Happiness = L.O.V.E
I found that being 30 (and yes, I know I don’t look at for one second…he he he) that I know what makes me happy. I actually have a list of things that makes me happy and it is growing. So to L.O.V.E. myself I’m very aware of these things and how I can fit it into my day. I’ll share my list with you for some inspiration:
- Getting up before anyone else and watch the sunrise.
- Running while watching the sunrise (bonus)
- My first cup of coffee at the red house of L.O.V.E. aka Vida-e caffe.
- Walks on the beach (sunset preferably)
- Eating sushi (I found a restaurant that does R100 eat as much as you want including salmon roses, sashimi etc. My absolute heaven!!!)
- COLOUR!! Bright colours as well as the glorious smells that come with colourful flowers make me super happy. My favourite flower smells being St.Joseph’s lilies, Franchipani, Jasmine, Sandlewood, Lavender and Roses.
- Using my own herbs in the delicious dinners I cook.
- Entertaining friends with healthy hearty dinner parties.
- Laughing loud – (thank goodness I have been blessed with a great sense of humor to see the funny side of most things)
- Dancing. (this includes dancing with friends, salsa dancing, the parties in my car at 09h00 and 18h00 when 5fm play their epic mixes and my own mirror dancing when I’m getting ready in the morning)
- Meeting new people. I’m a born socialite and networker (thanks dad for that great gene)
- Pampering. Giving or receiving; it’s happiness either way
Happy Monday to you all
The relationship between
When we start talking about matters of the heart, I get really emotional. I have a deep sense and understanding of relationships. The relationship between man & woman. The relationship between mother & daughter, brother & sister, friend & friend, kids and their pets.
These relationships are vital for our existence and although we where brought into this life alone and will exit out of this life alone, one of the primary purposes we have on this earth is to L.O.V.E each other. ‘Relationships’ is the only entity that has eternity value. For a true sense of belonging and fulfillment, your relations to those that have gone before you, those that stand next to you and those that will follow you need to be honest, clean and healthy.
Give me any book or movie where relationships are being restored and I boll my eyes out from pure happiness. Restored relationships go hand in hand with forgiveness and there is nothing that release blessing, abundance and happiness than forgiveness. In fact, nothing else will set you free.
I understand that relationships are not always that easy. How could it be? I don’t even know for sure that the way roses smell to you is exactly the way roses smell to me. Plus you might not even like the smell of roses when I absolutely do. So mistakes will be made and misunderstandings will happen, it’s inevitable. The only way to exist in relationship is to L.O.V.E.
What is L.O.V.E? A feeling? (hmmmm… and what a nice feeling it is to be IN love) but no it’s not. L.O.V.E is a choice. L.O.V.E is a thoughtful action. To be kind, to be selfless, to be honest, to be patient, to be understanding… all of this is a choice. And true love is unconditional. There is no such thing as ‘I will love you more if…’ or he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not… L.O.V.E is. That simple.
L.O.V.E is also a living entity. You need to decide where you want it to grow. L.O.V.E is always where hate, un-forgiveness, resentment, jealousy and anger is NOT. So if you want L.O.V.E in the area of work, sport, health or relationship, you need to go back in your book of past relationships and amend those first so that you can make room for real L.O.V.E. This might mean that you would have to forgive your dad, or ask forgiveness to a friend, (by reading this you will know exactly where you need to forgive or ask forgiveness for) or forgive yourself for things said and done in order to get rid of the black and make space for the truly bright and colourful.
…. Mad Love
IN THE NEXT ARTICLE WE WILL HAVE A LOOK AT SOUL MATES. DO THEY EXIST? HAVE YOU MET YOURS? KEEP ON READING URBAN ANGEL TO FIND OUT MORE…. COMING UP SOON
L.O.V.E in my taste buds
There is no better way to express or experience L.O.V.E than with food. Whether you L.O.V.E cooking a meal for yourself, your loved one or L.O.V.E the experience of enjoying eating it there is no other way to explain it than YUMMY!
My restaurant and wine fundy friend (www.spitorswallow) and I had the great experience to explore the tastiness of the 38th top restaurant in the world called La Colombe in Constantia Uitsig. Thanks to AMEX we had a night of royalty and indulging pleasure.
On arrival we where amazed at the beautiful yet simple set up that worked so well with the outside lighting and candles. Being a windy evening the venue is nicely situated that you don’t get blown away and we could still enjoy the outdoors.
The starter menu is definitely something to explore and without thinking twice, we ordered 4 options to test and try. Warm beetroot tarte. Kudu tartare. Tuna tatiki and Quail& Languizines. These dishes accompanied us with the Natida Semillon 2009 and Shiraz Saxenburg Private Collection 2005. Our mains consisted of Fillet of Veal La Colombe and Springbok. On the sommelier’s recommendation we had a selection of great wines to go along with all our dishes and by the end of the night we where pleasantly pickled in all tantalizing flavors’ and tastes.
Of course there is no real dinner experience with out warm chocolate truffle and cashew nut pairfait, with coffee and amarula liqueur.
Next to our table where an old couple that by the look of things where still so in love with each other. (Something I definitely wish for everyone to have in their lives). Dorine and Bob have been coming to La Colombe for the last 20 years and although they travel the world together, doing and experience all the different adventures life has to offer, they always return to have a meal here. Very Special.
We where obviously the last 2 people to leave the restaurant and I have to admit that it get’s a 2 thumbs up from me. For anyone that wants to experience L.O.V.E, this is the place to come bask in it.
The way you ’spell’ LOVE
A few years ago a friend and I looked at 4 red wooden letters that put together spelled L.O.V.E.
They where separate from each other so that you could arrange it the way you creatively felt inspired to. We both had different ideas of how to arrange these letters on the shelf and it became clear that everyone had a special way of “spelling” LOVE. Although it is the same 4 letters, you have the freedom to express it and read it in your own way. With respecting how different others “spell” love, I decided to use FEBRUARY as the month that we have a great and intimate look at LOVE.
With THE HEART as my symbol for 2010, I am researching what LOVE really means. This includes the love for yourself, the love for your health, the love for your planet, the love for strangers and the love of your life. Pursuing this venture with true passion, devotion and happiness I want to hear from you what your way of “SPELLING” LOVE looks like.
Email me your story, question or dream to marilu@urban-angel.co.za.
South Africa’s own ‘Steve Irwin’
For those of you that don’t know, I grew up in a small town called Nelspruit. Well, I suppose if you go there now it would not be that small. Anyway, huge things and amazing people and ideas have come from this place. One friend in particular has really gone beyond the boundaries of mindsets in a small town. His name is Eugene Cussons and those of you that love the animal channels (as I do) will recognise his face and love for chimpanzees. Being so proud of him, the hard working team he has surround himself with and the evident passion he pursue his purpose with, I decided that it was time to give honour where it is due.
Set on a 1000 hectare game reserve, The Jane Goodall Institute Chimpanzee Eden is a home to chimpanzees that have been misplaced from their natural habitat. The world renowned Jane Goodall Institute has made this tranquil venue their South African sanctuary and has committed itself to the rescue and care take of chimpanzees in need of refuge. Being the 1st and only chimpanzee sanctuary in South Africa, this venue will be able to bring the world of chimpanzees closer to humanity through education, tourism and modern technology. Entering the reserve, a mere 15 km from the bustling city of Nelspruit, visitors can expect to be captivated by the beautiful bush surroundings with most of the natural game species roaming the reserve.
The Chimpanzee Eden
The Chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes) is the closest relative to humans. In recent years the ‘bush-meat’ trade has grown exponentially as the great wild forests of Africa have become more accessible to humans, largely due to logging which is destroying primate habitats by opening large sections of forest with dirt roads. It is estimated that Chimpanzees will be extinct within their natural habitats in as little time as 10 years. Therefore the Jane Goodall Institute is committed to conserving the primates and has created multiple sanctuaries in Africa.
The goal of the sanctuary is to rescue some of the Chimpanzees that have survived the hunting ordeal but are still misplaced through the lucrative illegal pet trade to zoos, circus performers and medical research facilities. Besides being provided with a home to live out their lives they are also provided with the necessary attention to recover from the trauma that they have experienced.
Visitors will have a unique opportunity to see Chimpanzees in semi-wild surroundings with normal social interaction and behavioural patterns under group members. The Chimpanzee groups live within large semi-wild enclosures that are close to their natural habitat. The enclosures also have viewpoints overlooking the forest and ‘foraging areas’. The ‘foraging areas’ have small fruits and berries mixed in Eucalyptus Tree leaves. These ‘foraging areas’ will provide the Chimpanzees with behavioural enrichment and will also provide visitors that arrive after the feeding time with a better chance to view them in the large enclosures.
Chimps like other Great Apes (Bonobos, Gorillas, Orang-Utans and Gibbons) are finding an ever growing interest from the public, as they are the closest relatives to Human Kind and they are facing a quick extinction in their natural habitat.
The Experience
The West African design style of the Eden has been selected as this is also the natural habitat region of Chimpanzees. Guests can look forward to having a trained guide escort them through the duration of their itinerary. The experience will commence as soon as a visitor walks through the gates of the sanctuary, towards the Educational Centre. This will not only enlighten visitors on the plight of the primates but will also provide them with useful knowledge on the behaviour of primates. For tour groups their trained guide will be able to take visitors to the location of the Chimpanzees constantly providing the group with useful information on the goals of the sanctuary, the reason for being established, the chimpanzee individuals and the wild behaviour of the chimpanzee individuals at the sanctuary.
10:00 and 14:00 are the feeding times of the Chimpanzees whereby visitors can look forward to comments given by the Eden trained guides. The Chimpanzees themselves are the true centre point of attraction and will provide visitors with unique insight into the primate world. 30 Minutes prior to the feeding time the Chimpanzees will start to move out of the forest and towards the feeding points placed beneath the viewing platforms. The enclosures have multiple viewing points situated around the enclosures and this provides visitors with the unique opportunity to view the primates as they approach the feeding positions. Before and during the feeding time, questions can be raised to the trained guides about the behaviour and life of the primates. .
Tour summary:
- Arrival at Eden,
- Walk through Education Centre,
- 1 hour 30 minutes tour will be provided to guests with a trained guide providing guidance around the enclosures,
- Enjoy a meal at the Junglicious Restaurant and visit the Comrade Cozy Gift Shop after the tour.
For more information feel free to contact them on:
Tel: +27 (013) 745 7405
Fax: +27 (013) 745 7447
Email: info@janegoodall.co.za
Website: www.janegoodall.co.za
And the winner is…
First and foremost i want to thank everyone that entered the La Colombe dinner competition.
Everyone that entered did so with much enthusiasm and I’m looking forward to meeting you all one day.
With the help of panel of judges compiled between AMEX, La Colombe and myself we decided the best entry to be Anel Grobler from Spitorswallow.
Congrats Anel. I’m looking forward to an evening of lots of fun and laughter. This evening will be documented and posted on so please keep reading and join in on our experience.
There are many more of these competitions booked for the months ahead, so do enter again.
10 things to do to clear the Monday blues
- Give yourself a hug before you get out of bed.
- Stretch your hands and toes as far as you possibly can.
- Dance wildly to yourself in the mirror
- Take a quick walk around outside in your PJ’s and enjoy the excitement of perhaps being seen by the neighbors’.
- Do not I repeat, DO NOT switch on the TV on any news station.
- Pick yourself a flower
- Stuck in traffic: (a) Phone a friend and tell them their importance in your life. (b) Put the music loud and have a party in your car. (c) Smile and wave at the strangers also stuck in traffic. Feels silly but gooooood.
- List all the things that need to get done and do the un-liked first. This way your day will improve as you go along.
- Smile, smile, smile… even if it’s just for yourself. It normally change into a little giggle-at-yourself, which has healing powers to the soul.
- Know that today is the furthers away from another Monday
Outward Bound
I was introduced to OUTWARD BOUND last year and really admire what these guys are doing.
Outward Bound is one of the worlds leading international non-profit experiential education organizations. Outward Bound programs are designed to positively affect change in the lives of young people through outdoor activities. The participants face challenges that teach them to draw on their inner resources. The objective is to develop leadership, communication, integration and both team and personal development skills. Primary focus is on sustainability – through reflection and mediation the individual will be able to share these experiences and positively impact the lives of those around them. Youth empowerment and leadership programs in turn give youth at risk the opportunity to change paradigms in their communities by making the right choices.
THE ACTIVITIES
Safety is the backbone of our operation and is ingrained in the culture at Outward Bound. We use world class safety standards with regular international audits. On an Outward Bound course participants may find themselves hiking, camping, kayaking, rock climbing, abseiling, canoeing, sailing and doing various other group activities. Time is allowed for discussion and reflection, monitoring and evaluation so that students can process their experiences and internalize their learning. Lessons learnt on Outward Bound South Africa can be transferred to their situations at home, in their schools, communities or workplace.
Combining challenging activities with skilled facilitation we maximize the learning experience. We create learning opportunities and help participants to seize them. Our programs are challenging, but never overwhelming; they stretch but never break; they are memorable and life changing.
Each program is designed to meet the specific needs of the group.
Youth Activities
Low & high ropes
Rafting Kayaking or canoeing
Sailing
Solo wilderness experience
Expedition hiking
Camping
Rock climbing or abseiling
Low and high ropes
Navigation and orienteering
Mental & physical challenges
Group dynamics & Team Challenge
Cape Town’s only HOT YOGA studio
A very effective climate-control system ensures optimum heat, airflow and comfortable humidity in our studio – sweat it and love it. Spacious change rooms and showers give you all the other facilities you need.
We are dedicated to very high standards of teaching and have a team of trained teachers competent with beginners to more advanced students.
Bikram yoga
inspire body, mind and spirit
In the thirty-two years since it emerged, Bikram yoga has revolutionized yoga practice, combining Eastern philosophy with anatomic knowledge acquired from Western medicine. Its founder, Bikram Choudry was born in 1945. He began studying yoga at the age of four with guru Bishnu Ghosh, the brother of Paramahansa Yogananda. At the age of twelve he was the youngest-ever national yoga champion of India and held the title for three consecutive years.
At age twenty he had an accident which left him crippled with little hope of walking again. In response, Bikram created a series of yoga postures to restore his own health – a series which is now taught to millions all over the world. He perfected these 26 postures in consultation with western doctors and scientists at Tokyo University. They are designed to work the entire body, healing injury and instilling health. Bikram Yoga also incorporates a strong element of focus and attention which aims to still the mind and calm the body.
What specifically distinguishes Bikram Yoga from other yoga branches is that practice takes place in a heated room so that muscles, joints and ligaments are able to stretch further without risk of injury. The heat also facilitates release of toxins through profuse sweating. The postures are demanding both physically and mentally but accessible to beginners and easily learnt. By the end of the 90-minute class, the body has been exercised fully, inside (targeting each individual organ) and outside (toning and strengthening); the mind is also focussed, calmed and cleared.
The yoga series is designed to accommodate all body types, ages and levels of fitness. Primary benefits of Bikram Yoga:
• Reduces excess weight
• Tones and strengthens all muscles and dramatically improves flexibility
• De-stresses and calms the mind, increasing ability to focus and concentrate
• Boosts energy levels and stabilizes sleep patterns
• Increases lung capacity and overall cardiovascular fitness
• Improves stamina and endurance
• Yields a major feel-good factor
Power vinyasa yoga
Power Yoga is a yoga form that invigorates, strengthens and cleanses both body and mind. Like Bikram, it is performed in a heated room which assists the detoxification process through profuse sweating. The heat also enhances flexibility by warming muscles, joints and ligaments so that the body is able to stretch further without risk of injury. Movement and breath are synchronized (vinyasa), thus reinforcing the connection between mental and physical capacities.
The 60-minute long class is challenging for both the beginner and advanced student.
It combines elements of strength, balance and focus with each vinyasa sequence. Students will find there is a deep spiritual aspect at the core of their practice which intensifies with time.
This form of Hatha practice draws mostly from Astanga and Bikram yoga. The basics are easily learned and classes typically focus on developing upper body and abdominal (core) strength; hip, back, leg and shoulder stretches and balance. Cardiovascular fitness and mind-body focus come with repeated practice.
When in a Power Yoga class, anxieties from the outer world ebb away and the focus remains solely on breath, movement, balance and flow. It is an individual practice which you must approach by listening to your own body and staying within its limits. Power Yoga will benefit your body through toning, stretching and detoxifying; it will benefit your mind through instilling clarity and lasting peace.
Fulvio Grandin
Kate Ball
Jenny Brash
Stuart Kirton
Yoga Zone City Centre Studio
10th floor Picbel Parkade,
58 Strand Street
Cape Town
telephone: +27 (0)21 421 8136
email: studio@yogazone.co.za
5 clicks for tuesday
Some great inspiration, motivation and empowerment for a better life. Feel free to walk through these great sites:
1. Zen Habits – Zen Habits is about finding simplicity in the daily chaos of our lives. It’s about clearing the clutter so we can focus on what’s important, create something amazing, find happiness.
2. South African National Blood Services – The mission of SANBS, an organisation of voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors, is to provide all patients with sufficient, safe, quality blood products and medical services related to blood transfusion, in an equitable, cost effective manner.
3. Adopt a Pet – Here you can view all of the organisations across South Africa that already rescue, rehabilitate and re-home the abandoned and abused pets out there.
4. Just Money – Your guide to money – independent and unbiased; we’re here to help you find your way through South Africa’s money maze!
5. From Monday Corporate Wellness – Show that employees health and fitness status are directly linked to their productivity, confidence as well as their cost to company.
