All photos by me.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Got plans for...the rest of your life?
Hi Dougy.
I like you. You look good. And I like the music you make with your friends.
You live on the other side of the channel. We could make it work.
And I like what your tattoo says.
When are you coming to Amsterdam?
I like you. You look good. And I like the music you make with your friends.
You live on the other side of the channel. We could make it work.
And I like what your tattoo says.
When are you coming to Amsterdam?
101010
101010. No, it's not some sort of binary code. It stands for the date 10th October, 2010.
Victoria Hannan introduced me to my friend Pia.
She's a copywriter at an agency in London. She's also happens to be from Adelaide. She's also a talented photographer, who spearheaded something called the 1010project.
You need to be checking out this delightful and beautiful global photography project here and read her blog here.
Recently, Carl Zeiss lenses tweeted about the project. WOW.
Victoria Hannan introduced me to my friend Pia.
She's a copywriter at an agency in London. She's also happens to be from Adelaide. She's also a talented photographer, who spearheaded something called the 1010project.
You need to be checking out this delightful and beautiful global photography project here and read her blog here.
Recently, Carl Zeiss lenses tweeted about the project. WOW.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Debutante
I'm about as proud as a pedigree dog owner parading their perfectly groomed, immaculately behaved purebred Bulgarian Schnauzer down the main shopping drag of Sofia.
Yeah, ok, I wrote about 180 words last Sunday, pieced them together into some sort of pseudo-commonsensical article, and some dude plugged them into a Content Management system, and then the interweb gobbled it up and spat it out, complete with pretty pictures.
But you know what - I wrote something that someone out there thought could be of benefit to others, and decided that it was good enough to expose to the world. I ain't getting paid for this. And I love it.
Because I love this city. And I love writing. And I want other people to love this city. And love the experience of it as much as I do.
So I'm not going to stop.
More publications, more essays, more projects, more EVERYTHING.
Watch this space.
And in the meantime, read the (edited but still good) fruits of my labours here.
Yeah, ok, I wrote about 180 words last Sunday, pieced them together into some sort of pseudo-commonsensical article, and some dude plugged them into a Content Management system, and then the interweb gobbled it up and spat it out, complete with pretty pictures.
But you know what - I wrote something that someone out there thought could be of benefit to others, and decided that it was good enough to expose to the world. I ain't getting paid for this. And I love it.
Because I love this city. And I love writing. And I want other people to love this city. And love the experience of it as much as I do.
So I'm not going to stop.
More publications, more essays, more projects, more EVERYTHING.
Watch this space.
And in the meantime, read the (edited but still good) fruits of my labours here.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Silence is not golden...
...especially when that's all your getting from Editors that are supposed to be publishing your stuff.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Contradictions of the Warrior
Every Warrior of the Light
has felt afraid of going into battle.
Every Warrior of the Light
has, at some time in the past, lied or betrayed someone.
Every Warrior of the Light
has trodden a path that was not his.
Every Warrior of the Light
has suffered for the most trivial of reasons.
Every Warrior of the Light
has, at least once, believed he was not a Warrior of the Light.
Every Warrior of the Light
has failed in his spiritual duties.
Every Warrior of the Light
has said ‘yes’ when he wanted to say ‘no.’
Every Warrior of the Light
has hurt someone he loved.
That is why he is a Warrior of the Light, because he has been through all this and yet has never lost hope of being better than he is.
Loud and Clear
Have you ever met anyone who you thought had a direct connection to the Universe?
You know - they talk and it just makes sense, like they are a medium between the forces that be and you, just delivering a message that you need to know/hear.
While some people are simply wise from age, and some have admirable approaches to life through spiritual ethos' or otherwise, these people are just mediums that can spring an answer or word of advice from some unknown source.
They usually don't know where the urge to splutter the words come from, but it just comes, and flows through them, and makes complete sense to them and the intended audience when it comes out.
I know a couple of people like that: Louise, a gorgeous Lebanese/Italian/Australian friend who I met up with in Rome ( as part of our holiday posse). She definitely has something happening with the Universe. She speaks and even cockraches listen in, just to know what is going to be revealed. Another friend on the same trip, Cally, sometimes came out with some golden lines of truth, often out of nowhere, that completed the questions that had been twirling around in my head for the entire duration of the holiday.
My work colleague/bestie in the office, Evelien, is one of these people. She and I muck around constantly in the office, practicing dutch (whether she's teaching me how to say "asshole", or we recite dutch dialogue plays downloaded over the internet about iPhones or hairdressers) or turning up the music being streamed over the internet to have an impromptu dance off. But sometimes, in times of seriousness, when we are working, or at times just being completely still, she'll turn to me, mid-email, and say; "It was supposed to happen like that." or "The answer is coming, so don't be impatient", referring to my particular dilemma of the week or of the month that I may have raised that morning, or a week ago. (Male, or otherwise.) Then, as if she's satisfied that her role in the search for answers has been fulfilled, she'll knod with reaffirmation, then keep typing her email about our Chilean offices' latest branding dilemma or the Hungarian branches' logo request.
I have big love for her, she's my dutch, blonde sherpa in navigating that rocky and demanding road in the life expatriate and in growing up to be the best person I can be.
Another person I feel that fills this box is Paulo Coelho, the famous Brazilian author.
His blog is filled with amazing reads, and lovely poetry that is simple to digest and resonates and is inspiring to say the least.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Of mice and men
This is the thing:
You either like chocolate, or vanilla.
You either like cats, or dogs.
You either like Matt Damon, or Ben Affleck.
You either like sweet popcorn, or salty popcorn.
You either have the balls to do it, or you don't.
You either follow through with what you say you will do, or you don't.
Yes, sometimes, it can be that black and white.
On second thoughts...
I choose not to ever have another second thought about it.
How's that for moving on?
How's that for moving on?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Identity is fluid
When Papas and I were in Barcelona, we had one of the greatest things happen to us, that one can only hope for when you go travelling...
We stumbled across a tiny and awesome retro bar (called "Pile 43". Weird name. Good Bar.) that was just what we were looking for. I promptly ordered us some drinks and we seated ourselves amongst the bar dwellers. Two girls in a bar - of course, the recipe to have people start talking to us.
We met some expats, I mean, internationals that all worked at Hewlett Packard.
Guy 1: English
Girl 1 : French
Guy 2: Dutch
Guy 4: Born in Egypt but considers himself more Irish.
Girl 2: Unknown. She didn't say and I couldn't place her accent.
Guy 4 was of interest to me. He was 2 days away from going home and he was very, very excited.
"I can't take the heat here, I need to go back to Ireland."
Born in Cairo but preferred Ireland's weather.
Odd, right?
Or is it?
Who am I to say where this dude belongs and what he should prefer, just because I have ideas about his birthplace and his genetics? I don't. In fact, I think it's more of a cute juxtaposition. And this global village I live in is full of them.
I met a lady at a housewarming party last month who was raised born in the US, raised French, but also has an Israeli passport, lived in Amsterdam for 14 years.
In fact, nearly half the people I meet here can not give me an introduction about where they are from without a 45 second spiel as opposed to a one word answer defining their nationality.
My point is moreso about a couple of things that have been primary considerations in my motivations to experience life here: What is identity? Can labels really serve the function of describing something so multi-faceted as a human being? And does it soley rely on being the feeling of belonging, whether it is to a culture or a country or a race? Can the outside world serve as an accurate mirror to project to yourself who you really are, and where you should be?
I read somewhere that you shouldn't get too attached to any ideas of who you were, who you are now, and especially who you are likely to become - identity is so fluid.
I just read a blog article, written as a self interrogation by an Indonesian born, American raised, Belgian living mountain climber about identity and settling down, entitled, "So, what is home, to you?".(You can read it here.) I loved his description of himself:
"Indonesian by name, birth, and food-culture... American by upbringing, dreams, and aspirations ... Chinese by work ethics, humility, and compassion ... Franco-Flemish by pragmatism, appreciation of life, and beer-passion ... Small-town boy at heart with a global perspective in the mind ... Confused by identity and values but a big believer in the culture of tolerance at the end. Or so I would like to see myself to be ... (the rest see my blog, or decide for yourself)"
I also just read on the same website, an article about repatriating - the return home after living life abroad. "Going home", which you can read here. Blogger and author talks about our bodies holding the same water that comes from our place of birth. Interesting concept- home is where our genetic and physical structure matches the environment of our birthplace. But the author also talks about our concept of home being affiliated with a culture or a people, or a sense of belonging, and some internationals say "the source of contentment is within you and you don’t really need to change country to find that."
My friend Sarah says that she makes her home wherever she is. With her belongings, and her touches on the house, and her relationships with her environment, her inspirations and the people she loves.
Personally, I love all of these ideas. And after having Papas stay with me for a week, and being able to show her " a week in the life of" full of all my little hotspots, and my super cute apartment and introducing her to the people in my life right now, I can definitvely say, Amsterdam is a home.
We stumbled across a tiny and awesome retro bar (called "Pile 43". Weird name. Good Bar.) that was just what we were looking for. I promptly ordered us some drinks and we seated ourselves amongst the bar dwellers. Two girls in a bar - of course, the recipe to have people start talking to us.
We met some expats, I mean, internationals that all worked at Hewlett Packard.
Guy 1: English
Girl 1 : French
Guy 2: Dutch
Guy 4: Born in Egypt but considers himself more Irish.
Girl 2: Unknown. She didn't say and I couldn't place her accent.
Guy 4 was of interest to me. He was 2 days away from going home and he was very, very excited.
"I can't take the heat here, I need to go back to Ireland."
Born in Cairo but preferred Ireland's weather.
Odd, right?
Or is it?
Who am I to say where this dude belongs and what he should prefer, just because I have ideas about his birthplace and his genetics? I don't. In fact, I think it's more of a cute juxtaposition. And this global village I live in is full of them.
I met a lady at a housewarming party last month who was raised born in the US, raised French, but also has an Israeli passport, lived in Amsterdam for 14 years.
In fact, nearly half the people I meet here can not give me an introduction about where they are from without a 45 second spiel as opposed to a one word answer defining their nationality.
My point is moreso about a couple of things that have been primary considerations in my motivations to experience life here: What is identity? Can labels really serve the function of describing something so multi-faceted as a human being? And does it soley rely on being the feeling of belonging, whether it is to a culture or a country or a race? Can the outside world serve as an accurate mirror to project to yourself who you really are, and where you should be?
I read somewhere that you shouldn't get too attached to any ideas of who you were, who you are now, and especially who you are likely to become - identity is so fluid.
I just read a blog article, written as a self interrogation by an Indonesian born, American raised, Belgian living mountain climber about identity and settling down, entitled, "So, what is home, to you?".(You can read it here.) I loved his description of himself:
"Indonesian by name, birth, and food-culture... American by upbringing, dreams, and aspirations ... Chinese by work ethics, humility, and compassion ... Franco-Flemish by pragmatism, appreciation of life, and beer-passion ... Small-town boy at heart with a global perspective in the mind ... Confused by identity and values but a big believer in the culture of tolerance at the end. Or so I would like to see myself to be ... (the rest see my blog, or decide for yourself)"
I also just read on the same website, an article about repatriating - the return home after living life abroad. "Going home", which you can read here. Blogger and author talks about our bodies holding the same water that comes from our place of birth. Interesting concept- home is where our genetic and physical structure matches the environment of our birthplace. But the author also talks about our concept of home being affiliated with a culture or a people, or a sense of belonging, and some internationals say "the source of contentment is within you and you don’t really need to change country to find that."
My friend Sarah says that she makes her home wherever she is. With her belongings, and her touches on the house, and her relationships with her environment, her inspirations and the people she loves.
Personally, I love all of these ideas. And after having Papas stay with me for a week, and being able to show her " a week in the life of" full of all my little hotspots, and my super cute apartment and introducing her to the people in my life right now, I can definitvely say, Amsterdam is a home.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Glimmer of hope
The background:
For four months, The Netherlands has had a hung parliament, and it looks like things will finally be sorted out. Well, in political "stability" terms anyway.
(May I proudly point out that it took Australia only 4 weeks at best to sort their government out, post election. Well done, Australia.)
It was announced yesterday that a government will be formed and the anti-Islam party, PVV, will be part of the coalition government.
Headed up by Geert Wilders, PVV's main objectives are to ban burqa head scarves in public/municipal buildings, reign in immigration to 50% reduction in non-western immigrants, raise the difficulty on "integration tests" and basically, spread hate for muslims and middle eastern people in the Netherlands. It is claimed they will only have a "shadow" role in the government.
Besides, having bleach job that would make Vidal Sassoon turn in his grave ( hiding some dark roots to look more Arian perhaps?), Geert Wilders was a key guest speaker at the rally at Ground Zero against the Islamic community centre near the premises (which was mislabelled a mosque by the media) and is also, as I type, on trial for inciting hate in dutch society.
What about 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and so on generation dutch who have morrocan, or turkish ancestors? Well, Geert says, "what about them?" They apparently do not fit into the vision for what it means to be dutch, besides speaking the language fluently and paying taxes etc etc.
The Stories:
Christian Democrats are unanimous in support for alliance with PVV
Tuesday 05 October 2010
Two dissident Christian Democrat MPs have finally voted in favour of their party forming a new governing alliance which will involve the anti-Islam PVV.
The unanimous decision from the 21 CDA MPs means the next stage in the coalition formation process - the appointment of ministers - can now be taken.
On Monday night, acting party leader Maxime Verhagen told reporters 'there are no dissidents any more', leading commentators to speculate that a behind the scenes deal had been done.
Pressure
The two, Kathleen Ferrier and Ad Koppejan, had come under considerable pressure to fall into line. They were known to feel supported by the result of Saturday's CDA ratification conference at which 32% of delegates voted against the tie up with the PVV.
Verhagen said after Tuesday's meeting that the entire group of 21 MPs will take into account the fact that there is sizeable opposition to the alliance within the party.
'We will be critical of the effects of the coalition agreements,' Verhagen told the assembled press, 'and keep a close eye on CDA principles.'
The two dissidents will also be able to opt out of voting in favour of particular policies they oppose, he said.
Without their support, the proposed right-wing coalition would only be able to count on 74 of the 150 seats in parliament. This would have forced cabinet negotiator Ivo Opstelten to tell the queen he has not been able to form a stable coalition.
More to follow
© DutchNews.nl
Freedom and responsibility is right-wing government slogan
Thursday 30 September 2010
The three parties on the verge of forming a new coalition government unveiled their coalition agreement on Thursday, under the motto 'freedom and responsibility'.
The aim of the agreement is to give the Netherlands back to the hardworking Dutchman, VVD leader and prime ministerial hopeful Mark Rutte said.
The pact is the result of two months of negotiations between the Christian Democrats, right-wing VVD and anti-Islam PVV. The PVV will support the VVD and CDA on a number of issues but will not have ministers and is not officially part of the government.
The agreement includes a ban on the burqa, the introduction of 'animal cops' and a reduction in the minimum wage
'This agreement's approach should lead to a... 50% reduction in the inflow non-western immigrants,' PVV leader Geert Wilders said.
Christian Democrat MPs are still divided on whether or not to support the coalition agreement.
After 15 hours of discussion on Wednesday, the 21 members of parliament have decided to leave the decision up to Saturday’s congress. At least two MPs are known to oppose an alliance with Gert Wilders' party
The main measures in the coalition accord
Economy and taxes
Aid budget to be cut from 0.8% of GDP to 0.7%
Energy bill surcharge to pay for subsidies for wind and solar power projects
Corporate clustering to be encouraged such as Greenport Venlo and Maintenance Valley projects
Public private partnerships to be encouraged for infrastructure
Childcare and healthcare subsidies to be cut
Immigration and asylum:
Immigrants to pay for their own integration courses
Ban on the burqa and other face-covering garments
Headscarf ban for police and justice ministry officials
Integration tests to be made more difficult
List of dangerous countries for automatic refugee status to be scrapped
Work and social security
Benefit cuts for people whose clothing or behaviour stops them finding work
Minimum wage and basic welfare benefits to be reduced
Pension age to rise from 65 to 66 by 2020
No change to unemployment benefit
No change to redundancy laws
Law and order
2,500 new police officers to be appointed
500 new animal police officers
Minimum sentences for serious crimes
Tougher sentences for attacking emergency service workers
Stop and search policy to be extended
Defence and foreign policy
Further investment in ties with Israel
Nato missions to be paid for from aid budget
€1bn to be cut from European Union bill
Second test JSF fighter jet will be bought
Other measures
Parents to be made (financially) responsible for making sure their children speak Dutch properly
€500m for new roads
Spending on arts and culture to be cut
€1bn more for spending on the elderly
Prostitution age to be raised to 21
Spending on public broadcasting to be cut by €200m - one tv channel may go
Cannabis cafes will become members-only clubs with a pass system
No change to Sunday trading laws - currently 12 a year
The smoking ban in cafes and bars smaller than 70m2 will be lifted
Speed limit on some motorways increased to 130 kph.
Student grants to be reduced from four to three years
Applications to build new nuclear power stations to be welcomed
Government
Savings on civil service to generate savings of €6.6bn a year
The new cabinet will have 12 full and eight junior ministers, split between the CDA and VVD
Economic affairs and agriculture combined into a single ministry
The number of MPs and senators will be reduced to 100 and 50 respectively
Local government layers will be reduced
There is hope:
I saw this picture in "The Metro" newspaper this morning (free public transport rag) and I was both relieved, and moved to see it. It translates to "No hate".
The caption states: "For the building with the two rooms in The Hague ( parliament house). there is a man with a paper that states "No hate". He wants CDA party members Kathleen Ferrier en Ad Koppejan to sincerely oppose a cooperation with the PVV party."
I think the dutch should remember what it was like for their country and citizens in World War 2. Do they recall their ancestors being persecuted because of being a minority in their race, ethnicity or religion?
For four months, The Netherlands has had a hung parliament, and it looks like things will finally be sorted out. Well, in political "stability" terms anyway.
(May I proudly point out that it took Australia only 4 weeks at best to sort their government out, post election. Well done, Australia.)
It was announced yesterday that a government will be formed and the anti-Islam party, PVV, will be part of the coalition government.
Headed up by Geert Wilders, PVV's main objectives are to ban burqa head scarves in public/municipal buildings, reign in immigration to 50% reduction in non-western immigrants, raise the difficulty on "integration tests" and basically, spread hate for muslims and middle eastern people in the Netherlands. It is claimed they will only have a "shadow" role in the government.
Besides, having bleach job that would make Vidal Sassoon turn in his grave ( hiding some dark roots to look more Arian perhaps?), Geert Wilders was a key guest speaker at the rally at Ground Zero against the Islamic community centre near the premises (which was mislabelled a mosque by the media) and is also, as I type, on trial for inciting hate in dutch society.
What about 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and so on generation dutch who have morrocan, or turkish ancestors? Well, Geert says, "what about them?" They apparently do not fit into the vision for what it means to be dutch, besides speaking the language fluently and paying taxes etc etc.
The Stories:
Christian Democrats are unanimous in support for alliance with PVV
Tuesday 05 October 2010
Two dissident Christian Democrat MPs have finally voted in favour of their party forming a new governing alliance which will involve the anti-Islam PVV.
The unanimous decision from the 21 CDA MPs means the next stage in the coalition formation process - the appointment of ministers - can now be taken.
On Monday night, acting party leader Maxime Verhagen told reporters 'there are no dissidents any more', leading commentators to speculate that a behind the scenes deal had been done.
Pressure
The two, Kathleen Ferrier and Ad Koppejan, had come under considerable pressure to fall into line. They were known to feel supported by the result of Saturday's CDA ratification conference at which 32% of delegates voted against the tie up with the PVV.
Verhagen said after Tuesday's meeting that the entire group of 21 MPs will take into account the fact that there is sizeable opposition to the alliance within the party.
'We will be critical of the effects of the coalition agreements,' Verhagen told the assembled press, 'and keep a close eye on CDA principles.'
The two dissidents will also be able to opt out of voting in favour of particular policies they oppose, he said.
Without their support, the proposed right-wing coalition would only be able to count on 74 of the 150 seats in parliament. This would have forced cabinet negotiator Ivo Opstelten to tell the queen he has not been able to form a stable coalition.
More to follow
© DutchNews.nl
Freedom and responsibility is right-wing government slogan
Thursday 30 September 2010
The three parties on the verge of forming a new coalition government unveiled their coalition agreement on Thursday, under the motto 'freedom and responsibility'.
The aim of the agreement is to give the Netherlands back to the hardworking Dutchman, VVD leader and prime ministerial hopeful Mark Rutte said.
The pact is the result of two months of negotiations between the Christian Democrats, right-wing VVD and anti-Islam PVV. The PVV will support the VVD and CDA on a number of issues but will not have ministers and is not officially part of the government.
The agreement includes a ban on the burqa, the introduction of 'animal cops' and a reduction in the minimum wage
'This agreement's approach should lead to a... 50% reduction in the inflow non-western immigrants,' PVV leader Geert Wilders said.
Christian Democrat MPs are still divided on whether or not to support the coalition agreement.
After 15 hours of discussion on Wednesday, the 21 members of parliament have decided to leave the decision up to Saturday’s congress. At least two MPs are known to oppose an alliance with Gert Wilders' party
The main measures in the coalition accord
Economy and taxes
Aid budget to be cut from 0.8% of GDP to 0.7%
Energy bill surcharge to pay for subsidies for wind and solar power projects
Corporate clustering to be encouraged such as Greenport Venlo and Maintenance Valley projects
Public private partnerships to be encouraged for infrastructure
Childcare and healthcare subsidies to be cut
Immigration and asylum:
Immigrants to pay for their own integration courses
Ban on the burqa and other face-covering garments
Headscarf ban for police and justice ministry officials
Integration tests to be made more difficult
List of dangerous countries for automatic refugee status to be scrapped
Work and social security
Benefit cuts for people whose clothing or behaviour stops them finding work
Minimum wage and basic welfare benefits to be reduced
Pension age to rise from 65 to 66 by 2020
No change to unemployment benefit
No change to redundancy laws
Law and order
2,500 new police officers to be appointed
500 new animal police officers
Minimum sentences for serious crimes
Tougher sentences for attacking emergency service workers
Stop and search policy to be extended
Defence and foreign policy
Further investment in ties with Israel
Nato missions to be paid for from aid budget
€1bn to be cut from European Union bill
Second test JSF fighter jet will be bought
Other measures
Parents to be made (financially) responsible for making sure their children speak Dutch properly
€500m for new roads
Spending on arts and culture to be cut
€1bn more for spending on the elderly
Prostitution age to be raised to 21
Spending on public broadcasting to be cut by €200m - one tv channel may go
Cannabis cafes will become members-only clubs with a pass system
No change to Sunday trading laws - currently 12 a year
The smoking ban in cafes and bars smaller than 70m2 will be lifted
Speed limit on some motorways increased to 130 kph.
Student grants to be reduced from four to three years
Applications to build new nuclear power stations to be welcomed
Government
Savings on civil service to generate savings of €6.6bn a year
The new cabinet will have 12 full and eight junior ministers, split between the CDA and VVD
Economic affairs and agriculture combined into a single ministry
The number of MPs and senators will be reduced to 100 and 50 respectively
Local government layers will be reduced
There is hope:
I saw this picture in "The Metro" newspaper this morning (free public transport rag) and I was both relieved, and moved to see it. It translates to "No hate".
The caption states: "For the building with the two rooms in The Hague ( parliament house). there is a man with a paper that states "No hate". He wants CDA party members Kathleen Ferrier en Ad Koppejan to sincerely oppose a cooperation with the PVV party."
I think the dutch should remember what it was like for their country and citizens in World War 2. Do they recall their ancestors being persecuted because of being a minority in their race, ethnicity or religion?
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