Random Update

I am truly neglecting this Blog! Naughty Twanji!

A couple of weekends ago I attended the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. It was just as great as last year. I got to interview Wanda Baloyi and Nemza of the band Skwatta Kamp for a newspaper I was covering the festival for. They were great and performed really well too. I will eventually post the transcripts of those interviews. The one with Wanda was particularly great - I think we need to watch out for her.

I managed to see many of the acts. Dutch saxaphonist and vocalist Candy Dulfer was a personal favourite. She is extremely beautiful. her music is amazing and I love her accent. I have to hunt a copy of her album, Candy Store down. I also caught Vicky Sampson's comeback show. She was promoting her first album in 12 years - and it was actually really good. She also performed 'African Dream', but I think the rest of her album is even better than her signature track. The Manhattans, Jimmy Dludlu, Oliver Mtukudzi, The Ananda Project, Zola and Sergio Mendez were also some of the amazing performers.

The highlight of the festival was walking past Jacob Zuma - former Deputy President of SA, accused fraudster, polygamist and president of the ANC. It caught me so off guard. The crowd went crazy when Mr Umushini Wami himself was pictured seated in the front row of The Manhattans show. I was on the same flight as The Manhattans as they flew into Cape Town, and for legends, they really are down-to-earth nice guys.

Today, I recorded a radio podcast for a friends radio show. I will make it available as soon as I get a copy. It went well, I really enjoyed it. I am alive - hating academia.

Saved By The Moonlight

Sorry, I have been gone a while. Academic pressures have sent me into isolation. This will be a short post.

I may have no time for myself, however, I did manage to take a well-deserved break and saw the final Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concert for the year. It was Louise Carver. I have mentioned before that she is one of my favourite artists. Very few musicians manage to get South African music right - in terms of marketing, professionalism etc. and she is just one of the few who sets the bar.

She played songs from her second album, Silent Scream as well as her latest album Saved By The Moonlight - including one of my all-time favourites 'Home'. I was blown away, it was just amazing to see some of my favourite songs and anthems come alive. I workout to her, I relax to her, I go through some tough times with her... he he Hundred were people braved the risk of rain to be there. Luckily it never came and everyone enjoyed picnics, with the beauty of the botanical gardens and table mountain surrounding us, while singing along.

Check her out at www.louisecarver.co.za

Other than that, I am doing just fine. I have so much I want to write about and I will soon. In the meantime, go see Juno if you haven't already.

Chicago, and All That Jazz

I tend to only make posts about things that I think are good - time is precious so there is no use wasting it talking about the mediocre. On occasion I will mention something that falls nothing short of brilliant - and this is one of those occasions.

Last night I attended the opening night of the hit Broadway musical CHICAGO at the Artscape Opera House. I had seen the show when it was first staged a couple of years ago, and while at that time I did manage to have fun and enjoy it - it didn't even begin to resonate with me like last night's performance did. The energy was just totally different.

I engaged with the show so much, it was almost as though I had never seen it before. The great thing about theatre and musicals is that they have the ability to take you to greater places, for the couple of hours you spend in your seat you develop greater dreams for yourself.

Amra-Faye Wright who recently returned to South Africa after playing the role of Velma Kelly on the Westend and Broadway, reprised her role and was absolutely amazing. Samantha Peo as Roxie, Ilse Klink as Mama and Craig Urbani as Billy Flynn were fantastic leads. They brought so much life to the story. Duane Alexander, who I interviewed last year for his lead role in RENT, was also great - delivering another brilliant performance. The show was well attended, with a variety of media personalities who I really respect and admire present.

The highlight however, was heading to De Waterkant's Cafe Manhattan for a drink [the food is always great], with my friend Tatum - after the shows after party. To our surprise we ended up bumping into the entire cast there. They really seem tight and it definitely translated onto the stage. It was great to chat to a couple of them and provided a full-circle Chicago experience.

I am writing a couple of articles on the show, so I won't go into any further detail, but if you are in Cape Town you have to see this show. Tickets are available from Computicket and the show runs until the middle of April.

La Vie En Rose

I have been trying to get this post up for ever, but it seems that Blogger and I have been having some relationship issues - all is back on track now though.

It has been a while since I have seen a movie that absolutely moved me. I saw La Vie En Rose a couple of weeks ago and it took me to greater places. I was absolutely blown away by Marion Cotillard's performance. I had no idea how great her physical transformation was until I saw the movie. She transformed herself from someone who looks like a Bond-girl into Edith Piaf and played her with so much passion and sincerity, that an Oscar award was inevitable.

I had barely heard of Edith Piaf before this film and I find her life quite remarkable and interesting - the funny thing is that throughout the entire movie I kept drawing comparisons to one of the current great loves of my life - Amy Winehouse. The combination of incredible talent and a tragic dysfunctional life run parallel with these two characters. Hopefully Winehouse will pull it together and avoid reaching the same fate. You have to see this film if you haven't already.

I am headed to Joburg later this week, so bogged down by the work I am trying to get done before then. Expect loads of pictures and an update soon.

Legally Blonde

I said I would never go to a trance party. And I did. I said I would never go to a gay pride festival - it was not my thing, but after being coerced into going with my good friend Tatum, I did. This past weekend I made an appearance at the annual Cape Town Pride Festival, for the first time, in Greenpoint. I am glad I forced myself to go, it turned out to be a great new experience. So far my resolution to get out and do things that are out of my comfort zone is going great.

Loads of my friends were there and we had a great time. It was so colourful and vibrant. We managed to see Odidiva, a popular drag artist, perform at the street festival as well as at a really nice cocktail bar called Friendly Society. I must mention that her Amy Winehouse covers were amazing. Tatum and I had an amazing time. It turns out that she is quite the gay icon, which was fun to watch. I may not do it again, but it was definitely worth going.

I am about a month into what I hope is my final year of studying, completing my Honours year in Media Theory and Practice. About a month ago I attended post-graduate orientation at UCT, and the one thing that struck me was something said by a researcher. He spoke about the 'imposter syndrome' that plagues many students, particularly at a post-graduate level. The basic symptoms include extreme self-doubt and feeling like a fraud, in whatever area you are working

I think I am currently experiencing some form of this. Feeling like a lazy bimbo to a large extent. I suppose it comes from feeling as though everyone else in your seminars is so passionate about a subject, to an extent to which you cannot relate - purely because you aren't. You wonder why you were accepted into the particular programme and how you managed to beat people who were possibly more deserving of a place. You think you are way in over your head and need to get realistic about things before you are exposed. I suppose I am going through all these motions. It's a very weird phenomenon. I find that when talking to classmates, many people who excel feel this way. I felt like this a lot during my undergraduate study and did pretty well, so it is rather bizarre to say the least.

I can liken it to Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. Now I know many people shake their heads at this movie in disgust, but in film circles it is actually considered very good in its portrayal of the objectives outlined in the script as well as the message it sends. Every detail is so well thought out and meaningful. What resonates with me is this notion that she doesn't fit at Harvard and doesn't have what it takes to make it, and doesn't make the cut. I suppose the solution is getting the courage to follow Elle's solution as she works that much harder and goes the extra mile, to not only feel better about herself, but also feel worthy of her achievements.

I will let you know how my Elle Woods theory pans out in my own life. I am off to go see La Vie En Rose.

Just So You Know

Last night I attended the farewell performance of one of my dearest friends, Emma Du Preez, at Dizzy's in Camps Bay. The great music and fantastic pizza (which I really shouldn't be eating right now) made the whole evening fantastic. I first met Emma when I interviewed her a couple of years ago for an article I wrote about young musicians. With so many mutual friends and the fact that we were studying together friendship seemed inevitable. She is an amazing singer/ songwriter and has written numerous songs, which I can only describe as touching my soul.

Her soft rock, acoustic sound has resonated with everyone who knows her and I truly believe that we are going to see great things from her in the future. She is an good singer, a great performer and an extraordinary lyricist. She is leaving Cape Town for Boston, and decided to perform one last time. She ended her set with my favourite Emma song, 'Just So You Know' and as soon as she was in tears, many of us couldn't help ourselves. On the one hand I am quite sad that this bubbly, fun, genuinely good spirit won't be just down the road anymore, but on the other I am so excited about what's to come from her in the future.

You have to check her out and listen to some of her live recordings on www.myspace.com/emmadupreez

I haven't been able to blog for ages, so there were so many things I wanted to blog about, but have now forgotten.

I am sure I've said it on this blog before, but I love watching award shows. Not only for the fact that they honour the most important achievements in the entertainment, but really because they really showcase life-long dreams coming true. The 80th Academy Awards has to be a great example. I watched them with some friends familiar to the world of blogging, while enjoying a fun pizza evening.

The only thing that wasn't great about the awards is that most of the movies hadn't been released in South Africa yet. La Vie En Rose has been on the circuit for some time, so I am definitely heading out to see that one soon. Marion Cotillard is my favourite type of Oscar winner. She looked great, played an amazing role and truly seemed to have a full circle moment as an actress. I also really liked the fact that Diablo Cody won an award for best screenplay. As a former stripper, she becomes a role model to everyone - proving that it is never to late to turn your life around and do what you really want to do. Speaking of Cody, I can't wait to see her film, Juno, starring the much-acclaimed Ellen Page.

Music of the Moment: Although her album is being panned by critics, I really like the single 'Feedback' off Janet Jackson's latest effort Discipline. I am a veteran Janet fan and I truly hope that she will produce a record reminiscent of the Velvet Rope era soon. I haven't heard the rest of the new record, but remain optimistic.

Ashley Callie

I am deeply saddened by news of the passing of award-winning South African actress Ashley Callie. She truly was one of the most professional and gifted actresses in the country, having won the inaugural Best Actress in a Drama Series award at the South African Film and Television Awards in 2006 and repeatedly receiving critical acclaim and accolades. It is truly another great and tragic loss to the local entertainment industry.

In addition to her work on South Africa’s award-winning daily drama – Isidingo, Callie was also a successful business woman, with interests in the restaurant industry.

Callie died yesterday afternoon, having spent a week fighting for her life after she sustained severe head injuries in a car accident a week ago. It truly is sobering and reminds me how important it is to live a full life, with no regrets. The tragedy is magnified by the fact that her life wasn't wasted. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her since the accident took place. My thoughts are with her family, friends, colleagues and millions of fans.

For more information visit www.ashleycallie.co.za

In less sombre news, I am pleased to announce that I was featured as a Staff Writer in this year’s edition of Sax Appeal. It was released on Valentines Day and is still, available from Pick n Pay Stores in the Western Cape and can be bought online at www.saxappeal.co.za.

It’s the 75th edition of this historically significant magazine, and I feel privileged to be part of this milestone in the history of the publication. The annual magazine is published by UCT RAG and all the proceeds are donated to SHAWCO charities. It is a great project and great fun – I always love stretching myself and it is great to know that the proceeds go on to help people. I received unofficial figures that suggest that R740 000 has already been raised for charity. I wrote an article – the centre spread – on page 50 and also co-wrote a piece with Lindi Brownell. Please support this initiative.

Two Weeks Later...

Once again, as always, it’s been ages since I managed to blog.

On 26 January my friends Munene, Beatrice, Tatum, Tobie and I attended the J&B Met at the Kenilworth Racecourse in Cape Town. It was my first time at the annual affair and predictably I had a good time. The Met is one of the most important calendar dates for celebrities, socialites, business people and the general gambling public. Everyone, who is anyone, tries to head down to Cape Town for the Met weekend, where fashion and music meets horse racing and betting. I am not a gambler at all and just bet R20. Luck was on my side, my horse – who was a random tip-odd - won and I walked away with R24 (about £1.70 or $3)… fun times.

The fashion theme of this year’s event was metallics, plum and patterns. It was really great to see all the things that people came up with. People really go all out and dress up in some really stylish and extremely creative ensembles. We were still shopping just hours before the event, struggling to find things that fit into the theme. It was worth it – we all looked hot… he he.

The real fun begun after the last race when we walked over to an after party organized by 5FM. Roger Goode and DJ Fresh were around to provide us with some great music. The real enjoyment came from spending time with my friends though – it has been ages since we were all together and things got pretty debaucherous.

On Monday I attended the opening night of the play Let’s Mix It 2 - "double the trouble, twice the spice" at the Baxter Theatre. It is really great to see this play going strong. I have seen it evolve from the first time director Rafiek Mammon debuted it. I saw the first small performance of this show at the Obz café Theatre last year, and it has just exploded since then. There were a number of technical difficulties, but the actors Gary Naidoo and Abduraghmaan Adams are truly pros and worked around them. It’s definitely worth catching and runs until the 16 February 2008 – tickets are only R70 and are available from Computicket.

I am doing great at the moment. I start my post-grad studies in about a week, so I am sure the fun will come to a halt soon. I had the great experience of losing another cell phone and all the numbers on it, so if you know me personally and have my number please give me a shout so that I can get your number again.

I may be featured in this year's edition of Sax Appeal. Sax Appeal is a satirical magazine that comes out once a year and raises hundreds-of-thousands of rands for charity. I was featured last year and got some great feedback. Be sure to pick up your copy on 14th of February - it will be sold on the streets of Cape Town. You can also purchase it online - visit www.saxappeal.co.za for more.

People of the Moment: The South African Police are rocking my world at the moment. I was stopped at a road block on my way back home in the early hours of this morning and they were awesome. They just reminded me to buckle up and lock my door. They were so friendly and truly care about keeping us safe. They get a lot of flack when they mess up, but we never say thank you to them for looking after us and keeping us safe – so here is a shout-out to them!

In a Trance

I had the most interesting experience of the year, thus far, last weekend. My friend Nicci finally succeeded in coaxing me to attend my first ever trance party. We attended the MMD trance-party. The over-night affair was held at a chicken farm, outside Malmesbery (about 50km outside Cape Town).

It is totally not my scene, but after a drink and setting up the tent (which involved me looking confused as Nicci worked around me), I got into it. It is such a huge sub-culture, and I had no idea how into it people actually were. It was definitely fun to see. Without the drugs that appeared to be everywhere, we got pretty tired, but everyone else around us seemed keen to party on for days. I can promise you that both Nicci and I embrace good, clean, chemical-free. fun. It was a very interesting ethnographic study - he he. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly.

I was not a fan of the flies, or the outdoor living, but it truly was a great experience. I think trying different things is always fun, so I intend to do a lot more of it this year.

Reading Matters: I am currently reading Wally Lamb's 'She's Come Undone'. It's a great novel. It is one of the first novels that are centred around such an honest and obnoxious, but likeable character I have read in quite some time. Dolores is just rocking my world. It's not the newest book, it was published 10 years ago, but smells distinctly of a timeless classic. I'll let you know how it goes.

Back to Work

Okay, so I am still having internet trouble - hence the silence, but that should be coming to an end shortly.

One of my major resolutions this year is to get back to work. Last year wasn't nearly as productive as I would have liked. I got caught up in my growing pains and there were some very interesting moments. I made some mistakes, but have no regrets. I truly have learnt so much from last year's experience and will carry those lessons with me forever. I think I kind of understand what Britney Spears is going through on that level [the Britney mention is for the benefit of regular-reader Electric Orchid], and am at the point where I think that it is a potential Anna Nicole-Smith incident waiting to happen and the media needs to back off and give her space to sort it out. That said, I did manage to do a lot and graduate etc. last year eventhough I didn't do as much as I would have liked work-wise, so this year I hope to change that.

So, getting off to a good start, I am featured in YIZANI magazine. It's a university publication that is available free from Campuses around the country as far as I know, though it is targeted at UCT students. On page 3 you can catch a brief profile, with articles I contributed on pages 10 and 13, as well as me as a "model" on page 19... he he. You can a copy of the magazine online from this url: http://www.news.uct.ac.za/downloads/news.uct.ac.za/publications/yizani_2007.pdf

Speaking of models. January post-festive season sales are always interesting. One of my favourite things to do is browse CD sales, it's always a good laugh to see what didn't sell and what retailers have been able to get out of their archives. I stumbled across Naomi Campbell's 1994 foray into music, entitled 'Babywoman', which was only released in Japan. It was widely declared a flop, but at just R10 (approx $1.40 or 71p) I couldn't resist picking up a copy, along with a few other gems. The album wasn't as bad as I anticipated. It actually has some positive moments. She can sing, though no amazingly, and the production is good. It's definitely a lot better than some of the bubble gum pop we have been exposed to in the past, like model Victoria Silvstedt's pop album. If you are a Naomi fan I would give it a chance - it epitomises the music of that era - and she has mastered the art of sexy-talking.

In terms of television, I managed to check out a new TV series called The Coconuts on MNET. I actually enjoyed it - South Africa hasn't managed to have great success with local sitcoms, but this one looks like it could make it. It's like Suburban Bliss 10 years on - except the production values are much higher. Check it out!

Movie-wise, I recently saw August Rush, which I actually enjoyed quite a bit. I couldn't stand Felicity, but Keri Russell is growing into an accomplished actress. I also saw 30 Days of Night. Horror is not my genre of choice, but I did have a good time. It was mindless and not too cheesy.

That's it for now - keep watching this space - I can promise a hectic 2008 ahead.

Disconnected

Happy New Year everyone! I can't believe that 2008 is here already, but I am really excited for the new start. I will post my resolutions and stuff for the new year soon.

I have been having internet trouble, so I haven't been able to get onto the web for more than 5 minutes in a while. Quite bleak. I feeel like I have been transported back to the middle-ages.

I will be back soon.

Reading Matters: My internet down-time has meant that I have had some time to catch up on some reading. Just finished reading the first thriller I have read in ages - Angela Makholwa's Red Ink. It is the first thriller ever published by a black woman in South Africa, released by Pan Macmillan last year. The story was refreshingly different and great. I love reading South African literature from time to time. It is a promising debut. I had the pleasure of meeting the author when I attended the Cape Town Book Fair last year - I am glad I finally got round to reading it.

Refreshed

It has been forever since I last posted, because my schedule has been packed and I was out of town. I recently returned from a few days in Windhoek, Namibia where I had an absolutely amazing time. It was my first visit to the country and I had a really good time. I was there to visit one of my best friends, Tatum who has truly been one of my greatest blessings this year. She was having her 21st birthday party there and I just had to be there.

The country is beautiful. The people are so diverse, it really is a great place to visit and I know I'll be back. I kept telling everyone that one day I will have to go back and buy a home there. Tatum's 21st was on a boat on a damn. In true Diddy-style, she decided to have an all-white party. I looked hot until I had the great pleasure of pouring red champagne all over myself - but I partied on. When I got back to Cape Town I put some vanish on the stains and it came right off. As far as Vanish Power O2 is concerned - I am a believer.

Shortly before leaving I had the pleasure of finally graduating from UCT with my BA degree in 'Media and Writing' and 'Sociology;. It was a great feeling and a great event. I really wasn't keen to go through the ceremony, but I actually really enjoyed it. It's been 15 years in the making and it was great to share that with all the people I have studied with over the years. I am back at UCT next year, in a smaller capacity, to complete my BA honours in Media Theory and Practice. I will thus have more time to devote to getting into the industry.

I cannot believe that this year is beginning to wind down already. It has been a roller-coaster, but it has been really nice to end it off with some positive events.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and I wish you all well over the festive season.

Music of the Moment: Well, it's Christmas time so I went and added two more festive CDs to my collection. Toni Braxton's Snowflakes and Whitney Houston's One Wish joined Mariah Carey's Merry Christmas on my festive playlist. Merry Christmas is still the best-selling christmas album and the lead sing 'All I Want For Christmas is You' still charts well every year around this time - 13 years after it's official release.

More crime...

I am so bleak. I really love Cape Town and can't imagine living anyone else, but I was a victim of crime for the millionth time this year today.

While at work, a car belonging to my dad's was stolen. I was borrowing it for the day while mine was undergoing some maintenance.

I feel so bleak about it. It really dampened my day... It depresses me that I have the keys in my possession, but no car. Oh well - what can we do? Where is the future going to?

Obz Fest 2007

I know I have been really quiet for a bit, but so much has been going on. It's that time of year when everyone leaves university and starts venturing home, so I have attended many farewell parties and spending time with friends who were leaving Cape Town for good has taken preference. I am glad to announce that I am now a degreed individual, I will be graduating officially in a few days. I will be back at UCT in 2008 to complete my Honours Degree in Media Theory and Practice.

I went to the annual Obz Fest for the first time yesterday. Observatory is about 7 minutes away from where I live, so it was really strange that I had never managed to venture out. It is a street festival, where music meets performance art, food, alcohol and shopping. The entire main street shuts down for a weekend and it becomes a huge lifestyle festival. Observatory is notorious as liberal, artistic, culturally-rich and vibrant suburb. Most notably, the hippies come out to play, which is always interesting.

It's not really my thing, but I did have a good experience. Got to see some friends, which was good. I also saw The Rudimentals perform - they were quite good. You will recall that I blogged about their performance a few months back at the Cape Town Jazz Festival.

Otherwise everything else is good. I am still taking a bit of a break. It is a strange time - everything is winding down and winding up at the same time. I suppose it's just the effects of going through big life changes.

Cause of the moment: Let us not forget that yesterday was World AIDS Day. Last Wednesday I went to a government clinic for an HIV test and I was so surprised to see a real depiction of how huge the impact of the disease is. So many people younger than myself were there with young babies. This disease is ravaging our future generation. What is heartbreaking is the lack of education and stigma that exists. Please do your bit for HIV. Practice safe sex and get tested. Know your status.