Wishing for Winter Woolies

It's been terribly hot in Johannesburg recently. I have been quite bothered and irritable with these sort of high temperatures, because it is very difficult to remedy if you have no air conditioning. I prefer winter simply because you can keep warm in winter, but it is very difficult to keep cool in summer.

Don't even get me started on driving in a car with no air conditioning - such modern torture! My car feels like a sauna met a little slice of hell.

So as the heat burns away, I am longingly looking at my warm winter clothes and boots, wishing fervently for the day I can wear them again. Summer, begone!

The Year Of...

A few of the gorgeous mugs I received this year

If I could some up 2013 in a phrase, it would be the "Year of Mugs". Here's why:

When S.O and I moved into our new house, his sister gave us four mugs.
Mug tally: 4

Shortly after we moved into our home, the Sister-Person gave me a grande mug, with a lion on it. Why? Because I am a Leo.
Mug tally: 5

The S.O also gave me a gorgeous grande pink mug for my birthday, and so did one of my dear friends.
Mug tally: 7

When I went to Doha for holiday, I also got not one, but two beautiful mugs from my friends.
Mug tally: 9

And maybe this does not count as mugs, but when we once invited S.O's friends over, they bought us a set of six espresso cups. It is still something to drink coffee out of, so I am adding it to the mug count.
Mug tally: 15

And Just Like That, It Is 2014

I began writing this post in December 2013:

This has been such a strange, stressful but wonderful, crazy year.

While I got married and I am loving creating a home with S.O*, I hated every millisecond of the wedding... the event itself and the year of planning. I really thought it was going to give me an aneurysm. Seriously, weddings are so over-rated. I would have rather invested all that money into my future home, or future endeavors like travel or study.

Then there is married life and maintaining a home... not easy when you are working practically six days a week and work is intensely busy. I feel I have neglected myself, my S.O, my writing, my well-being and my new home. But I have learnt something through all of this - no matter what, don't kill yourself for the sake of work. And that will stay with me, even going into this new year. In all likelihood, work will be even busier than this year. But I need to remember my life while fulfilling work obligations.

I immensely enjoy having S.O in cuddle distance. We waited to live together, and only did so after marriage. It sure is a treat to have him around! However, balancing our two very different personalities has been a great learning curve. We challenge each other, but we also comfort each other. 

To sum up, my highlights of the year has been:

• Taking months to renovate our new home, and especially the kitchen (You can see pictures of the house here)
• Having an epic bridal shower 
• Surviving the wedding, and the memorable honeymoon thereafter. Mauritius is certainly a food haven for vegetarians!
• Seeing so many loved ones from abroad, and far away, attending the wedding
• Moving into our new home, and being so welcomed and loved by S.O's family 
• Learning to live with my S.O, and having him challenge my way of thinking, taking me out of my box
• Building a structure and pattern for our new lifestyle - but feeling as if we are playing house! :) 
• Waiting the entire year for the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special (I know, I know... but I am a self-confessed, proud Whovian!)
• Attending an unforgettable Amazing Race Party, and learning so much about Jo'burg I didn't know. Mind you, we did this dressed as pirates.... arrr! (Pictured above) 
• And still to come - a quickie trip to the coast for a friend's wedding and then another to Doha to see some of my favourite people 

Dressed as pirates! 

Two of the photos from the wedding, taken by Joylight Photography. 

The bridal shower cake.

Travelling to Doha has left me seeing with a new pair of eyes. I appreciate the freedom South Africa enshrines in its constitution, but it has left me missing my dear friends even more. I love that when we see each other, it is as if no time has passed and we slot right back into our comfort zones. 

Hope 2014 is good to each and every one of you! 

S.O - Significant Other 

The Day of the Doctor - OFFICIAL trailer - Doctor Who 50th Anniversary S...

So excited! 13 days and counting down to the anticipated episode...

Wow, 31 already...

Ten years ago, I turned 21. I remember feeling full of hopes, dreams and drive. There were so many plans I had. But life can be sneaky, and now I find myself of a path I had never imagined, a path with a husband and a home. I suppose all I can do now is embrace it all fully... and enjoy every moment.

The *S.O brought all these goodies to the bed this morning. And I felt so loved.

And from google: 

*S.O = Significant Other 

New Home in Pictures

The S.O.* and I got the keys to our first house in November last year. We only moved in after the wedding in March. In those few months we managed to paint, renovate the kitchen, add a bookshelf, replace carpets with laminated floors and replace four of the conventional swinging doors with sliding doors (to save space). So, without further ado, here are a few pictures!

The kitchen: 

The lounge and dining area: 

The bedrooms: 

And the all important bookshelf: 

It is still very much a work in progress.I have a vision of what I want my home to look like, and I am getting there, slowly and steadily.

*Significant Other 

Do you listen to "She and Him"?

I gotta admit, I have a harmless girl crush on Zooey Deschanel. It is no surprise then that I also listen to the music from her band, She and Him. Zooey directed their latest music video, and yes, I enjoyed every quirky moment.

I want more of Mauritius

Mauritius is a place where a lady can wear a flower in her hair everyday. It's an island that thaws your stiff bones with the warmth of the sun, its people and fiery, vegetarian friendly cuisine. Its where local dancers can really move their hips! And it has become a destination I would want to return to.

"Let me do the cliched thing and go there on honeymoon," I thought. My needs were simple: I wanted to go to a place that was not too far from South Africa, I wanted a visa free destination, I wanted some peace and stillness from the intense busy period of the wedding and by George, I also wanted ample, tasty vegetarian food. I cannot tell you the amounts of times I ended up eating tubes of Pringles and chocolates...for the entire holiday. Mauritius emerged as the shining beacon.

A view of the beach from the reception area literally took my breath away. "This is going to be good," I thought. I felt instant relief and a weight off my shoulders. S.O and I made our way to our room, and my initial thought of things being good, improved to better. The room was magnificent, with the beach a short walk away. Perfect for some RnR.

It felt like any other holiday S.O.* and I had been on, there was no pressure to make it special simply because it was the honeymoon. We spent a lot of time on the beach, doing water activities like snorkeling (sea water kept on going into my eyes and troubling my contact lenses, so I gave up), the glass boat, the pedal boat, and sitting on a tube while being pulled by a power boat. There was time for gym, touring, morning walks on the beach, aqua aerobics, attempting to water ski (S.O.) and yoga.

I simply revelled in the fact that wedding was over, my time was mine and I was not neck deep in wedding chores! In fact, there was absolutely nothing to do except eat, relax, drink and take in the salty sea air and warm sun rays.

S.O: Significant Other 

A Writer's Block

According to this article on Huffington Post, Jason Crombie recommends writers do the following: 

Drink

All the great writers drank like fish: Ernest Hemmingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ethan Hawke, etc. There's no point trying to write a single word sober, you'll only disappoint yourself and your family. Start the workday with a six-pack, and then work your way up to a bottle of Johnny Walker Black; that's when the magic happens.

Don't bother with rewrites

You've written it; it's there on the page, see? Job done. Now why in the name of heck would you do it again? To make it better? Don't be stupid. Ever heard of a little thing called, 'First thought, best thought'?

(Click here if you want to read more)

I found the tips refreshingly sarcastic and wonderfully entertaining. Then I stared at my computer screen and realised my writing has reached a horrible stagnant stage...and I cannot see beyond the murkiness. Fact is, I am not writing the way I should, the way I want to. This blog has suffered, and there are even blank pages in my diary, where the past year should have been documented... 

There was a time when words flowed out of me, when I did not struggle with every paraphrase and paragraph. That was when I did not second guess myself, and stare at blank word documents on my computer. I almost feel crippled by fear at the thought of jotting something down now. 

Life seems to have gotten in the way - too many things to juggle and I always have these points in the future (after the wedding, after I move house, after I settle in, when I am not so tired) that  I think I can write again.  My job has also put me in a formulaic mode of writing - making me, God forbid! - such a lazy writer. 

These are precisely my mistakes, aren't they? I have excuses instead of forging on. I have more reasons defending myself, than to persevere and prosper despite circumstances. Because, as Jason mentions in his first line, "Good writers write. They don't always write well, but they must write!" I suppose this is a good a start as any... 

Chocolate Monday: Week 15

The Significant Other's (S.O) aunt made this for me past weekend. How cute is it? So much so, my first reaction was: "That looks too good to eat!" Nevertheless I got over it and happily dug into my dessert. I even managed to share the saucer and the spoon with everyone... I suspect I was so touched I was left in a generous mood. ;)

Chocolate Mondays have been created to banish Monday Blues, or at least lessen the sting of a new working week.

I have good reasons for my absence

A work colleague once told me that getting married and getting a new house in the same year is a bit over ambitious. Now I understand what she meant. Since December last year, I have been "Wedding Mode Engaged" plus trying to move house. It feels like I have not had a weekend since then.

Two of my closest friends (more like sisters, really) flew to South Africa from Doha for the wedding. They hosted such an epic bachelorette and I was so touched. It was the only weekend that I really enjoyed this year! They were also invaluable in the week run-up to the wedding. It was so busy and overwhelming, I am so grateful to have had them there.

Thankfully, the 17th of March came and went, with only a few glitches. What else can be expected out of a wedding, right? The honeymoon in Mauritius was much needed RnR, and then there was just another week to set up the house before I returned to work. It felt like I came right back into intense busy-ness! (Is there such a word?!)

I am now sitting at my office desk, feeling all of this has happened to someone else. It has been a surreal experience - me - getting married?! I see pictures friends and family took, and I sit there gobsmacked. Surely, that is not us...surely.

Pictures of the new house and the wedding (when I have it) to follow in the near future!

Some truths...

...I cannot hide from:

Image taken from here.

Chocolate Monday: Week 14

A 400g slab of lovely Cadbury! Image taken by Prixie. 

Don't you hate those Mondays that feel as if you did not have a restful weekend? Today is one such Monday! Let me tell you about it: Friday after work, the S.O* and I went shopping for paint and other DIY things. After an early morning yoga session on Saturday, we went looking for furniture and those seemingly elusive vinyl folding doors (BTW, if any of you readers from Johannesburg know of a place where I can it, please let me know. We went to one DIY store, where they were very rude so on principle, I am not getting it there). In the afternoon, we went to the dressmaker who is altering my clothes for the wedding. I first saw her in July, and after numerous fittings, they are finally complete and fitting perfectly! At night, we went to a surprise 30th.

On Sunday, we rallied the troops - S.O's* parents and cousin, and made our way to the new house to paint. Naturally, we forgot a few things, so I went to the nearby DIY shop to buy those items. We only managed to paint the lounge and dining room area. I have to admit, this is the first time I have ever painted and I feel such a sense of accomplishment. We are still not done and need to go back next weekend to finish it up. So today, I am exhausted and my body is sore - I suspect it must be from the combination of painting and yoga. I also suspect, till the house renovations are done, and the wedding is over, my weekends will be like this. I might as well, grudgingly, make peace with it.

So here I am, on a Monday, in dire need of chocolate to perk me up. Luckily, I was given this gorgeous 400g slab of chocolate after a friend visited Dubai. She said: "I saw it and thought of you." Needless to say, I am thrilled. S.O* had the nerve to take it out of the grocery cabinet and say: "This is for sharing." I  looked at him with cold eyes and stonily relied: "No, it is not. Put. It. Back." 

*S.O = Significant Other 

A New Home

The house hunt is over. Last night S.O* and I picked up the keys to the place we bought. That's right, we have bought a house! Since then, I have had this silly smile on my face. I can't help it. Who knew that something as simple as keys would turn me into this sentimental, mushy character? You know, the one that wants to shed happy tears, hug everyone and tell them how much I love them...that sounds awfully a lot like my tipsy/drunk-self too!

The thing is, I always wanted a place of our own. I have desperately wanted to leave my parents' place for many reasons. After living on my own in London, I could not wait to do it here in Johannesburg! For various reasons (safety, cultural aspects, financially) I have not gotten a place sooner. It feels right though, to do this with my S.O. Once we are married, we will move it together - that is because of the traditions our parents hold dear. In the mean time, we will start to furnish the house, re-do the kitchen and a few other things.

The seller and his family seem like lovely folk. He bought us a pot plant with a card that read: "To wish you everything of the best in your new home, may you spend as many happy years as we did in it."

*S.O = Significant Other