Something new, and blue

I got this skirt at Mr P yesterday. It's long, soft, navy and has POCKETS!

Problem is, I'm not quite sure how to wear it/ what to wear it with.

So I'm asking all of you trendy trendsters to help a sister out. How does it go?
P.s. that's Beans on the floor there. Part one of my kitten duo.
P.p.s on that note, you should probably know that long skirts on this kind make wonderful play things for kittens. Find the foot can go on for hours!

Wise old... Quora?

I came across this little spot of wisdom on Quora

Mr Chu's response:
These are the most difficult things I've learnt/am still learning.

1.  There are always going to be people who are smarter, better looking, more sociable, and just all around "better" than you.  In fact, you'll learn there are LOTS of people who fit that description.  To be happy, then, you have to learn to accept yourself and your shortcomings.

2.  Success does indeed come from hard work.  Hard work without talent doesn't ensure success, but talent without hard work ensuresmediocrity.

3.  It's unlikely you'll become anything close to your wildest ambitions, simply because you'll learn everyone has big ambitions, and there's only so many slots in this world.  

4.  Idealism aside,  money = opportunity and therefore matters.  Relationships and power matter more.

5.  Friendship isn't forever.  Social and economic status does create divides and strains even the oldest relationships.

6.  Your parent(s) basically gave up their freedom to raise you, and deserve a medal.  You know this because with only one job on your plate, you already have no time.

7.  Adult life is about learning to live with ambiguity.  Remember when you thought you'd have it all sorted out by 30?  No.  Whether it be your career, your relationships or your beliefs, you will always question whether you are making the right choices and will have to deal with regret.

8.  Metabolism slows.

I'm sure there's more, but that's all I've got for now..

So now you know. 

We're Under Pressure

Oh, aren't we all.

And by all, I mean our nails.

All my life, I (read, the girls of Durban), joked about the poppies of JHB with their poofed up blond hair do's and their perfect, perfect nails.

In my late teens I marveled at the girls of The Hills (I sometimes still check out what LC is doing on thebeautydepartment.com). They had this uber social lives and, though we saw them layering on their makeup and curling their hair -always curling, never blowdrying or straightening or just tying in a knot nog al) we never saw them painting their nails.

So I put this whole perfect nail thing down to pure fantasy thinking that, clearly, there are finger painting fairies that come in the night and blow the perfectly painted nails dry so they don't get duvet marks. You know the ones I'm talking about. I obviously just don't have a fairy!
That, or I missed out on some nail painting part of growing into a lady because I was too busy doing pointe work and swimming laps.
They covered shaving knees in that class too, I'm sure of it.

So when I got to JHB I just figured that all the working gals must have mani pedis over lunch. Surely?
Or they all go to a super secret salon that opens at bizarre hours just so they can fit this fancy stuff in between work and ALL the socialite-ing.
I didn't crack the nod.

But then one day, as I was driving along a slow moving freeway as one does so often in JHB, I looked down at my steering wheel and saw... my finger nails.

It dawned on me - the women of JHB are so particular about their nails because they spend so long looking at them in the car! The non-moving-because-traffic-is-bad car.

I started to do what so many JHB-dwelling females before me have done.
It started with a nail file. Then there was the hand cream. Then I thought, my car is not moving and my hands are positioned perfectly in front of the air vents so if I paint a nail quick it will dry even quicker!

And just like that, I became one of them.

I still don't get the extra volume hair do's, nor do I think I ever will, but at long last, I finally understand the nails.

New (Pinterest) Resolutions

So that was 2012. All done, wrapped up, ready to be filed away into the memory bank.
Since Pinterest was such an integral part of our lives this year, I thought I'd share my 2013 resolutions with you all, Pinterest-style.

Here are some snippets from my board - In 2013:

celebrate life, everyday.

Just do it

Learn to appreciate those quiet moments

 

 You can follow me here

I hope you see in the New Year in a way that is true to where ever this year has led you, and that when the clock strikes 12 you can let the old year go with a happy heart and embrace this new one with renewed passion and enthusiasm. 

You've got this. 

x

Are you ready?

I've hear the to-be-expected "I am SO ready for a holiday" and "Bring on next year, I am done with this one."

To those people I would just like to say, have you bought your 2013 diary yet?
You cannot claim to be ready for the new year until you have. Seriously.

I got this on from Typo. I'm ready. Bring on the new year!

Happy Tea Time

Thoughtful

My mom sent me this tea a while ago now so I thought I should finally drink it.
When they said "5 bags with thoughtful tags" they weren't kidding...

"Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company."

And exhale, sigh, breath in the steam. The troubles just waft away.