.: 2010

Friday, December 31, 2010

Feeling it in your bones

I found this beautifully written post on the website 1000 Awesome things and didn't even think twice before sharing it on my blog. It's entitled "Feeling it in your bones." Enjoy.

Feeling it in your bones

Born and blasted into the world you’re a baby brain with wide eyes, chubby legs, and cloudy thoughts. Mom lifts you and picks you, eyes open and close, and fogs rise and settle. Tears stream and faces scream as your swirling brain twists and turns into thoughts…

Nothing makes sense till it does.

Nothing feels right till it does.

Chalk raps on blackboards beside times tables, language stirs sounds into sentences, and stories send you flying into faraway worlds. Book reports and homework inspections, chemistry labs and biology dissections, all fill your spinning brain with numbers and theories and thoughts…

Nothing makes sense till it does.

Nothing feels right till it does.

Teenage sleepovers and late night walks, summertime camps and suppertime talks, keep expanding your mind and your understanding of the world. First kisses and first touches, first fights and first blushes, all fill your heart with dreams, expand your brain’s book shelf, and get you thinking about a life below the surface of yourself.

Nothing makes sense till it does.

Nothing feels right till it does.

But … sometimes challenging lectures or scattering friends, confusing debates without exams at the end, can frighten your mind and scare dreams away, can frighten your life and trade tomorrows for todays. Family pressures and social graces, broken promises from trusted faces, could suddenly swirl you upside down and scatter your mind or dim your heart…

When nothing makes sense …

… … When nothing feels right …

… … … … When it gets scary to realize…

… … … … … … There are no instructions in life…

That’s when it’s time to stop, it’s time to think, it’s time to pause, it’s time to blink. When you hit the end of the year open your eyes and look behind you. When you hit the end of the year open your eyes and look inside you.

Because today you’re right here …

… … And there’s so far to go …

… … … … And today there’s still fear …

… … … … … … But there’s only one way to know …

Feel it in your bones, feel it in your bones, feel it in your bones.

Feel your bones to move forward, feel your bones to move on, feel your bones to forget, feel your bones to carry on… just feel your bones to say I love you, feel your bones to show you care, feel your bones to choose tomorrow, and feel those bones to get you there.

Because when your world sorts itself out, when your head moves aside, when your heart thumps up front, when that blood bubbles inside, well that’s when you know, that’s when you see, that’s when you finally become … what you were meant to be.

So whatever you’re thinking about today …. stop trying to choose and choose. Whatever you’re searching for today … just look inside for clues. Yes, whatever you’re thinking about … just stop and feel instead. Cause when you feel it in your bones you can smile and forget your head.

Nothing makes sense till it does.

Nothing feels right till it does.

Nothing makes sense till you feel it.

Nothing feels right till you know.

Reflections

Seeing as though there is only T-minus 24 hours left of Two Thousand and Ten (wow, scary), I thought it would be only fitting that I should look back over my shoulder and do a little tribute to '2010, the best year of my life'...
I've heard it said in much conversation lately that this year has come and gone so quickly, and indeed it has.
At the beginning of this year, I wrote a brief entry into my journal about what I hoped the year ahead would be like. I dubbed 2010 the year of 'new beginnings' and hoped it would be a year of pure fun. It almost seems as if that journal entry were prophetic, because as I look back and read it, I realise that this year was everything I wanted, hoped for, dreamed of, and more.
There also remained the unspoken hope that this year would be a year of discovery and that I would discover something entirely new, about myself, about this life and about the direction I’m headed... and so it was...
I uncovered many things about myself over these past months; I discovered strengths, talents, passions and dreams whose existence I had been oblivious to until I began this journey into 2010, nearly 365 days ago.
What made this year so spectacular you may ask?
Well for a start it was the first year in which I was able to escape the clutches of school, and it was dedicated to be my 'gap year'; a time to catch my breath, relax, and do the things I wanted to do, instead of fulfilling obligations and meeting deadlines.
I also embarked on my first overseas trip to Australia (all by myself), and exercised much spontaneity along the way. Stayed for three months instead of the intended two, all thanks to the bucket loads of fun I was having whilst falling madly in love with the country as each day passed.
I went to Hong Kong and being a little girl in a big city, I found myself completely overwhelmed by it's vastness and very mesmerised by all the lights, smells, sounds, and fashion. The phrase 'culture shock' can be applied here.
I fell in love. Turned 18. Got my driver's license. Got a car. Went sailing. Had a range of differing jobs. And had more fun than I knew what to do with.
Now can you see why I have been raving about 2010 so?
Perhaps however, the greatest treasure that I have uncovered this year, is people. Throughout both my travels and day-to-day life, this year, I have been submerged in a sea of the most amazing, special human beings on the planet and I feel as though my life has been enriched by their presence in it.
Although I am still young and by no means an expert on life, nor a philosopher of any sort, I don't think it requires too much intelligence to realise that the best things in this life are not 'things' at all, but people, and I am rich not because of what it says on my bank statement but because of the people that form a part of my life. God knows how grateful I am for you all.

So here's a toast to 2010, the greatest year of my life thus far. A toast to everyone who made the memories possible. A toast to the generosity of all who sowed into my life in so many ways. A toast to discovery, growth, fun, laughter and new beginnings.

(Image - The Notebook Doodles)

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Cupcake Couture Wedding

A blog that I follow, Cupcake Couture, is run by a lady by the name of Nadia, and she recently tied the knot, vintage style.
When I saw the photos of the wedding that she had on her blog, my jaw dropped and I felt as though I died and went to vintage-heaven.
So many weddings these days seem to be mirrors of oneanother, with unique ones being very few and far inbetween. Nadia's wedding however (judging by these photos) was anything but your stock standard, classical wedding, and these images taken by the talented Lauren from Glossary, capture the event beautifully.

(All images from Cupcake Couture Blog)

On an Island In The Sun

December wins the prize for the best month on my calendar. There are just way too many festivities to count on both hands, and the vibe in Durban is magical.

This December, we went on a sailing trip to the Mozambican Islands, and trying to describe the beauty of the scenery or the incredible time we had, just seems like too hard a task.

We basically spent seven days in a tropical island paradise, sailing around and discovering little islands and coral reefs. Our daily activities consisted of much suntanning, snorkeling, swimming in bath-warm water, eating, eating, and more eating, sleeping under the stars, fishing, kayaking, saving starfish that had washed up on the beach, and feasting on seafood dinners. Needless to say, I was in my element and being surrounded by so much beauty was actually a bit overwhelming at times; I felt as though I needed to drink in my surroundings in order to really enjoy their fullness.

I arrived back to civilisation looking quite sunkissed, well rested, and ready to take on Christmas.

We had a lovely Christmas, I got spoiled by my parents as per usual, and ate an obscene amount of roast lamb and ham at our traditional lunch. Hands up who loves Christmas, because I know I do!

Since then I have done a combination of work and chill, work and socialise, work and party. Been spending a whole lot of time with some of my favourite people on the planet, and belly-laughing is one of our most frequent activities.

The weather also seems to be reflecting every one's cheerful spirits, and we've had a string of scorching windless days along with a few fun waves which I've managed to surf.

This December has had all the ingredients of my perfect month.

To top it all off, I received a late Christmas present from two very special people over in Australia. Life, she is good!

I am also trying to savor the remainder of 2010 - the best year of my life thus far - whilst 2011 waits just around Friday's corner.

( A few photos from the trip )

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Sailing Away..

Tomorrow, my family and I are going on our first ever sailing trip to the Portuguese Islands off the coast of Mozambique along with some good friends.
We will be waking up at an alarming 3.30am, driving to the South Africa/Mozambique border and then trough the capital, 'Maputo' until we get to the dock where we will meet our new home for the next seven days; a 54 foot catamaran yacht.
I am too excited for words.
The thought of sailing in the tropics, snorkeling over coral reefs, exploring little islands and atolls, suntanning and sleeping under the stars really blows my hair back!
I am going to overdose on literature from Jane Austen and C.S Lewis whilst taking the word 'relaxation' to great new heights.
The only downfall would have to be the fact that I suffer from motion sickness. I can get a headache from reading one sentence in the car, and I have a track record of seasickness. My only hope are the tablets that I plan to take on the yacht and I'm holding thumbs they will work for me. Otherwise I may come back looking as sickly as a war prisoner instead of as refreshed as an island girl.

I'll also be out of cellphone and Internet range for a whole seven days.
I'm not pathetic, and am sure I can live without the Internet, although there is a person I sort of really need to speak to every single day and the fact that I wont be able to, is making me slightly depressed. I'm just going to have to grin and bear it until I get home next week.

Au Revior!