When one visits Cape Town there are number of ‘must see’ and ‘must do’ activities that should form part of your agenda. There is the obvious: Table Mountain, whose incredibly flat surface earned itself a spot as one of the 7 wonders of the world. There are the stunning beaches, the beautiful fynbos and the diverse wildlife. Let us not forget one of our major attractions: the V&A Waterfront. This incredible venue is a celebration of South Africa and more appropriately, Cape Town. The Waterfront is home to an array of various shops and restaurants. They boast a wide variety of activities that could entertain both local and international visitors alike. The Waterfront experience is a unique one which can be enjoyed by the whole family. Whatever you seek: whether it be a gourmet meal from an up-scale restaurant; a ‘shop-till-you –drop’ outing with your friends; or a fun day out with the family, the Waterfront is the place you should look to visit. Amongst many other things, this fine establishment is plays host venue to one of the largest Aquariums in the world.
If you are a Capetownian and you are yet to visit the Aquarium I have two things to say to you. Firstly, shame on you. Secondly, do yourself a favour and get off your lazy bum and make the trip down to the V&A Waterfront, and show your face at one of Cape Town’s hidden gems. What an experience. The Aquarium is something most of us have experienced at some point ,usually when we were younger when our parents used to drag us along to anything and everything they thought was mildly educational ,however fun. Just walking around the place you can’t help but notice an abundance of young children running around, their noses pressed up against the glass as they eagerly watch the variety sea-life that calls the Aquarium its home. They are usually accompanied by an over-excited adult who, rather annoyingly say things like: “Ah look at the wittle feesh’s”. However annoying this may be, this is the nature of the crowd at the Aquarium, fair enough.
When someone speaks of the Aquarium you immediately associate it as a place for little children. Sure, you will find people that are genuinely interested in the happenings of the underworld. These marine enthusiasts will be there every so often but the majority of people that experience the Aquarium are young children and families. Personally the last time I was there was when I was a baby-faced 10 year old boy. What surprised me most during my brief outing today was that there was a 10 year gap between my visits. Why have I not been back in so long? Sure the associations with the Aquarium may be rather childish, however the content of information and the animals ‘on display’ are anything but childish. They are real-life. They are interesting. And in a world where things like Global Warming and pollution are so prominent, it is a relative, educational outing that I believe should be enjoyed by everybody, particularly our youth. Do not be confused I’m not talking about the snotty nosed 7 year olds here. I am talking about people like me, we are the future and we should be made aware of some of consequences of Global Warming. The Aquarium had a lot of information not only about the sea animals it was home to but also about the effects of sea pollution on Marine life. Gone are the days of looking at the pretty little fishes .The aquarium is an educational sanctuary.
Although short-lived, my experience of the Aquarium was a fantastic one. I found myself taken aback by some amazing creatures that I had no idea existed. It is scary to think that we know more about the face of the moon then we do about the bottom of the ocean. There are so many beautiful and bizarre creatures out there that we have no idea exist. The ones that we do know about and some that we maybe don’t are all living and waiting for you at the V&A Waterfront. Get your kid off the couch and away from the PlayStation. Get your friends to come down and discover some of the crazy happenings of the underworld. More importantly, get yourself down to the V&A Waterfront, shelve the shopping and fine dining for one afternoon, and educate yourself at the Aquarium. It is a phenomenal experience that you will have to try very hard to forget.
Over 170 episodes, more than 1000 minutes of TV stretched over7 seasons. And we still haven’t a clue as to how he met their freaking mother. The series up for review today is the popular comedy sitcom How I met your Mother.
This popular comedy series has become a household name in many families around the world. The show is a light-hearted, funny portrayal of a man (Ted Moseby) telling his kids the never ending story of how he met their mother. The show consists of 5 main characters. Namely: Marshall Erikson, an aspiring environmental lawyer whose goofy personality provides the show with an abundance of humour. Lily Erikson, Marshalls wife a kindergarten teacher who is a college friend of Ted Moseby. Ted Moseby, the main character around which the story is set. He is both a character and the narrator in the series who remains unseen in his re-telling of the story about how he and the mother of his children met. Robyn Sherbotski, An attractive Canadian news reporter who is constant falling in and out of love makes the show endearing and comedic in a rather romantic kind of way. Finally, Barney Stinson. The ultimate ladies’ man and the character that everybody loves to hate, his vulgar humour and outlook on life in general makes for great viewing.
Over the years we have seen some brilliant sitcoms that will be etched in our memories forever. Who can forget shows like Cheers? Or Friends? Watching these classic comedies became a routinely ‘after-dinner’ activity for many households and families around the world. These shows were special because of their ability to connect with their audience. Characters were relatable in a sense that people could see themselves in the characters portrayed on their TV screens. Watching someone go through what you going through and seeing how they deal with the various situations they find themselves gives us a sense of comfort ,and reminds us that we are normal and the obstacles we deal with are in fact the norm and we needn’t worry. The light heartedness of the shows provides us with the comic relief that we all need after a long day.
I can’t help but feel that too many shows have tried to piggy back on the Friends bandwagon as we often see sitcoms created with a very similar plot. A bunch of friends, in their late twenties. They all happen to hang out at the same restaurant/bar/coffee house every day. They will always be mixed sex friends. The one boy will always have a crush on the one girl or vice versa. The other one will always be looking for love. And then there is the single, inappropriate one who everybody loves to hate. Sound familiar? While I do believe that How I Met your Mother is an incredibly entertaining show I can’t help but feel that the plot isn’t all that original and it’s become the unwanted baby sister to a classic comedy such as Friends. While the story-telling nature of the show is an original approach I think it has almost lost some of its entertainment and overall appeal by dragging the story over 8 years. The writers have exhausted all possible storylines with the other characters and the show hit a metaphorical wall after its second season. Don’t get me wrong, the humour in the show is current and refreshing. There is no doubt about it, it is a funny show. However for it to be in the same league as some of the other great series before it, I can’t help but feel it needs something more than just good humour.
The nature of the show has limited the storyline of the characters somewhat and I find myself, as an audience frustrated and irritated. I am frustrated simply because I have devoted hours of my life to watching a show repeat itself within every season. I’ve watched over 100 episodes which totals up to over 1000 hours of my time. That’s nearly a week of my life I’ve spent watching TV. You want to know the worst part about it? I still don’t know how he met their freaking Mother.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0IsNdd9UWQ
Mondays. We hate them. We forever complain about them. We dread them. The thought of getting up early after a peaceful weekend frightens us. The daunting challenges that Mondays naturally present, scares us. What could make these days worse? One word: traffic. The mere thought of sitting in my car in the morning is enough to make me envision myself on an island far far away. I will further my questioning as I ask you what could make the mundane task of sitting in traffic on a Monday morning even worse than the dreadful experience it has become? The answer: bad radio advertising.
As I’m sure we all do at some point during the week, I often find myself stuck in traffic. Being stuck in traffic has got to be one of man’s most frustrating past times. It is the reason we are late for meetings, and reason we arrive at work in a bad mood. Traffic, is however made bearable thanks to Radio. Radio provides us with a perfect distraction from the evil that is traffic. We all have our favourite radio stations and some of us even look forward to tuning into them, particularly during early morning traffic. We listen to our favourite DJs, we find out what’s going in the news, and we keep up to date with the latest music. These are the fundamental reasons we listen to our favourite Radio stations. What we are forced to listen to, like it or not is: Radio Advertising. Some good, and some bad. The good ones inspire us, they motivate us to purchase a specific product or invest in a particular brand. The bad ones make us want to drive slowly into oncoming traffic.
The ad campaign I am reviewing is FNBs ‘Steve’ ads. If you know what I’m talking about I trust that this campaign infuriates you as much as it does me. If you haven’t heard it, allow me to break it down for you: In the ad there is a phone call. Steve is calling from an anonymous bank which is bleeped out in his voice over. He starts to question the person on the receiving end of the phone call about their banking habits. He is ultimately trying to persuade the potential customer to join his bank. The customer responds by saying that they are more than happy with their current bank which is ironically, FNB. The customer then begins to list the benefits of FNBs eBucks initiative. Steve is left lost for words, and sheepishly ends the phone call.
Now that doesn’t sound all that bad does it? Try hearing the same ad four times in the space of an hour. It is exhausting. If anything this ad makes me want to do anything but invest with FNB. It has become so annoying that I immediately switch off when I am forced to listen to ‘Steve’ and his phone call. This ad is not terribly clever and is relatively straight forward. The insight into their potential customers is relatively simple: People get annoyed with Banks phoning them. To their credit though (and it pains me to admit this) I believe they have done an outstanding job in creating awareness about the benefits FNB has to offer. As annoying as the ad itself may be, everybody is talking about. Whether they are blogging as to how shocking the ad is or complaining about it to their colleagues at work, they are talking about it. Any publicity is good publicity right?
Whilst the ‘Steve’ campaign may prove to be successful in terms of raising awareness I feel that the ad in question is not. As I alluded to earlier I think the message was portrayed poorly and the insight into their consumers and their behaviour was virtually non-existent. The people responsible for creating this ad could have done a lot more with this brief. Personally I can’t stand these ads as I find them incredibly irritating. However they have created awareness through repetition. Is it a successful ad? Probably, yes. Is it a good ad? Absolutely not.
Mama Africa.
It’s a Friday evening; the girlfriend is in town and it’s time to find somewhere to eat. In an attempt to try something different, we venture out to Long Street. Just driving up Long Street is an adventure in itself. I found myself taken aback by the stunning sights, smells, and sounds this Street has to offer. From the diverse range of people that were roaming the area to the aromas of wonderful foods and spices of the restaurants. Being there was one experience, walking the Street was another, but deciding where to eat was a whole new experience in itself. I found myself spoilt for choice. We were bombarded with a variety of options. Each restaurant boasted something different, however, exciting. After much deliberation, my better half and I decided that Mama Africa would be our host for the evening.
Mama Africa is a beautiful restaurant, rich in culture, history and African traditions. As we entered the establishment we were greeted by a group of African traditionalists who were singing and dancing in good spirits. The music was vibrant; however one may argue that it was a bit loud. Conversations were hard to come by as hearing wasn’t an easy task considering the music in the background. Although the music was at times a bit much, the performance itself was short-lived which made it bearable. The musicians were extremely interactive with the customers at their tables and certainly added an element of entertainment to the evening.
A table was hard to come by as Mama Africa is clearly the place to be for many families and friends on a Friday night. We had to wait about half an hour for a table, which put a bit of a dampener on the evening. Had it not have been for the good company and general atmosphere of the restaurant we would have been very tempted to satisfy our hunger needs elsewhere. To their credit (for creating such a vibrant atmosphere) we stuck out the half an hour wait until we were finally greeted by a friendly waiter who was eagerly waiting to escort us to our table. We were both particularly hungry that evening and I was keen to feast my eyes on the menu to see what Mama Africa had to offer.
Being a student, my eyes often wonder to the right hand side of the page where the price is revealed, as my budget is somewhat limited. Thankfully the menu was reasonably priced and my wallet didn’t take too much of a beating. I was able to afford a 300gram rump which I couldn’t wait to tuck into. I placed my order and began to patiently wait for this delicious protein. Roughly 20 minutes had gone by and dinner was served. Accompanying my steak, much to my surprise, was a large portion of the traditional “pap”. I’m not a huge fan of this traditionally South African delight and was bemused when I found it alongside my beautifully cooked steak. However, “the show must go on” as they say and I proceeded to gently prod it away into the corner of my plate as I tried to ignore it was even there. To the credit of the kitchen, the steak I had was as close to perfect as it could have been. I found myself enjoying an explosion of flavours and taste sensations with every bite. The food on the whole was, delicious and served in good time with no mistakes. While the food was delicious it certainly wasn’t fantastic, perhaps by judgment were obscured by my overwhelming hunger.
As a whole the Mama Africa experience was a good one. The vibe was incredible. It made me proud to be African as the restaurant itself is a celebration of African heritage and triumphs of our wonderful continent. The service could perhaps do with some refining. More impatient customers would have exercised their right to leave after not being showed a table for over half an hour. The food was good, not great, but good. If you want a truly African dining experience and are searching for something different as you look to escape the more traditional Southern Suburb type restaurants then this is the place for you. If you are more interested in ‘Masterchef’ like food I’d suggest you try something elsewhere. I am a firm believer that eating is so much more than an action we are obligated to perform in order to survive. Eating should be about the experience, the vibe and the surroundings in which you do so. It is a celebration, not an obligation. When reviewing a restaurant one can’t simply make a judgement based solely on the food, but you have to look at the experience as a whole.
Great company. Great vibe. Great experience. Good food. Great night out.
