The beauty of me time.

I'm the type of person that loves being surrounded by people or immersed in conversation with others, however, there always comes a time when I just need some quality me-time.

My favourite kind of me-time is the treat-myself kind. The usual kind of me-time consists of sitting in a coffee shop reading a book or magazine accompanied by my standard cappuccino. If I'm feeling in the proper treat-yo-self mood then I'll pamper myself with anything from a manicure, facial or even just going to get my hair and washed (personal fav because the idea of hair-washing is my least favourite time).

I always feel so refreshed and happy after these kinds of afternoons (or even days). 

Otherwise, a good afternoon read or catching up series is my standard go-to if I am too lazy to venture out into the wilderness (i.e. out of my room). 

And here are some books that are on my current reading (wish)list:

• Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
• Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel García Márquez
• A Short of History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson 
• The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
• Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• More books about royalty - I'm obsessed intrigued with this genre!  

A bit of here and there post nonetheless these delightful days are joyous and rejuvenating and with the upcoming public holidays more time to do these wonderful activities! What are some of your favourite me-time activities?

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Cape Town Diaries: Creamery Cafe

One of my favourite pastimes is trying new eating places - be it coffee shops or restaurants, food is my go-to social interaction.

Included in my array of favourites is the Creamery Cafe which has hands-down some of the most interesting and tantalising ice-cream flavours imaginable.

The standard choice is simply a single scoop of any of the new flavours (the coffee flavour is my fallback if none of the new creations are appetising enough). However, a must-try is the waffles which come with a scoop of ice cream and I recommend trying it with the toasted marshmallow!

For R32 for a single scoop, it’s well worth making a stop after dinner, before dinner, for dinner or any time of day or necessary social interaction!

Cape Town Diaries: Sunset Cruise

I thought I would try a new series of posts where I chronicle all my Cape Town adventures - I might even back-date some of these posts and post about last year's adventures.
For now, we will start with this year's chronicle: during O-week (Orientation Week, basically a two-week fun fest before varsity starts) I took one of the Sunset Cruises that depart from the V&A Waterfront. The cost of these yacht cruises is not as expensive as one would think ranging from R250-R350 per person for a 90 minute/2 hour cruise including complimentary bubbly and it takes you just beyond the harbour where you can see all the wonders of the Cape Town skyline (both building and mountain) painted in the pink rays of the setting sun. I highly recommend doing this cruise during summer when the wind is not as violent at night and its still fairly warm by the evening time and you can take in all the beauty without freezing your socks off.

Jewel of the Free State

On my last weekend of holiday at home, we decided to venture out of the province and visited a quaint corner of the country close to Clarens in the Free State. The holiday lodge was surrounded by mountains and tranquility and it was a weekend filled with putt-putt, quad-biking and wonderful little eating places - all the key ingredients to a weekend away in the Drakensberg.

For your reading pleasure

The magic of reading is once you find a really gripping book, hours can pass by without you even realising. I was lucky enough to read three such books this past month - Yes Please!, Catcher in the Rye and Mornings in Jenin. I don't usually read one genre of books (as this short booklist reveals), my main concern is that it's not a slow read. I thought I would provide my short review of these three books that kept me entertained over December (or rather for a few days at a time in short bursts).

Yes Please! by Amy Poehler

I am one of those people who are fascinated by the lives and stories of other people so this kind of book was right up my alley. It's a mixture of Amy's wisdom and life experiences all wrapped up in her humour. It's filled with so many take-home lessons such as the one below. 

And it's only made me regret not starting to watch Parks & Recreation sooner!

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

This coming-of-age novel doesn't have much of a plot to it but again, the lessons one can learn from the main character, Holden Caulfield are truly valuable - as you can see I'm about both entertainment & learning!

Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa 

Never before have I cried buckets of tears after reading a book, I cried for the fictitious family in the novel, I cried for all the different kinds of losses in both this novel and reality, I cried for humanity. The story centres the Palestine-Israel conflict from its beginnings to the current day. It is a well-written book about such a large part of human history about which I had been ashamedly fairly ignorant. This single blog post does not quite do the mastery of this book justice. Below is one review of the book that encapsulates some my feelings towards this book: 

'In a note to readers, Susan Abulhawa writes, “I have always believed in the power of literature to reach the heart, stir the mind, and remind us all of our common humanity.  And I have always admired writers who chose storytelling as a way to tear down the barriers between peoples.  It is for this reason that I chose to write Mornings in Jenin.” Well, she has certainly accomplished the stirring of the heart, reminding us of our common humanity, and tearing down barriers in this novel. This book is a masterpiece.'  

Sunday Songs.

My previous two Sunday Songs posts (here & here) have been about French songs, so I thought I would try and keep up with that and post another French song for your listening pleasure. Quelqu'un m'a dit by Carla Bruni isn't actually a new song, it's been around for quite a while but I am quite obsessed with it's quaint, romantic melody and hum-along-tune.  (excuse the disjointed lyrics)

On me dit que nos vies ne valent pas grand-chose Elles passent en un instant comme fanent les roses On me dit que le temps qui glisse est un salaud Que de nos chagrins il s'en fait des manteaux Pourtant quelqu'un m'a dit... (refrain) Que tu m'aimais encore C'est quelqu'un qui m'a dit que tu m'aimais encore Serait-ce possible alors ? On me dit que le destin se moque bien de nous Qu'il ne nous donne rien et qu'il nous promet tout Paraît que le bonheur est à portée de main Alors on tend la main et on se retrouve fou Pourtant quelqu'un m'a dit... (refrain) Mais qui est-ce qui m'a dit que toujours tu m'aimais ? Je ne me souviens plus, c'était tard dans la nuit J'entends encore la voix, mais je ne vois plus les traits "Il vous aime, c'est secret, lui dites pas que je vous l'ai dit" Tu vois, quelqu'un m'a dit... Que tu m'aimais encore, me l'a-t-on vraiment dit... Que tu m'aimais encore, serait-ce possible alors ?

Someone told me that our lives aren't a big thing(*guess it means something important) They pass on the instant as discolour roses Someone told me that the time that pass is a bastard that is making topcoats from our grief However someone said to me... Refrain Who do you still love, This is someone that've told me that you still love me. Is it possible then? Someone told me that the destiny is scoffing at us dont't give us anything and that promise us everything Appear that the happiness is only for the reach hands Then they tighten the hand and find themselves crazy But someone have told me... Refrain But who can tell me that today you are loving me? I don't remember more it was late in the night, I'm still hearing the voice, but I don't see anymore the ?points? "He loves you, it's a secret, don't tell him that I tell you" You see, someone told me... Who do you still love, he really told me... Who do you still love, is it possible then?

Durban Street Food Festival

I did some adventuring today, venturing to the old Rivertown Beerhall to eat some yummy food at the Street Food Festival. Unfortunately, I didn't choose the right time to go as it wasn't as buzzing as it would have been in the evenings and not so cleverly went after lunch so there were plenty of burgers and full meals available to buy which I didn't have the appetite to savour.  Nonetheless, the music was festive and we ate some delicious deep-fried oreos and melt-in-your-mouth macaroons. The last day is tomorrow and it's going on tonight till late, as well.