Die 2de potgooi vandat ons weer in 2006 terug Suid-Afrika toe gekom het. Soos belowe is hierdie potgooi meer positief as die vorige een. 🙂
Potnotas:
Attie Heunis's Journey
The ramblings of a Caucasian African American
-
Blou Bulle wen Super 14 finaal in Orlando -
Ja julle hier (na 4 jaar!!) is ons weer. Ons lig luisteraars in wat van ons geword het sedert 2006 te ons laas ge-“pot” het. Ek kla oor misdaad en die regering.
Potnotas:
of laai af.Onthou Attie se potgooi feed vir die wat wil inteken.
-
On March 29, 2010 I took some Dreamscape/Seascape photos at Cape St Francis, Eastern Cape that I’m really proud of. I knew it was going to be full moon and I had planned the shoot as taught by Hougaard Malan on one of his courses. I used a Nikon D90 with an 18-200mm lens at 18mm. Shutter speeds were between 25 and 30 seconds to get the smokey effect. ISO was 200. I tried to create angles towards the brilliant full moon and took the photos with a Manfrotto tripod and very importantly from within the water.
The photo with the patterns was created by exposing when the wave pulled back. The pinkish photo was created with the in-camera raw functionality and the rest were edited with Photoshop Lightroom (a tool that has now become as important as my camera). The light towards the right of the moon on some of the photos belongs to a fishing boat. I think it enhances the composition of the photos in which it appears. The rocky photo has, somewhat unexpectedly, great composition. The rocks kind of point away from the moon.
This was a great experience for me. It always happens to me, but when I take an awesome photo I immediately know it. Needless to say I couldn’t wait to get home to start processing the photos! Ironically I showed the photos to many people, but many of them had (I felt) underwhelming responses to the photos. I think it is because non-photographers don’t always know when one photo is technically more difficult to take than another. Still I am definitely going to print the photos to sell in the Red Apple and other shops.
-
My droom gisteraand – ‘n strange ene – het so gegaan:
Ek en ‘n klomp mense onder andere my groot vriend Thinus kuier by vreemde mense – almal slaap in een groot vertrek. Daar is ‘n vrou wat van Shari, my niggie praat. Ek sê toe vir haar dat Shari my niggie is. Shari is High Society en die vrou glo my nie; ek vertel toe vir haar ‘n klomp feite van Shari totdat sy my glo. Sy vertel my dat Shari getroud is met Nico Panagio (van Survivors) se neef. Ek sê toe dat Thinus ook vir Shari ken – hulle het saam in ‘n huis gebly. Thinus sê toe verleë hy wil nie daaroor praat nie.
Volgende scene: Ek, Thinus en ‘n klomp ouens ry in ‘n klein vliegtuig oor Johannesburg. Ons sien ‘n fabriek wat afbrand. Die fabriek behoort aan een van die passasiers, maar hy gee nie om nie. Die vlieënier vlieg nou stadig en baie laag (5m) bo oor al die voertuie in die verkeersknope. Johannesburg lyk soos Oos Los Angeles. Daar is verskriklik baie karre en overpasses en geen mooi huise of groot geboue nie. Dis nie heeltemal ‘n shanty town nie, maar nog steeds depressing. Ons stop met die vliegtuig sommer in die pad en klim uit. Ons pak blikkies koeldrank uit op ‘n keermuur langs die pad. Die blikkies is blou.
Volgende scene: Ek en ‘n klomp ouens staan in ‘n enorme garage – moontlik ‘n chop shop. Hierdie deel is weird! Ek sien een van die ouens het enorme eiers! Die volgende oomblik roep ‘n horny vrou hom nader en hulle gaan shag in ‘n limousine. ‘n Ander vrou roep my nader, maar sy lyk te veel van ‘n slapper vir my. Ek sê nee dankie. Een van die ander ouens vra my of hy haar kan vat. Ek sê ja. Hy vertel my dat dit ‘n baie eerbare ding is in hulle “gang” en gee my ‘n high five. Die limousine reverse uit die garage uit. Ek wil weer kyk of die vrou wat ek nou net laat gaan het rêrig so sleg was en probeer die limo volg. Na ‘n lang ruk besef ek dat ek nie kan opvang met die limo nie. Ek draai om en soek na die groot garage. Maar ek het verdwaal.
Ek sien ‘n groep van 4 meisies (een baie mooi, met ‘n kort blou blink mini aan) wat ek op ‘n manier erken. Hulle koop iets in ‘n hoek kafee. Ek loop by die kafee in en vra hulle of hulle weet waar die garage en die ander ouens is. Die een met die blou rokkie gee my ‘n vieslike kyk en stap by die winkel uit; die res volg haar. Hulle ignoreer my flat. Ek strip my moer; loop agter hulle aan en skree “I don’t have a disease you know!”. Die een – ‘n valerige een – draai om en sê op ‘n gawe manier vir my dat ek iets moet eet voor die aand om is. Skielik sien ek sy is baie oulik; ek kan sien sy laaik my ook. Ek sit my arm om haar; ek kan sien sy hou daarvan. Een van haar buddies – ‘n blonde een – stap nader en terg haar oor ons – maar welwillend. Ek het ‘n geel plastiek eendjie in my hand en gooi die blonde buddie jokingly agter teen die kop. Ons al drie lag saam en stap verder. As happy as can be!
En toe word ek wakker.
Ek dink baie mense sal hierdie goed probeer analiseer, maar ek doen nie dit nie. Vir my is dit maar net vreemd; en ek hou van vreemd!
-
Vandat ons huis in 2008 klaargebou is het ek as ‘n totale leuk begin tuinmaak. Wel ek besluit, maar die tuinjong doen die “maak”. Ek moet sê ek vind dit ongelooflik stimulerend. Ek probeer so veel inheems gaan as wat ek kan, maar ek het ‘n paar uitheemse plante ook. Soos enigeen in die omgewig weet het ons onder kwaai droogte deurgeloop, maar my tuin het goed gehou. Ek sukkel net met die gras en my Gousblomme het gevrek. Die res gaan goed aan.
Van my inheemse plante is:
- Biosviooltjie (Barleria repens)
- Heuningklokkiesbos (Freylina tropica)
- Gazanias (Gazania rigens)
- Kusgousblom (Arctotis ‘Red Magic’) – ongelukkig het hulle gevrek, maar ek wil nog kry
- Bosboerboon (Schotia latifolia) – my gunsteling boom
- Hen en kuikens (Chlorophytum comosum)
- Varkore (zanthedeschia araceae)
- Wildepruim (Harpephyllum caffrum)
- Waterbessie (Syzigium cordatum)
- Nieshout (Ptaeroxylon obliquum) – my 2de gunsteling boom
- Flamboyant (Delonix regia)
- Kokoboom (Maytenus procumbens)
- Boslelies (Clivias)
- Stêrappel (Diospyros dichrophylla)
Uitheemse plante in my tuin:
- Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata)
- Roosmaryn (Rosemarinus officinalis)
- Suurlemoenboom
- Bromeliads
-
Die Antwoord is bad (meaning good). Like so many people (including American rock god Fred Durst, top-of-the-pops icon Katie Perry and Riviersonderend) I have been blown away by South-Africa’s new runaway band Die Antwoord. Everybody who is anybody is talking about this band – and most of the buzz isn’t even in South Africa! Some of their songs have had more than a million hits on Youtube. Their early success is phenomenal. Like many South Africans I can’t totally place them. It is obvious they are taking the piss about the Zef culture in South Africa, but how much of it is real? Their songs/videos are very funny and much of it is staged, but I’m certain there is a lot of reality as well. Who cares? I don’t.
Many South-Africans, especially the more conservatives ones, won’t be impressed by this music. To me many of their songs are too vulgar and over the top, but Enter the Ninja is utterly brilliant and seriously gives me goosebumps when I listen to it. It definitely has strong elements of Marshall Mathers (aka Eminem) and, like some of his music, resonates with the dispossessed. And right now in South-Africa and the world there are many of those. The lyrics are serious (not like the other songs) and describe the fight for survival in SA.
Technically the rapping by MaxNormal aka The Ninja is astonishing. I had no clue we had such great artists in this media in SA. Although subsequently I have now heard Jack Parow as well and he is also damn good. The video, set design, website and all the other production elements are comparable with the best in the music business. Again it doesn’t even look South-African it is so good. The people that created this are serious pros.
Going forward will be tricky: they obviously want to nurse the global audience they now have, but they need to stay Zef and South African. If I were them I’d be careful of being too vulgar (for example “Jou ma se P##s” in ‘n Fishpaste Jar). I don’t think they need the vulgarity, because their music is brilliant enough. Enter the Ninja has lots of swearing, but it is justified, but “Jou ma se P##s” in ‘n Fishpaste Jar” is too much.
Nothing would please me more if Die Antwoord continued with this massive surge; I wish them all the best. Yo Ninja. GO!
-
Lene, Elke & Cara at Knysna Heads After another hectic season we eventually went on holiday for 8 days. We stayed at Dune Park resort between Keurboomstrand and Plettenberg Bay. It is a very nice spot and the duplex units (2 bedroom, double storey) are very attractive, neat and certainly big enough for a family of four, like ours. It is just a 5 minute drive from the beautiful Keurboomstrand and 10 minutes from Plettenberg Bay. We paid R650 per night for the whole unit which I felt was actually good value. It must be said that their occupancy while we were there seemed to be no more than 10%.
I swam at Keurboomstrand near the beach house of an old friend (an ex-boyfriend of my sister and his sister Caroline). We spent a summer there which was really unforgettable. I don’t know if the house still belongs to their family though.
We visited the Knysna heads again. It is always a special place, but I am disappointed that Knysna Municipality doesn’t keep it clean. Now and two years ago when we were last there the caves and path leading to the caves stinks of urine and worse. Considering what a spectacular and popular spot this is they really should control this better.
We stopped at the Wolf Sanctuary between Plett & Knysna. Elke wasn’t really that keen on the wolves, but I literately had to drag her away from the petting zoo. She loved the “skapies” and bunnies. In fact she loved the bunnies too much – some of them were definitely winded after being held by Elke. Adorable really. They had African Wild Dog there as well. I never realised how big the animals are. They are as big as a big German Shepard; I always had the impression they were the size of a Labrador or such.
We also visited the Plettenberg Bay several times. The highlight was probably Le Forniel Bakery & Coffee Shop right in the centre of town. It is not that well advertised or signed, but do look out for it; you will not be disappointed. Their croissants are legendary. They definitely gave us some ideas for The Red Apple.
Keurboomstrand is a stunning holiday town with amazing vistas and awesome swimming. We had pasta at Enrico’s, probably one of the best located restaurants in South Africa. Their catchphrase, which I love, is “If it were any closer [to the sea], you’d get wet.”!
The rest of our holiday we spent lazing about at Lene’s parents’ house on the Kromme River. This was probably the most uneventful part of the holiday, but we really did need it.
The holiday was good and necessary, but kids make things complicated. Elke was really difficult the whole trip, partly because she was sick and I think partly because she’s acting out against all the attention Cara is now getting. Inevitably one feels sorry for the elder child, but I guess it is part of life.
-
I’ve been a reluctant customer with BSmart for over a year now. I am bound by a contract I signed with them, but my attorney says that hopefully I might be able to get out. If and when I do I will NEVER EVER do business with this highly unethical company again.
It was my own fault to an extent for not having read the contract as well as I should have, but I blame their salesmen. They use an aggressive sales technique by bullying customers into signing without the customer having the chance to read the contract. This practice is completely illegal in the UK and should be here as well. They are also dishonest when first engaging the customer by pretending to be Telkom engineers who claim to be able bring down your phone costs. The salesmen I dealt with promised me that you can cancel the contract and within 24hrs they collect the equipment. However when I tried this I was told that the contract is for 5 years!!! After having looked at the contract this does seem to be the case, but I took the word of the seemingly reputable salesman. My bad!
They are also very devious by having ABSA finance on the contract instead of them, I’m certain they did this knowing full well that their legal costs would be huge as everyone would be challenging them in court. Instead it is ABSA, with deep pockets, that you have to fight. I think ABSA are not entirely innocent in this matter either. I don’t think they are doing enough to enforce good business practice by BSmart.
The most recent problem relates to a faulty PABX unit (was damaged by lightning) that they say I have to pay for. This is yet another attempt at squeezing more money from an already paying customer. As I have a service agreement with them, surely they are responsible for the upkeep of THEIR equipment.
I urge anybody to save yourself a lot of trouble and money by avoiding BSmart at all costs. This is a dishonest unethical company that won’t hesitate to extract as much as they can without providing adequate service. This is certainly not just my ranting, take a look at BSmart on HelloPeter.com; you’ll see that they have no “happy” faces and 21 “unhappy” faces next to their name.
Another one of their salesmen came round to me office recently not knowing I was already an unwilling customer. Needless to say I forcibly removed him from my office.
-
Ek het vandag onwillig my lidmaatskap aan AfriForum opgesê. Dit was vir my ‘n moeilike besluit gewees. Ek is deur van my vriende gewaarsku dat Afriforum nog steeds die verkramptes is, net in ander gewaad. Ek het dit nie geglo nie en het lekker groot gepraat oor al Afriforum se indrukwekkende oorwinnings in die hof en hoe hulle die politieke landskap verbeter vir minderhede en Afrikaanssprekendes.
Dit was dus met skok dat ek vandag in AfriForum se nuusbrief verneem het van hulle teenkanting teen die Afrikaanse Vrydenkersbeweging (AVB) se aandrang dat alle skole ons land se wette rakende opvoeding moet nakom. Spesifiek gaan dit oor die beoefening van die Christen geloof in ons skole. Die AVB en ek, wat nie ‘n Christen is nie, wil nie hê dat belasting geld moet betaal om ons mense te probeer bekeer nie. AfriForum, blyk dit, wil.
Al is die konsep van ‘n persoonlike god vir my belaglik, is dit nie my saak as ouers hulle kinders wil bekeer (of watookal) nie. Maar ek trek die streep by staatsinstansies waarvoor ek (deur belasting) betaal. Dit is nie die staat se plek om die Christen of enige andere geloof te bevorder nie. Geloof is een ding; die staat ‘n ander. Alle 1ste wêreldse lande respekteer hierdie weldeurdagte, regverdige beleid. Die flip side is lande soos Afganistan en Iran waar fundamentalisme seëvier.
Tot vandag het ek gedink dat AfriForum juis vir die Grondwet staan, maar nou blyk dit heel duidelik dat dit nie altyd die geval is nie. Godsdiensvryheid is iets waarvoor ek al lank baklei. Tesame met Persvryheid is dit vir my van kardinale (verskoon my pun) belang en verseker van die hoekstene van ‘n demokrasie. Die ondermyning van hierdie beginsels deur AfriForum is vir my onaanvaarbaar en ek kan nie dit met my beginsels vereenselwig nie. So ten spyte van al die fenomenale werk wat AfriForum gedoen het en steeds doen, onttrek ek vandag my ondersteuning (finansieel en moreel) van die groep.
-
‘n Week gelede is my vriend Juan Jansen koelbloedig vermoor. Hy en sy vrou, Nelmarie, was op pad om kontant van hul besigheid, die Sunshine Coast Spar, in te betaal, toe 4 swart rowers hom doodgeskiet het NA hy vir hulle die geld gegee het. Dit het die hele gemeenskap geskok en vir ons onmiddelike vriendekring nog meer so. Die feite van die insident is egter redelik bekend en nou, na al die emosie en woede, wil ek nie weer hieroor skryf nie. Ek wil eerder skryf oor Jannie, soos sy groot vriend Greg Baxter hom genoem het, toe hy nog gelewe het.
Die Jansens (Juan, Nelmarie, Conrad & Deidré) het net voor ons hier in die omgewing aangekom. Ons het mekaar gegroet ensovoorts, maar ons het hulle eers rêrig in 2007 goed leer ken. Aanvanklik was hulle skaam gewees, maar na ‘n ruk het ons baie goed oor die weg gekom. Die 1ste amptelike ding wat Ek en Lené saam met die Jansens gedoen het was ‘n seekos aand by die Kenton Laerskool. Die eerste ding wat ek alleen saam met Juan gedoen het was ‘n gholf dag in Port Alfred. Ek en hy het teen sy ander (meer bekwame gholfer) vriende gespeel. Ek en hy het sleg verloor daai dag, maar ons het baie goed ge-click. Daai aand was dit sy verjaarsdag paartie en ek, Lené en Elke was daar. Hy het die 29ste Junie verjaar. Ek ook.
Later het ons en hulle bevriend geraak met Greg & Sue Baxter (wat van Kanada af hierheen getrek het) en Tjaart & Fleur Coetzee. Almal van ons het ander vriende ook gehad, maar ons 4 gesinne het regtig baie goed oor die weg gekom. Ons, die Baxters en die Jansens het 2 keer saam weggegaan vir naweke. Die 1ste keer in 2008 was ons Bushman’s Sands toe vir ‘n gholf naweek en die 2de keer was 4 weke vir ‘n naweek op die Kromme Rivier. Ons het ander trips ook saam gedoen soos die Kirkwood Wildsfees en talle braaie, kuiers en selfs wodka-en-sjokolade aande by Tjaart & Fleur Coetzee. 🙂 Dit het net so goed gewerk. Ek het altyd gedink dis ‘n baie spesiale situasie gewees.
Juan was vir my rêrig ‘n inspirerende mens gewees. Hy en Nelmarie het hard gewerk om te kom waar hulle is (was). Somtyds te hard, but they did what they had to. Hulle het ons vertel hoe hard hulle moes werk by Dulce’s, hulle restaurant in Port Elizabeth, en ons kon dit waardeur omdat dit ook maar rof kan gaan by die Red Apple, ons besigheid. Hulle het vir ons ongelooflik baie waardevolle raad gegee. Ten spyte van die harde werk en die sukses wat gekom het was Juan en Nelmarie se voete plat op die aarde.
Juan was ook ‘n gawe siel gewees. Ek het eendag rêrig gesukkel met my setwerk; omtrent ‘n week later daag Juan op by my voordeur met ‘n nuwe setyster wat hy iewers gekry het. Ek het nou nog nie met hom gaan speel nie. Hy het ook vir my ‘n smart gholf baadjie sommer net gegee. En lojaal. By die Kromme Rivier het ek en ‘n ander ou mekaar amper beetgekry. Juan, ten spyte daarvan dat hy nie ‘n bakleier was nie (ek ook nie rêrig nie), het langs my kom staan; gereed vir aksie! Hierdie is maar net my stories, maar al Juan se vriende het dieselfde soort stories.
Juan wou leer oor fotografie. Hy het ‘n kamera op my advies gekoop en ek en hy het ‘n paar lesse gedoen. Nou wens ek ek het meer tyd gespandeer om hom te leer, maar ek wou hom nie druk en hom so afskrik nie. Ek het gedink hy moet dit self ontdek en dan sou ek hom help om verder reg te kom. Ongelukkig het dit toe nooit sover gekom nie. Juan wou altyd meer weet. So was dit ook met ‘n spesifieke saak wat ek en hy van tyd tot tyd bespreek het. Ek gaan dit maar daar laat.
Dit is snaaks maar toe ek hoor Juan is in sy bors geskiet en dit lyk sleg het ek nog steeds nie gedink ons gaan nooit weer vir Juan sien nie. Selfs toe ons daai onvergeetlike nuus gekry het: “Juan is dood”, het dit nie by my ingesink dat ons vriend nou nie meer is nie; ons het nog hulle winkel, die Spar, help toesluit. Dit was eers toe ek daai middag by die hospitaal vir oulaas vir ou Juan gesien het dat ek besef het dis alles verby. Ek was nog nooit in my lewe so geruk nie. Skielik besef jy hierdie great ou, ‘n regte bydraer, is gone. Ek besef dat ‘n mens se nabye familie is sekerlik erger, maar het nog nooit so verlies ervaar nie. Ek dink dit het te doen met die omstandighede van sy dood; toe hy gelewe het was hy so ‘n positiewe ou. Miskien verteenwoordig sy moord vir my die grotere tragedie van ons Suid-Afrika. Ek hoop nie so nie.
Ek en baie ander mense gaan hom vreeslik mis; ons sal nooit sy alomteenwoordige glimlag vergeet nie. Onder is ‘n video/foto huldeblyk aan ou Jannie.
Attie Heunis's Journey 