findingthemojo no 192

Hello again 

 winding up the week, the year and the daily routine.

time to chill, chat and reflect on the good things that happened this past year

looking to 2013 - make that positive change

exciting times ahead........!

leaving you with only the best wishes: may your holidays and festive celebrations be all you hoped for

and take care on the road

image:  poetryfoundation.org

• "Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough" - Emily Dickenson quoted in The Evening Sun

Rebecca Solnit, image: Jim Herrington

• "Despair is a black leather jacket that everyone looks good in.  Hope is a pink frilly dress that exposes the knees" - Rebecca Solnit quoted in The Guardian

themojo will be taking a break till 22 January 2013 - see you then
cheers
jp

findingthemojo no 191

Hello hello!  suggestion: finish your festive shopping on Saturday leaving you free on Sunday to enjoy some music

Jimmy Dludlu, image:  music,org.za

• fresh air, very friendly dogs and chatty children will add to the relaxed atmosphere at the free concert in De Waal Park at 16:00 this Sunday, featuring guitar maestro Jimmy Dludlu and flamenco guitarist Saudiq Khan - get there early, it's a free for all...

Richard Cock

• not feeling Christmassy at all......? well take yourself off to the Christmas Concert at St Georges Cathedral on Sunday 16 Dec at 17:00.  Directed by Richard Cock (always great fun!) and part of the fund-raising 'Raise the Roof' project.  Tickets are R90, more info from davido@sgcathedral.co.za or go to www.stgeorgescathedral.com - such a good cause and you'll come away feeling decidedly festive!

cheers
jp

findingthemojo no 190

Morning

two items of good news today......

image: madame zingara

• the Madame returns to CT on 17 January 2013, the perfect evening's entertainment for those out-of-town visitors you're hosting.  Madame Zingara & The Theatre of Dreams will be based at The V&A Waterfront, check out www.madamezingara.com for details or phone 0861 623 263 for bookings.  Always great fun!

image: blogs.sacbee.com

• thoughtful (and consumer savvy) runners taking part in this year's Two Oceans Marathon handed in a whopping 6196 pairs of used adidas running shoes as part of the "Refresh your Gear" campaign, organised by Adidas.  Running shoes were handed over to to worthy causes:  SCORE and Two Oceans Marathon Initiative (Tomi) who will be responsible for shoe distribution to young developmental runners, in need.  Amazing!

cheers
jp

findingthemojo no 189

Hello again

Lots and lots on in CT over the busy season, so take your pick and do book ahead

• Soul of Fire is on at The Fugard Theatre on 13 and 14 Dec, featuring fabulous singer Zanne Stapelberg and acclaimed pianist Kathleen Tagg, who perform a 'genre-bending' program of music from Spain and South America.  Get your tickets fast and do pop up to see the fabulous view over the City from The Fugard's roof area, quite spectacular!

image: sanbi

• carol  singing evenings (accompanied by the Cape Town Concert Brass and the Cape Town Male Voice Choir) start on 13 Dec at Kirstenbosch Gardens, until 16 Dec.  Gates open at 17:00, tickets are various prices and are available at Pick 'n Pay stores & online.  Go on, get into the festive mood.....

cheers
jp



 

findingthemojo no 188

Morning morning

Summer (and the wind!!!) are with us, and the feeling is 'disjointed', as are the following two items - what the heck enjoy!

• trust you have your outfit organised for this coming weekend's MCQP's 2012 "mother (queen) of all parties" with the theme "Fairy Tale Fantasy", taking place at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, from 8pm - 4am.  Said to be the largest "African lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) event of the year!"  Tickets are available at www.mcqp.co.za  -  Cinderella rules!!

 

creepy Jack Nicholson, image: jlcauvin.com

• exactly two weeks to go to Christmas Eve and desperate to lose that muffin tum before celebrating with that family of yours......... well according to The Daily Mail , you should watch a scary movie.  You will burn-up the most kilos if you watch The Shining (viewers lost an average of 184 calories at a single viewing), then Jaws, then The Exorcist - don't crush that remote!

cheers
jp

findingthemojo no 187

Greetings - some great quotes for your weekend

Shirley Maclaine, image: hulshofschmidt.wordpress.com

• "It's useless to hold a person to anything he says while he's in love, drunk or running for office" - Shirley Maclaine, quoted in the New Statesman

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, image:  globalzero.org

• "You realise you're no longer in government when you get in the back of your car and it doesn't go anywhere" - Malcolm Rifkind, The Daily Telegraph
  

cheers and have a great weekend
jp

findingthemojo no 186

Morning - ideas for your weekend

Marc Lottering

• must-see:  Marc Lottering at The Baxter Concert Hall in his show, I don't work on Sundays, on until 5 January, 2013.  Go to The Baxter for all the info

image:  watersense.co.za

• and here's a freebie: Wavescape's Movie night at Clifton Fourth Beach on Saturday 8 Dec @ 20:00 - 23:00. www.wavescapefilmfestival.co.za has all the info

enjoy and cheers
jp

findingthemojo no 185

Hello

• not normally keen on installations but this one is amazing!!  Choreographer William Forsythe's Scattered Crowd will be on show in The Brockenheimer Depot in Frankfurt next year - "the viewer inhabits and alters, through their stillness or speed, their sense of proportion and time, the configurations that make up this constantly shifting, ecstatic world."  Sounds like heaven!

William Forsythe's Scattered Crowd

William Forsythe's Scattered Crowd

• getting along? well some people just get better and better.  Gillian Ayres 82, is exhibiting in a London Gallery until 21 Dec.  Her "paintings and prints are as joyful as ever, and her desire to experiment remains undimmed".  The catalogue essay notes that Ayres is "probably the finest abstract painter alive in Britain".  Fabulous!

Gillian Ayres's Apadana

Gillian Ayres, image: Eamonn McCabe

cheers
jp
 

findingthemojo no 184

Hallo

Sign of the times

• so many of us seem to need a TV in the bedroom and now we are also working on our laptops in bed - "one person in three now admits to working and sending e-mails from their bed, says a study." It's no wonder "the makers of adjustable beds with built-in wifi and power sockets, are cleaning up".

image: The Times

• did you know - you can now appoint a "digital executor" who will see to your "digital legacy", ie carry out any instructions set out in your "digital will" (a database of your login details and passwords for your online accounts) after your death - especially if you're worried about those photos on your Facebook or Twitter accounts, of course......

image: Rex Features/Jonathan Hordle

cheers
jp

findingthemojo no 183

Cafe Dijon

Hello - weekend news

• tried a newish CT restaurant in Green Point on Saturday night - Cafe Dijon in Napier St.  Very nice indeed:  friendly people, good (attentive yet discreet) service, very pleasant decor and happy to serve us loads of tap water (big tick).  Food was delicious, especially the fresh asparagus and rocket starter.  Steaks were pronounced excellent! Good for people watching too.....

• attended the unusual but excellent Heart/Attack at The Fugard Theatre on Sunday pm.  Outstanding performances by musicians playing period instruments and the fine voices, alike, "dedicated to stylish and historically informed performances of early music".  Watch out The Cape Consort's next inspiring performance

The Cape Consort

cheers
jp

findingthemojo no 182

Hi again

Wise weekend words

image: thefamouspeople.com

• "No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed to an uncharted land" - Helen Keller, quoted in the Monterey County Herald, California

image: megpics.wordpress.com

• "To aquire knowledge, one must study; but to aquire wisdom. one must observe" - Marilyn vos Savant, quoted in the Toronto Globe and Mail

cheers and enjoy the break
jp

findingthemojo no 181

Hello - organised your weekend yet?  Here are some suggestions for your Sunday, so get the shopping done on Saturday - quickly, before the schools close for the year

Amber's handcrafted quilted bags

• The Holistic Life.Style and Eco Fair takes place on Sunday at The Gardens Commercial High School from 10:00-16:00, never mind the weather (wind!)

    

image: facebook.com

• the Festive Lights Switch-on takes place on Sunday at 8pm but the fun will start at 3pm at the Grand Parade with a fab music festival featuring "a host of renowned and emerging local artists, including Jimmy Dludlu, Freshlyground, Lira and DJ Ready D amongst others."  The Festival Carnival of Lights Street Parade will follow with " performers in giant costumes, dazzling floats, big brass bands, dancers and stilt walkers proceeding from the City Hall, up Darling Street and into Adderley Street."  Sounds like a good party!

cheers
jp

findingthemojo no 180

Hi there

Arty surfboards and film

Manuela Gray

• Wavescape Art Surfboard Exhibition and Charity Auction - 10 surfboards and 10 SA artists will be on view at Superette in the Woodstock Exchange from Thursday 29 Nov and the auction will take place on Wed 5 Dec.  For details of the Film Festival, see www.wavescapefilmfestival.co.za.  Artists involved in the project are:  Guy Tillim, Peter van Straaten, Kim Longhurst and Scott Robertson, Wim Botha, One Love Studio, Isiqalo Board, Fuzzy Slippers, Brett Murray, Manuela Gray, Simon Berndt, Roger Ballen

• and, more interesting film news: go to www.thegalileo.co.za for news on an innovative new open air cinema at Kirstenbosch Gardens from Nov thru' to April 2013. Memorable movies will be shown once a week, see the program for details but basic idea is

1st  week of the month: Documentaries
2nd week of the month: Best Foreign
3rd  week of the month: Adventure Sports
4th  week of the month: All-Time Classics


enjoy and cheers
jp

findingthemojo no 179

Morning - wow, what a day!

Lots on in the Mother City at the moment.  It's vitally important that we support our talented local actors/actresses and artists

image: proudlysa.biz

• recently saw Pieter Dirk Uys (that national treasure!) in An Audience with Eish! @ The Baxter Theatre - great entertainment, as ever

 

Gideon Lombard & Chi Mhende in Special Thanks to Guests from Afar

• also saw Nicholas Spagnoletti's new play, Special Thanks to Guests from Afar @ Artscape, with brilliant performances by Gideon Lombard and Chi Mhende

cheers
jp

findingthemojo no 178

A good day for film and theatre news

• the man of the moment - Daniel Craig, having garnered rave reviews for his recent Bond movie Skyfall, has signed up to play the lead in the next two Bond movies, in 2014 and 2016, respectively.  Craig will earn 31 million pounds from these two movies, "making him the highest-paid 007 of all time".  As ever, we wonder 'what one does with all those bucks??'

image:  hdwallpapers.in

• amazing! 60 years after opening, Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap celebrated it's 25,000th performance in London, recently.  Christie's grandson was in the audience and was given the play's royalties for his ninth birthday.  Lucky chap!

image: walesonline.co.uk

cheers
jp

findingthemojo no 177

Morning

Weekend winners

• The Green Expo Cape Town starts today @ 10:00 till Sunday, at the CTICC, tickets R50 and R30, go to www.thegreenexpo.co.za for all the details

• get out there and on your way back from the beach/mountain/whatever tap into The Cape Town Festival of Beer at Hamilton's Rugby Club, Green Point, starts today @12pm till Sunday, more info on their website

• The Old Mutual Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts start this weekend, always a fab event to take visitors to.  Visit their website or buy tickets directly: info@webtickets.co.za  Here's the line-up

• 25 Nov 2012 :   Daniel Bedingfield             
• 02 Dec 2012: Mango Groove      
• 09 Dec 2012: Zebra & Giraffe      
• 13 Dec 2012: Carols by Candlelight           
• 23 Dec 2012 : Prime Circle            
• 30 Dec 2012: Yoav & Tailor           
• 31 Dec 2012:NYE Hugh Masekela & Hot Water   
• 06 Jan 2013:Arno Carstens          
• 13 Jan 2013:The Parlotones        
• 20 Jan 2013:Jimmy Dludlu            
• 27 Jan 2013:Toya Delazy & Lindiwe Suttle             
• 03 Feb 2013:Freshlyground         
• 10 Feb 2013:Cape Town Folk n Acoustic Music Festival   
• 17 Feb 2013:Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse      
• 24 Feb 2013:The Cape Philharmonic Orchestra   
• 03 Mar 2013:Goldfish    
• 10 Mar 2013:Jeremy Loops         
• 17 Mar 2013:Ringo Madlingozi   
• 24 Mar 2013:Shadowclub & Gangs of Ballet         
• 31 Mar 2013:Mi Casa & Natasha Meister               
• 07 Apr 2013:Johnny Clegg

enjoy your weekend
cheers
jp
 
 

findingthemojo no 176

Hello

Today is Thanksgiving Day and none of that turkey and stuffing  ritual is necessary, simply

image: flikr.com

• grab a loved one(s) or friend (s) and spend some time together in a lovely setting outdoors: on a beach (Llandadno/Clifton/Muizenberg), in a park (Kirstenbosch/Green Point Park), on a mountain (Lion's Head/Table Mountain) - we live in a heavenly place!

image: publisher99.wordpress.com

• and share a meal together:  enjoy your al fresco picnic, head off to one of our awesomely creative restaurants,or simply share a beautifully cooked meal at home

 We have so much to be grateful for, take a few minutes to reflect on all the good

cheers
jp

findingthemojo no 175

Hello

As we approach December, things seem to be getting more and more hectic and slightly out of control

Planning will calm us all down, to be sure

• don't assume you will just walk into your favorite restaurant and be offered a table - the visitors have started arriving in a big way and you DO need to book ahead

• don't assume it will take x... amount of time to get from a to b in CT, it will definitely take longer than you anticipated - lots more people on the road and everyone seems to be in doze mode......

Chill out and take care
cheers
jp

findingthemojo no 174

Morning

Interesting statistics recently picked up in The Week

image: freebritain.co.uk

 

• from The Sunday Telegraph: "Of the nearly 200 countries in the world, only 22 have never experienced a British invasion.  These include Guatemala, Tajikistan and Luxembourg."

image: en.wikipedia.org

• and, from The Sunday Times: "More than two-thirds of Land Rovers made since 1948 are still on the road, many in Africa."

cheers
jp

findingthemojo no 173

Hi there

Summer is here, hallelujah! and it smells like HOLIDAYS....... sun, surf, sand, and siestas!

• plenty of energizing exercise just outside - get outdoors and soak-up some Vitamin D

image: rw baker

• lots of lovely books to read and escape into - can't wait!

image: Eyeswideopen/Getty Images

• delicious fresh fare and yummy wine/bubbly to go with the flow........

image: masterfile.com

Just a reminder that we live in a wonderful part of the world

Cheers
jp

findingthemojo no 172

Hello

image: exposay.com

Take these classic quotes with you this weekend

• "Just put the best person into the job.  It is not about gender, it's about experience, leadership and vision.  A man could do this job" - said Angela Ahrendts, chief executive of Burberry, quoted in the Evening Standard

image: nndb.com

        "You can tell the size of a man by the size of the thing that makes him mad" - Adlai Stevenson, quoted in the Associated Press
 










cheers and enjoy!
jp

findingthemojo no 171

Greetings

The weekend is just around the corner and here are a couple of ideas you might like to look at

Nicholas Dallas, Chi Mhende and Gideon Lombard  appear in Special Thanks to Guests from Afar

• Special Thanks to Guests From Afar is on at the Artscape Arena theatre till 24 Nov.  Written by Nicholas Spagnoletti who wrote London Road.  Go to www.artscape.co.za for all the details

image: The Fugard

• on Sunday, the "madrigal music of 16th century composer Claudio Monteverdi" will be performed by the Cape Consort, "a talented ensemble of vocalists and period instrumentalists" at The Fugard Theatre.  More info on www.thefugard.com or tickets from www.computicket.com

Cheers
jp

findingthemojo no 170

Greetings! loving being back in CT but also love London - the arts and culture buzz, the cosmopolitan vibe, the oyster card..... but especially

a fellow queue friend, Sloane Square

• for it's stylish and original streetwear - wonderful and inspiring!

Selfridges, Oxford St

• and, at this festive time of year, nothing beats the amazing shop window displays - outstanding!

cheers
jp

findingthemojo no 169

Morning

Looks like it's going to be a blissful weekend.  Here are some gems from The Week

• is your name Brian or Helen? then you will be pleased to know that you should receive "the best credit rating" as, according to comparison website, confused.com, "credit histories tend to be better among older people who were brought up to avoid debt".  Should your name be Lisa or Daniel however, you will sadly receive the worst.  Jammer hoor!

• a US computer programmer, Maneesh Sethi has employed a woman to "slap him every time he tries to log onto facebook".  Sethi calculated that he was "wasting 19 hours" a week on social media sites and since hiring his 'slapper' his productivity "has more than doubled".  For sure!

•  themojo is taking a break and we'll be back on Wednesday14 November 2012

Enjoy this heavenly weather - Summer is here!
Lovely weekend
cheers
jp

findingthemojo no 168

Hello again

image:  vanland.org

Weekend plans?

• take a trip out to the winelands (stock up for the festive season), in particular the Franschhoek area and while there, check out the Art in Clay ceramics exhibition featured in the following galleries:  Artefact, The Ceramics Gallery, Ebony, The Gallery at Grand Provence, IS ART and La Motte - fabulous work on display

image:  africanoverlandtours.com

•  closer to home, remind yourself why you live in CT and (wind permitting) walk up Lion's Head this weekend.  Leave before 4pm and you'll have plenty of time to enjoy the breathtaking view, relax with a glass of something good and watch the sun set over our magnificent pond, before heading back down, full of the joys!

cheers
jp

findingthemojo no 167

Hello
Winding up October ..... in a scary way

image:  sodahead.com

• trust you have your fizz-pops, jelly-tots and liquorice-allsorts at hand for this evening when the trick-or-treaters ring your doorbell?  Be prepared!

image: moto.mpora.com

• tomorrow is the 1st of November 2012 - only 55 days till Christmas, oh boy!

cheers
jp