to band or not to band

Met a great girl two and a half weeks ago and by chance she told me she has had the lap band surgery and has lost heaps of weight and she has told me about a few sites to do some research and so I have been researching this for about 2 weeks, even watching a movie on you-tube of the actual surgery YUCK!!

But I must be honest it amazes me that in Australia the surgery is covered by private medical health insurers. Which is great cause at 126kgs and a BMI of 42.77 I would like to have it done.

A lot of my friends have said that they have never ever noticed that I was a big guy cause my personality hid all that but realistically I know they are just trying to make me feel good about myself. I have tried all the diets and never ever really been able to loose weight so I have decided to get it done and the first before photo has been taken and will not see the light of day until after I loose my first 10kgs. It looks like I will only be able to have the surgery next year though as there is masses of people trying to get it done and hence a massive back log.

I have wonderful support from my girlfriend, who is the wonderful woman i mentioned earlier, and is so really knowledgable about lap band surgery and has lost heaps of weight its amazing to see before and now.


So people I will let you know how it goes even though the stages of going to the doctors for referals and everything.

Snipes out!!!!

Ex-South African

So today I read in a very popular Sunday newspaper that there is a shortage of skills especially in the mining sector in South Afirca….. hmmm I wonder why?

Could it be that food has increased in Price by over 200% in the last three years….. maybe?

Could it be that South African Police, especially the ones in Durban, the only ones who are willing to go on record as saying that “…if our salaries are not increased we will accept bribes…” are corrupt as their glorious leader (ex leader). Could it be that these same police due to their poor salaries actually do not give a shit anymore and hence the criminals run rampant!!!

I come with another thought maybe the so called “brain drain” we had a few years ago has not in fact stopped at all. In stead it now has gotten to the point where there are not even the lecturers and teachers to train staff for various jobs.

Why??? Cause people have immigrated and are living in other Countries to get away from all this political bull shit in this country.

Why??? Cause there is more money and better life outside of South Africa and South Africans are catching on quickly to the fact that if you want to live anywhere where your monies actually have any buying power.... than South Africa is not the place to live! A South African that earns R20,000 a month here in South Africa which amounts to R240,000 annually can earn almost triple that in Australia.

A Geologist friend of mine is currently earning R20,000 a month and if he immigrates to Australia, which by the way most of the companies will be your sponsor over there and take your wives or girlfriends or Fiance` s over there for you, he could earn a salary of AUD$100,000 annually that amounts to R60,117 (at an exchange rate of R7.21406 to the AUS$ As of 06/04/2008).

Now I know what I would do… I would “Jump Ship”. I would be emailing my C.V. to every Tom Dick and Harry that had a email address that ended in .com.au, but I have chosen the route of sending my C.V. to three Agencies in Australia and now I’m waiting to see what happens, cause folks I’m moving to what I hope will be a better life for me and my Future Family.

I used to be the person that what was always saying: “…you guys are mad leaving, really mad yes south Africa has its problems…” I have just gotten to the stage that a day goes by that a friend or family friend or relative is hurt or killed or their house broken into etc. I’m not willing to play Russian roulette with my family and come home one day to my family murdered or raped cause South Africa wont sort out its crime rate.

I am a fed up South African and I’m looking for a new home!!!

Life of a Geologist

So today I am so bored I thought I’d share the boredom by explaining the life of a Geologist.

Firstly you get caught in this web of, not lies, but half truths at Varsity about how wonderful a life of a Geologist is, quite honestly its not all roses.

People rant and rave about how well some Geologists are paid well the truth is if you spend so much time away from home is it all really worth it??? Look at all the things you miss: Birthdays, Parties with mates and Family functions. Then when you do come home, which is a very limited time indeed, you have to now split that time up so that you can see all the family all the friends and then still have time for yourself. Well 10 days off, for me, is not enough time to do all that.

Depending on the type of Geologist you are (there are many different types) life can be difficult. I am in the exploration side of things. Life for us exploration types is very difficult to say the least, especially when you are the type of guy that’s wants to live in one place and start a family. Exploration Geologists are nomads, we move from exploration camp to exploration camp from country to country and from continent to continent. Also the commodities change too, one month you might be on Platinum the next on Diamonds the next on Copper.

Our shift rotations depend on the company you work for but could be anything from 9 days on and 5 days off to 9 weeks on 5 weeks off the latter also depending on whether you work for a junior or a big mining house, which if you work for a junior company could end up being 9 weeks on and 2 weeks off, NOT COOL!!! My shift rotation is 21 days on 10 days off so I work for 21 days solid Monday to Monday, then have my days off.

Then there is the “junior” side of things I have been there I have worked for a junior company, it was terrible they looked at us like cattle and when people resigned it was fine with them they would just hire another unsuspecting victim. They would hire anyone who was willing to do the job and they knew that people need experience and so they hired. In my time there at this junior company they must have had about ten Geologists leave due to not being happy with their working conditions. Then again there are the companies, and there are very few of them, from what I can see that actually look after their geological staff, to them you are not cattle and the when someone resigns for ‘greener pastures’ it’s a big knock to a team it really is.

Geology is definitely a career for people wanting to experience the world you get to work in all the weird and wonderful places that hardly anyone has ever been to. Totally untouched virgin lands ranging from Bushveld to rain forests to deserts the life of an exploration geologist can be one of excitement.

Living conditions are totally out there as well some camps are tented camps others are farm houses. The project I’m on now has been running for a while and we are at the Bankable feasibility stage and our camp actually is like a 5 star camp site. We each have a log cabin for accommodation, which each one has an airconditioner, thank the pope.

The ablution block has showers with running water. Some camps have those bucket type showers but not this one.

The nearest town, with a spar, is over 60km away where we get our food from and whatever else we need. Booze on the other hand can be bought at the local taverns which generally smell like old stale beer.

I enjoy my job I really do it’s just the uncertainty of where will I be in the next 6 months and the fact that you are so far away from friends and loved ones that always makes me so jealous of people that moan and complain about their lives when they actually don’t realize what they have.

I would give anything to wake up every morning next to my loved one and go and see my friends every weekend but unfortunately my career is leading me down a different path.

My First

Well this is something i never imagined myself doing... I'm a little nervous to be honest as there is a lot happening in this head of mine.

My head is like looking at the clouds and trying to figure out what shape it is... cause in the next couple of minutes it might not be that same shape anymore. he he he anyways see you all around and i hope i can keep a couple of you entertained?