LOLS: COME TO ME

This ad is hilarious. More importantly, the fact that local beauty site Ruby Box has an ad out, is even cooler. Well done.

THE WAY THINGS ARE

Hello internet friends

You will have noticed that I'm posting less and less these days. It's simply that time of the year.  The year is coming to an end, there are things that need to be finished before the end and suddenly, time is elusive.  I am also exhausted and I'm not sure if it's because it's genuine or if it is influenced by the empty roads and out of office auto-response replies I'm getting to most of the emails I send. Either way, between the little time and exhaustion, I've also found that I have little to say.  I'm in waiting mode.  And when I don't have a move to make, my general stance in life has been to wait it out until something truly ignites the motivation in me to speak and to share.  Right now, there's nothing.  I've been watching Boardwalk Empire and Mildred Pierce and my mind is kind of stuck Prohibition and post Depression America.  I'm not taking a formal holiday, I will remain in Joburg taking it easy but not necessarily pulling the plug.  So content will be less quantity but probably more quality as I am usually rewarded for my patience in waiting for something.  For now, these are the only images I have seen of late, that garner a share. 

These are the first ever and only pictures of lightning that I have ever seen.  Taken by William Jennings circa 1885.  He was to be instrumental in developing the flash in photography.

THEY CALL HIM SPOEK

Look at the the first image in this gallery.  Imagine the length of that queue and then think of the suckers who are at its tail.  That was me and my friends last week Friday. Cold, hungry, thirsty and huddled at the arse end of a long queue waiting to get inside the Puma Social Club to see what everybody else in town wanted to see that night, Spoek Mathambo live.  We didn't last.  We had just come from another realm, we had journeyed from a place unspeakable.  We had spent the last four hours at the Linder Auditaurium with Abdullah Ibrahim and the Ekhaya Band. 

Albeit going to town to party with our peers may have been a little careless after a perfect performance by the maestro, some of us had itchy feet and wanted to come down to earth.  And so we ventured into Braamfontein.  We didn't last long in the queue and instead decided to head for Kitcheners to scorch the earth there.  Looking at these intentionally dated but pleasantly hip images of that night, I wish I would have braved the queue and joined my fellow scenesters in singing ''PUNANI''! These images are from an article in Mahala and they were taken by Mack Magagane.

For a review of the concert and for more images, visit the Mahala website. Tonight's Puma Social Club line up: Duchess, Remis, Matthew Mole and DJ Matt Suttner.  I have no idea who the former are. And they call me an it girl. 

DIOMONDE

Boys and Girls, I ''borrowed'' these beautiful images from the Lucky Pony blog. I just had to.  MeMeMe has sold Diomonde shoes for years.  Mohammad, a Congolese man behind the brand is based on Long Street in Cape Town and now that he has his own space, it's a matter of walk in and out and you get what you want but there's also a special range of Diomonde shoes available at MeMeMe Cape Town and MeMeMe Joburg.  

How it works is that we custom make the shoe  that you want. I have recently learnt that there's a difference between custom and bespoke. We don't design a shoe for each customer (bespoke) but if you like a certain style, you can choose one of various different leather swatches we have and we make the shoe to your exact foot shape (custom).  This is a great gift for any loved one, especially your man.  The shoes are made of 100% leather that is coloured so in the beginning they are hard as nails but after a few weeks, the leather softens and takes the shape of your foot.  Delivery time is about 2 weeks from order date and in terms of price, you're looking in the ball park region of R1500 for a pair.  If you want to go to Mohammad directly, he's in that African market arcade on Long Street near the corner of Long and Church next to that little Ethiopian spaza shop.  Or you can always visit Mememe.  Call 021 424 001 for in Cape Town and 011 447 1497 for Joburg. 

FOR THE LOVE OF PACKAGING

I am obsessed with The Coveteur, a fantastic website where super fashionistas are featured on the daily.  They go into the wardrobes of bloggers like Braynboy and Kelly Framel, fashion designers, journalists and everybody's whose wardrobe is worth coveting.  It's not even about the clothes for me, I appreciate their art of display.  Check out the site here and enjoy the visual feast it offers.  

MY FAVOURITE GIRLS

SMOKIN DREAD!

Parisian Swag at it's best via Tommy Ton. 

WEEKEND INSTAGRAMS

Hey guys.  After last week's ass whipping at work, I took it easy on the weekend and chilled even though I had no business being so relaxed because of course, it's all piled up again. My friends Bianca and Khaya had a little get together and here's us starting the holidays early. I hope you're looking forward to the holidays, cos I am. Not. No holiday for me after that little European excursion.  Working right through. Those Ray Ban's I'm wearing were a momentary steal from Dawood!  I want.  

My sister's wedding

This was honestly the most amazing time my family has experienced together.  My father died in 2006 and that was the last thing that truly brought us together, but it was a sad and painful time.  Last weekend was the antithesis to that heavy cloud! I am the second of four sisters and number three, Singalakha, took the pressure off the rest of us and tied the knot during one of the most auspicious and unforgettable weddings last weekend.

She married her seriously sweet sweet heart Athabile at a Christian wedding at Inkwenkwezi Game Reserve in the beach town of Cintsa some 30km from our home town of East London and the following day, we drove 6 hours to Mount Ayliff, a small mountainous village in the Transkei where Athabile's grandparents have their family home to have the traditional Xhosa wedding. Despite the rain, the mud and the unfamiliar but exquisite surroundings, this was one of the best day of my life. I have a few pics to share with you guys. I'm not cool enough to say that this did not just melt me into submission and admission that I want to get married, the Xhosa way.   It is significantly much more than just the romance and love between two people, it's the marriage of two families. 

Singalakha about to put on her make up before the Christian wedding

Maid of Honour, my older sister Vuyokazi

Yes I broke my bridesmaid virginity! The two girls in the front are Singa's friends Ntyatyi on the left, Luvo on the right and Bridget Bardot over there in the back is Athabile's sister, Minikazi and to her right, another friend of Singa's Asanda.  This is when we were getting our ''bridesmaid'' on.

This image and the one above were taken by Full Circle Photography

That is a real live elephant in the back hence our not concentrating and looking at the camera. We were trying so hard to not be bothered that our backs were turned. Our bridesmaid dresses are by Doreen Southwood at MeMeMe. 

Wish I had taken more pictures of the beautiful Transkei landscape. This is just after the village of Qunu, made famous by Nelson Mandela whose home is there. 

Athabile in his traditional Xesibe attire

Singalakha was lifted from the car and delivered to her husband by Athabile's brother on the right and relative on the left. 

 That metal bucket is meant to have water in it to symbolise the makoti's new duties as a wife which include providing food and water for the family, looking after the homestead etc but in this case, because my sister doesn't know the first thing about carrying water, let alone on her head and how to fetch firewood from the hills, there were just sweets in the bucket which she dispersed to the little children that were there, almost causing a mini stampede. It was so cute. She did spend a few extra days in Mount Ayliff learning some makoti duties.

Xesibe dancers performing or what we call ukusina

This is how the new bride looks the day after.  This is a typically new Xhosa makoti.