Freshly Brewed : 2008

Time Start : 12:43

Hi All

Yes, it turns out that I’m a terrible blogging-type person. I spent all my energy migrating all this text and have not even gotten around to sorting out my photo albums or even a recent entry for that matter. You know it is getting bad when people you know start making remarks about your blog being out of date and about you being a lazy $h!t. *g*

Despite intentions to write an entry, this has not happened for various reasons, including at times sheer lack of inspiration. Even more so however was the fact that one fine week in November, my SATA 120GB (still under warranty) SeaGate secondary data only drive came to a grave halt. It was very sudden and to my dismay I realised that I had not done a backup to my 250GB external SATA since… June. I tried a place called Data Detect, they quoted me R4377.60 provided that there was no electomechanical damage to the drive and R5517.60 if there was. On the upside, if they did not recover anything, you did not have to pay. Unfortunately I only needed about 30GB (if that) of data off of the drive and it just wasn’t worth paying into the thousands for some photos, apps, drivers and blog templates… *sigh* To prevent such incidences in the future however, I now have a Mirror Raid running (RAID 1) off an Adaptec RAID Card. It was something I was reluctant to do because of the cost and the “waste” of an identical, large hard drive… However, after two hard drive crashes over the past 3 years and still feeling a deep loss over both of them, I deem this the necessary course of action to take.

Other than the above eventful scenario, things have been busy and boring intermittently on this side of the world. Things at work slowed down for the Festive season and I was able to tie up all the loose ends (obviously a Blog entry was not one of them), I even got a head start on things for 2008.

During Christmas 2007, I went out on a limb and did a good 80% of our Christmas shopping online…
Here are the results of this with regards to Online Retailers…

Kalahari.net
Pricing : Good, Excellent Specials
Range of Items : Good
Delivery Pricing : R29.00 with Free Delivery on Orders Over R350.00
Delivery Time : Slow
Service : Poor, there is Little to No communication on the Current Status of Orders. When viewing the order online, items on order are never changed from “Status : Ordered from Supplier” until they are actually shipped. An email is sent out once your order is shipped.
Quality of Goods : Good, Although one of the orders I made arrived in a severely damaged box.

Take2.co.za
Pricing : Fair, Good Specials
Range of Items : Excellent, a good range of overseas items.
Delivery Pricing : R29.00
Delivery Time : Good
Service : Excellent. When viewing the order online, items are updated one by one as they arrive. Orders are also easily combined, Good communication. An email is sent out once your order is shipped. I have been endlessly impressed with Take2. Recently I ordered an item and some time later it went on Special, but the item had not been shipped yet. They were kind enough to reimburse me the difference and to give me the item at the current Special price.
Quality of Goods : Good

DigitalPlanet.co.za
Pricing : So-So
Range of Items : Fair
Delivery Pricing : R50.00
Delivery Time : Excellent
Service : An email is sent out once your order is shipped, there is no prior knowledge on the status of your order.
Quality of Goods : Fair, regarding the last item I purchased, the plastic had been opened or come loose and was stapled back onto its cardboard backing.

MediaPlum.com [Gone into Liquidation]
Pricing : Excellent
Range of Items : Fair
Delivery Pricing : R29.00 with Free Delivery on Orders Over R350.00
Delivery Time : Poor
Service : Slow Response and a Delay in Delivery. Items ordered in late November 2007 only arrived on the 8th January 2008!!
Quality of Goods : Excellent. Items arrived in original wrapping and were well protected. Not a single item was dinged or scratched.

Bid or Buy
I purchased from 2 Buyers:

Micro Zone
Pricing : Excellent
Range of Items : Limited Selection of Wii Items
Delivery Pricing : R50.00 (Up To 5 Games)
Delivery Time : Excellent, Quick Delivery
Service : Prompt Response from the Seller. Received the Tracking Number as soon as it was Available
Quality of Goods : Excellent. Product arrived in Perfect Condition, still Cellophane Wrapped.

Hopeanjul
Pricing : Excellent
Range of Items : Wide Selection of Wii Items
Delivery Pricing : R35.00
Delivery Time : A little Slow. Item was Not Posted Right Away on Buyer’s Side due to Rain
Service : Communication was a Little Slow but Tracking Number was Supplied Once Available
Quality of Goods : So-So. Products did not arrive Cellophane Wrapped.
I have ordered from him since, 2 Wii Games, one came perfectly wrapped in its original cellophane, excellent condition. The other game in the same package had had its seal broken with a black ballpoint pen, which had also gone onto the white box itself.

eDreams.co.za
Cancelled my order here as they claimed that they could ship an item in 3 to 4 working days when it turned out that they did not even have it in stock.

GreatDeal.co.za
Pricing : Fair
Range of Items : Fair
This website is presently unmanned, the banking section has been down for some time and there has been no response to email.

Amazon UK
Pricing : Fair
Range of Items : Excellent
Delivery Pricing : *OUCH*
Delivery Time : Slow unless item is already in stock
Service : Good
Quality of Goods : Generally Excellent – The odd dented box here and there.

As for our Christmas stash this year, the big thing which Wayne and I got ourselves a Nintendo Wii Gaming Colsole which was already out of it’s box in October, hehe. Christmas largely involved getting games for it. My DVD collection also grew nicely… *my precious*

From what I can recall, Wayne and I received the following :

Wayne Received :
Book : Clarkson on Cars by Jeremy Clarkson
Book : I Know You Got Soul by Jeremy Clarkson
Book : Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
Book : Rich Dad, Poor Dad 2 – Cash Flow Quadrant by Robert T. Kiyosaki
Book : Top Gear, Motor Mania by Ivan Berg and Nik Berg
DVD : Airplane! [1980]
DVD : Airplane II [1982]
DVD : Richard Hammond’s BBC Top Gear Interactive Challenge [2007]
DVD : Top Gear: The Challenges (BBC)
DVD Season Box Set : Scrubs: Complete Season 3
Food : Ferro Rocher Chocolates
Food : Large Box Smarties
Gadget : Discovery Vitality Pedometer
Gadget : Lite Xpress Flash100 LED Keyring
Gadget : Long Handled Lighter
Gadget : Small Can of Refill Lighter Fluid
Gadget : Radio Controlled Super Micro Mini Indoor Helicopter
Music : Hootie & The BlowFish – Cracked Rear View
Music : Hootie & The BlowFish – Musical Chairs
Music : Hootie & The BlowFish – Fairweather Johnson
Music : U2 – Best of 1990-2000
Tool : Bosch Digital Detector PDO Multi
Tool : Bosch XEO Universal Cutter
Wii Game : The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

I Received :
Book : A Crack in Forever by Jeannie Brewer
Book : Expecting Adam by Martha N. Beck
Book : Monster
Clothing : Pyjamas
Clothing : 2 Surf Shirts
Clothing : Vest
DVD : Mrs Doubtfire [1994]
DVD : My Girl [1992]
DVD : Deep Impact – Special Edition [1998]
DVD : Groundhog Day (Collector’s Edition) [1993]
DVD : Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix
DVD : Police Academy 1
DVD : Police Academy 2
DVD : Police Academy 3
DVD : Police Academy 4
DVD : Police Academy 5
DVD : Police Academy 6
DVD : Police Academy : Mission to Moscow
DVD : Shrek the Third (Shrek 3)
DVD : Thirteen Ghosts [2002]
DVD : Turner and Hooch [1990]
DVD Box Set : Look Who’s Talking 1, 2 and 3
DVD Season Set : Dawson’s Creek: Complete Season 1
Food : Pack of Aero Chunky Bars
Food : Lindt Chocolate Santa Claus
Gadget : DVD Writer (my old one refuses to live up to its intended purpose)
Misc : Calendar
Misc : 5x Magic the Gathering Decks
Misc : R300.00 Cash
Misc : Tatty Teddy 2008 Calendar
Music : F & Martinengo Presents the 12 PM Tune Vol. 2
Music : Bump 21
Music : Greatest Hits by Goo Goo Dolls
PC Game : Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude (PC)
Wii Game : Rayman Raving Rabbids 2

I Spoilt Myself With :
Wii Accessories : 6 in 1 Sports Accessory Pack
Misc : Top Trumps – Simpsons Classic 1
Misc : Top Trumps – Simpsons Volume 2
Misc : Top Trumps – Simpsons Horror
Wii Game : Crash of the Titans
Wii Game : Cranium Kabookii
Wii Game : The Simpsons
Wii Game : Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Wayne Spoilt Us With :
Misc : Large Canvas Print for our Lounge Wall consisting of a beautiful beach scene taken by Karl Beath

I Spoilt Us With :
Wii Accessories : Power Station
Wii Accessories : Wii Lan Adapter

We Both Received :
Appliance : Russell Hobbes 4 Slice Glass Sided Toaster
(This was from Wayne’s folks, it really is a beauty, but advises that it should be switched off between uses)
Book : Tourist Guide to Disney Land & Orlando
Food : Assorted Bakers Biscuits
Food : Biltong
Food : Box of Choccies
Food : Cadburys Bar of Plain Milk Chocolate
Food : Large Beacon Bar

Christmas was spent on Wayne’s side of the world this year, it was lovely, there were 24 of us, plus children, all gathered around a large table at his aunt Rona & uncle Derek’s house in Ballito. We played the traditional gift game where everyone takes a number and starting from lowest to highest, each person chooses a gift from a box. They then decide to either keep what they picked or force someone who chose something earlier to swop with them. Obviously the higher your number, the greater your advantage of not getting your booty stolen. I went from having Microwave Popcorn to having an AM/PM pill box (despite being number 22) and Wayne’s Toblerone soon transformed into a shiny pair of… nail clippers. The fastest moving item on the table was a bottle of Jack Daniels which was pillaged a good number of times.

As for New Years, we were going to head to Bronze Beach to watch the fireworks as I’d done once before in the year 2000, however, come 22:00, I had a headache from playing too much “Crash of the Titans” on the Wii and Wayne generally prefers not to go out driving on New Years. So we had a quiet one, Wayne on the couch, me lying across our two beanbags, watching the new year being sung in by none other than Mango Groove… *ahem*

As for New Years Resolutions, I only made one and it was more subconscious than anything else, I have resolved to read more. In fact, right at this very moment, I have moved on from reading “Spud” (which I thoroughly enjoyed) onto the sequel, aptly named “Spud – The Madness Continues”. Spud is a great book, written by John van de Ruit, a guy who actually grew up in Durban and attended Michael House Boarding School, it’s great the way he constantly references places and things I actually know and which are indeed, truly South African. The only obscurity I could find is that South African teens don’t constantly (if ever) use the word “wicked” the way he makes out, that’s truly more of a British thing. The book is an excellent read none the less, really light, easy going, great for before bedtime reading. My sister Julie actually recommended it to me, remarking that it reminded her of “The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole” and it definitely does.

Although not a resolution, but a lifestyle change, the only other thing I have been up to is attending Gym on a regular basis. We have a personal trainer available at work, his name is Dean, he’s a Championship Body Builder and for R500.00 a month, he takes me on twice a week and puts me through my paces. For R700.00 he would do it three times a week, but I actually need a day just to do Cardio and to recover from the last workout.

As a balance for my gym routine, I still visit Cindy our work massage therapist twice a month, a self gift I thoroughly look forward to, better than any Wimpy meal and minus the fat.

I didn’t take any leave during the festive season as I’m saving it all up for around the wedding period, however, our company does do “Forced Leave” during the annual shutdown period and I did enjoy having a few days off to just do “whatever”. Wayne and I went snorkelling at Veggies Pier, we also had an impromptu braai with Branden, Tirone, Justin, as well as Mitchell and his partner Francois who were visiting from Jo’burg – the weird thing was that the braai couldn’t have gone better even if we planned it. The night was beautiful and we spent it sitting and eating outside under the stars, then our guests got a first hand taste of the Wii. It is definitely a lot more fun in groups.

An interesting character I met this December was Grant, an old school friend of Branden’s who performs the Free Flight Bird Shows at the Umgeni River Bird Park. Grant has just recently started attending our church (Deo Gloria Family Church) with us, he is full of interesting stories and happenings about the show and the birds involved in it. My fascination with parrots finally has its place, hehe. Grant even supplied us with some Aloe to assist with Megs’ plucking issue. Our neighbour Bran has even gotten on the band wagon and has gotten himself a new companion – a cute little Green Cheek Conure, which he has named Misty. Misty is only 2 months old and has just been weaned, always the best age to get a companion fid (feathered kid).

To round up the Christmas banter, Wayne and I have also set each set up a Wishlist, which is great when it comes to Christmas/Birthday or just anytime gifts.

Wayne’s Wish List
My Wish List
Wedding Gift Registry
This website also ties up with our Wedding Website

The best thing about the WishList website is that you can list items as well as a purchase location, it can be an actual store and doesn’t even have to be online. Basically, once someone decides to get something from you, they simply click the BUY button and the amount needed changes from 1 to 0. If another person clicks BUY on the same item later, it also informs them that this item has already been purchased and perhaps they should have a look at something else.

Speaking of Wishlists, tomorrow is Wayne’s birthday! However, we are actually attending Wayne’s cousin Anthony’s Wedding tomorrow in WartBurg and will be spending the night there at the Wartburger Hof Country Hotel. So any birthday dinner celebrations are actually scheduled for tonight. Other celebrations have been delayed until next weekend when we will be taking a trip up to Jo’Burg to share in dinner and dancing with our Wedding MC Paul Dahl and his wife Bianca. Coincidentally, since Paul is exhibiting at the Miles Per Hour Show, we were able to get free tickets. That is one birthday present Wayne is sure to enjoy, he’s one of the biggest Clarkson fans I know.

In other news, my sister Julie and her husband Tom “recently” visited and I got to meet my little nephew Jonathan. They will be coming back out in April to attend our wedding. Since they were here, little John underwent surgery for his cleft lip, all went well though, for updates and general nephew news, see my sister Julie’s Blog. The little tyke is even going to baby swimming lessons now, hehe.

As for the wedding plans, I know you are all anxious to know how everything is going, I say this based on the statistics of how often I get asked, hehe. Wayne and I are presently in the process of putting together the wedding invites, we have the sized paper, the photo for the front and the ribbon. We have printed the map on the main card and printed the inners. The only thing that the invite does not contain is the web addy of our Gift Registry, although we figured we would give it out to people when they RSVP. For those of you who visit our Wedding Site, you will find it there, as well as here. Wayne’s work associate Kwon Jon will assist us in the folding of the invites once they are assembled, since he and his wife Natasha are the creators of the Nanunja Albums, he will have the necessary equipment to assist us with this.

We are meeting with Shalain from the Collisheen on the 19th February to finalise things with the venue and to give her a fabric sample for the table overlays. I also have a list of about 50 other things which we need to do before the big day. *cough*

While still on the Wedding Topic, Wayne and I have booked our HoneyMoon! We will be heading out to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. I have applied for leave at work from the 21st April (to give me time to prepare) until the 21st May 2008. I may apply for leave on the 21st of May closer to the time, as I’m worried I will still be a bit out of it, considering we will only have one day to unpack. We fly out the day after the wedding (27th April 2008) and return on the evening of 19th May. Presently, our flight details are as follows (We’re flying Delta Airlines this time round) :

SA 562 Leave Durban, South Africa on 27th April at 14:40
SA 562 Arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa on 27th April at 15:50
DL 035 Leave Johannesburg, South Africa on 27th April at 18:40
DL 035 Arrive in Atlanta, Georgia, USA on 28th April at 08:00
DL 948 Leave Atlanta, Georgia, USA on 28th April at 11:30
DL 948 Arrive in Orlando, Florida, USA on 28th April at 13:00

DL 028 Leave Orlando, Florida, USA on 18th May at 12:00
DL 028 Arrive in Atlanta, Georgia, USA on 18th May at 13:26
DL 034 Leave Atlanta, Georgia, USA on 18th May at 15:45
DL 034 Arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa on 19th May at 16:35
SA 579 Leave Johannesburg, South Africa on 19th May at 19:00
SA 579 Arrive in Durban, South Africa on 19th May at 20:10

We will be staying at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Seaworld International Center in Orlando. Wayne’s folks allowed us to use their RCI timeshare for this purpose which was a major saving on accommodation!

Anyway that’s it for me, I hope you have had your fill and that it is enough to keep you going in this dry desert of bloglessness.

Time End : 17:56

~ by coffeemonger on Friday, January 25, 2008.