It's a Mug Story

The moment shit got real was when I notice the five inch switch blade brazenly being displayed in the fist of one of the two men quickly approaching. Great. This is it. The bona fide Joburg experience. The one I had been continually warned about by my mother's friends in the comfort of coffee shops, doctor's offices and suburban dining rooms. The advice was generic, but I always nodded my head in appreciation. Walk in groups (Check). Don't go out after dark (Check). Walk with a purpose (Check). Don't wear flashy jewellery (Check). We had done everything right. Still, there we were, all of our valuable possessions replaced with bulging eyes and smirks of disbelief.

Everything happened so fast. Similarly to my many dumps off horses, I only remember flashes of "the incident". One second I'm steadily cantering along; next thing I know I see the ground about to collide with my face; now I'm laying in the dirt watching my horse roam around the ring acting confused by his newfound lack of direction. Beginning. Middle. End. At first we were joking about the number of geckos we had seen on today's journey to our favorite fair trade coffee roastery and espresso bar; then we're being assaulted by a man wearing a glow in the dark rosary and another in a Manchester United zip up; after that I was helplessly cursing the lose of my beloved Spudnick (i.e. my laptop) and cluelessly debating on how to proceed. Beginning. Middle. End.

I was a little ambivalent to post on the mugging just because I didn't want to dwell on "the incident" and because it has been taking up so much of my spare time (filing police reports and insurance claims… just kidding, I’ve got a lot more free time without constant connection to the cyberworld). Yet, when I’ve been telling colleagues about “the event”, there has been one overwhelmingly consistent response: Welcome to South Africa. I came to South Africa to genuinely experience a different lifestyle, and that’s what I’ve done, in all its glory and discouragement.



On a lighter note: Check out my second guest appearance on fee-oh-na’s weekly chocolate bar rating.

Make it Rain

Remember how I used to complain about the lack of rain? Well... I guess I got what I wished for. It has been raining almost routinely every evening for the past two weeks. Today, however, it hailed.

Yup, that's a sheet of ice.

Here's a picture of one of the ice balls.

p!nk

Pink - Please Don't Leave Me (High Quality)

Weirdest. Music. Video. Ever.

Now imagine this playing on a flatscreen that's looming over your head while trying to enjoy a relaxing breakfast after an early morning jaunt to the airport.

updated.

In the midst of a month long finals period, sprinkled with weekend traveling.

The Secret Ocean

Lightning & thunder. Thunder & lightning. Lunder, for those thinking too fast.

Just turned in TWO six pagers. Are two six page papers more work than one twelve page report? I'm going to rule with a "Nay" on this one.

BREAKING NEWS: The Southern Ocean?

While in Mozambique, we were internet-less for a full week. We came up with a whole host of (basic) facts we would have to Google as soon as we got back to our computers. Sadly, the names of the world's oceans was on our list to look up (We were stuck at four, which is reasonable given the below article). Maybe that was a good thing because now I know about our newest official ocean, the Southern Ocean.

"In 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization created the fifth and newest world ocean - the Southern Ocean - from the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. The new Southern Ocean completely surrounds Antarctica.

The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude. The Southern Ocean is now the fourth largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean).

For some time, those in geographic circles have debated whether there are four or five oceans on earth.

Some consider the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific to be the world's four oceans. Now, those that side with the number five can add the fifth new ocean and call it the Southern Ocean or the Antarctic Ocean, thanks to the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO). The IHO has attempted to settle that debate through a year 2000 publication by declaring, naming, and demarcating the Southern Ocean." [full]

Welcome to the world, Southern Ocean!

Sea of Weave

This documentary looks hilarious (even if I do think Chris Rock's voice is a little obnoxious). Although, I'm questioning its factual validity. "Human hair is India's biggest export" (1:50/2:33)-- Really?

Remember that time I walked over the Mandela Bridge to Newtown and found that the sidewalks were littered with stray strands of weave? I do!

If I had a trillion Rand

Stocks and Gold Gain as Investors Shun the Dollar NYT 7/10/09

“Investors clamored to buy pretty much anything on Tuesday — as long as it was not the dollar.

A seven-month slide in the value of the dollar gained force as investors migrated to other markets and fretted over a report that crude oil could one day be priced in other currencies, hobbling the dollar’s role as a vehicle for global trade.
…
The dollar slipped further against major currencies, continuing a decline that has sent it tumbling 15 percent since early March. The dollar fell to $1.47 against the euro, and the Japanese yen strengthened to 88.83 for every dollar.”

NOOOO! Don’t do this to me, dollar. You’ve already slipped from 7.7 to 7.4 Rand since the start of this week (but it’s okay because I always use a 1 to 10 conversion rate in my head anyways).

On the bright side, I finally understand exchange rates! If only I had taken Econ102 after I went abroad… I’m pretty sure the only thing I remember from that class was that gangsters like the Euro because it comes in bigger denominations than the dollar, making it easier to stuff in a suitcase.



Watch Jay-Z endorse the Euro with some flashy thumbing technique. But don't worry... he's not totally dropping the dollar because he's got a giant, gold "YE$" sign flashing in the background.