Day One

It's the first of the month (HAPPY APRIL!) and the first day of my new job! I am nervous, excited, and ready to sink my teeth into something after 6 months of settling into life back in South Africa.

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Less of this...

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More of this!

Here's to a busy, interesting and fun month ahead!

Congratulations!

I am so excited for my friend Rose Ramsay who is a finalist in the CNN African Journalist of the Year for her work in the DRC and Burundi last year. Only 27 finalists were chosen out of 900 entries. It is amazing how far she has come since I met her while she was applying for an internship at ETV and is now an executive producer of the channel.

Wishing you all the best in Uganda Rose!

Jozi Food Market Tonight

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Because it's nearly equinox, nearly Easter, and nearly full moon, Jozi Food Market is holding its first evening market. So if you live close by, or even not that close, pop down to the Parktown North Quarter for a glass of wine, a casual dinner or to stock up on fresh goods for the Easter weekend and support a great thing in our community. See you there!

Time: 5pm - 9pm

I heart chocolate

{Mast Brothers Chocolate}

Oh me oh my! How gorgeous is this choclate shop in Brooklyn! Hand crafted from bean to bar, wrapped up in gorgeous packaging and sold in a beautiful old shop, this is one of those things that simultaneously causes chocolate and New York cravings!

Go on, treat yourself

To all the Jo'burg readers out there, Sorbet in Rosebank is giving 50% off all its treatments until April 18!

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Art throb

The Jo'burg Art Fair was a fantastic event. As a Times review said, "it made the city the capital of edgy contemporary hip-ness for a few glorious days." The fair showcased 23 galleries, 400 artists, 40 designers and 11 special projects from South Africa and Africa. Ross Douglas of ArtLogic, the founder and curator of the show, created a space in which one felt like you were wondering through galleries, not show booths at a convention centre. The over acrching theme was "Art and Industry", mirroring the international trend of collaborations between industry and the art world. The art was inspiring, fresh, progressive. In a dream world, I would have walked away with many pieces under my arm!

Sandton Convention Centre

Oils by Pierneef (see more of his work here)

A weaving

Installation collaboration with William Kentridge (see more of his work here)

Close up

Closer

RECORDS by Artist Siemon Allen, a series of print enlargments of rare South African records

RECORDS

A head in thatch

Masks

Wooden poster

Art in a box by Sipho Ndlovu

Dismantled gun by Paula Louw

Cultural Injection

The Jo'burg Art Fair takes place this weekend at the Sandton Convention Centre. I am hoping to get a chance to go. I loved going to the art shows in New York. While a lot of the work is crazy and/or too abstract for my liking, the creative inspiration abounds!

This was my favourite picture at the Amory Show last year, "Fortoken" by Ikeda Manabu, 2008. The detail involved is incredible - you can look at it for hours and continue to discover new things.

Here are some other interesting pieces from last year's Armory Show.

This is a piece from this year's Armory Show: A sculpture representing Scrooge McDuck, Donald's mega-rich uncle, covered in tar and sprinkled with white feathers by Sven'tgolle Sven'tolle.

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And a piece from this year's The Art Show: Philip Van Aver's "Still Life With Chinese Pheasant" 1986.

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For more pics from these two shows click here.

Not next year, not last year, but somewhere in between

Kulula.com answers Fifa with a new advert. Love it.

The unofficial carrier of the "you-know-what"

Kulula.com was ordered by Fifa to pull this advert as it infringed on the Fifa trademark. Although "World Cup" is not mentioned and it was not stated that Kulula could not use symbols such as soccer balls, the Cape Town stadium, and vuvuzelas, Fifa said that the advert breached South African law "by seeking to gain a promotional benefit for the kulula brand by creating an unauthorised association with the 2010 Fifa World Cup" {source}. Kulula.com knew it was pushing boundaries with its ad but perhaps Fifa is taking things a bit far. Besides, I do love the poster.

What a feast!

In celebration of me getting a job (!) the husband and I decided to treat ourselves to lunch at Roots, located at the boutique hotel Forum Homini and one of South Africa's top ten restaurants. We indulged in a 6 course meal and wine tasting, starting with a beetroot and goast cheese tart, and ending with a melt-in-your mouth chocolate brownie with rasberry frozen yogurt. Oh my - I am still full! My favourite part of the restaurant is the setting right on water and looking out into the bush. We watch three kudus grazing during course number four. Only 45 minutes outside of Johannesburg, I highly recommend this!

{Roots Restaurant}

Jozi Chic

On Saturday night we went to a friend's 40th birthday at Arts on Main. I love this venue (see my other posts here and here), and at night it is just as cool. The roof top turns into a bar with a lounge and fires blazing, the music turns up and the lights dim. It was a great party surrounded by the buildings and lights of down town Jozi - perfect for the theme Jozi Chic.

The roof top bar

The downstairs dining room in Canteen restaurant

The courtyard

Posters from the Drum exhibition lined the walls

Our skyline name tags

Ladies and gentlemen, Sir Elton John

Long weekends are wonderful and I am not even working yet! We got up to all sorts of things - from ten pin bowling to a music concert, a 40th birthday to a 20th birthday, food markets and restaurants. On Sunday we were lucky to get tickets to the Elton John concert at Emmerentia Park. It was amazing to see such a music legend perform live! And there is probably no better way to listen to his music than on a picnic blanket under the stars.

21 March 2010

This year, Human Rights Day in South Africa fell on the 60th anniversary of the Sharpeville Massacre.

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50 steps to happiness

Yip- it's that simple! From turning off your black berry in elevators to helping mother's with their strollers happiness may not be as deep or complicated as we think. New York Magazine recently published an article listing 50 ways to becoming happy. While a lot of them reuqire some financial output (who doesn't feel happy after an indulgent spa treatment?), here are a few that are within reach and free!

1. Make your bed

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2. Leave your mouth in that slightly upturned position

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3. Eat one ounce of dark chocolate a day

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4. Eat strained Greek yogurt

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5. Paint your walls yellow

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So now there are no excuses - HAVE A HAPPY WEEKEND!!!

One can never have too many bookshelves

It's bookclub time of the month again so another book post (see the others here, here and here) is appropriate but this time on bookshelves. I love the look of bookshelves full of books. We only have two at the moment but my dream home will be lined with bookshelves! This blog features a bookshelf a day (!) but here is just a sampling of all different types and styles to whet your appetite:

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