Still alive my friends and extremely enjoying it
My dearest blogfriends, don't you worry 'bout a thing. I'm still very much alive and having a wonderful time together with my loved ones. Have been building a new company in Amsterdam (now 30 employees, you'll find us here:
http://www.c-strategies.com ) an have an interim job as global director at a Nasdaq company and started a Phd candidacy alongside. Still am so much in love, every time I look her in the eyes I feel like summiting Evertest..
Hope you guys are fine 2, be well!!!!
Amsterdam greetz,
Dimitri
Perfect relationship?
And we haven't been away even for that long but it takes a few days to kick start those batteries again. I will post some Nepal and everest pictures later on but first this: while in Nepal I read about the Polish man who awoke after 20 years of coma. Huh?
It is the stuff of fairytales and happy endings, the story of a Polish railway worker who woke up to a new world of plenty after falling into a "coma" 19 years ago when Poland was still communist. Grzebski was transferred from one hospital to another to undergo treatment until finally his wife opted to bring him home and care for him herself. There may not have been a miracle in Grzebski's revival, but the story of his wife's dedication has struck a chord with diehard romantics. Grzebski is now making the acquaintance of 11 grandchildren. lol..
Grzebski told he has been aware that the days of communism, rationing and interminable queues to get the little that was available in the shops, had long ended in Poland.
But he has still not got over a recent trip to the local supermarket.
"There are no queues. You take what you want and as much of it as you want. You don't need ration tickets like during the communist era," he marvelled.
If it were the Netherlands the poor man would all of a sudden wake up to a country in decay, satellite dishes, burqas, multicultural violence, exploded crime figures and huge taxes to maintain a government that even Kafka didn't foresee. Anyway..
So is this the perfect example of matrimonial loyalty? What does it take to make a marriage work?
I say that within a good relationship you should never let each other down when one or the other has got his or her week moment. You should be faithfull, supportive, loving, respectful and caring. bla bla bla and so on
Now what's your number one ingredient for the perfect marriage or relationship cake?
Wikicopy on marriage:
A marriage is an interpersonal relationship with governmental, social, or religious recognition, usually intimate and sexual, and often created as a contract. The most frequently occurring form of marriage unites a man and a woman as husband and wife.[1][2][citation needed] Other forms of marriage also exist; for example, polygamy, in which a person takes more than one spouse, is common in many societies.[3] Beginning in 2001, the legal concept of marriage has been expanded to include same-sex marriage in some jurisdictions.[4]The reasons people marry vary widely, but usually include one or more of the following: legal, social and economic stability; the formation of a family unit; procreation and the education and nurturing of children; legitimizing sexual relations; public declaration of love.[5][6]A marriage is often declared by a wedding ceremony,[7] which may be performed by a religious officiator, through a similar government-sanctioned secular officiator, or (in weddings that have no church or state affiliation) by a trusted friend of the wedding participants. The act of marriage usually creates obligations between the individuals involved, and in many societies, their extended families.[citation needed]
post ceremonial pics
After the wedding some pictures were taken in the Potala Palace gardens. At night special (wedding?) fireworks lightened up the palace.
Now we are preparing for the real honeymoon which will take us via Mount Everet base camp to Kathmandu. CU later, hope you enjoyed the pictures. Kind regards, Ursula and Dimitri..
Wedding certificate
Scarfs are given for blessings. After the ceremony we received an authentic stamped wedding certificate from the lama of the Drepong monastery. It appeared that we were the first to be given such a paper. I believe we gave them a new business opportunity idea :-)
Now the actual marriage
We entered the main kitchen where the treasurer monk was receiving the donations and changing them into smaller yuan bills so they can be handed over to each of the 300 monks present during the ceremony. Off course we could not refuse the traditional butter tea..and another round..
A pack of Yuans left for the monks that were on duty or not in the house. Drepung monastery houses around 600 monks.
Some Pictures of a Buddhist Wedding part 2
Atop the Jokhang monestary, the most sacred of them all in Tibet. On the right on the Jokhar square in our traditional Tibetan wedding outfit before we went of to Drepong.
Prayer wheels at the Potala Palace
Some Pictures of a Buddhist Wedding part 1
Panda Park in Chengdu, China. Buddhist offering spot in Tibet on the right.
A non-typical honeymoon
My dear friends, thank you for all your kind wishes. Yes I am still alive but quit my job two months ago and c0-started two new private companies and as a writer/editor for a Dutch magazine so had to work very hard to make it happen.
Three days ago we arrived in Lhasa, Tibet where we will get married tomorrow (Deo Volente). As Ursula experienced some severe altitude sickness I did not blog yet and we had to postpone our ceremony until tomorrow. Luckily she recoverd after a few days. Tomorrow I will try to post some pictures that we allready made.
Our hotel is opposite the
Jokhang tempel and today is the most sacred day in the year so the Bokhar square is packed with pilgrims that procrastinate.
Back tomorrow, after the wedding I hope :-)
Amsterdam, one of the landmark business in Second life, modeled on the city’s red light district, and specializing in adult content, was sold for $50,000.
The previous owner, whose avatar is called “Stroker Serpentine”, says he sold the iconic virtual destination “to focus on a new, bigger adult business”. Little is known about the city’s new custodian, except that he is — perhaps appropriately — from the Netherlands.
My city is one of the first places that most first-time players visit in Second Life, mostly due to the ‘titillation factor’. It has been the meeting place for members of the Dutch Parliament. It been featured twice on CBS News. It has appeared on numerous multi-media outlets throughout the world. It remains a focal point on the SL landscape.
An excellent investment I say. Every day more than 50,000 cybermen visit this cybertown to see a little cyberbooty. I predict that the cyberbuyer will recoup his cybervestment in less than a month.
by "Dimitri Alexandre"
Too young to die
On the 5th of March, two very beautiful women,
Susana and
Peronne, were called back to the light way too young. Yesterday we were told that our 22yo niece Martine decided to leave earth as well. May their beautiful souls rest in peace..
We are alive, therefore we will die. This is the simplest, most obvious truth of our existence, and yet it is so hard to come to terms with it. Truly respecting death and its inevitability brings, paradoxically, a relaxing of the fear of death, along with a heightened sense of the importance of life and of what we choose to do with the time we have. So live now and take good care of yourselves and your loved ones...
That time of year thou mayst in me beholdWhen yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hangUpon those boughs which shake against the cold,Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.In me thou seest the twilight of such dayAs after sunset fadeth in the west,Which by and by black night doth take away,Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.In me thou see'st the glowing of such fireThat on the ashes of his youth doth lie,As the death-bed whereon it must expireConsumed with that which it was nourish'd by.This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,To love that well which thou must leave ere long.-- Shakespeare --
DA007
This week I was asked for a 007-like fotoshoot for a Dutch magazine: here are some results
It was fun to do although they needed to shoot about 600 pics under very warm lights to get a few good results (no America's next top model huh). This magazine asked me to start a column on Dutch network-events, gala's and parties. Who better to aks then the Netherlands biggest alcoholic. (just kidding off course:-)
DA MBA and thoughts on Tibetan marriage
I know, I know, I have been the worst blogger in history of mankind. I am not even trying to apologize anymore. Thing is that there's not enough time in one day. Had to finish my studies, which I did. Had to work like crazy to prevent from drowning in the political arena and had to attend too many new years gala's and parties. Also made a new website for personal business.
Click here to have a look if you like. Most of the precious free time however I'd rather spend with my loved ones then sitting behind the desk I have noticed. And that's a good sign as far as I'm concerned.
These days we are also preparing our Tibetan wedding. We have decided to get married in Lhasa by means of a Buddhist ceremony and then travel through Tibet and Nepal somewhere in May.
Siddhartha (later known as the Buddha), was married and had a family and so in this respect it is quite natural for Buddhists to marry and have children. In fact, in the Mahamangala Sutra the Buddha spoke of many aspects of family life as those things which would lead to happiness and blessings:
- Supporting one’s father and mother
- Loving one’s wife (or husband) and children
- Being generous and having a sense of duty
- Helping relatives and acting blamelessly
- Reverence, humility, contentment, gratitude and listening to the Dharma
Clearly the idea of duty and support needs to be understood in the context of Indian society where the extended family is quite important and a sense of maintaining traditions a priority. However, it can also be seen that developing these attitudes will also help someone towards achieving Enlightenment as each of them will gradually lead to a person becoming less focused on their own needs and more towards those of others. It is this attitude which will ultimately lead to greater compassion for all living things (for more information on this see An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics (GCSE)).
It is also important to note how marriage and family provide opportunities to apply the The Five Precepts
The Five Precepts
To refrain from killing or harming living things.
To refrain from harming another human includes making sure one's actions do not lead to emotional suffering. In the context of marriage both partners should make sure the other knows how much they are valued. There should be a positive attempt to always express appreciation for the other person. Taking someone for granted is the root of many problems between a husband and wife.
To refrain from taking what is not given.
In this modern age of an increased sense of equality between men and women it is important that duties in the household are shared. It is wrong for men to presume that only women should take care of the family and the home. Assuming such an attitude may take away from time the woman has the right to spend elsewhere (E.g. Meeting friends, hobbies, relaxing, chatting with their partner...).
To refrain from sexual misconduct.
Applied literally this means husbands and wives should not have affairs (see below). However, it could also apply to the quality of their sexual relationship. Sex should be a natural expression of closeness between a husband and wife and should reflect the quality of their whole relationship. A good sex life normally means one has a good relationship. Doing things the partner may not wish to do, or insisting on sex when the other person does not want it, are examples of 'unskillful actions' which can lead to emotional suffering. This is clearly against the first precept. (For more on this see Buddhism and Sexual Ethics.)
To refrain from false and wrong speech.
Marriages should be based on truth. Neither partner should hide anything from the other (unless it is to do with buying a present!). Also, neither partner should be afraid of saying anything to the other. Many marriages fail because one or both partners have been afraid to communicate their true feelings about the other person (or the quality of their relationship). HOWEVER, speaking the truth does not mean being nasty! For a Buddhist, speaking the truth would have to be balanced by the first precept. It is possible to do tremendous psychological and emotional harm to a person simply by what you say to them.
To refrain from drink or drugs which cloud the mind.
For a Buddhist remaining clear minded is important as it keeps them focused and allows them to remain in control of their feelings and emotions. Many affairs have begun due to drunken antics at an office party. Many partners have also been the subject of abusive behaviour at the hands of a drunken spouse.
To our friends
Friday CONTEST day..
Last contest won by
Canadian Princess Veena. She was the first to discover La Sagrada Familia - Barcelona, Spain. Oh, by the way: On top of the church we got engaged. "Erm..Say what?" No kidding!!
Veena please e-mail the adress where I can send you the souvenir. Sorry Gary and Lisa, correct answer but only prize for first answer available :-)
Allright; now for this week. First one to guess right will receive an appropriate Amsterdam souvenir!
Any ideas? I'll send souvenirs all over the world. Even to Australia, Moscow, Oslo, Dubhay, Japan and Lebanon!! Who's first??
Saturday update: Again I have to help you guys out. Might as well send souvenirs without having a contest :-) Here's a picture of the entire city:
A Bishop that likes little children and Frau mit Schnurrbart
Today was the day that
St. Nicholas, a.k.a. Sinterklaas, f.k.a. The Bishop of Mira, arrived on the
Amsterdam Dam square. Sinterklaas is well known as the children's biggest friend. Now many Bishops nowadays are well known to be very friendly to little boys but this Bishop has another wonderful feature: He exploits black servants who crawl down your chimney to enter your house. Anyway, I won't go that way today. I too lie to my son about his existence and hope he'll forgive me when he's old enough to know it was all about mall marketing to sel us useless stuff.
We arrived in time, I bought myself a Hazelnut Latte and my son a hot chocolate. He managed to get in front at the fence and stood first in row. I tried to get as much children in front of me but couldn't avoid to let an entire Mediterranian looking family in front of me while I wasn't paying attention. No problem, "let them integrate into our culture" I thought, they might enjoy this charade.
This family (their children in particular) was very annoying. They yelled to everyone and started bullying my son. He got pushed and tried to find eye-contact with me. From a distance I told him to stay put and that he would be allright. Now he is only six but rather tall for his age so he started pushing back telling his 10 y.o. neighbour that he should loose weight because he didn't fit in between. I didn't like it but so far no reason to get upset. Hey, " that's just what children do", I thought. That's when this ugly woman started intimidating my son. Pulling his jacket and telling him to get lost. "Lady, leave him alone and mind your own business", I yelled at the woman twice. She didn't comply.
She continued pushing and pulling his jacket. My son got upset and started crying. And I got furious, man did I loose it for a moment. I elbowed myself to the front and told her that I warned her twice and that if she would ever lay a hand on my son again "I will kick your husbands ugly ass because I don't hit women, not even women with a moustache like yours". Then I turned towards her husband and told him to "tell her I am blood serious" looking him straight into the eyes with the most vicious look I had in years. Problem solved..
Now I do not approve of my behaviour and it sure isn't the Buddhist way I would normally prefer but this is just a little example of the problems we face daily in our Dutch big cities. We have been tolerating too much and now we've all grown apart. Young Morrocan pupils terrorize teachers and even terrorize entire neighbourhoods. People no longer dare to stand up against their violence and their parents have lost them in between cultural differences.
The CEO of Blackberry told me last week that the little Canadian town where he grew up welcomed a dozen Dutch families after WWII. They immigrated to Canada to start anew. Every year, with Dutch liberation day in sight, they would plant a couple of hundred tulips on the town square to remember the victims of war, to celebrate the liberation of the Netherlands and to thank their Canadian neighbours for their warmth and hospitality. They were grateful, very grateful. That's how they are seen by their Canadian neighbours, the grateful Dutch neighbours. Last year, many Canadian towns celebrated the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands in a way that we in the Netherlands even didn't do.
And that's just the way it works to my opinion. You earn your respect in a new country through gratefullness, not through agression, repression and violence.
I rest my case..
Friday CONTEST day..
First one to guess what this is and where I have taken this picture receives an authentic Amsterdam souvenir (no Gary I won't ship over no cannabis :-).. Good luck and have a nice weekend my friends..Sunday update:
Would you be blogging..
if someone made you feel like this?.
Would you be wasting time, worrying about a new start, a new future...
if someone made you smile like this?.
Would you hesitate for more than one second to seize the day together and live the now...
if someone made you happy like this?.
Would you?
Bush Administration, Halloween 365 days a year..
N o one likes us-I don't know why
We may not be perfect, but heaven knows we try
But all around, even our old friends put us down
Let's drop the big one and see what happens
We give them money-but are they grateful?
No, they're spiteful and they're hateful
They don't respect us-so let's surprise them
We'll drop the big one and pulverize them
Asia's crowded and
Europe's too old
Africa is far too hot
And Canada's too cold
And South America stole our name
Let's drop the big one
There'll be no one left to blame us
We'll save Australia
Don't wanna hurt no kangaroo
We'll build an All American amusement park there
They got surfin', too
Boom goes London and boom Paris
More room for you and more room for me
And every city the whole world round
Will just be another American town
Oh, how peaceful it will be
We'll set everybody free
You'll wear a Japanese kimono
And there'll be Italian shoes for me
They all hate us anyhow
So let's drop the big one now
Let's drop the big one now
-Randy Newman
May the sound of the bell penetrate deep into the cosmos.
Even in the darkest spots living beings are able to hear it clearly.
So that all suffering in them cease. Understanding comes to their heart, and they transcend the path of sorrow and death.
The universal dharma door is already open; the sound of the rising tide is already heard clearly. The miracle happens.
A beautiful child appears in the heart of the lotus flower. One single drop of this compassionate water is enough to bring back the refreshing spring to our mountains and rivers.
Listening to the bell I feel the afflictions in me dissolve. My mind is calm, my body relaxed. A smile is born on my lips.
Following the sound of the bell, my breath brings me back to the safe island of mindfulness. In the garden of my heart, the flowers of peace bloom beautifully.
"The End of Suffering" by Thich Nhat Hanh (click to listen)
Carpe Diem Dimi
I have been the most terrible blogger lately for which I hope you accept my sincere apologies. Thing is that I still don't have internet at home, my personal life has been a rollercoaster and I have been flying around the world for work lately. So seen a lot, happened a lot and been very busy.
That's why I decided to spend extra quality time with my son this weekend doing funny kids stuff together . On friday we build ourselves a kite and flew it over the Amsterdam dikes adjacent to my backyard. This was real fun because the kite rose to great hight. Then we played football and we baked ourselves some pancakes. You should have seen the kitchen afterwards. On Saturday we decided to visit the movies. Monsterhouse was playing and we were in for some excitement.
However, on our way to the movie theater a terrible accident occurred right in front of our eyes. An older bicyclist forgot to give way to the car in front of us and got knocked of his bike. In fact, he instantly became airborne and had an aweful landing - head first- with a thud on the asphalt. I still have the image on my retina. My son was reading the Donald Duck so luckily he missed it.
I parked the car crossways in front of him so no cars could pass, told my son to stay put and started helping. The car driver allready supported the old man but lots of blood was oozing out of his head wound. Me and some bystanders tried to keep the old man concious but after a few minutes he passed out, re-appeared and then went into a shock because of the many injuries and blood loss. By the time the ambulance arrived we guessed he had litttle chance that he would make it to the hospital. I don't know how the story ended but I hope he survived. If not, may God bless his beautiful soul.
So, our father and son pleasure weekend turned out a little different then I planned it to. And allthough we still had the most wonderful Sunday, the message send to me was crystal clear:
Seize the day. Or to quote the Roman poet Horace: "Enjoy the present and don't worry about the future, as in It's a beautiful day, so forget tomorrow's test--carpe diem!"
To all of you I say, go fly your kites today, bake some pancakes, open your best bottle of wine tonight and enjoy the now 'cause life may be shorter then you expect it to be.
Take care and Memento Mori my virtual friends!
What is love? 'Tis not hereafter;
Present mirth has present laughter;
What's to come is still unsure.
In delay there lies no plenty,
Then come and kiss me sweet and twenty;
Youth's a stuff will not endure.
"from Twelfth Night, by W. Shakespeare"
Thank you George Muthaf@%#king Bush
Thank you George Muthaf@%#king Bush
By Vanessa German
thank u for makin it easier for me to get a tech9 or AR14 than a pap smear & a good education
thank u from the first boy i kissed who u sent off to fight your war in iraq he returned home only by telegram & in a box
thank u from me from my body from the woman i love that i want to marry & call my wife without u bible thumpin daggers & demanding constitutional amendments to prevent us from loving this revolutionary love (az tho we cud soil the sanctitiy of marriage)u cud nevah touch my love or fuck with my love its just the right u seek to deny us so we must fight for it in the end it's all a matter of voice of excercising choice & flexing the muscle of democracy which shudn't be pigeon holed marginalized or constitutionaly compromised under the pretense that who i love kiss fuck hold hands & make family withiz destructive to the fiber that quilts the fabric of america which ironically happens to becotton that notoriously bloody lily white thread that my grandfather & hiz fathers fathers before picked by hand in mer rouge louisianai hav not forgotton that i am america that my blood iz in these rivers & at the roots of these red wood treesi know that this country was built on the backs of blacks that were shackled strapped & stacked slashed gashed taxed & then cashed in on like cattle
i hav not forgotton that i am america & even tho u want me to be quiet & invisible i will not i hav decided that if u r not with US then u r against US US the 99% of the population that makes less than 1.2 million dollars a year the 43 million people that hav no health care the 14 million children that got left behind that go to bed hungry every night if u r not with US then u r against US & we understand that terror iz not always guns & knives & otherwise explosive devices of evil sometimes terror iz just making no living wage going day to day pay check to pay check praying that no one gets sick
terror iz not knowing which of ur sonswill fit the description & die while reaching back pocket for identification to prove he iz american but not american enuf to live freeterror iz being 13 having no access no choice & taking matters into ur own hands
terror iz being a woman begging for emergency contraception when u've been raped taken by force & foresaken just like the constitution after the presidential election of 2000 which u did not win u stole like a purse off the shoulder of an old lady making america ur bitch
didn't anyone ever tell u when u take shit that's not urs u give it back & apologize
but no. we realize that u mr bushr just the figure head the smoke screen the sony nike gmc tommy hilfiger blue jeans brand name of a regime of evil so vicious & arrogant u hav the audacity to murder in my name & call it justice
call it liberation long time come when all it really iziz economic imperialism or occupation which iz the same thing hitler did in poland austria & hungry ...if u really wanted to liberate u cud hav liberated delbert orr africa janine holloway africa micheal sims africa or mumia abul jamalit wasn't 6 weeks it waz 17 thousand lives not just american lives but human lives how sacred are they tell me answer me tell me how sacred are they
stop trying to convince us that justice iz always this bloody that liberation costs babies & mothers & homes & sons& lovers & fathers & dignity& truth & purity & hope & democracy
thank u mr bushfor showing us that we must fight everyday for our freedom as tho we r fighting for our lives obviously u r not going to beat a path of justice to our front doors
this is my requiem for the last four years my premptive strike on the next four years this iz my love poemto america even tho he took u by force violated u forsook u before they eye of god made u barely recognizable to the rest of us
i still love u baby he can not shame u before my eyes u r beautiful i will fight & die for u r the people & i am u this iz my love poem to america
Ich bin ein decadente Berliner!
Just to say hi to you guys quickly in between my traveling:
A week ago I was invited to cruise the Amsterdam canals on a jollyboat.
Not only did we have wonderfull weather but the atmosphere was marvellous. Fyi: I'm the guy holding the camera.
After the tour we visited the Amsterdam Wester Church. After church a great diner and just the magnificent evening ending..hmm.
Anyway to continue the story of my decadent life;
I was invited to Berlin this week together with my colleague directors of our company. We stayed in the famous
Adlon hotel Unter den Linden opposit the Brandenburger Tower. We drove around Berlin in old Trabants, flew over Berlin in an old Dakota, sailed on the Spree river on a longboat, visited almost every monument such as The Reichstag, Checkpoint Charly, you name it, and had great diners. Oh, and we did some working by the way. But not too much I have to admid..
So, to finish this little show off: next week I will be in New York, Philidelphia and Wayne to visit my American colleagues. You should not have mercy upon me. Nope, I don't feel sorry for myself either.
Just wondering if the customs allow me to pass the American border since I have been bashing Dubya for a while. We'll see.
So for now I say: farewell my friends. I have to pack my bag again. Hope to see you again on my return in two weeks. Take care!!
Our journey back to Ithaka
Back to work again my virtual friends. Summer holidays were very nice. I could hear my son laughing at the other end of the swimming pool –first year that he could actually swim alone- while I drank a nice rosé and read a few good books.
Two of them were The Iliad and The Odyssey. The latter epic details the adventures of Odysseus on the journey home from the war and the troubles he finds in Ithaka when he arrives there.
During the 10 year journey from Troy back to Ithaka, Odysseus had many encounters that prolonged his journey home. He has to free his men from the Lotus-Eaters, the Cyklops giant, Polyphemus, and the enchantress Kirke. He traveled to the underworld, where he receives valuable information to help him continue his trip home.
This new knowledge that he received helped him to have a safe passage from the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis. But, he could not save his crew when they violated commandments by slaughtering and eating the cattle of the sun god. Through this action their ship was struck by a thunderbolt and only Odysseus survived. He swam on the island of the nymph Kalypso, where he became her lover, was held prisoner, and lived there for seven years. He built a raft and sailed for Ithaka, but once again he ran into Poseidon's furious storm and was shipwrecked on the island of the Phaiakians where he told his tale of wandering at a banquet in the palace. After his fabulous tale, he was allowed onboard a Phaiakian ship, given untold riches, and deposited, sleeping, on his home island.
Once he returned home, he still had problems. After being gone for twenty years, Penelope had remained faithful. But the palace was occupied by a group of suitors who were waiting on Penelope to pick one of them to marry. Odysseus arrived at the palace disguised as a beggar and saw everything in disarray. He slaughters the suitors and cleansed the palace before Penelope sees all the blood and bodies. But, then he had to deal with the anger families of the suitors. But Athena stepped in and told the people of Ithaka that there would be peace and that the King of Ithaka was home.
The parallels I found, while reading the book, with our lives – or at least mine- were striking. Aren’t we all on a journey back to our own Ithaka and don’t we all have to face many endeavors along the way? We have to fight our demons, we get struck by thunderbolts and fall in love with a nymph on an unexpected moment (and then become a prisoner in love too, huh, say what? :-)
Question that remains: Will we find our Ithaka in distress and occupied by a group of suitors once we arrive? Will we get frustrated and have remorse of not having lived life to the max? Or will we realize just in time that it’s the journey that matters and ENJOY THE NOW?
You tell me…
Salud Amigos!!!
The weather over here in Amsterdam is truly freaking me out. We've had a serious heatwave that now is broken by a tropical monsoun. It's really pouring cat's and dogs since last week and it ain't gonna stop soon they say.
So, intended upon escaping the heat excesses and monsouns of mainland Europe, I am headed to the Spanish Canaries for its more consistent climate. Even so, last week's hot weather in Gran Canaria also reflected the unusually high temperatures in the Spanish Peninsular as well as much of Europe.
Sin problema: a grande cervesa fria at the Maspalomas piscina will do the job just perfectly.
So, 'have to close CAFEDA for a while and I hope to see you back within a few weeks. Enjoy your holidays, I will too :-)
Salud Amigos !!!
If you prefer main stream media coverage on Lebanon, don't watch George Galloway here!!Israeli air strikes killed more than 50 people yesterday, making it one of deadliest days for Lebanon in the war. And while diplomats wrangle over a UN draft that makes 1000 people killed and more than 915.000 people homeless. CEASE FIRE NOW, STOP THIS MADNESS!
According to Human Events these are the Ten Most Harmful Books of the 19th and 20th Centuries:
The Communist Manifesto- Mein Kampf
- Quotations from Chairman Mao
- The Kinsey Report
- Democracy and Education
- Das Kapital
- The Feminine Mystique
- The Course of Positive Philosophy
- Beyond Good and Evil
- General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money
Honorable Mentions include:
The Population Bomb by Paul Ehrlich
On Liberty by John Stuart Mill
Beyond Freedom and Dignity by B.F. Skinner
Reflections on Violence by Georges Sorel
The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
Madness and Civilization by Michel Foucault
Coming of Age in Samoa by Margaret Mead
Unsafe at Any Speed by Ralph Nader (???)
Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon
Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud
The Greening of America by Charles Reich
Descent of Man by Charles Darwin
Interesting list to heat up the fireplace although my pick would be The Holy Bible and -Quran ex aequo on numbers 1 -20 !!
Mea Culpa
I must have been the worst bartender in Amsterdam lately and all of you must be raging thirsty. You see, the thing is, that my service provider got bankrupt and I lost the home internet connection. Besides that, I have been redecorating my home last weeks. The glassroom has become a small atelier with several painters easels and a lot of charcoals, brushes, knives and other handy tools. Now when I get home from work, I cast off the monkey suit, poor myself a nice glass of Ott Rosé, open the garden doors, smell the fresh summer air, put on some Motown music and let creativity flow. You may check out
AtelierDA for some first results if you like..
Click here for a short visit to ATELIER DA
Next to that my drum teacher is getting me up to speed and making me exercise some difficult stuff. I have been following lessons with Cesar Zuiderwijk from the
Golden Earing, (e.g. Radar Love) for the last half year now and his valuable tips and tricks are really starting to pay off. We have exercised drum strokes, Snare drum techniques, Double Bass Drum Techniques, Hand & Foot Coordination, Drum Fills, Drum Solo Techniques and so on. Sometimes we just play together.
I started out with lessons from students from the Amsterdam conservatoire but that didn't work as I am to pigheaded and self-willed and definately don't want to read notes. But when one of the best European drummers says your technique sucks, it just sucks. No discussion possible. 'Guess that's the only way it works for me. Next week I will get a new Internet connection so my virtual life can get back in order and CafeDA will be the most enjoyable (Bush bashing) virtual Amsterdam cafe again.
Until then...take care my friends and enjoy the weekend!!
"I am sailing, I am sailing, 'cross the sea"
Last week I was invited to go sailing for six days in a row (24/7).
The aim was to sail the boat of a friend to the south of France. This would be too easy so we decided to round England as well.
Which meant non-stop sailing, night shifts, stormy weather, lot's of sun, dead tired after 6 days but quite the fullfilled person.
Sailing on the Spinaker (what's the English word for that?) through the canal is great fun. You have to remain focussed because the boat can trip easily..
At night you could see several constellations, satellites flying over, ufo's and when focussing enough the lights of UK and France on the side..
There were 4 of us on board and each had his own bedroom. But after 6 days of sailing the boat looked like a pigg-hole and there were some strange odours hanging around. I was ships cook too and managed to get only one person sick. But that could be because he ate my hamburgers too (and I sticked to cheese sandwich)..
Now I am having trouble gettin' up to speed back over here in Holland as we still are sailing that serious heat wave all together. I need a cold one!
Who said Dubya is a cowboy? He's a straight up gangsta! And what about his right to the point diplomatic approach:
"You see, the ... thing is what they need to do is to get Syria, to get Hizbollah to stop doing this shit and it's over." This man is a scandalous disaster! And Tony?
- INSERT DEEP SIGH HERE -
190
At least 190 Indian people died because of seven deadly train blasts. Train cars packed with commuters were blown apart and television images showed ghastly footage of bloodied limbs and dead bodies in the wreckage. It was one of the worst such attacks in India in recent years.
My heart goes out to the families of the victims.
This post I wrote in January after visiting Mumbay:
"Several months ago I was invited to go on a business trip to Mumbay, India. It was the most impressive trip that I had in years. Yesterday, a blogfriend asked me about this trip and my feelings about it. I’d like to share my answer to her question with you because it evoked a lot of emotions again. You might know better than me that India is a country of contradictions between the majority living in extreme poverty and the ultra rich happy few. It’s also a country of beautiful and wonderful people as I’ve experienced.One night we were invited by the Dutch ambassador to have diner in one of Bollywoods best restaurants named “Khyber”. We had diner being surrounded by various famous film-stars and well known locals. We quickly forgot about world’s misery and had a great time.When we left the restaurant we were guided towards the bus when all of a sudden a litte beggar girl dressed in rags appeared in front of me. She had to be about five or six years old and had the most beautiful big brown eyes that laughed at me like little shining stars. The policemen yelled at her to get lost but I couldn’t resist to kneel down and look her straight into her almost hypnotizing eyes.I asked her her name and she started to jabber words to me that I couldn’t understand. I opend my hands to her and she put her’s in mine. We then looked eachother in the eyes as if we were talking without words. All of a sudden she pulled back her hands and gave me a heartwarming hug that seemed to last forever. At that time I felt a feeling of compassion I have never felt before. It felt like both of us were at the centre of the universe. As tears rolled down my eyes, she all of a sudden stopped embracing me, looked me straight into my blurry eyes for a while and laughed at me with the same intensity as she did before. In a split second she then dissapeared jumping across the street like a puppet on a string. I suddenly realized I wasn’t alone in this world and looked up at the rest of the group to find everyone crying. The ride back to the hotel was a quiet one with people snuffling and passing handkerchiefs. I looked out the window somewhat confused and watched Mumbay pass by, wondering what happened back there. I felt humble and man I felt alive. Alive like I have never felt before…"Please share some moments of silence with me..
When I grew up (stil do) I tended to think that being able to buy expensive goods was a sign of being succesful and having a house with a swimming pool was the ultimate goal to reach. Little did I know.. I had to learn the hard way and I guess I haven't finished learning on my 37th and that's ok too.
Today I took a test
(try it yourself) on economic and social preferences and found myself at the opposite side of myself at age 26. Back then I was the Neo Liberal Authoritarian (upper right quadrant) and today the results position me between the preferences carried out by Dalai Lama, Ghandi and Nelson Mandela (I scored -5 and -3). Huh..Isn't that funny? In ten years time a complete change of mind and heart..(Am I a schyzofrenic?)
Now, this test is only a funny test and my name does not belong amongst those great persons in any way but one thing is very true: the testresult positions me at the opposite side of Dubya Bush. And guess what:
That's exactly where I want to be!
Namaste
.
With all the power of my arms,
.
With all the intelligence of my mind,
.
With all the love of my heart
.
I pay my due respect to the soul
.
-Within you...
Happy birthday mr. President
"Let me just say this: it's a lot younger than you think,'' the president said yesterday as he accepted birthday greetings from a Canadian reporter during a news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
.
Unfortunately hundreds of thousands did not reach the age of 60 in good health, worse: tenths of thousands dindn't reach the age of 60 at all. Thank you mr. President! Thank you so much...
Now did someone forget to check the boiler plate on side effects of his medicine prescription? Click pic or
here.
Normally this Imam gets after Friday prayers and announces to the people:"I have good news and bad news. The good news is, we have enough money to pay for our new anti USA media campaign. The bad news is, it's still out there in your pockets."
I..
have been tagged by
Veena from Toronto and have to reply on my blog so here goes:
I am thinking about...
.. finishing my studies before summer holidays, balancing out a new way of living and running the NY marathon next year.
I said...
.. "did I just say that?"I want to...
..at least contribute something during my life, try out different ways of doing it and enjoy trying!
I wish...
..people would be more compassionateI hear...
..airplanes flying over. Dang, they changed flight routes again..
I wonder...
..what happens if our mortal life ends.
I regret...
..having said things that sounded well at that time..I am...
.. but a humble pilgrim, finding his way and smelling the flowers.
I dance...
..barefoot in the playground with my son.I sing...
..quietly while playing the guitar, aloud when home alone and even louder in the car..I cry...
..during a movie or a beautiful play, sometimes in real life too..I am not always...
..easily satisfied..I make with my hands...
..humble paintings, some music, the Ikea cupboard and too much memo's and reports..I write...
..about happenings, people and circumstances in my life that surprise me and make me wonder. I confuse...
..birth dates with telephone numbers. That's why I frequently call the wrong person too late.I need...
..to enjoy the little things and give everything I have got to make things workAnd finally...
..oh no, I am not there yet. Story continues. Thx for reading and take care!
