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?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)