POEM: PIECING YOU TOGETHER AGAIN

NICE ONE, NORINA!

My friend Norina has a most beautiful voice, heart and soul. I could listen to her playing the guitar forevermore. Here I recorded a little bit of her singing "Your love never fails" at Freakstock. 

COOL WORSHIP BAND

Just can't get enough of this worship band at the moment: øusia. Once you see a band performing live, it changes the entire experience when you listen to their music at home. You can picture them when you close your eyes...

RING A DING DING!

Last month, my brother and I photographed our first wedding together. The day was a sunny, 30-degree event, filled with laughter, adrenaline and bee stings.

I used the awesome Canon 5D Mark II with the stunning 50mm and 85mm lens. My oh my...that camera is a beautiful beast! Jenny and Matthias are such a sweet couple and willing to try out so many locations, which made the day a beautiful occasion. Here are some of my favourite shots.

LÜTJENSEE

Sometimes life is about grabbing a moment or an opportunity. I’ve learnt in the past months to just show up and life will present an awesome gift for you: like a hot day at a cool lake in the forest. And then it’s about making the most of the moment – and jump in and go swimming with your clothes on because you forgot your bikini. It's not always about being prepared and feeling super. It's about those little imperfect moments. That’s life.

DÈJÁ VU IN KARLSRUHE

Last weekend, I visited Karlsruhe in southern Germany. 

When I left Hamburg it was grey and raining; but a summer breeze and sunshine greeted me when I arrived in Karlsruhe. This country is definitely divided into two when it comes to temperatures. I love Karlsruhe for so many reasons. It was the first city I lived in when I moved to Germany and to me, it feels like a miniature version of a big city, and it embraced me like a warm hug.

The phrase "déjà vu" is French and means "already seen". When I returned for a short visit, it felt like the town hadn't changed at all as if I had left it in a time capsule. Only the construction sites had moved a few kilometres down the road. But the castle was still there, the large gardens, the people still spoke their wonderful dialect (there's something so charming about the southern German dialect), and the shops, pubs and restaurants I had often visited were all the same.

When I first arrived in Karlsruhe, I was twenty-four, "fresh off the boat" and spoke imperfect German. Everything was new for me from: shopping at Aldi or Rewe, using the tram system or finding a flat share. It might sound like a cliché but everything is different in Germany. There are so many cultural differences that are impossible to list. And I don't mean that different is bad. It's just different. And so, Karlsruhe represents the beginning of an exciting journey. It's where I first found an internship, a WG, German friends, and ultimately where I learned to navigate life in Germany.

Fabian also happened to be down in the south (he's living in Holland now with his girlfriend) and it was awesome to be back in an old place and see how much we'd changed and how much we'd experienced. And goddammit...I love the south for its rad weather, blue skies and endless green!

POEM: CIGARETTE ON YOUR LIPS

A little poem I wrote about a time gone by, with a person who occupied a lot of my twenties. I don't think the poem is perfect but I like the rhythm of it. 

 

SPEEDSTER ROADTRIP

Not only is the beginning of summer refreshing for the soul — it’s an ideal time to leave the noisy city behind. Hitting the road and venturing into unknown land, through small towns and past idyllic farms is like hitting the refresh button. 

M.I.A. IS BACK!

SUMMER LOVIN'