That Skirt

THE APPROACHING summer (much excitement for sunshine) has got me contemplating my summer wardrobe, what stays and what has to go. And this summer, I am infatuated with high-waisted skirts and I must have many of them in all different colors and patterns! I must!



LAUREN CONRAD, the ultimate fashionista, is a fan of the high waisted skirt and man does she pull it off well! I'm dying to get some great skirts that I can pair with T-shirts for a day look and get some ruffled skirts for the night.

RIGHT NOW I only have a midnight blue wrap skirt but my collection is going to multiply substantially in the next little while. Let's go shopping!

Beached Whale

THERE WAS literally a beached whale in Ballito this weekend. On Saturday morning it just washed up and people have been flocking to the beach all weekend to see this poor creature.

WHEN I first heard about this whale I was so excited to go see one of the ocean's biggest creatures (that we know of, at least). But then I found out it was dead. Not so excited anymore, but now depressed. In my excitement I didn't think through the logistics of a whale on a rocky beach. I did take comfort in hearing that it did apparently die out at sea and then washed ashore. So I'm hoping it wasn't a painful way to go.

AFTER PROMISING my boyf I wouldn't cry if he took me to see it, we went along on Sunday. We had initially been told it was directly in front of a restaurant, but overnight had been washed along the beach. Due to being dragged along the rocks, there were chunks taken out of the poor creature and some parts had been left on the beach a little away from where it lay.

WHEN I first spotted it from a distance, it just looked like an interesting, really big rock. But as we got closer, and the smell began to increase, we began to speculate as to how it was lying. Once your mind has determined that this side must be the tail side, that's all you can see. Until we kept walking and realized the tail was on the ocean side, and the face has been crushed by the rocks. It was a very sad realization but it's incredible to see such a creature on the beach. Albeit very heartbreaking.

SOME REBEL had broken through the tape to get a closer look so we decided we might as well too. I was very cautious walking onto the sand as I did not want to stand on any whale bits! A lifeguard was there making sure no one went too close. I did overhear a policeman speaking about how they were gonna blow it up; I understand that that's the best way to move it quickly but the animal-lover in me just doesn't want to picture things like that.

HERE ARE some photos I took whilst we were down there. Despite it being a dead animal, it's still an experience to see a whale up close and be able to really take it in. Hopefully the next few whales I see will be alive and happy. Here's hoping!

Just Be Yourself...

...is one of the most common pieces of advice given. It is also the most annoying as it is very obvious but quite hard to do.

WHENEVER I hear that saying my mind wanders to Just Friends, when the mom, Julie Hagerty, tells Ryan Reynolds to "just be yourself" and then she starts singing a little song about being yourself. It's very entertaining and the scene plays in my head every time I hear that phrase.


BUT MOST people are told this piece of advice when they are nervous about doing something. I was told it by a number of people when going for a voice test at a radio station. But it's very hard being calm and "being yourself" when pursuing something you have always wanted and you could easily fail at. It's easy to say it when you've accomplished your dreams, but try telling that to a student who doesn't know what tomorrow brings. So in the voice test, I tried to be myself as much I as could while hiding my nervousness so we will have to see if they fell for it.

SO IF you're ever nervous about something...just be yourself.

Official Adventures

I HAVE finally booked my ticket to Brazil this December! Your plans only feel like plans until you either pay a large sum of money or receive official documentation. I've done both. Now all the exciting things can start happening, like what to pack, what to wear while I'm there, and where to go.

EVERYONE SHOULD have travelling adventures at some stage in their lives. It's obviously incredibly fun to travel and experience something new, but it also shows you how small your tiny world is and how there is so much out there to discover when you realize the world doesn't revolve around you.

YOU MIGHT have to learn a new language, like I am about to start learning Portuguese. I'm very excited to be learning another language. It's easy going somewhere like America where they speak English but don't understand any other accent, but where's the experience in that? Travelling is all about new things.

YOU WILL eat things you've never eaten before. And I say things because you never know what, or why, some cultures eat the things they do.

YOU WILL meet people that will teach you things and maybe you will teach them a few things. Sometimes the people you meet briefly will have the biggest impact on you. We had a Brazilian guy work at our restaurant for one week but I swear, after he left everyone was on fire to get travelling around our world. He had been to so many places and had so many tales; he was one of those people you're happy you met.

AND THERE are the memories you will keep forever. I still talk about the year I spent in America, and the week I travelled around California. That time greatly effected my life now and I don't regret it for a single second. It was one of the highlights of my life so far and I'm so grateful I got to do it. And now I get to make more memories, with one of my closest friends in the beautiful country of Brazil. I can't wait!

Team Humour

SO I finally watched Eclipse, the third installment of Twilight. I haven't read the books but I've watched the movies out of curiosity; and plus once you've started you gotta see who Bella ends up with.

I'M NOT on Team Jacob or Team Edward but I must say Jacob was much funnier in this movie than in previous ones. I actually posted this quote from him as my Facebook status:

“I kissed Bella….and she broke her hand. Punching my face. It was a little misunderstanding."

Best line ever! Then there is the line from the tent scene:

"Of course, you’d warm up faster if you took your clothes off"

And of course the most romantic thing Jacob said:

"Until your heart stops beating, Bella. I’ll be here — fighting."

But nothing can beat Edward's proposal:

"I come from a different era. Things were a lot less complicated. And if I would have met you back then, I would have courted you. We'd have taken chaperoned strolls, and drank iced tea on the porch. I may have stolen a kiss or two. Only after asking your fathers permission, I would have gotten down on one knee, and I would have presented you with a ring. This is my mothers. Isabella Swan, I promise to love you every moment, forever. Would you do me the extraordinary honor if marrying me"

This is the most beautiful proposal I have ever heard! Men, take notes.

You can have your Cake and put Strippers on it Too

I HAVE just become aware of an amazing show, called Cake Boss, about a bakery in New Jersey that makes the most intricate and amazing cakes. It's about how a family runs the bakery called Carlo's Bake Shop. The only downfall is that you want to eat cake the entire time you watch it, and for a while after.

MY BF and I discovered this show while lazing in front of the TV on Sunday and came across the Sunday Stack on the Discovery channel, showing a marathon of Cake Boss. We were glued to the screen until we had to eventually stop watching and move on with our lives but it has definitely become my new favourite show.

BUDDY VALASTOR Jr owns the store with his mother, Mary, whilst the rest of the family assist in the cake-making or behind the counter. It's a mix of their family life, with constant reference to the late Buddy Sr, who initially bought the store in 1964, and the process that goes into making great cakes. I don't know if I could eat some of the cakes they make because they are made so beautifully I would want to frame it and put it on display.

HERE ARE some of my favourites they have made:

What the cake looked like before Bridezilla got to it. And after...

This one was made for retired firefighters:

And my favourite was the cake made for a bachelorrette party:


They all look so delicious! You can find out more at http://www.carlosbakery.com.