Ok, if you value your kidneys, heart, liver, lungs, brain (you get the jist) then BOOST Juice Bar at Gateway Umhlanga is the place for you.
Situated beneath the movie complex, placed just before the 'Circle of Shame' i.e. The other fastfood outlets to the left of the movies... BOOST Juice bar is a real experience.
All the fruit is freshly squeezed before your eyes, order the Energiser Juice (Fresh Juice with no added sugar) comprising of orange, strawberry, banana and an energiser pack, and you'll watch an eye popping load of whole peeled oranges whizz and juice to frothy heaven before your eyes. Yes, orange juice when it's not tampered with, is frothy. Divine.
The first time we bought from BOOST, I had the Tropical Storm R30 (Mango, Banana, Tropical Juice, coconut Milk, Mango yoghurt and Ice) I drank it so fast that I got a headache!! Worth it!! My husband ordered a plain orange juice, once we were over the shock of how many oranges were actually IN the drink, we thoroughly enjoyed every sip! Infact, Francis went BACK and ordered a Tropical Storm!
The second time we went to BOOST - I ordered the Energy Lift with an added Vitamin Pack, my husband ordered the Gym Junkie with a protein booster. Wow.
BOOST is similar to Kauwai but without the semi-religeous piety that comes with a Kauwai cup of juice. They have FUN making your drink, they tell you COOL STUFF about your drink if you ask them. You can CUSTOMISE your drink.
I warn you, You will become highly protective of your juice. If your friends are with you they will 99.9% probably ask "Can I taste yours?" And, you will say No. well, you'll probably say yes. They are THAT good.
Do your body a favour, don't buy some wheat filled cholesterol coated gastronomic suicide-in-a-bun. Get a BOOST.
Sandy Bigara
Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!
Thursday, 17 March 2011
Friday, 11 March 2011
Japan Earthquake and Other Disasters: Tsunamis, Dust Storms and Fires...
What is going on in the world? I ask in all seriousness. It is all beginning to feel a little apocolypto to me. Read on – I have done some reading across the board:
FIRES
8th February 2011 "Wildfires that ripped through the outskirts of the Western Australia capital Perth over the weekend have destroyed at least 41 homes and damaged another 19."
And,
"Just day earlier a category five cyclone, the largest tropical storm to hit Australia since Europeans first settled there, flattened scores of properties in Queensland causing an estimated $3.5bn of damage.
The freak cyclone came just weeks after severe flooding hit two-thirds of the state, killing at least 35 people."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1354423/Australia-fires-First-floods-Cyclone-Yasi-bushfires-wreak-havoc.html#ixzz1GIjHfDl9
DUST STORMS
September 23rd 2009 "A huge outback dust storm - 500 km (310 mi) wide by 1,000 km (620 mi) long - swept across eastern Australia and blanketed Sydney on Wednesday, September 23rd 2009 … the worst dust storm Sydney has seen in 70 years" http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/09/dust_storm_in_australia.html
TSUNAMIS
26 December 2004 I had family in Phuket as well as two close friends who survived by being so very brave (and running quickly!) The following is a cache of a really good first hand account :
Personal Notes from Mark Oberle:
EARTHQUAKES
Christchurch: "Crews work through night to free people after 6.3 magnitude quake, New Zealand's worst natural disaster in 80 years" The Guardian.
"The mayor of Christchurch, Bob Parker, told local radio that up to 200 people could be trapped but later lowered the number to nearer 100. It was the country's worst natural disaster since a 1931 quake in the North Island city of Napier killed 256." The Guardian.
Japan: "The most powerful earthquake to hit Japan since records began has struck the country's north-east and triggered a devastating tsunami.
Japanese TV showed cars, ships and buildings swept away by a vast wall of water after the 8.9-magnitude quake. A state of emergency has been declared at a nuclear power plant but officials said there were no radiation leaks.
At least 60 people have been killed by the quake, which struck about 400km (250 miles) north-east of Tokyo. The death toll is expected to rise significantly.
Some reports quote Japanese police as saying 200 to 300 bodies have been found in the port city of Sendai. The tremor, measured at 8.9 by the US Geological Survey, hit at 1446 local time (0546 GMT) at a depth of about 24km. A tsunami warning was extended across the Pacific to North and South America."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12709598
"the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan to strike the east coast towns of Hualien at 09:32 GMT, Taitung at 09:36 GMT, and Jilong at 10:04 GMT" http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2011/03/11/taiwan-issues-tsunami-warning/
Some Tweets:
SabrinaDeep #breakingnews thousands found dead in the city of Sendai in Japan #tsunami #earthquake It's getting worse :(
CruisenGo RT @cnnbrk: 200 to 300 bodies found in the coast city of Sendai after #Japan earthquake, #tsunami.
sarahmclellanny RT @smh_news: Chaos as airports closed, flights diverted #jpquake #earthquake #tsunami #japan
VOLCANOS
March 2011 "Like Indonesia, Japan lies on the so-called "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines surrounding the Pacific Basin. A 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Kobe, western Japan, killed more than 6,000 people in 1995, while the 7.9- magnitude Great Kanto Quake of 1923 destroyed 576,262 structures and killed an estimated 140,000." http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-11/tokyo-buildings-shaken-by-7-9-earthquake-highest-tsunami-warning-issued.html
What is going on? Facebook me your thoughts: www.facebook.com/sbigara
Sandy Bigara
Image Reference:
01 Tsunami http://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/5174-tsunami-hits-pacific-after-japan-earthquake
02 Tsunami http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2011/03/11/taiwan-issues-tsunami-warning/
03 Tsunami http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/
04 Earthquake http://newsesource.com/world-news/mount-merapi-still-erupting-volcano-at-indonesia
06 Dust storm http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/09/dust_storm_in_australia.html
Sunday, 6 March 2011
Sunset Food Market Time! March 17th
SUNSET FOOD MARKET TIME AGAIN!
Thursday 17th March
5-9pm
Norwegian Hall
St Thomas rd Musgrave
Being Worth It
As women we tend to do the same thing…all of us are guilty of it at some point or other – we think that we are NOT WORTH IT. Whatever "It" may be, a car, new shoes, that diet you've been putting off, finding a new partner after a breakup. We have all done it.
I have written a Novel – it is nearly ready to go to print, I just need to raise the funds to do so – it has been a BIG "Am I Worth It" experience, to put aside the hours necessary to edit and ready this book has been a constant source of stress for me. Never mind the chance that it might actually make it out there and be a success! (I hyperventilate just thinking about it being in libraries and book stores…) But I have slowly realised that I AM WORTH IT!
A friend of mine had the life changing experience recently of starting to date again after a long stint of single life. After a deep soul search she adventured out there and met someone with whom she is having a great deal of fun, it is great to see! SHE IS WORTH IT!
Why do we do it? Why do we put our needs last? As mothers we are the worst culprits! For example: I arrived home from a family trip and in the car I said
"Wow I am so thirsty and I need the loo!" (overshare - get over it) and about an hour later my husband said:
"Have you had a drink?"
My answer?
"NO, not yet, no loo either"
Husbands reply was:
"Why not??"
My reply:
"Well, I have made lunch, fed baby K, changed baby K, played with Sav and now she's also settled for a nap…now I can drink and go potty"
I could have easily had a drink and gone to the loo as we got home. I AM WORTH IT.
Even something like dieting and exercise…we put it aside in favour of "duties" like being at home with the kids (when our partners are perfectly capable of looking after the kiddies for one night a week) and often feel guilty for being out of the house! WE ARE WORTH the effort that it takes to look good.
Do you do this? Do you think you are NOT worth it?
I am going to try VERY hard to allow blessings into my life, to take the love and care offered to me, to exercise and eat right for my body, to take time in the bath to read a book, to have that nap, to have the last cappuccino sachet…
WORTH IT.
Sandy Bigara xx
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
The Sunset Food Market
I believe in supporting LOCAL, this new Sunset market is a great idea and so far it has enjoyed a good start – I need you all to go to this market and let me know what you think! I will hopefully be singing there soon ; )
Let's all support Colin and Barbara Penn and make this market a wonderful success!
Sandy Bigara
"The Sunset Food Market goes International!
This is Durban's newest hotspot and it's getting bigger and bigger…better and better…
You can now eat 'international' in our fabulous tea garden; Hungarian, Thai, Italian, Indian, South African, American and Greek followed by mouth-watering desserts… or you can take it all home with you.
Enjoy the mellow sounds of Colin Penn and his Pennants, whilst sipping a few glasses of your favourite from our wine bar. It's the perfect sunset scenario
PLUS
We have a cheese bar, special diabetic delights, cakes, fresh fruit and veg, mayonnaises, spreads and more. It's all here!
IT'S THE PLACE TO MEET…IT'S THE PLACE TO EAT
THE SUNSET FOOD MARKET
THE NORWEGIAN HALL ( 214 ST THOMAS RD)
THURSDAY 17TH FEBRUARY FROM 5PM TO 9PM
(Free off road safe parking)
Hope to see you all there!"
Thursday, 27 January 2011
Third Time's The Charm - Another Short Story
They say "third times the charm" but as Lindsey waited at the airport she knew that this time it was for real.
The first time she had left him standing before hundreds of people, and missed her wedding, was because she panicked and ran. The second time he was left by himself, alone and humiliated while his mother shook her head and his Father said "I told you so, Martha". She had simply not been ready. This time however she was more ready than she had ever been.
Thomas had made things a little more difficult for her this time. He was waiting for her in Gauteng and she was to meet him on a specific street corner where they had bumped into each other five years ago. She held up her cell phone, a week ago he had typed in the details - the number house to meet in front of (she had no memory of the location) and the number of his new cell phone. She hadn't really had a chance to look at them and still could not get used to his new number, it just wouldn't stick in her head.
Her flight left at two and she had to meet him at four o'clock so that he could drive them to their third and final wedding.
He had shown her trust by making this wedding as wonderful as the last two. As she waited her stomach turned with excitement. This time tomorrow she would be married! The rules for today where this: He would only wait until five o'clock and then he would leave.
The wedding would be called off and their relationship would finally be over, he would go on their honeymoon alone and that would be the end. She did not know where he was staying, and as she checked her phone to see if the battery was charged, she made a mental note to learn all the details as soon as she was on the plane. With her arm held out dangling her cell phone she rummaged through her carrier bag. Suddenly she was bumped quite roughly from behind. Her cell phone went flying through the air and skidded across the second storey deck that she was standing on; it shot off the edge and went plummeting downwards. It hit one of the jutting supports and shattered before falling with a splash into the giant aquarium which dominated the foyer below. Her heart stopped for a minute. She didn't know all of the facts. She couldn't remember his number. What if something went wrong and she couldn't reach him? He would leave and they would be over for good. She leant on the railing and gasped for air. Her heart felt as if it was being pulled through a mangle!
She straightened out and walked slowly towards the departure line and waited, thinking only of him and their life together. She was sure she would be able to find the street corner, she remembered which shopping mall it was near and that there was a pre-school across the road. She started to dream of the beautiful children they would have, the Christmases and birthdays they would spend together. There was no other man for her.
As she reached the front of the line she felt her bag move and spun around to see her zipper hanging open. She looked inside the bag and knew instantly, her wallet was gone along with her drivers licence and credit cards. This was the second horrible thing to happen to her, She felt drained and stared ahead slack-jawed. As she reached her queue for flight 333 there was uproar from the crowd around her. She looked up to the flight display board and thought, "third time's the charm"
Next to each flight number red words taunted her:
CANCELLED CANCELLED CANCELLED
It Moved - Another Short Short Story
Ah yes, I remember now…
It moved, and I'm scared to touch it.
It is alive, and it knows I'm watching.
The warm light shimmers on its tiny wriggling body. I stare, slack-jawed at its details, adjusting Daddy's magnifying glass in my small hand, to get a better view. My big blue eyes follow the jagged edge of its little quivering broken wing, shining golden and translucent. I feel really awful you know, because to my right, about an arms length away in the furry brown carpet, is its other wing. I think I picked it up a bit too roughly and now it can't fly anymore. I'm sure It can still fly in circles though.
I think I am going to move it to where I can see it better. I'll take some of Mommy's writing paper here, and slide it under the little thing and carry it, slowly to the porch and into the sunshine. I am amazed at how brilliantly I can see every detail outside in the natural light.
I notice a bright spot of light in the view of the magnifying glass.
I have an idea… I have decided that I will have a 'Broadway Show' and the thing is my Broadway Star! I move the beam of white light over the thing and it really knows that it's on stage! It squirms and dances under the bright beam like a dancer in sequins. Then suddenly, a bright flash, and the thing is gone. There is just a fine black smudge and some steaming ash – I think it disappeared, it vanished clean away! It's not even under the paper!
So the thing wasn't a dancer after all, it was a magician!
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
The House - A Short Story That Took Me By Surprise
The house we had rented was so sweet, two sets of white French doors, pale paisley furniture and lots of flowers. It felt like home within ten minutes. So much so that we didn't ever want to leave! Our precious daughters, the one who was three years old, and the other six months, seemed to really fit in and played for hours in the garden. My Husband was relaxed for the first time in months.
We had been there for quite some time, a very long extended holiday, the house was surrounded by real African feld – shrubs, grass and red hard, dry, sand risen here and there with ant hills. There was no manicured garden, the feld reached all the way to the French doors.
Our white suburban station-wagon was parked a little way from the house, partially obscured from view by the low lying acacia trees. Behind it was the pile of light brown boxes filled with our belongings. We were starting to pack up.
The house and it's small section of surrounding African bush were, in turn, surrounded by a very high fence, electrified so that nothing wild could get in, and nothing tame could get out. We had heard the grunting roars of the local lions and had often seen a little family of warthog scuttling along the boundary of the property. When a herd of elephant stood precariously near to the fence, we were very grateful for it's ever-clicking sturdy presence. The house, garden and fence were the only structures for many kilometres. The only occupants here were the four of us. No maid. No gardeners. Just us. It was wonderful!
Everything had gone according to plan until this morning, we were standing around the kitchen deciding what to have for breakfast, when a news item caught our attention, the blaring trumpets signalling an important news break made us stop and focus on the blue screen.
"There have been some disturbing developments across the globe. Reports now in, of strange sightings above the cities and suburbs of Gauteng, Durban and Cape Town. Further news to follow" The footage being shown was filmed on shaky cellular phones and depicted strange oval shaped aircraft over the cities. We shivered and checked the calendar – April 9th, definitely not April fools. Switching over to the international news channel we saw similar footage and reports from the USA, Canada and the UK.
"We have had reports of the first attacks…"
"There seems to be no mercy shown…"
"The attacks are being performed by 'civilians'…"
"Attacks and casualties have reached a record high…52 reported deaths and 100 reported missing…since the top of the hour in Glasgow…"
By this stage we started really packing. We were grateful to be in the middle of nowhere. If these 'things' that looked like us were attacking in the cities, then we were in the best possible place. We wanted to be packed and ready for anything.
"From our recent correspondence it seems that these 'beings' are attacking only women and female children…"
Ok, these reports had our full attention. I felt a shiver go down my spine.
"Mutilations…"
"While still alive…horrific…shred…shredde…shredded…"
The female reporter stammered to a halt as we heard in the background the sound of twisting metal. She stood up. Eyes white with terror, ripped her microphone from her lapel, and ran off screen. We heard a terrible shriek followed by another twisting tearing metallic sound; and the screen went to grey fuzz and hiss. We turned to the other stations and watched in horror as each in turn faded to black.
I stood for a while not quite sure what was actually happening, my husband walked over to the radio and turned the dial. The green luminescent light shone. After he spent a good few minutes trying to find one station that was live on air, we listened to the hushed voice of the radio announcer:
"…are no more stations live it seems… I am reporting from my basement. I repeat, from my basement. At my last word from sources there seems to be an unprecedented attack on all females and female children globally. There is NO mercy shown to these individuals….the most horrific murders…brutal. I wish all who are still alive much hope, much speed and mercy. These beings look like every man,or, woman, they appear to be normal until they start to kill. Please. Hide." Click.
My husband sat down on the couch and looked at me in bleak despair.
"What are we going to do? There's nowhere for you and the girls to hide."
I felt the bile rise in my throat as I realised my fate, and the fate of my precious daughters.
"What if they don't come here? We're far from anywhere. Maybe…"
"Still,… it's possible. And I'm not letting them get you. If they take you and the girls they'll have to go through me first."
I ran towards him, and we held each other fast, knowing it might be the last time.
About an hour later I walked across the living room floor; after making sure the girls were sleeping soundly, we'd settled them for their regular nap, not wanting to alarm them. I smiled at my husband and stepped out of the right hand set of French doors. I started towards the car, when I noticed a beautiful African lady walking towards me from around the back bumper of my station-wagon, she was unsmiling. Suddenly at her right was another woman, followed by another. All three were looking straight at me, moving steadily towards the house. I stopped and my blood ran cold. How did they get in here? We hadn't opened the access gate and the fence was of such a high voltage… it was then that I noticed the fence clicking. I called out to them,
"What are you here for huh? What are you here for?!"
They stared at me while their pace never slackened, and the first lady said in a monotone voice echoed by the others,
"We're here to talk to you. Here to talk to you. Talk to you."
There was so much cold, hard threat in their words, that I started to back off towards the house. My legs felt like jelly and I felt frantically behind me for the French doors. I backed into the house as the first lady walked through the other open set of French doors, and we found ourselves all standing in the lounge…too close for comfort.
I turned and raced to my husband who was standing near the door where our children slept soundly. His face was pale as death but set in stone. He was resolute. I ran and stood next to him locking my arms around him. The first lady stepped forward and the others advanced simultaneously, three sets of harsh eyes locked with mine…
Let me know what you think... www.facebook.com/sbigara
Sandy Bigara
Picture from http://www.treklens.com/members/j_wyatt/
Monday, 24 January 2011
The New Toasted KFC Twister… Is It A Con?
It was with much excitement that I learned (via the blinking box we call the TV) that KFC was reinventing the Twister. The advert showed a grilled, firm taco, crispy chicken strips as thick as my forearm and bright green lettuce practically pouncing onto the pile of gooey chicken and heaven all rolled into one…
The truth however, was a little less than appealing. *We decided to give this glorious new Taco a try, our first attempt was at the Sherwood KFC. I opened my rolled up packet to find a soft, squelchy, oozing, blackened Taco filled with not one but two damp, toughened chicken 'strips' a clump of soggy shredded brown/grey lettuce (it had obviously committed 'Hari Kiri' because it could never, ever look like the lettuce in the advert) and so much "Secret Sauce" that I all but gagged my way through it.
Our next attempt at the new grilled Twister was in KFC Broadway, Durban North. Same thing. Next stop KFC Umhlanga Rocks drive, Durban North side. Same thing. My personal worst was KFC Northway near the Zenex Garage. If you would like to gouge your eyes out in frustration, while thinking of 100 ways to skewer an idiotic teller then go there. Really.
Finally after much soul searching we tried the KFC in Hillcrest. Thank you Hillcrest KFC. I ate the soft, black, taco and left with a broken heart. The meat was great, I passed on having lettuce, and the Taco itself was gross. I now have the Sprinkle Pops only...with fruit chutney.
*Please note this was before my diet!
Sandy Bigara
Saturday, 22 January 2011
Monologue of a Grownup - Child Prostitute
Something I wrote while reading about Child Prostitution globally, broke my heart.
How can man be so evil? So carnal? I pray that this sick practice stops.
I pray that these precious children find escape:
"It's a Game to them you know.
They do not think of the little ones, the lost and the lonely.
They see the Dollars, the Rands… Yen and Euros.
It's all a game to them you know.
They don't hear us cry, they don't see us longing for our children, brothers, and mothers, family… they see the fast cars they can buy, they see the bribery, the corruption and it's all a game to them.
It's not a game to us, we are finished.
We are employed by a terrible fear that stops us from stepping out and finding hope again.
We are afraid to say anything.
We are afraid of them, the big men, the men who make us cry, the men who threaten us.
We are afraid.
We are afraid.
They made me do terrible things, they made me break my heart into a thousand pieces… I don't think I will ever find the whole of my heart again. My insides, my mind, my heart, look like a road sign that has been shot through with many bullet holes, damaged. Broken but still me, you know. Still me.
I used to scream my name inside my head, my real name. As loudly as I could imagine it. But to everyone else I was Neecie. One day I'll be Denise again.
When I was about 19 I had a little baby girl… I called her Sophia after my Mother. They took her away, the cops took her and gave her to her father in Richards bay. I have missed three birthdays so far, three years that I can never get back.
I'm working hard now to be a model citizen and mom! I'm working at a hair dressers and I stay with a group of ladies who are like me, full of holes. We are trying, it is hard but we try every day.
I wish I had never left my house that day to visit the mall. I wish I hadn't taken the drive in the car, wish I had never seen that room, the drugs, the men, the fights, the money… I would be a different person. I would be 100% ME."
Let's put an end to Human Trafficking.
Sandy Bigara
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