Quyen in Joburg

Sayonara

2006-09-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

OK now the title of this post may lead you to think that I am Japanese, but really, we're all the same, so who cares, right? I am moving blogs...since I've been back in the States I've been cooking up a storm in my very well-equipped kitchen. Sadly, the one piece of kitchen cutlery I always miss most when I travel is my trusty Santoku knife, which, funnily enough, happens to be Japanese. Those Orientals are mighty resourceful when it comes to knives, I tell you. If you could have just ONE expensive knife, I would recommend the Santoku. Its hollowed edges grasp even the most slippery tomato or onion.

Anyway, as many of you know, I'm completely obsessed with all things edible...food, that is. I've been watching the Food Network religiously, mesmerized by all the episodes I missed while in Africa, but that my TIVO so lovingly captured. So, I'm going to start a new blog chronicling my food adventures. This may not sound very exciting...to vegans, especially, but I promise you I WILL keep up this food blog, as I am determined to master the perfect baguette, the savory souffle, and my latest venture--MALVA PUDDING!!! Mwaahh ah ah....

Speaking of which, I am currently baking my malva pudding. Holy crap there's a lot of cream and butter in the sauce! Yes, I'd like a heart attack on the side of my pudding, please. But, to you foodies everywhere, this dessert is absolutely divine if made correctly. And let me tell you...that malva pudding at KITCHEN BAR (the restaurant in Bryanston, South Africa which was held up by thugs sporting AK-47's...damn those guns have an intense kickback, but that's another story) was absolutely heavenly. Not too sweet. Tender, moist, but still held its integrity. Perfect a la mode with a double cappuccino. Perfetto!!

So anyway, thanks to all my blogger readers, all three of you (Lillian, Sam, and The Rooster.) Join me at FoodsnobInLA for more adventures, and PICTURES of food. Now doesn't that sound more exciting than being attacked by baboons in Kruger Park?

Miss you all,
Quyen (No Longer) In Joburg

Come visit my new blog at FoodsnobInLA. Buon appetito!

September 11

2006-09-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

This morning as I watched the 9/11 coverage on 60 Minutes, I couldn't help but feel extremely fortunate to be alive. Not only fortunate, but actually priviledged. Here I am 5 years later, living in Los Angeles, studying film at UCLA. I would never have guessed that within a few months after 9/11 I would quit my cushy job at Deloitte to become a photographer full time, and that I would be travelling to South Africa to shoot movies 5 years later.

It's easy to be selfish. It's easy to be petty. When I catch myself being both, it's hard to keep everything in perspective sometimes, but I know that I need to be grateful. And I am. I didn't think I was going to make it on that fateful day, so I am thankful that I get to live and travel and tell others about my experiences.

I'd like to share some photos taken on 9/11.

Back to the States

2006-09-09T14:58:00.000-07:00

Sadly, the sun has set on my African adventure...However, I got to fly home in style. After standing in line at the airport for over an hour due to a power outage, I was rewarded with an upgrade to business class. I didn't realize I was in business class, though, until I went to the lavatory and saw the rest of the plane. I was wondering why there was so much leg room and wine? I even got ice cream! Yum. Plus, the cute young (married) professor sitting next to me (there were only 2 of us per row) and I kept ordering red wine, so the time passed quickly. A sweet end to an amazing journey.

Although I am no longer in Joburg, I may continue to post some other pics and events, as there is still much to tell about this amazing country. In the meantime, here are some pics--vultures, the baboon that climbed on our car in Kruger, a sunset on the N12 back from Kruger, a sunset on 3rd Beach in Cape Town where several young men were playing rugby. Also, here is a field on fire en route to Kruger. As I mentioned in one of the first blogs, fields are burned to prevent the spread of further fire, although sometimes it doesn't appear too controlled. Also, the fire helps facilitate new growth. It only struck me how long I had been in Joburg when we passed a bright green field. I turned to Thabo and asked, "Wait a minute, wasn't that field burning when we arrived?" Boy how time flies, especially when you're having a good time.

On my last day in Africa I color timed the trailer, which Ryan, an editor friend down in Cape Town, cut for Thabo. He did a fantastic job on it and we are ever grateful. Hopefully we'll be able to post something up soon. It's still in DVCam format. My first assistant camera Nick was kind enough to give me a ride to our amazing telecine house, Pudding, all the way from Benoni. Thanks Nick--you're the best!

Trying to get back onto USA West Coast time, but I keep on waking up at 3 AM, so feel free to IM or email me please. I'm dying here. It's so HUMID here, but I guess that's all relative.

Missing South Africa and all my friends,
Q

Soweto

2006-09-05T01:11:00.000-07:00

On Monday we went to Soweto, the largest township in Johannesburg. We went first to a local Fish & Chips store where we bought "fat cake", or vet koek. A heavy, fried sphere of dough, it isn't as sweet as a doughnut and is more glutenous. From the texture, I reckon it has yeast in it, but not 100% positive. You can get it filled with a variety of savory minces, but we just had ours plain. We also got sweet tea with it, which is just black tea with condensed milk. We were the only white and Asian people we saw walking around. You don't go there without a South African, and thankfully Thabo is an excellent guide. It also doesn't hurt that he shares his name (which no white person has) with the president.

Next we continued our tour by visiting Nelson Mandela's house, which his wife Winnie looked after while he was a prisoner on Robben Island. Unfortunately, Mandela lived in the house only for 11 days after his release, and shortly thereafter divorced his wife. Here's a shot of me by Sugar Ray Lenoard's belt--Mandela boxed as a youngster, and knowing how big a boxing fan he was, Leonard gave him his belt. There is a shot of me actually wearing the belt, but I didn't feel like posting it...

For our next touristy attraction we headed to the Hector Pieterson Memorial. At only 13 years of age, Hector was the first casualty of the Soweto Uprisings in 1976. In this photo of Sam, the line in the ground leads to the spot where Hector was shot and killed. To learn more, please visit http://www.soweto.co.za/html/p_hector.htm.

These other shots are Sam and me enjoying our vet koeks and tea, derelict Orlando Power Station Cooling Towers (which ironically supplied power to white Joburg suburbs and NONE to Soweto), and our our vet koek ladies.

Cheers,
Q

Audience with a KING

2006-09-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hooray!!! South Africa beat New Zealand in yesterday's rugby match in Rustenburg. It was Sam's first rugby match, so we think that's why South Africa won :) Thabo had prepared us for a loss, but with only a few minutes to spare, SA kicked in a goal to squeeze by New Zealand by just one point. Amazing. Oh, and rugby players are still HOT with their thick thighs and tight asses. Yum.

Other fantastic news--Sam and I met Leruo Molotlegi, King of Bafokeng, at the game. Because Thabo's uncle was doing the VIP security, we were able to dine in the King's tent, and actually ended up at the table next to him. He is completely proper, handsome, and unassuming, and is the richest King in Africa. He asked us how we ended up in Rustenburg (as we were the only non-South Africans there, and me the ONLY Asian person there) and when we told him we were from Los Angeles, he said he once dated a girl from there, but that she was AWFUL. Nice, eh? Anyway, we shook hands with the King. That's f-cking rad if I do say so myself! Here's a pic of him handing the trophy to the rugby captains of both teams. Even though SA beat NZ in this game, the All Blacks had already secured the Freedom Cup last week in Pretoria, so this faux pas led to the King handing the trophy to the Springbok captain before sorting everything out. Eish. It wasn't the King's fault, though. He can do no wrong in my book. I love him.

This morning Sam and I went to the Apartheid Museum. Extremely well designed and super informative, you have to be prepared for an emotional journey. Even the entrance to the museum, which is divided into 2 entrances--one for whites and one for non-whites--gives you a teeny tiny taste of what apartheid must have been like. When you buy your ticket they give you passes which indicate one or the other. Whether it was chance or not, I got the non-white pass, and as we walked through our separate gates it felt pretty awful to be separated from Sam, who was in a completely white section of the museum. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. An incredible museum.

Finally, we went to a braai at Thabo's cousin's house. Yum! We started with chicken livers and sliced avocados, and everyone was wondering whether the AMERICANS (Sam and me) were brave enough to try them. Ha ha ha. I told them "We've had dog. Livers are for sissies." Not even Thabo or Sue's son wanted to have the livers, which were extraordinarily moist and delicious with the onions they were sauteed with. For the main meal we had steak, chicken, grilled veggies, and salad. For dessert Sue made meringue with fresh berries and cream...delicious. Here's a pic of Sue's two kids and me. I've been camping in their rooms for the past two months, so I'm sure they can't wait for me to leave :) I will miss them dearly.

Tomorrow we're going to Soweto, the largest township in Joburg. After learning all about the Soweto uprisings 3 decades ago, I'm more than excited to visit this historical area. Can't wait!

Buona notte,
Q

Bryce and Richard

2006-09-02T14:21:00.000-07:00

I apologize to all my loyal blogger fans, Lillian and Sam and the Rooster, but this one is personal. Bryce and Richard, you guys know how I feel about you, so here's to our good times before I forget. To anyone else who reads this it will probably make no sense whatsoever, but you have to realize that without these boys, we couldn't have made this film. You boys rock. I will miss you dearly. And in no particular order at all:

1. Car Accidents with Germans
2. Springbok Pie
3. Breaking glasses at the Game Farm
4. Being attacked by flying embers
5. Sleeping on the couch
6. Not sleeping on the couch
7. Ceremony (sir-REM-uh-nee)
8. Chocolates from the garage
9. Going over the top
10. Crazy-eyed kids in the intersection
11. Two cheeseburgers from McDonald's for breakfast
12. Lakeside Mall
13. Fresh whole cream milk
14. Portuguese restaurants in Melville
15. Beer at Lemongrass
16. Only smoking YSL's
17. Putting BNC's in mouths
18. Constantly dealing crack on set
19. but loving every second of it
20. What are we waiting for?
21. Our shady waiter in Sandton
22. Car mounts
23. Crazy Hillbrow "landlady"
24. Camera tests = B Roll
25. Moses totally hooking us up
26. Totally scoring with those vouchers
27. Never actually bringing any of our boys any beer (we suck)
28. P-p-p-p-ssy
29. Will you be my fiancee?
30. Pearl Cream--Ancient Oriental Secret
31. Driving around 'til after sunrise avoiding the cops
32. Katz Pyjamas
33. F-ck I'm hot
34. F-ck you're hot
35. It's like that Seinfeld episode
36. Mildew clothes
37. Arnica massages
38. Rubbing your heads
39. Make me an omelette
40. I just want a coffee, is that too much too ask?
41. Oh, and a scarf and a beanie
42. Vida Cafe in Greenside
43. Navigating by that damn burnt field
44. Short and stout
45. Gay, butch guy trapped in a woman's body
46. Not carrying handbags
47. Is he gay? Is he? Isn't everyone?
48. Baby! Darling!
49. Benoni
50. Joe Slovo
51. Hillbrow
52. Broken showers
53. Good Job!
54. Moisturizing dry skin
55. Champagne lunch at Soulsa
56. Freezing on the rooftop because we didn't have our scarves and gloves
57. Nearly falling off the rooftop
58. The Video Store
59. Rugby at the equipment house
60. Our favorite Steers
61. Melville
62. Electrolytes
63. I NEED GUM NOW
64. Madame Zingara's and sitting on menus
65. Madame Zingara's body shots by the end of dinner
66. Our wine attendant at Morgenster
67. Sugar Mamma
68. Thai descent, Thai meal
69. China Corner
70. (At Bruma) - "Q, what do you use these items for?"
71. Bryce, I DON'T KNOW, I'm NOT Chinese!!!
72. Asian Count
73. David Kau
74. Absynthe shots
75. Transactions on street corners
76. Aqueous Cream
77. Scones on the Game Farm
78. Dance dance dance
79. That amazing bacon, avocado, cheese sandwich at WITS
80. Springbok Carpaccio with horseradish, rocket, and capers
81. Bl--- rape
82. Breakfast at 4 PM

I'm sure I'm leaving stuff out, but there were just too many fond memories we've shared. After living together for weeks on end, you'd think we'd tire of one another. Well, maybe you've tired of me, but I know I'm going to miss you guys dearly. Thanks for everything.

Love,
Q

Lions and tigers and bears, OH MY!

2006-09-02T00:56:00.000-07:00

Let's get this straight--there are no tigers and bears in Africa, so don't make the tourist mistake of wanting to see some (like Sam did). ALTHOUGH, at the Kruger Park store in Skukuza yesterday, we were standing in front of a TV watching a film about these two conservationists who are trying to assimilate tigers into Africa's terrain. The tiger population in Asia is dwindling, so these men feel that Africa is the last hope for these magnificent creatures. We were absolutely mesmerized, but then we got kicked out by the manager because we were spilling ice cream onto their floor. We told him, "We're rich Americans and we can BUY your f-cking store, so we can do whatever we damn well please." So actually, maybe some day tigers WILL roam the African bush alongside lions (but not bears, sadly.) What would happen to the ecosystem??

So back to our morning bush walk...two trackers with rifles accompany the small group of five hikers. I don't think there have been many instances where the trackers have been forced to use their guns, as it's highly discouraged, but it makes you feel a little better about being an open target. You must walk silently in a single file line, and should NEVER stray. As soon as you do, you're vunerable, as animals see the line as one creature (just as they see vehicles as one animal). If there's a problem or if you spot an animal you indicate to the scouts by snapping, whistling, or hitting your thigh, since the trackers are always in the front of the line. It's very exciting, I daresay, because you really appreciate the sounds of the bush and the knowledge of the trackers. After all, your life is in their hands.

We went on another morning bush walk the next day, and this time Thabo was able to join us. Our two hottie Afrikaans trackers were extremely knowledgable, and led us around the Lower Sabie part of the park. It was much more open than Skukuza, so easier to hike, but less protection for us. One scout, Johan, cracked open a dried piece of elephant dung and explained that because the diet consists of plants, trees, bark, etc., the poop contains medicinal properties. He then proceeded to light it and actually smoked it (SEE PHOTO). We all got a puff and can I just say it was the sweetest shit I've ever smoked? Very kind.

As we continued on our journey we walked right into a herd of elephants. They were no farther than 20 meters away, so we quickly ducked behind a bush. Luckily, we were downwind from the elephants, and in addition to their poor vision this allowed us to approach quite close to the animals. We stalked them for quite some time--there were about 20 of them, including several babies (adorable). As the mother started to come towards us, however, we quickly ran with our heads down to another bush about 15 meters away. It's best to stay in the shade so your binocs/cameras don't reflect. Our trackers told us to keep an eye on the mother to see her reaction when she picked up our scent. Still running but looking back, we witnessed the most amazing spectacle. As soon as the mother reached the spot where we had been and smelled us, she stood as tall as ever, opened her ears and raised her trunk, swaying back and forth. IMMEDIATELY the rest of the herd moved away from the threat. F-cking unbelievable.

Elephants have the capacity to "speak" and hear at a very low 10hz. Humans, on the other hand, can only hear 40,000hz. Hence, communication is instantaneous...amazing. Surely the highlight of the day.

BUT WAIT, as we headed back to our Jeep after seeing other animals, we bumped into our herd of elephants again. At the same moment, a hippo came charging out of the water exactly towards the spot we were headed, so we could've been run over had we been there a few seconds earlier. You never want to break up a herd, so we circled all the way around the elephants back to our vehicle. Oh yeah, and a lion stalked us the whole time, threatening us with his menacing growls.

SPEAKING OF LIONS...

As you recall from my previous entry, we had seen 4 of the Big Five on Day One. Well, on the second day of our safari, we spotted numero cinco. A huge lioness walked right in front of our car as we drove through the park, stopping traffic in both directions. A stunning creature. We were extremely lucky to see all of the Big Five in our first 24 hours, as many people who come to the park only spot two or three over the course of a week. I think it was because the Park knew we Americans would sue them if they didn't pony up...

During that same drive, we pulled over to look at some baboons when one of them JUMPED up onto the trunk of our car. It crawled over our roof and ended up on the hood. If you haven't had one on your windshield, believe me when I say that baboons are disgusting creatures with nasty (and I mean nasty!) looking rear ends, like somebody slapped a raw steak there. GROSS! Apparently, all they want is food and they'll bite you and knock your camera from you. Thabo screamed "LOCK THE DOORS! LOCK THE DOORS!"

That's all for now. When I get a chance I will post more photos and stories from our week in Cape Town, which is a blur to me. Too much...hiking?

We're off to see the New Zealand vs. South Africa rugby game now...mmm...piles of hot, sweaty men. A welcome change from warthogs and vultures.

Cheers,
Q

The Big Five

2006-09-01T16:02:00.000-07:00

KRUGER PARK--We just got back from our 3 day safari in Kruger Park. I drove (yes, I drove a manual car on the wrong side of the road) to and from Kruger from Joburg, so I'm pretty exhausted right now, but Sam insists that I write since it's fresh in our heads, including the memory of the bird which defecated ON my head :( Boo, but hey, it's good luck, right? Here's a long synopsis of our adventures:

Upon arriving in Kruger Park via the Numbi Gate, we spotted our first animal--the buffalo, which is one of the "Big Five". The Big Five are the buffalo, lion, rhino, leopard and elephant, and are categorized so not because of their size, but because they are the most dangerous, rarest animals in the park. Although not one of the Five (because it's not hunted), the hippo kills the most humans in Africa, and can charge at an exceptional speed on land. Just don't stand in the way of it and the water... Within a matter of minutes, we spotted our second of the Five, the rare black rhino, of which there are only a few hundred in the whole of Kruger (which spans 20,000 square kilometers!!!!) For those not on the metric system, 2.2 km = 1 mile. Two down, three to go...

Our next sightings were the impala, which we initially thought were the most elegant, graceful animals to watch (much like antelope and deer). But then we realized they're like the squirrels of Kruger. They're EVERYWHERE -- over 101,000 spread throughout. However, it's pretty awesome to see them prance around, as they can jump up to 3 meters high!! That's like, 9 feet. Hectic.

When we arrived at our camp, Skukuza, we were greeted by a band of crazy monkeys which attacked us. One almost jumped on Thabo's head, and another started screaming at us and flailing about in the trees above our hut in a very menacing way. As soon as the sun set, they left us alone. Pesky little guys.

Thabo BBQ'd (called a braai) lamb chops, chicken, and boerewors sausage along with vegetable skewers and corn--DELICIOUS--and for dessert we roasted marshmallows. As the night wore on we drank more and more until we thought we heard a women's choir singing African folk songs. Our ears were not deceiving us, though, and as we blindly made our way in the dark towards the music we stumbled upon the choir singing at a German private party (which we totally crashed). They invited us in, and we sang the South African National Anthem together until they started to sing the old anthem, at which point Thabo started to boo them. Who supports apartheid anyway?

The next morning Sam and I went on a morning bush walk at 5:30 AM. Because of the noise from the camp we first had to drive a half hour to our walking destination. As we neared our spot, we came across a sleepy leopard, number THREE on the Big Five, which was more curious than threatening. We stayed in the vehicle. Animals see vehicles and their passengers as one unit, so you can not have limbs dangling over the sides if you want to keep them. Interestingly enough the animals are not fazed by cars, but extremely skittish when it comes to humans on foot. So back to the leopard--I had a stare-down with it--you're never supposed to look away from a predator if you lock eyes. I'm going to start doing that with humans. I'll f-cking pounce on you if you dare look away. So anyway, the leopard was absolutely stunning, and we were extremely privileged to have come across it. Of the Five, it's probably the hardest to spot, as they're typically very shy and silent. The best time to look for most animals is in the morning, and it's definitely worth the effort of waking up early.

So next we got out of our vehicle and started our journey. We came across hyaena, zebra, giraffe, white rhino, kudu, and Elephant. FOUR down, one to go.

OK, very tired. To be continued tomorrow. Sorry for the baddest grammar and ramblings on.

Here are some pics of our adventure...

Enjoy. It's good to be back :)
Q

Back in Joburg

2006-08-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

Back in Joburg...

Off to safari in a few hours...

Will blog again soon...

In the meantime, here is a shot from Cape Town...

Table Mountain

2006-08-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

Hey all --

Sam here. Guest blogging while Quyen gets some beauty sleep. (As if she needs it!)

Yesterday we took an extremely scary cable car ride straight up the side of Table Mountain, the gorgeous mountain that surrounds Cape Town. The cable car rotated for excellent views.

On the top, we gazed at the beautiful vista, took pictures, and watched funny Japanese tourists all say "Ooooh" and "Aaaaah" in unison whenever their guide pointed something out to them. From the top, you can see both the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. It's quite cool.

Later, we dined at the ultra-exclusive Madame Zingara restaurant, which is famous for its Chili Chocolate Steaks. And we ended the day at a dance club called Sliver.

Walking to our car, I was curious about these men in yellow vests that patrol the side streets of Cape Town, looking after people's cars. There's one on every block in the city, but I was told they are not hired by the local government, nor do they work for any company. They're just dudes with yellow vests who roam the night streets helping people parallel park, and asking for tips when you leave. Apparently, you're supposed to give them 2 or 3 Rand (30-40 cents) if your car hasn't been broken into. It's an interesting career choice for any of you who want to live in South Africa and happen to own a yellow vest.

By the way, as you can probably tell by their lack of amazingness, these photos were not taken by Quyen. We don't have the cable you need to upload photos to this computer, so these will have to do for the next two days.

BYE FOR NOW!

-sam

Capetown

2006-08-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Sam arrived Wednesday morning safely, in spite of the rain, and Thursday morning we flew to Cape Town. We're staying in a suite at the most amazing hotel in Bantry Bay - The Ambassador - with an amazing view of the ocean. The sunsets are absolutely stunning, but what else is new, hey?

Today we drove around Cape Town's wonderful wine farms, sampling the wines and eating the local delights. (Sam enjoyed braised Springbok -- a type of deer, and I had some linefish, a white fish like a cross between bass and halibut.) At one Vineyard, The Morgenster, we also chugged some delicious olive oils, many of which we purchased. It'll be tricky getting them home, what with the whole liquid prohibition on airplanes, but we'll see. Sam thinks we can freeze them, thereby making them "solids," not "liquids," but I'm not so sure that will work.

The flight from Joburg was actually quite nice. We flew on the equivalent of South African Jet Blue... so all the flight attendants were cracking jokes on the intercom the whole time. When we landed they said, "Welcome to Zimbabwe."

Sam is picking up little bits of local language all the time. "Lekker" means "cool." "Sharp" means "okay" or "good." "Eish" means... well, I don't exactly know but they say it a lot.

Tomorrow we plan to climb Table Mountain, a flat-topped mountain that surrounds the cape. We might also check out Robben island, where Nelson Mandela was locked away for 27 years.

By the way, Sam wrote this post, but Quyen just edited it. Enjoy!

-Sam

DONE!!!

2006-08-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

We are DONE with shooting as of Sunday night. WOW. I can't believe it's over. Well, I can because we've been shooting for 2 weeks and have been on nights for the last week, but it feels f-cking amazing to be done. What an amazing experience we've all had. Here's a quick rundown of the last couple days:

HILLBROW--We were shooting in an apartment in the heart of Hillbrow for a couple days, both exterior and interior and rooftop, but the so-called "landlady" of the place (total bullshit) freaked out so badly that the head security had to, let me just say, put her in her place. Shame. She was a crazy bitch, though. As I was walking by with the camera equipment I thought she was going to sucker punch me, but I had about 6 Zulu security dudes backing me up. Pretty sweet. Now how often do you have security watching your back? Unfortunately the lift wasn't working, so my poor crew had to carry everything up 5 flights of stairs. And I was feeling bad for not going to the gym. I think 2 weeks of handheld makes up for that :)

ANOTHER DEAD BODY--Wow, that makes three. Thabo and I both try not to look, but it's near impossible not to. Eish.

CAR MOUNT--Finally happened without a hitch, (except for a couple of dings in our rented BMW prop/production car.) Can't wait to see the footage tomorrow morning at the telecine. We had Johannesburg Police escort...we felt so badass until they abandoned us at 4 AM in the middle of Hillbrow. Not a good place to be, but we managed just fine so long as we ran all the red lights.

TELECINE--We are over halfway done with the telecine, and we're uber excited!! So far no hairs in the gate. The operator offered us a free online today, as well as a free online correction for the trailer which a friend will be cutting next week. I don't know why they're being so generous, but I don't ask. Probably because our colorist mostly works on commercials and he likes my American...accent. Hopefully we'll be able to come back for the online.

WRAP PARTY--Everyone on the crew came. Amazing. I don't think I've EVER been to a wrap party where the whole crew came, down to the script supervisor and wardrobe assistant (who were totally rad.) The crew freakin' rocked--how amazing that only the DoP and Director were American and everyone else was South African. Goes to show that America still is the Super Power. Ha ha ha just kidding. We know we're just bullies...

Tomorrow morning Sam finally arrives, and then Thursday morning we're off to Cape Town!! Can't wait. The whole family is super excited to meet him. He arrives at 6:20 AM and then I'm off to telecine, but don't tell him so. Yikes.

I'll try to post stills from the production as soon as we get them, but I am so happy we're finally done! I swear this has been the most amazing film experience--I feel so blessed to be working with these South African filmmakers. They worked so hard to make it happen. I will miss them dearly.

Cheers,
Q

HAIL in Jozi

2006-08-16T03:01:00.000-07:00

OK. Last night was HECTIC. The winds were picking up (of course on our car mount night) so badly that we had to cancel. I asked a professional engineer at the WITS School of Arts where we based camp whether we should work and he said "hell no." I think that when it started to f-cking HAIL that that pretty much confirmed our decision not to shoot, even though my totally rad crew were trying hard to rig while I watched on from inside sipping a latte. OK, that wouldn't have been cool but that's what I wanted to do, eh? Oh well. Luckily, we'll make up for the lost day of shooting on Friday night, courtesy of the understanding equipment houses and also our amazing and talented actors. August is the windy month after all, but this is nutz!

So...we all got trashed instead. End of story because I can't recall the rest of the night.

In the Thick of It

2006-08-09T11:14:00.000-07:00

Hey Sam and Lillian (and all my loyal blogger fans)--sorry I haven't written in so long, but things have been quite HECTIC here. (Everything is hectic around here, not crazy, not insane, not rad, but HECTIC.) Anyway, we are in the middle of production, and now we're on a night schedule now, so I'm a tad bit exhausted from having a 50kg camera on my shoulder while trying to operate on no sleep (since the birds are chirping when we get home). BUT, things are going extremely well and Thabo's doing a fantastic job with his actors. The lead actor is quite a charmer, and a brilliant actor as well. Never mind that he is extremely handsome as well, but I do fall in love with him every time I look through the eyepiece, so long as I can see. It's quite chilly at night so the eyepiece tends to fog up :)

So much has happened in the last week and half since I last wrote you, bloggie. Here's a quick rundown:

DAVID KAU--a f-cking brilliant comedian. Phil was doing security so we hung out in the green room afterwards with him and I think I told him he should call me when he's in LA later on this year. Oops. I was SLIGHTLY wasted. I had the following drinks:

3 glasses of red wine
3 shots of absynthe
double vodka tonic
glass of amarula (it's like kahlua but without the coffee flavor)

McDONALD'S--We paid at one window and I swear the cashier walked parallel to our car, picked up our order, and delivered the goods 2 windows down. Thabo asked, "Do you have a twin?" Normally service takes FOREVER here and things are ALWAYS screwed up. Even the day before it had taken 20 min at McD's, but I guess you had to be there...and don't ask why we were even eating there in the first place. (The boyz wanted their morning cheeseburgers.) Yum.

COFFEE--Even though I don't drink Starbucks at home, it seems a lot of people here drink instant coffee. I bought a latte at a shop the other day and it took 10 minutes.

ASIAN COUNT--is now up to 16. The other night at dinner we scored with a table full of 4 Asians and 2 whities. Also at that dinner, it took us an hour to pay our bill, plus we got the server fired because he was trying to swindle us. He said, "You have to pay the tab on credit, but just pay for the alcohol with cash." Whaaat? So then we called the manager over and he thanked us for telling him that the server was stealing from his company. Then we totally booked it out of there in our sweet BMW production car (which is also the prop car) because Thabo was afraid he was going to kill us, seriously. The African themed decor reminded me of a Rainforest Cafe or Disneyland, but the food was actually divine, even if the server was the dodgiest fellow I'd ever met in such a fine establishment.

POOR SOUL--We drove by a dead body on the highway. It was the second one we've seen--it had JUST happened as we were driving by. Sad.

I can't think of anything else right now because my head is in a funny space (I feel jetlagged all over again) but I will try to write again soon when I can recall the events of these past couple weeks.

Cheers,
Q

STILL FREEZING

2006-08-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness it is FREEZING still here! Craziness. I am ill prepared, but hope to purchase a scarf and beanie for the weekend of shooting. We're going to try to shoot on the Nelson Mandela bridge, although I'm afraid it may collapse from all the copper and material that's been stolen over the years. Insanity. Very tired right now, so I will just leave you with yet another landscape photo of the city taken from "the office." I apologize. Also, a sign for ROBOTS, i.e. traffic lights. I find that very cute. By the way, anyone besides Sam and Lillian can respond now apparently, as I've changed the "comments" settings, not that I don't love Sam and Lillian.

JOBURG FREEZES

2006-08-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

Was the headline today in the papers! Believe it or not, it SNOWED today in the city--not a snow to blanket the ground at all, but snow nonetheless! Apparently it hasn't snowed here in almost 3 decades, so this was quite a spectacle. Unfortunately it will suck if it is overcast or snows during the shoot next week, so we can only pray, but this is very unusual weather here, apparently. This weekend we're shooting B roll of the city, mainly just the lead character walking home from work, as well as camera tests. We visited a couple of telecine houses today as well, and had great success, although we're not sure if we'll be able to transfer to HD. There's also the issue of PAL, but we think that we'll be able to standard convert to NTSC once we're back in the States, since no houses transfer to NTSC. Anyone have any insight? Most of the houses have only one telecine machine...again, we are SO SPOILED.

Here's a pic of the city at night. It was raining at the time, but the clouds were amazing, even at night. I also am excited to share a photo of my favorite drugstore. I mean, if a drugstore is going to use a unicorn as their logo, then these magnificent beasts must exist, hey?

This morning we stopped at McDonald's to grab breakfast for the boys. I swear it took 20 minutes to get our food from the Drive-Thru. Aiyah.

The pic of the hill with the lone bush was taken from the highway. As you drive along you will see manmade hills formed by gold mine excess.

Bedtime. Sue made delicious ostrich filets tonight for dinner. So ordinary by now :)

Carrot Cake, Cream and Cameras

2006-07-31T11:45:00.000-07:00

I made carrot cake with cream cheese frosting (the secret is to add a touch of sour cream to the icing) for Thabo's birthday. Sue also made a delicious mutton stew with veggies for dinner, which is seared first then finished in the oven. Tomorrow night we're going to eat with his whole family to celebrate. Should be loads of fun! Here's a pic of Thabo's aunt and uncle with Bryce.

We also got some great news about the shoot (that tiny reason I'm here having the time of my life)--Bryce managed to get the camera package at a ridiculous rate. We encouraged him to flirt in Afrikaans with the sales lady, so she liked that, even though he's totally gay and she smoked at her desk. GROSS! (He's braiding my hair currently.)

Ironic--Bryce and I were working out at a Virgin gym(the same as the record store, owned by Richard Branson who owns EVERYTHING) but the music kept on skipping and stalling the whole time...

Finally, I am obsessed with lotions. Every time I go to CLICKS (with the unicorn insignia) I buy something else. My most recent purchase is lavendar and chamomile AQUEOUS CREAM for babies' delicate skin. It's so nice :)

OK, off to the shopping center location now and then meetings with potential gaffers, sparks, and assistants. We're actually INTERVIEWING people for these free positions--something is not right, but hey, can't complain!

Security, Scones and Rooibos

2006-07-30T01:01:00.000-07:00

I just made scones with chopped dry figs and orange zest with a cup of rooibos.

I'm staying in a suburb called Benoni, where it's uncommon if you DON'T have an electric fence surrounding your property. I suggested going for a walk to the local Lemongrass Restaurant, but was advised against it, even though it's only a half mile down the neighborhood street. The other night as we were driving back through the city from Melville, Bryce and I never stopped at a red light (we would slow down, look both ways, and run it), for fear of being hijacked. I don't know if we were being paranoid or not, but better safe than sorry, and I did see other cars doing the same. Bryce himself is a Cape Town boy, so we both just do as we're told. Here's a pic of the video camera and electric fence right out the front. I have a yearning to stretch my legs, but I also want to be safe.

Traffic lights are called ROBOTS.

The accent here in Benoni is similar to a California valley accent, with "baby" and "darling" used frequently.

It is SO DRY here. I can scratch my name onto my arm. I've been liberally applying the shea butter I purchased yesterday from my favorite store Woolworth's, although CLICKS drug store is pretty cool because they have a UNICORN as a logo!!!!

Oh, and I've been counting the number of Asians spotted since my arrival. So far, excluding China Town (more like China CORNER), the total is eight. We saw three Asian girls crossing the street at the light the other day! Score! I asked, "Do you think they're from here?" to which Thabo responded, "No, because they're out walking." Aiyah.

Foodsnob Dinner in Melville

2006-07-29T01:45:00.000-07:00

Last night we had dinner in Melville, a very young, upbeat place, similar to Adam's Morgan in Washington DC or Silverlake, CA. It's also a lot safer than other parts of the city, so we were able to walk a few blocks from Thabo's uncle's house to the main strip. That's the farthest I've walked outdoors since we walked from the car to the shopping center. Here's what I had:

Pinotage--a grape created and grown only in South Africa, a somewhat accidental graft of Pinot Noir with Cinsaut; unique taste, pleasant earthy aromas.

Springbok Carpaccio--raw, thinly sliced venison served with (huge) capers, horseradish mayonnaise, arugula, and lemon...YUM. I forgot to mention that the springbok is also the national animal of South Africa. I found that very interesting...

Ostrich filet with chicken livers--medium rare as the chef prefers, served with veggies and sweet potato (but not the orange colored kind, same texture as Yukons but more stringy like yams)...DELICIOUS!! Ostrich is the leanest meat you can get. I didn't see a bit of fat.

Sticky Toffee Pudding--not as good as the pudding Sam and I ate in Belfast, but a worthwhile attempt. Cappuccino was a nice accompaniment, however.

Delicious food, good company (5 gay men)--what more could a girl ask for?

Random Stuff

2006-07-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

Orange Grove = The street we live on in Los Angeles.

Hilbrow girl photo = Behind is the Nigerian who intimidated me...oh, he's smiling now...

Petrol Station = The "Safari Mall" near the game farm. Liquor store + grocery store = MALL.

Couple more pics...

2006-07-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

Game Farm Blues

2006-07-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

Back from the game farm, where all we did was drive around looking for animals, eat, and drink. Life is tough. The farm has no predators, so none of the lodges have fencing around them. The animals are very shy during the day, but as soon as the sun goes down, the hyenas and jackals screamed like women in pain all around us as we chatted by the fire pit (not a pleasant sound.) We barbecued almost every meal, and I think the "pot bread" was the most enjoyable, which is yeast bread cooked in Dutch ovens over coals, with coals also placed on top of the lid. It makes sense that everything was cooked in Dutch ovens, eh? and not the stinky kind, you perverts...We saw kudu (similar to large antelope, makes excellent jerky, or "biltong"), wildebeests, rooiboks, bunnies, jackals, giraffes, and other types of wildlife, but it was pretty quiet, since we didn't go on midnight or pre-dawn drives (WAY too wasted all the time.) We'll definitely see more animals, though, once we're down in Kruger Park south of here (including predators), but it was very relaxing, especially after a hectic week of preproduction meetings and such. Today I went to the equipment house--literally a house overlooking Johannesburg. We're very very spoiled in the States. Only the highest end productions use hydraulic dollies, and when I told the (cute) rental associate that my school had two Fisher dollies he rolled his eyes. Hard to imagine that we're spoiled at UCLA...I finally learned all the terms, and I think my favorite is "bambino", equivalent to a "tweenie", or a 650W unit. Anyway, enough production talk. My favorite part about the game farm--showering outside with the sun beating down on me. Awesome awesome awesome.

What the f#@$% is a redrack and a pup?

2006-07-25T00:19:00.000-07:00

I couldn't stay away! Joburg at night ...off to some equipment houses now. All the grip and electric terms are all different so I have NO IDEA what I'm getting right now. They have completely different terms, so I'm going to see if someone at the house can teach me the terms. Damn, just when I thought I knew what a platypus was...I hope I see a leopard later on today...

Turkey Soup

2006-07-24T03:11:00.000-07:00

So I'm making turkey soup from the leftover meal the other night. Spent all morning scheduling the equipment needs--the scenery changes dramatically from block to block. As we were driving around yesterday we spotted this amazing burnt field with tall grass growing along the perimeter. I couldn't get my camera in time, but we're definitely going back to scout again. Fields are burned here to control fires, and as you drive along the highway the landscape is dotted with black rectangles along the roads and beyond. It's cool at night when the fires are blazing, knowing that these are control measures. Here's a picture of a young Zulu boy taken in Hillbrow. I'm trying to post more pics, but blogger is SO SLOW for some reason. Tomorrow we're going to the game farm until Thursday, so I will have no access to email until then. Don't miss me too much!

Location Scouting

2006-07-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

Today we spent all day location scouting in Hillbrow in the heart of the city. It's not the safest of places, even in broad daylight, so we were escorted by security the whole day. And thank goodness, because I was provoked by a man who stood about a foot away from me staring down my camera, not me, my camera. I was very nervous only because he had his hands in his jacket, but when I looked behind me, our amazing 6 and half foot Zulu security guard was standing like a badass with arms folded. No one wants to mess with that...In the morning we went to Nelson Mandela Square, located in the financial district of Sandton, the richest in Johannesburg. Looked a lot like Herndon, Virginia. That's me posing with Nelson, although his head does appear disproportionately small, or maybe a little pear-shaped. Last night we made a Thanksgiving Dinner for the family--note the carrot in the hole. Since carjacking is a HUGE problem here, we passed by this both funny and frightening sign. Finally, Thabo, Bryce (our UPM) and Mpho react to one of the location's tight quarters (which we're NOT shooting in thankfully!!!) A long but productive day. More pics to follow...

More sweaty pics...

2006-07-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

I can only post 4 pictures at a time, so here are some more pics from the game. Whenever there's a goal kick, an ADORABLE remote controlled car comes out with the "tee" for the ball. The banner reading "VAANAND EET ONS HAAI PIE" translates to "Tonight we eat shark pie." Not true, although the Bulls did put up a good fight. Finally, the man pile, probably the most common, sweaty, sight of the night. Oh, and a random picture of Johannesburg taken from the balcony of the "production office" (which is in fact Mpho's fabulous apartment on the edge of the city. Mpho is also the cowriter of Thabo's script--pronounced "Mmm-POH") Life is good, can't complain. Sam, I SWEAR I wasn't checking out the players' tight asses through my telephoto lens...look, don't touch.

My First...

2006-07-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

RUGBY GAME! What fun! We had special box seats at the University of Pretoria stadium, with a full bar and apps. I had a "boerrewurst" (sp?) which was basically a beef hotdog. Yum? I never knew how physical rugby could be until I saw it with my own eyes. The Sharks played the Bulls--Sharks won :( Apparently I was supposed to root for the Bulls because they represent the Johannesburg / Pretoria province, but boy oh boy it seemed like one long bar fight, with hot, sweaty dudes climbing all over each other. A dream come true...really, though, it was intense. During warmups I thought I was seeing a men's cheerleading competition--when they throw in the ball from the sideline, both teams LIFT other members a man high to retrieve the ball (as seen in the picture.) It seems like a ruleless game at first, but then you realize...it really is. I don't recall any fouls being called, just a lot of man on man action. On the way there I saw my first African sunset, so I quickly grabbed a shot from the moving car. I've never seen such an intense sun--this pic does no justice whatsoever, but you can really feel your retinas burning. Hot.

Ostrich Chunks

2006-07-20T14:53:00.000-07:00

I went to Eastgate market today, where we shopped at a store called Woolworth's...not quite the same as the ones in NYC, but more of a blend of Crate & Barrel meets Ralph's (a grocery chain in Los Angeles) and resulting in an Ikea store for food and EVERYTHING else. Anyway, I bought some ostrich chunks and wanted to share. Tastes like chicken. No, more like beef jerky...just a little hairier. Goes well with a cabernet sauvignon.

Just Arrived In Johannesburg

2006-07-20T04:47:00.000-07:00

I arrived last night at 9 PM South Africa time, which is 12 PM Los Angeles time and 3 PM NYC time. After 23 hours of flight, a stopover in beautiful Detroit and Amsterdam, and failing at a Sudoku puzzle because I got cocky, Thabo (director, pronounced TAW-boo) and Mel (producer-short for Melanie) picked me up from airport hassle-free. I couldn't believe that my bag had made it, and was one of the first to spill onto the baggage claim--a perfect start to a 2-month adventure. Today I'm relaxing and trying to adjust to the time change. I woke up at 11:30 AM to sunlight streaming onto the mosquito-netted bed (although there are no mosquitos right now because it's winter, much like the LA "winter.") It is a nice escape, however, from LA, where temperatures were reaching a scorching 105 degrees in the valley and a UV Index of 11. Here in the house it is warm enough for jeans and a T-shirt, but outside you definitely need a sweatshirt. The sky is clear and the air has a nice bite to it--pictures to follow. In a few minutes I'll be going to the market with Thabo's aunt Sue. I'm going to try to find some Vietnamese ingredients to make some lemongrass beef over cool noodles. Yum. I'm very much looking forward to my stay here--everyone is so hospitable, it's hard not to smile.