Hans' Milieu

I am a great fan of the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. Anyone who knows me or who has followed my Twitter feed or Facebook status updates, can attest to this fact. Perhaps more so than they would like.

Ever since the third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, there has always been one aspect of Harry’s universe, an aspect I always considered could be a real possibility, that, more than anything, I wish I could experience. The longing has always been there, at the distant edges of my psyche, buzzing around my stray thoughts like a hard to catch ‘Snitch’. Not magic. Not the Time-Turner. Not even a draft of Felix Felicis. Nothing but the warm and slightly intoxicating taste of Hermione Butterbeer!

Alas, I hear your cries of doubt, but fear not Millieunairs for the fabled drink of drinks does indeed exist.

For the last two weeks, I have taken to scouring the Internet in search of the perfect Butterbeer recipe. Some have certainly come delectably close, but none, that I can tell, appear to have perfected a brew like Madam Rosmerta’s. That is, I dare say, until now!

Through hours of gruelling brewing, I have managed to create, what I believe to be, the drink J.K. Rowling herself envisioned. Two variants, each unique, but both filled with delicious near butterscotch-like, tipsy house-elf inducing, goodness. Just in time too, for what better way is there to celebrate Harry Potter’s birthday (31st July) then with a mug of warm tingly Butterbeer?!

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(As seen on Kotaku, via MaximumPC)

“Wild Pikachu appeared!
Go Metapod!
Metapod used Harden!
Enemy Pikachu used Flash!
Metapod used String Shot!”

(Comment by Kotaku User: DJC89, 29 July 2009)

As a self-confessed Pokémon fan, I could not resist sharing the above photograph with all of you.

I may not be into costume role-playing (cosplay) but if Miss Pikachu is anything to go by, or her friends for that matter, I may very well have to re-evaluate my stance on the subject… *loses focus and drools slightly onto the keyboard*

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For those who do not know; Cosplay, short for "costume role-play", is a type of performance art whereby participants outfit themselves with an elaborate costume of some kind, which is often adorned with theme specific accessories, that represents a specific character, idea or theme.

Cosplay participants ("cosplayers") form a subculture centered around wearing their costumes and re-enacting scenes or inventing likely behaviour inspired by their chosen sources. In some circles, the term cosplay has been broadened to include simply wearing a costume, without special consideration given to enacting characters in a performance context.

(Wikipedia, 2009)

So you see, having nerdish tendencies is not all bad. Admittedly a little strange, but not as bad as the stereotype would have you believe.

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

For those who do not know, Vocab101 is my daily attempt to find a new and interesting word which could potentially be used in everyday circumstances. The words I find range from the obscene, to the unbelievably true and, of course, the colloquial. Thus, Hans’ Milieu now has a ‘Wordy Wednesday’.

Each Hans’ Milieu edition of Vocab101 will take place on Wordy Wednesdays and will contain all the words I have tweeted over the course of one week from the previous Vocab101 session (7 days, 7 new words). Furthermore, each Hans’ Milieu edition of Vocab101 will contain additional new words which did not make the original cut, but are just as tantalising/disturbing!

Vocab101:

• Riptag - A last minute accessory or clothing purchase, that you wear out of the store you bought it from.
• Postmodem - The freak out you experience when your Internet connection goes dead (Do not deny it, you know what I am referring to here).
• Yellular – The loudness one adopts in response to a bad cell-phone connection. All with the hope that talking louder will improve the signal quality.
• Mistleho – Someone who constantly hangs around under a mistletoe, during Christmas time, waiting to get kissed over and over again.
• Ickymaki – A frightening and often revolting offering of sushi. Usually the sushi found at the days end in sushi bars.
• Bedologist – Someone who has explored every crease, wrinkle and soft spot attributed with a bed and knows how to sexually make people ‘sing’ on it.
• Buddet – The female variant of the word ‘buddy’ – which is commonly used to signify male camaraderie.

Vocab101-isms which missed the cut:

• Headhunter – A man who is always in a constant search for receiving his next session of oral sex (the act commonly known as a ‘blowjob’).

• Assalanche – It begins as a slow, cramping, painful, and excruciatingly long build-up of faecal matter in one’s bowels; which ultimately reaches a breaking point, in which a massive avalanche of faecal matter is explosively expelled from one’s rectum.

I do hope that you enjoyed this edition of Vocab101 and that you will return for some more Vocab101-isms in the near future.

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

On Sunday, 26th August 2009, I participated in the 702 Discovery Walk the Talk charity event. I was entered representing, and on behalf of, the South African charter of the Monash Alumni Committee.

This is the first time I have actually participated in an event created specifically for a ‘charitable’ cause. It is also the first time since breaking my arm that I have participated in any kind of physical activity. It may also be my last, that is until my arm heals completely of course or until I can learn to stop sustaining additional injuries!

Upon taking part in the Walk the Talk event, I had no idea what charity it was for. For all I knew, it could have been in support of the ‘Foundation for the protection of Swedish Underwear Models’. Unfortunately, that was not the case. A quick Google search revealed that this years Walk the Talk was in support of the ‘Laureus Sport for Good Foundation’. A foundation that I personally, have never heard of before. Apparently, this is what they are about:

Laureus’ core concept is simple, brilliant and daunting: to create global awards that recognise the achievements of today’s sports heroes; to bring sportspeople together; united in achievement but divided by sporting code and then, once that community is brought together, put their reach and the support and investment of Laureus’ Founding Patrons and Partners to work by supporting a message that can help social projects around the world who are using sport as a tool for social change. That message, simply, is Laureus Sport for Good (Laureus.com, 2009).

Alright, I think I get it. So, this foundation honours sports ‘heroes’ in the hopes that they will somehow, once attaining some kind of sponsorship deal, bring on social change within ‘disadvantaged’ communities? Kind of like how South African cricketers have spurred on the underground movement of illegal ‘cricket-eering’ in the middle of crime ridden Johannesburg?! 

So, to put things into a mildly cynical perspective: I fried my lily white forehead, while speed walking a five kilometre course in under 50 minutes, butchering my tender loving feet in the process, thus incapacitating myself even further than I already am, in order to help some company foundation honour sports “heroes”, who, according to the mission statement, may not actually end up helping anyone? Seriously?!

Look, don’t get me wrong. Considering I do have dreams of entrepreneurial grandeur that are mildly fuelled by philanthropic desire, I am all for charitable endeavours.

Subsequently, all ranting and cynicism aside, the impressive fact remains that over 50 000 people participated to help make a difference in this years Walk the Talk. No matter how small each persons individual contribution may have been, a difference was made. After all, Gestalt psychologist Kurt Koffka once famously said, “the whole is other [greater] than the sum of the parts”.

So although I do feel that the Walk the Talk event could have raised funds for a different charity, just the notion of so many people compelled toward actively participating for change, in itself, is a testament to the progress of South Africa as a democracy. To have overcome adversity for positive change, even if only for a day, is enough to be considered a great achievement and inspiration to all.

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Even after all of my raving, if I had the choice of doing it again, I would do so without hesitation. Next time though, I will just use different shoes and take Baz Luhrmann’s advice…

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

Hey Milieunairs,

It is Music Monday and thus time for another Vivaciously Varietal Vibe!

• 

  Flavour: Pop / R&B

• Artist: Chris Brown

• Album: Exclusive: The Forever Edition
• Song: Forever

Rationale: Okay, look. I did not actually want to feature Chris Brown today. Not only am I not a great fan of ‘R&B’, but I certainly do not like the guy for what he did to Rihanna. In fact, I believe he should have been  sent to prison so he could have been given his ‘just-ice’ filled chocolate starfish destroying desserts.

The fact that he got away with molesting Rihanna’s perfectly symmetrical ebony face, with only a slap on the wrists, is unlawful. What kind of message is the American justice system sending to the youth of the world? Evidently, if you are rich and famous enough, you could get away with almost anything. Is that not right, hey OJ? Then again, who am I to judge, considering our president, the fanatical Jacob Zuma, is a politically corrupt polygamist who enjoys raping AIDS victims before taking long STI cleansing showers?!

Although Chris Brown is a douche, he has, admittedly, produced a few good songs with addictive beats. One such song is the sexually charged Matric Farewell induced Forever. It is, apparently, such a great song that an American couple decided to rewrite tradition by using the song as their wedding march, complete with choreography. I kid you not.

Craziest Wedding Entrance Yet

Although I have determined, via an assumption, what the couple were trying to do, a valiant attempt at breaking free from the confines of conformity, I could not stop myself from gasping in disbelief while laughing hysterically at the circus which prevailed. As entertaining as the bride and groom’s entrance was, I keep wondering if they realise that this video, and those memories, will, quite literally, be around Forever. What do you think?

As always, whenever I post about Vivaciously Varietal Vibes on Music Monday’s, simply click on the name of the song to be taken to a web page that displays the songs lyrics.

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!