LEGIT
well, the 3 year Exceptional Skills Permit / work visa has certainly been a game changer. i am now officially a Capetonian, and no longer an illegal alien but now a documented temporary resident . i am legit. whether or not i can crack this market as a director is another story, but it's my dream to do so and i will slowly chip away at it. i have some time now to make some inroads. and it's definitely going to be a "connection" business i have a feeling. but how? i will consider it a major victory when i get my first directing gig. it would be amazing to spend my golden years living and working here in Western Cape, such a stunning place. so holding thumbs i can get a break. probably not likely this year with the holidays coming upon us to get a gig, but i'll put some feelers out and hopefully get some meetings next year.
the giant hurdle was getting the permit, which is proving harder and harder to come by. i just beat the May 1 deadline when they revamped all the Home Affairs laws to make it much harder to get a work permit and be here. i'm still shooting for my residency card but they may be equally tough to come by. industry wise, there is also Crew companies that rep crew people, so that would be also a small coup to get with one of them.
RE-ENTRY
expats may relate, but sometimes returning to a foreign country is tricky. can't explain why, but my re-entry this time after a month in the states was especially hard at first. no momentum, no Plan B if the permit fell through, a bit aimless to say the least. luckily the permit came 2 weeks after my return, but i had some dark days wondering what i was doing here and where i would go next. hard to find the groove i had before i left. things change quickly living abroad and day to day can be quite an emo swing, but i'm back on the horse and having more good days than bad. it's a process, folks, becoming a local. and now that i have papers, i can proceed with Plan A. which was the only plan i really ever had.
TURTLE UPDATE
had some hard news coming back...Electric Sky, my turtle doco global distributor in the UK had gone "into administration" which is Brit for belly up! bankrupt! redundant? anyway, out of biz! so, no more dist deal. back to square one. which is a little tough since all my leads had been exhausted. so now what??? IDK! had a new lead, a gal formerly with MNET who did Acquisitions, who suggested Nat Geo Channel in Joburg should see it, so i Expressed Mailed a package off this morning. also Edwina Thring in Germany is still on the fringe, but crickets from her lately. and so it goes. Turtles are still for sale and i still believe that project fell in my lap for whatever reason for some purpose and it will find a home. hmmm..Al Jezeera??
HOUSING
the other issue hanging over me was housing. i'm due out of Papyrus Lodge Jan 28 and being a gypsy again was overwhelming. not knowing where to live was the killer part. in DTCT? City Centre? Stellenbosch? Somerset West? Strand? Stanford? come back to Papyrus in 6 weeks time???
the thought of starting all over again in CPT not knowing anyone nor the lay of the land was too daunting. i'm just finally gaining community in the SSW area. so after much gnashing of teeth, and no more patience to wait and see what would happen come jan 1, i found something that "leaped" out at me, on Beach Road in the Strand on the 15th floor of a 16 story modern building, Ocean View. 102 sq meters. 2 bedroom 2 en suite bath. and an extra WC in the foyer. dimmer light switches. killer ocean view, nice breeze, and even protected from the maddening South Eastern winds that blow from Gordon's Bay directly behind me. all in all, the kind of place you get to live in once in a lifetime. i negotiated on the price and the owner came down and met me halfway so i'm taking it. see pics below! so relieved to have this settled. living in Papyrus fully furnished for 6 months began to feel like a Hampton Inn. not that homey. the new place is unfurnished and ready for DDM to trick it out. and i have an option to buy if i blow up in CPT somehow in the workplace. who knows?? it's pretty amazing. you can see the whole Cape from my window, from Table Mountain to Cape Point on a clear day. lekker, poa sana, and very cool pad. my new crib! excited!
walks on the beach, bike rides, dinner parties, company welcome, pool, parking, braais, all good! i guess i'm a Strandian now! think early Venice Beach...kinda rough around the edges, but i'm south of the riffraff for the most part. and 170 feet high! not bad Dr. Jones.
PICTURE TIME
so that's it. episode 2 with not much cliff hanging. christmas in stanford, new crib for new years, i did have a commercial audition for Kia, but to no avail. felt good, but you can't book em all! onto the next! and now your favourite part...pics!
merry christmas to all! Emmanuel!
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| Flippie busted out this amazing white. a nice surprise. he has a fine collection! |
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| fun at Oktoberfest in November! OOMPAH! |
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| friend Johan with my ex! as if! |
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| often imitated, never duplicated! |
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| terrific oompah house band! |
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| lorella in NBO wears her new kicks from the states! Nike power! |
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| new coffee shop/ new office! helderbrg centre. christmas spirit! |
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| Bread Shack. like us on Facebook...https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bread-Shack/728673873853805 |
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| A day at the races...Newlands style |
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| my horse came in second. Placed they say. ticket to win NG! |
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| Winner's Circle |
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| not nearly the same romantic vibe as Nairobi Racecourse. no feel at all. |
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| 30 seconds to Mars concert was like a high school pep rally. really Jared? |
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| camera torches have replaced holding up your lighters . |
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| cafe corner in cape town city centre. just missed a really cool flat there. but new crib wins. |
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| loving the scooter action! |
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| late night Wimpy session after collecting Matt at CPT Int'l in from NBO (Nairobi folks) |
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| love these old scooters. hmmm. |
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| Matt takes Betsy for a spin! |
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| thanksgiving in Stanford with matt & Jennie and a cast of thousands! |
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| the proverbial feast! |
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| signage |
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| Turkey day menu. printed. scripty font. place cards. yum. |
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| Felicity dressed up for the holiday. such great kids...all 11 of them! |
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| sundowner cape town Waterfront |
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| Besty at cape of good hope on a very rare glassy day. |
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| photo op |
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| george and karen goldey, some new friends from LA on holiday. |
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| Dixie's in Simon's Town looking across False Bay to SSW - Somerset West. |
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| standard fare. more geowalking required! |
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| Windhoek is a beer and the capital of Namibia. |
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| more Dixie's on a sunday putt putt on Betsy. False Bay behind. |
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| scooter sighting in Stellenbosch. |
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| NBO mate Simon Lee at Long Street Cafe, one of my faves! |
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| more Long Street Cafe |
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| lake at Papyrus. sunset. windy season is here. |
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| Bread Shack is getting fun! we have product! |
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| Fred & Max, sexy eatery in SSW |
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| stone-ground flour, non GMO, unbleached, cooked on the floor of the hearth |
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| said hearth |
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| Johan makes another batch |
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| big batch |
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| for sale at a recent christmas mart |
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| new logo is nice |
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| BMW GS800 Adventurer. hmmmm. |
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| wine country |
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| Sound of Music??? |
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| vineyards for miles |
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| early grapes |
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| das boot |
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| wine walking |
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| the hills are alive... |
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| hearth at rest |
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| Ocean View. new crib second floor from the top on right hand tower. |
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| and a pool |
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| trippy looking building. i like. |
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| view to gordon's bay from the street |
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| beer at Ocean Basket right down the street. convenient! |
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| main space, new crib |
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| view from outdoor balcony |
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| view to the back |
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| ostrich steaks for dinner! so good! and low fat fowl! |
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| the view from papyrus crib. Helderberg mountain. only a few weeks left. |
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| one of the last sundowners on the lake. |
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| oak valley vineyard lunch |
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| Belle shared the day. |
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| perfect salad |
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| perfect brunch. |
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