Live More, Travel More

As all the adults head back to work and all the youngsters enjoy their last week of freedom, I felt that reviving my blog would be a great way to celebrate the new year.

2012 was truly one of the best years of my life, not many people can say they got to live in a foreign country and travel Europe with three of their best friends. It wasn't all happy times though, we were truly being tested almost everyday we woke up in London, whether it be us waking up snuggled together on one bed in a friends home, or waking up in a bug infested hostel, or in a raging, steroid taking landlord's home, we knew we would always pull through in the end. Even after being jobless for the first month and living off Tesco's microwave dinners shared among the four of us, giving up was not an option. We were lucky enough to find a job which recruited us to various 5 star hotels, things only got better from then on.

I made a list of my favorite moments in 2012:

• The first day I walked in Oxford Circus, experiencing Primark, Top Shop and H&M for the first time.
• Our short trip to Camden Town, definitely my favorite place in London.
• Easter at Hillsong London
• My trip to Manchester United's Old Trafford, Everton v.s. United 4-4 possibly the best day of my life.
• Being employed
• Working at The W hotel.
• Moving into our first house share, thrilling at first devastating at the end
• Our trip to Amsterdam
• Seeing a couple of famous people from the likes of Cheryl Cole, Will.I.Am, Princess Anne (The Queen's sister) and Bryan Habana.
• The arrival of Jody
• Our Trip to Barcelona and Ibiza, where we partied to Calvin Harris & Paul Van Dyk at Amnesia
• Nikita, Adee and I's drunken pool party in Ibiza 
• Moving into our new, beautiful home.
• The arrival of Nico and Mike
• Coco-Cola at The Langham Hotel London for the 2012 Olympics.
• Watching the Olympic Women's Volleyball semi-final game: Brazil v.s. South Korea
• Our trip to Madeira
• Watching Steve Aoki in Madeira, possibly the best night of my life.
• When Felix and JJ moved in as well as meeting a whole bunch of new friends.
• Shopping time with Bee in Primark
• My first purchase at Top Shop
• The bus rides home from The Langham, honestly involved the craziest conversations.
• Roaming in Trafalgar Square after nights out, damn I love that city!
• Watching the sunrise behind the London Eye and The Houses of Parliament
• Sing-a-long's and sitting on YouTube for hours in Club Felix
• KING'S Cup
• Making my first omelette with the help of Felix.
• My trip to the V&A Design Museum and Tate Modern.
• Underground Drum and Base party at Fire.
• Our final trip to Paris and Rome.
• Putting a lock on Lock Bridge in Paris with BANA (Bianca, Adriana, Nikita and Anuschka) written on it.
• My trip to the Louvre and The Vatican Museum.
• The Numbers Warehouse Party
• Seeing art from the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Vincent Van Gogh, Michelangelo as well as pattern design by William Morris and architecture by Gaudi.
• Surprising my family and friends when I arrived home in Cape Town earlier than expected.
• The year ended off perfectly as we got to spend New Years with all our friends at Rezonance outdoor festival.

2012 wasn't just about what I experienced but rather about what I have learnt, it wasn't just about the people I met but about the relationships I have built, it wasn't just about the countries I visited, it was about the goals I set and accomplished, it wasn't just about the hotels I worked for, but about the teams I worked with, it wasn't just about the art I saw but about the emotions I felt and it wasn't just about the friends I arrived with, but about the sisters I left with. 

I will forever be grateful for the year I had and would like to personally thank everyone that helped us through our toughest times, and those who celebrated with us during our happiest times! I'm looking forward to what 2013 has in store for me.

Kirstenbosch Summer Concerts: GoldFish Live

While most people spent Sunday stomping and head banging at Ramfest, I decided to go for a more subtle approach to end off my spectacularly relaxed weekend, jamming to the awesome beats of Goldfish. The Kirstenbosch Summer Concerts are held every year, it is a great opportunity for old and young, families and friends to come together and watch their favourite South African artists perform. I’ve been to a summer concert once before where I watched The Dirty Skirts perform. Live music with a superb backdrop of mountain and trees accompanied with your own wine and snacks, a lovely way to spend your Sunday evening.

I have always been a fishie fan but my mom however, takes the cake. Whenever I’m playing one of their tracks at home I can be sure that my mom will run into my room waving her arms and moving her hips singing along to their songs. Not a pleasant site for any child to see. So when news broke that Goldfish was indeed part of the 2012 summer concert line up, I made sure I purchased tickets well in advanced just so that my mom could hear them live and hopefully not pester me with any more of her ‘I wana see GoldFish live’ grunts.

 

The long ass line:

I’ve seen GoldFish a couple of times, and my favourite performance of theirs was at Rezonance NYE fest back in 2010. I haven’t seen them perform in a while, so seeing them again yesterday was a lovely treat. Tickets for the show sold out fast, when we got there the line was long and it was a scorcher of a day but as they say ‘We come together, no matter the weather’. Once inside we found a lovely spot where we set out our blanket and started to nibble on our snacks while awaiting Goldfish. Their performance was amazing as always, everyone got up to dance to their killer tunes. They have a whole lot of new remixes and there is nothing quite like new music.

The thing that I enjoy most about GoldFish is that they play their own classical instruments and mix it with the music, which is different to any other electronic DJ. It allows them to engage with the crowd on a higher level. During the instrumental bits of their songs, goosebumps covered my flesh and I believe that only great music is hair razing. The best part of the concert was when the GoldFish mascot graced us with his presence and awesome dance moves! Yes, GoldFish is definitely one of South Africa’s best exports. It’s because of local artists like them that I am Proudly Capetonian.

GoldFish Live:

Dancing Goldfish:

If you haven’t heard their music before (which I’m sure you all have) check out their website:

http://goldfishlive.com/