To start off, I stumbled upon one of the greatest websites ever!!! It's a parody of 80's culture, done in a really neat way...
www.homestarrunner.com
Everyone loves the Homestar Runner... He is a terrific athlete!
It's the first week of the exams, I've only had to write one subject so far, and it was by far the most annoying thing I've had to endure the entire week - Somewhere between condescendingly easy and soul-numbingly boring (I think I just made up those two words, but oh well...). However, as of tomorrow, the exams start heating up... So, for the sake of every living thing in this world and Betelgeuse, I will not talk about academics...
By far the most interesting thing that happened this week was due to, yet again, pub quiz. It seems my life (and my blog, damn it all...) is starting to fall into this quagmire of routine - drink, play pub quiz, drink some more, study for tests, (you guessed it...) drink again, hand in assignments, yadda yadda yadda... Mind you, at least it's not a completely monotonous schedule, as I have a lot of opportunities (the ones involving drinking, mostly) where I get to meet new people and have weird little adventures, so I'm okay at least.
For the past four weeks, our performance at pub quiz has been average, according to our standards at least. Halfway through the grand championship, we remain squarely in fourth position on the league, ten points behind the current top team, and it's starting to get annoying. If we don't manage to pull a rabbit out of a hat soon, I'll have to resort to much more dirty tactics... After pub quiz, we all decided to go out for a spot of dancing and a (twenty-third) quiet drink to end off the day. Strangely enough, with our luck being as it is, we walked into a bar (good ol' Springbok Pub) which was hosting some guy's birthday party. This particular individual had also had the good nature to subsidise the entire bar, meaning that EVERYTHING was half-price... Needless to say, a fun time was had by all! Later that night, I happened to be introduced to the birthday boy, who freaked out when he heard my name (maybe he knew me in a previous life, or maybe my name just has that effect on people who come from the old Transvaal...) and subsequently bought me drinks for the entire night... Was it not for the fact that he ALSO introduced me to his girlfriend, I would have been seriously worried...
After waking up feeling thoroughly unperky the next day, I proceeded to study for the last part of that damned test. After writing on saturday morning, the entire population of Simonsrust 33 (our flat) went into hibernation, only to wake up for the occasional meal and beverage... A fun, though somewhat lethargic, time was had by all!
Today was one of those particularly weird days, and for which you all need a bit of history in order to fully understand the context. My father was a politician for almost 20 years. In that time, he was on the verge of bankruptcy at least twice, was involved in several landmark court cases (luckily, he never got sued), was the adviser to a former president (and also met several others from abroad), walked next to Nelson Mandela and Tokyo Sexwale on the day they were freed, served in a provincial cabinet, and also managed to score a try on both ends of the field at Rugby School in Wales (the spiritual birthplace of rugby, for those of who are not that familiar to the sport...). Needless to say, he's done a lot of interesting things, and met even more interesting people, through the course of his life. Hell, if he decides to write a book one day, I might even read it (well, definitely the first draft, despite everything the man's grammar and spelling has never been the best)!
One of my father's more interesting friends, Jorrie, is a self-made multi-millionaire whom he met while studying at university. This is a guy who was failing his accounting degree, and who was being kicked out of university, who then promptly walked into the Vice-chancellor's office and refused to leave until he was allowed to state his case. As a sign of the man's tenacity, not only was he let back to finish his degree, but he also attained it Cum Laude the second time around! Also, on his 47th birthday, he rented an entire wine farm for a weekend, along with several chefs and a philharmonic orchestra, so that he could amuse his friends with Frank Sinatra and Elvis Costello covers while they ate 5-course meals! A truly, truly unique individual...
So, now that we've given more than enough context, back to the story. When I woke up this morning to drive through to the folks' place, I was called and given orders to go to Jorrie's place, as we were invited for lunch. On my arrival there (at just before noon), a glass of Moët & Chandon was thrusted into my hand, and the party kicked off properly. After imbibing several bottles of wine (the cost of which I never want to calculate), and eating at least 2 endangered species (PETA supporters, I beg you not to lynch me), we were treated to the musical stylings of one Rocco de Villiers (a South African pianist, essentially our answer to Elton John, though not nearly as famous, for obvious reasons) as he debuted his new album in the living room... A truly fun, truly surreal, day.
Right, I'm off, need to actually do some studying today, unfortunately... Until next time, I leave you with the following:
Music Lyric of the day: "Daar's fokken baie fokkol in Suid-Afrika!" (Koos Kombuis, Fokkol) - Thought it's about time I put an Afrikaans lyric up on the blog... For the people who don't speak Afrikaans, the song (which is brand new, and can be downloaded free on his blog...) is essentially a satire of the state of the nation.
Arb 80's Trivia of the day: In 1982, the United States Center for Disease Control officially renames GRIDS (Gay-related Immuno-deficiency Syndrome) to AIDS, and recognises it as a serious health problem for the world.
Suggestion of the day: Always read the book before seeing the movie.
Quote of the day: "Without wearing any mask we are conscious of, we have a special face for each friend." - Oliver Wendell Holmes (Makes you think...)
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Sartrean Hell...
Right, after having posted nothing in 3 weeks, I think I can afford a second one in a week... The exams start on tuesday, and 3 weeks after that I will finally have my freedom! Got most of my preliminary marks back so far, and it seems that the whole academic makeover seems to have paid off to a relative extent... Now all I have to do is make good on the real thing, and my life is a joy.
On Friday, our school class (2001) had our 5-year reunion. Honestly, I didn't understand why anyone would want to arrange a reunion after just 5 years, but I still went (partly as a matter of principle, and partly as an excuse to party). It was quite an informal thing, and a lot of fun! I was amazed to see so many people which I hadn't seen or even thought for the first time in half a decade. It's good to see that I'm not the only one that needs to shed a couple of pounds, and it's even better to see that a lot of people have changed for the better... There are always these guys at school where you can't help but think "Do you not realise what you are doing to yourselves???? WAKE UP!!!" and it's nice to see that some of them actually started figuring things out for themselves. Anyway, enough sentimentalism... We all ended up in De Akker (for those not native to Stellenbosch or South Africa, De Akker is the 2nd oldest pub in the country...) after several rounds of human bowling (you're the ball, and any other objects that can be lined up, be they inanimate or not, are the pins) and way too much brandy. After leisurely, erm, strolling out of De Akker (at roughly 4AM), I had to be at work at the farm by half past eight... Needless to say, I didn't exactly arrive on time, but thankfully it was a slow day and nothing had happened up until then.
Right, so I guess it's finally time to explain the title of the post...
For those of you who are not familiar with the work of French existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre (and I won't blame you if you aren't), and more specifically his play 'No Exit,' the concept of Sartrean Hell is pretty simple to explain: Hell, seen in the simplest of ways, is other people. More specifically, it is being thrown in a situation which would normally be seen as quite pleasurable, if not for something wrong (be it a state of mind or body, or even a piece of annoying furniture), and having no way to escape from it. How does this relate to my saturday? Well, read on...
The more astute among you might have figured out that doing anything while hungover is not exactly the most fun or the best idea in the world. Being forced to work in a place literally filled to the brim with alcoholic beverages, while having to deal with customers (mostly swedish and german tourists who can't understand english) who refuse to leave (even after you've helped them) even though you technically closed 45 minutes ago, all of the while feeling like there's an elephant trampling on your medulla oblongata, is not exactly what I would call Nirvana...
Right, OK, most of you might have figured out that the above would happen, but you'd never guess how the story ends... Yesterday evening was also my ex-girlfriend's birthday party. A formal event. On a wine farm. Now, I get along very well with this particular ex-girlfriend (we broke it off quite cleanly while still maintaing friendly contact), but the thought of dressing up in a penguin suit only to be marched around at yet another wine farm with some of her friends giving me hateful glances, and while having to endure her other friends constant talk of web designing was anything but alluring. Strangely enough for myself, I spent most of the evening in a corner drinking orange juice (I couldn't torture myself a 3rd night in a row), eating cocktail sausages and talking to her sister. Oh well, go figure...
Drove through this morning to the folks' place for the traditional massive sunday lunch (the extended family had been invited again, this time my dad's side...), a couple of glasses of very good wine (both my uncle and cousin are winemakers, and I felt suitably recuperated), and the traditional weekly rant/debate (this time about stock options, weirdly enough). Always fun... Oh well, now I'm off to go study yet again...
Oh, in other news, apparently a Finnish Heavy Metal band named Lordi, who like dressing up in ridiculous monster suits, recently won the Eurovision song contest with the highest score in the tournament's history... Take that, ABBA!!! Here's a photo of them.
Music Lyric of the day: "The saints are crippled / On this sinners’ night / Lost are the lambs with no guiding light / The walls come down like thunder / The rocks about to roll / It’s the Arockalypse / Now bare your soul!" (From Lordi's Eurovision winning song 'Hard Rock Hallelujah... Weird.)
Arb 80's trivia of the day: Only three artists in music history have had seven or more Billboard Top 10 singles to feature on one studio album, namely Bruce Springsteen (Born in the USA, 1984), Michael Jackson (Thriller, 1982) and Janet Jackson (Rhythm Nation, 1989)... And people say they had bad taste in everything back then! :-P
Suggestion of the day: If you don't know yet, find out what your name means in other languages... Don't make the mistake Tom Cruise made!
Quote of the day: "If Jesus had been killed twenty years ago, Catholic school children would be wearing little electric chairs around their necks instead of crosses." (Lenny Bruce) - Think about that for a moment...
On Friday, our school class (2001) had our 5-year reunion. Honestly, I didn't understand why anyone would want to arrange a reunion after just 5 years, but I still went (partly as a matter of principle, and partly as an excuse to party). It was quite an informal thing, and a lot of fun! I was amazed to see so many people which I hadn't seen or even thought for the first time in half a decade. It's good to see that I'm not the only one that needs to shed a couple of pounds, and it's even better to see that a lot of people have changed for the better... There are always these guys at school where you can't help but think "Do you not realise what you are doing to yourselves???? WAKE UP!!!" and it's nice to see that some of them actually started figuring things out for themselves. Anyway, enough sentimentalism... We all ended up in De Akker (for those not native to Stellenbosch or South Africa, De Akker is the 2nd oldest pub in the country...) after several rounds of human bowling (you're the ball, and any other objects that can be lined up, be they inanimate or not, are the pins) and way too much brandy. After leisurely, erm, strolling out of De Akker (at roughly 4AM), I had to be at work at the farm by half past eight... Needless to say, I didn't exactly arrive on time, but thankfully it was a slow day and nothing had happened up until then.
Right, so I guess it's finally time to explain the title of the post...
For those of you who are not familiar with the work of French existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre (and I won't blame you if you aren't), and more specifically his play 'No Exit,' the concept of Sartrean Hell is pretty simple to explain: Hell, seen in the simplest of ways, is other people. More specifically, it is being thrown in a situation which would normally be seen as quite pleasurable, if not for something wrong (be it a state of mind or body, or even a piece of annoying furniture), and having no way to escape from it. How does this relate to my saturday? Well, read on...
The more astute among you might have figured out that doing anything while hungover is not exactly the most fun or the best idea in the world. Being forced to work in a place literally filled to the brim with alcoholic beverages, while having to deal with customers (mostly swedish and german tourists who can't understand english) who refuse to leave (even after you've helped them) even though you technically closed 45 minutes ago, all of the while feeling like there's an elephant trampling on your medulla oblongata, is not exactly what I would call Nirvana...
Right, OK, most of you might have figured out that the above would happen, but you'd never guess how the story ends... Yesterday evening was also my ex-girlfriend's birthday party. A formal event. On a wine farm. Now, I get along very well with this particular ex-girlfriend (we broke it off quite cleanly while still maintaing friendly contact), but the thought of dressing up in a penguin suit only to be marched around at yet another wine farm with some of her friends giving me hateful glances, and while having to endure her other friends constant talk of web designing was anything but alluring. Strangely enough for myself, I spent most of the evening in a corner drinking orange juice (I couldn't torture myself a 3rd night in a row), eating cocktail sausages and talking to her sister. Oh well, go figure...
Drove through this morning to the folks' place for the traditional massive sunday lunch (the extended family had been invited again, this time my dad's side...), a couple of glasses of very good wine (both my uncle and cousin are winemakers, and I felt suitably recuperated), and the traditional weekly rant/debate (this time about stock options, weirdly enough). Always fun... Oh well, now I'm off to go study yet again...
Oh, in other news, apparently a Finnish Heavy Metal band named Lordi, who like dressing up in ridiculous monster suits, recently won the Eurovision song contest with the highest score in the tournament's history... Take that, ABBA!!! Here's a photo of them.
Music Lyric of the day: "The saints are crippled / On this sinners’ night / Lost are the lambs with no guiding light / The walls come down like thunder / The rocks about to roll / It’s the Arockalypse / Now bare your soul!" (From Lordi's Eurovision winning song 'Hard Rock Hallelujah... Weird.)
Arb 80's trivia of the day: Only three artists in music history have had seven or more Billboard Top 10 singles to feature on one studio album, namely Bruce Springsteen (Born in the USA, 1984), Michael Jackson (Thriller, 1982) and Janet Jackson (Rhythm Nation, 1989)... And people say they had bad taste in everything back then! :-P
Suggestion of the day: If you don't know yet, find out what your name means in other languages... Don't make the mistake Tom Cruise made!
Quote of the day: "If Jesus had been killed twenty years ago, Catholic school children would be wearing little electric chairs around their necks instead of crosses." (Lenny Bruce) - Think about that for a moment...
Friday, May 19, 2006
Suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune...
I know, I know, it's been a while... But now I'm back, and with a vengeance!
The past three weeks have probably been the greatest test of my academic career up til now, and I am glad to say that I managed to not only survive, but actually make quite a success of it! Great, now that I've successfully stroked my own ego, let's recap what has happened since the last post...
A couple of weeks ago, Stellenbosch was hit by the worst gale-force winds I have seen in my decade of living here. It's awe-inspiring and horrifying to think that one can harness so much destructive energy in mere air, and that so much damage can be sustained in just one night. Granted, these types of winds aren't a rarety in the country, or even the province for that matter, but it kind of makes a massive difference if you live in a place which is a) generally windstill and b) has a gigantic oak tree around every corner. As I was driving to work the morning after. I had to make 3 detours to due logs blocking the road, and when I finally made it to the farm, I spent most of the day clearing up the rubble (a tree fell down on the owner's house, and two in the parking lot) - it was actually quite cool, I got to play around with a chainsaw (a la Jason from Friday the 13th) and lug around heavy objects (my free state genes really shone through...)!
After doing my bit to destroy our forests, I managed to serve one customer during the day... A quaint man, didn't talk that much, kind of chugged everything down within a matter of seconds, then started chatting eventually. Turned out to be the former Welsh rugby coach. Go figure. Weird day in general... Oh well...
Speaking of natural disasters, one of my oldest and best friends arrived in the country recently, after a stint in the United Kingdom. It was both weird and wonderful to see Good 'Ol Deon again: So much had changed, yet so much has stayed the same. Upon first glance he kind of looked like the character from that game Hitman (pale, shaved head, black overcoat, wireframe glasses), apparently he had quit smoking, started drinking less, and also had a spurt of pseudo-religious reawakening - all good things. Yet, still, we reconnected within a matter of minutes, and he was very eager to share his stories, experiences and the reasons behind his redesigning of himself. He's still not out of the dark yet, but he's making massive steps, and I personally think he's on the right track. I'm proud of you, man.
The thing that has seriously been getting me down for the better part of three weeks has been academics. In the past three weeks, I have had no less than four tests, two assignments (one of which is essentially the first draft of a masters thesis...), and an oral exam. Miraculously, after spending more hours in a day studying in stead of sleeping (thank god there is now a place in the Neelsie where you can get free espresso and cappucino...), I managed to get through all with flying colours... Hopefully the nightmares of weirdly mutated lecturers (a la The Hills have Eyes) attacking me with overdue assignments will finally end... Now we just have to wait and see. Incidentally, I've also decided that I'm officially going to do a Master's degree in Law, and have started talking to my lecturers about what would be the best way of going about becoming ridiculously over-qualified.
Last weekend, the debating society attended the annual invitationals tournament hosted by "that other weird place inhabited by Capetonians who don't drink" (UCT for short...). After years of falling about between different partners, Martin Bekker and I (for the people who don't know what I'm talking about, simply skip to the next paragraph...) finally decided to have a shot at speaking with eachother again, in the hope that we can make our great last stand. Not realising how rusty we are (in terms of debating and showtunes...), we made absolute fools of ourselves and ended up breaking to semi-finals in last place (and that's only after one team had to leave early...), so we weren't feeling too positive when we were up against two incredibly strong teams. Strangely enough, to the amazement of all (especially us...), we pulled several rabbits out of a hat (proving the old adages "never piss off a philosophy lecturer" and "don't tell Koornhof about bad governance" - OK, so maybe they're not that old) and managed to be the only Stellenbosch team in the final. The final didn't go too badly, although the topic was horrible (honestly, a bill of rights for animals???? A bit too nice and fluffy...), and we managed to hold our own. It would have been nice to be take the cup home, but Rome wasn't built in a day, and Martin and I will have our vengeance...
For the past four months, I was essentially an only child. And I loved it! Honestly, who doesn't like constant attention, parents buying you lunch and dinner "just cos I haven't seen you enough this week," sending you wine and little extras, and these types of things? Anyway, after finally getting used to this new life and treatment, my sister decides to arrive back in the country from the states. Now, make no mistake, I love my sis and I missed her just as much as everyone else, and I enjoy the constant sibling rivalry, but it was kind of cool having undivided attention and not being blamed for everything that goes wrong... On the other side, she's looking good, doing well in both academics and her sport, and it seems like she's grown up just that little bit more... Maybe one day we'll be able to sit down and talk like rational adults, maybe never, but it's kind of weird and cool to see that the young'un is no longer that young...
Last night we had our traditional celebration of drunken debauchery and even drunker argumentation, that glorious thing we all love (or love to hate): the Stellenbosch Great Beer Debate! After several hours of arguing why Michael Jackson should be pope and hearing why dinosaurs REALLY went extinct (thanks Piet, thanks...), and still retaining the title of Champion Beer Downer (Tom Riley would be proud, I am finally under 2.5 seconds...), I found myself and several others being auctioned off to the, erm, highest bidder... After being bought by a mysterious group of women referring to themselves as "The Coalition," I shudder to think how I will be abused for three hours sometime next week... Oh well!
Right, so that's the end of that, and that's why I haven't had the time to update this bloody thing... Enjoy the rest of the M.M.O.M (merry month of may), and hope to hear from you all as soon as possible!!!
Music Lyric of the day: "If there's a problem, yo I'll solve it! Check out the beat while my DJ revolves it!" (Vanilla Ice, Ice Ice Baby)
Arb 80's trivia of the day: Funnily enough, Big Brother didn't watch you in 1984. At least I hope not...
Suggestion of the day: Phone up an old friend and have a drink with them. Try to re-establish that old bond - you'll find it's quite easy and well worth it...
Quote of the day: "Cogito cogita ergo cogita sum" - I think I think therefore I think I am... (Thanks Kev!)
The past three weeks have probably been the greatest test of my academic career up til now, and I am glad to say that I managed to not only survive, but actually make quite a success of it! Great, now that I've successfully stroked my own ego, let's recap what has happened since the last post...
A couple of weeks ago, Stellenbosch was hit by the worst gale-force winds I have seen in my decade of living here. It's awe-inspiring and horrifying to think that one can harness so much destructive energy in mere air, and that so much damage can be sustained in just one night. Granted, these types of winds aren't a rarety in the country, or even the province for that matter, but it kind of makes a massive difference if you live in a place which is a) generally windstill and b) has a gigantic oak tree around every corner. As I was driving to work the morning after. I had to make 3 detours to due logs blocking the road, and when I finally made it to the farm, I spent most of the day clearing up the rubble (a tree fell down on the owner's house, and two in the parking lot) - it was actually quite cool, I got to play around with a chainsaw (a la Jason from Friday the 13th) and lug around heavy objects (my free state genes really shone through...)!
After doing my bit to destroy our forests, I managed to serve one customer during the day... A quaint man, didn't talk that much, kind of chugged everything down within a matter of seconds, then started chatting eventually. Turned out to be the former Welsh rugby coach. Go figure. Weird day in general... Oh well...
Speaking of natural disasters, one of my oldest and best friends arrived in the country recently, after a stint in the United Kingdom. It was both weird and wonderful to see Good 'Ol Deon again: So much had changed, yet so much has stayed the same. Upon first glance he kind of looked like the character from that game Hitman (pale, shaved head, black overcoat, wireframe glasses), apparently he had quit smoking, started drinking less, and also had a spurt of pseudo-religious reawakening - all good things. Yet, still, we reconnected within a matter of minutes, and he was very eager to share his stories, experiences and the reasons behind his redesigning of himself. He's still not out of the dark yet, but he's making massive steps, and I personally think he's on the right track. I'm proud of you, man.
The thing that has seriously been getting me down for the better part of three weeks has been academics. In the past three weeks, I have had no less than four tests, two assignments (one of which is essentially the first draft of a masters thesis...), and an oral exam. Miraculously, after spending more hours in a day studying in stead of sleeping (thank god there is now a place in the Neelsie where you can get free espresso and cappucino...), I managed to get through all with flying colours... Hopefully the nightmares of weirdly mutated lecturers (a la The Hills have Eyes) attacking me with overdue assignments will finally end... Now we just have to wait and see. Incidentally, I've also decided that I'm officially going to do a Master's degree in Law, and have started talking to my lecturers about what would be the best way of going about becoming ridiculously over-qualified.
Last weekend, the debating society attended the annual invitationals tournament hosted by "that other weird place inhabited by Capetonians who don't drink" (UCT for short...). After years of falling about between different partners, Martin Bekker and I (for the people who don't know what I'm talking about, simply skip to the next paragraph...) finally decided to have a shot at speaking with eachother again, in the hope that we can make our great last stand. Not realising how rusty we are (in terms of debating and showtunes...), we made absolute fools of ourselves and ended up breaking to semi-finals in last place (and that's only after one team had to leave early...), so we weren't feeling too positive when we were up against two incredibly strong teams. Strangely enough, to the amazement of all (especially us...), we pulled several rabbits out of a hat (proving the old adages "never piss off a philosophy lecturer" and "don't tell Koornhof about bad governance" - OK, so maybe they're not that old) and managed to be the only Stellenbosch team in the final. The final didn't go too badly, although the topic was horrible (honestly, a bill of rights for animals???? A bit too nice and fluffy...), and we managed to hold our own. It would have been nice to be take the cup home, but Rome wasn't built in a day, and Martin and I will have our vengeance...
For the past four months, I was essentially an only child. And I loved it! Honestly, who doesn't like constant attention, parents buying you lunch and dinner "just cos I haven't seen you enough this week," sending you wine and little extras, and these types of things? Anyway, after finally getting used to this new life and treatment, my sister decides to arrive back in the country from the states. Now, make no mistake, I love my sis and I missed her just as much as everyone else, and I enjoy the constant sibling rivalry, but it was kind of cool having undivided attention and not being blamed for everything that goes wrong... On the other side, she's looking good, doing well in both academics and her sport, and it seems like she's grown up just that little bit more... Maybe one day we'll be able to sit down and talk like rational adults, maybe never, but it's kind of weird and cool to see that the young'un is no longer that young...
Last night we had our traditional celebration of drunken debauchery and even drunker argumentation, that glorious thing we all love (or love to hate): the Stellenbosch Great Beer Debate! After several hours of arguing why Michael Jackson should be pope and hearing why dinosaurs REALLY went extinct (thanks Piet, thanks...), and still retaining the title of Champion Beer Downer (Tom Riley would be proud, I am finally under 2.5 seconds...), I found myself and several others being auctioned off to the, erm, highest bidder... After being bought by a mysterious group of women referring to themselves as "The Coalition," I shudder to think how I will be abused for three hours sometime next week... Oh well!
Right, so that's the end of that, and that's why I haven't had the time to update this bloody thing... Enjoy the rest of the M.M.O.M (merry month of may), and hope to hear from you all as soon as possible!!!
Music Lyric of the day: "If there's a problem, yo I'll solve it! Check out the beat while my DJ revolves it!" (Vanilla Ice, Ice Ice Baby)
Arb 80's trivia of the day: Funnily enough, Big Brother didn't watch you in 1984. At least I hope not...
Suggestion of the day: Phone up an old friend and have a drink with them. Try to re-establish that old bond - you'll find it's quite easy and well worth it...
Quote of the day: "Cogito cogita ergo cogita sum" - I think I think therefore I think I am... (Thanks Kev!)
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