things that get me through the weekend

:: kir royales* :: the time travellers wife** ::

* shit! what is it about creme de cassis that is SO good?

** I was lent this book months ago, and finally started it this weekend. I'm already halfway through, it has been lovely so far, but I see bad things ahead…

pretty mundane for a payday weekend, I know. looks like its gonna take at least one more payday to get things back on track…

UPDATE: Shit, I read Time Traveller Wife in 2 days! It has been such a long time since I have been completely consumed by a book. What a story, I cried solid through the last few chapters. It was great.

the gift of fear

This is SUCH a good read. I would recommend it to anyone, but especially women. It goes into juicy details about all the kinds of crazies out there that we may come across… Like is that guy you've just met gonna turn into an obsessed stalker? Is that twitchy co-worker gonna bring a rifle to work and mow everyone down? And other useful bits of information. Essentially it's about trusting your intuition and knowing that you have a gut feel for a reason - listen to it.
What is also key is that this book is not designed to make you live in constant fear of what could happen. You are taught the difference between real fear, which is a warning of a serious threat, and worries or anxieties which we just manufacture. It's important not to constantly worry about something that isn't happening as this will only distract from being aware of an actual threat.

a short time in tibet

A couple days ago one of our clients came round and gave a little chat about her recent travels through india, nepal, tibet and up to the himalayas. By the time she was finished talking I was ready to run away to the mountains and never come back. Everest has never been of huge interest to me, but hearing of her experiences travelling to the himalayas and seeing everest before her sounded incredible. It really is a special place, and she had some cool pics and stories to tell. The vastness is indescribable…

prayer wheels in kathmandu

prayer flags blowing in the wind…

everest, anyone?

their porter, love his expression

why did the chicken cross the bridge?

PICS: HELEN JENVEY

And to go off on a tangent, seeing the imagery and listening to the buddhist chants CD playing in the background reminded me so much of Kundun, one of my top 5 fillums ever. Visually stunning and beautifully spiritual. If you aren't gonna trek to the mountains, then you at least need to see the movie. It will transport you to Tibet in your heart…

If you thought you made it through a post on Tibet without a single reference to China, sorry! Please can the Tibetans have Tibet back?

let it snow…

Check out my weather widget! I just heard from my brother, it's snowing stukkend in London…

ubiquitous resolutions post

Well January is nearly over, so I better get this over with:

specifics:

• get back on the yoga wagon

• sort out my house. clean up, clear out, make pretty. make a space that I can do stuff like think and create.

• keep saving loads of money to bankroll my plans for world domination, or travel. whichever comes first.

• have fun. take it easy. find time to relax with my mates. this one's gonna be hard. ;)


general:

I'm big into my metaphysics since I started wading through some Deepak Chopra books. So I would like to focus on evolving by accessing more intelligence, more creativity and more awareness. Sounds weird, you gotta read the book.

I had a good start when I got home from holiday but things have since tapered off. I am hoping to get a big kick up the rear from the universe to get going again.

vimrod

toast

It is impossible not to love someone who makes toast for you. Peoples failings, even major ones, such as when they make you wear short trousers to school, fall into insignificance as your teeth break through the rough, toasted crust and sink into the doughy cushion of white bread underneath. Once the warm, salty butter has hit your tongue, you are smitten. Putty in their hands.

Excerpted from Toast by Nigel Slater

This is from the last page of the Jan/Feb issue of Real Simple. You really can't beat a good slice of toast… Check out the mag, there is also a great article on Yoga and they explain the gist of it pretty well.

things that get me through the weekend

friday night movies :: reruns of Laguna Beach :: beer shandies :: the body shop 20% off sale :: afternoon sun and swimming :: footie :: ironing during The OC :: cheese on toast

stranger than fiction

I went to see Stranger than Fiction on friday, had heard a lot of good things about it and I really enjoyed it. It was one of those movies that are really easy to watch, and flowed so well. The end was a bit blah, but one of the best movies I have seen in a while. The script is excellent and it's the kind of fillum I could watch again to catch some of the bits properly. I don't know if you could call it a comedy, maybe more of a black comedy, it's smart and surprising and really touching too.
A lot of the critics have called this movie Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) 'Lite'. But I like 'lite'. Sometimes 'lite' is enough.
Go see it today dammit.

yo yo yo!

On tuesday I did the best thing I have done all year, I got hold of bestest yoga teacher ever and started yoga again!

I was especially glad to find out that after skipping classes for 8 months I hadn't had a complete relapse. My hams are just as I had left them, which is great, I would not be too pleased if I was starting from scratch again. My teacher is really so good at what she does and I get the perfect balance of positive feedback and correction.
It was really just what I needed. That's what I love about yoga, there is honestly nothing else quite like it. You go through the asanas, mindful and using every muscle in your body. Stretch. And then relax. She even had lavender bean bags to put over your eyes during relaxation. Damn, I love yoga.

To many more days of yoga bliss!

and the earth died screaming…

I was just perusing the December issue of Q and word is that Scarlett Johannson is holed up in a studio somewhere recording an album of Tom Waits covers.
This is either going to be the most blasphemous abomination ever or else the most refreshing idea since Nouvelle Vague. Maybe the combination of his song writing skills and her large, um, lungs will be a hit. Watch this space.

feeling blue?

I have never really been a huge fan of the colour blue in the past, but right now I'm loving it. Not that I didn't like it before, it just never really warranted my attention. I think a soft blue is perfect for a kitchen. With all the matching gorgeous accessories…

Like a bee-ootiful KitchenAide

Or this ca-ute baby blue Smokey Joe from Weber. Unfortunately they don't seem to sell them in South Africa, which is insane cos they are so fabulous. Who WOULDN'T want one?

I'm also all over navy blue (NAVY BLUE!)- which up until several months ago was the naffest thing ever in my mind. Now I'm working the navy heels and handbag. It's so granny cool. Navy blue accessories are HOT.

things that get me through the weekend

sleeping in on a saturday :: avo at essenwood market :: a mini spring clean :: sunny summer afternoons :: good sushi and a good gossip :: rainy sundays in bed

running with scissors

When I left work yesterday it was a beautiful day, sunny, clear blue skies. So I did the logical thing and went to see a movie.
I read Running With Scissors last year and it was super-duper craziness. But I don't know if the movie really captured it. There was so much to fit into 2 hours on screen that not enough of the story was fleshed out, making a lot of the beserkness seem a bit gratutious. I don't think Augusten's journey was explained well enough. Pity. Cos the book is really worth a read.

pie in the sky

Why does long haul air travel have to be such a nightmare? Why do they make you sit in the same position for 12 hours? Why do we do it? Wallpaper has been glamourising the jet-set lifestyle for years, but clearly this is really only for the wealthy or business travellers. Long haul cattle class has to be the worst form of transport on this planet. I'm surprised that it's even legal to squeeze that amount of people into such a small space… and I'm kinda little - I feel sorry for anyone bigger than average.
I do wish some radical out there will completely transform economy class travel soon. I'm thinking, get rid of the seats and replace them with stacks of ultra modern bunk beds. Now we're talking… and I'm sure the airlines could squish even more bums onto planes so they'll be happy too.

I flew Virgin Atlantic and I just wasn't really wowed. I'm certain Upper Class must be heaven, but it's pretty ordinary for the plebs. Compared to previous trips (SAA & Emirates) I found the actual seats not deep enough and they must have reclined a whole 5%. My most uncomfortable airline sleep so far. Whinge, whinge, whinge.

This is what economy class travel does to me…


Here's a pic of my meal, pretty good Mushroom Risotto, with cold bread rolls. Why haven't they figured out a way to heat up bread rolls yet? And I found that although I ordered a special meal, I felt that they did everything in their power to avoid me actually getting one. They just smile and get away with it - and you realise its not worth complaining in those conditions. It could be way worse.


The highlight was my dessert, by Gü. Shit, the service providers are so much better on outbound UK flights. This raspberry compote made my day. My little bit of heaven in economy class.

amy winehouse

I saw an ad on the telly for the new Amy Winehouse album and was seriously interested. She has an amazing voice unlike anything I expected. And then I saw her perform on Jools Holland. And I have to say she has me worried. She sang great, even did a duet with Paul Weller, but I'm not sure if she if unwell… I've seen some strange things before but she is really something else. I'm talking OTT black eyeliner, teased matted hair, and really unrhythmic 'dancing'. I think she may have been on some serious 'medication'. And she is totally covered in ink - old skool nekkid ladies and stuff. Really distracting.
Nevertheless I will persevere and get my hands on the album, even if she is a bit beserk cos her music sounds wicked, innit.

UPDATE: I managed to download 2 songs off her new album - and they are SO good. Like really awesome. Sadly none of the shops here have it yet, but I'm on the waiting list.

UPDATE 23 January: I received both Amy Winehouse albums yesterday in the mail! I ordered them from Amazon.co.uk and I cannot believe what a good price it was. The 2 discs plus postage came to £16 (R220) and on delivery I paid R36 in import duties. What a friggin bargain!

in a nutshell

So I've just returned from a week in the UK and today I'm back at the nut mines. Here's a little catch up of my trip… On the 28th we made a trip into london to check out some of the sales. We headed to Oxford street but it was a bit mad. Lost my mom in Topshop (parents really don't belong there) and took ages to find her. That pretty much ruined the shopping spirit and so we didn't hang around too long. See the pretty lights though…


On friday we made our way through some hectic traffic to Stonehenge. It was quite a thing to see, and a lot smaller than I would have expected but the experience was somewhat spoilt but freezing cold wind and rain blowing straight at my face. I got a friggin earache and was absolutely frozen, but at least I can say I've done it. Here's my pic of da rocks and an umbrella. The photo is strangely deceiving… it was a miserable day.


Saturday we hit The Oracle in Reading with a vengeance. Got most of my shopping done. We had planned to meet my cousin for dinner in north London so we stopped by at the IKEA in Edmonton later in the afternoon along the way. IKEA is fab, and if there were no weight restrictions on luggage I would have gone beserk. There is no excuse for anyone in the UK to have shitty decor with IKEA's prices.
Dinner was at Pizza Pappagone in Finsbury Park which is really rated as one of the best pizzeria's in London. Damn I love that place. I had a Fiorentina, with spinach and fried egg and it was so tasty. Had a good time, but drank too much wine and had a serious motormouth on the (long) trip home.

Sunday was New Years Eve and so we tried to relax. Went to a Tesco Extra to get ingredients for my mom's famous Tipsy Tart and lost her AGAIN. Spent the last few hours of the year eating KFC and watching TV. Just what I needed. We squeezed in The Island, Little Britain Abroad and Later Hootenanny! which was excellent. The guests included The Kooks, Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse, Ray Lamontagne and Paul Weller. At midnight we crossed over to a 10 minute fireworks display over the London Eye, which was so awesome. Never seen anything so brilliant, it must have been well expensive.

I had such a nice time, my brother and sister-in-law really looked after us - driving us round and keeping us well fed. And my niece, Lily Rose, is too adorable. She is mad about her brand new tellytubby, which she calls 'Poo'. It was so awesome to turn my brain off for a week and not have to worry about anything…