Wednesday 23 January 2013

A Cabinet of Wonders

Hi all!

Sorry for disappearing on you for so long- I must have gotten swept up in all of the December festivities. It has taken me a while to finally get into the start of the new year!

Anyway, I thought that it would be a great idea to start the 2013 off by reviewing a book that I read a couple of weeks ago. It is called 'A Cabinet of Wonders' by Renee Dodd and is truly one of the finest pieces of literature that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It focuses on the many different characters that exist in a specific (fictitious) freak show back in the 1920s. Delving into their personalities one by one, it is almost as though Renee knew them as close, personal friends. Her characters are like melted chocolate pouring down your throat... smooth, intense, glorious, natural. She is one of the most talented writers out there. Very few others have been able to bring charcters to life like she has. WOW is all that I can say!

Whether it is Saffron (the woman with a body and face covered in hair) or Molly and Faye (the conjoined twins blossoming into womanhood), the reader is taken on a journey where he/she gets to meet and engage these glorious wonders- and boy, wonders they are indeed!

 

The book itself is not necessarily plot driven, however, one quickly realises that it is all about the indulgence, the bond that is created between reader and characters. Dodd's writing is so effortlessly beautiful, so descriptive without being 'babbly'- and it so easily creeps into your heart. When you read this book, you can rest assured that the many wondrous characters that Dodd has created will stay with you for many years to come (I personally fell head over heels in love with Alex- the morphodite with a passion for passion). If only they could remain a part of your life forever... maybe write a sequel, Renee??

Tuesday 20 November 2012

My Guardian Angel Has No Wings... She Has a Tail

Although I have introduced you all to my beloved four-legged friend, I have yet to tell you the amazing story of how we ended up together... so, here it goes...

Before I got my darling little angel, I was going through a really tough time. I had been through a pretty traumatic experience and had pretty much lost all hope. I was severely depressed, not eating and had gone from being a smiling, positive person to a shadow of myself. When I got my pup, I weighed 42 kilograms. I remember the very first time I saw her. We were visiting the SPCA looking to adopt a puppy to help me to forget about the past... there were about 6 or 7 Jack Russel/Dachshund puppies, but my eye instantly went to the little brown one on the right. She was staring at me from behind the bars and when I knelt down, she put her little paw through bars and touched my hand. It was love. Instant love. After a couple of seconds, I got up, said to my mom 'that's the one', and left. We signed the papers and, after they sent her in to be spayed, we were able to take my little angel home with us. 



Right from the start, I knew something was wrong. Although she was energetic, she was vomiting regularly and had a terrible runny tummy. That same day, we took her to the vet. She told us that she was going to check her for Parvo, which is a horrible virus that is excruciating and deadly to most puppies. We were so worried, but thankfully, the test came back negative. The vet sent us away with some antibiotics and told us that Snooki must have just eaten something funny. 

As the days went by, her condition did not change. In fact, it got worse. She started sleeping more and her runny tummy was pretty much like water. After about a day, we got a call from the vet telling us that we would have to bring Snooki in again because one of the other puppies from her litter had just been diagnosed with Parvo. Knowing how contagious the disease is, we knew that Snooki had it too. Now, the chances of survival are incredibly slim if a young puppy picks up the disease, so you can imagine how distraught I was. I was so in love with this dog and, although I had only had her for a few days, she was my everything. I lost my mind. I cannot even remember much from that day... I am pretty sure that I had a breakdown.

That same day we were called back, and another vet told us that there was little chance for survival and that we should take her home where she could be comfortable. I couldn't believe it. I was so lost. That night, Snooki was so weak she could not even lift her head. It was the worst night of my life. Parvovirus literally eats away a dog's intestines so that, even if the dog does eat or drink, very little is actually absorbed. That is why most dogs die from dehydration before the virus itself can kill them. The pain is apparently excruciating. Watching my little one who was so innocent, so sweet and so loving go through that was unbearable. I stayed up with her all night trying to give her a re-hydrating solution (that I had made) through a tiny syringe. Most times she would just vomit it up, but she kept some of it down. To this day, I am sure that my loving words and that solution are the only two things that kept her alive until morning. 

As the sun rose, we jumped, desperate, into the car and drove back to the vet. This time, Shabeer Bhoola was there. He is truly my hero and was the one who gave me hope again. He told me that he could save her. He admitted her and put her on a drip for the dehydration. Then, all that was left to do was to wait and to see if she had the strength to fight the virus... and to beat it. I visited her every single day at the vet and every single time, despite being in pain, she would get excited to see me and would touch my hand with her paw just as she had done the day that we first met.

After a week at the vet, Shabeer gave her the all clear. She had done it! My baby had won! She was the only puppy from her litter who had survived. She was going to be fine. I was so happy. Being able to have her in my life was the best gift I have ever received and I will always be eternally grateful to Shabeer for saving her. Shabeer is an amazing man and I have so much respect not only for his ability to work so well with animals, but also for his heart. This man has a heart of gold. He is my hero, and always will be.

Today, Snooki is 1 and a half years old and is the most energetic, lovable, loyal and happiest dog in the world. She is the light of my life and makes each day a million times better. She is my other half, my soul mate. She is my angel without wings. I love you so much my Snooks. 







 “If you don't own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life.”
Roger Caras

 B
xx




Friday 16 November 2012

Happy Birthday, My Darling- Kyle Alexi Anderson

It is one of my closest friend's birthdays today... the one and only Kyle Alexi Anderson. I thought I would dedicate this blog post to him in order to show just how much I care :) Although we do not see each other as often as we used to, you are still always in my heart and thoughts... I am so tremendously proud of you. We have been friends since grade 2... and Kyle and Bianca... will be friends forever!

The Valentine's Ball- 2007:

 Matric Vac- 2008:
 Rocky Horror- 2007:

 Forcing me to go clubbing (hahaha) 2010:


Rocky Horror- 2007:


 Matric Dance- 2008:


Matric Dance After-Party- 2008:


S&M Photo Shoot (hahaha) 2009:




 Jacuzzi Fun with the Andersons-2009:



Drinks- 2010:

 Messing Around (I obviously was NOT having a good day if my makeup-less face is anything to go by LOL)- 2012:


Thanks for the good times, angelpop! Hopefully we are going to have plenty more. Love you muchly.

B
xx

Monday 12 November 2012

Trust

People say that respect is earned. I disagree with this statement entirely. I believe that everybody deserves respect unless they give you a reason that proves that they don't deserve it. Trust, however, is a very different story. Today I would like to share with you a lesson that I have learned over the last few years...

In my teens I was probably one of the most trusting people alive. As innocent as I was, I never expected anyone to have anything other than good intentions. After all, why would anyone want to betray someone? Or purposely cause somebody else pain? Turns out, this was probably the most naive view of the human race I could ever have had. After being thoroughly screwed over by someone who I loved and trusted with my whole heart, I started to realise that very few people can really be trusted. The truth is- it is probably a bad idea to trust ANYONE.



Trust is dangerous. Trust makes you vulnerable and it gives others power over you. If you don't expect people to be loyal, or you don't expect people to do what they say they will, then they cannot surprise you in any way when they aren't or they don't. While I realise that this is probably a negative and cynical view to possess, at least nobody can hurt me, right?

Trust is not a word that should be taken lightly. When one says 'I trust you.' it actually means that they are placing their life, their feelings into your hands. It is a huge responsibility... which is why when I know that people trust ME, I work very hard in order to make sure that I don't let them down. Unfortunately, not many people value trust as highly as I do.

I feel as though I must apologise for the negativity of this post... but a big part of my inspiration for my writing comes from analysing human flaws, pain and the interconnectedness of us all. And yes, I have trust issues. Severe trust issues. But hey, that's me! I just had to get all of that out into the open. *Phew* I feel so much better now!

Anyway, hopefully I am feeling a little bit more cheerful as the week goes on... you may be able to expect a happier post in a few days time. But, trust me, you can never really be sure *wink*

B
xx

Sunday 4 November 2012

SEO, SEO and More SEO

Working as a copywriter for a SEO company means that you learn something new everyday! Here are a few interesting tips for South African businesses to take into consideration when creating, or updating, their company websites.
  1. Write unique, new and interesting content for your website: By writing articles for you website on a regular basis, you are utilising keywords relevant to your product that could come up when internet users use Google to search
  2. Use Titles on EVERY page: Use unique titles for each page and avoid using symbols such as * / & @ in these titles.
  3. Host your website on a South African Domain - .co.za
  4. Use Headers: Use the formatting buttons at the top of Microsoft Word (H1 and H2) to indicate importance and highlight services you which to emphasise.
  5. Avoid using Flash: Flash is invisible to Google


For more information and other amazing SEO tips, be sure to visit Ipcoweb's website!

Have a great week, everyone!

B
xx

Thursday 1 November 2012

Fifty Shades of Grey

Purely because everybody has been raving about this book, I just had to read it to see what all the fuss was about. I must say, despite the fact that I found the writing to be slightly juvenile, I enjoyed it. Why? Duh. Christian Grey.

 In the fantasy world, I find Christian's character to be undeniably sexy, however, in reality, if a man tried to control everything I did, I would probably laugh in his face and throw him through a window. I give EL James serious kudos for being able to make Christian's character so likeable and- even more amazingly- irresistible. Anastasia's character, on the other hand, was a little bit less endearing. Her awkwardness got really old, really fast and she began to annoy me pretty early on in the book. She is a little bit too pathetic and naive to be entirely 'relatable'. Her childlike thoughts and qualities put a dampener on the 'boiling over sex pot' that is Christian Grey. Despite this though, the dynamics of their relationship are still very interesting and,  ultimately, make her character tolerable. Hopefully she becomes a little bit more mature as the trilogy continues.



This is a book that makes it possible for people all around the world to embrace their sexualities and to not feel 'dirty' or 'strange' for exploring- or wanting to explore- the realms of the 'taboo'. I love the freedom that the book allowed me to experience and I cannot wait to read the next two books of the 'Fifty Shades' trilogy. Even if this is not your kind of novel (I must admit, it wasn't mine either), it is a must-read. I have a small feeling that it could become the next 'big thing' and even exceed the popularity of the 'Twilight' series!

Till next time...

B
xx

Saturday 27 October 2012

Kindle- The Best Present Ever!

Happy Saturday everyone :) As usual, I am at home enjoying some mindless TV with my fantastic mother (the social scene is not really my thing). Now, before I go to bed to indulge in my brand new (belated) birthday gift, I thought I would share my opinion with you... the Kindle is the greatest invention EVER. Seriously, while I understand the sentimentality when it comes to a tangible book- the smell, the feel of the pages between your fingers... in truth, all of that means nothing at all when you compare it to the convenience of a Kindle. Here are the reasons why I am in love with my Kindle:
  • Great Discounts: You can buy books for HALF the price you would pay for them in a conventional book shop- this includes best sellers... AND the classics (Jane Austen, Charles Dickens etc.) are FREE,
  • Instant Access: Once you have purchased your book, it automatically downloads onto your Kindle. You can read it right there and then!
  • Font Size: You can adjust the font size of the book you are reading to suit your preferences- great for people like me with bad eyesight.
  • Percentage Progress Bar: The Kindle does not show page numbers, but rather shows you a status bar which tells you the percentage of the book that you have read, as well as the different chapters. With ordinary books, I tend to get pretty OCD about page numbers- with the Kindle I can relax and just enjoy the story. FAB.
  • Storage: The Kindle can store hundreds of books, so you can keep your entire library in one place- AND it only weighs a few grams. 

There are so many other reasons, I just can't record them all. But seriously... take my advice- if you are a reader, this is the ideal gadget for you! Save a tree, buy a Kindle! You will never, ever look back.

Hope you all have an eventful weekend... as for me, I am off to hop in the bath and then I am jumping straight into bed to enjoy my latest, greatest toy ;) Ciao for now.

B
xx