Here and About: Anecdotes of a Conservation Biologist!!

Camping

2010-01-21T00:40:00.014+02:00

Not to sound like a true capetonian- who are easily recognized by their well rehearsed praise for the mother city, admittedly, the beauty of Cape Town and its surrounds is truly phenomenal. After a whole week of sitting in the office, meetings, and endless hours on the computer, I badly needed a breath of fresh air: away from technology, smog, noise, people.

As a biologist, being able to go out in the field and experience the outdoors is perhaps one of key motivations for most people to choose biology as a career path. And to divulge a bit, being a biologist was listed as the 4^th best job to have in 2010, check it out here: http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/st_BESTJOBS2010_20100105.html. This is a clear indication that career choices to a large extent are no longer about material well being- ever heard of a rich biologist?

Anyway, over weekend the GF and I went camping to one of the most beautiful camping spots just outside Cape Town. And as always it was awesome, regardless of the fact that we were the only two blacks who were camping, and as a result recieved a fair share of unwanted attention.

The Beaverlac Private Nature Reserve is reknown for its rugged scenery, and beautiful rock pools with water falls that one can swim in. Beaverlac is a haven for hiking enthusiasts, mountain bike fanatics and generally anyone who enjoys the outdoors. Being the outdoor junkies that we are, nothing could have offered a perfect escape. Even though we spent just a single night, it was worth it and I made a mental note to return once again to enjoy nature's bounties.

Sports season

2010-01-14T00:12:00.010+02:00

Me crossing the line in last year's Two Ocean's Marathon

It's summer in Cape Town, and everyone wants to look the part, including yours truly. So the bike was dusted last weekend and for the first time I rode my road bike to work and back. My office is about 23Km on a scenic route, that takes me through winelands with very sparse traffic...every biker's dream.

But I forgot to check the weather yesterday, so I was completely taken by surprised when the mercury clocked 36 degrees at lunch time. Now, if you have ever cycled, you will understand that doing 23Km at such soaring temperatures carrying a rucksack is no mean feat.

Since I was stuck in the office, I had two options, to pull my tail between my legs and haul the bike onto a train to go back home, or ride the bike home in 30+ degrees. Being the brave heart, I opted for the latter. So I filled my water bottles, bought two energy bars and hit the road.

The ride was surprisingly smooth, and I felt like a champion.

In fact with cycling high temperatures are not the problem. Wind is.

I'm currently preparing for my 5th Cape Argus Cycle, a 109Km grueling race. In all the four races I have participated, the 2009 one was in a class of its own. I got issued with a special certificate for completing the race. To the uninitiated this might sound like a mundane act designed to make participants return the following year.

One thing is for sure, if the organizers didn't acknowledge that I was one of the brave people who hung in there until the finish line, I might well not have registered this year. All I can say about last year's cycle race is, Pain. For more than 4 hours I battled winds blowing at more than 50km/hr, it felt like peddling a stationary bike. But once I crossed the finish line, it felt really good.

So this year I'm keen to increase my medal collection for the cycle race and the numerous upcoming marathons. I'm also hoping that some of my friends will get the cue and join me in my adventures, for life is worth living and there is no better way to express this other than exploring the out doors.

Disaster

2010-01-13T20:58:00.008+02:00

The calamities of nature know no boundaries. This rings so true of the earthquake that struck Haiti this week. An impoverished Nation under tight grip of poverty, political instability, with hardly any capacity to handle this scale of devastation. The exact toll of the earthquake will probably never be known, but just looking at the photos, its obvious the cost to life and property is immeasurable.

One wonders at this day and age, why it is not possible to avert such disasters. Seismologists have been studying earthquakes for over a millennia, but have failed to develop robust tools to predict earthquakes.

The best prediction of seismic activity is usually provided by early warning systems, that detect earthquakes a few seconds before it strikes...so much for 'early' warning.

The unpredictability of natural phenomena, couple with vulnerable societies is a recipe for disaster. I'm glad to come from a part of the world that is not prone to too much natural disasters, even though we have our fair share of diseases, wars and hunger.

At this moment however, all our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti. To make any donations go here: http://www.yele.org/

Mountain bike ride

2009-08-17T21:22:00.003+02:00

It's quite fitting that my first post this year, is about my first major ride on my mountain bike. A couple of months ago I moved slightly out of town, to a smallholding with enough landscapes to explore. So I bought my first mountain bike in many years, but it was only yesterday that I took it on a serious ride. After a couple of hours ride, several crashes and a lost pump, I finally made it back home to a hot shower. The feeling of exhilaration was the best I have ever felt in a long time. I'm a seasoned road cyclist, but I have just caught the bug of mountain biking, its going to be a really difficult decision to get onto that road bike again. Atleast for now I don't have to battle for a spot on the road with all those notorious SA driver's out there.

Milestones

2008-11-15T15:35:00.011+02:00

Last week I was invited to lead a panel discussion at the FSC general assembly held here in Cape Town. The FSC is an international non-profit that foresees the responsible management of the world's forests. The FSC works primarily by certifying forest products, which allows ordinary consumers to know whether the products they are purchasing were produced sustainably or not. Just like blood diamonds there is massive trade in timber whose proceeds are going into the wrong hands, or leading to environmental degradation. FSC therefore addresses issues such as illegal logging,deforestation, and global warming that is threatening the world's forests. This is is critical because more than half of the world's forests have been degraded, destroyed or converted to other landuses.

So it was an honour to be invited for a side event at the FSC AGM on Ecological Networks. This was the first time I have led a panel discussion at an international event, but it went very well. I gave a talk entittled: Strategies of integrating freshwater biodiversity into conservation policy and management. This was followed by a one hour discussion with members of the audience, led by the 5-member panel.

I was flattered when the Organisers addressed me as Dr. Amis (see pic), even though I have not yet graduated. But this was totally understandable, because its not very often that students are lead panelists at international conferences.

And to crown my week of milestones, I was profiled in the African Conservation Telegraph (ACT), a newsletter of the Africa Section of the Society for Conservation Biology.
To Read my profile go to this website:
http://www.conbio.org/Sections/Africa/ACT%20Vol3%20Issue1%20BW.pdf

The week that was...

2008-10-15T13:03:00.008+02:00

Last week, I had an opportunity to go out with a team from the Organisation with which I'm involved to participate in a project that is trying to make big corporations conserve water. The project is fondly referred to as 'watersheding', just like 'loadsheding' when electricity is rationed. The current thinking in the conservation arena is that society must be reminded that whereas oil resources are renewable, water is a non-renewable resource.

So Our aim is to make big companies become 'water neutral', i.e. the net amount of water required to produce your bottle of beer must equal to zero. For your information, to make a single bottle of beer requires 4.5L of water. So how do we hope to make companies produce beer without water? Well, welcome to the field of Conservation Biology.

To do that you need to cut down trees!! And that is exactly what we did last week. But you are going to ask, ain't I supposed to be conserving the very trees I was choping down? The answer is yes.

If you are still not too confused, after finding out that you can brew beer without water and cut down trees to protect the environment, then we Conservation Biologists are succeeding in doing our job.

A famous Marine Biologist (yes, there are famous biologists), once said that if a conservation biologist can't explain what they do in a language that their grandparents can understand, then they have failed in their job.

Now how I'm supposed to tell my grandma that cutting down trees is protecting the environment?

Anyhow, maybe one day when I'm all grey and they have instituted a Nobel Prize for Conservation Biology then I will be able to explain what I do in a plain language...

The spotlight is on me!!

2008-09-25T14:05:00.004+02:00

Right now I could do with some advice from the likes of Usain Bolt, the guy who broke the 100m and 200m olypmic records with so much ease, it felt like anybody could do it...until you watched the faces of those guys who trailed him in the 100m race.

I'm negotiating that last corner, and is about to sprint to the finish line with my thesis. And you might ask, what does the writing of a thesis got to do with athletics? Well, everything. Before the whistle is blown, the athlete needs to have a clear strategy of how to tackle the race, but its only during the last lap or metres when a winner emerges. The winner in most cases is one who could muster all the energy required to cross the line ahead of the pack.

As a PhD student, a clear strategy is also required which is in form of a proposal at the onest of your studies, although that is probably one of the biggest time-wasters, because it is nearly impossible to stick to what one had initially set out to do. I suppose the same also happens to athletes,otherwise there would be no losers. But unlike in athletics, in academia there are no losers, because even dropouts gain some knowledge of sorts albeit without the paper recognition.

I have a clear strategy of how to get to the finish line, and I have mustered all the energy with plenty of coffee as back up. But I would have still loved to pick the brains of such exceptional winners as Usain Bolt.

Right now the spotlight is on me,everybody is on the sidelines cheering me to the finish line, and I'm feeling so strong as if the race has just started...I'm sure Bolt would relate to this. My office is a clear depiction of what is going on right now.

The outdoors

2008-09-24T20:19:00.011+02:00

The weather has become so unpredicatable in Cape Town that I have stopped checking the forecasts. One day it could be sunny and beautiful, the next day its all soggy and freezing. Strictly speaking though,rainy days are my best when I need to get real work done. So after several days of haphazard weather, today I ventured out and took some pics. Here are my favourites!!

I'm back!!

2008-08-31T20:08:00.009+02:00

I have a love-hate relationship with this blog. Every time I decide that I was going to delete it I keep coming back. I went as far as changing the address so that my newly acquired Facebook friends wouldn't get here. The main reason is that I don't seem to find a purpose for this blog anyway, yet the desire to keep it is so overwhelming.

But for once I have decided that I'm going to keep it after all, if for nothing else but to just practice my writing. So my dear friends please forgive me if you come across some of the most crap writings ever. You see, I'm a scientist and they are not the most well known lot when it comes to crafting words. I spend a copious amount of time reading both for pleasure and work, but I started noticing that my spelling ability was going to the dogs, that is the reason I'm back to this space. Not to bore whoever bothers to visit though, I will also be posting photos too of my escapades, if that is enough consolation.

So much has happened over the months, most notable of which is that I fulfilled my dream of becoming a biker, and subsequently crashed the bike. We both came out in perfect shape, with only a few broken bones, bruises and bent wheels. I also went to New York. Not that I fancy New York, but it was long overdue.

What hasn't changed over the months is that I'm still a student. In fact next month I will celebrate/mourn another anniversary of my stay at University. With the exception of 2003, I have spent every single year since 1998 in University...that makes 9 years of continuous university studies. I mean nine years of unemployment, forgone income, opportunity cost, whatever you like to call it.

Shouldn't the government introduce a cap on how many years one can spend studying due to the lost productivity? After all there is no link between academic productivity (call it publications), and GDP. For example I have spent the better part of this year writing papers that will probable turn out to be mediocre, with no citations. If I had spent that time for example as a mine worker, I would have been much more useful to humanity perhaps.

Oh, I also forgot to say that within this period I have also been flying around the world giving 15 minutes talks, that were promptly forgotten by those who cared to attend. What was never forgotten was the carbon footprint from my 15+ hrs flights. So that is why I feel a little sad that the petrol price is being reduced this coming week, because with it comes the temptation to abandon the bicycle.

Life is good though, and here are some of my favourite 'things' that make it worthwhile...

The Girlfriend
Nature
Books
Excercise
The Bike

Ten things you did'nt know about me...

2008-01-14T17:19:00.000+02:00

1. I wake up everyday at 4:30am except weekends
2. I watched 'live' TV for the first time when I was 20 years old
3. I have traveled to all the continents except Australia
4. For my undergrads,I failed to secure admission to my local university and opted to study in a foreign university but...
5. I'm the only one among my former classmates both in High School and Undergraduate studies who is doing a PhD.
6. I have never grown up in a house with electricity
7. My mother spanked me when I was 3 years for killing and trying to operate on a rat
8. When I was young I hated wearing clothes
9. My first name is a nickname
10. I was made a time keeper in High School so that I could not dodge going to class

Goodbye 2007

2007-12-31T11:26:00.000+02:00

Phew, what a year! Especially with the dramatic conclusion or should I say rigging of the Kenyan elections. I have been scouring the internet for the lastest news, but a media gag has been issued on live updates. Needless to say,there is a news blackout and all that is available is outdated news. That would have been understandable, a decade ago when BBC's FOCUS ON AFRICA Program ruled the airwaves. But with the advent of the internet, and with it 24 hours news feed, the worst that can happen is a news blackout.

Considering that I'm a verocious news consumer, I was shocked to find out about the gag. It reminded me of my experience in China last year, where I had spent three weeks without any 'reliable' news from some of the major global news outlets like the BBC or New York Times. China is well known for censoring its media, but to block access to BBC online, was a little bit out of this world for me.

The likes of BBC and the New York Time are usually my number one stop when I need a quick fix to my news appetite, and has no time to browse the 10+ 'essentials' that usually usher in my day.

Anyhow, 2007 was a very exhilarating year full of drama, and one of immense personal and professional growth for me.

I thus wish all and sundry a very happy 2008.

Natural Areas conference

2007-10-16T15:48:00.000+02:00

When I started my PhD studies in November 2005, I set myself a goal of attending atleast two international conferences every year. So far I have been living my dream, and sometimes exceeded my expectations. I have just returned from attending my last conference for 2007.

I was an international guest at the Natural Areas Conference. The NAC is an an annual conference of the Natural Areas Association, and every year they give scholarships to international guests to participate in the conference. This year's conference was held in Cleveland, Ohio from 9- 12th Oct. The NAC is quite unique from other conferences have attended because it is primarily made up of conservation practitioners, as opposed to academics. Although there were a few of us who gave purely academic talks, most of the focus was on pressing conservation issues like invasive species, deer and land management etc.

Prior to the conference I went on a field trip to Hockings Hills, in Ohio. It was a really exciting trip where I got to meet many people and made lots of friends. The Hokings hills is a real gem, very scenic with lush green forests. Ofcourse it doesn't come close to Africa, but for American standards it is great. What impressed me most were the sculpted sandstone cliffs and outcroppings, which were a result of past geologic events. Most of the sandstones were in regular shapes as if they were cut by a mschine.

During the conference I also took a field trip to Kelley's Island, but this was rather disappointing because I was expecting a very pristine, uninhabitated island. But Kelley is technically a small Isand town. Anyhow, the main attraction of Kelley's Isand is the abandon of fossils on the limestone beaches as a result of past glacial action. And the glacial grooves that were formed during the pleistocene era, when glacia brushed through the ancient sea bed rock and created the massive grooves on the bed rock which look like erosion gully. Apparently most of the Midwest USA and most of Canada was covered by glacia to a height of almost 2 miles...

...but that was 350 million years ago.

Press clip

2007-07-31T07:08:00.000+02:00

The Monday paper did a short article on my recent award from the Society for Conservation Biology, now my friends are teasing me about autographs. I pitty celebrities!!

Student Award

2007-07-11T15:00:00.000+02:00

The 21st Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservatiion Biology was concluded last Thursday in Port Elizabeth. The SCB is the biggest gathering of conservation biologists from across the global. This year it was attended by about 1700 delegates,with presentations runing into their hundreds. The exciting thing about the SCB is that, the 'who-is-who' of conservation biology is usually there, and there is also a large contingent of students.

The highlight of the conference for me was the award ceremony. Each year the SCB recognises distinguished conservation scientists and organisations. They also organise a student competition, where twelve students are selected to compete for award of the best student presentation. Its a very competitive award process where students abstracts are subjected to rigorous examination by a panel of experts prior to the conference. And then during the conference another panel of experts judge the students presentations based on scientific rigour of the paper, conservation relevance of the issue and the student's presentation skills.

This year I managed to qualify as a student finalist. I have to say that I was rather surprised, because at the 2005 SCB conference in Brazil I had applied but never got nominated despite having put a lot of effort in preparing that paper.

Knowing very well that this is a very competitive process the least thing I expected was to scoop the award. Anyhow, I was awarded the 3rd PRIZE for the best student oral presentation.

It felt really nice, considering that all the students competing gave really good talks, and the fact that I was the first to present and therefore had to set the standard.

But the really important thing about the award is the fact that my work was subjected to peer review. It is a real morale booster to know that one is not just doing crap but making meaningful contribution to science.

Human-wildlife conflict in Uganda

2007-06-11T07:57:00.001+02:00

There is a major conflict in one of Uganda's most popular National Park, where local pastoralists have invaded the National park and are grazing their cattle inside the National Park.

Park Authorities are trying to evict the pastoralists, but without much success. Here is my opinion in response to one columnist of the New Vision Newspaper who suggested that a National Commission of inquiry be set up to resolve the dispute. My article was published on 8th June 07, in the New Vision (www.newvision.co.ug)

Here it goes...

SIR — I would like to acknowledge your columnist, Opiyo Oloya for his article “Basongora need a home and wildlife must be protected” published June 6. Oloya highlighted the issue of the Basongora- wildlife conflict.

But I take issue with his appeal to President Museveni to set up a national commission of inquiry. This suggestion will not lead to a sustainable solution to this conflict, because it is well established that top-down approaches to biodiversity conservation don’t normally succeed.

Human-wildlife conflicts is a well studied issue in conservation science. More often than not, such conflicts are a symptom of an underlying problem, such as poverty, disgruntled communities, population growth or lack of appropriate biodiversity policies.

Or it could be a combination of these lethal factors that will spiral up to such conflicts. I am not schooled enough on the nature of the problem in Queen Elizabeth National Park to comment authoritatively on the specific situation.

But I am sure that the blame does not lie solely on the Basongora community as the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) would like to make us believe. In my opinion, there is a fundamental flaw in the biodiversity conservation model in Uganda, which puts too much emphasis on securing protected areas as the key approach to biodiversity conservation.

Coupled with that is the marketing of biodiversity primarily as the source tourism revenue. These approaches have major implications on how people perceive biodiversity conservation. Firstly, it might send a signal, albeit wrongly, that land outside protected areas is not important for biodiversity conservation.

Secondly, if biodiversity is marketed in terms of its tourism potential it is obvious that conflicts will arise especially if the revenue does not flow down to the grassroots.

Any Commission of Inquiry that is going to be set up as a knee jerk reaction to this conflict will be counterproductive, as it is going to come up with prescriptive measures that no one is going to buy into. Engaging with local communities and a concerted effort to increase the level of awareness on biodiversity issues are the only viable solutions.

Working late...

2007-03-23T21:42:00.000+02:00

One of the greatest challenge of being a researcher is writing up research findings. Scientific writing requires clarity, simplicity and minimum verbosity, but to master these simple principles requires a tenacity and discipline that only comes with experience. If you add the fact that english is not the first language of an African boy then you will undertand what I mean. Even though my experience shows that first language english speakers do not necessariy write the best scientific papers. You see, scientific papers require a level of clarity that can only be achieved by a writer who is lost for words a.k.a second language english speakers.

This is not to imply that second language english speakers are not upto their craft. Infact as far as I'm concerned, I'm a first language english speaker, whateve that means. But what am I suppose to say, after english has dominated my entire life both in and out of school. From the day I was enrolled into Nursery, it was english...the British colonialists really did a great job.

I'm just thinking how it would have been, if I was to be writing my PhD thesis in Aringa, my mother tongue. Would I be re-writing the same paragraph for what seems like an eternity? Or would I be bogged down with the numerous special characters in my language? Maybe not, if the orientals figured that out, I'm sure any african language could thrive as a science language.

My first professional encounter with a first language english speaker was in form of a 'compliment' by my university professor, " very good presentation for a second language english speaker". I felt insulted because even if I speak with an accent, english is the language I have known since time immemorial. But to that Prof., I was still an amateur...

But as I spend hours trying to make a contribution to science, I can't help but wonder if things would have been different if I was thinking and writing in my mother tongue!!

Cycle Tour

2007-03-07T06:37:00.000+02:00

The big day is almost here, am so excited even though I did not practise yesterday and today due to the very high winds raging in Cape Town. So far my odometer is reading 336K for two weeks of training. That should be adequate for one who just wants to finish in a decent time, but if I remember how sore my body was due to last year's race am compelled to even train harder.

Wish myself a pleasant cycle tour...

Monday Blues

2007-03-05T08:01:00.001+02:00

Today I struggled to get out of bed, which is quite unusual for me. I normally wake up at 0430 prompt, but today I had to drag myself to the shower. Now I'm in the office trying to get some work done, but it looks set to be another one of those very long Mondays.

I had a busy weekend, perhaps that is taking its toll. On Saturday there was a braai (South African for barbecue) at my place, though I'm a teetotaller it was a long and loud evening with a bunch of boy scientists, talking about Uganda's political future or the lack thereof. That is an emotive issue that is gurantteed to cause alot of headache.

The evening was great though, but when you are locked for hours with a bunch of mathematicians, space scientists and astrophysists, you are assured of serious mental engagement and after that long you need a well deserved break.

Oh, next Sunday is the popular Cape Argus Cycle tour, so yesterday I had to ride my bike for a cool 42km to practice for the eminent showdown come sunday. This is going to be my second time participating in this race, and I can't wait.

I need to make this a productive day even if my whole body is screaming...

Childhood breakfast

2006-11-30T16:54:00.000+02:00

I grew up on a breakfast diet of tea, sweet potatoes, and home made peanut butter. Needless to say, that is what I miss most in the whole world...

Home sweet home

2006-11-29T08:11:00.000+02:00

This weekend I'm heading back home...its been more than a year, am so excited. So in the days prior to my departure I will be posting stuff about home. Even though some one once said that home is "where your toothbrush is", to me home is that setting that reminds me of my childhood. Home is happiness...

The Kruger experience continued...

2006-11-28T16:28:00.000+02:00

This dude was super serious as we bypassed it one evening when we took a walk around the campsite. Its relatively easy to spot the warthogs in Kruger, with tails raised high lika an antenna when they run. In this pic the antenna had not been raised yet, perhaps it was assessing the level of danger posed by the passers by before taking off.

Spotted...Kruger National Park

2006-11-26T19:12:00.000+02:00

Kruger National Parks is one of the first national parks set up in Africa, and a few weeks ago I had the privilege of spending a few days in this 'heaven' of wild nature. As usual I had my camera with me during the game drives, enjoy...

Dreams

2006-11-24T11:54:00.000+02:00

The car you must drive... before you die

At this rate...A Bugati is for the life after, atleast for me.

The Great Wall

2006-11-21T17:02:00.000+02:00

In china they have a saying that you are not a hero until you climb the Great Wall. So if you asked me whether I felt like a hero, the answer would be no, because no personal accomplishment can compare to what was achieved in the name of the Great Wall. To imagine that this gigantic structure snakes itself through that mountainous terrain for almost 6000Km is mind boggling. But on the other hand its no surprise at all in chinese terms. China is synonymous with size: think of its population, the size of its security force, the size of this its economy, and if you have been to Beijing the massive infrastructure. The fascinating thing about China, and Beijing specifically is that the aura of communism is not easily felt as one would expect, until you try to access BBC online. There is massive censorship and all sorts of underhand checks and balances, and the irony is that locals seem to be happy with the status quo. But perhaps that is understandable if you are aware of what took place in 1989 in Tian'anmen square. To summarise China in a single word? Growth. There is a huge potential in this country of miniature people. For the country that gave birth to my name am glad I visited.

London

2006-09-19T23:10:00.000+02:00

I'm back with a bang after a long break since starting this blog. It's taken me this long to finally figure out what I want out of this blog. Now I hope to set it rolling with my rantings, milestones, exploits etc.

Its no surprise then that this posting should emanate from the mother city that is London. London is my favourite city despite its exorbitant prices, and over flowing tourists. Surely London must be the city of the United Nations? Where else can you find such a melting pot of global culture. Last night on my way from a long day in Birmingham, I sat close to a young man in the train,who declared to anyone who cares to listen that he is a pervert, to the utter amusement of his two female friends. Soon the conversation changed to London, and one of the ladies said "London used not to be like this". I gather many locals resent the flow of foreigners into London but there is nothing much they can do.

As for me the clash of cultures in this city is what makes it attractive. Here you will bounce onto the odd shop keeper from Afghanistan whose impending trip home has generated so much excitement that he can't hold it from his customers. Or the Polish worker at the railway station who can't say a complete sentence in English, the Igbo ranting Nigerian at the street corner in Camden. This is what makes London the mother city, a city where you are just you.

Blue sky

2006-04-09T11:58:00.000+02:00

Sunset on top of Table Mountain is like magic. A rich mix of colour that even makes Picasso sound like an amatuer artist. I guess that is the stuff nature is made of, and don't we all get inspiration from nature? I don't know about you, but I certainly do. However, today is another wasted weekend for me spent in the office. It's sunny and bright outside, and I ought to get my ass out of here, but unfortunately I'm trapped behind this computer...ADVICE. Never dream of a PhD, unless you are looking forward to Sunday afternoons spent behind the screen of a stupid machine.

Has anyone ever considered a petition against the inventors of computers? In my opinion computers are to blame for the social wreck going on in the Society. Without a computer I would have probably run out of writing paper or ink, and would be catching up with my buddies. Instead, blogging has become my favourite pass time, and I barely know my flatemate, thanks to this junk...the computer. Perhaps George Bush should think of launching another war on technology as the route cause of terror.

Broken

2006-04-07T16:44:00.000+02:00

My thighs are a complete wreck, thanks to Wednesday's hike. Table mountain is about 3,566 feet, but it has left me completely immobilised. Even though I go to the gym every day and cycle my bike on a daily basis, that did not prepare me enough. When I woke up this morning I realised I could not move any part of my body, going down the stairs is a real pain. General fatigue has also just set in, today I have hardly done any work...infact I locked myself in the office this afternoon and took a nap. That is the good thing of being a student, you're your own boss. I hope I will recover quickly, how I wish girlfriend was here to give a massage, but she has ditched me for her Aunt this weekend. Thanks aunty!!

Table mountain

2006-04-05T15:41:00.000+02:00

It's been a long week spent staring at the computer, to avoide a mental block I'm not going home tonight, and I'm not sleeping in the office either. If you are lucky to have been in Cape Town, or live here for that matter then you will know that Table Mountain is the best. I happen to work right at the foot of this beautiful Mountain, but thanks to my busy schedule, I only get to the top a couple times a year. So tonight is the big night...you figured it, I'm going to spent the night on top of the world. How about a whole mountain for a mattress??

Spider office mate

2006-04-04T08:15:00.000+02:00

Today, I'm sharing my office with a spider. Even though I'm a biologist, I know nothing about spiders. I will keep an eye on my friend...and keep you posted.

2006-04-03T18:47:00.000+02:00

Black Chuck Norris...

2006-04-03T18:27:00.000+02:00

A black James Bond is long overdue, as for Chuck Norris...hmm