Thursday, July 2, 2009
I'M BACK!!!
I've still been writing updates, but I haven't posted them. And then I took a break from May through June. So I will post some from April and some new ones from July. Glad to see you, again!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
NOVEMBER CHOIR CONCERT 2008
Our Xhosa Praise Poet. He added a lot to our songs.
The girls and our guitarist
Xhosa Princesses
The Boyz
The Girlz--the girls on the outside our American Exchange Students
The Drummer, Two Singers, and I
The Beautiful Candy and Monique. Monique is our Secretary.
The girls and our guitarist
Xhosa Princesses
The Boyz
The Girlz--the girls on the outside our American Exchange Students
The Drummer, Two Singers, and I
The Beautiful Candy and Monique. Monique is our Secretary.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
SUNSETS & HAIR by michelle
These were taken on top of Table Mountain by my friend Michelle.
They show a bit of my unruly but quite natural hair.
The sunsets are beautiful here. We're lucky that the sun actually sets over the ocean (we're on the west coast of Africa), so it's amazingly beautiful most nights.
They show a bit of my unruly but quite natural hair.
The sunsets are beautiful here. We're lucky that the sun actually sets over the ocean (we're on the west coast of Africa), so it's amazingly beautiful most nights.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
UPDATE - February 21, 2009
21 February 2009
C a p e T o w n S l a n g D i c t i o n a r y
Aweh :
Pronounced: Ah-where.
This is used as a greeting all over the Cape Peninsula . 'Aweh jy, hoesit ?'
Bra :
Pronounced: Brah
This word has no reference to the English word which pertains to an undergarment.
The word Bra in Cape Town refers to a close friend or acquaintance.
It's a term of endearment. 'Yah I know him, he's a Bra of mine'
Duidelik :
Pronounced 'day der lik'
This word is an adjective, describing an ideal state of mind, a cool article, perfect, or an ideal situation.
'How are you doing. Naai duidelik my bru.'
Kwaai :
In Cape Town slang this word refers to something that is really awesome, cool or nice. 'Did you see that kwaai movie?'
Mew :
This is a shortening of the word Music
Minute / Minutes :
Pronounced : Min- eee-ter'
This is one of the few words that can be pronounced in English or Afrikaans.
Meaning, Hold up! A General reference to time. It can also take on a threatening tone. As in I'm watching you.
'Minute my Broe, the train leaves at seven'
'Minute, jy kan nog nooit al my daait op iet nie'
Mos :
This word is typically used as a filler in a sentence. 'you are mos going to the shop' 'you can mos pick it up'
It has no real meaning but is used to colloquialise a sentence.
Nuh :
Pronounced: Ner
The use of the word Nuh is complex and multi dimensional. It can be used to 1. Find out if the listener is following your conversation. 'You turn left nuh, then you turn right nuh, continue straight nuh'
To indicate that your listening to a story. 'Nuh, and then what happened?'
Smokkie :
Noun pertaining to a place where you can purchase liquor any time any day.
This institution is not governed by any municipal by-laws and are operational 24/7 365.
Usually found in suburbs on the Cape Flats and surrounds.' You can get some beers from the smokkie'
Sturvy :
You can use this word to describe a variety of people, but generally it refers to someone who thinks highly of themselves, or who think they are better than everyone else. 'Nee jong, daai kin is stirvy, she only speak for England '
Versin :
Pronounced: Fer-sin
This word can be used to describe someone or something that is crazy, insane or perhaps naïve.
'Are you versin? I would never date him' 'Don't be versin, just ask her out'
(2) HOW TO PREVENT YOUR HAIR FROM MINCING
1:Always have a personal relationship with your swirl kous
2:Wella Wella Wella is not just a chorus in the song from the movie Grease
3:See if there is any truth in the myth' sugar water and Omo'
4:A 'strykyster' can be used for more than just ironing clothes
5:If it rains stay ma at home and watch DVD's, Oprah,CSI or 7nde Laan
6: If at first you don't succeed, DRY, DRY and DRY again.
7: The Early bird catches the perm, if you wake up early in the morning, put a doekie on your kop to prevent the mist from mincing your hair.
8: When the going gets tough, the hare gets rough. Rather cut your hair short when times are hard..
9. And lastly, According to Delicious Dd: If you've got it.... FLAUNT it; If you don't .....FAKE it; But if you cant do either....EMBRACE THE CHEMICALS ! LOL
(3) For all those proudly coloured mense who can relate!
If you take offense. Then you not coloured. You know you coloured when...
If you go to braai in tokai forest, suip the whole day and don't even braai any meat, then you might be coloured.
If you used to go up to Rhodes memorial at night, to suip then have to drive fast out because you saw the police vans coming up, you might be coloured.
If you used to stand outside Galaxy in your convertible BMW while its 4 degrees outside, just so the kinnis coming out can see you, then you might be coloured.
If 19 inch to you means the rims on your car, you might be coloured.
If your car can't go over speed bumps or you can't visit some of your friends because you can't get up their drive-way, you might be coloured.
If you have a ringtone of 50c and biggie smalls on your phone, you might be coloured.
If you wear 3 gold chains, 4 bracelets and gold rings on every finger (with dollar signs) but you cant afford to pay your childs welfare, you may be coloured.
If you have gold teeth, you may be coloured.
If you used to wake up early on a Saturday morning to paint your purcells white before going to Vibe, you may be coloured.
If you use lightbulbs for other purposes, you may be coloured.
If you live in Mitchells Plain , Delft , Athlone or anywhere else on the Cape Flats , you are coloured!!
If you meet a foreigner, and the first thing you wanna do is teach him to say 'jou ma se...' you might be a coloured.
If you have ever gone to bed with a swirl kous on your head...you might be a coloured.
If you've ever had a polony gatsby cut in four and a litre fruilaatie then you might be coloured.
If you use the word 'woelag ','awe', 'Duidelik' and 'HO$H'... you might be a coloured.
If your parents call your friends by their nicknames like Kos , Brood, Sloffies, Goppie and The Moor... you might be a coloured.
If your hair isn't straight and u still can make spikes....you might be a coloured.
If you ask your friends for petrol money for driving them around cos you smaak to skut... you might be a coloured.
If u can eat a gatsby without messing on your purcells... u might be a coloured.
If you organise a trip to the beach and you take a whole pot of breyani and half the contents of your house with... you might be a coloured.
If you own a Zippo lighter and its laying at home cos u can't afford liquid... u might be a coloured.
If u walked to Arena from the taxi rank in Cape Town in a bomber jacket and don't take it off till you got home with sweat marks under your arms and back... u might be a coloured.
If the word 'Vibe' brings back fond memories of dark corners, DJ Fast Eddy and bluezing with that lekker burk/kin you been eyeing all afternoon... you might be a coloured.
If the replies to the 'Please Call Me's' are 'Please Call Me's'.... then the girl you smaak ... might be a coloured.
If you ever practiced dancing in the mirror before going to a jol... you might be a coloured.
If your car sounds like it's speeding down the road, but it's only pulling out of the driveway, then you might be coloured.
If you go into Edgars Red Square and spray you before meeting that kin by the movies.... you might be a coloured.
If you ever platted your 2 colour laces on your north star excitements...you might be a coloured.
If your mother threatened u with a houte lepel before... you might be coloured.
If you went to go greet on xmas/labarang and the pants your mommy made for you matches someone's curtains, then you might be coloured.
If you go from house to house on xmas/labarang just to eet the mense's pan peanuts... you might be a coloured.
If you go greet on xmas/labarang and u don't get paper money from the mense then u take a vrag of sweets and mebos to spite them... then you might be a coloured.
If you go home with 2 barakats from a wedding... you might be a coloured.
If you go to a wedding and your mommy has a pick n pay bag in her bag and when she gets home its full of slangetjies and endearmints... you might be a coloured.
If you eat warm breyani and cold chicken at a wedding with that bakkies of ice-cream for dessert... then u might be at a coloured wedding.
When you & the taxi gaardtjie are friends... then you might be coloured.
If a bergie loafs an entjie by you and you give him a royal and he laughs at you, then you are a dom coloured.
If your mommy take cold chicken and koesiesters and a flask coffee/tea and cream crackers with cheese to the beach, then you coloured!
If you smaak boentjie kerrie more then your girlfriend...then you might be a coloured.
If you still got a Pepe dungaree in your cupboard... you might be a coloured.
And if you laughed while reading this....
YOU ARE DEFINITELY COLOURED
UPDATE
Hi, this is Victor. It's good to write to you again. So much is going on and yet so little.
Excuse the lateness in the reply. I write updates outside of work and I have not had a working laptop at home in 3 weeks. The outlet at my house blew out my adapter (it had been sparking before supposedly [I didn't know or wasn't told this]), and I really didn't know what to do as it wasn't my fault. Luckily I just found out (Friday the 20th) that it is under warranty (purchased December 10 2008) so I am taking it in on Monday the 23rd to see if they will replace or fix for free!
This is likely my last semester here, so there is a nice tension of both an increase of responsibilities and a preparation to say goodbye. Actually at the university, there has been a decrease in responsibilities. My supervisor only gave me one course, and only 1/3rd of that course to lecture. So there's less pay. They still have not paid me for last semester and they are still claiming more money back as they overpaid 3 times now.
However, with my church work in 4 areas, I've been given increased responsibility. Musically, I am now the official choir director for my church! We had auditions on Tuesday the 17th, and we start singing every other week on March 1st! Moreover, I've been asked to play for the church's musical worship time and people had all kinds of nice remarks when I first did it (I do it once a month due to Kids work I do otherwise all band members play every other week in a rotation). Secondly, as I do HIV/AIDS counseling I'm being certified for crisis pregnancy counseling. I'm currently studying adoption (one of the modules). Third, in Jubilee Incredible Kids (JIK—Sunday School for grades 1-3), I've been asked to mentor/coach the JIK leader who admitted that she fell into the role a few years ago and wants to get the leadership right. So I'm being led by her and coaching her in leadership. Lastly, I'm a Life Group Leader, and to have fun and teach important lessons (and ease the workload) I'm having my group alternate every week between bible study one week and service work the next week. And we'll do the same service work in order to develop a relationship with the people we're serving each week. On top of that I'm having them do a book study--“Irresistible Revolution” by Shane Claiborne.
C a p e T o w n S l a n g D i c t i o n a r y
Aweh :
Pronounced: Ah-where.
This is used as a greeting all over the Cape Peninsula . 'Aweh jy, hoesit ?'
Bra :
Pronounced: Brah
This word has no reference to the English word which pertains to an undergarment.
The word Bra in Cape Town refers to a close friend or acquaintance.
It's a term of endearment. 'Yah I know him, he's a Bra of mine'
Duidelik :
Pronounced 'day der lik'
This word is an adjective, describing an ideal state of mind, a cool article, perfect, or an ideal situation.
'How are you doing. Naai duidelik my bru.'
Kwaai :
In Cape Town slang this word refers to something that is really awesome, cool or nice. 'Did you see that kwaai movie?'
Mew :
This is a shortening of the word Music
Minute / Minutes :
Pronounced : Min- eee-ter'
This is one of the few words that can be pronounced in English or Afrikaans.
Meaning, Hold up! A General reference to time. It can also take on a threatening tone. As in I'm watching you.
'Minute my Broe, the train leaves at seven'
'Minute, jy kan nog nooit al my daait op iet nie'
Mos :
This word is typically used as a filler in a sentence. 'you are mos going to the shop' 'you can mos pick it up'
It has no real meaning but is used to colloquialise a sentence.
Nuh :
Pronounced: Ner
The use of the word Nuh is complex and multi dimensional. It can be used to 1. Find out if the listener is following your conversation. 'You turn left nuh, then you turn right nuh, continue straight nuh'
To indicate that your listening to a story. 'Nuh, and then what happened?'
Smokkie :
Noun pertaining to a place where you can purchase liquor any time any day.
This institution is not governed by any municipal by-laws and are operational 24/7 365.
Usually found in suburbs on the Cape Flats and surrounds.' You can get some beers from the smokkie'
Sturvy :
You can use this word to describe a variety of people, but generally it refers to someone who thinks highly of themselves, or who think they are better than everyone else. 'Nee jong, daai kin is stirvy, she only speak for England '
Versin :
Pronounced: Fer-sin
This word can be used to describe someone or something that is crazy, insane or perhaps naïve.
'Are you versin? I would never date him' 'Don't be versin, just ask her out'
(2) HOW TO PREVENT YOUR HAIR FROM MINCING
1:Always have a personal relationship with your swirl kous
2:Wella Wella Wella is not just a chorus in the song from the movie Grease
3:See if there is any truth in the myth' sugar water and Omo'
4:A 'strykyster' can be used for more than just ironing clothes
5:If it rains stay ma at home and watch DVD's, Oprah,CSI or 7nde Laan
6: If at first you don't succeed, DRY, DRY and DRY again.
7: The Early bird catches the perm, if you wake up early in the morning, put a doekie on your kop to prevent the mist from mincing your hair.
8: When the going gets tough, the hare gets rough. Rather cut your hair short when times are hard..
9. And lastly, According to Delicious Dd: If you've got it.... FLAUNT it; If you don't .....FAKE it; But if you cant do either....EMBRACE THE CHEMICALS ! LOL
(3) For all those proudly coloured mense who can relate!
If you take offense. Then you not coloured. You know you coloured when...
If you go to braai in tokai forest, suip the whole day and don't even braai any meat, then you might be coloured.
If you used to go up to Rhodes memorial at night, to suip then have to drive fast out because you saw the police vans coming up, you might be coloured.
If you used to stand outside Galaxy in your convertible BMW while its 4 degrees outside, just so the kinnis coming out can see you, then you might be coloured.
If 19 inch to you means the rims on your car, you might be coloured.
If your car can't go over speed bumps or you can't visit some of your friends because you can't get up their drive-way, you might be coloured.
If you have a ringtone of 50c and biggie smalls on your phone, you might be coloured.
If you wear 3 gold chains, 4 bracelets and gold rings on every finger (with dollar signs) but you cant afford to pay your childs welfare, you may be coloured.
If you have gold teeth, you may be coloured.
If you used to wake up early on a Saturday morning to paint your purcells white before going to Vibe, you may be coloured.
If you use lightbulbs for other purposes, you may be coloured.
If you live in Mitchells Plain , Delft , Athlone or anywhere else on the Cape Flats , you are coloured!!
If you meet a foreigner, and the first thing you wanna do is teach him to say 'jou ma se...' you might be a coloured.
If you have ever gone to bed with a swirl kous on your head...you might be a coloured.
If you've ever had a polony gatsby cut in four and a litre fruilaatie then you might be coloured.
If you use the word 'woelag ','awe', 'Duidelik' and 'HO$H'... you might be a coloured.
If your parents call your friends by their nicknames like Kos , Brood, Sloffies, Goppie and The Moor... you might be a coloured.
If your hair isn't straight and u still can make spikes....you might be a coloured.
If you ask your friends for petrol money for driving them around cos you smaak to skut... you might be a coloured.
If u can eat a gatsby without messing on your purcells... u might be a coloured.
If you organise a trip to the beach and you take a whole pot of breyani and half the contents of your house with... you might be a coloured.
If you own a Zippo lighter and its laying at home cos u can't afford liquid... u might be a coloured.
If u walked to Arena from the taxi rank in Cape Town in a bomber jacket and don't take it off till you got home with sweat marks under your arms and back... u might be a coloured.
If the word 'Vibe' brings back fond memories of dark corners, DJ Fast Eddy and bluezing with that lekker burk/kin you been eyeing all afternoon... you might be a coloured.
If the replies to the 'Please Call Me's' are 'Please Call Me's'.... then the girl you smaak ... might be a coloured.
If you ever practiced dancing in the mirror before going to a jol... you might be a coloured.
If your car sounds like it's speeding down the road, but it's only pulling out of the driveway, then you might be coloured.
If you go into Edgars Red Square and spray you before meeting that kin by the movies.... you might be a coloured.
If you ever platted your 2 colour laces on your north star excitements...you might be a coloured.
If your mother threatened u with a houte lepel before... you might be coloured.
If you went to go greet on xmas/labarang and the pants your mommy made for you matches someone's curtains, then you might be coloured.
If you go from house to house on xmas/labarang just to eet the mense's pan peanuts... you might be a coloured.
If you go greet on xmas/labarang and u don't get paper money from the mense then u take a vrag of sweets and mebos to spite them... then you might be a coloured.
If you go home with 2 barakats from a wedding... you might be a coloured.
If you go to a wedding and your mommy has a pick n pay bag in her bag and when she gets home its full of slangetjies and endearmints... you might be a coloured.
If you eat warm breyani and cold chicken at a wedding with that bakkies of ice-cream for dessert... then u might be at a coloured wedding.
When you & the taxi gaardtjie are friends... then you might be coloured.
If a bergie loafs an entjie by you and you give him a royal and he laughs at you, then you are a dom coloured.
If your mommy take cold chicken and koesiesters and a flask coffee/tea and cream crackers with cheese to the beach, then you coloured!
If you smaak boentjie kerrie more then your girlfriend...then you might be a coloured.
If you still got a Pepe dungaree in your cupboard... you might be a coloured.
And if you laughed while reading this....
YOU ARE DEFINITELY COLOURED
UPDATE
Hi, this is Victor. It's good to write to you again. So much is going on and yet so little.
Excuse the lateness in the reply. I write updates outside of work and I have not had a working laptop at home in 3 weeks. The outlet at my house blew out my adapter (it had been sparking before supposedly [I didn't know or wasn't told this]), and I really didn't know what to do as it wasn't my fault. Luckily I just found out (Friday the 20th) that it is under warranty (purchased December 10 2008) so I am taking it in on Monday the 23rd to see if they will replace or fix for free!
This is likely my last semester here, so there is a nice tension of both an increase of responsibilities and a preparation to say goodbye. Actually at the university, there has been a decrease in responsibilities. My supervisor only gave me one course, and only 1/3rd of that course to lecture. So there's less pay. They still have not paid me for last semester and they are still claiming more money back as they overpaid 3 times now.
However, with my church work in 4 areas, I've been given increased responsibility. Musically, I am now the official choir director for my church! We had auditions on Tuesday the 17th, and we start singing every other week on March 1st! Moreover, I've been asked to play for the church's musical worship time and people had all kinds of nice remarks when I first did it (I do it once a month due to Kids work I do otherwise all band members play every other week in a rotation). Secondly, as I do HIV/AIDS counseling I'm being certified for crisis pregnancy counseling. I'm currently studying adoption (one of the modules). Third, in Jubilee Incredible Kids (JIK—Sunday School for grades 1-3), I've been asked to mentor/coach the JIK leader who admitted that she fell into the role a few years ago and wants to get the leadership right. So I'm being led by her and coaching her in leadership. Lastly, I'm a Life Group Leader, and to have fun and teach important lessons (and ease the workload) I'm having my group alternate every week between bible study one week and service work the next week. And we'll do the same service work in order to develop a relationship with the people we're serving each week. On top of that I'm having them do a book study--“Irresistible Revolution” by Shane Claiborne.
JOBS & RESEARCH
Completing and implementing a computational simulation of blood flow through thinning arteries was tough enough. Fixing the problems with the simulation has been extremely difficult without the normal tools I'm used to using. So it's been stuck for months. Luckily I was blessed by TotalView (a software package and company) that gave me a 15 day evaluation license to use their parallel debugging software (it's software that helps you find bugs in computer code that's for parallel computing on supercomputers). I have 10 more days (there have been problems with installation), but they said they could give me a few more days if I lost days due to the problems. Yay! I think the end may be in sight.
Otherwise, I hear the same question over and over. What will you do next year? What's next? Well, to start, I don't believe I will be an astronaut for sure. They never contacted me directly, but I did have a friend say he was not asked to interview. I don't know how he found out, but I definitely wasn't asked since I have not heard anything one way or the other, so I wasn't chosen. I'm not dejected. It was expected. I don't know of anyone who got in on the first time in this new era of non-military applications. I expect to keep applying a few times. We'll see what happens.
The only other thing that has come up is the chance to be a science advisor for the U.S. government in the executive branch in the area of defense.
http://fellowships.aaas.org/
http://fellowships.aaas.org/02_Areas/02_index.shtml
I've explained this before, but to re-explain, the U.S. government seems to give a few appointments of science advisors for Congressmen (Senators and Representatives) staff to 30 different American science organizations (API, AGU, AAAS, etc.) in different areas of science (materials science, geology, physics, general science, optics, etc.). Each of those organizations can appoint 1 or 2 PhD scientists/engineers to be the science advisor on a Congressman's staff. In addition the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) also gets to appoint 15-30 science advisors to advise executive branch organizations in four areas – defense, diplomacy, energy/environment, and health/human services. With AAAS you can apply to up to 2 areas including congressional fellowships. I applied for a diplomacy and a defense fellowship (due to my experience). I was not selected as a semi-finalist for the diplomacy, but I was for the defense fellowship. Possible executive branch organizations include Department of Defense, FBI, Homeland Security, etc. So I am flying to D.C. to interview in 2 weeks and immediately flying back because my supervisor wouldn't like me to be gone for too long.
Funny that I'm interviewing in defense. One good friend of mine (Dave-an American volunteer in Cape Town) sees it as an opportunity for redemptive work in the government with which he is disillusioned. He didn't vote and never has.
Otherwise, I hear the same question over and over. What will you do next year? What's next? Well, to start, I don't believe I will be an astronaut for sure. They never contacted me directly, but I did have a friend say he was not asked to interview. I don't know how he found out, but I definitely wasn't asked since I have not heard anything one way or the other, so I wasn't chosen. I'm not dejected. It was expected. I don't know of anyone who got in on the first time in this new era of non-military applications. I expect to keep applying a few times. We'll see what happens.
The only other thing that has come up is the chance to be a science advisor for the U.S. government in the executive branch in the area of defense.
http://fellowships.aaas.org/
http://fellowships.aaas.org/02_Areas/02_index.shtml
I've explained this before, but to re-explain, the U.S. government seems to give a few appointments of science advisors for Congressmen (Senators and Representatives) staff to 30 different American science organizations (API, AGU, AAAS, etc.) in different areas of science (materials science, geology, physics, general science, optics, etc.). Each of those organizations can appoint 1 or 2 PhD scientists/engineers to be the science advisor on a Congressman's staff. In addition the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) also gets to appoint 15-30 science advisors to advise executive branch organizations in four areas – defense, diplomacy, energy/environment, and health/human services. With AAAS you can apply to up to 2 areas including congressional fellowships. I applied for a diplomacy and a defense fellowship (due to my experience). I was not selected as a semi-finalist for the diplomacy, but I was for the defense fellowship. Possible executive branch organizations include Department of Defense, FBI, Homeland Security, etc. So I am flying to D.C. to interview in 2 weeks and immediately flying back because my supervisor wouldn't like me to be gone for too long.
Funny that I'm interviewing in defense. One good friend of mine (Dave-an American volunteer in Cape Town) sees it as an opportunity for redemptive work in the government with which he is disillusioned. He didn't vote and never has.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)