2012 Review

Sunday - PostSecret Day (:

So whats that 2012 of mine like?
  
New years eve: with my best Leipzig buddy. Happy we finally got to know each other after my journey to Texas.

January,  Friday 13th 2012: telephone interview for my job in Maastricht, NL. Guess, I will not forget that. *g*

February 14th: Valentines day. A present for a lovely person that is way too far away (what ever comes, you will always be my guardian). February 27th: arriving in Maastricht. Getting to know my good friend from the city close by: Heerlen. We had some quite good chats, beers, going out and have fun together. Thank you for introducing me to High Tea. *awesome*

March 1st: contract begins for my work at CAC in Maastricht.

April: final move from Germany to the Netherlands. The relocation truck was planned and the furniture ready to be picked up without having an apartment in Maastricht. Wow. One the best moments this year: visiting my new apartment and getting the keys in no time. Thanks again to Pro Housing. You did a great job! After moving in I got to know my landlords - I tell you, I am the lucky one!

May: overwhelmed by: Pinkpop I will never forget seeing Linkin Park and Seasick Steve live performing.

June: journey back home to Leipzig, Germany. Finally visited Café Schwarz in Leipzig. Beautiful pics of it here: Café Schwarz in June 2012

July: kayaking belgium rivers with my buddies from work. 

August: One of the  exciting stories: The girl from Ipanema...eh Panama :D

to be continued

Surprise surprise

*Yippieh yippieh yay* Surprise present just arrived. Aint no one gonna steal that. *muhaha*

Merry Christmas Dec 26th

Dinner time. Lets cook. *hmmm* What do we have? What do I feel like? Lets see. May I introduce you? My cooking assistants:

Lets start:

stripes of ham, onion stripes, couscous - fry

And finally:

added Harissa, some black pepper, herbs and an egg - quark dip and a product named Gardeners Pickle by kitchen garden as dip

Merry Christmas Dec 25th

Leftovers cooking... now its cooking in milk and coconut milk after frying. Hmmmm. Currypaste as well. Soon its gonna be eaten.

Lets call it curry potatoe soup with leek:

Merry Christmas

So-work is done. Silly present shopping is done as well. And tadaaa! I even bought something girly for myself. *gg* And now: Christmas. And two days off.

Have a bright relaxed time everybody and dont forget to forgive and to give freely :D

Merry Christmas!

...Bad habit guys, bad habit. I go work today and buy presents for my friends. You come into my favourite bar and after asking if its allowed you smoke some weed (we are in the Netherlands, ok). Then I am in need of some food, beacuse I did not have some proper meal at work. Leave the bar. Leave my scarf, my sweatshirt and my bag at the bar and when coming back you are gone and stole my bag with all the presents in it? Bad habit! Really! When I ve been at the snack point I just met this teethless lady and she asks if the restaurant owner would have 5 Euros changed in coins for the cigarette machine, but he didnt. Then a black bro came in and I asked him for changing my 5 Euro note into coins, and he did. I went to the lady and said: Merry christmas. She was happy and bought her cigs. We hat a little chat even though we did not speak the same language. So cute. So I took my fries with sate sauce and my bike and went back to find my bag stolen. Merry Christmas. Learned another lesson.

4. Advent

In Germany we have this December tradition to lit candles on every Sunday before christmas eve. On the last Sunday before christmas eve it will be four candles shining.

...PostSecret day today.
...Another Sunday before a Monday at work.
...visited Sietskes Blog

I told my partner, that I would have a surprise for him. He freaked out. My joy changed to being scared as he was. I just wrote an email a few minutes ago and stated that the nomenclature changed from surprise into christmas present. Curious now.

Sayings

Just came into my mind:

I am not interested in your job, your car and your house.
I am interested in you.
Thanks for the hint though.

Luxemburg-Maastricht-Düren

Good morning new week and new adventures. Lets go!

6:00 Luxemburg (L) Vacation are over :(
9:00 Maastricht (NL) going to work
20:00 Düren (D) Going to the movies "The Hobbit"
0:30 back home in Maastricht (NL)

Ya, bed, I can hear you calling *tiiiiiiiiiired*

Finally time off :D

What a great December vacation. Finally spending some time off everything. ;) Conquering Luxemburg town. *kekeke*

Relaxing time around here, including reading in Sietskes Blog. I am curious about my next destination to fulfill my next two-years-plan-wish and do a vacation in and around the capital of Lebanon. 

Happy Sinterklaas

Ok, time to tell you something about the St Nicholas tradition here. Its named Sinterklaas and I recommend the explaination in wiki - Sinterklaas. And to make the picture complete here is one example of a dutch community celebrating Sinterclaas while they are living in Beirut, Lebanon. I love Sietskes Blog. :)

Raptusound - First Official Music Video out!!!

May I introduce you (again):

Raptusound 

Their first official music video out since tonight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l44KtipO0AE

Raptusound - Truth Not Fashion 

 

The first time I ve seen them play was in October 2012, back in Leipzig, Germany. See entry in October: Leipzig music Thursday. Enjoy the video and their music! Their homepage: http://www.raptusound.com/

Sunday

First cough free night. Aww. Nice. And now: cowboy breakfast. Fried noodles, onions, tomatoe and celery pieces. Good mornin'!

Just pops up: good Mornin'! 

PostSecret time. *read*

...short read in Sietskes Blog. 

Friday, forecast: weekend at home

So its Friday. Good. Mr Cough still didnt find his way back, where he came from. I enjoy watching myself being weak and useless. Wow, November sadness, tell ya. Since it is difficult to completely do nothing at all, I surfed the internet. Found some really nice TED talks, I enjoyed watching. And I had time to edit some details in my blog. Just tiny things, but well, ya, nice. I edited the November Feature page today.

Mr Coughs Stay

My song of the day: Alanis Morisette - Guardian

Other songs of today:

Muse

and

Sunday Nov 25th 2012

Finally the Mr C arrived heavily. Mr Coughing is my visitor now and I must state that I really do not like his visit. The syrup I bought is really disgusting and so I hope it is a good medicine though.

But on the other hand: I just watched a movie named The film of your life (Der Film deines Lebens). I think it was a german film. And I ask myself all the time: what is it that my body/ my health wants to tell me? And dont say: well sometimes your body is weak. Because: who makes your body weak? You! Sure, in my case - me. :) Hmm and then again on the other side: when you got infected, what can you do? Well, I really think I can treat myself better than now. 

I am thinking about Friday night, when I went to the music school and asked for the prices of the classes. Chamber choir. Ya know. Awww, how I miss it. *lalala* Eh, oops, ja, sorry voice! I know. I'll ask later again. And now that I got that cough I feel such a self pity, that it is really hard to listen to myself. Gee. Ok, what potential do we have: cover myself better in the cold, dry my hair completely in the morning before leaving the house, finally quit smoking (when I arrived in Maastricht I thought I did-but it got me back), sleep even more, do a little more sport (eh? do even some sport), go to the music school (and you will see, that smoking doesnt treat your voice good even if its in small doses), diet: can still include more fruits and veggies...So? There is a lot that I can change. Nice. Ok. Step by step. :)

...oh yeah, gimme something nice, please. Visit PostSecret.

Saturday, Nov 24th 2012

So I went to work on Friday. Even had a proper drink Friday night and enjoyed the walk home through the Friday night. 

I slept better than I expected (without the pain and fever reducer). And now I enjoy a hot coffee. That is a good feeling to slurp that hot liquid and feeling it running down the throat. :D

...and now I know: I am back from grocery shopping. When I wanted to ask, if the shop had candles there just came out a sound of - eh - nothing. No voice available. Please talk again later. Oops. Next shop - no answers necessary. Want the receipt? *nodding* Have a nice weekend! *asmileback* 

I bought two nets of lemons. And something that looks like a syrup for caughing smiled at me as well. Lets see if its any good. Come back, baby come back (my voice)...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2012 !
I am thankful for friends, that stay by my side or that walk a while with me.

Thanksgiving 2011 memories see November Feature. :)

Sick at home

Decided to leave work early because I had some headaches and my bones are aching as well. The surest sign of having a cold besides that is the pain in my ears. Autsch! Crawled on my couch, let a movie play, fell asleep and felt cold all the time. Oh my goodness. I dont want that. I will deffo stay at home tomorrow. Can someone please come over and sing the soft kitty song?

Tuesday Nov 20th 2012

Today one year ago...See November Feature :)

Monday Nov 19th, 2012

Good morning!!! Some quotes for the new week:

“Where there is love there is life.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

“You cannot find peace by avoiding life.”
― Virginia Woolf 

Stolen from http://www.goodreads.com/quotes

I'd rather crawl back under my warm blanket into my bed, but, well...I can do that soon. Vacation coming soon. And see! The quotes. In order to find peace...So I better go out and get it. May it be as it is. :)

...Thanks to one of my local friends I finally can state that I ate a Frikandel (currysauce and mayonese) and Friet with Zuurvlees. Thank you for that experience!

• Relaxed Sunday Nov 18th 2012

Last peep on my watch: 6:00 am. Wow, long night out. So what happend: 
- Fashion show (my friend looked amazing), 
- Café Rambler (got to know two guys and a girl from Maastricht), 
- John Mullins bar, a cool band playing but too crowded for me. Met some local friends., 
- dancing in fm bar. My local friends, that I met in Mullins were also there. And I met two new friends from Maastricht, that I got to know in the Rambler. And
- dancing in the Alla. Whoop whoop! On the way back to my bicycle I took of my heels and walked barefooted (well, these fine stockings are no real socks, right?) through the streets. A bit wet on the street but it still felt better than the stupid pain wearing those heels. When I unlocked my bike, I hung the shoes left and right side on the rod and also cycled barefooted home. What a night. Awesome. Successful: danced a lot, even with stupid shoes.

...Finally a chill out day. Slept like a king. No alert. No nothing. Awesome. *aaaaaw*

... I prepared another time visit back to Fort Worth in November Feature. November Feature is in the upper left corner of the blog. You can also click there. Enjoy.

Movie: der Film deines Lebens.

Dont forget: postsecret day 

Saturday, Nov 17th

Work work work...*yawn*...ok, Emma, lets go!

... surfing songs in youtube ...

... back from work. We enjoyed another breakfast that I brought from the grocery store on the way to work. I am invited by my polish friend to watch her walking on the cat walk at a fashion show. I promised to come and I promised to be serious about fashion. So I have been thinking what to wear when I came home from work. But first some hang out time and meeting my friends that pick up the shelf that I gave away ...

Ok, the bright pants, black heels, black shirt and blazer, contact lenses, evening make up. Hmm. Ok, but thanks god still comfy and unposhy enough to feel comfy with myself. Shit, I have to hurry up, its late.

Friday Night

With Emma back home

Again chose to go with Emma to work and back home. On the way home three nice situations that kept my attention:
1. a smell in a small street with old houses: it smelled like old books, like in an old house or in an attic
2. a young man on the streets in town with his open guitar case playing Halleluja (known from Leonard Cohen) and
3. another smell this time it was like fresh smoked ham *nomnom*.

Yeah. Small things that can take you away and make you feel good. Awesome.

Song of Wednesday Night

...is Spirit in the Sky

video later...

...here you are:

Another movie night

Tonight:

...created November Feature. Dreaming back to Texas, USA.

Songs of Monday night

...are

and

Sunday, Nov 11th 2012 - its one year ago now

Its one year ago now that I started my journey to Fort Worth and New Braunfels and Dallas in Texas, USA...Time flies. November in Texas

...Its Sunday. Nice: I visit postsecret.com now :)

 ...is it really necessary to change clothes? Its so comfy in the pyjama. *lalala* Ok, lets change to joggers and comfy shirt. :D *rofl*

My grin of the day: (fasten seatbelts before watching!)

 

Saturday - View back on this week

Something interesting this week?
Monday: waking up having freaking neck pain.
Tuesday: still having freaking neck pain. This time in the morning I took two of the magic medicine everybody knows in NL... *rofl*
Wednesday: middle neck pain, getting the flu vaccination.
Thursday: wow, wondering abou the fact that I ve not been out after work until now. Visited my fav bar in town and met some friends there, for sure.
Friday: fair hangover, no headaches, still a little neck freak out. Meet people from work after work. Went to town and had a nice Friday  night. Met a friend, that just got seperated from her boyfriend. Awww. What can you do? We decided to dance and hug each other.
Saturday: sleep day. Awesome. Invited to two birthday parties. A friend coming over to town and well, not really motivated until now (7:30pm).

Any Music? Well, I remember that I wanted to know the name of the song that sounded familiar to me, when I heard it in the bar. Its this one: Spanish Harlem

I finally went grocery shopping. No vodka sold in supermarkets? Hmm, ok. Plan B. Fruit liquor instead. 4 packages Jelly. Usually for 4x 0.5L. Used 1L water and 0.75L fruit liquor. Yummie. 

Hmmm, I need a trick to let it cool down immediately: Jelly with red fruit flavor...

...for adults only :D .

Decided to go dancing to town and bring the Jelly to the party afterwards, hoping it will cool down and become solid during that time.

First destination: Stadscafe de Joie. First birthday party. A friend from work. Not much going on right then, so went on to 

2nd destination: Café Clinique. Nice music. A drink and some dancing without much movement, very crowded there. Staying about an hour over there.

So back to Stadscafé de Joie. Bit more going on now here. People dancing? Yes, a few. Lets stay and make them dance :D Time is passing and it will be time soon to leave, because my friend has a soccer game to play on Sunday. So he better gets some sleep. We finally decided to go. But when we passed Edd's Café we've seen people dancing inside and since he said, he has never been in there we went inside and danced another few songs. Nice. Then home and down to the 2nd birthday party bringing the Jelly as present and a poem :D (he went home, I am not causing somebodys insomnia)

Sunday - Weeks grand finale

Good and relaxed Sunday morning, even with nice breakfast and *tadaaa* eggs for breakfast. Awww, life is good. My neck is hurting a bit, but who knows. Maybe just slept bad.

... Coffee and a beer in town and then home zone time. Me, my couch and my woolen blankets, that were knitted and crochet by my mom. Comfy.

And this weeks grand finale is a self cooked meal including:
Sauce: 
- fresh onion pieces, fresh garlic pieces, coriander (was frozen as whole plant, cut into pieces as well), tomatopaste, Harissa paste, salt, black pepper, dried chili flakes.
Pasta: 
- spaghetti.
Took some spaghetti and put cheese on it (gouda) and let the cheese melt. Then put the sauce on it. Et voilá! Om nom om. :D

My good night song:

  
Shame on me...nearly forgot postsecret.
...done. 

Saturday - Workday and Cinema

Have to work today from eight until two. Arrrr. Early bird, he? Well, ok. My choice - no complaints. Decided to get some groceries on the way to work and so I did. Bought rolls and cheese and ham and some salads and butter. And then went through the slight rain to the office. Its been a quiet and effective working day. We all enjoyed the food.

...Then finally home. Nap time. No plans for the night. Would be comfy to stay at home relaxing as well.

...Found a friend that went to the movies with me. Cool. First we took Manhattan, then we took Berlin...eh, nope, another story, sorry. *kidding* *sing* First we had a snack cooked by a chinese and enjoyed chit chatting. Then had to decide what movie to watch. Since my friend somehow has an aversion to movies, that I have already seen, we finally decided for The Paperboy. Strange, but also crazy film, that made us laugh and sometimes being serious as well. So we successfully made the Saturday night working. :)

For those who didnt know it:

 

Friday Nov 2nd

Good Friday morning

Sunny Reformation Day

Great sunrise today:

And on the way to work with Emma:

Happy adventure week end

And finally the music night I ve been looking for. Great final of this week. Enjoyed a lot. Some pics:

Band: No Signal, 
Location: Café Jack en Lobina

Saturday - and we had our own farewell celebration

My UK friend allowed me to have a nice dinner together and to go to the movies together afterwards. The Indian restaurant was proper filled and had no place for us so we went to the Tasty Thai. See here: http://www.tastythai.nl/  I brought a little farewell present and so we had our own little farewell celebration. :D Have good times back home, dear!

After the film 'Paranormal Activity' (oh no, has it always been a zombie film? how boring!) we said good bye and I ve been promised to be visited in February again. Curious about that now ;)

UK friend went home for travel preparation, I went to Mullins and was happy to see my two humans from Thursday again. This time they even brought two more friends with them. Yeah, we had a good time for sure. A live band was playing in the Mullins. Let me find their homepage if they have one... They do, see here: Take This

We even walked to one of the bars at the market place that are opend longer. 

over the bridge

and to the market

Yeah. Met the friends from the Mullins again. Had some drinks and dancing and finally the guys took a cab and I went home tired through the cold but beautiful night. 

Friday Oct26th

Oh my dear health, I am so sorry for torturing you that hard. Hui jui jui. I ve been brave and did what I had to do. Went home after work, thought I would sleep an hour or two to go to my UK friends farewell party and guess what happend - sure, I slept the whole night. Good for me. :)

Thursday Oct25th

Just wanted to go for a beer to the Octoberfest in the Mullins. Then I got to know two very nice humans. A man and a woman. Had some drinks and danced. Great night. Pleased to meet you guys.

...Had a hard time the next morning. I will not complain. Its been my own decision and own responsibility. *meeeeep*

Busy Tuesday

Today on the schedule: Test Drive the A-Class from Mercedes Benz. After work meeting with a few managers. Curious about that.

..picked up my baby bike (it needs a name now, I am for Emma, its old fasioned and seems to match to the Omafiets look) and am very happy that it works better and has the upgrade now. Pics later :D

New week, new adventures

I had a good Monday starting into my busy week.

- Tuesday after my shift I will have a meeting within the company. News, updates, company stuff.
- On Wednesday I see one of my chinese friends for a Sushi evening. She makes it herself and I want to learn that.
- On Friday I am joining a farewell party for a coworker of mine from the UK, that I started with. He is homesick and goes back to the UK.
- Finally on Sunday I will go to a bar where I have not been before. But since a friend of mine is playing with his band over there I guess it will be very nice though.

Left my bicycle in the shop to have it have an upgrade ;)
...and went my favorite path home

 

Weekend - work and chill out in Belgium

On Friday night nothing exciting happend, I took it slow, because I had to work on Saturday.

On Saturday: Getting up early and work from 8am until 2pm. Then cycling home - I used the bicycle now every day, because it was not raining. Then a little nap time. Surfing the internet and stuff. And then I met a friend. We talked about meeting each other earlier and so we finally hang out together on Saturday evening. We ve been to a bar in town, that I really liked. Will check out that later again for sure. Then we ve been watching a film together. I love battleship ;) Its already been the third time I watched this film. First time in german in a movie theatre in Germany. 2nd time in a dutch movie theatre in the Netherlands. And now the 3rd time in english again on TV. Had a very nice time hanging out together with my friend and I am also happy, that my amount of people that I know outside work is growing. Its a great area here: you can meet people from Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and besides the countries that are really close by there are also a lot of foreigners living, studying and working here. I love it. I am happy to have the possibility to improve my english.

I slept looong today, Sunday. When I got up, I made myself some coffee and just surfed the internet. And later prepared some clothes to be washed. Oh, I could check out the washing machine, if its already ready. Its Sunday, people. What do I do on Sundays? Yeah, check out postsecret.com...:)

I am re-reading the book The Prophet by Khalil Gibran since I took the train back from Germany to the Netherlands. Did you know, that this is the book that June Carter gave Johnny Cash in the Walk The Line movie? Nice detail, he? I love this little piece. Its like meditation to read it. 

With bicycle to work

Yeah. First time with the bicycle to work. And back. And all is relaxed. It works.

...http://radioparadise.radio.de/ for my night dreams...