Thursday, January 31, 2013

Swimming

What made me happy today? Swimming.
I love to swim. Always have. There's just something about it that relaxes me.
I'm lucky enough to live close to a pool. So once a week I go for a swim with two friends. It seemed like a good plan, and we keep each other motivated to come. We don't chat much or mess around in the pool, nope, we swim laps. Every time I look forward to the weekly swim. I can work of my frustrations, let of some steam, think about stuff, just be alone with my thoughts in the water.
It's just me, my body and my mind. In the water, we are one well-working machine. My knee doesn't bother me, and as I've been swimming for years, I don't have to think about it. I can just let my thought flow freely as I cleave through the water :-)
Besides, it's good for you. Swimming is gentle on the joints and gives you an all-over work-out. Plus, you don't get all sweaty :-)
And with my new haircut it became even more fun, because now I don't have to walk home in the cold with wet hair any more :-)
So pack up your swimming trunks or bathing suit and go splash around in a pool ;-)

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Vegetable pie

What made me happy today? I made a delicious vegetable pie!
It's tasty, filled with veggie goodness and really easy to make. It's not really a pie as I didn't put on a second layer of dough, but you can add that if you like.

Ingredients:

- Two large onions
- +/- 350 gr sweet potatoes
- +/- 350 gr carrots
- 4 eggs
- 120 ml milk
- 200 gr cheese (I used a combination of Gouda, mozzarella and Emmental)
- one unbaked sheet of puff pastry dough
- salt, pepper and garlic to taste

Preparation:

- Pre-heat the oven on 200°C.
- Clean the vegetables. Slice them in bite-sized chunks.
- Break the 4 eggs into a bowl. Add the milk and whisk thorougly. Add salt, pepper and garlic to taste.
- Put the puff pastry dough in a pie pan. Add the vegetables. Pour the egg mixture over it. Top off with the cheese.
- Bake for about 35 minutes on 200°C, until eggs are solid.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Squee!

What made me happy today? Total squee pictures!
Okay, and a video.
The video was first: it popped up in the online newspaper I was reading this morning. It shows a bunch of dolphins helping another dolphin stay afloat when she gets sick. So sweet.
Then I stumbled across this photo. It's a galaxy shaped like a hummingbird! Ok, actually it's three galaxies colliding. Stunning pictures though. You can find more information here.
After that I needed something closer to home. My eye fell on this. Totally made me go 'Awww, there's something in my eye...'
And last but not least I came across a picture that made me go 'squee!'

So sweet!

Want to see some more pretty pictures? Here you go!
Or do you need some more faith in humanity? Right this way!

Monday, January 28, 2013

4Play

What made me happy today? 4Play!
And for those of you with dirty minds, no not that. It's the new Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio CD!
Two weeks ago I did a post about it. In it I mentioned that I immediately ordered a copy. Well, I waited and waited.
I had an otherwise pretty crappy day today, but when I came home and emptied the mailbox, my spirits were instantly lifted. A package from Out of Line music! Finally, 4Play had arrived.
So I ran up the stairs, ripped open the envelope and put the CD in my pc to give it a listen. Bottom line: I love it. Now I can't wait for the new full CD to come out...
It's yet again very ORE. It's epic, dramatic, emotional, with a decent side of depravity and debauchery.
Want to order the CD yourself? You can buy it from the Out of Line shop. It's also available on iTunes. The lyrics to the songs can be found on the ORE Facebook page
All that's left to say now is: amazing job ORE, and thanks for yet again creating such a marvellous piece of music! I'll be listening to 4Play for the rest of the evening.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

La Belle et la Bête

What made me happy today? Seeing the Philip Glass ensemble perform the filmopera 'La Belle et la Bête' (the Beauty and the Beast).
In early December 2012 a friend sent me and some other friends an email to see if anyone would be interested in going to see this. I didn't need to give it much thought. This would be the first time in seven (!) years the Philip Glass ensemble would do a performance of this piece, live none the less!
I absolutely love Philip Glass! I play my favorite Philip Glass cd at least twice a week. For those of you wondering which one of his vast body of work it is, it's Solo Piano. I'm not going to do a bio on him here, the Wikipedia page does a pretty good job. I came across Philip Glass' music a long time ago, through my piano classes. He has a very specific sound, and is often used in tv shows, movies and so many other things.
I actually lost track of him until I was watching the 'Valley of Darkness' episode from Battlestar Galactica (re-imagined series, very good tv!). In the scene where Starbuck and Helo sit in Starbuck's appartment she plays some music. It's a piece from Philip Glass' Solo Piano. And I was hooked once more :-) Long story short: I love music, I love Philip Glass.
So yesterday I finally got to see and hear 'la Belle et la Bête' live. Philip Glass himself did a 25 minute introduction, explaining how and why he composed this opera, using Jean Cocteau's 1946 film. Impressive process to say the least. He even had to get the rights not to use the original soundtrack and dialogue. Cue general laughing by everyone in the audience. But after his little talk he finished by saying: ' Just forget everything I told you and enjoy it'.
I have to say, there is something in the whole concept of re-doing a movie's spoken parts and soundtrack with an opera. Blew me away. It was amazing! The music was so very recognizable as Philip Glass. If you're familiar with his work, you'll know what I mean.
Granted, the movie is from 1946, so one scene in particular made me cringe. Belle sees la Bête for the first time and promptly faints. I know, old movie, but still.
But oh, the music, the singing. The vocals were spot on, I got goosebumps on more than one occasion. The singers and musicians of the Philip Glass ensemble put so much feeling into it. And a big tip of my hat to the conductor, Michael Riesman. Keeping an entire ensemble in sync with a movie is a tough job. He regularly had to adjust the pace a little bit to make sure everything and everyone was in sync. How I loved every minute of it! And before I knew it, it was over. Minute long applause ensued, well deserved!
One minor point though: the opera singing technique sometimes made it hard to understand what was being sung, but I always have that problem wjhe listening to opera. And apparently, so do the friends I went with.
So I'm going to leave you with this for today: if you ever get the chance to see this perfomance, buy a ticket and go see it. Mind you though, the whole thing is sung in French. But even if you don't understand French, you'll get what's going on.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Spoiling yourself

What made me happy today? Spoiling myself!
Sometimes I need to spend some quality time with myself, especially after a week of long days at work. So today I went shopping :-) I managed to find some nice earrings, bought some more coffee from koffie Onan (I(ve mentioned them before: here http://project365-oneyearofhappy.blogspot.be/2013/01/great-friends-and-great-coffee.html and here http://project365-oneyearofhappy.blogspot.be/2013/01/that-knowing-look.html) and a latte of the week to go (this week it's almond, yum!). After all that I started to get hungry, so I treated myself to a nice pasta.
I also managed to find a cute birthday present for my goddaughter. Then I decided to go take a look in the Metalzone (http://www.metalzone.be/, bought a cd, and had a nice little chat with Wim, the shopkeeper. He's always very friendly and helpful, which is why I regularly stop by his store in Leuven. In the meantime it started snowing again, and as I didn't bring my cap, I decided to head on home, feeling happy.
Sometimes a girl just needs to spend quality time with herself or spoil herself. I'm not saying that every time I want to spoil myself I go out shopping. I'm just as happy to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and a nice book. Or taking a long, hot bath with a book or a movie (long live modern technology). It's just that from time to time it's important to make some time for yourself. We all live very busy lives, so reconnecting with yourself is important. And relaxing for a while never hurt anyone I think :-)
Enjoy your Saturday, I know I will enjoy mine as I'm going to see a filmopera tonight :-)

Friday, January 25, 2013

Sleepphones

What made me happy today? Sleepphones!
What are sleepphones? Well, basically it's a fleece headband with two flat speakers in it. It's made for use during sleep. You can hook it up to your pc, tablet, phone or MP3 player and listen to music or anything you like when in bed.
I did a blog a while ago about my issues with sleep, and potential solutions. You can read that one here: http://project365-oneyearofhappy.blogspot.be/2013/01/brain-experiment.html
During my experiment, I noticed that regular in-ear headphones are no good for me. They work if you sleep on your back. But if you tend to sleep on your side, like I do, or toss and turn a lot, like I do as well, they're not comfortable or staying put. So I turned to the internet again and came across this website: http://www.sleepphones.com/
The idea is so simple! Just put small, flat speakers in a headband and viola. Problem solved. It totally seemed to be the thing for me, so I decided to order a pair. Order was placed on Jan. 17th, shipped on Jan 18th and delivered on Jan 23rd. And that even though their website says that international shipping takes between one and four weeks! Major bonus points there. The package was a small envelop with bubble wrap on the inside.
The sleepphones I got are black (big surprise there). They smell like lavender and are super soft. The cord looked a bit funny to me at first, but as it turns out it's made from fabric for extra comfort. So I decided to try them out that same night. They're amazingly comfortable and as a bonus during these cold days, keep my ears nice and warm! At first, I was a bit worried about sleeping with a cord that close to my neck, but it exits the sleepphones from the back (or the front, depending on how you wear them). I had no problems with it so far.
I got a code for some free music with my order, so I decided to give it a try. They have some other songs on their website too, which anyone can download. I put the songs on my MP3 player, hooked it up to the headphones and went to bed.
The last two nights have been the nights I slept best in several months. Last night I even managed to get 7 straight hours of sleep. That's rare for me. I am very happy.
Conclusion: I love the sleepphones! If you suffer from insomnia, a noisy neighbourhood, or a partner that snores, these might be a good solution for you.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

New haircut!

What made me happy today? My new haircut!
I got my hair cut! Yay! It had been three years since I went to the hairdresser. I was so dissapointed after the last time I went that I decided to cut my own hair from then on. Which I did. It's actually pretty easy when you have long hair.
But I had been thinking of getting my hair cut short for months now. Because I did not want to go for the buzz-cut I decided to not take any chances and go to the salon. I should have done this months ago! Don't get me wrong, I like my long hair, but short hair is cool too. I love those cute pixie cuts :-)
Why short? Well, a little under a year ago I decided to go for a side-cut. Loved it! Then I changed it to a Chelsea hawk. But now I wanted something totally different, to go with all other changes in my life. I'm so happy I did, I love it :-D

Well, guess it's time for pictures! (couldn't find any of the Chelsea hawk)

- Side-cut:


- Full lenght, about a month ago:

- Pixie cut:




Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Grandma

What made me happy today? Remembering my grandmother.
One year ago today my grandmother passed away. Losing her was hard, but I've had her with me for 27 years. 27 beautiful years, filled with so many good memories of her.
She was a midwife, and worked both independently and later on in a hospital. Oh, the stories she would tell! Mid 50's hospitals without running water etc. She was my inspiration to go to nursing school. When I graduated, she was oh so proud!
When I was little she used to take me (and my sister and/or cousins) to a nearby city in her little white Toyota. We'd go out for a hamburger or an ice cream, and she'd have a coffee with a little pot of hot water on the side. She'd add the water to her coffee if the coffee was to strong, because she didn't like milk. Even though my grandma was a picky eater, she'd always have the family well supplied with all kinds of food on holidays or special occasions.
Even though she had a lot of grandchildren, she always tried to keep up with was going on in our lives. Of course, sometimes she'd get confused between all of us. Especially when my sister and I decided to change haircolors at the same time. I dyed my hair blonde (my sister's natural haircolor) and she dyed hers brown (my natural haircolor). It was kind of funny.
My grandma would be so proud of us when we got good grades. But then again, after I finished my third degree while working, she asked me if I planned to use all my diplomas as wallpaper. She could be quite frank at times.
It's sad that she died, but she was almost 89 years old. She was, and always will be, one of the women I look up to in life. And I'm just glad I got to spend all that time with her, learning so many things from her and creating happy memories.
Losing a loved one is never easy, but I always try to find comfort in the memories I have of them. It's not much, but it's all I have left. And even though it may be a bit bittersweet, it makes me happy.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Faith in humanity

What made me happy today? Having some faith in humanity restored.
Sometimes I think there's not much hope for humanity. But on occasion I come across something that makes me think there might be hope after all.
This video for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=z0d1ydu7eSA It shows a woman in a subway station passing out and falling on the tracks, with a subway train approaching. The man jumping after her is an off-duty cop. He apparently heard the woman hit the tracks and just jumped after her. Other people in the station immediately tried to alert the subway driver, who managed to stop in time. The woman was saved, because someone who probably doesn't even know her, risked his own life to save her. He's a hero. Yes, he's a cop and he's supposed to protect people. But still...
Heroes are everywhere, as the security camera footage in this video shows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQMbJ5XUR68 Always makes me smile :-)
And to show that the world isn't such a bad place after all, I'm going to end with this article: http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/pictures-that-will-restore-your-faith-in-humanity
Heroes come in many forms, no matter their age, sex, skin color or whatever. When people help other people, it makes the world seem like a happier place. A better place for humanity. And isn't that a good thing?

Monday, January 21, 2013

Pretty pictures

What made me happy today? Stumbling across two amazing images on the internet.
The first one was this one:
It's a pulsar that looks like a hand, which kind of makes it look like the Universe is high-fiving itself :-)
Want to find out more about this hand-shaped pulsar? Visit http://chandra.si.edu/photo/2009/b1509/
The second one was this one:
It's a picture taken in Iceland, but it looks like a landscape from an alien world. Totally took my breath away. We have some pretty amazing places and views on this little blue dot we're living on... Want to find out more about this picture and the guy who made it? https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=314294742013156&set=a.156794281096537.29772.156784224430876&type=1&relevant_count=1

On a side note: those of you who like to gaze at the stars should definitely turn your eyes skywards this evening as Jupiter and the moon are wery close to each other! I just hope that the cloud cover breaks so I can see it too.
More information here: http://mashable.com/2013/01/20/jupiter-moon-close-encounter/

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Brain experiment

What made me happy today? A successful experiment on my own brain!
In order to get to my point, I first need to give you two pieces of background information.
Backstory 1: I'm a nurse, specialised in neurology. I've worked in a hospital for 4.5 years, and now work in clinical research. I like science, and will do the occasional experiment on myself. Nothing dangerous of course :-)
Backstory 2: for as long as I can remember I've been a pretty bad sleeper. I have days when I sleep ok but I also have days when I am plagued by insomnia.
Combine backstory 1 with backstory 2 and you'll sense where I'm going with this :-)
Over the years I have tried a lot of things that are said to help with insomnia. From the simple 'hot milk' to the 'get out of bed, do something different and go back to bed when tired'. None of those things ever seemed to work consistently. Warm milk before bed is a bad idea for me, it upsets my stomach. Getting out of bed does not help either, I'm tired any way... I refuse to take sleeping pills. I know my body, and I know I would be all fuzzy during the next day. Which I do not want.
So over the years I have developed several coping strategies for my bouts of insomnia. But there are occasions when nothing seems to help, or seems to be able to get me to sleep. That's when I decided it was time to start doing some experiments on my own brain.
The leading two causes of my insomnia usually are: ambient noises (old building, the pipes and central heating tend to be a bit noisy) and my own brain.
Now for the noise, there's a simple solution: earplugs. They'll help, but I can't use them every night because they'll irritate my ears.
For my brain that keeps on thinking about, well, everything when I'm in bed, it was a bit harder to find a solution. But after digging around in my brain and on the internet I think I finally may have found a solution: white noise and other soundscapes. They cancel out some or all of the background noise, and seem to give my brain something to focus on, other than thinking about so much stuff. I even found some soundscapes on Youtube that are said to promote sleep.
So far, the results seem good! I've had a very good night's sleep last night and the nights before were pretty ok too. I feel rather well rested at the moment so it might be working. Here's hoping!
Yes, I am perfectly aware that 1 person is not a valuable test group, but I'm only experimenting with what works for me and my insomnia.
Also, I know this post is up a lot earlier than usual, but it's snowing very hard and I have some social obligations this afternoon :-)

Saturday, January 19, 2013

That knowing look

What made me happy today? Sharing that knowing look with a total stranger.
You know the one I mean. Not the one shared between friends, but the one shared between two total strangers.
Today is Saturday. Saturday for me usually has the same schedule. Get up at a reasonable hour, go to my Pilates class, have a sub for lunch and occasionaly do some shopping, then head on home to do other stuff. This Saturday was no different, but it was rather cold, so I decides to grab a latte at koffie Onan (I've mentioned them before: http://project365-oneyearofhappy.blogspot.be/2013/01/great-friends-and-great-coffee.html). Ok, it was only -1°C but the wind chill was terrible. With my coffee in my hands I was walking back home when it happened.
She and I crossed paths somewhere in the middle of the Diestsestraat. Both holding a take-away cup of coffee. Our eyes met, there's a little moment of recognition (noot because you know each other, but because you're doing the same thing), and we shared that knowing look and a tentative little smile. You know, the look that goes: yeah, it's cold, but the coffee is nice and warm for my hands and all the rest, so enjoy.
It happens on other occasions as well. I wear black clothes all the time. In the winter a lot of people do, but when you meet someone in the summer dressed in all black you may share that knowing look. Kind of like there's this bond between you, even though you don't know each other. Like sharing something, or knowing you're not the only one :-)
That makes me happy, because it makes me feel a bit as if I'm not the only one doing this. If that makes sense...

Also, koffie Onan's latte of the week is caramel. Really tasty! If you have the chance, go get one, it's worth it :-)

Friday, January 18, 2013

Feeling better

What made me happy today? I'm starting to feel a lot better.
I've been under the weather the past few days. Sore throat, fever, overal 'wet dishrag' feeling, stuffy nose etc.
Now I must mention that I hate being sick and I'm bad at it too. I cannot sit still and do nothing. And I can certainly not, as my doctor says, 'let it run it's course'. Yes, I'm aware that patience is a virtue and usually I have it but not when I'm sick.
Luckily my immune system got it's little troopers in gear quite fast this time. But I'm guessing all the tea with honey, fruit, veggies and hours spent on the couch with the Big Bang Theory helped too. Because I know I have to rest when I'm sick. I don't like it and I'll complain about it, but I still do it. When I'm sick and I push my body I know I'll only make it worse and then I'll have to pay the price. Once, I kept working when I should have stayed at home because I had an airway infection (nurse, understaffed ward...). The result of me keeping working at that point? Bronchitis, 2 weeks out. So I learned my lesson the hard way.
But feeling better is such a great feeling. It's kind of like the absence of pain. You feel so relieved and happy. Three cheers for your immune system!
Stay happy and healthy, there's a lot of people with the flu and other bugs out there!

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Success

What made me happy today? Passing my theoretical driver's exam. On the first try!
I never really needed a driver's license. I managed to get everywhere with public transportation, friends and/or family. I live within walking distance of the shops, doctor and all other necessary things. I can easily get to my office with the bus. So after putting it of for about 10 years, I decided that it was about time to go and get a learner's permit to learn how to drive a car.
So I found this great website: www.gratisrijbewijsonline.be and started studying. When I felt confident I had a decent grasp on the theory I made a lot of the exams, which I all passed. In order not to put all my eggs in one basket, I also made a bunch of exams on the website of the VAB: www.vab-rijschool.be I passed all of those as well. Time to bite the bullet and go for it, I figured.
I'll admit: I was nervous. I hate exams, I have performance anxiety... But once I got started, it went very well. There were 4 questions you had to answer to familiarise yourself with the system. I got all of them right. That was the moment where my anxiety started to fade and I began to feel more confident. And I passed! When those words appeared on the screen I almost jumped out of my chair with joy. Good thing nobody saw it :-) I must have looked a bit silly. Oh well...
Now all I need to do is find a driving school that feels ok and I can get out on the road. Well, once all this snow melts any way.
People living in and around the Leuven area: consider yourselves warned ;-)

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Quiche

What made me happy today? Quiche.
I made my first quiche a few days ago, and I absolutely love it! It's easy to make, very tasty, can be eaten both hot and cold, great for lunch or dinner, can easily be packed for a lunch at school or work and just all-round yummie!

The picture above is the first quiche I ever made. It was very tasty, so here's the recipe. Try it, you won't be disappointed!

Ingredients:

- 4 large eggs
- 120 ml of milk/replacement
- 250 gr of broccoli
- a couple handfuls of spinach
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 red onion
- a few cherry tomatos
- about 120 gr of grated cheese (swiss/cheddar/gouda is a nice choice)
- olive oil
- sea salt + fresh pepper to taste
- a pinch of cayenne pepper
- unbaked pie pastry or puff pastry

Preparation:

- Sweat chopped garlic and red onion in a little olive oil. Meanwhile steam the broccoli and spinach for a couple minutes.
- Combine eggs and milk and add a bit of salt and pepper - include the cayenne
Fill pie crust with the onion + garlic mixture, broccoli, spinach and cheese (save a little for the top).
- Pour egg mixture over everything and top with the left over cheese and cherry tomatos
- Bake at 220°C for about 35 minutes, until egg mixture is solid.

Small warning: be carefull when you eat this, the cherry tomatoes are very hot on the inside and tend to splatter you with juice when being cut.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Snow

What made me happy today? Snow!
I like snow. A lot. It makes everything look so pretty. The world seems a bit more silent when snow covers everything and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. Not to mention that is was the kind of snow that makes that nice crunchy sound under your boots.
We don't get a lot of snow here in Belgium and when we do, it usually means chaos. It once took me 3.5 hours to get home when it started snowing unexpectedly. This country seems to stop functioning when there's more than 1 cm of snow on the ground.
I'm usually prepared for snow. I have a pair of awesome snow boots, a nice warm hat, coat and gloves. Sadly, it seems like a lot of people don't. I saw a lot of women wearing high heels this morning, only to look very surprised when they slipped and almost fell.
In general, this country almost never seems to be able to deal with snow. But this time it was different :-) The busses were pretty much on time, the trains had some issues and the traffic jams were not that bad either. There were two snow plows on the roads this morning. (never saw a snow plow IRL before, so that was a bonus) I even managed to make it into the office without too much delay. And the snow just kept on coming. When I arrived at work, it had just started snowing again and it didn't stop until around 3 o'clock in the afternoon. So I was kind of afraid about the ride home, and how long it would take. But my fear was unfounded, as it all went very smoothly :-)
Using public transportation on snow days has it's advantages: more time to enjoy the view, no need to pay attention to the road etc.
Besides, snow means that my inner child can come out and make a snow man. After which I will go back inside, make some hot cocoa and curl up on the couch under my fleece Wall-E blanket with a movie or a book. Perfect winter evening.

Monday, January 14, 2013

New ORE cd

What made me happy today? Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio has finally released 4play!
On December 10th 2012, Tomas Petterson (front man of ORE) announced that they’d be releasing 4play in January 2013, an appetizer for their new full length album to be released later in 2013. Of course I immediately ordered my copy, as there are only 1000 copies released!
I have to say, I could not be more excited! I have been a fan of ORE for many years and they always manage to surprise me. Their last full album, Songs 4 Hate & Devotion was released in 2010. It blew me away. It was rather different from the music they made before, and yet so totally ORE in everything. This does of course mean that I have high expectations about the forthcoming album. But knowing ORE, it'll be ok. They have never dissapointed me :-)
Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio is also one of those bands I love to see live. I love their music on cd, but seeing them perform live just adds something to the experience. If you ever have the chance to see them perform live, please do! You won't be dissapointed.
And on a more personal note, Tomas and Rose are very nice people! I've met them in real life and they are kind, warm hearted and friendly :-) I hope they'll continue to make such wonderful music for many years to come, so I can write lots of happy blog posts about it!

Links:
- 4play copies are sold here: http://www.outoflineshop.de/4play.html
- The official ORE website: http://www.ordo-rosarius-equilibrio.net/
- The ORE FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/ordorosariusequilibrio
- The ORE bandcamp site: http://ordorosariusequilibrio.bandcamp.com/
- The ORE Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/rosariusequilibrio

Some of my favorite clips and songs by ORE:
-I M B E C I L E, my idiot lover (warning, this clip might not be safe for work): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmmtCqoA4_k
- A world not so beautiful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FArObBxKoNQ
- Long knives and little men: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0R0H_qNW4U
- Ashen like love and black like the snow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXC4OTQhZXg
- Remember Depravity and the Orgies of Rome: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G84ji4BxMk
- In high heels through nights of broken glass: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMpUvZNwQ3c
- Three is an orgy, four is forever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S5Z0LJLFSs

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Apple pie

What made me happy today? Apple pie!
I have mentioned it before (http://project365-oneyearofhappy.blogspot.be/2013/01/cooking.html), but I love cooking and baking. So yesterday evening, as it was snowing I decided that I'd make an apple pie today.
And it worked out great, minus the part where I burned myself on the hot stove and ended up with 1st and 2nd degree burns on my right hand. Not to worry, the pie is fine and very delicious.


Want to try it yourself? It's very easy to make! Here's the recipe:

Ingedients:

- two sheets of puff pastry dough
- 8 granny smith apples, cored, peeled and sliced
- 60 gr of white sugar
- 60 gr of brown suger
- 100 ml of water
- 110 gr of unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- raisins and cinnamon to taste

Preparation:

- Preheat your oven to 220°C. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the all-purpose flour to form a paste. Add the water, the white and brown sugar. Reduce the temperature and let simmer.
- Place the bottem crust in the pie pan. Fill it with the apples (raisins and cinnamon if you like), mounded slightly. Cover this with the second crust, cut into a lattice. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Do this slowly so it does not run off. And whatever you do, do not put your hand on the hot stove ;-)
- Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven. After 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 175°C. Continue baking for 35 - 45 minutes until the apples are soft.

Once done, take the pie out of the oven, let it cool and enjoy!

Saturday, January 12, 2013

That moment.

What made me happy today? That moment when you suddenly remember something you could not remember a few hours before.
It was last night over dinner. My friend and I were having a conversation about movies, when suddenly the question came. 'What is the first sentence spoken in Star Wars: A new hope?'
Little backstory here: I was 8 years old when I first saw the original Star Wars trilogy. It was love at first sight. I have since seen the movies over a hundred times and know them by heart. At least, until that question came.
I desperately searched my memory for the answer. And drew a total blank. I did come up with the character that spoke the first sentence, C-3PO. But not being able to answer the question, we moved on.
Fast forward to a few hours later. I was brushing my teeth and suddenly the answer popped into my mind. 'Did you hear that? They shut down the main reactor. We'll be destroyed for sure.'
This is not the first time it happened.You know the feeling. You're desperately searching for a name, an answer to a question you're sure you know, but you can't remember for the life of you what it was. And then, a few hours later, as you lie in bed or are doing something totally unrelated *ping* the light goes on. You remembered! And the answer was so obvious you feel kind of silly for not being able to remember.
It's just one of those odd things our brain does on occasion. It can be quite frustrating. But if you go do something else you'll most likely remember what it was. And if not, well, there's always Google or Wikipedia ;-)

Friday, January 11, 2013

Cooking

What made me happy today? Cooking!
I love food and I love cooking. New recipes are always so much fun to try out, toy with and just give my own little personal twist!
Over the years I have added a lot of recipes to my repertoire. When I came to Leuven to study, I knew the basics. Being on my own and not wanting to eat the same things gave me the opportunity to start experimenting with recipes. I started with simple things, like a new type of pasta sauce. In the meantime I've added a lot to my cooking repertoire, much to the joy of some of my friends.
There's just something soothing about being in the kitchen, making food (or baking cakes / cookies) for the ones you love.
In the future I might upload some pictures of things I cooked / baked here, and some of my favorite recipes, but as I'm having a guest for dinner I'm off to my kitchen!
Enjoy your dinner, I know I will enjoy making mine :-)

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Smooth sailing

What made me happy today? It was smooth sailing at work.
I work in a fast-paced environment, where things can change at the drop of a hat. This requires a certain amount of flexibility and adaptability which can be pretty tiring at times, not to mention somewhat stressy.
So there are days where nobody seems to have time to help, answer an email. There’s stress in the air. Deadlines are approaching fast and might not be met, for a multitude of reasons. That leads to more stress. Not even music seems to be able to soothe the nerves, and everyone seems to be a bit on edge.
But then there are days when just everything seems to be going your way. Deadlines are met, everyone seems happy, glad to help and people actually respond to the emails you sent them. The sun is shining, there’s cake in the kitchen and everyone has a smile on their face.
Today was a smooth sailing day. Everyone I asked for something responded within a very reasonable timeframe. My work almost seemed to be doing itself. There was cake in the kitchen (and no, it wasn’t a lie), nobody got on my nerves and everyone seemed happy. The sun even came out J
These are the good days; these are the days when I love my job the most.
I hope you had a good day as well!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Webcomic Wednesday

What made me happy today? The new xkcd!
xkcd is most likely the webcomic I've been reading the longest. It started in September 2005 and if memory serves, I started reading xkcd somewhere at the end of 2007. The comic's tagline describes it as "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language". Randall Munroe is the brains behind it and I have to say, he is doing a hell of a job. Mind you, this is a comic without an actual storyline, it's just something different each time. Also, xkcd is not an acronym but just four letters.
Over the years, xkcd has become my little oasis of funny geeky moments during the week. I absolutely love xkcd, and it's too bad it only updates on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. And I keep going back for more, because some of the comics are so darn relatable, while others are downright funny.
Lucky for me, about half a year ago, Randall started doing 'xkcd: what if' every Tuesday, in which he answers a reader's hypotetical question with physics.

Want to check it out?
- xkcd: http://xkcd.com/
- xkcd: what if?: http://what-if.xkcd.com/
- the one that even made it into the Belgian newspapers because it was so huge: http://xkcd.com/1110/
-my all-time favorite (science! romance! squee!): http://xkcd.com/162/

Take a look, I hope you enjoy it!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Kind strangers

What made me happy today? Coming across two stories about kind strangers.
The first one was a newspaper article about Spanish locksmiths refusing to help evict homeowners any longer (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/03/spanish-locksmiths_n_2401771.html). This was also published in a Belgian paper (http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx?artikelid=DMF20130107_00424884 this article is in Dutch).
The second one was a story about a kind stranger on a subway: http://notalwaysright.com/homeless-is-where-the-heart-is/26293


There have been some kind strangers in my life as well, like the guys that stayed with me after I was hit by a car. And it does not even have to be as big as that. The small things matter as well. Like the people that stop to let you cross the street, or let you go in front of them at the checkout line in the supermarket because you only have one item and they have a shopping cart that's filled to the edge.
It's stories like this that make me feel the world is not such a bad place after all. They warm my heart and give me the idea that there might be hope for humanity after all :-)

Monday, January 7, 2013

Life's little wisdoms

What made me happy today? Coming across a list of little life lessons written by a 90 year old on FB. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200264303957069&set=a.4234747473748.175892.1437285044&type=1&relevant_count=1
The list goes as follows:
Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio .

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 42 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short – enjoy it.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.

9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

10. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

11. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

12. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it...

14 Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

15. Get rid of anything that isn't useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

16. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

17. It's never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.

18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

19. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

20. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

21. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

22. The most important sex organ is the brain.

23. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

25. Always choose life.

26. Forgive but don’t forget.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

31. Believe in miracles.

32. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

33. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

34. Your children get only one childhood.

35. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

36. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

37. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

38. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have not what you need.

39. The best is yet to come.

40. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

41. Yield.

42. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

I have two tips to add to this list:

43: Always wear sunscreen.
44: Eat your fruit and vegetables. Your health is important.

Life has many lessons to teach us, and we all get taught different things. But some things are true for everyone.
Then again, don't take life too seriously as you won't survive it any way ;-)

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Silly conversations

What made me happy today? Having silly conversations with friends.
For this one you might need a little background: my brain works in very strange ways most of the time, and it can be very random. I make odd connections between seemingly unrelated subjects in the blink of an eye. My thinking almost never goes is a straight line and on occasion skips a few steps. Or it just goes a mile a minute.
This creates situations like having a conversation about something completely unrelated and suddenly my mind will shout 'barbeque' because someone said something that my brain linked to barbeque, with a few (logical, for me at least) side-steps.
Good thing is, I have friends who do this to :-) Leading to one of my friends' boyfriend saying 'OMG, there's two of you' on more than one occasion.
And it happened again last night. I was at a friend's and I wanted to show him something on the internet when I got to a website called 'rock, paper, shotgun'. It's a game review website, you can find it here: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/ Which lead to a conversation about why paper beats rock (does not make much sense, but hey), and what kind of scissor and what type of rock would be needed for either to win in reality. So, about five minutes in, my friend and I look at each other and start laughing because of the sheer sillyness of the conversation. I'm still happy today :-)
It's great to have friends who are or can be as random as you are. Friends that will immediately join in when you start singing 'just keep swimming' from 'Finding Nemo'. Friends who will suddenly say 'bread' when you're discussing front lawns, to name a few notable examples.
My brain can be a handfull to deal with sometimes, but I would not trade it for the world. Why? Because these silly, random conversations about rocks and scissors, BBQs, bread and tons of other stuff make me happy. They make me feel like I'm not the only one with a random brain. And that's a very nice feeling :-)

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Family

What made me happy today? My family.
We had our family's (my father's side at least) New Year's get together today. It was great.
I have a fantastic family. We get along pretty well :-) And it seems like the kids do to. Several of my cousins have children of their own, they were all there as well. And they played together so nicely! It was great to see how the bigger ones played with the little ones, even my goddaughter (my sister's baby girl) who's almost 11 months now.
We don't all see each other that often, but we stay in touch through FaceBook, email etc. My female cousins and I try to meet up once a year for dinner and an evening out, without the guys. We always have lots of fun, because we all like good food and laughing.
Sometimes I don't see my family as often as I wish. I live about 80 km away from most of them, but as mentioned before: long live modern technology! Plus, it makes the times when I get to see them a bit more special!
Even though we all have different lives and live in different places, we're connected through blood and each one of my family members holds a special place in my heart :-)

Friday, January 4, 2013

Smiling against all odds, thanks to my friends

What made me happy today? The fact that I was able to smile despite everything that was going wrong, thanks to some of my friends.
I had a rough day at work. Several things were going haywire at once. It got to a point where I felt like the day was going to end in either one of two ways: anger or tears. It was neither :-) Why? Because a friend emailed me some silly Youtube videos that cheered me right up. And another friend gave me some tips that helped as well.
It's times like these I'm glad I have such good friends. We may not always see each other or talk to each other that often, but when the chips are down and the stormclouds are rolling in they're there for me and I'm there for them. My friends have stood by me during the good times and the bad, and I'm really lucky to have them. I am glad to have each and everyone of them in my life.
Now if you're wondering what the clips were, here are the links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq6OSbq3Is0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzdr0UsJj4U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPNmc71b7iE

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do, and maybe I made you smile too :-)

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Compliments

What made me happy today? Getting high praise from my boss.
Over a year ago I decided to change careers and I haven't regretted it on bit. When I started my new job, it took some getting used to, because I never had done anything like it. But I tried my best, did what I could and got the job done. So when I see my hard work and efforts are noticed, it puts a smile on my face and makes me want to go that extra mile to get the job done.
Today I got to see the final version of my end-year review and it contained some pretty awesome compliments :-) Which is good, because compliments make me happy. Besides, in a month and a half I'll be taking classes for a promotion, and this boosts my self-esteem. Which in turn makes me more confident I can do it. And that's a good thing :-)

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Great friends and great coffee

What made me happy today? Having great coffee with two great friends.
These days we always seem to be so busy. So it can be hard to maintain friendships, especially when balancing a career, classes, hobbies, family and friends. But on occasion you'll get those unexpected 'want to go out for coffee?' messages. Always nice :-)
That's precisely what happened to me yesterday. I was on Facebook, wishing two friends of mine a happy New Year and so we decided to meet up for coffee today.
Now I'm not really a coffee drinker, but I do like the occasional latte or other not-really-coffee-containing drink. Luckily, I live in Leuven. Which means that I am fortunate enough to have a great coffee and tea specialty bar in town. www.koffieonan.be (they're on Facebook too: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Koffie-Onan/97433414453) If you're ever in Leuven, please take some time to visit the store and have a drink there. It's really worth it. Kind people, great service and awesome coffee and tea. Want an example of how great they are? Well, a few weeks ago I wanted a coffee from their place. As it was really busy, I decided to have it 'to go'. So I counted out my money before ordering, just to speed things up. I get my coffee, pay for it and started walking out of the store. But just as I wanted to exit the shop, the owner came running up to me, telling me that I forgot my change. Apparently 'to go' is cheaper. I don't know a lot of shops where the owner runs after you because you forgot your change.
So I got to spend two hours sipping lattes, catching up with my friends. We talked about lots of stuff and generally just had a great time. Sometimes, that's all a girl needs :-)
And now if you'll please excuse me, I have to go bounce around my living room. Too much coffee...

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year!

2013 has finally arrived, and with it, this blog :-)
This is my resolution for 2013. Each day I will post one thing that made me happy in this blog.
Why? Well, the last two years were pretty rough for me so I decided it was time to focus on the good things in life.
What made me happy today? Well, I guess that that is pretty obvious! It's a new year, filled with new chances, opportunitues and all that good stuff. I'm going to try to make 2013 my year! And I'm very hopeful today, let's hope it stays that way. plus, I got to spend New Years Eve with one of my best friends. We had some nice dinner, watched some movies and the AC/DC concert. I had a blast, hope you all did too!