S and I trundled off on Sunday to Lionel Murcott's birthday party. He's an amazing artist, and he has some amazing artists as friends.
I have about eight of his works on my walls.
The picture here is Emilia, his spunky 16-year-old daughter. She has dreadlocks. And as a result, she's leaving her current high school in favour of one with more liberal hairdo policies.
Also present at the party were Roger Ballen, Tinus Horn, and Alistair Findlay. All of them are major artists in their fields.
Lionel, Tinus and Alistair were the core members of a portrait circle which disbanded some time back. They're reforming, and I'll once more be part of it. Yay!
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Cafe, Melville
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Service: * * * 1/2
Food: * * * *
Ambience: * * * 1/2
Babe Count: * * * * *
Phone: +27 11 482 4309
Address: 66 4th Avenue, Melville
S has just come back from boxing, and we're hungry. But we're tired of the same old places.
Which makes me think of CAFE in Melville. It's got a delightful porch, with comfie chairs.
And even though we're in the middle of a blazing summer here in Johannesburg, it's damn chilly.
'Look at that!' says S.
She's pointing at a blanket draped over each of the chairs on the porch.
'Do you want the red one or the white one?' I ask.
She's wearing red today, so she chooses the red one.
I order spicy Moroccan lamb stew with couscous, and she goes for the grilled salmon with steamed vegetables.
The food arrives, and I'm happier than a lamb frolocking in a field. The plate is not overly large, and the portion is just the right size. (I'm very much against HUGE portions. They put me off. In this case, the amount is right. And I'm VERY hungry.)
S takes a bite of her salmon. 'Roy,' she says, 'this is the best fish I've tasted in South Africa since I've been back from London.'
She spent about five years living in London. Now that she's back, she's already making waves in the musical theatre field. (Yes, yes, yes... I'm proud of her. So sue me for bragging, okay?)
We're both very puzzled about how quiet the place is. So I say to Raymond, the manager, 'You guys really should be a lot busier than you are. Is it always like this?'
He says, 'Today is out of the ordinary. We're normally really bustling.'
I say, 'Maybe it's got something to do with this cold weather?'
S says, 'This is the best meal I've had in months!'
And then I take a snap of her on my phone, and she asks if she can do a self-portrait. Which she does. And that's the pic I've used to illustrate this post. Talented gal, huh? She sings and dances and laughs too.
Service: * * * 1/2
Food: * * * *
Ambience: * * * 1/2
Babe Count: * * * * *
Phone: +27 11 482 4309
Address: 66 4th Avenue, Melville
S has just come back from boxing, and we're hungry. But we're tired of the same old places.
Which makes me think of CAFE in Melville. It's got a delightful porch, with comfie chairs.
And even though we're in the middle of a blazing summer here in Johannesburg, it's damn chilly.
'Look at that!' says S.
She's pointing at a blanket draped over each of the chairs on the porch.
'Do you want the red one or the white one?' I ask.
She's wearing red today, so she chooses the red one.
I order spicy Moroccan lamb stew with couscous, and she goes for the grilled salmon with steamed vegetables.
The food arrives, and I'm happier than a lamb frolocking in a field. The plate is not overly large, and the portion is just the right size. (I'm very much against HUGE portions. They put me off. In this case, the amount is right. And I'm VERY hungry.)
S takes a bite of her salmon. 'Roy,' she says, 'this is the best fish I've tasted in South Africa since I've been back from London.'
She spent about five years living in London. Now that she's back, she's already making waves in the musical theatre field. (Yes, yes, yes... I'm proud of her. So sue me for bragging, okay?)
We're both very puzzled about how quiet the place is. So I say to Raymond, the manager, 'You guys really should be a lot busier than you are. Is it always like this?'
He says, 'Today is out of the ordinary. We're normally really bustling.'
I say, 'Maybe it's got something to do with this cold weather?'
S says, 'This is the best meal I've had in months!'
And then I take a snap of her on my phone, and she asks if she can do a self-portrait. Which she does. And that's the pic I've used to illustrate this post. Talented gal, huh? She sings and dances and laughs too.
Friday, December 09, 2005
Up close and personal with Nick Durandt, South African boxing legend
So it's no secret that my girlfriend S is doing some serious boxing training at Nick Durandt's Boxing World. And every now and then I go and sit on the sidelines with my palmtop and do drawings.
So it's Saturday, and Nick's there. And he hasn't met me before. And I walk up to him and go, 'Hey Nick. I'm Roy. S's boyfriend. Can I take a pic of you on my cellphone as reference? I wanna do a sketch of you?'
He's no stranger to photos. In his office, there's a snap of him with Joe Frazier (signed), and another of him with Don King (signed), and another of him and Madiba (signed).
He looks at me as though I'm a punching bag, and he's working out what size gloves to hit me with. 'Sure,' he says, and I snap a pic.
And I sit on the couch while S gets into the ring with Evans and spars lightly. I draw. And Damien, Nick's kid comes to see what I'm up to.
'Can I give you some advice?' he asks.
He's 14 years old. And S says he whacks the punch bag like a pro. I say, 'Absolutely.'
He says, 'My dad normally wears the hat much lower on his forehead.'
So I make an adjustment and show him.
'Ya. That's it.'
He's going to be a cricketer when he grows up. (His mom doesn't want him to box. But he still trains anyway.)
I show Nick. 'Hey,' he says. 'Not bad.' I show him the pics I've done of Evans and Mr Jones. 'Not bad,' he says. 'Do you do action pictures? I've got a few photos. I'll bring them. Maybe you can come round and do a few. We could sell them at fights. Fans dig this sort of thing.'
In the ring, S catches Evans on the side of the head, and he drops like a stone. Of course, she didn't 'catch' him, and he didn't realllllly drop. He's just humouring her.
Oh. Hang on. On second thoughts, maybe she did take him out. I'd better be careful what I say! She's a machine!
So it's Saturday, and Nick's there. And he hasn't met me before. And I walk up to him and go, 'Hey Nick. I'm Roy. S's boyfriend. Can I take a pic of you on my cellphone as reference? I wanna do a sketch of you?'
He's no stranger to photos. In his office, there's a snap of him with Joe Frazier (signed), and another of him with Don King (signed), and another of him and Madiba (signed).
He looks at me as though I'm a punching bag, and he's working out what size gloves to hit me with. 'Sure,' he says, and I snap a pic.
And I sit on the couch while S gets into the ring with Evans and spars lightly. I draw. And Damien, Nick's kid comes to see what I'm up to.
'Can I give you some advice?' he asks.
He's 14 years old. And S says he whacks the punch bag like a pro. I say, 'Absolutely.'
He says, 'My dad normally wears the hat much lower on his forehead.'
So I make an adjustment and show him.
'Ya. That's it.'
He's going to be a cricketer when he grows up. (His mom doesn't want him to box. But he still trains anyway.)
I show Nick. 'Hey,' he says. 'Not bad.' I show him the pics I've done of Evans and Mr Jones. 'Not bad,' he says. 'Do you do action pictures? I've got a few photos. I'll bring them. Maybe you can come round and do a few. We could sell them at fights. Fans dig this sort of thing.'
In the ring, S catches Evans on the side of the head, and he drops like a stone. Of course, she didn't 'catch' him, and he didn't realllllly drop. He's just humouring her.
Oh. Hang on. On second thoughts, maybe she did take him out. I'd better be careful what I say! She's a machine!
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Roy performing in a piece of physical theatre at the Civic in Braamfontein
2005-12-01 Daniel Buckland
This afternoon I was at the Actors' Centre at the Civic Theatre in Braamfontein. I'm part of a small group of people rehearsing a piece of physical theatre directed by Daniel Buckland, son of Andrew Buckland.
We're performing the piece on Monday at the News Cafe at the Civic. So get your butt down there, and you'll have a good laugh.
I was performing with a totalllllly numb bottom right hand side of my mouth, thanks to a visit to my dentist, Ian Watt.
I've been having hectic tooth pain. Turns out that many of my old fillings have developed leaks. This is a polite way of saying that they're not really sealed, and that organic matter is able to enter the tooth, leading to decay. And decay leads to moral torpitude. And that leads to supporting George Bush. And I wouldn't want that. So out with the old. In with the new.
It's quite tough doing hardcore sweaty physical theatre with a completely numb mouth, I wanna tell you. It screws with the balance. And everbody thinks ya might have had one or two beers too many at lunch.
This afternoon I was at the Actors' Centre at the Civic Theatre in Braamfontein. I'm part of a small group of people rehearsing a piece of physical theatre directed by Daniel Buckland, son of Andrew Buckland.
We're performing the piece on Monday at the News Cafe at the Civic. So get your butt down there, and you'll have a good laugh.
I was performing with a totalllllly numb bottom right hand side of my mouth, thanks to a visit to my dentist, Ian Watt.
I've been having hectic tooth pain. Turns out that many of my old fillings have developed leaks. This is a polite way of saying that they're not really sealed, and that organic matter is able to enter the tooth, leading to decay. And decay leads to moral torpitude. And that leads to supporting George Bush. And I wouldn't want that. So out with the old. In with the new.
It's quite tough doing hardcore sweaty physical theatre with a completely numb mouth, I wanna tell you. It screws with the balance. And everbody thinks ya might have had one or two beers too many at lunch.
Your search for a new dentist just ended
2005-12-01 Dr Ian Watt, Dentist Extraordinaire
Your search for a new dentist just ended. If you live in Gauteng, of course. I've been to a good few dentists in my time.
Until recently, looking into my mouth was like a treasure hunter's wet dream. Metal everywhere. But Dr Watt has been systematically refilling my teeth with a composite material that bonds directly to the tooth. If the dentist does it properly.
If your dentist has used composite in your teeth, and has NOT used a rubber dental dam to prevent saliva from entering the hole, then you had best get a new dentist damn fast. Cos that means your fillings are NOT bonded, and they ARE leaking, and decay is setting in.
I'm hoping Ian Watt will be around for a very long time. Look him up at the Wellness Centre in Bryanston. You might not recognise him from this pic though.
Your search for a new dentist just ended. If you live in Gauteng, of course. I've been to a good few dentists in my time.
Until recently, looking into my mouth was like a treasure hunter's wet dream. Metal everywhere. But Dr Watt has been systematically refilling my teeth with a composite material that bonds directly to the tooth. If the dentist does it properly.
If your dentist has used composite in your teeth, and has NOT used a rubber dental dam to prevent saliva from entering the hole, then you had best get a new dentist damn fast. Cos that means your fillings are NOT bonded, and they ARE leaking, and decay is setting in.
I'm hoping Ian Watt will be around for a very long time. Look him up at the Wellness Centre in Bryanston. You might not recognise him from this pic though.
Monday, November 28, 2005
2005-11-28 Robert Scoble
Just a quick portrait of Robert Scoble, the Microsoft Blogger. He'll possibly be pleased to know that I drew the sketch on an iPAQ 2210, running Windows Pocket PC. And that I'm sending this to Flickr from my Toshiba Tecra M4 Tablet PC.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Die Ou Pastorie, Magaliesberg
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Service: * * * * *
Food: * * * *
Ambience: * * * *
Babe Count: * * * * *
Phone: +27 12 207 1027 or 1091
Email: oupastorie@mweb.co.za
Web: http://www.dieoupastorie.com
S and I have just taken a drive in a Joburg thunderstorm through to Hartbeespoort and Magaliesberg. We're ravenous, since we haven't yet eaten breakfast.
She's driving, and thoroughly enjoying being behind the wheel of a little sports car. Since there's rain, the roof is up though. But hey.
We get through the gates of Die Ou Pastorie, and are warmly greeted by the dude waiting there. He points us to our parking space.
It's not yet raining here, so we're calm and unrushed in walking up the rustic garden path, past a lily-festooned pond.
A dude greets us, shows us to a table, and we sit outside under an umbrella. It's about 3pm, and my stomach is grumbling crazily. But before I can look at the menu, I HAVE to take a leak.
I head off to the loo, and get five steps closer to it. I see a tiny hopping movement from the corner of my eye.
"S!" I shout, trying to hush my voice, but failing in my excitement. I'm like a little kid at a bunny park. "Come look!"
She gets up, and rushes over to peer under the table I'm at.
"Oh, cool!" she says. "A little froggy!"
It's not little. It's ULTRA little. It's about the same size as the nail on my pinkie finger. Fully grown, by the looks of it. But just miniature.
Later, our drinks arrive. I'm sharing a glass of wine with S, to celebrate her getting the part in WE WILL ROCK YOU. But as our drinks arrive, so does the Highveld thunderstorm.
So Thomo, our waiter, rushes us inside.
Our food arrives. S has ordered the Butterfish. And I've ordered the Oxtail stew. I was going to order a chicken dish, but my body persuaded me to go for the meat. It must need it, or something.
And the stew is delicious. I once thought that The Question Mark in Melville made the second best Oxtail, and Sophia's in Rosebank made the best. But Die Ou Pastorie takes first place from now on.
It's worth the one-hour drive from Joburg.
We wait for the thunderstorm to end, and sit on the porch watching the rain pelt down. S takes a few phonecalls from key people in the show, and also makes a call.
She has to tell the writer/director of one show that she's accepted this role, and is no longer available for her to take the lead in his. It's a hard call, cos he's one of South Africa's funniest actors, and his show is going to be hysterical.
He takes it stoically. But he ends the call by saying, "You're going to be missing out on the FUN musical!"
I'm reallllly liking being in a relationship with this laughing, dancing, singing, acting gal.
Service: * * * * *
Food: * * * *
Ambience: * * * *
Babe Count: * * * * *
Phone: +27 12 207 1027 or 1091
Email: oupastorie@mweb.co.za
Web: http://www.dieoupastorie.com
S and I have just taken a drive in a Joburg thunderstorm through to Hartbeespoort and Magaliesberg. We're ravenous, since we haven't yet eaten breakfast.
She's driving, and thoroughly enjoying being behind the wheel of a little sports car. Since there's rain, the roof is up though. But hey.
We get through the gates of Die Ou Pastorie, and are warmly greeted by the dude waiting there. He points us to our parking space.
It's not yet raining here, so we're calm and unrushed in walking up the rustic garden path, past a lily-festooned pond.
A dude greets us, shows us to a table, and we sit outside under an umbrella. It's about 3pm, and my stomach is grumbling crazily. But before I can look at the menu, I HAVE to take a leak.
I head off to the loo, and get five steps closer to it. I see a tiny hopping movement from the corner of my eye.
"S!" I shout, trying to hush my voice, but failing in my excitement. I'm like a little kid at a bunny park. "Come look!"
She gets up, and rushes over to peer under the table I'm at.
"Oh, cool!" she says. "A little froggy!"
It's not little. It's ULTRA little. It's about the same size as the nail on my pinkie finger. Fully grown, by the looks of it. But just miniature.
Later, our drinks arrive. I'm sharing a glass of wine with S, to celebrate her getting the part in WE WILL ROCK YOU. But as our drinks arrive, so does the Highveld thunderstorm.
So Thomo, our waiter, rushes us inside.
Our food arrives. S has ordered the Butterfish. And I've ordered the Oxtail stew. I was going to order a chicken dish, but my body persuaded me to go for the meat. It must need it, or something.
And the stew is delicious. I once thought that The Question Mark in Melville made the second best Oxtail, and Sophia's in Rosebank made the best. But Die Ou Pastorie takes first place from now on.
It's worth the one-hour drive from Joburg.
We wait for the thunderstorm to end, and sit on the porch watching the rain pelt down. S takes a few phonecalls from key people in the show, and also makes a call.
She has to tell the writer/director of one show that she's accepted this role, and is no longer available for her to take the lead in his. It's a hard call, cos he's one of South Africa's funniest actors, and his show is going to be hysterical.
He takes it stoically. But he ends the call by saying, "You're going to be missing out on the FUN musical!"
I'm reallllly liking being in a relationship with this laughing, dancing, singing, acting gal.
Saturday, November 26, 2005
2005-11-26 Roy Blumenthal -- self portrait AND my girlfriend gets into WE WILL ROCK YOU
I'm busy scripting a piece of industrial theatre for a large candy manufacturing company in Durban. Will be flying there to present on Friday.
In the meantime, I've been going through the trials and tribulations of a major audition process -- by osmosis.
My girlfriend is an actress, singer, dancer. And she's just been through a most unbelievably tough audition journey. And made it to the other side!
S has been offered a role in the international hit musical, WE WILL ROCK YOU, showing from 6 May 2006 in Johannesburg!!!
(It features the songs of QUEEN, written by Ben Elton.)
I'm massively proud of her. Yeehaa! (And she turned down two other major musicals in favour of this one. And is on the callback list for a fourth one as I type.)
December is looking good. Got some income coming in. And am prepping a creativity seminar for the staff at an upmarket school in Sandton.
Coffee-Shop Schmuck reviews will resume as usual one of these days. Still in reinvention mode at the moment. So I'll probably just stick to updating my blog via my Flickr site. www.flickr.com/photos/56788416@N00/
Blue skies
love
Roy
In the meantime, I've been going through the trials and tribulations of a major audition process -- by osmosis.
My girlfriend is an actress, singer, dancer. And she's just been through a most unbelievably tough audition journey. And made it to the other side!
S has been offered a role in the international hit musical, WE WILL ROCK YOU, showing from 6 May 2006 in Johannesburg!!!
(It features the songs of QUEEN, written by Ben Elton.)
I'm massively proud of her. Yeehaa! (And she turned down two other major musicals in favour of this one. And is on the callback list for a fourth one as I type.)
December is looking good. Got some income coming in. And am prepping a creativity seminar for the staff at an upmarket school in Sandton.
Coffee-Shop Schmuck reviews will resume as usual one of these days. Still in reinvention mode at the moment. So I'll probably just stick to updating my blog via my Flickr site. www.flickr.com/photos/56788416@N00/
Blue skies
love
Roy
Monday, November 21, 2005
2005-11-20 Geo Britto -- Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed
Geo Britto is from Rio, Brazil. He's one of the maestros of Augusto Boal's THEATRE OF THE OPPRESSED. He was recently in Johannesburg, teaching a workshop on Forum Theatre, one of Boal's key techniques. I was at the workshop learning how to mount theatre of the oppressed productions.
2005-11-17 Dr Ian Watt
I had a friendly visit to my new dentist on Thursday. Awesome dentist. Definitely the best I've ever had. I drew this on my palmtop while he was peering into my mouth. (I was also using the palmtop as a communication device, scrawling little notes to him and his assistant while they worked.)
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