those nights in 1999. Steve Waugh accused Herschelle Gibbs of dropping the World Cup. More accurately, Australia robbed it from them.

"Hard but brittle, South Africa was the team I loved to see beaten. But this tour was different. Just when the nationalistic juices began to flow, this young, confident and courageous South African team stilled them - not with a look, not with a moment of luck but over sessions of determined play. When the game seemed lost and the Australians rightfully poised for victory, the South Africans dug themselves out of trouble, turned the pressure back on the hosts and made them look fallible.

"They did it once in Perth and it might have been a fluke. Melbourne destroyed that idea and then yesterday, when most tailenders would have chosen spontaneous combustion and hapless capitulation, Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini did it again.

"And for the first time in my life as a cricketing spectator I felt my loyalties shift. Having grown up on a diet of Lillee, Marsh and Chappell, I'd found an opponent I could love. With every play-and-miss, Ntini seemed more worthy. Every time Steyn stood in line with the stumps and offered fierce resistance, I was in his corner. Smith's arrival at the crease was the crowning moment but surpassing what had come before.

"In defeat, South Africa issued a proclamation to the cricketing world every bit as resounding as their twin victories entering this match. If you want to beat us, be ready for a long fight: we will not cencede an inch. "A new champion has arrived in world cricket: long may they reign."

The Dark Night

2009-01-08T10:49:00.005+02:00

Ok, we were probably the last people on earth to see this movie but at least we got to see it last night.

I was completely blown away. You know when you hear all these good things about a movie and you finally see it and it`s a huge let down? I was so scared that that would be the case. The reviews have been awesome and I have heard nothing negative about it. The hype surrounding it has been incredible and rightly so, it turned out.

Last night we finally got the dvd and we were both blown away. Probably the coolest, edgiest, most awesome movie I have seen the last year. I loved the fact that it was such a dark, edgy, no holds barred movie. No other Batman movie could compare and truth be told, I had grown a bit tired of the genre. The Dark Night changed all of that.

A lot has been said about Heath Ledger and the tragic circumstances surrounding his untimely death. I don`t want to go there but I do want to say that his performance was startlingly good. A career defining performance which makes the whole situation terribly sad. His Joker was probably the coolest villain in recent memory. The Oscar and Golden Globe buzz surely has something to it.

Heath Ledger was not the only good performance though. The cast was magnificent and I especially enjoyed Morgan Freeman`s Lucius. But then again, I have always been a Morgan Freeman fan, or at least from the first time I saw him in Glory (which still rates as one of my all-time favourite films). Mention must also go to Michael Caine, who`s portrayal of Alfred was really cool.

Of course Hayley loves Christian Bale and for my money he is the coolest of all the Batman`s. I thiunk we like him for different reasons though...

I truly rate this movie as one of the best I have seen and I`m already thinking of watching it again, soon.

A big hello from the Running Golfer!

2009-01-07T14:55:00.007+02:00

The Self Imposed Blogging Hiatus (SIBH) has now officially come to an end. It has taken a while for me to come up with something to say and truth be told I still have nothing. But, that hasn`t stopped me previously and it won`t stop me now.

Firstly, a very happy New Year to all of my awesome blogging friends. I really have missed you guys and plan on doing a lot of catching up! Thanks also to everybody who made an effort to stay in touch, it is much appreciated.

The holiday was really cool. We spent the best time with Hayley`s family. It was awesome. I have always worked over the December holidays and have been stuck in the office when everybody spent time on the beach. This year was different and I had as much fun as everybody else. It was great! I got a tan, went to the winefarms and even became a brilliant boogie boarder...

We did quite a bit and Hayley has kept you guys updated for the most part.

Here is a list of some of the things I got up too:

I ran 2 races with my Father-in-Law and Brother-in-Law. Both 10km`s
That was the only running I did during the holidays
I have the stomach to prove it
On one of these runs, Mark and I were nearly attacked by a deranged 70 year old walker (we participated in a 10km walk and got special clearance from the organisors to run the race as we made it clear we we did not want any prizes. This old gentleman did not want to hear any explanations from the 2 whippersnappers who came RUNNING past him and duly tried to take us out. We were too fast. Eat our dust Mr 70 year old deranged walker)
We were however beaten (to the finish line) by 3 male walkers and 1 lady
Yes, we had to eat their dust
I slammed my fingers in a car door
It was sore
No, I`m not 6 years old
I taught Devon how to "take you down to China Town"
Hayley and I taught Devon to make the L for loser on his forehead and say "LO-O-O-O-SER" while doing it
He duly used this new phrase on his older brother Kyle
I learned all about Ben 10 and how important a Ben 10 watch is to a 4 year old boy
I gained 3 kilograms in 2 weeks
I got up at 01:30 in the morning to watch our national cricket side beat Australia for the first time in a test series down under and it was SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEET
Finally got to see Quantum of Solace and loved it! (Not as much as Casino Royale but awesome nonetheless)
Cried a bit when they banged up the Aston Martin in the opening sequence
Felt much better when the baddies who did it got driven off a cliff
Went to bed at 23:00 on New Years Eve and missed the new year
It was exactly what I wanted cos I was really not sad to see 2008 go
I made no resolutions for 2009
Saw Graeme Smith, the captain of our national cricket side, come out to bat with a badly broken hand and the whole stadium (full of Aussies) stood up to applaud him
Biff (his nickname) is DA MAN

Hayley and I are currently enjoying our last few days together in Somerset West. She flies back to Johannesburg on Sunday and starts work there on Monday. I will sort everything out on this side and join her in February. I really hope the month goes very quickly, I don`t like being away from my sweetie.

So there you have it, my first "arb" post of the new year. Hopefully I have many left in me!

God bless Y'all...

We`re the Kings of the World!!

2008-12-30T18:40:00.003+02:00

Well done to the Proteas (Our National Cricket side) for their first ever series win in Australia! It was worth getting up at 01:30 this morning to witness such a historic event!

Merry Christmas everybody

2008-12-25T08:03:00.002+02:00

Quick update

2008-12-22T16:41:00.005+02:00

Thanks so much for all the comments on my previous post. I am having such a nice time with the family, it truly is a blessing having them here for the holidays. Obviously blogging has taken a back seat but I promise to keep you guys updated (maybe not everyday but as often as possible).

For this update I have a few photos, which will give you a good idea of what we have been up to.

I just want to add that I miss all my blogging friends tremendously! I hope you guys are all having a wonderfully blessed festive season.

Lots of love and God bless!

Helloooooo Kevin!

2008-12-18T07:54:00.002+02:00

I am so sorry for being such a bad blogger! I know it`s been ages since my last post but we have been so busy here that blogging has unfortunately taken a back seat.

I will try to do a post with a bit of an update in the next few days but suffice to say, we have been having a really nice time with friends and now family. We are off to the beach in the next 15 minutes again. What a tough life we have here in Africa... :)

Ps. Kevin, thank you for your concern, you can call of the search party and drop the Amber Alert to Red....

Wallets - check, ID`s - check, car keys - ........ ?????

2008-12-10T08:33:00.005+02:00

It`s been a few days but do not fear, the Running Golfer is here. We had an awesome weekend away and got back late on Sunday night. Since then I have not even been on a blog. For some reason I just didn`t have the inclination. So today is my first day back in the blogosphere

We spent the weekend in Umhlanga, which is situated on the East Coast of South Africa in Kwazulu Natal. I loved every second of it. Hayley and I are not too fond of the East Coast mainly because the humidity is terrible. We are creatures of comfort, as you probably know! But I must say, Umhlanga was awesome. We had the best time

The reason for our visit was that my Father-in-Law, Clive, turned 60 on Sunday. It was such a privilege to spend this time with such a wonderful family and more especially with my Dad, who is my role model in so many ways. Dad has timeshare in Umhlanga and the rest of the family go there every December for a week. Hayley and I joined them for the first time. It`s not that we`re not invited, it`s just that we have always been working during this week. So this year we finally got to spend some time with the family

My real story is something that happened at approximately 16:00 on Sunday afternoon. Hayley and I flew back at 18:00 on Sunday and Mark had to fly back to Johannesburg 30 minutes later. We had a 30 minute drive to the airport, so we all got ready to leave. We had just packed the last stuff into our tiny rental car. I was playing with Devon when I suddenly heard a commotion behind me. I looked around to see Hayley`s face a whiter shade of pale. She had locked the car keys in the car. The doors were all locked and although we could see the keys, we had no way of getting to them. So, there we were, all our luggage had been packed into the car, including our house keys, my car keys etc. We only had her handbag with our wallets in it. Dad phoned the AA and they said that they would send somebody to assist in getting the keys out the car. Dad would wait for them and then race to the airport as soon as the car was open again. We however, were running out of time fast

So after figuring out that we would be able to fly back and get the spare keys from the "dog sitter", Hayley`s Mom jumped into Dad`s Murano and we RUSHED to the airport. We got there just before 17:00 and saw that our plane had been delayed by 15 minutes. I went to the BA office and explained our situation with the luggage. The nicest lady helped me and got pour luggage checked, without it even being there! How cool was that? She said that we could just bring it as soon as it arrives.

We stood waiting and 5 minutes before boarding, the little Hyunday Atos came zooming around the corner with Clive Schumacher behind the wheel! We grabbed the bags, raced to get them checked and made it with literally a minute to spare!

I wish I could day this was an anomally but I can`t. There is never a dull moment with Hayley and her family and I have gotten used to something strange happening, always!

10 Things I love about you

2008-12-04T09:20:00.004+02:00

My wife is an original. I have met nobody else like her and I doubt I ever will. So I decided to do a list of things that makes her unique and totally awesome.

Hayley will try any dance move. We`d be sitting watching tv and somebody would bust a move on MTV. All I would need to say would be "can you do that?" and she would be up in a flash. I`ve seen her do all kinds of moves. Some don`t even have names (and most of them don`t even exist). Her signature move is "the running man". Truth be told, no moves look like the ones on tv but she tries and that makes me love her.

Hayley considers herself an introvert. Yet, I have never met anybody who talks more than her. She would sometimes talk just to hear her own voice. I shut down sometimes and will just throw in a nod, every few minutes. This is enough to keep her going.

Hayley loves food more than anybody I know. Last night for instance, she had a whole chocolate egg in her mouth and asked me "why can I not stop eating?". I didn`t have to answer that one.

Hayley has a heavy foot when it comes to driving. If you see a Hyundai Getz zooming around Somerset West, that`s Hayley. She of course denies it but my wife is the Fernando Alonso of the Western Cape.

Hayley adores Christmas more than anybody I have ever known. Christmas had been a pretty sad time for me until I met Hayley. I had been far away from my family (My Mom, Sister, the kids and Brother-in-law emigrated to NZ) and I was always depressed on Christmas. Hayley gave me a love for Christmas again and spending Christmas with her family has certainly made it easier for me. I now heart Christmas thanks to Sweetie.

Hayley sleeps with the light on when I`m not around. Enough said.

Hayley gets so involved in her tv shows that she is completely oblivious to everything around her, especially me. I can talk and she would not even know it.

Hayley is the disciplinarian when it comes to the dogs. I cannot bear to see Elvis upset, so it`s up to Hayley to keep the discipline going.

Hayley will be able to name any animal in the Kruger National Park. She is absolutely brilliant and one of the best spotters I have ever come across. We would spot a buck and she will tell you exactly what kind it is and add a few facts. I am truly in awe of her knowledge of the wild.

My wife is a clever lady and a tough one to get into an argument with. She should have been a lawyer cos she can argue like nobody I have ever met.

So there you have it, a few reasons why my wife is so awesome and so special to me. A unique person especially designed for me.

An African Sunset made in heaven

2008-12-03T08:30:00.004+02:00

You know me and my sunsets, I heart them. This was the magnificent sunset that greeted us on Monday night. While watching this spectacular sight the lyrics to one of my favourite Live songs went through my head.

I don't need no proof when it comes to God and truth
I can see the sunset and I perceive

It certainly rings true.

Thanks to my Sweetie for the awesome pics.

God, me and the number 34

2008-11-28T10:29:00.007+02:00

As you guys know, this year has been a pretty tough one for the family. A lot of things have happened, some of which I can share and some of which I can`t. The one thing I can share with you guys and that I have done previously is that my company was liquidated in February. In fact, somebody told me that we were probably one of the first companies in South Africa to be affected by the Sub-Prime crisis in the States. Like I always say, if the USA sneezes the rest of the world catches a cold. In this case, our company got pneumonia and died.

Now, being out of a job is no fun place to be. I have always been pretty succesful in my career and things have come pretty easily. Blessed probably describes how lucky I have been. Promotions came pretty quickly and the money was good too.

Just to show you how lucky I was, consider this. The day after the company folded, I got a call from one of our main competitors and they offered me a job there and then. They promised me a whole lot of things and of course I took the job. Unfortunately it was a question of over-promise and under-deliver on their side. I stayed loyal to them for as long as I could but eventually I realised that it is not something that would be sustainable. The business plan was never gonna succeed. I ended up leaving.

So for the last few months I have been looking for work. That is not the best place to be in you`re a white South African male. You see, we have a thing here called BEE or Black Economic Empowerment. Companies have to employ black people to eradicate the inequalities of the past. What it comes down to is that white men are last on the pecking order when it comes to jobs. So, even though you might have the best credentials for a job, the fact that quotas have to be attained might mean that you lose out to a less qualified person. This is our society and I understand this completely.

This coupled with the bleak economic outlook worldwide has made the last few months a very tough time to be a jobseeker.

That brings me to my faith. I would be a liar if I said that my faith never waivered. I have had many a day, sometimes weeks at a time, where my faith ebbed away. Every prayer went unanswered, or so it seemed. Every time an opportunity came up, something happened and it was taken away. One example. I got a call from a previous company and they were getting ready to offer me a job, an awesome job at that. Something I would be really good at and that would have meant good things financially. Then, the day where they were to call me with the good news, the company`s Exco sat and made a decision that an immediate freeze was to be placed on all external appointments. I was devastated. I had prayed so hard and so long and basically begged for this job. God decided no. I could not understand it. So close but yet again an opportunity was taken away.

So on one of these days, where I was crying out for something, anything, I drove to Gordonsbay (which is about 10 minutes from here). I was on the way back when I noticed on my cars computer that the kilometers done on the tank of petrol was 341 and the distance I could still travel was 341. I thought that was quite a coincidence. I mean the distance left on the tank changes so much and so quickly, depending on the speed etc etc. Literally a minute later I drove past a little sign and I still don`t know what the purpose of this sign is but it just had 34 on it. A white 34 on a blue background. Was God talking to me?

Now I am a numbers guy. I am and have always been very good with numbers. So for me, I saw this as a bit of a sign. You do tend to hold onto the small things when you have nothing to hold onto anymore. So with Hillsong playing in the background, I had a feeling that God was using something I understand, numbers, to show me the way.

I raced home and immediately checked the Bible for clues. I checked for the 341st chapter of the Bible, page 341, every chapter 34:1 and so it went on. Nothing. Then I reckoned that I would get a call with good news at 3:40 or 3:41. Yet again a dead end. But the number 34 stuck in my head.

That was 2 months ago. A few opportunities have come and gone in that time. I have had good days and a lot of bad days. All the while I kept looking for 34 and the sign that I was so sure was around the corner.

That brings me to Monday, 24 November. I woke up and decided to read my Bible. I opened it up at Acts 13 and started reading. Then something caught my eye and I saw at the top of the next page, where it shows the last verse on the page, it said Acts 13:34. It said the following:

The fact that God raised him from the dead, never to decay, is stated in these words: "I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David"

Immediately I knew that God was talking to me. I was expecting a call that day with feedback on a possible interview. Suddenly I knew that the interview was going to be confirmed. This happened later that day. The person who gave me the lead for this job is another Christian who has walked the same path as me during this year. He was also affected by the liquidation, maybe more than anybody else. I phoned him to tell him that I got the interview and when I put the phone down I noticed that the call was made at 3:40 pm.

So on Tuesday morning I read my Bible and opened up at Matthew 21. I looked up at the top of the next page and what dit it say? Matthew 21:34. It read:

When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.

I have been using my Mom`s Bible since she passed away and it is full of her notes and markings. It`s one of my favourite and most special things on this earth. She marked Matthew 21:22 and it read:

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer

On Wednesday morning, I opened up the Bible to Matthew 6. Guess what was at the top of the next page? Matthew 6:34. It read:

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Wednesday night, Hayley and I were in bed and I opened up my Bible at Acts 10. At the top of the next page it said Acts 10:32. I was a bit disappointed as I was expecting another miracle cos I had been spoiled! I read the chapter and when I turned the page my heart nearly stopped. So guess which verse was marked, by my Mom in pencil? Acts 10:34 and it read:

34 Then Peter began to speak: "I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.

So yesterday I flew to Johannesburg for the interview. Before I left I took a card out of my Bread of Life box, which has promises from the Bible in. Well, the one I picked was Matthew 21:22, the same verse my Mom had highlighted and which I read on Tuesday night.

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer

As a final incident, while I was waiting for my rental car the tv caught my eye. It was some netball match (in which I have no interest whatsoever) but the one shot I saw the player wore the number 34.

Now I don`t know exactly what all this means. I am obviously on a journey with God and I really don`t know what He has planned for me. What I do know is that He is with me always and I do not need to worry or feel alone anymore. He has truly rejuvenated my faith.

I do not know if the interview I went to was THE one. I do however know that I don`t have to worry anymore. I can trust God cos He has made it clear to me that He is interested in my lfe and that He cares for me deeply.

What is your 34?

Ps. A Google search for 34 revealed Psalm 34, Praise for Deliverance from Trouble.

How much does our God rock?

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T08:25:00.003+02:00

Just a quick one today, I`m off to Johannesburg in an hour or so.

I just want to wish all my awesome American friends a very, very happy Thanksgiving. May the day be filled with fun, laughter, family, an incredible amount of food and a lot of thankfulness.

God bless!

Ps. A shout out to all the turkeys out there. Thanks for taking one for the team man, you guys are awesome.

Mo-vember

2008-11-26T16:27:00.003+02:00

Mo-vember is a great initiative in the fight against cancer and more specifically the various cancers that affect men.

I have done my little bit and in honour of this great cause, here is my Mo (which unfortunately has to go cos I have a BIG meeting in Johannesburg tomorrow and getting stopped by airport police for looking like one of the Village People is not on my To-Do list).

Murphy`s OTHER laws

2008-11-26T12:48:00.004+02:00

Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.

He, who laughs last, thinks slowest.

A day without sunshine is like. . . well, night.

Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.

Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong.

It is said that if you line up all the cars in the world end-to-end, some taxi would be stupid enough to try to pass them.

If the shoe fits, get another one just like it.

The things that come to those who wait, may be the things left by those who got there first.

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Flashlight: A case for holding dead batteries.

The shin bone is a device for finding furniture in the dark.

When you go into court, you are putting yourself in the hands of twelve people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.

Ps. As you can see I have nothing today, I apologise in advance and expect to be abused by a few of you, most notably Kevin.

If Hayley had her way...

2008-11-25T08:37:00.005+02:00

Lionel Richie

2008-11-24T11:01:00.007+02:00

I seem to have been indulging myself a bit on this blog over the last few weeks. I have done quite a few posts on things that I absolutely adore. I suppose that`s what a blog is all about, hey? It`s my little view of the big world out there and sharing a bit of myself with my friends.

So, today is another one of those indulgent posts. I am a huge Lionel Richie fan. He is awesome and I love his music. My Ipod selection will prove this. I have about 8 of his albums on my Ipod and his songs grace all of my playlists. Even the ones named Jogging 1 and Jogging 2. Jogging 1 has a bit more upbeat tunes but I soon realised that I ran too fast and after nearly killing myself a few times I came up with Jogging 2, that has a lot more laidback music which makes for better running rhythm.

I digress. Hayley and I both grew up with Lionel`s music. Songs like Say you Say me, Three times a lady, hello were a big part of my younger years. I have held onto those songs and even today love listening to them. Stuck on you is one of my favourites. I remember when I commuted between Cape Town and Johannesburg last year, I spent many a flight listening to that song and either missing Hayley already or looking forward to seeing her in an hour or so. Just for you and My Destiny are also favourites.

A lot of Lionel`s songs form part of the soundtrack to our lives. I`m sure that`s not just true for me but for a lot of you out there.

Lionel is currently in South Africa and performed in Cape Town on Saturday night. Hayley and I unfortunately couldn`t go but by all accounts he was awesome. He gave an interview to one of our better investigative shows which was aired last night and that just made me an even bigger fan. He said something that really struck me. I actually had to rewind to listen to it again cos I really thought it was a very profound thing that was said. He spoke about his time as a student and his passion for tennis (which he was gonna make a career) and how the Commodores came about. Then he said the following:

"Failure is when your life does not go according to the path you had laid for yourself but then only does God`s plan come into play"

In other words, we see failure when our plans don`t become a reality but failure is only that, our plans did not come to fruition. For God and his ways, there are no failures. I absolutely loved this. This brought to the fore Lionel`s religious beliefs, something which I had never thought of before.

Lionel gave such a heartfelt interview and it became obvious that he has no airs or graces about him. He is just a normal guy with an awesome gift for music.

I love it when people we look up to surprise us in a good way. I always knew he was a good man but I never knew just what an awesome human being he was. That was cool, now I`ll enjoy my Lionel music even more.

The name is Bond, James Bond

2008-11-21T08:38:00.006+02:00

Ok, so I am a big James Bond fan. I grew up watching all the Bond movies at the local cinema. I remember that my Mom knew the lady who worked in the ticket office, so Monya and I would get free tickets to the 10am show every Saturday morning. That meant that the R 1, 00 could be used to buy popcorn, a coke and a chocolate! Those were cool days.

Unfortunately being a small town in Old Sould Africa, we were how can I say, ummm, not spoiled for choice with regards the movies we could see.

I saw Moonraker (with Roger Moore) 13 times over a period of 3 years at the local cinema. That`s right 13 times at the cinema. It seems that every time they didn`t get anything decent, they`d show Moonraker. I watched as Jaws (one of the villains in the movie played by Richard Kiel) chew through metal wire 13 times. Incredible that I never tried that at home cos it sure looked pretty easy. Another favourite was For your eyes only with the amphibious car, a Lotus if I remember correctly. That was waaayyy cool!

Oh yes, as an aside, the whole audience stood up and applauded at the end of Star Wars Return of the Jedi. Don`t ask me why, I do not have any answers. It was a small town with not a lot going on. We were obviously not exposed to the big world in any way, shape or form... I suppose the excitement just got to the Sasolburgers on that occasion.

I digress back to James Bond. Sean Connery was my first Bond and I loved him. He was followed by Roger Moore and he was pretty cool too. Timothy Dalton I didn`t like very much and that`s where I started to lose a bit of interest. Then Pierce Brosnan took over the Dry Martini and I was a fan again. I like old Pierce. He certainly has a bit of charisma to him. When he left and was replaced by Daniel Craig, I wasn`t happy. Daniel Craig didn`t fit the idea of what a James Bond should be.

But then I watched Casino Royale and I loved it. He brought an edge to Bond that no other actor had done before. I loved the fact that 007 had a bit of a dark side to him. That made the character a lot more interesting.

Ok, I don`t like everything about Daniel Craig. I mean who on this earth walks out of the ocean like he does? It`s not a walk, nor a swagger it`s more of a, ummm, ok there`s not even a name for it. The other thing is the way he always has a pout. I mean he even runs with a pout on his face!

But all in all, I think he`s a cool Bond and I`m looking forward to watching Quantum of Solace. I also like the fact that it follows up on Casino Royale as there were a few loose ends. The fact that he suffered personal loss in Casino Royale I reckon will make him even more of a loose cannon and that I`m looking forward to.

The other thing I love about Bond is that he mostly drives Aston Martins. I absolutely ADORE Aston Martins and as far as I`m concerned they are the coolest cars on this planet. Apparently they wrote off a few of these awesome cars during production. I shed a tear when I read about that.

So, are there any other Bond fans out there? I`d like to know your thoughts. Please share. Now.

A long overdue award

2008-11-19T08:18:00.009+02:00

My blog finally won an award!! Yay! Ok, it was given to me by my wife. I suppose that`s like winning the MVP award at little league when your mom and dad are the adjudicators. But, all is fair in love and war and my blog just won an award, a long overdue award.

So I must pick 5 blogs that I really love and here they are, the winners of the Uber Amazing Blog Award are:

* The award just became legit cos I was nominated by Heather too, YAY! Thank you Heather!

Disclaimer: I am not in any way calling my wife illegitimate or in any way suggesting that her opinion holds less credibility.

Hillsong United - What an evening

2008-11-17T15:36:00.005+02:00

It`s now Monday afternoon and a bit of a downer. The weekend that I had been looking forward to for so long has come and gone and it`s back to the daily grind. It`s always a bit of a reality check when something is over, albeit that you had a wonderful time. I just wish I could do that everyday

Ok, so let`s take a step back and let me tell you about Hillsong United and the best Friday night I have had in a very, very long time.

We left a bit early on Friday and decided to get a quick hamburger at the shopping centre adjacent to the venue. Well, let`s put it this way, we thought it was close but we weren`t 100% sure. So we had a quick burger and then went into a Christian shop to get directions. The whole shop was in party mood and it soon became clear why. Joel Houston and a few members of the band had decided to pop into the shop and say hi. The people in the shop were in a state of shock to tell you the truth. They took photos with Joel and these became prized possessions. We missed them by a few minutes and I was really disappointed but at least we were gonna be able to see them in a short while.

So Hayley and I got directions and headed to the venue, which was very close as it turned out. There were already a long line of people waiting to go in. What I find so amazing it how many young people there were. Everywhere you looked there were young couples, groups of friends and a Mom or Dad with kids. It really is awesome to see how the young people are turning to God. I also saw quite a few "Jesus Freak" t-shirts! Awesome!

We eventually got inside and by now there were thousands of people. The venue was packed with all shapes, colours and sizes. That to me was the beauty of the whole evening. Politicians in our country and in the world for that matter should`ve come to have a look. Jesus brings people together.

Then we saw Joel Houston, walking in the crowd saying hello to people and just being very anti-star. That was awesome to see. No superstar there, just a man of God walking around like one of us

The music started and the crowd went mad! The band came out and I saw Brooke Fraser!! Man that was cool cos as you know I heart Brooke Fraser. Then we started singing. We sang so loud, I nearly lost my voice. Shame, the poor people next to me must have had a rough time hearing angelic singing in one ear and my own personal howling in the other. Stereo isn`t always a good thing.

I must say, hearing thousands of people singing and worshipping like one was one of the most amazingly wonderful things I have ever experienced. God was there on Friday night, of that I have no doubt.

Pastor Brian Houston came onto stage and spoke a few words and he was followed by OUR Pastor Phil Dooley (sorry Aussies, Hayley and I have decided that we want him as our own) who gave another magnificent sermon. Pastor Phil is the most gifted speaker I have ever had the privilege of hearing. His message was so apt, so well delivered and so to the point that the whole congregation was completely taken by him. Not an easy job for an aussie in South Africa!

Then the worship continued and they sang my favourite current Hillsong tune, This is our God. That was awesome, just awesome. I felt so privileged to be able to experience that. Then, Brooke sang Hosanna and of course the crowd went absolutely mad. That song has made a massive impact on a lot of people. The crowd sang like I have never heard a crowd sing before. That was the highlight of the night. Such a personal song for Hayley and I and we could experience it with thousands of other believers.

The night came to an end and we headed home. It was one amazing evening filled with the wonderful love of Jesus and his followers. I am such a lucky man to have experienced an evening in the presence of Hillsong United. Like my friend David always says, those guys are really blessed.

Happy Birthday Mamma

2008-11-16T21:19:00.008+02:00

Anybody who really knows me, knows that my Mom was the most important person in my life. I never had the best relationship with my Dad, due to a lot of things but mainly because of his struggle with depression (which might have been diagnosed as Bi-polar disorder today but back then it was just generalised as depression). I only recently got to grips with a lot of the issues that I had with my Dad. It`s taken a very long time and I`m still working at it.

My Mom took the part of both mom and dad and did a lot of things with me that was mostly the domain of the dad. She used to throw ball with me, watch sport with me, help me with homework, went to church with me and mostly just loved me. She was my best friend for a big part of my life.

She passed away on the 30th April 2003. I have missed her every single day since then. I have shed many tears and spent many an hour missing the person who laid every foundation of the man I am today.

I have never known anybody who gave more of herself to everybody around her. She would literally give her last cent to make sure that her kids were happy. She gave everything she had to make sure that we were ok. God was very kind when he picked my Mom to look after Monya and I. I thank Him for my Mom every day of my life.

A lot of people have sporting heroes or movie heroes. I do too, I mean you know how I feel about my sport. But, my one true hero is a lady called Maria Dorothea Malherbe. A lady who gave everything she had to make sure her kids grew up knowing that they were loved.

I know my Mom is with Jesus right now. Her rewards for being the person she was is better than any rewards this world had to offer. I know her birthday party is awesome and that her wonderfully warm nature is magnified 100 fold in heaven. But I miss her and I so wish I could spend even a minute with her, just to hold her and tell again how much I love her.

So Mamma, till we meet again, I miss you with all my heart and I love you so very much. Have an awesome birthday...

Hillsong United in T-Minus 5 hours...

2008-11-14T13:26:00.005+02:00

As I`ve mentioned in a few posts, I`m a massive Hillsong fan. Not just a fan as in like them, a fan as in ADORE them.

We attend Hillsong Church Cape Town and it has certainly turned into our spiritual home. We have the most awesome pastor, an Aussie by the name of Phil Dooley. He is both funny, charming and an awesome man of God.

I own just about every Hillsong cd and dvd and live for each new one. I`m just a fanatic.It has always been one of my dreams to go to Hillsong Sydney and be a part of one of their worship nights. I have lived many a worship night with Hillsong by watching their dvd`s over and over again. I`m a fanatic.

So tonight is the realisation of one of my dreams. Hillsong United are in town and Hayley and I will be attending the worship night tonight. This is truly a momentous day for me. It`s one of those dreams that rank alongside going to Old Trafford or Fenway Park. It`s BIG. I am like a little kid checking the clock. Why doesn`t the time go quicker?

Sunday we have a service with Pastor Brian Houston (Head of Hillsong) at Ratanga Junction. This is gonna be awesome because Ratanga Junction is a theme park in Cape Town. How cool is that gonna be?

We will also see our friends tomorrow because it`s Graham`s wedding. For a change everybody is coming to Cape Town for a wedding! So, fair warning, there will not be updates until at least Sunday evening!

I am so excited, it`s gonna be an awesome, awesome weekend!

Caption Competition Winner

2008-11-13T15:52:00.005+02:00

This was so much fun, if you discount the silent treatment I have received from Hayley for the last 2 days. Not sure what I have done to deserve that but in any case.

I`m sure you all agree that one caption certainly deserves the first prize, which includes a Free One Year Membership to the Running Golfer. This means ONE YEAR of logging in and commenting FOR FREE!!! (I can feel the buzz of excitement coming at me from all over the world)

So without further ado, I present you the winner of the Caption Competition.

"O'Gosh! That Yoplait yogurt just hit me...hard...excuse me for a minute!"

So congratulations Kevin Davis, your Free Membership is on it`s way, by Carrier Pigeon.

Soles 4 Souls

2008-11-12T09:02:00.004+02:00

My friend Kevin sent me this link and I am glad to oblige and spread the word. A very, very worthwile cause. Visit the site for more info.

Come on guys, let`s show what we`re made of.

Caption Competition

2008-11-11T09:55:00.004+02:00

Let me start of by saying there is no prize, so you are doing it out of the goodness of your hearts.

This is a pic I took of Hayley on Sunday. As you can see, she is not to happy with her husband as I had been, how can I say... annoying her a bit.

Please send me a caption of what YOU think she is thinking.

So with that I give to you.... (drumroll)......

Hayley the annoyed wife

The Best South African Sportsman of all time

2008-11-08T09:30:00.004+02:00

This should be quite a difficult choice but in fact it`s pretty easy. There are many sportsman who have staked a claim. Graeme Pollock is rated as one of the 5 best cricketers of all time and has a test average (of players with 20 tests or more) second only to Donald Bradman. We have had some of the best rugby players ever to grace the game. Jody Scheckter became the F1 World Champion driving for Ferrari.

Yet, one man stands head and shoulders above all the others. This man is Gary Player. He has won 9 majors titles, which is 4th on the all time list, the South African Open (which is the oldest national championship in the world) a record 13 times. He has won 163 tournaments worldwide and was voted the South African Sportsman of the Century.

Looking at the stats it seems pretty impressive and rightly so. But, if you delve deeper it becomes blatantly clear that Gary would have won a lot more majors if he had an equal opportunity. Ok, I know that`s a big statement but I base it on the following.

Gary played golf when South Africa was ruled by the National Party and Apartheid was the order of the day. SA became the pariahs of the world and most of our sporting teams were banned. Golfers were not though and they could play throughout the world but at a price.

You see, golf is a gentlemans game but the fans haven`t always been gentlemen. Gary was abused for most of his career. There were instances where he was spat at by spectators. Other times spectators would shout on his backswing. There are many other examples of bad behaviour. This happened mostly in the States but also in other countries.

Through all of this, Gary kept his head down and kept working. He once famously replied to a reporter who asked him why he was such a good golfer; "The more I practice the luckier I get". That is the essence of the man. The more life threw curveballs at him, the harder he worked.

Jack Nicklaus won 18 majors. I have huge respect for Jack and him and Gary are best of friends. But, Jack played 3 of every four majors in front of partisan crowds at home. The only AWAY major was the British Open and crowds were never nasty towards Jack in the UK.

I am not saying Gary would`ve won more than Jack if the playing fields were level but I am saying that Gary would`ve won a lot more had he been treated fairly. Or even if he had played most of the Majors at home. Being blamed for the mistakes of the government, one in which he had no say, was very unfair.

Gary has made a lot of money from golf. He has one of the most renowned golf course design companies in the world. He has however ploughed a lot of that money back into SA. He built a school for underprivileged children on one of his farms and pays for everything the kids need to get through school. He hosted the Nelson Mandela Invitational which raised a lot of money for charities in SA.

The other thing that Gary has been very vocal about is his Christianity. He has never been afraid to openly chat about his love for God.

Another quote that comes to mind and which has left a major impact on me was when a fellow player once said to Gary while they were playing in wind and rain "What a horrible day". Gary turned to him and said "God has never made a horrible day" I always remember that and I have never complained about a horrible day ever.

We have a lot of good golfers. Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and more recently Trevor Immelman rates among the best in the world. They have had the benefit of friendly crowds and hospitality. Ernie was the heir to Gary`s throne and had all the potential in the world. He however never had Gary`s work ethic and that is why he has won only 3 majors. I mean Gary still does 300 sit ups every morning of his life!

Gary Player will go down as South Africa`s best sportsman of all time. Not just that, he will be remembered as a human who made it against the odds and who gave back as much as he won. Gary the person is as big an icon as Gary the champion golfer.

The Running Golfer 101

2008-11-07T12:15:00.001+02:00

English is in fact my 2nd language
I never use spell check before posting
I have been married to the love of my life for exactly 7 years, 6 months and 2 days
I am 1.81 metres tall
I was born in Sasolburg. The town was named after SASOL, the first company in the world to produce fuel from coal. SASOL was and still is the lifeblood of this small Freestate town
Blue is my favourite colour
I love sport
I was Head Boy at school
I love cars but know nothing about the mechanical side of things
I have owned 15 different cars during the last 16 year
I love music, movies and tv
I have a sister, Monya, who lives in New Zealand with her 2 gorgeous kids and her husband who is one of my best friends
My Mom and Dad are both with Jesus
Golf is a passion of mine but I haven`t played a round of golf in more than a year
I have completed 3 half marathons this year
I took up running on the 31st March 2008
My favourite drink is red wine
Kids love me and I love kids
Hopefully I`ll be a Dad in the not too distant future
I once kicked a hole in the tv room door after WP, my favourite rugby team, lost in extra time to the Lions when the referee awarded a contentious penalty try.
I was barefoot at the time
It didn`t hurt
Until a few minutes later
I once asked my Mom to chop all my hair off after Manchester United lost the Championship on the last day of the season to Blackburn Rovers
My favourite sportsmen of all time are Eric Cantona, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, Ryan Giggs, Bob Skinstad and Andre Pretorius
My favourite new band is Kings of Leon
The best concerts I have ever been to was Live in 2000 and 2006. They were awesome.
I hated Celine Dion until I saw her live in concert in 2008. Now I love her.
I dream of one day going to Old Trafford to see Manchester United play
I am completely in love with my dogs
Ouma rusks and strong coffee is my ideal breakfast
I make my own hamburger patties and they are AWESOME (you can ask Hayley)
It is now 11:07 am and I haven`t eaten anything cos I think I`m getting fat again
Most of my favourite movies of all time are foreign language films
I adore the Boston Redsox
Rugby is my favourite sport to watch
One of the most awesome things I have ever done was visit Arlington National Cemetery and stand at the grave of JFK
I love hot sauces and hot food
My favorite dish is meatballs, potatoes and rice. My Mom`s special recipe and Hayley makes it just like her.
I used to be a chips fan but now I love chocolate
I take critisism very personal
New York is my favourite city in the world
I am very aware of how I look and always try to dress well
I have a pretty good sense of fashion
Leopards are my favourite wild animals
I have blue eyes and I think it`s my best feature
I once won a rugby match in the last minute of the game by slotting a 40 metre drop goal
When I was 10 I jumped off my bed without looking and landed on my kitten who did not survive the incident. I cried for a week.
Hillsong Church Cape Town is my favourite church ever
I love the Kruger National Park
I played flyhalf for most of my rugby career
I crashed my Mom`s car when I was 20 and that was my one and only accident
The Cape is one of my favourite places on earth
I held the record for the best bowling figures at my high school when I took 8/19
I took a hattrick in the first over of my first Action Cricket game in Johannesburg`s A1 league and was made to down 6 beers for my efforts. It was a loooong time ago.
Sullivan Street by Counting Crows is one of my favourite songs
I have gone to work without sleeping the previous night
I eat most anything except tripe
I am fascinated by all things American
I sing very badly but I sing loud in church
I love sharks
I have the best In-Laws in the world
I once threw a golf club (5 wood) after a bad shot and it got stuck in a tree. I threw a 3 iron to get it out and that too got stuck. So I had to climb into the tree to get my clubs. It was the day before I got married.
I haven`t thrown a golf club since
I miss my Mom every day
Braaing (barbeque) is one of my favourite things to do
I am a people person
I love rain
I cried when the Springboks won the world cup in 1995 AND 2007
I love my wife with all my heart
I haven`t seen a good scary movie in a long time
My current favourite tv show is Dirty Sexy Money
I absolutely love the blogs on my Blogroll and always check updates as soon as they happen
I love surprising my wife
I hate Liverpool
I hate the Blue Bulls
I used to be very scared of flying but I take it in my stride these days
I haven`t had a swim in the sea in almost 10 years
I once saw Lenny Kravitz in a shopping centre
We have some of the funniest friends anywhere. They are hilarious.
I mostly don`t enjoy running but I do it because it`s good for me
Some runs are awesome though
Most aren`t
The last year has been one of the worst of my life
I worry almost every day of my life
I am the only one of my family left in SA.
One of my biggest fears is that the extreme summer heat will kill my dogs when I`m not at home.
I`m looking forward to moving back to Johannesburg so we can spend more time with Hayley`s family and our friends
I watch more CNN than any local news channel
I have played on 35 of the top 100 golf courses in South Africa
I am continuing my studies in 2009
I cannot wait for the December holidays when Hayley`s family will be here for a few weeks
I have never owned a motor cycle
I own a lot of gadgets and they include: Ipod, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, PSP, PVR, Iphone, Blackberry etc etc
I broke my wrist playing rugby
I am a huge Adidas fan
I got tennis balls as an extra gift for all my birthdays as a kid. I could not live without a ball nearby
I have never had a hole in one but have been thisclose
I am a loyal friend
I`m not sure what the future holds
I love God

I`m using my 100th post to congratulate President Obama

2008-11-05T13:09:00.003+02:00

* Acknowledges and bows to the applause heard all round.

Thank you everybody for helping me make my 100th post today. Without all my friends out there, I`d just be a lunatic chatting to himself on the internet.

I`d like to use this post to congratulate the USA for making Barack Obama your new president. As Hayley said in her earlier post it feels so out of place for us to have an opinion or a favourite for the US elections. I mean we are a very long way away.

Fact of the matter is that the result affects everybody in the world and I therefore feel like I can voice my opinion.

I have been an Obama supporter since he won the Democratic nomination from Hilary Clinton. Although I have been reticent to air my views on this site, I have aired it to everybody who cares to listen here at home. Obama ran a magnificent campaign. I feel the economic downturn did him a major favour because he certainly coped better with the stresses that it produced. I don`t think economic policy is John MnCain`s strong point and in the end it might have swayed voters Obama`s way.

Be that as it may, I am very happy that America made the right decision. You only have to look at the worldwide Oba"mania" to see that the USA now has somebody who will get people to work with rather than against them. The USA is the most important democracy in the world but they do need friends and I feel the election of President Obama will certainly help in that regard.

I must however take my hat of to John McCain. His speech was very gracious and I feel he did a wonderful job in trying to get the Republicans to accept the newly elected president. Is it just me or did we only get to see the real John McCain during his concession speech?

Which brings me to the acceptance speech of President Obama. How absolutely awesome was that? There is no doubt that the man has a wonderful gift when it comes to public speaking. I had goosebumps.

So once again, well done America. It was a big big moment, not only for you guys but for the world in general.

Vandalised or a lesson learned?

2008-11-03T09:27:00.012+02:00

Halloween was really cool. All the kids from our Estate came Trick or Treating in their outfits and it was just adorable. We had cops, axe victims (with axe stuck in head), fairies, Buzz Lightyear and lots more. So, so cute.

However, somebody decided to take Halloween a bit too far. Our cars stay outside cos we have so much furniture and junk that we use the garages to store all the stuff. It`s ok though cos we live in a very safe estate that has 24 hour security and patrols.

On Saturday morning Hayley and I get ready to leave and as we head out the door, it immediately becomes clear that something is not right. There is sand all over my car. It`s a reasonably new estate with a lot of building going on, so there is building sand all over the place. This was however not just sand blown around by the wind. Well, on closer inspection it becomes clear that somebody had taken the time and effort to throw a whole lot of building sand through my sunroof and what didn`t go through the sunroof ended up on the outside. My whole car was full of sand on the inside. The fine building sand that you struggle to get out.

I have rarely been so angry. It`s a blessing that I did not catch the coward cos I would have left my Christian Beliefs behind and something really nasty would have ensued.

What I want to know is the following:

- Firstly, WHO would do such a thing? Could it be kids? There were footprints in the sand and it certainly belonged to an adult or at least a teenager.

- Secondly, WHY? Why go through the trouble of doing something like that? We pretty much keep to ourselves and have not had any trouble since we`ve been in the estate. We greet everybody and nobody has a reason to attack us in this way.

After being really upset for a while, I decided that the person was not going to ruin my day and Hayley and I had a pretty cool time. We drove around in her car during the morning and then we took my car to the car wash in the afternoon. It obviously cost quite a bit to get the car cleaned properly but it had to be done.

It`s incredible how personal we (I) take things like this. I mean the offender obviously does not know us, so it is anything but personal. It is not somebody who I would associate with in any case. Maybe it`s just a kid who took advantage of being out on Halloween. Maybe it was an adult who had one too many drinks? Maybe they just didn`t like my car.

What I do wonder about though is whether the person actually woke up the next day and felt bad about it? Are they being eaten up from the inside because they did something bad to another human being? Or did they get up, have a great laugh and thought of the next prank they could pull?

I don`t have the answers but what I do know is that in the greater scheme of things this was nothing really. I mean we were inconvenienced for a bit, that`s about it. No damage was done. It also just once again amplifies how the devil works. In the sermon yesterday, Jon spoke about the weakest link and how the devil uses the weakest link to get to us. My temper is definitely a weak link for me. I`m pretty mild mannered but some things really get me going. So something so small, in hindsight, got me so upset that I almost wasted a day by being upset. Thank goodness I came to my senses after a few minutes.

Thank you Lord for using something small and a sermon the next day to highlight one of my weak links. With your help, I can now concentrate on managing this weak link.

Ps. I will also NEVER leave my sunroof open again.

Josh Hamilton

2008-10-29T08:51:00.008+02:00

I switched over to ESPN last night to catch the highlights of the World Series game. Unfortunately, as you know, it was rained out but they did show some baseball and it was the Homerun Derby at the All Star Game at Yankee Stadium earlier this year. I had missed it the first time round, so I sat down to check it out.

I must be honest, as a baseball fan being 14, 000 km`s away from the USA, it is quite difficult to catch games and to stay in touch with what`s happening. I am a massive Redsox fan and have been for a long time now. I bought a few Redsox books on our visit to the States and also got an authentic Sox cap, which I rocked in NYC, as my friend Lisa once said. I met Lisa on the blogs a few months ago. It turned out that she is the biggest Sox fan in the world and she willingly gave me info and sites to visit and just kept me updated. The live games only start here at 01:00 in the morning, so watching it live is not possible, for me in any case.

During the play-offs, I would receive an email every morning after the games, firstly against the Angels and then against the Rays. The subject would say something like "we won 4-2" and then she would give me a quick rundown of the game. I in turn would then catch the replay of the game later during the day here on ESPN. Some mornings I would wake up at 05:00 and switch the tv on to see the last inning of the games. It was great and from being 3-1 down, the Sox levelled the series at 3-3 and I along with all Sox fans across the world believed.

Obviously the last email just said "it`s over" and I must say, I was devastated. I know Lisa was even more devastated cos she lived those games and experienced it first hand. I at least got the bad news and didn`t have to sit with the hope in me only to see the Sox lose.

So that brings me to last night and the Homerun Derby. I saw the guys come up and get 5 or 6 HR`s or in Justin Morneau`s case 8. Then a guy named Josh Hamilton came up to the plate and proceded to hit 28 HR`s in the first round! That bettered the previous single round record of 24. The distance of some of his hits were astounding. 3 of the HR`s were in the TOP 10 of ALL TIME in the Homerun Derby. Unbelievable.

I was quite impressed by this guy. Then he was interviewed after his heroics and he said something along the lines of "God is a God of second chances". The commentators then mentioned his struggle with heroin and alcoholism and the fact that he had beaten his addictions.

Of course I was really into this story by now, so I googled Josh Hamilton and what incredible reading it turned out to be.

Josh Hamilton was a prodigiously talented youngster who was the 1st pick in the draft. He received the biggest sign-on bonus ever, $ 4 million, from the Rays. But then, he squandered ALL of it on drugs and alcohol. A sad, sad story. He was banned from MLB. He was 6`4 and had weighed 230 pounds before his addiction. At the worst point he had dropped to 180 pounds and was a shadow of the man he used to be.

Then things changed. One morning his grandmother sat him down and spoke to him earnestly. He made the decision to give his heart to the Lord and changed his ways. He got back into baseball and was signed by the Reds. He undergoes drug testing, every 2nd day. He has a full time manager / friend that travels with him and makes sure he stays out of situations that might get him in trouble. This was requested by Josh himself. When he feels the need for drugs or alcohol, he calls his manager and they do Bible study. He has been clean for more than 2 years and his life has turned around completely. He was voted the Rangers Player of the Year earlier this week. The turnaround was complete.

I was really taken by this story. This I think is the perfect modern day retelling of the Prodigal Son. A young man with everything going for him stumbles. He gets lost in the world and all the bad things it has to offer. However, he does see the light and comes back to His Heavenly Father who welcomes him with open arms. From my perspective his life comes full circle at the All Star game where his prodigious God given talent comes to the fore in an amazing way. His comeback is complete.

God is indeed a God of second chances.

This is a video of the story of Josh Hamilton. Well worth watching and so inspirational.

An awesome race

2008-10-27T09:04:00.006+02:00

I did the Rola Motors 10km race here in Somerset West on Saturday morning and what an awesome experience. Most of the run took place on the Vergelegen Wine Estate and the views were absolutely incredible. Although these are some cool photos, thank you Mr WorldWideWeb, they cannot really encapsulate the beauty of the Cape Winelands.

Check out the Camphor trees in this photo, they are believed to be 300 years old.

Vergelegen literally translates to "situated far away".

Vergelegen Wine Estate is thought to have originated in 1685 when the High Commissioner of the Dutch East India Company instructed Commander Simon van der Stel to relocate the company's outpost in the Hottentots Holland. The company had bought the grounds in 1672 from the chiefs of the tribe that owned it.

This is the view from the highest point of the race. It was a tough climb up to here but the rest of the race was mostly downhill and pretty cool. I found myself just staring at the gorgeous views a few times and had to concentrate on actually racing.

For the record, I finished in 58:35 and was very happy with the time. After the last half marathon in which I did some serious damage to my knees, I had been taking it easy with regards the running and have done 3 or 4 runs a week on average. It seems to have worked cos I had no problems with my knees on Saturday and I`m very thankful for that.

This was by far the most beautiful race I have done so far and like I always say, God took His time when He created the Cape.

Ken Lee

2008-10-27T08:29:00.005+02:00

SABC2 - An interview with the Chairman

2008-10-22T12:35:00.005+02:00

This is hilarious! For the overseas readers, SABC2 (South African Broadcasting Corporation) is one of our local channels. This is an interview that took place yesterday, on live tv.