noodle was here

the entrance

2012-02-16T21:48:00.000+02:00

could I just be in this heineken commercial for one night?

love it.

fresh new me

2012-02-08T21:36:00.000+02:00

Hmmm, found this post in my drafts, I think I wrote it end of January :| Totally slack. Anyway, here it is…

I'm into my second week off the master cleanse and I'm feeling good. My first day after Day 10 was little wobbly, my bladder was irritated and my left eye got a bit scratchy for an hour or two. I'm quite proud that I managed the full 10 days, though I expected to be feeling super doubly awesome. My weight loss was a lot more than previously but my general demeanour kinda plateaued at Day 4. It just got a little boring after that. Not super difficult, just monotonous.

My total weight loss after the cleanse was 4kg, which is pretty much what I had put on in the last 3 months.

But the key motivation was to reset my tastebuds and set a path of healthier eating going forward.

So for the last week I have been following this eating plan from an old issue of Shape magazine. They have a great way of breaking it down, making it easy for me to create my own meals without feeling too restrictive. I've lost a further half a kilo in the last week which is great. I'm enjoying the salads and fruit and feeling slimmer and sleeping better. Here's to keeping the balance for many months to come...

…the update now going into February - I have maintained my weightloss, but have lost any further. I attribute this to the freakin muesli I ate for 2 weeks, thinking it was low fat. It was not. I thought I was enjoying it a bit too much. That and my week has been a bit messed up in regards to cooking and preparing healthy options. I think I will try get back onto the diet proper from next week. Still haven't started gym yet either :|

more homemade xmas

2012-01-19T10:08:00.001+02:00

These gifties had to wait before they debuted on my blog because I only met up with the friendies to exchange these late January.

Home made Vanilla Brown Sugar Body Scrub…

It's pretty simple, 2 cups brown sugar, 1 cup castor sugar, 1 cup sunflower oil and a few tablespoons of pure vanilla extract. Mix, sniff, and enjoy!

The jars were cheapies from Monsieur Pricé…

are you shitting me

2012-01-19T10:06:00.000+02:00

I have been following the hilarious and heartwarming anecdotes of Dooce for years now. She has the most amazing way of writing about everyday life in a way that can only make you laugh out loud and shudder at how much you get exactly what she means.

Her crazy, lovely family, the special bond with her husband Jon, she was the closest I have ever had to an example of a healthy marriage. By no means perfect, but filled with all the things that seemed important to me, especially love and laughter.

I often spend time reading the archives, and find some major classics such as these:

frog papa

If you're looking for Chuck's adoption story, here it is

I don't need to hear you say that if we weren't so alike you'd like me a whole lot more

newsletter - marlo turns one

marriage

For the last while, I've noticed a difference in the writing. Something was missing, something was up, what was taking up their personal time these days that couldn't be shared?

Then the bombshell hit yesterday… Jon and Heather posted on their respective blogs that they are currently separated.
Shit, can only imagine what they must be going through, and only hope that something good will come out of this for all involved. No one said life is easy…

master cleanse - day 8

2012-01-10T13:29:00.001+02:00

The last couple of days have been pretty boring and monotonous, but today has been a bit tricky...
All the smells from the kitchen have been wafting my way, and it's been killer...

Killer.

master cleanse - day 3

2012-01-05T16:38:00.000+02:00

I've started my new year cleanse… Trying to reset my habits and taste buds so that I can have healthier eating patterns for 2012.

So far hanging in there, luckily its not too busy at work, so I'm gonna try for the full 10 days. I spend a LOT of time on the toilet though. Yikes.

Already my body is feeling very repentant and is dreaming of bowls of vegetables and soups and salads and other yummy healthy things.

Oh, and I'm reading The Hunger Games at the same time :)

what gets me through the christmas break

2012-01-02T20:33:00.001+02:00

thai massage, yes, in durban :: salt & pepper squid at the mayflower - now THIS is chinese food :: lunch with the family :: drostdy hof light rose in a doos :: felt and glue guns :: a short break to didima at cathedral peak :: crazy dancing and too much champagne on new years eve :: american horror story :: dr hauschka :: a feast of crows ::

christmas crafting

2011-12-24T13:51:00.000+02:00

Time for my ubiquitous felt wreath... this year I based it on the Nonna Wreath. I sat the other night glue gunning this together, not too much work compared to my white ruffled one, just fiddly and lots of burnt fingers. And I managed to remove a layer of skin off my knee with molten glue. Gross.

Although it's lovely and modern, I think it is in need of something sparkly to Christmas it up. Otherwise it's just a wreath.

it's been a long, dark winter

2011-12-22T08:00:00.003+02:00

Oh ZARA Durban, when will you open and put us out of our misery?

homemade (bookclub) christmas

2011-12-21T10:18:00.000+02:00

This is the third year running that we have shared a 'homemade christmas' at bookclub. I love getting gifts that are made by hand, its really so much more special than piles of cheap (or even expensive), useless tat.

This year, I explored a practical, eco-friendly route which I had researched earlier in the year, and decided that this would make a rather useful gift. As the recipe uses ingredients that are mildly tricky to find, and the fact that it makes such a huge amount, I could see how one may not be keen to experiment with something that may not even be effective. So I made little sample bottles for all the ladies, including the full recipe so if they love it, they can make loads more.

I looked at various recipes, but I followed the Frugally Green recipe the closest.

http://frugallygreen.blogspot.com/2008/05/how-to-make-your-own-laundry-soap.html

Ingredients

1 single bar Sunlight soap (they say any soap without added stuff like moisturisers should be fine, next time I will try using a petro-chemical free soap)
1/2 cup borax
1/2 cup washing soda (soda ash)

Cut your bar of Sunlight Soap into thirds and finely grate one third of it. It should give you about a loose cup if you don't compress it.

Put your grated soap in a pot with 6 cups of water and heat on low until the soap melts. Don’t let the soap boil. Once all the soap is completely melted add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. The mixture thickens (almost as thick as honey) Remove from heat.

Pour 4 cups of hot tap water into your bucket. Add the soap mixture and stir it up. At this point you could add a few drops of essential oil like lavender or tea tree oil if you wanted your soap to have a fragrance. Add nothing and your clothes will simply smell clean.

Now add 5 litres of hot tap water. Give it another few minutes of stirring and then let it sit overnight.

In the morning your soap might look runny, or like gel, or separated with big clumps of slime on top and water on the bottom. This is all normal depending on the weather, the type of soap you used, etc.

At this point you can be done and simply keep your laundry soap in the bucket and just scoop out 1/2 cup per load OR you can give it another good stir and funnel it into your old well rinsed laundry soap bottle OR you can bust out your immersion blender and smoothed all the clumps layer by layer. Mine does settle again, but I just shake it well before using.

after standing overnight

busy whizzing with my blender stick thing

The ingredients cost me about R20, and this recipe makes over 7 litres, that's 56 loads of washing at about 35c per load. I use just over half a cup, and have been very happy with the results. My clothes are clean, it's free from hectic chemicals and costs very little. Me likey…

[ I've also been experimenting with homemade liquid hand soap, as well as automatic dishwasher detergent and so far I'm pretty satisfied with the results ]

possibly…

2011-12-09T10:35:00.000+02:00

the glazed look

2011-12-05T20:51:00.001+02:00

John Frieda Clear Shine Luminous Glaze is a great hair secret a saw on Oprah a few years ago. I forget who, but a celebrity stylist suggested it as a great way to keep your hair smooth and shiny.

You know how soft and shiny your hair is after you colour it? Well, the idea is you get the same benefits by using a clear glaze, without it affecting your hair colour. I do have quite a few sprouting greys but I have yet to start on the full time hair colouring, so it's great for me.

A bottle of the shizzle usually costs between R70 - R90, so I nearly fell on the floor when I walked into Clicks yesterday and saw them going for R31! I rapidly picked myself off the floor, and grabbed three bottles off the shelf to stock up my cupboards. Score!

love from down under

2011-12-04T20:49:00.000+02:00

I received a lovely parcel filled with all sorts of IKEA goodness from my family in Perth. I think they have been living there about 10 years now, and I miss them loads!

lemony olive oil banana bread with chocolate… oh my!

2011-12-02T09:08:00.000+02:00

Found this delicious recipe on 101 Cookbooks a few weeks ago, and had to give it a try. My mom made banana bread a lot when I was growing up, but so far I had never tried it myself. I've actually been off bananas for a few years since getting into the Blood Type Diet, but whats a few mashed naanahs in a cake?

I loved that this recipe used olive oil instead of butter and it wasn't overly sweet - in fact, it could even have been called 'healthy-ish'.

The last time I used my bundt tin, it let me down so I decided to try out these pretty muffin papers I picked up at a party supply shop. The recipe made about 5 extra large muffins. My glaze buggered up, and was far too runny, but it didn't affect any of the chocolately goodness inside.

12 Days of Giveaways

2011-11-29T12:04:00.000+02:00

You gotta love the festive season and all the giving that goes with it.

Follow The Painted Blackbird, and get as many of your friends to follow as well - and you can win a super duper hamper of awesomeness. My very favourite kind of stuff :)

So go, follow now little birdies!

cop17 durban

2011-11-21T15:39:00.000+02:00

It's all happening in Durbs over the next week or so. A heck of a lot of people from all over the world are converging here in the next few days, and I just can't wait.

Obviously, on a global scale, this is a very important gathering and important decisions need to be made before the Kyoto Protocol falls away, and I would love to think that Durban will be the place that this happens.

But for us locals, its something different. You see, Durban comes alive when its filled with visitors, especially foreign visitors. Everyone gets involved and enthusiastic and shows interest which is asking quite a lot from us beach bums.

On top of the visitors, there are so many events planned that for once we are spoiled for choice. I know how exciting it is to be in a a big city, where they are alway chock full of cool things to do on a weekend, so its super thrilling to experience it in Durban - even if its just for a few days :)

So this saturday, there will be a 'Green Day' at Dube City - La Mercy. We're talking I Heart Market, food stalls, and loads of entertainment including the Philharmonic.

Then in the evening you can catch the Telkom Knockout Semi-Final at Moses Mabhida Stadium (shucks, its been a while since we have had a game there) which is always a cracker. If you STILL haven't been to a game in our new stadium, this is your weekend to do it! Get your tickets online.

Then on Sunday at Kings Park Stadium, Desmond Tutu is hosting a 'We Have Faith – Act Now for Climate Justice' Rally and Concert. Totally for free, you can expect to see Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Yvonne Chaka-Chaka, Arno Carstens, Lewis Pugh amongst others.

And that's just to start…

Check this out, for loads more free events, screenings, exhibitions and performances… It's all happening right here, right now!

thailand 2011

2011-11-18T14:19:00.000+02:00

Mr T and I had such a wonderful holiday in Thailand this year, we were away for 3 three weeks but it felt like we had been away for months. Thoughts of home and work and everyday life were forgotten while we traipsed the backroads on a scooter and ate our body weight in Tom Yum Goong.

As always we started off in Bangkok, and then headed out to Koh Samui. Loooove Koh Samui. Could spend a month there… then we headed up north to Chiang Mai. It's amazing how returning after 2 years, we could go and order barbecue chicken from the exact same street vendor as before. We also ate our body weight in Kao Niaw. A little further north in the was the little village of Chiang Dao, where we spent a few days before returning to Bangkok. We stayed in a uber-touristy spot within walking distance of all the wholesale shopping malls. A few days of shopping and then home :(

What Gets Mr T and I through 3 weeks in Thailand

Tom Yum :: Thai Massage :: Exploring the klongs in Bangkok :: Chang Beer :: Pink Taxi cabs :: riding on the scooter with the wind in our faces :: Pad Thai :: 7-Eleven :: Tom Yum :: R40 blow dries :: R40 manicures :: Platinum Shopping Mall :: Lemongrass Iced Tea :: 4 hour Spa treatments :: Sipping beers on the moat :: Free WiFi everywhere :: More Pad Thai :: Tesco Lotus :: Frozen Lime Shakes ::

11 11 11

2011-11-11T10:16:00.001+02:00

I'm not sure how auspicious this date is, but I do feel it needs to be commemorated in some way. It's like Halley's Comet, and telling your grandkids that you were there that day...

Hopefully whatever kicks off on this special day will be something awesome for the good of everyone and everything on this planet.

Overheard at Gateway

2011-10-22T09:03:00.001+02:00

[loudly] "Barcelona, yes, Barcelona, Barcelona. That's our favorite city in the world. Barcelona, then Paris, then France."

fire and ice

2011-10-15T13:29:00.001+02:00

Been reading the kindle books for the Songs of Fire and Ice novels while on holiday... Really enjoying following all the characters along their journeys, and there is no lack of action.

Almost finished the third book, a Storm of Swords and boy, oh boy is the author ruthless. You follow characters for 3 books as thick as your arm, and in a blink they are killed. Crapsakes, this makes for heartbreaking reading... Definitely not fairy tales.

exhale

2011-10-09T06:17:00.001+02:00

2 weeks in and the relaxation is setting in... The proper DEEP relaxation that only comes after a total switch off.

We started off in beautiful Koh Samui, enjoying picturesque beaches and long scooter rides, to more scooter rides and crafts and culture. Now we are heading to Chiang Dao for rice paddies, mountains and even more scooter rides :)

overhead in the studio

2011-09-13T14:52:00.002+02:00

"do I have Google on my computer?"

pearl jam twenty

2011-09-12T12:56:00.000+02:00

I never really got into the Pearl Jam thing. I think I was a little too young, and when grunge hit, I ended up on the Nirvana road. But over the years I have come to know Eddie Vedder's incredible voice and their streams of emotion-filled songs. They never fail to invoke a strong emotional response from deep within my being.

I was also a bit late in realising how freakin' sexy he is. Holy crap, did I miss out on years of potential teenager crush :)

So on Sunday, my friend B was telling me that the band are soon to be celebrating their 20th anniversary, and to commemorate the occasion they are having a world-wide release of a documentary called 'Pearl Jam 20'. We sat watching the trailer on her iPhone, and I was moved to tears… I found the combination of the evocative lyrics, Eddie's raw vocals and the footage of a time in there lives when anything was possible just so poignant. That, added to the cold reality, that something amazing happened 20 years ago and I missed it, and NOTHING quite like it exists anymore.

I don't know where this indefinable era (the 2010's?) is taking us, but I honestly believe that we are on a bit of a musical deadend. A dull soulless wash, rinse, repeat of the 20th century. But I digress.

So next Tuesday, I will be be at the cinema (one show only, selected cinemas) joining the rest of the world in celebrating a great band with what I am certain will be a great story.

Watch the trailer:

Pearl Jam Twenty from Pearl Jam on Vimeo.

stuffed shells

2011-09-05T21:57:00.000+02:00

I have been feeling Stuffed Shell inspiration since seeing this recipe on 101 Cookbooks a few weeks ago. Sadly every opportunity to gather around some mouths to feed has fallen through, so tonight after a lovely yoga class, I decided to clear out the fridge and stuff some shells!

My inspired recipe…

500g free range chicken mince

250g ricotta cheese

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic

handful breadcrumbs

2 eggs

3 tins crushed tomatoes

half a cup of grated mozzarella

250g box giant pasta shells

So you saute the onion in some olive oil with the garlic, and when soft, add the mince to cook through. Leave aside to cool before adding to the ricotta, eggs, breadcrumbs and seasoning.

Cool the shells until very al dente, you don't want them too soft as they will split when you fill them. They will cook further in the oven.

Layer some tomato in a casserole dish, and then add a layer of shells filled with the stuffing and top with more tomato. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, top with some mozzarella and bake for a further 15 minutes. Yum.

There is an extra step, that I wouldn't recommend you follow which included dropping my bowl of filling all over the lounge floor while trying to stuff shells and watch Survivor at the same time. Scratch one third of my filling as well as my nice white bowl… Buggrit.

womans day meanderings

2011-08-19T15:54:00.000+02:00

Spent Woman's Day meandering the midlands with Mr T and his mom. It was a beautifully sunny day with a lovely winter freshness.

We visited the Truth Café and Museum, just down the road from the Nelson Mandela capture site, who seem to be an affiliate of the Apartheid Museum in Joburg. They have a great exhibit on the life of Nelson Mandela that is worth checking out.

Then we popped into Tsonga Shoes for some leather bits. The highlight of the day was Swissland Goats Cheese, who have the yummiest, most un-goaty tasting cheese ever. Bought a couple chevins, as well as a delicious Cream Cheese with Chives. Must find a stockist somewhere nearer to Durban!

Then we had a light lunch at La Lampara before heading back home, with a quick pop in to what used to be Lavender & Trout. Not sure what its called now. They have the best collection of vintage grocery items I have ever seen, but all just for display :(

pretty things

2011-08-09T19:26:00.000+02:00

This pretty brooch was a gift from J to say thanks for all the help planning C's bridal shower, which was a few weeks ago, and very fun… The wedding was this saturday gone and even though the weather was extra chilly, it was a really special morning. I reckon breakfast weddings rock. Who doesn't like bacon, AND you get home in time for a good afternoon nap. All round winner…

All's good otherwise. I finished my 2nd Master Cleanse last week, this time was a lot trickier than the first. I don't recommend doing a cleanse during the coldest week of the year. I should have waited until spring, but my eating habits were too far gone to continue another month. I did survive nevertheless, and I happy to be off meat and wheat for the time being, and hope to keep away from them as long as possible.

Counting the days to Thailand as well…

huh?

2011-07-17T22:36:00.000+02:00

It's that time of year again, the 'where the heck did the year go' time? Why does it always feel like the days are rushing away without even a chance to catch my breath? Crazy…

So Mr T and I have been busy, with my move and his music and my family visiting and my mom's 60th and work being absolutely mad-ass. In the meantime, winter has happened, and we have had a short breather, and its about start again… weddings, more family visits and the final throes of our holiday planning needing to happen. Yay for holidays, boo for unpaid leave!

In the meantime, my iPhone has been keeping me busy with all sorts of time-wasting. But I am enjoying my Kindle reader and Instagram - most definitely not a waste of time. Though I have promised myself to stay away from Twitter. I have to draw the line somewhere.

These are some of my purdy iPhone pics, and some short updates on what I've been up to…

check out unity, great burgers and beer (owned by the Cafe 1999 peops)

durbans carboot market

lunch at Mo-Zam-Bik Ballito

great chicken ramen dinner, and the tastiest veggie spring rolls ever at mooki noodle bar

diff 2011

2011-07-02T09:32:00.003+02:00

It's that time of year again! Beach, sunshine and happenings in Durban…

The Durban International Film Festival is at the end of the month, and you can download the full schedule here.

project makeover - part two

2011-07-01T11:59:00.000+02:00

Somehow in all the excitement, I forgot to showcase my newly upholstered couch. The before pictures show the transformation from a car boot market find to a rather cute lounge suite.

Its looking really great, though not as perfect as I would have liked. Chloe loves it enough to use it as a surrogate scratching post which is proving to be a slight problem.

I love that its vintage, and unique and as costly as the fabric and labour was - still way cheaper than a shop bought model.

love my kids

2011-06-26T19:03:00.000+02:00

go on, do your bit

2011-06-14T20:21:00.000+02:00

It can be hard to keep up with all the eco-bongo stuff if you are not that way inclined. It's even harder if you want to do your bit but it is so overwhelming you don't know where to start…

Well starting today, if you can do one thing to help, try to cut down on the amount of detergents you use. The thing is, all that wonderful soapy, foamy, bubbly stuff is really bad for our natural waterways.

Washing powder in particular contain phosphates which are hugely damaging. They create chemical imbalances which allow blue algae to overgrow or 'bloom' and this results in a toxic poison which kills all living things in the water. I think that's enough reason to change. The irony is that most of us have soft water and don't need phosphates anyway.

I have been using the PicknPay Green Liquid Fabric Detergent for more than a year now and I am very happy with it. I actually use very little in my home that is strongly chemically fragranced, I find even fabric softener to be a bit strong. I also have friends who have been happy with bio wash balls as well GNLD brand washing powder.

If you are feeling really Martha Stewart, then you could even try making your own… :)

Oh, and the grey water that comes out of your washing machine is perfectly safe to use on your garden, double score!

This video offers a nice explanation of what phosphates are doing to the waterways in the Cape.

Grey Water will Green Your Garden All Year Round

Phosphates Destroy Ecosystems

cut a rug

2011-05-20T12:44:00.000+02:00

A new addition to my home are 2 rugs from Ukhamba Craft. As far as I understand, the social iniatitive is run by Wendy Chatterton who has set up the facility to help unemployed women in Hammarsdale, KwaZulu/Natal.

The receive fabric offcuts from clothing factories that they crochet (with giant custom made hooks) into rugs and things. The colours tend to be a little hit or miss, so I ordered my own ones.

2 rugs for R550, a bargain, and so good to support a locals in need. oh and they look pretty damn awesome too.

Contact Wendy Chatterton for info about purchasing mats, placemats, hats or brooches. They also have a wishlist of things that could help them out if you are interested.

They are opening a store at Windermere Centre called Artifacts on 8 Junes, in conjunction with Woza Moya and Umcebo Design - keep them in mind when shopping for birthydays and christmas…

home sweet home

2011-05-16T17:00:00.002+02:00

Finally, here are the pics… feeling very at home in my new space :)

I have been very happy with the work done in my flat, so would highly recommend my contractors:

Painter - Albert 073 4000 611

The floors were done by Dustless Floor Sanding - 072 3310 233 (Wishing Shaun a speedy recovery)

Kitchen units by Adrian of KitchenPro - 082 651 8513

Building, electrical, plumbing, tiling by Neil of Musgrave Builders - 072 807 5671

fml

2011-05-09T20:38:00.000+02:00

Planning a trip to Thailand when Coldplay are planning a trip to South Africa

:(

the bestest wedding ever

2011-05-02T20:46:00.002+02:00

The first pics from Mark + Bridget's wedding are out, and they are gorgeous! Yay!

images - copyright: we love pictures 2011

what gets me through the easter break

2011-05-02T20:14:00.000+02:00

:: afternoons at battery beach :: season one of misfits :: taking chloe for walks :: sorting out the spare room :: the royal wedding :: cranium :: aking live at unit 11 - what an awesome band :: getting my plumbing seen to :: beautiful autumn days in durban :: preparing to have the bookclub gals over :: tom petty - running down a dream ::

winter reading list

2011-04-20T19:05:00.003+02:00

Now that I'm sort of settled into my new home (I'll take some pics over the easter break) my life can slowly regain normality and I can have free time again! I almost forget what that is… I am also nearly done with spending all my spare cash at Builders Express.

So I plan many an afternoon curled up on my couch with a good book, listening to some good tunes…

I've been eyeing out a few books and I think its nearly time to hit the online shopping again!

Patrick Holford - The Feel Good Factor
I have a few of his books, and love his insights about how our diet affects our moods and emotions

The 4 Hour Work Week
Wouldn't that be great? One can dream…

The One Hundred - A guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Have
I've heard a lot of good things about this book, and look forward start clearing my wardrobe to fill it with some quality clothes that suit me

Tim Gunn - A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style
Love Tim Gunn… make it work!

Super Natural Every Day
I follow Heidi's blog, and find her recipes and food styling absolutely yummy

Yoav - Foolproof Escape Plan
I've heard so many postive reviews of this Israeli born, Cape Town raised artist, so I'm very keen to hear the full album

bafana bafana forever

2011-04-13T13:36:00.000+02:00

Last year our nation united around Bafana Bafana.
We were not interested in copyright issues. We were not interested in who gets to make money off a branded t-shirt. And we are still not interested.
As far as I am concerned national team has a nickname, and that nickname will always live in the hearts and mind of our nation. And we actually quite like it.

And here's the thing, you really can't stop me from calling them 'Bafana Bafana'.

Not anymore than you can stop me from calling the people who are trying to exhort money from SAFA to sell their rights, unpatriotic and most unsporting. In fact, it is that kind of greed and disregard for the greater good that exemplifies the kind of people that make Africa a shit place to be.

Bafana Bafana Forever!

wholefoods night market

2011-04-08T15:39:00.000+02:00

The monthly wholefoods night market at the Roastery has outgrown its venue, and last night was held for the first time at the Point. I can't really describe the venue except that its an empty concrete shell in Timeball Square that has been used in the past as a function venue. The market was buzzing, very well attended considering the weather. It was pouring with rain all night, and yet many people (including me!) braved the miserable weather as well as trekking to an unfamiliar part of town. There was a great vibe, it would have been nice to relax with friends and have a drink on the trestles provided.
I had a very yummy falafel roti for dinner before heading back out into the cold. The stalls downstairs were mostly food related. With what seemed like a lot less jewellery and clothing bits upstairs next to the bar. Unlucky for the poor tables right next to the bright lights of the jazz band, the crowds gave them a wide berth. Note to stallholders - you need labels with prices! I honestly can't be bothered with having to ask every single person what they are selling and how much do they cost.

All in all, the evening seemed to be a success, and I would love to go again when the weather is good. I can imagine it being quite beautiful next to the canals on a clear night.

i always wondered…

2011-04-01T12:19:00.000+02:00

Jarrett Green's side project, I always wondered, is an absolute hoot! I totally love his illustration style, as well as his sense of humour. Not to mention that its quite entertaining too!

It's silly and fun. We need more silly and fun (with pretty pictures).

no, u bend…

2011-03-30T16:39:00.000+02:00

Well, I've moved. I can breathe normally again after a weekend of internal spin out. I think I kept it together quite nicely all weekend even though inside I was having a complete freak out. Moving = Stress. Moving out of your home for the last 30 years = Double stress. Moving with a cat = Triple Stress. So I held it all together until I saw Mr T and his brother for breakfast and had a little drizz at the table.

The actual move went pretty smoothly, found a great mover at a great price, and his team was amazing. Way better than the brakes on his truck. He sat in the vehicle the entire time they were loading up with his foot on the pedal. Movers are so cool: strong, efficient, not extremely neurotic about every minutiae regarding moving.
Luckily I had my maid to help unpack, she took over and sorted out the kitchen. I was a little less helpful, after a busy week at work and up late every night packing, all I could manage was making up the bed. At the very least, I would have somewhere to collapse later.

The joys of moving include discovering that the plumbing in your new home is completely rubbish. In the last 3 months I have had the entire flat painted, the whole kitchen ripped out, the walls skimmed, powerpoints chased, floors tiled, new cupboards installed, the carpets removed, floors sanded etc. And do you know what has given me the most trouble? Some effing pipe somewhere allegedly under my flat is leaking. I've had a plumber round twice to reroute pipes, and guess what, the leak is still there. Luckily I have enough distractions with the realisation that outflow to my handbasin is blocked somewhere, and so the water just backs up until it starts dripping out of my u-bend. Oh, and when I flush the main loo (not the one hidden in the spare bedroom cupboard) mildly wee smelling water pools on the floor around the loo. Apparently this is the normal part of owning a property, and am now part of the elite club that spend their weekends at Builders Express. Yay.

My first night in the new place went okay, I was so knackered that I was in bed by 9pm. I had fetched Chloe early and she was tucked away safely in the spare room to quietly deal with the move at her own pace. Her spin out started at 2.30am, when she meowed consistently and frantically every minute for the next 4 hours. I'm sorry Bach, but your flower essences where of little help in those desperate hours. Nothing I could do would calm her down, and as exhausted as I was, sleeping through it was an impossibility. She is essentially my baby, and her cries (meows) were causing me direct pain to my heart. Eventually, I brought out the big guns. My favourite (expensive) wool sweater was laid out for her to knead and nibble. After about an hour, just as the sun started to come up, she eventually calmed down and I tried, not too successfully to get some sleep.

Anyway, after the breakfast drizz, the day got better. I ate bacon. I bought a fan to transport cool air from the air conditioned lounge to my bedroom. Mr T found the strange bits I needed to hang my bedroom curtains and Chloe attacked him - which means she must be feeling better.

After all the stress, I love my new flat (except the plumbing) and look forward to creating my own nest, when I finally get around to finishing with the unpacking.

I wake up in the mornings and it feels so good to walk into the lounge with the sun streaming in, and feel at home.

[ just realised that the outlet to the washing machine is linked to the leaky toilet pipe… oh joy! ]

i love pictures

2011-03-29T10:16:00.000+02:00

I am so excited to see the official pics from the wedding last week. The photographers are the couple from welovepictures, and I really LOVE their pictures.

I would honestly say they are THE best wedding photographers in the land. Take that…

In the meantime, check out their blog, especially Lesego + Lizes wedding. So beautiful.

congrats bridget + mark

2011-03-21T20:22:00.000+02:00

Mr T and I spent a lovely weekend in Cape Town for our friends wedding… Lots of fun, loads of sun and more paper cranes than you can count. We started off on Thursday afternoon with high tea at the 12 Apostles for the ladies and drinks for the guys…
We had a great time meeting all the family and friends, who had travelled from far and wide. I didn't have much to drink, but the sugar overload was enough to make feel a little tipsy. After a brief 'assburger' accent competition, a group of us headed out to Bacini's for some much needed pizza.

We had booked to stay in the self-catering flats at the YWCA, just a short stroll off Kloof street. The room was small but neat, not bad for R430 per night. On Friday, we loaned a scooter from the wedding couple, and spent some time buzzing around the city and exploring Kloof and Long street.

Mr T has never been a huge fan of Cape Town, but each time we visit he has a slightly better experience. Having the bike helped so much, Cape Town is made for zipping around on a scooter. We ended the day with drinks at Hudsons and a delicious thai dinner at Sawadee. Saturday was the big day, and it was a scorcher. Luckily the wedding was set in the dappled gardens at Welgemeend.

We had the most funnest time ever! The bridal couple looked so happy and gorgeous, the evening flowed beautifully… no moments of guests up in the air waiting for the next bit to happen. They got married, we had drinks, we had dinner, some speeches, photo booth fun and then a lot of dancing. Also the drinks were so cheap, it was wrong. I paid R20 for 4 tequila shots at one point. The evening was stunning, the weather was warm as, the people were awesome… all in all, a most wonderful celebration!

[followed by a most classic hangover the next day, that needed plenty of tender care]

my master cleanse

2011-03-12T14:21:00.000+02:00

After a rather festive christmas I had managed to put on a few extra kgs. That on top of the extra kilos that seem to creep up slowly over the years, I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. So when I started the year, I needed to somehow kick start myself back in the right direction.

I'm generally pretty good with my eating following a combination of Eat Right for Your Type and the Holford diet. The problems come in with portion size, comfort eating and the bad habits that creep in slowly and become the norm. I would eat pretty good during the week, but come friday after 4 days of lentils I would be ready to break loose. And the weekend would be filled with treats and snacks and all sorts of good food, with fries on the side. Mondays would be a struggle as my blood sugar would be all over the place after the weekend of junk. Don't even get me started on bread and other simple carbs - which are like crack to me. I have also tried to do diet-diets with the usual salads and fruit and veg, which was quite hard to stick with without craving the usual nonsense.

I caught an episode of Oprah over the break with Naomi Campbell, and she mentioned that she did the Master Cleanse each year, and was currently on day 5. I had heard of the 'maple syrup' diet but something about it interested me and I bought the book soon after. I was starting work in the New Year on the 3 January, and I knew that things would be quite for the first week as most clients were away still. So without to much analysing I decided on the spur of the moment to give it a try. Usually if I don't eat every few hours, I get cranky and unable to concentrate. My thought was that I would give it a try, see how the first day goes, and if at any point I felt shaky or unable to work productively I would stop.

Well, it went pretty well. The 'lemonade' mixture was pretty palatable, and I had to have minimum 6 glasses a day. On top of that was a daily laxative tea or salt water flush. The whole premise behind the MC is about clearing out your body of toxins and other gunk that builds up. The weight loss is purely a side effect, and not mandatory. The says that really skinny people actually bulk up on the cleanse - whatever your body needs. Interesting though how many people had very strong opinions about what I was doing. Funny how you can pig out on junk food, and booze and no one feels the need to comment - but when you choose to do something proactive about your health, it makes people uncomfortable.

Day one went well, and I got home with more energy than ever. I sat for 2 hours sorting out old paperwork, I job I never have energy for. I also started going to bed early which was a great way to start the year. I managed well until the end of the week, not hungry, not weak, not cranky. My sense of smell was heightened, especially when someone walked past with their delicious smelling lunch. It all came undone on Saturday when I went to a baby shower and didn't make any lemonade to take with me. 3 hours later and I was not good. I got totally loopy and Mr T insisted I stop, so I phased out of it by Sunday evening.

The great thing was, how my body seemed to be 'reset' after the cleanse. I have stayed off meat completely until this last week, have had no junk food and no caffeine. My moods and ability to manage stress has been way better too. My body was more than satisfied with a big whole of fruit for breakfast, and steamed veg for lunch. I used to eat a whole large pizza on my ace!

Oh, and I lost about 4 kilos… which have stayed off so far, because I have kept portion sizes down and stay away from simple carbs 95% of the time. In fact my results were so impressive that even Mr T decided to give it a try. And his transformation has been remarkable. Mr T was not a foodie. Food gave him no joy, it was purely sustenance, and he would often forget to eat meals. He wasn't interested in cooking, or even shopping for groceries so ended up eating a lot of takeaways. Well, since he finished the cleanse, he has now been regularly doing the weekend shop with me - getting fruit for his breakfast, salads and ingredients to make his own vegetable broth for dinner. The experience has made him so much more aware of his body and how to give it what it needs. Also he did the Cleanse while training for the Midmar and he managed absolutely fine.

I have been exceptionally busy at work these last two weeks, and have fallen off the wagon slightly so would like to do another cleanse in the next month or so to get back on track.

my first home

2011-03-06T19:21:00.000+02:00

So I'm really feeling like a big kid now! Last year, after months of searching for a flat to rent for me and Chloe, I was getting nowhere. The prices for 2 bedroom, cat-friendly flats were in the ball-park of about R6500 per month. A lot of money to go straight into someone else's bond.
So I gave it one more look, and to my surprise - a flat was available in a block I'd had my eye on for a while. I took a look at it, loved it and decided to put in a offer. I offered R75000 less than the asking price and the accepted it.

Just like that.

Transfer on my new home went through in January, and as I am currently in my mom's garden cottage I have been able to take a bit of time to get things done before I move in. I've had the painters in to give everything a clean coat of white to start, and for the last 2 weeks I've had the kitchen gutted and replaced - with just finishings left to be done. Tomorrow the floor sanders arrive and I'm holding thumbs that this week runs smoothly. Mr T and I are away for a friend's wedding in Cape Town the following week - which cuts down my sorting-shizzle-out-before-I-move-in time. I really need things to go smoothly.

So hopefully by the end of the month I should be in, and trying to get Chloe to settle into her new home. If any cat owners out there can offer advice, I would appreciate anything that could lower the stress factor - for me that is.

These are the before pics… not bad at all, I just needed to do leeedle improving.

twenny leven

2011-03-03T19:20:00.000+02:00

Holy shamoley! Welcome to 2011, its already friggin March. Excuses for my disappearing act, my Macbook Pro has been on the blink since Christmas, and Core has had my laptop on and off for a month. Their service is so lacking, they really do a terrible job of representing Apple in SA. Enough of the whingeing, I posted the basic story on the mybroadband forum if you're interested…

So what keeps a Noodle busy when she is away from her blog for over 2 months?

buying a flat :) :: long weekends at phinda :: xmas rome season one marathons :: the master cleanse :: fender benders :: getting my new kitchen installed :: modern family :: trying to plan a move :: buying tickets to thailand at an awesome price :: the new adele album ::

I'll be updating all the details as soon as I get a chance…

look what came in the mail…

2010-12-20T21:18:00.000+02:00

I found these great new stamps at the Post Office recently, showing the various hand signs used to signal a taxi in South Africa, and I just love them. Very clean and bold and modern.

Quite frankly, it's about time our local stamps got a fresh new look - the watercolour wildlife was starting to look a little 'olden days'. We have so many talented graphic designers in this country, its a pity there aren't more opportunities for stamps that are a cool.

Oh, and I also got a great set a few months ago which had all the stadiums from the World Cup 2010. A nice little memento from that soccer thing we had a ages ago.

Go SAPO. Now if you could just deliver our Amazon orders…

home made christmas

2010-12-16T20:40:00.000+02:00

Shew, we've had a soggy couple of days here in Durbs. It looks like we are in for another rained out December, though I really don't mind the chilly weather, it only helps soften the blow for sweaty February.

Last week Wednesday, was also soggy and we celebrated our Annual Bookclub Christmas. Last year we began the traditional of homemade gifts and it was so successful we decided to do it again.

Check out the awesome bag of loot I snagged…

Loads of baked goodies, from greek shortbread to gingerbread to hand-rolled truffles. I'm excited to try the vanilla infused vodka, and just love my little felt flower headband, but my absolute favourite is the super cute frilly apron. It seems that it may just be a natural instinct, but I truly cannot wait to wear my pretty pink apron in the kitchen… what a cliché!

diy xmas wreath

2010-12-07T13:41:00.000+02:00

Do you like my wintery, festive yet not overtly gaudy wreath?

I started making this wreath last year, and ran out of steam when I couldn't find the right polystyrene ring here in SA. Eventually I gave in and ordered some on eBay, and then in one evening managed to complete the whole thing!

It is based on Kristens Ruffly Felt Wreath, and consists of cutting out loads of felt circles and then pinning onto a wreath. Dead easy, and very effective…

Yay for ACTUALLY finishing a craft project! As opposed to my granny square blanket… eek, need to get back onto that one!

the doctor is in…

2010-12-01T20:17:00.000+02:00

I live and breathe food. While numfing through my lunch, I'm planning my dinner. Food brings me such joy, and I'm a little obsessed. Mr T has never been one to get excited about food. He often just 'forgets' to eat. I don't think he has fond memories associated with food like I do.

But every now again he reminisces about his time in Germany - the bread, the cheese, the sausage, and strangely enough, the frozen pizza. He has on more than one occasion waxed lyrical about the amazing selection of frozen pizzas in Germany.

So earlier this week I popped into PnP for a little shop and noticed something new in the freezer, frozen pizza that I hadn't seen before… So I have a closer look, and it's made in Germany! I get on the phone to Mr T, and ask him if he remembers the name of the pizza he used to eat, and lo and behold - Dr Oetkers it is! By this stage, he is almost hysterical. About food. Honestly, he is rambling like a mad man, listing all the names of the flavours by heart, and making me check to see which ones they have in store. WTF.

At this point, I am loving it. Food, my favourite thing and finally Mr T can share the love! Yay! Anyway, I grab a Spinaci and head home. During the drive I get thinking though. The time Mr T is talking about is when he moved out of home and lived as a student bachelor type. There wasn't anything gastronomically exciting happening at the time, and I can see how a few memories of the having the munchies and being saved by a frozen pizza can rosy up over the years. Perhaps these memories are not the most discerning. Not to say it was probably the most delicious thing he ate over that period, but we aren't exactly putting the bar very high.

So that night, I had to test it for myself, keen to finally experience what Mr T remembers to be, 'frozen pizza that tastes better than a fresh pizza!'. Strong words. So the prognosis is, pretty damn good pizza. Not comparable to wood-fired pizza, but damn good frozen pizza. What sets it apart is the thin, crispy crust - and the toppings are soft and fresh tasty.

I found it at a PnP Hyper for R35.99, but have just seen it this weekend at Checkers Hyper for R29.99. Score!

party like its 1999

2010-11-22T20:24:00.000+02:00

Last saturday was the long awaited CRASH reunion party at The Origin. CRASH was the nightclub of my youth, that peaking prime of youth and exuberance and hangover bulletproofness. Many a fun night was spent there dancing the night away, and loafing around Durban Station with friends. Few clubs have come close to the magic that made CRASH so successful. The space was perfect for a jol, lots of rooms and passageways, perfect for missioning around and meeting people. A VIP bar downstairs that taunted us with its exclusivity. Nevermind just trying to get in before I turned 18. Those were the days of actual Camel parties, with free cigarettes everywhere, of R1 shooters and kicking ass at Soulblade on the free playstations.

At its heyday, there was a full 6 months straight that my friend Nadja and I went every Tuesday and Friday without fail and knew all our friends would be there too. Quite a feat in the days when cellphones weren't too common. I would get the call, and have to be ready in 15 minutes - which has made me the liquid eyeliner whizz that I am today - and off we would go to wreak havoc at Durban Station. Something else I appreciated about CRASH was the crowd. Instead of the typical cookie cutter jocks and bimbos, CRASH attracted an cross section of the Durban social scene. It was a place where all the weirdies could happily hang out together.

This was evident at Origin, the punks, lesbians, goths, transexuals, bikers and us ex-students all converged on saturday night with the same purpose. To pay tribute to an awesome era passed, and although it could never really be recreated - we might catch a few glimpses of memories past. And boy did we, the DJs all played with such heart - so B and I took full advantage and danced our asses for more than three hours solid, until our feet wouldn't go any more. DJ Kevin went easy on the the 70's retro funk that CRASH was known for an instead treated us to a few forgotten favourites. Everything from Beck to Butthole Surfers, Blur to Oasis, Smashing Pumpkins to R.E.M. I think he was trying to kill us :) It was great to let loose and just dance the whole night long.

When I was 19 at CRASH, I also loved dancing, but at that age I was so self-conscious of my appearance. I worried so much about trying to look cool, impress the boys and not embarrass myself. Now, more than 10 years on, it was almost like muscle memory dancing to those same tunes again, except this time I could happily do it with the carefree abandon that has only come with the confidence that one builds over time. I've come a long way from that skinny-ass student that I used to be…

In the words of a friend from the CRASH days, 'It's like you've come full circle, except now the circle is bigger…'

project makeover - part one

2010-11-18T21:11:00.000+02:00

Mr T and I picked up this gem from the local Carboot Market a few weeks ago. We always hear about some of the amazing finds, but have yet to hit the motherlode as we can't get up early enough on a Sunday - luckily a bit of bad weather meant that the crowds had stayed away.
In fact, this treasure was almost the one that got away. I had reached my limit of how much grubby, used stuff I could touch in one day, and that combined with the blasting of music through cheap, crackly speakers was about to send me over the edge when we stumbled upon the lounge suite. The stall holder was clearly as over it as we were, he took one look at us and said, 'You can have it for R400.' Geez. Clearly it had been a slow morning.

The thrill of the find was soon overtaken with the 'wtf do I do with it panic'. It was just too much to get my head around. No bakkie, no storage space, no upholsterer off the top of my head. Cue mini-meltdown. So we left.

As we headed out of town, rational thinking had the chance to take over and Mr T helped me see the light. And explained that he can help if I JUST LET HIM. Oh. Simple really. So off we went to purchase the said couch, which the seller was so desperate to get rid of at that point, that the price was dropped to R300. Stick that up your ass, Weylandts.

Getting the couch home was a different story altogether, which involved a few complete strangers with a bakkie who for a fee would drop it off on their way to Umlazi. It was Mr T's turn to have a mini-meltdown in the car when he realised that we didn't know these people from Adam. It all went pretty smoothly in the end, but lets just say that the owner of the bakkie who was the most respectable of the three had a scar across his throat. Yussus.

The wood needs to be refinished, and the back legs of the couch need fixing too - add a splash of new upholstery and I will have a most beautiful and really comfy new lounge suite. I'm leaning towards either mucky green or a pale gray fabric. As nice as the vinyl is, I really can't have wipeable furniture. The stitching, which is super rad HAS to stay. Any other thoughts?

PS. if you can recommend someone in the Durban area who does HOT reupholstery at a good price, please drop me a line.

yum!

2010-11-07T21:11:00.001+02:00

Yup, the chinese really have thought of everything… blueberry flavoured Lays, now don't YOU wish you had thought of that first?

streetball

2010-11-07T20:07:00.000+02:00

Last night I caught a wonderful documentary (on Mzanzi Magic) on the 2008-2009 South African Homeless Football teams called Streetball. A beautiful film about the lives of the players heading towards and throughout both tournaments, and a heartwarming one at that. The whole time all I could think about was, 'why is this the first time I am hearing this story?'.
These guys have NOTHING, and yet the game gives them something tangible in their lives, a little bit of hope that perhaps things could change? Seeing the pride on their faces having been selected to represent our country at the Homeless World Cup was quite special, especially when the vice-captain Thapelo commented along the lines 'that when so many people believe in you, you can't let them down. And they might not have the means to help you, but their support and belief mean more than anything. And so their travels take them from Melbourne to Milan and they learn many lessons about life, the world and football.

Sadly, most of them return to fight daily battles with their personal struggles - most are orphans who grapple with addictions and falling back into criminal behaviour. It was so uplifting to see how through the tournament each individual rose above their homelessness, though not all of them have been able to stay that way.

Please try and see the film if you can, it looks like it will be rebroadcast on Saturday 16 November at 04.45 and on Tuesday 16 November at 14.35 on Mnet Movies 1.

There is an afterword by an NGO called 'From Us With Love' who amongst other things are involved with the South African Homeless Football team as well as the making of the Streetball film. They give details on their website if you wish to get involved with the project, either with your time or a donation towards the education and rehabilitation of the team members.

I think it is a great cause, that could make a tangible difference in someones life. But if you do nothing else, at least try to see the film…

Streetball - Trailer from Demetrius Wren on Vimeo.

you don't need eyes to see you need vision…

2010-11-01T20:49:00.000+02:00

I picked up a couple new pairs of glasses in Shangahi for real bargain. They have a whole 2 floors of a mall JUST SELLING GLASSES. I'm not kidding you.
Again a great example of how being able to manufacture cheaply can benefit the people. There is no need for anyone in Shanghai to wear ugly frames, unless its their choice. So I could afford to have a bit of fun and make some frivolous choices…
I got 3 pairs, with prescription in under an hour. I took my existing script with me, otherwise they would have done the eye test for nothing. Total price: 450RMB.
Kinda crazy when you think about what we pay here for a single pair of frames. So affordable in fact that even Mr T even got a couple pairs with plain lenses - just cos.

DIRECTIONS - Take the south exit from the shanghai railway station, cross the road and enter a supermarket. Follow the escalator upstairs to the 4th and 5th floor, and then go bananas.

Open 10am - 6pm
Muling Road #188, 4-5 Floors (穆棱路188号4－5楼).

tgif

2010-10-22T15:51:00.000+02:00

Finally finished uploading all my Shanghai pics to flickr… There are loads, check them out if you get a chance, Shanghai is just gorgeous.

And for some friday fun, go visit Unhappy Hipsters… it's laugh out loud funny at first, and then it starts to get a little dark. They take those posey pictures of the hip and cool homes, and their hip and cool owners and add captions. So friggin clever.

[ Are they trying to say that an Eames Eiffel chair is not going to make me happy? ]

in a nutshell… II

2010-10-17T22:42:00.000+02:00

Shanghai is friggin amazing. The expo wasn't the experience we hoped it would be, but the city more than made up for it…

Shanghai is bustling first world city, on a par with the London, New Yorks and Paris' of the world. A cosmopolitan, beautiful city with tree lined streets and grand art deco buildings sharing space with the most spectacular skyscrapers in the world. Shanghai may not be the best representation of China as a whole, it does seem to be a bit of a city on show, but damn do they put on a good one!

One thing I battled to find was the piles of cheap plastic crap. You know, the stuff you see EVERYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD. Well, they may be making the crap, but its only because that's what all the cheap-ass buyers are asking for. They are able to make good quality stuff just as reasonably, which is more than sufficient for their own use. But I think it is greed (especially here in SA) that forces companies to cash in on profits, by looking for the cheapest tat they can. Ugh. What a pity. The average stuff is affordable, the crap is dirt cheap - and then they STILL put huge markups and then laugh all the way to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Don't ever go to asia, because you will vomit when you realise how badly we are getting ripped off.
That said, the 'fakes malls' do exist, but they are all pretty good quality and the prices are reasonable. All I can say is be strong, they are professionals at taking your cash - and it can be exhausting. The other side of the coin is that heading down the main shopping drag, we saw the biggest, flashiest Louis Vitton, GUCCI, Prada and other luxury brand stores that we have ever seen. Money is not exactly a shortage in Shanghai, but things are still relatively affordable for South Africans. We're not talking Thailand cheap, but South African prices in a London type vibe. So for a first world experience, it totally works. The chinese yuan, or renmimbi, as it is known is about equivalent to the Rand, which made shopping at IKEA, Zara and H&M all the more fun.

As for the people, I was expecting a lot more filth, rudeness and spitting but not so in Shanghai. Not once did we feel crowded, even though we were in the biggest city in the world. Everything was so clean (apart from the typical smell in a SE asian city) and we could have the best cappuccino on practically every street corner. A good coffee goes quite a long way in my book!

We stayed in the French Concession, which was a beautiful part of the city - tree lined avenues as far as the eye can see, made for some lovely strolls, even if my feet did feel like bricks in my Birkenstocks. Our first B+B was Quintet, a cute spot near to the Changshu Road Metro. The owner Faye, was quite helpful but we pretty sorted ourselves out. We had a lovely stay there, unfortunately our visit coincided with some renovations which meant that we unable to have our breakfast on the premises. Instead we got vouchers for a nearby coffee shop, Jamaica Blue, which did an great decaf soy latte. The bacon options did get a bit tiring after a few days, so we ended up buying their (delicious) muesli out of our own pocket. It was wasn't until we moved to the next B+B that we realised what we really missed… One of the reasons we prefer small guesthouses is because of the friendly chats that develop around the breakfast table, with both the owners as well as fellow travellers. We totally missed that at Quintet :(
Luckily our stay at Magnolia seemed to make up for it. Miranda, the owner, was available every morning and we had some lovely long chats with her about Shanghai and its people. It's those kind of connections with locals that really help give us a sense of place…

Both guesthouses gave us 'crib sheets' to help navigate the city. Lists and maps of local places of interest with the names in both English and Mandarin. Very useful for catching a taxi… the taxi's were very reliable and affordable. 12RMB for a flag drop of 2km, which gets you quite far. The metro was also super efficient and clean, you could pretty much get anywhere in the city via subway. Only thing, the doors opened and shut so quickly, that everyone has to get a little pushy shovey in order to get onto/off the train. It's every person for themselves! And the grannies were the worst pushers…

Thinking back, maybe a visit to Beijing would have been awesome, but ten days was just too short. Mental note: Asia needs AT LEAST three weeks for a proper holiday slash visit.

buggrit…

2010-10-10T22:22:00.000+02:00

Fark. I just wrote a super long post ALL about Shanghai, and blogger refreshed and totally lost the whole friggin thing.
It took me AGES, and now I am totally brain dead.
So until I can find the strength to write it all again, here are some pretty pictures.

Pudong. 20 years ago - rice paddies

cool old building

The French Concession

old door

The Bund at night

Aitch 'n Em

world expo 2010 - shanghai

2010-10-10T19:19:00.000+02:00

Mr T and I had reservations about visiting China, but the current World Expo seemed to be more than a good enough reason to visit this potentially controversial country. He had previously been to 2000 World Expo in Hannover, and so we knew we were in for something special.

Fay, the owner of Quintet, our first B+B in the French Quarter, suggested that we just do one day at the Expo when we enquired about the details. One day?! Well, she ended up being sort of right. We decided to do an evening visit just to scope out the scale of what we were getting ourselves into before we bought a multi-day pass.
We headed out just after 5pm, and so began the walking, and walking and even more walking. We walked till our feet were ready to drop off. Just the walk from the metro station to the ticket office, through the entrance and just to the vicinity of the first pavillions had already taken a great deal of strength. Our first impressions of the Expo site, were awesome, so huge and vast that you have no idea where to start. Until of course, you see the queues.
I would say 90% of the Expo visitors (and tourists in Shanghai) were local chinese. Locals who would probably never really get a chance to visit most of the countries on display, and so were quite happy to queue as long as necessary to get in. Unfortunately, Chinese are super competitive, they need to be the best, and the Expo is Shanghai's way of showcasing themselves to the world, as well as a little up yours to the Beijing Olympics - they want to be bigger, better and shinier. And it seems for them it is about numbers and volumes, on a quiet day, they have on average 250 000 visitors per day, and double that during the school holidays. But sadly, for us visitors who don't have the time, the quality of our Expo experience was severely diminished.
So as we explored, we found most of the Pavillions that were worth seeing had queues of 3 hours or more. So we took the queue's less travelled and tried to make the most of our experience.

The theme of this year's Expo is 'Better City, Better Life' and most countries tried to communicate how people live in their cities and what they are doing to constantly improve lives, Denmark had the most beautiful footage of people living in their cities, riding bicycles, swimming in the city lakes, and just showing a wonderful balanced quality of life.

All in all we saw these Pavillions:

Sweden - boring, our trip to the Shanghai Ikea branch was more exciting.
Finland - better than Sweden
Denmark - saw the Little Mermaid, stunning audio visual
Turkey - okay, they were selling the most expensive ice creams ever
Canada - stunning wooden structure, boring inside - expected more considering it was done by Cirque du Soleil
Brazil - fun, and bright, okay
we ended up doing one more night trip and saw these further Pavillions,
New Zealand - nice images of locals, pretty gardens but it was starting to fall apart a bit
Australia -really good fun, great caricatures showing the history of Oz, and all round nicely thought out.
Malaysia - ugh, national costumes on blonde caucasian mannequins
South Africa - a bit of everything, without really any specific message. their were some probably very significant looking skulls on display in a hidden corner, but with no labels or info.
Germany - stunnig, beautiful and well thought out. mr t got involved and did a little karaoke, they also had a great live show with this huge spherical video screen.

All in all, the Expo was quite something to see and it was a pity that foreign visitors have such limited access to all the Pavillions. The vastness of it all is quite something to take in. I think that there was also a lot to be learned from the Expo, I feel South Africa has a long way to go to stand shoulder to shoulder with claims of 'Better City, Better Life'. I think all our top Municipial managers should be given VIP tickets to go and see what lengths the rest of the world is going to to improve the lives of their citizens.

shanghai surprise

2010-09-28T20:49:00.000+02:00

September seems to have come and gone in a blink, so I'll squeeze in a quick post before October bustles in :)

Mr T and I are so pleased that we had the most amazing time in Shanghai. So many misconceptions about China have been dispelled and I can't wait to share our experiences, but, for now here is a small taste of our trip…

nathan is six

2010-08-31T20:55:00.000+02:00

My nephew Nathan recently celebrated his 6th birthday… that munchkin is getting so big! My sister was loking for something different to the regular parties she's done year in and year out, and had a couple ideas - one of which involved a tour of a defence force helicopter. This didn't work out, and in the end she arranged with the Durban Fire Department to bring the kids round for a demo. What a great idea.

It started out with some basic fire safety and I think the kids weren't the only ones that learnt valuable lessons. They also learnt the number for fire brigade - again, useful for the grown ups too! They showed the kids what they look like in all their protective gear, so that if they are ever in a fire they know who to look for, and not to be afraid. All in all, very educational, and information that saves lives.

From there we went outside (Nathan taking a shortcut down the fireman pole!) and had a tour of the big yellow firetruck. Next they put out a huge 'towering inferno' again, Nathan arriving in the fire truck, sirens blazing. After a quick dip in the very freezing pool, the foam machine was set up and the kids had a blast chasing each other around the bubbles.
The party was so interesting and the kids genuinely had a great time. The officers who gave the tour were so generous with their time and made us feel totally welcome. And they were pretty toight.

Unfortunately, they don't really 'do' birthday parties as they are generally quite busy, but are always trying to get schools to come visit so that they can educate young kids about fire safety. I suggest you phone up your childrens school and find out when they will be visiting the Durban Fire Department, I promise you it would be a day they will remember!

hey there big boy

2010-08-20T18:48:00.000+02:00

Mr T is a Vespa man, and he thoroughly enjoyed our travels in Thailand as we came across many stunning examples of vintage Vespas. We even found some body shops that were doing wonderful work in restoring these beauties.

But asians are super creative and never one to miss out on an opportunity, and so on the streets of Thailand, even more common sight is their Yamaha Fino. A super cool retro styled scooter design, available with all the customisation a teenager could want. They are everywhere and have a great old school aesthetic.

The other day Mr T pointed out a great new local brand, with a similar idea. Named 'Big Boy' (cringe) they have a crazy selection of out-the-box vintage styled scooters. All locally made, and super affordable. The Retro 150 retails at about R8950. Bargain!

Totally love the idea, cos buying a brand-new Vespa out the box is for fancy Capetonians with too much spare cash. These are WAY cooler. In fact, I see Big Boys are available for rental is Cape Town. Nice one. Just don't get taken out by a white Hilux :(

Revival 150

Retro 150

once i was lost…

2010-08-16T22:45:00.000+02:00

Fffaaaark. I've just finished watching the LOST finale.

Unanswered questions, unexplained phenomenon, alternate realities etc, were totally forgotten while I have spent the last hour BAWLING MY EYES OUT. Like a mad woman.

Up until 2 hours ago, I was still demanding explanations, and now I'm sobbing hysterically. Holy crap, that was sad, and wonderful, and everything all in one. Fark knows what the hell was going on, but they so had me.

So those ratbags did it. For the past how many seasons they sent us round in circles googling hieroglyphics and ancient mythology, trying to make sense out of so many strange happenings. And in doing so made us totally fall for every single character without us realising it - just so that they could wham-bam! us in the finale with all that gooey stuff. Smiles and hugs and tears and the white light. Are they all dead now? Have they been dead all along? Who knows! It's JUST sad!

Sorry to say, I TOTALLY fell for it. Maybe because this has been such a long and exhausting journey, I am so glad that it has come to an end. I am at peace. I don't friggin care about the three-toed sculpture - I'm free! It's finally over!

It made no sense, yet somehow it made perfect sense, and quite beautifully too. I'll takit. Shew…

[ sniff ]

UPDATE: So after a little research, I guess no one survived the plane crash? And they've all been in purgatory? Fark. But the good ones managed to short their shizzle out, now they get to walk to the light together. Love this show.

ba-durban, ba-durban!

2010-08-11T21:42:00.000+02:00

Go, go Bafana! I type this as I watch my team play the Black Stars, and in my exhaustion after a long day, I reminisce about the World Cup. A month ago? It feels so far away, like a dream.

It flew by, and left Mr T and I knackered and completely out of sorts. It has taken a about a month to get our groove back. All those late nights and the emotional exhaustion really took its toll, but it was worth every second. We. Were. There. W. T. F.

Durban also came into its own during the World Cup. I know Durban can be a little be narrow-minded, apathetic and all sorts of laziness blamed on the humidity. But I like to think that winter is different. Our winters are perfect - clear blue skies, not a breath of wind and days of gorgeous, sunny warmth. And there always seems to be things happening this time of year too. So the FWC became the cherry on top. Florida Road, the Fan park and the beaches came alive on match days with the influx of foreign visitors, and the sometimes too cool Durbanites welcomed them with open arms. I heard stories of locals finding lone travellers and 'adopting' them for their visit, bringing them to braais and showing them our special brand of hospitality.

And even us locals had a chance to rediscover our own city. Everything was given a fresh coat of paint, trees were planted, pedestrian paths were set up, information booths built, roads were repaired - we had rapid progress, things that would have taken years were sorted out in one go. The stunning upgraded promenade on the beachfront became the star attraction, with a police presence that felt very reassuring. There were also free daily drum circles, which were such fun. These things are not rocket-science, and I do hope that they will continue beyond the World Cup. It was nice to dress up for the visitors, but we need to do it for ourselves too.

Durban also seemed to be the surprise venue for a lot of visitors and journalists. They had all heard many stories about Jozi and Cape Town, but once they arrived here wondered why no one had mentioned the 'warm' city by the sea…

There are a few heartwarming stories being circulated, and these are some of my favourite…

Walking on the Beach, waiting for the Semi-finals - NY Times

Oh Durban, where have you been my whole World Cup? - Washington Post

Has Durban finally found its groove? Let's hope we can keep it going…

FYI - Moses Mabhida will now be the home ground for Amazulu - so lets adopt our local team and show them support when we have they play by sea :)

snotty and snarky

2010-07-26T21:12:00.000+02:00

I skipped out on the Film Festival tonight I've been super snotty all day… Mr T is off to see Fool in a Bubble.

So I'm at home, snifflig and watching LOST. Lost, lost, lost. Where do I start? This series started off an amazing couple of seasons. Nail biting stuff. And well, these last few seasons have left much to be desired. But I have patiently hung on. Even when the island disappeared into thin air. WTF. Especially when the writers made it clear early on, that all the weirdness could be explained rationally. Reee-eeally?

Anyway so we are on the last few episodes ever, and I don't know if I even remember where the heck this all started. What a freakin tangent. I tend to get my kicks mostly from reading comments on the official LOST forum, The Fuselage. Colin72 is ESPECIALLY hilarious, a true example of a good fan gone bad.

Here is his synopsis of where we are at, episode 'Across the Sea' :)

Fasten your seat belts and jump on the magic water slide. Lindelof and Cuse are going full retard.

Let's recap!

A pregnant woman named Claudia washes up on the beach. She's met by a woman who I'm going to call Mother because I have no idea what else to call her. Both women inexplicably speak two languages. One of those languages is modern day English. If you have a problem with this little nugget, wait until you hear what else happens.

Claudia asks how Mother ended up on the island. Mother says by accident. Claudia starts to ask how long Mother has been on the island but Mother cuts her off and says, "Every question I answer will lead to another question. You should rest. Just be grateful you're alive."

There you go audience. Mother is talking to you. You can't ask questions about what's going on because it just leads to more questions and how the hell do you expect Lindelof and Cuse to answer questions to a story they’ve written. You should rest. Just be grateful you’re alive.

Over-the-top music plays while Claudia gives birth to two boys who look nothing like each other or their mother.

Mother kills Claudia with a rock because she doesn’t have a gun or dynamite.

Flash forward 13 years. Some parents dress their kids in fancy designer clothes. Mother dresses one boy in black and the other in white. Kid in Black (KIB) finds a game on the beach and doesn't want Jacob to tell Mother. He knows how to play the game because he just knows. Don’t ask questions. They will only lead to more questions. You should rest. Just be grateful you’re alive. Oh, look a Chuck E. Cheese!

The boys are out hunting a boar and run into some men. Mother obviously didn't have a problem with letting the boys run around the island and not telling them about men who she thinks would hurt them. Someone call Child Protective Services.

Mother says the men don't belong there and that she and the boys are on the island for a reason. KIB, who obviously doesn't know how the show works, foolishly asks why they are there. Mother replies, "It's not time yet”. I hate you Lost. I really hate you.

Mother tells the boys the men are dangerous and they would hurt them because that's what people do. KIB asks if that means that they can hurt each other. Mother gets very serious and says, "I've made it so you can never hurt each other." Great! There's the answer to the "rules". Mother is magic. Don’t ask any questions. It only leads to more questions. You should rest. Just be grateful you're alive. Have a snack. Drink a beer. Drink 10 beers. You’ll like the show better.

Mother shows the boys the reason they are on the island. It's a cave with a stream and glowing yellow light that looks like something you would see in a cheesy 80’s movie. KIB says it's beautiful. Mother says, "Yes it is and that's why they want it. A little bit of this very same light is in every man but they always want more.” Brilliant dialogue. And by brilliant I mean horrible. And by dialogue I mean horrible.

Jacob asks if people can take “it”. Mother says, "No, but they will try. And if they tried they could put it out and if the light goes out here. It goes out everywhere.” More brilliant dialogue. And by more brilliant dialogue I mean this whole magic cave idea is embarrassing.

Mother tells the boys that one of them will protect the magic light water cave.

Claudia, the boys biological Mother, appears to KIB. Don't ask how she appears as a ghost. Questions are bad. There are no rules for this stuff. KIB asks why Jacob can't see her. She says, "Because I'm dead." There! Happy now? That’s technically an answer. If you want more that’s your problem you impatient hater.

Claudia shows KIB a little village, tells him that she's his Mother, and says there is plenty of stuff across the sea. Despite being raised like veal and having no contact with other people, KIB believes Ghost Mom and decides everything Mother told him is a lie. KIB grabs Jacob to go live with the other people. Mother tries to stop him, well not really, but she tells him he'll never be able to leave the island.

Mother tells Jacob she killed his real Mother but Jacob decides to stay with her. Jacob is very forgiving… but even he wouldn’t forgive Lindelof and Cuse for this train wreck.

Flash forward 30 years. KIB is now the MIB. Mother doesn't look like she's aged a day thanks to her Pilates regimen. MIB and Jacob still wear black and white shirts for some reason. They found a style that works for them and they’re sticking with it. Jay Leno wears denim, they wear black and white.

Jacob and MIB have a chat. MIB says he's found a way off of the island. If you like a big glass of BS with BS sandwich and a side of BS, you're going to love this. You see, MIB and some really smart dudes find magnetic spots on the island and dig. Mother hears about MIB's plan and goes to see him. MIB tells her he's been looking for the magic light water cave for 30 years but somehow couldn't find it. MIB shows Mother that the hole they've dug somehow leads to the light. Oh, and he's also made a wheel. He's going to attach it to a system he and the other guys are building. The system channels water and light. When he turns the wheel, he's going to be able to leave. Mother, who should know better, asks how MIB knows all this crap. MIB says, "I'm special." What? You have questions? What did I tell you about questions? You look tired. Have a sandwich. Take a nap. You’re alive aren’t you?

Mother can't let MIB leave the island for some reason that will never be explained and so she conks his head on the wall and instantly knocks him out.

Mother takes Jacob to the magic light water cave that no one can find despite it glowing intensely at night. She tells him he's taking over as island protector. She pours a glass of wine, says some magic chant mumbo jumbo, and tells Jacob to drink. Abracadabra! Jacob is the island protector!

MIB wakes up and he's somehow out of the hole now. The hole is somehow covered up. The village is somehow burned. The villagers are somehow dead. I am somehow still watching this crap.

MIB kills Mother with a dagger because he doesn't have a gun or dynamite. Before Mother dies she has time to thank MIB for killing her. That Mother may be crazy but she sure is polite.

Jacob sees that MIB killed Mother and smacks him around which pushes the boundary of those crazy undefined rules but doesn’t break them. Jacob drags MIB unwillingly through the jungle… I mean, the MIB puts up no fight whatsoever as Jacob leads him through the jungle. They go to the magic light water cave. MIB takes a ride into the cave and down and magic water slide. The next thing you know black smoke flies out of the cave! RED ALERT! We've gone full retard! Lindelof and Cuse have done it! Jump the shark = Ride the magic waterslide. There's your answer for how the Smoke Monster came to be. MIB was pushed into a magic light water cave. I bet you didn't see that one coming. It’s all magic! The joke’s on you suckers!

Jacob then finds MIB's body which was somehow spit out of the magic light water cave. He gathers up the black and white stones, Mother's body, MIB's body, and puts them in cave. You see, they are Adam and Eve! That’s a bona fide answer! And you thought Lindelof and Cuse didn't have this part planned out all along. They obviously did... despite laying the two skeletons together like husband and wife holding hands... despite referring to them as Adam and Eve... despite having Jack say in "House of the Rising Sun" that the bodies must have been dead 40-50 years based on the deterioration of their clothing. Forget all that. Bam! Answer! Stupid unplanned answer!

Congratulations to Lindelof and Cuse!! They've officially done it. No need to wait for the final episode to declare Lost an epic failure. There's no way to change any of the ridiculous crap that we've seen. Nothing in the remaining episodes can justify the nonsensical writing and preposterous plot lines. It's been painfully obvious for a long time that Lindelof and Cuse were lying when they said they had a plan. They threw too much weird mysterious crap into the show and then couldn’t make sense of it. All they have is vague unexplainable “magic”. Their idea that answering one question raises another is ludicrous. How is it that other TV Shows manage to satisfactorily answer questions they raise? I guess their show runners aren’t hacks.

Check out some of his other gems too…

Anyway so we have about 3 hours total of this crazy left, and if there are any other fans out there you can follow the rest of the world and throw a LOST finale party. Complete with Dharma Initiative labels for your root beer!

That'll make it ALL better!

diff 2010

2010-07-24T19:40:00.000+02:00

Blink and you'll miss it… the 31st Durban International Film Festival is in full swing… be sure to check out at least one fillum - and there are loads of gems this year.

I love Durban in the winter!

Download the programme pdf here

kabam!

2010-07-17T21:13:00.000+02:00

Holy crapola… I'm starting to recover after hitting a wall big time this afternoon. After a hectic couple weeks at work (creative director away, and huge workloads) I've been working late most nights just to keep on top of things. So my body has finally said, 'Enough lady!'.

Mr T has his mom down for a visit, so while they catch up, I took a 'personal' day today, getting all sort of nagging bits done. I made it as far as new tyres on the car, new license disc and almost a fixed oven before the collapse. I know its serious if I'm even too tired for the YOU magazine.

So into bed for a looong afternoon nap. Need. To. Recuperate.

On the plus side, Mr T & I have holiday booked in 2 months time, we are going to the World Expo in Shanghai - which sounds like more work than relaxing, but should be very exciting all the same.

game 62

2010-07-09T18:45:00.000+02:00

this is a guest post from my dear Mr T…

The dream would have been complete if there had been a Germany victory.

This post is to report, not to gloat :)

For those, that don’t know, a miracle happened to me when H, my brother got 4 VIP tickets from Sepp Blatter’s daughter, whom he drove around Phinda (as a game ranger) a week ago.

So, you get ushered through the Stadium by well dressed fifa staff leaving the ‘normal’ people outside the closing lift doors that takes you down to below the stadium.

Noodle, J (my sister in law), H and myself tried to stay cool, but coudn’t help blushing and nudging each other behing the hostess. Anyway, through massive security etc we arrive in cool lobby and lekker catering, red carpets (leading up to the VVIP lounge) etc.
I was wearing my jacket and a hostess said: hey, you know the guy on your back, he’s over there! Oh man, I walk past a banner and there he is, Lucas Radebe. Man what a oke. I showed him my jacket and he said,"oh man, that looks like me..." I explained, that I requested him (to be painted) especially and he was blown away. He said it inspired him and gave him a lift, as he was feeling down.
I think he took more pics than me. What a hero and a beautiful person. He signed my jacket, but was scared that he would mess it up.

Then, surrealism, for the rest of the evening... hey, look, there’s Booth and Houllier and Beckenbauer and Blatter and Zuma and Wenger and Jordaan and Perreira and Radebe and that politician, you know the one...

Very weird. Arsene Wenger was the weirdest, I don’t know why.

Perfect seats, perfect night (with little Germany loss blemish) perfect World Cup. (almost) Perfect final. What an experience...

PS I would have swopped them for regular tickets as VIP people by genetics, can only cheer with a well tempered, orderly clap. They got a rowdy vuvuzela hoot from H and a tipsy ‘Fakn come on’ from Noodle... representing.

barefootball

2010-06-29T20:13:00.000+02:00

“Sport has the power to change the world, the power to inspire, the power to unite people in a way that little else can… sport can create hope… it is an instrument for Peace” Nelson Mandela

Soccer unites nations, communities and individuals. The legacy of the Barefootball project is to inspire intercultural collaboration, peace and education in the underprivileged and multicultural community of Westlake, using the vehicle of a youth soccer program.

Underprivileged youth can learn the key lessons of life through sports. Through its values and rules, sport goes beyond social, political, cultural, racial or religious differences that are often at the core of conflicts in the world. Sport has the power to make young people aware of universal values such as respect for other individuals and cultures, playing by rules, and settling differences without violence. Sport is also an excellent platform for educating youth about important social issues such as HIV awareness.

Westlake is a displaced and underprivileged community, consisting of 6-7000 members. The community lies sandwiched between Pollsmore Prison, a golf course and an up-market business complex, and has little room for expansion. The infrastructure consists of a community center, 650 houses and 700 informal dwellings. The community faces several social and cultural and issues, including unemployment, lack of a local school, a 30% HIV infection rate and intercultural conflict based on the number of immigrants from Zimbabwe and Malawi who have moved into the community.

Woolworths have made a commitment to sell the Barefootballs in all W Cafe’s nationwide. Show your support for Africa and the environment and buy a Barefootball at any W Cafe. You’ll also be able to buy exclusively designed barefootball shopping bags in all Woolworths stores nationwide. Let's support this great initiative, I think that they would make great gifts!

waka waka week 3

2010-06-27T20:31:00.000+02:00

Wow, and the results keep coming in! So happy that Ghana has gone through, a well deserved well and so proud to have them representing for Africa.
Also very pleased, (Mr T more than pleased) that Germany have gone through. From my side, it was really just that I couldn't stomach seeing Ingerland progress. I'm sorry to say that they seem to be VERY bad winners.

I'm really enjoying these knockout games, as the thrills are pretty much guaranteed. Unlike our last group game at the Moses Mabhida stadium. From the day of the draw everyone has been vying for tickets to see Portugal face Brazil, as it promised to be good one. Well, a few days before the game, Mr T called it - they were both top of their group and we were in for 90 minutes of b-o-r-i-n-g. I resisted the urge to make a quick buck offloading our tickets and simply enjoy the privilege of seeing more top teams play.
Lordy, that game was SO boring. Like with a capital B. I would rather they had put their stars on the bench and let the reserves show us some real football. The most entertaining part of the day was seeing the majority of local indian attendees wearing full Brazil regalia from head-to-toe, but cheering for Ronaldo taking a free kick! We all had a good laugh together in the stands.
But 3 budweisers in, and I was cursing both teams much to Mr T's embarrassment. He didn't think I was doing much for South African public relations, but in all honesty, the visiting fans were pretty boring too. From both the Portugal and Brazil side, the fans were not the friendliest or the funnest nations I have come across so far. I felt that they showed very little interest in sharing their experience with local fans, as opposed to what I've seen from the dutch, swiss and german fans. They pretty much kept to themselves and their drums.

So maybe this game had been totally over-hyped, which I guess was not their fault, but 0-0 is never fun to sit through.
Tomorrow Netherlands returns to take on Slovakia and I'm looking forward to some real football on the pitch!

week 2 wrapup

2010-06-21T21:35:00.000+02:00

Week 2 of the World Cup, and what a rollercoaster! A week of high scores, upsets and red cards… this is proving to be quite exhausting. And seems almost impossible to predict the outcome of a game, though already some teams are clearly through and others don't stand a chance to get to the next round.

Durban has come alive, with the beautiful weather and loads of foreign visitors. I do hope they all have a lovely time and come back soon… the beachfront will be lonely without them.

In the meanwhile I am holding thumbs for all the african teams, so far it seems that Algeria is the best bet. I will hope and pray that Perriera comes up with a proper plan for our game against France, cos we did not even feature against Uruguay. It will be difficult, our team is so lacking in experience, but I will try be positive. If not, I'll be there rooting for ANY nerdy, underdog team I can find.

So far, the Swiss win hands down for the wackiest dressed fans, and the Dutch are the brightest. And Roque Santa Cruz is the cutest :)

feel it!

2010-06-14T20:34:00.000+02:00

Talk about football overload! The World Cup has kicked off with a bang hasn't it?

What a weekend… Left work early on Friday like a lot of other lucky South Africans, the opening ceremony simply could not be missed. Mr T and I hopped onto the old Vespa and headed to the Durban beachfront to check out the FIFA Fanfest, though doubting that we would be able to handle the crowds. Well we had very little to worry about, the fanpark was very well organised and it felt safe with a visible police presence. We grabbed some generic beer (you can't fool us, we all know Castle!) and settled in to enjoy the Opening ceremony. All in all I enjoyed it very much, though I don't know what planet R Kelly beamed in from - he was off on his own little mission. Strange man.

The beach eventually filled up to about 28 000 people, but never once did I feel unsafe. The scariest moment was checking out the Mexican team for the first time - holy crap they looked fierce. Nerves seriously got the better of Bafana Bafana in the first half, but I trusted Parreira to get their heads right at half time and he certainly did.

The Goal. My word, those slow motion moments that only happen on TV do happen in real life. That goal came out of nowhere and the crowd went BA-NA-NAs! The corwd took a huge breath before screaming hysterically, and the cliched hugging of total strangers ensued. Mr T got swept off his feet by huge, peroxided rugby jock. That moment was the most exhilarating thing I have ever experienced. By the time the final whistle blew, we were physically and emotionally finished. What a day, what a release.

I am so proud of my team, and my country.

The rest of the weekend was pretty much more footie. At lot more. All building up to the first game in Durban on sunday night. Mr T was especially excited because of his German heritage. To put it lightly he was quite disappointed when I told him that waving a 2 metre germany flag from the scooter on our way to breakfast in Florida Road was not a practical idea.

It was a very proud moment to see so many foreign guests enjoying the hospitality of our beautiful new stadium. But damn I hate queuing for beer. There has to be a better way, but then I guess it only leads to queuing for the toilet. Turns out our Category 2 tickets were WAY up in the rafters - I got a mild case of vertigo, and pretty much sat my ass down, hoping that my bladder would find space for R60 worth of Budweisers.

All in all it was a great game, but I battle to follow without the aid of TV commentary, I didn't even know that someone was red carded. It was great to have some goals though, the games so far have been pretty slim.

If I'm not sounding terribly excited, that most certainly isn't the case, the truth is I'm totally knackered from the late game last night… Here we go World Cup 2010!

seven random noodle facts

2010-06-02T17:11:00.000+02:00

I've been tagged! Champagne Heathen has awarded me the 'Versatile Blogger Award'… how kind :)

Now for my sins, I need to share 7 random facts about myself.

1. I am a designer and will spend an unnecessary amount of time redrawing the fuzzy jpegs that I get sent by clients. It gives me great satisfaction.

2. I had to redo the Versatile Blogger Award - the previous one simply wouldn't do.

3. Mr T and I collected our World Cup tickets this passed weekend. I nearly freaked out when I added up how much I had spent over the last year, but I am also desperately excited and filled with pride for the opening game. I can see an ugly cry coming on.

4. I am finally looking at moving out of home and finding a place of my own. Growing up is scary! Now to find a lovely a place for me and Chloe and all my stuff…

5. At the ripe age of 30 I have finally figured out the perfect foundation. After years of not quite getting it right. MAC makes a great foundation for yellow based skintones, and I have also discovered the very necessary powder afterwards to set everything. Start off with some Prep + Prime and the foundation stays on ALL DAY.

6. I get treated to Spa day this weekend as part of my birthday pressie from Mr T. A full Queen for a Day thingy, SO looking forward to it. Facials and pedicures make me feel good!

7. As much as I enjoyed the Twilight series, I wasn't swooning all over Edward Cullen. But the Sookie Stackhouse books? Holy crapola - total addiction.These are the books that the True Blood TV series is based on, and so far I'm on book 8. I'm a lot less irritated with Sookie than with Bella and they are such easy, fun reads. Book #5 is my favourite so far… if you've read them, you'll know why.

Now to share the joy, I shall pass on the love to these fellow bloggers. Tag, you're it!

getting the world cup vibe…

2010-05-30T18:40:00.000+02:00

I have found my official world cup song… sorry, sshhsshhaa-shakira you didn't crack the nod.

Right now I am love, love, loving somalian artist K'naan's Wavin' Flag for Coca-Cola, it makes me feel so good! AND there is synchronised dance movement potential. Bring. It. On.

Have a listen right here, it's a total 10 out of 10 on the feel-good factor:

This is the official video (what's he doing in the rice paddies?)

And this is a live version

And for even more World Cup love, check out the Nike 'Write The Future' campaign, VERY well done, VERY funny. -

[FYI. if you play your youtube video in full screen mode, and leave it open, it keeps playing the rest of the series straight after. Telkom broadband is gonna earn its keep :)…]

footie ball fridays

2010-05-27T21:14:00.000+02:00

For the last few months we have celebrated football friday at work. Pretty much everyone wears the Bafana jersey and slowly we've been getting into the World Cup vibe. There has been one grumpy old man who refuses to participate, because he says that he won't support a losing team. Like how about totally missing the point? He doesn't even wear a Brazil shirt instead, he just wears a regular shirt - but it makes him look like such an odd one out.

You see, for me it is so much more than supporting our national team (which is very important mind you) but its about sharing. I've been flying the flags on my car for a while, and get total strangers crossing the road waving at me. A smile a wave from someone I've never met, or had any common ground with. My boss flew to Joburg and had a dude in business-class also representing give him the nod - like they know each other. That is awesome.

You see, in doing this south africans are finally able to put their differences aside and find something in common with a fellow human being. A common humanity - that crosses every divide. We are South Africans and we are proud, and now we can share that joy with one another.

This soccer world cup is not about winning trophy's or renting your house for a quick buck… this is the first chance our nation has had to unite for something. And this is a healing process that will carry us long after the crowds have left…

So unite, mzanzi unite… Fly the Flag… Feel it, it is here!

living it up - cape tarn style

2010-05-27T20:14:00.000+02:00

Last weekend Mr T and I spent a lovely long weekend in Cape Town with our friends Mark and Bridget, who celebrating their recent engagement. The weather was sunny and perfect, I had was happy to see the mountain once again, having grown up doing our family christmas holiday there every year. Mr T was slightly less convinced, he finds fynbos hostile and doesn't have too many great memories of Cape Town. Yet. He's turning slowly though.

The weekend was most wonderful, filled with lots of eating (german deli, macaroons at the biscuit mill, pizza at massimos) you name it we ate it. We also drank a LOT of mojito's at the engagement, which left me feeling quite weird later that evening, but we had great fun.

I realised at well once we were back in Durban, that in Cape Town nature seems so much closer and tangible. I think it must be the mountain. It makes you notice things around you more. You stop and appreciate the view more I think.

We also passed through the new King Shaka airport. Meh. It's really big. You walk a LONG way to get anywhere, though I'm not sure if we will ever really need the space for so many damn people. It felt like walking through a deserted shopping mall, until we hit the lounge and realised that everyone was crammed in there. Like capacity at the toasted sandwich machine. And a whole row of gates don't have chairs. Just a gate, and people sitting around on the leopard print carpet, listening to some not-so-good songs from the eighties. Kinda undignified. Don't get Mr T started on the muzak in the terminal…

Regardless, I Love Cape Town! Till next time…

the happy couple - fynbos bringing up the rear

I dodged a cake baking bullet ;)

nice stadium

eating. again.

they don't JUST have mountains, they have forests too!

PS. 15 frigging days till the World Cup starts! Freak OUT!

happy happy to ME!

2010-05-12T09:51:00.000+02:00

Yep, its the big three-oh… I've got a good feeling about this decade, I reckon its onward and upward.

Check out these lovely birthday flowers my friend Debbles made for me - gorgeous!

my nieces

2010-05-09T19:21:00.000+02:00

Happy Birthday to my dear niece Ruby, who turns 2 today…

Following on from the profiles I did of the boys last year, here are the girls' version.

the reader

2010-05-02T21:05:00.000+02:00

I follow a lot of blogs, they are my constant inspiration - bite sized bits from all over the world. But how the heck do I do it? My friends often say that they just don't have time to keep up with their favourite blogs. I totally agree, there is NO time to surf the net. Which is why I don't. Welcome to the world of RSS feeds and readers. Being a google fan, I set up my iGoogle homepage years ago, with my gmail, some news feeds and my Google Reader. Google Reader is so my bestest internet tool ever. There are loads of other RSS Feed Readers out there, but this is what I use.

So it's this simple. Find a blog you love, add the URL to your reader, and whenever they post something new, it pops up. You then can read the post, without having to navigate to its page (unless you want to comment). So easy, and I am able to keep up to date with loads of different blogs in the process.
If they don't post anything, you won't get a peep from them, but nor will you have to keep checking up on their site to see if you have missed a post. Result!

The hardest part is finding some of the hidden gem blogs out there… Try it, it will change the way you use the net forever!

Top 10 RSS Feed Readers

open up the airways

2010-04-27T17:39:00.000+02:00

Today I said goodbye to my brother and his family, they return home after an extended holiday compliments of Eyjafjallajökull. Later this week I say cheerio to my mom who will be visiting family in Oz for a weeks. Both of them will be last of our family to fly through the Durban airport as we know it. As of saturday, all flights to and from Durban will go through the new King Shaka International, quite a distance away.

I understand that most people couldn't care less about the old airport closing down, but for me it is a very poignant time. Next month signifies not only my 30th year on the planet, but nearly 30 years of living in this house with my family. This house is filled with many memories, especially of my late date, and a lot of those memories are punctuated by the rumbling roar of a jet engine passing overhead.
For as long I can remember, I could go outside look up into beautiful orange sunset and see a plane streaming off into the distance. From little, we were taught to wave goodbye to the planes, and my young nieces and nephews were also shown by their grandfather - look at plane going away, lets wave bye bye.

When family visited from far and wide, my dad would watch out for the plane overhead before leaving to pick them up, the same when they left. We'd drop them off and then wait on the verandah for the familiar sound, looking to say cheers once more. I have even had the chance to take a picture of my house just before landing, so incredible.
Yes, there could be plenty of annoying moments, usually during a critical point on Carte Blanche, or a movie - a plane would have to go DIRECTLY over our house, blasting any chance of hearing what the heck was being said.

But these memories are fond, and as of Friday the planes will be no more. And maybe the value of our property will increase slightly, but I don't think that makes up for the charm that will be lost in the process.
As I write this, another plane takes off. I'm listening extra carefully now, to sound that I will soon forget, and tears roll down my face. It feels like something I've known so long is ending, and I can only hope that something even more special with replace the quiet that will be left behind.

here's johnny

2010-04-20T20:29:00.000+02:00

Last saturday Mr T and I headed up to Maritzburg to see Mr Clegg in concert. Quite exciting, as I had never seen him perform before. When Mr T was a kids he saw him 25 years ago at Sun City and met him afterwards backstage. When he went to say hello, what should pop out of his mouth but, "Mr Clegg, please save our country!" So sweet… I bet Mr Clegg still him remembers him.

The venue was a rugby stadium with the most wonderfullest, greenest lawn. There wasn't a huge crowd, it would have been the perfect night for a picnic blanket. After hitting the beer tent, we settled in to watch the support act, Wonderboom. They're pretty good and sounded okay, songs lots of tunes along the lines of 'Charlie', "Walking the White Line' etc etc. Subtle.

But the best part of the evening was Johnny. It was amazing to see a crowd of 90% white people singing along to the zulu songs. It would have been so good to have a more of a mixed crowd, but guess the tickets were maybe too expensive. The Crossing (O Siyeza) had me in tears. In fact, being there gave the overwhelming feeling that everything is going to be OKAY. It's gonna be okay people.

It will, our shared humanity is still there, even if we don't see it.

Now I'm motivated again to take the Zulu language course I wanted to do in the beginning of the year. In fact, it would build such bridges if all our children could communicate.
I read a great article in Time last year where kids in Minneapolis start school and are taught entirely in Mandarin. The idea is that their minds are like sponges at that point so you may as well throw them in the deep end. And it works. English classes are phased in slowly, and they lag behind until about Grade 5, but which time the cognitive benefits are visible - creative, flexible thinking. Imagine if all our children could speak Zulu? What a leap forward that would be in nation building…

today

2010-04-18T19:16:00.000+02:00

thinking of my dad today…

x x x

unlucky for some

2010-04-11T22:15:00.000+02:00

So The World Bank has agreed to loan Eskom $3.75 billion (that's dollars, not rands) to build more coal burning power stations. Isn't that the most backward, unsustainable idea you've ever heard? Clearly this deal must be lining someone's pockets because it makes no sense. All this while the citizens of South Africa are still forced to deal with exponential increases in prices of electricity. Its a lose-lose for the people.

That money would be so much better invested by putting into sustainable and environmentally friendly forms of power. Sigh… it just seems to short sighted.

One more reason I need to get off the grid.

rosey roses

2010-04-11T21:50:00.000+02:00

My nieces are visiting, so its been girly overload for the last 2 weeks… more pics to come, but in the meantime here are some felt hair clips I made for the girls.

I found the tutorial on Purlbee.com and they were quite simple to make: under an hour while watching the TV. Very cute I think!

what gets me through the easter weekend

2010-04-07T16:36:00.000+02:00

:( having to work on good friday :: lots of fun with super cute nieces and nephews :: signing the hyundai ball and mr t spinning and winning 2 fifa world cup tickets :: a swim in a slightly freezing pool :: kfc with all the trimmings :: cuddling with my kitty :: a light and lovely brekkie at st clements :: shopping for travel guides :: homemade hot subs :: exploring the point waterfront :: a semi-lifesaving brunch at spiga :: afternoon endorphin filled naps

zakuuuuumi!

coffee: good idea, bad idea?

dirty toes = fun!

things that get me through the weekend

2010-03-25T21:00:00.000+02:00

on to carpenter no. 3 in the shelf building process :: all you can eat sushi at bamboo lounge :: finally watching the empire strikes back - luke, i am your father :: catching some sun at the pool :: playstation buzz marathons :: keeping up with the kardashians :: bratwurst at gunthers with friends

SpeakZA - Bloggers For a Free Press

2010-03-24T07:56:00.000+02:00

Last week, shocking revelations concerning the activities of the ANC Youth League spokesperson Nyiko Floyd Shivambu came to the fore. According to a letter published in various news outlets, a complaint was laid by 19 political journalists with the Secretary General of the ANC, against Shivambu. This complaint letter detailed attempts by Shivambu to leak a dossier to certain journalists, purporting to expose the money laundering practices of Dumisani Lubisi, a journalist at the City Press. The letter also detailed the intimidation that followed when these journalists refused to publish these revelations.

We condemn in the strongest possible terms the reprisals against journalists by Shivambu. His actions constitute a blatant attack on media freedom and a grave infringement on Constitutional rights. It is a disturbing step towards dictatorial rule in South Africa. We call on the ANC and the ANC Youth League to distance themselves from the actions of Shivambu. The media have, time and again, been a vital democratic
safeguard by exposing the actions of individuals who have abused their positions of power for personal and political gain.

The press have played a vital role in the liberation struggle, operating under difficult and often dangerous conditions to document some of the most crucial moments in the struggle against apartheid. It is therefore distressing to note that certain people within the ruling party are willing to maliciously target journalists by invading their privacy and threatening their colleagues in a bid to silence them in their legitimate work.

We also note the breathtaking hubris displayed by Shivambu and the ANC Youth League President Julius Malema in their response to the letter of complaint. Shivambu and Malema clearly have no respect for the media and the rights afforded to the media by the Constitution of South Africa. Such a response serves only to reinforce the position that the motive for leaking the so-called dossier was not a legitimate concern, but a insolent effort to intimidate and bully a journalist who had exposed embarrassing information about the Youth League President.
We urge the ANC as a whole to reaffirm its commitment to media freedom and other Constitutional rights we enjoy as a country.

Blog Roll

http://thoughtleader.co.za/siphohlongwane
http://rwrant.co.za
http://vocfm.co.za/blogs/munadia/
http://vocfm.co.za/blogs/shafiqmorton/
http://blogs.news24.com/needpoint
http://capetowngirl.co.za
http://thoughtleader.co.za/sentletsediakanyo
http://thoughtleader.co.za/davidjsmith
http://letterdash.com/one-eye-only
http://boyuninterrupted.blogspot.com
http://amandasevasti.com
http://blog.empyrean.co.za/
http://letterdash.com/brencro
http://6000.co.za
http://chrisroper.co.za
http://pieftw.com
http://hamishpillay.wordpress.com
http://memoirs4kimya.blogspot.com
http://thoughtleader.co.za/azadessa
http://watkykjy.co.za
http://fredhatman.co.za
http://thelifeanddeathchronicles.blogspot.com/
http://blogs.timeslive.co.za/common-dialogue/
http://www.clivesimpkins.blogs.com/
http://mashadutoit.wordpress.com
http://nicharalambous.com
http://sarocks.co.za
http://blogs.timeslive.co.za/stompies/
http://helenmoffett.book.co.za/blog/
http://01universe.blogspot.com
http://groundwork.worpress.com
http://iwrotethisforyou.me
http://fionasnyckers.book.co.za
http://attentiontodetail.wordpress.com
http://blogs.women24.com/editor
http://www.missmillib.blogspot.com
http://snowgoose.co.za
http://dreamfoundry.co.za
http://www.vanoodle.blogspot.com
http://www.exmi.co.za/.co.za
http://cat-dubai.blogspot.com
http://alistairfairweather.com
http://www.zanedickens.com
http://www.nickhuntdavis.com
http://guysa.blogspot.com
http://book.co.za
http://baldy.co.za
http://skinnylaminx.com
http://blogs.african-writing.com/zukiswa
http://www.mielie.wordpress.com
http://blogs.timeslive.co.za/gatherer/
http://thoughtleader.co.za/sarahbritten
http://stii.co.za
http://blogs.news24.com/FSB_AP
http://twistedkoeksuster.blogspot.com
http://whensmokegetsinyoureyes.blogspot.com/
http://trinklebean.wordpress.com
http://commentry.wordpress.com/
http://matthewbuckland.com
http://blogs.news24.com/colour-me-fran
http://gormendizer.co.za
http://helenmoffett.book.co.za/blog/
www.harassedmom.co.za
http://ravingfans.co.za
http://khadijapatel.co.za
http://cat-dubai.blogspot.com/
http://simon.co.za/speakza
http://gnatj.com

vitamin water

2010-03-16T10:36:00.000+02:00

I love the idea of Vitamin Water - I'm quenching my thirst AND dosing on vitamins. Total win-win. Especially when the Revive (b + potassium enriched) flavour seems to seriously help out a hangover.

But then a few of my calorie clever friends pointed out that 1 bottle contains the equivalent of about 6 teaspoons of sugar! That is SO gross. I do not eat sugar like that. Refined sugar like that is SO not good for you… I prefer to have Xylitol in my cappuccino at a push. 6 teaspoons - eeew.

How do I even know if its the vitamins making me feel good and not a friggin sugar burst. Geez, I'll end up diabetic. Actually I do find that they taste insanely sweet. Unnecessarily so, I don't really need it to taste like anything in fact, cos its really just water with vitamins.

ANY WAY, long story short, I was very pleased to see a Vitamin Water Zero on TheDieline.com. So cool. Now we're talking the same language. Come on Glaceau, sort us out.

earth hour 2010

2010-03-12T15:40:00.000+02:00

“We have only one planet. Given what we know about climate change today, it would be foolish not to act. Earth Hour 2010 gives an opportunity to the people of the world to unite in a call for action on climate change and to take the lead by making changes in their own lives.” Dr Morné du Plessis, CEO, WWF South Africa

For Earth Hour 2010, WWF calls on all South Africans to switch off their lights on Saturday, 27 March, as a symbolic act to send a powerful message to leaders that the time to act on climate change is now.

The Copenhagen Climate Summit in December failed to deliver the climate deal our planet needs. This year WWF is challenging individuals to take the lead by pledging to reduce their own carbon footprint. We have to show world leaders that we are serious about tackling climate change and that we want them to deliver a fair, effective and binding climate deal – a deal that keeps global warming as far below 2 degrees as possible.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu is the patron of the campaign, and Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban have already pledged their support for Earth Hour 2010. Other celebrities, who will be switching off their lights, include The Parlotones, Bryan Habana, Jo-Ann Strauss, Marc Lottering and The Stormers.

Participating in Earth Hour is easy, fun and free. All you need to do is:

• Pledge your support and commit to reducing your carbon footprint.

• Switch off the lights of your home on 27 March from 8:30pm – 9:30pm.

• Spread the message to your friends and family.

• Show your support by posting the Earth Hour 2010 web banner and widget on your website or Facebook pages, downloading the Earth Hour email signature, printing posters or having an Earth Hour event on the night. Download the Green Events Guide, just click on the events button at the top of the webpage. You can download all of the above from the website. Click on the get involved button for loads of information and fun ideas.

• Download the complete DIY kit on how to roll out Earth Hour in your city or town. Save the date: Saturday, 27 March 2010, 8:30pm – 9:30pm.

Not only is this relevant in terms of climate change, but with the electricity price hikes, perhaps this is another solution. Make a commitment to using LESS electricity. Let's all aim to try and get off the grid if we can. Install a solar geyser and take advantage of the cash rebate. I'll even get a friggin gas stove instead of paying Eskom more money if I have to.

Bafta - Movie Posters

2010-03-09T17:45:00.000+02:00

I love the illustration style, simply stunning…

spill the beans

2010-03-08T11:37:00.000+02:00

Come on President Zuma, its time to 'fess up. I am sure that you understand the law, and that you have some answering to do. Lets get it over with, so we can get on with more important issues.

Because if our own President cannot be transparent and forthright in these matters, then we will have a long way to go in the fight against corruption.

Along the same lines, I am so glad that Zwelinzima Vavi from Cosatu has spoken out on these matters. Finally I feel like I have a voice (of reason!). He speaks the mind of our nation, and I support him all the way.

Maybe he should start a new party – he may just have my vote.

take a gander at the meander

2010-03-07T21:15:00.000+02:00

A few weeks ago, Mr T and I had itchy feet… we wanted out of the city. So on Saturday morning, we hopped in the car and decided to hit the Midlands Meander. What a stunning idea, no? Because I'd never actually done the Midlands Meander properly, ever. Shocking I know…

So we make it as far as Howick before we realise that we have no idea where the Midlands Meander is. Duh. After an amble around Howick Falls we got our hands on a map and were slightly more well equipped for touring.
Curious about nguni hides, we also popped into a shop in Howick to see if they had an nice patterns for sale. I thought the shape and size of the hides on display were a little odd, but didn't anything of it. Mr T didn't quite see anything to his fancy, so the shop owner offered to let us skim through photos of his next 'shipment'. Shipment? Well it turns out that they eat a LOT of beef in South America, and they have apparently bred the Texas Longhorn with the Nguni cow. So all these spare hides are being shipped to SA, and sold as 'nguni hides'. WTF.

Anyway, so off we went into the countryside, stopping first at Fred's Pies for a yummy 'lunch'.

One of the first places we came across on our meander, was a place called Gunthers. And what with Mr T being of a slight germanish persuasion, we decided to pop in - maybe grab some bockwurst for home.

Gunthers was set in a lovely garden overlooking the most beautiful valley, we could have been in the swiss alps. Especially when 2 huge St Bernard 'puppies' hurtled towards us in a very boisterous greeting.
After spying out the lunch that another couple were having we decided that a pie could not be a sufficient lunch and we may have to go the whole hog. Mr T made me promise not to reveal his german-ness, but I could see his eyes light up at the sight of a bottle of currywurst sauce. I'm not even kidding.

So sat down, in the most beautiful setting, on the most perfect day to currywurst, sauteed potatoes, bread rolls and an Erdinger. So perfect! So perfect that after a little post lunch lay down on the grass, the day was nearly over! Alas, our little foray into the Midlands was short, but we will definitely go again - especially to Gunthers!

100 days to go!

2010-03-02T09:09:00.000+02:00

Fly the flag!

tourist alert

2010-03-01T16:51:00.000+02:00

Yesterday Mr T, B and I went gallivanting around Durban like tourists. First off, we snuck into the Holiday Inn on the beachfront and headed up to the pool deck. We had awesome views of the entire Golden Mile and were able to check out the progress with the upgrade. They still have a ways to do before its done, and for some reason The Deck and Joe Kools are currently still standing which is hopefully an oversight. While we enjoyed the view, we lamented how hard it is to find a friggin restaurant in Durban that takes advantage of our stunning sea view. Its seems that the better the view, the more terrible the service/food. For instance, The Deck has GREAT views.

Next stop was Moses Mabhida stadium and the Skycar. I love how user-friendly the area around the stadium is, it feels open and friendly and I look forward to spending time their in the future. I do hope that we get some nice coffee shoppes and delis in the vacant shops, it would really uplift the vibe even more.

The view from the top of the arch was lovely and I think that the ticket was worth the R50. I might even contemplate walking up the other side if I'm feeling adventurous.

We were starving by the time we landed back on terra firma and went to check out the new Keg & Spear that has just opened. You know, try to support the neighbourhood. Unfortunately we were greeted by LOUD nineties dance music belting out of their sound system. In broad daylight. On a sunday. In a pub. Crikey. I lost my appetite rapido and when the large owner sweated his way to the front door, we decided to pass. Seriously, the music situation was not cool, and really does not set the tone for a relaxing meal.

On the way to the car we stopped into the sports store in the stadium. A nice range of FWC memorabilia, but things got a little shabby near the back. Empty, crummy looking display stands and piles of boxes. Not cool. A pity we didn't get a big brand store in here - these guys seem like buskers. In fact, I was surprised that the FIFA sponsors hadn't taken over the stadium ADIDAS, McDonalds etc should really be there representing. And a Haagen Daz wouldn't hurt either.

If you haven't taken the time to ride the Skycar to the top of the arch at Moses Mabhida, put it on your long list of things to do in Durban!

don't you find suncoast beautiful?

just a tad bit windy then…

artsy hey?

friggin world cup 2010™

2010-02-09T20:51:00.000+02:00

t's finally 2010 and we're getting closer to the 100 day mark… I am SO excited for the World Cup.

Mr T and I managed to get tickets for most of the group phase tickets last year during phase 1 of ticket sales. We were very pleasantly surprised after the draw to see the games that we ended up with. And then last week we heard that our tickets for the semi-finals came through! SEMI-FINAL tickets to the friggin' World Cup! Damn! So we pretty much have tickets for all the games here in Durban. So damn chuffed.

And as it turns out, all the football fans with cash seem to be basing themselves in and around Jozi, because it offers the most options game-wise. But all is not lost, because a Jozi (or even Cape Town) winter doesn't suit a certain breed of fan… the Campers! Yes, Durban is officially camping central for the World Cup. We're talking thousands… Kingmead Cricket Ground has been booked out and is being turned into a HUGE tent town. It's gonna be insane to see so many fans take over Durban.

If there are any foreign fans reading this that may have any questions regarding visiting Durban for the World Cup, please don't hestitate to ask. I would be so very happy to help out!

Did I mention how friggin excited I am?

Righty. The 4th phase of ticket sales has just opened up now and its first-come first-served. Don't miss out on this awesome opportunity!

Oh, and it's February which means this blog turns 4! Yay! Too much of excitement…

yummy scrummy secret deliciousness

2010-02-02T22:29:00.000+02:00

I was introduced to a very VERY yummy treat a few weekends ago… Mr T and I were at a mates place to check out a documentary on local band Scooters Union (my first real introduction to this band - can you adam and eve it).

Our gracious host offered to share some of the tiramisu thingys that his mom had got for him. Holy crap, they were really good and I felt a little bad munching down on his stash of treats. They looked expensive, like they were from some fancy italian deli.

Well, imagine my surprise when pushing my trolley into the local Checkers Hyper I stumble upon a MOUNTAIN of these mo-fo's. And in every flavour imaginable. AND for R14.99. I'm not kidding. I loaded up my trolley to the top with a stockpile for me and Mr T.

I ain't kidding - these are insanely good. Try keeping them in the fridge and then take them out a few minutes before eating them so they get a little condensation on them. YUMMY!

jy dink jys cooler as ekke

2010-02-01T17:06:00.000+02:00

This is so hilarious! Afrikaans rapper and superstar, Jack Parow. In-frigging-sane.

adventurous bird

2010-01-28T10:46:00.000+02:00

Some new year inspiration from FreyaArt. Made me smile…

smokin!

2010-01-27T07:53:00.000+02:00

I finally managed to get my hands on a baby blue Smokey Joe. I saw one in a Waitrose Foods magazine years ago and since then I've had my heart set on owning one.

No thanks to the weber.co.za peops, who dismissed me when I suggested these cuteys would fly off the shelves in SA. Ooh, look what they happen to be selling right now? I'm not gonna say I told you so. Anyhoo, I found one on the Discovery VitalityMall and even got it for a discounted price.

Now I know that braais are supposed to be 'boy's stuff' but I'm dead keen to learn how to fire up my little baby on my own and roast chickens and stuff. My own little girly braai. Which is perfect timing because my oven has just died on me. Now I can burn cupcakes on my Smokey Joe!

Also on the road to being smokin' is my rear end. Last week I went for my first yoga class in years and punished myself properly. Old age has sneaky way of creeping up on you… Into week 2 and I'm already feeling stronger, so hold thumbs that I keep it up and get super flexible and super toight.

And more good news, my mom managed to get a bottle of Marc Jacobs Lola for me at Duty Free. Ooh, I have things. Yay, everything is going to be okay. Really. ;)

what gets me through the weekend

2010-01-18T15:36:00.000+02:00

500 days of summer :: the nine west sale :: cormac mccarthy's the road - I'm seriously kakking myself :: still looking for marc jacob's lola in the stores :: waiting for sunshine :: tom yum soup :: breakfast at Vanille, the best scrambled eggs in Durbs :: waiting for sunshine :: searching for the bafana bafana training camp :: butter chicken at kebabish tikka :: waiting for sunshine ::