NamPower/NNF Strategic Partnership workshop

I presented the outcomes of my Honours research at the above mentioned workshop on the 17th of October this year.

I presented my solutions to the bird-nests on power lines issue that I have been working on since last year. Below is a screenshot of the most important slide. My conclusion was that most mitigation methods shall be combined because none proved to be ultimately best individually. My next step is to test out each one of the methods in the field and hopefully by the end of 2014 I will have the results and recommendations.

EGO

My experience over the past two months has been absolutely humbling. I have been working so much and traveling between Namibia and South Africa back and forth, I had an opportunity to work with kids from my previous school and now I have a new outlook on life.

As ordinary humans, sometimes we feel that we need to defend ourselves from the world and everything in life. We have the need to be praised or at least for our efforts to be rewarded. We feel uncomfortable when our peers are doing better than us. We feel that in life we have to be our competitive selves in areas of expertise. I am not going to lie, I have felt like this over a couple of instances in my life; it is human nature.

After the humbling experience, however, I have never felt free in my life. My heart became clear of any ego or alter egos. I finally felt like I became the person I was supposed to be and found my purpose in life. My heart is full of nothing but love. The love for all. I realised that all I wish for everyone is the best. I feel like I need to help people. I felt no need for me to be better than anyone else. I felt the need to not judge but rather understand people. I felt like everyone could be my friend and there is really no need to be hateful or resentful.

I want to talk to people. I want to find out what's going on in their heads. I want to know what they know, I want to learn from them and work with them towards something bigger than each one of us individually.

If you ever found me being boastful or egoistic, tarnishing someone or trying to diminish them, I give you the right to slap me in the face as hard as you can. I am certain that I have fallen in love with life.     

You better work

Every single time I sit down and do my work (MSc research, NamPower project, my business, F.L.I.C.C Foundation), I realize that I can always do more. Here I am doing my assignment from the Social Modelling class and I realized that immediately after my Masters, I would like to start with my PhD. I talked to a lot of people about this and we all agree that I at least need to work and gain experience, and then do my PhD.

Today I thought of it again and changed my mind. How about I work and do my PhD part-time? Hopefully I will have a project or at least a research idea by the end of my Masters.

Staying busy is good. It keeps me out of unnecessary thoughts or situation. I mean I have to stop at some point and just relax, perhaps get married and have kids, but that will only be in 10-15 years from now. 

Ruacana Visit

On the 20th of September, we travelled to go see our old school and give motivational speeches to the seniors at their farewell party. The party took place just before their final exams.

I was quite impressed at how respectful the kids were. And they looked so young. During our year (2008), things were a little different. We had everyone too excited to leave school so they did what they pleased.

It was such a warm and humbling welcome that we received. They cooked for us and all that. They were so eager to listen to us, talk to us and ask questions. They sent us notes of thanks after we left and they vowed to keep in touch. It was really amazing.

I will upload the speech I gave at the event shortly.