Celebrating Quintes' Graduation

My friend Quintes graduated yesterday. He successfully completed his PhD degree and can now officially refer to himself as "Doctor". We celebrated this milestone at his home tonight with some of his friends. It was a joyful experience, but also in a way solemn because we also thanked the Lord for all His blessings in our life - for having Quintes as a friend and for the talents to experience the different dimensions of our friendship (from philosophy and religion, to music and food and wine).

Fundamo Mexican Boatrace

The Fundamo social committee arranged a Mexican Boatrace event at the offices this afternoon. I had a chance to talk to the staff about a great 2008 and what we expect of 2009. The committee had a guy making cocktails and the event culminated with a race across the swimmingpool in various homemade "ships".

Wedding Anniversary

After arriving back from the US, I had time to celebrate our wedding anniversary in style. We had an amazing dinner (yet expensive) at Asara. The setting is just so special overlooking a dam and the Stellenbosch mountains in the backdrop. We watched as the sun set, the vineyards initially bright green merging into the night as the moon arrived. Me and Annelie shared the Chateaubriand (perfectly cooked) with a bottle of the acclaimed Bell Tower. It was a celebration of knowing each other more than thirty years, of tough times, but also of so many wonderful times.

Pink Sun

The sun was pink tonight at home. It was because of the bushfires in the mountains above Gorden's Bay. As we were having our dinner Annelie exclaimed: "Look at the sun!", and I was just so glad to be home...

Leaving on a Jetplane

This is a empty restaurant at JFK. I had a final lunch here before boarding for Dulles and then South Africa. As I sat down, I had some time to review the few days that I had in the US. A few things struck me:

• I did not know that so many Xmas songs exist. Even as I sit at this desk, I am listening to Xmas songs. Since I arrived, this is the only music that I heard. Is this common? Will they keep on playing these songs till the 25th? Believe me, it will drive me crazy.

• The US was built on steel: Steel bridges, steel structures, - but the steel is busy rusting. I have seen rust everywhere. The airports and the hotels that I visited all just felt so tired. (It is in stark contrast with places like Dubai and Singapore that I recently visited).
• The economy is down - I mean really down - in a bad way down. Take this restaurant: empty... I have asked retailers and in general conversation, I have noticed that the consumer is tired, and scared. They have been asked to kick-start the economy with their spending previously. I don't think they are going to do it again.
• Customer service does not exist anymore. In the country where terms like "customer centric" and "delighting the customer" was invented, I see very little of that practiced. Maybe it is because of the general atmosphere, but the customer service people are just not doing it.

Miami from my Hotel Room

I have just finished all the meetings for the week in the US. The week was very productive and I am professionally satisfied. I am starting the long trek back home tomorrow, but am actually quite sad tonight: I am married 28 years with my lady tomorrow (or today, because it is already Saturday in South Africa) and I am so far away from her. It would have been so special if I could share the sunset in Florida with her, but now I am alone...

Back to JFK

Having finished my meeting in White Plains, I am now on the way back to the hotel next to JFK. I am planning to leave for Miami very early in the morning, so I decided to stay close to the airport. I have rented a Avis car and am being navigated back to the hotel. I am listening to a radio station that is playing Xmas music all the time - nothing else! This is America.

Video conference facility

I had this meeting with a potential partner in New York where one of the team joined us from their office in San Fransisco. I have been in Video Conference meetings before, but this experience blew my mind. Three High Definition screens and multiple very high quality speakers created a virtual extension of the table that we were sitting at. It almost felt as if the other person was in the room with us. I have seen the future of remote meetings!

Ernst birthday braai

Ernst 26th birthday is on the 1st December. He invited me and Annelie to his new house for a braai with many of his friends to celebrate. We gave him a wheelbarrow (and a case of beer) for his birthday and enjoyed the day with the young people.

Die Burger Race

I had a good ride on Sunday, completing the 98km Burger cycle race in 3:50. This was a much improved performance for me, but more important, I had such a good time. This race is a seeding race for the Argus and I improved my seeding index from 65 to 44, which mean that I am now in the R group (I used to be in the U group).

First Post from the Omnia

I got a new mobile phone this week. The Samsung i900 (Omnia). (Read more here). Anyhow, I am still learning all the ins and outs of this phone, so have some difficulty in getting the blogging to work. This is the first post from the phone. It is a picture of a little boy sitting on the back of this red bakkie, eating an icecream. I just thought that this is quite cute.

First picture of my grandchild

Ernst and Catherine stopped by just now on their way back from MeerenBosch. They had a CD with some of the scans of my first grandchild. I just had to share it on my blog - we are all so excited, amazed and thankful to be part of this journey.

From the airport in Jakarta

I am sitting in the back of a taxi on my way to the Inter Continental Hotel, Jakarta. Outside, I see a lot of people in informal settlements (like one see all over the world in emerging countries). I just felt sad about all the unfairness in the world. How many people suffer in this world and can't experience what I am fortunate to experience. I resolved to thank the Lord more for all my blessings.

Last see of Macau

The congress has now come to an end and I am on my way to Hong Kong airport. I did not leave the hotel for the whole duration of the congress. (My room, where I had breakfast and dinner and the conference venue where all in one massive venue). So now that I am in the shuttle on my way to the ferry-terminal, I thought I should take some photo to prove that I was actually here...

My hotel in Macua

I am attending the GSM Congress in Macau and am booked into the main hotel for the event. My room is very luxurious. It took me about 10 minutes to find all the switches for the lights before I went to bed tonight. The hotel and conference center is totally over the top! The theme is Venetia, with string music playing everywher you go. The shopping center has got canals. Everything is just done in the extreme. How I wish that I can be back in Africa, with a fire under an African sky with real stars and the sound of the bush.

Havana Evening in Singapore

I was fortunate to be invited to a big party on the Saturday while in Singapore. This annual event (hosted by a big Singaporean business man) collects money for charity. I was amazed at the amounts that was paid for Persian Carpets and Sport Memorabilia that was auctioned. According to what I was told almost ZAR 1.5 million was raised during the evening. This is a picture of some of the people that I met.

Singapore Hilton

I arrived yesterday afternoon from Dubai (leaving at 3 am in the morning) for a late meeting with a prospective client. The meeting was good and I had a bit of debriefing at the Hilton hotel with Aaron. I then slept for almost twelve hours, before I had breakfast and a quick stroll outside before starting up the computer to work...

Dubai Desert

The afternoon before we left Dubai, me and Annelie booked a trip with 4X4 vehicles through the nearby desert. We had a most enjoyable few hours chasing through the dunes and then sat down in a desert camp for a good dinner. We saw the full moon rise over the desert and experienced some of the tranquility that existed in this place before civilization came. (The glow of the electric lights on the horizon was a reminder that the city was just 50 km away). As I sat back and connected to God (Creator of the earth and the universe), I realised that Dubai is not real - it is an attempt by people to build monuments to themselves, and is only temporary. I was at peace because I knew that my purpose is as simple as to praise the living God. I do not have to build any monument to anyone.

Leaving for the airport at midnight

The road in front of the Hotel is a six by six lane highway, with a sideroad of two lanes right in front of the hotel. When I left for the airport at midnight on Thursday the whole place was packed with people and cars. You could see that the city was alive with people on their way to party... searching for purpose in their lives.

When we came back from the desert this afternoon, we passed a kilometers long queue of tanker trucks waiting to enter a gate - hundreds if not thousands of trucks. "Oil?" we asked our driver. "Sewerage" he answered.

Riza's Spice Shop

This is Riza. He is an owner of this spice shop in Dubai. Me and Annelie arrived this morning early from Cape Town. After a shower and a quick rest, we jumped on a tour of the old city and saw a bit of the hustle and bustle of Dubai next to the waterway. It was good to do something together.

My Cousin Ado

This is a picture of my oldest cousin: Ado. He is a missionary that is doing amazing work with drug dependent people. He is absolutely committed to finding the will of the Lord and this dictates what he does. He had dinner with us tonight and we had a good time discussing how God works and what He expects of us.

45 to 5 degrees

This is a picture of me and Charl after we finished the grueling "to Hell and Back" Mountain Bike Race. This two day race starts close to the Cango Caves (near Oudtshoorn) and finishes in the Gamkakloof (also known as the Hell). The route consists of many steep climbs and treacherous downhills for 120km. During the race, we experiences temperatures ranging from 5 degrees to 45 degree. It was one of the most difficult things that I have done in my life, but the sense of achievement when I crossed the finishing line was indescribable.

MENS

I saw this toilet at the restaurant in Barrydale where we had lunch. What is funny about the sign is that "MEN" is obviously the term for a male toilet, whereas "MENS" is the Afrikaans term for "Human"

Annelie in the inside-garden

Me and Annelie had a brisk walk through the estate this morning on a perfect day. The sun was shining brightly, quickly turning the morning chill into a beautiful morning. We were amazed at the number of birds that have made the Estate their home. The dams and the trees are the ideal setting for more and more birds to make their home on the estate. When we return, Annelie spend some time to weed the garden in the front, and I took this picture of her through the kitchen window.

Sunset over False Bay

This picture does not capture the intensity of the sunshine and the contrast with the dark clouds well. This picture was taken from one of the balconies at the house in the direction of False Bay. It was the contrast that really grabbed my attention and that I wanted to share.

The sun over Table Mountain

Tonight, as I was driving home on the Bottelary Road, I had this wonderful sight as the sun was setting directly over Table Mountain, with a perfect backdrop of amazing clouds this was an absolute affirmation for me of an amazing God that have everything under control. Notwithstanding all the turmoil and uncertainty in the world, one can still experience beauty beyond what humans are capable of.

New vineyard

We have now planted the new vines (all 41 of them!). Hopefully they will be happy in our own vineyard in the back of our garden and (God willing), will we be able to press our own (small quantity) of wine in four years time.

Weekend at Meerenbosch

I cycled against a howling south easter wind to Meerenbosch on Saturday and Annelie joined me with the Jeep. We had a great lunch, watched the rugby game on TV at the clubhouse, spent time reading and left on Sunday again. The river is open to the sea and everything was beautifully blue when we left this morning. Our little home on the Botriver lake is such a peaceful sanctuary for us.

Xmas is here

I must admit that I do not do a lot of shopping, so when I did walk into one of the local stores to buy a juice extractor, I saw that the Xmas decorations are already in the stores. This is two months before the event. Is this not a bit over the top?

Fundamo Meeting Rooms

With the growth in staff at Fundamo, we have difficulty to accommodate everyone in meeting rooms. (We just do not have enough rooms available). Luckily we have the most beautiful garden and if the weather is nice, meetings are often conducted in the garden next to the swimming pool.

Moon on the Helderberg

Today was full moon. Annelie called me to have a look at how stunning the moon is as it broke the horizon on top of the mountains in front of the house. Spectacular!

Eben's photo

As I walked past the library today, I noticed that Eben was being photographed - probably for some press release. I decided to take my own photograph too.

The Fish Eagle

A Fish Eagle is often pictured as the essence of the African bush. With a very distinctive scream, (listen to an example on YouTube, also see how magnificent this bird is in flight on YouTube). it is easy to know when one is around. It has been some time that I saw (and heard) a Fish Eagle around the house guarding. I usually saw the bird at the little dam about 500 meters in front of the house. Today, I managed to get a picture of it (it is the black and white spot in the middle of the picture) that I though can be published.

Biggest Financial Crisis Ever

I am in London for most part of this week and the financial world is going through the biggest crises ever. It is something that I think about a lot, especially because a number of my meetings were at the headquarters of some of the banks impacted most by this global disaster. It struck home as I rode up the elevators of these financial nerve centers and then read the newspaper reports next door: "Tycoons loose billions". This will be looked back on as probably one of the most important weeks in the history of money and I was here right in the middle of it in London.

Dinner at Simplice

While in London; me, Richard and Rosemarie took Neil to this great restaurant called Simplice. Me and Richard shared a Rib-eye with potatoes and rocket that was very nice. The rest of the food was also great, but I really loved the Super Tuscan that the Sommelier recommended: Carmignano Capezzana 2004. Almost made the list of the best wines that I ever tasted.

Me and Annelie at Barrique

Before my parents left for their home in Pretoria, we took them to Barrique for a final lunch together. This is me and my beloved wife at the restaurant.

The Lourensford MTB challenge

I participated in the Lourensford Mountain Bike Challenge this morning. This race starts at the Lourensford wine estate and then climbs into the mountains behind the farm. It is some of the most spectacular sites but also quite challenging. This is a picture high up in the mountains with False Bay in the background. While coming down one of the single tracks, I had a bad fall and injured one of my legs. Luckily I could still finish the race within the allocated time.

Fundamo parkinglot

When I look out of the Fundamo offices, I realise how big the company has grown. All the cars represent an important element in the success of the company. in addition a lot of employees are not even based in Cape Town or are traveling, so the realisation of the responsibility of this big family just struck me again.

Notice-board at work

Some of the great achievements of Fundamo is pinned to this notice-board. Whenever I walk past this notice-board I get a warm feeling. Some of our achievements in Africa, new deployments in the Middle East, a picture of all the Fundamo cyclists, news articles etc. I am blessed to work at this great company.

Lusaka Airport

Its early morning and we have just arrived at the airport on my way back to Cape Town. It is a typical African morning. The birds are greeting the sun that is a round red ball in the east on the horizon. Although the temperature is quite acceptable this early in the morning, one can already feel the promise of a hot, African day. Meetings yesterday went well and it turned out to be a good visit. In my interaction with the client and at the hotel and restaurants left an impression of positiveness. The country is vibrant and one can see growth everywhere: little business initiatives and construction everywhere. I will definitely be back.

Winetasting at de Wijnlanden

We hosted a great winetasting at home for our small-group at church. We tasted a few of the cultivars and then a blend, but most of all we had a lot of fun. This was also an opportunity to get to know each other better.

Biblestudy at Weederom

We had such a great wine-tasting experience yesterday that ended with a brilliant dinner. This morning we started off with a group bible-study, ably led by Quintes. We discussed the meaning of Psalm 37 and then prayed together. This was so special to be able to gather in this beautiful valley filled with vineyards just starting to bloom, surrounded by mountains covered with snow. It was as if God was specially near and to share this with other Christians was especially holy.

Winetasting at Bon Courage

I am on a winetasting tour with one of the wineclubs that I belong to. We stayed at self catering cottages close to Robertson and visited a number of winefarms. The snow was still on the mountains and it was quite cold on Saterday when we arrived for breakfast on Bon Courage. Afterwards we had a great winetasting, savouring some of the famous Bon Courage wines (Inkara).

Kalkbay harbour

We had a great winetasting at Cape Point Vineyards in Noordhoek. They are famous for their white wine and we had a brilliant experience with the winemaker: Duncan Savage. Afterwards we decided to go for a quick bite and ended up at the Harbor restaurant in Kalkbay. The sky were just clearing and the moon was shining over False bay. We had good food with friends and experienced this gift from God with such joy, recognising His blessings.

Catherine's 25th

Catherine celebrated her twenty-fifth year at de Wijnlanden today. The theme was "Cocktails and Cup cakes" and it was a real celebration of life. This is Ernst and Catherine with some of the Cocktails in the Kitchen. It was so special to have them, family and friends at our home.

Dubai Refugee Camp

After a good night sleep (albeit short), I am now walking to my gate for the flight back to Cape Town. Dubai really became a hub for travelers from anywhere. The side effect of this is that weary travelers sometimes have hours to wait for their connecting flight. The result is that people are sleeping everywhere. It is a sore sight.

Sunrise at the Lahore Airport

My first trip to Pakistan. I had such a wonderful time. I worked particularly hard because we have such a lot of interest in Fundamo (all credit to our local partners who have done an excellent job). We also had to attend quite a few dinners as part of the Ramadan celebrations (which was nice). I am now getting ready to board a flight from Lahore to Islamabad (early in the morning) and I was just impressed with the early sunrise.

Table mountain from the vineyards

After climbing a relatively steep hill this morning with the bicycle (made more tough because it was just sand), I was confronted with this picture. Table mountain from the side in the distance from the Bottelary Hills. Two things struck me: the beauty of the farmlands and the vines starting to bud, but on the other hand, the pollution engulfing the stately old mountain in the distance.

Versindaba 2008

I attended Versindaba with Annelie tonight. This is a celebration of Afrikaans poetry where some of the best poets in South Africa gets the opportunity to present their work. Awards for poetry are also announced during these two days. Although I sometimes have dufficulty to understand all the nuances of the presentations, I did enjoy many of the artists, but it was also nice for me to be out with my wife and to see how she mingled with other poets and players in the industry.

The sun is breaking through

I am not sure if the bad weather that we experienced in the Cape had something to do with it, but I really felt down for a number of days. I am sure that rain and lack of sunshine does have a bearing on one's disposition. Nevertheless, as I walked into the garden this morning, onto the wet grass and felt the sun starting to shine early in the morning, this little sparrow flew brightly and sat on the fence in front of me, chirping happily. The sun is up again - if birds can be happy about that, so can I.