SPRING HIGHLIGHTS ‘19

This season was extremely long, it also could be because my mind and body is a little confused since I went from Summer in South Africa to winter for 2 weeks in America then Spring, yup all those seasons in 1 month. It’s been a weird transition but I believe I’ve fully adapted although I still don’t seem to feel the ‘hot’ weather that everyone feels here haha I’m always walking around in a sweater because having the sun out doesn’t necessarily mean it’s hot!

Nonetheless, this is my 4th month living in New York and boy oh boyyy I love it here! I mean, I am missing out on a lot back home but they do fill me in and keep me updated hence I don’t feel left out. I wouldn’t really say I have felt homesickness yet but I do miss my family of course. So here are some of the things that went down this Spring…

• WENT SOLO SHOPPING

Wait, so not only was it basically my first time going shopping, I also just shopped from Forever 21 and ZARA – stores I could only dream of shopping from. I mean, I’m no fancy girl but it felt good to actually buy expensive items and it’s not like I needed new clothes or a new bag, I just went shopping out of boredom.

• BEACH SUNSET

• FIRST TRAIN RIDE

It actually fascinates me that the main public transport here in New York (and in USA as a whole I think) are trains and subways and it is the most convenient mode of transport I can think of. So the first time I ever took a train I did it alone, haha yup New York has forced independence right down my throat and doesn’t even care if I choke. But me being the big girl that I am, I managed to stay calm and follow the instructions I was given and it was exciting!

• MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

• A CARICATURE OF ME

I’ve always had this in my bucket list but I was just never sure where I would find someone to do this for me but luckily in New York there are people on the side of the streets who do caricatures for $10-$15 so I took this chance…

• PLATFORM SNEAKERS

I don’t know where my love for platform sneakers comes from all of a sudden but woah I’m really into them and I was so happy when I found them at Walmart, there was no way I could leave them behind. Also, these shoes are so perfect for traveling, I haven’t yet experienced sore or swollen feet from walking all day because of these platforms.

• 100 BLOG POSTS

Listen, I was surprised and overjoyed when I got that notification that I have published 100 posts on this blog! 100! This made me think back to when I first started it and it made me happy to see that nothing has changed but I have grown so much through expressing myself here. Shoutout to everyone who has been on this road with me since the beginning and those who have hopped on along the way. Stick with me, we’re going places.

• BROOKLYN WITH THE GIRLS

You probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you that we had only known each other for 2 weeks and set off on an adventure to Brooklyn for the day and we’ve been tight ever since. We hit almost all the ‘tourist’ spots despite the rain trying to stand in our way.

• NEW HURR

‘New hair, who’s this?’ If you know me then you should know how much I love braiding my hair, buying weaves and styling my natural hair… I am obsessed with having my hair look good. I ordered this 24” curly weave from AliExpress as always and I felt like a goddess rocking it! I’m still going to rock it, just not in summer though haha

• TRAVELED SOLO

First solo trip blog post

• PHILADELPHIA

My first solo trip was to Philly and boy did I enjoy myself! It’s funny because I didn’t expect Philadelphia to be so beautiful and fun but today my Philly trip is all I ever talk about…

Watch my Insta highlights here

• PLANNER GIFT

Unexpectedly, so so unexpectedly my employer received a package while I was talking to her and she was like, “This is actually yours by the way” as she was opening it and it was a year planner! To someone else, that probably wouldn’t mean much but because I’m super weak, I get emotional when someone does a small kind gesture. What made it more special for me was her saying, “Since you’re always writing things down I thought you would like this”… How observant can you actually get?!

• NYC PUBLIC LIBRARY

• STARTED LOVING VSCO… AGAIN

This has been such an on-and-off relationship but now, I am fully committed. I have wondered for a long time how people achieve beautiful aesthetics with VSCO and I can’t until one day I discovered a trick. Since I am not willing to pay the yearly membership for this app, all I do is apply whichever filter I want, take a screenshot and crop it. I then take it to Lightroom where I apply one of the presets I created and wallah… aesthetics!

• COLOR FACTORY

This is a cute place to go to almost feel like a kid again and it also automatically lighten up your mood. I mean, there’s pretty much all shades of colors there and each room has something special to offer.

• AVENGERS: ENDGAME

Did that title just make you cry? Well, I cried typing it! My friends and I went to watch Endgame at 12am, normally you come back home at 3am on the weekend drunk but I went home at 3am crying haha. As expected, this was such a beautiful movie and although I was not happy with Tony Stark dying, I still have some hope that Spider-Man will somehow bring him back to life so I’m impatiently waiting for his movie to come out.

• MY SISTER GETS TRADITIONALLY MARRIED

Nothing and I mean nothing makes me happier than seeing my mother, sister and brother happy. If you know me then you know that I could kill for them without thinking twice! My sister’s boyfriend went down on 1 knee in February and my sister said YES then 2 months later homie traditionally ‘married’ her (walotsholwa) and I’m beyond happy because my sister is given the love that she deserves and I am forever thankful to her fiancé, my brother!

• GOT TESTED

Embarrassing fact but whatever… I had never been tested for HIV and STDs but when I visited PlannedParenthood and they asked if I want to get tested for everything, I thought yeah wtf am I afraid of anyway so I did it – I got tested for HIV, STDs and pregnancy and I am super proud of myself for finally doing it.

• ROADTRIP

• INSTA DM APPRECIATION

I have been receiving supportive and motivational DMs from friends and strangers on Instagram and a few weeks ago I realized how much that inspires me to be more helpful and authentic. I also realized that I have a positive impact on people and that’s all I ever want anyway…

• SUNSET AT COLD SPRING HARBOR

• DW CANDLES

I love love love candles, especially scented ones and these DW candles are my current favorite thing in my room, it’s all I ever look forward to at the end of the day – lighting those candles, listening to soothing music, relaxing and getting ready for the next day.

• THE HUSTLE

I have actually never watched a movie at the cinema twice but The Hustle was so nice I couldn’t help it! I love comedies and I am very picky about the kinda comedy I’m into but The Hustle, Why Him and Vacation are the kinda movies I mean when I say comedy!

• MOM’S 50TH-BIRTHDAY SURPRISE PARTY

• 4 DAYS IN BOSTON

Memorial Day weekend was 4 days long this year and I was sent off to explore Boston! To be honest, there isn’t much to do or see in Boston (in my opinion), I pretty much hit all the tourist attractions in one day then spent the rest of my stay in the hotel watching TV. My highlights were the sunset cruise, walking around Harvard University as if I belong there haha and finally gaining enough confidence to ask strangers to take pictures of me.

That’s it for now, have a nice summer/winter,