Contently

The End... At least for now

2009-09-04T16:41:00.003+02:00

Dear readers. I've decided to take the blog offline. The reason is that at the moment my life is just too hectic: job hunting, interviewing, getting ready for my new life. I've found that instead of making me more peaceful, the pressure of writing blog posts actually caused stress. So I've decided to let it go. At least for now; who knows, I might find new inspiration later on. In the meanwhile, thank you for reading and I'll definitely be checking up on you on your blogs regularly!

Inconsistent

2009-08-11T16:11:00.009+02:00

Two keys - the symbol for my town - on a bridge. The picture was taken from a boat on the canal.

I'm sorry for posting so irregularly lately... I've got a week planned full with job interviews and presentations and at the same time I'm organizing a party for my graduation.

Here at my university it is tradition to have a dinner with family after the graduation ceremony followed by a "party" for everyone - friends family professors students etc- who played a part during your time at university. I say "party" because it's really a particular kind of party. Everyone is dressed up and in many occasions there is no music played, except for the songs that the graduate's sorority friends or roommates or other friends have composed and will sing very loudly. These songs generally cover every embarrassing episode during your time at university: drunken episodes, every guy you've ever been mildly interested in, bloopers...

My graduation and party will be in 2,5 weeks time and yesterday I've sent out the invites. MrBee and I have been testing a couple of bars here in town (which resulted in our own little pub crawl) and I've finally decided where it will take place. It's a really nice bar in an old factory building at a canal here in town. That location is certainly not the cheapest option - which is not unimportant when about 75 people come to drink to your graduation and you have a student budget - but in the end I decided I should celebrate this special moment at a place I feel very comfortable and where I'm sure everything will be great.

I'm really excited about seeing everyone who has contributed to my amazing time as a student together in one bar to celebrate my graduation, but I'm not sure whether I should be too excited about the songs..... I've been a pretty good girl but I trust my friends will come up with lyrics that'll turn my head into a tomato...

So cute...

2009-08-05T09:30:00.003+02:00

You might already have seen this clip on A Cup of Jo but I just had to post it here, as it is unbelievably cute. This guy Jake proposes to his girlfriend through a 59 people whisper chain.... I love looking at everyone's faces when they hear the message and whisper it on.

Flowery

2009-08-03T13:57:00.000+02:00

Writing about my bookclub reminded me of being more active about my list again so I wanted to show you today how I've been doing with my resolution to have more fresh flowers around the house lately...

Fresh flowers can be quite expensive but I've found that I can get really good deals at my local market on Saturday afternoon when the vendors need to get rid of their stock. The other week I got 60 (!!) long stemmed Dutch red roses for only EU5 (which is about $7,50)!! Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of them but believe me, they were absolutely stunning. I had them all around the house and gave some away. I'm sure neighbors thought MrBee had either proposed or something to make up to me!

I've found having flowers around makes me so happy!

What a surprise

2009-07-31T10:43:00.001+02:00

I would want to be on this subway in Paris.....

Recipe: Lemon-goat cheese tagliatelle

2009-07-30T13:22:00.001+02:00

Yesterday I made this perfect summer dish. It's based on a recipe I saw in the newspaper this morning. It's ideal for dinner al fresco and extra nice with a cool glass of white wine I think. Bonus: you can make it within 10 minutes. Promise!

Lemon-goat cheese tagliatelle

(serves 2)

adapted from nrcnext

250 g / 3 cups fresh tagliatelle

half a lemon

100 g / about 1/2 cup soft goat cheese

3 tablespoons of olive oil

75 g / 3 cups rocket lettuce

two tablespoons of pine nuts

150 g / 1 cup half dried tomatoes (I bought mine at the market this time but you can also make them yourself quite easily, find out how right here)

salt and pepper

Boil the tagliatelle as instructed on the package with a tablespoon of olive oil and some salt.

Roast the pine nuts until they are light brown and let them cool on a plate.

Wash the lemon with luke warm water and grate the zest.

Mix the zest in a bowl with the goat cheese, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice and some salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta but hold on to one cup of the water and add this to your lemon-cheese mix.

Stir in the lemon-cheese mix with the tagliatelle.

Add the rocket lettuce, tomatoes and pine nuts.

Add salt, pepper and lemon juice to your liking.

If you like, you could even top the dish with some parmezan cheese, but I think it doesn't really need it.

Tip: use a larger pan than I did!

Pronto!

My favorite spot

2009-07-29T17:02:00.004+02:00

The final post in the Through Her Eyes series I've participated in is now online. Check it out right here!

The assignment for this fourth week was to send in pictures of my favorite spot. Because the pictures are so small in the THE post over at Layers of Meaning and because the text has been edited a bit, I thought I'd share my original text and pictures with you here....

I wanted to show you two places that I visit pretty much every Saturday: my local market and library. Both are in the historic city centre of my Dutch town. I just love walking around all the different stalls at the market. I usually buy a lot of cheap fruit and vegetables, but I’m also a huge fan of all the Mediterranean products that are sold here. I don’t mind that it’s busy at the market, I actually enjoy seeing so many people together and I absolutely love how the vendors shout out their best offers as loud as they can (“Pineapples! Two for 1,50! Delicious juicy Piiiiineapples!!”).

The local market, right next to the canals. In the background you can see our city hall.

It’s much more quiet at my local library. I can just spend hours there browsing through the novels, cookbooks and glossy travel books. My perfect Saturday afternoon I enjoy on our sunny balcony with new books, a glass of wine and garlic olives, almonds and fresh feta cheese from the market….

Our local library with one of the city's churches in the background.

And bikes. Of course....

Book club: first meeting

2009-07-28T13:30:00.000+02:00

As I announced earlier this week, last Wednesday I really achieved my first goal from my life list: my new book club met to discuss the first book we all read. We did not really know how to shape our discussion, whether we should ask each other questions or whether we should just start talking. I think this lack of structure caused our discussion about the book to be rather short. But I guess it is also fair to say that we were also distracted by other urgent matters we had to discuss, such as upcoming graduation, job interviews, men etc. (My friend S. had an interview for a PhD position on Thursday and found out on Friday she got it! Yay!).

Still, if any of you has a good idea on how to structure a book club meeting and how to really accellerate the discussion, I would be very grateful if you could leave a comment!

For next time we are reading One Day by David Nicholls. The cover looks great so I can't wait to dig in.

*SPOILER ALERT*
(if you haven't read the Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger yet and you're contemplating doing so (you should! you should!), DON'T read on!)

Besides the logistics of time travel, I think the most important theme we talked about regarding the book was predestination. I think I would become so frustrated if I knew it didn't matter what I would decide to do, the effect was already decided. Another friend of mine felt it would be quite comforting to know that it wouldn't matter. Like when Clare and Henry go house hunting, Clare doesn't even get the chance to form an opinion about any of the places because Henry already knows. I wouldn't have it. I'm a bit of a smarty pants and I would be sure to check it out myself and maybe even push it. Just because. But then, even if I would push it, I would know that it wouldn't work. It wouldn't make a difference. How frustrating. Like you're in a really fast current and you just have to go along...

Another thing we discussed about a lot, was the end. Some of my friends felt a happy ending would have been much more satisfying, while I feel that a book doesn't always have to have a happy ending. It can make a book so much more interesting, so much more thought provoking. The book left me sad and confused but I think that's also a beautiful thing a book can do for you.

What did you guys think about these issues?

Psst...

2009-07-27T11:08:00.000+02:00

... Have you noticed my new blog header?

I decided I really needed to personalize the blog and do something about the header. I used a picture I took in El Chalten in Argentina last year. (Looking for a magnificent travel destination? Go to Argentina and Chile!!!!)

Bariloche, Argentina

I am on a deadline for my final thesis and should really be writing but I am just dreading it, which is why I take up any project that will take my mind of the work I should be spending my time on... Now I've finished the header I have to think of something else that needs attention urgently. Maybe I should clean the windows? Reorganize my books? Bake a cake?

Slipped my mind...

2009-07-27T09:42:00.004+02:00

I only realised just now that I completely forgot to tell you the third post in the Through Her Eyes series over at Layers of Meaning was posted last week! Go check it out! It shows where I do my blogging and features some really great bloggers. I am honoured to be part of this series! The fourth and final post will be on some time this week. I'll try to be a bit more on top of things this time!

Paper Heart

2009-07-22T10:07:00.003+02:00

I just came across this trailer online and it has me all excited about Paper Heart.

Paper Heart seems to be half documentary half fiction and it features some great people from Juno (which I adored), Knocked Up and How I Met Your Mother. I'm expecting a very funny, cute and original film....

Cute bonus: the website for the movie also features an awesomely cute Mash Game, which I am sure you've all played when you were little....

Can't wait!

Remember my goals

2009-07-20T13:17:00.011+02:00

It's been a while since I posted about my life list. It seems like no work has been done. But that's not the case really.

One of my goals was to start up a book club.

White rose

And that's what I've done!

This Wednesday me and three of my best girlfriends will sit down with cupcakes and tea for the first meeting of our newly established book club, discussing The Time Traveler's Wife. I absolutely loved the book and I am looking forward to talk about it with my friends.

I'm also looking forward to start reading the next book, which will be reveiled on Wednesday.

I will definitely tell you more about achieving this goal after our first meeting, but for now it seems like I can cross the first thing off my list!

THE series part two

2009-07-16T10:57:00.006+02:00

The second part of the Through Her Eyes series yours truly participated in is online! Check it out here.

Regina

2009-07-15T13:56:00.006+02:00

MrBee and I went to see Regina Spektor play in Amsterdam last night. She performed at a venue called Paradiso, an old church with high ceilings, glass stained windows behind the stage and a beautiful balcony right in the center of Amsterdam. It's really a beautiful place.

It was the perfect setting for the concert. Regina was angelic. I can't believe her voice, she was so good. I'll be listening to her new album non stop for the next couple of days I think...

Sweden rocks!

2009-07-10T17:30:00.005+02:00

t>

How amazing is this?? Isn't it just the best tribute possible?

This vid reminds me of the massive dance off in the Antwerpen central station I posted last month.

This sort of stuff just makes my day.

I wanna dance tonight!

Out there!

2009-07-09T22:01:00.006+02:00

Exciting news! I am featured on this month's Through Her Eyes series over at Layers of Meaning. I love this blog and the THE series especially. I strongly advise you to check it out! The first edition came online just today and this week you can check out what's in my purse....

Night At The Museum

2009-07-07T17:48:00.009+02:00

In the Dutch university town I live in we have quite a number of really good museums. Tourists from all over the world come here to enjoy paintings by Dutch masters, to see special types of tulips in the botanical garden, to marvel at the Egyptian mummies. Yet somehow in the six years I have lived in this town I had visited only a few of them.

Well, last Saturday we had the perfect opportunity: Museum Night. Museum Night has been an annual event in Amsterdam for quite some years now, but this was the first time it was organized in my town. Seven large museums were open from 8pm until 1am with afterparties at local clubs following. They had bands playing next to Rembrandt paintings, cocktail bars within exhibitions about Japanese folklore, lounge areas in the botanical gardens, DJs in Egyptian temples, lectures, workshops, performance art...

Since most of these museums are located within the historical center of the city, they were all within walking distance. However, there were also buses to take you from one place to the next. And, yes, as you would expect from Holland, there were bike taxis (riksjas) and also boats to take you to museums located next to canals...

Mr Bee and I had a great night. We got to see four museums in one night. We learned things about our city we didn't even know. We were driven around in a riskja. We took a tour in a boat. We enjoyed the lights from the canals.

My town. picture from flickr

Perfect combo of going out, having a drink and still feeling like we did something interesting with our night....

2009-07-06T09:49:00.006+02:00

I had to hand in a paper on Friday which I hadn't started in time. Apparently one thing I haven't learned during my seven years of academics is working with a deadline. I had to pull an all-nighter in order to finish it on time, working the entire thursday night and friday morning....I have no idea whether the paper is any good, but at least it's done. And, not unimportantly, it was the final paper I had to write to obtain my Master's. Now all I need to do is complete my thesis and I will be Master of Science! I just need to hang in there and get it done. Whooaah!

(No particular reason to post this picture, I'm just busy reorganizing my digital ph o t o g r a p h s and I came across a couple of rather nice pictures I took in Rome last year)

So sad...

2009-06-26T15:07:00.005+02:00

(image from newstoday.com)

My new study

2009-06-24T15:04:00.008+02:00

Can you understand that all I want to do from now on is work?

Good timing because all I HAVE to do is work. I've got just a couple of weeks left to hand in reports, papers and essays so that I can graduate in August....

Psst... and when I don't work I play around with my new iPod Touch... I have like a little love triangle with my iMac and iPod touch....

Divine

2009-06-22T14:16:00.002+02:00

Our local market has two stalls which sell mediteranean products: avocado's, mint, couscous, turkish bread, garlic olives and my absolute favorite: half-dried cherry tomaties. I love these little babies. I could eat them constantly. Unfortunately, that would become rather expensive.

But I have a solution to this problem.

I make my own.

You wanna know how? It's really easy actually.

The secret is getting cheap cherry tomatoes.

At my local market, the deals get better during the day. When you go there say around 3pm, many of the sellers will have pans which contents they sell for one euro ($1.40). These products are often on the verge of going bad but for some recipes - like this one - that is really no problem.

So last week one of the things I picked up at the market wasva pan with a bunch of cherry tomatoes (I'm guessing about 50 of these beauties). After washing them and generously sprinkling them with olive oil, salt and black pepper, all I had to do was pop them in the oven for a couple of hours and I had a batch of half-dried tomatoes to last me for a while. They go great in salads but I've also used them in an avocado soup I made the other day.

Half-dried cherry tomatoes

40-50 cherry tomatoes

4 table spoons of olive oil

sea salt

black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 250 F (120 C) .

2. Rinse tomatoes and cut them in two.

3. Place them on a baking sheet.

4. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and black pepper and mix everything with your hands.

5. Leave the tomatoes in the over for 3-4 hours, until they shrivel up.

Enjoy!

First try

2009-06-19T12:56:00.006+02:00

My Philips food processor arrived and after enjoying unpacking the giant box and installing the processor and all its zillion accessories in my kitchen, the first thing I made... was a good old drink for myself.

I mixed gin, tonic water mint, and ice in the blender and voila!

I promise more ambitious projects will follow soon...

Waiting anxiously for...

2009-06-17T13:14:00.000+02:00

Really I am doing everything in my power to avert the economic crisis.

Yesterday I ordered both a 24" iMac and a Philips food processor online.

I know it's a bit extravagant, but I felt I deserved it because of my 1000Eu prize and almost graduating and having had my previous laptop for 6 years and finishing the internship and my time abroad! (Of course the 1000E does not cover this all. Sadly.)

I know I told you I wanted to buy a laptop and I did but then I realized I mostly use the computer at home and also since I have been suffering from back, neck and shoulder problems from stress and using the computer too much I felt a desktop computer would be the better choice for me. And of course, I admit, I swooned over the iMac design. It is gorgeous.

I ordered the iMac through the special Apple education store, which gave me a discount on the purchase but more importantly, the kind Apple people offered me an iPod touch. I only have to pay taxes for it.

Both the iMac and the iPod touch should be delivered here in 3 or 4 days I think. I can't wait.

But I'll have another toy to ease the waiting. Because I also bought a Philips foodprocessor which also functions as a blender and a juicemaker and it is supposed to be delivered already today! I've been eyeing it for a couple of weeks now and yesterday I just went for it. Maybe because its price tag wasn't so impressive anymore after just buying an iMac.... Check it out here (Oh and I got it a lot cheaper than it is selled for on this website... Yay!)

Isn't it a beauty?

I'll report to you as soon as my new loves arrive!

Raspberry-poppyseed muffins

2009-06-16T10:03:00.000+02:00

I know I've been telling you how much I love baking and cooking and how little I've shared that with you here yet.

Well, hold on, here is my first recipe. I made these muffins last week and they were an instant hit.

Why?
They are not too sweet.

They are actually low cal.

They are easy to make.

Oh. Yeah. And they're delicious.

Raspberry-poppyseed muffins

(yields about 20 medium sized muffins)
adapted from Epicurious

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

big pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup low fat yogurt

lemon juice from one lemon

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel

2 large eggs

1/8 cup poppyseeds

1 cup raspberries (frozen or fresh)

1. Preheat your oven to 350F (180C).

2. Butter and flour muffin pans or use paper liners.

3. Mix butter, sugar and lemon peel.

4. Add the eggs one by one, while mixing, until mixiture is light and fluffy

5. In another bowl, whisk flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt.

6. In a third bowl, mix yogurt with lemon juice.

7. Alternately, beat in dry mixture in 3 additions and yogurt mix in 2 additions to the first bowl.

8. Add poppy seed and raspberries.

9. Spoon batter into muffin pans by generous tablespoons full.

10. Bake muffins for about 24 minutes or until the muffins are no longer too moist.

Enjoy!

PS Since I am used to working with scales, I am very grateful for the conversions table provided by Chocolate & Zucchini. If anyone needs help with volume-to-weight-conversion for these measurements, let me know. Next I'll include those in my post as well!

Something fun for your weekend

2009-06-13T12:43:00.004+02:00

I was just cleaning the house when MrBee interrupted me to show me this video of dancers taking over Antwerp Central Station.

Oh MrBee knows me so well.... It totally made my day.

It was done by a Belgian TV channel as a promotion stunt for a new program to find a new musical star.

Unhealthy

2009-06-12T09:02:00.005+02:00

MrBee and I watched the Michael Moore documentary Sicko yesterday. I have to tell you, I was just baffled.

I am sure Michael Moore uses all kinds of editing tricks and strong rhetorics, but still I was so amazed by what is going on in the States. I feel lucky here in the Netherlands.

I especially liked the things British politician Tony Benn said.

MrBee and I cried, laughed and talked during the movie. I'm just so happy I'm back and able to share these things together.

Not a bad list either

2009-06-11T09:16:00.000+02:00

Start of a list

2009-06-09T13:40:00.003+02:00

Just the other day I asked your advice on writing life lists. You recommended me to be realistic and to be careful with big lofty goals and also to be accepting that my taste, my feelings and thus my goals can change.

After careful consiferation I still think writing a life list could be good for me. If only as an opportunity to contemplate what I really want and to discuss those things, for example with MrBee.

Have a look at the list here!

Your comments did lead me to take some precautions:

* I started with a list of 50 goals

* These goals are a mix of short-term and long-term goals but also contain some points that I cannot really tick off, but more things I would like to keep in mind, hopes for the future, mantra's to live by....

* One of the goals in my list is to keep reviewing the list

I'm just gonna see how it goes. See how I get on. I'll also make a button on the blog somewhere some time soon so it is easily accessible and I'll post about how it's working for me regularly I hope.

Any advice and comments are of course very welcome!

My version of a life list - Dreams and hopes

2009-06-09T13:30:00.000+02:00

Learn how to make sushi

Start a book club

Ride a limousine

Go to a ‘blind restaurant’

Buy ‘real’ art

Become a mom

Learn ballroom dancing

Visit the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee

Give a really, really great honest toast

Never show up empty-handed

Do something romantically cheesy

Throw a cocktail party

Always have a bottle of bubbles ready in the fridge and create reasons to celebrate

Learn how to work with Photoshop properly

Scuba Dive

Get married

Organize digital photos archive

Print selections of photos and put them in albums

Document my life

Say more I love you’s

Dance more

Be kind to others

Make pasta from scratch

Try sculpting

Accentuate the positive

Buy a 1930s house

Buy stocks

Have more often fresh flowers in the house

Bring old clothes to 2nd hand stores

Volunteer

Show my children the world

Learn how to sail properly

Teach my children to be open-minded, tolerant and kind to others

Open up about what’s really on my mind

Stop dieting

Grow roses in my future garden

Send out postcards and handwritten notes besides birthday cards

Never be embarrassed when it comes to my health

Trust my instincts

Go to a drive in movie

Keep having date nights with MrBee

Name my child after my mom

Buy more organic food

Truly accept and love my own body

Get a proper manicure and pedicure

Learn how to sew

Talk to MrBee about our dreams and hopes

Visit Japan

Learn basic HTML

Review this list actively

Typical Dutch

2009-06-07T13:41:00.001+02:00

One of the first days I was back home in Holland, I went into town on my bike to run some errands. On my way back I picked up these peonies which have been the eyecatcher of our living room since.

On my way back home I passed a boat with tourists enjoying a tour over the canals and then they started taking pictures of me cycling by!

I guess I did look like the prototype Dutch girl: long blond hair, Dutch bike, flowers under my arm, cycling on the bridge over the canal...

A very very very happy girl

2009-06-05T14:59:00.009+02:00

Remember how I told you MrBee and I went to see Phoenix play before we got together and I was still with someone else?

Well Phoenix just released a new album, their 4th, which hasn't left my CD player since I got it (yes I still buy CDs).

You can imagine how bummed I was when I found out a couple of weeks ago that Phoenix was coming to play in Amsterdam but that the show had already been sold out.

But I put up an ad on marktplaats.nl, which is I think the Dutch version of Craigslist, saying that whoever could sell me two tickets to the Phoenix show was gonna make me a very very very happy girl.

And then on Wednesday night I got a call. Someone offered me his tickets for the normal price. I was so excited! He even sent me the tickets before the money was booked onto his account. I love it when people just trust each other... I love this guy. He made my week.

The show was at a relatively new club in Amsterdam in a building that is going to be torn down in a while. It looked really industrial. Very cool. They had all kinds of art projects going on and we actually saw the Phoenix guys hanging out there before the show. Had to contain myself not to go ask them for an autograph. Or a picture. Or a drumstick (I have a small collection of drum sticks from bands I've been to see. MrBee plays the drums...).

And the show was just awesome. Just awesome. MrBee and I were right in front of the stage and we danced and sang along and just enjoyed the music. MrBee later told me I was just beaming all night long. I probably was...

And our way back home we remembered how different everything was on our first Phoenix concert...

Go!

2009-06-03T15:51:00.001+02:00

Go and enter!

Back home!

2009-06-03T15:08:00.004+02:00

I am back home and really really happy!

MrBee came to pick me up in Lyon and we had a really romantic last weekend there.

Driving back to Holland went really well. Fortunately it wasn´t too hot. I don´t have AC in my car and when I drove back from Geneva a week earlier I felt like I was before a reallyh arm blow dryer all the way. Not very comfortable. When we drove through Belgium we had a really really bad rain storm. Somehow it always rains when MrBee and I drive through Belgium... I wonder what that is....

I am enjoying spending time in our home, I´m getting used to being back. Somehow the idea that I don't have to leave again in a couple of days hasn't really sunk in yet....

Even though it has only been my second day back home, already I've noticed I should be careful not too waste too much time doing nothing, resorting again to the "cheap entertainment" I referred to in my very first blogpost. And although I feel like I deserved a bit of off time, I feel I need to make sure I get into some sort of ¨rythm¨ or routine.

In the next couple of weeks I don´t really have work or classes but I do have tons of stuff to do. I have reports to write before I can graduate. I need to start applying for jobs. We still have a lot of stuff to do around the house. I feel like structure in my days is essential for getting things crossed off my to-do-lists.

Tell me, do you have suggestions on how to make most of your days?

PS The artwork I won in a Blog Giveaway a couple of weeks ago has arrived! It´s tiny but really really pretty. I´ll post about it later when we decided where to put it.

Low

2009-05-27T17:13:00.003+02:00

Hello my dears - I just wanted to let you know I'm gonna lay low for a couple of days since I have to wrap up my internship which ends this Friday and then MrBee is coming to Lyon so I'll be much too busy to write something that might actually be mildly interesting for you. Next week I'll be back full force though because by then I have returned to my natural habitat back home!!!! Can't wait! xo

Pretty freaking awesome

2009-05-25T16:36:00.005+02:00

Boy oh boy did I have a good weekend...

Yesterday I drove to Geneva. I had to be there today to give a presentation at HQ of the organization that I am working for. But I went a day early because friends of mine live there. I had the best time. We spent the entire day in their garden with view on Lake Geneva and the Alps. It has to be one of the best views in the world.

Best thing about these friends? They sure know how to spoil a girl who loves good food and drinks... We started off early with a pre-lunch aperitive - rose wine and bruschetta. Well that was a first for me. Pre-lunch aperitive? I don't complain. We had a fabulous lunch with white wine. We drank gin-tonics on the pool side. We had dinner with swiss cheeses and salad from their own garden. Have you ever heard of Himalaya salt? They had it. I never expected to say this of salt, but it was delicious. They served espresso accompanied by the meringues I had brought from Lyon. We sat outside until well after 1am, playing cards, drinking limoncello. Do I sound like an alcoholic yet?! I must have gained 10 pounds in one day...

I love these people. Not just because their well stocked fridge. They always make me feel so welcome and relaxed. I'm sad that when my internship is over I won't be able to visit them so easily anymore....

Even though I didn't sleep so much last night my presentation at HQ went really well. My supervisor even hinted there would be job opportunities for me in the organization or other international organization...

Couldn't ask for a better start to my last week in Lyon...

End-of-the-week cheers

2009-05-22T09:15:00.006+02:00

I just realized I completely forgot posting my weekly dose of positivity. (Which I really need right now because Windows Explorer just crashed on me leading me to lose a nearly-finished blogpost... Argument to buy a Mac?!)

Here we go. this week cheers go to:

* Family. My uncle and aunt are in Lyon for a couple of days on their way to the South of France. Spending time with them yesterday reminded me how amazing it is to have loving family and how strong family ties are. They won't "break up" with me and while that may cause panic attacks in some people, I find it very comforting.

* Contests and giveaways. I cannot believe my luck lately. After winning the art giveaway over at The English Muse last week, I won 1000 euros this week! I can't wait to see what next week brings....

* Cute couples videos. I saw this on A Cup of Jo. I've found it on a number of other blogs since then as well, but I couldn't resits posting. Guaranteed smiles. And can you believe the awesomeness of their wedding guests?!

This other cute video Amelie-style was posted over at rockstar diaries.

* Having a boyfriend who has been so incredibly supportive both times I went abroad for a long period but who also tells me now he would like me to stay in the Netherlands from now on.. (I'm sorry I have been gushing about MrBee so much lately. You must be quite curious about him by now.... I promise to limit my MrBee-gushing as soon as we are reunited. I'm just a little obsessed at the moment. Just bear with me for a week en plus!)

*Blip.fm. Which seems to be a worthy replacement of pandora - which doesn't work anymore in Europe and which I have been missing terribly - and last.fm - which I never really liked. If you are on blip.fm as well, come and find me and check out my DJing superstylin'. Username is MsBee!

* Writing my cheer posts. I've found writing these posts make me feel so lucky and happy! I can recommend it!

I hope you're all having a wonderful day as well! xo Bee

Ok. They're pretty cute too...

2009-05-21T15:15:00.001+02:00

Guess who Phoenix singer Thomas Mars' girlfriend is...

It's Sofia Coppola.

They have a daughter called Romy together.

image/daylife

Aren't they the cutest couple ever.

Almost as cute as MrBee and I....

Ready for the next 5

2009-05-21T11:25:00.002+02:00

Just a little over five years ago...

I met Mr Bee in a record store.

We talked about music.

I bought many CDs.

He gave me discounts.

We went for a drink.

We talked and laughed and talked.

We kept on talking until we had been kicked out of three bars who closed before we were ready to say goodbye.

Small complication. I had a boyfriend.

We saw each other as much as we could.

I introduced him to my friends. We all danced together in one of my favorite clubs.

We laughed and talked.

I told him things not many people know.

We went to a concert together. The concert of Phoenix.

It was amazing.

I wanted him so bad.

It was electric.

Phoenix quickly became one of my favorite bands.

We stayed out until 7 in the morning. I didn't want to say goodbye.

We bought tickets to go see Air play.

I had to break up with my boyfriend. I was in love. With MrBee.

By the time that Air concert came around, MrBee held me. We had been together for a month.

(This is easily one of the sweetest videos of all time)

Today MrBee and I celebrate our 5 year anniversary.

Well we have to celebrate it separately, with me here in France and him being at home in the Netherlands.

I'm sure we'll make up for it when we see each other again (in 8 days!!!! wooooot!)

I can't wait for the next five years....

Light up light up

2009-05-20T01:59:00.000+02:00

On the 8th of December 1862 a statue of the Virgin Mary was erected in Lyon as a way to give thanks to the Virgin Mary for having kept the plague out of the city gates. To honor the event, the people of Lyon put candles in their windows for the first time to honor the new statue of the Virgin Mary. It became an annual tradition.

This tradition has been extended into an annual festival in December, Fete des Lumieres, and appearantly during that three day festival the city is like a fairytale with candles, illumniated buildings, fireworks and light signals.

Unfortunately I wasn't here yet in December (well, I was in South America then, so that's hardly unfortunate...) but it turns out that the city has cool light projects year round.

The most important buildings and bridges are illuminated at night in various colors. It is really quite cool....

(As you can see Lyon has its own tiny "Eifel Tower")

Good day sunshine!

2009-05-19T13:22:00.001+02:00

This morning I had to give a presentation for about 60 people and my supervisor wanted all kinds of last-minute alterations so I had to stay at work till 10 yesterday evening and got up at 6 this morning.....

(After a very horrible night of sleep. A mosquito from hell paid me a visit.)

But the presentation went really well and everyone was happy. I am now more confident about being able to complete this internship successfully. Yay!

My supervisor just came to bring me some orangette, chocolate covered strings of orange. He is a good man.

It is a good day.

I just received a phone call. Months ago I entered a career game for students who are about to graduate. Even though I was through to the third round, I could not compete for the title "best graduate" because I was abroad. But now they called me to tell me my name came out of the lottery for a 1000 euro extra prize, which is really really cool (1000EU is roughly $1360 or 880GBP). That really came as a surprise! It's just weird to be here by myself at work without really being able to share the news with anyone. But I'm happy I can share it with you.

Hello MrMac. Nice to meet you.

I think that MrMac would be a great destination for my prize money.... After some of you recommended getting a Mac I have been thinking about buying one.....

Or do you have a really good suggestion? A trip? More dresses?

What would you do with a suprise prize like this?

Dress up!

2009-05-18T10:17:00.003+02:00

Look at this cute dress.

I got it at Promod this weekend.

I am always drawn to dresses when I go shopping. It's so much more fun than shopping for basics. I hate having to spend money on boring shirts, tops and socks. As a result I own A Lot Of dresses (I'm guessing more than 30 - is that really really bad?) while I can never find two matching socks in my drawer...

Anyone else have that problem? And the solution?

I had a wonderful weekend with my friends.

I'll tell you more about it in later posts.

I admit: La France can be quite douce

2009-05-15T13:29:00.001+02:00

After yesterday's Bee-is-miserable-abroad-post, I thought I'd share some of the benefits of living in France.

Last weekend my dad and my brother were visiting and we had the perfect French day on Saturday.

We had breakfast with Pain au Chocolate

We drove into the beautiful French country side of the Beaujolais with many vinyards, hills and forests

We visited medieval villages, churches and boroughs

We had really really incredible macarons (mine was raspberry-pistachio, with poppy seed)

The sun was shining all day

We had baguettes for lunch

We did some vin degustation in the afternoon and of course made a little purchase too

We had dinner at a very cute little Italian restaurant.

... Ok so that's not typically French. But it was the perfect ending to a glorious day!

From Boo to Boost

2009-05-14T16:50:00.007+02:00

I am really grateful that Joanna over at A Cup of Jo posted about this website with very very very awkward family photo's. Because the pictures on this website have been giving me laughing fits for two days already now.

Go check it out.

It's hysterical.

I just wonder where they get these pictures from. Who would send in such pictures??

Pictures from Awkwardfamilyphotos

Boo!

2009-05-14T12:31:00.007+02:00

I don't feel very positive today.
I feel the need to hand out some boo's.

Free use of Pandora is restricted to the US. It has been already for a long time and I had moved on but right now I just really need to listen to a good mix of music and last.fm just told me I finished my trial period and Pandora was always so much better and AAH..

I'm just so frustrated with being here in Lyon in my crappy appartment without my friends, without MrBee. MrBee and I just moved in together a month before I started my internship and our house is so lovely and I feel like I am in a cocoon here, like life passes me by. I am lonely. Is that overly dramatic?

I read all these great blog posts about making your own notepads, sewing and great cooking and baking. I do some very basic baking here to feed my (very Dutch) egg cakes addiction (which I will post on later), but anything more challenging is virtually impossible. The kitchen in my crappy French appartment only contains about three knives and a whisk. Also, cooking is so much more fun when you can share. I'm inspired to try all these things but I get so frustrated because I can't here. I am making lists of things I wanna try and do as soon as I get home and I am so impatient and I just want this internship to be OVER. I've been abroad for pretty long periods of time before, but this time I'm not so excited about it as previous times...

I guess you could say I'm homesick.

I heart Regina

2009-05-13T15:53:00.002+02:00

Thought I would just spend another post on my love for Regina Spektor.

I love Regina Spektor
But I am also a total groupie of John Lennon.

I love the Regina version of Real Love by John Lennon. I think it's magical.

Also, don't you just love this video by Ben Folds featuring Regina? It's an unofficial vid but I think it's fun and the song is just great.

Midweek cheers: tag & art

2009-05-13T10:20:00.003+02:00

image from etsy/sascalia

I was tagged by the lovely Michelle from ohmishka to name six things that mae me happy today so I thought that coincided nicely with my midweek cheers.

*My growing blog: I’ve received a blog award, I’ve been tagged and visitor numbers are going up every day. Sooo cool
*My killer heels. I wasn’t feeling all too happy this morning but strutting down the streets in these babies on my way to work gave me the boost I needed

*Regina Spektor. I’ve been listening to her Begin to Hope album a lot again lately and she is glorious!

* Thinking of my two friends visiting Lyon next weekend

* The feedback my supervisor gave me for the first draft of the presentation I am giving next week

* I won an art giveaway at The English Muse! This news totally made my day. Check this out! I can't wait to see what the piece looks like in my living room. It's gonna be awesome!

I am tagging the following six lovely ladies to name six things that made them happy today: Kle Helen, Giselle, Olivia, Money Funk and that unreliable girl.

Have a great day!

Annoyed

2009-05-12T15:36:00.002+02:00

I am SO annoyed with Blogger because it doesn't do what I want (add some hard returns to last post)

PPFFFF

Goals?

2009-05-11T15:00:00.013+02:00

Image from etsy/VROOOOOM

I am contemplating writing a life list. I sorta feel the need to. I guess it fits in with my whole content living thing.

Let's write a list with pro's and cons...

Pro

* Writing a life list will make me think about what I really want

* It will make it easier to reach goals and make the most of my life

* Writing lists is fun!

Con

* Since I am pretty competitive, making goals into a list has the risk of adding too much pressure to the whole thing, if you know what I mean...

* Making it into a list with goals might also take the fun and spontaneity out of it

Maybe these two things are sort of the same. I don't know...

I have been reading this article which was pretty useful.

But there are also some practical difficulties.

* Should it only include long term goals or also more practical short term goals?
* How long should it be?

* Should it be definite or can it be continuosly evolving?

What are your thoughts on this?

Does anyone of you have experience with writing life lists?

A bite of cheek

2009-05-11T10:29:00.004+02:00

I have returned to normal life after finishing Twilight in a single day. Let me be clear about this: it's not a "good" book. But it is very addictive. Very entertaining. I can't wait to read the sequels.

I have to tell you about this really weird thing that happened to me while reading Twilight on the street though. This guy came up to me. He was maybe 45 years old, had a ponytail and was eating pistachio nuts.

- start -

Guy: Bonjour blablablabalabllaa

Bee: Parlez-vous Anglais?

Guy: Yessss... I was just saying you have beautiful eehh... cheeks! Cheeks! One like a tomate.. ehh a tomato... the other like a flower...

Bee: ????

Guy: Yesss... beautiful... where are you from?

Bee: Holland

Guy: Ah beautiful. I know Rotterdam. And Amsterdam. You know my friend told me I should act on my instinct and so I thought this girl has nice cheeks and I thought I must tell her!

Bee: Right

Guy: I am a poet. [Breaks out into French poetry rants] Would you like some pistachio nuts?

Bee: No thanks, I should go

Guy: I go to movies a lot. I get tickets because I am a poet. [Some more French poetry rants] Do you want my phone number so we can go to the cinema?

Bee: I don't think that's such a great idea, but thanks

Guy: Or my email?

Bee: No that's ok. I really have to go. Bye!

Guy: You know in French it is normal to give kisses on the cheek. But with you I would like to do something different.

Bee: ??

Guy: You know Transylvania? You know Dracula? Because you have cheeks like tomatoes and flowers, I would like to bite your cheeks. Let's do that.

Bente: ?!?!?!? No.

Guy: Oh but I am not crazy. I am not weird. It is not just because I want to bite your cheeks. But it rhymes with the poem I write about meeting you. [Another couple of lines of French poetry]. Only if I bite your cheeks it will rhyme. So can I?

Bee: ?!?! No!

Guy: Oooooh... Really? No bite? [Sees my face] Oh but then next time we meet, if destiny allows us, if fate allows us, then next time I can bite your cheeks right? [while grabbing my hand]

Bee: Um. I don't think so. Byeeeeeeeeee!

- end scene -

HOW WEIRD IS THAT?!?!

Well he sure wasn't the vampire boyfriend I was longing for while reading the book. Pff.

I'll stick with MrBee.

Honored

2009-05-10T08:03:00.003+02:00

Lovely miss Kle from the great blog accidentally, kle has awarded me with my very first blog award. I feel so honored! Thanks so much Kle!

I just did a bit of a Google search on this award and found different requirements all over. But many Bloggers mention having to list a number of things that make them happy. And hey, I'm all for the lists.

7 Things that make me happy in no particular order:

1. Fresh flowers. They brighten up a room and make a perfect gift.
2. Dresses. I have many many dresses. You could say I have too many dresses. I love dresses. Wearing dresses makes me happy.
3. Dipping cookies (preferably homemade of course) in my tea.

4. Music. I'm a music freak. MrBee used to work in a record store, has a degree in audio engineering, likes to DJ and has about 4000 CDs. So I don't really have a choice... We go to concerts and festivals and we love browsing through CDs and vinyl at stores and fleamarkets together. Yes, I STILL BUY CDs.
5. Food & Wine & Friends. Hands down best combo in the world.
6. Doing the MC Hammer dance. I'm serious. If you ever feel down, put on the CD (OK, I confess I have the MC Hammer Greatest Hits CD but I swear it was the result of a bet and I only ever play the first two tracks!) and dance and you'll feel better instantly!

7. Board and card games. Yes I am a nerd. A highly competitive nerd that is.

Also, I would like to pass this award on to a couple of my favorite bloggers. I'm pretty sure they all must've had an award or two before, but I can't help it, they are my faves.

7 Blogs I love:

- Rachel at Heart of Light writes one of my favorite blogs. She's crafty, she shares great recipes AND she takes beautiful pictures.
- Melanie at You Are My Fave is funny, has six sisters and posts oh so many lovely things.
- Olivia at Everyday Musings has a very witty style and works in a cup cake bakery.

- Helen at The Museum Cupboard is original and sweet.
- Meg is amazing and writes an honest blog that I love. And I LOVE the picture of her mom in the header.

- My dear friend Megan at Saverqueen writes a blog on frugality. She's incredibly smart and her posts are always very insightful.

- Layers of Meaning is a lovely blog with great etsy finds, design ideas and the wonderful Through Her Eyes series.

So there you go. It doesn't really get any better so check 'em out!

Bike Love

2009-05-08T09:40:00.011+02:00

As a Dutchie, I am very used to cycling. To me a bike is the perfect way of transport: it’s flexible, quick and it gives me at least some daily exercise. But then flat Dutchland is perfect for it. We take our bikes everywhere. (I found this website of an American commenting on Dutch bike customs. It's pretty funny - but also pretty ignorant...)

Abroad it is usually a bit more challenging to ride a bike through busy cities; challenges being hills and motorists that are not used to cyclists and therefore try to run you over more frequently.

When I was in Geneva for the first part of my internship, biking was not really an option for, Geneva being a town in between the Jura mountains and the Alps. I HATE cycling uphill. So I used my car to drive around town and from work to my house. Better than public transport in this case, but it was far from perfect: heavy traffic during rush hour, problematic parking and f course environmentally unfriendly. The only really good thing is being able to sing along very loudly to my iPod. (Although they probably do saw me passionately mouthing the words…). That would be slightly less comfortable in a packed bus.

But here in Lyon they have a really cool system. They have ‘stations’ with bikes, electronically locked, on 250 places around the city, which basically means on every other street corner. After you’ve subscribed to this system – which is ridiculously cheap – you can unlock a bike at any station and return it again to any other station. And the bikes are generally quite good: they have working lights and cute little baskets for your coat/purse/shopping bags.

However, even though you see quite a few people riding these (and other bikes) around town, most Lyonese drivers are not yet entirely used to them. So I’ve found it’s safest to cycle over the tram tracks. Mind you, you have to use the tracks of the tram coming from the opposite tracks from you. You don’t want to be surprised by a tram ambushing you from behind…

So now this Dutchie gets to bike again! I love it. It makes me miss my own bike a little less….

I love my bike.

Hooked

2009-05-07T11:57:00.007+02:00

Ok so I finished reading The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. An entertaining book. Lots of mystery, bits of romance... It's a good read, but not incredibly special I felt. If you're looking for a nice book to entertain you, sure read it. If you're looking for something to turn your world upside down, this is not your book.

Still I finished the last bit of the book incredibly fast. Not because I was so curious to find out how the mystery would unravel, but because my friend had brought a copy of Twilight by Stephanie Meyer with her for me.

Somehow I completely missed the whole Twilight mania. I know I know... it's a whole series and they're making movies of it and millions of kids are dedicated fans and everything. I know now. But I didn't know anything about Twilight until my friend told me she had read all the books in the series so far and that she was embarassed to admit that she loved them all.

And I trust her opinion.

I knew it was sort of a teenager romance book and far from the most intelligent read around, but also that I was going to love it.

And I do.

After finishing The Forgotten Garden in a hurry I dived straight into Twilight. And I'm hooked.

I read while having breakfast. I decided to walk to work today so I could run into streetlights. No. So I could read. And accidentally run into streetlights and other obstacles along the way. I find it hard to focus on work. I just want to finish the book!

Anyone else read the book?

By the way, this morning walking down the street, I passed by two elderly French men, discussing politics (I think... les allemagnes blablabalabla) while both having a baguette clutched under their arms.

I wish I had a camera with me.

But then again I'm not sure what they would think of me if I asked them whether I could take their picture...

Midweek cheers: shoes and mail

2009-05-06T15:03:00.005+02:00

image from etsy/AuraleeDallas

This week my cheers go to:

My cute new shoes! All three pairs!

Only having another 3,5 weeks to go at my internship in France! Then MrBee is coming to France to reclaim me. He's coming by train and then we'll be driving back to Holland together in my car. After a romantic weekend in Lyon of course... I'm so looking forward to being back home again.

Mail. The non-electronic kind. It's just awesome to receive handwritten postcards, letters, notes. I love the stamps, the handwriting, the excitement to find something in the mailbox, thinking of the trip that envelope must have made before it reached its destination... So that's why I am sending out a couple of cards myself today, knowing the receivers will appreciate it just as much as I do. And then karma will do the rest right?

Shopping carte blanche?

2009-05-06T11:43:00.009+02:00

For two weekends in a row I had girlfriends staying with me in Lyon.

That means drinking wine out in the sun.

Eating crepes. (They tasted better than they looked).

But it also meant serious shopping.

My friends felt like they were on vacation and therefore had no reservations on spending and I.. well I didn’t want to spoil the fun.

So I bought a couple of things. Just to join in.

Some things I truly truly love.
Like these shoes. Aren’t these the cutest??

I thought they were so cute, I bought them in three colors.

(You can see I already started wearing the blue ones...)

I think that purchase is totally legit: they were really really cheap, just looking at them makes me smile and I wear ballerina flats all the time. All. the. time. So no regrets here.

But I also got two tops at NAF NAF which were sort of cool and on sale. Which is of course a big plus. But after I tried them on a couple of times at home, I wasn’t too sure anymore. They weren’t very flattering and I didn’t feel comfortable in them, which is usually a sign for me I won’t be wearing them much. And already my closet is too full with items I rarely wear. (I'm in desperate need of a major closet clean out). So I decided to take those back.

When I got to the store yesterday, it turned out I was too late to return them. Because they were sale items, I apparently had only 8 days to return them.

The girls at the store were so nice and felt really bad for me. They told me the computer wouldn’t let them take it back. I couldn’t understand everything they said in French and I think they were sorry for me, as a foreigner, not understanding it, confused…

In the end they graciously offered to take back the clothes and let me shop for the worth of those clothes. I didn’t know whether I should feel disappointed about not getting my money back or thrilled about having a shopping carte blanche, financed by myself.

Anyway, in the end I was really content because I got two rather basic pieces that I know I will wear a lot which is so much better than having to keep the other two pieces that would definitely have ended up somewhere in the back of my closet. And the girls at the shop were so sweet, I left the store a happy customer...

Creature Comforts Giveaway

2009-05-06T10:37:00.003+02:00

Just wanted to let you guys know Creature Comforts is doing a really nice Annie and Imogene giveaway. Wouldn't this necklace be great to jazz up a simple outfit?

4th and 5th of May

2009-05-05T10:17:00.008+02:00

On the 4th of May the Dutch commemorate all those that have suffered and died in wartime since World War II. Jews, soldiers defending the Dutch borders, communists, soldiers in the allied forces, civilians who died in air raids, people who tried to help others, people who resisted, people who died of hunger and cold, but also those who participated in peacekeeping missions in Bosnia, in Africa…

It is tradition that at eight o’clock at night everyone is silent for two minutes. Everyone is. Public transport stops, cars halt at the side of the road, all TV stations are silent, streets are empty and flags are half mast. Everyone takes two minutes to pay tribute to all those lost. People gather at war monuments. The largest gathering is at the national monument at the Dam square in Amsterdam, which is also attended by the Royal family. After two minutes the flags are hoisted again to the national anthem.

(If you’re interested, watch the video in the link here. The guy giving the speech in the end is the Mayor of Amsterdam, he is thanking the Queen for being there this year especially, since there was an attack on her and the Royal Family only last Thursday, on Queensday (see link). Some maniac drove through the crowd, killing 6 people on the way, trying to ram the bus with the Royal family.)

When I was a little I would think of Anne Frank for two minutes. For me, she was the symbol of all that suffered in that time. My mom had taken me to the house where Anne Frank was hiding during the war when I was maybe only 10 and that together with reading her diary really had a huge impact on me.

Even now, being abroad, I take two minutes to think about the cruelties that happened then and to remember those whose fight and resistance make that I live in a free country now. I am grateful for that.

I think it is beautiful when people come together to do something good, the way I feel all Dutch come together on the 4th of May. I feel the same – although it is something completely different – when an ambulance with sirens on comes hurrying down the road and all cars make way. There is a silent code that that’s what you do in a situation like that, because that helps others, because it’s good, so we all do it. I think it’s so cool.

On the fifth of May the Dutch come together again. We come together to celebrate our liberation in 1945 by the Canadians, English and Americans and we celebrate our freedom today. And that’s done a little differently: no silence, but a lot of music. Festivals are organized all around the country and we celebrate, sing, dance and drink beer to celebrate our freedom.

(the banner reads "celebrate freedom", photo from parool.nl)

(I know this has been my second sort of war post on this blog, which is not something I specifically want for this blog (I really wanted to do something a lot more lighthearted), I guess I am just more aware of stuff like this being abroad and writing this blog... But I'll be more cheerful in my next posts.)

Laptop love

2009-05-04T12:17:00.009+02:00

My old Dell laptop is really really finished. It has lost a couple of buttons. The screen is almost detached from the bottom. It won't recognize my external hard disk. It's over....

Female (25), slightly impatient and demanding, looking for new laptop love; has to be powerful and versatile.

Any suggestions? Should I go for Mac or not? What brands are good, which aren’t? HELP!

Enjoy the weekend

2009-05-01T14:42:00.005+02:00

image from etsy/bluecitrusart

"An optimist is the human personification of spring"

Susan J. Bissonette

Have a good weekend!

I'll be enjoying sunny Lyon and surrounding with my visiting friend this weekend so I'll check in again on Monday

As promised: book reviews

2009-04-29T15:23:00.007+02:00

Since I don’t have an internet connection or TV or any good cooking utensils apart from one sharp knife at the French apartment I am staying at for my two months in Lyon, I have endless amounts of time (especially since I am still ignoring the thesis I vowed to finish in the evenings during my stay here) which I spend mostly doing two things: playing spider solitaire on my laptop (sad I know, but so addictive) and reading.

(Wow that was a long sentence).

I don’t think my Spider Solitaire progress is of much interest to you, but I thought I’d share some of my thoughts on the books I read.

Finally finally finally I read The Lord of the Rings. I am a huge fan of the movie and I was quite ashamed of not having read the book yet. Usually I prefer to read the book before seeing the movie, so I can use my own imagination when picturing the characters and the surroundings. Now I kept seeing Orlando Bloom in my mind when Legolas came along in the book. Which isn't necessarily bad by the way. (I'm not really a big fan of Orlando Bloom, don't find him particularly hansom but somehow.. as an elf... I find him irresistable. I like to think it's not because of a weird fetish for pointy ears or long blond hair, but because I am so impressed by his bow-and-arrow-handling.. appearantly shooting orcs from an elephant's back is my idea of sexy....)

Anyway.

I was surprised how different the book was from the movie. There weren't just bits omitted for the movie, there were also bits of the storyline that were entirely different. So I really loved discovering that. It was like the extended extended extended version of the story. With some plot twists. I don't think I'm gonna be one of those people who can re- and re-read this book though, but I enjoyed reading it and I can recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed the movie.

This book by Martin Zusak I finished in a day. It is such a good read. It’s difficult to say much about the book without spoiling it, but I can tell you it’s a novel about an ordinary German family during the war. It’s not exactly a happy book, but it’s not dark and depressing like some other wartime novels. It’s written from an interesting perspective and the writing style is odd, but you’ll get used to it and get hooked. I promise. Go read it! It's beautiful!

Do you have any book recommendations for me? I'm up for anything from chiklit to fantasy!

(I'll be back with more book reviews and reading news later. Meanwhile, you can keep track of what I'm currently reading in the box on the left!)

Midweek cheers: girlfriends, cereal and France

2009-04-29T13:40:00.007+02:00

Image from etsy/isofoto

I’ve decided to give out some weekly cheers. To help me realize all the goodness in my life blah blah blah……

but also because I simply enjoy making lists.

Any kind of list. Shopping lists, to-do-lists, you name it, I list it. I even make lists of food I like. And food I don’t like. Not for those kind people who host a dinner party and invite me. Or for MrBee when he goes grocery shopping. No, just for myself. For the fun of listing. And because I like to have that information in a list. Clear and ordely. Is that weird? Or neurotic? I guess I am a bit neurotic.

Anyway. This week’s cheers go to:

The Secret Society of List Addicts blog. For reasons mentioned above.
Girlfriends who come to visit me whenever I’m abroad. They bring me Dutch supplies, they shop and drink cocktails with me, they assure me nothing major has happened back home while I was gone and inform me of all the minor things that did happen, they talk and talk deep into the night and don’t mind when I fall asleep mid-sentence, they make inside-jokes, they forget their toothbrushes when they go home so I am reminded of them every morning and evening…. I love them! One of my best friends is actually arriving in 3 hours!! And she is bringing along Dutch apple syrup (or however that’s translated into English), her home inspiration scrapbook which we urgently need to discuss (she was a great help when I was decorating our place back home – she was pretty much the only person who would understand there is a very important difference between various shades of greyish-blue, now it’s her turn) and her own fabulous self. Yay!
White label versions of overpriced brands. On sale. Which is the reason I’m now the proud owner of three boxes of cheap fake Kellog’s special K cereal. Great. I hate how overpriced the real ones are. (BTW Does anyone have a recipe for making your own cereal??)
France! I miss home terribly but just the other day two men started singing “Ooooh Champs-Elysees… Oooooh Champs-Elysees….” when I walked by. That truly made my week.
Mr Bee, who is being the sweetest boyfriend ever. He just sent me the most adorable email telling me how he misses me. I am a lucky girl.

Who or what get cheers from you this week?

Downtime

2009-04-28T11:24:00.005+02:00

Whenever I am down or stressed out, I do a couple of things:
I read
I eat
I drink tea
I bake
I cook
I wear comfort clothes
So that’s how I spent last week when I was back home in Holland.

I read three books in the last week or so. I finally finished The Lord Of The Rings. I read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak in one day and I read The Girl with the Red Hair (a Dutch book about a girl working for the Resistance during WWII). I'm planning to post book reviews/recommendations on this blog soon! So I'll get back to this.

I love tea. I drink liters and liters of tea a day. Because filling up and downing regular sized mugs would be too much trouble, I have a mug to match my appetite for tea. Back home we have fresh mint so I love making fresh mint tea.

I made Rachel’s Greek dinner for MrBee, my dad and my brother. I used pork for the souvlaki but also made some skewers using tempeh since I’m a veggie. I also added a side dish of white cabbage with vinaigrette and a big salad with radishes. I also made pita bread using a recipe I found on Saverqueen's great blog. It was great. I especially loved the tzatziki. Next day, at the cremation service of my grandma, we actually had some people ask us whether we had had a lot of garlic the night before…. WOOPS! Haha.. My grandma would have loved that.

I also baked two batches of cupcakes and a loaf of whole wheat bread. Baking just makes me so relaxed. It feels great to release stress by kneading and whisking and be rewarded by some cookie dough or batter straight out of the bowl afterwards.

For the cupcakes I used a Nigella Lawson recipe as a basis, but added all kinds of stuff along the way leading to a batch of Vanilla-Rasberry cupcakes with cute pink frosting and a batch of very rich and creamy coconut cupcakes. I have to say, they were delish! I’ll try to post my recipes when I’m back in Holland again. (But I have to warn you, I’m terrible at sticking to recipes. Usually I just do what feels right. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t…)

And the comfort clothes, it may surprise you, are not sweats. Whenever I feel down I dress up in a cute dress or skirt, wear high heels and apply more make-up than I usually do. It makes me feel beautiful and special. My absolute favorite is this one dress that my mom wore when she was in her twenties. My grandma had made it for her, but my mom decided it was too conservative and cut off quite a few inches. So the dress is short, but extremely cute and flattering. Wearing it always makes me feel pretty and close to my mom.

It was a soothing week. And I needed it.

(I know I should have taken pictures. I will. Soon.)

Ode

2009-04-27T14:20:00.007+02:00

My grandma wasn’t the prototype grandma. She didn’t knit, she didn’t sing me songs, and she didn’t enjoy chitchat about trivial things. Instead, she wrote me letters and sent me newspaper clippings of everything she thought might be interesting to me, accompanied by her comments in the sideline. When I visited her, she talked to me about politics and worldly affairs. She was a feminist, a great advocate of soft drugs legalization and a firm believer of equal rights.

How different she was in her youth…

Born in Indonesia, which was a Dutch colony back then (the Dutch West Indies), my grandma enjoyed a carefree childhood. She wanted to become a movie star. She got married at a young age, had fun with her many friends and she enjoyed parties and the beautiful weather.

Then World War II came to the Pacific and my grandma’s husband fought the Japanese until his ship was torpedoed and sank. For days, he drifted on a bamboo raft in the ocean, before he was picked up and admitted to a military hospital, which was later turned into a prison.

Women were ordered to report, but my grandma, who was pregnant, and her mother refused and stayed in their home. Then, one night, a friend came to their house in the middle of the night and advised them to leave their house. After that night, women who had stayed in their homes were raped and murdered and their homes were pillaged.

This friend had saved their lives.

My grandma gave birth to her first child in a Japanese concentration camp. Her husband never got to see his baby girl: after his recovery he was taken away on a Japanese war ship which was bombarded by the English, who didn’t know there were also many prisoners on board. He was one of the few to survive, but died several months later during forced labour on railroads, 29 years old.

My grandma, her young child and her mother survived several camps. My grandma never really talked about it. It must have been horrible. My grandma had lost her first husband, her in-laws and many friends. But she felt she had been lucky. She was Jewish and had she lived in Holland in that time, she and her family would have been deported to German concentration camps, which were even worse than the Japanese camps.

After the war she came to Holland, together with her 3-year old daughter, her mother and the man who had saved her life during the war, my grandfather. They got married and they all stayed with my granddads parents, who were just recovering from the German occupation. They had had Jewish people hiding with them during the war (who later emigrated to the States and started a chocolate factory there) and lost a son who had been forced to work in Germany. Food and fuel were still rationed and Holland had to be rebuilt. In mid-April 1947, my grandma gave birth to a stillborn child. Exactly one year and one day later, my dad was born. The doctor offered to change the recorded date of birth to one day earlier: it would mean that the child was officially born in winter, which would entitle the family to extra food and fuel rations. My grandma refused, it would have meant my dad would have the same date of birth as the stillborn.

Things got better. After five years of living with her in-laws, they got their own house. They had another child and the family of five was doing well.

But my grandma had changed completely. She had learned that life was not about looks and trivialities. Instead she joined environmental groups, gave lectures on recycling, wrote for newspapers and magazines and wrote letters for Amnesty International.

My grandfather died when he was only 67. My grandma said she felt like she had been cut in two. She never really recovered.

She hated the bad Dutch weather. She missed her homeland. She suffered from polyneuropathy, probably caused by the lack of certain nutrients during her time in the Japanese camp, which affected her mobility. But she still enjoyed going outside, grateful for every ray of sun. She enjoyed talking to people and was very opinionated.

When I visited her on Good Friday, we had another amazing conversation. We spoke about my internship, global health and my plans for the future. More importantly, she told me that she loved me.

Only 8 days later she died. She was 89 years old.

I will miss her terribly.

Away

2009-04-20T09:42:00.002+02:00

My dear grandmother passed away this weekend. I went home right away to be with my family. This probably means I won't be posting here much in the next couple of days...

Laugh & Cry

2009-04-16T11:57:00.005+02:00

Ok so I admit I'm in a bit of an emotional state right now, being in France by myself. But this video made me laugh and cry (just like the video I posted yesterday by the way). I'm sure the whole world has watched this clip on youtube by now, but I just wanted to post it and please, if you haven't watched it yet, do so now:

I realized that if I was Susan Boyle, I would never have gone up there. I would have feared the cynical reaction of the judges and audience that she indeed had to endure. Untill she started singing. She blew them away. This clip shows that it's so much better to go out there and risk it, instead of letting fear of criticism and other people's opinions keep you from chasing your dreams.

I hope this lady is gonna be terribly succesful and gets all that she deserves for being so brave and lovely. And a bloody good singer as well....

Don't divorce them

2009-04-15T11:00:00.002+02:00

I believe firmly in equal rights. So I wanted to share this video with you. It’s love. It’s beautiful and yet so sad. Why wouldn’t you want all these wonderful people to be happy?

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

Random thoughts

2009-04-14T10:53:00.007+02:00

Just came back last night from a glorious weekend back home.

Mr Bee turned the big 30 and we celebrated both our birthdays together with friends and family. (I'm turning 25 next Friday, but since I am by myself here in Lyon that day I decided to pretend my birthday was last weekend.) It was really good to see everyone again. We had a great time and were spoilt with really cool gifts.

We have also seriously upgraded our balcony. Mr Bee and I only moved into our house last winter and the balcony (which is huge) was dirty and messy. But we spent some time cleaning it on Saturday and with a newly acquired picknick table, the barbeque we got as a gift and some lovely hortensias and potted herbs, we are ready for summer! I can't wait for food, friends and wine in the evening sun... Also, it feels really good to have finished a project like that together.

Mr Bee and I watched Juno on DVD yesterday. We both thought it was such a good movie, so cute. It reminded us of Little Miss Sunshine, which is one of my favourite movies. Favourite quote from Juno: "He is the cheese on my macaroni." Or : "Yeah and I mean Zeus had tons of lays but I'm pretty sure Juno was his only wife. And apparently she was supposed to be super beautiful but really mean, like Diana Ross." It was funny...

On the plane back home yesterday I read a Cosmo mag my friend gave me a little while ago. It made me laugh. Besides the standard "secret diet tips" and yet another answer to the question how we can make men like us, it featured an article on how to enjoy your life. I'm not kidding when I tell you one of the brilliant Cosmo tips to improve your life was to go to work with a serious hangover, because "it will allow you to look at your work from a differente perspective". Are you serious?!?

Cosmo also told me that I would be able to check my testosterone levels just by looking at my hands. According to this "fun trick" I am "very feminine and fertile" but I also have an "elevated risk of breast cancer", because my index finger is longer than my ring finger. Well, that's fun...(Cosmo says: If your ring finger is longer than your index finger, you have a lot of testosteron and if they are equally long, your testosterone level is normal.)

Unfortunately there was no reference or source quoted, but I checked a database for scientific medical journals and appearantly there is also a relationship between the ratio of these two fingers and oestrogen levels, male BMI, body shape and sperm count. How weird is that...

Cheese Love

2009-04-09T12:56:00.007+02:00

I watched this guy on the market for a couple of minutes. He was picking up cheeses, pinching them, rolling them around in his hand.... Maybe it's a way to test the quality of the cheese. Or maybe he just liked the feel of it? I think I would...

Spring

2009-04-09T09:34:00.005+02:00

When I walked out of the appartment building this morning, the sun and blooming trees made me so happy...

Too bad I have to work all day today. Inside. Because of security, windows cannot open and when the sun is out, my office is like a little greenhouse. But I think I'm just gonna sneak out around lunch time to go to a nearby market.... Might be able to get me some good French cheese there to take home to Dutchland this weekend. I will report later!

Kick-off

2009-04-08T12:22:00.006+02:00

Here we go...

I have been reading quite a few blogs for a while now (see blog roll). Not only offer these blogs great entertainment when I'm bored and really good tips on books to read, movies to see and recipes to try, they also really inspire me. Because these people are doing the things that they love! Why don't I spend more time on the things that I love?!

I guess one of the reasons is that I resort so easily to cheap entertainment. Watching endless episodes of the Hills online. Switching on the TV instead of diving into a book. Not to watch that one show that I love, but just watching anything that is on in complete apathy, while hours and hours go by. And although I think this is sometimes completely justified (after a long and frustrating day it can actually be extremely soothing not having to think), most nights spent like this end with me being very frustrated with myself and maybe even more tired than when I got home.

Currently I live in Lyon in France for a couple of months to to complete an internship for an international organization here. I live in an appartment without internet or TV and when I started my internship here, I didn't know anyone. I'm still not very well integrated in French society I have to admit. Sometimes it freaks me out and I feel lonely, disconnected from the world. But with all this time on my hands, I started spending more time preparing my meals, reading books, writing to friends (yes! actual handwritten letters!) all while drinking gigantic amounts of tea. I love it. I now discover there are so many hours left in the day after work and I feel so much more satisfied when I go to bed. Doing the things that I love gives me energy.

And I fully intend to keep this up when I return to my busy life in Holland. I guess it is about using my time more consciously. Filling my life with actual content. And then being content with it. Lose the frustration and be happy. Because I do live a great life. So that explains the title of this blog I guess. I thought writing this blog will keep me focused on that resolution, but also, and maybe more importantly, I think sharing the things that make you happy can make you enjoy them so much more…

(This might all sound very focused and determined, but I have a suspicion that the topics coming up on this blog will be rather random…)