I am a big footie fan. I am a proudly Man United supporter and support England football. It might be hypocritical, but only their football. I can’t stand their rugby or cricket sides, and love to see them lose, but the football side provides me a proper, realistic chance of a win, and as an United support, I feel it’s okay. I am fully behind Bafana, but they can not win the cup.
Anyway, the long and the short of it, I will be supporting England. And like their cricket and rugby sections, the football side is one where others love to hate them. But it’s okay, cos this time around, we have some masterclass players! Like Rio and Theo. Hmmmmm… Or not so much. Walcott wasn’t selected and Ferdinand has been ruled out by injury. In saying that, I still have full faith in the squad that Capello has put together.

While we’re on the subject, there are a whole horde of big names that aren’t going to be here. My biggest is Ronaldinho. While I wouldn’t be supporting the Brazilians, nor seeing any of their games live, I fail to see how you can not select such an influential player of his skill calibre. Other’s include: Cech, Modric, Arshavin, Ibramovic who’s country’s did not make it to these games. Ballack and Beckham who are inured. Riquelme, Benzema, Nasri, van Nistelrooy, Arteta, Cambiasso and Ronaldinho who were simply not selected. It boggles my mind. That doesn’t mean there won’t be big names here. I’m lucky enough to be going to all the group games here in Cape Town and will be seeing Rooney and Ronaldo, amongst others, which makes me very happy inside.

I’ve never been one to write about a trending topic purely for blog traffic. My blog isn’t about that. I wrote about the Taylor incident because of how I felt, and I write this for the same reason: Passion. My only concern is that it’ll be over and gone far too soon. There is so much excitement about, but good things tend to pass quickly. And what will happen to the rest of the country after the “world cup will save us all” phase? Hotels are no where near fully occupied now, and there will be new, overly large stadia spattered around the country that will never again be full. But this is now. The gees that everyone is talking about must have hit everyone. And if not, snap out of it, and embrace the love of the game, even if it is for only a few weeks. Besides, this is Cape Town. Out town. People hear about our city from all over the world, and now you get to show them just how amazing it is. Yes, football might not be for everyone, and maybe a good party isn’t either. But feel the passion. Enjoy the vibe. Embrace it. Cos we’ll all be a little sad when it’s gone.

Here’s some of my car gees.  I hope you have some too.

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I’m posting this as a proud member of the #SpeakZA movement. If you’re a blogger who cares about freedom of speech, join us today and speak out against the ANCYL’s bully-boy tactics. The words below were written by Sipho Hlongwane. I salute his courage and his gumption.

Last week, shocking revelations concerning the activities of the ANC Youth League spokesperson Nyiko Floyd Shivambu came to the fore. According to a letter published in various news outlets, a complaint was laid by 19 political journalists with the Secretary General of the ANC, against Shivambu. This complaint letter detailed attempts by Shivambu to leak a dossier to certain journalists, purporting to expose the money laundering practices of Dumisani Lubisi, a journalist at the City Press. The letter also detailed the intimidation that followed when these journalists refused to publish these revelations.

We condemn in the strongest possible terms the reprisals against journalists by Shivambu. His actions constitute a blatant attack on media freedom and a grave infringement on Constitutional rights. It is a disturbing step towards dictatorial rule in South Africa. We call on the ANC and the ANC Youth League to distance themselves from the actions of Shivambu. The media have, time and again, been a vital democratic
safeguard by exposing the actions of individuals who have abused their positions of power for personal and political gain.

The press have played a vital role in the liberation struggle, operating under difficult and often dangerous conditions to document some of the most crucial moments in the struggle against apartheid. It is therefore distressing to note that certain people within the ruling party are willing to maliciously target journalists by invading their privacy and threatening their colleagues in a bid to silence them in their legitimate work.

We also note the breathtaking hubris displayed by Shivambu and the ANC Youth League President Julius Malema in their response to the letter of complaint. Shivambu and Malema clearly have no respect for the media and the rights afforded to the media by the Constitution of South Africa. Such a response serves only to reinforce the position that the motive for leaking the so-called dossier was not a legitimate concern, but an insolent effort to intimidate and bully a journalist who had exposed embarrassing information about the Youth League President.
We urge the ANC as a whole to reaffirm its commitment to media freedom and other Constitutional rights we enjoy as a country.

Go here for more info

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1. Weather – You want good weather.  Plan ahead.  View as many weather sites as you can.  See if Simon Gear is available.  Wind and temperature are all crucial when climbing a mountain.
2. The night before – If you plan on beginning at 8am, you need to get a good nights sleep .
3. Do not trust the weather man.  He will always lie to you – If you follow step 1, you must be prepared for this being completely wrong.  Cape Town’s weather mood can be compared to a woman in menopause.  This will cause you to think that you will not be hiking the next day.  And the next day being a public holiday can only mean you’ll now go out with the intention of not climbing a mountain.
4. The night before ii – If you’re going to go out, do not drink.
5. Prepare for the morning – Discuss, in your drunken state, with your drunken friends, at 4am, that the weather is going to be shit.  Agree that climbing is not a good idea.
6. Calm down – You need to remain calm when someone that wasn’t out with you wants to know if you’re still on for the mountain.  Do not shout and swear.  Just go back to sleep.
7. Calm down ii – Remain calm when your housemates knock on your door, urging you to get ready.  Try not use words sailors are afraid of.  They are your friends.  They are your friends.  They are your friends.
8. Prepare – You must now prepare for the day ahead in 10 minutes.  Still drunk.  This is risky, but must be done.  You need to ensure you have everything.  Pack your bag with things you may need.  Items such as sunscreen are important.  Others like a golf glove are not.
9. Brush you teeth – Please.
10. Sunscreen suit-up – The earlier the better. Make sure to cover all bare areas.  This includes ears and hands.
11. Groups are safe – Leave in a group to ensure your safely on the way there.  However, be sure you have selected a good group of friends to go up with.  You don’t want overly asthmatic people, or people that suffer going up stairs.  I’m serious.  You’re going to be climbing a mountain.
12. Stock – Make sure you have supplies for the trek.  Stopping at the nearest petrol station is a good idea.  You can probably buy everything you need here.
    • Water – Do not be shy without the amount of water you take.  You will thank me later.
    • Food – Pies are a good option.  Make sure your bag will house them properly.  (Try eat a little bit now)
    • Energy – Take a couple of chocolates and maybe an energy drink for sugars.
13. Punctuality – Leave as soon as you’re ready.  You’re now nearly an hour late.
14. Start Happy – And with excitement.  This is good to keep you motivated on your journey.  Keep your group entertained with jokes and humour.
15. Be Selective – Do not take person who is asthmatic. And left her asthma pump at home.
16. Avoid Trees – Now, this is very important.  There are a lot hidden trees across your path that jump out when you get close to them.  They are one of the many walls that are put up to demotivate you.  You must stay strong.  Keep your eyes open, and your head low.  Try not to show pain when you’re too slow to react.  When your friends laugh, laugh with them.  Then your tears will appear to be of joy and not excruciating pain.
17. Keep Going – Now, this is the time when you will feel your worst.  Your thighs will begin to burn, and your stomach will start to talk as if possessed.  Your throbbing head will now pulse in your ears.  Your body will tell you that eating a pie is a good idea.  You need to fight these feelings.  Your brain needs to switch on and take over.
18. Be clever – this is where you reaslie the important of step 15.  You decide to leave her with the group of people that she found (with a pump), not thinking of the drama that will soon ensure.
19. Keep Hydrated – Last night’s “couple of drinks” now means any liquid you have in your body is only bile.  Keep drinking water, or you will face a horrible death.
20. Keep Going ii – This is the point you realise how much of a mistake the pie was.  You now taste the bile.  If you were alone, you will feel very comfortable in lying down, fetal-style, and weeping, while you pray for death.  These are the symptoms to avoid.  You’ll consider excuses of leaving the group in order to heave.  But you must fight it for your pride and dignity.  (Even though everyone may already be drunk off your fumes)
21. Listen – A runner, yes a runner, will pass you and inform you of this magical place.  He’ll tell you of a beach on the mountain.  You’ll laugh with him, but soon realise he isn’t joking.  You will be sceptical, but need to remember step 14.
22. Relax – When you reach the water, you’ll think it’s a dream.  It’s not.  Touch it.  Dreamy water is not that cold.  Now chill.  The rest of the way is downhill, and that’s easy.
23. Eat – When you get home, you’ll need to replenish your low energy levels.  Eating the pies you haven’t eaten yet is a good idea.  But this is also the time you realise that you should have packed better.  “Pancake pies” still taste the same, by the way.

So, I hope this helps with future mountain endeavours.  Feel free to leave your own tips below.

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You can read it here.

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The IPL is said to be bringing R1 Billion into South Africa, in one way or another. Two games were completed on the opening day here in Cape Town. I honestly didn’t think it would go ahead with the rain that greeted us on Saturday morning, but they gave it time and bowled the first ball on time.

Lalith Modi said in his opening ceremony speech that this was an incredible task to get this up and running in less than four weeks, but if you saw the opening ceremony, you can understand it, with the amount of money they threw into it. Snow Patrol were in town after Coke Zero Fest, and so they were undoubtadly paid a crap load of money to stay a little longer to play two (yes, only two songs). Tough life for them. I particularly liked Helen Zilla being at the ground pre-election time. Every time anyone mentioned her name, the crowd went ballistic. Awesome. And, just to put this out there, Motlanthe was pretty useless.
The games proved good entertainment, and perhaps giving the first upset with the Royals, (last years champs), being thumped by the Chargers – Captained by Chopface Pieterson. There should be some really good cricket to watch with all the best players in the country at the same time. I’ve luckily got some tickets for next Saturday’s fixture, so hopefully I’ll get to catch a couple of high flyers.

South Africa and Australia have finally finished the head-to-head that took a third of a year to complete. It was a long, hard tour which must have left the players so sick of each other. We comprehensively beat them in the ODIs to claim the top spot in the rankings (7-3). We shared the spoils in the Test matches, ironically each side beating the other in the oppositions backyard. The T20 matches, which I personally feel is not real cricket, was also shared equally home and away (2-2). After all this time, the players really must be feeling that the intensity of playing the other best side in the world is gone. It surely must get boring? Well, the tour organisers have changed things a little and made it so that each year, we will play each other in alternative countries, with alternative formats. ie, Next year we will play Aus in Aus in ODIs only. The following year with be in SA for Tests, and so on. Or at least it’ll be something like that.

I have left the best, and most important for last: Geek Cricket. This was Organised by Rob Stokes, and I hope this little get together happens more than once a year. Despite about 8 members of the list pulling out, some as early as the night before, we managed to get two teams of 8 each.

We started out with a mild net session for whoever was keen to show off that 10 years of self-induced isolation has not caused too much damage. A few handshakes and introductions were made, with a few people knowing one another. Eventually, we were all huddled in a cirlce around manager Rob and 2 captains, of which experience was based, were selected. “Luckily”, I was one of them. We then each selected our teams from the groups of bowlers, batters and all-rounders. Or something like that. Off we went for the toss. I won and decided to field. It was based on skill and years experience. Balls – There was no reason. It was more like superior instict for the kill, really.

Off we went to our respective teams. The batting side were chistend The Kaapse Klopse, and we, with our very inmportant and money intense sponsors, were named the Chevrolet Nashua Mercedes Supersport Nike Chargers. Or, I suppose, the CNMSNC for short. After an intense opening spell by our quicks, the Klopse were moving along slowly, but without losing any sticks. Along with the change on bowling, and medium pasers, came the runs. Thick and fast too. Boundaries were hit all over the park. But then the breakthrough came eventually when they pushed their luck one too many times. The Kaapse Klopse eventually amassed a good total of 144 all out in their 35 overs, (only facing 30 overs, mind you).

The CNMSNC also started off well and were moving along quite quickly. Balls were flying everywhere, and one person nearly hit a passing police car. But, as always with the big hitting, came the wickets. Eventually we were 5/6 down and still needing 50 odd to win. Step up to the plate, yours truely, Captain Fantastic/Awesome/TheSpecailOne, what ever you would like to call me, BMT is my middle name. 2 sixes, and 3 fours later, the game was over and the Kaapse Klopse were left licking their wounds after only 20 overs.

Much fun was had, and because we had finished early, we decided to have another match. All the guys with WAGs were dragged away, and it left 13 of us for a 10 over 6-a-side game. Stokes took over the captaincy and helped gain a bit of respect for the Kaapse Klopse as hit side narrowly winning in what can only be described as “play cricket”, so it doesn’t really count. But we gave it to them to let them feel better about ehir ealier thrashing.

I will put my figures for the day down because there may be national GeekCricket selectors reading;
Match 1:
Bowling: 5 overs, 1 maiden, 21 runs, 3 wickets, 2 catches.
Batting: 30 NO 2×6, 3×4

Match 2:
Bowling: DNB, 1 catch, 1 stumping
Batting: 20 NO 1×6, 3×4
- I have considered myself awesome now.

Photo’s can be found here by andreinafrica
The official Geek Cricket blog can be found here

So yes, cricket is going well in the country at the moment, topped by superb geeks playing amazing cricket. Not bad for the best sport in the world.

(Please note: Due to my lack on time, really, this is about 3 weeks old at time of going to press)

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I grew up in another country.  My family did not up and leave because of “the way South Africa was heading”.  We left because my father received a job opportunity he could not say no to at the time.  We didn’t go far, though – To Gaborone, Botswana.  A mere 4 hours from Joburg. But what a different place it is. I was seven at the time, so I was still a sponge, ready to absorb anything that was thrown at me, and much of the South Africa I knew before leaving was pretty much a distant memory.  I started school at a British run private primary school with 29 different nationalities being represented by the students.  Once a year, there was a day where we would all bring our own national dishes, clothes, etc, and share it amongst each other learning about everyones heritage and home. I am Jewish, and my best friend throughout most of the next 7 years was Muslim.  At high school, of the 600 students, 240 were from other countries. 33 different counties to throw another number in there.  My best friends for the next few years was of Hindu descent.  I’m basically showing you my background and what type of lifestyle I grew up in.  There were no politics about admittance into the schools on racial background, nor was there any problem about who you scrummed with each Saturday morning on your way to becoming the top side in the country.  These things didn’t matter.

I guess I never really understood this whole racism thing until midway through high school.  It came in the form of a fat, Afrikaans man from Rustenburg.  Yes, the banality is there, however unintentional it was, the truth is authentic.  There were words spoken out of his mouth that I had only read about, and seen in movies talking about things from the ’70s.  It was nauseating. But, you learn to live with it, I mean what can you really do?

I think a lot South Africans, (By this, I mean my generation – born somewhere in the ’80s), were brought into a different world.  A world that is trying really hard to rectify a problem that ran for decades – A problem that they didn’t cause but they’re trying.  The worry is, there are still people from a previous generation  that are fighting for a cause that has ended.  So now we sit with this mosaic of problems lying on the floor and a colourful way to fix it.   This solution started 15 years ago – officially.  So when will South Africa stop telling everyone that it’s still in the growing phase.  They need to grab the bull by the horns and sort itself out.  Do people honestly believe we are further along than we were even 5 years ago?  You only have to look at sport to know there are still problems.  The phantom it’s-there-no-there’s-no-such-thing “quota system” proves it.  Why must we force players of colour into a team that means a performing white player should be dropped?  Ntini of the Proteas earned his caps; Donald wasn’t dropped for him.  Gibbs waited for his turn and performed, cementing his place properly with his own flair.  But when a player, I’ll throw in one K. Pieterson, is blatantly dropped because there is a player of colour that might be better, it’s a problem.  KP is one of the best players in the world, and will be for some time.  That player of colour is tottering around in the provincial system because when he had his chance, he just wasn’t good enough.

There are some words I don’t use. By words, I mean foul language that shouldn’t be spoken.  There are some that start with C’s and some with P’s, but the one with the K still causes the worst pains. When I moved to South Africa, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but at times, within the right crowds, it isn’t that bad.   But I still hear it every so often. From friends even.   A couple of my best friends know how I feel about it, and they’ve stopped (around me?). Why am I friends with these people then?  Because they are still good people, and it really isn’t their fault that this is what they’re been brought up with. I suppose they are still there to learn and to adjust.  It just proves how ignorant some people are, though.  They know about the problems in the passed, but instead of making a concerted effort to change, and be part of a solution, they continue to babble on in their own way, adding to the mess of the current lingering conundrum.

People are being educated properly and slowly the tides are turning in the social circles.  It’s the bigger picture that I think still needs a lot of work.  It’s not meant to be a political discussion, I prefer to leave that up to the politicians, but in this country, it definitely is political:  We a have a probable future president that recently said Afrikaaners are the only true white South African’s., then sings about his bloody machine gun.  I know he’s trying, but come on. He’s as stupid as his youth leader.

So again, what can you really do? This is my way.  What’s yours? This post may get me into trouble, in fact, I hope it does.  Maybe it’ll open some eyes.

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I can’t speak for the rest of the world, but I’m pretty sure there are just as many poor people everywhere else as there are in South Africa.   And there are a lot here.  Rich people, black, white, brown, red, blue, whatever race you are,  are pretty much the same.  I say pretty much because there are always exceptions.  Note, though,in this comparison, there is either rich or poor.  You either have money to eat, or you don’t.  South Africa has a large amount of people begging for money at every place rich people will be:

• Malls – Because rich people love to spend their money by making themselves look pretty,
• Parking lots – because rich people love to drive their beautiful, expensive gas guzzlers,
• Large clubbing venues – Because rich people love to drink away hard earned money.

Rich people avoid these poor people at all costs.  But let’s be honest, this is a capitalist, dog eat dog world.  We all work hard for our money, some of us more than others.  So it’s all understandable, right?  I believe it is.  Except these rich people should not be shallow, and I hate to admit it, but even I am.  Me, this wonderful, caring, full-of-life-and-love person.  It’s disgusting.  I often try tell myself to behave differently, and sometimes I do.  Depending on the mood, obviously, I will give food or money to one of the unfortunates at the robot.  But sometimes I am the person I do not want to be, the person who i despise.  On the way home from work this evening, I was exhausted.  It had been a long, hot and very busy day.  And I was on my last reserves for the day.  It makes a good excuse, doesn’t it.  There was the regular at the robot near my house, and he walked passed as usual, and in my mood, I ignored him.  As usual.  This time he said something, opposed to normally just walking passed with his sad expression.  My window was open and not really hearing what he had said, I replied, “No, I’m sorry.”, and looked around my car as if to signify I had nothing.  He bent down lower, looked at me, tapped his wrist, and said, “The time.”.  I said ten passed six, and shamefully drove on.  I was angry at myself.  And I want you all to be angry at yourselves too.  We are all superficial and frivolous and plain old horrible.  You’ve all done it. But don’t.  You can’t always be one of those people that always gives money to the blind lady that is guided down the isle on the train.  But rather be someone that makes yourself feel better.  And actually do something.  I bet you think of this the next time you drive passed a “poor” person.  Be nice, listen, give – it feels really good.

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