the mirror gang - part IX

I heard a double *whistle* (like when construction workers do when a short-skirted woman passes by their yard) – my sound for a text-message

*very funny! you should try it… it’s a real head turner

My phone made some noise again… I had turned it off during the recordings but I knew the thing would go nuts once I’d turn it on again

Cause what was already old news for me, was a big surprise for my family and friends (and A LOT of people saw that episode! even two months later I still ran into people telling me “hey, I saw you on TV a while ago,” invariably followed by “I was switching channels and by accident I got to that quiz...”

*there’s no such thing as coincidence... don’t you know by now*

So... my phone went nuts: “OMG so close!” “Humo! Humo!” (the name of the magazine I was supposed to answer) “damn you looked hot! admirers will come flying to you!” (no they didn’t and  no I di... OK, I did look good ^_^) etcetera...

I  turned on my laptop to check facebook

Still wide awake (so much for the time won by hitchhiking with T.)

I sighed... a sigh of pure happiness

By that time the length of my facebook-friends list was rising, I had Maggy, S. and D. (who has an incredibly nice and sweet profile pic but more on that later) already before New Year’s, so more and more the quiz adventures would expand to the digital realm (in the end resulting in our own group ^_^ *killer idea, S.!!!)

OKAY! Fb too had gone nuts!

“OMG that was thrilling”, “such a pity”, “you were great!” and one very sweet, though slightly giving away a – for now, but not for long, except for that one it’s all about – secret “you look as good on TV as you do in real life... and I’m thrilled my 6th sense still works ^_^” from Maggy

I replied with a “thx, and btw my 6th sense still works as well cause I knew you would ask me that” and went to bed

Then Friday after lunch I took some quality time to chat with Maggy

M.: “Good morning! Did you cell phone hold the barrage of messages? And why did you except that question from me?”

Me: “Heeeey! Well most of my friends congratulated me J … some where angry I let a guy win :D! And about your question…”

M.: “Yes?”

Me: “Well from the moment you said    say    I knew what you were gonna ask and I thought ‘damn it C.! it’s too clear!’… which is soooo not my intention!”

M.: “Ah but don’t worry, I’m really good in picking those things up”

Me: “Yeah me too, but usually I’m the only one, so I didn’t count on others with such a 6th sense J”

M.: “Haha! But you know,…”   *and here comes the turning point to opening up the door to my heart by just a teeny tiny liiiiiiiiitle bit (too much)*   “… his body language to you is also quite open”

…oh crap…   *head rush* *stomach butterfly rebellion* *instant lack of oxygen (or was it the airco at work? … no no it were the feelings)*

Me: “Nooooo sssjjjjtt! Don’t say that!”

M.: “Hahaha”

Me: “Now I’m gonna look for signals…!”

M.: “OK! Didn’t say a word”

*baaaaam! too late*

Me: “It’s just… I’m not ready for those kind of feelings… Last time my heart got broken, it wasn’t just broken, it was scattered… So it totally freaks me out!”

M.: “I understand… but that’s normal! BUT!!! No one ever died from looking ;)”

Me: “Hahaha! True :D  But I gotta go, the government calls me”

This was 1.45PM... in the next two hours there was of course only one thing on my mind...

Two hours later, 5 minutes before I had to storm out again for the 30 minutes run up hill, I quickly said goodbye to Maggy

Me: “Hup! Here we go again! I’m leaving work for something muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch more fun ^_^   But it’s a real pity you can’t join us today! We’re gonna miss you!”

M.: “Good luck to you all!!! It sucks I can’t be there, but I have got to study for my exams! And ehm… enjoy the view!”

:D

I certainly did    ^_^

goddamn...  too cute *ouf* 


TO BE CONTINUED

what about easter eggs

it's Easter!  well... almost

so the first thing to pop into your mind has got to be: easter eggs and chocolat :D
so what do you do when the egg you crushed on your bread is only one piece too small to cover the entire surface?

you crush another one for that one piece... and eat the rest as a side dish ^_^

no way you can put the pieces back into the bag now is there?

PS: it's OK to eat a piece of chocolat with your triple chocolat muffin ;)

the mirror gang - part VIII

“Ian, do you by any chance have a vacant place in your car?”

Finding a ride home would turn out to be quite a difficult task: full cars, cars that were too small – no, not exactly too small, just inappropriate for passengers’ transportation...

But that quest did lead me to meeting new awesome people.

I had heard the week before carpool initiatives were being taken, to (and from) Brussels from (and to) every corner of the handkerchief we Belgians call 'country'.

Equally from THE city (everything else is parking lot is being said)...

... Antwerp city ...  

... my city ...

* mm, no not really my city, I just moved there...  – I think I have to say Leuven is still my city... do miss that place... loved living there... I’m wandering off... – but my moving to Antwerp did make the city automatically even cooler*

“Aaaah no, the car is full. Damn, we actually did consider to take two cars but since we all fit into one...”

That’s when I met Ian: a teacher from Antwerp, with the habit to talk about pita whenever spotting a celebrity *the word pita would later on cause some confusion, but I’ll get to that*, he turns blood red when he laughs, doesn’t mince his words, and when it comes to noise pollution he was a nightmare for the editors of the quiz episodes (talks a lot... talks aloud ;) 
*D. did roll his eyes more than a couple of times when he was sitting near him – was actually funny to see*

“Maybe ask T.? He has a sportscar.”

I actually wondered why the term ‘sportscar’ was relevant to my quest home. He lives in Antwerp too would obviously come in handy, or He carpools as well or even He always appreciates the company of a pretty girl *;)*

But it was the ‘sportscar’ that was of importance... And believe me... that car would become the topic of some of our most hilarious conversations :D

“Where is he? I saw him already today.”

There’s no getting a word in edgeways... which actually came in handy for a shy girl like me ^_^

“Ah there! T.! Do you have an extra seat available for C.?”

He turned around and I looked into the puppy eyes of that guy with the glasses.

That’s when I met T.   ^_^

“Ah no, I have only one passenger seat and that’s taken. I’m sorry,” T. said

“Pity, but that’s ok, I’ll keep on looking.”

The recordings were again lots of fun... *more details will follow*

God! Again, one of the best decisions of the year to participate this quiz... Really!

In the mean time I was very curious for reactions of my friends and family on my personal 45 minutes of fame. My episode was aired when the new ones were recorded, so I expected a full inbox of ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaahs’ at the end of the day

“C.!” T. said after the recordings – when I had already made my peace with taking a train home – “It turns out I can take you home! My passenger found another ride home.”

“Oh,” I was a bit taken by surprise, “Great! Thanks!”

And in 22 minutes I was home, instead of 40 with a normal car or 90 by train 
*convenient, such a sportscar, must keep that in mind*
Reason #1 why sportscar was relevant

Thx T.!! 

TO BE CONTINUED 

the mirror gang - part VII

Auch... the adrenaline was killing me
In the car, in my bed and everywhere in between, every two minutes I repeated my swearing
I guess you can imagine I slept little... very little...

For days I screamed out the name of that magazine at random... and pressed the imaginary button like a twitch
In the mean time a shortened Holiday Season passed, including family dinners and friend gathering on New Year's eve *all on which I had to put up a poker face though simultaneously informing people to watch the show... especially on Thursday... - "why on Thursday? will you win?" - "just watch :)"*
Thank God it was a hell of a week: moving out, family dinners, New Year's Eve, New Year's, first days at the new job (starting with a reception :)) and then it was already Thursday again...

... two new recording days...
*thub thump thub thump*  ...heart beat accelerating at the thought | stomache butterflies awakening before the thought even came te my mind | could barely eat a bit ... *thub thump thub thump*

... all feelings I was familiar with... not in this context though...
... felt like I was in love... with a quiz   O_o   really...

One teeny tiny problem: I had started working, so after the recordings on Thursday that probably wouldn’t end before 11PM, I would have to catch a train, get home and first thing in the morning, would have to wake up again to get to work   *OUGH

Less than 6 hours of sleep   * hell… 3 days after New Year’s… didn’t think so

Since sleeping over at S.’s was a problem – pity, cause it would have been fun (maybe even too much joking around and chattering so the sleeping over to spare sleeping time would pretty much miss its point) – I started looking for a ride home.

Ahaa... 45 minutes from door to door sounded better than one hour and a half...

Okay, problem solved... nah... OK... almost... merely had to find a victim to drive me...

The other teeny tiny problem: I wouldn’t get there in time...

though the recordings wouldn’t start before 5PM, we had to be there at 3.30PM...

and I couldn’t leave work before 4PM...

“It’ll be OK for those two days if you’re an hour late, but do your best to arrive as soon as you can,” Ch.-from-the-crew had said.

So Thursday afternoon I checked the distance from my work to the recording studio. 

Google maps says 30 minutes walk...

*challenge accepted*   I’ll make it into 15  ^_^

At 4 o’clock – after making sure my newborn colleagues would watch – I sprinted out to the current love of my life   ^_^   ... the quiz

(just for the record, I failed for the 15 minutes... took the wrong turn... and underestimated the slope of the hills (Brussels ‘s not as flat as I  had hoped))

All out of breath and gasping as if my longs were about to pop out of my body, I finally arrived at 4.20

“C.! You’re here! Perfect!” R.-from-the-crew smiled. “You can relax, don’t worry!”

Friendly face #1: thank God for R.

Friendly faces #2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 were waiting downstairs. West-Flanderss’ BJ., pregnant Soph, teacher Da. and of course Maggy, S. and D. smiled when I plumped on a chair panting for breath.

“You made it!” they said happily.

“Thir...ty... minutes... up... hill... in... less... than... twenty,” I exhalend while making slicing movements at the height of my throat.

“Would you like a drink?”

“W...a...t...e...r...”

Two minutes later I was rehydrated and recovered.

Let the quest for a ride home begin...

Not to mention... let the next two episodes turn out well (for me AND my friends)

TO BE CONTINUED

the mirror gang - part VI

Suspense, suspense, suspense...

Even two months later I can still feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins...

*watching the episode again is quite helpful too :)

After every question there was more and more and more adrenaline, nerves, stress, butterflies, ... and some other things messing with my head and body

7 questions had passed - I had 3 of them correct (one was whispered into my ear by about 99 others) - when the show host took a breather *which I did literally... blew out some stress... shook the adrenaline out off my hands*

Restart... 

The next two questions went great - quick reaction, right response - that smoothly even, cause already after those two another breather was taken

I was on fire!   *focus* *concentration* *fixation*   500 points was the goal

"90 points for you Jo.,   *focus, you're doing great C.*   but 380 for C.   *concentration, calm down C., you're gonna make it*   ... which   *fixation*   means..."

... and all of the sudden J. pressed his button by accident

I bursted into laughter

*that was funny :D*

Okay, next one for 110 points...   ^_^ *I know the answer!*   but too late... :(

For 120... ^_^ *I know the answer!*   but again too late... :(

For 130... ^_^ *YES! I know*   ah craaaap!!!

"Let's take another breather... 380 for you C. and 450 for Jo."

The "oh's" and "ah's" I heard in the room spoke for themselves... the suspense was deadly

Last question would decide... either it would be Jo or it would be me

The host started: "in what magazin did the news anchor from national TV pose in bikin..."

^_^ *I know the answer!*   I pressed the button to answer...

... a fraction of a second too late...

Jo.'s light coloured blue

I swore out loud and uncensored   *damn! D A M N*

I knew it was over; Jo. knew the answer   *DAMN! damndamndamn*

It was over, I missed my chance...

Maggy and S. yelled "oooh" in defeat and shrugged their shoulders out of disappointment   *aaaww, how sweet :)*

"We'll hug later!" they said.

I congratulated Jo. and met D. when I left the recording room.

"You'll have another chance to win! I'm sure of it!" he said and put his arm around me.

I grinned "let's hope so" and smiled.
I caught Maggy smiling my way, and I smiled back

A little while later I said goodbye to my friends. I hugged S. and wished her a happy new year   *it was still December, FYI*   and said "see you next week" with a smile.

Some goodbyes later I found myself hugging the boobs guy... 

... that's when I met N., a happy, cute and honest little puppy
*N. if you ever read this, don't... no wait... do! believe my words! you're absolutely and truly adorable ♥

I looked for D., but he left already

I hugged Maggy... a long hug that gave away a friends-for-life-feeling
Right before we let go of each other she said    "say..."

*oh ow... I knew what was coming*

She held my shoulders and looked me in the eye: "... is something going on with you and D.?" with her eyes sparkling of curiosity

*darn :s I was right

"I... eeehhmmm... don't... know..." suppressing and totally in vain trying to swallow a smile.
"YOU LIKE HIM!!!!"
"I... mmm... y e a h... okay, maybe I like him a little bit"
"I knew it!! I knew it! I have a sixth sense for those kind of things"

*ooouuugh, please don't let it be that obvious*

"Do you think it's mutual?" she asked
"I have absolutely NO idea!" I said
"You know... his body language is quite open to you as well... so maybe..."
"We'll see," I said and put out my tongue

Nonetheless... I did drive home with a huge smile on my face
If it wasn't for the amazing experience, the butterflies or the new friendships, maybe the 'ha! eat that loser!'-feeling towards my ex

no... it were the new friendships... or the experience... or probably the butterflies...

TO BE CONTINUED

@ work - part III

every once in a while you're witness to a mass-gathering of national proportions (that is Belgian size).
last week: front row seats to the massive demonstration of the trade unions

the demonstration had been announced weeks in advance; a 'strong' signal to the government was expected; all colleagues even received an e-mail including a form to fill in if access to the building would be denied by the demonstrators   *0_o   say what?*
btw, meeting point for a couple thousand demonstrators: underneath our window

a couple of hundred became a couple of thousand became a couple of ten thousands.
the avenue was coloured in red, green and blue

and those couple of ten thousands brought along the good many noise
whistles, small firework, smoke bombs, drums...

in particular the fireworks were startling... and omnipresent
cause there the explosion for one, than the noise from the explosion, that same noise bouncing off our building, the building across the street, the tower next to ours, and the six other buildings on the avenue...    *very annoying
my colleague wanted to go down and - in her own words - scream like an old lady would do (including swinging a walking-cane I imagine) "stop it! stop it! stop it!"

after another 30 minutes of whistles, small firework, smoke bombs, drums... I went to the bathroom
finally... a noise-insulated room... silence...
I was so into that sound - the delicious sound of silence - that I kept on hearing that sound of silence when I came back

... wait
... have I gone deaf? O_o

"have I gone deaf?" I asked my colleagues
"nope, they left"

lovely... !

couple of hours later I got on the train... conveying quite a lot of those demonstrators
:( no peaceful trainride for me
... but I was offered a beer by one of them

... nice guy :)