What I got...this month

I think most of us are rather curious creatures (I know i am).So, to satisfy the "curiosity cravings" of those of you who wonder what I've been shopping for... here's a list of a few things I have gotten lately:

1. A black & white houndstooth coat: The wonderful Boyf bought it for me yesterday. It looks alot like the coat in the picture (note: if I remember I will replace this picture with an actual photo of my coat at a later stage). The coat was a steal at only R350/ about $35.

2. Rimmel Vinyl gloss in the colour "snog": I love this gloss because its not too sticky and feels nice on my lips. Plus, I just love the word "snog" (which,for those of you who dont know, is British slang for kiss)

3. GloMinerals blusher in "sheer petal": this shade is great for everyday. Its looks so natural and has a nice shimmer.

4. Rimmel trio eye shadow (in Silver, charcoal and Purple - not the colours shown in pic). I am starting to really love eye shadow. I think Superficial girl has been inspiring me.

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Please satisfy my "curiosity craving" by telling me what nice things have you gotten (bought or received) this month?

10 Things I learnt this weekend

1. Drinking margherits in the afternoon is glorious.

2. Quite a few people (most recently a drunk guy) think I look a bit like Anne Hathaway - I dont think so though.

3. Turning off all your lights in favour of candles is something everyone should do often ;)

4. I love my boyfriend more than I could ever put into words.

5. Tequila ice-cream is totally yummy.

6. The TV series True Blood is a rather twisted show. I am really enjoying it. (Ches, I see what you mean about the credits)

7. Sometimes its better not to have any expectations

8. Men are seriously unobservant

9. I'm useless if I get less than 5 hours of sleep.

10. Ive been spending way too much time indoors lately.

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(Note: Photo is of Anne Hathaway - Not me..*winks*)

Its Monday....

Grrrr....Such a pity this coupon has expired. I really wish I could use it today. Wonder if my boss will notice if I just scratch out the expiry date?

Hope you all survive your Monday with a smile on your face :)

Friday fluff

So far my Friday is going fabulous. How's yours?

I read the news this morning online. I really shouldn't do that too often. I found it mostly sad and depressing (as always). To perk myself up I went on a hunt for some "happy news" and I found THIS news story about a frog wedding. Funny, cute and weird. Read any happy news stories today - do share?

Random info: Weather in Cape Town is not so good today. Winter may be arriving sooner than expected. I may get to wear my new coat soon. Hooray!

Tomorrow is "Earth Hour". To celebrate it I was thinking of going out with The Boyf to a restaurant. When the lights go out there will be candle light. Romantic and pretty. I think we should do an Earth Hour every week.
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I must say I am highly amused with my poll (see it on the right side of blog). So far "brunette and mousy" and "crazy hippie chick" have the most votes. *chuckles*

Will I finally put up a real photo after this poll ? hmmm...maybe....

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Ps - See previous post for the "Friday Quote"

(yup, I did 2 posts today)

Happy Friday!

"It is always the simple things that change our lives. And these things never happen when you are looking for them to happen. Life will reveal answers at the pace life wishes to do so. You feel like running, but life is on a stroll. This is how God does things.”

- Donald Miller
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(photo from littlegirlblue on flickr)

Random notes

I'm feeling a bit under the weather. Yesterday I started getting a sore throat. Today i feel like I also have a horrid fuzzy head...*sigh*..... I really dont want to get sick right now.

Yesterday I bought a wonderful, grey melton coat (from Woolworths for R750/ $75). I love it. What do you think? (note: click image on right to enlarge pic of my coat).

I put up another poll (on right hand side of blog), because I have decided I like silly polls.

Why did I choose this new poll question? Well, In my quest to remain semi-anonymous I have never put up a proper picture of myself. I read a few anonymous blogger's blogs and sometimes I find myself wondering what they look like (sometimes I dont care). So, I wanted to know if you ever wondered what i looked like -if yes, what does my blog make you think i look like? Go tick one of the answers if you feel like it.

PS -DONT FORGET to turn your lights off for Earth Hour on Saturday.

* Click HERE to visit the Earth Hour webpage

Its for you.....

Oh, yes its time for another "its for you..." post.

For those of you who are not familiar with this new regular - here's how it works:

I will answer a few random questions, then you (yes, you!) will also answer them in my comments section.....Why? because sharing is caring, people *winks*

ok, here goes...
1. Thought for the day: Thank goodness its payday!

2. Song of the moment: "Sex on fire" by Kings of Leon
3. Drink of the moment: Filter coffee

4. Next thing you want to buy: A long grey melton coat and a Twilight DVD

5. Word of the week: "Blessed" - because I am
6. Currently annoyed by: The South African government denying the Dalai Lama a visa - silly!

7. Currently reading? "The truth about forever" by Sarah Dessen (Im reading soo slowly at the moment).

8. Last movie you watched? The Fantastic Four

Mix tape memory

Most people have made or gotten a mix tape/CD before. In my opinion, mix tapes are a true labour of love. You have to sit through countless songs, write down the playlist (usually), take the time to copy songs and then make a cover (because if you really want to make it extra special you need a cover).

I'm a huge fan of the mix tape/ CD. Ive made plenty of mix tapes in the past - lots for me, a few for others- some i am proud of and some I am not. In the last 2 years i have made two mix CD's and I am glad to report The Boyf likes them both.

My most amusing mix tape memory is from when I was about 20. I was living in London at the time and had just had a rather heart ripping break up. I felt nothing would fix me except a trip away, so i took a 3 hour bus ride out to my awesome friend, Blondie, in the English country side.

Blondie had also come out of a bad break up and I think we both needed some serious girl time. So...we drank, we watched copious amounts of "Buffy the vampire slayer" , We went to pubs, we drank, we chased sheep (long story), we drank some more, we drunk dialled (bad idea) and finally......we decided to make mix tapes for our evil ex's (really bad idea).

It was by far the funniest mix tape making ever. We played songs, we laughed (hysterically), we shared stories about our evil ex's, we drank (alot), we cried, we sang (loudly and out of tune), we ate junk food, we copied songs....

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Eventually i finished my mix tape. It was the most soppy, sad, slightly embarressing, chick mix tape ever. I was convinced i had put my heart and soul into the making of it. I made a broken heart tape cover, and wrote something very profound on it (or so i thought at the time).

When it came time to actually give away the mix tape, i did so in the hopes that all i felt that day would come through in the songs. Looking back, I think the only person the mix tape could have made sense to was me. Oh well, at least making it made me feel a whole lot better :)

Sadly mix tapes (or CD's) are a dying art. Most people dont really bother with time consuming mix tapes anymore. Personally, I think a mix tape or CD is still an absolutely awesome gift to make for a loved one. Plus, sometimes songs say things much better than some people can.

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High fidelity is a great movie (based on the book, of the same name, by Nick Hornby) It also contains some good advice on mix tape making. Heres a brilliant mix tape quote from the film:

Rob (John Cusack):"The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then you got to take it up a notch, but you don't wanna blow your wad, so then you got to cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules. Anyway... I've started to make a tape... in my head... for Laura. Full of stuff she likes. Full of stuff that make her happy. For the first time I can sort of see how that is done."

* Click HERE to get some more advice on how to make the perfect mix tape.

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Question: Do you have a really good mix tape memory? Do you still make mix tapes/CD's?

(Please note: Today I decided to share one of my very old, favourite blog posts with you. It has been edited. Some of you may have read the original post before. -Brazen x)

Grrrrrr...its Monday...again

Lets celebrate the beginning of the week by doing the "grrrr -its -monday-I - need- more- sleep -crazy -monkey- dance" (I may have made up that name).....

There, dont you feel alot better now.......*grins*

PS- I have a poll on the right hand side of my blog page. If you have time please tick one of the answers. Thanks.

A note- Dear American bloggy friends, if any of you feel like doing something totally super nice for someone you don't really know - you can always send me a Twilight DVD *winks*

The DVD doesn't come out here, in South Africa, until 20 April and that really sucks. Hugs, Brazen.

(cartoon from brainless tales)

"To start" list

Today i was thinking about things i wanted to start doing and of course that turned into a whole list of things ( i heart lists).
Here are some of the things on my list:

I want to start.....

1. De-cluttering my home regularly- because clutter is evil

2. Writing "Thank you" notes - because its thoughtful

3. Wearing a bit more make-up - because I hardly wear any

4. Being less wasteful with money - because i dont have alot
5. Exercising more - because then I can eat more brownies

6. Letting go a bit more - because I can't actually control everything and trying to is just stressful

7. Taking ballroom dance classes with The Boyf - because its something I have always wanted to try

8. Framing more photos and pictures - because some images are too good not too

9. Saving for corrective eye surgery - because my eyes are worth it (and Redframe just had it done and is happy)

10. Shopping for some nice winter essentials - because its starting to get colder (hooray!)

11.Being less selfish in general- because sometimes I forget that the world doesn't actually revolve around me

12. Learning to shut up sometimes - because I am guilty of talking too much and listening too little at times

13. Getting to work on time - because I seem to be late alot

14. Accepting my mom's boyfriend - because he makes her happy and It looks like he is going to be around a while

What's on your "to start" list right now?

Explosive thoughts, gym and blog makeover

I think too much. I over analyse practically everything. I let things go round and round in my head like an overactive hamster in a wheel. Its not really a good thing. Lately, all my over thinking is making my head want to explode......*grrrrr*

My goal is to go to gym 4 times this week. So far I have managed to go twice this week (hooray!). I really want to start having a solid gym routine. I want to get fitter but find it hard to exercise regularly. Honestly, my problem is not that I dislike exercise, as I always feel great after going to the gym -My problem is that I find it too easy to press the snooze button at 5:30am and I never feel like gym at night. I think the solution is: i must become a morning person (wish me luck!)

My blog is going to have a bit of a "makeover" in the next few weeks. Here are some of the changes that are and will be happening:

* My blog can now be found on http://www.beingbrazen.com/ , as well as at my blogspot address (you can use either address).

* I am going to get a brand new header (suggestions welcome)

* I am going to make my page even more awesome than it is now (and you probably thought my blog couldn't be anymore awesome, right?) *chuckles*

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My question for you today is: What makes your head feel like its going to explode?

Whats in a blog name?

I have always loved the word "Brazen". Here's what it means:

The adjective "brazen" has 2 meanings:
Meaning #1: unrestrained by convention or propriety
Synonyms: audacious, barefaced, bodacious, bold-faced, brassy, brazen-faced
Meaning #2: made of or resembling brass (as in color or strength). Pertains to noun: brass (meaning #1)

When The Boyf encouraged me to start blogging I toyed with a few possible names for my blog (looking back most of the names were really lame and I am glad I didn't use them).
Eventually I decided on "Being Brazen". I chose the name for a few reasons, but mainly because it already was my e-mail address and because I just like the way it sounds.

Question: Why or how did your blog get its name?
Do tell...

(Note: The cool, rather arty photo above is of me. My wonderful, multi-talented Boyf took it)

10 things I learnt this weekend

1. Arguing with a shop assistant when you have PMS is a bad idea.

2. Egg poachers are so awesome (thanks for the gift, mom!)

3. My friend, Twinkle, looks amazing in a wedding dress

4. I must stay away from Mcdonalds -even if they do have great skinny fries and Oreo Mc flurry's .

5. I can get away with not wearing a bra sometimes.

6. Tomorrow was promised to no one. All we have is today.

7. Tuna pizza should be on more pizza menus

8. I suck at posing for photos.

9. "Taken" was a brilliant movie. Liam Neeson kicked butt.

10. Women waiting to catch a wedding bouquet can become quite dangerous and a bit crazed.
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* To read "10 things" I learnt on other weekends - click HERE

Happy Friday!

"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge -- myth is more potent than history-- dreams are more powerful than facts -- hope always triumphs over experience -- laughter is the cure for grief -- love is stronger than death" - Robert Fulghum

Horoscopes annoy me

I know there are plenty of people out there who are obsessed with or enjoy reading their horoscopes - but I am definitely not one of them.

I never read horoscopes anymore ( i did a few times when i was a teenager). I think they are silly, fake and bad for the brain.

Here's a few reasons why horoscopes annoy me:

* Every newspaper, every day publishes a horoscope and they are all different. So how can they all be right?

* Horoscopes are usually very general, vague and written to try fit everyone.

*Reading horoscopes can influence people to make decisions they may not have made otherwise.

*Only God would know the future

* How can millions of *insert your star sign here* have the same horoscope and have the same type of personality?

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In my opinion, horoscopes (and other future telling things) are so popular because so many people are searching for answers and direction. People will probably always read horoscopes, as there are just way too many people curious about their futures.

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Even if i was given the opportunity to read/hear my real "future forecast" -i honestly dont think i would. It would take all the surprises, mystery and anticipation out of life. I also like to believe the course of ones life can change at any time.

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Do you read your horoscope? If so, why?

If you could know your future, would you want to?

I would love to hear some other opinions on this subject.
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*(cartoon found at off the mark)>

Dye, craving, Barbie and a pink mammal

A blogger asked how my home hair dying mission went the other day - Well, it went much better than I thought it would. The Clairol "Nice and Easy" semi permanent hair dye worked well, The Boyf applied the colour like a pro and my re-growth is much better than before. I may actually use box dye again :)

Today I have an overwhelming craving for pepperoni pizza *drool*. I want a large all to myself. yum. I can work the guilt off tomorrow at gym. heehe

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Yesterday Barbie turned the big 5-0. I just loved Barbie dolls when i was younger. I had so many. I have heard people say that Barbie is a bad role model for young girls. Personally, I think that's silly. Now Brattz dolls, they are weird. What do you think of Barbie dolls?

In random world news - Someone spotted a pink dolphin in an American lake the other day. Apparently its not a hoax,but rather a rare albino dolphin. Preeeettttyyyy. Click HERE to read one story about "pinky".

(Note: I've always loved dolphins, but i must admit i love them a bit more now that they come in pink too.)

Floral fancy

(Click on picture to enlarge)

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As I mentioned before, my good friend, Twinkle is getting married this Saturday. This is what I have decided to wear to her "Black tie with a touch of vintage", late afternoon wedding:

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1. Silk, floral dress by South African designers, Marion & Lindie (pictured above) - This is my favourite dress at the moment. It has such a romantic and feminine look.

I have had this in my closet since 2006. I wore it to a wedding in Oct 2006 , but since then I have treasured it too much to wear to just any ol' occasion (sad, but true).

2. Olive green, faux leather purse (pictured above)- This was one of the gifts I got from The Boyf this Valentines day.

3. Wooden and leather wedge heels with diamante detail (pictured above)- I adore these shoes. They are made by Brazilian shoe company, Dumond.

4. A few bits of jewellery (Not pictured above)- a pair of green sparkling earrings, a ring and a pretty bracelet.

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So, what do you think?

The fool in me....

"I must learn to love the fool in me--the one who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self-control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs and cries. It alone protects me against that utterly self-controlled, masterful tyrant whom I also harbor and who would rob me of human aliveness, humility, and dignity but for my fool." -- Theodore I. Rubin, MD

(I absolutely love this quote. I spotted it on Cup of jo's blog and thought I would share it with y'all.)

A bit of babbling

Firstly, I want to say thank you to all my "followers" - yesterday I noticed I actually have over a hundred bloggers stalking me now. I feel very special.

Yesterday a stranger bought me Lindt chocolates as a "thank you" for typing out a recipe for her (very random, i know). More proof that being kind brings good things your way.

My good friend, Twinkle, is getting married next weekend. The dress code is: "Black-tie with a touch of vintage" (cool, hey). I have been obsessively thinking about what to wear for weeks now. I have finally made a decision on what I will be wearing.

On Monday I will post pictures of the outfit, so you can see -Look forward to hearing your comments on it.

Im a very emotional creature - I cry often and unashamed. I fully believe that crying can be so good for the soul. Whenever I have a good cry I feel "lighter" afterwards. Most recently I cried when I saw THIS youtube video. Its Beautiful!

Tonight, I will be executing operation "box hair dye". I have roped The multi-talented Boyf into helping me on my mission. Our primary objective is to eliminate the evil force known as

"re-growth" *heehee*

disconnected freak outs

Do you freak out when your internet is down or you are far away from a computer for too long? Click HERE and HERE to find out how addicted you are.
*grins* The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

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(cartoon by Doug Savage)

Current addictions

* Soundtracks - I have always been a serious soundtrack junkie. Lately, I have been on the lookout for great, new soundtracks. Know any? Currently I am listening to the "Gossip Girl" and the "Twilight" soundtrack.

* Dreher Beer - I had never met a beer I liked, until a bottle of Dreher appeared in front of me. Reluctuntly I accepted a taste and after one swig of The Boyf's Dreher Beer I realised that this beer didn't make me feel sick. After two swigs I knew I had finally found a beer I could actually drink :)

* Robert Pattinson - *drool* On screen he plays one of the best vampires ever and he is ridiculously easy to look at. In another time and another place I think Mr. Pattinson (aka Edward Cullen) might have turned me into a stalker *winks* ........Thankfully, my teenage, celebrity-obsessed days are over and I already have a handsome man ;)

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* Chuck - This TV series is great and very funny. I also dig that all the characters are very quirky. If you havent seen it, you should check it out

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* Writing a story - Lately I have been feeling very enthusiastic about story writing. So I have started writing some story thoughts down. My dream is still to write a novel one day. Who knows, maybe this story will grow into something I can try get published.

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Today I tag you to post your own "Current Addictions" ( only if you want to, of course)

(Guidelines: Please link back to me, write at least 5 current addictions, add pictures and let me know when you post yours)

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To read all my monthly "Current Addictions" click here.

Kindle vs. real books

Apparently, the Kindle is going to change the way people read and buy books. I have mixed feelings about this.
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Just in case you don't know what I am talking about - let me explain....The Kindle (1 & 2) are wireless reading devices. Amazon brought out the Kindle a while ago and has recently released the Kindle 2. You can download books, magazines, newspapers, word documents and even blogs onto a Kindle. >

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While a Kindle definitely takes up alot less space than a book (especially the Kindle 2 which is only 1/3 of an inch wide and can hold up to 1500 books) and allows you download a book in under 60 seconds - I still dont know if I am ready to give up buying "real" books in favour of electronic books.

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The thought of electronic books taking over the world makes me sad. I love the feeling of real paper. I love the smell of books, especially old ones. I also love the look of books on a bookshelf......

But even I can not deny that the Kindle could become a super popular item. Plus, It will probably save trees, is totally perfect for travel and may encourage reluctant readers to read more.

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Personally, I dont think I will be buying a Kindle anytime soon. Long live "real" books :)

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What do you think?

Will you be getting one? Do you have one already?

* Click HERE to read more about the Kindle 2