Precious Moments

Christmas and New Years Eve! :D

2012-01-03T19:52:00.001+01:00

Dearreaders,

WellChristmas has passed so we are back to the old layout ;). I hope everyone had awonderful Christmas! My Christmas was quite ok, even though I did get sick inthe middle of the first day… T_T Bad timing mr. flu! But I still had a goodtime. We did not do much, just the usual opening of the presents, a casualChristmas breakfast, watching some movies and of course the wonderful Christmasdinner! I especially loved the second day, because that was the day when myfiance joined us.

Oh and Iactually baked a cake. I tried to make it into a bunt shape! Making it wasquite a trial though, as it needs loooooaads of steering and somehow our mixerdid not work, so we had to do it all manually… The result was, of course, ablister on my right pinky lol. The cake did not look all that great (the topgot stuck to the baking tin T_T), but it tasted really awesome! :D It was myfirst try at baking something, so I am quite pleased with the result.

My ugly but very tasty cake! :D

This yeartoo I got some pretty awesome presents! My parents gave me a new backpack fromEastpack (which I desperately needed asthe other one was about 5 years old hahah) and I got the dvd’s Mr. PoppersPenguins and a movie called My friends and It. I had never heard of the latter,but it is definitely a lot of fun to watch. From my mother-in-law I got areally nice perfume called ‘Damsel in Distress’. It is a really nice scent andI love the fairytale theme! :D I also got some lollipops from his aunt and hisgrandmother gave me a beautiful ring!

From myfiance I got a plush heart which actually has a light in it which fades in andout as if the heart is beating! Theheart itself is white so the red colour of the light comes out beautifully. Itis sooo awesome! I really love it! :D

On NewYears Eve we had a little get together with my fiance’s family and my mom anddad. The two families get along really well, so we had a lot of fun. And whatmore can a girl wish for? Hahah. I stayed over at his place for two wonderfuldays… I really dislike it how homework can get in the way of spending more timewith him. Seeing each other only once a week can be quite a trail sometimes. Butoh well, if everything goes according to plan I will be seeing quite a lot ofhim soon enough (yes that is a hint :P).

Well thatis it for now, the next entry will be a review of last year’s resolutions ;).

Love,

Blacky

A Christmas Carol: my favourite movie versions!

2011-12-23T19:55:00.004+01:00

Dearreader,

Well as Iam exceedingly bored at work as there is no one calling or e-mailing us Idecided to write another blogpost! As Christmas is rapidly nearing, what couldpossibly be a better topic to write about than Dickens’ A Christmas Carol? Ever since I was a child I have been a huge fanof this story. Not only have I read the book, but I have also see quite a fewdifferent movie versions. I thought it would be fun to write a blogpost withrecommendations on the different movie versions that I really like.

The firsttime I came into contact with the story of AChristmas Carol was through the Disney movie, Mickey’s Christmas Carol. This is still in my top three of all timefavourite Christmas movies. Even though the movie itself is rather short anddoes not always faithful to the original story (which is not entirely illogicalas some parts of the story are quite eerie) it is definitely worth watching.Especially the scene in which Scrooge discovers that Tiny Tim has passed awayis extremely touching, perhaps even more so than in the original story. In theactual novel Bob Cratchit comes home and informs his wife about the grave hepicked out for Tiny Tim and goes upstairs to the room in which the body of thelittle boy is laid out. In the Disney movie, however, we see Mr. and Mrs.Cratchit (Mickey and Minnie) standing on a hill top in front of a little graveon top of a hill. A tear rolls down Mickey’s eye as he reluctantly places Tim’scrutch against the little gravestone. This scene still makes me want tocry.

Anothermovie version which I really think is great is the 1999 tv-movie A Christmas Carol with Patrick Stewardas Scrooge. I still believe that this is one of the best movies they have madeof the novel, as the acting is superb and it is true to the original work. YesI even believe this one to be better than the bbc version that was made. Thoughthat is probably only because the bbc version, made in 1977, is severelyoutdated. I would really love it if they would do a remake on that one, especiallysince next year will be ‘Dickens year’ in England as it will be the author’s200^th birthday (for more information please see:www.dickens2012.org) Anyway, back to the 1999 version: Steward is without adoubt the most convincing Scrooge that I have thus far encountered. At thestart of the movie he is so cold hearted that you really believe that he iscapable of thing but cruelty. Had I not know the story, his conversion woulddefinitely seemed like a miracle. I know for a fact that most of you have seenthis version.. if not: goodness, you have been missing out. I suggest youdownload it a.s.a.p.

My all timefavourite version of A Christmas Carol has to be A Muppet’s Christmas Carol.It’s the perfect mix: Dickens, Muppets and some really fun songs! I even endedup downloading the soundtrack; the songs are really catchy! The movie features MichealCane as Scrooge. Even though his performance is nowhere near as good as that ofSteward, he is definitely the most adorable Scrooge ever. This is definitely afeel good movie and you cannot help but feel cheerful after watching thismovie. Honestly, if this does not get you in the Christmas spirit, then youmight as well give up and start to use the word ‘humbug’ as often as you possiblycan.

As a little treat to you: One more sleep till Christmas from A Muppets Christmas Carol!

Thisblogpost would not be complete if it did not incorporate Disney’s latestaddition to the movie corpus, namely the Christmas Carol animation with JimCarrey. I quite liked this movie as it has a bit of everything; Christmasspirit, cheerfulness, sadness, eeriness. However, I do believe that theinsertion of the carriage set after Scrooge by the ghost of Christmas past wasa bit too much. The only purpose for this seen seemed to have been to scare theviewer and to add in some extra 3D effects. Never the less, it is still fun towatch! I still prefer Mickey’s Christmas Carol over this one though, butperhaps that is because I grew up with it.

I willconclude this blogpost with a movie which I bet none of my readers has seen.Barbie in A Christmas Carol. Yes, Barbie…. I hate to admit it, but even thoughI was never a Barbie doll fan, I really quite like most of the Barbie movies (Ihave a fair collection of them at home haha). At first I was a bit weary, as Iwas scared that they would have mutilated the story, but after watching itonline, I decided to purchase it. To be honest, although it is NOTHING like theoriginal story I actually kind of like it. The story is about the snobbishyoung opera star, Eden. Focused only on her job, she forbids the theatre groupthat she performs with to take a day off. Will her best friend and the ghosts(or well… they seem more like fairies) of Christmas past, present and future beable to make her change her ways?

I do notwant to give away too much, as the story really differs quite a lot from theoriginal, but I do want to comment on the ghost of Christmas future. Unlike inall the other movie versions this ghost is not scary… instead she is an elegantand wise woman. To be honest, although I would normally have been outraged, Ireally liked this twist. It fits in surprisingly well with the rest of thestory and is perhaps a bit more compatible with our current mentality.

So if you alittle daughter (or boy… that’s of course also possible) who is a big Barbiefan, or, like me, are not so little anymore but still a child at heart, Ihighly recommend this movie, just because it is fun to watch. But do not expectit to be anything like the original story though, because you will definitelybe disappointed.

Well I hopeyou have liked my blog on the movie versions of A Christmas Carol that I like.If you know of a different version that is also definitely worth watching feelfree to share it in a comment! ;)

Love,

Blacky

Christmas tree, amusementpark, one year together!

2011-12-19T16:17:00.002+01:00

Dear readers,

Well thepast few weeks have been rather busy. Last week on Sunday I went to the gardencentre with my fiance to see if I could find some additions to my Christmastree. Instead I bought some supplies to make a Christmas centrepiece haha. Ihave not done this in ages and have been wanting to do it since forever... So Idecided to buy the supplies and have some fun with it. I will probably leave itto the night before Christmas to do it or so, as I will have quite a lot to dofor the coming days... yes I have some homework that I really need to catch upwith. I had a lot of fun dragging by fiance along all the Christmas stuff. Thisyear's goal is to get him into the Christmas spirit. So far I am the onlyperson who has persuaded him to tag along to a gardening centre when they haveChristmas goods... :P So I might be able to pull it off hahaha.

OnWednesday I decided to decorate the tree that I got with my dad on Friday. Alot of people have been curious as to what it would look like this year. Sadlythere are very few additions to the tree, as we don't have any room left in thetree. The only addition are the two little squirrels in the front of the tree.I admit, they are not very Disney-ish... but they are cute!!! :P So yeah, theydeserve a place in the tree hahhaa. But if everything goes according to plan,next year there might be a very good reason to buy some more decorations ;)(yes that is a hint).

My wonderful Disney Christmas tree!!!! :D

Two daysago, on Saturday December 17, my fiance and I were officially together for onewhole year!!! Time sure flies. I can still remember our first date and kiss asif it were only yesterday. To celebrate thisspecial day we went to an amusement park with my parents, my fiance's mother, aunt,his brother and his brother's girlfriend (my mom had won free tickets with a lotteryhaha). Although the amusement park itself is more for little children, we stillhad a lot of fun. We even played a game there that is always present onfunfairs here in Holland... it's called 'touwtje trekken' (string pulling) andit's actually for kids of around 6 or so haha. I just love that my fiance justdoes whatever he likes to do without bothering with what everyone else mightthink. So yeah it was good for a laugh. And I got such an awesome price!

lol Yes it is a Snow White miniature tea set... :P And I really like it... Is that bad? lol

They also hadan arcade there, were they had quite a lot of coin pushers. And apparently myfiance and I really have a nag for those things. ^^ So here are three of theprices that my fiance allowed me to pick out!

The big bear is sooooo soft! And everyone was eying it whilst I was

walking around with it in the amusement park lol! Oh and the

Christmas bear has a bell that rings!

My fiancehas two little soft bears with a tennis outfit and a small white bear that isholding a heart, that says I love you (I will see if I can bother him for somepictures later :D).

We hadquite a bit of luck with the weather. There was a really short rain shower whilstwe were inside the park. It was only when we were on the way back (and thussafely inside the car) that it began to pour down. We ended the day with myvery first experience of Kentucky Fried Chicken... which wasn't that great of asuccess as I do not like chicken all that much haha. The filet bites were goodthough! I spent the night at my fiance's place, so we spent the next dayrelaxing.

Well now itare just a few more days before it's Christmas... What will you guys be doingthis Christmas? ;)

Love,

Blacky

Sinterklaas!

2011-12-13T21:24:00.001+01:00

Dear readers,

As promised an entire blogpost on Sinterklaas! I apologize that it took me so long to put this up... I actually wrote it last Thursday at work, but forgot to send it to myself... yeah very smart XD. I willfirst start with an explanation for my non-Dutch readers, after which I willcut to the more important stuff… PRESSENTS! :P

Sinterklaas is a Dutch holiday especially forchildren. It has an origin which is closely connected to that of Santa Clause(hence the similarity I names). Sinterklaas, or Sint Nicolaas (directtranslation would become Saint Nicolas) was the Turkish bishop of Myra. He diedon the 6^th of December about 340 C.E. He is said to have performed many good deeds,such as giving money and goods to the poor. Amongst other things, he is said tohave freed Moorish slaves who decided to thank him by serving him for the restof their lives. These Moors are referred to as Zwarte Piet (Translation wouldbe Black Peter). In our tradition these Zwarte Pieten are still helpingSinterklaas to bring around presents and to throw candy (usually a type ofcandy called pepernoten, candy made of gingerbread) to the children (which is areference to the scattering of money amongst the poor). There is a differentversion to the story of Zwarte Piet, namely that h was first a while person,but became black because he had to go through the chimney so often.

Usually in the weekend of the second week of NovemberSinterklaas together with his Pieten arrives on his steamer filled withpresents. What is a little confusing is that our Sinterklaas is said to comefrom Spain. Apparently somewhere along the line the legend of Saint Nicolas gotmissed up with a Spanish saint. But oh well, he brings presents along so whocares where he is from? Hahha

From the day of his arrival onwards children areallowed to put their shoes in front of the fireplace (much like you do with aChristmas stocking) and then have to sing a song. During the night Sinterklaasand his Zwarte Pieten make their way across the rooftops to fill the shoes withpresents and candy. What is important to note here that Sinterklaas travels onhorseback, he is an old man after all haha. He is the proud owner of a white horsecalled Americo.

On the 5^th of December we celebratesomething called pakjesavond (boxing evening). This is the final night beforeSinterklaas and his Zwarte Pieten will return to Spain and they go away with abang ;). They visit every house in the evening hours leaving a bunch ofpresents . The watchful children might just be able to catch a glimpse ofZwarte Piet his black glove as he throws some candy into their living room.

Well then, now we come to the interesting part…. Whatdid Sinterklaas bring me on pakjesavond? I sure got spoiled. I received a dvdcalled ‘The Borrowers’, which is the newest Studio Ghibli movie that came outon dvd in the Netherlands not too long ago. I also received a Winnie the Poohversion of a game called Frustration or in Dutch Mens-erger-je-niet. I alsoreceived two typical Sinterklaas presents, namely a chocolate letter and agingerbread man (though the Dutch ones are quite different from the American orEnglish ones. Please see the picture below).

Well I hope you have enjoyed reading my blogpost onSinterklaas. Better late than never they always say!

Love,

Blacky

New layout

2011-12-07T14:27:00.001+01:00

Dear readers,

Well after three hours of struggling with Artisteer and blogger to upload the new Christmas layout it is finally up and running! Apparently part of the automatically generated HTML code was incomplete, causing the entire layout to go haywire. ^__^" So yes, this layout took up far more of my time than I had planned lol. I hope you like it though! It's not exactly what I had in mind. In the original layout I had a flash header in which it snowed (so you saw Santa whilst snow flakes were slowly falling down)... However, for some reason blogger won't let me incorporate it, so it had to go. ^^ But I suppose this layout will do for now.

The next blog update really will be about the Dutch holiday Sinterklaas. I will try to put it up tomorrow! ;)

Love,
Blacky

Trip to York, Materials of Mourning conference

2011-12-06T21:04:00.001+01:00

Dearreaders,

Here is theaccount of my trip to York, as promised. I hope you will enjoy it! :D

Day 1:

The flight and train ride went verysmooth. We took off at 12.10 in Amsterdam and arrived at about 15.30 at the Bedand Breakfast, where we were received a warm welcome from Nigel, the owner. Heimmediately explained to us how to get to the city center etc. and talked usinto trying a real English breakfast (even though we had first decided not totake one haha!). I highly recommend this B&B, as their service is brilliant! :D The interior is nice and cozy and the rooms are quite specious. The bathroom is a bit on the small side, but it's big enough if you are just staying there for a few days... And the owners are super friendly! For those of you interested, this is their website: http://www.chelmsfordplace.co.uk/

Aftertaking our luggage to our room we went into the city center where we purchasedtwo tickets at the Grand Opera House for the show that was on in the eveningcalled ‘Beyond the Barricade’. We walked around town, admiring the reallywonderful shops. Especially the old parts of town are just charming. Thehighlight was of course the street called The Shambles, where the Diagon Alley (HarryPotter *squeal, squeal* was recorded. The atmosphere there was just magical.

We went tohave dinner at an Italian restaurant opposite the Grand Opera House. Theyreally have great food for a decent price, so if you are ever in York, Irecommend that you go there.

Afterdinner we hastened towards the other side of the street… But we had forgottenabout the 1 hour time difference, so we ended up at the Grand Opera House anhour early haha! So we did some more shopping. And came across Stonegate. Thisstreet I highly recommend. This street is very similar to The Shambles, but hassome really amazing shops. On our first visit to this street many of the shopswere already closing, though one clothing shop there was still open. The shopwas called Ness and had some really cute clothes on sale. There I found areally wonderful Scottish skirt, something I had been looking for for about 6years or so.

I’m sooohappy with this!!!!!

And I foundthis really adorable vest, which is a perfect combination with the skirt! :DI’m also really happy with this vest, as usually vests with button’s don’t suitme.

And yes, every other button is a heart shaped one!!!

Day 2:

The nextday was the day of the conference. There were many interesting lectures, two ofwhich particularly struck me. Significantly it were the first and the last paperthat I have seen haha.

The first paper was given by Eoin Martin and was entitled 'PosthumousPortraiture and the Materiality of the Corpse' which was about the relation ofQueen Elizabeth with a bust that the sculptor Theeds made of Prince Albertshortly after he died. It was really interesting that Martin told us that shekept the plaster cast of the bust (i.e. the model) really close to her in herown room, even kissing it at times. The bust was an idealized image of Albertwhen he was still healthy. However, Victoria refused to see the death mask adifferent sculptor had made, since it portrayed the sick Albert. Anotherstriking thing was that when the marble bust was ready Queen Victoria broughtit to the blue room and did not refer to it in her diaries ever again.

The otherpaper was given by BrittanyHudak who had flown in all the way from the US (?!) to give a paper on'Post-Mortem Photography of Children in Victorian Britain'. Her lecture wasreally interesting as there is as yet very little written about post-mortemphotography in Victorian England. Most of the research has been done in Americanpost-mortem photography. Apparently most of the pictures of these children weretaken in studio's. They were most often placed on a sofa or on a chair as ifthey were sleeping. The pictures that were made were often printed at the sizeof cartes-de-visite and then sent to close friends and relatives to inform themabout the infant's death (much like a postcard).... Yep I did find this astrange practice, but darn those Victorians are getting more interesting by theday!

If any ofyou would like a fuller report on one of these papers or on one of the otherpapers (see previous blogpost for program), let me know and I will write a blogpostdedicated to the topic of your choice! ;)

We decidedto leave the conference a little early, was we were both extremely tired andwere losing our focus. We decided to go back to Stonegate as many of the storesare already closed when we got there the previous day. We visited an adorableTeddy Bear shop, which has a tearoom on the first floor (it looked so cute!).And afterwards we went to the store right next to it, which was one of the‘Peter Rabbit and his friends’ stores. Ibought this really adorable apron there:

(the cordsof my apron are white, which I think looks better on this apron).

We againhad dinner at the Italian restaurant and then made our way to the hotel, as wewere both exhausted and had to get up early again the next day.

Day 3:

At 8.15 weleft the B&B in a taxi and took the train to Manchester Piccadilly. Therewe left our luggage behind in the secure ‘left-luggage’ area (they actually have two people workingthere who guard your goods!) and set out in search for the Manchester ChristmasMarket. The weather was not your ideal Christmas market shopping weather, therain was literally pouring down, but fortunately, we had an umbrella with us.The Christmas market was quite a disappointment though… There were four stallsthat actually had Christmas items for sale, but they all had exactly the sameitems, which were severely overpriced (no way that I will pay 8 pounds for a 5cm snowglobe). The only other thing that was actually Christmas related was thefood… But that wasn’t really why what we were going there for haha. Afterhaving walked around the Christmas Market, we decided to take shelter in areally big mall in the City Center. They had some really fun shops there (thosegiant card stores that they have there are just awesome! You can literally finda Christmas card for everyone there!). We had lunch and eventually decided tomake our way to the airport. Manchester airport does not offer you a lot ofdiversion, so we have seen some of the stores twice, because had to wait about2 hours before we could board the plane. So if you ever need to fly from thatairport, I suggest you take a pack of cards or so with you.

We had agood, uneventful flight. I have to say that flying by night is definitelysomething which I would recommend to people. It’s really great to see all thoselighted tiny houses underneath you. So if you ever get the chance, take anevening flight and enjoy the scenery.

And now Ihave been back in the country for about 2 days. Expect the next post to beabout our Sinterklaas celebration (for my non-Dutch readers: this is a Dutchholiday about which I will explain a bit more in my next post).

Love,

Blacky

Trip to York and working for disney-winkel.nl :D

2011-12-01T18:36:00.001+01:00

Dear reader,

Just a quick update before I go to York tomorrow. I amreally sorry for neglecting my weblog, but I have been insanely busy (as alwaysI suppose haha). I have been doing nothing but reading as I have to keep upwith my tutorial, Inventing the Self course and had to do the research for myMA thesis proposal. In combination with 16 hours of work a week and spendingtime with my fiance (I don’t want to neglect him! T_T) you can imagine what mylife has been like for the past few weeks. And as I did not experience anythingexciting I thought it would be rather pointless to write an update… Unlesspeople love to hear me whine about how stressed out I was etc. :P But I reallydoubt that. In the meantime I have finished the draft of my MA thesis proposal,so I have a bit more (though not that much) time at my disposal.

However, I have a quite a few things to blog abouttoday.

First of all, of course, my trip to York. I will be going with my bestfriend (I’m so happy I don’t have to go alone! haha). Our plain to Manchesterwill leave at 12.10 at Schiphol airport. The flight will take approx. 1,5hours, after which we will have to travel to York by train, which will take about2 hours as well. So we will arrive at the B&B at around 3 or 4 o’clock(depending on how long it takes us to clear customs). So that will leave ussome time to actually go into town to one of the Christmas markets. :D

The next day we will be going to the symposium held atthe University of York called ‘The Materials of Mourning: Death, Materialityand Memory in Victorian Britain. The symposium take place from 10 till 6, so wewon’t have to worry about not having anything to do hahaha. Please follow thelink if you would like to view the program and conference site: http://www.york.ac.uk/modernstudies/conferences/mourning/

I will make sure to blog a report in which I discusssome of the papers that I found the most interesting, as I did with theconference in Birmingham. ;) So please look forward to that.

The next day we are planning to leave York quite earlyin the morning so we can go to the Manchester Christmas Market; the bestChristmas Market in the UK. I’m sooo excited!!!! Hopefully I will be able tofind some really great Christmas presents there! :D The only downside is thatwe have to be at the airport quite early, since our plain will be leaving at17.35. On the other hand, I am sure our feet won’t mind getting some rest haha.

And I have some other exciting news! Well, at least,it’s exciting for me haha. I have been asked by www.disney-winkel.nl to help them at the Huishoudbeurs (household fair) inthe RAI (a rather big hall in Amsterdam) from February 18-26. As a big Disneyfan I’m absolutely chuffed! ß Yes this made me realize that I might possibly be toobig of a Disney fan (not sure though haha!). And the best thing: they will bepaying me with gift vouchers! So yes, I have definitely something to lookforward to in February!

Well that’s it for now my trusty readers! ;) I will beback soon with a post filled with Christmas spirit!... And with Victorian deathand mourning. :P Yes even I find this an awkward combination haha!

Love,

Blacky

Dolls and Bears fair and meet the aunt and uncle!

2011-11-03T09:14:00.000+01:00

Dear reader,

Just a quick update from me. Currently, I’m extremely busy with school… my teachers are making me read 1000 pages in 2 weeks T_T, but I still wanted to tell write a blogpost about last week.

On Friday my best friend and I went to the International Dolls and Bears Fair, in order to come up with some ideas for the webshop that we are planning on opening. At the beginning of the fair there was a lane which was called “Fantasy Forum” where they had fantasy related dolls, creatures or even lamps and music boxes that were all handmade! I really loved that aisle… I sooo want to get myself one of those lamps when I move out of the house. And some of the dolls made out of clay were just amazing. Someone even made a Mystic and a Skeksis from The Dark Crystal! We might decide to sell some fantasy related handmade dolls and creatures in our webshop, since it is a giftshop and it would fit in nicely with our theme of ‘cuteness’. We also saw some amazing brand bears that we would really like to sell in our shop. So we definitely have a better view of what we want to sell thanks to the fair.
On Saturday my parents, fiance and I spent the entire day at my aunt’s and uncle’s place. It was the first time that my fiance met someone from my father’s side of the family. As expected my aunt and fiance got along really well. My uncle is a bit more of the quiet type (like my father), but judging from his behaviour I think he liked my fiance as well. During the day we went to a small town called Meedemblik. Because there were six of us and only five seats in the care I volunteered to take a seat in the trunk… I have to say, that was a really new experience for me haha. The faces of passersby were just priceless. Some people actually automatically started waving (it were the grownups and not the kids that waved) lol! Meedemblik is an old fisherman’s town which has a tiny haven in the middle of it, which makes it a fun place to walk through. In the evening we had a truly lovely dinner which was prepaired by my uncle. It was truly delicious! He made loin with chestnut mushrooms and a sauce (of which I have no idea what type of sauce it was) with Marjory potatoes, cauliflower, beans, carrots and poached pears on the side. As a desert my aunt had made tiramisu… I’m not a fan of it so I opted for Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream… However, upon taking one bite from my fiance’s tiramisu I really liked it! Probably because the mascarpone flavor was not so strong as it usually is. :D So next time I will definitely also be eating my aunt’s tiramisu.

So all in all I had a really fun two days! :D

Love,

Blacky

Popular Millenarnanism 1780-1850

2011-10-31T12:15:00.002+01:00

The focus of this blogpost is J. F. C. Harrisson's book TheSecond Coming: Popular Millenarianism 1780-1850. For those of you not familliar with Millenarnianism I will first start out with a short explanation of what it entails.

Millenarianism, as the name already makes clear, is the belief in the resurrection of Christ and the coming of the new Millenium on earth. According to the bible, Christ would return to earth and would resurrect the dead. There was quite some debate if this resurrection of the dead would take place before or after the establishment of the new millenium; the 1000 years within which man lived together with Christ on the earth. During those 1000 years the sinners (be it those who had not yet died before the second coming or those who were resurrected from the dead) would be punished for their sins, whereas the true believers would remain unharmed as they would receive the seal of Christ as proof of their loyalty. At the end of the millenium heaven and earth would be destroyed and a new earth and heaven would be created. The Final Judgment would then take place; the sinners would be doomed to live in Ghenna (hell) and the saved would go to a new heaven, which was known as the New Jerusalem.

In his TheSecond Coming: Popular Millenarianism 1780-1850 J. F. C. Harrisson sets outto research millenarianism from 1780 to 1850 in order to explore some aspectsof popular thought and culture at the time. Before delving into the realm ofmillenarianism of the late eighteenth till the middle of the nineteenth centuryHarrisson begins by making a distinction between ‘millenialists’, the morerespectable and intellectual believers, and ‘millenarianists’, ‘theenthusiasts, the fanatics, the come-outers’ (6).

Harrisson then goes on to placemillenarianism in a wider context, namely that of the supernatural. In hischapter ‘Signs and Wonders’ he argues that

the enemiesof millenarianism linked it with popular culture [...]. For it was oftenobserved that followers of millenarian prophets and prophetesses were drawnfrom people who were already prone to belief in signs and wonders and who had adeep respect for the supernatural. Folk culture provided a matrix in whichmillenarian yearnings could be nourished (39).

Especially two types of believe in thesupernatural can be traced in some variants of millenarianism. Firstly, thereis the ‘doctrine of correspondences’, which holds ‘that every part of thephysical world corresponds to some aspect of the spiritual’ (40). This doctrineespecially played a large role in the work of Emanuel Swedenborg, a Swedishscientist and mystic. Secondly, there is the ‘doctrine of signatures’ which closelyties in with the doctrine of correspondences. This doctrine holds that the‘resemblance in the shape of the root, leaf or fruit of any plant to aparticular part of the human body was taken to indicate its possessing somebeneficial or hurtful power of the corresponding part’ (40). This correspondencewas supposedly created by providence to provide for mankind. In millenarianism,the doctrine of signs gained a more symbolic value; a tree, would for example,stand for life and an apple, for example, for seduction.

However, the most convincingparallel that is drawn by Harrison between the belief in the supernatural andmillenarianism is the resemblance between prophets and wise men or women, whitewitches and black witches. In the millenarian tradition the interpretation ofdreams became very important, for that was the way in which God oftencommunicated with the prophet or prophetess. However, Harrisson explains thatdreams played quite a large role in popular culture in general, as it ‘wasbelieved that dreams must serve some special purpose, and that as a rule theypredicted the future’ (44). People often visited wise men or women, whitewitches or black witches to ask them to interpret their dreams. These peoplewere also known for their skills as fortunetellers. Similarly, prophets andprophetesses also practiced a type of divination, for not only did they try topredict when the Last Judgement would take place, but they frequently alsotried to foretell when famines or even wars were to breakout.

In the subsequent chapters Harrissonbespeaks different prophets and prophetesses, such as Richard Brothers andJoanna Southcott, and their followers. Richard Brothers was born in Placentia,Newfoundland in 1757 (60). He believed that he was the nephew of Christ, thePrince of the Hebrews. Although he did enjoy some popularity and eventuallypublished two books (A Revealed Knowledgeof the Prophecies and Times. Book the First, published in 1794, which wasshortly followed shortly by Book theSecond) Brothers never set out into the country in search for support (60).Joanna Southcott, however, did seek recognition. She was born in 1750 andstarted her career as a prophetess in 1792. From the start of her careeronwards she was very productive; ‘she produced sixty-five pamphlets, containingsome 4,500 pages, and perhaps twice as much again in unpublished manuscripts’(88). Joanna had a lot more followers than Brothers, presumably, because she,along with some of her most ardent followers, actively looked for people tosign her petition to overthrow Satan and to the establish Christ’s Kingdom onearth. Those who signed the petition

were given aseal with their name at the top and Joanna’s signature below. The seal was apiece of paper on which was a circle and the inscription: “The Sealed of theLord, the Elect precious. Man’s Redemption to inherit the Three of Life. To bemade Heirs of God and Joint-Heirs with Jesus Christ”. It was then folded up andsealed with a seal which carried the letters I.C. (construed to stand for JesusChrist) between two stars (93).

By the year of Joanna’s death in 1815 20.000people had received a seal (109).

Ina subsequent chapter Harrisson compares American millenarianism to Britishmillenarianism. When looking at the Shakers (a sect that started out inBritain, but moved to New York in 1774) and the Mormons, Harrisson is able toshow some important differences. The most striking difference is that inAmerica the movements seem to have been much more organized; both the Shakersand the Mormons established quite a large community for themselves, somethingwhich was not accomplished on such a large scale in England. Moreover,especially the Mormons immediately set up their own journals in order to gainrecognition. This was definitely something that the British millenarian sects lacked.Perhaps the best explanation for this, however, would be that the Britishmillenarian sects revolved around one prophet or prophetess. The Mormons, onthe other hand, based their beliefs on the bible as well as three golden plateswith an abridged version of the bible which the founder of the Mormons, JosephSmith, had found, or rather which had been bestowed upon him by the Lord.

In June 1837 the Mormons embarked ona mission to convert Britain. ‘A peak membership of nearly 33,000 was reachedin 1851. Thereafter the numbers declined, as emigration outpaced recruitment,and the rate of conversions declined’ (189). The Mormons believed that Americawas the Promised Land, that it was there that the New Jerusalem would appear.It was this idea which lay the basis for the massive immigration to America bythe British Mormons. By 1890, fifty years after the mission had started, amassive amount of 55,000 British converts had emigrated.

Inhis final chapter, ‘Through a Glass, Darkly’, Harrisson poses himself thequestion how it was possible that the British people believed these prophetsand prophetesses, whereas some of them had been placed in asylums before theystarted to prophesize. He explains that this was only possible because themasses still held a more traditional believe of madness. For, had the previousprophets not been declared to be mad as well? Precisely because of this historyof religious madness, the claims that the prophets were mad only strengthenedtheir position.

The Second Coming: Popular Millenarianism1780-1850 is definitely a very interesting account of Millenarianism fromthe late eighteenth until the middle of the nineteenth century. It provides thereader with a handy overview of the most important prophets and prophetessesand their followers. Although it has not been discussed in this summary for thesake of brevity, Harrison also adequately portrays the impact that it had onthe lives of some of the most fanatic believers and on the masses. In hisexploration of the relation between popular culture and millenarianism,Harrison exposes some very interesting links which would otherwise have beenoverlooked, such as the fascination with the supernatural. As such the bookserves as a real eye opener. The only real shame is that both Harrisson and hisreader are often left to speculation and guess work as the majority of themillenarians have remained anonymous due to the lack of documentation and information.

Hell and the Victorians

2011-10-23T13:57:00.003+02:00

Dear reader,

As promised, another blog entry about the material that I need to read for my tutorial. The subject of this post is Geoffrey Rowell's book Hell and the Victorians and will deal with the different views on hell as well as eschatology in the Victorian era.

In his Hell and the Victorians Geoffrey Rowellprovides a really wonderful summary of the Victorian debate on hell, as well aseschatology in the more general sense. Rowell introduces in every chapter adifferent religious view on hell and eschatology, thus creating a verysystematic overview for his readers. However, by discussing the mostinfluential authors per religion Rowell shows that the divisions between thedifferent religions are not always clear cut and that the opinions held byauthors who belonged to the same religion did not always coincide. Be this asit may, Rowell has enabled me to make an actual schema of the differentreligious views on afterlife. However, although I realize that the schema (see attachment1) necessarily generalizes the situation quite a bit, making it has helped meto come to terms with my subject.

(click the picture to enlarge)

Perhaps the most interesting feature of thisoverview is that it shows the great difference of what determines if one issaved or not per religion. Even Protestants greatly differed on this subject asthe Calvinists believed in Predestination (those who are predestined to besaved will be saved the others are doomed), the Arminians believed thatsalvation was offered to all, but had to be accepted by the individual and theLutherans believed that only those who had faith would be saved.

What I found rather confusing whilst makingthis schema was that Rowell actually stated that the ‘adherents ofsystematic conditionalism [i.e. the saved will go to heave and the doomed willbe annihilated] were almost entirely to be found in the Augustian Calvinisttradition’, even though he had placed conditionalism under Unitarianism in anearlier chapter (205). The same happened with regard to universalism; Rowellfirst identified it with Unitarianism and later stated that the most adventsupporters of this religious view were the Evangelists. But maybe this illustratesjust how how thin the lines between the different religions actually were.

Something which greatly surprised me was thatthe Roman Catholics were the only ones who did not believe in a literal resurrectionof the body during the Last Day (i.e. the apocalypse). I had expected that scientificdevelopments would have led people to interpret the resurrection of the body ina more spiritual sense, as I found it hard to believe that people who knew ofbodily decomposition actually believed that such a body could magically be madewhole again by Jesus.

Although I really thought this book extremelyuseful I could not help but find fault with it sometimes. Especially in his chapter on“The Bounds of the Purgatory” Rowell is rather inconsistent with thedistinction between hell and the purgatory, which makes it rather confusing attimes. He, for example, uses the following quote to describe St. Catherine’sideas on the purgatory:

‘The sweet goodnessof God sheds the rays of His mercy even in hell. A man who has died in mortalsin deserves a punishment infinite in pain and infinite in duration, but Godand His mercy has made it infinite only in duration, and has limited the amountof pain; He might justly have inflicted a far greater punishment than He has’(as qtd. in Wheeler 164).

This passage, however, is clearly about hell and notabout the purgatory. As a result, the references to this doctrine throughoutthe chapter lead to confusion, especially when it is compared to othertheological views on the purgatory. Other than the slight inconsistency in hisuse of terms, however, Rowell has succeeded in creating a systematic andaccessible overview of Victorian debate on hell.

Well that's it for now. If you have any questions about the schema or would like to have something explained, let me know in a comment and I will explain it to you as well as I can! ^^

Love,
Blacky

Heaven, hell and the Victorians

2011-10-18T09:32:00.003+02:00

Dear reader,

As I wrote in one of my previous post, I am supposed to write critical analysis and/or summary's of the books that I read for my tutorial. Since I know that some people who follow this blog are interested in the Victorian Era, I thought it might be a good idea to share my summaries/ analyses with them. Hopefully, they can be of some use to someone out there.

The summary's are very short and therefore incomplete, but it might just provide people with enough information so they knew whether or not they should read the book.

My first summary is on Heaven, Hell and the Victorians by Michael Wheeler.

In his introduction Michael Wheeler states that the goal of his book Heaven, Hell and the Victorians is to reconstruct the views that the Victorians had on eschatology; to show how these views are reflected in the work of Victorian poets and novelists; and to ‘read the ambiguities of Victorian religious terms as features of a shared language of consolation; and to argue that this consolation was grounded in specifically Christian hope, and was not merely a symptom of evasion, repression or wish-fulfilment in the face of death and bereavement’ (3). As such the major theme in his work is the identification and analysis of these ambiguous terms in the Victorian theological debate as well as the literature of that time.

In his chapter on death Wheeler writes about the ambiguous terms which are used in literature and the bible related to death. He, for example, speaks of the ambiguous use of the word ‘sleep’. By referring to the bible passage of the resurrection of Lazarus (John II), Wheeler shows how confusion arose between Jesus and his apostles when Jesus referred to Lazarus as being asleep. Jesus, of course, meant that Lazarus was dead, whereas the apostles misinterpreted this word and thought Lazarus as literally being asleep. He compares this biblical passage to Thomas Wood’s ‘The Death-Bed’, in which the bedside attendants believe the woman that they are watching over to be asleep when she is waking and to be waking when she is asleep. Later in this chapter Wheeler uses this euphemism of sleep which is used to describe someone who has died, to illustrate the problem of figurative language. For if we refer to someone as being asleep in the grave, this can be perceived as ‘comforting in the context of former pain and illness’. However, ‘the thought of a long, dreary sleep in the grave is disturbing’ (61). Thus the problem with figurative language is that although it can suite the context of ‘a specific context or spiritual need, other extraneous and purely physical associations can be evoked’ (61).

In his chapter on Judgement Wheeler devotes a lot of space to the different theological views on judgement, as well as the different ways in which judgement was portrayed in literature, laying the focus primarily on poetry. In the remainder of this chapter he draws attention to the novel writer as judge as well as to the limitations of realist fiction when writing of judgment, heaven or hell. For, Wheeler writes,

‘One of the main limitations of realist fiction in the nineteenth century was that narrators, unlike the heavenly spectators in Evangelical epic poems, for example, narrators could not penetrate the veil which separates ‘this side’ from ‘that side’: even their so called ‘omniscience’ is restricted to time and space’ (113).

The only exception are, according to Wheeler, those moments of crisis in the novel (characterised by ‘stress or fracture in the narrative’) which allow the author to incorporate the “other world” into the novel, ‘usually through visionary or some other spiritual experience’ (113).

In his chapter on heaven Wheeler discusses the different theological views on heaven; was it a state of mind or an actual place? In his discussion of heaven as a place Wheeler states that in the Victorian time the deployment of ‘heaven’-language in literature was highly problematic as the topographical place of heaven was under debate. However, the use of ‘kingdom’-language was less problematic as the term kingdom, as it was used by Christ in the New Testament, was solely used to denote ‘the eternal divine king-ship’ (126). According to Wheeler the idea of ‘kingdom’ in the nineteenth century was not seen as connected to a ‘realm’, but rather to the idea of being subjected to a leader. As such the use of this term avoided the problem of locality.

In his chapter on heaven Wheeler also writes the conveyance of the ‘continuities and discontinuities between this fleeting world and heaven [...] in the language of hymnody through [the] special uses of tense and syntactic construction’ (136). Here Wheeler refers to the three different types of present tense that can be identified in Victorian hymns: (1) the eternal present of heaven, (2) ‘the “locutionary” present in which the hymn is sung’ and (3) ‘the “existential” present of a mortal lifespan, as opposed to a future post-mortem existence’ (136). The syntactic constructions that Wheeler is referring to are those constructions which bring heaven and earth into synchrony. To illustrate this Wheeler refers to the poem ‘Hosanna to the living Lord’ by Bishop Reginald Heber. In the first verse of this poem earth and heaven are portrayed as singing together, causing them to be synchronised:

[...]

Hosanna to the Incarnate word,

To Christ, Creator, Savior, King,

Let earth, let heaven Hosanna sing

[...] (139)

In the final paragraph in his chapter on heaven, ‘Heaven in poetry of sacred and profane love’, Wheeler describes the tension between heaven as a place of the reunion of lovers or a place of worship by looking at poetry of, amongst others, Gabriel and Christina Rosetti. By freely shifting between the three tenses described above, as well as between the subjunctive and the indicative mode these two authors are able to ‘explore the relationship between sacred and profane love within the horizon of eternal life’ (174).

In his final chapter Wheeler focuses on the ambiguous terms used in theology to describe hell. When speaking of ambiguous religious terms hell is perhaps the best example, as the word ‘hell’ has three different meanings in the New Testament: (1) it is the Greek version of tartarus (the purgatory), (2) hadēs, which literally means “the unseen world” and is a type of purgatory for both good and evil, and (3) ghenna, ‘a word for the common sewer of a city where the bodies of the worst criminals were dumped, and which came to mean punishment, but never endless punishment, beyond the grave’ (195). The biblical texts themselves are not always unanimous in their description of hell. However, these contradictions did not lead to the same problems as they did with heaven, because the ‘contradictoriness of traditional descriptions of hell – a place of fire and water, crowdedness and solitude, noise and silence – is itself an aspect of its horror’ (183).

Wheeler also writes about the portrayal of two types of hell on earth in poetry and prose. The leading novelists and poets of the time were using the religious language related to hell to portray two different types of hell on earth. Firstly, there is the hell of the industrial revolution and urbanisation which can be found in the descriptions of the horrible conditions in the slums and the factories (especially the factory ovens and fires) that can be found in the novels of authors like Charles Dickens. Secondly, there is a hell on earth characterized by a sexual relationship without love, which can be found in, amongst others, George Meredith’s poem Modern Love and A. C. Swinburne’s poem ‘Laus Veneris’.

Heaven, Hell and the Victorians is a clear overview of the different theological views present in Victorian England on death, judgement, heaven and hell and their reflection in Victorian literature. Perhaps, in some cases, the book might have profited if the religious views of one of the major players in the theological debate were not only to that person’s name, but also to the religion to which that person belonged. The only seriously fault that could be found with this book is that a lot more attention is awarded to poetry than to prose, which is a shame, since many prose texts harbour a religious complexity within them which would have been perfect to illustrate the ambiguity of religious terms.

I hope that you have found my summary interesting. My next blogpost on the Victorian afterlife will be on Victorian escathology per religion.

Love,
Blacky

Disneyland report, with loads of pictures ;).

2011-10-12T12:58:00.002+02:00

Dearreader,

Yesterday Ireturned home from my wonderful trip to Disney! :D I had lots of fun withBianca, a good friend with whom I went to Disney.

Day 1:

I left forRoosendaal (a city near the Dutch boarder) on Thursday after having worked theentire day... you can imagine how tired I was when I got there. My friendpicked me up by car and I stayed over at her place. We set our alarm clock at 5o’clock so we could leave the house at 6 and head to Disney by car. The nextday everything went according to plan.

We left the house at around 6 and soonwe had passed the Belgian boarder, but then.... the car started shakingviolently. This of course scared us half to death so we stopped at a gasstation to inspect the car... we couldn’t find anything. Thus we set out tocontinue our journey.... And again the shaking returned... We decided to callthe AAA road service (or ANWB as we call it here in Holland). We had to waitfor about an hour and then we spotted the car. The man really did his best, butcould not find anything wrong with the car. Thus we set off again. The car keptshacking once in a while, but we decided to just stop sometimes and thencontinue our journey since the car was obviously still functioning otherwise.

At around 1o’clock we arrived at the Radison Blu Hotel. This is a four star hotel close tothe Disneypark. The hotel clerk that helped us to check in was very kind, but hesure took his time haha. After check-in we immediately went to our room. My goshthe room was huge and super luxurious!

We onlypaid €95,- per person for two nights, breakfast included! :D Friendly word ofadvice: NEVER book this hotel through the Radison Blu website. Instead use atravel agency. If you are Dutch your best bet is to go to kras.nl; a very dependabletravel agency. You can save up to a whopping €200,- euro’s if you book there.

Afteradmiring our hotel room and taking some pictures we set out to Disneyland bycar! The first thing we did was getting me my passport annuel (i.e. year pass).I decided to take the Dream pass, which is the most expensive one; it normally costs€200,-. However, because Bianca had a dream pass as well, she could give me a20% discount. The pass thus only cost me €179,-! :D I bet that a number of youare wondering why I would purchase such an expensive card. Well, first of all,a three day hopper card for the two parks (Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios)costs €151,- euro’s; with a 20% discount this would be approx. 121,-. Thus thereis only a 50,- difference between the two. Also, there are a lot of advantagesto this card. You get to enter the park 2 hours before it opens, you receive a20% discount on all the merchandise they sell in the boutiques and you get a10% discount on the restaurants in the park. Oh and if you come by car, you getto park for free (instead of having to pay €15,- per day). There are no block-outdays for this pass, unlike for some of the other passes, so you can go toDisneyland whenever you want! There are other passports which are actuallycheaper than a three day hopper card, so it might be interesting to have a lookat this if you are going to Disney for three days. If you are interested,please check out the following website: http://www.dlrpmagic.com/planning/booking/annual-passports/

Afterhaving the passport made we walked around the park. It was almost deserted! Wehad expected it to be a lot more crowded. We went, amongst other things, intothe Space Mountain and then decided to go to the Walt Disney Movie Park a try. Wewent into the Crush Coaster (the first time I went into this rollercoaster andit is freaking AWSOME!!!!) and the Tower of Terror.

Afterwardswe went back to the Disney park to get some tickets for Mickey’s Not so ScaryHalloween Party! A special night that is hosted every Friday of October. I wasquite surprised at the price of the tickets, since normally you would only geta 30% discount on evening shows with your dream pass... Instead, we got a 50%discount! :D We received a special wristband that you had to show if you wishedto eat in restaurants after 6 o’clock, since the park was only open to eveningvisitors from 6 o’clock onwards.

Theattractions in the park were closed between 6 and 8, thus giving us enough timeto enjoy a semi-quiet dinner at the Plaza Gardens Restaurant. This is a buffetrestaurant, so you can chose what you want to eat and how much you want to eat;).

Afterdinner we decided to go to the hotel to fetch Bianca’s coat, because it wasgetting quite cold and she was already down with a cold and we did not want herto get more sick. We got a little lost, stopped at the gas station for somegas, picked up the coat and went back to the park.... But surprise, surprise! Thegates to the parking lot were closed! We eventually parked our car at the parkinggarage near Disney Village, which cost us about €6,-. Back in the park we wentto a number of fun shows, especially Huey, Dewey and Louie’s Trick or TreatParty was a lot of fun!

The evening ended with the Disney’s “Not-So-Scary”Halloween Show, which featured some characters that you normally do not get tosee in the park or any of the shows, such as Gaston and Esmeralda and Clopin!

Day 2:

The nextday we had a wonderful breakfast and set out towards the park at half past 10.The park was definitely a lot more crowded than it had been the day before sowe decided to take it easy; we did not really like the idea of having to standin line for a very long time. This day was even colder than the day before sowe decided to go shopping for a winter coat or a scarf and some gloves. Ieventually bought some fleece gloves featuring Mickey Mouse!

Bianca bought somecute Alice in Wonderland gloves and a matching scarf! I’m afraid my memory isfailing me on all the things that we did that day, but what we did do wasPirates of the Carrebean (again because it was so quiet) and Phantom Manor andwe went to Cinemagic, which is located in the Disney Studio’s park; a showabout a man, played by Martin Short (!!!! the wonderful actor who plays JackFrost in The Santa Clause 3 and The Mad Hatter in the Alice in Wonderland moviewhich features Whoopie Goldberg as the Chesire Cat) who is sucked into a movie, falls in love...you know the drill ;). We had never watched the show, but it seemed like areally good option since it was freezing haha. I also ended up buying a newcasing for my BlackBerry! :D Now even my phone is Disney-ish haha!

As for theshows, we watched Disney’s Maleficious Halloween Party, a really awesome showin which Maleficent tries to teach the shadowman from the Princess and the Frogto become a better wizard. The show features all types of villains such as theevil queen in show white, Cruella de Vil, The Queen of Hearts and Captain Hook.

At the end of the day we watched Mickey’s Magical Celebration, a really awesomeshow which features all the Disney princesses!!! :D After the park closed at 9 we strolled through Disney Village to see what was on sale there.

Day 3:

The weatheron the third day was not as great as we had hoped it to be. Although it was lesscold it now rained until 3 o’clock. Thus we did a lot of attractions that wereinside. First we went to Buzz Lightyear’s Lazergame (I really like thatattraction), then to Peter Pan’s flight, Pinnochio, Snow White, Pirates of the Caribbean,Phantom Manor, Big Thunder Mountain, and went to It’s a small world twice. Wecould do all these things, because it was extremely quiet for a Sunday... whichwas logical because the weather was just shitty haha! We looked around thestores a bit and then had dinner at Disney village at the Rain Forrest Café. :DI really love this restaurant! Frequent readers of my blog will remember that Ialso went to the one in London. I have to admit that the service there iswaayyy better than in Disney... But they are probably also a lot busier.

Afterdinner I bought myself this really wonderful glass rose from Beauty and theBeast:

I couldn't get a really good picture of it, but the edges of the leaves rose leaves are covered with (fake) gold :D!

At the endof the day we watched the Disney’s Magical Celebration again, because my friendwanted to tape it and because I actually wanted to get some pictures of theshow. The day before I was not able to take any, because I was standing behinda lot of people, but this time I had a really clear view (we were standing inthe front row :D).

(not a very good picture, I admit, but they wouldn't stand still :(!)

After the show we went towards the car and drove back toHolland. We arrived at Roosendaal at 1 o’clock, completely exhausted! The nextday we had a wonderful breakfast and then I traveled back to Amsterdam.

So all inall I had a wonderful time even though it was cold and rainy! :D And I am soooohappy that I now have a Disney year pass! You really get value for your moneywith this thing!

Well that’sit for now. I hope you have enjoyed my little report of Disney ;). If you have any questions about the hotel or a disney year pass feel free to ask! :D

Love,

Blacky

Tutorial: change of plans! :D

2011-09-26T19:57:00.002+02:00

Dear reader,

First of all, I apologize for the lack of blog posts. I have been insanely busy lately and I have just recovered from the flu. It does not really seem like there is going to be an end to all the things that I need to do any time soon though T_T... However, I will try to post as often as I can.

The subject of the post is a change in the tutorial that I blogged about some time ago. I had my first meeting with my teacher after summer break last week and he gave me two options: (1) I could continue with the reading list I had created.... or (2) I could start to narrow it down and work towards an article and strive to get it published. Well, obviously I went for the second choice! :D I am so excited! He said that I could of course also give a paper at a conference before getting the article published... so I might get that experience as well.

Topic wise there has been a slight change. Since I have already been focusing on time and space in relation to deathbed scenes and death en sich, I really needed to delve into the realm of the afterlife in Victorian literature. For after all, most Victorians were religious. I want to investigate how heaven and hell were portrayed, specifically in prose, since other scholars have primarily placed their focus on poetry. When looking at how time and space are portrayed in the descriptions of heave or hell, it will be interesting to see if writers try to undermine this idea of death here as well.

Next to heaven and hell I will also be looking into spirituality and ghost stories. Perhaps with these stories I will be able to make my point about the untemporality and non-space of death come across more strongly. Also it will be interesting to see how these stories could exist in a time that people were very religious. How does Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, for example, tie in with Christian belief? Does it undermine the idea of heaven or hell, or can it be explained in a religious sense after all? This latter question might prove to be a complete detour, but if it is; who knows? I might be able to use it for my MA-thesis or so.

My thesis supervisor has asked me to write a sort of critical analysis of every secondary source that I read. I am currently rereading Heaven, Hell and the Victorians by Michael Wheeler in order to help me compile a bibliography and to get a clearer overview of the views that Victorians had on heaven and hell. I will be posting the critical analyses of all the books that I review on my weblog for those of you who are interested. Perhaps my research can be of help to some others... One never knows!

Well that is it for today. A second post detailing the bibliography of the books that I will be reading will follow shortly. As for now, it is back to homework for me!

Love,

Blacky

My birthday!

2011-09-19T20:51:00.001+02:00

Dear reader,

Well because I'm currently sick in bed I finally get to write a post about my birthday!
As you know I only got back to Holland the day before my birthday so I decided to spend it in a nice quiet way. Mom and dad woke me up whilst singing 'Happy birthday', which has probably become a family tradition haha, and it was time for presents. They gave me two tickets, for me and my mom, to go to a concert of Josh Groban! :D I already knew that I was getting those tickets, but that did not make me less happy!

And then there was another gift, but not from mom or dad. A very good friend of mine and old classmate had let a store send a present to my house whilst I was in Birmingham.

She got my this lovely Minnie Mouse teapot! The other side of the pot features a small picture of Minnie. I'm actually quite hooked on teapots, so I am really happy with this wonderful gift. Last friday she gave me the "other part" of my gift, which was a really cute wooden box with Mickey in a chef tenue with some Earl Grey tea in it. I can't wait to start using this adorable tea pot.

In the afternoon my wonderful fiance joined us for the celebration. He had already given me my present (see the post on Abunai). We ended up playing a board game called Party and Co and had loads of fun! In the evening his mother joined us. She had even bought me a gift! I received a dolphin charm and a matching ring. They both have little hearts attached to them and they really match with the dolphin earrings I wear all the time.

The Wednesday after my birthday (which was on Sunday, September 4), I got to celebrate my birthday with my best friend. We ate some cake and then she gave me this wonderful present:

It is a heart charm from the brand Thomas Sabo. The stone is a granate. I really love this pendant; isn'tit the most elegant and beautiful little thing? This picture does not really do it justice, because it sparkles a lot and the colour is really a more beautiful red then is shown here. I tried to take a picture of it myself, but those did not turn out very nice.

So again I have been spoiled waaayyy to much on my birthday by the people I love. Thank you everyone for the wonderful gifts; I will cherish them!

Love,

Blacky

2000 vistors!!!!

2011-09-05T12:19:00.000+02:00

Dear reader,

Today I will post an extra post, because my weblog has officially had over 2000 visitors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm a little late with this (as the counter is currently on 2048) but apparenlty during my stay in Birmingham the counter on this weblog hit the 2000 mark! I am so happy! I am very grateful to everyone who reads my posts. I will really do my best to keep posting funny or interesting posts so people will keep reading them!

If you have any interest in a particular subject and would like to see this more frequently on my blog (such as book or film reviews or me discussing fairytales) then please let me know! :D

Love,

A very happy kitty!

My trip to Birmingham; the continuation.

2011-09-05T11:11:00.002+02:00

Dearreaders,

Well after being deprived of internet foralmost three days (my gosh that was a trial) I am finally back online and ableto post updates on my days in Birmingham. As you can obviously derive posting aday to day update on the conference was pretty much impossible. So prepareyourself for receiving a full report on lots and lots of Victorian things.

Birmingham day 2: the first day of the BritishAssociation of Victorian Studies conference.

On Fridaymorning I woke up relatively early and had breakfast at the Holliday Inn. Thebreakfast was a lot better than dinner; it had a really wide selection ofdifferent foods. From a huge collection of small cereal packages to bangers andfrom scrambled eggs to a huge fruit bar. After having a lovely breakfast Ichecked out, headed to the train station and got on the train to University(that’s the actual name of the station near the University of Birmingham). Inabout 7 minutes I found myself on the platform looking for which way to go. Iwasn’t the only one though; a woman, called Christine Corton, asked me if Ialso was going to the conference and if I had ever been here before. We startedtalking and soon were joined by two postgraduate students who were also goingto the conference. I discovered that Christine was going to give a paper onLondon Fog. So if any one of you are interested in London Fog, keep her name inmind. She will soon be publishing a paper on Fog in the Dickens journal(accessible through the digital library if you are UvA student). Also she isplanning to publish a popular edition of her work, so it should be accessibleto a wide audience in (hopefully) a year or two.

Thebusiness school, where the conference was held, was about a 10-15 minute walkaway from the station. After we arrived there, we checked-in there as well andI received my very own nametag…. Which was very very convenient, since at leastthen I could refer everyone to my name tag if they asked me to spell my namehahaha. At the conference I talked to quite a lot of people; especially duringthe “postgraduate welcome”, which wasn’t so much a welcome as a: ‘let’s standin a part of the hallway and get to know each other’ hour haha. I am quitehappy it went that way as because of this I met a very nice girl named MaijaKuharenoka with whom I spent most of my time during the conference. I was quitehappy to have made a friend so soon. The conference was a lot less stiff andformal than I had expected it to be. I had expected lots of man in suits and tobe very lonely, but fortunately this was not the case at all. The people whohad finished their PHD or even professors were very open to engage inconversation with students, which gave the conference a very comfortableatmosphere.

As this isa blog post and not really a full report, I will not bore you with the descriptionsof all the plenary’s and sessions I went to. I will just pick out the mostimportant, interesting or extraordinary ones ;).

One of thesessions on that was being held on the first day of the conference was one onThomas Carlyle. In confessed to Maija that I had no idea who the man was andshe immediately convinced me to go to the session in order to learn more abouthim, as he is quite a big shot in Victorian Studies. He is a bit of everything:both sociologist as historian. Especially the session which dealt with hisideas with relation to society in connection to the French revolution wherevery interesting. He believed that “the assumptions of progress were explodedand new made” after this revolution and hoped that from remains of this “oldsociety” a new group of people would come forward who would become the leadersof a better society. Thus society is reborn like a phoenix is reborn from itsashes. The session really was very interesting so I can’t thank her enough forintroducing me to him.

After theconference ended, at 18.45 we went towards The Vale, where we would be staying.The rooms that we had might be best described as minimalistic. It had a bath,drawers, a desk and a closet and that was about it. The bathroom was in itselfquite an experience. A friendly note that was placed on top of the bath towelsgave one a friendly warning that one had the luxury of a wet bathroom andtherefore should keep in mind that the bathroom furniture would get wet. Theentire bathroom floor became wet as there was no shower curtain or something toseparate the shower from the rest of the bathroom.

Note says: Enjoy your shower, however plese be aware that as you have the luxury of a

wet room, the floor and the bathroom furniture will get wet.

Afterhaving left my belongings in my room I went off to the buffet dinner, where Ihad a really interesting chat with a teacher of art history, who had presenteda paper on illustrations in relation to Tennyson. Although it is oftenoverlooked there is quite a bit of interest in illustrations in VictorianStudies. This made me think that maybe I should look at illustrations for myown research as well, rather than looking at art at large, because that wouldbe quite a huge task. After a dinner in which I had had to struggle with aseverely overcooked stake, good veggies, but a really horrid tomato, it wastime for me to go to bed.

Birmingham, day 3: second day of the BAVSconference.

On thesecond day I again met some interesting people. One of them was Alison Lundiewho specializes in the domestic arts, such as needle work, in the work of(amongst others) Elizabeth Gaskell. She was really passionate about hersubject, which really sparked my interest. She is currently still working onher PHD, so I am really looking forward to read something that she willpublish. She was kind enough to say that she really hoped to see me around,because she thought my choice of subject was really, really interesting. I wasquite relieved to be honest with the response I received from her, since, bynow, I was so impressed by how good and smart everyone was that I thought thatmy research interest was common, uninteresting and not that special at allhaha. I really did get a bit of an inferiority complex, because I noticed howlittle I actually know. Continually I was bombarded with names of people that Ihad never heard of in my life. Maija, however, has come to my rescue as she haspromised to send me a reading list of novels, poems and people that I reallyshould read up on. So, naturally, I am really looking forward to that.

Thatimmediately brings me to one of the highlights of that day; the panel onliterary responses to evolution/ degeneration. Maija was one of the peoplepresenting on that panel. She spoke about Mathilde Blind’s “The Ascent of Man”.She seems to be an author that people do not generally know a lot about, so forthe first time in a while I could rest assured that it was not just my lack inknowledge. Her talk about Blind was extremely interesting as she showed howBlind’s work had been influenced by Darwin’s work. About Blind’s work herself Ihad the opportunity to question her quite a bit during the drinks that evening.Maija is currently doing her PHD and working on an edited edition of MathildeBlind’s works. It must be really nice to be able to specialize in a certainperson, who is not generally well known. I for one, am definitely going to readBlind’s work and am looking forward to learning new things about this veryinteresting woman author.

Anotherhigh light was the panel on Deathly (de)compositions. This was a veryinteresting panel as it contained two very peculiar, but never the lessinteresting, topics. The first talk was by Julia Courtney on taxidermy (theprofession of stuffing dead animals) in Victorian England. She explained thatit was quite a common profession and that there were even “stuff it your self” manuals hahaha. It was a niceand quirky lecture in which she also talked about Mr. Venus, the taxidermist inThe Old Curiosity Shop. The other lecture or a rather strange subject was thatgiven by Sarah Crofton on spirit mediums writing poetry and literature whichthey ascribed to deceased poets and writers. They said that they had been‘possessed’ by the spirit of, for example, Edgar Alan Poe, Shakespeare orCharles Dickens whilst writing. Sarah showed us a poem that had been written bythe medium Doten who had written it whilst supposedly being under the influenceof Edgar Alan Poe. The resemblance with The Raven was both striking and very amusing.This type of writing did seem to happen quite a lot in Victorian England. Sothis might definitely be something I could consider looking at for my ownresearch. After all, it has to do with death and mourning. The last paper thatwas given in that session was about sleeping women in the work of …. by KerenHammerschlag. She tried to show that the painter depicted the women assleeping, as that was the closest he could get to death. For after all, if onedepicts a corpse it is not death that the person depicts, but something that isas it were beyond death. This was definitely useful for my research as I mightbe making it interdisciplinary. I asked Hammerschlag why it was more acceptablefor women to be depicted as sleeping then man. Asking her if it might be thesame as with poetry on suicide: it was seen as beautifully tragic in relationto women, but as cowardly and repulsive in men. In a reply she said that it wasmostly attributed to beauty, but that since the painter also portrayed sleepingmen, that there must still be something beyond the mere gender difference atwork, however she did not know what this might be. So it seems that if I amgoing to incorporate this into my research that I will have my work cut out forme.

After theconference had ended for the day we first had some drinks at a nearby buildingand then proceeded to the Staff House where we had a fancy conference dinner.There I was sitting next to Maija as well as one of the girls whom I had met atthe station; Christine Chettle. The conversation was really very interesting;again I learned a lot of new things. Christine who is also a PHD student isgoing to see if she can give a paper at the death and mourning conference inYork so it will be nice to see her there! I am really looking forward to hearher present something on her topic and I am really going to try if I can give apaper there as well.

Birmingham, day 4: last day of conference and gettingback to Holland

The finalday of the conference had come. Surprisingly, I had a bit of mixed feelingsabout this. On the one hand I did not want to leave at all, because there wasso much more to be learned, but on the other hand I really was glad to be goinghome. I was missing my mom, dad and of course my fiance.

The day ofthe conference started with the Annual meeting of the BAVS. The agenda pointthat interested me most was the conference that they have planned to host inVenice on June 3-6 in 2013. This conference will be held in cooperation withthe NAVSA (the North American Victorian Studies Association) and the AVSA (theAustralian Victorian Studies Association)! Thus it will be a great opportunityto see what the hot topics are for the American and Australian Victorianistswithout actually having to go to America and Australia (something I cannot yetafford haha!).

Thehighlight of the day was a paper given by Cristina Pascu-Tulbere on The BriarRose series by the painter Burne-Jones’s. It was very striking to see how thedifferent series of paintings that he made of sleeping beauty changed overtime. It was especially interesting to see that in the final painting of theseries, where the princess is depicted as sleeping, the prince is onlyportrayed in the first series of paintings (the only paintings to be painted ontiles). The absence of the prince in the other paintings, as Pascu-Tulbereargued, indicated that the princess might not be waking up, that she would besleeping on forever; her beauty and innocence untainted by the cruelness ofreality.

I didmanage to listen to two more papers during the final panel session, after whichI left for the train station, got on the train at University and made my way toBirmingham New Street station. There I got a little confused as the person whomI asked for information (someone who was part of the railway staff) sent me toplatform 5, where I found a train waiting for me that had a close resemblanceto the Fyra, TGV or Thallys. The previous trains I had been in were ratherdingy, so I decided to ask someone if you had to pre-book for this train. Apparentlythis was not the case, so I got on. And thus I found myself in a very fancytrain haha. The railway companies here might learn a thing or two from thoseBrits ;).

At theairport I checked-in and dropped off my luggage. It was surprisingly quiet atthe airport. For the first time I did not have to sand in line at the luggagedrop off or when going through customs. Even in the shopping area (whichcontained no more than 10 shops and a few restaurants lol!) it was rather quiet in comparison to the otherairports I have been to. I got myself a chocolate croissant at Pret a manger(which I did not finish, because it was impossible to do so without melted chocolatespilling all over me) and an ice tea and started to write this report. Afterhaving waited about 2 hours I boarded the aircraft and after half an hour wetook off. It was a pleasant flight, though my ears did give me a bit of trouble.They seem to be of the opinion that they are not made for flying hahah.

Once we hadlanded the bridge that was supposed to connect to the airplane did not work atfirst, so we had to remain seated for quite some time. Eventually, by somemiracle (as the captain called it), it did start to do what it was supposed todo and we were able to disembark. I quickly went to collect my luggage and wasgreeted by a pair of very proud parents and an almost ecstatic fiance in thearrivals hall haha. He really seemed to be overjoyed to have me back in hisarms save and sound... He’s so cute *squeal*!!! *ahem* I apologize for that outburst.

So now I amback in Holland; save and sound. Trying to prevent myself from talking Englishto everyone, which (for some reason) is harder than it seems haha! I hope youhave all enjoyed reading the report on my trip to Birmingham. If you would likeme to elaborate on one (or more) of the lectures described above in more detailthen please feel free to make a request. I have taken a lot of notes, so I amsure I can make a decent blog post out of it.

Well that’sit for now! This is Blackcat, signing off ;).

P.s. I apologice if I have offended anyone with my typo with regards to the Beatles in my previous blogpost. I know that you write it with -ea- and not -ee- and I have immediately adjusted it.

Birmingham: day 1

2011-08-31T21:38:00.000+02:00

Dear reader,

I thought it might be fun to try to make a date day to day blog sequence of my trip to Birmingham for those of you who would like to know how I am holding up haha.

Well in the morning I was really nervous when going to the airport, but then one of the street musicians came (unwittingly) to my rescue. A Jamaican street artist stepped into the subway with a guitar and a harmonica. The first song that he played was: Can you feel the love tonight by Elton John… :P Disney always makes me feel better. This was followed by Let it be by the Beatles, a song that sounded familiar, but I have no idea what it was called and finally closed off by ‘and the saints come marching in’. So by the time I had to get off the subway and into the train, I was all cheered up, because the guy was really good haha.

When my dad and I arrived at the airport my fiance was waiting for us. We went to the departures hall and I checked in using the check-in machines that they now have (which was quite an adventure). I also had to check in my luggage using the baggage drop off machines… Now I really do not think this is an improvement, because a lot of people seem to be lost (I am not sure why, because it really is quite simple and they show an instruction video on what you need to do, but ok), causing there to be a huge line. Afterwards I said goodbye to dad and my fiance and went through boarder control. I walked around on the airport a bit after which I went through customs and boarded the plane. I was really really happy that there weren’t any delays, because I honestly would not have known what to do with that much time on my hands.

Eventually I arrived at Birmingham airport with a five minute delay…. And again I had to go through customs… O.o The cue that they had there was just absurd! I stood in line for about 45 minutes before I finally made it to the baggage retrieval hall. After retrieving my luggage and having called everyone to let them know that I had arrived in Birmingham save and sound I made towards the station as I needed to take the train. Now the connection between the airport and the train station is really really cool! They have made a shuttle service that is very similar to a miniature monorail. It transports you to the train station in about 1,5 minutes. At the station (which was really not crowded at all… it was almost scary) I bought a ticket and boarded a train that took me to Birmingham New Street Station in what felt like 10-15 minutes. After getting off the train I went to look for the hotel: I took a right turn and walked straight… and lo and behold there it was; The Birmingham City Holliday Inn. It is literally a 5 minute walk from the train station.

The hotel room was pretty pricey, but I am sure getting value for my money. I have a two person bedroom all to myself! :P It even has a bath (not like I am up for taking a bath right now, but fair enough ahaha).

I can even chose how I want my pillow :D!!!!

The label on the right pillow says: firm and on the left says soft.

After having settled in I decided to go and look for the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. I took the printout from google maps and decided to walk… I found myself in a neighbourhood that I really did not want to be in (5-6 minutes from the hotel lol) so I turned around and went back. There I saw a sign pointing the way to the museum, so I followed it. This too did not seem like the right way, so I turned around and walked back. Behind the sign I had followed (which was only visible from my new point of view) it directed me to again a different direction. I looked at the way in which the sign was pointing and decided to just return to the hotel, rest a bit (cause I had done quite a bit of walking by now hahha) and to just go to the mall opposite the train station instead; hoping to find a restaurant there.

Well when I walked into the mall I immediately spotted this store:

Really, what are the odds? Hahaha :D Well that sure as hell cheered me up! I did a lot of window shopping and I bought a present for my fiance and set out to look for a restaurant. Well clearly the Birmingham people are not for dining out, because the only places where you could sit down to eat something (and I mean ANYTHING) were a Pret a Mange, Starbucks (or some other take on that concept, such as a “home made” pie variant O.o???) and Burger King and MacDonalds. I decided to dine at the hotel restaurant instead. There I ate on overpriced sirloin steak with soft green pepper corn sauce (which was not very green nor peppery XD) and a gruesome patato salad. :P Yep: I might as well have dined at Burger King hahaha. Oh well better luck next time ;).

So much for my first day here. :D I am looking forward to tomorrow. I really hope that the conference will turn out to be really interesting. Stay tuned :D.

Love,

Blacky

Penguins, theatre and Abunai!!! (With pictures)

2011-08-28T14:06:00.000+02:00

Dear readers,

Well this sure was a busy week for me, so prepare yourself for a long blogpost! :D

On Thursday evening, after work, I met up with my fiance and we had dinner with my mom and dad at my place. Subsequently we went to the cinema for a lovely date. We watched the movie Mr. Poppers Penguins. I have never really been a big Jim Carry fan (the only movie that I really love is The Gringe that stole Christmas), so I did not really have high expectations for this movie... and I ended up being pleasantly surprised! This movie truly has a bit of everything. It is romantic, touching, but most of all hilarious. It was quite a relieve to find that this time the humor in the movie was not rely entirely on the strange faces Carry makes or just plain (and sometimes rather obscene) jokes. Instead the humor is based on the funny situations that one could find himself in when having to deal with 6 penguins, but also just on situation that might easily happen in everyday life. The comical timing of Carry is absolutely superb. This is thus definitely a must see.

The next day I went out to dinner with my mom at an Italian Restaurant called Trattoria Fantasia; a small restaurant near the Leidseplein. The owner was very friendly and the food was exquisite (had a dish called scaloppine al pesto, beef with basil sauce) and not too expensive. So if you are looking for a good place to eat you should definitely try this place :D.

After dinner we rushed over to the other side of the street where the De La Mar theatre is located. There we watched a show by Simone Kleinsma called Songbook. We honestly had a great time. Simone was fantastic! The show was very amusing as the songs that she sung were alternated with stories about her childhood. The songs really worked well with the stories she told and she really had chosen the songs that plaid to her strength (most of them were covers). So the evening was a big success.

The next morning I had to get up really early because I was going to Abunai with my fiance. Abunai is an anime and manga convention, which this year was hosted in the NH Hotel Conference center de Koningshof in Veldhoven. The last time I had been there was 7 years ago, so I was really looking forward to the convention. When we arrived there, there really was quite a large line of people waiting to be admitted to the event; I think we had to wait in line for about 30 minutes (partly, because they seemed to have a bit of a problem with the computers lol). Once we finally got our Abunai wrist band, we were, unfortunately, still not ready to walk around there, because my fiance had forgotten to withdraw money from an ATM, expecting there to be an ATM at the conference center. Well, when we found out that there was no ATM there, we had to take a 15-20 minute walk to the nearby village in search of an ATM hahaha. By the time we got back it was past 12 o’clock. As a result we missed the Lucky Stars workshop that was hosted by MostCutest (they would have a stand there with cute things that you could buy, but I am sure that I will get to go to the stand at the next event) as well as the Cosplay Act competition (which is always the most hilarious part of the conference). However, we had a great time strolling through the dealer room; in comparison to Abunai seven years ago the dealer room had pretty much doubled (YEAY FOR MERCHANDISE!!!!). Afterwards we had lunch at the food court; rice with sate sauce in an original Chinese takeout box (:D which was very fun, but harder to fill than it looks hahaha!). The workshops and lectures were really crowded so we spent most of our time in the dealer room.

I bought 2 dvd’s that I had been looking for since a very very long time. One of them was ‘Gundam Wings Endless Waltz’. I used to be a big fan of the Gundam Wings series when it was still being showed on Yorkiddin and ever since they broadcasted this movie I really wanted to have it. I once managed to find it online, but I was not exactly prepared to pay 30,- (excl. shipping costs) for it lol. The other movie that I bought was 5 centimeters per second; a movie which is centered around three different stories. I have seen one of the stories on youtube and it has been beautifully drawn and the story was really deep. I have been wanting to have it ever since, but again was not prepared to pay 30,- for it haha. :D So you can imagine how happy I was to be able to buy those.

As in any good dealer room they of course sold cat ears hahah. My fiance told me to put a pair of them on my head and ended up buying them for me. He even bought me an additional rather huge ass bell necklace to go with it hahaha. I had a lot of fun with this, because the cat ears themselves also had little bells adjusted to them.... So I was happily ringing along hahaha (me had bells is a bad combination :P)

I also came across a really lovely stand which specialized it handmade Gothic Lolita accessories and clothes. The brand is called Fly Away Fashion and the accessories as well as the clothes are very affordable; http://www.flyawaydojinshi.nl (unfortunately you cannot find everything in their webshop, but they do have a physical shop in Houten; I am sure I am going to be a frequent visitor there! :D). I ended up buying this really beautiful straw hat (I had been looking for one for ages). It only cost 12,50! (A brand Gothic Lolita straw Hat with just a simple bow usually costs around 90,-). :D So I am really really happy to have found this one!

My pretty new hat :D.

And that’s not all; because my fiancé and I spent 30,- at a stand, I got a free pair of earplugs! :D Yeay for Chugo Chara earplugs :D WHOOT!!!

And as if all this did not make my day; I got an early birthday present. Say hello to Bun-Bun from Ouran High School Hostclub!!!

:P Everyone was soooo jealous of my huge, pink bunny!

After a while we really needed to sit down, so we went to one of the video rooms and watched a movie called ‘Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha 1^st’ (or Magical Lyrical Girl Nanoha in English :D). I really liked the movie; my fiance on the other hand had only had three hours of sleep so almost fell asleep haha. It was really nice to be able to sit a bit though; our feet were starting to hurt. Afterwards we went to have dinner at the Binnenhof restaurant where there was a buffet (only for those who had booked dinner before hand). The food was great, but to my opinion it was as bit over priced. So for next year it might be a better idea to just have dinner at the a la carte restaurant (especially since drinks are not included anyway). Subsequently we went for a final sprawl through the dealer room and I got my portrait drawn :D. This is what I would look like if I were a manga character.

O.o omg I am so pretty!!!

I had a really really great time at Abunai and am currently contemplating on going to Tsunacon; a one day convention which will be held on February 12 in Rotterdam (:P a lot closer than Veldhoven haha).

Well that is it for now. ;) Hoped you guys liked my blogpost.

Love,

Blacky.

New layout

2011-08-21T13:28:00.001+02:00

Dear reader,

Well it is now more than a year ago that I started this blog, so what better way to celebrate than by changing the layout? I had not changed the layout up till now, because I became quite frustrated with blogger when I was creating the first layout for this website. I do not really know much CSS (which is the code that is needed to create layouts for blogger), so I could not really get the result that I wanted. I had even tried to insert a layout made by someone else, but even that would not work. So, even though I received a lot of compliments on my previous layout, I was not really too happy with it. It looked a little amaturistic hahaha.

Yesterday, however, I decided to have a look around to see if there were any good template makers which would allow me to make a layout that looked a lot less amaturistic than my previous layout. It was then that I stumbled upon a program called Artisteer. This is without a doubt one of the best template makers I have EVER encounterd. The templates that you can design are compatable with Wordpress and Blogger. You have to buy the program (the trail version does not allow you to save your designs), but since it was only 35 euro's (50 dollars) I thought it was well worth the money. Some of you might think: why on earth buy a program to create a weblog? Well, if I get a PHD possition (I am really giving it my all to get one) I am planning to make a weblog on which I keep track of the entire process that I will be going through. Thus it will be important to make a good impression with my weblog. And since I do not have the time to learn CSS, this was the best solution.

Another big pro of this program is that it will easily let you create your own website. I know a lot about HTML, so I am pretty good with making websites, however, this program allows me to generate dropdown menus and such (something which I cannot do with html). So for people who do not know CSS or PHP this is the PERFECT sollution. It even allows you to make one page of your website into a blog; something which you could also easily use for the first page on which you put the updates for your webiste. Also the program allows you to use HTML in the body of your website, which is very convenient if you want to insert some nifty gadgets.

The only downside to this program is that I had to give up my custom made kalendar and counter for my website, since the javascript that I used for those messed up my layout (or well... almost crashed my weblog hahah). But yes, all in all I am very enthausiastic about this program. I think it is one of the best buys I ever did.

Well as you can see I have also added a few pages to my weblog such as an 'about me' page and a 'links' page. I have have also given the fancliques and adoptables their own page, so as to 'declutter' the blog haha. I want to add a few more pages in the near future, but I am not sure which pages to add. If you have any ideas than please feel free to tell me about them in a comment ;).

It is also now possible to subscribe to my blog. If you do this then you automatically receive an e-mail whenever I update my weblog ;).

Well so much for the updates to my weblog. Please let me know what you think of the new layout :D.

Love,
Blacky

Reviews of the reading for my tutorial

2011-08-15T12:04:00.001+02:00

Dear reader,

As most of you know I had decided to take upon me the (perhaps rather crazy) task to already start reading for my tutorial during the summer holiday. Well it sure has kept me from feeling bored. So far I have finished 4 out of the 15 books and I am actually ahead of the schedule that I had created for myself. As such I thought this would be a good opportunity to give my opinion of the books that I have read for those who are interested.

The first book that I have read was Death in the Victorian family by Pat Jalland.

I really could not have started my journey with a better book. It contains a lot of information on Victorian death, mourning and funerals and the mentalities towards it. Instead of burying her reader under a mountain of pure facts (as many an author does), Jalland has chosen a different path. The facts that she incorporates in her book are illustrated by excerpts that she encountered in private journals and letters (these make up the bulk of the examples) as well as in literature and poetry. The book is divided in two sections, the first is about death and the second about mourning. To be honest, I could not help but think that Jalland would have done well to give up such a distinction as in the first section she already pays a lot of attention to mourning (it is almost impossible to speak of death without talking of mourning in one way or another), causing the second half of the book to be extremely repetitive (she sometimes even used the same examples as in the section on death) and (in my opinion) a bit too long. But that really is all the fault I could find with this book.

Another reason why this book should be interesting for anyone interested in Victorian death and mourning is that the book contains a world of references to the most important work that has been done with regard to Victorian death and mourning. The drawing up of a preliminary bibliography if one were to write an essay on the subject, would thus become a lot easier with the help of this book.

The second book on my list was the Oxford Book of Death, edited by D. J. Enright.

Well this book proved to be a major disappointment. I had bought this book in the British Library in London and thought it would fit in perfectly with my subject. I had hoped to encounter some useful literary quotes on death and mourning that I had not yet encountered on my search for material online. Well, I did not even find one useful quote in this book. I suppose it would have made an interesting read if the selection criteria used by the editor had been clear. The writer seemed to have chosen either the most popular quotes or simply quotes of writers that were known for their poetry or novels in which they death played a part. The editor did not look further to see if there might be other, lesser known, examples that would make a far better choice, as they portrayed the mentality of the time in a far better way. Also for a book on death in general the book was primarily dominated by English or American quotes (with the exemption of a Chinese or African quote here or there). Another deficit of this book was that the selected quotes were not ordered in a particular way; had the writer ordered them according to the date in which they presumably written, then it might have provided an interesting overview of the way in which the mentalities on death and mourning changed over time or in which they differed according to country. As it stands now the book is nothing but a mumbo jumbo of quotes. Moreover, it would have done the book a world of good if the editor would have taken the time to insert some explanatory footnotes, as some of the quotes would have fared better when placed within a cultural context. Although The Times, The Guardian and many other quality English newspapers greatly praised this book, it feeling cannot escape me that this book was a rush job. Perhaps a better title for this book would have been the Oxford Book of Random and Popular Quotes on Death.

The third book that I read was The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens.

Well the name of the author probably says enough. This is the fourth book that I have read which was written by Dickens and truly this author never disappoints me. The story is about a young girl, Nell, who lives with her grandfather. As her grandfather loses all his belongings (including an old curiosity shop that he owns) with gambling the two are forced to leave London and set out on their journey to find a peaceful place to live. Although the character of little Nell is quite improbable - the children in Dickens always seem little adults, rather than children – one cannot help but feel for her as she struggles with fear and anxiety. As we are wont from Dickens the characters encountered are unique in every way and not easily forgotten. As I do not wish to give away too much of the plot I will only say that, though this book is not for the impatient ones as at times the book is rather slow in its development, it definitely is a good read and well worth the time of anyone who likes Victorian literature.

The fourth book that I had on my list was Poetry of Mourning: the Modern Elegy from Hardy to Heaney by Jahan Ramazani. I only read forty pages when I came to the conclusion that it would be useless to read on. The book is not so much about regular mourning poetry, but more about poetry that is mourning the modern era. The bulk of the book is centered around American elegy writing in relation to the First World War. With this the book placed itself outside the scope of my research. For those who are interested in the change in mourning poetry which was caused by the First World War I would highly recommend it, as it is a well written and interesting book.

Yesterday I finished reading East Lynne by Ellen Wood a.k.a. Mrs. Henry Wood.

This book was without a doubt a surprise. I cannot understand why this book is not part of reading lists in schools and universities as it portrays the Victorian mentality extremely well. The author has a pleasant style, which makes it hard to put the book away, even at those times when not a lot is happening in the book. This book really has a bit of everything: murder, mystery (at times it read a bit like a detective), elopement, a good villain (what is a Victorian novel without one?), death... This is definitely a must read for any fan of Victorian literature. My apologies for the short review on this one, but I really cannot provide any information without feeling that I am already giving away too much. For this book really is an eventful one.

Well dear reader, this is how far I have come with my reading. I hope you have found these short reviews interesting and/or helpful.

Love,

Blacky

Going to Disney! :D

2011-08-03T12:14:00.001+02:00

Dear reader,

Well I promised I would write to you about the reward I am giving myself for being brave enough to go on a four day trip all by myself... And that reward is... A three day trip to Disney! Ha! I bet you didn’t see that coming ^__^”... Most of you probably did hahah.

Remember that I blogged about the friend I had not seen for about 2 years not too long ago? Well she was looking for a victim to drag along to Disney with her. And who am I to say no to such a tempting invitation? Haha. She lives quite close to the boarder between Belgium and The Netherlands and thus it is a 4 hour drive by car to France. We are planning to go from October 7-9, so we will arrive on Friday and return Sunday night.

We will probably be staying in the Kyriad hotel as that definitely is one of the cheaper options. We are going for a room-only stay there, since my friend has a passport annuel, and thus she doesn’t need the entrance tickets. And guess what? I am getting one myself as well! As I am going for the most expensive passport annuel, it will only be a bit more expensive than actually buying the tickets separately, but it is a pretty good deal. Why? Because you get 20% discount in the stores in the park, as well as 10% discount on food and drink... But most importantly: you get to enter the park 2 hours before the official opening time!!! (my friend has the same card, so that means that we can go into the park early on Saturday and Sunday).

Also; if I take a friend with me, that person will receive a 20% discount on the park tickets. They will thus pay 120,80 instead of 151,- for a three day/ 2 park ticket. Or I can get them a 10% discount on a passport annuel myself. And as I might be going again next year it sounded like a pretty good deal to me :D.

Also if I get three other people to buy a pass I will get an entire year for free. I am not sure if that’s going to work, but I can at least try. From what I have seen it’s not that difficult, because there are forums on which people actually ask if there are people going to Disneyland on the same day as they are, so as they can get a 10% discount on their passport annuel. ^^ So it pretty much works both ways: I get a year extra and they get a discount.

But oh well, most important thing: you get discounts and you can enter the park before it officially opens! :D So yes I am pretty excited (it’s Disney; what do you expect?). I am really looking forward to it!

Love,

Blacky

P.s. O.o My god I am travelling a lot this year.

BAVS Conference in Birmingham

2011-08-01T12:09:00.006+02:00

Dear reader,

Yesterday I booked my flight to Birmingham as well as the accommodation and entrance fee for the conference that I am going to attend there. The conference is held by the British Association of Victorian Studies and will take place at the University of Birmingham on September 1-3. This year’s conference is entitled ‘Composition and Decomposition’.

As many of you know I will be going by myself... and to be honest, I am a little anxious about it. I have always disliked being alone (since it is not much fun), but I will have to learn sometime. Also, since I want to pursue a PHD position it would be a good idea to start going to conferences and symposia to gain experience, as well as to start networking (not like I am such a hero in that respect either, but ok hahah). And when there is no one who can/wishes to come with you (for these conferences really are pricy O.o), going alone is the only option hahah!

As the convention starts off quite early on the 1st, I thought it would be a good idea to be there one day beforehand (thus on the August 31). Also the flight would then be much cheaper: €108,- instead of €241,- (I know the difference between the two just does not make any sense at all!). Since accommodation at the campus of the University of Birmingham is only provided during the days of the conference, I had to book myself a hotel for one night. I did a bit of research and eventually decided on a single room in the Holliday Inn City Centre hotel. The room was really quite pricy, but it was apparently one of the cheaper and more decent hotels in the city center. I had very little choice but to book a hotel in the city centre as this would be the easiest way to get to the campus the next day. I did look at B&B’s but apparently none of them which are located in the city or could easily be reached through public transport. But it is still cheaper than travelling on the day of the conference itself haha!

Since I will be arriving in Birmingham at around 1 o’clock, I will have a bit of time to do some sightseeing. To be honest, I had no idea what the main attractions in Birmingham were, so I did some research (tripadvisor was very helpful, as always haha!). I will probably be going to the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, which is quite close by the hotel, since I won’t have that much time to travel around and such. If anyone has any other tips or recommendations, feel free to share!

All in all I am approaching this trip with mixed feelings. On the one had I am excited as I am going to a new city and will learn lots of new things. Also I am proud of myself for doing something like this. On the other hand... I am scared to death hahaha! But I know that I can do this; I am sensible enough not to make a mess out of things and I can always depend on myself... Yet that doesn’t make it any less frightening haha!

I have already scheduled a little reward for myself... but to find out what the reward is you will have to wait for my next blogpost ;).

Love,

Blacky

An eventful, fun week!

2011-07-31T21:24:00.001+02:00

Dear reader,

Well last week was a rather eventful week so lots to write about!

On Tuesday I finally saw my best friend again after quite some time. First we went shopping, both for a gift and for the ingredients for a High Tea. We were making an improvised High Tea so we bought scones, clotted cream and chocolate tart and we made sandwiches with either cucumber or salmon. Whilst having the High Tea we watched the wonderful movie Take the Lead with Antonio Banderas. This really is one of the best dance movies they have ever made! So we had a lot of fun!

The next day I went to a bookstore in the city with my dad and fiancé to sell some of my old study and children books. I was really happy with the amount of books that could be sold! Afterwards my fiancé and I had lunch, walked around a bit, enjoyed the view at Café Bleu at the top of the Kalverentoren (in the middle of the Amsterdam city centre) and closed of the day with eating some delicious ice cream at the Häagen-daz bar. I had no idea that there actually was such a bar, but apparently it has been here for about five years (shame on me lol!). I had a crêpe with two scoops of ice cream, one of which was Belgian chocolate and the other midnight chocolate cookies (or something like that). My fiance had a waffle and (if I remember correctly) butterscotch syrup, and three scoops: one strawberry cheesecake, rum raisin and Belgian chocolate.

The following two days were not as exciting since I had to go to work hahaha. I did not do much else than working and reading on those.

On Saturday, however, I (together with my mom, dad and fiance) met up with a friend that I had not seen for over two years! I was soooo happy to see her! We had a wonderful day. We went to Artis, the Amsterdam zoo. There were lots of baby animals (monkeys, a baby elephant, a baby giraffe, lion cubs.... you name it!) and a lot of things had been changed since the last time we were there, so there was enough to see. I really still like the butterfly garden that they have created. We tried to photograph a beautiful big, blue butterfly, but unfortunately failed miserably; it flew waaayy to fast! And if it landed for a few seconds, it closed its wings! But we had a few good laughs hahah! We talked a lot (since obviously we had lots of catching up to do) and just had a great time! Afterwards we ate at a really good Chinese restaurant. For desert my boyfriend had baked ice-cream. It was a specialty of the house and if you can ever get your hands on it... try it! :D It tasted awesome!

The baked ice cream is the one on the left.

Well that is it again for now. ;) Expect another blogpost soon!

Love,

Blacky

Our trip to Budapest!

2011-07-20T23:01:00.000+02:00

Dear readers,

Well yesterday I got back from my wonderful, romantic vacation to Budapest. I really had a lovely time and since a lot of people have expressed their interest I though it a good idea to write a post on our trip as soon as possible.

Day 1, Thursday:

We headed to the airport at the 14^th of July at around 7 o’clock in the morning. The check in went really smoothly, but I got a full body search at customs, probably because of a button on my pants lol. It surely is a strange experience, but thankfully I was searched by a woman hahah. Eventually they let me through though. The flight was delayed for an hour because of the awful weather here. So we spent quite some time at the airport. When we finally arrived at Budapest at around 1 o’clock we took an airportshuttlebus that took us straight to the hotel, which was located in the Pest side of Budapest. I really recommend those shuttle services; they give you a round trip for 35,- for 2 persons. You do have to give them a call one day before you leave so they know when to pick you up.

It was really hot (more than 35 degrees Celsius!) so when we got at the hotel we were basically just worshipping the shower and the ventilator. Unfortunately, our room did not have air-conditioning. The room itself was quite good value for money otherwise. The bathroom was not huge, but it sufficed ;). After we had cooled off a little we went out to grab dinner at a place around the corner of our hotel called Stex. They really serve great food there; we had a Stex special for two... which might easily have been called Stex special for four hahah. We had a steak with mixed pepper sauce, a gourmet turkey (a crips layer of skin and turkey with some kind of herb/sauce combination) and some kind of spit thingy (which I did not taste since it was waayyy to warm, causing me to lose my appetite). It was really wonderful. Afterwards we returned to the hotel for a (much needed) cold showers and some (also much needed) sleep.

Day 2, Friday:

We decided to go to one of the biggest malls in Budapest, since this was going to be a really hot day as well. The mall we went to was called Mammut. It was a bit smaller than we had expected; as the shops were overall rather small, but it was still nice to roam around as they had a wonderful arco system haha. They also had a subway over there, which is remarkably cheaper than ours. For only 800 ft (about 3 Euros) you could get a sandwich. After having explored the hall we decided to go to the Great Market Hall. And gosh that Markethall sure is great.

The Great Market Hall

On the top floor they have lots of stands which sell souvenirs. I bought a bag for my mother and my fiance also bought some souvenirs for his family. Unfortunately, for some reason, his souvenirs were lost (we found out when we had gotten back to the hotel), we are not sure what happened to them, but that was definitely a bummer. Important to note here is that IF you are ever going to this market hall and see a souvenir that you like, you should look at several other stalls, because prices can vary significantly; even up to more than 5 Euros.

On the ground level they had lots of stores selling foods such as meat, bred and most of all paprika (as that is what Hungary is famous for). In the basement they apparently also sold fish etc., but we did not go there hahha. On the ground level they sold enormous cheese croissants; those thing really were huge (and of course we bought them :P).

The world's biggest cheese croissant!

Around dinner time we walked around the neighborhood for some time in search of a decent restaurant. We found one at about 15 mins from the hotel; a small restaurant where we had a steak and fries with some really tasty chili sauce. My fiance, however, had a steak that sinews (I believe is the correct word?) in them, so he had a less enjoyable meal that I did. Afterwards he had two cocktails, a Sex on the Beach and a Mojito, and he bought me a Baily’s, just for fun, since I usually don’t drink hahah. It really is one of the few alcoholic drinks that I actually like. The bartender especially went out to buy a bottle for me since they had run out. Afterwards we had a nice evening walk back to the hotel. It was a bit ruined by the smell though; somehow they seem to be having problems with the drainage or something in the city during the summer... So if you go: go during spring or autumn; hopefully the smell will bother you less then!

Day 3, Saturday:

We were crudely awoken at a quarter past 6 by a garbage truck that was pretty much cleaning out the neighborhood. For the past couple of days people some people had been placing pretty much the entire content of their house on the streets. During the first day I was wondering if this was something like the giant flee market they have here in Holland during Queens day, but these people actually got evicted from their houses. (So we were clearly in a less “well to do” neighborhood in Budapest. When we went out, the streets were completely clean and the people that had been sleeping on their sofa’s that they had placed on the street were gone as well; giving the area a saver feeling than it had done before.

In the afternoon we made our way to Castle Hill in Buda. We took the subway and switched to a small bus that took us up the hill to what is called the Fisherman’s Bastillion. This was unlike anything I had ever seen before; the architecture really is beautiful and the white colour of the brick stands out beautifully against a blue sky. You have to pay when you want to access the top of the Bastillion at the front, but if you walk towards the end of the building you will find a place that gives you a better view that is completely free of charge as a café is located there. ;) Definitely a way to save money. The view is absolutely beautiful from up there as you clearly see the Pest side of the river Donau or Dunabe as they call it in Hungary.

Fisherman's Bastillion: the side wher eyou can get on for free lol!

Afterwards we went up the hill and looked at a small market that was located at the side of the street. I bought a really cute and rather sturdy bag there for about 15,-. As it was another extremely hot day we went to get an ice cream coupe at the saloon that was across the market place. And my gosh those really were huge!

We continued our journey to Buda castle; a really beautiful castle with a nice fountain at the front. If you walk to the side of the castle you will find yourself a beautiful patio/ gardenlike place with a nice view on the Pest side of the River.

Buda castle

We then went back to the hotel and again had a wonderful dinner at Stex! This type a different type of meal (consisting of rosemary chicken, steak and a type of pork meat) which was supposed to be for one person, but again impossible to finish lol.

Day 4, Sunday:

This was the day that we were officially engaged for half a year. :D And what a wonderful year it has been! Though time really flew. I had a surprise planned for the evening, but I still had to go buy the tickets, so that is what we did early on in the mourning. I bought tickets for an evening cruise on the Dunabe which included a glass of champagne.

Afterwards we went back to Castle Hill to walk around the Labyrinth under Buda castle. Now THAT is a must see. Not only is the temperature an absolute blessing, it was about 17 degrees as opposed to the 28 degrees above ground, but it is really interesting to roam around there in the dark whilst taking pictures. They have divided the labyrinth in separate parts such as the “pre-historic” labyrinth, the historic labyrinth, etc. Artists really have done a great job at making this labyrinth an interesting visit.

Pre-historic labyrinth

historic labyrinth

The artists were not afraid to include a joke either, such as this extremely historic huge coca cola bottle:

Afterwards we went back to the hotel district for an early dinner at a Chinese. Again I had a lovely dinner, but my fiance was less lucky; apparently the sweet and sour sauce was more like semi-sweet and sour water. So after a visit to the Burger King to make up for it (I stayed clear of any food for my stomach was happily filled), we went back to the hotel to change and set out for the Dunabe evening cruise.

The cruise was a BIG hit. It is a really beautiful boat ride as the most important buildings are illuminated. The glass of champagne really made it perfect. So if you are looking for something romantic in Budapest I would definitely recommend it.

Chain Bridge by night

Buda Castle

House of Parliament

Day 5, Monday:

On this day we set out for another mall since it was going to be above 30 degrees again. This time we went to WestEnd... Now THIS is a mall. We spent most of our day there; I bought some really cute shirts and a souvenir for my best friend (she hasn’t received it yet, so I can’t tell you guys what it is ;)).

In the evening we went to a very special restaurant called Sir Lancelot. It is a type of medieval theme restaurant. This is definitely worth a visit! Not only are the decorations fantastic, you also get entertainment such as a balancing act with swords on glasses, a belly dancer and a sword fight (please note that you do need to get there a little early in the evening, at around 6 or 6, to see most of the entertainment). Also the food is really good and you get more than you could possibly finish by yourself. Fun fact; you also get a bib instead of a napkin which the waiter or waitress ties around your neck for you and they only give you a fork and a spoon to eat with as they did not have forks during the middle ages.

Name of the meal: The lance of the red knight

The decor of Sir Lancelot; a bit overlighted though because of the flash.

Day 6, Tuesday:

We checked out in the morning and went back to the market place to get a souvenir for my dad and my fiance’s mother as those were the only two left that we needed to get a souvenir for. I ended up buying my dad a beer mug, as he did not have one and I kind of liked the pictures on it (yes I was desperate lol!). Afterwards we ate some ice cream and waited for the shuttlebus to arrive at the hotel. We had an entire little van for ourselves, which had airco! I really wish that the ride to the airport had lasted longer... being in that van was heavenly after having been in the heat almost at a constant.

Again checkin went smooth, but now it was my fiance that was searched by customs, probably also because of a button on his pants hahah! We had dinner at the airport (after some stressing with a defect ATM machine) and thankfully the plain left on time so we arrived in Holland at around half past 8. My parents and my fiance’s mother had come to the airport together to pick us up. We went to my fiance’s house for some more food and to talk a little.

It really was a wonderful vacation although the heat really did get to us. I have never eaten this much ice cream in my life hahaha.

I appologice for the long report, but we just did soooo much! ^__^” I felt bad for leaving anything out, since I had such a great time. I hope you liked to read it and that you liked the pictures I posted up here ;).

Love,

Blacky

Going on a trip to Budapest

2011-07-08T10:46:00.004+02:00

Dear reader,

Thursday next week, on the 14^th of July, I will be leaving for Budapest with my fiance! We will be staying there until the 19^th. So I thought a post would be in order to let my loyal readers about that ;). The plain will take off at 10 o’clock, so we will be in Budapest at around 12. We are staying in a lovely hotel called ‘Central hotel 21’. As the name already states, it really is quite central; we have three different subway stations to choose from (each being about a 10 minute walk from the hotel).

I have promised my fiance that I would try to limit my control freakiness, so I made a promise with him that I would not make an entire schedule for everyday that we are there. And since I always keep my promise, I will not be able to give the reader an overview of all the things that we will be doing. However, there are a couple of things that I really, really want to do there (although I don’t yet know on which day we will be doing them hahaha.

First of all there is a huge underground labyrinth, called the labyrinth of Buda castle. Yes, it is based directly underneath the Buda castle. It seems to be quite big, so I am really looking forward to seeing that; will be the perfect outing on a hot day. For those of you interested, this is the website + map of the labyrinth: http://www.labirintus.com/en/program/1007

Another thing that the both of us want to do is going to one of the malls they have their, namely Mammut. This mall is absolutely HUGE; it has 330 shops! So yeah, I am pretty much expecting us to spend an entire day there haha. Some of you might be wondering; why would one go to a shopping mall when you are on holiday? Easy: because clothes and everything else are very cheap in Hungary :P hahaha.

There is only one other thing that I would really like to do. In Budapest they have a circus, the Hungarian state circus, all year round. I have taken a look at the website and it looks really wonderful. The theme this year seems to be water, so not only do you get the standard circus acts, but they really use the water as well. I believe they will even be using a seal during one of their performances.

Everything else is still open to debate, but there definitely is a lot more to do in Budapest than I had expected. They also have a big zoo, a huge aquarium and they even have their own amusement park! Next to that you can visit the Palace of Sisi in Göndolo, which is 2 hours by train away from Budapest. And those who know me well are probably already thinking: ‘she’s going to suggest to go there during the holiday’. :P Yes I will suggest it, but it depends on the weather and if my fiance would feel up for it hahaha.

So yes, this time it’s not a carefully scheduled holiday... But I have bought a travel guide, which contains a map haha. Don’t like going completely unprepared, for after all, I am still a bit of a control freak ;) hahaha.

Love,

Blacky

My tutorial and personal website

2011-06-27T09:03:00.004+02:00

Currently I am stuck in a train. I have been stuck here for almost an hour, so I though I might as well write a blogpost.

Coming semester I will be doing another tutorial. This time, however, the teacher gave me card blanch to compile my own reading list! The entire tutorial will be focussed on the topic of Victorian death and mourning. Perhaps not the most cheerful topic, but definitely a facinating one. Basically this tutorial will enable me to make literaty mileage. This is one of the reasons that I will already be starting with the reading next week. I will be doing my MA thesis on this topic, so this is definitely a good way to make a start... Plus I am getting points for reading books that I would have had to read in preparation for my thesis anyway. So it is def. a win-win situation.

Reading list:

Secondary literature:

Death in the Victorian family by Pat Jalland

The Oxford Book of Death, ed. D. J. Enright.

Poetry of Mourning: the Modern Elegy from Hardy to Heaney by Jahan Ramazani

Heaven, hell and the Victorians by Michael Wheeler

Literary remains: representation of death and burial in Victorian England by Mary Hotz

Murder and moral decay in Victorian popular literature by Beth Kalikoff

Death, grief and poverty in Britain, 1870-1914 by Julie-Mary Strange

Primary literature:

The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens

East Lynne by Henry Wood

The Heir of Redclyffe by Charlotte May Young

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy

The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope

Some of the stories of Sherlock Holmes.

The Mill on the Floss by George Elliot.

Victorian detective stories: An Oxford Anthology by ed. Michael Cox.

Also, I now have my very own website! http://www.marjoleinplatjee.com/ One of my teachers said it would be advisable if you wish to persue a carreer in academics. The site functions as an academic portfolio so you won't find a lot of info on there.

Well that is it for now... Just gonna wait for the train to go again lol.

Love,
Blacky

Always doubting myself

2011-06-19T22:53:00.007+02:00

Tonight I watched the movie Julie and Julia and it really got me thinking about what one of my teachers told me. The students of the Bakhtin tutorial were talking about future plans and such. Almost all of us want to do a PHD so she was giving us a warning on how hard it can be to be a teacher in University. She spoke of the huge amount of work that you need to do, that the pay is not that good, but above all, that you constantly have to prove yourself; you never have the idea that you have made it to the top. Now this last “warning” surprisingly made me smile a little. I don’t know how to explain that type of smile; it was not happy, not scornful nor melancholic. It was caused by a thought that crossed my mind when she said that, namely ‘but I have been doing that my entire life’. My entire life I have been trying to prove myself to others. Ever since I was young people, told me that I was not good enough. In my last year of primary school my teachers actually told my parents that they should not expect great things from me. Thankfully my parents did not agree with that at all and have always stimulated me to work hard and to really bring out the most of me. And I proved those dumb teachers wrong; I got good grades and made it through HAVO with a good report.

At the end of secondary school I auditioned for the theatre academy. I really wanted to become an actress, preferably in musicals since I also really liked to sing. I have to admit that I was a little astonished by the atmosphere of the academy; I had imagined that it would look a little like the school in the musical fame (since my secondary school really resembled that), but it did not look like that at all... It looked clean, neat and tidy. At that point I started to doubt whether this was the place for me. Yet I did not want to give up on my dream... It was the day of the audition. There I stood, my big moment. I did the monologue they had asked me to prepare and suddenly was given an improvisation assignment. I was supposed to perform the monologue (which was about a failed actress) as if I had won an Oscar. Nothing my teacher ever said prepared me for this and all I could do was stand there and think: what on earth am I doing here? I forgot my lines for the first time in my life and went home a little dazed. I suddenly realised that the world of theatre would never be mine; I was simply not strong enough. I did try to get into a different theatre school, yet there you would be taught in acting, singing and dancing. I did not get through the audition day and I cannot blame them; the only part where I actually stood out was during the singing lessons. So yes, after secondary school I again was confronted with the fact that I was not good enough.

As a result I chose to do something else that I had really liked to do, namely English. And what do you know? I was actually kind of good at it. I grew a bit more confident. Over the years I went from the idea of becoming a translator to the idea of actually doing a PHD. But even though most of the teachers I have had, had faith in my abilities and some of them still do, I keep having to prove that I actually can do it to myself. You see, people saw potential in me; that is why I auditioned for the theatre academy. People encouraged me to try and get in there. But I never truly believed that I could do it myself. Yes it was my dream, but I never really thought that I could make it. Yes, the person that was doubting me, that was constantly saying I could not do it, was ME. People often see me as someone who is always optimistic, myself and happy to be that way and very confident when it comes to school work. But actually... I am not like that at all. Not one day goes by in which I do not doubt myself. In which I do not doubt at least one thing I do, one sentence I say, one word I write.

And now? Now I am at a point where I think this needs to change. I love doing what I do now; I love writing essays and doing research. I have some great friends and a wonderful fiancé. And I am so, so, so tired of always doubting myself. I am finally at a point where I can actually say to myself: hey, look what you have accomplished! Look: there are people who genuinely like you. There is someone that loves you! There are teachers that like your essays and they say you are doing great. So why doubt yourself? It’s ok to believe in yourself. Just go for it! And that is exactly what I am going to do. I am going to stop doubting myself so much... I know that this is something that is going to take some time; it is not something that can be done overnight. However, I am going to give it my all. I am going to just do the things that I love most, enjoying the time with my friends and family without... Going to have a great time with my fiancé without doubting if they like me, if I do everything right, if I am not making a mistake by saying something.... And, very important as well, I am going to get that PHD position no matter what! I do not care what types of obstacles they will throw in my way, but I will get there, because it is something that I genuinely want to do. It is something of which I now honestly believe that I can actually do it. If people think I am not good enough? Well I will show them! I will show them that I am good enough. It will be a piece of cake to prove my worth to them, for there will never be anyone to whom it will be as hard to prove this to, as it was to myself.

Well I guess that’s the end of my, rather emotional, blog post. I am usually not one to talk about my feelings, but somehow I really felt that I had to write this out. I really hope that if you, my reader, are doubting yourself, that you will one day have the same feeling that I have. That you will finally be able to look into the mirror and honesty tell yourself: I can do this. For it are not those that say “you can’t do it” that prevent you from doing it... No in the end, that person will always be you yourself. Have faith in yourself and you really can do anything.

This is blackcatje, signing off.

Our London trip!

2011-06-11T13:36:00.001+02:00

Dear reader,

Finally I am able to write a post about my visit to London. The reason that it took me so long was that I had had three essays to write and only two weeks to write them in. Taking into account that I had to work as well, I really could not find the time to squeeze in a blogpost.

Since the essays are now finished I finally have time left to tell you about everything that my best friend and I did.

Day 1:

On the first that that we arrived in London, May 16, we dropped off our luggage at the hotel which was called ‘Cherry Court Hotel’. The hotel looked absolutely adorable and the staff was really very friendly.

Doesn’t it look idyllic?

The first night we spent a night in a double which was on the small side, but the other nights we got a room in the basement which was actually a triple. The room was very spacious and since we only returned to our room during the night, it did not bother us at all that we did not have as great a view as in the other room. Every night when we came back we would find ourselves a little fruits basket filled with two bananas, two mandarins, two small apples, some cookies, two cereal bars and two packages of orange juice. This way we could just have breakfast whenever we wanted and we could even take the apples with us during the day. Really a wonderful idea!

Another great thing about this hotel is its location: it is only 5 minutes from Victorian station and thus very close the coach station as well. Also the hotel is not expensive at all: it cost us 110 pounds per person for 4 nights. So if you ever need a hotel in London; this is the place to go.

Well on our first day we decided to first go to Portobello road. It was a bit different from what I imagined it would be. It just reminded me of an ordinary market. Though I did finally find a watch on a necklace; I had been searching for a nice (and not too expensive) one for ages. So that immediately made my day. Afterwards we returned to the hotel and went to Harrods. And although we are both two grown up girls we could not help but buy something which they sold in the toy department. The brand is called Sylvanian Families and these are little families of chipmunks, rabbits, mice etc. for which you can buy toy houses, but also bakeries and all those types of things. And yes, weak against cute things as we both were, we ended up buying them.

These are the ones that I bought:

Aren’t they adorable?!!!

Note to self: avoid Harrods at all costs when in London.

Day 2:

The next day we went to the tkts ticket booth first thing in the morning. There we purchased two tickets for the evening performance of the Phantom of the Opera. After this we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum. There an exposition was held which was called The Cult of Beauty: the Aesthetic Movement 1860-1900. I have to admit that not everything was to my taste, I just can’t find those paintings by Rossetti beautiful. However, there was one sculpture that really got my interest. It was a statue called ‘Mors Janua Vitae’ by Henry Bates. The picture below really does not do the sculpture justice, but it is one of the few pictures that they have of it. The sculpture portrays the soul of a woman (in ivory) that is enveloped by a dark figure of death, who is depicted as a beautiful young man. Together they hover above a city of which the houses are build in a Gothic style.

We really liked the Victoria and Albert Museum... One of the reasons was that you actually can play dress-up in the theatre department! We had a lot of fun dressing up as Juliet, a magician and even a bird. It’s definitely worth it to try that out hahaha.

In the evening we had dinner in the Rain Forest Café, a very special restaurant that looks like a rain forest. The greatest thing about the one in London is that you actually have your personal waiter who introduces himself to you and checks if everything is to your satisfaction. Great customer service! And the food is good too!!!

In the evening we went to the Phantom of the Opera; the only thing we really really desperately wanted to see during our visit. And my gosh it was soooo worth our time and money! The décor is amazing! In the beginning there is a chandelier that is slowly lighted and is then hoisted up into the room. The actors were amazing as well, especially the Phantom. My gosh; goose bumps all over. If you ever get the chance to see this show then DO NOT HESTITATE BUT GO!!! MUST SEE!!! You will thank me later ;).

Day 3:

On our third day we went to the box office to get some tickets to see Billy Elliot. After this we went to Victoria station and got ourselves a one way travel card (which cost 4 pounds each). Why did we do this? Well I had printed some vouchers from the net which were part of the London 2for1 discount. If you buy a ticket at a railway station, even if it is just a one way travel card, you will get a massive discount on lots of attractions. With then went to the Globe Theatre to look at the exhibition and tour. The both of us were admitted for the price of one. They do not even ask to see prove that we indeed had a ticket with the British Railway symbol on it.

Just like last time I loved the visit to the Globe Theatre. The greatest thing was that they were rehearsing part of a new show (I believe it was ‘All’s Well that Ends Well’) so we actually saw a glimpse of the preparations.

After this we went to the Tower of London, where we used the same discount. As such we saved about 12 pounds per person ;). So it really is worth your while to look into it when you are going to London.

As always, the Tower of London was amazing. And our guide, Mitch, was really funny and did a wonderful job with explaining the history of the tower to us in such a small time. Unlike last year, the White Tower was now open to public. To be honest, I was a little disappointed since all they had on display were different types of armours; something I am not too interested in, but oh well. It was still fun to see.

In the evening we went to Billy Elliot. Although we were at the upper row (we paid only 20 pounds for the ticket) we had no problem seeing everything on the stage (except for, perhaps a small part of the décor). The musical was a bit of a letdown to be honest. It is definitely true that the dancing was great, but sometimes the story was a little vague and because of the accents I sometimes had a bit of a hard time understanding what was going on. I did, however, love the scenes in which Billy and his best friend were on stage together; those were just hilarious! But I suppose this is just not my type of musical. But don’t let that stop you from going ;). It, nevertheless, is a great night out for not too much money!

Day 4:

On the fourth day we went to the Sherlock Holmes museum. Even though it really is small it really is worth a visit. They have paid a lot of attention in the decoration of the place and they have wax statues of characters of some of the stories! And you never know, you might even run into the old Sherlock himself ;).

Afterwards we went to the British Library, hoping to get a tour there. The friendly person at the information desk informed us that there would be no tours during weekdays and that they would primarily have focused on the architecture of the building (which is just absolutely hideous to be honest). So instead we just visited the exhibition, which was really quite interested. Next to the first folio of Shakespeare there are quite a large number of beautiful manuscripts on display. The Library Shop is also well worth a visit. I found the perfect souvenir for one of my friends and even found a ‘must have’ book for myself: The Oxford Book of Death. Not the most cheerful topic, but it ties in perfectly with the tutorial that I will be following next semester.

Having time to spare we paid a visit to the British Museum; we primarily looked at the Egyptian and Greek/Roman galleries. We then returned to the hotel for a little, after which we went to the Jack the Ripper walk. The history of Jack the Ripper really is simply intriguing. Even if you are easily scared, these walks are not scary at all (take it from mrs scardy cat herself). Apparently we were the first people the guide ever encountered that were actually from Amsterdam. So I hope that we left a good impression ;) hahaha.

Day 5:

We went to Camden Market. My gosh that is one hell of a huge market. I thought there would be no end to it! And they have really cute clothes as well (for those amongst us who have size S-M that is). The only downside is that when you walk past stalls that sell food they keep calling you to try the food. Oh and if you see one spot where they don’t do this and where they sell crêpes... then walk past it and go for something else. Their crêpes taste like crap <.<.

We spent most of our day there, after which we spend a short visit to the National Portrait Gallery. There we saw the Elizabeth I painting that is so famous amongst us students as it is on the cover of our Norton Anthology of English Literature I hahaha.

We ended the day with some Chinese food in China Town (near Leichester Station) in Gerard’s corner. Although the food was pretty good you could really notice that they just wanted you to finish the food a.s.a.p. and then get the hell out. How do we know? Well as soon as you finish eating they come ask you if you did. They ask you if you wish for anything else; if you say no you will not even have to ask for the bill; they will get it for you yourself. In other words: we are not going to eat in China Town again... >.> Very very rude people.

Well that was the really really really long entry about your adventures in London. Hope you enjoyed reading it!

Love,

Blacky.

New years resulotions... The score (for now).

2011-04-28T21:15:00.000+02:00

Dear reader,

Well since it’s already the end of April I thought it would be a good time to see where I currently am with my New Year’s resolutions so I also know for myself what has come of them and what I still need to work on hahaha.

1. To make people smile; to make them happy.

Well so far so good with this one I think. I am just trying my best to stay my cheerful me and help others out the best that I can. I suppose that is one of the reasons why I like my current job so much: I can actually help people out to increase their chances of getting a house. Some people are really happy with the advice that you give them, which makes the job very rewarding.

2. To become more independent.

Slowly but surely I am definitely getting there. I do more things by myself without asking dad to accompany me (yes I used to do that quite a lot ahahah) and do not longer rely on mom and dad to take care of things when I am in a difficult situation.

Example: Last week I tried to book tickets for the Phantom of the Opera for our trip to London. Once the booking was confirmed the person at the other end of the phone actually asked me if the person whose credit card I was using, i.e. my dad, would also accompany me to the theatre. I said he would not and then I got the bad news that if the owner of the card was not there, we would not be able to pick the tickets up at the box office. So all in all I ended up calling people for about 1 hour, before I could finally get them to book my money back and I did not even once ask my mom or dad for assistance and I stayed perfectly calm. Well for me that was a real victory on myself, since I usually really hate calling… When I have to call people or institutions I am a major procrastinator ahhaha. But I am definitely getting better!

And yes I have been a good girl and am helping dad around the house as best as I can with all the work load.

3. To learn how to cook.

Well…. Ehm… yeah I have done lots of cooking *ahem, cough…. COUGH*. So far I know how to make a decent meal consisting of veggies and rice. Meat I am not that good with, but that’s only because I have not had the time to actually continue with the “please teach me out to cook, dad” course. ^__^” I have been insanely busy for the past few weeks, so I really couldn’t find the time.

4. To find myself another job.

Well everyone by now knows that I did actually find one! I work at Woningnet, which is a site that allows people to respond to social housing. I work at the call centre so I can inform people on what they need to do to enhance their chances of getting a house or answer more general questions about registrations and such. I really like my job since my colleagues are so nice! And of course… because it pays well. :D But My colleagues are definitely the most important thing.

Today was the first day that I was allowed to answer the calls by myself and it went really well. I did not even have the time to be nervous as they had launched their new site the day before and a lot of people called, because they were experiencing problems with the site, or had absolutely no idea how to navigate it. So basically: utter chaos and all hell broke loose haha. I did get some cake though… so I guess that makes up for a lot ;).

5. To seriously consider going abroad for half a year.

Well, as I said in a previous post, I am not going to go abroad. I do not wish to leave my fiancé and my parents behind. Maybe I will do so after I have done my PHD or something. I will just see where the future takes me.

6. To become the best girlfriend ever and have a wonderful time with my boyfriend.

This post actually made me smile, for how could I have imagined that I would not be a girlfriend anymore after one month, but a fiancée! I am not really sure how much of a good job I am doing with being the best fiancée in the world, but I am definitely trying my best. And I am always having a wonderful time with my fiancé: we have done so many things and already shared such wonderful moments in such a short time…. I can’t help but be really really grateful for being together with him.

7. To start taking singing lessons.

Well I have not actually gotten round to do this. I have been too busy juggling school, homework, a 16 hour job, my fiancé and my friends around. I hope that I will be able to take them during the next semester, though I do not know this for sure just yet. Else I will definitely be able to take them next year, since I will have a bit more free time in my schedule.

8. To read more on the Victorian Era.

Ehm… well yeah 100 pages a week next to my normal schoolwork… Seriously, I think I had lost my mind with this one. I apologize for disappointing everyone, but sometimes I clearly think I am some kind of superwoman. Next to the normal schoolwork, I had to do research for one of my subjects for an essay during the actual course (so basically it was the normal homework, about 100 pages, plus the research), so I have not been able to do any reading at all next to school (again!).

BUT! I have some really great news… well for me hahah. For my research master I have to do a tutorial with a teacher and I am going to do that on Victorian literature. The teacher that I am doing my tutorial with liked my ideas about Victorian literature in relation to death and mourning and has actually given my card blanch to compile my own reading list. So I will try to read as much Victorian literature as I possibly can. BEST COURSE EVER! Really can’t wait to start lol. Yes I know… I am SUCH a nerd ;).

9. To post a lot of blog entries.

Well ehm.. yeah I am definitely going strong with my 9 posts since the start of this year… ahem. I have just been too busy to really write many posts, especially since I have only just been able to find some kind of balance in my current, rather hectic life. But I will definitely be writing a post on our visit to London and before that I am planning to squeeze in another few posts. I am actually thinking on making a “Nightmare Alley” section for my blog, in which I could write down a few stories that are based on the nightmares that I have. And no I don’t have just your ordinary nightmares. I actually dream of abductions and people being killed in the event, vampires torturing people and babies being programmed to speak and move; so basically, I dream your average horror/thriller movie. I am actually wondering if anyone would be interested in reading them. Will you guys let me know if you are?

I really do hope that people won’t start to think that I am secretly some kind of psycho after writing down those nightmares though ^__^”. Really I am a very peaceful girl; I am against violence hahaha.

Well that’s it for now. The post actually became longer than it was supposed to be, but I hope you enjoyed it.

Love,

Blacky.

training and London trip

2011-04-07T13:11:00.001+02:00

Dear reader,

Well since it is really quiet at my workplace I thought I might as well just write a short blog update.
I have been struggling with the flu the entire week, so my training has been going a little slower than I had hoped it would. But I guess slow and steady wins the race in this case hahaha.

My colleages are really wonderful people. They are all very kind and understanding. They told me to just take it at my own place, since I don't feel very well. If I feel up for it, I might even try to take some of the calls myself today, but I will just see about that after lunch.

Not much has happened lately. I have just been extremely busy with homework, school, work and of course my wonderful fiancé. I have, however, booked a trip to London with my best friend. We are going to London for five days. We are going by buss (which is basically the cheapest way to get there hahah). We will be leaving in the evening on Sunday May 15, and we will return on the morning of Saturday 21.
Once there we are planning to visit The Globe Theatre, Sherlock Holmes, Charles Dickens Museum, Tower of London etc. I have been to most of the places, but my best friend has not. And I really don't mind going there agian, so I am sure we will have a lot of fun. In the evening we also have scheduled quite a lot. We are planning to go to several musicals, such as The Phantom of the Opera, War Horse (it really looks impressive) and Sisters Act. Also we are planning to do a Jack the Ripper tour; I really liked the tour when I did it last year and I am sure that my best friend will love it as well. ;) So we really are going to do quite a lot.
We have booked ourselves a room in a cute little hotel called Cherry Court which is run by an elderly couple. It's about 2 streets from the coatch station at which we will be arriving, and thus very close to Victoria station. ^^ Really what more could we wish for? It's really central and the reviews were really good. ;) So I am really really looking forward to the trip.
I will keep you guys updated when respect to new developments, ideas for outings etc.

Well that's it for now! ;)

Love,
Blacky

New job, Guilliver's travels and other updates

2011-03-21T15:19:00.000+01:00

Dear reader,

It has been a while since I have posted a blog, I really apologise, but I have been exceptionally busy lately.

First the good news. Most people already know, but I have been hired by a company to work at their call centre. So yeay: another of my goals for this year has been fulfilled!!!! The call centre is an inbound customer care centre, so I won’t actually have to call people nor try to sell them things (else I would never have taken the job). So yes, I am quite happy that I got hired for the job. My training was supposed to start on Monday, but it got rescheduled to Friday. However, there was one surprise in store for me. Last Thursday I received a call from the job agency that the company had asked them to call me to see if I could fill in for their receptionist (my guess is that the previous receptionist got fired). So I have been already working at the company since Thursday. Today is my last day as their receptionist; I am at work as I am typing this. It is extremely quiet at this point, so I am using my time to write a blog.

I was rather nervous, since I did not really know what to expect; I had never worked as a receptionist before (hence my surprise that the company had specifically asked for me). But so far everything has gone quite smooth. All that I have had to do was sort out the mail, reserve conference rooms and answer the phone (which is just me putting people through or redirecting them to a different number). So it’s nothing too intense ;). But apparently the fact that I can reserve a conference room was really something shocking… People ask me to, but they expect me not to know how to do it, whereas it is really very simple. lol I have no idea what kind of people they have had working here, but apparently they were not too bright. Though I really have to say that I am happy that they did not hire me for this job, because I would literally go round the bend if I had to do this two days a week for half a year, if not longer lol. It really is a bit too simple for me. I really wonder what the training will bring, but I guess I will have to see on Monday.

And the cutest thing is that they have actually given me a bouquet of tulips as a ‘welcome to the company’ gift. I really think it is touching. Everyone here is really nice as well, so I am guessing that I will enjoy my time here. Or well… so I hope hahaha.

Last Tuesday I went to see Guilliver’s travels with my best friend. The movie really was hilarious. They really managed to create a modern Guilliver that does not do harm to the original. They even added some depth to the story, which enabled Guilliver’s character to develop throughout the story. They even used romance as one of the plot triggers. I love the way how they managed to make a parody of American society, especially through the adaptation of advertisement. I really do think that the movie is worth seeing, so if you ever have the chance and like Jack Black as an actor (especially in the movies The Holiday or School of Rock): go see it!

Also on Saturday my fiancé and his mom came over for a type of ‘the parents meet the parents’ lol. They knew each other when my fiancé and I were little, so I was not all that nervous about it. And I was right: they get along splendidly. Something I am really happy about. My mother-in-law is really very cool, so I am one lucky girl. ^^

So yeah I am a busy, busy, busy bee… except for now then ;). I will try to update a bit more frequently; if school, work and social life allow.

Love,

Blacky

Valentine's day, ice festival etc!

2011-02-28T18:17:00.002+01:00

Dear reader,

It has been a while since I have written a post, but a LOT has been going on and I have been incredibly busy. So this post will be a bit of a summary of the things that have happened.

Well, first, there was of course VALENTINE’S DAY! Seeing that we had to celebrate it on Sunday, instead of Monday, as we both had school, we opted to watch some movies and just take it slowly. I bought my wonderful fiancé a digital keychain and edited a picture of us together and the picture of our rings and uploaded them along with a few other cute pictures expressing my love for him. He had bought me a red rose (a real one), a cute fluffy heart shaped pillow which said ‘I love you’ and a really really really pretty statue of an angel holding a heart, which is standing in front of a glass wall on which is written: (this is a rather free translation: the original text is in Dutch ;))

I love you.

You are the sun on a rainy day.

You are my support.

Your smile makes me glow.

Because of you I feel rich.

You are the one that I love with all my heart.

The poem almost made me cry. I was really touched.

On Thursday the 17^th we spend the entire day together, since it was the day when we had been engaged for one month! In the morning we went to Roermond where an Ice sculpture festival was held. It was really seriously awesome! The theme was Hollywood. The only downside was that the statues had been there for quite some time so a lot of the detail had melted. ^^ So I will be keeping an eye out so we can go there again next year, but then in the week when they have just made them.

Some pictures ;) (Click to enlarge)

Yesssss they even had MARY POPPINS! <3

I was amazed by the detail on this one. O.o It looked exactly like Davy Jones in Pirates!

Yes this is the witch from Narnia! Cool isn't she? :D

I love the little pun: "Ice E" :P

And while we were viewing the ice sculptures my fiancé suddenly pulled out a present! He had bought me a really really really cute Me to you bear, who is wearing a blue eskimo jacket. How sweet is that?!

Such a cute bear-bear!!!! :D TOTALY LOVE IT!!!!

Afterwards we returned to Amsterdam and went out to dinner in a student café. The price is good and the food is seriously delicious! One of the best pepersauces I have tasted in my life! :D So that is definitely worth your while. After dinner we went to see Gnomeo and Juliet. The movie is really a lot of fun, though I kind of missed Mercutio in the story. They kind of created a mix between Benvolio and Mercutio and gave him the name Benvolio, which I thought was a bit of a pity… But otherwise the story was really good fun! I especially loved the flamingo (yes there is a flamingo in there!) :D We got to laugh a lot.

So all in all I had an amazing day.

The next day I met up with a friend of the HBO who I had not seen for about 3-4 years! It was wonderful to see her again. We just sat down in a café to catch up a little, for a lot had changed in our lives. Afterwards we walked around town a bit. We really always have fun together. So I am definitely going to keep in touch this time! :D

And then on Saturday I went out to dinner with my best friend in an Italian restaurant. As always we had a lot of fun, even though this time the service was quite poor… They usually do better. I had a pizza Milano and a dame blanche for desert…. My gosh that desert is just to die for… LOVE IT!

This Saturday I met up with some girls from high school. At least once a year we hold such a mini-reunion. It is always nice to hear how everyone is doing. I had a really good time. My fiancé came to pick me up, and obviously they had not seen him yet. I really had a good laugh about their response. Imagine this: we are in the middle of a conversation. *sound of doorbell*… sudden silence for one second. One girl: ‘Omg is it him?!’ Other girl: ‘Could it be?’ Another girl: ‘It’s him! It’s him!’ Three of them make towards the door squeeling! Lol! My fiancé could actually hear them from outside! :D But they seemed to really like him…. Well that’s really not too much of a surprise, because seriously…. What’s not to like? So yeah wonderful evening.

Then this morning I went to pick up my mother-in-law with my fiancé at the airport. It has been 11 years since I last saw her so it was really nice to see her again. She even brought me back a present from Surinam. I got a really cute silver necklace with LOTS and LOTS of tiny hearts and a matching bracelet. It’s soooo adorable. ^^

So, as you can see, lots and LOTS has been happening and I have been insanely busy. I really do have my hands full with keeping up with homework next to all this. But it is well worth it; so many wonderful memories! :D I will make sure to cherish them!

Love,

Blacky

How Disney influenced my life!

2011-02-05T12:04:00.002+01:00

Dear readers,

On the Disney questionnaire I made a while ago, I asked how Disney influenced peoples lives. Well seeing that it is well known that I absolutely love Disney I thought it might be fun to write a blog entry on how it has influenced mine.

I think that, to a certain point, Disney enabled me to retain a bit of childlike innocence. It is a way for me to sometimes just escape the nasty outside world (with all its murders, people stabbing others in the back etc.). It’s a place where magic does exist and where you can actually believe in it a little; even if it is for 1,5-2 hours. Maybe it is also the reason why I am always so optimistic… A lot of bad things might be thrown in your way (like chocking on an apple, or falling asleep for a 100 years), but if you work hard and stay kind to others, the hard work will pay off… And you might be able to get your happy ending! :D

One of my favourite Disney princesses was Aurora, Sleeping Beauty. I always really liked her, because she was really sweet to everyone around her, was great with animals and had a beautiful singing voice. I have to admit that as I child I really wanted to be like that. Looking at the way I am right now, it just struck me to what extent it had actually influenced me… To sum up the result: I am quite good with dogs and cats (especially dogs love me lol), I always try to be kind and friendly to those around me and I am going to take singing lessons. ^__^” I guess when someone said I was like a Disney princess, i.e. the stereotypical ‘girl next door’-type… I guess she was right after all lol!

Then there is of course my Disney collection: I have a couple of Disney figurines, a snow globe, a small box from Olszewski’s Gallery of Light and a lot of tree ornaments…. Oh and not to forget… My totally awesome Alice in Wonderland Teapot and cup and saucer! The crown jewel on my collection hahaha. Though I have not bought any figures in quite some time… Simply because I have no idea where to put them hahaha. I need a bigger room! Oh and then of course there are my Disney t-shirts… :P which have apparently been a topic for some debate at University (not like I particularly care lol).

Well I think that about sums it all up ;). If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Love,

Blacky

Fulfilling my New Year's Resolutions!

2011-02-01T16:14:00.005+01:00

Dear reader,

In my blogpost on my resolutions for the year 2011 I wrote that I really wanted to do some reading on the Victorian Era, or Victorian literature, next to my studies. I am not sure if I will be able to make the 100 pages a week target I set myself.. I am pretty sure I won’t, but I will try my best to do it! I am not planning on reading less than 50! :D

To help me achieve my goal (and as a way to stimulate myself to really do it) I have joined a site that is called Goodreads. There you can make a list of all the books that you have read, still want to read, or are reading at the moment. I have limited my list to literary books ;). Most of the books in the ‘read’ list I have read for my courses. This, however, will soon change! The wonderful thing about this website is that it also provides you with widgets for your blog! ;) Couldn’t help but try it out.

See more under the cut....

Seeing that I did not have any homework for this week, and that I have finished half of the homework for next week, I decided to pick up a book. I decided to go with A Tale of Two Cities of Charles Dickens… And what a good choice that was! It really is a wonderful book. I decided to write a short review on it on Goodreads. ;) See below if you are interested. (If not, than skip to the part under 'view all my reviews')

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As I thought, there is nothing like a good Dickens. His use of language and imagery is absolutely superb. Almost without effort he seems to call before the mind’s eye the towns of London and Paris during and around the French revolution. Without describing gruesome details (a technique many a writer today seems to resort to for the desired effect) Dickens nevertheless succeeds perfectly in sketching the horrific and grim Parisian atmosphere of that time. His plots always develop slowly, but this does not spoil the fun of reading, for one cannot help but keep wondering why Dickens chooses to dwell on the description of some characters, as they seem, at first glance, quite insignificant. However, this master of the gold thread always neatly uses all these characters to construct an interesting and amazingly strong plotline; never leaving his reader with loose ends. As most of his other books do, A Tale of Two Cities leaves its reader with a couple of characters which will not soon be forgotten. The description of Dr. Manette, for example, in the first ‘book’ is so strong that one can do naught but pitty this old man. This reader was almost moved to tears by the wretchedness of his situation.

A Tale of Two Cities is indeed a memorable book and very well worth reading, or even rereading for that matter.

View all my reviews

I am about to take up The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James and have Elisabeth Gaskell's Wifes and Daughters on my nightstand. I usually read a little in the latter before I go to bed (so that is more of a long term project).

So far I am making a good start with the fulfilling of my other New Year’s resolutions as well. I have been trying hard to post blogs quite regularly (of course they depend heavily on I experience in everyday life hahah), I have sent out job applications and actually have a job interview this Friday, I have been searching the net to find a good place to take singing lessons (I am waiting with the actual application for the lessons until the job has been settled, so I can chose a day on which I want to take the singing lessons), and I have been trying to help my dad out around the house a little. Haven’t started the cooking lessons yet though ahahah. Come to think of it: I might as well do that today!

Also I have been thinking seriously about going abroad during the first semester of next school year and I have decided not to do it. I have a wonderful fiancé that I do not want to leave behind and I really wouldn’t know what to do if something happened to one of my parents. My mom has been having more and more difficulty with walking, so if something were to happen to dad I would definitely have to help out more around the house, do the groceries and such. Also I would really miss some of my friends, and some of them depend on me for certain things, and I really want to be there for them whenever I can. However, to compensate for my lack of experience abroad I will focus even more on self studies and just try to read as much as I can on the Victorian Era. Perhaps that the opportunity to go abroad will arise later in life ;). One never knows!

I am really going to try my best to make 2011 a successful year! But most of all; I hope the rest of the year will be as wonderful as the first month :D.

Love,

Blacky.

Essay and dance competition.

2011-01-27T11:28:00.000+01:00

Dear readers,

Just a short entry this time for nothing much as happened over the past week. I have been extremely busy with writing an essay for an oral exam which I will be having tomorrow (Friday the 28th). It was quite a lot of fun to work on that essay, since the topic was Disney. Now I sincerely doubt it that me teacher knows more about Disney than I do (if he does… he would be even weirder than I already thing he is lol), so I should be pretty save on Friday. If you would like to know more about this essay than let me know and I will try to give you some sort of summary.

Last Sunday my fiancé and I went to a dancing competition of a dear friend of mine. She and her fiancé have been dancing for quite some time and have been entering competitions together for about half a year now. This competition was a regional one. They make a wonderful couple, both in real life and on the dance floor.

I had never been to a dancing competition before so I did not really know what to expect. The competition had been divided into four different levels. Each level danced the same ballroom dances (English waltz, Quick step and Tango), though the difficulty of the dance (of course) depended heavily on their level. It was quite fun to watch and it made me realize just how much I liked to dance myself. Yes, I actually did style dancing for half a year, after which I had to quit, because I got too busy with school. Even my fiancé noticed hahaha. But yeah, I would love to go and watch them dance again! ^^ Maybe next time I will also be able to see them do the Latin dances (Rumba, Chachacha and Salsa, if I am correct).

Well that is it for now. Today’s planning consists of doing some prep work for the oral exam and probably doing some reading in advance! <-- Yes I am back in my workaholic mode hahaha.

Love,

Blacky.

I am engaged!! WHOOT! ^^

2011-01-18T13:47:00.000+01:00

Dear readers,

Yes this is an entire post on my ENGAGEMENT!!!!! (Somehow I can’t get enough of that word right now lol). I am expecting this to be the most read blogpost so far hahaha. Though probably also the most hyped up one (yes I am extremely hyper at this moment).

Well I won’t beat around the busy and just tell everyone the entire story. As everyone knows (and if you don’t know: please see a previous blogpost) we went to pick out some rings and actually ended up buying them. I knew that my boyfriend was going to propose on the 17^th, but I had no idea how, where etc. On Sunday (the 16^th) he told me he had made some arrangements for the evening. I was really excited and was really wondering what he had planned. Eventually we left his house at around 11 o’clock… Which made me really curious as to what we were going to do. He eventually told me it would be some kind of ‘game’ that we were going to play which involved solving puzzles and doing ‘tasks’. So basically: I still had no idea where we were going. After having taken the subway and then walking for a while, he called a friend who told him that ‘the game was cancelled’, so we turned around and walked back along the waterside. He suggested to walk through a nearby park and eventually took me to a really really beautiful viewpoint along the waterside from where you could see a beautifully lit city in the distance. It was sooo beautiful and with the almost full moon it was really romantic. It was now 12 o’clock midnight and technically it was now the 17th. At first I did not completely comprehend what was going on, as he started to apologize for not being able to write a good poem to go with the occasion (he tried to write a poem… how cute is that??!!!!) and then he gave me a blue rose and got down on one knee and proposed!!!!! Well it did not take long before I could come up with an answer; of course I said ‘yes’ immediately! :D

As we walked home, my fiancé (… <3) called his mother in Surinam to tell the news. She was a bit disappointed since she could not be there, but really happy for us and congratulated us. The next day we went to ask my parents for their blessing… We were both nervous as hell; which resulted in me being really gigglish lol. My fiancé (yes I am definitely using this word as often as I can :P) had put on a suit (in which he looked absolutely stunning by the way) to make a good impression. So as soon as he walked into the living room my mom asked: O.o ok… wow! So…. now what? ahhahaha. And then… he asked them for their blessing. Mom and dad actually had seen it coming and were really happy for us. :D We ended up opening a bottle of champagne to celebrate it. ;) So we had been nervous and worrying for nothing ahaha.

So yesterday was an eventful and wonderful day! I have to get a little used to wearing the ring all the time, since I hardly wear rings…. But there is no way that I am taking this one off hahaha. I will cherish this ring, as I will cherish our love, which will hopefully last forever.

I wanted to thank all my friends and family for their love and support and the numerous ‘congratulations’ messages by phone, text message or facebook. ^^ I really appreciate it!

Love,

Blacky

A very eventful day: rings and Rapunzel ;)

2011-01-08T11:02:00.000+01:00

Dear reader,

A lot seems to have happened this week. On the 3^rd of January my bf and I decided to kind of pull a joke on people… Well actually: he wanted a joke on his friends and family. >.< Kind of my fault though, because I actually dared him to do it hahaha. Simply because I really didn’t think he would do it. :P Decided to just go along with it for the heck of it. So we changed our facebook status to ‘engaged’. At first, from my side, no one noticed. He, however, got a lot of reactions from people either saying ‘Congratulations!’ or asking ‘Is that really true or just a joke?’ ^__^” He even fooled his mother (though that’s just the relationship the two of them have). Her reaction was: ‘Have you thought this through properly? Isn’t this too soon?... Or did an accident happen… Is she pregnant? Am I going to be a grandmother?’ So my boyfriend just responded (thinking that she would probably have picked up the joke by now), ‘Yes mom, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about’. Her reaction was a bit too positive on this one ahahaha. ‘Ok, is she going to move in with us? You guys can have the basement! Come live with mommy!… I should start buying some baby things’. ^__^” So my boyfriend just confessed to her it was a joke. She actually was a bit disappointed… His poor mother lol. Though I guess it’s a good thing to know that I am welcome there and that she thinks we are capable of raising a kid I guess… XD But no way in hell I am having kids any time soon.

So in the end we told everyone that it was just a joke… But actually, we kind of liked the facebook status which was still saying ‘engaged’…. And we started thinking about actually getting engaged. So we decided to just go window shopping for rings on Thursday (the 6^th); to give ourselves an idea on what was out there.
After going to a couple of shops in the city and getting a near heart attack since most of them were like 2000+ euro’s (for one ring?!), we went to shops which were located a bit outside the centre. There we eventually decided to look inside one of the shops and the lady that was running the store asked us if there was anything we were looking for in particular. So, with a bit of embarrassment and uneasiness we replied with an ‘ah… ehm… yeah we are looking for a set of rings’. So she asked us to take a seat and started to pull out some drawers with rings. And we actually both found a ring that we really liked… and you can guess what happened: we ended up ordering them!!

Outside the shop we just looked at each other like: ‘Ok.. recap… What on earth happened just now? Did we just… OMG we actually bought rings!’ My bf was just looking at me a bit dazed… and I… I was just extremely gigglish and hyper active! It all really happened really fast, but neither of us regrets it. The rings should arrive by the end of next week…. And then the waiting will begin… :P When oh when will he propose? And how will he do it…. So exciting!!!! He called his mom to tell her about it and she actually gave us her blessing. My parents don’t know about anything yet… We thought it would be a better idea to actually tell them after the engagement and then ask for their blessing.

I immediately texted my best friend… And (as expected) my phone rang about 1 min. after hahaha. She’s really happy for us too! Though it almost gave her a heart attack because she thought it meant that we were actually getting married this year or so. Well, we are not getting married any time soon. We first have to finish our studies, get a decent job, start living together… You know the drill ;).

After having bought the rings we went to the movie theatre. According to the website Disney's Rapunzel (the movie we wanted to see) would not be featured that day. So we decided to go to Megabrain. While actually selecting the movie we wanted to go to, I noticed that Rapunzel was actually in the list and we were on time for the screening! So we decided to go watch that one… IT WAS FANTASTIC! I especially love the horse, Maximus. He is soooo funny! The idea of a horse sniffing a thieve out and actually defeating him in a swordfight…was just brilliant! I might put up a more in-depth discussion of this movie next week.

So yeah all in all Thursday was a rather eventful day with some unexpected things happening ;). Life really is full of surprises I guess! :D

Love,

Blacky

My Christmas presents

2011-01-03T12:11:00.000+01:00

Dear all,

It just occurred to me that I have completely neglected to write a post on the Gifts I received for Christmas! Now that just won’t do… especially not since I got some really awesome things :D.

The first person to give me a Christmas gift was my best friend. She gave me a cup and saucer with a lily bell design. Why would she give me a cup and saucer? Well, I guess that’s another one of my addictions… not only do I like cute and pretty things… I also like beautiful tea pots… and with that beautiful cups and saucers. So with this gift my best friend was definitely spot on hahaha.

(see the pictures under the cut).

Isn't it the loveliest thing you have ever seen?

My boyfriend gave me a really really adorable plushy! He gave me a Gryphon hatchling! I do not play WoW, but I don’t think that’s needed to appreciate this little cutie!

Just look at it. It just looks at you like: mommy! *insert squeal here*

My parents really spoiled met his Christmas. I got two reference books on the Victorian Era, one called Companion to Victorian Literature and Culture and one called Companion to the Victorian Novel. Both are from the same series. So I will have some reading to do in my spare time (not like I didn’t have enough books already…. *ahem* lol).

Also I got three volumes of a manga that I have been following for a while now: V. B. Rose. It’s about a girl, named Ageha, who starts working at a bridal shop that have their own atelier where they design and create wedding dresses for their clients. The two people working at the atelier are two boys… well you can guess the rest: she falls in love with one of them :D. I really love this manga probably because the girl reminds me of myself: she loves cute and beautiful things too hahaha. Though there is one big difference: she can sew XD.

I still like the cover of vol. 1 the best... The lines around the picture are actually golden (this goes for every volume)... It looks soooo pretty!

Well so much for my Christmas presents. ^^ Did you get some awesome ones as well?

Love,

Blacky.

I am very grateful! ^^

2010-12-31T13:57:00.000+01:00

Dear readers,

Well since this is the last day of the year I thought that this would be a good occasion to write a post on what I am thankful for.

The people I am most thankful to are my parents. They have always supported me in everything I did, and I am truly grateful to them for it. It’s nice to know that they will always stand right behind me, no matter decisions I make (well as long as it is a wise one).

I am also extremely thankful to all my close friends (you know who you are)… They are always there for me when I need them. I am not the type of person who easily shows her emotions or for whom it is easy to share with others what she thinks. However, just knowing that there are people that are there for me when I need them really gives me strength.

I am grateful to my ex-boyfriend for leaving me with some really wonderful memories. Also I am very grateful to his family for making me feel like I really was part of their family and that they still treat me kindly. They have been very understanding… Especially his grandmother with whom I still have e-mail contact (usually once every week). The woman is 83, but knows how to deal with computers ;).

More grateful I am to my current boyfriend. He really accepts me for who I am… with all my silly addictions and my (silly) flaws. This is the first time that I am experiencing this feelings to such an extent, and I am still trying to get used to it… or at least trying to learn how to deal with it hahaha. This little control freak is sometimes kind of losing control at times lol. He’s been very patient with me in that respect and I really really appreciate that. I am really fortunate to have found someone as special as him, and I hope we can be together for a long long time.

I am also really thankful for being given the opportunity to do the Master Literary Studies. I really enjoy most of the subjects which I follow for that master and I really like the fact that I can chose most of the courses myself. This really does enable me to broaden the path that I have chosen. As such I am also very grateful to the two teachers who wrote me a recommendation letter. ^^ Without those it would not have been possible to enter the program.

I am really looking forward to what the new year has to bring. It is bound to be exciting and filled with lots of opportunities to grow: be it academically as well as personally.

I wish everyone a happy New Year, filled with luck, love, prosperity and a little magic. May all your wishes come true when the clock strikes 12 ;).

Love,

Blacky.

My resolutions for 2011

2010-12-29T13:01:00.000+01:00

I usually never make resolutions for the New Year… But this year I am actually going to do it since there are a few things that I really really want to change about myself. So here goes: my (what became quite a long) list of resolutions for 2011.

1. To make people smile; to make them happy. This one I am always thinking off. People often say: but to make someone smile isn’t quite enough now is it? It’s not the same as making someone happy. I beg to differ on this point, for whenever someone shows you a genuine smile, they, at that point experience one moment of pure happiness. Even if it lasts only for a second, it’s still more than worth the effort.

2. To become more independent. I really am daddies little girl… Can’t do without my parents for a day without getting lonely. I usually drag my dad all over the city if I want to go somewhere… ^__^” Ever since I was a child I have had a lot of attention from my parents hahaha. My dad even makes my sandwiches before I go to school (not because I can’t do it myself… but because it has always been like that and… I like to be spoiled hahah) Yes, I am a spoiled little brat… So that’s why I really think it’s time for me to become more independent. My parents are getting older and I should really start helping them out. I can’t expect mommy and daddy to always take care of me now can I ;).

3. To learn how to cook (yep 2 and 3 are closely related hahahah). All I can make are omelets and pancakes (though I really make some mean pancakes if I do say so myself lol)… about high time that I learn how to cook other things as well ahahha.

4. To find myself another job. Today my internship officially ended: last week was my final workday and today I had a job evaluation with my supervisor. He praised me for the fact that I learn really fast and that I was really good with the technical aspects of the job (computer programs…. Bring it on! No problem AT ALL lol). Also I got praised for my work speed… Though the disadvantage of that was that I often ended up making mistakes. This, however, was also the result of me wanting to do the job perfectly; what happens if I go into ‘perfectionist mode’ is that I sometimes tend to focus completely on one of my flaws and then overlook the others. This really is something I need to work on.

Through this internship I discovered that the publisher/editor Master which I wanted to do after Literary Studies is not for me. I still make too many mistakes and I simply do not read fast enough. Truth be told, I was already afraid of that and it was one of the reasons why I wanted to do this internship: to gain experience and to see if I could pull it off. Thus I am really happy that I have done this internship, so I will not start a Master and discover midway that I am unable to cope. I have been thinking about this for two months now, so it wasn’t really a shock when my supervisor told me (after I told him that I would probably not do the master) that it probably was the best thing not too (he had done it himself and also really struggled with it). It’s better to be honest with yourself then to do something even though you know you can’t ;). So… this calls for a change of plans. Which brings me to the next point:

5. To seriously consider going abroad for half a year. I know that some people will be quite shocked about this…. Even I am ahahha. I am little miss totally dependent of her parents… and really never even considered going abroad…. But I am seriously considering it right now. Since I have to change my ‘career plan’ *ahem*, I decided that I would go for my PHD. My thesis supervisor, however, told me last year that you make a much better change to be hired for such a position if you have actually studied abroad. So that is why I am thinking about it… If I go abroad I will have to do this during the first semester of next year. So I really do need to make up my mind quickly. This also probably explains why I want to become more independent hahaha. I do have a back-up plan in mind though. If I do not get hired for my PHD I am thinking of doing a Master in Translation. I have always liked doing translations… so why not? Though I will seriously be giving it my all to get hired for my PHD… Which means keeping up my grade average as well. You have to have good grades so that they can actually see that you are a good student.

6. To become the best girlfriend ever and have a wonderful time with my boyfriend. I need to open up a bit more. I am one of those people who does not talk about her emotions that freely. I do talk about bad things that happen, though only in a rather distant manner. This is something I really need to work on and something I really am working on. Also if something is bothering me, I should just come out and say in, instead of keeping it all bottled up inside like I used to do. It’s not good to do something like that in a relationship…. So yeah; lots of work to do there ;).

7. To start taking singing lessons. I have wanted to do so for six years… so I thought it is about time that I started doing it. There is not one day that goes by without me singing. It has always been a way of expressing myself. I am probably going to have a bit more time next semester, so I thought I could probably manage to sing for about 1 or 2 hours a week.

8. To read more on the Victorian Era; preferably by reading 100 pages a week (next to my normal schoolwork). This in preparation for my Master thesis as well as my PHD. Yes I am planning on doing a PHD which is related to the Victorian Era… since that is my field of expertise as well as the literary era that I am most interested in.

9. To post a lot of blog entries. I really like writing, especially for this blog and it helps me to develop my English even further. S

Well… that turned out to be one hell of a list hahaha. I am asking a lot of myself, but these are just things that I really want to change. So change there will be!!!

To my friends: please guide me through the next year as well. Thanks for always supporting me and being there for me. Although I don’t usually knock on your door when something it’s bothering me, the idea that I can actually go to someone to talk about it really gives me strength.

Love,

Blacky

Why I love Christmas so much....

2010-12-26T14:02:00.002+01:00

Dear readers,

I wanted to wish you a very merry Christmas! :D I hope you will have a wonderful time with your family and friends this weekend!

This post will be on what I like so much about Christmas. I find that people sometimes do not understand what I can be so hyped up about during this time of year. So I decided to make a small list, just because I myself never really thought about the answer.

So… what do I like about Christmas (in random order):

1. Being comfy and cosy at home with my loved ones and just having fun; either by playing a game or watching a movie.

2. Christmas movies. I really really absolutely love the classic Christmas movies like White Christmas who just have that magical feel to it and a happy ending. I get the same feeling from the first Santa Claus movie by Disney. It just seems to breath warmth, hope and magic.

3. Which brings me to the third topic: it’s a magical time. Even if you are a grown up you can just let yourself go for just a short while and just believe a little bit of the magic so strongly connected to this season… This can be in the form of losing yourself in one of the Christmas movies and seeing yourself riding beside Santa in his sleigh, delivering packages all over the world and seeing the beautiful smiles on childrens’ faces, or in the form of “hope” or “faith”. For, after all, even to those who are not religious, Christmas is the season of hope. Some people hope for peace on earth or just for their beloved son, daughter, husband or boyfriend to return home safely; others hope that they will be able to celebrate Christmas in the way they have been doing for a long, long time; or they hope that their lover will be able to be with them for Christmas; again others hope to receive a lot of Christmas cards; and children (and some adults) hope that they will get that one much wanted present on the top of their list. I myself am one of those people who hopes to celebrate Christmas with my family and boyfriend in the way in which we have been doing it for a very long time.

4. Christmas songs. I am an absolute Christmas song addict. I sometimes have Christmas songs in my head in June hahaha. I love these songs because they are often so happy and joyful. Just listening to them makes my happy. They are simple, yet beautiful and sometimes really seem to capture the feeling which I get when it’s Christmas.

So here’s a little treat for you guys. The Christmas Song sung by Josh Groban (by far the most awesome version out there).

5. The presents. For me it’s not so much about receiving them, than it is about giving them. I sometimes starting thinking up stuff I could give my friends in June (yes that has actually happened before). I always try to find everyone the perfect present. I just love to see the reactions when they open the parcel and go like; OMG! That’s soooo cool! Or: how pretty!!!!! The presents don’t have to be expensive; as long as it is something which they genuinely love. Recently, mum has developed a tendency to start crying whenever she opens one of my parcels, because she really loves the things I give her. She loves puzzles, so I bought her a Christmas themed Disney puzzle when I was in Disneyland. Never seen her that happy with a puzzle. So yeah; the reactions are really really really worth it. That’s definitely one of my favourite things about Christmas.

6. The Christmas tree. What can be more Christmasy than the Christmas tree! I always really look forward to buying it and decorating it. Especially since the past few years, because I have gathered quite a lot of Disney ornaments: so many that they fill up the tree entirely. And as promised I would post up some pictures of the tree. I have made separate pictures of some of my favourite ornaments. I hope you like them too ;)

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree.....

With this little one it all started. I bought this one in Disneyland in 2007.

This one is actually a rather large bell... How cool is that?

There's a switch underneath which makes her wings change colour :D. Awsome ne?

Perfect match with the tree topper... Isn't she beautiful?

Who wouldn't love this Christmas package? ;)

Doesn't Niko look adorable?

Tinkerbell is holding her little firefly friend from

the second Tinkerbell movie ;).

So that about sums up why I love Christmas so much. ;) I hope that people will now be able to understand my Christmas hyperness and addiction a bit more hahaha.

Love,
Blacky

Boyfriend and Disney ;)

2010-12-23T11:56:00.002+01:00

Dear reader,

I know I promised to write a post on my adventures in Disney…. but I have a lot to tell right now, so that will have to wait for the next post (or 2). ;) But don’t worry: it will come. This post will be Disney related though :D!!

First of all: I now officially have a boyfriend. My mom finally gave way!!! The date on which this happened was the 17^th of December (yes Friday last week). As such we also decided to just take that date as the ‘official’ starting point of our relationship. So yeah, I am really really really happy right now. It really doesn’t feel like I have only had contact with him again for about 2 months. With everyday we are getting to know each other more and more and we seem to really understand each other. I for example now don’t just get a ‘you still girl’ smile when I start rambling about Disney, or do I have to explain every time which princess was which, but he really seems to go going along with it. He even downloaded Disney movies on his computer. ^^ So that should be really really really fun!

Last week I went with him to the Disney store in Rotterdam in order to buy my father and my best friend a Christmas present. And of course I did not leave the store without buying something myself. I ended up buying a Mickey and Minnie Christmas plate. I already bought a Mickey Christmas plate last year, which featured Mickey as Santa… So yeah it looks like I will be collecting a set of different Disney Christmas plates hahaha.

My new plate looks like this:

Isn’t it cool? :D Was tempted to buy four of them... But I will go for four different plates I guess hahaha.

Yesterday we went back there again…. Because my boyfriend (… iek I can now use that term!) wanted to buy himself a plushy that he had seen there. It was a plushy of Sulley from Monsters Inc. who was holding Mike… It really looked incredibly adorable… And it was sooooo fluffy! Luckily the plushy wasn’t sold out yet, so he was able to purchase it. XD Almost bought something again, but refrained from doing so.

Afterwards we returned to Amsterdam since I had to buy a part of my best friends present. She tried to guess what it was, but she still has no idea… Lmao it was soo funny to hear her guessing. After that we were planning on going to Tangled, but unfortunately the ticket system at the Cinema had given up the ghosts, so instead we decided to go to his place. We still had a wonderful time together… Being able to be near him is enough for me to have a good time really.

So for today it is back to homework and trying to work on my best friends Christmas present :D.

I will make sure to post up another update before Christmas… which will be all about my Disney Christmas tree :P hahaha.

Love,

Blacky.

Breaking-up and falling in love: a rollercoaster ride

2010-12-12T15:13:00.000+01:00

Dear reader,

Finally another update! >.< yes I am very ashamed of myself for not updating for 2 whole months. But I have a very good explanation for it all: a. I have been crazily busy with school and internship and b. I broke up with my boyfriend about 1,5 month ago. The last reason has been the most important one, because it just didn’t feel right to start writing about that so soon after the breakup. So I decided to not write anything at all for a little while.

Everyone was quite shocked about the break-up. One person even said: I really thought you guys were going to stay together until the end. I used to think the same way, but a lot of things had happened between my (now ex-)boyfriend and me: no fights or anything, but we had had to deal with a lot of difficult situations and he had a lot of problems which he had to deal with (failure anxiety, trust issues, inferiority complex etc. etc.). In the irritations just kept building up. I kept telling myself: it’s ok. This or that will change as soon as this or that happens. In the end… I just got tired of waiting for all those things to change… So I decided to break up with him. Which wasn’t a very easy decision to make since we had been together for almost 4 years. ^__^”

From that point on a lot has happened. I have fallen madly in love with an old classmate of mine… He added me on facebook about two weeks before the break-up. We used to be in primary school together and had not seen each other ever since… So we had about 11? years of catching up to do lol… Really soon after the break-up I just fell head over heals in love with him. I wasn’t really prepared for it since it was so soon, but it kind of just hit me… It was really overwhelming. I felt kind of bad about it towards my ex at first, but you just really can’t stop those feelings if they are this intense… I just can’t recognize myself anymore. I couldn’t eat properly for the first couple of days. I talk to him a lot on msn and, especially in the beginning, if he wasn’t at home when I got home my mood just went sour O.o (truth be told I still have that a little). Also I keep wanting to see him so badly that I would even put my homework on a hold for it ß which is completely out of character o.o; even I am shocked about this one hahaha.

My mom was a little opposed to it at first and still is a little, because she is of the opinion that I should take some time for myself and because she was afraid that my feelings for him were only the result of him being there for me after the breakup. He really has been there for me during and after the breakup, but I am really sure that that’s not the reason why I love him so much… I love the guy for who he is: he’s really sweet, just plain adorable (he’s so huggable that I gave him the nickname Teddy Prince lol), dependable… could go on forever like this forever, but I will spare my readers the prattle of this love stricken kitten ;). Basically, I have really tried to convince my mum (and I have been a little rebellious *hush hush*), because I have never been more sure of anything in my life!

My mum gave me an ultimatum of taking it slow for 2 months… But she is starting to slowly accept that there really is nothing I can do about these feelings hahaha. ^__^” Really ain’t no stopping this. So he has been invited over to dinner on Thursday and will celebrate Christmas with us on boxing day! :D Going to be the best Christmas ever!!!!

I have already introduced him to my best friend (who liked him a lot :D) and showed his Facebook picture to some of my friends. He’s part Surinam, so one of my friends went like: o.o I thought you were into white guys? hahaha. Skin colour really doesn’t matter to me. The most important thing is that it feels right. And gosh this really feels right. It really doesn’t feel like we have only been together for about a month.

^^ So for the past month I have actually been feeling on top of the world. He has the same effect that a Disney store has on me… I get recharged and am sometimes completely hyped up hahhaa. Oh and BONUS: he’s not completely opposed to Disney :P. He likes the Swan Princess (ok that’s not a Disney movie, but it’s Disney-ish) and he wants to go and see Tangled with me :D.

Well this love stricken kittycat is going to get back to her homework. >. > I was thinking of decorating the Christmas tree today, but I am not sure if that will give my dad a heart attack; he’s been sooo busy!

Look forward to some updates about the past 2 months with, amongst other things, a short report on my trip to Disney :D!!!!

Love,

Blacky

Stress.... and wonderful news! :D

2010-10-07T22:52:00.000+02:00

Dear readers,

So it is just past ten o’ clock (or at least when I started writing it... and before I got interrupted by phonecalls lol) and I actually gave myself an hour off for a change to actually put a post up here. Lately I have been doing homework until eleven… At which time I shut down my computer and go straight to bed.

Life has been a bit hectic. I only just finished the typing out of the interview I was talking about in the other post. I really did not expect it to be so time consuming. It basically took me about three weeks to finish due to all the homework. But well, now it’s finished… And I really think that I would be doing something like that any time soon. It was interesting to do, because the writer that was being interviewed really had an insanely large literary and theoretic background. However, the pay really does not cover the amount of time that is in it… and frankly, I thought I would go insane with all the stress, since I still had an insane amount of homework to do for the past two weeks.

So that’s about done. This Friday I will train the person who is going to take over my position as treasurer at the student organization. And the Friday the week after we will be holding the members meeting. At the meeting I will present the financial statements and the old board (including me) will officially resign. So that will be the end of that chapter… It was a fun, but very bumpy ride hahhaa.

Anyhow, enough about stress… I have wonderful news!!!... Well that is wonderful news for me. Two days ago my best friend and I booked a three day trip to Disneyland Paris Christmas!!!! :D I am totally looking forward to it! We are going there on November 26 by bus and we will be staying in one of the Disney partner hotels; hotel Kyriad. We have stayed there before and the rooms are really nice and comfy. They are not very big, but we don’t need that much space anyway hahaha. I have always wanted to go to Disney around the time when it is decorated for Christmas and next month it’s finally happening! So currently I am saving up money to buy some souvenirs, lots of Disney stuffles and some awesome Christmas presents! :D The combination of Disney and Christmas is a bit dangerous though, seeing that I both really love Disney and Christmas…. ^__^” So I will just try to not spend all my savings on Disney thingies hahaha.

Well that's it for now ;)

Love,

Blacky.

Quick update

2010-09-27T14:04:00.001+02:00

Dear reader,

No I have not died yet... Almost did, but not quite lol.
I have not been able to update my blog at all for the past four weeks, since they have been absolute hell. I am even typing this in my break at my internship... Could not have got round to it other wise.

So what has been going on? My teachers have just been building moutains of homework for me, and some of the texts are just insanely difficult. I find myself wondering what on earth posessed me to take a subject with Cultural Analyses... Though it's not just me. Some of the students that already have their Bachelors degree in Cultural Analyses are struggling even more than I am.

Well next to that I still have my intership for which I sometimes need to do reading assignments at home. Also I have taken up the job of typing out an interview for a renounced Dutch literary magazine. The interview lasts for 6 hours and it really is a hell of a job. So I am pretty much struggling to keep up with the workload and sometimes it is even difficult to keep up with my e-mails... Not that I get that many, but that just goes to show.

Also I still have the work for the student organization on my hands. The booksale which we held was quite a success, but this also means more work for me since my financial administration is now out dated and a bit of a mess. So yeah I have to review the financial statements that I made prior to the booksales... But after the general membership meeting on (I believe) october 15, then I will be a free woman again with regard to the organization ahhaha.

Either way, I am expecting things to calm down shortly, seeing that the interview will be finished next week (or so I hope) and that my role as treasurer is coming to an end. By next week I hope that I have been able to adapt to the rythm of having to go to school and interinship, so that I can find time to update regularly again. Yes I am really planning on doing so! If everything else fails I will just have to wait until week 8... Then I will have rounded off the Cultural Analyses subject... meaning that I will have extra time for sure! Yeay \(^-^)/.

So please do not give up on me yet!

Love from an insanely busy,

Blacky

On lots of things!

2010-09-04T11:35:00.000+02:00

Dear reader,

Sorry for not posting or a while. I have been insanely busy the past few days. So… this post will pretty much be a summary of the things I have been doing hahaha.
Tuesday I had a meeting with the other board members of the student organization on the booksale which we will be holding next week. Subsequently, I had an introduction of the new Masters that I will be taking. I was really pumped up after this. The other students look really friendly and the teacher announced that he will take our background and interests into account whilst determining the schedule for the course that he will be teaching.... So I am totally looking forward to that.
On Wednesday was the second day of my internship. Everything went a lot more smoothly then on Monday and my supervisor really gave me a lot of chores to do. Next Monday morning I will be all by myself. So basically… I will be flying solo…. Which I think is pretty scary considering the fact that it will only be my third day. Well my supervisor clearly has a lot of trust in me ^__^”. So yeah tomorrow I will probably be really nervous hahaha.

As for Thursday: a member of the student organization helped me to check the records and Financial States, so that is all taken care of. Also, we received the books for the booksale. I could not fully help everyone out since I had a prior appointment, but the other board members were kind enough to take care of it.
Yesterday I went to what is called the Boekenfestijn (in English: the bookfestivity), which is old in several convernencehalls all over the Netherlands. A lot of books which are deemed redundant by some publishers or stores, or with which there is something wrong (like the pages stick together etc.) are sold there. I go there every year, since the books are really cheap and I can often find books which I will need for my studies.

This year I bought:
Frankenstein by Shelly
Vanity Fair by Thackery
The Three Musketeers by Dumas
Dracula the un-dead by Stoker (a sequel to Dracula written by the great grandson or something of Bram Stoker)
Three Theban Plays by Sophocles
Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
Treasure Island by Stevenson
Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë
Oh and a manga: Metamo Kiss volume 2 (I already have vol. 1)… Yes they also sell manga’s! :D.

As you see most of the books here are Victorian novels (which can be found on my ‘to be read’ list). So I will have a lot of reading to do (that is: if my homework allows me to).
Most of the books like Frankenstein and Vanity Fair only cost me €2,- (as did the manga). Only the Theban Plays and the sequel to Dracula cost me more. So yes: the books are really very cheap and I always advice people who study English to go there to buy their literature books.

As for today: It’s I my BIRTHDAY! Yeay! :D I got a lot of presents from friends already. In the afternoon I will be going to the movies with mum, dad and my bf. We are going to see The Karate Kid, with Jacky Chan. After the movie we will be going out to dinner at an Italian restaurant. :D So it is going to be a fun day!

Well that’s it for now. I had better get back to my homework…. Yes I am actually doing homework on my b-day…. *sob* stupid teachers!!!

Love,

Blacky

My first day of internship

2010-08-30T21:16:00.000+02:00

Dear reader,

Well the past few days have been filled with what the British have called ‘decluttering’. My mum finally realized that she should get rid of the old things… So I finally managed to get her to allow me to throw away some of the old childrens’ books that she once bought for me, but which I never read. So now I finally have some room for new stuff!!!! Yeay for more room.

Well today was my first day of internship. I was quite nervous, so I did not get much sleep last night… So I went there while I was quite tired. He gave me a tour around the shop (explaining to me where what book sections were located etc.) and then started to teach me how the systems which they use to keep track of their stock and to manage the website worked.
At first I got off at a very slow start. Because I was so tired it just took me a while to get the gist of things. I had to adapt the short articles that newspapers wrote on books to html and add the ‘order’ buttons, which had to be placed underneath each article. So yeah, that took me a while. The next job I was given was to adapt a lot of older html codes on the site (which sometimes just existed of a picture and a hyper link) by hand to the newer system. And there were a LOT of codes that needed changing. They have quite a large archive really. I really did get the hang of that and was going strong when he asked me to do a different job. He was afraid that I was getting bored hahhaa. Well it wasn’t the most ingenious job ever, but the jobs that are less fun also need to be done ;). Subsequently he asked me to adapt the introduction of the book “Voorwaarts en vergeten” (which would mean something like “move forward and forget” in English) by Liesbeth van de Grift, which will be published next month, which had been sent to us in a PDF file to html, so it could be published on the site as a news item. So I adapted the entire text, added the title and author to the database, searched for the blurb text on the website, since we would be using that as the introduction. Also I wrote about two lines on when the book will be published. Subsequently I sent the media department of the publisher an e-mail to ask for a portrait picture of the writer, so as it publish that along with the text on our website. It was the first e-mail which I actually wrote as an intern… Yeay! I got a really fast reply and even published the picture on the website myself. (Though all the previous steps were done with lots of help of my supervisor… couldn’t have managed it without him ahhaha).
After this he asked me to take a look at a review that one of the writers wrote since it was full of mistakes… And it was. Though at this time it was a quarter to five and I was absolutely exhausted. It felt like forever before I had finished the article. Sometimes I had to reread a sentence three times, before it finally made sense hahaha…. Or it did not, just because the sentence was grammatically incorrect. There really were a lot of mistakes in that review. Next time I will try my best to spot all the mistakes.

As for now… I am so so sooooo completely exhausted. I can’t wait to get back to bed… Yet I still have to make a form for the student organization, because we will be selling books to the first year students and we have to let them know how much it will be.

Well that’s it for today. This is a completely exhausted Blacky, signing off.

Precious Moments

Christmas and New Years Eve! :D

A Christmas Carol: my favourite movie versions!

Christmas tree, amusementpark, one year together!

Sinterklaas!

New layout

Trip to York, Materials of Mourning conference

Trip to York and working for disney-winkel.nl :D

Dolls and Bears fair and meet the aunt and uncle!

Popular Millenarnanism 1780-1850

Hell and the Victorians

Heaven, hell and the Victorians

Disneyland report, with loads of pictures ;).

Tutorial: change of plans! :D

My birthday!

2000 vistors!!!!

My trip to Birmingham; the continuation.

Birmingham: day 1

Penguins, theatre and Abunai!!! (With pictures)

New layout

Reviews of the reading for my tutorial

Going to Disney! :D

BAVS Conference in Birmingham

An eventful, fun week!

Our trip to Budapest!

Going on a trip to Budapest

My tutorial and personal website

Always doubting myself

Our London trip!

New years resulotions... The score (for now).

training and London trip

New job, Guilliver's travels and other updates

Valentine's day, ice festival etc!

How Disney influenced my life!

Fulfilling my New Year's Resolutions!

Marjolein's bookshelf: read

Essay and dance competition.

I am engaged!! WHOOT! ^^

A very eventful day: rings and Rapunzel ;)

My Christmas presents

I am very grateful! ^^

My resolutions for 2011

Why I love Christmas so much....

Boyfriend and Disney ;)

Breaking-up and falling in love: a rollercoaster ride

Stress.... and wonderful news! :D

Quick update

On lots of things!

My first day of internship