likes, things that make me smile

• cows. You guessed that, right?

• the bush, nature, wildlife - I love Africa. I love Zimbabwe. This is the most beautiful place in the world!

• camping, scouting. This probably follows from my first point :)

• sunsets, especially those watched in the bush with a good glass of red wine.

• university. There is a lot to be said for student life :) I suppose I'll have to go into the real world™ sometime though.

• using one's brain. I believe that we teach ourselves more than we ever learn from formal education. University is a wonderful opportunity to teach yourself! The flip-side of this is a little pet hate. Don't ask questions if you haven't thought about the answer first. The Unix community has a wonderful way of expressing this; RTFM.

• Project Gutenburg. I'm a Kipling fan, and Project Gutenburg has my favourites. Its just a great idea.

• open source - the software wants to be free. Sorry Bill.

• harry potter - when's the next one coming out.

• movies - good dramas, thrillers, comedy. My favourites include "In Love & War", "Shrek", "Moulin Rouge". I have weird tastes - most (not all) things that people term chick flicks appeal to me. I like films with depth and meaning. True stories, well thought out plots, etc.

• cooking - I love cooking, especially over a fire :)

• fireworks - my pyromaniac tendencies show :) I was one of those naughty kids who played with matches ;)

• nimnod - enough said

dislikes, things that irritate me

• politics - both the stuff thats going on back home, and corporate power struggles, etc.

• affirmative action - or at least the wrong application of it. I believe the world should be a meritocracy. I have a problem with people being promoted just because they are the right colour, race, etc. If there are two equally qualified candidates, then give the job to the "previously disadvantages" candidate. But make sure they can actually do the job. Quotas suck.

• violence. wars. fighting (physical or otherwise). I'm a pacifist at heart (most people look at me strange when I say that). I firmly believe that problems can be solved through diplomacy.

• paedophiles, rapists, murders - I think capital punishment is a good thing™. Bring back the death penalty. This sounds like it contradicts the pacifist thing doesn't it. I'd rather people didn't rape, murder, etc. But if they are going to do things as inhumane as that, they should be treated accordingly. Along the same lines, I believe that people in prisons should do useful things. Less of the cushy British prisons, more hard labour. Chain gangs can do useful work, cut grass verges, build roads, things like that.

• evangelists - specifically people who try and force religion on you. I believe religion is a very personal thing, and I resent people telling me what I should or shouldn't believe. You know the people I mean - the ones who tell you you're going to hell because you didn't do X.

• the deterioration of the school system. Where have respect for ones elders, good manners, gentlemanly manor, etc gone. I blame the loss of discipline at home and school. Corporal punishment is a good thing™. I got beaten at school. I deserved it. It did me good.

• smoking. This is another weird things. I come from a country whose economy is hugely dependent on tobacco, and yet I hate it. I don't mind if you smoke - its your life. Just don't make me smoke too. Passive smoking sucks. Clothes that smell of smoke do too. Any drugs fall into this category actually. Keep them away from me.

• drunk people. Why do people get drunk? What's the point? Drunk drivers kill people. Drunk people do stupid things which hurt themselves and other people. I don't mind alcohol, but believe in moderation. I've been drunk twice in my life, both times to the point where I was a bit unsteady on my feet but still remember everything. That was bad enough. Lets not do that again. Maybe I'm a control freak.

• sci-fi. can anyone tell me what the point is? There are the rare exceptions to this; X-Files, Futurama, The Matrix. Other things are just boring. Star Trek, Star Wars, things like that suck. Anything that changes the laws of physics, etc probably sucks.