Broodforce

Lovepalm 2011 - All Grown up

2011-05-24T12:08:00.000+02:00

I've been caring for this love palm since September 2007.

It has now reached sexual maturity. How do you neuter a plant?

Climbing - Strubens Valley

2011-05-17T06:42:00.000+02:00

Climbing is not intended for my thick boned structure.

I find it very difficult to get my body close enough to the wall - which in theory should allow me to use more legs than upper body strength.

So I end up resting a lot.

One last push to the top...

I had to check if I still had all my fingers, they were a wee bit numb.

Harsh Braking

2011-02-02T06:57:00.000+02:00

Above – My reaction when a car that was queuing on the off-ramp, came over the Yellow lines, between the traffic cones and entered my lane at 40km/h – I was doing 125km/h.

Kudos to VW Polo for giving me another opportunity to dodge death.

Andreoid

2010-12-22T14:52:00.000+02:00

Not sure how Andre got to be the Android mascot... He owns a Nokia N97

iShmuel

2010-12-22T14:50:00.000+02:00

Not lagging too far behind Tony and as 2nd biggest Apple Fan... Shmuel

iTony

2010-12-22T14:48:00.000+02:00

Tony is our breakfast group's biggest Apple fan boy :)

Fanie Botha Hiking Trail

2010-12-22T14:42:00.000+02:00

Fanie Botha Hiking Trail Day 1

Fanie Botha Hiking Trail Day 2

Fanie Botha Hiking Trail Day 3

Fanie Botha Hiking Trail Day 4

Fish River Canyon, Namibia

2010-08-31T11:58:00.000+02:00

Fish River Canyon, Namibia

26/06/2010

2010-06-26T11:01:00.001+02:00

Assegaai

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Microsoft Image Composite Editor

2010-05-09T20:21:00.000+02:00

Test panoramas I composed using Microsoft's Image Composite Editor

MTB Brakes

2010-05-08T10:28:00.000+02:00

No wonder my mountain bike's rear brakes failed

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS

2010-04-28T22:39:00.000+02:00

Soweto, South Africa

2010-04-20T15:27:00.000+02:00

Soweto, South Africa from Jack Toohey on Vimeo.

Centurion Model Railroad Picnic

2010-04-19T10:41:00.000+02:00

Centurion Model Railroad 2010-04-18

Centurion Model Ship Builder

2010-04-18T23:01:00.000+02:00

Tele Atlas doing streetview?

2010-02-20T20:47:00.001+02:00

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Smoking Fail

2010-02-20T17:45:00.001+02:00

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Close Call

2010-02-19T17:40:00.001+02:00

Friend's lucky day

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19/02/2010

2010-02-19T17:33:00.001+02:00

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Groenkloof Hike

2009-08-17T10:08:00.001+02:00

Groenkloof hike

Medscheme Walkerville MTB Classic

2009-07-13T08:52:00.000+02:00

I thoroughly enjoyed the 60km Walkerville race.

Within the first 10km we had to cycle over a mountain, with some inclines above 20% - and then one monster of a rocky descent following. I almost bailed on the last corner of the descent. Loose rocks around a 90 degree turn at high speed is not my friend.

Being relaxed and not aiming for a podium finish we assisted others fixing punctures.

Overall I found the race to be very balanced between climb, descents, fast jeep and single track and a good spread of water points.

Walkerville is a race I will definitely do again.

Nokia Sports Tracker

Nissan Tygervalley MTB

2009-06-24T10:15:00.000+02:00

The past weekend I completed the Nissan Tygervalley MTB race.

The 60km race was 54km (according to the GPS) of cycling fun. It was a combination of fast Jeep track, winding single track, river crossings - which had queues equivalent to N1 Peek time traffic and fun rocky descents.

www.mtbseries.co.za
Having drawn close on 800 participants in it’s inception just over a year ago, this “little” school race showed Gauteng Mountain bikers that they didn’t have to travel huge amount of kilometres to have awesome trails to ride on.

Now with over 40% single track on a single loop of 60km in Pretoria this awesome mountain bike route has developed into a full on diverse race route. With limited amount of climbing the route shows it’s strengths with lots of criss-crossing cattle tracks, flowy single track, extreme motorbike trails, beautiful river crossings, friendly farm roads.

The 30km unlike many other events where they cut out all the good stuff for the longer race shares all the great scenery and fixtures of the 60km. With three river crossings and a fairly friendly route this distance is perfect for the mountain biker who is the occasional weekend warrior!

I was surprised to see so many people changing tubes, how come they don't use tire sealant? Only to be stuck replacing a tube myself - 1cm cut through tire and tube that no tire sealant I know of can seal.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the Nissan MTB Series races.

Nokia Sportstracker Log

Sentinel, Drakensberg

2009-06-07T08:13:00.001+02:00

At the top of Sentinel. Cold with gusty winds

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What is this?

2009-06-05T11:48:00.001+02:00

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Magalies Monster

2009-06-01T10:08:00.000+02:00

Or as I like to refer to it The Magalies Goat

What an AWESOME race.

It covered all of the MTB disciplines: jeep track, single track, rocky climbs, rocky descents, mud and deep sand not to mention beautiful scenery.

You had a choice of a 20km, 45km or 75km race. I opted for 45km and glad I did so as it felt much longer with all the walking up steep unrideable climbs and a couple of descents that only the hardcore will do staying on their bikes.

Magalies Goat
We are still looking fresh after the race, but believe you me we were glad to be finished.

MTB Shopping

2009-05-10T16:53:00.000+02:00

I believe that I'm now down to 3 bikes on my short list.

GT Force 2.0

Merida Trans-Mission TFS900-D

Trek Top Fuel Ex 7 2008 or Fuel Ex 7 2009

My favourite at the moment is the GT Force 2.0 They have sold me on the I-Drive system and also in aftermarket support.

01/05/2009

2009-05-01T12:57:00.001+02:00

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Cheeky Monkey

2009-04-25T13:44:00.001+02:00

Where I'll buy one get one free today

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Samsung 2494HS - Awesomeness!!!

2009-04-24T19:43:00.001+02:00

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Craign checking vote results

2009-04-24T18:22:00.001+02:00

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23/04/2009

2009-04-23T22:15:00.001+02:00

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Prayer

2009-03-05T21:39:00.002+02:00

God my problems are greater than me,
I can't solve them alone.

Thought... Emotions

2009-03-05T21:19:00.003+02:00

I wrote this a long time ago...

I can't deny the thoughts I have, but thoughts they are only.

The only thing I know for sure it that I don't know for sure. Emotions leads to emotion lead to thoughts that fuel those emotions. I am trapped in a endless pool of self manipulation, not knowing which feelings are mine and which are conjured to confuse the situation.

I'm scared shitless to be alone the rest of my life, I'm scared shitless to be with someone.

Thoughts

2009-02-27T10:14:00.001+02:00

I wake up 1am in the mornings for no reason - stay awake for an hour...
but I find it is the time to pose question to my mind and get an unemotional answer

Then I confirm, what I know throughout the day - that the triggers/fuel etc of my emotions are false,but knowing that doesn't help to eradicate those thoughts

Love Palm 2009

2009-02-22T20:43:00.002+02:00

Many years ago a friend gave me a love palm. He mentioned that it was the first major step towards a real relationship.

The theory goes that if I can keep the love palm alive for a year I can move towards something more substantial like a dog and after that maybe even a girlfriend.

Well the palm is doing very well at the moment, growing beyond all hopes. Will I get a pet? No chance in hell ( El De Vino Complex )

But I don't think there is a policy about a pet looking after me.

Anxiety

2009-02-03T21:23:00.002+02:00

The last 4 weeks were awesome. My mind was in the right gear to tackle the new year, with issues resolved and mind at ease.

Now anxiety and depression has stuck out its ugly head. I've been exercising frequently at an intense pace, work is going well.. - so what went wrong?

Like always my mind latched onto a reason... a week later I realise that there is no way that that reason would cause such a violent reaction... it might have just been the trigger.

After so many years suffering from depression I have come to recognise when things go off track into depression and to be able to view my emotions from a 3rd person's viewpoint. I am still amazed how much one's mood can be altered in a state of depression, how hopeless life becomes... and that one can fall into a depression by merely a mental switch that got flicked by some trigger.

What I've also discovered over the years is that there is no way for me to get out of depression by 'Positive thinking'... the best approach is to stop thinking about negative stimulus and my mind will recover from it, but not that is easy either.

I'm reading an interesting book at the moment Happiness - A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill by Matthieu Ricard

I need to attain more skills to curb the depression... the search continues

94.7 Cycle Challenge 2008

2008-11-17T10:31:00.002+02:00

Another year, another 94.7 Cycle Challenge completed.

This year I didn't have a mission with the challenge beside enjoying every moment of it. They changed the route a little bit extending the route before Nelson Mandela bridge and reducing the Witkoppen road climb. The Halfway mark moving to just before the Witkoppen road climb.

I finished in 3 Hours 54 Min 19 sec improving by a whole 1 Min 12 sec over last year - WOOT!

Nokia Sportstracker Log of my 94.7 Cycle Challenge ride

Start Group CC

Edited Pics

2008-11-10T17:17:00.001+02:00

I was too lazy to create an original video for youtube so I made a slide show movie of my edited pictures...

Depression

2008-11-07T09:53:00.004+02:00

I find it difficult to believe that I suffer from depression being a master manipulator of my own mind, but a lot of signs point to that. The most common symptom is my sleep problem and I can relate to all the points below.

Taken from the Sleep Centre website:

The Sleep Disturbances in Depression are summarised below

1. Problems with the Continuity of Sleep - patients with depression characteristically have a prolonged sleep onset and increased wakefulness during sleep. Early morning waking is also considered a characteristic symptom;

2. Slow-Wave Sleep Deficits - Patients with depression have a decreased amount of Slow-Wave sleep (or deep sleep) especially during the first half of the night;

3. Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep abnormalities - The time from falling asleep to the onset of REM sleep is reduced in patients with depression - this decrease in REM onset latency is one of the most robust findings in depression. Other abnormalities of REM sleep include a longer duration of the first REM period, an increased number of rapid eye movements (REM Density) and an overall increase in the percentage of REM sleep

Babba's Lodge Nov 2008

2008-11-03T13:49:00.002+02:00

02 November 2008 | Mountain Biking
Bultfontein - Vit-T-Go Mountain Bike Super Series 2008 (Race #7)
Distance(s) : 70km (R110), 35km (R90), 12km (R70), 1km Brats (R50)

A friend encouraged me to enter the 70km event. It would be my first mountain bike race over 56km and was a bit worried, but saw it as a good preparation race for the 94.7 Cycle challenge.

The race consists of two laps of 35km. Benefit being that the second time around you know what is waiting and can pace yourself better, but also the added benefit of ducking out after one round if the legs/mind not permitting.

The race was mostly flat with some rocky climbs. Downhills not too hectic, but a full suspension would have made the descents faster. Thorns were a major concern with many riders quiting after too many punctures. I gave my spare tubes away being lucky enough not to have any punctures of my own at that stage. I also had patching and solution to recover in case I got a puncture.

The day was hectically hot with only one water point 35km into the race, something the race organisers can maybe improve on. I finished in 3 hours 17 riding time ( if you remove time spent helping others with punctures ). At the finish line we were met with strawberries, ice cold water and cool drinks.

This race is on my calender for next year again...

Crater Cruise 2008

2008-10-12T14:44:00.002+02:00

Crater Cruise was yet again a fantastic experience. Every year's event is an improvement from the last, improvements ranging from event organisation, water points and my own enjoyment level.

This year I convinced Jaco to join me on the ride. It was fun to have a cycle companion for a change. Though at the moment Jaco is regretting going with me as he is completely spent. Some of the water point snack also didn't accommodate with him.

I must say the offerings at the water points was a refreshing change. USN sponsored the energy drinks, they had bananas and for a first time Hot Chips with catchup and Vetkoek filled with sausage, bacon or mince.

You can have a look at my gps log of this year's 56km crater cruise at the Nokia Sport Tracker web site.

Dreams of October 7

2008-10-07T18:15:00.003+02:00

People say I'm special...

Blade
To see a blade in your dream, suggests that you are making some difficult and important decisions.
You need to be able to make clear distinctions between your choices.
It also indicates that you are walking on a thin line and need to balance aspects of your life carefully.

Cut
To dream that you have a cut, suggests that you are being let down or being undermined. In particular, if the cuts are on your legs, then it symbolizes an imbalance. You are unable to stand up for yourself

Gorilla
To see a gorilla in your dream, suggests that you may be too "over the top" in your behavior. Perhaps you are compensating for your rigidity and stiffness in your waking life. Alternatively, the gorilla symbolizes your primitive impulses, wild nature and repressed sexual energy.

Nazi ( If Hitler counts as a Nazy )
To see a Nazi in your dream, represents a form of evil and merciless force that cannot be reasoned with. You may feel that others are putting you down.

Legs
To dream that you legs are wounded or crippled, signifies a lack of balance, autonomy, or independence in your life. You may be unable or unwilling to stand up for yourself. Perhaps you are lacking courage and refuse to make a stand.

Skunk
To see a skunk in your dream, suggests that you may be driving people or turning people off. Alternatively, it indicates that all is calm about a certain situation but you do not necessarily like it or agree with it.

Microlight Flying

2008-09-21T20:06:00.002+02:00

Flying in a microlight was a fantastic experience. I was quite apprehensive at first, but after 5 minutes it was like a duck to water.

The money is not right at the moment, but I am seriously considering microlight flying as a hobby in the not too distant future.

Pretoria Beer Fest

2008-09-21T19:41:00.001+02:00

Another year another beer fest.

26 June 2008

2008-06-26T13:34:00.002+02:00

In Loving Memory of My Mother

Forza 2 BWM SA Flag

2008-06-24T14:17:00.002+02:00
I covered one of my favourite cars in Forza 2 with the South African flag...

Making Lasagne

2008-06-02T11:12:00.002+02:00
Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Lasagne

Ingredients
about 9 sheets spinach lasagne
For the filling:

1 small aubergine
2 medium courgettes (baby marrow)
1 Butternut
1 450 g Cherry tomatoes, skinned
3 tablespoons Tomato Pesto
1 small yellow pepper, de-seeded and cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) squares
1 large onion, sliced and cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) squares
2 tablespoons fresh basil, leaves torn so that they stay quite visible
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 50 g pitted black olives, chopped
1 heaped tablespoon capers
1 75 g Mozzarella, grated
salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the sauce:
1 35 g plain flour
1 40 g butter
1 570 ml milk
1 bay leaf
grating of fresh nutmeg
3 level tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano)
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Beef Lasagne

Ingredients
9 Sheets plain lasagne
1 1kg Ground Beef
1 Minestrone Soup Packet
1 450g Peeled Tomatoes
1 200g Cheddar Cheese

Sauce:same as above

Making Ravioli

2008-05-26T12:06:00.003+02:00
After getting the Pasta Maker the first attempted dish was Ravioli.

Spaghetti bolognaise Mince Ravioli
Basically Ravioli with Spaghetti Bolognaise flavoured stuffing topped with Spaghetti Bolognaise

@home

2008-05-20T09:31:00.003+02:00
I finally bought stuff from @home with b'day vouchers... been 7 months :)

Pancake Pan

and in case you don't have the recipe flip it around...

My Swiss Army knife can take a rest

and finally got the Pasta maker, making the chocolate pasta will be a breeze...

New beginning

2008-04-24T16:36:00.003+02:00
They were all excited about their promised new beginning in a far off land...

The couple of days in the Ship Container being a minor discomfort compared to what they are leaving behind... only to become another Ship Container Tragedy statistic... All DEAD!

In the end they only had a memorial site reminding the world of their demise.

India

2008-03-17T10:55:00.002+02:00

My Contact Numbers in India

2008-03-17T10:55:00.001+02:00
0-666-HOT-CURRY
0-999-COLD-SHOWER
099-EAT-CURRY
0-800-HANDSTAND-IN-COLD-SHOWER
099-YOU-ASS-HOLES-ARE-USING-NUMBERS-THAT-ARE-TOO-LONG-DUH
0800-BITE-ME
099-ID10TS
101-HOW-TO-EAT-CURRY
099-YOU-ASS-HOLES-ARE-USING-NUMBERS-THAT-ARE-TOO-LONG-DUH

Chocolate Pasta

2008-02-17T20:48:00.006+02:00

Chef:Antonio Carluccio Ingredients:
Preparation Time:
10 minutes
Cooking Time:
5 minutes

Serves: 4
For the Pasta:
9 oz (250 g) plain flour
4 oz (100 g) cocoa powder
1 oz (25 g) caster sugar
Pinch of cinnamon
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

For the sauce:
4 teaspoons good-quality clear honey
4 tablespoons chopped pistachio nuts

Method:
Sift the flour with the cocoa powder, and stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the eggs and vanilla essence, and mix to a smooth dough.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface until 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. With a pastry wheel cut into the dough into strips 3/4 inch (2 cm) wide and about 7 inches (18 cm) long. (If you have a pasta machine, you can use it to roll the dough out into the ribbons.)

Cook the pasta in unsalted, boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and divide between 4 warmed plates. Drizzle a generous teaspoon of honey and sprinkle 1 teaspoon pistachio nuts over each serving.

Thunder

2008-02-05T01:10:00.000+02:00

!Saying Goodbye to a Friend

2007-12-16T06:31:00.000+02:00
His departing words were: " Cheers, see you around", only giving me enough opportunity to raise my hand into a salute as he walked away - no time to exchange words.

I am using this opportunity to tell him:
"Bon chance avec cela, mon ami.", "Bon voyage!" and thank you for your friendship. Hope there is only happiness that awaits you in the foreign lands.

We fooled around with the airport staff getting them to stick fragile stickers on everything, yep even on Sybrand.

Photo Day

2007-12-10T04:04:00.000+02:00

Had a fun day taking photos with friends. We are all pretty unique regarding our approach to taking photos... me being the uber Noob :)

Gumpifoo

2007-12-05T09:03:00.000+02:00

352

2007-12-04T04:51:00.000+02:00

Kayasands Climbing Video

2007-12-02T09:04:00.000+02:00

Facebook Suicide

2007-12-02T04:13:00.000+02:00
I committed FaceBook suicide today.

I am investigating if I can channel through one of my friends to communicate to others. All he has to do is activate his Facebook Wigiboard application.

TimDroid

2007-11-30T09:25:00.000+02:00

Kayasands Climbing

2007-11-28T00:04:00.000+02:00
Thanks to Sybrand and Dave I achieved my first successful indoor wall climb ever!

Combination of hornets and swooping swallows hindered me in the past ;)

Almost to the top... My very first indoor climb

Tim, Sybrand and Dave

Low Level Programmer

2007-08-01T11:03:00.000+02:00
Real programmers code in binary...using a morse key

Around the fire

2007-07-30T09:34:00.000+02:00
Recipe for a good weekend:

1 x Be with friends somewhere out of town...

1 x Keep activity in a low gear

1 x Invite the neigbourhood for a braai

Married

2007-07-25T07:56:00.000+02:00
Friend got married yesterday... I wasn't even invited...not sure many people were...

I didn't even have a chance to tell him:
"I Do" might be the shortest sentence in the English language, but is also the longest sentence known to men.

RIP

2007-07-22T04:45:00.000+02:00

END DATE: TBD

Still too many lessons te learn in this life

Quote

2007-07-20T09:07:00.000+02:00
If my dreams were my reality, life would be the nightmares
J van den Bergh

Clutch

2007-07-12T00:41:00.000+02:00
My car is driving like a dream...

Basically the thrust bearing and pressure plate was worn/damaged. They put in a whole new clutch kit as getting access to the clutch e.g. labour cost, is the biggest part of the bill.

I was happy to see that the clutch lining was still good indicating I'm not that heavy on clutch.

Image thanks to Wikipedia:

Seppuku

2007-07-11T08:38:00.000+02:00
I sometimes wonder what is more painful, seppuku or life?

What to do...what to do to get out of this routine...routine of being stuck with fear...stuck in life. Having the answer right now does not seem to be part of my immediate future - So I wait :)

On a lighter note... my car has been giving me issues lately - more like growing pains. With the cold weather a seal on my radiator started packing up causing a slow leek of coolant - R450, cold temperatures also contributed to a main beam failure - R165 and parking light R7(R300 for fitment). The cherry on the cake was the thrust bearing that broke on Monday that results in the clutch being replaced - R2700.

I'm looking forward to getting my car back tomorrow. The independence, which I don't exercise, took a knock without transport. Hoping that these are the last of the pains.

Circle of Friends

2007-07-08T04:50:00.000+02:00
Thanks to Dave for taking the pics...

A**hole

2007-06-27T11:23:00.001+02:00

I am 30% Asshole/Bitch.
I may think I am an asshole or a bitch, but the truth is I am a good person at heart. Yeah sure, I can have a mean streak in me, but most of the people I meet like me.
Take the
Asshole/Bitch Test
@ FualiDotCom

Chicken Bone Soup Recipe

2007-06-02T00:09:00.000+02:00
After reviewing my financial state I need to investigate alternative food avenues...

Chicken Bone Soup Recipe:
* Ingredients: Bones from 1 chicken
* 2 quarts of cold water
* 1/2 cup of chopped onions
* 1/2 cup of chopped celery
* 1 sprig parsley
* salt and pepper

1. Directions: Break up chicken carcass.
2. Place in kettle with cold water to cover.
3. Add onion, celery, and parsley.
4. Cover
5. Simmer gently 2 to 3 hours, occasionally removing scum.
6. Strain and season to taste.
7. Serve clear or add some diced chicken or boiled rice.

Love Palm

2007-05-12T04:21:00.000+02:00
Alive and growing under my care since 7 September 2006

Sybrand gave me this Love Palm for my birthday and explained that if I can keep it "alive" I can move on to some other species higher up on the evolution ladder and eventually move to a member of the Homosapian species.

Today I finally re potted the love palm into a slightly larger pot giving it a opportunity to grow.

Mmm at this rate I should ready my house for another occupant...

Guilt?

2007-05-12T04:10:00.000+02:00

So in an attempt to shed my guilt I share to the world the snacks I'm planning to devour in the remainder of the day.

I had a good Mountain Bike ride this morning. Total of 40km on some virgin ground. It is clear that I'm not as fit as I would want to be - need to slowly push up the km. But fit enough to enjoy the ride.

Why is over-dreaming bad for me?

2007-04-25T00:01:00.000+02:00
Snippet from: www.clinical-depression.co.uk

Basically, because dreaming is hard work.

Dreaming itself is not a restful activity. Dreaming is called 'paradoxical sleep' because brain wave patterns are similar to those of the brain when completely awake.

Dreaming is a state of arousal.

As far as much of your brain is concerned, your dream is real. So adrenaline and other stress hormones in your system will be active in the body.

This is a double edged sword, because over-dreaming, as well as using up these hormones and energy, is actually making it harder for the body to make more. As you try to flush out the incomplete emotions, you spend more time in REM sleep, and therefore less time in deep sleep, when your body should be recuperating in preparation for producing these hormones for the next day.

So if you are over-dreaming you're not resting but flooding your system with adrenaline and other stress hormones. If most of your sleep consists of dreams, your body and mind will begin to feel very tired during the day. Depressed people often report that the worst time of day is first thing in the morning.

Sometimes a depressed person may start waking up early in the morning and not be able to get back to sleep. This may be a way of the body trying to cut down on over-dreaming in order to try and lift depression.

This depletion is also why depressed people often feel at their worst first thing in the morning.

As the day progresses, their hormones replenish themselves and their energy levels increase, and they are better able to motivate themselves.

Here's a more complete picture of how depression works:

Fuel for Suicide

2007-04-23T06:59:00.000+02:00
Sometimes my dreams are too weird for even the most complete Dream Dictionary...

Imagine dousing yourself with fuel, even swallowing some, and then to
set yourself alight...

In my dream last night that is exactly what this guy did. Just before
he lit himself, he told me not to worry, he won't feel a thing. Boy did he scream. Maybe he too was a Zombie like the rest of them in my dream...

Quotes of the day

2007-03-28T02:01:00.000+02:00
Reading the following I seem to be on the right track...

Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.
- Peter Ustinov

A happy childhood is poor preparation for human contacts.
- Colette

Sometimes the appropriate response to reality is to go insane.
- Philip K. Dick

Batteleur

2007-03-23T02:04:00.000+02:00
I'm denying allegations that I'm a Batteleur again!

This is what a Batteleur looks like... a bird pretty much free to roam where it pleases...

The Ironing of being a bachelor

2007-03-12T00:25:00.000+02:00
My first full week of being a Bachelor again...

The most important thing I've learned in the last week was something regarding Ironing.

I found out that the dots on the iron image of clothing labels actually relates to the temperature setting of the Iron...

n Days to...

2007-02-25T03:43:00.000+02:00
5 Days / 137 Hours / 494025 Seconds before the day!

Working over weekends suck. Especially if you have been partying as much as I did the last two evenings :)

But look at the bright side... I get free lunch

Spock

2007-02-01T03:16:00.000+02:00

Two Weeks Later

2007-01-16T10:37:00.000+02:00
So I'm making progress...

I weigh myself once a week to make sure I'm still on the right track. The lifestyle change seems to be working for me - I'm down to 94kg.

Getting on the scale too often is not a good idea - A weight target should not be your target; where as a healthy lifestyle eating right and exercising should.

If you do something for the right reasons you are almost guaranteed you will stick to it... So I'm working on that now

BUT NO ONE WANTS TO PUT A BET ON IT! :)

The Beginning of the End of ME

2007-01-04T09:43:00.000+02:00
For the most part of last year I have trained for what I will attempt this year. With the training I also achieved my goal for last year - end result I didn't have to pay up.

The beginning of 2004 my body weight was in excess of 110Kg - the most overweight I have ever been. After a wake-up call I started taking action, albeit small. The start of this year I'm under 97kg.

My goal for this year is to achieve a body fat % within the normal weight range - to be more specific the perfect weight for my body build.

Although this seems like a New Year's resolution it is not. It is a life style change that I started a year ago that I am tuning more.

The so called training that I mentioned will be very valuable in helping me commit to my healthy choices.

Most my life I have been exposed to diets - I now know what works for me. For the greater part of last year I followed a Low Carbohydrate diet. The biggest benefit being that I didn't have sugar fluctuation. I will continue on a Low Carbohydrate Diet, but will lean more towards Low GI Habits to accommodate my sport. The overall strategy to do Calorie counting.

Depression

2006-12-12T00:47:00.000+02:00

Had one of my worst spells of depression Sunday evening and Monday...Luckily a friend organised dinner which helped me make a complete turn around. About a year ago I had similar bad spells where the thought or means to commit suicide is the only soothing... it creates the hope that there is a way of not experiencing the bad feelings you have. Luckily the chance of it escalating to suicide proportions are quite slim - and I'm sure I will contact somebody before I make such a permanent commitment to death :)

Just to test my state of mind a lady drove too close to my car and completely destroyed my driver side mirror. It ended up with me buying her a mug of coffee at the Volkswagen dealership ( Seatle Coffee Co. ) and us discussing our holiday plans. She already had a bad morning before the vehicle altercation, but we departed with a smile on our faces. Less than an hour later I received a fax from her confirming full payment of the repair taking place tomorrow.

Having your car damaged is not fun, but the interaction with this person made my day.

Cyanide and Happiness

2006-10-09T14:40:00.000+02:00

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

Oktoberfest at Deutsche Schule Pretoria

2006-09-19T09:51:00.000+02:00
The start of our Oktoberfest...

which led to this...

Birthday

2006-09-14T11:15:00.000+02:00
So it happended again this year - I had me birthday.... Twenty Nine she is

Silver Cigar

2006-08-25T17:53:00.000+02:00

Boy was this a strange night...
Dreams:
Satellite:
I've been re-assigned to join a group of engineers at a remote
satellite launch site. It is a private organisation doing similar
work as the European Space Agency. These people are quite innovative
and manage to transport their rockets with commercial truck trailers - the
30000lbs ones.
I only get to see the main control building and the launching pad for
the rockets. I meet up with the CEO. He is a keen cigar smoker.
Strange is every time he wants to light a cigar I take a bar of silver
to him. He then melts a bit of solder onto the tip of the cigar before
he smokes it.
We have to go to the market to buy supplies. It is very busy and it
seems that we want to move against the flow of people. We are finding
it very hard to move until a huge guy comes past us. We get in behind
him and he sort of pulls us through the crowd. He turns around feeling
that we are following him - duh! We started chatting and I tell him
about my friend that is his equal in size. As I tell him that friend
of mine joins us. They know each other, played rugby together. The
greet with a kiss on the chin - like the Italian mafia would :) - by
that time they attract a lot of attention from the crowd. They
continue to kiss on the mouth - just to be controversial.
Pool:
My parents are floating on a lilo in the pool. I go to the front door
to welcome my aunt who visiting from afar. When we return to the pool
both my parents are at the bottom of the pool, clearly passed out. I
dive into the pool - thinking that I should have removed my sneakers.
I managed to get them both out thinking that I haven't been away for
too long - well not long enough cause permanent damage. I only manage
to revive my dad...
Robbery:
We are at the scene of the robbery to pick up on any possible clues.
We have two dogs - white staffordshire terrier - trying to pick up a
scent. We are walking on the beach. Friend and myself have cellphones
in hand trying to get the Push-to-Talk feature to work. We get back to
the main road heading for a shopping mall. Friend picks up the HUGE
poster. I walk past two girls sitting on a bench. One recognises me,
it is a girl from primary school - she later became a model. I walk
outside looking at my reflection in the shop windows. The outside
tiles are very slippery and in a moment of fun I ski across them.
Friend asks another man to help him roll up the poster so that he fit
it into his car. I am worried because he won't be able to fit the rest
of the stuff in his car (what stuff?). We drive off and eventually get
to a winding mountain road. Vineyards on both sides of the road with
signposts indicating to only use marked roads to enter. At this point
I realise that I'm free and away. I'm the thieve! I dig in my bag to
find piles of notes worried that what I'm thinking it true... All the
notes have the same serial number - the money is useless.
Office:
I'm working in a open plan office. There is a girl sitting on the one
guys desk - I always see her there - thinking if she actually has a
desk to sit at. Other people seem to be working hard. I never speak to
them. I wonder if they are really working as hard as it appears or
just taking everybody for a ride. I am at my desk testing modules. The
all connect to make up the unit (can't remember what it was - control
panel screen). I'm deep in thought when I get a fright and turn around
to find a guy standing behind me. He is a death and mute. I
communicate to him that he has to get a music player or something to
make a noise so that one can be warned when he is approaches. We
primary communicate by him reading my lips, but he keeps on looking
away - that really annoys me...

Aikido

2006-08-24T15:24:00.000+02:00

Dream:
Work:
I arrive at my workstation and one of my monitors is gone. Who in the
name of an Amazon Monkey took my monitor! I gaze around the office and
find it at a test machine...support was setting up a new machine.
Aikido:
I'm in Aikido class practising some moves with a peer. A junior student enters and we decide to demonstrate some more advanced techniques for him. I help the junior with a technique that I noticed he had a problem performing. Sensei enters class and requests me to be his Uke ( training partner ). He is demonstrating pins...this specific one is a pressure point technique ( not sure if it exists in real life ). I'm on the ground facing down and he uses a single digit to apply pressure to my neck, right on the main artery. I feel consciousness fading. I had this dream as I woke up this morning and the pressure point technique happened just as I faded into sleep again. So as I passed out in my dream I did the same in real life :)

Prince

2006-08-22T21:18:00.000+02:00

Dream:
I'm sitting in a room with Prince Charles, he is not a happy man. He
is crying a lot exclaiming that Diana's death is all his fault. I
explain the accident to him, but he hears no reason. He believes that
her death is a direct result of their divorce. He continues explaining
what a hansom young man he was...just then did I realise that I'm in a dream...unrealistic things happen and gets said.
Next I'm in a cycle shop. The shop owner enquires if I need any help...at first I told him nothing but then I ask what a full bicylcle service would cost and how long it takes. He indicates that he needs to phone the service guy. They are using video conferencing...the service guy is in a car with a group of friends on their way to the beach for some surfing. The shop owner is furious and makes it clear that the service guy needs to be back within the week as he leaving on holiday the weekend.
I walk out of the shop across the road where is a large park. There is a huge family gathering. Most of the family is there. They are already starting main course. Long rows of tables with people standing in
small groups all around. A distant uncle is there with his classic car...everybody admiring the big roundings of this somewhat oversized coupe. Funny thing is people are walking and sliding over the car like kids would over some obstacle in the play ground. The host of the party returns with his 1980's 500 Mercedes, a car which is a little bit bulky for the parking bay. The dream doesn't fades...

Team Building

2006-08-21T10:08:00.000+02:00
Past weekend we had our company team building at "Mount Everest Game Lodge" just outside Harrismith.

For weeks before the event we were reminded that we will face and overcome one great fear...Being attacked by a mob of naked woman?

We had a motivational speaker -> You create your system; then the system creates you...
e.g If you are overweight you have to create a system to help you loose weight; then you implement that system which inturn makes you loose weight - ok weak example :)

Fear to overcome - walking barefoot over a 3m bed of hot coals.

Basically doing something that your body refuses to...

Secondly...
We had to break a roof tile with a chopping action... The problem comes in when you don't commit and slow down before hitting the tile; hence not breaking it...It really hurts. All the energy you excert on the tile goes back into the hand.

I was reluctant trying it, but with enough pressure from members of staff I just went for it, luckily breaking the tile the first time.

The weekend also included mountain biking, mountain climbing and a lot of drinking. One of the best team building to date.

Clarens

2006-08-16T11:32:00.000+02:00
We went to Clarens for a mountain bike race and other fun stuff...

We finished off the weekend by River Rafting down the icy cold water of the Ash River...

Ride the Lightning

2006-08-16T11:11:00.000+02:00

Dreams:
Lightning storm:
There is a severe lightning storm outside. Many strikes close to the
house...another major explosion, this time I'm sure it hit. I walk
down the corridor and see flashes from the bathroom. It is a lady, she
is engulfed with lighting. What can I do!!! I realise that there is something
on the counter that is attracting the current. I look around and see a
broom stick. I push her away from the counter...she drops to the
floor. I then scrape the top of the counter...the current dissipates.
She is dead. She wants to prepare her own body for the funeral,
standing around applying body make-up to herself. Next I see a man
lying on the floor, he is dying. His head turns to the side...he is dead. I raise my head looking at his wife. She tells me to let it be and not to try and revive him.
Suicide Bomber:
I have to give a golfing magazine to a terrorist leader. As soon as he
turns to page 21 it will explode killing him and those around. There
is a catchy advert on that page that is sure to attract his attention.
War: x3
1. Inside a house. Our squad is standing around a table in a small
room. The leader opens a bag containing a couple of laptops and other
equipment. It is distributed and we are ready for the mission. We make
a left turn out of the room encountering a group of hostiles. Major
battle....
2. ...We make a left turn out of the room and see a hostile
approaching us, unaware of our presence. As soon as he sees us he
turns around and runs towards a alarm button. A lot of hostiles
approaches our position and a major battle. We go outside the house
for a better battle position. They are using AK47s and hand grenades.
Our squad have limited ammo, only one magazine each. You pick-up
fallen hostile's weapons to continue the fight. A hostile appoached
and throws a hand grenade towards me. It hits the tracktor right in
front of me. I'm shielded by the blast.
3. ...We make a left turn out of the room and see a hostile
approaching us, unaware of our presence. I shoot him before he gets a
chance to do anything. Battle Over.
www.dreammoods.com:
Lightning
To see lightning in your dream, signifies sudden awareness, insight,
and purification. Alternatively, lightning may imply a shocking turn
of events. It suggests the many forces governing your life may be
beyond your control.
To dream that you are struck by lightning, symbolizes irreversible
changes occurring in your life. It is a transformation of sorts.
War
To dream of a war, signifies disorder and chaos in your personal
affairs. You also be experiencing some internal conflict or emotional
struggle. You are feeling torn between aspects of yourself. Perhaps
the dream may indicate that you are being overly aggressive or you
are not being assertive enough.

El Presidente

2006-08-15T17:51:00.000+02:00

Dream:
So there we were sitting in a quiet little pub having lunch. My Dad
joining me at the table... and who do we see sitting a couple of tables
from us? President Bush was sitting with his aid and a couple of friends. Strange thing is that I didn't see any of his bodyguards.
They were having lunch with some friends. After finishing our lunch we
joined the Bush table. The table wasn't really big enough to accommodate
all the chairs. One of my long lost friends was also present, haven't
seen him for two years...
This lady showed up and after a while really started to piss me off. I
lifter her out of her chair by a bear hug grip and carried her to the
men's toilets. I wanted to humiliate her bad. I forced her to use the
men's urinal; she peed all over the place. There was this young boy
checking it out, not understanding what is going on. I let go of her and
she dropped to the floor - guys laughing at her - guess the humiliation
worked.
I took her outside. There were these large reservoirs of water, looked
like it good have been swimming pools. With her kicking and screaming I
dropped her into one. I didn't see the rocks in the pools but soon
discovered that she had. She started throwing rocks at me, clearly
trying to hurt me - even kill me. I started running, boy she could throw
far!
Moments later I was a safe distance away but having to negotiate some
pools of water to get to the road.
Interpretation: www.dreammoods.com
Urinal:
To see a urinal in your dream, signifies disorder in your personal
relationships.
Urination:
To see urine in your dream, signifies feelings you have rejected.
To dream that you are urinating, symbolizes a cleansing and release of
negative or repressed emotions. Urination is symbolic of having or
lacking basic control in your life.
To dream that you are urinating in public, symbolizes a lack of privacy
in your affairs or your need to make a public apology or confession.

Ashbourne Pub Crawl

2006-06-25T20:55:00.000+02:00
The first pub,

of course you have to start with a Guinness

Next I had to try something new...

At Fox's I had one of the cheaper stout's

At Kelly's I chatted with a local and discovered the Irish have their own sport called Gaelic football

I ran out of Irish beer/stout options so had to switch to the wiskey's. Irish Mist being the first one...

I ended my Pub Crawl at the Hotel's pub with a tot of Black Bush wiskey

Dublin

2006-06-24T17:00:00.000+02:00
Wednesday I got informed that I'm leaving for Dublin the following evening. Crisis that need be adressin!

Long flight... took off from Johannesburg 7:20 pm landing in Frankfurt at 5:30. Spending 4 hours at Frankfurt airport waiting for the connecting flight to Dublin. Arriving at Dublin it was bit of chaos. I was told the Irish were on lunch, cause we waited a very long time for our luggage.

Arrived at the 'hosting' company only to solve the crisis within the hour :)

Started today a bit early - my watch was still set to GMT+2 so when I rocked up for breakfast the birds were still sleeping.

There were 2 unknown's on my plate which I only attempted a small bite - good coffee though.

So today I had to myself. Decided it be a good day for the tourist thing in Dublin.

Firstly getting lost I finally decided to buy a map. The National Art Museum of Ireland is a must to visit! I was stumb struck by the art presented and also the architecture of the building. The free entry was a bonus. After that you have to visit the Natural Museum next door.

After that I just walked ramdomly to find interesting places and buildings.

One such place was the National Photographic Archive...

I'm now back in the pub in Ashbourne having yet another Guinness...

The Witsand-Kumba Desert Challenge

2006-06-17T23:23:00.000+02:00
The Witsand-Kumba Desert Challenge was held at Witsand Nature Reserve on Saturday, 10th June 2006.

It was a long drive from Gauteng but well worthed, only be it for one full day.

We originally entered for the 20km race, but decided after seeing the surroundings, that the 52km race was a must.

"The Witsand System as it is today, is situated approximately 1200m above sea level, and comprises a combination of linear and parabolic dunes which vary between 20m and 30m in height. The dunes run a length of 9km in a NE - SW direction and are up to 5km in width."

The only difficult part of the track was the deep sand streches - one of them 300m long. You can cycle through them, but it takes a lot of concentration and energy. There was also a dune decent, but luckily a compulsary walking section.

I'm sad to say that I didn't finish the 52km race. I only managed to do 2 of the 3 - 17.3km laps. But I still received a medal for participating in the race :)

Reality

2006-06-13T14:01:00.000+02:00
Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it.
- Jane Wagner

Lion Man 2006

2006-05-23T09:49:00.000+02:00
The past weekend I completed the 35Km Lion Man 2006 Mountain Bike Race...

From Spinman...
'There is something totally magical and alluring about the opportunity to ride your mountain bike in a big five game reserve. The adrenaline pumping possibility of coming face to face with lion, elephant or rhino emphasizes the adventurous spirit synonyms with mountain biking itself. Once a year Mabalingwe game reserve offers mountain bikers the unique opportunity to ride a race through its big five reserve and annually mountain bikers flock to enjoy this true bushveld experience.'

Mother's Day

2006-05-17T14:17:00.000+02:00
Mother's day without a mother is just another day...

Fear: Your child refuses to go to his room...he is scared of the dark. You ask him what there is to be scared off...silence...he is just scared.

As a logical and analytical person it is very disconcerting to be afraid of something - like the child of the dark - but at the same time knowing that there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of - you just have the fear.

I have a fear like that...

Chef:Antonio Carluccio	Ingredients:
Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 5 minutes Serves: 4	For the Pasta: 9 oz (250 g) plain flour 4 oz (100 g) cocoa powder 1 oz (25 g) caster sugar Pinch of cinnamon 4 eggs
	1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence For the sauce: 4 teaspoons good-quality clear honey 4 tablespoons chopped pistachio nuts