We have moved

...and by "we", I mean me and my blog posts. Find my new banter page at: www.middleclassconcerns.wordpress.com

Revamp

By Tumi Direro

Middle Class Concerns Blog is over a year old and it's only fair she gets a little revamp. Getting some help from artist, photographer and designer Tumi Direro. I'll be back (Arnold Schwarzenegger voice).

In the meantime I'll be posting on my Facebook page and tweeting about all your winter middle class concerns!

Joseph Kony 2012

 KONY 2012 is a film and campaign by Invisible Children that aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice.

Pay your dues

Well well well...could it be? A prayer answered. A wish granted. Karma in reverse.

Pay your dues: it has become lesson number one in 2012. I've spent the past year doing runt work, sending 2 applications a day and attending interviews with no follow-ups. If you refer to my "PickMe" post, you'll see that I was getting quite edgy about it.

The angst had built to a climax in the past couple of weeks when a friend of mine, Karabo Mafisa said "Phaks, you have to pay your dues". And like any light bulb moment, I had nothing to reply. I kept replaying the words like a new motto. Within the same week I was called in for an interview with a global public relations company. The following week they sent me a writing assessment; I met the MD and was sent a contract to begin work with them immediately.

In a quick twitter survey, I asked my followers what their first jobs were and here are some responses:

-"Worked at a film festival and loved it!' - Lauren Rosenburg

-"I was a library assistant...it was alright.I'm now an international criminal lawyer/researcher. I love it!" -Princess Ailitto
-"I was a waiter in my first year. Hated the customers but it made some decent money" - Jasmine

Rod Stewart was a grave digger before he became a rock star and Beyonce Knowels worked at her moms hair salon whilst singing her way to fame. So lesson learnt universe, one must start at the bottom to rise to the top.

It must be...

Jason Mraz album cover from the album: Love is a four letter word.

Love balloons by Jenny van Sommers

Love lollipops by the queen of candy Dylan Lauren

See what I'm doing here: 3 of my favourite images meets the lyrics to "It must be love" by british pop band Madness. Genius! Happy love month.

Sh*t Middle Class Folk Say

I recently watched a Youtube video of Sh t Hipsters Say. It has lead to this post: a compilation of stuff middle class folk complain about. The quotes are taken from my twitter timeline (@middleccblog) and they're usually followed by #middleclassconcerns #sigh #bleak and the traditional sad face :(. Enjoy!

·         I really want to help others  but I love all my clothes

·         I hate telephone conversations

·         I can’t drink instant coffee

·         I’ve been working out for 2 weeks and haven’t lost an inch

·         What could be worse than slow internet service?

·         There are too many pillows on my bed

·         iPhone vs Blackberry? Often followed by: “I really need an iMac”

·         Should I refill my ink cartridge or just get a new printer?

·         Facebook relationship status: complicated

·         Left my travel pillow! It’s going to be a long flight

·         If Heidi and Seal can’t make, how will we?

·         We have 3 remote controls for the TV.

·         I put too much milk in my cereal

·         I don’t entirely trust internet banking but I don’t have time to go to the bank

·         I wish I had a TV in my bathroom

·         Our gardener is on holiday L

·         We’ve run out of cranberry and apple tea

·         I can’t decide what my favourite Adele song is

·         I want a poached egg. I can’t poach an egg

·         What do you mean no dessert after dinner?

·         Soya vs. Skim milk?

·         We’ve had to cut down this year…no second vacation

Township Cinderellas

An excellent documentation of Western Cape teens born in 1994, the year Nelson Mandela became President and apartheid ended. From the award winning documentary show Witness on Al Jazeera

Y.O.L.O

By Stephen Doyle (oprah.com)

Happy New Year! I must apologise for the rather late start in blogging this year but I was actually doing everybody a favour. You see, since the clock struck 00:00 on 01.01.2012 I've had a dark cloud following me. It must be all those zeros, ones and twos or the fact that I have 3 months before turning TWENTY- FIVE. It feels like a crisis of sorts. Consequently, I need a chat with father time and the lady who runs the fountain of youth.

I'm anxious, uncertain, slightly cynical, fraught with worry and hosting all kinds of pity parties throughout the day. Instead of thinking about the things I’ve accomplished, I’m more concerned with the things I haven’t gotten around to. It’s as if I have subconsciously given myself a deadline and now I’m begging for an extension. With this comes a multitude of middle class concerns: Yes, I’ve travelled but not to Asia or Europe. I have a degree but will I ever have my dream job? I know where I want to be in 10 years but I have no assurance that I’m taking the right steps to get there. I read but not more than I watch TV. I eat more than I work out. I have a savings account with no money in it. The only things I own are clothes and books. I have no clear vision of how this year will unfold and there’s nothing like “the stress of not knowing that destroys ones sanity”.

Having established that, I can only ground myself with the things I know for sure. I have great skin and can no longer afford to sleep with make up on. Exercising releases all my anxiety. I need my body more than it needs me. Thank you and please are two very important expressions in any language. A quick prayer for peace and clarity can be more elevating than an hour mass. If I haven’t written down a “to do” list, I’m likely to forget. Being on time is harder than being late. Love trumps fear. Barbie isn’t real. Music is healing. I must write down my epiphanies before they’re overridden by the next fruitless thought. Keep my Facebook page clean. Reading improves my vocab. 3AM is the devils hour. I trip, bite my tongue or bang my toe immediately after having a negative thought. It’s ok to say “no”.

The trending theme for 2012 seems to be YOLO: You Only Live Once. It’s a green light for living your best life and a reminder that anxiety, worry, cynicism and self- pity are not absolutes.

Dear self, get over yourself. Quite frankly you have a lot to be thankful for in the 25 years you've lived.

Wish List

Season’s Greetings! Is it too early? I've been singing Christmas carols since mid- November.

I've compiled a lovely wish list to avoid any confusion or unnecessary gifts like home made marmalade jam or pot porrie. This may also fall under my 25th birthday wish list as well as the "because I love Phakamani" wish list which is open throughout year.

This blouse from Zara (Sandton) has been frequenting my dreams. I'm floral crazy! It's chique and turns up the heat when wearing slim fitting trousers and I have a giant patent black bag to complete the look.

There's something about French Connection clothing that makes my knees quiver. This jacket is probably not available in South Africa as yet but should something similar catch your attention do not delay: buy one now and get my adoration free. I recently purchased a stone coloured Witchery blazer and have to stop myself from wearing it everyday. This blazer would recieve the same attention if not more.

I spotted this Country Road sandal on a friend and now I want it for myself. It's also available in coral and would go perfectly with my summer nail polish "crispy peach" by Tip Top.



Well isn't this just charmingly beautiful. A chunky heal which can be worn to lunch with the girls. Available at Aldo for a sensible R599.00.

Words fail- I love, love, love this chunky platform by Céline. In a parallel universe I've sold a body part and am recovering whilst wearing these.

Navy, floppy, wide brim hat: I really just want one to smack everyone within a 10 meter radius when turning my head to take a sip of my bevy. They are completely obnoxious but serve as a fantastic "Do Not Disturb" sign whilst on holiday.

I love looking through cook books but don't expect a meal. Kylie Kwong makes Chinese food look effortless and flavoursome. I'm also obsessed with Jamie Oliver, Nigel Slater, The Two Fat Ladies, Giorgio Locatelli and Bill Granger.



I desperately need rechargeable batteries that come with a charger. My camera hasn't been put to use recently because ordinary batteries take a few snapshots before they call it quits.

I've gone through THREE coffee plungers. Woolworths has a lovely Russell Hobbs presser but I fear it will break before I make it to the till. So, maybe if someone else buys it for me...

And what goes better than a cup of strong coffee and some Lindt Intense Dark Chocolate? I believe anything and anyone that says dark chocolate contributes to improved cardiovasucular health. If you're feeling extra generous, there is a Lindt Chocolate Studio with truffle making courses.

If nothing elese, publishing this modest wish list brings me one step closer to owning at least one of these items. Wishing you a holiday season filled with plenty of middle class concerns like late night Christmas shopping and deciding what wrapping theme to go with.

Getting to Zero

i stock photo

I’m torn between two hot topics that require equal attention so I’m tweeting about COP 17 and blogging about World AIDS Day.

Zero AIDS new infections:

Ironically, HIV/AIDS is not a sexy topic. It’s an attention seeking, conceited and expensive devil. It’s almost 30 years since the first recognised cases of AIDS.  It resulted in a surge of rumours, theories and myths which we’re still battling to slay. It’s not a gay disease, it didn’t originate from a bestial encounter in the depths of Africa, it doesn’t only infect poor black heterosexuals and a hug, kiss or handshake will not jeopardise your health. It’s an exhausting battle. The same pamphlets that were handed out in the 90’s could still be handed out 20 years later. The same movies and documentaries made years ago are still relevant. Millions of  Rands, Dollars, Pounds, Euros, Pulas, Rupees, Pesos and Shillings have been poured into AIDS awareness campaigns.

Uganda began promoting sexual behaviour change in 1986. President Kaunda of Zambia announced that his son had died of AIDS in 1987. In 1993 an estimated 9 million adults in sub-Saharan Africa were infected with HIV and 1.7 million with AIDS. These numbers continue to fluctuate between bad and worse. In 1997, Fela Kuti, Nigeria’s most famous musician died of Kaposi’s Sarcoma; an AIDS-related illness. In 1999 Nevirapine, a new single dose drug for the future prevention of mother-to- child transmission in Africa. In 2002, Botswana began Africa’s first national AIDS treatment programme. Despite this, according to the World Health Organization 2.7 million people are newly infected worldwide.

Zero AIDS- related deaths:

I’m a little hopeful in this area. Anti- retroviral therapy has become more easily available and many people can live a long and healthy life as a result. Botswana, Namibia, Uganda and Rwanda have become great examples of countries providing effective health and support systems. Aaron Mostoaledi (South African Health Minister) has been breaking a sweat trying to increase ARV rollout, HIV/Aids prevention strategies.

Zero Discrimination:

National radio stations were overflowing with callers eager to tell their stories about positive living and encouraging others to do the same. With the support of friends, family and a non discriminative society many told stories of how they are fighting this attention seeking, conceited and expensive devil. In the time I’ve taken to write this blog over a thousand tweets with the hash tag World AIDS Day have been sent. Ordinary people, organisations, campaign groups and activists encouraging zero discrimination, zero AIDS related deaths and zero new infections. Apathy in itself is a disease so (in the words of Charlie Sheen) in some respects we're "winning".

Words, thoughts, music and art

An original Rothko- not.

The media declared the 22^nd of  November 2011 as "Black Tuesday"; a campaign against the Protection of State Information Bill. Is it just another suburban middle class concern?

Political analyst Steven Friedman writes in the Business Day: “If we want to protect our freedoms, we need to make sure they are not seen as the concern of only a few”. He believes the Bill has been misconstrued as it will not hamper investigative journalism or prevent the media from reporting on corruption.

COSATU said “There is immense potential for conflicts of interest to influence decision-making and illustrates the potential breadth of the Bill’s impact on rights of access to information and the promotion of the principles of transparency and accountability”. They are also concerned with the bill’s lack of proper guidelines, possible interpretations and “problematic” definitions.

The Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory said South African’s should be worried because the Bill trumps any legislation inconsistent with it. Furthermore “The Secrecy Bill provides that a classified record must be declassified before it is released. If it is released prior to declassification both the person releasing and the person receiving the information may be subject to criminal prosecution.”

The South African National Editors’ Forum views the bill as “a danger to democracy, and a threat to their rights. We had hoped MPs would hear the clamour at the gates of the legislature, but they chose to stop their ears.”

Various civil society groups, media houses, opposition parties and even church representatives are enraged. They are of the view that the bill will serve to protect corrupt leaders and bad governance.

I watched half of the American Music Awards. I reached breaking point and went to bed when Enrique Iglesious tried to con us into thinking he was still relevant with his good looks and a choir.  Anyways, this is not completely unrelated to the topic. The bill may have been passed. It may serve to cover up indiscretions (Don’t you love that word?  It’s so polite). It may require media houses to start budgeting for more frequent meetings with lawyers. It may suggest that democracy is something we aspire towards yet never fully achieve.

However, Osip Mandlestam, Soviet poet and literary critic still wrote poetry under Stalin’s totalitarian regime. Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela and Vusi Mahlasela still sang their hearts out against the cruel apartheid regime. Dada and other surrealists continued to paint the sad aftermath of World War I. Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong'o wrote even in detention for raising political consciousness in 1977. We still have words, thoughts, music, art in all its forms and of course, Enrique. The internet alone has multipied available forums for frank discussion and revelations. The Bill does not even begin to threaten freedom of speech... in my opinion.

Hardcore Tattoo

Found this picture on "The Place of Funny Things" yesterday afternoon. It has had me in stitches since.

PS. Happy Birthday to my mom, I won't be getting a tattoo anytime soon.

For the Love of H2O

How Many Calories Should I Eat A Day

Last Monday I fell asleep at my desk after lunch. I mean like a proper snooze fest interrupted by the two people I share an office with. That’s got nothing to do with this blog post but I found it amusing. I blame it on the heat!

There is no doubt it’s summer, which makes hydration uber important. Luckily South Africa has great quality tap water. We have an entire ministry dedicated to making sure our water resources are well taken care of. If you don’t like the taste, there are inexpensive filters available.

This leaves me a little boggled about people who insist on buying bottled water. Evian spelt backwards is Naive. Rumour has it the company started by filling bottles with tap water and selling it to naive consumers. I’m sure it’s not true but I have no proof that any bottled water comes from some fancy, untouched and pristine spring. But, I do know that South Africa’s bottled water industry is coining R1.7billion a year. That being said, if you’re travelling out of the country or are in an unfamiliar region, you shouldn’t assume that the water has been through a million tests before reaching the tap. According to water.org nearly ONE BILLION people have no access to safe drinking water.

For clarity, what does it mean when a bottle is labelled “spring water”? After a little rain or snow the water collects underground and rises to the surface of the earth and forms a spring. It goes through a natural filtering process and is different from tap water because it contains no chemicals. Sometimes, a borehole is drilled to extract the water from the earth’s surface.

On the other hand, mineral water is collected from hot springs containing high concentrations of dissolved salts. Purifying the water removes some of the necessary minerals. There is debate whether the water is healthy or not, claims that people who only drink mineral water live longer and that sometimes the water can be too mineral rich. Anyways, drink water, it’s good for you.

1. 70 % of an adult’s body is made up of water

2. Drinking too much water can lead to water intoxication. (Water intoxication occurs when water dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and causes an imbalance of water in the brain.)

3. While the daily recommended amount of water is eight cups per day, not all of this water must be consumed in the liquid form. Nearly every food or drink item provides some water to the body.

4. Of all the water on the earth, humans can used only about three tenths of a percent of this water. Such usable water is found in groundwater aquifers, rivers, and freshwater lakes

5. By the time a person feels thirsty, his or her body has lost over 1 percent of its total water amount.

- All about water.org

Motswako

Host of Motswako- the mix, Penny Lebyane

Last night was my first television debut as a blogger. It was... strange seeing as I would much rather be asking the questions than answering them. Whilst watching the show, all I could think was: “my nose looks really big!”

In future, I hope to be a little bit more prepared, it really isn’t easy answering what this blog is about. In the first few posts I had a clearer idea but if you ask me now, you might receive a long pause and blank stare. Then you get questions like “How do you define South Africa’s middle class?” At which point I refer them to an African Development Bank paper which states that Africa’s middle class is made up of those earning an average of R 30,423/ $ 3900 and above per annum- completely controversial!  Then people get intense and ask: “What are you trying to achieve? What is the overall aim?” and I get all flustered like “What am I trying to achieve?” as if I know what I’m going to say.

As much as this blog is about phones that do everything but make breakfast or the dullness of not having an electric gate, I really want to use that to draw attention to the more pertinent stuff. The stuff that makes me thankful for living a privileged life and aware that it is by no means a God given right. I have to continue working hard to live above the poverty line and even harder to help those that I can.

Whilst on set I took advantage of the opportunity and turned the recorder on Penny Lebyane. She is the host of the popular talk show Motswako on SABC 2. Here is how the interview went, she seems to share the same sentiments:

Phakamani: What really irks you about South African middle class?

Penny: Anyone living in the dream that the whole of South Africa is a big city. There’s actually rural parts of this country! Quite frankly, 80% of it is rural and people don’t realise that so their concerns are based on “Oh the potholes!” –There are people who just need water... sometimes when you have a _little ^high platform try to speak on behalf of those people because they need more voices.

Phakamani: What would you say is your contribution? Is it being thoughtful about it...

Penny: My contribution is, (as much as I live in the city) to try and look at things from a point of view of someone who is not in my situation. It makes me very appreciative of what I have but then at the same time it makes me not to be arrogant. Because you’ve got everything you just think you want more, more, more! I want to say actually I’m grateful for what I have now. It’s just about thinking about that but it’s actually getting in my car and going to those places and contributing to the betterment of those areas. Whether it’s through talking to young kids in a school to say it’s good to live out of a village but don’t forget the village that you come from.

Phakamani: What is the difference between you and the people who lack the ability to think that way?

Penny: We can get lost in the lights, in the city, in “my life”, “my this and that”. I try to remind myself that I come from that rural background. Not to just define myself as a city girl and that’s it but to embrace all elements of my background: the rural and the township parts and the fact that now I’ve got the opportunity to be exposed to what middle class lifestyle is but ultimately that’s not what I am... it’s something to remind yourself every day.

December body

My body conditioning routine which only works if I stick to it!

Without sounding too snooty, one of the privileges of this middle class life is that you get to choose what you put into your body. December is just around the corner and you either want to be bikini or summer frock ready. Who wants to be carrying extra pounds in this heat? The days of comfort eating should be left behind with the winter chill.

I declare, on 26 October 2011 that I, Phakamani Sivuyile Lisa am not at my best weight. The pot belly is ever present and my thighs need a break from each other. There’s no one to blame except myself because just last night I had 2 jacket potatoes with sour cream and lamb curry for dinner. As if a light salad and grilled chicken breast wouldn’t have sufficed.

A few changes need to be made. Firstly, I need to incorporate some exercise into my life. I have a little body conditioning routine which I adopt and abandon at random. Today, I pledge to be consistent. Nothing worse than somebody who insists they eat celery sticks and gym frequently but remains the same size.

Secondly, I need to let go of my Chocolate Cornetto McFlurry obsession. It started with the KFC Chocolate Brownie Avalalanche. It’s made up of chocolate sauce, 4 mini brownies and soft serve ice cream. For this I blame photographer and fellow blogger Mapodile Mkhabela. Then another friend of mine, Amy Criticos (designer and childhood friend) introduced me to the world of chocolate sauce, chocolate chips, bits of sugar cone and soft serve under the family of McFlurry’s. You can imagine the irreparable damage such indulgence has.

Did Kate Moss say “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”? She clearly hasn’t had 800g sweet and sticky pork ribs in a while but then again, she’s not trying to drop 5kg’s in the next month. So, no more Woolies meals or take-away for lunch. It’s back to whole wheat bread, avo, lettuce, peppadews and pastrami. Yogurt and juice in the morning and tonight I’m doing sushi for dinner.

This is not a prescribed diet. I’m just trying to lessen my salt, sugar and carb (carbohydrate) in take without completely removing them. I have a serious love affair with the spud. However, I’ve watched enough health shows to know that water, vegetables, fruit and exercise are crucial for healthy living. Here’s to my December body and lowering the risks of getting diabetes, blood pressure, cancer, heart disease, depression and gout amongst other things.

Kids Rule!

Hi folks,

As part of my job, I’ve been watching videos which have been collected throughout Eastern and Southern Africa.

A lady from Zimbabwe said she went to a rural school in the Masvingo province and the kids were desperate for something to play with. They provided the school with balls for soccer and netball- school attendance has since increased. It just struck me how much of a difference a ball can make when you’re a young-un.

Children all over the continent are having the burden of looking after their parents due to HIV and AIDS, some have been orphaned and are passed from one relative to the next. Some are the sole supporters of the household. I’ll admit that the media often neglects the good stories that come out of Africa. But we can’t ignore that millions of kids are survivors of a very cruel reality. Many kids are exposed to rape, abuse, disease, hunger and other social issues related to poverty. I would love to take them away from all of these nasty conditions and place them in Neverland.

Until such a time, I’ll be nagging all family, friends and friends of friends to donate any toys, clothes or books for Christmas.I’ll be collecting goodies every Saturday (6/13/20/27) of November 2011 in Johannesburg. Saving one starfish at a time type-stuff.

Any help with time or donations are welcome. I'll start with a few teddy bears and my copy of James and the Giant Peach.
Many thanks x
Ps. Please also suggest any prefered childrens homes which are deserving of your kind gesture

Autocorrect

Cartoon a Day

My spelling has gone from shocking to atrocious. I realised this when I spelt champagne like champaign. It was partly autocorrects fault but it took a second look before I realised something in the name of bubbly was horribly wrong. I’m not even half way through this blog post and I’m already debating the use of ‘spelled’ and ‘spelt’.

I used to be really good at this spelling thing- above average even but now where’s and were’s get lost in autocorrect. I drop important words in my speech. I speak in direct translations from my vernacular and I add Twitter hashtags like “death by” “smh” and “that awkward moment when”. I'm not sure I really know what awkward means anymore. I run out of vocabulary and say things like “well that’s a higaldy- pigaldy” instead of “I see you’ve gotten yourself into a spot of bother”. I use ellipses without discretion...

Years of studying the English language and literature, poetry collections by Keats, Mills and Wordsworth and it all lies in the cold hands of autocorrect as well as red and green zig- zags. Could it be the end of my writing career? What will future generations say about our grammar?

There is a website dedicated to these language faux pas called Damn You Autocorrect. We need an adult spelling bee. Stat!

Light + Love

I've become near obsessed with my orchids. My first one was rescued from the trash. My mom pronounced it dead after it had lost its flowers. Two months later, it's taller, stronger and more beautiful than ever! I have been documenting its growth on my celli and realise that with a little light, love and pampering: joy comes in the morning.

I'm stuck in pansy-mode (definition 2) after the Coldplay concert and repeatedly singing "..the light's will guide you home, and ignite your soul, and I will try to fix you". Sometime in the next week will be the return of a more serious post :|

Happy Friday

"We need other people, not in order to stay alive, but to be fully human: to be affectionate, funny, playful, to be generous. How genuine is my capacity for love if there is no one for me to love, to laugh with, to treat tenderly, to be trusted by? I can love an idea or a vision, but I can’t throw my arms around it. Unless there is someone to whom I can give my gifts, in whose hands I can entrust my dreams, who will forgive me my deformities, my aberrations, to whom I can speak the unspeakable, then I am not human, I am a thing, a gadget that works but has no ashes"

-Notes on Love and Courage by Hugh Prather

City of Gold

Over the weekend, I got in touch with the city of Johannesburg. It's safe to say there's plenty of gold.
 
After living in a small town for 5 years, I thought I would have to come back to Joburg and conform to the club scene or preferably stay at home. Going to clubs brings tears to my eyes: the only pair of heels I have hurts. I can't jerk, dougie or pop and lock. I certainly don't have R60 to pay for a drink and the attitude of club- goers stinks! Guys will push in front of you and girls will stare you down for chipped nail polish (-it was just that one time).
 
So my friend Steph and I went on a little search for something more hippie- chic and less 6- inch heels.
 
We paid a visit to the much talked about NeighbourGoods Market on Juta Street. There were cakes that looked like edible ornaments, sweet and savoury crepes, Spanish paella, homemade lemonade, flavoured brews, organic vegetables, fresh flowers, vintage clothing and I had a refreshing pineapple mojito that tickled my taste buds.   

Rochelle's edible ornaments

Assortment of fresh vegetables

Goat cheese samples and we are all about sampling!

Just a hop and a skip from the market is 70 Juta Street design hub. Historically, Braamfontein used to be part of Joburgs thriving business district. Over the years it lost its popularity as companies moved north. The area has recently been revamped and is shedding its seedy reputation. Totally worth the visit if you’re looking to define what South African design is about.

70 Juta Street. Photograph from property24.com

Over the Nelson Mandela Bridge is Newtown. It's the location of Museum Africa where we went for a book launch and reading session. Chicago author, Yorli Huff shared a few passages from her memoir titled ‘Veil of Victory’. Yorli went from a difficult childhood to working undercover as a Special Drug Agent. Parallel to this, was a dysfunctional marriage as well as racism and discrimination in the work place.  Everyday has been a challenge to triumph over adversity. The book has been described in many ways but to me this is a story about how the scorn and strength of a woman is something to be feared and admired. 

Available at Xarra Books @Constitution Hill

Music duo at the book launch

Steph and sculpture outside the Market Theatre

To round off the day, we went to our usual chill spot on 4th Avenue Parkhurst. It often feels like I'm in happyville when I go there. People walking their dogs, young couples showing off their first kid and old couples rekindling their love. A few weeks ago we went to a restaurant in the area that doesn't take cards. We were short of R20 and the manager allowed us to settle the bill the next day- no fuss! I love this city :)

4th Avenue Parkhurst