More nice, less nasty

It's not surprising that everyone's feeling a little down about everything from political doom & gloom, an ever-increasing petrol price (up another 55c this morning) and the scary inflation that's part of the vicious circle. I've certainly been doing my fair share of moaning) though I don't think that's a bad thing. On the contrary, I think it's important that people talk about issues and tackle them head-on instead of the government style head-in-the-sand routine). Nonetheless, I think it's time for an arb post with more of the positive and less of the nasty. So here goes...

The other week, I joined some of my closest friends for a seriously fabulous evening at Madame Zingara - and what a party! I'd heard from others who had been before that it was a good evening out but it completely exceeded all of my expectations. (In case you've never heard of Madame Zingara before, here's a little background info... A few years ago, Cape Town was home to two sister restaurants - Madame Zingara and Cara Lazuli. Both were gorgeously decadent venues - hugely popular, until Madame Zingara was pretty much razed to the ground in a fire (very dramatic!). It really was very sad. Anyway, to cut a long story short, the Madame Zingara guys found themselves in Belgium where they bought a big circus tent and hired a bunch of talented perfomers. They then brought them back to South Africa where they set up the tent (the Theatre of Dreams) and started sell-out shows where they feed and entertain 400 people a night. Very cool.

The second you enter the marquee, you're transported into a Moulin-Rouge-esque world of costumes and gaiety (for lack of a better word). The atmosphere is insanely jovial and all the people who work there are in fancy dress. Not to be left out, there's a little shop where you can stock up on wigs, masks, boas and whatever else takes your fancy - and all at a very reasonable price. (I went with a tiara which was a lot more subtle than the cow hat and 70s afro wig my friends bought. Anyway...) The food is amazing!!! (I had the chocolate chilli steak - incredible!) And the show is awesome (think Cirque de Soleil, though on a smaller scale). The music ranges from dramatic to beautiful to seductive and is the perfect accompaniment to the mind and body-bending feats performed by the artists. Though to be fair, even as I write this, I know I'm not doing it nearly enough justice. Please, do yourself a favour and go see for yourself! One of the bonuses of performing in a tent is that it makes the show mobile. I went to Madame Zingara's when it was in Cape Town, but it has since moved to Durban. Ticket's aren't cheap - they range from R300 to R350 but trust me, it's well worth it! Book early though. Tickets are scarce. Like chicken teeth.

We took a ridiculous amount of photos that night, but considering our attire and state, I'll spare my buddies (and I) the indignity of public humiliation and instead, show you what the tent looks like from the inside. Now close your eyes and picture it with people.

Hmmmm... let's see - what other good stuff is happening? Well, I'm off to the James Blunt concert soon (at the end of May) - looking forward to that. And of course, the girls are back with a vengeance in the Sex and the City movie - out May 30th! Can't wait. I've missed them! More good news is that Marian Keyes' latest novel has been released. (Overseas, that is.) It's available from online shops but I'm hoping they'll publish it locally because it's horribly expensive at the moment. Keyes is one of my all-time favourite authors and I can't wait to read her latest offering!

Other cool stuff... I was checking out the SA blogging forum I'm on and one of the other bloggers had a post about Aardman's 'Animals Save the Planet' shorts. (Aardman - ring a bell? Wallace and Gromit, Angry Kid, Creature Comforts, Morph [back in the day!!!] to name but a few.) Anyway, they've put together a few shorts with handy 'save the planet' tips. Educational and entertaining to boot! Check it out. (Thanks to Darrin at http://www.dazland.com/. That's where I spotted it.)


Other positive stuff? I woke up to the sounds of Abba this morning. Before you start dry heaving, I'll have you know I think Abba is great, so BRING IT! It was especially surprising to hear Abba as my alarm radio is tuned to a talk radio station - but they're doing this 'feel-good-morning-song' thing and today Dancing Queen cracked the nod. 'Made this Sleeping Queen's morning a little less ugly.

And now for the parting gift: hidden in between all the nasty and depressing stories on News 24 today, I came across this one. Am I the only one who thinks it's hilarious? Watch out boys and girls of London-town - don't let your ass fall victim to the mysterious butt-grabber. Word to the wise. Out.