1. The Rose. Roses are ancient symbols of love and beauty. The red rose was also adopted as a symbol of the blood of the Christian martyrs. See it’s symbolism HERE.
2. Perfume. The definition of perfume is “A pleasing, agreeable scent or odor”, made up of the word “fuming” – To fill or permeate with fragrance; impart a pleasant odor to. This is symbolic as memories are like a pleasing fragrance to a troubled mind.
Here are some behind-the-scenes pics:
This past week I attended a very fun event here in Cape Town, South Africa. It was held at the “Shimmy Beach Club” at the harbour. I loved the vibe of the evening. There were loads of people all gathered together to see who would win the coveted title of the Cosmopolitan Hottest Bartender of the Year (with prize money of R20 000)! Cosmopolitan magazine, in partnership with Collison’s White Gold Brandy, announced on 14 January this year the five guys and five girls who got the nod to compete for the title of “SA’s Hottest Bartender”. The 10 finalists for 2013 were featured in the February issue of Cosmo. Readers had the opportunity to scrutinize these movers and shakers of creative cocktails, and to vote for their favourite. The aim of the Cosmopolitan Hottest Bartender search every year is to find a bartender with the perfect combination of creativity and charisma, who has his or her craft honed to perfection.
The competition is not judged only on looks: each entrant has to submit an original cocktail recipe.
They will then be required to prepare their cocktails on the night of the big finale in Cape Town on 14 March, and the overall winner will walk away with the grand prize of R20 000.
The 10 finalists were:
I thought the girls were great contestants! They had a lot of spunk and could definitely hold their own next to the boys. But I have to say, the boys had that cheekiness that’s a huge crowd pleaser in something like this. Let’s put it this way……while the girls were smiling, doing a few dance moves from behind the counter and tamely stirring in the vodka, the boys were literally ripping their shirts off, jumping on the counter and flexing their tattoo-covered muscles while shaking that martini!
The winner was Johnny Bezuidenhout from Cape Town’s most popular beach bar Café Caprice and he was really deserving. MC Poppy Ntshongwana didn’t have a hard time handing over the cheque!
We shot Caprice’s Skybok Profile a few months ago and for the video, we got Johnny to prepare a Mojito for us on-camera – check out his talent for yourself by watching it HERE. A great performance was given by “iScream & The Chocolate Stix” after the show and I really enjoyed their performance. It’s nice to hear local bands singing good music. Check out their blog HERE. Thank you to everyone involved for bringing us an awesome event!
Christmas / New Year’s is that delicious little period in life when all the worries of the world seem to fade away into some fantastically naughty little indulgence. It can actually be any indulgence in the world – allow me to show you some of my little indulgences over the past 2 weeks 🙂
I flew up to Johannesburg with my family & stayed at Southern Sun, Montecasino. I absolutely LOVED my hotel! We had a gorgeous view from our room overlooking the “Sun Square” as well as a superbly-designed lake, fully equipped with a family of ducks and my favourite – two black swans 🙂 The hotel is a brand-new addition to the hotel family at Montecasino from my understanding… opened in May 2010. I’ve always stayed at their legendary Palazzo hotel when I’ve travelled to Montecasino. I still absolutely love it! But compared to this new addition, it’s a tad old-fashioned. Apparently it’s due for refurbishment this year, which will hopefully give it the freshness & contemporary ambiance of its sister hotel the Southern Sun!
Opened in May 2010 the Southern Sun Montecasino located at The Pivot is an exciting addition to the Montecasino Precinct. The hotel has 194 bedrooms and offers all the modern facilities for both business and leisure travellers including a high spec gymnasium.
The hotel reflects a fusion of period and modern Venetian furnishings with a fresh electric style. Punchinello’s restaurant offers Mediterranean cuisine in an exciting open plan kitchen which allows guests to share in the activities of the bustling kitchen.
A contemporary bar and lounge leads out to a large wooden deck overlooking the pool which is the ideal setting for sundowners.
– http://www.montecasino.co.za
Walking out of our hotel, there was easy access to the main Montecasino entertainment complex. We spotted these fabulous Venetian-inspired statues along the way! I loved them – there was a statue for every season. My favourite was summer…
There was also just generally some beautiful Venetian-inspired scenery which was so inspiring.
There is an exciting hub just a 5 min walk from our hotel called “Sun Square” which is just brilliant! Complete with restaurants – including the winner of Masterchef South Africa’s very own restaurant called Aarya – a musical fountain, a big screen TV, a clock tower and a giant Teatro (Italian for “Theatre”) hosting top notch productions all year round. Everything in the complex is styled to look like Venice, which I loved. This is where we celebrated New Year’s Eve.
The fireworks at the stroke of midnight were marvelous. I absolutely loved them. I think fireworks at midnight on New Year’s is an absolute MUST. Fireworks & champagne, that’s a true celebration for a new year. All these pics are by my brother, Dane Doubell. Prior to the countdown on New Year’s Eve we enjoyed the award-winning, much-acclaimed musical production “Dirty Dancing”. It blew me away.
I was really excited to wear my new dress from “Forever New”, white always looks great against a bit of a tan 😉
On New Year’s Eve we started a special new tradition which I hope will last for a very long time… We lit 2 beeswax candles which were part of a delicate little ornament I received as a gift from a friend who went to the German Christmas Market last year.
I lit the candle on the left for the old year and blew out all of the past. Then I lit the candle on the right for the future, and breathed in the light of the new year.
I recently created a quote for myself which is where the premise of this tradition began 🙂
Breathe out the past and breathe in the future
I also saw one great quote at “Skoobs” – my new favourite book store – which held lovely significance for me.
To top it all off, I threw a lucky penny into this fountain on New Year’s Eve and made a wish.
What I totally enjoyed about Montecasino was walking around the complex popping into this shop and that, grabbing an iced coffee and watching the live entertainment. There’s always some entertainment in the centre, from saxophone players to magicians to singers to circus folk. I loved the bookstore in the complex and also the 3D cinema where we watched some great films.
Something we loved to do was take a golf cart during the days from our hotel to the “Palazzo Hotel” and swim in their beautiful pool! We alternated between swimming at our hotel and the Palazzo hotel, which were both so gorgeous…
A few more indulgences were definitely at the breakfast buffet.
There were so many people at this hotel and in the complex generally.. I knew we’d picked the perfect place to spend New Year as a family 🙂
On the last day we visited the Montecasino Bird Gardens ……… and I loved it. My impressions of the park were that it is very clean and spacious. Also that they have such a diverse collection of birds. The birds are well looked after and I was thoroughly delighting in all the various exotic birds they have there…
They hold wonderful bird shows every day at different times of the day. I really enjoyed it much more than I first thought I would – I felt like a kid again!
There was one creature I particularly liked, and that was the chameleon!
I also liked the snake, seeing as 2013 is the year of the snake!
I calmed my nerves at a nearby waterfall – gorgeous!
On one evening we went and got a Thai Massage. We did a foot massage and then went into a full body “deep tissue” thai massage. Absolutely incredible! They actually manipulate your entire body as part of the massage. It’s quite something – had me stretching in positions I never knew I could. The parlour where the Thai spa was lay inside the Montecasino complex, making it very convenient for us. I just remember walking in and smelling the sweet scent of vanilla incense…. it was stunning.
I loved everything about this place and it certainly made me add “get a thai massage at least once a month” to my resolutions list.Here is some more info on Thai massages (I found it quite interesting!)
Traditional Thai massage is based on the belief that all life force spirals around special pathways, or prana pathways, in the body. There are 72 000 invisible energy lines, which make up the energy body. Any blockage along these lines can cause disease (dis-ease) on a physical, emotional and spiritual level. Thai massage focuses on 10 important lines, called sen sip. By releasing any blocked energy along the sen lines, prana can flow freely, thereby restoring balance, health and harmony in the body.
Traditional Thai massage is a combination of acupressure, reflexology and yogic exercises, or gentle stretching, which manipulates the energy lines and so diminishes tension, stimulates metabolism and creates a feeling of wellbeing and vitality. Unlike some other therapies, you will feel refreshed and energized after a Thai massage, rather than sedated and lethargic.
After a glorious holiday in Johannesburg, we flew back to my home town Port Elizabeth where I am currently writing to you from.
My friend Gabi recently launched a fashion label and beauty spa with her sister Kelly. They had a fabulous launch at their premises in Annerley street in Rondebosch yesterday, and what a turn out it received!
I recently attended the Cosmo summer pool party. They truly outdid themselves this year for the event which was held at Shandiz Restaurant & Cocktail Bar, Mandela Rhodes Place, corner of Wale and Burg Street, Cape Town. I loved the design of the space. Everything was big, bold & colourful. I thoroughly enjoyed some of the eye candy that was walking around serving the food and giving away free stuff. It started at 5pm and wrapped up at 10pm. All in all a great night with awesome friends, thanks Cosmo SA. The venue was fantastic and the weather was perfect. If you want to see more of my pics from the event, click HERE. To see Cosmo’s professional photos from the event (photos by Paul Ward) click HERE. Were you there? How have you kick-started Summer?? Tweet me at @TamikaDoubell.
COSMOPOLITAN turned up the heat this weekend to celebrate the long-awaited arrival of summer. Held at Shandiz Mandela Rhodes Place, the crystal clear pool with its cityscape backdrop was the perfect way to enjoy the first of many pool parties this festive season. Guests were treated to cocktails, delicious snacks, loads of ice cream and some very hot bodies. The stunning Anthea Schotlz opened the event with a sexy sunset session followed by an amazing performance by Goldfish.
I recently went to the “Cape Town Good Food & Wine Fest”. I did it because I love food and wine. This was a whole day of walking around discovering new tastes and brands that the Western Cape has to offer. My best was the Vrede en Lust wine stall. I bought their flagship wine for myself – The Boet Erasmus 2009. We shot their video profile for Skybok recently as a result! I made a new friend in The Pillsbury man while we walked around! I also entered a competition to win a car. The wine tasting was way too much fun. I went with my good friend Candice and we had a fabulous time sampling this new champagne vodka that’s out. We also tried shots, cocktails and a new Bubblegum flavoured liqueur by a company called Smooch Beverages.
In other news, I had an interview with the popular local TV show Top Billing. Presenter Janez Vermeiren interviewed me!
I’ll be appearing on the Expresso breakfast show and Top Billing on the 3rd of July, so tune in if you like! 🙂 Recently I shot the new music video for a band called Mac Stanley (previously known as Flat Stanley) and their song ‘Hold On’. It was very cool! I had to be a graceful sleeping beauty and smooch my prince 🙂
I’ve also been pleased with two interviews I did for very popular local blogs – http://shebuiltthiscity.com/2012/06/13/tamikadoubell/ http://amg133.blogspot.com/2012/05/bucket-babe-tamika-doubell.html Check them out! Sometime not too long ago I went to watch Alan Committie’s show called ‘Funny Business’ at Theatre on the Bay. It was honestly one of – if not the best – comedy shows I’ve ever seen in my life. I went with my friend Nella and we didn’t stop laughing all the way through. The man is brilliant I watched him perform again last night as MC at the Vodacom Funny Festival at The Baxter Theatre here in Cape Town.
Being in the heart of London as a South African representative for Top Model 2012 was a huge honour for me. The whole experience was something I looked forward to for quite some time! All in all it was two weeks in the UK – one of which was entirely dedicated to the runway show and its surrounding PR and events. What a fabulous adventure it was. Held at The Hilton Metropole in London, the show featured models from all around the world showing the designs of renowned designers & labels. These included Gianni Lilliu, Luna Sky, Analili New York by Daisy & Mac Bermuda, Fabryan, Eva Grygo, Wot The Frok by Naomi Quarrinton, Garcia by Daisy & Mac Bermuda, Remus Uomo, Gingerbread and Omar Mansoor, who showed at London Fashion Week 2012.
Probably my favourite evening leading up to the show was the VIP Pre-show launch party held at a nightclub in SOHO. It was such a radical nightclub! I loved the floor. Everyone was there – models, judges, sponsors, stylists – and we all just met each other and partied the night away.
The theme was “Naughty or Nice” and, well, I bought some devil horns, a bowtie and a tail:)
The winner was an awesome girl from Nigeria, Tarmar, who I became great friends with!
See another article I wrote about my time in London: Here We Go, London, as well as some incredible things I’ve been involved with since: My Adventures Since London. I had an amazing time in the UK. On one of the days we managed to go to Buckingham Palace –
I thought I saw Harry peeking out from one of the rooms….!
A few days after jet-setting home, I had to down a Redbull and take myself off to The Loop Nightclub in Cape Town to MC the Traffic Clothing Winter Collection Fashion Show. This time I was behind the microphone and not on the runway 😛 It was a show put on by Younique Concepts – started by one of South Africa’s top female DJ’s Vanessa Holliday, in this pic below. Also in the pic below is the owner of The Loop nightclub, Mark Lifman. It was an incredible event run by a very efficient and professional group of people – all at Younique Concepts. There was a HUGE crowd and amazing music by Monique Pascal which the 10 models supplied by Twenty Management modeled to. There were brilliant prize give-aways from the likes of Rikkis Taxis, Traffic clothing and the Pepper Club amongst others. Sponsors/contributors for the night included GQ and Glamour Magazines, Redken, Gordon’s Gin, Vida e caffè, Le Chocolatier, Soft Lips and more….
So the big event right now on everyone’s lips is the up-coming FCM Fashion Party. In case you didn’t know, ‘FCM’ stands for “Ferial’s Closet Makeover” – a Couture designer label, hot on the South African scene. All clothes are designed by the talented and sassy Ferial Dawood.
So things in the film world have certainly heated up and I’ve gotten quite a bit of work as well as gone to a great deal of castings and auditions in the past two months. One thing about being an entrepreneur in this industry is you have to keep networking and keep going out and creating your own opportunities. Getting to castings through agents is awesome, but you can’t only rely on them. You have to get to know what’s going on in your city in your industry, and make sure you are attending those events and passing around your business cards! You have to use social media to spread awareness of your brand and your services. Don’t underestimate word-of-mouth. You have to keep up communication with old contacts and build up relationships with new ones.
For those of you who are wondering what a casting looks like, well this is it. In Cape Town, there are different casting studios around town.
I booked a commercial for Fortuneo bank in France which I shot two weeks ago – the product is a credit card. I really enjoyed it! Looking forward to more!
What I’ve also recently been busy with is shooting for “Death Race 3: Inferno”, the new instalment of the “Death Race” feature films. It’s directed by Roel Reiné and the screenplay is by Tony Giglio. The production company working on it here in South Africa is Moonlighting Productions (http://www.moonlighting.co.za/). My role in the film is a member of Olga’s Pit Crew. I met some of the actors starring in the film including Luke Goss and Danny Trejo. What great guys!
I’ve MC’d a couple of events in the past few weeks – one for a selection of up-and-coming designers in the “FCM Fashion Show” at the trendy ZAR nightclub here in Cape Town, and another for a Varsity College function. It was a group of students who were completing their final year practical assignment. For those of you who don’t know what “MC” stands for… it’s short for “Master of Ceremonies”.
I really love MC’ing – I love organisation and structure, so overseeing that an event runs smoothly is my forté! It’s a very rewarding experience. For fashion shows specifically, I love helping the DJ select the playlist for each designer. I also love the research aspect of each designer and their label – their influences, their target market and how they got where they are. I enjoy communicating that to an audience as the models walk by. The welcome is my favourite part of the event, as it’s my job to set the mood for the night. What really works nicely is if the organiser has something to offer the guests such as canapés, cocktails, gifts or a raffle later on. I must say that being part of these events makes me want to be involved with event management! Looks like sooo much fun (although stressful, I’m sure) You can view all the pictures from the events here: FCM Fashion Show and Cutting Edge Fashion Show.
On the modelling front, I recently did the summer shoot for the Longstreet Fashion Boutique here in Cape Town. I don’t think there is a more iconic street. They’ve just got new stock for their summer collection this season. One of my good friends, Nella Coetzer, took the snaps. You can click here and view them. What I love about the Longstreet brand is that it’s sassy, fresh, stylish & dynamic! It’s very colourful and vibrant..beautiful pieces for daytime. We shot in Longstreet and Kalk Bay. Shortly following the Longstreet campaign, I shot an editorial at a beach in Cape Town with local photographer Seagram Pearce.
