Wednesday, July 7, 2010

love, lurv and mo'luv


*what the world needs now, is love sweet love*

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

How to start a movement - Derek Sivers (a TED.COM talk)

Fashion through an illustrator's eyes

I think it is wonderful and inspirING to be able to translate your love and passions in a manner reflecting ones personality and skills. I love the stories and anecdotes that such work relays. Some one who does this is Xioxi Zhang aka Nancy-Z



Don't take, solely, my word on her. Check out her blog www.xiaoxizhang.com, her portfolio on www.krop.com/xiaoxi and her quirky fashion sense on lookboo.nu/user.32985-Nancy-Z

 

Thursday, May 28, 2009

O!bama


She’s confident, articulate, persuasive, empowered, educated, opinionated, stylish, a mother of two with a hot body and wife to the most powerful political leader in the world. And despite what Iman said about her (http://blackpoliticalthought.blogspot.com/2009/05/supermodel-iman-says-first-lady.html) she is gorgeous. So what’s not to like about Michelle Obama?

Her best moments have been her unwavering support and defense of her family. She’s clearly always been Obama’s number one supporter of his ambition. During his campaign for the hot seat she quit her job so that she can be a part of his campaign team. She also fiercely protected the privacy of her daughters’ lives and came out publicly against the TyGirls dolls that were named after them. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/24/AR2009012401854.html)

My particular fascination with Michelle Obama has been how she is fast becoming not only a cultural icon but a fashion one as well. She’s been compared to Jackie Onassis, which is typical of society making comparisons and not viewing some one according to their individual merits. I believe she is a step beyond Jackie O on a number of levels.

Firstly unlike Jackie, her dress sense has more personality. She doesn’t just wear one style or one type of dress in different colours. She plays around with different items, colour and accessories and pulls it off well. Who would have thought a plastic belt can look good? That comment was made by a dear friend of mine. After seeing Michelle on an O magazine cover wearing a plastic belt I had to admit that only a highly sophisticated and stylish woman could pull of plastic like she did. The fact that she is the only woman to have graced the cover of O mag, either than Ms Winfrey herself, makes her a special kind of something. One has to admit that this woman’s got it going on. She has also made looking good accessible to her legions of followers by mixing her designer digs with retail store items. This affirms the notion that looking good is not about designer and expensive items.

Besides the aesthetics, Michelle’s personal story is inspirational to women around the world. She was born into a blue collar family and became a high achiever all around, leading to her education and career achievements. She inspires the confidence to be successful in one’s personal and professional lives. She does so in a way that has not left her husband intimidated. Obama has been quoted saying that he owes his success to his wife. Above all, she’s played up her role as a mother and the importance of a family unit. It sets the tone for those who admire traditional values and it’s good to see that a woman can have it all and not to the detriment of her self development.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

What's happened to Zhanè?


What’s happened to the brilliant R&B duo Zhanè? Renee Neufville and Jean Norris-Baylor had us getting down to hits like “Groove Thang, Shame, Request Line and Crush”. They also featured on what became a summer anthem, “Jamboree” by Naughty by Nature and Busta’s party starting “It’s a party”.

My favourite of all their songs is definitely “Sending my love”. I think this song’s simplicity makes it so profound. It was typical of R&B at its prime and that is what made us fall in love time and time again. My favourite parts of the song are the first verse and the chorus.

Imagine wrapping up the gift of love… and sending it by courier!

Zhane - Sending My Love :

If I could mail my heart
Right to you, I would
I'd pack it up, seal it tight
And I'd send it over night

Every time I hear your voice
And I look into your eyes
Sends a burning sweet sensation
Oh, inside of me

The look in your eyes
Has found me
I am sending

Sending my love to you
Praying that you are home
Sealing it with a kiss
Sending my love

Sending my love to you
Praying that you are home
Sealing it with a kiss
Sending my love

For the rest of the song go to...
http://www.lyricsdownload.com/zhane-sending-your-love-lyrics.html

Recession Blues




So it is official, South Africa’s economy is in a recession. While it’s nothing new on the international front, for many South Africans it has come as a shock after the government steadfastly assured us that our economy would weather the storm. And now our financial leaders have come out in admission that they have underestimated the ferocity of economic storm. (http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-05-26-economic-storm-more-ferocious-than-thought)

The good news though is that SA has been faring better than its western counterparts. We haven’t been immune to drastic job cuts and industries facing slumps but our banks are still stable and our government is still spending on infrastructure development. We’re also optimistic about the Fifa 2010 World Cup preparation being on schedule.

More good news is that one can indeed survive the tight fistedness of the economy. I have come up with my own personal plan for survival.

· Having a positive outlook – the situation is definitely going to add more value to our lives as we discern what of great importance to us. We will definitely start spending more quality time doing what makes us feel good and being with those that make us feel good.

· Being thrifty in creative ways – I am looking forward to more home dinners and marathon movie nights with friends all at the cost of shared wine and food. I will also get to discover more about my beautiful city, Joburg, whilst shopping for bargains in the inner city at bargain and second hand haunts.

· Paying off debts – this will be an empowering feat for me. I’ve gotten into the nasty habit of living a lifestyle beyond my means and doing so on borrowed money. Nothing depresses me quicker than seeing text notices on my cellphone showing payments for the credit I have tied myself to. It makes working every day pretty useless because often I never get to keep the money that I have earned.

· Building an emergency fund – it is commonly advised that one needs to have 6 – 8 months of living expenses saved up. Well one thing that I have never really been is a saver. Unless old clothes that I hardly wear count. So, that fund is in dire need of being started. This will become a great habit because I intend on doing some substantial globetrotting in my thirties.

· Shopping around for the best deals – not only is this something guys have articulated well but it also has a high return on investment. Guys will shop around looking at different factors before they buy. They are not necessarily moved by the cheapest price, but consider quality and how long something will last. Not only will shopping around be educational but it will avoid me throwing out shoes that I have only worn a few times and shouldn’t have bought because they were in nice colour and cheap.

I’m definitely not letting this recession turn into depression for me…