francinah

last post for tonight :)

yesterday i ventured into zandspruit with marisa from paradigm shift to photograph francinah, one of the organisation's entrepreneurs. francinah makes baby onesies, and they are beautiful. she lives in a small house in the township, that was recently ravaged by a fire. the wall that was damaged has just been rebuilt. i stood in her small kitchen, completely humbled. flip, how can i even complain about any problems i may have in life? we also met her neighbour, isabelle, who made us feel so welcome :)

francinah is a light, and was so gracious to let me photograph her. she admired my "teething beads" so to show my gratitude i gave them to her. she looked pretty stylin' ;)

hope these pics tell more of a story. please, please remember her in your prayers x

lawrence family shoot

i've never done a maternity shoot before, so this was a combination of an experiment / baby shower gift for my friends justin, christy and their son mark. christy is about 33ish weeks pregnant with a boy -- we've been waiting a long time for little evan :)

it helps having such a ridiculously good looking family to photograph {and a glowing mom-to-be}, but i think the fact that we had a lot of fun also comes through in the pics x

diepsloot

so yesterday was one of the raddest days ever. i did another set of photos of microfinance clients in diepsloot, a squatter camp bordering dainefern in the north of joburg. there are loads of pics, but these two are my initial faves. i love to photograph kids -- they just have no inhibitions, and don't feel self-conscious in front of the camera.

 

if it's not all right then it's not the end

last night i attended a preview of the film "the best exotic marigold hotel", hosted by barry ronge. it was a great film -- a stellar brit cast headed up by the always-dignified judi dench, a great screenplay and it's set in india. really now, is there any excuse to not see it?

there were a few things that resonated with me. i loved the humanity of the characters. the fine balance between humour and poignancy. most of all, i loved the message that it's never too late for redemption, second chances. 

sonny, played by slumdog millionaire's dev patel, who is the unquenchable optimist, has a great quote in the film: everything will be all right in the end... if it's not all right then it's not the end. 

cheese in a can: washington/virginia edition

i had the coolest long weekend with two american sisters, susan and mary {who my parents hosted in 2010 when they came to south africa for bruce and hlomphs' wedding}. we've stayed in touch, and it's been one of my highest priorities to see them while in the usa.

i was not disappointed :) we all met up in virginia and then roadtripped to washington. so here's the cheese in a can summary of the trip:

turbulence and the fear that i would lose my lunch {and dignity} to a brown paper bag.
so much excitement to see susan.
norfolk airport -- that has way too many indoor plants.
awesome shopping and lovely things at forever 21. and {finally} h&m.
guacamole at chilis.
meeting jackie o -- susan's amazing mom.
pancakes a la jackie.
getting an awesome, much needed haircut from sara at super cuts.
picking up mary j at the airport.
finally meeting olivia, the most loveliest baby {and susan's niece} this side of the atlantic.
roadtripping to dc {trying and failing to hold my breath going through the 3 mile undersea tunnel. it was ambitious, i know}.
driving past the pentagon and giant "octopus monument". twice. cause the gps is lame.
amazing hotel {still in virginia though, ten mins from washington}
catching the subway for the first time in the usa. sheesh, it's tough to understand the first time. think i got the hang of it.
dodgy smells in the shadows of the underground.
chinatown. and dinner at nandos. what an awesome surprise. and the food was pretty good too, almost as cool as south africa.
it's c-c-c-cold in washington. brrrr. but a welcome change from the 40 degree heat in texas.
raining in washington. again, a welcome change in weather.
too many giggles with two awesome girls. i swear mary, you crack me up.
breakfast bagels and lattes at starbucks before venturing off on our washington exploratory adventure.
mary not being the best navigator. susan and i firing mary as the navigator.
walking. walking. walking.
the lincoln memorial. really impressive.
the drained reflective pool that's just dirt due to renovations. not too impressive.
loads of asian tourists.
photo bombing asian tourist group photos.
the korean memorial. haunting.
posing by our countries engraved in the marble. fun :)
the einstein memorial and soggy bottoms. and more ridiculous laughter.
the washington monument.
the whitehouse.
super expensive lunch at the museum of american history. 140 south african bucks. sheesh. can you say, rip off in american english?
first lady inaugural dress exhibition.
the ruby slippers from the wizard of oz.
the first muppet puppets.
the first flag -- the star spangled banner. it really gives you goosebumps.
farrah fawcett's famous red swimsuit.
the museum of natural history. so, so, so cool. you can't help but imagine scenes from night at the museum. i would freak out if any of those things came alive at night.
the hope diamond.
a real life mummy. well, a dead one. but a real one.
the capitol.
the smithsonian institute.
back at the hotel and crashing. wow. we must have walked 5 miles.
great italian dinner at piola.
"we're on vacation" susan newman.
late night krispy kremes from safeway pharmacy.
breakfast at brooklyn bagel.
arlington cemetery.
the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier.
jfk and jackie o's grave site.
so many tombstones. it's quite overwhelming.
the iwa jima memorial {in the rain}.
cracker barrel. and dumplings. meh. not my fave.
sleeping for 3 hours. i am the best back seat driver on any roadtrip -- i sleep most of the way.
more shopping. love these girls :)
krispy kreme hot doughnuts. we made a point of going when the red light was on. and they really do melt in your mouth.
laughing at youtube videos.
virginia beach. it was soul-fulfilling seeing the ocean again.
funny photos with fake shells and neptune statues.
more starbucks.
mexican. surrounded by sailors {virginia has 5 naval bases}.
saying farewell to jackie o.
more shopping. yes yes yes!
"you is kind. you is smart. you is important." {somewhere there is a video, that may make it onto facebook}

trying to cram all my stuff into two carry-on bags. after breaking a sweat, almost pulling my hamstring and bursting several blood vessels i achieved success. {i refuse to pay $25 to check in a bag}.
farewells at norfolk airport. so sad to have to say good bye to my american sisters.
but...already planning future vacations and adventures.
 

x

lessons from oprah

so my next blog post should technically be about new york, as i just spent 4 days there.

nah.

i want to dedicate this post to someone who means a great deal to me. it's not oprah. but oprah was a part of our friendship that has spanned 23 years. katrina {or katinks as i call her} met in pat kirk's ballet class when we were 6 years old. we did some sunday school together, missed primary school, connected in high school, separated at varsity and are still close friends two decades later.

it sounds morbid, but i often wonder what people would say about me at my funeral, and i hope people don't leave the sincere compliments for when i'm dead. so katinks, i want to honour you right now with a memory that oprah's last show sparked, a memory that made me laugh out loud and cry at the same time.

me, in a black afro wig, in your mom's teal satin blouse and bracken high dri-mac slow mo running to paul simon singing the theme song for the 1996 season of oprah. ten years come and gone so fast i might as well be dreaming. we were tasked to produce a video for visual literacy and we chose oprah. {i think jacqui grant was also in our group?} maybe because i could fake an american accent. or because graham {my brother} did a great nelson mandela impersonation we could use in a "telephonic interview". but we did this absolutely crazy random shoot and ended up with a video that no one else found funny or entertaining. we thought it was pure oscar genius :) it's so rad how you were still friends with me in my worst moments. and being a white oprah was not the worst, believe me. i still hope that video has been destroyed by mold and moth.

that, was 15 years ago. and still, though we have not lived on the same continent for 2 years, i count you as one of my most precious gifts. things are different now, but not much has changed.

thanks for mtv music videos, teaching me how to smoke a cigarette, gladwrap slimming secrets, explaining me back to myself when i didn't make sense and life was even more nonsensical, for getting lost with me in greece, laughing at my lame jokes, spoems, hours and hours and hours of long conversations, introducing me to pashminas, always pointing me to the high road and encouraging me to be the bigger person, getting me employed at the bank {which was pivotal in leading me exactly where i am right now}, explaining the mi pack and an income statement to me {algebra in matric and nii in credit card} and for always being my number one cheerleader, advocate and voice of reason.

you are the most generous and selfless person i know. i have never known you to say a harsh word, neither to a person nor behind their back. you love so completely and without condition. you treat everyone with respect and dignity. you are fair and uphold justice and defend your values no matter what the circumstance. you believe in the best in people and this doesn't make you naive, in fact we need more of you in this world.

i miss you. i am grateful for you. and i look forward to many, many, many, many, many more seasons of life together.

oprah's 25 years may have come and gone, but i'm still in this. til we're grannies in greencross shoes. with awesome pink pashminas x

eleven from '10

every year i write myself a letter. i wrote my first letter in 1997 when i was 15. i did not fully comprehend the significance of that year, until much later. 2006 in fact. i know this because it’s all recorded in A4 lined pages of my own handwriting. no one has ever read these letters. they are by far the most honest, intimate and victorious accounts of the last 13 years of my life. there have been many moments of wisdom in letters from 7 years ago, that offer me comfort and solutions to problems i face now. it’s pretty weird :)

there are some rules. i seal them for a full year. they have to be in my own writing, not typed and printed. i write as if no one will ever read them {i once wrote a letter as if i were writing for someone else to read -- it was pretty insincere and lifeless. the best letters are the no-holds-barred ones}. people who hurt me only get one line. this is to remind me that you can never avoid heartache, but you should never dwell on it.

so i won’t ever publish my letters, i will most likely take them to my grave with me, but i will post eleven lessons from 2010 that i included in my letter from last year:

one. i can survive cancer scares, scathing rumours, heartbreak, loss, smash & grabs, retrenchments, bad bosses and being on my own.
two. my hair does not have to be perfect all the time {it looks better when it’s not}.
three. family is the most important and profound human connection we have on this planet.
four. perception is reality. if you are a hammer, everything is a nail. it just sucks when you’re the nail.
five. it is the worst betrayal when people i trust let me down. but i will continue to trust anyway.
six. exercise is the best vitamin/medicine/pick me up/sleeping pill/energy tonic.
seven. i don’t always have to have a plan. i need to be less boring and predictable. i have to make more mistakes and take more risks. life will be more fun that way.
eight. i need to work on my self-perception. getting older helps with this, you stress less about the lame stuff.
nine. GOD will never give up on me. He fights for me each day and loves me fiercely. His love changes me. if i ever truly understood it, i would live differently.
ten. my close friends are the most valuable asset i have in my life. i am in awe of their love and support in my darkest moments. they keep me sane and humble and able to laugh through tears.
eleven. everyone has a story. we just need to stop and listen to it. there is a magic in storytelling, the real kind. fairy tales have nothing on real life.

2010 may have left me bruised, but not broken. 2010 was a year of coming apart, falling away, a “tearing”. 2011 will be a year of “convergence”, seeing a bigger plan come together in a big way. to adventures and memoirs and stories i will tell my grandchildren -- and they will look up at me in disbelief and say “no way, gran, you were super cool when you were younger”.

that’s all
x

_2010 in pictures_136 seconds of memories

{you can click on the image to enlarge it, and then zoom in for a closer look}

self portrait: expressiveness

i'm often told i'm really expressive. and people frequently laugh at my animated-ness. i do it without realising. so i figured i'd try capture that in a single multiple-self-portrait. and this way i have a willing subject {myself} to practice some lighting and effects. plus, if you randomly {and perhaps unfortunately} come across my blog, you can know what i look like. sort of. my normal un-expressive face is a lot less interesting :)

18 month old giggles

there is just something about a child's laughter and joy in little things that fascinates me. this photo was taken today when my cousin david started blowing bubbles at ciaran, my other cousin's 18 month old son. hands down, totally unbiased, this is the cutest kid in the world.

fact.

laughing from the belly

i just came home from spending time with a good friend. there's something about having known someone for so long that your history just uncomplicates your time together. the conversation is so fluid and the silences are not uncomfortable and there is a different kind of laughter that you share. til tears stream down your face and your belly hurts and you can't get enough air into your lungs.
you're hysterical.
you giggle.
you laugh at yourself.
embarrassing and awkward moments you never thought you'd get over.
secret movie star obsessions.
i love those times.
they fill my heart with so much joy.

that's all. good night x