I  haven't posted in quite a while, so I thought I would.

Firstly, I learned a very valuable lesson in the past 29 years from my dad. This lesson is: nobody will ever give a shit about you if you don't show a bit of interest in them FIRST.

Example: After I'd been back in South Africa more than one month, I get a sheepish call from my dad asking me where I'm actually living at the moment. Not because HE wanted to know, but because my uncle had asked him, and he didn't have the information. Furthermore, even though I'm back, I don't have a car. I don't have a car because I left my car at my parents' place last time I went abroad, and in the interim my dad has found it good to loan my car to a woman whose own car was stolen. So I'm in Pretoria where there's shit-for-public-transport, I walk everywhere, and this has not yet infiltrated through to my dad. He hasn't clocked that me being without transport might be a pain in the bum. He does, however, update me about how useful this other woman is finding my car. Fan-fucking-tastic.

My dad wants the best for his children. It just doesn't occur to him that he should also be interested in their lives. He observes, mainly, and then only the things that you point out to him.

This has made me aware that I should probably care more about the people I love. I should ask them how they are and what they're doing and show a real interest. Because if I don't, then they'll forget about me.

Actually what I'm trying to say in this post is that I don't connect with my dad any more. As my parent I think it's his duty to show interest in my life. He doesn't. And in return I feel like I could take him or leave him. And I hate going home. I hate it very very much.

I'm about to see a friend of mine who works for the Red Cross. He spent a year in Pakistan (Kashmir) and is currently stationed in Yemen. I find it odd - he's been in a relationship about 3 years now. But I think all this international travel shit is a way for him to kill off the relationship. His partner is HIV positive (but ridiculously healthy for it). His partner also has continuous financial problems. It makes sense to leave the country... Anyway, we have very little in common any more. Well...

Right, so the thesis is getting it's ass kicked. I wrote 18 pages of the introduction last night. That should be enough. And then there's only the discussion and the final clean-up. I want a first draft by next week Friday.

On your marks. Get ready. GO!!!