Hi Fam! I hope you’re having a good week so far. Last week ended up being a little weird (and busy!) for me. I had my fourth interview, and I managed to get through! I also started working a part-time job on the weekends. I start on the 4th of June, so before that time I’ve got so much to arrange!
I’ve decided to find an apartment close to Amsterdam Zuid, and I only have this week left to find it #challengemode! At this point, I am still on the lookout, and I am only planning on staying there for one month. This is because I don’t think I can handle a 3-hour commute, in addition to being trained for a month. I’ve got to get plenty of sleep and have enough time to unwind.
The reason why I am so focused on finding a home (at least for the first month) is that I had a 2-hour commute last year. I found that getting up at 7 A.M. and getting home at 7 P.M. wasn’t really in tune with what I wanted. I also found that I became less pleasant as a person, due to my lack of sleep and time to unwind. On weekends I was so drained, that I didn’t register much of what was happening. I also slept a lot. Not exactly the most ideal way to start being productive.
However, I am still trying to squeeze in as much self-study time as possible. Which means that I am in the process of finishing my marketing books. I’ve also found a study I might want to do in my free time, as soon as the dust settles. The best part about it is that I would be able to study on the weekends! (Or whenever I have time).
With this blog post, I am hoping to reach someone who can help me find a room in Amsterdam. I honestly think that by being closer to work, and getting plenty of sleep, I will be able to climb the learning curve I will be in. I love learning new things, and I hope that this will help me to soak in as much knowledge as possible. I am highly motivated to make this a success!
That’s all I’ve got to write this week! I hope that you have a splendid one, and if you have any advice on finding an apartment in Amsterdam, please send me the info through e-mail or a DM on Instagram! For a link to my previous post click here.
Hi Fam! I hope you’re having a good week so far. This week I’ll be updating you on my job search, and a few things I’ve learned the past week.
This week is one of my busiest weeks so far. I’ve been going around, talking to people. Tomorrow I need to get up at 6 am for another interview. I’m nervous and yet, something about it feels right. I know I started this post by following my intuition, so here goes. Earlier today, I had another job interview. I made it to the location which was specified in the e-mail and looked for a name ‘tag’ which would tell me where in the building I would be able to find the company.
In the lobby, I saw a small billboard, that had the company’s name on it and a slogan. Since I came by bike, I decided to take the elevator up. I get inside, and I see that the company is nowhere to be found on the floor plan. I go to the first floor, the second and the third, eventually someone joins me in the elevator. At this point, I am nervous and sweaty and starting to feel mildly claustrophobic. Not the best way to feel when you’re about to have an interview. I managed to ask the person who was with me if they knew where the company was situated. They were also visiting, and were, therefore, unable to help.
In the end, I made it to the fourth floor and decided to call it a day. It was simply too hot outside. At this point, I was feeling so scared that I needed to get outside. So I did what felt right. In the parking lot, I received a phone call, just in time for me to tell them that it didn’t feel right. To me, being this honest was scary. But I knew that if I wanted to have some sort of mental peace, I’d have to come clean and tell them that this probably wasn’t going to work out.
This also illustrates the power-play or power-high I’ve seen in some recruiters. They expect you to drop everything to come running, even if what they are offering is downright bad. Over the past few months, I’ve also met some good recruiters. Sometimes they just didn’t have what I was looking for, but I’m sure that they will call whenever they do.
Such a cutie!
I really loved these flowers.
Earlier this week, I visited the Japanese garden in The Hague with my family. I had a really good time, and I managed to take some pretty good pictures of some of the flowers there. It really was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I’ve also made my own furikake! I roasted the sesame seeds and added pumpkin seeds. For now I am happy sprinkling it on soups and salads, and even noodles from time to time. It’s so good, I wonder why it took me so long to try it. The reason why I tried to make my own, is because I found out that the instant versions they sell here, can have traces of MSG. And in my case, it’s probably better to make my own.
Here’s the jar with slightly roasted sesame seeds and added pumpkin seeds.
A close up of the seed mixture!
While I am talking about plants; I’ve found out that it’s better to buy organic seeds. So during my last trip to Amsterdam, I tried to buy seeds that were, so that I can save them for next year. The beautiful part about this is, that they are non-GMO and they will adapt to whatever environment I plan to raise them in. I do think that the concept of that is pretty cool! I read and downloaded the guide on this website that explained how good it is to save your own seeds after you buy them. (Provided that they are organic and Non-GMO / F1 varieties.) I’ve also found a few other websites that explain the process, but I loved how simple this one was. These past few weeks I’ve gotten a lot of DM’s asking me how I got started, trying to grow my own herbs. Last year, I experimented with dill, and it went so well that this year I’d like to grow a few more things. Sometimes it’s the small successes that inspire you to dream bigger. What are your current goals?
I hope that you liked this week’s post! For questions or suggestions you can always send me a DM on Instagram or an e-mail. I hope you have a great week! And until next time. For a link to my previous post, click here.
Hi Fam! I hope you’re having a good Tuesday so far. The sun is shining, and I kind of feel like having ice-cream. What does your Tuesday look like? Today I’m going to write about the job interviews I’ve had, and a noodle experiment I tried yesterday, and the day before.
This week, I’ve been called by several recruiters. I kind of like having these conversations now, since I can anticipate on some of the questions. If you’d have asked me to do this a few months ago, I would have blanked. At this point, I might be trained on my new job on Friday or early on next week. It feels really good to have something to look forward to!
In addition, I’ve also followed an extensive course on social media. I can finally call myself a social media growth expert! The course itself took me two entire days, but I haven’t felt like I was studying at all. This is a first for me, and it was so good to be in flow while listening and taking notes. I believe I even skipped a meal. (That’s a big deal for me!). I’ve also tried to adapt some more time-management skills. This means that I try to do things if they only take 2 minutes. I also try to maintain a call list, so that I know who when to call someone.
On to the noodles I made! A few months ago, I bought a bunch of noodles at the Asian market. When I looked at the expiry date, I found out that they were due to expire next month. Because I am a big fan of experiments and new flavors, I decided to give them a try. (I really hate it when things I buy go bad.) Because I usually buy the chicken-flavored noodles of this particular brand, I was already familiar with them. This time, I bought the same noodles, but with mushroom flavor. They were amazing.
The noodles came in two batches, so for the first batch, I didn’t add anything. For the second one, I added fried onions and salad toppings. I really loved the texture that the croutons and the fried onions added to the noodles. And in the future, I might consider adding green onions or a little bit of kimchi liquid as well! The base is so good, that it would probably compliment both flavors really well.
Here are two pictures of how it looked :
The plain mushroom noodles
With added salad toppings and fried onions!
As for my plants, they are growing quite well now! I know you’re not supposed to have favorites, but my basil is doing really well. I had to move him to another pot, and he looks so aesthetically pleasing that I’m wishing that he’d stay small forever. I’m even considering a name. (What is going on with me, I know!)
My basil plant
Earlier this week, I received a bag with food from Scotland. I really loved the variety, and I’m so surprised by the amazing selection of chips that they have. I even tried this thing called ‘Worchester sauce’ and it’s so good. For some reason, it fits my palate. Another flavor that I love, is salt and vinegar. The deep-ridged varieties are way better than the ones in The Netherlands. I tried them for the first time this week, and I am a fan!
As for sweets, I really love the macaroon bars that they have! The last time I visited the United Kingdom, I was 17. At that time, I was more invested in finding the best bookstores near the Thames. (I’m still a pretty big bookwork though). I also try to limit my intake of snowballs to two a day, if I went all out I think I could finish the entire container in a day or two! What are foreign snacks that you love? Let me know by e-mail or send me a DM on Instagram! I can’t wait to find out what you love as well. Until next time! For a link to my previous post click here.
Hi Fam! I hope you’re having a great week so far. Have you been enjoying the warm weather as well? I made some homemade ice cream this week. Today I finally had a chance to try it out. It was pretty good, but it needed a little more sugar. (I drizzled some honey on top, what would you have done?).
Last Friday, I had a last-minute job interview. Within 3 hours I had to get ready and arrive. It went pretty well since I had my second interview on Monday. It’s something I’ll be doing on the weekends. What I love about it, is the fact that I have somewhat of an autonomy in my activities. I find that it makes me a happier person.
At this time I am still looking for a semi-full time job for during the week. The fact that it’s so close to summer, is really showing in my general mood. I am a lot happier and a lot more patient as well! At this point, I am still growing things on a windowsill. If you’d like more updates on this particular subject, I’d suggest you’d follow me on Instagram as well. I’m currently still waiting for green shiso leaves to be delivered. I got some red shiso leaves during my last trip to Amsterdam! (I had no idea you had to boil/ ferment those) I thought that they were interchangeable. The only culinary adventures I am able to share at this point, are the garden cress and the daikon sprouts that I had earlier this week! Currently I am experimenting with broccoli sprouts. They are so cute and small.
The broccoli sprouts I was talking about. Aren’t they cute?
The way the harvested garden cress looked!
This week I am reading David Allen’s book called ‘Getting things done’ and following an on-line course I signed up for last week. I had a small book haul at the American Book Center earlier this week, and I picked up a few more books on business and time management. If you’re interested, I could share some of my findings with you in next week’s blog!
These are the books I just wrote about!
So my question to you is, how do you manage your time? Do you have a system? Do you just keep a calender? I have a bullet journal that I use on a daily base. It really helps me to re-organise my thoughts.
Until next time! Wishing you an amazing week ahead. For a link to my previous post, click here. If you feel more comfortable sending an e-mail, that’s possible as well. Leave me a comment if you have any suggestions in general, or on time management!
Hi Fam! It’s Tuesday, so I have a small, but interesting post to share with you. I just wonder, what kind of challenges are you currently facing?
Last week, I had another job interview in Amsterdam. Google maps sent me off in the wrong direction, but I managed to find the company in time. It wasn’t too bad since I was still 15 minutes early. Contrary to what I usually do, I took the tram. If I don’t have an appointment, or if I am going out to shop, I generally just walk. This means that at the end of the day, my phone usually congratulates me on having walked for at least an hour, documenting at least 15 km of walking. The interview itself was quite comfortable. In the 1 hour+ that I was there, I learned a lot about the company, it’s people and the type of work I would be doing. Another thing that I appreciated, was that they asked questions about me, instead of retreating into the usual cliches. (What are your weak points? How do you see yourself in 5 years?).
After the interview, I hit the flower market and came home with a mountain of seeds. If you want to see another haul, I posted something about the Flower Market in February as well. I’ve got so much that I would like to grow! The only thing that I messed up, was buying the wrong type of perilla seeds. I thought they were interchangeable, but the red shiso is really used for fermenting, and cold drinks in summer. I’m okay with drinks, but I was hoping to use it more like basil. This is the packaging of the red perilla I bought, with some other seeds I picked up at the same store.
Perilla, thyme and mustard seeds
The funniest thing happened while shopping though. I really like my sprouting greens, and I decided to buy some more. I came back to the shop, and I heard a woman ask one of the clerks something in French. From what I understood, she didn’t want the container that the seeds came in. The man she was talking to, didn’t understand. At that point, I started translating. I didn’t mean to, but I overheard and I decided that if I could help, I should. Afterward, the woman decided to keep the box, and the clerk asked me how I was able to speak French if I was Dutch. It was a fun experience to be able to use something I’d learned in school.
For those who are interested, these are the rest of the seeds I’ve bought at the flower market. Last night I also ordered some green perilla seeds online, so I’m waiting for those to come in as well.
Garden cress and daikon, alfalfa and broccoli sprouts
Two types of basil, daikon sprouts and garden cress
Fast forward to the rest of this week, I had a job interview this morning. I tried to convince the people I talked to that this is a job I’d like to do. I had a tough time coming up with examples of things I’d improved. I am aware, that I currently do not have enough working experience to give this question a proper answer. Apparently teaching yourself a language in 4 months, with nothing else but series and the internet makes you some sort of wizard. I don’t mind data entry, and I love being able to use my languages. Instead, I was told that I was too ambitious, because the job the company offered was purely data entry. I wouldn’t have minded that either. What matters are your coworkers, and work that is worth doing. For me, that’s work that helps people. With this job, I would’ve been able to do that. It’s okay though, plenty of fish in the sea. I’m sure that I will find something I’d love to do before the end of this month.
On Saturday I also managed to hit the gym for the first time in weeks. Contrary to what I expected, the hypertrophy isn’t as bad. It must’ve been the omelet I made before heading off on Saturday morning! Either that or the effort of having cleaned out my closet earlier this week has really raised my stamina. If you’ve seen my Instagram stories, you’ve probably seen those three bags of clothes that I donated.
My homemade basil and tomato soup, featuring a little bit of kimchi pickling liquid & some bread we bought.
Since we had a lot of leftover tomatoes, I decided to make soup this morning. In the afternoon, the only thing that I had to do, was to reheat it. I really love tomato soup. What’s your favorite soup? Let me know in the comments! As always, if you want to contact me, you can send me an e-mail or a DM on Instagram. Until next time!
For a link to my previous post, click here.
Allofthesefoods 