Flowers on the cheeks

I went to Moyo today where they dip your hands in rose water, paint petals on your face and cook you a traditional African dish. It's nice to be a tourist in your own country sometimes. I think the real tourists are going to have a great time soon!

And the winners of the brooch giveaway are...

Well done, you three! Please pop me an email here with your postal address and Nicky and I will send you each a brooch. And a big thank you to all of you who entered. There will be lots more chances to win in future giveaways!



Nicky Savage is the talented lady who made these fine lovelies and you can see more of her work on her blog. If you'd like to sponsor a giveaway on Glossary, please pop me an email here. Gratius!

Two great quotes by Tavi Gevinson

The 'Bloggers vs. Editors' debate didn't really enter the South African blogosphere earlier this year so if the storm passed you by, Tavi Gevinson is the 13-year-old blogger who found herself at the center of it all.



She's the kooky young star behind Style Rookie, one of the most popular fashion blogs on the web. This year saw Tavi sitting front-row at the couture shows but when a Grazia editor tweeted that Tavi's gigantic bow was obstructing her view of the runway, the web erupted into a frenzy between bloggers and print editors. Tavi tackled the whole debacle in this post and I thought she made some excellent points including these two below.

On the debate 

On never been able to please everyone

I think her comment about collaborating rather than competing is such great advice. If you love what someone is doing, chat to them, pool ideas and see if you can work on a project together. Heck, form an alliance if you like! I've certainly learnt from blogging that people are usually happy to help - all you need to do is (politely) ask. I know the 'Bloggers vs. Editors' debate has simmered down but if you have any thoughts on the matter, please feel free to share them in a comment below. Also, let us know if you're a fan of Tavi too!

World's Smallest Brie

Look what I found at Woolies - the world's smallest wedge of Brie! So terribly cute, it deserves it's own run of pictures. And speaking of food, today I went to the Food Market in Durban North for the first time. There was Indian Food, French Food, Greek Food, South African classics and loads more deliciousness! If you've never been, I highly recommend a visit. What have you been noshing on lately?



I will be announcing the winners of the Brooch Giveaway on Monday so you can still enter this weekend! And guess what? I've got an interview with the amazing Calivintage coming up soon. Keep those eyeballs peeled:)

My new red coat!

Guys, thank you so much for your sweet comments on my post below. You really do know how put a big old smile on my face. Now, I am so excited to show you my new coat!

It arrived in Woolies (M&S) a few weeks ago and since then I've been cooing over it and wishing it were mine. I kept feeling the fabric and touching the buttons but my wallet said 'No way, Missy.' Yesterday, I noticed there was only one left in my size and I went into panic mode. Happily, my sweet mother offered to spring for half as an early birthday present (my birthday being in October, haha) and now it is mine! Thank you Mama Mia!

It's far too warm for coats in Durban but when I see it hanging in my closet, it's like looking at a promise to myself that I will get to travel to chillier climates again one day. I wasn't able to get any proper shots of me wearing it but when the weather cools down, I'll be sure to take some. x

By the way, there are some really nice 3/4 sleeve black body suits in Woolies at the mo for R140. They're so hard to come by in SA so I thought I should tell ya:) Oh and if you haven't already and you live in SA, be sure to enter our Glossary Giveaway here!

Coat: Woolworths Bag: Aldo Shoes: YDE

What I Wore: Winter Florals (again!)

Hello! You'll be pleased to know I am done with the Lost drama now! How have you been? When I ran my little blog poll a few weeks ago and asked you wanted to see more of on Glossary, you voted 'Outfit Posts' the most popular. I must say, 'outfit posts' are my fave to read on other blogs as well. Thing is, I hardly ever wear a photo-worthy outfit and I'm certainly not in photo-worthy shape! But heck, I'll stick it to the man and do it for short and pear-shaped girls everywhere! I recently read a great post about how it's time to start comparing ourselves to fruits - I'll have a hunt around for the link. It's pretty dark by the time I get home these days so I had to use the dreaded flash for this lot. They're not terribly great pics but we'll get there. So what am I wearing? My dress is Mr Price (quelle surprise!), my necklace is from Accessorize and the hat is from good 'ol Primark. Only 2 quid thank you very much! Right, I'm off to finish watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and no there won't be a ten-page post about how it ends ;)

My thoughts on the Lost Finale: SPOILER ALERT

*** Namaste! I’m about to dive into my feelings about Lost and the finale.

Look away if you prefer. You have been warned! ***

Good old Lost, eh! I know I’m veering wildly off topic from bows and boots but I just feel compelled to get this ramble off my chest! I also know it may seem completely ridiculous to make such a fuss over a TV show. I get that, I do. In fact, I can hear the eyeballs rolling as I type. ‘That Lauren, still banging on about that ruddy show.’ So if you’re in Team ‘It’s just a show, get over it already’ you may want to stop reading. Although, please feel free to stick around for a chuckle or two at the intensity of this!

I’ll admit it. I remain stuck fast in Team ‘I know it’s a show but I’m obsessed.’Throughout the six years of Lost, I have laughed, cried and jumped out of my seat in terror. I bought the box sets, joined forums and debated the details with friends around the fire. I devoured every nuggetty clue that the writers tossed to us and I defended them when my mates lost interest. ‘The writers have promised us answers!’ I wailed. ‘It’s all rooted in science, they have a plan, the ending is mapped out!’

My reaction to the finale is extreme, only because I loved the show. Like a crazy person. It pains me to say this (did I mention this was going to get ludicrously dramatic?) but my reaction to the finale was one of bitter disappointment and dissatisfaction. I was prepared to accept that we wouldn’t receive answers to everything but to leave so many big one’s up in the air was a blatant cop out, I thought. And the mysteries that were explained were done so ridiculously!

If you haven’t seen the ending but aren’t fazed about hearing what happened, this is what went down in a nutshell.

***YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO LOOK AWAY!***

Everything that happened on the island was real. Some people died on the island. Some made it off and died elsewhere. But ultimately, everyone died at various stages in their life and then reunited in a parallel universe/purgatory. They could only move forward to the afterlife together and the last scene was one of them, sitting together in a church ‘they had built’ about to ‘move on.’

We got to see everyone paired up again with Shannon snogging Sayid and Libby cuddling Hurley. Fans are divided on this outcome. While some loved the warm and fuzzy reunion of Lost souls, others, including me, did not. I don’t feel the show needed some cheesy get-together scene, which looked more like a wrap party for the actors rather than a plausible tie-up for 6 years of mystery. I know the show has been largely character-driven and that’s cool but then the writers should not have made such a meal out of the sci-fi mysteries.

I know some people are like, ‘Well, what did you want to see? Aliens, a Truman Show style dome or perhaps some weird underground village?’ Um, frankly, yes, all three of those would have done just fine! Anything would have been better than nothing! I had read better ideas for the ending in online forums of Lost fans. That sounds a bit harsh, I know, and I respect the writers enormously but ‘Everyone’s Dead.’ Nooooooooo….

Things we didn’t learn (or perhaps I missed?)

• What the island actually is
• What the significance of ‘the light’ was and why it needed it to be protected
• Why the Earth will be destroyed if the island is
• Why woman can’t have full-term pregnancies (A fascinating concept I thought)
• How Jacob could live so long
• How Richard could live so long
• Why children were so important: (The Oceanic kids and Walt being snatched away)
• Walt’s telepathic-type powers explained
• What the big deal with Whitmore was (He didn’t seem interested in the light, just testing Desmond?)
• What Smokie actually is
• What all the chain noises were about (There was a big deal made about sounds and noises and I was looking forward to those being explained)
• Why the weather stopped being freaky after episode 2
• And why that friggen polar bear never appeared again!

Sure, it’s awesome to explore the psychology of characters and what motivates their actions but hells, if that was all they were going to resolve, they could have set the show in a regular city. The sci-fi and mythical elements seem irrelevant now, like they were merely a bait to hook a larger audience. I didn’t feel there was any sense of doom in the last season because there were too many unanswered questions, right up until the finale. I think I would have settled for a ‘less cool and intriguing’ version of Lost if it had just made sense in the end.

I pretty much braced myself for disappointment as soon as the concept of time travel was introduced. And I started getting fed up with characters always answering each other with ‘You already know the answer to that’ or how about this old chestnut, ‘That doesn’t matter now.’ IT MATTERS DAMMIT, IT MATTERS TO US LOST NUTS!

So yeah, despite my frustration and disappointment (read: rage and devastation) I still believe Lost was something special. The first three seasons were spectacular and I look forward to re-watching them. The effort that went into the effects, props and scenery was staggering. Who can forget those creepy 70’s Dharma OBYGN rooms? Or that weird brainwashing room? Characters like Ben, Juliet and Locke were complex and fascinating and I loved wandering, ‘Are they good or are they bad?!’! But, now it’s over and I will sorely miss it. Perhaps my feelings of disappointment will change as I re-watch the show or take a few more days to digest it all. We’ll see.

This has been one completely self-indulgent rant and now I want to hear your thoughts and feelings. What did you make of the ending? Are you satisfied or are you cursing into your novelty Dharma Initiative cup of coffee? Do you feel they did answer some of the stuff I mentioned above? If so, please feel free to explain it to me. I would be very grateful!

Let me end on a lighter, happier note by reflecting on my all-time favourite lines from Lost:

Kate: Where did that come from?
Sawyer: Probably bear village, how the hell do I know?
Kate: Not the bear, the gun.
Sawyer: I saw a guy lying there with an ankle holster, so I took the gun, thought it might come in handy. Guess what! I just shot a bear!

Ha!

10 fabulous blogs!

Every now and then, I update my list of favourite blogs which you can find a little lower down to the left of this blog. All of these ladies (and one guy!) have a unique and inspired personal style and writing voice. They regularly update their blogs and interact with their readers. I've had the pleasure of interviewing a few of them and I've linked to those as well. If you've never visited their blogs before, I encourage you to do so! There are so many blogs I enjoy reading and because I can't physicially fit them all onto my homepage, I created another list of links here. If you have a link you'd like to share, please feel free to drop me an email . I do my best to visit every blog you tell me about but sometimes it takes me a while to get there. You're welcome to jump and down and remind me! I'd also like to say I'm super grateful to all of you who link to my blog. It truly means a great deal:)

Calivintage

Elinkan


Elsa Billgren ♥ Read Interview


Hannah & Landon


Mademoiselle Robot ♥ Read Interview


Niotillfem ♥ Read Interview


Pink Bow ♥ Read Interview


Stephanie Alves ♥ Read Interview


The Cherry Blossom Girl


WishWishWish ♥ Read Interview


PS: Thank you for your most wonderful replies to this post. I feel blessed to have such a lovely bunch of blogging buds. And, if you haven't already, check out this week's giveaway below. Have a super week!

Win a brooch by commenting on this post!

Wahey! We're having another Glossary Giveaway. Remember the little clouch brooch I bought a few weeks ago? Well, the very talented Nicky Savage who makes them has three to give away to three of you! We thought we’d give them away individually because, more winners = more fun.

To be in with a chance, simply tell us which is your favourite brooch in a comment below. The three winners will be drawn at random a week from now.

This giveaway is open to all South African readers, bloggers and non. If you don’t have a blog that I can reach you through, please include your email address. Sorry overseas buds, I'll try host an international giveaway soon.

Best of luck, gang!

Some thoughts

Hello everyone.
I wanted to share a few thoughts with you today. I’m still fairly new to blogging but something that’s really hit home for me recently is how blogging is largely about community. All the conversations we’ve shared here have had a really positive effect on my life. From chatting to you and reading your blogs, I have learnt so much about a range of topics from baking and photography to fashion and life issues. I didn’t really know what I was going to write about when I started this blog. Like many bloggers, I’d see things either online or out and about and wanted to celebrate them by means of a post. I’m not an expert on any particular topic but I love to learn new things and write about what I discover along the way. I’m still trying to find my ‘blogging voice’ as it were and to establish the ‘type’ of blog that Glossary is. I started to realize that it’s essentially an online scrapbook. It’s not a fashion blog per se. It’s really a place for me to chat about the people, places and things that inspire me. I’ve found I’m writing more and more about fashiony things these days because it’s something I’ve developed an interest in over the past two years. I’ve always had a passion for journalism and Glossary also gives me the opportunity to write in a way that wouldn’t necessarily be suited to a magazine. I don’t want this blog to feel like a brand, I want it to feel like a cosy corner where we can chat about happy things. The truth is, I’ve struggled with clothes and self-esteem issues for many years and I still do. I hid behind long hair and tee shirts because I didn’t feel worthy of wearing a nice dress. Now, I know that’s bullocks! Everyone deserves to enjoy fashion regardless of his or her shape or size. I do feel a bit silly posting pictures of myself here but it’s a good exercise in self-esteem, I reckon! During my year in London, I realized that, hey, a simple thing like a pretty dress can make you feel happy and confidant which is wonderful. Fashion has this stigma of being superficial and judgemental and certain elements of the industry are, but clothes can also have a positive effect on a woman’s self esteem which can only be a good thing. I feel like this is a fun, safe place to chat about silly things like what to wear on the plane or where to buy some ballet pumps. Just, regular girly stuff! I’ve always had a passion for art and music but I’m starting to appreciate that fashion is an art form as well. The stitching, the fabrics, it can transport you to a wonderful world of make believe! I don’t slavishly follow trends and my close friends will attest to this. I’m just an ordinary girl who loves to watch a nice film, eat some chocolate and wear a pretty dress from time to time. Something I’ve also considered is how much to reveal about my life online. I know that, for now, I’m not comfortable using Glossary as an online diary or window into all the areas of my life. So what you read is an extremely edited version of my life and of course, most people understand this. Sometimes I wander if I give the impression that my life is just trips to the mall and cupcakes in the kitchen! Obviously, it’s not. I have ups and downs in all areas of my life just like anyone else. I just choose not to write about them here because it’s personal and it’s a process. I appreciate that some people prefer to reveal more and work through their stuff online and that’s fine, we just all have different comfort areas when it comes to sharing. I do, however, love taking pictures of a book I’ve enjoyed or a cute pair of shoes and I’m going to continue ‘scrapbooking’ the simple things that bring a little joy to my life. You are always welcome to pop in for a browse and a chat. I’m deeply grateful for your visits and messages of support. They are the most wonderful boost and they fuel my creativity. I also thank you for all the tips and info you share with me.

Well, those were just thoughts I wanted to share. I hope you have a lovely Friday evening and a relaxing weekend. x

Hannah & Landon

Today, Sandra told us about this married couple living in New York. Such amazing photos, thank you sweet Sandra.

What I Wore: Floral Frock!

This is my new winter frock! And yes, it's from Monsieur Price. You'd be forgiven for thinking this entire blog is sponsored by Mr Price! It isn't but they do make me very happy sometimes. My shoes are Country Road and the necklace is from Accessorize. That reminds me, my sweet little 7-year old cousin was mezmerised by it the other day and wanted to know if it opens like a locket. Bless! Unfortunately, it doesn't but I promised her I'd get her a pocketwatch. I hope Mr P still has some!

Style Crush: Kelly Osbourne

Wowzers, Kelly Osbourne is looking fantastic! I can't open a magazine these days without seeing a pic of her rocking some seriously chic style. I am really feeling those dusty pink curls on her. That's another colour to try one of these days. Kel has certainly toned up and trimmed down since 'Dancing with the Stars,' hasn't she? I was so proud of myself for exercising the other night (or, erm, dancersizing like a nutter to Foo Fighters) but unfortunately, I fell off the wagon tonight. Health will prevail tomorrow! I'm taking mega inspiration from Miss Kelly O. That reminds me - Kelly recently published a sort of self-love book called Fierce. I've read a bit and it's really sweet. I wasn't too fond of her mouthy antics on The Osbournes but she seems to have softened in her early twenties. Such a natural part of growing up, that is. Well, Kelly, you're looking great lady, keep up the good work!

Tights & Lace

It poured with rain this Saturday so I wore tights and my new tunic from Mr Price. It was nice to have some chilly weather because Durbs hasn't had much of an autumn at all. You must be tired of seeing my pocketwatch in every picture post but I just love it so much, it goes with everything! x