30s, wine & stasi movies

A milestone weekend, for my friends Moogs and Dick. Bust out the Zimmer frames, my mates have hit the big 3.oh.

A double 30th at Moog’s spot at the Vaal, a fun and crazy weekend was certainly had – ending off with a lamb on the spit yesterday and around 50 people.

Dick came back from Australia for the big event, and is feeling the nostalgia. Firstly, he thought he was still local enough to try and take a short-cut to the Vaal through Soweto, which didn’t work at all, and arrived wearing a full-on beaded tourist bracelet. Didn’t really let him live it down. It’s well embarrassing. But bless, he misses good old ZARland, innit.

Drank a bit of red wine in front of fires, everyone got a bit toasted, with one mate burrowing into bowls of sweets and pretending he was a hamster, which was well hysterical.
The obligatory booze cruise up the river on the boat, lots of talking shite, lots of platonic cuddles because it was so freaking cold and therefore it was a matter of survival, knocking around a few balls on the tennis court, that sort of stuff.

Lots of parents rocked up yesterday, and the amusing yet deer-in-headlights reality of this is that they’ve all read my book.
Do they know what the words ‘cunt,’ ‘poen’ and ‘fuck’ mean? Well maybe they do now, but I was approached by lots of parents and they were really sweet about it all. Felt helluva uncomfortable with all this strange attention, but they seemed to reap a giggle out of my novel, so as long as that’s the case, well, whatareyougonnado?

Dick’s mum told me Jenny Chrys Williams mentioned it the other day. I just said, ‘Have you read it? Say no. And don’t, please. I am an innocent ex-girlfriend of your son’s, I swear. ….Mostly.’

I tried to get everyone to watch The Lives Of Others after wine-infused enthusiasm gripped me by the cockles. I ordered the DVD from the States last week, having seen it a year ago at Nouveau, and was blown away.
Now that I’ve experienced Berlin, I was so excited to see it again.

Didn’t quite get through 20 minutes with everyone, so took it home and watched it last night. It really is sensational. And just so tragically sad. It’s a masterpiece frankly.
I can now recognise all the Trabi’s (the East cars) and the stark, Stalinist architecture, while wiping away tears on my couch, whilst gripped by an impending sense of doom. It’s heavy going, but worth every emotion it evokes.

I always do this after a holiday. After Thailand, I watched The Beach again. After Rio, City Of God.. After Buenos Aires, Evita. After France, Amelie. But this one has got to be the best, the most raw.

Watch it if you’ve never seen it. Seriously. Even if German history interests you as much as Plascon paint swatches, just trust me on this one.
PS: All the drama could’ve been avoided in this film had there been Internet. No typewriters, hiding of documents, no people taking shit through border posts. A fake gmail address, a fake IP address and an internet connection. Just saying. Even if it’s a useless fucken statement.

PPS: Dreamt it was summer last night. Kak, when you're waking up in the dark and the cold hits you like a freakin knife.