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I'm not sure how long it’s been since I let known what might happen to me in the months to come. Well...since then, I've been pulled onto a project that will last at least until the end of 2011, and I'll have to be in JHB for this at least 2 times a week. And then, the restructuring took place, and people were placed in positions, if there is one position and 5 people match that position, all 5 of them will now be in that position, but none of them will know who's job it is until June 2011.

I'm in an R&D position with just one other person, whose identity is still unknown to me. I'm still waiting on my new boss to contact me, but he has spoken to my previous boss about talking to his new "team" soon.

So it seems, we are planning to start looking for jobs in Cape Town from November onwards as this one here has run its course and the company just didn't live up to the promises it made to get me(us) here.

OS over and out, it’s been some time that we were in this mess thought, exactly a year! Many people around me has left for new ventures, some have moved to other departments, my office is quiet, our corridor is empty, the kitchen only has 2 or 3 people in it, no one laughs anymore, they look at me funny if I'm laughing or enjoying my time here! It’s a sad case but I think its good for me and my family!

In my current position, I get nice perks, like free phone and free airtime, and everything over that freeness is subtracted from my salary. So I never really worried about the phone market for the past year and a couple of months. Then, I saw an iPhone! Now those who know me, know that I was lambasting the iPhone for all its worth and basically saying Steve Jobs is the devil.

I don't think anyone can comprehend how much I want an iPhone, even more, how much I want an iPad! I've been looking at contracts, but since my last ordeal with the contract...we've added up, I probably paid close to R40 000 in cell phone charges alone since Jan 2009 till now from my MTN cell phone contract and my work phone going over its limit! And what makes it worse, is that my Omnia, rest in peace, was stolen about a year ago, and no, I didn't think cell phone insurance was necessary! So I've been paying off a phone that was stolen, we are basically just using the sim card with the supposed free minutes, or free R200 p/m charged per minute which equates to MTN's R3 per minute or something like that...can you now see how I'm being analy raped by a cell phone company?

We've vowed to get my wife a cheaper contract and a newish phone since her current Nokia is way past its meeting with the grim reaper of the cell phone realm. But with the amount of phones on the market, its totally ridiculous how many phones now seem attractive. Like I said, I haven't been paying attention to the phone game since Jan 2009!
I've decided I'll surprise wifey with a BlackBerry with the free internet, because that's all she needs! And I'll buy myself a second hand iPhone and just use my work sim card for free airtime! A second hand iPhone that's still in good nick, meaning the screen works and everything else works, goes for about R2500-3000. I'll just get me a white cover and then I'll buy the APPS I so dearly want/need!

What phones out there, compared to the blackberry, the cheapo, are really any good?

Os over and out - not being in this phone game has really made me wonder, have they solved all the issues with the touch screens since Jan 2009? Must I still lock myself into a contract AGAIN for 2 years after this horrible experience I just went through? Is it cheaper, or easier to rather buy airtime then to have a contract?

Last month was hectic, not only did the bank not give us a 100% loan; they gave us a 90% loan and approved the 10% remaining sum as a personal loan! Obviously we did not take it. Then one bank evaluated the house R70 000 less than asking price. So the owner then didn't want to accept that price drop, AND, one bank gave us a 100% loan on the price less R70 000.
After a couple of days, the owner of the house called and said they wanted to do a private deal...for the price less R70 000. Unfortunately, it would mean heavy lawsuits should the estate agent find out we purchased the house she showed us without her consent...this was not to be as we then left it at that.

A while ago I told you all about the looming retrenchments at this company. We have one more year here and then its over so to say. I've been pulled into a huge project that has how many other sub projects which might run for 2 years. But I've spoken to wifey and we both said its time to make a move, this place and this season in our lives has run its course. We will be looking for jobs from December/January onwards in Cape Town, but won't count out JHB as a last resort. At least in these two cities my wife can also have a well paying job and do something she studied towards, but lately she doesn't want to hear anything as she's adamant she wants to teach!

Then baby Karli came along and turned our worlds upside down - so we won't be looking for a new house, we are looking for a townhouse to rent instead, and in this dead place, there's none available!

OS over and out - there you have it...a story of fate, of twists and turns...and how the house market won't be seeing my bond paying ass anytime soon!

It's been a crazy week. This time last week my wife had her 1st set of contractions...she timed them all and then called me at 3ish...reading all those magazines really helped with the timing of the labour...i.e when to go to hospital!

I got to the flat in record time, to find her inhaling and blowing out as suggested, it was an exciting yet tense moment. I rushed to hospital; in the process realizing I need a faster car! We got to the hospital, they put her in a private room, which is great as you don't want to share your most intimate moments having to worry about the patient next to you...its worth that R500 p/night. I then went to go fill out the forms, and when I got back to the maternity ward, they were already wheeling her to the delivery room! Apparently she was already 8cm dilated!

It was too late for a water birth as we had scheduled, and...there was already someone in the bath giving birth! On that day, 12th of August, 14 other kids entered this bad world! They broke her water or something like that...and then the waiting started, contractions came and went and soon she was 10cm dilated and the doctor who was just next door was informed. She had to push, push, push...it was very exciting for me but not so for her, as the magazines told us everything except when and how to push...

The doctor stood there talking to her, and I relayed everything to her by her side...she did very well as we entered the delivery room at 16h30 and baby Karli entered this world at 17h55, very quick. No issues whatsoever for both ladies, as our prayers were envisioned and she was discharged 2 days later!

Karli was a handful the first 2 nights...as we did not know what to do, change her, make her burp, sleep? My mom got there and helped us out really well, I must still buy her a present for all her help as without her, we would have had sleepless nights for real! Having baby Karli in her room was another mission on its own. Getting the room warm enough, up to 23 degrees and then putting on the humidifier and the Angelcare sound and movement monitor helped a whole lot. I found myself looking at that monitor more than 100 times as every noise saw my body tense up as I thought to myself...WHAT NOW AGAIN?

The 1st night she didn't sleep well, she had winds and was restless...the second night we got her to a routine, sleep for 4 hours, feed for 1 or 2 hours and in those hours we'd clean her, change nappies, bum cream and put her in the sun for a few minutes, then try to make her burp (which is one of the most difficult things for me) and then eventually after that burp which kept her awake and crying, she's out like a candle!

Its amazing when I look at the pictures when she entered the world compared to pictures I took yesterday, she's grown so much its hard to come to terms with it. She looks exactly like me, a mini OS GIKEN. Being a dad is crazy man, I find myself at her cot all the time feeling her little hands, she is strong and grabs them with force! An overwhelming feeling of protection and love for both Karli and her mom has washed over me!
Things I don't like about this new experience, is my/our lack of experience, what if my mom was not there? She gives us leeway so that we can try and sort out most things we can like wash her, make her sleep, burp etc. We have got that under control now but take last night for example, she had winds and we couldn't get it out, now and then she would brake wind and she'd be quiet, only to lay her in her cot and find her screaming for dear life! Only to find out, it was the navel string that fell off earlier in the day that made her uncomfortable. The methods we use to make her burp are to put her over my shoulder and then rub her back in up and down movements, normally the wind comes out in about 30 seconds or so...but if it doesn't, we are doomed. Another thing that happened last night, wifey's boobies did not produce milk! And we used up all the stored milk! And, her nipples were bruised as Karli pulls and bites them when she's hungry...the other thing that also worries me is, when she's hungry, after a sleep session, she swallows allot of wind, there is no way we can stop her as that means we'll have to take the bottle from her...we bought the bottles that promise no air will enter...but it does!

Its been a rough ride, but when I see her and she looks into my eyes, I don't care about anything else in the world! It’s truly amazing! But then she cries and then I worry again! LOL...I'm more at ease now as opposed to a couple of days ago...

OS over and out - being a dad is great, but its hard, as your sleeping and living routine is totally thrown out the window!

Last year I did not submit a tax return, due to SARS employees messing up my application for a tax number for the 1st time. It took months to do this...after eventually giving me a number to file a return, it was too late, and I got intouc with management, and they said I'm only liable for a return for 2010. But I paid tax for 2 months in the 2009 tax year, and I had some heavy incomes!

Because I've just started! I was quite skeptical at first. But this meant that I was missing out on the global effect of trading goods between borders, and we ALL know how brilliant this is!

Well, today, just for a couple of minutes, I felt worhtless...I felt like I'm not worth the money I get, or the time I put in at work, simply because I'm not working! Its no secret what's happening here at work. But it is now at the point where I find myself surfing the internet and looking at my email and listening to music, when I should be filling my cup with technical experience on projects...

Well, we did it, in light of everything that's happening, we finally signed an offer to purchase and the owner verbally agreed and will sign today, so its off to the bank.

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