This applies to us developers too lol 
Shit Programmers Say
Friday, February 3rd, 2012Average Day as a Web Developer
Friday, February 3rd, 2012I completed the Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge!!
Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011Sunday was my very first Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge event J
I competed as part of TeamQuirk as the ultimate beginner as the rest of the team consisted of both staff and clients all of whom were seasoned professionals in the game; with top-notch equipment
I, on the other hand, had borrowed someone else’s mountain bike under very short notice and had very little training under my belt; with only two real practice rides before the race at 25km’s and 30kms respectively.
I did manage to get some cycling shorts and gloves before the race and at least I had a helmet. The shirts were sponsored by Quirk as we were entered as part of the corporate teams.
Most people (including my parents) didn’t think I would finish; I myself wasn’t sure I would finish either but I was definitely going to try.
And try I did! I was on the road for over 7 hours but I finished! I completed the full distance before the cut off time and I even got a medal!
I paced myself; I stopped at all the water points; I kept hydrated; and I finished strong! I am very proud of myself!
I did gain some invaluable insights from my awesome Quirk team mates and am glad I did something this year that I can actually say was on my bucket list
My So Called Life
Thursday, November 17th, 2011I have been a very bad blogger this year and I do apologize. Life has gotten in the way of many things I wished to accomplish this year and yet I have accomplished sooooo much in 2011 it has been insane.
I will be blogging about my ups and downs and highs and lows; there are just a few things I need to get out the way including the 94.7 Cycle Challenge this weekend.. Yes you read correctly.. Me on a bike.. Doing 94.7kms.. When I can only just manage 40kms on a horse..
Anyway thats a story for another day.. Will be back *terminator voice*. Will keep you posted.
I am excited and alive and although there are moments when I feel incredibly down and depressed, I am hoping they will become few and far between in the next few weeks, months, years.
So long and thank you for the cake!
Mobile in Retail – 1st Mobile Monday Joburg Event
Wednesday, February 9th, 2011Being my first Mobile Monday event, I did not know what to expect, but I was definately not disappointed. The theme of the event, the first for 2011, was entitled “Mobile in Retail”, and took place at the The Baron in Bryanston. A total of 170 people registered for the event.
On arrival at the venue, I was presented with my name tag and shown upstairs. I was one of the few females present and definately one of the youngest in the crowd of well dressed business men and executives. A very different type of crowd from the 27dinners that I attend regularly.
I managed to find a few familiar faces (namely @cynicalgrinch, @tinahe and @justinleephotos) and was presented with a welcome drink, was sponsored by egrips.
The first speaker for the evening was Clayton Hayward who presented his mobile startup called Mobicover. By partnering with large insurance companies, including Alexander Forbes and Liberty Life, Mobicover aims to provide insurance, life cover and funeral policies, amongst other services to the lower LSM market in South Africa.
The next speaker was Candice Goodman, recent winner of an MMA global award. She introduced the concept of the mobile phone as being the remote control of the customer and gave examples of how to use SMS and USSD to interact with customers and built customer relationships.
Baron Marshall who works for Mortimer Harvey, was speaker number three. He demonstrated the use of mobile sites and applications by means of two case studies.
The first case study was their strategy for LG and the launch of their mobile phone called the Chatterville. This involved the use of both a mobi site and a flash based website. They also incorporated the use of an online dictionary for chat shorthand. The success of this campaign was measurable.
The second case study was for Doritos Collisions. The basis of the ad was to compile a movie clip and upload it – completing 1 of 3 starts to an advert. A number of film schools were approached before the competition kicked off and this was included as part of their portfolio work. A total of 97 video clips were created and uploaded. The campaign made use of a number of channels including a mobi site, website and Facebook. The success of this campaign was also measurable.
Mike Joubert, editor of Techsmart magazine, presented the Mobile Gadget spot, as the forth and final presentation of the evening. This was by far the most interesting. He spoke about some of the latest trends in the industry including: Near Field Communication (NFC) capabilities in mobile phones, improvements in processing power in mobile phones and the resurgence of 3D. Watch this space!
All in all a fascinating and fact filled evening. This will definitely not be my last!
27Dinner Event talking Banking and Venture Capital – January 2011
Sunday, January 30th, 2011The 27Dinners events epitomize the networking capacity of the online community in South Africa, and I love attending these events. They are always well co-ordinated, well executed, well attended and well enjoyed; and this, the first of 2011, was no exception.
Generously sponsored by Seacom and Intel Venture Capital, and held at the infamous Metro Restaurant, in Benmore Gardens, all 120 registered attendees were served both food and drink in style.
LeBistro were also part of the proceedings and kindly sponsored customised name tags for all who registered. It works with a QR Reader system. There are a number of applications available for all types of smartphones that can read these tags. Read here for more information.
The main course was served before the first speaker. Options for the meal was Cheeseburger & Chips, Linguini Bolagnaise (my choice), and Mascaponi Pizza.
First Guest Speaker - Herman Singh | Standard Bank Director
His very engaging presentation was all about the future of banking – globally. Entitled “Making rands and sense of the chaos, he went on to discuss the major players in the online space; and how much they are spending on R&D.
Getting in on the action
Basically whoever owns the payment stream, owns the money. Gaming communities have introduced their own forms of currencies which are infiltrating into the global economy. Facebook also recently announced the use of Facebook Credits for all online games – read more here >>
Money is made on applications and no longer on adverts. Facebook, Google and Apple (amongst others) are able to monetize their existing databases.
Banking
Banking as we know it is changing. Virtual currencies are becoming stronger and mobile banking appears to be the future in Africa.
Second Guest Speaker – Sam Mensah | Director of the sub-Saharan branch of Intel Venture Capital
The first issue discussed was the appointment of Will-i-am into Intel. The basic idea behind this was to bring in someone who could be involved in creating innovative products that are currently relevant.
Sam then spoke about Silicon Valley and how they are trying to replicate this all over the world, including the Cape (Silicon Cape).
Why Silicon Valley? Because its the basis of almost everything. Turning research into actual products that people want to buy.
Venture Capital is available in South Africa you just need to know where to look. Between 2001 and 2011 there was total investment of 2.6 billion rand in VC with a big portion of this coming from government.
Unfortunately he went on for too long and many of the people lost interest. @markusher did happen to win a nice bottle of wine though.
Desert was then served shortly after the second presentation which gave us more time to chat to all the regulars; many people left before being served.
In closing, I always find these events inspiring and a great networking opportunity. Thanks to Cerebra for making 27dinner such a success and the place to be on every other 27th (or thereabouts) of the month
Weekend Getaway at the Rosebank Courtyard Hotel
Saturday, December 4th, 2010For my birthday my other half and I booked to stay at the Four Star Rosebank Courtyard Hotel for the weekend. Having been given the Friday off as a birthday present from the company aka Talooma, we were able to book in on the Friday afternoon just after 2pm.
We had bid for this “prize” at an auction held at an Edenvale Round Table fund raising event a couple of months ago. It was valid for any two weekend nights (Friday, Saturday or Sunday) at any Courtyard Hotel, City Lodge, Town Lodge or Road Lodge in the country, to be used before 31 December 2010. We decided to take this weekend over my birthday, to take full advantage, and to celebrate.
Arriving at the hotel, in Rosebank, located on the corner of … and .. right opposite Rosebank Zone, the Holiday Inn and The Hyatt, we parked by the reception and I had to wait outside while Mark checked us in. On taking out the luggage from the boot, we realize we didn’t pack any toiletries, cell phone chargers or the camera. Great! This part anger, part frustration dissipated as soon as I walked into the room, number 81, non-smoking on the second floor.
On the table was a huge bunch of red roses and two bottles of champagne. 28 roses for my 28 years on this earth
Most of the weekend was spent in the room, sleeping, watching TV, bathing in bubbles, and Facebooking,Tweeting etc on my laptop. Although we had a mini kitchen set-up we ate out mostly. The only time we ate in the room was breakfast, and dinner on Saturday (cheese and biscuits and champagne and orange juice). We had dinner at Ocean Basket on the Friday night, lunch at MastroAntonio on the Saturday (my actual birthday) and breakfast at Primi Piati with my sister and her husband on the Sunday morning before spending some time at the rooftop flea market at the Zone in Rosebank.
We played two games of chess in the Hotel lounge, enjoyed free snacks and glasses of sherry while watching the rugby (SA vs England). I read a bit, sat by the pool a bit and even had an afternoon sleep!
We had a really awesome relaxing time. The staff were amazing, the facilities were fantastic. I would recommend a stay at this hotel anyday!
Pampering Massages and Beauty Treatments
Tuesday, November 30th, 2010Everyone loves being spoilt and pampered with beauty treatments – especially us girls! Visiting a beauty salon is one way of experiencing ultimate body pampering. Some one I know owns a home based beauty salon in Benoni – Ro’s Beauty Spot. I booked for a massage and full house pedicure. I got that and a whole lot more.
Rowena, owner and therapist, qualified through Camelot Health and Skincare College after two years of solid training. She has since acquired hundreds of hours of practical experience having worked at a Annique Skincare Clinic, Placacol Beauty Centre and a Virgin Spa franchises for the past three years. This girl can work and works hard. She is passionate, friendly and self motivated and loves making her clients happy. You can feel as soon as you walk into her salon.
Last week it was my birthday and I decided to go treat myself for a few hours on my day off. I decided to go for a back and neck massage together with a full house pedicure. It was the best two and half hours I had spent in a long time!
I had the back and neck massage first. Rowena left the room and I was asked to undress and lie face down on the plinth. When she came back she tucked a towel into my pants, tied up my hair for me and asked if I was comfortable. She began by rubbing massage oil into my back. The lights were turned down for the entire treatment and there was soft calming relaxing music playing in the background.
The massage was initially very painful, but I expected that. I carry most of my tension in my neck and upper back. Rowena spent the majority of the 45 minutes working my upper back and neck, working out all my knots. By the end of the treatment I felt like a weight had been taken off my shoulders. It was amazing!
The full house pedicure was next. An hour and a half treatment was a combination of treatments including ex-foliation of my feet with a granular scrub, a foamy warm water foot bath with aromatic smells, cuticle work, cutting and filing, dead skin removal, a leg and foot massage. I also had my first paraffin wax. This involves putting both your feet in a warm wax and then in a plastic bag each for 5 minutes. Its great for hydration, moisturisation and softens your feet. The feeling is indescribable…
I then got to choose a nail polish color from a selection of matte and glossy paints, having a base coat and top coat painted too! With tissues placed between my toes while waiting for the polish to dry, I got to enjoy an awesome cup of tea, and after that I was on my way, smiling from ear to ear
Thanks to Rowena at Ro’s Beauty Spot for an excellent pampering session. If you want pampering at a great price, she’s your girl!
Start Ups and Ingenious Lyrics at the final #27dinner for 2010
Thursday, November 25th, 2010The final #27dinner for 2010 was a combination of fabulous food and pink drinks, startups and singing comedy, 130 geeks and a great venue – the Metro Restaurant in Benmore. SEACOM were incredibly generous in sponsoring a delicious main course and dessert, offering as well as cosmopolitan welcome cocktails, bottles of wine and a bar tab for the event.
The Speaker
Stafford Massie, ex CEO of Google, was the main speaker on the bill. His talk was both inspiring and industry related. He introduced two of the startups he is involved in, namely waytag, a geo location DNS system, and a transaction engine, which is yet to be named.
Waytag is like other geo location applications but which gives the user greater control and can be pinpointed to an exact location that doesn’t even need to be mapped. It is being integrated with Garmin and TomTom and will be available at a later stage in both free and paid for variations. There are 38 million points of interests to be added and applications will be made available to work across all mobile platforms. Rich third party API’s will be also be released.
The second startup, which is yet to be named, is a transaction engine. This aims to integrate payment across all banks, platforms etc, and make it one click transaction. Still in the prototype phase, it is also planned to be integrated into the waytag system.
The business model around both these start-ups is aimed at aggregation and usage.
He also mentioned that he is part of team bringing the founders of the top 10 VC’s to the country next year to discuss new big ideas and start-ups. Details available for this event will be made public in January 2010.
The Comedian
Entertainment was provided by Daniel Friedman, AKA Deep Fried Man, whose day job is with Cerebra. His approach to the delivery of his comedy genius was through playing a guitar and singing to various well known melodies. His lyrics were clever and funny and relative to the crowd with “my blog is better than your blog” and “tweet it”.
The Send Off
Mike Stopforth of Cerebra closed off by saying thank you to Stafford Massie, DeepFriedMan, SEACOM for the sponsorship and Metro Restaurant for the venue as well as the crowd for attending, and for a great year. A few PigSpotter T-shirts were also given out, 3 were also given to some brave soul who sang a line of “Eye of the Tiger”.
A free STUFF magazine was also on offer on the way out
PS. I had the privilege of sitting with an awesome bunch of people so of which I had never met in person before namely: @cynicalgrinch, @JackieJVR, @MeeAParkins, @PaulBedford, @markusher and @tinskaysys. You guys were great! Thanks for the awesome evening. It is always nice to meet people that you interact with regularly online, in person.
Talooma’s Christmas Party entitled Drunk and Disorderly
Monday, November 22nd, 2010Friday was Talooma’s official Christmas Party. What had initially been a nightmare in terms of logistics, location and even weather, ended up being an awesome sunny day and a jol! We played tennis, squash, ate (had a spit), drank, drank some more and a few of us even swam (one of clothed and one of us in our underwear but I wont mention any names)
Judy delegated the food arrangements and organised chicken and lamb on the spit for lunch! All the girls contributed to bringing chips and dips, breads, and salad.. We even had malva pudding for dessert – thanks Judy!
Before lunch we had a session of speeches from management about the year etc and Judy (our production manager) had a few special words for each of us We were also asked to say a few words and there were some tears shed (amongst all the laughter and interruptions) for Lerato.
Secret Santa went off really well.. I think.. I was worried my present wasn’t going to be good enough but all in all it worked out in the end.. I got a horse calendar for 2011 from Judy – totally amazing!! The best present given was to our MD Desmond who was given a book entitled “1001 ways to reward your staff” from the Sales Director Ceri! Nice one..
I wanted to wait for a few of the photos to add to this before I published it 
and here we go:
