Here are some of my favourite series from this year:

1. True Blood

From the very episode of season 1, and those first few minutes of a dark road illuminated by car headlights, I was hooked. Believe me, I’m not the vampire show type – I was never a goth, I have never been into vamp literature and I think Twilight is a joke. A bad joke. But True Blood… this was different. Clever, outrageous, gory, sexy and addictive and with a realist aspect that made it even more brilliant. I got through the first two seasons and had pretty much caught up by the time that season 3 had reached halfway. Then it ended, and like the rest of fans all over the world, the wait for season 4 began. The Sookie Stackhouse books at least proved to be a worthy diversion, but still… June seems a long way off.

2. Burn Notice

For some reason I only got to watching Burn Notice a few months ago, despite the fact that it had been sitting on my HD for some time. I love this show for so many reasons – the great characters, the OTT storyline, the action and of course the subtle but hilarious humour that is injected into each episode. Also, the fact that it is set in Miami makes all the more appealing. Spy shows are second only to cop shows in my book, and I was bleak when I ran out of episodes three quarters into the third season. Sigh.

3. Modern Family

I will admit that I didn’t quite get into this the first time I tried to watch it – something about the first episode just didn’t gel. When I gave it another chance at actually got through the first few minutes, I was in stitches however! The mockumentary style is brilliantly done, and the characters are so instantly recognisable as people that we all know. Add a killer dialogue and a great storyline, and you can see why this show has become such a hit. I’ve watched it a few times, and every time it’s as funny as the first time.

4. Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl is a great show for many, many reasons. The amazing fashion, the crazy storyline, the characters, the love complications, the fantastic New York backdrop… it all adds up into one fabulously OTT series that makes you fervently wish that you could somehow have been born into a rich Manhattan family. Having just finished Gossip Girl 2 on SABC 3 (yes, they are that behind), I started Gossip Girl 3 right afterwards. This was one of the best seasons for me, not least because this was when we got to see a sensitive and ‘real’ side to Chuck Bass. The ending was also one of the most intense endings in a series yet, and since I haven’t started season 4, I still have no idea what to expect. I’m waiting until I have enough episodes to adequately series slum because I’m weird like that.

5. Trauma

Ok, this one I have been watching on SABC 3 but still – Trauma is turning out to be outstanding as far as I’m concerned. Sadly, the critics and network don’t share my views however; the show was cancelled after just one season. I might be easy to please, but I’ve never been able to resist a good drama – especially with medical stuff and police action thrown in. The storyline is fairly solid, with great characters and plenty of high-paced action each episode as well as the ‘human spirit’ angle to balance it out. Too bad we won’t get a season 2 though. By the way, if you search for ‘trauma’ on Google Images, be sure to add ‘series’ to your search query… wish I could un-see some of the images that came up looking for this promo pic!

Other notable mentions include Dexter 4 (John Lithgow especially, phew!), Heroes 5 (tragic that this is the end, no more Sylar!), Gladiator (hot.men.in.tiny.outfits), Vampire Diaries (other than Damon, kinda okish in an emo way) and 30 Rock (always hilarious).

What have your favourite series been this year?

sad panda is sad... and tired, and over this effing day!

Well, I don’t know about y’all, but my Monday is kinda sucking. Between stresses and strains, an achey back that won’t quit, and the realisation that my bank balance and back issues are not boding well for boxing this month, it’s all just been a bit of a bleary one. Rather than sit around and play Def Leppard and feel sorry for myself, I have decided to be constructive and share some tips for beating those Monday Mehs… enjoy!

1. Drink some tea – I discovered a great tea at Wellness Warehouse called Bright Mood. It tastes great, and smells divine… with lots of herbs and spices to calm and sooth. (Bonus tip: while it’s tempting to add some ‘special herbal ingredient’ to add to the relaxing nature of tea, you might want to think twice about that route if you’re at work, hehe)

2. Marmite toast – Marmite is packed with B vitamins, especially B12 – that’s the one with all the stress-busting goodness, so it will give you a bit of a quick boost. (Bonus tip: cheese and Marmite rice cakes are the yummiest way to enjoy your B12 boost!)

3. Look at otters – no really, laugh all you want to but otters are an excellent way to lift your mood without ever leaving your desk. (Bonus tip: DailyOtter.org is having issues today, but a Goggle image search will do in a push)

4. Spritz some lavender or orange spray – studies have shown that scents such as citrus and lavender give an instant calming effect. Keep some essential oil at hand, or find a spray with one of these scents in it. (Bonus tip: Clicks have a bedtime pillow mist that is a real winner!)

5. Paint your nails – keeping a few brightly coloured nail polish bottles on your desk is essential, allowing you to indulge in a quick and easy pamper session when you’re having your tea. (Bonus tip: colours like pink are your best bet – look out for yummy Essie or OPI shades in summer brights!)

6. Buy an advent calendar – the ones with chocolate in them are the best bet, and if you started a few days into December that means more chocolate for you! (Bonus tip: if your budget allows for a splurge, you can even get Lindt advent calendars!)

7. Have a banana – we all know by now that bananas are good for boosting serotonin, and they can be eaten just as they are or with other stuff. (Bonus tip: if you have a blender on hand, a banana milkshake is even more of a zen booster)

8. Phone your mom for a chat – no really; when was the last time you spoke to your mom and got some much-needed perspective? For me it was yesterday, but still – moms are good like that. (Bonus tip: dads, aunts, grandparents and other family members do the trick too if moms aren’t an option)

9. Play some feel-good music – whatever that means to you… for me it’s Nina Simone, Morcheeba, Bob Marley or Bruce Springsteen when I really need to cheer myself up. (Bonus tip: if Justin Bieber or Willow Smith are your happy music options and you work in an office, skip this step for the sake of your co-workers)

10. Breath in, breath out – sounds silly, but a deep breath is sometimes all we need to clear our minds, refocus and regroup. (Bonus tip: breathing in for 5 counts, holding for 5 counts and breathing out for 5 counts is how we are supposed to be breathing… the faster we breath, the more anxious we feel – true story)

Seeing as how it’s lunchtime, I’m going to make some Marmite toast and a cup of tea, then I’m going to put on some Nina Simone and look at otter pictures while I eat. Wow – feeling a bit better just thinking about it.

downtime: otter style!

It’s a new dawn
It’s a new day
It’s a new life
For me
And I’m feeling good

~ Nina Simone – Feeling Good

There are many reasons why this week is a good week, not least because I am having a much-needed bit of downtime as one deadline finishes and another one begins only next week. So aside from my regular stuff, for now anyway I can focus on admin, Roxb updates, myself and all the things I never get around to doing when the going gets manic.

Some reasons for me to feel good…

* I’ve been taking a fantastic supplement from Solal called (wait for it) Naturally High. While it sounds like it should have something *else* in it, what it does have is plenty of B vitamins, ginseng, ginkgo biloba, St. John’s wort, and other good stuff. So far, my energy levels have already increased and I’m only taking them in the mornings. Available at Wellness Warehouse and other health stores, read here for details.

* I’ve also been drinking awesome Asian red tea every day. It’s good for all sorts of things, from stress to weight loss and general well being, and while I got mine at Wellness, you can also get it at a few places like health stores, Pick ‘n Pay and so on. The first cup should be drank on an empty tummy, and then you have 3 more cups throughout the day.

* I’m going to get these curls trimmed and styled into some sort of shape soon. Reckon I’m going to go with number 2 as per this post, so I can wear it straight, wavy or more curly depending on how much effort I want to put into things. Think the last time I had it cut was August, so it’s due a trim!

* I’m aiming for a Calm November this month. That means less stress, less issues and using my time better so that I am surrounded by positive people and things. I have come too close to the edge these past few months, and I just don’t want any more negativity any more. Done with that shiz!

* It’s a Nina Simone type of day today and I can play it loud since my neighbours are all at work. One of the perks of working from home is being able to enjoy some tunage without worrying about neighbours – at least it drowns out the usual noise from construction and lawn mowing and horses neighing.

I’m trying to grown my hair out now so that next year I can go longer and a few shades lighter. Currently however, I’m growing out a bob and am already getting that itching need to DO SOMETHING soon. I’ve been letting the curls run amok, and I am not totally unhappy with the curled bob… but I miss having a fringe, and it needs a trim. The good news is that the grown up bob is a hot trend for 2011, so now all I need to do is settle on a style for the rest of the year so I can update it just a teeny bit and then let it do its thing and grow out.

Here are some of my ideas…

1. Add a fringe and even it out a bit for more volume and less shape.
2. Add fringe and thin it out a bit for a toned down version of my current wash and go.
3. Add fringe and trim around the current shaped bob I have.
4. Trim current side fringe and go shorter again.

While I wait for my old colour to grow out I sadly can’t do anything in terms of shade, but maybe I can get a natural vegetable hairdye or wash in chocolate brown?

It may take a few months, but ultimately I want to get it to the grown out bob stage – who knows, maybe I will even do the Alexa Chung thang and opt for ‘rocker roots’!

not bad, not bad at all...

How do you deal with those ‘in-between’ hair phases?

It’s Friday, the sun is out and while it’s been another pretty hectic week, it’s the end of the month and soon the end of some epic deadlines that have been weighing over me. I have chocolate, vanilla chai and pretty plum nails, I’ve just done my monthly invoices and I slept right through the night to wake up feeling more like my old self than I have in a while.

All in all, I think this calls for some Metallica. Not just any Metallica either – this Irish folk song cover is one of my favourites, and has a particularly entertaining video too.

Happy Friday y’all, and may it be an awesome one wherever you are!

I believe in nothing, everything is sacred.
I believe in everything, nothing is sacred.

~ Tom Robbins, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

It’s been a bit of a bumpy start to the week, and I’m at the point where I just can’t even try to focus anymore. All I feel up to doing is hiding away on my couch with a chilled glass of Chenin Blanc, some chocolate and some Spartacus, or maybe The Little Mermaid (aka my comfort movie that I watch when I am extremely stressed and bleak).

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about balance, zen and my noble intentions to find these rare and elusive creatures that seem to escape me in the midst of a slump. It’s not that I haven’t tried to keep it together – it’s just that sometimes even the toughest of cookies take strain eventually. I guess in my plan for world copy domination and my ambitions and deadlines and all that, I somehow lost track of the zen stuff along with my brains and attention span. As my mojo slowly returns, it’s clear that my zen can return too – I just have to make a bit more effort to focus on ME sometimes and not let things consume me. You know you need to take a step back when you find yourself talking work at any chance you get!

So in the interest of regaining my zen and finding myself once again, I’ve been trying to implement a few healthy habits…

* Walks for the fun of it – a bit of advice from my dear friend Chris M, I need to make time to walk down to De Waal Park and chill under the trees, even just once a week if I can.
* Monthly pamper power lunch hour – getting my hair done on Friday was such a great feeling, and I really want to start trying to get more into the spa vibe once a month too.
* Family and friends time – I do not get to spend nearly enough time with people I care about, and starting to realise that Patron mayhem doesn’t really count in the way that a quick coffee or chat does in terms of catch up and quality time. Still, I take what I can get.
* Getting out of the city – I miss my sister tremendously, even if she is less than two hours away – I used to try and get up at least once a month, and these little day trips made such a difference!
* More pink and vanilla – seriously, pink is a known healing colour, and vanilla is an instant calming scent for me… I want to create a harmonious tranquil haven where I can feel calm all the time.
* Less junk more shakes – it is time to go easy on the bread, stop skipping breakfast and start drinking more shakes. Smoothies too!
* Finding my inner peace – I am giving the whole yoga thing a try this week, to see how that goes for me… there’s a lovely small studio down the road, that wafts heavenly aromatherapy scents and has a peaceful feel to it, with small classes in the morning that may just be a good start to finding the balance I am seeking.

At the end of the day, much as creating this little empire means the world to me, nothing should ever come at such a high price that you forget that just being alive, healthy and happy is really our only true goal in life. Everything else will come together if you able to find your balance on this crazy roller coaster we all life.

For me anyway, finding my balance is the first step to achieving my dreams.

Some of the biggest wins so far…

* Getting my super awesome logo! I honestly cannot thank Inika at Leo Loves Design enough, it is exactly what I had visualised in my head, and am plastering it on everything like a teenage girl with stickers!

* More fun at gym. Who would have thought it would be this fun and easy to get back into things? It’s weird, finding that exercise is such a huge help, especially on the hectic days when I need a boost.

* The power of networking. This is something that I am really appreciating lately – it’s awesome to be able to use my little network to find inspiration, get help and generally connect, and I really want to start growing and developing this network so that we all have a great collective resource!

* A shift in perspective. Not too long ago, I was feeling overwhelmed and sorry for myself about missing out on so much and having to work my ass off all the time. Lately, I’m starting to realise that it’s all part of the bigger picture, and as I start seeing results, it’s becoming easier to accept these long days and crazy pressures.

* My amazing and supportive mom. I quite honestly don’t know how I would have gotten through these past few months without my mom, and when I start feeling the panic set in, she is always able to help bring me back to calm, believing in me even when I am struggling to believe in myself.

* Tea, tea and more tea. Seriously, while I still have the odd cup of coffee during desperate times, I’m finding that I don’t miss it much at all – especially not when I have 5 or 6 different tea options. Current favourites include vanilla chai and cherry tea. Yum in a cup!

It’s going to be a very long night and another crazy one tomorrow day and night too. Deadlines, deadlines and more deadlines, fun times! But you know, I am feeling pretty good anyway – going to give it 1000% for the rest of the week, and then make sure I get at least one night off on the weekend, even if I don’t have any day time off.

Hump Day overall zen rating? A solid 75% and counting.

P.S. Get a load of my fab new logo:

srsly? wake me up when summer is here!

I miss True Blood. Could really do with a dose of vampire mayhem today… or better still, a month somewhere far away, with no interwebz or 3G or BB signal.

Beyond exhausted, just not feeling it at all today.

*sigh*

Being a freelancer has its perks, but the concept of ‘working weekend’ takes on a whole new slant. It could be Monday, Friday or any other day today, and the only way I can tell the difference is that there are less people on gtalk to balance out the flow of my day. Otherwise, it’s just another day – more words, less brainz, about the same amount of tea.

Still, there has been one highlight or two this weekend to keep it from being a total write off. The most notable of these being my waffle date with a friend on Saturday morning. Having missed her birthday due to deadlines last month, and not having seen her until now, I wanted to do something special. So I got her a beautiful orchid that had the waiter and customers at Caramello’s smiling away, and then we tucked into the most heavenly waffles on the planet…

waffle heaven @ caramello's... pure bliss!

It was an hour of pure contentment, and I relished every second of it. I have also managed to utilise my late night chillax time more effectively, by reading rather than series slumming. I’ve managed to finish Darkly Dreaming Dexter (a surprisingly short and easy read, more thoughts on this to follow when I have the brain capacity to process my views), and am hoping to get a chance to start After Dark, my new Haruki Murakami. The trouble is, by the time 9 or 10pm comes along, I’ve generally been working for anything from 10 to 12 hours, if not longer – which is not all that conducive to things like ‘thinking’.

All the inspiration I regained lately is vanishing in the face of despondency and fatigue, and this ear thing is not helping. The last thing I feel like doing is giving more money to the medical profession, especially when I could be spending it on things like a new laptop or a decent office chair.

In all honesty, I am actually looking forward to Monday – at the very least, it means a new week that will hopefully bring some good stuff my way. Could do with some decent zen boosting!

Until then… it’s back to the grindstone I go. *sigh*

it's the weekendzzzzzz

The fact that I have to rely on Twitter and emails to tell what day it is says a lot about my current state of mind. But then again, when you freelance, weekends are not always much different to weekdays – unless you venture out somewhere where there are ‘people’ to do things that involve having a ‘life’.

As things have been quite manic of late, and considering the amount of work I have to finish this month, this is going to be a working weekend. So no Patron, no mayhem, no Long Street and other than a waffle date tomorrow morning with a friend, no social stuff. This sucks in some ways, but in another way, I am feeling so utterly exhausted that maybe taking a time out won’t be the worst thing right now.

A few highlights this week to break the sad panda mode…

* Gmail’s Priority Inbox feature is probably the best thing ever – no more searching for all those work emails that get lost in the system, yay!
* I went to Exclusive Books this morning to get myself a cheering up present – Darkly Dreaming Dexter and a new Murakami, After Dark.
* Woolworths Vanilla Chai is insanely awesome and comforting – the smell alone instantly makes me feel better.
* Ordering pizza and wine from Mr. Delivery on Wednesday – after working from 9am to 9pm, it saved the day!
* I need to begin my revamp plans for my flat – first thing is making list of what to do, then getting permission to paint. Amped!
* I also need to start eating more Bar Ones – there simply isn’t ever enough time in my day, and even being at home doesn’t seem to help much. *sigh*
* These Versace heels are utter shoe porn – it’s almost too much to look at them, phew.
* I am starting to get that ‘parked parallel in a horizontal universe’ feeling – losing perspective really does suck, and wish I could just take a time out to regain my bearings.

Really not much else to say… it’s Friday, and I guess that is something right? Just can’t work up the energy or effort to really care much either way.

Ah well – Bon Friday for those of you who have good weekends lined up!