10 May 2011 - My MyCiti Bus Adventure




My MyCiti Bus Adventure


I moved to Cape Town in October last year, and heard all about a new bus system that was about to be launched in Cape Town. Finally yesterday after six months of waiting, I heard the news that the new MyCiti bus system was running, from Tableview to Town.

I jumped at the opportunity to try the bus on the 1st day, I called 2 friends and we drove to Bayside mall at Blouberg where the bus was departing from.

We were pleasantly surprised to find the bus waiting already waiting, it departed on time and within 25 minutes we were in town.

The staff at the terminals and on the bus were incredibly friend.

I would recommend the MyCiti Bus service to everyone.


Well done!!

For more information on MyCiti, check out www.capetown.gov.za

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4 May 2011

Creative Mothers Day Flowers

South Africa is one of 80 countries who will be celebrating mothers day on Sunday 9 May. So this morning the team from Fabulous Flowers(in Cavendish) showed us how to be creative this mothers day.

Here are some creative mothers day ideas:

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28 February 2011 -   Weekly Transformation



 Our Weekly Transformation

It’s not every day that one gets asked to present the Expresso Make-over slot with a man who is well known in the world of fashion and beauty, and last week I had the honour of working with the man himself Hannon Bothma. Yes, it’s the same man who is well-known for his work as stylist and consultant on various TV shows and in all the major fashion magazines in South-Africa.

I had never met Hannon before and I was blown away by his wealth of knowledge when it came to hair; make-up and fashion. Another thing that blew me away by him is that whilst in high school he played craven week rugby and took ballet lessons on the side, okay, that has nothing to do with make-over’s but it’s a pretty cool fact about a very interesting man.

Back to the make-over of last week.
We got to transform Martha vd Westhuizen (no relation to me, incase you may think a family member was selected for the make-over, no that wasn’t the case, Martha’s mom had in-fact entered her for the makeover)

Martha joined us early last Wednesday morning, and when I say early, we were on set at 3:30am to start the transformation before the 5:30 start of Expresso. Yes, it’s an early morning but we are so busy on set before the show. Martha couldn’t stop smiling during the whole process and it was lovely chatting to her and Hannon during our power-failure in the middle of the show.

I must admit that I love the big reveal after the entire process has been aired on Expresso, and Martha looked sensational. She had on a beautiful dress from Mari&Me and a pair of Errol Arendz shoes (which are the shoes that every lady should invest in, beautiful and comfortable, not two words that you’d often hear when women talk about heels).

Now if you missed last week’s make-over, I have included Martha’s before and after photos.
If you would like to be a part of our weekly transformation, just send an email to makeover@expressoshow.com

Catch our weekly make-over’s on Wednesdays on SABC 3 at 5:30am on Expresso

Much Love
Liezel

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9 February 2011 -  Valentines Day Makeover



Valentine's Day Makeover

This morning on Expresso, we did a make-over with a difference. A couples make-over:
Andro and Marelete du Beer.


The fantastic make-over team comprised of:
Andre Lammers -Stylist
Marius Steenkamp - Make up artist at Bobbi Brown (at Tygervalley)
Andia Boshoff - Hairstylist at Palladium Hair (at Cape Quarter)

The lovely couple received a fantastic gift from Jacob Wiese from Lourensford Wine estate, including a dinner at their River Cafe including a selection of wines and Champagne from Lourensford

I have included the before and after photos from the make-over this morning.



If you would like to be a part of our weekly make-overs, just send your name; age and location to makeover@expressoshow.com

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17 January 2011 - Yoga with Liezel





This morning I got a chance to experience Yoga first hand with Yogini Kate Ball. Someone who practices yoga or follows the yoga philosophy to a high level of attainment is called a yogi or yogini.


Here are some of the benefits of Yoga that Kate shared with me:

Physiological Benefits of Yoga

│Stable autonomic nervous system equilibrium
│Blood Pressure decreases
│Breath-holding time increases
│Joint range of motion increase
│Grip strength increases
│Eye-hand coordination improves


Psychological Benefits of Yoga

│Somatic and kinesthetic awareness increase
│Mood improves and subjective well-being increases
│Self-acceptance and self-actualization increase
│Social adjustment increases
│Anxiety and Depression decrease


Biochemical Benefits of Yoga

│Glucose decreases
│Sodium decreases
│Total cholesterol decreases
│Triglycerides decrease
│Cholinesterase increases


Kate Ball is a yoga teacher and the studio manager at Yoga Zone, Cape Town.

To contact Kate, email studio@yogazone.co.za or for more information on Yoga Zone, the teachers, schedules and fees please visit www.yogazone.co.za

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7 January 2011 - THE QUEEN'S PLATE




The Queen's Plate


Tomorrow is the big day in Cape Town, its been a week of running around like crazy trying to find that perfect Blue and White dress for the annual Queens Plate. On Expresso yesterday I got to chat to Cape Towns Top Fashionista Sam Walker (from www.popyacollar.co.za) to find out what to expect on this Big day.

Sam suggest that the ladies you look at the movie "My Fair Lady" for inspiration on what to wear and gents, take note of the movie- "The talented Mr Ripley"

Another word of advise that I received from this wonderful fashionista, is that ladies, try to wear flats shoes as its a long day at the races and in the evening you will be dancing the night away.

For more fashion tips, check out www.popyacollar.co.za

Enjoy The Queens Plate. See you there!

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22 December 2010 -  EXPRESSO MAKEOVER



The Expresso Makeover

Every Wednesday on Expresso we get to play the role of a fairy god mother and transform a person from top to toe with our Expresso Makeover. This morning was no different, we transformed Reina.

Reina is a wedding dress designer and feels her style doesn't suit the fashion life style she creates for others. She wants to kick start the year the year with a classy but sophisticated look. She wants to embrace her age and still feel sexy. She also feels that if she gets up positively in the morning it will motivate her husband, and she doesn't want to wear the same jeans and shirt style when she receives her clients.

The team behind Reina's fantastic transformation is:

ANDRE LAMMERS - STYLIST
ANADIA BOSCHOFF - HAIR STYLIST FROM PELADIUM
MARIUS STEENKAMP - MAKE UP ARTIST FROM BOBBY BROWN


** If you would like to be part of Expresso's weekly make overs, send an email
to makeover@expressoshow.com

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21 December 2010 -  BLUECOLLARWHITECOLLAR



Liezel’s Fashion Express

The past few weeks I have been enjoying living in Cape Town and enjoying the Cape Town weather. I have also discovered the art of wearing shorts, which wasn’t something I never did in Jozi(Don’t ask me as I don’t know why I never wore shorts?!).

So I thought I’d send post some photos of my favourite BLUECOLLARWHITECOLLAR shorts as worn on Expresso.
You can find their shorts or shirts as worn by myself and Michael Mol at www.bluecollarwhitecollar.co.za.

Two Cape Town guys, one Paul van der Spuy, “blue-collar”. Passionate about retro motorbikes and cars, jeans and tees and getting his finger-nails greasy. The other Adrian Heneke, “white-collar”. Loves playing golf, wearing formal gear and business meetings. They are different but the same, they are and live bluecollarwhitecollar, shirts and clothing.

www.bluecollarwhitecollar.co.za

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7 December 2010 -  The Vital Run



The Vital Run

On Saturday the 4th of December, I enjoyed my first ever 10km race in the Western Cape, at The Vita Run, which was a race arranged by Vital Health Foods, in association with Run/Walk for Life, and many raised from entries were in aid of the PATCH Helderberg Child Abuse Centre.. The race took place at the scenic Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West.

It was an unforgettable morning at the foot of the Helderberg Mountain for not only the runners, but families and friends who were serious about looking after their health. I entered for the 10km run, not thinking I’d be brave enough for the 21km, as I heard that the 21 km will pose a challenge to gutsy top runners on the first 3 km, but the apparent scenic route would be a reward, as runners could see panoramic views of the Helderberg basin and Hottentots Holland Mountain ranges.

So off I went to join the start of the 10 km route, which I heard was scenic and not too hilly. Being the social runner, I started in the front but soon ended up near the back as I was chatting away to everyone who ran past. It’s always nice to hear the stories of why people run or how they got into running.

What I enjoyed about this run, there was no cut off time, so even for the slowest runner or walker; you could take your time and enjoy your day out in nature.

I compiled a list of races across SA for December, and who knows maybe I will bump into you at the next race!

Date	Province	Race	Venue	Contact	Telephone
8 DEC 2010	South Western Districts	Ernst Louw 10 km Memorial & 5 km	Eden Country Inn	Des Harris	083-3098732
11 DEC 2010	Eastern Province	Volkswagen AAC 10 km & 5 km	Despatch Rugby Field	Christine Snyman	084-8700808
	Griqualand West	Battle for Magersfontein	Magersfontein Battlefield	David Janse van Vuuren	083-4438198
	Western Province	Avbob 15 km	Pick 'n Pay Shopping Centre	Leon Thelander	083-9996450
12 DEC 2010	KwaZulu-Natal	Illovo 15 km Christmas Challenge	Westville Athletic Club	Sharon Schubach	082-4141783
	Western Province	New Balance Surfers Challenge	Kommetjie Beach	Top Events	021-5117130
15 DEC 2010	Boland	Paarl Athletic Club 10 km	Faure Street	Sybrandt du Plessis	083-4446940
	South Western Districts	Knysna 10 km Nite	Knysna Marathon Club - Loerie Park	Moses Gericke
16 DEC 2010	Central Gauteng	Malcolm X 10 km	Vosloorus Stadium	James Moloi	082-9300344
	Central Gauteng	Wobblers & Wigglers Hat Race	Pirates Club	Shelagh Smith	082-4858168
	South Western Districts	Candlelight Run 10 km & 5 km Run	TBA	Danie Raubenheimer	083-3767414
	Western Province	Guguletu Reconciliation Day 10 km	Guguletu Sports Complex	Marshall Moiloa	084-6508785
17 DEC 2010	Boland	Supa Quick Beach Mile, 5 km & 2.5 km Fun Runs	Kleinmond Beach	Race Secretary	079-4136610
18 DEC 2010	Boland	Whalers 10 km & 5 km Fun Run	Onrus River - Beach	Carina van der Merwe	082-8238632
	Eastern Province	Beach Marathon	St Francis Bay	Bruce Butler	082-8541740
	Gauteng North	Great Run 15.5 km & 5 km Fun Run	Weskoppies Hospital	Mohau Molelekoa	071-9067144
	KwaZulu-Natal	KwaZulu Weavers Summer Holiday 23 km Run/Walk	Bergville Primary	Belinda Smith	082-3968050
	South Western Districts	Somerson Half Marathon	Diaz Beach	Jacob Karelse	073-3838409
	Western Province	Mitchells Plain Titans Half Marathon	Rocklands Sport Complex	Charmaine Meyer	084-2200271
19 DEC 2010	Central Gauteng	Daveyton Stop Abuse 10 km	Marivate Park	Isaac Ndhlovu	078-3411718
	KwaZulu-Natal	Calder Cup/Sulin Trophy	NMR Avenue	Kitty Konar	082-7680738

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1 December 2010 -  The Cycle Tour Trust



The Sporty Adventures of Liezel

So what do you do when you get a call from The Cycle Tour Trust asking if you would be keen to cycle in the Double Century in Swellendam? Any sane person would’ve said no immediately, but not me, I just heard cycle and I said Yes, without even asking the distance. Only after I had confirmed that I would take part, did I hear that it is a 202km cycle race, all to be done on one day.

It was at this point that I started to backtrack and try every excuse in the book to get out of this crazy race, but unfortunately for me, David Bellairs from The Cycle Tour Trust wouldn’t take no for an answer.

So last Friday I packed in my bike and headed off to Swellendam which was to be the start of this crazy day. I was to head out in the first team of the day which is also the slowest team with the stronger riders heading out later in the day. Of course all these super fast cyclists eventually caught up with us along the way as we slowly climbed every hill at about 11km an hour. That also explains why I never made the cut off time for the race. But one thing I can say I learnt from this long day in the saddle and the fantastic team I rode with is that anything is possible. Next year I will be back and with the same team and finish on time

At the end of this long day in the saddle, I remember the quote by Arthur Ashe: “Success is a journey, not a destination, the doing is often more important than the outcome”

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25 November 2010 - Festive Spirit



Getting Into The Festive Spirit on Expresso

The custom of erecting a Christmas Tree can be historically traced to 15th century, and this morning on Expresso we decorated our tree with the help of Sarah Ord, an Interior decorator from Sarah Ord designs.

Sarah showed us how you can get creative and make your own decorations and use a variety of household items. Sarah made use of espresso cups; t-spoons and home-made hearts.

There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to decorating your tree, as long as you have fun and enjoy what you do.

I thought I'd also share some interesting facts about Christmas Trees.

 

Christmas Tree Facts:

• Christmas trees have been sold commercially in the United States since about 1850.
  
  
• Recycled trees have been used to make sand and soil erosion barriers and been placed in ponds for fish shelter.
  
  
• Christmas trees take an average of 7-10 years to mature.
  
  
• Christmas trees remove dust and pollen from the air.
  
  
• 73 million new Christmas trees will be planted this year.
  
  
• You should not burn your Christmas tree in the fireplace; it can contribute to creosote build up.
  
  
• An acre of Christmas trees provides for the daily oxygen requirements of 18 people.
  
  
• 2-3 seedlings are planted for every harvested Christmas tree. In 2004 sixty million Christmas tree seedlings were planted by Christmas tree farmers.
  
  
• 30-35 million Real Christmas Trees are sold in the U.S. every year