Tue 18th July 2006

As God is my witness, never again shall I go through a single day at work without detailing exactly what happened.

I'm not going into details, but if you DO NOT KEEP A WORK JOURNAL - You're screwed!

Never ever again!!!!

2006-07-(08th to 12th)

Contents

0] Intro...
1] How am I - Physical
2] How am I - Emotional
3] Current Tasks / Projects
4] Upcoming Events
5] Recent Events
6] Entertainment Review /Anime/Movies/Music/Games/Outdoor

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0] Introduction

My Blog entries will be structured from now on, more or less following this standard format. Occupation hazard for someone who write protocols for a living...had to happened sooner of later.

1] How am I? Physical

Category	Goal / Limits	Current
Weight	< 80 kg	83.8kg
BMI	18.5 - 25	25.9 (Arrrgggghhhh)
% Body Fat	14 - 22	20.4
Blood Pressure	<>	112/67
Cholesterol	4.1 -5.2	???
Blood Sugar	3.5 - 6.0	???

Background:
The Virgin Active computer has confirmed what I've expected...I've become a fat-ass. I've tipped over the BMI 25 line.

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2] How am I? Emotional
Mood (1 = I wanna Die 10 = Whoohoo!) Current = 6 Same Same - Wish I had lithium

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3] Current Tasks / Projects

Health
- See the Dentists!!! - Still must do
- Get Cholesterol & Glucose Readings - still must do !!
- Loose weight / Get toned -
- Diet !!!! -

Home
- Plans for Home extension
Got the drawing plans, must take them to a Draftsperson for submission to the municipal authorities for approval
- Get some nice paintings for lounge area - Get the garden into place - Free landscaping service anyone?
Where to start!!!!

Cyber
Update my Web Page
- Write articles on my field of work
Update my Blog
- Upload videos of visit to China
Ja... I DID this on YouTube and a few days later it ALL DISAPPEARED - Ok so let's try Clip Shack out instead
- Get efficient system for video uploads
Ditto for the above
- Getting confused again - should I stick with blogger or do I go to MSN Spaces or to Yahoo 360 UUUHHHHH

Work
Validation documentation project for the new production area - 2 week till dead line.
Made some progress here
Office relocation preparations - hmmm doesn't look like this is gonna happen soon, my new office that is
Updating of company SHE reps for the new Engineer - DOne
Arrange Safety Meeting for this month. - Done

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4] Upcoming events

Not really an event but there are two things I really want to do

1) Get my bicycle fixed and go for a looooooog cycle

2) I haven't been clubbing for - like forever - need to call Justin and ask him if he's still alive ...

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5] Recent events

Grahamstown Festival: It was nice all in all. It seemed a bit quieter than last year, I suspect the cold weather and the soccer world cup had an impact. I was disappointed when I found that the restaurant I normally go to didn't sell GLUVINE anymore :(

On the way to Grahamstown I got this cool footage of Declan
==> http://www.orbitfiles.com/download/id389954262
Ofcourse when I go camping, I Really rough it. I mean it was so tough out there in the wilderness I even had to run a power cable out to the DB board so that I could plug in my heater, laptop and light, and pump up the inflatable air mattresses.
And ofcourse I had to hold the camera while the woman pitched the tent.... no seriously I did help pitch the tent.
==>http://www.orbitfiles.com/download/id389955118
The end result
==>http://www.orbitfiles.com/download/id389956219

The Ride Home (Billy Idol and the Bunny Girl)
==>http://www.orbitfiles.com/download/id389957987

I was very happy with the air mattresses and I didn't even get cold :)

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6] Entertainment Review / Anime / Movies / Music / Games / Outdoor

Viewing the first few episodes of an Anime called Speed Grapher.
It starts out with the song from Duran Duran called "Girls on Film"
It's a series about an ex-war photographer and is interaction with a powerful corporation in Japan.
Looks very promising so far.

Fw: 2006_07_03

Contents

0]        Intro...
1]        How am I - Physical
2]        How am I - Emotional
3]        Current Tasks / Projects
4]        Upcoming Events
5]        Entertainment Review /Anime/Movies/Music/Games/Outdoor


0] Introduction

My Blog entries will be structured from now on, more or less following this standard format. Occupation hazard for someone who write protocols for a living...had to happened sooner of later.

1] How am I? |Physical|

Category	Goal / Limits	Current
Weight	< 80 kg	84kg
BMI	18.5 - 25	25
% Body Fat	14 - 22	20.7
Blood Pressure	<140/<90	96/62
Cholesterol	4.1 -5.2	???
Blood Sugar	3.5 - 6.0	???

Background:
Optimal physical heath peaked around 2000 - 2003, where running 45 km half marathons were the norm. BMI was at 22, weight at 80.
Demands of new job (at the time) working 12 - 14 hours routinely
Contributed to the "back-sliding".
Goal and intent is to return to this state with systems in place to
maintain it, with the knowledge that the challenge will increase with
each passing year.

2] How am I? |Emotional|
Mood (1 = I wanna Die 10 = Whoohoo!) Current = 6

Background:
After several months of deep despair and general feelings of being overwhelmed, a new sense of determination is returning, I'm beginning to feel like my old self.
The first thing that is needed to set a course for task completions


3] Current Tasks / Projects

Health
- See the Dentists!!!
- Get Cholesterol & Glucose Readings
- Loose weight / Get toned
- Diet !!!!

Home
- Plans for Home extension
        Got the drawing plans, must take them to a Draftsperson for submission to the         municipal authorities for approval
- Get some nice paintings for lounge area
- Get the garden into place
  Where to start!!!!

Cyber
Update my Web Page
- Write articles on my field of work
Update my Blog
- Upload videos of visit to China
- Get efficient system for video uploads
- Getting confused again - should I stick with blogger or do I go to MSN Spaces or to Yahoo 360 UUUHHHHH

Work
Validation documentation project for the new production area - 3 week till dead line.
Office relocation preparations
Updating of company SHE reps for the new Engineer
Arrange Safety Meeting for this month.

4] Upcoming events (8th-10th July 2006)
Graham's town Festival!!! South Africa's woodstock.
I saw a couple of stage shows last year, and they were pretty good.
The actors have very little in the way of props - just a bare stage
A few lights and perhaps a sound system if they're lucky.
I've been going every year since 2000

It's already started this weekend and I'm hoping to go this weekend coming . I hope that Xin-Wen will be free this weekend so that we can both go. Last year I pitched a tent that I bought ( 8 man double layer dome construct) but two oversights on my part

1) The floor is damn hard! Yup, unlike my Grandfather and Uncle and Mother who could (and probably did) sleep in the bush veldt without a qualm, I'm not made of such hardy stuff.
- So I bought inflatable matrices, yea I know, I'm a real man - step aside John Wayne

2) It's damn cold! Grahams town is inland and in a valley, and the festival is in winter. All the restaurants sell gluvine - which I love by the way. (Warm & Drunk!) The tent site has electricity beacons, and so this time I'll be bringing a fire proof heater ..or an electric blanket if I can find one...they're all sold out.

5] Entertainment Review /Anime/Movies/Music/Games/Outdoor

|Anime|
Title: Samurai Champloo
Viewed: June 2006
Comment: I really enjoyed this one! The characters were better developed than some animes. Essentially three very different characters on a single quest. Yes, they are Samurai so there's the obligatory sword slashing, jumping through the air etc, but what really kept me watching was the sense of humour and the occasional inserts / historical facts about life in Japan during the Edo period and how they impact on modern Japan today. Although the anime is set in the Edo period it's trendy and very accessible to the young generation (and the young at heart ... that's what I call myself anyway... (^_^)

The anime was directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, for the Anime folks out there - yes, it's the same guy that did Cowboy Beebop.

Characters:
Jin (My Favourite) I wish I looked like him!
Well kept, quite, well mannered wears a indigo blue hakama and gi (also my favourite colour) - of noble heritage

Mugen - wild haired, just plain wild vagabond, born on a penal colony on the Ryuku Islands. I assume that his fighting style is
A hybrid of so many different style that he learned on the penal colony, that his opponents get taken by surprise and do not know how to react.

Fuu - I grew to love this character. A wilful 15 year old girl (ex-waitress) is on a mission to find a Samurai who smells like sunflowers, by the way, Sun Flowers don't really have a smell -very Zen like to me..

|Anime|
Title: Bleach
Viewed: Still busy (as of July 2006)

Not as good as Samurai Champloo I think.
Too much fighting, chest beating and bravado
Still watch able in the same way soapies get you hooked to know "what's gonna happen next", but you don't really learn anything from this series - except I keep hearing the word "Bankai!!)
I watch Anime every night before I go to bed and invariably fall asleep before the 3 successive episodes has finished - I'm beginning to worry about what effect this will have on my sub conscience...maybe I'll be sitting in the boardroom one day, and I'll be trying to explain why my department needs more resources - my request will be denied, and infuriated I'll stand up and shout -
So...you dare challenge ME! NOW YOU WILL SEE THE FULL POWER OF MY SWORD'S BANKAI!!!!!
Don't laugh - it could happen!