kiss me kate

I came across this shoot of Kate Moss for Vogue, and just loved the sheer decadence and the way the photographer captured the setting. 

CRISPY TOAST 2

So, i am proud to announce that my first toastmasters speech went off without a hitch last week. Its strange how the nerves kicked in just as I got on my bike to cycle to my meeting and then they dissipated as quickly as they had come, even when i found out I was going first. Maybe it's a room full of people with a common purpose and their judgement neatly stowed away that made the whole process of speaking in front of 25 people such a breeze.


I have set my self a goal to complete 6 speeches by the end of the year, this might seem an easy task but my meetings are only every 2 weeks and so that technically means i will need to do a speech each time i go to my meetings or round about there.


My first speech was just an introduction, but the second speech I am working on delves into the art of happiness and I will be sure to post it  as well as the video on my post once i'm done.


Sometimes I find it strange but obviously obvious that we as people focus on what we are not good at and try to master or be it, but what about being good at something and then perfecting it. That's how i feel about public speaking; i'm fine in front of crowd, verves do not get the better of me, its easy for me to write a speech and my voice reaches far corners, ...so why the hell am i bent on being a toasty? because i want to be better, i want to master something i already show promise in....how lazy of me :0


I strongly recommend joining toasty even if its just to be part of something, i promise you will learn something about yourself, i know I already have.

Street art

On a far happier note and moving swiftly along from my last post to something a bit more cheerful...street art.

I saw some great street art in Poland but still need to journey through the streets of Copenhagen to capture the local flavour , here's a taste of Krakow art

Happy Friday

AUSCHWITZ - BIRKENAU

I don't think everybody would decide that a trip was no trip at all without visiting some concentration camps along the way, well that's how I felt about going to Krakow, missing out on a wealth of history while I was there was not an option in my itinery.

The words translated mean: "work makes one free"

The journey from Krakow takes about an hour to get to the camp; we took a bus coach and watched a film on the ride over; that definitely set the tone and mood for what we were about to see.

By that stage I was feeling nauseous, yes; i get car sick but i think the documentary had much more to do with the feeling than the bus ride.

On arrival; we received a radio and headphones, the tour is so widely supported and popular that without this equipment tour guides would be shouting over each other. The equipment is also to enable visitors to tune into their own language and to also keep the noise to a minimum out of respect for those who suffered and died there.

Auschwitz was selected as a location for the concentration camp by Hitler in April 1940; it was selected for a few reasons but mainly because of it's central location within Europe. Criminals, Jews and those disobedient to Hitler were sent there by the thousands, eventually the camp became to small and was receiving unwanted attention and that is where the bigger camp Birkenau was built less than a 5 min drive away.

To even try and explain the horror and atrocities that were done here would be doing the time of this era an injustice. We do not know pain/ suffering/torture/ hatred and evil like these people experienced. 

Various activities took place here, sterilisation experiments, torture such as making 5 prisoners sleep standing up in pens and then still expect them to function as normal as can be at their work shift the following morning, starvation and experimental gassing using Zyclone-B were tested. People were told they were going to take a shower and 20 min later they were dead on floor; gassed by nazis who had locked them into the chamber and poured the lethal Zyclone-B down vents in the roof.

Empty container tins that held the Zyclone-B

you can see the light filtering through at the top of the ceiling, this is the vent where the poison was administered and the room where many took their last breath, unsure of what was happening.

The bodies were then cremated so that there was no evidence; the massacre of so many was not taking quick enough and that is where Birkenau's deathly use came through; 4 bombed gas chamber remains can be seen at this camp, where Jews; mainly woman and children were led off a tram, walked along a dirt path and waited on the grass; chatting and unsure of their destiny, only to be filed into the chambers in groups and killed.

Many units have been transformed into museums showing the remains of what was left.

It is heartbreaking to see the Jews belongings that were stripped away from them; spectacles, shoes, clothing, bags, combs and brushes. Many wrote their addresses on their luggage, thinking that when they reached their destination their belongings would be given back to them, none of them saw their suitcases again. Their belongings were chucked and sorted to be sent to Germany and sold. Even gold filling were pulled from the mouths of Jews and melted down for resale.

Even their hair was shaved off and collected in mountains to be used to make netting and hosiery.

Artificial limbs and walking aid were taken from all. The weak and elderly were the first to go towards deaths doors.

At the camps, bread was money, and shoes were the most important commodity to have. Snowy winters and freezing temperatures meant workers had to struggle against the elements during their long shift barefoot. Bread would be traded for shoes, often these shoes did not fit at all but the Jews made do.

This wall; known as "the death wall" was were prisoners were lined up and murdered, on one side, the units windows are barrackaded so that other prisoners could hear the gunshots but not see the deaths, so that everything was hidden until death stared them in the face and there was no where to go. Others arms and hands were tied together and they were hung by their arms on wooden poles with hooks.

The lock that secured the door to the gas chamber.

Music was often played in the concentration camps to drown the screams and terror, The Germans used the music to hide many things as well as improve the mood of the workers.

The doctor's office (block 21) where results from tests and experiments were looked over after they had been operations done at block 10. Woman were experimented upon to find out how to create more fertile beings so that the German woman could bear more of the perfect race. Twins and triplets were experimented on, to test possibilities of increasing the number of children that German woman bore.

Photo id was used as a means to identify prisoners, eventually Germans found that a photo taken two weeks prior no longer resembled the tortured and starved prisoner and so prisoners could no longer be identified using their photo which was taken when they were first administered to the camp. A new technique took its place and prisoners were tattooed with numbers. By the number officers could see when the person had been administered or if he or she was a female. Tattoos were placed on arms, easy to grab and locate the bar code numbering, but for babies the tattoo could not be put on the arm as the arm became to thin with starvation and so their thighs were used.

The tour of Auschwitz was two hours long; my eye's were exhausted and tense from the horror I had witnessed, at the same time I was so grateful that much of this history had been preserved for us to see.

A short break and bus ride took us to Birkenau; the largest concentration camp, it expanded as far as the eye could see and that is when it really settled in in terms of the large scale of torture and killing that Hitler was administering.

In March 1941; the second enlargement was established and put into order by Himmler.

Woman were transferred here.

Woman lived on the left whilst men lived on the right. Fences, barb wire, officers and a tram line separated lovers and families.

The tram would bring the Jews into the camp; a row of doctors would examine stripped and naked bodies and direct those to be killed to line up on the left and those fit for work to line up on the right.

Most women and children were useless and were sent to immediate death...they did not know this.

the tram that held prisoners.

The entrance to the camp

The sleeping quarters in the woman's camp

The job of cleaning out the toilets; seen above was the most sought after job at the camp by the prisoners, it meant a roof over your head during extreme winter conditions, access to the toilet which was only allowed twice a day, once in the morning before work and once after work and this row of holes was for thousands and thousands to use so many did not even get the chance. None of the habitation units had electricity, running water or toilet facilities let alone a floor, mean slept in the dirt till people passed away and the took their cot higher up. There were at least 5 people to a cot. The other great reason for the job was there were less eyes upon you which meant less torture and hitting and abuse from the officers.

Memorials have been constructed for the 1.1 to 1.5 million lives that were lost during this period, many of the building were bombed by the Nazis to hide their wrong doings. But as time went by, manuscripts and evidence has arisen and backed up the already mountaneous hill of facts about the massacre of so many.

I really walked away drained yet full of fiery anger at a race and a time that allowed the death and torture of so many..how could this have gone on? Where was the conscience in all of this?

I think that what is just as scary is that through the past and the history, lessons still have not been learnt. 

Many died in vain, for we still treat the future with no reflection from the past.

A Polish Easter

I just got back from Poland yesterday; to be more specific Krakow. Why Krakow, well according to Trip Advisor it ranks alongside Prague for affordability and a great experience.

I am happy to say that the experience was Divine. Although our stay was short, 2 and a half days was all we needed as we managed to get and experience all we needed to.

We were off to a slightly bad start when my boot broke as we disembarked the train and crossed the square to find our hotel. Did I pack in another pair of shoes;...Of course not

My heel separated from the upper so when I walked it made a flip flap noise. So on arrival at our hotel; I asked for some tape. And the picture above was the result... very fashionable.

The problem was that it was Easter and so no stores were open and they probably weren't going to be on Easter Monday either so I had to make a plan. I am proud to say, my make shift tape and two sided tape I lodged between the heel and the upper stuck through my whole trip, and that was a lot of walking and some odd stares.

Shoe fixed, now it was time to explore, our hotel was so central that it was a mere skip and hop to the main square; Rynek Glowny. In many European cities you will find a main square where merchants trade and it really is the hub of the city. We grabbed a golf cart tour and set off on the cobble stoned paths to witness some of the most beautiful and intricate architecture I have ever seen.

We loved the fact that it was Easter weekend, there was a real holiday vibe in the streets. We had our first taste of traditional Polish cuisine at the market square.

We tried:

• Pierogi: dumplings; sweet and savoury. We had the minced meat and spinach ones as well as the cheese and potatoe kind; delish!
• Zeberka wedzone: ribs
• Kielbasa; traditional Polish sausage
• Wodka; rasberry
• Honey beer
• Ocyspek: hard salty goats cheese served with cranberry sauce...my favourite
• Czosnianka; onion soup
• Sauerkraut
• Gherkins

Hot chocolate for my sins

Honey beer for my soul

Not my beer but I claimed it for awhile

too easy to find delicious bread

My favourite spot; a small coffee shop enrobed with floral painted flowers and a delectable spread of all this tempting to the tongue; Ul lala restaurant I love you!

I loved all the cuisine we had, ice cream was also tried and tested and did not fail our expectations.

We went to two top restaurants for dinner advised by Trip advisor, portions of food were huge and very affordable considering we were eating at very good restaurants.

In terms of sights... there was an abundance of delight for the eye's and the great thing was that it was all in walking distance. Although it snowed Sunday; it set a very romantic and picturesque setting and Monday was sunny so we had the best of both worlds.

One of my must see's was this statue of a dismantled head, no eyes and bandaged bust... I was so excited when I spotted it in the square. There doesn't seem to be much of a story behind it but the artist has done four sculptures of which this is his first to be placed outside. The square is it's temporary home until it is moved, the artist is happy with where it is and feels it deserves to be in the square.

EROS BENDATO by Igor Mitoraj

(couldn't resist being a real tourist and hopping in, I am peeking out the eye)

Church door

Beautiful old door in the Jewish quarter

Love Locked; Father Bernards footbridge.

Seen all over Europe, these bridges are love locked with locks placed by people proclaiming love for another, by securing the lock and throwing the key into the river signifies everlasting Love....sigh.

I really couldn't have wished for a better time, we took in the sites, the sounds, breathed the city air, ate polish cuisine and smiled a lot.

Our time was not yet complete; part of our trip was to spent doing a tour of Auschwitz and the concentration camps, I was so eager and hungry to learn more about the war and how it affected so many Jews. We were fortunate enough to experience this and I will be doing a separate post and sharing images taken. A warning in advance, images truly show the terror people went through and so I purposefully decided to a do separate post as the second part of out trip was deserving of this.

Polish Easter

I am off to Krakow this Sunday to celebrate Easter Polish style. 

On our agenda, is to soak up the city life in the main square, taste some traditional peasent food, check out the amber, do the main tourist sites and visit Auschwitz concentration camp.

I am truly excited to breathe in a new city.

Wesolych Swiat

(happy easter)

Crispy Toast

I found myself doing a bank transfer this morning and realised that I am taking my new activity very seriously to be depositing money to officially become a member of the Toast club.

By Toast Club I mean the Toastmasters Club of Copenhagen. I chatted to a guy I met at a party one night and he told me about the public speaking school close to my apartment. I thought I would give it a go and observe the participants. After 35 min into the evening, I made up my mind to join when a young girl got up on the stage and started her speech... I wish you had been there to feel as inspired as I was. This girl was flawless, innocent, a beautiful smile and and she had a presence ...she also had a Stutter. I know I feel uncomfortable when I speak to someone with a stutter and patiently wait for them to get out what they were trying to say ten minutes prior, If I feel that level of uncomfortability, I can only imagine what the person stuttering must feel like. It must be so frustrating to want to say something but it wont come out, it probably effects relationships, you receive judgement, people might even think you are slow and treat you differently. 

When i saw this girl on stage, how she carried herself, how she was aware of her disability but persevered and gave a speech of courage and conviction, a speech that spoke to my heart. It was the kind of heartfelt speech that makes you wanna go up and just hug that person, i never get that feeling but with this young girl I did, not because i felt sorry for her but because of how proud and amazed i was of her. She spoke of taking a jump, bungy jumping into mid air and taking the risk, that life was beautiful and should be treasured and that we should challenge ourselves like she had by speaking in front of so many people and being vulnerable in order to grow and gain courage.

Public speaking or the fear thereof

is known as Glossaphobia.

Glossa means tongue and phobia means fear or dread.

The fear of speaking in front of an audience is ranked as the number one fear in the world. People fear public speaking more so than death, spiders, darkness, heights, flying and confines spaces.

Another interesting fact is that more men than woman seek out help for public speaking anxiety, I can confirm that as most of my toastmaster group is made up of men.

So I will soon be giving my first speech to a bunch of strange faces and an evaluator. I am excited, not nervous. I have no issues speaking in front of people,my writing skills are acceptable and so you ask ...why did i join? It seems each person in toastmasters has a goal, a deficiency, a quirk, a challenge...it can be a nervous twitch, squint eyes, a stutter, social anxiety, a business person trying to extend their capabilities. There are tons of reasons why people join. Having said that, there are very few that last, I think some reach a level of satisfaction and just don't come back or they miss a few meetings and feel awkward returning or it just isn't a priority.

I am joining to challenge myself, I want to be better, I want to make a good thing GREAT. I want to inspire and capture an audience and I want to master my public speaking talents. I have a plan, a strategy, a map...one day i would like to return home to South Africa and start up a foundation for children in need. I want to give back instead of Take Take Take.. i want to make a difference even if it small and I want to get people involved who have good hearts but not sure how they fit into the making a difference arena.

If I am going to do this and achieve this dream; i need a plan. I may be a million miles away from home but I can start preparing myself... so I have taken public speaking lessons. I figured that If i want to lead a foundation, have people believe in my dream and share my vision, I need to be an Excellent communicator, someone that people believe in because they will in turn believe in my cause.

I want to use my voice to make a difference

Macaroon Love

Im loving Macaroons right now, i just love the pure simplicity of them, the sweetness but mostly the shades and hues of the dusty colours.

I travel to Paris in June and TOP of my list is to buy these sweet spot delights.

So this inspiration is following me through to make up, handbags, shoes, and clothing.

See the Inspiration flow into the latest fashion trends.....Love it!

Ballet pink

Oriental Dust

Effie Trinket

Bow down

Macaroon ear delight

Ladies love their shoes