Music

Unwind Rewind 92 Pfizer, pfun, escapfism & pfreedom

Pfizer is making Israel feel like a post Corona country… With a good dose of escapism… Back to work and back to fun…

1Elton JohnThe One
2Jessie Ware Say you love me
3Stealers WheelStuck in the middle with you
4Sheryl CrowAll I wanna do
5Sam SmithI’m not the only one
6David BrozaMitachat lashamaim (Under the sky) (Live)
7Noa & Solis QuartetEye in the sky (Live)
8Donny HathawayYou’ve got a friend (Live)
9James TaylorOnly one (Live)
10B.B. KingHappy Birthday Blues
11Ray CharlesHit the road Jack
12Fiona AppleNever is a promise
13George MichaelFreedom
Listen to all the songs compiled on my Unwind Rewind Spotify Playlist – without the talking
Antwerp

Antwerp’s best swimming pools.

With a new year come new resolutions. 2014 for me will be a year of mostly travelling, but i also plan on being a bit more sportive, preferably by swimming. Let’s get a round up of Antwerp’s best indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

Olympic Pool Wezenberg

The Wezenberg Olympic Pool was erected in 1920 when Antwerp hosted the Summer Olympics. Wezenberg is a 50 meter eight-lane swimming pool with seating for 800 spectators.

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Olympic Pool Wezenberg, Desguinlei 17-19, 2018 Antwerpen

Veldstraat Art Deco Swimming Pool

Antwerp’s oldest pool is a true gem. Built in 1933 in complete art deco style, it is undoubtedly one of Belgium’s most gorgeous pools. Note: the Veldstraat swimming pool also houses a great spa (photos: Jef Claes).

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Veldstraat 83, 2060 Antwerpen

Outdoor fun at Badboot

Since 2012 a giant boat-construction houses an outdoor pool right on the river Scheldt. The construction itself is about 120m long. It feels like swimming in the Scheldt itself. Since this outdoor pool is such a great succes, it is advised to make reservations. In wintertime the pool is traded for a giant iceskating slope (photos: City of Antwerp).

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Kattendijkdok-Oostkaai, 2000 Antwerp

Boekenberg Park

Antwerp’s Boekenberg park is a completely natural, eco-friendly swimming pool that used to be a pond. Contrary to most pools, it has nothing of their usual artificialness and beautifully blends in with the green surroundings (Photos: Jef Claes).

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Boekenberg park, Van Baurscheitlaan – 2100 Deurne-Antwerp

Inspired by The Word Magazine.

 

Fashion · Tel Aviv · Travel guide

What to wear to …

(c) a fly guyTomorrow I will be leaving Belgium’s Winter Depression behind and I will soak up the sun in Tel Aviv. I have been so tired of this cold weather, like literally exhausted, I can’t wait to feel the hot sand between my toes. I’m looking forward to my  “10 days off ” so much, I’ve been planning what to take with me for days now. Yes, i finally have an excuse to buy 3 bikinis and 5 different dresses.

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Headphones: Urbanears (Zalando) – Bikini OndadeMar (Zalando) – Top MinkPink (Zalando) – Shorts Tigerhill (Zalando) – Sweater MinkPink (Zalando) – Blouse CheapMonday (Zalando) – Dress Mint&Berry (Zalando) – Sunglasses Wasteland (Zalando) – Sneakers Nike (Zalando)

(c) a fly guy

what to wear 1 Ring House of Harlow (Urban Outfitters) – Handbag The Cambridge Satchel Company (Urban Outfitters) – Bracelet Hipanema (Urban Outfitters) – Watch Timex (Zalando) – Bracelet BE by Magali PinchasiSandals (Forever 21) – Bracelet Fiona Paxton (Zalando) – Pants Anna Field (Zalando)

(c) a fly guy

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Straw hat (H&M) – Sunglasses (Komono) – Sweater Filles à papa (Bluepoint) – Shirt (H&M) – Shirt Zoë Karssen (Bluepoint) – Swimsuit (We Are Handsome) – Shorts (Mango) – Sandals (NewLook)

See you in Tel Aviv!

Pictures of Tel Aviv by International Fly Guy

Entertainment · Judaism

Dating a Jew or two.

When you write a blog between Tel Aviv and Antwerp, it was bound to happen someday. Yes it’s time for a personal statement that I know isn’t shocking anybody who knows me: I have a thing for Jewish men.

I’ve given “the Reason Why” a lot of thought lately. I don’t care much about God, Jesus or any other prophet. I never fully understood the concept of how something that is supposed to be a good higher power actually divides so many people. I never really made a difference between someone who read the Bible, the Koran, the Torah or just believed in karma. So my preference to date Jewish guys has nothing to do with their belief, that’s for sure. I feel however that most of the guys I go for are Jewish (or, if they’re not, they probably look Jewish). Needless to say that when it comes to their looks, Jewish men are very “interesting”: the intelligent gaze of a young Leonard Cohen, the funny Adam Samberg, my high school crush Jeff Goldblum and the ultimate stud James Franco. My grandma always told me “van een mooi bord kan je niet eten” (freely translated as: you can’t judge a book by it’s cover), so Jewish men must also have a lot of good inner qualities. They are known to be smart and treat their wives with respect. They are family oriented and most of them have a good sense of humor. What sounds better than that? Another reason that I think of a lot is that it might be a more personal challenge, since dating someone who’s not suppose to date you makes you feel all “13 years old and secretly kissed a boy at school” again (minus the teen giggles).

Ari-Gold-Yom-KippurAnyway, who cares about reasons. Leo Dicaprio didn’t have a reason not to get on that piece of driftwood with Kate Winslet when he was floating around in icy water, so I don’t need a reason to like someone. Let’s say: I just do. But I am not Jewish. I’m a Shiksa, as they say in Yiddish (after looking up that word on Wikipedia I most definitely am a Shiksa: “Shiksa refers to any non-Jewish (gentile) woman or girl who might be a temptation to Jewish men or boys, e.g., for dating, intermarriage, etc.“). And this is kind of a problem.

But who am I to burst my own bubble? Let the men do that for me! So, after some serial Jew dating I learned that – like all men – Jewish men possess qualities that make me want to run in all sorts of directions, preferably faster than Forrest Gump on energy drinks.

Of course, I don’t generalize. The experiences I write about are totally my own. I would also like to point out that this article is purely written for entertainment, I am not out to hurt anybody and surely not to make fun of someones religion. It could very well have been Belgian Boys, or Italian Stallions.

1. The “I like dating you, but we have no future together… Or maybe we do… No we definitely don’t” guy.

There’s always this moment in time that you think “where have all the heroes gone?”. At that point I mostly meet a handsome dark curly-haired Mediterranean guy and I’m like “There he is!”. We talk a while, we go out together, watch a movie, have dinner, etc. Basically we’re having a very good time and all seems like a little fairytale with a handsome prince who’s really making an effort to make me feel every inch a women (for readers who’d love a soundtrack to this, click here). Who cares that he’s Jewish? I do what every normal girl does and I already start fantasizing about big family shabbat dinners (who doesn’t like a table full of food) and romantically lighting candles together on Hanukkah. A fairytale indeed. At the moment one least expects it (probably while watching re-runs of Sex and the City to remind myself again how Charlotte handled her Jew-man) he drops the Bomb (bomb being the awkward word). “I’ve thought about it and although you’re great and I have such a good time with you… you’re not Jewish and my parents would never approve.”

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2. The “Let’s keep it casual” guy.

According to Jewish tradition, dating plays a very specific role. Dating is a serious matter and is not intended for entertainment purposes. Well, thanks for the heads up, but some Jewboys don’t seem to share that thought (they are probably the ones who invented the phrase “Shickses are for practice”). But then again, who cares? One can only appreciate honesty. And a busy girl like me doesn’t always have the time for serious dating. A little fling here and there never hurt anyone. So yes, let’s keep it casual! All seems to be going well for a few weeks, but then Drama kicks in. All of a sudden a statement like “you can see other people if you want, we’re casual” seems to be as untrue as Anna Anderson being the long-lost Russian princess Anastasia. Even if I didn’t see anyone else (why would I, when I have a gorgeous Jew man to satisfy me on daily basis), I’m being called names I’d rather not repeat. Maybe it’s the Jewish sense of entitlement, or just the mere thought of me actually living up to his self-proclaimed statement. Eitherway he turned into the Boy who cried Wolf. (I must admit though that drama in this story went both ways. I guess keeping it casual isn’t always that easy.)

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3. The “I don’t care you’re not Jewish” guy.

Ah yes, they do exist. Some of the Jewish men don’t really care if they date a non-Jewish girl. But by then, i was already so submerged into Jewish tradition due to all previous experiences, I was like: “What? You’re not a very good Jew!” This is when I found out that I actually love the Jewish traditions and the “we’re one happy family”-feeling. How could I be part of The Family if he didn’t really care about being Jewish or not? And here come the question marks. Well, at least I found another reason to add to the long list of why I like Jewish people so much.

1I must say, even though a lot of these stories ended in agonizing heartbreak (no not really), I have enjoyed every experience I had so far and the people I’ve met along the way. I would never wish for things to be different. Being the romantic naive fool I am, I’m sure that every experience made me grow and made me wiser about what I want, and how far I would go for someone who really deserves it. And I’m pretty sure we will all get where we want to be, with a wonderful person. In my case preferably Jewish. 🙂

Fashion · General · Lifestyle

Fell in love at the Seaside

Last weekend it was time to get my bikini out and go to the Belgian coast! The weather was so nice I even dared to take a little swim! And trust me, for Belgian standards, this is quite unusual. Can’t wait to go back! Of course there was also time for some clubbing! And although we are not a fashion blog i do wanna share my outfit for the night! Do you like it? Do you recognize the pants? 😉 (Just to be clear, i was wearing shoes when we left the apartment).

Hoping to catch some more sunny snapshots soon!

Sien Josephine