Levi's Stripped Espadrilles

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

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

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!

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

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

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!

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

John Legend in Cape Town!!!!

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

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

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*

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

I'm All Virgin'ed Out!!!!!

So it occurred to me that without even realising I was completely immersed in the Virgin brand. Virgin Group Ltd is a brandedventure capital organization founded by British business tycoon Sir Richard Branson. The core business areas are travel, entertainment and lifestyle, among others. The net worth of Virgin Group Ltd as of September 2008 is £5,010,000,000, which is a handsome R67,087,101,109.85. Today the Virgin brand, still owned by Richard Branson has over 50 ventures under it, transcending more than 10 product divisions, e.g. Beverages, Airlines, Trains, Games, Financial services, Films, Health & Fitness, Internet, Cable TV, Music,Radio, Books, Cosmetics, Jewellery, Houseware, Retail, Mobile phones. Here in South Africa I'm only aware of Virgin Active (Health & Fitness), Virgin Money (Financial Services), Virgin Mobile (Mobile Phones) & Virgin Atlantic (Airline), seriously it's like Virgin is taking over the world, without anyone even noticing, I know they are always in the headlines about their new ventures but I've never paid much mind, knowing full well it'd never affect me in any monumental way, the only part of Virgin I endorsed was their gym, I'm a proud member of Virgin Active Gyms, no matter how often I don't go, I'm still a member and that was ok - well, until yesterday when i was booking my flight for my holiday next month, general Euro trip but flying into London for a couple of days to party with some friends, and clearly with raucous times in mind, I was trying to find the most affordable flight so i can get there having spent the least amount possible, and turns out Virgin Atlantic offers the cheapest flights at the moment, so i obviously booked it, although my particular flight is operatedby South Africa Airways, (Cape Town-London), I've still made a booking with Virgin Atlantic and clearly hoping to fly with them again in future, cuz somehow I think i might have signed up for their voyager miles loyalty card (in my defence, they sold it well), now thats two, now guess what i used to pay for this lovely flight,.....a Virgin Money credic card! Yes i acquired one of those a while ago, I never use it, unless when i need to book flights, so it hadnt occured to me I was already more than just flirting with the brand, so now all that's left is for me to trade in my Vodacom contract for a Virgin Mobile one, then I'll be all Virgin'ed out!