Energy Out, Energy In

Do you ever get tired of people? Not a specific person, but just people in general? I do. When a few weeks go by and I don't have a chance to be by myself, I start wanting to disappear into the depths of my duvet so that I can process the things I've done and been exposed to. In this way I'm a classic introvert.

I love people. But in order to love them properly, I need my alone time so that when I'm with people I can give them my full attention and interact with them without getting lost in my thoughts.

In physics the world the entire universe, energy cannot be created or destroyed. It just changes state. The total energy that is provided to an object is equal to the amount of energy that can be released by that object. I think the same is true for humans. Some people gain energy from being around people and find that being alone drains them. Others, like me, find that being around people for too long drains them and they gain their energy back by being alone.

I find that the best way to provide myself with energy is to have some quiet time. To loose myself in a book for an afternoon. To chill at home and paint for the day. To bake or cook and loose myself in the activity.The quickest way to deplete my energy stores is to spend every minute of every day with people.

For the last month and a half it's been a non-stop flow of people. While I've enjoyed spending time with them and had a multitude of good times, I noticed that as time went on I started becoming lost in my own thoughts when in a group of people to try and somehow get the space that I had been craving so desperately.

The longer I spend in a non-stop flow of people, the longer the un-interrupted block of time I need to be on my own (or at least doing something where I don't have to interact with someone).

Luckily the busy times have eased up and I'm starting to be able to catch up on my "me time" so that the next time I see friends, I don't zone out or slip away into my own little world...

I took this picture of the moon peeking through these leaves
when I was having last minute drinks with some friends one evening.
I love how ethereal it looks - it speak of possibility and imagination and dreams...

What about you? Do you get a kick out of consistently being with people? Or are you someone who needs their space in order to love those around them?

If you click here, you'll find a Ted Talk on introverts that I loved.

Hoare Hut Hike

Welcome back everyone, I've been pretty busy lately (and hence quiet here) but I have a whole bunch of new posts that will be getting published over the course of these next few weeks.

We've been doing quite a lot of walks and hikes recently, which is lucky, since rain has now settled in Cape Town and looks like it will be here comfortably, until next summer.

One of the hikes I did was to the UCT Hoare Hut (I've been trying to find out the relevance of the name, but haven't won yet). This was my first overnight hike ever, and I really enjoyed it!

Some of the members of our party bravely set off on Friday afternoon, carrying an incredibly large water tank strapped to their backs, arriving at the hut late Friday evening. When you see the size of this water collecting tank, you'll understand why the hike took a bit longer than normal! The rest of us decided to rather leave early on Saturday morning and hike up so that we arrived in time to help with the afternoon work.

Sunrise on the way to Waaihoek

The view from the bottom

Frosty and I

King Protea (South Africa's National flower)

Halfway Hut

There are a few parts of the hike that are very steep - but they're
definitely worth it!

There were 5 of us in total who hiked up together and it took us about 5 hours to reach the hut (if I remember correctly). When we arrived, we finished off the rest of our lunch and unpacked. We then got to work. Some of the guys focussed on getting a platform and drains up for the water tank, while the rest of us cleared the ground around the hut of grass and other things that could burn.

After a good afternoon of work, we took a walk for sundowners and were able to see the sun setting over the sea, even though we were a good hour or so inland! It was incredible!

The work team and Hoare Hut

Another hut on the top of the mountain, on the way to our sundowners spot

Romantic window shutters <3

Marc decided to stage a sneak attack...

Group photo - thanks Marc for organising and thanks everyone else
for a great weekend away!

The famous water tank!

After getting back from sundowners, we were treated to an awesome dinner (along with pudding) that was enough to ensure that all our tummies were full and happy (thanks to the cooks!). We were lucky that the river was flowing and were able to take refreshing baths in the river which was cold, but lovely!

The next day some of our party left early and the rest of us did a little bit of work at a hut that is a short walk from Hoare Hut (for the life of me, I can't remember the name!). 

All in all it was a great weekend away!

Some interesting info: 

• it took us just under 5 hours to get up 
• it took us about 3 hours to get down
• there should now be fresh water at the hut when you need it (yay!)
• there were 11 of us and we all fit into the hut comfortably, with room for even a few more!
• there are mattresses, a few blankets and even an old guitar at the hut
• it's quite a steep climb and not too many flat sections; if you haven't done this hike before, know your legs will be sore by the time you get home
• if there's enough snow, people often go skiing and stay at the hut overnight - I think you need sign up UCT Mountain and Ski Club (Frosty went last year and had a blast!)
• there are long drops with the most amazing views of the mountains 

Bloglovin - Lunch Hour Reading

It's been a crazy week for me and I haven't had much time to do any blogging. So while I get back into the swing of things, check out some of these sites for some different blogs and interesting information.

My favourite blogger is launching her own website, so you can take a look here. And definitely check out her cards - original, funny and appealing on so many levels! This letter to blogspot made me a little sad, but at the same time, so incredibly excited to follow the next steps!

Blogging takes a lot of time - so it's incredibly admirable that Mrs D is attempting to do this - head over to her blog to see why and while learning about her first memories, think about your own first memories.

Amble over to Picking Up Stompies to read some short and sweet posts if you only have a few minutes of reading time.

I have lots to share with you, so keep your eyes peeled for some new posts from me!

A Compiler, A Bug and Nanosecond Wires

Being a female in a male dominated environment has never daunted me. I have always got along well with guys and, truth be told, generally prefer working with them. However, I always get excited when I hear about women who have played pivotal roles in Engineering and Technology, so when I was going through a free computer science course from Udacity and the legendary Grace Hopper was mentioned, I just had to find out more about her and her contribution to computer science.

In my quick searches, I came to find out that this incredible woman was a pioneer in the computer sciences and was always striving to achieve more. She was born in New York City on December 9th, 1906 and was encouraged by her father from an early age to pursue her passions. 

You can read more about her incredible history in the sources below if you're interested (I won't repeat what is already out there). I will however, highlight a few things from Grace's life:

• As a child, took apart all the clocks in her house to see how they worked
• PhD from Yale University
• Associate Professor at Vasser College
• Joined the United States Naval Reserve in 1943 at the age of 37
• Designed the first working compiler for computer programs
• Was part of a team that designed one of the first programming languages, COBOL
• Credited with popularising the use of the word 'bug' in reference to computer programs
• Was awarded the position of rear admiral in the US Navy
• Used to walk around with Nano-seconds and hand them out to people

The reason that I'm so excited about this woman, is due to the fact that, by designing and creating a working compiler, she made programming accessible to the man on the street. If you think about how much of our daily life involves something that is programmed (think of microwaves, washing machines, cars, computers, gate remotes, cell phones...), it's mindblowing! She really has helped to shape how our world today works.

For those of you who don't know much about computers - a compiler is something that takes a programming language that is easily written and understood by humans and translates this language into another language that is easily understood by machines. 

You can almost imagine a compiler as a translator between two people at a dinner party who can't speak each others language, but who both need each other to perform and react to certain pieces of information. As long as your compiler doesn't translate like this guy here, you'll be able to do incredible things with your programs! 

It took years for her ideas on compilers to be accepted by the wider computer science community, but once they were accepted they really did revolutionise the way that computer science progressed!

For those of you who image an actual creepy-crawly creature when you think of the word bug when someone is speaking computer-geek to you that you don't quite understand, rest assured that your imagination is actually correct! The term was used to reference the root cause of an error in the Mark II computer, when a moth was found inside one of the relays (an electronic component) of the computer.

Lastly, I'm sure you've been wondering what in the world a Nano-second is?! It seems that Grace wanted to be able to refer physical references to abstract concepts. This 11.8 inch wire is the distance that the speed of light can travel in 1 nano-second. It is also the maximum distance that a signal can travel in a vacuum! Grace used to keep a bunch of these wires in her handbag and hand them out when she was lecturing, to help illustrate her point more clearly.

I'm only at the beginning of my search for more information on Grace Hopper, if anyone has any interesting books or websites to recommend, they would be most welcome. And I will post updates on other interesting sources of information to this inspirational lady as I find them!

Sources: 
Yale Website
Navy History 
Cyber Heroes

Pipe Trail Walk

Are you looking for something to do in Cape Town that is outside, somewhat active and has a beautiful view of the sea the whole time? Luckily I have just the thing for you!

A few weeks ago, we took a gentle stroll along the pipe trail. This is the second walk we've done of Mike Lundy's Walks. We had our friend, Michelle, join us and we spent a really relaxing afternoon strolling along the mountain contours, with the pipes occasionally peeping through the ground to keep up company.

These pipes were the first pipes to bring fresh, clear water to Cape Town. Before the installation of these pipes, the water was apparently brown and I, for one, am very glad to live in a time where we are supplied with clear drinking water!

I really loved this walk and judging from the number of people on the trail, it's a very popular trail that gets done by families, friends and those out to enjoy the beautiful views from the mountain! 

To find this walk, drive to the parking lot that is below the Table Mountain cable car. As you turn off the Kloof Nek Road, you'll see a parking lot on your left hand side - park there, walk across the road and you see a grassy patch, as you get to the grassy patch, you'll find a trail and that is the start of the pipe track.
Walk until you get bored, then turn around and walk back again. In total, you could probably walk for about 1.5 - 2 hours (if I remember correctly) to walk all the way.

Frosty and Shells at the start of our walk

Some cool pipes that peeked out to say hi

With a view like this you barely notice you're going for a walk!

Spider web and dew drops

Air Valve 17 - one of the many valve housings we passed on our walk

Even though it wasn't windy while we were walking, you would think it was by
these trees that have been blown into shape by the almost incessant wind!

A beautiful protea, getting ready to flower

The first walk was this one which was lovely. 

Wine Diaries

Remember that time when we went to the Grape Escape and won lots of wine? Well, the stores in the wine cupboard are slowly depleting - here's what we've drunk so far:

Like Father Like Son (Bon Courage) Chenin Blanc 2013.
Loved the sand-blasted-type bottle that the wine came in
and found the wine very refreshing and drinkable!

My friend, Sos, invited us to dinner one night, so we
took this bottle of wine and a yummy Aubergine and Pomegranate
dip along to keep our tummies full while dinner was cooking 

Ashton Kelder Chenin Blanc 2013. Another easy drinking wine,
perfect for a summers evening after work!

Frosty's photographic skills are improving too!

Another Bon Courage wine, this time the Chardonnay Prestige Cuvee.
I can't remember what this wine tasted like, but I haven't actively disliked
any of the wines we've won so far, so I think I'll need to get
another bottle to try it again!

Another wine that we took along as a gift to another dinner and I think we
have another one in the cupboard that we'll taste at a later stage - I'll let
you know! Bon Courage Cabernet Sauvignon 2011. 

Sumsare Chardonnay 2012. I can never know if I like chardonnay or not,
but I definitely enjoyed this Sumsare Chardonnay!

Three Rivers 2013 (Bon Courage) Andre's Fame.
This time it was my turn to cook when Sos and Marek came
around for dinner. Made from the Colombard grape, it's had a
great combination of slight sweetness and dryness.

This poor Bon Courage bottle jumped out of our fridge and saw it's demise on the
kitchen floor before we had a chance to sample it. I debated briefly about sticking my fingers into the spilt wine to test it, but the thought of splinters in my throat was enough
to deter me from the act. As such, this is another wine that I will try and find
so that I can feed back to you at a later stage!
(Hillside Red, Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz, 2012)

Stonedale Chenin Blanc 2013 - none of that sharpness at the back of
your throat that you get with some other types of white wines, I could
definitely drink a lot of this wine in one sitting!

What Do I Do? Factory Job

My dad asked me a question recently. 

"Chick, what is it, exactly, that you do?". 

This was in reference to my new job, which I'm still settling in to and figuring out, so I couldn't give him a proper answer right then and there. But it did get me thinking about what I did in my previous job...

When I was in varsity, my folks asked me a similar question:

"Chick, your degree is a very good degree, but once you're

finished studying, what, exactly, will you be able to do with it?"

There is pretty much no straight answer to these questions. As students we were told by our unforgettable Maths lecturer that as engineers, we are taught to think and solve problems.* I think that sums up pretty well, what engineers do. But it's also incredibly broad and still leaves you with no idea of what I would do on a daily basis. 

So, in a nutshell, here are some of the things I did in my previous job:

• Learnt something new most every day
• Helped to look after and maintain the software that controlled our factory operations
• Debugged code (and either fixed it myself or got others to fix it for me) when it was causing issues in factory operations, for example when:
• Valves stayed open/closed and tanks overfilled/didn't fill up - incorrect mass set points in the code
• A software sequence was stuck on a step - it was waiting for another sequence to end so it could use the same device
• Helped process engineers to optimise code by testing and monitoring proposed sequence changes with them and noting if it was physically possible or not
• Co-ordinated weekly maintenance planning meetings and followed up on planned maintenance activities carried out by the artisans
• Tracked breakdowns that occurred in the plant and put together action plans to improve the ICE (instrumentation, control and electrical) issues
• Attended project meetings
• Got called out a lot, in the middle of the night, when my team were battling to solve a software related issue or troubleshoot on the code (definitely the worst part of the job!)
• Worked on stabilising our control systems by facilitating the upgrading of our servers, sorting out licences and ensuring future projects took the control systems into account
• Helped to co-ordinate a supply chain graduate induction program in my second year (not exactly engineering, but such fun!)
• Maintained and kept track of any software change requests that needed to be sent to our 3rd party software guys
• Helped to commission some projects

This device is one of many that I had to learn to troubleshoot
on at the factory

The key is learning how to interpret the
error messages (and knowing when it's
time to replace the entire unit!)

It was a pretty stressful job, but I learnt so much from it and got to work with the most incredible team. This is just one of many types of jobs that engineers end up in. My current job will be very different from this and once I get my teeth into some proper work, I'll update you on what else an engineer does!

So, now, I hope that you have a better understanding on possible jobs that an engineer can be involved in. 

And, if you're an engineer, what does your day-to-day job involve?

*He also told us that the only three things you need to remember in life are:

1. Your wife's name. 

2. Your wife's phone number. 

3. Where you left your car keys.

And the rest of the things can be worked out if you think about them carefully enough. 

(This is difficult if you're a straight female...but I think it illustrated his point quite well:) )