Cupcakes and playlists in Japanese

The Red Velvet cupcakes for S.O's Bday.

The S.O* had his birthday recently. I decided to bake Red Velvet Cupcakes with a Cream Cheese Frosting to celebrate the occasion. This was the first time I had ever attempted to bake such cakes. Usually I stick to my go-to-quick-and-easy eggless cake recipe, so trying this out was a bit of a risk. Added to that risk was that the recipe called for eggs (I do not eat anything with eggs) so I used Egg Replacement. I was terrified it was going to be a huge flop, but thankfully it did not. The only problem was that they rose beautifully, but sunk a little after baking. Thankfully the icing covered it up! Since I do not usually eat desserts (eating only eggless goodies limits my options), I found the icing much too sweet. Other than that, they were yummy.

The playlist in Japanese. 

On a different note, I recently bought a CD - yes, some people still do that. As I ripped it to my computer, this is the music titles that came up. Who else understands Japanese? Bizarre and curious, don't you think? Has something like this ever happened to you? And here is the other strange part of this story: the music came on two CDs and the second CD pulled through the English music titles!

*S.O = Significant Other 
P.S: Happiest of birthdays to S.O. Celebrating this special day with you for the past 11 years has been beyond awesome. 

On Love Never Dies

Being such an ardent phan of the Phantom of the Opera, I was curiously compelled to buy the DVD of the theatrical production of the sequel, Love Never Dies, filmed in Australia.

I know it got luke warm, to frigid reviews when it opened up in London. In fact there is also a website and Facebook group called Love Should Die (tsk, tsk)- set up by those who feel The Phantom of the Opera needs no sequel.

With excitement and trepidation, I slotted the DVD into the player and began to watch. If you want to know about the basic plot, please read it on the Love Never Dies Website.

**Please note, there are major spoilers below. Read at your peril!**

Upon on initial viewing, the Coney Island setting freaked me out, but then again I generally hate circuses and clowns... oh God, clowns! The songs did not grab my attention at first, the haunting melodies from the Phantom that made me such a phan to start off with, seemed absent - at first. But then I searched for the lyrics and listened to them some more, and hey, there are few gems in terms of music - "Beneath a Moonless Sky", "Look with Your Heart", "Devil Take the Hindmost" and "Love Never Dies".

Putting my antagonism for circuses and all associations aside,  the Coney Island sets are amazingly beautiful and some of the effects does leave your jaw dropping to the floor, especially when the song "The Beauty Underneath" is sung.

As for character development, it had to happen, else the story could not have continued - you might as well watch the original again if you wanted things to remain the same.

I think Christine seemed stronger in this version. She admitted she loves the phantom (hooray!), she admits to having spent a night with him before her wedding, was heartbroken to find him vanished in the morning because she was ready to 'declare her love for him'. Upon finding him alive she was fiercely angry that he made them all think he was dead. And the whopper - their night together resulted in a son, Gustave!

Raoul turns out to be one helluva drinker and gambler. In fact, the family is in debt. A dashing, young Vicomte he is no longer. He admits to not being able to understand Christine's passion for music and the stage. This is obviously how she connected with the phantom - their passions complemented each other, their souls connected and it exploded into brilliance on the stage. The initial puppy love between her and Raoul did not sustain into a solid relationship. I did not find this surprising. Maybe I even silently cheered on Raoul's demise, even though I felt incredible pity for his wretched state.

Madame Giry and Meg - I think their development led most to the plot's soap-opera-feel. Turns out, Madame Giry becomes quite resentful when the phantom lures Christine to New York, feeling slighted that all she has done for him in the past 10 years, will be for nothing. After all, he is going to leave his inheritance to his son! Meg, it turns out, wants nothing more than the phantom's approval and attention. And it was thanks to her 'bedding so many men' that the phantom had the financial resources to set up the Coney Island wonderland. She even attempts to drown Gustave, but ends up shooting Christine by accident. Did I not say it became like a soap opera? I still shake my head thinking about this plot progression.

Finally, the phantom! After 10 years, he is still a tortured soul, longing for the one who can bring his music to life. Even though he is in Coney Island, he seems less powerful, alluring and charismatic compared to the original, despite revealing aspects of his dark side in Love Never Dies. When he realises he has a son, he becomes more human in my eyes and I don't think I like that very much. He still has a powerful voice, and his musical genius is still present, but he is no longer on the right-side-of-danger that I found appealing.  As one of my friends have said: "They took the phantom up from the sky and crushed him down to the human level." Despite Christine dying, at least he finds acceptance from his son, acceptance he has always sought, despite his disfigurement. And maybe that, along with Christine admitting she does love the phantom, were the two saving graces that emerged from Love Never Dies.

Chocolate Monday

What happens when a chocolatier and a musical band come together? The release of a limited edition chocolate record. For the full story from Oddity Central, which you will want to read: click here. Thanks Tara for sending this to me.

Oh um, sigh....

A radio show helped me stroll down memory lane this morning. They played the theme songs to classics from them days: The Gummy Bears tune, the Duck Tales song, the Heman song and even the Knightrider theme! I am sure the guys sitting in the bakkie* in front of me, thought me a tad insane smiling the way I did!

But it reminded me of time that was much more simple, when you though being an adult was easy, when the hardest decision was whether to play with a doll or a teddy and which imaginary friend to invite over for the tea party. It made me wonder about life in general and whether there is sense in this madness... How do we know what our path is? Why don't we get answers to our questions? Should we be asking questions? Is it wrong to think the way you do? Why are some people such selfish, cruel beings? And is it okay to give up and curl under your duvet till you feel ready (enough) to face the world again? So many questions...all rhetorical...

Bakkie*: Afrikaans word for van or lorry.

Soft and warm, like a duvet cover

Sometimes you read something, and you feel your heart rate go up a notch and your mouth hangs open, and the beauty makes you breathless. I had this moment and had to share:

"They met in the space between worlds, where the rule of quotidian concerns - prudence, common sense, customs, cupidity - like the law of gravity, at a distance from the earth's strong  pull, attenuates into airy nothingness, and we are let be free to be ourselves; that liberty itself induces love, for who does not long to be secretly released from the cramp of self obsession and the prison of self regard? Somewhere in our being the scent of freedom lingers, like the elusive smell of cut grass from a dream of a lost summer, to the breeze of fresh and endless oceans. The everyday world is at once too carping and too cautious to admit such recollection, although, if we are lucky, it catches us fleetingly, as we ride, or run, or paint, or cook, or make love - or music, wine or stories. Only to the blessed does it return in a single quenching shaft..." 

- Sally Vickers, "Mr. Golightly's Holiday 

• If you can, read this novel! 

Two days

Duck feeding. Time with the girls. Breakfast in the sun. A few arguments and heart felt truths spilled out. Drinking cocktails out of jars.

Could all of this have something in common? Why, yes, of course! The S.O. and I did all of this past weekend.

Saturday: A good friend from London was down south for a brief visit. We met him for breakfast at a quaint restaurant at 44 Stanley. I've always loved this place and it was amazing to go there again. We ate outdoors with a witty waiter providing entertainment. Both Skanky and Slutty are back from their Euro trips so we spent the afternoon together. We could not stop talking! The S.O. picked me up at night and I remained a fly on the wall as he and the boys had beers. Inbetween all of this, S.O. and I were trying to sort out a few issues. It seems all the challenges we overcame before I left seems to have resurfaced. And of course there are new challenges as well because we had a long distance relationship for a year.

Sunday: S.O. wanted to talk so he picked me up in the morning. So we talked again...both being brutal with our honesty. It was a warm, pleasant day so by the afternoon I anxious to be outdoors. I wanted to go to the Zoo Lake to feed the ducks. Because the weather was so glorious, the place was packed with picnic goers. Thereafter we decided to have sun downers and eventually found our way to a wonderful place called Mammas Shebeen*. I had something called a Sophiatown Sunset and it was served in jar. :) I instantly fell in love with everything - the decor, the atmosphere, the hippy crowd. A live band completed the perfect picture.

* originally an illicit bar where alcohol was sold without a licence. Further reading can be found here

Bring me a tiara...and a prince

Deep down in the bowels of their heart, most girls wanted to be a princess at one stage in their lives - when they still had pig tails and ate lollipops. Besides wanting to be a princess, most girls had their favourite princess too. I got to say my absolute star is Ariel from the The Little Mermaid. Ahem...look at the recent change in my profile pic. She is adventurous and daring, and goes against the norm. She has a brave heart. Therefore I am quite surprised my results from the Which Disney Princess Are You Test I got the following:

It's a tie!

	You are part Belle. You are strong, deep, and you are not a slave to petty superficial things. You are independent and allow yourself to see inner beauty without sacrificing your values. You are almost too good of a person.
	You are part Pocahontas. You defy convention and sometimes do what is considered taboo. Unfortunately, others do not always appreciate your differences, so it's good that you are so strong-willed. You are loyal and you believe in fate. Your true love will find you one day.

OCD lady seeks ghostly mystery man

He is in there: the Opera Garnier in Paris.

Picture: Prixie 

It was just me and Paris for the weekend. Nope, not Hilton,rather the city. Just me and her and endless discoveries...walking the streets, feeling my toes go cold in sleet, using the Metro and trying to find edible vegetarian food. 

And the glorious cherry on the top of this trip is the Opera Garnier. Obviously not as well known as the Louvre, nor the Eiffel Tower or even Notre Dame but it is thee place that made my heart give small sharp excited beats, like electric shocks in tiny doses. 

You must be wondering why? Of course I will forgive you for pondering that question. I mean it is not that well known that the Phantom of the Opera is based on a French novel written in the early 20th century. It is also not that well known that the book was written by an investigative reporter Gaston Leroux. And it is also not that well known that the book was also inspired by folklore at the time of a mysterious figure that lived on the lake underneath the Opera House. And all of this is based on events that took place at the Opera Garnier. Because there is water underneath the building.

"It's so the humidity does not effect the building, " said the guide.

"The Phantom of the Opera is based on this story. A French journalist wrote it in the early 1900s. But of course it is not true."

While I politely nodded as she spoke, I guffawed her in my mind. Silly guide, what does she know anyway?

So I went to find him - the Phantom. And perhaps I did find him. Maybe we shared a passionate lip locking moment. Or he could have just told me his life story. Or it could have all been imagined. But then again, nothing at all could have happened, just an innocent tour of one of the attractions in Paris. 

Tag!

Another day, another tag. Thanks Expensive Mistakes

It's go to do with this competition for a music festival: Rocking the Daisies Talk about free publicity!

So what would I take to ensure absolute survival at a music fest? After some thought, I came up with the following list:
1. My S.O - I miss him more than ever now that I am a continent apart.
2. Waterless hand cleaner
3. Jacket
4. Wellies - who knows when it is going to rain
5. Sun glasses, hat and sun block

This is all for a day trip. I imagine the list would be longer if I was for all the days of the festival.

Now I am going to tag:
O.H
Single Guy
Being Brazen
The other side of the mountain


Enjoy!

Hip Hip Hooray!

Happy first birthday to Choco Mumbo Jumbo!

May it continue to inspire me and others to let wordsmiths prevail across this beautiful planet. Who knows, maybe one day we will rule the world.

PS: Thank you to the S.O's Sister Person for the appropriate candle - it smells like heaven ought to...a fusion of coffee, chocolate and ice cream. When I first laid eyes on it, I almost gave it a lick before I realised it was a candle.

And totally off topic: the Michael Bublé is a bad ass. Seriously, he said so himself at the most amazing live performance I've been to. He blamed journalists (a tad too much in my opinion!) for his nice guy image. But really, Mikey we journo's are not at all that bad. But let me admit that you are good, oh so very good on stage...and if you are like that in reality, well then I reckon you are a perfect guy. But let me stop writing as if he is going to read this. Back to his gracing Johannesburg with his everything.

Besides everyone being serenaded with his crooning voice, there was laughter and entertainment. Hell, it was as if I was at a stand up comedy night, a play and a concert all at one go. He is such a nice fella that he came into the crowd to take a picture with a very lucky eleven year old and his grandfather. On his way back to the stage, an even luckier lady got to grab his ass. Not only grab it but hold it and hoist it a bit into the air. Hubba Hubba!

There is a lot of sentimental value to his song Home. Before he sang it, he mentioned how difficult it was for him as an up and coming artist but there was a country where he was doing well. He then called his dad up to tell him:

Dad: Well, where is it?

MB: It's South Africa. (Crowd cheers) That is why when I am here I will always feel at home.

At that point I heard the beginning of Home. As my heart started to race out of my rib cage, I felt really hot and salty water stung my eyes. It was pure magic...from the first to the last moment.

As T.S Eliot once said: "We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

Oh boy!

Jo'burg Day

Picnic Basket - check.
Cooler Bag with sandwiches and drinks - check.
Blanket and pillows - check.
Eager to see various South African bands and musicians- check.
My skin roasting under the scorching sun - snag. (The question that boggles my mind is what happened to spring? It seems the weather here in Johannesburg jumped straight from winter to summer.)
Constant back and stomach ache for the day - snag.
Merciful cool bed sheets at the end of the day - seemingly my only reprieve.

Now why the hell is Blogger not letting me upload photos? Grrr.....

Recent acquisitions

Secretly gleeful, I opened up birthday present after birthday present. Let me be the first to admit, I love presents...so much so that I will not elope so I can get wedding gifts!

So, after the big 2 and 5 here is the mandatory list of what material gains I have made:

• A chocolate fondue set
• A Cross pen - it looks like a bullet and it is made from chrome.
• Lots of jewellery: beaded necklaces, a bracelet, red ear rings and even sterling silver ones !
• Clothes (but of course...)
• A wee cute organiser for next year (talk about planning ahead!)
• A Fone Sox (FYI: it's pink and its got hearts on it to match my pink phone. It looks like a baby's sock)
• Chocolates (naturally)
• A CD - Michael Buble: Call me irresponsible
• A perfume set with a matching hand bag
• More pens and key rings.
• An old fashioned case with angels on it.
• A decadent late night snack of strawberries, ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate!

So a BEEEG THANK YOU to all of you, for the wishes, the time, coping with my brooding and for being you.

Now we can all look forward to next year. Evil laugh

Lyrics to Live by...II

Three songs I am really loving at the moment(both the lyrics and the videos):

Linkin Park - What I've done




Nickelback - If everyone cared



John Mayer - Waiting on the world to change

More lyrics

The K-Man posted a lovely song on his blog and it reminded me that I love this song:

THE FRAY LYRICS

"How To Save A Life"

Step one you say we need to talk
He walks you say sit down it's just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
And you begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Let him know that you know best
Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
And pray to God he hears you
And pray to God he hears you

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you've followed
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same
And you'll begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Lyrics to live by

WARNING: may be a tad too syrupy for some, but who ever died of a sugar overdose, unless they are diabetic?!

Call me a hopeless believer in Utopia, but these songs sing to my heart and makes me wish the world was actually like this.

Ure Midge Lyrics - Dear God Lyrics

Dear God, is there somebody out there?
Is there someone to hear my prayer?
I'm a simple man with simple words to say
Is there some point in asking?
Asking for more only got us where we are today
Lost and alone and afraid
Give me, love for the lonely
Give me, food for the hungry
Give me, peace in a restless world
Give me, hope for the children
Give me, a worldwide religion
Give me, peace in a restless world
Dear God, can you hear me crying?
A whole world crying
Looking for something to say
We had it all and we threw it all away
Is there somebody watching
Somebody watching over the mess that we've made
We're lost and alone and afraid
Give me, love for the lonely
Give me, food for the hungry
Give me, peace in a restless world
Give me, hope for the children
Give me, a worldwide religion
Give me, peace in a restless world
And we need to know there's something good
Though all our years of solitude go on and on and on...
Give me, love for the lonely
Give me, food for the hungry
Give me, peace in a restless world
Give me, hope for the children
Give me, a worldwide religion
Give me, peace in a restless world
Dear god, is there somebody out there,
Is there someone to hear my prayer

Drums: Mark Brzezicki
Bass guitar: Steve Brzezicki
Additional keyboards: Robbie Kilgore

And then there is:

Lennon John Lyrics - Imagine Lyrics

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Also from this day and age we have the Black Eyed Peas with these amazing lyrics:

what's wrong with the world momma
people livin like they ain't got no mommas
i think the whole world's addicted to the drama
only attracted to thinks that bring the trauma
overseas yeah we're tryin to stop terrorism
but we still got terrorists here livinin
the usa the big cia the bloods and the crips
and the kkk
but if you only have love for your own race
then you only leave space to discriminate
and to discriminate only generates hate
and when you hate then your bound to get irate
yeah, madness is what you demonstrate
and that's exactly how angle works (?) operate
yeah you gotta take control of your mind
and meditate
let your soul gravitate to the love ya'll
(Courus) people killin people dyin
children hurt and you hear em cryin
can you practice what you preach
and would you turn the other cheek
father father father help us
send some guidance from above
cause people got me got me questionin
where is the love where is the love,
where is the love, where is the love, where is the love, the love, the love(End of Chorus)
it just ain't the same
always in change
new days are strange
is the world insane?
if love and peace are so strong
why are the pieces of love that don't belong
nations droppin bombs
chemical gases fillin lungs of little ones
with ongoin suffering as the youth die young
so ask yourself is the lovin really gone
so i can ask my self really what is goin wrong
in this world that we're livin in
people keep on givin in
makin wrong decisions
in only visions of them lvin in
not respectin each other
deny thy brother
a war's goin on but the reason's undercover
the truth is kept secret,
swept under the rug
if you never know truth then you never know love
Chorus
feel the weight of the world over my shoulder
as i'm gettin older,
ya'll people gets colder most of us only care about money making
selfishness got our smile turned in the wrong direction
wrong information always shown by the media
negative images is the main criteria
infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
kids wanna be like what they see in the cinema
whatever happened to the values of humanity
whatever happened to the fairness and equality
instead of spreading love be spreading animosity
lack of understanding leading us away from unity
that's the reason why sometimes i'm feelin under
that's the reason why sometimes i'm feelin down
there's no wonder why sometimes i'm feelin under
gotta keep my faith alive, til love is found
now ask yourself
where is the love, where is the love, where is the love, where is the love
father father father help us
send some guidance from above
cause people got me got me questionin
where is the love
sing with me ya'llone world,
one world we only got one world, one world that's all we got one world, one world
somethins wrong with it, somethin's wrong with it, somethin's wrong with the w-w-world we only got one world, one world that's all we got one world, one world

Now all that is missing is the long, flat hair parted in the middle, bell bottoms, tie dyed caftans and a flower painted beetle. Those hippies do have point, no?

*chuckle*

Song words googled and found on: Lyrics download

Friends of Live, heed this call

Rock Gods, Live

To all the Live fans, can you help solve this mystery?

The scenario

Exhibit A:
Lightening Crashes lyrics from Live's website (if you want to see it for yourself, click on albums, then view lyrics )
And note the name and dates at the bottom.

lightning crashes, a new mother cries,her placenta falls to the floor,the angel opens her eyes,the confusion sets in,before the doctor can even close the door
lightning crashes, an old mother dies,her intentions fall to the floor,the angel closes her eyes,the confusion that was hers,belongs now, to the baby down the hall
oh now feel it comin' back again,like a rollin' thunder chasing the wind,forces pullin' from the center of the earth again,i can feel it.
lightning crashes, a new mother cries,this moment she's been waiting for,the angel opens her eyes,pale blue colored iris, presents the circle,and puts the glory out to hide, hide
Barbara Lewis(1973-1993)

Exhibit B:
In an interview* hunky Ed Kowalczyk said that the song just came to him. He said that many people think that the song is about child birth and death, but he claims it to be more about reincarnation. Must be that Eastern influence...

Whodunnit (okay not really) more like a Whoisit:
Who is Barbara Lewis then?

*On their album titled Awake: the Best of Live plus a DVD with their videos, from way back, when Ed had hair, many different shapes and style. *gulp*

Time for a picture!

The endless text made me see green everywhere, so this visual reprieve.

Cosmic Joke

First week of work for many people.
Schools have opened.
Too many cars on the roads.
Rainy weather in the morning.
All contributing to making traffic worse than last year.
The gods must be crazy with laughter.

Metal refuge

From the comfort, familiarity and safety of my bed I jumped into a cocoon of metal, rubber and glass.
Yesterday, this morning and even this afternoon.
Tomorrow will be the same.
The only way to see the outside world is through the upper levels of glass and my contact being the bits of rubber that fleetingly caressed the tar.
Everyone else was in their own cocoon, different styles and colours.
The airwaves were filled with one of those breakfast shows where the presenter is bouncing off the walls with energy.
Every morning, the navigator and I make use of this cocoon.
Because the space so small, so intimate, we are forced to communicate... arb* topics as well: the rain, the weekend, how is so and so...who cares?
Even something as mundane as driving to work can inspire a bit of a story.
My muse definitely needs a raise.

*A lil shorty word for arbitrary.