Mannie's birthday

We celebrated Mannie's birthday at Harbour Rock in Hermanus. As always the view was spectacular and the food good. We enjoyed Mannie's company with his abundance of jokes and views on life. It is a privilege to have friends that want to share their birthdays with you.

Book-sale to raise money

We have such caring people at work. I noticed the boxes in the foyer asking for book donations that will be sold to raise money for a worthy cause. Last month we had a cake sale to raise money. What will we do in a Kindle-enabled world with eBooks and so forth to raise money?

Beautiful Oman

It is fair to say that many people would not be able to find Oman on a map. This special little country occupies the most eastern part of the Arabian peninsula. Me and Annelie had a taste of Oman's rugged mountains, crystal clear seas, its culture and rich history. We were impressed with the well-developed tourist infrastructure (good airport, roads, worldclass hotels and good restaurants). The few days in Oman was over quickly.

Watching the sun set from Jebel Hafeet

Jebel Hafeet is the highest mountain in the UAE. It is close to Al Ain and the summit can easily be reached by car. Me and Annelie drove to the Mercure hotel very close to the summit. We enjoyed a late buffet lunch on the terrace and watched the sun set over the desert landscape. The dust-filled air, spread the orange over a wide area on the horizon and we watched in awe.

Dinner under the Burj Khalifa

Me and Annelie had dinner at Rivington's Grill in Souk al Bahar, downtown Dubai. We were entertained by the majestic fountains and their performance every half an hour. The tallest building in the world twinkled with lights synchronized to the fountains. The food, complemented by Massaya Red, a Lebanese red wine, was not too bad either. We had a special time.

Immigration frustrations

Dubai is developing into an even better destination. Unfortunately, completing the formalities at immigrations is just not in line with the first world city that Dubai is. Standing in long lines to complete the iris-scan (not sign-posted) at 03:00 in the morning is exasperated by officials that seems not to care and do not even respond to friendly greetings.

A perfect picture

Sometimes at night, the lake can be at it's most enchanting, like tonight late when the clouds opened and the moon reflected off the water's small waves. A few solitary lights still on at the Arabella hotel could be seen on the opposite shore embraced by majestic clouds. I could hear the sea in the background and quiet nocturnal sounds carrying on the northerly breeze. It is impossible not to experience God in this perfect picture.

La Pineta to celebrate

I visited one of my favourite restaurants, La Pineta, with my favourite person, to celebrate our wedding anniversary. (We have now been married for 31 years). I had the Venison Loin (Gemsbok) with the 2008 Anura Pinotage, while Annelie enjoyed the duck with a good chardonnay. A satisfying meal triggering such sweet memories.

Burger done

I always loved "The Burger", a 92 km cycle race in a circle route from Stellenbosch and back. I entered some time ago, not realising that I will be returning from California the day before. Not wanting to waste a good entry, I tackled the race with some jet-lag and not enough sleep. I surprised myself by completing the race in an acceptable time of three and a half hours. I was pretty satisfied.

Plastic knives in departures

Me and Richard sat down for a "not-too-bad" mexican lunch at San Francisco International Departures. We were forced to attack the food with a pathetic plastic knife and a large, metal fork. If you look objectively at the security-measures in US airports it does fringe on the absurd.

Sunset over the Pacific

There is beauty next to the ocean, does not matter where. Me and Richard arrived in San Francisco Sunday midday, freshened up and then drove to Halfmoon Bay. I had a New England chowder with a lobster sandwich, washed down with a Anchor Steam draft, while watching the sun set.

Praise for a year of blessings

A small group of circle leaders gathered at the church tonight to praise the Lord for a year of blessings. We gave thanks for all that we received in abundance in the smaller groups. It is important, sometimes for a moment, to stop worrying about our tribulations and to count our blessings.

Weather-influenced weekend

The weekend started off with immaculate weather: not too hot; very little wind... a perfect day. During Saturday night one could hear spells of wind and Sunday morning, it started raining intermittently. The wind swept up swells on the lake and the clouds tumbling over the mountains had a special beauty to them.

Hanging around the Airport

Waiting for MN452 to Lanseria. The flight is delayed and this messes with everything. I will be late in Johannesburg; missing an important teleconference. Interesting how everyone queues in expectation for the gate to open. If the airline got the scheduled time wrong, how can we believe the new estimated time?

A new day dawns in Dubai

I went to bed last night with a terrible flu - headache, sore joints, tight cough. Luckily, through interventions from brother-in-law Izak and Reg, I was on strong medicines. I battled to sleep most of the night, but felt much better in the morning. As I opened the windows and saw the sun rise over the high rises on the Palm Marina, I felt a new energy.

The links at Spanish Bay

During an executive breakaway in Pebble Beach, I had an opportunity to play this links course. I managed a few good swings, lost about 12 balls, made good friends and had the most amazing time. The surroundings of the golf course is spectacular and the course is maintained in pristine condition.

IBM Bay Area Labs

I had a meeting at the IBM offices in Foster City. Websphere is enhanced and maintained out of these offices. I was given a tour through the facilities and I had to remind me that the code cut here is running mission critical systems in big corporations all over the world.

Central Peninsula Church

I attended church in California. The church that I picked was close to my hotel, mid sized, middle to upper class. I was struck by the wonderful facilities and the talent of the people that God collected in this congregation. Beautiful music, pure scripture and holy sacraments flowed forth, but I felt that an energising purpose was lacking.

Canada Road Cycling

During my last visit to California, I wanted to get onto the road, but could not. So this time I rented a bike and it was worth it. The cycling spots are spectacular (great climbs, big bike lanes, thick forests and scenic routes), but it is the way that motorists accommodate cyclists that is the most refreshing.

In a Dubai lift

As I hurtle downwards from the 26 floor of the Intercontinental Hotel in Dubai, it occured to me how frequently I stand in lifts during my travels. While all lifts do the same job, they do come in many different formats; some announce arrivals in an artificial voice, others require your room-card before they move. It is also interesting to experience different people that you share the lift with... as you never meet them.