What a Party at Opium in Town!

3 Friends and some random chick at Opium on Friday (7th Dec) night...

From Left to Right: 'Random Chick', Roy, Bryan and Myself

Karaoke for the Deaf!

South African Reality

Or maybe just JHB....

The Deadpan Wood Golf and Lifestyle Estate "Advert"

Listen and learn... Who wants to sign up...

Ryan

Movember Starts Tomorrow!

I've always wanted to do something for charity. I always thought that I would perhaps shave my head for cancer etc... But, I have found a get 'thing' to do for charity and we start tomorrow! Thats because its MOvember.

Here's an extract from the website:

Movember (the month formally known as November) is a charity event held during November each year.

At the start of Movember guys register with a clean shaven face. The Movember participants known as Mo Bros then have the remainder of the month to grow and groom their moustache and along the way raise as much money and awareness about male health issues as possible. Movember culminates at the end of the month at the gala parties. These glamorous and groomed events will see Tom Selleck and David Boon look-a-likes battle it out on the catwalk for their chance to take home the prestigious Man of Movember title.

So! You All have to sponsor me we can raise money for a good cause!! Please visit the site and tell me what you think - www.movember.com... I just hope I can grow a mo thats decent, watch this space and I'll keep you posted...

Cheers

Ryan

The Photo of the week...

THE REAL REASON MEN DIE YOUNGER!!

Koos in London, Family in South Africa

Hello Everyone,

And now for something completly different... A letter from family far away, to Koos, probably on a working-holiday makers in the UK....

Dearest Koos

I'm writing this slow because I know that you can't read fast. We don't live where we did when you left home. Your pa read in the newspaper that almost all accidents happen within 20km of home. So we moved.

I can't send you the address, because the last family who lived here took the house numbers when they moved, so they wouldn't have to change their address.

This place is really nice. It even has a washing machine. I don't know that it works so well though. Last week I put in a load of clothes and pulled the chain. We haven't seen them since.

The weather isn't bad here. It rained only twice last week. The first time for four days, and the secondtime for three days. About the coat you wanted me to send you. Your oom Frikkie said it would be too heavy to send them in the post with the buttons on, so we cut them off and put them in the pockets.

Piet locked his keys in the car yesterday. We were really worried because it took him two hours to get me and your father out.

Your sister had a baby this morning but I don't know what it is yet, so I don't know if you are an aunt or an uncle. I was told that it is almost black. I think she spent too much time in the sun when she was pregnant, always helping Jonas the farmhand with the mealies.

Oom Wessels fell into a whisky vat last week. Some men tried to pull him out, but he fought them off and drowned. We had him cremated. It took five days to put the fire out.

Three of your friends went off a bridge in their oupa's bakkie. I always new this thing was dangerous. Janneman was driving. He rolled down the window and swam to safety. Your other two friends were on the back..

They drowned because they couldn't get the tailgate down.

There isn't much more news at this time. Nothing much out of the normal has happened.

Your favorite aunt

Hanna

P.S. I was going to enclose R25 but I already sealed the envelope!

Ja Nee, only in South Africa....

Scott Adams Rocks!

Recently on the Dilbert Blog, there has been much debate on the existence of Free Will... Being a philosophy major, this struck my interest. It's a pitty their are so many induhviduals who like to post stupid comments on the posts. Scott Adams's way with words and sharp sense of humour and witt really makes most of the comments posted look like drivel! But that's just what I think.

What I'm really writing about is the fact that, even though I can't imagine how many email Scott Adams gets a day, of which most could be the same as this complete drivel, he read my email and replied. Whats even better, I got mentioned on the blog... REALLY Cool! The Dilbert Comic and all its spin off media keep me smiling, even through the worst days. Scott Adams has also gone up in my estimations because he doesn't just sit in an ivory cubical and 'talk' to the world. His writings are always funny, most of the time thought provoking and usually quiet insightful.

Thanks Scott for making us all laugh!!



The following is the copy of my email and Scott's reply, below that is the link to the post...

From: Ryan Ballantyne
To: ScottAdams
Date: 02-Oct-2006 17:30
Subject: Free Will etc...

Hello Scott,

I think its fantastic the debate you have sparked re:Free Will. As a philosophy major, I am interested in the so-called layman's opinions which usually make for better reading than the ivory tower tomes found in most university libraries.

Check out what the Philosopher David Hume had to say about free will verses determinism.. he basically threw a large spanner in the works by saying that they are both right and are necessary for each other to exist... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hume - gives a basic intro in the paragraph Free will etc...)

I want to also say that Dilbert is the most amazing, brilliant and funny comic in the world! I think Catbert, Dogbert are especially brilliant! Thank you for making me laugh everyday, without fail!

Cheers

Ryan Ballantyne
Cape Town, South Africa

From: ScottAdams
To: ballantyne.ryan@gmail.com
Date: 02-Oct-2006 23:56
Subject: Re: Free Will etc...

Ryan,

Thank you for passing that along, I will have to check it out.

Scott Adams

( Please Note - "I will have to check it out" :P )

The Link to the post on the Dilbert Blog is:

http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2006/09/free_will_updat.html

Cheers

Ryan

Comming Soon....

The Cedarburg photos will be up soon, as soon as I get the photos from Shannon and Dean!!!

Everyone Hates Clippy

Don't you just hate it when good o'l clippy, the microsoft office assiant, comes up on the screen and trys to 'help' you? Wow is only pisses everyone off.... Even in this situation....

Thats the screen shot of the week....

I intend to do this more....

Well, its been a while since I have posted on this blog... I intend to open this up to some of you guys to post on... and on that note - the picture of the week!!


Cheers

Ryan

White River Rafting, Cos Chicks Dig Scars!

First off, apologies to Garrick Orchard for using his phrase, but it is appropriate... My colleagues and I spend two days of team building and fun as a precursor to the busy retail season ahead. This 'bosberaad' culminated in an afternoon of white river rafting on the Palmeit River, just outside Klienmond. Thanks to Gravity Tours for a wonderful afternoon!!

Bad White Legs... Need to get out more before summer....

CAPESTORM Retail (Pty) Ltd. Minus Leo, Sharon and JHB

Barrel Roll Practice...

Handbrake Turn - Deon and I...

Going Down! Deon and I

It All Goes Pear Shaped for Shevan and Greame

Pop a Wheelie! Deon and I

Going like a Boeing! Deon and I

Me holding on for dear life... Deon paddling for dear life...

Chloe goes for a swim...

Jacques Steers, Siya Panics...

The ever-so-graceful Lee and Tammy....

Guts and Determination - Chole and The Guy from Go! Magazine

Teneal and Hano Ramping an Awesome Rapid...

The Executive Team... Managers always leading from the back... Just Kidding Malcolm....

"Telkom Internet Costs Remain High"

business.iafrica.com | business news | Telkom Internet costs remain high

Well well, why are we not surprised? It seems that South African ADSL users are always getting the raw end of the deal. Especially considering that Telkom has Icasa in their pockets.... Roll on the second network operator!!!

ipod, therefore I am...

A study was done in the US to see what people defined themselves by. Most people said that it was their job and music. Think about that... whats the first question you ask someone you've just met... "So, what do you do?" and usually some where in the process of meeting someone you find out what kind of music you listen to. I saw a book in the UK called 'ipod, therefore I am' and that about sums up how our world and culture define itself.

Look at the people who frequent Claremont for example... They listen to a particularly poppy type of music. Commercial and easy to sing along to, not much in the way of complected dancing and as deep as the puddle outside my front door. The songs also become easier to dance to the drunker you are. The 'chicks' are then subjected to the drunken mating dance of these rugby/hockey/other jocks (circle applicable) who end up either 'scoring' or as is usually the case not...

Obs can be just as interesting! The music of choice ranges from psy-trans to heavy metal to scar/punk/funk to plan old rock 'n roll. Go to Observatory in Cape Town and you'll find a huge mix of people, with chilling out as their common goal. From the girls who are angry with their dads who dress in black, black and more black, to the hippies who are so deep they are drowning in their own philosophies, to the heavy/death/(add own dark adjective here) metal guys, who for the most part are actually quiet friendly, unless you mention Justin Timberlake. You do, however see Average Joe's who just come down of a laugh and a quiet beer.

On a whole, Obs wins out over Clairmont everything, unless you are really into your 'eye candy' and can stand the loud guy who wants to tell you 'you know how many chicks... etc' (put on Afrikaans accent and slur slightly).

All in all we seem to be what we listen to. A lest we know that the music makers aren't starving in the streets... For those who hate ipods visit ANTI-ipod

It was going to happen....

Well it has finally happened! I have joined the masses of the world to become a blogger. It seems in the relatively short time that blogging has been around it has become a tool for those who wish to express their feeling in the last truly 'free' medium of the Internet. No longer is anyone allowed to express their views are certain issues in public. And in South Africa, where I live, the Dept of Home Affairs has reopened the censorship can of worms. (journalism.co.za / SABCnews.com / Business Day) This is why I see blogging as such an important medium, because it's not controlled by Governments, Religious Org, Sects, Weirdos and the like who don't wants truth to be exposed or don't want to look bad. Hooray for true freedom of speech!

A little bit about me then. I'm 22 years old and live in Cape Town, South Africa. I am currently studying a B.SocSc at the University of Cape Town (UCT), majoring in Organisational Psychology and Philosophy. I am also currently doing a part time masters degree (MPhil) in Applied Theology in Community Building. I also work for an outdoor clothing company (Capestorm) in their retail division.

Now the Astrologists are Screwed!

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) have just finished two years worth of work which has been dedicated to defining the difference between 'plants' and 'smaller solar system bodies' (IAU Website: News). Now the fact that scientists took two year to debate the difference is not my concern. Most astronomers I are too high in the clouds to be of any use to normal society, and who can understand them anyway. Even if their discoveries are brilliant and they have some sort of grasp on the sheer amazingness of the universe, how can they simply tell us now that what we have been learning for the last 75 year since Pluto was discovered is now horribly wrong!

It now seems, according to the IAU that we have in fact 12 planets in our solar system. School kids who learnt that there where 9 last week are now disillusioned! As far as i can see, this new defining has come about only because when Pluto's so-called 'moon' Charon was discovered to be larger than Pluto, the Astronomers had to do some soul searching. What are these bodies that now find themselves on a par with Earth and Jupiter? The first one is 'Ceres' which until this new definition was an asteroid. Take a look at the picture below from Hubble.

NASA, ESA, J. Parker (Southwest Research Institute), P. Thomas (Cornell University), and L. McFadden (University of Maryland, College Park)

Doesn't look like much, but it has enough gravity, under the new definition, to make it round enough for it to be a 'planet'. It is located between Mars and Jupiter and as far as we can tell, is dead boring! The second body that has been elevated to planet status is Pluto's moon, Charon. Although it orbits Pluto, it is allowed to be a planet for the same reason as Ceres. Look below for both Pluto and Charon in orbit.

NASA, ESA, H. Weaver (JHU/APL), A. Stern (SwRI), and the HST Pluto Companion Search Team

Lastly, the lovely named 'Kuiper Belt Object 2003 UB313'. We are assured that a proper name for this planet will follow soon, lets just hope its sounds better than it looks...

NASA, ESA, and M. Brown (California Institute of Technology)

So there we have it! Now here is the kicker... What are all the Astrologists going to do? No longer will just Uranus be rising in your Taurus, but Kuiper Belt Object 2003 UB313 will be blocking your sun energy causing you to have luck in love. Or something to that effect. This only goes to show what bollocks Astrologists spout about how the 'heavens are aligning to your energy fields' etc.... Just when they thought they had everything maped out on their funny star chats, now they have to juggle 3 extra planets!