To Facebook, or not to Facebook...

...that is the question. I'm a recent Facebook convert. Well, relatively recent - I signed up on the 7^th of January 2011 or there about. When standing around the barbeque fire, I was always the one professing adamantly, “Facebook? Nah, not for me!” But I must admit, since joining the Facebook bandwagon it has grown on me. I have reunited with many school friends who would otherwise have remained distant memories (and trust me, they are very happy because I know they missed me very much) or caught up more frequently with family when I probably would not have done so, were it not for Facebook. My friends count is currently standing at 143, quite modest really, when compared to some of my Facebook buddies with friend counts in excess of 500. I know, the definition of “friend” in the Facebook world is somewhat more liberal or more broadly defined when compared to my personal definition. 

Wanneer om te Facebook, en wanneer nie...

...dit is die vraag. Ek is 'n onlangse bekeerling tot die Facebook-ding. Wel, relatief onlangs - ek het iewers in Januarie 2011 opgeteken, die 7^de as ek reg onthou. Voor dit was ek altyd daardie persoon by die braaivleisvuur wat aangevoer het, "Facebook? Ag nee wat, dis nie vir my nie!” Maar ek moet erken, sedert ek by die Facebook brigade aangesluit het, het hierdie storie nogal gegroei aan my. Ek het baie van my ou skoolpelle opgespoor wat sonder Facebook waarskynlik nie sou gebeur nie (hulle is baie bly want hulle het blykbaar baie na my verlang), en ek vang nou meer gereeld op met my familie, iets wat ook sonder Facebook dalk nie so gereeld sou gebeur nie. Ek het sover 'n vriende telling van 143, redelik beskeie as jy dit vergelyk met die 500-plus vriende wat sekere van my Facebook maatjies het. Ek weet, die definisie van "friend" in Facebook is ietwat meer liberaal, of minstens meer omvattend as my persoonlike definisie daarvan. 

DON'T PANIC ...but if you do, keep running

“No brain, no pain”. That is what someone once told me. If that statement is true it must mean that I have a huge brain because believe me, not long ago I experienced pain thoroughly and completely. My regular readers (I do have regular readers, right?) will remember how I described the physical and mental torture which I had to endure. The misery and gnashing of teeth, the exhausting challenge and test of stamina and mental endurance, which is better known as the Australian Corporate Games 2011. It was difficult, but I believe it made a better person out of me. No really, I think it did. And so I sat the one day, reminiscing about that fateful day when I was suddenly brought back to reality by an email that appeared in my inbox with the subject “Tough Mudder Australia”. A subject line like that will always catch my attention, so I promptly opened the email and began to read. 

DON'T PANIC ...but if you do, keep running (Afrikaanse weergawe)

“No brain, no pain”. Dis wat iemand een maal vir my gesê het. As dit waar is, beteken dit seker ek het baie verstand want glo my, daar was ‘n tyd nie so lank terug nie wat ek pyn deeglik en totaal ervaar het. My gereelde lesers (daar is van julle wat gereeld kom lees, né?) sal onthou hoe ek die fisiese en psigiese marteling beskryf het wat ek onlangs moes deurmaak. Daardie ellende en gekners van tande, die uitputtende uitdaging en toets van stamina en uithouvermoë, wat oor die algemeen bekend staan as die Australian Corporate Games 2011. Dit was erg, maar ek glo dit het ‘n beter mens van my gemaak. Nee, regtig, ek go dit het. So sit ek die ander dag en dink weer terug aan daardie skouspel toe ek skielik tot die realiteit terugkeer na ‘n e-possie met die opskrif “Tough Mudder Australia” op my skerm opduik. Daardie opskriffie trek toe my aandag en ek moes natuurlik ondersoek instel. 

Things that upset me this Christmas

It’s almost Christmas and the Möller household is stirring. The kitchen is mopped, rusks and milk tarts are being baked, the house is spring cleaned and the car washed, the garage is swept clean and lawns are mowed because it is almost Christmas and the place must be ready and time is running out. With this in mind I decided to mow the back yard late this afternoon before the sun sets. While I was busy I thought of a few things I don’t like very much.

Dinge wat my pla hierdie Kersfees

Dis amper Kersfees en dit gons in die Möller-huis. Die kombuis word geskrop en beskuit en melktert word gebak, huis word skoongemaak en kar word gewas, garage word gevee en gras word gesny want die plek moet reg en die tyd raak min. So besluit ek toe laatmiddag dat ek gou die agterplaas se gras moet sny voor die son sak. Dit bring my toe by 'n paar goed wat vir my nogal erg is.

The card and the train

“Are you alright?” asked a very anxious lady next to whom I collapsed on the train. I must have looked like I was going to die any minute because rule number one on the train is you don’t talk to strangers, but apparently she didn’t fancy the idea of me expiring next to her, so she rather asked. I sat there like a wet rat, hunched over and gasping for air. Tonight would be the last parent/teacher interview for the year, this time for Nadia who completed her Prep year and was about to start year 1. I therefore just had to make it in time, no excuses would be accepted. Normally I manage to keep to these appointments without too much trouble and this time would have been no different, were it not for our anniversary that was soon to be celebrated. Let me explain… 

Die kaartjie en die trein

"Is jy OK?" vra die bekommerde antie langs wie ek neer geval het op die trein. Ek moes seker erg gelyk het want reël nommer een op die trein is jy praat nie met vreemdes nie. Klaarblyklik het sy nie kans gesien dat ek op die bankie langs haar inmekaar sak nie, so sy vra liewer. Ek het soos ‘n nat rot daar gaan sit, vooroor gebukkend en gehyg na asem. Vanaand sou die laaste Parent/Teacher Interview wees vir die jaar, hierdie keer vir Nadia wat klaar maak met haar Prep jaar en graad een toe skuif. Ek móés dus betyds wees, geen verskonings word aanvaar nie. Normaalweg vind ek dit relatief maklik om by sulke afsprakies te hou en hierdie keer sou geensins anders wees nie, was dit nie vir my huweliksherdenking wat binnekort gevier sou word nie. Laat ek verduidelik… 

Australian Corporate Games 2011 (English)

(Daar is ook 'n Afrikaanse weergawe van hierdie bladsy)


I don't know about you, but in my mind I'm not getting any older. I still feel 19, just finished with school and in my first year of studies, something that happened 19 years ago if my calculations are correct. On the one hand it's a good thing because they say you are as old as you think. But it can also cost you dearly, like when you agree to take part in the Australian Corporate Games.

Two years ago I took on the 10km challenge and of the 205 runners I finished third. From the back. When the race officials start to collect those orange route-marker cones and flags immediately after you passed, it might be considered a subtle hint that you may not be as competitive as you thought you were. I would just like to express my gratitude to Lesley, a lady from ANZ who ran a little slower than me, and also two of my former colleagues from JDS, Neale and Vilam. If they had not decided to walk the whole 10km for an equal last place I would probably have had that honour. (here are the official results of that historic day)

How quickly one forgets! Two years later I again found myself signing up for the 2011 Australian Corporate Games, but this time I was a little wiser and decided to go for the 5km run rather than the 10.

Australian Corporate Games 2011 (Afr)

(there is also an English version of this page)


Ek weet nie van julle nie, maar ek voel nie al dag of ek oud word nie. In my kop voel ek nog 19, pas klaar met skool en in my eerste studiejaar, iets wat, as ek my somme reg gemaak het, al 16 jaar terug plaasgevind het. Aan die een kant is dit goed want hulle sê mos jy is so oud soos jy dink jy is. Maar dit kan 'n man ook duur te staan kom, soos wanneer jy instem om aan die Australian Corporate Games deel te neem.

Ek het twee jaar terug die 10km wedloop aangedurf en uit die 205 deelnemers het ek derde gekom. Van agter. Wanneer die beamptes daai oranje cones en vlaggies wat die roete aandui begin kollekteer pas na jy verby gekom het is dit seker 'n subtiele wenk dat jy dalk nie so kompeterend is soos jy mag dink nie. Ek moet egter net my dank uitspreek teenoor 'n ene Lesley, 'n tannie van ANZ wat stadiger as ek gehol het, en twee van my oud-kollegas by JDS, Neale en Vilam. As hulle nie besluit het om die 10km te stap vir 'n gesamentlike laaste plek nie was ek heel laaste. (hier is die offisiële resultate van daardie geskiedkundige dag)

Hoe vinnig vergeet mens nie! Twee jaar later kry ek myself weer dat ek opteken vir die 2011 Australian Corporate Games, maar hierdie keer het ek bietjie meer verstand en besluit ek om die 5km te hol eerder as die 10. 

All about fish and lizards and stick insects…

It so happened that Herman came to me one Friday evening, wide eyed and very excited. “Miss Davies said I can get a stick insect!” 

“O she did, did she?” 

“Yes, all we need is a fish tank and we have a fish tank so we can get one, right?” 

“You probably mean an aquarium?” 

“Yes, an aquarium. Can we get one? Can we...?” 

We don’t have an aquarium. We do have something that once housed a little gold fish for a short time but the thing was so small that Frankenstein could practically just swim forwards and backwards and hardly turn around. But my budding entomologist believes that it qualifies as a fitting habitat for a stick insect. Now I know something about sticks, and I know something about insects but not much about a stick insect. Fortunately I know something about computers and Google so before long we were gaining expert knowledge about stick insects, and the keeping thereof. (Did you know that a mommy stick insect can produce baby stick insects without a daddy being anywhere in the picture? And here I hoped I could use the stick insect project for more than one educational purpose, like conveying the facts of life, but that won’t work very well...)

Van visse en akkedisse en stokinsekte...

En so kom boetie toe die een Vrydagaand by my, groot oog en baie opgewonde. “Die juffrou het gesê ek kan ‘n stick insect kry!”

“O so?”

“Ja, ons het net ‘n vistenk nodig en ons het mos ‘n vistenk so ek kan een kry, né?” 

“Seker ‘n akwarium?” 

“Ja, ‘n akwarium. So kan ons een kry? Kan ons...?” 

Ons het nie ‘n akwarium nie. Ons het wel iets wat ‘n goudvissie vir ‘n kort tydjie gehuisves het, maar die ding is so klein dat Frankenstein amper net vorentoe en agtertoe kon swem, van omdraai was daar nie sprake nie. Maar my opkomende entomoloog glo dit kwalifiseer as 'n geskikte habitat om ‘n stokinsek in aan te hou. Nou ek ken stokke en ek ken insekte, maar ek ken nie so lekker van die sogenaamde stokinsek nie. Gelukkig weet ek so ietsie van kompûters en Google en ons word toe vinnig kenners op die gebied van stokinsekte, asook die aanhouding daarvan. (Het julle geweet 'n mamma stokinsek kan baba stokkies kry sonder dat daar 'n pappa stokinsek iewers in die prentjie is? Ek het nogal gehoop ek sou hierdie stokinsek-oefening kon gebruik vir meer as een opvoedkundige doel, soos om te gesels oor die feite van die lewe, maar daarvoor sal dit nie goed werk nie...)

My culinary experiences (Part three)

(click here for part two of my culinary experiences)
South Africans like biltong (if at this point you find yourself asking, “What is biltong??” then click here). It may be a broad generalisation but I believe it to be true. It is especially true in Australia, or for that matter in any country where the South African expat may find himself. I will venture that even those who may rate themselves low on the biltong-lover scale will start to develop a desire for the traditional delicacy - for the simple reason that it is not easily obtained here, and it’s a well-known fact that you generally want that which you cannot have, right? So what are you to do when you find yourself in Australia and the biltong is in South Africa? There are four options:

My kulinêre ervarings (Deel drie)

(gaan hier vir deel twee van my kulinêre ervarings)


Suid-Afrikaners hou van biltong. Dit mag miskien ‘n veralgemening wees, maar ek glo dis waar. Veral hier in Australië, of enige ander land waar die Suid-Afrikaanse expat homself mag bevind. Ek glo selfs diegene wat normaalweg nie lief is vir biltong nie sal begin hunker daarna, bloot omdat dit nie so maklik is om dit hier te bekom nie – mens wil mos altyd dít hê wat jy nie kan kry nie, of hoe? So hoe gemaak wanneer jy in Australië sit en die biltong is in Suid-Afrika?

My culinary experiences (Part two)

(click here for part one of my culinary experiences)


I can’t help it, but something that has always grabbed my attention is food. Call me a glutton or rude or uneducated, but if food is involved you have my attention. You will therefore understand why, when I received an email that invited me to a “Software Test Automation workshop", my ears perked up and my heart rate increased and my palms got a little sweaty. You could mistakenly think that I was in love but the real reason was that my eyes had scanned the email and the neural receptors in my brain instantly picked out the words “free lunch”.