Leuven, Belgium

I pass by this forest on my way to the lab.

Hey there!

The charming castle without a charming prince.

I always go out with an umbrella.

Last week, I wanted to write something about my new abode, but I was feeling a bit sad after the great gust of wind slapped the Philippines and left a huge typhoon scar that will probably never heal. Rest assured though that my family is safe and sound. However, my countrymen who were badly hit are still desperately needing food and water. While my country has received millions of donations from all over the world, the victims still remain in such an abominable and infernal-like situation due to poor mobility. I already stopped watching video clips because they really make me cry. :-(

Moving on to a lighter topic... I would like to tell you a bit about Leuven, my new home. The pictures speak for themselves. Despite the perpetually gloomy weather, the campus surrounded with trees and ancient architectures have made the ambiance conducive for living and studying. A walk through the forest (the shortest method to reach my lab from my residence) is like a journey through a mystical garden full of  enchanted creatures whose main ability is to make  you experience serenity at its purest. However, like any mystical garden, traversing the path at night is the worst (ever) experience you can possibly fathom as you will see nothing but disfigured shadows of monstrous trees! Because  I am no more than a damsel in distress when I journey through the forest in pitch-black darkness, I often find myself running for my life. haha! But daytime is perfect. A picturesque campus indeed!

I'm so happy to be here!

Good night now. Kisses to you.

My default food

When I was still in the Philippines, I have always wondered how some people drew enough energy for the entire afternoon just by merely eating a sandwich for lunch. How could they possibly sustain themselves with such a meager amount of calories? As an Asian, I was extremely baffled! But when I moved here, I discovered the answers.

A typical sandwich in Europe is  nothing like the ones we have in my country. One big difference is the type of bread they use. The breads here are typically larger and more compact than the ones we have in Philippines. In my country, I can squeeze a 10 cm x 10 cm bread with my bare hands and turn it into a tiny ball. Needless to say, the bread in my country is nothing but air.

In Europe, they load the sandwich with fruits, vege and meat. In my country, we frequently just put either peanut butter or mayonnaise. It's still delicious but not as heavy. 

So, here's how I frequently make my sandwich. First, I spread a layer of cream cheese over 2 slices of brown bread. Then I create the following layers: ham, lots of tomatoes and then ham. I press the sandwich in the sandwich maker for 3 minutes. Then I insert the lettuce/spinach on top of the tomatoes (but underneath the ham).  

It's a fast, easy and lazy way of filling my stomach! But as a rice bunny, I'd rather eat rice than this yummy European sandwich.  

New flat!

Hey there!

I haven't written anything lately because I've been extremely busy. On top of that, I have moved to a new environment which seems to be a bit unfavorable for the production of my feel-good hormones. So instead of ranting and enumerating a thousand reasons why I am not as happy as before, I decided to keep quiet. So now, I will jot down the summary of what I've been going through without making my readers feel a bit sad and/or irritated.

It's been a month since I moved here. The moment I moved in and realized my friends in Brussels are so far away, I started to feel a bit homesick. Then I started thinking about moving out and moving in to a cozier flat. The hallway of my current flat looks like that of a hospital's-- and it's so hard to live with it. And because I cannot do anything about the hallway and I cannot move out and find a cozier environment, just some days ago, I have squeezed my interior decoration IQ to pull out a very habitable room with a not-so-coherent theme where I just threw in a mixture of purple and pink objects! Plus, I started putting plants all over! 

So now I am happier. What I have learned in the past 4 weeks in my new flat is this: "If you cannot change something, then just live with it!"

OK. I'm off to bed. More of my stories when I return. 

P.S. That's my pet cactus. Isn't it pretty?

Colosseum

It's so ironic how I effortlessly got out of bed so early today when I have nothing important to do. Yesterday, I was so desperate to wake up, I wished someone would push me off my bed. But no one came to rescue my sleepy soul and bring it back to the real world. Exams are done and I must say, I am pleased with the results. Something to tell mom when we see each other...

Because I have nothing to do today, let me briefly tell you about some sites I have visited in Rome. We spent the entire day just roaming around the city through the aid of a single map which I could hardly figure out. Eventually, the map led us to sites and ruins where ancient Rome was built. The places were well-preserved. In fact, some repairs were taking place while we were there. 

We also went to one of the most popular sites: The Colosseum. It's a gigantic piece of art designed to hold 50,000 to 80,000 people. It's obviously designed for entertainment and I can just imagine how loud this used to be like way back when gladiator battles took place. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to scrutinize the interior of this Colosseum because it was near closing time. I also wasn't able to see how this magnificent structure looks like when lit at night. We wanted to come back and see after dinner. Unfortunately, we got drunk.

You see, in Rome, water is more expensive than wine. During dinner, we ordered wine thinking it was "just like water."  But no! Our world started swirling and we never managed to get back to see the Colosseum again! Thou shall not underestimate the "power" of Roman wine. 

Louis Widmer sunscreen- my skin's savior

Today, my friend and I passed by the pharmacy supposedly because she had to buy something for her face (which I have honestly forgotten, what). As she was selecting her facial product, my eyes started wandering around the shelves until I saw Louis Widmer sunscreen! I was reminded about the fact that I love this sunscreen. That same shop gave me a free sample several months ago. It was only just this afternoon that I went to that same shop again. 

This product slashed 25 euros off my wallet. But I don't think I will regret it. This sunscreen is so light, I won't hesitate to apply it on my face everyday. The past 12 months, I haven't been too keen on applying sunscreen. I have reached the point where I don't want to sacrifice comfort anymore for the sake of having a beautiful skin. I consider putting "sunscreen" on as a sacrifice because I really hate dabbing anything on my face other than a thin layer of powder. It just feels "heavy." I hate BB cream  and foundation so much!

As a traveller, I deem it's necessary for me to have the best "shield" against the harmful UV rays to avoid premature aging and development of sunspots. I want to look beautiful both in the pictures and in real life!

Have a beautiful day!

European pastries

The pastries I buy "disappear" before I have the chance to take a photo.
I grabbed this photo here. 

Lately I've been sparing some time in the afternoon just languidly pondering about random thoughts as I slowly sip my coffee and carefully spoon a mouthful of any random European pastry I can get hold of.  Europe is home of the world's best pastries. Most of the so-called best "cakes" in my country can never compete with ordinary pastries sold in popular shops.  What draws a demarcation between the pastries here and there is that, here in Europe, they use the best and finest ingredients, it doesn't matter if it will cost an extra cent.  In the end, it will be so delicious, you won't even bother accounting how much you've spent. Pastries in my country are too sweet, ants will die just to have it. And you will also die of diabetes if you feast on it every single day!

Blue Mountains, New Southwales, Australia

Adoring the mountain.

After a month-long reunion with my family and boyfriend, I'm finally back in my flat in Brussels. The cars' noises in the nearby highway somehow find their way inside my slightly opened window. Maybe my testosterone level is too low to adore the sounds cars make. Or maybe I just enjoy the calm and soothing rattling of leaves in the mountains. 

The Three Sisters (land formation behind me).

Fortunately, I was able to visit one of Australia's most famous mountains: The Blue Mountains. It's a huge stretch of virgin forest erected over one thousand meters above sea level. Unlike the usual mountains where you don't see the bottom when you reach the peak, in here, you will actually see that you're really at the summit. While my knees trembled as I looked down, I smiled upon realizing that  I was literally  "on top of the world." I never once thought I can reach this far.