Rookverbod

Langzamerhand, wordt het in heel de wereld verboden om in openbare gelegenheden te roken. Als reden wordt algemeen belang en volksgezondheid aangedragen. Behalve in Nederland. Hier werd het rookverbod ingesteld om de werknemers te beschermen. Ze schijnen het recht te hebben op een rookvrije werkplek. Er werden mazen in de wet gevonden en opeens staan overal weer de asbakken op tafel. Officieel mag het nog steeds niet maar het wordt, typisch voor Nederland, gedoogd.

Als een ex-roker en iemand die niet van de geur van sigaretten houdt, pleit ik voor het terugdraaien van het rookverbod zoals het op dit moment in de wet staat.

Toen het roken in de horeca nog mocht, hingen er meestal wel van die filters. Ze waren wellicht niet 100% in staat om de stank tegen te gaan, maar het was in ieder geval iets. Tegenwoordig staan de kleine cafe's weer vol met rokers en mee-rokers. Alleen die filters nog. Als er weer gerookt mag worden, kunnen die verplicht worden gesteld.

Het is wel jammer dat de uitbaters van kleine kroegjes en cafe's zo getroffen werden door zo'n half-doordachte wet. Desinvestering voor zij die zo'n filter hadden en het massaal uitblijven van het publiek. Je zou bijna pleiten voor een schadeloosstelling, zij het dat het dan weer uit onze belastingcenten wordt betaald.

Mochten we met ons allen vinden dat een rookverbod wenselijk is, dan kunnen we het beste kijken naar hoe anderen het voor elkaar hebben gekregen.

Shame

I must admit that I felt ashamed and disgusted today. A son, brother and father died and all over the world people celebrate this death.

Yes, he was the leader of one of the most violent and despised organisations of the last 70 years. Yes, he was a thorn in our side, the bane of our existence. Under his command and in his name, thousands of people were assassinated. Such acts should be abhorred!

We should never forget all the people who gave their lives willingly and unwillingly in this guerilla war.  The killing of Usama bin Laden, should be seen as a legitimate act of war, a consequence of the choices he's made.

Just as it was uncalled for when some people around the world celebrated our casualties, it is uncalled for for us to celebrate his death. I feel that any and all deaths should make us pause and meditate on the loss of a life. By shamelessly celebrating a death, any death, we show our lack of respect for creation. And we show that we are not much better than those we oppose.

We should celebrate, yes. Let us celebrate that so many people have not died in vain. Let us celebrate that yet another terrorist organisation has been disrupted, at least for a while. Let us celebrate with dignity. Let us celebrate that JUSTICE has been served. Let us NOT rejoice in revenge. For revenge is not ours to take1.  If you are not led by Christian values, at least let yourself be guided by the Declaration of Human Rights2 and the Geneva convention3. We should measure ourselves, not by how we treat our friends, but by how we treat our enemies.

This coming May fourth at 20:00 CET, the Netherlands will hold 2 minute silence for all who died in the different wars. No matter where you live, I want to ask you to take just two minutes out of your day and give thanks for all who have fought and given their lives for JUSTICE, PEACE and FREEDOM.

Ten years

Last Friday, the 15th of April it was the 10th anniversary of my emigration to The Netherlands. A good moment to pause and take stock of all that's happened in these years. It's been a decade of highs and lows, of sorrow but also of immense joy.

Some events of my last two weeks on Curacao are engraved in my mind and heart. I visited my most beloved places and took the sights in, recording the views, the smells and the people in my heart. This is the Curacao I will always remember.  I fondly remember all my friends who were with me till the end and even where present at the airport amidst my family. Your friends are the family that you choose.
I also remember panicking at the last moment because I needed a new a pair of shoes. The last frantic trip home, making sure that I wasn't late. And the family-friend who insisted to drive me to Hato (airport.) Neither, will I forget a certain person who left work early on my last day on the job, just so he wouldn't have to say good-bye. The reason will always be between him and his god.

I arrived in The Netherlands, with a bag full of illusions and a heart full of hope. Once here, I got a lot of love and support from friends and family here. Within six weeks I had a job, too bad it didn't work out. Within two weeks of quitting that one, I landed the job I still have. After five months of searching, I found an apartment to call my home. Within a couple of years, it was too small and I just needed a bigger one. I had to prove to myself and everyone, at all costs, that coming here was a good choice.

Remember the new shoes? Talk about a bad decision, wearing new shoes on a transcontinental flight. Or wearing those same shoes while beating the streets looking for a job. Major blisters and pain were my reward!

These past ten years, I recognized a lot of my illusions for what they were. I've seen people at their best and I've seen people at their worst. The latter being at the moment I could most use a helping hand, shoulder or ear. Many friends turned acquaintances or even strangers, sometimes all due to me. On the other hand, some strangers turned out to be awesome friends.

Some family members passed away, some were added to the family. I even found new members of my extended family. The one family member I'm really grateful I 'found' is my younger brother. It sure was worth it to, to put childish ways behind us1.

Sometimes, I wonder if migrating was such a good idea at all. I think I will let history be the judge of that. I do know that I was working myself to the ground back then. How many years of working 50 to 60 hours a week can one take? I still make 18-20 hour days, but with much more time for myself interspersed. I went from working 50-60 hrs a week to 36 hour weeks. This must be much healthier.

I had the chance to travel and see places I've never been before. Discovered new hobbies and interests. I remember celebrating NYE in Paris, amidst loads of strangers from all over the world and enjoying it.  This past NYE, saw me in one of my darkest periods and even here a friend stretched out his hand and practically forced me to enjoy myself. I even got to try ice-skating for the first time and didn't fall.

Not all decisions I made in the past decade were the best or the most intelligent, but they were mine. Let us not forget that every single step we took, every decision we made shaped us into the person we are. If nothing else, I learned a couple of lessons of it all and will learn more in the future. That is not to say that life didn't throw a spanner in the works. After falling into the same trap as before, I've been forced to reconsider my life and priorities. I just hope to be a better person at the end of it all.

I made a new home here in The Netherlands, for better or worse. They say we never forget our first love and it's true, I will never forget my "Dushi Kòrsou."

Old fashioned?

Last night I was invited for a walk along the beach, followed by drinks in at the bar in a nice hotel. A nice and old fashioned romantic date. Only, it wasn't a date, just two friends spending time together. But, that's not the topic of this blog.

I grew up in a time and society where, as a male, you observed a certain decorum towards the female of the species. Little things like holding doors open, standing up when greeting a lady etc. I understand that not all these niceties are practical in all situations, but still. 

Try to picture the following: Boy and girl go out for dinner at a (not so cheap) restaurant. Body language screams "We're a couple." Boy walks ahead of her to their table and sits down, girl arrives at table and sits down. Nothing wrong with that you'd say? 

To me it's rude. In my eyes, he should have guided her to their table, check which seat she wanted and maybe even hold it out for her before sitting. To me this is all common courtesy, like giving up your seat to pregnant ladies or the elderly on public transport. 

Now you'll tell me it was a one off and the guy was just rude, well think again. Not 10 minutes later, a second couple arrives and nearly the same thing happened. In the last case, the Maître half-heartedly held out the chair for her.

I commented this to my friend and he found it quite normal. My friend and the two guys belong to roughly the same demographic group ( mid-twenties, males and Caucasian), the only difference is that he's a friend of Dorothy. 

These scenes left me questioning myself and society as a whole. 

a) Am I just old-fashioned

b) Did the equal rights movement kill chivalry?

c) Are we turning into an egoistic and egocentric society?

d) All of the above

e) It was just a fluke?

I secretly hope for e.

Life begins at forty, a retrospective

As the magical date approaches, I start thinking about the truthfulness of this adage. The more I think about it, the more I believe it to be a fallacy.

If life really begins at forty, that would mean that all my life so fas has been inconsequential. To even contemplate this, depresses me much more than the simple act of turning 39+1. It would mean that anything I've gone through all these years is nothing compared with what has yet to come. Talk about scary.

By no means am I saying that my life has been inherently harder than anyone else's. I'm not stating that I've had a better life either. All I can say is that it has been *my* life. So far, I've led a life of ups and down. Of love and of hurt, but never of hate. I can honestly say that I never hated anyone, nor did I ever set out to intentionally hurt anyone. While there are some things that I might have done differently, I am not going to apologize for any thought, word, action or even inaction. These are all things that made me into the man I am today. To apologize would mean to negate the lessons I've learned or will be learning. I do acknowledge that some situations could have been handled differently, but that how life is. There is no use crying over spilled milk.

In the last 14607 days, I've met a lot of people who have made an impact on my life. Some more pronounced than others. In some cases, the impact has been like fine mist on blotting paper. Other people have been like the proverbial bull in a china shop. Even so, my thanks goes to all of you. my life would have been so much duller without you.

The next 3655 (and a half) days of my life will be anything but boring. I vow to myself to live my life to the fullest, to seize the day. I will relish in the full range of emotions yet again from the highest of the high, to the lowest of the love, for such is the nature of life.

This coming 7th of April at 11:07 GMT I will celebrate my 40th year alive. And I lived it all *My way*

As a last thought to all who deem it their right to judge me on the life I have lived and the choices I've made, all I want to say is that *I am what I am*

Annus Horribilis

This has been the worst of year of my life, this has been the best year of my life. It has been a year of lows, it has been a year of highs. It’s been a year of betrayals, it’s been a year of deepened friendships.
This has officially been my Annus Horribilis!
But even through all this, I’ve had friends who went beyond the call of friendship. Friends who were there for me and helped me make it through the worst of it. Friends who, through acts of human decency, quite literally, saved my life.
Just remember folks, as it says in the Talmud: “And whoever saves a single life, the Bible considers it as if he saved an entire world”
There are also people out there who utterly disappointed me. I chose to use those as, yet another, life lesson.
And even if I haven’t asked you for help in this past year, or even though I haven’t approached you directly, by being a real friend, you made my 2010 just a little more bearable. For that, I thank you.

you raise me up.

Netherlands Antilles: The end of an era

The time is coming to say a heartfelt "Fare thee well" to our sister-islands in what was the Netherlands Antilles. Though we're spreading our wings and going our separate ways, let us not forget the good times. Let's pledge to be there for another, now and in the future.

A big thank you also to all who worked hard to get us to this point. Let us not forget the people who fought hard for the first "Statuut voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden" that formed the Netherlands Antilles. This was the first step of on long road we marched.

Let us take a moment also to remember also people like G.F.Croes who set the precedence and achieved Status Aparte for Aruba in 1986. He fought for this same thing for his island and he too achieved it in 1986.

Let us also be thankful for all who did their best to make the Netherlands Antilles function all these years. A big thanks to all those who through the years were our worthy representatives in their respective fields.

Let all of us who where born as Dutch Antilleans spend these last hours to show the world that we are a nation of individuals who can make their country proud of them.

Fare thee well

Blogger Labels: 10-10-10,Kòrsou,Netherlands Antilles,Statuut,Koninkrijk der Nederlanden,Status Aparte,Aruba,Dutch Antilleans,Antilleans

Triumph & Disaster

Earlier this morning, as I was watching some video's on YouTube, two of them really struck me. Name A reading of If, by Rudyard Kipling and a rendition of the Triumphal March from Aïda, by Verdi.
What struck me is how If enumerates virtues by which one can be considered to be a man, and the march from Aïda is what all associate with victory, with achieving ones goals.

It struck me that, besides immediate goals at work, I don't have many hopes and dreams at the moment. I seem to be just going through the motions. Not living, but surviving.  A couple of days ago, somebody remarked that I turned into a much more closed and private person these past months. Up until that moment, I hadn't realized that. But it's true. I weigh and measure what I share more and more. Maybe it's a logical consequence of what I've been going through these past 2 years. At the same time, I have to acknowledge that fact that I have made at least one friend in the past 2 months, while a sort of understanding has been developing with someone I've known for a while now.

These past months have also shown me the value of true friendship. And even though I have been remiss the last couple of weeks, I will not forget my friends who stood by me when I needed them most. Those who, when asked didn't offer the least bit of acknowledgment will not be forgotten either.

Returning to the subject of hopes and dreams, I guess it's some kind of defense mechanism. If you don't get your hopes up, they wont be shattered.

A few more days and it will be the Summer Solstice, what I hope for is a break, that life may take a turn for the better.  In the meantime, I will keep the words from Antonio Machado in my mind: "Caminante no hay camino, se hace camino al andar" (The path is not preset, you make it while walking) 
I just have to take the initiative and make my own path. Whether it veers to the left, right or goes straight ahead, it will still be my path of my own choosing.

And this will be my triumph amidst the disaster.

The day of tomorrow...

I was just reading an article in the magazine we publish at the office and one sentence really struck a cord with me. "The day of tomorrow isn't promised to anyone"

While this is true for everybody on this world, this applies all the more for people who are chronically (and terminally) ill. As a family member or as a friend, we sometimes tend to forget this little truth.

I my case, I think it's an auto-defence mechanism, a way to make sure that you and your loved one can live life with a semblance of normalcy.

I sometimes wonder if I'm the only one who developed this mechanism to cope with it all. Sometimes you just don't WANT to know, because then you'll have to deal with the implications.

Take for example the case of my mum. She's been showing Lupus-related symptoms since age 15, that would make it a 40+ year span. In linked article describing SLE, they talk about a survival rate in United States, Canada, and Europe of approximately 95% at five years, 90% at 10 years, and 78% at 20 years. What kind of rate does that leave somebody after 40+ years, you ask yourself?

In my mum's case, she wasn't (correctly) diagnosed until many years later, which is a blessing in disguise. Pregnancy is a high risk in the case of this illness, I'm glad she didn't know before, otherwise, I wouldn't be here today.

But on the other hand she's never been one to blindly do as told, she's always been a feisty woman. Maybe as a result of having to fight pains all her adult life.

This brings me back to the guy I was reading about, I know him personally too. I just can't imagine how it is to be in your late teens and be told that you have a degenerative and fatal disease. I'm quite sure he's had (and still has) his bad moments, but nonetheless he still soldiers on. Still looks for challenges and opportunities in stead of just giving up and living from day to day.

He still goes and studies and wants to help others, to give back. In the time I've known him, I haven't seen him with a frown on his face, he's always trying to cheer others up. Maybe it's his way of cheering himself up too.

For once, I don't even know where I'm trying to go with this blog. Maybe all I'm trying to say is, don't let yourself be beaten down. and if you know somebody with a chronic disease or some other kind of limitation, don't forget that they are still individuals like you and I, not a case-number, not some anonymous statistic. Help, when help truly needed and when asked for, just like you would do to any other good friend.

And meanwhile, live each day as if it could be your last. If you love somebody, don't wait till tomorrow to tell them for tomorrow may never come.

Times flies, and other such trite remarks

I just realised how long it's been since I wrote anything on my blog. It's not as if there is nothing to blog about, but it's more a question of "where to start?"

A lot has been happened since my last blog. In this particular blog, I will tell a bit about (primarily) couchsurfing related stuff that's been happening.

In September last year, I attended the Bradderie de Lille couchsurfing meeting. Here I had a lot of fun and met some very nice people.  The photos depict just some of the attendees at some of the events organised that weekend.

 

After this weekend, I accepted the challenge and helped organise and coordinate the main event during of the Rotterdam CSinterklaas 2009 meeting. I guess you can say that the operation was a success but the patient nearly died. :) While I still believe in the couchsurfing ideals, I had had enough of CS and decided to try and be less involved. This lasted all of a week.

Aforementioned meeting took place the last weekend of November and the first weekend of December I was already attending a CS meeting in Zagreb.

 

I was in Zagreb visiting a CS'er I met in Lille and we sure had fun. I found the people met there, both couchsurfers and non-CS'ers, to be very pleasant and open people. Spending time with such a young and enthusiastic group, gave me hope and energy to continue with the project.

After returning home, I decided to stay involved, albeit a bit less than before. Nowadays, I mostly attend the bi-weekly meetings in my hometown.

As if to test my resolve, I was invited to another meeting to celebrate the New Year. This meeting took place in Belgium and was organised by a very bubbly and nice girl I met at the CSinterklaas meeting in Rotterdam. True to the spirit of NYE, we ate and drank a lot. We sure had fun trying to open fresh oysters without a special knife and without hurting ourselves.

Not CS-related but worth mentioning is meeting my former colleague and fellow blogger Johan the next day in Antwerp. While I still can say that I like the city, I have learned to see it through his eyes and have gained a new appreciation for it.
I still have the thank-you mail in my draft folder, but I hereby thank you openly. It was nice seeing you again and I wish you all the best in your future endeavours.

 

The last couchsurfing related bit of news is the return visit I got from my CS-friend from Zagreb. His visit goes to show that you can plan all you can, but things have a way of going completely in the other direction. His trip was planned beforehand, but at the last minute so much changed on my side of things that it was a real challenge for me to make sure he enjoyed his trip. I sincerely hope he did.

 

Not only couchsurfing related things happened to me the past couple of months, but they were the easiest to start with for now. I will try and write another blog soon about the other things that have been going on.

 

At the moment, I’m back in Dortmund visiting friends and have a great time. With all that has been happening, I really needed this weekend.

Blog moving house

In just a bit over a month, I will need to renew "curdsign.com". After thinking things over, I decided that this will be the last time that I renew this domain.

This domain name is a remnant of a time and place past. I reclaimed and used it, only because the domain name I have now was not available. Since registering Inesia.net, there is no real need to hold on to this old domain name, there is no intrinsic value in it, not any sentimental value.

As the first step in this process, this blog moved from myblog.curdsign.com to myblog.inesia.net. further steps will include disabling of the email capabilities between now and the coming 6 months.

If I decide to pursue any commercial activities in the future, I'll register another more meaningful domain name.

I sure hope this first change goes well.

Mistaken Relationship

A couple of months ago, I wrote how I had met this wonderful guy who  summarized all I have been missing in my previous relationships.

I just realized that I forgot to post any update on that.

I guess life wanted to teach me yet another lesson, namely that it doesn’t matter how many boxes someone ticks. Without love, it just doesn’t work.

There’s not much I can say about what happened. We had a wonderful time while it lasted. Unfortunately, it just didn’t last. Now we’re back to square one and trying to build a platonic friendship.

Having gone through the realization that it wouldn’t work, did cost me a lot of my self-esteem and caused some setbacks. But in the end, I had to remind myself that my happiness was not dependent on anybody but myself.

In no way am I saying that this was easy, it cost me a lot of energy and pain, but I’m getting there.

I do ask myself why I never learn. The thing is that, no matter how much I try, I can not enjoy being intimate with someone I don’t feel some connection with. I guess I must be old-fashioned or something.

This blog is short and has no real reason for being, just me rambling on a bit. Hope you liked it anyway.

Relevance

It’s been a while since I sat down to write something to for my blog. While I had a lot to say, not much of it had any relevance for people other than myself. This last week I finally found something worth voicing my opinion about.

As a member of the couchsurfing community, I’ve been following a thread about whether we should tell our guests that we’re gay or not.  There are nearly as many different opinions on the matter as there are participants in this whole thread. This thread was started over a month ago and is still going on.

This had led me to ask myself my personal reasons for volunteering personal information or not. When do I tell someone my nationality, ethnicity, age or sensual preference?

It has taken me over a month to finish writing this blog, because I couldn’t answer abovementioned question for myself. I kept coming up with different answers for different situations.

In the end I remember something my mum taught me. I am who I am, and those who don’t like it can take a hike. This in no way means that I set out to antagonize. I still think it would be foolish to go into a highly bigoted country, or city, and rub my sexuality under their nose. The same goes for people. People who are very bigoted or highly judgmental, don’t go past being acquaintances.

By no means do I kid myself into thinking that alert people will mistake me for being straight, I’m too much at ease with myself to hide my true self. I *do* turn my head to look at hot guys, just like a heterosexual man would turn and look at the ladies.

On the other hand, I’m sure that this might come as a shock to some of my readers. I’d say, you have to be pay more attention to what goes on around you.

In the end, my conclusion has to be that you have to be yourself and don’t allow anyone or anything to pressure you into any uncomfortable situation. It also takes some courage, to get the hell out of dodge when things start going pear-shaped.

The planning of a trip

It seems my ordeal on the bus on the way to Dortmund wasn’t enough to turn me off. I just booked a return ticket by bus to visit another city in September. I must be crazy or a glutton for punishment. (wink wink, nudge nudge.) Actually I’m neither. I just don’t want to pay more than necessary for my travels.

In the past year, I’ve become quite adept at planning trips, at least in Europe. So how do you plan such a trip?

When planning a trip, I use three criteria to help me determine my methods of transport. Efficiency, cost and comfort.

Being my efficient self, I checked the duration of the trips and the amount of changes needed for each trip. Both the train and bus would take nearly as long at around four and a half hours. But if I took the train, I’d have to change trains. This made the bus more efficient. The only down-side is that the bus can get stuck in traffic. This leaves cost  and comfort to compare.

Not counting the mishap on the last trip, I think the bus wins on comfort. The seats are nicely padded and recline so you can have a nice kipper. Another issue for me as a lone traveller is luggage. On the bus, my luggage is stowed away so I don’t need to constantly keep an eye on it whilst travelling. Not needing to change busses, for this trip at least, means no chance of missing any connection. This translates into less stress. The air quality on the train wins on long trips. This is especially true if there is a window you can open.

Pricewise, the bus wins again. The cheapest fare I found with the bus was one-third the fare with the train. This leaves me more budget to spend in the city I’m visiting. I guess I can treat my hosts to another round of drinks. Here, I found no redeeming factors for the train.

The transport side of things taken care of, I needed to arrange accommodation. As I’m going to a couchsurfing meeting, I decided to hit the couchsurfing community and try to find a host for the duration of my stay. I was pleasantly surprised when, in less than an hour, I found two couchsurfers willing to host me. Either I was very lucky, or the CS (couchsurfing)  community there is quite strong.

Where are you going? I hear you ask.

I’m going to enjoy the Braderie de Lille! Are you coming too?

You have a whole month to plan! ;)

Are you happy with your life?

I had a nice and enlightening phone call tonight. You know, those calls were you talk about anything and everything, trying to get more depth out of each other. In the middle of this call, I got dealt this curve-ball of a question. “Are you happy with you life the way it is now?”

Before answering this question, we have to define the idea behind the question. Did this person want to know if I’m:

• contented and complacent,
• happy with the way my life turned out,
• or did he want to know if I’m leading a happy life?

I’m not willing to spend the rest of my life like this, in the same routine. I guess this means that I’m not complacent about my life. I want more out of life than what I have now. It’s not my life ambition to look back in 30 years and see a life spent alone, going from one “relationship” to “relationship”. At the end of the journey, I want to be able to say that I made a difference in at least 2 people’s life.

Am I happy with the way things turned out? Hell yeah! I mean, it could have been a lot worse. When I decided some nine years ago to migrate to the Netherlands, I had no concrete plan, no saving, no job and no place to live. What I have achieved so far, I’ve done it myself. With hard work and determination. There have been ups and downs in the past years, but I’ve weathered the storms so far, with help of friends (and family). I may be a stubborn bugger, but I know when to ask for help and when to accept that helping hand.

The biggie is: Am I leading a happy life?

Why not? I have a job I’m happy with. Have (good) friends and am in relatively good health. Why should I dwell on the things that can be improved? Like my late grandparents would say “every house has its cross.”

My belief is that  we need to take our lives in our own hands and at least make a real effort to change the things we don’t like. Not in a loose cannon kind of way, but by investing our energy in things that are worth our while.

I’m not a praying kind of person, but I find the Serenity Prayer to be a good thing to keep in mind.

 

God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And wisdom to know the difference. …

Antwerpen, stad naar ZIJN goesting

Een tijdje geleden heb ik Johan belooft dat ik zijn tweede boek zou lezen en recenseren. Zodoende bied ik je de eerste recensie aller tijden op mijn weblog, tevens mijn eerste blog in het Nederlands.

 

In zijn boek “Antwerpen, stad naar mijn goesting” biedt Johan Peters ons niet alleen zijn visie op Antwerpen stad en België, maar ook een blik op wat hij heeft moeten meemaken sinds zijn verhuis. Als migrant zijnde, herken ik vele van zijn ervaringen en de onrust en stress die bij zo’n stap horen.

Dit boek is als een gesprek tussen de auteur en de lezer.  Hij balanceert en danst als het ware tussen stereotypen, tegenslagen en route-beschrijvingen zonder zich mee te laten slepen. De schrijver boeit door persoonlijke anekdotes op te nemen in zijn schrijven, zonder al te persoonlijk te worden. Hij weet de minder leuke kanten zodanig te presenteren dat ze niet deprimerend zijn. Ik ben ook niet anders gewend van deze schrijver.

De voor Johan kenmerkende irreverentie, droge humor en doortastendheid komen weer terug in zijn schrijfstijl. Kortom, hij is een Rotterdammer. :)

 

Was er niks aan het boek wat ik minder vond? Jawel. En dat heeft meer te maken met mijn traditionele visie over boeken dan met dit boek zelf. Het is even wennen om emoticons en stukken uit weblogs terug te lezen in boekformaat.

Doen deze punten afbreuk aan het boek? Mijn antwoord daarop is een volmondig NEE. Johan’s schrijftechnieken geven het boek juist zijn luchtigheid.

 

Met “Antwerpen, stad naar mijn goesting,” presenteert Johan een luchtig doorleesboek, perfect voor een middagje in de zon (of een regenachtige middag.)

People with weak bladders shouldn’t travel by bus.

At least that’s the impression we got on the bus from the Netherlands to Germany. There was a toilet on board, but it seems they were hell-bent to keeping it clean.

 

Due to an operation as a child, I don’t always get advance warning when I need to “pass water.” So for me it’s important to have know where all the closest toilets are.

On a train, there’s always a chance of finding the toilet out of order, or flooded. But on a bus, they’re always nice, clean and OPEN. Not so last Monday.

I left home around noon so I could be on time for me bus leaving at a quarter past one. I walked past the toilets at The Hague Central station since I went at home and didn’t feel the need.

Once on board and in route to Amsterdam, still no need. In Amsterdam I know where they have the toilets, but still no need. And so we continue to Utrecht, by the time we get there it’s been three hours since I last visited the facilities, but still no need. Twenty minutes outside Utrecht, I feel the need and walk the few steps to the on-board cabin. Only to find the door locked. Not a disaster, I think, all I need to do is ask them politely to unlock the door.

I get a rant in a language I can not understand about why I didn’t go in Utrecht, too bad he doesn’t speak English or Dutch. As if I would know where the toilets are in Utrecht. Anyway the second driver is so kind as to open the door anyway for me. As soon as I finish, he inspects the cabin and locks it again.

Three hours later, I feel the need again. Not wanting to hear the driver rant again, I decide to wait till somebody else need to go. And yes, an hour later, a young guy needs to go and asks if they could open the door. He doesn't come back, but goes back to his seat. A quarter of a hour later, another guy needs to go, but is sent back to his seat too.

Some time later (my eyes are swimming by now), we arrive at the bus yard in Essen and I see the portable toilets outside. Do they think of stopping so some people can have a bathroom break? No way! As nobody is getting off and no one is waiting, they just press on to Dortmund.

 

Once in Dortmund, I can’t tell you how grateful I was for the American fast-food restaurant they have there. It was €0.50 well spent.

 

If the trip back home is a repeat performance, I will have to start taking the train. It would be a pity as I like the bus-ride otherwise.

Balance

First of all, I’ve missed writing for my blog. And now I will try to set aside time to regularly update.

The past couple of months, I’ve been busy with so many different things, that I’ve lost all balance in my life. Not a good thing to do, but in the past 6 weeks, things have started to normalise. At least, as much as they can normalise for me.

 

On the professional front I can say that one of the most influential projects we’ve been working on, has finally taken place. We virtualized nearly all our servers and moved them off-premises. It took a lot of thinking and planning, but it’s been worth it.

In my private life: I’ve met a guy that summarises all I have been missing on my previous relationships. From long meaningful conversations to just lying together quietly on the beach. It’s helped me bring my life more in balance. Whether this grows into something more than a good friendship or not, at least I’ve had a calm period to ground myself again.

 

I still have some big projects at the office and my different life projects are still on ice, but I’ll get there.

 

Next Monday, I will publish a long overdue review of the book “Antwerpen,  stad naar mijn goesting”  written by my ex-colleague Johan Peters. The book is in Dutch and for once so will be my blog.

On moving away, moving on and "going for it"

It's been a while since I sat down and took the time to write another blog entry. But the timing is right. A lot has been happening and a lot will happen. Today I have really been taking about how we choose to live our lives and what we do to make our dreams come true.

Professionally these have been the busiest couple of months in year, they've also been quite fulfilling. And once this years projects have been delivered, I'm sure I'll be proud of what I've helped achieve.

As always there has been a price to pay. I haven't had the enough time nor energy left to spent with my family and friends.  Some family members moved away, others passed away, but that's life.

 

Moving away

Eight and a half years ago, it took me three days to decide to migrate to the Netherlands. I bought my ticket, we packed up house and moved "away."  This coming April 15th, it'll be 8 years since I arrived here in The Netherlands in search of a better life.  Things didn't turn out the way we had planned, but if life deals you lemons, you better learn to make lemonade. I still haven't achieved what I had planned back then, but I'm still working on it.

 

Moving on

Curaçao

 

Many of my fellow countrymen, come to The Netherlands to study and afterwards the go back to the island to live and work. Due to the whole crisis situation worldwide, people are taking jobs when and where ever they can get them. That's exactly what my best mate just did. After having been unlucky for the second month in a row, he got a job offer back home. We're sad to see him go, especially since it was all rather unplanned.  He hardly had time to say goodbye on the phone to most of his friends. Even so, he's moving on and we all wish him all the best. I guess I better start saving so I can attend his wedding in a year or so ;-)

Going for it

Had a very surprising and pleasant encounter today with the "King of Lemonade." A man who could have taken the easy way out and just at home and demand that everything be delivered to him on a silver plate. But he didn't and he doesn't. We used to work for the same organisation and I always admired his drive and his will to be a lot more. Journalist, writer, traveller and since may 2006 "gastarbeider" in Antwerp. Leaving the known behind and getting to grips in a whole new world. He just published his second book called "Antwerpen, stad naar mijn goesting"

I got myself an copy of this book too (and made him sign it.) In the near future I'll let you all know what I think about this book.

The devil you know?

The Netherlands Antilles is being dismantled. After years of feeling bullied by Curaçao, the other islands have decided they want out and to have their own position within the kingdom. The negotiations are going on steadily and all parties are trying to get what’s best for them and for their islands.

Nonetheless, every time they grumble they are reminded that THEY chose for this process and that most of the money is being put up by The Netherlands.

Reading the news about how this whole process is going, I ask myself if they shouldn’t have stayed with the devil they knew.