Category: Parenting

Para-Para-Paradise

Posted on by Rebecca

Hi everyone! I am totally aware of my silence in terms of blogging this past month. My day job is unfortunately taking over; gotta pay those bills after all. ..

I’m so delayed, I didn’t realise that there was a deadline to register your blog for the “SA’s blog awards”; sadly I missed this by about a week. C’est la Vie, there is no way ill forget next year!

So I have a completely jam packed weekend coming up and looking forward to every second! Tomorrow is our Christmas Party at work ( I cannot believe its that time of the year already),  and every year we have a theme. This year is “rock”, my leather jacket is ready, “pleather tights” are out! Oh yes its sure to be good…. I’ll post lots of pics!

On Saturday we are celebrating one of my friend’s birthday, and while I may not be gracing them with my presence for the cycling (there is a 2 hour cycle tour around Soweto before hand) I will be parting it up at the “after lunch”. I have always wanted to go to a restaurant in Soweto! Ill definitely give feedback!

Then on Sunday it’s time to celebrate Eid-Al-Adha which is directly translated into “The Festival of Sacrifice”. Every year Muslims across the world go off to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to voyage on the holy pilgrimage, or “Hajj” as it is known. At the very end of this pilgrimage all Muslims (those who have been lucky enough to make the trip as well as those who have not) celebrate Eid-Al-Adha. It is celebrated to commemorate the trials and triumphs of the Holy Prophet Abraham, peace be upon him (source) Muslims slaughter an animal on this day as the holy prophet Abraham did.

Its been a busy month in general; went to the Cold Play concert as well a few weeks ago.

The night was astounding, starting off with “hurts like heaven” accompanied by flying beach balls, psychedelic lights and confetti not to mention, an incredible atmosphere. We took a journey through all our favourite Coldplay anthems like “Yellow” and “Fix you”. Some 62,000 people packed into the stands and field to witness the band’s first tour in South Africa and I was two people from the front! Directly in front of the oh so good looking Guy Berryman.
Some other memorable moments include the crowd chanting “Viva La Vida” and Chris Martin screaming “you guys are fucking awesome”.
Martin told the Johannesburg crowd that they had been shooting a music video in South Africa, saying: “It’s so much sunnier and warmer than where we come from.” He then asked the crowd: “Would you like to be in the video?” The stadium exploded into cheers and screams. “Paradise” was part recorded in the Karoo and part at the Joburg concert (I still haven’t managed to watch it to spot me though)The mood remained upbeat through the set with a Mexican wave of cellphone lights around the calabash stadium, the same place used to host the Soccer World Cup final.

Completely awesome night from start to finish.

Ending off is Thankful Thursday, what are you grateful for in your life? “Be Kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”. I’m thankful for all the people in my life who genuinely care for me and love me. “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word or the smallest act of caring, all of which have potential to change someone’s life”

Pictures from coldplay below:

all the beach balls

 

filming for the Paradise Video

 

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE

Posted on by Rebecca

LOVE, this blog is owed to love, not only the mushy stuff but the passion that drives us in our day to day lives. Love is such a funny, complicated, beautiful, thing. There’s so many different ways to love. For instance, I love my family, but that love is different than the love I have for my friends… and those are both different than the love I have for my boyfriend. Love is a hard word to define… Maybe it was Paul Mcartney’s recent nuptuals that inspired me…

I used to day dream about having one of those cooking shows, the kind with a set that looks like a fully-equipped kitchen, even though it’s really no more than a stove, sink, and countertop surrounded by big cameras and people holding up cue cards just out of sight. I would have endless conversations “cooking” over the stove teaching “the wall” how to make some dish. Of course I’d have a crew that was responsible for all of the peeling, chopping, and washing (I’d volunteer my sister to do this job any day). They would prepare my ingredients for me and put them into separate bowls, so I could whip together any unbelievable dish in a matter of minutes and look like a master chef! Pulling out something that was “prepared before”,  I’d end with looking at the camera to tell my viewers at home: “For more delicious recipes, be sure to tune in next time”                    I LOVE COOKING!

Most recently, I came to a very important conclusion, I am just not a “flats” girl. I like my heels. For so long I have tried to deny myself this silly little truth, I couldn’t do it anymore. It got me thinking… Is it ever really about the “shoes”? Or am I one of those compulsive “Shopaholics?” It’s no coincidence that the Shopaholic Book is written about a young women named Rebecca, yep that’s me 🙂 Although I may be in denial I am not a “shopaholic” I merely like to surround myself in “nice things” , luxury. (I think that’s a Leo trait).For me an outfit is based on the shoe, Entirely. It’s the first thing I think of when getting dressed, what shoe will I wear? The shoes signify accepting who I am and owning it. I LOVE SHOES!

For anyone that closely knows me they will know that I have a very “eclectic” Family. From family psychics to levitations, “singing to the sun”, “snake hunting” top if off with a Rasta brother and me, the Muslim daughter, we are pretty much a bunch of Hippies. We don’t “talk” we “shout” but hey it works for us. We also live on every continent in the world. We are pretty much proof that one family can have completely opposing viewpoints and general opinions.If we can disagree we will. But under all of that, is LOVE, a huge amount of it. Love for each other, love for fun, but mostly love for the family unit, and I can’t wait to have my own crazy family one day. I LOVE MY FAMILY

Then we have my partner….. He’s my best friend, a helping hand, a good listener, a comedian, and the love of my life. I met him high school, cliché right? Ten years on he still makes me laugh every single day. He is my right hand person for everything, yet we still have our own individual lives. We tease each other, we argue over who is making the tea (I always end up doing it), we argue over doing stuff on the weekend (he is a homebody and I need the outdoors, I need people) but more importantly my love for him grows every single day. Don’t get me wrong, no relationship is perfect, far far from it. However I’ve found the person that I want to fight with  The one that acts like a hard ass but is really the softest person ever. And yes I LOVE HIM 🙂

 With all this LOVE I also want to talk about GIVING BACK LOVE… This week I’m going back to Lambano Baby Sanctuary. Something that has been very close to my heart for many years. I’ve gotten caught up in “life” recently, and yes even though I have been involved in various projects none of them were constant or have been about “Building relationships”. So on Saturday I’m taking a couple of people from work to go and spend time with these orphaned kids, most of which are HIV+. What makes the most of “giving back” is “giving time”. More than anything underprivileged people deserve your time. I remember in University I did a research project on Homeless people in Johannesburg but above anything, when I approached these people to talk to them their faces lit up when someone took the time to acknowledge them.

So GIVE YOUR LOVE BACK! Be appreciative of your crazy family, don’t be afraid to Love. You will feel that no matter how big your problems are, the world is a better place! One step closer to living the dream x

Keep on Swimming ..

Posted on by Rebecca

I’ve been playing with what to write for my 3rd Blog for a while, I have no particular “trend” or “topic” in mind, all I know is it’s going to have one of my curry recipes at the end for my friend. In honour of my dad I’ve decided to go for one of his favourites: Lamb Korma!

So Major Trends in Africa this week?

  • First of all EVERYONE has been talking about the man that got bitten by a white shark  on Fish Hoek Beach yesterday in Cape Town. I have a weird fascination with all things gory, I always have. Things like Sharks and Snakes I am obsessed with. I devour any programme or bit of news on these creatures.
  • One of the things I love about Cape Town is the fact they have “shark spotters”. I LOVE THIS! Instead of damaging the ecological environment they have these dedicated spotters who sit at strategic points and keep their eyes out for sharks, the second a shark is “spotted” the white flags go up and the beach is closed. So the beach was closed yesterday when this man decided to go swimming, he knew the risk. I also follow “SharkSpotters” on twitter (follow me on BecksMCWilson) and you can see on their tweets at 09h25  it read “sharks spotted in FishHoek, Beaches Closed”, then at 12h20 “Beach still closed” then at 12h35 “shark attack confirmed on Clovelly beach, Fish Hoek”. Why would you swim KNOWING there have been sharks spotted?BUT did you know this shark was literally 15 m off shore?? that is so close.. Big Ups to the Shark Spotters, they do an amazing job. I would love to go and spend a day with them!

 

  • The other thing that’s made the news is Kim Kardashian! No suprises there, but she voted as most annoying celebrity! (It’s still Paris Hilton in my eyes). There’s no denying that the Kardashian’s are extremely famous, with their faces plastered almost everywhere you turn. Yet I am one of those peoples who catch the omnibuses and have the Kardashian book. Kim, in particular, has been even more so in the spotlight with her recent wedding and honeymoon. Is there such a thing as over-exposure? Perhaps, as Kim as been voted the Most Annoying Celebrity around. Out of 60,000 people polled, she earned a whopping 29% of the votes.
    Charlie Sheen was a close second with 27% of the votes. Except this poll is just another piece of publicity so it can’t hurt?
  1. Kim Kardashian 29%
  2. Charlie Sheen 27%
  3. Snooki 21%
  4. Lindsay Lohan 16%
  5. Donald Trump 5%
  6. Brad Womack 1%  – (WHO IS HE?)
  • Rumor has it Jessica Simpson is pregnant. But who really cares?

 

  • Trends popping up everywhere seem to be Celebrities releasing books! From Cook Books to “kiddie’s books” the latest to jump on this band wagon is Taye Diggs! (Bet you never would have guessed that)
  • “Chocolate Me” is about fitting in and excepting those who are different. Diggs said he wants kids to know that, “You should be proud and embrace your differences regardless if its race or religion or if something is looked upon as a handicap.”

 

  • 3 of Nelson Mandela’s grandchildren are also set to star in their own “reality show”. “This is about three women… breaking away from the (Mandela) legacy to find their own feet,” said director Graeme Swanepoel. I think this is what you call “riding on a wave”.

 

  • The last thing I want to mention this week is “staying young”. Not in the mind-set sense (I think I’m one of those eternal 17 yr olds). But more in the “body and aging” sense. I recently started Gym again after taking a 10 month “sabbatical”. I can never understand, I LOVE gym when I go back, I love that I can feel results after 1 trip (that’s not in my head, I can seriously feel a difference J ), so why then do we stop going? It’s the million dollar question I never have the answer to. I put it down to the laziness of getting in your car and driving there.
    Its simple! Work. Out. More. – A lot of young people get plenty of exercise but if you’re one of those naturally skinny types that doesn’t need exercise you’ll want to start now.  They “say” a person should walk 4 days a week. These walks should take a person around 40 minutes to complete because this is sufficient for losing weight and increasing energy. A person should maintain a brisk speed when they walk. Getting into a daily exercise routine tends to be easier when a person exercises daily with another person. This will help them stay motivated, energized and make the workout go by a lot faster than if they were doing it all alone. This year both gym “spurts” I’ve had a gym “buddy”. Yoga sessions were the best with my friend as together we would walk out in fits of laughter in the way the instructor spoke in her “soft” “sexual” voice… you are the light, and the light is you”

 

  • OH BY THE WAY! Good Food and Wine Show was AMAZING, so glad I went! Came back a little bit “broke-r” than I intended on being  but I did come back with some very cool tools. I bought a potato-miller! Those Food puree thingys they used on Masterchef to make super fine mashed potato (amongst other things). A super cool Jamie Oliver Knife (I have a thing for good knives), a pan, and a very cool cupcake “Core-r”. See pictures below:

 

Filling the Core with Caramel

 

Iced Cupcake with "Hidden" Caramel Core

Recipe of the week

Kormas are typically made by marinating the main ingredient in yogurt and spices like ginger and garlic. It is then cooked in its own juices and a gravy made of onions, lots of tomatoes, green chillies and whole spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, coriander, cumin, etc

  • 1/4 cup (60g) ghee
  • 3 brown onions, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 4 green cardamom pods, crushed
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 8 black peppercorns, crushed
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds (or powder, i sometimes prefer powder)
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tbs finely grated fresh ginger
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tbs smoked paprika
  • 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
  • 1kg lamb shoulder, cut into 3cm pieces
  • 2 cups (500ml) water
  • 1 cup (250g) natural yoghurt
  • Toasted flaked almonds, to serve ( I add a about a handful of diced ones to the dish as well)
  • Naan bread, to serve
  • Steamed basmati rice, to serve
  1. Heat the ghee in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until lightly golden. Add the turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, peppercorns, cloves, cumin, garlic, ginger, coriander seeds, chilli and paprika and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until tomatoes are pulpy.
  2. Add the lamb, water and yoghurt and bring to a simmer. I then add the diced almonds. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until lamb is very tender and sauce thickens slightly. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Spoon lamb in bowl and sprinkle with flaked almonds. Serve with naan bread and steamed rice.
 

 Fare thee well friends, if there are any suggestions or you want any recipes. Until then one step closer to living your dreams ……xx

Talking on Corners – dedicated to Michelle

Posted on by Rebecca

Ok. This is it. My first ever Blog. Breathe. I’ve been threatening to do this for months now, and last night when I was falling asleep the words were all streaming through my head and I made up my mind, today’s the day.

What’s it gonna be about? Current Events, Celebrities, Recipes, Event Organisation tips.
All the things I love. But who am i? And why would you want to read my blog?
Complicated question……Zimbabwean Born, Botswana Raised, British passport holder, living in South Africa. Confused yet? I’m also a white Muslim.
That sums it up. Executive Recruiter, Current Events Fundi, Masterchef wanna-be and mostly a typical Leo, trying to find my piece of spotlight in this world.

I consider myself to be somewhat of a ‘know it all’. My friends refer to me as “Nancy Drew” (and I even have a coat to go with it). This blog is a way to share my wisdom, and my valuable opinion on matters (I know you want to hear them).

So where to begin? Perhaps a summary of the past week? Or year?
Let’s start off with the fact that I’ve been to 5 weddings already this year, 3 of which I was a bridesmaid for. Yup. Combine that with the fact I was born into an “event organisation” family, which means I’m pretty much your go-to person on any function matters.
Birthday Parties, Corporate Events, Baby Showers, Engagement Parties, Bridal Showers, Weddings; whatever you want I can organise. I keep abreast with current trends and design ideas and I’m seriously considering making a career out of it.
Where do you draw the line? When do you give up your “job” and live your “dream”?
Ok I have had COUNTLESS trainers/guru’s/psychologists telling me that you just need to drop everything and “do it”, but it’s not that simple, is it?
I’m at that stage in my life that all I want to do is going home and be a teenager again, but how can a self-respecting 25 year old go home to live with mummy and daddy again? Or can I? I also have this mentality in me that no matter what I do I will succeed? Is that an Ego or arrogance? Or is it just positive self-belief?

OK. Topics of the week:
Troy Davis execution is number 1 on my list right now. Your views? Until about a week ago I don’t think I knew who this man was but last night I was rallying like he was my brother to prevent his execution (this is coming from someone who generally supports the death penalty too). WAY TOO MUCH DOUBT to kill that man, there is much much more to the story there and I’m waiting for a mountain of shocking stories to arise now.

Number 2 on my list? Charlie Sheen / Ashton Kutcher. Personally, 2 ½ men is my favourite show of all time (I think) and I was an AVID Charlie supporter (possibly because my boyfriend aspires to be like him – Charlie Harper is his Hero, literally). Is there a show without him?
I highly doubt ratings will be so good. Maybe the first 3 episodes yes, the world wants to see whether Ashton Kutcher can match Charlie. I do feel slightly sorry for him, all that pressure but in my honest view point they will bring in on board to “wrap up” the show properly.
Your thoughts?

Number 3 I think would have to be “The Good Food and Wine Show” happening in Johannesburg at the moment.
I AM SO EXCITED! Gordon Ramsay and Master Chef Contestants, Adam and Alvin will all be there.
If anyone has a spare ticket to Gordon Ramsay’s dinner on Friday night let me know, I would happily be a seat filler! As for the event on Saturday the first thing I’m going to do is buy the Master Chef recipe book, the second thing it to ask Alvin or Adam what was the dish they made for the auditions? I want to enter, no doubt, but I think that dish is the most crucial out of the whole contest. You have to impress the judges, out of possibly 5000 dishes yours must be the one to stand out. No “roast chicken” will do that.
So what’s the creative/ unusual dish that you would make? I NEED HELP. When I get through, I will thank you personally, I promise!

The other topic I wanted to mention this week is social media. #iloveit!
Not only that but how it’s changing our language completely. Notice the #? I had had to restrain myself about 6 times already in this article from inserting # into thoughts. Pretty soon we are going to be SAYING hash tag before comments  words like “unlike” and “defriend” have entered our speech as legitimate verbs, Example? “Re-tweet” is now in the Oxford Dictionary,
• Pronunciation:/riːˈtwiːt/
• verb: (on the social networking service Twitter) repost or forward (a message posted by another user). Noun: are posted or forwarded message on Twitter”

Ok… So to summarize:

Top trends for weddings?
*) NO ORGANZA! Go for more luxurious, expensive feeling table linens, Crisp Lines, Bringing in the colour through Flowers and Linens. NO ORGANZA!
*) Chinese Lanterns – LOVE THESE. Releasing a lantern into the sky and making a wish together is a MUST!
*) Cute, personalised “quirky” things – Having your guests take Polaroid’s during the night and writing messages on them for you. Having “Props” for your guests to take funny pictures through the night (you can send these to them after the wedding as favours)
*) Brides are choosing Flowers for the tables that are in the same colour tones, but of different sizes. They are also changing the shape of the tables, mixing round with square. These trends give the reception tables a more interesting look and a less “coordinated” feel.
*) An increasingly popular trend is the “Candy Station” or “Biscuit Bar” This consists of a variety of candies or treats placed in varied sizes of glass containers and grouped on a table. Pretty silver spoons in each container allow guests to fill small boxes or bags as take-home favours.
Whatever you go for just make sure its Personalised to you as a couple.

Recipe of the day?
Lamb Shanks served with dauphinoise potatoes  Easy dish BUT takes time to cook!
The low down:
4 lamb shanks – approx. 1kg bone in
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon flour
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 tin chopped peeled tomatoes
3 celery sticks chopped
4 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup chicken/ Veg stock
a pinch of fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon dry rosemary
A Pinch of Chilli Powder to taste
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Parsley to Garnish
The process
Salt and pepper the shanks, in a large pot brown the shanks in oil on all sides, then remove and set aside.
Soften the garlic, chillis and onions on a medium heat, add the meat and then add all the other ingredients, stir and simmer for 10-15 minutes until liquid has reduced by 1/2.
Pour everything into a casserole dish and cook in a 180 Celsius oven for about 1 1/2 hours, turning the shanks every 20 minutes.

The Potatoes
300mldouble cream
75ml milk
1garlic clove, crushed
1lbpotatoes, sliced
S&P
Nutmeg
A Pinch of Chilli Powder
Gently heat cream, milk, chilli powder and garlic. Pour over seasoned potatoes. Put into a dish and bake at 150 Degrees Celsius for an hour.

Serve and Enjoy 

That’s me! First Blog done! SHEW! Now to establish some sort of order for the next one! Perhaps my dream will be fulfilled and some magazine like Glamour/ Heat or Cosmo will notice my talent and snap me up! Until then……one step closer to living your dreams!
x