Sani on a Sunny day!

My cousin, Sani, works on the Holland America cruiseliners, as a waiter.

Like me, he has a passion for food, and is a trained chef. I haven't seen him since my sister got married, about 5 years ago for about an hour, at best. The time before that was about 10 years before that, or maybe even 15 years before that. But I've seen his wife and son more recently (who are both lovely! I have a soft spot for his son, who's about 7 and going on 25!), last time I went back to Indonesia, for Christmas. Sani and I used to hang out a bit together when he was a teenager, and I was kid. He cooked me Spaghetti Bolognese once when he was in chef school, and I remember he struggled to find the right ingredients when he went shopping, since in this province/village where 42,000 people live, Western ingredients like spaghetti and tomato paste were quite hard to find.

"Does it taste good?" he peered at me, earnestly. "Like, you know, Italian?"

"It's great! Really, really, good Sani!" I declared, slurping the tubes of pasta and knodding.

He rang me today, out of the blue, his ship was docked in Amsterdam for the weekend, so I quickly cycled to meet him at the Amsterdam Passenger terminal, where we agreed if I wasn't there in half an hour, he should call me again.

Running late (as I do), I took a shortcut through Centraal Station's tram area, and peddled at breakneck speed to meet him, since he had such a short window of time to meet. He had to start work at 12.30pm.

Police often patrol Centraal station for renegade cyclists that think they can take on trams and pedestrian traffic, giving stern warnings about getting caught in tram tracks and bowling over pedestrians. Dodging through people hauling suitcases, and weaving between the masses, I was praying I wouldn't get caught, and I suddenly hear someone calling out my name.

I stop and do a U-turn, and it was him! The chances of me taking that shortcut, and him seeing me were really not that high, especially since we agreed that he would wait at the Passenger Terminal for me. I couldn't believe it.

"How did you recognise me? I was going so fast." I asked in disbelief, after I gave him a big hug.

He grinned. "I don't know. You just look just like your mother, I guess."

I took him somewhere close for breakfast. I decided on pancakes, and he decided the same.

"You know, this reminds me of the time you and your sister taught me how to make pancakes. In the village, when you were visiting once."

I vaguely recalled the instance. I must have been about 8 or 9.

I look at him and see the essence of the shy teenage kid that I used to hang out with with a wiser face, but the same kind smile. He must look at me and see the marginally taller version of the same loud mouth little girl that used to terrorise his street when I came to visit. It was a really beautiful moment to be there with him today.

Only the universe would have known that almost 20 years later, we would still be laughing over pancakes, but on the other side of the world.

"Full frontal Flower Shower". Peas included.

Yes, a full frontal flower shower. This was the name of the cocktail I had tonight.

We didn't make it to visit 'The Man who cuts the meat'. Damn.

Good news? Went to a funky, innovative restaurant in the West called Proef, the brainchild of an amazing experimental food artist type person Marije Vogelzang.

I went with Bex, a new friend from New Zealand. She literally lives down the road from me. We met and cycled to the Westergasfabriek complex, and stopped at Marnixbowl skate park en route, because it was deliciously sunny, and there were some good little grommets hanging out having fling with their skateboards. The girls were great, and inspired me to get my Lomo out and take some shots. Will post them when I get them developed.

I'm going to have to write a review about Proef for this writing gig I am doing, it was definitely an interesting experience. One dish was literally a half a head of cos lettuce, with some caramelised onion, sunflower seeds and croutons on it. All the drinks, except the cocktails, were served in jars. They keep their own chickens out front, and grow their flowers and some of their produce out back. My cocktail had peas floating around in it. I had panna cotta for dessert with edible flowers, and fresh red currants, blue berries drifting in tea syrup.

Visually exciting food!

Behold the eye candy that is... dinner at Proef!

(NB. The Blackberry finally came to some sort of use. Shout out to the office for providing the means to take the below photos.)

Mr Bunny with my bike.

Panna Cotta with edible flowers, alongside red currants & blueberries in tea syrup.

Home spun fairy floss with chocolate mousse and icecream.

Crispy radishes, beans and snow peas with a goats cheese and honey dip.

But that's not what I asked?

Me: So the guy upstairs said I need to buy a new battery down here.

Mac Sales dude: Sure, that's 139 Euros.

Me: Fine. By the way, I don't know if this is an appropriate question, but do you know how I can get Utorrents to work on my computer?

Mac Sales dude: (Pause) Yeah, well, errrr.......(voice turns barely audible) Utorrents isn't very good. Try a program called Transmission.... You know it's illegal right?

Me: Yeah. Um. Right. Thanks

The man who cuts the meat

I am going to eat dinner on Sunday at a bar/cafe called Brandstof.

What makes this dinner so unique you ask?

A gentleman called " The man who cuts the meat" will be cooking my meal.

He does so every Sunday, popping up in this Kitchen on Sundays only.

Except now, he is moving to Siberia. I need to eat his creations before he leaves Amsterdam.

The rejection website

Thursday, 5th August 2010, 2.45am, Dam Square

Me: So, did I hear correctly, and that guy asked you for your number?

Friend: Yes.

Random American guy we have just befriended: And did you give it to him?

Friend: No, I have a boyfriend.

Me: So what did you do?

Friend: I gave him my website address.

Me: What? What's he supposed to do with that? Do you do this often?

Friend: If he doesn't get the message that I wasn't interested enough to give him my phone number, and he bothers going on the site, he'll possibly find my email address and send me an email and I'll ignore it.

Me: Why didn't you just give him your number and ignore him anyway? Unless you create a page on the site that says "If I wouldn't give you my phone number click here." and it takes people to a page that says "Couldn't take the hint the first time? Let me spell it out for you -Fuck off, I'm not interested."

RAG: A rejection website! Excellent idea!

Me (to RAG): Wanna share a rejection website? Basically it will be a landing page with a our pictures on either side.

RAG:If Rani gave you this URL, please click here. If (RAG's name) gave you this URL, please click here.

Me: This has potential. Trust me.

A New Lustre

I wonder if a relationship with a city is the same as any other relationship? Does it require work, and a little bit of effort from both parties to keep the spark alive?

Exchanges of meaningful dialogue, mixed with a lot of fun, a bit of alone time together, some honest moments, and some sensual seduction?

Amsterdam and I went through a bit of a rough patch a little while ago, but since last weekend, I have some renewed faith in our partnership.

I long thought my cries for tenderness and an opportunity to "let me in" were being met with a cold stillness - a vague mutter of a response here and there, met with a lot of resistance and aloofness.

But upon reflection, Amsterdam needed some time to adjust to my presence. I sort of landed, and demanded (as I usually do) undivided attention.

"Hello, I'm here. Praise me for the wonderful human being that I am and for gracing your city with my vivacious presence."

But a new world, means a new cultural perception. I think Amsterdam just wanted to take it slow, and inch by (cycled) inch, it allowed me to get to know it a bit better.

You're an intriguing and enigmatic city Amsterdam, and it is at both my detriment and to my best interest, that I fell for you, and persist with our relationship.

This Saturday is my one year Anniversary of landing in Amsterdam, and also the annual Gay Pride parade, a celebration to take place down the central Prinsengracht canal. I missed it last year by a day or so.

Since I got back from Switzerland, I feel like I entered a new era here.

I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now.

Cash only, I'm afraid.

Colleague Kim: What are you doing?

Me: Millionaire shopping on the Quote500 website.

CK: Ah yes. Looking for a husband?

Me: Potentially, yes.

CK:(peering over my shoulder, knodding seriously in acknowledgement.) Ahhh, yes. Wie zal betalen voor mijn tassen en schoenen?

Me: Precies. Wie, Kim, Wie?

CK: Als hij kan niet betalen, hij moet ga op de weg.

Me: Learn it, live it.

Retrospective 3: Getting Fresh @ Appelsap

Victor Crezee - What say you and me get married?
(image by Dennis Branko)

1st August 2010


Ain't no party like a hip hop party, and a 10 year anniversary at that.


"Appelsap" ("Apple juice"), Amsterdam's annual, open air, free hip hop festival in the Oost celebrated 10 years of rhymes, breaks, and beats on Sunday afternoon/evening.

This city just continues to spread musical love - the second full day free open air concert I've been to this summer: cue the mention of the Roots Festival, a whole day World music festival which was also free in June this year.

A categorically different strategy on bringng families and communities together, I have observed. The thing is, the whole mentality on what sorts of events bring the community together is 180 degrees different to Australia.

With there being nearly 5000 people at Appelsap, it was strange to observethe amount of community love. I felt like an event like this in my hometown would have brought out the pre pubescent wannabes in combination with the general dregs of society from the Outer suburbs, and been a huge arena for dickhead-like behaviour.

The audience here consisted of some very hip Daddy O's, families, and mostly insanely street chic twenty and thirty somethings. Sure, there was a bit of ego around the place, but nothing that spilled over into acts of aggression or power. It was serious love for the music and the hip hop community all around.

Speaking of ego, I know I said I felt really safe and comfortable, but there was a very peculiar and strange, isolated incident which occured, which relates to me saying I wish I had some photos to show you on here, but I almost got beaten up by an aggressive festival punter for pulling out my Fisheye camera. ( And did not have any ill effects on my love for this festival whatsoever.)

There I was, sitting innocently after an hour or two of burning up the (asphalt) dancefloor , by the cupcake stand. I wanted to take a photo of the very atmospheric outdoor decorations, so I pulled out the camera, and my supa brite Lomo flash caught the attention of one paranoid, possibly schizophrenic little lady.

From 5 metres away from me, her eyes make contact with me, with a glare that could burn a hole through Titanium.

I was initially confused. Then scared. Very, very scared.

She then proceeded to march over to me to interrogate me about my intentions with heresaid photo. In dutch, I might add.

"Errr, engels?" I said, almost cowering in terror under the picnic table. (Please don't hit me. I don't have any health insurance yet.)

"Why you gotta take photos?"

"I wasn't aiming at you..." (...Ms Paranoid. Are you a F grade MC celebrity or something? Is your entourage hiding behind the giant bassline speaker over there?)

"Don't be taking no photos around here." ( Did I miss something? Is there a flourescent light screaming "Amateur photographers will be shot. B-Boys with cameras only"?)

"Delete it," she ordered.

"Er. I can't. "

"Why not?" she bellowed.

"It's not digital."

She looked at me, shook her head and waved her finger in my face.

"Don't let me catch you takin' no more photos around here."

It is with a bit of relief (to be alive) and a bit of regret that I can only present to you with a few photos from Appelsap from talented polished photographers Dennis Branko, and Dennis de Groot.


God daaaaaaaamn:

what a good looking city.

Oosterpark Massive

(image from Appelsap Official website)

What up Appelsap?????

(images from Dennis Branko)

La Melodia - A Fierce MC. I thoroughly enjoyed your energy. Applause.
(image by Dennis De Groot)

Vic Crezee - You had me from "Double Up". A little note: You look good from a dancefloor.
(image by Dennis de Groot)

Mr Wix
(image by Dennis de Groot)

DJ Abstract
(image by Dennis de Groot)