A short break

We will be idle for a while, busy exploring Brazil. Will be back soon with pictures and stories...

Lights Out for Earth Hour

Join the Earth Hour global movement and switch off your lights Saturday, March 26 from 8:30 pm until 09:30pm your local time.

You can take this 1 hour to switch off from everything stressfull and spend this meaningful time with your loved ones.

Sign up here and make a difference!

Discovering Romania - Cutea de Arges and Vidraru

Here are some pictures from our latest weekend in Romania.

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Banana or Pappel?

This movie has brought a lot of laughter and quoting in the Van’s household.
Enjoy ‘Despicable me’ Papoy!

Martisor

March 1^st in Romania is called ‘Ziua de Martisor’.  A small decoration tied with a red and white thread is worn (mostly by women) until March 8^th, the day when Romanians celebrate ‘Women’s Day’ . 

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Sunscreen

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How I Quit Smoking

It is sensitive and hard.

I smoked my first cigarette when I was 13.

My last when I was 28.

Almost all who are near and dear to me still smoke. For them, I am writing this, in hope that my journey will inspire them. But I must warn you… It is not pleasant!

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On top of the world!

Oh Yeah! We're visiting the observatory deck of the Burj Khalifa, downtown Dubai. Yes we all went up the Empire State Building or some other famous skyscraper but the Khalifa Burj, standing at 828 meters, is the pinnacle when it comes to heights.

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Life Simplified - Let's get started!

As I was vowing earlier, I want our life to get simpler, more joy and less attachment to 'stuff'.

I got started by identifying my biggest clutter area and the cause for the hole in my budget: the closet. I open and for the first time I see a simple fact: I have 7 shelves, 2 drawers plus a closet, while my dear husband has been allocated and survived on 1 ½ shelf and 2 boxes. Plus the sizable suitcase he has with him, I say to myself to make it easier to digest. How can a man (him) survive with only 5 pairs of shoes? And how come a woman (me) say she has nothing to wear when she has 50? A mystery that will never be solved I guess… And how come I have been wearing the same pair of jeans for the past month?

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A little domestic experiment...

On one of our latest drives between Dubai and Abu Dhabi Mrs Van came up with the concept of the ‘nagging bracelet’. This bracelet is made out of plastic, thread or whatever you have around your house. It would be passed on from Mr to Mrs and vice-versa every time one of you is nagging.

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