Proper wine tasting technique

There are no rules to drinking wine. Do you pucker and smack loudly or make ridiculous faces when drinking water? Do you talk about the "finish" of a good beer? Of course not! So why do it with wine.

Remember: what you should stick to is to drink what you enjoy, whether it be a ten Rand bottle of "Hanepoort" or a one thousand Rand bottle of Dom Perignon. Don't force yourself to drink a dry red or white when you are really want something sweeter. Don't pretend to enjoy that ten Rand bottle of "Hanepoort" from an obscure winery in Pitsonderwater just because the so-called "experts" rated it a "best buy" or somebody stuffy said that it had a "complex bouquet."

There are guidelines that you might want to stick to to get the most out of wine, but they are not rules; you don't have to follow them to drink wine. The wine police will not arrest you for not checking out the "legs" of the wine, nor will they cart you away for not sniffing the wine before sipping. You would, however, have a better experience if you DID, but you don't have to!
So, on to the guidelines. I am sure that I will catch some flack from wine snobs or those who like to use wine as something as a weapon to make others feel inferior.

Remember that these are not rules, but you might get a little more out of your bottle of wine.

Some guidelines:
First off, after you pour your glass of wine, take a look at it up in the light. Is it clear? Murky? What colour red or white is it? Then, gently swirl the wine in the glass, tilt it, and look at the drips coming down the side of the glass. These are the "legs" of the wine, and they tell you how thick or "bodied" the wine is. If the legs are thick and well-defined, the wine is "full-bodied." If they are thin and look more like actual drips, then the wine is "light-bodied." Anything in between is "medium-bodied."

Next, take a whiff of the wine. What do you smell? Most people say, "I smell wine," but try to get past the wine smell. You might catch a scent of vanilla or something spicy, and this is all part of the fun of drinking wine. Don't worry at first- if you don't smell anything right away, just give it time. You'll get there!

After smelling the wine, take a small sip. Some people like to "aerate" it by slurping, and it might enhance the flavour, but it's not absolutely necessary. Just swish the wine around in your mouth so that all of the areas of your tongue sense all of the flavours and nuances. Swallow (or spit it out if you're at a tasting), and breathe through your mouth again. Try to taste something other than the wine, and you might be pleasantly surprised. You might get a strong acid or "tannin" flavour. You might taste pears or peaches, even. I once drank a pinot noir that had leather and tobacco flavours, and it was wonderful!

Developing the skill of wine tasting takes practice. The more wines you taste, the better you will become with ascertaining and describing each wine's characteristics.

Noisy neighbour

Top ten tips for being a considerate neighbour:

1. Try to site noisy household equipment such as washing machines, dish washers away from partition walls or place them on a carpet or rubber mat to reduce vibration. When you buy new household appliances such as a washing machine choose the quietest models. This will encourage manufacturers to make more!

2. Consider fitting carpets over floorboards and curtains on windows to reduce everyday noise in your home. Try to reduce the effect of noise from your TV and stereo by moving them away from your neighbours' walls. If you live in a flat with a neighbour beneath you, raise your TV and stereo off the floor if possible. Try to always keep the volume of your TV, radio and music as low as possible, especially late at night.

3. Set your hi-fi bass control at a low level - the bass beat can be particularly irritating! If you like your music loud, use headphones. But be careful, if you cannot hear other people talking when you are wearing headphones you could be deafening yourself.

4. If you like loud music in your car keep the windows closed so as not to annoy others.

5. When doing DIY, try and make sure you carry out the noisiest jobs during the day. Keep the evening for quieter work such as painting and decorating.

6. Consider mowing the lawn and using garden power tools at a reasonable time - not early morning or late evening when the noise could be most annoying.

7. If you play a musical instrument, consider practising it at a reasonable time and not early in the morning or during the late evening or night when the noise could be most annoying. Try to carry out unavoidable noisy activities in sociable hours which between 8.00am and 7.00pm weekdays and Saturday and between 10.00am and 5.00pm Sundays.

8. If you own a dog, train it not to bark unnecessarily. Never leave your dog alone for long periods - ask a friend to exercise it during your absence. In law a barking dog can be a noise nuisance and you could be prosecuted if you do nothing to stop it.

9. If you're a car or motorcycle driver, always drive quietly in built up areas. Try not to drive and brake fiercely. Try to avoid revving your car or motorcycle unnecessarily. Try and keep the silencer in good condition and only use your horn in an emergency. Remember, it is illegal to sound a car horn between the hours of 11.30pm and 07.00am and any time when the vehicle is stationary unless it is an emergency. If you are using a taxi or minicab early in the morning or late at night ask the driver to announce his arrival by knocking on your door or phoning beforehand rather than sounding the horn. If you have a house/ car alarm appoint a key holder who can be contacted if it goes off while you're away. And get it maintained regularly so that it doesn't go off accidentally.

10. Warn your neighbours if you are going to make unavoidable noise - having a party or doing DIY for example. If a neighbour is creating a noise, try talking to them and politely explaining the problem. People are often very happy to reduce the noise once they realise it is causing others a problem. Conversely, people usually feel less disturbed by nuisance noise if they feel they have some control over it. If talking to your neighbours doesn't work and the noise persists you could purchase this tape ...LOL

1. Select a track from this CD:

http://wishingfish.com/revengecd.html

2. Put it on repeat.
3. Set the volume on LOUD.
4. Then head out for the day.

Choosing team players

Today I assemble the team to start the first iteration test on the database conversion (more on this later). This is the first of three iteration tests that will be performed before cut-over in November. Now this is not an easy task, let me tell you. You have all these different people that have their own idiosyncrasies and foibles that you have to fit together to make up this testing team. They need to work together on all aspects of the testing from unit testing, integration testing and stress testing.

So I decided to only have one criteria ...LOL


But seriously though, choosing the right team is vitally important for any project and determines the success of any project.

The team

A team is a group of people sharing a common goal and team members must:

1. Commit themselves exclusively to work towards the goal; they should help define the goal.
2. Be prepared to put the project goal before their own aims; this will require compromise and may mean that personal ambitions cannot be met.
3. Respect other team members and any "hierarchy".
4. Share in the project’s achievements and failures.
5. Accept specific responsibilities on behalf of the team.
6. Abide by agreed decisions.

Good team members are likely to be: gregarious, extrovert, companionable, trusting, trustworthy, responsibly, reliable and respectful.

When choosing a team, it is not good to have people who only want to punch the time clock. I need to find people who are passionate about their work, want to be there and want to succeed. Each person should enjoy the challenge and be willing to persevere when the going gets tough.

Very important things I need to remember when assembling this team

• Embrace Differences
• Individual Integrity
• Skills and Talents
• Sponsors and Backers
• Common Goals
• Planning
• Obstacles
• Resources

Every successful project is a combination of the above elements. People with skills, training, vision, mental and physical tenacity who have planned well, adapt to change and realize and take advantage of the lucky breaks are critical factors that lead to success. A well prepared, well led, correctly constituted team will have a much greater chance of success.

Shanks of Lamb in Red Wine

Ok, yesterday being National Braai day, and the "manne" got all the compliments for the fantastic spread that they put on for everyone, I decided that give credit where credit is due and make my famous Knuckles of Lamb in Red Wine sauce for supper tonight.

Now I know one thing, and that is cooking is not my favourite pastime... I see it more as a chore, but there are two dishes that I get rave reviews about (actually three, but technically the other one is a pudding) and my Lamb Knuckles is one.

So in all fairness of setting the record straight about who cooks and who braai's, I am going to share my recipe with you... but this is the ONLY recipe that I am going to share, because my family will not forgive me if I shared the other two...LOL

Prepartation time about 3 hours

Change to: servings US Metric

6	Lamb knuckles or lamb shanks
	Extra virgin olive oil
1	Large carrot, roughly sliced
1	Large onion, roughly sliced
6	Peppercorns
8	Cloves garlic, with skins (or 2 Tablespoons crushed garlic)
1	Sprig thyme
4	Bay leaves
2	Teaspoons honey
1/2	Bottle red wine (I use a local wine, or use your fav)
1	Sliced celery
3	Teaspoons molasses (or syrup)
1	Tablespoon soy sauce

• Romantic Main Dish
  
  
• Oven Main Dish
  
  
• Lamb/Sheep Main Dish
  
  
• Kid Pleaser Main Dish
  
  

1. Preheat oven to 160c.
2. Trim the knuckles/shanks, make them look neat exposing the bone.
3. In a large frying pan heat the oil and fry the knuckles/shanks on all sides.
4. Put into a large oven proof dish with a lid, big enough to hold all the knuckles/shanks and vegetables.
5. Repeat cooking until all the knuckles/shanks are sealed and add all the sliced vegetables in dish with lamb.
6. Add the peppercorns, garlic, bay leaf, salt, honey and wine to the lamb and put into a slow oven for 2 hours.
7. The lamb should be coming away from the bone when it is ready.
8. Remove and put on to a dish and cover with tin foil.
9. Put the rest on top of the heat and add the molasses sugar/syrup and soy and reduce to a third until it becomes syrupy and able to coat the lamb knuckles/shanks.
10. Strain through a fine sieve into a smaller saucepan.
11. Put the knuckles/shanks back into the oven proof dish, coat with sauce and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
12. Baste the knuckles/shanks in a couple of times while cooking.

Okay, ready to serve. I normally serve this with rice, steamed baby carrots and peas.

National Braai Day

Light that fire.

Today is National Heritage Day (you know the one where we all celebrate our heritage), but, this morning when I woke up, I heard that National Heritage Day had been replaced by National Braai Day. Not sure how this happened, must have been when I was sleeping because somebody forgot to send me the email !!!!

Well, first thing this morning, I get the request that we must have a braai. Now don't get me wrong... I have nothing against a braai, but what normally ends up happening is that I end up doing all the work and the person braaing the meat gets all the credit. The merits of using the correct temperature and woods are discussed in deep earnest. The other problem that I see is that all our neighbours are going to celebrate National Braai day and we will stick out like sore thumbs if we do not put some boeries on the fire and be a little patriotic.

Started in 2005 the initiative is a non-profit organisation solely committed to uniting South Africans through means of an activity enjoyed by all and for which we are world-famous.

Braai Day officially announced that Archbishop Desmond Tutu will be the organisations first patron. Archbishop Tutu is recognised by all South Africans as a bearer of peace and goodwill. We are proud to have him as our patron.

The Archbishop said that he accepts the patronage with pride. “This National Braai Day initiative reflects the spirit of South Africans and embodies the unique methods we employ as a nation to promote democracy, patriotism and national pride.”

Last year, more than 12 million South Africans engaged in the beloved activity on Heritage Day. Braai Day is hoping to bring that number to a phenomenal 30 million participants for 2007. Their vision is to see Braai Day being celebrated with as much national attention and festivity as the 4th of July in America and St Patrick’s Day in Ireland.

This year, braaiers nationwide will be encouraged to SMS their braai spots and numbers of people attending National Braai Day.

You can show your support of National Braai Day by sending an SMS to 34761 on 24 September. (Only in South Africa)

For more information visit the official National Braai Day Website.

So all of you patriotic SAfricans ... have a good one !!!

Quantum leap

I think that I have been waiting to somehow find that “Quantum Leap” that would take me magically from manually creating art to somehow produce art in different way that would also present itself as art. How would it be possible to take something created on canvas and replicate it without using the normal art methods. How could I “release the mage in the stone” as Michelangelo said, or how could I see only the lights and darks like Monet. This “Quantum Leap” was constantly at the back of my mind as I perfected my art and trained my mind and hand to “see” art in everything around me. How could I fail when all the visual tools were available to me. I could de-construct landscapes and produce paintings by just looking at them or trace a roadmap from a portrait.

My camera has always been my trusted friend and companion during my many artistic adventures. The photos helped me with my composition, light source and colour and also to capture the “moment”. With digital photography and my computer, I have amassed thousands of digital images for reference and back at the studio, these help to reproduce the artwork that I am currently busy with.

Photoshop has also honed my graphic art skills in a variety of areas. The possibilities that the computer offers me, personally, are vast. I am more adept at decision making in my artwork as a result of using the computer. The choices I make are more readily available and easier to undo than those in traditional painting. Additionally, my sense of composition, design and perspective has benefited from using my computer. The digital age has given me insights into my work and has helped me break down information. I use my computer skills as tools to augment my painting NOT, in any way, to replace it.

So, this “Quantum Leap” is not to replace my art with another artform, but rather to find a companion to compliment my art.

I have been using the Canon Powershot S3 IS for about a year now and the results that have come out the camera have been good, but not spectacular, and have found that I still do a fair amount of “manipulation” in Photoshop to enhance the picture. This to me was not art, as I wanted to rather keep the image in its original format as much as possible. This led me to thinking that if I was going to take that “Quantum Leap” from being an artist and a photographer, then I would have to invest in a good camera and learn how to take better photos with very little manipulation on the computer. Up to now, I think that it was hiding behind the attempt to find the “easy way!”

I asked around, and everyone said that the camera that I had was the best and NOT to change because I would find the SLR camera difficult to “master”. Although this in itself presented me with a problem because, having decided to take that “Quantum leap”, could my S3 not be sufficient … and the conclusion I reached was, No.

The next step was to find the one that best suited me and would compliment my art. I eventually whittled the selection down to the Nikon D80 and the Canon 400D. Both of these cameras had very similar features and there was very little difference in their capabilities, so it left it more down to personal choice. I love my Canon Powershot, and I know it like the back of my hand, so Canon was the obvious choice. With this in mind, I have now taken that “Quantum Leap” and bought the Canon EOS 400D.

I will take my time to get to know this camera, and without any formal training in photography will strive to become a good photographer by learning from all the great photographers out there.

25 Reasons ... two lists

25 Reasons being a man is easier

1- Your last name stays put.
2- The garage is all yours.
3- Wedding plans take care of themselves.
4- Chocolate is just another snack.
5- You can never be pregnant.
6- Car mechanics tell you the truth.
7- You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.
8- Wedding dress R15000. Tux rental- R100.
9- New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
10- People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
11- One mood all the time.
12- Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
13- A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
14- You can open all your own jars.
15- If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
16- Your underwear is just R29.95 for a three-pack.
17- Two pairs of shoes are more than enough.
18- Everything on your face stays its original colour.
19- The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
20. You only have to shave your face and neck.
21- One colour for all seasons.
22- You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
23- You can "do" your nails with a pocket knife.
24- You have freedom of choice concerning growing a moustache.
25- You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes


25 Reasons it is better to be a woman

1. We got off the Titanic first.
2. We get to flirt with systems support men who always return our calls, and are nice to us when we blow up our computers.
3. Our boyfriend's clothes make us look elfin & gorgeous. Guys look like complete idiots in ours.
4. We can be groupies. Male groupies are stalkers.
5. We can cry and get off speeding fines.
6. We've never lusted after a cartoon character or the central female figure in a computer game.
7. Taxis stop for us.
8. Men die earlier, so we get to cash in on the life insurance.
9. We don't look like a frog in a blender when dancing.
10. Free drinks, Free dinners, Free movies ... (you get the point).
11. We can hug our friends without wondering if she thinks we're gay.
12. We can hug our friends without wondering if WE'RE gay.
13. New lipstick gives us a whole new lease on life.
14. It's possible to live our whole lives without ever taking a group shower.
15. We don't have to fart to amuse ourselves.
16. If we forget to shave, no one has to know.
17. We can congratulate our team-mate without ever touching her butt.
18. If we have a zit, we know how to conceal it.
19. We never have to reach down every so often to make sure our privates are still there.
20. If we're dumb, some people will find it cute.
21. We don't have to memorize Caddyshack or Fletch to fit in.
22. We have the ability to dress ourselves.
23. We can talk to people of the opposite sex without having to picture them naked.
24. If we marry someone 20 years younger, we're aware that we look like an idiot.
25. Our friends won't think we're weird if we ask whether there's spinach in our teeth.


Okay, so there are more reasons why it is better to be a woman ..LOL

26. There are times when chocolate really can solve all your problems.
27. We'll never regret piercing our ears.
28. We can fully assess a person just by looking at their shoes.
29. We know which glass was ours by the lipstick mark.
30. We have enough sense to realize that the easiest way to get out of being lost is to ask for directions.

Time for feet up .....

Been a bit hectic around here for the last two days .. sorta like this


But tonight I decided to put my feet up on my desk and relax a little bit.

Mental Hospital Phone Menu

This is basically how I feel this morning ... twilight zone with total lack of sleep. Mondays are normally bad for me, but this one is proving extra hectic as I try and hide in my office and avoid / cancel all meetings and wait for the fallout..... LOL


Hello and thank you for calling The State Mental Hospital.

Please select from the following options menu:

If you are obsessive-compulsive, press 1 repeatedly.
If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2 for you.
If you have multiple personalities, press 3, 4, 5 and 6.
If you are paranoid, we know who you are and what you want, stay on the line so we can trace your call.
If you are delusional, press 7 and your call will be forwarded to the Mother Ship.
If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press.
If you are manic-depressive, it doesn't matter which number you press, nothing will make you happy anyway.
If you are dyslexic, press 9696969696969696.
If you are bipolar, please leave a message after the beep or before the beep or after the beep. Please wait for the beep.If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.
If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.
If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.
If you have low self-esteem, please hang up our operators are too busy to talk with you.
If you are menopausal, put the gun down, hang up, turn on the fan, lie down and cry. You won't be crazy forever.
If you are blonde, don't press any buttons, you'll just mess it up.

A boat race ...

A Japanese and a South African company decided to have a boat race as an annual event.

On the day of the race the Japanese had a manager and eight rowers in their boat. The South Africans had one senior manager, two assistant managers, three project leaders, one observer and two rowers in their boat. On the flight to Japan, the senior and assistant managers flew in Executive class seats, the projct leaders and observer flew in Business class seats and the rowers flew in Economy class seats.

The rowers of both teams really put in a gallant effort. The result was the Japanese won the race by ten lengths. The prize for winning was shared fairly by all those who contributed to the success of the Japanese team.

There was great concern amongst the South Africans. Top management demanded an explantation for having been thoroughly humiliated.

A thorough investigation was launched. Many meetings were held. The managers decided to bring in outside consultants to assist with the solution. They eventually came up with a great plan. Invest in a sleeker boat, wider oars and impress on the two rowers that their performance would have to improve.

The next year the Japanese won by fifteen lengths.

The South African managers were rewarded for comining up with such an excellent plan. The consultants were handsomely paid for their contribution. The rowers were retrenched. It was decided that the next year two outside rowers would do the rowing.

Flogging a dead horse....

Flogging a dead horse or what?

Dakota Native American tribal wisdom, passed on from generation to generation, says: "When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount and get a different horse".

However, in educative, corporate and governmental Southern Africa, more advanced strategies are often employed, such as:

1. Buying a stronger whip

2. Changing riders

3. Appointing a committee to study the horse

4. Arranging to visit other countries to see how other cultures ride dead horses

5. Lowering the standards so that the dead horse can be included

6. Reclassifying the dead horse as "living impaired"

7. Hiring outside contractors to ride the dead horse

8. Harnessing several dead horses together to increase speed

9. Providing additional funding and / or training to increase the dead horse's performance

10. Doing a productivity study to see if lighter riders would improve the dead horse's performance

11. Declaring that as the dead horse does not have to be fed, it is less costly, carries lower overheads and therefore contributes sustantially more to the bottom line of the economy than do some other horses.

12. Rewriting the expected performance requirements for all horses. And of course ....

13. Promoting the dead horse to a supervisory position!

If you understand the above, then you are obviously a South African.

Expressions of Cape Town

Okay... a little of what we have been so busy with in Cape Town... and it is causing such a buzz at the moment amongst the Cape Town Flickr community .....

To find out more ... go and see what we are doing and where all my energy is focused at the moment .. and loving every moment of it ..

http://www.flickr.com/groups/expressionsofcapetown/

and you can view some of mine for this exhibition here :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/garlyn/sets/72157601424601036/

If you are in the area from the 12 October to 21 October, please drop by and come and say hi.

What to post ... What to post ....Dilemma!!!!

Hmmm.... As I have commited myself to post something at least once a day ... I am totally tapped for creativity.... Now, I suppose you are wondering what has drained my creative energy...?


Watch this space for all will be revealed tomorrow ... but for now I am going to recharge my batteries :-)

You know you are a software developer when ...

• It's dark when you drive to and from work.
• You see a good looking person and know it is a visitor.
• You sat at the same desk for 4 years and worked for three different companies.
• Your resume is on a diskette in your pocket.
• You learn about your layoff on CNN.
• Your biggest loss from a system crash is that you lose your best jokes.
• Your supervisor hasn't the ability to do your job assignment.
• You sit in a cubicle smaller than your bedroom closet.
• Salaries of the members on the Executive Board are higher than all the Third World countries' annual budgets combined.
• Weekends are those days your spouse makes you stay home.
• Being sick is defined as can't walk or you're in the hospital.
• All real work gets started after 5pm or on weekends.
• 10% of the people you work with (boss included) -- knows what they do.
• Vacation is something you rollover to next year.
• Your relatives and family describe your job as "works with computers" or "does something with satellites"

You read this entire list and understood it.

Pavarotti's final concert

This is a tribute to one of my favourite tenors who died on the 6th September 2007. Pavarotti's memory will last forever in my heart. I am crushed by the profound maestro's loss but consoled to know his great light and talent will never be forgotten and will have a beautiful place in opera and humanitarian history.

Addio, Luciano ........ oh terra addio...........

He was famed for popularising opera, exploding its appeal beyond the concert halls and on to the streets. And he did so with one of the most formidable voices in the world.

Earlier this week, that voice fell silent and the world mourned the loss of Luciano Pavarotti, who finally succumbed to the pancreatic cancer that had plagued him for the past year. He died in his home town of Modena, Italy, in the early hours of 6th September.

Tributes poured in from statesmen, sportsmen and pop stars alike, in homage to the man whose magnificent voice was known on the football terraces and in the pop charts as well as in the world's opera houses.

His partners in the Three Tenors, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras, led the tributes to a great artist and a wonder-ful man. "I always admired the God-given glory of his voice – that unmistakable special timbre from the bottom up to the very top of the tenor range," said Domingo. "The best memories are the ones in intimacy ... We have to remember him as the great artist he was, a man with such a wonderful charismatic personality," added Carreras.

The rock singer Bono described the opera star as "a great volcano of a man who sang fire but spilt over with a love of life in all its complexity."

Pavarotti was born in 1935 on the outskirts of Modena to a poor family: his mother, Adele, was a factory worker and his father, Fernando, a baker who, accord-ing to Luciano, should have had a singing career but was too nervous.

It was not an affliction suffered by his son. Since his operatic debut in 1961 the bearded, bear of a man was to become one of the most recognised and most respected classical musicians in the world. Before that, Pavarotti had worked as an insurance salesman and a teacher. His break came at London's Royal Opera House, when in his twenties 1963 he stood in after another singer dropped out of a performance of La Boheme.

But the tenor's fame soared internationally during the 1990 football World Cup in Italy, the theme tune for which was Pavarotti's rendition of " Nessun Dorma", roughly translated as "none shall sleep" and described by Gordon brown yesterday as "the soundtrack of that summer" .

As many of his millions of fans waited anxiously for news into Wednesday night, it eventually became clear the operatic hero was to fall to the cancer which had forced him to cancel the re-maining dates of his 2006 farewell opera tour.

Pavarotti had given his final performance at the Royal Opera House in January 2002, when he sang Tosca in spite of the death of his mother during the final stages of rehearsals. Antonio Pappano, musical director of the ROH, said: "The applause on those evenings was probably the most moving and heartfelt in the history of the Royal Opera."

Pavarotti returned many times to Britain, and a poignant trib-ute also came from the Welsh town of Llangollen, where Pavarotti had travelled in 1955 to compete in the international eisteddfod with his local choir. He was 19 at the time, and train-ing to be a teacher, but after his choir won the festival's choral competition, he decided to be-come a professional singer.

Years later, reflecting on that seminal moment in his early life, he said: " Britain is one of the most important countries for me. This is where the international career really began."

The British soprano Lesley Garrett said he had the "most beautiful voice in the world" and described him as "an absolute giant as an opera singer and as a human being".

The respected soprano Yao Hong, who performed with Pavarotti in Beijing, said: "People may not know opera well but they know who Pavarotti is."

Rose-ringed Parakeet

My pet, Zeus, a Rose-ringed Parakeet. She does not talk but makes the most raucous racket and believes she is a peeps instead of a bird ...LOL. She also does not take to men and treats all males with total disdain.

The Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri), also known as the Rose-ringnecked Parakeet, is a gregarious tropical parakeet species that is popular as a pet. Its scientific name commemorates the Austrian naturalist Wilhelm Heinrich Kramer.

This non-migrating species is one of few parrot species that have successfully adapted to living in 'disturbed habitats', and in that way withstood the onslaught of urbanisation and deforestation. In the wild, this is a noisy species with an unmistakable squawking call. As is the case with all Psittacula spp. (Afro-Asian Ringnecked Parakeet species) ; the Rose-ringed Parakeets is sexually dimorphic where adult males sport pitch-black neck-rings & pink nape-bands while hens & immatures of both genders display no or shadow-like (pale to dark grey) neck-rings & light (lighter coloured than surroundings) nape-bands.

On a lighter note about doctors rooms ....

A newspaper cutting someone sent me .... LOL

Zimbabwe is crumbling

Few Zimbabweans can cope with all the shortages of food, fuel and foreign currency and the current rate of inflation (the world's highest) - already more than 7 000% -- will just keep rising.

President Robert Mugabe, who is accused of gross human rights abuses, has made it clear that dissent will not be tolerated as he struggles to contain the economic crisis.

The defiant leader faces few political challenges from a divided opposition and his powerful Western foes, whom he accuses of plotting to oust him, have failed to weaken the veteran leader with economic sanctions.

Lip service
Many Zimbabweans feel South African President Thabo Mbeki and other regional leaders have only paid lip service to the suffering in their country, a view shared by Western diplomats.

They have failed to pressure Mugabe to find a solution and still respect him as an African liberation hero, deep bonds that overshadow one of the continent's gravest humanitarian crises.

"Government needs to stop burying its head in the sand over the rampant influx of undocumented Zimbabweans into South Africa and take proactive action to gain some form of control over the situation," South African immigration lawyer Gary Eisenberg said in a statement.

Applications for asylum and refugee status, meanwhile, are piling up. Demand is so high that Home Affairs has designated three days a week for Zimbabwean applicants.

While prices run wild in Zimbabwe, many basic goods are also out of reach for them in South Africa, let alone the flashy luxury cars and glitzy malls symbolising an economic boom.

Wage freeze
Meanwhile, Mugabe has banned all pay rises without state authorisation and handed himself extra powers in a new bid to curb the world's highest inflation rate, state media said on Friday.

As part of the package of measures which were gazetted by Mugabe and detailed in the government mouthpiece Herald newspaper, all rents, school fees and service charges must be frozen for the next six months.

"No one in private or public sectors can now raise salaries, wages, rents, service charges, prices and school fees on account of increases or anticipated increases in the consumer price index, the official and unofficial exchange rates, or valued added tax and duty," said the government-controlled publication.

Increases in salaries or fees can only be made in future with specific approval from the national incomes and prices commission, a body headed by Mugabe, and without any link to the inflation rate which currently stands at over 7 600%.

"The net effect of the charges will be to push inflation down since all increases will be by less than the current inflation rate," the report said.

"Those who breach the standards set by the commission when increasing pay, fees or prices can be fined ... jailed for up to six months, or given both punishments," it added.

The latest edicts come two months after the government effectively ordered retailers and businesses to slash their prices in half, a move which has led to widespread shortages in the Southern African nation.

The lighter side of Project Management

Today I’m going to write about why project managers are almost universally loathed by technical staff. Let me begin with a Dilbert cartoon which illustrates the sentiment:

TOP 10 Project Management Proverbs.

1. Frozen specs and the tooth fairies are the same; both are myths that will melt away when sufficient heat is applied
2. The conditions attached to a promise are forgotten; only the promise is remembered
3. The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of meeting the date is forgotten
4. A badly planned project will take 3 times longer than expected - a well planned project?…only twice as long
5. Feather and Down are padding, changes and contingencies are real events
6. The sooner you begin coding…The later you’ll finish
7. The sooner you get behind schedule…the more time you’ll have to make it up
8. When all is said and done…more is said than done
9. A little risk management saves a lot of fan cleaning
10. Good estimators aren’t modest if it’s HUGE, they’ll say so
    

Project Management Truths

• Everyone asks for a strong project manager when they get her, they don’t want her
• The most successful project managers have perfected the skill of being comfortable being uncomfortable
• Never underestimate the ability of senior management to buy a bad idea and fail to buy a good idea
• The typical project sponsor would rather start 10 projects than complete 1 single one
• People under pressure do NOT think faster
• It it happens once, it’s ignorance; if it happens twice, it’s neglect if it happens three times, it’s policy
• A ‘piece of cake’ is any unit of work, regardless of scope, for which someone ELSE is totally responsible
• No matter what has to be done immediately…there is ALWAYS something else that has to be done first
• A committee is a group of people that meet for hours to produce a result known as minutes
• Diplomacy is the art of letting other people have your way
• The nice thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete SURPRISE rather than being preceded by worry & depression
• Fast – cheap – good: You can have any two
• Projects don’t fail in the end they fail at the beginning
• No plan ever survived contact with the enemy
  

Top 10 Times when @#$% is O.K.

10. "What the @#$% do you mean, we are sinking?" Capt. E.J. Smith of RMS Titanic, 1912
9. "What the @#$% was that?" Mayor Of Hiroshima, 1945
8. "Where did all those @#$%ing Indians come from?" Custer, 1877
7. "Any @#$%ing idiot could understand that.“ Einstein, 1938
6. "It does so @#$%ing look like her!" Picasso, 1926
5. "How the @#$% did you work that out? Pythagoras, 126 BC
4. "You want WHAT on the @#$%ing ceiling?“ Michelangelo, 1566
3. "Where the @#$% are we?" Amelia Earhart, 1937
2. "Scattered @#$%ing showers, my ass!" Noah, 4314 BC
1."Aw c'mon. Who the @#$% is going to find out?" Bill Clinton, 1998
BUT, the topper has to be…
"Geez, I didn't think they'd get this %#*^ing mad." Saddam Hussein, 2003

'Twas the Night before Crisis:

’Twas the night before crisis, and all through the house,
Not a program was working not even a browse.
The programmers were wrung out too mindless to care,
Knowing chances of cut over hadn’t a prayer.
The users were nestled all snug in their beds,
while visions of queries danced in their heads.
When out in the lobby there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my tube to see what was the matter.

And what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But, a Super Developer, oblivious to fear.
More rapid than eagles, his programs they came,
And he whistled & shouted & called them by name:
On Update! On Add! On Query! On Delete!
On Batch Jobs! On Closing! On Functions Complete!
His eyes were glazed over, his fingers were lean,
From weekends and nights in front of a screen.

A wink of his eye, and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
Turning specs into code, then he turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger on the ‘Enter’ key,
The system came up…and worked perfectly.
The updates updated, the deletes they deleted,
The inquiries inquired, and the closing completed.
He tested each whistle and he tested each bell,
With nary an abend for all had gone well.

The system was finished, the tests were concluded.
The user’s last changes were even included.
And the users exclaimed with a snarl and a taunt,
“It’s just what I asked for… ...but it’s not what I want!”

Anonymous

The theory of Project Management

Nothing gets done…till nothing gets done. Anon

Floor-Crossing

One of my pet hates is floor crossing. It is that time of the year when public representatives for various political parties can cross over to another party, should the political landscape change or the principles of a particular party become fundamentally compromised, for whatever reason, use of incentives - such as the promise of higher salaries and senior positions - to coerce and manipulate the system to undermine smaller parties.

Larger parties have been able to withstand the ANC’s rigorous drive to lure party members, and the consequences for smaller parties have doomed them to extinction. Most of the smaller parties have had their numbers dramatically cut but the opportunity for individual members of parliament to create their own party and a lot of solo parties that do not have a constituency, fail to perform in Parliament yet still receive substantial financial support from the South African taxpayer.

The ANC’s justification for floor crossing is perhaps justified by President Mbeki who, in his weekly newsletter ANC Today, quoted from the report, which stated:

“The basic argument for this approach (in favour of a qualified freedom to ‘cross the floor’), is that during the term of the legislature there can be significant shifts in public opinion which do not warrant fresh elections, but which have to be represented in the legislature. By allowing groups of MPs to ‘cross the floor’ these shifts of opinion may be reflected in the legislature. Also, genuine differences of interpretation on what mandate the electorate gave a party, and how to implement it, can lead to splits in the party, and this should be allowed expression by way of ‘crossing the floor’. The ability to cross the floor also curtails the power of the ‘party bosses’ and makes for a more vibrant political atmosphere. In short, greater democracy and representivity is made possible through a qualified freedom to ‘cross the floor’”.

The ANC’s stance on the floor crossing issue is one of mild acceptance because changes in public opinion – in between elections – should be reflected in the various legislatures and that floor crossing acts as a measure and an incentive for parties to maintain internal democratic governance.

This about face within the ruling party which was, for years, opposed to floor-crossing. Only when it was seen to serve a very particular party political purpose. IMHO - Floor-crossing leads to political corruption and bribery.

Well I did it .....

Created the blog and now gotta keep it updated on a daily basis ....hmm

Spent most of the day finalizing the currency conversion that kicked off on Friday evening, and with about 5 hours sleep this weekend, I am starting to hate my PC screen. Seriously tired, but at least it was a successful conversion ....

Okay, now to figure out how this blog thing works. IT people can probably do this in their sleep, but I will eventually figure it out and will try and update this blog on a regular basis .

One of my favourite photos of my favourite place on earth ....

Gazania Fire

Gazania Fire
Originally uploaded by Garlyn

Posted for Spring Day in South Africa.