OK - sometimes you wonder at the timing of things - just getting all set-up to move, having sold yourself and the family on the new country and you get a little wake-up call ... see the attached video.
Anyway - lived in the middle-east, worked in Africa in some really interesting countries and not scared yet. Read about what to do in a earthquake though - LOL.
Nice web site for NZ related videos. Also ha some other NZ videos - e.g. tasting NZ Wines which is more to my liking that this shanking, rocking and rolling ...
22 December 2007
19 December 2007
Goodbye to Dubai
Having spent the last few years in Dubai, in complete amazement of the mad rush of buildings getting constructed, roads and fly overs popping up within a month or two, people arriving and leaving, prices of housing, food, entertainment etc shooting through the roof we have decided it is time to look for something better.
First option of course was to go back to South Africa - but as the good old ANC Government still uses a non-racist racist policy to decided who should have jobs, who should be allowed in colleges and Universities and has no clue whatsoever on what to do about rapidly escalating crime that option was a non starter (watch this page for a good old rant on this subject later).
Next on the list Australia and New Zealand - OZ quickly feel out of the race as they decided age really is the ultimate decider as to how productive people can be. Thanks for that one - I will be now joining your neighbors and sporting rivals - watch out for the guy with the NZ jersey and springbok cap when you play us.
Of course that left New Zealand - smallish group of Islands (two big ones and some lesser island) sitting at the other side of the world from every-one else who think they are important. First steps was to find out all about immigration rules etc. - great web page Immigration New Zealand which at first has so much information that it literally takes days to get your head around the different options (maybe that is part of the sifting process - testing for perseverance and tenacity)
Anyway - I got the old CV dusted and updated, found a few web sites with NZ connections and send out a few replies to adverts and waited for the replies to start streaming in - and waited, and waited and had some serious damage done to my self esteem. This nothing happening phenomena, as anybody who has tried any of the so called job-sites before can tell you - is perfectly normal. It is also part of the learning process - job agents are very much like housing agents - they wait for a seller - me with my 'skills' and an employer with his opening and 'expectations' - to match. Of course been in the computer field looking for a computer job sometimes is a very high expectation of non technical people to understand the words I am using in my CV, and the ones the prospective employer are using actually means the same thing e.g storage ~ data management, operating systems ~ management systems tec.
(I expect a postgraduate student should be able to write a program which interfaces with a few thesaurus web sites that can do a better job - watch this space - the site should be up and running soon. Also for anybody thinking of stealing this idea - I formally announce it today 20 December 2007 on the world wide web in this blog - and I will sue your arse.)
Eventually I got a telephone interview - which was a start but the expectations of the employer and me did not quite match up ...
more re. this in the next action packed blog episode.
First option of course was to go back to South Africa - but as the good old ANC Government still uses a non-racist racist policy to decided who should have jobs, who should be allowed in colleges and Universities and has no clue whatsoever on what to do about rapidly escalating crime that option was a non starter (watch this page for a good old rant on this subject later).
Next on the list Australia and New Zealand - OZ quickly feel out of the race as they decided age really is the ultimate decider as to how productive people can be. Thanks for that one - I will be now joining your neighbors and sporting rivals - watch out for the guy with the NZ jersey and springbok cap when you play us.
Of course that left New Zealand - smallish group of Islands (two big ones and some lesser island) sitting at the other side of the world from every-one else who think they are important. First steps was to find out all about immigration rules etc. - great web page Immigration New Zealand which at first has so much information that it literally takes days to get your head around the different options (maybe that is part of the sifting process - testing for perseverance and tenacity)Anyway - I got the old CV dusted and updated, found a few web sites with NZ connections and send out a few replies to adverts and waited for the replies to start streaming in - and waited, and waited and had some serious damage done to my self esteem. This nothing happening phenomena, as anybody who has tried any of the so called job-sites before can tell you - is perfectly normal. It is also part of the learning process - job agents are very much like housing agents - they wait for a seller - me with my 'skills' and an employer with his opening and 'expectations' - to match. Of course been in the computer field looking for a computer job sometimes is a very high expectation of non technical people to understand the words I am using in my CV, and the ones the prospective employer are using actually means the same thing e.g storage ~ data management, operating systems ~ management systems tec.
(I expect a postgraduate student should be able to write a program which interfaces with a few thesaurus web sites that can do a better job - watch this space - the site should be up and running soon. Also for anybody thinking of stealing this idea - I formally announce it today 20 December 2007 on the world wide web in this blog - and I will sue your arse.)
Eventually I got a telephone interview - which was a start but the expectations of the employer and me did not quite match up ...
more re. this in the next action packed blog episode.
31 July 2007
MyDeathspace.com is dead to us UAE Netizens
Ok - this must be the macaberest cut of all.
7Days, a local free newspaper (actually the best newspaper around), has an article about Myspace.com newest drive to have a site where deceased MySpace members pages can be stored. An epitaph, resting space of bloggers. (Is it just me or are we getting really weird - this is the net - not real life!!!)
Anyway - blessed with a macabre sense of curiosity I tried to sign on to MyDeathspace.com and guess what - IT IS BLOCKER by the proxy server! I really had to laugh - MySpace is open, MyDeathSpace is closed!
Never a dull moment!!
28 July 2007
Ever wondered how many countries you have visited?
I you have ever wondered how many countries you have visited - this is an easy way of showing it in picture form.
I am at 36 countries (making up 31% of the worlds surface), most of them more than one time - unreal how much time I must have waited in airports, spent in planes and had my total freedom dependent on some suspicious customs officials decisions. I actually can not remember most of it - must be my psychological self defence mechanism kick in to spare me from all that trauma.
Let me also use this opportunity to thank the rebels, freedom fighters, terrorists, religious bigots and everyone else with an ax to grind and who has in their own idiotic way added to the pain of passing through airports. A heartfelt - thank you, I really enjoy been delayed, body searched, my luggage and dirty laundry unpacked at airports for everyone to see and been treated like scum by airport officials the world over. Again - thank you!!! I hope next time the disruption you are planning to deliver as your final fart against the world goes of in your own face.
Looking at the map - I really need to get to Russia (Is it called Russia these days?) and China - that should just about allow me to cover the largest part of the world - with a quick skip into Canada.
I am at 36 countries (making up 31% of the worlds surface), most of them more than one time - unreal how much time I must have waited in airports, spent in planes and had my total freedom dependent on some suspicious customs officials decisions. I actually can not remember most of it - must be my psychological self defence mechanism kick in to spare me from all that trauma.
Let me also use this opportunity to thank the rebels, freedom fighters, terrorists, religious bigots and everyone else with an ax to grind and who has in their own idiotic way added to the pain of passing through airports. A heartfelt - thank you, I really enjoy been delayed, body searched, my luggage and dirty laundry unpacked at airports for everyone to see and been treated like scum by airport officials the world over. Again - thank you!!! I hope next time the disruption you are planning to deliver as your final fart against the world goes of in your own face.
Looking at the map - I really need to get to Russia (Is it called Russia these days?) and China - that should just about allow me to cover the largest part of the world - with a quick skip into Canada.
26 July 2007
Will It Blend? - iPhone
Ok - some of the stuff on UTube is informative, some is entertaining but some is just stupid.
You pick which type "Will it Blend?" actually is. Some blender!!! BlendTec
17 July 2007
Japanese fun ??? WTF on YouTube
Just when you think the West as a society has reached an all time low with its reality shows you see something like this where we are definitely outdone by of all people the oh so prim and proper Japanese ... not for squeamish people!!
Hope he won a prize!!!!
Now the next one is funny - but I see plenty of chance for major mishaps which could get you seriously sued!!
Hope he won a prize!!!!
Now the next one is funny - but I see plenty of chance for major mishaps which could get you seriously sued!!
16 July 2007
Time to go blogging ... again!
Just to test if the blogger thing still works and to test some of the Picasaweb functionality - photo of my cat after we picked him up in the street - genuine Persian but has fallen victim to the Not a cute kitty anymore - therefore out the door!
Dubai syndrome. Animals are not very high on people's appreciation lists round here.
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