Road Tripping

Tomorrow is a public holiday (Human Rights Day) and the start of a nice week and a half long break. I have been looking forward to this break since December when I booked my plane ticket to go visit my friend Jen in Port Elisabeth.

I have been threatening for ages that I would go visit and I just never got around to it. Finally I decided to be spontaneous (It's amazing what a bonus will do) and I'm leaving on a jet plane on Friday.

I'm so excited!

I've never visited PE. The only things that I know from that area are the Addo Elephant Park, St Francis Bay and Jeffferey's Bay. Jen has promised to show me all the hidden gems, and when we are not traipsing around we'll be chilling by her house overlooking the sea. When they say seafront property, Jen's place is what they have in mind: sea, coastline, house.

This Saturday we are going to Tsitsikamma to do the Canopy Tour and then on to Knysna, where there happens to be a Literary Festival that very weekend. We are lucky to have some free accomodation in Knysna thanks to a friend's mother who lives there. I've never done the Garden Route and am quite happy to finally be exploring some of it.

I am equally looking forward to seeing Jen and catching up on everything that's been happening in our lives.

Bring on the Holiday Road Trip!

PS: I will be posting about my adventures, don't you worry.

Ponderings on Urges

I read an article today on Women24 (yeah, not THE greatest source of literary writing but fun nevertheless) where the writer pondered on the lack of sex women seem to be having. She mentioned how pre-marriage people tend to shag like bunnies and then it dwindles (is this true my dear married friends?), most often the cause being having children, which I can understand as they do take up a lot of time and energy. Then she went on to say “Maybe ladies need to take their cues from men – don’t over evaluate or examine sex. In other words, don’t look for a reason, just a place!” And another article I came across talked about how to have a guilt-free one night stand.

Now I have been single for almost 2 years. I also have not had sex in 2 years (and I have not had mind-blowing sex in 4 years). Am I sexually frustrated? More than  anyone can imagine!   I however refuse to have sex with total strangers just to satisfy my urges. Sex for me is deeply emotional. Also in this day and age of rampant STIs and HIV/AIDS, do you really want to get hot and steamy with someone who’s sexual history you know nothing about?

Over the years I have confirmed that the majority of single guys out there only want one thing from a woman. And shagging willy-nilly will not help anyone (man or woman) find a long-term partner. If a man is serious about a relationship, then I firmly believe he will wait a few months before jumping in the sack. Think of Sex and the City. Were the girls ever satisfied with their random encounters? Of course not.

Am I an old-fashioned biddy? I don’t think so. When I was an insecure student I did have a few one night stands. I didn’t enjoy them and I felt used afterwards. It took me a long time and many unsatisfying encounters to realise that I’m worth so much more. I grew developed self-respect. I have not always made the best choice when it came to dating. Some men I ended up with because I was at a desperate stage, thinking I would never find anything else. They are the men I regret dating the most.

So even though my libido is through the roof, I will not head off for the nearest guy for a shag. I refuse to give in to our society’s propensity for instant gratification. I have come to terms that I am likely to be single for the rest of my life, as men feel threatened by smart, tall independent women (by the time you reach my age, the guys who aren’t intimidated by such women are all happily in relationships with said awesome women who were lucky enough to get to them before the rest of us). I am luckily not the type of woman who needs a man to feel happy. As a single child I learnt to be happy by myself. I don’t want someone to complete me but to complement me. I have my family, my friends and my cats. So I’m content. Yes a relationship would be lovely but not a necessity.

And until I meet a man whom I’m attracted to physically and intellectually and who feels the same about me (highly unlikely as it may be), my sexual BFF remains my trusty rabbit.

Around the World in 80 Meals: Saigon

We went to eat at Saigon in Rivonia. I love Thai / Vietnamese food so I was really excited as my all time favourite restaurant, Cranks, had closed down due to very shady happenings (attempted murder, cover-ups, scandal!).

We had quite a large turnout, around 20 people. Once everyone arrived we waited quite a while to place our orders. Having arrived at 7, ordering around 8, we only got our food at 9, after inquiring numerous times as to where our food was. Now I understand that we were a big table. But 1 hour? And later, after most people had left, deserts were ordered which took almost 1/2 hour to arrive. For 3 deserts! I mean really.

The food itself was okay. But I've had nicer food elsewhere. Many people have raved about Saigon but I will certainly not recommend it. You'll have a nicer selection, and tastier food at Kai Thai or 2 Thai 4. And most definitley better service!

Movie Review: Les Misérables

And herewith another movie review. I need to catch up on the lack of posts.

LES MISÉRABLES

For those who do not enjoy musicals this movie is not for you. Some friends complained that there was too much singing, but being a musical, singing is to be expected. I’m a fan of opera and I’m guessing that this would be the reason why almost continuous singing does not disturb me. But let me get to the review.

A solid performance was given by all actors. I was quite stunned that Russel Crowe could really belt out and I felt he even had a much better voice than Hugh Jackman. But great acting from both of them and from the rest of the cast too.

Spoiler alert: Set in early 19th-century France, it is the story of Jean Valjean, a burly French peasant of abnormal strength and potentially violent nature, and his quest for redemption after serving nineteen years in jail for having stolen a loaf of bread for his starving sister's child. Valjean decides to break his parole and start his life anew after a kindly bishop inspires him to, but he is relentlessly tracked down by a police inspector named Javert. Along the way, Valjean and a slew of characters are swept into a revolutionary period in France, where a group of young idealists make their last stand at a street barricade.

I had never heard the musical but I knew the story, having read the novel written by Victor Hugo. It’s an incredible story about love, obsession and redemption. The music has some good anthems but it did not wow me like Phantom of the Opera did.

If you go watch Les Misérables you will need to bring a big box of tissues with you. Be you man or woman you will succumb to the sniffles and snot fest. I’m not kidding. It will jerk your heart strings. The entire cinema, including myself, was sniffling and snorting by the end.

My only gripe: the lack of a steadycam. Continuously moving camera bouncing up and down makes me nauseous. When I look at the world my brain acts as a steadycam and I therefore don’t understand why directors use that technique. It does not give a more “realistic” feel to a movie. It’s just annoying.

But overall, do watch Les Misérables.