Friday Fluff

Today I am feeling totally tired, but deliriously perky.

Last Night I had a fabulous time hanging out with my lovely friend Miss Herbal, her buddy and The Boyf. There was champagne, wine and sushi - it was glorious. The night taught me 2 important things: 1. I seriously cannot handle my red wine (two glasses and I will not shut up) and 2. Some people should not be waiters (especially people who seem to be on drugs)

This weekend is The Boyfs birthday and currently we have no plans except that we are going to watch the Top Gear show on Sunday (nice!) . Since the Boyf is more on the impulsive side than I am these days, I have no doubt that there will also be some kind of last minute party this weekend (yay!)

My Friend, Bee, has posted an interview with me on her blog -go HERE if you want to read it :)

Oh, don't forget to enter my two current giveaways (Look to right). Both are ending rather soon.

What are you up to this weekend, darlings?

Happy Friday!

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain

Chocolate giveaway

Today I am super happy to announce the start of a little giveaway sponsored by an awesome (drool-worthy) South African company called The Chocolate Club

A bit about The Chocolate Club: Members of The Chocolate Club are introduced to new, unique flavours each month and receive fine chocolates, beautifully presented and delivered direct to their doors (by courier) on a monthly basis. To become a member, just go HERE and sign up. Your first month is free and after that you will be billed R169 a month.

The winner of this giveaway will receive a box of decadent chocolates, that will probably look like this (yum, yum): Darlings, I just have to add that I think joining yourself or buying someone you love a membership to The Chocolate Club would be the most awesome Valentines Day gift EVER - Dont you agree? (think about it, because Valentines Day is super soon).

HOW TO ENTER:
Step 1: Firstly, to enter this giveaway you must be a South African Resident (sorry international readers - you can go HERE and enter my current international giveaway)
Step 2: Then, you must answer this easy question: What is your favourite kind of chocolate? (you may e-mail me or comment on this post to enter)

Notes:
*For an extra entry , you can blog or tweet about this giveaway (but let me know you did)
** This giveaway will end on 4 February.

Today...

Today has not really started off very well....Firstly I woke up tired, then I was late for work, then I discovered I had forgotten my cellphone at home, then I noticed a smear of toothpaste on my black pants and I totally forgot a meeting I had *sigh*...I feel a little out of sorts, BUT don't worry its nothing that a chocolate brownie, a glass of wine and a hug from The Boyf won't fix *winks*

Anyways, I am hoping to write a post for my book blog today. So if you are looking for me, thats where i'll probably be. x

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How you today?

Mall walking (aka Mallercise)

Today I stumbled upon an article about an amusing fitness craze called "mall walking" (obviously this was started by shopaholics).

First off I would like to say that I have been walking around malls for many years - but I had no idea I could call it part of my fitness regime. Obviously now that I know such a fitness craze exists I can (and probably will) use this excuse every time I need to go to the mall without a good reason *chuckles*. I will probably have a conversation like this sometime in the future:

Boyf: Where you off to, honey?
Me: I'm off to the mall
Boyf: So, you are going shopping?
Me: No, I'm going to exercise
Boyf: Hmmm, then why you taking your bag?
Me: Well, I may need to buy some things so I can carry some extra weight while I walk -works up a better sweat ;)

Though, I find it a bit silly (plus I prefer to exercise in places where I can focus on fitness) I do see some benefits to mall walking, like...

* its safer than walking around in some neighbourhoods
* its a good way to keep an eye out for sales
*You can catch a movie, if you need a break
* if you dislike the "workout" outfit you left the house in, you can always buy a new one...

Notes: Apparently "mall walking" (also know as "Mallercise") is usually done before stores open, so that there are less crowds. To read more about "Mall walking" click HERE or HERE

Are you going to start "mall walking"? or are you going to start your own silly fitness craze?

10 things I photographed this weekend

1. The Ocean (view of Fish Hoek & Simonstown)

2. Some flowers in Kalk Bay

3. Seagulls

4. Fish sellers in Kalk Bay

5. A cute seal (at the harbour)


6 & 7. Harbour and boats - Kalk Bay

8. A warning sign

9. Side of Green Point Stadium

10. Sea Point promenade at sunset

This weekend The Boyf and I went out to take some photos on Saturday and Sunday. It was super fun and something I had not done in a while - So, I thought I'd share some of the photos.

* All the above photos taken by me*

Happy Friday!

“ the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars… ” - Jack Kerouac
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* picture from weheartit.com

Oh, Oreo

“Health food may be good for the conscience
but Oreos taste a hell of a lot better.”-Robert Redford

If I had to be a cookie - I'd want to be an delicious Oreo.

Why? Well, in so many ways i think Oreos are the perfect cookie. They are soft enough to eat straight from the box, but hard enough not to crumble into nothingness when they are dipped into milk. Plus, they taste amazing sprinkled on ice-cream *drool*.

The Oreo is also very awesome looking (you know it). It has a super dark brown colour on its outside and a snow white center (very cool). Its also always perfectly shaped and inviting.

Are they healthy? Not at all - but when it comes to cookies I think thats really a positive point (right?) hehehe.

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If you had to be a cookie, what cookie would you be?

Its for you...

Its another wonderfully warm day in Cape Town and I'm stuck indoors (oh well). Despite this sad fact, I'm in a great mood today (just in case your were wondering) - So I thought id be super social and do an "its for you..." post

Oh, and have I mentioned to you that my book blog is up? Well, it is - click HERE to join up and see the Feb/March book list :) Anyways.....

How this post works: I will answer the below very random questions - then you can answer the questions as a comment. Why? 'cause sharing is caring *winks*:

1. Today I feel...like bouncing around (gummi bear style)
2. This week...is teaching me how to live cheap
3. Last night...I actually went to gym for the second night in a row (impressive, isn't it?). Then i ate some tuna toasted sandwiches with The Boyf
4. Song of the moment... "Fences" by Phoenix
5. If you could choose a talent to have, what would it be? I'd like to be able to play the piano and make clothes.
6. Who would you choose to play you in a film about your life? Anne Hathaway or Emmy rossum
7. What one word best describes your life at the moment? humbling

Current addictions

* French vanilla mocca hot choco-latte powder (made by Chilla) - seriously yum , creamy, instant and worth every cent (South Africans can get it from Wellness Warehouse or @home)

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* My heart rate monitor chest strap (Polar brand) - At the beginning of last year I got one, but I only really started using it last month. Since I started taking it to gym, I've been amazed at how it helps with my cardio workouts. The chest strap syncs with the machine (if your pic the "CPR" option) and it tries to keep your heart rate constant (and is accurate).

* Red wine - After years of trying to "get into" wine, last year I finally did (I'm sure my regular readers noticed this). Now I'm absolutely addicted to most red wines. My favourite types are: Shiraz, Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon

* Owl City - I am really loving this bands music (and the cute lyrics) at the moment. Click HERE to visit the official website.

*Grilled lamb chops- Lately I just can't get enough of lamb chops . The way I love to cook them is to cover them in olive oil, salt them, sprinkle on some barbecue spice, then I grill them until they are brown and the fat is super crispy (aka almost burnt). *drool*

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What are you currently addicted to?

Gypsy jewellery giveaway

Today I am happy to announce the start of a giveaway sponsored by Gypsy Warrior

The winner of this giveaway will get a $20 credit for Gypsy Warrior's Etsy store (plus free shipping wordlwide).

Above are three of my favourite pieces from Gyspy Warrior

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HOW TO ENTER:

1. Be a follower/subscriber, THEN please comment on this post and tell me what you like best in the Gypsy Warrior Etsy store

2. Blog about this giveaway for an extra entry (please let me know what the link is to your blog post)

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Please note: *Anyone may enter. *This giveaway will end on Sunday, 31 January and the winner will be announced on Monday, 1 February. Good luck!

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PS - *If you buy anything from Gypsy Warrior before the end of this giveaway, you can use the code "BEINGBRAZEN" and you will recieve a free fortune cookie necklace with purchase.

And the winner is...

The winner of the cool Ladylotus t-shirt giveaway is .... Anna! Congrats, please e-mail me soon :)

I will have another great giveaway starting today - so please check back in a bit for details.

The weekend and book blog link

This weekend was good (and rather wine soaked)....

Friday night I saw Model Mom for a bit of a catch up and had some yummy red wine with her.

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Saturday morning I ghd'ed my hair and watched the movie "2012". After reading some bad reviews about it, I didn't have high expectations but it turned out to be a very entertaining film (in my opinion, its not totally unrealistic either).

Saturday evening we drove to Franschhoek to see my good friend Miss Herbal for her birthday. It was super fun, but I had waaaaay too much to drink (yup, red wine found me again)

Sunday morning I felt awful. Thankfully The Boyf (aka best boyfriend in the world) made me a great breakfast, was very understanding of my hangover and kept giving me water.

Sunday evening we went for a yummy braai (aka barbecue) at Twinkle & her hubby's new apartment. It was nice.

When we got home after dinner, The Boyf helped me make a cool header (with a pic of me that he took) for my Being Brazen Books blog....and now, I'm super happy to announce that my book blog is actually up - click HERE to go see it.

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How was your weekend?

Friday fluff

Ive been awfully tired this week. This morning I literally had to be dragged out of my warm bed, as I just could not muster up enough energy to lift the duvet off me (Thanks, Boyf). I'm hoping this weekend I can catch up on all the sleep I missed lately (and then hopefully next week I won't be such a slacker blogger).

By now I am sure you have all heard about the utterly devastating earthquake that happened in Haiti on 13 January. The stories coming out of Haiti since the earthquake have been so very sad. If you want to help the survivors in Haiti - you can go visit HERE or HERE or HERE to make donations.

I just read an article about 50 things that have changed our live's since the beginning of the millennium (I was super surprised to see that Crocs and Uggs made the list) -Click HERE to read it.
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Hope you have a wonderful weekend! x

Happy Friday!

"Every man’s life lies within the present;

for the past is spent and done with, and the future is uncertain."

- Marcus Aelius Aurelius

Why I don't swim in this ocean

 Fish Hoek beach - taken by me

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I was born and raised in a part of Cape Town that some people affectionately call the "deep south" (as its right on the southern tip of Africa). While I very much believe that Fish Hoek and the surrounding coastal towns may easily be some of the most beautiful places in Africa, I especially steer clear of swimming at the False Bay area beaches nowdays....
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Why? Well, mainly because the water is usually icy enough to give you an ice-cream headache, I'm a rubbish swimmer (think doggie paddling), there are Great White sharks that swim there - AND occasionally I read an article like THIS one (and more recently, THIS one).
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Now, please don't get me wrong, I truly love sea creatures (except maybe creepy eels) and I fully understand that sharks are not just evil, man-eating monsters (even though Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" almost made me think so)- but growing up near the beach most of my life and hearing shark attack stories has definitely given me a healthy respect for the ocean and its inhabitants.
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While I realise I probably have more chance of being killed by a faulty toaster than a shark, I still think i will be staying out of this ocean ;).
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Notes: They do have "shark spotters" watching the southern suburbs coastlines - if you want to see what they do and what they see click HERE. To watch a video about how helpful and cool sharkspotters are, trot over HERE

Book club update

Ok, darlings I know i didn't blog yesterday but I have a great excuse... I was book hunting and I was also trying to start the "Being Brazen Books" blog.

Since quite a few of you seemed keen, I think I will try out this book club idea and see how it develops. good? wonderful. I am hoping the book blog will be done by the end of January.

I have been doing some extra thinking on the whole idea and Here's what Ive decided so far...

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THE BOOK CLUB GUIDELINES:

* Every TWO months I will pick a list of books (4 to 6) - I will consider recommendations for books from anyone.

* Then, you can pick one or a couple to read from the book list

* you have TWO months to finish it/them - if you want to read along (Sometimes im a distracted reader, so i need time)

* Then you may submit a review of what you read, if you want (the best reviews will make it onto blog, if there are alot)

* IF you don't like any of the books on the list you can read anything you like, But then you have to e-mail me a short review of what you read (whenever you finish your book) Deal?

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If you have recommendations for future book lists, please e-mail me at beingbrazenbooks@gmail.com

10 things I learnt this weekend

1. Alot of people are actually keen on my book club idea

2. Robert Downey Jnr was a great, quirky Sherlock Holmes

3. I really need to find an exercise buddy in Sea Point

4. Engagement fever seems to be going around big time

5. Frozen margaritas are the best summer drink

6. Its always easy to find parking when you have a bike

7. Bungalow in Camps Bay has cool, huge couches.

8. Zombie + strippers = very bad film

9. Being broke by mid-month is horrid

10. Sometimes I forget that compromising is a two way street

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What did you learn this weekend?

Happy Friday!

“Slow down and enjoy life.

It's not only the scenery you miss by going to fast -

you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.”

- Eddie Cantor

I tried power yoga

This morning The Boyf went to gym at 5:30am, which made me feel that it would be wrong of me to sleep in (guilt can be a great motivator.hehe). So, I slid out of bed and decided that I should finally try out my Yogazone power yoga DVD and see if I like yoga....

The power yoga DVD I have is for beginners and has 2 x 20 minute sessions on it. Though the yoga instructors seemed to change positions really quickly (i was still half asleep) and getting my breathing right took a little practice, I still found that I managed to do all the positions rather easily and felt like i had a nice workout after doing both sessions.

What I loved most about doing yoga with a DVD instead of with people around me was that I could just do it in my living room, make a fool of myself and wear anything (or nothing).

I think I will try and do this DVD a few more times to get the hang of it and see if it gets addictive. If I really like it I may have to go and find a nice yoga class to join (or maybe I will just invest in a more advanced yoga DVD).

Have you tried any new exercises lately?

A book club?..well kind of..

For a while I have been thinking about maybe starting a Being Brazen Book Club for fun....but before I do, I would love some input from you.

A few things:

* It will obviously be an online book club (so all can join).

* I think i want it to be more of a sharing of book thoughts, book reviews and book recommendations than an actual, proper book club (so you can read whatever or what i'm reading).

* I will not update it all the time and will also rely on Members to e-mail me reviews or recommendations to put up ('cause its a club, remember?).

What do you think? Please let me know in a comment, e-mail or vote on my poll ( its on the right)

*photo found on weheartit

Work, food film, raw fish and a favour

This week I have been experiencing some serious "back to work blues"...but I'm sure I'll shake them off soon....until then I will have to rely on strong coffee in the morning, comfort eating and alot of red wine to get me through this week *chuckles*

Last night I watched Julie and Julia, which I enjoyed for mainly two reasons -1. I could really relate to Julie's blogging hobby (and a few of her freak-outs) and 2. It made me feel like cooking french food (I may have to get Julia Child's cookbook now).

Speaking of cooking... For Christmas this year my mom got me a How to make sushi kit. The sushi kit includes a maki rolling mat, DVD and sushi cookbook. Though I love sushi, I have always been a bit worried by the idea of making my own at home.
Have you made your own sushi before? tips?

A favour: If you like my blog, think that I deserve a blog award and have some time... you can go HERE and nominate me for a Bloggie award in the "Best African blog" category. How it works is: you have to nominate THREE blogs in any categories and then confirm the e-mail when it comes through.

Its for you...

If you live in Cape Town, I am sure you have noticed that its ridiculously hot today. I wish I was at the beach with a big umbrella, sunblock and a box of ice-creams *sigh*

Today I was all set to do my "current addictions" post, but this glorious weather outside my office window is so mesmerising that I can't think about anything sensible, except escaping outside. Anyways, I decided to just do an "Its for you.." post instead (plus, I am rather curious what you all have been up to lately)

How it works (in case you forgot): I will answer the below very random questions - then you can answer the questions as a comment. Why? 'cause sharing is caring *winks*:

1. Today I feel...like I must go play outside
2. This week...I wish I was still on holiday
3. Last night...I had yummy fish and chips. I also finished watching the film My Neighbor Totoro - which was adorable.
4. Lately the song stuck in my head is... " I got a feeling" -The Black Eyed Peas
5. My New Years eve... started off with a bit of unwanted drama, but still ended up being a wonderful evening thanks to lots of red wine, The Boyf, lovely friends and fun music.
6. This year I'm looking forward to... achieving some of my goals, celebrating a rather important birthday, making my blog better, seeing how the World Cup goes and having more fun.
7. What big lesson/s did you learn in 2009? I learnt alot of things, but i think the biggest lesson was probably just to believe in myself more and that being positive alot will bring more positive things into my life (simple and true).

Ready for one resolution

Today I'm back at work and its rather depressing. I miss my afternoon naps already *winks*

Ive actually heard some people say stuff like: "oh, a nice holiday will make you feel all refreshed and ready to start work again".. I used to think "whatever" when i heard this and that these people were clearly delusional or had dream jobs - because, how could i ever feel ready to go back to my office job after a glorious, chilled holiday? But strangely some people do actually like their jobs alot (who knew). Now I see that my loathing and sadness about going back to work may be due to the fact that I'm probably in the wrong job -So...

I don't really do New Years resolutions...BUT this year Ive decided to make one. Its a biggie. This year my resolution is to find/create a job where i can work from home (or flexible hours), which will give me more free time to write (that's the dream, darlings). I will do what i must to try achieve this (pinkie swear).

Whats your biggest new years resolution?

Cool t-shirt giveaway

Today I am happy to announce the start of a giveaway sponsored by Ladylotus (I really adore her vintage prints).

The winner of this giveaway will get to choose any ONE of the below 4 printed t-shirts (Rolleiflex, casette tape, typwriter or key) in black or white and in whatever size (male or female):

Description: All t-shirt pictures are from a hand carved linoleum print that was turned into a screenprint. All prints are hand silk screened onto shirts using fabric ink.
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HOW TO ENTER:
1. Be a follower/subscriber, THEN please comment on this post and tell me what you like best in the Ladylotus Etsy store (note: there will be some new items added to her store this week)
2. Blog about this giveaway for an extra entry (please let me know what the link is to your blog post)

Notes: *Anyone may enter. *This giveaway will end on Monday, 18 January and the winner will be announced on Tuesday, 19 January. Good luck!

and the winner is...

The winner of the Fox & Locket messenger bag is..... Jeanette!- Congrats, lady. Please e-mail me soon :)

I have another cool giveaway starting today (hooray!)

Happy Friday and Happy New Year

"Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on,

with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us."

- Hal Borland