...does not sound like a "better than shoes" thing... not if it means walking home on high heels because you forgot to get your sneakers along in the morning and now you've missed your bus (or tram, or metro or... whatever...) in the rain, without an umbrella (that was in the same bag as the sneakers -in the hallway next to your house door- which you forgot to take when left...) or a raincoat (because the one you liked was hugely expensive and you are still waiting for it to be on sales while you are not buying anything else...) and without a taxi in sight...
No, this is certainly not better than shoes... in fact it is really bad! But, what about this image: You've left work after having finished a chore that was waiting to be treated for the last six months simply because you just hated doing it and you had been procrastinating... until today when not only you got to do it but you actually completed it! You've put your sneakers on that you did not forget to take with you the same morning and no need for an umbrella whatsoever as on this late afternoon, the sun is shinning and the weather is warm and you don't even need a jacket! So, you walk by a peaceful canal where every now and then you see a little boat... and though you don't particularly like being on one, the view is calming and pretty!
You walk along and you come across people running, walking their dogs (and actually poop scooping!!! yes, they DO exist, I have seen them!!! It is not an urban myth!! ) or lying in the sun or sitting on a bench reading or fishing and all of them have a smile on... more or less like yours... You have your music with and though you've just chosen one song to begin with, technology has done its part (thank you iTunes...) and all the rest that followed that first one are ingeniously equally, if not more, good! And to top it all up, it's a Friday and the weekend has already started and you have great plans to meet with your friends and you look forward to that! And, last but not least, you know that by the time you reach home, you will have burnt the calories of that little chocolate bar that you did not resist eating with your coffee after lunch!
Now, isn't this better than shoes??
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
Monday, 21 June 2010
The World Cup IS better than shoes!!!
What?? You are actually wondering "which World Cup..."?? The football WC obviously!! And yes, for those of you who think that someone else took over my blog, perhaps a bearded guy with a very heavy voice and a beer in his hand, no, it is still me and, apart from Louboutin's divine creations I also love football!!
I was born 17 days earlier... I like to think that I did that because I did not want to miss the World Cup! And since then, ok, technically not exactly since then but very shortly after, I have been watching football! I do know that it is not a very girly thing... most of my female friends hate it... or to the limit, they just don't get it and, eventually, hate watching it (because, ok, try to watch something you do not understand absolutely nothing -grammatical mistake intended for emphasis- about, for an hour and a half, and see if you like it or not... happened to me with rugby... I just don't get it... despite the various attempts of friends to help me understand, it still is a pointless, mysterious and terribly boring game to me... and I do apologize for my ignorance but the fact remains...) so, yes, I guess I am a bit different then the norm... but it is true that I love football and it is also true that it watching the WC brings me lovely memories from my childhood when I would watch the games with my father...
Every four years when the great big party of football takes place I am as happy as can be! I run home to watch the games (and yes, I have also taken an afternoon or two off just to watch a game...), I follow the results, the standings, the players' condition, I make calculations and attempt predictions... Mostly though, I just have fun!! I love the sport, I love trying to guess the next move, to follow the development of the attack and to shout at the TV when the defense is open... I enjoy the conversations afterwards with my friends and the long discussions as to whether there was an off side or not... I love to see they celebrations of the players when they score goals and their happy faces when they have won (and it was the team I was supporting that won... the other way around, not that joyous...)
So yes, these are indeed happy times for me... perhaps to some of you this does not make any sense at all... then again, perhaps other things I write about do not make sense to everyone... no worries, there is enough space for everybody's views in this world :) As for football, all I suggest is give it a chance... a real chance! Now is the time :) Watch a game between strong teams (you pick, I personally prefer South American football :) and try to follow... who knows, perhaps it will win you over ;) Alternatively, just browse the sales that most fashion websites have at this moment and shop for some flat gladiator sandals :) sooooo cute!!
I was born 17 days earlier... I like to think that I did that because I did not want to miss the World Cup! And since then, ok, technically not exactly since then but very shortly after, I have been watching football! I do know that it is not a very girly thing... most of my female friends hate it... or to the limit, they just don't get it and, eventually, hate watching it (because, ok, try to watch something you do not understand absolutely nothing -grammatical mistake intended for emphasis- about, for an hour and a half, and see if you like it or not... happened to me with rugby... I just don't get it... despite the various attempts of friends to help me understand, it still is a pointless, mysterious and terribly boring game to me... and I do apologize for my ignorance but the fact remains...) so, yes, I guess I am a bit different then the norm... but it is true that I love football and it is also true that it watching the WC brings me lovely memories from my childhood when I would watch the games with my father...
Every four years when the great big party of football takes place I am as happy as can be! I run home to watch the games (and yes, I have also taken an afternoon or two off just to watch a game...), I follow the results, the standings, the players' condition, I make calculations and attempt predictions... Mostly though, I just have fun!! I love the sport, I love trying to guess the next move, to follow the development of the attack and to shout at the TV when the defense is open... I enjoy the conversations afterwards with my friends and the long discussions as to whether there was an off side or not... I love to see they celebrations of the players when they score goals and their happy faces when they have won (and it was the team I was supporting that won... the other way around, not that joyous...)
So yes, these are indeed happy times for me... perhaps to some of you this does not make any sense at all... then again, perhaps other things I write about do not make sense to everyone... no worries, there is enough space for everybody's views in this world :) As for football, all I suggest is give it a chance... a real chance! Now is the time :) Watch a game between strong teams (you pick, I personally prefer South American football :) and try to follow... who knows, perhaps it will win you over ;) Alternatively, just browse the sales that most fashion websites have at this moment and shop for some flat gladiator sandals :) sooooo cute!!
Saturday, 5 June 2010
Dinning "à la belle étoile"...
I will not repeat my opinion of the Dutch weather... if I were to do that I would not avoid writing very bad words which have no place in these attempts to find (and write about...) the best things in life! However, it is a truth universally acknowledged that, well... it sucks!! Most of the time... But every now and then, a couple of times a year more accurately, it doesn't! Because then, it's summer! Briefly, but for real!! And, yes, we are in one of these rare moons right now!!!
The sun has been shinning, the temperature has risen, people took the summer clothes out of closets and put on their sandals (yes, me included, what did you think??) and everyone has a big smile on!! It is amazing how the weather affects people's moods... Even the ever grumpy ones become a bit more friendly, a bit more happy when the sun shines in this place... Even politeness shyly makes an appearance!! And of course, we all run outside!!! Anyone who has lived in The Netherlands for some time (say, more than a year) knows that they need to save some annual leave to use when the summer comes here... a couple of days are usually enough... and then, massively we go out!!
Most people like the beach... I don't... it smells like wet dog and it is very dirty and crowded... Not to mention that the sea is never blue which does defy my definition of "the sea"... So, on sunny days I avoid the beach and head to the city center... Often I take a book and I go read on a bench under a tree, I go for shopping (because, hey, summer may be better than shoes but it's also the best time to buy shoes... ;) and it's exactly on those summer days that I love to go out for dinner with my friends!! And when I say out, I mean "out"!! Under the starry sky!!
That's exactly what we did last night! A lovely small restaurant, the chef and owner of which really knows how to please a palate, a good wine list and a friend who is a sommelier by hobby (could we be more lucky??) a table outside by the canal, a great conversation... who could ask for anything more? Let me tel you, it does not get much better than this in this place... And yes, I could think of many places in the world that offer a far better scenery for eating outside... But after all, when you have nice company, good food and wine and a warm evening, there is not a lot to complain about, is there??.. And I would not be fair if I were not to classify this experience in the "better than shoes" category!!
The sun has been shinning, the temperature has risen, people took the summer clothes out of closets and put on their sandals (yes, me included, what did you think??) and everyone has a big smile on!! It is amazing how the weather affects people's moods... Even the ever grumpy ones become a bit more friendly, a bit more happy when the sun shines in this place... Even politeness shyly makes an appearance!! And of course, we all run outside!!! Anyone who has lived in The Netherlands for some time (say, more than a year) knows that they need to save some annual leave to use when the summer comes here... a couple of days are usually enough... and then, massively we go out!!
Most people like the beach... I don't... it smells like wet dog and it is very dirty and crowded... Not to mention that the sea is never blue which does defy my definition of "the sea"... So, on sunny days I avoid the beach and head to the city center... Often I take a book and I go read on a bench under a tree, I go for shopping (because, hey, summer may be better than shoes but it's also the best time to buy shoes... ;) and it's exactly on those summer days that I love to go out for dinner with my friends!! And when I say out, I mean "out"!! Under the starry sky!!
That's exactly what we did last night! A lovely small restaurant, the chef and owner of which really knows how to please a palate, a good wine list and a friend who is a sommelier by hobby (could we be more lucky??) a table outside by the canal, a great conversation... who could ask for anything more? Let me tel you, it does not get much better than this in this place... And yes, I could think of many places in the world that offer a far better scenery for eating outside... But after all, when you have nice company, good food and wine and a warm evening, there is not a lot to complain about, is there??.. And I would not be fair if I were not to classify this experience in the "better than shoes" category!!
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