Beautiful Sne: 28 November 2014

Make-Up by Sindisiwe Uzuri
Congratulations Sne and Bongani! Such beautiful souls :-)

Mrs. Sam Magubane: 03 October 2014

Hair & Make-Up by Sindisiwe Uzuri. Congratulations hun! :-)

 

Xoliswa's Wedding: 15 November 2014

Congratulations Xoli! :-)

Etiquette 101

The world we live in as we know it is constantly evolving; us as individuals, our surroundings and what we are exposed to. In the journey that we are starting I am hoping that we will learn, grow together, teach and empower each other and also share all that will make us better individuals with those that are not on this platform as yet. There is so much to learn and I’m looking forward to unpacking each topic weekly.

The first question I often get from people when I mention etiquette is – “Yini manje leyo? Uyabona nje lezizinto zenu, nilokhu nizenza abelungu.” loosely translated “What on earth is that now? You like behaving like Caucasians!” So here it is – Etiquette is simply a system of conventional rules that regulate social behavior.

The word literally means a ‘ticket’ or ‘card’, and refers to the ancient custom of a monarch setting forth ceremonial rules and regulations to be observed by members of his court; I could bore you with the whole history lesson but I won’t.

Now a secondary question would be – What is the difference between Etiquette and Manners? Etiquette: Is a set of rules which when followed shows that you are doing things properly e.g using a flute to drink Champaign from instead of a cognac or brandy goblet. Manners: are what you do in a specific way to be polite and courteous e.g. saying ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’.
There are different categories of Etiquette and the most common one is Dining Etiquette which we will focus on, next week where I’ll tell you a story about Gregory, an elderly Caucasian acquaintance of mine, sweet old man.

Corporate/Office Etiquette
Telephone Etiquette
Interview Etiquette
Meeting Etiquette
Social Etiquette
People Etiquette
House Guest Etiquette
Engagement Party Etiquette
Wedding Etiquette
Gym Etiquette

The above all fall part of Etiquette. As we evolve, Etiquette rules will definitely evolve as well – I’m quite certain that when it all started nobody thought there would ever be ‘Gym Etiquette’ because there were no gyms then lol! Over the next weeks we will tackle some of these categories individually.

In a world keyed to speed, skills development and personal branding; good manners, civility and etiquette are more important than ever before. Whether it’s unfair or not, people will make character judgments about you based on how you handle social situations. This can be a crucial factor when your superiors make decisions about how far and how high you can go in an organization or certain individuals have to decide if they want you around their personal space as you will soon learn in Greg’s story. You do not know these rules instinctively, no matter how smart you are. Somebody has to teach you. Somebody had to teach me.

We can no longer take for granted that we cannot be taken seriously if we do not take care of our image, etiquette and manners; fortunately for us two of these things can be taught, the question is – Are you willing to learn?
Till next week, stay true to you!

Sindisiwe Uzuri
Twitter: @sindisiweuzuri
Facebook: Sindisiwe Uzuri

Take Care Of You... #Week11

After months of hibernation I’m baaaack!!! Spring has sprung and Summer is almost here and like any other year people have started pounding pavements and hitting that iron. This got me thinking why is it that we decide to take care of our bodies only towards Summer and at the beginning of every year but don’t follow through throughout the year? I’m also guilty of that, at least till last year.

 

This year I turned ….years old (wouldn’t you love to know haha!) and at the beginning of the year I said to myself there are certain habits I should leave behind and some I should acquire because I’m not getting any younger! For now I’ll focus on the physical - physically for most people it’s to weigh a certain weight or wear a certain dress size; mine on the other hand was to…..can’t say it here ;-). Now we all have different reasons why we want to reach our physical goals and I’ve learned that as long as you have a personal reason why you want to reach that goal you’ll be able to and maintain it.  I am doing it for myself (for now), health reasons, others do it for their children, I met a lady sometime last week who said she lost all her excess weight for spiritual reasons; our bodies are a temple of God and we should treat it as such.

 

Recently I came across a sad reality, we are judged by the way we look and first impressions, how we look and present ourselves really do count. A certain company was looking for young females to promote its brand, they went to a Bootcamp group and didn’t ask for cv’s or anything of that sort but they wanted fit and healthy looking individuals – that’s a job opportunity right there. It is amazing how taking care of yourself can give you choices in life, not just work related but relations in general as well.

 

If you know me well enough you’ll know I’m all for inner beauty; in the quest to acquire that though let us not neglect the vessel that carries all that beauty and brain. Unfortunately this is one of those things in life no one can do for you no matter how much you pay them. If you don’t take care of yourself nobody else will, if you don’t love yourself nobody will for you, if you don’t respect yourself nobody else will…

 

I joined a healthy living challenge with a few of my friends that will go on for the next 11 weeks, to prevent myself from going back to my old habits I have to remind myself daily why I want what I want.  They say it takes 21-30 consecutive days to form a habit, I should be good. What’s your reason?

A reminder of our Father's unconditional and eternal love :)

THE KING IS CALLING

 

Entrapped, entangled in a web

A web of low self-esteem, rejecting, inadequacy

Unable to see, unable to perceive,

How delicately, precisely, accurately, intricately

You were woven by the Masters hands

The King is calling!

Come! Come! Come! Out of your Lodebar

 

Running, searching desperately

Alcohol, drugs, sex

You use as an escape

When your safe house so patiently awaits

To shield and to restore you

The King is calling!

Come! Come! Come! Out of your Lodebar

 

Burdened, overloaded

By poverty, unemployment and lack

Struggling to make ends meet

You forget the pact, the promises he made

He is your shepherd; and you shall not want

Stand up my sister

The King is calling!

Come! Come! Come! Out of your Lodebar

 

Beaten, battered and bruised

Bad relationships, divorce and abuse

You wear a mask, to hide and conceal

Those scars and those wounds

That lay so deep within

The King is calling!

Come! Come! Come! Out of your Lodebar

 

Daughters of the most high

Princesses of the Kingdom

Now is the time, arise and take your place

At your Fathers table, where he has supplied your every need

Abundance, overflow, love, joy, peace, restoration, wisdom

Deliverance, purpose, grace, righteousness

He patiently awaits you to partake

The King is calling!

Come! Come! Come! Out of your Lodebar

 By: Lorna Sithole

 

 

 

Nondu: 21 March 2014

 

 

                                              

Ria : MMA13

Skin To Skin...

Healthy, glowing and clear looking skin is very attractive, in both women and men, not just women.  Cleansing, toning, moisturizing, exfoliating and masking is important for your face as most people already know. However, taking care of the skin on the rest of your body is equally important. More to drinking lots of water, bathing and moisturizing your body, I highly recommend skin brushing and body exfoliation!

What is skin brushing?

Skin brushing is the natural way to detox, cleanse and improve texture and tone of the skin.  While enhancing your skin, it can change the health of your whole body.

Directions:

Dry brush the skin every morning, before showering or bathing. Starting at the soles of the feet work with long sweeping upward movements, towards the heard, focusing on areas prone to cellulite. I personally do not do this every morning but when I do have some time I most definitely do.

Caring for your brush:

If you buy one that is excellent quality it could last you a lifetime. Try to get one that has natural Cactus bristles like the Elemis one – www.elemis.com, the one from The Body Shop is also good. You must never wash your brush, after every use spray it with Tea Tree Spray to disinfect and remove bacteria.

Body exfoliation is done in most Spa’s, but if you cannot make it to a Spa don’t despair. Once a month I mix olive oil and sugar then after body brushing using circular motion start from my toes to my neck focusing on some areas, knees and elbows being some of those areas then shower. My skin feels heavenly afterwards!

One of the benefits for body brushing and body exfoliating is the removal of dead skin cells which will help your body oils and butters penetrate your skin better giving you maximum results from the products.

Healthy skin is attractive – true story ;)

Yours in Uzuri,

Moi.

 

 

 

 

Thembeka Mayaba Grade 11 Dance 2013

 

 

 

 

Short Film: 05 and 06 December 2013