Tea and Toast

I guess I've always had some sort of existentialist side to myself, ever since I was little. I remember asking endless amounts of questions that no one could ever answer, and one I do remember, waaaaaay more vividly than the others, and that I never actually got the answer for was:
"Who invented the toaster?"

In case you were wondering it was
Charles Strite
Inventor
Charles Perkins Strite was an American inventor. He received U.S. patent #1,394,696 on October 18, 1920 for the pop-up bread toaster.

But my favourite question to ask, was why, and even to this day I love to sit with a nice cup of tea and a piece of toast and wonder what had to happen in the lives of people for them to invent things. Like the guy who discovered cheese. What on earth was he doing eating that bit of old milk?!

I'm quite the existentialist - modest too- but I always find myself asking "Why?" and not just about existential things like my existence and purpose, but also about things that I do and think are mundane, but have deep seated reasons and I like to figure them out. Like a scientist, proposing personal hypothesise.

Existentialism 
(ex·is·ten·tial·ism ) 
noun
A philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one's acts.

The most recent 'Hypothesis' I have proposed to myself, is one where I wonder what on earth fascinates me about the whole Television-Series-Thing.

I can bring it back to a few childhood memories. The first is watching an old, British, TV show called My Family every Wednesday with my Mom. This was tradition, and somehow there were enough episodes of My Family to watch for what feels like years and years of my life.
The second is watching the Emmy's every year. I absolutely love watching the Emmy's, and not because I'm obsessed with celebrities and whose the best etc, but rather for the first hour (or so) where they give the people behind the scenes awards - not to mention that the people who actually write the scripts for the award shows, are fantastic.
The writers, the directors and the producers. They're the ones who I'm the biggest groupie for. They're funny, and talented and spend so much time being able to articulate a concept and idea into the characters they develope, putting small snippets of themselves into each of them, watching them come to life on the screen.

I'm completely in awe and envy of those people, because all I've ever wanted is to be able to have the people and characters that I think of come alive and exist amongst the magnificent calibre of the greats. Often I think about weather otr not I'm on the right track in life, I wonder if this whole Design business if for me or if I should have just gone off to Rhodes to do journalism like I wanted to in the first place. I guess this is where the existentialism thing comes in. I'm always left wondering and unsure, a bit lost even, wondering if I made the right decsion going to Vega, or if I took the easy way out, and deviated from the path I'm meant to be on. But then, I have my own, personal, debate inside my head because I truly believe that things happen for a reason and that even the mistakes or bad decisions you make are planned and you're meant to be making them so that you can get to the place you're going to.
But is the point of life to get somewhere?
Isn't it all about the journey?

and in the great words of Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais (Screenplay)

Max's Father: Goddammit, Max! Get serious, for once! What are you going to DO with your life?
Max: Why is it always what will I do? "What will he do", "What will he do," "Oh, my god what will he do", Do, do, do, do, do. Why isn't the issue here who I am?
Uncle Teddy: Because, Maxwell, what you do defines who you are.
Max: No, Uncle Teddy. Who you are defines what you do. Right Jude?
Jude: Well, surely it's not what you do, but the, uh... the way that you do it.

This brings me to the first part of my new assignment:
"5 Pictures that represent your interest from a secondary source"

I hope you're ready for the next five posts about the best writers in the industry, because I know I am!

"Learn French or die"
&Kathryn

When I Grow Up...

This woman is my favourite person at the moment. I stumbled across her work whilst procrastinating having a real life and decided to see what else she did.

Dina Goldstein is a Conceptual Photographer who has done many pieces as a commentary on society and the world we live in. You can check out more of her work on her website: http://www.dinagoldstein.com/

Forgotten Princesses tells the stories of our favourite Disney Princesses after the Happily Ever After that we all grow up dreaming about. Snow White the Mother of four in an unhappy marriage, Cinderella the Alcoholic and of course, Rupunzel gets Cancer.

She tells these stories in such a fantastic way. I'm really intrigued as to the way she takes the photographs and the fact that you can see the shadows of the subjects and props in the frame on the background. This to me also represents the kind of 'Posterised' and 'Pre-misconceived' Ideals of society that we grow up in.

The Doll House tells the story of Barbie and Ken, a relationship seemingly perfect, but flawed behind the pristine plastic walls of their Dream House. Her images tell the story of their relationship falling apart and the impact a life's worth of lies coming to the surface can really have on a girl who thought she had it all.

What a crazy mixed up world we're all living in.

&Kathryn

A Cupcake for Me. A Cupcake for You.

Early this lovely, chilly, Friday morning I awoke with an entire list of very important things to do. I gave myself the whole day to do them, but instead I found myself baking away in the kitchen, procrastinating all those things on that very long list.

This is what I happened to make.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes!
Ingredients:
125g Softened Butter
125g Light Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
150g Self-raising flour
3 Tablespoons of Milk
25g Cocoa Powder

Don't forget to Pre Heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius!

Basically just mix everything together.
1. Cream the butter and sugar until its light and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs one at a time and then mix in the flour.
3. Gradually add the milk and the cocoa.
4. Get that delicious mix in the baking tray and pop it in the oven for 20 minutes, allow to cool.

For the Icing:
1. Add 25g of butter and cocoa powder, with a tea spoon of hot water and mix it all up until its creamy.
2. Add some icing sugar to get a thickness and add more cocoa to taste.
3. Then you can go right ahead and ice those babies!
4. Then eat them.
5. With tea
6. Whilst listening to music from the 80's

Those final steps are mandatory.

Enjoy!
&Kathryn

Compulsory Post #1

For my first "Compulsory Post" based on this weeks Brand Strategy Homework, which I only actually did in class - you know how it is. 

We had to find an article (Look I even managed to find it again) relating to our chosen topic, read the article and come up with 5 Insights, from that article. 

After all that hard work, there was more. 

This involved struggling through someone else's homework, trying to read their handwriting and understand what exactly they were talking about on their blog, and then having to awkwardly find the person in our class to return their homework to them. 

It was after all that, that we got our crumpled pieces of paper back with a few new (or in my case not so much) insights.

This is the photographic evidence of such homework.

Well, I dunno about you but that wasn't all that interesting, and had very little (unless you read the paper) to do with TV Shows and how they inspire our life journeys through emotional problems and all that weird psychological mush so I have a cool song/video for you to listen to/watch.

I can just about hear your minds a reeling with what on earth this wonder could be, you might even be asking yourselves "What Even Is That?", so, without further adieu:

Barenaked Ladies - The History of the Universe 

(The Big Bang Theory Theme Song - Full Version)

Check yah on the flip side

&Kathryn

Couch Potato - Shortstraw

A little bit of light hearted, indie music to get this whole show on the road.

This song pretty much describes my life. 

I pretty much love Shortstraw. I've seen them quite a few times since I turned 15 and would spend my nights trawling bars and Live Music Venues, being caught up as a part of the unbelievable city night life that Johannesburg has to offer. 

The most memorable time I ever saw them live was at Cool Runnings in Fourways. They were playing the gig with none other than Desmond and the Tutus and The City Bowl Mizers. It was a crazy-amazing show and a night I wouldn't soon forget - because that was the night I went Stage Diving.

The crowd was insane and absolutely wild as I stood on stage, the blinding lights shining in my eyes. The people were pulsating along with the music jumping up and down in rhythm to the band playing their well rehearsed set and dripping sweat all over the stage. I was with a complete stranger, tall and with dark, wildly curly hair. I looked up at him, because he was so tall, uncertainly but he smiled reassuringly and shouted "GO!" and pushed me to the edge of the stage. I jumped, free falling for what felt like a life time into the crowd with nothing but a the hope that some one would catch me. 

It was amazing.

I felt like I was flying.

The floor was hard and slightly slippery under my feet. I fought to regain my balance as I pushed my way back to the front of the crowd and joined the sweaty, smelly writhing mass of people that we're jumping and dancing to the beat of the band.

Listen.

I am the Potato God.

&Kathryn

A Bit of Brand Strategy

So for college, and in order for me to get a degree, or at least pass first year, I have to make and keep up a blog for a while based on an interest of my choice.

So here it is: A blog dedicated to the life lessons, as well as; fashion choices and musical inspiration though the wonderful world of Television.

"For the next two and a half months, I, Kathryn Henning, will be entertaining the internet with some casual musings about stuff I like. Are you excited? I am. This means I get a degree!"

Eat your heart out Mike Teevee!

What Even Is That?
What Even Is That?
What Even Is That?

&Kathryn

POP/CORN

Here's my new mix on 8tracks.
"Its a common misconception that your looks will improve, Just like the more you drink the better you move"
The POP/CORN Mix is for a party time, which is all the time, lets be honest.

1. Avril Lavigne - Here's to Never Growing Up
2. Imagine Dragons - Radioactive
3. Emblem3 - Chloe (You're the One I Want)
4. Icona Pop (ft. Charli XCX) - I Love It
5. Selena Gomez - Come and Get It (Jump Smokers REMIX)
6. Carly Rae Jepson - Tonight I'm Getting Over You
7. Bastille - Pompeii (Kat Krazy REMIX)
8. Ellie Goulding - Anything Could Happen
9. Avicii - Wake Me Up (Extended Mix)

Tuesday

She leaned on her elbow, the beige, leather couch barely a support for her tired head. He sat next to her, legs outstretched enjoying the space that the carpeted floor provided him. A half empty beer bottle between his fingers. She licked her lips before speaking. Her mouth was dry. His scent, all to familiar in this setting was stronger as they sat close together. The light tendrils of her hair fell around her face just brushing the top of her dark blue jumper that covered her shoulders. The light in the room was a mixture of reds and oranges giving the room, although empty pizza boxes lay scattered across the low coffee table, a romantic glow.

He was talking softly and she was listening intently to what he had to say, bringing her own dark brown beer to her lips, ever so slightly sipping the bitter contents of the bottle. She smiled, a half crooked; tired smile filled with longing. He laughed as he straitened himself out, moving ever so slightly closer to his companion. He mumbled something and she blushed turning her face away shyly as he reached up to move a strand of hair that had fallen into her face. His large hands gently brushed it behind her ear as she gazed into his greenish-blue eyes. His hand rested on her neck where it had stopped mid action. He looked more intently into her eyes, she smiled ash his lips brushed hers.

Their lips met in perfect unison, his hand, more firmly now, felt the back of her neck as she let herself melt into his strong figure. His shoulders were broad her fingers soon found out as she gingerly moved them to touch him. They had become intertwined with one another. The music seemed to grow louder as sparks ignited between the two entangled on the floor amidst fiery passion and the thought of the last night they would have together.

They broke apart, her hand still touched his unshaven cheek as she bit her lip and looked at the figure in front of her. Her eyes shined bright with the thoughts shooting through her mind. She leaned back on her elbow and stretched, leaning her head backward and settling into a more comfortable position. He touched her leg as he looked at the angelic figure, pale and smiling in the dim light of the small apartment. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before rising and heading to the kitchen for two steaming hot cups of coffee.