http://me

Back then it was the Commodore 64. Later I progressed to MMOPRGs – Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games – like Guild Wars. My favorite RPG is Baldur’s Gate; it’s so extensive and allows great freedom in choices. Sometimes I play shooters like Gears of War or Halo. It’s really fun playing online as a female. Halo has lots of young guys playing and they’re not used to females gaming, so they usually either try to hit on you or diss your skills. Once I was on the same team with this guy who kept shouting and making fun of me, while I was making way more kills than he was. I just laughed it off because he sounded like he was about 12 years-old. 

Online gaming is fun, but also very addictive. In my case, it got to the point where my boyfriend and I were just sitting back to back every day, playing. It’s not a healthy lifestyle, so at one point we both decided to quit. Nowadays I still play, but I don’t play online any more. 

My boyfriend and I actually met online. It was eight years ago, when people still had ICQ accounts. ICQ allowed you to search people according to interest, and he was looking for people who were into Metal music — something we have in common. We started chatting and clicked immediately, but I only met him in person about a year later, at a Metal festival. I was working as a model there and we agreed to meet up.

Back when I was modeling, I had a website, but I don’t any more. I also used to manage the website of my bellydancing group, which I was part of for six years. I stopped with bellydancing recently due to lack of time, though. 

Nowadays one of my favorite things to do online is looking at pictures of cupcakes! About a year ago I was surfing through some baking blogs and saw all these cute cupcakes and immediately wanted to bake them. There’s a huge online cake-loving community in the Netherlands, lots of blogs and websites with recipes, how-to’s, tips and tricks. One of my favorites is deleuksetaarten.nl. I also have my own baking blog — gamecakes.nl — about cakes with a videogame theme.”

My favorites:

gamecakes.nl

kotaku.com

metalsucks.net

lifehacker.com

annathered.com

cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com

themoonmaiden-blix.blogspot.com

Maybe summer does not mean nice weather, travelling and swimming for you this year. Some stay in Delft for exam resits, some try to save up a little money, some arrive early before starting a new study. Luckily for everyone there are quite a few events taking place during the summer. Here are some activity tips for your sunny summer days in Delft. Have fun!

Mooi Weer Spelen – 5/6 June
Just as the name suggests, Mooi Weer Spelen (Nice Weather Games) is a harbinger of the summer vacation. On these two days you get a chance to see different shows and performances by various artists. You may think that you don’t like artistic events, but wait on deciding until you experience the humorous student modifications of classics or dance-technology corporate acts. In addition to extraordinary shows, the atmosphere of the festival is not to miss.

Dutch summer courses – 26 June
For those who want to improve their social lives and CVs at the same time, the Institute for Technology and Communication offers intensive Dutch courses this summer. The courses follow a special method called ‘The Delft Method’, which is based on acquiring large amounts of words to rapidly develop your verbal skills. The Delft Method offers three levels starting from June 26. You can sign up until June 10.

Delftse Hout
Delftse Hout is a small pond just outside Delft that has huge meaning for the students in Delft. Referring to Delftse Hout as a summer activity would be cruel for those who remember the ice-skating season of last winter, but summer is definitely the best time to be there. During summer you can sunbathe, swim or have a romantic afternoon picnic without getting too far from the city. If it gets extremely warm this summer you may even try skinny dipping at the nude beach.

Jazz Festival – 13/14/15 August
You can discover the sophisticated side of Delft in August. During this festival, many bars, cafes and squares in Delft have live jazz music. It’s quite common to see dancing drunk locals on the streets. You won’t believe how many jazz lovers live in Delft. Don’t hesitate to grab a beer and join them in this non-profit festival.

Owee – 15/19 August
A sign that indicates the end of summer, a sign that says ‘it will start raining soon’ is the Owee. During the Owee (‘OntvangstWeek’), all Dutch freshmen go crazy for one whole week, trying to get to know each other and the city of Delft with dinners, introductions and parties. Although it is primarily organized for Dutch BSc freshmen, international and more experienced students can also enjoy certain events during Owee. Owee-infomarkt is one of the open events for everyone and introduces all student fraternities, clubs and organizations in Delft. Strongly recommended if you still don’t know how to spend your free time next year! So visit the Grote Markt on August 16.

Westerpop – 27/28 August
Last but not least, just before the new academic year starts, a pop festival is taking place on the grass fields behind the Grotius College. As is tradition, the line-up is always published on the Pentecost Monday. Westerpop happens to be one of the very few events that brings the students and locals together. Unique music, cold beer, junk food and sun. What could be better for spending the remaining days of the vacation?  

• mooiweerspelen.nl
• delftsemethode.nl
• jazzfestivaldelft.nl
• owee.nl
• westerpop.nl