Red Tape Time

So after the hype of Eurovision and Pride in Brussels (which was fab by the way - I, along with my mates, even made the news), another glorious aspect of Belgium has come along to slap me in the face and kick me in the bollocks. However, this is not just something that is designed to annoy foreigners, for it is the joyous occasion that the majority of Belgians or those living in Belgium will come to experience - that fat arse brown envelope that sits like a black hole in your postbox ready to suck away the last bit of joy in your life.

In case no-one got what I meant (which is probably most non-Belgians), I got my tax-return forms in the post today.

It literally made me want to up sticks and bugger off back to the UK. There's this big-arse booklet to "help" you through the forms (there aren't inverted commas in the world big enough, I'm afraid, to express the sarcasm I'm trying to convey in the word "help"), and then another booklet to give you the CODES you need to fill into your form for different sections.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO A "TICK THE BOX" FORM???????

I haven't started it yet, and I'm not sure I ever will. Suicide seems more appealing, and more likely.  For the moment, I'm going to wait until Nathalie comes back from her holiday (yes I am jealous, even though she's in Tunisia, at a beach resort somewhere no doubt sipping cocktails, with the faint echos of small arms fire in the background) so she can help me through it. Yes, it's all in Dutch too.

AND, I'm not sure if I'm missing some pay slips from last year as I moved to Brussels in December and I forgot to contact my old landlord to ask him to save my post. I hope he has, otherwise I simply do not want to know how many forms I need to fill in extra, nor how many stamps I will need from however many companies/people/entities/abstract Belgian concepts that have to be summoned one way or another.

Please Belgium, adopt PAYE (Pay As You Earn). It works so well(ish) in the UK and there is so much less paperwork and stress.

If I ever make it to the other side, I will let you know.

"Pass me a tissue, Wing Commander..."

... an hilarious line from the film "Personal Services", starring Julie Walters in a portrayal of a brothel Madam loosely based on the life of Cynthia Payne. It's a great cult classic that I have enjoyed since I was introduced to it when I was around 16-17. It makes me feel good and reminds me to remember to be myself when I'm feeling a bit down. Also, I really felt like watching "Kinky Boots", but I don't have that on DVD yet and didn't want to watch some jumpy grainy copy online.

 

I watched this around lunchtime, as I had some free time. This morning I recieved an e-mail from the annoying student saying he could no longer carry on with his English lessons as he had to finish his thesis. I do believe him as most of the time he has been on the phone with his tutor from Turkey begging for extensions and what-not. The only thing that pissed me off is the money that I'll be losing out on. Grrrr.

After I had finished watching Personal Services, I decided to take a walk and do something with my afternoon. I'm glad I did, as I stumbled upon a farm - which is situated more or less across the road from me, in Brussels, in the city.

Unfortunately my camera ran out of battery after I took the last photo of the roosters. There were also some really friendly sheep, goats, lots more poultry, deer (I think... they had antlers), a peacock, and that's about what I can remember. It was a nice little detour on my way to the Basiliek/Basilique.

There's quite a nice view from the top of the steps; I went inside, which was okay. It's quite modern really.


Anyway, it was a nice walk up there. You can see it from the front of my apartment so it's been intriguing me for a while. It wasn't a disappointment when I got there, it just didn't meet my expectations. I thought this when I got there, and realised I could probably apply that perspective to my time in Belgium. It hasn't been exactly what I thought it would be. However, I don't know if I ever really knew what it was going to be like. I never knew what uni would be like, or my year abroad in France and Spain, until I actually got there. Maybe this time it's just wierd because I'm not living the student dream. I can't get away anymore with missing that 9am lecture and turning up at 10am instead, just because I went out the night before and was a bit rough. More often than not I have to be at the bloody airport for 6.30am now! Life is different now.

Having said that, I'm not unhappy about it. I was on Skype to Rich last night and was telling him how I feel really good when I'm at work. I hate leaving because I've got shit to worry about in the real world. At the airport I can just concentrate on work and even have a good time doing it with my workmates.

For those coming to visit me in the coming months, here is a photo of where you will be staying:

My building is the one slightly left of centre with the curved roof.

It really was a lovely day - bit chilly later on though.

It has to be said I'm missing my friends and family a lot at the moment. I'm also quite lonely in my apartment at the moment, as Paul is barely here. I don't think he's adapting well to living away from home, which is wierd as he's lived away from home in different countries - that's how we met! I hope he doesn't regret it. On the other hand, I enjoy immensely curling up on the couch with a duvet and watching various DVDs/boxsets. I might have a beer tonight that my sisters and Jordan left in the fridge. 9 days and counting, till I hit the geilest city of them all.........