Ok or Okay?

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

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

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

Meet Logan

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

I`ve been tagged

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:

Mark

Nessie

Pam

Heather

Mel

Keith

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

South African Music - Chapter 1

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

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

Cracking Headlines

Knife Test

Home Alone

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

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

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!

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:

1. I ran 2 races with my Father-in-Law and Brother-in-Law. Both 10km`s
2. That was the only running I did during the holidays
3. I have the stomach to prove it
4. 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)
5. We were however beaten (to the finish line) by 3 male walkers and 1 lady
6. Yes, we had to eat their dust
7. I slammed my fingers in a car door
8. It was sore
9. No, I`m not 6 years old
10. I taught Devon how to "take you down to China Town"
11. Hayley and I taught Devon to make the L for loser on his forehead and say "LO-O-O-O-SER" while doing it
12. He duly used this new phrase on his older brother Kyle
13. I learned all about Ben 10 and how important a Ben 10 watch is to a 4 year old boy
14. I gained 3 kilograms in 2 weeks
15. 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
16. Finally got to see Quantum of Solace and loved it! (Not as much as Casino Royale but awesome nonetheless)
17. Cried a bit when they banged up the Aston Martin in the opening sequence
18. Felt much better when the baddies who did it got driven off a cliff
19. Went to bed at 23:00 on New Years Eve and missed the new year
20. It was exactly what I wanted cos I was really not sad to see 2008 go
21. I made no resolutions for 2009
22. 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
23. 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...