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Apart from one’s career, family and friends, there are three other tiers in life. I actively maintain a balance by staying in touch with these tiers. It’s the only way to stay sane (i.e. in touch with reality). Here’s how I do it: You need to only look at small children at a zoo to comprehend the deeply ingrained fascination we should have towards nature. Not surprising - we owe our very being to nature. Nature provide us with food, medicine, entertainment, ecosystem services, inspiration… But then we grow old and allow other distractions to take control of our lives. It is indeed a pity so many people today are oblivious towards their natural surroundings. It’s fair to say I remain intimately in touch with nature - this website should serve as proof. My profession as conservation biologist creates an additional feed-back loop which fuels my love for nature even more. I am a self-confessed nature junkie. Thanks to nature I am also one of the happiest people treading this planet. Not only does being a conservationist provide me with a sense of fulfillment, but conservation biology also provide me with opportunities non-biologists can only dream of. Follow the Nature link into my world of adventure, therapy, traveling and photography. (and become more in touch with nature if you like to share in my pleasure). Sport is often a source of national pride (and sometimes mourning). In light of such importance, social norms thus require me to know something about sport. Although I have a keen interest in cricket (with The Home of Cricket deserving honorary mention), rugby features more prominently in my life. Having gone as far as I could ever have wished, both in playing (u/23 selection) and coaching (head coach of the North Carolina State University’s Woman’s Rugby Team), my rugby participation are mostly restricted to being a passionate supporter of the Springboks and Cheetahs. There is always the odd one in the family. When it comes to culture I consider myself that odd person. My entire family are culture fanatics; my mom and sister even made careers from music. Though I’m sometimes in denial, the inevitable truth is that I am somewhat cultured. I love going to the theatre, have mastered the trumpet (and even played in a couple of orchestra's, including one of South Africa’s provincial youth orchestras), am busy learning the guitar and even tried my luck at a university choir during my undergraduate degree (University of Pretoria Concert Choir, of which I ended up being president in 2002). Honorary mention: My Political Pages Politics is, in my opinion, a culmination of the complexity of human society. Perhaps, if I did not choose the profession of conservation biologist, I might have ended up as political analyst. But I did not. So, apart from saying I am really interested in politics, I think this website is neither the time nor the place to stick my neck out on issues pertaining to the US, UK, South Africa, France, China and others. Note the link to My Political Pages is not broken. It’s just a red herring to put a smile on your face :) |
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Non-academic |
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Penguin Island at Gough Island Photo: © JW Wilson |
