The sin and the dress.

Forgive me blogosphere for I have sinned. It’s been five months since my last blog post.
Mind you, don’t misconstrue my plea for forgiveness as a promise that it’ll never happen again. It probably will.
Apologies aside, it’s been a long and eventful few months that has included everything from planning my bestie’s hen party to a month-long holiday in Canada and the US, as well as losing a critical few kilos.
Remember my very first blog post? And, indeed, the reason I started this blog in the first place -- a dress. The dress that’s been hanging in my cupboard, unworn, for almost two-and-a-half years now.
That dress that doesn’t fit you, but you buy it anyway, thinking: ‘I’ll lose some weight’.
Yeah, right.
So the good news is, I’ve done it. I’ve done what I told myself I'd do all that time ago, standing in front of a mirror at H&M and trying on a dress that was probably a size or two too small. I mean, how often can I (or any woman, for that matter) say that?!
I’m saving it’s debut, however, for the hen party, so watch this space for photos!

Weekend Special

Jeans: Woolworths/ Sweater: Cherokee/ Waistcoat: Mr Price/ Shoes: All Stars/  Beanie:  borrowed

It was cold and rainy most of this week, which called for my trusty velvet sweater. I bought it a couple of years ago but hardly wore it because it's a little figure-hugging for my taste. Yes, figure-hugging can be slimming but sometimes it just accentuates all the wrong curves -- like your muffin top. Hehe!

Bootie-licious

Dress: Chinatown (by the way, the sleeves-bit is part of the dress); tights: H&M; Boots: Woolworths.

I originally planned on titling this post "It's a Jungle Out There". Mostly because when I first saw this dress, I thought it was animal print and, I mean, who doesn't love animal print?! On closer inspection, I realised it was some sort of abstract mess; a garble of of black, grey and white. I still liked it, though.

But, why focus on the dress, which I picked up for a song at Chinatown, when I have these boots? Because these boots (oh boy, these boots!) deserve their own, dedicated post.

DAY 6: The end. Success. Sort of.

Technically, this blog comes three days late because, technically, I didn't finish my Six-Day Superfood Challenge, so, technically, there wasn't a day 6. And for that, I'm full of BS. Technically, of course.

DAY 5: I've cracked!

The basics: apples, oranges and bananas.

Ten-year-old me would be scoffing at 26-year-old me right now. That’s because 10-year-old me would’ve had a little broccoli with her white sauce, yet here is 26-year-old me, eating this superfood vegetable twice in one day with no sauce whatsoever to mask the taste.

DAY 4: Iron(wo)man

Varieties of heart-healthy, protein-rich lentils.

The doctor called yesterday to say that I’m in fact anaemic. No big deal. I guess I see it that way because I don’t view anaemia as a real illness. Sure you feel dizzy sometimes, but it’s nothing a few iron supplements can’t take care of, right? Or maybe I just have a really mild case.

Either way, it got me Googling -- now there’s an illness right there… Googling! I wanted to know foods I could eat that would help increase my iron levels. Turns out, two foods I ate today are perfect for that.

DAY 3: You say potato, I say sweet potato

Oats, anyone? I had mine this morning with cinnamon and walnuts.

What is it about McDonalds anyway? Their food looks like Michael Jackson’s face -- plastic (RIP, Michael). And it doesn’t taste much better than plastic either. But it’s like they put some sort of addictive additive -- probably just fat -- to programme your body to want it every time you walk past their giant posters of burgers.

That was precisely the dilemma I faced today. I walked past a McDonalds and I couldn’t help but stop and think about it for a fleeting moment. Should buy a greasy, calorie-packed McDonalds meal that I know will make my tummy smile, or should I go home and cook cauliflower soup that would make my butt happy?

DAY 2: I’m not nuts but I like them

My special nut mix, featuring pumpkin seeds, macadamias, walnuts and goji berries.

When I started this challenge, I knew one aspect of it was doomed from the very start. Winter‘s settling in in South Africa, which means no blueberries -- one of the most renowned superfoods.

I’ve just had to improvise, so when I couldn’t find any canned blueberries at the supermarket, I bought some blueberry juice for drinking instead. It’s refreshing and not too sweet, so you don’t feel like the only thing you’re stocking up on is sugar rather than any of the fruit’s antioxidant-y goodness. 

DAY 1: Rocky road, not the ice-cream

Whole-wheat pasta with a tomato base, baby spinach and mushrooms.

It’s the first day of my Six-day Superfood Challenge and I‘m already navigating a rocky road, and not the good kind that involves ice-cream. I was supposed to wake up at 10am for a good ol’ gym session, but only rolled out of bed at around noon. Then I realised I was hungry. And then I discovered I had NO superfoods whatsoever in my house.


So I made a list, checked it twice and set out in search of some of my favourite superfoods. I found almost everything I was looking for, but geez, does healthy food come at a price. Usually, I’d splurge on a new handbag, a dress I’ve been eyeing at Woolworths or some make-up I don’t really need -- but groceries?!

The Six-Day Superfood Challenge

Today I had 20 pieces of sushi and a few fork-fulls of chow mein for lunch, KFC chicken (with chips) for dinner and my favourite chocolate bar, a Kit Kat, for dessert. That’s way -- way, way, way -- more than my 6 800-kilojoule limit. Oh, the guilt.

The Hardest Button To Button

Click "read more" for another picture and details of where I got these items.

I'm not a high-fashion glamour girl. I'm more like an understated, can-be-found-in-pumps-aisle kind of girl. This is my first outfit post and I've just noticed: I forgot to tie the middle button of my coat. Add slapdash to understated and can-be-found-in-the-pumps-aisle.

I bought this leopard print scarf a couple of months ago from a street vendor, but today was the first time it's been cold enough for me to wear it (notice the rain-soaked everything in the background). 

Why Ride The Train When You Could Take a Rollercoaster?

A woman stretching in preparation for a run. Oh, yeah, stretching; that's important too!

I’m too fat. My knees are weak. I don’t have the right shoes. Or my personal favourite: my boobs are too big. You name ‘em, I’ve used most of these lines as an excuse to avoid jogging.

The DIE in Diet

The problem with diets is that they never really end. It’s a “lifestyle change”, people say. But what kind of lifestyle doesn’t involve Lindt chocolate, a Big Mac or a slice of cheesecake every now and then, huh?

Winter Wishlist

Winter's coming. At least 'round my parts of the world, which means I'm already daydreaming about boots and woollen scarves and belted trench coats.  Here are some of the things I would gladly make space for in my wardrobe. Who says you can't wear biker boots with a Dior skirt?

Biker boots because I'm a pro-flats kind of girl. These were featured at Victoria Beckham's 2012 autumn/winter fashion show. 

Cashmere. Just the word alone makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  This sweater is part of Dior's most recent autumn collection. But looking at this picture, never mind the  sweater... that skirt!

I am a sucker for Fossil bags. And I've been eyeing this one for about a year now. If this bag was a person, I'd have a restraining order out against me.

I first saw this Liz Claiborne cape on whatiwore.tumblr.com and it was love at first sight. 

You know how Ferraris look so much sexier in red?  The same could be said for trench coats.  This one is by Yves Saint Laurent (and what I mean by that is: I'll never own this particular one, but maybe something like it).

The Little Black Dress

This is the dress! Though, it looks much better  on.

Ok, so the dress isn’t completely black. But it certainly is little. In fact, it’s so little that I expect I’d need to lose another 5 to 10kgs to fit into it.

The thing about this dress is that we have a history. I bought it at H&M in Berlin in July, 2010.

When I tried it on, it didn’t fit me. The zip didn’t go all the way up, but it showed so much potential. I’d never actually tried on a short dress -- before or since -- that I looked good in. So, I bought it. And just as the sales lady swiped my already-strained bank card, I thought: “I’ll lose some weight. It’ll fit me in no time.”