Welcome back, friends. Welcome to another space-update. I thought it'd be nice to post this one on the very first days of summer. And let me warn you about this one: it'll probably end up even longer than you had already gotten used to. It's been over 3 months already (!) since my last update, and the reason that I havn't written anything in all this time, is because so much has happened in these few months.. So much has changed, and so many big things to write about. I don't know where even to begin.

You know what, let's start off with biggest and best news of all. Might be old news to some of you but... You're sure to remember those plans I had for New Zealand? Well, I'm proud to inform you that almost everything is taken care of! I got accepted at an interested company located in Hawera, where I'll be able to work in return for free board and lodging. I just booked and payed for my flight last week and I'll be leaving the very 1st of september!
Great news, isn't it?! Even if you don't like me at all, I'll be out of your hair for 6 months :P Honestly, I'm thrilled. The whole thing just seems aboslutely perfect for me. Hawera is just a small town, almost as big as Wolvega. As you might know, I've never been much of a city-person, so it suits me perfectly.
I'd be staying with Dee McCrea and her family (don't they seem nice?). She founded the company 10 year ago, where they've had 2 French interns before. I'd get my own caravan (built in Holland!) complete with shower, toilet, heating, cooking facilities, double bed & TV.. Everything I could hope for! This way we'd both still have our privacy. To be honest with you, I still can't believe how lucky I am. The whole thing just sounds way too good to be true! Nontheless, whole thing just keeps getting closer and closer, with little more than 2 months remaining. That's right: 2 moths! 70 days... God, that's creepy.
Of course I'll be keeping this thing updated when I'm there, don't worry ;) I might be on the other side of this planet, but you'll never be completely rid of me. Whether this is a good or bad thing, is up to you. I'm sure that it'll turn out to be quite an experience, to say the least. An experience that I would love to see eternalized, by writing it all down here on my little spot on the web.

As this "little trip of mine" approaches, I'm getting more and more mixed feelings about the whole thing. Of course I'm psyched about it, and can't wait to finally live out this dream I've had for so long now, but... As time goes by, I seem to be looking at all those little things that I've been taking for granted all my life with a new set of eyes. "You don't know what you've got untill you're (about) to miss it". I've never been out of Europe before, never been away from home for more than a month.. I've grown so accustomed to that life I've built up here, grown to love it. It's... I don't know, it's home!
But even/especially with that in mind, I think this will only benefit me in so many ways. It's a way to prove my individuality to myself AND to my family/friends. A way to grow even further. I would leave everything I have, to build up something new. NOTHING will be the same: not the environment, not the people, not the language, not the currency, not even myself.
...Seventy days...

Okay, let's move on, shall we? Another thing that I think I should mention, is my 21st birthday, which was already two freakin'months ago. I've been roaming this earth for 21 years already, and this upcoming year sounds all too promising sofar. My friend Armand has this theory that it's all downhill once you hit 20, but I'll prove him wrong! These first two months as a 21-year-old have been pretty damn good to me: I've been to a total of 12 concerts and festivals since my last update, one even better than the other! And we still have 4 to come before I leave, not counting the local events, and the just seem to keep on coming!!
These concerts & festivals have really found a special spot in my life... It's not a secret that I loved attending concerts, but it wasn't untill these last few months that it really grew to this level. I've met so many great new people, had such good times with them, and got to stay in touch with most of them. All thanks to the lovely invention that goes by the name of Last.fm! It's been a while since I went to a concert or festival where someone DIDN'T recognize me! Isn't that funny? :P Ahhh.. I'll miss them/that... But we still have Billy Talent (AGAIN!) 4 days before I leave, and Lowlands a week before that, so I'll get to see most of them before I leave :) I think I'll throw a big party at my place before I leave and I'd really want every one of my closer friends to be there! A few people (Marieke!) in particular.. But I'll be sure to let you all know when and where that'll happen!

Of course, life comes with ups and downs, and I'm glad that mine is no exception. Lately I've been getting these sudden moodswings.. It happens about once or twice a month and every time that I get in that certain mood, I turn into the world's worst pessimist. Last time around, I tried to walk it off like I do with most things but it didn't quite have the result I'd hoped for. Everything and anyone I saw just seemed so... So common. Ordinary. And I start wondering: ...Is this it? Is this what life is all about? You find a partner, get a job, get a car, get a house, a mortgage, insurance, taxes... As you're walking through the rain, you see people driving by, everyone having somewhere they need to be. And for what? Everything just gets.. Engulfed in mediocrity. It's a real moodkiller too, if you're standing in the middle of a club, trust me.
The part of this whole thing that always gets to me the most, is to see how so many people seemingly let their lives revolve around relationships, flings and sex. From the age of 16 (sometimes even younger!!), it's almost as if these relationships are considered some sort of a confirmation of your masculinity or femininity. This can get me so worked up sometimes. Of course, it's nice if a good relationship happens to occur, but too many people take this stuff WAY too seriously. There's so much more to your youth than... Than those fuckin'hormones. I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I think that the importance of a relationship, is one of the most overestimated ideas of our modern day society!

The only direct remedy for these moods that I've been able to find, other than a good night's sleep, is... Well, a good movie! It's incredible how some random movie-producer's made up stories/fairytales can restore your faith in mankind. Of course you know it's all but mere fiction, but somehow it always manages to get the job done.
Then, when the clouds have disappeared from the sky and from your mind, it never takes me too long to remember that everyone just live their lives on a level that they feel comfortable with. To remember that YOU decide what makes you happy. You set your own ideals, and what they mean to you. Whether that's a relationship, a car, or a trip to New Zealand. Relationships obviously mean a lot more to others than they do to me, but does that really have to be a problem? After all, it's a real motivator to make me want to do more with my life. LIKE NEW ZEALAND!

...Or maybe I'm just another prick who likes to generalize other people in order to feel better about myself! :D

That's it for this month. Thanks for reading everyone, sorry it took so long. I missed this. 'till next time!

Current mood: Mellow
Current song playing: Russian Circle - Carpe
Current MSN-name quote: "As screwed up as life can get, at least the smurfs aren't real"