Overflowing Ashtray / Comments

I hope you're still around. I, to this day, still read Amor y Contrabando

hope your staying safe! cant wait for the next update :)

Ahhhhh so excited loved the updates

hello are you still here miss your story! :)

Are you still writing about paulina and harry ?

@ twentyone.kittens
It's so annoying. Now they're even saying he's going to have a baby with her. We know his real family is with Paulina

...Emi....

I miss you...

Please come back...

Are you aware they're spelling Paulina's name wrong in the news? They're saying Harry is marrying Meghan Markle but we all know HarryxPaulina (even if she's a fictional character :/)

Okay, so this is a random comment, but I was rereading an old fic I used to love on here and I just decided to look through that story's comments and you commented on it and I was like, "That's crazy that we read the same story before we even knew each other!" Lmao I'm sorry, but I just found it so amusing

Bruh, this thing you've created is a genuine fucking jackass. Like, how do you make me hate this guy's guts so much??

HE JUST SUCKS THE LOVE AND HAPPINESS OUT OF THIS STORY. PAULINA AND HARRY DESERVE EACH OTHER BUT HERE SHE IS CHAINED TO THIS GUY BECAUSE SHE THINKS, FOR SOME INCOMPREHENSIBLE REASON, THAT THEY ARE PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER. MAYBE THEY'RE PERFECTLY STUPID TOGETHER, BUT THAT SHIT AIN'T DATING MATERIAL. I HAVE SUCH FUCKING UNIMAGINABLE RAGE. AND YES, I BELIEVE FRAN-JACKASS IS A WONDERFUL NAME FOR THIS BASTARD.



[/EndRant]

(of course, only till the next chapter, then my rage will boil over once more )

btw i am so happy you're posting regularly. your stories are the only ones i still come to mibba for. i always check my subs to see if you've posted a new chapter and i've been sad for months, but you've gone and made me happy (and infuriated) again

Thank you for your comment! I'm super lame for my late response haha. I don't go on here that often and didn't see the comment :( . 100 % understand your author note! Since November I have gone through so many levels of rage and disillusionment and just wanting to be back home and do something! Being here I've just felt useless, but I've channeled my energy into finishing my degree to get back home and kick some ass in changing policy and helping be a voice in my community (I know that sounds cheesy!).

Can't wait for the drama! Paulina is totally one of my favorite characters. She's a super dimensional character in that she has her flaws but her hearts in the right place. It's so awesome that she is a senator and was able to accomplish her dream cause, in the long run, if her path leads to being a Duchess :) she'll never have to wonder what it would have been like to be a senator or if she could have done it.

Now I'm just rambling hahaha

My mum called my brother after his kids were finally allowed to go home (a bit later than usual) and that's when he let everything out. And he once again let everything out when he got home to his boyfriend, our cousin en her boyfriend.
The moment my mum picked up, my heart literally skipped a beat and for a few seconds, I had no idea what to say. There was only this huge relief to know she was okay.
I do think it's going to take us all quite some time to recover from all this. What they're doing at my favourite radio station is helping a lot though. Apparently, music helps people heal and now they are only playing 'beats of love', to give the attacks a place in our minds/lives. I've heard a lot of songs about love or togetherness or ... that are on my list as well. Some make me tear up again, but that's okay. I'll be okay and we, as a country, will be okay as well. Even though it might take some time.
My kids at school were thinking about what could be done to stop this all. I'm sure the European and American government should be able to work something out, together with whoever else wants to help. Preferably without stooping to the terrorists' level ourselves. Because yes, Trump might be right when he said that if we tortured Salah Abdeslam, we might have known what would happen and we would have been able to stop it. But that would just mean we stoop down to their level and that way nothing will ever be resolved. I've just read the paper and lots of Muslims here really feel others' fear of them. When they say goodmorning when walking into the waiting room at the dentist's, people don't respond and look the other way. Thank goodness I've also read about a muslima whose neighbour came over, giving her a hug and reassuring her that nothing is her fault and that she should never feel guilty.

If something like this were to happen in America (no matter how big it is and no matter where it would happen), I'd think of you as well! And on my way home from school on Tuesday, I though about you as well, but I just didn't get to letting you know something until yesterday morning.

Hello love

Me and my family/friends are all safe. This one came really close though, the impact is a lot bigger than after the Paris attacks. I live about half an hour away from Brussels. My brother works at a school in Zaventem (where the airport is). He saw injured people walking down the streets outside his classroom. Most off them with their luggage carts from the airport still with them and injured from the nails that were in the bombs. At one point he told me (through facebook messenger) that he could burst out in tears at any given moment. I think the only thing stopping him from doing so was his profesionalism. Three-year-olds should never see their teacher cry, that would just cause a whole lot of mayhem.
My mum was in Brussels, but I didn't really know that. I just knew there was a possibility that she was in Brussels or that she had to be there later in the day. So I texted her, seeing if she was okay. The two hours after I sent that text were really long, because she didn't reply. Then I had some time (and cellphone reception) so I called her. Turned out she was in Brussels and she didn't send any of us a text saying she was in Brussels so that we wouldn't think she was. But my other brother had the same idea as me, there's always a possibilty she has to be in Brussels, so he called the school she works at. There someone told him she was in Brussels. He asked me, my dad and my brother if we heard anything from her. So we were all worried, because of her decision not to text anyone. I was so relieved she picked up when I called her! Turned out she didn't really know what happened. She heard about it, but she didn't realise how severe it all was.
But we are all okay. Or at least as okay as we can be after such an event. I've been crying on and off since noon yesterday. Before that, I was in class and I kept strong, so I wouldn't worry the kids. Then I had to get from one school to the other and I heard the news on the radio. I knew all of our kids from that school I was on my way to were on a fieldtrip and I heard on the news that the ministry of education adviced that all children should be at school and not out on fieldtrips. That's when I lost it. Just telling you about it, makes me cry all over again. I'll just have to convince myself that what doesn't kill me will only make me stronger.

Thank you for your concern! I thought about letting you know something, but there were so many other things that needed to be done and such that I haven't gotten round to it until now. I hope you didn't worry too much though.

I'm going to see them at the Antwerp Sportpaleis, one of the biggest venues in Belgium I think. I've seen them live at Pukkelpop a year and a half ago and I thought they were really good. Except maybe for all of the preaching Macklemore did. But music-wise, it was perfect. I'm really looking forward to it :).
I most definitely will tell him about how much you love good chocolate!
You would survive in Belgium (maybe not during a cold winter, but summer should be okay) and most people also speak English. And if not English it will be some kind of mix up of English and Flemish, called Flenglish. People know words, but not how to actually make them fit together in sentences, so they just translate every word quite literally. The words are usually also in the wrong order, because in Flemish, the order is a bit different.
Haha, I would be exactly the same. Sorry, no time for family, there's things to see here, see ya! I would probably do that too.
This might seem weird, but I'm really looking forward to going to the Jewish museum. We went to the one in Mechelen (a small city in Belgium) and we spent the entire day there. I've read/heard a lot of sad, heartbreaking stories that day, but I'm just so fascinated by it. We also went to the Breendonk workcamp and although it's really tragic, I just wanted to see it. Every time I'm at a place like that, I try to think of why and how people can think like that. How can one religion be 'the root of all evil'? Something else I want to visit one day is Auschwitz/Birkenau. I know just the sight of the entrance gate with the 'Arbeit macht frei' above it will make me sick, but I want to have been there someday. I can't even explain why or what I hope to gain from it, I just know it fascinates me. So yeah, Berlin will be good, the Jewish museum is great, I've heard. And although it's something completely different, my brother's mother-in-law said the Brandenburger Tor looks amazing at night, or at least when it's dark out. I am also really looking forward to that!

I have one pair of shoes that I only wore like 2 times (mostly because they were ugly, who in her right mind buys bright yellow trainerlike shoes) and I still have them. I really can't get rid off them, even if they are too ugly to ever wear again. Ah, the very worn out converse, I know that feeling. Although, mine are so worn out they're actually hurting my feet, I still love them (because they've got flowers on them, they're just so pretty). Those I still wear when going to festivals or concerts. I guess I'll be wearing them next week, looking forward to that. Both wearing the shoes and the fact I'll be seeing Macklemore and Ryan Lewis perform, can't wait! I guess I got a bit sidetracked there and now I'm not talking about shoes anymore.
Once I have tried some, I'll undoubtedly let you know they were delicious! I could maybe suggest a collaboration with a chocolatier somewhere not too far from where you live, so you can taste for yourself.
Now I'm thinking of what could be a good second word to learn. I could go with a rather easy one, since it's written a bit different, but pronounced pretty much the same as the English word. That would be the word 'bier' and it means beer.
I went to bed pretty much right after sending you that message, but unfortunately, I only got about an hour or 3 of sleep. That's just not enough for me, but somehow I rarely sleep well on Sundaynights for some reason.
I've never been to Ireland before, but I must say, you make it sound great! I'm not too fond of whiskey though, so I'll let you have that. At the beginning of April, I'm going to Berlin. I may not be as stoked as you are about your trip to Ireland, but I think there'll be a lot of sights to see. My inner history geek and WWII geek is starting to get excited about it.

I hope those people are miserable. Although, saying that might be a bit toxic as well. I've just had it with all the negativity these days. Treat people the way you want to be treated, it's as simple as that really.
How can two people on the other side of our wonderful world be so similar? I can't get rid of any pair of shoes. There's always a memory attached to it, or I just genuinly like them too much even though they are falling apart, or... I always have a reason not to get rid of them. That may explain why I've got so many in the first place, but oh well.
I've just learned that the person I reffered to sold the chocolate shop and is going to start a new bussiness. He's still making chocolates and I really have to try some sometime soon! But yeah, their chocolates all look good. And yay, you've mastered your first Dutch word (that I know of) :). And it's the best word to know, because who doesn't love chocolate? We'll have to figure out a way for you to have some Delvora chocolates or some Atelier Stuyven (the guy I was talking about) chocolates. No idea how we'll make it happen yet, but there must be a way!
I'm good. A bit tired at the moment, seeing as it's after midnight and I should probably go to bed because I have work in the morning. But I saw you sent me a message and I just couldn't not answer, that's not in my nature.
How have you been?

Happy New Year, and my best wishes for 2016. I hope you had a nice time celebrating and that you have a wonderful year.

I’ve had a lovely day today reading all the chapters of There Must Be A Way, and although I’ve said it in my comment, I want to repeat here how wonderful it is, and how I love all the little surprises and unexpected twists.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, how are you? I hope this New Year’s treating you well so far. Over here, it’s been raining quite a lot lately, so that reminds me of home, but not really the side of home that I miss, unfortunately.
I do have all the living arrangements sorted, but I have to say I miss my house, because this is a shared apartment and it’s always a bit… well, the people are lovely, but it’s not the same as living alone and being able to do whatever you want at whatever time you want. I still can’t believe I came here without having everything sorted out either, but I’m hoping that it’ll be something that I can look back at and think ‘well, I can do anything now’. My only regret so far is that it’s quite difficult to meet locals, because for the moment it’s mainly people that I work with or people in the same program that I meet. I’ve also realized that a lot of my personality gets somewhat lost in translation because my Spanish is terrible, and I lose all my humor and the “witty” things I say (or I like to think I say). For someone who’s used to rely on words so much, it’s pretty annoying.
I’ve never drunk much, and then when I was eighteen or nineteen I decided to stop drinking altogether. My father’s an alcoholic, so I’ve always had a sort of irrational fear of doing the things that he does, and I’ve tried since I was rather young to differentiate myself from him.
I haven’t been exploring La Rioja that much, but I definitely intend to. That said, I use my time in Spain to visit cities that are not too far. So far I’ve been to Zaragoza, Barcelona and Madrid. There’s one place I went hiking to which you have to google, it’s called Urederra, it’s in Navarra, and it’s simply stunning. And it’s even prettier when you’re there. But exploring La Rioja is one of my resolutions for 2016. Another one is to write a bit more (she says, like she says every year but never does).

Again, happy New Year, and all the best

Being nice to new people is just common curtosy I would think, but a lot of people seem to differ...
How I wish all adults would be tolerant and accepting! That would make this world so much nicer, but I'm affraid that'd be utopia.
Shoes are my weakness as well. I like all of them, flats, boots, ankle boots, high heels, pumps, ... Hmm, 12 pairs, I think I've got more than that. And I keep on buying new ones. I also tend to only wear my new shoes for at least a month after I bought them. After that, I start wearing other pairs again as well.
The chocolatier I was talking about is Delvora. Lots of people I know like Leonidas best, but Delvora is so much better! Maybe I think so because the person who started the bussiness a good 20 years ago is a local. My favorite chocolate he makes is one with three hazelnuts with a bit of praline, covered in milk chocolate. It's just three bites of heaven if you ask me.

Merry belated Christmas to you as well. And a happy New year in advance!
Christmas was indeed spent with family and lots and lots of food and laughter. I hope yours was at least as good as mine was, that would make for an excellent Christmas.
No matter what, you shouldn't start killing or hurting people just because they're ideals aren't the same as yours. We should all just try and get allong, which really isn't that hard. Me and my humanist colleague get a lot of strange looks at times, because we get along and can work together perfectly or because I've babysat her kids a few times. To us, it's just common sense we get along, but to others it's really strange apparently...
Man, having to live with almost only people who genuinly like trump would be disastrous.
I am, unfortunately, 100% serious. People genuinly think it's a bad think our football team is as diverse as it is. I have no idea when people had to answer those questions, but still. Even if they were answered right after the Paris attack, it's still astounding!
If just one of those kids, in 15 years remembers what I told them about Apartheid and still feels as shocked as they did in third grade, I'll have done my job well. I'm always hoping for more than just one of course, but one would be a good start.
We are too awesome :). I had to go check what I had written in that last comment, because I was starting to doubt it was something I said. But I still stand by it obviously.
Hmm, I have once bought a shirt online, because the size I wanted wasn't in store anymore at the shop. Otherwise I'm just scared it won't fit and sending stuff back is just too much of a hassle for me. I can't wait to go shopping in the very near future though, because there will be bargains to be found right after New year's. I won't go looking for shoes though, I have way too many already and I always seem to be wearing the same few pairs over and over.
Hmm, there's this love-hate relationship we Belgians have with the Dutch. It's not like we absolutely don't go there, but it's not like I ever supported their team when we didn't make it to the World Cup. And I don't think they'll support the Belgians in the upcoming European championship any time soon.
The best Belgian chocolates are made by this chocolatier right next to one of the schools I work at. But I doubt it were his chocolats you came across. It could have been Leonidas? Although there are quite a lot of chocolatiers here. It could have been any number of them.