'Tis the season to be jolly

Christmas has really snuck up on me this year, and now it's suddenly Christmas Eve. (YAY) So, without a long, rambling post about commercialism and blah blah blah, I'd just like to remind you all that this isn't just a time for presents and Christmas Trees and fat old men in red outfits. It's a day that commerates that Jesus was sent to the earth for us, as a humble little baby born in a stable. This is something that I'm truly grateful for, because I believe (and will always believe) that this is truth, not just some Christmas story.

So with that, I wish you all a truly blessed Christmas.

Eat much, laugh much, give much and love much.

It's raining, it's pouring

It's been raining ridiculous amounts recently, and as Durbanites are pretty much solar powered, many locals are feeling rather blue. So I thought I'd help out by giving some fun things to do while it's cold and wet outside.

you have a legit excuse to not budge from your bed the whole day. unlimtted tea/coffee/hot chocolate drinking without overheating. staying in your warm and fluffy pjs. movie nights. curling up with a good book. splashing in the rain (highly recommended). ultimate "chilled vibes" in true Durban fashion.

G'bye Movember!

As Movember draws to a close for another year, I'll leave you with a corny but unavoidable joke...

I have a question I moustache you, but I'll shave it for later.

GIGGLES.

Next stop: Christmas!

Swop Shop

Often, living in such a privileged neighbourhood, we don't realise what others have to try to survive.
Until something like this comes along and forces us to not to simply look, but to see.

Psalm 113:7 - He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

So while I was in Cape Town last month, my friend Jono introduced me to this absolutely incredible initiative called Recycle Swop Shop Cape Town. What is does, is after setting up in a community called DuNoon, Swop Shop allows the people of DuNoon to exchange recyclable goods (rubbish) for tokens that allow them to get things like clothes, toiletries, or food.

How flipping brilliant?!

Not only is it helping out a place that desperately needs it, it encourages reclycling too. (Al Gore would be so proud) By cleaning, a sense of pride is instilled in the community.

"Anyone who has struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor. "

I was so inspired after I found out about this; the sacrifice and compassion of people is mind-blowing.

Here's their website - do yourself a favour and watch the video too.

http://www.beyonded.org/projects/swopshop/

It's time to start living for more than just ourselves.



Jono.

                                     

Movember

Well, well well. It's that time of the year again Ladies and Gents. Men (and hopefully not too many women) everywhere are breaking out their 'taches for the month and things are about get hairy.

I'm sorry. That pun was inevitable.

HAPPY MOVEMBER EVERYONE!

i carry your heart with me

By EE Cummings.

 

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
                                  i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

Late mornings

No school or work

Food markets

Clothes markets

Picnics

The beach

Lazy days

Movies

Books

Painting

Birthday parties

Friends

Coffee shops

Laughter

PJ days

Late nights

Sleepovers

Adventuring

Sun

Freedom

Para Para Paradise

Coldplay have recently released the video for their new song Paradise, and I must say that it's pretty fantastic.

Half filmed in South Africa (represent!) and half in London. Full of bandmembers in fluffy elephant suits and even a unicycle. Go do yourself a favour and take a look. Now. Go now.

Strawberry

Coldplay, South Africa 2011

Coldplay was absolutely brilliant.

BEST EVER!

There are no more words, so here are some pictures.

Getting my Coldplay on.

Cara. Cape Town. Coldplay.

Three C's that sound pretty damn good next to eachother. Here's why:

Cara: One of the coolest people in the world, and also one of my very best friends.

Cara on the left, me on the right

Cape Town: "The Mother City" Home to Table Mountain, many friends and beautiful oceans. *Warning - visits to Cape Town may cause you to fall inlove with this city.

Coldplay: Amazing band, despite the leader singer being the father of a daughter called Apple. Definitely one of the good ones.

Tomorrow, Cara and I will be flying to Cape Town. OnWednesday, we'll be watching Coldplay LIVE.
Awww yeah.

HAHAHAHA.

Last night we were at Europa in Umhlanga Village, for my friend's birthday, and we came across this man.

He was at the table next to us and was fully passed out.

Strangers, after eating all his food, piled parmesan cheese on his head - all the while he slept soundly.

His friend eventually returned, but insisted on being in the photo.

I love South Africa.

Danville Market Day 2011

On Friday, the 30th of September, Danville's gonna be having their Market Day.

All homemade (besides for the macaroons - we bought those), so no crappy stuff from Everlasting.

Promise.

:)

artSPACE durban

So on Wednesday, the grade 10 and 11 art girls from my school went on an excursion to a few art galleries in Durban.

This one, artSPACE durban, was by far my favourite.

With its spacious layout, incredible art, great concepts and all round general awesomeness, I didn't want to leave.

The only downside is the sliiiightly dodgy area that it's located in, just off Umgeni Road, heading into Durban Central.

But hey - small sacrifice for such a rad place.

Here are some photos of artSPACE I took.

I love this painting

My art exhibition

On Tuesday the 13th, my school had its annual exhibition for the senior art girls. We had to put up our favourite pieces and decorate our boards... I'm a teensy bit mad about art, so I was pretty darn excited.

Here are some photos of some of the stuff I put up.

I had more, but I got home and realised they were burry. Fail.

My board

Oil painting on canvas

Pastel food drawing

Pencil drawing of rope

Pencil portrait of girl

Lino print - "Africa".
This was by far the most tedious art-related thing I've ever done. After painstakingly cutting my design into the rubber, I had to roll it with Lino ink, and place it onto the paper EXACTLY straight, and hope that it printed perfectly. Over 100 tries for four decent ones. Not even an exaggeration.
My elbow was broken at the time, too. :\

Pencil drawing of keys

7 reasons why Maths pains me.

• I'm not going to need Maths for what I'm going to study.
• I have access to calculators.
• It pulls down my total aggregate every flipping time.
• I don't enjoy it.
• I will never be put into a sticky situation and think to myself, "Hey! You know what will solve this? Let me just whip out a pen and paper and find the equation of a hyperbola!".
• I just don't get how numbers can be rational and irrational. They're numbers.
• It will never help me in life. EVER.

Pygmy Marmosets

Some critters are just too adorable. I stumbled upon an article about these teeny monkeys, and can't get over them.
Such ugly little faces, but so so cute.

Macaroon Cafe.

Macaroons. YUMMMMMMMM.

Luckily, waiting each month for the iHeart market to buy these delicious treats [not ideal] is no longer necessary.

And it's all thanks to this wonderful place:

As well as selling sweet treats, they also do light meals like sandwhiches and salads - for really good prices at that. Hoorah! Their milkshakes are also pretty funky. Choose a macaroon and they make a milkshake of that flavour.

We tried going two Mondays ago, but tragically it was closed... I was disapointed to say the least.

Do yourself a favour and hop on down to faithful Florida Rd and pay this place a visit, won't you?