The Tool Box

It has been a long journey to here, many things has happened and not to be a bore, they are still continuing, but I came to realise that for most part we are NOT alone.
We all had our share of ups and downs over the last couple of months, and every time I felt that I was alone, someone came to the rescue.
This brought me to my "toolbox" theory.

The "Toolbox" Part One

As we start our journey through life we all start with an empty "toolbox", and the first tools that we have in our box we don't collect but rather is given to us, the family.

These are the tools, that in most cases stays in your box and takes up no space whatsoever. In most cases family is like the Gorilla wrench, ready for any size nut!
The Gorilla sometimes tightens the nut and other times gives it slack, any situation always and without fail.
 Family is also the Q20 (or (WD40) in the toolbox, correctly applied (in other words if you ask for advice and listen to it!) it can loosen any nut.
However, in many toolboxes the Gorilla is rusted, the teeth are broken and the Q20 can empty as we neglect these tools the most often! We don't treat them correctly and they become damaged.
Instead of just taking it out and refurbishing it some people (me included) are to afraid to touch it because we don't know how to fix it....but we forget, it doesn't take up any space, it will never break, just become damaged, but will never break!

As we progress on our journey we start to collect our own tools, these includes our skills, education, experiences, personality and our friends. Believe it or not, each day, each moment adds something to the tool box!
We carry this box with us and sometimes this box is so heavy that it feels as if it drags us down. We just keep on adding to the box, never looking in it, never evaluating the tools, just adding all the time, making it heavier and bigger.
As we come into challenging situations, we always want to fix things ourselves, because that is the nature of man, sometimes this works and you can patch or fix a problem other times the glue just doesn't want to work! So you apply more, increase the drying time, roughen up the edges all to no avail it just doesn't want to hold! This creates frustration and just increase the break as you take off more of the edges,  or the glue creates even more bulges! (Never even looking in the toolbox for the correct type of glue!

Realising You Have a Toolbox

Once the realisation dawns on you that you have a toolbox your whole life changes! For me it was a struggle, being chased by the black dog, circumstances that drew me like a moth to a flame, closer and closer to the end...
You need to sit down and carefully evaluate our life, "where am I heading, how will I overcome this next hurdle that was put on my path". If you are lucky you realise this by yourself as you sit and relax, taking stock of your life, or you may be forced into it by circumstances.
Then when you are alone, and if you are lucky you remember your toolbox! you rush to your garage and start to look for the toolbox, hidden under a layer of dust deep in a back corner.

Opening the Tool Box

So I started to look carefully at this "toolbox", weighing up all the "tools" inside, taking out all the tool and separating them into various groupings, "broken" , "serviceable", "neglected", "new" etc.
It was hard to do, as you realise that some of the tools you broke! and some of the serviceable ones are in dire need of attention!
You find, as you rummage through it that some of the tools you have are so outdated that they have no "use" at all, just plain junk! You ask yourself how did I let this happen?, how will I ever fix this?, the questions never stops!
The emotions that you unleash...

Well till next time...

Exploiting kids....where is our social responsibility?

Everything around us has been influenced by technology in some way or another, and don't get me wrong I am a strong proponent of technology, it makes our understanding of the world so much better. We have the opportunity to make informed decisions, something not every previous generation can say. Yes sure there is lots of misleading (propaganda) on the interweb, but by careful analysis we can eventually see the truth.

Another great advantage of technology is the fact that it creates for more interactive teaching and learning, something that is close to my heart as I am passionate about my working environment. 

It makes learning more accessible to the masses, everybody can get the same opportunities , costs are reduced as books doesn't have to be printed in large quantities and the revision of material can happen instantaneous, right?

Well not quite it seems. Parents in South Africa were told to invest in tablets and e-books as it will create better opportunities, they will have the ability to have instant access to information, e-books will be cheaper, better interaction with teachers etc. 

To find that this is not the case was quite sobering for me, children (or at least my kids and those of our friends) struggle to learn from tablets, they need some form of printed material that can be marked, annotated and man-handled! 

So I phoned the supplier as I couldn't get the pages that the kids needed in order to prepare for their test to print.....and what was the response, sorry due to copy right laws you cannot print the pages, WTF! I bought the book its mine I can do with it what I want, that's what I thought right. Only to be corrected again by our esteemed supplier who informed me that I actually only bought a license to have the book on a tablet for 12 months!....again WTF! and to make things worst nobody, at any stage conveyed this bit of information to me or any other parent that I know of!

So it all boils down to this, my eldest has a set of e-books, which I payed for (and may I add that the price of the e-book is not significantly cheaper only about R20 difference between the hard copy and the e-book), now any person would think it is my book I would hand it to my youngest in a years time, no-no-no, new books!

SO here is the deal:

1. The books you PAY for is not yours, you only have a license and nobody tells you that!

2. You cannot print any pages due to "copy right laws".

3. You have to buy hardcover books because children struggle to learn from the e-books (are you keeping track, because you are paying twice by now!).

4. You must get a tablet (another expense) and data (as the one is useless without the other).

Taking this into consideration, would you have made the investment in a tablet in the first case, I think not! Do you think that education is then truely made accessible to everyone? 

Hard copy books can be handed down and children can truely use it to learn.

I am a curriculum developer, I've had enough of this, I think........I should write schools books and make it open source so that no kid in our wonderful country should ever pay for books again! They can have it as e-books, hardcopy or anything they want.

This message needs to get some feet!

Till next time.

Cooking Frogs

If nothing changes, then everything stays the same.
If a tree falls in the woods, and there is nobody to hear it, does it make a sound?



This must be the first time in my life that I sit down to write something and its a struggle to get my thoughts down on paper!
Can it be the fact that I'm seriously annoyed with the political situation in the country, or for that matter in the world?
Can it be the global economic situation?
Can it be that people sell their soles to the highest bidder?
Can it be that I'm just not interested in the world around me anymore?


I cannot answer any of these questions truthfully, I just know that its more difficult to really stimulate the grey matter.
Nothing in the world is a surprise anymore, nothing shocks us anymore, we take everything for granted, if a natural catastrophe hits we say, "that's not surprising the Bible warns about it", or "that's not surprising, geologists predicted that it will happen". If a person is murdered in his house we say "that's not surprising what do expect living in South Africa". If a child goes on the rampage in an American school we say "that's not surprising, what do they expect with such lax gun control measures", and so I can carry on about things that just does not surprise us anymore, things that would have shocked the living daylights out of us a few years ago, just doesn't do it for anymore.


We have become so accustomed to the world we live in that our morals have degenerated to such an extend that within a decade or two from now, we will not be able to distinguish between right or wrong, fact or fiction (OK actually I'm 10 years to late, its already happening)!
If we don't like the sound of something we "change the real meaning of the author" or we just say "that should not be taken literally, but be seen in context", I'm not going to mention examples, I'll leave that to you go and do some sole searching and see how the frogs are being cooked.
Small changes that is made to society and the things that we are used too. Take the example of a simple tomato, its still red, it still has pips but have you really tasted it in recent times, or so called "fresh milk" that lasts more that a week in the fridge! Come on really!


I am fortunate enough to live within 5 km of a functioning dairy farm and we started buy our milk and cheese there about a month ago. Yesterday my youngest asked what is wrong with the milk, I smelled it, and low-and-behold the milk went sour! She is 11 and for the first time she saw milk that has gone off!, because the other "fresh milk" never went sour. Now the question, did we really drink fresh milk all these years? What do they add or remove from the milk to make it last that long? Is it healthy?
I don't know, all I know is that its time to re-evaluate our truths.


Till next time.

Stop it, you'll do more damage than good!

I have a blog and really love writing it, but somehow the real need to write has left me. On my PC the draft of my book is gathering dust. The one who read the first couple of chapters regards it as something out of this world, that should be burned so that no human could ever be exposed to such rubbish ever again!

I on the other hand, I felt it was good, but then again all parents think that their children are the best in the world. 

And guess what, it hurts, yes it does, when you come to the realisation that your child is not the next, Chuck Norris, Einstein, or Bakkies Botha, nope, no matter what you do, no matter how many teachers you suck up to, no matter how many coaches you befriend, your child is just not what you dreamed of!

And that is the problem, parents wants to live through their kids, they never played first team, but will make damb sure their kids will, they never achieved any academic results but little Johnny will become a Nuclear Physicist! 

At no point do they just sit back and give them the opportunity to grow themselves, isn't that what we are suppose to do, shouldn't parents create a safe and secure environment for kids to grow up in, so that they can grow into their own, explore their surroundings and with care, love and guidance be nurtured into adult-hood.

To be there when your child discovers his/her God-given talent to sing, when they realise their passion, or make you proud by applying wisdom beyond their age!, or when their innocence and love makes the day bearable for someone less fortunate?

They say that not one snowflake is the same as the next, not one person alive today has the same DNA as another, so let’s embrace the gifts we have been given, lets enjoy every child with the same passion, love, grace and attention. Let’s not fall into the trap of setting one above the other or comparing X with Y, accept X for what it is, and accept Y for what its not.

We should sit back, let the child sit on your lap while you gently guide the steering wheel, don’t always just drive, and you will be amazed where you will end up!

Well till next time!

Bullies that steal my money!

For nearly 30 years now, or should I say for as long as I can remember, not one day went by without Israel being in the news, either they are attacking or they are being attacked and it got to the point were I just don't bloody care anymore!
We are bombarded by news of the oppression that happens in the Gaza strip, we are told about all the countless bombings and attacks, we are even told that the well being of the whole world rests on peace between Israel (a piece of land as big as the Kruger!) and whoever they want to attack next.
It seems to me that the bloody Israelies are like a bully on the playground! But not the kind that can kick the crap out of you on its own, no sir! rather the short snotty nosed little shit that pulls your tie and jabs his finger in your eye, and when you prepare to kick him in the nuts, he points over his shoulder at his big brother and his gorilla like friends.
To take it a step further, I hate it how this little bully influences my life!
Unrest in the middle east = rise in the price of oil = higher petrol prices = higher food prices = less money in my pocket!

A couple of years ago, after the fall of Russia, some farmers got mad at each other and started throwing potatoes, immediately "Big Brother" stepped in,without diplomacy I might add, and bombed the living daylights out of them, end result, no more fighting! Now I know that "Big Brother" wont do that to the little brat, but we have engineers and the know-how, why don't we just a build a bloody wall around that whole  region, throw in some weapons and see who walks out after 30 years or so?
At least it would make for interesting TV, much better than the Kardashians,  we could place long term bets on the results!
Now I know that there is a lot of you that will think this man is crazy, but its not me its the bloody Israelis, they defend a piece of land that they got after a world war, and nobody knows why?, they protect a city that has more Muslim and Christian relics in it than Jewish!
For a country of about 7.6mil people they sure have nerve, we have more people than that on Boxing Day  on Durban beach. If you look at the facts the true aggressor here is the Bully, since we started counting in 1987, 7978 Palestinians died, of which 1620 where children under 16, while on the other hand 1503 Israeli 's died, 142 of those being children!

I don't know who is right or wrong, all I know is that I would be extremely pissed off if someone takes may land from me and calls it "Defensive Action" and the rest of the fools just follow.
I am sick of people taking sides in this matter purely on the basis of naivety! The action required in that region should be based on an economic platform, we (the rest of the world) should sit these kids down and spank their buts, no more talking, otherwise they will still be in the news in 30 years, fighting, no I mean the type of spanking you got as a kid when you lied to your parents, or they caught you smoking! Trade embargoes, sanctions, UN resolutions! Let the Israelis eat their own dates!
What happened (or is happening) in Israel is the same as what happened in South Africa, a minority tried to take a country from the indigenous people, they divided the country into small pockets (homelands) and  oppressed the people, the people got sick and tired of this and revolted and the rest of the world helped. What do think would have happened if we build walls around the Ciskei, Transkei etc? So why don't we "help" with the situation in Israel!, why don't we support the oppressed?

According to some, we have a moth till the end of the earth, if they have their calculation right this time, so do you really what to spend the last month listening to the news and hearing about children dying and bombs exploding?
Nope, I'm done. The rest of the world can make fun, they can support who they want on this matter, all I want is for the petrol price to drop,  tsunamis to stay away from the South Coast and no more news!

Till next time.

"Slack-packing" the Mighty Fish River Canyon!

Why oh why!!

Not that, please, not that, how is that possible that one of the last frontiers have been conquered by the lazy, wealthy, aristocratic, pretentious idiots!

Yes that was my reaction to the article in the Country Life Magazine on "slack-packing" the Mighty Fish River Canyon!

An America at the Sulphur Springs  Maccies!

As you know, I was tamed by the mighty Fish River, Yes I was scared stiff looking down from the starting point, yes I had blisters, yes I stared the Grim Reaper in the face, yes I told myself on several occasions never again, however I also formed bonds that will never be broken, I discovered my inner being again, I have done that and came back a better person!
Now all of that has been spoiled as the "Hoity-Toity-Arty-Farty" needs to be accommodated!
They don't need to carry their packs, no-no, they sleep in pre-erected tents or cabins, their food are made for them (nothing less than 3 courses), their buts are wiped, but worst off all is that they can pass a lie-detector test when asked if they walked the Fish River!
This borders on blasphemy, its like taking a chopper up Kilimanjaro, or the cable car up Table Mountain, or taking the train up the Inca Trail, yes you were there, but that's it, no experience, no thoughts, nothing!

I am fully aware that some "otherwise abled" (to be politically correct), have the need to experience the outdoors, and I'm all for that, but being pampered just because of your financial stability or your lazyness or the fact that your currency lets you stay in Africa for a year on a $ / £100 (and that is if you buy a house  in Clifton) irritates me!, it will only be a matter of time, and you will find a Mc Donald's at Sulphur Springs, or a cable car down to the bottom!

Next year I'm planning another trip to the canyon, this time I'll be fitter and better prepared, I will have even more time to adore the splendour of this magnificent place, but I dont know how I will react if I come to the causeway and I see people having a glass of bubbly while their feet are being massaged by barely clad girls and toasting "Jolly good show old chap" or "give us another Shiela" or (with a drawl) "its bigger in the States!"

I can already hear the noise of a chopper as it flies over the canyon at all times off day or night just to deliver some crackers with extra cheese to an overweight American who needs his cheese fix! I can see the plastic cell phone towers trees lining the rim of the canyon to ensure that they are able to check their stock prices in real time and "sell" or "buy" echoing through the silence of the canyon, I can see the tread pattern of Hi-Tech, Solomon and Wolverine being replaced by that of Gucci, Prada or Jimmy Choo.
To add to that it wont be long till the Health and Safety Officers take over, that will spell the end of life as we know it! The construction of a 85km long pathway build to the requirements of some ISO specification will take priority, with the gradient set to a certain degree as not to put to much strain on the ankles or cause blisters, add to that the signage in 4 languages and illumination and we are screwed!,.... because enter the bloody mountain bikers!
Immediately they will demand a MTB trail as it will be unconstitutional to only allow hikers, then the quad bikers and bikers because it will be unfair to only allow hikers and MTB's and not them and as always, the 4X4 clubs will lay the claim that they also need a place!  That brings the recovery and medical service at every 20km to ensure a hasty service, and this all due to human nature and that's a fact!

When my family started camping we could fit all our camping needs in the back of our Tucson, soon that wasn't enough and we needed a trailer, soon we out-grew the trailer and bought a 4x4 off-road trailer, now we are contemplating a rooftop tent and all other gadgets needed to make the camping experience more civilized, a DSTV Drifta for the sport, a fridge for some cold ones, a large queen size stretcher etc! the same as will be happening to our beloved canyon.

So what do we do?... do we go deeper into the unknown, do we try to find an even more remote place to explore and do we spend more money on gadgets just to get some peace and quiet?
I think not, if you need a place to find your inner self, or if the environment dictates your happiness you will always be searching for the perfect place, the words "this would have been perfect if" would be added to all your thoughts and you will always be restless.

Give the "Hoity-Toity-Arty-Farty" their space, apply your mind to your environment. Yesterday I was truely happy!, the kids played around the pool, the family gathered and we had a wonderful time chatting away while the braai was going, no view of the sea, or mountains or whatever else, just  in the company of family.

I leave with the words of Lao Tzu- In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.

Well till next time.
 




 

Die padkaart deur my lewe

Hill Straat was die hooftraat

In ou hande toegevou

Met Ps 23 as ‘n maat was ek gerig na die Lig

Daar was lewe vir almal en ek

In ‘n oogwink was dit net ek

JB Muller straat, met liefde het ek gedy

Groot oop deure het my gelei

In die skadu van ‘n peperboom was daar gedroom

Lewies, Sushara, Kernollie en Nella and al die pelle

Nooit weer was dit net ek, dit was my plek

Sonder my maat wat sukkel praat moes ek die plek verlaat

Kaap weg was ‘n lewe vol sleg

Bier en ghries dampe was in die kampe

Soos bobbelhondjies in die busse, donker oggend, donker nag

Hier was die seer, op 22 Augustus was hy nie meer

Oop graf het vir my die tweede keer gelag

Hier moes ek weg, ek het klaar my hond gekry

Karen straat het ek gehaat, ek was daar met ‘n valse maat

Bus en trein gery om almal te vermy

In President straat gevoel daar is ‘n doel

Loop van deur tot deur met griffel kuns, geen klok wat lui

Die Bobbies het my klaar gekry

Rebecca Straat in blou gewaad, in Danville, Mayville en Wille Area aan vals beloftes vasgeklou

Mosselbaai sou ek in blou nooit aanskou

In die skadu van Weskoppies ontmoet ek baie poppies

Op ‘n blind date seel dit my fate en ek het geweet ek gaan jou trou my vrou

In Silwer Straat was jy my maat, daar het ons saam gebly

Nooit gelol, net gejol

In Billies op my knie gedaal, gelukkig het ek nie gevaal

Ek kort voor lank was dit ek en jy

Op die bank ons twee saam veraltyd onder een naam

Piet Grobelaar Straat was ons begin, ek en jy word ‘n gesin

Dankie Heer aan U goedheid geen keer, my kids en vrou sonder seer

Finkel en Koljander, my broer word weer vir my gebore

Watter goeie tye, sonder 2 pond 10, maar ons was gesien

Jooste straat is nou my huis, famielie en gesin inkluis

Hier waar ons swem en baljaar weet ek U is daar

Met my vrou en kroos aan my sy word ek deur U gelei

Ek en my hond is hier gesond

Die kind se dag kom nader Vader

Gee hulle ook die pad wat tot rusting lei

Gee hulle Ps 23 Here, al gaan hulle te kere

Want ek weet net U maak ons wil stil