What are these little lights for?

See them? The little ones down low?

Are they so that I can see even better? Or to show I drive a cool car?

Bloody hell! They're FOG lights! That's F-O-G!

Why one earth most South African drivers who have them see the need to drive with them perpetually on, I don't know.

How many medals will the boys win?

So we got beat out of the medals in the 4X100m relay. Damn. But apparently the team was experimenting prior to Bejing. Pity it was in the World Championship final.

Roland Schoeman is still our world beater though. Wow. Ryk Neethling gets most of the attention in South Africa being more glamourous and based here. I remember hearing at the time the team achieved the Athens success how Roland struggled to even afford a cellphone. He won the 50m butterfly final today. Awesome! Apparently he swam so hard he only took one breath!



There is still lots to come. See here for the full schedule.

Are you registered organ donor?

If there is one thing South Africa does know how to do, it is how to produce actuality news programmes.

I just watched Special Assignment about kidney failure and the misery this results in for most sufferers due to lack of donors in South Africa.

A major cause of this are traditional beliefs. For my international readers, South Africa is an astonishing mix of first and third worlds. While some live Western life styles with pretty much everything you get in places like London, New York, etc, the majority live in poverty in rural areas or townships.

Among the poor, superstition and traditional beliefs hold sway. And these are against organ donation. Some believe that the body is needed for resurrection (a version of christian belief) and organ donation damages this future. Some believe that the organs contain elements of your ancestors and this results in mixing of ancestors.

All of which means South Africa is dreadfully short of donors.

I've always wanted my organs to be donated if something happened to me and this prompted me to formalise things.

It took 2 minutes to fill in the form on the South African organ donation site and they are now sending me a pack containing information and stickers to affix to my drivers licence, etc.

The other day I read the blog of someone who is donating their kidney to a friend . What unbelievable guts to choose to give up one of your kidneys for the rest of your life!

The South African Organ Donor Foundation site: http://www.odf.org.za

Do you know Jars of Clay?

My goodness, how did I not know Jars of Clay? They've apparently been around for ages. Here's their discography:

Good Monsters (2006)
Redemption Songs (2005)
Who We Are Instead (2003)
Furthermore–From the Studio : From the Stage (2003)
The Eleventh Hour (2002)
If I Left the Zoo (1999)
Much Afraid (1997)
Drummer Boy - EP (1995)
Jars of Clay (1995)

They came to my attention through the release of their latest single, Dead Man Carry Me which is receiving much airplay in South Africa at the moment. It's foot-tapping, catchy stuff. It starts off with a very David Byrne-ish style riff and verse and heads into a Killers-like chorus.

Lyrics for Dead Man Carry Me:

January 1, I got a lot of things on my mind
Looking at my body through a new spy satellite
I try to lift a finger but I don't think I can make the call
So, tell me if I move 'cause I don't feel anything at all....

Carry Me, I'm just a dead man lying on the carpet can't find a heart beat
Make me breathe, I want to be a new man, tired of the old one, out with the old plan

I woke up from a dream about an empty funeral
But it was better than the party full of people I don't really know.
They've got hearts to break and burn, dirty hands to feel the earth
There is something in my veins but I can't seem to make it work...won't work

So, carry me, I'm just a dead man lying on the carpet, can't find a heartbeat
Make me breathe, I want to be a new man, tired of the old one, out with the old plan..

Can you find a beat, inside of me? Any pulse?
Getting worse. Any pulse, getting worse? Inside of me....
Can you find a beat.

Carry me, I'm just a dead man lying on the carpet, can't find a heartbeat
make me breathe, I want to be a new man, tired of the old one, out with the old plan
Carry me, I'm just a dead man lying on the carpet can't find a heartbeat...
make me breathe, I want to be a new man, tired of the old one, out with the old plan.


Apparently, Jars of Clay is reference to 2 Corinthians 4:7, "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."

Which places Jars of Clay in the Christian band category with Sixpence None The Richer and Tree63. Who knew that P.O.D. was in an extension of this category?

The video below is an official release by Jars of Clay comprising user generated clips taken on mobile phones at their concerts. Cool huh?

Do new year's resolutions work for you?

I'm not really one for new years' resolutions.

But I do like taking natural breaks in time like new years, new projects and birthdays to reflect and think of goals and ambitions.

So thinking about the year ahead - during the course of its first month, there are certainly some things I'd like to do.

My last year was about personal investment. After many years of burning the candle at both ends and reducing my reserves, it was time for introspection and consideration.

During the last ten years, my career value has increased tremendously as a result of experience. What I didn't do lot of was taking time out to invest in things I couldn't learn on the job.

The kinds of things I mean are reading, academics, etc. But they extend beyond purely increasing my career value to increasing my value outside of work too. Investing time with family, friends and relationships.

I've talked about academics and completed some studies though UNISA last year. I decided that residential postgraduate study in the US was unaffordable and had cost beyond any potential return on investment.

So I've registered for part-time studies at Wits this year and maybe at a late stage will look for a doctorate through a Ivy League school after a local masters. But that is so far away that not worth thinking of. Making a start is the most important thing and seeing how that goes.

Reading-wise, I made my largest ever amazon.com purchase over Christmas and have much reading ahead. My aim is to try for two books a month, but we'll see how that goes.



I'm just about through reading Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. I'm not sure why I've delayed reading one of the most successful business books of all time for so long, but I have found it a very useful read. Even if many other books have picked up on its recommendations, it provides a useful holistic framework for self-evaluation.

I bought a number of cooking books and am looking forward to improving my skills in the kitchen. My plan is to plan one new recipe a week. I'll shop for this and try it out. I'm enjoying my cooking a lot and improving gradually. In the meantime, my cookery book collection has expanded wonderfully:



Gym wise, thing took a serious setback after breaking from training for my Christmas holiday (dunb idea). Immediately after my return to gym I got the rindepest. For the first time in almost a year I was man down. After anti-biotics, rest, etc I made another return and after two gym sessions was hit by a second dose of this bloody bug. Apparently it is all over Jo'burg at the moment.

Anyway, my goal is to increase my number of training sessions from 2 per week to about 4 or 5. Fitness is key to dealing with limited sleep and maintaining good levels of concentration and general health in the year ahead.

Last year was bloody expensive too. Never, ever underestimate the opportunity cost of forgone salary progression. Whether it is lost debt reduction, lost pension contributions or merely salary raise progressions, the componded effect of taking those in your thirties will make you weep as a sixty-year old unless the benefits of the time off were seriously worthwhile. I was concious of this, so no real issue. Merely recognition that this year needs some serious financial rewards.

What was your unlikeliest kid fantasy?

Hey, being a kid was great.

Closing my eyes and imagining myself in another life.

My fantasy was the not-unusual-circus-one. I imagined myself as a trapeze artist or tightrope walker. Or most especially, the breathtaking tumblers.

Cirque du Soleil - the most breathtaking show I've ever seen. I saw their Alegria performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Thing was, this fantasy went on a bit long and my parents were quite worried whenever Boswell Wilkie came to town.

I even visited Keith Andersen, trainer of all South Africa's world famous trapeze acts and then production manager of Boswell Wilkie. I got the royal tour and was even introduced to the elephants. I shook trunks and fed each one. Keith Andersen was one of the inspirations for the South African movie, "The Flyer."

While the fantasy was not unusual, its fulfilment was unlikely. Which in retrospect is just as well. Sleeping on a bunk bed in circus trailer is less charming than it might once have been.

I got thinking about this recently when watching Madonna's Reinvention and Confessions tours on TV. Yeah I think the woman has some quirks, but I also think she understands the whole concept of Pop better than almost anybody since Warhol.

The part that got me reminiscing was the dance acts. Man, what I would have given to be able breakdance or just plain dance like that as a kid.

Take a look at Daniel Campos in the Hollywood routine below. Especially the hand-plant-effort near the end. Wow.

Daniel "Cloud" Campos headlines Hollywood during Madonna's reinvention tour

Given that he broke a wrist in a dance act once and that he is infinitely more athletic than me, I won't be taking up break dancing anytime soon.

(Good on ya for following the childhood dream, Cloud.)

When Ray of Light was released I saw an interview with Madonna. She talked of how she dreamt of fame and wanted it to fill a loneliness inside of her. When she was famous and stood on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans, she felt lonelier than ever before.

There's a lesson in there somewhere.

And before you ask, no I am not a Kylie fan ... At. All. Funny how that question follows a stated preference for Madonna.

(Can't believe I missed Depeche Mode and Madonna on tour last year - if I'd thought about it, I would have coughed up to catch them overseas. Who knows if DM will tour again.)

Do you rave?

Peas disclosed her status as a closet raver and got me reminiscing.

I guess any mass human synchrony that also has people completely caught up in their own space has to be amazing. Especially since many can be stoned out of their minds and others are health ravers and just drink water.

I used to love a pretty hard core dingy rave club in Cape Town called Pure. It was very hard core though. Once, I passed on a speaker there. Nobody can quite believe that.

Mega-raves are the biz though. I've been to multiple Paul Oakenfold raves. Biggest was at Dockside in Cape Town. They oversold the event by 100% (I'm not quite sure how you do that) and you could tell inside - the crowd literally moved as one - there was no space for individual movement.

The night before the Dockside rave, I stumbled upon James Small's engagement party to Christina Storm at his then Cape Town club (I forget the name). For some reason he allowed my friend and I in and we partied with all the models from Christina Storm's agency about an arm's length away from Oakenfold on the decks. Did you know he earns up to R250 000 per mega-rave gig and was at that stage the highest paid DJ in the world?

I also went to 2 Paul Van Dyk raves. Van Dyk is the godfather of trance. Man. Awesome.

I also had such a good rave with Oakenfold at the Atlas Studios - one of the best venues I've been to - that I wrote my car off on the way home. I've been a little more circumspect about things since then.

Great rave DJs read a crowds' energy and can build to a crescendo of racing heart beats and whooping ravers without the crowd being conscious of the patterns. It is amazing how a poor DJ can have great music but fall flat.

Nexus is cool. Try it. But Truth in Midrand has been the rave destination of choice in Jo'burg for a while and hosted tonnes of big name DJs. I saw Mylo there but he played speed garage and I hated it.

My favourite Jo'burg rave jol was a small dingy place in Benmore Jo'burg called Sublime. Oh my oath, I don't know how I survived! No big name DJs, just a completely different scene.

I also raved to John Digweed in New York and did the obligatory pilgrimage to Ministry of Sound in London (a night out there could break the bank).

Other amazing dance clubs (mostly house rather than rave) have been Jet Lounge Cape Town (all time fave), The Fez Cape Town, Mumbar Cape Town, The Gallery London. Sadly Joburg doesn't have too many out-and-out dance clubs like that, except on the East Rand and the drive home is therefore fraught with danger.

If 27 is a rave rabbit, I hate to think what 33 is! But alas, I find it takes me bloody ages to recover from a rave these days and I go on the rare occasion (like once or twice a year) - typically when I'm drunk after having been somewhere else.

At the beginning of this last December a friend had the great idea (not) of getting up and going to a trance party at 04h00 and partying into the day. I thought it was a crazy idea but went along with it anyway. It was one of those Alien Safari things I think. I arrived and, sober, walked through the tent village with the merchants selling their hubbly-bubblies, health drinks, mushrooms, etc. By the time I got to the dancefloor, I thought I was in a Harry Potter movie. Wow.



Other big outdoor raves have been Carl Cox at a New Year's party on Cape Town's foreshore and another New Year at the River Club (also in Cape Town) - probably about '94 when rave was at its peak. Both had over 30 000 mad ravers!

Still to do:
- H20 (although I thought they were no more)
- The Fridge, London
- Ibiza
- DJ Tiesto
- Junior Jack

I also have to do Carfax although that's more House.

Hey, what memories! I've posted this on my blog for posterity with a photo of the dancefloor from December's Alien Safari at dawn.

To the future or because of the past?

I just saw The Butterfly Effect.

Click here for the Apple Quicktime trailer.

We all take what means most to us personally from these type of movies but it was certainly poignant for me. I took much of last year off to deal with some issues from my past and consider my future.

SPOILER WARNING - you'll want to skip to the end if you haven't seen the movie and still want to.




Apparently the DVD has an alternative ending and theatrical ending in addition to the released movie. I didn't like what I read of either and I would have gone with yet another version.

The movie ends with Kutcher altering reality and settling for the version which is not quite perfect but does the least harm to everybody.

The moral of the story is that "if you change one thing, you change everything" (the tagline of the movie), and that it is pointless to wish we had done one thing differently in our past - we have no idea how this would have affected everything else. Given this, I would have ended the story in the asylum with Evan (Ashton Kutcher) desperately asking for his journals and trying to go back in time to change just one more thing. It would have rounded off the moral - if you live in the past, you are doomed to remain there. It would have left us with the message but wondering if Evan had merely imagined his alternate realties on the way to ending up in the asylum.

But anyway, we take what means the most to us, and that is what meant a lot to me.

END OF SPOILER

The year ahead must deliver. I have promised myself that it will deliver career wise and financially. It kind of has to to make up for the cost of the last year! But the last year was important and I am ready for new challenges.

So onwards it is.

How much of the future is digital?

I just watched Happy Feet in South Africa's first digital projection cinema - being trialled at Sandton City.



I must say it was very impressive. The Christie CP 2000x projector shows 35 trillion colours in phenomenal high-definition.



It also means we're a long way to a fully digital movie process - unbelievable animation all the way through to distribution and projection.

I remember some years ago watching a program about the future of movies and forecasting the return of legends like Marilyn Monroe - as digital actors in movies.

PS: the highlight of the movie for me was as the Amigos (pictured above) sang Chicago's If You Leave Me Now, they reached the point where the chorus kicks in "ooo-ooo-woo-hoo no, baby please don't go" the Amigo's paused slightly longer than the original and two guys in the back sang out "ooo-ooo-woo-hoo" in perfect unison. The entire audience fell off their seats in appreciative laughter!

Do men imitate James Bond or does James Bond imitate men?

You've got to wonder how much Ian Fleming's writing has sculpted modern man. To what extent do we aspire to animal magnetism, fast cars, gadgets and that "Peter Stuyvesant" lifestyle - ski-slopes, casinos, 6 star hotels - due to the iconic lifestyle of an improbable superspy?

I recognise it it in myself and some of my friends. Of course it's more acceptable as a twenty-something gung-ho student than a thirty-something married man with kids (not that I'm that!) The irony is that if the Bond lifestyle was achievable at all it would be in our thirties or forties.

So what does the change in the action-hero/spy-genre say about modern man? Casino Royale marks the rebirth of Bond in the form of Daniel Craig. We've had the suave in Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan. We've had the more masculine before in Sean Connery and Timothy Dalton. The previous return to a more realistic, gory action pic in the Living Daylights proved to heavy for most audiences. And people grimaced at the prospect of the more raw, less attractive Daniel Craig as the new Bond.

But since the Living Daylights we've had The Bourne Identity and Supremacy. Perhaps these more than other movies showed the potential for success of a good action / spy / thriller story.

Also, we've reached the second millenium. The date that prefixed many of the science fiction stories that gave glimpse to futuristic gadgets has come and gone and today's audiences are much less awed by fancy toys.

So Casino Royale redefines Bond and it is welcome and well pulled off. Daniel Craig is the new rugged.



What does this mean for us guys? We need to be able to fight. Not with guns or mamby-pamby shit like that, but in hand-to-hand combat like Matt Damon in the Bourne Identity or Supremacy (yeah dude, who needs a gun when you've got a rolled up magazine...). We need to work out - Matt Damon and Daniel Craig's physiques are part of their movies. We need an Aston Martin. Ok, that requirement hasn't realy changed in the Bond movies. We need to play poker. Right, that might be the worldwide Texas Hold-Em phenomenon influencing Bond rather than the other way around. Also, we only need to attract one super model (in Bond's case - just Franke Potente in Bourne's) per movie, rather than the multiple number of Connery's days. Perhaps that's a concession to to more modern day political correctness. Also, we need to show feelings. We actually need attachment!



Ah well, martial arts here I come...