Sirens

What made me happy today? Sirens!
I'm not talking about the mythical sea-creatures, or the ones on an ambulance. I'm talking about the new song 'Sirens' by Pearl Jam. It was on the radio this morning, and I immediately loved it! The lyrics, the guitars, everything! I've been a fan of Pearl Jam since 'Ten' :-)
It even comes with a video clip, you can watch it here. Which it great, because Pearl Jam hadn't made a clip in years!
Eddie for president! ;-)

Birthday shenanigans!

What made me happy today? Birthday shenanigans!
As you may remember, it was my birthday on Wednesday. And I have to say, I celebrated it thoroughly this year :-)
On Wednesday, my parents came over. I had asked them to give me socks as a birthday present, just so I could say: 'Master has given Dobby a sock. Master has presented Dobby with clothes. Dobby is free!' That made my mom look very confused. my dad, on the other hand, had this resigned look on his face, as if to say 'oh no, she's at it again'. After this we went for Mexican food. Yummie!
On Friday, I met up with my boyfriends. Together we went to his parents. They gave me a very lovely card. My boyfriend had gotten me 'Vader's little princess', a comic about Darth Vader raising princess Leia. We had seen that one in the window of a bookstore. I squee'd so much over it, which he took as a hint :-) Best birthday present! We had raclette, with actual Swiss cheese, bought during our vacation there. Then we had ice-cream! Nom!
Yesterday, my boyfriend and I met up with some other friends for sushi. It was delicious! After the sushi, we went for some drinks. We had some great conversations, and discussed some very varied topics, ranging from your average geekery to nuclear science and privacy laws. This is why I like my friends. But the bar we were at was very full and noisy, so around midnight I started thinking about going home. But just as I was about to get up, another friend came in. He had said he couldn't make it to my little party, as he was abroad for a conference. But after he landed, he decided to stop by and have a quick drink :-) Around 01.45 o'clock we all decided to go home.
I think that I have never celebrated my birthday as much as this year. And I have some great friends too!

Catch your ZZzzz's

What made me happy today? Catch your ZZzzz's.
Wow, I slept so well last night! I only woke up at 10.30 this morning. That almost never happens to me :-) Must be my advancing age, or a fluke / glitch / bug. So I decided to take myself for a long overdue haircut. Which was about the funniest one I'd ever gotten. As I'm planning to grow my hair out again, the hairdresser only cut the front and back, not the sides :-)
Once my hair was done, I got a cup of coffee at koffie Onan. Then I walked back home, as it's a lovely Indian summer day. Now I'm going to get ready for my birthday party with my friends this evening!
Enjoy your Saturday!

Sing a song

What made me happy today? Sing a song!
OMG, Faderhead used me in a song! I'm in a song!!! This just made my month!
How did this happen? Yesterday, Faderhead posted a call on his Facebook page, asking girls to record a few sentences. I decided to go ahead, nothing ventured is nothing gained. So I sent him the mp3 with the sentences he needed. About 15 minutes later, he sent me an email, asking if I could record the same sentences in Dutch again. I was happy to help :-)
This morning I woke up, and saw he posted the song! You can find it here. I'm the girl you hear at 2:50, talking in Dutch. This is beyond cool! I've always kind of dreamed about this :-) I'm in a song from one of my favorite artists ever!

The key

What made me happy today? The key.
It's a 7 minute video about one of the greatest contributing factors to happiness. Watch it, and say thank you afterwards :-)

(apologies about the short post, I just took the tape of my hand and now it hurts :-( )

Birthday girl!

What made me happy today? I'm the birthday girl!
It's my birthday today! Of course, it would be a lot less awesome if I didn't share it with some of my favorite people! Will Smith, alien *ss buster par excellence. Jamie Hyneman, the mustachio'd Mythbuster. And Mark Hamill, aka Luke Skywalker! Maybe the reason I turned out the way I did, is because I share my birthday with these guys ;-)
Of course, birthdays are meant to be celebrated! So I'm going for dinner with my parents tonight. And my weekend will be filled with birthday shenanigans too. Friday I'll be having raclette with my BF and his parents, Saturday it's time for sushi and drinks with some friends. Sunday concludes the birthday blast with my weekly session of Vampire :-)
The award for most original birthday wish goes to 2 people this year. My boyfriend, who wished me a 'happy escape from your mother's womb' day; and another friend said this: 'A useless factoid to remember: today it's exactly 1 year from your last birthday...'
I can't believe how fast the past year of my life flew by. So many wonderful things have happened in that past year. Scroll through my blog and you'll see what I mean :-)
So happy birthday to me! Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday! And let's hope I'll be around for many, many years to come!

Indian summer

What made me happy today? Indian summer!
It's a lovely Indian summer day here. The past few days were cold and grey. But today the sun was shining, the temperature got up to around 22°c and there wasn't a cloud in sight :-)
So when I drove back home from work, I rolled down my window, turned up the radio (Insomnia by Faithless was playing) and enjoyed the wind in my hair and the sun on my face. What's not to like?
Pre-birthday days don't get any better than this!

Soup

What made me happy today? Soup!
I love soup :-) It's easy to make, healthy, delicious and you can make a lot of it in one go! Which is really great, because if you have a freezer, you can freeze separate portions. That way, you can pop a portion in the microwave oven and have something warm to eat in minutes! Great if you're pressed for time.
Fall is finally here, and along with winter, these are the ideal seasons for soup. Of course, I can eat soup any time :-)
So here's the recipe for one of my favorite soups: mushroom soup, Hungarian style.

Ingredients:
-4 tablespoons unsalted butter
-2 cups onions (chopped)
-1 lb fresh mushrooms (sliced)
-2 teaspoons dill weed (dried)
-1 tbsp paprika
-1 tbsp soy sauce
-2 cups vegetable broth
-1 cup milk
-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
-1 tsp salt
-black pepper (ground, taste)
-2 teaspoons lemon juice
-1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
-1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions in the butter for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 more minutes. Stir in the dill, paprika, soy sauce and broth. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk the milk and flour together. Pour this into the soup and stir well to blend. Cover and simmer for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Finally, stir in the salt, ground black pepper, lemon juice, parsley and sour cream. Mix together and allow to heat through over low heat, about 3 to 5 minutes. Do not boil, boiling will cause the soup to curdle. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Lazy Sunday!

What made me happy today? Lazy Sunday!
After having a busy day yesterday, I decided to take it a bit easier today. Especially because I didn't sleep all that well. Must have been all the excitement!
So I'm having a lazy Sunday. Got up too early, as I couldn't sleep. Watched some anime and some episodes of Friends. Went for a walk, as the weather was rather nice, had lunch and turned on that good old PlayStation 2 for some fun :-)
I hope you're having a great Sunday too!

TEDx youth

What made me happy today? TEDx youth Flanders!
Today, I volunteered at a TEDx event in Antwerp.  It was awesome! I met a lot of great people,  heard some great talks and attended 2 great workshops. I made my own t-shirt with the guys from teeville. Then there was a workshop on enthusiasm in which I got to smash a plate :-)
If you've got the chance to go to be TEDx event, make sure you do! I laughed and learned a lot!

Hole in one!

What made me happy today? Hole in one!
No, I didn't play golf :-) But I did get a report approved in one go.
When I go to one of my sites, I have to write a report about it. Usually, that report comes back with some comments. Things that need to be added, deleted, changed or stuff like that. But this one got approved right away :-) Yay!
Maybe it was because it's Friday, but I like to think it was because I just wrote a good report.

And in other news: there may not be a blog tomorrow. I'll be volunteering at TEDx youth, which will keep me busy almost all day.

Random much?

What made me happy today? The enormous load of random things today!
What a day. It seemed to be filled with random, funny stuff. When I came into the office this morning, I saw one coworker ducking behind her desk. She told me she thought I was someone else. Which made me wonder who she was ducking from.
Then I had a funny little talk at the coffee machine with my old manager. After that, my PC decided that it was time for some random crashes, so I had to call the IT help-desk. For once, I talked to someone who actually knew what they were doing.
But this one takes the cake: when I went to the reception area of the office, I saw a guy walk in with a suitcase and a pair of ski boots in his hand. I'm still not sure why he had them. It's not snowing, and there are no indoor skiing places nearby...
I like random stuff like that, it makes me smile! I hope you had a great day too!

Grilled cheese!

What made ma happy today? Grilled cheese sandwiches!
I had some left-over cheese and bread lying around, so I decided to make one of my all-time favorite foods: grilled cheese sandwiches. Delicious, and ridiculously easy to make.
How do you make them? Of course, everyone has their favorite recipe. This one is mine. All you need is some of your favorite cheese and bread. Put the cheese between two slices of bread and stick that in the oven at 150°C for 10-15 minutes. Done :-)
Of course, you can make them in a pan as well, with either olive oil or butter. That's up to you. Enjoy!

Ka-blam!

What made me happy today? Ka-blam!
Today, I finally found some time to indulge in one of my favorite things. Gaming! I decided to play a few levels of Ratchet and Clank 2: Going Commando. It's a fun game, sort of a platform shooter for Playstation 2. I've been a fan of the whole Ratchet and Clank series since the beginning. The characters have a great interaction. But one of the best part is the weapons!
There's the standard things like a rifle etc, but you can also buy something called 'the sheepinator'. This turns your enemies into sheep :-) Works great on smaller enemies and doesn't use any ammo.
Of course, like most other games, there's a certain amount of frustration involved. Trying to do the same section ten times with a thing called 'the glider', just because you crashed at the last moment. Crashing your hoverbike two meters before the finish and losing the race that way. But for me, that's part of the fun. Because all that frustration makes the moment you succeed so much sweeter!

Grandma's cold remedy!

What made me happy today? Grandma's cold remedy!
I woke up with a sore throat this morning. At first I thought it was because I talked a lot at the BBQ or weekly Vampire game. But by now, my nose is all blocked and I feel like my head is clogged.
So tonight, before I go to sleep I'll be using my grandmother's cold remedy. My mom used to give it to us when we were little and it really helps! Basically, you squeeze two oranges and a lemon. Pour the juice in a cup, add some water that just stopped boiling to fill the cup and drink up. Then, straight to bed. in the morning you'll feel a lot better!
So here's to your good health! Bottom's up :-)

Work food

What made me happy today? Work food!
I just came back from a company organised family BBQ. It was fun! There was a bouncing castle and a clown for the kids. For the adults, there was lots of BBQ food, drinks and a nice dessert buffet.
It was fun to see some of my coworkers outside of work. And surprisingly little conversations were about work! Even the weather cooperated, no more rain :-) And I got to introduce my boyfriend to some of my coworkers who'd been asking about him.
I had a great afternoon, I hope your Sunday was great too!

Super happy fun time!

What made me happy today? Super happy fun time!
I spent a big part of the afternoon and evening with my goddaughter and boyfriend. We had loads of fun!
My goddaughter apparently loves the carnival. Like I mentioned before, it's currently in town. Usually my sister and brother-in-law would come over for it. But as my sister's second daughter Roha is only ten days old, they wouldn't be able to come over. So I went to pick up Fayola.
She was very excited! It's quite a drive, 1 hour each way and she just loved to sit in the car while looking around. Seems like she loves the Dillinger Escape Plan too :-) So when we got back here, we unloaded the stroller. With some difficulty my boyfriend and I managed to deploy the rain cover. And then we were off. She just loved it! The noises, the lights, the attractions. I took her for a ride on a carousel and her whole face lit up. She's only 1.5 years old, so we didn't do much more than that.
We also stopped by the Metalzone. At first, Fayola was a bit shy. But soon enough, she helped me choose a new cd: Amon Amarth's Surtur Rising. What can I say, she has good taste :-) It seems like she really liked some of the music Wim (the shop-owner) was playing. She was dancing, jumping and head-banging like the cutest little metal-head I've ever seen! When we were leaving she didn't want to say 'bye' to Wim. But she did blow him a kiss!
Back home, we had a bite to eat, and then we went back to my sister's. My goddaughter was getting a bit tired by that time, the last 15 or so minutes she kept asking for her mommy. Once she got home, she dashed inside to see her little sister. Fayola is so sweet with Roha!
Even though I drove a lot (a little over 4 hours), it was so worth it! I got to spend a lot of quality time with two of my most cherished people :-)

The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls

What made me happy today? The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls!
Yesterday evening, I entered The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls. I came out victorious. We reclaimed the Asylum!
I don't even have enough superlatives to describe Emilie Autumn's performance last night. It was an awesome, epic, amazing, touching, heart-warming, joyful, mad, insane, shenanigan-filled march to victory. It was wow, just so wow. I'm a bit hoarse today, from cheering so loudly. The crowd took a little while to get warmed up, but by the end of the show, it seemed like the whole room just exploded.
The songs were great, and well-performed. The acts were mesmerizing. And a bit creepy. I added a picture below of the black creature that took the stage during 'the scavenger'... There were loads of shenanigans, but also some very touching, tender and heart-warming moments. The best moment of the show? For me that was when Emilie herself was standing right in front of me. She looked right at me. Her eyes briefly flitted down to the heart I'd drawn on my cheek. Her eyes got that look of recognition in them, she briefly smiled at me and nodded lightly as if she tried to say 'keep fighting sister'. I felt so connected to her at that moment.
The show started with 'F.L.A.G.' and ended with 'One foot'. And then it was over. The crowd exploded. We kept applauding, cheering, whistling. And then Emilie and the bloody crumpets came out again. Emilie started talking about how amazing we were. About how all of us Plague Rats were special. And how she always loved the girl Plague Rats, but how the gentlemen were her heroes. She thanked the audience for being there, for giving her a home and a chance to do all of this. She made me tear up...
I don't know if she'll ever read this, but in case she does, I'd love to say this to Emilie: it's us, your Plague Rats, who should be thanking you. I've been a fan of you since Enchant. I love your music, I love your look, I love the way you don't hesitate to speak your mind. So thank you for the wonderful music you make. Thank you for sharing your talent with the world. Thank you for the amazing shows you bring. And most of all: thank you for helping me through a lot of things with your music. Thank you.

And now it's time for the photo bombardment!

And my new tank-top!

Into the asylum

What made me happy today? Going into the asylum.
Tonight is the night! I'll be taking back the asylum with my fellow Plague Rats :-) For those of you who are thinking I've gone mad, let me translate: I'll be going to see Emilie Autumn perform this evening.
You can expect a full report on the show tomorrow :-D
And this is what I look like:

Harry Potter

What made me happy today? Harry Potter!
I have always loved books. I learned to read pretty early, and loved (still love) reading. Books offered me an escape from this world. I've hinted at it before, but I'm a big Harry Potter fan. Wondering how that happened? Well, let me tell you :-)
It's the late 90s. I was a teenager at that time, having a bit of a rough time in school, as I felt like I didn't have any real friends. That got better, but that might be a story for another day. My mom had bought a book for my sister, thinking she'd like it. It was about a boy, living under the stairs at his horrible aunt and uncle's. Then he finds out he's a wizard. My sister didn't care for it at all. I had read Groosham Grange by Anthony Horowitz, and noted some similarities. So I decided to give the book a try. If you're guessing I'm talking about 'Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone' you're absolutely right. I loved it. As soon as I found out there were more books, I dragged my mother to the store to get them. The last two books I read in English, because I couldn't wait for the Dutch translation :-)
I've also mentioned before that I cry rather easily when watching or reading something emotional. I don't think I ever cried harder than when *spoiler alert* Dumbledore was killed. Or when Snape confessed his undying love for Lily ("After all this time?" "Always.") Or when Dobby dies. I could go on, but I won't. I'm also not going to elaborate on which scenes are my favorites, as there's way too many to list (McGonagall giggling like a little schoolgirl after using the 'piertotum locomotor' spell, Molly Weasley yelling 'that's my daughter you b*tch' and killing Bellatrix, Harry riding on Buckbeack for the first time, etc.).
But why is this my happy thing of the day? Because I stumbled across a few brilliant Harry Potter related posts:

- Harry's bitchy face
- What happened after the books
- Some rare illustrations
- The Harry Potter alphabet
- Harry Potter ink
- Harry Potter tumblr

Enjoy, until the very end.




All was well.







Always.

The things I've seen

What made me happy today? The things I've seen...
Today, I was working on site. That means I was working in one of the hospitals participating in a study. I was sitting in an office where several of the doctors have a desk, along with the study nurse. Now, when I'm on site, I'm usually pretty focused on my work. Those of you who know me know what that means. For those of you who don't know me: it means I'm basically gone from the world, and you need to make an effort to get my attention.
So when I suddenly heard a lot of rustling noises behind me, I turned around to see what was going on, only to find one of the doctors in nothing but his boxer-short and socks behind me. He was urgently needed in the OR and decided to change into his scrubs right there.
The things you see in a hospital... Believe me, I worked in one as a nurse for 4.5 years.

Deathmøle!

What made me happy today? Deathmøle!
The Deathmøle kickstarter has reached it's final stretch-goal, with 35 hours to go! That means the backers will get a ton of extra stuff :-)
I found it really great to see how Jeph Jacques was amazed by the success of his Kickstarter. He wanted to get 9500 dollars, to be able to record his next Deathmøle album in a studio. Well, he reached that goal (although blazed past is might be more correct) within the first day. So he added a few stretch-goals. All stretch-goals were reached.
I think that Jeph kind of missed out on two things. One: the sheer amount of people who read Questionable Content. Two: how many people really like Deathmøle. I'm really happy for him! His project is currently 1269% funded, trending towards 1312% funded according to this.
And now the waiting game can begin.

Teach me

What made me happy today? A whole day of training!
Usually, I don't do all that much on a Sunday. I'll do the chores I couldn't finish on Saturday, I'll read or watch some tv, and in the evening I meet up with some friends for our Vampire role-play.
This Sunday was different. I had to get up at 7 in the morning and drive to an army base. Why you ask? Well, for a whole day of training! And it was fun. A lot of jokes were made, especially about the food. Some of us (me included) weren't informed about the fact that a lunch would be provided. Now, an army provided lunch sounds kind of scary. But one of our instructors managed to put us at ease, after a few jokes about us having to peel potatoes, dehydrated food and emergency rations. Turns out they had a caterer provide a three-course meal. The soup was delicious, the potatoes were slightly overcooked, the beans were great, I didn't eat the meat and the dessert was a waffle.
It was a fun group, we all got along nicely. And in the afternoon, I kind of got singled out, along with one other guy. As you know, I'm a nurse. He drives an ambulance. All of the other people in the class don't have a medical background, so they'll need to take additional classes. The ambulance guy has to take a few extra ones, but I'm now done with basic training and can move on to anything I like basically.
But the funniest part was when they were explaining the symbols on the shoulder patches. Both instructors had a gold star on theirs. I, as a nurse, will get a set of stripes, equal to the ones a sergeant-major first class would get in the land-component of the army. But, as I am a nurse, and they're logistic support, they'd have to listen to me. Which I found rather odd, as I don't have all that much experience with the Red Cross yet, and they've been doing this for a long time. Hilarity all around, because that made me the highest rank in the whole room. I didn't find it all that funny, but yeah.
All in all, I had a great time!

Roha

What made me happy today? Roha!
I went to see Roha for the first time today! She's so cute, she has gorgeous dark hair and pretty blue eyes.
My goddaughter came to see her new sister too. Fayola's so sweet with Roha, she keeps wanting to see her and touch her. We had a great time together. And it got even more fun when Roha's godmother came in with her son (he's 2 or 2.5-ish). We had to take them to go see the cars, which was basically a window from which you can see the hospital's parking lot. And Fayola kept asking him to hold her hand. Too cute :-)
I had a great day with my nieces and family! I hope your Saturday was great too!

I'm an aunt!

What made me happy today? I'm an aunt!
Yesterday evening I became a proud auntie for the second time. My sister already has a beautiful daughter, Fayola, and I'm Fayola's godmother. Yesterday evening, my sister gave birth to a second daughter :-) They're doing great.
Yes, a second girl! And another niece I can spoil ;-) Her name is Roha (pronounced as Rowa), which means 'rose' in Maori. She's 49 cm tall and weighs 3395 grams. According to her father, my brother-in-law, she has a very cute face. I can't wait to meet her tomorrow!
Hurrah for a happy healthy new baby girl!

American Dad!

What made me happy today? American Dad!
It's been a long day at work. And it's way too hot to do anything outside. So imagine my delight when I noticed that there was an entire season of American Dad I hadn't seen yet :-)
If you don't know American Dad, you should give it a shot! It's about Stan Smith, who works for the CIA and his family. That family consists of his wife Francine, daughter Hayley and son Steve. You also have Klaus, a man in the body of a goldfish that's the family's pet. And there's Roger, the alien who lives in the attic and who's fond of disguises. Together, they get into all sorts of situations.
Enjoy :-)

Carnival and Permanence

What made me happy today? The carnival is in town!
It's a lovely warm and sunny day here. At work, I got ice-cream for the birthday of 3 of my managers. Which was great. But I didn't feel like spending all of my evening indoors. And as the carnival is in town, I decided to go for a walk.
On my way over there, I met two friends with their daughter. They just came from the carnival and were going to get a Happy Meal. So we stayed and chatted at bit, which was fun. Then I went to the carnival. It was fun and not too busy, which is great.
And in other news: Jeph Jacques from Questionable Content is about to reach 100K in his Permanence by Deathmøle Kickstarter. This puts him at (currently) 1047% of his goal. He can't seem to believe it himself, as in the comment section of today's Questionable Content he says this: 'We have officially broken $95,000 on the Deathmøle Kickstarter, which means we have unlocked DEATHMOLE BUTTONS! Will we hit $100K before the campaign ends? If we do, I may actually implode.' I hope he hits 100K (sure looks like he will), but I don't want him to implode. Although, he could do a cartoon about it.
Yup, I had a great day :-)

Hey! Teachers!

What made me happy today? Teachers being awesome!
The new school-year started yesterday. I know that many kids will be sad, parents will be glad and teachers will be, in some cases, awesome! Like these teachers :-)
Teachers can be a major influence. We've probably all had that one teacher we really liked, that helped us, connected with us or inspired us. So here's to the teachers out there: keep being awesome!

Hungry?

What made me happy today? Hungry?
Does this sound familiar? You decided to meet up with some friends and grab a bite to eat. But you don't know where you want to go. Well, the internet is now offering a profanity filled solution for this problem! Check out this website for restaurants near you, with a helping of profanity on the side. Warning: this website uses the f-word. A lot. Do not use this if you don't like profanity.
Okay, so now that you've eaten, you're probably thirsty, right? Again, the internet is here to help! This website is basically the same as the previous one, but for bars etc.
Now you'll always know where to go :-)

Futurama

What made me happy today? Futurama!
I finally got around to watching the new part of season 7 today. And I have to say that for a show that has been around since 1999, it's still funny! Besides, what's not to love? It's a cartoon sci-fi sitcom comedy thing, set in the future.
For those of you who are totally unaware of what Futurama is about, let me give you a brief introduction. Fry, a pizza delivery guy, trips and falls into a cryogenic pod on New-year's eve 1999. 1000 years later, he wakes up. Being from the past, he is a bit of an outsider. But he soon meets up with a distant relative and starts working as a delivery boy. Hilarity ensues!
So if you haven't seen it yet, go grab a copy at your local dvd-rental place and enjoy it while it lasts! Because, sadly, Comedy Central has decided to cancel Futurama at the end of this season. Granted, they've been canceled before (thanks to Fox) and came back, so there's hope!