ANCYL March Through Cape Town CBD

This is happening right now. Hundreds of ANC Youth League (ANCYL) members have taken to the streets after a delay which the league said was due to transport issues. They're marching to the Western Cape Legislature in protest of poor service delivery, the government’s proposed youth wage subsidy and the possible closure of 27 schools in the province.

Western Cape Premier, Helen Zille, said she would not receive their memorandum of grievances until the league withdrew its threat to make the province's capital city ungovernable. A reasonable request in my opinion. There is a heavy police presence to ensure public safety during the march.

Protesters will move from Keizergracht Street along Darling Street, left into Adderley Street, and then to the provincial buildings in Wale Street.

Anyway, back to work!

10 Things To Do On Women's Day

The title of this post might seem a bit misleading, as it isn't really 10 things to do on Women's Day so much as 5 things to do on Women's Day for women, and 5 things to do on Women's Day for men... Unless you're both of the above, in which case, well done. So let's get this show on the road shall we? Oh! Before I start, thanks @ShellsPemBroke for inspiring me to write this post. You're a Woman of the people! So here goes...

Things to do on Women's Day for women:

1. Give thanks - Just because you're a woman, it doesn't mean you're the only woman in the world. It's International Women's Day. Send your mom a nice long email; you have plenty of time. Visit your grandmother with a box of chocolates (or a bottle of wine depending on how much she likes to/is still able to party). Take your daughter to lunch. Call up your lady friends and arrange a girls' night out. Capture it all on film.
2. Don't give thanks - And by this, I mean, take the opportunity to speak up about something that you disagree with. Not that you shouldn't be doing this already - but make a point of it, woman! Is there a guy at work constantly slapping your ass and/or making disgusting attempts at sexual innuendos? Kick him anywhere between the shins and balls depending on the severity of his offenses. Do you suffer from a serial stalker who posts slimy comments on your Facebook photos? Delete him as a friend, but only after taking a screenshot and mailing it to his wife. After all, it's Women's Day for her too.
3. Eat ALL the food - Seriously, don't think twice before devouring that chocolate donut sandwich and side-order of entire chickens. The world is your oyster, so f**king eat it. Forget about stuff like calories and carbs, they're just words anyway. Have your cake AND eat it. You can starve yourself and lament in front of the mirror any of the other 364 days in the year.
4. Watch chick flicks - Go on a date and watch Girl In Progress or What To Expect When You're Expecting or whatever the hell you people enjoy. The point is not to force a guy to watch a chick flick, it's to force a guy to watch what YOU want to watch - so if you happen to choose The Dark Knight of The Dictator, then bonus lady points for you.
5. Support a cause - Let's face it. Women's Day isn't just about acknowledging the fact that you're a woman. You've known that since you came out of that other woman. Support a cause; make a donation, volunteer locally. Help out rape victims at your local Choices or whatever. Act on what is closest to your heart.

Things to do on Women's Day for men:

1. A woman - This should seem obvious, but I'll say it anyway. Give a woman some loving. Of course, make sure it's consensual, or you might fall victim to above point number 2 (or worse). Make it romantic too; none of this quickie bullshit. I'm talking scented candles, mood music and sensual lighting. Do it.
2. Give chocolate - Give a woman chocolate. Everyone likes chocolate. If they don't, not only are they not a woman, they aren't even a human. Send them back on the next Curiosity Rover. To return to my original point though: as Forrest Gump once said "Life is like a box of chocolates; you've gotta give it to a woman". Or something.
3. Show some respec' - Maybe chivalry is dead. Maybe it isn't. Regardless. Open the car door for a lady. Give her right of way when walking through a door. Maybe you think this is lame but it isn't. Chicks dig that shit, and if the girl you're with doesn't dig it, then you probably shouldn't be with her in the first place.
4. Hold your tongue - I realise that it's now considered almost normal practice to refer to the fairer sex as bitches, chicks, broads, betties and a variety of similar synonyms. I do it. In fact I did it in the paragraph above (luckily I wrote this post yesterday) - but just for today, when you're about to say one of the above words, substitute it with a more appropriate, gentlemanly one.
5. Support a cause - That's right. This one is for you too. In fact, it is especially so. Donate money, lend a hand or help your lady out at the shelter. Whatever you do, do it for the women, man! It's just one day. After that you can go on gargling beer, ordering for more sandwiches and watching Olympics while your girlfriend vacuums the entire house and cries. Jokes.

Okay, have fun. Bye!

Mission To Mars

It's a big day for Earth. Curiosity, the most advanced spacecraft ever sent to another planet, managed to pull off its extremely complicated landing procedure last night (Sunday, 5th August, 2012). Here's an interesting video that delves deeper into the exact technologies involved in landing Curiosity on Mars.

Curiosity is set to begin its two-year hunt for the building blocks of life. In other words: signs that we may not be alone in the universe... Exciting stuff right? Because the landing occured about 154 million miles from Earth, the entire landing sequence had to be automated - a decision that may have had engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada biting their nails off. To add to the difficulty, the Earth also "set" below Mars' horizon shortly before Curiosity was due to land, making direct communication with mission control almost impossible. Needless to say, early this morning, space scientists heard the phrase they had been waiting on for 10 years: "Touchdown confirmed."

Curiosity is set to revolutionise our understanding of the Red Planet. It will spend the next few years gathering evidence that Mars is, or was, capable of fostering life. You can keep up with all things Curiosity on Twitter, and make sure to add to the conversation by using the #MarsCuriosity hashtag. Have a great week!

Friday Funny: Badman Begins

Imagine my utter shock and surprise when, while browsing through my Facebook homepage and Twitter timeline this morning, I learnt that it is, in fact, Friday - the last day of the working week. Who'd've thought!? Without further ado, I give you this Friday Funny.

Peace yo.

How To Write A Formal Apology

If you've ever had to write a formal apology, you probably will have noticed that it's a pretty hard thing to do while maintaining a sincere tone. This - I believe - is because people don't like apologising, even when they know they're wrong about something. Even worse is when you're right about something, but you're being forced into writing a formal apology because of circumstances that are out of your control. The following document breaks it down so that you don't have to. It even has a sincerity scale so you can stipulate just how serious you are.

Just click on the picture to view the high-res version. Happy Humpday!

Get Out Of The Garage And Onto The Stage In London

So you're in a band, which means one of two things: you're either getting a little tired of playing the same old gigs in the same old venues to the same old people, or you're not gigging at all. Either way, Converse has got an offer that you should seriously consider. Seriously. 

Converse wants YOU to get out of the garage and be transported to the The 100 Club in London  to play an epic gig. And believe me, you want to play at this venue.

If you’re an unsigned band/artist, upload your best original song and a short bio via this Facebook app http://on.fb.me/getoutofthegarage. The judges - Zulu Boy, John Savage and Garick Williams - will then narrow down the entries to SA's top 10 unsigned artists. Converse will then showcase these acts on Facebook, where South Africa can vote for their favourites and have the chance to join their favourite band VIP style for the gig.

Follow the conversation on Twitter @Converse_Africa and with the #Play100Club hashtag. Entries close 8th of July and winners will be announced on August 6th 2012. Go, go, go!

If You Could Photoshop In Real Life

If you could Photoshop the real world, what would you do? I think the first task on my agenda would be to create a few clean layers for my bedroom, or maybe I'd put a Sepia filter on an old person, just to be ironic. Perhaps I would adjust the colour settings of the entire c(o)untry in light of the last few weeks of racist outburst on social networks. Check out the below pictures for practical applications for real-life Photoshop. (Click 'See More if you can't see all of the pictures)

Pictures That Will Inspire You Dammit

A colleague used the term Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) today to describe how she felt about the shitty weather of late. Now, I don't know whether this is an actual thing - and I'm too lazy to Google it - but I'm sure we could all do with a little inspiration - and quickly, lest the torrential rain washes it all away. In light of this, I put together a bunch of my favourite pictures from my Designtastic Pinterest Board. If you can't see the whole post, click the See More button below the picture.

Like A Moth To A Flame

This is brilliant. Couldn't resist a dedicated post.

Sometimes, it's worth getting burnt.

Upcycle That

Upcycle? What does that mean? Is it another one of those things that people do to feel a bit better about the inevitable implosion of earth and the extinction of humankind as we know it? As it turns out, upcycling is pretty darn cool. @Jacqueskarsten and @Judyrom have been working hard on UpcycleThat.com, a website that provides a central access point for upcycle projects across the Internet. The site states:

“It’s taking something that you would otherwise throw out and finding a way to make it into something else.”

Here are some of my favourite posts:

Wooden Belt Chair

Rock Around The Clock

Bottle Top Bag Sealer

Dinosaur Planters

Light Bulb Lamp

I want those dinosaurs so bad. If you'd like to check out more upcycled stuff, visit the site here.

Cheesy Puns

Yesterday, I won tickets to the Cheese Festival for being really cheesy on Twitter. I posted the fB status below, and a string of cheese-inspired jokes followed. While this is nowhere near the level of the professional punsters in one of my previous posts, it's darn near close.

Then it started.

And:

Totally taking my mom.

Win Tickets To Lady Lea's Birthday @ Trinity

Wow, what a Thursday! I could use a staunch drink. While we're on the topic of drinks, if you're in the mood to let yourself go this coming Saturday, why not gather up some troops and head to Lady Lea's birthday party at Trinity, Cape Town. Better yet, enter this super-easy competition and get in FREE. Boom! That's an extra R50 to blow on shots.

Line Up

// DEAN FUEL //

// CHRIS JACK //

// LADY LEA //

Visuals by:

// CONTRABAND //

I have 6 x General tickets and 4 x VIP passes up for grabs to the first people to comment on this post with their name and preferred contact method (email, telephone, Twitter, Facebook, snail mail etc.) May the Frost be with you...

Blatant Racism On Social Networks

This post has been taken down because people got antsy. 

Is Heineken Sponsoring Illegal Dog Fighting?

So, this picture did the rounds this morning, and in its wake it left a wave of criticism and hate towards the Heineken beer brand. People threatening to boycott the brand; people swearing that they'd never drink Heineken again (we've all said similar things before I'm sure), but how valid is this really?

Here's my thinking: which is more likely?

Heineken: we’re one of the most well-known brands in the world. In light of this fact, we are going to sponsor illegal dog fighting, knowing full well there will be video cameras recording the action. We have every faith that this will never find its way anywhere near social networks.
Or,
Anonymous: we hate Heineken and would love to decrease their popularity and/or sales. Let’s get a teenager who knows Photoshop (a little bit) to place some Heineken banners in this super low-res photo and get it trending on Facebook and Twitter. Boom.
Or,
Venue: we stock Heineken and use Heineken branding in our venue. Unbeknownst to most people, we also use the venue for illegal dog fighting matches. We have full-on film crews on location to get all the action on camera. We honestly haven’t even considered the fact that the Heineken branding might find its way to social networks. Oops.

People just love to jump on the hate wagon. I'm not claiming to know the truth of all this. For all I know, the people who do branding for Heineken were genocidal dictators in their past lives. But a simple visit to Heineken's website or - God forbid - a Google search wouldn't hurt. Here's the statement from Heineken regarding the picture. You can see the real thing on their site.

Statement: Images of dog fighting circulating on the internet

Images are circulating on a number of websites showing what appears to be an illegal dogfight with Heineken banners (placed upside down) clearly visible. HEINEKEN is shocked and disappointed by this image. HEINEKEN is not and would never knowingly be associated with illegal activities, including those involving cruelty to animals. This is a gross misrepresentation of our brand and our legal team is now investigating the source of the picture and will take the necessary measures. We ask anyone with information regarding this picture such as the source, or the venue where it has been taken to contact us.

So there you have it. Have a good day!

I Have Hilarious Friends

This is my 101st blog post on The Frostical, so I guess I should say thank you to everybody who reads this shit and a big 'fuck you' to Google who still haven't reinstated my AdSense account - even after I appealed. Twice. Google, minus points. 

And what better way to celebrate my Dalmatian Post than to post a conversation between two of my closest friends. This interaction occurred shortly after @The_Krans joked about my oldPad 2 on Twitter. The conversation that ensued is based 100% on factual information.  

Krans:

Nick is so sad on twitter that there is a new iPad out

Krans:

So I called it an oldPad2 which didn't help

Dennis Krige:

Hahahaha!

Dennis Krige:

Oh well

Dennis Krige:

A new pad comes out every 15 seconds

Dennis Krige:

He gets what he gets then

Krans:

Hahaha

Dennis Krige:

iShit is the worst

Krans:

'The iPad 16/04/2012 16:20:15'

Krans:

It's a better name!

Dennis Krige:

It is a better name!

Dennis Krige:

I hear 'the iPad 16/04/2012 16:20:16' is far better

Krans:

Fuck! I wish I'd bought that one...

Dennis Krige:

Too bad 'the iPad 16/04/2012 21:20:16' is out in the States already

Krans:

It features the brand new "money eating" feature

Dennis Krige:

And the state of the art virginity protector

Krans:

Oh wait, an update has come out, but it costs you a first-born son to upgrade

Dennis Krige:

And the soul of a Lemming

Krans:

Good, I've upgraded using my child and a Lemming as payment

Krans:

FUCK -- new iPad!

Krans:

And no more kids...

Dennis Krige:

I'll get excited about the iBrain

Krans:

But the new one comes out in the shape of Steve Jobs' balls

Krans:

And you log on by kissing it gently - but caringly.

Dennis Krige:

And showing it picture of your wife in the shower

Krans:

And then it empties your bank account by default, before immediately being replaced by a newer version

Krans:

True that, it unlocks the Wi-Fi

Dennis Krige:

Oh Apple...

Dennis Krige:

You are a cruel mistress

Krans:

Wish I could show this chat to Nick.

Dennis Krige:

You can...

And they did. You can follow @The_Krans and @denniskrige on Twitter for more of this golden gold. Happy Monday!

Wired World by Catherine Sassoon

Catherine Sassoon, professional Cape Town-based photographer (and also my cousin) is holding her latest photographic exhibition at the AVA Gallery in Church Street from April 10th to May 4th. Her concept is one that will strike a chord (pun intended) within all of us, as it tackles the topic of human loneliness as a result of increased connectivity - coincidentally a topic that Memeburn covered this morning.

I have always been drawn to shooting buildings, spaces and landscapes that I find beautiful or interesting. My choices of subject come very much from the heart and I tend to want to capture that which moves me.

In these photographs I am exploring a theme of wires and wiring of all types which seems to depict our connectedness and yet juxtaposes this with a sense of desolation, isolation and loneliness.

There is a sense of desperation to be linked up in every way possible to modern technology and yet we are, and are becoming, increasingly forlorn. Catherine Sassoon

I'll see you there.

How To Spell Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

I think I'll let the picture do the talking today.

Chuck Norris: The Game

I hate Chuck Norris jokes as much as the next guy, but this is just the best. Refresh the page to restart the animation.

I want that game.

What Have I Done?

I hope I see you guys next week. See picture below.

And counting...

Owl: A Must See

The last time I was in a theatre, I was working the fly gallery for a hometown production of Neverland. So, on Saturday, when we decided to head down to the Intimate Theatre to see a one-woman show called Owl, I had no idea what to expect.

It's a story told from the perspective of a 10-year old, Owl (Briony Horwitz), who moves to Overberg with her dad after her mother passes away. Owl perfectly incapsulates the alien feeling of being uprooted from your comfort zone and having to endure vast change, while also introducing themes such as self-discovery, making friends and falling in love. Jon Keevy's writing and Briony Horwitz's acting - although the play is clearly not intended as a comedy - manages to lend a sense of light-hearted innocence to the performance, often ushering a choked laugh or two from the captivated audience. 

Using only Fiona du Plooy's choreography and battered old couch on wheels as a prop, Briony manages to arrest attention and successfully bring to life a simple story about a troubled youth trying to do the right thing. I highly recommend it to everyone. 

Owl is showing at the Intimate Theatre in Cape Town until Friday 2nd March, after which it will be showing in Grahamstown. Booking details can be found here.