Hehe, Mark Shuttleworth watch out, there’s a new rival to the SABDFL, me, the SABCFL.
Yes, according to PersonalDNA I’m a Benevolent Creator.
Here’s the proof
Tags: BenevolentCreator, personality, personaldna
Month: March 2006
The Guardian reports that BBC is running a TV programme that could help smarten up a few Brits. I reckon we could do with the same thing here… desperately…
“Doing ‘brain exercises’ such as watching Countdown, playing Sudoku or taking a shower with your eyes closed can make us all up to 40 per cent cleverer within seven days, according to research by a BBC programme this week”
So here it is: (my predicted outcome in parentheses)
THE GET SMARTER GUIDE
Saturday
Brush your teeth with your ‘wrong’ hand and take a shower with your eyes closed.
(End up with a smelly breath and a bruise on your head)
Sunday
Do the crossword or Sudoku puzzle in your Sunday paper and take a brisk walk.
(One day wasted, and you’re out of breath)
Monday
Have oily fish for dinner, and either cycle, walk or take the bus into work.
(Spend the evening puking, be very late for work or just don’t arrive – 50 kms is a long way to walk)
Tuesday
Select unfamiliar words from the dictionary and work them into conversations.
(I used ‘parentheses’ above, yay!)
Wednesday
Go to yoga, Pilates or a meditation class, and talk to someone you don’t know.
(Frighten people away with your injured gait and overfriendliness)
Thursday
Take a different route to work; watch Countdown or Brainteaser.
(Be late for work, fall asleep in front of the TV – there’s nothing intelligent on our TV sets in SA)
Friday
Avoid caffeine or alcohol; memorise your shopping list.
(A lonely Friday leads to you contracting a mind-control parasite from your cat. You forget the list and end up buying only alcohol when shopping)
I think it’s worth a try anyway – It can’t hurt to be clever.
Tags: experiment, intelligence, psychology, brain
I can tell you now that AC/DC lied, or maybe they just weren’t paying enough attention.
As Kathy Sierra points out, ‘the only thing standing between you-as-amateur and you-as-expert is dedication’.
The reason this particular blog entry struck a chord with me (no pun intended) is because friends often frown upon my slow but steady progress with the guitar. In fact, if they see me near the instrument they tend to run away. They don’t understand I guess. Or maybe they do, but enjoy ripping me off. Either way, I committed myself at a rather late stage (mid-twenties) to develop the ability to play the guitar. Apart from that, I’ve also started to build up on my photography skills (me and the other million flickr users… 🙂 ).
Both these activites have nothing to do with my daily work – I’m already an expert in that field, I want to be an expert in other things – and I am passionate about them. As Kathy discusses, it’s the dedication that counts. Hell, if in a couple of years’ time I can line up a brilliant photograph and strum a tune or two at the braaivleis I’ll be gaining a satisfaction with life that’s far higher than any work related reward.
I want more than just that though. I have to find more activities to dedicate myself to.
In what area would you like to be an expert?
Tags: expert, howto, guitar, music, photography, passion, dedication
The Sasha Lee Band played High-Flyerz on Saturday. They were fantastic. I’m really impressed by this three-piece outfit. The toothsome lead vocalist (Sasha Lee) commanded the complete attention of guys and girls alike, while the lead guitarist and the drummer provided note-and-beat perfect musical accompaniment to her rich and powerful voice. (Oh, and she plays the bass guitar of course – what a honey!).
Being a cold winter’s night in the middle of summer, the crowd was rather thin, but that didn’t stop the revelry in the least. The band journeyed through a choice collection of cover versions and sprinkled in a few of their original songs (good stuff) along the way. The Stones’ Paint it Black, U2’s With or Without You, a medley of Roxette hits, Nena’s 99 Red Balloons, and many other unexpected choices were all part of the entertainment. It was incredibly refreshing to hear a woman’s voice asserting control over many traditionally masculine numbers, although this refreshment probably lay in part due to the lack of female vocalists fronting bands on the local scene.
The highlight of their performance was difficult to pick – but it comes down to two options:
I was enraptured by a spine-chilling mimicry of The Cranberries’ ‘Zombie’ – deep, powerful and emotional with the right balance of anger and passion. Awesome.
Their cover of Collective Soul’s ‘Why Pt. 2’ was perfect to every single beat, chord, pause and note (barring perhaps the volume of the guitar solo). Perfect perfect perfect – I know, it’s one of my all time favourite songs. I doubt Collective Soul can even play it that well anymore.
I’d probably give the prize to the ‘Zombie’ cover, purely because the voice match is closer.
All in all, Sasha Lee’s is a fantastic band – way better than most others. I was really impressed, and if you go find them you will be impressed too.
Tags: HighFlyerz, music, sarockmusic, SouthAfricanRockMusic, band, SouthAfrica, entertainment, SashaLee, SashaLeeBand
