Retrenchment

Yes,
I have been retrenched, well sort of. You need to work for a company to be able to get retrenched.  I was only consulting.  But since they retrenched about 45 people, the contractors, including me were obviously on the chopping block first.  I became complacent because I had such a long notice period written into my contract and I never received the required notice letter untill a month ago.

Wow - was I mistaken, just because you work with the labour law every day and is supposed to know it by heart, doesnt mean it applies to you.  I am now mostly unemployed - Im still consulting twice a week untill that gets cancelled as well - and I must tell you its scary.

I am (used to be) the HR, I have turned away hundreds of would be employees.  This is the second retrenchment Ive gone through, and although you feel sorry for the single mothers and men whose wives are alcholics etc. etc.  you still dont really know what it feels like.  There are NO jobs available in this country, unless youre willing to move to Gauteng and work for "danger pay" (thats my opinion) or you are a hundred and twenty four years old and have enough experience to be completely over qualified - in which case you still wont get the job, because in six months you might want an increase to go with all your qualifications...

So basically - youre screwed.  (Unless youve been to prison and want a future in politics) 
So you start your own little business with the meagre savings you managed to accrue during all your years of forced slavery.  But surprise, surprise.  The economy is too weak, no-one has any money to spend on whatever luxury you are trying to sell.. Whitin six months you have no job, and now you have no savings.  Your house, your car and your BED gets reposessed.  Youre sleeping in your mother in laws guest room (if youre lucky) and living on alms.

Well so help me - if I ever get to that point (the in law thing) I think Ill move to Johannesburg and brave the violence.  (as if its so much safer in the Cape...)  I would just maybe leave my daughter down here, yes - with the in laws.  At least then shell grow up.

Im a winner

Yes,
I seem to be constantly winning the lottery of Canada or some Microsoft email address thing of some kind.
Dont these people ever give up?  I mean really, are there still people stupid enough to fall for this crap?
I have recently found myself a new fun game.  I take maybe two or three of the notifications I receive every day and I google them.  Then when I find something  I reply to this notification including a paste from the website I found them on.  Unfortunately no one has ever replied to me after that, but it makes me feel better.

Now Caster Semenya - who cares if she has both parts.  That only makes her an hermaphrodite, it does not change the fact that she won South Africa a gold medal.  What happened to the flowers and the autographs and the admiration?  Are we really that shallow?  There are so many different cultures, tendencies and trends in our country, and we worry about some poor woman who happened to be born with a few extra parts.
So the people who has had sex change operations, are we to discriminate against them as well?
What about the cross dressers or even the women who like to wear pants?

Some time ago women were being beat up in townships for wearing pants ( I had to make some overall skirts for our factory staff) and I remember thinking, what nonsense.  If they can work and make money like the men do, why cant they wear pants.  I am not judging their culture, but beating someone unconsious just because she is not wearing a dress is ridiculous.  We are a nation of intolerable people, but we allow criminals to roam free in our streets, to do the things they were convicted of again and again.

But then of course its only illegal for some people to drive under the influence, other people are immune from being prosecuted.  Denial is not a river in Egypt people.  Someone has to start regulating things around here, or we will end up with a civil war on our hands......

 

Patrick

I can hardly believe Patrick Swayze is dead.
I cried my eyes out in Ghost and baught the Dirty Dancing DVD.  He was very good actor who really gave everything in his movies.  But at least he is not suffering any more.

On a different note - I would love to visit the Potter Park, if I ever go to America that is.  Its supposed to be awesome.  And now Drew Barrymore is a director too, they seem to be popping up everywhere.
Oh and apparently you only get nine months in prison for throwing a shoe at George Bush. Maybe if the assailant knew that would be all, he would have thrown something else.... 

I wonder what would happen if I called my boss a son of a whore?  Madrid must be a marvelous place if you can get away with that, and get paid for it to boot.  

Wow,
Its absolutely fantastic to hear about a child being found safe and sound for a change.  After all the horrors happening lately, I scaresly let my child out of the gate.

Little Carina Naicker was extremely lucky, just look what happened to poor Jaycee Lee Dugard.
The best years of her life is gone.  But at least she survived...  There are so many people hurting, killing, raping and abusing little children.  What is happening to the world?  When I was young I could walk around after dark all by myself.  We used to play in the cemetary at night.  No, we were not satanists, just brave.

I am very much in favour of the death penalty for people who rape, kill and hurt children.  What is wrong with a countries laws when a prisoner have more rights than someone who prefers to work for an hones living?  Nowadays your not even allowed to defend your home or your family.  This is the reason why so many of the people who actually keep the economy going is leaving the country.

I would also like to receive refugee status somewhere safe.  But of course that road is now closed for anyone else who would like to try.  I dont know if anyone is familiar with the movie Boondock Saints.  If you are, let me know if you agree that there should be a team like that in every major city.  Or maybe a Judge Dread.
Unfortunetly that only happens in the movies, and we all have to face the harsh reality that no life is safe in this country, we are not allowed to defend ourselves.  If we do, we go to prison for assault or attempt at murder.
Most of us can also not afford to have R90 mil walls built around us, so we just have to hope and pray that our loved ones are safe, and that we are not the next gang or cyndicate target.

I had to have a new battery put in my car recently, and from the battery place a bakkie with two people in followed my to my husbands' work place.  Whithout indicators or slowing down around corners. This spooked me a little, but when I stopped and they drove on I felt a little better.  As I was still a bit uneasy I onsly stayd inside for a minute and then went to go check on the car.  And lo and behold they had just turned the bakkie around and was parked on the other side of the street.  I drove straight to the police station where I lost them.

When I told my husband about it, he said they were after my battery.  I mean really, my battery?   Well that is all I can legally say about that.

Have a good one

Wow people

Having a really great snoek braai, (which is amazing since I dont like fish). But as there is not a lot of fat on the snoek, its actually very nice. Especially since my husband put his "secret" sauce on it. Its only butter and apricot jam.

The brandy and coke also makes the food taste delicious... So I think the moral of the story is, the more you drink, the better the food tastes. Good company makes a huge difference of course, the better the company, the longer the braai takes...

Since its Sunday and tomorrow is a work day - whoopy, I suppose Ill have to take it easy. But seeing as I have never suffered from a babelaas - even after a heavy night, I dont really see the problem. My husband, I think, feels differently. He has one beer and wakes up with a headache. Amazing how that works. I suppose its because I had an alcholic father who drank himself to death 3 days before he was supposed to go to rehab. Great ad for Ramot....

Well I guess thats life. Luckily the only thing I have manage to get myself addicted to is sigarettes, which I have just quit. Hurray for my, Its been very hard, I must tell you. Ive been trying to quit for years. Thanks to a friend I managed to get myself on to Zyban. Im not trying to advertise, but its really working. I tried the gum and the patches and will power. Nothing.

So Im very happy, maybe Ill actually live to see my baby graduate. I am a bit long in the tooth and she is only three, so its not such a big stretch.
I guess thats all for now. Ill let you know what else is up...

Hey Guys

Fantastic game today, the Boks beating the All Blacks on their home ground.
The Springboks have not won the Tri Nations since 2004, and almost lost the game right at the end. Luckily John Smit showed us what a good captain he is.

Morne Steyn, Francois Steyn and Fourie Du Preez also showed their mettle, but of course without the rest of the team there would be no victory. They all gave a fantastic performance today. (I for one, was very glad to see Schalk Burger on the field.)

Victor Matfield has today faced the All Blacks for the 20th time.
He is also the Bok with the most consecutive tests behind his name. Victor has played a total of 88 test matches. Now in my opinion, that is very impressive. And of course also in my humble opinion, he is very cute.

Pieter de Villiers seem to be a better coach than he was believed to be when he started with the Boks. So all hail to Pieter de Villiers and the South African Springboks. You are all my heroes!