The Fomolistas dig deep

Joke of the week

What you want to know this week

Tshepo Mohlala, the 32-year-old Johannesburg founder of Tshepo, has made a name for himself as a successful designer of bespoke denim clothing and ready-to-wear products praised by global celebrities including Beyoncé and Meghan Markle (we know, we know, but still they know about him and support him). Check out his bespoke collections at Tshepo.

You can also visit his flagship store at Hyde Park Corner in Johannesburg and follow @tshepojeans on Instagram.

The Strangers Club in Green Point, Cape Town (on the corner of Wessels and Braemer roads) is a clubhouse and concept store in a beautiful Victorian house, serves breakfast and lunch and has a fantastic selection of local clothing, accessories, homeware and artefacts.

Lyle’s Golden Syrup, which has had the same logo since 1883, has finally replaced the dead lion being swarmed by bees with a happier animal and a single bee. The green tin with the golden lion holds the Guinness world record for the oldest unchanged brand.

Trend

People are increasingly rejecting retirement homes. The latest trend is for friends to team up, buy a piece of land and build small houses close to each other with a common gathering place to eat together, have a drink, watch movies or braai. Care services are shared. A wonderful solution for the independent types among us who want to maintain full control over our own lives. The Fomolistas love this idea.

Finds

Shop Zero is a small business catering to earth-conscious customers who want to reduce waste. If its products are not biodegradable, they are 100% reusable. Look at this Natural Lip and Cheek Stain (R390), which comes in a rusty rose hue and lasts forever. Every application is a burst of aromatherapy bliss. We also love this Reusable Fabric Gift Wrap (R45 for three), which comes in three sizes. Standard wrapping paper is often used only once and shiny papers are not recyclable. Ranging from R35 to R45, the gift wraps are offcuts from hospitality uniform maker Minted Ginger. And if you celebrate Easter, what about going eco with the Plantable Easter Egg Seed Bombs Surprise (R40) this year? The eggs are handmade from used paper and contain mixed herbs and marigold seeds. Check out the range of products at Shop Zero. It’s a learning experience.

Printed calendars feel very 1999 until we want to circle something important like May 29 for the general election. So here are two great options if you like to write stuff up (or down). The Brother Creative Center has ready-made calendars you can download and print for free. We like the Comfy Cats 2024 design but there are lots of yearly and monthly options to choose from. Then there is the classic Skinny laMinx Calendar, now selling for R99 — a 75% discount. You will be lucky to grab one while stocks last.

Watch

Allied was made in 2016 but is new to Netflix. It's a delightful World War 2 romance/spy drama with Brad Pitt and Marion Cottilard (who played Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose) with the most beautiful styling since Rainer Fassbinder's films about the Art Deco period. The storyline starts in Casablanca, ends in London and has enough tension to carry the film from start to finish. We give the movie a 7 and the photography and styling a 10.

The After is a 2023 Netflix short film and a 2024 Oscar nominee for the best live action short film. At just 18 minutes, it is about a man who witnesses a brutal crime, is plunged into trauma and changes his job until an unpredictable person helps him confront his grief. With David Oyelowo and directed by Misan Harriman.

Miss Americana is a biographical documentary (Netflix released it in 2020) with excellent background material on how Taylor Swift went from being the girl next door to phenomenon status. The viewer sees her as an ordinary young woman without make-up or glamour, chastising herself for her appearance in photographs or footage and regretting not mobilising her millions of fans  against Donald Trump before the 2016 presidential election (at the time she didn't think it was “her place" to voice her opinion).

But in the interviews, flashbacks, studio footage, home videos and concert recordings, you also see her develop before your eyes, and how she decides to use her popularity to deliver an important message.

The focus is on topics that Swift often avoided in interviews, such as her eating disorder, the toxic internet culture and media attention, the court case about her sexual molestation and finally her decision to air  her political opinions.

A Star is Born is the thought that comes to mind after 85 minutes of viewing pleasure.

Listicle

The Fomolistas have a complicated relationship with voice notes. This listicle from a colleague made us rethink our generally grumpy disposition.

Eight traits people who prefer sending voice notes share:

1. They value a personal touch.
2. They are efficient communicators.
3. They are good listeners.
4. They are patient and adaptable communicators.
5. They are confident speakers.
6. They value intimacy in conversations.
7. They are not afraid of being authentic.
8. They are emotionally expressive and secure.

Simple recipe

Rule of 100

Seen on Instagram @Buddha_teaching_science

If you spend 100 hours a year in any discipline,
(which is only 18 mins a day)
You’ll be better than 95% of the world in that discipline,
Consistency is everything.

Example: Learning with Duolingo is fun, and research shows that it works! With quick, bite-sized lessons, you’ll gain real-world communication skills.

♦ VWB ♦

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