MXiT Culture: A Fcuked Generation

There's this one 'THING' called MXiT (m-x-i-t, which I just pronounce 'mix it'). It's a chat technology on wap with several rooms and free messaging services. I have serious problems with it. One being that I failed dismally several times, when I tried to load it to my phone. Two, and bigger reason here: I frankly think that it is one of the biggest 'shitwaves' to have hit my generation.

MXiT has seen the normal culture pillars being partially, if not to large degree, eroded in those who use it. Some people who use this cellphone technology have become so taken aback by it that they start to seem like zombies glued to a little mobile machine. All they do is just stare at their screen nearly the entire time in the midst of other people and are oblivious to the need for any live human interaction.

Pity that the majority of those who abuse - or to put it more bluntly - get abused by this types of technologies are kids. These days, kids as young as eight - to be safe on my guess - have multimedia-capable cellphones coming with wap. The very capability of these advanced phones forces them to find ways of taking advantage of every imagineable use of this gadgets. And at most, they lose time with real simple cultural learnings like going about good live human interactions with their mates or even better, with their families.

I noticed this addiction to the cellphone, and more so, to MXiT and other wap chats such as Reporo - which I was able to download and confirm some of my fears - whilst I was in the village two weeks ago. My little brothers were all but oblivious to whatever was going on around them as they were busy chatting away the next 'hot babe' on their cellphones, smiles wide as that of a croc. Forget the chores mommy asks them to do. Never mind the homeworks. No more average physical activity. Playing is non-existent in their days. All they ever wanna do is get the next 'hot babe' and flirt on their phones, if not so, they would be waiting for the 'hottie' to MMS her picture.

In my teens or earlier age, all we did was play, homework, house chores, play and then more play (read: interactions with live humans - not machines with strangers and psychos on the other end). We learnt to appreciate relationships. We learnt ways of conversing with others, mainly our friends and people outside our immediate circle. But my brothers and their specific part of this generation have their minds controlled by the cellphone chat sites that are only effectively alluring to them because there are 'hot babes' on the other end.

This is, without doubt, from nowforth going to be a fcuked generation. Them, and I only use them as more of my observation, are going to lose out on so much that the other generations gained. There will be all sorts of chaotic behaviours and deficiencies of common sensical stuff coming out of them in time. And sincerely feel pity for them, especially since they are convinced that it is harmless and equal to having a one-on-one conversation or playing with other teens or kids around. Well, it's all gonna turn out to be a totally fcuked generation.

I will be blogging a lot more on this issue as I feel it is very important.

I'm headed back to the village to see what other sites they have discovered that claim to give them an opportunity to meet the world and make many friends.

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"Judge of a man by his questions, rather than by his answers." - Voltaire

Re-imagine

The next book on my list to buy is Re-imagine, by Tom Peters. I spotted it by chance at a local book shop. I fell for the book just by virture of its title. And besides, I have read a lot of Tom's books and I found them to be unconventionally insightfull and mind opening. His books force you to think differently and approach problems in a way that is more exciting than the norm has taught us.

I hope that I'm making a worthy buy. So far, my 'Book a month' project is paying off. And luckily for me, I got so hooked that this plan is the first of all my plans that I truly stuck too. May be it is bacause I do really love reading. The benefits are more than exciting and my line of thought is becoming a lot wider and more informed. So Tom, bring it on baby.

Please see my review here later on. I have about 5 other books that I have to review here as well.

My photos here: ____ www.flickr.com/photos/izzyone
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"Judge of a man by his questions, rather than by his answers." - Voltaire

Introducing the 'Sizzle'

Sizzle - reliving.my.life.by.far

I 'm intensifying my blog or shall I rather say expanding my blog life! Sizzle is going to be a new slate on which I spit out the life of Israel (Izz). Revisiting my memories,. Following back on the footprints on my soul. Straddling and tracking back the threads of my life in miniature and in size. Looking back at what made me what I claim to be today and what I stand for.

http://sizzleizz.blogspot.com/

Sizzle, in short, is more of my autobiography. It will be a life project of discovery and rediscovery. At the same time, it will be a way of plotting the beliefs and morals that make up my life today and tomorrow. It will be more like an operation on my soul, dissected and a large panoramic window providing a good stare into the inner beauty as well as the unattractiveness of what sits inside Israel - no pun intended.

Check out the prologue to it here: http://sizzleizz.blogspot.com/

My photos here: ____ www.flickr.com/photos/izzyone
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"Judge of a man by his questions, rather than by his answers." - Voltaire

masthead

Blogging 101 in brief: Getting it right.

I was going through blogs I love on my Motorola V3i last night. (I do read blogs on the phone as opposed to using sociologically and culturally damaging activities such as non-stop, addictive chatting on MXiT and Reporo - which has, of late, replaced human interactions and reading with obscenity and vulgar-cheap, cheal, illiterate culture). Anyways, that is a topic for a much deeper discussion I'm planning soon which will be very detailed.

Before I lose track, yes, on my V3i I visited two blogs, www.matthewbuckland.com and www.verastic.blogspot.com and I found exactly what I had been looking for. A familiar blog spilling out, in brief and concise entry, what one needs to do to make their blog better and increase their community of readers, but more so, keep people coming back.

They did, in my view, a very job at it and I'm going to implement their suggestions right away as this blog has to become one of the biggest in the South Africa blogosphere.

See the direct links to their tips here. You and your blog will benefit from them without too much chaff and hassle:

Matt's 'The golden rules of blogging...'
http://www.matthewbuckland.com/?p=225

Vera's 'Blogging - The New Ebe Ano '
http://veraezimora.blogspot.com/2007/01/blogging-new-ebe-ano.html

Hope you learn a thing or two as much Izz did. But more so, act.

Till shortly, be Great!

My photos here: ____ www.flickr.com/photos/izzyone
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"Judge of a man by his questions, rather than by his answers." - Voltaire

Water problem: well quarterbacked

The amateur PR machines for the estate must be doing a very good job. I think things may not turn out as planned exactly regarding the water problem at Mooikloofridge. It seems that somebody is giving the developer and the managers of the estate very good communication (public relations) advise.

I visited the www.mooikloofridge.com website and the water problem there is touted to be receiving the utmost of attention. But having been a PR man before, I know that somebody is really quarterbacking this very well. They are throwing very good facts at the problem. Mentiong the meetings with various parties and working around the clock to sort it out. This is to the extent of even explaining, in detail, the workings of the supply chain for us to get water, and infact, clearing out the confusion that MT Developments is supposed to be giving out water to the residents.

They are, primarily, and as the developer, supposed to be the ones held responsible for any hiccups that arise. But I can vouch right now that after the PR has been exposed and fatigued, throwing facts about meetings and meetings resolutions will not be enough and people will still want to see water come out of their taps. And if that doesn't happen, I doubt many people will be this understanding and tolerant at all. People will start to see MT Development and their associates for what they really are: Profit-kissing capitalists of note.

My photos here: ____ www.flickr.com/photos/izzyone
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"Judge of a man by his questions, rather than by his answers." - Voltaire

Mooikloof Ridge still haven for kids

Princess Talia at Mooikloof Ridge enjoying the walk.

Princess Talia having a run at it (the camera).

In case you getting the wrong message out of my ranting regarding Mooikloof Ridge persistend water chaos, I still think it's a good environment for kids and Talia says it's "on-top" for her afternoon walks. And that's why I believe in this concept across South Africa. Although this estates are called gated-communities, in way, they are communities that encourage, not pervasively so though, interaction between the black and white races in this country.

I keep mentioning black and white, and that's because I feel that it is very important for these two races to interact, learn about each other and build better understandings to avoid small and useless, but costly confrontations and conflicts. With that understanding and harmony, South Africa can become a better place and the focus can be on developing it further, fighting poverty by working together.

My photos here: ____ www.flickr.com/photos/izzyone
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"Judge of a man by his questions, rather than by his answers." - Voltaire

Water problem bursting

The water problem at the estate is going beyond just Izz not having water for one night and him smelling for a couple of hours at the office - before he hit the gym showers.

Toyi-toying?

I wake up on Saturday morning and as I leave the complex, I find a good mass of people, black and white alike, at the main estate entrance. Some with placards screaming "We want water" and a large bold lettered pink billboard publicising "R1000 in levy but still no water". I was going somewhere important, but I decided that I was meant for action on any given day, especially if it mobilises people to find a solution or be it to put pressure on somebody to resolve an issue.

So I started asking questions only to find out the crowd was even bigger than this in the early morning. Shoo. People take this seriously and I must stop seeing the funny part of it. Then like a foot soldier, I grabbed me a Petition Paper to start, like the traffic police, pulling off the road a couple cars to invite them to sign the petition. These are the words on the Petition Paper:

We the people...

"We the residents of Mooikloof Ridge, hereby register our concern and outrage to the unhygienic, disrespectful, [and] inconsiderate water cut-offs and shortages.
Against this, we hereby demand an urgent resolution to the matter and call for our money's worth".

Then the names and signatures follow - many of them in fact. I have the petition papers with me as now I have taken personal interest in this, although my water is back since Friday evening. Howevr, some (most, I must estimate) residents who have been long affected by this problem still don't have water and will not have for a prolonged period - but the levy must be paid.

See the technical, literate explanation of why people smell when they go to work and they can't flush their toilets: http://www.mooikloofridge.com/. I respect and agree with the effort. But what I don't buy is that for more than 3 years, a combined pool of professional brains could not find a solution to this or plan to avoid a recurrence. That either baffles me or my wife has a nincompoop for a hubby.

Mobilise and publicise

On chatting with those who initiated the petition, we both agreed on suggestions of making this problem public and involve the media. Put constructive pressure on the body corporate (who are toothless by the way) and the profit-kissing developers. I am at liberty to name the developer now since the petition has named the ocncerned estate. The developer is M-T Developments - a company I investigated and in fact, wrote a minimum of three articles during my tenure at the Sunday Times. This was mainly on that they flout municipal by-laws and initiate large scale constructions without receiving, prior, approved EIAs (Environmental Impact Assesment).

Now, it means these guys are so big or so monied that they may have a number of important people on their payroll that all their constructions, legit or not, will go through anyways - regardless of what the already underperforming, overworked government says. Smacks of the epitome of capitalism vs seemingly ineffective municipal/government systems. (But when you consider red tape in South Africa, other interesting questions jump up).

Carte Blanche

There may not really be a story as yet, but the guys I spoke to want to involve Carte Blanche. And I also suggested other media powerhouses. Whether this will bring enough pressure for this developer to run quick and resolve the problem in a sustainable way or cause peoples investments to be hurt somewhat, I am not sure. But one thing I know: people can't leave without water. You take away water from a man, you removed at least the one thing he can't leave without for any longer period.

So, to the media it will go. In any case, how can your investment be a sound profitable one if there is no water? You simply cannot sell it at against its real value. I gathered some people cook, bath, and do laundry now with bottled mineral water. I bet the nearby supermarket is all smiles at the suddent disapperance of the bottles from their shelves. Buy mineral water all you may as you still have your credit card sound, but not being part of the solution entourage will ensure that the problem stays.

Historical

The water problem at Mooikloof Ridge, I get told, dates back even further than I had earlier stated. It goes back an estimated 3-4 years, I was told by one lady. She knows of someone who even resigned from the incompetent, toothless body corporate there.

We are staying

Myself, my wife, my kids and those on the solutions entourage are adamant that we are staying since we chose that estate for damned good reasons and we believe in the lifestyle there. And one way of ensuring that such a lifestyle is something more than just a delusion, is to put pressure on the developer.

I don't mention (attack) the municipality, at this stage, for I don't see why it is their problem that some estate management lacks plannning skills although they have been running estates and complexes ever since the concept was imported into South Africa - an import, I have since learnt from wondering, that was copied verbatim from the States and Europe and dumped into South Africa - a different environment and animal, withouth much modification.

Tires may burn

Not exactly like the Merafong incident, which remains unresolved, but tires may burn come next weekend at Mooikloof Ridge. So imagine a bunch of professionals who are not bored or less busy - black and white - starting to shout, scream, hurl insults, waving angry placards in the backdrop of thick black tire-smoke bellowing in the sky Pretoria east suburbia.

Now that is not nice. You could expect that in certain areas where people prefer violence than going to the table to negotiate peacefully. Eish! I am going to have my digicam at hand and will be blogging every minute of it - this time in pictures. And my blogs will not be confined to this problem being a Mooikloof Ridge residents problem, but some phenomena that has more to it than just water.

It may have:

• Bad government
• Long-leave municipal workers
• Indifinetely suspended government employees
• Ineffective home affairs
• The ballot of the poor versus the white man's vote
• The scramble for resources
• A burst pipe
• The mafia
• Sales-driven estate agents
• The cursing old man

My photos here: ____ www.flickr.com/photos/izzyone
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"Judge of a man by his questions, rather than by his answers." - Voltaire

I did not wash this morning

Yes I did not wash this morning - not that it's anything to publish to the world. But it's ok, instead of anyone in the office noticing any unwash-odour, they notice more my fuming face and the aura that is the anger in me. Now what would the so hygienic Izz not wash his beloved temple?

My wife left me because we have no water in the house

Last night I come home and put small laundry in the bath for washing (my wife has left me) and turn on the tap, which only let out enough water to wet the base of the bath. I was shocked – for the first time in my life, I don't have water. I grow up in a village where poverty is the order of the day, but we all had water in abundance each day from our boreholes. So to be in an urban area in such modern times and not have water - regardless of the problem, was shocking for a village boy.Buy this, my ‘service’ is king.

Much so because the complex is in an estate where 'service' is king – I’m told. The body corporate/managers, estate agents and developers sell this estates and complexes on the idea of ‘service’ and ‘security’ and family-ease. This morning and last night, I worried about water, let alone security of any sort. And as a matter of fact, security in 'security estates' is nothing but one big illusion by sales-addicted estate agents and profit-worshipping developers.

Pervasive problem and the 10 chauffeurs

So I went to bed without water hoping that in the morning the 'service' would work through the night to fix the problem. On waking, I hit the dry shower – not even a drop fell from the nozzle. I didn't bother to think much about the immediate solutions as I had learnt, from my travel buddies (about 10 private chauffeurs) that on uncountable occasions they had no water and were surprised at my boasting that I don't share their problem at all and I can't relate. But now, I know what they were going through. And to my fellow-earthmen without water all the time up in Africa, I feel you!Coolerbags and justified vulgar tongues.

Now as half-dirty me leaves my house – soiled dishes filling up the zinc – I find a queue at the gate with people in buckets and coolerbags hassling for water from a Kungwini Municipality-branded white tanker. It was people from nearly any complex within the estate. They were all fuming, angry, vulgar in their tongues and helplessness.

Even small-scale human problems affect white and black alike

One lady says in Afrikaans: “this problem is pervasive and consistent. In my complex we have no water at least 2-3 times a week since way back." She added that her friend is leaving the estate as she had to spend an extra R1000 a month on water and laundry from elsewhere. There were more disheartening comments and stories from the dry crowd at the gate – some even late for work. Regarding the racist lady I previously wrote about, well, human needs have no white and black. Only humans.

PR-machines behind this

On speaking to the tanker driver, he informs me that the problem is a burst pipe due to some massive construction of even more complexes. Surely, the client told him to be PR this if any questions get asked. I know for a fact that it is not a burst pipe as nearly all my ‘chauffeurs’ have been experiencing this problem for much longer than a burst pipe would be left unattended. This dates back beyond my first week – in December 2006 – when I arrived in the estate. So as a former journo – Sunday Times municipal reporter – I figured the problem is deeper and more operational than that, and can vouch that the solution is not in sight until the construction is ceased and the capacity/supply paired with the demand.

Profit-kissing developers

My experience as council/municipal reporter tells me that these guys, the profit-kissing developers and their estate managers did not plan too well for this estate and other estate and complexes they are building or have built. They, my experience from investigations tells me, apply for a massive development without pinning it to the tee with the municipalities – so things start from out-of-sync. They don’t give the municipality the real future picture of their ever-growing constructions and the estimated head/population count. Had they done that, the municipality – Kungwini – would have, I assume, raised a concern about lack of capacity to supply an estate that has more than 10 complexes and still plans to build more – at the moment, the whole place is under massive construction with more and more complexes being cramped in. This is without consideration of the property investments of the families that already live there.

Kungwini, a small town local municipality is nothing close to the capacity behemoth that is Tshwane metropole or Joburg metrople.

Solution unlikely: then the out-in exodus

The impact is far reaching and the solution unlikely. The water problem will continue and in fact, get worse than it is now. I hear many people have left and more plan to leave. I pity those who listen to estate agents who lure them in day after day to filling the vacancies. Everyone buys into the idea blindfolded by the illusion of security, lush long-stretches of lawns, pools, cricket fields, dedicated patrol quad bikes, clubhouses, putt greens and more. And if they would do a bit of homework of why the vacancy – and not ask an estate agent – they would rather live elsewhere and manage their own security and water supply.

Developers law unto themselves

I’ve got a lot of beef regarding this. Mostly because during my work at the Sunday Times, I did investigations and wrote a few articles on the developer flouting by-laws of the municipalities, bulldozing wetlands and wiping out irreplaceable streams –basically, destroying nature knowingly but being assured that the municipalities will eventually not block the development as it is expensive for the government to keep chasing what they dub the mundane compared to problem of the country being under siege from criminals amidst the presidential race, which takes all the politicians brains to one place – that race.

For the record, I wrote numerous stories at the Sunday Times on the developers following my own investigations - and some other info is not fit for this blog, as I don't have libel lawyers payroll.

PS: Our marriage council has granted my wife special maternity leave from our marriage - to return on 13 May.

I took two pictures of this water chaos, and will post them on Monday and will come back to blog about the delusion of the security complexes and estates.

My photos here: ____ www.flickr.com/photos/izzyone
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"Judge of a man by his questions, rather than by his answers." - Voltaire

Hand for lunch - fear nature for it is but a beast

I was surfing the news on the net on www.iafrica.com this morning and I came across this picture and found it amusing. I don't know why exactly I find it funny as a man, Chang Po-yu (38) has just lost a hand.

But the reason I may have laughed is that some people just don't respect nature for what it is. They don't seem to separate the man from the beast - the two will never become one. You play around a live croc, healing it or infuriating it, the law of nature is just obvious, it knows only one thing: FEEDING!

And you getting too close without protective clothing or measures, you will be a snack of the day for it. So to all you experts of nature, please don't try this at home, you will lose, specifically as demonstrated, your left hand and somebody somewhere who respects nature will have something to, unfortunately, laugh about.

I sound mean I know, but alas!

My photos here: ____ www.flickr.com/photos/izzyone
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"Judge of a man by his questions, rather than by his answers." - Voltaire

Lots of interesting reading

I am currently reading four very interesting and insightful books that I bought over the past two months. I put on a plan to buy a book a month, but yes, some tend to be so interesting I end up buying two or three. But all of them, I can say, are books that are really shaping my thoughts, my life - although I am careful about what I tak e in and leave out.

They nevertheless provide for very interesting insight and opinions. I suggest you get hold of at least one or two. My list will grow every month and I will be posting my personal book reviews right here. The first one will be after easter - and the other three books will follow before end April. The last two I have finished reading and busy with the other two.

The hitlist:

1. Heat, by George Monbiot
2. Remotely Controlled, by Dr Aric Sigman
3. The Greatness Guide, by Robin Sharma (my personal favorate)
4. The Search, by John Battelle
5. Freakonomics, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (my personal favorate)

My photos here: ____ www.flickr.com/photos/izzyone
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"Judge of a man by his questions, rather than by his answers." - Voltaire

Racist bitch got the nerve

On my first blog, Made SA's best midwives, I mentioned having had a small but worrying encounter with my racist neighbour at our estate complex in Mooikloofridge. And this is a fitting time to write about it as I figured I was not being confronted by a racist, but also someone who may feel as insecure as I do feel in the new South Africa with the spill of crime being so pervasive - almost everyone distrusts their neighbour, but a the same time, good neighbourliness can curb some crimes, petty and serious contact crimes.

Sleepless
Past 12am one January night I am tossing and turning tirelessly losing my precious sleep. I decided to bear with the 'lady' downstairs for the noise as she was chit chatting the night away with her friends as they cracked uncontrollably. This was not a first and I have never being too bothered by it as it's mostly on weekends (Fridays mainly).

Bitch got the nerve
Nice neighbourly me, I wake up in the morning and traditional shangaan (Thomas Chauke) music and then Mozart to relax me into the Saturday. I made sure the volume was at level considerate of my neighbours - the chit chatter included. Well, at about 9.30am, some 9hours after a chit chatting contest around a beer I assume, the bitch down stairs got the nerve to show me that she prefers quite tranquility on Saturday mornings. My wife calls me at the door saying there's a security 'chief' of the estate - the messenger came to instruct us to turn down the volume. Of course I refused and asked him "which volume, I'm sure you have the wrong unit number". He insisted the lady who called said "noise. unit 69. Eaglewood!"

Belligerent Izz vs the 'chief'
I asked, although with sense of agitation and a tone of belligerence in my voice, that the security 'chief' go and ask my lovely neighbour to come see me and tell me that I am making noise - she is trying to enjoy her lost sleep. I told him if that happened, I would, with a smile, even shut my cd player (and just relax with a I book, I thought to myself). On their website, the estate managers claim that 'ladies and gentlemen do not need rules'. Beautiful. I love that. It further states that in the spirit of community, neighbourliness, residents must attempt all options known to them to resolve a problem directly with the 'culprit' and only approach management - security included - as the last resort. Well, the partying bitch downstairs decided she was too tired perhaps to do herself - since she didn't sleep as she was busy screwing up my sleep with a bunch of possibly drunk friends.

Preferential messenger
The 'chief' never went back to the lady to sent back the message, as he was leaving I demanded a name so I can reconcile with my neighbour and remind her that it's best to stay good neighbours and next time approach me, at least once, before setting security hot heads on me.

Now why is this racist
Two weeks later, a school guy and his girlfriend decided to put out full volume on their stereo after, I can assume, returning from night binging in town at 3am. (The parents, I later learnt, were away for the weekend). Mine is a small portable CD player, and the noise that came from that stereo, told me it was something high quality and massive in size. No one bothered, not at that time or in the morning, to lay a complain with the young couple or the security - I later learnt. And of all the 10 neighbours nearby me, all are white, yes, including the blonde bitch downstairs.

Total convenience
They all never bothered to complain -and to me, I find it a total convenience that the blonde downstairs was home - she blahbed the night away in her style on earlier in the evening - but she never raised a finger. The stereo roared away with Dozi for nearly 3 hours. On trying to approach this guys, I couldn't gain access as the gate was locked - and I was approaching with the spirit of neighbourliness and I am sure they would have understood, as I assume they didn't even realise the noise pollution in a state of intoxication.

So except for me, all the neighbours juse chilled and enjoyed Dozi and the highest volume at 3am till 6! It's other I am racist or the 'lady' blonder downstairs was just being blonde to the comparison that I would make about descrimination. FYI: the 3am-stereo is closer to her bedroom window than my petite CD player.

... smacks of racism to me!

Black and white neighbourliness?
So may be if you're black, you are associated with noising and nuancense to your fellow citizens and neighbours (some whites) regardless of your lifestyle and preference for neighbourliness. It is a pity! Losing a neighbour (or neighbourlineess) is, to me, equavalent to losing a friend and security guard - for as neighbours, we can also report on anything suspicious we see happening in our neighbourhoods, therefore minising the unsafety that engulfs South African neighbourhoods. I guess now if there was a suspcious lookng figure inside her house whilst she is away on the weekend I will just shut up and never call the 'chief'!

Through quite diplomacy and with lack of good judgement, she put an end to good neighbourliness.

My photos here: ____ www.flickr.com/photos/izzyone
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"Judge of a man by his questions, rather than by his answers." - Voltaire