Sandton's Apple iStore

After a meeting at a client this morning, Richard, the CEO of National Positions, had to stop at the Apple iStore in Sandton to pick up his Apple iPad 2 which was in for repairs. Now this is the first time I've been inside an Apple store and shoo don't tell my Apple friends else they rag me no end. I was the Droid forward scouting party, sussing out the lay of the iStore.

The first thing I noticed at the Apple iStore is that if you have to ask for the price then you can't afford it. This is good news for Android uses. What I also notice which this time did intrigue me was this One Time Shoe Shine stand at the entrance of the Apple iStore. So this is how they get people to buy the iProducts like the iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac TV, Macbook, and many other iSomethings. Now this shoe shine is true spit and polish, where do I sign up. I can just picture myself, sitting getting my shoes shined and at the same time play, note not work, play on my iPad 2.

Run Pug Run

After work was lesson two of Puppy Training at the Fourways Veterinary Hospital, so off Skye, my Whippet puppy, and I rushed as soon as I got home not forgetting the treats. This afternoon there were two new puppies that joined us, a pair of 12 week old Pugs. They are just a week younger that Skye but a third of his size. Like a bite size some might say.

You can see how timid the Pugs are compared to the Whippet and the Jack Russell puppies. I supposed it was their first time socializing so they can be forgiven. To Skye they were the rabbits in a new game called pounce. I wish I could get my camera setting right fast enough to focus on the dogs at play.

Aloof and Alert

Here is my Maxy, an Italian Greyhound, who is always standing aloof watching from high up, his eyes scanning into the distance, alert all the time. When I arrive home he hands over the home's security detail over to me and retires to his basket after a day's job well done. All four of my dogs, three Italian Greyhounds and one Whippet are now curled up in their basket getting some good shuteye. You know greyhounds have only too speeds, flat out or lounging on the sofa but Maxy has always been consistently aloof and alert. I suppose we need more lerts in the world, now a loof is another story.

Casbah Lunch

A few weeks ago, Matthew and I joined an East Rand Décor Photowalk which finished up at the Cashbah Roadhouse. Seeing the awesome burger that I ordered, Matthew wanted to try one of their burgers next time so I thought today would be a good day to visit the Casbah Roadhouse since I was going that direction to drop him off.

So there we found ourselves in Brakpan at the Casbah Roadhouse for a late Sunday lunch of juicy burgers and milkshakes. What more can a growing lad ask for?

Robert Mugabe is Dead

Uncle Bob, well he was dead and has been resurrected, not once but many times, as Robert Mugabe claims "I have died many times. That's where I have beaten Christ. Christ died once and resurrected once. I am as fit as a fiddle." As Robert Mugabe celebrates his 88th birthday, he leaves in his wake the mess he has made to Zimbabwe, a country just north of us. "We pride ourselves as being top, really, on the African ladder... We feel that we have actually been advancing rather than going backwards". So why am I been so macabre tonight as I write my blog, well Matthew and I just returned from a lovely evening with friends watching Agatha Christie's play The Mousetrap at Pieter Toerien's Montecasino Theatre and Studio. Now in its 60th year, the play The Mousetrap is the longest running performance in the world with over 24,000 performances and still going strong.

So how did Uncle Bob get mixed up in this dirty deed? Well, arriving early at Montecasino, Matthew and I found ourselves at Scoobs, a lovely bookshop. Matthew found a book about 50 ways Doomsday could come and I found the cookbook I want, Heston Blumenthal's Kitchen. Nothing too macabre yet but it was this bust of Robert Mugabe which caught my eye. It was part of the display for Peter Godwin's book, The Fear. It looks interesting as it is about the death of Robert Mugabe and Zimbabwe. Then it was off to watch The Mousetrap and trying to work out who is or who are the murders. So who done it, I can hear you ask, well would you love me to tell you. And the murderer is... ah I forgot, must be my old age catching up to me. Now who went and moved the cheese?

Palladium Online Accounting Software

I came across this website for Palladium accounting software last month while doing research for online accounting software firm. What struck me was that Palladium offered a scaled down version of their accounting software solution for free, online. So I tried to download it for evaluation for home use but the download link did not work, well never mind, I thought at the time.

Yesterday, I came across Palladium again and I tried the download link again using different browsers to no avail. This time I sent them an email informing them, that they weren’t very customer orientated because they didn’t know that there was a broken link on their free software download or did they? By afternoon Abel from Palladium Accounting had phoned me asking if I could pick up a copy at their offices in Fourways.

All righty, I live just the other side of Fourways so it won’t be a problem popping in for a few minutes to pick up a copy on the way to work this morning. That would be R50 for the DVD. What! I thought it was for free, yes it is but that is for the DVD, but blank DVDs don’t cost that much. I wonder what ACASA, the Association for Communication and Advertising regulatory body of South Africa, would say about this. What if I bring my own memory stick? Thank goodness they said yes to that.

So this morning, I arrived at Palladium Accounting to get my free copy of their online accounting software loaded onto my memory stick. Thinking it wouldn’t take long, how wrong was I. An hour later, they came downstairs with my memory stick stating that it is taking too long to load, could they put it onto a disk for me and I can pick it up later. Not once did they mention the R50 that was told to me over the phone. Already very late for work, I said yes and they must leave it at security for me to pick up on the way home.

While waiting in the foyer of Palladium’s offices, I took this photo of the cleaner lady who look like she was about to burst into song. Well the halls seemed to come alive with the sounds of music.

After work, going pass just before six in the afternoon, my disk with the Palladium Accounting software was waiting for me. Now I need to load it and try it out but that will be only next week as no one in their right mind does accounting over the weekend.

Piaggio Vespa P200E

I my working flat out at work and don't have much time for any photographing but I must still take my photo a day, not easy. Anyway this is the first day of this week that we had no thunderstorms, and I had a wonderful ride home on my Vespa. Wind in my hair... no wait, scratch that, wind in my face and the sun on my back. La dolce vita, the sweet life.

As soon as I got home, I popped into my neighbour's cottage for a glass of wine and to pick up a notice of a environmental impact assessment process for the design and construction of Erling Road, and the new K56 between the R511 and Main Road. My biggest concerns are the dams and wetlands with all their wildlife on the now Heildefontein Estate. For those who are interested or will be affected, the first public meeting will take place on the 7 March, next week.

I didn't have time to even walk the dogs and I still needed a photo for today, so I took one of my Piaggio Vespa P200E model that Matthew gave me and is now proudly sitting on my desk.

Every cloud has a silver lining

I headed for work this morning with some trepidation because there was so much work that needed to be caught up but a little pray in the morning seemed to have done the trick. By mid day I was on top of things and by end of the day had caught up nicely, thank you.

I even was at work on my Vespa Sophia and a storm broke in the afternoon but by the time I left for home the weather was clear. Another storm was looming but it held off until I had finished my dog training walks on lead. Now time to relax. I took this photograph after my dog walks as the next storm was breaking over Broadaches and heading towards me. Notice how the sun paints a silver lining while the clouds go black and ominous. As the thunder rolls across the sky, I will stand with my head held high because I am not, but I know I AM.

Puppy Training

Not that I wanted to take Skye to puppy training but I just didn't have the time. Sam, the animal behaviorist organized that I go to 4 weeks of puppy school. I know that puppies are impressionable and early schooling can eliminate a lot of behavior problems later in life but, yes but, I sometimes worry that puppy school has become more of a business than schooling. What I am trying to say is that it is become more about money as delicacy as possible without stepping on any toes or offending. Sam, bless her, she really has my dogs at heart.

Anyway this afternoon, after rushing from work, narrowly avoiding the rain, I rushed to my first lesson at puppy school. I can see that Skye was a handful but he enjoyed playing with a Jack Russell Terrier about his own age. They were moving fast and I had the wrong focus settings on the camera but from this photograph, you can see the size difference between a Whippet and a Jack Russell at the same puppy age.

Horse and Trailer

Going to work today after the heavy rain in the early morning hours was a nightmare of a traffic jam. It took one and a half hours, double what it normally takes me. Hoping that going home this evening it would be better but a truck with a shipping container on flatbed trailer had to go overturn at the Allendale offramp. This affected the traffic from Woodmead northwards which I had to sit in. Not cool.

It was good to be back home and I got stuck in doing my homework that the animal behaviourist left for me to do during the week. Take each of my dogs separately and walk them on lead at the bottom of my garden. Poor Skye, he didn't enjoy it at all but he has to learn. Here have another treat.

Monday is now over and the week can officially start.

Blame Monopoly

I am very sorry for my late post of yesterday's scooter ride but Monopoly and the greasy scumlord Craig are to blame. Yes, that is correct. Craig invited me and a couple of friends over yesterday evening to a game of Monopoly and about 02:30 this morning I had to drag myself away as I had a 8:30 start a few hours later.

Nearly oversleeping but I somehow made it through the day. At BBC I had a good catch up with Sasika and Grant who are due to be married in about 6 weeks time. Sasika is following her twin sister Pauline and becoming a Butler. I am not sure if I have any wise advice anymore. At BBC I got invited to a lunch party at my good friend Jackie's place. I must have looked a wreck though but managed to drag myself away for a 4pm meeting with the animal behaviorist then a quick nap and only after all that managed to post about yesterday.

Oh boy, I am getting slow in my old age, well at least I have Monopoly to blame, what is your excuse?

Scooter Rally at Hartbeespoort Dam

It all started this morning with coffee at Scoots in Fourways and a phone call to get Bruce out of bed at 08:30. Five intrepid riders set out to join SA Scooters' 4th Scooter Rally through the small town of Hartebeespoort which is situated next to the dam wall of Hartebeespoort Dam. From left to right in the above photo is myself representing the Posers SC on the black Vespa ET4, Bruce from Aces SC on the copper plated Vespa P200E, Shawn from Vesparados SC on black Vespa Sprint, John on a silver LML Star Deluxe and Joe from Aces SC on a cream Lambretta TV175.

We set out on a leisurely ride north, had breakfast at a bikers dive then joined about 300 other scooters for the ride through Harties which ended up at a resort just outside the town. Here the SA Scooters had organized scooter soccer, a barrel race, a slowest race, a longest wheelie, an oval race and the most beautiful scooter competition. Two other Posers from Pretoria, Charlie on a Vespa GT250 and her husband Dudley on a Vespa P200E, joined us at Harties just before the mass ride. There weren’t as many scooters as last year but there were many more Vespas this time with our numbers boosted by about 10 Vespas from Roodepoort.

The funniest yet scariest part of our ride into the country side was right at the beginning when we stopped at a fuelling station Broadaces Shopping Centre and the attendant started filling Bruce's P200E not into the tank but into a hole in the frame. With about approximately three litres of fuel flowing over the engine and hot exhaust onto the floor before the attendant realized his mistake.

After the scooter rally Bruce, Shawn and Joe headed for a B&B near Skeerpoort while Charlie and Dudley returned to Pretoria and John and I back to Johannesburg. I'll post some images onto a Facebook album soon.

Adobe Edge and Muse

This afternoon I was invited by Adobe as an Adobe VIP to preview their new products which are still in beta form in the Labs. The first new product introduced to us was Adobe Edge which is new web animation tool that delivers a final web product in HTML 5, not Flash. Yes you read correctly, no Flash. Leonard from Adobe stated that Flash is not gone entirely but is re-aligned towards video and online games. Didn't Director go this way too? Taking about Director, I found Edge very similar using the same vocabulary and methodology except instead of Shockwave Flash, it produces HTML 5. Interesting, I wonder if this is Director in other guise.

I was a bit concerned that designers may go and design whole websites using Adobe Edge as they did in Flash which will bring up the same SEO problems as before. For those who have lost me, SEO is Search Engine Optimisation, in other words allowing websites to be easily found by search engines. To answer my concerns on the SEO, Carla mentioned Adobe Muse, a HTML 5 web designer. Now this product looks perfect for designers to make websites quick and easily and SEO friendly.

Now what was really interesting to me was the new Adobe Digital Marketing Suite by Omniture. I am organizing a more in depth look into these analytical products by Adobe. Changing the world through digital experiences.

Summer Storm in Johannesburg

About half past three in the afternoon, a summer storm hit Parktown with such force. Looking outside our office windows, visibility was down to 20 metres. This meant that I had to wait the storm out while Sophia, my Vespa, was nice and snug in under cover. As sudden as the storm came, it disappeared two hours later. Once the weather lifted about five thirty or so I took the gap and headed for home. But soon I was riding through Armageddon of Parktown, Killarney, Forest Town and Saxonwold. Every Jacaranda tree had limbs ripped off and flung in the road. This tree in Killarney, although not a Jacaranda, took most of the damage.

The seemed to have been a very localized storm because when I inched my way towards the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, signs of the devastation became less and less to such an extent that arrived home to a bone dry suburb of Treesbank. Oh well, I better water my garden.

A taxi shell remains

Last Sunday, I posted Taxi in the Jukskei and this is all that remains in just two days after the minibus taxi did a swan dive into the Jukskei River. The wheels disappeared first on the Sunday, followed soon by the doors, engine, gearbox, lights and steering column. Nothing was spared even the floor paneling was removed all to be used on another rattle trap on our South African roads.

The minibus taxis are the most popular mode of public transport in South Africa. They are also the most dangerous means of transport in South Africa. According to the Automobile Association of South Africa there approximately 150,000 public minibus taxis and are reported to be involved in 70,000 annually in South Africa with an estimated 3 taxi related deaths daily. It is a big yet dangerous industry that won't be fixed over night. Be careful out there.

Happy Singles’ Awareness Day

Oh, we have come to another Hallmark holiday, where the price of roses sky-rocket and the knees of good men turn to jelly. It is that time when singles are forced to be made aware that they are single. A Spanish philosopher, Jose Gasset once said "We fall in love when our imagination projects nonexistent perfection upon another person. One day, the fantasy evaporates and with it, love dies." There you have it, so back off Hallmark.

I better be careful as it is leap year so I'll keep low and allow wine and chocolate cake to be the best cure for Valentines. So happy unimaginative, consumerist orientated entirely arbitrary, manipulative and shallow interpretation of Singles' Awareness Day.

Cyber Curries

Craig and Edmund introduced me to Selvan and his Cyber Curries this evening. They have been bragging that Cyber Curries makes the best Durban style curries in Johannesburg. So I had to go try because this southern Indian style of curries that have made Durban curries famous, is hard to find in Johannesburg even in Fordsburg. Craig states that Durban style of curries is one of the simplest forms of curries yet one of the tastiest plus they are reasonably priced.

Cyber Curries has been located in the Buzz Shopping Centre for over ten years and they are specialists in the Durban style of Indian cuisine, from samoosas, bunny chows, breyanis and not to forget curries. They are quite small and are situated on the McD side of the Buzz Centre in Fourways, opposite the Douglasdale Police Station, and all. The best way to judge how good a restaurant is; is if the locals eat there. While sitting outside enjoying my beef curry, a number of Indian customers came in and bought take away curries, so it looks like we made the right choice.

Taxi in the Jukskei

Waking up this morning to news of Whitney Houston's untimely death on the radio wasn't the best wake up news to receive on a Sunday morning but the weather looked good, so Matthew and I headed out to BBC. We didn't get far when we saw crowds of onlookers at the Jukskei River bridge. Curious, we stopped to see what the commotion was and were greeted with this sight in the photograph above.

A mini bus taxi had left the road, went through the bridge railings and landed in the Jukskei River below. From what I could gather this happened yesterday, possibly in early evening as we saw nothing when we went past here about 6pm. The side windows look like they have been broken post accident, possibly to pull the survivors out. There has been nothing in the local news so they must have been no or few fatalities.

Mini bus taxis are notorious for getting into accidents in South Africa so it is common to see them been involved in accidents but seldom do we see them trying to swim. Later on in the afternoon, there was another mini bus taxi parked on the banks with a number of young men standing on the banks drinking. I wondered if they were opportunists trying to salvage what they can from the wreck for their taxi.

Whippet vs Cornish Rex

Wow I am doing a lot of this versus that lately, but so what this is my blog. Matthew and I took Skye over to Dr Doolittle's to get Skye's second lot of vaccinations this afternoon. I call Mike and Ruan's place in Timsrand, Dr Doolittle's because of all the animals there. We arrived just as Mike was finishing off with the Guinea Pig Association judges' training that took up most his Saturday. Dr Doolittle's was interesting place for Skye with all strange animals to be found there. Not counting the many animals outside and the humans, in the lounge itself there was about 10 prize winning guinea pigs, a Saluki with two pups, four Italian Greyhounds, a Maltese Poodle, and to Skye's surprise two Cornish Rex kittens.

Now these two kittens are Skye's first cats that he has ever come across and he found them just as playful as himself. In a way I think they played well together with the kittens escaping after their playful attacks on Skye to newly found hideouts and out smarting Skye often. But soon Skye started learning their sneaky tricks and started blocking their escapes, to which he was rewarded with warning hisses. Cats go figure.

Italian Greyhound vs Whippet

Skye is certainly growing fast. The size difference between a Italian Greyhound and a Whippet is now starting to show. Trying to keep Skye still for a photo comparison with the other dogs is near impossible. Here is Jade on the left, a just over 2 year old Italian Greyhound next to Skye, a 10 week old Whippet. Skye is nearly the same height as Jade; he is certainly now heavier already with stockier legs compared with Jade's more toned delicate legs. Jade is more refined whereas Skye is chewing everything he can get into his mouth. Maybe it is because he is still a puppy, every soft toy has been disemboweled and no toe is safe with him around.

This afternoon after work, I had my first meeting of our pack with the animal behaviorist, Sam. Everybody thinks their family a little weird but the best, and that includes me, my three Italian Greyhounds and a Whippet. Sam was here to give a different perspective on my pack and how we can improve. Yes, like all families we have our problems and they have grown with us. Sam thinks she can help our pack live a more rewarding life together. Well, I have been a good boy, now where is my treat.

The Art of using an iPhone

What this lately that I am posting photos of people engrossed in their cellphones? Uhmmm don't know but I just love the way the colours came out in this photo compared to the others I took of David so I used this one of David as he was texting or is that SMSing on his iPhone instead of one where he was facing the camera. I was using my cheap kit lens as it was already on my Canon EOS 550D but it how the deep oranges, reds and the browns that came together did it for me. I call it the Art of using an iPhone, I better not say by an iSnob because David might take offense. I call all Apple product users of iPhones, iPads, and iTV - iSnobs because they love rubbing it in your face that they have one and we don’t. But I don’t think David has ever done that to me, yet. Android is the Future! Resistance is Futile! You will be Assimilated!

David is also a good friend and even better photographer as he enjoys the old school of photography by using film instead of digital like me; check out his new blog David Epstein Photography.

Dinner for One

Dinner for one plus three Italian Greyhounds and a Whippet puppy. There is not much to say about today other than work went well, with me managing to get a lot done. Then it was back home again. And the old problem arose again, what to cook for one person? I know the gout was smiling when I made this lovely lamb casserole in white wine but I'll enjoy first and pay later in agony. Anyway at least I will take pleasure in my dinner for one. So while the casserole simmers away I spent some quality time with my dogs. Here is Skye trying to make sense of the strange noises coming from behind the camera.

A Chat with Robbie

Tuesday, one day away from Monday is fine but why does it still feel the same? Today has been all work and no play. Thank goodness, after work I had an appointment with Robbie. Sometimes you need someone to simply listen to you and look at your issues with a fresh pair of eyes. Ask the right questions, give wise advice and hold you accountable when needed. Robbie is just that person and sitting chatting with him today at his office did a world of good, for me that is. Before my session today, I managed to catch him finding something amusing on his phone. Now I have Friday on my mind.

Storm Damage

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First light on a Monday saw me surveying the damage in the wake of the powerful storm that hit the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. This is all that remains of my vegetable garden. I would shed a tear or two but I am not a herbivore. Oh well start all over again. The car port took most of the damage and now Sophia, my Vespa, is giving me a cold shoulder. I better pamper her and spend more time with her this week and she should get over it.

Rain in Jozi

And the heavens opened up just as Matthew and I was about to leave to take him back home to the East Rand. The hail came down horizontal for a while at tornado wind speeds so much so that Matthew and I was a little scared. After a worse was over we made our dash but only found devistation. Our car port roof was sagging under the weight of all the ice and the one concrete column was totally broken but luckily the steel reinforcing was still holding it up. My vegetable garden was shredded. Patches of thatch on my roof was missing. The storeroom next door had some roof sheeting blown off. The front gate motor was sitting in a pond of glacier water and we had to manually open it and was the least of our problems. Driving out of the front gate we found the road impassable as it had turned into a raging river as shown in the photo above. Let the adventure begin.

Casbah Roadhouse

Today Joburg Photowalkers went Art Décor hunting in the East Rand. Why the east? Well in the 30s when the world was reeling by the Great Depression and started dropping the Gold Standard, money from the changing from gold flowed to the heart of the gold mining, Johannesburg’s East Rand. So the streets were literally paved with gold while the rest of the world went deeper into depression. Lots of immigrants especially from the eastern European regions flowed into the new towns of Boksburg, Benoni, Brakpan and Springs. With money readily available and shackles of imperialism broken the new immigrants started experimenting with the new form of architecture, Art Décor long before the rest of the world caught on a decade or two later.

The Joburg Photowalkers met at the gateway to the east, East Gate Mall and headed to Benoni as its Art Décor Town Hall was a good place to start as any. For readers who are not familiar with South Africa, they might know Benoni as the hometown of Hollywood movie star Charlize Theron but what intrigues me more about this town is the fact that it is the only town in the world ever to be bombed by its own air force. Yes in the 1922 Miner’s Revolt, the South African Air Force was sent in twice to bomb the miners. The revolt, led by the South African Communist party was too soon after the Russian Revolution, put fear into the the South African government and they left justified in crashing it out with a heavy hand but the revolt dragged on for a year. This Rooi Gevaar or Red Threat would surface again in the 80s as Russia started in crouching ever closer with Angola and Mozambique falling to the communists.

After visiting a number of places in Benoni, we then headed to Springs which is farther east to look at the Art Décor buildings there. The Central Fire Station was very impressive with its dragons as part of the design. I will post a few more images online on my Facebook album early next week. We ended our Art Décor tour of the east at the well known original Casbah Roadhouse in Brakpan. Although not Art Décor, the Casbah was started here in 1955 by an immigrant family and they never looked back with the family opening up Casbah Roadhouses Alberton, Wemmer Pan, Johannesburg, Malvern, Benoni, Vereeniging, Krugersdorp and Port Elizabeth. I am not sure about all the others but the original Casbah is still operational but not family owned.

Yamada Sushi Bar

Last time Matthew was with me, he felt like sushi but we didn't get round to sushi because of the Chinese New Year but I promised that next time we would go. So after picking him up in Benoni we headed straight for the Yamada Sushi Bar in Rivonia Junction. Although it was early evening it was packed to the brim with patrons and it was difficult to find a seat. At R129 eat as much sushi as you want I can understand why it was so popular. Matthew and I set out to enjoy ourselves on delicious sushi and walked out a pot bellied a few hours later.

Just Chill

Just Chill, that is what the doctor ordered as he gave me a chill pill. Today was the buck stops at you kind of day which I tried to shrug off but one of the partners had to go bring it up all over again 6 hours later as a big joke at my expense. Not cool. Anyway with uncertainty still hanging over my head I did well to let it pass.

Edmund invited me to hang out at the Just Chill, which in a way I needed. At Broadaches Centre on Cedar Road, Fourways is the Just Chill, it is not just a cafè or restaurant but it is a new kind of place where you can just go and just chill out at any hour of the day or night. From pizzas to cocktails and comfy sofas what more do you need to just chill. Problem is on weekdays they close at midnight while weekends it is open 24 hours. Now bring me my caffè latte before this sofa changes to a pumpkin.

River Song

Warning! Warning! Spoiler Alert!

Wow, if anyone can understand these next few words “It is because it’s in Gallifreyan, it doesn’t translate. But this will. It is your daughter’s name in the language of the forest... except they don’t have a word for pond because the only water in the forest is the river… it’s me, I’m Melody. I am your daughter.” Wow what an ending of this Doctor series, I have goose bumps after this episode. I don’t know if anyone feels the same about finding out that River Song is Melody Pond. Wow now I can’t wait to see the next series.

Sigh, my evening has a good ending, well sort of; I am battling with internet connection. What is new in South Africa? Coming back home, after a busy day, to relax with my Italian Greyhounds and watch such an exciting episode about the Doctor, has washed all my issues aside as only the Doctor can. I can hear you saying Doctor Who?