Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Rich Rubbish

So while looking on the internet (you sometimes find the craziest stuff) I found a list of 10 ways to make yourself appear rich. I found this quite amusing but it made me think that there are people out there that might just try these 10 steps on how to appear rich. So have a look and see if you think it will work.

Never Lie. You will just show your ignorance and embarrass yourself. For example, when you are offered a glass of wine or a delicacy you have never tasted before and then are asked what you thought of it, Just say "Very Good." and then smile sweetly.

Frequent bookstores and cafés, being seen reading a book shows a sign of class. Having a coffee or tea at hand also makes you look rich.

Always be nice to servants, waiters, drivers, etc. Being rude to them makes you look nouveau riche. But don't be overly friendly. Avoid acting like you feel more at home with the 'help' more than with your new friends.

Never be stingy when it comes to tips because this makes you look, well, stingy. But don't give out tips that are too large, either, or you will look embarrassingly nouveau riche or clueless.


Know what fine dining is. As cliched as it sounds, learn about wines and cheeses. Learn how to pronounce words like Béchamel and Beaujolais. And learn good table manners. Otherwise you will look like a complete fool at dinnertime. Read etiquette books.

When you buy clothes and accessories, never buy anything with a huge logo. For example, when you buy t-shirts from Christian Dior, do not buy those which say 'DIOR'. If it's the real deal, your well-heeled friends will be able to tell at a glance what brand the item is. It is also true that rich people are not so much concerned with brand names. Many of them wear Lands End or Gap clothing right along with high quality products from exclusive designers that most people have never heard about. If you want to look great,buy items with more subtle designs and steer towards European brands. Think classic clothes that fit you really well.


Do not wear too much jewelry nor wear anything flashy and big. If you do, you look desperate to show off. For a casual game of tennis, for example, don't wear bracelets and necklaces. Just wear a Franck Muller watch and a pair of 3-carat diamond earrings.

Never boast about your expensive new handbags, jewelry, watches, etc. Wear them. Most of your friends will notice your new trappings without having them pointed out. If they don't notice, most likely they don't care and wouldn't be impressed anyway. If complimented, smile and say "thank you."

Do not pretend you never eat fast food at all. In fact, a surprisingly large number of rich people like fast food. Fast food does taste good, no matter how unhealthy it is. However, don't eat fast food very often. Rich people can afford to eat at nicer places and usually they do. Also, show that you are indeed concerned with the unhealthy aspects of fast food. Most rich people put an emphasis on a healthy lifestyle, and it's a good idea to be health conscious for more reasons than one.

Don't pretend you are picky about every little aspect of everything. Rich people can afford to be picky (or 'selective' as they would probably say) but if you complain about every little thing you just seem pretentious and annoying. Choose a few items that you really are selective about. For example, most wealthy people don't mind wearing clothes from Gap because everyone knows they can afford designer clothes. However, for example, many rich girls will never use cheap make-up. Most wear very little makeup preferring the natural look. They will say it will ruin the skin and they are right. They also will not be stingy on the matter of footwear, because better quality footwear molds to the feet for the most comfort, and they are the higher quality. Be picky about things that matter.

Watch this Space

So the definition, if you can call it that, for the phrase ‘watch this space’ is, “If someone says watch this space, they mean that there will very soon be an exciting change in their situation.” This is according to the Cambridge dictionary.

So I guess if I say to someone ‘watch this space’ they going to expect an amazing change to take place in my life soon. Well at my age I don’t think there is anything really amazing that could change..soon. But if I could I would change a few things...

I would learn to ice skate and ballroom dance, be able to eat as many chocolates and sweets without getting fat, not be afraid of bugs and spiders, have permanent access to lots of money and of course shopping. I know these things aren’t possible but sometimes it is good to dream.

So watch this space to see all these exciting things that will happen in my life.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Chocolate Goodness

I have always loved baking and I love chocolate so the next recipe I have on my agenda is to make proper chocolaty chocolate brownies. I have had some amazing chocolate brownies in my time so now I guess it is my turn to give it a try. So below is the recipe I plan to use...wish me luck!

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and place the rack in the centre of the oven. Butter (or spray with a non-stick cooking spray) a 20 cm square pan, and line the bottom of the pan with parchment or wax paper.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a large stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa powder and sugar. Next, whisk in the vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Finally, stir in the flour, salt and chocolate chips (if using).

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with a little batter and a few moist clumps clinging to it. Do not over bake. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature or chilled. These freeze very well.

Makes 16 brownies.

My favourite cat in the hat book is...The Cat in the Hat...because...

The Cat in the Hat (1957) is the first book featuring the title character. In it the Cat brings a cheerful, exotic and exuberant form of chaos to a household of two young kids, brother and sister, one rainy day while their mother leaves them unattended. The Cat performs all sorts of wacky tricks—the Cat at one point balances a teacup, some milk, a cake, three books, the Fish, a rake, a toy boat, a toy man, a red fan, and his umbrella while he's on a ball to the chagrin of the fish—to amuse the children, with mixed results. This book allows children to use their imagination and go to a place they can only dream existed. Imagine the cat in the hat was real? Our childhoods would have been so much better.

"We looked!
Then we saw him
step in on the mat!
We looked!
And we saw him!

The Cat in the Hat!"
“I know it is wet
And the sun is not sunny.

But we can have
Lots of good fun
that is funny!”
  “Look at me!
  Look at me!
  Look at me NOW!
  It is fun to have fun
  But you have
  to know how.”

  “'Have no fear, little fish,'
  Said the Cat in the Hat.
 'These Things are
  good Things.'
  And he gave them a pat."

  "Then our mother came in
  And she said to us two,
  'Did you have any fun?
  Tell me. What did
  you do?"
  And Sally and I did not
  know what to say.
  Should we tell her
  The things that went on
  there that day?"

  "Well...what would YOU do
  If your mother asked you?"
  "Then our mother came in
  And she said to us two,

  'Did you have any fun?
  Tell me. What did
  you do?"

  And Sally and I did not
  know what to say.
  Should we tell her
  The things that went on
  there that day?"

  "Well...what would YOU do
  If your mother asked you?"

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Why I have conversations

If you know me you will know that I love to talk, I will talk to anyone, anywhere which can sometimes get me in to trouble. From a young age I have loved talking and I haven’t seemed to outgrow it just yet. I love having good conversation with great friends, it’s the best kind.

A good conversation can improve your day and make you feel so much better. I know when I am bored or need to find out something all I need to do is phone a friend to talk. My conversations on the phone are never less than 30 minutes long as these are a daily occurrence, not good for the phone bill. As much as people deny that they gossip there is no way that is true, nothing is better than a little gossiping in a conversation, it’s the best! Are always up to date with the latest ‘scandals’ so when I need to know what is going on I just need to pick up the phone. BBM is also amazing and allows me to talk to all my friends throughout the day, every day. The reason we have conversations is to find out information or share information, that’s what it comes down to in the end.

A person isn't who they are during the last conversation you had with them - they're who they've been throughout your whole relationship. 
Rainer Maria Rilke 

Job hunting

So as my BTech year comes to an end it is almost time to face the real world of work, no more long vacations during the year or taking days off when you don’t feel like going in. In the real world it just doesn’t work like that. I am over studying and feel ready to start working.

I can’t wait to earn my own money and stop relying on my parents for everything. The thought of getting a salary for the work that I have done seems rewarding (as long as it is a worthy sum of money). Although I am excited to start working I am also scared, to be perfectly honest. Firstly I am scared that I won’t be able to find a job, secondly not really enjoy the job I do and thirdly if I really suck at the job I do. I try not focus on the negatives but sometimes I can’t help it. I want to work in a job where I am challenged, learn new things and experience the ways of the world but most importantly I want to be passionate about what I do and come home at the end of the day happy about what I did.

So wish me luck as I continue on the job hunt, hopefully it won’t be too gruelling and terrible.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

9/11

Today marks the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Even though I am not American I still can’t believe what happened, it seems unreal. I watched the footage of the planes crashing into the towers and I shudder. The images of people falling to their death to get away from the burning building haunt me.

Of course there is a lot of conspiracy around the actual events that took place on 9/11 and if it could have been prevented. There are also documentaries speculating that the Americans did this to their own people, the thought of that makes me sick but after watching the Zeitgeist, it could just be a possibility. There were too many coincidences on the day that just don’t seem to fit.

I hope that this isn’t true and that the whole drama around 9/11 was just a terror attack that was preventable. No matter what the truth is the families of the victims still are suffering and it is important that we remember the lives that were lost and those that were left behind.

Bucket list – 100 things to do before you die

Being only 22 years old there are so many things that I still need to do before I die, probably way more than a hundred, more like a thousand. There are so many websites that provide these lists for you that you are able to tick off as you go along. One website I found provided a few good, simple ideas of things to tick off of the bucket list.

1.     Throw a huge party and invite every one of your friends.
2.     Swim with a dolphin.
3.     Skydive.
4.     Have your portrait painted.
5.     Learn to speak a foreign language and make sure you use it.
6.     Go skinny-dipping at midnight in the South of France.
7.     Watch the launch of the space shuttle.
8.     Spend a whole day eating junk food without feeling guilty.
9.     Be an extra in a film.
10. Tell someone the story of your life, sparing no details.
11. Make love on a forest floor.
12. Make love on a train.
13. Learn to rollerblade.
14. Own a room with a view.
15. Learn how to take a compliment.
16. Buy a round-the-world air ticket and a rucksack, and run away.
17. Be a member of the audience in a TV show.
18. Put your name down to be a passenger on the first tourist shuttle to the moon.
19. Send a message in a bottle.
20. Ride a camel into the desert.

These are just twenty things to do before you die, so I think we should all have a bucket list and try get as much done as possible. Life is too short.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Cape Town Adventure

So now that I am on holiday, even though it is just a week, I just have to make the most of it. with that being said yesterday being the beautiful day that it was, my sister and I and a few friends decided to enjoy Cape Town.

We started off with lunch at Fat Cactus, an amazing Mexican restaurant in Gardens. The weather was stunning, we sat outside and drank margaritas, strawberry and lime flavour (they are amazingly delicious and taste so good you forget there is alcohol in them – a thought you realise when you can’t walk properly after a few glasses), and ate a whole range of Mexican treats. After Fat Cactus, we drove to Camps Bay, got some ice cream from Sinnful ice cream and went to sit on Camps Bay beach to just relax. It was such a great day with great friends. Even though I had a headache/ hangover by 5 o’clock that evening, it was so worth it and I would do it again tomorrow.

Cape Town is such a beautiful place so get out and enjoy it because there is just so much to see and do. We literally do live in one of the most stunning cities in the world.

My big fat big dream

My dream is to one day travel the world. I want to travel to every continent, country and city. The world is such a big place and I have basically seen none of it. I have only been as far as Joburg so I don’t feel that I have seen a thing. I want to experience different cultures and see new things.

Nothing makes me more excited than travelling, there are just so many places I want to go I don’t think I will have enough time to see them all or have enough cash to fulfil my dream. Some of the places I just have to visit are the Greek Islands, Paris, Barcelona, Las Vegas, Miami, New York, Brazil, Thailand, Switzerland, London, Italy and so many more my brain just can’t think at this moment. So many of my friends have been to these places that I want to go to and they have said that all the places they went to are just amazing and out of this world.

So hopefully my dream of travelling the world will come true and I will get to see all the places I have dreamt of. If I win the lotto my dream might come true sooner rather than later.