Yay for Christmas!

I can't believe it's almost Christmas! Another year's gone by and all those cliches about reflecting on the past year and looking forward into the next can't be avoided... Finally, I get to go on a mini-vacation away from the daily grind of work and just relax and forget about all the problems I've been having lately.

Yes, it's true, the last week has been really really shitty. It had nothing to do with Grace being here (or did it??? Haha just kidding Grace!! ) but I dunno why so much shit happened.

It started with falling off my bike last Thursday. Then over the weekend, we went to a spa, and it turned out to be a NUDE spa, and no swimsuits were permitted. It was really awkward at first cuz of all the 'hairy snouts' flopping around and of course there were nude ladies too but after a while I tried to act cool (didnt' really work). We had signed up for a HAMAM treatment, which was a traditional Turkish bath where you get scrubbed all over your body, and were again shocked to realise it was done by men. Not only that, but it's done in an open area with other naked people all over the place! But in the end, we went through with it anyway.

I shook hands with my HAMAM guy, who told me that all I needed to do was 'relax'. I tried my best and told him to avoid my left knee which I had scraped up while falling off my bike, and he did so that was good. But the massaging/kneading of my legs was BRUTAL and after the 20 min treatment I found a big purple bruise on my left calf!!! (ahhhh the agony!!!)

Next up was a pedicure upstairs. The lady was using some kind of device I had never seen being used for pedicures before, it was sort of like a dentist drill but on the end of it was some sort of screwdriver/flat metal chisel that she was running up and down the side of my big toenail. She started w/ my left foot, and it hurt a bit but not THAT much... but when she went to my right big toe, she just kept on digging deeper into my toe along the side of my toenail, so that before I knew it, I was shrieking like a baboon to her to STOP!! STOP!!! but she just kept going!!!!! for at least a few seconds. By the time she stopped, blood started pouring out of my toe, along the edge, and she just calmly took a cotton to my foot and said that it was 'normal'.

NORMAL!?!? I was NOT convinced. In fact, I was mortified!!!!!!!!! and in a LOT OF PAIN!! I now know what it feels like to be a war victim, I think, the ones who get tortured by having their limbs cut off, or their intestines pulled out of them while alive, etc. because I was WATCHING the lady CUT into my toe and I could do nothing about it! and after I was bleeding, I was probably in shock cuz I started shaking in my chair at what she did to me :(

If that wasn't enough, I found another big cut in my finger (from where I have no clue) which bled and bled... then a few days ago I went to a tanning salon and went to the 'turbo sunner' for 10 mins, thinking that my asian skin wouldnt burn like the dutchies even though I was warned by the girl who worked there... and what do you know... 24 hours after the tanning, my ass and back is as red as a lobster and it hurts to move :(

ANNNNND... this morning when I was washing a few dishes, I accidentally dropped a small glass and it broke into literally 50+ pieces, and I found 2 shards of glass jammed into my left pinky finger!!!! (which bled too). WHAT THE HELL!!!!!!!!!!! I hope all these little bad things have come to an end...

Oh.. btw... Merry Christmas everyone! :)

I used to think it was crazy when people would call me more than 1ce or 2ce in a row when trying to reach me. There was this one time a few years ago when a guy I knew called my house and I really didn't feel like talking to him. It went something like this:

*ring ring*
"Oh look it's BOY-X."
[pick up. hang up.]

*ring ring*
"Oh look, him again."
[pick up. hang up.]

*ring ring*
[pick up. hang up.]

*ring ring*
[pick up. hang up.]

Repeat 5x more.

*ring ring*
"Hello?"
"Hi, it's me, BOY-X."
"Oh hey. Did you just call me a few minutes ago?"
"What..? No..."
"Oh, okay."
[roll eyes.]

Anyway, I think I now finally understand the phenomenon of chronic dialing syndrome. It came upon me last night as I was sitting at our company xmas party, 'alone' at my table while those around me hee-hawed loudly in Dutch. I tried to appear amused with myself and my glass of white wine, but really, how amused can a girl look when she's sitting all by herself???? So, in order to alleviate the boredom, I started dialing for people to talk to, and before I knew it, I was pushing the send button repeatedly and listening anxiously to the beeps on the line and hoping that a human voice would be on the other end to say hello...

I can't think of that many moments where I felt more like a loser. In front of me sat the Head of my business unit, chatting somewhat secretly with the mean-looking Dutch lady who sat beside her, the one with the wrinkled face, slitty eyes, fake red lil lips and fried permed white hair. On my left was my boss, filling up the air with her snorty laughter, having a great time, in her snazzy shiny white blazer.

So ya, it was kinda shitty being there but as most expats in NL know, the Dutch aren't known for being very considerate at all, which includes the fact that they will speak in Dutch around you without caring that you don't understand a word. Even if you tell them you only speak English, it doesn't seem to matter. It would make more sense if they didnt speak English, but most of them do but still choose to exclude people. It didn't matter that much to me actually, because I wasn't that interested in talking to these people about work anyway, which is what most of them resorted to.

--

In other news, I had my second official bike accident yesterday. After the work party, I jetted out of there early so I could get back home and chill. But as I approached the ferry terminal that would take me back to Central Station, I stopped the bike, only to teeter and tip to the left, adn before I knew it, I landed on my knee and elbow, trapped under the bike. I lay there for 2 seconds, thinking "not again..." and then picked myself up and acted like nothing happened.

There were at least 4 people standing about 5 feet away from me, but none of them said a word, and just stood in the darkness. I went towards the water so I didn't have to face them, and then I hear, "How is it?" from behind me.

Turns out it's a 'friendly' Surinamese guy, who in our conversation tells me what he does for a living, that he enjoys walking in the night, that he lives in the SouthEast of Amsterdam (translation: ghetto), that he has no girlfriend, that he can teach me Dutch and that he'd like to take me out sometime.

Big WOOP and WHAT a SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Man.. Surinamese guys are so damned predictable. Way to pick up a girl when she's down, man!!!

I did my best to fend him off, but as we got to the other side of the water, I decided to take a peek at my knee, which was feeling rather numb. To my surprise, it was deep red and oozing with thick blood!!! Ahhhh, at least last time when I fell off my bike, I had jeans on and I just got a slight scrape in my knee. But THIS time it was just pantyhose and that got scraped off right away.. and by the time I got home, the pantyhose had dried up w/ my blood and gotten stuck to my skin!!

Ohhh the pain!!!!!!!!! :'(

I'm bored too.

TEN YEARS AGO I...wore oversized adidas track suits and baggy wide leg jeans, had braces and were dying to get em off so I could finally feel the skin of an apple burst against my teeth, chew caramel candies and all that kinda good stuff, and had a scary/stalker obsession with a guy whom I thought we were "made for each other".

FIVE YEARS AGO I...was in my 2nd year of Uni, having dimsum, Costco and grocery outings with my Grandma often, playing with my crazy white cat Pinky and wearing a LOTTA fleece. I also watched Days of our Lives religiously :)

ONE YEAR AGO I...lived with Sofie and Nico in a cute 'dollhouse', in Amsterdam working for the same company in a different department, rushing like mad to get a huge yearbook project completed and planning what to do for Christmas.

YESTERDAY I...ripped the bottoms of my feet open (or at least it felt that way) dancing on the oceandiva, did the YMCA, robot, and the fish, and felt the room (and my head) spin while we danced to '(I've had) The time of my life' (Dirty Dancing)

FIVE SNACKS I ENJOY:
Fruit (especially persimmons and mangos)
Kit Kat
Rice pudding
Stroopwafels
Coconut macaroons

FIVE SONGS I KNOW ALL THE WORDS TO:
Ode to a Friend - Jann Arden
Symbolistic White Walls - Matthew Good Band
Separated - Usher
Rendezvous - Craig David
I Wanna Know - Joe

FIVE THINGS I WOULD DO WITH 100 MILLION DOLLARS:
Invest (that goes without saying)
Give the ones I love something they have always wished for
Get my eyes lasered and my mom's too
Buy a loft in Hong Kong (Island)!
Take a year off to travel the world

FIVE BAD HABITS:
Avoid making decisions
Changing my mind too much
Never being completely satisfied
Getting annoyed with kids too easily
Binging on chocolate and waffles

FIVE BIGGEST JOYS:
BODYPUMP!!! :-)
Going to new places and seeing how others live
Making videos and editing them
Drawing cartoons
Chocolate chip cookies ... mmmm

FIVE FAVORITE TOYS:
Three Fishballs
Excreman
Digital Camera
Treadmill
Ipod

FIVE PLACES I WOULD RUN AWAY TO:
Vancouver
Hong Kong
Jamaica
LA/SF
New York

FIVE THINGS I WOULD NEVER WEAR:
A complete LULULEMON/TNA track suit
White jeans
A nose ring
White pantyhose
Leather pants
A wedding ring (hahahahahah..;)

FIVE FAVORITE TV SHOWS:
Dr. Phil
Oprah
Spongebob
Will & Grace
King of Queens

“Prison life consists of routine, and then more routine.”

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Okay, so it might not be fair to compare work to prison, but you have to agree that there IS a lot of routine involved. You struggle to wake up every morning, put on your suit, trudge down the stairs, get on the tram, beep into the building, sit at your desk, attend a few meetings, zone out at the desk, wait a few hours, and then leave work, only to start the cycle again for the rest of the week.

I can’t decide whether having routine at work is a good or bad thing. I think most people would claim that they want a dynamic, challenging job that throws them curveballs on a daily basis. I would also say the same. BUT I can also see the other side, because it could be very comforting to just go to work, do what you gotta do, and then leave without anything hanging over your head.

“Work” for me also used to be much more defined. Sure, I have things to do now, but my tasks aren’t as clear as they used to be. What do I mean? Well… Back in the hey day when I wore grey clown pants, a greasy white/grey striped shirt and floppy green visor for A&W, my job was very clear. I was to:

• Take customers’ orders (Do you wanna biggy-size that?)
• Serve food to customers
• Bag take-out orders
• Clean the dining area
• Clean the toilets
• Take out the trash, etc.

Every task could be written out and checked off once completed, it was so clear. Oh look, the straws are almost out, we need more straws. Oh, oh, the ketchup’s spurting, we need to fill that up. Running low on extra large soda cups. Milkshake machine’s making a bit too much noise, we need more mix for that too. And so it went…The 8-hour shifts flew by as if they were only 2.

I remember when I first started at my so-called corporate job about one year ago and meeting my fellow coworkers. One of them introduced himself as responsible for Sustainable Development for an entire business unit. During our one-on-one meeting, I kept asking him, “So…what exactly do you do?” to which he responded with a slew of phrases that I (not surprisingly) cannot remember even one, and I am still unsure of what exactly he does to contribute to Sustainable Development for that entire business unit. I just didn’t understand what he was doing while on the phone, or in front of his computer for 8 hours in a day.

But eventually, it clicked, and now I realise that what people do at their desks is really a sort of façade. We’re all working in a maze of emails, corresponding with people, dealing with IT problems, googling something now and then (I’m pretty sure it’s not only me), making PowerPoint presentations, planning meetings, etc. Everyone seems to think that what they do is mighty important, when in fact, perhaps what they do doesn’t make an ounce of difference to the all and powerful multinational corporation.

I guess that’s the difference between working on the front line, and working on a ‘higher’ level (headquarters). On the front line, it’s clear what you gotta do. In fact, it can be very noticeable if you don’t do your job, (ie. No more ketchup!!) and when you are sitting behind a desk, doing ‘high-level’ stuff, it can become very ambiguous and vague what exactly you’re supposed to be doing…

Perhaps it’s just me and the other people in headquarters actually have lots of tasks to keep them busy. It could be true. But sometimes, when I am staring blankly at my screen, wondering what else I can possibly google today, I wish I had a mindless job which was simple enough for me to do without thinking, and just let the time fly by (and the money roll in.) ;)

Nightmare in Rome

A picture's worth 1000 words...

but if you'd rather read through one thousand six hundred and three, here you go:

03:43
Our trip began at 3:43AM with a train taking us to Rotterdam, where we were to take the plane to Rome. It is a very normal connection, running about 60 mins and this should not have been any different. However, somewhere along the way we noticed that we had double backed to Den Haag and was headed back for Amsterdam, and finally decided to ask one of the drunken night-train people what the heck was going on.

Apparently, the wind was so bad that it had blown off the roof of some station between us and Rotterdam, thereby obstructing the rails, so the train was going all the way back to Amsterdam. People who had to go to Rotterdam needed to wait about 1 hr for a connecting train to Gouda, another city which woulda made us miss our flight FOR SURE!

So, we managed to find a train to Rotterdam Hofplein, which was "only 5 mins away from Rotterdam Central Station" according to the train lady, but as we had no idea where we were when we got off, we walked into the black night with all our luggage, while it was pouring rain and before we knew it, we were almost blown off our feet walking on some highway with hail balls hitting our faces like bullets!!!! This lasted for about 5 mins, and finally we found a taxi which we told to book it to the airport. LUCKILY, we made it there 2 mins before the check-in counter closed. (PHEW.)

Rain, rain and more rain
So we get to Rome, and it is pouring rain. We manage to find the hostel and things are fine, we decide to go to the Colosseum and check it out, but it got so bad that we ended up huddling under some kind of arch and staying there for 20 mins or so. Finally, we decide it's best to move on despite the rain and so we walk a bit further. At this point, muddy water is everywhere on the ground, the rain is coming down in big plops and we decide perhaps its a good idea to just go back to the hostel at least for a while. We decide to take the bus, just to save time and not get even wetter, and so we see a bus coming our way and we hop on, each of us with 1 euro in our hands, ready to pay the ticket.

The Incident with the "Police"
Dave goes up to the front of the bus and tries to get the bus driver's attention, but she has already started driving. So, he raises his eyebrows and shoulders, and we all just put our 1 euro in our pockets. Ten minutes later, to our absolute horror, the transit authorities come on board and request to see our tickets. I look at Ching-Yin with extra-wide eyes and then at Dave, who is mouthing the words, "Get off." But it was too late, cuz the bald italian man with a stern expression was already hovering over me. I stared at him and showed him my 1 euro coin, but he was emotionless and asked for me and Dave's identification (passports).

I tried to delay giving it to him as much as I could, by saying things like, "we were going to pay for the ticket but there was nowhere to buy it! We tried to get it from the driver!" etc. but nothing worked. We gave him our passports and he started to write us up. He told us, it would be 50 euros if we paid him now, or 100 if we paid him later, and he would bill it to our embassy according to our passports. I was thinking, there is NO WAY i am going to pay this asshole when we didnt do anything wrong, and meanwhile Dave was trying his best too, with his now signature line, "C'mon...You don't have to do this...seriously (repeat 2-3x)" but that too failed.

At this point, I was getting really annoyed. I told the guy, "this is ridiculous!!!" and apparently I had said it quite a few times beforehand, because the Italian dude took a pause from writing us up, and said to me, "You say the word ridiculous one more time, and i will take you to the station." I was standing up at this point and I stared long and hard at him, and he continued to write us up. So... I said it: "This is FUCKING ridiculous."

The bus stopped at Termini station (last stop), the man grabbed us and told us to get out, to follow him to the station, and he was pissed mad. Hetal and Ching-yin had already been fined by the other transit authority (female) and Hetal was very very compliant and polite. She tried to ask the lady more questions like "So... does this happen often to tourists?" when she had already paid the fine, I just wanted to pull all her hair off of that transit woman and give her a nice kick between the legs!!!!! (ok maybe not in real life but u know what I mean)

So now we're outside and the transit authorities are standing together and the bald guy said , "NO you do not say FUCK YOU to me, I AM A POLICE!" and here I said to him, "I did NOT say FUCK, I was speaking CHINESE, you dont even know what I said, you have no idea what Chinese even sounds like!!!" and now Dave was trying to stop the conflict and he starts to argue with another guy, telling him that we had NO clue how to pay for the bus ticket, etc. and anyway, the bald guy continues to write the receipt up and gives it to me, tells me to calm down and I continue with "This is NO WAY to treat visitors to Rome!!!" to which he doesn't give a shit anyways, but in the end, Dave goes, "Do me a favour? Come to Canada one day, cuz then you'll see how much better we treat people there." [Yea I know, that one hurt the cop real bad.] Finally, we got to leave and we trudged off in the rain.

I was a bit relieved, because I was holding a fine receipt in my hand, of 50 euros which I didnt even pay, and I was like, stupid Italian man!! :) Didn't even remember to collect the 50 euros from me in the midst of all that chaos. But then, when I mentioned this to the guys, they told me that Dave had given 100 euros to the authorities somehwere along the way, and they were like, "You thought they just let you go?? Why do you think we're allowed to go right now!!!?!?!?!" @#$#@%@%#!!!!! I am still so pissed!! I SO WAS NOT GOING TO PAY.

ARRRRRGH. We SO should not have paid, but since Hetal and Ching-Yin already paid, it was hard for me and Dave not to pay too. We were also freaked out because they had our passports, but cmon, we shouldve just let them bill us and not pay the stupid fine. As if not paying 1 euro for a bus ticket would look that bad on our "record", not like we killed someone!!!!! But it was reeeeeealy hard to argue all this when the rest of ur group paid the fine, and especially when someone paid the fine on ur behalf!!!!!!!!! GRRR!!

Okay, so we decided to put this behind us, so no more about this. If you have questions please just email me.

##vent over##

Sidenote: we also found out how bad we are at being bitches/bastards. Our lines at the police were sooo lame. Hehe. We so need to become more gangsta.

Smooth sailing
The next few days were fine, with the sightseeing and everything. I mean, it couldn't have gotten any worse after what we endured the first night. BUT...

On our way back 'home', our train to the airport departed WAY later than expected, causing us to arrive at the airport just 30 mins before take-off time. Right as the train pulled into the airport, Hetal also realises that she forgot her purse (and all her documentation) back at the breakfast place next to the hostel!!!! (AHHHHHHHHH)

We ran to the transavia.com counter but it was just too late, and no one was there anymore to check us in. So.. basically, we missed our flight. :(

We quickly found out that if we wanted to take the same flight out, it would be the next day, same time and with an additional charge of 160 euros!!! (each) KLM was 800 euros and so was Alitalia for the same day flight. Luckily tho, we found a flight out with VIRGIN express for 92 euros to Amsterdam (still bankrupting us).

Hetal and Ching-yin went back to get the purse, but they couldnt get back in time for the next flight out with Virgin Express, so they were forced to stay an extra night in Rome and take the once-a-day Virgin flight out tomorrow. So, they are still there and worse of all, Hetal's bag was with us when they went back to the hostel, so she is there with NOTHING at all... cept (very little) money of course.

---
All in all, a LOT went wrong in Rome and well, me and Dave dont feel like traveling again for a while. We are SO. BROKE. :-(

Last word: F#$% the transit police in ROME!!!!!!!!!! and boycott TRANSAVIA!! THEY SUCK!!

O Canada

I LOVE CANADA!!

Cannot believe this...

Ants eat away woman's eye in hospital

KOLKATA, India (Reuters) - A woman receiving treatment for diabetes at a state-run hospital in eastern India lost one of her eyes after ants nibbled away at it, officials said on Tuesday.

The patient recovering from a post-surgery infection shrieked for help as the ants attacked her on Sunday night, but nurses told her it was normal to feel pain from the infection.

On Monday, the patient's family saw a gaping hole with swarming ants in it when they lifted the bandage on her left eye.

Authorities of the Sambhunath Hospital in Kolkata said they were probing the incident.

"It's not uncommon for ants to attack diabetic patients. We have set up a committee to investigate the unfortunate incident," hospital superintendent A. Adhikary said.

Scampering rats and stray cats and dogs sharing bed space with patients are not uncommon sights at India's overcrowded state-run hospitals that are used by millions of poor and middle-class people.
--

Wat the hell!?!

Unwanted Nakedness

Some people are just...strange. Okay so here's the deal. In the Netherlands (and possibly other parts of Europe), nakedness is not such a big deal. For example, it's not weird to see topless women at the beach (not just lying down, but running, swimming or even playing beach volleyball). It was enough of a shocker to me last year to find that there were no shower stalls, and even though it was still just ladies, it still felt a bit err--odd. But anyway, I eventually got used to it.

What I haven't gotten used to though is people who walk around naked in the spa at my gym. Back home, we wear swimsuits when we go to the sauna/steamroom, but apparently, that's unhealthy for the body because the body swells up due to the heat, and it restricts your blood flow to wear anything. I thought that the spa would be split between men and women, but it's not, and it's actually very common to enter the sauna to be face-to-*ahem* with someone's ding-dong!

So anyway, the other day, there was a 20something plump Asian girl who was walking around in the changeroom naked. That's not so odd, but then she showered, and also entered the sauna completely naked! Not only was she naked, but upon entering, she chirped a cheerful "Hello!" to everyone in the sauna, which included 3 other guys and me (wrapped in a towel of course). The men of course replied "Hi's" back, while I just stared in utter disbelief. Okay, I didnt' really stare, but I just zoned out and tried not to look at anyone/anything.

I don't know any other situation more awkward then having a naked girl in the sauna and a bunch of guys all supposedly pretending to avert their eyes. It was just.. weird. THEN, she got out of the sauna and at this point I was sitting on a ledge, soaking my feet in a tub of warm water, and she goes to the tub next to me, BENDS OVER (still completely naked) and starts the faucet for the water in her tub. MOREOVER, she then SITS her naked ass onto the ledge, and plants her naked self there for maybe 10 minutes.

I retreat to the changeroom (ladies only now) and proceed to do my own thing. Of course, she saunters in a few minutes later, showers, and then continues to be naked, this time going to the hair dryer and proceeds to DRY HER HAIR while naked! WTF!?!?!?! I had to use the sink while she was drying her hair, and the cord was actually hanging over the sink so I ducked a lil bit to turn the faucet on. At the same moment, she swung her head over and her boob almost touched me, (OMGGGG!!!!), it was SO CLOSE I could even see the mini-nubs that surrounded her nipple!!!

Eeekk... I'm so traumatised, I dont' want to run into her again, I mean, good on her to be so comfortable in her body, but cmonnn!!! save it for yourself, woman!! >:P

Halloween Pics

Afro-Egyptian (me) and Russian 60's Cop (Dave)

Halloween Party Attendees:

• 60s cop complete w/ small plastic gun and huge (HUGE) hair
• Cleopatra (very cheap one as evidenced by the white polyester 'dress' --damn halloween packaged costumes)
• cowgirl w/ dishtowel around neck
• transvestite witch on a real broomstick
• "geisha" in a chinese cheung-sam dress *rolls eyes*
• rudolph the red nose reindeer
• russian chef
• naughty fairy ^_~ *barf*
• arab

Click here for Dave's pics!

Random musings...

• why did i just eat a whole bag of wine gums (minus a few green ones)??
• how the hell do people forget to flush??
• when will i get home early enough to watch King of Queens?
• where is the line between enduring true love and over-the-top obsession?
• will i ever understand my colleagues when they cackle loudly in Dutch?
• how do pigeons injure their feet and why don't we ever see them die?
• why is it that i only want things when they're gone?
• better stop eating candies, i have no dental insurance!

1 missed flight (cost of flight is too outrageous to publish) + EUR 4.50 per head to listen to string quartet + EUR 5 involuntary tip + EUR 8 hot chocolate + 2 unwanted but paid for bottles of white wine = one very expensive weekend in Venice.

Dutch Frickin' Bureaucracy

I'm getting sick n' tired of the Dutch way of doing things. Or should I say, their way of finding the most ways of not doing anything!!! These days, I tell myself its' not worth getting upset, just expect it to take forever with every simple process, because if I have any higher expectations I will just be fooling myself. But still, i cant help but feel infuriated by all this piling up!!!
What exactly am I talking about?

1) MY 2004 TAXES. Steps included: Filing for them in person prior to April 2005, and being told that I'd get it in July 2005. Follow up call in mid-July. Response: Keep waiting. Follow up call in August. Response: You filled out wrong form. Fill in another form. I ask to get help filling it in to avoid more problems. Response: We don't help with that sort of form. Fill it in and send it to us. Follow up call in end of August. Response: Don't have your form. Visit tax office to get someone to fill in the right form, in the RIGHT way. He says that I'll get my taxes in a few weeks. Follow up call in September. Response: We have your form, but it could take up to a year to process. Keep waiting. I tell them my friends have gone thru the exact same form and got their taxes already. Response: Keep waiting, I cannot help you. ARRGH!!!!

2) Work-related logistics: Activating email - wait time: 7 hours + 3 reminder calls to the IT Helpdesk. Getting access to X-drive: at least 3 emails to the IT administrators, still no access. Gaining access to intranet content management: Wait time of 2 weeks, then realised they didnt give me enough access, so still waiting. Security entrance pass: 3 weeks to activate, then after 1 day of working, it does not work again thanks to 'system error'. Without the pass, one needs to be stopped at every exit and fill in redundant forms. It works now but I'm not holding my breath.

3) Mobile phone contract. They say its simple: just bring your bank statement, passport, and bank card. I dont have any bank statements kept so I bring my salary slip, since it has all the info there, such as my pay, my account number, etc. Everything's fine, they even said it's fine to use a salary slip, but then, upon filling out the paperwork, they change their mind and say 'nope, we need a BANK STATEMENT, not a SALARY SLIP.' They are very inflexible and wont budge. Wont open phone contract in the meantime for me. Must have all things together before going forward. SO DUTCH.

4) HR: Providing me with contract- 1 month late. Has no clue about the residence/work permit process, outsources to another company. When asked about the process, they simply say "i dont know, someone else does it." I ask: Can you please find out then where the process is? Their response: There's no point in asking, just wait. I ask "Can you please give me a contact of someone there at least so I can ask myself?" The response: "No, that is not possible."

5) Internet company: I want to cancel my contract so I call the helpline at least 3x. The line costs money so of course each time I wait more than 10 mins and get directed through countless voice trees (in DUTCH, on top of that). Man 1 says: Oh, youve reached tech support. I dont deal with personal account problems. He transfers me (read: puts me in an endless tunnel of black with grossly annoying long beeps as ring tones, I never get picked up and so I have to hang up after 7 or so minutes) Finally when I reach someone who supposedly knows the topic, he says "you have to write a letter to cancel the contract, hold onto ur modem til then and then u can return it to the store" So I do that.

Later I'm informed I can cancel earlier and go to the store w/ my modem and return it. I go. Lady at desk says: "We dont take modems back here. You can cancel by writing a letter. Or over the phone." I say, "I have written a letter already." She says, "okay then just wait. But I cannot take ur modem. Best you phone to cancel ur contract." I know there's no way to force her to take my huge frickin modem that I really did not want to lugg around, so I accept defeat. Then I saw a phone which had the customer service number written on it in permanent marker. Looking at her, I say "Can I use this phone to call and cancel?" She hesitates... thinks for a bit... and then says, ... "I guess so." (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) So I got to cancel over the phone just like that!!!! Stupid person on the phone, told me to write a letter.. but I still had to carry my modem around.

These stories are 100% TRUE. Can you imagine encountering "customer service" like this on a daily basis!?!?!?!?

WELCOME TO THE NETHERLANDS!!!! :P

My G-ma

Life abroad so far has been great and I love it here in Amsterdam, but one thing that keeps me thinking about home and stuff is definitely my Grandma. It was only recently that I realised that by moving to Amsterdam I had chosen a life which did not involve her (sounds stupid I know) but it cemented the fact that 'home' had suddenly been reduced to 2 weeks per year, and that was IF i chose to use my holidays to go home rather than to travel to other parts of the world.

There would be no more spontaneous dimsum-ing, grocery shopping, or eating, no sitting seemingly un-noticeably next to her on the old blue couch watching TVB soap operas, no painting her triangle-filed nails a magenta shade of red whenever we had a big dinner to attend, no plucking beans off her home-grown bean stalks and watching them turn from purple to green in the frying pan, no morning walks at a snails pace with her around the block, no joint exercise sessions where we flail our arms up and down at our sides to rid our bodies of gas, no nothing, maybe just a phone call here or there.

My grandma is one of the most interesting (and amusing) people I know. On my last trip home, I got to spend lots of time with her, especially on the cruise we took from Vancouver to LA where I was her personal milk-tea preparer, food advisor and gambling sidekick. Although the cruise itself was somewhat boring, she kept me amused and I learned a few things about her still.

For one, she is astonishingly unshy about being video-camera'ed or photographed. This was evidenced by my stockpile of 'her eating' photos as well as video footage of her a) taking her morning pills, b) eating beans and c) rolling around in bed during a nap. The bean-eating was especially entertaining, as she stuffed more and more into her grinding mouth, occasionally muttering that she was 'bao' (full) but still stuffing food into her mouth. It was by watching her eat, and the contents of her mouth which would somehow get pushed out to the edge before she rolled them back into her mouth for more grinding, that I realised her mouth was nothing but a machine to break down food, chewing, grinding, and sometimes sloshing with a bit of milk tea.

She is also very complacent and patient. If there's nothing going on, she can totally just sit there, with her soft hands folded on her lap above her giant belly, usually clutching her purse in the same place, and stare very innocently into space. She doesnt' ask annoying questions like 'What are we doing now?" or "Where are we?" or "Are we there yet?" She just kinda sits there.

On the cruise, we had a rare opportunity to do a lil sun tanning, and it was the first time we had ever done so together. It was fun also cuz I think my G-ma's legs see the sun maybe once every ten years, and so this was almost cause for celebration!! On our way to the deck, she informed me that her legs were the envy of every woman in China, cuz they are so straight and look beautiful in cheung-sam's, the traditional Chinese dresses, and well, look at them, pictures dont lie!!!!! :)

The best thing about my G-ma is she never tries to tell me what to do. Although she once said she would prefer that I stay in Vancouver so that we could go dimsum more often (among other reasons), she is so supportive of what I want to do and even paid for my plane ticket back to AMS. Sigh, it sure is a bummer not to be closer to her, but maybe one day, I can find a way for us to be!

WIFI AMSTERDAM

I found the solution!!! After moving to my new place, I haven't really had the need to go online cuz I'm hardly ever home. When I AM at home, I'm too busy lighting candles, changing or running to and from the kitchen/bathroom to really feel like I'm hanging out in the room. So, I wasn't really inclined to keep my contract w/ the internet provider for a whole nother year.

It had come crunch time, where I really needed to decide if I should keep the net or not, cuz the Hungarians from the old house needed me to return the cable modem asap so that they could get a new internet contract for themselves, and as usual, when faced w/ a fairly simple decision I just froze up!! (damn indecision)

Well... today, thanks to the suggestions from the Hungarians about stealing WIFI signals, I looked up on Google where I can do that in Amsterdam and turns out that there is a very cheap way for me to go online, via WIFI!!

INTRODUCING... HotSpot Amsterdam!!!

"Amsterdam to be the first European wifi'd capital"

Woopee! :) I love A'dam <3

Sweet sweet macaroon

Have you ever had one of these?















If you have, then you know what I'm talking about when I say CHEWY, SOFT, SWEET, SHREDDED COCONUT, SUGARY, LUMP OF JOY!

Face-Skin-Thick (Meen Pay Houw)

There's a saying in Chinese that literally translates to your facial skin being thick. It's supposed to mean that you can take a lot of sh*t, that you aren't petty, that you don't take offense easily, etc. Today, I found out how literal that saying actually is.

You see, my new boss is very cool. She's Dutch, powerful, strong, mature and very motivating. She also has very 'thick' skin, which you could compare to an elephant's. I often describe her as a clay face, one that you might have moulded out of pottery materials and left out to dry. She's that strong! Anyway, today she told me very bluntly never to do something ever again and it was a bit intimidating, but along w/ her steel blue eyes and tough exterior, I took her seriously and won't ever do what I did again.

I guess it takes some getting used to when dealing with the bluntness of the Dutch. I consider myself straight forward too but now it's quite fun to be on the receiving end. There's that initial shock of 'did she just say what she said she did?' and 'whats with the intense stare that came with the saying?' but then over time, you just appreciate that the person could be that up front with you. Now I know where the boundaries stand, right??

Anyway, the new job is going well, the days go by quickly and I'm happy being able to stare out my window and see half of Amsterdam in my 15th floor view. The last week has been super sunny and its' unbelievable that it's already October and still like this! :)

Here we go again...

It's a nice, familiar feeling to be back in Amsterdam in the fall, with the air just getting cold again, people are in gloves, hats, scarves and boots, and the the city has a slightly dark feel. It's been exactly one year since I first arrived here and I can't believe how much things have changed!! I'm currently living in the very centre of the city, close to a major clubbing area, right on one of the coolest streets in Amsterdam filled w/ good restaurants and funky shops.

Altho it's in the centre, it's still relatively quiet, and in the morning when I walk out to the tram stop and wait by the canal, the flower stand is busy being set up and you can smell fresh bread being baked in the neighborhood 'warme bakker' bakeries. People are riding by on their bicycles, some in crisp suits and others in casual mismatched clothing, I can't wait to fix my bike(s) so I can also ride to work!! It's now the end of my first week at my new job and so far it's been fabulous! I have a great team of 6 (including me) who are all Dutch and seem to work great together, everyone has a role to do, it doesn't seem like too much to handle, and my manager is a great leader... I could really see myself staying here if things stay this good...

so here is the question. say you have a dream job, something u think u'd love to do. but when u get that dream job, the job benefits suck, the work environment sucks, your coworkers suck, there is no job satisfaction or recognition, etc. but it IS your dream job and you are essentially doing what you love. Is it really then a 'dream job'?

On the other hand, what if you had a job you were skilled at, and knew you could do, with a bit of challenge and change thrown in here and there, it's not in your dream field/job, but everything else is wonderful: ur coworkers, your pay, your boss, job recognition, work life balance, location, etc.

Is it then really a 'shame' to not have gone for the dream job? We all have hobbies, interests and passions.. but do they necessarily have to become our jobs? and maybe, just maybe, its more than the job that really matters. What do you think?

Monkeys on da bus

Cool, no crashing yet. I have time to reflect on some things in HK...

Last night on the bus back from Causeway Bay, (it was a 60 min ride to get back home) I was sitting behind a young 20-something couple who were very close. The girl decided to take a nap by nestling her head into her boyfriend's neck and then eventually leaned over to rest her head on his lap, while his body slowly bent over her, and his head eventually began bobbing to and fro as well. For most of the ride, they were folded together like this.

About 20 mins later, she awoke with her hair in a mess, and the natural parting of her hair was pretty much unidentifiable. That is, until her boy started patting her hair down, picking strand by strand which way it should go (on which side of the part), picking and patting, picking and patting down the hair, until it was as good as freshly styled, before lightly pushing her head back into his neck so they could snuggle. Meanwhile, the groggy girl just let him groom her, and let herself be cuddled. It was like she was a toy he was playing w/.. styling a barbie, almost.

I found it quite comical to see the whole hair-picking and hair-parting and it reminded me of apes picking lice off each other. It was sweet... but hrm.. maybe it was weird to me that he was so thoughtful and considerate.. I guess it's a HK guy thing??

HK in a nutshell

Since this crashed on me the last time I tried to blog, here is a supa-quickie entry on HK:

-its muggy and hot (i like it!)
-the people are really really small
-there are many seniors that look like they belong in a coffin
-people's hair styles are either fried or dyed, or sometimes both
-there are apparently 4 girls to every guy but,
-i have not seen ONE goodlooking guy
-the suits are cheap
-the electronics are really coool!
-i like melon flavoured soy milk
-i'm on the prowl for pineapple bun w/ egg cream inside (WHERE IS IT GODAMMIT!!?)
-i've shopped non-stop since I arrived (NO JOKE)
-i'm flat out broke. but still shopping :)
-we decided to skip China because, well, China came to HK.
-i wake up bloated every morning from the freakin humidity
-ive been told countless times how fat i am and how bad my skin is by my loving aunt :P
-the customer service here is impeccable!! (delivery of my new glasses to my hotel??!) what??
-ive become over the top materialistic
-bargaining wont make u friends
-i want to go clubbing but no one to go w/!
-is there anything more to HK than just shopping??

Greedy me

I am so greedy... in my hands I clutch onto 4-5 different job prospects/offers, and I don't want to let any one of them go. I know I can't have them all, but I will keep my hands on each and everyone one until the moment someone comes to pry them away, finger by finger.

It's hard to comprehend exactly what's going on right now, with all the peeps chasing me down asking me to work for them, but I really can't complain. All I can complain about is my damn indecisiveness and not knowing which job to take.

---
ANYWAY! Alberta's in town and I'm busy trying to best show her what Amsterdam is all about. She has already tried stroopwafels in Vancouver and so all that's left now is:

• Vla (light and airy pudding)
• Milk n' Fruit (fruit flavoured milk, what else did you think it could be, dummi? ;)
• Pancakes w/ nutella and hagelslag (sprinkles)
• Gouda cheese sandwiches or on its own
• Fruit teas w/ milk, mmm
• Drop (licorice)
• MAYBE some stampot/hutspot (mashed potatoes with mashed crap inside)
• Kroket (fried unidentifiable meat w/ crispy exterior)
• Cone fries (in Belgium)

We will be hitting my favourite city tomorrow: BRUSSELS!! for some well deserved cake and pies, and of course a lil sight seeing. There is a beer festival on right now so there will be many tents w/ different kinds of beer in the Grand Place. O yA!

My head is being hunted

VS.











I'm going to Hong Kong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, today I got a call from my contact there who invited me to go to HK for an assessment and meet with some key HR contacts who are going to offer me a 'package'!! The best part is, I don't have to decide if I want to take the job until I get back to Amsterdam... but I'm SO considering it now. WOOHOO!!!!!

A tribute to BBQs

We had a BBQ in our backyard last weekend to clear out the fridge. As you can see, it was nice sunny weather and very delicious :) Note: Gouda cheese on burgers is to die for...

Photo Captions: (Starting on top left, clockwise)

• Can this Taiwanese/Canadian guy (Dave) be trusted??
• *sizzle* *crack* looking pretty tasty mm-mm!
• Me: Oh Cheesy-Burger, I am under your spell!! Dave: Works every time ;)
• Nico: Ooo gas sure travels fast. Me: Hehe, way to keep the fire going!

Big props to Dave for lighting the (coal) grill in under 10 minutes, you know that's why you were selected to live with us, don't you?? ;)

I h8 decision-making

Library to lend out gays and Muslims

23 August 2005

AMSTERDAM — Members of the public will be able to borrow more than books at Almelo Library. In September, people will be able to "borrow"a gay person, gypsy or a Muslim for an hour.

Jan Krol, the head of the library, got the idea from a Swedish colleague who set up a similar "forget the stereotypes" project in Malmo.

People will be allowed to bring the "borrowee" to a cafe for an hour next to Almelo library to ask questions they would not normally dare to ask.

Krol is putting together a group of 10 people — representing different minority groups — to volunteer to be lent out. One of the volunteers is a Muslim woman living in a local asylum seekers centre.

Krol is also chairperson of the Twente and Achterhoek branch of the gay organisation COC.

[Copyright Expatica News + ANP 2005]

--
Interesting isnt it?? Me and my friend are planning to borrow a gypsy. :)

Life has been a whirlwind as of late, and only recently have I been able to take a breather. Finally things are somewhat set.. but still not.. But after what I have gone through, I find myself in a state of utter indecision, where even the simplest decisions are impossible for me. Ugh it is so horrible to be like this!

Anyway, this weekend, we've got the second christening of the TEAM ABN AMRO boat in Rotterdam and I got a free ticket to go. If you dont know already , we are sponsoring 2 boats in the Volvo Ocean Race (a 9 month long boat race around the world), --I cant believe I am promoting this-- but anyway I'll be going for the free food and drinks and concert w/ Kane, a dutch band w/ an extremely HOT singer :D See, it all makes sense after all.

The rest of the weekend will be spent exploring uitmarkt, which is an annual festival in Amsterdam all over town, with shows, music, and other art performances scattered around. Hope it's nice weather!!

O yea, we had like 3 BBQ's in the past week cuz we had company, and we also wanted to clear out the fridge since Nico and Sofie are moving out (Waaaaahhhhh!!! :( jk..) They will be moving together into a very nice apartment, and so I will be staying in our house with a new guy from Canada -Dave- and Robert, the Hungarian. I will be moving too eventually but just in a few months maybe, but for now it will be interesting to see how the house is without Nico and Sofie. (Probably dead). but anyway we'll see. From the BBQs I learned that sausages are only good around 5-10 minutes fresh off the grill. I tried to take a few to work the next day and 'warm them up' in my soup, but they still tasted like (very fatty) rolled up cardboard shreddings. Blech...

I have Achilles Tendonitis

"Women who wear high-heeled shoes often and switch to sneakers for exercise also can develop Achilles tendonitis. The Achilles tendon and lower leg muscles gradually adapt to a shortened position because the shoes prevent the heel from stretching all the way to the ground. When this occurs, wearing sneakers or flat shoes forces the Achilles tendon to stretch further than it is accustomed to, causing inflammation. If high heels are worn everyday, stretching should be done every morning and night to keep the Achilles tendon lengthened. "

So, I have my answer. Owww...

Money ain't a thang

So I had a time span of 30 mins to try to find a pair of nice looking jeans, and I found myself in the DIESEL store of the main shopping street in Amsterdam yesterday. A few weeks prior I had already been scouting for jeans at the Replay store, and well, even though the price tag was demanding way too much from me, I went back twice to try on the same pair of jeans, both times without buying anything. Yes, I should be ashamed of myself, but what the heck, I did it anyway.

So this time, I decided to try and see if I could finally find a pair of DIESEL jeans that fit me well, as I have always wanted to own a pair 'for life'. The lady gave me 3 pairs and after I squeezed myself into the first pair, I knew it was over. I asked her, "Can I walk out in these?" to which she replied, "Well, if you buy them first." So... I went down to the first floor, paid the completely overpriced amount and changed into MY new pair of jeans.

I have never felt happier!!!!!

oh oh gotta go party now, TO BE CONTINUED...

Never 100%

I dunno what's up lately. I seem to always be sick!

Last week after boxing class, I injured my wrists and they were sore for a few days. Then, I got bit by a gang of mosquitos all over my lower left leg, causing me to hobble around like a cripple for another few days (the swelling was horrific around my ankle). Now, my ankle is finally healing and I have found a swollen lump on the right side of my neck! It's so gross, and I've been told it's just a regular lymph node fighting off some kind of infection in my body. But when will it finish???

I just tried to lie down, and it felt like the lymph node weighs 3 pounds on its own, the way it seemed to pull all of my head's weight down. What the hell!? I wanna get well!!!!

Other than the sicknesses, life has been stressful. There are so many decisions to be made and I am not in any position to make them yet. It's like constantly being dangled in mid-air. What is going to happen!!!??!?!?! I'm getting impatient.

Ghetto Superstar

Purchase of the day: adidas superstar shoes
Goal for the next 2 months: be able to move like missy elliott and her crew in her 'lose control' video
Just ingested: Milka Luflee (chocolate bar)
Instead of: Kit Kat Chunky
Feeling: very, very dissatisfied.

Rain, rain and more rain

It's another rainy July day in Amsterdam, and the whole rest of the week is forecasted to be the same. Everything is grey and the air looks thick and muggy. I so do not wanna walk out there in the rain, but, it is the only option as I have no car or other bubble form to enclose me from the cold wind and rain. Grrrr. Where is the nice sun n' beach weather!?!

Been having a pretty fun week and it's thanks to the increase of human contact I've had in the form of telephone chats and skype (add me: wafflerica!) Here are some of the things that made me laugh this week:

Me: He's addicted to salsa.
R: Are you sure it's not salsa n' chips?

Rob (to Max): Get off of me, I can see ur anus!!

C: A midget is any person under 137cm.
Me: How the hell did you know that?!

Me: Does anyone want this last chicken foot? *yum
Ch: I'll eat it!
Me: wtf!?
N (in a distinguished English accent): YOU bitch.

Me: Just wait til you get your face mashed by someone's lips.
A: I wish.

B: Nay... joe-gun meh-ah? hehe

CP: She has those...GOOD VALUES I would say.

oh, and did I mention, i returned home yesterday to find a huge pile of shit (literally) in my bed? Yes, it was Max. That ungrateful bastard!!!!

Dutch WCs: Odour incubators

At work, there are 2 stalls in the bathroom, both with doors that go all the way up to the ceiling and leave only a tiny crack at the bottom. Once inside the stall, there is a (relatively) strong lock that seals you inside this solitary room that fits a single toilet. Most 'WC's (water closets) are built this way, they are, literally, closets, where you are fully enclosed to take in the nastiest odours, produced by yours truly (YOU, not me, well... me too. hehe)

The toilets are structured this way for privacy's sake, something the Dutch favour highly. Since they are the most densely populated country in the world, they really like to build walls (both physically and psychologically!) If by chance you were to run out of toilet paper, you're on your own, there is no way you could ask your next door neighbour to pass you a few squares. Luckily, this has never happened to me before.

Anyway, everytime I go into the bathroom and there is someone who just came out, it is always a toss-up which door I should go into. Behind one door is a fresh, fragrant stall that has not been used for at least 10 minutes. The other door, however, is guaranteed to reek of recent rising wafts of stank from whatever the previous person was doing. The key here is not to offend the person who is currently washing their hands. So.. sometimes even though it is obvious which stall should be chosen (from listening to where the post-flush noise is coming from), I would have to go into the not so pleasant option.

...I don't call them odour incubators for no reason. *gag*

Call me Yuschenko

ahhhhh my face is changing!! somebody help me!!! its bumpy, its itchy, its red... i'm turning into victor yushenko!! have i been poisoned?? what the hell's going on!?!?!?

after a bout of deep thinking...I came to realise that I must be allergic to cats!!

See, it only started after we got Max and Kiek (meet Max below), and they have been playing around/sleeping in my room a bit, so yea, all of a sudden, I am allergic to cat dander. My boss confirmed that she also got allergies upon coming to Amsterdam, and then another Dutchie said to me that he also got new allergies when he moved to Amsterdam. So, there must be something about this city...

My stomach has a heartbeat

Sitting in front of my computer at work on this Tuesday afternoon, I realise I have just stuffed myself with a cup of chocolate vla (aka pudding), a large crisp apple, several cough drops, and 500 ml of water.. all this after a lunch of bread w/ 2 slices old cheese, fruit salad, and a cup of soup.

Feeling already like a blimp, I looked down at my pink tank top-wrapped stomach 5 mins ago to find that it was beating rhythmically in a dooown-UP!-dooown-UP! fashion. If it could talk, it would probably say "(gargle) more food, MORE!!! glub-glub-glub"

Ugh! Must. Stop. Eating!!!

Our Monochromatic Friend - Max

Max

Max likes to sit around. He is laid back, calm and quiet. He has a black triangle on his nose that makes him look like a koala. And his paws prints are perfectly inked in black. I like Max. He is our visitor until mid-August when his owner (and our colleague) comes back from his honeymoon.

Wholesome Swimwear

Watch out Sports Illustrated swimsuit models, these 3 ladies (especially Ms. Slimming Swimmer with a mullet and mustache) might take over the scene!

From www.wholesomewear.com:

"WholesomeWear is a modest line of clothing for "wherever." Our WaterWear is the first to be introduced because the need for modesty in swimwear is greatest and the supply is almost non-existant. Swimwear that "highlights the face, rather than the body" includes an undergarment with bright colours at the neck and shoulders to draw attention to the face. "

What the hell? Let's see them wear that in 30+ degree weather!

NAPOLI pt.2

Fond memories of Napoli...

• the hot sun
• the sandy beaches
• the blue sky
• the piles of garbage on the streets
• the vespas/scooters racing around
• the mini-buses
• the crazy driving
• the flirting romantic men
• the HOT men
• the Jesse Metcalfe look-alike
• the quick-melting gelato
• the half cooked pastas
• the little sauces
• the scorching heat
• wet backpack straps from our sweat :P

It was an awesome time in Naples ... We didn't do the usual tourist thing like visit all the sites and stuff, but hung out with a really cool bunch of people: the AIESEC Napoli Parthenope crew. They included Giulio (thanks for hosting us!!), Franco, Bianca, Camilla, Maria, Anarosa, Luigi & Co., etc. and I will never forget any of you! It was so nice of them to just let us tag along with them the whole weekend. :) With them, we went to downtown Napoli, a cool beach club in Napoli, Sorrento, and the island of Ischia. Me and Ching-Yin also visited the archaeological site of Pompei, where it was so hot we nearly melted into the sand ourselves.

It's true that Italian men are very romantic (*cough*horny*cough*). They don't beat around the bush and they dont' waste time when it comes to hitting on girls. If they like you (which doesnt necessarily have to be beyond surface levels), they'll tell you or show you, depending on how brash he is. It seems that in their minds, there's no use in playing those silly mind games because you're only really wasting time. Think, if everyone just said "I like you" and that person liked them back, hook-ups could happen in a matter of minutes rather than weeks. And that's exactly how it happens in Napoli. ;)

So... lesson learned: Don't waste time and just show your feelings, if you're lucky enough to have any. Hehe.

<--real Napoli Margherita pizza sold by the metre!

Fly, woman, fly!

Apparently these images are too abrasive for bank communications, due to the fact that they are: -funny, -energetic, -different, -eyecatching, -cool, -inspiring, etc.

I ask myself everyday:

What am I doing here?

NAPOLI

We are sitting in the AIESEC Napoli Parthenope office right now and just chilling out. it is amazing how similar all the aiesec offices are around the world. here there is enough space for maybe 10 people to squish, 2 computers, flags from all over the world covering the walls and ceilings, certificates, and a tshirt on the wall with the familiar line: its cool to be..its cool to be an lcp...

its been amazing the whole weekend. we hung out with 2 ceeders from germany and denmark, and a whole bunch of lc members as well and they all were so keen to take us around and party too. we went to the beach several times and oh oops our host is telling me to go now, back into the scorching sun and its time for me to get some more gelato and a nice pasta lunch.. mmm cant wait!!!!!!!! back to write when theres time.. take care everyone!

Invincible no more

You think you're indestructible, you think you're invincible, you think nothing can stop you, until you hit something and DIE.

It goes something like this: While driving, or riding a bicycle, you tend to have those 'close calls', those times when you wonder 'How the hell did I get through that small space without scraping my car on both sides' or 'woa that was close' or something along those lines. Well I had always been a lil cocky in my car/on my bike. I would go dangerously close behind cars (aka tailgating) or swerve around on my bicycle without knowing how the hell i'd get between parked cars and moving cars on my sides, truck mirrors inches from my face as I sped by, getting stuck in tram tracks, the works. Somehow, I always made it thru.

Last night, I learned I am not always so lucky.

I was carrying Ching-Yin on the back of my bike, making a left turn and I saw a girl riding her bike straight, so somehow I thought she would speed up so I could go pass behind her as she rode by, but she DIDNT, and I ran full speed into her back wheel for a full on bike collision. What happened next was a blur: The bike tipped over, I flew off and hit the pavement with my palms and left knee, I hear Ching-Yin going "are u okay are u okay????" and suddenly I'm on my back staring into the starless Amsterdam sky.

At this point I look down and see a TEAR in my jeans on my left knee (and think, o great now Sofie is going to think I copied her ripped jeans look) but how cool is that?? I ACTUALLY RIPPED A HOLE IN MY JEANS FROM A REAL INJURY!! now THATs authentic hardcore!!! :D But looking beyond the tear, I see scraped skin and some blood. :( Anyway my bike seemed to be okay after a kick in the back by Ching-Yin, and now I am hobbling around like a cripple.

I learned my lesson though, I never thought I'd actually hit anything/anyone.. but it happens. I'll TRY to be more careful.. but yea who am I kidding.. hehe.

Cool people

When you're abroad, you tend to meet a lot of people you would never otherwise come across in your lifetime. Some of them you don't quite notice too much, but others have a bigger impact on you and your perception of the world and of people in general.

For example, before coming abroad on my traineeship, I had never met a 'real' Swede, Uruguayan, or Austrian (not to be confused with Australia). All I knew about Sweden was that they shipped their ice hockey players to our teams, about Uruguay - Homer Simpsons 'U R GAY', and Austria - Ahnold Schwarzeneggar, of course.

I find it so enriching (yes fancy wording) to meet people whom I know nothing about, who are from a place where I can't even really imagine what it's like to have a life there. You would think they are very different but the biggest realisation for me was how much the US has influenced the world, in terms of pop culture for instance.

My Swedish roommate is an avid viewer of "Nip Tuck" and "The OC", there is a German trainee claims to be a 'movie expert' and you can take that as truth becuz he just knows so damn many movies (out of Hollywood), my Hungarian roommate is big into brands like Puma and Diesel, and the now very famous Austrian coworker of mine probably knows more lyrics to 50cent's Candy Shop than I do (he definitely has the moves down).

Sometimes it's hard to make a connection with people who are from completely different backgrounds. If you happen to have nothing in common, that's one thing, but if it happens you do, sometimes it's a language barrier that makes one person have less of a personality. Then, you also need to overcome the 'superficial conversations' that are inevitable when you have too many acquaintances from all different parts of the world. The topics never stray far from: the weather, how long you've been here, when your contract ends, where you are from and what it's like there. Repeat 20x and see if you like meeting new people anymore.

That's why it's so nice to meet people that, despite coming from a totally different background and maybe mother tongue, you are able to connect with, on a deeper level of understanding and conversation. Surprisingly, I found this in a thin, willowy Austrian fellow. I've always been a fan of wise, intellectual (yet sickly funny) folk and I have to say that he is one of them.

So here's to you Chris, the guy who can:

• talk forever on philosophical topics, financial topics, relational topics, u name it, all the while interspersed w/ "Ja", "I mean" or "To be honest"..
• shake his butt like no man has ever (wanted to) seen
• squint to have smaller eyes than Asians themselves
• match his eye colour to his hair
• get the attention of everyone in the clubs with his swaying 'loose hips'

Take care, u'll be missed!

Beach boobies

"They have my size!!"

hehe. The last weekend has been crazy hot in Amsterdam and pretty much all of Holland, with temperatures in the low to mid 30's (celsius). Supposedly, this rarely happens in the mostly cloudy Netherlands, where it's said that you only need two seasons of clothing: winter and fall. Therefore, at the first glimpse of sunlight, you can expect to find a Dutchie in shorts.

So, on Sunday, me and Sofie went to Zandvoort, the same place as our beach party a few weeks back, but this time, to get some serious tanning done. I didn't bring any sunscreen, thinking that compared to the average fair person I had really strong skin that could stand up to the blistering sun, but was I ever wrong. I am SO burnt. Not only that, but I have the ugliest tanline on my back, cuz as I was lying on my stomach, the little string around my skirt had shifted itself to lie right across my back, so now I have a striped back. :P It hurts to move now owww, my shoulders!!

The view on the beach was quite interesting as well. There are lil tarps everywhere and beach chairs, and if you happen to take one of them, someone will come around to collect 8 euros from you for using them. There are also people who walk around asking you if you'd like any drinks, and they will deliver them to you after running back to their shops on the boardwalk. Aside from that, a LOT of women were *gasp* topless! Okay, so I AM in Europe.. but I guess I just didn't expect to see that really. The last time I was in Europe (in 1995 w/ my parents on a bus tour) I remember going to a pebbly beach and us all gawking at ONE woman with her top off. This time, they were everywhere!

You'd think it'd be some kinda heaven for guys wouldn't you, but let me tell you, I'd think again. There are women of all ages there, of all shades of tans, and some really should get out of the sun (they're nearly orange or black!!). Their 'assets' are of all shapes, triangular, round, droopy, wrinkly, you name it, its there. And the weirdest thing was, me and Sofie were saying, it'd be okay if they're just lying there, doing nothing but laying still, but these women were doing everything from walking, running, playing volleyball, and splashing around in the water. We weren't used to it at all. :P Oh, and the worst thing I saw has got to be this woman with huuuuuge breasts, and her nipples were like the size of my palms! (For anyone who's reading this who actually has nipples that size, I apologize in advance, please do not take any personal offense to this. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, it's just have never seen anything like that before.) :P

busted!

Today I arrived at the company gym to find a notification on my locker door. It said something like, "lockers are not for personal use, yada yada yada.." :P Yea, I have been keeping my shower stuff in there for months now, but I guess they finally noticed...

So before my workout, I removed the notice and stuck it onto the locker beside mine (hehe) and went on my way. However, after I returned from my workout, I was shocked to find that the notice was returned to MY locker once again!! So whoever did it probably knew I was in the gym, and pinpointed me (dammit!) Aiya.. Looks like I might have to keep moving around to different lockers, or finally remove my stuff :P


The gym lockers.

cookies are simple

THIS is a chocolate chip cookie. It is perfect, with its generous amount of chocolate chips poking thru the surface, the bronze clumps of cooked, crispy sugar, the buttery goodness wrapped inside the sugar shell...can u say Mmmmm????

It's rainy days like these when such a cookie makes me wish that life was just as easy as making a chocolate chip cookie. You put in the pre-determined measured amounts of each ingredient, bake it at the right temperature for the exact amount of time, and out pops just what you were expecting: sweet, perfect pieces of absolute heaven.

I guess I'm at that stage of my life where there's just so much to decide that I wish someone would just tell me what to do, and I could be happy with it. Right now, I really have no freakin clue. :P