#fuel prices affect all and sundry: #entrepreneurs, #students and all #consumers

Everyone knows the petrol price is high, very high. And most people know the weak rand and high crude oil prices are to blame.

But we don't always realise the full extent of the increases as we tend to focus on the price only when it rises. We'd rather forget that petrol used to cost less than R2/litre at the beginning of 1998.

And unfortunately, petrol is a necessity.

We need 200250 litres every month to get to work and back and to fetch the kids from school. The result of higher petrol prices is everybody had to reduce spending on other things to pay that extra R1500 per month for fuel.

Not only did the increase in the cost of petrol cut deeply into our disposable income, the little we have left buys much less because of higher inflation.

Unfortunately, things won't change while the oil price remains high and the rand stays weak. Let's hope oil prices don't go any higher. 

Time Anchor's #Mirari brings you tips on how best to mix and enjoy your #gin. #WorldGinDay

You may have been told before that you are mixing your gin the wrong way? Well, there are actually over 50 different ways to mix your gin, but getting the best out of the mix is the trick. But how do you do this? Shanna-Rae Wilby, Chief Distiller at Time Anchor Distillery takes us through the perfect ways to serve up the perfect gin, every time.

If you are a true gin connoisseur, you know that not all gins are the same. One of the best ways to maximise the taste of a high-quality gin is to choose a premium tonic water as your mixer, after all tonic makes up ¾ of your G&T and it's important to have a quality product that highlights your Gin and doesn't dull the flavour. We've all had that one gin that was either too strong or too weak or just plain bland. A good quality gin is one that has been distilled with natural ingredients, so you need to ensure that you look out for authenticity, and trace back where your gin is actually made - embracing conscious consumerism.

From a taste perspective, you are looking for a product that has a symphony of flavours when you drink it, instead of a one-dimensional taste that lacks depth and structure. Here are five ways you can serve the perfect gin. We have used the Mirari Amber African Botanicals Gin as our gin of choice;

1.     Pair with Fitch & Leedes Indian Tonic Water, Barker & Quin Indian Tonic Water or Ginger Ale (not Ginger beer).

Garnish with any of the following combinations:

2.     Orange Wedge, which brings out the citrus notes of the sweet orange that we used when distilling, and blackberries.

3.     Fresh Fig and a sprig of Thyme is a perfect addition - the fig pairs with the figs that we use when making the gin.

4.     Cinnamon quill and a sprig of Rosemary - the cinnamon quill brings out the warm notes of the cassia bark from the gin and the rosemary bolsters the juniper flavours.

5.     Lime wedge and Cucumber ribbons to increase the citrus profile of the gin and enhance the crisp refreshment of summer – making this serving a great one for a sunny Sunday afternoon.

If you're looking for a relaxed Friday afternoon, a G&T with citrus is perfect for the summer, and as we head into the winter season, Negroni is your ideal paring. If you are feeling like a naughty night out, a good quality Martini is the perfect way to get your party on.  Now that you know how to perfectly serve your G&T, you can be a hero among your friends.

#Mobicel launches affordable LTE enabled #smartphone for just R899.

Mobicel, the South African smartphone brand, has launched the Trendy 2 – an affordable LTE-enabled smartphone that runs on the Android PGo platform. The new smartphone is the successor to the popular Trendy Smartphone and offers a range of value-added features and powerful specifications at the accessible price of R899.

 

Device highlights include a 5.45-inch display, a 2 megapixel front camera, 5 megapixel back camera and 8GB of onboard memory. The integrated 4G/LTE capability, meanwhile, allows entry-level users to enjoy a better experience when using bandwidth-intensive applications such as video and music streaming.

 

The Trendy 2 is one of the first smartphones in its price bracket to run on Android PGo, the Go edition of the latest version of the Android operating system. The operating system tailors and refines the user experience as you use the phone, learning your preferences and shaping your interface accordingly.

 

It prioritises your apps based on how often you use them, ensuring that the apps you seldom or never use won't drain on your battery life. It can even monitor how you use certain apps and run the in-app features you use most in the foreground for your convenience.

 

PGo makes data about how you use your device available to you, so you can see how much time you spend on your phone, which apps you spend the most time on, and your habits at particular times of the day. You can use this info to set daily, weekly and monthly limits on your app and data usage. Your phone will alert you when you've reached these ceilings.

 

Mobicel products can be purchased online at Mobicel.co.za and at all major retail stores around the country.

 

#Exclusive: Blue Mbombo joins #Moziak magazine as a partner

Off the back of curating content for Condé Nast (media house for the likes of Vogue Magazine) at their recent International Luxury Conference in Cape Town, Blue Mbombo will now be running her own magazine as she joins Moziak Magazine as a partner. 

Moziak Magazine is an online culture publication focused on telling authentic African stories, with a footprint in South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, the USA and the UK.

"With the trajectory of where digital is going, owning an online magazine makes good business sense," shares Blue Mbombo. She adds: "I was drawn to Moziak Magazine because of their great content and continental footprint. I'm excited to join a team of disruptors and trend setters and I look forward to bringing my creativity alive in a magazine format. 

Blue Mbombo will hold the title of Creative Producer at Moziak Magazine and will play a significant role in the creative direction of Moziak covers going forward; with her first cover dropping this Friday, 31 May 2019, featuring South African media personality Boity.

 

#StandardBank redefines "banking on a budget" with the #MyMo launch that also gives u free #airtime and #data. Its just R4.95 a month!

Standard Bank has launched a pay-as-you-transact bank account that costs R4.95 per month. 

"MyMo" account holders will get 1GB of free data when applying for the account on Standard Bank's app. Customers who swipe their cards at least four times a month will get R50 free airtime and 500MB free data.

Withdrawal fees at supermarkets cost R1.40; withdrawals at Standard Bank ATMs R6.50 and at other banks' ATMs R12. Debit orders are R3.50; electronic payments R1.20; electricity purchases R1.50; and payment notifications R1 a month.

Customers will be able to make cashless payments through Masterpass or SnapScan; receive SMS notifications when there's activity on their account and they can tap to pay at certain retailers.

Go big or go bust! Social media can help you go big if used correctly #MondayMotivation

This digital age we live in is dominated by social media and this can be a huge advantage to all of us. 

Social networks are platforms we can use to make money. 

It could open up international opportunities and you could end up living your best life.

Social media isn't a waste of time some people say it is. It all comes down to how you choose to see and use it.

Connecting with influential people and those in your career path is the first step to opening up doors of unlimited possibilities. 

What's next for the fans after #GameOfThrones Endgame?

I managed to miss all 73 episodes of Game of Thrones, which I understand had a disappointing conclusion.

The problem seemed to be that the film had got ahead of the book.

But it managed to dethrone The Sopranos, attracting 19.3 million TV viewers.

However, the author George RR Martin, is apparently going to write a different conclusion. This is a shrewd marketing move.

Fantasy, which started its semantic life 700 years ago meaning "imagination" has become vast business, since the wizardry of special effects has come into its own in the realisation of bizarre creatures and magical transformations.

Currently "on screen" is the starkly titled Avengers: Endgame, uncritically labelled "the mother of superhero films", including "every figure in the Marvel cinematic universe".

Normally staid critics get carried away on a "huge sugar rush of excitement in this mighty finale".

The father of Middle Earth, as he might be called, Professor JRR Tolkien, was rightly suspicious of Hollywood and only grudgingly accepted the International Fantasy Award in 1957.

"Fantasy" has become a multifarious genre, including mythological figures like Thor, modern creations like Ant-Man and abstract entities like Quantum Realm.

But what happens to all those fans after "Endgame"?

Here is the #ComradesMarathon refreshments list

With less than three weeks to go until the 2019 Comrades Marathon, runners across South Africa — and the world — are doing their last-minute preparations for race day.

While that is going on, the race's organising committee is ensuring that all Comrades refreshment stations are adequately stocked at strategic points along the route.

Sunday, June 9 will see the 94th running of the Ultimate Human Race.

This will be the 48th up run, starting at the Durban City Hall and finishing 12 hours later at the Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg. Along the 86,83 km route, over 40 refreshment stations will stock the following:

• Coke: 30 350 litres

• Fanta/Crème Soda: 10 650 litres

• Coke paper cups (175ml): 430 000

• Water sachets: 2 million

• Energy drink sachets: 480 000

• Mageu Number 1: 32 640 sachets

• Oranges: 4,5 tons

• Energy biscuits: 500 kg

• Salticrax biscuits: 500 kg

• Racefood energy bars: 20 000

• Cooked potatoes: 1,5 tons

• Bananas: 9 tons. — Sport24.

Don't miss it! Zodwa Wabantu's TV show premieres tomorrow. #FridayFeeling

Socialite and vosho queen Zodwa Wabantu is ready to dish her life to the public uncensored.

Titled "Zodwa Wabantu Uncensored", the show that is predicted to become the most hardcore reality show to hit SA television will premiere on Moja Love TV (DStv channel 157) this Saturday.

Viewers will watch Zodwa as her reality show unpacks her scandalous life unapologetically. The reality show is packed with a lot of crude language, including wearing, and more shockers.

It will capture her confronting mortality and buying her own casket to her relationship with her Ben 10 (younger lover). Viewers will see as she pops the big question with a R55 000 ring and sending a delegation to pay lobola for her man.

Speaking to Sowetanlive, Zodwa said she was excited about the show because she had worked hard for it.

"I want the people who are jealous of me to see who I am. I want Celeste Ntuli to see because she is one of those that believes I must not be booked and she keeps asking why people are booking me because I have no talent," said Zodwa. "I want them haters to be exposed because I do not know what they want from me because I am not competing with them," she said. She promised viewers a blockbuster reality show that will also take viewers back to her roots, where she grew up and show her closest friends. Though she had a tough childhood that forced her to flee home at the age of 16, she said she has forgiven her family members who mistreated her.

"The show will track my journey from birth to the Zodwa Wabantu that people now know. People will get to see where I was born and how I grew up. My family allowed me to bring cameras and on the show, I will show the public where they used to lock away amaqanda nesonka (eggs and bread) so that I don't eat them."

Zodwa further said her followers will watch as she put "rude people" in their places since she does not tolerate sh*** attitude.

She said people tend to be rude or try to belittle her because they know she is uneducated.

"If you come to me with a sh** attitude, I return the favour. You see...I do not have time to gossip about others. I'm always minding my own business."

"I don't even understand this trend of celebrities posting RIPs on social network when you actually did not know the person who died."

Some of the interesting highlights of the show are how Soweto-born Zodwa once stole Khanyisile Mbau's man. – Sowetan

Four #wedding planning awards for #Mzansi! #OPW

South Africa won four awards at the 11th edition of an international online contest created to celebrate wedding planners around the world.

The Belief Awards celebrate wedding planners, wedding designers and wedding co-ordinators. It recently announced the results of its competition and released its award-winning images of top-class weddings from around the world.

There were 412 entries in the various categories, of which 31 made it into the final gallery.

The most awarded continent was Europe, with 15 awards. Italy received eight awards, Portugal five and UK two. Mexico, US and Canada received five awards in total.

South African wedding planner Jadee Fernandes McGowan won for her Hindu ceremony.

McGowan also nabbed the special photo category for the wedding of British couple Sophie and Jamey Bashford. The couple involved the local residents in their celebrations.

Keelyn Crowley came out tops in the wedding concept category for a couple who wanted an outside reception with a relaxed and laid-back vibe.

Sunelle van den Berg was praised for her destination wedding concept in the Western Cape mountains and winelands. |