The little things in life that make me smile!

I think and I hope that you all have sometimes that incredible moment that you have such a happy feeling without any reason ( you think). These kind of moments I often have when I am driving in my car, driving through beautiful landscapes, driving under a crystal clear blue sky, watching birds that make their journey through the sky. I make photographs in my head to capture the grandeur of what I see.  The radio is on and I listen to the sound of music, I start singing aloud and I cannot stop smiling. Music, art and nature can trigger one´s soul and  so do the other little things in life. Such moments do me realize that the small things in live can mean so much more than the big things. More of the little things in life that make me so happy are the on-going small gestures of kindness from the person that loves you, from friends and from strangers. Other little things that fill me with bliss are:

• A smile from a stranger
• When it has stopped raining. Everything smells fresh and clean
• A beautiful sunset and sunrise
• The sun shining in my face
• Playing games I love when I was a child
• A massage
• Sanadome with friends
• Thoughtful questions from people that want to know me better, want to know what makes me happy
• Reading a good book
• Music of Bon Jovi
• Watching soaps or movies on a cold, rainy day.
• When it is really cold outside, drinking warm chocolate with cream
• Cute tea and coffee houses, sitting there with friends, chatting and enjoying a cup of tea/coffee. 
• Holding hands with someone I love and loves me.
• Something so funny that makes me laugh aloud.
• A sweater straight from the dryer on a cold day
• Feeling comfy and warm in bed
• Travelling, meeting inspirational people, amazing cultures and landscapes.
• It feels good to know you will add to someone else's day, even if you don't know them.
• And since a month, I like to cook!  For some people this must be unbelievable and they will laugh aloud, Amanda and cooking? But now I really like to cook, I am not joking!

Take a few minutes to think about the little things that make you happy and do not forget

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you make look back and realize they were the big things.”

 

 

The Book Worm

“The more I read, the hungrier I become. Each book seemed promising, each page I turned offered an escapade, the allure of another world, other destinies, other dreams.” ― Tatiana de Rosnay, The House I loved

Today I will write about, the title and the quote from Tatiana de Rosnay already give you some idea I guess,  my biggest hobby, reading books. As of a young age, I am interested in books, literature and language. I  remember that I was an enormous fan of the book serie: Floortje, the Kameleon, de Olijke Tweeling, Snelle Jelle ( yes, yes, as a young girl I loved to play football with the guys, to get bruises was not a problem at all and when I was not playing football,  I was reading the books about a boy that wanted to become a football star). Children gave me books as present for my birthday. Also at ‘’ Pakjesavond’’ ,  the Sint knew that I love books. I was and I am still a real ‘’ book worm’.

After a while I found my  new favorite authors and I could not stop reading their books: Carry Slee , Jacques Vriens and Francine Oomen.  I also read books about the Second World War like ‘’ De Vos van de Biesbosch’’.

Spending my time in the libary, finding new and interesting books, was an challenging task  for me, time after time. Nowadays I still love to make a walk through the book store, I like the atmosphere and I enjoy reading the backsides of books, looking for a great book that inspires me!

When I was in Oslo I read the book, Eat, Pray and Love which was really a wonderful and brilliant book, full of spiritual insights. It gave me  food for thought, inspired me to think about the meaning of life. That is what good books do: they let me think about everything, about the world, other cultures, people and myself. Every story learns you something. Great books will be seared in my memory.

My favorite authors at the moment are Tatiana de Rosnay and Jenna Blum. I think you all know Tatiana de Rosnay  from her international bestseller ‘’ Sarah’s key , but she has more great stories to share, like the House I love and A secret kept. The two brilliant books of Jenna Blum are Those who save us and The  Stormchasers.

This was it for today, right now I am going to pull up a chair and make myself comfortable for reading a book while sipping my favorite  kind of tea! Does this surprise you? ;)  

 

 

 

 

About me

Hi, I am Amanda de Laat and I welcome you to my blog.

I am 22 years old and currently living in the Netherlands. During my bachelor International Business I got the great opportunity to spend one semester abroad, a once-in-a-lifetime-experience. I decided to go to Oslo and to study at BI Norwegian School of Management. There, in Oslo,  I wrote about my experiences that had such a huge impact on me. I realized that I like to discover new cultures and to meet people from all over the world. I honestly did not know what to expect when I packed my bags on 15th August 26 months ago, but the adventure that I took has changed how I look at life and how I spend my days.  I was thrown into the deep end by going to Oslo all by myself, but now I have seen different cultures and atmospheres that other places have to offer, I know that there is a lot more to discover in the world and I am ready for that big adventure!

My time in Oslo did me realize the benefits of blogging. I was reading back my experiences and it is really funny to read what I have done. Therefore, I thought why not starting a blog? It will be awesome to read back all the crazy and great things I have done throughout my life, nowadays but also when I am an old granny, laughing about the funny and awesome things I did when I was young.

 Now, I am looking for an internship or job abroad to gain international workexperience and to do things that I have never done before, meeting again inspirational people.  Like as in the movie Yes Men, I will say yes to everything, to the wide world and experience the world as it is, amazing!
At the same time I would like to share my thoughts and perspectives on life with you and the things that I am up to.