Magnum - Nelson Mandela Square

Image courtesy of Verve Marketing

On the 10th of March, Travis and I were invited to attend the media launch of the Magnum pop up store in Nelson Mandela Square. It was a night filled with fashion, friends, local celebrities and of course ICE-CREAM!

Baron Banting Menu

2nd Lungaversary

Sometimes having a transplant is compared to having a baby. It's a scary process that changes your life for the better. After having a baby/transplant every decision you make is based on what is best for your new lungs/baby. They become more important than you. My lungaversary is definitely more special than my birthday. My birthday celebrates the day I was born but my transplant celebrates the day my life began. That's not to say that I didn't have a life before transplant, I most certainly did and made the most out of everything I could. However, life was hard and having to suffer daily didn't allow the true 'me' to come out. Now, I am who I was always meant to be and I beleive that my new lungs and I were always destined to be togther. 

#ZomatoXMetro

This week I was invited to the first Zomato foodie meet up of 2015. It was so nice to see old faces and meet the new ones. Zomato is growing so fast and they are hiring at an incredible rate - If you're a Zomato fan I suggest you keep an eye out on positions in this company. Such an amazing brand to work for and the team is awesome!

Ma Cherie Nails

I recently had my nails done at Ma Cherie Nails  and I absolutely love them!! It was SO hard trying to decide what to get, the ladies at the salon are incredible and can do anything so making a decision on what you want done is so difficut!

Midori Salon

Last week Hello Joburg invited myself and a handful of bloggers to enjoy a few treatments at the incredible Midori Salon in Benmore, Sandton.

High Tea at The Saxon

 

"High Tea in our Piano Lounge is an elegant ritual and one of the Saxon’s specialities. It is perfect for taking time out to sit back and enjoy a glass of sparkling wine to start your afternoon of indulgence. As the perfect accompaniment, our tea sommelier prepares aromatic blends of teas ranging from black, green and herbal teas, to the rooibos and fynbos varieties."

Aficionado Pop-Up Bar {Update}

I was recently invited to the launch of the Aficionado Pop-Up Bar which promised to be a spectacular evening, however, I couldn't make it and so I sent along my friend Sasha (@FaceValue_ZA) to go and check it out on my behalf.

#HelloRockers

Last week I was invited to the Hello Joburg magazine relaunch as well as Hard Rock Cafe's launch of their new menu. 

#ZomatoAtPappas

It all started with the unveiling of Pappas in Kelvin in October 1987, by founder Athos Pappas, who saw the need for a family friendly Mediterranean offering, with a leaning towards home-style Cypriot and Greek cuisine. Not afraid to adapt to the trends and shifting times, Pappas moved four times over the last 20 years, before settling in Sandton, the business hub of Africa, in 1997. Athos dreamt of keeping the restaurant as a family  business, and did so by handing over the reins to his children Ria and Evros and son in-law, Charles de Olim, in the late 2000’s. (Athos now resides in Cyprus where he continues the tradition of orthodox priesthood in his family. Papa means priest/father in Greek). 

First "ChariTea" Event

The very first (of hopefully many) ladies high tea event will be on Woman's day, Saturday the 9th of August at Bella. All profits made will go to the Organ Donor Foundation which they will use for their EMERGENCY FLIGHT FUND to fetch organs from distant places, ORGAN REFERRALS EDUCATION for emergency rooms, and their PUBLIC AWARENESS INITIATIVE aimed at raising more registered organ donors such as you!

Doctors Orders - How to gain weight.

Last year I was asked by Lisa Raleigh to do an interview about my weight. She wanted to know what kind of struggles I faced and what food I typically ate on any given day. She then gave me some fitness and nutrition advice.

When this clip was done 1 -

• Still had my feeding tube.
• Was a lot more under weight than I currently am now. (I hate looking at pics/vids of me so skinny!) 
• Was still eating a high carb diet which wasn't getting me anywhere. 
• And I still had my little pink car ;) 

Behind the scenes

I've done a few articles now for various media but this was the first tv production I have been in. VERY different! I'm not a photo person at all so even at photo shoots I struggle. With this, I had a camera on me constantly and I think I was shaking the entire time. Luckily they do about 3 takes and then edit a lot so you don't see all my mistakes. I was told to nod a lot and as you can clearly see, I did a good job of that! 

There were a few uncontrollable aspects when we were filming, which were quite funny. There was a fly that kept hovering around us and for a nutrition programme that isn't really ideal. There were also hadedas screeching in the background so we kept having to stop and wait for them to fly by! 

The crew was great, Lisa was absolutely lovely and then there was the camera guy, the sound guy and then the production manager. We shot the first part in my flat and then went to the Raphael Hotel gym in Sandton. Very fancy hotel but a surprisingly small gym facility! 

It was the first time I had been in a gym in YEARS let alone pick up a weight or do any form of exercise. As I said earlier they do about 3 takes for each section so you can imagine after 3 takes of dead lifts etc how 'dead' I was. I know the weights were relatively small (We actually couldn't find any smaller weights) but for someone who was bedridden for years, it was quite a strain! By the end of the shoot I was fully exhausted and went back home to finish eating the packet of Doritos I was made to eat. Oh yes, eating with a camera watching you is very hard! I've never been so self conscious of myself chewing!

Hopefully some of Lisa's tips helped those of you struggling to put on weight. I'm sure this is pretty much only my fellow CF'ers but for the rest of you, appreciate the fact that your weight, even though it may not be perfect, isn't a health struggle every day!

First Work Event

As you know, I'm working at an events company. I've just been doing admin type stuff and recently have started working on the company's social media profile. Yesterday though, I got to go help out at the event we organised at The Maslow Hotel in Sandton. 

I arrived early to find the Miss SA 2014 finalists relaxing in the reception area. They're all so skinny and I felt pretty good that I wasn't the skinniest person in the room for a change =) After attempting not to stare at their beauty and gorgeous outfits I decided to give myself a little tour...

I started at the pool which absolutely blew me away. It makes the most stunning backdrop for The Lacuna Bistro where you can sit and enjoy a delicious meal in this peaceful environment. The bistro has also introduced Sunday Gourmet Braais where you can enjoy a gourmet braai meal and a glass of bubbly for R250. It's on every Sunday from 1- 5pm and there are different bands each week to provide live entertainment. I think I will definitely have to add this to my to do list!

After I'd finished exploring the beautiful hotel it was time to get to work. We were organising the Sales Summit and had to check guests in at the reception area we had set up.

It involved a lot of meet and greets as well as running around making sure everything ran smoothly. The work you do in the events industry isn't glamorous but as a people person who loves being in 'pretty' places I absolutely loved it.

I'm still finding my feet in the working world and events is definitely a top runner for the industry I'd like to be in.

However, I can't shake the feeling that I am destined for a lot more in this world. I'm not a 'normal' person and I will never be truly happy attempting to fit into a 'normal' way of life. I don't want to be normal, I have been through more than most people could ever comprehend and I didn't get through it all just to have an ordinary life.




I want to give back, I want to live life to the absolute fullest and I want to embrace my differences. I think we all should!

But for now, I'm happy and enjoying my job. 

Have a lovely weekend! 

Fawn

Xx

Wangthai