I really lost it today.....

Did I lose it today, or what!

Boss eventually called me in for the "chat"! This has to do with a deal I got signed before he had a chance to sign off the pricing. No biggie, just good customer service and all. Problem is that now we have an audit exposure.
So, he gives me the talk, I explain the circumstances, and then he says
"Well, I will have to give you a letter....."
And that as far as he got. The volcano in me exploded. It was a Vesuvius all over again, And did I let him have it!
In fact I said that if he did give me a letter, he could have my resignation.
At the end of the day, if the only problem was that in the event of an audit we would fail aforementioned audit, all I had to do now was to get the client to resign the documents, but to date it for the day after the pricing was approved. I know it's "cheating", but was the problem because of an audit exposure, or did they just now have an excuse with which to crucify me!?!?!

Anyway, I stormed out of his office. Some 10 minutes later I was walking past his office, and he mentioned something about me needing to calm down. Well, it's like pouring petrol (gasoline) onto an open fire, and the volcano had a second eruption, coinciding with a 7.9 level earthquake.
This time I told him if he was more available, and actually spent more time at the office maybe things would go better. Maybe we wouldn't bypass some procedures because of the frustrations we face not having management available. Maybe it would be easier to keep our clients satisfied.
Fuck man, he's a complete fucking moron!!!

Don't think he liked that much.
Then I sent an email off to him and his boss, explaining the situation, and restating my option / intention to resign in the event of a letter coming my way.

Anyway, I get this 2 line email saying:-
"As in our discussion regarding xxx, please note that our process requires that you complete the contract mandatory and get pricing approval before a contract is submitted to a client for signature. This was not followed regarding the xxx contract recently signed by the client and this breach is viewed in a very serious light. Please ensure that this is not repeated."

And that's it? Is this the letter I was threatened with. Two massive explosions of proportions never before seen on this earth, and he gives me that? Not sure if this is the letter, so we wait and see.

In the meantime I'm out of here early today, as my niece is getting married this afternoon, and I'm going to be driving the bridesmaids car and stuff.
So, later all

Salagatle!

This is my Utopia....

View from our deck at home....
The mountains seen faintly in the background are the Magaliesberg, and there is a hot air ballooning station just at the bottom of the range.
These two took off together one day... Awesome sight! The balloons normally take off early in the morning, so that you can watch the sun rise. It then floats either over the nearby Hartebeespoort dam, or over the adjoining Rhino & Lion park (game reserve). Either way an awesome trip. They then land somewhere for an open air champagne breakfast, after which a recovery vehicle goes out to fetch the passengers, and another the balloon.

My CV is out there.....

So my CV is out there. Not with an employment agency and stuff, but as and when I find a job I like in the papers I send in my CV.
However, I know that my chances are slim, what with AA and all, but if you don't try you will never know.
On that note, I did a deal with a client last week / this week, but because I kinda slipped up with following the procedures, it seems I'm in some kind of crap. Boss wants to talk to me tomorrow. Can't wait!
Had an interesting call on a client this afternoon (not one of mine, I'm helping out a colleague). Seems that there could be an opportunity there with supply of crates. More to follow.

Also, I spent last weekend working on multiple pricing options for another opportunity (also not for my clients), and turns out the guy who's our "solutions architect" cocked it up. So I reworked the pricing the right way, and today doing a final review they discovered he fucked up the rest of it, didn't he!! So now we going to rework it all tomorrow morning. What it means is I spent last weekend working my butt off for nothing.
The proposal is still going to be a week late, the solutions guy is still employed and getting paid, and us in sales are still trying to get a deal on the table.
It's a right royal fuckup.
Anyway, more later
Salagatle!

It's the eyes.....

I've often wondered why some guys can come back from a war / conflict unaffected, and others just can't seem to get on with their lives, wreaked with guilt and stuff.

Today I had a thought. It's the eyes!
I think that most times soldiers don't get to see their enemy / victims eyes. So killing them is functional / spasmodic effort. It's done almost remotely, using rifles or canon or mortars and stuff. Not the kind of mano-a-mano combat of old.
So they don't have a "connection" as such.

I think the guys who suffer (PTSD?) are those who do get into close hand-to-hand combat. Who get to look into the eyes of their victims, because even if it's a kill-or-be-killed type of situation, you must feel like a murderer. Even in self defense!
You look into his eyes, and there is some form of acknowledgement / recognition of each other / sign of fear?, and that is the torment.

It's that quasi human connection which makes us human after all, which will cause the guilt, torment, stress in this situation.
Just my thoughts....
Salagatle!

Ouch, it's just not cricket!

Just had to post this! It's really funny in a sick kind of way! Luckily most of these guys wear "boxes" to protect them from this kind of attack! but it still hurts!

Comment & right of reply

Please note... I will not entertain anymore political discussions on this blogg. It is my blogg, my opinions, and my "political" comment is not open for discussion. I don't post lies, so cannot be challenged about my facts!

I got an interesting comment from a fellow blogger, and decided to post a reply, which turned into a thesis, which I then decided to post here. He has a good site. Visit it.

His comment:

I wonder which part of South Africa you come from as I seem not to recall us having portions of our country where things are as horrible as you claim. If you could maybe bring us into your confidence about schools that have been closed and kids sent to one in white areas. Black people shouldn't`t be blamed for not voting for the white party of your choice which state it will come to power in 2020. South African politics are moving away from colour as determinent and as such there wont be a predominantly white party to talk of in 2020. I think it is about time that some white people be liberated from the victim mentally and to start seeing themselves as South Africans. That way they will start enjoying this beautiful country the Proteas and boerewors.

http://mo-afrika.blogspot.com/


My response:

Mo-afrika..... thanx for visiting. This is my blogg and hence my personal opinion. Visit Moglakeng outside Randfontein to see closed schools, and then travel to Randfontein High School, and see the mess!
For you the world looks very different, and maybe righfully so. You probably had a disadvantaged childhood, which means that today's democratic and free world is Utopia. However, from my side of the fence, things have definitely gone backwards. Not to take away from all of the good that has been done here, but if you consider that Khutsong was burning just before the elections... And the ANC still won......Makes you think. Typically you also won't be experiencing the same frustrations as I do around work, and job opportunities. Someone will offer you double your salary and poach you from your present employer..... Read into that what you want! I'm not sure where you live, but if you go into the so called townships, you will see how the people live in absolute squalor and poverty, and in most cases in conditions worse than during the apartheid era. Except they are now free! As for building backwards, Baragwanath Hospital was the biggest, most successful hospital in the SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE! Now it's a shithole, manned by mostly non-English speaking Cuban doctors, with most of the wards closed down, dirty walls, stinking toilet facilities, patients lying on makeshift stretchers on the floor, and other having to bring their own blankets and food even. And nursing staff who spend way too much time striking! Don't tell me you don't know where I live. I live in Africa!!
And finally, I believe that within the nest 20 years we could have a predominantly white party in power. I really do. And why? Probably because many of my fellow Africans will have perished due to AIDS, which our government is trying to cure using the African potato and olive oil as remedies. Maybe because I believe that Bird Flu will eventually make the genetic cross over to humans on this continent due to lack of facilities and understanding. North of our borders, governments are trying to slaughter infected birds, and the population are taking these and eating them! They don't' believe there is a thing like Bird Flu. (maybe just another right wing / Western / White plot to undermine the African?!)

These scenarios are all very sad, but probable. I am a realist my friend, and call a spade a spade. No strings attached. I write what I feel and think, I am obviously an emotional type, sometimes writing stuff even I don't know where it comes from... But that's me.

I see you say Tsotsi making us proud in your blogg. Did you happen to mention that some African called in to a local radio station (before the oscars) and slated the directors / producers of the movie, saying that it was not proper for a WHITE man to portray an African situation like that!!!
You say ANC takes all except right wing Cape Town.... Interesting theory that CT is Right wing. Why? Because the votes was split and a so called white party won more votes than the ANC? Does that make the voters right wing? Or is it the fact that there have been continued blackouts (Power failures) in Cape Town over the past few months, and no sign of improvement, with reports from the ANC government about suspected sabotage, etc. Emanating from the situation?Or maybe the fact that for all the time the ANC did "own" the city it did nothing to alleviate the plight of the needy / poor. There were more fires in the area, including Table Mountain and on the Cape flats in the past 5 years than ever before in any 5 year recorded period!!! Thanx to cost cutting by the ANC and therefore not enough fire trucks, or firemen for that matter.

What about the students at the Pretoria Technicon just yesterday!
Due to the striking Transnet employees (Transnet runs the local train service amongst other things), the Transnet group were laying on bus services for its now stranded passengers. So the university found that the bus services it had contracted for was not available, and so arranged for alternative transport for its students, including a boatload of mini-bus taxis.

The students didn't like this, so they protested, and trashed their campus. They then traveled in the "offending" vehicles to the other campuses belonging to the Technicon, proceeded to disrupt lectures and trashed those campuses too.
Now for you who don't know, when these students do the trashing thing, it's serious. We not talking about overturning some dustbins. This is breaking windows, doors, burning books, tearing out toilets and urinals. Burning desks. This is real time rioting!
And why? Because they were not happy with the transport arrangements BECAUSE THEIR FATHERS / BROTHERS / UNCLES / LOVERS WERE ON STRIKE AT TRANSNET, WHICH CAUSED THE FUCKING BUS SHORTAGE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
AND THESE ARE OUR "EDUCATED" FUTURE!!!!
http://www.pretorianews.co.za/


Wake up bro. It is a beautiful country, with beautiful people, and we are a democracy. But in it's infancy, clutching to the breast of the mother that feeds us because we know no better.

Salagatle!

History was made... and I saw it!!

Sunday 12 March 2006. I had the priveledge of witnessing history being made!
It's the 5th match of a 5 game series, one day limited overs cricket. South Africa versus the world Champions Australia - our arch enemies. They have never lost a series in South Africa.

Now, for those of you who don't understand cricket - go look it up. For the rest of you:-

Aus batted first. Previous world record, 10 years old was 398 runs off 50 overs. These guys took it to 434! This was immediately considered as the record which would stand into eternity. Never before has such wicked batting been seen, and as many reporters stated on the wires, it would be a long, long time before it ever happened again.

So South Africa come out to bat. Now, my brain tells me that the talk in the SA change room must have gone something like this:-
"Damn, how did they get such a high score?"
"It's the bowlers to blame!"
"How are we ever going to feature in this? We don't have a hope in hell! We are really going to look like a primary school team out there now. Probably all get our arses fired after this game!"
"Ah well, we'll go out there and try to give our supporters a bit of a game. Enjoy the day.....!"

So they come out. No pressures, cause NO ONE expects a game, just a bit of a show for a few hours.

And they played. They put on a performance which I think even the Australians must concede was of heroic proportions. No matter what came their way, the Proteas (That's what we call our team) played it on, and on, and on.
By the 25th over we got to 200. Now we looked like we had a chance. Much jubilation in the crowd. And the players also seemed more intent.

We got to 300, then 350, 390, 400... Now we had the second highest score ever.
Needing something like 45 runs off 25 balls, and many wickets already down, 98.3% of South Africa was silent, praying, and yet wondering if the magic could continue....

In the last over..... Counting each ball and run..... South Africa managed to draw with 2 ball left!
Second last ball, and the ever faithful / dependable Boucher ( who happens to be out wicket keeper) knocked it for a 4!!! And there was pandemonium!!!!!!!!!! It was incredible. A record score set up only 3.5 hours earlier was banished into the history books, SA had beaten AUS in the series, in what will no doubt be described as the match of all matches.
Not in my lifetime will a similar feat ever be achieved again.
So, to the Australians who read this, well played , but sorry for you, the better team won.
To any Souf Efriken, Bliksem maar dis 'n groot babalas wat jy daar het.

Well done Proteas. The two teams made some history, and I was able to watch it being made. Thank you!

There were so many records broken yesterday, someone mentiond 23!!
However, the one record, ow held by and Australian bowler, which I am sure he is not happy to hold, is for the most runs conceded in a limited overs international, which I beleive is now 108!!!!