My life back in Holland

So I decided to enter this photo competition online, so i can win:

A trip to NY city+ a sweet camera

A sweet camera

Some other crap I'm not really interested in :)

But I can't do it without support, so go to http://www.metphoto.org/holland/user/2626, and vote for me. You don't have to give me 5 stars, but if you want too it would be nice :) In other news: This weekend I'm probably going to make a big sheep post, so bèh prepared!

So after 19 years, I found out that my grandfather fought in Indonesia, and that my dad's family almost moved to Canada. If it wasn't for my Grandma who cancelled it, I wouldn't be born. Isn't that weird? I haven't met my grandmother, only my grandfather, but he passed away when I was really young. I would've liked to get to know him better, he probably  had a lot of really good stories.  In other news, I had (have) a really good weekend. I went out partying Thursday with the people of my University, and yesterday I hung out with a dozen exchangestudents from all over the world. Yeah life is sweet at the moment :) Now I'm going to refine my essay plan, and I don't even mind! 

Wow my day just got made! I was walking the dog, and I decided to take a different route. So I did and I ran into these 3 girls, who were handing out sheets of papers to people. The girls were about 10-12 I think. they handed one to me, and this is what it says: (free translation & I corrected a little)

Dear Mr/Mrs. A lot of people are protesting against pollution and they want that there are going to be less cars on the road. So we're going to ask the community to stop selling cars that run on gasoline but only cars that run on non deathly fuel. And we are going to ask the same thing for other means of transportation, like boats, trains and planes, because gasoline is bad for the environment, and so is smoking, I will give you an example what happens what happens. The earth will get warmer, and the things on the north pole will start melting, that water will go to the sea, the dikes(not lesbians, look it up) will get smaller and then the earth will flood, and that's not supposed to happen! So please co-operate. Have a nice day and goodbye!

Isn't that great? Just when I thought all kids are going to be materialistic capitalist corrupt pigs when they grow up! So there is hope! The funny thing is, when I was little I once started a nature group, and we used to go out and collect garbage! So it's like I saw myself in a little girly form! Talk about coincidence (or fate...)

Listen to the new album of Pete Philly and Perquisite! It's so sweet, I've been listening to it for a while now, and it gets better every song. Some of the lyrics are really cool, and it's a nice change to listen to rappers that aren't angry. It isn't as good as the first album (Mindstate 2005) but it still is really good! Some other good hip-hop you could try out if you want: Kanye West's Graduation, Ego War from the Audiobullys and Typhoon's Tussen licht en lucht.

So yesterday we had Academic reading, and we had to analyse poems.. I thought I had them figured out pretty good until class started. Some of these poems are so deep! I wonder if the poets thought of all this stuff because it's pretty complicated! I'll give an example, but first I have to say that Andrew Marvell is a player. He wrote a really cool poem with a lot of fancy words, and guess what it's about? It's about him trying to convince his lady into having sex with him.. Isn’t that cool? Instead of some idealist with deeper thoughts about the creation of man, he’s just horny! Here is the poem.

To his coy mistress

Had we but world enough, and time,
This coyness, lady, were no crime.
We would sit down and think which way
To walk, and pass our long love's day;
Thou by the Indian Ganges' side
Shouldst rubies find; I by the tide
Of Humber would complain. I would
Love you ten years before the Flood;
And you should, if you please, refuse
Till the conversion of the Jews.
My vegetable love should grow
Vaster than empires, and more slow.
An hundred years should go to praise
Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze;
Two hundred to adore each breast,
But thirty thousand to the rest;
An age at least to every part,
And the last age should show your heart.
For, lady, you deserve this state,
Nor would I love at lower rate.

But at my back I always hear
Time's winged chariot hurrying near;
And yonder all before us lie
Deserts of vast eternity.
Thy beauty shall no more be found,
Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound
My echoing song; then worms shall try
That long preserv'd virginity,
And your quaint honour turn to dust,
And into ashes all my lust.
The grave's a fine and private place,
But none I think do there embrace.

Now therefore, while the youthful hue
Sits on thy skin like morning dew,
And while thy willing soul transpires
At every pore with instant fires,
Now let us sport us while we may;
And now, like am'rous birds of prey,
Rather at once our time devour,
Than languish in his slow-chapp'd power.
Let us roll all our strength, and all
Our sweetness, up into one ball;
And tear our pleasures with rough strife
Thorough the iron gates of life.
Thus, though we cannot make our sun
Stand still, yet we will make him run

I said I would give an example:

Martin

I already had a general introduction 2 weeks ago, but today I finally went to the introduction of English Culture and Language. We had the meet up in Utrecht at 10:30, and when everybody settled in, we could finally begin with the introduction of our professors. They we're all nice and some were a bit weird, but there was one professor who was really cool (or atleast he seemed really cool when he gave his speech) It's a guy from Britain, and he spoke with a really cool accent. He kinda looks like Hugh Grant, which is cool, in my opinion. I don't think he teaches one of my classes yet, but the 2 minors I'm planning to take next year (Journalism and Creative writing) are his! I am already looking forward to next year. And there are cool kids in my year too, although I know like 5 people right know, out of 100+..  So it was a nice day, the only thing I have to get used to is the journey back home . It only takes me like an hour, but it kills me! I'm so tired when I come home, it's ridicoulus! I traveled 7 hours in Chile once, just to retrieve a blanket for my hostmom, and even then I wasn't as tired as I was when I came back today. Total bullocks I tell you!

And I got the greatest idea! I've been listening to a lot of Dutch hip hop lately, and the lyrics are really good. They don't rap about bitches and hoes, but about what's important in life and politics and such. So I was thinking, this is like modern poetry.. Why don't we set up a show in an art gallery, and make paintings of the lyrics, so we can spread the message to a bigger audience. And on the other side, we should let popular rappers rap poetry. So that poetry is available for a bigger audience too! I love it when my mind wanders and I get good ideas! I'm going to leave it with that, I'm going to Utrecht to find a job, so this is all for today!

Martin 

The boredom continues!
Since I don’t have anything to do today, I decided to kill some time by writing the best phrase from the first 20 songs I hear when I put my Zen on shuffle. Here we go!

1. Cause life must be somewhere to be found, instead of concrete jungle. (Bob Marley)
2. I am scared that, I won’t find a thing, and afraid that I turn out to be alone (Krezip)
3. Na na na na naa (Kaiser Chiefs)
4. Een afscheidswals aan de waterlijn [One last dance along the waterside] (Blof)
5. The kind of thing that would seem so silly but not when they´ve both had a few (Arctic monkeys)
6. Daydreamed on the bank again, I was swimming with the fish (Norah Jones)
7. He's still got his sense of humor, but his body fails him (Harvey Danger)
8. My shadow side so amplified, keeps coming back dissatisfied (RHCP)
9. Ya me sumerguí en una caracola, me fuí hasta el Tibet y al fondo del mar (Mana)
10. Getting comfy, getting perfect, is what I live for (Savage garden)
11. In the land of the killers, a sinner's mind is a sanctum (Eminem)
12. Iedere dag verbaas ik me weer, over hoeveel manieren er zijn, om naar te kijken en aan je te denken. [Every day I’m amazed about all the ways I can look at you and think about you] (Blof)
13. With two fingers in a rock glass, time passed and that was that (Death cab for cutie)
14. For all the holes in our soul host no thrills (Muse)
15. We've gotta get out of this place, girl there's a better life for me and you (the Animals)
16. But every now and then I feel so insecure, I know that I just need you like I've never done before (the Beatles)
17. It's just me and you, on a bicycle for two (kaiser chiefs)
18. Wat we samen vroeger droomden, weet de helft van ons niet meer [Half of us forgot what we used to dream together] (Acda en de Munnik)
19. Dancing to electro-pop like a robot from 1984 (Arctic monkeys)
20. Bound with all the weight of all the words he tried to say, chained to all the places that he never wished to stay (Oasis)

The last couple of months were fun, but most of all very boring. I know this sounds like a paradox, but it's true nonetheless. It was fun because i got to see all my friends again, and we hang out every day. When I'm with them I'm always entertained. The thing is though, that I only see them at night, so in the afternoon there isn't anything to do for me, everybody is working or studying. So I'm sitting home alone in my house, and I'm lazy as hell. That's why I'm so glad I'm able to go to school next Monday! I've never been so glad that I can start school in my life. It will be so cool! I'm going to meet a lot of new people, and I don't even have to get up early! This is what my schedule looks like:

Monday               11 AM - 3 PM (Academic Reading and Written English)

Tuesday              1:15 PM - 5 PM (Academic Reading and Written English)

Wednesday         free

Thursday             3:15 PM - 5 PM  (Academic Reading)

Friday                  3:15 PM - 5 PM (Written English)   

This is only the first semester, but it's nice to have a relaxed start.  Goodbye boredom, hello university! Well that's all for today!

Martin!