But above all: never give up.

It’s the end of the week and I’m going back home for the weekend. I’m going home to this:

Not too shabby, is it?

There is something about the sea. It’s so easy to get used to it just being there and I think that’s maybe why I don’t appreciate it as much as I should. It’s such a luxury to be able to just pop out for a few minutes and then see this view.

The thing is that I usually just don’t take time to enjoy it. I’m always running from one thing to the other during weekends. So the coming weekend even though I have a lot of things on my schedule (don’t worry, 90% of them are a lot of fun) I’m also going to take some time. Just a few hours, some minutes, to appreciate what I have and the wonderful things I’m surrounded by.

How does that sound for a plan?

I love myself a good winter walk. When the cold tinges your cheeks with an ever so subtle blush and you shake off the cold as you take off your woolly hat once you’re back safely indoors. Don’t get me wrong, I hate it when it rains during the winter and then I just stay inside. But a clear, cold winter afternoon walk? Yes please!

Last week I spent the afternoon with my mum, having some quality mother-daughter time. It was so lovely to have a long walk with her. We did pass through the city centre and my there were a LOT of people but once we got to the beach it was all worth it. Such great weather with just the right amount of cold.

What about you? Do you like a bit of cold on a winter walk? Or do you prefer being all bundled up indoors?

Today we had the audition for our end of year production at the course. We’ll be doing our own version of Red Riding Hood featuring the iconic scarlet cloak and as of today I can affirm that yours truly will be following in the footsteps of the amazing Julie Christie.

Not that I’ve just been Oscar nominated or something, I’ve just been cast as grandmother. Yes, I am the oldest of the bunch. No, I’m not greying prematurely.

It’s a pretty sweet part and it’ll be very interesting to figure out how to make this 65-year-old grandmother come across well. I guess lots of observations will be in order. All in the name of research of course.

I got the most lovely surprise for Christmas on the 29th. My mum had told me that we were going to have a mother-daughter day. And then suddenly in the evening of the 28th my best friend Julie arrived. Talk about a surprise. And still they wouldn’t tell me where we were going.

The next morning we got up at half past five and then took the bus to London at half past six! Hello awesome!

We arrived at Lower Regent Street at 11 a.m. local time and it felt so great to be back. It had been over a year since I was in London and it felt a bit like coming home. We divided the snacks we had brought and then Jules and I said our goodbyes to my mum and brother before heading off.

Passing through Trafalgar Square, a quick stop at St. Martins in the Fields and then to the big HMV at Piccadilly Circus. I found the 25th Anniversary dvd of Phantom of the Opera for £10 and also bought the Catch me if you Can album.

After all that shopping we had some fika at the Nordic Bakery in Soho, one of my favourite spots from summer 2010. Cinnamon buns, a gravad lax sandwich and tea. Perfect fika.

A visit to the Illamasqua store, wandering through Carnaby Street and Soho to end up with a Tesco sandwich at Covent Garden.

Jules had been in London a couple of days before with her mum but the Moomin store was closed so imagine her delight at it being open that day. I’ve never seen her so excited: the only Moomin store outside of Finland.

I have to say that I’m quite proud of my restraint in the face of so many awesome things. London really is a great city for shopping. So many books (and sheet music books) that I wanted to buy but I didn’t buy a single one of them. Restraint. Restraint!

I can’t wait until Tennant & Tate’s Much Ado About Nothing is out on dvd!

I’ve got two more posts about London coming up. London love for the win. I hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s Eve!

I spent two wonderful days in Disneyland Resort Paris. It was lovely to be back there and give our Annual Passes some work five months after our last trip.

Can I just say that I love Disneyland during the holiday season? The decorations are so wonderful and that music!

We arrived on Christmas Day and spent the entire day in the park. For Christmas dinner we went to Walt’s restaurant. It was wonderful: a quiet, luxurious atmosphere and I had the best risotto of my life for a wonderful main course.

On our last day there we saw Alice again, a friend of ours who works at the Thunder Mesa shop. It was lovely seeing her again and we made a deal: if none of my auditions work out I’ll come and work at Disneyland too. This summer Alice’s mum said I’d be a great Cinderella. I don’t know about that but I wouldn’t say no to a gig in the parade.

On Sunday it snowed a tiny bit here in Belgium and instantly I started yearning for a white Christmas. Not that it would be very practical as we’ll be driving to Paris to visit Disneyland on Christmas day but just because it seems so fitting for the holiday.

Also tonight is my last night here with my housemates: I’m moving to another place on the 30th. I have to say that I’m a bit relieved: no more conflicting bio-rhythms of them making lots of noise every night and me having to get up hours before they do.

Maybe also add to that singing, dancing, working for school. For the rest it’s fairly accurate.

Today it’s been exactly one year since my grandma died. Time has flown and yet it still feels like only yesterday. There’s been so much going on in the past year.

It all became painfully current again yesterday as the entire family attended the year mass in her memory. Just being back in that church with all of them sounded a bit too close to home for me. For my grandpa it’s still beyond painful and I wish there is something I could do to help him, support him more, be there more often for him.

As for my mum I can’t imagine what it must be like for her to lose a mother. It was bad enough for me to lose my grandma and godmother.

But you know, as I was doing my singing exam this morning I didn’t feel alone. She’s still here, in my memories, in everything I do.

Thank you, grandma.

I went to see Miss Saigon in Utrecht this afternoon. I’d been wanting to see this classic for so long so when some friends from 3 Musketeers asked I more than happily joined them for a matinee performance.

Oh and ironically the song from which I got this post’s title doesn’t feature in the show anymore. This is the first production of Miss Saigon in which the character Ellen doesn’t sing Now that I’ve seen her after seeing Kim for the first time but Maybe (or Toch nog in Dutch).

Apart from being excited about the production the cast was definitely another pull for me. One of my favourite musical theatre actors, Stanley Burleson performed as the Engineer and new talents Na-Young Jeon and Ton Sieben starred as Kim and Chris. Interestingly enough Na-Young is actually a classmate of a friend of mine who is in his final year of musical theatre at Cordarts in Rotterdam. Such a small world.

And yes, this has most definitely made me itch again to get back on stage. When are those singing exams? Jury, here I come!