Wine and cheese, if you please

Photos from a long time ago...

Never got around to posting 'em thought I might as well post them now.

Back from when the sun still shone in Holland.

Although the definition of sunshine is a bit different in Holland. Sunshine here means 5 minutes of lovely weather then sudden storms, hail, imminent death and then a little peek of the sun from behind a rain clound. 

The weather here is destroying my soul. 

We had a 'Wine and Cheese' picnic in Vondelpark with some of the au pairs making the trek from Utrecht and all over Holland for some fun in the sun.

<---------------------------------------Staple diet of au pairs

Finnish girls! Ik hou van Finnish meisjes!!

 

With my American friend Jenny

 Click to enlarge pics if you want close-ups of our mugs :)

Ps. If you left a comment on my Italy video trip it has been replied to. Check the comments from that post for replies.

Hope your Tuesday's treating you well. Tony Abbott's sure having a good one.

It's a love story baby just say yes

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ma big sis,

BIG M.

BIG UP, Y'all!!!!!

Taylor Swift - Love Story
Uploaded by Taylor-Swift. - Explore more music videos.

Happy Birthday Mima!

Will be drinking some charty just for you :)

As you can see in the vid below, Our Lord and Saviour, His Greatness the Manitee, already had a few too many

 

Love love love tiny t/pumpkin 

(Aww yeah unky ren that be my name! You's now Princess!)

xxx

You can do me up like Woodrow Wilson, carry my children, exit the building

Ok who's the best blogger in the world? 
Obvs me since it's currently 3:45am here and I've been up making you guys the most amazing video you will ever see. I actually started this video a while ago but studying for Dutch exams kind of took precedence over blogging duties but that didn't really matter since my video program that I was using crashed multiple times so I had to START ALL OVER AGAIN. And you know what the most fun part of it was? I had to individually adjust EVERY SINGLE PHOTO on the timeline for the right time duration. Yup all 553 of them. That's right FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-THREE photos, FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-THREE photos, VIJFHONDERDDRIEENVIJFTIG photos (just writing it in Dutch to make sure it's absolutely clear to everyone), each one painstakingly placed on the timeline of my video and then altered so the video didnt end up being 17 hours long. 
As expected, I now have bleeding stumps for fingers and there is blood all over my keyboard.


Y'all better be leaving me comment love on this post, due to the massive amount of effort it took me to put this post up. Whoever doesn't comment gets no clogs, windmills, postcards, or presents when I get back or get to taste the magical goodness that is stroopwafels and pindakaas (omg SO GOOD. Now THIS topic deserves a post of it's own). 
In addition, Lord Manitee will pay them a lil night time visit in the fuzzy tingle times. 
Now who'd like to wake up with this sitting beside them in bed?





Yeahhhhhhh that's what I thought.


If appropriate attention is not paid to this post, I think I'll make this blog private on a password only access basis. Haha been wanting to do that for a while now anyway but I cant figure out/be bothered to learn how to do it. 


I expect my inbox to be flooded with messages of love, adoration and devotion tomorrow. You have been warned...



Also making a video was a sneaky way to force you to listen to The Greatest Band of Our Time. Start listening to them now before they get signed to label and they start getting played on every bloody station and every store you go into (on this note: thank you to everyone that's started listening to Phoenix since the release of the last album. Of course Im happy for the band getting the recognition they deserve, but I really DO appreciate hearing the same album in every single shop I enter. For this I have you to thank so nee, really, dank u wel. As long as y'all realise there are better songs than 'Lisztomania' and maybe you should listen to their other 3 albums to find them) plays their songs. 
Any way Boy Crisis are about to head the way of Phoenix, MGMT, Passion Pit et al since I think they're about to be signed (well theyre releasing video clips atm so that must mean something) Have been sitting on them for but since they're about to break out, thought I might as well add some fuel to the hype machine and become part of the process that will end up with me not being able to stand listening to their songs one more time.
Err apologies for the mini rant on nothingness. I put it down to it being past 4 am.

So here they are in all their glory. 
Bez you will like them.
Becky you will like them.
Nushi you will like them.

Krisha you will hopefully like them..? Dressed to Digress always reminds me of that Hellogoodbye song...
Puj you will like them when they get featured on Gossip Girl :P

Mima if i was burning you a new driving mix cd I'd put all their songs on it :)
Tav, Sugs and most of the boys will possibly dislike them...? I definitely think they fit the 'Ladies Man' stereotype ;)



Haha how could you not like a band that has lyrics like "I was up in Chinatown, Tryin to buy a lamp, Smells like dung, Very familiar" and "All up in my spaghetti like you're parmesan"?


Dirtydirty+stupid funny ridiculous lyrics = instant love.

Lol theyre not even that good. Just fun to listen to. One of those bands you eventually get bored of and then seek solace in the comforting arms of Bon Iver.


Turn the music up loud and enjoy :)

Im going to bed.

Stumpy Manitee ventures forth to Italy from tanya s on Vimeo.


PS. All comments will be replied to in this post. Sorry for being lazy and not replying earlier. I shall aim to amend my bad behaviour.

A love letter

Dear Paris,

Okay fine I admit it, you won me over. I wasn't even too bothered with coming to see you. All I really wanted to do was go to Versailles and recreate 'Marie Antoinette' there and attempt to somehow genetically transform myself into Sofia Coppola through the remnants of DNA that she left there after filming the movie. So that didnt exactly go according to plan but you, YOU, completely surpassed my expectations.

I was expecting angry, unfriendly, snobby Parisians that refuse to speak English and give you directions, ridiculously overpriced food with tiny portions, rude waiters, just another city with pretty buildings and really, just one big cliché because when you've heard so much about a city for your whole life and are constantly bombarded with slogans like 'Paris - the city of love' the city becomes a caricature of itself. But Paris you are so much more than that.

That moment when I first walked out of the Hotel du Ville Metro station and actually saw the city for the first time my heart actually skipped a few beats. I didnt even think that was possible and was only some stupid line that only exists in the universe of Sweet Valley High books. Even though it was still dark and the streets were almost completely empty and I'd had no sleep the night before and I was so worried about not being able to find my hostel, it was such an incredible sensation.

There is no use even trying to describe you to all my friends and family back home. There are no words to describe the way the light filters through the trees and makes the whole city glow or the smell of the hundreds of creperies, bakeries and patisseries  that line your streets or winding streets of Montmarte that form a beautiful maze to the Sacre Cour or the sight of the city glittering at night.

You simply just have to GO to Paris to experience it. Im gonna sound stupidly corny and pretty much like a big wanky cliché but Im just gonna type it anyway, Paris you aren't just a city, you're an experience.

Love always,
Tanya xx

ps. I left my heart in Montmarte. Please mail it back to me when you get a chance.
pps. Back in amsterdam for one night and flying out to Pisa, Italy tomorrow :):):)

France + Italy

Heading to Paris and Italy for mij Herfst vakantie so I'll be gone 'til the end of October.

Looking for tips on places to see and things to do in both countries, mainly in the bigger cities - Paris en Roma.
What should I eat?
Where should I go?
Where's the best place to go to get some cheap escargot?

France - mmm birthplace of beloved charty :D

Italia - Already got the important phrases downpat - Uno martini bianco per favore!!!


Am staying in the scummiest hostels - there have been reports of bed bugs. Looking forward to it :)

Also anybody know of any souvenirs I can get which aren't dinky little metal recreations of the Eiffel Tower/Colosseum. Looking for more unique keepsakes, tho am not really a souveniry person - just need to get summat nice for mum :)

One of my favourite clips ever.
Made right after the race riots in paris. So, so good (err the clip obvs not the riots).
Anybody have any thoughts on the video?


Am hoping all french people are this friendly.

Lol mum and dad you might want to turn the volume off. T'will probably assault your ears.

Deze mijn kinderen (Am totes fluent in Dutch already. Am pretty much Hollish now. Yes danudie i am one of THEM now :)

Brecht, Phenna and Stach REPREZENT

Grachtenfestival

From a while ago...

Free festival in Amsterdam aka. the canal festival where the stages are floating on the canals.

Tarantino eat your heart out.

(Haha only Hayley will understand this, if she reads my blog that is, can someone - Bez or Liv text message/call her and tell her about my blog - i dont think she ever checks her emails. Duuuuude I really wanted to watch Inglourious Basterds but it was only shown here with the French and German parts subtitled in Dutch rendering it useless for me to watch. How was it?)

(Gabi this song always reminds me of you, you festivalhead you! What festivals are you going to this year? Line up for BDO is one of the worst I've ever seen - such a hodgepodge of random acts - haha not that I've ever been!)

FOR ALL YOU NON-BELIEVERS (IM LOOKING AT YOU SHRISTI ARYAL)

The jumpers (l-r: France, Canada, Tanya, French-speaking part of Canada)

 

Dayyumm I look good in a harness

Should prits much make this my full-time look

 

 

 

 

 

Confession time:

Forgive me Father for I have sinned... ok so the pics I posted last time of bungee jumping were not actually of me. I'd given may camera to a friend to take a video but the stupid camera didnt work (anyone want to buy me a new camera? - an SLR would be preferable - I hear Christmas is around the corner, or better yet, it's currently Dasain :), so had to rely on getting pics off others and i finally got a hold of these.

Perhaps next time Jean Bob and Piccolo would care to join? LOL

(Hey Puj remember our prettymuchbestconcertever that we put on? Have been involved in similar events recently. Shall put up video evidence soon :) 

 So this happened on my first weekend here in Holland, wait that was a lie, it was actually my second weekend where i went to the beach at Den Haag (The Hague - for all those whose Dutch language skills are not as highly developed and sophisicated as mine :P) with a bunch of people, mostly au pairs. I knew there was a bungee jumping thing at the beach but i definitely hadnt planned on doing it. It was a more of a spur of the moment kinda thing - my reasoning was "the ABSOLUTE WORST thing that could happen is that I'd die" - you know which wouldnt be be such a bad thing as I'd drop into the ocean and be reunited with Our Lord Almighty, the Mighty Manitee.

So was up there on the crane and the guy who was talking me through it was said:

Guy: So I'll count to three and you can jump

Me: Okay

Guy: 1-2-3 -

Me: Wait, wait, WAIT! Do I jump ON the three or AFTER you say three?

Guy: Umm, well you can jump now if you want

And so I did.

The worst part was actually stepping off the metal cage/crane and plunging straight down towards the sea in a free fall thinking that i was going to die and then you bounce back and you actually start enjoying it. I LOVED it, would do it again in a heartbeat. Wanna try skydiving now, then perhaps base-jumping ;)

So i was bouncing and swinging in the air, loving it and feeling great, when i realise that the guy on the platform where i was meant to eventually land up was shouting at me in Dutch

Me (thinking): Shit, shit, SHIT!!!! Something's gone wrong!! Im gonna die!!! FAAAAAARRRRKKK!!!

So there I am swinging in mid-air above the North Sea and I shout back

"I DONT SPEAK DUTCH!!!!!!!"

 And he's just like, "Oh," and then he starts shouting in English, telling me to bend my upper body upwards, towards my toes, and grab on a rope so that they can start lowering me onto the platform

:| 

Den Haag is such a beautiful city, my photos do it no justice.

I used to be obsessed with this song as I'm sure Tav remembers. It always reminds me of a summery, beachy day, Love the video too - all the colours used to get me so excited as a child.

Ps. How good is the original?

PPS. By this time next week I'll have proper internetz! :):):) Took long enough, right? The following should expect replies soon: Mum, Dad, Tav, Big M, Shristos, Gabi, Lauren, Puj, NeighNeigh, Sexbud, Bez, Pali, Unky Ren, Schwets and others that i cant remember - thanks for writing to me y'all!