Social Networking

So over the last two weeks I have attended a number of after work functions/Launches and besides being surrounded by beautiful garments and products, the free wine or bubbles and scrumptious snacks, it really does appeal to my people watching fascination.

I like to think of these social encounters as a choreographed dance, because if you had to put a soundtrack in the background it could be rather entertaining. As you watch the fake European greeting, an air kiss on both cheeks, then the head is thrown backwards as a plastic, almost bottled, laugh is released into the atmosphere. Then the grand gesture of pretended sincerity with a touch of the hands, it is a dance I have watched time and time again. Yet it never gets old.

The key to a successful social networking function is a great wingmanwoman, this ensures you are never seen standing alone looking lost, like you are unimportant and don’t know anyone. Because we are all important in our own little ways. It provides you with an escape route should you feel trapped in an unpleasant situation or conversation. You will always enjoy the glass of goodness when shared with a wingmanwoman. They also double your chances of people you might know at the event, as well as they understand the strange comments you make in what seems to others as a foreign language. Most importantly, if you anything like me, you feel a little awkward and silly at some of these things, like you don’t really belong, but with your wingmanwoman by your side you feel like you can take on the world!

In view of all the above these events are necessary and they do help to solidify many wonderful working relationships, past and present. So we shall continue to do our dance and invite great wingmenwomen to be by our sides and as a result we keep the wheels of our industry turning!

~Let us dance~

A Pill Popping Society

So when did society decide that it was no longer acceptable to have a bad day, to actually feel some kind of feeling or emotion, and that the minute you show any sign of a mood other than ecstatic, you need to be medicated… suppress any real feelings you might have… shove some happy pills down your throat and be jolly.

Seems like more and more people I know are having their doctors write them prescriptions for these “happy pills” mind numbing tranquilisers, to help them deal with their lives… and god forbid the effects wear off and you plunge back down that black hole. Oh no just double your dose, hey why not throw these trial drugs in for good measure too.

Yes of course there are people who actually do have a problem and need to take a cocktail of drugs to keep their moods in equilibrium, and without them, it just ain’t a pretty picture… so for those people we are grateful to have them mildly sedated when interacting with them for fear of our own lives. 

Well I’m having a shit day! I feel shit, grumpy, sad and angry… all I want to do is crawl into a ball somewhere dark and warm and forget about the world today… but I’ll just have to deal with it the old-fashioned way… suck it up and deal with it…

~No use in complaining because no one is listening~

Helpless

I’m feeling very helpless today, 2 of my girls are stuck in difficult places and are far away from home. One is little further than the other but both are away from the comfort of a familiar face. All I want to do is pick them up take them back to my place and have wine, popcorn, chocolate, pizza or even a simple cream soda on tap for them and help them figure things out. Even if that simply means distracting them from reality for a little while, but I can’t. And for me there is nothing worse than feeling like I can’t fix it or be the support pillar. It’s who I am and what I do.

Pop Tart and Crazii I’m think about you girls and sending positive happy vibes.

~I love You Ladies!~

Juggling Act...

Whooo Hoooo, what an amazing weekend, with Clark Kent and I successfully attending all social engagements, I will admit it took some careful strategic planning, but its become a juggling act we are beginning to perfect…

The fist pit stop was Mr & Ms Batman’s, a few moments earlier we realised that we were wearing semi-matching tops, me in Superwoman and company and him in Superman, completely by chance (pet peeve number 1, matching couples… and now I was one of them, eeek, I just threw up a little bit in my mouth), But lucky for us, as we arrived we noticed the house was decorated with Batman and the Justice league, so we fitted right in, totally in-tune with the parties theme… after the drinks were poured, a toast to the birthday boy, we were on the edge of our seats watching the Bulls crucify Crusaders… being strung up on their own cross so to speak… after the game, we bid farewell and hopped back into the Blue Beast and were off to the next social gathering… a quick detour to the drug store to dose up on anti-histamines, thanks too a few long haired feline not so much of friends, both Clark Kent and I were sneezing, itching, coughing and struggling to breathe… So once we had had our quick fix, we were good to go!

We arrived at the double G’s, where we were mistaken either for intruders or the cops… as we saw bodies scatter as we approached from the dark driveway… but once we had been great for the good company we are, we cracked open another drink and began shouting at the Stomers. Once the final whistle had been blow and an all SA final had been solidified, it was onto the main event.

Here we were greeted with shots of Tequila, which I kindly declined and Clark Kent cashed in on, bottles of bubbles and surrounded by amazing people, there was much chatter and birthday wishes, followed by hours of bum shaking and letting loose.

Finally arriving home, after a wonderful, yet long day and night of drinking and celebrating, Clark Kent arrives at the security gate and is all of a sudden fascinated by the slightly curved shape of the key. Unfortunately his Superman strength was just too much for him as he proceeded to break the key in half… FUCK... there is a shocked exchange between us as the realisation sinks in. we are locked out, its stupid o’clock in the morning and the security guard is M.I.A.

Clark Kent then decided that because his Superman strength go us into this situation, it was going to get us out… this lead to him testing his cat burglar skills as he proceeded to jump the wall, which just happened to have a mixture of spikes and barbed wire across the top, not to mention the 4 meter drop on the other side, after a night out…it was at this point I retreated and hid, holding my breath, behind the entrance wall waiting to here the thud followed by either silence or that blood curdling scream, as a result of broken bones.

But I could finally breathe easy again as I heard the buzzer sound, announcing that Clark Kent had been successful and without injury… (Gee it just makes you feel so safe when you can break into your own complex)

~I guess we can officially say that there is never a dull moment in the comic strip we call our lives.~

For the love of all things Beautiful!

Amazing, Gorgeous, Beautiful, Vibrant, Stunning, Unique, Elegant, Glamorous, these are just a few words I would use to describe the Shanghai Tang brand.

Yes it’s true people it is here, Shanghai Tang, has arrived in South Africa with their bespoke boutique flagship store opening in Johannesburg, they have launched the collection through a series of Trunk Shows in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Last night was the first of the Cape Town Trunk Shows, showcasing the Spring/Summer 2010 collection, from the minute I stepped through the threshold it was like stepping back in time, as the fond memories flooded though my mind. I could barely contain my excitement, to say I was happier than a kid in a candy store would be putting it mildly. You cannot help but be happy and walk around with a goofy grin on your face, the rich vibrant colours are infectious, the designs are beautiful and the Mandarin collars put me back in Hong Kong, where the Shanghai Tang art deco concept store is. One I have visited on a number of occasions during the 6 years I lived there.

I will never forget for my birthday the one year, my bestest girl gave me my very own little green box which held in it a beautiful, rich purple, silk covered journal. My very own little piece of Shanghai Tang! One, which I treasure and still use today!

To check out the collections click here

*Shanghai Tang is the first luxury brand to have emerged from China, it is east meets west, creating a modern, sophisticated Chinese-inspired collection, including accessories and home decor. It really is beautiful, vibrant and amazing.*


Being a fashion assistant definitely has it’s perks, it means I can go shopping without having to spend the money, and be surround by some of the most beautiful garments for a short period of time and imagine what it would like to one day own such glamorous things.

But back to reality for a second, it’s Friday Peeps, and that means weekend, and what a weekend it promises to be. It’s bursting with birthday parties, dinners, dancing and more and not to mention the Super 14 rugby Semi-finals, both games being played on South African soil… we have a lot to look forward to. I can’t wait!

My biggest concern is… what am I going to wear???

~Party like Rock Stars!~

The Final Product

I love that feeling of accomplishment, after all the blood, sweat and tears, the late nights, the hard work, the moments of crisis and even the odd moment of laughter. To see it all come together is one of the greatest feelings there is, well in my opinion at least.

Yesterday we received our new magazine hot off the presses, and it looks amazing! Beautiful! Delightful! (The word that was used to describe the magazine from the get go, they wanted a product that made the reader feel delightful)

To say that this project was the test of our teams sense of humour is a complete understatement, it was riddled with challenges form the get go, but we rose to the occasion and exceeded limitations, and we made it out with all limbs in tacked and we have produced a great product! One that I am very proud of! I am so lucky to work with such amazing people, they really make it all worth it!

So a big congratulations to the whole team, a job well done, and something to be proud of!

Nagging Ways

So I have two things that have been playing tag in my mind today.

Firstly, the phenomenon of Traffic... it blows my mind how you can be traveling along a highway quiet merrily, singing along to the radio or your favourite CD, glad that no one in the outside world can hear you. When all of a sudden you round the corner and are greeted by a sea of red brake lights and 5 lanes of free flowing traffic come to a screeching halt.

After a short burst of tourette’s escaping form between your lips, you eventually sit back and ride your clutch as you slowing move forward with the rest of the pack… Then without warning the traffic is flowing again and you are flying through your gears as you accelerate and find your freedom… but WTF was the hold up??
• There was no accident
• There wasn’t a car broken down
• Not even road works or a taxi seemed to be the cause
Can it simply boil down to the plain and simple fact that most individuals are shit drivers and seem to have purchased their licence in a lucky packet for the convenience store on the corner?

It really grates my carrot I tell you… there is no excuse for bad driving other than complete stupidity, the kind from being dropped on your head when you were a baby!

The Second thing eating away at my grey matter is, how many times have you muttered the words, “Well, you should have known”, either to a lover, partner, friend, spouse, sibling.

Known what, that some volcano was going to cause huge air-traffic issues? Known that dinner was in the oven and I was supposed to take it out? Known that you were feeling horrible and wanted a hug and for someone to tell you it’s going to be ok?

And before I go any further, I will admit I have done that in the past but over the last 10 months I have learnt not to use that phrase and have realised why it is so completely absurd!

How the fuck is the other person supposed to know if you have never said anything? And I know us girls are very good at using this absurd little phrase when we haven’t gotten our way with something. But seriously people we are all pretty much wired the same way and last time I checked I didn’t have some extra funky antenna that picks up what the fuck other people are thinking. So how am I supposed to know… your thoughts don’t transfer through the air and into my brain through osmosis.

It’s fucking communication 101 people, if you are feeling a certain way, or what something to be done, use your words. Let the world know what goes on between your ears, because if you don’t say anything, if you don’t reach out… guess what… no one will know, big surprise there. (Please hear the sarcasim in my voice)

So people lets open those lines of communication, and if you feel like using the phrase, “but you should have known” think to yourself, would you have known if you were in their shoes, did you ever mention it, even in passing, could they really have known? And I bet you’ll find the answer to be NO.

Seriously, we're not mind readers, so if you want something, just say it. It’s not brain surgery people… well… maybe for some.

My Kind of Church

So I’m not a religious person in any way, shape or form, yet ever other Sunday I do attend my kind of church. (Which funnily enough is positioned next to a real church). This ‘church’ is by no means conventional and has a very different set of beliefs and ways of doing things. For example, you are encouraged, almost expected to drink at least half your body weight during the 2-hour ritual, with the exception of the occasional cream sober, which is required every so often. Shouting and interruptions are not frowned upon, even finger pointing and snaky comments are acceptable. We all get dressed for the occasion, be it in clashing, sometime eye burning, headache causing outfits (no names mentioned, McLaren Supporter), but we are all representing our personal beliefs and hopes.

Yes, this is my kind of ‘church’ filled with car and F1 fanatics who are all there to share their love of the sport and are in it for better or worse, supporting their teams through the good times and the bad… proving to be the ultimate romantics who can love in the best and worst conditions.

So, The McLaren supporter, Captain Stroh, Clark Kent and I arrive at our local ‘Church’ on Sunday, where we are greeted by a jet black Lamborghini and the regulation Mini Cooper. All hyped up for what promises to be a great race… we definitely weren’t disappointed.

What an amazing race, nail biting stuff from the minute those lights went out and definitely my driver of the day has to go to Alonso! Starting for the pit lane as car 24 and finishing in 6th on one of the toughest overtaking tracks on the circuit, you got to hand it the guy in red… that’s some skilled driving!

Hey, let it be known as much as I love my Ferrari team, the day they announced Alonso to be driving for them this season, let’s just say it wasn’t my happiest of hours…. Non-the less he is a driver for Ferrari so I will be supportive, as I am one of those romantics.

Anyways, the race was riddled with incidents with 3 safety cars to mix things up a little but at the end of 78 laps it was once again Red Bull racing with another 1,2 finish, which Clark Kent felt he needed to celebrate with a round of Jäger-bombs… ouch. Oh and well done to the ‘Yellow Car’ who came in 3rd, definitely the best finishing position for Renault this season so far.

Wow what a weekend, I would definitely say it was a sterling success with an 80% achievement rate.

And if Monday is anything to judge the rest of the week by, its going to be a cracker people, so put on your comfy heels, put your heads down and keep those wheels of industry turning!

It’s the Weekend Baby!

And what a weekend it promises to be… Clark Kent (that’s the other half’s inner superhero, AKA The Barman) and I have to make appearances at various events, this entails some serious careful planning. Our problem is we never want to let any of our friends down, so we try to split our time as efficiently as possible, also keeping in mind various distances and driving times between each engagement. It does turn out to be quiet the art, one we are getting quiet accustomed to.

Anyways, back to the point, It’s the weekend and a great one is planned… a little shopping, business networking expo, a few birthday parties… and that’s just Saturday.

Then comes Sunday and with it the main event…. Monaco Grand Prix! Monte Carlo is one of the best tracks on the F1 circuit in my opinion, a road track, which basically shuts down half the city. Spectator can watch from the comfort of their own balconies and many moor their yachts, or boats and take in the race right from the harbour's edge. It’s a very narrow track, leaving very little overtaking opportunities; and it is extremely demanding on the drivers. It’s a race that attracts everyone who is anyone. This race has everything an F1 Junkie like me could ask for, Speed, Technicality, Passion, Glamour, and that on the edge of your seat feeling for all 78 laps. A race is never over until you cross that checkered flag… Just ask McLaren’s Hamilton, last week he looked set to take second place, flying along his second last lap and ~Bam~ front left tyre gives way and snaps the suspension and sends him into the tyre wall, SWEET, handing second place to Ferrari’s Alonso… yes there was much screaming and finger pointing involved.

I’m getting all excited just thinking about it! And the other best part about it is I have my F1 partner back, after he took a year to travel and left me to watch the a great season alone… So the McLaren supporter and I (a die hard Ferrari fan) have joined an F1 club and we now have a regular home to enjoy the races with fellow enthusiasts. Enticed by lucky draws and a chance to win the kitty after every race, with the correct top ten predictions.

*Side note:
To illustrate The mix of glamour and speed in Monte Carlo, McLaren drives, Hamilton and Button will be sporting individually crafted diamond crest on their steering wheels … make sure you don’t crash, no pressure.
(Check out the full story here at formula1.com)*

So peeps wishing you a wicked weekend!
~Party like a Rock Star!~

For the Love of Shoes

To say I have a mild obsession would be an understatement; I currently own around 43 pairs of shoes, most of which are high heels, and I’m finding that as I’m going up in years, so is the height of my stilettos…. I promise it has nothing to do with the fact that I haven’t grown in what, 13 years.

This coming from a girl who’s parents had given up on the fact that one day their daughter might just be a girl who wears dresses and high heels. Not the tomboy they had become to know... I was a straight down the line shorts and a T-shirt, with skater takkies tomboy. I played touch rugby, watched motor racing and wasn’t afraid of getting dirty.

Then at the age of 16 I put on my first pair of High heels and a formal dress and I haven’t looked back. I still watch motor racing and talk rugby with the boys but I just do it looking a little more stylish.

Last year a very special person gave me the best present a girl could ever ask for… my very first pair of David Tlale heels ☺ thanks Crazii



*David Tlale is a South African designer who set out to become a top couture house in SA, and then take on the global market. He made his Catwalk debut in 2003, in that year alone he won the Elle new talent competition and was awarded Designer of the year by the Sunday Times. In 2007 he showcased at Paris fashion week and in 2008 he was invited to Washington DC to showcase at the De Beers Shining Light Collection, to name just a few of his achievements.
The David Tlale brand has grown from strength to strength over the years, and through the use of bold colours and fabrics, it is making its mark as a brand that is stylish and full of individuality.*

One day I will own a walk in shoe cupboard, with walls lined with Jimmy choo’s, Manolo Blahnik’s, Christian Louboutin’s and Alexander McQueen’s.

Hey what girl wouldn’t?

But for now I’ll be happy with what I got and just to make myself feel better I just bought me these little guys to keep me warm this winter :)

The Eternal Life Cycle

Don’t you find it funny how life has a way of repeating itself, especially when you have just sat back to breathe and think… I’m right where I want to be… Then ~Bam~ something will happen to send you spiraling again, almost as if to say, Naha don’t get too comfy.

For my whole life I have been the new kid, forever moving and starting at a new school and always having to make new friends just to say good-bye. And by the way as a kid it ain’t so easy making new friends, kids are mean I tell you and especially when you from a foreign country, they think you carrying some kind of catastrophic disease. Never the less you kind of get used to it after a while a make do with what you got. My philosophy was “If you like me great, and if you don’t, well I probably don’t like you.” Hey don’t get me wrong here I cannot complain, I have met some great people through these travels, some of whom I still keep in contact with and for that I am grateful!

So by the time I reached varsity (University or College) I had made the decision to go study and kinda stick around in the same place for a couple extra years to see what it was like, and I found myself surrounded by great people and I had an amazing support structure of friends. It stayed that way for a while, crazy Pap-suck Sundays, Girls nights consisting of pizza, popcorn and wine…lots of wine, and many other crazy adventures… some including boys. And it was at this point when I started to sit back and think, “yeah this is it, this is the life, great friends, great times, great memories, great stories to share amongst the grandchildren.”

Then it started happening slowly but surely the travel bugs hit, one at a time, eating away slowly at my new found circle of friends and sense of security.

Yes, yes I know what you thinking, in this age of technology no one is every really that far away. But Skype doesn’t replace that hug you need every now and again.

What it boils down to is your ‘Go To’ people, they are the ones sitting next to you at the police station saying, “shit that was fun”. So I figured as long as I have my ‘Go To’ girls I’ll be ok. But one by one they too have been swept away by promises of a better land. Two have already set sail and the last is looking for her escape route, which once again leaves me…

Trying to start all over again…

A Brief Introduction

So here I go, diving head first into a world I don’t know all that much about and I’m supposed to be part of the techno generation. Well here’s to hoping I know how to float until I figure out how to swim.

People say we "you need an outlet" some type of release valve, otherwise we are destined to implode or explode, or as I like to think of it Pop like a champagne cork, and so here I am jumping on the blogging bandwagon so to speak, following suit, going digital, after being inspired by the Crazii redhead and Pop Tart, Changing Gears has been born.

So for a long time now I have been confusing people, as they just can’t understand how a girl like me can be a complete walking contradiction. If I really had it my way I would be dressed from head to toe in Haute Couture behind the wheel of a racing car clocking 320km/h down the pit straight, rocking to Pink as my backing track.

I hope to entertain and inform you through my "release valve" about what goes on in the place I like to call home…