Category: Lifestyle

Tips for not killing your significant other during quarantine

For many couples, the idea of having to quarantine together sounds like a dream come true. So often, due to the hustle and bustle of life, you seem to never have enough time together. It’s such an effort to try and squeeze a date night in, or some quality time outside of work with no phones or distractions but now with a stretch of time ahead where you’re meant to be inside for 24/7 with each other, that should solve all the problems right? Unfortunately, not everyone feels this way and more often than not, this forced period of alone time could end up being more of a curse than a blessing. So how on earth are we meant to get through it? I’m sure that you don’t want to lose your cool with your partner during quarantine, or get so annoyed that the foundation of your bond starts to crack and violence is starting to sound tempting. Well, I’m not going to lie to you that it isn’t going to be easy. People trapped inside a house, unable to go outside or out into the world and stuck with each other all day every day with no break? I don’t think even the strongest of people can survive that without getting at least a little bit frustrated. However, there are certain things that you can do to ease the pain and make staying together during lockdown bearable and not a total disaster. So, let’s get started shall we?

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How to have the ultimate girl’s night (quarantine/isolation friendly)

Having a get-together with all of your girlfriends is definitely a significant occasion. I mean, as much as I love my boyfriend and hanging out with my other friends, nothing beats having a girl’s night in complete with movies, junk food and fun. There is just something so relaxing and enjoyable about a night like this, which makes it such a memorable and frequent event. Unfortunately, an evening like this isn’t exactly possible given the current state of events. South Africa in particular, on day 2 of our 21 day lockdown, is a place where a girl’s night in is an impossible occurrence. So why am I writing a blog post like this when it can’t be done? Well, one of my close friends and I were meant to have one of these this week – something we’d been looking forward to since the beginning of the year. I intended to write this blog post to coincide with all the fun things we would do together; I’m still writing it because as much as we can’t actually have a girl’s night in right now, you can still have all this fun at home (or facetime your girlfriends and have a virtual get-together). So, for everyone looking for some fun ideas to keep you occupied during all this self-isolation, or as something to look forward to once the pandemic has calmed down, here are a few things to do on the ultimate girls’ night in.

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Things to do at home during isolation/quarantine – how to keep the boredom at bay

Hey everyone! No matter where you are in the world, indoors seem to be where it’s at. By that, I mean COVID-19 is getting to the stage where it’s safer for everyone to stay at home just to reduce the risk of spread and infection. South Africa is having a 21-day lockdown starting tomorrow, so I too will be spending a significant amount of time in the not-too-distant-future inside the four walls of our house. With that being said, being stuck at home can be incredibly boring. I mean after a few days, things can start to get pretty dull and without being able to escape to the entertainment of the outside world, that means one needs to start getting pretty creative to keep boredom at bay. That’s what I’m going to try and do today – help give a few suggestions for how you can pass the hours at home and not succumb to the dullness of being ‘trapped’ at home. There are quite a few suggestions here, that can be quite adaptable depending on what you enjoy, so I hope you find at least one that can help you with your time at home during this difficult time.

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IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD!!!! Now what?!

Everyone and every country are responding quite differently to the Coronavirus. In South Africa, things have become quite serious as COVID-19 has been declared as a national disaster. Scary right? This means travel bans to high risk countries, all learning institutions have been closed and gatherings with more than a hundred people are an absolute no. Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it will actually reduce the infection and spread rate because it is minimising access to high risk areas and forcing social distancing. However, this hasn’t boded well for grocery shopping, or parents who now have children without a place to go during the day. I went to buy some ingredients for dinner on Monday and was shocked to see that there was no protein in the store. Absolutely none! Most of the non-perishables had been cleaned off the shelves and I couldn’t find even the shadow of a roll of toilet paper. These are crazy times for us to be living in, especially when we, the public, have got so little control over the situation. So, here are a few suggestions that can hopefully help all of us get through this pandemic – together.

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The key (and tips) to mastering Self-discipline!

My younger brother was asking me for advice when it comes to getting work done since the majority of his time is split between school and Waterpolo and the remainder he would prefer to spend relaxing. Eventually, he realised that the real problem is he hasn’t yet developed strong self-discipline. Let me be upfront, it’s not an easy habit to master. Especially if you aren’t naturally inclined that way. Unfortunately, it’s an essential skill to develop because it can help you achieve so much in life. Also, there’s not always going to be someone reminding you or chasing you to work – you need to have that drive on your own. So today, for my little brother and everyone else who feels they want to up their self-discipline game, here are some tips and habits that can help you become a hard-working master of self-discipline!

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An update on my new year goals – how are you doing with your goals??

Hello everyone and happy beginning of March! Goodness me how time flies. I can’t believe that it is already March and it feels like the year has only just begun, that January was last week. That being said, all of the unshakeable motivation that comes with the start of the new year has most certainly faded because life is undoubtedly back to reality. The lofty days of the Christmas holiday are long gone, and I think most of us at this point just want to make it through the day without having a nervous breakdown. So, now is the perfect time to check-in and see how everyone’s new year goals are going.

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A tea-drinker’s guide to coffee

For a person who avoids coffee like you cannot believe, I was amazed at how blind I had been to such an intricate, and seriously complicated beverage. My three Saturday’s of making and drinking coffee on a large scale didn’t exactly change me over to a coffee drinker. Still, it did give me a fantastic new understanding of the drink, a look into how detailed the process is and also a way to appreciate drinking it that doesn’t make me want to dash for the bathroom and rinse my palette. Just because I love tea, doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate coffee. So today, in honour of my new appreciation for this other popular hot beverage, I will be sharing an introductory guide to all things coffee. BUT, from the perspective of a tea-drinker.

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A Trip Down to Cape Town

For someone who travels a lot, I spend a surprisingly small amount of time travelling in my own country. One might think that it’s because South Africa is small, or there isn’t much to do outside of a booming city like Johannesburg, but that’s far from the truth. SO I’m not actually sure why I don’t travel more around SA. This weekend though, I packed my little hand luggage bag and boarded a super small plane without my passport (shock and horror for anyone used to travelling internationally because you know that a passport is basically the only thing you can’t make a backup plan for) and had a three-day trip down in Cape Town. It may have been short, and not exactly intended to be a holiday trip, but my word it was a lot of fun!

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My favourite Valentine’s Day desserts!

I always love an excuse to put on my metaphoric apron (since I often forget to wear one) and make something delicious and Valentine’s day is the perfect excuse. Plus, I actually get to make some money in the process. I have a small ‘business’ where I bake cakes, cupcakes and other confectionery for people for their desired special occasions. As you can imagine, Valentine’s day creates a few orders for my bank account. So, instead of the traditional celebrations of candlelit dinner’s and intimate activities, my boyfriend and I spent the last two days whipping up a storm of desserts in the kitchen. Hence, my inspiration for today’s post. Valentine’s day, like any holiday, comes with the prerequisite for lots of sugar and given the fact that I’ve spent a lot of time baking, I thought I’d share a list of my favourite Valentine’s day desserts. I hope reading this post makes you as hungry as I’ve felt baking half this stuff – enjoy!

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