Gracia’s Index — Start Here

There’s a fine line between courting someone and harassment. — Springtime in Berlin “Hey, how are you doing?” I looked up from my phone and saw a man who I did not know. From his stance, I could see he was trying to make an advance. I applaud his bravery, as rejection always lurks around the corner. “What are you doing?” he asked…

Don’t postpone that dream or idea for sometime in the future. — I was twenty. The median age was seventeen. Many of the dancers were even younger. I had wanted to explore this sport much earlier, but I was afraid of sucking through the initial stage of picking up a new hobby. At twenty, a classmate from one of my project groups…

Writer, spreadsheet & tooling nerd, amateur filmmaker, personal development junkie (aren’t we all), language lover, introvert. — My name is Gracia Kleijnen, and I came here to write *aggressively chugs down a cup of coffee and slams it on the table while placing fingers back on the home row*. Professionally, I work in copywriting. That implies I write a lot. …

Any of these would have been better than no advice — Graduating high school feels like it happened yesterday. The immense relief upon hearing I passed my exams, partying at the graduation ceremony, and leaving the school premises for a final time, knowing I’d probably never set foot in that building again. What was next? A 2-month vacation. After that, university…

Why say no to an extra $10, $100 or more? — I enjoy running little experiments that can potentially earn me some pocket money down the road. That faceless cat channel that garners millions of clicks and Google AdSense dollars? The cat channel was a fun testing environment. Shooting content, editing, uploading in bulk, testing regular videos versus Shorts, playing around…

A comic based on true events —

From the perspective of a Dutch immigrant/expat — The first thing my German neighbor asked when he heard I was Dutch, was whether I had some weed on me. Obviously, we exchanged my stash for his of Beer, Brat- and Bockwurst. What else? Jokes aside, the stereotypes offer plentiful opportunities to laugh about each other’s culturally ingrained “normal.”…

Track shared expenses without sharing your accounts in a simple spreadsheet — One of you once asked me to create a spreadsheet to split household bills and pay fixed expenses based on ability. I edited the existing expense tracking spreadsheet with you in mind: a couple or 2-person household with shared or intertwined financials. Do you do everything together, finances included? …

I am too — Freelancing has its ups and downs. Many downs. And I wanted to welcome stability back in. When I switched from freelancing to a full-time job, I opted for a company where I could — ideally — stay for a while. The next job had to be an upgrade from what…