642 things to think about

When I was in London earlier this year I bought a book: 642 things to write about. There are 642 statements in there and you need to use your imagination to write something about them. I've had the book for a while and this morning while relaxing before Christmas Eve I decided to finally write some of my stories. And out of all my answers there was something I could no longer ignore: I'm hurt. I don't understand it and I think I probably never will. Why wasn't I good enough? Why is she beter than me? But then I realised the problem is not him, it is not her, it is me. I need to accept that what happened was not caused by me. There was nothing I could have done different to change the way he behaved, the choices he made. I'm not perfect, but I need to realise that I don't need to change to make somebody happy. If I want to change it needs to be because I feel I have to in order to make myself a better person. Even though I knew he wasn't the one for me, I chose the ignore it for so long. The same way he did. 

Sunday and the city.

Nothing better than a lazy Sunday morning. Staying in bed, drinking hot chocolate and of course watching Sex and the City. I have seen those eposides a million times by now, but still I'm not bored.The clothes, the men, the city. Even though it has been 9 years ago that the last episode was aired, the content is still important for women. And I must say that even though it is fiction, so when the episode is over Samantha, Miranda, Charlotte and Carrie no longer exist, I have learned quit a few things from these ladies' stories. 

Everybody is looking for love. Anybody who tells you they're not can be called Pinocchio. But this looking for love doesn't mean that is not okay to be alone for a while. To enjoy being by yourself, being yourself and doing the secret single behavior. Even if the person you're in a relationship with is excepts you completely there are still things that you don't want them to know. Things of which you are not sure you even except them. It's totally acceptable to be happy with your single status, but it doesn't mean you don't want to fall in love. 

For me the greatest lesson is one that a lot of people may need reminding of: don't settle. During your life you may love and leave a lot of different men. But why settle for just love when ridiculous, over the top, can't live without each other love is still out there?

Discovery Channel...

Nothing excites me more than discovering new designers either online or on one of my trips. Since I care, I'm going to share... I have a passion for sneakers and I must say that when I came accross this Dutch brand online I immediately wanted to run to the store.The Amsterdam based brand Filling Pieces is designed by an architect and it clearly shows in the designs. They have them for both women and men (yay for all fashionable gentlemen out there) and are handmade in Portugal. 
If any of you buy a pair of these beauties, I highly recommend the low top croc sneakers in red. And of any of you want to buy me a pair for Christmas, size 38 please.

I was leisurely walking around the streets of Rome when I came across a cute little store filled with handbags. As soon as I walked in I saw a sparkle in the corner of my eye. Sequins, leopard and a chain, what else do you need in a handbag? Nice anecdote attached to this bag is that the guy who owns the store is the actual designer: Gilbert Halaby. He explained me that the bags he sells in his store in Rome are the ones he takes to Paris when he presents his collection. So my Halaby bag is a showroom model with a small French adventure attached to it.
Unfortunately his collection is not available in Belgium but thank God the year is 2014 and the Internet brings all the fashion you want to your door. A plus: besides bags he also designs jewelry. 

Here's a picture of my Halaby bag (sorry for the bad quality)

Covent Garden is definitely the place to be for Sunday brunch and Sunday shopping when you're in London. It was there in between the handmade tiles and paintings that I saw a colourful table filled with clutches. Heidi Sturgess is a London based designer who makes all the items herself. Everything is colourful and the buckles are detachable. If you ask her nicely, as my friend did, she will make one especially for you. What I love about these clutches? Everything! The colours, the materials (suede or leather), the bright pink insde, the detachable chain,... I have mine in bright blue suede with the New York sign. As I am as clumsy as I am amazing (Humility is not in my dictionary) I broke my NEWYORK sign when I was in Milan. No worries I'll get it fixed asap. 

London was particularly nice to me that Sunday. Going from Covent Garden to Seven Dials I did my discovery number two of the day: Bailey Nelson London. They have a great selection of optical glasses and they only cost 98 £ inclusive the glasses itself. I know a good deal when I see it so I couldn't resist ordering the Fitzgerald model in Mahogany. If you need new glasses and you are in London I highly recommend you to stop by. With excellent service and only 15 £ to get your specs delivered in Belgium I don't see any reason not to buy them. A plus: they have sunglasses as well. 

Ready for work in my Bailey Nelson glasses

I hope you all go online and discover more about the above mentioned designers and maybe even buy a piece yourself. If you do, let me know! 

We're falling two by two...

Mornings are colder, drinks are warmer and fashion is layered. This can only mean one thing: fall is here. After travelling to Lisbon, London and Milan it's time to slow down and enjoy Belgium. This sunny Saturday was perfect to put on my two fall essentials: sneakers and sweaters and explore Ghent. I love checking out the stores, observing everything around me and go for a hot chocolate while catching up on my reading. And under the beautiful fall sunshine I noticed something. People like pairs. Salt & Pepper, boyfriend and girlfriend, Tom & Jerry, Milk and Cookies, etc. The list is endless. I saw couples, I saw friends, I saw mothers and daugthers.All of them in a pair.But why are we so obsessed by making everything two? Is two better than one, than three, than five? 

Me in my Zoe Karssen sweater

My Nike sneakers

The world is my oyster...

But am I willing to eat it? 

I have travelled. Mostly Europe, but Los Angeles and New York are also on my been there and want to go back list. There's so much to see and I want to see it all. Not just seeing, but experiencing. Isn't the best way to experience a city and what it really is like to live in it? Two cities immediately come to mind as I'm writing this last sentence: New York and London. Both of them have this energy and fast pace in which you can lose yourself. But for me it also gives me the possibility to stand still. Stand still and observe. Observe all the people moving forward. Maybe backwards, but from the outside it's all moving. Am I moving forward? Am I moving at all? Moving, would I ever do it? Literally I mean: move to another country. God knows I love my mom and sister to death and I would miss them horribly. But there's this happy feeling in my stomach when I think about the possibility. 

I'm just trying to close the gap between the lift I have and the life I want. Not quite sure if the gap is as big as I think it is. Am I happy now? Of course. I'm happy with my regular hot chocolate with extra whipcream. But each sip I can't help but glance at the large triple chocolate milkshake behind the counter. To get it I would have to climb over the counter and make sure I have a straw. I would have to leave behind my regular hot chocolate with the risk that it won't be hot anymore when going back to it. Will the milkshake be exactly what I want? Or will it make me sick because now I had too much chocolate and I wish I would have just stayed where I was and finished my hot chocolate? 

Don't grow up, it's a trap...

I'm convinced that everybody misses the days when they were young and didn't have a care in the world. As you grow older, your responsibilities grow as well. Make sure your rent is paid, the laundry is done, the report is ready on time,... Although I'm the kind of person who loves to work under pressure, I am also the kind of person  who loves to take a nap when there are too many things to be done at once. (I will never admit this to the people close to me) But when I stopped today, after taking a nap, to think about all the things that I still needed to do I realized that you make your own choice in taking on responsibilities. You can choose to work a 9 to 5 job, live in a small appartment and have only three different sweaters to wash. But like there is a risk return trade off. There's also a trade off here. A smaller paycheck, less room for yoga and no way to express who you are through your style. You get what your work for. And I want to work untill I'm able to afford myself a Birkin Bag. So people, I need to finsh my budget analysis... 

No Excuses...

In life you always have choices. Every day there are a lot of different choices you can make. It starts at breakfast: Do I want eggs or yoghurt? And it goes on until you go to bed and need to decide what pyjamas to wear. (Always Victoria's Secret) When I think about these things I realize that I always choose what is within my routine. But from now on I want to change this. No more excuses to not do things. Because life begins at the end of your comfort zone...