Today’s
post is a little encouragement that I have for my sisters and brothers because
I know what happens every year around this time. Even though this is a
joyous time to be with loved ones and family alike, people do become the true
versions of themselves. I say so because
a person will always be consistent with everything they do. If all of a sudden
they have behaviors or mannerisms you are not used to, they were just hiding
them. Only certain situations can bring that side of theirs out and this time
may be one of those situations. Don’t despair, weigh your options and make a
decision that you will be able to live with for the rest of your life because this
sets the tone of what your future may look like.
A
year today, I opened the doors of sindisosdiary
and published my first post. I can’t believe that I stuck to this journey for
12 consecutive months. A year is a long time especially in terms of what can be
done or achieved. Honestly I am in awe of the growth and the amount of learning
that has taken place within this year. Ever so often one has to delve into
reflection mode and acknowledge what they are grateful for. I for sure am
grateful for good health, family, having a career and a passion (blogging) that
is booming into something to look forward to everyday. A lot could have gone haywire
but to God’s grace, mercy and compassion; things have been more positive.
Sindiso’s
Lifestyle Diary is turning one in exactly 4 days’ time and I must say this is
so surreal. I started this blog as a way of sharing my love for
fashion, writing and reading with anyone willing to indulge in those things.
What started as a pastime is definitely flourishing into a passion. This
has been a year of many first times and unearthing of potential I never thought
I had in me. As I reflect on the past year, I am seeing growth, maturity and
confidence that the blog has afforded me to experience. I am still echoing the
words that I said in a reflection post here
that blogging, being the creative behind your blog and staying consistent is
really hard. Many times I found myself doubting every look or post I put
together wondering if people will enjoy it. And I must say that your support and
encouragement in this regard is unparalleled; THANK YOU!
When
I decided to start this blog, one of the few tags I wanted to
do was the “25 Get To Know Me Questions Tag”. I wrote this piece almost a year ago to-date.
It was meant to be a part of the first few posts I published but somehow I felt
I wanted my readers to know me from the way I present myself in my
posts than me just telling them that this is who I am. Now I think some of the
things I will be saying will have meaning and you can actually “see it” in me. The
1(one) year anniversary of sindisosdiary is almost here, and what better
day to publish this post than today. Whilst talking about that, I have been
putting together a small token of appreciation (gift) which will be awarded to
one lucky follower of sindisosdiary. The details of the giveaway
will be in my next post, so be on the lookout for that.
Am I the
only one who has so many ideas and things to do but very pedantic when I
actually have to put in the work and effort to do it? I get distracted by minor details and then I leave it incomplete. What do we call this?
Laziness or just looking for excuses to not implement anything?
Relationships
are often those sink-holes we dive into by faith or optimism that they become a
success. No one can honestly say the intention of getting into a relationship
with someone is just to pass time and not hope for a positive end goal. I am
one of those that when I got into my current relationship, I was a broken soul.
I was in the process of mending and finding myself again. If you have not read a piece on how my partner and I got together, Here it is.

For about a
week now, we have been experiencing mild to heavy rains. They may have left
damages to property or even caused serious accidents that left some families
without their loved ones. I sympathize with those who lost their loved ones. On the other hand, we are grateful for the much needed rains as some
parts of the country were starting to have shortage of water and this shortage was eventually going to have a detrimental effect on produce and farming businesses. The rains have
come at an idyllic time hence one can say God’s timing is always best.
You know
when they say “love at first sight” I often wondered if there was such a thing
or people are just bluffing. Well I can attest today that there definitely is
such a thing. When I saw this dress online, I fell in-love. Some may say there
is nothing special about it but to me it just tickles my fancy. Ever since I
bought it about 3 months back, I have worn it at least 5 times. That is a lot
considering that there are items I have not touched for months if not years in
my wardrobe, literally.
Denim has always been in style for as long as I can
remember. It transcends through generations and season. In fact just like
leather, with time and more wears it tends to show character and it's true
make. I find that the denim jackets have become staple pieces that can be dressed up or
down and still look like the outfit was centered around the outerwear. They
just add that “something” special to an outfit that not many clothing pieces
can without sticking out. They blend in so well with the rest of the clothing
pieces.
Goodday
friends and family! I don’t know if I should be excited that Christmas is
around the corner or be nervous as I don’t think I am ready for the festive
season. Christmas is a time where friends and family come together to celebrate
and share the joys and sorrows of the year that is about to bid farewell. Even
in such a time, there is lots of money that gets spent and many a times wasted
on things that we do not need; yet we still buy to impress anyone interested in
“appreciating” them.
Firstly let
me start by apologizing for my inconsistency in terms of putting up new
content. Life has been a bit challenging on my side and I have not been in the
greatest of moods. But I am at a point where things are picking up and
normalizing again and I can give the best of me to this blog. I am hoping that
sometime in the future I can reflect on my recent life changing situation and
share with you some of the challenges I went through that can only make me a
better person from now onward.
I have
asked myself this question before and at the time it was so easy to answer. It
was just a mere routine question to remind me to reflect constantly on things
going on in life. However when you go through life changing situations, it is a
different concept all together.
In
Fashion & Lifestyle,
Where To Get The Bang For Your Money: 1 Year Blog Anniversary Giveaway Planning
Hello guysJ! Can you believe that Sindiso’s Lifestyle Diary’s one year
anniversary is coming up in about 3 months’ time. I never thought that I would
be writing a post about the upcoming day. A lot has happened since the first
post. I have experienced highs and lows but all were lessons that can only make
this brand better. Sometimes failure is not a curse or the end. It simply just
means that your initial attempt was not good enough or the dream is just
delayed; and I should just persevere until I get it right. I once read a quote which said that it is
often better to fail whilst trying that doing nothing at all.

Hello best
friends! It is that time where I share with you some of the items I am loving
for the season. I love shopping and as such I thought why not put a wishlist for the
Spring season as I have done for the Winter Season here and the Autumn(Fall)season here. Some of the items on this list I have just purchased and they will be
making an appearance on the blog in the weeks to come. I must say that this was
the most affordable clothing wishlist I have put together when comparing it against my
previous ones. These items range between R30 and R1000 and you cannot beat
that. The items are on trend and are versatile enough to last you throughout
the season and even transition to the other seasons.
Today we live in times where women do more than just being house wives.
They are no longer defined by the surnames they carry but by the impact they
have to those around them. It is times like these that we find ourselves juggling being
wives, mothers, sisters, confidants, prayer warriors and career women.
There is
definitely no two colours that say girly when put together than Pink and White.
But that does not mean men cannot wear Pink and still be masculine. In fact
most metrosexual guys rock pink better than women at times.
Spring is
finally here. We have been waiting for months to bring out our Summer dresses
and colourful clothes. O what a time this is going to be. As much as I
am excited about it, I am also a bit nervous about some of the fashion we are
going to see.
I have
never been so excited to have hit this milestone in my blogging journey! Can you
believe that this post you are reading is my 50th published post?
Yip it is and I cannot contain my excitement as I have started and taken
down other blogs in the past; but this one seems to have survived the (same) ordeal that could have befallen it.
These
are exciting times in my world as I feel like my passion is leading me into greater and bigger things. I know that it may be a little premature but
I think I am seeing some progress and people are taking note of the potential
this blog has. It is scaring me at times as I feel like everything is happening
too fast. Does that mean that I wish it could pan out otherwise? A big fat – NO! It is just that I tend to be over citical of my work and efforts which can lead to me doubting my
potential or even underestimate what blogging can do to one’s aspirations and
dreams.
I have been
struggling a little bit about how much of one’s personal life is good to share
without being judged for it. What good and bad will overly sharing (which is
relative) can do if not open a door for people to be up in your business (personal
life and otherwise). Those that know me very well will tell that it takes an
arm and a leg to actually open up about certain aspects of my life. We are
living in times where technology has afforded us the means to see what people
around us are up to and their possessions. Many can deem it as being too
boastful, egocentric or simply being a show off.
I am so
soooo excited to be sharing this post with you. It is my first collaboration piece
and I could not have done it with anyone better than a fellow personal style
and lifestyle blogger Michelle; of Simplysiro. It is often intimidating to
approach anyone for collaboration posts especially if it is a seasoned
blogger. However Michelle was open to the idea from the
get go and here we are today. Her friendly and great personality just brings
this demeanor about her that is so lovable and relatable. She did not mind that
I was not even from her beautiful country Kenya; she just embraced the idea of One
Africa One Nation.
I feel like
I have been gone for some time. Only to realise that it has only been 5 days
since I last posted; but it may seem like forever to others including me. How
are you all doing? I am guilty of often delving into the business of the day
without even greeting sindisosdiary’s
greatest and dearest friends. I have been well and I hope you are doing well
too.
Honestly
where are we supposed to feel safe when we are being pick pocketed in the
grocery stores? I swear this past week was not my best week at all. I have
always heard of stories of being searched whilst at the grocery store and even
seen one guy attempting to steal something from another lady’s bag. But nothing
has ever happened to me until now. I feel like I am experiencing a lot of first
times in my adult years.
I have had
to change my post for this week to give a little update. On Tuesday morning
amidst the cold and showers, I had a mini accident where I tripped in the
middle of the road with traffic coming towards me. At one point I thought one
of the cars was going to hit me but the guy stopped just in time and even came
to see if I was ok. As an adult, it is not the norm that you trip and fall. I
did not know how to handle the situation. For a good 3 minutes I could not feel
my back but thought nothing much of it. Luckily I managed to get on my feet
thanks to the wonderful and true gentlemen who work at my company.
For the
past week and a half, I have been trying to migrate my blog from blogger to
wordpress and what a pain it has been. I am not one for giving up easily but
for now I have aborted the mission J
There was a lot at stake especially now that I was going to lose my blog views
as well as my comments; of which even to date I could not get them on my
wordpress site and I have lost some in my quest to changing platforms.
Madume
family! Madume means greetings to those who do not know Sepedi. Yes I am a pedi
girl with a Zulu name. This past weekend I traveled to Phalaborwa my home town
as I always do on most weekends if not all. It was hot as hell as if the rest
of us who live in Gauteng and other places around the country are in another continent. You would swear South Africa has 3 seasons at a time. You have the
Western Cape having bipolar weather similarly to that of the UK. Then you have
Gauteng which is cold like ice; and Limpopo boiling hot. But it is these facets
that define our beautiful country for what it is today. We are blessed!
This
week went by quickly; in fact it was running away from something I just don’t
know what it is or pin point it. I remember waking up on Monday and today it is
Friday. Is it because I had so much to do and I just fell short in getting to
everything I set out to do for the week? Maybe it is wrong to blame or focus on
this week alone; but why isn’t this year waiting for some of us to achieve at
least two of our objectives?
In
A Day In My Office Wear,
Fashion & Lifestyle
A Day In My Office Wear 5: 3 Piece Men's Inspired Suit

I cannot help but laugh as I edit my upcoming posts. I know
just how much I love the colours BROWN and BLUE, but they seem to be
overpowering all the other colours in the pictures. Not that I planned it, I
just pick random items from my wardrobe and put multiple looks together; as
long as they make sense at the time, then they are good to go. Besides this is
how I dress daily.
The economy is not really playing ball with all of us. And the news of Britain leaving the EU is not helping our economic situation at all. The situation is very volatile and making it difficult to manage with the little we have. There is a lot of uncertainty that has come with this as Britain is one of South Africa's biggest trading partners. Therefore, we are forced to be creative with the money we have. A little has to go an extra mile as things are getting very expensive. Even the basic of basic necessities has become near impossible to get.
Today it is Father’s day. This is a very special day to many
and many can be included in the celebration but they do not qualify. I hold this day dear to my heart as I was also given the opportunity to know how it is and how it
should feel to have a father around. I am fortunate enough to have been blessed
with 2 fathers. One who raised me and the one who gave me life (I am only
having a relationship with him now, 27 years later).
Who and what can honestly go wrong with
Khaki in Winter? The change in season brings with it the beautiful knits,
trench coats, jackets and boots in all shapes and colours. Not to mention that
during this time we also get to see who the best in layering and putting
colours together is. Dressing up is an art in itself and no one can judge your
sense of style; besides style is personal. If you can show your personality
through your style, you have achieved the ultimate goal that everyone wish. We all wish others can decode who we really are through what and how we wear our clothes.
It has been sometime since I wrote a post on my work wear. Not that I have been neglecting my blog but it is just that life has thrown a few curve balls my way and sometimes finding even a glimmer of a smile is difficult. As much as my blog is my outlet to share my personal and lifestyle stories; some things are better kept between close friends and family members. I will try by all means to get back to my schedule as soon as I can.
For the month of May, many a places around the continent were
celebrating Africa month. I deemed it fitting that I celebrate this month with a look that shows or says "Africa my continent". We come from a continent that
has seen; and is plagued by many atrocities which have been happening for centuries and decades. Sadly there are
still places where our brothers and sisters suffer from famine and war stricken challenges.
In the words of my former president Thabo Mbeki’s famous parliamentary speech I
leave you for now. Please do read the speech, I promise you will enjoy it especially if
you have not heard or read it before. Thanks for stopping by.
I have never been this excited about
winter than I am this year. Never mind that winter has always been my favourite
seasons in the year. But it just warms my heart as I cannot wait to snuggle up
in bed watching movies on weekends with minimal trips to the shops and friend's
houses. This will actually do some good on my wallet and my relationship
(wink-wink).
Many
a times we are caught up between hectic day jobs, meetings in between and
rushing home to family time. I am often guilty of always running late from one
commitment to another and I end up being forced to wear the same outfit to my
next event. How many of us have had this unfortunate event happen to us? I
think many J
Today
is your special day mom. Yes you! You deserve the praises and accolades given
to you today and forever more. A bond between a mother and a child is one that
only the 2 of you share. No one can understand the dynamics and sacrifices that
you do daily to make sure your children are fed, bathed, taken care off. And I
am not speaking from a monetary or material point of view but from a genuine
abundance of love.