Sparkle like Georgina Sparks

I am quite sad that one of my favourite series has come to an end. I have been watching Gossip Girl since season 1 and since then been a fan. Hooked and slayed. The drama filled story line always kept me captivated and entertained. Season 6 (the final season) didn't wow me with the first couple of episodes, although it only consists of 10 episodes. One of the show's main attractions is the amazing fashion and of course the beautiful setting of New York City's Upper East Side. 

One of the show's special guest stars, Michelle Trachtenberg, who plays Georgina Sparks, synonymous for being a bad girl, a bully and a smart manipulator caught my eye. Its funny how I never actually paid special attention to her character until the final episode. My focus has always been on the main characters. I had my suspicions that Georgina might be Gossip Girl but that's too predictable. Once Gossip Girl's identity was revealed I was taken aback and shocked, I didn't see it coming. Well played. Gossip Girl's identity was withheld for so long I eventually stopped guessing.

There's something about Georgina's style that I love. It goes part and parcel with her "bitch, please I'm Georgina Sparks" attitude. She's selfish, troubled and a big antagonist. Her character's sense of style is dark, to the point, yet still stylish and elegant. Her character doesn't play around with colour much, I guess its far from her personality. Old habits die hard, nor does a leopard change its spots. Everybody loves to hate Georgina Sparks.

With that said...

Farewell, Gossip Girl.
xoxo

  

12.12.12

Okay, so it's not my birthday anymore, but I feel like I'm living that cheesy "everyday is my birthday moment." Even though 12/12/12 has come and gone with the wind I still feel incredibly blessed and delighted to be older, wiser and more inspired. These past 11 months of my life has taught me so much about myself and I'm rather grateful for the all the lessons life has schooled me with. I feel like as a whole my strength of character has grown so much, where as before I was more sensitive, meek and mild. I have way more courage to stand up for myself and to defend my honour instead of brushing important things off and being submissive. Life handed me lemons and I had to make lemonade and very often it was sour and bitter.
My patience was tested with many daunting tasks and I probably failed more times than I passed and that's OK in my mind. As long you learn and improve. There's a saying that says "never a failure, always a lesson". Although I do have a proud and stubborn will about myself, I have let go of somber feelings and allowed more meaningful thoughts of love, gratitude, creativity and prosperity in. Embracing life and really living has opened my eyes to wonderful possibilities and made that troublesome self-doubt disappear. Nobody has time for that anymore. The world isn't against you, it's all for you. To be honest I was a tiny bit anxious to celebrate my birthday, but more excited than anything else; anxious because I was getting older and with age comes responsibility and having to make more adult decisions, believe it or not. The excitement came because of the celebration of another year added to my life and because of the significance of the date. I have bragging rights and I am entitled to do so. So, allow me to blow my own horn. 12/12/12 meant 12 days to Christmas and the last recurrent day the world would see (and of course this made me feel uberspecial.) Ultimately the only thing that mattered to me was being surrounded by my wonderful family, none of the material things could ever compare to the love they have shown me. For as long as I can remember, every year on my birthday my parents would gather around my bed and sing me the happy birthday song - and this year was no different. No matter how old I get I don't think I could ever get tired of this very special tradition, it means the world to me and it shows how much they care - and for that I am eternally grateful. Family is love.

xoxo



Fifty Shades of Coral

If you know me you will know that my favourite colour is pink. I'm biased over all the other colours. If something is pink I'll choose it simply because of the colour. Coral pink seems to be all the rage for spring and summer this year. Everywhere I turn my head I see different shades of coral in skirts, shirts, dresses, jeans, shorts, swimwear, make-up and shoes. You name it. Its like a candy wonderland. I would say coral is a medium between pink, red and orange; much like salmon or watermelon. What I love about the colour is that it can be cool and warm at the same time and gives an illusion of healthy glowing skin for any skin tone. Its also quite versatile as it can be worn during the day or at night; dressed up or down. The choice is yours. Anything goes these days. I created a few collages of images I sourced from google, tumblr and pinterest in a moment of creativity. I'm besotted!

Love it?

Like it?

Hate it?

''Cirque du Soleil''

Where do I begin to talk about my first job? At the beginning I guess. First off, this post and the content of the story I'm about to tell has nothing to do with Cirque du Soleil - the world famous circus act consisting of a dramatic mix of circus acts and street entertainment. Its a metaphor for comparison.


Anyway, this is how it all began, so fast, so quick. I spoke to my parents about finding a job since knew I wasn't going to attend varsity or college straight away. I updated my CV and sent it off to potential places or otherwise just dropped it off at the prospective places I selected. I wanted to keep my options open as much as possible. I also got a few heads up from my cousin who works at a certain head office. My timing (God's timing) was perfect for one position that was open as a sales assistant. I spoke to the floor manager of the store and she told me she would give me a call to set up an interview as soon as possible. I got a phone call from her the next day to schedule an interview later in the afternoon. I was in awe. I tried to keep my composure to answer all her questions with confidence, but as soon as I left her office I felt uncertain of how it went. I wasn't completely satisfied. Needless to say I had a restless night of sleep. Long story short, she called me the next day to say I go the job. I rejoiced with happiness.... and the rest is history.... yeah, not so much. There's always a "but".


Since the beginning I felt a little uneasy being the new kid on the block and having to adjust to my new surroundings. The environment which I'm in consists of a lot of women (and one guy) and where there's women involved there's bound to be animosity. From the start I felt a little unwelcome as if I had invaded their space. Considering that I was a regular customer before, I knew these women by face and a few by name long before they knew me by name. I was stunned. One event I clearly won't  forget was when I went on lunch with another girl in the canteen, at the same table - she sat on the one end and I sat at the other end and we never spoke to each other; not one word. she didn't even bother get to know me or maybe she wasn't interested. We just sat in complete silence eating our food and checking our phone's. I felt like somethings got to give!


The 5th of August will mark my fourth month as a permanent employer. I'm happy and grateful for this opportunity. It's not always easy, I have to deal with a lot of garbage sometimes but it gets better with time if you have a positive outlook on things. I've gotten to know everybody better and have gained a few friends in the process. Patience, is what I have learnt to be the key to moving forward and learning. I know for sure that I don't want to be saddled there for the rest of my life, I'm not content with that. This is only temporary. I don't want to be stuck in a rut forever. I want to expand my horizons and grow. Working in retail is not everyone's cup of tea. You have to have a strong head on your shoulders, have a passion for fashion, pay attention to detail, have excellent communication skills, be a team player, be confident, work hard, be able to advise customers on wardrobe building (this isn't always easy since everybody has different taste and all come in different shapes and sizes and different ages) and finally; always have a smile plastered across your face even if you don't feel like it. Something you're robbed of is free time. Me (you) time. You work your fingers to the bone and what you do isn't always appreciated. Another thing is the gossip. Somebody always has something to say about everything and this bothers me a little bit. People watch what you wear, what you eat, etc. Your business is their business but sometimes its always good to give them something to talk about and to keep them guessing. My daily mission is always to kill them kindness and a killer fashion sense of course. Something I have learnt which is positive is the value of money. Earning your own salary is the best means of independence but its also a huge eye opener. You're forced to be savvy and frugal with your money. This is something I never used to worry about since it always rested on my parents shoulders. On the plus side, working in retail does have its perks, you get to see and inspect the clothing before the customers do and you also get employee discount and who doesn't love discount?


P.S. You just have to roll with the punches and live and let live. That's all!

Far From What I Once Was But Not Yet What I'm Going To Be

I would like to think that I've got something called the "dreamer's disease" - I dream for hours, weeks and months on end. We live in reality but my dreams are so much more bigger than the reality I'm living in. Dreaming keeps me alive, keeps me sane, makes me happy. It paints a bigger picture of everything I hope for, desire and wish for. Dreaming takes me on a journey to places far beyond the earth, stars and the moon. Yes, it's that deep. I kid you not!


Let me take you on a trip down memory lane. A painful, bitter-sweet memory. Let me take you back to high school. This is pitiful. It still is a bitter pill for me to swallow because in high school I was a, let's call it an "all rounder" - I wasn't popular nor was I a nerd, just your average student. I was however, stepped on, bullied, battered and bruised, but it wasn't all bad all the time. I was pale, skinny, lanky, developed terrible acne mid-year in grade 9 and to top it all off; I went though a growth spurt which made me terribly awkward. I had the same friends through out primary school and met a few new one's along the way. One of the few negative memories I have of high school (which I doubt I will ever forget) was when my friends and I were terrorised by a group of girls who made it their mission to make our lives a living hell. They found pleasure in calling us the ugliest names, cursing at us and making a mockery of us (I will refrain from repeating the words they used.) - I couldn't fathom why they disliked us for no apparent reason. This quarrel even landed us in the Principal's office. Nothing came of it, the only thing I gained out it was thick skin, very thick skin... and for that, I thank them. They taught me a valuable lesson. I forgave them. For what good is it to dwell on the past?

One of my fondest memories I have of high school was when I met a boy, whom later became my first (ever) boyfriend and my best friend. I will never forget the day we met. It was winter, but a very hot winter's day. O the irony. Our meeting was perfect. It was fatal attraction. The moment we met we hit it off. We had so much in common. He was a little bit of a loner just like I was and I was okay with it. We understood each other whilst others often never understood the two of us together. He impacted my life greatly. I'm proud to say that our relationship was purely platonic. Sadly, after 4 years of an on and off relationship we parted ways. We simply weren't meant to be, I guess. We came from 2 different worlds, different backgrounds. Sometimes I ask myself how a love so beautiful could have gone so wrong? I cannot unlove him. My feelings for him were too deep. No matter how hard you try, you never forget your first love, especially if the great love of your life is your "high school sweetheart". Things change, people change. Change is inevitable and what are the chances of your first love being your last love? Its highly unlikely.

I'm so glad that chapter in my life is over, as it was a huge learning curve and also a stepping stone to bigger and better things. In a sense high school was my security blanket, the ground beneath my feet, protecting me, guarding me, cradling me. All the things a mother would do to protect her child, but the child eventually has to grow up and leave the nest and embark on their own journey. Life goes on. Right now I'm in a happy place, taking life one step at a time (even though I sometimes find myself in a mode of panic. I worry too much.) I think to myself, "we're all going to die, we don't know when, we don't know how, we don't know where, we could die at any moment, yet we live our lives as if none of this is true." I read this a long time ago and it has haunted me ever since. I'm just afraid of my time on earth being limited that I won't be able to fulfil my desires and make my dreams come true. Leonardo DiCaprio said "When I was young. I used to have this thing where I wanted to see everything. I used to think 'How can I die without seeing every inch of this world?'' - this is exactly how I feel. This is where my indecisive stress case personality steps in. I become quite a "damsel in distress". I have to remind myself that my destiny has already been written and I can't always have it my way (this is very hard for someone like me who hates being told what to do. I am quite stubborn at heart.) I want to make a difference, shed some light, travel and grow. One thing I know for sure is that I will stop at nothing to make my dreams come true. I believe in taking ownership of your life, taking responsibility, grabbing the bull by it's horns and going ahead at full steam. As I embark on this complex journey of life I will keep my feet firmly on the ground, take heed and practise what I preach.

P.S. "Don't go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."



Image source: Tumblr

Keep calm and list it!

I'm pretty sure that we have all had a "bucket list" or a "to do list" in our lifetime. Admit it, you have at some point written down goals on a piece of paper, a note pad or a diary - whatever it may have been; the goals written down were something you had hoped to achieve, aspire to and wished to complete. What I'm getting at has to do with the modern day  "to do list" also commonly known as the"bucket list". So in order to know the true meaning of a bucket list I googled a few definitions and I got the following as answers: 

"A list of things to do before you die. Comes from the term "kicked the bucket"".

"a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime. Popularised by the 2007 movie The Bucket List."

"The term "kick the bucket" refers to when a person passes away. This is where the phrase "Bucket List" came from. It is a list of things that you want to do before you "kick the bucket" The items on this list can be as simple as "Fly a kite" or "Cook a meal". They can also be more meaningful to the person writing the list such as, "Make a difference in somebody's life" or "Finally write to the friend you haven't seen in years." They can even be in between the two such as, "Swim in the world's largest swimming pool" or "Pet a baby polar bear". The list is all up to the wishes and dreams of the person writing it."

Just last year my best friend and I made our own bucket lists whilst sitting on her bed and having a heart to heart girl talk. These bucket lists were just your average run-of-the-mill ideas but it meant something to us at the time. Since then I have achieved 5 things out of the 15 I wrote down. It's quite sad actually. I had completely forgotten and abandoned my list of goals, but that's not to say that I can't still achieve them. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it, right? I, however, feel that it's time for something new and completely different. I will start a new list but with a twist. I will of course document most of my progress as I go along as I am quite fixated with the idea of having long and short term goals and challenging myself to get going and start something in order to achieve it and make it happen. I found a few nifty and crafty images on Pinterest (one of my obsessions) which are entitled "Before I die"  and " Perfect the bucket list" - this has reawakened my drive to achieve, create and inspire. Some of them are silly, nonchalant and just for kicks. The images are just for visual stimulation and aid. The possibilities are endless. Here goes nothing, in no particular order:

I have never eaten sushi before and am keen to try it. This year still.



In all my life I have never been in a wedding. I have never been a flower girl nor a bridesmaid. I want to be apart of the wedding party.



I want to learn to speak the language of romance.

This would be so much fun once I have a car.

I am quite obsessed with the Dead Sea and all it's healing powers.

Waiting for winter to make this happen.

Easier said than done but I'm working on it.

This would be uber cool.

Only time will tell...

I have never seen snow in real life before, only in movies.

The piano has been my favourite instrument ever since I can remember.



Dubbed the happiest place on Earth .This has been a dream of mine ever since I was little. I don't think this dream will ever die.




This would be such a lovely experience.



Every girl's dream, right?



For my sweet tooth. This is is the only type of wasted I want to get.



This is self-explanatory. I would love to see the angels in action. Girl power.





Because I'm a romantic at heart. Preferably in New York City.



To aid my shoe addiction.



I wish it were that easy. If I didn't actually have responsibilities and had a ton of money I would totally do it.



This is entirely up to my parents...

This is my biggest priority at the moment. I'm one step closer already!



Their products are amazing and they smell divine.



I have yet to see one and make a wish. Holding thumbs!



Just for fun.

I'm not an adrenaline junkie nor am I athletic but this I would do.

Wise words by Gandhi

One day...

I'm on it!

She deserves it. Anything for my mom.

Just for kicks. I'm spontaneous like that.

Front row seats, please!

"She ran away in her sleep and dreamed of para para paradise"

Wouldn't that be classy...

For the mystery of not knowing who is behind the masks. Quite thrilling.

Maybe one day. Still undecided.

This is a definite must. Cake Boss makes all other cake bakers look like amateurs. I want my own cake.

One of my biggest dreams.

I live in South Africa but I haven't properly seen all of it's beauty.

For the greater good of our environment.

This would be such an honour. I hope one day I get the chance to change at least one child's poverty stricken life.

I hope I have intrigued a few mind with this post.

Until next time.

xoxo