Of all forms of courage the ability to laugh is the most...

There is nothing quite like a deep, down, tummy laugh when things get challenging.


I remember during matric when pressure was at breaking point meeting up with my friends for a 'study sesh' ended up being one, big fat laugh sesh. I'd say it was the therapy we all needed to let off a bit of steam and then head back to our books.


Laughing apparently has benefits of achieving a toned tummy, let's roll! 

Calm down people, let's take it slow

It's that time of year again, when I can't believe that Christmas decorations are already bursting out of shops. It makes me want to say; 'calm down people, let's take it slow'. Don't get me wrong I love the festive season other than the packed shopping malls but my festive feeling can't really start in October, it's a tad early. What will be a bit different this year is that I'll be in Thailand up until 2 days before Christmas so who know maybe I'll miss the large gold, green and red balls hanging in the malls.

Take something away, then you appreciate it.

Over the last couple of months I have been getting stuck into trail running. It something I never would have thought I’d enjoy as much as I do. The runners rush is indeed a reality. Sadly I have hurt my (complicated name) muscle in my foot so have booked off by the Physiotherapist to run for a while and I genuinely can’t wait to get back on the trail. For someone who felt exercise was too sore this is a real revelation. This got me thinking about one of my favourite little quotes - It's true we don't know what we've got until it’s gone, but we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.

The statute of limitations has expired on most of our childhood traumas.

Girls only schools can be a mean place to be. My brief experience of a girls only primary school I would say, is likely to be my most harrowing childhood experience. Many would say that I’m likely that I got away so lightly ,in terms of traumatic childhood experiences. I like the way that guys are so much simpler than girls, when there’s an issues it’s sorted out with a punch or two and then resolved and forgotten, with young girls it’s another story. Oh, yes I have overcome the small -made- big dramas from my long ago primary school days, mainly because I’m now close friends with those who made life difficult. Funny how life works out. 

Only bad things happen quickly - naat

I would agree that bad food can be cooked quickly such as fast food but Jamie Oliver would probably disagree with me as his 5 minute meals are likely to be out of this world. A quick decision under pressure can lead to a hugely positive result but then again there can lead to complete disasters. The quick decision I made to drive all the way to Plettenberg Bay this weekend resulted in an amazing weekend so not all bad things happen quickly.

The Beacon for the weekend!

A last minute timeshare offer at the Beacon Isle lead to a spontaneous decision to pack my bags and head off I went to Plettenberg Bay.  What a fabulous time so far, we arrived to a gorgeous sea facing room and superb weather. Today I have literally spent the whole day on a deck chair, reading my book and ordering drinks with a dip in the sea every now and then.  I could get use to a week of this once a year as most timesharers get to enjoy. 

Last minute plans so often are where one has the best time!

 

Be Bold and Mighty Forces will come to your aid

I can think of opposite times when this statement applies, when I have been bold and when I have been too fearful to be bold. The times in my life which stand out as being life changing experiences have been when I have put on my ‘bold hat’. My ‘bold hat’ I’m sure will need to come out of my closet on a regularly basis soon, as I begin my career and need to make bold decisions and be confident in my abilities. My bold decision to change schools half way through Grade 11. lead to a whole lot of positive changes in my life and friendships which have changed so many aspects in my life. 

The Walk

I wonder and I walk, clearing the pebbles, walking between the boulders in attempt to see the view. I can see the tops of the sunrays but the hills block my sight, I walk on as I’m almost there.

The wind blows my hair in my face as it tries to block my view, the glorious green jungle tugs at my angles pulling me back.

How can this be the right path? I’m sure I saw the sign pointing this way.

The challenging steep climb is seemingly endless but then I see it, I see what I’ve been longing for..

First glimpse of summer...

Gotta love the first glimpse of summer, white winter kissed body an all! 

Yesterday I had my first beach bum session for the summer at the gorgeous Llandudno beach. The beach was packed people were sandwiched between the sea and the reeds, everyone with the same ideas as me enjoying the October rays. 

This summer will have a bit of a exciting twist as it'll be shared between a South African and Thailand summer. To good times!

The (My) Last Lecture

I could refer to Andy Pausch’s Last Lecture speech for this blog post, which I do think is phenomenally insightful but I’m going to go wild and talk about my upcoming ‘lasts’.

I use to say that I need at least one thing to look forward to whether it be a beach holiday, end of term party or getting a new hair ‘do’.  I was so looking forward to finishing high school and leaping into creating a life for myself as a university student. It feels like within a blink of an eye I wrote my last matric exam and sang the school song for the last time. I have very fond memories of high school it really was the ‘shizz’ so I kind of regret trying to wish the days along.

So now that that’s a crazy 5 years behind me and I’m heading towards my last lecture at CPUT and all those ‘lasts’  at school are coming to mind.  With the present work load it’s hard not want to hurry up the time but seeing my Tech ladies almost every day is something that’ll undoubtedly miss so I’m not counting down the ‘lasts’ just yet. 

Watch this SpAce

In a matter of weeks I’ll be in a new phase of my life. Studying my PR Btech will be over and stressful assignments and presentations will be a thing of the past. The next thing on the menu will be the job search, applications and interviews. Hopefully not too many before I find what makes me tick! So many life lessons are ahead which I find quite scary. My fellow pupils and I all come from the same institution which has equipped us with a certain set of skills but how we use them and where we go will, most likely, be completely different. I will be fascinated to see where everyone is 10 years from now. 

Groupon, MyCityDeal, Big Daddy Deals and You Deal addict

I'd say it was safe to say that I'm a Groupon, MyCityDeal, Big Daddy Deals and You Deal addict. I've been able to do very non student budget friendly things because of their enormously reduced vouchers. I find it quite a delight to check my Blackberry while I'm still waking up and see what treats are on offer from these various discount platforms.  So far I have enjoyed dinners at larny restaurants, my hair coloured and done at top hair salons (a few times), amazing presents for friends, not having to put off having a car service,  spa treatments to name a few.  Thank goodness I have to ask to borrow my parents credit cards otherwise this could be a danger zone for me, I'm a sucker for a good deal!

Soccer Mom for a week

Living the dream. Well one of them. This past week I played Mom for four kids. My week was revolved around waking up super early to lift the kids, not before grapping a Nespresso from the coffee machine, shopping at Woolworths, driving the Mom's Mercedes Benz Compressor and enjoying gorgeous meals made by the house keeper Celi, at the ring of the 6pm dinner bell. I could get use to being a Soccer Mom but right now the freedoms of being a student, even on a shoe string budget are pretty attractive ;) 

My favourite Cat in the Hat book is actually not by Dr. Seuss its ‘Where’s Wally ‘

Countless hours were spent looking for Wally in my Where’s Wally books.  The different eras and worlds were fascinating to me and drew me into the make believe world. A few weeks back I was looking after my little cousins and went into the dusty shed to find the box with my old childhood books, to keep them entertained. Interestingly enough my very well worn Where’s Wally book was by far their favourite, so I decided to handover my beloved Where’s Wally book. Sharing the joy! 

Inspired by Ellie Goulding...

Do I expect too much, am I unreasonable?  Am I like a writer deciding the words that you say?  Am I disappointed because you don’t follow what I think you should say and do. It’s too hard to ask won’t you try to help me.  I keep telling myself that you are human and I’m not an artist, I can’t make you out of clay. 

Why I have conversations.

Some conversations can be like food and drink; refreshing and invigorating. Conversation can build you up and take the weight of ten bricks off your shoulders.  I like these kinds of conversations but life seems to be made up of many types of conversations ones that give you wings and ones that break you down.  Fundamental memories in my life revolve around certain conversation s I have had with people. I see conversations as what connects people it’s the foundation of any relationship.

Over commited

Life can feel overwhelming in no time when too many commitments are made. I am having an overload, commitment-wise time at the moment. I realised how frazzled I was when yesterday I forgot to bring my passport to the travel agency to pay for my flight to Thailand before it was cancelled, due to this forgetfulness my flight was cancelled and that specific flight special never to be seen again. To add to my bad day I forgot about an appointment which I had to book months in advance to get a spot. Sheesh!!  Serious bad day material!!   Then I had to gather up the strength to have a serious DMC (deep meaningful conversation) with a friend to clear up some issues. The conversation was actually great and things resolved so at least my wreck of a Wednesday ended on a sweet note.

Bucket list

The first 15 things that come to mind when I think of my bucket list:

1.       Make a life changing positive impact on someone or some people.

2.       Stay on a tropical island where I need to walk along a jettie to get to my cabana

3.       Have a child or several

4.       Swim with dolphins

5.       Go to Fiji

6.       Own a long haired Daschund

7.       Own a Minnie Cooper

8.       Run the Two Oceans Marathon

9.       Take a sauna in Finland and rolling in the snow

10.   Have a personal stylist

11.   Travel to Lesotho

12.   Have a cycling holiday in Provence

13.   Travel throughout Thailand

14.   Take a Thai cooking course

15.   Live in a tree house

Pending

My life at the moment feels like one bit pending experience:

I'm waiting to hear if I've got into the first round of interviews for next years graduate programmes.

I'm waiting to hear if we are going to move to Tokai from Claremont not.

I'm waiting for my boyfriend to come home from overseas.

I'm waiting for my friends nest egg to arrive so that we can book our overseas trip.

I'm waiting for my gym sessions to show some results.

Although that sounds like an annoying place to be with all the waiting, the anticipation is in fact exciting!

My big fat BIG dream

I dream of a job that I can’t wait to get to in the morning and a beautiful home and family that I can’t wait to get to in the afternoon. My dream is to live in a place which is near mountains and the sea. My dream is filled with freedom and love where I have time to really live and experience all the goodness that life has to offer. 

My dream is to always be able to be genuine and honest and to do what I love to my best ability in all aspects of life.

My dream is that at the end of my life my regrets are few that I can undoubtedly say that my use of life was spent on something that will outlast it.

Conventional is a good fallback position isn't it

It's quite funny that this is the blog topic of this week because the book I was reading last night was talking close to this topic, 'there are two basic ways people try to find happiness and fulfillment: the way of moral conformity and the way of self-discovery. Each acts as a lens colouring how you see all of life, or as a paradigm shaping your understanding of everything. Each is a way of finding personal significance and worth, of addressing the ills of the world, and of determining right from wrong. '  - The Prodigal God, Tim Keller.

This book discusses the simple biblical story of the Prodigal son but what is very different is that it looks at the older brother who was just as lost as his wild brother who went on a journey of self discovery. The older brother was the one who conformed but to a point where he lost himself and touch with what was important.

Beefcakes baby!

Beefcakes was the chosen lunch spot today with two of my girlfriends. Perfect fun place to discuss our Thailand trip!

This joint is perfectly described as,' I felt like I’d chanced upon Barbie’s hidden lair – a pink fantasy of feather boa’s, fairy lights and Florida flamingo’s arranged in compromising positions. I couldn’t help but check out the muscle bound waiters in tight T-shirts. They can’t have got that buff by eating the burgers, so I figured they were probably lifting them. '

Beefcakes is a 50’s American diner, complete with super burgers, fabulous entertainment , gorgeous waiters and downstairs bar, Studio 54 (for men only).

The only challenge of our Beefcake experience, other than trying to not stare at the barmen, was wondering how to pick the generous burgers up. After overcoming that little challenge we cleaned our plates. The burgers were indeed legendary due to size and taste with a hugely generous side salad!

Great food, decent prices, fun venue and warm, speedy service -a big tick from me!!

A mid-weekend, mid – assignment overload night out.

Everyone goes on about how it’s important to have a life work balance. This can sometimes be impossible when major assignments are due right on top of each other.

A group of my friends and I all in the overwhelming work position decided that a little dance was what was needed to shake off the blues. We headed to Deco Dance in Seapoint, where we danced to 80s tunes, played by DJs in their 60s. At one stage the DJ was talking on one of those brick cellphones while playing a tambourine. BIZARRE.

We had such a fabulous time!  The 1.5 hrs night on the dance floor was the perfect kick to get the motivation back into our fingertips.

You can’t chase two rabbits at the same time.

I’ve been silly enough to try and catch two rabbits at the same time, in the practical sense. When rabbits escape from their hutch they always seem to run in two different directions.

A martial arts student approached his teacher with a question. “I’d like to improve my knowledge of the martial arts. In addition to learning from you, I’d like to study with another teacher in order to learn another style. What do you think of this idea?”

“The hunter who chases two rabbits,” answered the master, “catches neither one.”

What could this mean to me in a deeper sense?  Setting your sights on one particular goal is more likely to be successful than trying to split your efforts between two goals.  

Learning to sell myself...in a good sense of course

Gosh, I’m finding it hard to ‘sell myself’ it even makes me a little embarrassed. At the moment I am filling out lots of graduate application forms for next year. It seems the graduate application process is a highly competitive business. I’m guessing the trick is to make your application stand out from the hundreds of others.  I have been told that for the many interviews that I may experience in my life I’ve got to come across as the best person for the job and so ‘sell myself’ so here’s to learning how!

‘Nothing is more dangerous than an idea if it’s the only one you have’

I love this quote by John Arnold, ‘Ideas are the sparks of light that leap from creative abrasions. They come unbidden and dance just beyond our fingertips. They can be crystal clear to us and as clear as mud to others. They are total fun and total frustration, both rolled into one. ‘

When you can only see life in black and white and no shades of grey, things can get dangerous. Émile-Auguste Chartier more commonly known as Alain puts this very well ‘Nothing is more dangerous than an idea if it’s the only one you have’.  Alain, born in 1886 was a famous French philosopher, journalist, and pacifist

Alain wrote various publications and the most important of these was interestingly named, The Dreamer, 81 chapters about the spirit and passions, About Happiness, Mars, and The citizen against powers.

What I think Alain was trying to highlight is the dangers of fundamentalism and single mindedness.

FuN RuN

It's great to have a goal, something to work towards. My current goal is to complete the Total Sports Womens run in relative ease, without stopping. The race is happening this coming Tuesday morning in Stellenbosch. It's been surprisingly nonpainful training up for the race with refreshing afternoon runs in Tokai Forest with my trusty, running partner by my side. Send me energising thoughts while I hit the Winelands Road, while you're enjoying a lie in on the public holiday!

Have u figured out the second head fake?

The title of this blog is one of Randy Pausch famous quotes. Pausch was a  Professor of Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, and Design at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He was dignosed with pancreatic cancer with only a few months to live. Pausch achieved worldwide fame for his speech 'The Last Lecture' in which the line ' have you figured out the second head fake' appears.
Below is the 2008 CMU Graduation Speech written by Pausch. I found it very powerful.

We don't beat the reaper by living longer, but by living well, and living fully — for the reaper will come for all of us. The question is: what do we do between the time we're born and the time he shows up.

I assure you I've done a lot of really stupid things, and none of them bother me. All the mistakes, and all the dopey things, and all the times I was embarrassed — they don't matter. What matters is that I can kind of look back and say: pretty much any chance I had to do something cool I tried to grab for it — and that's where my solace comes from.

It is not the things we do in life that we regret on our death bed. It is the things we do not. Find your passion and follow it. And if there is anything that I have learned in life, you will not find that passion in things. And you will not find that passion in money. Because the more things and the more money you have, the more you will just look around and use that as the metric — and there will always be someone with more. Your passion must come from the things that fuel you from the inside. That passion will be grounded in people. It will be grounded in the relationships you have with people and what they think of you when your time comes.

How hard is it to follow instructions?

It’s pretty darn hard to follow instructions if for a second you are distracted and miss the crux of what is being communicated to you.  To avoid embarrassment you try and piece together what you know to try and fill in what you didn’t hear. This doesn’t work out well when baking a cake or getting directions, can you spell 'flop' and 'lost'..

Big moves and decisions, cause I’m a big girl now...

.

It’s hard to believe that I only have 3.5 months before I complete my Public Relations degree. Exciting to be nearly finished this phase of my life but scary to think about stepping into the working work. Student life definitely has it pluses and the only main minus is the lack of money thing but I’m going to miss the ridiculously long term breaks, short varsity days and seeing my Tech friends every day. The plan is to apply to as many graduate programmes that are relevant, deal with the intense competition and see where it takes me.  "Hello" working  world.

A skill set called leadership

Potential leaders, I think, you are born with a set of gifts which you can choose to utilize or not. When I think leader I naturally think of Nelson Mandel


Madiba's birthday was recently here are a few of my favourite quotes of his:



“I dream of an Africa which is in peace with itself.”


“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”


“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”


“In my country we go to prison first and then become President.”


“Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another.”


“We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.”


“After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”


“As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself… Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.”

Andy Warhol said,”In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes.” “You can’t choose the fifteen minutes but why would you be world famous.”

This quote was derived from Warhol who said it a bit differently , "In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes". 

'15 minutes of fame' is an expression generally used in reference to celebrities short-lived fame. Easy phrase to use to explain the reality TV culture which is rife these days. 

Interesting quote, Andy. If I could choose why I would have fame for fifteen minutes it would be for something positive which changes people’s lives in some way, not very original but the best thing to be famous for, I believe.

If you’re thinking of travelling to Buenos Aires..

Buenos Aires has been listed as one of the top 10 value for money places in the world to visit based on the price of a cup of coffee, a McDonald's burger, a beer and taxi fare for a 10 minute journey.

It's a great pleasure for me, travelling on the ZAR to be able to spend freely in a foreign country and still have money left over. Buenos Aires is incredibly budget friendly, if you avoid the usual tourist traps of over priced tango shows, hotels, tourist restaurants and expensive city tours. 

Budget in Buenos Aires means to do it local which is exactly what we did. Live like a local South American and rent an apartment, eat at restaurants locals eat at, attend Tango shows that are recommended by and attended by locals. Ask locals, who are always willing to share a word of advice, anything you need to know and always keep a Buenos Aires Time Out magazine at hand, incredibly helpful.

Leaving the bustling city of Buenos Aires to the comparatively 'sleepy hollow' called Cape Town.

I arrived back from Buenos Aires, South America a few days ago and I find it amazing how life goes back to normal, in my case, in a matter of a day. I was in another reality, where a buzz of Spanish speakers surrounded me and tall, ornate buildings were the norm. One thing that is so different to way South Africans live is the way that South Americans use the time in the day. Shops only opened from 11.30am, lunch is served from 3pm, dinner at 9pm and clubs only open at 2am. The South American schedule is ideal for those who love a long lie in and a good, late night out!

Rock journalism is people who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, for people who can't read (Frank Zappa)- Comment

Ooh, another rather odd blog topic. Let me discuss one of the most famous rock journalists of the 60's. I've gone to my archives of interesting article I've read and undusted this Washington Post article that I thought was fun. 


If only there were a highlight reel. As one of the first pop music journalists in the business -- the godfather of rock journalism, he was often called -- in the '60s and '70s Al Aronowitz knew everyone worth knowing. The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, David Bowie, Johnny Cash, Pete Townshend -- he either wrote about them, befriended them or both.


A big deal? Well, it was to the man who arranged it all. "Looking back, I still see that evening as one of the greatest moments of my life," he wrote in a 1995 essay. "Actually, I was well aware at the time that I was brokering the most fruitful union in the history of pop music, certainly up until then," he modestly judged. And he wasn't referring to the dope.


But he was never one to understate his own significance -- and if you had introduced two of the greatest creative forces in the history of rock, maybe you would feel the same way. "The '60s," he once wrote, with no irony, "wouldn't have been the same without me." - Washington Post, 2005.

Not so everyday adventures in Buenos Aires

I am in Buenos Aires firstly because my father does business here and he needs my assistance (so he says) and because how could I ever turn down an aeroplane ticket to this fascinating country. My father is in the antique/architectural selvage business and often I feel like we are treasure hunters, going to the back-est of back streets into dingy old shops, huge tin warehouses and larny and not so larny auction houses. We are in search of 'wow' factor pieces which speak out to you from the rubble tumble mass of 'things'. Just yesterday we visited the Salvation Army shop located quite far out of the city of Buenos Aires amongst other things we left with a collection of 20 leather bound books, a Virgin Mary statue and exquisite French linen pillowcases. It's exciting to start the day never knowing where you'll be going and what gems you'll find. 

Day 4: What I'm loving about Buenos Aires

• Our rented apartment, stylish and cosy.
• The late morning starts and late nights that are the norm.
• The mix in cultures.
• The crisp morning walks through the market
• The fact that it is unthinkable to go out for dinner before 9pm.
• Clubs that only open at 3am.
• Grand Victorian buildings on every corner.
• The crumbling, beautiful French styled buildings that whisper affluent times.
• The vibrant Tango dancers on the streets.
• The loud way Spanish is spoken.
• Pastry shops on every block that ooze delectable smells.

These are a few of my favourite things...

List 200 achievements...

I definitely don’t want to bore my blog readers by providing a list of 200 of my achievements. Seeing as this is the blog topic for the moment I will delve into one of my achievements that I look back on if I need a confidence boost.

At 18 years old I moved to London by myself, for my gap year and decided not to take the safe option of joining some of my friends in what they were doing. I decided that I wanted to do my own thing and I stuck with it, although there were many times where I was fearful about moving so far away from home, finding a job and living alone. Having a very successful and happy Gap Year is an achievement that stands out the most for me.  In my Gap Year I conquered many fears that I had and had the most amazing year of good times and personal growth.

What motivates me?

Interesting question...

I am not a competitive person which I think can play a big role in someone's motivation.

My motivation comes from anxiousness about where I could be if I fail to accomplish a certain task or take action. Hang on…this sounds like I have a fear of failure, so perhaps I am competitive after all, there goes my second statement.

My motivation also comes from the confidence that I have in particular areas in my life, from positive past experiences.

This is a topic I have never really narrowed down, I’ve just been educated.

A Buenos Aires Secret Garden

My aching feet are evidence of an exciting, explorative day

Yesterday I arrived in the never sleeping Buenos Aires.  Buenos Aires seems to almost be bursting at the seams with culture as there are so many different people spread across the city. According to our tour guide, Buenos Aires has Italo-Argentines, Anglo-Argentines, a substantial Jewish community, a Chinatown, a Koreatown, and immigrants from neighbouring and nearby countries (Paraguayans, Bolivians, Peruvians).

Buenos Aires is full of surprises! Today alone I have come across three hidden oasis tucked away behind the walls of private villas or Casas as they are called in Spanish smack bag in the middle of the buzzing city. The only evidence of these secret gardens is parts of fountains, trees and plants which can be seen by having a sneak peak through the ornate cast iron gates and down marbled covered arched hallways. It is incredibly temping to push open the gate and discover a real ‘secret garden’.

A little trip..

One of the many benefits of living in the Western Cape is the many weekend away options. With a student budget weekends away whether it be camping, borrowing someones holiday house or hiring a place with buddies is very possible. One doesn't necessarily have to go away for a long time to feel rejuvenated, sometimes a few nights can do the trick. This week on my (very) present student budget I'll be going to stay for two nights at Warmwaterberg with three of my school friends. Warmwaterberg, a holiday farm just outside Barrydale has steaming hot springs for guests to enjoy. R90 ppn is all it cost to stay in one of the farms original cottages, fully equipped and all we needed to bring was food or enjoy the farm cooked fair at the restaurant which looked over the mountain landscape. I'm looking forward to wood fires, hot chocolate and great chats with three of my special girlfriends.

Write a list: the 10 most unexpected consequences of being online.

1.    Finding out people are engaged or pregnant before their family do.

2.  Chatting to a long lost friend you never expected to be on Facebook chat, the same time  as you were.

3.   Believing Dr. Google more than your family doctor.

4.   Realising you aren’t as alone as you feel, people’s blog posts mimic your experience.

5.   Learning paint techniques via UTube.

6.   Knowing people through Twitter before you’ve met them in person.

7.  Being able to super-multi-task and communicate with a multitude of people at the same time via Twitter,  Facebook , Gmail email , Gmail chat and Blackberry messenger.

8.  Finding the right hair colour for you using the Sunsilk Hair Make Over tool.

9. The fact that you instantly feel edgy without internet access.

10That when you search Sarah Bell online you find graves stones as well as people’s faces.

Designer lunch

The Cape Town area there has seen a veritable explosion of innovative lunch venues over the last few years. Lunch time options for those who work on the edges of the City Bowl have increased significantly. Several delis and cafes have opened their doors and it is evident from the creativity and standard of the food on offer that the chefs involved are passionate about cooking.

Cookshop is one of these, tucked away on the bustling thoroughfare of Hatfield Street. Cookshop is owned & run by foodie enthusiast duo Ammy & Tom. Both have a long history in the restaurant industry and have merged their different strengths. Tom runs front of house and makes one of the meanest cups of coffee in Cape Town. Whilst Ammy conjures up the daily menu & directs the other cooks to help produce all the fare on offer.

Cookshop is well known for their hearty designer sandwiches, which combine an array of flavours; The Serious Gourmet (meatloaf, rosemary & almond mayo, brandy prune and rocket), The Italian Job (salami, cream cheese, tomato & rocket) and The Mighty Chook, the most popular sandwich (free range roast chicken with coriander, chilli, almond mayo and cucumber).

Ammy says that the key to a great sandwich is the freshness and quality of the bread, fresh ingredients and balancing three flavours. Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine are her major inspirations. She is obsessed with spices and fresh herbs.

What sets Cookshop’s designer sandwiches apart from the rest, is the fact that they make all their own sandwich ingredients and their spreads are unique. Proof of Ammy’s creative flair is clearly evident in the Cookshop’s menu and was evident when she discussed her spreads ‘Why does mayonnaise have to be ordinary when you can make it extraordinary?’

The food philosophy at Cookshop is simple, fresh and wholesome combined with big, bold flavours.

Situated in Woodstock, The Kitchen, Superette and The deli have similar offerings to Cookshop; honest food, full of flavour but each offering something unique such as The Deli’s apple and fudge cake and The Kitchen’s array of colourful salads.

What these places have most in common is that they combine unusual flavours, creating something delicious, taking food to an art form. Julia Child described this creative aspect of cooking when she said, “Some people like to paint pictures, or do gardening, or build a boat in the basement. Other people get a tremendous pleasure out of the kitchen, because cooking is just as creative and imaginative an activity as drawing, or wood carving, or music.” 

(the creative) elephant in the room

 Now that I have a wonderful 2 months of holiday stretched out in front of me I’ve finally got time to do fun time consuming arty things.

Project 1. knitting. First obstacle relearning how to knit and learn how to knit ribbed. Accomplished after many errors, lots of laughter and tea. I have kindly agreed to make my boyfriend a scarf. It’s going along slowly but not without a few holes here and there.

Project 2. Paining. My sister has wanted stripes painted on her wall. So after watching YouTube videos on how to paint vertical stripes I think I’m ready to get my hands dirty.

Project 3. Mosaic. I love making mosaics as the final product has a high chance of looking good, it’s rewarding. I’ll be creating a splash back for the kitchen.

Being creative in any form makes me feel alive. One wonders why I didn’t study something with a creative focus.

South America Baby!

Very excited as I have just booked my ticket to South America, Argentina in particular. There is talk of heading up to Peru and Columbia but that depends on funds.

I have been before but it’s hard to get tired of the colourful food, couples dancing Tango in the streets, endless clothing and shoe shops, Spanish accent and men (please don’t mention that to my boyfriend). 

We’ll be hiring an apartment in one of the oldest parts of Buenos Aires called San Telmo. San Telmo has a strong French architecture influence that it sometimes easy while sitting at a corner café to be feel that you are in fact in Paris.

My father, my travelling partner will be going for business and as his admin assistant I’ve  agreed to be paid in clothes, not a bad bargain I think ;)

I better get my old Spanish phrase book out and get practising!

Every day is a good day: At the Wacky Wine Festival

Last weekend I went to my first Wacky Wine Weekend which is held in the dorp of Robertson.

 

A R80 'passport' allows you free reign to taste the wines and enjoy the festivities happening at wine farms spread across the Robertson region.

 

The town was packed to the brim and people had even resorted to camping on the lawns outside The Dros. 

The weekend consisted of drinking lots of delicious and not so delicious wine (the poo smell variety) lots of cheese, bread and coffee, four of my favourite things minus the not so delicious wine.

We ended the weekend with a lazy late afternoon cruise up the Breede River which snakes its way through the Robertson Wine District, a perfect end to an indulgent weekend.

Our greatest strengths are our greatest weaknesses - my most silly, embarrassing experience to date.

You know those ice breaker games where you have to tell you most embarrassing moment, this car story tends to be my default.

I had been shopping with my sister and mom and we were walking back to the car in the underground parking. As we walked towards our car I saw that we were parked next to my favourite car, an Audi TT. My mom and sister hopped into our car as I admired the TT. It’s important to check the interior of a cool car like the Audi TT, I pressed my face against the tinted, driver window and as my eyes got adjusted to the light I realised that someone was looking straight back at me through the window. I jumped back with such fright and embarrassment and I quickly got into my mom’s car. My mom and sister had seen this all unfold and had even seen that there was someone sitting in the car but supposedly as soon as they’d noticed I already had my face glued to the window. They were having hysterics in the car while I was wanted to die of embarrassment.

Lesson learnt: check before you peer through dark glass.

North Indian Feast

I had a North Indian Feast last night!

Situated in a hidden corner at Westlake Lifestyle Centre, Bhandaris buzzes with patrons, particularly on a Wednesday or Sunday when they have an seemingly endless buffet table is at the ready.

On Wednesday nights and Sunday afternoons, R99 can buy you a three course meal, the starter being a selection of fresh samosas, the main the buffet made up of a variety delicious curries, rotis (I tried them all so I speak from experience) with ice-cream for dessert.

The venue is cosy and inviting and a great place to have wallet friendly and heart-warming meal.

http://www.bhandaris.co.za/

I’m a bit like a swallow, I have the need to follow the sun.

Thailand oh how I long for you, oh how I dream about walking along your white shores and swimming in your warm waters -  ode to Thailand.

I’m an annual travel bug sufferer. I’ve recently realised that at about this time every year for the last while as Cape Town winter starts to make its appearance, I start logging onto travel sites, reading travel magazines and the trusty travel section in the Argus.

Thailand has been on the top of my list of places to visit for so long. Being a student and all money isn’t as freely available as I would like so there is mainly a lot of dreaming involved.

For me nothing quite compares to a holiday with beach, sea and sun. That combination is relax - inducing bliss. What I think makes Thailand so appealing besides the obvious natural beauty is the culture, food and buildings.

I know that my trip to Thailand will come soon enough with a little focus and patience.

Try a cliche?

‘I just knew from the moment we met’, what a mushy cliché!

Mushy and cliché yes, yet this silly phrase has somehow made its way into my life. 

Back in summer 2008 I meet this gorgeous, fiery red head on Llandudno Beach. After our first exchange of words I knew that there would be something more. Yes, there was a noticeable ‘spark’… eek, another one.

Clichés and love seem closely linked.  Perhaps when your brain is love -mush there’s no way to control the clichés that come skipping out your mouth.

2.5 happy years later and that cliché still rings true to me.

(You can vomit now if you feel the need)