my views

I'm lucky enough to call Cape Town home and sometimes I feel like we become immune to its beauty. So recently, when we had visitors from overseas I had to come up with a couple of things to do in and around the city that was one, kid-friendly and two, fun enough for the accompanying adults. When you have kids, you need to plan and prepare for the day ahead, which needs to factor in naps, snacks and stroller-accommodating terrain. What is Cape Town renowned for? Well the appeal is its natural beauty. We are fortunate to have mountain and ocean views, which lends itself to lots of activities that don't cost an arm and a leg. If you are looking for ways to entertain your kids over the holidays, why not try some of these fun-filled activities... 1. Zipline over the valleys in Constantia You can look forward to a ride in a rugged Jeep up the steep mountain ascent Located just opposite Constantia Nek in the Silvermist Private Estate, is the base from where Cape T

Insights from “Who moved my cheese?” by Dr. Spencer Johnson  An amazing way to deal with change in your work and in your life The word ‘change’ and its implications is debilitating to many. People are often afraid of change. The sayings “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” or “A leopard can’t change its spots” are just excuses for not adapting or embracing change. There are also positive sayings for example “a change is like a holiday”.  Think about your current situation, your family, your circle of friends or the colleagues in your team. You all have different goals and motivations for why you do certain things. For some it might be ambition, money, family, material things, enjoying good health or developing a spiritual sense of wellbeing…  Everyone’s motivation is different and this affects how we deal with change. If we can read people well and understand their motivations, we can use our insight to manage how we position change and speak to different individuals

Are you tired of take-out and convenience food? Worried about your waistline? Craving wholesome, balanced meals? Intolerant of gluten (not necessarily because of an allergy but because it is the current diet fad and everyone and their mother is banting, right?) Or just have very little time and no desire to cook. Maybe you can’t cook and don’t have any motivation to learn. Well, if you’ve answered yes or are nodding ferociously in agreement then I’ve discovered the best, most convenient solution… I can’t cook. When I peel an onion besides the usual tear or two (which is normal) I bawl because I detest the exercise! Why do I hate cooking? Well it’s the creative, flexibility that I don’t like. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very creative and flexible but I also have an A-type personality. I’m a self-taught baker and can follow complex recipes to the ounce and pound and love the certainty that the result will resemble the picture. With cooking it is different – you need to have that elusive ‘f

A review of Grey the latest book by EL James, author of the 50 Shades trilogy Grey released on 18 June (Christian Grey’s birthday) the latest installment from EL James, author of the 50 Shades Trilogy, is already topping the best seller charts but be warned that you’ll probably suffer from buyer’s remorse because it will leave you hanging. James claims that the fans begged for this book. Of course based on the sheer global numbers of people who bought the trilogy (around 125 million) and the additional people who contributed to the US$288 million in tickets sales for the movie, it is forgone conclusion that Grey would be a chart topper and an opportunity that James could not pass up even though her efforts disappoint. In Grey, Christian Grey comes across as a husk of a man, hollow on the inside. He has the same internal dialogue that Ana had in the previous books, clearly James’ writing style and although the book is marketed as the story from Christian Grey’s perspective, it

Their performance lacked gees Last night (1 April 2015) One Direction performed at the Cape Town Stadium as part of their On the road again tour and it was an April fool’s joke! The experience can best be likened to the South African term ‘choekoe’! This refers to when you light a firecracker and expect a big bang but instead it fizzles out... leaving the onlooker disappointed and with feelings of regret. I'll confess I'm not the biggest Directioner… I don't own any of their albums, nor do I know all of their names (although I was schooled on the way to the concert) but I do suffer from a severe case of FOMO, which why I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I usually get Golden Circle tickets but when these were sold out, I got tickets on the day, a mere five hours before it started. I thought that maybe because I wasn’t in the circle the experience wasn’t the same. But I remember that with the Lady Gaga concert I was seated in almost the same position but her energy and