Today, I officially submitted my Masters thesis.

I am finally done.

I almost shed a tear before leaving the local PostNet. It felt like I was leaving behind a part of myself. I was suitably, and still am, a bit emotional about it.

My Masters thesis has been a part of my life for the last few years. I have worked on it for countless hours. It became a part of my daily routine. It was my job. Now it is no more.

Although I am relieved to have finally finished, I am also incredibly anxious.

This intense anxiousness stems from the inevitably looming question: “what now”?

I hope you will join me on my journey forward as I try to find the answer.

Until the next time Milieunairs!

This stems from the fact that I am continuously working on my Masters thesis, which requires me to write and think, sometimes even simultaneously, for hours and hours at a time.

As such, the amount of time needed to create posts that are, in my opinion, worthy of being published, take too many productive hours from my day. It is a poignant but valid fact.

Of course, it does not help that, alongside my masters, I am simultaneously attempting to create, run and maintain several of my own websites and a bevy of social media profiles, all the while attempting to sustain some semblance of a social life. Granted I am still in a very fortunate position, being a full time student and all, but just because I do not have a “formal” job does not mean that I am not busy.

In many ways, writing a research based masters thesis is very much like a full time job. The only downside is that it is the kind of job that is not complete until it is finished. What this means is that I have not had a proper relaxing holiday or weekend in the last 18 months. No matter what I do, I know that I have work waiting for me. In fact, I actually feel guilty when I do go out or if I use my time for other endeavors that are not related to finishing my masters. Truthfully, it is actually quite an intense psychological strain. However, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, and I am currently on a downward slope towards that exit.

At the moment I am currently finishing off my thesis. All I need to do now is write a conclusion and rewrite the last section of chapter four. Once that has been completed, I will have a full draft of my entire thesis. Then the real editing and proof reading will begin. Should all go well, I will be able to submit towards the end of September. A moment I cannot help but feel both excited and anxious about.

Until the next time Milieunairs!

I am flabbergasted that the last time I updated Hans’ Milieu was just under five months ago. In fact, I am appalled that I have neglected you – my fellow readers and the blog itself, which I regard as the online extension of my living entity – for so long.

So much has happened over the last several months that it would be almost impossible to detail it all in a single post. I will eventually get to updating my milieu, but until then here is a brief account of the major events that have transpired:

• I am another year older.
• I have almost finished my Masters – something I am both excited and anxious about.
• I am a now Mac user – who would have thought?!
• I have made wonderful new friends.
• I have grown stronger emotionally, mentally and, most importantly, spiritually.
• I am still single.
• The Upper Palatte is making a glorious return – beginning again in August.
• I have started a website for video games and technology: Vamers - officially launching in October.
• One of my Tweets went viral.
• I am committed to going from Flab to Fab by December this year – just in time for Summer.

I will attempt to update as often as possible, at least once a week from this day forward, but my education comes first. So until my Masters is complete I will be unable to update as frequently as I would like. Only a few months to go!

Until the next time Milieunairs!

South Africans are a buzz.

That’s right folks U2 is here  and, believe it or not (I still cannot), I was privileged enough to crack an elusive invitation to an exclusive behind the scenes look at the inner workings of the U2 360° Tour.

“The Claw”, or as it is known locally “The Prawn”, is a magnificent structure. I have never seen a stage construction like it before. It is so big that it actually begins to make the FNB Stadium, previously known as Soccer City, feel small. Let me tell you, that is no easy feat. Check out the video I created below for an indication of the true immensity of this structure.

Here are a few more interesting facts about “The Claw” and the U2 360° Tour:

• Before reaching South Africa, over 4.5 million people would have seen U2 360°.
• The design can support up to 180 tonnes and was conceptually designed using forks over ‘dinner’ during the Vertigo Tour in 2006.
• The steel structure is 28 meters tall with the center pylon reaching a  height of 45 meters.
• The cylindrical video screen is made up of 1 million pieces, weighs 54 tonnes, is 4300 square feet when closed and opens to a size of 14 000 square feet.
• The steel structure takes four days to build with a further 12 hours to load the screen, stage and production equipment.

Behind the Scenes VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

In addition to getting all close and personal with “The Claw” while on the ‘behind the scenes tour’, we were also extremely lucky to have the chance to speak to Jake Berry (U2 360° Tour Production Director), Paul McGuiness (U2’s Manager) and John Langford (Chief Operating Officer of Big Concerts).

In order, from left to right: Jake Berry, Paul McGuiness and John Langford.

Whether you are a fan of U2 or not, this is most certainly a show you do not want to miss. I would even go so far as to fully agree with the U2 360° Tour Production Director Jake Berry, who exclaims how being able to attend this production would be “an opportunity of a lifetime”.

360° Panorama of the FNB Stadium and U2 360 Claw

I would like to offer my sincerest thanks to 94.7 Highveld Stereo, Primedia and everyone else who contributed towards allowing me to be a part of such a privileged and incredible “behind the scenes” experience. Thank you!

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

Yes, I have been quite the slacker when it comes to updating my blog. I have no excuses this time though. Truth be told, I have just not felt like updating.

(Picture courtesy of AlaaShaker)

Granted I was abroad for over 5 glorious weeks but what people in the blogosphere do not tell you is that blogging is hard. It takes time & skill to write good posts worthy of garnering attention and building a ‘following’. I have found that it is much easier to simply update my social networks with information than to have to sit down and consciously write and edit stories about my life.

With that said, I cannot help but feel ‘guilty’ for neglecting you. Yes you, a member of the undeniable legions of readers I fool myself into believing are actually there. Thus, I will persevere. However, I will no longer fill your dreams and hopes with empty promises. I shall blog but I will do so randomly and without any form of predictability.

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

Last night we went to watch David Copperfield live at the Hollywood theatre in the MGM Grand Hotel. I have seen Copperfield live before, he came to South Africa many years ago, so this was not my first time seeing the legendary magician flex his card tricks. However, because we enjoyed his performance so much the last time, we decided to do it again, and boy did I get my money’s worth.

Let me be honest. The guy can sometimes come across as a bit arrogant, often prompting the audience to clap for him while generally seeming unenthused about his performance. The introduction video of ‘how great he is’ did not help matters either. It is a shame really, since some of his acts are simply mind boggling while others are, sadly, downright dismal. I am actually a little perplexed as to why he is still performing, goodness knows he does not need the money or the recognition. After all, for an illusionist who thrives on pushing the boundaries, when last did you actually hear of David Copperfield? yeah, that is what I thought.

Anyway, the main reason for this post has to do with what happened during the show. In short, I was called up as an unwilling participant. I say unwilling because I was dreading being called up, my stomach was twisting before I got picked, and, as luck would have it, I was randomly chosen.

The act was all about how Copperfield could predict a random set of numbers and words given to him by the audience, which were recorded on a piece of paper, a tape and a set of vehicular number plates, all locked up in a silver chest suspended above the audience. To make it even more interesting, it is later revealed that the number plates belonged to his grandfather.

In order to participate I had to answer two questions, this was after informing him that I was from South Africa, after which he began laughing hysterically. I have my reasons as to why he caught the hysterics, but I will let that pass for now.

The first task asked of me was: “Name any two numbers of your choice between 1 and 50”. I chose five and nine. The second, a question: ‘”When last did I get lucky”? Wh… what?! Yeah, that is right. Mr Copperfield wanted to know when was the last time I had sex.

Milieunairs, if you do not know by now, although you should, I am still a virgin. I have previously admitted to being proud of my ‘V’ status, but it is one thing to be proud and another feeling entirely to admit my lack of a sex life to a 250 strong crowd of people, in Las Vegas of all places; a city second only to Amsterdam in terms of liberal sex. I know that may seem a tad hypocritical, being proud of something I believe in yet not standing for up for it, but I believe it was simply the circumstance of being caught off guard that warranted my initial reluctance.

So what did I do? Instead of simply saying “I am a Virgin”, I paused, for an uncomfortable amount of time, before uttering “What if I say never”? I kid you not when I say that you could have heard a pin drop in the theatre. It was deathly silent. As if I had committed some heinous crime. Copperfield laughed and proceeded to write ‘Virg’ on his white board – which we would later find out was code for Virginia. He made a further crack or two at my Virgin status, which got the audience laughing, before inviting me up on stage with the other participants. I swear, I think my face was beetroot red through most of the act.

While on stage I had to unlock this silver chest using three keys. Since he knew I was South African he asked me if I know how to speak Afrikaans. I said yes. Why I did, I am not sure because he then wanted to know what certain English words were in Afrikaans. To say that my Afrikaans is laughable, would be an understatement. I barely managed to inform him that ‘lock’ is ‘sloot’ and right is ‘regs’. He lapped it up anyway and instructed me to unlock the chest. Since I was a Virgin, he kept going on about a ‘slow screw’ and what ‘not to do’ while in the sack, to turn the lock slowly so as not to ‘rush the climax’ and so on and so forth. It was funny and I laughed with the audience, regardless of how mortified I was.

This act was by far the best one of the evening, even more so because I was able to be a part of it. How he managed to do what he did, is beyond me.

All in all I had an amazing time and I feel immensely privileged to have been a part of a legendary David Copperfield performance, despite his apparent fall into mediocrity.

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

For quite some time I have considered mobile blogging. Unfortunately, the WordPress mobile website is far from satisfactory. At least, that was the case with my previous Nokia and Windows Mobile devices.

I haven’t mentioned it to you all yet but I have made the move back to the iPhone. Yes I know, I was really negative about my original iPhone 3G back in 2008 (which I still haven’t been paid in full for after I sold it) but that was all pre-iPhone OS 3.0. Now, with my iPhone 3GS and the latest iPhone OS, I feel like I can see colours again!

The post you are reading now has been compiled on the WordPress iPhone application. It is pretty good. Not perfect, but acceptable enough for me to actually want to use.

Anyway, this was just a short and sweet post about the fact that I am back into the mobile blogging scene. Hopefully this new application will allow for a more organic blogging experience.

Until the next time Milieunairs!

(Update: I bought a new app called BlogPress and have edited this post with it. It cost $3 but it appears to be worth it)

So it is of no surprise that when my fellow Twitter friends, @RubyLetters and @JessicaMcD, tweeted about their blog posts entitled ‘102 Random Facts About Me’; that I would instantly feel compelled to join in on this fun and revealing new Internet meme.

In celebration of what will no doubt be quite a momentous task (just think about how hard it is to think of 5 interesting things about yourself, never mind 102), I have created the ‘102 Random Facts About Me’ blogger badge. This badge will be awarded to anyone who can successfully write 102 things about themself. If you can complete the task, chances are quite good that you will receive a badge.

Without further ado, I present to you, ‘102 Random Facts About Me’.

When I set about writing this blog post, I vastly underestimated how difficult it would actually be. I thought, “okay, 102 things about me… this should be easy enough”. It is all fine and dandy thinking of 102 things about yourself, but trying to find 102 interesting things about yourself, that is another story all together. Needless to say, this is by far one of the most challenging posts I have had to write, but I did it. I hope you enjoy what I have written and I look forward to your feedback!

1. My parents tried for nine years to have a child. They were thinking of adopting, before a small miracle happened… me (that’s how my mom likes to describe it).
2. I’m a preemie. I was born one month premature, thus I spent one month in an incubator. Even though I was premature I managed to weigh in at 3.4 kg at birth.
3. I firmly believe in self preservation. Unfortunately, I managed to break my first bone last year, which I am still undergoing physiotherapy for.
4. I have only ever known one of my grandparents. My fathers mom, whom I only ever affectionately knew as ‘Ouma’. Sadly, all my other grandparents died before my birth.
5. I primarily write in cursive, much to the detriment of everyone else. A teacher once described my hand writing as “beautifully neat from a far, but illegible up close”.
6. There are only a few select people who I will fart in front of. Aren’t they lucky?
7. I am from German and French descent – I can speak and understand French semi-fluently.
8. I still enjoy building and playing with Lego sets. Much to the chagrin of my younger cousins.
9. I’m great with kids. I’m like a kid magnet. Kids love me for some reason. Seriously!
10. Whenever possible, family always come first. Family take priority.
11. I adore symmetry.
12. I am a bit of a self confessed sadist. I will laugh at someone else’s misfortune, within reason of course, before attempting to help them. For example: I would laugh at someone falling on the floor if the chair they were sitting on had to break. With that said, I would never ridicule nor laugh at any kind of person who has a legitimate disability of any kind – this I feel strongly about.
13. I get presents every six months because I’m born in June. Awesome, right? As I have mentioned before I like symmetry, so it works well.
14. I dislike being dirty and I wash my hands more often than I care to take note of. I can also be a bit of a germ freak.
15. I prefer to hug than to shake hands with people (you never know what they’ve been touching).
16. I come from a very warm and close knit European styled family. So I am very ‘hands on’.
17. I have been told that I am an oblivious flirt. Apparently I do it without realising it. Must be my dormant French heritage
18. I always unpack a trolley by grouping items together and I become irritated if the teller scans the items that I have grouped, in a different order.
19. I think I may have a slight case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
20. I have never moved and have only ever called one place ‘home’.
21. I have an ‘innie’ (bellybutton).
22. I am extremely good at keeping secrets.
23. There are personal aspects of my life that I have never discussed with anyone.
24. I am very close to my parents.
25. Although I have been shouted at by my folks, I have never been ‘smacked’ by either of them.
26. My parents have never restricted me from doing anything. They seldom say no. I am an only child after all.
27. I have never been drunk.
28. I have never smoked a cigarette.
29. I have never taken any form of a recreational or abusive substance (drug free).
30. I am still a Virgin *surprise*.
31. Jurassic Park is one of my favourite movies of all time.
32. I still have a vested interest in all things Dinosaur related.
33. I read… a lot.
34. I adore the feeling of getting into a crisp, clean and cool-to-the-touch bed. With that said, I cannot stand it when my bed is creased or has been lain in or upon.
35. The first thing I do when I wake up is reach for my mobile phone.
36. I have had shoulder length hair since 2005. Before that I had a number 2 or 3 ‘buzz’ cut, styled with gel.
37. I love taking photographs – a passion I would like to hone.
38. I am committed to learning how to play the piano. One of my new years resolutions for 2010.
39. I photo-bomb, but only in jest and with those I know and care for well.
40. I graduated with a ‘High Distinction’ (cum laude) for my undergraduate degree and an ‘Honours First Class’ for my honours degree (summa cum laude).
41. I am currently pursuing my Masters in Communications with an emphasis on new media technologies, Ludology and convergence cultures.
42. I am a professional procrastinator.
43. I become irritable with people who cannot spell or who use grammar incorrectly.
44. I cannot bend my left thumb without causing my left index, middle and ring fingers to involuntarily bend in unison.
45. I have a knack for always choosing and liking the most expensive item in a store regardless of the brand. Much to the detriment of my bank balance.
46. Whenever I see a character holding his/her breathe in a movie or on television, I always attempt to hold my breathe in for as long as he/she can.
47. I watch a ridiculous amount of television series.
48. I have an extremely broad taste in music; ranging from the pop synth of Britney Spears, to the rock of Muse, to the velvet voice of Michael Buble, and the symphonic works of Beethoven, all within my vast music collection. What I choose to listen to, all depends on how I feel at that time.
49. My God son is exactly 14 years, 364 days and 12 hours younger than me.
50. This year I will turn 25 – a quarter of a century and half way to 50. 
51. I was born on a Wednesday. Contrary to the popular poem ‘Wednesdays Child’, I am anything but filled with ‘woe’. If anything, I am a glass is always half-full kind of person because I know that I have already sipped down the other half
52. I am a self-inflicted insomniac – I can fall asleep… but there is always just so much to do and never enough time to do it all in!
53. I enjoy writing poetry; I just never make the time to do it.
54. Before bed I will always, without fail, brush my teeth, wash my face and moisturise.
55. I always kiss my parents goodnight.
56. I do not abuse the phrase ‘I love you’ (in other words, I do not say it for the sake of saying it). I will say ‘I love you’ but only if I honestly and truly mean it.
57. I am most definitely a dog person and I am purportedly allergic to cats.
58. I am a boob man.
59. I talk too much and, if I’m really passionate about something, too fast.
60. I’m not a nerd, but I am probably a bit of a geek.
61. I have been told that I have a very good sense of style and fashion.
62. From the age of two, I have been choosing which clothes to wear.
63. I always dress well, even if it is just to go to a convenience store.
64. You will never see me barefoot unless I’m at the beach or in a swimming pool.
65. I have been told that my hands and feet are exceptionally soft.
66. I eat everything… except pork; courtesy of ‘Dr. Gregory House’.
67. Mosquito’s, to my itchy misfortune, absolutely adore my scent. With me around, everyone else is safe.
68. I love new technology and gadgets and I am often always fortunate and privileged enough to get my grubby paws on the latest and greatest tech.
69. I’m addicted to Twitter and the Internet. I had to include it. Being able to access, use and distribute information, from any location and about practically any topic is simply incredible.
70. I have yet to become someone’s ‘Knight in Shining Armour’. When it happens though, I will be sure to tell you all about her
71. I have an affinity for numbers. They intrigue me.
72. I do not have a tattoo but, on more than one occasion, I have thought about getting one.
73. I have only ever said/used the acronym for ‘Fornicating Under Consent of the King’ twice (I distinctly remember each unfortunate utterance). I prefer not to ‘cuss’ as I believe it degrades a persons character and class. However, this is not to say that I steer away from all expletives. I still use some of the more common ‘swears’, although only fairly rarely.
74. I enjoy curling up with a good book, particularly when it rains and it is overcast and cloudy.
75. I love watching liquids move, any and all. I enjoy examining different kinds of liquids, how they move and react to different stimuli as well as experimenting with a liquids viscosity.
76. I thoroughly enjoy anything with chocolate but I am not a fan of ‘sweets’, per se – you know, things like Jelly Tots, Winegums or hard candies. I also prefer eating tarts to cakes.
77. Sometimes I really enjoy simple foods. For example, the smell and taste of buttered toast is enough for me… *begins salivating*.
78. I love milk and can often be seen with a large glass of full cream dairy goodness.
79. I only drive German born ladies – I’m talking about cars here people! At first I was with ‘Goldie’ but now I am with ‘Vivushka’.
80. I only recently learnt that I should floss before brushing my teeth. Yeah I know… *face palm*
81. I have been told that I have a high pain threshold.
82. I have never dyed my hair. I am ‘au natural’.
83. I have only put highlights in my hair twice. I prefer naturally occurring highlights to the artificial kind.
84. I despise people who lie and I know how it feel be betrayed by those closest to you.
85. I know how to forgive and move on but do not expect me to forget how you made me, or those closest to me, feel.
86. If I have something to say, chances are good I will say them to your face instead of behind your back. I am fairly direct but I am not tactless.
87. I cry, unashamedly, in sad movies.
88. I was always the tallest kid in school (nursery/primary/high). I reached my dad’s height at the age of 13. I have grown quite a bit since that time and I appear to have leveled off at a ‘comfortable’ height of 195cm.
89. I have heard all of the “how is the weather up there” jokes.
90. I started shaving at the age of 13 and I am convinced that I have a beard of steel. Razor’s just do not last.
91. I have only ever been asked once, up until this point in my life, for any form of identification when entering an age restricted area.
92. When asked to guess my age, most people think I am in my late twenties.
93. I have been told that when I was two years old, a few people used to think I was at least 5 or 6.
94. I have become completely ambidextrous; after breaking my right dominant arm. Needless to say, it comes in handy (no pun intended ).
95. I do not drink carbonated drinks because they give me more gas than I care to have to deal with.
96. Most of my cousins, aunts and uncles used to (some still do) call me ‘Hansie’.
97. I have been given the nickname of ‘Hunni Bunni’ by most of my younger cousins. My God son calls me ‘Huntsy Buntsy’.
98. I do not physically bruise easily but I do scar quite badly.
99. I am secure enough with my sexuality to not care about what anyone thinks. Thus I am not afraid of wearing colour and I actually really like soft pastel coloured clothing.
100. I love laughing so hard that it spurns on tears, causing my hidden abs to spasm which results in a shortness of breathe. Laughing truly is the best medicine.
101. I am known for being happy, for always having a smile on my face and for laughing, for no apparent reason.
102. I am psyched to think that I did it. I managed to write 102 random facts about myself.

Funny thing about this ‘102 Random Facts About Me’ meme is that I actually thought of more random facts about myself towards the end. I will, however, save those for another day.

I’m tagging Freddy & Louisa for this meme

I hope you all enjoyed learning a little bit more about me.

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

The ‘99 Things’ idea is to look at this list of 99 things you could have done, and bold the ones that you actually have done!

Here we go…

1.) Started your own blog
2.) Slept under the stars
3.) Played in a band
4.) Visited Hawaii
5.) Watched a meteor shower
6.) Given more than you can afford to charity
7.) Been to Disney World
8.) Climbed a mountain
9.) Held a praying mantis
10.) Sang a solo
11.) Bungee jumped
12.) Visited Paris
13.) Watched a lightning storm
14.) Taught yourself an art from scratch
15.) Adopted a child
16.) Had food poisoning
17.) Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18.) Grown your own veggies
19.) Seen the Mona Lisa at the Louvre
20.) Slept on an overnight train
21.) Had a pillow fight
22.) Hitch hiked
23.) Taken a sick day when you’re not sick
24.) Made a snow fort
25.) Held a lamb
26.) Ran a marathon
27.) Went skinny dipping
28.) Rode in a gondola in Venice
29.) Witnessed a total eclipse
30.) Seen a sunrise or sunset
31.) Hit a home run
32.) Been on a cruise
33.) Seen Niagara Falls in person
34.) Visited the birthplace/home of your ancestors
35.) Seen an Amish country
36.) Taught yourself a new language
37.) Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38.) Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39.) Gone rock climbing
40.) Seen Michelangelo’s David in person
41.) Sung karaoke
42.) Seen Old Faithful erupt
43.) Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44.) Visited Africa
45.) Walked on a beach by moonlight
46.) Taken a ride in an ambulance
47.) Had your portrait painted
48.) Gone deep sea fishing
49.) Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower
50.) Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
51.) Kissed in the rain
52.) Played in the mud
53.) Gone to a drive-in theater
54.) Been in a movie
55.) Visited the Great Wall of China
56.) Started a business
57.) Taken a martial arts class
58.) Visited Russia
59.) Worked at a soup kitchen
60.) Sold Girl Scout cookies/Sold Sports Raffle tickets (this one was biased to the girls, so I added the ‘raffle ticket’ option for guys)
61.) Gone whale watching
62.) Gotten flowers for no reason
63.) Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
64.) Gone sky diving
65.) Visited Nazi concentration camp
66.) Bounced a check
67.) Flown in a helicopter
68.) Saved a childhood toy
69.) Visited the Lincoln Memorial
70.) Eaten caviar
71.) Pieced a quilt
72.) Stood in Times Square
73.) Toured the Everglades
74.) Been fired from a job
75.) Seen the changing of the guards in London
76.) Broken a bone
77.) Been a passenger on a motorcycle
78.) Seen the Grand Canyon in person
79.) Published a book
80.) Visited the Vatican
81.) Bought a brand new car
82.) Visited Jerusalem
83.) Had your picture in the paper
84.) Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
85.) Visited the White House
86.) Killed and prepared an animal for eating
87.) Had chickenpox
88.) Saved someone’s life
89.) Sat on a jury
90.) Met someone famous
91.) Joined a book club
92.) Got a tattoo
93.) Had a baby
94.) Seen the Alamo in person
95.) Swam in the Great Salt Lake
96.) Been involved in a law suit
97.) Owned a cell phone
98.) Been stung by a bee
99.) Swam in the Black Sea

48 out of 99. Yeah… still have quite a few things to do. Hopefully I will get a chance to do some of them this year

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

I was, and still am, gob smacked.

I am no novice when it comes to shopping online. I have been doing it for years. I am quite a tech savvy person and I have a vested interest in computers, social media and the Internet. So I know all about the dangers of shopping online. Consequently, I always take the necessary precautions to prevent data theft. Nevertheless, this did not stop some random American douche bag, from stealing my credit card information and attempting to buy… wait for it… R3 000 worth of groceries from Wal-Mart. Huh?!

Why on Earth someone would go through all of the effort to steal someone’s credit card information online, just to buy groceries with, I cannot understand. Either the recession in the states is really still quite bad or Americans, as the stereotype goes, are legitimately stupid. Nevertheless, I hope this person gets persecuted to the full extent of the law and is ripped a new one while in prison.

So how did this all happen? How the heck did this mystery person obtain my information? Well, it was obviously via the internet but not because of some insecure site.

Here is a quick rundown of events:

• Friday 19th February 2010, a cousin of mine places his USB memory stick into my PC. He ensures me that his computer does not have viruses. I believe him, until Microsoft Security Essentials picks up a Trojan: Vwealer.KZ.
• Microsoft Security Essentials detects the Trojan and neutralises it, the way a good antivirus is supposed to. I think nothing more of it since the problem appeared to have been solved.
• I buy tickets online at the NuMetro website for Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (review coming soon). I have to input my credit card details to complete the purchase.
• Days go buy, nothing unusual happens and I continue to use my card as I normally would. I make two further purchases during the week. One online, one offline.
• Thursday 25th February 2010, I receive a call from Nedbank Credit Card Fraud division and speak to a lady known as Mbuli. She nonchalantly asks me if I am purchasing my months groceries at Wal-Mart in Miami. Yes, this is the “What the eff moment”. I politely decree that it is physically impossible for me to be doing that considering how I am in South Africa. We immediately move to blocking my card and reversing any unlawful transactions. I exclaim my thanks before putting the phone down.
• After the call, I wrack my brain to determine how this could have happened. One thing pops to mind, the Trojan from my cousins USB memory stick. I Google the Trojan. My heart sinks as I deduce that it is a financial data thief with a penchant for credit card information. I still wonder ‘how’ though.
• I have been using Google Chrome for a few months and figured that it may have aided in my information being stolen. I read various reports of Chrome safety, but all pre 4.0. Then I found something interesting. A user equated Chrome to being a glorified ‘data miner’. Storing everything you put into the browser. I immediately uninstalled Chrome and switched to Firefox.
• My next thought was ‘What the heck did Microsoft Security Essentials’ do? It detected the Trojan and deleted it… yet my information was still stolen. Without concrete evidence, I have assumed that Microsoft Security Essentials is good, but not great and ultimately flawed. So I re-installed Norton 360 4.0 Premiere. Scanned my system, clean result.
• Friday 26 February 2010, I receive an e-mail from Jaya, the person responsible for handling my ‘case’ via Nedbank. I do what I need to do and send back the required documentation. Bare in mind that our Telkom lines had been stolen and not repaired for over a week, so all of the communication was taking place via my mobile phone (thank heavens for mobile broadband, no matter how unreliable or costly). Now I await for my new card.

Right now, I am still using Chrome (I switched back), simply because of its speed, ease of use and because I could not find any articles directly pin pointing Chrome 4.0 as having any major security flaws (actually appears to be quite secure). I do not know what was the ultimate cause of my data being stolen, but I have taken various steps to prevent it from happening again. One of those steps has been to change the settings in Chrome to ensure that the browser will never store anything again, including forms and passwords. Additionally, I have signed up with LastPass, a password service which runs concurrently with your browser, so that I never have to physically type in passwords again. This apparently helps to combat ‘key logging’ spyware and makes it so that you do not need to use your browser to save passwords etc.

I would like to commend Nedbank on their stellar performance. The representatives I dealt with were courteous and extremely helpful, but the fact that they managed to stop a fraudulent activity and protect my funds is what I appreciate the most. Thank you!

I never thought something like this would ever happen to me, until it did. The entire ordeal has been one I will never forget. Make no mistake, the Internet is a dangerous place; even for seasoned users.

Final thought: be careful out there. Ensure that your browser is set properly and that you have a proper security suite on your personal computer. Prevention, as they say, is better than cure.

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!