Epic iBurst FAIL*

February 8th, 2010 . 1 Comment »


iBust does it again

After being offline at home since Tuesday last week, and spending far too much time, airtime, energy and stress having to chase up this issue to get it sorted, finally this evening I am back online.

The problem started when I got home from work last Tuesday to try and get online, only to get an error 691 (unauthorised access) message stating that my logins were not permitted on the iBurst domain. After calling support, I was told that it was a network issue and having heard that there were widespread issues, I took their advice to try again the following day. Wednesday, I got home to find that I was still offline. This time, after waiting over 20 minutes to get through to support, I first had to go through the pain of re-connecting my network connection (which was done slowly because the poor girl I dealt with had no idea what she was doing and couldn’t keep up with me) only to then be told yet again that it was a network issue, and to try again later to see if it came back up.

Thursday came around, and by this point my patience was going. I tried to log a complaint on their website, which got me a nice error message stating that the website is bust (what a surprise). I emailed iBurst at their accounts, support AND info addresses and to this day have had no reply. I tried getting hold of @iBurst on Twitter, a number of times at that – still nothing. Eventually when I got home to find that I was STILL offline, I had to go through the long and frustrating process of calling support. I spoke to one of the few decent support people there (thank you Adrien for at least showing some sort of concern!) who then told me that actually it was not a network issue, someone my account had been messed up and all my bandwidth balances were set at zero. Considering it was only the fourth of the month and my internet had gone down on the second, not to mention the fact that my cap is currently at 5GB, this was rather interesting. A ticket was logged with their special support team, I was told that it would be resolved within 2-72 hours, and I was told that someone would get back to be the next day.

On Friday morning I was called by special support who told me to call back later that day. Friday afternoon when I called, they told me that my balances were set right again, and they refreshed the account on their side… but still nothing. They told me that uber support were still busy, and that I would be called soon. Nothing over the weekend of course, and it was only this evening that things have finally come right. But no one has bothered calling me to find out if this has been resolved, not support or ultra support or customer services.

This doesn’t really surprise me of course, you only need do go onto Hello Peter to find out what kind of ’service’ iBurst is most famous for, and being a company who doesn’t respond says it all. I am beyond irate with the fact that this could happen at all, let alone the fact that their customer relations department just doesn’t seem to care much about their customers at all.

Just to wrap up my wonderful experience, here are the biggest iBurst fails:

1. No internet for six days
2. Zero customer service whatsoever
3. No reply to my email or tweets
4. A grand total of one phone call from support
5. No clear explanation of why I was cut off for this long
6. Aside from one or two apologies from support staff, no feedback at all
7. Over R300 in cellphone airtime after having to call back almost every day
8. Delays in my freelance work from being offline almost a solid week
9. Internet cafe expenses for the week I was offline
10. Stress, frustration and anger at dealing with this issue all week

I am NOT going to spend more airtime trying to get hold of someone who can tell me how this happened, and I also think that they should give me this entire month at no charge – not least because of the money I have spent dealing with this fuck up, let alone the fact that I have lost work hours because iBurst has had yet another fail.

Of course this is iBurst we are talking about, and it will be pretty surprising if I get any sort of reply at all, let alone compensation for the week I was offline. At this point, I am just so relieved to be back online that a lot of fight has gone out of me… I will however be looking at changing my internet service provider fairly soon, because I just cannot risk another monumental stuff up like this again!

iBurst, if you really do want to keep your customers happy as you are trying so hard to make us believe, you may want to start with actual customer service rather than pats on the back at your increased social network presence.

I can’t speak for your other customers, but I for one have had it up to here!

* Please note that the views in this post are my own personal opinions. I accept no responsibility whatsoever for any reactions or views expressed in this post.

Posted in Generalzilla, Rantzillas, Reviewzillas

I’m Loving… Capsolys

February 1st, 2010 . No Comments »

I am a huge fan of African music, from local legends such as Gang of Instrumentals, Wonderboom, Springbok Nude Girls, Johnny Clegg, Prophets of the City and Lark to HHP, Ghana Hip Life and various other musos I find along the way. After hearing Capsolys on the TV a few months back, I was totally charmed – Afrika is such an awesome, awesome song and I think it’s even more awesome in light of all this African pride for 2010.

As a South African whose parents hail from Africa proper, in the beautiful and damaged country of Zimbabwe, and someone who has been around the continent to a limited extent, it’s very hard to describe what it means to be part of Africa. I’ve always felt an immense pride, in the staggering beauty and harsh contrasts, the fierce pride and strength of a nation, the things we have overcome, the diversity and complexity of our people, and most of all, the sheer stubbornness and unique sense of identity that has managed to somehow withstand decades of colonialism, oppression and extreme hardship. To me, being African is something I value, and I take a lot of pride in being in a third world place, where things are wonderfully, crazily and whole-heartedly chaotic and utterly familiar and comforting.

Capsolys, and especially Afrika, makes me feel all of this and so much more. I love the video, and I think this dude kicks some serious butt. American hip hop may be cool in many ways, but they don’t have anything on our guys when it comes to real African rhythm and feeling!

Posted in Reviewzillas, Songzillas

Manic Monday

February 1st, 2010 . No Comments »

Finding this Lark song (from their epic show at Assembly last year) was about the only good thing to come out of this blasted day. That and the fact that the wind has finally eased off in Cape Town. Otherwise, from around 2am this morning when I was woken up by my tummy bug, it’s been a pretty stereotyped Monday.

Lowlights included the following…

1. Post-awesome weekend slump, not helped by broken sleep
2. Meetings, issues, boss panics and dreariness
3. Epic torture session at the chiropractor (which has left me in considerable pain, vowing to never return)
4. Having to sit through the rest of the day after said torture session
5. Gloomy weather and gloomy co-workers and gloomy people in the street

At least this miserable day has finally almost come to an end. Being in too much pain and feeling too sorry for myself to make the dinner party I was meant to go to tonight I opted for painkillers, wine, chocolate, a long bubble bath, pampering Rooibos face mask and couch chillax. Can’t say the pain has gone, but I am at least feeling a little more comforted.

And as for the chiro and dry needling, it is seriously not working out for me anymore and I cannot go through this again. So think it’s time for Plan B – will see how it goes for a bit after this session, and then if it’s not right I’m trying body stress relief. NO MORE NEEDLES!

Posted in Rantzillas

Blisters, pina coladas & stamps

January 31st, 2010 . No Comments »

Talk about bringing the Kelp back, phew. This weekend began at 4pm on Friday with after-work drinks at Cafe Sophia, before trekking up Long Street in my beautiful killer sparkly blue shoes to meet DT. Fact of life, in the city, when you need a cab there are never any to be seen. My blister was soon forgotten after a pina colada however, which soon became another pina colada (which in typical fashion, Hood managed to stuff up so we had to send them back to fix) and then Brazen joined us. After meeting some very cool archeologists at our table, DT left and Partner in Crime arrived. Another round later and Partner in Crime and I said our goodbyes to Brazen and headed off to Salt River to a little spot whose name for the life me I can’t remember. Next up was Deco Dance for some Roxette, vodka Redbulls and mayhem. I met a cute shy guy and eventually Partner in Crime and I caught a ride back to my place.

Waking up the next morning early, Partner in Crime gave me a lift to the shops for supplies, and then she made her way back to suburbia and I made my way home to sleep. A missed call from the shy guy, a couple of sms’ and plans were made for Long Street later. Cape to Cuba, more pina coladas (nice ones this time!), hectic wind, Patron at Hood and then some Fiction fun – highlight of the night was getting asked for ID, LOVE that. I have no idea what time we left, but luckily there was no falling over involved.

At around lunchtime today shy guy and I headed to the museum, where we were lucky enough to catch the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition as well as various stuffed mammals and other stuff. Then we walked back down to Kloof Street for coffee. My blister is epic, my hangover finally diminished, my hair has been re-styled by this darn wind, my diet took a backseat and I feel like a teenager. I don’t think I’ve talked that much in ages, incredible the amount you can cover over the space of a weekend.

Tomorrow is Monday, and I have some torture at the chiropractor to look forward to as well as dinner with the girls I work with – dry needling aside, think it will be a good one.

In fact, I sense that this week is going to kick butt. :-)

Posted in Kelpzillas

The Tale of The Storybook Wolf

January 31st, 2010 . No Comments »

Winding off an epic weekend in the company of a cute and rather fascinating boy, we went to the SA Museum today as he hadn’t been and we were keen to check out the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition. There were some absolutely amazing shots, but of all of them The Storybook Wolf was the best. This was the winning shot, however when I did a little research today I found out that the photographer had been stripped of his win – apparently the judges are convinced that the shot was staged and that the wolf in question is from a nearby game farm and not a wild one as the winner had claimed.

This kinda took away a bit of the power that the shot has, but it was still my favourite due to the beauty of the shot and the lighting. I also liked this one of a deer with bracken stuck in its antlers, this one of a fishing boat in the South Pacific, this beautiful lemon shark, this chilled out lion and this spooky ice landscape to name but a few. I spent almost the entire time we were walking around from photo to photo saying ‘wow’, ’sheesh’ and ‘oh my god’ – mindboggling stuff indeed.

It really is well worth a visit, and will be running at Iziko until March so make a plan to get there this next month if you haven’t already checked it out!

Posted in Thoughtzillas

suspended in a sunbeam

January 28th, 2010 . 2 Comments »

the-pale-blue-dot

Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

~ Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot

Funny how we forget how silly our little planet is really, and all we see is our own problems and sometimes a little further out. All these natural disasters and all this drama and religion and politics and mayhem; yet in the grand scheme of things it’s all so out of perspective. But much as we may only be like angels dancing on the head of a pin (or humans dancing on a mote of dust) it’s all relevant of course. A small percentage of megalomaniacs and control freaks aside, most of us are just regular people doing what we can do make do in this world. Even the spammers are trying, in their own way. Like my good friend Mr. Hakeem who is dying of some sort of cancer and needs someone to pass over some money too…

My name is MR.HARRY HAKEEM, a merchant in Dubai, in the U.A.E. I have been diagnosed with Esophageal cancer . It has defiled all forms of medical treatment, and right now I have only about a few months to live, according to medical experts.

I have not particularly lived my life so well, as I never really cared for anyone(not even myself)but my business. Though I am very rich, I was never generous, I was always hostile to people and only focused on my business as that was the only thing I cared for. But now I regret all this as I now know that there is more to life than just wanting to have or make all the money in the world. I believe when God gives me a second chance to come to this world I would live my life a different way from how I have lived it. Now that God has called me, I have willed and given most of my property and assets to my immediate and extended family members as well as a few close friends.

I want God to be merciful to me and accept my soul so, I have decided to give aims to charity organizations, as I want this to be one of the last good deeds I do on earth. So far, I have distributed money to some charity organizations in the U.A.E, Algeria and Malaysia. Now that my health has deteriorated so badly, I cannot do this myself anymore. I once asked members of my family to close one of my accounts and distribute the money which I have there to charity organization in Bulgaria and Pakistan, they refused and kept the money to themselves. Hence, I do not trust them anymore, as they seem not to be contended with what I have left for them.

The last of my money which no one knows of is the huge cash deposit of TWELVE MILLION DOLLARS $12,000,000,that I have with a finance/Security Company abroad. I will want you to help me collect this deposit and dispatched it to charity organizations. I have set aside 25% for you and for your time if you want to help me to collect this Funds and also invest this money.

Wow, I’m a copywriter so maths isn’t my strong point, but 25% of $12,000,000 seems like a whole lot of cash. Apparently GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER, so if you’re feeling lucky then you can contact the ‘barrister’ at joewoodgate79@aol.com. Of course, you will almost certainly get conned out of whatever cash you’re stupid enough to send, but still. I do get a kick out of reading these emails, purely because the drama, language and style is always fun to read.

Good day and God bless you all indeed.

P.S. Is anyone as glad as me that it’s Friday tomorrow? Sheesh.

Posted in Thoughtzillas

strange and ungovernable instincts

January 27th, 2010 . No Comments »

I sat there for a long time, and thought about a lot of things. Foremost among them was the suspicion that my strange and ungovernable instincts might do me in before I had a chance to get rich. No matter how much I wanted those things that I needed money to buy, there was some devilish current pushing me off in another direction – toward anarchy poverty and craziness. That maddening delusion that a man can lead a decent life without hiring himself out as a Judas goat.

~ Hunter S. Thompson – The Rum Diary

I loaned my much-loved copy of The Rum Diary to my mom the other day; surprisingly she hadn’t read Hunter S. Thompson before, and I thought it was never to late to educate her on life beyond Jodi Piccault. She’s never been one for sub-culture much, but I think that Hunter S. can break through any barriers – inspiring as only a miscreant anti-hero could ever be inspiring, his books are an experience within themselves, and his style and prose will quite possibly never be beaten by any other writer. Besides, in death he managed to transcend his own cult following, making him an eternal anti-conformist all the way.

I’ve read a couple of his books, but of all of them The Rum Diary always was my favourite. Vintage Hunter S. just beginning his journey into mayhem and anarchy, there is a sense of hope alongside the despair and disillusionment. He was in his early twenties when he wrote this book, and like most of his books, it is pretty much based on his own experiences as a young foreign journalist in 1950’s Puerto Rico. From what I’ve read, the movie should be worth watching, especially since Johnny Depp plays the lead, but they’ve changed things, and for me, that is always annoying. Still, it should be interesting.

Maybe if I had something decent and gritty to read, I would be more inclined to make time to read. I’m quite keen to get hold of the Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay, maybe some more Murakami. Or maybe another Hunter S. Thompson.

In the meantime, please enjoy these epic Hunter S. Thompson motivational posters.

Posted in Thoughtzillas

Puppies, pain, good moods

January 26th, 2010 . No Comments »


All fun and cuddles before someone gets mauled in the face

What a week, seriously. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve been feeling so hyper and just plain awesome the past two weeks – so much energy, and good sleep, and eating well… all just results in this irrepressible good mood that is quite possibly very annoying to anyone not feeling it. Whatever, I’m rolling with it and will continue this awesome mood as long as possible!

One of the highlights of this week so far is the new puppy from next door at work. Her name is Sam, and she’s an 8 week old Staffy puppy. It doesn’t hurt that her owner is quite hot – don’t think that there is a better combo than hot guy and cute puppy! Plus, the ladies in the office have been invited to visit puppy whenever we want, bonus.

Then there is the pain. For once, I am totally relieved and happy to note that the back is finally fine – it’s my calf, thigh and butt muscles that are paying the price this week. After finally getting back to running on Sunday, I’ve been pushing it. Today I went to gym for some variation, back to an hour cadio overall (20 mins stepper, 20 x recumbent bike, 20 x cross trainer) and was totally ready to take on anything after my session – it was so damn good, not quite like running but still good! A shake with added banana (mixed up with ice cubes in my smoothe maker) and a glass or two of wine, and I’m still feeling so full of beans.

The way I see it, it’s a knock-on effect. The better I eat, the more healthy I feel. The more healthy I feel, the more energy I have. The more energy I have, the harder I run/gym. Overall, the more I stick to a good routine, the happier I feel. It’s all just awesome and I love feeling so great.

In other news, payday is around the corner and tomorrow is Hump Day. :-)

Posted in Thoughtzillas

Instant Happiness

January 26th, 2010 . 4 Comments »

Instant gratification isn’t always a good thing, but when you need a quick boost, nothing beats instant zen boosters that immediately lift your spirits and make you smile. These don’t have to cost a lot, or take much longer than a minute or two, but adding as many of these little boosts to your day can have tremendous results.

Here are some of my favourite zen ‘quick fixes’ and why they rock…

1. Room and/or pillow mist – spray it anywhere for a soothing burst of fragrance
2. Scented candles – pretty, relaxing and soothing… especially for bath time!
3. Peppermint tea – I absolutely adore this stuff, drink it by the bucketful every day
4. Painted nails – the brighter the better, pretty nails make me smile
5. Stress ball – I have a round, wooden hand massager… works like a charm
6. Cucumber – cool, fresh and delish, but also great for a quick energy boost, oddly enough
7. Wasabi peanuts – borderline junk food, but god they are divine!
8. Smoothies – from the preparation to the juicing and downing it down, a soothing process indeed
9. Artwork – creating, cutting, gluing, sticking and arranging is hugely therapeutic
10. Chat – mid-morning gtalk convo derailers or group skinners on Skype keep me sane
11. Run – running clears my head, soothes away my worries and makes me oh so happy
12. Carob bars – carob is healthier than chocolate and tastes just as good
13. The Oatmeal – seriously, how can you NOT love this guy?!
14. Lavender oil – nothing like lavender oil in the bath or on the pillow to sleep well
15. Colours – plastic necklace, bright mini-cardi, pretty scarf or bright heels… all awesome

I could go on for hours, but having (and using) quick fixes like this is your one stop ticket to happiness and zen. :-)

Posted in Healthzillas, Thoughtzillas

Music Monday: Ultimate Running Tracks

January 25th, 2010 . 2 Comments »

It’s been a great day today, not least because this marks a full week of sleeping well! What a difference a decent sleep makes, and also what a difference this diet is starting to make… I’m feeling happier, more energetic and just peachy – it’s awesome. :-)

After a good run yesterday evening and an even better one today after work, I am also SO glad to be out pounding pavement again. To be free of this back pain is amazing, and being able to lose myself in my bursting lungs, racing heart and pounding feet is something special alright. At just over a month since my last run, it has just nothing short of awesome to be back into the swing of things!

Some all important tunage that keeps me going throughout my run…

Getting started

I begin my run with a downhill, getting onto Buitengracht road where it’s nice and steady, before it starts getting to the uphill bits. This calls for something upbeat that I can sing along to under my breath and get into my groove. Any of the following options do the trick:

- Def Leppard: Pour Some Sugar on Me
- AC/DC: Shook Me All Night Long
- Kenny Loggins: Danger Zone

The major uphill

Reaching the Kloof Nek intersection, I get to be gawked at by people at Rafiki’s (and I know they are watching, because that’s what you do on the balcony at Rafiki’s) and then I begin my uphill. This is one of the toughest bits, and requires something suitably hard. The following all work well:

- Run DMC: It’s Like That
- Beastie Boys: Rhymin’ & Stealin’
- DMX: Party Up in Here

The joyful coasting

Finally at Camp Street (or sometimes De Lourens if I’m feeling strong) I get to my favourite bit – the cruise downhill. Camp Street offers the best view of the mountain, and allows me to coast a bit, get my breath back, marvel at the beautiful mountain and feel supremely glad to be alive. Never fails to make me happy, whatever the weather. This means I need something uplifting, such as the following:

- Protoculture: Circadians
- PVD: We Are Alive
- Roxette: Dangerous

The endurance stretch

After Kloof Street, Camp Street loses its appeal and becomes long, flat and flanked by bergies. Around halfway, near the reservoir or so my lungs start getting a bit tight and I sometimes get a cramp in my side if I’m pushing hard. The motivation here is that there are enough dodgies around to make you want to get past them quickly, but a little extra oomph helps too. Good options for this stretch could include:

- Rihanna: Breakin’ Dishes
- 50 Cent: If I Can’t
- Jay-z: 99 Problems

Approaching the home stretch

Making my way onto Orange, it’s smooth sailing – dodging a few tourists and avoiding getting run over because you can’t hear cars turning into side roads is the name of the game. You need a bit of oomph to remind yourself how hardcore you are and push through a bit more. Best bets for this include the following:

- Usher: Yeah
- Roxette: Dressed for Success
- Jay-z: Big Pimpin

Kloof Street mayhem

Getting onto Kloof Street, I sometimes have to slow down to avoid the tourists/car guards/bergies who don’t get out of the way. Then I have to cross Kloof, which can take longer than you’d think when your reflexes are too slow to get that gap. Sometimes the car guards help you, if you’re lucky. This can be good to get your breath back, and prepare for the epic final hills ahead. I prefer something a bit more chilled for this stretch, such as the following:

- Bon Jovi: Living on a Prayer
- The Offspring: Spare Me the Details
- 50 Cent: 21 Questions

The final homestretch

Getting onto Park Road, I am fine til about just past three quarters, then my lungs start feeling the burn and my calves start feeling the hills. I force myself up the road, crossing New Church and finally getting back onto Buitengracht. By this point, my butt is sore, my calves and ankles are sore, I’m burning up and sweat is blinding me. I need something to take my mind off things, something perky and upbeat and stuff. Something like the following:

- Roxette: The Look
- Eminem: Till I Collapse
- Beastie Boys: Sabotage

By the time I reach the bottom of my mini-mountain, I am generally just not able to master the hill at a run – so usually I power walk up the hill with whatever happens to come on to my Shuffle. Walking up my stairs is always fun, nothing like that muscle wobble to tell you that you’ve had a good session!

What music do you like to listen to when you run or gym, and why?

Posted in Healthzillas, Songzillas, Thoughtzillas
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