Things That Need to Be Invented Like Now

Part 1

Me after a night out - just not as composed.

*Some sort of device that prevents me from going to sultry and alluring with straight hair and dark smokey eyes to frizzy hair hastily tied up and raccoon eyes. Before I go out dancing I spend hours with a GHD and lots of time and patience trying to use a liquid liner successfully. And in the end all I end up with is pictures on Facebook of me trying to pull off heroin chic and failing miserably. If the people who owned clubs have some sort of misty thing that kept hair from doubling in size and that could also prevent my face from becoming all shiny, my life would be complete.

*Bad Kisser Detector. Meeting eligible boys these days is hard work. You never know who may be a douche, who may have a girlfriend or even worse who listen to Nickelback that sometimes you need to need to test out the waters before committing to anything serious. I’ve always thought that Cher was a bit frivolous with her “It’s in his kiss” thing but now it turns out that she’s right. I’ve found that no matter how good-looking a guy can be, or how much he can make you laugh if he’s a bad kisser things do not go much further. Therefore if I’m going to spend time holding in my stomach and listening to his ramblings I would like to know that it’s going to pay off. I do not have time to waste on washing machines and darting tongues. Also ladies if you happen to stumble upon a bad kisser, please do not send him back out into the wild. You have to let him know, in the kindest way you can. Shouting “why are you attacking my mouth” is not one of my proudest moments.

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!
Image from here.

This Week I...

...went to see South Africa play USA.


Last week Wednesday The Nelson Mandela Challenge was held at Cape Town Stadium. Bafana Bafana, in their first Cape Town game in several years, took on USA.


Along with Blue Eyes, my gays and the family we headed to the stadium via the Fan Walk. The city centre was filled with yellow as over 50 000 fans made their way to the stadium. It reminded me a lot of the world cup and was great to see so many supporters. It was also awesome to be able to sing the national anthem with a gazillion other supporters. Plus there were lots of cute boys :)


The evening started with an address by President Jacob Zuma and then the game started. I thought South Africa played a lot better than the USA but had trouble finishing. At the end, the Americans won 1-0.



Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!

This Week I...

…went on the Wheel of Excellence.



This past Saturday was spent with the family and we decided to have a fun day at the V&A Waterfront. The kids played around at Scratch Patch, I got a hole-in-one at miniature golf and then we had some lunch. The most exciting time of the day, apart from that ice-cold drink I rewarded myself with after an entire day with the family was the Wheel of Excellence.

I’ve written about the wheel before. Mostly about how quick it was erected, heehee erect ;). This weekend was the first time I’d actually gone on it.



For R70 per adult, you can take a 20 minute ride in the wheel. On a great day, the views are amazing.


If you’re visiting Cape Town or would just like a reminder of how pretty it is, you should head to the wheel.



Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!

Monday's Mantra

This week I’ll be begging, borrowing and stealing.
I believe I’ve practiced a lot of grace by not murdering my colleagues.
I’m addicted to Supernatural and Desperate Housewives.
I wish the ending of Inception wasn’t so ambiguous.
It’s sucky that we’re halfway through the month and I’m already broke.
Soundtrack/Mantra for the week It’s My Life And It’s Now or Never

This Week I...

...explored Cape Town.

Last week I managed to try out three new places in Cape Town. All very different yet fun.



It started with my big brother’s birthday drinks at Rick’s Café in Gardens. Aboslutely loved this place. Only problem was the wind, we needed to sit with blankets but having lots of tapas and cocktails helped matters along. The whole restaurant and bar feels homey and had a lovely mix of people which I love. It’s decorated in a colonial style with the upstairs bar paying homage to Casablanca. If you’re keen to go, they have amazing cocktail specials daily until 7pm.



To start the weekend off, Blue Eyes and I headed to her ex-company’s Halloween party. In keeping with the theme, Kimberley Hotel in Roeland Street was the venue. Apparently it added to the ambience. To be honest I’ve driven past the “hotel” a few times and nothing, not even their super-cheap breakfast special is enough to tempt me to go inside. As I’ve learnt time and time again, never judge a book by its cover. Don’t get me wrong, the place isn’t a palace and I’m not a rush to go back but I was pleasantly surprised. The bar is cheap, the place is full of hipsters and cute foreign boys seem to stay there. Definitely a spot to try out when you need to mix things up.

To end the weekend, we decided to try out one of Cape Town’s most famous – and oldest – ice-cream shops. Venezia is in Sea Point’s Main road and while it may not look all that great, it is worth the trip. Blue Eyes had four sorbets, lemon, granadilla, strawberry and orange and I had four ice-creams, mint, chocolate, strawberry and Oreo. Let me tell you know, the chocolate will change your life! It may not be good for blood sugar or hips but it’s worth the bland salads and gym visits to have some once and awhile.

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!

Images from here, here and here.

This Week I...

...went to Kalk Bay.

A little disclaimer before I start this post. I am the youngest of four children and there are big gaps between us siblings. So while I know my parents love me, there are many things they’ve done and seen before I was born. Therefore by the time I came along, there wasn’t much need to do these things again. For example road trips to exotic places were not high on the list of things to do on a Sunday.



So when I announced to my besties that I think a trip to Kalk Bay was in order, a chorus of “You’ve never been to Kalk Bay” erupted. Yes it’s true, please refer back to the above disclaimer.

This Sunday armed with a whole bunch of cool people, we headed to the vibrant fishing village for some brunch and browsing. After a delish meal and milkshake at The Home of Waffles and Pancakes, we took a stroll through the town.


If unlike me, no one has told you about this gem of a town, I suggest you make your way there. It’s a fabulous mix of restaurants, deli’s, antique shops, vintage shops, décor/furniture stores and art galleries.




Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!

Monday's Mantra

This is my last week at work. Start an exciting new job next week!
I believe brunch with my besties is the only way to spend a weekend.
I’m addicted to dreaming tropical holidays.
I wish I wasn’t so plagued by body issues.
It’s sucky that time has flown by so quickly.
Soundtrack/Mantra for the week Here it Goes Again

Image from here.

This Week I...

…made butter chicken.

Because my mom is from Durban, curry is in my blood. Sunday lunch in our family is never complete without chicken, some sort of pasta dish and a huge-ass pot of curry. Out of all the curries and curry-like dishes I’ve tasted butter chicken has to be my favourite.

Butter chicken is something my mom won’t make though. It’s a little more difficult than most curries and lots of recipes differ. I’ve had a look at some of the recipes and it seemed a lot harder than pouring curry powder over chicken, potatoes and peas. But as it felt like this week had flown by and I hadn’t done anything new, I though “why not” and went for a recipe search.

I was browsing over on Food24 and I found a recipe which sounded relatively easy and something even I could not mess up. I quickly printed and got to work.

My ingredients consisted of cubed chicken, turmeric (which stains everything beware), garlic, butter, salt and cream. I also needed some red chili which I didn’t have enough of and would later notice what a difference it makes.


I started by combining all the above ingredients except the cream and chicken. Then I poured the mixture over the chicken to marinade.


An hour late and the chicken was ready to be cooked. Once it was cooked, I added the cream and some coriander for flavour. Then I let it simmer for a bit while I made some rice.





Here is the result:


If I’m 100% honest, the dish was good but it seemed to be missing something. According to curry extraordinaire aka my mom I really needed those chilis that I overlooked. Also some naan bread or a roti would have made it even better.

But I’m fairly confident I can make this again and make it even better.

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!

This Week I...

...tried karaoke.


This new thing has been a long time coming. Firstly I love to sing and dance. The only problem is I'm not very good at it. The singing part, on the dancing front, I am a genius ;)

I think my fear of singing in front of people started when I played SingStar and the stupid avatar told me I was tone deaf. Therefore it was more out of consideration for others that I didn't sing out loud rather than I was afraid.

This year for Blue Eyes' birthday she decided to do some karaoke. It was the perfect time to try singing in public. So aimed with some of my best friends, a whole lot of pre-drinks and a rested voice we ventured out to find a karaoke bar.

The problem with finding a good (read classy) karaoke bar that's available on a specific night is tricky. So if you're willing to forgo a few things and get drunk, any bar becomes a good one.

The night started off with Blue Eyes' rendition of Kiss by Prince. Myself and my brother were next. I thought working with someone would diminish the shame and pain of peoples ears bleeding. After a roaring version of Thong Song though, I was a karaoke addict.

Other great highlights included my solo of We Belong by Pat Benetar, a crowd pleaser of Gay Bar with Samma Designs, friends doing a Rammestein song that was not in english and the Glee fans singing Don't Stop Believin'.

It was a fabulous night followed by some serious headaches the next morning.

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!

Image from here.

This Week I...

…went back to 1989.

Unfortunately not literally. Imagine how much fun that would have been though.

In 1989 Seinfeld started (can you believe it?), FW de Klerk becomes president in SA and abolishes a couple of apartheid laws, Joe Jonas is born and Ferrymans opens.


Ferrymans is a bar and restaurant at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront. It is also the reason we did a little time-travelling.

To celebrate their 21st birthday, selected items on the menu and drinks are priced at prices from 1989. Which meant meals went for R9.50 and drinks ranged from R4 glass of wine to R5.50 draft beer.

Never one to pass up wine at cheap prices, I got together with some of my besties and we headed over to try out the special.

First thing that awaited us was the massive queue. Luckily we did plan ahead and made a reservation. Unfortunately when there is a deal like this, it doesn’t matter. The place was absolutely packed and the poor waitresses looked harassed. There seemed to be massive delays on food coming out so we ordered everything together. It still took ages for our drinks and food to arrive though but when you’re paying under R20 for a meal, it’s okay. It also helps if you have some interesting friends for make-shift entertainment.

When the food did arrive it was delicious and disappeared fast. Luckily the drinks lasted a little bit longer.

Le friends


Le wine


Le drunk

If you’re in Cape Town, the special is on Monday to Friday from 15h00 to 19h00 until the 21st of September. Booking is like way important. You can visit their website for more info.

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!

This Week I...

….played Bitchy Bingo at Beefcakes.


Beefcakes is this awesome restaurant and bar on Cape Town’s pink strip. The décor is similar to a 50s style diner with booths and old school menu designs. There is also a lot of pink flamingos and sequined cowboy hats.

Along with Blue Eyes and Samma Designs, we headed over for some dinner and a game of bingo.

Beefcakes is famous for their burgers and some of the kinds include Buffy the Hamburger Slayer, Chilly on the Willy Burger, Slimmer Sue and the Greek God Burger. What’s even great is that you can have them in beef, chicken, lamb or ostrich. Other fabulous items on the menu include the Machos Nachos (which I completely devoured) and the Love-Me-Long-Time wrap.

Their cocktails were also amazing. I opted for my old faithful cosmopolitan which they made the way I like it, not too sweet and not too sour either. Other items I definitely want to try in the future are both the Nora Walker and Karen Walker cocktails.

Bitchy Bingo was hosted by Miss Lola Fine, a faboosh drag queen who did a roaring version of River Deep Mountain High.

For R20 you get to play four games with prizes including drinks hampers and meal vouchers. Sadly we did not win anything but we did have a fabulous time. And trust me bingo is much more entertaining when you have a female impersonator with a quick tongue and legs I’d kill for calling out the numbers.

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!

This Week I...

…baked strawberry cheesecake cupcakes

In my ongoing quest to do one thing new every week I took to baking.

Now when it comes to cupcakes I’m a firm believer that you don’t make your own especially when there are places like Charley’s Bakery and Lazari. I feel the same way about cheesecake, mostly because I can depend on my mom, brother or fabulous roommate to make some for me.

But when looking through the Hummingbird recipe book, I spotted strawberry cheesecake cupcakes and thought something had to be down. The first thing to be down was to get down on my knees to thank whomever had come up with the recipe. The second thing was to get baking.

Excuse the quality of the pictures, I used my BB.

This what they were meant to look like:

These are my ingredients:


Filling up with strawberries:


Getting ready to go into the oven:


Fresh out of the oven. The smell was incredible:



Iced and ready to be attacked:


Happiness is:

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!