aussie authors

i think i have a thing for Australian authors. some of my favourite authors throughout school, like Morris Gleitzman, Jaclyn Moriarty, and Judith Clarke, have been Australian. i don't know what it is about them, but the stories are almost always a little strange or quirky; they're not quite "normal", and i love that.

in primary school, i used to read collections of short stories by Paul Jennings (another Aussie) and they were the Weirdest Stories I've Ever Read. seriously. there was one about a boy whose lips got stuck to an ice statue he was kissing. (fo' real) they always creeped me out a little, but they were fascinating and addictive.

my favourite Aussie authors are two females, though: Jaclyn Moriarty and Judith Clarke. their stories are not quite as weird, but there's still an element of magic and fantasy in them. i think they've influenced my writing a lot. there's something dream-like about their stories, even though they are about everyday life, which is something i try to capture in my short stories (i don't know if i manage to achieve this, though :) )

so i'm grateful to Aussie authors. they've broadened my horizons a little, and taught me to think and write with imagination and creativity. and a little bit of weirdness to keep things interesting.

Recommended Aussie books:

• One Whole and Perfect Day - Judith Clarke
• Feeling Sorry For Celia - Jaclyn Moriarty
• The Spellbook of Listen Taylor - Jaclyn Moriarty
• Kalpana's Dream - Judith Clarke
• Blabber Mouth - Morris Gleitzman
• Water Wings  - Morris Gleitzman
• any collection of short stories by Paul Jennings. they usually have titles like "Unreal!" or "Uncanny!" or "Wicked!"

jack cavanaugh

(posted by Kelsey)

To be honest, I’m not a fan of history. But I’ve just read a book that weaves the history of South Africa into a beautiful fictional story. Shockingly, it’s written by an American author, Jack Cavanaugh. I know. Yet he somehow captures the essence of Africa and our lovely land so well. I learnt stuff about the wars and lives of the Boers and Xhosas and Zulus and Griquas that I was always too lazy to find out. Quest for the Promised Land – history made simple yet beautiful.

guy buttery

there's something beautiful about the acoustic guitar. guy buttery is a musician from KZN who writes and plays the most amazing guitar music i've heard. he has incredible skill, but he also has an ability to create emotional, passionate melodies which stir up a response in his audience.  i've put in some videos of him, but they really don't do him justice... i can't explain it, but this is just something you have to see live to fully appreciate. there's something about the atmosphere, the stillness and silence in which you can hear every echoe of every string plucked - it's a physical and emotional experience like no other.

beautiful, dewy pictures

these are some photographs taken by Helen Dean on a misty morning in Springs (that's near Jo'burg). i like them a lot.



dandelion





yes, that's a real web!




more webs...



letting loose - it's good for you

two nights ago, i went to a crazy concert. it was by a band called Desmond and the Tutus (i love that name), and it made me realise something.

it was a hot, heavy, humid Durban night and the venue was packed, which meant that even just standing still caused sweaty foreheads and upper-lips. for some reason, i love these nights. there's something about that intense heat and those flashing lights that gives the evening a surreal, dream-like quality. when you look back on the evening, you remember it as if it was the perfect night, like a beautiful, fleeting dream.

so the atmosphere was intense and heavy, the room was dark... and then the band started to play. Demond and the Tutus play this crazy dance music, which seems even crazier because of the lead singer's ridiculously cool hairstyle and dance moves, and his speak-singing voice. the crowd went crazy, and i started to dance. it wasn't just normal, nodding-your-head-to-the-beat type of dancing, either. it was unrestrained, flailing-arms-and-feet type of dancing, and it felt amazing. it made me realise that maybe we all need to let loose once in a while. and i don't mean just getting drunk or doing something reckless: for some people, it might just mean a night of crazy dancing. it's the best feeling in the world to let go a little bit, to stop worrying about yourself and your image, and to just enjoy the moment.

it's a love story

(posted by Kelsey)

this is crazy cool. not only because strings and piano together is the glory realm of music, but also because this song is dedicated to Sarah, Jon Schmidt’s (the piano man) 7 year old daughter. she’s a Swifty fan, so her dad intertwined Love Story and Viva La Vida by Coldplay into this masterpiece. it is beautiful.

katy b - katy on a mission

man, i love this song. the sort of dubstep beat is amazing and it just makes me happy when i listen to it. katy b is a singer from the UK who's sort of new-ish on the music scene and i think she's going to start making waves soon...

the amazing-ness that is whimsy

if you've been to a cool art gallery or flea market recently, you will probably know all about whimsy. it's an imaginary, illustrated world created by artist Amelia Smith, which is full of fantasy, adventure, and innocence. Amelia makes and sells limited edition prints, stationery, and t-shirts, among other things, all containing a bit of the magic and charm of whimsy. here are some of my favourite prints:

i love whimsy because it reminds me of childhood and imaginary friends and raucous games of hide-and-seek. it's simple and delicate and beautiful.

the whimsy website is also quite a work of art! you can see it for yourself here

a shortshort story with no name

It was hot. It was the type of heat that smothers you under a blanket of thick mist until you’re not really sure whether you’re awake or asleep. It was on this hot night that she dreamed about beach balls and salty sea and Mark From Down The Road. It was a confusing dream which wasn’t confusing at the time she was dreaming it, but puzzled her for a long moment afterwards.

It didn’t just puzzle her, either: it hung around her like a pretty, Indian scarf she saw in the shop window once. She was acutely aware of its presence for the entire week, feeling its soft weight on her shoulders and back.

“Hey, let’s go to the beach.”

It was Saturday and so they went. The thick, gloopy sunscreen made her skin turn white-ish and made the grains of sand stick to her in a not unpleasant way. She looked down at the chipped blue nail polish on her toenails. I must, she said to herself, do something about that. She looked up, up – and felt her breath catch in her throat. It was Mark From Down The Road.

He was looking down at her, his eyes sparkling in an agreeable way. He smiled a slow, sandy smile and said intelligently, “Hey”. She felt the pretty, Indian scarf of a dream slowly lifting from her shoulders and saw it flutter away, carried by the warm breeze. She thought of following it, but then remembered that Mark From Down The Road was talking to her. “Hey”, she said back.

It was the best conversation she had ever had. She talked about ice cream and music and break-dancing while Mark From Down The Road smiled his sandy smile and nodded in a most adorable way the entire time. She was already planning their wedding in her mind and wondering if Mark would still look sandy, even in a suit, when he spoilt it all.

“I hate that guy,” he said. She was startled by the malice in his voice, and she was even more startled by the sudden realisation that this was the first time he’d said something in the past fifteen minutes. She followed the line of his glaring eyes to an unassuming young man who was engaged in burying a girl’s legs in the hot sand. “He just thinks he’s so cool – but he’s such a loser.” The words looked ugly as they came tumbling out of his angry mouth. The sound they made grated painfully against her ears and she covered them with her hands quickly. Her beautiful, sandy dream of a boy was flying away, just like a pretty, Indian scarf she’d seen once in a shop window.

“I think I should go home now.” The words, as she said them, brought her back to reality. Reality, she thought as she walked back alone, is not such a bad place to be.

paolo nutini

paolo nutini is one cool kid. he's a musician from Scotland (with an Italian name) and he makes some beautiful music. his first album, These Streets, was released a couple of years ago and it contained a couple of radio hits like Last Request, Jenny Don't Be Hasty, and New Shoes. it also contained the very pretty White Lies, which i'm listening to right now and which is making me very happy :)

his latest album, Sunny Side Up is a little different in that it's not as commercial and radio-friendly. it's a lot more folky and quirky, which i like. here's a video of him performing one of his new songs, Growing Up Beside You. i reallyreally like this song... i like to think of it as a wedding song (which is kind of a weird thing to do, but i'm a girl and a romantic).

i have to put this video in too 'cause it just makes me smile so much. doesn't it look like they're having so much fun?

dancin' like a fool

i love dancing. which is funny 'cause i can't really dance. i ain't got no "natural rhythm". at all. in fact,  i look like a complete loser when i dance... but it's okay.

the thing is, everyone looks like a dork when they dance (well, except those crazy-cool people on Step Up and suchlike). if you don't believe me, just look at people the next time you're at a party: arms flailing, lips pouting, hips shaking in ways you've never imagined... they look a little lame. but the important thing is that they're enjoying themselves. they may never boogy their way into a 50 Cent music video (i like the word "boogy"), but at least they're allowing themselves to have fun.

i used to be one of those people who just looked on while others tore up the dancefloor, but after a while i realised that i really wasn't having fun. so i tried a little dancing... i nodded my head in time to the music... i allowed my friends to drag me onto the dancefloor... and it was the best feeling ever. a couple of years afterwards, and i'm still making a complete fool of myself with the best of them :)

everyone looks lame when they're dancing. but the one thing that's lamer than that is being too scared to dance at all. because, believe me, there is nothing more fun than moving along - completely out of time and carefree - to the beat of an awesome dance tune.

just look at ol' John Travolta - does he look ridiculous or what??

awesome austen

my sister and i have recently discovered the amazingness of Jane Austen. for those of you who haven't heard of her, Jane Austen wrote classic romance novels like Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility among others.

i will admit that before i actually tried reading Pride and Prejudice, i thought classic novels were a complete bore and went nowhere slowly. and the truth is, they are slow-paced... but there's something beautiful about that too. one gets taken to a place where people are more relaxed and less stressed about life in general; a place where people actually listen to each other and take the time to have meaningful conversations (after all, they had nothing much else to do). it's also a place where love and romance were much more simple and innocent, which i like a lot. Jane Austen's books are the ideal treat for a hopeless romantic, like me. no matter what happens, you can always be sure that true love will conquer all in the end - what more could you ask for, really?

romance novels - especially classic romance novels - are not for everyone, though. i have a friend who just loves reading stories about gruesome murders and psychopathic killers *shudder*. but, really,  i think everyone should try to read a classic. if we were all a little more open-minded, i think we could discover a whole new world of things to enjoy. because where's the fun in sticking to the tried-and-tested when there's so much more?

and if you don't like reading, there's always the movie:)