Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Mozi v Fly


Have you ever noticed how Mosquito's differ in one major way to another creature also so very irritating and repulsive - the fly? Both cruise about your body in their tiny form causing much discomfort and irritation. Both are smaller than your pinky fingernail and can get you in a spin quicker than the cup and saucer at the roller coaster park (pwwaaaa the Cup and Saucer ...do they still have that ride? My kids will laugh knowing that was actually a ride one day when they jump on the TripleDeckerThuderDeathRaptureExoViboBotoNutter that I have to pay ... I have to pay enough to have taken 30 Cup And Saucer rides with ... when I have kids that is ... I don't have any yet - my best friend does, he had one yesterday .... with the help of his wife ... Mazoltof Moff!).

Well I was explaining the difference btw the Mozi and the Fly other than their names and a shitload of other things. But the one I want to talk about is the fact that: when you swat at - and miss - a fly, the punk just speeds up and now your first chance has gone at splatting him every which way. I am quite adept at still grabbing the bugger out of the sky, but then I have skills of a super agile Boxberg cat in December that has not been fed since its 'owners' popped down to Stilbaaie for the holidays and left him nix om te eet nie. The cat sees a field mouse mommy and her 4 fieldmouse babies and one runt baby crossing the Totsie path in the veld and pounces on the lagging runt quicker than the human eye. What is that you say? You have never seen a cat have a go at a runt field mouse on a Totsei path in the veld? Exactly! THAT'S how quick I am.

Got it? Okay well what I was saying is, its interesting to me as to how the fly speeds up when you swat at and miss it, HOWEVER .... the Mosquito just keeps hovering about like a Bergie waiting for me to put the dustbin tromel out on a Tuesday morning. Harder to see then the chunckier fly, but once you do - waaaatcha - Splat and Splash if the naughty Mozi has been sucking you dry before you spotted his sneaky self. Geeez, here comes one now. I reckon I can type one handed and still smash him.

Missed!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Sweeter than Honey, Sweeter than a mothers love.

For some people, the favourite time of the year, is when their Thirteenth Cheque arrives in the post and they can transfer it to the bond, or when they head off to Verbier for an overseas holiday, perhaps for others its when the old family dog dies and they can upgrade to a new version that they can carry in the crook of their arms while they do the groceries at Woolworths.
I know lots of people who mark a sporting event as the highlight of their year and tons whose worthwhile bit of living only starts when works stops, so they count the holidays over December as the best days of the year.

On PlanetPi, my favourite time of the year starts normally in late February. When the tractors of the Vineyards have a precious cargo that comes into harvest for just a short window period of glorious feasting. I'm talking of those delicious, sweet, firm grapes filled with such a promise of all that is good. I am talking about the Hanepoort grapes that make my year every time they are sold on the side of the road where I buy them by the box, or at Fruit & Veg city where I fill a full shopping basket of these crunchy beauties. I rinse them and stuff them in my head like a dentist stuffing cotton wool into a gaping mouth cavity. At the moment they are R9.99/kilogram at F&V City. I am there every three days or so to stock up. The window does not last long and I am happy my favourite grapes are not available all year. It makes the limited experience every year so much tastier. My mouth is watering writing this so going to overdose right now.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

The tortoise pulls his head in as the Global Village teeters on his back


Globilisation ... is that how you spell it? A new word that I don't think is in my dictionary, but I will have a look anyway. I wonder if you can actually put a proper definition of the word in a book. I am sure from an economic stand point and from a political point of view it has very specific connotations. To me it basically means that things are becoming more accessible as the borders of countries become less imposing. Communication opportunities and the fact that technology is able to show case so many places on the planet that we are incredibly presented to us in our own living rooms or where ever else we choose to sit down and watch a screen.
Not even 50 years ago a documentary about a far off land would be something unique, now we are privileged to be able to see much of how and where others live; and then, if we are very fortunate even get to travel there and experience in a more tactile manner.

Well that is the simple and positive side of how I see the whole thing. Now, looking at the Concise Oxford English Dictionary I notice my spelling challenges have come to the fore as the word is actually spelled - Globalisation with an 'a'. Okay fair enough ...and the meaning? Well they tell me it represents: the process by which business or other organizations start operating on a global scale. I suppose that is what I expected them to say. What I wrote about above, seems to be closer to what the Oxfordians call the so called Global Village - a world considered as a single community linked by telecommunications. Okay I've got it ... I am likely to hash it up again, but for now, I've got it.
What I want to actually make a point about, is the dangers that seem to be rising up to squash, what I think, is a totally worthwhile move towards this Global Village vibe. Just a few weeks ago we were told as South Africans we are no longer welcome to pull into the UK. Apparently South Africa is a huge conduit for bad elements of the world gaining access to that country. And now the trend in the UK and the USA is turning a full 180 degrees on Globalisation and making sure those that the people that hold a piece of paper saying they are members of that piece of the planet are the one's to be favoured for work. Those without the papers are to be treated differently, making life a lot more challenging for the latter of course. Obviously this pulling back of the tortoise head into the shell is a reaction to the collapse of the systems that they govern and live by in the first place. So instead of recognising the failure of their core or engines and instead of attempting to work things out for a long term solution, they have decided to go for the short term (supposed) solution (perhaps option is a better word).
A good buddy of mine was in the tourism industry creating great opportunities in the USA for others to work and travel there. Now the allocation of the jobs for those people are no longer on the table as the Obamanation also putts its blinkers on and turns its back to Nationalism as they are once more taught to think that anyone un-American does not deserve to be there.

Such good work (global village vibe), which is clearly so necessary for this planet to survive, is being undone by the reaction to the 'clues' that we are being given as a world population that things need to be different. The clues are painful and incredibly difficult to bare as they affect our bank balances, financial planning and conjured dreams of a comfortable future (trappings and futile efforts that are actually bottomless pits of wasteful energy consumption), but they are not meant to be dealt with like a hurdle for the athlete or a speed bump on the way down to Llandudno beach. They are not there to slow us down while we think of a way to get back onto the road that we were following. They are there to help us. To help us connect with what is worthwhile on this planet (earth not Pi) and to nurture that with all the energy we have.


Fortunately we are humans and we don't need to be susceptible to parameters that others put on us. Unfortunately many of us do not recognise what humans are, so we act as a much poorer and weaker version of our species. The answers are all inside us and the signs to take note of what is worthwhile and what is not are everywhere.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Changing the vibe

I've been away for a couple of weeks now. Away from the PlanetPi blog that is, still been sitting in Cape Town. I think its the longest time I have not written a blog since I started almost a year ago. The reason is that I have decided to change the thing a little. Not that most of the readers will notice though.
You see I think the quote for every blog is becoming a bit of a negative factor as to the amount of entries I would like to do. The quotes were always to be relevant and not taken from a book or something just for the sake of it. I think it would serve PlanetPi better though to just be able to blog on what ever I feel is interesting or worthwhile from a PlanetPi perspective.

So although I will use the odd quote to start of a blog from time to time, I think now I shall just report and write about PlanetPi and how things are unfolding on it. I am sure a lot of the content will be extremely obscure for many, but then it is coming from the perspective of another planet so that is understandable.

Cool ... hope you are dominating and chilled.
Pi