Fracas Noir – Susanne Waldau – te Brake ~ for better or worse

It’s my birthday. According to the calendar I am turning 35. A daunting number? No, not in my world. I wear it proudly as a badge if not on my heart then on my sleeve. I’ve been served breakfast by my lovely children and my wonderful husband. I love them so much. To the point [...]

My rhythm has changed from late nights and 7.30 am wake-ups to early nights and waking up before 6 am. It’s not so bad actually. The gym is already buzzing with activity from jet lagged business people when I get there just after 6 o’clock. I do my usual routine for an hour before I [...]

Forget Indian Summer, and say hello to pouring rain and cold Eastern winds. I found myself staring at a summer wardrobe filled with flimsy dresses and kitten heeled shoes. No other solution than do bring a whole load of winter and autumn gear from the near forgotten, mahogany cupboard upstairs. In the end I settled [...]

It’s wonderful weather, Indian Summer. A gentle breeze is sweeping through our open windows making the french doors open and close to a rhythmic beat. A lot has happened in the last days. Thursday we were suppose to finally go on our summer holiday. For various reasons we had to cancel. I felt cheated of [...]

Life rarely turn the way we expect. In my own case perhaps more so than others. I’ve been told I’m drawn to trouble, and recently a friend of mine (once a very close one) told me “Susanne you will never change”. A single line in an otherwise empty email, poignantly ended our friendship. I considered [...]

17.39. I’ve known him for exactly three days, 17 hours and 34 minutes. I try to calculate the exact amount of hours this would mount up to but fail. Hours always sound more impressive. As long as they go beyond the number 48. He’s standing in front of me, frying up an improvised risotto using [...]

I love horror movies, especially the more psychological ones based on ghosts and demons. Tonight we saw a film which we bought on Queensday called White Noise. It’s based on what’s called EVP, or Electronic Voice Phenomena. In other words recordings of spirits transmitted through tapes, TV or radio. Although not the scariest film, it [...]

It’s been a while since I listened to classical music. And yet it’s the music I keep coming back to. When I was really young, my interest fell upon liturgical music, Gregorian to be specific. I recall being seduced by the stark, clear voices of Enigma. Then opera became the favourite du jour, Puccini shining [...]

It wasn’t until today, the third of January I had time for reflection over the past year and set course for the year ahead. I love New Year, as it truly gives you a clean slate. The past is metaphorically buried in Old Year History, and after a while even that will turn into nostalgia. [...]

When I saw you there on the street, I realized how much I love you. My heart took a leap and for a moment it was like it was only the two of us. It was one of those defining moments when I knew why I want to spend the rest of my life with [...]