Come Dine With Me!

After the recent craze of the new season of Come Dine With Me: South Africa, four friends and I decided to implement our very own version of this show.

We had been wanting to do it for a very long time and eventually one of us volunteered to break the ice and be the first "contestant."

Mushfeeka hosted the first evening at her house in Panorama, and served us mouth-watering food that was full of flavour and perfectly sized portions.  Our starters were a pea and mint risotto, followed by sticky chicken meal with cherry tomatoes and potatoes.  The evening was ended off perfectly with her home-made margarita-inspired ice-cream - creamy, lemony and delicious!

Only bad things happen quickly

Bad things often happen instantaneously and without us even anticipating it.  It comes out of nowhere and hits us with a bang!  Usually, to make matters worse, bad things are known to happen in three's, as if one wasn't enough!

It's the good things in life that take time to accumulate and take longer to happen.  We sit around waiting patiently for the good things in life to eventually grace us with its presence.  But by merely sitting, waiting, wishing for these wonderful things to happen, aren't we missing out on everything happening in-between?

Whether good or bad, sitting around waiting is virtually the same as being stuck in limbo.  You are just going with the motions, watching things pass you by - things that could have had a significant importance to you.

So although the bad things in life tend to happen quickly, and the good things require tedious waiting and anticipation, do not let "life" pass you by.  Enjoy every moment and don't take anything for granted!

Productivity tips for busy people

As a person who is always on the go, especially throughout this year by working two jobs plus attempting to complete my BTech degree in Public Relations Management, I found the below tips very useful to implement.  These tips will ensure that you not only complete everything that needs to be done, but remain productive while doing so.  So if you ever feel like you are too busy to do anything and cannot cope anymore, try the following 50 tips out.  Remember, there are only 168 hours in a week, and if you’re sleeping 8 hours a day (like we're all supposed to!), you only left with roughly 110 hours to be productive!

Tips:

1. Create a to-do list
2. Create a not-to-do list

3. When you wake up, set at least 3 'most important things'to do for the day
4. Prioritize your work
5. Use free time wisely to reduce stress
6. Don’t try to be a perfectionist (I really need to work on this one!)
7. Maintain a clutter-free working environment
8. Delegate properly
9. Have some fun
10. Go out and walk at least once a day
11. Drink a lot of water
12. Narrow down options
13. Rest is more important than you think
14. Let go of expectations
15. Do one task at a time - never do multi-tasking
16. Think on paper
17. Learn to say NO
18. Don’t rush things
19. Dream big
20. Create the best and prepare for the worst
21. Write as you talk
22. Be patient
23. Stay positive
24. Don’t give up
25. Tell your family/friends to not disturb you while you're working
26. Eliminate all the noises around you
27. Don’t kill yourself with too much work, spend some time with yourself too
28. Distractions destroy productivity. So, destroy the distractions by sharpening your focus
29. Put your mobile in silent mode
30. Take short breaks
31. Do it slowly and deliberately
32. Do it completely
33. Think about what is necessary
34. Develop rituals
35. Plan ahead
36. To get what you want, stop doing what isn’t working
37. Failing to plan is planning to fail (so make a plan ASAP)
38. Decide on a task - xecute it!
39. Stop thinking - start doing
40. Just take the first step
41. Do hard tasks first
42. Use a planner
43. Create deadlines
44. Tell someone else about your goals
45. Reduce spending time on social media
46. You don’t FIND time for things, you MAKE it
47. Do the worst things first
48. Motivate yourself
49. Batch your errands
50. Don't read too much on the Internet (you'll end up knowing nothing!)

Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid

In a quote by William Benjamin Basil King, he said: "Go at it boldly, and you'll find unexpected forces closing round you and coming to your aid."

We should always strive to take action in a bold or courageous way, and not just go about our lives in an ordinary fashion on a day-to-day basis.  Our brave and bold actions are the ones that most often receive recognition or praise, while the average actions are the ones that regularly go unnoticed.

In life you have two choices, regardless of someone telling you otherwise.  You can either choose to be a leader or a follower.  Not everybody is fit to be a leader and to set the example for others.  Some may not possess the correct qualities necessary for leading others effectively.  A great leader needs to be bold and ambitious in everything he/she does.

It boils down to a simple phenomenon: Newton's law of motion.  Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.  If you are bold in what you do, mighty forces will aid you and help you in your path.  If you want to stand out from the crowd and show your uniqueness, passion, drive and determination, then "go at it boldly" and take the extra initiative to not only do your best, but to stand out of the crowd through your bold actions.  If you do this, great things are in store for you and your destiny.

Priceless tradition: perfect shortbread!

Whenever I think of shortbread, I think about the tradition I have with my friends whenever we go away for a weekend.  The tradition started when one of my friend's moms baked us some shortbread from her never-fail-recipe for our Matric Weekend getaway nearly four years ago.  Since that day, everytime we venture away for the weekend as a group, whether it be camping or going to a holiday house, we never fail to take a batch of her mom's delicious shortbread with us.
 
So if you would like to start your own tradition, just like we have done, try out this really simple shortbread recipe and enjoy!
 
Recipe taken from www.hulettssugar.co.za
 
Ingredients:
 

500 ml (2 cups) Cake Flour
60 ml (4 tbsp) Huletts White Sugar
45 ml (3 tbsp) Cornflour
Pinch of Salt
250 g Butter (soft, but not melted)
Huletts White Sugar, for sprinkling
 

Method:

 

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until combined into a ball. Do not over-process. If you don’t have a food processor, work the mixture with your hands until combined.

 

2. Press the mixture into an oblong tray (or two 20 cm round pie dishes). With the prongs of a fork, prick the mixture well. Bake at 160ºC until it just starts to turn golden (35–40 minutes).

 

3. Remove from the oven and immediately slice into serving portions. Sprinkle with extra sugar while hot.

Hint: It is important that the butter is soft, though not melted. For best results use butter, not margarine.

 

 

If not now, then when?

Procrastination.  Sometimes I am convinced that I am the QUEEN of procrastination!  Just 30 minutes before posting this blog entry, I was wandering around the house trying to find anything else to do other than my assignment!

At the back of my mind I know that next week is the week from hell at University when I have three assignments due plus a presentation.  But somehow I always manage to push that aside and find something else that is more exciting or interesting, rather than what I am actually supposed to be doing.

But, if not now, then when?  After my brief moments of procrastination, my subconscious always manages to get the better of me.  I convince myself of the truth - that I have to put my mind to it and get going.  If I don't do it now, I know it is eventually going to catch up with me and be 10 times worse the next time around.

So next time you even think of procrastinating, simply because the task in front of you is boring or mundane, think about 'if not now, then when?'  Even though there are about a million other things you would rather be doing at that moment, nothing is worse than leaving it until the last minute and not giving it 100%.

Remember:

 

Heineken Symphonic Rocks!

On Saturday, September 29, 2012, two friends accompanied me to go watch the Heineken Symphonic Rocks concert at the Grand West arena, courtesy of one of my many freebees from work!

The Heineken Symphonic Rocks concert is a music show that takes place annually and showcases various South African artists, accompanied by a 65-piece orchestra.  This year, the acts included Zahara, Toya DeLazy, MiCasa, aKing, Ard Matthews (lead singer of Just Jinjer), MacStanley, ChianoSky, Van Coke Kartel, F*kofpolisiekar, Tumi & The Volume, and Zolani Mahola (lead singer of Freshlyground).  These superb South African acts were also joined by international artist, Ed Roland (lead singer of Collective Soul) who closed the Cape Town show.

The immense talent that was showcased on the night certainly showed the excellent abilities of South African musicians.  Each performance was beautifully performed and the breathtaking performance by the accompanying orchestra made the night even more magical.  By far the stand-out performances of the night were Zolani Mahola, aKing, Ard Matthews, F*kofpolisiekar and MiCasa.  They were all lively and entertaining and really connected with the enthusiastic crowd.

The Heineken Symphonic Rocks concert moves to Johannesburg and takes place at Carnival City on Saturday, October 6, 2012.  Tickets start from R225 - a very reasonable price to pay to see such an amazing variety of artists perform live with the 65-piece orchestra.  Bookings can be made at Computicket.  For more information about the event, visit their website on http://symphonicrocks.co.za/

If you are not able to attend the show this year, you are definitely missing out!  But don't fear, there's always next year, so diarise the date because this is certainly not something you should miss!  A truly unique and very special music spectacular!

Watch this space

In a few weeks I will be finished studying and will begin my venture in to the "real world."  A scary thought, I must admit, but I believe I am destined for great things.

I have made provision for this by beginning to work from the age of 16.  I began working in retail (unfortunately) and since then, I have always had a job in order to be somewhat independent.  Naturally, these jobs were always on a part-time basis due to my studies, but it has aided me in gaining invaluable experience and knowledge of various industries.

I have also met some extremely wise, inspiring, hard-working, generous, and genuine people along the way.  I am the type of person that always enjoys being on the go and keeping busy, never just sitting around doing nothing.  At the moment I even work two jobs while completing my fourth year of studies!

Would I change the way I have done things?  Definitely not.  The experience I have gained cannot be taken away from me and has paved the way for me towards my future.  It has given me confidence and has enabled me to continuously learn new things.

So I would definitely say "watch this space" because I have ensured that I am well prepared for my future and I know that it is bright and filled with good, positive things! (No negativity Friday!) :)