tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108825802011-07-28T13:28:26.176+02:00(Random thoughts and episodes of my life in the land of beer and chocolate.)Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.comBlogger351100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1158092932078830502006-09-13T18:32:00.002+02:002010-01-30T04:25:17.694+01:00

While net surfing the other night, I discovered this game called Jumping Jelly Beans. It's at the official website of Cartoon Network and it turns out that the (animal) characters in the game have their own tv program titled Camp Lazlo. They all have those wacky, exaggerated looks, almost like those of Cow 'n Chicken (loved that show) but it's the first time I've seen these guys. After playing

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1157492520473479162006-03-01T19:31:00.000+01:002006-09-07T02:09:33.706+02:00

This morning when I woke up, the bedroom looked a bit strange. There was just way too much light coming from outside, it could easily trick someone into thinking it's already high noon on a warm, sunny day. I looked out the window and I almost went blind! It had snowed gently some time during the early morning or during the night so our grounds and everything else on it were white. Immaculate

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1153925123321655302006-02-26T16:32:00.000+01:002006-08-14T22:54:23.966+02:00

Sundays in Brussels are always bursting with life and color. Particularly at the marketplace.This morning, I've been to the Bruxelles Midi train terminal to get to its surrounding open market--one of the biggest in the country, I guess. It shares great similarity with the Divisoria market in Manila. I'm thinking human congestion, loud-mouthed vendors, cheap (and cheaper) prices, fresh produce in

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1153357228249359872006-02-11T16:49:00.001+01:002010-01-30T04:17:26.335+01:00

Believe it or not, my husband and I go to the same hair salon and we have the same hairstylist! And our stylist is a he, who goes by the name of Jan (pronounced as "Yan"). My husband has long been his faithful client even before I settled in Belgium. The hair parlor is his own but is also a one-man business, so he does everything by himself: from a simple trim to an elaborate hairstyle. He

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1152038435923383562006-02-09T18:36:00.000+01:002006-07-20T07:55:40.366+02:00

Woohoo, I won something again at a contest on the net. I won the lottery... tickets! Well I guess it's the next best thing to actually winning the jackpot.I received four unique scratch-to-win cards and by a stroke of luck, I won cash out of three of them! Well it was only 18 euros in total but at least I didn't shell out a single cent on them.

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1151842322414242202006-02-05T20:09:00.000+01:002006-07-04T22:20:52.386+02:00

At the three-day fund-raising lunch organized by a local chapter of the Red Cross in Flanders (a.k.a. Rode Kruis). A fulfilling and filling event!

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1151438415710438392006-01-24T19:58:00.000+01:002006-07-02T14:08:50.686+02:00

Just when the last of the holiday goodies have long been tucked in and burned off (hopefully) through exercise... ... they came back today as an army of 56 assorted chocolate bars. If I eat a bar then I'd have to do 50 pushups per day. I never thought that something so sweet can also be so mean!

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1150658695654659862006-01-14T21:24:00.000+01:002006-06-27T21:57:01.456+02:00

I was in Brussels today but with no intention of buying anything in particular. I just didn't feel like shopping then. Freaky huh? I guess I was preoccupied with my new buddy: my camera. I brought it along for a little test drive, given that the weather was nice and everything. I went past one clothing shop...

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1150574569368613992006-01-10T19:20:00.000+01:002006-06-17T22:02:49.380+02:00

This must be the last present we've received for the new year: a box of assorted Belgian beers. I guess it would have been more appropriate if they were wines (considering the freezing climate outside--even our lawn froze) but hey, Belgian beers are Belgian beers! And they're always welcome. ;-)

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1149875021295455612006-01-08T19:39:00.000+01:002006-06-17T16:40:09.046+02:00

Today started as a typical, lazy Sunday. I woke up late... took my time in the shower... in the kitchen... at the dining table... with the weekend paper... with my manicure and pedicure....And then there were our three cats--sprawled lazily all over the place, dozing the hours away. Only getting up to grab a bite or to visit the litter box. (Who wouldn't spend all nine lives living like that??) I

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1149623490381128422006-01-07T21:03:00.000+01:002006-06-09T19:25:47.740+02:00

It's the great sale of January so I went hunting for good buys.There's this relatively new store in Brussels named Sfera (from Madrid) which got my attention, despite their very minimalist window display. I'm so glad I checked it out--there were loads of lovely, affordable clothes and accessories, which became even more affordable (cheap!) when they went on sale. Let's see... I bought a

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1149612104465555172006-01-07T20:33:00.000+01:002006-06-06T21:28:06.916+02:00

Here's one of the first few attempts I made at spotting picturesque views (while on my way to the malls anyway) and capturing them with my new digital camera. So what do you think? Not bad for a shopper girl eh?

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1149183607414985682006-01-01T22:34:00.000+01:002006-06-06T21:25:20.706+02:00

Every new year's day, all immediate family members of my husband get together at our place to eat, drink and be chatty. That's from 6pm-ish to the late hours of the evening.This time, the get-together lasted only until around 9:30pm since brother-in-law had another commitment to attend to afterwards and his kids weren't with him. Nevertheless, we had the usual food (assorted breads and fillings

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1148420797424627442005-12-31T23:40:00.000+01:002006-06-01T19:31:52.786+02:00

Spare your tissues and chocolate bars--this is no sappy story. There is nothing to cry over New Year's presents, is there? Out here (or maybe just within my family circle), we give/receive presents for the new year, not for Christmas. It's a bit strange but hey, as long as I receive presents at all then I'm for it!So what did we get?My husband received TWO almost identical sweaters--from me and

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1147454709302266162005-12-29T19:17:00.000+01:002006-05-24T20:47:27.333+02:00

People say that if a person is married and lives with his/her spouse AND the in-laws under one roof, that person's life is going to be a living hell. Well I am married and sharing a house with my husband AND his parents and... and... I'm still pretty much alive and burning, I mean, beaming! Yea, beaming!However, my in-laws have a brand new house under construction. (That's their kitchen in the

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1145146336923890492005-12-22T19:57:00.000+01:002006-04-21T03:27:02.950+02:00

... Christmas! These were the first presents we received: two bottles of gin and two boxes of assorted pralines. I didn't care much for the booze, but the chocolates... I wanted to hoard them ALL, mwahahaha!

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1141501169177476002005-12-18T20:09:00.000+01:002006-04-16T01:49:06.330+02:00

This is how I got started in joining prize contests on the internet. It all began when I actually won a prize after participating in an online game by a local meat shop (which I read about in the papers), wherein I was supposed to choose one food pic out of four which I thought contained the prize. Not really expecting to win, I casually clicked on pic no. 1. The next thing I knew, I was being

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1145586906123055062005-12-10T23:22:00.000+01:002006-06-13T23:15:06.730+02:00

This morning I was in Brussels to go shopping in the morning and then meet up with a few friends in the afternoon. But somewhere between the shopping and the meeting, I grabbed a quick bite. I bought a slice of this seafood pizza at this mini pizza bar (annexed to a shopping complex) and settled in a corner. Boy, was this pizza tough--the bits of squid were like rubber, I think it took me MINUTES

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1137117640347786132005-11-26T14:53:00.000+01:002006-04-01T12:10:51.676+02:00

It happened a month too early. And was a tad too much.It started snowing a storm last night, which went on until earlier today. Look at our veranda floor and the plants in our garden now--they're all covered in thick, white fluff!I think it's quite exceptional to see snow in Belgium get 10 cm thick this fast. My husband disagrees though.Well, I haven't seen enough snow yet, despite the YEARS

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1140296673244190532005-11-24T21:31:00.000+01:002006-05-23T23:48:05.733+02:00

I just moved back in time. Somewhere between the golden age of Gauls and a comic volume by Goscinny and Uderzo.Yep, somehow I made it to the legendary village of the Gauls--at the heart of Brussels--and met two popular, well-loved Gauls: Asterix and Obelix! In the form of giant (manned) dolls, that is. Obelix looked adorable and funny (despite his prominent size), with little Idefix in his arms.

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1140290756784806672005-10-03T19:03:00.000+02:002006-02-18T20:25:57.576+01:00

This morning, I took a quick pause from work. I put on my eclipse glasses and started watching the moon slowly move across the face of the sun. It was an annular solar eclipse I just witnessed. It wasn't as spectacular as the view from Spain (where the sun was reduced to a ring of light for a few moments) but I still felt goosebumps all over. As always.In my excitement, I almost forgot to

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1128290194797652982005-09-25T16:41:00.000+02:002006-01-01T22:57:48.896+01:00

Yesterday, hubby, his parents and myself drove to Wallonia (Belgium's French-speaking half) to visit Parc Paradisio the second time. It's a zoo and botanical garden on what used to be a monastery, dating from the 17th century. An animal park with soul, if you please. Religious edifices were juxtaposed with modern buildings amidst mother nature. A unique blend that works.The place is huge--great

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1129072294630888782005-09-11T18:10:00.000+02:002006-01-24T21:32:44.750+01:00

This is one food event I look forward to every year: the mussel festival or mosselfeest (pronounced as "mossel-fayst"). A brass band organization at a nearby town, which my father-in-law is a member of, annually holds these fund-raising lunches and late lunches wherein mussels highlight the menu. These mussels actually come from Holland and they're of good quality. Yummy, yummy!Whenever my

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1128179166517673362005-09-04T14:04:00.000+02:002005-12-05T20:29:06.333+01:00

Yesterday, I made it to the land of cheese and tulips. It was my first time in Holland. Gaaf! I was actually part of an excursion; hubby, myself and our work colleagues. Each one brought their own partner/family along so we were quite a big group. (A little more than 40 persons.) We all agreed to meet in Kalmthout (somewhere in Antwerp) and then board one big bus to take us straight to the

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1126369908800482672005-08-24T17:59:00.000+02:002005-11-16T03:58:54.533+01:00

The barbecue. Each year, the entire clan of my husband's (father's side) gather in one place to eat, drink, chatter and be merry. And to enjoy all those delicious treats on the grill. Yup, barbecues are not only popular in America but out here as well. It's usually held during the summer months (from May to September), when it's great to hang out in the garden or by the pool, or wherever there's

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1123863055541538132005-07-31T17:12:00.000+02:002005-11-16T04:03:39.343+01:00

I continued my bargain hunt in Brussels. (Shopping and being true to your word--there's definitely a connection.)Day 1: (Two Saturdays after the last shopping trip.) Arrived in Brussels only a little past 10am. First store visited: Mango. Tried on a million of their discounted blue jeans... only to end up buying a pair that's remotely denim and not even blue. It's charcoal grey with bright orange

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1122325823292804782005-07-25T22:29:00.000+02:002005-10-04T08:57:37.463+02:00

Just four days ago, Belgium turned 175 years old. After some serious recollection, I came up with a list of facts and factoids about this country which you may haven't heard before. Or at least I hope so.1. Belgium is in Europe. What?? Get outta here. Well I’m afraid there are still people out there who think Belgium is somewhere in America or is a name for some sort of exotic foodstuff. These

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1121898197552568892005-07-21T00:23:00.000+02:002005-10-04T21:54:23.866+02:00

July is "sale month" and you know what that means: shop-shop time!Went to Brussels yesterday and braved the madding crowd in every store I entered. I knew I should have gotten there much earlier, like when 9 a.m. struck, when most stores are just opening. But I guess that wouldn't have made much of a difference because I had an entire day to spend anyway and I just had to bear with the mob sooner

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1120315578657097802005-06-27T17:46:00.000+02:002005-08-09T04:45:41.686+02:00

Last Saturday I’ve been to Brussels for my usual weekend stroll, but also for an art event at the Jubelpark. (Note to self: To get there, ALWAYS take the tram that stops at Merode. Go through the exit at your right and then turn right again and take the escalator. Now don’t get lost a third time!)It’s an open-air exhibit titled Horse Parade 2005, showcasing 200 horse models, each painted/

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1121953913680121762005-06-22T23:02:00.001+02:002005-10-02T14:43:05.070+02:00

It's summer! The best time to go to the beach, enjoy heaping scoops of ice cream, and wear "scanty" clothing. Or simply relish the longer, warmer days of the year, because in this part of the world, where toasty days are few and far between, the sun is the superstar and the people are its groupies. A brief sunshine can send huge crowds hurtling towards the beach or the nearest café. With an open

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1119208325666024102005-06-19T21:12:00.000+02:002006-07-10T15:58:41.616+02:00

Have you watched the film Le Fabuleux destin d'Amèlie Poulain? I just did, for the second time actually. What a feel-gooder. I loved it. I loved how it made me think of those little things we all usually take for granted. And I loved how it brought me back in time when I was just a tot.Ever tried recalling your earliest childhood memory? I think mine was the time during one big family picnic at a

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1118874720638625652005-06-16T23:32:00.000+02:002005-06-18T18:38:25.400+02:00

Woohoo, strawberry season! Market places and grocery stores everywhere have been painted (bright) red by these shiny, succulent treats for weeks now.At home, we have them once or twice a week. For lunch. It's already satisfying just to nibble on it au naturel, but I've also learned to eat it in another way. I'll tell you how.Place your washed, leaf-free strawberries in a semi-deep dish, cut into

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1116800080672330132005-05-22T23:14:00.000+02:002005-09-30T05:03:31.030+02:00

Scarlett Johansson. Yep, he's definitely becoming more and more like a pro. My husband drew this very graceful pencil portrait of actress Scarlett Johansson after days of shading, blending, layering, erasing, defining, and perhaps just about every other technique one can think of. I'm proud of him.Just too bad I can't do portraits myself. The last time I tried, Washington's hair turned out

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1117059287861688912005-03-28T20:14:00.000+02:002005-06-16T22:06:38.666+02:00

World's tallest. Easter this year was something out of the ordinary. I went on a train ride to the city of Sint-Niklaas, on a whim, to go egg-hunting. No, it wasn’t exactly egg-hunting. You wouldn’t possibly call it that if what you’re after happens to be the B-I-G-G-E-S-T in the world!So indeed, it is the current Guinness World Record holder for the tallest Easter egg. (Hurrah!) It measured a

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882580.post-1113342332280189042005-02-13T18:55:00.000+01:002006-08-05T13:24:42.190+02:00

What a grrreat weather to start the day with. Dark, looks-like-rain-any-second skies and very chilly air - just what I needed to prompt me out of my warm, cozy bed. I normally don't feel lazy whenever I'm about to go outdoors, but remembering where I was headed helped me get on my feet. Never knew I was in for a blast later on! The European Space Agency (ESA) just opened an exhibit yesterday at

Purrrpl Hazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09278620767092123118noreply@blogger.com2