On the bucket list...

And ideally before I turn 40, I want to visit and experience all of the following places. I have no idea how I'm going to get there, but these are my wishes and my desires, and thus somehow it will happen, and I can't wait. The Universe will provide.

Rome: so much history, so much decadence.

London: at one time the sun never set over the English Empire. And it's pinnacle of power was in London. And of course - palaces!

Paris: So much beauty. The art, the architecture, the fashion, the food.

Venice: Yes, yes, I know, it's the second city in Italy mentioned, but it's simply SO romantic. Who does not dream of floating in gondola whilst being serenaded?

New York City: The Big Apple, the city that never sleeps. The Empire State Building, Broadway, The Statue of Liberty, the Meatpacking District (for the fashion, for the fashion)...I am positively salivating at the prospect of going to New York as soon as possible.

And there you have it. What's on your traveling bucket lists?

Monday, oh Monday

It was a good weekend, that I must say. Had a great Friday night, which was of course completely due to the awesome company surrounding me.

Of course there was an altercation with someone telephonically which pissed me off to such a degree that the White Which of Narnia would have had nothing on me. Certain people should learn to understand that white hot rage, where I scream and throw things, is not my ultimate level of anger. Cold as ice, I could not give a tiny rat's ass anymore anger; that's the type you very much want to avoid and that's the degree I reached Friday night. The result - nuclear winter. So, work hard at it buddy, now you have to work like there's no tomorrow if you ever want to experience the warm loving side of me.

In other news, my bedside table is starting to resemble a stylist's counter at a salon. I think that from hereon out I will avoid buying any new products and finish what I currently have. Besides, I have heard over and over that products form a smaller percentage to the progress one's hair makes, but that it is rather one's habits and HOW one uses said products that make the difference.

Lastly, it is officially Monday, so let the week begin.

Life is a song

Everybody has heard that little line at some stage in their life, that life is but a song and that we shouldn't allow the negative to drag us down.

The joke is of course that whoever came up with this little cliche simply assumed that the song that represents life is supposedly cheerful and happy and all about birds singing, beez buzzing and children playing in green meadows.

I am saying this because today my life is a Linkin Park song, and it is neither cheerful, nor happy. It is however gut wrenching, honest and true. And it refuses to not be heard.

So here's my question to whoever is reading this - what song is playing in your heart today?

Vision board snippet

I got up and felt like crap, I went to work and sat down at my desk and felt like crap. I attempt to inspire myself, but today it seems as if inspiration might be dodging me at every turn and corner. So, for the sake of cheering myself up and to make it even more tangible, I will post a few of the pictures that form part of my vision board. I need the upliftment, and I need to see that the day of tomorrow will be ten times better than the mood of today.

The above are just some of the dream elements that I want for my dream home. I am putting it out there and son it will come to me as it is my heart's desire and the Universe will not deny me, I believe and I have faith.

The craziness

Today was just one of those days. It started out with me feeling lazy and lifeless, but before the caffeine from my first cup of coffee could properly do it's job I promptly started running around, and only stopped about an hour ago. It's been so insane, I'm thinking about whether the gym is going to see me at all today. I know I should go, I'm just dreading going up 4 floors to get my gym gear, then drive through insane rush hour traffic and then stand in a line for a treadmill.

Regardless, a decision must be made soon. If push comes to shove I'll avoid the traffic and work out at home to an exercise DVD I bought last year that's gathering dust.

On other fronts, I'm sending out prayers for my uncle, who's currently in hospital. I pray that the Lord will look after him and send him home healing. This man is positive and full of life and he brings joy to anyone who's life he touches. Update (4/11): He's home! after almost 7 weeks in hospital, a month of which was in ICU, he's home. The strength of prayer, and faith and positive thoughts and energy is amazing. 

Time to pack up, time to head out. The gym decision will be made on the way to my car. Or maybe inside my car. Lol.

Like I said, random ramblings. I'm out.

Progress? Perhaps

It appears that my new mission has become a little bit of an obsession. It's only week 3 of my HHJ but I am thoroughly hooked, and more determined than ever. I can't enter a shop without making a turn in the hair aisle, even if I don't buy anything at that moment, to see what there is which could be to my advantage.

This past weekend I relaxed at 10 weeks post, and I'm pretty proud of that because I've never stretched consciously before. I'm going to attempt 12 weeks next, so technically speaking my next date for relaxing my hair will be the 4th of May 2012. I also did my best to not overlap and neutralize properly, as well as strengthen with protein using my Hair Mayonnaise, and afterwards deep conditioning with the moisturizing Anti-Breakage treatment.

So, my goal is to retain every millimeter of growth so that I gain at least 3cm in length all over my head by 4 May 2012. To accomplish this I'm going to do the following (advice seen on some wonderful blogs):

• ALWAYS prepoo before washing my hair, using either a rich moisturizing conditioner or coconut oil, and have the prepoo do it's job for at least 30 minutes. Over weekends, prepoo the night before and have the treatment work overnight.
• ALWAYS roller set when washing my hair, being gentle and remembering that the hair will break if I pull the rollers too tight.
• ALWAYS use the most moisturizing and gentle shampoo I can get my hands on. I am contemplating buying baby shampoo when my Pantene Silky Smooth is finished because it's so mild and contains very little sulphates.
• For every 3 washes, instead of my usual conditioner, which is quite rich, use a deep conditioning treatment or protein treatment, alternating, to ensure a good moisture/protein balance.
• I will only allow myself to use direct heat 4 times from now until the 4th of May, including my hair straightener and direct blowdrying. The hairdryer will only be used for drying the hair if time is an issue and then on the low/medium setting. If time is not an issue I will airdry my hair.
• I will find myself a silk or satin scarf with which to wrap my hair every night so as to protect it from friction against the pillow and to maintain a straight look without using heat.
• I will moisturize and seal as often as possible using coconut oil as it is light and absorbed into the hair shaft.
• I must minimize manipulation, in other words I shouldn't play with my hair through out the day, it's not conducive to retaining length.
• I will continue to trawl the hairblogs to pick up as many pointers as possible, while keeping track of my progress and keeping my hand on my head like I haven't done in years.

On another note, I miss my fiance. There's three weeks left of the training he's on before we'll see each other again, but there's still a big measure of uncertainty as to where he'll be placed after training. This is one of the reasons I'm throwing myself into this HHJ, so that I can focus on the tangible and on that which I can control. I just pray that the results mirror the effort. Till next time :-)

Cupid can kiss my a$$

For the first time IN MY LIFE I am in a committed relationship on Valentine's Day. And of course as Murphy would have it, my beloved is hundreds of kilometers away from me. And it feels as if V Day is on steroids this year, it's red and white everywhere I look. And hearts and flowers, and all I want to do is watch an extremely violent action movie! I have always hated this day. And now that I am in love, I can't even celebrate my love. FML

On another note, went to a Retro Aerobic class yesterday, and it was the BOMB. I will definitely go again. In fact, the instructor, Andrie, is such a force to be reckoned with, I want to attend all her classes. I have not been this active in years and I pray that the weight will correspond to the activity.

Lastly, I'm going on ten weeks post and the arrangements have already been made to relax my hair this coming Saturday with the help of a friend. With my new found anal retentiveness when it comes to my hair, I will prep my hair with moisturizing oil to protect the previously relaxed hair, will be strict to NOT overlap, will NOT exceed the timing chart and will shampoo with the neutralizing shampoo till I'm sick of it. A tip I found which I will try is to, after about the 4th lather and rinse, to keep the neutralizer in my hair for 10 to 15 minutes, to ensure NO over processing. After relaxing will use a moisturizing deep conditioner and then rollerset and wrap. Heat is reserved for special occasions.

Well, enough rambling for one post.

Random thought of the day: Considering having my nails done on Friday. Guess that makes it a pretty girly weekend. Can't wait for rugby season!

The obsession continues

Okay, so last night I was at my aunt's place, my folks are staying there for a couple of days. And I told my mother and my aunt about my new hair mission. Aunt my aunt proceeded to give me recipe, I presume to be used as either an oil treatment or a dressing.

In any event, the main ingredients are bergamot essential oil, Bryl creme and coconut oil, all mixed together. I'm awaiting full instructions and then I'm going to try it, because both she and my cousin uses it and my cousin's hair has always been long. She cut it recently and it's the shortest it's ever been - armpit length! Her hair has reached hip length. So...I'm going to grab this home remedy and RUN with it.

On another note. Went to Zumba class last night. It was so much fun! And I'm not as sore I was from Bootcamp that I did on Monday. This is the year of Robyn - becoming fit, fab and growing my damn hair.

Allrighty then, time to get back to work. These summonses aren't going to issue themselves.

I'm back. With a new mission

Okay, this is ridiculous. What is up with me and the months that go in between my posts?? I'm special, and I'm making peace with that.

In any event, I have discovered some cool things the past couple of weeks, specifically regarding hair care, and I am hooked. Since I do have my own damn blog, and since I don't really want to put my new healthy LONG hair journey on Facebook, I'll be blogging about it.

So, here goes.

• I'm currently 8 weeks post relaxer, attempting to stretch it to 10 weeks.
• While stretching I'm going to try and keep my new growth(NG) soft and my previously relaxed hair strong.
• I'm going to attempt to use direct heat to my hair once a month only.
• I will wash my hair after every gym session to ensure that there is no sweat, which has a tendency to harden my hair and leading to intense breakage.

Products I'm currently using in my mission to longer, stronger, healthier hair:

• Pantene Shampoo for colour treated hair. It's rich and moisturizing, and a little goes a long way. It has quite a rich lather, so I rarely feel that I need to shampoo more than once. I also attempt to be gentle and not tangle my hair during the shampoo process
• Pantene Conditioner for colour treated hair AND Pantene Smooth and Silky for dry wavy hair. Both conditioners are rich, moisturizing and give excellent slip. I usually wash my hair in the shower, so while I'm washing the rest of my body, I leave the conditioner on to do it's thing. VERY few conditioners give my hair the feel that Pantene does. I feel NO effort detangling while working with Pantene, and breakage and shedding is next to nothing. I also sometimes use the Smooth and Silky Conditioner as a light pre-poo treatment.
• Dark and Love Anti Breakage Healing Treatment as a moisturizing deep conditioner. The label states to keep it in for five to twenty minutes. I keep it on for an hour, with a heated cap or towel. I deep condition on average once a week.
• Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonaise as a protein treatment. My hair truly feels stronger after using this. I protein treat once to twice a month using this. Following with a moisturizing conditioner for just a couple of minutes. Protein makes my hair a little hard, so the conditioner just brings everything back in balance.
• Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Moisturizer, which I use little of, mostly before I wrap my hair.
• Dark and Lovely Oil Moisturizing Spray, which I lightly spray on my hair either as part of my pre-poo regimen, or just before rollersetting. I alternate it with...
• Bone Straight Conditioning Wrap and Set lotion. It gives great slip, and my hair feels soft and it looks shiny.
• Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Sheen Spray as a finishing touch after rollersetting, before air drying my hair.
• Coconut oil - I massage it into my scalp. I remember it being part of my hair regimen as a kid and m hair was much longer and stronger then. So, why not go back to my roots? I have nothing to lose.

Well, children, off till next time. Gym now, thus tonight is a wash night.

Why??

It's amazing how you never get anything done when you have to rely on the dependability and effectiveness of an entire institution. It's even worse when it's supposed to be one that has it's fingers on the pulse of things pertaining to it. Why is it that files just go MISSING??? It's not supposed to happen ever, not at the HC!!! Ma nou ja, shit happens.

Sandman be gone!!!

It's the middle of the damn morning and I can't keep my eyes open! Ridiculous! Sandman be gone! I guess I really do need more than 6 hours sleep a night. Guess my age is creeping up on me.

The waking of the phoenix

And again, MONTHS have passed without a single post. I truly need to get more in sync with my own random thoughts and then release them. As an update, the last time I posted, I was single, very single. And then barely 2 months after that post I found him, the elusive one. I found him after basically giving up on the idea of ever finding him. Guess the old adage is true - once you stop searching, love will find you when the time is right. Sad fact though - it's a distance thing at the moment, which comes with various facets of insanity. I take my hat off to anyone who manages a long distance relationship without insanity and tears. But love conquers all right? Well, it better.

It's over

And the long weekend has reached its end. Tomorrow it's back to the grindstone, and I am seriously not in the mood. But hey, gotta see the bright side and that is that it's only a four day week! Happy day.
One more thing - it totally sucks when your heart and head are not in sync. My head's telling me on thing, the most logical sensible path to walk. And for a while I'm totally fine with that path. And then suddenly a catalyst appears and my heart screams something else, and it creates massive confusion. I want the confusion to go away!!!!!! Can I please have some clarity? Because this doesn't seem like an easy out anymore.
Oh well, off to bed.

Playtime is over

And all the kiddies have left and the exhaustion is setting in. Thank God there's no clean up to be done. The time is right for a movie, peace and quiet. The only foreseeable issue for myself is that I haven't had ample time to play my own game. That's what happens when segregation at social events are the order of the day - males to the one side, females to the other. I wish for integration!!

Playing!!

With bated breath we await the arrival of screaming, running jumping toddlers. And they won't be the only ones playing today!! Let the games begin!

Adulthood

How do you know that you're truly an adult?? No, it doesn't happen on your 21st birthday. It doesn't even truly happen when your friends are getting married around you. And it doesn't even truly sink in when you're having the worst hangover of your life. No, it truly happens when you're at a birthday party of a 6 year old as friend of the mom and the birthday girl calls you Aunty. That's when you realise that you have moved onto territory that you once thought was exclusive to your parents and teachers. Well, I might be an adult now, but that sure as hell doesn't mean that I'm all "grown up". Happy birthday Shinay:-)

Fabulous!!

Now...I've been to Texas. Lived in Houston for almost a year. And I swear, the best steaks in the world are still in the little country of Namibia, and in the even more little town of Gobabis, nicknamed ironically, Little Texas!!! it's like eating the supple thigh of an angel that fell through from heaven and landed in the kitchen of the Dam Resort!!!!! Yay for a fantastic fillet. And even more yay for sharing it with awesome people!!!!! Night y'all

Big dream!!!

Well, currently speaking anyway. There's a possibility that I might actually be part of the legal team at Desert Star Studios! I might be working in film. My head is spinning. I can see it already. It would be so awesome. So now the focus is on the next big dream!!!

Wow

I just realised that the last time I actually utilized this tool, I was not single. And the big irony of that is that not long after it all fell falt and blue up in my face. Ain't life grand???

It's been so long

I can't believe a year has passed since being able to do this. So much great things and so many crap things have happened in the past 12 months, and another transition awaits. The irony is that it was the watching of The Social Network that reminded me that I actually have a blog of my own. The bigger irony. I might be moving to a place and situation which have the side effect of many more entries. Hell, I might even pick up a few followers. Right now, I'm just glad I went a whole day without crying. Possibly moving to the bush. FML