The long and short(s) of it...Dress code, yes or no?

So what has me tilting at windmills once more?
 What is getting me hot, but not under the collar?
Long pants on holiday...that's what.
Long pants, I hear you ask...
Let me explain.



Should there be a dress code in restaurants in holiday destinations?
And if so, how will it be determined?


The first item of "banned" clothing for men seems to be shorts.
I have yet to understand why shorts have attracted the ire of many hotel managers.
Women seem to be allowed to wear shorts,
despite some of them having legs more suited to being covered.
Am I being sexist? No, just truthful...
 Vests are next on "the list".
The vests I can ACTUALLY understand.
I certainly don't want to be looking at some hairy armpits while I have dinner.
But why single out flip-flops?
What about sandals? Why are they "acceptable"?
Barefeet being unacceptable, yes,
but personally, I would ban Crocs rather than flip-flops.


So what then defines "long pants",
which is what male guests are asked to wear.
Can you have long shorts or short longs?


I do NOT want this next to me at dinner.
And it seems to be dinner that is the problem meal.
Breakfast and lunch are an "anything goes" dress code.
Why does that change when the sun goes down?


Is this young lady correctly attired?


Have a close look at some of the items on this list...
Why pick on Timberland Boots?
No striped Polos? WTF...
No white tee shirts? Is that a racial thing?
Why pick on white?
Why not pink or lemon yellow or puce for that matter?
If I walked into a hotel/ dining room where this was displayed,
I would certainly leave and NEVER return.
Often these "rules" are not displayed on a web site,
but are only on display in the hotel/dining room.
SNEAKY...


Yes/No?
You decide...


White shoes should be banned outright.


Does the cost of the trouser count?
Up until now, I have seen no signs that have banned jeans.
But then again modern jeans can be VERY expensive,
and the VERY wealthy wear them...
And you DON'T want to make the rich and famous angry


Are these permissible?
And the sandals?


YES PLEASE...
We are adults, allow us to make our own decisions,
PLEASE.


Would you like her as a dinner companion?

A couple of years ago I was asked to leave a hotel restaurant in Port Elizabeth for wearing shorts to dinner.

I had not seen the sign stating that the hotel had a dinner dress code until I was stopped by the manager.

When I inquired why, I was informed that their International guests

 insisted that men wear long pants to dinner.

I did ask if I could check with the handful of guests already in the dining room,

if my shorts would be offensive, but I was told that this was NOT an option,

 I was given to access the buffet, meaning that I could WALK around the dining room, with my legs in full view of the guests,but  I had to eat alone in the coffee shop.

Seeing  I  was eating alone ANYWAY, I did not really mind, 

but I did feel like I had been banished from eating with the grown-ups. 

RANT OVER...

All images are from Google images

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Face(book) off?

 Once more...
Time for me to tilt at a windmill...
Or tilt a windmill, if that will help get this rant off my chest.
It used to be
Control. alt. delete
Now it is
like. comment. share.
And we do...often and sometimes without thinking about the possible consequences.



Are you, like most of our planet "addicted" to Facebook?
Is it the first page that you log on to every morning?
Or perhaps you never log off...
Why has it become such an important part of our lives?
Do we really care if someone spills coffee in their lap,
or that we must all post pictures of flowers to make things better?
More importantly, do we REALLY believe that starting any kind of petition
will change the world.
How deluded we have become...
And more importantly, if you take a step back from this "drug",
you will realise how meaningless and trite our lives have become.
If we comment, we are often chastised for the comments
and if we don't comment, the same rule applies.
"Damned if you do, and damned if you don't



This state of affairs was brought home when I recently returned
from a life changing trip.
I returned, only to be totally disillusioned by the "rubbish"
being shared via this medium.
Now, I am not saying that I was not an "addict",
I was, past tense.
And like any other addiction, the past two weeks have not been easy.
I have wanted to "like" and "share"...
And on occasion, even "comment"...
But I have refrained.
And has it affected anyone's life other than my own?
Not at all...
None of my "friends" have tried to contact me to find out if I am OK.
Nope, their flower/petition/save the (whatever) posting are far more important.
Oh, and let me not forget those unfinished/cryptic sentences, that just beg an
'"Are you OK"? question.
And that is usually never answered
And I can also add bad language.
It amazes me that the Facebook "elves" will remove naked images,
but allow rude language...


This is my message to them...
Am I still using?
Yes, but only as a publicity platform for my Blog
www.davidbatzofin.com
See what I did there?


I think this cartoon sums it all up.
What really pisses me off, is when people promote their event on my page without asking.
What ever happened to good manners?
Left at the portal...
Someone posted a picture of a lost dog on my wall once.
This resulted in several "likes"...which I questioned.
Why "like" why not "comment".
I was rudely informed, by someone I did not know,
that the "like" was because it was on my page.
Needless to say, I removed both immediately.
I DO NOT care where you had your nails done,
or if KFC has let their client base down.
And challenges, let me not forget those...
Post 3 pictures...share 5 hugs...what would you old age name be...
To quote "Gone with the wind":
"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn"
AND I certainly do not want to read the same tired old jokes,
re-posted time after time.
Currently there are only 3 people that I believe MUST
be nominated for an award for entertaining writing.
David, Peter and Anthony, whose musing keep me from committing Facebook suicide.
Thank you gents.


If you don't read it on Facebook, then it did not happen.
Gym, Banting, visits to the hairdresser etc,
if you don't post, then none of it happened.
I used to be one of "those"...
But not anymore.
Life is too short...


My daughter has refused to "friend" me.
We tried, twice...and twice it was a failure.
She says that I am a great father, but a lousy Facebook friend.
In the beginning I was upset, but I understand now.


I will continue to read but for now, my commenting days are over.
I don't need to know how many days there are to Christmas.
Or what day of the week it is.
And for that matter I no longer need the validation of "friends".
I can be who I want to be, without having to constantly check on my online presence.


I am trying to break the chains of this "evil" that has infiltrated every aspect of our waking hours
The Devil is an IT specialist!
Some people will "like" this posting.
A few might even take the time to "comment"...
Some might recognize themselves and be offended...
GET OVER IT!
But in the greater scheme of Facebook (things),
this will just be a tiny ripple in the vast pond that is social media...
I feel better now...

All images are from Google images

Follow me on Twitter: @davidbatzofin

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The Unknown child...

Thanks to a TV shoot  I recently worked on,
I got to see a part of Pretoria that I have never visited before.
Having time to kill before the event started,
 I decided to investigate the immediate area.
I was surprised by what I found... 

I have heard of graves for the "Unknown Soldier",
But I had never heard of this initiative.
Taken at face value, it seems like a worthy cause.
But it is "hidden" at the bottom of the road that leads to Freedom Park.
Probably one of the least visited "tourist" destinations,
for a variety of reasons...

What really made me sad/angry is the condition of the images
on the walls that surround the monument.
This one had graffiti all over it.
And for some reason, it looks like someone had tried to remove the picture

It looks like the thieves succeeded in getting this one.
Could it not have been replaced by the Municipality?
It seems such a pity that such a good idea might not be around for much longer 

This is the actual monument.
I wonder how many of the locals even know that it exists?

"Teach your children",
Crosby, Stills and Nash...with Young in the original recording

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vnYKRacKQc

I mentioned that Freedom Park was at the top of the road.
Costing millions, it recognizes only a certain segment of our population,
who fought for freedom and democracy.
The park represents the following:
The Seven Epochs

Epoch 1: Earth – this era explores an African perspective on the origins of the universe, life on Earth and our role and responsibility towards the environment and each other.

Epoch 2: Ancestors – this era explores how Africans deal with death and the afterlife, and explains the concept of ancestors from the physical and spiritual perspectives. It also documents early technological innovations.

Epoch 3: Peopling – this era showcases African innovations and the many vibrant civilisations and ideas from the continent that have influenced developments in the modern world.

Epoch 4: Resistance and Colonisations – this era shows how indigenous people used their own systems to resist the social, economic and political challenges of colonialism, and highlights how colonisation changed the relationship of African people to their land and cultures.

Epoch 5: Industrialisation and Urbanisation – this era highlights how indigenous people resisted, and adapted to, the social and economic changes and challenges that colonial industrialisation – especially large-scale minerals exploitation – brought to their lives.

Epoch 6: Nationalisms and Struggle – this era looks at the struggle for democracy as a backdrop to the birth of the new South Africa. It charts the movement to establish inclusive nationalism as the preferred model for a unified nation.

Epoch 7: National Building and Continent Building – this era begins in the last decade of the 20th century and explores South Africa's transition from the tyranny of apartheid to a constitutional democracy. It looks at how we create unity and promote development in South Africa and on the continent in general.

Information from the Freedom Park website:

http://www.freedompark.co.za/

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KL0592...What an experience!

“Ladies and gentleman, could I have your attention please”…This is not a phrase that you want to hear just as you are about to board an International flight.

These words sent chills down my spine as I waited to board KLM 591 to Amsterdam. From where I would be heading off to Dublin.

“There is a technical problem and will not be boarding as scheduled. At this time we do not have a departure time, but we will keep you informed”..

This is the airline equivalent of the TV, “Please be patient, we have a problem. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible”.

And what was the problem? The plane had been struck by lightning on the inbound leg and the engineers wanted to check all the systems before the plane could be cleared for take-off.

(As the pilot said just before take-off; “The plane passed the inspection with flying colours.”

It was bad enough that the flight was scheduled to leave at 23h15, and that this delay would take us into the early hours of the morning when people get grumpy from lack of sleep.

I have to say that the ground crew did try to keep us up to date, but as the minutes turned into hours, passengers did start getting a tad tetchy.

And for good reason, many had connecting flight to other destinations from Amsterdam and were concerned about those as well as what would happen to our luggage. Even with tensions rising, there were no raised voices and the staff were able to smile, albeit not convincingly.

Eventually, meal vouchers were dispensed, but you were not allowed to buy alcohol and were limited to soft drinks and food.

I decided not to avail myself of the offer as a heavy meal at midnight was NOT on my menu.

So it was a bottle of water and a packet of Lays crisps for a snack as supplied by the airline.

At 01h00 we were informed that checks were still taking place, and that a departure time would soon be forthcoming. And to give them credit, it was and it was another hour before we boarded.

Now three hours behind schedule, we took off without ado…but the “trouble” did not end there, for me anyway.

The seats are small and uncomfortable, with limited legroom. And to make matters worse there was some sort of box under the seat in front of me, which meant I could not stretch out and had to bend my legs around the seat to try and get comfortable.

 

The TV screen was about the size of a large smartphone. Not something I wanted to watch a wide screen movie on. I did try, but the headphones did not fit the socket correctly, hence the sound being intermittent at best and the picture was reminiscent of an old time silver nitrate photographic  image, due to the fact that the angle of the screen could not be adjusted correctly…unless I lay on the floor, and from that angle it was PERFECT

I decided to try and read, b ut lo and behold, the bulkhead lights were not working!

As for my travelling companions…

To my left a small child who spent most of the night coughing like he was about to vomit. His parents did not seem to be bothered and eventually he coughed himself to sleep.

To my right, an Irish born couple, but now living in South Africa. Both really nice people.

His view on air travel “Fly pissed”.

But the couple that took the prize for the “most annoying” were the brother and sister double act sitting behind me.

In their mid-fifties, I presumed, they behaved like a couple of 12-year olds. He talking loudly, and she laughing at everything he said as if he was the world’s greatest comedian.

My favourite gag of his…The cabin staff asked passengers to draw the window blinds. “Why”? Asks the sister. “I am not sure” answers the brother. “It must be a Dutch thing”…DRUMROLL and raucous laughter from them both. Several glasses of cognac eventually shut them both up.

Sleep did not quiet him, as he snored like a pod of Hippo.

 And it all started again once they woke, with them now discussing their various medications. It was not that I was eavesdropping, they were speaking loudly. Much like “that” person having a cell phone conversation at a level that everyone can hear.

Then, there are the “lights on, light off” passengers who do exactly that for reasons apparent only to themselves.

“And the cabin staff”? I hear you ask. The less said the better as I have to fly back to South Africa on this airline. HOWEVER, suffice to say that they would not have been out of place as prison warders…Detached and efficient but not overly friendly.

Once I have my luggage and am ensconced in my hotel room in Dublin, I will look back on this part of the trip and laugh, but not right now.

Right now I feel like I am part of one of those “Airplane” movies and I am waiting for Samuel L Jackson to pop out of the first class section, shouting something about reptiles.

Slowly the passengers are starting to wake, and as the plane bumps and jostles its way to Schiphol airport, I can take comfort in the fact that the flight call sign does not start with MH…

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Date night...nut really...comment by David Batzofin

It has been several months since I last wrote one of my rant/comment postings.
But I have been left with an unpleasant taste in my mouth(pun intended)
by the treatment I have received from one of the franchises belonging to...


THIS company...
actually giving you less and less.


It occurred  at the Mugg & Bean in Victory Park in Johannesburg.
And a situation that could have been handled promptly
 and efficiently within minutes,
turned in to a Facebook and Twitter exchange
 that went on for several days.

I have frequented many of the Mugg & Bean branches over the years
 and this is not the first time that the same problem has occurred.
It first happened in Rosebank, and I was young and naive
and accepted the way that my complaint was dealt with.
I have had this happen to me at the Cresta branch.
There, when the manager hearing my complaint,
he dealt with the situation immediately.
Not only was the issue resolved, but he and I became friendly and
I continued to support that branch.
So what was my complaint?
It was simple.
There were no dates in my date and nut muffin.
Admittedly a small issue when planes are being shot out of the sky,
and women and children are being used as human shields in a fight over land.
 I cannot do anything about either of these situations...
I could do something about this...or so I thought!
Upon opening the offending muffin at Victory Park,I asked my waiter to call the manager...
While waiting for the manager to arrive, the customer sitting behind me told me that she too had a problem with her order.
I offered her the opportunity to interact with said manager after I had resolved my issue
Very politely, and with a smile,I asked the manager/owner(?) about the lack of the aforementioned dates,
and her response "My staff don't believe me when I tell them I have had complaints. Let me call my baker"
and the baker was summoned to hear my complaint

Generic M&B image from Google

When I questioned the baker,
she said "People complain when there are too many dates"!
The manager/owner just stood and nodded sagely...
As if to agree with her staff member.
Too MANY dates?
How can that be?
I had had the same muffin the day before in Durban and it was virtually BURSTING with the fruit.
How was the situation dealt with:
Was I offered another muffin? NO
And my issue was left unresolved and I finished my dateless muffin
The customer behind me had a similar outcome...
When our bills arrived, we were hoping that the offending items would have been removed.
NO SUCH LUCK..
We both paid...and left.

I posted my complaint on Facebook and Twitter,
only to be met with "We are sorry that you feel this way, and we will be in touch"
I supplied my cell number and it took several days before I received a call from "THE HEAD OFFICE"
It was a Saturday afternoon, and their complaints systems were explained to me at length.
"Thank you for your input" and "without complaints we don't know what we are doing wrong"
BLAH, BLAH BLAH.
Again it could have been easily handled.
The "offending" owner/manager could have called me to say sorry and to offer to make it right.
Did that happen...NO, of course not.
Neither did "THE HEAD OFFICE" offer to make restitution..
Sunday morning I get a call from "CUSTOMER CARE"...
"Has my query been dealt with"?
Sort of...
"Can we close the case"...what is this, CSI?
"Yes, close it" was my response.
I have not been back to see if the recipe has been fixed,
neither will I return to that branch.
I know from my postings that other Mugg and Bean customers are as peeved as me.
Come on "HEAD OFFICE", without customers, you don't have a business...
(Cell number supplied)


I stupidly thought that I would give them
another opportunity this morning (08/08/2015)
"Stupidly" is the key word!
All I wanted was a coffee while I waited for the pet shop to open.
What I got was the WORST coffee ever!
It tasted burned and the service was appalling.
I was sitting outside so that I could keep my eye on the shop,
but I was ignored until it came time to pay.
I usually have a couple of cups,
but one was MORE than enough!
I am not going to tar all the branches with the same brush,
but the Victory Park shopping center branch sucked
when I wrote the first posting and, as far as I am concerned,
IT STILL SUCKS...


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