Appreciate Thursday

Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself.  Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves. 

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new love

check out my new tumblr account. im hoping to do an equal amount of posting on both platforms.

hope everyone has had a wonderful start to the week.

x

Appreciate Thursday

Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on.  No, it won’t be easy.  There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them.  We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems.  That’s not how we’re made.  In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall.  Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time.  This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.

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luscious locks

i have been thinking about getting into the moroccan oil revolution for a long time now but just could not justify paying around $40 for a bottle of oil. finally today, after randomly walking into the pharmacy near my office, i was lucky enough to find a good bargain- a full size shampoo for $15 and a small bottle of the morrocan oil (25ml) for $13. bargain!
i came home with the mission of trying out my new purchases and WOW am i in love! my hair naturally curly and quite fine, so it tends to know very easily. i try not to use a ton of heat on it as well as my hair responds by becoming brittle and clumping into a giant knot- which is not a whole bunch of fun to comb out.
then there is the issue of how much hair falls out with each wash- i generally try to wash my hair twice a week- depending on how hot it is here. no matter what i have tried- creams, potions, lotions, masks, oils- nothing seems to strengthen my hair. my hairdresser even seems amazed that im not bald by the amount of hair that falls out with gentle wash ( let me tell you, having a professional say she is "freaked out" isn't the nicest feeling) but, moving on... tonight i might have just found my saving grace. i used the shampoo and just gently massaged it into my scalp and wow it felt good. im not someone who jumps on bandwagons with the latest this and that- but i have heard a whole heap about this range and i must say that im glad i ended up getting the shampoo. while rinsing it out, only a few strands of hair fell out- which had me thinking "whaaat?"  i mean, hair still fell out, but not a whole clump as usual. after one wash. a good result. i mean wow. so good.
i have tried the oil on my ends, and i guess time will only tell whether it livens up my curly mop of fine, volume lacking hair.
but so far? absolutely rating it.



this is not a sponsored post, i handed the money over myself :)

outfits of the week

colour blocking blue & yellow

ladies dinner- stripes/ tribal/ gemstones

black n bows @ work



classic office attire



dressup party- modern charlies angel

sunday lunch with Tanika



random after office lazy shot

quite a simple concept. im sorry i have not been very good with documenting every outfit i have worn- but hey, better than nothing yeah?
enjoy and drop me a comment :)


xx

Happy Hump Day

appreciate

so, its been a long while between "appreciate" posts. i am determined to get better at this whole blogging thing. i keep trying to remind myself that i can use this as a way to air my thoughts for the day. so here goes...

1. girlfriends- i have quite a small "inner circle" of girlfriends. i know that i can call them at the drop of a hat and they will be there for me, no questions asked. i appreciate each and every girlfriend in my life and love them equally, for all their differences and all our similarities.

2. being employed- simply, it allows me to live a comfortable life. this is a major "appreciate" thumbs up.

3. stopping to smell the roses- sometimes just taking a minute out the day to debrief and think a good thought makes the day a little better :)

4. hot cross buns- i know its early for Easter chatter, but hot cross buns a 'any time' snack for me.

5. glitter nail polish- on a completely different level, glitter makes my nail polish twinkle as it catched the light and lifts any normal mani to another level of cool.

Who or what are you guys appreciating today?

letting go

i found this email from my cousin and it seems its been sitting in my inbox, unread for a long time. today, of all days, on the 1yr anniversary of my grandfather's passing i read it. i read it and it made a ton of sense for me. yes i miss him, yes its sad that he is gone from this world but as long as i have memories of him, he is alive in my heart. im letting him go. but in a good way.

There are people who can walk away from you.
And hear me when I tell you this!
When people can walk away from you: let them walk.

And it doesn't mean that they are a bad person,
it just means that their part in the story is over.
And you've got to know when people's
part in your story is over so that you
don't keep trying to raise the dead.
   
You've got to know when it's dead.
You've got to know when it's over.
Let me tell you something.
I've got the gift of good-bye.
It's the tenth spiritual gift,
I believe in good-bye.

If you are holding on to something
that doesn't belong to you and was never intended for your life,
then you need to...
LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to past hurts and pains...
LET IT GO!!!

If someone can't treat you right, love you back, and see your worth...
LET IT GO!!!

If someone has angered you...
LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to some thoughts of evil and revenge…
LET IT GO!!!

If you are involved in a wrong relationship or addiction…
LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to a job that no longer meets your needs or
talents…
LET IT GO!!!

If you have a bad attitude...
LET IT GO!!!

If you keep judging others to make yourself feel better...
LET IT GO!!!

If you're stuck in the past and God is trying to take you to a new
level in Him...
LET IT GO!!!

 If you are struggling with the healing of a broken relationship.....
LET IT GO!!!

If you keep trying to help someone who won't even try to help
themselves…
LET IT GO!!!

If you're feeling depressed and stressed...
LET IT GO!!!

If there is a particular situation that you are so used to handling
yourself and God is saying "take your hands off of it," then you need to...
LET IT GO!!!

Let the past be the past.
Forget the former things.
GOD is doing a new thing for 2012 !!!
LET IT GO!!!

Get Right or Get Left...think about it, and then
LET IT GO!!!


"The Battle is the Lord's!"

so im back! after a good four weeks away, soaking up sun, sipping a few cocktails (ok i lie- at least a cocktail a day) and a bit of shopping, im back on the blogging wagon. looking forward to an amazing 2012. i hope you all had an amazing festive season and rung in the new year amongst those you love.

xx

last day of work until 2012

and its a half day as well! the countdown is finally in single digits and the packing will begin this afternoon.

cant wait to board that plane, first stop singapore for a mini holiday and then the mother land :)

i hope you all have a wonderful festive season, be safe

xx

A-Z of me

A. Age – 23.

B. Bed size – Queen. So much space, not enough pillows

C. Chore that you hate – Washing dishes and mopping floors.

D. Diamonds- yes please!

E. Essential start to your day – My morning coffee. Or Tea. Or Chai latte.

F. Favorite color – Depends on the season. At this time of the year its mostly corals or reds

G. Gold or silver – Both…or can I be fussy and say Platinum?

H. Height – 168cm

I. Instruments you play – None L I always wished to be play the piano though

J. Job title – Employment Coach- Assisting the unemployed to get back into the workforce or into training.

K. Kids – Not yet! Someday :)

L. Live – West Australia

M. Mother’s name – Pearl Rosemary

N. Nicknames – Candy, but that is very rare. Mostly I get called by my full name Candice Leigh

O. Overnight hospital stays – Nope. None yet J

P. Pet peeves – People who constantly say “Oh my God”. Or people that talk in text talk. LOL. No, you aren’t laughing out loud, so please stop.

Q. Quote from a movie – The Notebook, the “Bird” quote. I know, mushy.

R. Right or left handed – Right.

S. Siblings – One younger brother. He is kinda cool

T. Time it takes you to get ready – Week day mornings- about 25 minutes . Going out routine is about an hour and a half.

U. Underwear – bit to personal?

V. Vegetable you hate – Not a fan of eggplant

W. What makes you run late – not being able to read maps. Or driving in an unfamiliar area.

X. X-rays you’ve had – One on my fractured nose @ 5yo and then one on my teeth last week.

Y. Yummy food you make – I love cooking- don’t do it as often as I would like to though. I make awesome guacamole J and I make a pretty good capsicum/ tomato & pepperoni pasta. Yum!

Z. Zoo animal – I adore the meerkats, the lions and the giraffes

MIA

i know, i know, i have been missing in action ofr little while- but i have the best excuse ever- last minute planning for my trip. so many unexpected things have come up, including me freaking out about the weather in south africa that i just have not found the time to take photos or post anything of worth.

hopefully things will settle down for my last week so i can get my packing done. look out for a cool post before i leave :)

xx

Notes from London

Note Two

Hi again! Apologies for the late entry it's been an intense roller coaster week. But to be cheesy...... I'm back on solid grown now with a smile on my face and a little bit more of an understanding of who I am becoming. 
And that is what its all about right? 

Alright, enough of the serious talk. My note from London this week is all about something else that has been happening over the last few weeks and that is... winter.  Yes I know it's always cold in England but this cold is different and it comes and goes with no warning.

I love it. Its crisp, its fresh, its very traditional and cliche and it means I have more of an excuse to buy coffee everyday. However I have no. idea. how. to. dress. for it.  One morning it might be freezing but I'll go out in my ballerinas and a light coat. Then the next day I would have learnt from my under-dressing of the previous day and wear a heavier coat and boots and then turn out to be overdressed because its not as cold!

Assuming English girls don't have this problem I've been trying to play close attention to how they are dressing for winter.. you know learn from the natives.... Now by natives I would like to point out that I mean girls from South West London were I live and work. It's important to note that women's fashion does kind of very from area code to area code. And central London... Well that's another story.


SW London girls are what I would call preppy or traditional for the most part with the odd few who add a bit of Alexa Chung-ish flair to an outfit such as a purple nail polish or a kitch accessory. 


Their secret to Winter dressing is layering and the reason they do it so well is because they understand how to mix colors, patterns and fabrics so the layering seems seamless and light. (Unlike me who today felt like the Michelin man in my 10 thousand layers)

It seems I have a lot of learning (and shopping) to do!

appreciate

quite a self explanatory post that i would like to start including on a regular basis.
working in the industry that i do, i have come across many a sad story and situation. it kind of makes me think to myself- what am i grateful for? what more can i do to be a better version of myself? how can i show appreciation for the good things and people that i have in my life? which brings us to the first "appreciation" post.

1. the boy. he continues to show me how to be better. and cooks for me. come on!

2. mothers. specifically the many mothers i have in my life. i have caught a small glimpse into what being a mum is like, the sacrifices that are made, the lack of sleep and the awe- inspiring love that comes with being a mum. i love the relationship that i have with my mum. we talk about everything and even though sometimes i feel like im the "mum", she still is most definately one the bravest, most selfless woman i have ever known.

3.time out from everyday life. recently went away for a mini break from reality and loved it. it was much needed and i came back refreshed, and in the right frame of mind. even the drive there and back was relaxing, being able to spend a solid few hours leaving the bills and work and responsibilities behind. just spending time away.

4. summer. i miss summer when its gone so much. i love the feel of the sun on my skin, soaking up the vitamin d and trying to get abit of colour happening (safely ofcourse). summer is like a giant hug for me,  filled with exotic fruits, cocktails and sunscreen.

5. coffee. its more than a morning drink. its the way i wake up and get myself prepped for the day. usually  previously i would have 2 or 3 coffee's a day but as i am being "healthy" and "aware" of what i eat and drink, i have reduced myself to a lowly ONE COFFEE A DAY. there are times i question my sanity but beauty is pain right?

who/ what are you appreciating this week?

homeward bound

sipping on champers

bubye marg's...hello cheese

gorgeous bed of colour

rose & cabernet



favourite winery



south bound

passionfruit & vanilla cocktail

angel hair past w blue manna crab

peanut butter

having a titanic moment

<3

this last weekend gone by, the boy and i took a trip down the coast for the wedding of two of our good friends. ofcourse i had to document the trip through instagram. enjoy :)


xx

cross continental blogging

i have had the privilege of knowing and being friends with the lovely Dominik for 5years now. when she told me that she was finally taking the plunge and moving to london town indefinitely, i was a mixture of super excited for her and super sad for me. no more friday night coffee catch up’s or saturday shopping L in the 9 or so months that she has been gone, we have tried to keep in contact often, emailing, whatssapping and facebooking constantly- me always wanting more and more info on the “cool” life of dominik in london town. so, because dominik is quite the awesome person, she came up with the idea for us to do weekly cross continental guest posting on each other’s blogs. i look forward to dominik’s weekly update on all things cool and all things London. i hope to have some cool things to add to her blog on a weekly basis as well, so look out for it J enjoy!

A note from London

Week One


Hello, so we finally got our act together huh? Our first blog entry swap. Suddenly I find myself a little nervous, a little self conscious and without much to say.

I've been thinking about it all weekend actually ... and then I  just realized what better to say in my first Note from London then what I am thinking and going through right now. I mean the whole point of this swap is to bring us closer together in our day to day lives even though we are so far away right?

So here goes.

It's been almost nine months now since I arrived in lodon or is it ten? I loose track.

It's gone incredibly fast and yet it feels like a lifetime with so much happening in what reality is a short time. We've lived in a hostel for six week, on a new friends couch for two months, got jobs and lost jobs, made a family out of flatmates, spent birthdays in Paris and drank steins in Munich.

And now after so much adventure it seems like we've formed a routine and life has kind of slowed down a bit which on one hand means we feel at home in London (trust me if you had told me that in April I wouldnt have believed you) and on the other hand means its a little easier to forget how lucky we are to be in this situation.

So as I've always tried to remember.. You have to look at the little things. So for my first note from London here are the little things that made my weekend, and a little insight into my life here.  As seen through the eyes of our favorite app Instagram.

1. Autumn

2. Sad looking sneakers that have seen the world.

3. A date with the boy.

4. Trying new things.

So there you have it a tiny insight into things going on with me here.  Can't wait to see and hear about your weekend. I'm sure it was lovely and warm (its freezing over here!).  

This weekend I'm on the hunt for new shoes. As you can see mine are looking terribly sad. So Notes from London are heading shoe shopping!

Until then. Thanks for letting me guest blog. 

Miss ya.

x

posh



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for as long as i can remember i have absolutley adored victoria beckham. or posh spice as she was formerly known as. or rather victoria adams. i was obssessed with her when the spice girls came out, i wanted to be her, i wanted to have her snooty pout, i wanted to have her accent, i wanted to be posh spice. i cant even recall how many times i watched the spice girl movie, and how many times i would belt out their songs, or dress like them. it was all a bit exciting and i still get really excited when there is abit of new gossip that comes out about victoria. when she and david got together and then started having babies, i was like a little fan girl that was even more in love with all things beckham.



in recent years, with her rapid evolution from 'famous soccer wife' to style icon and respected part of the design industry pretty much complete, she has again flawed me with the elegance and grace that she seems to exude. Now that she is a mum of four, and she has a little girl, its easy to see how mrs beckham has changed. it seems that, while she (and david) still command the spotlight wherever they go, there no longer is the obvious push for exposure with regards to paparazzi. she has always seemed to be an attentive mother and now that she has the baby girl (that im sure she has no doubt been longing for) all seems to be in perfect balance on planet beckham.

as a fan girl who has grown up with vicki b, i can honestly say, even when she was soooo skinny with boobs out to here i still adored her. adored that she didnt smile, adored that she was so fashionable and adored that she sat in the stands at david's games and cheered. now i still adore her, for all those reasons, but for so many more as well. i love that she always looks polished and put together when i see photographs of her. i love that she is such a strong, independant woman, who makes bold fashion choices. i love that she seems to constantly reinvent herself (hello hairstyles- which i have proudly copied) and i love that there still seems to be a measure of mystic that surrounds her.

style icon? in my eyes- hell yes.

zombies & leopards & geishas. oh my!



poppy the pumkin



 this past saturday, tanika and i co-hosted our first ever halloween party. it really was such fun. tanika and i had been planning the night for about a month or so, going through what we would need for the party. We made about a million lists and refined our ideas for the food, drinks and decorations from ideas we got online and through some of the blogs that we follow as well. I have to say my favourite part was making up the signature cocktails that we had for the night.

we decided that we would have 2 signature drinks for the night, both with a halloween theme attached. the first cocktail we came up with was the bloody cocktail. it was so simple!



leopard tanika & evil angel



 we threw some ice, strawberries, malibu, midori, canadian club and some lemonade into a blender and whizzed it together and viola- a bloody cocktail :) our second drink was simply champayne with a peach slice and peach syrup. quite sweet, but a good way to start the night.

wrecked

our menu consisted of a lot of finger food, such as home made pizza and sausage rolls. The normal 'party' food was also a must, with crisps and dips in abundance, snake lollies and chocolate pastry also around. We also did a platter with finger vegetables & dip so we could pretend we were being healthy :) Such a fun night, with everyone dressing up and best dressed going to the geisha and woody from toy strory. cant wait for our next one :)



photo backdrop w urkel & a hobo



jasmine & dorothy