Feliz aniversário

An overdue post, due largely to the second server crash in a fortnight. Neither one should have been a big deal, but the various failovers and standbys which we have in place didn't rise automatically to the occasion as they should have. At the IT managers' meeting in Nairobi in September, Diana had to explain the concept of "Murphy's law" for those who hadn't encountered it before; I complicated the issue by adding that I called it "Mozambican law".

Anyway, my supervisee Carminda (Nilza's replacement) was highly amused to find on her task list this week a request that she write out the words to the Portuguese version of Happy Birthday. You will see that it assumes rather more intellectual capacity than does the English version. Memorising the words is one of those small jobs which I keep forgetting until someone here has a birthday and I have to stand and listen as everyone else sings it. I take the opportunity of my brothers' birthdays on 8 December to rectify this situation, after almost six years.

Parabens a você
Nesta data querida
Muitas felicidades
Muitas anos de vida.

Tenha sempre do bom
O que a vida contem
Tenha muita saúde
E amigos tambem.

Translation, belatedly addressed to Morgan and Brendan: on this precious day, congratulations, much happiness and many years of life. May you always enjoy the good that life contains, good health and many friends.