1. Back from Paris. Exhausting but good trip, where I combined a literary conference with some sightseeing. I'm starting the week tired Oh, and I bought an art deco vase, overpriced undoubtedly but very pretty.

2. One of the major internet/telephone suppliers in Belgium had big problems this weekend, millions were 'disconnected' for half a day or more. One tweet I read: "no internet and no telephone, why did I get up this morning?!". I hope they were being ironic. I fear not...

3. Noticed the "sfw" option on the website, I think I'm going to love it Especially for browsing NN on public transportation, as I often do.

29 pages of blogs, how did I do that? Especially knowing that they aren't all of my blogs, having deleted a great many of them a while ago. I could have written a book with all of these words!

Anyway, here's a picture from last weekend, the view from my bedroom window at my parents' house.



All that white has disappeared by now, but it was pretty.

And now off to Paris for 4 days!

Sometimes life surprises you. This afternoon was one of those occasions, in a positive way. Well, at least I ended my afternoon with a smile, after starting with Monday blues and period pain. That's the way I like my days, they start like crap and end on a high

Yuck, Monday morning again.
Yay, Monday morning, only two days and I'm off to Paris.

Still not sure in which of those two moods I am in at the moment, probably more the "yuck"-mood

It was to be expected that dividing my grandmother's belongings would cause tensions. How hard it is to not become spiteful when others demonstrate their greed or disrespect. And sure, I love antiques myself and have chosen a few objects. But none elicit the feeling in the pit of my stomach that I felt just now, handling a simple smooth stylised bird made of alabaster. An object I've only ever seen in the same spot in her living room underneath a lamp shade at every family gathering, suddenly in my hands again but in another house. It's purely visceral, my memories linked to such a small and insignificant object amidst all the rest, not just the visual recognition but also the sensation, one touch reminding me of all those times in the past when I was enchanted by its cool smoothness.

Our organisation is in Brussels, an area with two official languages: French and Dutch (even though Dutch is vastly outnumbered). We therefore get paid extra if we can prove that we're bilingual. Not a problem for me, but I wonder about my colleague...

Yesterday, as he's putting on his coat, a French-speaking coworker tells me (in French) that he's going out to take an exam for his language certificate.
I reply, in Dutch, "Good luck!"
He says "Huh?"
I repeat in Dutch "Good luck".
He says "What?"
I finally say "Good luck" again, this time in French.
"Ah, thanks!", he finally answers.

Oh boy, I hope his exam was a written one, not oral

The good: everything looked so pretty today, the fog combined with the low temperatures covered everything in sparkly frost, a glistening white world. Nothing like a bit of magic when on the way to work and looking out of the office window.

The great: I just enrolled myself on an online creative writing course (April 'till July) at Oxford University. It's not cheap, around 300 British pounds, but I need to keep my creativity flowing. Use it or lose it!

Note to self:
Yaktrax + wet tile floor in subway station = danger

Oops, that was a close one

*waits for it to thaw Sunday*

White winter wonderland... It started snowing last night and hasn't stopped yet. Just when the sidewalks had become snow free from the previous snow fall, here we go again It doesn't snow here often, fortunately, because I'm always worried about slipping and falling. For those like me, I really recommend using yaktrax on your shoes, really helps you to not slip.

Oh well, I'll worry about road conditions tomorrow, today I'm cocooning and taking full advantage of the fireplace!

It's been more than 4 months since my last creative writing course. And looking back on those 4 months, I realise I haven't been at my most productive. But instead of continuing to look for contests to spur me on by their deadlines, I've realised that there are other options that would help in my writing ambitions.

It would be a lot easier if I wrote in my mother tongue Dutch. Or if I could (comfortably) write in French (I manage, but it's a struggle). But that doesn't mean there aren't solutions: aside from discovering some free online courses at the Open University, I've also discovered that Oxford University gives online courses at reasonable prices. And that they have a very interesting academic creative writing program, which I will probably/hopefully follow in 2014 when my savings account will permit me to work part time and commute to Oxford. (If my application is accepted of course).

All these ideas... presuming that my two scholarship applications for September will be refused (to go to the US for 1 or 2 years to dedicate myself fully to writing and get paid for it). I firmly believe in expecting the worst, if by a miracle my application is accepted it won't make me any less happy. But I need to stay realistic.

The irony? I'm not even sure that it is possible to teach people how to write. The concept of creative writing courses is very Anglo-saxon, in French culture and Dutch-speaking culture, the idea is more that you have a gift for writing or you don't. I guess I'm somewhere in the middle: sure, you can learn tricks of the trade, techniques and skills. But to be a truly great writer, you need a certain creative spark, something that sets you apart. If I want to follow these writing courses, it's not just to learn some skills, but also to learn how to make my own creativity, buried deep inside, flow more easily and to make writing a habit instead of something I do when I'm not watching TV or playing online games.