More on that very soon. My role working for Microsoft finishes on 12 June, so watch this space.

Last night I had the opportunity to watch Amanzi play her violin in the School Strings Ensemble. The school hosted an annual Cabaret night, and although I was dateless (Lu winging her way to the UK) I had a good time.

Here’s a short video of one of the songs. Please excuse the quality, especially of the audio. I was using my new little Panasonic Compact camera. It’s a great cam, but not the best for video. Especially without a decent mic. I should’ve taken the Canon (doh!)

Note, HD is on in the embedded video. But I didn’t shoot in HD.

We’ve been loyal (and well paying) customers of TPG for just over 2 years now. That’s after some 8 years of hassle free Optus Cable service. Until very recently, TPG was the model provider. We were connected within 3 days, and although we don’t get the full 24Mbps bandwidth, we do get a healthy 13Mbps. And the real reason I moved from cable to ADSL2+ was to get a static IP address and 1.5Mbps upstream.

But since I changed my plan from the $90/50GB to the $60/70GB (I know, go figure – why did I leave it so long). We’ve had nothing but problems.

Of course, for the most part, our ISP only fails when I’m not at home. This invariably involves some form of remote support, me in a cab on the mobile phone “No, no, I – P – THAT’S P FOR PAPA – CONFIG! NO! CONFIG” etc. you get the picture. In fact, Lu has become quite adept at network troubleshooting, and is oft heard letting the helpdesk operator know exactly what they can do with their “you have too many icons in the system tray” advice.

So tonight, yet again, our modem has green lights. The DSL connection is working, the modem is authenticated, the PPoE and IP settings are all green, but we have no access.

Phone TPG and there are “no known system outages.” The immediate next recording is “Due to the large influx of calls there are no operators to respond to you. Please call again shortly” and the line goes dead!! I mean, you get cut off!! At least with other providers they leave you listening to last years Eurovision losers on hold for 45 mins.

I actually bypassed our problems a couple of weeks ago by changing my DNS servers to http://www.opendns.org. I figured that DNS requests were not resolving. Changed the server for our network and bang! We were up again.

But alas, not tonight. Tonight I just wait patiently for the National Broadband Network and hope that not only is it quicker, but it’s reliable, and has better support.

PS I posted this by plugging in my Three 3G USB modem.

I hope I’ve done it justice guys. Enjoy! In High Def!

Oh, and turn UP your speakers

I’ve loved working for Microsoft. The vibrancy of the culture, calibre of colleagues, and values expressed make it one of the best, if not the best company to work for. So, although my current thinking is to start out on my own, I won’t say “no” to a really compelling role if one comes up during my notice period.

If such a role doesn’t eventuate, my current plan is to start Rog42 Enterprises. It will absolutely be centred on my philosophy of enabling people through Leadership skills and Mobile Technologies. Watch this space.

If you do have any Microsoft related queries, please direct them to the Director of DPE, Gianpaolo Carraro.

Of course, I’m up for lunch or a coffee, and you can get hold of me on Twitter, Facebook, Email, or by calling +61 401 717368

My ambition was to post daily observations and experiences of my trip to South Africa and 25th School Reunion. These were to include photos and videos. As it turned out, the B&B I stayed at didn’t have Internet Access as I was led to believe. Or at least, they don’t have Broadband Internet Access. Of course I didn’t even have a dial-up account in SA, even if I did want to plug my laptop in to the phone line behind the PC in the lounge.

I did have a 3G phone on me, but the one location in Port Elizabeth without 3G access, was the B&B I was staying at.

This meant that I had to find a WiFi spot, or suitable location for uploading documents. In turn, this meant it had to be during work hours rather than whilst I was sleeping. Also, broadband in SA == 384Kb ADSL. Hardly rapid stuff! So I simply ran out of time. Frankly I chose to live the experiences, rather than post them.

So here we are, post event wrap-up.

It truly was the Week the World Ceased to Exist. At least for 78 of us out of a class of 116. There were 16 Reunion events, over a period of 4 days. That’s not including the after party drinking, or the pre-reunion catch-up dinner I had with some of my closest friends from school.

1. Pre-registration was at the Old Grey Club. I know that people were going to be drinking, but I’d forgotten just what a violent pastime that’s considered to be in South Africa these days.

2. That evening was the Selly Music Concert, all the school bands performing in honour of a former Music Teacher. I gave this one a miss so I could continue drinking, er, catching up with friends

3. Thursday morning opened with golf, which as a non-golfer I gave a miss to go diving instead.

4. Then that evening we had the Annual Old Grey Reunion Dinner, a Black Tie event complete with the two Old Grey Cricket Legends, Graham Pollock and Johann Botha, as guest speakers. This was a far better evening than expected. The conversation was animated, the banter rife, and the guests, if not inspirational, certainly humorous.

7. Friday was jampacked, beginning with a Boarders breakfast. Again, not being a Boarder, I gave that a miss.

8. Then the School Assembly. The hall is far smaller, though no less imposing than I remember. The names of old Grey’s lost in various world conflicts is still there, along with portraits of past Rectors, including 2 new additions since I left school. The assembly itself was very reminiscent of thousands I attended, with the same attention to discipline and courtesy expectations of Grey Boys. Even the school song, which I’d not sung for 25 years, and wouldn’t have remembered a week ago, came flooding back, word perfect.

However, there were some (welcome) changes. First Aid certificates were awarded to some 30 odd boys. This would definitely not have happened in 84. I know because I achieved pretty senior St John’s First Aid quals, and was never recognised at school. Also, after the assembly, the boys went through a couple of their cheers, preparing for the 1st XV Rugby match that week-end. Noise like that would never have been tolerated. Great Stuff.

A final change was the obvious inclusion of other races in the school demographic. I think this is brilliant, although perhaps not happening as quickly as it needs to. Schools like Queens College are showing the way, with far quicker take-up of diverse ethnicities. Still, it is great to see this adoption of the rainbow nation.

9. After assembly was the photo of our reunion group on the “quad.” You have to understand that no-one is allowed on the “Quad” when attending the school, apart from the final photo of matrics and teachers on the morning of their Valedictory Assembly. So it was with great trepidation that we walked on the grass for this photo. In fact I probably was less nervous Bungy Jumping the day before.

10. Then the tour of the school. Nothing seems to have changed all that much. The desks are the same. The blackboards have become whiteboards and the OHP’s in some classes have been replaced by computer projectors. But the lighting, the space, the walls, even the intercom’s haven’t changed in any of the rooms. But apart from minor cosmetic changes, and definite shrinkage, the school has not changed. I was even jokingly challenged to climb the as yet unreplaced ropes in the gymnasium (a feat I never accomplished in 4 years of high school).

Along one of the corridors is a board for every year’s “achievers.” Those young men who achieve colours for academic, sport, or cultural attainment. To be honest, I never expected my name to appear on a school wall for anything. So I was surprised to see it there, bright as day, in gold leaf. Not that a “C” aggregate is anything to be that proud of.

Then came one of the highlights of the trip. First a little context.

One of the traditions of “The Grey” is that the Matriculating Class always attempt to break in to the Clock Tower. To prove their success, they stick their names in some prominent place. The punishment in our day was “Six of the Best,” but the glory of course, eternal. However, in 1984 a feat never seen before or since was achieved by a group of boarders. They broke into the Tower from the outside. In doing so they caused some damage, and the tower was securely barred from the rest of the class.

So the night myself and group of friends attempted to reach glory, we found the tower impenetrable. Glory was to be had, however, our reputations rested on it. So we broke into the Rector’s office and carved our names under his desk instead. So starting a new tradition for the school. We were never found out. Or at least never punished.

11. Just before Lunch at the Rectory. During my tour of said office, the desk looked far less imposing than I remembered (but then everything looked smaller.) So I commented on the “new” desk. The current Rector, Mr Crawford mentioned that he hadn’t replaced the desk, and that there were indeed names underneath. With his permission, I popped my head under the desk, and sure enough, there were our names, still there for all to see.

It turns out that another 5 from our class also broke in (presumably on successive nights) but no other class has since achieved that feat either. As you can see, I updated my name with this year’s visit.

12. Then we had “Trooping the Colour.” A tradition of the school, dating back to the very founding. Not something which is common at high schools around the world. So despite the militaristic and even nationalistic overtones, it’s something that really invokes an emotional response. I remember hating practicing for the Trooping. It is a very complex bit of drill. But I always enjoyed performing it.

One of the things that certainly hasn’t changed over the years: The girls from our sister school, Collegiate, coming to “support the boys.”

13. Friday ended with our Reunion Party down at the Algoa Yacht Club. Here the organisers pulled their first rabbit out of the bag, with computers dotted around the place showing video and photo’s from our matric year. Another chance (day 3) to have a drink with people long since forgotten, and catch up on their lives. I found it most interesting to just listen to everyone’s stories. Many had changed over the years, although some really hadn’t. Careers, locations, even families had changed, but core values were still the same. Most people defined themselves within 2 or 3 sentences, and it was really intriguing to hear just how they defined themselves, and their success. Location, Vocation, and Earnings were in the top 3. Very few spoke about their values, or calling to service of some sort.

Also interesting was just how much people had achieved. Stories of Airline Captains running flight schools, Eye surgeons, law practices, farmers, corporate executives turned wedding photographers, financial managers turned traders, and even a missionary in Siberia.

I was, however, voted the “person with the greatest metamorphosis.” Apart from the physical change (I am about 1 and a half foot taller), the change in self-confidence and people skills really surprised my colleagues.

14. Saturday saw in another lunch. This time at the Junior school, and this was followed by the 1st XV Rugby match against Queens College. The match concluded a Derby of events between the two rival schools, including Shooting, Hockey, Chess, Tennis, other sports, and, of course, Rugby across all age groups and teams.

Wow! Schoolboy Rugby has changed over the years. There were many more spectators, from local schools, the university, and even the public, and the cheering is to be heard to be believed. Rather than just the Canteen offering snacks, you can now get burgers from a local fast food franchise. There was even Security at the match. My only surprise was that there wasn’t an enterprising young lad with a video camera to post the match onto YouTube.

You will be glad to hear that we trounced Queens 41 to 10. A spectacular result for our 25th. It has to be said that Queens was the only team who beat us in 1984. So revenge is sweet, if served very cold.

After the game I had the opportunity of catching up with the Headmaster of Queens. It happens he was my Matric Maths Teacher, and turned around my result. After years of being an “A” student, I’d taken a serious dive and was in danger of failing my finals. As a new teacher, and new to the school, in just two terms he inspired me to a “B”. Without that result, I would not be in IT and the career I have today. So you can imagine how special it was to meet up with him after all this time and thank him.

15. Then we moved onto the post-rugby celebrations. Loud, boisterous, and is there no end to cheap alcohol in this country?

16. Finally A re-enactment (of sorts) of our ‘84 Farewell Dance. In fact some of the Collegiate Girls from their class of ‘84 Reunion were there too. The Grey-veyard theme was the same and the atmosphere convivial to say the least. All of this was helped by a couple of our class donating the Wine and the meat (we’re talking two sheep).

For me, the best was yet to come. Over the previous three nights I’d caught up with, and renewed friendships from my closest friends who were present. I’d also started friendships with acquaintances I’d hardly remembered. But there were a couple of people who’d bullied me at school, or if not directly, had not stopped their friends from bullying me. Some of these guys took the opportunity to apologise to me. So as the week drew to a close I can honestly say that all of the apprehension I’d felt, and the demons I’d faced, were met and overcome.

I certainly haven’t been consciously living in resentment, or even self-doubt because of school. On the contrary, I believe I dealt with many of those issues very early on in my career. But it was a great gesture, and provided closure.

The finale was getting the remnants of Room 101 back on stage. David Large was always the driving force of our schoolboy rock band, which I was never an actual member of back in the day. I couldn’t play any instruments back then, but I was the mascot. The teacher who enabled the band, and inspired David himself, was Ian Thomson, who just happened to be the entertainment for our party. So at about 2am we convinced David to get on stage, and together the three of us, David on Acoustic, Ian on Electric, and myself on Bongos, rocked the house for a couple of hours. A great climax to an amazing reunion.

The reunion trip was everything I imagined it would be, and so much more! I’m glad I didn’t bring the family, I would just have been distracted, and they would’ve been bored. This was an intensely personal experience. One which I could only really share with fellow Old Grey’s. And we did. For 4 days and nights, the world ceased to exist for us, and we were 18 again. Now it’s time to go back to our various world’s, but I’m in a very centred place.

If you have a chance to get to your school reunion, do! Don’t be constrained by the cost, the time, or the travel sacrifice.

“Rather pay it off for 5 years than regret it for 50!”

James Simpson, Grey Class of 84

Of course it helps that I’m on holiday alone. Usually I’m focussed on finding things the girls like doing, and sensitive to budget. But hey, this is a 1ce in 25 year holiday.

On the way I picked up a hitchhiker. Charles was looking to get to a town outside of Cape Town for work. Although it’s now frowned upon (perhaps even illegal) now, I used to hitchhike a lot when I was younger. Time to return the favour.

“Fear is temporary. Regret is forever!”

You’re not allowed any form of camera on the bridge (of course) so you have no choice, if you want to remember tha event, but to buy the DVD.

I was due to do a shore dive off of PE’s world famous Hobie Beach yesterday morning, which was cancelled at the last minute. But on Tuesday, when I was originally scheduled to dive, I grabbed some video of a couple of divers heading into the surf.

Also, continuing in my series of observations is this “car park attendant” meme. The theory is they look after you car, keeping it safe from theft for a couple of Rand.

The city lies just south of 33 S on the Eastern Cape Coast, and is known alternately as the “Friendly City” or the “Windy City.” Depending on whether you value weather or social interaction I guess. I haven’t been here effectively for 25 years. So when I blew in yesterday, I was surprised at just how much I felt like I was “home.”

I hardly had to look at a map or my GPS to navigate. Some intersections have changed, and more than once I took a wrong turn, but the internal lodestone had me righted in no time.

My old house is the same (except for the eletric fence topping the wall), and there are less trees in the bushland opposite than before. Of course things have developed, but it’s been quarter of a century. But all of the usual haunts: Happy Valley, Red Windmill, Hobie Beach, even Schoenmakerskop, even the shortcuts (Brickmakerskloof) were as I remembered them.

In the afternoon I caught up with one of my best friends, whom I really haven’t seen for 25 years, Theresa. She treated me to lunch, and as I’ve discovered everywhere in this country, the service is friendly and impeccable, the food great, and the prices really cheap.

She spoke about her “constant feeling of anxiety.” It’s a common theme here. People are concerned, some aggressively so, most passively, but all worried about crime. Most of the concern is for their children. So walking or cycling to school has all but disappeared from the pavements in the morning. It’s not enough for most to consider leaving the country, but it does affect budget (insurance and security) and planning every activity.

I took a drive out to Schoenmakerskop (Cobbler’s Head) in the afternoon, because that is one of those few places around the globe where I feel “centred.” A couple of differences: There’s now a slum on the side of the road, and I can’t find our old Scout Camping Ground. But Schoenies itself refreshed my soul, as ever.

After watching the sunset, I followed the coastal road back round to PE’s beachfront, where I frequented “Barney’s Brewhouse” for Ribs (meh), Cheesecake (frozen ), and a pint and a half of Kilkenny… I met a great travelling businessman and we laughed about the Indian Premier League Cricket (played in South Africa because it’s safer than India for the players – LOL).

Yep, I’m back in PE. Loving it.

The plan is to Dive in the morning out at Hobie Beach. Sweet.

One of the things that is very evident is the number of people on the subsistence line. People will do anything to earn R1 or R2 (about AU$0.15 – 0.30). Help you find a park, “secure” your car, help you reverse out of a park (??!?!?), sell things beside the road, etc. In one sense it creates a colour that is very African out and about the town. In another, it is tragic to observe.

On the other end of town there is fabulous wealth. In fact, the wealth gap has widened. Upper middle class is more wealthy than ever before. But imprisoned. Although when I left every house had a 6’ wall and burglar bars on the windows, they weren’t topped with razor wire or electric. Armed response is “rigeur de jeur,” although it’s true that many of the electric fences clearly aren’t armed (trees growing through them) and I’m sure that many people have just posted an Armed Response sign on their house.

I do have to say though, that I really haven’t felt unsafe, in danger, or threatened.

Some things haven’t changed: People in the back of bakkies (utes), African taxi driving, everyone’s personal, often live-in, maid (housekeeper).

I’ve also been noticing similarities. Warmbaths could easily be Wagga Wagga (except further north), from architecture to store front; the N1 could be the M25 around London, or the M4 into Sydney.

So now onto Port Elizabeth. It was a fun week-end with Gordon and Callum in Gauteng and Limpopo Provinces. We ended with the Reunion Concert of the “Sunshine Band”