Quick bites

Normally when I study, I eat a lot of junk food, just because I don't want to spend an hour preparing a meal and then spend another half hour cleaning up the mess. But this is a recipe I scooped up Pinterest and slightly altered it. It's healthy and really delicious!

Music Saturday - CEO

Every week again... we're presenting another album of bands or singers we currently love. This week: CEO - White Magic. 

What will I change in 2014?

Wow guys, I really miss writing for the blog! This afternoon, I was skyping with Jules and we were talking about the blog and whether or not we should write more personal post. I’ve been thinking about this for some time now and really wanted to write a respond to Julia’s beautiful post about her new year resolutions and her ups and downs in 2013, but I just didn’t really know how to start. Well, last week I read this amazing article on a blog I really love,  Design Love Fest (read the article here: Article). In this article, Bri Emery talks about her struggle with anxiety and insecurity. I was really touched by her honesty and strength of writing this post. I loved to read this so thought I might give it a try to finally write something more personal. Besides, a blog is still a place to share some personal things, isn't it?

Designer to discover - Arne Jacobsen

Within 10 days, I'm going to Copenhagen for a week. One of main reasons why I wanted to go there, is  that I'm such a huge fan of the Scandinavian design. Design Letters, designed by Arne Jacobsen, is one of my favorites!

Minimalism in... Interior

Since quite some time I have been fascinated by minimalism. It doesn't necessarily mean less from everything but just thoughtfullness about what you need and in what kind of quality you want it to have. It also means that you don't have to have an overpiling closet or, even worse, an overpiling appartment. Thus, I have been browsing some websites for inspiration.

http://www.awmagazin.de/wohnen/wohnreportagen/galerie/minimalistisches-einfamilienhaus-im-gruenen/page/6#content-top

NoiseTrade

NoiseTrade is definitely one of my favorite websites. It is a great way to discover new music, get bonus tracks of the artists you love or support new artists. 

This morning I had my first exam of this year: statistics, which is one of the most difficult ones I have, given only 10% of all the people succeeds. I've been studying like hell over the past few weeks, with some nights only a few hours of sleep, but the exam still didn't go as well as I hoped.. Pretty frustrating but there's no time to keep thinking about it because my next exam is thursday! 

My favorite way to relax after a day of studying or an exam, is listening to music. Well actually, I'm listening to music almost every hour of the day! Of course I have my favorite CDs where I can keep listening to, but I also love to discover new music. NoiseTrade is perfect for that.

Music Saturday - FAUVE

Every week again... we're presenting another album of bands or singers we currently love. This week: FAUVE - Blizzard.

I discovered this band last week when a friend send me a song for my birthday and really loved them after the first minute of the song. Not only for their music, but also the lyrics (you should really look try to translate them, every song has a beautiful meaning!) and their album art: very simple and yet intriguing. This is a perfect example of an EP you should really listen to with some good headphones, you'll enjoy! I definitely do! :)

5 things

Everyone should do this: make sure you get 5 pictures every week of things you did just for yourself, things you like, just to enjoy your life. It also helps to remind yourself how beautiful life is and what things you can do, whether for yourself, your friends or others. Just try it!

Skiing trip between Christmas and New Year - Ending this vacation with the perfect weather!!! #Flims #skiing #littlebrother #besttime (J)

Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014!!

Well, since another year has passed, I always like to sit down for a while and take a recap. After that I start making a list with things I'd like to change or improve in the next year. Normally I just have to update one or two bulletpoints from my previous list. This time was no different. 2013 was sure as hell not the best year, it has been, in fact, the second year in a row that has been, well not crappy, but really difficult. I was fighting to stay in Leuven, studied everyday and still just passed one exam from four, having already failed the previous four. Then I tried to pass the entrance exam for medicine and didn't pass. For the third time. While studying for the fourth time I had a breakdown and literally couldn't move and had physical reactions towards studying for it again. I had to take a break and decided that I should take the opportunity to start studying dentistry in Germany. A decision that was purely head-based, not at all chosen with my heart.

This is now my third try of a study (having previously been in Rotterdam and Leuven) and it was horrible starting over again. Being in a different city was not the problem, but being in the first year over and over again, having to break the bonds that where just starting to grow in Leuven, well, it's something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

I have to say though, that I am very grateful that I was able to take this chance, that my parents supported me in every step although it meant more stress for them, more money to spend, and a fourth time to move my things around where they had to help. I am also very grateful for all the amazing people who stood by me in that difficult time, especially Louise, who, also, had a really difficult year, dealing with the same problems. I think that, although I am happy that 2013 is over, it also made me stronger and, most importantly, gave me one of my best friends: Lou. We fought together, side by side, always pushing each other to go further, to never give up.
I am also happy that 2013 was a year where no one around me got seriously sick or died. This may be a strange sentence to say, but there have been years when I wasn't able to say it.
I guess - life being the messy bits - there are never complete good or bad years. There are always ups and downs and sometimes you get more ups or more downs. All in all, 2013 (even though I do not want to relive you): I will cherish the good moments, the moments with my friends and family, the people I met, and also: the moment I realized I love studying in Regensburg. Because that's what last year gave me: A new opportunity. An opportunity I thought I would never get again, and I am sure as hell that I won't destroy that one and that it won't destroy me. I love dentistry and although it's very time consuming and a lot to do, I feel like I am starting to get a chance to go on in life.

As for 2014: I have a huge list. As always. But what I really want this year is finding out who I really am. After two really hard years - where I felt like I was loosing piece by piece of myself - I want to take that puzzle and put it back together. It won't be easy, I am sure of that. There will be ups and downs like there always are, but maybe this is the year where I come to terms with myself and be able to achieve, explore and feel more. There are concrete things I want to change, and there will be things that will change me. Things I haven't planned. Because I am not that stupid, believing making a list means that everything will automatically fall into place. That would be too easy. And I am also not sure whether I would want that.
So 2014: Let this 12 months start!

Thanks for reading!
Love, Jules

Favorite web shops

Because I have to study every day for some more weeks, I have no time to enjoy the winter sales in Belgium. I've found the perfect solution for this: web shops! You don't have to worry about the traffic or parking spots, no annoying children running through the shops, no claustrophobic feelings because of all the people, you don't lose time waiting in line to pay and above all: it's a perfect way to relax after a long day of studying! Here I give you a list with my favorite shops, enjoy!