Ordinary Misfit was her usual awesome self and gave me a bule LA colours ombre set for my unbirthday. the picture quality is crap i know, but i’m planning on doing this again soon because i love it! must say that the top coat that came with this set is awesome. my nail polish usually chips within seconds, but with this topcoat it stays put for two days at a time!
First off, please excuse the unvacuumed carpet. this is Sinful Colours Neptune, which is my tied (with Sinful Colours Sugar Sugar) favorite colour of right now. This was also my very first stamping experience. now i don’t have the co-ords or patience to stamp, so i asked jinx to. turns out he’s a flipping stamping genius! i used essence silver stampy polish to put the hearts on.
this is what i have on at the moment. the pink is Tip Top marshmallow, which i adore and a Rimmel purple(not sure of the name) i freehand painted the tips on which is why they’re messy, but i was far too lazy to use striping tape last night. the bottom picture is straight after i finished, which is why it’s super messy, but clearer photo because i had jinxy’s phone to take the pic with. again, he did the stamping, because i have tried and can’t do it without smudging, so that’s his job now.
It’s a month until my 30th birthday.
blah.
Birthdays are a depressing time for me in general because I hate the idea that I’m getting so old and achieving so little so quickly. I always get the birthday glooms. Recently it’s been made worse by my Angel Brother’s passing as his birthday is the day after mine. there’s also the little bit of me that wants a fuss made and surprises and all that, but then the rest of me knows that we’re too broke for big spoils and fuss. or even little spoils and fuss. then an even teenier bit whispers “but you dont need money for surprises and all that, all you need is for someone to be creative” but then again, i’m a grown up now, middle aged even and have to get used to the fact that parties and all that shit are for the kids now, not me.
truth be told, i like the idea of being spoiled and surprised and fussed over, but when it actually happens i feel embarrassed and want it all to stop, but when it doesn’t i feel like no one gives a crap. typical gemini mindset.
blah more.
This year is even worse because, as I’ve said i’m turning 30 and have done relatively little with my life so far and because K1 is leaving to go visit her dad in the UK for a month on my birthday. i’m glad she’s having the chance to go visit him and go overseas, but i’m also selfishly gloomy that this means that the traditional family birthday supper won’t happen. it’s the only family tradition that we (barring The Princess, tho that said, she probably has but just doesn’t invite me) have stuck to and i do sort of look forward to it. sounds sort of stupid now that i’ve written it down.
again. blah.
This cause fucking rocks. I’m cold enough in my cosy house under a duvet with the heater going. I can’t even imagine what the poor go through. Please get involved, make a donation and make a difference.
The Twitter Blanket Drive (TBD) is a uniquely South African, community-driven response to the needs of the poor during the winter months of the year.
Initiated in 2010 by Founder, Melanie Minnaar, the Twitter Blanket Drive started with a single tweet:
What if each person on Twitter donated a blanket?
Since then, the Twitter Blanket Drive movement has grown exponentially. In 2012, 13 000 blankets were collected by the Twitter Blanket Drive and donated to organisations who assist the needy, homeless and indigent. All beneficiaries of the Twitter Blanket Drive are verified Non-Profit Organisations (NPOS), as registered with the Department of Social Development. All beneficiaries for the national drive are verified through national networking organisation, info4africa (www.info4africa.org.za).
For 2013, events will be held across the country on 25 May.
Events take on the form of a “Tweetup”, whereby Twitter users tweet about donating their blankets and all enjoy a meal or drink at the collection point.
This year, Durban’s collection points will be branches of your favourite froyo joint, Wakaberry! Whilst the main collection point for Durban will be the Durban North Branch, blanket collection boxes will also be available at Florida Road, Kloof and Umhlanga.
The Durban TBD2013 event will be collecting blankets for KwaCare. KwaCare operates soup kitchens and provides food parcels to needy families, with a focus on assisting orphans, vulnerable children and child-headed households. Visit their website to find out more about this inspirational project – www.kwacare.org.za
How can you help?
- Attend a Twitter Blanket Drive event in your town. If you’re in Durban, come along to the Durban North branch of Wakaberry on 25 May, between 12h00 and 20h00. Collection boxes will also be made available at other branches a week before the event, in case you can’t make it on the day! Facebook event details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/538652986177729/
- Make a cash donation to the Twitter Blanket Drive. Donated funds will be used to purchase more blankets for KwaCare. Bank Details are: Account Name: Twitter Blanket Drive | Bank: First National Bank | Branch: Florida Road (220526) | Account Number: 62410761862 | Reference: Your Twitter Handle or Name.
- Like Twitter Blanket Drive on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TBDZA
- Follow Twitter Blanket Drive on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tbdza or https://www.twitter.com/TBDAfrica and use the hashtag #TBD2013
- Help with the transport of the blankets from events to beneficiary organisations.
For more details on the Durban leg of the Twitter Blanket Drive, please get in touch with Fred Felton on 076-977-5788 or email falconscove@gmail.com or via Twitter @fredfelton
You can also visit the website here: www.tbdafrica.co.za
(Sidenote: I have battled my ass off trying to upload the sponsor’s logos but either i’m being retarded or wordpress is (probably me) and i can’t. please please please go and visit the TBD website and check out all the amazing companies who are sponsoring this initiative which i think fucking rocks)
I’ve been falling more and more in love with nail art recently (all thanks to Ordinary Misfit, have you seen the gorgeous stuff she does??)
My problem is two-fold. Firstly i have no hand eye co-ordination. Seriously, next time you see me in real life, throw something at me and watch how funny I am trying to catch it. I will fall over. This makes anything intricate a bit of a challenge.
Secondly, i have no patience. Like none. This is a problem because when you do pretty to your nails, you have to wait for stuff to dry. I’m almost completely incapable of doing this. Things always end up smudged or chipped or just plain nasty.
When I found the design on Pinterest, the first thing i thought was “hey, i can do that!” the idea is to paint the base coat on, then a coat of glitter and then another coat of the base colour, like so:
Pretty, isn’t it? So when Jinxy and I woke up at sparrows fart this morning to watch some town in america burn down i decided to give it a go.
I used Kangol Shocking and Essence Disco Disco
(please excuse the shocking picture quality, it was taken with my phone in the car!)
The results were pretty, but not quite what i was after. still, it wasn’t that much of a fail that i won’t try it again. I think the glittery polish wasn’t glittery enough (there’s far more glitter bits in the pinterest version) and also, if i’d put a top coat on (note: buy more top coat!!) it would have been more shiny and pretty.
(again, the picture quality is horrible damnit. and i look like i have baby hands, which i do sort of. will try upload a nicer picture, if it doesn’t chip before i get around to doing it.)
you can sort of see the glitter here 
I’ve never been asked to have a guest blogger before, so when Iain Wylder, a rather awesome DJ from Jozi (and one of my Jinxy’s friends) asked me to post a review of one of his events, who was i to say no. A little background: Overboard is an annual event, held on a boat at Hartebeespoort Dam.
In line with the lady bloggers pledge, please be aware that i did not attend the event. i have not been paid to post this, nor have i received free stuff. this is a favour for a friend and done to promote the dance music scene which (no judgies) am rather smitten with.
And now, Audience of Five, I present the full and unedited review of Overboard by Reneta Rambakus:
I would like to start by saying that I am not exactly part of the EDM scene….I’m not a producer, DJ or artist of any kind however if our vision is to turn the “world into one global dance floor”( words made famous by ASOT) we need to be gathering the thoughts of the avid listener whose career path lies elsewhere other than the EDM scene.
With the above being said, these are my thoughts on the OVERBOARD party, the DJ’s, their sets and the overall vibe.
Fantastic weather, beautiful scenery and a boat full of individuals all dressed in white….one couldn’t help but be excited for what was in store. At the same time though I was quite apprehensive…being on a boat for 8 hours could very fast turn sour if the DJ’s didn’t gel or if they had come up with a track list that failed to have any congruence.
At the beginning of any party, the time is usually reserved for socialising and getting a general vibe of the individuals surrounding you. For the man behind the decks, this time is lucrative as it sets the tone for the entire event.
With a drink in my hand, I engaged in friendly chit chat with those closest to me….a quarter way into the conversation I noticed my head casually moving along to the sounds of opening DJ Matthew Kemp…that’s when it hit me…this could very well be the early stages of an epic event.
In my mind the main aim of an opening set is to gently pull the crowd away from their social banter and onto the dance floor, operative word being GENTLY. Matthew Kemp was so smooth and calculated at pulling this off that majority of the crowd had no idea what was happening to them. Quite hilarious actually….one could observe individuals failing dismally at trying to keep their conversations alive because one step at a time you were drawn to the sounds of the opening DJ…. To a point where you thought….”Yes, I don’t actually care to know what’s going on in the lives of the people around me….in actuality I’m here for the music.” And that is when you know, that the opening DJ has fulfilled his duty. He got people to sway and move towards the floor by using rhythmic, percussive, warm sounding tracks. Matthew very cleverly lured the crowd to the dance floor, keeping a tight rein on his BPM harnessing the energy and increasing it at the correct rate as the set progressed. And because of that we shall declare him “THE SMOOTH OPERATOR.” J He managed to attract the crowd with the promise of pleasure, and got them to explode when the next DJ got on.
Enter Iain Wylder whose set was a stellar explosion, a DJ that is able to bring copious amounts of energy to the crowd is rare indeed. He took us to the next level. It almost seemed like radiation. Energetic waves travelling through the crowd as opposed to a vacuum of course J And for that reason I see him as a SUPERNOVA. You then get to appoint where you’re overwhelmed by the energy and you’re thinking….”surely…I’m going to be exhausted in the next few minutes. Iain is not going to stop with the energy…when am I going to stop dancing??”
At this very exact moment, you’re greeted by the enchanting sounds of James Damian. I felt he had brought so much of light to the event that he managed to sustain and build on the energy of the previous DJ. The crowd was delightfully captivated by his charm…entranced by his seamless mix….I’d even go as far as to say…spellbound. All your thoughts of exhaustion have very quickly disappeared. And due to his luminous intensity we shall declare him THE LUMINATORJ
The next DJ to take over was Brandon Pretorius. Do keep in mind that this was the closing set….very critical to the summation of the event. The last thing anyone wants is a closing DJ that plays the “GET OUT OF HERE -ITS TIME FOR YOU TO GO HOME” music…that leaves the crowd feeling cold, distant, unloved and quite frankly ruins it all.
I was pleased to see that Brandon did quite the opposite. His set brought about an intense state of transcendent happiness combined with an overwhelming sense of contentment. What more could you want for the end of an event. It was almost as if Brandon ensured that all attendees would experience a peaceful landing… and yes…..I do realise that we were on a boat…not a plane. However the closing set was so euphoric…in my mind that is all that I can liken it to. In his capable hands the ‘splashdown’ was relaxed. So, we’ll call him THE PILOT. He brought us elation and provided a gentle landing. J
Whether or not these four are aware of it….their talents being brought together is the ultimate recipe for a music experience that far outweighs all the commercialism. One word to describe it all ENLIGHTENED!!!
Any monkey can play one song after another and beat match. But if you can choose the right song at the right time to match the energy of the people in the room, you can create magic. That’s the art of DJ’ing. No machine could ever do that!
So well done to the OVERBOARD team. Can’t wait for the next one!
the current company is the first one i’ve worked at where i share the office with lots of people…i’ve always worked for smaller companies and also, usually with more men than woman.
i set rules for myself early on of how much i share with the people i work with. mommy anecdotes or asking the other parents for advice, fine. giving a very edited version of the weekend, fine.
sadly, there’s always one person who just doesn’t have these kind of rules. that one person who thinks that the people she works with are her friends.
my office TMI Lady is middle aged. she loves talking about girl stuff. not manicures or hair cuts, but some rather more intimate issues… like that time of the month stuff and the rather disgusting issues she has with that, or that she needs to bikini wax or, most recently that she needs to buy adult diapers in bulk.
i don’t deal well with this sort of thing. i have no coping mechanisms, learned after years of being in the corporate environment. after she told me in great detail about her issues with her bleeding lady bits i screamed something like: i’m not your friend and i don’t want to hear this, don’t be so gross!!
it didn’t work.
she still feels the need to tell me about every intimate, disgusting detail of her life.
it’s freaking me the hell out. how do i make it stop?
My mother always told me “Megan, for some people the saying goes that they don’t suffer fools lightly. You don’t suffer fools at all.”
Another of her favourite ways to describe me was “Megan, some people call an ace and ace and a spade a spade. You call the whole deck A-holes.”
(she isn’t one for using foul language, is my mum.)
Thing is, she is 100% correct on both of these counts and it makes for a terrible combination. This wouldn’t be too much of a problem if I didn’t have to deal with massive amounts of stupidity on a daily basis. It’s not just work, it’s everywhere. I’m convinced it’s spreading too. People just seem to have stopped thinking. People who used to seem to have at least a shred of intelligence are acting like absolute morons. Sigh. It’s becoming more and more difficult for me to shut up about it. I’m becoming more sarcastic and mean by the day.
Maybe I just need to find some way of tolerating the m@#$er f@#$%$g idiots I am forced to share the planet with. Maybe it’s because I’ve been feeling stressed and on edge lately that I haven’t been dealing with idiocy well. Maybe myself and a few others are the beginning stages of the next level of human mutation, bringing on a smarter x-man version of the human race?
OR maybe this is how the zombie apocalypse shall begin?
BRAAAAAAAIIIIIINSSSSSSSS!!
Someone died. I don’t know his name. All I know is he used to walk his little boy, K2′s age, every day past my office window. The same office window I could see his body from. Yesterday I saw his little boy walking down the road with someone else. I wonder if he looked at the spot where Daddy bled to death, where there is still a blood stain, as he toddled past and knew that was all that was left of his dad?
By the time I got to work that morning, he was already dead. Everyone was just standing watching. His girlfriend wasn’t even crying. There were no hysterical sobbing relatives throwing themselves over the body. Just a quiet, detached acceptance.
By the time I found out what had happened, it had been an hour since the ambulance and police had been phoned and told that a man had been stabbed and was lying, bleeding in our parking lot. No one had come. No help arrived.
By the time the police arrived, we had covered the body. It was too late to help that little boy’s daddy, whose name I didn’t know. By that time, even if an ambulance had arrived they couldn’t have brought him back. What if they had arrived when they were called, when he collapsed on the ground in front of my co-worker and asked, begged, for help. Would he have been saved, to walk his little boy past my window every afternoon?
By the time the van arrived to fetch the body, I was angry. Why had no one helped? Why had they all just stood there and watched? Why are we all too scared to do anything? Why didn’t I know his name? The little boy’s name? Why had the police and ambulances taken so long? Why had the policeman LAUGHED while he took a statement from the little boy’s mother? Why did those men think they had the right to stab that little boy’s daddy in front of him?
Something is so broken about this country, when a man can bleed to death and people just stand and watch while a man they know, a man they see every day dies right in front of my window. I don’t know quite how to deal with it. All I know is that I am angry and that my faith in humanity is that little bit more bruised and beaten down.
And that that little boy will now live in my mind as the boy whose daddy bled to death in our parking lot.
I just realised that sometime (shows my progress that i don’t know the exact date) in April it will be 2 years since FOK2 fokked off. And I don’t give a fuck.
I don’t care what job he has, how his new marriage is, what maintenance he’s paying for his other kids, who he’s boning on the side, nothing.
I just plain don’t give a fuck.
As far as I’m concerned, when I got the message from him saying he wants no part in K2′s life and that Jinx must adopt her, he died.
That is all
