Revisiting 2012 Resolutions

It seems like either no one  believes in New Years resolutions or they do not want to admit  that they set them and I find this shocking since I believe we all have goals that we aspire to maintain. Maybe its because these goals are set up and branded around the new year. For me it makes no difference really how a goal is branded,it remains a goal.
Before I move on to 2013 goals or resolutions, I want to assess my goals and see how I measured up in terms of achieving them. Last year my new years resolution or goals for 2012 were to:
To get a promotion at work
To save money
To move out of shared accommodation and live by myself
To get into shape and own the sort of body that I want and finally 

To own my own car
I achieved all my goals except for one. Although I tried, I did not get promoted in 2012, as disappointed as I was, I had to move on and I did, to another operating unit  to get more exposure in the business. Hopefully this will come handy for this year as I will not give up on this one.

I saved money in 2012 which in turn allowed me to fulfill my last goal which was to buy myself a car - cash.

I  move out of a shared flat and now live happily and independently in my own space. Although slightly more costly, the peace of mind is worth every cent.
I joined Weight Watchers earlier on in 2012  and towards the middle of the year, I signed up with a Personal Trainer who helped me get the body that I've always wanted (flat tummy, tight buns and thighs)
My goals were not easy to achieve.  I constantly had to remind myself why any of them were important. The key to achieving them was outlining from the very start how I would achieve my goals. There were plenty of obstacles...take for instance weight loss. After 3months of being on Weight Watchers, I had only lost 3kilos. The weight loss was absolutely slow and I was frustrated to the point of giving up but that was not an option. I had to smarten and sharpen the goal - hence the Personal Trainer. There were lots of sacrifices, plenty tears of frustration, guilt and disappointment but it was all toward ME and  how could I disappoint myself?

The savings? That was possibly the hardest. I had 3savings accounts, a 30day savings which I had limited access to, a flexi savings that I had direct access to and an informal savings aka Stokvel.  I would find myself blowing ridiculous amounts off my  flexi savings on retail therapy. Fortunately my guilty conscious would rescue me and I would put back from my salary at the end of the month what I had taken from my savings. In hindsight, I should not have had  any direct access to my savings.
This year I aim to:
Maintain my weight
Excel in my studies  

Supplement my income - make my own money
Travel to the city of my dreams (Paris)
Get a new hobby
Attend church services more often and
GET THAT PROMOTION!

Grand living

Lazing on a beach day bed with white sand beneath my feet and a cocktail in my  hand…that’s the way I could spend every single day of Summer and The Grand Beach Cafe in Granger Bay  is one of my favourite places to live happily every Summer.

Situated just behind The V&A Waterfront at what was once a warehouse, one might never expect anything grand judging from the outside.  Once inside the shabby chic feel continues with a large dining table on top of vintage rug with  an enormous chandelier residing above it .The outer deck of the restaurant is set on the beach  with Parisian cafe chairs and  tables facing towards a  cool blue sea view that is dotted with super toys that cruise by occasionally. A bar and lounge area with a DJ that lets out the coolest lounge vibes completes my favourite  part of the restaurant where you can either opt to be seated on  couches, bar seats complete with a table or  a beach day bed.

The menu is a combination of bistro and fusion food. Because I go there simply for the setting and cocktails, I find the  food to be a bonus.  The Kinglip Taglietta and their Blackened Salmon is a treat despite  most food critics being of the opposite opinion.  If there is one cocktail that is a must,  try their Kiwi based cocktail.

(If you go…be sure to book )

Baggage issues

Sometimes I envy guys for being able to leave the house without zero baggage (handbags) and this is why;

The other day after swapping from my favourite petite sling bag to my trusty oversized carry all bag, I forgot to transfer my purse over to my handbag. As Murphy would have it, I only realized this after having placed an order for my smoothie at Kauai. Fortunately they had not started to make it yet and so I had the chance to cancel my order. Maybe for most this would be an embarrassing moment but for me it has become one of those things. The worst incident happened at a coffee shop where I had sat down, ordered a coffee and a croissant (which I thoroughly enjoyed). When the bill arrived, I reached out for my bag, looked into it and of course my purse was nowhere to be seen because it was at home sitting idly in another handbag. I was forced to sit down, order another cuppa while waiting for back up to come rescue me.

And isn’t it always fun and games when you’re out hopping from shop to shop at the mall until you start feeling the heavy weight on your shoulder, firstly from your handbag and then combined with your shopping bags? The amount of “stuff” an oversized bag can carry is astounding! First it’s the essentials: cellphone, keys, purse, miniature make up bag, sunglass case and bottled water, to the randoms: spoon, fruit, cardigan (just in case the weather changes) and till slips from months back...dont ask me why.

 What about when you get to a sit down destination (car, restaurant or work) and then having to figure out where to put it? The floor is too dirty and the next seat is too far! I’ve lunched with my handbag next to the salt and pepper shaker on the table.

Truth be told, as much as I hate the logistics that comes with handbags, I would be absolutely lost without mine.

What's hot

I don’t aspire to keeping up with every current trend  because trends are here today and gone tomorrow. I would much rather prefer to go the long haul with timeless classics that remain relevant each season. With that said, I cannot simply turn a blind eye to all the fabulous trends around. Instead I take the time to consider a trend against my own personal image, if it matches, I then consider the cut and styling of the trend against my body type and if it works then it works. The key thing for me is to not incorporate more than two trends in one season because I want to maintain a balance of my own style over “what’s hot”.

Here's a bit of what’s hot

Tribal has a firm grip over this Summer.  It’s in Aztec printed leggings, shirts and dresses; bright printed head wraps and chunky necklaces.  

Spikes are really hard to ignore, they have been bubbling under for many seasons now in the form of studded handbags. Studs can now be seen on collar tips, loafers and pumps as well as belts. I cannot resist them in loafers.

 Far for being a trend, denim has been around since the 18^th century. It’s merely resurfacing again proving itself as a timeless classic that it really is.  For guys: Long or short Sleeveless blue denim shirts on blue denim jeans and For girls; denim everything!

Peplum is one of my favourites because it is sexy and feminine. It's a very popular fit right now so you can expect to see everyone rocking this look.

All these style are interchangeable between casual and smart casual and the best part is with all this hotness, who needs to be still holding on to colour blocking? Replacing the colour blocking trend is neon popping. To get this look right, you incorporate one Neon item as the focal point for example, a clutch bag.

Bon Appétit

Cooking good food is not at all as difficult as most people believe it is; well not if you have Master Chef aspirations of creating complex gourmet dishes. I’m talking about unpretentious good food made of simple ingredients that can be found at any grocery aisle. Healthy food that can be enjoyed guilt free because of its wholesome low GI content.

Here are two simple and wholesome recipes to explore:  

 Chilli couscous con carne and Poached Almond and Chocolate Pears, (yes chocolate in moderation and especially dark chocolate is wholesome)

  Couscous Con Carne

Shopping list:

Box couscous, 1tin red kidney beans,  2handfulls of lean ground beef, cooking oil, salt,  ¼ onion, pinch of masala/curry powder, teaspoon garlic, sachet  tomatoe paste (about 30grams),  a spoon paprika, a cup of beef stock, coriander to garnish.

Method:

Coat a frying pan with a dash of oil, sauté onions until brown, add ground beef, garlic, curry powder and continue to fry lightly.

Once fried, add stock, tomatoe paste, paprika, salt and pepper and the drained red kidney beans. The consistency of the meat sauce should be moderately thick.

Prepare the couscous last as it cooks super quick….see instructions on the box of couscous.

Serving:

Spoon the fluffed up couscous onto the centre of a plate and then add the meat dish onto it. In the centre add a dollop of plain or Bulgarian yoghurt (as a cool contrast to the spiciness) and a sprig of coriander.

Poached pears:

1pear per person, cinnamon stick or spice, vanilla essence, dark chocolate, hand full of roasted almond nuts, 4 cups boiling water

Method

 Peel the pears and remove the cores, cut them in half and put them in a pot of boiling water, add the cinnamon and vanilla essence and cook them on low heat until the pears are very soft (about 7minutes)

To melt the chocolate, use the bain-marie method to ensure the chocolate does not harden during while melting..

Finely chop chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl that fits snuggly in a saucepan (this stops water spraying into the chocolate).

Half-fill saucepan with water and bring to a simmer. Place bowl on top, making sure it doesn't touch water (or it will overheat).

Stir with a metal spoon until melted. Avoid wooden or plastic spoons - these retain moisture that makes chocolate harden

Take a pear half, dip into the melted chocolate and then dish onto a side plate with the round side facing up. Sprinkle with crushed almonds and serve with dollops of vanilla yoghurt.

Taboo?

As a child, I was that little girl who was almost permanently attached to my father’s lap.  It was while sitting on his lap that I would see him enjoy a mysterious drink that no one else in the house would drink…except for him and his friends. Beer. As a child anything that was strictly for adults immediately became tempting and so of course the daddy’s girl  in me found a way to get what I wanted…I would cajole and bargain with my father to allow me at least one sip. Naturally I found it bitter and disgusting and was happy to be restricted from drinking it save for occasionally for when my curiosity would get the better of me and I would bargain for another sip.

When I reached legal drinking age, I again found that beer was out of my reach.  You see, where I come from, girls who drink beer were/are nothing far from taboo, something about questionable feminine standards and morals. I happily stayed away from beer opting for fruity peachy drinks even though at the back of my mind I was curious about beer.  It was only when with trusted company that I would quaff an ice cold beer.

As an adult living in one of the wine capitals of the world, wine and champagne have become my drinks of choice. Occasionally I dabble in whiskey and on rarer occasions…beer. The kilojoule load and the fact that it makes me feel fuller than sitting at buffet meal have ensured that I will probably never become a full time beer guzzler. Yet strangely enough and for the longest time, I have harbored a curiosity to taste what according to the advert is a dark smooth velvety liquid (Castle Milk Stout).  As an adult that cares less about conforming to narrow-minded ideas of femininity and as head strong as I am, I had never had the guts to confidently order, buy and drink Milk Stout. Not in the company of those I trust and not even on my own.   I bargained with myself that whenever I in the mood for beer, I could have any beer of my choice save for Milk Stout.

A month ago I went to my first beer festival. There were various international brands that had been brewed especially for the event. How ironic it was that while browsing the sample list of beers available, I spotted the locally brewed Castle Milk Stout.  Finally, the perfect opportunity for me to taste that dark and mysterious beer! As it turned out, I was not the only one among my friends who was Stout curious.

We raised our glasses; toasted to new adventures quaffed it down.

I was pleasantly surprised at its subtle sweetness I thoroughly enjoyed the taste of malt. It was also almost coffee like.  I couldn’t believe how full of flavours it was.  

As a female I have many moulds to fit into. Some are very important to fit into but some, such as which drinks make me a lady…outdated and irrelevant.

Fish nibble

That a day at the spa is considered to be a luxury is something as preposterous as the notion that clothes serve the sole purpose of covering the body.  In these times of 12hour work days, deadlines and dual responsibilities, we all  need to take some time off to reward and replenish the body and what better way than a day spent at the spa?

Spa treatments have evolved  from offering the usual massage, sauna, mani and pedi. There is a world of invention dedicated strictly to relaxing and beautifying.
 When I'm at the spa I love trying out new treatments. On my most recent quest to relax and replenish, I decided to try out the  popular fish nibble.

A fish nibble is a foot treatment where feet and legs are immersed into a pool of fish ( a toothless variety of carp known as  Garra Rufa fish) the fish nibble at the  dead skin, making way for  healthy new skin underneath.  The treatment is typically  a 15 minute long session followed by a foot massage and a pedicure.
The fish nibble had been booked to be the last item on my  pampering session agenda. I hadn't put too much thought into what I had gotten myself into and so when I walked into the fish nibble room and spotted the Garra Ruffa fish  swimming  closely to the surface almost as if to jump out in anticipation of devouring  my dead skin flesh, it suddenly sunk in just how bizarre of a situation I had gotten myself into. My feet were about to be had for lunch by fish!
With some reassurance from the beauty therapist that I would be fine and that it would only be ticklish and since I have never  been the one to be deterred by something as insignificant as bizarreness from liking things, I went in for the the plunge. 
Feeling the shoal of tiny fish swimming around me, going in between my toes and sucking away on my feet,toes and some parts of my legs,created a ticklish vibrating sensation in the water and it has got to be one of the strangest sensations I have ever felt.  Many have reported the fish nibble treatment as relaxing. Unfortunately for me, there was nothing much relaxing about feeling ticklish. I was rather giggly and far from rested lasting only 10minutes before calling it quits. Perhaps a fish nibble is one of those things that  one might need to acquire the affinity for  before fully appreciating it.

(short video clip of my fish nibble session below)