DrunkDecember to JuicyJanuary

This blog is dedicated to the hard-working organ of our body: The liver. 

December: A month full of parties, food parties, alcohol parties, sleep deprivation and hangovers. I love December. You get to spend tons of time with your friends, family and dress fancy! Glitter here, sequins there, food in one hand and of course a glass of wine in the other. Highlight of the month: New Years Eve, when we say ‘Cheers to the New year’ and have another excuse to drink excessively .

So, when I woke up on the first of January 2014 and my head was almost imploding from a hangover, I decided it was time to change some little things in life. Like drinking….

It was 31 December 2013, when N, my sister-in-law S and I were getting ready for NYE! Party with la familia, as we called it. We started drinking at like 20.00, just to heat up the motor. Little that I know in that split second when I took my first sip of Liquor 43, that I would enter 2014 as ‘black girl wasted’. But I did. And I loved it. I loved my familia. I loved the DJ. Heck yeah, I loved everyone. Especially N’s little colleague, who is so cute and little that I kept repeating the following words: N, honey, she’s sooooo cute! Can I keep her?

I think that ‘keeping people’ can be seen as a crime. Whoops… Hope she doesn’t sue me or anything.

Anyhow, the next morning I woke up. In my pj’s, without make-up, with a panty on my hair! Damn, my bf and sis know how to take care of a black girl wasted!! and of course I suffered a massive hangover. Yeah. It was the mother of all hangovers. Like a million trucks drove over my head in my sleep.

That’s when I decided: let’s not ever get that drunk again (or in the near future) and not drink for a month. JuicyJanuary was born! Fresh smoothies and a lot of water are my fuels. And totally necessary after DrunkDecember. I think my liver really started hating me in the end. I mean, I made her work like a horse. I will reward her as employee of the month!

DrunkDecember was fun though. I mean, I like wine. And I can really enjoy a good wine. Or two. Or bottle. Or two bottles. Or box.

Luckily, I am not the only one! On Mondays me and my dad always open a bottle, or two and down that ish like it’s grape juice. What it actually is, but that would make this story to technical. We just love it. White, rose, red. Everything that is made of grapes, bottled and contains a bit of alcohol is delish. You can make us really happy with wine. Except the really sweet wines. We will use your face as one of those spitting things at wine tastings! Just saying..

Together with G, with whom I’ve been friends since my braceface age, I’ve experienced the ‘wine-evolution’. As young innocent girls we used to drink sweet white wine. And now? We feel fancy when we open up a bottle of some red Merlot. That feeling quickly disappears when the second bottle is opened. But we do feel it!

You know, I will always love wine, but my smoothie juices are delicious as well. I’m totally gonna rock JuicyJanuary! A squeezed orange here. A sliced up kiwi there. A cut up mango here. And some lovemaking in the blender. Hmmmm yummy!

So, let’s get juiced up!Let’s give my liver some time off. You know, like a little vacation. Just to get rested and ready to work again, when JuicyJanuary is over. Not that I will start drinking like it’s DrunkDecember again, but you know, sometimes a girl just need a glass of wine. Don’t we?

IT’S MY 23rd BIRTHDAAAAAAY!!

Aaaaah, Friday the 13th and it’s my birthday!

You know, every year I look forward to my birthday. But yesterday at 23.57, I suddenly got nervous. I couldn’t sit still and was playing with my watch the whole time. What the hell was happening?? Normally I love the countdown to my birthday! Maybe because I’m getting older?

00.00 and N kisses me into my new age. It’s your birthday!, he says. It took me a while to adjust to it.. But after a while I was dancing! It’s my birthdaaay bitchess!!

And then I forgot to set my alarm.

Then I woke up at 7.45

Then I missed the tram

And another one

Then I arrived at the university around 9.30

Then I couldn’t find my seat

Then I found my seat.. And it was covered with balloons, there were littles cakes with candles! It was really my birthdaaaaay!! Thanks M and L! You chicks are the best!

One hour later: I am now writing this short blog.. Not paying attention at all. I feel like a little kid, super excited! I can’t just sit still and listen to some boring stuff. I want to do fun things! But I still have 2 more classes to go and the University is holding me hostage till 17.45.

Ah well, let’s make the best of it. ‘Cause tonight, Charlie can be found in the city! Dancing, drinking and shaking her bombom with friends!

365 days of texting

Charlie B.
22 yrs.
In a Relationship with N
Owner of a petite apartment with N
Party days a week: average 1, some times none.
Happiness level: over 9000

If someone came up to me last year and told me that my life would look like that, I would have probably laughed my ass off in his face. There I was, 21, single and partying like crazy in Barcelona and Ibiza. Little did I know that my life would change, the moment I came back.

It was 28 July 2012 when A and I were at a birthday party. Dressed up, like I do sometimes, I was not planning to go out. Sometimes a woman just wants to look good, hot, sexy. Not for anyone, but just for herself. And that was the case. I was tired of partying, not sleeping, multiple hangovers a day (don’t ask me how, but it’s possible) and breakfast with sangria. Not in the mood to party…

Having the reputation of Party Girl at that moment, the girls tried to change my mind. ‘You look way too good to just go home! I know you want to party!! Let’s party, Charlie! Oh Charlie, pleeeeaassseee?!’ I really tried to resist, my body needed rest. But Miss spontaneous in me, decided that the girls were right: This outfit is too damn fine to not to be showed off combined with some sexy ass moves on some latin sounds. Okay girls, let’s do this.. On one condition: We go to Club Vie!

There I was, sipping my rose and moving to the beat. And that’s when it happened. I saw him. That familiar face. The face I met a couple of months before. The person I had such fun with during that crazy birthday night in February. It was N!

I was shocked and panicked a bit. We had an awesome night back in February.. Would he still remember me? What does he think? Is he single? A lot of things went through my head and I tried to hide from him. I did not want him to see me while my head was still processing the fact that I saw him there.

I must admit, since I met him, A and I talked him sometimes. Wondering if I would ever see him again. Would we have that much fun again? I had to tell A. ‘A, ohmygod.. Guess who’s here? N!’ Aaaahhh.. What to do? What to do?! And then he saw me.

His big eyes locked on mine. That familiar face created a smile. Looked like he was totally happy to see me. He walked up to me and we started talking. Even though he was more drunk than I was, we had a lot of fun again! We danced, flirted, exchanged numbers and we were the last people to leave the club.

Before leaving the club, he looked me in the eye and said: I really really REALLY want to kiss you, but A’s gonna hit me if I do, right?’ Yeah I said and started laughing.

From that night on, 29 July 2012, N and I started talking night and day. My phone kept on making noise and vibrating almost every minute. N and I had so much fun on Whatsapp. Funny things, sweet things, every thing!

Still, It did take till 15 September for us to have our first date (my idea! Yeaahhh.. I wanted him, so I asked him!) And till 29 October to be an official couple. But we never stopped talking.

A year later, on 29 July 2013, we’re celebrating our 9 month anniversary as a couple, but also the one year anniversary of our conversations.

Yeaaahh!!

So pop the champagne and celebrate our love, our love to talk to each other and let’s toast to never ever let our conversation end.

Love,

Charlie

2012: Charlie’s life changing year

In a couple of hours, the clock will hit 00.00. Champagne bottles will pop open and people will start making out with each other to background music that is created by fireworks. It’s almost NYE and as always, it’s time to look back at the past year. My 2012? It was the best year so far.

My 2012 Highlights!

• The start of Charlie in the City: my love for writing and sharing.
• Discovered BED Tuesdays: beginning of the end, no sleeping, more alcohol.
• Skiing in Hinterglemm: colleagues, Vodafone, drunk for 4 days and a bruised rib
• ESN trip Istanbul:  student trip, alcohol and aware of the fact that I’m black (people called me Michelle Obama, Mel B and Oprah)
• Wine course: learnt more about wine and fell in love with red wine. Chianti Classico is my fav!
• Mallorca: stayed in a house worth a million with our own private pool
• Barcelona and Ibiza: Sol, Sangria y muchas fiestas!
• 28 July – Met my boyfriend for the second time. (Yeah, not a single girl anymore)
• 15 August – cutest baby is born. My niece Q!
• Bruxelles: student for a week, decides to stay in Rotterdam.
• 13 september: My birthday, pink dress, tiara, drunk as fuck and crying like a baby.
• 29 October: Single life is over, N is officially my Boyfriend!
• Erasmus reunion: yo no quiero agua, quiero bebida! (I don’t want water, I want alcohol!)
• 6 December –  Chris Brown: sexy, take me down, strip, awesome, drool all over my face
• 8 December –  Naughty Navy House party: party with roommates, navy outfits, drunk, alcohol, fights etc.
• 13 December – Swedish House Mafia: guest list, VIP, party, don’t you worry child and leave the world behind!
• Christmas: food, family, alcohol, presents and party!

This year was life changing. I feel lucky and very happy that I could have experienced so much and had so much fun. 2012 will go down in history as one of the best years of my life. 1 january 2012, I told myself, this is going to be my year! And that’s what I did. I enjoyed life to the fullest. I lived, loved and cried.

Plans to celebrate this amazing year? Club Vie it is! Together with A, N and his boys, we will party till the break of dawn. And probably get pretty drunk. I will tell you all about it next year.

New Years Resolution? The usual. Go to the gym more often, eat less crap, get that banging body I always wanted. But most of all: I just want to be happy in 2013.

I came
I raved
I loved

See you next year with more Charlie in the City!

Much love,
Charlie

Being a woman is awesome!

Have you ever had the discussion with a guy about the fact that being a woman is awesome? Well, I have!

There are two ways men can react to that:
1: ‘Yeah, I would touch my boobs and myself the whole day!’
or
2: ‘Oh Hell no! Being a man is awesome’. Arguments for the second statement: Men don’t get their period, they don’t get pregnant and they don’t have to give birth!!

Well men, let me tell you this. Being a woman is awesome! Right girls? I know we get our period every month and it sucks, but yeah we deal with it. Even though we get cramps in our bellies, we deal with it because being a woman has so many advantages.

Last Summer, Alex and I went to Ibiza for some sun and parties. Best holiday ever! We went to the beach, on a party boat and our highlight and main purpose for the trip: Swedish House Mafia in hotel Ushaia! That party was the most awesome party ever! The sun was shining, it was 30 degrees and the music was taking control over me. Everybody danced their asses off and we felt free. Still being hyped up after the party, we were waiting for the bus to our hostel. And there the story of awesomeness begins.

Me being hung over from the party boat the day before and tired from the SHM party, I was kinda dying at that bus stop. And there he was, a guy that would become our hero a couple of minutes later. With his dreads and his joint in his hand, I thought he was a bum, addict or just annoying. So, I sort of ignored him and continued dying. Alex was talking to him and he asked us where we were going. I answered grumpy: home. He asked if we wanted to go to Pacha. ‘We don’t have any money to go.. It’s like 70 euros!’ Alex said. ‘I can get you in for free…’ He replied. Alex looked at me and asked if I wanted to go. Still dying but really curious about the fuzz around this Pacha, I said ‘yes’. We got into a cab and arrived at Pacha without paying and being killed. The line was long, but we just walked past it. We just walked up to the entrance, he said ‘they’re with me’. The girl smiled and we were in Pacha!!

After that awesome night and Facebook adding, we actually thought we’d never hear anything from him ever again. Then suddenly, a message asking Alex if we wanted to go to Swedish House Mafia in Amsterdam, because he can put us on the guest list! Holy mother of house music, I died. And there it was: Our names on the Swedish House Mafia guest list! So, we sold our tickets and went to the best concert ever, for free!! The best part? The moment we got our tickets, we found out we were VIP as well!! Alex and I nearly died, but kept our cool. We wanted to dance the night away… And that’s what we did!

So, what do we learn from this Experience?? Being a woman is awesome! If we were two guys, he would have never taken us to Pacha and put us on the guest list of Swedish House Maffia!

Life lesson learnt: Never judge a book by it’s cover. The joint smoking dreadlock guy turned out to be the hero of 2012!

Cold Turkey

I haven’t been out in a week.. I haven’t been drinking in two weeks. I feel tired, get irritated over nothing. My bed is my best friend. Even when I’m hanging out with friends, I’m thinking about my bed. The only thing that makes me happy, is my bed. I feel boring, old and unpopular. I want to party, but my body complaints. I went cold turkey. And it sucks.

So, here I am. It’s monday night, 11:35 pm. There’s an awesome party going on in Rotterdam right now. And where am I? Yeah, at home, in bed with my laptop. I am tired. My energy level is low. The will to party is there, but my body tells me: ‘Don’t do it, please don’t do it’. People tell me: ‘you might need some sleep’. Well, you might have a point. In the last couple of months, sleeping was not one of my priorities.

On 31 December 2011, I told myself: 2012 is going to be MY year! I will only do what I, Charlie, want to do. I will not please anyone, but myself. I will be egocentric and will only focus on myself. MY happiness is my priority. 2012 is the year that Charlie will be Charlie again.

1 January 2012: Welcome 2012 and welcome hangover. I had no clue about what exactly happened the night before. I remember drinking champagne, riding my bike to the city center, entering Off_Corso and dancing. I even remember spraining my ankle while running home on heels. Still, there I was.. first day of 2012.. coping with a major hangover and a black out. Witnesses told me, that before I went knock out, I actually told them I should go into prostitution. Not to be the hooker, I would be a perfect Madame. Oh gosh, Way to go Charlie. 2012 wasn’t even 12 hours old..

The mood for 2012 was set. I would party my ass off, drink till I couldn’t drink anymore and be crazier than the craziest person in a crazy home. I would shop till I drop and wear fancy, sexy and awesome clothes. You would see me dancing in the highest heels with the cutest guys. Every party I would enter, people will be recognizing me. People would even call me a Partygirl, because there wouldn’t be a party without me present. And well, the year is only half-way and my oh my.. did I party!

I don’t even know how it started, but I just started partying like crazy. It was like a crazy party animal took over. I partied on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Sometimes, Alex and I would party on Sunday and Monday. And yes, I have a fulltime job. I managed to survive the day with less than 3 hours sleep or even without sleep. I went to work, had some energy drink, got hyped up again and was ready to face the day. Even those days when I woke up with a major hangover, I survived them at work. People were looking up to me and calling me crazy. ‘Charlie, you went out last night?’, colleagues asked me during lunch. Me: ‘Yeah of course! It was Tuesday.. You know, BED night?!’. ‘What time were you home?’, the next question. ‘Well, I think I arrived home at 6 or something. I don’t really know. I was kinda drunk’, was my answer. ‘Oh wauw Charlie, that you actually came to work this morning and still be full or energy’. Yeah, there was no stopping me. Back then.

This pattern went on for 3 or 4 months. During those months, I had 3 wicked holidays that involved a lot of alcohol and heavy drinking. I might say that I was drunk for most of those holidays. I was drunk for 4 days on a Ski-trip with my colleagues in Hinterglemm, Austria. I was drunk for 3 days with international students in Istanbul, Turkey. I was drunk for 7 days with my dad in Mallorca. Came home, got drunk that same night. Got drunk the night after and got drunk two days later. That Sunday, when I woke up with another hangover, I decided: I AM NOT GOING TO DRINK AGAIN.

That said, I told Alex, who didn’t believe me. You know how people always say ‘I’m never going to drink again’ after a wild night of partying and having no clue of what they have done. Well, I’m willing to admit that I am such a person. Crazy shit happens when I get drunk. So, after those crazy drunken nights, I decided to give my liver some rest and stop drinking for a month. Because Alex didn’t believe I would actually do it, I posted a status on Facebook ‘Dear Friends, starting tomorrow I will stop drinking for a month. Everyone that sees me with a drink, will get €1!!’ The worst thing? I think none of my previous statuses got more likes and comments than this one.

Two weeks later, I am proud to tell you that I am still sober. Even the attempts of getting me to drink Champagne at a VIP table, didn’t succeed. Even though I wanted to try black label once, I didn’t. When I’m visiting friends, they would show me all those wine bottles and say ‘yeah, I kinda bought this for you’. Still, I did not drink. Even when friends came over and I gave them wine, I did not join them. I am so damn proud. And I totally sound like an alcoholic.

Next to not drinking, I actually stopped partying really hard. My body needs its rest, I guess. Or it’s just because I went Cold Turkey. Just the one day to another I decided not to drink anymore (for a month). It’s like I gave it a hard reset. I have to create my hyperactivity again. But you know, I actually like being sober. Then I can remember all the stupid and embarrassing things that my friends do when they are drunk. Going Cold Turkey, was the best decision I made in the month June.

Dear friends, You are warned!