Caution Construction Ahead!

Dear friends,

We are gathered here today to mark the official ground turning ceremony of our home! The blog is getting a facelift. And ain't it time. 

For a while now I've been prancing around town looking for ways to focus my energies in an effort to become more efficient at the things I set out to do. I have found however ironically,  that the only way to focus, is to broaden my view of things. This may sound like blogetic rhetoric but it is true. 

So, in order to discover what it is I truly want do do, I will start by doing everything and let passion weed out the pipe dreams. 

Blogging is something I've always loved. The web was my introduction to writing and as it is a non-judgemental medium, I have always come here to build my confidence for more "serious" mediums. This is why I have decided to do with more fervor. Look out for our make-over in June! 

Cannot wait!

Shap!

November Instagram Round-up

It has been a generally busy year. So most of the months have been wall-to-wall with activities. I've elected to tell you the story in pictures. Here is my first InstaRoundup. Follow me on IG: nkgabi_motau. xx

Family love•Hair change•The Annual Mak Party•Art•Amazing weather•Our Pride&Joy: #ShareACokeZA

Share a Coke with Bobby #ShareACokeZA

I don't usually do this but...

Here's our latest commercial. A piece of work that I will always be proud of.

The following ad is the inside story of this summer’s biggest event – Coca-Cola, the world’s biggest brand is putting peoples names on their cans and bottles. The story is a journey of a dog that’s trying to find its name on the new Coke cans. Through the dogs POV we see the exciting lifestyle of Johannesburg whilst meeting different types of teenagers across multiple sub-cultures all of whom are excited to find their names on cans. This journey tells a wonderful story of friendship and the connections that Coke brings whereas the setting and people give the commercial a sophisticated edge and cool that you’d only find in South Africa. 

Below is the making of which ends off with the ad. - If you don't have 5mins to watch the whole piece the you can watch the ad  here. 

Credits:

CREATIVE TEAM:                          

BRETT MORRIS         Chief creative officer                                                                                 

JONATHAN DEEB   Executive Creative Director

JAMES CLOETE       Creative director

NKGABISENG MOTAU Art Director

MUKONDELELI RALUSHAYI Copy writer

PRODUCER: VANESSA BORTHWICK

GROUP ACCOUNT DIRECTOR:  STRUAN BOURQUIN

Production House:

Director: Greg Gray

Producer: Helena Woodfine

DOP: Paul Gilpin

Production House art director: Chris Bass

Post Production House: Deliverance Post Production

Editor: Ricky Boyd

Online edit : Blade

Music : Ting Tings – That's not my name 

Forbes Woman Africa Media Launch

Salutations!

Of course being the gal that I am, I lay my Twitter pride down to go on an unashamed groupie rant about my desperate neeeeed to be at this event. Lo and behold, I won! The Forbes twitter handle DM'd yours truly to give me details of the event including the fact I had ALL ACCESS to the event and me + one would be chauffeur driven by JaguarSA...I died a small death and went to socialite heaven.

It was everything I imagined it to be. - A puree of frighteningly important people all crammed into a fabulous venue and left to idea-mate. My friend and I had an inspiration overload. I am a firm believer in media as a force of change. The more we tell our own stories in our own voice, the better our chance of moving the world's perspective of us into a truer place...and of course there is a lot that can be said for perspective, perception and truth.

Cheryl Carolus, an Independent Non-Executive Director for Gold Fields and Chairperson of Peotona Holding was my favourite speaker of the evening. She gave an electrifying account of her belief in and advocation of Women Leaders. I especially loved her line "Business women are NOT men in lipstick" - could never have said it better myself. We need more women to believe in women....this point will never be labored. 

All in all it was a blaze of an evening, we met the earth-shattering Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe. - I would need a whole new blog to speak about how amazing she is. 

Anyhow, this is by no means a blow-by-blow account. The rest I'm sure you'll be able to read about in the debut copy of FWA. 

Pics below (from my phone, so please no Annie Liebovits expectations)

xxx

The evening's hosts. Top Billing's Ursula. Beaut!

The magnificent Cheryl Carolus

Shameless bathroom selfie

The Cover Gal Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe

The Mostepes

Editor Karima Brown...wonderful woman

I am so ashamed that I have forgotten the woman on the left's name. She was fabulous.

Forbes Life...the evenings surprise launch featuring Alek Wek

Groupie Love <3 td="">

The cover of the moment

Amla Launch

Hello darlings!

I have been an increasingly atrocious host. Forgive me. Life gets you away from these blogger pages at times. Anyhow, apologies aside, I have some nooooz! :)

A little while ago, I was fortunate enough to be a part of launching a new brand of hair care for our African strands. At the beautiful anglo saxon setting of The Munro Boutique Hotel in Houghton, the secret was let out. Softsheen Carson has brought us all the age old benefits of Amla Oil (a well trusted ingredient of hair  care that Indian women all over the world have known and loved for years) through their Dark n Lovely Amla Legend Legacy. Cue the trumpets!

Now, I'm not the evangelist of relaxer treatments (in fact for the past few years I was staying far from relaxers) but this is honestly the first brand of straight hair care that has worked for my hair. I purposely delayed this blog post because I wanted to try the products first before blindly blogging about how amazing they promise to be. This is my real, unpaid account of how well the products work. (I have therefor only included the products I have tried and liked.)

1. The relaxer creme: I have really course/dense hair and as a result I often had to use strong relaxers that ended up burning me and leaving my scalp dry and itchy. The difference here is that this creme has the strength of a strong relaxer (think Ladine) but is also equipped to moisturise and mildly straighten the hair without starting a bon-fire on my head! *Amen!*

2. The Billion Hair Potion: This stuff is honestly like green-tea for hair...this is my favourite product in the range. I style my hair daily so heat could have damaged it by now. This product has protected my hair from breaking or falling without me having to go for countless expensive salon treatments. I love it! It's deeply moistrurising and it doesn't create a greasy look (which I hate on relaxed hair). Yay!

3. The 1000 oils Night Wrap: I have never really used a night wrap. It's like our own version of what some coloured ladies call a Swirl Kousie (pardon the spelling if it's wrong). You apply the product at night and put your doek over it. It the morning, I kid you not, your hair will be smoother and less tangled! Like I said, I have VERY course hair so this is like my weekly miracle. I have been getting a lot of questions about how I maintain the short look and this product has a lot to do with it. It can get expensive maintaining a short look at home but with the help of this combo of products I have been doing quite well. It's awesome because I can hold out on relaxing it again.

Having said all that, I haven't even scrapped the surface of the source of my excitement about the launch event! I was lucky enough to have my hair cut by none other than Hollywood celebrity hair stylist and personal hair stylist to Michelle Obama, Johnny Wright!!!!! Star dust everywhere! He was amazing and he did a great job of making me comfy with cutting all my hair down to this short length but I can safely say I have NO regrets!

Ok that was a mouthful. Pics below!! If you have a comment or a hair care secret of your own, feel free to share below.

In the words of the one and only Tiger: Tata for now :)

The Product

The Process

Just Cut

So much make-up yohhhh...

Location

View from the Munro Boutique Hotel

All done :)

Hair Models

Thula Sindi Number

Loot, Johnny, Me :)

:)

Our Very Own Come Dine With Me

Hi friends,

Short blog post...bragging rights really. We hosted a little (come not-so-little) dinner at our spot last night. The food turned out good, the conversation was awesome and everyone had an all-round great time. Maybe a little too good considering how I'm feeling this morning. No matter though, it's all for the memories. The dinner is a rotating club din,hence the borrowed title CDWM, next up is my good friend Thato...can't wait to taste his creations! Hopefully I'll put up a post from his din too :)

Pics below courtesy of @_deE_licious

The Menu/Invite we emailed out before the event.

Circle of trust :) 

Deathby Malva

Starter: "Muscle Bomb"

Welcome drink: "Tower Rose"

#Fitness

Hello again,

I've been trying to keep more fit over the past year...another one of the more tangible efforts I'm making to live my "best life" (Can you hear Dr Oz dictating this sentence to me in the background?) I have to say it's gotten a lot easier over time.

Lately it hardly feels like a chore at all, it's a lifestyle switch that I actually enjoy. - I know this might sound "righteous" but once you get into the habit, you begin to love it...need it even. Also, I have found exercise is a great way to equalize ones emotions. So I often run further when I'm upset and by the time I get home I'm too bushed to be stressed. Also, I do believe exercise releases a certain good endorphin (like chocolate) that makes one happy...so if not for health, do it for happiness. :)

I do a couple different things to keep the excitement alive: Running, Muay Thai, and Gym at Virgin Active. If you'd like running info, SA Active  and Nike + are good places to start...it helps to get into a community of sorts just so you can have the support it takes to stick to it. If you'd like to get into Muay Thai, I go to a class in Rivonia by @bakibaai (Tweet him for more info - he's really tough! Get's rid of the fat faaaaast!)

Here are a couple of "me doing exercisey things" pics... LOL

Watch the Tone! ;")

Witness the Fitness ;")

Accountability Calendar

Hey friends,

I've devised a little plan to help me stay on track. Lists are obviously not doing their part to help me keep to what I say/think I'll do daily. So, I've made an accountability calendar! - Pastel colored, so that it's at least bearable to look at daily. It's an A3 foldable print with blocks for 5 days in each week (because it would be ungodly to PLAN to spend ones weekends working) You can print one and join me. Hopefully this will yield a kick-ass productive month.

Yay!

Print!!

It has little messages to encourage you along the way :)

Like: "Started from the bottom"

Folded

and "Now we here!!" hahaha

Mozam in three snaps

I loved our trip to Mozambique over new years. I won't say much about it though, it's my little gem. But here are 3 snaps from our time in Bilene AKA little heaven. These pretty much some up the life that side though :')

Beach

Beer

And More Beach

God's Window

"So young for death, we walk in shoes too bigBut you play it like a poet like you always didAnd I lay face upturned on the palm of GodPushed on by the fingertips of dreamsThey haunted me, consoling me
And I would like to call, call it beautyStrained as love's become, it still amazes meAnd I would like to call it beautyBeauty, beauty, beauty"
Corinne Bailey Rae "I'd like to call it beauty."
The first verse of this song is the only way I know how to describe our trip to God's Window. Serene, complete and vast. The area is a reason if you needed one to believe that God is real. How it reduces you to a minute detail and puts into perspective the fraction on mass you are compared to the earth is a feeling everyone must find - humbling.
It reminded me of a quote I liked in Life Of Pi "It moved with the slow, massive confidence of a continent." 
We arrived on a dark, wet Friday evening and didn't see much going there, but even in the dark, one can feel the sheer grandeur of the mountains that the road winds around, meandering up and down all the way to Graskop. 
In the morning, after a brief drive through the tiny pancake shop filled town we went out to see the sites. God's Window itself was breath taking but there are also a number of other sites to see along the entire Pavilion area between God's Window and Sabie. We saw water falls and mountain passes and each other - in a calmer less city-saturated way, that's one of the nicest things about going away...you get to stop and see each other :)
We ate at an old train station styled diner  and drove along the wormy path back home in the thickest fog I've ever seen in my life! - every bit of it was amazing.

Snaps!

Breakfast

Flora

Peggy Sue

Jagged Edge

Crust Cafe :) haha

The fog lifted to give us a peek, like God had opened his curtain :)