A Hustle 'n' a Bustle

Skirts with a bustle... My new fetish/obsession/craze.......... MUST FIND ONE! But not just any old bustle... A lacy, frothy one. To go with an oversized hair bow, and 60's eye makeup. A romantic, "I love dressing up and sipping espresso's all day" kind of skirt.

Remember the feeling you got when you were a little girl when you wore your mom's high heels, a feather in your hair, pink lipstick and fed your Barbies and bears cupcakes and tea? That's the feeling I get when I think about the bustle. It's a magical girly way of accessorizing your outfit.

What I would really like is a white lacy bustle that can be tied on to any skirt... Like this tie-on bib. Adorable with a plain melange tshirt and black shorts <3  

The bustle dates back to the days of corsets and high teas, when the more material on the back of your skirt, the better.

It's been brought back today by Lady Gaga, Kristen Stewart and hopefully soon, moi!


Whaddya think? To bustle or not to bustle?

Me thinks me know the answer....

Feist - my late night girly music :)

Tomorrow is Coming Today

Wow! It's been so long! Apologies, blogfollowers.

I have started a new job, moved into a new flat and reached new levels of stupidity, all in the space of two months.

But I have learnt so much and gained so much. Every day that I live I'm realising that my life is going to go the way I want it to only if I work hard at it. I can either stress and worry, and wonder if things are ever going to go my way, or I can put on my big-girl pants, suck it up and do my shit. :) To quote Fuzigish, "Tomorrow is coming today."

Before J Leto turned eyeliner

Enough of the blondie philosophy class.

30 Seconds to Mars is coming to Cape Town, whose going? I mean, I know they are a bit gay, but I still listen to their first and second albums (sometimes).


Eyeliner Days





I haven't got tickets yet - and the best ones are sold out. Is it really worth it to go when the only tickets left are seated? I wanna jump around and make a noise!

Oh, and my new TV!!! Woot!
This thing is amazzzzzing!!

Listen here, bru!

Find more artists like FUZIGISH at Myspace Music

Asoka the Great

"To do good is difficult. One who does good first does something hard to do. I have done many good deeds, and, if my sons, grandsons and their descendants up to the end of the world act in like manner, they too will do much good. But whoever amongst them neglects this, they will do evil.Truly, it is easy to do evil." - Asoka the Great*

Asoka the Great was an ancient Indian emperor, known for his many good deeds back in the day. He is believed to be second after Guatama Buddha in spreading and teaching Buddhism. He believed in and spread the belief of love, truth, tolerance and vegetarianism. 

Asoka, Cape Town, however is a sick bar/lounge, drawing it's  influences from the great emperor. It's located in Kloof street, which by the way, is the new Long (at least that's how I see it).  I have only been there 2 or 3 times, but I likey!

It's an old Victorian house that's been converted in to a dark-walled, mosaiced mirrored, Feng Shuiey-type hotspot. The vibe is chilled out and loungey with couch-lined walls, where the cool kids like to sit and people watch/judge. I think some of the girls are hosting their own version of Gossip Girl on their Blackberries. But it's not a pretentious "I'm so hot" typa place. That's because it's Cape Town, and the peeps don't give a shit about you, cuz their circles of friends are so dramatic and absorbing. I say that in the most loving way - people here love their friends, and don't care about you....

There are 2 bars, the main bar, and at the back of the club, the smaller champagne and cocktail bar.

In the middle of Asoka is the famous olive tree, and it seems as if the building was built around it. The music is awesome, some kinda housey-loungey mix, that I don't know much about. :) And the waitresses are HAWT.  Tattoos and skinny malinks. 

During the week , it's a more jazzy, smokey kinda place, where one can stop for super yummy Tapas and enjoy some really good music. They often have live bands.

Carmy Cool Scale : 8/10 

I would go there for a quiet naughty cocktail during the week, or as a starting point for a night on the town. :)

* Quoted from Wikipedia

I Still Love You, Dearest Blog

Nahoon Beach, East London

I have been a terrible blogger..

Deserted my darling for almost a week and a half. It's been a busy little week.

Had my darling friend, Alez, visit me all the way from Slumtown, East London to all you geographical-slang ignoramuses :) East London is known for it's beautiful beaches, the girl/boy ratio being 12:1, and not much else.

We did some research for my blog, testing the burgers at Rafiki's, (read - testing our alcohol levels), stopping for really bad espressos at the Mexican Kitchen, more on that later, and basically just being girly girls! Alie did plenty of shopping too. I mean it is the Mother (of all shopping) City!

We went to Rafiki's on Wednesday.. Two burgers for R89.95... The burgers were huge, aptly named Mountain Burger, or something like that. Lots of guacamole and salad. Good deal, but I wasn't in love with the patties. I still am gonna praise Narona with their amazing burgers, start drooling just thinking about their cheeseburger! The vibe is awesome, though. Feels like you're back in the early 90's, but in the best way, because of the way the people are dressed and the bar decor. IT"S OLD SKOOL!  The peeps are chilled out, just there to pass some time, drink some beer and hang out with their friends.

There are few things I love more than good mexican food, and good coffee. Combining the two makes for a very content Carmie. So this is what I ordered when Alie, her James Dean lookalike and I went to the Mexican Kitchen in Bloem street. I ordered a small portion of the Nachos, I love how they use coriander in the mix,  it was delish as usual.. The espresso... not so much. I was handed a small cup half-filled with watery filter coffee. It had obviously been standing a while, because it was cold, and there was no crema at all... :( I was sad. We also ordered a jug of the yummy frozen margheritha they are known so well for. R70- R85, enough for 3 people to have 2 glasses - BARGAIN! The thing about the Mexican Kitchen is, their food and margeritha pitchers are always awesome, and quick, but the service is not always so great, I think the waiters have giant stoner sessions in the back of the restaurant, they seem to forget that you are there... But I will keep going back, as long as the food is so good. Mexican is in my top two favourite food list.

More tomorrow about this yummy new Doner Kebap place in Long street - it's totally authentic Turkish yummyness! And also do yourselves a favour and have susho @ Tong Luk... I'll post my pics of their amazing fishy creations tomorrow as well.

Lola's Stole My Heart

Lately I have been on the hunt to find the perfect milkshake. In my search I found a gem, something screaming “Cape Town” at me as I walked past. Sure, I had heard of Lola’s, I had even recommended them to friends for breakfast, based on what I’d heard. But when I went there myself, I knew... It was love.

Lola’s has been around for a long time, about 14 years, and has a really good name.. Their thing is vegetarian, really yummy vegetarian, and definitely not just for vegetarians. It's a great alternative for your average vegetarian, used to bland cheese and tomato sarmies, or vegetable lasagnes..

Try the curry - it's awesome! Comes with old fashioned sambals, sour cream, banana and chutney.

Lola’s fits right into Long Street. It’s kind of bohemian, definitely eclectic. It’s bright red and yellow 50's style interior gives it a sunshiny feel. On the day I was there, it was cold and drab outside, but not inside!

The service is good too. That always makes a restaurant for me. If a place has bad service I won’t go back, no matter how amazing the food is.

The crowd that hangs out at Lola’s reflects the restaurant’s happy vibes. They have got the "I sit in cafes sipping on my espresso all day" thing down pat. Everyone looks at ease, as if they have the whole day to lounge in the sun outside, or lately, huddle together deep in conversation in the cold that Cape Town is known for.

It's fun to pretend that you can spend your entire day in a cafe, but nobody really has that kind of time, which is why, for me, Lola’s gives off some special sparkly cafe charm, giving us some quiet time in these hectic times :)

Kitchen Romance

Deep-Fried Hake with Split-Pea and Lentil Dhal

Not sure how many people know just how much I love cooking. But I do. I love thinking up dishes, preparing them, it's so exciting! The final result and the actual eating of the food is part of it too, but the preparation and cooking is what does it for me.

Roasted Chicken with Bread and
Herbed Liver Stuffing

Rib-Eye Steak Pan-Fried in Brandy, served with
 Baked Potato, Salad, and Crumbed Mushrooms

Roast  Pork Loin

Steak Salad Roll, Made with the Leftovers
of the Pan-Fried Steak :)

Over the past month these are my favourite dishes that I have made, and also the ones that turned out best!

Also have learnt to embed - so here's a nice summer song, it reminds me of Miami. Not that I've ever been there. :)

Park Ave Peach

Wandering through the mall on a rainy Saturday, doing what I love - trying out make-up. I know - I'm such a girl!

In search of a fabulous new colour to brighten my smile, I head straight to the Maybelline counter, one of my favourite cosmetic companies. I need colour on a day this drab! The first thing that catches my eye is their new "Color Sensational" range. Perfect. 

 

I tried out the Park Ave Peach, a darkish red colour. Not in-your-face bright, which I liked, but more of a burgundy colour. It was a perfect match on my warm skin tone. A darker version of my natural lip colour. 

It didn't pass the Smooch Test though, my poor lover boy had Park Ave Peach all over his face. It comes off pretty easily, but it does stain your lips for quite a while. I had a nice colour on my lips for about 2 hours, after which they became a bit dry, and I had to apply balm.

At R85.99 it's a bit more than I'd like to spend on a lipstick, but still totally affordable.

On a scale of 1-10, I'd give it a 6/7. I would buy it for a nice colour pop in my collection of mainly pink lipsticks.

Escalating Excitement

Hey poptarts!

Just a short bloggity blog to let you know what you can be looking forward to in the next few weeks:

I'm interviewing the legendary Mix 'n' Blend next week, as well as a few other local DJ's and bands. Which means I'll also be attending some awesome gigs this week! Woot - Nobody loves a party more than me! You can expect some sweet action shots with sexy, sweaty rockstars. *Goosebumps*

I also have an inspirational piece coming up, exploring community wine farming which is empowering the local farmers. Makes me happy!

Ciao for now...

*Have added one of my latest favourite songs, check it out. Electro Swing - naaice!

Beauty in the Urban Jungle

Cape Town is a beautiful city! :)

Everyday I see something that makes me smile. I caught this beautiful sunset about two weeks ago, after a rare sunny day in winter.

Cape Town on a sunny winter's day is an awesome thing to see. Especially at the weekend. Everybody comes out of hiding, bares their legs and cracks open a beer. I just feel like everyone is a little happier because of the sunshine. The birds sing,(and the crazy local hoboman does too, he even barks sometimes) and the sidewalk cafes are full.

Speaking of cafes- there's a great one in Buitenkant street- Narona. This is where you will find me in my free time. The food is superyummy, the beers cold and Bosko, the owner is a fun dude and a kooky personality. It's always a jol.

I have attached a video of my song for the summer! Summer is coming and it gets me SO excited!! Watch it - WATCH IT NOW!!!

My First Blog!

Welcome to Inner City Lovin'!

Hey y'all! I'm going to be covering the inner city happenings of Cape Town. Food, fashion, art and music - everything that Cape Town is known for.

More later....

Ta ta princesses!