Tag Archives: Utrecht

Raison d’etre

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Anne Ku

Some people are born with a calling. Others spend their entire life looking for it. Raison d’etre is the French word for “the reason for your existence.” Why are you here? What is my purpose for being?

Posted in personal development, self, ukulele | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Raison d’etre

Nontraditional students and their struggles: the pursuit of degrees

Posted on October 2, 2018 by Anne Ku

In the UK, older students are called “mature students.” In the US, anyone over 25 studying for their first degree falls into the category of “nontraditional students”. In the Netherlands, it is uncommon to see a mature, nontraditional student at … Continue reading →

Posted in course, personal development, review, self, travel, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Nontraditional students and their struggles: the pursuit of degrees

Becoming a minimalist: ridding stuff to regain space and time

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Anne Ku

For a long time, I have wanted to simplify my life, let go of things, live with less, and free up space and time for what I really enjoy and desire instead of feeling like a slave to my possessions. I even … Continue reading →

Posted in personal development, photos, review, self, self-help, travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Minimalist, frugal living, and the path to zero waste management

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Anne Ku

The one-way airmile ticket to Amsterdam in mid-June led me to the Dutch lock-keeper’s house in Utrecht, a place I had called home  for a decade. Void of furniture and furnishings, it felt small. In fact, everything looked smaller than … Continue reading →

Posted in personal development, self, travel | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Minimalist, frugal living, and the path to zero waste management

All things Dutch and wonderful

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Anne Ku

When I first visited a local supermarket in the Netherlands, I complained that the only soy sauce was the wrong kind. The bottle was too small, and the soya sauce was Indonesian. I honestly thought I would starve.

Posted in language, travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on All things Dutch and wonderful

Moving out, moving over, and moving on

Posted on September 17, 2016 by Anne Ku

During the pressure-cooker months of May and June,  I often wanted to wave a magic wand and make everything disappear. My tendency to collect, accept what others give me, organize, make good, and keep meant that I didn’t like throwing … Continue reading →

Posted in personal development, sheet music, travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Like-minded souls and their passion to collect sheet music

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Anne Ku

“If Bart were still here, he would never let me go through his sheet music and take what I want,” I said to his widow after spending hours looking through the densely packed shelves downstairs and upstairs.

Posted in photos, sheet music, travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A rolling stone gathers no moss but eventually will meet others

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Anne Ku

I can count the number of friends who visited me during  my five-and-a-half years on Maui. The first to visit was a couple who flew from California and stayed for a long weekend in my first apartment while attending a … Continue reading →

Posted in photos, travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A rolling stone gathers no moss but eventually will meet others

The monument house: piano room

Posted on July 30, 2016 by Anne Ku

I didn’t get to say goodbye to my Steinway A, for I didn’t know when I would return to see it.

Posted in self, travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The monument house: piano room

Planning travel: Maui to Boston, Utrecht to London

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Anne Ku

Nearly six years after flying to Maui and getting a job there, I booked a one-way ticket to Boston and started planning my exit from paradise.

Posted in travel | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Planning travel: Maui to Boston, Utrecht to London