Hello reader,

I am really amped and excited for 2015!  It’s a chance to make all my dreams and ideas in my Big Black Book become a reality! Now, now, I hardly ever create a list of New Year’s Resolutions because I never remember them (or selectively forget them). If I have a New Year’s resolution, it’s relatively quite simple and general. In fact, my New Year’s resolution for the previous year was to smile every day because I didn’t smile a lot in 2013. Did I achieve it? You bet! It helped because it made me look for an excuse to smile which meant I focused on positive and things that made me happy. This year my New Year’s resolution is to try my best, always. And with the goals I want to achieve this year, I’ll really need to try my best!

This is the very first time I’m creating a list of goals I want to achieve. I believe that written goals are important as they provide an incentive for me to actively try and achieve them. Also, these goals will lead me to be better than I was last year and one should always strive to be better! Here are my goals for 2015 in no particular order.

·         Get more clients for my design company, Allebasi Design and expand it. I’d love to create a few jobs as well.

·         Double my blog readership and get sponsors, also host a lot of giveaways! I’m by all means an amateur when it comes to blogging but I’m learning everyday! I also need to spend more time marketing and creating content which brings me to the next goal…

·         Create a schedule and stick to it! Oh schedules, I’m bad at those. I usually just create a mental To-Do list and try my best to do everything on the list but I need better time management, which means I’ll need to get those daily planners/calendars. Woe for my desk space, haha!

·         Become healthier and fitter. I would love to become fitter and stronger. I dislike working out because it’s banal (seriously, who invented squats, sit ups and pull ups, etc!?) unless it’s a fun work out like dancing, yoga or swimming. But hey, I’ve been running regularly recently and I don’t hate it. I think it’s because I’m back home and there is fresh air for miiiiles! I’ll however like to invest in some gym equipment since I live rather far from the nearest gym. I’d love to take up kickboxing. I’m sure I’ll have a lot of fun with that! In previous years (before I left for college) I’d skate or rollerblade everyday and that was always a fun work out for my legs and core! I’d also love to eat healthier food. My family and I hardly  never eat out and most of our vegetables come from our garden (thanks parents, for your love of gardening and ‘eating natural foods’!) I’m actually going to join them in gardening soon. I’ll be in charge of the herb garden and I’m quite excited for that, yay! More about eating healthily, I need to be more aware of my diet. Last year there were two weeks were I was on a Paleo diet but as the days went by I selectively forgot that I’m supposed to be on one! *sigh* I tend to not be picky about the food I eat (because it’s food!) but I need to because sometimes I eat a lot of sugar and my body doesn’t tolerate sugar well which is the reason why I cut out sugar out of my tea. I need to cut out sugar in other foods I eat but I can still eat chocolate. I refuse to give up on chocolate. They can pry it from my dead, cold hands.

·         Create an app! Something that is in my Big Black Book and something I’ve wanted to do for two years now and it is actually something that I believe people will LOVE! I just need a developer now because I suck at coding. I’m actually learning a more coding through Codecademy to add to my very basic coding knowledge I learnt in college. However, I’d love this app to be awesome and for it to be awesome I need a developer.

·         Write a book. *waggles eyebrows* This has been on the cards for several years now and I’ve actually been researching and developing a novel for a year and a half now. All I need to do now is to write it and finish it! I have written a handful of short stories before (I could even post one here if you guys would like that) and even have an unfinished story I wrote for my friends’ pleasure. I should finish it, but I’m my own worst critic so…

·         Create another business venture. This has been something I’ve planned since early last year. However, I do not want to be like those entrepreneurs who create and create but are not able to maintain their businesses because of time constraints and therefore run them to the ground. No worries though, I know exactly how I’m going to manage them. It’s all about research, planning and dedication. With that said, I need a team to work with me! Soon!

·         Improve my cooking. I love trying new recipes and this year I’d love to create more of those dishes with fancy names…and some dishes with hard to pronounc e names haha!

·         Become more social. No doubt this will be challenging as I’m a bit anti-social by nature and I have a business to run but I need to go out more often and meet new people. It might also be beneficial for me as it’ll allow me to network. I need to meet up with more of my friends as well and have girls nights out or pamper days.

·         Become a better driver. I got my driver’s license last year in March but I need more driving practice. I’m decent with automatic transmission but terrible with manual transmission. If I want a part in the Fast 8 I reckon I gotta brush up on my driving skills! I need to get over my anxiety of driving on public roads (it’s bad) and be a great driver like my dad is and older brother was. Can’t let my 12yr old nephew be a better driver than me. True story: he once drove me to my friend’s place and he can hardly see over the dashboard!
·         Travel. I really, really, really x100 want to travel. I feel as if my soul will never be complete until I have traveled to quite a lot of places. I have never been on a plane before and I'd like that to change this year. A friend and I have a list of places we'd love to visit and we're going to try and save enough money so we could go. First step: get a passport!

·         Create more art. By this I mean more personal art. Not something that other people have told me to create. It’s easy to fall into a rut of only doing things you’ve been told to do and none for your own creative expression and if this happens to me, it’ll be a bad thing to happen to me creatively. However, to prevent that I dedicate two months to embark on a personal project. For December and this month I’m working on a Quote Series. I had a few friends of mine give me original life quotes they live by and I’m illustrating A2 posters based on them. I’m having a lot of fun working on them and I can’t wait to release them. I’ll most likely sell them worldwide too! I want to do more ‘series’ projects and this year I want to start filmmaking which would be whole new creative journey for me but those scripts I have written need to come to life! I may create a YouTube account for the films as well! Yay!

Whoa, okay. Maybe I should make ‘write shorter posts’ as a goal for this year because I’m rather verbose with my blog posts. Forgive me, I’ll try to work on that!

Do you have any goals for this year that you want to achieve? Please let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you!

‘Til next time,

-Bella

5 Lessons 2014 Taught Me

Hello reader,

Ok. Ok. Let’s address the huge elephant in the room shall we? I know it’ 6 days into 2015 but I’ve published a post that should’ve been up last year.

Let me explain, I was on holiday with my family and the first week of this year so I had no time to properly sit and write a post. Also, I was away from my computer and internet, except on my wee old phone which will be 4 years old next month!  Such a trooper! Anyway, moving on! In this post I list 5 lessons I've learnt in 2014! Let’s be honest, it’s not really late, is it?

1.    Time does heal wounds. Or at least make you forget them. When I entered 2014I was badly wounded; emotionally and mentally. 2013 was a tough year but in 2014 I picked up the pieces and carried on. I accepted all that happened in 2013 and made my peace with it. Today those feelings of despair are just a memory. God’s grace is really sufficient!

2.    Life is not fair. I think we’re all aware of this. I bet if Life were a person and you asked it whether it could please be a little fair it’d say, “fair? What is that? Anyone, would you like some zesty lemons?” Haha, but really how many times did you ever think to yourself or yell out in frustration, “it’s not fair!”? I don’t think that life had, is or will ever be fair. Maybe it’s a good thing. We find our humanity in things we deem not fair, like injustices which subsequently pioneers revolutionary movements. Unfairness also gives us the motivation to push harder than ever and to focus on things in front of us.

3.    Friends come and go. In the beginning of 2014 I thought I’d be friends with some people forever. I’d even talk about weddings and such like there would be there but sadly it was not to be. Today we’re not really friends since we’ve all gone our different ways. I’m thankful and glad that they were my friends though. Sometimes people are your friends to teach you a life lesson and once that’s been learnt, they go. I’m looking forward to making more friends this year and I hope they’ll impart valuable positive lessons for me and me for them.

4.    Getting what you really want may mean making sacrifices and taking risks. Like deciding to go my own way and become a full time business owner. I knew what I wanted and I knew it wouldn’t be easy and will require a lot of dedication. I saved up the money I earned, foregoing buying luxuries like a new phone (okay, not really a luxury because I badly need one), eating out or purchasing things on a whim. It was a good decision though, I was able to invest in my company and buy a few necessities needed for it. This also taught me money management which has really come in handy! Being an entrepreneur also has quite a big risk on my personal life. Income is not guaranteed which means it’ll be difficult to obtain medical aid cover which I especially need for checkups with my audiologist. I’ll also need to consult with a handful of doctors this year for some health concerns (not serious!) as well. I tend to get upper respiratory infections about twice a year and we all know how medication is costly! I’m going to pray and cross fingers that my mum’s medical aid covers me for a little while longer. Besides this, there is also a probability that Allebasi Design will not work out and I could probably lose everything. I really do not have an exit strategy but I’m focusing on the probability that everything will and shall work out and it’ll be a profitable and successful company. Yay to positive thinking!

5.    You are the architect of your own life. This is really true! You have the power to get the life you really want. Granted, you may face some obstacles and life may throw unexpected things at you. But it is YOU who has to decide how you will overcome that obstacle. It is YOU who have to get up and figure out how to get back on track when the great storms of life sweep you off-track…or you could JUST lie there and let the torrents sweep you even further off-track. Also, God does answer prayers but most times He just gives you the opportunity to get what you asked for. Be sure to open your eyes, the opportunities to live the life you want are many! But remember number 4 above.

2014 was a good year for me, one filled with lots of lessons and memories! What lessons did the previous year teach you? Let me know in the comments, I’d really love to hear from you!

‘Til next time,

-Bella

The Importance of Family

Dear reader,

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 I really, really love my family. I feel that of all the blessings that God has given me, the most amazing one is my family. When I was living away from my family I’d miss them and count down the days until I’d get to see them. Granted, sometimes family can get on your nerves (dysfunctional family, anyone!?) and you may fight a lot and not speak to them for a while. Despite that, they are my family and I will always love them.

I’m glad to have an extended family that I can see whenever I want. When I get fed up with my immediate family, I can go and visit my cousins for a while. Like this past week. I do not have a lot of friends and so I count my cousins as my best friends. They have all been here for each other through our lowest and highest points. Sure, I get mad at them sometimes, and they get mad at me but we always forgive each other and carry on like nothing has happened. They make me feel good about myself and I sure hope I make them feel good about themselves as well. When I’m with my cousins, laughter is always the norm. In fact, I don’t think I have gone a day with my cousins without laughing. Not even during all those funerals last year; we always found something to joke and laugh about. We tease each other as well, mercilessly, but it is always in good humour. Like that time one of my cousins said to me, “your fingers are so long your husband is going to take a long time putting a ring on your finger.” and “your hairline starts on your face and not on your head.” (I have a widow’s peak). It’s all good though; my comebacks were top class and sometimes result in my cousins trying to beat me up while laughing.

We all had a tough year last year and when the festive season rolled around, we were apprehensive about where and how we would spend our Christmas because the people who we normally spent it with and who made if good were gone. When Christmas arrived, my siblings and I congregated with my cousins at their house and it was an excellent Christmas. We had a lot of fun and there were no adults around! Haha!

This past week I was feeling rather stressed and feeling constantly tired (setting up a business does take it toll on your health). My cousins asked me to come over and I agreed, knowing it will do me good and what good it did! It’s always an adventure being at my cousins’. Other than all the silly things we did, one of them graduated that weekend, the same day the pageant I participated in was televised! Myself and another cousin stayed behind so we could watch it and I was hiding behind her every time I came up haha. I thought I looked really terrible but my cousin got mad at me for thinking that and said I was actually okay. See what I mean when I say they make me feel good about myself? As soon as the broadcast was over we hurried over to the graduation and my cousin looked so beautiful! I did her make-up and also did my other cousin’s hair and make-up -about which she said I could open a beauty salon since I’m good with make-up, hair and nails- and this was a big deal since I don’t wear make-up and know close to nothing about it. Hello beauty bloggers, I’m coming for you, haha!

My favourite thing about family is that they are always there for you even when you mess up really badly. They have seen you at your worst and still love you. You can talk about the most disgusting things to them and they’ll still love you. To my family, immediate and extended, I appreciate you guys and love all of you. Thanks for loving every inch of me.

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The festive season is always a time for family for me and I’ll take any excuse to spend time with them because I know in the next year I’ll be very busy and they will too. We are all growing older and wiser. Besides, any excuse for laughter and embarrassing anecdotes, right?

I’m wishing you, lovely reader, a beautiful and merry Christmas whether you are going to spend it with family or not. If you are and however dysfunctional your family is, make sure to give them a hug and let them know you love them. Let’s also spare a thought for anyone out there without a family since this is the season they’ll really need a family. If you are able, open your heart and homes to them.

Let me know in the comments what your plans for the festive season entail and what your favourite thing about family is.

‘Til next time,

-Bella

Starting your own business

Hello reader,

Welcome back! You may have noticed that I redesigned the blog. Bought my first blog template and did a little customization here and there! I like trying something new.

This is not all I’ve been busy with lately though. I’ve been working very hard trying to set up my design company. Oh yeah! The secret it out! I’m excited to announce that the website will go live on the 20^th, launching with special prices for Christmas and New Year. So if you’re looking for graphic design work, you’d be able to save just in time for the New Year!

Yay! However, setting up and running your own business is pretty challenging. There were many late nights when I wanted to know how to do something or wishing that I knew a lot of coding so setting up a website will be easier. I had a lot of chances to quit and just apply for a job but I knew that I had to give it everything I’ve got because it was my dream and I wanted to see it come to life.

When you a dream to follow and you have about 50 reasons why you should put it on the backburner and do something else, focus on the one reason why you should just risk everything and go for it. Starting a business is incredibly risky. While working as an intern, I saved the majority of the money I earned in order to put all of it into my business as capital so going forward with this means I stand a chance of losing money I worked hard for and going months without income. But you know what? It’ll be worth it because I get to wake up every day doing what I love, excited to create something new and on my terms.

As starting a company can be extremely stressful, it is a good idea to ensure that you have a support structure. I have a small one in my family and friends and it’s great! However it was also challenging to convince my parents that I do not want to work for anyone and that I want to start my own business and be my own boss. That was met with, “What would you do? Are you going to sit at home doing nothing?” and “It’s hard to find a job in this economy. It is better to work for someone and build your portfolio before setting off by yourself.”  Despite all this, I was adamant that I should start my own business and I think over time they started to see this and they relented. Now they are part of my support group. I turn to my Dad about legal matters and advice on registering a company and my sister advices me on finance and things that involve numbers and percentages since those make my eyes glaze over.

I don’t even know why my family was surprised when I decided to do this. I mean, my Dad had started his own company and my older brother older also broke off from working for someone else and ran his own business successfully until he passed. And I’m pretty sure I would have valued his business advice. Full disclosure: My design company is not only the only business idea I have. My sister knows this too! I showed her my notebook, which is full of ideas I want to implement and it’d be such a waste of brain cells, ink and paper to not try and implement them, no? Yes.

To help me on my way to setting up a business, other than relying on my family for support, I read a lot! There are so many free business tools on the internet. I especially love the Reddit, often frequenting the Entrepreneur subbreddit. If Reddit was a person, I would marry him! It has everything and I learn a lot from it! I suggest anyone to use Reddit when they need help or advice on anything or just to have a few laughs and converse with people.

You know what is the absolute best thing about being a business owner who works from home? You get to work on your own terms, and you can work all day in your comfy pyjamas and when you get stressed or frustrated, you can take a break, switch off by watching TV or Sherlock (I NEED SEASON 4!) or nap and the bonus is…you can cuddle with your puppies! (Did I mention I have puppies? Well I have 3! Aslan, Teddy (named after Ed sheeran) and Rashie (sister’s suggestion; named after Rashida Jones) and they are just little cute bundles of fur!) I will conduct a puppy shoot and post the photos on my Tumblr.

Whoo! Whoo! I’m so excited about the website launch. December 20^th it’s *makes rocket launch noises* boom! I’ve shown a few family and a friend what the website looks like, and they love it! So set your reminders, I’ll only be taking on a limited amount of clients once the site launches so I’m able to fully commit to each design request. Ready? Set…

Do you have plans to start your own business? Have you started one? Let me know now in the comments! *Butterbean Cauliflower as Smaug's voice* Come now, don't be shy.

P.S Also, if you’re in South Africa and neighbouring countries, please set your reminders to watch Dtv on SABC 3 on Saturday, the 13^th. This Saturday! I’ll be on TV since they will finally show the beauty pageant and you can see my awkward interview for yourself! Also, you could join me while I live tweet it! :D

P.P.S How awesome are Licorice AllSorts!?

I've got internet!

Hello reader,

I’m back! It’s been a long absence and not an easy one. I moved back home about 13 days ago and the first week back I took charge of cleaning the house from top to bottom and I nearly threw my back out. Not to mention I was bitten by a spider. That was my entire fault though; I was in the storehouse in flip flops, rattling around looking for things. I would have been shocked if I didn't sustain a spider bite but thank goodness it wasn't a venomous one!

My lack of blogging isn’t the result of being busy. Sure, there’ve been a lot of changes in my life but the one thing preventing me from blogging was the lack of internet. As I’ve mentioned before, I use a 4 year old Blackberry which is like 86 years old in phone years and sadly it’s nearing its end and isn’t working as smoothly as it ever was. I have to put it in the freezer in order to use it. Perhaps if I move to the Arctic it’ll run like new. Anyway, I couldn’t really blog from my phone and I was going through various stages of blogging withdrawal. A week ago I finally got wifi internet which is truly an amazing thing because the last time we had internet in our household was before the days of Tumblr and Twitter. We had the old phone line internet and the bill was enormous so my mum decided that we didn’t really need internet. That would have been unheard of today.

During the past week I was at my aunt’s place, helping her out with her laptop. I’m a computer genius it seems, even if I struggled to connect her printer but even geniuses make mistakes. *shrug* Today I’m back home and I’m keen to go back into the grind of blogging, working on my art and writing. I’m currently remodeling and redecorating my room so I don’t yet have a desk. I’m typing this sitting on the floor of my room with the computer perched on a chair (my brother’s improvisation- as I’ve found when I returned from my aunt’s). It’s not so bad and I’m excited to see how my room turns out. I have a twin bed that I’ve transformed into a sofa and a nice, nifty book shelf. Both these things are my favourite since I like to read. I can lie down or sit up *asdfghjkl!  I’m still to paint my room. I wanted black, mum said I was crazy (understandable). I decided to compromise on grey (I’ve got too many grey things anyway), mum said white (no one should touch my walls then) so white it is. Currently the whole room- including the ceiling- is painted lavender, courtesy of my darling older brother, bless his heart. I am still to remove posters and pictures from teenage years off my bedroom door. Let’s just say Taylor Lautner rules my door. But at least I have a picture of Beyoncé, right?

Erhmahgherd guys I have internet!! Granted, I’ll probably blow the majority of my data browsing Tumblr (I dare not go on YouTube) but dang it! I’ve got internet!  It’s expensive but I’ve got internet! HOW RAD? This means that I’ll be able to do a lot of the things that I want to and more! Access to the internet should be a basic human right if you ask me.

If you’re cool too and have a Tumblr, you can follow me here:

Personal Tumblr: www.thebella-m.tumblr.com

Art Tumblr:  www.allebasiart.tumblr.com

*You know how when some people are excited about something they type ‘asdfghjkl’? I’ve always thought that they just punched random letters on their keyboard until I recently. They are just all of the letters from the second row on the keyboard. I felt like such a doof! *facepalm* You learn something new every day. Asdfghjkl!

What are looking forward to these festive holidays? Let me know! I’d love to read your comments and get into the festive spirit by eating copious amounts of custard!

‘Til next time,

-Bella