If Rihanna’s ‘We found love’ or Avicci’s ‘Levels’ wasn’t dead before Vensters, then it was guaranteed to be killed on Thursday night.  A very observant mother even asked her first year son whether the songs used in the dances were prescribed. (Unity rather than individuality is probably a key factor right?)

News on Victoria Street is that Nerina & Helshoogte put on a very impressive spectacle, Eendrag had a mind-blowing techno dance which involved costumes resembling something straight out of a Black Eyed Peas-video, Harmonie & Pieke ingeniously turned Vensters into Windows XP, and Dagbreek & Heemstede definitely knew they were sexy in their take on LMFAO’s ‘Sexy and I know it’.

Particularly attention-grabbing moments at Vensters included the new PSO Olympus & Academia, whom decided to leave a traditional backdrop and used video screens to play clips during the show; some didn’t even have a backdrop at the end of the evening as the wind ripped apart that of Venustia … We also noticed that Serruria & Vesta had a Justin Bieber scene, which was very similar to that of Lydia & Dagbreek in 2011 – good to use what worked in previous years, right?  Nonetheless, it was certainly an entertaining evening and word on the street has it, that at least 1 700 tickets were sold.

Then came Saturday morning’s entertainment, in the form of the new ‘March for Madness’ … With very little anticipation, but using Vlotte as our form of reference, we were miserably disappointed.  From terrible marketing (no maps indicating routes or times), the traditional ‘Carnival’ grounds (Die Braak) being left open (however, I must mention that the MAD² festival at Van Der Stel was worthwhile), and to top it off – awkward silence as participants passed by … I could not imagine it being a bigger waste of time …  What was it supposed to be? Vlotte without Vlotte?

Communication problems between the Mad² committee and certain participants also resulted in (at least) one Mad² partner being excluded – Denneoord & Kolonieshof; not being aware of the day’s events at all – sent all their first years home and thus losing all points awarded to the days’ event.

I reckon, honestly, it might have thought to be a decent alternative to Vlotte, but in future it must genuinely be brainstormed and implemented better.  Perhaps Vlotte can be on a smaller scale – like decorating a ‘trollie’ instead of a truck?  Just an idea … Otherwise I don’t see ‘March for Madness’ having a long shelf life.  (By the way, could someone maybe inform our office what happened to the so called “Madness”?)

Closing impression of the week is that, it was entertaining and we savoured it exhaustively.  I still believe that the last year of the Mayan calendar will be one of much potential.

Rest assured – there will still be countless stories …

Hanru Redelinghuys

Photo: VNeS Photography [Harmonie & Pieke Vensters 2012]

Boutique Beer Festival

A selection of Micro-breweries will present their style of beer all under one roof.

Venue:

The Woodmill, Vredenburg Road, Stellenbosch

date and time:

FRIDAY

3 February from 17:30pm – 10:00pm

 Tickets: R30

Includes a beer glass and 5 tastings.

limited tickets available:

Phone 0786257388 to purchase or visit the woodmill friday night market.

www.thewoodmill.co.za

The album that is still untitled will be released in early 2012 and is one of the most anticipated albums of the year.  The single also started charting on various radio stations including 5FM and KFM.  The single also received a music video, supporting the success of the track.  The video was done by Star Productions and produced by Adam Thal and directed by Tristan Holmes.  The music video is plain, but still delivers a punch with some special effects.

Delazy became known after her breath-taking performance at the 2011 African Concert which was broadcast over the entire continent.  We are excited to see more material being released soon by this artist as it can only get better.  Who knows, she might even get recognition by international record labels.  Keep it up Delazy, we have been waiting for our own pop sensation for some time.

Hanru Redelinghuys

As the new generation of students are steadily settling into Matie life and the senior students are progressively flocking into town we bring about a new chapter in our lives. What can we precisely anticipate from University in 2012? Will the reactivation process of our student cards again be filled with technical errors? Will each university residence live up to their stereotypes of prior years? Is Simonsberg yet again going to have nightly housemeetings in Terrace and how successful will the new club Casbah be?

News on Victoria Street is that the Tollies of old is back, have eradicated that infamous “good night” smell on their floors and should once again be a commendable contender for preferred place to go out the night. This Thursday’s upcoming Vensters event is promised to be filled with Rihanna’s “We found love”, LMFAO’s “Sexy and I know it”, Avicci’s “Levels” and Coldplay anthems. And according to some first year gents (that wish not to be mentioned in order to hold peace with their MAD2 partners) – Minerva’s “Klingels” have been tipped as being the most beautiful first years, perhaps the “Slakkies” from Serruria or the “Ditte” from Heemstede haven’t been recognised yet? I wouldn’t know – all I know is that 2012 is going to be one hectic year for all, filled with numerous banks on the Rooi Plein telling us they make no profits on student accounts, many surprises, pain and hopefully mostly filled with much joy.

What an awesome ad campaign! Love this!

Johannesburg – The heads of the country’s public universities continue to rake in millions of rands in salaries despite government’s promise to cap their pay.

According to Selamolela, the value added by university bosses is not equivalent to the exorbitant salaries they are paid.

Mom, can I eat this kid hilarious photo! And a a few more photos that are sure to make you lyao! (LAUGH YOUR ASS OFF!)

My roommate my freshman year was a pretty cool guy, but about halfway through the semester he got this asian music arcade game imported from Japan. It’s like guitar hero with no strumming, except the buttons make a ridiculously loud noise every time you push them. He proceeded to play this game until 2AM or later almost every night, even during exams. So the day before it was time to go home for Christmas, I unscrewed the bottom of the controller and filled it with 3-month-old moldy nacho cheese. I then put the screws back in, and he was none the wiser. It’s only a matter of time, bro.
Steve M. from Caltech

I was late applying for housing freshman and got stuck in a room with 3 other guys. One of these guys was just awful. He never showered, clipped his toenails all over on OUR beds not his own bed, and came back in the room at 6am every single day. When he was moving to another room because we had complained so much about him, we decided to “help” him along and put all his stuff in the hallway and lock the door. When he came back he was absolutely irate. He knocked down Seth’s dresser, breaking his lamp and speakers in the process, as well as nearly crushing the third roommate beneath it. He then left and came back in about 10 minutes with some people from down the hall to help him get his stuff, and knocked down the dresser that we had just gotten everything back in over again, and stomped all over Seth’s stuff. The funny part is, he was moving to another building entirely because no one in the entire hall wanted him as a roommate, and the people that came to help were only there because they wanted him out quicker. A few months later I heard from a friend that he had gotten arrested for stealing his new roommate’s ipod. Makes me wonder if he stole anything from me.
Matt M.

So my new roommate is a lovely Serbian boy from Canada. He’s really into Serbia and culture so if he isn’t lecturing people about Alexander the Great he’s listening to Serbian folk music. The other night one of my friends came into my room to talk to me and he got to talking to my roommate about Serbia (Bad choice). My roommate goes on and on so I tuned him out until I hear him say “Well, communism isn’t really that bad.” And he went on to explain that communism would work if “You Americans” didn’t come along … What? Okay so my roommate is a communist! (That might explain why he takes all of my food for himself) But I mean, who doesn’t enjoy the idea of communism? So I let it go. It’s not that bad, right? So down the line I go on Facebook and his profile picture is him standing in the middle of our room (you can see all of my Doctor Who posters behind him) with his hat tilted so that it casts an ominous shadow on his face and he’s holding a crow bar across his chest like he’s about to bash someone’s head in. The caption is “Cock the steal it’s kill or be killed” to which I peed my pants in sheer terror. Maybe he just enjoys fixing cars while listening to rap music, right? So I let it go.

I rarely go on his side of the room but when he left for winter break he didn’t move his desk away from the heater so I did it for him. So I get one of my friends to help me lift his desk and as we move it a drawer slides open to reveal that his top drawer (in comparison to my top drawer which holds chocolate bars and tape) had only a dagger inside of it. Yes, a dagger. No, not a letter opener or a pocket knife. A dagger. The closest knife I can find is by Google searching “sacrificial blade”. Long story short, my roommate is a communist who plans on killing me at some point in the near future. If I die soon, at least my story has made it to the masses.
Matthew Begbie

My current roommate seemed pretty cool at first, until I realized that she sleeps ALL THE TIME. When I leave for my 9AM class, she’s asleep. When I come back at around noon, she’s asleep. After my 3PM class, she’s asleep. She wakes up at around 11PM, does homework until 3AM, then sleeps again. I literally couldn’t make a sound in my room, EVER, or she would flip out. Well last weekend she went to visit home. We had just made a grocery run, and she bought TONS of perishable foods. So after she left, I unplugged her fridge. On Sunday, when I knew she was about five minutes away, I plugged it back in. She basically came back to a hundred bucks of rotten food. Luckily she’s not smart enough to realize what happened. Oops.
Lynn H. from Southwestern University

A couple of years ago I shared an apartment with 2 girls and 2 guys. One of the girls was absolutely gross. She wouldn’t shower much and when she did she would use everyone else’s soap, shampoo, etc. What grossed us out the most was that she would leave her DIRTY (physically dirty, nasty stains) underwear on the floor in other peoples bedrooms. One day we put plastic gloves on and took her dirty underwear out to the living room and hung it up on the ceiling fan. When she came in at night with her boyfriend and turned on the light/fan all her nasty stained thongs flew all over the living room. Her boyfriend was disgusted and she was so mad she cried. Best part? It only took her 2 weeks to move out.
Nikki T. from MDC

My roommate freshman year was nice, pretty, and smart but a complete and utter slob and a closet whore. She would leave for the weekend and leave half eaten food all over her side of the room. Not to mention she had a boyfriend for a long while and began banging basketball and football players religiously. Her side was so messy, and anytime something was on my side I would literally punt it to her side of the room. At the end of the year, she didn’t come home one night (again). I took one of my condoms and put some lotion in the end and threw it on the floor under her bed. Being a bit tipsy, I forgot this even took place. The best part was her dad’s face on move out day when he swept the “used” condom out from under her bed all while knowing she hadn’t seen her boyfriend in months. Def a bitch move, but hey, don’t be a sloppy raging whore and that stuff wont happen!
Jenn H. from Penn State University

A CAPE Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour veteran has survived an attack by three robbers when motorists came to his rescue, with one couple chasing after his attackers and retrieving his bike.

A perfect day for training for the Cycle Tour turned into a day of fear for Japie Harmse, 55, who escaped serious harm thanks to a few good Samaritans.

Harmse had been on his regular route along Bottelary Road towards Stellenbosch yesterday afternoon to prepare for his 10th tour.

On his way back to his Northpine home, he was attacked by three youths at Kayamandi outside Stellenbosch.

“I saw the three approach the side of the road as I pedalled along. Suddenly, as I drew alongside them, I noticed them coming for me.

“One guy came from the front and the other two from behind. I was riding slowly and they reacted so quickly, I realised I was not going to be able to accelerate away from them, so I tried to get off my bike.”

But in trying to get off, Harmse fell heavily on the road and the three were on top of him.

One held him down while trying to unzip the cellphone pocket in his riding top, while another grabbed his bicycle.

“I told them they could take my phone and my bicycle, but just to leave me unharmed,” he said this morning.

“But then a motorist in a Mercedes-Benz drove up and hooted, which made them hesitate. Shortly after that a person in a double-cab bakkie stopped and then a couple in another double-cab bakkie stopped.

“The man in the second bakkie got out and ran at them from behind his vehicle.”

Conrad Koen and his wife, Sandy, in the second bakkie, had been driving home from Stellenbosch after dropping off their daughter at boarding school.

“I saw Japie riding up ahead and then I saw these three guys jump him,” Koen said.

“I drove straight at them and stopped, while they had him on the ground and were trying to take his stuff. As soon as I got out of my vehicle they ran away.

“I helped Japie up and we put his bicycle in the back of my bakkie. We gave him a lift home.”

Sandy said they had got to the scene at just the right moment.

“My husband drove at them as if he was going to run them over and then stopped. As soon as he got out they ran away. It is so typical of such people. They take on a person when he’s alone.”

Harmse said he had hurt his left shoulder and right leg when he fell.

“My shoulder is quite sore this morning, but I am sure I will get ready for the Cycle Tour. It is just so sad that one is not safe anywhere anymore. I’ve heard of such incidents many times, but this is the first time I’ve experienced it.

“Motorists get such negative publicity, but if it wasn’t for the people who stopped and hooted, things might have been a lot worse.”

Last night, Harmse decided the best way to say “thank you” to his rescuers was to write to the Cape Argus.

“I trust that you will place this letter as my sincere thanks to Conrad and his wife, Sandy Koen, as well as passing motorists who rescued me from three guys while practising for the Argus Cycle Tour,” he wrote.

“It was due to Conrad’s heroism and bravery that my attackers fled the scene.

“Conrad, I could imagine you telling me that you were just doing what any other person would have done in this situation, and I am very thankful that you were there, but you went beyond that. You guys were my angels on Sunday.

“I hurt my shoulder and have some bruises on my left arm and right leg, but otherwise I will be ready for the Argus Cycle Tour 2012.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Harmse did not lay charges with the police.

Safety and security tips for cyclists:

l Never cycle alone.

l Report any incident to the police immediately.

l Register your bicycle model, make and frame number. This could help the police recover your bike.

l Take a clear colour photograph of your bike and write down its description, including any unique features, so that you can report it accurately if stolen.

l Avoid isolated or dimly lit places.

l Park your bike safely and considerately. Use cycle parking stands where these are provided. Park your bike where it will not be a hazard, obstruction or inconvenience to pedestrians.

l If your bike is expensive don’t lock it in the same place on a regular basis, so that it won’t be noticed and later stolen.

l Always wear a helmet.

l Always carry identification.

l Avoid riding in gutters or close to parked cars because a driver could suddenly open a door.

l Do not use a cellphone or music player while riding.

l Watch out for glass, drain covers, oil or sand.

Instructions

Mix ingredients with some ice in a cocktail shaker and shake.
Then strain into a highball glass filled with ice.

John Mayer – Free Fallin’ (live) | What a champion song! This guy can seriously play a tune; top class musician I reckon! I’m always right! Now that we agree, watch him performing it live! Enjoy!

A palette of greens, blues and yellow with a creative theme of movement created a collection that was sophisticated and still, poetic. African prints were tied in minimally, but brought in a textured statement of detail.

We saw flow dresses contrasted with tailored jackets, layers, reinterpreted neckwear and crafted pieces all beautifully composed. Such inspiration for your winter styling!

VESSELINA PENTCHEVA presented a more ‘traditional’ palette for winter with deep, warm colours of velvet textures contrasted with lace, hardware and floral detailing.

NAKED APE explored the Urban Tribal Man with dark browns and blues, leather bottoms and tweed.

My favourite part of the show was the incorporation of dance into the entire collection – while many people call for just ‘pure fashion’ I thought that it was an endearing reminder of fashion as a part of the life and soul of any nation.

FUNDUZI by CRAIG JACOBS injected energy into the evening with a collection that brought in bold colours, crafted frills, floral detail and beading, fluidity and vibrancy.

There were pleats pulled to the side, dashes of gun metal for a metallic slash, graphic tees and linen pants. Definitely battling winter dreariness with a whole lot of (FUN)duzi!

We saw gorgeous winter colours from SIES! ISABELLE with pieces that had a relaxed and fluid aesthetic. The drapery and ‘throw’ concept had a romantic and playful edge to it.

What did the people wear?

What I wore…

Contributor: Shaakira Chohan

The 25 year old New Yorker told India’s NDTV that this is her directorial debut and that she hopes it will be a huge success.  Last month the singer was spotted in New York, shooting the video, dressed in black with a short blonde wig as she danced on a roof of a car in pouring rain.   She is also set to perform at the X Factor result show later this month.  This is however not where her performances stop.  She will also be performing at the Grammy’s later this month, as well as at the European Music Awards early November.

It seems as if there’s no stopping this New York girl.  It was also reported that she is already working on new material for her next album.  She however told the press that she won’t be releasing a new album anytime soon as she is still planning her ‘Born This Way’ tour.  There’s no reason for her fans to be saddened by this as her Born This Way: The remixes will hit stores by mid-November.  All we can do now is wait and see.

Contributor: Gary Arendse

There was such a buzz of excitement around the Winter Collection.
The first show of the first day was my personal most anticipated: the Elle Mr Price New Talent 2011. I believe that the talent that we get to see from emerging designers, in all its freshness and boldness, is what allows the industry to keep growing and re-inventing itself. The designers this year reminded me of the reasons that I love design so much- the theme Show us your Pattern was translated in unique, exciting and artistic ways – truly representative of the future of our country.

The show kicked off with Amber Jones, whom you know I am a HUGE fan of. Her collection was delicious (and this is beyond my bias;)) – the models came out wearing clothes that were accessible, sophisticated, unique and on trend. Best believe that when the rage hit selected Mr Price stores this past week, I needed help carrying out the bags!

Cleo Droomer,, the 2010 winner of the Elle New Talent’s collection addressed a sportier apparel with neon orange and yellow accents. His new range for Mr Price released in stores recently were so delicious that they were cleared out in days!

This year’s finalists proved that there is talent oozing from all corners of our country with designers from Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg and Pretoria.

While each designer presented a truly expressive collection, the winner, Kelly Esterhuyse, was a well deserved win. Her designs looked at patterns within knitwear and was contrasted with leather-look bottoms with belt and buckle details. The knots, twists, twirls and stitches of the neutral-palette knitwear was thoughtful, crafted and tactile.

The runner up, Kutloano Mookomme’s collection was also exquisitely detailed with his Asian-inspired draped jumpsuits and motif over-pieces.

Contributor: Shaakira Chohan