Weekend Snapshots

Originally, my purpose of going to Johannesburg this past weekend was to see my best friend Fifi and help her move into her new place. 48 hours later and I must admit we did no moving whatsoever. Instead, we went on an urban safari of the City of Gold. When you have great company, you will always be guaranteed a fun time, be it in the epicenter of a hotspot or just chilling out in front of the telly at home. We had an amazing weekend, and only got to bed after 4am, catching up and keeping up with love, life, friends and everything else.



Melville

We visited the famous 7th Avenue in Melville, which is aligned with coffee shoppes, boutiques, cocktail bars and poet's lounges, second-hand book stores and art galleries. The vibe is ageless, artsy and liberal. It's a bohemian village where an eclectic crowd gather - actors, hippies, Rastas, artists, muso's, young blood and old money; you will find them all here. This is a cultural hub where anything goes and you're free to 'be' exactly who you want to be without any pretenses or judgement. We had daiquiris over sunset at the Lucky Bean café, which had a cool 3-D tree mural covering the walls (pictured above right).

Grand Central Café

For supper, it was suggested we try out Grand Central Café at Melrose Arch Piazza. The elegant and trendy decor has a distinct New York feel about it. We were greeted by twinkling fairy lights on the deck outside. I was thankful that they had outdoor heaters, because it was quite chilly. The menu was extensive but uninteresting. The five of us settled for tramezzeni's, pasta and pizza. The waiter also brought us mushroom risotto, confusing it with ricotta - very strange. They do make some good fries though. ;)

Leeyas Boutique

If you're not into commercial brands and chain stores, Leeyas Boutique should be at the top of your list. They have moved into a newly revamped and much bigger store in Central Road, Fordsburg. The glamourous decor makes for an aesthetically pleasing shopping experience, with damask wallpaper, crystal chandeliers, an FTV monitor and spacious change rooms (pictured bottom left). Aren't the lights cute? I like that it isn't cluttered and the rails are well spaced out, it makes browsing much easier.

Leeyas stocks beautiful pieces of clothing that transcend contemporary fashion. Instead of fading trends, you will find unusual one-of-a-kind tops in vibrant prints, as well as vintage-inspired dresses in creamy pastels. They also stock stunning clutches and handbags. The prices are very reasonable and you can be assured not to clash with anyone else, seeing that sizes and quantities are limited. I would highly recommend that you stop by if you're ever in Joburg. For more information, contact (011) 838 2786.

That was a snippet of my weekend away - before my camera battery gave up on me (Note to self - next time do not forgot the charger!). I hope you had a fabulous one too! 

Weekend Snapshots

My blogging system has gone slightly haywire since my long weekend away on the east coast. It was nice to leave the cold behind and travel to a warmer destination. My time in Durban was fun and relaxing, but also very busy, with non-stop social visits, mall-hopping, dining out and going out. I only had a chance to take a few pictures, which I share with you below.

1. This was the beautiful view from our hotel on the beach. That was actually also the closest I went to the beach. As it was off-season, this tourist-friendly area was unusually quiet.

2. A scene from an incredibly fun ride on the Dodgems (bumper cars), which is a true testament to anyone's driving skills. Sometimes it's good to let go and relive your youth - even if it's only for 5 minutes. It wasn't surprising to see that we were not the only adults there. 

3. On Friday night, we went to watch Monte Carlo, which stars Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester and Katie Cassidy. Because the movie started only at 11pm, we had the entire cinema to ourselves, which was quite surreal and a little eerie at that time of night. It started out slow and tedious, probably because Selena's character was so lifeless. Luckily, it was Leighton who saved the movie from being a complete disaster, putting on a Blair-worthy performance. It was great seeing her & Katie (Juliette from Gossip Girl) together on screen again - and getting along too.

4. Every time I'm at the Gateway Theatre of Shopping, I stop by my favourite boutique, Lady and the Punk. I always find something amazing here, it perfectly fits my style - girly with a side of punk. On this occasion, they had a great choice of boyfriend blazers, chiffon dresses, quilted sling bags, bejeweled flats, wedges and lace cardigans.

5. On Saturday night, my darling cousin Ray took me to her favourite restaurant in KZN, Bel Punto. It's a lovely authentic Italian eatery in the coastal resort of Umdloti. It was so busy, that we almost lost our reservation. Bel Punto is famous for their delicious seafood and 'pollo alla diavola'. I will hopefully be returning for the lusciously divine expresso créme brulée. 

That was a snippet of my wonderful weekend away...I hope you had a great one too!

A Small Town City Girl

Growing up in my pink little bubble in Small Town, SA, I was quite oblivious to the bigger and some what intimidating world out there. Although not technically a farm, we have the luxury of breathing in fresh, unpolluted air, live amidst green open fields, peaceful streets and picturesque mountains. The furthest you have to drive to go anywhere is 5 minutes, In fact, you could even safely walk to your destination. The only kind of traffic you'd have to worry about are the small herds of cows or goats, that harmoniously reside amongst the lush meadows and cozy residences. Everyone knows everyone in the hamlet, which can be advantageous, because theres always a helping hand literally around the corner. On the other hand, it can be slightly annoying with the entire population always knowing your every move.



City Slickers live under the misconception that we on the countryside, or 'rural areas' as it's been called, don't have basic amenities such as electricity & running water. This is far from the truth, as we have most of what they have, just on a much smaller & simpler scale. We may not be able to pop down to Woolworths Food to purchase organic strawberries, but better still, we can get it from our local grocer, newly picked from a nearby farm, and at half the price too. Another countryside component people ask me about is how we survive without any malls, cinemas and fancy restaurants. I suppose when you grow up without extravagant entertainment options, you make the best of what you have.



My school down the road, not only offered a solid, dual medium education, but also provided a social playground. Kids grow up playing outside without fancy gadgets and without shoes, riding their bikes across leafy streets, camping out on weekends & enjoying the innocence and beauty of childhood. Instead of shopping for designer clothes to wear to the movies, friends got together to play sports & boardgames, or watch DVD's & have slumber parties. It didn't matter what clothes you wore, what kind of mobile phone you owned or if you even had one, or what social background you came from. You were accepted and liked for who you are. It was a blissful, carefree life, the only one I had known...well, until I began the “Campus Girl” Chapter of my life.



Moving to The City had me wrapped up in an anxious knot, excited by relocation but also fearing the unknown. I had often made many weekend visits to the City of Gold, and vacationed at the Cape & KZN Coast, but actually living in a city left me feeling a little jellyfish out of water. My first week of orientation as a bemused Bachelor of Arts student was a complete culture shock. Verdant valleys & picket fences long forgotten, I had stepped into a concrete world of shadowing skyscrapers & reckless roadsters. Besides the smoggy air clogging up my lungs, the nightmarish traffic turned a 20 minute journey to university into an hour long, snail paced drive. The cool crowd on campus would only be friends with you if you 'fit in' to their savvy city lifestyles; wearing the right brands, cruising around in fancy cars and hanging out at the hottest venues, all armed with street conceit smart attitudes. I refused to be consumed by it all, afraid I would lose my sense of self & forget the unpretentious world I came from. I became disillusioned with the bright lights, fast lives and freeways. Far from what I had anticipated, I began to research the benefits of long distance learning.



Upon receiving the campus diary & lecture schedule, I tried to decipher the cryptic subject codes & allocated time slots. I longed for straightforward school days where your form teacher told where you had to be at what time and that ENG 154 was just English and not linguistics or lexicography. My spirits were drowned, rather than dampened when I found out, in order to receive the required credits, I needed to take up 26 modules. In One Year. I had back to back, overlapping, hour long classes in different, distant venues & adding to the stress of it all, poetry at university level made my entire Matric syllabus look like a preschool nursery rhyme. Returning my copy of Norton's Anthology, I took up Anthropology instead. It was then, I wondered whether if it was too late to take a gap year.



However, once my the first set of lectures began, a new wave of creative encouragement aerated my deflated aspirations. I was inspired by the compelling contents of my study material, knowledgeable lecturers, and even the vast, dusty lecture halls filled with students just as confused as I was. It was here that I met my kindred spirits, both also studying Journalism. Once the initial 'Hello's' and introductions were exchanged, we instantly clicked, connected by our love for all things Glamour, Cosmo, frills and thrills. They became my support system, my home away from home, ensuring that my 4 year stay in the city was an unforgettable one.



My metamorphosis from Small Town to City Girl became an amazing adventure, fulfilled by mall-hopping, class skipping, note copying, faithful friendship and of course, some studying in between.



I realised that living a city life doesn't change who you are, as I will always a small town girl at heart.

Design-a-Bedroom

This weekend was spent scurrying around Joburg, looking for new bedroom furniture. I thought it would be as easy as going into a design store, finding exactly what I liked, buying it and having it delivered within a week. Unfortunately, it's not that easy; there's much more to consider when buying furniture. 



Firstly, you have to decide what style of furniture would suit your current room decor. Contemporary, vintage, eclectic? Then the size and colour; mahogany, maple, cherry or oak. When you find something that fits all three categories, you have to look at the finer details with a critical eye. This was the first time I took an interest in anything decor-related. I had no idea how important the height of a pedestal and the design of a drawer handle actually were. 



Woodmead and Fourways are the go-to places for home decor in the city. After several stops, I ended up at the 'Most inspiring décor destination in Jozi', Design Quarter. It was nominated by CNN as the one of the 'must-see' places in South Africa during the World Cup. This exclusive shopping centre is an interior designer's dream, and for me, it took the tedium out of furniture shopping. The beautiful open-air piazza has a dozen decor stores, each trading in trendy and unique designs. In between store-browsing and decision-making, you can stop and chill out at one of the many divine restaurants or coffee shoppes in the plaza. I made the customary stop at Vida e Caffé. 



My favourite find at DQ was a white vintage-inspired chest of drawers with metallic ring handles and a high-gloss finish (pictured below). I also adore the intricately carved room divider behind it. @Home had some lovely lighting options and throw cushions in luxurious fabrics. Bedroom Basics is the best place for modern and minimalistic designs.

After hours of browsing and contemplation, I still haven't made a decision. There are so many different sets to chose from. I photo-documented my top picks of black and white furnishings. It's going to be quite a mission narrowing it down from the choices below.

If you're in need of design inspiration, new ideas, fab furnishings and frills, I recommend visiting the Design Quarter. While you're there, enjoy the relaxed environment, continental food and great restaurants. Did I mention there's also a Lindt Chocolate Studio?