Sunday, March 13, 2011

The last 21 days....

It has been 21 days since my last blog entry. During those 21 days, there were three big events that occurred in my life. The first one of those events, was of course , RAMfest V.



I took the Friday of from work, and left for Nekkies in Worcester the Thursday evening just after 18:00. When I arrived there, I was blown away with the amount of people already on the site! Way more than 2010, when I arrived the Friday morning just after 8:00am. Found friends of mine, and proceeded to set up camp. After a few drinks, I decided to go and have a look at the stages and entertainment area. Wow - it was amazing! I also heard music coming from around the main beer tent area - and found the gem of the weekend - the Mercury tent! Old school rock 'n roll and 80's music played, people partied, and a strange naked guy was walking around. Found a few people I know, and we partied the night away! The Mercury tent continued to provide the crowd with entertainment throughout  the weekend. Thank you Mercury!

Friday morning saw a lot of very fragile people walking around, and LOTS of new faces - they just kept on coming! We waited for other friends, pitched more tents and gazebo's, and drank a bit more. My girlfriend arrived just after 20:00, and then the party really started. I must say, some of the big name acts disappointed a bit.... I think my pick for best act on the main stage for Friday night is probably Zebra and Giraffe or Desmond and the Tutu's.

Saturday morning started out much as Friday morning had - just with loads more people. There were even people camping out on the "Gaza Strip", as it was called. Not My Dog, Van Coke Kartel and Isochronous were beyond great, and even blew the international acts away!

I went to the metal4africa tent a couple of times - great vibe, and good music! Even the electronic pyramid saw me a couple of times, and I must say, I was very impressed! Overall, the whole weekend impressed me - cleaner toilets (cleaner, not clean), lots more food stalls and variety of food stalls, great bar service and just overall a well organized festival! Cannot wait for RAMfest VI.








The second major event, was my birthday. I turned 30. Nuff said - end of that story! The big party is still coming up - will blog after that.

Yesterday, I went to a bachelors. One of the best ones I have been to yet. We started of with Paintball in Jonkershoek. Lots of fun, lots of pain, and even more pain for the bachelor, David Lewis. He wasnt allowed to wear a shirt - only a bright yellow safety vest, and had a cow bell around his waist. Needless to say, he got shot - a lot! After that, he was dressed in a nice little dress and stockings, and we took him to Stellenbosch, we he had to ask for money - he even got money from Bouwer Bosch and Die Straatligkinders!

And just a little side note - I saw the movie Black Swan this week - wow! Great, stunning movie and very disturbing!!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Happy birthday Kurt Cobain


A quick tribute to Kurt Cobain... what a legend!

He whould have been 44 today....






RAMfest 5 - A preview


Less than two weeks to go until RAMfest 2011! This will be the 4th time that I attend RAMfest, and is by far my favourite weekend of the year. The venue for this insane festival is Nekkies, just outside Worcester. My 1st RAMfest was RAMfest 2, in 2008. The highlight of that weekend, for me, was the first time that I saw Lark live! What an amazing band! Other highlights, for me, included Hog Hoggidy Hog, Fuzigish, Battery 9, Taxi Violence, Knave and Kidofdoom. Here a a few foto's of that weekend - Thanx to Leon van Heerden















In 2009 I returned - no way I am missing RAMfest after my experience of the previous year. 2009 was bigger and better than 2008, no doubt. My favourite part of 2009 was once again Lark - they are truly amazing! Other highlights included the first major performance by Die Antwoord, the reunion show of V.O.D,  and brilliant performances by Isochronous, Kidofdoom and Fokofpolisiekar. Here a few pics (taken by myself)







2010 - and once again I returned - this time spending the weekend in the wonderful Kreef Hotel - a tented hotel, with warm showers, buffet breakfast, and other perks - well worth the money! 

Once again, Lark blew me away, with the rest of the line-up not far behind. Pendulum, Jack Parow, Fokofpolisiekar, Die Heuwels Fantasies, Boo! , kidofdoom and The Rudimentals were really, really good!


Now, for 2011. Weekend of 4-6 March. I cannot wait! No Lark this time around, but Not My Dog has re-united, and that should be good! Knave also returns to the festival after a 2 year absence,  with two international bands, Alkaline Trio and Funeral for a Friend. Other acts I cannot wait to see, include Zebra and Giraffe, Desmond and the Tutu's, Gazelle, BLK JKS, Ashtray Electric, Stepdog, Mr. Cat and the Jackal, Wrestlerish, Bittereinder and Juggernaut. 

Hope to see you all there! 

Link to website : http://www.ramfest.co.za 

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

The Adventures of the Pink Feet

The weekend of 11-13 February 2011, was camping weekend. Two of our friends, Wihann and Steve both had their birthdays on the 11th, so they decided to go camping at Ganzekraal, just up the West Coast from Melkbosstrand, even before you get to Yzerfontein. Anel and myself arrived there just after seven Friday evening, started unpacking, pitching the tent, and so forth, while enjoying something refreshing. (Read : Castle and Hunters). Friday night was a great night, with friends, hubbly castle and brandy. We had a really good time. We even had another unexpected guest, by the name of Felix! We know him well, but don't see him often.

The next morning, we were all up not to late, dressed and showered by around 10 am. Most of the people went to the rocks on the far end (for those of you who do not  know, Ganzekraal is a camping site right next to the ocean) to go "fishing". I did not join them, but from what I heard, they caught 

  • a lot of seaweed
  • a black thing thats sucks with teeth (Mr.Oka's description of it)
  • one or two very, very small fish
  • a good tan/sunburn
Meanwhile, Anel and I went down to another part of the "beach" (no sand, just stones and rocks), and picked up shells, and just watched the ocean. One part to remember - after I showered, I did not put on shoes. Most people that know me, will know that I do not really walk barefoot, or with sandals.

After the beach/fishing session, Mr.Oka went to dive (with his wet-suit) , and managed to catch .... nothing. During the afternoon, a game of cricket came to live, with some poor shots, worse bowling, and even worse catches (must admit, Wihann made one brilliant catch. One bounce, one hand rule applied).

Once again, those of you that know me, know that I normally dont a) start a fire, and b) do the braai work. Well, Saturday afternoon I was hungry enough to do both! Oh, and all this time, Felix was still sleeping. We actually did not see him again the whole of the weekend. 

The rest of the day consisted of good company, good music, Castle and Hunters Dry. Late evening, my feet started getting a bit sore, because of the sun (as the dont see a lot of sun often). 

Sunday morning.........
My feet were pink, raw and in terrible pain! I immediately packed up, and went home. It is now Tuesday afternoon, went to the doctor this morning, because the pain was just TO much. I can only go back to work on Friday. Me feet are swelled, and even have infection in them, from the sun.

Still, I whould like to thank my great girlfriend Anel, the birthday boys Wihann and Steve, and the rest of the cast (Salome, Mr.Oka aka Agno aka Arno, Sam, Hendre, Devan, Anre and Nadia, and the rest of the cast, for a great weekend! It was needed!) . Oh, and special guest star : Felix.

No Animals were harmed during the weekend, as the Gorilla stayed at home

I was in Matric in 1999, and if I just followed the advice of Baz Luhrmann, you whould not have been reading this blog just now....



Baz Luhrman - Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) 

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99 
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be 
it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by 
scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable 
than my own meandering 
experience…I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not 
understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. 
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and 
recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before 
you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you 
imagine. Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as 
effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing 
bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that 
never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm 
on some idle Tuesday. Do one thing everyday that scares you Sing Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with 
people who are reckless with yours. Floss Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes 
you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with 
yourself. Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you 
succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements. Stretch Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your 
life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they 
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year 
olds I know still don’t. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone. Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe 
you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky 
chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t 
congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your 
choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body, 
use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people 
think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever 
own.. Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room. Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them. Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly. Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for 
good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the 
people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you 
should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and 
lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you 
knew when you were young. Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live 
in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will 
philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize 
that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were 
noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, 
maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one 
might run out. Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will 
look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who 
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of 
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the 
ugly parts and recycling it for more than 
it’s worth. But trust me on the sunscreen…