The perfect diner

Blogger unfortunately doesn't work so well in Belgium, so it's a bit harder to blog from here. I hope it will improve over time somehow... But I have missed blogging. When I don't blog for a while, I find it harder to find a topic to write about, since I'm out of my "zone". So, I Googled some blog post ideas today and came to the perfect topic- How does your perfect diner look like? With who are you? What are you eating? Describe the atmosphere.

I grew up in a family where eating together is a must. Hungover, not hungry, on a diet, or whatever other excuse you could make was invalid at my home. My mom has always been the cook at home, so homemade food is what I grew up with for 18 years. I wasn't always a fan of what my mom cooked (sorry mom), but definitely appreciate her effort to always take care of her family and stand behind the stove and oven, unconditionally.

In Amsterdam, I lived alone, but had all my dear friends live near me. We would often get together and cook. Either from a cooking book, left overs in the fridge, or whatever our home country's traditional food is. But the family feeling that this gave all of us, was unique and something that all made us feel at home being away from our families. I am definitely not so much in love with pasta anymore, I think any college student understands that...

My perfect diner would be with the perfect partner, your soul mate, your love of your life. I haven't found that person yet, so I'll just take an imaginary soul mate (no hate).
I prefer brunch over diner, since I am a person who likes sweet stuff, and this tends to be more appropriate for lunch/brunch. I'm imagining finding myself with my soul mate on a hill, facing a vineyard and a crystal clear sky, and sunshine in our eyes would be the only thing that's bothering us on our beautiful picnic.

Cut the crap... What's in the picnic basket? That's the question.

Hey pretty baby with the high heels on

I just came back from my short trip to Amsterdam. I had to go back to take care of a few things (like paperwork), but I of course also wanted to visit my friends again.

Only a few of my friends were still in town, but we managed to meet up and still spend some quality time together. Yalda, Jake and I went to Bijenkorf (a shopping mall) and after some window shopping we decided to get a drink on the roof-top cafe. I was ordering my latte coffee (I only drink latte or cappuccino when it comes to coffee) and saw miniature champagne bottles standing behind the counter. I thought it was so adorable, I had to get this for my friends to celebrate my return to Amsterdam! So I decided to surprise my friends and let them sip some champagne ;) We loved feeling so glamorous for a little while...

Afterwards, we decided to go to Vapiano to eat some nice Italian food! Yummy. Vapiano never disappoints me- it's quick, cheap yet it's still cozy and delicious. It doesn't feel like a typical fast-food tent, which is a big plus! Vapiano is pretty present throughout Europe, so if there is one near, and you haven't tried it yet- try it!

Being back in Amsterdam, even if it's for only a few days, means you have to go out. So Jake and I put ourselves to it on a lonely Tuesday evening. We found an empty Amsterdam with only 2 parties on- the Winston, and club NL. We went to Winston first, but it was a live free-style. We wanted to dance, so we decided to roam around A'dam for a while and see what else is up. Before we knew it we were having happy hour beers in the gay district and laughing about the 2 guys next to us taking the flirting a bit too serious. We decided to explore further and check out club NL. We have never been there before, but we thought it was worth a shot. We see the club and park our bikes. I start to worry as I see pigeons peacefully sleeping on the bench right next to the club, but we enter anyways. We scan the room and find ourselves in the most awkward environment- it was me, Jake and the bartender. THAT'S IT. The disco balls on the ceiling were giving it their all, and the flashing lights couldn't even be saved by shooting stars. Poor club NL. We decided to get out of there as soon as possible and go back to the Winston to enjoy some live performances. All in all, we didn't dance the night away, but we definitely had some fun.

I also went to see Harry Potter in 3D with my friend, Isaaq. I have never been a Harry Potter fan, or ever will be, but this movie was good. It was a bit hard to tag along with the whole story, since I have never read any of the books or watched any of the movies. But, since it was 3D it came alive. In fact, it fascinated me! And we felt pretty cool with our 3D glasses on :D


Now, I am back in Antwerp and just came back from a ladies movie night. I went to my cousins' friend/coworkers' home. We found ourselves in an awesome 50s inspired interior! Marilyn Monroe covered the walls together with James Dean, the bubble lamps were on and the jazz music was filling up the room. Her man was out, so it was strictly ladies only. She made some great finger food, and a delicious crumble pie! We watched a funny movie, and drank a funny drink along with it.

Earlier today, I had to go to my test day, to work in a clothing store. I worked in the store from 1-5, and had to help the customers, organize the clothes, clean up here and there. It's nothing too challenging, but I am just glad I found myself a job! :)

Now, I am off to bed. I don't have exact plans for tomorrow yet, but I'll dream about it, and come up with something.


Picture by Yalda

Boom boom pow...Mary Katrantzou

Mary Katrantzou was born in Athens in 1983. She grew up in an artistic family as her mother was an interior designer and her father was trained in Textile Design.

Getting her BA in Textile Design at Central Saint Martins, and an MA Fashion was the foundation of her successful future. In 2008, she made her first ready-to-wear collection which was debuted on the London Fashion Week event.

She often makes use of digital printing, which makes her textiles more beautiful than ever. She incorporates jewelry, perfume bottles, home interior, glass blowing, and architecture as a source of inspiration into her designs, which makes you believe you are in a fairy tale land. The chandelier-inspired jewelry comes blown out of proportion, and the colors she uses come straight from a sophisticated mushroom trip. The designer pays very close attention to detail, which makes her designs come alive!

Amen!

The voice of an angel. Enjoy :)

My much desired wish-list : classics

A simple leather jacket. It can dress you up or dress you down. Can take an up-town outfit down-town and vice versa. It's something I don't have, but I realllly should!












Louboutin black high heels can never hurt. I believe that these shoes bring any woman success... or at least a feel-good effect!










This Petit Noe bag is so darling. I love how nonchalant this bag looks and how it's a bit adventurous as the shape of it reminds me of a comfortable traveling bag.


















This doesn't require much of an explanation does it? It's an all time classic that each lady should have. Goes with everything, and never leaves the must-have list until the 2.55 can be my arm candy.

How 'bout you get a job

Today I went to look for a summer job. I went to the shopping street near, and looked all around to see if they are still looking for people. In the end I found 5 clothing stores where they can still use someone for a summer job. So I handed in my CV, and now I have to wait and see for replies. I have never worked in a clothing store, yet I hope that they will not hold this against me.

I am already imagining what I would want to do with my first paycheck ... :D I have an impossible wish list in my head, full of items that I would like to purchase. Unfortunately, I don't think that a summer job can finance this.

Since I am staying in Antwerp, which is commonly known as a big fashion city, I must go to Momu, aka the fashion museum. They currently have an exhibition on knitwear through the years. Anything from Sonia Rykiel to Chanel is on display. Momu has around 25.000 items in their possesion, coming from the early 16th century up to now. I have never been before, so I think it's time to go and check it out!

Safe tonight

Today I went to the Anna Frank house with Jake. It was impressive, but I didn't get to enjoy it that much, because there is so much on my mind...

The day after tomorrow I am leaving back to Belgium... For good. I had the idea of changing courses already for a while, because I didn't feel like this was exactly how I imagined it. I loved the fashion part, but not the management part. The only thing that really exited me were the fashion lectures we got, which was really only about 10 % of what we did in school. The school told me in my final assessment that they don't see me as a fashion manager, and this was the breaking point.

I am sad and upset that I have to leave Amsterdam all of the sudden. I still have so much to discover and do in Amsterdam, I don't want to leave yet. But at the same time, I have so much to take care of; find a new school, a new place to live and a job. I can't believe I have to say goodbye to such an amazing city, with such amazing people in it. My parents want me to move back as soon as possible because there is so much to do, and I have to get used to living in a country that I am totally not used to. My parents are rushing everything for me, telling me what to do, not realizing that I'm leaving a place that's really dear to me.

I have learnt so much this year, and can't grasp the idea of leaving Amsterdam... on Thursday. To be honest, I always looked down a bit on people who stay in their home country to study. It just seems so easy and un-adventurous, and now I am going to be one of them. I hope that Antwerp will treat me nice after all.

I now stand still on simple things like going to the Albert Heijn store to get my groceries, or a bike ride in town, just because I know I won't do it again, or if I do it again, it won't ever be the same anymore.

I will miss the all-nighters with my dear Diemen crew, and the party crew that made the kitchen's in Diemen legendary. I will always cherish the moments that I had with my sweet Sugar Cube. I will miss the bike rides and the random pit stops on the way home that brought us our fair share of adventure. I will even miss my 12m ² room... and I want to say a big thank you to all the people that helped me get through this year :)

I will leave Amsterdam with a little broken heart, but sweet memories and friends forever.