When we break free..

Now and again we need to break free from things that hold us back...things that hold us back from being better people, from being more productive and being us. Recently we lost a hero, an icon former South African president Mr Nelson Mandela,  I compare him to the men in the bible like Moses, Joshua, Noah, David he dared to go where others only pointed out. For that we will forever remember him and celebrate him...this is because he broke free, free from the hatred he lived under, free from the pain of being held prisoner for so many years wanting to be free..He broke free from all of that. Now he just broke free from this life because he has run his good race of freedom and faith. From this we can learn that breaking free may hurt those that we leave behind, but in time we are admired for plucking up that courage and breaking free. What are you breaking free from today???

For the Love of Food

We all love good food.  Even better we pride ourselves in preparing good food.  The social media plays such a big role in our lives we even post pics of what we are constantly eating, we tweet pic what we had/having for lunch. All of this is done for the love of good food. Would you purchase a recipe book written and published by a South African? How much would you be willing to pay for one that has healthy and yummy meals as well as desserts and maybe a few cocktail recipes there?

 Please comment and share thank you

Gourmet at your home

Whoever said that Gourmet cuisine is only at exclusive restaurants was kidding you. At the comfort of your home you can make killer meals like you are BOSS! Hit me up for a quotation so you may start making meals like this Grilled prawns and crumbed calamari serves with a side Greek salad. 

On twitter I am  @CharmzaMokoena or 

e-mail on charmainemokoena@yahoo.com 

 Happy Cooking !

Nonhle Beryl one shining star!!!

Meet Miss Nonhle Beryl...one talented young lady who is making her mark in music, she recently entered the Voice in Germany and made it through to the blind auditions...Let me not spoil it follow the link below and see for yourself.....

http://www.youtube.com/v/HhiV9A3-O7M?version=3&autohide=1&autohide=1&feature=share&autoplay=1&attribution_tag=0iICbmavHtecWY6jA-97Bg&showinfo=1

Well done madam, keep it up and keep shining. Much South African love.

Follow her on twitter @MissNonhle

Just a thought...

...Coz its not worth stressing about it if you cannot do none about it...

57 Days to the end of 2013

Before we know it 2013 will be bidding us farewell. Looking back what are your proudest moments? What are the things you have done to better your life? Did you bring joy to the people around you? Did you achieve all you hoped to achieve? The goals you set? Did you even get to starting them off?

If not there is still time to make it happen, there are few things I honestly would have done differently, but what's done is done so all I can do is make the best of the remainder of this year...

Summer loving

After a long week of rain grey skies and chilly weather the sun is shining again. Now it feels like summer. Some of the things I love about summer is the food, shesh food fruits, veggies, greens and cooling beverages. I would like to share my current favourite salad. Its called "Chef's Salad"...

You will Need:

Salad Greens (mixed lettuce leaves), Mixed Peppers (green, red and yellow), Onions, Cucumber, Tomatoes, feta cheese, 1/2 chicken breast (cut into strips seasoned with: Thyme, Paprika, black pepper, Chicken spice), Olive Oil, Ham Parsely for garnish.

Take the rinsed salad greens to form a base, add all other vegatables, feta cheese and ham. On a frying pan with the olive oil fry the chicken until it is brown, Chicken must be tender and thourouly cooked, let it cool down, add it to salad, garnish with parsely and serve with you choice of salad dressing.

Meet Theodorah

This is Theodorah Refiloe Mokoena, better know as "Theo". Shes my little sister a spark in my life that can sometimes be a pain in places I can not mention. The things she loves in life is food (not necessarily good food, lol), pictures, shoes, clothes, a good time and people. She lives to take photos, of herself of cause.

Another Pose on the street...

Easy Friday in the office.

In the streets of Nelspruit that she so thinks she owns, with an edgy hair style that she just looks oh so fab...lol I love ma lil sis to bits

Embracing my growth

October is my absolute favourite month of the year because it is my birth month.  Every year after my birthday I celebrate the beginning of a new year in my life. Before that I do some soul searching, look at what I have achieved and areas where I really did not do so well. This year I learned something that I thought I always knew, the fact that in life we go through hardships and difficulties to be made better people. I recently found the deeper wisdom in that, this wisdom came with the revelation from the Word of God in Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart ...” Even before I was conceived God already had set me apart having chosen which way I would go, all the things I would go through, even though sometimes I would go out of the route or way, He Knew where I would end up. He knew my ultimate destination and knew what kind of pruning and grooming I would need to go through, for me this is assurance that hardships are not meant to break me but meant to bend me, heartbreak(s) is there so I can be able to love genuinely and not hurt those that deserve love. I have no regrets, I have no “if only’s”, I have only lessons learnt that makes me who I am today. As I grow older I accept that I am work in progress and am perfect in my imperfections, I would not change the path I have travelled for nothing. I embrace growth coz it comes with so much more and best of all is the fact that this is how my Creator planned it to be.

For my tsala Gugu

When life gets so busy that you even forget to say “Happy Birthday” to a dear friend, maybe it’s time to slow down take a deep breathe and reprioritise.  My dear and lovely friend Nomagugu Cele celebrated her birthday on the 28^th of September and it totally slipped my mind only to remember a week later. I hope you had a fabulous birthday my Tsala and that not only have you grown in statue but also in wisdom. The word of God says that the begging of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Fear the Lord but know Him and remember that He is the Giver of life. I pray for abundance, joy, wisdom and love in your life

What is the fuss about?

I do not understand people that fear change or just do not like it. Change is one thing that is inevitable and has to be embraced with the greatest acceptance. Even if we do not do so change still takes place...we are born and are dependent on our parents for everything, we grown and learn to do things on our own, we grow much older and choose to do things the way we best know how, as we still grown we search for advice, council and answers in order to be able to deal with more of the changes we will still encounter. All this seems so natural until you go in depth looking at the fact that if we were not accepting of change we would remain clueless, dependent beings. So why fear the change you know of if you do not fear the unknown change that just happens?

Am I not my hair???

I love India.Arie’s song “I am not my hair” it speaks about how we cannot or should not be judging others because of how they carry the hair on our heads....As black ladies we get to choose how we want our hair, you can have it long this week then short next week and longer the folowing week. We braid, bond, cut, relax and colour our hair. Though recently I started questioning this, should we really not worry about what is perceived as beautiful hair? Or should we? As a mom to a young baby girl I want to raise her to love and accept herself as she is, this is including her nappy headed hair! Just last week I received a very disturbing e-mail with even disturbing pictures of what the weave is doing to our black sisters’ hairline. I myself am a recovering victim of a receding hair line because of mainly having the weave on for most of the time. What happens is that your hair is braided and tightly pulled back then the weave or hairpiece is sewed onto your hair so that it can sit tightly and look almost natural. Otherwise glue is used to stick it on for the longer beautifully, sometimes curly luscious hair. This comes at a price, a costly price which is your hairline. This is almost if not totally a chronic disease that cannot be cured or reversed.

Now do we want our little black girls to think that beautiful hair is bonded or weaved in Indian Remy or Brazilian hair? Are we saying our locked curly natural hair is not good or beautiful enough? Beginning of this year I walked into a hair salon and asked the hairdresser to cut my chemically relaxed bob cut hair to a brush cut. His question was “who made u upset?”  My response was no one I need to see my natural hair. I did not remember the last time I had my hair grow naturally without any chemicals so that is what I wanted. Walking out of that salon was so liberating felt like I was just born. Now I’m not say all this cause I am team “Au Naturelle” these days... most people that know me will tell you I’m the weave queen. Just that I feel we need to give our hair a break now and again, let it grow and show us what God had in His mind when He created us. Most of all give our baby girls the choice to wisely choose to go natural if they want to...

MP Spring Picninc countdown

The 10 days' count down to the third annual #MPSpring Picnic has begun. Tumelo Mokoka the event organiser (CEO of Lets Rock U Entertainment) promises the following 10 things to look forward to: 1. Sizzling Spring 2.Epic-ness 3.Fun 4. Colourful people 5.Tourism 6.New Talents 7.Zola's new album Launch 8. Improved MPSpringPicnic 9.Social Responsibility 10.Memories (Lights, Camera and Action). Now is that not enough to make you get yourself to Nkomazi eTonga KaMabuza on the 07th September 2013? entry is R50.00 to no VIP and only R150.00 to VIP. Empty Coolers allowed, dress up brightly and bring along you chanas, bros, Gurlz, and a Spring Loving Fever. See you there.

Perfect Stranger

How often do you encounter a beautiful soul? In this busy life not often enough neh? Well beginning of this week I met someone I believe has of the most beautiful souls. I know this from the words he spoke, he spoke like a being that lives on earth part time and is fully on another universe the rest of the time. When he is in that universe he sees all that happens on earth which is why he has an open minded intellectual mentality. This is someone I could speak to all day and all night and never run out of things to say and still not get bored. Nothing is more horrible than conversing with a shallow minded person.  So this perfect stranger is a Pisces who is obsessed with Scorpios as he believes Pisces is the only star sign that can overcome and stand the crazy wild Scorpios. He speaks his mind right, yes he does, in 5 minutes he can go from deep conversations to crazy though provoking  conversations that only he can simplify then come back to the surface. 

He is a lover of the creative arts, he loves and lives music. I think that people who do music are like people that speak a different language that we all can hear and interpret. He knows that we should choose to do what we love, are talented and gifted in that way we define our life’s mission. He believes the steps of a righteous man are guided by the Almighty God, as the bible says. Besides all that he wants a woman with whom he will build his wealth with while they have seven, yes seven (7) kids. Hehehehe! He wants to grow old with her, travel the world with her and live together with her ‘til Christ returns. Now I’m sure most of my girls will want to be part of this picture right?

This perfect stranger goes by the name of Don aka....that’s how he was introduced to me, beautiful soul he is.

Spring ready Skin

Spring my absolute favorite season is just around the corner, time to shine, show some skin go out in the sun and have some fun. All things are bright and beautiful in Spring unfortunately the cold dry season of winter not only makes us feel grey and down but also takes the glow away from our skin and leaves it dry and dull. I spoke to Miss Euphony “The Skin Therapist” to give me some advice on what to do to get our skin Spring ready.  Take note, learn and enjoy the pampering.

How to Treat Your Winter Skin

The winter season is almost over, it will be gone in a few weeks and I am so excited – I cannot stand winter so spring needs to come already! You may be looking forward to spring, the question is, are you ready to show off some glowing skin? We tend to neglect our skin during winter because we cover up. This article is going to help you to prepare your skin just in time for spring. Please note that the tips are to be tried for your body and not your face.

1.      Get yourself a loafers/ body brushing set

You can purchase the set at your local pharmacy, specialty store, beauty or supermarket. This will not only remove the flaky dead skin cells, it will also improve blood circulation, which will improve the appearance of cellulite. I would encourage you to minimize your fat intake.

2.      A great body scrub

A great body polish or scrub is a luxurious way of pampering yourself and getting your skin smooth and soft. The Crème de Corps Soy Milk and Honey Body Polish by Kiehl’s is a great investment! It leaves a gorgeous lasting smell on your body and the granules are micro so the exfoliation will be comfortable. The cost of this product is R355.00 purchase it at any Kiehl’s counter (Eastgate Mall, Sandton and The Pavilion in Durban), to order contact the Edgars hotline to have it couriered to you.

3.      An amazing body butter

You can’t go wrong with an amazing body butter! This Crème de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter is a woman’s best friend. A little goes a long way; it moisturizes your skin deeply leaving it smooth with a healthy glow. This should be used after the body polish for best results. It goes for R585.00

4.      Soak yourself in oils and nourishing bath salts…

Bath salts and essential oils like Lavender, Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang and Rose Water are great humectants (moisture holding) oils. These will improve your skins moisture holding capacity; add five-seven drops of the salts or essential oils, along with a tablespoon of Olive/Avocado oil. The oils and bath salts can be purchased at your local pharmacy, specialty stores and some beauty counters.

These tips will only work if you perform thrice a week, along with a balanced diet and adequate water intake.



I am #POUT

On the 9^th of August Zaza Motha announced the ambassadors of POUT movement, I am proud to say I am one of them representing Mpumalanga province. Now you probably are thinking what that is all about? Well here a little info about it...

POUT is a self-empowerment movement for young women. It is a platform for inspiring stories, opportunities and information that will equip the youth in going after their dreams and being the best they can be. POUT stands for Powerful, Outstanding, Unique and Talented. We believe that every young woman should have the confidence to say that they are Powerful beyond measure, Outstanding for every effort they make, Unique for there is no one like them and Talented because they are blessed with the ability to contribute to society!

THE ROLE OF POUT AMBASSADOR

POUT has chosen young women who are passionate about the brand and are following their dreams or passions. All from different backgrounds with different interests and talents, these young women illuminate what is possible and achievable.

POUT ambassadors embody the slogan of being Powerful, Outstanding, Unique and Talented, whether it’s a girl next door or celebrity; they believe that their contribution to their world has a positive impact to our world.

POUT BENEFITS YOUNG WOMEN WHO NEED:

1. To build or grow their confidence.

2. To feel good.

3. Career growth opportunities.

4. To prepare themselves for mentorship relationships.

5. To fulfil their vision or ambitions.

6. To contribute to society.

I am looking forward to greater achievements and meeting all the awesome POUT sisters and making a bigger difference where I can.

To be kept updated on what is happening please follow @POUTmovement  @CharmzaMokoena on twitter or log on to www.poutmovement.co.za  

Strength of a Woman

You see her smile and all that is behind that smile could possibly be, heart break, hurt, pain, struggle, depression and confusion.  But just because she is a woman she is able to hide that so the world does not see her at her worst. Women have the strength to stand and carry so much weight on their shoulders without shaking or even falling. They go on to raise their children to be women and men of honour and dignity. When their children grow up to be the opposite, women still stand behind them to support, comfort and be the strength that their children need them to be.  You will see a young woman, whom the tragic event of losing a husband unexpectedly happens to, with her shoulders back, head held up high carry on with that pain just to make sure that her kids do not feel the gap life has brought into her family. You will see her be both a mother and father to her kids.  You will see a woman who has suffered at the hands of an abusive lover wake up, making herself up and walking away choosing to leave behind the relationship she knows she does not deserve. You will see a young lady who has been raped by a man whom she knows very well speak out and report him and not protect him or his dignity because she knows that there are young girls who look up to her. You will see a young lady who will stand up for herself and other women again sexism and discrimination in the workplace in the so called “man’s corporate world”. This is the strength of a woman, she is made to be this strong because she is a nurturer in life and as much as a nurturer needs to be soft and gentle a nurturer needs to be strong too. I am honoured to have women of glory, valour, beauty, wisdom, charisma and strength in my life.  You woman are not just a pretty flower placed on this earth, you are greatness at its best, one of the greatest creations of God.

The third Annual Spring Picnic

Have you heard? This year we welcome spring in style and a splash of colour plus HUGE entertainment!!

The annual Mpumalanga Spring Picnic is back with a bang.  Brought to you by Lets Rock you entertainment, Guluva Entertainment powered by Hansa Pilsner and Lunako Production. This year promises to be bigger, brighter and totally epic. The event comes with great entertainment and a crazy line up, performances by: ZOLA, Bruno, Ghetto Son, Pardon, PK, Mr. Chillax, Legento, Swatie, Trio Soul and KB. DJ’s: Sdunkero, Mbali, Kendie, Chief, Shabbisto and many more. Buhle aka “The Drama Queen” from Ligwalagwala Fm and Black Stone will be the MC’s for the day. Dress up in your shorts, vests, mini’s, dresses and bright coloured clothes and make your way to Nkomazi (eTonga) at KaMabuza Bar Lounge on the 7^th September 2013. Entry for non VIP is R50.00 and R150 for VIP. Empty coolers are allowed in. It’s going down.....

For more updates follow @Melokoka @Lets_Rock_u on twitter!

The thing about forgiveness

The thing about forgiveness is that it is a useful key to freedom. when we forgive other people we set ourselves free from hate, bitterness and constant worry about an issue we mostly cannot control. We forgive other people to heal ourselves, we do it so that we can be well, move on and leave the past where it belongs.  Sometimes it is very difficult to come to forgive people who have done us wrong or hurt us very badly, especially when they do not come forth to acknowledge the fact that they wronged us. So, how do you do that? I found the answer in on of Mahatma Ghandi's qoutes: " The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong". Now who wants to be a weakling and be stuck in unforgiveness? Definitely not me!

So what happens when the roles are reversed and we are the ones to ask for forgiveness? This is quite a big and sometimes scary step towards your own well being. Everyone with a conscious knows that it is not easy to stay well knowing that there is someone hurting or in pain because our our doing. Just be humbled be the bigger person and ask for forgiveness, even when you do not receive it, you were truly bigger by knowing you were wrong and taking responsibility for that. See the rest remains with the person your part will be done and yet again you will be set free from what ever is haunting you.

The thing about forgiveness is that we cannot live without it...

This is Cloudnine...

Introducing to you an awesome South African clothing brand - Cloudnine Urbanwear. This brand is co owned by two young guys Tumelo aka Tukza and Mbuso aka TheeAlphaman, they started little using mainly facebook social media to get their brand out there doing deliveries around soweto for free and posting anywhere in South Africa. It all seems just like yesterday today you can place youroder online, pay and get it delivered to you injust a few days or just walk into their store and purchase what you like. I love thi brand because all their Clothing is produced right here in Mzansi...here is some information about Cloudnine.

How did the inception of Cloudnine Urbanwear come along?

We started off with the manufacture t-shirts of which we it cemented our arrival and helped us to secure a certain market share in this competitive clothing industry and then soon after that people were demanding more stuff so we added more lines slowly but surely but now we proud to say that Cloudnine urbanwear is one of the biggest brands in Soweto and slowly becoming a force to be reckoned in Joburg. 

The inspiration for the name Cloudnine Urbanwear

We wanted a bold, provocative and positive name and Cloudnine fitted that description perfectly as most of people perceive the word as a negative one.

Who is this brand meant for?

The brand is for urban youth who are stylish and funky have a dream of making it in life.

What drives/inspires you to grow the brand?

Innovation is our driving force. We get inspired by young people who try come up with fresh and smart ways of making a success. Not to forget the loyal customers and friends who have believed in us until this very day.

Hardest challenges you have come across in the clothing industry?

There is a couple of challenges but I will try to skip the obvious one (finance).

-Building a brand is one of the biggest challenges because one wrong step you are out and we still learning each and every day.

-Giving the brand a strong leg to stand on in our neighboring provinces. It is still work in progress.

What are your greatest milestones since the inception of your brand?

Eeeeeeeeeeeh *****Scratches the head*****  I don’t think we have had our greatest milestone as yet guess it’s still coming but don't get us wrong we are grateful of what we have achieved so far but we want more.

Where do you think is South Africa heading looking at young entrepreneurs from the townships?South Africa has had a relatively good reception to entrepreneurs. If your work is quality people will follow your work regardless. So keep at it and when you knock, doors will open eventually.

Who are the "Dreamerz and Believerz"?

A Dreamerz and Believerz is someone who has aspiration, ambition and inspiration to better their life no matter what their background is.   

Cloudnine Urbanwear Studios in Joburg CBD

42 Harrison St
Meischke’s Building
Suite 29, 2nd Floor
Cnr Harrison & Market st
Johannesburg CBD

Online sales via: 

http://www.floralraffia.com/category-menswear.php

Our office line:  011 039 5908

Social media contacts:

FACEBOOK :

Cloudnine Urbanwear 

Twitter: 

@cloud9urbanwear



Meet Tumelo Mokoka

I continue to introduce to you young entrepreneurs making it big in their respective industries, this week I would like you to meet Tumelo"Tumza" Mokoka. A dear friend of mine who is a go-getter, intelligent and totally suave young man from Soweto. This vibrant, hard working, dedicated and very compassionate brother is the eldest of three guys. Indulge in the interview as you get to know him better.

 1. What is your driving passion in life?
My passion has been to build an enduring company & not forgetting my vision,
values and mission in life being my kids, family and wanting to leave an
ever lasting legacy when I jump to the next life time.

 2.        What was the biggest "leap of Faith" you have ever taken?
When I left my 9-5, because I felt like I had reached the end of the road andI was ready to take that risk even though at times yes I was very worried oflosing my valuable assets like: my houses, car, and all it had to be a calculated leap or risk BUT my strength was my living God.

3.        How did the inception of Let's Rock U Entertainment cc come about?

 I really don't have a fascinating story but it was way back in 2004 (I was
only 24yrs then) when I looked at everything around my life, politics and my
living condition as I'm not from a wealthy family & I had to make a wise decision that my kids were not going to experience all I have experienced....going to school with an empty stomach with lunch being 4 slices of brown bread alone while my friends were having cheese and French polony with juice, etc.

4.        The services and products that Let's Rock U Entertainment cc carries.
Our services are Project/Events Management,  Stage, Lights and Audiovisual hire. We also do Road shows and Artist/Dj's Management including freelancing. One of our future plans is embarking into TV Production.

5.        Most challenging event or project you have ever coordinated?
Iyooooo it has to be the 25th May 2013 at eMalahleni we hosted The Soil and Malik first time ever in that territory; one of the biggest events ever in the history of eMalahleni/Mpumalanga. The challenges were that eMalahleni doesn't have a big enough
venue to host the capacity we expected/that came for the night so control and
proper management was supposed to be paramount to avoid any risk what so
ever....thanks to the team I was working with for showing their great
expertise that night. Then the most talked about event was when Mr.Tokyo Sexwale
(Former Minister of Human Settlement) was addressing the residents of
Lenasia South about the housing issues or Government land sales but at the
end we triumphed in providing the best service ever.

 6.        Challenges that young entrepreneurs in the same field as you face
are....?
This industry is white dominated and competing with organizations like
GearHouse S.A, Oasys etc is never easy so you have to be on top of your
game, make sure that you leave an everlasting reminder or picture to your
clients and never ever relax- keep knocking those doors until you are heard
and noticed.

7.        Projects coming up still in 2013.
We are currently working on our 3rd Annual Mpumalanga Spring Picnic coming
in September-Mp get ready, a Kwaito Tour and a TV Production that will take the
country by storm.

8.        The best business advice ever received?
I'm currently reading a book by Steve Jobs and it has the best ever motivational business inserts and my favourite advice from him is that ”Businesses should be striving toward finding the perfect balance between the quality of their offering and the importance of their profit"- Because let's face it the one can't do without the other.

9.        Watch this space as LRUE brings.....
I'm normally not a brag but I will say my work speaks for itself so watch the space as we bring you, #MPSpringPicnic2013, a TV Production, a  Kwaito Tour and more...not yet uhuru.

I would like to dedicate this interview to our dear Friend Bheki Senong :

 "In God we trust, RIP Boy"

 Office:011 477-5853

Mobile:083 543 2622

tumelom@letsrocku.co.za

Facebook page: Let's Rock U EntertainmentTwitter: @melokoka @Lets_rock_u

Thank you and may the good Lord bless you Mo-Afrika.