10 weeks to go before I leave for Europe - and I can't wait!
Today I'm getting the last things from my travel buddy and giving him some stuff. The next time we see eacheother is when we go to do our visas... in 4 weeks! yay!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Domestic Violence
Read my post on domestic violence on my other blog.
Whatever goes wrong in a relationship, nothing should ever drive you to violence. If you lose control like that, what are you really?
Whatever goes wrong in a relationship, nothing should ever drive you to violence. If you lose control like that, what are you really?
Monday, June 23, 2008
Grinding some beans, Monday morning ramblings
Don't get me wrong, I love South Africa, but it grinds my beans that I have to pay a TV licence fee at R125 per year and I watch maybe 2 shows a week - because the rest of the programming is a load of beeswax. No pun intended. I hate toilet humor and low-class "Afrikaans" tv shows... I'm Afrikaans and I don't speak like that.
It grinds my beans that I can't have a house without burglar bars and a car with an anti theft device. It grinds my beans that the president says crime is down and he has bodyguards and super security paid by South Africans. It grinds my beans that our vice president mrs whatever goes on family trips abroad on the taxpayers' expense - and gets away with it. It grinds my beans that Mbeki never speaks up about Mugabe - wuss! I hate that I have to close my car's windows when I am at a robot as brochures and wares get shoved into your face - I understand, they're only trying to make a living. It grinds my beans that people have more children than they can afford to feed and then expect the g o v e r n m e n t to support them with a child grant. This money could much better be used for AIDS orphans.
It completely and utterly disgusts me that Eskom had NO POWER during summer and suddenly when they got the 13% increase go-ahead in winter, they have enough power. Beeswax. I know we've been had. This reeks of blackmail tactics. Shame on Eskom and the g o v e r n m e n t.
It grinds my beans that I have to get a Schengen visa to travel to Europe as clearly I'm from European descent with a French/German surname. I'll bear it - at R800 a pop. It's fine. I'll still go spend my hard-earned South African Rands in Europe at an exchange rate that divides every Rand by 12. It grinds my beans that the Rand is so weak.
It grinds my beans that I'm grinding my beans about stuff like this.
It grinds my beans that I can't have a house without burglar bars and a car with an anti theft device. It grinds my beans that the president says crime is down and he has bodyguards and super security paid by South Africans. It grinds my beans that our vice president mrs whatever goes on family trips abroad on the taxpayers' expense - and gets away with it. It grinds my beans that Mbeki never speaks up about Mugabe - wuss! I hate that I have to close my car's windows when I am at a robot as brochures and wares get shoved into your face - I understand, they're only trying to make a living. It grinds my beans that people have more children than they can afford to feed and then expect the g o v e r n m e n t to support them with a child grant. This money could much better be used for AIDS orphans.
It completely and utterly disgusts me that Eskom had NO POWER during summer and suddenly when they got the 13% increase go-ahead in winter, they have enough power. Beeswax. I know we've been had. This reeks of blackmail tactics. Shame on Eskom and the g o v e r n m e n t.
It grinds my beans that I have to get a Schengen visa to travel to Europe as clearly I'm from European descent with a French/German surname. I'll bear it - at R800 a pop. It's fine. I'll still go spend my hard-earned South African Rands in Europe at an exchange rate that divides every Rand by 12. It grinds my beans that the Rand is so weak.
It grinds my beans that I'm grinding my beans about stuff like this.
Banks killing us (not so) softly
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20080623054957546C947257
"The banks are making a killing in this country," said Roodt. "If you compare our bank charges to the rest of the world, it's obvious ours are very high."
Duh, we knew that, but since we are one of the few countries in the world to always get ripped off with anything and everything most people have given up complaining. Not me. The mere fact that I have to pay a monthly fee for my internet banking and then for each transaction is a complete rip-off (yes you get different structures), mine works out to R75 per month, but still...
How can a bank make millions in profits while a lot of South Africans go hungry?
"The banks are making a killing in this country," said Roodt. "If you compare our bank charges to the rest of the world, it's obvious ours are very high."
Duh, we knew that, but since we are one of the few countries in the world to always get ripped off with anything and everything most people have given up complaining. Not me. The mere fact that I have to pay a monthly fee for my internet banking and then for each transaction is a complete rip-off (yes you get different structures), mine works out to R75 per month, but still...
How can a bank make millions in profits while a lot of South Africans go hungry?
South African Post Office and Amazon
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20080622092120224C361260
"The global mail order business made the surprise announcement this week without first informing the Post Office, which learned about the decision when it was contacted for a comment by Business Day.
The South African Post Office is the only postal service in Africa that has been blacklisted because of the large number of items that have gone missing, presumed stolen."
What a surprise... SAPO "looses" parcels.Did you know that when they loose your parcel they only refund the postage money if not insured? That is, if you can get someone to take your matter on.
I have had a parcel from China stolen and it took them a month to "investigate". I had to keep on phoning the get any information about what they've found. What was their conclusion? Nothing, absolutely nothing. They refunded me the postage money. No apologies, nothing.
The other thing that happens at SAPO is that they send parcels to the wrong post office. If a parcel's delivery address is in Randburg - how does it end up in Sandton? To top it off, this particular parcel arrived in South Africa 3 weeks before I could find it. No "pick up your parcel note" was ever received by me - even though the post office in Benmore dispatched it to my Paulshof postal address. I had to drive a detour to pick up the package.
I've had my post box with Rivonia for more than a year now. In this year I've received quite a few parcels and twice I was given a parcel that was not addressed to me.
"He said there were measures in place to deal with theft and corruption and that there had been a 64 percent decline in postal crime.
"We are still continuing, though, with measures that include investment in technology, cultural education and training people to make them understand the implications to the economy, themselves and the image to the country," he said.
Lose said the post office carried about 6.5 million parcels and letters a day."
My question is, if the post office's slogan is "we deliver" - should they not deliver? How can they not be held accountable for theft by their employees? Don't try to tell me that the parcels get lost and doesn't get stolen - because how do they get lost? Fairies? I don't think so.
"The global mail order business made the surprise announcement this week without first informing the Post Office, which learned about the decision when it was contacted for a comment by Business Day.
The South African Post Office is the only postal service in Africa that has been blacklisted because of the large number of items that have gone missing, presumed stolen."
What a surprise... SAPO "looses" parcels.Did you know that when they loose your parcel they only refund the postage money if not insured? That is, if you can get someone to take your matter on.
I have had a parcel from China stolen and it took them a month to "investigate". I had to keep on phoning the get any information about what they've found. What was their conclusion? Nothing, absolutely nothing. They refunded me the postage money. No apologies, nothing.
The other thing that happens at SAPO is that they send parcels to the wrong post office. If a parcel's delivery address is in Randburg - how does it end up in Sandton? To top it off, this particular parcel arrived in South Africa 3 weeks before I could find it. No "pick up your parcel note" was ever received by me - even though the post office in Benmore dispatched it to my Paulshof postal address. I had to drive a detour to pick up the package.
I've had my post box with Rivonia for more than a year now. In this year I've received quite a few parcels and twice I was given a parcel that was not addressed to me.
"He said there were measures in place to deal with theft and corruption and that there had been a 64 percent decline in postal crime.
"We are still continuing, though, with measures that include investment in technology, cultural education and training people to make them understand the implications to the economy, themselves and the image to the country," he said.
Lose said the post office carried about 6.5 million parcels and letters a day."
My question is, if the post office's slogan is "we deliver" - should they not deliver? How can they not be held accountable for theft by their employees? Don't try to tell me that the parcels get lost and doesn't get stolen - because how do they get lost? Fairies? I don't think so.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
I'm still here
Well, 79 days and I really can't wait. I've looked into our visa options and we can either do our Schengen visas through Spain or France. France you can only go the week before and then it takes 3 days to do the visa - and you better hope it all goes well! Spain, I'm not sure yet. If however we can do it sooner than the 1 week at France, that is it. We are entering France first and stay a day or 2 longer in Spain, so luckily for us, we have a choice.
We've also run into major difficulties in trying to book a Vueling.com flight for my friend. I'm booked on it and we've both booked another flight on it, plus we've emailed them and they've phoned us all the way from Spain... I guess my friend will have to show some leg to get on board! We're still on the prowl for Amsterdam accommodation and Barcelona accommodation as neither one of us had much time to get to this these last few weeks.
I've also done a few fabulous posts for Blog.Travelstart.co.za last week that will get published in the next couple of weeks - so be on the lookout for those. I'm also really psyched about what is happening on Goddess.co.za, things are really starting to cook over there - so get your browser to open it and read some | win some! Other blogs that I'm really into right now is anything travel related and of course http://raisingdaughters-mommy.blogspot.com.
I also saw my cousin's first born this weekend... from a distance - strict instructions were given not to try hand me the baby... as I really don't like having spit all over me, nor does it bring out the mother in me.
We've also run into major difficulties in trying to book a Vueling.com flight for my friend. I'm booked on it and we've both booked another flight on it, plus we've emailed them and they've phoned us all the way from Spain... I guess my friend will have to show some leg to get on board! We're still on the prowl for Amsterdam accommodation and Barcelona accommodation as neither one of us had much time to get to this these last few weeks.
I've also done a few fabulous posts for Blog.Travelstart.co.za last week that will get published in the next couple of weeks - so be on the lookout for those. I'm also really psyched about what is happening on Goddess.co.za, things are really starting to cook over there - so get your browser to open it and read some | win some! Other blogs that I'm really into right now is anything travel related and of course http://raisingdaughters-mommy.blogspot.com.
I also saw my cousin's first born this weekend... from a distance - strict instructions were given not to try hand me the baby... as I really don't like having spit all over me, nor does it bring out the mother in me.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
95...
I love double digits ... especially after I had to count down from 600!
I can't wait to land in London!
I can't wait to land in London!
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