10 Things You Know About Me If You Really Know Me

Kiki came up with a new column and she thought it would be a great plan if I would kick it off. To set the tone or something. So here we go.

1. The lens trail

If you know me well, you know that I always leave two lenses somewhere during the evening. That can be neatly on the couch while I watch Netflix, but also just in the taxi back from restaurant to hotel, in a fancy club, or during the Friends of Amstel.

2. The charging cable

However I do it, I lose them. Daniëlle recently put one in my car so I can always charge in the car. My beloved has one in the bedroom so I can always charge while I sleep and... I still take them with me (because not charged in the car and during sleep) and then I lose them. So I always tap Annick and Adeline on the shoulder at the office for a cable of one thing or another. If you want to make a great impression as an intern, you know what you have to do.

3. The sleep company

I can do it and do it everywhere: in the cinema, in a restaurant, and in a taxi bus with six colleagues after I just asked a question that sounded very interested. I always hoped I could blame the wine, but now that I'm alcohol-free and it still happens to me, I know: it’s me. I can't make it any more than that.

4. The volcano

That’s my father’s nickname for me and I fear it’s somewhat true because I knocked everyone over when the portion of energy was distributed. Usually, I’m the first to get up and the last to go to bed. At least, unless I’ve fallen asleep somewhere in between.

5. Food snob

I fear I am one. I just really love quality. I convince myself that I really prefer to drink Badoit over Evian and Ruinart Blanc de Blancs champagne over a regular Veuve. Soon I should do a test with a blindfold. It would save a lot of money if that added value is only imaginary.

6. Randomly lying underwear

I exercise quite a bit and, okay, quite personally, I find it nice to refresh the thong. I always hide the ‘used’ one somewhere in a sports shoe or another compartment. And yes, I sometimes find myself in a situation where I rummage through my bag looking for a charging cable or something and think: what is this? And then I remember.

7. Less exciting than you think

For Amayzine, I travel a lot and have the privilege of visiting better places with multiple stars. Often people think my private life is just as exciting. Sometimes it really is, but preferably we lie on the couch with the whole family by the fireplace watching Harry Potter.

8. The gum chewer

My car is a large collection of peppermint-related sweets. Smints, King peppermint, Mentos, and especially a lot of gum. I can easily chew through a pack in traffic. And if you ever ride with me, never look in the cardboard wrapper of a gum pack. It’s full of spit-out pieces of gum. Brrr. If you tell this further, I’ll have to kill you, you understand.

9. The sock hunter

I prefer not to wear socks, so I postpone it until the temperature really drops below zero. And then I hunt for my beloved's sock drawer or that of my children. A size too big, a size too small; I don’t care. I think it’s a cozy idea to wear their socks, but they find it bloody annoying, I believe.

10. Buy, buy, don’t read

In a past life, I read. I filled whole days with it. Part of that love has remained. The smell of a book and buying it. Novels and biographies lie untouched waiting for me. I do like to leaf through cookbooks on a lazy Sunday. But reading, that has to wait until my retirement. I was that volcano, remember?