The view from hitch-hiking position #2 On Friday we left Napier to spend the weekend with friends in Taupo. Gayle fetched me from work, and we drove straight there. The petrol gauge was less than a quarter full, and so we both agreed that we needed to stop for fuel “soon”. We drove past a [...]
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Kiwi Golden Girl
This evening I had the privilege of meeting a true Kiwi Golden Girl. When our landlord originally suggested that we pop in to see our neighbor, an elderly widow, because it would be the “proper” thing to do, I have to admit to resenting it a bit.. I thought, “Gosh. We’ve got so much going [...]
Why emigrating (to New Zealand) is a bit like dying
In 17 days, we fly from South Africa to our new home in Napier, New Zealand. As we’ve been going through the process of packing up, closing up, and saying goodbye, I’ve been reflecting that emigrating is a bit like how I’ve always imagined dying would be…
We can’t take our possessions with us, so we [...]
We have too much “stuff”
Paul Graham has a great article entitled “Stuff“. Well worth reading. It’s clear to me that we have far too much “material baggage” in our lives, as evidenced by the feeling of huge relief and freedom we experienced when all our possessions burned up in the boarding house fire of March this year.
Given our impending [...]
To my new friend Shaik
Dear Shaik,
I’m sorry that we won’t get to see you tomorrow before we leave. Thank you so much for your letter, it really does mean a lot to me. You were the first person I engaged with upon arrival in Singapore, and you epitomized the warm and friendly reception we’ve received ever since then - [...]
SA’s dept of home affairs’s service is a far cry from “World Class”
I spent two and a half hours this afternoon at the Randburg Department of Home Affairs, simply to collect my new temporary passport. As I walked in, I noticed the glossy poster on the wall, proudly displaying the department seal, and boldly proclaiming their vision: “Providing a world class service”
Home Affairs Mission
I wait for [...]
Speak to the face
My wife and I differ on our Facebook philosophies. Maybe it’s one of those gender-specific things. Her rule is “don’t befriend me unless you really want to talk to me“. She’s a woman. She wants to connect. To relate. To be more than a status icon on somebody’s hundreds-of-friends list.
My rule is “befriend me. Maybe [...]
An entire washing machine fits in the Nissan Micra
My new friend Chris, who handled our insurance claim on the big appliances destroyed in the fire, dropped off our replacement washing machine today. When we spoke, he talked about sending his driver, and then due to timing, he ended up coming himself to drop it off. I pictured him arriving in a bakkie, or [...]
Pet Peeve #1 - People sticking their fingers ON my screen!
My friends and family will tell you that I’m fairly sloppy when it comes to my car. I leave junk in the back seats, I have it washed far too infrequently, and I don’t get at all uptight when a passenger dings the door against the wall. (All three things, in my experience, are expected [...]
The name on the other side of the lens
This morning, I took a camcorder with me to do duty at the boarding house. I wanted to record impromptu messages from the boys to “Mr G“, my good friend and mentor who taught at the school for 4 years, before emigrating to New Zealand.
As soon as I whipped out the camcorder, the boys had [...]
