This afternoon my long time friend and colleague Stormin’ Norman/Puddles the Clown/ Mr Action stopped by as he was in town, so to speak. Living out in Scarborough, just before Cape Point, one technically is a bit of a country-bumpkin – but some of us have to suffer in paradise! We can’t just leave it all to the Brits and Germans! (pictured right - like the guy invading MY spot! He’s got the whole bloody beach, and he has to stand right next to me!) Continue reading ‘Seether - its lekker innie Kaap’
Archive for October, 2006
It’s Friday people! That means another week is behind us, we’ve got the weekend ahead, and Christmas is around the corner – that’s how it feels – time is just flying by!
We’ve had another hectic week in the office; work is piling up on our desks, staff getting sick, non-existent power-cuts, and so are looking forward to being able to just work quietly without the phone going every 3 minutes! We were going to go away, but clearly we are needed! Continue reading ‘Kai bops to Bongo Maffin’
Today is such a stunner – another early spring day without a breath of wind, blue skies, and it’s a Thursday – meaning the weekend is just around the corner! And we’re off camping in Swellendam again!
But this morning I want to get a little international, and provide some useful information that was passed on to me by Peter Metcalf who runs the Foundation for the Development of Africa that we are affiliated to.
STANDARDISATION WHEN LISTING TELEPHONE NUMBERS
You may be aware that the international code when dialing from one country to another has now been standardised as ‘00’ to meet international standards. You may recall the international code was prefixed as ‘+’ - to reach South Africa, you would have to dial ‘09’
When researching the way telephone numbers are written on business cards, we are faced with a zillion combinations - making it very difficult to select the right option. Surprisingly, some business-cards, circulated into the international market, fail to provide the full international codes required to connect.
Most of us who regularly deal throughout the African continent will identify with this issue. All too often we endeavor to call a number in a foreign country, and receive no response or an engaged signal and then we all too often blame the situation on the lack infrastructure. I am not insinuating that there is NO problem with telecommunication infrastructure - I am just trying to highlight the possibility of how the inclusion or exclusion of one digit could cause great frustration.
Therefore, when listing a number we should follow certain basics. A telephone number in Table View, Cape Town, South Africa should now be listed as follows:
00 27 (0)21 556 5132 (our office telephone number)
00 = The International Dialing Code
27 = This code designates the country - South Africa
(0) = This digit is only required when dialing the number locally e.g. in South Africa - therefore listed in brackets
21 = This is the code for a particular region or area – Cape Town
556 = This is the code that further defines the region or area – Table View
5132 = The dedicated number.
In South Africa the ‘+’ or ‘09’ codes will prevail parallel with the new ‘00’ code until 16 January 2007, thereafter ‘00’ for international access will be mandatory while dialing the area code ‘021’ as for Cape Town from within Cape Town will also be mandatory.
You have been warned!
I felt we needed a little bit of comedy for today. Eskom, or Eksdom (I’m Stupid in Afrikaans) as some posters were reading earlier this year, delivered a little green note to inform us that they were going to be upgrading the system in Table View, and so we could expect the power to be off between 07h45 & 16h00.
So we unplugged everything, to avoid the power-surges blowing up hard-drives, and sat and waited. And waited. And waited.
But nothing happened. Continue reading ‘David Newton - Cape Town Comedy!’
It was a hell of a shock hearing yesterday’s news about Lebo, as I mentioned in my previous post. Today’s news tells more of her last moments; of how she had been thrown clear of her Land Cruiser Prado meaning she wasn’t wearing safety-belts; that there were so few injuries visible, but that she had been crushed internally; that the driver either fell asleep behind the wheel, or was distracted – enough to lose control.
There are so many lessons to be learnt by this tragedy.
It seems to be a sad time for South Africa, also having recently lost Moses Kumalo to death that could have been prevented.
Sipho Gumede, Moses Molelekwa, TK, Ben Shabalala, Chas Smit, Gito Baloi & Brenda Fassie (UPDATE - and now Jabu Khanyile…)– these are all artists in the last number of years – all huge talents that are lost to us well before their time.
Ma Brrrr, as Brenda was known, is one of the most famous residents of Langa Township, just outside Cape Town. Ma Brrr was the undisputed queen of SA music, and even felt she had the right to class herself as the Madonna of Africa. And she was – she sold more albums than Madonna did, and enjoyed shocking her audiences just as much! But she lived life in the fast lane, and it eventually caught up with her.
So, in honour of fallen hero’s, I would like to feature Ma Brrr’s hit Vulindlela. That we can all enjoy every day as if it is our last that; we look around and appreciate who we are, and where we are, and most of all that we think, and take care of ourselves.
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