Wild thing..

Here's some advise for all the ladies in the house: don't waste hubbies precious beer on housekeeping...

click picture or here:

Back to work now, busy week ahead! Enjoy!

Khalil on Robbie Williams:

Then Almitra spoke again and said... "And what of Robbie Williams, master?" And he answered saying: I forsee that DA from CafeDA will be invited to one of his (extremely fast sold out) concerts in the Amsterdam Arena. "But by whom will he be invited master?" And he replied with the words: He will be invited in the sky-box of his favourite accountancy firm!. "But master, will DA enjoy the show?" And then he said: Oh yes, knowing DA just a little bit he most certainly will enjoy looking at all the beautiful dressed up girls that are getting more and more excited along the way. Yes, believe me DA will enjoy himself because the ratio woman/men will be like 80/20 and the dreadful sound of the Amsterdam Arena won't even bother him..

Have a great weekend my dearest virtual friends, enjoy the now!

Khalil on marriage..

Then Almitra spoke again and said... "And what of Marriage, master?" And he answered saying: You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days. Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another, but make not a bond of love. Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together. For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

Now this is just wonderful isn't it? I've been pondering on marriage and relationships lately as I am not the best example in making them work. I believe there is a big difference between unconditional love for a child and love in a mutual relationship. I think - and don't get me wrong, I don't rationalize everything- that an adult relationship has got more economics in it. What's the return on investment? Is the relationship balanced? In a relationship 1 and 1 should add up to 3, not 3/4. I say unconditional love doesn't exist in human relationships (besides the parental). There's always the "what's in it for me issue too". And that's ok..or is it?

Hawking to earthlings: Get the hell out of here!

Yesterday, one of my all-time favourite scientists - dr. Stephen Hawking - visited the university of Hong Kong where he said that humans must establish a base on the moon and colonize Mars within the next 40 years if we're to avoid extinction from global warming or another flaming end catastrophe.

"It is important for the human race to spread out into space for the survival of the species," Hawking said at a news conference in Hong Kong. "Life on Earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as sudden global warming, nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers we have not yet thought of.

"We won't find anywhere as nice as Earth unless we go to another star system," he added.
Space enthusiasts said Hawking's vision is achievable.

I think it is good Hawking blows the whistle because our planet is indeed being exploited without regard to the consequences as long as profit is assured and we don't need a big meteorite or another Katrina with the US prez Dubya at the helm to get totally ruined.

And I wouldn't mind exporting W Shrub with his prattling minions who personify the putrid decay of a bloated and corrupt political system, to a big black hole at the extreme other end of our galaxy.

But unfortunately this brilliant modern Noah forgot to mention that the best way to use space as the ultimate lifeboat is to go there without any human galactic refugees at all.

Operation Iraqi freedom

Prez Shrub was briefed by his top war mongers --ehh commanders -- Monday about how to deal with violence in Iraq as senior national security advisers gathered at his presidential retreat to chart how to help the newly named government in Baghdad.

After two days of hard labour, the culmination of the long and heated discussions in camp David is as follows: Operation Iraqi freedom means Iraq must be free of Iraqis.

Bush endorsed the views of his advisers. "I thought your assessment of the situation in Iraq was very realistic and I think your recommendations to us on how to win in Iraq - to have an Iraq that can govern itself, sustain itself, defend itself - BUT WITHOUT IRAQIS - your recommendations are valid," the president said.

Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt's advice to Iraqis who see TV images of innocent civilians killed by coalition troops: “Change the channel”..

Leaving Oxford

"And that sweet city with her dreaming spires, she needs not June for beauty's heightening"

-- Matthew Arnold --

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Oxford University has got 39 colleges. The Said Business School is located at Templeton College.

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Our class was 45 vp's, cxo's and directors from 21 countries. Good discussions and great professors that lecture at Oxford, MIT and Harvard.

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These weeks students attend their finals. Students attend these finals wearing "subfusc" - formal academic dress -. Fellow students smear them with flower and everything else they find in trashcans to congratulate them afterwards..

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I had a great time and met some wonderful new friends from Dubay, Quwait, South Africa, New Zealand, USA, Australia and Europe. Now I'll go dust the tables and put the chairs outside.

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CAFEDA has to be opened again next monday. Drinks will be on the house, spread the word!!

Hogwarts

Christ Church is famous not only for its beautiful cathedral but even more because of its role in the Harry Potter films. The dining hall (right) at Hogwarts gives you the impression as if you are part of the movies yourself.

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Sheldonian Theatre opened in 1669. It was modelled after the ancient Roman theatre of Marcellus and is used for degree ceremonies as well as for concerts or lectures.

Blackwell's is said to be world's largest and famous bookshops (and expensive I might add :-) and is spread around Broad street with five shops.

The right picture is the famous "Bridge of Sighs". around New College and into Queen's lane.

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This was fun..Back to Amsterdam now..

Oxford arrival

Lala Kabbalah : Mugabe, Bin Laden, Hitler and Dubyaa !

Just a final one for the road..now I'm off. CU!

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( click here for full story of Madonna bashing Bush )

"I'll be back"

These days I have little time to blog working abroad and all. Next week I will be studying in Oxford(UK). I could promis to keep posting but finding time will be difficult. So I say "Bar is closed for now but I'll be back" ..soon!

Cafe DA will open up again in two weeks! Hope to see you back and take care for now. DA

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(Ambigram courtesy of David A. Holst, click pic for more examples)

" I'm a fu$%^ng panda. Go look it up "

A giant panda goes into one of those expensive and pretentious restaurants serving French/Asian fusion cuisine and takes a table for one. The surprised waiter for that table explains unctuously that his name is Marcel, he will be your server tonight, and we 'ave a number of specials (he is French), etc., etc.

The panda listens impassively to the list of $27 chili-pepper encrusted swordfish specials and so on, and then orders a delicately flavored dish of young bamboo tips and mixed greenery served with steamed jasmine rice. On finishing his meal, the panda gets up, reaches into his fur for a handgun, brings down the waiter with one shot, and calmly heads for the door.

The head waiter is near the door and exclaims in shock, "Oh, monsieur, what 'ave you done? You 'ave killed Marcel! Why 'ave you done zis, monsieur? You 'ad some problem? Ze service was not acceptable?" The panda scowls at him and says, "I'm a fucking panda. Go look it up." He stalks out into the night.

The baffled staff huddle round the compact encyclopedic dictionary that they keep on the premises, and turning to Panda, giant, they read this:

Panda, giant. Large bear-like animal, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, with distinctive black and white markings, related to raccoon family. Rare; found only in bamboo forests of Tibet and western China. Eats shoots and leaves.

The good 'ol days..

It must have been about 37 years and 9 months plus a few or something ago. I still remember it as if it were yesterday. I was living together with a few million happy campers in a warm and cosy place. That morning we were told that this cute little egg was to be released and man she was told to be something else..

From that announcement on I had this strange feeling of competition. I just had to win that race at every cost. So when the race was declared open by a loud and intense "Yessssssss" I swam like hell. I swam as if my life depended on it. Millions of competitors I left behind. I was in the best shape ever. Man, I would have swom to the moon and back if I had to.

As I could almost smell victory coming I saw that little big mouth bragger swimming just past by me. No way I was going to let him win. I caught him by the tail and kicked him in the teeth. One more down and just a few more inches to go. I gave it my utmost effort and redirected all my energy to my final strokes.

I won!

Millions of them losers I left behind.

My life hasn't been the same since..

I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company!

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

-- William Wordsworth -

The Dutch, The Brave Ones! (--or are we??)

My freaking country is doing it again. Last week has been all about one of our MP's Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a prominent critic of fundamentalist Islam. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Dutch Somali-born MP, has lost her Dutch citizenship because she provided inaccurate information when applying for asylum in the Netherlands back in 1992. The fact that she did so is, however, something which she already revealed years ago, and - until just a few days ago - that appeared not to have been a problem. Anyone in distress would lie for shelter by the way. Now, a bewildered Ms Hirsi Ali plans to leave the country to go and work for Dubya's conservative think tank in Washington DC.

A few months ago, The Court of Justice in The Hague -in a court case the neighbors of Hirsi Ali had started against her since they feared her presence is a security threat- allready came to the decision that Ayaan Hirsi Ali must leave her protected house in The Hague within four months.

More than half a century has passed since WWII but not much has changed. People still ask the police to remove their persecuted neighbors instead of giving them shelter. Holland is a country where everybody loves to talk about solidarity but solidarity is seldomly shown when private lifes are effected.

Hirsi leaves Holland with a trail of social political damage behind her and I doubt if Dubya will tolerate her autonomous radical and liberal behaviour in his ultra conservative Christian anti gay thinktank (American Enterprise Institute) for more that three months. However, I hat-tip Ayaan for her courage and perseverance and congratulate the Dutch muslim fundamentalists with this victory. With the compliments of the Dutch government off course :-(((

On Self-Knowledge

And a man said, "Speak to us of Self-Knowledge."
And he answered, saying:
Your hearts know in silence the secrets of the days and the nights.
But your ears thirst for the sound of your heart's knowledge.
You would know in words that which you have always know in thought.

You would touch with your fingers the naked body of your dreams.
And it is well you should.

The hidden well-spring of your soul must needs rise and run murmuring to the sea;
And the treasure of your infinite depths would be revealed to your eyes.
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But let there be no scales to weigh your unknown treasure;
And seek not the depths of your knowledge with staff or sounding line.
For self is a sea boundless and measureless.

Say not, "I have found the truth," but rather, "I have found a truth."
Say not, "I have found the path of the soul." Say rather, "I have met the soul walking upon my path."

For the soul walks upon all paths.
The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed.
The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals.

--Kahlil Gibran, "The Prophet"--

Great Britain not so great?

According to the research commissioned by ADT, 83 per cent of Britons feel this country has a growing problem with anti-social behaviour. This view is reflected in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. When asked about the problem in Europe, 76 per cent of the 7,000 people taking part in this survey across the region thought Britain had a problem with anti-social behaviour – more than any other country.

The study, devised with help from the Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science at University College London, reveals the way Britons perceive problems facing this country:

1. Booze culture is fuelling anti-social behaviour in Great Britain, with 68 per cent of people questioned feeling alcohol was a key contributor to the problem
2. A breakdown of discipline in homes and schools is also seen by 79 per cent to be a major influencing factor in anti-social behaviour
3. Nearly half of those questioned (49 per cent) thought stricter sentencing would help reduce the problem
4. Six out of ten people would be unlikely to challenge a group of 14 year old boys vandalising a bus shelter
5. Three quarters said young people aged 14 to 25 were most associated with anti-social behaviour

If we only look at our daily Dutch anti-social behaviour and just imagine that things are even worse on the other side of the pool.... I vote better education throughout Europe - and stricter sentencing-

An totally irrelevant blogpost

I promised myself that I would do some serious studying today but it's not working out like I planned (huge understatement). My mess is a real desk and I get distracted by almost everything. I hop from piano to drums and guitar trying out new combinations. - I now am able to combine bass drum and hi-hat with my feet while playing guitar- . Which is absloutely ridiculous and irrelevant because I still have to fill out tax forms, clean up and do some serious laundry.

This means getting up real early the rest of the week to compensate. It must be my greatest attention span crisis in years. And now the sun started shining too.. Darn!

- insert deep sigh here -

The great decider, click pic for short animation

A busy week it was..

First off to Germany, then Paris and luckily Spain was cancelled. As per many requests I took some pictures. Hope you enjoy. Here's some pictures from tuesday morning (6.00u) somewhere in the German river Main valley shot from my hotelroom balcony:

We had organized a social event for our European colleagues who flew in for the testing of our European Datawarehouse: we had to play the sax together. This was great fun and I fell in love immediately with the instrument.

Fridaynight I was invited at the Scheveningen Kurhause for diner. I stayed over and relaxed at the Scheveningen boulevard the other day. Blue skies, beach and sun. It should allways be like that..

Last picture taken for Gary..

This afternoon I am invited for the Dutch Cup-final AJAX - PSV . Should be fun too since hooligans have been warming up the entire week. CU later!