Twilight Schmilight

I haven't watched the last installment yet, hopefully I'll get to see it soon. According to reviews it's the "best yet". *raises sceptical eyebrow* But before I watch the final chapter I've enjoyed the many memes to emerge on the internet. I've collected some of my favourites for you to enjoy too :) Happy Thursday!

 

And of course to add that distinctly Cape Town flavour:

 

That will be the day that I die

No, I haven't become a fortune-teller or suicidal for that matter, but lately I've been thinking about things that would end my life. Not physically or literally (before someone calls the men in white jackets or the people at groen dakkies) but rather mentally and emotionally die... Allow me to explain:

There are certain things in life I will absolutely not compromise on, ever. And one of those things is food. Through my daily internet trawling I've come across various sources of "advice" on "healthy" eating. Many of these sources dedicate themselves to strict measures and exact portions, i.e. 55g of plain, low-fat, low-carb, low-taste (and boring) cottage cheese on 2 Provitas... Happy Lunch :/ Doh! I know I could do to lose about 5-10 kg from the waist down and the knees up, at the back, if you know what I mean... But never, ever will I allow my life to become so unfulfilled that every meal I eat will have to be weighed, measured and evaluated to death before I eat it. (Unless it's a really complicated recipe)

I strongly believe that everything in moderation makes you a happy human, there are enough limits in life, why create some more? My other favourite saying (which my mother absolutely hates because of its morbidness) is: enjoy your life, you don't have to carry your coffin one day!

This brings to mind my foodie icons: my absolute favourite has to be Nigella Lawson. I aspire to embody (excuse the pun) the lifestyle she so expertly portrays. 

On that note here's a totally awesomely indulgent recipe from my favourite cookbook this Summer - Make. Give. Sell by Callie Maritz and Mari-Louis Guy 

(Human & Rousseau - R250* - available at all good bookstores)

SERVES 6-8

Lyford Cay

Chocolate Mousse

Mari-Louis:

“I once helped out chef friends of mine for a large event at the

Lyford Cay Club on New Providence Island in the Bahamas, and we had

to make 1 000 servings of these. I had chocolate up to my elbows.”

INGREDIENTS

6 eggs, separated

¾ cup (150 g) castor sugar

300 g milk chocolate

3 Tbsp (45 ml) hot espresso

2 Tbsp (30 ml) rum

190 g butter, softened

whipped cream to serve

raspberries for decorating

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale in colour.

In a heatproof bowl, break the chocolate into small pieces, pour the hot coffee over this and melt over a double boiler. Add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture and whisk to incorporate.

With the mixer on medium speed, add the rum and then incorporate the butter, a spoonful at a time, into the chocolate mixture. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat for another 2 minutes.

In a clean bowl of the electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, then fold this into the chocolate mixture.

Spoon into your choice of containers and refrigerate until needed. Allow to come to room temperature, then top with whipped cream and raspberries, and serve.

*Disclaimer* Don't take my word for it!  All opinions expressed are my own.

The 7 Month Itch

I’m a very restless person, although I’m super organised: I hate routine, because I bore easily. I like change and new challenges. Which is why I get scared when my entire work-week seems to be one long day with an equally long headache. I can’t accept that this is what the next 43 years of my life will be like.

It’s for this reason that I’ve made a conscious decision to throw myself out of my comfort zone and look for new adventures in life, especially while I have the opportunity and I’m not tied to any real responsibilities.

I feel like I’m having a mid-life crisis in my twenties already, where I’m stuck between who I want to be and where I am, and I’m the only person standing in my way.

I’ve finally learned how to deal with my own personal Regina George (I mentally beat her with a baseball bat and imagine her dying alone and eventually being eaten by her cats) [I'm joking!] and now it’s time to tackle myself!

I’m not completely unhappy, I just need to shake things up a bit, maybe set some Summertime resolutions. My horoscopes for the month of November all encourage me to say “yes” to invitations and events (advice I need to start taking) and also to be thriftier and save money (something I need a little encouragement with).

It’s scary to think the year is almost at a close (& for those that fear it - the end of the world in about 30 days). I’ve learned so much this year, but I don’t feel I’ve accomplished all I’ve wanted to do. Hopefully soon I’ll feel like my five-year-plan is back on track and I'll again start ticking things off my "vision-board for life".

My motto for the week:
"The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance." - Nathaniel Branden


*This post was largely inspired by a woman I met last week who took us through the process of becoming more assertive... Thank You Heidi, your push was just the encouragement that was needed!

Bits on Everything from "Randela" to Adriana Lima

I miss writing in my journal, I haven't done it in months. Ever since I watched the Notebook, for the first time (768 times ago), I've been obsessed with documenting my life in case one day I were to contract Alzheimer's and forget how awesome it's been thus far. That's partly why I started this blog too, although, being an old soul I miss seeing my handwriting.

The past few weeks have been so crazy busy that I've started falling asleep sitting up and much to my family's amusement, talking in my sleep!
Here's some titbits to use or lose:

Watch or Don't Watch This:
Taken 2
Bryan: "I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."

When Liam Neeson spoke those words in the first instalment of Taken I really wished that my father was an ex-CIA agent, not that I’d want to be taken and then rescued, just to know that if it did happen I would be found somewhere in Middle Europe and saved. The first movie made me feel like I was being injected with Red Bull every few minutes and at the same time want to bash the daughter over her head with a sloffie.

I think the best thing about the second instalment is that the daughter develops a semi-personality and her constant, gangly running is put to good use. This time around, her kidnappers’ family decides to take revenge on her father by kidnapping and torturing him. Unfortunately for Bryan (Liam Neeson) his ex-wife and daughter have joined him, after his latest assignment is completed, in Istanbul and now their lives are also in danger.

I’m not a big fan of sequels (hence my luke-warm attitude going in) unless it is completely necessary i.e. “someone has written a really long book or series and because the human race is too lazy to read we’ll spend millions condensing it into 127mins of B-grade acting” Yes, Twilight I’m talking about you.

However, Taken 2 wasn’t that bad. It was relatively well-written and directed and didn’t rely too heavily on references to the first movie. The action scenes were toned down a bit – probably to adjust to Liam Neeson aging slightly since the first instalment. All in all it was a good movie to watch on the big screen, but it won’t be terrible if you have to watch it on the small one. I just hope there isn’t a Taken 3, if anybody does not know how to avoid being kidnapped by now then I don’t know!

Do this workout:
Women'sHealth - Look Good Naked

Be prepared to sweat - alot! This is one of those work-out dvds where you won't want to sit on the couch and only exercise your eyes! (which is what I did last night, stared at my weights and pretended I was lifting them) I must be doing something right though - a person who I see once or twice a week in the lift (that stranger you only ever smile at) says I look like I lost weight (Friday, MADE!)

Admire this:

Adriana Lima in Victoria's Secret

(Photograph by: Timothy A. Clary, AFP)
I think I've been inlove with this woman since her first Maybelline commercials in early 2000's. (In a Non-Ellen way of course). I hope to look this good post-baby one day!

Try to use these:
Mandela Bank Notes

Apparently Madiba doesn't work in parking machines and vending machines yet... aai foei tog, I dream of the day we become a first world country!

Quotes of the week:

"Ek gaan nie R200 betaal vir 'n stink kat nie!" - Michelle on why she won't go to Spier to play with the lion or cheetah cubs.

"Don't give in to petty jealousy's, maybe you're ahead maybe you're behind, but the race is long and in the end it's only with yourself" - Robyn on contemplating life at lunchtime.

And lastly - Food Preservation Tip of the week (Also courtesy of Michele)

 Have a stunning weekend everyone! And by stunning I mean get some sand on your feet :)

What Robert Frost Forgot To Mention About The Roads

I sometimes pride myself on being compulsive and impatient – it gets things done. But there are other times that before I make a decision I recite Robert Frost’s poem in my head. It doesn’t always help me make the right decision but it does help me make the choice I’m more naturally inclined to. It also (most importantly) often forces me to take risks and try something new. 

I’m very grateful to my high school English teachers (& later Varsity lecturers) for introducing me to Frost’s work, he’s one of the only poets I found to be relevant. (Just like Freud is one of my favourite psychologists – although that is often frowned upon.)

This is my break-down of how I apply the lessons in “The Road Not Taken”:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

There isn’t time to stand around for a long time. Decisions are made almost immediately but it’s the internal struggle of fighting with your instincts that hold you back. Just take the first step and the rest will follow…

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

 The grass is always greener on the other side! Not necessarily better, but perhaps green in the sense of “new” and “fresh”.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back. 

 You will never return to the same situation. Once you’ve made a choice, new challenges and choices will arise and there will be different “roads” to pick from.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

 It’s going to be a sigh of relief and contentment rather than one of sadness and regret. Don’t be scared to take the road least taken, you might be pleasantly surprised at what you encounter...