Thursday, April 02, 2015

On turning 25...

Photo: Studio DIY

So I turned 25 a few days ago and the weeks leading up to this birthday have been clouded over by one simple question... Am I having a quarter life crisis?? I didn't even know there was such a thing as a quarter life crisis until mid January. I think it might just be modern day humans that like to over analyse and self-diagnose EVERYTHING!

Anyway, I had a wonderful day and Riaan did a good job at spoiling me and making me feel 'not old'. Also my Facebook and Whatsapp were flooded with birthday wishes, pictures and kind words, it certainly made my first birthday away from home a whole lot easier.

We went out for burgers with friends at GBK on Friday and decided to skip Brighton because the weather was a little crappy so we moved those plans forward to Easter weekend.

So back to the part about turning 25... The thing is, when you're younger you expect to have your shit sorted by this age, you see 25 as OLD!! Hell if this was the 90's I would have had 2 children already! I am so glad times have changed, the only children we see in the near future are those our friends will be having while we explore the world! Don't get me wrong, I love kids and I definitely want a few!

Well, here I am at the tender age of 25 and I don't think I have my shit sorted, sure I'm married (people still find that weird..."But you're so young?" "You should live your life." - I've found my person we'll live our life together, thanks!), we have a house that we are paying off and we have decent jobs, but there are days when I ask myself - Why am I doing this? Why don't I have a bakery/nursery school? Why am I not backpacking across Europe and Asia for a year? We don't know where we want to settle down, or when, but it will all happen in it's own good time. But first for now, we will explore and adventure and live!

In January I stumbled across a list of  "25 signs you're almost 25"...and I realised that they were scarily accurate and they applied to me on almost every level! Well, I know you want to know what they are (you know, just to check!), so here goes:

1. You fantasise about doing something drastic to your hair just to feel alive...
Lets rewind to late October - I dyed my hair...PURPLE! Even I was surprised - I think it was a side effect of discovering the first grey hairs...HAIRS not hair.

2. Or something a little more permanent (AKA ink)
Yip, I've been researching and planning my next tattoo since about August last year, not to mention wanting to have the tattoo I already have spruced up a little.

3. Finding out a celeb is younger than you ruins your entire day.
I'm talking to you Jennifer Lawrence and Lorde.

4. Partying is still fun but a little less spectacular than it once was, and that makes you feel conflicted.
Well this one speaks for itself. Is the hangover really worth it?

5. And you're surprise how excited you get to spend a night in.
Movies and a glass of red wine with no pants (I mean trousers) on? I'm in!

6. For the first time in your life you've thought 'Am I too old to be wearing this?'
The reason I have yet to buy a crop top.

7. You alternate between wanting to take better care of yourself and wanting to revel in the remaining days of your youth.
No comment.

8. You’ve downsized your friend group, and you’re starting to realise the ones who remain are the only ones you needed in the first place.
So true - why did it take so long to realise this?
 
9. You’re seriously considering emptying your bank account on a dream vacation to "find yourself" (whatever the heck that means).
I thought this was normal?

10. You still aren’t 100% sure what an IRA is, and it’s becoming a problem.
Haha I literally had to google what that is...turns out its the same as a RA - I had one of those, but decided it's not worth investing in, look at me being all grown up making investment decisions...

11. You get a weird sense of accomplishment from completing errands.
Hahaha yes, and housework, *pats self on back*.

12. You get blindsided by waves of general existential angst.
 I mean like who doesn't want to leave an impression on the world, make a difference, be remembered?? What was I put on this earth for???

13. Suddenly you find yourself legitimately enjoying your parents’ company. They are (understandably) suspicious of this.
This is so true, give me a cup of coffee/tea and I can chat for days!

14. You belong to one of two groups: people who can’t wait to have babies and people who are horrified by the idea of them.
Yeah I kinda have one foot on either side of the line here...you can't send babies back to where they came from!!

15. Either way, you keep doing mental check-ins: “Is this where I’m supposed to be in my life?”
Every few weeks - "Am I doing the right thing?"/"Should I be doing something else with my life?"

16. You have elaborate fantasies about quitting society and living off the earth in some unknown part of the world.
Like in a log cabin on the side of a lake in a hidden forest, yeah totes!

17. You comfort yourself by thinking you could be rich and famous if given the chance (despite your apparent lack of talent).
Just give me a chance universe, I have talent!!

18. You’ve had to Urban Dictionary teen slang juuust to be sure you knew what it meant.
Bae/Turnt...yip I had to google those!

19. There are more and more celebrities you straight up don’t recognise.
Where did they all come from??

20. Your ambition and your complacency are constantly at war. Should you sign up for a marathon or marathon-watch your favourite show?
Also, am I too scared of looking like an idiot to get out of my comfort zone and do something new? And why are we so scared of the unknown??

21. You find yourself making healthier eating choices…out of fear?
My favourite new food is courgettes, and when did I start caring so much about additives??

22. Sometimes you look in the mirror and think, "This is it. This is the best I’ll ever look."
...Unless I become famous - Yip still holding onto that one!

23. For the first time it really feels like your childhood is over. This is the point of no return. It’s DONEZO.

24. And that is mildly terrifying!

25. But also maybe — just maybe — a little…exciting?

This lead me to conclude that I may, indeed, be having a quarter life crisis...I'm off to buy some hair dye now!



Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Lets talk about being bitchy

I've been wanting to write this post for a while now...The only thing that has been stopping me is that by writing this post I'll probably be seen as coming across a little bitchy...and I've decided that that's fine actually, because I can be a bitch, I know it and I'm not afraid to admit it. I also know that being a bitch usually does more harm than good, and after I've been a little bitchy I don't feel any better for it.

Let's start it off on a light note, according to my friends I'm a "basic bitch" for the following reasons:
I can sing to every song on the radio. Yes I can!
I talk about Yoga/any form of exercise really (but I do go)
Weekends consist of netflix/movies and wine.
I love Ryan Gosling...hahaha yup!
I have a shit ton of scarves. Aaha, it was so hard leaving more than half of them in Johannesburg!
I'm obsessed with Paris. At least now I have gone, but yes, still obsessed!
I have/had quotes all over my house.
I quote "Mean Girls" - guilty. And it goes with this post so prepare yourself!
I love frozen yoghurt and scented candles. Guilty again.
I have brightly coloured under garments. Too many!
Things I'd we'd say in a normal conversation include..."Cray", "Totes", "I love Katy Perry" and we always throw in a little "Swag, swag, swag" for Riaan just because he hates it so much! Haha!

When I look at this list I really don't see a problem with being a "basic bitch", I like who I am. Also, I'm a feminist at heart. But I'm not here to talk about me...I'm also not here to talk about the "bitches" that are blunt, straightforward, speak their mind and generally don't take shit from anyone. Being nice gets you nowhere, as a woman you need to stand your ground and stand up for what you believe in. But if that's what you're going to do then do it consistently, all the time. Not just when it's easy.

I'm here to talk about the girls that are snide, mean, hateful and malevolent. Towards each other. We live in a world where people seem to think it's OK to bring other people down to make them feel better about themselves, girls especially. When did it become OK to intentionally try and hurt someone? Is it really worth all the effort you put into it? What do you gain from it?

Society has set us up to constantly compare ourselves to one another, but instead of making a snide remark like "Oh she's so fat!" or "She should eat a burger!" take a second and think about what you are about to say...

Why?? Why would you, being a girl, knowing how hard it is to get through a day with your sanity intact, being constantly judged based on how you look, what you say, what you wear, what you eat and what you do to name a few things, think/feel that it is okay to make another girls day a little harder by taking a dig at them? I am perplexed! I just don't get it!

We could take a tip from the guy's here - they just say whatever it is that's pissing them off, they have it out and then they apologise and most times they get over it. This may seem a little testosteroney and somewhat primitive, but I still feel that it's a better way of handling a problem than by being ambiguous, deceitful and spiteful. I'm not saying bring out the claws, I'm saying get it out there and get it over with!!

Regina George, why can't Gretchen Wiener wear gold hoop earrings? Because you wore them first, of course! BUT you were NOT the first person EVER to wear gold hoop earrings!! SERIOUSLY!!! It seems to me that some girls get stuck in "high school", they just don't get past being cliquey or being a bitch behind your back and playing nice to your face. Just like in Mean Girls, the whole "I love your skirt" and "You can't wear gold hoop earrings" scenes happen over and over every day!! Why?? Why is it OK for you to do that? What makes you better than that girl? What makes you think you have the right to deprive someone of something they enjoy/like or hate on someone for liking something that you generally don't like, or god forbid, you liked first?

This is a serious problem that people face, not just girls, everyone! People are always so brave when they are hiding behind a keyboard and a screen, but 9 times out of 10 if you take that away from them they'll have nothing to say.

So now I have to quote Mean Girls, you leave me no choice - "Calling somebody else fat won't make you any skinnier. Calling someone stupid doesn't make you any smarter, and ruining [my friend's] life definitely didn't make me any happier. All you can do in life is try to solve the problem in front of you."

I know I have been guilty of  being a bitch, I belonged to a clique in high school. Luckily we left the bitchiness in high school and I have made the choice to stop being bitchy. I learned that you need to be happy with who and where you are in your life, do what makes you happy, be with those that make you happy and most importantly be yourself. It's highly likely that the problem isn't with the person you are berating, judging and breaking down.

So I leave you with this...
Rant over.

Thursday, January 01, 2015

2014 in summary

2014 was quite a year, it was challenging and rewarding, we had lots of fun BUT it was frustrating at times and it definitely taught me A LOT!

January:
In January I learnt A LOT about myself, besides the fact that I confirmed that I'm a little dyslexic - I've known it all along (See pic above) hahaha! I learnt that I value myself more than others' opinions and that I actually don't care what others think or have to say about me because I am a good person, I do things with love and kindness from the bottom of my heart and I like who I am and I won't be changing for anyone.
February:
In February we competed in our first warrior race, for those of you that don't know what it is, it's an obstacle course race that sees you running climbing walls crawling through mud and swimming through dam water, it was absolute fun - beside the fact that I nearly died...slipping off the edge of a platform a few stories high as I was about to jump into a pit of water, my head missed the side of the pit by centimetres and I completely winded myself, not fun!! We chose red as our team colour, needless to say that shirt never made it back into my cupboard!
March:
March was amazing, besides for it being a huge birthday month in our family, I graduated from UNISA, with my BCompt Accounting Degree, after 5 years of part-time studying, the hard work and dedication paid off! Booya!! But of course it doesn't end there, I enrolled for ACCA and wrote my first exam in the beginning of December, hopefully by this time next year I'll be qualified!
April:
In April we celebrated our first wedding anniversary, we went to Swaziland for the long weekend and had some well deserved R&R! The first year of our marriage flew by and I can't believe that we are already running head first towards our second wedding anniversary.Oh, I also cut my own bangs back in after the weekend in Swaziland, it went quite well actually but I get bored so quickly so I let them grow out again.

May:
May was pretty uneventful, but we did get our gorgeous little black kitty, Arya. South Africa also had it's fifth general election, unfortunately corruption still triumphed and the ANC won the elections again. Hopefully next time the DA wins.
June:
I'm already over this post, recapping on a year is such a long post!!! Hang in there peeps, we're half way! June was pretty uneventful for us, but I did bake this awesome chocolate fondant for Fathers Day, best chocolate desert EVER!!
July:
In July I baked a lot, is it just me or do I seem to be getting better and better? JK!I'm enjoying the baking challenges this year, I did lots of very awesome cakes. I almost forgot and had to come add this in after re-reading my post... Our Flavourful Life was born this month, I've enjoyed every step of the blogging journey so far and I thank you guys for reading and the comments, much appreciated!!

August:
In August I went to Dubai, it was ridiculously hot, but it was awesome, it's such a beautiful place with so much to see and do, we will definitely be making a stop over for a couple of days when we come back to SA for a visit!
September:
September saw us telling all our friends and family that we'll be immigrating to the UK, with only 10 days to go now, it's very real!! Luckily our family and friends are supporting us all the way, and they are excited for as, they are the absolute best!
October:
I dyed my hair purple!! It wasn't as much of an impulse decision as I had been contemplating it for a while. I loved it! BUT it's high maintenance, it fades unbelievably quickly despite being a permanent colour. I also baked my second solo wedding cake for friends of ours, it was delicious! The cakes are definitely getting better and better!! I took part in my first blogtober, it grew my readership and I think it made me a better blogger! Also we can't forget that Oscar Pistorius got sentenced for murder...5 years in prison, not enough if you ask me...

November:
November was quite chilled, I went to Durban for a week, we threw a surprise 50th birthday party for my Dad, started sorting all our plans for Paris and London and I finished up with work for the year. I can't believe I've been done with work for a whole month already!

December:
And finally, December, it was easily the busiest month of my life, I wrote exams, we sold almost all our belongings, packed what was left into a few boxes and suitcases and moved out of our house, in between all of that we have had farewells, Christmas and New Years. It's been super busy but lots and lots of fun!

A few of my favourite songs from 2014:
John Legend - All of me
Taylor Swift - Shake it off, Blank Space (I'm loving Taylor Swift lately, it's all about the catchy lyrics!)
Meghan Trainor - All about that bass
Ed Sheeran - Thinking out loud
George Ezra - Budapest
Coldplay - A sky full of stars
Ellie Goulding - How long will I love you
Imagine Dragons - Demons
The Vamps - Somebody to you

A few things I'll be happy to see stay behind in 2014:
Justin Bieber - This little boy needs a smack!
Miley and her tongue and gyrating antics.
Kim K and her butt, and her sex diets, BS!!
Hacked/Stolen nude pics and sex lists, seriously people, this stuff should be private, don't put it in the cloud.
Missing planes.
Internet trolls.
Bae.

A few things I'd like to see more of in 2015:
Celeb group selfies like this one
People treating other people the right way.
Honesty in people and also less corruption in governments.
More feminism...

That's the end of this long-ass post!! Thank you all for sticking around with me and stopping by throughout the year!

What would you like to see more/less of in 2015?

Monday, October 20, 2014

My biggest fear...#Blogtober14 Day 20

I most definitely don't suffer from FOMO (Fear of missing out), I'm too busy making my own memories to be worried about missing out on what's going on in everyone else's life.

I have a ton of stupid fears, I am petrified of sharks, I hardly swim in the sea, and when I do there better be shark nets! I am scared of dying young and not living my life, which is in total contrast to my fear of getting old (Weird - I know!). I'm scared of loosing all the photo's I've taken, there are so many precious memories.

My biggest fear would have to be regret. I don't want to wake up one day and realise that life has passed me by and I will regret not taking a chance, or living a life in fear of all the what if's... I want to live a life that leaves an impression on at least one person.

I found this very fitting quote - be brave, be fierce and be free!!

I think my stupidest fear is the fear of growing old, I really don't want to get old. I love old people, they're always so sweet but I always feel so so sorry for old people when I see them struggling to walk or anything like that.

I'm also scared of getting Alzheimer's, my gran had it and it's the most terrible thing, she couldn't remember who any of us were, she couldn't remember that she always drank tea not coffee, the smallest things would confuse her.

What are your fears? Biggest? Smallest? Silliest? Don't be shy!


*Image sourced from Pinterest