In 55 years.......

Happy Anniversary!!!!!

Today, Chris and I are celebrating our "1 year anniversary" - Hurray!!!!

Unfortunately, we are spending it 15000 kilometers apart from each other due to the fact that I am currently in Korea whilst Chris is still in South-Africa. This "minor" detail of 15 000 km, however, doesn’t mean that we are not making it an extra special day!!! We have a special Skype date planned and I mailed him this really adorable card.

Now, wait! Before you get the impression of me as a really "tacky" person, let me explain. I'm not usually one for Valentine's day "corny" memorabilia with fat old hearts, teddy bears and red roses BUT I figured since it’s our "1 year anniversary", it pretty much give me the license to go as corny as I can. After all it’s not every day that you get to celebrate your first anniversary, right? So I went on a search for the corniest card possible, with the pinkest envelope and the maximum heart shaped stickers I could possibly fit onto a single card - and then I post it to his very, very serious engineering firm. He's probably going to kill me, especially if his colleagues makes fun of him but I’ve always been of opinion that his office lacks some
 color ;-)

Do you think its a bit much?

Well, its supposed to be !

Happy Anniversary "my seuntjie"!

SOOOOO LIEF VIR JOU!

Paper love

Chris and I are soon to be celebrating our "one year anniversary" and I'm so excited. This had definitely been the best year of my life so far and I'm so lucky to have met the "perfect guy" - he is smart, really funny, attractive, kind, has amazing patience with me, a good listener and he really, really loves me in the most unselfish, soul-nurturing way!!! I sure am a lucky, lucky gal!

Of course, knowing what to get one another for an anniversary can be quite daunting so after some talk, we decided it might be fun to follow the "traditional anniversary gift guide". Well, I know its actually supposed to be for wedding anniversaries but we figured since it is sixty years of anniversaries before you get to the really good stuff..... like diamonds, it would be beneficial to start sooner than later. So this year, our anniversary gifts to each other will be "paper".

I already got him a "paper" gift (which Ill show you guys a bit later - he is not allowed to know what it is yet and I'm scared he'll sneak a peek if I post it on my blog) but I got really excited about our new little ''tradition" and I actually found some amazing paper gifts that I really wouldn't mind ........

paper cutting by briancassidydesigns

paper yarn jewellery by handmade charllotte

paper hearts by tanithsoddsandends

paper cutting by Tinatarnoff

paper flower by ferntree flowers

paper bird garland by sureasblue

print by sureasblue

paper cutting by Tinatarnoff

.....but in the end, after all the gifts and other trivialities, the most important thing to remember is this:

Today I am thankful for.....

.....an orange inspired day.
Orange has never been my favorite color. I kind of associate it with South-African jail attire that looks like this:

It is Chris's favorite colour though. He loves orange and although Chris seldom wear it, his place (to my detriment) is decorated with splashes of orange - even sporting an orange, brown and grey striped carpet.

Today me and my friend Jill went shopping. We ended up in Uniqlo and decided to buy our lovely boys a little gift - just because we love them so much. I spotted this lovely orange colored cashmere **** (I'm not going to tell because I'm scared he'll sneak a peak at my blog and it's suppose to be a surprise) and even though I don't really like orange that much, I knew he would love it. So I closed my eyes and bought it. But then the strangest thing happened - slowly the color orange started to grow on me and by the end of our shopping spree, I was hooked. I guess the fact that I knew Chris would look soooo cute in his new orange **** helped matters. But now I kinda like orange too..... especially after seeing this picture.....

and these....

...oddly, I never noticed my favorite fruit are orange colored...

......but I've always liked the look of Thai monks......

...and an orange eyed cat, smoking a pipe...

Now who can resist an orange-eyed-pipe-smoking cat?

NOT ME!!!!

(Credit: Images by http://www.weheartit.com/ and vi.sualise.us and google images)

Today I am thankful for......

....our super duper book club.

I've always wanted to be part of a book club but could never really find one that suited my needs seeing that most of them were run by either way too serious book critics/analysts or ladies my mother’s age, sipping tea. Now, I don’t mind the "sipping tea" part but I would've much preferred being part of a book club with girls my age who could relate to the books (and life) the same way I do. Well, my prayers has been answered and after a discussion with a friend Annie a while back, about how much we both liked reading, we decided to form our own little book club cutely named "Text in the City". I would love to say that this very original name was our idea, but in fact it was her sisters who actually have a book club in the States. We did, however, decide to branch out and now we are the proud members of "Text in the City: Busan edition".

Tonight was our second meeting and it was sooo much fun. We sipped tea, snacked on the lovely healthy food our friend and lovely hostess Jill prepared and we talked, talked, talked - about boys, shopping, decor, fashion, our shared love for thift stores and even a little bit about books!!!!

Today I am thankful for.....

........Starbucks iced coffee, a warm hug and a "mother" who gives the best advice!

Pretty Print

I saw this print by artist Debbie Carlos and instantly fell in love. Isn't it mind boggling beautiful?

Today I am thankful for.....

....Amelia, my pretty new orchid,

afternoon naps,

and headache tablets when you need them.

Mister Moju.....

Im not really one for allowing pets in my bed.....

....but this little mister seems to get away with murder!

Hello, goodbye

Tonight is Moju's last night here with me before his real "mom" comes back from the Philippines. I'm very sad to see him go, but today we made extra special by going for a nice loooooong walk, playing silly games where I pretend my hand is a monster, indulged in dog treats (well, that was only Moju) and took a nice afternoon nap together.

I do, however, have a new housemate. My dearest friend Jill came by on Sunday to share a fruit and veggie dinner with me and brought me the prettiest yellow orchid one could imagine!!! I named her Amelia and every time I look at her, I smile.

(image found on www.weheartit.com)

Today I am thankful for..............

.... having a seafood dinner in a gazebo on the Korean beachfront, surrounded with friends from right around the world.
You know you are really blessed when you can share a meal with people coming from Europe, America, Africa, and Asia.

* ending the night on a rooftop, sitting on a red polka dotted quilt, drinking cheap wine and singing the blues!

Nuns and rose(s)eries

When I was about fourteen, I went through a phase were I was convinced that I wanted to become a nun. In retrospect, it all must've seemed kind of silly, seeing that I wasn't even Roman Catholic, and when I told my mother about these "career plans", she nearly had a heart attack not to mention my sisters giggles. But I remember thinking it would be kinda cool to live in Gothic monastery, wear those lovely rosaries and live in complete devotion to God.

And now that I know beach days, worldly pleasures like ice cream, and even smoke breaks are allowed.....

.....well, being a nun doesn't seem all that bad :-)

Mother-in-law's Tongue

Now don't pull up your nose, but one of my favorite, and only, houseplants (except for that stubborn orchid) are the cutely named "Mother-in-law's-tongue" otherwise known as Sanservieria Trifasciata. I get that this plant might not be everybody's cup of tea due to its association with hospitals, nursing homes and hardcore 70's retro, but I really cant get enough of it. Not only is it soooo easy to care for but it also has this amazing ability to better air quality by absorbing toxins from the air and then converting it in lovely breathable oxygen. I once read that the "mother-in-law's tongue" is the only plant that's allowed in the ICU area of hospitals due to this awesome purifying quality.
And the fact that it needs the minimal attention and a watering only every other month, is a added bonus for a girl like me who refuse to believe that she doesn't have green fingers after all.

(credit: image found on flicr)

Sweetest scale

I wish my scale was this nice!

Today I am thankful for...............

...overindulging in fruit and veggies!!!
The one thing I miss most about home, except for Chris, my mom, sisters and Earl Grey tea, is the fruit and veggies. South Africa is known for their excellent export quality fresh produce and one advantage of living in this beaut of a country, is that you are spoilt with the best fruit and vegetables at dirt cheap prices. This is not the case in Korea - first of all, the fruit here is not half as beautiful or tasty as their South-African counterparts, and secondly its very VERY  expensive. So today, when me and a friend met for lunch I ditched a main and head straight for the amazing salad bar!  I probably had three helpings of fruit, veggies and salad without feeling the slightest bit guilty.
Its fruit and vegetables after all, and who feels guilty about fruit and vegetables?! Even if you had three plates of it....and the Korean waiter looked at you like you were something that escaped from Mars.

Today I am thankful for......

A pretty new porcelain planter for my stubborn orchid which doesn't want to bloom

(I'm hoping this will inspire her to give me some yellow buds to match my yellow quilt)

A pajama party/research session with a much adored friend.

Playtime with Moju

credit: www.cultcartoon.deviantart.com

Please help......

I'm currently on a quest to read the literature of classic female writers such as Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath and Jane Austen. I just finished "Mrs Dalloway" as well as "A Room of One's Own" by the amazing Virginia Woolf and really enjoyed it. Now I  have set my sights on reading Jane Austen's novels next. I have done my homework - I currently have "The Jane Austin Book Club" on my bedside table and just watched the pretty, pretty movie, "Becoming Jane". But I'm really ashamed to admit that in my 25 years on this beautiful earth, I haven't read any of Austen's work (aside from "Northanger Abbey" which was a prescribe at University). Oh, and then of course "The Jane Austen Book Club" but I'm not entirely sure if that one counts?!

So I'm off to the library on Friday but choosing one of Jane Austen's novels seems like a daunting task. Even after doing my "homework", I'm still a bit unsure which novel to read first. I'm thinking Emma or Persuasions, maybe Pride and Prejudice!?
Have any of you, my lovely fellow bloggers, read Jane Austen's work? And do you have some advice on which book to start with? I would love to know what your thought are on the lovely Miss Austen and your advice will be much appreciated!

*  I found these adorable mugs on Flicr but have no idea where to purchase them.  Perhaps that is a good thing though, because I'd probably blow my budget and buy the whole set :-)

Keep calm........and appreciate

A few days ago, in my attempt to satisfy my green craving, I stumbled upon these lovelies:

Are'nt they adorable?

(credit: KeepCalmShop on http://www.etsy.com/)

Today I am thankful for ......

Afternoon naps with Moju

A pretty new yellow quilt which brighten up my whole apartment

An earache that disappeared

A trip down memory lane

(credit: image by www.weheartit.com)

Meet Moju

Im currently "babysitting" for a neigbour so this is my new little housemate and friend, Moju.

Isnt he too adorable?

He has the fluffiest tail I've ever seen!

Have a happy Monday....

Credit: dazeychic on http://www.etsy.com/

Today I am thankful for ......

......sooo many things.

I'm quite convinced  I'm one of the luckiest girls in the world to have been blessed with so much awesomeness in my life!!!!

* Skype date with my awesome boyfriend

* climbing hills and reaching the top, once again! Yay!!!

* Letters in the mail.

* A watermelon-and-tuna-baguette lunch with a girl friend that I'm convinced is probably one of the best examples as to what happiness, forgiveness, love, positivity and just plain joy is all about!  One cant be but thankful for the grace of her company!
Please do yourself a favor and go check out her blog - http://www.theothersideofthemoon2009.blogspot.com/.

* Walking in the rain

* A little warm puppy body to  cuddle

* A really greasy but yummy, forbidden fast food dinner with a friend - eeeeeek, tomorrow its me and the gym again!!!

(credit: www.weheartit.com)

Today I am thankful for.....

Friendship!!!!!

How do you know if someone is a good friend?

* You can share a secret?
* You can dream up the most amazing, spectacular dreams .... and then spend
    hours planning to make them a reality?
* She tells you its okay to cry....but also that its not to overreact!?
* She wash your dishes when you are in no state to do so ...and then allows
   you to cook breakfast - even if you burn the French Toast?
* You can laugh together?
* She corrects your grammar errors without making you feel like a complete
   idiot?
* She is kind about your boyfriend and let you see his point of view, even if
   you think, at that moment in time, that he is a real ass?
* Her family feels like your family already, even if you haven't met them yet?
* You can trust her with your deepest secrets, emotions and crazy thoughts?
* You can be yourself in front of each other - even if its out of your comfort
   zone?
* She always gives you solid, real, true advice?
* She accept you for exactly who you are without
   ever giving color, culture and any other superficial differences a second
   thought?

I am lucky enough to can say "all of the above"!

je'taime paree

Oh, Paris, how I secretly have a crush on you.....

.....from afar.