Fast way to health, and facing up to shaving

Quote of the day

De waarheid zal u bevrijden, maar eerst zal ze u ellendig maken. (The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.) — Danish theologian and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard 

What you need to know about this week

Southern Guild expands to the US with Los Angeles gallery

Cape Town gallery Southern Guild expands to the US next month with a 5,000m² exhibition space opening in a 1920s building in the new art district of Melrose Hill, Los Angeles. The gallery will showcase its roster of artists from South Africa, Benin, Congo, Iran, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and elsewhere. The expansion makes Southern Guild the first South African gallery to open a standalone space in the US with a full-scale programme dedicated to contemporary art.

“Our expansion to the United States is truly a milestone,” says Trevyn McGowan, co-founder of Southern Guild. “Rather than looking to simply export our artists’ work to the States, we want to create a bridge between the two continents by engaging with LA artists and the wider community on America’s west coast.”

What you didn’t know

A paper-mâché house called Yokohama in Main Road, Muizenberg, has endured the Cape’s storms for 118 years. The privately owned home was constructed in 1906 with paper-mâché imported from Japan.

The panels were made from “washi”, which consists of a durable paste spread over a thin metal mesh which allows the material to breathe and expand. Yokohama is near Casa Labia.

Finds

Sleeping masks are on our radar this week. These adjustable masks block out all the light, they're much more comfortable than we suspected and we reckon they also help switch off the brain. The pitch blackness can improve your general sleep pattern by up to two hours a night. And the biggest bonus is what it does for an afternoon nap. Premium Blackout Sleep Eye Mask  costs R108 at Takealot. There is also one for side sleepers at R199.

We absolutely love the Mr Price Home /Xia Carstens collab. The happy-making Sixties design covers everything from mugs and tissue paper to a sweet little make-up bag, vases and tea towels — and our favourite, the gloriously gaudy bed comforter. 

The Philips One Battery toothbrush is affordable, basic but brilliant (we love the one in orange). R429 at Takealot. We picked up ours for R386 at Dis-Chem.

We also have a new entrant to our Pen Hall of Fame. The Pentel Energel Rollerball Pen Metal Tip writes like a dream. Liquid gel ink. R160 for a pack of two at Takealot.

Kitchen

How to easily peel garlic (and keep it fresh for a year)

Break open the garlic flower and place the cloves, skins and all, in a bowl. Cover with hot water. After a minute, the skins peel off by themselves. When all are done, pour into a glass jar  (with lid) and add  one tablespoon of salt, cover with white vinegar and close the lid. Store and use when needed.

Plants

This tip is about the two types of ginger on the market:

Shave your face (the trend for women)

Dermaplaning (a fancy word for face shaving) is a hot trend.

Here in midlife-Fomoville, it's been a thing for a while. We use a regular sharp razor and don't go to a salon to do it (but that's a story for another day). Let's go with the celebrity-endorsed version for now (apparently, Eva Mendes and Gwyneth Paltrow are huge fans).

Read what Vogue has to say about it.

TV

American Nightmare (on Netflix since January 17) is one of those fact-is-stranger-than-fiction stories that exposes the arrogance of some law enforcement authorities.

Rotten Tomatoes (95%) describes the three powerful episodes as “an instructive chronicle of institutional bias making a horrifying crime even worse".

The storyline is the kidnapping in 2015 of Denise Huskins (ostensibly for ransom) from the California home she shared with her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn, after he was tied up and sedated. He wakes up and calls the police.

The cops and the CIA bully him and accuse him of lying, even falsely alleging that he cheated in a lie detector test. Thirty-six hours later, Huskins shows up and tells the same story, including that she was sexually assaulted, but the couple are accused of abusing valuable resources.

The unfolding of the drama and the way the couple's innocence is finally proved keep you glued to the TV.

The main bully of the story, Detective Mat Mustard, later received an officer of the year award. The couple sued the police but nine years later they say the detectives involved have still not been held to account.

Can you fast your cells healthy?

Autophagy — the process by which fasting encourages cells to destroy their damaged parts and make way for new, healthy versions — is widely regarded as the answer to a healthier life.

The idea is that cells start consuming themselves in the absence of external sources of food. The term is derived from Greek (auto: self; phagein: to eat).

Extensive research is being done worldwide on this cellular process that removes unwanted or damaged molecules from living cells. According to animal research, autophagy commences when you fast for between 24 and 48 hours.

These days, autophagy is considered by many to be the pinnacle of detox — a process that can remove unwanted or damaged molecules and can possibly be helped by fasting, intermittent fasting, exercise and certain diets.

Scientists have also found that removing these waste products may have an effect on age-related diseases. For example, genetically engineered mice with a low level of autophagy are more likely to develop tumors and neurodegeneration (read this informative article in Nature). Fasting without fluids seems to be more effective as it starves your cells faster. In periods between fasting or intermittent fasting, the process can be aided by the intake of coffee, green tea and turmeric.

Watch out:

• Prolonged fasting can be particularly dangerous for people taking insulin, as it can lead to low blood sugar.
• Listen to your body: if you feel tired, light-headed, weak or nauseous, fasting is probably not for you.
• Always consult a medical practitioner when fasting and stop if you experience side effects.

♦ VWB ♦

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