I’m OK!

Wonderful sunny morning! This means it’s time to bike to work. I take my small red bike and head to Amstelveen. People are slow on a Tuesday morning… I’ll go faster, I’ll get in front of them. I pass by other bikers. I’m passing by another biker----BOOOOM!! ---- A car explosively hits me and I fall. One – two freaking seconds and I’m on the ground, hitting it shockingly hard! Ouch!

It’s not true what they say – that you see your entire life in 2 seconds. Not true at all. I had 2 thoughts, only 2 thoughts came across my mind at that moment: 1) F/&@*$g bastard! I can’t believe he just hit me!! And 2)

My head! So while I was falling, I brought my arms to my head so to protect it. I fell on one side, so I seriously injured my elbow and my hip. The sudden impact of the hit made the wheel of my bike turn to 90 degree and it immediately fell touching the bike of the woman whom I was passing by. From behind there was a guy on a scooter speeding up, so he hit the break just before running over me. They all stopped, even the idiot in the car.

Such nice people in Amsterdam, why do I need to meet them in these kind of situations? They all stopped, gathered around me, asked me if I was fine.. I was a bit shocked, I don’t even know what you’re supposed to do in situations like this.. I exchanges phone numbers with the witness and the murderer took me to my doctor.

I discovered he has the same type of stupid humor I have.. on the way he was afraid of bikes, he was letting every one bike in front of his car.. So we were saying at the same time something like, oh you don’t have any more place in the car?! And we laughed. Then he asked me if I was ok – NO I’M NOT OK!! It freaking hurts, you idiot! But I’m not going to cry!

The doc says nothing’s broken. Oh yeah! Bike’s also ok, only the bell is total damage.. I get a brand new Ozzy bell on the wrong (right) side. After one more day I re-start biking carefully.. veeerryyy carefully! For one week I drink daily, ‘cause I realize life’s so short and we can die every moment. Or we can chose to live every moment!

I chose life!

I'M OK!!

March in Amsterdam

Seems there’s a company theme to go out to the same bar. Last company van Puffelen was the favorite, for this one is Green Light. I’m curious where other people from other companies go.. In the Green light you can smoke the water pipe, that’s about the only advantage I can see. The good thing’s I can ze Polish with her getting in love stories and new life in Muenchen city. She’s so efficient in getting a new life for herself. I wish I were the same when I got here.. every one has her own rhythm. Mine is on the slow mood.

I was late again with cooking the big dinner and moving on to the Gotan Project concert. My Sailorboy was sailing somewhere in Germany. I was in charge of drinks as well. This is mostly unfitting

for a lady. So we arrive late at the venue, but well enough to see the sangre getting caliente! I love this band. I get high on the images and hot music. I can feel the passion all around me. I feel like I want to dance with 10,000 people, I want to change my voice for the singers and fall in love with Buenos Aires. We have some drinks to cool off after the party.

I’m biking with 2 huge bags, feels a bit dangerous, I can barely catch my breath. What a girl needs to do to look nice on a picture. I got a photoshoot arranged by Sailorboy. All I need to do is look pretty. It takes two huge bags for me to comply. I’m packing clothes, make up and cream, nail polish and smiles. 3 fashion and backstage ladies guide me through the scene. I’m not allowed to smile, I feel artificial, it’s not really me if I’m not smiling.. But here are some pics.

As if I didn’t have enough bruises on my body from the MMA, I go to a more dangerous sport. Pole dancing it is, repeat after another workshop I had, getting better. Better watch a real sport instead. I got tickets to Ajax – Spartak Moscou. It’s the first time I go on the Ajax stadium. It looks great! Much better than Ghencea, Steaua’s place, my team.

The Ajax fans are not as warm as the one of Steaua. They don’t keep on screaming, cheering, feels like the football players work in accounting. Yeah, whatever, just doing our job. Seems for the fans it’s more important to sing everything’s gonna be alright during the break. But anyhow, the fan tells me they’re only like this when they’re playing home, otherwise they’d cheer more. I sure hope so! Good match, too bad Ajax lost.. I had good tickets, so I could watch them closely. I just love football!!

Back to some girlie stuff, I meet Latina’s next to Café Nol. We’re chatting about languages, future and past, education and men. The latter is a theme with predilection on our table.

Hot weather in Amsterdam.. well, what can be considered to be hot weather. We need to take advantage! First barbeque this year will take place in March! Visit Carmen and her man for some really nice food and catch up on our lives.

It takes about a week for our team to decide where we go for dinner on Thursday. After making the reservation, some other option appears. Change reservation now. It’s confusing. It’s confusing when your GPS doesn’t work, the car is vibrating African music and you’re getting advice on the way from me.. so we lose our way straight to the highway. After 30 km back and forth, we finally reach destination. The one guy in the car (with 3 confused women) is seeking compassion from the other guy. We like surprises. Buenos Aires resto in Amstelveen is the place to be if you want loads of meat pilled up in front of you. Vegetarians, avoid this place! Almost felt like home; we had some good laughs and I got picked on.. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

The highlight of the month was of course Familiedag. Or the family day. Sailorboy’s family was getting together. Spouses were welcome. OMG, I’m going to meet the extended family, with uncles, aunts, cousins and everything.. should I run and hide?! Oh no, I’ve been trained for this my entire life, I am such a family girl. So we start by waiting 15 minutes for Sailorboy’s sister (with bf). I’m happy. This is the first time a Dutch person has been late to a date/meeting. I’ve never seen this in my life, so they are humans after all. We find our way to Kamerick, that’s where it all happens. It’s a wonderful location, so typically Dutch: green fields, spots of water, sheep and goats, cows in sheds, 100% natural. The weather’s gorgeous. My name is too exotic for most of his family, they get it whom I’m with. We have some cake and chat with the family. Then we get sporty. We’re playing boerengolf. What’s that, aha?! It’s a sort of golf, but played with wooden stick with a klomp on top and with a bigger ball. It’s not that easy at it seems. We had lots of fun and chats in the meanwhile. All ended with a barbeque and sjoelen. Oh yeah? What is sjoelen? It’s a board game where you try to get some wooden pieces to the end of the table. It’s like a barman would send you the beer over the bar. You get more points if you get the pieces more to the center between some wooden plates. Sailorboy’s sister wins.

Kuru

Din capitolul - Stiati ca.. - Kuru este o boala a rasului?!

De unde si expresia a rade cu kuru de cineva lol

Sleep Deprivation and Stories of My Bullshit Youth in February

Am I a real woman if I like Top gear? And if I also like a good football match? And if I don’t like shopping? And if I don’t like long discussions about the color of your hair? So besides some of those beautiful roaring Top Gear shows, I’ve seen again some of my fav films: Sin City, Cleopatra, Being John Malkovich and this reminds me of Leonard Cohen that Everybody knows that the dice are loaded

Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed in Fear and Loath in Las Vegas.

My morning starts in Amsterdam aka ground zero. Get my papers going, I’m rollin’ to my tax adviser, I know my visit brings good coffee and bad news. My old aunt Maria would have seen the signs in the coffee cup after I’d drink it. So need to move on, next stop The Hague, to get my passport renewed. The officials are always so sour, feels like they drink squeezed lemon instead of coffee in the morning. They look so sad and colorless. I’ve got to see a happy person. My uncle should be the perfect fit, the funniest and merriest person ever. We’re meeting at the Plein, figure out we could better get ouzo and Olympus beer at the Greek resto. Love that food! and the people are always so friendly, home feel. Ouzo’s not my friend. Time always has different dimensions when I’m with my uncle. And ouzo’s not my friend. I get tired on the train, I talk all the way from The Hague to Amsterdam yelling in Spanish to my Latina friend that I miss her, to my uncle about some other deals and the Schiphol tunnel. Every one else in the train looks at me like I’m a loud cheeky foreigner. What’s up you people?! Get a life!

Ouch, I said ouzo's not my friend.. life’s so hard when you need to wake up in the morning and get to work especially on a Wednesday morning. The Bollywood dancers are my good friends, so we’re back to a decent dinner at our place, to talk about life and fairies. I’m the Cooking Queen for the night, nothing goes wrong.

It’s so great to have friends over, too bad they need to have a life and run away. Some I'd keep in my closet. Take them out and have some fun when I like. I suppose a little girl misses her toys. Lydie and me are the matchers of new love and old love stories, shade perfume in the afternoon air. We spoil our diets with rich salads and creamy strawberries. Then Sailorboy takes me to a birthday party, more delightful food, only to my eyes. Conversation keeps me going when I’m the only foreigner standing.

Was February the month of romantic Valentine’s day? I just felt another day coming and going. But Proef made sense to my taste in design and decoration. I just love to arrange food in the most appetinzing way. This resto just changed my perception on it, lekker! Btw, it was also a way to celebrate 2 and smth years together.. It feels very safe and accommodating.

That’s why I need some adventure on the karting day. Managed to get in front of all girls by pulling some dirty tricks, should get better at driving and being a good sports [mental note]. Got one girl’s bra pop out off function, that’s what I can do to women, yes. I can only delay men, if they’re not dangerous enough.. some men just need to be let in front.. I fail!

Need to get stronger ! Will go to MMA = Mixed Martial Arts. It feels damn good, very intensive, free and masculine, I feel like I'm in love! The next day I'm in pain. I swear I discovered new muscles in my body.. I’m happy I’m getting the move on, but not extremely happy I need to have my entire body injured.. or in pain. Though a very good training, I should do it more often. With GIRLS!!

Next day I’m off to Utrecht with Sailorboy to entertain children and parents. Chidlren are easily entertained of games of football and park, wind and other games. Parents will be entertained with talks, less difficult. We will be tasting some good food and sharing some more mango juice with the Mindi minty fans. You’ll all get it one day ;)

I hate my dentist and that’s all I want to state about him. He’s a gorgeous man I hate from the bottom of my heart. If you see my dentist and you’re a straight woman, you’ll instantly fell in love. Me, I just hate him!! He just makes me feel uncomfortable and weak, which I’m not.

I cannot get to my senses again; I just go the company party. It's a bowling night. Time flies by with all the chit-chats and the beers, but we play some more in the end. It just seems like we’re having more party then we get.. people get crazy, mime blowjobs, learn to swear in different languages, dance on the table, talk dirty and then we walk away. I do everything I can to avoid bus 199. That's the touring bus, it stops at every damn corner in Amstelveen! absolutely freaking ridiculous, whoever put on such an inefficient line! I bet it was one driver who said one day - I want to make a patience test for our customers, how much can they take on line 199 until they get totally out of their minds? I had that once. I said - enough! The next day at work every one else is just themselves, the way they were.. except for some girls who wear the same outfit as yesterday.. they’re just beginners! You should always wear different clothes after a company’s party!

My beautician has priority! Then I can go to every party in the world! So then the Polish real-woman-no-bullshit-diva is leaving the company. She’s getting the most international crowd on the day she leaves. We’re all so sorry she's leaving and drowning it in playing pool. We girls suck, but suddenly boys play to the wrong hole, oh oh so wrong! Girls win! Still not sure if it was because the men lost patience and wanted to play with other men or they just missed it.. Then we go to have tapas and chat the night away… I have to run to meet the Bollywood diva at Melkweg. We’re having an Electronation @ Klinch night and all the people go crazy! And they do! And you dance and they go crazy on you or your girlfriend, but they do! Everyone's sweaty dancing, drinks fall on us, on others, we dance some more, there's an assault on the bar, we're attacking on vodca in different combinations all night long. I bike home and reach destination at 5, that was definitely a good night!

Next day I just want to take it easy, no MMA for me please.. I'm late anyways.. I just meet one of my girldfireinds at Herensgracht and enjoy a nice meal and chat. Then I see another Greek movie and don’t feel it’s good enough but just enough for a Sunday night..

Last Year's Interview

This most sophisticated chic friend of mine has decided to have a blog on custures or multicultures, she just sent me an email on it:

" I would like very much to involve you in a project I am working on with the University of Lugano and University of Geneva called "Culture-Multicultures". The final aim of this project (supervised by Professors and the Dean of the Communication Department) is to publish a blog, and further on a book with interviews, essays and visuals on this theme."

This is what I got back to her:

1. What do you think are the best and worst features of your own culture?

The best features of the Romanian culture are adaptability, spirituality and the fact that you can laugh about yourself; warm and generous people.

The worst features are the laissez-faire, go-with-the-flow, wanting to be something you’re not, not doing things because the one next you also doesn’t do it, never recycle.

But these are all stereotypes and I don’t believe in them anyhow.

2. Which were the biggest communication challenges experienced in another culture?

Personally I didn’t experience any big challenge. I think Romanians are either speaking the language of a country or using common sense to find their way around.

I would say I did face a small communication challenge: having to be too polite with friends. In other cultures being some one’s friend means treating them with great respect and consideration and constantly asking about their opinions, feelings etc. – especially for Dutch, I think. For Romanians, friends are more like my-other-me and you can grab them, hug them, impose on them, argue with them and reason with them. They will do the same with you.

3. Which were the cultural stereotypes you had to face in another culture that you disagreed with? (based on your experience)

- “Go-Dutch”, Dutch are all open-minded, “a nation of rosy-cheeked farmers who live in windmills, wear clogs, have a garden full of tulips and sit on piles of yellow cheese”

- Germans wear Lederhosen, drink beer and eat sausage

- Americans are fat

- Arabian men wear beards, are womanizers and have subservient and repressed women who wear burka

- French are chaotic, do not like to work – prefer to strike, don’t speak English, they are rude to tourists and snobs

- Swiss sit in the mountains, ‘yodel’ and milk their cows, except people in Zurich who are bankers hoarding gold and helping out corrupt politicians and gangsters, they are obsessed with cleanliness and punctuality

- Italians are passionate, pizza/pasta freaks, smooth talking, fashion-addicted Casanovas, they are mafia or gang members.

And the list can go on.. there may be some truth in stereotyping to start with, but the world keeps on evolving. I don’t believe in stereotypes. I don’t believe in any stereotype at all. People are so different and so complex that you just cannot categorize and label a nation as such.

4. Which barriers of inter-cultural communication did you need to break and how did you do it?

Time has a strange volatility from one culture to the other. When Dutch or Swiss say 12:30, you need to be there at 12:30. When Romanians say 12:30, you’re expected there after 12:30, maybe by 12:45. The Latinos tend to come later than expected. One of my best friends is from Congo; she’d come around 13:30 – 14:00. So what I’ve learned to do is “translate” my needs into my friends’ perception of time. If I want all my friends to be there at 12:30, I say to the Dutch person 12:30. I say to the Romanian and Italian 12:15 and to the Congolese 11:30 and so on.

5. What did you learn from other people cultural configuration and integrated in your own?

I’ve learned to see on daily basis so many different people and to enjoy diversity. Amsterdam is the city with the most diversity in the world, gathering more nations than New York in a small place. Being tolerant, genuinely interested in the other and appreciating other people’s cultures is what I’m enjoying to integrate in my own world.

January

Janus Head - In Greek mythology, Janus was the god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings and endings. His most prominent remnants in modern culture are his namesakes: the month of January, which begins the New Year, and the janitor, who is a caretaker of doors and halls. (from sublimethings blog)

That’s a good concept to start off with. And work on the God given day of Sunday. What a pity, I say. What will they do if they run out of the Sunday as well? Will they come up with a small day in between? The Somday. We’ll be forced to work on the Somday to make up for all the in-between-mistakes of IT or solve any other issue that cannot be dealt with on a normal working day… Anyhow, the good news about it was that we ended up the week with a team dinner at a Lebanese resto. Had some good mezza’s, though didn’t trust the raw lamb. Mistrust anything raw that made sound once and just sits on your plate! Or bring on more wine. That we did. Talked about not having a speech and about news on tv. Like on the 72-year old mother. I’m happy she’s still getting some. Water pipe was needed to keep the conversation going after this one. Then we remembered youthful drunkenness stories of party, disaster, joy and faith no one will notice what you’ve been doing one night before. Few of us standing went for some other beers at Leidseplein. Though the tram should have come, it didn’t. Every one else gave hope on it. I walked home for a change. Very refreshing, especially since I was off the next day.

I’m drumming my evenings away and building condition on Enter Sandman. It’s so damn difficult to keep up the toms going again and again throughout.. how does Lars do it?! He’s so strong and beautiful. I think I’m in love.

We’re having parents over for dinner. I’m not sure why we always end up having some conversation that embarrasses one of the persons at the table. It must be a family thing. Always one. Or the other. The beauty of it is that you almost never know whom the next one it’s going to be. Hopefully not you. In a starting family it’s always good you don’t think yet.. or you don’t realize, like when you’re 2. We went to visit friends who already have 2 children. One of 2 and one just born. The kids don’t even know what their parents are up to.. the one who can play, plays with the iron.. he could come over to my place – loads of ironing to do! Then he plays on with everything else that moves, while our friend shows us the newly acquired bed that moves around to accommodate different sex positions. We retire to the living room, my Russian friend is cooking again big time, it always feels like home and Sailorboy always feels like too much whiskey. Modern couples drink too much whiskey and red wine – hi and her respectively. It’s a couple disease. When you’re out in public you drink cocktails and beer. But we all know what you drank last night ;)

Monday is the Quiz Monday. Quiz Monday is the Monday you embarrass yourself in public for all the years you partied hard instead of reading a book or two. Unless you’re with your friend the Walking Encyclopedia. Then you really get a chance. The more smart friends you have, the better. So we actually got to the point where we were winning on general knowledge questions. Until we failed big time on the TMF music round. Then we realize we also need stupid friends who just dumbly watch the garbage on tv nowadays. We’ll do better next time!

The highlight of the month was shopping in Paris in between a training session and a train back home. Back home to Amsterdam, ‘cause I’ve celebrated 3 years of being here. That’s a lifetime! That’s something to remember.. about when I started this blog.. oh stop being such a sentimental fool! Just want to say: I’m still lovin’ it!!

To celebrate once more, I went to an Amsterdam Klezmer Band concert. Brilliant Dutch music with a Jewish twist and a hoopla-hoopla feeling swarming around ‘til your clothes get wet. The orchestra was so close to us and their shiny shoes so kitschy, we were one big family and a Balkan-Western nation. Good tunes, good vibes! I want more!

frecvent

Imi voi bloca singura usha de la mashina, de teama sa nu pic on afara si ma voi mira mai tarziu ca de ce nu se deskide usha in curu meu...

Bikers in Asterdam

Even though you're in AMsterdam and you think you'd be in the most safe place for biking, you're not. I've recently seen a bus getting in front of a biker and getting him down (sort of like an accident, but softer). The biker run after the bus, told him to stop and asked him for the papers. The bus driver was pretending nothing happened, he was like - well, you don't just get these papers bla bla.. luckily for the biker there was a police car in the area and they saw the entire thing.. what a bummer for the bus driver.. and a savior for the biker!

Kids

I've figured it out that I'm old. When I was a young girl, when some one stole my pen, I would run after them... nowadays eery young girl has a smartphone. So the games change. Nowadays another girl is stealing her phone and this one runs afetr her to catch her and get back her phone. I'm wondering when my unborn children will have children what will they run after. I figure out illusions. They'll just create some illusions, let them run free, like baloons, and the other one will try get them..

Biking in Amsterdam

The most beautiful thing about biking in Amsterdam is when you get on top of the bridge over the canal. That's because I'm biking hard to get to the top of the bridge and then I get there! I not only get there, but I hold my bike still for 2 seconds. These 2 seconds are like Amelie, like any other slow motion scene in a film, where you just hold it. Like the the camera is turning around you, you're on top of the world, you're not breathing, but everything around is moving. Especially at night when the canals are lightened so beautifully it's a bless! I just love getting on top of a bridge. I know I'm going to have at least 2 seconds of pure simple bliss. And then I go down the hill again, to my destination.

Agatata

Cui ati mai vazut sa i se agate umbrela intr-un trandafir? Merg normal pe strada si mi se baga umbrela in trandafir de parca ar fi fost un tot unitar. Trag, trag, dupa vreo 2 min reusesc sa-mi scot umbrela. Am pus-o pe seama berilor de ieri, dar oricum, surprinzator intr-o dimineata devreme.....

Empty

My head feels empty. There's nothing in it. There's only a tiny little dark grey cloud swimming around. This is the effect of having one (1) bottle of wine and waking up the next day to go to work.

Afara vantul batea

Va jur! N-ati vazut voi vant ca in Olanda!! Sa te ia pe sus, nu altceva. Da nu la figurat, ci la propriu. Sa te pui pe bicicleta, sa mergi un pic si sa te impinga vantu inapoi. Apoi dilema - eu unde mergeam?!

Si zici ok - am ajuns la birou. E safe. Frate si-ti bate vantu in cladirea de 11 etaje pe structura flexibila si-ti joaca cifrele si literele-n fatza. Da e-am baut, ma, nene?! si te uiti la colegii tai care-s linistit dizzy - ciudat sa fii high cu colegii si sefu.

Si iesi afara si iar te ia pe sus, ai uitat ca ai avut vreodata freza. Ai uitat ca ai fost vreodata femeie. Iti curg lacrimi fara durere si fara oprire. Nu poti sa apari in public in halul asta.

Te duci si te culci.

Te trezesti, scoti capul pe fereastra. O zi cu soare, fara vant. YAY!

Intr-o zi

Azi m-am simtit ca si cum aveam 100 de ani si duceam toata greutatea pamantului in carca, iar apoi m-am culcat

what have I been doing in 2010 – a comprehensive list of a person’s life - VI

Where I have partied at:

• § New Year @ Westergasfabriek where we got way too many coins, spoke to too many people and forgot our friend sleeping on the loo
• § Some strangely named restaurant with the parents of Sailorboy out of which only the name “Bamba” remained in my head
• § Home, having a charade game with my friends where the toughest word to mime was the book “Ulyses” and where we had a winner to go to the cinema, chapeau!
• § My Russian friend, where I’ve eaten raw haring (again - not in a Dutch house!) for the first time and didn’t throw up as the alcohol was pumping in our hearts and evaporating in our speech
• § Some place that I cannot remember the name, to celebrate my new job and say good-bye to my old colleagues at the other company, where one of them forgot his iPhone (luckily for him it had a password for/against the children)
• 
• § Film Museum Café in Vondelpark with two girlfriends where we talked about our entire lives
• § Sushibar at a date with my boyfriend
• § Magere Brug to say good-bye to dear friends who moved to India
• § Home for the celebration of my newly-acquired title, leaving us dancing Jordan music with belly-dancing, Balkan shake-arounds, Shakira, salsa and Indian Bollywood moves
• § A strange Spanish restaurant in the Jordaan with Sailorboy and Nordstorm, where all they cared about was when we’re going to order wine – we didn’t! – and the waitresses were bending over the table, over your food in order to talk to you (nice breasts though), such bad habits and acoustics.
• § Across The Hague University with my friend the JoDiva and had good laughs, gossiped and analyzed men behavior, as we always do
• § Some Mediterranean cuisine restaurant along the water in Utrecht with Sailorboy
• § At a fancy restaurant in Abcoude with the extended family of Sailorboy to celebrate 2 birthdays and a lot of memories – gezellig!
• § PhD graduation party at a Lebanese restaurant with a huge crowd, good food and chill-out water pipe
• § My boyfriend’s best friend and at the time newly-acquired-girlfriend, whom every one was so curious about
• § The Czech bar to drink away some lost bets and talk away work and nationalities in a cocktail of thoughts
• § Zaandvoort beach to lay in the sun and gossip the people around, talk non-sense and wait for the sun to set
• § At a non-party resistance @ home, watched the football final, scared that The Netherlands will lose.. Spanish bastards!
• § Luxembourg for a drink with friends and Burgermeester for fresh cow (holy shit for some)
• § Had drunk friends on and over the floor, then went to Circus Rez (for real!) – it was circ
• us all the way!! Biking there was already a show, falling friends, crying friends, laughing friends, masters of equilibristic, show and hope
• § After a night of watching football in the Hague with my uncle, got back to Amsterdam, had some drinks @ Grasshopper with the JoDiva and the LittleTrulyAsian, then headed for the Cuba cocktail time, where the Latina JewelryFish joined. We all decided we don’t have the same taste in men. Then lost a few, gained some others while chatting to the Dam owner of a pub. BollywoodDiva and Polko made me have some more drinks and nice times before hitting the sack after 2 days of not seeing my house in sight
• § ADE @ Trouw for a huge cracking and sweaty party with da girlz! Going out with girls for a good shake rulz!! And the music was brilliant!
• § Wilhemina Dok to celebrate 2 years with Sailorboy – you wouldn’t think so,we look so young lol
• § Dinner at home with Sailorboy, his friend, the Aussie (after Aussieboy left his Aussie-flagged underwear in the bathroom as display of friendship amongst nations), BollywoodDiva and Latina JewelryFish
• § Suzy Wong & Jimmy Woo to end up at Bourbon Street – what a night! And a more than 10 people’s crowd and more than 50% friends.. that doesn’t happen every day, no!
• § Home for my B-day Party the 20s theme and had huge fun! I’m definitely not mentioning the Brusselina landing on the plates for the pleasure of a hungry Spanish man. The Jamaican rum punch was lekker and the money confetti was an asset for which breasts and asses were shaken: Shakira-Shakira!

What have I been doing in 2010 – a comprehensive list of a person’s life - V

Part 1 – What I Didn’t Like, What Inspired Disgust and What Made Me Wonder

§ Meeting of the people living in my building where we boringly discussed for hours about the building budget, paining the building and if to have a common terrace on the roof or not – all those life-decisive moments. However, it turned out that the terrace would have been twice as expensive as 2 weeks holiday in Spain (per year per person), so it was a no-go.

§ A school that teaches you motor classes, after being postponed because it was raining too hard (in the land where it always rains too hard), and they discovered I’m too small to fit any of their bikes (after having posted on their site that they have motorbikes for women as well, no matter the size – well they haven’t seen me!)

§ The houses of 2 of my teachers (at the end of the earth, 2-3 hours ride each - just like crossing the Netherlands over) to deliver my end-paper to the door, all in the same day with working in between, successfully!

§ The oral defense of my paper

§ Gamma to buy paint and other things for the house and did almost nothing with it..

§ Been to a company barbeque to mark the end of the summer – it did rain, yes.

§ VilLaArena & Ikea to buy thing in the house and totally spoil our Sunday

Part 2 – What I Liked, What Inspired Lust and What Made Me Happy

§ Schiphol, to pick up my new Sicilian colleague who never heard a word of Dutch and needed to read English in order to understand you, like you’d come along with the subtitles at a meeting with her

§ On the back sit of the motor of my boyfriend, who was just driving around on a nice sunny day, we stopped in Alphen for a while and then got back – it’s o boring to be on the back-sit.. one day, one day, my friends, that driving license will be mine!

§ The Jam studio to practice some drums

§ Boomchicago for the first Pubquizz evening and it kind of became an addiction, ever since I was .. times with different people – in the end we became “The Smarties”

§ Some shops, then I met – funny enough – two of my elementary school former colleagues, one who lives in Amsterdam and the other in London. Most of these colleagues of mine are scrapped around the world and we still keep in touch J We started off with beer at Rembrandtplein. We went to Anne Frank house and to a nice restaurant and caught up. They insisted to go to a “bruin

cafe” – the typical Dutch café which they call brown because every one smokes in there and the mark of time leaves it darker than usually. It does have an own flavor, but we did get out in less than 50 seconds J non smokers!!

§ Burger zoo with Sailorboy’s family and sweated in the .. weather and saw fish from above and under, then had a dinner on a terrace next to our place

§ SandSultanRacer’s birthday in Uithoorn and had some Dutch family time, noticed the grandma had my dressing style and the grandpa had my sense of humour, love those people

§ Zaandam for Dam tot Dam business run and managed to cross the finish line after 6.4km of properly gasping

§ An event where 5 girls (us) were dressed in national Peruvian clothes for an art event

§ BollywoodDiva’s birthday party at Prinsengracht while the police was having a fight with the squatters just outside the door and every one needed to film this

§ Richard III at Stadsschouwburg on the amazing music of Tom Waits

§ Class on how to save people, including the Heimlich procedure, reanimating and fire fighting, I’m your office hero, yo!

§ Speech therapist and drum classes

What have I been doing in 2010 – a comprehensive list of a person’s life - IV

Films I've seen:

Part 1 – What I Didn’t Like, What Inspired Disgust and What Made Me Wonder

• § Avatar
• § Ik omhels jou met duizend armen
• § Passie vrucht
• § The Fountain
• § Wolverine
• § Inception
• § Man vs Wild
• § Office
• § Shawshank Redemption
• § Reservoir Dogs
• § Salt
• § The Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind

Part 2 – What I Liked, What Inspired Lust and What Made Me Happy

• § Alice in Wonderland
• § Due Date
• § Fantastic Mr. Fox
• § Coffee and Cigarettes
• § New Kids Turbo
• § Happiness
• § Simon
• § Life Aquatic
• § Cida de Deus
• § Hangover
• § Punch Drunk Love
• § Le Diner de Cons
• § Toy Story 3
• § Boogie Nights
• § Taxi
• § The Fall
• § Monty Python
• § The Party
• § Wall-E
• § Soldaat van Oranje
• § Cloaca
• § Ride Hell
• § Coco
• § Night on Earth
• § Sue Little Sunshine
• § Big Fish
• § Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
• § Love Guru
• § Magnolia
• § Forest Gump
• § Estomago
• § Batman
• § How To Train Your Dragon
• § The Indestructibles
• § The World’s Fastest Indian

What have I been doing in 2010 – a comprehensive list of a person’s life - III

The places I’ travelled to – and this really Made Me Happy

• § Barcelona for business, but it became a pleasure
• § Milano for business, but the food was real pleasure
• § Paris for business, where I finally saw Musee D’Orsay and a nice shopping center
• § Copenhague for business and pleasure
• § Bucharest for holidays, organized a bachelorette party remotely, seen friends, went to a wedding of my best woman; to Sulina for some days in the sun and relaxation
• § Frankfurt, for business and pleasure – did some clubbing with my mom-friend and walked the child to the playground, saw the city and watched some football games
• § Paris for a romantic holiday with Sailorboy
• § Dublin for wasted days of party and walking around the city with a headache + Mada
• § Bucharest, to party with friends and see my extended family – with a visit from my US aunt
• § Bucharest for Christmas celebrations and Busteni to be in the mountains

What have I been doing in 2010 – a comprehensive list of a person’s life - II

The concerts I’ve been to:

Part 1 – What I Didn’t Like, What Inspired Disgust and What Made Me Wonder

• § Tin Hat @ Muziekgebouw – I kind’o liked it, but almost fell asleep, damn!
• § Thievery Corporation @ Melkweg – too many artists with too many samples
• § ARNO @ Paradiso – 2 brilliant songs, but the rest not really my thing..

Part 2 – What I Liked, What Inspired Lust and What Made Me Happy

• § Gogol Bordello @ Paradiso – gipsy punk in my jumping shaking groove shoes!!
• § Tracing Tracy @ Sju in Utrecht – jazzy friends with talent!
• § Midlake @ Bloomendal – best location for concerts ever with past-tense Indian and ballad fighting and loving times
• § Faith No More, Fun Loving Criminals, Dan le Sac, Uffie, Balkan Beat Box, a lot of reggae and some other crazy bands @ Dour festival in Belgium J
• § Kid Koala @ Melkweg – just brilliant!!
• § Underworld @ Heineken Music Hall MANIA, after which we tried to enter to Trouw, across and other venues – all closed, so took a Punjabi taxi home to have the wisdom teeth removed the next morning – a night to remember
• § Shantel @ Leffinge, Belgium – another Maniac night on Balkan grooves
• § Gipsy Bands – Kochani & Taraf de Haidouks @ Brussels, Belgium and the belly-shaking diva were absolutely charming, Unza time! With the band coming into the public and fluting our ears away, love this music!!

What have I been doing in 2010 – a comprehensive list of a person’s life - I

Part 1 – What I Didn’t Like, What Inspired Disgust and What Made Me Wonder

• § Stedelijk Museum – because it was more empty than artish and had a lot of empty rooms that made me laugh and wonder..
• § FOAM – the 3^rd time, because of the things I can do myself and sell them as art, but still are not

Part 2 – What I Liked, What Inspired Lust and What Made Me Happy

• § Anne Frank – because it’s sad but true
• § Kroeller Mueller – because it’s the most beautiful museum I’ve ever been to in the Netherlands, with good pieces of art, fine architecture and open-air show-offs from different times.. and it is so unexpectedly different!