Visser Lisa Sjoukje

2007-09-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

From refrigerator to oven.

That is what it felt like to go from Leiden to Singapore. It has been such a long time since I sweated so much. And god! I stink!
Everything was weird. I went out on the first night and was deciding if I should bring a sweater or a coat. But wait a minute, I am back in Singapore and Singapore will never be cold!
I finally touched my flute after a year. It was so horribly corroded! I spent 2 hours cleaning it. It is now my clean little baby again.
I am impressed by my tone. It is still as good as before. But my changing notes response is not there anymore. I am glad my tone is there.
Interestingly, my lower notes sound fatter and fuller! Kilometers of cycling must have built up my lung powers.
It felt SO WEIRD not speaking a word of dutch for the whole day!
Most importantly, it felt so good to be tall again.
On the last Friday of my stay in Singapore, I went back to Balestier Hill and see the band. It takes lots of patience to teach kids. Mr Leng was teaching the kids some very basic music theory, and it just occurred to me that there are many things that I have been doing without really knowing the basics, or even completely ignoring the fundamentals. Well, I am not talking about music but things that associate with my present life. I am a person who flies from doing one thing to another. Perhaps I should slow down and see where I am heading and what I should be doing.
Oh yeah, Mr Leng’s cat is cute. Meows a lot. Probably desperate. This is her:

I used to have a cat that meows a lot too. She would flirt with all the male cats in the neighbourhood and get herself pregnant. This cycle went on and on until I asked my father why didn’t he bring her to the vet and sterilize her. My father simply replied: “Would you like it if I bring you to the doctor to have your tubes tied?”

2007-09-15T10:23:00.000-07:00

Trip to Singapore

Many things had changed. Everywhere seems to be renovated, new buildings, new layout.
I lost the most important person of my life, my granny. She died last Oct and I only found out about it this July. 10 months of lies.
3 years ago, my grandpa past away while I was in France. I found out about it 3 weeks after his death. I thought this was bad enough.
People seem to die in my absence.
There are 2 new drinks in town. One of it is called “Anything” and the other is named “Whatever”.
Met up with many people. They just make me feel so unbearable to part with.
Bump into “forgotten” friends. (Singapore is very small. Very often, you will bump into people you know). Perhaps they should stay forgotten. Their presence made me feel so guilty for not catching up with them and it just make it much more difficult for me to disappear out of their lives again.
Most days of the week, dinner is really good buffets. How fattening. I miss my bicycle so much, but I miss the food more.
I am so inspired to pick up Thai, but I just couldn’t find the will to even start it. I am fantastic in planning but totally hopeless in committing.
I got the chance to see how a professional recording works. For the interest of all musicians out there, I better keep my mouth shut.
I attended my first Chinese Orchestra concert. I burst into laughter when the suona’s are tuning. You got to hear it yourself.
Opera makes you dizzy. It is so exhausting to read the subtitles, watch the performers, listen to the singing, listen to the orchestra, and catch up with the most-of-the-time-meaningless acts.
I am one year older.

2007-07-08T14:51:00.000-07:00

Amsterdam
Sex & Drugs

This is a taxi. How cute!

Little Anne Frank and me.

The Magere Brug

You can’t miss the Dutch clogs.

Bigger,

Yet bigger.

2007-07-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

Ice cream and Chocolate

This is one of the nicer ice-creams I have eaten. It’s yummy! I will be back!

Chocolates too.

2007-07-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

Sex Museum

Exhibition
Brief Survey
Sex through the centuries
From the Greek and Roman times to this day
From all the cultures of the world *
The Amsterdam Red-Light district
Art gallery
100 years photography and film
Sado-club
The history of Marilyn Monroe and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
And much more…

* I don’t see any Singapore related culture.

I guess this is what dickhead looks like.

Sexy toilet bowl

Original Stone Phallus dating from the Roman age.

Anybody’s birthday coming soon?

2007-07-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

Red-Light District

Finished with the sex-museum and heading towards the red-light district.

Prostitution is a legal occupation here. Prostitutes pay taxes too. Well, I am not supposed to take photos here, so I shall just describe it.

Well, Netherlands is known for its port. So, prostitution has all along been a big business to satisfy the needs of the sailors when they finally land on shore.

Well, down the alleys, you will see these cubicles. And there will be a prostitute inside. Once you have chosen your lady, you will step inside, and draw the curtains.
One of the alleys that captured my attention was the Thai alley. The prostitutes there were so obviously trans-gender. But, they are really beautiful. Perhaps the icing of the whole red-light district. They are so popular that most cubicles had their curtains drawn. And there was a queue!
I saw this man queuing up for this “lady”. He looks pretty decent. He had a nice business suit on, with a tie, and this Elton John sunglasses. It was probably his first time as he was fidgeting so much, looking around nervously.
Down another alley, I saw old, fat, and ugly prostitutes. I wonder if any guy would go for them.
On yet another alley, I got the chance to see a man negotiating the price. It’s €20! Wow! That’s cheap! He went in, and he was out in 5 minutes. So, that is €20 for 5 minutes.
On the main street, there are lots of sexshops, selling toys, movies, etc. There are also peepshows as cheap as €2! Of course, I didn’t go in. I don’t want to end up being the subject of the show.
For more details, come down to Amsterdam.

2007-07-08T14:21:00.000-07:00

Cannabis

Netherlands is a country that tolerates the use of soft drugs. And yes, here, it is in all forms. From smoking hashish, to eating cannabis lollipop.

Cannabis lollipops. I don’t trust that “worldwide legal” sign.
So, Singaporeans out there, if you want to try, you got to come. I don’t want to end up serving a life-sentence in jail for one pathetic lollipop, or risk being hanged. I am too young to die.

Cannabis Beer

Cannabis Chocolate

Cannabis Tea

Cannabis Biscuits

As for now, I am packing my stuff, and heading back to Singapore! YES! MY STEAMBOAT! My hawker centers, my buffets, my shopping, and my innocence.

2007-07-08T11:32:00.000-07:00

Kerkrade

Look away! PG.

I can't remember if this was an indian or thai restaurant. Maybe it was a hotel. I was too obsessed by the elephant.

Me and my faithful bandie. And yes, I started with the euphonium. But this looks more like a baritone. Whatever... same family.

I still haven't figure out what is this thing. Please let me know if you know what this is.

2007-07-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

Leeuwarden

Back to Leeuwarden. And still not speaking Friesian!! Argh...

A friesian wedding gown.

A proud Friesian.

Saxophone makers...

Leeuwarden's red-light district

Hallo ducky!

2007-06-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

Paris…

Where should I start? Ok, maybe with this…

Yes, I found Chris here! I have been thinking a lot about you… You disappeared to America, and you disappeared from msn too! I was rather worried about you. I suddenly realized that you are already part of my life.

Ok, this is in Rotterdam. We saw really WEIRD people! Oh god! Don’t they know the feeling of embarrassment? I will NEVER do that even if you are going to pay me a million euros.

First sign of Paris…. I am getting EXCITED! Ok, this is going to be a very long post. So, get your butts off the chair, walk to the kitchen and get a drink, maybe food too...

2007-06-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, let’s start with Notre-Dame. Notre-Dame is situated on Ile de la Cité. It is one of the two islands found in the heart of Paris.

This is Notre-Dame de Paris. It is probably the most famous cathedral in the world.

Look at these cravings. It’s almost unimaginable how they did it without machines and advanced tools.

I must comment on this. Look at that lady right at the left of the picture. She wanted to have a photo of her surrounded by pigeons. She started feeding the pigeons to attract them over. Guess what... the pigeons shitted all over her.

2007-06-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

This is just one of the many stained glasses in the cathedral. You got to come and see it for yourself. Sometimes, photos just cannot capture the beauty of a place.

This is the inside of the cathedral. It is really beautiful inside. Big, grand, magnificent… This is art!

And as we move to the other island, Ile St-Louis, this is what we saw…

Yes, this is Notre-Dame again. This is how Notre-Dame looks like on the other side.

This is yet another view of Notre-Dame. Excited yet? Then, call me up for a trip to France. I can be the tour-guide.

2007-06-24T08:21:00.000-07:00

This is La Défence. The guys were so excited about this place. It is so contemporary and new. For me, I felt that Singapore has much better to offer than this place. Fizah and I were so ready to leave this place but the guys kept saying “No, this place is really beautiful, you have to see it.” Well, the truth is that we have been seeing this kind of architectures everyday in Singapore. We grew up with it.

Montparnasse… Nothing really interesting here. If you are heading south, this would be a place that you need to take note. This is the central station of Paris for all trains that are heading towards anything below Paris.

Of course, you cannot miss the Paris river, La Seine.

This is just a spot along the river. I don’t really remember what it is.

Wow, a glittering Eiffel tower…. Well, more Eiffels are coming up below… patience please.

2007-06-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

This is Mosquée de Paris. Well, the guy there was really rude. As we entered the mosque, he rudely said that it was close. But the truth was that there were so many people strolling in. I felt quite discriminated. Just because we are not black, we were told that it was closed? Come on, Fizah is also a muslim. Where is your racial harmony? You are so not fit to work here!

Anyway, this is what it looks like after entering the door. I am so pissed off by that guy. Ok, I shall not let him ruin my holiday here. Afterall, I have only 4 days in Paris and entering HIS mosque or not won’t really make a difference.

This is Institut du Monde Arabe. I am not sure what it is exactly but it appears like a library to me.

2007-06-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

Sacré-Coeur

It sits on one of the highest point of Paris… This means, lots and lots of climbing…

Half way up…

See anything yet?

Finally, I am up! Wow! Look at Paris!

It is a pity that it is raining. In fact, it was raining EVERYDAY of our trip! How sad! And look at my super big umbrella. The wind was so strong that it damaged my newly bought umbrella. I thought big and expensive equals strong. But no, the wind was stronger. The frame of the umbrella was dented by the wind! I should have just bought a rain coat instead.

2007-06-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

Of course, not forgetting Moulin Rouge! I love the show, I love the soundtracks. I would love to watch a real cabaret… Hell! It is €99!!!! Of course, I couldn’t bare to part with so much money to see some girls dancing. I can better keep that money and watch myself in the bathroom.

But anyway, Moulin Rouge was a disappointment. In fact the whole district was a disappointment. The red-light district is nothing as compared to Amsterdam’s and every little sexual thing was well hidden, out of sight from people. So, you have to really search for it. And yeah, sex toys are so much more expensive here than in Amsterdam. And they have only a small pathetic range of stuff. I thought Paris is supposed to be a sexy city… maybe it is not so sexy afterall. Come to Amsterdam! Let your jaws fall and your eyes pop out of its socket!

I saw someone stripping here…

Ok, everybody LISTEN UP! If you want to yawn, dig your ass, or nose, please look around first and make sure nobody is looking…. You might just get yourself photographed by me and posted onto the web!

2007-06-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

Louvre – Home of Mona-Lisa

See anything yet?

Ok, here you are… The Pyramide

Well, we didn’t enter the museum to see Mona-Lisa. We had a really short stay in Paris, and we wanted to conquer everything! So, no time for museums.

Well, another rainy day… everybody was trying to get inside the Pyramide and avoid the rain. What a long queue!

Anyway, this is how it looks like from inside.

Well, not to be missed, my little pyramid.

2007-06-24T07:48:00.000-07:00

What a weird motorcycle is this. It looks so retarded. It is one of those 2-headed freaks!

Fizah got her neo-print “enlarged”! This guy is pretty good. At least he managed to capture the essential features. At least I think Siddiq looks alike.

Completed work. Don’t forget to invite me to your wedding. I will definitely try to be there for you.

If you broken, you pay!
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
I just can’t stop laughing at this. Well, I am not broken.

This is something you will never see in Singapore. A massive chunk of wires at the metro station.

Erm… am I disturbing?

Ok, see it? Not yet? Look at the Lampa merah…
Look at the red man. He is insisting that you stop right now! He looks so pissed! Well, try to click on this image and enlarge it. You will see him better.

2007-06-24T07:41:00.000-07:00

Place de la Concorde

And yes! Cartoons! I am still a kid. I know. I love cartoons. They are simple, entertaining, and happy. It brings your mind away from the disgusting world that you are living in. If only life is a cartoon…

Ok, I am not a big fan of Mickey, but I love Donald duck!

Here is my Tigger… actually I prefer the character Eeyore (is that how you spell it?) But Tigger looks so much cuter.

This is Arc de Triomphe

2007-06-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

Look at where my finger is pointing. Do you see it? That is statue of Liberty. SO PATHETICALLY SMALL!!!

Ok, this is a bigger picture. But yeah, the statue of Liberty is not well located. It stands in the middle of the river. The bridge where she stands, I can only make photos of her butt. And the next bridge, she is too small.

And I shall end this post with the Eiffel Tower again. Yeah, wonderful view here. I think this is the most beautiful spot of Paris.

So, goodbye Paris, see you again.

2007-06-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

Leiden Stuff...

It cost €78 for a return ticket from Leiden to Berlin FOR A DOG! Yes! You are reading it correctly, it is €78 for a dog to go from Leiden to Berlin!

What a huge piece of chilli.. It is really panjang and besak... and merah too!
Lampadamerah...
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.....
One fine day, Fizah and I were walking down the street. The traffic lights turned red. I said: "Stop! Lampa merah!" (Should have been "Lampu merah")

Ok, go find out what "Lampa" means...
Fizah turned blue! She said "You very kunning leh!"

I DENIED! I insisted that I didn't start this "lampa merah" thing

And I started to sing...

"Lampadamerah" to the song Guantanamera...

My klompen fingers....

Kiasu Singaporean..... Don't look at me... I cannot take spice....
That is 36 packets of Sambal for a box of fries...

Well, my super belated birthday...... It is 10 months overdue.... But well, I finally have a cake, an ice-cream cake.

2007-06-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

Mr Sunil is in Leiden too! Erm... he looks different.

My picnic spot...

Beautiful right?

Don't fight.... there is enough grass for everybody. Regardless of RACE, language or religion... you are still cows. So, grow up.

Wassenaar... I want to live here. Home of the super wealthy people.

2007-06-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

My sexy hand and pretty flowers.

More Bastard sugar... HAHAHAHA... Look at those butts. Cute right?

Our dear women of Leiden, who have contributed so much during the war.

Our picnic.... Fizah packed for me 2 forks...

2007-06-17T09:24:00.000-07:00

Lovely Leiden.

Doggie's poop bin.

Hey! Twins!

My dutch girl.

My friesland flag and I.

2007-06-17T07:11:00.000-07:00

Den Haag

This is the father of the Netherlands. Click the link below to read up more about him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willem_van_oranje

Up into the clouds...

These are the flags of the 12 provinces of the Netherlands.

I can't believe that they actually bother to shape out the ass hole of this statue. I am impressed.

This is how I eat my Mc Kroket.

1. Lick off the mustard.
2. Eat up the rest together.

2007-06-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

Dordrecht

Dordrecht is a beautiful old town. It is really worth a stop. It is a good get-away spot. Dordrecht is really old, probably the oldest spot in the Netherlands.

This is such a cool spot to stay. As long as the building stays in place...

What do you call that? A boat-park?

I am splitting....

No sport? Would anyone swim in this water?

Neat, aren't they?

Forgotten memories. I had spent a short part of my life at sea. It's enough. I want a solid ground. No more swaying with the waves.

2007-06-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

Utrecht

This is freedom. There was a time when I wanted badly to get away. To go as far as possible. To live a completely different life. To a place where nobody knows me, and nobody would ask about my past.
I gathered my courage, and kept going.
I thought I would be happier. Perhaps too much freedom brings loneliness. My life has become empty. I want to be happy again.

It probably sounds weird but I love grey skies. I love the smell of the air just before it rains or storm. It is this moment that charge my soul. For that 5 minutes, I owned the world.

Look, I am hyper again.

Where, oh where, has the statue gone to... Oh where, oh where can it be?

Aaarrrgggghhhhh!!!

2007-06-14T19:40:00.000-07:00

Maastricht

I love Maastricht!

We love Maastricht.

Crossing the Maas.

You small little thingy!

I have this stupid habit of imitating statues. So, look out for all my stupid poses.

2007-06-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

Hey, ghost! Where is the other cyclist?
This is a rather common sight here. You often see 2 cyclist on 1 bike or 1 cyclist cycling 2 bikes. Dutch are professional cyclist. Bicycle is the way of life here.

This is a cafe. Yes, it is a "bicycle" cafe. Beer, anybody?

Erm... Head to toe hairdressing....

This is stupid! Never sleep in the train. You never know what will happen.This is the result of our stupidity. We were heading back to Leiden, transfering in Eindhoven. Well, it was a long ride, we decided to take a nap. We woke up, to our horror, we are BACK in Eindhoven. The last train has departed. We were so stuck in Eindhoven, sleeping by the busstation, freezing in the cold for 7 hours, waiting for the first train back to Leiden. And of course, there was no toilet around. My bladder almost burst!

2007-06-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

Kinderdijk

This place is packed with tourists. It is almost impossible to make a photo without any human in it.

For me, Kinderdijk isn’t really special. Well, there are windmills around my place. I don’t really see the difference between those windmills at Kinderdijk and those at my place.

It was a rather windy day. I was so occupied with sweeping my hair away from my face.

These 2 photos were taken in the ferry. Yes, we have to walk so much, take a ferry, and of course wait for all the transports just to see a few windmills.

We were here a little too late. We reached Kinderdijk at 3pm and the last ferry back was at 4.30pm!!! We had to run!!! I could almost hear my legs cracking. We were too stupid. We spent the first half of the day, walking kilometers and kilometers, enjoying the scenery, thinking that we could have a nice dinner at Kinderdijk. But well, stupid ferry spoils our plan.

2007-06-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

HARLINGEN (HARNS)

Harlingen - A Frisian town, almost forgotten by most tourists. Harlingen is BEAUTIFUL! It is one of the more beautiful places that I have been to. It's such a peaceful and quiet place. I will be back.

This spot is just so beautiful. I just couldn't capture all the beauty with this pathetic camera.

Nice boat house. Well, they do have addresses and postal codes. They have TV, washing machines, toilet, refrigerator, electricity, water and even internet connection! It is almost like a normal apartment. I won't want to stay here. I don't want to realise that my house had floated away while I have been out for some shopping.

One fine day, these houses shall be mine. Yes! I am greedy! I want them.

This is Zuiderhaven. I am almost ready to jump onto one of these yachts and sail away. No, I prefer the land. It gives me a sense of stability and security. At least I can walk and run much better than I can swim.

This group of guys sailed down the river shouting to everyone in sight and announcing the arrival of one of the guy's daughter.

This is such a confusing spot. I just couldn't get my directions right. I am quite good at reading maps but this place is just a mess. I am almost sure that there is something wrong with my map.
This is a doggies' poop bin. Well, you may of course throw other rubbish in it.

I was waiting and waiting, hoping for a dog to come over to be my model. Maybe I was too dirty minded.

2007-05-31T17:19:00.000-07:00

OUDEWATER
Home of Witchcraft.

This place is known for its honesty and thought to have the most accurate weighing scales.

Women came here to be weighed… to certified that they are not witches. Witches are believed to have exchanged their bodies for magical powers. Thus, they are light enough to fly on a broom.
Well, I am 60kg. Too heavy to be a witch.

Look, I can fly!
This is my baby. Isn’t she lovely?

Oh yeah, talk about babies… I DON’T HAVE A BABY YET! Xxx mistook me for another person and went around telling the world that I have a baby. So, don’t come over to congratulate me. Not yet…

My friends and I.

2007-05-31T17:03:00.000-07:00

Oudewater is really a super quiet place. It isn’t very accessible and there is nothing much to see. In fact, I do not even notice any supermarkets around.

Half a day is enough. It is too quiet. Much too quiet for me. Or perhaps it was a wrong day to go. It was raining a little and the whole town seemed so empty. Where is everybody? Sleeping? Hallo....

I am falling in love with the Dutch bridges. I think it is really cool to be used by land vehicles and afterthat, split open to give way to sea transports.

Well, there is a cathedral. This is the only other attraction here. How sad.

2007-05-18T19:45:00.001-07:00

Ivana's Wedding

Group photo in the Town hall.
Ok, now everybody is married! Yes, coincidentally, everyone around me IS MARRIED! And many of them are really young! Even Sasha is already 2 years married.
Well, there is a tradition whereby all the unmarried females will stand behind the bride, while she throws her bouquet. The lady who catches it will be the next to be married.
Well, since everyone is married, the bride just look straight into me and said: "You are next!"

Sweet and simple and YUMMY of course!

Tradition: First piece to the freezer, until the baby arrives.

Ok, I just showed a photo of greedy me. This is going to scare all the guys away.

I was with Sasha and the groom, heading back to the house. Well, the bride was in another car. The groom commented: "The weather is lousy. It's raining so heavily"

Sasha asked: "So, are you regretting?"

Groom: "No, of course not"

2007-05-18T15:03:00.001-07:00

Schiphol

Yes! This is Schiphol airport. And welcome to THE NETHERLANDS!!!

This is Fizah. Finally, I get to hear some Singlish or rather crappy English. She has so much faith in me... What if I do not turn up?

Ok, I don't look too bad here. It's so early in the morning, and I should be on my bed, mumbling away in my sleep. I was rather tired. I need more sleep.

Checking the train schedule.

See that bag there beside me? I smell Maggie mee, Milo, and stuff... I can't wait to dig into that bag.

This is what it looks like from the train. Come on, Leiden, are we reaching yet?

2007-05-16T16:25:00.000-07:00

Rotterdam

This is the Rotterdam's Townhall. This building is built between 1914 and 1920. It is one of the few buildings that were not affected by the German bombing of 14 may 1940.

I love statues. I take photo's of them without really knowing what is it about. You will see more statues in the upcoming posts.

Rotterdam has one of the weirdest architecture. Much of Rotterdam was destroyed during the bombing. This explains why Rotterdam has one of the most modernised architecture.

This is the famous pencil building.

Ok, this is really famous. This is the cube house (Kubus). Yes, it is also this shape inside. I went in once. The furnitures had to be tailored to the slanting walls. There are three levels. The top level was pretty low and cramp. Although I am not very tall, but I remembered being extra careful not to bang my head against the wall. The middle level is where the bedrooms and studyroom are. It is surprisingly more spacious than you will imagine. The lowest level has a nice kitchen, a nice living room with talored made dining table and sofa. It is about €2 to visit the show room. It is worth a visit.

2007-05-16T15:20:00.000-07:00

Katwijk

How cute are we! We are so lovable!

You people should be familiar with her. This is my dear Sasha. She is such an angel.

This is Irina on the left with the beer in her hand, and Yvonne on the right. Thanks to Yvonne for being our chauffeur. It is such a lazy day. There is no way I can imagine myself cycling back.

Shells collecting. Yes. That is Sasha and me again. I was combing the beach for the best looking shells while Sasha just collects everything that she sees. I came back with about 5 really beautiful shells while she had like a kilo full of shells and maybe another kilo of sand.

This is Jennifer on the extreme left. She is from Canada. Well, most of the photo's are contributed by her. I forgot about my camera. I had only a pathetic mobile phone camera... ok, I shouldn't say that it is pathetic. I do make really good photo's with it. In fact most of my photo's are taken using my mobile phone camera. I don't usually bring a camera out with me.

This is another group photo. Overall, it was a good day. Katwijk is nice. Although there are better beaches here. We had a nice lunch in this cafe by the beach (I think the name of the cafe is Sunset). Well, the atmosphere is nice but the food is rather horrible. It is either super salty or tasteless. I am surprised that it is actually rather full. I think we brought the croud there. It was empty when we first arrive. And people started strolling in after us.

2007-05-13T16:06:00.000-07:00

Cycling trips...

Sunset by a lavender field. (I think it is lavender)

Holland is just so beautiful with these flowers around. I hope they don't die too soon. It's spring and flowers are everywhere. I love spring! Cool and beautiful. Every single leaf and flower look so fresh and beautiful. They almost could talk to me!

This is the highest "hill" so far in my area. Holland is known for it's low lands. About one third of the land is below sea level. And yes, Leiden is also below sea level. So, this might not be a hill afterall.

This is about 200m from my place. Such a beautiful sight. Perfect place for a picnic.

Sunset again. Well, this is nice to see, but it's not a beach. You cannot swim in this water. No sand to play with.... I want a real beach!

Cycling towards Wassenaar. Rivers, canals, fields, and cows. It's so peaceful here.

2007-05-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

Amersfoort

This entry is also quite outdated. But yeah, this is Amersfoort.

This is Sint Joriskerk. I think it is the only surviving old church here in Amersfoort.

If I remember it correctly, that pointed white building is the Armando Museum.

Armando (Amsterdam, 1929) is one of the major post-war artists of the Netherlands. He is held in high esteem both national and internationally as an artist, writer, film and documentary maker and violinist. His work, based on his personal experience of the Second World War in Amersfoort, deals with existential and universal themes which he describes in terms of power and powerlessness, perpetrators and victims, memory, mortality and melancholy. His work has always been shaped by a fascination for violence and evil. Astonished by the insidious beauty of this violence, Armando works out his overarching theme in a unique way in each discipline in which he is engaged. Driven by his longing for insight into evil and by his desire to master each technique in order to give voice to his theme, he explores the possibilities inherent in each medium to their extreme limits. -www.armandomuseum.nl

This photo reminds me of Malaysia. But, at least, it doesn't stink of shit.

It's too quite here. Come on, wakey wakey!!!

2007-05-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

This is the Dutch dragon.... or is it just a child's playground?

Remember Piet Mondriaan? The painter whose paintings consist of only coloured squares and lines?

Typical dutch weather.... Raining, raining and raining.....whole day!!!

Watch where you step if you want to walk out from this door.....

Amersfoort for me is just another Leiden. Nothing very special. Maybe a little older.

2007-05-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

Groningen

This post is supposed to be posted 2 months ago. I was too busy… or rather too lazy to talk about Groningen.

Bridges and water everywhere. Well, this is Netherlands.

This is the Groninger Museum. It is built in the middle of a canal!!! It was designed to look like a futuristic dollhouse. Much of the more precious paintings were initially placed in the below-water area. The achitects had proclaimed that this museum will stay dry for at least 200 years. Well, in 1998, the lower museum flooded, and paintings had to be rescued!!!

This is Martinikerk. It was built in the 16th century.

2007-05-09T15:20:00.000-07:00

Want to feel like a champion? Come to this shop! Choose your own trophies!

It is weird that they can put buildings of different achitecture together...
But it is actually really beautiful this way. Every building is special.

This is such a cute little thing.

I don't know what kind of trees are these? They are simply weird.

It's too quite here.... Well, it's sunday. Everywhere is closed.

Groningen is worth a visit. It's rather beautiful. For me, it is quite a typical dutch town. Nothing really special. Groningen looks just like any other towns. Well, I cannot comment much. It's sunday, it's close. I would have to go again on a weekday to really see what Groningen really is.

2007-04-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

Fryslân – Ljouwert
Friesland – Leeuwarden

Friesland is interesting. At least this is where my family originates from. My middle name is Frisian. It is not even Dutch. It is dutcher than Dutch!

Friesland has its own language. The language is quite different from Dutch, and it is almost incomprehensible to dutch speakers.

Look 3 entries back. I posted a beautiful song from youtube. That is Frisian. The music that you are listening now is Dutch.

This music is first sung in French <>. This is the Dutch version <>. On the Photo page, you can listen to the French version. Both versions are sung by the same guy.
I love this song a lot (the French version). It really captures my heart. I often found myself holding my breath so as not to spoil the beauty of the music. It may be slow and almost a bore to most people, but it is the slowness and silence of the song that caught my attention.

2007-04-09T15:53:00.000-07:00

That flag there with the blue and white stripes, with red hearts, (well, it is not really hearts but rather water lilies or something similar), is the Frisian flag.

How modern looking. I prefer old stuff. Just like wine, the older, the better.

I saw this poem on the floor. This is in Frisian. Unfortunately I do not understand a word of it.

Look at those graffiti’s! Aren’t they beautiful?

Good bye and see you soon.

2007-03-31T18:17:00.000-07:00

Searching for Janny Visser

I am searching for my aunt, Janny Visser. My father is Sieger Visser, and he moved to Singapore. My father has lost total contact with her. If you know my aunt, or if you are my aunt, please email me at visser_ls@hotmail.com or call me on my mobile +31 613546328. Thanks.

2007-03-27T14:34:00.000-07:00

Gerbrich van Dekken

Simply Beautiful

2007-03-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

Summer time

The missing hour...

2007-03-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

Maastricht!

Beautiful!

Look at those heavy and dark clouds. It rained for hours, stopped for 10 minutes, and continued its marathon. I realised that I have been complaining alot about the rain, but it is not really affecting me. I have learned to ignore the rain, and carry on with what ever I am doing. In fact, I don't bring an umbrella, or a raincoat out even though I am sure it's going to rain, or even if it is already raining.

Isn't the streets simply breathtaking? It is like a walk back in time!

I am standing on the Sint Servaasbrug bridge. It is built in the 13th century! I was glad it could hold my weight. This is the Maas River. How fake is the sky. It is one of those contemporary paintings coming to life.

2007-03-19T15:05:00.000-07:00

This is the central station of Maastricht. How beatiful.

This is Grote Straat. It means Big Street. Well, it is indeed big and has lots of nice things to see.

If you have the chance, you should visit Maastricht. It is really beautiful

This is Helpoort. The oldest survivng town gate in the Netherlands. 1229! Oh god, that is centuries before I was born!

This is one side of Helpoort.

Ok, this is it. Photo's didn't turn out as good as I expected them to be. Partly was because of the weather. It was extremely windy and it was also raining. I almost believed that I could fly. The other part was my shaky hands. I didn't expect the weather to turn so cold out of a sudden. I was hoping that my shivers don't affect the photos.

2007-03-19T14:29:00.000-07:00

Oh my! Snowing in Kerkrade!

It is almost always colder in the north. I was very surprise to see snow in Kerkrade, especially it is already spring.
Not much photos taken. It was very late and dark. My phone camera doesn’t really take good photos in the dark. My normal camera’s batt died! I guess it is too exhausted. I need new batt.

Not a good photo, but well, you still can see a nice chunk of ice on the cars.

Kerkrade is a sleepy retired town mostly populated by old folks and children. Perfect place for an old lady like me to live.
At 8pm, the whole town is dead, snoring away. Except for a few locals coming back from the station, there was not a human in sight!

I don't really know what this thing is. It is probably the Kerkrade's version of the Merlion.

Last photo of the day. Ok, that is a tired expression.

2007-03-15T15:13:00.000-07:00

Biking
Leiden, Oegstgeest, Lisse, Noordwijk

This should be somewhere in Lisse. From a distance, we thought that the yellow thingy was a fence. But no! They are flowers! How neat and beautiful.

The weather is getting me again. I am feeling so hot! As you can see, I am in a T-shirt. Everyone else on the road is still in Winter mood. Don't they feel warm wearing those coats? Come on, it is 14C! It's time to throw the coats back into the cupboard.

Seriously, I am the only person on the road without a coat. And of course, I received a few strange stares. But I am pretty sure that I am sweating away even without a coat.

Look at all these flowers. I am glad I turn in to have a look. It is still early spring. Not much to see. May would be awesome. I cannot wait....

Keukenhof, I am coming...

2007-03-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

If I remember it correctly, this is in Oegstgeest. Typical Leiden look.

The first photo of the day. Look how fresh we are!

Funny tree. Leaves around its trunk and bald at where it shouldn't be.

Noordwijk! At last! We reached the sea! Sasha and I are both direction idiots. Spin us around, and we are lost. We cycled the same way back to Leiden, but I don't recognise any road at all! I am so bad at recognising landmarks.

At the beach! We took about 1h 30 min to get there. And of course, by bike. Suprisingly I am not at all tired.

2007-03-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

Kazimir Malevich

This guy is very famous too. At least this guy has some decent paintings.

I think it is about time I start painting. Hopefully some collectors out there love it so much that my paintings sell before I die.

2007-03-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

Piet Mondriaan

I guess I am not artistic afterall. I don’t see any art in it and I don’t understand why he is so famous.

The 2 black lines below is a real painting.

Look! There is even a stamp honouring his painting!

Piet Mondriaan was an important contributor to the De Stijl art movement and group, which was founded by Theo van Doesburg. Despite being well-known, often-parodied and even trivialized, Mondrian's paintings exhibit a complexity that belies their apparent simplicity. He is best known for his non-representational paintings that he called compositions, consisting of rectangular forms of red, yellow, blue, white or black, separated by thick, black rectilinear lines. They are the result of a stylistic evolution that occurred over the course of nearly 30 years and continued beyond that point to the end of his life.

- www.wikipedia.org

2007-03-11T01:54:00.000-08:00

Cityhal - Gemeentehuis

Cool place to visit, but not for long. My brains are bursting out with such crappy music. I must be crazy to even go there in the first place.
And what was I thinking? I went there without my bike! Walk about 40 minutes back home in the dimmed streets at 3am. Last thing I need was a stranger to ride up in front of me and offering me a lift.
2 police cars sped passed me. 6 police bicycles followed. What a scene… for questioning 2 guys cycling on a stolen bicycle.
Reached home, feeling like crap, smelling like crap, and half drenched in beer.
Spring depression…
I have heard of autumn and winter depression but not spring depression. As the days are getting shorter, and colder, people tends to be more depress. But I am getting annoyed with the heat and rain. Suddenly, I realized that I cannot take this heat anymore.
Every little increase in the temperature is causing severe mood swings. And it is only 12C. I hardly remember how 30C feels like.
Hopefully my new bought flowers can cheer me up a little.

2007-03-04T15:50:00.000-08:00

Crazy Week.

Probably a little too crazy. I need to cool down and spend some time with myself.
Alcohol levels hitting the limits… I am glad beer is cheap here.
Saw this black cloud yesterday, slowly blocking the moon. Weird. All other clouds were white (or rather, grey in the night sky), and there is one very special black cloud.
It is only today that I realized that it was a lunar eclipse. Yesterday was one of those special days when the sun, earth and moon were in a line. The black cloud is actually the earth’s shadow. Interesting.

2007-02-20T15:01:00.000-08:00

Amsterdam

Madame Tussaud. I hate this place. It scare the shit out of me 3 years ago, when my Uncle brought me there for the first time. It is a wax museum with impressive live size wax models that look unbelievably real. That wasn’t the scary part. There was this “ghost house” similar to those in amusement park that my uncle brought me into. As soon as the “door of hell” was open, I was immediately greeted by my own image. Stupid mirror. The pathways were extremely narrow with cages on both sides. Some “ghosts” were wax/plastic models, while others are real humans with the most horrible makeup. The joke went a little far when this lady in one of the cages, which I had happily assumed to be fake, jump out of her cage and grab my arm. I screamed out my lungs. I was like a little child for the rest of the walk, burying my head into my uncle’s back. I never knew that I was such a scary cat.

See that tall white thing? This is the Nationaal Monument, built in memory of World War II victims.

Magere Brug. This is a traditional double-leaf Dutch bridge. It is made of African azobe wood.

2007-02-20T14:56:00.000-08:00

This is the famous Anne Frank. Remember that book “Diary of Anne Frank”? Well, let me refresh your memory. She is a Jewish German girl who live in Amsterdam (or rather hiding in Amsterdam) during the German occupation in WWII. At that time the Jewish were highly attacked. Holland had about 140,000 Jews before the war and only 16,000 survived. Anne Frank was betrayed to the Nazis and later died in the concentration camp in Bergen-Belsen aged 15. In her diary, she wrote “I want to go on living even after my death!”

Street Performers. Fire swallower and blower. I have posted a video of this guy blowing fire on youtube. If you are interested to watch it, this is the address:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8IO2yEtbxM

I want this too. Why are there only little children in the rink? Is it only for children? I had the urge to just walk in, grab a child and pretend to be his mother, and skate along with him.

2007-02-20T14:51:00.000-08:00

2007-02-20T14:36:00.000-08:00

And there is the flee market selling everything. From old clothes to broken vase to dirty dolls without a head. Although not expensive but seriously, would you even part with a few cents to buy a doll without a head? And yeah, disgusting shoes for sale too. Shoes that are so worn out that I can’t imagine anybody would even wear their shoe to this state.

Need a new toothbrush? Come in and have a look. Shop specializing in toothbrush and tooth paste. You can find every brand and toothpaste of every possible flavor. Don’t look surprise if you see a tube of chocolate flavoured toothpaste.

Rijksmuseum. Home of the famous “The Night Watch” by Rembrandt 1642. Rembrandt is born in Leiden. Beautiful. I am so old… I am interested in old things, way before my time. Love old arts, especially paintings during the impressionism. Love old music. Singers dead long before I was born. Love old town. Well, that explains why I am in Leiden. Interestingly, I love old folks too. I find it really interesting to sit and listen to their stories. They are just so cute. I have such an old soul. I just can’t believe that I am only 21. Maybe I even look old. Recently, some people had asked me if my husband is Dutch or Singaporean. Husband? Do I look like somebody’s wife? I just can’t wait to bring my grand children out for a bike ride.

What a long bicycle. Typical dutch bikes. A mother cycling down the street to do groceries, bringing her 3 children along and a dog in that crate. So, this bicycle is for 4 humans and one dog. Perhaps 2 dogs. I want this bike too. And I also want 3 kids. I don’t really like dogs, I rather have cats in that crate, or perhaps my forth baby, sleeping soundly in that “crib”.

2007-02-12T12:15:00.000-08:00

Vaak Often?

“Vaak” (pronounce as “Fark”) means “often” in Dutch.

Sasha said: “Vaak-Often”
I heard: “Fuck often?”

2007-02-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

SNOWTIME

Cold? Nee, it's cool. Finally some real snow is here. White streets and white scene. Everything is finally white. I love white! It is just so beautiful. Winter is my season.

OH MY GOD! My red bicycle is now white! I am definitely not going to put my butt onto that seat. Thankfully I have a seat cover, or rather a seat cushion made of sheepskin. I love my sheepskin. Comfort for my butt.

This is me, and my dear Sasha.

2007-02-06T09:31:00.000-08:00

This is me, Yusette and Maryam.

This is my snowball. It is about to be smacked onto somebody. Who shall the person be?

This is Sasha’s snowman. Little snow, little man. Let’s hope that there is more snow tomorrow.

A glistening tree.

2007-02-06T09:26:00.000-08:00

Look at this bike. It is so snowy.

Don’t blame me if I bang into you. I can’t see the road.

I just love the snow!!!

Beautiful view

2007-01-28T05:10:00.000-08:00

Disappointing snow.

How disappointing is the snow. 2 pathetic coughs and that’s it. It is not even sufficient to make a bowl of ice-kacang.

I was parking my bicycle when I saw something SO DAMN CUTE! Look! This kid really brightens up my day.

2007-01-19T15:53:00.000-08:00

Another Lamppost Holding Day

Unfortunately, I needed to go out today. Weather was so bad that I couldn't cycle at all. Buses and trains were badly delayed. Usually I needed only 20min on my bike to town. Today, I took more than 1 hour (bus + train).

That divider thingy that divides my balcony from my neighbour's has collapsed. It is made of Aluminum frame with steel bolts. The wind was just too strong. Everything is flying. Twigs, rubbish, the glass from this divider thingy etc. Bicycles flew, cars flew and even lorries flew too. Ok, cars and lorries overturned, but overturning is not much better as compared to flying.

Interestingly little plants survived the storm and big trees collapsed. The tree below is completely uprooted. You can't see it well from this angle, and I don't want to risk falling into the river just to take a nice photo. But you can see the split in the tree. That's really bad.

2007-01-19T15:17:00.000-08:00

Storm Alerts!

Stormwaarschuwing voor kind?
vrijdag 19 januari 2007

Je kunt het niet gemist hebben. Want heel Nederland had gisteren last van de zware storm. Ook veel kinderen werden door de harde wind van hun fiets geblazen.

Iedereen werd gewaarschuwd om binnen te blijven. Maar moet er ook nog een aparte waarschuwing voor kinderen komen?

Door de storm zjin er veel ongelukken gebeurd. Daarbij zijn vier volwassenen en twee kinderen overleden. Een 11-jarige jongen werd van zijn fiets geblazen. Hij kwam tegen een auto aan en is overleden.

Er is veel schade door de storm. Voor zeker 160 miljoen euro, zeggen deskundigen. Er zijn bomen op auto's gevallen, vrachtwagens van de weg geblazen en dakpannen van huizen gewaaid. Een paar duizend mensen hebben vannacht niet thuis kunnen slapen. Er reden helemaal geen treinen meer en veel mensen konden dus niet meer naar huis. In Utrecht hebben veel mensen in een hal geslapen. Sommigen vonden het erg gezellig omdat er muziek was waarop ze konden dansen.

In heel Nederland was het gevaarlijk op de weg. We hadden namelijk te maken met een storm met windkracht 10. Bij windkracht 7 is het al lastig om tegen de wind in te lopen of te fietsen. Bij windkracht 8 is dat zeer moeilijk. Windkracht 9 is zo erg dat kinderen omwaaien. Gisteren hadden we dus windkracht 10, waarbij ook volwassenen om kunnen waaien. Kinderen hebben dus eerder kans om om te waaien dan volwassenen. Moet er bij een zware storm een speciale waarschuwing voor kinderen komen?

Storm Warning for Children?

You couldn’t have missed it as the whole of Netherlands had troubles yesterday from the rough storm. Many children were also blown off from their bicycle in the strong wind.

Everybody was warned to stay home. But do we need a separate warning for children?

Many accidents had occurred during the storm. 4 adults and 2 children died. A 11 years old boy was blown off from his bicycle and smashed into a car and died.

There are lots of damages from the storm. At least 160 millions euro, said the authorities. Trees fell on cars, lorry blown off the road, and the tiles of the roofs from houses were blown off. A few thousand people couldn’t go back home to sleep. There were no trains and thus many people couldn’t get home. In Utrecht, many people slept in a hall. Some people found it pleasant as there were music of which they could dance to.

It is dangerous to be on any road in the Netherlands. The storm had a wind-force of 10. A wind-force of 7 is already difficult for walking and cycling. Wind-force of 8 is even worst. Wind-force of 9 is so bad that children will be blown away. Yesterday, we had a wind-force of 10, of which adults can also be blown away.

Children have higher chances to be blown away than adults. So is it good to have a special warning of rough storm for children?

2007-01-19T15:05:00.000-08:00

Utrecht Damages

Ongelukken door storm
donderdag 18 januari 2007

Het is de zwaarste storm in jaren. Nederland staat op zijn kop. Er zijn veel ongelukken gebeurd. De treinen rijden niet meer en reizigers moeten op het station wachten tot de storm gaat liggen.

In Utrecht is een groot ongeluk gebeurd. Bij de universiteitsgebouwen daar is een hijskraan omgevallen en op een gebouw terecht gekomen. De kraam viel dwars door twee verdiepingen heen. Volgens de politie zijn er een paar gewonden gevallen.En er zijn nog meer ongelukken gebeurd. Door de storm zijn in totaal zes mensen overleden. De meesten door ongelukken op de snelweg drie mensen om het leven gekomen.

Storm accidents

This was the roughest strom in years. Netherlands stands on her head. Many accidents had occurred. The trains stopped and travelers needed to wait at the train station until the storm dies down.

In Utrecht, a major accident had occurred. A crane had fell on top of the university building. The crane smashed through 2 stories of the building. According to the police, it was caused by the wind.There were also other accidents. A total of 6 people died. 3 of them died on the high-ways.

Trains delays

Treinen rijden niet meer

Veel treinen kunnen niet tegen de wind opboksen.

Als je van plan bent om vandaag met de trein naar huis te gaan dan kan dat nog best moeilijk worden. Er rijden door de storm namelijk veel minder treinen. Van en naar het Centraal Station in Amsterdam rijden er zelfs helemaal geen treinen. Duizenden mensen zijn in de Amsterdamse stationshal aan het wachten totdat ze verder kunnen reizen.

Trains travel no more

Many trains couldn’t compete against the wind.

If you have plans today to travel with the train, you might be disappointed, There are lesser trains due to the storm. There were totally no trains riding to or from the central station of Amsterdam. Thousands of People were stranded in the train station waiting for the trains.

2007-01-19T14:48:00.000-08:00

The Storm!

Het stormt!
donderdag 18 januari 2007

"Iedereen moet vandaag binnen blijven". Dat is het advies van het crisiscentrum. Het is voor het eerst dat zo'n advies in Nederland wordt gegeven. De storm van vandaag is dan ook de zwaarste sinds jaren.

Pas op als je vandaag de weg op gaat, want het regent veel en het waait keihard! Weerdeskundigen hebben het over een zware storm, met windkracht 10 en windstoten van wel 130 kilometer per uur. De laatste weken is het wel vaker heel slecht weer geweest, maar volgens het weerbureau KNMI is de storm van vandaag de zwaarste.

Sommige scholen in Nederland zijn eerder dichtgegaan door het slechte weer. Ook automobilisten hebbben veel last. Doordat er dingen op de weg waaien en het zo hard regent kunnen ze niet goed doorrijden. Daardoor komen er files. Verder worden er door de storm minder, of helemaal geen bruggen bediend in Friesland. Op Schiphol kunnen vliegtuigen maar op één baan landen en vertrekken, wat zorgt voor grote vertragingen. Ook zijn er veel meldingen binnengekomen van omgevallen bomen. En tientallen mensen die van en naar de waddeneilanden Vlieland en Terschelling wilden hadden pech; de veerboten gaan niet door de storm.

Dierentuin Artis in Amsterdam is gesloten. Alle dieren worden binnengehouden. Ook treinen hebben last van het slechte weer. Sommige treinen in Noord-Holland en Utrecht rijden niet meer. In Amsterdam dreigt ook een bankgebouw in te storten, op het Belgiëplein. De brandweer heeft daar al een stuk van het gebouw gesloopt. Dat is uit voorzorg, omdat van het gebouw vallende stukken anders misschien wel mensen kan verwonden. De brandweer adviseert mensen om niet de straat op te gaan als het niet hoeft.

The Storm

“Everybody must stay home.” That was the advice of the Crisiscentrum.
It is the first time such an advice is given out in Netherlands. Today’s storm was also the worst in years.

Be careful if you need to go out today, for the rain is heavy and the wind is horrible. Weather experts had predicted a rough storm with a wind-force of 10 and wind speed of 130km/hour. Last week has been a week of bad weather, but according to the weather office KNMI, today’s storm will be the worst.

Some schools in the Netherlands were earlier closed due to the bad weather. Road users had much troubles. Things were blown to the road and the heavy rains made matters worse. There were traffic jams everywhere. There were lesser or totally no usage of the bridges in Friesland. (If you recall, the bridge will open up for boats to pass, or trains to move. No bridge equals jams as the cars now cannot cross to the other side of the road). In Schiphol Airport, there is only one permitted path for aeroplanes to land or fly, and thus this contributes to great delays. There were also many reportings of fallen trees. Dozens of people couldn’t travel through the “flat”islands of Vlieland and Terschelling. The ferries couldn’t travel against the storm.

Artis Zoo in Amsterdam is closed. All animals needed to stay indoors. The trains too had troubles with the weather. Some trains in Noord-Holland and Utrecht were completely terminated. In Amsterdam, a bankbuilding was treathen to collapse in Belgieplein. The fire brigade had demolished a part of the building. That is for precaution as people could be injured if the building should collapse. The fire brigade people advise people to stay home unless absolute necessary.

2007-01-16T14:21:00.000-08:00

Coffin of gift or coffin of curst?

Dood
dinsdag 16 januari 2007

In Someren in Brabant zijn kinderen bezig met het maken van een doodskist. De kist is bedoeld voor hun juf. Die is ernstig ziek en gaat dood.

Juf Eri heeft de ziekte kanker. Zij heeft een vorm die niet te genezen is. Ze weet niet hoe lang ze nog te leven heeft. De juf wil dat de kinderen zo gewoon mogelijk omgaan met haar ziekte. Een aantal kinderen en leraren besloot daarom om er juist mee bezig te zijn dat de juf niet meer beter wordt en doodgaat. Zo ontstond het idee om de kist van de juf te maken. De leerlingen mochten zelf kiezen of ze mee wilden werken aan de kist.

Het wordt een bijzondere kist die de kinderen aan het maken zijn. De kist bestaat uit meer dan honderd kleine plankjes. De kinderen bewerken het hout, helpen schuren en zetten zelf de latjes vast.

Is het goed om er zo mee bezig te zijn als je juf of meester doodgaat? Of wil je er liever niet teveel over horen als iemand ernstig ziek is en niet meer beter wordt. Reageer op de stelling!

English Translation:

Death

In Someren Brabant, the children are busy making a coffin. The coffin is meant for their teacher, who is gravely ill and will be dying soon.

Teacher Eri has cancer. She is suffering from one form that cannot be cure. She doesn’t know how much longer she can live. The teacher doesn’t want the children to be affected by the situation of her sickness. A number of children and teachers decide that the teacher isn’t going to recover and is going to die. So the idea of making a coffin for that teacher arises. The children are given the choice to decide if they want to make this coffin.

The children made a unique coffin that is made up of hundreds of small planks. The children work with wood and help in the sanding and fixing up of the coffin (drilling, sawing, screwing etc).

Is it good to be busy with such stuff when your teacher is dying? Or will you prefer not to hear that someone is gravely ill and will not live much longer. Share your views.

2007-01-16T10:36:00.000-08:00

I am Blind.

I just realized how blind I am. There is this market place that I past by most days of the week, and I failed to notice it. I have assumed that it is a factory. I am so ashamed to announce that this market place is about 2 km from my place and I have been staying here for 6months!
I have always thought Leiden is sleeping. I am so wrong. I am the one who is sleeping.

Ever heard of cheese-thief? This thief must be crazy.

Kazendief
maandag 15 januari 2007

40 kazen zijn dit weekend gestolen in Leerdam en allemaal van hetzelfde soort. De politie weet nog niet wie de dief is.
Maar waarschijnlijk houdt hij erg van het bepaalde soort kaas dat hij gestolen heeft. De politie is nog op zoek naar de dader.

English Translation:

Cheese thief

40 balls of cheese of the same type were stolen last weekend in Leerdam. The police still do not know who did this.
The thief probably loves this type of cheese very much that he stole cheese only of this type. The police is still searching for the cheese-thief.

2007-01-15T00:41:00.000-08:00

Show me the way to Kut!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!!!

Show me the way to Kut
Al-Kut is a beautiful place...

Al-Kut is a place in Iraq
(Dutch joke - Kut means vagina)

Don't be offended. There is nothing offensive or racist in the above video. It is merely a little attack to the terrorists. So, if you are not a terrorist, you should be laughing away!

BZN in Bagdad
"Friendly Fire" is vanaf maandag verkrijgbaar in de betere platenzaken.

(This record of BZN in Bagdad "Friendly Fire" will be available on Monday, in the better record shops)

2007-01-12T10:05:00.000-08:00

Just found out. Wind speed was

130km/h

What kind of wind is this?

I was forced to jump out of my bicycle in a 5km ride twice!!! The wind made riding along a straight road impossible. I am not a lousy cyclist. I can do things like cycling without hands (including turning). But well, the wind was constantly blowing me to the side. And guess what happened after I jumped out of the bicycle…. My bicycle flew! Yes! It flew! I had to run after it!
Walking was such a chore! I saw folks holding onto the lamppost! For once, everyone was walking their bikes.
It is really bad. I can feel the ache in my neck as I had to use the muscles to keep my head in position.
All of a sudden, a funny thought came across my mind. I visualized Mr Leng flying with the wind. If I were to tie a rope around his waist, he will definitely be a good kite!
HAHAHAH!!!
If the weather goes on like this, my stamina will be built up in no time. Cycling from here to Singapore would be a piece of cake! If only I can find someone as crazy as me who wants to do it too.

Today’s news:

Schade storm
vrijdag 12 januari 2007

De storm van gisteren heeft 15 miljoen euro schade aangericht. In de provincies Zeeland en Noord-Holland was de meeste schade. Daar waren de windstoten het hardst.
Grote problemen of ernstige ongelukken zijn er gelukkig niet gebeurd. Wel heeft de harde wind voor veel overlast gezorgd. Daken van gebouwen, bomen en wegen werden door de harde wind getroffen. Ook dieren hebben last gehad van de storm. Gisteren spoelde een zeehondje aan op het strand bij Castricum. Het leek goed met het dier te gaan, met wat hulp kwam ie weer in zee terecht, maar hij heeft de storm uiteindelijk niet overleefd.
In de rest van Europa is de wind ook flink tekeer gegaan. Op zee bij Ierland is een vissersboot gezonken.

English Translation:

Damaging storm

Yesterday’s storm has cost 15 million euro in damage. Most of the damages occurred in the provinces of Zeeland and Noord-Holland. The gust of wind was the strongest.
Fortunately, no huge problems or serious accidents had occurred. The strong wind had caused huge inconveniences. Roofs of building, trees and roads were hit by the strong wind. Animals also had troubles with the storm. Yesterday, a seal was swept up to the beach in Castricum. They may not be able to survive in such storm.
In the rest of Europe, the wind is also strong and howling away. In the sea of Ireland, a fishing boat has sunk.

2007-01-10T08:07:00.000-08:00

What is this color?

I woke up this morning as usual. I did my daily routines. Walk to the toilet, pee, wash up, brush my teeth etc. I did something extra. Stare into the mirror. It has been so long since I did this. I hardly recognize myself anymore. Look at how much I have changed. And wait a minute…
Are my eyes losing its shades? I remembered my eyes being bright solid dark brown. The brightness is gone! And the color is changing? Since when did they adopt this brownish, muddy, greenish, grayish shade? Where is that solid dark brown color? Are they really gone? I want them back! I want brown eyes!

I don’t really have much photos of my face occupying the whole photo. Well, this photo here is taken last year, and my eyes are clearly dark brown.

2007-01-04T13:26:00.000-08:00

Dutch Giants

Nederlanders het langst
donderdag 4 januari 2007

Nederlanders zijn de langste mensen van Europa. Dat blijkt uit Europees onderzoek. Onze buren zijn een stuk kleiner.
Belgen zijn gemiddeld 4 centimeter korter dan Nederlanders. En Duitsers zo'n 3 centimeter. Nederlanders zijn de langste mensen van Europa. Nederlandse mannen zijn gemiddeld iets meer dan 1 meter 80.
Nederlandse vrouwen zijn niet alleen het langst (iets minder dan 1 meter 70) maar ook het zwaarst. Ze wegen gemiddeld zo'n 70 kilo. Toch betekent dat niet dat Nederlandse vrouwen ongezond dik zijn. Omdat ze lang zijn, zijn ze automatisch vaak ook wat zwaarder.

Let me translate this article.

Dutch are the tallest

Dutch are the tallest people of Europe. This is proven in a European investigation. Our neighbours are much shorter.
Belgians are on average 4cm shorter than the Dutch, and Germans are 3cm shorter. Dutch are the tallest people in Europe. Dutch men are on average something more than 1m80.
Dutch women are not only the tallest (something less than 1m70) but also the heaviest. They weigh on average about 70kg. This doesn’t mean that Dutch women are unhealthy or fat. Because they are tall, they are automatically often heavier too.

Ok, I better watch my weight. As for now, less chocolate, less potato chips, less sweets, and less fatty food. I wonder if I can survive on less chocolate.

2006-12-31T17:46:00.000-08:00

HAPPY 2007!

Appreciate these photos. I shivered in the rain, fought against the wind, endured the loud bangs from the fireworks, and lost some hearing, just to present to you the atmosphere here.

I have never seen so many fireworks at one time. I woke up this morning thinking that somebody threw off their cabinet down the building. I decided that it was construction works instead. Construction? On a Sunday? On a New Year’s eve? No! I was so wrong! It was fireworks! In the day, you can hardly see them, but you can definitely hear them. Since the moment I woke up, fireworks have been bursting at a consistent rate of 1 firework per 2 second. Rich government? No. Apparently, fireworks can be purchased here.

2006-12-31T17:33:00.000-08:00

Oliebollen

Oliebollen (oil balls) is a traditional dutch food (donut) eaten on New Year’s Eve.

It is said to have been first eaten by Germanic tribes in the Netherlands during the Yule, the period between December 26 and January 6. The Germanic goddess Perchta, together with evil spirits, would fly through the mid-winter sky. To appease these spirits, food was offered, much of which contained deep-fried dough. It was said Perchta would cut open the bellies of those who did not eat, as the fat in the oliebollen would make her sword slide off the body.

This is Perchta.

Perchta was said to roam the countryside at midwinter, and to enter homes on Twelfth Night. She would know whether the children and young servants of the household had behaved well and worked hard all year. If they had, they might find a small silver coin next day, in a shoe or pail. If they had not, she would slit their bellies open, remove stomach and guts, and stuff the hole with straw and pebbles.

Moral of the story : Eat Oliebollen unless you want your belly to rip open.

Winner of this year’s best tasting oliebollen: Richard Visser's Gebakkraam, Rotterdam

Yes, we have the same family name. Unfortunately, we are not related. I can’t make oliebollen although I am good in eating them.

2006-12-26T01:08:00.000-08:00

Christmas in Leiden

It’s Christmas! Leiden is extremely quiet today. I guess it is this quietness that makes me realize how beautiful Leiden is.

I came by a farm and found a bench. I was lying down, staring at the sky, wondering what should my next step be. Do I really want to stay here? Should I move on and find a new place?

I think Leiden is nice. The place is nice, the people are nice. Everything is going well. I should be very happy and contented. But, something is missing. There is a sense of emptiness…. Zzzzzz

I woke up, confused and numb. It felt like I was very drunk, but I wasn’t even drinking. I don’t even realize that it was actually very cold! (Probably 1°C). I don’t even remember shivering. Anyway, I am glad that I am still pink, and not blue.

2006-12-24T23:10:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!

Thanks for all the cards, emails, smses, calls and telepathy greetings! Christmas would have been a cold, dark and silent day without your wishes. Every one of you who cross my life has light it up. Thank You!

2006-12-17T18:13:00.000-08:00

Cheerful me.

God! I don’t even remember posting the previous entry. I must have been really drunk! Anyway, the weekend was fantastic. It has been so long since I let myself drift out of reality into the land of dreams. Proost!

Someone said,
“Although sometimes strange, you are always cheerful.”
Really? I am?
Well, life is getting better and better, and I just can’t help smiling. I hope you will think of my cheerfulness whenever you are sad or angry. Lisa wants you to smile!

2006-12-15T14:11:00.000-08:00

Yay!

I am so happy and I am also very drunk. I need to pee.

2006-12-11T16:38:00.000-08:00

I am 17?

Someone comented,
"How old are you? 17? 18?"

Do I look so young? Or am I being childish and immature?

2006-12-06T00:36:00.000-08:00

Belle Epoque

Got to catch this concert by The Philharmonisch Staatsochester Hamburg featuring Brass works from the 2nd half of the 19th century.
Trumpet looks interesting. I have yet to see a live rotary valved trumpet.
12 Jan 2007, 20.15hr, Nieuwe Kerk

2006-12-04T05:46:00.000-08:00

Happy, happy, HAPPY!!!

I met an interesting lady today. Although this was the first time we met, we clicked really well. She reminds me of myself. She is literally a mirror image of me.
Sinterklaas is coming tomorrow. Or rather, tonight!!! I really hope he exist. I want to be a little child again.

2006-11-18T21:42:00.000-08:00

More Photos : Den Haag Scheveningen

This is XinPei, me, Elfi and Arjan. It has been quite a while since we saw each other as a group. Well, 2 years to be exact. The last time that we were together was in Singapore. Now we are all in Holland, together. Yay!!! Well, I feel so short between them.

This is dinner in a Mexican restaurant. Atmosphere is fantastic. Portion of food is bigger than you can consume. Actually, i didn't feel that the food was fantastic, although it was full-house. Well, we got there before the crowd came. Oh yeah, this is also a very Catholic restaurant. It has pictures and statues of Mother Many as its decorations. There was also a picture of Mother Mary on the cover of the menu. In fact, the restaurant felt more of a church than a restaurant, except that it is lively and noisy.

This is me across the couch in the lobby of Kurhaus Hotel.

This is XinPei and me inside the room of Kurhaus. Nice bed, weird pillow.

2006-11-13T06:36:00.000-08:00

Yuck.

Why does my cake smell of Ammonia? Is it spoilt? It is still far from expiry date.

2006-11-09T00:52:00.000-08:00

Andrea Bocelli is coming!!!!

Tomorrow!!!

2006-11-01T06:51:00.000-08:00

Picture of the day: The Half Balding Tree

The right half of this tree acknowledge that it is Autumn. The left half is still very stubborn.

After the wind and rain. Twigs, leaves and branches are everywhere. Just avoid walking under the tree.

See those red trees, by the end of this month, all the leaves will be gone. So enjoy the view now, while you can.

2006-10-29T10:36:00.000-08:00

Rotterdam

This is the Central Station of Rotterdam

Rotterdam is a busy city. Unlike Leiden, you have to watch where you are going. Don't get knock down by a tram.

Skyscrapers of Rotterdam. Rotterdams' architectures are more modernize. The buildings are pieces of modern art. I don't know whether to call them weird or ugly. Rotterdam has the biggest and busiest port of the world.

"Over the centuries Rotterdam grew from a fishing village into an international centre of trade, transport, industry and distribution. At the beginning of the Second World War, on 14 May 1940, virtually the entire city centre was devastated by a German bombardment. This explains why scarcely any pre-war buildings have remained in this part of Rotterdam. After the war, reconstruction of what had been destroyed was given the highest priority. Now, many years later, a new, modern city centre has risen from the ashes. The avant-garde architecture is famous at home and abroad." - www.rotterdam.nl

Weather was bad today. Thus touring was cut short.

2006-10-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

Time Freezes

Is time passing too quickly? Wish that you could stop it? Now you can. Tonight, or rather, tomorrow morning at 2am, the time in Holland will stop for an hour. In another words, today's 3pm, would be tomorrow's 2pm.

2006-10-27T00:42:00.000-07:00

Extremely Silent Night

DJ loves "Silent Night". That's 27 "Silent Night" in a row. Can you believe it? 27 versions of the same song in a row.

2006-10-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

Silence

The silence is killing me. It’s as if I am living in a vacuum. No matter how loud my radio is blasting, it still couldn’t take this silence away. Somebody, please scream.
Oh god! Radio’s now playing “Silent night”.
What’s wrong with the radio? Playing another version of “Silent night”?
Again?

Chris, I miss you.

2006-10-22T03:24:00.000-07:00

Den Haag, Scheveningen

Camera went down on me. No batt.
Exciting weekend and a night in Kurhaus. Kurhaus is a 5 star hotel by the beach in Scheveningen. Buffet breakfast was fantastic. I never had buffet breakfast in a long time.
Hey, I went to the music conservatory in Den Haag too. It is nice to see so many musical instruments again. I miss those band days. I really love my band alot. It really felt like my band. There was this sense of satisfaction everytime i took them for warm-ups. I could hear them trying, hear them improving.
I remembered that Balestier Hill band was nothing when Mr Leng first took over. People couldn't play the Bflat concert scale. Some don't even know how to hold their instruments, not to mention their fingerings. Mr Leng really put alot of effort in this band and now, the band sounds really good. I wonder where all the ex-band members disappear to. Or maybe i was the one who disappear.

2006-10-19T10:24:00.000-07:00

Searching excitements.

The biggest challenge in life is to be able to read my grandma's letter. Sometimes, i don't really know if she is writing a letter or if she is testing to see if her pen works.
I am ready to disappear for a long bike ride. Bicycle, please, don't ever break down. I cannot walk you back.

2006-10-17T00:17:00.000-07:00

Touring.

The cats by the window are real.

What a happy house to live in... And guess what's on the wall? Look down...

It's my house! No, actually it isn't. The owner just happens to have the same family name as me.

This is somewhere in Wassenaar. A great place to watch cows pee. They seem to pee through their assholes. And they can really pee alot. It is like a steady stream of pee shooting out of their ass. Something like water shooting out from a water hose. Unfortunately, when my camera is ready, they are done with it.

2006-10-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

Leiden Ontzet

Today Leiden celebrates. It's the 3 Oct, a celebration to commemorate the stavation caused by the spanish in 1574. So food is everywhere. Part of the celebration includes eating white bread, but now they are substituting white bread with liquid bread too(beer).

Look at the picture above. Any idea what this is? Yes, you are right! It's a urinal. The male's public toilet. I guess everybody should know how it is used. If you are not sure, you can follow the example given below.

2006-09-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

Rotten day

Rushing against time and AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! The bridge! Come on, close up quick! This is a typical dutch thing. The roads will open up for the ships and boats to pass. All we could do is to wait! I wasted so much energy cycling so fast, and bypassing all the old folks. And now, they are overtaking me!!!

From this photo, you can see people waiting on the opposite side of the road.
Another rotten event: I was making some hotdog sandwiches. Happily squeezing the tubes of ketchup and mayonnaise on my bread. Just as it is done, and i was about to put it in my mouth, i saw little green stuff on the bread! Ah! Why didn't i notice it earlier? Wasted all my sauce!

2006-09-26T06:11:00.000-07:00

Tandvlees?

See that word "tandvlees"? It's dutch. Let me translate it. "Tand"--> Tooth, "Vlees"-->Meat. It actually means gums. What a disgusting word "toothmeat". After using Aquafresh, i am proud to say that i have healthy teethmeat! Yay!!!

2006-09-22T14:35:00.000-07:00

Where can i find a flute? I am inspired to play the flute again.

2006-09-18T06:38:00.000-07:00

Voorschoten

I am surprised that these photos from the camera phone turn out quite good. I love this place. Nice place to sit and stare. Well, i spent 2 hours sitting and staring here, eating my sandwiches, watching the boats pass by. Oh yeah, i saw this boy, probably 8 years old, with his little brother, maybe 5 years old. He was in the speedboat with his little brother. Only both of them. And he was bringing his brother out for a speedboat ride!!! Oh God!!! He is so too young to be controlling a speedboat. Well, he did a good job. No crash...