It's All About Balance

When I have a super healthy smoothie for breakfast I think it's appropriate to have cake for lunch and I am not the only one.

Wish

I wish I could grab my boyfriend by the hand and go somewhere new and warm, preferably here.

Time for a Change

I don't want to spend my days almost brain-dead making sandwiches, for 9 hours a day. I mean, I do like a good sandwich and I would love to make a few, if only I could get creative and make up new combinations in stead of following routines others instruct me. It would also help if people would appreciate my care for making them a good meal and not take me for granted.

I could invest all that time in developing myself and doing something I love. So there, I quit my job at the bagels shop! To celebrate I made myself a sandwich I  used to eat as a child sometimes: gouda cheese and strawberry confiture.

(made this drawing when I was bored during a long day at work)

Ukulele Lady

Encouraged by my father I'm teaching myself to play the ukulele. As I am a little girl with small hands the ukulele is easier to play than a guitar. I practice songs by The Beatles, such as Something and When I'm Sixty-Four and Hey Ya by Outkast. I still find it quite difficult, but I am glad with the little progress I make each day. Okay, now I'm off to give my sore fingertips an ice bath!

Lana del Rey

Is she just a hype, a managers trick? Are the lips real (collagen)? Pff I don't care, her sound is different, her voice hauntingly beautiful, her lyrics quirky. I like her. She wasn't successful as Lizzy Grant so she reinvented herself, pop stars do it all the time. No biggie. 

Her album is out now, but I already heard the songs so many times I thought I'd had enough. Then I started listening the acoustic versions and I was hooked all over again. I sometimes sing Born to Die when riding my bike, it makes me feel calm and happy.

Home Made Lemonade

I usually drink water, but sometimes you feel like something with a bit more flavor. Since I'm not a fan of store-bought juices and lemonades the plan is to make my own drinks. Looking for exciting combinations I tried Martha Stewart's recipe for thyme lemonade. The hint of herb turns the classic drink into something more sophisticated, but I think I prefer Mint Lemonade as it is more refreshing.

Birthday Boy

I made this drawing of my boyfriend years ago, when we were just good friends. He still is my best friend, but in the meantime he has also become my lover. Today is his birthday and I thought perhaps I should make a new drawing of him. One that resembles him as he is now, the best mate, lover and man I've ever had. Happy Birthday!

Carnival

Is now celebrated in the south of the Netherlands. It means you put on a costume, get out and get wasted on really cheesy music. You need to completely surrender to the mundane to enjoy yourself. The best part is that everyone, when dressed up, plays a role. The streets become a giant theatre filled with drunken figurants, all looking for a good time that often ends in dark alleyways or unfamiliar bedrooms. 

They don't celebrate it where I grey up or here in Amsterdam, but I went to celebrate with my friends for a few times. I won't be attending this year, in Amsterdam they know how to throw an awesome dress up party (with much better music), so my need for dressing up once in a while is well fulfilled. But occasionally, if it does start to itch, I like to dress up on my own.

My Tunes

I'm going to stay with my parents for a couple of days. It's quite a few hours of travel, but with nice music in my ears it doesn't seem as long. Current favorites are Coconut Records, Little Joy, She & Him and Devendra Banhart.

Food

I already mentioned I studied advertising, but not that I'm not really that interested in a job at an advertising agency. I don't want to sound arrogant or anything, it's just that I don't want to make people buy this specific brand of toilet paper, or worse to make them buy gross food. That really is a step too far.

I just love food too much. I mean gravy, roasted vegetables, crunchy walnuts, chocolate! Maybe not as a combination, or.. hmm maybe I'm on to something here. Okay you see food is awesome, it's tasty, you can make whatever you want, play with form, taste, smell, you put it in your body and what happens there I don't fully understand but it's really interesting. And I think the only thing better than pulling hearty pumpkin buns/ roast chicken/ sticky espresso caramel brownies out of the oven is seeing the faces of my family/ friends light up when they take their first bite. That's what I think is important and I would rather advertise those things.

So after I graduated last year, I tried to find a way to combine my love for food and creative communication. On the way I met a few nice people and found some interesting companies, but in the end they were not able to hire me. (darn recession!) Well, thats the story till so far. And now you know you can expect a lot of food related posts around here.

Hello

A great family, amazing friends and the best boyfriend I could ever imagine. Yep, I love my life. The only thing missing is the perfect job.. Until that job is in sight this is the place I will post the stuff I wish I'd get paid for.