Intro Artistry

Hey guys so I wasn't planning on posting until Sunday but something really amazing happened to me today and I just wanted to share with you.

So I decided to take a break from studying by taking a walk to Checkers (which is roughly  40-45 minutes from my place) to get a few stuff that I needed. A 'few things' turned into three very heavy grocery filled packets. There I was walking back with heavy packets,sweating like I was running a marathon and feeling my hands begin to swell from the pressure the packets were exerting on them. I reached a robot and as I was waiting to cross I noticed a girl standing there waiting as if she's also waiting to cross to my side of the road. The robot turned green and as I got to the other side the girl looked  at me with a bright smile and said ,'Yazi (You know) I was waiting for you,where are you going? Are you far from home?'. I looked at her with a very puzzled face and told her that I'm not too far from home,she then went on to offer to help carry one of my packets. 'Wait what? People still do that? I mean you don't even know me and here you are voluntarily offering to help',I thought to myself. I mean c'mon you can't really blame me for thinking that,I hadn't experienced an act of kindness from a complete stranger in years. So there I was walking with this sweet girl having a chilled conversation about the usual things  (which school we each go to,what courses are we doing,are we originally from Durban etc etc). Whilst we're conversing she tells me a very interesting thing about herself that I don't think she goes around telling people,let alone strangers. She tells me that she was at Rhodes University studying Law for 2years but she just wasnt enjoying it so she decided to drop out and come back home where she's currently at a flight school pursuing her true passion and dream. She tells me all this with a bright cheery smile and I can tell that she's definitely happy about her decision and she doesn't regret any of it. Her parents weren't too supportive at first though,but they've accepted it and are really supportive now she goes on to tell me. She tells me that she can't take me too far as my route isn't where she was headed,before we depart I realise that I hadn't even gotten her name,so I say 'Thank you so much for all the help,may God bless you and by the way my name is Miranda'. She looks at me and starts laughing before replying 'OMW (Oh my word) sorry,my name is Siya and it's honestly a pleasure. You're going to be okay from here?'. I look around and realise that I'm just about 5 minutes away from my place,so I assure her that she's been a great help and that I'll be fine and we say our final goodbyes.

As I was walking the rest of the way home alone God helps me realise a few things and that meeting Siya wasn't just a coincidence but it was purpose filled. I realise that doing what you love is really important no matter what other people may think. It's really no use studying a degree for 3-4years without truly enjoying it and sticking it through because it would  make your family proud and well it will give you the big bucks but you'll spend the rest of your life hating waking up in the morning to go to work. I know that this is a rather sensitive subject because we all need money to survive and a good pay check at the end of the month to help meet our needs,but honestly your happiness is very important. I know of people who have resigned and quit their jobs because they weren't happy,and some were really earning the big bucks,so you see money is important but not as much as your happiness and wellbeing but that's a topic for another day.

What I really want to highlight is the act of Ubuntu Siya showed,it reminded me that all is not lost in our generation. That there are people who have compassion out there. It also left me feeling a bit challenged because I'm not always jumping up at the opportunity to help a stranger because well you just don't know who to trust in this world anymore. Even the most innocent looking people can be quite dodgy,and having been a victim of crime once (I've been mugged and stabbed before) I tend to be overly cautious when it comes to interactions with strangers. That being said I won't let my bad experience stand in the way of helping out someone who's in need,that I know I can help in one way or the other. (I am however part of a community outreach committee on campus but I feel that's slightly different,as the people we help are strangers but atleast to a certain extent can be trusted because they belong to an orphanage,an old age home,a disabled persons rehabilitation home etc.,what I'm talking about here is a spontaneous act of kindness to an absolute stranger)

How comfortable are you in helping strangers? Do you still believe in 'Ubuntu'? I'd like to hear from you so don't be afraid to comment below or we can have this conversation on my Facebook page. Whichever suits you :)

Look forward to hearing from you,but for now imma bounce!

Miranda_deigh x♡

I look around and all I see is progression. People around me are moving,doing,achieving,hustling,trying,failing and all the while I'm just well chilling and rooted on the same spot. I've been standing here for quite a while now just observing all this action happening around me. You ask yourself why aren't I part of the hustle and bustle I'm busy admiring? Well I've got one word for you, actually make that three, 'I’m a procrastinator'.

Okay before you jump the gun and start calling me lazy let me explain. I have ideas but I'm  not sure if  they'll work because I haven't exactly tried them, I know I can qualify for that job but I'm not sure if  I'm what they're looking for ,I do have some sort of game plan  it's just  never been put to action, let’s just say I'm waiting for the right time. You see I'm the type of person who likes to plan  but I just haven't done anything yet, that doesn't make me lazy right?. I just postpone things for later, for when I'm ready, for when I fully believe in my plan of action and I know when to execute it. Besides I'm quite comfortable where I am right now and I don't really see the need to start moving anytime soon. I've marked my territory and named it 'Comfort zone'.

Sure opportunities do come and present themselves but arg I'm just not sure I'm ready you know?. I just don't really think it's going to work out anyway. I fully believe in the saying 'Rather the devil you know than the one you don’t’. I know my life can progress and be better than what it is,heck I'm surrounded by progression but later(okay maybe next year) is the time I'll 'start' thinking about doing something. I did tell you earlier that 'I'm a procrastinator' but I'm sure you are too.

Does anything in the above scenario sound familiar?. I know to me it does. I'm the biggest procrastinator you could ever find. I'm just always waiting for the 'right' time, waiting for that moment when I'll be fully ready. I realised I was even postponing important things that mattered to me (making posts on my blog) because I just didn't think whatever content I had was 'blog worthy' enough. Then yesterday at church someone mentioned a vision they had that God had shown them and they were being lead to share with the congregation. So she shared that God had shown her a picture of a very old lady who was hunched over and she had a sense that God was telling her that someone was living their life crippled by fear, that they were afraid of living out in full freedom and because of the fear they were now like an old lady. I sat there thinking 'Geez God what a funny sense of humour you have' and brushed what had been said aside. The service proceeded and as we were singing the words:

                                               'To the ends of the earth we will go
                                             To the ends of the earth we will go
                                             Fill us with power, fill us with power

                                           For the truth of Your word we will stand
                                           For the truth of Your word we will stand
                                          Give us Your courage, give us Your courage'

from Tim Hughes' 'Give us your courage' as a closing song I felt God say to me 'You've been living like an old lady for some time now, come to me so I may give you courage and set you free from the chains of fear'. I was completely gobsmacked at that revelation because all along I thought I was being 'cautious' and that it was a normal thing to procrastinate but I hadn't realised that I was living out of fear. I was scared to fail(well still am) but I was even more scared to fail because I had been doing things on my own, relying on my strength and that's why I was so afraid of doing.

If you can relate to what I've just said I want to remind you that you're never alone, as long as you remember that God is with you in all things you shouldn't be scared to put things into action. In Psalms 37:5 (MSG) it says ' Open up before God, keep nothing back; He’ll do whatever needs to be done', so you see there really isn't anything to be worried about if u involve God in everything. The saying 'There's no better time than now' is quite good to practice especially in situations like these. 

In closing I just want to end this post with the powerful and encouraging words taken from Deuteronomy 31:6 MSG
“Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God , your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.”

Be movers and shakers.

Miranda_deigh x♡

Hey guys so I've been MIA for quite some time now but I'm back and here to stay 😊.
So I decided to make this post a Back to Basics Lookbook/Picstory. This is a simple jeans and tshirt with a lil personality look. My boyfriend jeans are my favourite pair of jeans in my wardrobe currently,I just love how versatile and relevant they are. You could either dress them up by throwing on a pair of heels and head out for a lunch date or dress them down by pairing them up with some trainers and run some errands. I'm also absolutely loving my block heels,they're trendy,comfy and they just make any plain outfit look great.

Hope you guys liked my outfit ensemble,let me know what u think in the comment box below!
Laters 😚.

Miranda_deigh x ♡

Boyfriend jeans- Mr Price | Top- Mr Price | Block heels - Mr Price | Clutch bag - Mr Price | Infinity rings - Lovisa

Photo cred: LZimelaphotography

Soo..#movesUpNDownUncomfortably.. yesterday Bonolo Rebotile Mokwena nominated me to do the 7 Day Grateful Challenge and just yesterday Lungelo nominated me to list Four things I was grateful about,well I mean this is a sign ain't it?. I feel that God wants me to learn how to be grateful with absolutely everything that happens in my life,I waste so much time complaining and feeling like nothing I have or do is ever good enough or simply enough.

So for #Day1 of this challenge I've decided to be grateful for my life,my body,mind and most importantly for being Miranda Fezeka Mpumelelo Dlamini. Yes I know this may sound egotistical and stuff but if you knew me well enough you'd know I'm definitely not about that life. Anyway I think it'll make sense if I take it back so you can understand why I'm being grateful for being Me.

'Miracle baby'
I'm a C-section baby,my mom had to receive general anaesthetic so I could be delivered and I happened to react to it. So when I was delivered I was 'flat' and scored an Apgar score of 2/10,meaning I had an extremely low pulse,barely breathing and unresponsive. I was born at 8 am and had to be put under life support and be resuscitated but I continued to remain unresponsive. In zulu it was a 'Kumbulwa kwembeswa' type of situation. My mom was in severe pain from the surgery and she then had to deal with the fact that her newborn baby could possibily not make it. At around 3-4 in the afternoon the entire hospital was brought to life from a scorching scream coming from a newborn who happened to be me,after hours of being under life support.The doctors and nurses who helped deliver me were constantly praying and I finally came around and scored a perfect 10/10. My mom was told that since I was born in such a severe condition I'd never grow up to be a 'normal' baby,and by normal I mean I'd be a slow learner,different from other kids and be a sickly child.

That now brings me to the core of this whole post...

'Achiever,definitely not sickly and perfectly 'normal'

#Achiever - I think I was blessed with intellectual genes from both my parents. I never had a learning problem throughout my schooling career and I always achieved well academically. (I know this is going to seem like I'm blowing my own horn but trust me this post is far from that,It's about me being grateful for what I have). Anyway my mom would tell me how she'd attend award ceremonies at school and I'd always come home with academic and poetry prizes (was never the sporty type),I mean every kid was clever in primary school right??.In my matric year I was in the Top 3 from the class of 2012 and also walked away with a few subject prizes,academic colours and a few other awards. Now remember earlier I mentioned that the doctors said I would be a slow learner but God has proved science wrong and is doing amazing things in my life.

#DefinetlyNotSickly- The last time I was admitted to hospital was at age 6 where I had a runny tummy and was dehydrated. Of course I get the occasional flu now and then but it's never anything serious or life threatening which the doctors predicted I would suffer from. I'm not much of a 'pill' person and you'd never find a medicine cabinet at home or at my place because we don't really need it. In my household if u get a headache you're simply told by mom to pray for your healing and believe that you will be healed,that's just how it is. And yes incase you're wondering I do use medlemon and corenza when I have flu,and no I'm not against using medicine and stuff this is just my testimony.

#PerfectlyNormal- by this I mean I was never the different or abnormal child growing up. Never the outcast and I'd like to think I turned out to be a pretty chilled kid.

Yea phew I know what an essay this turned out to be but I just wanted to share a piece of myself and where everything started. As mom would say I'm her miracle baby and I will always be grateful to God for turning things around when doctors had signed on the dotted line and predicted how my future would be.
I was never satisfied with myself or anything I had,I always felt like I could push myself to do even better and no this is not overachiever tendencies but insecure and low self esteem tendencies.I realise that God turned things around for me so I could share my testimony oneday. I remember at my matric ball ceremony I received the #FML award (Fvxk my life award,exuse the french) and I remember that as I walked up to receive it I had a smile on my face as if it was something to be proud of. The presenter of the award even said and I quote 'She thinks she's not pretty enough, her grades are never good enough and she has a negative mindsite and that's why the #FML award goes to...'. I was in such a dark place where I compared myself all the time,my self esteem was at its complete lowest and nothing was ever good enough. I was a living breathing definition of Negative. I know it sounds pretty pathetic right?? I mean I'm so freakin blessed,gosh can't believe it took me forever to realise what a precious jewel I am (allow please,lol)..

Anywhu I don't really like posting things that put me in a vulnerable position where my emotions are exposed but I feel that from this someone will get encouraged,someone will learn something or anything but as long as it makes a certain change in someone's life I don't mind.

Now I'm not saying that I now absolutely love myself and I'm completely positive about eveything but I realised I had a problem and started making changes as I said in my previous post I'm under #GodStruction,a work in progress and I thank God for opening my eyes.

♡ Miranda Fezeka Mpumelelo Dlamini

I've been recently acquainted with the hit series 'Scandal' (yea I'm a bit late I know). During my study breaks I sneak in an episode or two (or 3 or more,I'm hooked okay),anyway as I watch this series I realised/obeserved a few things about it that I wanted to share with you.

(I'll try not to be a spoiler if you haven't watched the series and plan on doing so ). So in the first season the  series opened up on a strong note,introducing all the main characters and getting the audience to be familiar with them. I fell inlove with Olivia Pope,not only for her wardrobe (which I'd love to raid) but because she's like the waves of a strong tide,pushing further and further up the shore. She's powerful,driven,ambitious and very good at what she does-And then I'm introduced to her relationship with Mr President(oops just kinda spoiled it now ). At first I partially understood,thought 'Shame,she worked so hard,helped this guy win election,some things happened,she caught feelings and now she can't go back'. What I didn't accept however was the strawberries and cream of love and affection Mr President kept on feeding her. I thought it was crazy that the President was cheating on the First Lady and that he tought it was okay and blah,blah,blah and as the affair progressed to the 3rd season I felt completely outraged to the point where I was skipping all the 'affair' scenes. I fully understood the angle the producers and script writers were going for,no I totally get it,what got me a bit worked up was that they potrayed reality in pure unfiltered HD (well not exactly to those severe extents where our President is being unfaithful to his 'First Ladies'-okay I don't want to go there).

The love triangle that is potrayed in Scandal is pretty much what is happening around us at the moment. Husband cheats on wife,wife founds out but decides to stay in an unhappy marriage for the kids' sake. She has options that she could take but decides to suck it up and live up to her words of 'for better or for worse' because she doesn't want 'The other woman' to win or she doesn't want her family and friends to be sympathetic towards her because she's now vulnerable and broken and couldn't keep her husband on a leash. I don't really want to dwell on Mellie (the wife),I want to address Olivia Pope (The Other Woman). In South Africa we've given titles of 'Side Chick/Dish,Umakwapheni' to The Other Woman because well they exist and to humor ourselves we acknowledge their presence. I felt irrated with Olivia because every time she told Fitz it was the end of whatever they shared she kept going back because 'she loved him,had feelings for him' she said,I'm not going to argue the truth in that statement because I was repeatedly shown these feelings and how deep they were. When they were in the same room Olivia Pope was replaced by a love struck,disorientated ,hot and bothered woman. Her whole demeanour and persona would change and well Mr President wouldn't be almighty and powerful as the whole of America knows him to be . The thing about feelings,emotions and love is that they cant exist without being constantly fed attention. Phone calls,spending time,communication,trust are the kinds of food that love feeds off of and without those things it abruptly dies of malnutrition.

Men are adrenaline junkies,they want the forbidden fruit but because they're  told not to have it they don't pursue it until a woman comes and offers it to them(Garden of Eden vibes). Yes I said it,'The Other Woman' wouldn't exist if they weren't consenting females who wanted to create such individuals,they created a supply which resulted in a much greater demand (if only life were something out of an economics textbook). Once the men have a taste they really don't want the grapes they have growing in their garden anymore,they want another bite of the forbidden fruit so they can feed their high. They now know that the forbidden fruit is attainable so they keep going back at it,and like a gift-it keeps on giving. Woman are very dangerous and powerful beings whether they realise it or not,but they depreciate their value time and time again. They become comfortable and settle for what's not theirs-well what's legally not theirs,because that 'something' gets the bills paid,the nails done,the brazillian hair and expensive clothes-talk about being broke with expensive taste.

Since the men are now addicted to the fruit,the other woman is now addicted to the tangible assets and like addicts they keep on feeding their addictions. Now I've reached the point of the post where I don't want to analyse the man or The Other Woman any further. There's still quite a few things I could say regarding this matter but I'll just end it here because well like Mellie you've limited your options,you believe he makes you happy because he buys you the desires of your heart,but honestly honey all that glitters ain't gold. At the end of each day he goes back to his garden and tends to his grapes,he waters them like a husband should. After you're done giving him his fix for the day he can cope until he'll need you to fix him up again and the cycle continues. You're okay with being a secret,an addiction because well you've got your own grapes,a man you call 'yours',someone you claim to love and care for,he gives you your fix of love and affection and well that's just how your life goes,you're quite content with how things are. What an exciting life you have there dear,it's quite a SCANDALous affair if you ask me,I just wonder how long it will take your drug dealer/provider/sugar daddy/the bae (or whatever you wanna call him) to go searching for his forbidden fruit elsewhere. When that happens,what then?

Miranda_deigh x♡

I'm part of a committee called VC Cares and we do outreach programmes,fundraise for non-profit organisations and throw a mean Easter Party 😀. Yesterday we hosted a group of fun,lively( well the majority) unprivileged children for a Easter Party . The kids were from different places and we decided to give them a change of scenery and bring them to campus.

A disney character themed Easter party seemed fitting for our guests of honour and committee members came dressed as various characters ranging from little red riding hood,fairies,fairy godmother and myself as Mimi Mouse😻 (Yes Mimi Mouse). We hijacked the campus lawn and set up different activities for them. There was face painting,easter egg painting,cookie decorations and soccer for the less creative individuals. Our party attracted a lot of spectators as students gathered around our closed of VIP section  (that being the lawn) and they watched us have loads of fun with the kids. Our guests were cooldrink'd and dined in loads of chocolate,chips,sweets,cookies and well you get the picture . As the party progressed and everyone got familiar with each other,adoption proposals were made with baby Emihle having the most (I even made a proposal,she's so adorable ). The referrals changed from 'the kids' to 'our kids' (yea we got pretty attacted). A special appearance was made by Easter Bunny and although some of our kids were scared of him,the adults (being us) seemed really happy to see him.

The Grand Finale was a Easter egg hunt where our kids and their partners(us) had to go around campus loooking for easter eggs. The staff got involved and were part of the day's festivities by waiting in their designated areas with baskets full of chocolate easter eggs to hand out to our guests. Some staff members made it a bit fun and interactive by teaching us the chicken dance and the words to 'Itsy Bitsy Spider'.

Although we had a fun filled day,it kind of ended on a somber mood when we had to say goodbye. Our little ones were loaded into their transport and we stood by and bid them farewell. I can confidently say that each of the committee members slept with a smile on their faces with the knowledge that we touched the lives of 'our kids',the future leaders.

Miranda_deigh x♡