Smoking ban

The last couple of days was full of stories about people complaining about the non-smoking rules in public bars. (forbidden since the 1st of July)

Personally, I do not mind. I do not smoke, and do not go to bars (anymore). My boyfriend smokes, but does not go to bars (because he does not drink alcohol).

So, my opionion goes up in smoke!!!

the last mile…

Summer holiday is near.

I have to work really hard this week, in order to enjoy my (deserved) holiday.

Sping? Naaah…

Yesterday I was filled with positivity and joy, especially after looking out of the window. The sun was shining, birds were singing, it smelled like flowers…oh joy, it might be spring.

So I whipped out my springiest outfit out of my wardrobe: a flowery skirt with a pink sweater and purple tights (yup, still some tights, my legs are not bare-ready yet)….and, tadaaah,…..<brrr> it was still chilly outside.

I persevered and went to Amsterdam in my springy clothes: I had to apply for the University Library in Amsterdam in order to rent books over there (for my dissertation). However, I have the free library card (yey) but I could not yet look inside the journals I needed yet (probably monday), Indian Journal of Gender Studies , so I went shopping…

I went to American Apparel, a vintage shop, and more superficial glossy magazines….It was lovely…even though it was not really warm yet…

Missing little ol’ Britain

Today I heared some Brits asking the way in our little village. It was really lovely to hear some genuine English again.

Moreover, I learned more from the Liverpool Hope University as I first thought. In the lecture ‘Gender and Ethnicity in Europe’ I was quite aware about the Scottish situation to the English mindset, something I learned in Zoë Kinsley lovely course “Travel and Adventure in English Literatue”.

Plus, having to meet such a wonderful variety of Europeans during my Aigburth time gave me lots of information about various countries: for example, Bulgaria, the lovely Kathia told me about Bulgaria being enslaved by the Turkish for 500 years!!! That was something I hadn’t learned in history class in primary and secondary school.

Or, how the Catalans (Joan and Laila) live in a Castalian society, which gave funny (but serious underneath) conversations of what is Spanish or not with the Castilians (Jose and Fran).

From Philip I heard something about the Sovjet experience of the Tjech Republic (he lived under Sovjet rule for the first 10 years of his life), and how he could be somewhat nostalgic for the peaceful period without much capitalism that was prevalent during that time.

Yeh, I am really thankful for this experience and stories, which I could not have learned in such a way when reading a history book. Thank you for giving the history such a wonderful face…

9 things I would say to my younger self…(10 years ago)

1. You had so much fun in Barcelona, but do not expect that your American boyfriend will keep contact with you. You will feel sad about this, but remember that there are more suitable persons for you, and you will find your match…                                                                                     
2. Please, do not befriend that boy in the Dutch discotheque…he, and his friends, will ruin 4 years of your precious life… And do not spend your photographs on them: you will burn them anyway.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
3.                                                                                                                                                              Change from Leiden University to another University, change subjects if you like, but do not leave Uni, because you are still smart (just a bit confused right now)…
4. Enjoy your beautiful skin for the couple of years it takes.                                                                    
5. USE SUNBLOCK, even though the people around you say that tanned people are more beautiful.                                                                                                                                                        
6. Yes, he might be (so much) more beautiful than you, but if he is interested…go ahead. He will value your intellect and personality…(and think your eyes are gorgeous)                                                 
7. TRAVEL TRAVEL TRAVEL, even if you think you are travelling a lot, you can travel so much more…                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
8. Be kind with your mother and enjoy being with her…she will have just a couple of years left to live… (or go and see several doctors with her who can detect the cancer in an early stage)           
9. Enjoy being innocent and naive…your intuition will keep you from doing really stupid things (and your older self knows)                                                                                                                        

How to…be as cheap as the Dutch

Finally, I have the inspiration to write down something about one of the strange Dutch stereotypes that we are the Cheapskates of Europe. We are not the only to share this ‘wonderful’ title: in Spain, the Catalan are supposed to be cheap, and in Great Britain, it is the Scottish who hold their title. However, we are a full nation (and not a part of a nation) that is known for this habit…

First I want to accentuate that the next points will be stereotypes, which may be partly true and sometimes still applicable in some parts of the country, however, the city districts are becoming less cheap and adopting a more generous lifestyle. Nevertheless, it is still fun to read some of our ‘tips’ of being cheap.

1. Stamps are not only for postcards:

actually, we sample “zegeltjes” on any occasion to save money or to save for goods, such as coffeecups (Douwe Egberts coffee), discounts, and other products. Some saving methods are so intricate that you have to keep a whole accounting department in order to make sense of all the saving you have to do and calculate all the stamps you need for a coffeemug that would have cost you 2 euro in the store. It will bind the client to a certain shop, in order to get the stamps the consumer wants. I am not sure if it is really a money saving tool, but it sure makes the Dutch look cheap, LOL. More information on http://www.scholieren.com/werkstukken/6811 and here and translation on http://www.worldlingo.com/en/products_services/worldlingo_translator.html

2. Scrape everything together:

This fantastic tool is typically Dutch: “de flessenlikker” or a “jar licker”, which is used to help you get every last scrap from the bottle of a long jar or a pack of yogurt or “vla”. More cute info over here

3. Compare, compare, compare…

I does not matter if you are doing groceries or shopping for a car…the Dutch compare different prices, turn to consumer’s test magazines, and browse through tons of flyers in order to find the best deal…It makes a great conversation item to say that you saved a lot on your apple Ipod, when you bought it on X instead of Y. It is also a side of competition…if you could find a cheaper deal than your friend, you are the man (or the woman).

4a. Staying in, instead of eating and going out…

Unlike our mediterranean friends, and the rest of the world, we still save on food…we do not go to restaurants a lot, we still cook a lot at home, and…shock, some even bring their own sandwiches to school or work.

 What we save on food and staying in a lot, we splurge on making our home as “gezellig” as possible (which means displaying a lot of stuff).

4b. If eating out…

(Sorry for the cursing man for the people who can understand Dutch, not my video)

Yup, you can take some cheap fried food out of the wall…Other options are eating more fried food in the snackbar, or taking out chinese food (about 10 euro for a big meal)

5. Cycling again, and other forms of transport. We even have bikes to carry all your children, groceries and so on:

and the double decker bike:

6. Markets!!! They are not typically Dutch, but they still matter on saving money. Even the smallest town have a weekly market…

Personally, I am not sure if it is really cheaper, but their slogan used to be “op de markt is uw gulden een daalder waard”, which means “at the market your 1 euro coin is worth 2 euros” or “you get more value for your money at the market”

So, that was my impression of how to save money-or be as cheap- as the Dutch. You can find some more information about our strange habits from an ‘outsider’s’ view in the wonderful book The Undutchables

How to…cope being alone

I have been thinking a lot about the ‘how to’ blog category lately. I was hesitating for letting the category exist in my blog: I am not the kind of person who likes to ‘impose’ my ‘fantastic help’ upon someone.

Secondly, I do not have the perfect life and I definately do not want to give advise I cannot follow myself, or have no experience in.

I wanted to write about a subject that I am fairly familiar with and that I can give some proper advise upon (turns out that I am not an expert in many things at all).

Therefore, I found the subject of being alone (do not confuse this with being lonely) to be quite appealing. I have been alone for large periods in my life, and recently, I have been alone during my exchange programm in the UK.

Funnily, by boyfriend pointed out that I was alone on every single picture taken at the Erasmus programm. He added that all other persons were on the pictures with someone else, except me…I found this to be quite confronting at first: I knew I was alone (also lonely) at several occasions in the UK, but I was not aware that I was alone during the time the pictures were made, the party moments.

• First, before giving my version of advise, listen to Nina Simone’s ”Ain’t Got No…” 

       As she points out: You can look at the things you do not have: Friends (good            company), good clothes, a social life, no sisters and brothers, no parents…However, you have yourself, and if you can read this blog, at least your eyes are functioning, you have access to internet, your brain functions to understand the reading word. There are probably more things that are working from your body. You have your best friend with you: that is you, yourself!

• There are six billion people on this earth. If you would really compromise, you could have company anytime. But remember, you do not want to be with just anybody! Our beautiful Italians would say: Meglio sola che male accompagnata or Better to be alone than in bad company. Do not let your own values and standards go in order to be liked.  In the past I was a big partyanimal with lots of ‘friends’. However,I have never felt as lonely as in a crowd with ’friends’ that were no good to me (laugh behind my back, sabotaging my life, doing drugs, ignoring me when I needed a listening ear the most). Therefore yes, you are better alone than in bad company.
• Honestly, I am not the most positive person in the world, however, I do believe that there are semi-soulmates to be found on earth. They can never be a full match to your personality, but they can make friend-potential.
• Moreover, I am not that spiritually connected either. Still, if you can find some strength from a higher source (God, spirit, other spiritual guidance) you will know that you are never totally on your own.
• If you are a complete atheist, then you can count on the ’spirit’ of the self, your subconsious, to be your friend.
• Try to see friendship beyond the obvious: your grandmother can be a wonderful friend, sometimes you have a connection with the lady in the supermarket, or, a pet can be a wonderful companion.
• Ofcourse, internet can do wonders for the socially deprived among us. I have found some lovely companion on forums about the funniest topics. Ok, it is not the ‘hollywood’-type of friendship, but it is a connection that can make you feel ok about yourself. Look for persons who like similar activities, and write as you like.
• Do not obsess about having the beforementioned “hollywood”-like friendship! Friendship is being exaggerated in films and series: for example: the girls in Sex and the City are not the same bunch of happy friends in real life. These versions of friendship are almost always idealised, and trying to keep up with this idyllic picture is not realistic for a friendship.
• Enjoy being alone! I love having friends, but every now and then…it is better to do things on your own and explore your own feelings about something. I love to shop on my own, without pressure from somebody else. Again, there are 6 billion people on this planet, it can feel good to totally connect with your self, instead of being in a crowd with different opinions and influences…enjoy the sentiment of feeling good about yourself.
• Take quality over quantity. I do not have as many persons in my life as I used to have. The ones I have, are real friends. In the past, I actually ‘deleted’ some ‘friends’ who were not beneficial to me. In the beginning, it can feel somewhat lonely, but you feel better when the negative influences are out of your life…keep up the good flow.

Ok, as I mentioned earlier…this is just my opinion and you can see what you can do with this. I am not a guru or something (always question any gury, by the way), but it is just some things I learned in my weary life…teehee…

So, have fun with the people who value….

What is up for 2008?

First of all, let me wish you a blissful, happy and succesful 2008!

Was 2007 as succesful for you as you imagined it would be? To me, it was succesful in an acadamic way: I received some pretty good grades at University, and found a subject that really interests me (Postcolonial studies)…

I went to another country for an exchange programm (erasmus), the Uk, and it was a valuable experience, both socially and academically.

I have enough goals to fulfill for 2008:

• First, I want to receive my bachelor degree this year. So I can be extra proud of myself for finalizing a higher education level.
• I want to explore my business potential(s): becoming a succesful businesswoman and negotiator (although I haven’t narrowed my field yet, this is a goal I want to achieve)
• Clotheswise and fashionwise, buy more expensive classic items and keep the cheap and cheerful for the more faddish items.
• I would love to visit a new country and/or city this year: Canada, NYC, Brazil, Sweden…so many countries, so little time.
• or revisit an excellent country/city I have been before (Barcelona/Bangkok/Scotland)
• Become more of a minimalist (instead of the ultimate chaotic gatherer of all things cosmetic/fashion/etc)—>a need for a big spring-clean
• Get more valuable friends and maintaining the good friendships I already have (friends are the new family)
• Take good care of my baby snake (and find a name for him)

So, happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Home Sweet Home

After being away for three months, I am home again! The three months in Liverpool were both fantastic as a pain-in-the-@#$. Fantastic were the nights out: 

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Lovely….

Merry Merry Merry (oh heck, I am bored) Xmas

1. Do not sexually harass mr. Santa after drinking too much eggnog!
2. Yes, even if you think the food you’ll eat will magically dissapear…it will come back on your body with a vengeance.
3. For the single people: being with a partner with Christmas isn’t always bliss (think battling over the remote control)
4. For the coupled people: being single during Christmas can make you end up snogging unsuitable persons (see no 1).
5. And for all other persons who are not too fond of Christmas: oh shut up, at least you only have 1 day…in the Netherlands there are 2 (yes two) days of obligatory Chrismas!!!

Happy Christmas!!!