Fabulosity - Cape Town

Victoria Beckham Is Pregnant!

2011-01-17T15:29:00.005+02:00

I'm not sure how news worthy this really is, but Victoria Beckham is pregnant with her 4th child, hopefully a girl.

Maroon 5's Adam Levine Naked!!!!

2011-01-14T15:03:00.003+02:00

Adam Levine goes naked for the Everyman campaign in the February issue of Cosmopolitan UK (girlfriend gave him a hand!). Not that i care, but click on image for enlarged image :P

Definition of the Day: Swish Fulfillment

2011-01-12T15:18:00.002+02:00

swish fulfillment

n. the feeling of delicate luck after casually tossing something across the room and hitting your target so crisply and perfectly that you feel no desire to even attempt another shot, which is a more compelling argument for the concept of monogamous love than anything sung to a guitar.

From: The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.

To Not Give A Flying One...LOL

2011-01-07T13:10:00.002+02:00

ZARA Waxed Skinny Jeans from Canada!

2011-01-07T10:16:00.004+02:00

I've always been a fan of waxed denim, but i have in the past without fail managed to do the fatal mistake one ought to never do with waxed denim...tumble dry! The heat from the dryer basically strips the wax off the denim. Which leave them looking like ordinary jeans with a slight fade to their once glossy finish. I had an indigo pair that i nuked myself, then i learnt from my mistake, and had a grey pair that my cleaning lady diligently nuked in an attempt to do my laundry, so now i'm buying my 3rd pair, see pic attached. A friend of mine from Canada is getting this pair for me when she comes back to Cape Town next week, woot woot. Now this time i shall guard these with my good nut.

Happy 2011

2011-01-07T10:02:00.004+02:00

Another year gone by, a year to be proud of or just another disappointment? My year has been a mix, a few misses, but a lot of hits...and my entrance to 2011 has been positive to say the least so here's to up and beyond.....!!!!

Song of the week: "She Said" by Plan B

2010-10-08T11:31:00.003+02:00

"She Said" is the second single from Plan B's second album The Defamation of Strickland Banks - a concept album whose songs tell the fictitious tale of a sharp-suited British soul singer who finds fame with bitter-sweet love songs, but then loses everything when he ends up in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Now it’s been a while since I posted a song of the week, hell it’s been a while since I posted period, but I came across this song, and liked it, but after reading the concept of the entire album, I then LOVED it; it also doesn’t hurt that Plan B’s voice is not nearly as shoddy as his stage name, in fact it’s quite brilliant and he knows how to use it to draw out emotion, even the rap sections don’t feel odd. The album basically tells the story from the first-hand perspective of Strickland Banks, a fictional character played by Plan B. The album's opening tracks, "Love Goes Down" and "Writing's on the Wall", are love songs sung by Strickland Banks at a concert, and are likely to be about his girlfriend, to whom he refers later in the album. "Stay Too Long" follows him and his entourage as they celebrates the success of his concert with a night out which culminates in him having a one night stand with a woman. In "She Said" we learn that this woman is obsessed with his music and believes herself to be in love with him. He rejects her so she alleges that he raped her. The subsequent trial results in his incarceration and in "Welcome to Hell" he is sent to prison, and much of the rest of the album is about his experience inside prison, isolation, abuse, etc. This results in his abuse at the hands of other prisoners, resulting in him purchasing a shiv on the prison black market throughout the course of "Traded In My Cigarettes". In "Prayin'" he is confronted by another prisoner who attacks him. With the help of another inmate Strickland kills the attacker in self-defense, with the other inmate taking the blame, and is burdened with this guilt during "Darkest Place". The penultimate tracks, "Free" and "I Know A Song" detail initially his anger, then his acceptance of his life inside prison. The last track, "What You Gonna Do" Strickland is in court again as new evidence has been brought up on his case. The album finishes with the listener not sure of whether he is sent back to prison or released, leaving it open to interpretation. I can’t even give any commentary on ‘She Said’ besides that it must be heard.

The September Month

2010-09-28T22:11:00.004+02:00

I know I've been pretty bad with posting this month, very lazy month, which is strange because September has been a very busy month, lots of newsworthy things went down, but i just couldnt find time to put it all down. And is it me or is everyone born in September, i mean I alone know over 30 Virgos that are born this month ALONE, also there are a lot of things that are important in September, the Vogue September issue as well as all well established fashion publications, the September issue is the most important publication of the year, and also New York, London & Milan Fashion Weeks also take place in September, AND and and I am born in September as well :-D ....weatherwise in South Africa, September marks the start of spring, which means summer is in the offing, and there is nothing like summer in South Africa, especially in Cape Town, or am i just being biased :-P

Naomi Campbell Blood Diamonds And All

2010-08-16T23:20:00.007+02:00

Ever asked yourself how Naomi Campbell, who's 40 still manages to look this stunning...if you thought i was gonna go all deep and talk about her hand in the whole blood diamonds thing, well you were wrong i'm just gushing about the supermodel's fabulosity at a ripe age...Ok perhaps i need to delve even a little on the blodd diamond trial against Charles Taylor, former leader of Sierra Leone (i'm glad i can actually spell that) accused of using blood diamonds to fund early 90's civil war in the country...he apparently gave Naomi some uncut stones, woot woot, back in 97 when they had been at a dinner party at Nelson Mandela's house, but she opted not to keep them and gave them away to a charity, so I dont know what else is expected of her....she is clean people and with a body like that wouldnt you also wanna throw stones at her?

Restaurant Review: Blonde

2010-07-14T17:54:00.006+02:00

I've dined at Blonde more than half a dozen times in a space of less than a month, so from this it is clear to deduce that i really like it. The food i find extremely good, with one major disappointment, consistency, for my first 4 visits, I had the Trio of duck, purely because it was so good, the 4th time i had it, i was with a big group that i recommended the same dish to, and i was mortified at how different and underwhelming it tasted - on this visit even my starter of white onion valoute, which i had enjoyed previously was very bland, i dont know whether the chef was not in, but i was very unhappy - I tasted the crayfish tail from one of the attendees and it was tough, again i had tasted this on my previous visits and it had tasted divine, so consistency is an issue at Blonde. All in all i still love their food. The decor is obviously lovely, only thing i dont like is the naked wooden ceiling in the bar, i understand it is the original pine flooring from 112 years ago, but it looks out of place or as if they forgot about it. and lastly I was meant to organise a dinner for some foreign officials and i recommended Blonde and was rejected, we ended up at Aubergine next door, and again i had a very important business dinner with an international investor who at first refused, politely of course, to go to Blonde, but i insisted and put my neck on the chopping board that it was a good restaurant, now i have managed to find out the reasons for these two encounters - the tacky name! Blonde? People look at me with blank stares when i tell them we should dine at Blonde, the name seems to evoke a perception of kitsch, cheap, over fussy & gaudy hotel bar with busty stewardesses - this is obviously not my option as i can see beyond the name since i've been there already, but to an extend i see where people are coming from, they could have carried on the Caviar theme and called it Osetra, seeing as they already have Beluga & Sevruga! There are a few other noteworthy quirks like the fact that the menu says 'Nothing but Pepenero' at the bottom, which to me reads like a thinly veiled jab at the other restaurant group that owns Pepenero, Kove, Parange etc, anway the main thing for the consumer which is great value is that while the restaurant already had great food, consistent or not, they are also running a special; everything is half priced - including wine, yeah i know right - so go try it, very little to lose, you might be impressed like i was on 5 of the 6 visits. And i've excused the one bad visit, and went again and it was delightful, which is why I'm going back there again this Thurs. Anyway for anyone who is able to look past the tacky name, i highly recommend this restaurant!

Spotted: FUCK FIFA....

2010-07-02T00:12:00.008+02:00

This trendy guy I spotted in Woodstock, Cape Town, at the Neighborgoods Market as well, wearing this not so cryptic word-play T, with FICK FUFA & FACK FIFU for FUCK FIFA on it, it was a very cool t-shirt and very appropriate regarding the FIFA 2010 World Cup, the very first in the African continent is being held here in South Africa, so it was an interesting message or display of perception about the organizers of the tournament, which I figured would make for a good talking point. and it has this t-shirt design has even been featured in Mail & Guradian, and the shirts are apparently selling very well, which is an interesting thing to know, most of the people requesting the t-shirts are interestingly enough from Europe...why are people so unhappy with FIFA, the is it the capitalistic ideals? To see original post from Fashion Interlude click here

Laduuuuma, South Africa scores first 2010 World Cup Goal

2010-06-11T17:25:00.004+02:00

South africa's Bafana Bafana just scored the first goal for the 2010 FIFA world cup tournament - this is HUGE, first goal was by Siphiwe Tshabalala on pic. we are hosting it AND scoring the openner - it really IS here now. Be proud, this is one nation that has come far.

World Cup Fever On A High

2010-06-09T18:03:00.003+02:00

Ok so the 2010 Soccer World Cup is only days away from kick off - and today there was a celebration at 12h00, everyone was to join together in the gees and blow the Vuvuzelas at the same time - and attached is a pic of folks in JHB, Sandton doing their bit for the gees.

Restaurant of The Week: La Boheme in Sea Point

2010-05-24T16:35:00.005+02:00

One doesn’t often think of Sea Point when considering good dining places, with the exception of the new Duchess of Wisbeach and the wonderful Posticino, which I’ve loved for years now, and their consistency keeps me going there time and time again, drools, ok back to Sea Point, so now late last year when I discovered La Boheme, I was most pleased, partly for it being somewhat Parisian and more importantly having great food at such modest prices. La Boheme is owned and run by Faisal, better known for his tenure as manager at the fabulous Caveau in Heritage Square; the restaurant is linked to his partner’s Spanish café, La Bruixa on Sea Point Main Road. The space is a mixture of comfortable, urban minimalist accented with some browns and a touch of Parisian bistro appeal with an open kitchen. Defined by its owners as both a bistro and wine bar, it comes as expected that they offer a moderately long list of 60 wines available by the glass. La Boheme’s charm continues with their modestly priced menu, they are currently running a special till the end of the year, which I think is amazing value for money, two courses for R90 and three at R110 – for good, flavoursome and well prepared bistro style food. The menu presented on black boards, (some stodgy people might argue Faisal is copying the way they do it at Caveau, but I saw it more as a homage), is not long, which is a good thing as I feel it allows the kitchen to focus on producing consistently good dishes. On my first visit I tried their liver parfait as well as the beef fillet with mushroom risotto, both convinced me the restaurant was worthy for an encore, everyone who was part of our dining party was thoroughly pleased with their meals as well. On my 2^nd and more recent visit for mains I tried their pork belly with poached apples, the dish was lovely, except I didn’t care for the use of apple, I would much prefer a poached pear with the pork, but perhaps pears are not in season…hmm. Either way La Boheme has won me over to become one of my neighbourhood favourite places to frequent. La Boheme. 341 Main, corner Main and Albany, Sea Point. 021 434 8797 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 021 434 8797 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, lunch & dinner – closed on Sundays.

Cape Town Winter Dining Special 2010

2010-05-07T10:31:00.008+02:00

Some of you will remember last year I posted a list of all the restaurants around the Cape that were offering winter specials (Cape Town Winter Special 2009), well its that time of the year again. Except with the official World Cup season starting next month a lot of these specials are not running for the duration of winter like last year, this time some of them are ending beginning of June, which is a shame for the poor locals on a budget, but with a penchant for fine dining on a shoe string. I must say even I have been done in by the recession, this year I've been quite a fan of the specials myself, so I will follow up with reviews of the ones I've tried, will tell you which ones are worth the bucks and which are basically scams, yes there are a few of those. This is the most comprehensive list of specials, way more than even eatout will give you ;), also you will notice my focus is on restaurants in town (cape town) and the immidiate surroundings, I'll make another list featuring restaurants around the outskirts, winelands, karoo etc

Restaurant	Special	Period	Location
1800°	Choose between matured rib-eye, rump steak or sirloin steak for lunch or dinner for only R99.	Month of May	Cape Royale Luxury Hotel, Green Point
Andiamo	R 89 Breakfast special for 2, and R 125 pizza/pasta + wine for two	All winter	Old Cape Quarter
Ci Casa at Camil’s	2-course lunch on Sat and Sun for R 100 + glass of bubbly,	April & May	Cape Royale Luxury Hotel, Green Point
Five Flies	2-course meal reduced down to R125, 3-course dinner reduced down to R150,	Mon, Wed and Fri for the next 3 months	Rembrandt House, Keerom Street,
Jardine	3 course dinner at R 150	until end May	Bree Street
La Boheme Wine Bar & Bistro	2 courses for R90 and three for R110.	May – Dec 2010	Sea Point
Myoga @ The Vineyard Hotel	R150 for a six Course meal – each course you have a choice between 3 dishes.	Not listed.	Newlands
Nobu	Great value for haute Japanese cuisine. Bento Box offering, for only for R195.	May – Dec 6pm-11pm (Sun –Thur) & 6pm-7.30pm on Fri & Sat	V&A Waterfront
Pepenero	sirloin and chips R 79, seafood platter R 129, prawn platter R 99, oysters R 9 each, half-price sushi	On-going	Mouille Point
Sinn’s Restaurant	lunch plus a fruit cocktail at R 50, 11h00 - 16h00	May	Wembley Square
The Cru Cafe	breakfast for 2 for R 85, 2 pasta dishes + 2 glasses of wine for R 119	all days of week, lunch and dinner	New Cape Quarter
The Roundhouse	7-course dinner for R 245	May only	Camps Bay
Tuscany Beach	50% off second person’s main course, and 1/2 price sushi	12 - 6 pm	in Camps Bay
Sevruga	Sole dishes range from R 89 - R 180	during April	V&A Waterfront
Vanilla	50% off second person’s main course, and 1/2 price sushi	12 - 6 pm	New Cape Quarter
Wang Thai	half-price sushi and cocktails	Mon – Thur 12pm – 6pm	V&A Waterfront, Constantia.

A Deeply Disappointing lunch at Kuzina

2010-03-29T15:06:00.003+02:00

Hello little friends – I haven’t blogged in a while. It’s been an eventful time, one thing I hate about being busy especially socially is that there’s so much to write about but just no time to actually sit down and write a lil story on the experiences :-( which kinda defeats the purpose of blogging anyway in the time I’ve been quiet, I’ve been on a weekend away to Monkey Valley Beach resort, which I have to write about, as it is too beautiful to not review, also had another dinner at The Grand, had a Maltese friend of mine down here for the weekend, did Cape Point, Chapman’s Peak, winelands etc – Also another friend of mine from the UK was here, hosted a great party on the roof of his 3 story house and finally had a chance to try the new Taj Hotel’s Bombay Brasserie restaurant and bar. The latter was for a special dinner with a somewhat special someone, more on that later.On Saturday I went for lunch at Kuzina, one of the restaurants at the new Cape Quarter section across from Vanilla, which I’ve enjoyed before and Cru Cafe which is simple and ok, Kuzina is a Greek restaurant with nice décor, nothing amazing but perfectly fitting and preen, with a glass ceiling on in the inside section – all of this was fine, their wine selection is a tad mediocre, but still manageable – the food on the other had I found deeply disappointing – the food was very arb and bland – I cook better food at home, especially because their prices are on par with the Cape Quarter prices and yet the food or at least what we had, tasted less satisfying than even the most simple dish from Andiamo, I’m not a fan of Andiamo but I have to compare it to that because that’s the league I saw Kuzina fit in – but more disappointing. I had the pork fillet cooked in honey and herb and it was dry and incredibly dull, dull – hadn’t it been for the great company I would have walked right out.They are open daily for lunch and dinner. Cape Quarter Extension, off Somerset Rd, Green Point. 021 418 8000 - go disappoint your senses.

'A Single Man', A Movie by Tom Ford

2010-03-03T16:59:00.003+02:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure to go see the new movie A Single Man, based on a novel by Christopher Isherwood, co-written and directed by first-time director and renowned fashion designer who for a decade was the creative director at Gucci, Tom Ford. Set in Los Angeles in 1962, at the height of the Cuban missile crisis, A Single Man is the story of George Falconer, a 52 year old British college professor who is struggling to find meaning to his life after the death of his long time partner, Jim (Matthew Goode). George (Colin Firth) dwells on the past and cannot see his future as we follow him through a single day, where a series of peculiar events and odd encounters take place. George is consoled by his closest friend Charley (Julianne Moore), a 48 year old beauty who is wrestling with her own questions about her future & relevance. A young student of George’s, Kenny (Nicholas Hoult), who is coming to terms with his true nature, stalks George as he feels in him a kindred spirit. In one sentence I’d probably describe it as a singularly enjoyable and moving film. An exquisite, almost sensual sense of grief suffuses every frame of the film and basically everything fits perfectly, from the tone, mood to the music, but most of all Firth, who dons the role of George like a fine bespoke suit. Often films within the ‘drama’ genre aren't revelations exactly, but they burrow so deeply into old truths about love and loss and the mess and thrill of life, they seem new anyway, A Single Man is one such film, further amplified by Colin Firth’s eloquently internalized performance. It's hard to sell people on a movie about grief, but A Single Man deserves recognition for being about something real that usually goes unexplored: The grief from which there really can be no return. The film tells of love, isolation, and sorrow, like a big coffee table book on grief, loneliness, tragedy and insurmountable pain of loss- and mid-20th-century home design ;) Despite its downbeat theme this self-financed labor of love isn’t without light moments, although they are never brought forward, the movie does place some focus, whether relevant or not on good looking, often-unclothed men to accompany the perfectly tailored cinematography that at times is so unusually beautiful it would be easy to dismiss it as superficial; one critic even wrote ‘[the film] with one significant exception, gives us only a series of immaculate poses. The exception is Firth, who, in spite of Ford's best efforts to turn him, too, into another piece of movable scenery, manages to convey a real human soul stirring beneath George's petrified façade’. The lead character explains himself in voice-overs:“Just get through the goddamned day: bit melodramatic, perhaps, but then again, my heart has been broken. Feel as if I’m drowning, sinking, can’t breathe,” he says. Such wordiness seems superfluous to Firth, who is amazingly & perfectly capable of showing any congestion of spirit by body language alone. The film is slowed by its own beauty, but salvaged by 2 majestic scenes. In one, George learns of Jim’s death in a phone call, during which his voice (this being 1962) must betray nothing, leaving his face (on which Ford is smart enough to keep the camera) to do all the work; in another, the dirge-like odyssey and melancholic mood is lightened up when George goes around for an evening with his best friend Charley (Julianne Moore), who’s fabulous and likes to start boozing as she puts on her face in the morning, on this scene she brings about a welcomed respite from Firth’s clenched emoting. Throughout the night you are introduced to two characters trying and failing to drown their pale hopes and regrets, and two strong actors refusing to be tight-laced by a director’s exercise in style. The movie ends as it started, apparently in the book, which I haven’t read, the story is more gut wrenching, but Ford settles for the glossy ephemera of a Vanity Fair cover spread, but with that said, Colin Firth’s Oscar worthy performance is enough. Every movie is a performance, but very seldom is a performance a movie and thus this is a stunning debut effort worthy of all the accolades.

5200 strip naked infront of Sydney Opera House

2010-03-01T16:10:00.008+02:00

So apparently about 5,200 naked people have embraced each other on the steps of the iconic Sydney Opera House for a photo shoot by photographer Spencer Tunick. Participants in Monday's event by Tunick, who is known for his nude group photos in public spaces, posed for more than an hour in a variety of positions. "It was difficult to get the straight people to embrace the gay participants and vice versa," Tunick said. "So I was very happy that that last set up finally got done and everyone came together, united, friendly kiss, a loving kiss in front of this great structure." Nineteen-year-old student Art Rush said he was thrilled to participate. "I'll never get a chance to do this again, it's not worth being inhibited," Rush said. "It doesn't feel sexual, it just feels tribal, a gathering of humanity." Okayyyy then young naturist. Am I the only one who thinks people enjoy being naked but always need an excuse so everyone else doesnt look at them like they are weird - I dont think I'd ever feel the need to patrticipate in a project of this nature, but thats not saying i dont admire it, and find it quite remarkable, but it's not for me - I'm suprisingly old fashioned when it comes to things partaining to full frontal nudity.

The Grand Café brings South of France to C.T

2010-02-26T10:16:00.006+02:00

I’ve been meaning to write a review about this place since my first visit back in Dec 2009, but hadn’t gotten around to it, and now have been there again last week, I feel its time I write something. The Grand Café & Beach is Cape Town’s first beach café, and has become one of the most popular spots in Cape Town! Located at Granger Bay adjacent to Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront . White sand has been shipped in to create a private beach with a beautiful blue sea horizon overlooking Table Bay – send one off on a phenomenal visual odyssey! Parisian Café chairs, red tumblers, beach umbrellas, candelabras & stunning views work together to give an infallible experience of fun & style. It’s honestly impressive what they’ve managed to do with a shed, which is basically what it was. To take a large steel warehouse and turn it into something visually appealing with ambiance and character is an achievement. As you walk in there’s a sort of ‘Grand’ boutique store, but your attention will be captured by the awesome bar that runs the length of the venue, in the middle there’s a 24 seater table, surrounded by smaller tables and a large pizza oven, my favorite part though is found outside on the deck…the view. The Grand Cafe brings the South of France to Cape Town. Very close to Club 55 setting in Nice (French Riviera) – it’s very trendy, in a beautiful setting, some of the food is really top notch, but sadly the service is beyond atrocious, this is a general feeling with everyone who’s been, on my first visit, I had organized a lunch for 12 people, which by the time the lunch happened had grown to 16, they were keen to accommodate us, except when I called an hour before to confirm after booking two weeks in advance for an outside table, I was notified, I had been moved inside because my party was ‘too large’, I politely asked to speak to the manager, by name, as I know him briefly, that seemed to work, as he got on the phone and promised me an outside table right on the sand as I had asked, not that I would have minded sitting inside, as it was a very hot day, and white sand can be blinding, but my whole outfit had been ensemble’d upon the idea that I would be outside in the sand, so I couldn’t have had it any other way. Since their menu is exactly the same as The Grand in Camps Bay with the only addition being the gourmet pizzas, I ordered what is often my favorite, the overtly complicated hit or miss kingklip tagliata, which was as usual – we order half a dozen bottled of Mulderbosch Chardonnay, so everyone was kinda stuck to that, but no one complained it’s a stunning wine, the weather was hot, the sand was white, I mean what else do you want….even the steep prices don’t shock me, this place is full every night how else are they supposed to weed out demand, its basic economics, so I say keep pumping those prices up, perhaps someday they’ll also spruce up their friendly and often good looking waiters’ skills, wow service is shocking…but you forget because the view is so good, you get waves of frustrations, ‘where’s that god damn waiter?’, ‘oh the sea…look its blue’, drink then grin and you’re happy again. The menu has very good dishes and very disappointing dishes, some of the good ones include the steak with pepper sauce, the shrimp tempura & the kingklip line fish, anything else I’ve found either ordinary or not really worth the price. Now more recently I went there with a friend who is regarded as a VIP at The Grand, so we were only passing by for a midnight bottle of wine, but they went all out, putting a small round table on the sand, with two chairs, candelabra, and a giant watering-can style vase with scarlet red roses, with some urban lounge music coming off the surround sound speakers, under the stars, it was almost too good to be true, if evoked fond memories of Nikki Beach in Saint-Tropez. Another blessing is that the place is mostly sheltered from winds so, one can enjoy lazing about well into dawn… while gazing out to sea from this very unique beach, I wondered how many people truly know how really beautiful Cape Town is….this is a venue that needs to be seen, even if at least once.

Reservations are only made by emailing beach@thegrand.co.za or by texting +27(0)72 586 2052, if you call now, you’ll be given the address and the number and told to do as told (in a nice way of course). - 021 425 0551, website: http://www.thegrand.co.za/

Shocking Eskom Electricity Price Hikes!!

2010-02-25T10:32:00.002+02:00

The National Electricity Regulator of SA (Nersa) approved the following tariff increases 24.8% in 2010; 25.8% in 2011; 25.9% in 2012. So, with the compounded increase, we will be paying double in 3 years time.The National Electricity Regulator of SA (Nersa) claims the tariff increases granted to Eskom were what Eskom needed, not just what the power utility wanted. Whichever the truth is, I can’t help but feel these hikes are very steep, perhaps not for me and the minority that lives relatively comfortable lives compared to the majority of South Africans. Anyone who doesn’t check how much fuel they are putting in and just fill up because it needs to be done, and people who barely check how much their electricity or cell phone bill is, and just pay it cuz it needs to be done, won’t be affected as much, but what about the families of 6 kids with perhaps one parent working, the families that put their geyser off to save electricity, and it gets worse some families will continue to use candles for light and only use electricity for cooking only, why because that’s actually all they can afford – to those I feel this price hike is most unfair, by 2013 we’ll all be paying exactly twice what we pay today for power – as much as I don’t know if anything can be done about it, I can’t help feeling how unfair it is to some.

Cape Quarter: Lunch Under R50 @ Chenin

2010-02-24T14:39:00.007+02:00

Nowadays can one still eat out for R50 a head? Well Chenin at the Cape Quarter seems to thinks so. For your R50 you'll get a selected main meal and a glass of wine. Their wine is very good, they offer great selections and I believe everything is offered by the glass, which is fantastic for tasting, and they also host wine tasting evenings where novices are tought on wine and how to appreciate it, but their food I can't say much about, perhaps I'm just fussy but the times I've eaten there, I've often felt I could have worked up something better at home, but then I've been known to be fussy when it comes to food, the good thing is their ingredients seems fresh and well cookoed, just taste have often been bland to me - but at R50 for a mail meal, where most mains are around R90 AND a glass of wine, thats great value, even I would be tempted to go back there. The constant buzz and vibe of the Cape Quarter will also make up if the food is less than good. Special starts on 23-Feb-2010, woo hoo just in time for pay day for some, and ends on 31-March-2010.

Style Rut: My Aviator Shades Rut

2010-02-22T16:39:00.004+02:00

I believe I have a problem at this point, ever since I lost my black wayfarers, I have been wearing nothing but aviators, I have two pairs of silver rimmed ones, one pair of reflective ones (yuck) and two pairs of golf rimmed ones, seriously, they almost look identical, but to me beyond the lenses and the frame colour they are worlds different - seeing them both lying next to each other on my desk today just made me realise i might be stuck in an aviator shades rut, and I need to rectify this pronto. So after work, I shall go shopping for a different style of shades.

Rio Carnival/Madonna,Paris Hilton,Gerard Butler

2010-02-16T13:17:00.009+02:00

Not only the city suffers the worst heatwave to hit Rio de Janeiro in 50 years, with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees) it also suffer a celebrity wave with many celebrities who came to celebrate the one and only Rio Carnival. Madonna and her toyboy Jesus Luz were spotted having some inebriated fun with laughter, Lourdes, and the lovely adopted child i dont seem to rememebr the name, at least Jesus seems to be a good play-dad, see pics. Gerard Butler, I guess this will silence the roumers that he's shackin up with Jennifer Anioston once people see him getting his groove on in Rio with no sign on young Jen. Oh look who else made it here, Paris Hilton, who seems at home among the legions of both tarty & skimpily clad party goers.

Alexander McQueen, iconoclastic fashion designer

2010-02-15T09:31:00.005+02:00

It is with great shock and disappointment that I write this post about he passing of the one man/artist who paved the way for all young British designers, and brought the world’s attention to British fashion more than it had ever happened before. I didn’t post the news the day I heard them because I was waiting to hear if the accurate cause of death would be identified, but it seems that initial speculation of suicide might be true. For those who still don’t know 40 year old Alexander McQueen, the fashion world's reigning provocateur who helped elevate British fashion to the international stage with his unconventional and sometimes macabre designs, was found dead at his home in London on the eve of his mother’s funeral. British tabloid The Sun reported that McQueen was found hanged. Police have stated that the death was not suspicious, but have not confirmed that the death was a suicide. I can’t help thinking this heinous incident was due to his grief over his mother. On 3 February 2010, he wrote on his Twitter page that his mother had died the day before, adding: "RIP mumxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx." Four days later he wrote that he had had an "awful week" but said "friends have been great", adding: "now i have to somehow pull myself together", his death was announced the day before his mom’s funeral was due to take place. It is moist saddening especially because professionally, McQueen was at his peak, and there seemed to have been way more great things waiting to happen, as a designer, Alexander McQueen was not only a technical genius but a creative genius as well. His theatrical runway productions were often controversial, casting models as witches, rape victims and mental patients, challenging the notions of what is beautiful and what is grotesque, "A gifted iconoclast, who could just as easily be creating art as fashion," was how former Times fashion editor Mimi Avins described McQueen upon seeing his clothes for the first time in 1996. He left too soon, he will be missed, may he rest in peace.

The New Polo Review, Hit or Miss (2010)…Part 1

2010-02-12T16:05:00.003+02:00

Yay, its Friday – I’m off to JHB for the weekend to visit one of my dearest friends, I leave tonight and return on Sunday, really looking forward to the massive catch up session. Some 3, 4 odd weeks ago I was invited to the launch of the new Polo, and so last night I attended the launch, didn’t really know what to expect, had never been to one of these events before so I imagined they’d want people to check the car out and have some form of marketing speeches to try and reel us all in etc. the event was meant to start at 7pm, with the registration at 18h30, I left work at 18:30, so I was running a bit late and some of the roads were closed since it was the day of the opening of Parliament, and also to make matters worst I didn’t exactly know where I was going, somewhere in industrial Parow, some office part etc, I had memorised the map, so figured I’d find it easily, just look out for Modderdam Road, which I’d never heard off, this is the problem with living & working in town, a part of me prefers it that way :P. Ok thankfully I didn’t get lost, and I got there, and had to submit my keys, I was like ‘oh ok’, then got it at 19h05, the speeches were already going on so the nice PoloSky people offered that I can skip the speeches and go on to do the test drive and I was like, ‘now you’re talking’, so here I was thinking, there will be someone coming with me, there is a predefined route to take, NOPE! You test drive by yourself, can drive wherever you want, for almost as long as you please, I got quite excited. Currently I drive the current 1.9 TDI, so I wanted to test drive the equivalent but unfortunately with the whole world consumed with the effects of Global Warming, they have discontinued it, now the top of the range, at least for now will be the 1.6 TDI which they claim has the same power output and matching torque, which I can believe based on the experience I had when I test drove it, but the missing turbo charge kick makes the drive less satisfying. (Continues below)

The New Polo Review, Hit or Miss (2010)…Part 2

2010-02-12T16:00:00.003+02:00

The car drives insanely smooth, its like you’re driving a Merc, you know when you drive a car that feels like its gliding on clouds, as if the mechanics are oiled with silicone, I thoroughly enjoyed that – only two things I didn’t like were the clutch being too soft, with each gear change my foot was on the floor in seconds, but I guess that would take getting used to the car, and also it feels a bit cramped, even though they claim, its longer AND wider than the current models, but they did admit it is much lower/shorter which is probably what’s making it feel cramped, the second thing I hated was how the sides felt very light and cheap. Like you know when you use central locking on a Yaris, it gives off a ‘ting’ sound, as if some twine is snapping, but the current Polo, it sounds like some sophisticated mechanism is locking, now the new one sounds like the Yaris, either the doors have been made thinner or something, I did not like that. Also when you close the doors, they don’t sound like solid heavy doors, they give out a tin like sound, and the last downside which I almost forgot is found on the outside – the back of the car is nothing short of horrendous, bland & awkward – and the VW people had the nerve to justify it by saying, it’ll grow on the people, apparently with every launch of every Polo there’s always initial reservations about the backs, so lets hope this grows on me as well. All in all the drive is spectacular; it’s a lovely car to drive. If you are a big guy, you might feel claustrophobic, even I did a bit and I’m only 1.76cm. The front design is also very nice, very similar to the much sexier and pricier Scirocco. The prices for the new Polos are not modest either, I believe they started around R169K – go check the car out, I feel a lot of people will love it, it’s a lovely car. Pics taken from the PoloSky Venue where they are having the launches.

Cape Town Road Closures - Paliarment Opening

2010-02-11T11:31:00.008+02:00

Parliament will officially open on Thursday, 11 February 2010 at 19:00 when President Jacob Zuma delivers the State of the Nation Address to the Joint Sitting of Parliament. Roads surrounding the Parliamentary precinct and along the route that the President is to travel will be closed. Motorists are advised to avoid these roads as well as roads leading to the processional route between 16:30 and 22:00. Road users are requested to use alternative routes (especially when going to the airport), as the road closures may lead to congestion and excessive delays. The table with all the closed roads is waaaaaaaay too long to post on here, so click here to check it out, but below is a list of the alternative routes you can use. Hope this helps somebody as I’m personally not affected at all by any of this, as I work on Bree and live in Green Point, I travel in a straight line between work & home. I might be gloating.. :P

Alternative Routes to use:

Road users are advised to use the following alternative routes into the CBD during the event:

1. M5, Black River Parkway, then onto the N1, Table Bay Boulevard.

2. M4, Main Road, onto Victoria Road up to the Good Hope Centre. Thereafter left onto Tennant Road or right onto Oswald Pirow Road to circle the outer CBD.

3. Outer CBD Circle Road – Use the following ring route to the area of the CBD you want to access: Oswald Pirow Road, Table Bay Boulevard, Buitengracht, Buitensingel Street, Orange Street, Jutland Avenue, Upper Roeland Street / Brandweer Street,Tennant Street

Carne SA Restaurant Review...Part 2

2010-02-08T18:00:00.006+02:00

(Continues from post below) Anyway we first had drinks upstairs, a champagne cocktail seemed in order, then we moved downstairs, and for starters I had the seemingly popular Lamb Shank Ravioli (R75), it was absolutely divine, everyone must try it at least once, I bet you’ll be hooked. To help decide for your mains the waiter brings the platter of meats to the table and explains each cut according to the menu, its raw, so vegetarians might find this unsettling, what I love is that the meat doesn’t smell like raw meat or bloody, which would have even unsettled me, and I’m a carnivore of note…but the meat has been lightly dressed with virgin olive oil and fresh rosemary, so the smell of rosemary takes over which I was happy with. The 1.2kg T-bone looked gigantic but it is meant for sharing and Carne’s speciality cut is the lombatella or hangar steak, which hangs near the kidneys, giving it a more gamey flavour. Stay clear of this if you like your meat buttery tender – I had the rib eye steak (R105), which was lovely, but you need to appreciate great naked flavours, for those who love dousing their steak in suace or basting might be underwhelmed because there is no cheese sauce here, the meat is meant to be appreciated for its flavor without nuking, so the meat purely comes with a selection of mustards for the table (I mean you can order side sauces if you’d prefer, and they do offer non-meat dishes :) I can’t comment on the wine, mainly cuz I forgot the name, all I know is that it was an imported red from Italy, that did NOT come at a steal, but I didn’t pick it so don’t remember the details. So Carne is a place to be visited, perhaps not inspiring frequent visits, but certainly worth a visit. (for the restaurant details see Part 1 of review)

Restaurant Review: Carne SA by Georgio Nava

2010-02-08T17:43:00.007+02:00

Ok so I’ve hellacioulsy busy to blog but in the past 2 weeks I’ve eaten out soooooo much I’m beginning to forget my dinner at Carne, which was last Thursday, so this is why I must write this review now, even though its gonna be rushed, cuz I need to leave work in 7 mins if I am to be at my dinner on time, need to get hair cut and shower before then...Anyway for now, Carne SA, owned by Georgio Nava who also owns the award winning 95 Keerom across the road is a restaurant I love, for me before I even get to the restaurant some of the draws are the fact that much like the seafood at 95 Keerom comes from Georgio’s own boat, most of the meat at Carne comes from Georgio’s farm, this makes me feel like I’m having quelque chose de spécial, because it wasn’t bred for mass production to sell to several steakhouses, but was nurtured with the purpose of producing the finest meat by the chef who will prepare it himself, I don’t know about you but something about that makes me happy. Carne has become one of my favorite restaurants in just two visits, the first time was sometime last year a few months after their opening, then my 2^nd one was last week Thurs, I do not know what took me so long to go back…The first thing that strikes you when you enter the establishment is how stylishly styled it is, reason why I used the word ‘styled’ is because it doesn’t quite feel ‘decorated’ so décor just doesn’t seem appropriate, it’s quite masculine, lofty & minimal, with an interesting marriage of warm tones with lots of woods and deep red cushions in the bar upstairs, but also a deliberate coldness accentuated by naked grey plastered walls as well as the P Starck ghost chairs we first saw at The Showroom before they abruptly closed down... (post getting too long...continues above :)

Carne SA, 70 Keerom St, Cape Town CBD, Tel: 021 424 3460

Tiger Woods To Star In A New Disney Movie?

2010-02-02T14:57:00.006+02:00

This might be in poor taste but I just couldn't resisit when I was sent this pic with the title New movie from Disney...a spin-off of the world famous Lion King lol

Fabulosity Look of The day....stone washed

2010-02-01T12:54:00.006+02:00

The Sartorialist, a blogger and fashion photographer for GQ has this website where he takes photoes of people in the street that he feels inspired by, in terms of their fashion sense or how they've styled their outfits, I check the blog daily...the looks range from fantastic, stunning, dreamy to quirky and downright awful. This pic was posted a while ago, and I think everything about this look just works - for someone who often doesnt like light or stone washed denim, this lad, shot in Florence, shows us how to wear light jeans the Italian way - he looks awesome! Highlights for me: The pocket kerchief, the stripped shirt, and the perfectly fitted jacket, the shoulder peek a but and the cuffs are angled, the jeans i'm not mad about, they are stone washed, never been a fan, but makes them work! Click on image to see the detail better.

Carne, Vanilla, Roundhouse, Amazing Weekend

2010-02-01T12:30:00.006+02:00

Ok so I've been bad with blogging - mainly because I have been insanely busy - last week and this weekend several friends were in town for The J&B Met so imagine the string of parties that followed. Thursday night i went to dinner with a lovely friend of mine who's in town for 2 weeks, at Carne SA, when i find time i will write a review on this wonderful lil addition to the Cape Town culinery scene, it was my 2nd time there and 10 times better than the last. Reasons to follow. The Friday night was one of my friends from Durban 25th birthday dinner at the new swanky, if not over the top Vanilla Restaurant in the new Cape Quarter, barring being 2 hours late, miss party herself was an hour late so its not that bad, right? was a lovely evening, got to catch up with a lot of Durban folks with was most festive. And wow did she look beautiful - almost like she hadnt aged since she left end of 1st year of varsity, UCT, when she had fallen pregnant, now she had a darling of a daughter and madly in love with the farther, aww, some people's lives are like mini fairy tales :) Ok then Saturday, I had lunch at the oh so spectacular lunch at Rumbullion, which is The Roundhouses's terrace restaurant where they serve lunch, too delightful, more on that later. Then later that day had dinner again at Vanilla, with a different group of people. So I have 3 restaurant reviews I have to do and will try do that soon before i forget the tates, smells and textures! Happy First day of February!

Awesome Gadgets: New Apple iPad Tablet PC

2010-01-28T13:01:00.006+02:00

The iPad is a tablet computer developed by Apple Inc.It features multi-touch interaction with print, video, photo, and audio multimedia, internet browsing, and runs most current iPhone OS apps.The device has an LED-backlit 9.7-inch (25 cm) multi-touch in-plane switching color display running at XGA resolution. Steve Jobs has intended for the iPad to redefine the textbook, newspaper, and television industries in much the same way the iPod reshaped the music business. Prices for models in the United States range from US$ 499 (R3775) to US$ 829 depending on the amount of storage and inclusion of 3G access. Pros? An impressive 10 hours, with a month of standby time. Cons? There’s only one connector - a 30-pin, no USB and no camera. What do you use it for? Web surfing, videos, music, games, productivity applications, e-book reader and runs almost any app in the App Store. Somehow I think it’s still gonna take a while before South Africans substitute hard newspapers and books for soft digital books, it’s a trend I haven’t heard much about so not entirely sure we are even gonna be getting this one, but I had to feature it just cuz its so darn pretty, with the same sexy and minimal design that over recent years has become unanimous with the Apple brand.

Alexander McQueen’s Spring Colour Serpentry

2010-01-27T11:35:00.007+02:00

Alexander McQueen’s ‘Plato’s Atlantis’ Spring 2010 collection has receive incredible critical acclaim because of its blindingly vivid prints, but the talk of the runway show seemed to have been the shoes, which FC describes as the ‘how did they walk in those Armadillo heels’. Personally I don’t care for the Armadillo heels at all, but cannot deny that their intriguing and awkward appearance is somewhat fascinating. Lily Cole, Noot Seer, Daphne Guinness, Camilla Belle and Lady GaGa (who we’ve all come to expect to always be fabulously eccentric in her fashion choices), have all worn these10-inch-tall beautiful monstrosities and looked rather funky in them. Hmm ‘funky?’, perhaps that’s why I don’t really like them, I’ve never put on an ensemble with hopes to come off as ‘funky’, a lot of things, smart, classic, formal, casual, pip, chic, offbeat, plage chic etc but never funky so perhaps that why. Featured is the first look at Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2010 ad campaign shot by Nick Knight. Model Raquel Zimmermann is buried in 30 snakes which are as colourful as her McQueen jumpsuit – she deserves some sort of bravery medal for being able to pose with more than 2 dozen serpents and still look sultry & poised. Click on image for a better view, the picture is just stunning.

Could This Be Why Dinosaurs Became Extinct?

2010-01-26T16:35:00.004+02:00

....they perhaps missed Noah's Ark? LOL, that would suck! Pic by Regan

Boz-Com Promo: Make a movie, win a Vespa

2010-01-26T10:32:00.004+02:00

Article I saw on Biz-Community and thought it would be of interest to some of you as Capetonians seems to love Vespas. Apparently all you need is a dash of creativity and you could be riding a Vespa, courtesy of the Vespa Takeone Video Challenge.
What is Vespa Takeone?
Well you can show off your movie-making skills to the rest of SA and all it takes is a bit of creativity, a couple of willing extras and Vespaverde to make a two-minute video about the classic style icon, Vespa.
What is Vespaverde?
Verde means ‘green' in Italian and there's a lot of green in a Vespa - you save on fuel, you save on carbon dioxide emissions, you can nip through any traffic jam, and you will make your friends green with envy :P There's never been a better, or sexier, time to go green.
Prize? The winner of the competition will scoot away in a stylish Vespa LX 150Vespa
To enter? 1. Go to www.vespatakeone.co.za now and sign up. 2.Get clued up on the Vespaverde 3. Enlist a few buddies 4.Make an awesome 2 min Vespa video 5.Upload your video on www.vespatakeone.co.za 6.Get you best friends, colleagues, aunts, uncles and even your gran to vote for it and voilài you win a Vespa. PS: The comp is all about creativity. So you needn't have a Vespa in your vid, just be creative and make it seem like there is, and there will be monthly winners as well, each of whom will also be rewarded with hampers consisting of authentic Vespa paraphernalia.

Vogue Magazine’s September Issue:The Film

2010-01-22T15:56:00.004+02:00

The September 2007 issue of Vogue weighed nearly five pounds (840 pages), and was the single largest issue of a magazine ever published. As an avid lover of fashion and all things sartorial I was dying to go watch this documentary and thankfully it has finally reached our shores. So last night, a friend and I headed to the V&A Waterfront (Cape Town) last night with a friend of mine hoping for the all access exposé on the story of legendary Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and her larger-than-life team of editors creating the issue and ruling the world of fashion. Simply, The September Issue is a wonderful film with vast appeal starring Anna Wintour, Grace Coddington, Andre Leon Talley, Patrick Demarchelier, Mario Testino and Oscar De La Renta amongst others. Giving us everything we have come to expect from our fashion-centered programming and more, we are left with the sense that we have uncovered a mystery. Sadly, this feeling is a bit naïve, those going to see R.J. Cutler's subtle, glib & supple documentary hoping to peek beneath the formidable bangs of Anna Wintour, will be disappointed: This is a film whose ambitions range wider than the contents of her guarded psyche, but that’s not saying it isn’t beaded with several amusing Anna moments. All very consistent with her ice queen reputation, Wintour is often disconcertingly direct and frequently unfeeling, though not without a dry sense of humor. Her arctic imperiousness has a way of creating the most masochistic deference, a dynamic that R.J Cutler superficially explores and at times becomes prone to in his documentary because when it's all over, we still don't know who Wintour really is or the key inner workings that have turned Vogue into a fashion bible- I felt like the film reduced Vogue’s success, to its powerful editor in chief who is incredibly influential in the fashion industry and having an inordinate amount of money from Condé Nast, the parent company that owns Vogue, to make the shoots as glossy as possible, surely this can’t just be it. So while it doesn't scratch much below the surface, The September Issue is still an entertainingly voyeuristic glimpse into the corridors of the head of the fashion train– personally the documentary’s breakout star is Vogue creative director, 69 year old Grace Coddington, a former model whose plain appearance and frumpy clothing belie her genius for fashion. She counters her boss every chance she gets and provides the film with a much-needed emotional center.

Wayfarers: Most Popular Vintage Style

2010-01-21T12:29:00.005+02:00

One style enjoying a pronounced renaissance right now is the Ray Ban ‘Wayfarer’, which dates from 1952 when their design was a revolutionary break from the metal eyewear of the past. If you’re looking for the sunglasses Audrey Hepburn wore in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, look no further – they were Wayfarers in a tortiseshell pattern. Though they were originally marketed to pilots, they were popularized by Kim Novak and Marilyn Monroe, and went on to enjoy favor with countless celebrities through the 1960’s and 1970’s. In the 1980’s, Tom Cruise re-popularized them in the movie ‘Risky Business’.If you’re looking for ‘Buddy Holly’ glasses, those are also the Wayfarer style, but in black with clear lenses, worn as regular eyeglasses instead of sunglasses. Since late 2009 these style has been repopularized, in Cape Town alone, every reasonably conscious indivual seems to possess at least one pair of Wayfarers, they also come in a wide variety of seriously funky colours. I believe in classics so my pair is a simple black one.

At The Movies This Week

2010-01-21T11:47:00.003+02:00

Having a busy day today at work so havent had much time to blog, but this week i got to see two new movies, Sherlock Holmes and The September Issue. Right now busy writing review for The September Issue, which I was expecting to love with my entire heart, but was disappointed with RJ Cutler's direction/production but still the documentary managed to highlight that, whether with the help of the team she’s perhaps malevolently whipped into shape, Anna Wintout is, after all, a very good editor, she has been Editor of Vogue for the past 20 year, but as for getting close to Wintour-or even explaining the unfathomable mystery that can be haute couture -- the film comes up empty which is a shame since press notes boast that Mr. Cutler was given "unprecedented access" and the right of final cut; all advantages he doesn’t seem to have put to much use.

Black Car Maintenance-What They Don't Tell U

2010-01-19T18:26:00.002+02:00

Ok so I drive a black car – and whoa what a mission – to keep clean, to drive its a joy quite pleased. Ok the nicest thing about black cars is they look sexy and mysterious bla bla we all like them but there are certain things no one will tell you until you have a black car…keeping it clean! Whoa! Rain is your enemy, it rains a lil bit, the car’s f*cked, you’ll need a car wash the next day, I recently learnt this now that we've had two rainy days in Cape Town this week, well more like light showers but still to the car its the same effect – so below is a list of things black car owners need to keep note while trying to retain that beautiful black colour. Another thing I thought was a luxury for cars is waxing, didn’t know it was a necessity, apparently cars need waxing regularly. Modern paint finishes are too susceptible to damage, and wax when done properly will act as a sacrificial layer between pollution, UV light, etc and the paint. Contaminants will get down, pore-deep, into paint. Even with wax, weekly washings are recommended, though most people have restrictions with time, or simply don't have the inclination to wash every week.

Avoid Automatic Car Washes because they cause those awful swirls on the car from the motion and they show best on black cars, bonus :P
Use a good quality pH balanced car shampoo – now I’m not ignorant but I did not know cars had shampoo – gone are the days of liquid dishwashing soap, Windex or even or handy Andy.
Use best quality wash mitt or sponge and a pH neutral car shampoo. Dry with a clean 100% Cotton Terry Towel. For some of us who prefer not to do the washing ourselves, you need to make sure they use the right cloth at the car wash place.
When waxing, use a good polymer wax which will give protection and deepen the shine, applying with a soft terry-applicator.
And finally, you need to remember this; NEVER wash your car in direct sunlight (if it’s black of course).

Pictured: VW Polo 1.9 TDI Sportline

L'Ormarins Queen's Plate 2010

2010-01-18T16:37:00.009+02:00

The Saturday of the 9th of January 2010, the Cape Town's social scene rose to South Africa's most prestigious annual horse-racing event, the 149th running of the L'Ormarins Queen's Plate. The fabulous event was held at Kenilworth race course, which had been transformed into a setting where haute couture fashion, vintage cars, fine wine and the country's greatest thoroughbreds took centre stage. The event is largely if not solely sponosored by the L'Ormarins Wine Farm, part of the Rupert Family's wine estates. I was very reluctant to go mainly because of my near non-existant interest in horse racing, but after being offered free tickets by 3 different people, on the 3rd count which was ont he very morning of the event, I agreed, only if i could arrive at 4pm, because I had a lunch i couldnt cancel. The event has started at 11am, so 4pm was the best time for me to arrive. The dress code is very strict, blue and white, no excpetions. This was exciting to me, I'm someone who enjoys dressing to a theme - especially a very literal one like that, because it sort of gives you a canvas of blue and white, which everyone will have conformed to, now the test is, what kind blue do you have on, and how have you played with the accessories, *giggles* - anyway that Saturday was one of the hottest days in CT so I knew anything formal was out of the picture - so I wore white(crisp white) skinny jeans, black belt, stone wash blue shirt with a white collar - and to bring in some pizzazz, my trusty black patent leather shoes by Coxx Borba I bought in Paris in 2007, which i believe was a whole season before everyone started buying patent leathetr shoes like mad *grin* - I had inteded to wear my wayfarers shades but forgot to change shades before leaving the car (The aviators are better for driving) so I ended up wearing gold aviators, which I was very bleak about until I saw the pictures, and they didnt look too bad :P then i was happy again. The highlight of the event for me was how well dressed and the effort the guys had made to look very chic, not all of them were formally dressed which was great and the various interpretations of the theme were awesome, some guy was in white shorts and the best blue and white stripped shirt I've ever seen, there is no way to describe how cool his outfit looked, and he had on Ray Ban wayfarers with a red trim, was was incredibly quirky against the preppy overall look. Later int he afternoon after the last race, after i betted, my first time, and lost, ah well, the concert started, Gangs Of Instumentals, Just Jinjer & Goldfish performed, to have danced the night away....cant wait for next year as I'm def going, willingly this time around, it was too festive to miss.

Stolen Emporio Armani Classic EA0433 Watch

2010-01-15T16:38:00.004+02:00

OK so there's this awesome blog i read often called 00o00, and the blogger was talking about a what defines a great shopping experience, and the basis of the article was based on his experience with various stores when he was searching for a new battery for his Emporio Armani watch - now here's the lightful part, the said watch is the exact same watch I had got in Paris when i was there for xmas in 2007. But sadly mine got stolen after only 3 wears. And i had meant to replace it but over the years, I started to forget, until when i saw this post, it made me realise that as simple and somewhat non-special this watch might look to some, to me it was the definition of what i had been looking for for years as a simple, chic and timeless cocktail watch to wear with a tux or a nice suit and bow tie, and cuz I don't attend events like that all the time, with jeans!!! So now I'm busy considering buying the watch again, but a part of me thinks I can obviously find newer and better watches out there, but a lil' boy inside me says, 'buy it and wear it everyday to make up for all this time you've missed it' - I only have two watches at the moment, this would be a 3rd, but both my current ones have leather straps...should i be looking to diversify and get a metal buckle? I have one brown one and one with red straps - more on them later...for now I need to know if anyone thinks i should buy this Armani watch.

Happy 2010 !!!!!

2010-01-14T10:33:00.004+02:00

So its a new year, I hope everyone had a great festive season - and didnt torture themselves too much about making unrealistic and dare I say completely unnecessary resolutions...i dont get why people can't just make the changes they wanna make in their lives and always wait for New Years Eve to compile a list of things they never accomplished that passing year as if much will be different the following year...anyway maybe i just dont get it. I dont make new year's resolutions, I make resolutions contineosly when i want to. For anyone who's been waiting patietly for me to start posting again well your wishes might just come true. I have decided to make more time available to post more regulary and the blog might be taking a slight change in direction and will include a lot more pictures that i hope will be point of discussion and interest, so stay tuned.

Levi's Stripped Espadrilles

2009-11-10T10:06:00.005+02:00

Summer is in the offing, even though Cape Town weather doesn't seem to be showing signs yet, judging from the cold, wet and windy weekend we just had, well anyway the shops are already all stocked up with summer gear. This weekend i was at the V&A Waterfrront and decided to walk into Markham, gasp, yes me, walked into Markham; I've realised recently that they've changed things up and have started following current trends or at least trying. Not so long ago I bounght a waitcost from them, and it was very well made, this made me start paying attention to their stock. So while in there I noticed they were doing a lot of espadrilles, and these featured (by Levi's) were my favorite, as far as espadrilles go:P Now I'm toying with the idea of perhaps buying them... anyway to those who don't know, espadrilles are casual fashion sandals originating from the Pyrenees. They usually have a canvas or cotton fabric upper and a flexible sole made of rope or rubber material moulded to look like rope. The jute rope sole is the defining characteristic of an espadrille; the uppers vary widely in style. In Quebec French, however, espadrille is the usual term for running shoes..hehe

Beauty: An Island As Seen From Space

2009-11-06T10:57:00.003+02:00

Islands are some of the most beautiful, peaceful, violent, desolate and unique places on Earth. While experiencing a tropical island from its sandy beaches, or a volcanic island from its towering peaks is wonderful, experiencing them from above can be inspiring as well. We’ve collected images taken by astronauts and satellites from space of some of the most interesting islands on the planet.
Atafu Atoll, Tokelau, Pacific Ocean Around 500 people live on Atafu Atoll, mostly in a village that can be seen on the corner in the left of the image above. Atafu is just five miles wide and is the smallest of three atolls in the Tokelau Islands, a New Zealand territory. Atafu is made up of coral reefs that surrounded the flanks of a volcano that has since become inactive and submerged. Like many tropical atolls, Atafu is very low lying and vulnerable to sea-level rise. This photograph was taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station in January.

The Day Of My Drivers Test

2009-11-03T15:37:00.004+02:00

I just realized I never wrote up about the day I did my drivers test. Well for one I woke up at 6:30am so I could be ready to be picked up at 7am because a friend of mine who lives out of the country was in town and leaving that morning but we were going to have breakfast first. Well apart from the fact that I was up 2 hours before the usual time the morning seemed like any other Monday morning, a lil bit blue, a lil bit grey – then I got ready, but the friend was stuck in traffic so the breakfast was running an hout late when at 8am, a reminder on my phone notifies me that I have my drivers test on that day – gasp! Now ordinarily in Cape Town one often rejoices when the date finally arrives because one often has to wait a good 5 to 8 months for a date, this was not one of those ordinary occasions as I was freaked out. One, I had not taken a preparatory lesson; I mean I do drive but I needed to know how to drive according to K53 which is always gratuitously more strict that ordinary driving. Two, I had not arranged a car to test with, and didn’t wanna use a driving school’s car cuz they only have non-power steering cars, which I don’t like. And I had no clue where my receipt which I needed to prove I’d paid to secure my date. Some would have taken the day off, but I treasure my leave days too much to waste them on a driving test I’m gonna fail anyway; I thought to myself and made my way to work. Then spent the whole morning trying to figure out where I was gonna get a car, didn’t manage to find one. So I went there to do my test, hired a driving school car, with no power-steering, and went inside reprinted my receipt and paid for it again and used one of the four pics I need for the license to get a new one. Finally this is all sorted now, I need to do the test, I do not remember the pre-trip inspection or anything at this point as the nerves have gotten the better of me! So I mumbling random sh*t about the car’s exterior, I was just naming everything car related counting on the fact that he cant say, I’m wrong for over-checking, I remember counting everything under the bonnet/hood; oil, water, brake fluid, fan belt, engine, gasket, radiator etc, I stopped upon realizing the man’s reaction was like, ’this is gonna take a while’. I did the inside and the guy said, good and let’s go. Then we drive to the testing ground, my nerves were beyond, the whether had suddenly become scorching, so I was sweatier than a strained Lebanese. And throughout trying to parallel park and everything, my clutch foot was shaking like a tail-feather. But to cut a long story short, I passed the field test then we went on the road and I was pretty good there, and when we got back, turns out I had passed – so what can we take away from this, lol, preparation is not always vital….when you’re awesome ;) Now I'm busy car shopping any suggestions welcomed.

The Cyanide & Happiness book...yaaay!

2009-10-16T11:58:00.002+02:00

Oh how awesome is this, I mean that’s gobsmackingly grand, people that know me will know I enjoy their comics, call me childish I really do, often even get daily updates from the Aimster with new ones and they get funnier each time hehe I’m laughing just thinking about some of them, well anyway according to Chris M, Cyanide & Happiness will now be available as a book! See the editorial review “An odd handful of comics using random characters in random situations.”

Louis Vuitton LV277 Watch

2009-10-08T11:42:00.005+02:00

See I'm someone who's never cared much for Louis Vuitton as a brand, I've never aspired to anything they represent, their clothing rarely speaks to me, even less their accessories, ther shoes, sometimes and their bags were the only thing I've liked every now and then, until this watch came out, wow i love it! I saw it in this month's GQ and for someone who shouldn't be spending any money at the moment, I got so excited, I even called their V&A Waterfront store for the pricing - I was quickly put to place upon realising it was about R125000, but my love for it hasn't diminished - It is such a me kinda watch. Some might blame me of being drawn to the same style of watches but what can i say, they speak to me.

World's Biggest Fire Extinguisher

2009-09-04T10:30:00.003+02:00

As we all know the fires in Los Angeles are still blazing and threatening properties & lives, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has ordered the use of the world's biggest fire extinguisher. This pic shows the Vergreen 747, the world's biggest fire extinguisher making its first U.S. flight over Los Angeles. Whoa!

Spot the douche.....uncool wanna-be!

2009-08-18T14:10:00.002+02:00

Seeking help from The One to show him how to be cool.

John Legend in Cape Town!!!!

2009-08-14T14:14:00.007+02:00

Cape Town, I know I've been gone for too long, but back from the best holiday ever, more on that later, now ready to bring more excitement- Heineken and Big Concerts are working together to present multi-platinum recording artist John Legend. Having just completed his most successful international tour to date, the six-time Grammy Award winner will bring his show to South Africa for three performances this October, beginning at the Grand Arena, GrandWest Casino & Entertainment World in Cape Town on the 15th October, the Indoor Arena, International Convention Centre in Durban on the 17th and at the Coca-Cola Dome, in Johannesburg on the 18th of October.

My 24hrs Before London, England, UK, LOL

2009-07-27T03:28:00.004+02:00

Ok, i just have a weird feeling this post might be of a extremely random nature, and will try and keep it short. Now, 1, I have to say the night before i was due to leave on the trip I've been going on about for quite some time now, I got sick, like seriouslyyy ill, fever of some sort, having never fully subscribed to modern medication (lol, or any medication for that matter) i didnt have anything else at home besides the Corenza C my friend in London had asked me to bring, so i popped some, now let me tell you this, I could be their spokesperson tomorrow, that stuff works, who knew, not me. Well now the day before arent I trying to pack my suitcase when i realised i have forgotten the combination lock on my suitcase cuz i hadnt used it for ages, this is what happens when you dont go on holiday for over 8 months, for reason please see recession. After asking a few friends who proved useless for assistance, i took to the net, it turns out there we multitudes of solutions, all time consuming and laborious, two things that i choose to stay clear off unless absolutely necessary.So I helped out with the recession and spent some money (feeding the financial market) on a locksmith to figure out my combo and reset it, but this made me late to leave work, waiting for the lovelz suitcase, when i got home it was 14h15 i need to drop mz bag off at the airport at 17h30, so it was clear at this point that i was running late, then we left the house i believe around 17h10, on a Friday, helloooo traaaaffic, instead of freaking out, i decided, if i miss it i miss it, there wasnt much i could do, it was bumper to bumper traffic and the road constructions closer to the airport werent gonna do me any favours so i just relaxed - me and mz friend who was taking me there, just spoke, got there miraculously at 17h49, the had just switched off the check-in lights, but they still allowed me in - wheewh. Then i get on the plane to realise we are on an relativelz older plane, no private monitors, i know some of you are gonna be like, 'yeah i dont even use the monitor' well I do, and even if i didnt, this is a 12 hour flight, i-would-like-to-have-the-option. So now i was very unhappy, my initially irritation with my booking started whenb i booked Virgin Atlantic and they didnt tell me until 2 days before that they dont fly from CT direct to London, only from JHB, so I will be operated by SAA, which i was ok with, now its a shit SAA flight, this was not doing well for me, so I've decided to never book Virgin Atlantic again, or any other airline that doesnt offer private monitors for a plus 8 hour flight. After getting over it and arriving in London, the worst was about to take place, at Border Control, guess who didnt print any of their itinerary and being it along with them as they have done for all their previous trips?...Yes. So the man, starts opening up his instructions booklet to show me that at this point he's meant to refuse mz visa, even thought alreadz granted, but the good thing is the state would pay for my 'return flight', which i corrected him by saying; 'Oh you mean my (air quotes) 'deportation flight'', somehow the man did not appreciate my snarkism and told me this was a serious matter, then i turned serious and said: would it make a difference if i told you why i didnt have the docs with me? he nodded, then i said, enerstly, with a slight tilt, 'i forgot', THIS he found funny, and began to ask me a million piercing questions about me and my 'intentions' then told me in future or if i had gotten a mean control guy i would have gone home - which would have sucked cuz I have all this info, its just not printed, which i should remember to do before Tues when we move to our next leg of the holiday, anyway so i thanked him profusely and bee lined for where i was meant to meet my friend so we could have champagne to start our holiday, at 8am sharp.

Gallery Invites Visitors To Deface Bible

2009-07-24T12:33:00.008+02:00

Visitors to a gallery in Scotland have been defacing the Bible in the name of art. The Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow has invited art lovers to write their thoughts down in an open Bible on display as part of its Made in God's Image exhibition. Next to the Bible lie several pens with a note saying: "If you feel you have been excluded from the Bible, please write your way back into it". Several visitors have already taken up the offer, choosing to leave messages of abuse and obscenity rather than support for the words of God. "This is all sexist pish, so disregard it all," one message read. Another scrawled over the first page of Genesis: "I am Bi, Female & Proud. I want no god who is disappointed in this". Others wrote: "The Gospel According to Luke Skywalker", "F*** the Bible" and "Facist God". The exhibition, which also includes a woman ripping pages from a Bible and stuffing them into her underwear, has outraged the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Scotland. But the gallery's artist in residence, Anthony Schrag, is unrepentant. "Any offensive things that have been written are not the point of the work," Schrag told The Times newspaper. "It was an open gesture. Are those who say they are upset offended by the things that people write, or just by the very notion that someone should write on a Bible? "If we are to open up the Bible for discussion, surely we have to invite people to speak out." The Metropolitan Community Church originally proposed the exhibition as a way of reclaiming the Bible as a sacred text. However, some of its members have been shocked by the insults written in the Bible on display. "The Bible should never be used like that," church minister Jane Clarke said. "It was our intention to reclaim it as a sacred text." A Catholic Church spokesman said: "One wonders whether the organisers would have been quite as willing to have the Koran defaced". I personally completely agree with the last statement, I don't think the gallery would have found it as easy to put forward a book like the Koran for instance up for defacing, so the double standards are grossly unfair and show a great deal of transparency. Having been raised Catholic and all, this is a very iffy subject, and one i find hard to comment on, objectively.

As Sick As A Dog...urf

2009-07-23T10:00:00.000+02:00

Ok so last night I made the mistake of falling asleep with the heater on, anyone who's ever done it will know, its not pleasant. So i woke up with the biggest headache, blocked nose and sore throat - and i'm just praying that's all that it is because i cannot afford to get sick, i leave tomorrow and it would suck if they quarantined me at the airport for suspicion of being an "incubus" of viral plague, Swine Flu anyone? But i hope I feel better later cuz there's a lot i still need to get done - like for instance need to go to Canal Walk to buy 2 pairs of shades & go to dinner etc

Song Of The Day: Amy Winehouse

2009-07-21T11:49:00.004+02:00

My song of the day is a song that has been one of my favourites since it was released late 2007, (though my favourite song from the album is probably Wake Up Alone), and although the song didn’t chart very well has been one Amy Winehouse’s critically acclaimed songs. In 2008, final year English Literature students at Cambridge University were asked to analyse lyrics to this song, as well as lyrics by Sir Walter Raleigh, Bob Dylan and Billie Holiday, as part of their end of year examinations in 'Practical Criticism'. Last night while I listened to this song, between the crafty haunting lyrics and the heartbroken lilt I couldn’t help but launch into a pit of dark soul searching about love & relationships in my life so far. One of the album’s most sombre and short moments, ‘Love Is A Losing Game,’ for her came out at a time when Winehouse’s personal life had become more topical than her recording career. For me the solemnity …"Though I battled blind," she croons, tearfully. "Love is a fate resigned.” and the contemplative & soulful delivery of the song was a bitter-sweet reminder of all the charm and ultimately the gutting reality of relationships… sometimes. I had never had such a strong reaction to this song before, I took this as a sign I was perhaps feeling emotionally vulnerable - had I started opening myself up to the idea of a relationship? Was I investing too soon & perhaps was inviting heartache...whichever it was, it made me realise the song needed to be shared.

For you I was a flame - Love is a losing game
Five story fire as you came - Love is a losing game
One I wish I never played - Oh what a mess we made
And now the final frame - Love is a losing game
Played out by the band - Love is a losing hand
More than I could stand - Love is a losing hand
Self professed... profound - Till the chips were down
...know you're a gambling man - Love is a losing hand
Though I'm rather blind - Love is a fate resigned
Memories mar my mind - Love is a fate resigned
Over futile odds - And laughed at by the gods
And now the final frame - Love is a losing game

Love, Music, Mouille P, Pepenero & Dry-wall

2009-07-21T11:12:00.006+02:00

Heya, ok I must admit I’ve been a lil preoccupied with my life lately, mainly cuz I go away on holiday on Friday – the reason why this holiday is such a big deal for me is cuz its my first holiday to Europe this year, from going there about every 3 months last year, this year has been a lil different, hello recession! So this is why I haven’t been as good with posting new stories and blogging, but here’s to hoping all of that will change, if I decide to take my laptop with me when I go travelling, I will be sure to write lil’ snippets of my experience every 2^nd day or so. Anyway today, I hope to blog a bit, I have a song in mind, which I want to make my song of the day. It’s a somewhat dark song and was inspired by thoughts I had last night as I lay in my bed before going to bed about love and matters of the heart, but more about what we as people are willing to put ourselves through just to be able to feel loved, or to love someone, even though we sometimes hurt ourselves in the process, or most commonly get hurt by others – and the topic of love, more especially relationships has always been a foreign one to me, not because I don’t date or have relationships but more because though I love easily, I’ve never been able to allow myself to fall in love easily, and I find its something I’m very weary of and will shut off completely at the first sign of the other seeming untrustworthy or at least more than capable of hurting me – anyway, oh almost forgot how awesome was the weather this weekend? Especially Sunday, I got to hang out outdoors, wear shorts and have lunch at Mouille Point again, it felt like summer, except we made the mistake to go eat at Pepenero, I don’t know how many chances I’ve given this place to try and redeem itself, and constantly it fails with flying colours. The sea food platter I had, had awesome prawns & mussels, but the calamari was like gum and the line fish of Yellowtail tasted like dry-wall, honestly, it’s a puzzler how they are still in business, I guess the location is THAT good!

Mariah Carey/Eminem Obsessed Music Video

2009-07-17T15:12:00.008+02:00

Here's your first look Mariah Carey's music video directed by a frequent Carey collaborator Brett Ratner for her new song 'Obsessed', (lead single to album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel out Aug 25) a song that is packed with low blows at a certain someone, media assuming is a response to Eminem's recent diss on Mariah and her husband,Nick Cannon in his 'Bagpipes From Baghdad' song. In the video she gets to play two roles, herself and the obsessee, but the song ends in a somewhat abrupt and uncomfortable ending where the obsessee's fate is decided by the public transport system.

Most Awesome Pic: At 3000 frames per Sec

2009-07-15T15:57:00.002+02:00

As an avid fan of the show Time Wrap, its obvious to pick up that I love detail, and being able to see things that we cant ordinarily see with the naked eye. This shot on the side is a pic of a bullet (I think) that looks like it just grazed or even bounced on the water surface and this pic was taken at that exact moment and reduced to something like 3000 frames per second. Hence able to reveal detail that ordinarily would be absolutely impossible to see with the human eye. I was so stoked when I found this pic because I remember not so long ago I was watching a show on Discovery where this droplet specialist, yes, its an actual job, with a title, he was a professor – and he was making these awesome droplet formations and they were using a 3000 frames per sec camera to view them, they were awe-some, I thought about them days after I had seen the show. I’m mostly taken by the colours, the detail and especially the droplet on top, but I’m still unsure which I love more, the actual droplet effect or the 3000 frame camera for being able to reveal to us what we can’t see with our natural eyes?

At The Movies: Bruno by Sasha Baron Cohen

2009-07-15T12:49:00.001+02:00

So this weekend I went to JHB to visit one of my dearest friends, and while there I had the opportunity to go watch Bruno, we both love comedy and so decided to go see the movie. At first I was apprehensive because I felt like Sasha Cohen had just found something that works and will keep doing it, my feeling going to the movie was I’m going to see the 2nd of many more to come where he plays a different character trek king through America. Having loved Borat completely and still find myself laughing at some of the jokes from the movie, I found Bruno different, wholly unsuitable for children, yet propelled by a nagging puerility that will appeal only to those in the vortex of puberty, or to adults who have failed to progress beyond it. On the surface Bruno is a brilliantly rude, deliriously insane closeted sexual politics on steroids mockumentary that hails Bruno as the biggest Austrian superstar since Hitler. Boasting as the anointed White Obama, bleached rectums, defence moves against multi-hued dildos, and in this bargain-basement narcissus' never-ending quest for "celebrity", Bruno attempts to seduce a onetime presidential hopeful, Ron Paul, adopts a black African baby and provokes a near riot at a caged boxing bout in Texas. While Cohen's taboo-breaking audacity remains in full force throughout Bruno, his ability to keep the big laughs on a roll seems to have waned a tad. So for those willing to endure the shocks and actually think about them afterwards, the film's jokes work on multiple levels, although it is hard not to feel that there is some diminishing return this time around.

News: Cape Town Stadium workers Striking

2009-07-09T10:03:00.003+02:00

Cape Town - This mornign as I was making my way to work – already running a tad late as usual I was stunned to see the folks that work in the stadium toyi-toying (a strike of some sort), they were wielding heavy sticks and the cop cars were there to ensure they stuck to the one side of the road, Somerset road going towards the city center – that happened to be the same road I needed to get to work, so I just stood and waited for them to pass, I managed to squeeze a quick pic, scared for my life not knowing if they might attack me for finding their strike news worthy, but I didn’t seem to do too bad. The pic includes the Cape Town cops, the protesters and the Green Point stadium, which is the key project at risk of running over if the protest persist. The workers are seeking a minimum of 13% pay rise instead of the 10% promised.

World’s Strongest Vagina Sets Record Lifting 14kg

2009-07-08T10:35:00.009+02:00

Am unsure why I find this so funny, but this just in, a Russian woman has set a new world record, lifting a 14-kg. glass ball with her vagina muscles. Tatiata Kozhevnikova of Novosibirsk, aged 42, has been exercising her intimate muscles for fifteen years, and has already made her entrance into the Guinness Book of Records as the possessor of the world’s strongest vagina, she proudly told Life.ru. “After I had a child, my intimate muscles got unbelievably weak. I read books on Dao and learned that ancient women used to deal with this problem using wooden balls,” she said. “I looked around, saw a Murano glass ball and inserted it in my vagina. It took me ages to get it out!” Personally I would have perhaps left the details to everyone’s imagination, but alas there felt it necessary to explain the intimate details, of doing a Priscilla Queen of the Desert, ‘shooting balls out of her twat’. The embarrassing first experience did not scare Tatiana off. She developed quite a taste for vagina fitness, and now she has her exercising balls custom-made. “You insert one of the balls in your vagina, and it has a string attached to it with a little hook at the very end. You fix a second ball onto this hook.” She makes it sound easy. The Russian recommends vaginal exercises to all women who want to improve their sex life. “It’s enough to exercise your vagina five minutes a day, ladies, and in just one week you’ll be able to give yourself and your man unforgettable pleasure in bed,” she says. Now you know ladies, Viva Russia!

Movies: Youssou N’dour: I Bring What I Love

2009-07-07T13:01:00.003+02:00

Last night a friend of mine took me, against my will at first to see one of the movies showing at the 11th Encounters: South African International Documentary Festival. When I walked out I felt like I owed him an apology for my apprehension because the movie had actually enriched me, I didn’t regret the hour and a half I had just spent watching Youssou N’dour: I Bring What I Love, an uplifting, music-driven movie about the power of one man’s voice to inspire global change. The film unfolds an extraordinary moment in the life of Youssou N’dour -- the best selling and most influential African pop artist of all time, here in SA possibly most known for his 1994 hit song ‘7 Seconds (duet with Neneh Cherry)…It's not a second, 7 seconds away, Just as long as I stay, I'll be waiting, I’ll be waiting…everyone MUST remember that song, I was 8 or 9 and I remember it. The Grammy Award-winning cultural ambassador has long been renowned for bringing people of diverse nations and backgrounds together through his collaborations with such musical superstars as Bono, Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel - and for rousing global audiences with his distinctive voice, electrifying rhythms and catchy melodies. But the film sees him releases his most daringly personal and spiritual album yet, N’dour rocks his Muslim fans in Africa. Now, even as he garners accolades in the West, N’dour must brave controversy and rejection at home as he sets out to win his audience back with the sheer transcendent optimism of his music, which moves hips and feet but also hearts and minds. As director Chai Vasarhelyi tracks N’dour’s emotional journey over 2 years - filming his ever-shifting life in Africa, Europe, and America - she reveals why he has become an inspiration for generations. He initially releases his album Egypt in the hopes of promoting a more tolerant face of Islam. Yet, when his fellow Senegalese rejected the album, and denounced it as blasphemous, he took this as a challenge to go deeper, to reach out to those who would attack him and to work even harder to use the storytelling impact and infectious beats of his songs to unite a divided world. The resulting portrait is not just of a musician turning his spiritual quest into art, but also that of a brave new world in which pop culture now has equal power to incite fury and invite new connections.

Scent Of The Moment: Dior Homme by Dior

2009-07-06T15:42:00.010+02:00

Do you love the demurely cloying smell of iris? If you don’t, then you will half-justifiably find Dior Homme unbearably sweet and perhaps overtly feminine, which to me is usually a sigh the individual lacks self-confidence and poise. Touted by Dior as a “masculine iris, a skin fragrance with an addictive grace,” Dior Home was the 4th fragrance to be launched by Dior’s new artistic director for men’s fragrances, Hedi Slimane. Created by Olivier Polge, who’s work I love, and has notes of sage, bergamot, lavender, Italian iris concrete, cocoa, amber, vetiver, patchouli, and possibly leather and cardamom, Dior Homme is an embodiment of the sleek and sophisticated style unanimous with the Christian Dior house.. The bottle, see main pic, has a unique design, with a steel column housing the usual plastic spray tube, and beautifully crafted strong corners. The fragrance begins with a sweet blast of iris, cocoa and amber, perfectly blended and just the right strength, but then begins to fade into a slightly powdery amber accord with a mere hint of patchouli and lavender, the after effect leaves an off-white suede & a slightly smoky scent, with the amber and lavender reminiscent of Jean Paul Gaultier’s Le Male. Dior Homme is a men’s gourmand fragrance so it comes off as a bit feminine, and doesn’t apologise for it, but then again this is Dior, much like Prada, Dior does not shy away from folding floral notes into their arrangement and embellishing them with sweet accents, and lets face it almost all gourmand fragrances smell a tiny bit feminine to evoke the comforting, warm, and addictive components we all love in gourmand fragrances. Because of its modest sillage this fragrance would most likely not go with a t-shirt and jeans or noisy, crowded clubs, instead better suited for more intimate, slightly chilly, "sweater" nights out on the town, or to a dinner. On the first whiff I was mostly taken by the coolness of the iris shimmering under the transparent top accord that is sweetly herbaceous and crisp that hastily unfolds fully with its metallic violets and cold roots tonality overtaking the composition like an opalescent mist. The dissonance between the chilly orris and the ambered leathery base is at first disconcerting, especially since the arrangement moves rapidly from the hazy coldness into the powdery sweetness accented by cocoa. Nevertheless, the supple leather underpinning the base of the composition provides an elegant backdrop against which the woody chilliness of iris is extended by the crisp earthiness of vetiver *sigh*. Barring the fact that Dior Homme doesn’t last very long on the skin, to me, this is a masterpiece.

50% Sale at @home

2009-07-06T12:43:00.001+02:00

Everyone who’s ever hosted a house party or even a dinner party that turns into a raucous party will know that as the night progresses and people absolve themselves of their sobriety, reaction times tends to be more compromised and people start to break a few dishes. In my personal experience due to my love of wine & champagne, wine glasses and flutes tend to break in tens with each party I host. So I’ve been desperately looking to replace them for a while now, so the sale at @home couldn’t have come at a better time. @home is currently having a sale, where selected items are marked down by up to 50%. I know almost everyone loves @home but not everyone can afford it, so this is your moment to stock up.

I Have Tasted The Best Bolognaise Ever Made

2009-07-03T15:00:00.005+02:00

Bolognese sauce (ragù alla bolognese in Italian, also known by its French name sauce bolognaise, which is also the spelling we use here in South Africa) is a meat-based sauce for pasta originating in Bologna, Italy. Bolognese sauce is sometimes taken to be a tomato sauce but authentic recipes have only a small amount of tomato. The people of Bologna traditionally serve their famous ragù with freshly made tagliatelle (tagliatelle alla bolognese) and their traditionally green lasagne. Less traditionally, the sauce is served with macaroni or other durum wheat short pasta. The traditional recipe, registered in 1982 by the Bolognese delegation of Accademia Italiana della Cucina, confines the ingredients to beef, pancetta, onions, carrots, celery, tomato paste, meat broth, red wine, and (optionally) milk or cream. However, different recipes, even in the Bolognese tradition, make use of chopped pork or pork sausage, while chicken or goose liver may be added along with the beef or veal for special occasions, etc. "The Classic Italian Cookbook", claims that the longer Ragù alla Bolognese cooks the better, a 5 or 6 hour simmer is not unusual. Having never been a notable fan of bolognaise, last night I had what is potentially the best bolognaise I’ve ever had, almost felt wrong that I couldn’t share it with more people. It evoked the same feelings one gets when they are in a small village and taste the best meal and wish the restaurant was in a bigger place where it could be experienced by more. The last time something to this effect happened to me was when I was in a quaint restaurants, La Colombe d’Or, atop a hill in Saint Paul-de-Vance in the lower Provence area (South of France), and last night this spectacular bolognaise was made by a seemingly unassuming and simple cook, who poured all of his soul into making that dish, the effort paid off. The dish shone on all fronts, from the ground texture, the rich colour of a well simmered dish, the warm aroma probably made by the presence of some chilli (the cook’s creative call) and of course the taste were all nothing short of perfect and I even surprised myself by having seconds, I hope more people get to taste it in future.

South Africans Positive About 2010 Benefits

2009-06-30T17:04:00.004+02:00

News24 has reported the latest survery results on SA's perception of the effects of the 2010 world cup with at least 89% of South Africans believe the 2010 Fifa World Cup will benefit the country, according to survey released on Wednesday. This was 2% higher than in January, according to African Response's 2010 Barometer. Support for the event was highest in Durban at 86%, followed by Johannesburg at 84% and Cape Town with 68%. The survey, of 1 200 South Africans of various backgrounds, measured the nation's awareness and opinions of the World Cup. The first reading was taken in March 2006 and since then results had been released every three months. Up to 88% of Johannesburg residents were the strongest believers in the significance of the event. Durbanites were second in line, with 85% believing the event was significant, while only 65% of Capetonians thought so. At least 85% of those polled said they would watch the Fifa games on television. Ninety percent of Durbanites intended watching them on TV and 89% of Johannesburg residents. Only 53% of respondents intended watching a live match, three percent less than in the last survey. When asked about infrastructure, 64% believed SA's roads would be ready in time for the event. Confidence in public transport had decreased from 72% at the last reading to 70%. Sixty percent of the 1 200 people polled believed the country would be able to supply enough electricity for the event, an increase of five percent since the last survey. Asked about policing, 53% of Pretoria residents had faith in the country's security, compared to 76% of Johannesburg residents. At least 78% of South Africans believe the stadiums would be completed on time. Personally, I believe it'll benefit South Africa, there is a great deal of infrastructure that South Africa is making high priority at the moment that will only make us a better functioning country, and there has been a sizeable increase in job creation over this period, now we have to hope and pray that the stadiums are used to their full advantage post the Soccer World Cup, in order to realise the benefit of the investments.

Michael Jackson (50), Farrah Fawcett (62) R.I.P

2009-06-29T15:24:00.007+02:00

My life has been insanely busy hence such a ridiculously delayed upload of this post, which i wrote last week Fri, but never got a chance to post it. King of Pop, Superstar, Troubled man, philanthropologist, Entertainer, Freak are some of the headlines that have been used to describe Michael Jackson over the course of his unparalleled career, I choose to call him an icon. He’s embodied Pop iconography light years before the likes of Britney Spears clawed their way up the Pop charts. Michael was a music legend & an entertainer that will never be replaced, his star quality is largely the only reason why his Thriller album is the highest selling album of all time, having sold more than 109 million copies worldwide, the runner up comes in at half the tally with 45 million copies, The Eagles with Hotel California. Another sad death was that of Farrah Fauwcett, who after battling cancer for over a year also passed away on the same morning as Michael Jackson. Fauwcett was made popular by her appearance on the original Charlie’s Angels series, the famous poster taken in 1976 (insert) still holds the record for being the best selling pin up poster of all time and also long before Jennifer Aniston had the haircut that set woman across America alight, there was the Farrah Fawcett hair cut. These two superstars will be missed, may Farrah continue to fight crime and may Michael find the solemn peace he was never afforded while alive.