Sunday, August 22, 2010
Weird sandwiches
This morning I was in the mood for a good old fashioned roasted something lunch (organic grain fed chicken baking in the oven as I type this) with cabbage. Normally I steam chunks of cabbage with potatoe quarters and thick sliced carrots but I wanted to do something different. After googling cabbage recipes, I found this one, a smear of peanut butter, a thick chunk of fresh uncooked green cabbage and sliced carrots on brown bread. And here I thought my favourite fish paste with apricot jam on brown bread was weird.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Wild animals do roam the streest in Africa!
I'm often asked the weirdest questions when people from other countries hear I live in South Africa.
Most questions are about the wildlife, the houses we live in and the suburbs. The most common questions are usually about whether the wild animals roam the streets freely, especially lions. Do we live in mud huts? Do we have electricity (this one floors me every time)? And mindbogglingly, can they pet the lions in the streets?
Recently I told a foreigner that we had spent a few days in the Kruger Park. She was over the moon excited and bombarded me with questions about the whole experience.
A few that stood out : If it was possible to get out of your car (after asking if we had cars) and touch the animals like you would in a petting zoo (ja sure you can, just don't expect to come out of the experience with your life intact). Again with the do wild animals walk around in the street we lived in? How do we get around from place to place? (the elephants are in for resoling their feet).
A few days after our email exchange, I sent her the link to a story that made the front page two days running. Panjo, an 18 month old hand reared tiger, had escaped out of the bakkie (ute, utility vehicle, SUV, double cab) of his owner one night and was missing for three days not very far from where we live.
Then on Sunday, a crocodile was caught in a gated and fenced housing estate not far from where we live.
I suppose that now I cannot lie when people ask if the wildlife roam the streets.
Most questions are about the wildlife, the houses we live in and the suburbs. The most common questions are usually about whether the wild animals roam the streets freely, especially lions. Do we live in mud huts? Do we have electricity (this one floors me every time)? And mindbogglingly, can they pet the lions in the streets?
Recently I told a foreigner that we had spent a few days in the Kruger Park. She was over the moon excited and bombarded me with questions about the whole experience.
A few that stood out : If it was possible to get out of your car (after asking if we had cars) and touch the animals like you would in a petting zoo (ja sure you can, just don't expect to come out of the experience with your life intact). Again with the do wild animals walk around in the street we lived in? How do we get around from place to place? (the elephants are in for resoling their feet).
A few days after our email exchange, I sent her the link to a story that made the front page two days running. Panjo, an 18 month old hand reared tiger, had escaped out of the bakkie (ute, utility vehicle, SUV, double cab) of his owner one night and was missing for three days not very far from where we live.
Then on Sunday, a crocodile was caught in a gated and fenced housing estate not far from where we live.
I suppose that now I cannot lie when people ask if the wildlife roam the streets.
Monday, August 16, 2010
A review : My Sister's Keeper
I read Jodi Picoult's book about 3 years ago, a present from Other C for my birthday that year. While I like reading about controversial subject matter, I find Ms Picoult's books rather tame fodder in how sometimes there isn't a good enough conclusion, she tackles a subject but stops short of going for the kill.
Last night, MNET showed the movie version of the book as it's Sunday night movie.
As Hollywood likes to tear apart a book, the story in the movie differs quite substantially from the book itself which I found rather distracting. The story tackles the controversial subject of designer babies as spare parts for a sick child.
In this case, the child in question has a cancer of the blood. Her younger sister (in the book she is 13 and in the movie she is 11) is designed and born to be a walking body parts replacement for her. Until they want her to donate a kidney. Then she sues her parents to become medically emancipated from them. In the book at the end, she wins her case but dies in a car accident and her lawyer, who has power of attorney, authorises the removal of her organs for her dying sister.
In the movie, her sister is the driving force behind the court case because she wants to die, she is ready to die. The film ends with her dying, the younger sister winning her case and not having to donate a kidney and going on to live out her life.
Another large departure from the book is that the brother, who is a juvenile delinquent who likes to burn things (his father, a fireman, taught him a thing or two), becomes a dyslexic artist.
While the movie showed the emotion behind the designer babies bred as spare parts angle much better than the book did, I have to say it was overly disappointing as the ending totally negates any good or bad points made around the debate.
Last night, MNET showed the movie version of the book as it's Sunday night movie.
As Hollywood likes to tear apart a book, the story in the movie differs quite substantially from the book itself which I found rather distracting. The story tackles the controversial subject of designer babies as spare parts for a sick child.
In this case, the child in question has a cancer of the blood. Her younger sister (in the book she is 13 and in the movie she is 11) is designed and born to be a walking body parts replacement for her. Until they want her to donate a kidney. Then she sues her parents to become medically emancipated from them. In the book at the end, she wins her case but dies in a car accident and her lawyer, who has power of attorney, authorises the removal of her organs for her dying sister.
In the movie, her sister is the driving force behind the court case because she wants to die, she is ready to die. The film ends with her dying, the younger sister winning her case and not having to donate a kidney and going on to live out her life.
Another large departure from the book is that the brother, who is a juvenile delinquent who likes to burn things (his father, a fireman, taught him a thing or two), becomes a dyslexic artist.
While the movie showed the emotion behind the designer babies bred as spare parts angle much better than the book did, I have to say it was overly disappointing as the ending totally negates any good or bad points made around the debate.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
WHO TURNED OFF THE HEATER?!?!?
Damn but it's cold right now!
After a few days of wonderfully warm winter weather, it's like someone turned off the sun and moved the Arctic here! My joints are so sore and stiff and it's already after 10am.
Yesterday we were running around in tshirts and shorts, today I look like the Michelin man. And I am still cold.
After a few days of wonderfully warm winter weather, it's like someone turned off the sun and moved the Arctic here! My joints are so sore and stiff and it's already after 10am.
Yesterday we were running around in tshirts and shorts, today I look like the Michelin man. And I am still cold.
Friday, August 06, 2010
Does this make me the Anti-Christ?
This morning I made myself some Earl Grey tea, switched on my monitor and opened Outlook. At the bottom right hand corner the ticker counting down the number of email messages being downloaded said RECEIVING 1 OF 3 MESSAGES 34KB OF 666KB.........
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Breasts and the model's brain size
It's breastfeeding week time, from 1 - 7 August. Which is a good thing. It promotoes a great source of nutrition for your baby, you can eat mostly whatever normal amounts of food you want without gaining weight while your child sucks everything right out of your body and it keeps the little one healthy too. No one is arguing the point that breast is best under the right conditions. And really I most certainly don't care what you feed your baby as long as your baby gets food and doesn't starve. But when people spout off silly things without thinking, it makes me think that sometimes, the lights aren't on all the time iykwim?
Giselle Bundchen proves, sometimes, that a model's breast size directely correlates with her brain size. Miss Bundchen has a handful, quite a nice handful, but that doesn't bode well for her brain. Especially when she says that a global law forcing women to breastfeed for 6 months should be considered. Really. Read it here.
Wow. How to go about in support of women.
Giselle Bundchen proves, sometimes, that a model's breast size directely correlates with her brain size. Miss Bundchen has a handful, quite a nice handful, but that doesn't bode well for her brain. Especially when she says that a global law forcing women to breastfeed for 6 months should be considered. Really. Read it here.
Wow. How to go about in support of women.
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