Choonz for a Choozday

2 more sleeps till I leave for the coast on holiday - I'm amped.

If you ever have the opportunity to see "Yoav" performing live, I'd encourage you to.

He's an Israeli acoustic musician and a songwriter. He has a very unique and distinctive sound "the boy is proper" .... check out his site http://www.yoavmusic.com/

The 'doof doof' version of "We are all dancing" got some decent airplay on radio here in SA, this is the original.

Then for a dose of Tuesday-humour ... I got this today, which made me chuckle!

Next blog, from the beach.

Dear Google,

You've become a very important part of my life. I love how smart you are and how quick you come back to me with images, places and answers.

I've won bets because of you, and you've better my life in many ways. I do however think that you're starting to take it a bit far .... 

There are 3 more days of work for me this year, before we close our office until 2012, and I'm looking forward to the break.

Song for this Sunday is one of my best songs ever. - Tori Amos - "Bouncing off clouds". Enjoy it!

Tuesday's Tune and a top tip

9 Days till I head off to the coast with the boys to learn to kite-surf. I'm looking forward to the break.

Today's business tip - "there are 2 important rules in business: 1) never tell everything you know ..."
Tuesday's Tune:
An awesome acoustic version of this song - Foo Fighters "Everlong"

Friday's Tune

I got back this morning from a very productive 3 days in Zimbabwe. This is my second trip there for business, and I continue to be impressed by the place. It has a lot of opportunity, and the people are very positive.

In the departures terminal coming back this morning, this song was playing on my iPod. I have a massive soft spot for female vocals in music .... and this song by ATB is a cracker!!

If you enjoy ATB check out their new album "Distant Earth".

Happy Friday

You'll be blown away

South Africa had a bomb scare yesterday! WTF!!


I'm not sure that the South Africa Bomb Squad get a lot of practical experience in this sort of thing. We probably haven't had a bomb scare in SA since the eighties.


Frantic caller: "Hello .... yes there's a possible bomb threat here in Eastgate Shopping Centre"
Emergency Operator: "Eish a bom-B"


The SA Bomb Squad were probably doing what they've done every single day for the past 15 years, sitting in their space with their feet up on the desk, when the call comes in.


Bomb Squad Man 1: "Haaaaibo, a bom-B!!"
Bomb Squad Man 2: "We've never had to deal with a real bomb ... you drive I'll get the 'how to defuse a bomb' file they gave us when we started.
Bomb Squad Man 2: "It says here we must look for something that has big red numbers that count backwards, this is a sign that this might be the bom-B. When it gets to "0" we've got problems.

Bomb Squad Man 2:"Ok remember when we playing with the wires, always match the SAME colours .... so red onto red"
Turns out that we do have a relatively efficient bomb squad, despite there being not too much real-life experience!

Made me think of this "Bomb Squad Practical joke" picture ....  hahahaha. 

Song of the day - Gus MacGregor "Under the Sun"

This is a very good mate of mine that I lived with in London.

This is the first single from his self titled album, the song is called "Under the Sun", if you like the music you can buy it from his website: http://www.gusmacgregor.com/ or on www.amazon.com 

How awesome is this video

I've survived a night away - camping with the boys. Only just.

The best way to get over the hangover. Lunch. Cocktails. Perfect.

Today's tune: "Mecha love" - by Hadouken. I found an awesome montage called "people are awesome" on YouTube which uses the song ... 

A Sun-Day before the weekend

After 4 days of rain and cloudy weather in the City of Gold, the sun is finally out. Lets hope it stays out for the weekend. Otherwise the camping trip with 20 lads, is going to be even more messy than its already planned to be.

A band I heard for the first time in the States back in 1998, and forgot about is Barenaked Ladies, today's song is called "When I fall" - I'm going to put up a few of their other tunes in the coming weeks.

Have a great weekend!

Song of the day - Keith Urban Long Hot Summer

Listening to this in the car all day yesterday .... good song for summer

A marketing fail

Sometimes the thinking is sound.

Sometimes implementation doesn't quite live up.

Cricket South Africa: "boy's we're in trouble here ... we've got a test series coming up and don't have a sponsor"

Sunfoil: "Right we've got some marketing money, lets throw a large amount of it at a sponsorship"

Deal done. Easy.

SA Cricket watcher: "Lekker new letters on the pitch there! WTF is 'Sunfoil'? "

The thinking to sponsor Cricket SA might have been a sound idea, but without a byline people are left to go online to find out about a product.

This is what you'll see if you go to  http://www.sunfoil.co.za/  (*here is a screen shot in case in the future Sunfoil wake up to their little blunder*)

If you're going to spend the time and money building your brand make sure that there's a call to action, or at least a website (maybe with your name??) where potential clients can find out about your product ...

I wish I knew this a few weeks back, I've now got a "Sun-Foil" that I bought online,  thinking I could use it to enhance my tan! 

Understanding the incomprehensible

Life is not easy. Just when you think you've understood something, you learn something new about the subject.

You need to keep discovering.

One thing which you should never think you've completely got a handle on, is how members of the opposite sex, think or rationalise things. 

From a male's perspective the same question, comment or remark to a woman, WILL always attract a different response. The response you get could be affected by any number of outside elements:

• Your effort around the house
• Phases of the moon
• Comments made by her work colleagues 
• Articles in magazines
• Rand /  Dollar exchange rates
• Politics in Cambodia 
• ANY other element

In the interest of "discovery" here is a a word of advice:

"The speed in which a woman says 'nothing', when asked 'what's wrong?' - is inversely proportional to the severity of the coming storm."

Homework.

Working from home today. Listening to some old albums. 


I've not listened to this David Gray album for ages. (Draw the line).This song is awesome so I thought I'd share it.

Kathleen:

Out.

"Just doing it"

One of the reasons I stared writing this blog. Was to make myself accountable for tough tasks which I sometimes procrastinate. The idea being that I'd write on my blog what I was going to get done and that would motivate myself to complete the tasks.

That created a bit too much pressure - so I now procrastinate writing my blog - simple.

A quick thought: 

Companies spend a lot of time and money developing company slogans and mission statements. In my opinion one of the best is Nike's slogan of "Just Do It".

Its simple and works well for the sports and leisure brand that is Nike. Those 3 simple words are very powerful for anything that you want to get done in your life.

Yesterday I got home and needed to go for a run. I was busy talking myself out of it:

Self-sabotaging me: "Whew rough day kid .... you deserve a break - take it easy this evening"

Motivated me: "Chom its Tuesday and you've done no training since Saturday morning - get it together and go for a run"

SSM: "You still have a little ankle niggle - if you head out now you could make it worse, then you'll be out of training for sometime"

SSM: "You're also quite fit already .... a machine really, you could have the evening off"

MM: "Get it together you little muppet - 'Just do IT' go and run!!"

SSM: "Whatever - I've warned you .... "

Trainers on. 

Out the door.

The warm summer evening was amazing, and 8km run flew. With 1km to go to home this "Dash Berlin" song (below) played on my iPod.

As I ran the sun was setting over the horizon, the sky was a bright orange and the combination of feeling good from the run, the amazing sunset and the words and beat of the song - really made for an amazing 40 minute run.

It's said that in life, some of the biggest regrets are the things that you DIDN'T do. - "JUST DO IT"

Getting back to, getting on with life

As I disembarked from the 9pm flight, a large photo of Robert Mugabe is displayed on each of the walls in the arrivals hall. The blue carpet and old fashioned airport chairs made the arrivals hall feel like not much had changed since the 1970’s. This would have been state of the art then, but not had changed since.

Harare is a city of stark contrasts. The public infrastructure, roads and traffic lights are in a state of disrepair. Litter lines the pavements (as is the case in most African cities), and the “Zimbabwean National Botanical” gardens are overgrown and look more like an ill-maintained lot.

Then we arrived at the guest house where we would be staying. It used to be an old farm house and within the surrounding walls was a small piece of paradise. Manicured gardens and a well maintained space, with service from the staff in long white aprons as I imagine it would have been under colonial rule.

The next day our aim was to visit some retail stores and see the state of the market from the point of view of my customer. Our first stop was a Spar store. The shelves were FULL of stock, with95% of the brands we’d see in a similar store in South Africa.

“This is one of the ‘new’ Spar stores, which has just been redone” – the local operator told me. 

It was as though I could have been in any grocery store in the smart northern suburbs of Johannesburg. The store was clean and modern. Prices in US dollars were roughly the same as they would be in South Africa - This is in a country that 3 years ago, had inflation figures at over 2000% per annum, lacked basic commodities and looked hopeless. An in-store marketing campaign, boasting that consumers could win a car, shows the ‘re-found sophistication’ of this market.

In spite of this sophistication - 150m down the road in the informal market a street vendor sells loaves of bread to passersby. The social economics of most African countries, force people towards an entrepreneurial spirit, and they get on and make a living. Always with a smile on their face.

That's how Africa is.

Surprising Humanity

Half day of work today ... before we head out to Nelspruit for a 3 day mountain bike ride this weekend.

Happy Days.

I actually don't have much to blog about, but received the below from my Mom this morning, and its exactly what "Appreciating the moment" is about ...

It irritates me that our foreign policy doesn't allow this great man into our country to wish another great man  "Happy Birthday".

Appreciating the moment

It is a natural instinct for a child to think of their parent as "old". The earliest moment I remember asking my Mom how old she was, was when she was 33.  At the time of asking that question, the answer "33" had no meaning ... it could been 99, and it would have had meant the same thing to me. It was incomprehensible. It was another life time away and nothing that I was going to have to worry about.

Next April I turn 33!!

They say that life is like a roll of toilet paper, in the beginning it seems to last forever. Never to run out. Nearer the middle it starts to speed up and runs out faster and faster towards the end until ....

Someone once told me about the importance of "appreciating the moment". Life for most of us is a mad, rush, rat-race. We tend to spend our time, looking forward to the next thing in our day. It normally goes something like this:

Wakeup, rush to gym, rush home. Shower, get ready. Sit in traffic, need to get to work. Right - need to check email, what's for dinner? Get through meetings, past the shops. Traffic. Home.
Kids quick, some TV, zzzzzzzzz. 
Repeat.

We all have that "I cant believe its Friday tomorrow" or "where did today go?" feeling that comes with living like that.

The importance of taking something out of each moment, adds a huge amount of value to your life by simply taking the time to appreciate a few small things. Sitting in traffic, take in the sun that's coming up, or the trees that have started to blossom. Take a minute to smile at the homeless person at the traffic light. Each of these very small things can often be missed in the rat-race we call life.

The fragility of life seems to hit home when someone inspiring passes away suddenly. Steve Jobs, is a business icon and one of the great visionaries of our time. His books are inspiring and he creates products that people love, and have a cult following for.

He built a business that has a value that almost matches Microsoft and Google combined. All over the net today people have posted many of Steve Jobs' top quotes, and they're all inspiring. The following stand outs for me:

"Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me… Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” Steve Jobs
While you're out there running through the "fast middle section" in the toilet roll of life, make sure that you're doing something that you love, and take in those small defining moments - they make the biggest difference.

Rest in peace Steve Jobs - (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011)

"Running out of time"

Today I've spent a lot of time on the road travelling to meetings thinking,"I've not written anything on my blog for a few days"

I have "writer's block".  

I then thought I'd sit now and write about something, but this great weather and the fact that I've entered an 89km ultra marathon in May next year I've decided to go for a run instead.

I did however save this little pearl which I thought I'd share ...

I understand the relief Bob felt with his realisation below! - Shew!

Out.

Information is the currency of democracy.

Politics is something I don't pay much attention to. I find it, most of the time, as exciting as a conversation between teenagers about TV games.

The controversial "information bill", which was going to be discussed and voted on in parliament tomorrow though, is something I feel plays a huge part in our young democracy.

The main reason I don't follow politics, is that besides voting there's often not much I can do with regard to law and legislation. So I carry on with my life, and look for ways to work around with the system.

The right to freedom of speech, and the ability to question and expose those who consistently manipulate the system at the expense of the tax paying public, is at the very core of our constitution. It also begs question as to why this bill would be legislated unless there was information to hide.

The ability to win a negotiation with anyone, is massively increased when you have relevant information. Without information we'd be left with an equation which looks like this ...

(R20m home Sandton + luxury Range Rover SUV + home Limpopo)  = R20, 000 per month + X

You can quickly solve for X by guessing the value of SUV and Limpopo home and come up with a value, something like this:
+- R30, 000, 000 = R20, 000pm + X

Without  much more maths you can quickly see X is a VERY large number, and is impossible to understand without any other information.

Fortunately, up till now we've had access to information, which gives us an idea of how we get to X. Most of us know this as another simply mathematical formula called "tender irregularities"
In our government this mathematical formula, can most often be used to calculate that tricky and hard to understand X.

I've been into many maths exams completely under-prepared, and trying to solve X, left me feeling sick to my stomach and the same sweaty palms I had the day my Nan drove me as a young boy into town in her Datsun bakkie.

I'm stoked that the decision discuss and vote on this bill has been delayed (for now). However should our media be muzzled with with the legislating of this bill, we may not be as lucky as the young man that (just in time) saw my Nan drive straight through the 4 way stop which has been there for 40 odd years!

Julius, my dilemma

Every cloud has a silver lining. 
And every silver lining has a cloud.

As soon as one thing's fixed something else breaks. That's how it is, its the way life works.

Sometimes they happen in the same sectors of life:

Cloud: Cash flow is a mess.
Silver Lining: Have an amazing new business idea, which can (maybe one day in the future), make some money.

Cloud: Mogoeng Mogoeng is appointed as South Africa's Chief Justice. JZ you've made plenty some bad calls in the past but this is a dismal  choice for the head of our country's judiciary.
Silver Lining: Collin Lamomt passing ruling that Julius singing "Kill the boer" song is construed hate speech and is banned from it being sung at ANC rallies. 

Sometimes though they're in completely unrelated sectors of your life

Silver Lining: {Email From "UK Loto Winner"} - "Dear sir, you are the single winner in the 'UK Billion Lottery' this week. In order to accept your prize please can you send us your credit card details so that we can transfer your winnings!!!" - OMG - YESSSS!!!!
Cloud: {SMS from appliance repair shop} - "Dear customer reference number 2432 your leaking washing machine, will cost R1,200 to fix. Please reply 'yes' to go ahead with this quote.

My dilemma, fix or replace?

The story of my washing machine reads like a custody battle over a love child. It was one of the "sticking points" in the break up between myself and an ex-girlfriend.

Briefly:

• She bought it: R2,500 (about 8 years ago)
• I paid to fix it: R1350 (about 4 years ago)
• We broke up (about 3 years ago)
• She moved out leaving it for me - "to use for a while"
• About 1 ago:
  EX: "Oh you know that washing machine of mine that you've had for 2 years would you like to BUY it"?
  ME: "Excuse me? It sounded like you said buy it".
  Ex: "Yes buy it - R800".
  ME: "Ummmm how about NO!!, you can come and fetch it or I'll pay your R200 for it".
  EX: "But I only have a small car, I cant come and fetch it!!"
  ME: "Perfect - R200.00 it is"

A new machine is about R3, 000, but I reckon this one's got about 2 years of life left if I accept the quote for R1,200.

Maybe I'll just wait till my lotto winnings get paid to my credit card, and then buy a new one!! - SORTED.

"Vok se die Bok"

Almost 3 years ago 10 mates started a "share club" with the plan to save enough money to go to NZ to watch the Rugby World Cup. The way that the springboks played yesterday I'm glad that the equity markets have been under pressure - it'd have been a disappointing waste of money.

Although they did win it was a poor show from the defending world champions. We didn't let that get us down though. At a bowls fundraiser at the Linden bowls club, we made the most of great weather and good company.

The "defending bowls champs",a bunch of 30 something knobs from Witbank, gave us a licking in our second match. I hate losing, but I don't mind loosing to muppets the same age as me that take a sport like bowls that seriously.

93 views of my blog over the weekend!! What a way to lose my blogging virginity!

Monday.
Lots to get done this week. 
Legs stiff from 21km run yesterday morning.

Day 1 Blog 1

I was reading another blog today. 


I don't normally read blogs, however this one is apparently written by a good looking bachelorette, with fine taste and a sharp wit.

And while I have neither of those, I thought about the idea of writing a blog of my own.

I plan to use this blog, as a way to get myself to do the stuff that I often put off. If anyone cares to read this, I'll let them know some of the tasks that I plan to do - then I'll let them know (honestly) if I've competed them.

Today's task: Start a blog.
Tick.