tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14307036143251950072024-03-14T15:07:17.328+02:00The exploring mouseLeiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-14217452806222713112010-07-14T15:07:00.001+02:002010-07-14T15:09:31.731+02:00Leaves are green.No! Really? I thought they were pink with yellow polka dots… This week has had its ups and downs, which is OK if they are normal little ups and downs but not ok if there are more downs than ups and the downs are DOWNS and not downs. From Sunday: I had a hugely productive, satisfying weekend, because I set myself goals, but little ones. I met every single one of them. So I felt productiveLeiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-1684544572922186642010-07-10T17:15:00.002+02:002010-07-10T17:21:24.239+02:00Trust!I have always had issues with that gigantic thing called “trust”. Probably because I have been hurt so many time by people who were close to me. From family doing the whole “teasing a shy girl will make her less shy” routine (it only made it worse, until I grew up enough to tease back) to friends in school sharing confidences, turning on me or worse. So, understandably, I’m not entirely Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-37320639605468979852010-07-06T02:34:00.006+02:002010-07-06T03:06:04.546+02:00Unhappy times.Right now I'm not a very happy person (in fact, its 2.45am, I've been awake since 1am, and I cant get back to sleep...). I'm hoping that blogging will help!On my mind:My Msc. Its not going too well at the moment, and I'm very stressed out. More so today (actually yesterday), because one of my pieces of equipment shattered into roughly 10 000 000 pieces, and I'll have to get another one made.Ill Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-53422089260372358272010-07-02T20:42:00.003+02:002010-07-02T20:51:23.614+02:00Uh, help?So, it turns out that I'm pretty useless at social etiquette (who would'a known??). This past week, I went to a wedding - KCB's mates were getting married. Now, not I didn't know the bride and groom from a bar of soap...Typically, when I have no idea what to do, I froze with a (probably awkward) grin on my face (and may have mumbled a congratulations, but I cant be sure in the panic of the momentLeiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-60226342997321883432010-06-29T15:21:00.001+02:002010-06-29T15:26:32.526+02:00Milk expedition...For an exceedingly funny see Luke's account of our expedition to find some milk.Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-62710391371641206202010-05-26T18:35:00.006+02:002010-05-26T20:27:54.007+02:00Malawi (part 2)In short, Malawi was beautiful. As I said before, the official reason for me being there was to do a tree project, while the unofficial reasons were to visit KCB, and to have a holiday (by that stage he had been away for about 3 months, which is a long time in my books...) and to have a holiday.I was pretty shattered after the bus trip, and the day after we got there, we rested. We were staying Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-15964883259315604502010-05-20T20:09:00.002+02:002010-05-20T20:14:20.207+02:00Im working on it!So, Helen has promised that I will be posting lots more on my trip to Malawi. I really am working on it, but in the meantime, I'm working harder on getting better. I seem to have picked up a random virus or something on my travels. Or I picked it up in dear ol' Jo-burg, I cant decide which is likelier!So anyway, I will be posting as soon as I can!Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-67133769174889249562010-05-15T16:06:00.014+02:002010-05-15T19:30:25.899+02:00Malawi/Mozambique trip: Part 1The bus tripFor the record, I have no problem slating this particular bus company, because, quite frankly, they need to jack up their service and stop being such a dodgy bus company. Even the "regular" travellers on the bus had a horrendous time, and swore never to take this bus again! Since I have been back, people who heard about my trip have told me that they never, ever use this particular Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-76280356749958457072010-05-12T18:51:00.004+02:002010-05-12T19:19:35.731+02:00Before I start with the trip reports...I feel that I need to express my utter dissatisfaction at my lifestyle at the moment. Particularly my life in JHB. I am totally unmotivated to do my masters, I feel like I'm not achieving anything, I feel that my social life is pushing on my decision-making abilities, with too many people that I want to spend time with, and too little time, and poor "saying no" abilities on my part.Most of me Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-40389934581001168672010-05-11T18:38:00.004+02:002010-05-11T20:34:26.764+02:00I'm back!With a million stories to tell (ok, maybe not a million, but enough for a lot a lot for me to write).Im back from a super awesome trip to Malawi, where I officially went to go and count trees, and unofficially went for a holiday, and to visit KCB (yes, his name has changed yet again. I've stuck with this one in my head for a while now).I used a bus to get there, which is an entire blog post on Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-87652281645699032882010-03-17T17:24:00.002+02:002010-03-17T17:45:27.652+02:00One reason that animals are bad...That reason is that they die. Sometimes, inexplicably, other times, because of old age. Either way, its horribly upsetting, even if you have tried your hardest to remain emotionally distant. I was thinking earlier about the kinds of people who are able to remain detached, and thus, their suitability to study to study animals, but then came to the conclusion that they probably wouldn't care enoughLeiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-61306857976900820882010-03-11T10:09:00.000+02:002010-03-11T18:34:23.795+02:00When the view becomes a nice bonus (TMIT)I am really not sure why this particular experience sprung to my mind, but I thought it was valuable to air the memories, so to speak.About four years ago, my family and I went on a camping trip to (in my mind) one of the most beautiful nature reserves in South Africa, Ndumo. The situated on the northern border of KZN and Mozambique, closer to Swaziland than the sea (see map).The roads were Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-43534946022847369902010-03-10T18:13:00.002+02:002010-03-10T18:17:18.851+02:00Suggestions, please?Since the last time I blogged about Frank (aka Ernest), he has become significant in my life. And thus deserves a new name.I havent been able to come up with anything other than "Snacker", but then, I was really hungry at the time, and it probably isn't the best name for him. So, any suggestions from other bloggers?Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-19596930088953923702010-02-24T17:56:00.001+02:002010-02-24T17:56:22.701+02:00Bringing out my inner engineerI havent been bloggin in the past little while, becuase I have just been way, way too busy... Small dramas, when added together make a big drama, and I have been struggling to right myself after it has all passed. The subject for today comes from one of my experiments: I am building a maze, but needed infared beams and detectors to tell me when an object has passed a certain point. Now, for Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-51824113598857253872010-02-06T14:13:00.002+02:002010-02-06T14:22:38.681+02:00Topic #1Here is my list of helpful topic suggestions: Walking in circles in liftsThe Moral Compass in the Southern African Context: Principles Gone Awry Perfect Low-light Pot Plants for the Office How to change a fuel pump Why the world might actually be flatHow different the world be if there was no chocolate?Sometimes we see our bodies as separate from ourselves. Have a conversation with your body. Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-20817949719383529062010-01-31T18:11:00.001+02:002010-01-31T18:11:25.127+02:00UpdateThe write-a-thon (well, thing where I write and publish a lot) has yet to commence, because I have just been way way too busy at the moment. Ernest (I need a better name now) is leaving next week, I've been doing field work, going to birthday parties, doing varsity admin type stuff... So. I will try and publish at least one topic next week, K? Happy sunday! Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-19064660001474173182010-01-26T11:11:00.003+02:002010-01-26T12:55:49.158+02:00Not really panicking...But at the same time, I'm panicking... I realised this year, that I have just 1 year left in which to do my masters (well, much less than a year now). To complete it, I need to:Record and score all my behaviour data (barring recording 1 section from 1 population)Finish measuring vegetation, and analyse all vegetation, including the measurements that were taken a few years backDo all the stats on Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-35231292546057485082010-01-25T21:37:00.002+02:002010-01-25T21:45:39.464+02:00Topics, please!I need to get myself in a writing frame of mind again, but have no idea were to start! A while ago, a friend was in the same position, and i gave her a topic to start off with. I'm not sure if she ha carried on with her writing, but i think that having a topic to write on really does help a ton.So: Please please please comment with any random topics for me to write on, and ill post them on my Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-59206202634599685952010-01-03T22:52:00.001+02:002010-01-03T22:56:10.155+02:00Poetry!I really like this poem - and found it again tonight, and thought it would be appropriate to publish..."I MUST down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,And a gray mist on the sea's face, and a gray dawn breaking.I must down to the seas again, for the call of Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-77346328582999093272010-01-01T13:59:00.010+02:002010-01-01T14:43:51.307+02:00Happy new year!Or Not...Last night, I discovered that I really don't have many good reasons to be staying up till all hours of the night, waiting for the clock to strike 12. I mean, what is the point of celebrating the new year, if it is going to come anyway? And why should everyone make a point of staying up to see this "momentous occasion" in?I was questioning the reasoning last night, as I was trying Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-17111037895385354222009-11-22T16:53:00.004+02:002010-01-03T19:58:36.483+02:00Utter confusion reignsI wrote an entry a while ago, On etiquette. In it, I described the worst type of unreliable character one could ever hope to meet... Well, my 'friendship' with said character (lets call him... Ernest, shall we...?) has sort of continued since then. I am sure of neither his intentions, nor his feelings with regard to me, and thus, felt the need to blog about it.Since the etiquette post, I saw Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-22557632321743796982009-10-27T20:55:00.006+02:002009-10-27T22:14:19.532+02:00Of teaspoons and soapboxes<!-- @page { margin: 2cm } P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm } A:link { so-language: zxx } --> I have had quite a few things on my mind this past week. Amongst other things, I am getting my first laptop (YAY!), my parents and grandparents had a holiday, a Halloween dress-up is coming, nothing is happening with my project (a bad thing). So, instead, I have been thinking about the ills of the Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-34794788530809376882009-10-21T18:34:00.003+02:002009-10-22T16:17:06.412+02:00On etiquette!First thoughts: what a weird looking word. Second thoughts: What a loaded word...I had a dinner party over the weekend, because I had my house all to myself, and also because even though I enjoy hosting events like these, I hadn't had one in about a year. So I emailed out invites with two weeks to go to my chosen date-of-party, to see who would be keen... I had most of my responses that week, andLeiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-71802522460150929512009-10-12T21:54:00.004+02:002009-10-12T22:14:00.370+02:00Diving weekend, and The Perfume Lab!After a seemingly crazy week last week (which ended up being absolutely marvellous), I had a weekend to match. It was marvellous, of course!I'm doing my 2*(or advanced) diving course, and this weekend was the weekend to catch up on dives, do some of the specific dives that I need to qualify, and generally relax. I have returned home failing on the last - I have such sore tummy muscles! (Diving Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430703614325195007.post-18750941084238261972009-10-07T18:47:00.003+02:002009-10-07T19:42:59.554+02:00It's spring!Every year I used to anxiously wait for Spring to arrive. I would watch the trees for buds, and wander around the garden, inspecting the plants for any signs of growth. When Spring finally sprung, I would revel in the beauty of the flowers, the warmth, the lengthening days and the smell of flowers that would permeate our garden and our home. Even last year, I took spent some time in my garden, Leiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182126043169345536noreply@blogger.com3