Ben and the Mama City

I touched down in Cape Town about 4 hours ago. The sun is shining, the weather is sweet, makes me wanna move... to Cape Town, but not during season that is. Everything sucks in Cape Town in season. Crowds, traffic, tourists, Johannesburgers, Cape Townians hating everyone who is not from Cape Town, escalated prices, oh and did I mention the crowds. But I love it here. It is my home away from home (pardon the cliche), but my entire extended family lives here. I have spent the last two hours with my new baby cousin Ben, a nine week old, Beagle puppy, too cute. He is fast asleep behind me. oh dear.

I am looking forward to taking in this beautiful city with my cousins and friends. I am also taking down old years with The Australians (Nathan and Jacob) in tow. Gonna be fun fun!

Catch up soon soon.

 
 
 
 

An (annual) Unconventional Christmas

Every year we spend Christmas with an eclectic mixture of people who are not Christian (read Buddhist) yet choose to observe the holiday with a table laden with gorgeous food, a silver sparkling tree (read big twig), small, novel gifts (I got a purple feather boa), Christmas crackers and lots of laughter lubricated by lots of alcohol. Always fun!

Me and my Claire Bear

Sissy

The Silver Sparkling Twig

The pretty gifts

Before

The "Thing" in the bathtub

Claire's new basement cat: Zoey

After

I baked, I finally baked

So I kinda made a promise to cook everyday, ala Julie and Julia style, and post about it. That never happened. Bad on me. I did however bake today and I took photos. I love to bake. I never seem to have the time anymore though. Being the end of the year and having the time off, I had the time to bake today.

I made a concoction of a vanilla/rose water cake base with vanilla and rose water icing and the top layer was chocolately chocolate icing. I even made the effort to use real vanilla pods. I felt utter happiness when I saw the flecks of vanilla bean in my cake and icing. I hope everyone enjoys the deliciousness tomorrow. Love was baked into that there cake!

DHF - Sonrotse

This video is by one of the most wonderfully creative bands in South Africa, Die Heuwels Fantasties. This video makes me want to go back to Mozambique with all my buddies. To swim, to watch the sun rises and sets, to laugh and to enjoy. I guess that is what a good music video does, makes one nostalgic and keeps one enraptured. I actually quoted the lyrics this past weekend, a reflection on my time in Heidelberg.

This band gives me absolute goosebumps every time I listen to them. Completely original and completely South African. Again, so proud. Aaaah. Die Heuwels Fantasties. And to think the band name was completely devised as a joke. haha. Fantasties.

Lyric of the Day

"What are you holding out for?

What's always in the way?

Why so damn absent-minded?

Why so scared of romance?

This modern love breaks me,

This modern love wastes me..."

-This Modern Love by Bloc Party

Take It or Leave It

I finally went to see Invictus. Oh my. I was close to the "ugly-cry" a few times during the movie. It was a wonderful. I am crazily patriotic. I wanted to burst with pride and excitement the whole time. The poem used in the film, Invictus, is both poignant and around which the entire philosophy of the film is based. I definitely identified with something in it. And after doing a little research I have found that even Timothy McVeigh (the Oklahoma City Bomber) used it at his final hearing prior to his execution in 2001. Great.

I do not believe in fate or destiny but I can identify with taking responsibility for creating and writing your life path. And for never giving up no matter what you may encounter and have to overcome. I have read the poem over and over and am truly moved that this is the poem that so inspired Nelson Mandela. I hope it does the same for you.

"Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul."

- Invictus by William Ernest Henley

Louise and I at the Soccer World Cup 2010 Kick Off Celebrations

Lyric of the Day

I just got back from a weekend away in Heidelberg. I can't really say that I went away as I really only went to visit Louise and Heidelberg is only 50kms outside of Jozi city. But how outside some places can really be. I love going to small towns like that. Drinking at small pubs and brunching at quaint delis. A town filled with pretty churches and quiet streets. It has a maximum of three places to party. And when I mean party I mean sit around, drink and talk shit with the kids who live in the town. Too awesome. I will definitely be going back next year. Thank you Lou. And in honour of our attempt at broken Afrikaans when we were a bit broken... Here are some special lyrics for you my friend...

"As die son bo hierdie rotse opkom,

gaan almal weet wat ek en jy nog altyd weet,

'n mens het sy limiet,

al wat jy het is wat die wêreld vir jou bied,

ek weet ons is uniek,

ek weet...

ek probeer my bes,

ek sweer ek probeer..."

-Sonrotse by Die Heuwels Fantasties

Vocos - "Disco Disco"

NGK

Back to Jozi

Lyric of the Day

I'm off to Heidelberg this weekend to visit Louise in her new place. It may not be the most exciting of places, but I actually don't care. She's my buddy and she's there. Yay! Toodaloo ya'll. See ya on the other side of the weekend.

"I'm good to go,

And I'm going nowhere fast,

It could be worse,

It could be taking you there with me,

I'm good to go,

But it looks like I'm still on my own..."

- Saturday by Fall Out Boy

Oprah Flash Mob Dance

I got home early today and was channel flipping, I stopped on Oprah. I never watch TV and I never watch Oprah, but I thought, oh wells, give the lady a chance. It happened to be her 24th Season Kick-Off show. The show started with a song by the Black Eyed Peas. Then the crowd started dancing, from the front row, to the middle, all the way to the back. 20 000 people dancing! In unison. It is incredible. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Watching it gave me goosebumps thinking that when we work at it we truly do live in a wonderful world. Wahaha.

Lyric of the Day

I had one epic major fight with my parents last night which got out of hand and I was almost thrown out. I say almost, as I was told to get out, but then things were finally resolved. I am one hundred percent stuck in a rut. I feel as if my life is just moving on without me. I am 24 and feel as if I have achieved very little at my age. I am grateful for my degree and my job. I am grateful for the opportunities afforded to me when I went overseas. Yet I feel as if I have done little to no growing up. I have not travelled. I got a degree and went straight into my first (low-paying) job, which I hated. So I quit and moved onto my second (low-paying) job which I enjoy, although I feel I could be challenged a lot more. People do ask me if I could move into another job in the same industry and then I look at my friends in the same industry and they are earning the same as me. So either I change it up career wise. Or I remain in a rut. Which is just not cricket. Confusion I say. I have plans, I do. Now to get out of this stuckness. Hmmm.

"Into the night

Desperate and broken

The sound of a fight

Father has spoken.

We were the kings and queens of promise

We were the victims of ourselves

Maybe the children of a lesser god

Between heaven and hell, Heaven and hell..."

- Kings and Queens by 30 Seconds To Mars

Take It or Leave It

"Every moment is a golden one 
for him who has the vision 
to recognise it as such..."
-Henry Miller

Lyric of the Day

I made the mistake of listening to Kate Nash on my drive home last night. I have been happily single for a long time now. I have had a clear head. No crushes, no sillinesses. I am content being alone. Maybe it was the fact that I was tired and had had a less than stimulating Friday night. Whatever the case was, I was singing along to a song that had never resonated with me before. In fact I had scoffed at the lyrics in the past, passing them off as juvenile and girly. But listening to "The Nicest Thing" made me a little sad last night. It made me long for someone that I knew I was over (he had actually messaged me earlier in the day, he had been left and was letting me know). It made me long for someone to honour the words in the song.

"I wish I was your favourite girl,

I wish you thought I was the reason you are in the world.

I wish I was your favourite smile,

I wish the way that I dressed was your favourite kind of style.

All I know is that you're the nicest thing I've ever seen

I wish that we could see if we could be something..."

- The Nicest Thing by Kate Nash

Lyric of the Day

"When I got the music,

I got a place to go..."

- Radio by Rancid

Lyric of the Day

KayBo... Thanks for the call today... you made my day. I miss you so much lady.

"You are such a blessing and I wont be messing,

with the one thing that brings light to all my darkness,

You're my best friend,

and I love you, and I love you,

Yes I do,

There is no other one who can take your place,

I feel happy inside when I see your face,

I hope you believe me,

'Cause I speak sincerely,

and I mean it when I tell you that I need you,

You're my best friend,

and I love you, and I love you,

Yes I do..."

- My Best Friend by Weezer

P.S. The choice of lyric is so so so cheesy, I know. But I think it works. So get over it.

Take It or Leave It

"If that car was a pudding, I would eat it..."

Paul Els on the Audi R8 V10