Marshmallows & Merlot

one of those weirdos who runs (for fun ) and then drives to work via the same route to measure the exact distance. It's official – I have caught the running bug and I wear my blisters and bruised toenails like badges of honour.  The irony is not lost on me... I used to be the poster child for sleeping in, the cheerleader for treadmills with aircon, and the last person any of my friends would have pegged for a runner . I was the girl who always said things like 'but it's soooo bad for your joints' and 'road running is far too dangerous as a woman' – there may have been a little truth in my excuses but realistically I'm never gonna be a Comrades junkie or silly enough to run solo after sunset. I am, however, starting to understand why people run, why people get up at sparrow fart on a Saturday morning and pound the pavement. There is nothing better than having chewed up 10km's of quiet tarmac before breakfast or the feeling of accomplishment when you ge

And by 'we' I mean me and my plastic sidekick Monsieur Credit. The upside of working in a shopping mall? I know exactly who is on sale when. The downside of working in a shopping mall?   I know exactly who is on sale when. Confused? Well, it's pretty simple really... as I've mentioned in previous posts like   this one , I am a sucker for a bargain. I am the girl they envisioned when the Über chic bigwigs in some Über chic boardroom somewhere came up with a certain target market. I'm the girl who loves the splurge vs steal columns in fashion magazines and prides herself on getting the look for less .  However, please do not confuse this weakness for a strength... there are a whole lotta cents in this particular brand of sensibility. Bargain hunting is an expensive sport and definitely not for the fainthearted. No refunds. No returns. No negotiations. I have bought things on SALE just because certain items were reduced by big shiny numbers like 50 and 70 per cent

It's pretty darn near impossible not to start a new year as the definition of happiness when the new year begins with a glitter bomb and sparkly stuff (literally) raining down from sapphire blue, star-speckled Mauritian skies while you hug and kiss your loved ones on the top deck of a massive cruise ship. I'm usually not one to post pics on this blog but sometimes a picture says more than words ever could so here's one that hubby took of me just as the clock struck 12 and everyone shouted 'Happy New Year!'... The expression on my face is apparently one I pull often and as unflattering as it may be, 'The Monkey'  (as my sister affectionately refers to it as) only makes an appearance at time of major, record-breaking happiness. You see, I'd hardly risk all that face wrinkling and possible need for a Botox-infused future, unless the moment really deserved such utter silly-ness.  The fact that my hubby managed to capture this moment on film is, whil

The scene: Me, Hubby and in-laws (six of 'em) have just stepped onto the MSC Sinfonia, our home on the high seas for the next eleven days... Hubby: "Let's go check out our cabin and get unpacked." Me: "Cool, we're sharing with your [pregnant] sister and brother-in-law, right?" Hubby: "Yeah. Mom and Dad are sharing with [younger brother] and [younger brother's brand new fiance]" Me: "Hmmmm. That should be uh, cosy..." After what seemed like an eternity walking down a very looooong corridor (that we later found out was about 500m from start to finish) we located our cabin... Hubby: "8236, 8238... oh, here we are... 8240. Home sweet home!" Me (after opening door): [stunned silence followed by a genuine smile and a ten-second giggle] "Wow!" Hubby: "Yeah, lucky we're a 'close' family!" You see, the cabin was just about big enough to swing a cat in (albeit a very small, malnouri

Yip, you read that correctly. .. 'fat'... and no, I'm not beating up on myself or falling victim to the fashion industry's size zero brainwashing that Oprah preaches about so often.  I'm using it as a positive description of myself post-cruise, post-holiday, post-2009  – a little rounder, a little softer round the edges, a little fuller in the bust area and not pining for a cup of green tea or a protein bar. You see, at 'sparrow fart' (a.k.a stupid o' clock in the morning) on Christmas morning hubby and I packed the car with the essentials – you know... one medium-sized economically packed suitcase (mine), one giant, bursting at the seams, over-stuffed piece of luggage (his), two sets of snorkeling equipment, golf clubs and 'ball-ee' (the rugby ball hubby takes everywhere with him, kinda like his version of the teddy bear or comfort blankie). Anyways, after managing to close the boot we hopped in the car, pressed 'play' on our holid

and back on dry land after a magical three weeks that included cruisin' (literally!) into a brand new year. I am refreshed, relaxed and bursting with lots of stuff to blog about. So you can expect lots of new posts over the next week as I set the tone for 2010.