I have an addiction...

...for any garments created by Arwen Garmentry. From her corsets to her couture I want more more more!

The proof of my addiction:

• In terms of corsets I already have 1 steel boned underbust, 1 waist cincher, 2 merry widows, 3 bodices and 1 girdle.
• In terms of couture I have the most kick-ass tangerine-coloured Circle Skirt , a Warp Top (the same colours but in reverse), a Garlic Jacket and a stunning fushia Steampunk Barber-sleeve Top.

My next purchase is the skirt version of this:

In case you're wondering, that's a bustled dress. I'm hoping that the stripped black and white cotton I have chosen is still in stock. Sadly enough the gorgeous material that dress is made of is sold out.

Why do I have so much? Not only for the sheer gloriousness of the items,but also because of the luxuriousness of the fabrics, the fact that all her clothes are custom hand made and the superb craftsmanship and quality of the garments.

I am getting friends and Family onto the addiction bandwagon. LadyItalia had a corset dress for her wedding and my mom has the Classic Ramshorn Shirt.

Society and Women

Women's roles over our thousand years of history have regularly changed. Some good, some bad and in every strata of society they have been different. I'm not going into all of them because I would end up writing a book and many books of this kind have already been written.

But there are some things that grate my carrot. There is this huge and ridiculous pressure from Western Society that, as a woman of the 21st century, you should be in a successful relationship / marriage, have a career, kids and a mortgage by the time you turn 30. And that that should you not have achieved these milestones then you would be an unsuccessful spinster for the rest of your life and that you will be forever unfulfilled because you do not have children

What a load of BS! And sadly this nonsense is perpetuated my media and chickflicks. No wonder our generation is one of very confused women.

Career. Not everyone is cut out for a career, as we aren't all super competitive people. I'm 31 and only now coming into my own in terms of my work. Will I ever be a career woman. I don't know. I'm not competitive. I like having a life outside work. Only time will tell.

Regarding kids. I don't want any. Reasons:

1. I don't like them. Simple as that. I have no maternal feelings towards the critters. I'm happy for my friends who are happy to be having them, but please do not expect me to gush over them. And what is it with women speaking to babies in high-pitched squeaky voices. If I was those kids I'd puke all over them. I don't speak to my cats that way and I consider them my fur babies.
   
2. Our planet is severely overpopulated. Why bring spawnlings into the world where there will be a serious lack of resources in the near future.
   
3. Bringing up kids is extremely expensive and time consuming. You loose all your independence and money. Yes that is a very selfish attitude on my part, but I rather like my independence.
   

Thank goodness my parents don't care if they have grandchildren or not. Thank goodness that most of my girlfriends are in no hurry to have kids or don't want any. So I don't get that shocked "What's wrong with you that you don't want kids" spiel from them. And those who do have kids don't ostracise me for it.

I'm grateful my parents had me. Part of me is sad that I am the last in line with the family surname. The only other person with the surname is a distant cousin who hasn't had kids either. But hey, that's how the cookie crumbles and I won't cry over it.

Relationships. I'm very happy single. Being an only child I've learned to be happy by myself. And this is something my mother told me and she has been spot on about it.

"If you cannot be happy by yourself, you will never be happy in a relationship. A significant other is not there to complete you, but to complement you."

Too true. I have known serial daters, who could not be on their own for any period of time and were always flitting fro one person to the next, never happy with what came their way. I'm in no rush to be in a relationship. Over the years I have found out what I want in a man and I will not settle for less. (That's another story that will be told another time).

Mortgage. In this economic climate, it's a tricky one. And with the house prices in South Africa getting a bond is no easy task. No such thing as 100% bonds with low interest rates. My friend L'Emmerdeuse and her husband bought their first flat in Paris. A 100% bond wit no interest! So unfair. I bought my duplex with the help of my folks. There was no way I could have done by myself.

So please, the perpetrators of this BS, please STOP IT! I am not missing anything by not having kids. I am happily single and I have a "Rabbit". I am leading my life at my own pace and enjoying it thankyouverymuch!

What I am NOT going to miss...

...from my old job is the piece of shit laptop and the non-existent network that FAILs at a sneeze.

Food: 1 meelion vs. Me: 0

After a weekend of festivities, I gingerly stepped on my scale this morning and went to hide under my duvet with shame. Eish!

Weight needs to be lost! Like 30kg. I'm not kidding. That's how much I put on since I started university, and even then I wasn't super slinky. I just want to be healthy again. I would like to drop down one top size, back to ye good old 34, and not have rolls of blubber frolicking around my midriff. I would like to fit into a size 36-38 pants again, not an abominable 42.

Just by looking at the number you can guess that there is quite a discrepancy between my waist and my backside. 4 sizes difference! Yup. All my weight sits on my thunder thighs. I have never had a 90's - 00's fashionable shape. I'm more a busty, tiny waisted, hippy kinda girl. 50's style rock on me. Corsets rock even more. The waif-android look engendered by gay fashion designers is just not me and never will be me. (I have a whole rant about this and it will get blogged).

So have a backside and I have come to accept it over the years. With famous ladies like Beyonce and Kim Kardashian, the bootylicious booty has come back in vogue. Thank goodness! But the thunder thighs, not so much. They need to go!

Now I've done tons of diets. From Low Fat No Carb to WeighLess. It works for a while, then I somehow fall off the bandwagon.

From my therapy sessions it would seem that my food issues probably stem from early infancy, ad that I've eneded up associating food with validation. My lonely teenage years coincide with my weight gain.

• Few friends at school, eat food, feel better.
• Lack of romance at university, eat food, feel better.
• Unhappiness at work, eat food feel better.

Have you spotted the vicious circle yet?

I have no excuse now. I'm starting a new job and I have great friends. So I shouldn't be eating all the things I know are bad for me. I can see getting over food will take a while.

It is imperative that I loose the weight, not only for my physical well-being, but also for my emotional well-being. I plan on taking my time shifting the darn kgs. Something like 2kg a month isn't too hectic. I hope. That would mean it will take me 15 months to shift the weight.

So today I started (why do we always start things on a Monday?). Yummi strawberries, blueberries, a bit of muesli and yogurt for breakfast. Lunch at the canteen offered butternut soup with health bread. I was debating between that and a haloumi salad. I should have had the salad. The soup was yuck! and I didn't even eat half of it. Of course by the time 3 O'clock rocked up my stomach was growling and the canteen closed. Only the coffee bar was open and all they had were chips.

See! Sabotaged on day one already!

At least the GingaNinja is home early tonight and we're having chicken wraps, with tomato, lettuce, avo, mushrooms and other good things. Hmmm...Leftovers...

Of course, all the chocolates I've been given for my birthday are already planning my downfall. I will have to put them out of sight.

I also need to start doing some form of cardio-exercise. Time to get quotes for gym memberships, even though I don't enjoy the gym. Sigh...

No cheating girl. The journey from 94 to 65 starts NOW!

I'll keep you posted on how it goes. Wish me luck and support!

Things I should remember...

When my baking cookbook, given to me by my dear friend Gilamonster, says that the cake serves 12, that they actually mean 12 starving Ethiopian families.

I decided, being the super efficient planner that I am, to bake one of my birthday cakes for Saturday last night . That way I can store it in the fridge and it's one less thing to do on the day. Red velvet cupcakes are also on the menu.

This particular chocolate cake recipe should fill a 24cm spring-form cake tin. Well, that it did, to the brim. And anyone who's done any baking knows that cake rises. Double at least.

So I emptied half of it into another tin. Thank goodness I have two. Now I have two cakes, one which is now sitting next to me at work.

Meet the Chocolate, Orange, Almond Cake, drowned in chocolate ganache:

PS: Yes, I did lick the bowl.

PPS: For the best Red Velvet Cake recipe...IN THE WORLD (to quote good ole' Jeremy Clarkson), go to http://www.joyofbaking.com/RedVelvetCake.html