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.