Yuwie could be the chance you were looking for

Does anyone of you who read this have an account on Myspace, Facebook, or another social network site? I'm sure everyone has.

Let me ask you...They like you to invite friends so they grow right? Ever wondered why? I'll tell you why. Because the more people that use it, the more revenue it creates for them. Advertisers pay them to show their advertisements. How much did you actually get from that? Huh? Sorry? Nothing? Yeah that's right, nothing.

Well, that's changing right now. A new social network called yuwie.

Yuwie? What the hell is Yuwie?

Yuwie is a social network that pays you almost for every activities at their site. For uploading pictures, to blog, to send comments to other people, to send messages to other people etc. They also earn from adsense and other advertisers just like Myspace or Facebook, but share their earnings with the users. They pays with 10 level referral commission.I have never seen a company paying referral commission 10 levels deep. Pretty cool huh.

I can hear you say "yeah right", it probably is a scam. Well I can tell you that people have already been paid, and Yuwie has only been there since September of this year. They have currently over 300,000 members already and growing fast. Can you imagine getting in at this stage and it can grow the size of Myspace? The possibilities are enourmous.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that it's completely free to join. Not unimportant.

So I hope to see you All there soon. Sign up here.

I've been tagged (ABC questions)

Wow! i been tagged again by a friend of mine named Fe, this is about the ABC questions. Thanks Fe and happy blogging everyone!

Instructions: Each player starts with random habits/facts about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their things, as well as these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose some people to tag and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

A - Age: 44years of age
B - Band Listening To Right Now: None
C - Career: Business owner
D - Drink or Smoke: smoke, occasional drink
E - Easiest Friends To Talk To: depoends about what
F - Funniest moment on your life: I have lots of funniest moments lol
G - Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: gummy bears
H - Have a Boyfriend/girlfriend: yes
I - In love: to Debbie
J - Junk Food You Like: Quick (that's the Belgian Mc Donalds, only better lol)
K- Kids: 3 of them : Julie 11, karis 9 and Thibeau 7
L - Longest Ride Ever: Antwerp to Newcastle UK
M - Man/woman you love the most: Debbie
N - Names For Your Future Kids: No kids planned
O - One Wish You Have Now: Win the lotto :P
P - Phobias: None
Q - Favorite Quote: "never say never"
R - Reasons To Smile: Lots of things
S - Sleeping Hours: usually 11:30 pm
T - Time You Woke Up: 8 am
U - Unknown Fact About You: wouldn't be unkonown anymore if I told, would it lol
V - Vegetable You Hate: None
W - Worst Habit: smoking I guess
X - X-rays You’ve Had: Once from my brain (they didn't find any) for a concussion and once when I broke my arm
Y - Yummy Foods: too many to name
Z - Zodiac Sign: Virgo

I will tag 4 people named: Fe, Nelli, Debbie and Diane

Playing with a new toy

The reason i haven't posted on my blog for a couple of days now is that I'm playing on this new toy called Yuwie. A lot of people who are blogging are trying to make money online. So am I.

Yuwie just does that. Pay you for using it. For stuff you're already doing anyway. Such as : blogging, uploading pictures, staying in touch with friends etc.

They have advertisments on every page you go on. The more the advertisments are displayed, the better it is for the advertisers. But also for you. because Yuwie will pay a piece of that back to its users.

It's quite easy to get referals to sign up. It's new, it's free, it's easy to use, it's fun. It's kind of the same as Myspace with the big difference that Myspace doesn't pay its users. For everything a referal does on Yuwie, you get a piece too. 10 levels deep.

Sign up here

Or click the banners

England, Europe or not?

England is a member of the European Union. I think. Or not really? I'm confused.

What does it mean being a member of the European Union? First they stick to their Pound. Shouldn't being a member mean that the monetairy systems should be the same for every member?

Secondly, they drive on the left side of the road. 99 % of the members drive on the right side.

Thirdly, they don't consider themselves as Europeans. Everything that's overseas is Europe to them. The English are quite conservative. They don't like changes. And being a member of the EU means making changes.

I ask myself all the time what it means to be in the European Union. I'm not sure if it's a good thing for us. I do know that life became a lot more expensive since the introduction of the Euro. That's one of the reasons the English stick to their pound I guess. Can't blame them for that.

But have things really changed since e.g. Belgium became a member? Besides the Euro. We still need a passport to travel to another European country. There's supposed to be freedom of business, freedom of labour and so on in between the EU countries. Is that really the case? I don't think so. Try do do business with let's say Greece and you'll see what I'm talking about. And I'm not only talking about VAT rates that are different everywhere but also bureaucracy etc.

The English talk more and more about leaving the EU. It wouldn't make a big change I don't think. Go for it England.

________________________________________________________

If You use social networks like Facebook or Myspace, you should consider trying Yuwie. It's new, it's easy to use and best of all...they pay you to use it. I switched and I'm taking my friends with me. Getting paid for what you are doing anyway. It's a no-brainer. Even people from the Belgian "westhoek" signed up so it must be really easy to use hehehe.

Royal family expanding again

Tell me I'm dreaming. Pinch me. Oh no....I'm awake and that means it's true. Our stud prince Filip did it again. He got his wife pregnant again!! What were you thinking Fillie? You can't get enough of it can you? Another money absorbing, tax raising prince/princess for god sake.

Prince Filip doesn't seem capable of doing a lot but he certainly read the manual : "how to produce little princes/princesses" very well. Oh yes, I'm pretty sure he needed a manual for it. He might have needed help on reading it, but he's got the hang of it now. I remember their weddingday. He didn't even seem to know how to kiss his bride. While in Holland, when Maxima and Willem-Alexander got married, he was constantly french kissing her and touching her bum, our national pride prince Filip, kept his name of head-muppet high. Nerd to the bone if you wish.

There's some hope though. His wife Mathilde seems a tad more intelligent. So there might be a slight chance the little princes/princesses take after her. I didn't say she's not nerdish, just a bit more intelligent.

4 more muppets that make Belgium look silly abroad, like their dad does over and over again, is just a bit too much.

On the other hand though, it might not be a bad thing after all. It might help us get rid of the monarchy faster. Monarchies are old fashioned. We don't live in the middle ages anymore!

Unanswered questions

You know those questions usually kids come up with? The ones you can't really answer?
Like : Why are both of Spongebob's parents round like sea sponges while he is square like a kitchen sponge?

Here are some questions that I don't know the answer to. Some I asked myself, some come from friends. Feel free to answer if you know the answer.

- Can you cry underwater?

- Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

- If the police breaks your door down do they have to pay for it?

- If someone owns a piece of land, do they own it all the way to the center of the earth?

- Why is the show called "unsolved mysteries"? if they were solved they wouldn't be mysteries?

- In libraries, do they put the bible in the fiction or non-fiction section?

- You know the signs on restaurant doors? No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service? what if someone goes in with no Pants? Would the restaurant still have to serve them?

- How come people tell you to stay a kid for as long as you can. Yet the moment you do anything childish or immature they tell you to grow up?

- Why doesn't the hair on your arms grow as fast as the hair on your head?

- How does Edward scissorhands wipe his butt?

- Is eating a mermaid considered cannibalism?

- If a Jewish person goes to court and is asked to put their right hand on the Bible, do they use a Torah instead?

- If you only have one eye...are you blinking or winking?

- How come the Bible is the most stolen book, and one of the ten comandments is "thou shall not steal"?

- Why do you have to pay a toll on "freeways"?

Finding a job in Belgium

This morning my girlfriend Debbie had an appointment with an adviser from the job agency. Debbie doesn't speak the lingo well enough yet to find a job easily so they invited her for a meeting. I went along with her in case she didn't understand certain things. She does understand most of Flemish, but you never know.

After an hour of blah blah, the lady thought it would be best for Debbie to go to a "pre course". What the hell is a pre course? I guess it's another Belgian invention. A "pre course" is a course where they try to find out what real course is suitable for you. Oh but that's good isn't it?
Well, it could be if it didn't last for 10 months!!! 10 months to find out if you're suitable for a course? OMFG. excuse my French.

She did say some other things things but I was like -oh shut up woman-. Sigh.

I think it's best we look for a job without the help of the so called "professionals".

You know you're getting old when...

First something else....I have been awarded again!! That's the second time in 2 weeks time wow. I got the award of the lovely fellow lady blogger Diane who has a blog called Much of a muchness. Her blog Started as "random thoughts and musings" on life but grew to making handmade books with the occasional excursion 'off piste' into the world of calligraphy and photography.

Thanks Diane

Old Age :

SIGNS OF WEAR

"OLD" IS WHEN... Your sweetie says, "Let's go upstairs and make love" and you answer, "Pick
one, I can't do both!"

"OLD" IS WHEN... Your friends compliment you on your new alligator shoes and you're barefoot.

"OLD" IS WHEN... A sexy babe catches your fancy and your pacemaker opens the
garage door.

"OLD" IS WHEN... Going bra-less pulls all the wrinkles out of your face.

"OLD" IS WHEN... You don't care where your spouse goes, just as long as you
don't have to go along.

"OLD" IS WHEN... You are cautioned to slow down by the doctor instead of by
the police.

"OLD" IS WHEN... "Getting a little action" means I don't need to take any
fiber today.

"OLD" IS WHEN... "Getting lucky" means you find your car in the parking
lot.

"OLD" IS WHEN... An "all-nighter" means not getting up to pee.

This isn't about me by the way.

Blog to stop abuse

Today is "blog against abuse day" for bloggers. Bloggers all over the world will blog about child abuse or other forms of abuse. If you didn't know yet, look here. Being a dad of 3 kids myself I would like to do something about child abuse.

It shouldn't hurt to be a kid....

- Child abuse is physical -- shaking, hitting, beating, burning, or biting a child.
- Child abuse is emotional -- constantly blaming or putting down a child; excessive yelling, shaming.

- Child abuse is sexual -- incest, any forced sexual activity, exposure to sexual stimulation not appropriate for the child's age.

- Child abuse is neglect -- a pattern of failure to provide for the child's physical needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, and medical care; a pattern of failure to provide for the child's emotional needs, such as affection, attention, and supervision.

What can you do if you know a child is abused?

If you suspect that a child has been abused:

- In cases of an immediate emergency, always call 911 (or police) for Law Enforcement intervention.

- Where the situation is not an emergency needing the police, reports should be made to the Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline. You can find all of that on the internet.

There is another way to help too. Childfocus is a Belgian founded organisation, but they operate all over the world. You can donate if you want.

Child Focus, the European Center for Missing and Sexually Exploited
Children, is a Belgian foundation, recognised as being of public utility.
For 7 years, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at both national and international level, the center actively supports investigations in disappearance, abduction or
sexual exploitation of children and, secondly, tries to prevent and fight
against these phenomena. Remember our emergency number 110: if you want to
report a disappearance, an abduction or sexual exploitation.

Anorexia

The famous photographer Oliviera Toscani is running a campaign on anorexia. He wants to make people aware of the problem by displaying pictures in the streets of the french model Isabelle Caro, who suffers from anorexia for 15 years now. Her current weight is 30 kilograms (+/-66 pounds) and that is 5 kilograms more than a year ago.

The problem of anorexia keeps growing. A lot of people are against campaigns like this but they sure have effect. Sometimes shocking people is the only way to make them aware of stuff.

The fashion world already announced that they will ask for a health certificate first before employing a new model. So it's having effect already.

Oliviera Toscani made the news before with controversial ads for Benetton. He may be controversial but he has a talent for getting a message across. Even if it's shocking to a lot of people, I'm pro.

Making friends online

Yuwie is the new "kid on the block" for making friends online, uploading pictures and videos, post blogs etc. Compare it to Myspace but with one big difference. Click the banner to check it out yourself.

So called "social networks" are all over the place. Myspace, Tagged, Facebook etc.

Advertisers use these networks to advertise and pay them for it. Sad thing is that the money goes entirely to the networks and people like you and me don't see a dime of it. Although it is you and me that make those networks big. It's the users who make loads of money for them.

Shortly another network appeared though. They are going to pay their users a
piece of the action back. Yuwie pays the users per pageview. For everything you do on Yuwie (Upload a picture, post a comment to someones blog, edit your own profile etc), they pay you for that. Sounds good doesn't it?

So what's the catch? No catch since it's entirely free to use. I'm going to make Yuwie my prime network, because I think the potential is there.

The idea is kind of the same as what AGLOCO does. I keep promoting AGLOCO too for the same reason.

Click the banners to sign up for both programs. It's all free. And free is good.

Toilets from around the world

A couple of days ago, I talked about the different kinds of humour and the different laws in other countries. Today I would like to share the difference in toilets from around the world. Decide for yourself which one you prefer.

America

England

France

Germany

Italy

Japan

South Korea

New Zealand

Spain

Turkey

And last but not least.....Belgium

Are blondes really dumb?

First I would like to say I'm very excited. Yessssss. My first award since I started blogging not so long ago. I was awarded "Awesome Guy Blogger" by Nellioness, a great blog about sex, sexuality, relationships etc. In a nutshell, everything that makes the body tremble… Everything that touches the soul…

Nelli has a great blog with intriguing stories and magnificent tips for adults. "If she's good, she's very good, but when she's bad, she's even better". Keep up the good work Nelli.

__________________________

I have asked myself many times why blonde females have the reputation of being dumb. Is it because blondes on average get more attention from men and get asked out more so that brunettes or black haired women are actually jealous and need something to get even? So they want to put them down and make jokes about them? Maybe, but it's also the men who make "blonde jokes". So that theory isn't waterproof.
Although women know they will be made fun off, they still want to be blonde. Probably for the reason mentioned above.
Personally I don't think the hair-colour has anything to do with intelligence. Most blondes are dyed anyway so they're not naturally blonde. It's stereotyped.
A lot of celebrities are or were blonde and most women want to look like them period.
I'm not one of the many men that prefer blonde. And that has nothing to do with the intelligence issue but everything with the looks.
Videos like this won't help the reputation of blondes but I couldn't resist. Sowwy blonde readers.

Humour is different in each country

The video shows you the difference in humour in a couple of different countries. No Belgian one in there unfortunatly.

How would a Belgian do it you ask? I can think of 2 things. Either he makes an appointment first when it would be appropriate to come and kick the bloke in the bollox or....he hides behind a bush and throws chocolate bars in his nuts because he doesn't want to be seen.

If your country wasn't on there, feel free to add....

New laws for a new country

Exactly 100 days today after the national elections in Belgium and still no progress towards a new government. Some people are still talking about a split between Flanders and Wallonia. If it really comes to that, would we need some new laws?

I've been browsing some foreign laws to see if we can use any of them. Or improve them.

In Baltimore, Maryland, it is not legal to take a lion to the movies. I think we'll have that one here too.

In Oxford, Ohio, it is unlawful for a woman to appear in public while unshaven. This includes legs and face. Hmmmm...yeah here too.

According to a law in China, you must be intelligent to go to college. Depends on the college I guess.

In Carmel, New York, a man cannot be seen in public while wearing a jacket and pants that do not match. Needs serious consideration.

In Zion, Illinois, it is illegal for anyone to give cats, dogs, or other domesticated animals a lighted cigar. I think we'll have that one too, a cigarette yes, but a cigar?

In New York it is against the law to throw a ball at someone's head for fun. Naaah, it's too much fun.

Also in NY, a person may not walk around on Sundays with an ice cream cone in his or her pocket. Come on, give me one reason why not.

Still in NY, citizens may not greet each other by "putting one's thumb to the nose and wiggling the fingers". I think we should make this one the common greeting ritual. Handshakes are pretty lame after all.

NY again, Women may go topless in public, providing it is not being used as a business. I'm all for that one.

Oklahoma will not tolerate anyone taking a bite out of another's hamburger. It's a national sport here so....nope.

Also in Oklahoma, Oral sex is a misdemeanor and is punishable by one year in jail and a $2,500 fine. National sport too so no way.

A very important law that should be in the constitution I think is this : It will be strictly forbidden for men to wear white socks in sandals.

More suggestions are welcome.

The difference between men and women

We all know there is a difference between men and women, and I don't mean physically. Lets look at a couple of recognizable examples.

While eating out with some friends in a restaurant, women will call each other by their real name. Men however will call each other names like Scrappy, Butt-head or Godzilla. After dinner when the bill has to be paid, the men will all throw a $ 20 note on the table, even if it's only $ 25 to pay. And none will actually admit they want change back.
The women however will get the calculator out.

Where shopping is concerned, a man will pay $2 for an item he wants that only costs $1. A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item she doesn’t need.

In the bathroom, men have toothpaste, a toothbrush, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel from the Holiday Inn.
Women have an average of 337 items in the bathroom. A man would not be able to identify most of these items.

Women worry a lot about the future untill they get married. A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn’t.
A man marries a woman expecting that she won’t change but she does.

The only times a man will dress up is for either a wedding or a funeral, while women dress up to go shopping, water the plants or to answer the phone.

When men wake up in the morning, they still look the same as when they went to bed. A women however seems to deteriorate during the night.

Thank God we're different. It would be too boring if we all were the same, wouldn't it?

Tips everyone can use

I thought I'd give my readers some useful tips everyone can use in daily life.

For clumsy people :

-If you're a bit clumsy, you can avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

For people with kids :

-Make bath times as much fun for kiddies as a visit to the seaside by pouring a bucket of sand, a bag of salt and a dog turd into the bath.

Money saving tips :

-Don't buy expensive 'ribbed' condoms, just buy an ordinary one and slip a handful of frozen peas inside it before you put it on.

-Don't waste money buying expensive binoculars. Simply stand closer to the object you wish to view.

-A next door neighbour's car aerial, carefully folded, makes an ideal coat hanger in an emergency.

-An empty aluminium cigar tube filled with angry wasps makes an inexpensive vibrator.

-Always poo at work. Not only will you save money on toilet paper, but you'll also be getting paid for it.

For lazy people :

-A mouse trap, placed on top on of your alarm clock will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep.

Be Happy :

-Every morning smile to your mirror, but why stop there? Smile to your kitchen table, to your living room sofa and to your iron board. Beware, don't smile to your dishwasher it may take it as provocation.

Don't overdo it and be carefull :

-Clothes don't make the man, but being naked will get you arrested.
-Don't put all your eggs in one basket, put all of then in the fridge they will last longer.
-Time is money. Stop reading stupid articles!

Am I a spermbag?

About 10 years ago I had “the snip”, better known as a vasectomy. I had never given it much thought but a couple of days ago, Debbie, my girlfriend and I were talking about it. I asked myself the question what a vasectomy really does. So Debbie did some research and found the following:

Vasectomy is a permanent birth control method for men. In some conventional clinics part of the vasa deferentia(more commonly known as sperm tubes) are surgically removed, thus sterilizing the patient. In more modern clinics and in no-scalpel (keyhole) vasectomies none of the vas is removed, but is instead cut and sealed.

I was in a modern clinic.

When the vasectomy is complete, sperm can no longer exit the body through the penis. Sexual desire (libido) and the ability to have an erection and an orgasm with an ejaculation are not affected. Because the sperm itself makes up a very small proportion of an ejaculation, vasectomy does not significantly affect the volume, appearance, texture or taste of the ejaculate.

Luckily!

That takes me to the next question. If the sperm can't exit my body, where the hell is it?

They are reabsorbed by the body.

Oh my blinking God. Do I have all those little wotsits swimming around in my body??

More research shows that they are broken down by the body. Pheeew, what a relief.

That leaves me with one more question though. I always thought that the stuff that was ejaculated (by a non-snipped man) was called "sperm". So what exactly is it that I'm ejaculating now, after my vasectomy? Does it have a name?

Debbie...some more research please.

How foreigners feel about Belgium

I found this on an expat site. What foreigners think about Belgium. As you know I don't think very highly about my home country either so I can find myself in most of the quotes.




You know you've been in Belgium too long when.....

1) You always stop your car for traffic from even the tiniest little road from the right.

2) You consider breaking the speed limit normal, and honk and flash at people who don't.

3) If you have had less than 10 beers, you drive your car home, but you still don't indicate when turning or respect the speed limit.

4) If you have a car, you consider any other means of transportation as slightly suspicious.

5) You know the names of at least 10 different sauces for fries.

6) You catch yourself ordering a "Supplement Fries" with every single dish you have in any kind of restaurant.

7) You give other foreigners lectures on the difference between fake and real monastery-produced beer.

8) You don't drink the last two centilitres of a Westmalle trippel.

9) You never wear any color brighter than dark green. You automatically assume anyone who does is either
a) Dutch
b) Scandinavian
c) American or
d) Extremely rude

10) Just one day without rain even in July and August can make you happy.

11) On Saturday morning and Sunday evening of any sunny summer-weekend you accept spending more than three hours stuck in traffic jams on motorways in order to get to and from 60 kilometers of coastline that are completely cramped with high-risers 20 meters from the beach.

12) You don't mind that bouncers have to be given at least a euro when you leave a disco as a bribe for letting you in next time.

13) You consider it normal that even the train to and from the airport has announcements in both Dutch and French, but not in English. You don't react when all of the foreigners storm out of the train at the announcement of Brussels North when coming from the airport.

14) You do all of your grocery shopping in either GB or Delhaize and you don't understand anyone who shops in the other supermarket chain.

15) You consider it normal to go out to a restaurant at least five times per week.

16) You use and understand abbreviations like NMBS/SNCB, MIVB/STIB, and SMAP/OMOB.

17) You only buy the most up-market chocolate brands, and fell sorry for the geeks who buy "white products."

18) You start going to Quick instead of McDonalds and you have actually tasted the Quick Bearnise Burger.

19) You think it looks nice when the type of pavement tiles in front of each house are different, and you don't mind falling over lopsided tiles occasionally.

20) You take dog doo on the pavement as just another challenge on your daily walks.

21) You keep three colors of garbage bags for different kinds of waste, and remember which days to put out which kind of bag on the pavement in front of your house.

22) You don't mind when most streets are full of bags that have been put out on the wrong day, not even in the summer when the combination of the sun and intrepid dogs makes it a very interesting experience.

23) You automatically assume that everyone else speaks at least three languages, but refuse to speak more than one yourself.

24) You have given up on any sensible political discussion about the language divide in general and the Brussels Capital Region and the future of Belgium in particular.

25) You consider politicians and the police worse than criminals, with the possible exception of pedophiles.

26) You consider it perfectly normal when the names of towns on road signs change from French to Dutch and vice versa every 5 or 10 kilometres of motorway.

27) You have understood that the hassle of monthly visits to the municipality to obtain papers or residence permits is reserved for recently arrived foreigners who move every 6 months, and you therefore don't complain over your own annual visit where you wait in line for an hour or two.

28: You don't even complain when Belgacom overcharge you for a service you never had!

29: You automatically stop in the middle of a roundabout for fear of someone using the "Priorite a droite" rule!

30: You consider increasing your life insurance every time you approach a pedestrian crossing!

31. You're not surprised when Electrabel sends you invoices (and nasty reminders) for your previous home > 8 months after you've moved.

32. You find it a bargain when you get a 50% discount on a 700 euro designer jacket (where as the exact same jacket is available for 110 US$ or 85 euros in Macy's at Herald Square, NYC) and you think you paid more because you got better quality.

33. You find it normal when supermarkets expect your Parents to speak Flemish while they come visiting you in Antwerp from abroad for once in a lifetime, and makes you feel very obliged when they give it a try in English.

34. You find it a completely normal procedure that an immigrant worker cannot get a job without a work permit and cannot get a work permit without a job.

35. You have figured out the logic behind why some Belgians (who make a living out of teaching local languages to foreigners) vote for the far right wing political parties.

36. Your dress is perfectly compatible with the expected weather conditions.

37. You blindly presume that a person of North African origin has committed the crime that has taken place in your neighbourhood (even before the police have arrived - after two hours.

38. You consider it perfectly normal not to find an address in what you broadly call "Brussels" if you do not remember the exact name or ZIP code of the commune.

39. You find it normal that when you are in no rush your tram arrives right when you arrive at the tram stop. But when you are late for work, you watch 5 trams go in the opposite direction before yours comes. (just how do they get so far off schedule at 8:30 in the morning???)

40. You actually end up understanding a few of the words somebody said to you.

41. When you speak to somebody in flemmish, they actually understand you (I haven't been here long enough yet)

42. You found a place that sells rice not prepackaged in little baggies inside the box.

43. You participate to the annual reenactment of the Battle of the Golden Spurs, which took place in 1302, and think it's normal to joyfully celebrate such a bloodshed in the 21st century.

44. You think that travelling 50km is a long way, but that something that happened 500 years ago is fairly recent.

45. You wonder how comes that other countries's motorways are not all bright orange at night.

46. You understand why Tintin looks like he does - he is Belgian after all !

For the rest....it's all good...

I learned the hard way

When I was 16, I was grounded one day for a reason I don't remember. All my mates were going on a booze trip that Saturday night and I thought I couldn't miss that for the world. So I snuck out of my bedroom window like a thief in the night and went along with my mates. After several beers we decided to go to another disco of some sort. I don't even remember where.
My mate who was 2 years older than me had a fast-tuned Ford Escort. You can guess what happened. You should never drive drunk. He hit a tree, and another one. The car spun a couple of times and I was catapulted out through the windscreen. Actually I was lucky I wasn't wearing a seatbelt. I came out with a severe concussion, some glass cuts in my face and a torn ear. My mate on the other hand was trapped in the car, broke both his legs and will limp for the rest of his life. I stopped a car and the driver called an ambulance. That's about all I remember because I kept passing due to the concussion. What I do remember is my mates crying "my legs, my legs, it hurts so bad." Fire-workers had to cut him out.

Seatbelts can save your life of course, but in my case it saved my life not having it on.

The police went to my house to tell my mum about the accident. She was like "that's impossible, he's upstairs in bed". You can imagine the trouble I was in. Grounded for a year!

When I got out of the hospital a week later, I saw the car and realised I had been so lucky I was thrown free. The passenger side was completely gone. I would have been dead if I had still been in there. My mate had to learn how to walk again. It took him several months to recover.

It's always been like that. If I did (or do) something I'm not supposed to do, I never get away with it. I guess I'll just have to keep behaving like I have done since the night of the accident. Well....kind off.