Thursday, November 4, 2010

The Last Lecture

What a great surprise it was, I have been so busy caught up in my work, that holidays had been the last event on my mind. I was truly glad that class had ended. We were all excited to know that it was holiday, while still sad.

We were had because we knew that these beautiful campus days would be coming to an end. We knew that a new life would be coming soon when we go out into industry and start new jobs. Our new jobs would open a new chapter for us, leaning new things and viewing life from a different angel. It was exciting indeed, but sad for me too. I would no longer see my favourite lecturer, Miss Marion Pike.

Even on the last day of class, she informed us greatly on all the world activity and gave us a brilliant lecture. I have always learnt a great amount of knowledge in her class and she definitely needs to be acknowledged and thanked for all her hard work put into the industry.

The last lecture was exciting, however it was quiet long, either because it was the last lecture, or nobody wanted to leave. Maybe at that point everything started sinking in. Everybody started to realise that today is the last day. From the last class, all we need to do now is hope for good grades.

Watch this space…..

Watch this space…..

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My favourite cat in the hat book

The rabbit in the hat would be magical. The cat in the bag would be a secret that is kept.
A cat in the hat would be an ending that you did not expect. The book which I greatly enjoyed reading was Carry, by Stephen King.

Carry was seen to be an outcast amongst her school friends as she was different. She found difficulties at school as well as in her personal life. Her mother was difficult and gave her an extremely hard time. She had been abused through her mother’s beliefs of Christianity. She was a poor girl who did not grow up as privileged as the other girls in her age group.

Carry discovers that she is telekinetic, and in an attempt to keep her powers to herself, she is constantly pushed to the boundaries by her mother and peers. In many incidents she uses her powers in a revenge attack to the people who harmed her.

The cat in the hat part is, when she cries out for her abusive mother whom she hated growing up before dying of a heart attack. She died in her enemies arms, who plotted all these nasty activities against her.

My First World Cup Experience

The hosting of the 2010 World Cup has come and gone. It was surely an occasion to remember. It was exciting, nail biting and filled with surprises. What a wonderful month! What an incredible spectacle! Flags of different countries flying on cars, flags of countries adorned people’s homes. For the first time the world cup has taken place on Africa soil, after 1976 when Fifa banned South Africa from world football. Locals and internationals made their way to the fan fest on the Grand Parade. They enjoyed the matches as well as the hype. This was history. It was great.

I was blessed to receive the opportunity to watch the game between Germany and Argentina at the Cape Town Stadium. Unfortunately my team, Argentina lost. The Score was four to Germany and zero to Argentina. Even though Argentina lost, Cape Town stadium was rocking with everybody socializing, taking photos and blowing their vuvuzelas. Everybody was in high spirits from the word go. I started this amazing experience by walking the fan walk, where they have various exciting activities such as musicians and dancers. I enjoyed walking this amazing route with my Maradonna T-shirt and being acknowledged by various Argentinean supporters and even German supporters.

Being inside Cape Two stadium at a prestige match such as that was an experience on its own. As I took my seat I could not believe that I was there, even the air smelt different. It was my first time in such a packed stadium. Spectators loved the atmosphere and cheered loudly long before the game. They cheered even louder once Germany started to shred Argentina. Some of the comments chanted by spectators were hilarious. Some chanted: “Maradonna, you’re a goner, leave without an honour.

The vuvuzela was blown as loudly as possible; I blew my lips till they felt swollen and big enough to fit on a tractor. I blew hard in support of my team who unfortunately came second to a better team on the day. People were in a jovial mood irrespective of Argentina playing a bad game. The mood was great, the spectator’s fantastic, and the game exciting. As you looked around, you saw a sea of blue and white. Those were Argentinean supporters. Then you also saw rows and rows of black and white, those were Argentinean supporters. I have never seen so many funny hats in my life, in the colours of two teams. WOW! It was amazing!

When the prayers of either team performed well, the crowed roared, screamed and clapped with delight. They were very loyal to the team they hoped would win.

It was my very first time I had been part of a Mexican wave. It had always been one of those things I wanted to experience.

The world cup really brought South Africa and international tourists together. Those supporting Germany, would hug you when Germany scored a goal, and would later apologies. The Germans made the most noise as the Germans were on a winning streak.
They also sang lively German songs which I wish I could understand and join in. Things were moving, great stuff we were having a ball. I had so much fun that when Argentina scored, I jumped up and jumped onto my seat, finding myself on the floor, one row behind where I was seated looking up to unpleased Germans as we celebrated our goal. What a celebration it was, only to cry later and watch the Germans celebrate as the goal was disallowed. What brilliance, just when you wandered what more could go wrong they put away another two goals.


I’m still proud of my team and believe that some day we will take it again. It has been a good run however we can not win all the time. I would love to relive or rewind to that moment again. Even though Argentina lost it is an experience I will never forget.

Why I have conversations

I have conversations to learn from others. It is fascinating to learn about others behaviours and their lifestyles. It is interesting to observe cultural differences and beliefs. These are the traits that make us unique, and my aim is to figure out a trait that can not be seen with the eye.

I partake in conversations, as it is said; “You should not judge a book by its cover”. Conversations help me discover what’s inside the book. It helps me to learn about other places and people, to learn new things that I may not necessarily know. I create dialogue to build relationships. I build relations to make use of these relationships at some point. I initiate discussions to understand others, to comprehend their feelings towards issues, to listen to their views and appreciate their arguments. I have conversations to negotiate with my friends and family. Conversation enlightens me in the form of research, to discover things about people, businesses and topical issues. I have conversations to improve my discussion with the next person. I have a conversation to learn.

We all have conversations as we feel the need to be accepted in a grouped as well as acknowledged. We need to have conversations to keep our minds active and bright ideas flowing.

Part 2

We landed at O.R Tambo in Johannesburg, where my family phoned me continuously, giving me advice. We then made our way to Budget Insurance Cars to receive our amazing car we received right after some admin work.
We welcomed our Toyota Avanza.
We had traveled quite a distance to Pretoria. We visited our first appointment, for which we were very excited. It was the Argentinean Embassy, where we were welcomed and treated like we “Members of Parliament”. All the embassies welcomed us very well, but I must also add that their security is extremely strict.

This experience of meeting ambassadors was a valuable and a well appreciated experience. It exposed me to learning about different countries, different cultures, their policies and languages. Most importantly it developed my knowledge base and molding me to be an expert in the topic. It developed my views and thinking on international issues. It has developed me holistically. This experience has inspired me to learn more about international relations, to the extent that I would work in that industry. In these meetings I have attained various skills, through observation of my facilitator, as well as professionalism from everybody around me. It also gave me a better understanding of how to conduct an interview and to listen closely to people. We completed two interviews that Tuesday. After the second interview which was with Netherlands we then headed off to the Garden Court Hotel in Hatfield to get changed. We then had a marvelous experience going to the Monte Casino. We really saw a different world. We had supper there and after that we made our way back home. Before going straight to the hotel, I visited my aunt Maud and this created a great amount of excitement in me, as I was in contact with people I had not seen often.

After an exhausting day at work we headed our way back to the hotel, as I put my head down on the pillow, I fell straight to sleep. I slept like a baby till the next morning, waking up early looking forward to the days new tasks. My colleagues said that they felt exactly the same, and welcomed a good sleep in a queen size bed, a beautiful room, a television and many more accessories to make your life comfortable. Thank You Garden Court Hatfield, you are beautiful hotel I will never forget. When we woke up we all met on the first floor of the hotel to have a remarkable breakfast. Good food, good people, and great weather. It was like a dream being away from the normal day to day routine back home. We then got all our bags and got on our way once again. Our next point of call was the South Korean Embassy. We met with an interesting and knowledgeable man, Ambassador Kim. I enjoyed listening to him as he was well informed and we had an in-depth discussion on topics. Ambassador Kim is a leader with great charisma.

We then went further to meet the Norwegian ambassador, Torr Hildan. He was another great leader bursting with knowledge on our research topics. It was great meeting Mr. Hildan, although he was extremely boring in his calm Norwegian setting. None the less I felt honored and appreciated the opportunity to meet him in person. We had a balance of varying cultures and personalities. We were thankful for this amazing opportunity to be exposed to this magnitude of people. I could not stop thanking Nirvana for allowing us to do this research with her.

After meeting all the ambassadors and gaining a vast amount of experience, we then traveled a long but happy road to Johannesburg airport. We all felt extremely satisfied and happy that our tasks in Pretoria had been successfully completed. It had been fun as well as the best learning experiences I have been involved in. I deem it an honour, and I thank Doctor Nirvana most profusely for involving me and my colleague in this project.
I am greatly thankful for this opportunity and hope that I may someday return the favour either to Nirvana or possibly another student.

The evening I arrived home, I was extremely exhausted, but still excited to share my experiences with my family, who were only too eager to listen to me. I then went to my headquarters where I fell asleep at once. The next day, I awoke to tell all my friends about my experience and what I have learnt. This is one of the greatest experiences I have ever had.

My experience to Pretoria

Wow! What an amazing experience I had! From arriving at the airport, while it was still dark on a Tuesday morning, to arriving home while it was dark already on a Friday evening was just a marvelous experience. I greatly appreciate this experience, and sincerely thank Doctor Nirvana Bechan for this wonderful experience possible for me.
My position at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology is a research assistant. I assist Doctor Nirvana Bechan in her research, which benefits not only the university and students, while also those involved and those interested in specific research topics. The topic which we focused on was International Relations and nuclear exploration.

Prior to Pretoria, an immense amount of planning took place. We were instructed to draw up letters to ambassadors, as well as additional information on our topic of research. We constantly kept communicating with embassies and consulates. We received a great deal of feedback after a long period of waiting. Many countries did not give us any feedback. Research and contacting of people, needed to be accomplished on specific deadlines set out. We constantly sat down and discussed the procedure we would follow during our two days in Pretoria. She constantly encouraged us to do better. We sat down and discussed our two days in Pretoria. We researched suitable people, and arranged dates and times which was convenient for us to meet with them. If they where unable to meet due to a busy schedule, we would arrange telephonic and email interviews. It was our aim as researchers, to maintain a balance of each research means to create a balanced view in the study.

On Tuesday, fifth of October, at four o’ clock in the morning, I was in the shower. My bags were packed and after having a sleepless night due to excitement, I was finaly off to the airport. This was my very first time on an airplane, leaving Cape Town going to Johannesburg. I was anxious and nervous to put it mildly. My family was more excited than I was. I was dropped off at the airport where I met Doctor Nirvana and my colleague Donna. We were extremely excited, as we stood in the line to recieve our tickets. Soon we boarded the plain. What joy I felt, I felt as though all the passengers in the plain were starring at me and whispering to each other, “Its his first flight, you can see it”. I walked with pride, dressed as a business man on a mission, with my shirt and tie, dressed to kill. The pilot could have mistaken me for a suicide bomber.

I followed the instructions keenly, listening and taking note of the air hostess. We then took off slowly. I was leaning over some person I did not know, so excited to see Cape Town from the air. Soon we were flying SAA, with a nice captain calming you down and telling you to enjoy the flight. Indeed I did. I enjoyed the breakfast, and then had a nap, before I knew it, it was time to land. The excitement never stopped, it just continued.

To be continued…

My big fat dream

Once I had fallen asleep, I had an amazing dream. The dream started so sweet at the chocolate factory. I was extremely happy seeing a great deal of chocolate, that it felt so real. I found a variety of chocolates; chocolate ice cream, chocolate cake, hot chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate and even chilli chocolate. I ate as much as I could in my joyous state of mind. Little did I know, the little old man, behind the curtain, had major intentions and was throwing in a big spoon of fattening potion, into the chocolate mixer.

As I closed my eyes to enjoy every moment of pleasure, I felt a strange feeling in my fingers; I could feel it in my bones. I attempted not take any note of it. I kept on eating and drinking till I could no longer walk. The next thing I knew, I was rolling around. I shouted for help, anxious and nervous for someone to rescue me. I screamed and cried like a little baby who did not understand what had happened.

It was at that moment, when I heard help arriving. I could hear familiar voices as my heart pumped with fear in the dark factory. I could not see anything and found myself rolling around from all the chocolates I have eaten. I then heard voices shout, “Traviss, Traviss, are you ok?” It had been my rescue team. I then saw the exit door and rolled towards it. I could see the light. I then opened the door to see my family surrounding me with big eye balls. I jumped up to see if I would role around, but I did not. I was back to normal. What a dream it had been. A great experience it was.

You can not chase two rabbits at the same time.

Chasing one rabbit is easy, but catching it, is a problem on its own. Catching one rabbit contains its own experiences and ideas. You must have direction and time, whether your choice to run fast or slow, you will be sure to be chasing the same rabbit. At some point you will catch the rabbit, after a long and dark night. The bright day will come and you are able to celebrate.

As humans we become greedy and many times overconfident, which could be good in many situations. However, greed is not a good idea. Once we have caught the one Rabbit, we get a head of ourselves and find ourselves being overconfident, desiring to catch more rabbits. The minute we start chasing two rabbits, we find confusion setting in, and we start moving in different directions. We should eliminate the confusion, and do our best to support our main goal.

We can not chase too many rabbits, as we will not have a direction and this will lead us to disaster. We will become despaired and doubtful. We will lose interest in catching not two rabbits, but one. The main one we will forget and the point of the exercise will be mist.

Have you figured out second head fake?

I believe I have figured out the second head fake, and have experienced it with many people. People behave differently in different environments, and do this to present an image, or to promote a certain standard, or example in that situation

It may not be true, but in many cases, it is in the best interest of the person. It is also the manner in which people have adapted, and the different types of personalities they are exposed to. This personality influences them and encourages them to develop a second head. Their first head of cause would be relaxed. They would be in the comfort of their own homes. They would perform their activities in the manner in which they feel suitable. They do not present this image in other situations, as these environments are not relaxed, and need to encourage a degree of normality, to fit in rather than to stand out.
This could be very dangerous in presenting a second head, as it is not based on truth; however each situation is dealt with in its own way. The home environment is more personal, and that is based on your rules. The work environment or any other operates on other principles, which many create second heads to achieve

The second head fake, would usually grow another head, on that head if it is linked to different environments, while still being placed in one situation.