Okay, I got questions!

Highway-Chile

?

Lot's of questions. Answer what you can. ? ?

1. What year was caning abolished in SA schools? Flaps. Damn I got a lot. My ass was like leather by the time I matriculated....no chamois needed.

2. Do they still have Bars? Men only pubs, ladies not allowed.

3. If Yes to #2, do they still have Ladies Bar's where men and women can go drink? And are most men only bars still good for a fist fight, or two, on any given night.

4. Do most South African's still have a house servant or 3? General maid, ironing lady and gardener. Often living on the premises.

5. How many of you are used to doing ALL your own kak or sharing same with the wife or roomie? Cooking meals, housecleaning, yardwork, laundry, etc etc.

6. Is Cane Spirits still a popular drink? (I have never, ever seen it in the US, Red Heart rum neither........... and the Capt Morgan here SUCKS!!!Tastes like perfume.)

Whoa ??? ? ?.......just had a small-ish earthquake. Back in a flash. Okay all good, but I wanted to tighten up my studio, put guitars away and take down the monitors.....just in case we have a serious aftershock. It was a 4.1 on the Richter scale and the epicenter was in Malibu. Surf's up tomorrow......LOL!!!

7. Do they still have Hire Purchase agreements in SA?

8. If Yes.... is it still so's that if the interest is say 15% per year and you take a two year loan....they calculate the interest over 2 years, add it to the amount of the item(s) to get the total loan amount and divide by the term....in this example 24 months? Usually you get 23 equal payments and a final. No compounding interest etc etc. What great system!

9. Is it still fairly easy to purchase and own firearms, and carry concealed?

10. Is stuff like car prices and gasoline still pretty much the same all over the country? I remember when SA gasoline cost the same everywhere. Here, it varies from gas station to gas station.

11. ('Cos we go to 11) Sasol gas is made from coal yes? Is it coal only or coal AND crude? Does Sasol produce enough for the whole country? If there was a world oil problem, could SA commerce keep moving off locally produced gasoline? I remember when driving to JHB from Durban, you could tell when you were getting close from the smell of Sasol gasoline. Very different to BP, Shell etc. Well, at least back then it was.

12. School again. Does the school year still start in January and end in December? Is High School still Std 6(2nd Form) to Std 10-6th Form, Matric? Or is it Grades and what are they relative to the old Std system?

13. What are the major school holidays and how long are they? Easter, July, Michaelmas and Christmas hols, right?

Thanks.

How is everyone doing BTW? Okay I hope. It is turning to summer here, starting to bake. Dang my studio get's hot when the outside temps hit the 90's and 100's and all that equipment is running. The powered monitors are a real pain...they generate so much heat. The A/C is like on....... non stop.

Later.

Manfred-Klose

you coming back to SA?

Averatu

I matriculated in 95 and got plenty jacks back then, its now grade 12, school year starting Jan.
We have a once a week housekeeper, some of my affluent clients have 2 permanent ladies.
I cook some nights and do washing.
Dont know of any gender specific bars in Jhb, might find in the sticks, but you have women only gyms and insurance.
Petrol price is regulated. Sassol fuel is a large percentage coal. We had an increase motivated by Iran sanctions, who we supposedly have oil supply deals with.
I know a few people who carry guns. The licence law changed setting stricter limits on the number of fire arms you can own.

flatfourfan

LMAO @ thread...........but it should get the place awake.

1. What year was caning abolished in SA schools? Flaps. Damn I got a lot. My ass was like leather by the time I matriculated....no chamois needed. (I left school in 94 and I was still getting, I think that it was a few years after that)

2. Do they still have Bars? Men only pubs, ladies not allowed. (nah.........that's been gone for zonks)

3. If Yes to #2, do they still have Ladies Bar's where men and women can go drink? And are most men only bars still good for a fist fight, or two, on any given night.

4. Do most South African's still have a house servant or 3? General maid, ironing lady and gardener. Often living on the premises. ( I have a maid and a gardener, no one lives in though and I have them once a week)

5. How many of you are used to doing ALL your own kak or sharing same with the wife or roomie? Cooking meals, housecleaning, yardwork, laundry, etc etc. (The missus and myself share everything pretty much down the middle, I cook, do the odd cleaning and we half everything with the kids)

6. Is Cane Spirits still a popular drink? (I have never, ever seen it in the US, Red Heart rum neither........... and the Capt Morgan here SUCKS!!!Tastes like perfume.) (if you're a total gomgat, then you drink cane and coke, I honestly don't remember when last I saw someone drink that stuff, red heart...........oh yeah, still see a lot of people drink that)

Whoa ??? ? ?.......just had a small-ish earthquake. Back in a flash. Okay all good, but I wanted to tighten up my studio, put guitars away and take down the monitors.....just in case we have a serious aftershock. It was a 4.1 on the Richter scale and the epicenter was in Malibu. Surf's up tomorrow......LOL!!!

7. Do they still have Hire Purchase agreements in SA? (yup)

8. If Yes.... is it still so's that if the interest is say 15% per year and you take a two year loan....they calculate the interest over 2 years, add it to the amount of the item(s) to get the total loan amount and divide by the term....in this example 24 months? Usually you get 23 equal payments and a final. No compounding interest etc etc. What great system! (too early for my brain to think about that one, I buy everything cash)

9. Is it still fairly easy to purchase and own firearms, and carry concealed? (HELL NO...........it's a huge schlep)

10. Is stuff like car prices and gasoline still pretty much the same all over the country? I remember when SA gasoline cost the same everywhere. Here, it varies from gas station to gas station. (Prices are the same, coastal prices are a bit less, but gas prices are regulated. Diesel however is not, it varies from pump to pump)

11. ('Cos we go to 11) Sasol gas is made from coal yes? Is it coal only or coal AND crude? Does Sasol produce enough for the whole country? If there was a world oil problem, could SA commerce keep moving off locally produced gasoline? I remember when driving to JHB from Durban, you could tell when you were getting close from the smell of Sasol gasoline. Very different to BP, Shell etc. Well, at least back then it was. (Sasol is a bit of a joke at the moment, diesel on general which is not regulated is probably a good 50c more expensive than where I normally fill up, I dont' think that they have the ability to provide for the whole country, not for a while already)

12. School again. Does the school year still start in January and end in December? Is High School still Std 6(2nd Form) to Std 10-6th Form, Matric? Or is it Grades and what are they relative to the old Std system? (yup.............it's all grades now.......no idea on how that works........but you're still in high school from std 6 though, education system in this country is a joke if you're stuck in a government school)

13. What are the major school holidays and how long are they? Easter, July, Michaelmas and Christmas hols, right?(so many holidays, google is your friend on that one)

Thanks.

How is everyone doing BTW? Okay I hope. It is turning to summer here, starting to bake. Dang my studio get's hot when the outside temps hit the 90's and 100's and all that equipment is running. The powered monitors are a real pain...they generate so much heat. The A/C is like on....... non stop.

Later.

Screw AC, just open some windows and chill in the garden...........if it's cold, wear a jersey......lol.

Highway-Chile

LOL...thanks guys fun so far.

No bars huh? That sucks. It was the one place you could go the women could not follow you in. A safe haven so to speak. If you dodged the flying fists.

I gotta look up gomgat. Something hole.

No HP here.

Bob-Dubery

IIRC the last men only bar in SA, outside of private clubs, was the Radium in Orange Grove. They were operating on a very old license, but sometime in the 80s they were told their old license was being revoked and they had to apply for a new one - which meant letting ladies onto the premises.

costafonix

dude, come back to S.A. all is forgiven, its still a great country.. and NO EARTHQUAKES.... unless Explorerlover is cranking up his amp again ?

flatfourfan

CostaFonix wrote
dude, come back to S.A. all is forgiven, its still a great country.. and NO EARTHQUAKES.... unless Explorerlover is cranking up his amp again ?

amen on that one.........I'll never leave this place. I tell everyone who has not gone overseas to take at least one trip and then they'll realise just how kick ass South Africa really is.

Squonk

flatfourfan wrote amen on that one.........I'll never leave this place. I tell everyone who has not gone overseas to take at least one trip and then they'll realise just how kick ass South Africa really is.

+1 Say no more!

giggsy

flatfourfan wrote
CostaFonix wrote
dude, come back to S.A. all is forgiven, its still a great country.. and NO EARTHQUAKES.... unless Explorerlover is cranking up his amp again ?
amen on that one.........I'll never leave this place. I tell everyone who has not gone overseas to take at least one trip and then they'll realise just how kick ass South Africa really is.

+100 ?

shaundtsl

Giggsy wrote
flatfourfan wrote
CostaFonix wrote
dude, come back to S.A. all is forgiven, its still a great country.. and NO EARTHQUAKES.... unless Explorerlover is cranking up his amp again ?
amen on that one.........I'll never leave this place. I tell everyone who has not gone overseas to take at least one trip and then they'll realise just how kick ass South Africa really is.

+100 ?

Yip, less earthquakes here and apparently less zombies (you are in america right?)

Manfred-Klose

Yip, less earthquakes here and apparently less zombies (you are in america right?)

.........and pretty good paintings here as well ?

V8

Highway Chile wrote Lot's of questions. Answer what you can. ? ?

How is everyone doing BTW? Okay I hope. It is turning to summer here, starting to bake. Dang my studio get's hot when the outside temps hit the 90's and 100's and all that equipment is running. The powered monitors are a real pain...they generate so much heat. The A/C is like on....... non stop.

1. Corporal Punishment (aka Caning) abolished in 1996 (South African Schools Act (1996, article 10)) - Although since Steve Hofmeyer is still on the local music scene, I don't think corporal punishment has been fully abolished... ?

2. Alas, no =(

3. I do know a few places for a decent brandewyn powered rumble, but my hands/fingers are my precious!

4. At R150-R200/day, yeah I have a maid in once/week - gives me sunday to make music (this is what I tell myself). My european relatives wish they could employ someone at the same rate - they are paying 15euro/hour!

5. Aside from the maid, I clean/cook/garden solo. I just prefer making my own food.

6. People do still drink Cane. Why I cannot say! Brandy (Kwv 5 y/o) is still real popular amongst my mates.

7. Yes.

8. Errrr.....usually HP is over 5-6years, compounding interest AND 20% residual value included (I stand under correction here, I try buy everything cash). Seen too many friends get badly burnt on HP agreements

9. It's not impossible...Not nearly as easy as the US though - but unlike Ireland it is possible.

10. flatfourfan is 100%

11. They are talking about opening the Karoo up to 'fracking', releasing gas/oil from the shale deposits (from my limited understanding). Trying to be energy independent - currently 65% of our needs are sourced from overseas (Iran = 35% oil needs and Mozambique for gas). This will change a little in June/July when the embargo against Iran kicks in...not a good time to be a V8 owner locally... >☹

12. Primary school is grade 1 (sub A) to grade 7 (std 5) and high school grade 8 to grade 12 (matric) - but I stand under correction again.

13. Yip pretty much, although with our public holidays (and the rule to carry over a public holiday if it falls on a sunday to the following monday) you can ocassionally get a nice run of days off if you plan a lit' leave at the right time =D

Gotta admit, I love this fine land of ours - my family has all emigrated Oz/Ireland/Greece, I'd miss the outdoor lifestyle and diverse cultural nature of SA. Was overseas in 98/99 in Amsterdam and after 2yrs of euro 'summer', I had a bad case of Vit D deficiency. Although the commercial lifestyle was sweet (amazing music stores) and snowboarding rocked!

+1 for SA

Averatu

Highway Chile wrote LOL...thanks guys fun so far.

No bars huh? That sucks. It was the one place you could go the women could not follow you in. A safe haven so to speak. If you dodged the flying fists.

I gotta look up gomgat. Something hole.

No HP here.

Gomgat=whitetrash.

DonovanB

I have mates who drink Cane and Creme soda (or Sparberry)

Hammeron

Highway Chile wrote LOL...thanks guys fun so far.

No bars huh? That sucks. It was the one place you could go the women could not follow you in. A safe haven so to speak. If you dodged the flying fists.

I gotta look up gomgat. Something hole.

No HP here.

NO HP ?

Hammeron

Just to add to something Flatfour said.
I was in a very expensive { 4 grand a month } exclusive high school grades 8 thru 10 and it was terrible. The standard of education was quite pathetic. I have been in a government school since grade 11 and about to finish 12 and there is no comparison, the school I am in now is way better across the board.

Averatu

Donovan Banks wrote I have mates who drink Cane and Creme soda (or Sparberry)

A guy I worked with had Brannas and Fanta Orange. I did gag.

IceCreamMan

shaundtsl wrote

Yip, less earthquakes here and apparently less zombies (you are in america right?)
[/quote]

Damn face eaters there scare the bejesus outta me man ?

No HP, but a system of leasing right ? the situation is the same more or less, u buy you pay on a monthly basis.

The Captain here is still the finest there is ........

Highway-Chile

Good stuff folks.

Tamla, I am amazed you are still in High School. I figured you to be college age at least.

We obviously have credit etc regular loans through banks or finance companies, credit union's etc leasing yada yada just like everywhere.....but not what I knew or remember as HP. HP did not used to have compounding interest. They simply added on the yearly interest up front to the item being financed and divided the resulting total by the term, in months. Well that's how I remembered it when I bought stuff. One fixed payment per month and the total came down without any fees or more interest being added on. Very simple.

As far as SA being #1 etc.......I'm not going to argue with you about that. There is no coming home for me though. I miss the place and a big part of my heart is there really. You can leave Africa but it never leaves you. But you know....I left a long time ago with the aim to crack it here in the USA. Still aiming.......... ? :'( ......... ?.....but seriously, I got married and had two children, very late in life and am now very entrenched in life here. My roots are down deep and this is home now. But yes, I still get homesick and I miss all the characters in my extended family. South African's are a very different bunch.

But hey....if they re-elect that jackass Obummer, I may have to get the eff out of here.

As far as a maid. Even when I was just making out on my own and I lived in an apartment I had a daily maid. Later when I rented a house with a girlfriend, we had a live in maid and I paid the going rate which was about R35 a week. I provided room and board...furnished servant's quarters and groceries etc, uniform blah blah with a paid vacation each year. She cooked, cleaned, did laundry, helped raise my girlfriend's daughter and generally took care of everything for us. At todays scheme of things, R200 a day still seems very reasonable if they are doing all that. It's such a huge burden off a working couple especially with children.

Folks.... good posts........ I am getting a laugh out of some of it.

IceCreamMan wrote
Damn face eaters there scare the bejesus outta me man ?

WTF right??????? I wasn't sure you guys had heard about that. Are you guys having issues with these "Bath Salts" as well in SA?