colour and people

it's quite interesting to see what colours do to people...


average reaction to my colours: "oh, you're so nice and colourful"
or "you make me happy"
or "I should do that too"

all reactions I really appreciate :)
I make people smile and that's the intention in the end


these are the people who love them and go nuts


from time to time I hear: "ah yes, colours, it's fashionable now right"
to which I reply: "I created that trend... I do this for years"
or "is it spring already?" - "no mam, but winter's no reason for me to look like a wilted flower"


these are the people who like colours for others but not for themselves

and then... there are two more categories

people who don't know colours
recognizable on the eyes going rapidly up and down and left and right and up and down again, starting when they spot you from a short distance of 5m *brains make an alert to be attentive*
while passing by the eyes keep on moving rapidly looking to every little corner of the outfit *danger danger, no grey to be spotted* the mouth opens up *this can't be true* and the head turns *WHAT IS THIS*
... it's called colour
... it's natural
... it's normal
... don't worry, I'm no alien, I will not abduct you to a place were there's no "safety" grey

and then there are people who don't like colours
recognizable on the frown, including a disapproving look with a hint of catholic guilt thinking *oh sinful girl, attracting so much attention, quickly say your prayers or you'll burn in hell* I smile *oh nooooo, she's happy, dear lord*
... look the other way if you don't like it
... I am who I am, COLOURFUL AND HAPPY :D

just be happy, don't worry, colours or no colours

message to the world

to all of you...

I LOVE YOU!!!

ik hou van je
σ'αγαπω
ti amo
te quiero
je t'adore
ich liebe dich
ek is lief vir jou
jeg elsker dig
lu` bin ta
te dua
aishiteru
volim te
kocham ciebie
eu te amo
sarana hevo
obicham te
ninapenda wewe
taim i' ngra leat
saya cinta padamu
seni seviyorum
ya tebya liubliu
我愛你
أحبك


SPREAD THE WORD!!!

unexpected colours III

as you all (probably) know I love colour
especially unexpected colours in unexpected places

some weeks ago I visited the cathedral of Antwerp and bumped (not literally of course, wouldn't be in keeping with my education as art historian and conservator of monuments but soit) into this little statue of the Virga Jesse (a specific edition of Mother and Son)

bright turquoise... didn't see that coming :)

unexpected colours II

mum & dad got the "colour" message and gave me for Christmas:

tadaaaaaaa

yellow and fuchsia towels :D

coincidence? no way! part III

there is no such thing as coincidence

my life is the perfect example of this

I was alone, not just only me… partially me, cause Arnout took half of me when he left

how would I survive this? do I even want to get over this? cause that means accepting the break and I didn’t want to do that

but I had to go on, and I went on as good as I could

the post-graduate year started, immediately taking a run with lectures, project works, excursions, more lectures and project works, all this in the shortest amount of time you could possibly imagine

there was even no time to doubt my choice for this course

I paid attention in class and during excursions, worked my ass off for the projects; in the mean time keeping up my social life, meeting old friends, singing in my choir, and building up a new social life, with people that would turn out to be best friends

anything was good enough to fill up that black hole around my heart that was sucking up my energy

but that black hole was also sucking up myself

I was completely forgetting myself...

so my friends (and the little voice in me) dragged me along on my quest: find me, myself and I

I went looking for me next to a drink and my friends in a bar and discovered I love going out, I love to meet new people, talk to strangers and make them think “mmm, she’s special”

I went looking for myself on a city trip to Paris, the city of love, under a warm spring sun and discovered the love of my friends completes me

I went looking for I on the study trip to Petra, Jordan, and discovered my friendship is a blessing for other people

the way to finding myself was better than I could ever imagine: new friends, new people, new self-confidence… new me

now I look upon this last year, the hardest in my life, as the greatest blessing I ever had

THESE were the greatest months of my life

this break-up happened for a reason: for me to know what I want and what I’m worth

to get stronger, you have to get through the crap

to get higher, you have to go lower

there’s more to life then you would think at first

don’t be afraid to get hurt… I know it sucks but it makes you who you are

my friends are there for me and I’m there for them

I’m free as a bird now and I enjoy life

my old friends saw me open up

my new friends saw me grow day by day

and Arnout? no clue… he might be on the other side of the world, he might have shrunk down, he might be sitting in a corner crying over me :) … I don’t really care

I attract new people in my life with a smile

nobody special, just trying to be a little ray of light in the life of other people

… the end (for now, cause I’m always open for new things)

unexpected colours I

people often amaze me in their level of "greyness"
"not too much colour, it's so... flashy"
pff

but every once in a while someone or something amazes me in a good way

the purple house, behind the Palace of the Prince-Bishop in Liège

cool :)

coincidence? no way! part II

there is no such thing as coincidence

my life is the perfect example of this

Arnout and I were made for each other, nothing could tear us apart

at least I thought so…

the last couple of months were though: hard work, no free time, thesis problems…

but what couple doesn’t have these troubles? we didn’t see each other a lot, but I could manage it…

I of course wanted more time with Arnout but there was the thesis again to distract me

it would all be better after graduation… only a couple more months/weeks/days

and there it was: graduation day J for both of us J

but it didn’t feel like I thought it would…

mmm, probably because the close future wasn’t like I suspected: he was going on a two week trip on which I wasn’t joining; after that he started a full time internship and I would go back to Leuven for a post-graduate

…

mmm, we could work it out… maybe after a small break… just a couple days of peace and thinking

two days were sufficient… for me to knew for sure we WOULD work it out

I loved him from the deepest depths of my heart and soul, we were one, we belonged together…

we would find something…

we were made for each other…

we were soulmates…

only… I was alone in that opinion…

Arnout broke up with me

we had lived happily for 2 years and 2 months

never had I experienced the pain of a real heartache

the word heartache doesn’t even do justice to what I felt

it physically hurt so much, I thought it would destroy me

I would live sadly ever after

… to be continued

coincidence? no way! part I

there is no such thing as coincidence

my life is the perfect example of this

I started to believe this about 6 years ago… small things inflicted this idea

stories of an acquaintance (a man who travelled the world along prisons and wrote a book about it, hitchhiked home with a total stranger who was reading that book), the way my cousins and friends got to know there boy/girlfriends, winning the last tickets to a concert I really wanted to go to…

coincidence? it all seemed a bit too coincidental

4 years ago, at Christmas, this all took a massive turn: I was feeling down, my boyfriend dumped me and I felt a bit lost

I was sitting at the feast table, a bit absent, but happy with the company of my family, when my cousin B. had to make an announcement for his wedding. I told him “ho, wait a second… stand up! this kind of announcements deserves the proper treatment” ;)

he stood up and at that time he gave me THE best Christmas present I ever had and ever will have: he asked me to be his maid of honour :D

as an only child and having only good friends that have more than enough brothers and sisters as possible candidates, I never expected to be a maid of honour, now I could be my cousins, my “big brother”s…

I can assure you, this kind of presents at a time you’re feeling down do not at all feel like just a present… to me, it’s was a sign

even more… my cousin-in-law-to-be R. told us her younger brother Arnout would be her best man…

Arnout ... that name… hearing that name, only his name… I felt at ease, in that degree even I could let go of everything… I knew him somehow … it felt right

some months passed, and finally in April I got to know Arnout …

never met him before, but I knew him, he knew me, we could skip the “obligatory” getting to know each others’ occupancies etc. and go directly to hours of small talk about anything and everything

we got together, the greatest months of my life

everybody that knew us together told the same story: “you are SO great together”, “one wedding inflicts another”, “you’re made for each other, you can tell”

… and actually… we were made for each other

when I was with him, I felt good, I felt complete, nothing could take us apart

this was no coincidence, it was faith

they lived happily ever after (or so would the fairy tale end)

… to be continued

how to make people smile - part II

- after running for your life to catch a bus you didn’t wanna, but did miss, you can either stamp your feet or keep on running like you weren’t running for that bus that just left

- if you plan on falling on your ass (for instance on a snowy or icy afternoon) do it in style: with a triple salto mortale, land on the ground and bump up again… and then walk on like nothing happened

- dress up in a pink-purple spandex… especially when you’re called Pierce Brosnan at the end of the Mamma Mia! Movie

- and again… smile like you never smiled before

date a girl that's broken hearted

she scares you away, she’s not ready to open up yet, at least you think so
she’s afraid to get hurt and you’re afraid to hurt her even more
the pain she’s feeling is worse than any physical pain, she’s telling you not to come closer

but she needs you
hurt her, she’ll get stronger
make her cry, she’ll be grateful cause in the end you’re a sign from destiny itself, telling her she’s worth it

then, fight for her, she’ll break down her wall
sooth her pain, she’ll know she can trust you
be the one who gives the sympathy she has been longing for

she has more love in her heart than before, she gives it entirely to the ones she cares for, so if you love her with all your heart, she gives 10 times more and you’re the luckiest man alive
she has so much courage, so much strength, she’ll inspire you
she has no regrets cause she knows everything happens for a reason

she believes only the good die young, but also that the good who survived will be rewarded for fighting, that faith and destiny will give her the most amazing opportunities
she lives every day to the fullest, she’s not content with anything, the sky is the limit, nothing less

she’s a mystery: when she dreams off, it’s not just a daydream, it’s a world trip along undiscovered horizons
she’s physical: when she meets friends, she really greets them, with a smile that says you made my day, with a kiss that says you’re very dear to me, with a hug that says I missed you so much
she’s driven: after going through the deep depths of her soul, she knows what it means to live

see the sparkles in her eyes when she dreams off, feel the passion in her hug when she greets you, experience the lust for life that shines from her

kiss her, make her fly
she deserves only the best, let her look for it

she misses him, very often
but she’s so much stronger than before
she’s mad at him
but she’s the one who opened up to new horizons
she often thinks about them together
but it’s his loss

and yours if you let her go


for Arnout VHD on his birthday, who saw my sparkles, who felt my passion, who experienced my lust for life… and who broke my heart

now you’ll have to live the misery of loosing what you had

but… thanks for making me a fighter


sincere thanks to Liesje, Than_I and all my friends for the love and support

as an answer to date a Greek girl by Than_I

words...

words say nothing they say…

usually I care to disagree: compliments can make you fly, encouraging words can make you persevere, praising words from your promoter make you extremely proud, supporting words from a former superior boost your confidence…

you feel great!

for a second that is…

cause that cloud you’re on, depending on the specific words, isn’t that big it can carry you for a very long time and once there’s no cloud yet, you realize you still have no thesis nor internship, although you’re very qualified (witness those abovementioned words…)

I wrote the entire world with a killer motivation letter, being as enthusiastic as I could be (plus not faking it)

in the mean time applying for jobs and going to interviews, also not faking interest and enthusiasm... after a week you receive an answer: “you don’t have the job”... why not? cause I still have to do an internship

&”#@|µ*{à~)#

f*ck it! I don’t care for words, I need some actions...

...

but then again… a cry to the universe seems to be answered

not with actions but with words

not with an internship but with words of comfort from friends from the other side of the digital line (thx my dear friends)

not with a thesis but with loving words coming from the radio… just at the right time: Sweet Caroline (thx Neil Diamond J)

how to make people smile

enough complaining now (although, you gotta admit, it's fun :))

just a few tips now how to make people smile
you'll feel great, you make the day of random people and they pass on their happiness :)

- raining outside? no prob! instead of disappearing in the crowd in grey and black, wear all the colours you can find in your closet... in my case: green trousers, a yellow top, an orange vest and blue shoes
you don't look ridiculous, on the contrary, strangers on the bus tell you their day became sunnier
- raining outside? buy a yellow umbrella and create your own personal little sun
- bored on the train? do something unusual! leave you novels, crosswords puzzles or Ipad at home and start knitting...
you'll look romantic (at least, I did according to a stranger on the train), plus the nostalgia will take people back to the loving memories of their grandmothers
- playback along with your mp3, convinced about your superstar qualities
- winter's coming? look in shops only for colours: leave the grey, the dark grey, the darker grey, the blue grey, the black grey, the grey grey, the greyish grey, the other grey... go for bright red, bright green, bright blue, bright yellow, bright purple, bright orange, bright fuchsia
combine a red flower skirt, a green top, a blue vest and red boots and you'll be applauded on the street for your "nice outfit" (happened to me on two days ago :))
- but especially smile, whenever wherever, those who see you smiling, will smile as well

conclusion: the world's a better place for a while and it has you to thank for it :D

PS: please share your tips and make my day ;)