old habits never die...

i remember arriving late at a computer science lecture once. i think it was the networks module of third year if my memory serves me correctly. 15 minutes late i think i was. this time around, the lecturer decided to ask for a reason for my lateness. an impromtu response was: "public transport." (oh, just to add: i was staying in res --- kopano, and between res and LT302, there was no public transport involved) that got me off the hook. at least that time at least.

now, this "flexible hours" thing is really killing me. i feel no urge to wake up in the morning. today i got to work at about 09H30 (Jay is still the winner at arriving at work late though. or is it also flexible hours for you Jay?) didn't even feel guilty. no one asked me questions. nada. so yah. one day when i start real work for a real company, i suspect this will all come back to haunt me. because it's true; old habits really never die, they probably go dormant for a long while. or even better: lapho okwake kwama khona amanzi, oyophinde ame futhi.

with that, i say kill your old habits (except possibly for sleep...)

-S.

when time hogs...

yes, time does hog. i knock off at about 16H00 daily, regardless of the time that i came in (no one is looking, so i may as well take advantage of that tiny little fact). so, i have been yawning and falling asleep infront of this notebook thing for the past 2 or so hours (this was written a little after 15H50), so i decided to use the remaining 10 minutes on something constructive. the next thing i know it will be time for me to leave. yippee. honestly though, i fall asleep and feel forever tired not because i lack something to do but because there is a wee degree of interest in things that i should be doing*. so there you go. today Brazil plays Ghana, or is it vice versa? whichever way, my bet was a 1-1 draw (with Brazil winning 5-4 on penalties), so that is something that i am looking forward to this afternoon. that and spending quality time with a woman...

-S.

* in short, i hate my job (but then again, who doesn't?)

tshwane metro police 3 - 0 ciaa

that's the running score. three traffic tickets since february. two tickets in two days (yesterday and today). what could be worse?

yesterday's ticket was just too weak. i currently do not have a parking spot at work, so i park on the street. if i arrive early enough, i get really good parking a few steps from the entrance to work. if late, i battle (to both find parking and walk the long distance from car to desk). now, i think these were new recruits trying to impress their bosses by issuing out a ridiculous amount of tickets in one day, but they were issuing tickets to all the cars that were parked on the street. ALL the cars. i was parked in a clearly demarcated area, where there was no meter that needed to be payed. nothinng. just an innocent parking bay on the side of the street. eish, when i arrived, there was the ticket in the windshield; stipulating that i was parked at a bus stop. riiiiight. i will query that. i do not have R200 to give the municipality as a pressie.

today. i had a bank appointment at 12H30. no seat belt. R200. initially, it was R400, but through negotiations, i managed to have it halved. i did not have cash. otherwise i would have bribed the hell out of that officer dude. he wanted me to. i told him that i did not have cash on me (next time i should be more prepared). he was an Afrikaner fellow, attempting a version of seTshwana so that i could see that he and i were thinking alike. i'm sure R20 would have done the trick.

so there. two fines in as many days. i hope i do not make it a hat trick.

-S.

so foul and fair the Cape i have not seen

June 16 was important. but more so was June 15. the day i was admitted to the degree of Master of Science (Computer Science) at the University of Cape Town.

...it all started in February 2004. the MSc began. i had no idea as to who my supervisor would be nor had i even thought of a topic. all i knew was that i had more than enough funding + i did not want to go and work*. so, to cut 2 years short, i found a master (Hussein Suleman - nice fellow), i found a course (Flexible Packaging Methodologies for Rapid Deployment of Customisable Digital Libraries) and i got the degree. [oh, i had a very Wanda-ful girlfriend# throughout the 2 years. always there for support and all, and for that i will forever be greatful to her, wherever life takes her]

it was good to be in the mother city again. i really miss it. the atmosphere is completely different to what Gauteng has to offer. obviously. met some friends. had fun. the most fun i had was hunting for an outfit. did V&A waterfront, Canal Walk, Cavendish Square (all more than once).

the ceremony was splendind, save for it being somewhat longer that initially anticipated. the most disappointing part about the whole graduation thing was that there was no RAG wine for sale after the ceremony. a BIG down.

stayed up all night after grad, with the company of Johny Black (Johny Walker - black label) until my flight on Friday morning at 7. no, i did not miss it.

yah, there goes my summary.

-S.

* work is something that shouldn't be done unless it's absolutely necessary. note the recursive nature of this definition.

# a girlfriend is _something_ that must just be there, not be trusted and always provide for you (pardon my oblong definition, but that's how i felt at the time of writting this log)

...the return baba...

yes, i have returned. i now have access to all the sites that i previously did not have access to here at work. i guess there is a lot of 'catching up' stories that i must still scribble. the joys of life. i have been sad. i have been happy. and i guess i have been everything inbetween...

so yah. watch this space. lots more is yet to come. but for now, adios...

-S.