I don’t usually blow a trumpet about something unless I find that that something is worth blowing a trumpet about but I definitely find this worth making a fuss of.
I was approached a while ago and asked to write a review on the iPhone Watch Me Change Face Application. After giving it a try and having some friends try it too, I have to say, I am most impressed.
Let me give you the “sales pitch” to explain what it does firstly (ahem):
Picture the scenario: You’ve just found out that you’re pregnant! So much to look forward to and teach and show your little one. Wouldn’t it be awesome if one day you could show your child a time lapse video of how they grew in their mummy’s tummy? Well, now you can with iPhone’s Watch Me Change Face Application! It’s a quick and user-friendly application that works by reminding you to take a photo of yourself every day and then puts your photos together to create a time lapse video allowing you to see the growth of your child from beginning to end.
After your child is born, there’s no need to stop there though. You can continue taking photos of your child and create a time lapse video of them growing up.
After your pregnancy, you’ll be wanting to work off that extra weight so why not use the iPhone Watch Me Change Face App to capture the pounds/kilos vanishing off of you? Nothing to keep you motivated like actually seeing the difference over time!
Personally, I’m not pregnant, nor do I have children but that didn’t stop me from watching my eyebrows grow back after my last eyebrow wax! O.k, it hasn’t been long enough yet to see any significant difference but I most certainly can see that they’ve grown. I’ll post the video as soon as they’ve grown enough for you to see me go from “Shaped” to “Werewolf.”
If you don’t wax your eyebrows or you’ve just reached shaving age, the iPhone Watch Me Change Face app is ideal for watching your beard grow or watching your hair colour grow out if you’re prone to dying your hair a fair bit.
What makes this application different from other time lapse application is that it has a unique overlay feature which allows you to match up your pictures from today perfectly with your pictures from yesterday allowing for a smooth time lapse video and not leaving you looking like you’re in some horror stop-motion movie.
So now you’ve got all these awesome videos of your pregnancy or child growing up or your eyebrows growing into bushes and now you want to share it, right? The iPhone Watch Me Change Face App is a convenient way to also share these very special and unique time lapse videos with friends and family through Facebook, Youtube or via email thanks to the integrated social networking.
Overall, this application is a must-have for those who want to capture memories and bring them to life.
Bonus: It’s not expensive at all! Total awesomeness!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Hats off to Tam and Hendri
Tam and Hendri were asked to do a slow foxtrot at this years End of year Function for the Maties (Stellenbosch University) Dance Society and no, it's not a rhythm foxtrot done slowly.
I have learnt the basics of Slow Foxtrot and I will admit that although I have danced it a few times, I haven't got a clue what I'm doing. If the person I'm dancing it with doesn't know what they're doing, it's a disaster. If they do, however, I can fake it to a degree.
If you have no idea what a slow fox looks like, have a look at the video. The only difference I can pick up between what they're doing and what we did is the turns, them being on their toes and us being on our heels. But then again, as I said, I'm not actually sure what I'm doing in this dance ;)
Posting the link for now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94JbmwxOy_0
I have learnt the basics of Slow Foxtrot and I will admit that although I have danced it a few times, I haven't got a clue what I'm doing. If the person I'm dancing it with doesn't know what they're doing, it's a disaster. If they do, however, I can fake it to a degree.
If you have no idea what a slow fox looks like, have a look at the video. The only difference I can pick up between what they're doing and what we did is the turns, them being on their toes and us being on our heels. But then again, as I said, I'm not actually sure what I'm doing in this dance ;)
Posting the link for now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94JbmwxOy_0
Hilarious death metal
This past weekend was my friend's 30th birthday. Her name is Melissa.
Mel wanted to do something fun for her birthday and suggested we go out somewhere where we can dance. Mel isn't into the music they often play at clubs though, she's more into the alternative scene and older music and so she found a club in Centurion that promised to play alternative music.
Upon arriving there, I was most shocked to see that this alternative club was situated exactly where I once was offered a job at a dancing studio but couldn't accept the job as my car had just broken, I didn't have my new car yet and I just couldn't get there. Just as well, I guess they didn't last long.
When we walked into the club, we realised that it was far from alternative, they were playing what is termed as "death metal." It was hilarious! It was some guy standing with a microphone and long hair that needed a serious bout of conditioner and his band each playing different songs by the sound of it, and he put on a deep voice and screamed "Yo yo yo yo yooooooooooo!!" into the microphone and swung his hair wildly. It was most entertaining. You couldn't dance to it barring when the drummer coincidentally played a bit of a cha-cha tempo and then later a swing tempo but it wasn't long and he changed back to taking out his frustrations on the poor drums at un-rythmic intervals.
The entire band needed conditioner actually and they swung their hair around wildly and they probably sounded so bad because they couldn't see their instruments through all the hair. I suggested to Mel that we run up to them and ask if we could give it a try but she wasn't game for that and so I gave the "Yo yo yo-ing" a try in the car on the way home and hey, it's not that hard actually! It just hurts your throat!
So, need some direction? No skills? Start a Death Metal band! It's a form of comedy for sure!
Mel wanted to do something fun for her birthday and suggested we go out somewhere where we can dance. Mel isn't into the music they often play at clubs though, she's more into the alternative scene and older music and so she found a club in Centurion that promised to play alternative music.
Upon arriving there, I was most shocked to see that this alternative club was situated exactly where I once was offered a job at a dancing studio but couldn't accept the job as my car had just broken, I didn't have my new car yet and I just couldn't get there. Just as well, I guess they didn't last long.
When we walked into the club, we realised that it was far from alternative, they were playing what is termed as "death metal." It was hilarious! It was some guy standing with a microphone and long hair that needed a serious bout of conditioner and his band each playing different songs by the sound of it, and he put on a deep voice and screamed "Yo yo yo yo yooooooooooo!!" into the microphone and swung his hair wildly. It was most entertaining. You couldn't dance to it barring when the drummer coincidentally played a bit of a cha-cha tempo and then later a swing tempo but it wasn't long and he changed back to taking out his frustrations on the poor drums at un-rythmic intervals.
The entire band needed conditioner actually and they swung their hair around wildly and they probably sounded so bad because they couldn't see their instruments through all the hair. I suggested to Mel that we run up to them and ask if we could give it a try but she wasn't game for that and so I gave the "Yo yo yo-ing" a try in the car on the way home and hey, it's not that hard actually! It just hurts your throat!
So, need some direction? No skills? Start a Death Metal band! It's a form of comedy for sure!
Teddies - Our great protectors
A friend sent the above pic to me a while ago when I told her that I'd changed life insurance policies and they were sending a nurse over to draw some blood for their standard testing procedure.
When I was 4 or 5 years old, I had Encephalitis (similar to Meningitis) and was hospitalised. During my stay they had to do a lumber puncture. This is when they insert a needle into your lower spine and extract some of the cerebrospinal fluid to test for various things or to lower the pressure on your brain (hence the terrible headaches with Meningitis or Encephalitis). So ja, pretty scary.
Generally you lie in a foetal position and while it's sore, it's not so sore you want to die. Being little, however, I was scared and when I saw the needle, I totally freaked out. The dr's then kicked my parents out of the room and held me down while I screamed. It was SORE!
Although it's so different to a blood test or an injection, I'm still really scared of needles. I emailed a few of my friends to tell them how nervous I was and mentioned that I may bring my teddy in to work just for the blood test. I'm sure the nurse will think me insane but I don't care! Teddy is coming with me to work tomorrow!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Family resemblance
A photographer came here last week and took photos of all of us here at work. I am not photogenic, the photos of me publicly on display are usually the ones I don't look bad in but the majority of photos taken of me are not shown to people.
Years ago, people used to look at me with my blonde hair and immediately know that I was my mom's daughter. If my cousin Melanie was with us, they'd think she was my sister and Leslie, my sister, our cousin.
Years later I don't look as much like them as I used to but when I saw some of these photos, I was shocked. I looked just like my mom when she was younger and in one shot, I look just like Melanie with dark hair!
One day Melanie found a picture of her mom and my mom when they were teenagers and we stared at it in confusion wondering when the photo of us was taken, the resemblance was so strong.
I suppose hairdye only does so much.
Years ago, people used to look at me with my blonde hair and immediately know that I was my mom's daughter. If my cousin Melanie was with us, they'd think she was my sister and Leslie, my sister, our cousin.
Years later I don't look as much like them as I used to but when I saw some of these photos, I was shocked. I looked just like my mom when she was younger and in one shot, I look just like Melanie with dark hair!
One day Melanie found a picture of her mom and my mom when they were teenagers and we stared at it in confusion wondering when the photo of us was taken, the resemblance was so strong.
I suppose hairdye only does so much.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Clarens - The jewel of the eastern Free State - pictures!! Oooh!!
After a conversation with a friend yesterday telling her how awesome Clarens in the Eastern Free State is, I decided to share my immense love of this place with everyone else as well as continue to tempt her to take a trip there to have some R&R.
If you're in Johannesburg, Clarens is a short 3 and a half hour pleasant drive away.
You'll know you're there when you see the rock formation below. This is called Titanic Rock. Doesn't it look just like the Titanic? So cool!!
The moment you get into the town of Clarens itself, you will notice how quaint and small it is. Unlike any place I've ever been to in South Africa (and I've been to quite a few places in SA), the effect of this totally different and sweet, little world is both calming and energising. It's like you've had a month's holiday after a weekend there.
The idea though is to appreciate Clarens for being so different in that you should find your accommodation, park your car and walk wherever you want to go and not use the car at all, even if it's raining.
What is there to do in this little town? Well, there are various things. The main attractions I suppose would be the amazing scenery, the art galleries and the food.
Being near the Lesotho border, the Maluti mountains are like...right there! If you're into taking hikes and walks or riding horses or taking pics of scenery...hang on, we've been called for pizza...and I'm back so anyway, if you're into the whole nature thing, this place is phenomenally beautiful!
Other than that, there are art galleries galore and restaurants that will have you dreaming of their food for years to come.
My personal recommendation is to go and have supper or lunch at Street Caffe (their burgers and fettucini alfredo are like no other that I've ever experienced) and then head to Clementines for dessert which should unmistakeably be their Lemon Meringue Ice-cream cake. It's R35 a slice (or was in December 2009) but is so worth it! Clementines also have a very good Ostrich Medallion dish! Yum! Yum!
The art galleries are not dreary and dull and you don't need to be one of those arty people to appreciate them. There's also a wine gallery if that appeals.
There are sports pubs and ice-cream shops that have decadent and interesting flavours and a few pancake shops too. Absolutely no chain stores when I was last there and I hope it stays that way.
If you're more into holidays with some sort of educational value, you can go and visit the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. It's very interesting and those pipes are so huge that it would take three of me (at 1.69 metres tall) on top of each other to touch the top of the pipe.
Clarens is the ideal place to get married if you're having under 50 guests and want somewhere beautiful and unique to have your special day.
One of the nicest wedding venues in Clarens is the Castle. It accommodates 20 guests for an intimate wedding and the decor is very 18th century and well, castle-ey.
If we didn't have so many people invited to our wedding, I'd have chosen to get married in Clarens in the one church in Main Road with food from Street Caffe and dessert from Clementines and then have the reception in the Castle.
Sigh! Clarens is my favourite place in the entire world thus far. I love everything about it. It's such an escape, the air is so clean and the water so sweet and the place filled with beauty and happiness and the chamomile tea better than any other in the country. If only there was a thriving job market there...
If you're in Johannesburg, Clarens is a short 3 and a half hour pleasant drive away.
You'll know you're there when you see the rock formation below. This is called Titanic Rock. Doesn't it look just like the Titanic? So cool!!
The moment you get into the town of Clarens itself, you will notice how quaint and small it is. Unlike any place I've ever been to in South Africa (and I've been to quite a few places in SA), the effect of this totally different and sweet, little world is both calming and energising. It's like you've had a month's holiday after a weekend there.
The idea though is to appreciate Clarens for being so different in that you should find your accommodation, park your car and walk wherever you want to go and not use the car at all, even if it's raining.
What is there to do in this little town? Well, there are various things. The main attractions I suppose would be the amazing scenery, the art galleries and the food.
Being near the Lesotho border, the Maluti mountains are like...right there! If you're into taking hikes and walks or riding horses or taking pics of scenery...hang on, we've been called for pizza...and I'm back so anyway, if you're into the whole nature thing, this place is phenomenally beautiful!
Other than that, there are art galleries galore and restaurants that will have you dreaming of their food for years to come.
My personal recommendation is to go and have supper or lunch at Street Caffe (their burgers and fettucini alfredo are like no other that I've ever experienced) and then head to Clementines for dessert which should unmistakeably be their Lemon Meringue Ice-cream cake. It's R35 a slice (or was in December 2009) but is so worth it! Clementines also have a very good Ostrich Medallion dish! Yum! Yum!
The art galleries are not dreary and dull and you don't need to be one of those arty people to appreciate them. There's also a wine gallery if that appeals.
There are sports pubs and ice-cream shops that have decadent and interesting flavours and a few pancake shops too. Absolutely no chain stores when I was last there and I hope it stays that way.
If you're more into holidays with some sort of educational value, you can go and visit the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. It's very interesting and those pipes are so huge that it would take three of me (at 1.69 metres tall) on top of each other to touch the top of the pipe.
Clarens is the ideal place to get married if you're having under 50 guests and want somewhere beautiful and unique to have your special day.
One of the nicest wedding venues in Clarens is the Castle. It accommodates 20 guests for an intimate wedding and the decor is very 18th century and well, castle-ey.
If we didn't have so many people invited to our wedding, I'd have chosen to get married in Clarens in the one church in Main Road with food from Street Caffe and dessert from Clementines and then have the reception in the Castle.
Sigh! Clarens is my favourite place in the entire world thus far. I love everything about it. It's such an escape, the air is so clean and the water so sweet and the place filled with beauty and happiness and the chamomile tea better than any other in the country. If only there was a thriving job market there...
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Man abuse and people in search of answers
I look at my stats now and then and I often see a pattern. The posts entitled "a hint of Madness" or "It's ok to talk to yourself..." and "Are the voices in my head bothering you" seem to be quite popular a lot of the time. This made me wonder if someone or lots of someones are either concerned about their own mental well-being and are looking for answers or if someone or lots of someones are concerned about my mental wellness and are looking for confessions.
If you're looking for answers, this is not the place to look. I am a first year psych student who reads a lot about people and how we think and what causes mental illness, etc but I am by no means any expert nor am I equipped to provide any sort of guidance yet. But be careful about what else you read out there, a lot of it is written by people who think they have all the answers. Always rely on an expert in the field for accurate information.
If your concern is for my mental health, I can assure you that I am quite normal :)
The man abuse is also not on a serious note so if you're a man being abused, get help, this is just nonsense and won't help you at all.
Last night I went to Al and said "I want to try this salsa turn I saw on Youtube with you slowly just to see if it would work without you breaking my arm accidentally". Now firstly, Alan is a lot taller than me and very strong and he often breaks things by accident because he just grabs the item or bends it too much or whatever and so this turn required that he put my right arm behind my back whilst facing me and then lean it and grab my right hand with his left hand and gently pull which would, in essence, unwind me.
So we tried very slowly and it was great. So he wanted to try a lot faster. So we did and as he started pulling I felt my shoulder strain and my elbow click and it started to hurt. I tried to frantically untwist myself before I was hurt and in the process, I elbowed his right eyeball! Needless to say, the veins were all inflamed and bleeding a little and it looked a little like what Arnold Schwarzenegger looked like in Terminator 1 when he took his eye out. O.k, not that bad but it was red. I felt so guilty! He was hoping the socket bone would bruise so that he could go to work and tell everyone that I beat him but much to his disappointment, it didn't.
So now his eye isn't so red and looks quite normal but it's still sore for him and his plea for sympathy from the ladies at his office will be met with doubtful looks :) Poor Al! All that pain and nobody to feel sorry for him. Except me. But that doesn't count because I was the instigator of the pain that should warrant sympathy. Poor Bunny :)
If you're looking for answers, this is not the place to look. I am a first year psych student who reads a lot about people and how we think and what causes mental illness, etc but I am by no means any expert nor am I equipped to provide any sort of guidance yet. But be careful about what else you read out there, a lot of it is written by people who think they have all the answers. Always rely on an expert in the field for accurate information.
If your concern is for my mental health, I can assure you that I am quite normal :)
The man abuse is also not on a serious note so if you're a man being abused, get help, this is just nonsense and won't help you at all.
Last night I went to Al and said "I want to try this salsa turn I saw on Youtube with you slowly just to see if it would work without you breaking my arm accidentally". Now firstly, Alan is a lot taller than me and very strong and he often breaks things by accident because he just grabs the item or bends it too much or whatever and so this turn required that he put my right arm behind my back whilst facing me and then lean it and grab my right hand with his left hand and gently pull which would, in essence, unwind me.
So we tried very slowly and it was great. So he wanted to try a lot faster. So we did and as he started pulling I felt my shoulder strain and my elbow click and it started to hurt. I tried to frantically untwist myself before I was hurt and in the process, I elbowed his right eyeball! Needless to say, the veins were all inflamed and bleeding a little and it looked a little like what Arnold Schwarzenegger looked like in Terminator 1 when he took his eye out. O.k, not that bad but it was red. I felt so guilty! He was hoping the socket bone would bruise so that he could go to work and tell everyone that I beat him but much to his disappointment, it didn't.
So now his eye isn't so red and looks quite normal but it's still sore for him and his plea for sympathy from the ladies at his office will be met with doubtful looks :) Poor Al! All that pain and nobody to feel sorry for him. Except me. But that doesn't count because I was the instigator of the pain that should warrant sympathy. Poor Bunny :)
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
A hint of madness
This wedding thing is getting to me a little now. There are little things that are either just not happening or not happening at the right time and it's frustrating and stressing me out a lot.
It's so silly, all this nonsense for one day. All the stress and organisation for one day that will fly by so fast. How closely do people really look at the bridesmaids dresses or the way you tied the bows around the chairs or the hems of the overlays? I've never closely examined anything at a wedding, ok, maybe because I'd have to be standing like right on top of whatever it was and that just wasn't possible or normal at the time, but honestly, are things really that scrutinised?
All these websites and magazines telling you how to create the perfect day stress you out.
Yesterday, I attempted to write a thank you poem to our parents and I really struggled. I don't usually struggle to write things, it just comes out but yesterday, I couldn't find what I wanted to say in the way I wanted to say it. I managed 4 lines which I'm happy with thus far and then I scrapped the rest because of the word "Gun" being in it. Nowhere in your wedding should you thank your parents for not shooting you even if you sometimes gave them adequate reason, ok, more Al than me ;) and that's when it hit me that I need to stop now and get back into my body and let the wedding alien go free :)
I feel like I need a weekend off of wedding stuff completely. A weekend to just spend with Alan and maybe go and have a picnic or take a walk or something un-wedding related.
All I want is for the people I care about most to be there and for everyone to wear clothes and for the people invited to know that they're invited, it shouldn't be this much stress.
It's so silly, all this nonsense for one day. All the stress and organisation for one day that will fly by so fast. How closely do people really look at the bridesmaids dresses or the way you tied the bows around the chairs or the hems of the overlays? I've never closely examined anything at a wedding, ok, maybe because I'd have to be standing like right on top of whatever it was and that just wasn't possible or normal at the time, but honestly, are things really that scrutinised?
All these websites and magazines telling you how to create the perfect day stress you out.
Yesterday, I attempted to write a thank you poem to our parents and I really struggled. I don't usually struggle to write things, it just comes out but yesterday, I couldn't find what I wanted to say in the way I wanted to say it. I managed 4 lines which I'm happy with thus far and then I scrapped the rest because of the word "Gun" being in it. Nowhere in your wedding should you thank your parents for not shooting you even if you sometimes gave them adequate reason, ok, more Al than me ;) and that's when it hit me that I need to stop now and get back into my body and let the wedding alien go free :)
I feel like I need a weekend off of wedding stuff completely. A weekend to just spend with Alan and maybe go and have a picnic or take a walk or something un-wedding related.
All I want is for the people I care about most to be there and for everyone to wear clothes and for the people invited to know that they're invited, it shouldn't be this much stress.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Spring - My favourite Spring poem
The Budding Bronx - Anonymous
Der spring is sprung
Der grass is riz
I wonder where dem boidies is?
Der little boids is on der wing,
Ain't dat absoid?
Der little wings is on de boid!
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