My Online Diary

Soccer excitement, events and cocktail dresses
Published on 12/07/2010

Bright and early on Monday morning, I once again set off to visit the Glitterati studios for an interview with Gilliam Winckler. The evening was spent at the glam Sandton Convention Centre where African Fashion International week awards dinner took place. The Sun International Head Office was the venue for the Afrikon shoot on Tuesday morning - for Akon’s range of sports clothes. The offices sure were bubbling with activity and bustle! 

I spent the afternoon in the clouds on a plane to beautiful Cape Town and headed to GrandWest Casino for the World Cup football big screen evening. What an exciting night! Wednesday morning was taken up with an “Epilepsy South Africa” shoot at the casino and I was lucky enough to spend the rest of the day with super-talented designer, Charlene Sauerman. On Thursday, I spent time with another designer, Stephanie Moreland – I extend my utmost thanks to her and her team for a wonderful range of clothing she provided for Miss Universe. Hendrik Vermeulen was also terribly kind and lent me some breath-taking cocktail outfits to take along with me. The evening concluded with a delicious dinner at Grand West with Most Valued Guests.

Once back in Jozi, I spent Saturday at the Southgate Mall, judging the Miss Soweto semi-finals. All the best to these gorgeous ladies! Sunday was Final Day and I was invited by President Jacob Zuma to the Presidential Guest House in Pretoria for the launch of the 1 Goal Education Summit. It was both nerve wracking and exciting to address the gathering of special guests including President Sepp Blatter of FIFA™ and dignitaries from all around the world! We were all then whisked off to Soccer City to attend the final match - what an epic occasion it turned out to be. A special treat for me was also to meet world-renowned singer, Shakira. This was a day that I would treasure forever!

Preparations, interviews and anticipation!
Published on 05/07/2010

It’s been an exceptionally busy but incredibly exciting time as I prepare for Miss Universe 2010 in Las Vegas. During the ETV news morning show on Tuesday I was interviewed about my meeting with President Jacob Zuma, Miss Universe and my passion for education.

On Wednesday I attended an official lunch hosted by the Ambassador of Peru in Pretoria. This coincided with the country’s national day and many special invited guests were present which made me feel super-special too! In the evening, I headed off to the awesome Morula Sun Hotel, North of Pretoria to attend their fantastic birthday party.

I went to Melrose Arch on Thursday for an interview with the online magazine, iZindaba. The “Bangle Shoot” for The Nelson Mandela Foundation (46664) was on the agenda for Friday morning after which, I head back to Pretoria to partake in the Annabel Foundation activity at the Kollonade Mall. Wow, what a busy few days!

Saturday evening was the much-awaited South African Fashion Week, hosted by Malcolm KLûK at the glamorous Pavilion Room of the Sandton Convention Centre. The star-studded attraction was well attended and thoroughly enjoyed by all as a glowing success.

I attended Nelson Mandela Foundation Legacy Gala Dinner as an invited guest at the Sandton Convention Centre on Sunday evening. This was a poignant occasion for a very compelling cause spent reflecting back on an icon, a peacemaker, a father of the nation whose legacy will live on forever. It was a wonderful honour to be part of the celebrations and a fab way to end off yet another exciting jam-packed week! 

Football, fashion and family
Published on 27/06/2010

I had a fab meeting with Garmin on Monday morning and received the new "Traffic". This is going to come in so handy when I’m stuck in traffic - which is all the time:). We also discussed future events and charity functions. Thank you again Garmin! On Tuesday, I went off to Sun City where I enjoyed a relaxing dinner while watching Bafana Bafana take on France. The team were so great and I am exceptionally proud to be a South African – as I am sure so many of you are especially after seeing how well our country has done in welcoming the world over the past few weeks!

We started shooting early Wednesday morning for FIFA TV to promote the benefits of the splendid Sun City Resort. From The Palace and the Valley of Waves to the Sun City Hotel Casino and the spectacular golf courses - we covered them all! We called it a day at around 8.30pm – so it was a seriously long day. I headed back to Jozi the next morning to begin preparations for the WAGS Party at Moloko that evening.
 
Friday was another early start as I took part in the "Winter Warmer Corporate Challenge" on Jacaranda 94.2. It was great to be on the Breakfast Show again! Well done on the station making over R2m in this charity initiative. Then it was off to celebrate All Access’ first Birthday at Scarlet Ribbon on Friday night. It was a great party and congratulations to the All Access team for a successful show!

After that I was all about relaxing and celebrating my mum’s birthday over a delightful dinner on Saturday and a lunch on Sunday.  I hope you had a wonderful birthday mum!

Education for all!
Published on 20/06/2010

I was invited to appear live on Supernova on M-Net on Monday and it was an absolute blast! It was all soccer talk and joining me was Mr. SA - Denver Burns. Well done to M-Net for a great show. I then headed off to Exclusive Dry Cleaners – as always, thank you for being so friendly and obliging!

Wednesday morning saw me pledging my support to Bafana Bafana on SABC with some of the Miss World contestants and the morning was rounded off with a breakfast with the rest of the ladies. After that, I headed off to the Sandton Convention Centre for the launch of the 1Goal: Education for all Initiative. This is a campaign aimed at ensuring that every child can get an education and I can’t wait to jump into it!  

It was an honour and a privilege to be invited to meet with South African president, Mr Jacob Zuma at his official residence in Pretoria on Friday. We spoke about of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and how well South Africa has done in hosting the tournament. He is such a humble person and so passionate about the country as well as the people of South Africa!

I spent Father’s Day with my fabulous father! A very special day!

Miss Universe preparations in full swing
Published on 13/06/2010

This week began with some early Miss Universe preparation including catching up on some more admin work as well as sourcing garments from designers. I was thrilled to see what R J Kay has designed for my Miss Universe National Costume - let’s just say I am now more confident and excited than ever to represent South Africa! I spent Tuesday evening watching the warm up game between Portugal and Mozambique at the Wanderers where I made an appearance on the field at half time with many of the "Shout" ambassadors to make a stand against crime!

I then flew to Cape Town on Wednesday to attend a function at the Canal Walk shopping centre. The function revolved around something called “Ball Art”. Crafters were able to design anything around a soccer ball or soccer spirit! Individuals were able to make silent bids for these crafts and proceeds went to The Canal Walk Foundation. On my way to The Table Bay Hotel, I stopped at KLûK CGDT for a fitting of my Miss Universe Gown. I’m looking forward to the next fitting!

I was off for a meeting at Accessorize on Thursday morning. I am looking forward to wearing their jewellery for the Durban July!  Thank you to all at Accessorize! After that I headed back to Jozi to interview Akon at Melrose Arch! What an experience! It was great to hear about the charity work that he is busy with in Africa.

We attended the Portuguese National Day celebration at Carnival City on Friday evening which was so much fun! On Saturday morning I was fortunate enough to meet some of the ladies I will be competing against in the Miss World pageant in November.  I then headed off to the Opening of the 2010 FIFA World Cup! I cannot put into words how proud I felt that evening at Soccer City - a once in a lifetime experience and an unforgettable moment in South Africa's history. The atmosphere within the stadium was electrifying and an evening that I will never forget!

The ambassador of Chile invited me to spend Sunday afternoon at the Embassy in Pretoria – it was a relaxing afternoon after an evening of great excitement that completed another eventful week!