dinsdag 2 januari 2018

Happy New Year Everyone!

Normally I write a blog at the end of the year, but I have been so busy lately that I have to do this on the 2nd of January. First of all, happy new year everyone! Hope you all recovered already from the new years celebration. I started my year sober! Well that's a first I can see you thinking, but I had to be at work at 5am so no champagne for me. I invited myself to one of my friends house to celebrate with the belgium maffia. The view was amazing, we were very close to the Burj Khalifa and could look all the way to the palm and marina. In downtown they held a light show, of about 1.5 minute and I can tell you this, it was not up to standards... Good thing was that we could see the fireworks from the marina and palm. Then it was time for me to go home, sleep a few hours and then fly up to Jeddah and back. Not the best flight you can have on the first of January, but all those years I didn't have to fly on Christmas day or New Years Eve, so this year it was my turn.
Sober new year's eve photo! 


Before I go on with my new years resolutions I want to tell a story of one of my best nights out here. At the beginning of November there was the Sensation White party. The day before I was in Amsterdam and getting back to the desert as a passenger. While I was waiting to board the plane Ryan Marciano and Sunnery James showed up at the gate, for the non Dutch people, these are 2 DJ's from the Netherlands and pretty famous and hot, just saying. I met them 3 years ago in Croatia when I did yacht week and then a few times when they were playing here.. But Sunnery looks me in the eyes and he actually recognizes me and he goes, eeeeeey how are you? So as we Dutch do, I stood up and gave him a hug and 3 kisses, and we had a small conversation about Sensation White the next day, so he walks off and I go, see you tomorrowww! haha, a few people at the boarding gate looked at me and thought WHO are YOU? Back in the desert I pass by them and we greet each other and say see you tonight!! Obviously it was sensation WHITE so we all had to wear white! The dutch maffia was ready, I was together with Valerie, Selma, and ofcourse Koen was there (he organized a table for us). Once we got to the Meydan hotel, where they were hosting Sensation we had this amazing VIP table and a very good view on the stage. We were with 15 people and a few girls as well. There was a table more up to the front with only dutch guys and they wanted us girls to come to their table, but we stayed, so then they all come to our table. Turns out, the people on the other table were the other DJ's and the people who organize the whole event, all dutch. From a table with 15 we suddenly had about 35 people standing with us, mostly dutch, and we had so much fun! The music was amazing, the people were dutch and down to earth and just wanting to have a good time! At one point we all took our heels off and went dancing on the couches, one of those happy moments! Later Sunnery and Ryan were performing and afterwards they came to our table! Sunnery sees me dancing on the couch and he gives me a big smile and a hug and he even says good to see you girl! Then he goes telling the other guys on the table how a great person I am, haha his words, not mine :P but still felt good to have somebody who travels the world and meets so many different people on so many parties remembers this small town girl and is genuinely happy to see me! We danced the night away and when the party finished at 3am we still had so much alcohol to drink so we stayed for another 1.5 hour just with our table while the rest was already cleaning up the mess from the night. Then it was time for an afterparty, obviously, haha! There were still a few closed Coca Cola cans on the table so I thought why not take them to the afterparty, somebody paid for those.... So there I go with 7 coca cola cans in my bag to the afterparty at the Meydan hotel, Sunnery sees my bag and he goes, can you be even more dutch then that xD haha! Oh well, many people actually did want a coca cola later. Enough about the coca cola, it was such a good night that I will still think about for a long time! Good thing we still have the photos as proof that it actually happend! We made it to the official instagram page of Sensation White. Goals in life right xD

The group and vodka!
Sunnery!!
Girls <3

November was an amazing month for me, roster wise I didn't have one. I was on reserve from the 11th till the 10th of december. Which means no roster and basically a whole month on standby. You take over the flights that people call sick for, so you don't know where you will be the next day. First my dear friend Manon came over with her boyfriend Paul to stay with me for 2 nights before they headed down to Thailand for a month. I showed them some nice spots and they loved it. Then my oldest brother and his wife came and for the first days they stayed with me and then they went to Abu Dhabi, in between I went to New York and Paris. While I was in a shopping mall in Paris I ran into Akon... I was in a shop and I see this guy talking to 2 people, and my brain goes, I recognize him from somewhere, but where.... Then I went to pay for my dress and I asked the girl and she confirmed that it was Akon. It's not every day you walk into a shop and Akon is just chilling there, did explain the reason why they were playing his music haha. So took a photo with him and then went back to the hotel, very randomly. Once back in the desert my other brother and his wife were coming over and other friends Jill and Luco were coming from their trip in Indonesia, staying with me another 2 days before heading back to Amsterdam. I had all my brothers and sisters over, so happy! On Friday we all went to brunch, with about 30 people! And it was such a good day, and ended up with macdonalds delivery. To end the month november even better my mom and dad had a stopover as well. They spend 2 weeks in South Africa before heading back to Amsterdam they came to see me!
Manon and I 
Tim, me, Saskia, Nien and Martijn
Brunch

Dinner with mom and dad
That night I was on standby and I got called to do Brisbane Auckland trip. Which is a very good trip since I get to see my birthday buddy Maki, but it meant that I wouldn't see mom and dad anymore before they were heading back to Amsterdam. Fortunately I had the days off when my brothers and sisters were here, but shame I couldn't see them for that long. 
Maki and I visited a Japanese exhibition!
While I was away Wouter went to see mom and dad and had dinner with them, how sweet!! 

A few days later it was december, the month of Christmas and new years eve! Last year Alex (one of wouters best friends hosted a christmas dinner, but not on christmas day), so this year I was invited again for his amazing christmas dinner and I made a christmas tree of my hair haha! If there would have been a contest I would have definitely won!
our annual Christmas tree hug and photo
Then I got a few days off and went to the Netherlands, and it was snowing, it was so beautiful! Made me miss my beautiful country a bit more then normal... And I managed to see my dear friends Marissa and Hanneke. 
Managed to go to a new destination as well, CHICAGO!! Had to take the obvious photo in front of the Chicago Bean.. 

Jaclyn, Gareth and me at Ladies Night
Dinner date
November and December are the months that I went out for dinner the most, and had so much fun. Surrounded by amazing people, who can say no to that?! 

Christmas day was dinner at my place, Paula my roommate got a day off at the end so she joined together with Ruth, Suzanne, Abbie, and only lucky guy Kenneth. 
Merry Christmas from 3604!
Didn't manage to see my family on christmas day or boxing day, BUT I did see them on 3rd christmas day, which doesn't exist but this year it did! I got an Amsterdam flight!! And we went to my favorite restaurant, where they obviously have SPARE RIBS!! woehoeee 
Family <3

Wow looking back since I last wrote my blog about Colombia, so much has happend, still smiling! I think I can say that these last months of 2017 were the best months of the year! Grateful for all the great memories and all the great family and friends I have. 2017 taught me a lot; fell in love, fell out of love, had many amazing trips to the Netherlands, lovely skiing trip in Austria with Wouter, my other brother getting married to the love of his life, cheeky trip to Miami and Colombia (which turned out to be a bit more expensive then expected haha) and last but not least all the people that came to visit me in the desert, and all the people I met along the way!   

2017 you were a rollercoaster, 2018 I am ready for you, my last year in Dubai and then it's time for a new adventure, can't give to many details but they will follow! My new year's resolutions are; save more money, buy less clothes, write more, cook more and very very excited about the weddings of Edgar and Annelien in Dubai, Jill and Luco, Cindy and Dirk in the Netherlands. Love is all around people, time to give! 

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