Here at the company we have toilets. Very useful of course, but they tend to get dirty in places hard to clean, so management has decided to have new toilets. They seem nifty and practical since they hang on the wall which makes it easier to clean underneath. So for the past few days we have handymen working on everything and nothing. They do the toilets, they fixed some doors, closed holes in the ceilings and more I didn't see. And they also have a radio. Here we don't use radios because it can distract people from their work. I was brought up with listening to the radio all the time, so that rule didn't apply to me. But I can see the point though. Many people, so many choices. And this can cause problems. So instead I listen to the handymen radio. It reminds me of previous jobs. I love music at work. Maybe I am getting old, but with music, for me, it's easier to concentrate and focus on just one thing. So I think before they leave I just need to inhale some more of those musical notes for future times. And then I will be humming the latest songs while sitting on the newly installed toilets. 'Da da dum da.'
It was planned. With a friend I would take a trip up high in the skies, but I chickened out. I am afraid of heights, so the idea of seeing the world as a blanket didn't appeal to me. At first I was excited. I am always interested in trying out new things. But the more I thought about it, the more my fears took over. So I declined. Maybe in the future I will accept again. My curiosity doesn't have any borders (unless it comes across fears), so with every new thing I'm all for trying it out, especially with food. I love food and drinks, so when ever I'm in the Dutch Chinatown I like to try out new drinks. My last one was a Chinese herbal tea. I hoped it would be something like pearl milk tea, but alas. Still not bad though, but not really my cup of tea so to speak. So I keep on trying. I love my curiosity. For me it's part of my character. I have a friend and he has a different view on life. He likes to play it safe, so I sometimes really drive him crazy with my curiosity. But I guess that is how I am. I think loving the world starts with loving yourself
It seems everyone likes to be part of a bigger whole. My parents had a boat and where ever they arrived friends were easily made, providing they shared the same hobby. We then sat on board of a strangers boat and ate and talked with new friends, only because they had a boat too. And the greeting was also universal. When another boat would pass by, both owners placed the pointing finger in the air as a greeting sign. Some weeks ago I was at an amusement park. I was there with two friends. One friend is partly handicapped so we had a wheelchair. This wheelchair had the benefit of entering the attractions through different doors, which also usually meant a decrease in waiting times. And there we, of course, met more handicapped people. My friend likes to talk, so she easily bonded with the other people there. There were a lot of common topics to talk about between everyone in the chairs. It reminded me a lot of my previous boat experience; people in the same situation - good or bad - tend to bond easily. For me very good to see how everyone had a great time there.
My girl is gone. Not forever, thank you, but she is on a small vacation to Mongolia. How I wish I could join her. It is nice to see a totally different culture of which I only know the documentaries and movies (soon the new one 'Mongol' ). Together with her sister and her two cousins she will be crossing the Chinese country, starting in Nanning, arriving in Beijing and leaving this glorious city by train to Chifeng, Inner Mongolia. The train I also have experienced during my previous China travels. It took a long while on hard beds, but fun to experience nevertheless. So I know what she will do. But still I hope to see her return soon enough and hear her stories and seeing her photos. Maybe in the future I can go too. But for now I am still chained to my office desk. It is Monday again and I am looking forward to the weekend. I will go to a concert in my home town. How are you?
Me and my girl are living far apart. I live in Holland and she lives in China. Most of the time I can handle the situation. I know it isn't ideal, but for now we cannot change it yet. So I'm trying to coop. I know for her it is harder. It could be because of the cultural differences, but she is taking the living apart situation much harder then I do. So sometimes we have arguments about it and it is making us both sad. I must say I miss her a lot. Today the rain falls out of the dark skies and I feel the inside of me yearning for her touches and love. I miss her...
I bought a oven last year. I moved to a new place and I wanted one. I obviously had the idea of making delicious oven dishes by myself, but so far I only used it to heat up fish and some pizza-like dishes. They all tasted good, but my oven wanted more. And last weekend he got what he desired for. A friend of mine came over to cook a dinner for her, me and a few other friends. She made a delicious lamb shoulder, combined with potatoes and several veggies. As a sauce we had a nice mushroom sauce and as dessert a pudding with Dutch cookies hidden within. All delicious and the evening was a success. But I fear my oven wants more, so I will try to look for recipes I can make myself. I care for everything I buy, so I will try to satisfy my oven and also my own tummy within the near future. Until that time I want to say 'Bon Appetite!'
Soon the Olympics start. I am already looking forward to the opening ceremony. Especially since it's conducted by may favorite Chinese movie director Zhang Yimou. Unfortunately I'll be working, so I hope to catch a few glimpses online. Holland is also participating. Normally I am not that cheerful, but this time I will cheer for Pieter van den Hoogenband. he will do the 100 meters of swimming and hopes to continue his golden triumphs of the past two times. If he succeeds he will be the first in history winning a golden medal three times ina row. So I learned my girlfriend to cheer 'Hup Holland Hup'. It's like 'Go Holland Go' and when she sings it the 'Hup' sounds a bit like 'Up'. It's so cute. Of course I will also cheer for China. I think they will ace in table tennis and badminton, both sports I did myself and loved very much. So I will go for 'Hup, Holland, Hup' and 'Go, China, Go'
They say the hand of a child can be easily filled, but I think that's also the case while being an adult. Some time ago I was walking outside. I had my lunch break and since the company I work for is build in a concrete area without many shops or any nice lunch things to do, I settled for the good old fashioned walk around the building. It's better then sitting inside, especially when the sun is lurking through the office windows. So I and my thoughts walked alone and suddenly I saw something black crawling over the pavement. I moved closer and to my surprise it was a mole. Of course I've seen moles on TV and in cartoons, but never in real and I for one didn't know they were no bigger then a house held rat and were blessed with a short tail. It was just amazing how the little guy looked. White paws, black fur and crawling it's way over the pavement to the grass. In fact it was very reluctant to go into the grass. It was like the mole wasn't keen on the spots it found. Maybe it was just looking for a familiar place or something. But I tried to guide it to safety since the busy roads were close ahead. Finally it seemed to listen and crawled back into the safe grass. These are the times I wish I had my camera with me. I hope I will get a new change to make a photo of my little furry friend in the future.
My ex has kids and during the time I've known her I got close to them. we bonded and even till this day I stay in contact with them. They are nice and joyful kids on the brink of being an adult now. Two had their birthday already and I've send them cards. I used to send them gifts, but since my life took a new direction with a new girlfriend I distanced myself a bit, so for now it's only cards and e-mails I share. But it turns out the dad of one of them didn't even send out a card. It makes me wonder. What is the motivation of making a child and then stop every contact? To me it doesn't make any sense. I am not a big fan of birthdays, but I wouldn't want to miss the one of my son or daughter for anything in the world. So I will keep on sending cards. It is always nice to make someone smile.
It is hot in Holland and equally as hot in my bedroom, so I didn't sleep well. I had my window open, but it was still a water ballet in the morning. I took a shower and went to work. And the moment I started up my Outlook, something popped up on my computer screen. Because I am so tired the past days I completely forgot an appointment I had this morning. With a red face I called them and apologized for my mistake. I had them waiting for an hour.So this was my morning. How's yours?
