Salagatle!
LIU - Look It Up!
Friday, June 15, 2007
June, 1977 - Bethlehem
In the Summer of '76, I like many thousands of my fellow South African young men, got my marching papers. Literary. I was called up for military training to commence in July '77, and I was allocated to 2nd Field Engineering Regiment, which was based in the town of Bethlehem in the then Orange Free State.
The call up was no surprise, as we knew it would come, as soon as you finished school, and all we could hope for was being sent to a reasonable place, and hopefully, with someone you knew. I got neither of these. Bethlehem is the second coldest place in South Africa in winter! And no one else I knew was going there.
I arrived on the Troop Train, with hundreds of other who had boarded with me at Johannesburg's then Rand Show Grounds. My hair hung below my shoulders, I had attitude, and an iron in my bag. I still was not shaving. Dammit, I was barely 17!!!
Disembarked at the station, they made us line up in three rows, and run to the camp. it was 4 am, and probably -5deg C! Are these guys completely fucking mental?
At camp we arranged ourselves on the parade ground, some idiot (The RSM) told us how useless we were, how he would break us down and rebuild us, how he was now our mother, father and girlfriend, (I wasn't too sure he would fit that bill, but anyway...) and how he would turn us into real men.
Then we went for haircuts, and everyone came out of that room a changed person. They took it all off!! Every last hair. It was amazing to see the conversion of some of the guys from long haired real mean looking types, to bald headed, meek and mild lamb!
So commenced my stint with the SADF, it would continue for a full 24 months, uninterrupted, and thereafter for 3 month camps annually. The annual camps were to go on for about 10 years, but I managed to get mine terminated after 5, but that's another story!
What I did do, when I was demobbed in July '79, was swear that I would never go back to Bethlehem again. And I haven't! I've even driven 100 - 200 km detours in the past, just so as not to go to that town..
Tomorrow we go to Clarense. Tomorrow I go through Bethlehem!!!
Salagatle!
The call up was no surprise, as we knew it would come, as soon as you finished school, and all we could hope for was being sent to a reasonable place, and hopefully, with someone you knew. I got neither of these. Bethlehem is the second coldest place in South Africa in winter! And no one else I knew was going there.
I arrived on the Troop Train, with hundreds of other who had boarded with me at Johannesburg's then Rand Show Grounds. My hair hung below my shoulders, I had attitude, and an iron in my bag. I still was not shaving. Dammit, I was barely 17!!!
Disembarked at the station, they made us line up in three rows, and run to the camp. it was 4 am, and probably -5deg C! Are these guys completely fucking mental?
At camp we arranged ourselves on the parade ground, some idiot (The RSM) told us how useless we were, how he would break us down and rebuild us, how he was now our mother, father and girlfriend, (I wasn't too sure he would fit that bill, but anyway...) and how he would turn us into real men.
Then we went for haircuts, and everyone came out of that room a changed person. They took it all off!! Every last hair. It was amazing to see the conversion of some of the guys from long haired real mean looking types, to bald headed, meek and mild lamb!
So commenced my stint with the SADF, it would continue for a full 24 months, uninterrupted, and thereafter for 3 month camps annually. The annual camps were to go on for about 10 years, but I managed to get mine terminated after 5, but that's another story!
What I did do, when I was demobbed in July '79, was swear that I would never go back to Bethlehem again. And I haven't! I've even driven 100 - 200 km detours in the past, just so as not to go to that town..
Tomorrow we go to Clarense. Tomorrow I go through Bethlehem!!!
Salagatle!
Clarens
(LIU) We are driving down to Clarens in the morning. Will update and tell the story asap.
Salagatle!
Salagatle!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
My Cellphone
So, iTalk is having a birthday special. I can get the Nokia N95 on a MTN ProCall 120 for R314 per month, no pay in.
All they need is a copy of my ID, latest payslip, proof of residential address (Utilities account) and 3 months bank statements.
I'm surprised he didn't ask for 3 pints of blood, 14 kilograms of sperm, and 15 pubic hairs!!!
Anyway, I should get there tomorrow, and hopefully then all this pain with Vodacom will go away....
Still waiting for the next step with the ASA...
Salagatle!
GMan's "My Space"
GMan now has a "My Space" page, and contrary to my personal opinion, he has posted his face on it... so, I will not refer it here, as then it could lead back to me, and some of my bosses could do a Jenny / Ross on me.
What is interesting is that he is using his cellphone as the modem to log onto the internet with the home computer, but it's not costing him anything, and he's getting 3 times the speed I can get on the land line.
Now that's something!!!!
Later all....
Salagatle!
What is interesting is that he is using his cellphone as the modem to log onto the internet with the home computer, but it's not costing him anything, and he's getting 3 times the speed I can get on the land line.
Now that's something!!!!
Later all....
Salagatle!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Heard last night
that seaman has bronchitis! Not nice, please look after yourself better. Get well soon bro!
Salagatle!
Salagatle!
Monday, June 11, 2007
Update on Mom
and I just got off the blower to her and she says she's really feeling a lot better. Seems the medication she got is working, for the pain anyway. She sounded a lot better too. I'm relieved.
Thanx
Salagatle!
Thanx
Salagatle!
What's it worth?
I have that "How much is your Blog worth" thingy on my page.
My blog's still worth fuckall. How's that possible?
Salagatle!
My blog's still worth fuckall. How's that possible?
Salagatle!
Mom's not well, so
on Sunday morning I called to see if she was up to a short visit from us. She had called last week Thursday to cancel Sunday lunch as she had woken up with a terrible headache, and wasn't feeling too grand and wasn't sure she'd be OK by Sunday. She's 75!
Anyway, when I called Sunday morning I could hear she was really not well at all, and after 30 seconds of talking she said she thinks she wants to go to hospital.
Well, that's me then.
Load the family, and roar off to mom's house to collect her. The Princess made sure that she had her little case packed with the right stuff for a stay in the hospital, medical aid card, I.D. Document and off we went. Nearest hospital to Mom is about 25km away.
Princess had also called and confirmed with the medical aid for the hospital admission (if you don't get pre-authorisation the won't pay....)
Anyway, at the hospital (PRIVATE) we were well received, promptly assisted and Mom went in to see the doctor. She had been to her GP on Friday, but he wasn't sure what she had.
Turns out she has shingles, at the base of her scalp on her neck? Anyway, it's apparently very painful, and itchy. But she would be OK. He gave her a prescription, and sent her home. She immediately seemed to feel better, probably cause she now knew what was wrong, and was assured she'd be OK.
We couldn't find an open pharmacy anywhere in the town the hospital was in, or her home town, but she said she'd be OK till Monday morning when she would get her friend (a nun) to collect the meds for her.
We stayed for another 30 minutes or so, and then left.
When I called her last night she was still in pain, but doing OK.
Love you Mom, get well soon.
Salagtle!
Anyway, when I called Sunday morning I could hear she was really not well at all, and after 30 seconds of talking she said she thinks she wants to go to hospital.
Well, that's me then.
Load the family, and roar off to mom's house to collect her. The Princess made sure that she had her little case packed with the right stuff for a stay in the hospital, medical aid card, I.D. Document and off we went. Nearest hospital to Mom is about 25km away.
Princess had also called and confirmed with the medical aid for the hospital admission (if you don't get pre-authorisation the won't pay....)
Anyway, at the hospital (PRIVATE) we were well received, promptly assisted and Mom went in to see the doctor. She had been to her GP on Friday, but he wasn't sure what she had.
Turns out she has shingles, at the base of her scalp on her neck? Anyway, it's apparently very painful, and itchy. But she would be OK. He gave her a prescription, and sent her home. She immediately seemed to feel better, probably cause she now knew what was wrong, and was assured she'd be OK.
We couldn't find an open pharmacy anywhere in the town the hospital was in, or her home town, but she said she'd be OK till Monday morning when she would get her friend (a nun) to collect the meds for her.
We stayed for another 30 minutes or so, and then left.
When I called her last night she was still in pain, but doing OK.
Love you Mom, get well soon.
Salagtle!
Civil service on strike
The civil services (about 1 million members) has been on strike here in good old SA for the past 10 days. Not that you would notice from a service delivery point of view. But they have been, and it's been violent. Schools and hospitals are the worst affected, and granted the teachers and nurses are probably the worst paid.
I have no problem with the strike, and in this case the reason for striking.
But I do draw the line with the violence! People are being stopped from going to school, that is pupils and non-striking teachers, to the point where they have been threatened, parents have been called mid morning to please fetch their kids as the school has to be evacuated due to the threats made.
The sick are being denied access to hospitals, and in many cases deliveries of essentials like food stuffs, bread, milk, even medicines are not being allowed through the gates. Doctors, specialists and nurses have been contacted at their homes and threatened. The very ill are being relocated to private hospitals where they will be cared for at the governments expense. That's going to cost a pretty penny. Baragwanath (now known by some other name) which was the biggest hospital in the southern hemisphere for many years, and is still the biggest in Africa this weekend declared itself a disaster area and closed down more than two thirds of its operation!
Now, as I said, anyone has the right to strike, but within the law.
However, In this weekend papers I read that the unions are now threatening to start pressurising the private hospitals and schools to also stop operating. Well, just because they are not getting their way with their strike and their negotiations with their government does not give them the right to threaten private service companies.
That will piss me off big time, and I have offered my "services" to some of those private institutions with which I have some contact. Please, give me a reason, just one......
Salagtle!
I have no problem with the strike, and in this case the reason for striking.
But I do draw the line with the violence! People are being stopped from going to school, that is pupils and non-striking teachers, to the point where they have been threatened, parents have been called mid morning to please fetch their kids as the school has to be evacuated due to the threats made.
The sick are being denied access to hospitals, and in many cases deliveries of essentials like food stuffs, bread, milk, even medicines are not being allowed through the gates. Doctors, specialists and nurses have been contacted at their homes and threatened. The very ill are being relocated to private hospitals where they will be cared for at the governments expense. That's going to cost a pretty penny. Baragwanath (now known by some other name) which was the biggest hospital in the southern hemisphere for many years, and is still the biggest in Africa this weekend declared itself a disaster area and closed down more than two thirds of its operation!
Now, as I said, anyone has the right to strike, but within the law.
However, In this weekend papers I read that the unions are now threatening to start pressurising the private hospitals and schools to also stop operating. Well, just because they are not getting their way with their strike and their negotiations with their government does not give them the right to threaten private service companies.
That will piss me off big time, and I have offered my "services" to some of those private institutions with which I have some contact. Please, give me a reason, just one......
Salagtle!
My last manneaand
I attended what will probably be my last "manne aand" on Friday evening.
http://soufafrican.blogspot.com/2006/11/my-weekend-boeremag-and-bikers.html
While I was sitting there chatting to my mates, I spent quite some time looking around at the typical Afrikaner male, probably mostly farmers, mostly between the ages of 35 and 50. And I cam to the conclusion that overall, the majority are just plain overweight, useless has beens!! It was amazing, mostly boozers, beer or brandy and coke being the drink of choice, most of them dishing up copious amounts of food and eating all of it.... They had a "Big Mr. Bekker Hoer" competition with a prize for the guy with the biggest gut. Now that's maybe not so unusual, but what is, for me anyway, was that 90% of the people present were probable contenders, and the 10 or so that did go up on stage were quite proud of the fact that they have a gut which hangs down to their knees in some cases!!! Quite disgusting.
I made the comment to my bud that 20 years ago, had we been asked to go back into the bush and continue with the "war", I would gladly have gone in with any South African, but today, with these guys in the shape they are (I know round is also a shape) I may be tempted to join the other side!!!
It's a strange thing that for many years these guys were really fit, strong, proud of themselves. Many were probably rugby players, worked out in gyms, etc. How the hell do they get into a position where their girth is longer than their height! Surely there must be some self respect. Man, these guys probably can't even get laid as I'm not sure they have the strength to lift themselves more than once or twice....
My bud did say though, that maybe they are just too comfortable. For them, other than the actual make up of the government, nothing has changed, They still farm, have labourers, access to credit, drive fancy cars, etc. But, push them into a corner, take away all their daily comforts, and their true spirit will come to the fore. Well, it's a nice though, but somehow, I don't think so.
Salagtle!
http://soufafrican.blogspot.com/2006/11/my-weekend-boeremag-and-bikers.html
While I was sitting there chatting to my mates, I spent quite some time looking around at the typical Afrikaner male, probably mostly farmers, mostly between the ages of 35 and 50. And I cam to the conclusion that overall, the majority are just plain overweight, useless has beens!! It was amazing, mostly boozers, beer or brandy and coke being the drink of choice, most of them dishing up copious amounts of food and eating all of it.... They had a "Big Mr. Bekker Hoer" competition with a prize for the guy with the biggest gut. Now that's maybe not so unusual, but what is, for me anyway, was that 90% of the people present were probable contenders, and the 10 or so that did go up on stage were quite proud of the fact that they have a gut which hangs down to their knees in some cases!!! Quite disgusting.
I made the comment to my bud that 20 years ago, had we been asked to go back into the bush and continue with the "war", I would gladly have gone in with any South African, but today, with these guys in the shape they are (I know round is also a shape) I may be tempted to join the other side!!!
It's a strange thing that for many years these guys were really fit, strong, proud of themselves. Many were probably rugby players, worked out in gyms, etc. How the hell do they get into a position where their girth is longer than their height! Surely there must be some self respect. Man, these guys probably can't even get laid as I'm not sure they have the strength to lift themselves more than once or twice....
My bud did say though, that maybe they are just too comfortable. For them, other than the actual make up of the government, nothing has changed, They still farm, have labourers, access to credit, drive fancy cars, etc. But, push them into a corner, take away all their daily comforts, and their true spirit will come to the fore. Well, it's a nice though, but somehow, I don't think so.
Salagtle!
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