1 Comment// Posted in Random, Thoughts by Nielfa Hanifa on 10.25.09.

A week ago, I had the refreshing experience of meeting some great-minded, lovely ladies (and some guys)… getting to know new people is something I often crave and I’m looking forward to forming friendships with the few people I met. I also had the pleasure of finally meeting Shafinaaz in person. We started chatting in July this year, since I worked with her on the design of her book, Memoirs for Kimya, that was launched in CT last weekend. Having listened to her has left me with a new appreciation for writing and I realise that I should do it more often. Apart from having the launch celebrations in the air, the excitement of meeting new people and coffee buzzing through my veins, that whole weekend was somewhat revelatory in many aspects for me, but that’s another post altogether.

My week has been so busy, that on Friday I decided to take a walk to the Waterfont to just breathe in the great weather Cape town’s been having. I made a stop at Origin, where I had met up with the lovely ladies and I sat there for a bit, reminiscing. It wasn’t the same without awesome chicas for company… I actually felt a bit out of place. Let me explain the vibe of this particular area first. If you didn’t know better, you’d never believe you’re in the outskirts of the ideallic Bo Kaap, with Chiappini Street masjid about a 100 metres away. Modernly revamped structures surround you and leggy models in tights, speaking in foreign accents walk by. I, in my headscarf and modest clothing, felt like I didn’t belong in my OWN city. Having a specifically South African taxi drive past, with the guard (or gaadtjie rather,) shouting out at me, “Tietie! Issin der anurra glass der? I awso wanna haff coffy!”, wakes me up from my observing stupor and I can’t help smiling broadly. Now that’s the Cape Town I know.

Speaking about coffee, the cuppas I’ve been having recently taste excellent and are so pretty to look at. Staring at the whirlwind of milk on a cappuccino I had, I realised that someone put in some effort to make a pretty coffee especially for me. That led me to watch a barista in action up close at another coffee joint recently. He brewed a latte so ardently, ending off with weaving a milky fern… it really is an art and it shows that creativity can be expressed in anything we strive to do. I too want to learn how to make latte art now and I can see how hilarious it’d be if I were to entertain guests by serving up a cappuccino brewed in my kitchen with a foamy mishapen heart on it.

But back to my week… It’s been filled with all things book-ish. From being completely occupied with typesetting and doing corrections on a dictionary to seeing the book design of Memoirs for Kimya in all it’s pinkness, reading the whispers of the poetry within it and listening to it’s author share her wisdoms. I’ve always been drawn to the world of books, but since working in the industry I am in now, my appreciation of books and all that goes into it has grown so much more. The dictionary has drained me so much but after being drowned by so many words and definitions, combined with being inspired to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and write, I’m half tempted to want to write, design and publish my own book someday.

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