Event: First Thursdays 3/12/2013

An event to put into your diary / iphone / galaxy / brain / hand. First Thursdays occurs on the first thursday of every month and involves the late night opening of art galleries, coffee shops and various crafty boutiques to the public after hours. This operation therefore attracts and populates Cape Town's CBD from 5 - 9pm.  

(if I'm not mistaken, this event does exist in numerous cities accross the world as well)

Myself and a few friends took the trek to town and began the walk. We were given a street map with pins on the various places that were open. It was a breezy evening so we often seeked refuge in the galleries, which provided not only shelter from the elements but visual entertainment and the opportunity to converse with the artists.

Some very well-known places were conveniently open including the South African National Gallery. It was clear to see how December is finally here, this the season - since so many people from out-of-town have flocked and flooded Cape Town's streets creating a vibrant and dynamic atmosphere. I dig it. 

To add to the experience was the food. Obviously. Due to the populated streets, restaurants were buzzing with all languages and laughs. Being the adventurous types that my friends and myself are, we easily chose a unique foodstop; a foodtruck - two of them. 
Planted in a parking lot beside a church, these two foodtrucks produced delicious gourmet dishes. Simple, clean and tasty. 

So there we sat, on the steps off a church, eating restaurant-quality food in the middle of Cape Town's central business district ending off the evening together. 

 

cool, bye.




 

Esquire or GQ?

It's time to start a new magazine collection. Now, this may not seem like much to you, but it is to me. I will be putting aside a certain amount of money each month for this new publication so it better be worth it. I've narrowed it down to two choices: Esquire and GQ, other choices included Visi, Stuff and Time (and by those I mean Playboy, FHM and Maxim). However those can be bought at leisure rather than monthly. 

I felt like I was lacking a magazine type which was devoted to men's lifestyle and that the ones that I do collect aren't really dedicated to that. That doesn't mean that I lack guidance in my life and am trying to find a replacement for an absent father figure, because I'm not. In fact, my father genuinely raves over men's lifestyle publications and it always introducing me to various ones and collects some of his own, but that's besides the point. It's something that we share in common and I would like to develop mine into a collection so that once in a while I can show him a thing or two. That's not the only reason. If you've read my previous post on the topic you'll understand why.

I have found not much of a difference between Esquire and GQ, which makes this decision even harder. When I ask people which one they think that I should start purchasing monthly, most of them, without hesitation, say Esquire. Why? Is it because the name sounds swanky? That's certainly a viable factor in my head. 

The burden of choosing a specific country's edition of the publication is also a problem. However my father has instructed me to follow the US edition. I have to say I do agree with him. So then why is it a burden? (wow, Nathan)

I enjoy the retro vibe that emanates off of Esquire, it gives it a bit of an edge. GQ is rather slick and rigid. I don't really feel like I can relate to such structure. That is why Esquire will probably be the answer. Plus, it has a swanky name. 

Cheerio Bumbleheads

Knock Knock Stationary & Waldo Pancake

So it's a new month, July. American independence day,  Andy Murray winning Wimbledon, Macaroni as well as Bastille Day and if I'm not mistaken the nearing end of the northern hemisphere school year (and the start of my second semester).   

It's been my mid-year holiday for the past two-and-a-bit weeks. My family along with two others decided to dodge the flocking of tourists heading down to Cape Town by planning a holiday up the east coast to the town of Plettenberg Bay, a seaside town along the majestic South African Garden Route, only to find we were not alone in contemplating an escape from the city. Expecting a quiet escape, we discover all of the people which we wanted to avoid. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a week of cycling, eating, shopping and scrabble-playing in a house along the river secured in a complex with tennis courts which were enjoyed regularly. 

It was just the other day when I was walking along the town's main road in order to retrace my steps back to a bookshop which I had visited the previous day. I remembered clearly a stand with quirky note-making books as well as paper pads. You'll understand more if you continue reading. I was desperate to buy something from that stand and would not return home without something. With the 140 rand (14 dollars) which I had on me at the time, I could only afford roughly two small items. So I bought these:

Left: a notebook (Waldo Pancake) | Right: a bunch of postets (Knock Knock Stationary)

Obviously I wanted to buy more things but had the insufficient funds. Let these items be an indication as to the type of things which the stand contained. 

The notebook belongs to a brand called Waldo Pancake, a brand specializing in the production of items with witty sayings on them. Whether they're notebooks, bags and other obsolete items, they make you laugh, or at least chuckle silently.

The pad of postets belongs to a brand called Knock Knock Stationary. I don't know how to describe the types of things which they make so I will just show you. In a nutshell, it is a company dedicated to making pointless stationary-related items with peculiar functions and purposes such as the one which I bought, which really cannot be all that useful. However they are quite fun.

Waldo Pancake 

Knock Knock

These items you need to see on a large scale so I have not made a larny collage. 

Except for the journal, these items are pads of paper. There are many other products which are made by this brand, these are however some of my favorites. 

Upon browsing, you will buy something. It's a (new) written rule of life. 
Enjoy. 

Links:

Knock Knock
Waldo Pancake  (link to their shop and not the actual site, it has a better array of their products)

Cheerio Bumbleheads

Debriefing | June 2013

(and some of May)

I thought that I'd sum up everything explained throughout the month right here, in an end-of-the-month synopsis, a bulk explanation if you will. A summary. A nutshell. A debriefing. Whatever you choose. 

Without boring you with my endless rambles. Here is a collection, of everything mentioned throughout the month. 

Let this post be an indication that the month is over. For future reference. 

Speak again next month!

Cheerio Bumbleheads 

Obvious Electronics | Summer 2013

I'm going out on a limb here by dedicating this post to those experiencing summer in the Northern Hemisphere currently. Although I am one who lives down south who is currently experiencing winter, summer is more fun to talk about. Just a disclaimer. 

I am once again taking a dive into the deep-end by assuming that you readers are well-aware about various gadgets and the technological trends which the world experiences. These trends are continuously speeding up, making their purposes ever more obsolete faster and faster. If you are one who is not clued up, please visit Stuff.com. If you are one who chooses not to be clued up, then go away.  

Stuff is magazine entirely dedicated to the latest gadgets leaving you drooling after just one read. With their monthly rankings of various technological devices at the end of every issue, it's a pretty helpful tool in assisting ones purchases. Do yourself a favor and just read it. Who doesn't like some occasional product lusting? 

I thought that this segment could come out every season. The only problem is, which hemisphere do I follow? (due to seasonal opposites) Me being one of the ten percent of the global population residing down south, and assuming that most of my readers are from the north, a problem arises. I don't know the outcome. All I know is that it's winter down here and as much as I enjoy it's perks, summer is undoubtedly a better time to be outside, capturing memories and being antisocial with one's cameras and cellphones as if social awkwardness is a new hipster trend.

I will be discussing one of each technological essential required to enhance one's life and everyday experiences during the lovely summertime slowly awakening up north, you're welcome. 


Beats Studio Headphones
The sun is out, being it in America, Europe or the East, you're sitting in a park leaning against a tree, perhaps reading a book? That's your choice. But you have your cellphone / music device handy and ready to blast the tunes. Here are your trusty headphones! They may be too bulky but then you discover that they fold up making them darn convenient. One specification; in my mind, they have to be green. I think it's a summer color but I may be wrong. I just like it. 

Canon EOS 700D
Let's paint another picture. Still in a park. I assume that all first-world-youth do is sit around in parks all day because the weather does not cater for the beach. However America begs to differ, I am just making a generalization, and a terrible one at that. Anyway, the park, perhaps with a picnic? Again, it's your choice. You're with friends, laughing at the funny faces they pull in each photograph taken with this photographic masterpiece. I believe that this camera is brand-spanking new to the shelves of global photographic stores. In a nutshell of a nutshell, it's an updated / identical version of it's parent the 650D.  
     

Samsung Galaxy SVI
You may be wondering, why not the Iphone 5? In my head, the Iphone 5 is old news. As soon as speculation of a 5S emerges into the mainstream, I struggle to fixate on something that will soon be replaced by a better one. The Stuff magazine refers to the S4 as a 'superphone' which it is, obviously. 
You're still sitting in that park with your mates, snapping picture after picture. But this is where that new hipster trend comes in, the social awkwardness being observed by a strange man sitting on the nearby bench. He wonders to himself; "Why aren't these kids talking to eachother?" Instead, what he fails to observe exactly what the kids are doing, Instagramming. Obviously this phone offers more than that, but that's a general popular activity done on devices such as these. Keep it on you always, after all, it's your life companion and carries the risk of replacing friends. One needs a balance of the two.  
   

Go Pro Black Edition
Just an incredibly fun device to own. Enough said. 

A Tablet Of Any Sort
Preferably an Ipad or Android device. However I do find certain Android tablets to be bulky, it's entirely up to you. Another device to confuse the man sitting on the nearby park bench. If you are fortunate enough to live in a city where wifi is everwhere, this will be one of your most valuable possessions. It's pretty much everything-in-one but I'm sure that you already know that. 







It's much easier to establish the importance and life enhancement which these products are able to provide if you picture them in situations, much like the park idea explained. That applies mainly to Europeans, assuming your summer weather isn't all that summery. Americans, go wild, let your imagination paint a picture of how you would use these products to such as extent that it triggers your bank account. 

Well those are the essentials, put them together in one bag and you've you yourself a few grand in whatever currency you may use. Please look after them, let them not get stolen. (yes, dad)


Cheerio Bumbleheads  

First Cars

The aching of parents' wallets is certainly not cured by the purchasing of a first car for their beloved children. Perhaps you, the child, are buying it for yourself and in that case I commend you. Cars that kids want these days are pretty out of the first car price-range. However lets dwell on what we can't have, it's often easier.  

What your parents think they're going to be buying you

"You need a car which you don't have to worry about crashing, there's absolutely no reason whatsoever to buy you a brand-spanking new car when you've just gotten your license"   

  - every parent that has ever lived.

It's pretty much human nature to want things that we can't have. Cars are probably the most prominent example of that. I can easily whip out a lengthy list of cars I want, but I won't (right now, perhaps later in this post). 

When most kids dream of their first cars, me included, price range doesn't matter. Appearance and the 'bells and whistles' that the cars come with are the dominant decision-makers. Obviously one would dream to own a Porsche, Ferrari or even a Maserati, I will be paying more attention on actual possible first cars that may seem to be slightly extravagant. However I do advise you to check out 'My Super Sweet 16' if this is too boring for you. 

Here are the four cars currently dwindling around my brain: 

Alfa Romeo Giulietta

BMW 1 Series Hatchback 

Mercedes A Class (2013 model)

Volvo C30

One cannot simply deny that these cars are not incredibly attractive. Also, one cannot simply deny that parents will, without a doubt, buy one of these for their kids as a first car. However it's nice to imagine. I'll personally buy one of these for you if you can successfully through a tantrum big enough to get your way. 

Let's take a moment to concentrate on what life is like once you've obtained a drivers license. However first, a learners license. Once written the learners test and past, I would estimate that you're about 40% of the way closer to driving independence. After that you are allowed to drive with a legal driver in the car beside you and are able to physically learn to drive. In my country, seventeen is the age when one gets their 'learners'. At this point in time you are still very much in school mode, experiencing exams and work pressure. Getting one's learners is therefore an exiting achievement, signifying the near end to one's school years. 

One year later and you are capable to obtain your actual drivers license. With one year of practice and perhaps cheating on your paper, you are now an adult. I would say that this moment is one's initiation into adulthood, signifying the end of one's childhood and the entrance into a world of freedom and responsibility.

"But Nathan, what if you are in your 20's without a drivers license?"

I am going to be harsh here. Unless you have a medical reason for not being able to drive, perhaps blindness or narcolepsy, you are capable of it. Therefore, if laziness or fear got in the way of your attempt to obtain a drivers license, that's a self-induced problem which only you can eradicate. What I'm trying to say is that, since achieving legal driving status is such a valuable attribute in achieving adult status in the world, if you don't have a drivers license, you rely on lifts from others, making you a TEENAGER. Obviously being street-smart, responsible and independent are vital in a young adult, I believe that being able to drive makes all of those things much easier.

You could always find a job and earn the money for yourself in order to buy the car of your dreams, if your parents are into all of that 'self-reliance' stuff. I'm sure it certainly does make you feel proud. However if it's one of the cars mentioned above, you will need some financial aid. 

Cheerio Bumbleheads  

      

Iphone or Galaxy | The Mother of First World Problems

There comes a time, at the end of your cellphone contract. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The light which you've been anticipating for two straight years. The moment where you can finally hop back onto the speedy road of current technology. With rivals Apple and Android releasing new devices as quick and easy as changing your socks, it's hard to keep up. As soon as one purchases a new phone, it's already out of date. 


So what do you do? 


There isn't anything you can do that's practical. What you could do is ditch the phone you have at the time and buy a new one as they are released. But that's obviously a no no. Unless you have money to clean your floors with, do the sensible thing and wait. 

My cellphone contract is seeing its dying days. That's all good and well but what cellphone do I want? The sleek, smug and brand offered by apple in its deliciously irresistible Iphone 5 or the techno-jam-packed-all-in-one Samsung Galaxy S4? It's hard not to be able to distinguish this issues' high place on the feudal system of first world problems.

But why should the Iphone and Galaxy be one's only option? There's a whole world out there of spectacular cellular devices to choose from. I sit and contemplate as to why these are my only two options. I think about what they offer and why the world raves so much about them. I begin to understand why and secure my decision. It's as if ones decision is either black or white. I decide to choose between one of those popular choices. 

I am one who enjoys to observe and participate in the race for technological supremacy, it benefits us consumers greatly. However it is a tad too fast for most to keep up. Does it really give people enough time to settle down with their electronic devices' current versions and to get used to them? No really. But this race isn't ever going to slow down, only speed up. 

Back to this problem. Which device should one choose? It entirely depends on the person. For me, I see joy in both, which makes the decision even harder. One's choice has to be secure enough in order to endure the cellular device for two years before allowing a new one to enter your life. When I see the Iphone I see all the experiences which I will enjoy along with it, using Instagram and all its lovely additions to my advantage. I do also prefer its smaller size to the S4 however the S4 is also pretty magnificent. It's a super-phone, offering one everything. Before the release of IOS 7, Android was way more up-to-date in its operating system than Apple, allowing my decision to lean more towards Android. But now, everything has been turned upside-down.      

I have wanted an Iphone for much longer and feel that if I abandon that lust I will feel as if I will miss out on its fantastic features and opportunities. That being said, I have never endured Android to the extent of owning a device which runs on it. Point to Apple. 

The Iphone is looking better and better. It will probably be my next phone. Although anything can happen. The S4 is still looking pretty good. It still stares at me, as if to call me over. However the Iphone does too. Ah the decisions one has to make. Although I think the Iphone will find its way to my heart eventually. 

That being said, what color does one get? How about a phone cover? 

Oh dear. 


Cheerio Bumbleheads

IOS7 Synopsis

So what's the deal?

I will not bore you will every technical detail that this highly anticipated mobile operating system has changed and improved, however I will be discussing the most obvious things; its new look and new features. After all, we consumers care for nothing much else. It is, however, enriching to know its technical enhancements, I suggest that you read that on the countless reviews which sprung up out of the blue. 

It amazes me, judging from the video displayed above, the articulate speech used to promote the software already presents the "apple is the way of life" platform right in front of you. All you need to do is allow yourself to be immersed in it and to merely float on over. It really isn't hard. 

So what is the actual deal? I've heard remarkably mixed reviews on it's new appearance, the most obvious one that it resembles Android, which I must say that it does. But is that a bad thing? Those who are liberal in the rival between Apple and Android, do you really care? The video displayed above expressed the simplicity and efficiency this OS provides but with the same layout as previous IOS versions. I do have to agree however not having first hand experience with the software, we use our eyes to judge don't we? 

Let's have a recap. The appearance in my opinion is flawless and I have to compliment it. I am on who quite enjoys simplicity. Just as a new layout comes along, it makes you realize just how out-of-date the previous IOS was. The bubbleness of the apps previously have now been removed. It was nice while it lasted. But with an ever-changing world where technical rivals are experiencing a constant war, IOS 7 should place Apple 'back up there' with Android where it belongs. 

Some new additions: control center, airdrop, itunes radio and pretty much totally simpler apps. I don't feel like diving into the depths of this discussion because I frankly don't feel like it. Let's float above the discussion and only mention the key comments. Control center is exactly what it says it is. It's a useful addition which allows even greater simplicity. Go apple. 

If you've read about Airdrop you'll know it's function. I think it's pretty neat. 

Overall, I commend apple, obviously. Although I do highly enjoy apple products and count myself a fan, I do dream about android devices in my spare time too. I would count myself as a liberal but people who know me personally might beg to differ. This revamp and rejuvenation of a much-loved operating system was a good move, well done. There's irony in simplicity in a world where things are getting more complex by the day. 

So how close is that platform to you? Don't worry, it'll get closer. 

Cheerio Bumbleheads