The Nines; wow, what can I not say about The Nines. It was such a great dining experience that I went there twice while in Cape Town, and its delivery was equal on both occasions. I went to The Nines as a party of five on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 on a chanced walk-in; fortunately, they accommodated us warmly and we were given a table out on the balcony area.
It is clear that most ideas pertaining to The Nines were skilfully thought through before implementing; first and foremost, it is on the ninth floor of a building, which validates its name, and high up enough to even claim “cloud nine” as a gesture. We accessed the restaurant via an elevator from the ground floor, one that as soon as the doors opened, we were hit with an ambience of classy vibrancy, and a smiling greeter, who gave us two seating options, indoor and outdoor; we chose outdoor on the balcony where we were overwhelmed by the offering aerial view of Cape Town and some of its surroundings.
The view is an added treat to the dining experience.
We were assigned Table 53 and Tendai, as our waiter for the evening; Tendai had a calm mannerism and friendliness about him, and throughout the evening, it was fair to say that we made a new friend through meal deliveries and small chit-chats.
Maybe it was the mood that opened up our appetites, because we did not hold back when it was time to order.
1 litre Still Water, 4 Crispy Prawn Starters, 1 Blue Bay Mussel Starter, 2 Guava Spritzer, 5 Iconic Strawberry Bulls, 2 Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri, 1 Roasted Chicken Breast, 1 Side Fries, 1 Grilled Fillet, 2 Braised Beef Ribs, 1 Grilled Ribeye, 1 Virgin Mojito, 1 Nines Chocolate Sundae, 2 Vanilla Cheesecakes and 2 Apple Crumbles were what we had and devoured every bit of it.
Three days later on October 6, 2023, we made a reservation and were back again at The Nines. This time we dined inside, Table 17, and was assigned Eva and Tat as our waiters; it was extremely busy on the Friday, thus although pleasant, we didn’t bond with the waiters as we had done before with Tendai. Still, giving credit where it is due, the male waiter of the two was very engaging and even suggested that we try the Roast Baby Kingklip fish and so, we did.
5 Iconic Strawberry Bulls (again), 2 x 1 litre Still Water, 2 x Today’s Bread, 1 Amber’s 48 Hour Rage, 1 Beef Burger, 1 Grilled Ribeye, 2 x Roast Baby Kingklip, 1 Strawberry and Yogurt Tart, 2 x Apple Crumbles and 2 x Nines Chocolate Sundae completed our dining experience, the second time at The Nines.
If there are any negatives, I would have to say that Table 17 is located near a sliding door to the balcony, which was used by some of the patrons, who constantly left it open, and on a cold evening, such as this evening, the air bothered us and I had to close the door myself on one occasion, other times, the waiters noticed it opened, and closed it immediately. The second negative would be the toilet near the outdoor seating area, although very clean and adorned in pleasant fragrance, it is small, aligning with the size of an aircraft toilet / WC.
“Would I return to The Nines, if ever in Cape Town again?” Absolutely, yes!
The Bungalow has harnessed a lot of hype through social media, especially from YouTubers, and as former YouTubers, ourselves, my wife and I added it to our bucket list of places to visit, the next time we were in Cape Town.
That time came on Thursday, September 28, 2023.
We, a party of three, went to The Bungalow for lunch; our first impression was that its location was ideal, being both tranquil and scenic. The restaurant possesses two seating options, indoor and outdoor, and we chose to sit outside because the view to Clifton Beach is breathtaking; however, if one looks slightly to the right, it is flawed by the presence of a soccer field, used by the locals.
Another flaw to this almost-idyllic restaurant is the roadway division between the restaurant and the outdoor seating area, which is traversed by local pedestrians and automobiles.
But on to more positives.
We were given Table 74 and assigned Henriiiii as our waiter for the day, a unique and unforgettable name as was his personality; he was the best, conversational and welcoming. The Bungalow’s ambience was right, with just the perfect amount of chitter-chatter and cling-clanging in the background, complimented by sunlight and a soft breeze, which served as an ideal afternoon lunch mood with a natural soundtrack.
We ordered three Raspberry Mules as cocktails, which were served in the cutest silver containers that resembled mini vases; the cocktails were both attractive and delicious.
I ordered the Seafood Platter For One, which consisted of lobster, shrimp, fish and calamari, served with a bowl of rice, two sauces and a half of lemon. My wife had the Tempura Battered Fish: a deep fried fish, served with french fries, tartar sauce and another sauce, and our third party had the sushi (Spicy Tuna Signature Roll, 8pc); lemon slices accompanied their meals too.
For dessert we had Bungalow Ice Cream: a mixture that came with ice cream, caramel popcorn and brownies streaked with chocolate syrup, Chocolate Pot De Creme: a scoop of ice cream that sat on top of oats and nuts with a hardened chocolate base and the third was cheesecake served with ice cream. They were primed for photos and entertained our tastebuds delightfully.
All in all, the foods were delicious; price-wise, it was good value for money, except for the Seafood Platter, which was more expensive there than anywhere else in the world, where I ever had one, including Europe, North America / the Caribbean.
Our waiter Henriiiii was a star throughout and we extended a well-deserved tip to him.
Unfortunately, the side effects of what my wife and our third party ate were not so pleasant, because they both suffered diarrhoea later that afternoon. We are not sure if the side effects were from the main courses or their chosen desserts, but a closer inspection of some photos taken on the day revealed hair in the dessert of the caramel popcorn and brownies.
So, it is a bitter-sweet review, considering that there were equally good and bad.
Based on my meal only, I’d definitely dine there again, but I doubt that the others, who ate with me, share the same sentiment.
“What is life?” That was the title which I gave my very first manuscript.
Somewhere between 1990 and 1991, I selected thirty or more poems that I had written and called the collection, “What is life?”, mainly because one of the poems had the same title and I thought that it was most fitting, considering that all of my poems were written from my emotions and experiences. Plus it was a time when I asked many questions regarding my existence and purpose.
It was a time when the latest technology was a floppy disc, expensive and out of ownership reach to the likes of me; after all, a floppy disc was useless without having access to a personal computer. I knew all of that because I was in college at the time, and my Data Entry class had exposed me to both.
So, my first manuscript was drafted on a typewriter, an electric one too; back then, that was considered to be fancy; an upgrade from pens and notebooks.
And with that, I went through ribbons after ribbons, and paper after paper to acquire “What is life?”, a bulky compilation of 8.5 x 11s held together by the only staples that could bind thirty pages or more.
For all of you who are not following with the term ‘ribbon’, just Google “typewriter ribbons” and you’ll be in the loop.
Copyrighted but not published, “What is life?” is, hopefully, still in the archives of The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., USA.
Copyrighting your work was a total different procedure back then. I had to have each poem signed and stamped by a Notary Public, who charged a dollar per stamp, and then The library of Congress charged twenty-five dollars for their service, plus to send it via Registered Mail was approximately five dollars or somewhere about there.
All in all, to secure copyright for “What is life?” cost me approximately sixty dollars in 1992.
Since then, I have moved a ridiculous amount of times, delightfully learning about the world and countries therein, and unfortunately, due to obvious reasons, I no longer have a physical copy of “What is life?”.
But my writing did not start or ended with “What is life?” as a matter of fact, I have never stopped writing. I have started and stopped doing many things in my life, except for writing. I am a Writer, that’s what I am and that’s what I do. I do not know if I chose writing or writing chose me, but I can’t stop writing.
I heard about a breed of sharks that are designed by nature to never stop swimming, and similarly to them, I think that I was born to never stop writing.
I have written 20+ books, hundreds, if not thousands of poems, plus uncountable original quotes.
Quotes, which brought me to write this blog.
Like poems, I can write an original quote in less that five minutes. Usually, I receive an inspiration from life, a behavior, a dream or a mood, and that is all the trigger I need.
After that, I give it thought and the words just flow. I tend to title my quotes based on what they mean to me, and after writing thousands of quotes, my latest quote suited no other name than “What is life?”. Without any thoughts of my original “What is life?” I had an inspirational trigger that sparked a six-word quote, and almost immediately after writing it, I realized that it is also the answer for my original title question, “What is Life?”
I cannot recall the verses of my original “What is life?”, but I am almost certain that it started with the question, sandwiched with curiosities, maybe some rants and ended with the same question of “What is life?”, because I didn’t know the answer then. Today I do.
SURVIVED subtitled Raw and Unedited is an Ian T. Sebàs autobiography, published 2011 in Birmingham, United Kingdom before being officially launched in Zürich, Switzerland 2013.
In 2014 the title SURVIVED was made into a brand, for the purpose of fundraising, with baseball caps being its introductory merchandise. The caps are black, 100% polyester with a maroon-red embroidery SURVIVED as its branded logo on the front.
In 2022 a second promotional campaign ramped up with black, unisex T-shirts, bearing SURVIVED logo on the chest.
This was followed by gray unisex hoodies featuring the word SURVIVED in tricolour as a reflection of the book’s original cover. The hoodies are 100% polyester material bearing the logo across the chest area.
SURVIVED is an Ian T. Sebàs registered trademark in the United Kingdom and other countries.
Proceeds from merchandise sales are to finance the production cost of a biopic of the same name.
The procedures relating to routine residency of a US Ambassador living in Jamaica, recently hit a speed bump, when Jamaica opposed issuing a diplomatic spousal resident visa because the ‘spouse’ in the latest application being of the same sex.
For many years, the two apparent allies share residency of Ambassadors in both countries; all in respect of the fine print agreements and each country’s local laws. And for many years, they have somewhat smoothly continued this residency on intervals, with little hiccups to write about. The residencies are clear, an Ambassador gets elected or selected and he or she migrates to the appointed country, having all perks of a diplomat, and if married, spouses usually benefit equally.
But the last diplomatic spousal visa request, from the USA, had a follow-up demand for an approval, because Jamaica ignored the first request.
The delay which was deemed as ignoring the request might just have been a long contemplation, which required some consulting with legal heads before giving the US an official answer. But the US being accustomed to having their way, especially with smaller countries, pulled the big bad wolf attitude by demanding a response, which turned out to be a solid denial of their application.
Jamaica, today, is nothing like Jamaica of yesteryear.
When I was a child, adults almost never discuss laws of the land or the body of its constitution; it was a lawless society, a genuine developing country, which appeared to have been centuries away from ever being ‘developed’. Back then, any and everything goes without contest from its majority citizens and a matter such as this one, would be swept under the carpet, uncontested, without public knowledge.
But Jamaica is different now, the children of yesteryear are the adults of today, who run the country; people like me, a new breed of Jamaicans, modern, more intellectually inclined and who believes that laws should govern a country.
The only laws that Jamaica currently possess are mostly those of former colonizers, yet to be repealed and amended.
Laws against same-sex sexual activity: The Offences Against the Person Act (1864)
Section 76. Unnatural Offences.Whosoever shall be convicted of the abominable crime of buggery, committed either with mankind or with any animal, shall be liable to be imprisoned and kept to hard labour for a term not exceeding ten years.
Section 79. Outrages on decency.Any male person who, in public or private, commits, or is a party to the commission of, or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any male person of, any act of gross indecency with another male person, shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and being convicted thereof shall be liable at the discretion of the court to be imprisoned for a term not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender LGBT persons in Jamaica face legal and social issues not experienced by non-LGBT people. Consensual sexual intercourse between same-sex partners is legally punishable by imprisonment
Jamaica’s laws do not criminalise the status of being LGBT but instead outlaw associated conduct, including anal sex and any sex between men.
It is clear that the prescribed laws and their written words are directed only to men having sex with each other. Lesbians and other members of the LGBT community are not mentioned, maybe because of them being inconceivable realities, at the time when the laws were written. Nonetheless, laws are laws, and only that which is written can be officially deemed as laws.
Despite the society of Jamaica today having more pro-LGBT citizens than those compared to thirty years ago, the laws must be upheld and respected until it is no longer a law of Jamaica; that time may or may never come.
The United States of America was not happy with the decision to deny their diplomatic spousal visa, and in turn, behaved petty by remarking that all Jamaican diplomats in the US, will not be granted any requested extensions at the end of their tenure.
Tit-for-tat, bullying or plain childish, all which suit the description of their reaction.
I was truly disappointed in such reaction, only because I have been a long time admirer of the USA’s pride when it came to their Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights and Amendments; all, which governs their country and its territories.
The officials who were bothered by Jamaica’s denial of the permit must realise that the USA is the USA and Jamaica is Jamaica, two independent States with independent governing methods, written laws and cultures.
Jamaica, like all other countries of the world, prides itself in its unique culture and continues to sneer upon any suggestive initiation of a one world order, which would strip Jamaica of its uniqueness.
There are many Jamaican nationals, who are gays, lesbians and are members of the LGBT community, but that does not make it legal in Jamaica, equally as there are millions of US nationals, who are anti-LGBT, but despite their views and opinions, the LGBT community was given a right by the US government, which has not been threatened because of citizens in opposition.
Personally, I stand with Jamaica’s decision to deny the diplomatic immunity/spousal visa, in respect of its current laws, the same way I would stand with the USA to prosecute anyone, including Jamaicans, in the USA, who criticises or persecutes a member of the LGBT community for being a member.
Jamaica granting a same sex spousal visa would be a recorded violation of its own laws.
Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, has been a go-to destinations for tourist in the last years, and as much as I am a travel buff, who often travel with my wife, and would love to go and visit Dubai, the moment I learned that PDA (public display of affection) is an offence there, I crossed Dubai off of my travel wish-list, in respect of their laws.
After being with my wife over two decades, holding her hands in public has become second nature to me, and knowing that I am likely to violate an anti-PDA rule, it is better for me to avoid the country.
The point is, Jamaica’s rule on homosexuality is clear; however, homosexuals visiting or living in Jamaica are also protected by privacy laws, and what one does in the privacy of their home and or hotel rooms is their business, unless a cry of non-consensual sex has been made.
Rape is a crime.
PDA of gay relationships and sexual acts in public, by anyone, is punishable under the law.
Jamaica welcomes everyone, but expects them to respect its laws.
Explore layers of sexual intercourse and the three principals, who rule your fate when trying to find satisfaction with your genitals.
Scale the fences of sexual complicated hinderances and learn how to manage premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction, all while being introduced to the coined ‘stubbornly mature ejaculation’, sexually dissatisfied women, and never-before-told responsibilities, which they must bear.
Pages: 11 (entirety)
Chapters: 2
Genre: Self-help; educational purpose.
Warning:This book is strictly for adults and is of a mature nature with sexual references and the use of some vulgar words. Readers must be 18+.
Bleeding Pen 