What made me happy today? You!
2013 is almost over. 2014 is almost here. I hope 2014 will be as great as 2013 has been!
So I just want to say thank you. Thank you for reading my ramblings. Thank you for coming on this journey with me. Thank you for your kind words. And most of all, thank you for being awesome, and a part of my 'happy'.
As a wise person once said: happiness is not a destination, it is a journey. I want to add to that that it's not the destination that matters, but the journey. And my journey to happiness has been one hell of a ride!
When I set out to do this project, I often struggled to find happy things to write about. But as the days turned in to weeks, and the weeks turned in to months, I noticed that I was finding it easier and easier to find happy things to write about.
And if you're wondering if I'm actually happier now, I can honestly tell you: yes, I am. By making a conscious effort to focus on the good, positive things, and not dwell on the negative things, I actually feel happier. It's not even an effort any more. Of course there are still things that make me sad. That's normal. But I don't fret about the small things as much as I used to. I've learned a lot of things throughout this year.
You are responsible for your own life. You make your own destiny. You can do it.
So all that is left for me is this: happy New Year! May your blessings in 2014 be many! Keep your loved ones close, tell people how you feel about them, enjoy life (it's short), and do good things. Don't take it all to serious. Laugh. Love. Learn. Dream. Dance. Dare. Drink. Play. Read. Sing. Create. Cook. Bake. Wear sunscreen. Never ever drink and drive. Don't go to bed angry. Kiss. Hug. Enjoy.
Keep an eye on my twitter too see what 2014 will bring!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Monday, December 30, 2013
2013
What made me happy today? 2013
2013 has been a great year, with a lot of happy, amazing, awesome, funny, heart-warming and epic moments. As is often a tradition during this time of the year, I offer you two lists with an overview of 2013.
Your favorite posts:
1) my new haircut
2) Harry Potter
3) birthday girl!
4) sing a song
5) sleepphones
6) the key
7) my big announcement
8) BodyTonique
9) into the asylum
10) making new friends
My favorite posts:
1) my big announcement
2) into the asylum
3) making new friends
4) sing a song
5) my driver's license
6) Auntie!
7) bare
8) Ted-X
9) Hoshi!
10) big announcement 2
Of course, every day was special in it's own way! Feel free to scroll through all the posts :-)
2013 has been a great year, with a lot of happy, amazing, awesome, funny, heart-warming and epic moments. As is often a tradition during this time of the year, I offer you two lists with an overview of 2013.
Your favorite posts:
1) my new haircut
2) Harry Potter
3) birthday girl!
4) sing a song
5) sleepphones
6) the key
7) my big announcement
8) BodyTonique
9) into the asylum
10) making new friends
My favorite posts:
1) my big announcement
2) into the asylum
3) making new friends
4) sing a song
5) my driver's license
6) Auntie!
7) bare
8) Ted-X
9) Hoshi!
10) big announcement 2
Of course, every day was special in it's own way! Feel free to scroll through all the posts :-)
Sunday, December 29, 2013
I will survive!
What made me happy today? I will survive!
Sometime in August, I mentioned that one of the things I do on a Sunday night is playing Vampire: World of Darkness.
The last few sessions were of a more diplomatic nature, but today's session got a tad bloodier. The coterie I'm a part of decided to go and clear out the Nosferatu warrens. All went well for the first part.
Until I suddenly got hit in the face by a enormous and very powerful Nosferatu, that came out of nowhere. Nothing I tried seemed to be working, and I'm so glad vampires are fast healers. But I was running out of options at an alarming pace. Especially when this huge Nosferatu decided to sumo-crush me with his entire body weight. So, in a last ditch effort, I sunk my fangs in him (I'm playing a Vampire after all). And I lived!
Huzzah, I live to fight another day :-)
Sometime in August, I mentioned that one of the things I do on a Sunday night is playing Vampire: World of Darkness.
The last few sessions were of a more diplomatic nature, but today's session got a tad bloodier. The coterie I'm a part of decided to go and clear out the Nosferatu warrens. All went well for the first part.
Until I suddenly got hit in the face by a enormous and very powerful Nosferatu, that came out of nowhere. Nothing I tried seemed to be working, and I'm so glad vampires are fast healers. But I was running out of options at an alarming pace. Especially when this huge Nosferatu decided to sumo-crush me with his entire body weight. So, in a last ditch effort, I sunk my fangs in him (I'm playing a Vampire after all). And I lived!
Huzzah, I live to fight another day :-)
Saturday, December 28, 2013
The desolation of Smaug
What made me happy today? The desolation of Smaug.
The boyfriend and I went to see 'the hobbit: the desolation of Smaug' yesterday. Neither of us particularly like the first movie, as it's tormentingly slow at times. But the reviews for the second one were really good, so we decided to go ahead and see how this one shaped up.
*Warning: spoilers ahead*
I have to say, we weren't disappointed. The movie has it's flaws, true. There's some questionable science in the movie, it could have done without the romance angle and should have ended 20 seconds earlier. I mean, Peter Jackson could have ended the movie with Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) saying 'I am fire. I am death.' Instead, he ended the movie with Bilbo (Martin Freeman) saying 'What have we done?'
But the movie has a much better pace. The characters are portrayed much more coherently, and the awesomeness is just everywhere. Except for Thranduil, whom I wanted to slap in his face more than once.
Visually, the movie is simply stunning. And there were some nice casting surprises as well! Stephen Fry as master of Lake Town to name just one.
I also had a small nerd moment at the start of the movie. 2 white mice near Martin Freeman :-) if you don't get that, go watch the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy ;-)
Enjoy your weekend !
Friday, December 27, 2013
Year of the nerd!
What made me happy today? Year of the nerd!
It was a very calm day at work, so I decided to take the afternoon off. I still had some overtime :-)
After the cleaning had been done, I decided to take a look at Buzzfeed and stumbled across this article that made my whole day! And the nerdiness will continue today, as I'm heading to the movies with the boyfriend to see 'the Hobbit: the desolation of Smaug'. With Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Armitage, Martin Freeman and Orlando Bloom.
Enjoy your Friday! And please excuse me while my inner nerd keels over.
It was a very calm day at work, so I decided to take the afternoon off. I still had some overtime :-)
After the cleaning had been done, I decided to take a look at Buzzfeed and stumbled across this article that made my whole day! And the nerdiness will continue today, as I'm heading to the movies with the boyfriend to see 'the Hobbit: the desolation of Smaug'. With Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Armitage, Martin Freeman and Orlando Bloom.
Enjoy your Friday! And please excuse me while my inner nerd keels over.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Stories that stay with you.
What made me happy today? Stories that stay with you.
Yesterday, it was Christmas. As we were having dinner at my parent's, my boyfriend and I were looking at some old pictures of my, my sister and my family. Thankfully, there weren't too many embarrassing pictures in there :-)
But leave it to my mother to bring up some stories from my childhood. Like the time Sinterklaas came to visit at my dad's office. We were there as well, as it was an event for the families of all employees. Sinterklaas asked my sister and me if my parents had been good all year. I shyly nodded, but my sister proceeded to tell him that our mom had, but that she wasn't so sure about my dad. This, of course, intrigued everyone. Sinterklaas asked my sister why my dad hadn't been nice, and my sister replied 'well, he snores so loudly our mommy can't sleep'! Que laughter from everyone!
Of course, there were also some stories about little me, being little miss smarty pants. I learned to talk quite young. So my after seeing a picture of me with my granddad, of whom I have no memories as he died when I wasn't even three years old, my mom told us this story.
My granddad loved to tease me. The summer before I turned two, my mom, dad and I went on vacation to the coast. (my sister hadn't been born yet) I was telling my granddad about the vacation we had planned, and how excited I was about sleeping over at the coast. But he said that that wasn't possible. So I asked him why. Well, he proceeded, your beds won't fit in the car. After which I apparently gave him a 'don't be silly' look, put my hands on my hips and said in my best admonishing tone 'But granddad, mommy and daddy have made reservations in a hotel!'. I honestly don't remember any of it, but my mom and dad swear that everyone almost fell out of their chairs from laughing too hard.
Those are the stories that will stay with you :-)
Yesterday, it was Christmas. As we were having dinner at my parent's, my boyfriend and I were looking at some old pictures of my, my sister and my family. Thankfully, there weren't too many embarrassing pictures in there :-)
But leave it to my mother to bring up some stories from my childhood. Like the time Sinterklaas came to visit at my dad's office. We were there as well, as it was an event for the families of all employees. Sinterklaas asked my sister and me if my parents had been good all year. I shyly nodded, but my sister proceeded to tell him that our mom had, but that she wasn't so sure about my dad. This, of course, intrigued everyone. Sinterklaas asked my sister why my dad hadn't been nice, and my sister replied 'well, he snores so loudly our mommy can't sleep'! Que laughter from everyone!
Of course, there were also some stories about little me, being little miss smarty pants. I learned to talk quite young. So my after seeing a picture of me with my granddad, of whom I have no memories as he died when I wasn't even three years old, my mom told us this story.
My granddad loved to tease me. The summer before I turned two, my mom, dad and I went on vacation to the coast. (my sister hadn't been born yet) I was telling my granddad about the vacation we had planned, and how excited I was about sleeping over at the coast. But he said that that wasn't possible. So I asked him why. Well, he proceeded, your beds won't fit in the car. After which I apparently gave him a 'don't be silly' look, put my hands on my hips and said in my best admonishing tone 'But granddad, mommy and daddy have made reservations in a hotel!'. I honestly don't remember any of it, but my mom and dad swear that everyone almost fell out of their chairs from laughing too hard.
Those are the stories that will stay with you :-)
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Christmas
What made me happy today? Christmas!
I'm not much of a Christmas person, like I said yesterday. But I had a great evening with my boyfriend and in-laws yesterday. Way to much food! Same happened today, as we were over at my parent's. My sister, brother-in-law and 2 nieces were there too. Ate way too much again, and got to take a lot of left-overs home.
I also got some nice presents, like an R2-D2 key chain :-D But it was nice to spend so much time with my family.
Happy holidays, I'm going to lapse into a food coma now.
I'm not much of a Christmas person, like I said yesterday. But I had a great evening with my boyfriend and in-laws yesterday. Way to much food! Same happened today, as we were over at my parent's. My sister, brother-in-law and 2 nieces were there too. Ate way too much again, and got to take a lot of left-overs home.
I also got some nice presents, like an R2-D2 key chain :-D But it was nice to spend so much time with my family.
Happy holidays, I'm going to lapse into a food coma now.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
What's next, an Oscar?
What made me happy today? What's next, an Oscar?
Well, today it was back to work after a nice trip to London. First thing I did, was go to the mail room, and check if there was mail in my in-tray. There was. But I had no idea of what was inside. It was a Christmas card from one of my managers, which covered me in golden glitter. And another award!
This time, I was awarded a certificate of excellence for my work on a project we managed to close 7 weeks prior to the estimates! If this keeps going, I might win an Oscar soon! Nah, just kidding :-)
And of course, it's Christmas eve. I'm not much of a Christmas person, but I love receiving/giving presents, good food, family and great company. It'll be a bit of a run around the country the next few days, but hey. It's worth it!
Happy Christmas or whatever you celebrate! Stay warm, stay safe, don't drink and drive, and happy holidays! What are you doing for Christmas?
Well, today it was back to work after a nice trip to London. First thing I did, was go to the mail room, and check if there was mail in my in-tray. There was. But I had no idea of what was inside. It was a Christmas card from one of my managers, which covered me in golden glitter. And another award!
This time, I was awarded a certificate of excellence for my work on a project we managed to close 7 weeks prior to the estimates! If this keeps going, I might win an Oscar soon! Nah, just kidding :-)
And of course, it's Christmas eve. I'm not much of a Christmas person, but I love receiving/giving presents, good food, family and great company. It'll be a bit of a run around the country the next few days, but hey. It's worth it!
Happy Christmas or whatever you celebrate! Stay warm, stay safe, don't drink and drive, and happy holidays! What are you doing for Christmas?
Monday, December 23, 2013
Books, tea, cake and tv!
What made me happy today? Books, tea, cake and tv!
That basically sums up my stay in London :-) We had loads of fun!
The trip there was rather eventful, as our train's departure was delayed by 1 hour and 20 minutes due to technical issues with the brakes. But once we got there, it was a happy reunion! 'Phil', as the boyfriend is affectionately called by two of our friends (his actual name is a bit hard for English speakers, and one of them couldn't remember it at first), and I headed for the bookshops as soon as we had said our hello's and dropped off our luggage. Of course, the bookstore we wanted to visit was closed. So we headed to the pub for lunch. Yummy, fish and chips! Book-shopping ensued, with Phil making the guy in the Games workshop look oddly at me. I really wanted to go there, so I basically dragged the boyfriend into the store. So we walk into the store, the shopkeeper comes over and asks The boyfriend if he needs help. He looks at the shopkeeper and says that he should ask me because I'm the one that dragged him in here. I think the shopkeeper's mouth fell open for a little bit. I did, however, manage to find a book I wanted, and so did the BF. A few hours later we returned to our friends, with a ton of books each.
After that we basically caught up, chatted, had some great food, went for a couple of walks, read and enjoyed some good movies / series on Netflix. We also drank loads of tea and coffee. I also got Christmas presents! Pasta in space-shapes, and an ice-cube form in the shape of the Death Star! I think I flailed and squee'd at the same time! Good times were had by all.
The journey home was rather uneventful, and we made it back safe!
That basically sums up my stay in London :-) We had loads of fun!
The trip there was rather eventful, as our train's departure was delayed by 1 hour and 20 minutes due to technical issues with the brakes. But once we got there, it was a happy reunion! 'Phil', as the boyfriend is affectionately called by two of our friends (his actual name is a bit hard for English speakers, and one of them couldn't remember it at first), and I headed for the bookshops as soon as we had said our hello's and dropped off our luggage. Of course, the bookstore we wanted to visit was closed. So we headed to the pub for lunch. Yummy, fish and chips! Book-shopping ensued, with Phil making the guy in the Games workshop look oddly at me. I really wanted to go there, so I basically dragged the boyfriend into the store. So we walk into the store, the shopkeeper comes over and asks The boyfriend if he needs help. He looks at the shopkeeper and says that he should ask me because I'm the one that dragged him in here. I think the shopkeeper's mouth fell open for a little bit. I did, however, manage to find a book I wanted, and so did the BF. A few hours later we returned to our friends, with a ton of books each.
After that we basically caught up, chatted, had some great food, went for a couple of walks, read and enjoyed some good movies / series on Netflix. We also drank loads of tea and coffee. I also got Christmas presents! Pasta in space-shapes, and an ice-cube form in the shape of the Death Star! I think I flailed and squee'd at the same time! Good times were had by all.
The journey home was rather uneventful, and we made it back safe!
Thursday, December 19, 2013
P4A finale and Krampus!
What made me happy today? P4A finale and Krampus!
The Project for Awesome is in it's final hours! Remember, please comment on the video and give it a thumbs up! All comments will make John Green give a penny to the foundation to decrease world suck! All likes will make me donate €0.10 to Tele-Onthaal!
Wondering what Krampus is? Krampus is a creature from Alpine folklore, said to come and take misbehaving children away during the Yule season. A while ago, one of my nerdfighter groups decided to do a secret gift exchange. Instead of calling it 'secret Santa', the name 'secret Krampus' was chosen. And today, my gift arrived! I loved it! Pics are below :-)
The Project for Awesome is in it's final hours! Remember, please comment on the video and give it a thumbs up! All comments will make John Green give a penny to the foundation to decrease world suck! All likes will make me donate €0.10 to Tele-Onthaal!
Wondering what Krampus is? Krampus is a creature from Alpine folklore, said to come and take misbehaving children away during the Yule season. A while ago, one of my nerdfighter groups decided to do a secret gift exchange. Instead of calling it 'secret Santa', the name 'secret Krampus' was chosen. And today, my gift arrived! I loved it! Pics are below :-)
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
P4A - part 2
What made me happy today? P4A - part 2!
Yes, the project for awesome is still going strong! Donations are going strong, the livestream is still going strong and John Green will do sharpieface soon!
Unsure what the Project for Awesome is? Check yesterday's blog!
Check out my video for this years Project for Awesome. Adam the Alien used pieces of it in his video, I feel so honored!
Please spread the word, donate if you can, and comment on the videos! Comments gather pennies for charity!
Yes, I'm very excited about this! It's amazing to see people getting together and donating/commenting so vigorously!
Yes, the project for awesome is still going strong! Donations are going strong, the livestream is still going strong and John Green will do sharpieface soon!
Unsure what the Project for Awesome is? Check yesterday's blog!
Check out my video for this years Project for Awesome. Adam the Alien used pieces of it in his video, I feel so honored!
Please spread the word, donate if you can, and comment on the videos! Comments gather pennies for charity!
Yes, I'm very excited about this! It's amazing to see people getting together and donating/commenting so vigorously!
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Project for Awesome!
What made me happy today? Project for Awesome!
What is it? Nerdfighters trying to decrease world-suck!
It has a live-stream!
It has IndieGoGo!
And it has a video made by me! And for every 'thumbs up' my video gets on YouTube I will donate €0.10 to TeleOnthaal (a Belgian suicide prevention organisation)! Thanks and DFTBA!
Please check it out, vote, share it and spread the word!
What is it? Nerdfighters trying to decrease world-suck!
It has a live-stream!
It has IndieGoGo!
And it has a video made by me! And for every 'thumbs up' my video gets on YouTube I will donate €0.10 to TeleOnthaal (a Belgian suicide prevention organisation)! Thanks and DFTBA!
Please check it out, vote, share it and spread the word!
Monday, December 16, 2013
K-On! The movie!
What made me happy today? K-On! The movie!
A while ago, I talked about how K-On! is one of my favorite anime series. I'm sick at the moment, and needed some serious cheering up. After taking a nap, I felt slightly better and decided to curl up on the couch with my laptop.
It's days like these where I love to watch fluffy, feel-good, happy stuff. K-On! falls right in that category. In the movie, the girls take a trip to London. Hilarity, shenanigans and some mix ups ensue :-)
If you haven't seen the series, make sure to watch it first. Otherwise, the movie may not make much sense ;-)
A while ago, I talked about how K-On! is one of my favorite anime series. I'm sick at the moment, and needed some serious cheering up. After taking a nap, I felt slightly better and decided to curl up on the couch with my laptop.
It's days like these where I love to watch fluffy, feel-good, happy stuff. K-On! falls right in that category. In the movie, the girls take a trip to London. Hilarity, shenanigans and some mix ups ensue :-)
If you haven't seen the series, make sure to watch it first. Otherwise, the movie may not make much sense ;-)
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Fez!
What made me happy today? Fez!
No, I'm not talking about the type of hat. I'm talking about the indie puzzle/platform game Fez, created by Phil Fish. As I've mentioned in another blog post, Fez is one of the games followed in Indie Game: the movie. At that time, Fez seemed to be stuck in development hell. It finally was released for Xbox in April 2012, and on Steam and GOG in May 2013.
Fez is a very cute, happy game. It's about a little 2-dimensional creature called Gomez. One day, Gomez encounters a magical artifact, and receives a magical fez. The fez allows him to see the third dimension. At this point in the game, I thought I encountered a game-breaking bug, but luckily, that wasn't the case. It was what the game was supposed to do. The game rebooted, and Gomez encounters Dot, a floating hypercube. This hypercube tells him that Gomez has to go and collect all cubes before his world is destroyed.
Fez is a great game. You can really explore all dimensions, and depending on how you are looking at things, certain steps will move closer or further. This takes a bit getting used to, as physics don't work that way. Expect to fall off a few ledges while figuring it all out. No worries though, Gomez will re-appear where he fell from. As the game does not use any lives or the likes, you aren't going to die.
Collecting cubes is a nice challenge, and requires a lot of creative thinking at times. I also love the way Gomez looks when you've managed to make a full cube. He looks utterly happy!
The graphics are amazing, everything is made out of little cubes. The 8-bit graphics give the game a bit of a retro feel :-) Fez has received international acclaim, and has a metacritic metascore of 91.
A sequel was announced in June 2013, but sadly it will never be made. Phil Fish has cancelled the game on July 27th, 2013 as he decided he was done with the gaming industry. A pity, because Fez is a great game and I would have loved to play a sequel!
Happy gaming Sunday!
No, I'm not talking about the type of hat. I'm talking about the indie puzzle/platform game Fez, created by Phil Fish. As I've mentioned in another blog post, Fez is one of the games followed in Indie Game: the movie. At that time, Fez seemed to be stuck in development hell. It finally was released for Xbox in April 2012, and on Steam and GOG in May 2013.
Fez is a very cute, happy game. It's about a little 2-dimensional creature called Gomez. One day, Gomez encounters a magical artifact, and receives a magical fez. The fez allows him to see the third dimension. At this point in the game, I thought I encountered a game-breaking bug, but luckily, that wasn't the case. It was what the game was supposed to do. The game rebooted, and Gomez encounters Dot, a floating hypercube. This hypercube tells him that Gomez has to go and collect all cubes before his world is destroyed.
Fez is a great game. You can really explore all dimensions, and depending on how you are looking at things, certain steps will move closer or further. This takes a bit getting used to, as physics don't work that way. Expect to fall off a few ledges while figuring it all out. No worries though, Gomez will re-appear where he fell from. As the game does not use any lives or the likes, you aren't going to die.
Collecting cubes is a nice challenge, and requires a lot of creative thinking at times. I also love the way Gomez looks when you've managed to make a full cube. He looks utterly happy!
The graphics are amazing, everything is made out of little cubes. The 8-bit graphics give the game a bit of a retro feel :-) Fez has received international acclaim, and has a metacritic metascore of 91.
A sequel was announced in June 2013, but sadly it will never be made. Phil Fish has cancelled the game on July 27th, 2013 as he decided he was done with the gaming industry. A pity, because Fez is a great game and I would have loved to play a sequel!
Happy gaming Sunday!
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Wave!
What made me happy today? Wave!
Today, my BF and I took a walk into town. To get there, we took the scenic route. This route takes us along a railroad track. So we started waving at the trains passing by.
Suddenly a cyclist passed us, waving at us :-)
And I'm about to go to another soccer match with the Red Cross! I hope it'll be a bit more peaceful than the match on Sunday. (see Sunday's blog: what a match!)
Happy Saturday!
Friday, December 13, 2013
Award!
What made me happy today? Award!
I got an award at work today, for all my hard work the past months. It's awesome to be recognized for your hard work :-)
Apologies for the short post today, busy social agenda!
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Stamp of approval
What made me happy today? Stamp of approval.
I had my end-year review at work today. We have performance reviews twice a year. But this one was a bit special for me, as this year at work was a bit special.
In early March of this year, I got promoted to a new role! And at the end of August, I was selected to go back to my old team. That transition is in full gear at the moment. I've also faced some challenging projects at work, with some issues (technical and otherwise).
But, as you've probably guessed, I got a great review! They said I did a great job, and that they were really happy to have me on board :-D
Seems like all of that hard work paid off in the end! Plus, I love my job :-)
I had my end-year review at work today. We have performance reviews twice a year. But this one was a bit special for me, as this year at work was a bit special.
In early March of this year, I got promoted to a new role! And at the end of August, I was selected to go back to my old team. That transition is in full gear at the moment. I've also faced some challenging projects at work, with some issues (technical and otherwise).
But, as you've probably guessed, I got a great review! They said I did a great job, and that they were really happy to have me on board :-D
Seems like all of that hard work paid off in the end! Plus, I love my job :-)
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
The little things!
What made me happy today? The little things!
My blogs are usually about pretty amazing, cool, funny or wonderful things that have happened to me. But there are so many small things that never seem to be enough to write a whole blog about, even though they make me smile.
There’s a saying here ‘wie het kleine niet eert, is het grote niet weerd’, which roughly translates to ‘who doesn’t value the small things, isn’t worthy of the big things’.
What are these small things I keep talking about? Here’s the list:
- Getting a cup of tea or coffee in the office each morning, with the same co-worker and having our little chat.
- People holding doors open, or holding the door open for someone who doesn’t expect it.
- The defrost function of the rear window in my car.
- The guy who warned me about a high stone border in the parking space of my local supermarket.
- Getting awesome feedback on my blog! Like lunarbaboon, who sent me a very lovely tweet after my post about him. Or Michael Terracciano, who always likes the posts I make about him. Or nice Facebook comments by friends. Like the ones I got on yesterday's blog. Or those on the ones I wrote about Emilie Autumn's performance.
- Hugs!
- My two nieces.
- Memories that make you smile, like when I remember my vacation!
- Food. I love yummy food!
- People who smile at you because you smiled at them, even if you don’t know them. Try it, it really works!
- Technically not a little thing, but all the amazing stuff on the internet.
- The feeling of clean sheets on your bed.
- Finding the spelling errors in the local newspaper.
- Silly conversations :-)
I know I’ve probably missed a ton of little things, but I hope you see what I’m trying to say
What are some of your favourite little things?
My blogs are usually about pretty amazing, cool, funny or wonderful things that have happened to me. But there are so many small things that never seem to be enough to write a whole blog about, even though they make me smile.
There’s a saying here ‘wie het kleine niet eert, is het grote niet weerd’, which roughly translates to ‘who doesn’t value the small things, isn’t worthy of the big things’.
What are these small things I keep talking about? Here’s the list:
- Getting a cup of tea or coffee in the office each morning, with the same co-worker and having our little chat.
- People holding doors open, or holding the door open for someone who doesn’t expect it.
- The defrost function of the rear window in my car.
- The guy who warned me about a high stone border in the parking space of my local supermarket.
- Getting awesome feedback on my blog! Like lunarbaboon, who sent me a very lovely tweet after my post about him. Or Michael Terracciano, who always likes the posts I make about him. Or nice Facebook comments by friends. Like the ones I got on yesterday's blog. Or those on the ones I wrote about Emilie Autumn's performance.
- Hugs!
- My two nieces.
- Memories that make you smile, like when I remember my vacation!
- Food. I love yummy food!
- People who smile at you because you smiled at them, even if you don’t know them. Try it, it really works!
- Technically not a little thing, but all the amazing stuff on the internet.
- The feeling of clean sheets on your bed.
- Finding the spelling errors in the local newspaper.
- Silly conversations :-)
I know I’ve probably missed a ton of little things, but I hope you see what I’m trying to say
What are some of your favourite little things?
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
You make me like charity!
What made me happy today? You make me like charity!
When I opened my mailbox today, I noticed a large white envelope. I rushed upstairs (and, of course, nearly tripped over my own feet while doing so), dropped my bag and coat on the nearest chair and tore open the envelope.
Why was I so excited about a big, white envelope? Usually, the mailman brings me bills or packages. This time however, he brought me the information about the child I will be sponsoring through Plan Belgium.
Plan International is an international charity, supporting children and their communities in the South. Plan Belgium is the local chapter. They do the same thing. You can easily register on their website, if you want to support a child yourself. PLan accepts one-time donations as well.
In Belgium, you can support a child for as little as €0.83 a day. €0.83, that's not even 40 old Belgian franks. €0.83 cents is basically almost the price of a can of soda from a vending machine. And I can do without a can of soda a day.
But for the child I will be supporting, that €0.83 can make all the difference in the world. The child I sponsor is a 5-year old Nepali girl. Plan will focus on different goals in each region, depending on the most critical needs in that region. These goals can be better healthcare, access to running and clean water, building schools, reducing child labor etc. And the €0.83 cents a day do not only help the child. They also help her family and community. If Plan decides to help build a new school, the whole town can use that school. And that's why I chose to do this. Because by spending a little bit less a day myself, I can help make a huge difference in someone else's life.
Plan provides regular updates about the child you're sponsoring, and the projects they're working on in the region. That way, you can see what's been done with your support. And it just makes me happy to know I may put a smile on someone's face!
When I opened my mailbox today, I noticed a large white envelope. I rushed upstairs (and, of course, nearly tripped over my own feet while doing so), dropped my bag and coat on the nearest chair and tore open the envelope.
Why was I so excited about a big, white envelope? Usually, the mailman brings me bills or packages. This time however, he brought me the information about the child I will be sponsoring through Plan Belgium.
Plan International is an international charity, supporting children and their communities in the South. Plan Belgium is the local chapter. They do the same thing. You can easily register on their website, if you want to support a child yourself. PLan accepts one-time donations as well.
In Belgium, you can support a child for as little as €0.83 a day. €0.83, that's not even 40 old Belgian franks. €0.83 cents is basically almost the price of a can of soda from a vending machine. And I can do without a can of soda a day.
But for the child I will be supporting, that €0.83 can make all the difference in the world. The child I sponsor is a 5-year old Nepali girl. Plan will focus on different goals in each region, depending on the most critical needs in that region. These goals can be better healthcare, access to running and clean water, building schools, reducing child labor etc. And the €0.83 cents a day do not only help the child. They also help her family and community. If Plan decides to help build a new school, the whole town can use that school. And that's why I chose to do this. Because by spending a little bit less a day myself, I can help make a huge difference in someone else's life.
Plan provides regular updates about the child you're sponsoring, and the projects they're working on in the region. That way, you can see what's been done with your support. And it just makes me happy to know I may put a smile on someone's face!
Monday, December 9, 2013
You are beautiful.
What made me happy today? You are beautiful.
Close your eyes for a moment, and think about what you don't like about yourself. How many things did you come up with?
Close your eyes again, and think about what you like about yourself. How many things did you come up with this time?
I'm going to take a guess here, but chances are that you can name a lot more things you don't like about yourself than you can name things you do like about yourself. Am I right?
Why is that? Is it because of what you see in the magazines? Look again.
Is it because of what you see in the windows of fashion stores? That's changing.
Is it because you were / are being bullied for being different? Listen to this.
You are beautiful. You really are.
Remember what Edna said about supermodels in the Incredibles? 'Supermodels. Heh! Nothing super about them... spoiled, stupid little stick figures with poofy lips who think only about themselves.' Even though this might be a bit of a harsh statement, there is a grain of truth in it. The beauty standards set out by the fashion industry and magazines is unrealistic.
Even I am influenced by all of this. For the longest time I wouldn't wear shorts, because I was scared about what people would think when they see the scars on my leg. Do you know how many bad reactions I've had about them? None. Yes, some people were looking at them, but that's unavoidable I guess.
I'm just happy to see that the tides may be turning at last. Because you are beautiful. Even if you're not a classical beauty. Even if you've always hated the way your nose looks when seen from a certain angle. Or if you don't like your freckles or scars. They're what makes you you.
And if everyone looked the same, this world would be much more boring, no?
Close your eyes for a moment, and think about what you don't like about yourself. How many things did you come up with?
Close your eyes again, and think about what you like about yourself. How many things did you come up with this time?
I'm going to take a guess here, but chances are that you can name a lot more things you don't like about yourself than you can name things you do like about yourself. Am I right?
Why is that? Is it because of what you see in the magazines? Look again.
Is it because of what you see in the windows of fashion stores? That's changing.
Is it because you were / are being bullied for being different? Listen to this.
You are beautiful. You really are.
Remember what Edna said about supermodels in the Incredibles? 'Supermodels. Heh! Nothing super about them... spoiled, stupid little stick figures with poofy lips who think only about themselves.' Even though this might be a bit of a harsh statement, there is a grain of truth in it. The beauty standards set out by the fashion industry and magazines is unrealistic.
Even I am influenced by all of this. For the longest time I wouldn't wear shorts, because I was scared about what people would think when they see the scars on my leg. Do you know how many bad reactions I've had about them? None. Yes, some people were looking at them, but that's unavoidable I guess.
I'm just happy to see that the tides may be turning at last. Because you are beautiful. Even if you're not a classical beauty. Even if you've always hated the way your nose looks when seen from a certain angle. Or if you don't like your freckles or scars. They're what makes you you.
And if everyone looked the same, this world would be much more boring, no?
Sunday, December 8, 2013
What a match!
What made me happy today? What a match!
As you all know, I'm a volunteer nurse for my local Red Cross department. We are always present when the local football team is playing. But today was a bit more adrenaline-fueled than the previous match I went to.
The match started off okay, pretty calmly. 39 minutes in to the match, Cerigioni tackles Carcela from behind. This means a red card for Cerigioni, who has to leave the field. After that, things got heated. And then, this happened. About one meter from where I was sitting. The commentary is in Dutch, but it's quite clear what happened, even if you don't understand what they're saying. Basically, Ruytinx tackles Carcela whose ankle bends at an odd angle, earning Ruytinx a yellow card. Ruytinx grins, and bumps his knee lightly against Carcela's face. Carcela jumps up, and slaps Ruytincx in the face, which causes the referee to give Carcela a red card. And that's when all hell broke loose.
The players were screaming at each other, pushing and shoving. The trainers of both teams were furious. The people in the audience started throwing things (oddly enough, mostly socks). The referee tried to cool things down, but it took a bit of time. Carcela was carried of the field, but not by us, even though we were on stand-by. I think it was a good thing the first half was almost over at this point.
It's times like this I'm really happy we're trained on what to do in this kind of situation. Grab your gear, grab your helmet and stay out of it.
But I must admit, it was exciting to see this happen from such a short distance :-)
The match, by the way, ended with 0 - 0.
As you all know, I'm a volunteer nurse for my local Red Cross department. We are always present when the local football team is playing. But today was a bit more adrenaline-fueled than the previous match I went to.
The match started off okay, pretty calmly. 39 minutes in to the match, Cerigioni tackles Carcela from behind. This means a red card for Cerigioni, who has to leave the field. After that, things got heated. And then, this happened. About one meter from where I was sitting. The commentary is in Dutch, but it's quite clear what happened, even if you don't understand what they're saying. Basically, Ruytinx tackles Carcela whose ankle bends at an odd angle, earning Ruytinx a yellow card. Ruytinx grins, and bumps his knee lightly against Carcela's face. Carcela jumps up, and slaps Ruytincx in the face, which causes the referee to give Carcela a red card. And that's when all hell broke loose.
The players were screaming at each other, pushing and shoving. The trainers of both teams were furious. The people in the audience started throwing things (oddly enough, mostly socks). The referee tried to cool things down, but it took a bit of time. Carcela was carried of the field, but not by us, even though we were on stand-by. I think it was a good thing the first half was almost over at this point.
It's times like this I'm really happy we're trained on what to do in this kind of situation. Grab your gear, grab your helmet and stay out of it.
But I must admit, it was exciting to see this happen from such a short distance :-)
The match, by the way, ended with 0 - 0.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Comeback!
What made me happy today? Comeback!
I stumbled across this article today. It shows some really funny comebacks and made me laugh so hard :-)
I also had a great day! My goddaughter came over to pick up her Sinterklaas presents, which was loads of fun. I also did some shopping and ran into a friend while doing so.
How was your Saturday?
I stumbled across this article today. It shows some really funny comebacks and made me laugh so hard :-)
I also had a great day! My goddaughter came over to pick up her Sinterklaas presents, which was loads of fun. I also did some shopping and ran into a friend while doing so.
How was your Saturday?
Friday, December 6, 2013
Sinterklaas!
What made me happy today? Sinterklaas!
But before I get to Sinterklaas, I first want to say something else. Nelson Mandela has passed away. With him, the world has lost an icon and a great leader. Nelson Mandela led the battle against the apartheid in South Africa, which led to his imprisonment. After 27 years, he was released from prison and became president of South-Africa. He managed to put an end to apartheid. For his efforts in this, he was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1993. He received many other awards and prizes during his life. Throughout his life, Mandela fought for peace, justice and against racism, stating he would die for his beliefs in one of his most memorable speeches. Though he achieved so much in his life, the battle continues for people all over the world.
The world has lost a truly great man today. May he rest in peace. He earned it.
Alright, on to the happy part of the day.
Today, we celebrate the holiday of Sinterklaas, or Saint Nicholas as he's sometimes referred to. This holiday's been in the news a lot recently, as some people perceived Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) as racist. In any case, this holiday means that kids get to put out their shoe, usually with a carrot or some sugar for Sinterklaas' horse, on the eve of December 5th. When they wake up on December 6th, Sinterklaas will have filled the shoe with candy and toys. But only if you've been nice! Otherwise, you may just get a birch rod. (please note that this is the way we celebrate Sinterklaas in Belgium, there are variances between the countries where this holiday is observed)
Sounds familiar? Well, that might be because Sinterklaas is one of the sources of inspiration for another holiday figure that brings toys and candy to nice children. Indeed, Santa. Of course, Sinterklaas himself might be partially inspired by Odin.
As it turns out, I've been a very good girl this year! I got loads of candy, and some gifts!
Those of you who regularly read my blog, may recognize the figure on the bottle and hoodie as Pintsize from Questionable Content.
Have you been nice this year? If so, what did you get from Sinterklaas?
For those of you wondering: yes, most of us celebrate Christmas as well. And Santa does visit!
But before I get to Sinterklaas, I first want to say something else. Nelson Mandela has passed away. With him, the world has lost an icon and a great leader. Nelson Mandela led the battle against the apartheid in South Africa, which led to his imprisonment. After 27 years, he was released from prison and became president of South-Africa. He managed to put an end to apartheid. For his efforts in this, he was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1993. He received many other awards and prizes during his life. Throughout his life, Mandela fought for peace, justice and against racism, stating he would die for his beliefs in one of his most memorable speeches. Though he achieved so much in his life, the battle continues for people all over the world.
The world has lost a truly great man today. May he rest in peace. He earned it.
Alright, on to the happy part of the day.
Today, we celebrate the holiday of Sinterklaas, or Saint Nicholas as he's sometimes referred to. This holiday's been in the news a lot recently, as some people perceived Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) as racist. In any case, this holiday means that kids get to put out their shoe, usually with a carrot or some sugar for Sinterklaas' horse, on the eve of December 5th. When they wake up on December 6th, Sinterklaas will have filled the shoe with candy and toys. But only if you've been nice! Otherwise, you may just get a birch rod. (please note that this is the way we celebrate Sinterklaas in Belgium, there are variances between the countries where this holiday is observed)
Sounds familiar? Well, that might be because Sinterklaas is one of the sources of inspiration for another holiday figure that brings toys and candy to nice children. Indeed, Santa. Of course, Sinterklaas himself might be partially inspired by Odin.
As it turns out, I've been a very good girl this year! I got loads of candy, and some gifts!
Those of you who regularly read my blog, may recognize the figure on the bottle and hoodie as Pintsize from Questionable Content.
Have you been nice this year? If so, what did you get from Sinterklaas?
For those of you wondering: yes, most of us celebrate Christmas as well. And Santa does visit!
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Swoosh.
What made me happy today? Swoosh.
There's a storm coming. Not a big one, but the winds can get to reasonably high speeds. Fast enough to pick something up.
Like the porta potty at the construction site right across from where I live. I was in the kitchen, making dinner, when I suddenly heard this scraping noise followed by a swoosh and a bang. First I thought it was an accident, but it turns out the wind blew the porta potty right into the street. It nearly hit my car.
Good thing it didn't, but more importantly: nobody got hurt! The street was empty when it blew onto it. And with the help of two neighbors the porta potty is back where it belongs.
Let's hope it stays there, and that this storm won't cause too much damage!
There's a storm coming. Not a big one, but the winds can get to reasonably high speeds. Fast enough to pick something up.
Like the porta potty at the construction site right across from where I live. I was in the kitchen, making dinner, when I suddenly heard this scraping noise followed by a swoosh and a bang. First I thought it was an accident, but it turns out the wind blew the porta potty right into the street. It nearly hit my car.
Good thing it didn't, but more importantly: nobody got hurt! The street was empty when it blew onto it. And with the help of two neighbors the porta potty is back where it belongs.
Let's hope it stays there, and that this storm won't cause too much damage!
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
I did not see that coming.
What made me happy today? I did not see that coming. (See what I did there? No? Keep on reading, I'll explain!)
Many months ago I wrote this blog about one of my all-time favorite webcomics. Dominic Deegan, the grumpy seer, created by Michael Terracciano (aka Mookie).
On May 24th of this year, after 11 (!) years, Dominic Deegan ended. Michael started working alongside Garth Graham to create the wonderful Star Power. A few weeks back, I started re-reading Dominic Deegan, and I was thinking about how glad I am it's still online and how sad I'd be if it goes online.
Now, somewhere, someone must have heard this, because a bit later (Nov. 25th) Michael announced that he'd be releasing the first parts of Dominic Deegan as an omnibus. And on December 2nd, it was finally time to pre-order. Which, of course, I did that same morning. Du-uh.
But what I didn't see coming was that I'd get a very nice thank you email from Michael with a picture of Sparky (Dominic's alliteration loving, smart-ass, 'death from above' cat). That made my whole day! Plus, the 'I did not see that coming' is referring to the fact that Dominic is a seer, and that the email it came from is scrymail.
If you love Dominic Deegan, head on over to the store and pre-order your copy at a special price (until Dec 31st, after that the price will go up)! If you don't know Dominic Deegan, head on over and check it out. It's amazing!
Many months ago I wrote this blog about one of my all-time favorite webcomics. Dominic Deegan, the grumpy seer, created by Michael Terracciano (aka Mookie).
On May 24th of this year, after 11 (!) years, Dominic Deegan ended. Michael started working alongside Garth Graham to create the wonderful Star Power. A few weeks back, I started re-reading Dominic Deegan, and I was thinking about how glad I am it's still online and how sad I'd be if it goes online.
Now, somewhere, someone must have heard this, because a bit later (Nov. 25th) Michael announced that he'd be releasing the first parts of Dominic Deegan as an omnibus. And on December 2nd, it was finally time to pre-order. Which, of course, I did that same morning. Du-uh.
But what I didn't see coming was that I'd get a very nice thank you email from Michael with a picture of Sparky (Dominic's alliteration loving, smart-ass, 'death from above' cat). That made my whole day! Plus, the 'I did not see that coming' is referring to the fact that Dominic is a seer, and that the email it came from is scrymail.
If you love Dominic Deegan, head on over to the store and pre-order your copy at a special price (until Dec 31st, after that the price will go up)! If you don't know Dominic Deegan, head on over and check it out. It's amazing!
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Tanith First and Only
What made me happy today? Tanith First and Only.
It is the 41st millennium. For more than a hundred centuries the Emperor has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the master of mankind by the will of the gods, and master of a million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the Imperium for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day, so that he may never truly die. Yet even in his deathless state, the Emperor continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty battlefleets cross the daemon-infested miasma of the warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomican, the psychic manifestation of the Emperor's will. Vast armies give battle in his name on uncounted worlds. Greatest amongst his soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, bio-engineered super-warriors. Their comrades in arms are legion: the Imperial Guard and countless planetary defence forces,the ever-vigilant Inquisition and the tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to name only a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat from aliens, heretics, mutants - and worse. To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times. Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be re-learned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods. (this is how the books start)
For Tanith! For the Emperor!
As I mentioned yesterday, I spent a lot of time reading Warhammer 40K books during my vacation. I read 7 books and 1 short-story about the Tanith First and Only regiment, also known as Gaunt's ghosts.
Gaunt's because Ibram Gaunt is their colonel-commissar, ghosts because their home-planet Tanith no longer exists. Tanith was supposed to form three regiments for the emperor. However, on the day of the Founding, the forces of Choas attacked Tanith. Gaunt managed to escape with one regiment, but the planet was destroyed.
And this is part of why these books appeal to me so much. Most men and women in the Imperial army fight to defend their homes and loved ones, to keep them safe. To keep the heretic, mutant, forces of Chaos and xenos away from their loved ones. But what do men (Tanith First and Only starts out as an all-male regiment) who have lost their homes and loved ones fight for? Revenge will only get you so far. I'm not going to tell you, read the books if you're intrigued :-)
The odd thing was, that after spending the better part of a week in the 'company' of Tanith's First, I started dreaming about them. Okay, maybe not that odd. But believe me, you start to care about the characters in the books. The end of the seventh book nearly broke my heart.
I will admit that Dan Abnett, the writer of Gaunt's Ghosts, sometimes uses story mechanisms that I personally do not like. But because I love Gaunt's Ghosts so much, I just keep reading it.
Now why do books that I've read over the past week make me happy today? Well, I found out today that there are 6 more books in this series, not 2 like I first thought. To the Black Library!
Suffer not the alien, the mutant, the heretic!
It is the 41st millennium. For more than a hundred centuries the Emperor has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the master of mankind by the will of the gods, and master of a million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the Imperium for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day, so that he may never truly die. Yet even in his deathless state, the Emperor continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty battlefleets cross the daemon-infested miasma of the warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomican, the psychic manifestation of the Emperor's will. Vast armies give battle in his name on uncounted worlds. Greatest amongst his soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, bio-engineered super-warriors. Their comrades in arms are legion: the Imperial Guard and countless planetary defence forces,the ever-vigilant Inquisition and the tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to name only a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat from aliens, heretics, mutants - and worse. To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times. Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be re-learned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods. (this is how the books start)
For Tanith! For the Emperor!
As I mentioned yesterday, I spent a lot of time reading Warhammer 40K books during my vacation. I read 7 books and 1 short-story about the Tanith First and Only regiment, also known as Gaunt's ghosts.
Gaunt's because Ibram Gaunt is their colonel-commissar, ghosts because their home-planet Tanith no longer exists. Tanith was supposed to form three regiments for the emperor. However, on the day of the Founding, the forces of Choas attacked Tanith. Gaunt managed to escape with one regiment, but the planet was destroyed.
And this is part of why these books appeal to me so much. Most men and women in the Imperial army fight to defend their homes and loved ones, to keep them safe. To keep the heretic, mutant, forces of Chaos and xenos away from their loved ones. But what do men (Tanith First and Only starts out as an all-male regiment) who have lost their homes and loved ones fight for? Revenge will only get you so far. I'm not going to tell you, read the books if you're intrigued :-)
The odd thing was, that after spending the better part of a week in the 'company' of Tanith's First, I started dreaming about them. Okay, maybe not that odd. But believe me, you start to care about the characters in the books. The end of the seventh book nearly broke my heart.
I will admit that Dan Abnett, the writer of Gaunt's Ghosts, sometimes uses story mechanisms that I personally do not like. But because I love Gaunt's Ghosts so much, I just keep reading it.
Now why do books that I've read over the past week make me happy today? Well, I found out today that there are 6 more books in this series, not 2 like I first thought. To the Black Library!
Suffer not the alien, the mutant, the heretic!
Monday, December 2, 2013
I'm back!
What made me happy today? I'm back!
Hi everyone! (Hi, Dr Nick!) I'm back from my vacation, and it was really great! If you are wondering what I did, please keep reading. You'll get a nice summary of my vacation, with some funny anecdotes!
Of course, it's always a sad thing when your vacation ends. There's no better remedy for that than starting to plan your next vacation ;-) London is calling again!
So, what have I been doing during my vacation? I went to the Ardennes with the BF and some friends. Because I like lists, here's a list of things I did/read/cooked etc.
I read the following books:
- Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan.
- Bridget Jones's diary by Helen Fielding
- Bridget Jones: the edge of reason by Helen Fielding
- Bridget Jones: mad about the boy by Helen Fielding
- First and Only by Dan Abnett
- Ghostmaker by Dan Abnett
- Necropolis by Dan Abnett
- In Remembrance (a short story) by Dan Abnett
- Honour Guard by Dan Abnett
- The Guns of Tanith by Dan Abnett
- Straight Silver by Dan Abnett
- Sabbat Martyr by Dan Abnett
(the last 8 items in the list above are all part of the Gaunt's Ghosts story arc in the Warhammer 40K universe)
I made the following food:
- potato and corn chowder
- apple pie
- tomato-basil gnocchi bake
- apple and pear crumble
I also helped with the cheese fondue by slicing the cheese, but I take no credit for making it as the BF did that.
I laughed so hard an multiple occasions, below you can find the two that almost had me rolling on the floor with tears streaming down my face. Admittedly, the first one is cute, a bit embarrassing and funny. The second one is just down right funny.
- On the first Saturday, the BF and I went shopping. I'm not that short for a girl, but I can't reach the top shelves in the supermarket we went to. Usually, there's little steps around for people who need them. But the isle with the coffee didn't have one. Of course, the coffee I needed was all the way in the back of the top shelve. My BF, being about 20 cm taller than me, can reach this rather easy. So I ask him to please get the coffee for me. But that's not what he decided to do. Nope. He walks over to me, and instead of grabbing the coffee, he grabs me and lifts me up in the air so I can grab the pack of coffee. Not what I intended, but you can't argue with the results ;-) I do have to say that a lot of people we watching, but most of them seemed to think it was sweet.
- For the second one, I'll need to give you some background info. Two of the friends that were on vacation with us, often act like an old, married couple. They aren't married, nor are they romantically involved. They just play a lot of games together, and bicker all the time. On Thursday, it was one of the two's turn to cook. He was making mac and cheese, but needed some help with the cheese sauce part. As most of us were otherwise occupied, the other one headed over to help. Turns out they can't even make cheese sauce together without bickering. 'Alright, add some of the cheese. No! Not like that! That's too much!' 'But you said...' 'I said to add some cheese, not all the cheese!' Etc. etc. In the end, the mac and cheese was very delicious, but by the time they managed to get the sauce done the other 5 of us were in stitches, crying with laughter and almost rolling over the floor. Those two are precisely like an old, married couple.
We also lighted the fireplace every evening, for added warmth and coziness. Drinks were drunk, food was eaten, good times were had by all. It was a lot of fun, too bad it all was over so quickly! Good thing that the next break is right around the corner!
Happy Monday :-)
Hi everyone! (Hi, Dr Nick!) I'm back from my vacation, and it was really great! If you are wondering what I did, please keep reading. You'll get a nice summary of my vacation, with some funny anecdotes!
Of course, it's always a sad thing when your vacation ends. There's no better remedy for that than starting to plan your next vacation ;-) London is calling again!
So, what have I been doing during my vacation? I went to the Ardennes with the BF and some friends. Because I like lists, here's a list of things I did/read/cooked etc.
I read the following books:
- Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan.
- Bridget Jones's diary by Helen Fielding
- Bridget Jones: the edge of reason by Helen Fielding
- Bridget Jones: mad about the boy by Helen Fielding
- First and Only by Dan Abnett
- Ghostmaker by Dan Abnett
- Necropolis by Dan Abnett
- In Remembrance (a short story) by Dan Abnett
- Honour Guard by Dan Abnett
- The Guns of Tanith by Dan Abnett
- Straight Silver by Dan Abnett
- Sabbat Martyr by Dan Abnett
(the last 8 items in the list above are all part of the Gaunt's Ghosts story arc in the Warhammer 40K universe)
I made the following food:
- potato and corn chowder
- apple pie
- tomato-basil gnocchi bake
- apple and pear crumble
I also helped with the cheese fondue by slicing the cheese, but I take no credit for making it as the BF did that.
I laughed so hard an multiple occasions, below you can find the two that almost had me rolling on the floor with tears streaming down my face. Admittedly, the first one is cute, a bit embarrassing and funny. The second one is just down right funny.
- On the first Saturday, the BF and I went shopping. I'm not that short for a girl, but I can't reach the top shelves in the supermarket we went to. Usually, there's little steps around for people who need them. But the isle with the coffee didn't have one. Of course, the coffee I needed was all the way in the back of the top shelve. My BF, being about 20 cm taller than me, can reach this rather easy. So I ask him to please get the coffee for me. But that's not what he decided to do. Nope. He walks over to me, and instead of grabbing the coffee, he grabs me and lifts me up in the air so I can grab the pack of coffee. Not what I intended, but you can't argue with the results ;-) I do have to say that a lot of people we watching, but most of them seemed to think it was sweet.
- For the second one, I'll need to give you some background info. Two of the friends that were on vacation with us, often act like an old, married couple. They aren't married, nor are they romantically involved. They just play a lot of games together, and bicker all the time. On Thursday, it was one of the two's turn to cook. He was making mac and cheese, but needed some help with the cheese sauce part. As most of us were otherwise occupied, the other one headed over to help. Turns out they can't even make cheese sauce together without bickering. 'Alright, add some of the cheese. No! Not like that! That's too much!' 'But you said...' 'I said to add some cheese, not all the cheese!' Etc. etc. In the end, the mac and cheese was very delicious, but by the time they managed to get the sauce done the other 5 of us were in stitches, crying with laughter and almost rolling over the floor. Those two are precisely like an old, married couple.
We also lighted the fireplace every evening, for added warmth and coziness. Drinks were drunk, food was eaten, good times were had by all. It was a lot of fun, too bad it all was over so quickly! Good thing that the next break is right around the corner!
Happy Monday :-)
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Movember!
What made me happy today? Movember!
I finally got around to taking my Movember picture. And for those of you wondering, yes I am a woman and no, I did not grow a moustache. Blame upper management at the company I work for :-)
At the start of November, an email was sent out by them stating that men and women could participate in Movember. They also asked to submit pictures at the end of the month. Now, I'm unable to grow a moustache and I don't own a fake one. But I do own eyeliner!
For those of you wondering what Movember is, I suggest you check this out. Basically, Movember's goal is to raise awareness for men's health.
And here's the picture!
What do you think of my moustache?
I finally got around to taking my Movember picture. And for those of you wondering, yes I am a woman and no, I did not grow a moustache. Blame upper management at the company I work for :-)
At the start of November, an email was sent out by them stating that men and women could participate in Movember. They also asked to submit pictures at the end of the month. Now, I'm unable to grow a moustache and I don't own a fake one. But I do own eyeliner!
For those of you wondering what Movember is, I suggest you check this out. Basically, Movember's goal is to raise awareness for men's health.
And here's the picture!
What do you think of my moustache?
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Webcomic Wednesday 4
What made me happy today? Webcomic Wednesday 4!
This time, it's lunarbaboon. Lunarbaboon is a cute comic, usually about the struggles of raising a child, married life and everything involved. The description says 'A half man/half moon monkey trying to make sense of it all.'
Lunarbaboon is the type of comic that will make you react differently to each new one. Some are touching, others make you laugh, others provide you with new insights or make you go 'huh'. There doesn't seem to be a fixed updating schedule for this one, but Facebook and Twitter will alert you to a new comic.
It's also one of those comics I love to check out when I'm feeling sad or down. It never fails to make me happy!
This time, it's lunarbaboon. Lunarbaboon is a cute comic, usually about the struggles of raising a child, married life and everything involved. The description says 'A half man/half moon monkey trying to make sense of it all.'
Lunarbaboon is the type of comic that will make you react differently to each new one. Some are touching, others make you laugh, others provide you with new insights or make you go 'huh'. There doesn't seem to be a fixed updating schedule for this one, but Facebook and Twitter will alert you to a new comic.
It's also one of those comics I love to check out when I'm feeling sad or down. It never fails to make me happy!
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Up in the sky
What made me happy today? Up in the sky.
When I was driving home, the weather wasn't all that great. And I passed three, luckily all minor, accidents on my way home.
But the bad weather also had some advantages. It's just beautiful! The clouds chasing by in all their shades of grey. The leaves whirling around on the wind. But best of all was what was happening up in the sky.
About half-way home, the sun briefly broke through the clouds. That produced a wonderful full rainbow! Too bad I was driving and I couldn't take a picture.
And I made it home safe :-)
When I was driving home, the weather wasn't all that great. And I passed three, luckily all minor, accidents on my way home.
But the bad weather also had some advantages. It's just beautiful! The clouds chasing by in all their shades of grey. The leaves whirling around on the wind. But best of all was what was happening up in the sky.
About half-way home, the sun briefly broke through the clouds. That produced a wonderful full rainbow! Too bad I was driving and I couldn't take a picture.
And I made it home safe :-)
Monday, November 18, 2013
Milestones
What made me happy today? Milestones.
We all have milestones in our lives. You see most of them coming, like your birthday, the birth of a child, marriage, buying a house or a car, a vacation etc. But occasionally a milestone will sneak up on you.
That's what happened to me today. Last week, I was doing a site visit. Little did I know that it was a special one. Not because I got to stay at a fancy bed & breakfast.
As it turns out, it was my last visit of that type for the foreseeable future (hey, an alliteration, you can blame this for that!) . One of my managers sent me a mail pointing out that it was the last visit I did for that study. If you remember, I'm changing teams at work. So I'll still be visiting sites, but the type of visit is different. I hadn't even realized it until it snuck up on me.
Funny how life sneaks up on you sometimes. It feels strange, but I'm happy about it!
We all have milestones in our lives. You see most of them coming, like your birthday, the birth of a child, marriage, buying a house or a car, a vacation etc. But occasionally a milestone will sneak up on you.
That's what happened to me today. Last week, I was doing a site visit. Little did I know that it was a special one. Not because I got to stay at a fancy bed & breakfast.
As it turns out, it was my last visit of that type for the foreseeable future (hey, an alliteration, you can blame this for that!) . One of my managers sent me a mail pointing out that it was the last visit I did for that study. If you remember, I'm changing teams at work. So I'll still be visiting sites, but the type of visit is different. I hadn't even realized it until it snuck up on me.
Funny how life sneaks up on you sometimes. It feels strange, but I'm happy about it!
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Kill la Kill
What made me happy today? Kill la Kill!
Kill la Kill is a new anime directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi and written by Kazuki Nakashima, both of whom had previously worked together on Gurren Lagann. The drawing and story-telling style of Kill la Kill really remind me of Gurren Lagann. And that's a great thing, because I love that one!
Ryuko Matoi is a 17 year old girl, arriving at a new school. As it turns out, this school is dominated by the student council. Ryuko Matoi decides to fight the student council's oppression with her half scissor sword, while trying to find the person who owns the other half.
In the first episode, Ryuko finds Senketsu. Senketsu looks like a sailor's uniform, but is a Godrobe which grants Ryuko amazing abilities in exchange for some of her blood. Hilarity, epic fighting and some fan service ensue.
Currently, 7 episodes have been aired of a total of 25. So there's still time to catch up :-)
Kill la Kill is a new anime directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi and written by Kazuki Nakashima, both of whom had previously worked together on Gurren Lagann. The drawing and story-telling style of Kill la Kill really remind me of Gurren Lagann. And that's a great thing, because I love that one!
Ryuko Matoi is a 17 year old girl, arriving at a new school. As it turns out, this school is dominated by the student council. Ryuko Matoi decides to fight the student council's oppression with her half scissor sword, while trying to find the person who owns the other half.
In the first episode, Ryuko finds Senketsu. Senketsu looks like a sailor's uniform, but is a Godrobe which grants Ryuko amazing abilities in exchange for some of her blood. Hilarity, epic fighting and some fan service ensue.
Currently, 7 episodes have been aired of a total of 25. So there's still time to catch up :-)
Saturday, November 16, 2013
300 + 9!
What made me happy today? 300 + 9!
No, not the movie. This is my 300th blog post! Wow, I can't believe how fast this is all going.
Also, I had quite a laugh today. I went to the Metalzone, and saw a CD that I wanted to buy. Sadly, it was sitting on a top shelf and I was too short to reach it. So I had to ask Wim, the owner of the store if he could please get the CD for me. Which, nice as he is, he did. So I jokingly suggested that he should add a little step to his store, after which he points to the one in the corner. Whoops. I didn't see that one. Oh well, better luck next time?
And now for the '9' part. There's a game going on FB. People are posting a certain number of facts about themselves. If you like this you will be given a number and then you can reveal that many facts about yourself. I got the number 9. So here goes:
1) I have a huge list of completely useless talents. For example: I can read a text that is upside down almost as fast as a text that isn't. Or I can slice a bread perfectly with just a knife.
2) I love books. Nothing will ever beat the smell of a new or old book. Yet I do possess a e-book reader, as I never could store the +1000 books I have on there in my apartment.
3) I cry really easily when watching a movie or reading a book. In real life, I've learned to contain my tears a bit more :-)
4) I am a huge Star Wars fan, but I also like Star Trek. And Star Gate. And Battlestar Galactica. And the list goes on. Yes, I am obsessed with space. I was a member of a youth astronomer's society for 7 years.
5) My hair has never been the same color for longer than 6 months since I was 15.
6) I have a brain-twin. Which is beyond cool! We tend to drive other people a little bit crazy, especially when we randomly start singing 'just keep swimming' at the same time. My brain-twin's BF exclaimed (in a slightly exasperated way) "There's two of you!" the first time I met him. Nuff said.
7) English is not my first language. It's also not my second language. It's my third. I learned French before English. Dutch is my mother tongue. I also speak German. I know a decent amount of Spanish, Italian and Swedish; and I'm trying to learn conversational Japanese.
8) I can curse in a lot more languages than the ones listed above. I'm usually a very mild-mannered person, but I can spew profanities at a rate that would make a sailor blush.
9) I make up stories about the people I see sitting around me when I'm eating somewhere or waiting for something. I do write short-stories but I never dare to put them out there, because I don't think they're any good. The same goes for my drawings.
Happy Saturday!
No, not the movie. This is my 300th blog post! Wow, I can't believe how fast this is all going.
Also, I had quite a laugh today. I went to the Metalzone, and saw a CD that I wanted to buy. Sadly, it was sitting on a top shelf and I was too short to reach it. So I had to ask Wim, the owner of the store if he could please get the CD for me. Which, nice as he is, he did. So I jokingly suggested that he should add a little step to his store, after which he points to the one in the corner. Whoops. I didn't see that one. Oh well, better luck next time?
And now for the '9' part. There's a game going on FB. People are posting a certain number of facts about themselves. If you like this you will be given a number and then you can reveal that many facts about yourself. I got the number 9. So here goes:
1) I have a huge list of completely useless talents. For example: I can read a text that is upside down almost as fast as a text that isn't. Or I can slice a bread perfectly with just a knife.
2) I love books. Nothing will ever beat the smell of a new or old book. Yet I do possess a e-book reader, as I never could store the +1000 books I have on there in my apartment.
3) I cry really easily when watching a movie or reading a book. In real life, I've learned to contain my tears a bit more :-)
4) I am a huge Star Wars fan, but I also like Star Trek. And Star Gate. And Battlestar Galactica. And the list goes on. Yes, I am obsessed with space. I was a member of a youth astronomer's society for 7 years.
5) My hair has never been the same color for longer than 6 months since I was 15.
6) I have a brain-twin. Which is beyond cool! We tend to drive other people a little bit crazy, especially when we randomly start singing 'just keep swimming' at the same time. My brain-twin's BF exclaimed (in a slightly exasperated way) "There's two of you!" the first time I met him. Nuff said.
7) English is not my first language. It's also not my second language. It's my third. I learned French before English. Dutch is my mother tongue. I also speak German. I know a decent amount of Spanish, Italian and Swedish; and I'm trying to learn conversational Japanese.
8) I can curse in a lot more languages than the ones listed above. I'm usually a very mild-mannered person, but I can spew profanities at a rate that would make a sailor blush.
9) I make up stories about the people I see sitting around me when I'm eating somewhere or waiting for something. I do write short-stories but I never dare to put them out there, because I don't think they're any good. The same goes for my drawings.
Happy Saturday!
Friday, November 15, 2013
Collective Cadenza
What made me happy today? Collective Cadenza!
Never heard of them? Well, now you have! Collective Cadenza makes musical video experiments. Or videos that are entertaining and educational. Don't believe me? Check out their Youtube channel or their website.
I first came across them a few months, when my boyfriend sent me this video to cheer me up during a very hard day at work (yes, it's not all fancy cars and hotels ;-p).
In the mood for a party? It's Friday after all, so you might want to check out this video. Or are you in need of a laugh? Check out their collaboration with the Key of Awesome! Make sure to put all liquids down, or they may come out of your nose.
Happy Friday!
Never heard of them? Well, now you have! Collective Cadenza makes musical video experiments. Or videos that are entertaining and educational. Don't believe me? Check out their Youtube channel or their website.
I first came across them a few months, when my boyfriend sent me this video to cheer me up during a very hard day at work (yes, it's not all fancy cars and hotels ;-p).
In the mood for a party? It's Friday after all, so you might want to check out this video. Or are you in need of a laugh? Check out their collaboration with the Key of Awesome! Make sure to put all liquids down, or they may come out of your nose.
Happy Friday!
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Happy! Or not?
What made me happy today? Being happy! Or not?
So, I could go on and gush about the bed and breakfast I'm staying at. I mean, look at the place!
And yes, I've tried out the jacuzzi :-)
Now, it's not something I usually do, but in this case I will interrupt the regular scheduled programming.
There's been a disaster. People in the Philippines are dead, dying or in desperate need of help. It's on the way, but it needs to get there fast. And you can help too. Donate to your local charities if you can. The links are in Dutch, but you can always check out how to donate to your local Red Cross, Medicines without Borders or other charities. If you can't donate, please help and spread the word. These people need our help, and they need it now. So please share this message and help spread the word.
So, I could go on and gush about the bed and breakfast I'm staying at. I mean, look at the place!
And yes, I've tried out the jacuzzi :-)
Now, it's not something I usually do, but in this case I will interrupt the regular scheduled programming.
There's been a disaster. People in the Philippines are dead, dying or in desperate need of help. It's on the way, but it needs to get there fast. And you can help too. Donate to your local charities if you can. The links are in Dutch, but you can always check out how to donate to your local Red Cross, Medicines without Borders or other charities. If you can't donate, please help and spread the word. These people need our help, and they need it now. So please share this message and help spread the word.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
More bubbles!
What made me happy today? More bubbles!
On Monday, I talked about how much I love taking long bubble baths. Well, I'm currently staying at a bed & breakfast for work, and my room has a jacuzzi! It's filling up as I write this. So you know what I'll be doing this evening :-)
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Girl on fire!
What made me happy today? Girl on fire!
Yes, I was on fire today. Not literally, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this ;-)
I don't know how or why, but I was in an awesomely productive state. By the time it was 11 in the morning I had read 115 emails, responded to the ones that I needed to respond to, performed a training, written a report and two letters, gotten my flu shot and registered my car for GPS updates.
And this continued throughout the day. In the end, I wrote four letters and three reports, did a bunch of trainings and cleared my entire to-do list. For those of you wondering how much coffee I had: one cup. That was it.
I don't know how I'd gotten so productive today, but I'm pretty darn happy about it!
How was your day? I hope it was as great as mine!
Yes, I was on fire today. Not literally, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this ;-)
I don't know how or why, but I was in an awesomely productive state. By the time it was 11 in the morning I had read 115 emails, responded to the ones that I needed to respond to, performed a training, written a report and two letters, gotten my flu shot and registered my car for GPS updates.
And this continued throughout the day. In the end, I wrote four letters and three reports, did a bunch of trainings and cleared my entire to-do list. For those of you wondering how much coffee I had: one cup. That was it.
I don't know how I'd gotten so productive today, but I'm pretty darn happy about it!
How was your day? I hope it was as great as mine!
Monday, November 11, 2013
Bubbles!
What made me happy today? Bubbles!
We're having a bank holiday today, it's Armistice day. It's cold outside, and I didn't want to go outside. So I figured this was the ideal day to get some chores done.
And to pamper myself! Time for a long bath with bubbles and a book, a scrub, face mask and all that pampering beauty stuff you can do at home. This is one of my favorite ways to recharge my batteries!
What's your favorite way to pamper yourself or spend a day off?
We're having a bank holiday today, it's Armistice day. It's cold outside, and I didn't want to go outside. So I figured this was the ideal day to get some chores done.
And to pamper myself! Time for a long bath with bubbles and a book, a scrub, face mask and all that pampering beauty stuff you can do at home. This is one of my favorite ways to recharge my batteries!
What's your favorite way to pamper yourself or spend a day off?
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Stasis!
What made me happy today? Stasis!
Yesterday, my boyfriend and I went to visit some friends we hadn't seen in quite a while. Afterwards, when we were home, he turned on the computer, because there was something he wanted to show me.
That something turned out the be the 'Stasis' game's alpha demo. This is a playable demo for a new 2D isometric, point-and-click sci-fi horror adventure game.
The set-up? It's the distant future. Your character, John Maracheck, wakes up on the outside of a stasis pod. Breathing heavily (and creepy), dazed, confused, uncertain of where you are, you soon discover that you've been injured. Looking for help, all you see is malfunctioning equipment, smears of something on the walls and floors, dust and a lot of nothing. That's where the fun begins.
The game is played from an isometric fixed point of view. This gives you a great oversight of each level, but also obscures certain parts from view. And that adds to the anticipation. In horror games like this, where you can't always precisely see what's going on and can't swing the camera around to get a better view, it's the anticipation that'll get to you. Did something just move in that dark corner of the room? Did I just see something run by that open door? Throw in a creepy, dilapidated environment with static and eerie background noises (like a slightly cracking, slowed down tune from a music box) and green lights, you've got the right atmosphere.
The gameplay itself is pretty straight-forward, the graphics are nice and clean. I must add that the images sometimes appeared to be a bit halting, but the boyfriend didn't notice, so it might have been just me.
Fair warning, if you get scared easily, this is a demo you don't want to play alone in the dark right before you go to sleep. Leave some time for a Disney movie :-)
I do have to add that it turns out the boyfriend and I make a rather good adventure game team! *spoiler alert* He wasn't sure of how to proceed, so I put in my advice of having to cut of one dead guy's arm and put that on the scanner. Le viola.
Stasis is now on Kickstarter, so if you like the demo, back them! You've got 27 days :-)
Yesterday, my boyfriend and I went to visit some friends we hadn't seen in quite a while. Afterwards, when we were home, he turned on the computer, because there was something he wanted to show me.
That something turned out the be the 'Stasis' game's alpha demo. This is a playable demo for a new 2D isometric, point-and-click sci-fi horror adventure game.
The set-up? It's the distant future. Your character, John Maracheck, wakes up on the outside of a stasis pod. Breathing heavily (and creepy), dazed, confused, uncertain of where you are, you soon discover that you've been injured. Looking for help, all you see is malfunctioning equipment, smears of something on the walls and floors, dust and a lot of nothing. That's where the fun begins.
The game is played from an isometric fixed point of view. This gives you a great oversight of each level, but also obscures certain parts from view. And that adds to the anticipation. In horror games like this, where you can't always precisely see what's going on and can't swing the camera around to get a better view, it's the anticipation that'll get to you. Did something just move in that dark corner of the room? Did I just see something run by that open door? Throw in a creepy, dilapidated environment with static and eerie background noises (like a slightly cracking, slowed down tune from a music box) and green lights, you've got the right atmosphere.
The gameplay itself is pretty straight-forward, the graphics are nice and clean. I must add that the images sometimes appeared to be a bit halting, but the boyfriend didn't notice, so it might have been just me.
Fair warning, if you get scared easily, this is a demo you don't want to play alone in the dark right before you go to sleep. Leave some time for a Disney movie :-)
I do have to add that it turns out the boyfriend and I make a rather good adventure game team! *spoiler alert* He wasn't sure of how to proceed, so I put in my advice of having to cut of one dead guy's arm and put that on the scanner. Le viola.
Stasis is now on Kickstarter, so if you like the demo, back them! You've got 27 days :-)
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Amoras 2047: Jerusalem
What made me happy today? Amoras 2047: Jerusalem.
On May 10th of this year, I wrote this blog about the new Suske and Wiske album Amoras 2047. Four days ago, Amoras 2047: Jerusalem (part two of the Amoras 2047 series) hit the shelves.
I was in the city today, so I decided to pick up a copy. I re-read the first part, and excitedly started reading the second part.
Wow. What can I say. I love it. If you remember, the first part ended with a major cliffhanger. Well, let's say that you find out pretty fast what happened there.
The comic takes place in the same dystopian future. The drawing style is the same, and the story is great. Sometimes it gets a bit confusing due to the time-travel element. But just stick with it, as the confusion usually resolves itself pretty fast.
Even though the comic had a grim, and gritty story, there's humor in there too. And I feel that it's kind of necessary to prevent the story from becoming too heavy. Yet it never feels like comic relief. It's just the way the characters are.
So stop by your local comic book store today, and grab a copy! It's worth it!
On May 10th of this year, I wrote this blog about the new Suske and Wiske album Amoras 2047. Four days ago, Amoras 2047: Jerusalem (part two of the Amoras 2047 series) hit the shelves.
I was in the city today, so I decided to pick up a copy. I re-read the first part, and excitedly started reading the second part.
Wow. What can I say. I love it. If you remember, the first part ended with a major cliffhanger. Well, let's say that you find out pretty fast what happened there.
The comic takes place in the same dystopian future. The drawing style is the same, and the story is great. Sometimes it gets a bit confusing due to the time-travel element. But just stick with it, as the confusion usually resolves itself pretty fast.
Even though the comic had a grim, and gritty story, there's humor in there too. And I feel that it's kind of necessary to prevent the story from becoming too heavy. Yet it never feels like comic relief. It's just the way the characters are.
So stop by your local comic book store today, and grab a copy! It's worth it!
Friday, November 8, 2013
Fry-day glomps!
What made me happy today? Fry-day glomps!
It's Fry-day today, so I had fries for supper. Yes, I'm severely sleep deprived, so spelling Friday as Fry-day cracks me up. This is how my brain gets when I'm not getting enough sleep. It goes off to the odd side, and starts laughing at silly stuff, or stops being coherent. Any way, on with the actual happy part!
I was being a bit of a sad panda today, what with the not sleeping well and gloomy weather. So a friend of mine decided to glomp me.
She made me learn a new word! I had to go to duckduckgo to find out what 'glomp' means. The Urban Dictionary defines 'glomps' as: Not sexual, it is the action of one person lovingly (and dramatically) attacking another with a hug. A glomp is often predatory and lies somewhere in the grey area between a caring embrace, and a flying leap to tackle someone. The term is used extensively in anime culture, as well as online in text form (anime because many anime characters do this often, and online because it is short and descriptive).
I don't get how I'd never come across this word before, I watch a ton of anime. Although, maybe I don't watch the 'glomps' kind of anime. Who knows.
And who cares, because I had fries! Belgian fries are so good! And I learned a new word! Yaaaaay!
Okay, I obviously need to get more sleep. Stat.
Or coffee. Starbucks or koffie Onan sounds nice right about now.
EDIT: BF agrees, I'm sleep-deprived. Just because I sent him the 'what does the fox say' video.
It's Fry-day today, so I had fries for supper. Yes, I'm severely sleep deprived, so spelling Friday as Fry-day cracks me up. This is how my brain gets when I'm not getting enough sleep. It goes off to the odd side, and starts laughing at silly stuff, or stops being coherent. Any way, on with the actual happy part!
I was being a bit of a sad panda today, what with the not sleeping well and gloomy weather. So a friend of mine decided to glomp me.
She made me learn a new word! I had to go to duckduckgo to find out what 'glomp' means. The Urban Dictionary defines 'glomps' as: Not sexual, it is the action of one person lovingly (and dramatically) attacking another with a hug. A glomp is often predatory and lies somewhere in the grey area between a caring embrace, and a flying leap to tackle someone. The term is used extensively in anime culture, as well as online in text form (anime because many anime characters do this often, and online because it is short and descriptive).
I don't get how I'd never come across this word before, I watch a ton of anime. Although, maybe I don't watch the 'glomps' kind of anime. Who knows.
And who cares, because I had fries! Belgian fries are so good! And I learned a new word! Yaaaaay!
Okay, I obviously need to get more sleep. Stat.
Or coffee. Starbucks or koffie Onan sounds nice right about now.
EDIT: BF agrees, I'm sleep-deprived. Just because I sent him the 'what does the fox say' video.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Smoothie!
What made me happy today? Smoothie!
I made the best autumn-style smoothie ever today! It's very easy to make and super yummy!
What you need:
2 ripe bananas
2 cups vanilla kefir, or yoghurt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
12 ice cubes
How to make it:
Combine the kefir or yoghurt, bananas, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ice cubes in a blender; blend until smooth. Serve immediately and enjoy!
I made the best autumn-style smoothie ever today! It's very easy to make and super yummy!
What you need:
2 ripe bananas
2 cups vanilla kefir, or yoghurt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
12 ice cubes
How to make it:
Combine the kefir or yoghurt, bananas, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ice cubes in a blender; blend until smooth. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
When awesome strikes!
What made me happy today? When awesome strikes!
Today was a great day. So many awesome things happened! Here's the list:
- work was fun, I had a lot of laughs. The study nurse was bossing the professor around, while I was trying to keep a straight face.
- a friend of mine became a father of a healthy baby boy!
- today's Questionable Content manages to capture how I usually feel about wearing heels.
- a family member got great news about her beloved pet!
- today's Star Power is impossibly precise!
- awesome person is awesome
- you might not want to tick this one off
- and last but not least: remember the fault in our stars? I came across this awesome review today :-)
I hope your day was as awesome as mine!
Today was a great day. So many awesome things happened! Here's the list:
- work was fun, I had a lot of laughs. The study nurse was bossing the professor around, while I was trying to keep a straight face.
- a friend of mine became a father of a healthy baby boy!
- today's Questionable Content manages to capture how I usually feel about wearing heels.
- a family member got great news about her beloved pet!
- today's Star Power is impossibly precise!
- awesome person is awesome
- you might not want to tick this one off
- and last but not least: remember the fault in our stars? I came across this awesome review today :-)
I hope your day was as awesome as mine!
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
K-On!
What made me happy today? K-On!
K-On! is an anime about 4 high-school girls who join their schools's light music club to save it from being disbanded. K-On is derived from keiongaku (軽音楽), which means light music in Japanese.
Yui, one of the four girls, can't even play an instrument or read sheet music. She joined the club because she liked playing castanets and eventually learns to play the guitar. The bassist is Mio, who's very shy and has stage-fright. The drummer is the energetic, scatter-brained Ritsu. Last but not least we have keyboardist Tsumugi (aka Mugi) who's sweet and kind, but who can also be very strict.
The show basically revolves around these four girls, Yui's sister Ui, club adviser and teacher Sawako. Later on in the first season the girls are joined by a 5th band-member, guitarist Azusa (Azu-nyan).
It's a fun, light-hearted show. The girls play songs like 'my love is a stapler', 'light and fluffy time' and 'calligraphy pen: ballpoint pen'. But if you think that these are airy poppy songs, you're wrong. They play rather rock-like music, and metal is featured rather prominently in several episodes. As it turns out (warning: spoiler!), the club adviser, Sawako, used to be a member of the light music club when she was going to high-school. She also used to be the lead guitar and singer of a speed metal band called 'Death Devil'.
K-On! is the type of show I like to watch on a dark, rainy day like today. Preferably in the company of a cupcake :-)
Or two ;-)
K-On! is an anime about 4 high-school girls who join their schools's light music club to save it from being disbanded. K-On is derived from keiongaku (軽音楽), which means light music in Japanese.
Yui, one of the four girls, can't even play an instrument or read sheet music. She joined the club because she liked playing castanets and eventually learns to play the guitar. The bassist is Mio, who's very shy and has stage-fright. The drummer is the energetic, scatter-brained Ritsu. Last but not least we have keyboardist Tsumugi (aka Mugi) who's sweet and kind, but who can also be very strict.
The show basically revolves around these four girls, Yui's sister Ui, club adviser and teacher Sawako. Later on in the first season the girls are joined by a 5th band-member, guitarist Azusa (Azu-nyan).
It's a fun, light-hearted show. The girls play songs like 'my love is a stapler', 'light and fluffy time' and 'calligraphy pen: ballpoint pen'. But if you think that these are airy poppy songs, you're wrong. They play rather rock-like music, and metal is featured rather prominently in several episodes. As it turns out (warning: spoiler!), the club adviser, Sawako, used to be a member of the light music club when she was going to high-school. She also used to be the lead guitar and singer of a speed metal band called 'Death Devil'.
K-On! is the type of show I like to watch on a dark, rainy day like today. Preferably in the company of a cupcake :-)
Or two ;-)
Monday, November 4, 2013
Cupcakes for charity!
What made me happy today? Cupcakes for charity!
We had a charity bake-sale at work today. Everyone who wanted could make a dessert and bring it to the office, where portions would be sold for charity. So I baked some cupcakes.
Okay, some is an understatement. I baked 5 different kinds.
Plain vanilla cupcakes:
Plain vanilla cupcakes with royal vanilla icing:
Cupcakes with chocolate:
Double chocolate cupcakes:
Double chocolate cupcakes with triple chocolate frosting:
Needless to say, I had a few treats today. The things I do for charity ;-)
We had a charity bake-sale at work today. Everyone who wanted could make a dessert and bring it to the office, where portions would be sold for charity. So I baked some cupcakes.
Okay, some is an understatement. I baked 5 different kinds.
Plain vanilla cupcakes:
Plain vanilla cupcakes with royal vanilla icing:
Cupcakes with chocolate:
Double chocolate cupcakes:
Double chocolate cupcakes with triple chocolate frosting:
Needless to say, I had a few treats today. The things I do for charity ;-)
Sunday, November 3, 2013
The Stanley parable
What made me happy today? The Stanley parable.
Yesterday evening, my BF and I went out for dinner with his parents. Afterwards, we were talking about games. Suddenly, the BF takes my chair, drags me in front of his PC, put my hands on the mouse and keyboard and said 'Here, play this'.
This turned out to be a demo of a game called 'the Stanley parable'. Originally a Half Life mod, it's now a full game. The demo is the introduction to the game. But it's not your average demo. This one, as well as the full game, is different from anything I had ever played before. Different in a frustrating, but good and amusing way though!
Be warned, it's a very addictive game. Trust me. I got home last night, got the game on Steam and played for an hour. I've been playing it for the better part of today as well. I even asked my BF why he introduced me to this game.
There's a reason this game gets high review scores. The Stanley parable has a Metascore of 90, and I really recommend it!
However, it's hard to explain what the Stanley parable is about without spoiling it all. So I suggest you head on over to Steam and get the game. Add me while you're there! I'm Elentariel on Steam. You can thank me later for the awesome game.
Or yell at me because you're completely addicted ;-)
Yesterday evening, my BF and I went out for dinner with his parents. Afterwards, we were talking about games. Suddenly, the BF takes my chair, drags me in front of his PC, put my hands on the mouse and keyboard and said 'Here, play this'.
This turned out to be a demo of a game called 'the Stanley parable'. Originally a Half Life mod, it's now a full game. The demo is the introduction to the game. But it's not your average demo. This one, as well as the full game, is different from anything I had ever played before. Different in a frustrating, but good and amusing way though!
Be warned, it's a very addictive game. Trust me. I got home last night, got the game on Steam and played for an hour. I've been playing it for the better part of today as well. I even asked my BF why he introduced me to this game.
There's a reason this game gets high review scores. The Stanley parable has a Metascore of 90, and I really recommend it!
However, it's hard to explain what the Stanley parable is about without spoiling it all. So I suggest you head on over to Steam and get the game. Add me while you're there! I'm Elentariel on Steam. You can thank me later for the awesome game.
Or yell at me because you're completely addicted ;-)
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Games and beer!
What made me happy today? Games and beer!
I am one happy girl today! Yesterday evening, I met up with a friend to have a few beers. I usually don't drink beer, but the bar we went to has a nice selection of yummy fruit beers. So I decided to try a few of those. They were great! No worries, I didn't drive the battlestar home. I have a strict 'no drinking if I'm driving' policy. Good thing I live about a 20 minute walk away from the bar. I had a great time catching up with my friend!
Today is a very busy day. At the supermarket, I ran in to another friend, we had a nice chat while waiting in line at the cash register. Now, I'm dyeing my hair, while checking some game sales! Steam, Indie Royal and GOG are having Halloween sales :-D
Tonight will be fun as well, I'm going out for dinner with my BF and his parents! Have a great Saturday!
I am one happy girl today! Yesterday evening, I met up with a friend to have a few beers. I usually don't drink beer, but the bar we went to has a nice selection of yummy fruit beers. So I decided to try a few of those. They were great! No worries, I didn't drive the battlestar home. I have a strict 'no drinking if I'm driving' policy. Good thing I live about a 20 minute walk away from the bar. I had a great time catching up with my friend!
Today is a very busy day. At the supermarket, I ran in to another friend, we had a nice chat while waiting in line at the cash register. Now, I'm dyeing my hair, while checking some game sales! Steam, Indie Royal and GOG are having Halloween sales :-D
Tonight will be fun as well, I'm going out for dinner with my BF and his parents! Have a great Saturday!
Friday, November 1, 2013
Hello battlestar!
What made me happy today? Hello battlestar!
About 2.5 months ago, I blogged about how I would be saying goodbye to my battlecruiser. Yesterday, the day had finally arrived! I took the battlecruiser (the Ford) for it's last drive to work. It felt kind of weird, because even though the car had it's flaws, it served me well.
But a little before 11 o'clock, I got a call from the reception. My new car had arrived! Eagerly, I dashed towards it. The first thing I noticed was that choosing a red one was a great idea! Good thing the man delivering my car took me through the basics of this car, because otherwise I would have been lost. So many buttons, thingamagicks and dudemabobs! No complaints about the service either, they delivered it right to the door of the office. And if I ever need to have maintenance or repairs done, I just have to call the garage. They'll pick it up at 10, and deliver it back at 4. Service much?
So I turned the keys to the battlecruiser over to the rental company. No teary goodbyes, but I'll always remember the battlecruiser fondly.
Time to get in to the battlestar, and put her in the parking lot. That's where I encountered a small issue. I couldn't figure out how to get the car in reverse for the life of me. After about 5 minutes of fiddling and messing with the clutch, I decided to call the garage. Turns out, you have to push the clutch down in order to get it in reverse. Boy, did I feel silly. Any way, embarrassment aside, off we were to the parking lot. Too bad it was only a 150m drive :-)
But driving home, I got to put the battlestar to the test a bit more. And let me tell you, that car is a smooth drive! She pulls up really well (one of my main complaints about the Ford). She handles the turns smoothly, and is very comfortable! The engine purrs like a little kitten :-)
The battlestar has little nooks and crannies for storing items, which is very convenient. Most certainly if you spend a lot of time in your car, like me. The trunk space is generous, I could easily fit in there. Of course, the battlecruiser had more trunk space, but I didn't need that. The pedals of the batllestar are arranged much better, the gears on the clutch are closely together, which makes for easy gear shifting. The placement of the hand brake is a bit odd, but in no way cumbersome.
I could go on and on about all the options and features, but I don't want to bore you to death ;-) Suffice it to say: I love my brand new red batllestar! I'm going to have a lot of (safe) fun driving her around! The Volvo V40 is an awesome car :-D
About 2.5 months ago, I blogged about how I would be saying goodbye to my battlecruiser. Yesterday, the day had finally arrived! I took the battlecruiser (the Ford) for it's last drive to work. It felt kind of weird, because even though the car had it's flaws, it served me well.
But a little before 11 o'clock, I got a call from the reception. My new car had arrived! Eagerly, I dashed towards it. The first thing I noticed was that choosing a red one was a great idea! Good thing the man delivering my car took me through the basics of this car, because otherwise I would have been lost. So many buttons, thingamagicks and dudemabobs! No complaints about the service either, they delivered it right to the door of the office. And if I ever need to have maintenance or repairs done, I just have to call the garage. They'll pick it up at 10, and deliver it back at 4. Service much?
So I turned the keys to the battlecruiser over to the rental company. No teary goodbyes, but I'll always remember the battlecruiser fondly.
Time to get in to the battlestar, and put her in the parking lot. That's where I encountered a small issue. I couldn't figure out how to get the car in reverse for the life of me. After about 5 minutes of fiddling and messing with the clutch, I decided to call the garage. Turns out, you have to push the clutch down in order to get it in reverse. Boy, did I feel silly. Any way, embarrassment aside, off we were to the parking lot. Too bad it was only a 150m drive :-)
But driving home, I got to put the battlestar to the test a bit more. And let me tell you, that car is a smooth drive! She pulls up really well (one of my main complaints about the Ford). She handles the turns smoothly, and is very comfortable! The engine purrs like a little kitten :-)
The battlestar has little nooks and crannies for storing items, which is very convenient. Most certainly if you spend a lot of time in your car, like me. The trunk space is generous, I could easily fit in there. Of course, the battlecruiser had more trunk space, but I didn't need that. The pedals of the batllestar are arranged much better, the gears on the clutch are closely together, which makes for easy gear shifting. The placement of the hand brake is a bit odd, but in no way cumbersome.
I could go on and on about all the options and features, but I don't want to bore you to death ;-) Suffice it to say: I love my brand new red batllestar! I'm going to have a lot of (safe) fun driving her around! The Volvo V40 is an awesome car :-D
Thursday, October 31, 2013
This is Halloween!
What made me happy today? This is Halloween!
Happy Halloween or God Samhain, depending on what you celebrate! I'll be spending the evening watching 'the nightmare before Christmas', a bunch of Vincent Price movies and some other scary ones on my couch with my BF.
Stay safe everyone, have a great day, and enjoy your long weekend if you're having one!
Happy Halloween or God Samhain, depending on what you celebrate! I'll be spending the evening watching 'the nightmare before Christmas', a bunch of Vincent Price movies and some other scary ones on my couch with my BF.
Stay safe everyone, have a great day, and enjoy your long weekend if you're having one!
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Rainicorn!
What made me happy today? Rainicorn!
Michelle Phan's new video is out, she's doing a lady rainicorn look this time. I think it looks really great, maybe I'll try it one day. Sounds like it's adventure time! ;-)
It's a very happy, innocent look, do you think I could pull it off?
Michelle Phan's new video is out, she's doing a lady rainicorn look this time. I think it looks really great, maybe I'll try it one day. Sounds like it's adventure time! ;-)
It's a very happy, innocent look, do you think I could pull it off?
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Underrated things
What made me happy today? Underrated things!
I stumbled across this Buzzfeed post today, it's about 29 underrated things about being in your late twenties. So relatable!
I confess, I'm scared of that approaching '3' but things like this make me feel a lot better about it :-)
I stumbled across this Buzzfeed post today, it's about 29 underrated things about being in your late twenties. So relatable!
I confess, I'm scared of that approaching '3' but things like this make me feel a lot better about it :-)
Monday, October 28, 2013
Storms that pass in the night
What made me happy today? Storms that pass in the night.
It's been storming here since yesterday evening. I love storms! The way the clouds are so many different shades of grey, whipping past at high speeds, the colourfull leaves flying by and how the trees bend in the wind.
Of course, storms can do a lot of damage. So far, we've been pretty lucky here, apart from a few trees and some traffic signs, not much else was damaged.
Except for my circadian rhythm. The clock was turned back an hour yesterday, and that's messing with my internal clock. Add the noisy storm to that, and I decided to put in earplugs, in order to be able to sleep. And sleep I did. I even slept through my alarm because it only went off once. Good thing I always wake up early, and that I work flex-time :-)
So storms are pretty, and my internal clock woke me up pretty much on time! Plus, I had a super-productive day at work. I guess I escaped this week's case of the Mondays ;-)
It's been storming here since yesterday evening. I love storms! The way the clouds are so many different shades of grey, whipping past at high speeds, the colourfull leaves flying by and how the trees bend in the wind.
Of course, storms can do a lot of damage. So far, we've been pretty lucky here, apart from a few trees and some traffic signs, not much else was damaged.
Except for my circadian rhythm. The clock was turned back an hour yesterday, and that's messing with my internal clock. Add the noisy storm to that, and I decided to put in earplugs, in order to be able to sleep. And sleep I did. I even slept through my alarm because it only went off once. Good thing I always wake up early, and that I work flex-time :-)
So storms are pretty, and my internal clock woke me up pretty much on time! Plus, I had a super-productive day at work. I guess I escaped this week's case of the Mondays ;-)
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Gedo Senki
What made me happy today? Gedo Senki!
This morning, I watched Gedo Senki (it's Japanese, literally it means Ged's war chronicles), also known as Tales from Earthsea. It's a 2006 fantasy anime, produced by studio Ghibli. So far I've not disliked anything I've seen from studio Ghibli.
And Gedo Senki is no exception. It's another visually stunning piece of work, along with a gripping story line and some great character development. However, Gedo Senki does not have the fluffiness of some of the other studio Ghibli movies (like Kiki's flying delivery service, or Laputa: castle in the sky). This movie gave me goosebumps on more than one occasion, and even had me gripping my BFs hand at one point. Plus, this movie has dragons! Yay, dragons!
The movie is based on the Earthsea series, by Ursula K. Le Guin. I've yet to read these books, but the movie is just based on them and I've been reliably informed there are some major differences between the two.
As for the plot, I'm not going to give much away. There's dragons, wizards, murder and a plot to destroy the 'Balance'. So pick up a copy of this movie, along with some popcorn and enjoy!
This morning, I watched Gedo Senki (it's Japanese, literally it means Ged's war chronicles), also known as Tales from Earthsea. It's a 2006 fantasy anime, produced by studio Ghibli. So far I've not disliked anything I've seen from studio Ghibli.
And Gedo Senki is no exception. It's another visually stunning piece of work, along with a gripping story line and some great character development. However, Gedo Senki does not have the fluffiness of some of the other studio Ghibli movies (like Kiki's flying delivery service, or Laputa: castle in the sky). This movie gave me goosebumps on more than one occasion, and even had me gripping my BFs hand at one point. Plus, this movie has dragons! Yay, dragons!
The movie is based on the Earthsea series, by Ursula K. Le Guin. I've yet to read these books, but the movie is just based on them and I've been reliably informed there are some major differences between the two.
As for the plot, I'm not going to give much away. There's dragons, wizards, murder and a plot to destroy the 'Balance'. So pick up a copy of this movie, along with some popcorn and enjoy!
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Hergé
What made me happy today? Hergé!
Hergé is the creator of the Tintin comics. And as it turns out, there's a museum dedicated to him in Louvain-la-Neuve. So the BF and I decided to go and check it out today.
It's a great museum, if you like Tintin you really have to go there! The entry fee includes the audio guide. And the set-up of the museum is very logical. It takes you through Hergé's life. We spent about 4 hours there.
After that, we grabbed a burger at a place called Zanzibar. Very nice food, amd great service. We also stopped by the local manga / bookshop, called Slumberland.
After that, we took a walk through the city, as the weather is so lovely! So We had a great day so far. I hope your Saturday is as great as mine!
Friday, October 25, 2013
Fast-food Friday
What made me happy today? Fast-food Friday!
We've started a new tradition at work. In my new team, we'll be having fast-food for lunch, one Friday per month :-)
Today, we ordered Chinese. It was really yummie. Plus, it's fun to have lunch with my coworkers. We tried to limit the work talk, I think we managed pretty well !
I'm looking forward to repeating this!
Have a great Friday!
Thursday, October 24, 2013
All the pretty colours!
What made me happy today? All the pretty colours!
It's fall, and the leaves are changing colour. As I was driving home, it was rather sunny, and I noticed some very lovely landscapes too :-)
All those pretty colours are one of the reasons I love fall so much.
It's fall, and the leaves are changing colour. As I was driving home, it was rather sunny, and I noticed some very lovely landscapes too :-)
All those pretty colours are one of the reasons I love fall so much.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
These are the days
What made me happy today? These are the days.
Today was a great day. The weather was nice, traffic cooperated, and work went really well. The people at the site today are so nice, friendly and helpful!
After work I decided to quickly stop by my sister, so I saw my goddaughter and niece again :-) They're doing so well, and growing so fast! I couldn't believe how much Roha changed! Roha spent some time just sleeping on my chest. She was crying, so I got to take her out of her crib, and she went back to sleep on my chest :-) My goddaughter is learning new words and things so fast as well. It's amazing to see :-)
After that, I went for dinner with a friend I hadn't seen for quite some time. The food was great, and we had a splendid time catching up!
I should have more days like this!
Today was a great day. The weather was nice, traffic cooperated, and work went really well. The people at the site today are so nice, friendly and helpful!
After work I decided to quickly stop by my sister, so I saw my goddaughter and niece again :-) They're doing so well, and growing so fast! I couldn't believe how much Roha changed! Roha spent some time just sleeping on my chest. She was crying, so I got to take her out of her crib, and she went back to sleep on my chest :-) My goddaughter is learning new words and things so fast as well. It's amazing to see :-)
After that, I went for dinner with a friend I hadn't seen for quite some time. The food was great, and we had a splendid time catching up!
I should have more days like this!
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Kids say the darndest things
What made me happy today? Kids say the darndest things.
During lunch today, the conversation was about kids and the funny things they say. I just wanted to share a few of the gems I overheard with you all. It made me laugh so hard!
Kid: 'Mom, where was I before I was born?'
Mom: 'Well, you were an egg.'
Kid: 'Was I a fried egg?'
Mom: '*speechless*'
Kid: 'What was a doing as an egg?'
Mom: 'Well, you were waiting for a little seed.'
Kid: 'To eat?'
Kid: 'Mom, if I was an egg and my sister was too, how come I never saw her there?'
Kid: 'When are you a grown up?'
Mom: 'When you are married.'
Kid: 'So does that mean that auntie isn't grown up yet?'
Mom: 'Eh, no.'
Kid: 'But you said you're grown up when you're married. Auntie isn't married.'
Auntie: 'I'm not married, but I get to babysit you, so I'm a grown up too! You don't have to be married to be a grown up.'
Mom: 'Eh, yeah, that's true.'
Kids can say the funniest things, what's the best thing you've ever heard a kid say / said as a kid?
During lunch today, the conversation was about kids and the funny things they say. I just wanted to share a few of the gems I overheard with you all. It made me laugh so hard!
Kid: 'Mom, where was I before I was born?'
Mom: 'Well, you were an egg.'
Kid: 'Was I a fried egg?'
Mom: '*speechless*'
Kid: 'What was a doing as an egg?'
Mom: 'Well, you were waiting for a little seed.'
Kid: 'To eat?'
Kid: 'Mom, if I was an egg and my sister was too, how come I never saw her there?'
Kid: 'When are you a grown up?'
Mom: 'When you are married.'
Kid: 'So does that mean that auntie isn't grown up yet?'
Mom: 'Eh, no.'
Kid: 'But you said you're grown up when you're married. Auntie isn't married.'
Auntie: 'I'm not married, but I get to babysit you, so I'm a grown up too! You don't have to be married to be a grown up.'
Mom: 'Eh, yeah, that's true.'
Kids can say the funniest things, what's the best thing you've ever heard a kid say / said as a kid?
Monday, October 21, 2013
New skin!
What made me happy today? New skin!
Hoshi has new skin. Leopard geckos shed their skin when they grow out of it. And, oddly enough, you may not even know it has happened because they will eat their shed skin. No one knows for sure why they do that. Some people believe it's as a precaution against predators, others say it might be to get some nutrition out of it.
The colours of a leopard gecko's skin will become muted, and the skin will have a grey cast to it. Also, Hoshi started behaving a bit differently. She hid almost all day yesterday, and today she was very active. She kept scratching her head and body against the plants and log in her house. So I made sure to raise the humidity a bit, and I also put a humid hide (basically a small box with soaking wet paper towels in it) to help ease her discomfort. And it worked. She's shed all of her skin, and is much happier now :-)
I really like her, and I'm glad she seems to be doing well in her new home :-)
Hoshi has new skin. Leopard geckos shed their skin when they grow out of it. And, oddly enough, you may not even know it has happened because they will eat their shed skin. No one knows for sure why they do that. Some people believe it's as a precaution against predators, others say it might be to get some nutrition out of it.
The colours of a leopard gecko's skin will become muted, and the skin will have a grey cast to it. Also, Hoshi started behaving a bit differently. She hid almost all day yesterday, and today she was very active. She kept scratching her head and body against the plants and log in her house. So I made sure to raise the humidity a bit, and I also put a humid hide (basically a small box with soaking wet paper towels in it) to help ease her discomfort. And it worked. She's shed all of her skin, and is much happier now :-)
I really like her, and I'm glad she seems to be doing well in her new home :-)
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Football!
What made me happy today? Football!
Last night, there was a football game. As OHL was playing a home match against Waasland-Beveren, I went there with the Red Cross to help out with first aid, if needed.
It was fun! I was on the team at the sideline, so if a player went down and needed help, I'd have to go out and help get him off the field. Of course, there were other volunteers there. I'm in no way able to get one guy up all by myself. But I never had to go out on the field.
Which means I got to see the entire match from the sideline! We were sitting in between the trainers of both teams. It was so cool! I've seen a few live football games, but never this close up :-) We did have to duck a few times, as a ball came really close to us. And a few times I wish I could see the replay of a particular action, but it was a really fun night any way.
It was a great match too, OHL won 4-2. I'm definitely hoping I'll get to be on the sideline team again soon :-)
Last night, there was a football game. As OHL was playing a home match against Waasland-Beveren, I went there with the Red Cross to help out with first aid, if needed.
It was fun! I was on the team at the sideline, so if a player went down and needed help, I'd have to go out and help get him off the field. Of course, there were other volunteers there. I'm in no way able to get one guy up all by myself. But I never had to go out on the field.
Which means I got to see the entire match from the sideline! We were sitting in between the trainers of both teams. It was so cool! I've seen a few live football games, but never this close up :-) We did have to duck a few times, as a ball came really close to us. And a few times I wish I could see the replay of a particular action, but it was a really fun night any way.
It was a great match too, OHL won 4-2. I'm definitely hoping I'll get to be on the sideline team again soon :-)
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Lightning Bolt
What made me happy today? Lightning Bolt!
I finally got around to listening to the entire new Pearl Jam album, called Lightning Bolt! Two singles, 'mind your manners' and 'sirens' were released, prior to the complete album.
Lightning Bolt is somewhat reminiscent of the older Pearl Jam, but has some fresh new sounds. My personal favorite songs are 'sirens' 'infallible' and 'pendulum'. Reviews of this album are widely varied, some call this the best album by Pearl Jam so far, others call it mediocre or worse. I didn't look at the reviews before getting the album, so I could give it a listen with an open mind.
In my opinion it's a great album, although it doesn't have songs like 'Jeremy' or 'Alive' on it. 'Sirens' still tugs on my heart-strings every time I hear it. But I kind of miss the raw edge the older songs sometimes seemed to have.
Still, I love it! Eddie's voice is magnificent :-)
I finally got around to listening to the entire new Pearl Jam album, called Lightning Bolt! Two singles, 'mind your manners' and 'sirens' were released, prior to the complete album.
Lightning Bolt is somewhat reminiscent of the older Pearl Jam, but has some fresh new sounds. My personal favorite songs are 'sirens' 'infallible' and 'pendulum'. Reviews of this album are widely varied, some call this the best album by Pearl Jam so far, others call it mediocre or worse. I didn't look at the reviews before getting the album, so I could give it a listen with an open mind.
In my opinion it's a great album, although it doesn't have songs like 'Jeremy' or 'Alive' on it. 'Sirens' still tugs on my heart-strings every time I hear it. But I kind of miss the raw edge the older songs sometimes seemed to have.
Still, I love it! Eddie's voice is magnificent :-)
Friday, October 18, 2013
Hoodie
What made me happy today? Hoodie!
Ah, it's fall. The leaves are changing colour, there's more rain, the mornings are colder. Which means it's time to break out the hoodies again! I love hoodies! They're warm, comfortable, make me happy and are just awesome.
I usually change into one after I get home :-)
This is my favorite hoodie:
And hoodies are great in situations like this! I was eating a sandwich while on vacation in the Ardennes. BF managed to get a hold of my iPod and started annoying me with it. I used my hoodie to hide :-)
"Stop taking pictures of me!"
"No? Okay, well, then I'll hide!"
Ah, it's fall. The leaves are changing colour, there's more rain, the mornings are colder. Which means it's time to break out the hoodies again! I love hoodies! They're warm, comfortable, make me happy and are just awesome.
I usually change into one after I get home :-)
This is my favorite hoodie:
And hoodies are great in situations like this! I was eating a sandwich while on vacation in the Ardennes. BF managed to get a hold of my iPod and started annoying me with it. I used my hoodie to hide :-)
"Stop taking pictures of me!"
"No? Okay, well, then I'll hide!"
Thursday, October 17, 2013
The road less traveled.
What made me happy today? The road less traveled.
I had to be in Brussels for work today. As I know traffic to Brussels tends to get very busy in the mornings, I got up bright and early. Good thing I did, because there had been a rather large accident near Jette with more than 2 hours of delay. So I told my GPS to try and avoid all that mess.
The good thing is that I have a rather smart GPS (sometimes). It decided to make me drive through Brussels. I really don't like driving in Brussels. It's very busy, and it seems like there's a set of slightly different traffic rules in operation there.
But on the other hand, I'm glad I drove that way. It's the road less traveled, but it's nice to see places you haven't been that often. Plus, it's great driving practice (even though I already have my license).
I had to be in Brussels for work today. As I know traffic to Brussels tends to get very busy in the mornings, I got up bright and early. Good thing I did, because there had been a rather large accident near Jette with more than 2 hours of delay. So I told my GPS to try and avoid all that mess.
The good thing is that I have a rather smart GPS (sometimes). It decided to make me drive through Brussels. I really don't like driving in Brussels. It's very busy, and it seems like there's a set of slightly different traffic rules in operation there.
But on the other hand, I'm glad I drove that way. It's the road less traveled, but it's nice to see places you haven't been that often. Plus, it's great driving practice (even though I already have my license).
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
The one with ...
What made me happy today? The one with ...
I'm currently re-watching Friends. It's one of my guilty pleasures. I love to unwind with a few episodes after work!
The best part is how the episodes' names often start as 'the one with', and almost all start with 'the one'. The notable exceptions to this are: 'the pilot', which is the first episode; and 'the last one', which is the last episode. This was done because the title of the episode would not be shown during the opening sequence, and thus would remain unknown to the public. So the writers came up with the whole 'the one' concept as they felt this would be the way the audience would describe the episodes. Like: 'Did you see that episode of Friends last night?' 'Which one?' 'The one with/where ...'
Plus, the show had a great set of guest stars, like Brad Pitt, Christina Applegate and Tom Selleck. And the main cast was perfect. They all became friends in real life :-)
So grab a cup of coffee, and join them in Central Perk!
I'm currently re-watching Friends. It's one of my guilty pleasures. I love to unwind with a few episodes after work!
The best part is how the episodes' names often start as 'the one with', and almost all start with 'the one'. The notable exceptions to this are: 'the pilot', which is the first episode; and 'the last one', which is the last episode. This was done because the title of the episode would not be shown during the opening sequence, and thus would remain unknown to the public. So the writers came up with the whole 'the one' concept as they felt this would be the way the audience would describe the episodes. Like: 'Did you see that episode of Friends last night?' 'Which one?' 'The one with/where ...'
Plus, the show had a great set of guest stars, like Brad Pitt, Christina Applegate and Tom Selleck. And the main cast was perfect. They all became friends in real life :-)
So grab a cup of coffee, and join them in Central Perk!
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
What if?
What made me happy today? What if?
It's Tuesday, and that means there's a new 'what if? xkcd'! I've mentioned xkcd before, it's one of my favorite webcomics.
In 'what if?' xkcd answers a reader's science-related question. Spoiler alert: they often end in catastrophy.
Looking for some extra laughs while reading this webcomic? Hover your mouse over the images, you'll get a little bit of extra text.
Enjoy reading!
It's Tuesday, and that means there's a new 'what if? xkcd'! I've mentioned xkcd before, it's one of my favorite webcomics.
In 'what if?' xkcd answers a reader's science-related question. Spoiler alert: they often end in catastrophy.
Looking for some extra laughs while reading this webcomic? Hover your mouse over the images, you'll get a little bit of extra text.
Enjoy reading!
Monday, October 14, 2013
Check in!
What made me happy today? Check in!
I'm working in Roeselare today and tomorrow. As this means a very long drive both ways (2 hours to get there, and at least 3 hours to get back), my manager approved an overnight stay in a hotel. That means I don't have to get up at the ungodly hour of 4:45 tomorrow morning!
And I get a yummy hotel breakfast tomorrow. Or so I hope.
Plus, it's kind of awesome that I can do this. It really helps to reduce my stress levels. Now I don't have to spend three or more hours behind the wheel to get home, frustrated at how people here can't drive when it rains. And I don't have to get up that early tomorrow, as the hotel is a 5 minute drive from where I'll be working :-)
So yay for awesome companies that let you stay at a hotel! Now I'm going to check out what I'm missing out on by not having cable-TV at home ;-)
I'm working in Roeselare today and tomorrow. As this means a very long drive both ways (2 hours to get there, and at least 3 hours to get back), my manager approved an overnight stay in a hotel. That means I don't have to get up at the ungodly hour of 4:45 tomorrow morning!
And I get a yummy hotel breakfast tomorrow. Or so I hope.
Plus, it's kind of awesome that I can do this. It really helps to reduce my stress levels. Now I don't have to spend three or more hours behind the wheel to get home, frustrated at how people here can't drive when it rains. And I don't have to get up that early tomorrow, as the hotel is a 5 minute drive from where I'll be working :-)
So yay for awesome companies that let you stay at a hotel! Now I'm going to check out what I'm missing out on by not having cable-TV at home ;-)
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Bin-Bin!
What made me happy today? Bin-Bin!
Yesterday, my BF and I had plans to go see some friends. But as one of them was sick, we decided to post-pone our visit. Instead, we went to Leuven. As always, we ended up buying some books :-) On the way back home, we stopped to look at some paintings, had an ice-cream and stopped by the local Thai shop.
I love that store. They're always very friendly and helpful. And they have the greatest stuff! Most of you know that I love cooking and I love food. So I stop by the Thai shop regularly, because they have great ingredients that aren't expensive! Years ago, I discovered something called Bin-Bin rice crackers. They're savory, delicious and come in several flavors. My personal favorites are the regular ones (savory/sweet), the seaweed ones (salty/savory) and the snow ones (sweet). But the last few times I want there, they didn't have them. Which was sad, because these are one of my favorite food items ever, because they're just so different from what I'm used to regarding rice crackers.
I was delighted to see they had them again yesterday, and immediately grabbed a bag of each of my favorites. Yummie :-)
What's your favorite exotic treat?
From left to right: regular, seaweed and snow Bin-Bin :-)
Yesterday, my BF and I had plans to go see some friends. But as one of them was sick, we decided to post-pone our visit. Instead, we went to Leuven. As always, we ended up buying some books :-) On the way back home, we stopped to look at some paintings, had an ice-cream and stopped by the local Thai shop.
I love that store. They're always very friendly and helpful. And they have the greatest stuff! Most of you know that I love cooking and I love food. So I stop by the Thai shop regularly, because they have great ingredients that aren't expensive! Years ago, I discovered something called Bin-Bin rice crackers. They're savory, delicious and come in several flavors. My personal favorites are the regular ones (savory/sweet), the seaweed ones (salty/savory) and the snow ones (sweet). But the last few times I want there, they didn't have them. Which was sad, because these are one of my favorite food items ever, because they're just so different from what I'm used to regarding rice crackers.
I was delighted to see they had them again yesterday, and immediately grabbed a bag of each of my favorites. Yummie :-)
What's your favorite exotic treat?
From left to right: regular, seaweed and snow Bin-Bin :-)
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Ryght
What made me happy today? Ryght!
No, I didn't misspell 'right'. Ryght is a brand of portable speakers and headphones. I'd been looking for a portable speaker for some time now. My sleepphones are great, but they do tend to mess up my hair. Plus, I love to listen to music when I'm in the shower. In the summer, I can just leave the door open and listen to music that way. But in the winter I can't do that.
And that's where Ryght fits in with the y-storm. Weighing in at a little over 170 grams, this little speaker does pack a punch! It's easy to take with you, the y-storm is 60 x 60 x 50 mm tall (or small). You can connect any device that has either a 3.5 mm audio jack or a Bluetooth connection (distance: about 10 meters) to it. It has a rechargeable battery, good for 6-8 hours of listening pleasure. You can charge it by attaching the included USB cable to your pc or laptop.
The y-storm is very simple to use. You charge it, you switch it on, you connect your device through Bluetooth or the included audio cable and you're good to go! The sound is very crisp and clear. And the y-storm delivers on the volume as well, turned up to the max it's loud!
The y-storm has only one disadvantage: both the website and the included manual are in French. Not an issue for me, because I speak French. But if you don't you might want to keep a translating website at hand.
Other than that, I love it! I can now listen to music everywhere in my house :-)
No, I didn't misspell 'right'. Ryght is a brand of portable speakers and headphones. I'd been looking for a portable speaker for some time now. My sleepphones are great, but they do tend to mess up my hair. Plus, I love to listen to music when I'm in the shower. In the summer, I can just leave the door open and listen to music that way. But in the winter I can't do that.
And that's where Ryght fits in with the y-storm. Weighing in at a little over 170 grams, this little speaker does pack a punch! It's easy to take with you, the y-storm is 60 x 60 x 50 mm tall (or small). You can connect any device that has either a 3.5 mm audio jack or a Bluetooth connection (distance: about 10 meters) to it. It has a rechargeable battery, good for 6-8 hours of listening pleasure. You can charge it by attaching the included USB cable to your pc or laptop.
The y-storm is very simple to use. You charge it, you switch it on, you connect your device through Bluetooth or the included audio cable and you're good to go! The sound is very crisp and clear. And the y-storm delivers on the volume as well, turned up to the max it's loud!
The y-storm has only one disadvantage: both the website and the included manual are in French. Not an issue for me, because I speak French. But if you don't you might want to keep a translating website at hand.
Other than that, I love it! I can now listen to music everywhere in my house :-)
Friday, October 11, 2013
Phonebloks
What made me happy today? Phonebloks!
Phonebloks is a concept for a new type of phone. Instead of throwing out the whole phone when something gets slow or stops working, phonebloks is made up out of changeable components. That way, you can change the component that is slow, or broken. It'll allow you to create the phone you want.
I really love this idea! And I hope this is something that really happens. But in order to do that, they need your support. Take a look at the phonebloks website, and join the thunderclap before 29 October 2013.
I'd love to have a phone that I can make the way I want it. A phone that I don't have to get repaired or toss out when it breaks. What do you think?
Phonebloks is a concept for a new type of phone. Instead of throwing out the whole phone when something gets slow or stops working, phonebloks is made up out of changeable components. That way, you can change the component that is slow, or broken. It'll allow you to create the phone you want.
I really love this idea! And I hope this is something that really happens. But in order to do that, they need your support. Take a look at the phonebloks website, and join the thunderclap before 29 October 2013.
I'd love to have a phone that I can make the way I want it. A phone that I don't have to get repaired or toss out when it breaks. What do you think?
Thursday, October 10, 2013
It's over 9000!
What made me happy today? It's over 9000!
What is over 9000? No, it has nothing to do with DragonBall Z. It has everything to do with my car! I just noticed that I already drove over 9000 km since I got this car. Which kind of baffled me. Until I started thinking about how much time I actually spend in my car.
On an average day, I'm in my car a little under 2 hours. But on some days it can be as much as 7 hours. No wonder I've driven so much in about 7 months.
And it makes me happy to know I've driving this much, without any accidents!
Now I just hope I didn't jinx it...
What is over 9000? No, it has nothing to do with DragonBall Z. It has everything to do with my car! I just noticed that I already drove over 9000 km since I got this car. Which kind of baffled me. Until I started thinking about how much time I actually spend in my car.
On an average day, I'm in my car a little under 2 hours. But on some days it can be as much as 7 hours. No wonder I've driven so much in about 7 months.
And it makes me happy to know I've driving this much, without any accidents!
Now I just hope I didn't jinx it...
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Insomnia
What made me happy today? Insomnia!
That will need some explaining. I'm not happy about having bouts of insomnia. But I am happy that I finally seem to have found something that works for me. And the best part is that I can totally relate to this post! Major frustrations, I'll say!
I know people who zonk out the minute their head hits the pillow. There is no way to describe how envious I am of that! The only time I ever zonked out minutes after putting my head down, was when I had to get general anesthesia to have all four of my wisdom teeth extracted. But I've found a few things that will help me fall asleep faster on most occasions. Like my sleepphones, breathing exercises, relaxation exercises and the right temperature in the bedroom.
What helped me most was throwing out my alarm clock! I would find myself obsessively staring at it, calculating how long I had left before I had to get back up. Which of course led to me obsessing over how little sleep I'd be getting, and how tired I'd be the next day. So I put my alarm clock away. Now, I put my smartphone on my nightstand, so I still have an alarm to wake me up. But I can't constantly see wat time it is. And oddly enough, that helped!
Sleep tight tonight!
That will need some explaining. I'm not happy about having bouts of insomnia. But I am happy that I finally seem to have found something that works for me. And the best part is that I can totally relate to this post! Major frustrations, I'll say!
I know people who zonk out the minute their head hits the pillow. There is no way to describe how envious I am of that! The only time I ever zonked out minutes after putting my head down, was when I had to get general anesthesia to have all four of my wisdom teeth extracted. But I've found a few things that will help me fall asleep faster on most occasions. Like my sleepphones, breathing exercises, relaxation exercises and the right temperature in the bedroom.
What helped me most was throwing out my alarm clock! I would find myself obsessively staring at it, calculating how long I had left before I had to get back up. Which of course led to me obsessing over how little sleep I'd be getting, and how tired I'd be the next day. So I put my alarm clock away. Now, I put my smartphone on my nightstand, so I still have an alarm to wake me up. But I can't constantly see wat time it is. And oddly enough, that helped!
Sleep tight tonight!
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