Oh the working life (and failed attempts to cook)

Reason to smile for this week? I have my first paying job as a writer! Well, sort of. I'm working for Cue media which is the official paper for the National Arts Festival. It's not a proper job, but I'm getting paid fairly well to do what I love, write. And in between I get to explore the wonders of the Festival and attempt to live as a proper working grown up.

We produce a newspaper every single day, so things get a little crazy as we rush around trying to get in content within a few hours of pitching a story. I viewed a show today that involved learners from a school for the blind and deaf. They were incredible. Despite difficulties in bringing things together (the learners were not trained actors and the director did not know sign language and had to use an interpretor to explain everything), they still delivered a show filled with enthusiasm and a heartfelt message. It was such a pleasure to cover their play, and I even learnt how to sign the word 'hope', which is the title of their play.

Today was only my second day of reporting and I think I'm slowly getting into it. Since we started I've been doing a lot of walking around, and not a lot of eating. I wish I could say that the only reason for this is a lack of time, but that would be lying.

I'm not too sure how to cook and this is the first time I have neither my mom or the res kitchen to provide food for me. This has resulted in many bland meal attempts from me. I had nothing but tuna rolls on one day and I don't think I can eat tuna ever again. The following day I planned on warming up some delicious butternut soup. Unfortunately, I forgot to take it out the freezer early enough. Trying to get the right amount of soup out of the packaging when it's just a frozen block was nearly impossible.

Today I decided to be slightly more ambitious and make microwave macaroni and cheese. To be honest I don't quite know what I eventually made. It looked like watery mush mixed with milk and chunks of floating cheese and bacon. I don't know what's worse, the fact that I managed to mess up one of the simplest microwave meals, or the fact that I still ate it. 

I think that after the successes and disasters of today, a drink is in order. In a few minutes I'll be off to the Long Table, something many experienced festival goers have spoken of. Will post updates on Fest and life at Cue if there's time in between the madness of the newsroom! 

Quick travels in the Eastern Cape

After finishing exams last week > insert HUGE sigh of relief< I was finally able to take a break. In between finally watching The Great Gatsby and Spud 2, I went to some of the touristy places nearby (anything to get away from the place I associate with studying). First stop: Hogsback.

These are the three waterfalls that we saw. The top left one was the smallest, but possibly the most beautiful to me. I liked that it didn't need to be large, loud and fierce to display its beauty. That's kinda how I feel about people too. The waterfall on the right is named the Madonna and Child waterfall for its resemblance to the painting (which needs a lot of imagination as I didn't see it). Hogsback is famed for its mountains, forests, hiking trails and being the inspiration for the setting of Tolkien's The Hobbit.

A labyrinth that drove me a little crazy after all that walking around in circles

The sun shining through the tangled tree branches above us; and the leaves that have fallen below.

The variety of trees alongside the pathway to the forest; and the forest itself.

The pathway through the forest was a bit scary at times, especially when the decks like the one above had boards broken or were slanted steeply to one side. I ignored the comfortable walking shoes rule and wore boots instead, because being sensible is just not something I do. 

Cath and her sister Tam were my fellow Hogsbackers for the day. 

While I enjoyed going away for the day and exploring the hiking trails, I think that Hogsback has so much more to offer, from the many craft stores to the fairy meander and quaint restaurants. This can only be fully experienced by spending more than a day there. Hopefully I can do this soon!

And then we went to the beach...

Three days after Hogsback, I set off on a rather spontaneous beach trip with Dave and Laura. We went to Port Alfred which is roughly 60km away and one of the closest beach towns. Content was the word Laura used to describe how she felt and I couldn't agree more after walking along the beach, lying in the sun and having delicious pizza for lunch.

I love polka dots and yes I know it's just a Coke can but it is so pretty!
Also, behold, Laura's content face, which is also quite pretty.

And in keeping with the prettiness for the day, here is some festive bunting that adorned the entrances to many of the shops in Bathurst, which is where we stopped at after Port Alfred. Bathurst is tiny and so I'm going to say it's more like a village than a town. It has the oldest pub in South Africa, as well as many craft stores, nurseries and vintage stores (which is my idea of heaven). I've decided to make many of the things that I liked instead of buying them, which is probably cheaper and more satisfying to create. First on the list is making my own bunting of course, as it is so so simple. Will post photos when I do!

The writings on the wall

I am intrigued by what people write on the walls of bathrooms at clubs. Maybe I read them to beat the boredom of standing in the long lines that seem to form only at female bathrooms. Or maybe because among the usual "so-and-so was here" and "X loves Y", there are some genuinely interesting things on those walls. I found this at the MonAstery in Grahamstown, where the bathrooms are unisex and the scribblings a little more creative.

And then there is this, the most wonderful collection of music, literature, theatre and philosophy in the form of quotes scribbled down on an A4 page, stuck to the inside of a toilet door at the top floor of the Rhodes University English department. 

"If we shadows have offended,
 Think but this, and all is mended—
 That you have but slumbered here
 While these visions did appear.
 And this weak and idle theme,
 No more yielding but a dream"
- A Midsummer Night's Dream

"We read the world wrong, and say it deceives us" - Tagore

"Cloudlight
Floating in magically colorful pieces of sky
Pieces of skylight"
Cloudlight - Eskmo

“If only, if only…”
The moon speaks no reply,
Reflecting the sun and all that’s gone by.
Be strong, my weary wolf;
Turn around boldly.
Fly high, my baby bird—
My angel, my only.

If only, if only,”
The woodpecker sighs,
“The bark on the trees was as soft as the skies.”
While the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely;
Crying to the moon,
“If only, if only…” - Holes

"It was only a kiss. How did it end up like this?"
Mr Brightside - The Killers

"It all started with a man who lost his cat" - Murakami

"I think I'll go home and mull this over before I cram it down my throat
At long last it's crashed, the colossal mass has broken up into bits in my moat."
Caring is Creepy - The Shins

National Arts Festival - 10 reasons to get keen

With just two weeks to go until the start of the National Arts Festival, my excitement levels are definitely on the increase!

I don't think anyone can study at Rhodes University and leave without going at least once, which is why in my third year of being here I have decided to finally attend. Why go to a festival dedicated to just music, visual art, theatre, comedy, dance or film anywhere else when you can have some of everything right here?

I'll be posting updates throughout the festival as well as taking photos of everything I experience. If you can't make it to fest this year, feel free to live vicariously through this blog.

There's just so much to look forward to this year, but here are my top 10.

1) Jane Raphaely, wonder woman of the magazine world, will be speaking at fest this year. She is the biggest inspiration for me as a journalist and I cannot wait to hear what she has to say.

2) The Brothers Streep are possibly the coolest ever, because among other things, they sing about Steri Stumpies and if there's one thing I cannot live without, it's a Steri Stumpie.

3) Chris Chameleon will be performing .
Swoon...

4) Zakes Mda's Madonna of Excelsior will be staged, as well as Athol Fugard's The Island. The English Literature student part of me is doing cartwheels and happy dances!

5) Dan Patlansky. Nibs van der Spuy. Guy Buttery.
Need I say more?

6) Pieter-Dirk Uys, always brutally honest, always hilarious, always a treat.

7) No Rhodes University orientation week is complete without the jazz evening, an event that even those with no prior interest in jazz rave about afterwards. This is why I see the Standard Bank Jazz Festival (which is incorporated into the National Arts Festival) turning many people into jazz lovers. I'm looking forward to seeing up-and-coming artists perform, as well as the Soweto String Quartet who, apart from being generally awesome, also play the opening tune for 7de Laan.

8) After following Angel Campey on Twitter and reading her blog regularly (now I sound like a stalker don't I?), I'm finally getting to see this comedian do her thing on stage. High five!

9) Quality yet affordable vintage clothing will be on sale to festival goers as Guard the Vintage, Lambley and Thrifty Magpie (all local online vintage stores) join to form Guard the Lamb Pie. Silly name, brilliant concept.

10) Among all the well-known names and faces at fest will be the works of Rhodes students themselves, who I'm even more excited to see. Watch me go around pointing at random things and saying "that's my friend's work!" while sounding like an overly proud parent.

There is still so much more to look forward to, so for the full programme of events, take a look here.

See you at fest!
xx

Happy birthday Cath!

This weekend we journeyed out of Grahamstown and into the seaside town of Port Alfred. Cath turned 21 and it was lovely being able to celebrate the birthday of such a dear friend at the beach. It was the perfect opportunity to procrastinate (I wrote an exam the following day), pop open a bottle of champagne, enjoy the company of friends and take many many photos.

The weather was quite fickle at times but worked to our advantage - blue skies and sunshine at the beach followed by light drizzle coming in when we arrived back to Julia's cosy holiday home for tea and the best ever chocolate cake.

Driving back home we stopped at Bathurst to see the almost 17m tall man-made pineapple, one of the many out of the ordinary tourist attractions in the Eastern Cape. Yes, I felt like SpongeBob.

Simone says that it is tradition in her home to decorate the plate of the person celebrating their birthday with flowers, so she headed off to the garden to pick flowers for Cath. Is that not just the sweetest thing?

Another way of being one with nature?

Today is World Environment Day, and while I could give you a lengthy lecture on the importance of appreciating the environment, I'll leave you with this instead. If I have to describe these images from photographer Wilma Hurskainen, extremely cool would be an understatement. Titled Waves and Invisible respectively, they are inspired by the way animals mimic their natural environment in order to camouflage themselves. For more from Wilma, here is where you get clicking.