A digital peek into Jelmer's life

Food for thought

2011-05-06T20:26:00.003+08:00

Click here for a link to an analysis of one week's worth of food by various cultures

Not the end of Icarus

2011-02-08T02:41:00.006+08:00

I referred to Icarus more than once in this blog, and how my objective is to aim for similar bold, audacious and dreamy goals. This grafitti made in Amsterdam dared me to go beyond that, and I decided I would love to.

Thanks, artist.

Hit the road, Jack

2010-11-01T21:52:00.000+08:00

Read this in a Daily Mail article last week - "Mohammed" is now the most common name for boys in Britain! Love it - long live multiculturalism!

How to Attract Women Through Dance

2010-09-10T03:57:00.003+08:00

The BBC explains an enlightening new study in which scientists claim to have conducted the "first rigorous analysis of dance moves that make men attractive to women." These videos are the highlight (the first is doing it right, the second doing it wrong), but the article is pretty entertaining as well. When I dip, you dip, we dip.

Our civilization

2010-05-25T06:14:00.002+08:00

That's our civilization and our education: bring up the masses to depend entirely on spending money, and then the money gives out... If you could only tell them that living and spending isn't the same thing! But it's no good. If only they were educated to live instead of earn and spend, they could manage very happily on twenty-five shillings. If they could dance and hop and skip, and swing and swagger and be handsome, they could do with very little cash. And amuse the women themselves, and be amused by the women.

D.H. Lawrence - Lady Chatterley's Lover

Toss a coin

2010-02-19T01:07:00.002+08:00

"When faced with two choices, simply toss a coin. It works not because it settles the question for you, but because, in that brief moment when the coin is in the air, you suddenly know what you are hoping for."

Lost in translation

2009-11-27T10:25:00.003+08:00

Same topic; different language. And what a difference it makes. Both China and America announced their carbon emission targets for 2020 yesterday, with China promising a 40-45% cut and America a 17% cut. Whereas China’s only English newspaper, the China Daily, commended both on the positive steps these major carbon emitters are making, a Chinese newspaper (the New Beijing Gazette) headlines with informing us that the Americans are being “too petty” (“太小气”).

A ruler isn't always straight

2009-10-28T00:42:00.005+08:00

An interesting article that was forwarded to me on local law in China.

A communist party

2009-10-25T21:39:00.005+08:00

It is September 30, 2009 – the People’s Republic of China exists 59 years and 364 days. Tomorrow is the big day, the day the majority of China’s 1.3 bln people have been waiting for: New China’s 60^th anniversary. Police and over 1 million volunteers (!) are mobilized in a security operation more forceful than the 2008 Olympics. Kite flying is banned (if you have been to Beijing before, you know this is a bitch for Beijingers), flying homing pigeons is not allowed either (my grandfather would have cried), and everyone entering the city of Beijing is checked for papers and other possessions. Parade rehearsals in the weeks before today have shut down major highways and hundreds of office and residential buildings; no one was to see the glorious parade until October 1, 2009. Soldiers of the parade have trained months to be able to walk *perfectly* (note the stress) in line.

Neither police nor volunteers however could help change the weather conditions on the 30^th: terribly smoggy and far from glorious. I’m quite sure the organizers let out a few not to be repeated words when they rubbed the sleep out of their eyes and opened their curtains that morning. Luckily, the government still had a few weather bombs left from the Olympics and decided to use them overnight. Not surprisingly, while rubbing the sleep out of my eyes the next morning, I was greeted by a pastel colored sky and rays of sunlight. After all, a celebration of a 60yr-old dictatorship cannot be without the sun-fueled glitter of shiny military boots, weapons and rockets. The organizers must have been very relieved.

The parade, carefully watched by Mao from his portrait on Tian’anmen Square, was a big success – smiling, happy people waving the flag of China while rows of robot-like soldiers paraded in front of them, and China’s air force blazed over them. Massive amounts of fireworks would later take over airspace from the fighter jets. Starting off with some horses, a few canons and a lot of men a few decades ago, China's military might came a long way – it is obvious October 1^st was all about impressing people.

Click here for a photo-series of the celebrations.

Trying to further soak up the spirit of the Beijingers on October 1, I decided to go to The Founding of a Republic (建国大业) – a box-office hit patriotic movie with all China’s movie stars, describing Mao’s trials and tribulations in gaining a foothold in China’s political arena alongside the Kuomintang. The actual founding of the PRC and the years that followed (widespread famine, and damage to the culture, society and economy of China) were left out and the movie hurries forward to December 1978, when Deng Xiaoping embarks on economic reforms by saying “to be rich is glorious”.

That quote was made by Deng Xiaoping 31 years ago, or more than half the age of modern China. Although this reform period has exceeded Mao’s 27 years of terrible rule, Mao continues to be a historic and hip figure, even when Communism and the Communist Party are not.

Another thing Deng said is that the CCP will “soon” relinquish its dominance over the Chinese economy and society – in reality, this has never happened. Now, one could argue that, judging from the graph below, if being rich is indeed glorious, then China has been doing a pretty glorious job over the past three decades. China alone accounted for more than 75% of poverty reduction in the developing world over the last two decades.

Surprisingly however, the greatest contributor to Chinese growth since the 90s is not net exports but domestically funded fixed investment used to buy machinery or construct buildings and infrastructure. China’s model of investment-led state corporatism hatched after the 1989 Tiananmen-protests to preserve the economic power and relevance of the party. About half of China’s growth in 2008 was spurred by state investments and, due to China’s USD 586 bln stimulus spending earlier this year, almost 75% of this year’s GDP growth is actually on the back of state-led fixed investment. In addition, as much as 80% of this money goes to state-owned enterprises, whereas they only constitute to some 25% of the economy (see below). Tellingly, >95% of China’s stimulus package went to state-controlled enterprises and the state currently owns more than 65% of all fixed assets in the country.

In other words, after more than 30 years of market reforms, the Chinese economic cycle still is not moved by entrepreneurial spark – the wheels still only really spin when the central government unleashes a fiscal flood.

Another quote from Deng Xiaoping: “It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice.” – it seems China is doing exactly this; when China wants something, they will get it, even if it's something as intractable as the weather - growth equals growth, and blue skies equal blue skies. Maybe another 30 years will be enough for China to meet these targets naturally - after all, manipulation also equals manipulation.

I don't...no

2009-10-13T22:19:00.007+08:00

Seen it in my head, burning my heart
Seen it in my past, back in my home
Doesn't make sense, see her again
I don't, know
I felt it for some time, ever not at all
Poison in my head, gun love hurts
I'm not looking for love, but it's hard to resist
I don't recall, me and mistakes

She's the only one, that's the best I've had
I found her in a dream, looking for me
This heart's on fire, I'll bring myself
Up to the force, down again

These arms are mine
Don't matter who they hold
So should i maybe, Just leave love alone
You call out my name, for the love you need
Which you won't find in me

Mockba: bottles, models...and a marathon

2009-09-27T23:05:00.010+08:00

Russia - the last place I thought I'd ever do a marathon, if only because I'd expect them to use vodka in stead of Powerade as running fuel. They didn't, as I found out, but considering my lack of training it was still a pretty tough run.

Red Square - not as red anymore, but equally beautiful

Two stars with two completely different images

The pigeons seem to like him

View from our hotel right in front of the Red Square

View at night

One running shoe in the grave, the other on a banana peel...

A stumble may prevent a fall

2009-09-18T00:59:00.002+08:00

August Altitude

2009-09-15T18:31:00.009+08:00

Over NYE in NYC, pretty drunk and high on life (see post and pictures), Roman and I made a vow. The plan itself wasn’t new – it had been a childhood dream for the both of us – and neither of us remembers when we first suggested climbing the mountain that Ernest Hemingway wrote a book about, the Chagga people were afraid of and was first conquered as recent as 1889. Nonetheless, that night we made a promise: we would conquer Mt. Kilimanjaro (aka Mister Kili) in the New Year.

What followed was 6 months of communication, or at least attempts thereof (neither Roman nor I have a history of planning holidays carefully –we tend to just go– and I continued in that fashion…). We decided to go for the 6-day Machame route and since we were in the region anyway, a 3-day safari in Masai Mara National Park (Kenya). Also, my family would go on a China tour with me in the second week of August, so it was key that we planned properly. Despite these contingencies we met each other on the 31st of July at 11pm in the dining room of Bristol Cottages, Moshi, Tanzania, ready to start our next adventure: conquering the world’s highest free-standing mountain, Mister Kili.

This post is an attempt to express what an amazing month August has been, but since I’m a poor writer and reading from computer screens is not attributive to the health of your eyes, I recommend you to make a brief visit to your local travel agency and take the next flight to any of the destinations below. It’s worth it, really.

For a slideshow with pictures and movies of my August-month, please click here.

A short note on why climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is all in all the hardest thing I’ve done in my life:

1. It’s uncomfortable: Being stubborn and proud, we didn’t like the idea of having porters carrying our backpacks for us. We figured seeing them do the hard work while we are hiking with just a day-pack would not be contributive to our feeling of joy and achievement when we reached the summit. Call us stupid, but we carried our own crap to the top (as a comparison, Chelsea owner Abramovich last week took 113 porters with him, and he did not make it). Moreover, not being able to shower for a week despite the sand and dust that’s everywhere is not something I particularly find enjoyable. The moment I scratched behind my ear and noticed my finger was black when I withdrew it was the moment I realized it had been a while I had been that dirty for that long. Lastly, the sun is baking your skin during the day, while at night that heat is not trapped by clouds (as we were sleeping above the clouds), and the cold creeps up from the ground and makes your bones and joints feel like you’re 120 years old. (The temperature drops about 1.6 degrees Celcius with every kilometer you climb. If you’re interested: sunlight energizes atoms, which increases the rate at which they move around and crash into each other, thereby releasing heat. As Bill Bryson explains it: “When you feel the sun warm your back on a summer’s day it’s really excited atoms you feel.” The higher you climb, the fewer molecules there are, and so the fewer collisions between them.)

2. It’s somewhat dangerous: Bodily distress is notorious above 7,500 meters (also known as The Death Zone, which indeed does not sound promising), but although Mt Kilimanjaro isn’t nearly that high, many people become severely debilitated and even dangerously ill at heights above 4,500 meters. One would need thousands of years developing disproportionately large chests and lungs, and increase the density of red blood cells by over 30% to counter that, and I don’t have nearly that many holiday days. All of this is due to the air getting thinner the higher the altitude, which makes that our bodies have to work harder to get the same amount of oxygen in our system to keep going. Roman had bought Diamox pills for us that acidify the blood (I agree, it doesn’t sound nice) and thus increase the amount of oxygen in the blood, but we were still constantly scanning our bodies for signs of altitude sickness. The effects of altitude sickness are still the number one reason for fatalities in mountaineering. (FYI: Kilimanjaro claims the lives of up to 20 people who attempt to reach the peak each year.)

3. It’s physically challenging: The thin air, 15kg backpacks, little sleep, hours of climbing and temperature changes make that you realize that you have felt better when you reach the summit. As an example: Roman and I took short rests during our summit attempt where we only focused on getting our heart rate below 170rpm.

Still, having safely arrived back at the base of the mountain Roman and I already started discussing which one of the 7 Summits we'd conquer next. Perhaps another New Year's party would help crystallize those ideas... :)

PS. I know I wrote in an earlier post that my next marathon would be sandy, but Jordan was off the list for several reasons and so I am writing this post from my hotel room in Moscow, where I just finished my 42.195 kilometers. More about that soon!

Local stories for the mass public

2009-07-23T20:45:00.001+08:00

Every morning I make sure to read the ‘China Scene’ short stories that the China Daily takes from local newspapers and publishes in its newspaper daily. It makes me feel like China is not the third largest country in the world with over 1.3 bln inhabitants, but a tiny village somewhere in a forgotten corner of France, where the local journal is forced to use filler articles for 90% of its content. It’s a great read during my commute as, aside from being bizarre/funny/plain shocking, the stories breathe Chinese culture in between the lines. Below a selection of stories for you from the past few weeks:

Attempt to steal tree puts 80,000 homes in darkness
A man who tried to steal a tree from a street instead plunged 80,000 homes into darkness in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, on Thursday.
The blackout started at 2am and lasted for six hours when the thief illegally tried to chop down the tree but instead destroyed an electrical wire.
A special task force of nine workers rushed to the scene to repair the wire.

Painter advertises for college girl on 1,000 posters
A 32-year-old painter has handed out more than 1,000 posters at 10 university campuses in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, all in an effort to find a suitable wife.
Fu Bing wants to find his true love from among the student population because he believes most of the students there are pure. He said woman in general society are too materialistic.
Fu has received 10 phone calls from female students in recent days.

Boy frantic after call from dead man’s phone
A 14-year-old boy was so frightened to get a call from a number that belonged to a deceased neighbor that he began sharpening his martial arts moves at home to protect himself.
Alone at home last Wednesday night in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, the boy saw the called ID on his parent’s phone and went berserk. The neighbor died two weeks earlier.
He turned up the television volume as loud as it could go, switched on all the lights and called his parents using another phone.
After his parents rushed back home, they saw him doing kungfu. He learned that the dead man gave the phone to his housemaid who was calling to say goodbye before she returned to her hometown.

Man spends two months walking wrong way home
A man who tried to walk from Zhejiang province to his hometown in Guizhou, realized after two months that he was going the wrong way.
Wang Zhaoqing, 28, of Guiyang, Guizhou province went to Jinhua, Zhejiang province, for a job but soon got fired.
He had no money for a train ticket so he walked home and begged for food. Last Thursday, police in Huzhou found him sleeping on the side of the road and gave him a ticket.

Mahjong fan in coma after playing 32 hours straight
A man in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province, fell into a coma on Sunday and doctors said it’s because he played mahjong non-stop for 32 hours.
The man, surname Zhang, 30, began playing on Friday night and fell off his mahjong chair on Sunday morning. His partners went home and were replaced by new partners on Saturday afternoon.

No money for mahjong, man burns house
After his wife refused to give him money to play mahjong, a man tried to burn down their house, and was arrested.
His wife was returning to home in Meihekou, Jilin province, on Sunday when she noticed the fire and call authorities.
Her husband confessed he set the fire in a rage.
“I asked my wife to give me money to play mahjong with friends that day but she refused,” he said.

Woman sells grandson to spite cheap son-in-law
An elderly woman sold her grandson because she said she opposed her daughter’s marriage.
Wu, of Minhou, Fujian province, realized his son disappeared days after the boy’s mother sent him to stay with the grandmother in Xiapu county.
After an investigation, police got the grandma to confess that she sold the boy to a couple because the son-in-law failed to give her a bride price.
Police found the boy in another county.

Mom posts daughter’s ad for marriage in colleges
A woman surname Liu posted personal ads for her daughter to find her a suitable husband on the bulletin boards of Tianjin University and Nankai University.
The woman even wanted to personally interview all the candidates before introducing them to her daughter, who was completely oblivious of the ads.
Liu said she posted the ads during the summer break as mostly post graduates, professors, and student councilors visited the campus. She claimed only they were fit for her daughter, who holds a Masters degree.

Man’s cleanliness obsession raises alarm
A man in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, doesn’t like to leave the house without wearing a cap, mask and gloves.
The 23-year-old university graduate began his strange habit after he browsed a pornography website earlier this month. He started believing that everything and everyone is dirty.
He always washes his hands and body each time he returns home because he’s worried about catching a sexually transmitted disease from saliva and dust.
Many suggested he make an appointment with a psychotherapist.

5 years later, elderly man removes leech from nose
A 73-year-old man who suffered nasal congestion a nosebleeds for more than five years is recovering after doctors removed a 10 cm long leech from his nose in Gaozhou, Guangdong province.
The man surnamed Fu, a barefoot doctor from a rural village, visited the hospital last week after he experienced nosebleeds 10 days in a row.
Fu believed the leech lived in his nose for five years because he suffered the same symptoms for five years.
The leech possibly went into his nose five years ago after he drank water from a mountain stream while collecting herbs.

Poor garbage collector has collected 20 kids
An old woman who relies on picking up waste for a living has adopted 20 abandoned babies in Puning, Guangdong province.
Zhang Fei has now even become a foster granny.
Zhang is now living with 16 of her adopted children. The other four have grown up and have left the county for employment opportunities.Despite severe financial issues, Zhang, an adopted child herself, said she never regretted her decision to pick up abandoned babies and give them a decent life.

Lion or gazelle?

2009-05-30T20:03:00.001+08:00

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.

It knows that it must outrun the fastest

lion or it will be killed.

Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up.

It knows that it must out run the slowest

gazelle or it will starve.

It does not matter whether you are a lion or gazelle.

When the sun comes up you had better be running.

"If we fail to reach the Great Wall we are not men"

2009-05-30T19:56:00.002+08:00

One night, about three months ago, me and some friends were celebrating a birthday when the topic came up. I’d heard of it before but never really thought about it – after all, I have always been keener on shorter distances. It’s been less than a year since I ran my last 400 dash and I actually recall myself saying I would never run these distances, but I wanted a new experience. Something in me told me I had to do it, so I bluntly said that I was going to do it and because I didn’t want to half-ass it I would run the full. Me and my big mouth.

That’s when I started training for one of the hardest marathons in the world: the Great Wall Marathon. Since (1) the treadmill is a healthier option in one of the most polluted cities in the world and (2) the Asians in my gym only walk on treadmills, it’s safe to say the run-up to the marathon still didn’t make me a big fan of long distance running.

I badly needed some fellow masochists. I suggested the idea to some of my colleagues (note that it was a lot more flowery and victorious than I at that time imagined it to be) and I somehow managed to get about a third of the office with me. Not for the full marathon but the half (I guess they are smarter than I am), but I figured shared pain is half the pain, even if it’s half the distance too.

Despite a busy travel and general working hour schedule, and the fact that business in China goes hand in hand with alcohol, I managed to get somewhat of a basis for endurance running and felt somewhat more comfortable to challenge one of the world’s seven world wonders. That being said, I already promised myself I would run the race after having been “in training” for half a month, as otherwise those 40-odd km’s on the treadmill would’ve been for nothing.

After having bought some professional-looking long distance running gear in one of Beijing’s Nike shops and a week of “carb loading” (which is interesting in a country that loves its rice), me and my colleagues headed out for the Great Wall marathon near Tianjin.

A short description of the 42,195 meters I ran:

The run starts out with a 4.5km very steep uphill mountain road, followed by multiple kilometers (and over 5,000 steps) on the Great Wall. If you have ever been to the Great Wall you know how ridiculous it is to do a marathon on it. If you haven’t been, please click on the following link: http://www.appletravel.cn/images/events/76373runningonwall.jpg. Going up is a b*tch for the calves and the lungs, going down is a b*tch for the knees.
The good news is that after this you can say you’ve covered roughly 25% of the distance. The bad news is that it is indeed only distance that you’ve covered, since in the end it’ll feel like only 2% of the effort.
This is when we entered little scattered villages where old and wrinkled villagers in typical Mao-suits and Chinese cigarettes watched the spectacle along unpaved roads. Old Chinese面包车 (Mian Bao Che, Chinese minivans) and tricycles drove by, leaving dark exhaust fumes and bad gasoline smells behind. We ran through local weekend markets with raw meat and vegetables on old wooden planks and gave high fives to young Chinese boys with开档裤 (Kai Dang Ku, or open bottom pants). Little girls had made little bouquets of wild flowers they themselves had plucked in the field, and handed them over to us with a big smile and an English “hello”, or a Chinese “加油”. It was unforgettable and mesmerizing; there was no pain anymore and I think I had a smile on my face for most of the second quarter of the marathon.
That’s when I realized I had never really run any further than 25km…the villages were behind us and now we were running through the fields over unpaved roads with stones sticking out like tiny, treacherous icebergs in a sea of dust…I tried my best not to have my size 11 running shoes end up like the Titanic. Luckily we got back to civilization at the 30km-mark, and I mentally prepared myself for the Great Wall that was coming again.
But not even the most brilliant mental coach could have prepared me for that. I think literally everyone “hit” the wall…I may be a masochist for running the Great Wall marathon, but the person who mapped out the route for it is surely the biggest sadist around. I literally saw grown up men collapse and cry tears of pain and exhaustion while other runners tried to conquer the Wall on all fours. All I could do is tap them on the shoulder and tell them “keep going, you’re almost there”. Because, in terms of distance, we were almost there. I had to go deep into the red to make it to the finish though, and even the last few kilometers which were gently downward sloping felt like a struggle.
With my last energy I pushed out a sprint to the finish, where I received my medal and some shoulders from my colleagues who had finished their half marathon by then.

In hindsight it was less frightening than I expected it to be, but it was absolutely not easy. “Did you learn anything from this experience”, you may ask? Absolutely: that life is beautiful (after the pain subsides). Nevertheless, the next marathon is already on the calendar…one hint: looooots of sand.

My one-hundredth

2009-05-30T19:53:00.001+08:00

You may ask yourself why it took me so long to write another post. Well, two reasons:

1) The Chinese government thought it was a good idea to block my weblog in China, and
2) This is my one-hundredth post and I wanted to write it after having run my marathon (see next post).

Over the last 3 years, I’ve been writing on this blog so that (1) others have a digital peek in my life, and (2) I will have something to read to my grandchildren when I’m grey and old. I hope it has been interesting enough for you – it was for me.

I aim to make my life more intense, exciting and adventurous over the next 100 posts, and I will aim to keep you updated.

“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.”
- Benjamin Franklin

Greetings Earthlings

2009-04-06T11:02:00.011+08:00

"If you had to pick, would you rather be deaf or blind?" I find this question a very hard one, because both sound and sight are fantastic gifts of life. But more specifically, what is it in our ability to see and hear things that makes it so fantastic? What sounds and sights is human kind proud of?

In 1977, NASA launched the twin Voyager spacecraft, two relatively small contraptions, each going into a different direction, that initially were designed to explore our solar system. By now they are in the on the borders of our solar system (heliosheath in nerd-talk), and at over 50,000 km/h the Voyager 1 and 2 are looking for extraterrestial life. On board of these spacecrafts there is a "Golden Record", an LP with the sounds and pictures of Earth. Dozens of experts and scientists worked together to create the content of this Golden Record, so in finding out what human kind is proud of on our planet it may be a good idea to run that record.

Firstly other life forms would have to be able to play the record, which is why the cover of the Golden Record has a description of how to do it:

Not exactly an IKEA-style description of how to put your dinner table together...Anyway, assuming extraterrestial life gets it, they will hear the following:

Sounds:

Greetings from Earth: From an Akkadian (one of our oldest languages) "May all be very well", to an Amoian (a Chinese dialect) "Friends of space, how are you all? Have you eaten yet? Come visit us if you have time."

Music from Earth: the usual Bach, Beethoven and Mozart, but also Senegal percussion and Azerbaijan bagpipes, tribal chants and Peruvian wedding songs, Mexican Mariachi and Indian raga. Sounds like an amazing blend - I wonder what the Martians will think.

Sounds from Earth: volcanoes, earthquakes, thunder, mud pots, wind, rain, crickets, frogs, birds, hyenas, elephants, chimpanzees, wild dog, footsteps, heartbeat, laughter, fire, sheep, a blacksmith, sawing, tractor, morse code, ships, horse and cart, train, bus, automobile, F-111's, rocket lift-off, kiss, mother and child, pulsar...mind you, the record was made over 3 decades ago, but it's still a pretty solid mix :)

Sights:

Scenes from Earth: the most extreme range of pictures have been put on this record. Mathematical formulas, continental drifts, a nursing mother, people licking eating and drinking, a page of a book, sunset with birds, pictures of different peoples, string quartet, animals, famous buildings and sights, anatomical pictures, etc etc.

I'm still not sure what my final answer would be when asked the question I posed in the first paragraph of this post. Maybe that's because I've been so lucky to have been born with both and take it for granted too often. Maybe we should ask the aliens that managed to play the Golden Record what they were most flabbergasted about...because I assume they will be...

Icarus...?

2009-03-09T14:51:00.001+08:00

Amazing...immediately added to the bucket list...

To the bold and brave

2009-03-07T02:04:00.004+08:00

The story of another man: Arrested for treason in 2000, allegedly plotting to assassinate president Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe in 2002, arrested again in 2003 and 2007 and 2008, tortured in prison, having been in exile for multiple months, having had at least three assassination attempts against him and facing political crackdowns and his MDC party, this man has showed immeasurable perseverance and resilience in risking his and his loved ones' lives in changing a seemingly unchangable political power grid-lock. The long, steep and untreaded road this man walked has made him officially win the 2008 Zimbabwe elections, which Mugabe did not accept. The controversial power-sharing agreement of September 2008 made the man Prime Minister of Zimbabwe. What a story...

His name? Morgan Tsvangirai, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.

Today, the wife of this former nickel mine worker got killed in "an accident" when their car was hit by a truck. Although as of yet no solid information can lead me to argue this, it is easy and plausible to see the work of dark forces. My thoughts are with him and his six kids while he is now in the hospital, mourning both the death of his wife and hopefully trying to persevere with new mental and physical scars.

Mugabe is at the moment of writing visiting Morgan Tsvangirai in the hospital...

"Ah my friend...

2009-02-26T11:32:00.002+08:00

...if you and I could escape this fray and live forever, never a trace of age, immortal, I would never fight on the front lines again or command you to the field where men win fame. But now, as it is, the fates of death await us, thousands poised to strike, and not a man alive can flee them or escape--so in we go for attack! Give our enemy glory or win it for ourselves!"

- Homer in the Iliad (12-374)

Wora and Yeno

2009-02-25T22:08:00.007+08:00

In the African Galoa Tribe, all twins are given the same name; Wora and Yeno (meaning first and second born). My twin brother has always been proud of the fact that he is Wora; the first-born twin.

Well, Jon, since this is the first birthday in our lifes that I live further east than you, the clock here in China just hit midnight seven hours sooner - and you know what that means, Yeno ;-)

Yeno or Wora, I wish you all one can wish for this year...and then some :-)

"You know how subtle are the links which bind two souls which are so closely allied."

- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

All the best in life,

Wora, your older twin brother (for a few hours)

"A government of national unity"

2009-02-20T11:30:00.002+08:00

The eye opener

2009-02-17T20:54:00.005+08:00

How the movie “Waking Life” got me thinking, and despite the fact that 90% of the text below is reshuffled, quoted and paraphrased from its script, I can honestly say that these could be my words:

Forrest Gump was half correct when he said “life is like a box of chocolates”. You actually come onto this planet with a box of crayons. Now, you may get the 8-pack, you may get the 16-pack. But it’s more about what you do with the crayons than about the colours that you are given. And don’t worry about drawing within the lines or colouring outside the lines. I say colour outside the lines. Colour right off the page. Don’t box yourself in - be a dreamer!

Yet these dreamers are banished to obscurity. Society mostly has a vested interest in losses and catastrophes. Wars, famines, floods and quakes meet well-defined needs. Man wants chaos. In fact, he needs it. We're irresistibly drawn to that almost orgiastic state created out of death and destruction. It's in all of us. We revel in it. Look at media; depression, strife, riots, murder - all this dread. The media’s job is to persuade us to accept those evils and get used to living with them. The powers that be want us to be passive observers – and they are surprisingly successful.

Yet there are two kinds of observers in this world: those who suffer from a lack of life and those who suffer from an overabundance of life. I've always found myself in the second category. Either you're moving fast or time is - yet never both simultaneously. It's such a strange paradox. While technically I'm closer to the end of my life than I've ever been, I actually feel more than ever before that I can do more than ever before. There is sometimes a certain desperation because it feels like there is an end to the path and you have to get there. I think that what we don't take into account when we're young is our endless curiosity. That's what's great about being human.

But when you come to think of it, almost all human behavior and activity is not essentially any different from animal behavior: the most advanced technologies and craftsmanship bring us, at best, up to the “super chimpanzee”-level. Actually, the gap between, say, Plato, Einstein or Nietzsche and the average human is greater than the gap between a chimpanzee and the average human. The realm of the real spirit, the true artist, the saint, the philosopher, is rarely achieved. What are these barriers that keep people from reaching anywhere near their real potential? The answer to that can be found in another question: Which is the most universal human characteristic - fear or laziness?

I say fear. This critique began as all critiques begin: with doubt. Doubt became our narrative. Ours was a quest for our own story; the adventure of finding it and losing it. We, the unappeased and unaccepting, continued looking, filling in the silences and gaps with our own wishes, fears and fantasies. This is where language comes from; it came from our desire to transcend our isolation and have some sort of connection with one another. Seek confirmation.

When language was just simply about survival, it had to be easy. Like the word "water." We came up with a sound for that. Or "saber-toothed tiger right behind you". We came up with a sound for that. But when it gets really interesting is when we use that same system of symbols to communicate all the abstract and intangible things that we're experiencing. What is frustration, anger or love? When I say "love", the sound comes out of my mouth and it hits the other person's ear, travels through their memories of love or lack of love, they register what I'm saying and they say “yes, I understand”. But how do I know they understand? Words are inert. And so much of our experience is intangible. So much of what we perceive cannot be expressed, is unspeakable. And yet, when we communicate with one another, we feel that we've connected and we think that we're understood. Although that feeling might be transient, I think it's what we live for.

Driven forward by the fact that no matter how empty the world may seem, no matter how degraded and used up the world sometimes appears to us, we know that anything is still possible. You shape it - you have so many options. D.H. Lawrence had this idea of two people meeting on a road. And instead of just passing and letting their glances and time just fade away, they decide to accept what he calls "the confrontation between their souls." It's like freeing the brave reckless gods within us all.

This ongoing "wow" needs to be happening right now. We are all co-authors of this dancing exuberance where even our inabilities are having a roast. Life is something great that is collected over time by moments, flabbergasted to be in each other's presence. Our eyesight is here as a test to see if we can see beyond it. Matter is here as a test for our curiosity. Doubt is here as an exam for our vitality.

So when Sartre talks about responsibility, he’s not talking about something abstract. He’s not talking about what theologians would argue about. It’s something very concrete. It’s you and me making decisions. Doing things and taking the consequences. It might be true that there are six billion people in the world, and counting. Nevertheless, what you do makes a difference. It makes a difference to other people and it sets an example. In short, I think the message here is that we should never simply write ourselves off and see ourselves as the victim of various forces.

This is also what Benedict Anderson says about identity. Take, say, a baby picture. You pick up this picture (this two-dimensional image) and you say, "That's me." Well, to connect this baby in this weird little image with yourself living and breathing in the present, you have to make up a story (your own fiction) to make you and the baby in the picture identical to create your identity. And the funny thing is that our cells are completely regenerating every seven years. We've already become completely different people several times over, and yet we always remain quintessentially ourselves.

So, in the end, it’s always our decision who we are.

祝你们信牛年快乐！

2009-01-28T20:41:00.006+08:00

One good thing about living in Asia beijng a foreigner is that you get to get to enjoy New Year's Eve twice. I celebrated it on the ancient Drum and Bell Tower (see beginning of this video).

The year of the Ox started.

With a Bang.

My ears are still ringing.

"Young is the one that plunges in the future" THE PICAS

2009-01-26T10:24:00.017+08:00

1. Message of a remote controlled "waitress" at Shake Shack in Madison Square Garden, NY

2. On the Great Wall on a great winter day in Beijing, BJ

3. Anita and me on the frozen lake of the Summer Palace, BJ

4. In the land of Freezing, Quebec, Canada

5. On our way North-east to the dogsledding place, Quebec, Canada

6. Dogsledding during Christmas in Quebec, Canada

7. An incredible night with friends and an amazing band at "Cafe Wha?", NY

8. German new years tradition at a German friend's place in NY: “Lead pouring” (das Bleigießen)

9. Craziness at Nikita's NYE-party, NY

10. Straight from the set of the Wedding Crashers; NYE in NYC

11. View from Empire State Building, NY after a climb that took multiple hours

12. The rat pack on the Empire State Building, NY

13. Jumping in front of the Statue of Liberty, NY

14. Looking under her dress, Statue of Liberty, NY

15. Jumping picture on Statue of Liberty Island with view over NY skyline, NY

The Great Migration

2009-01-20T12:40:00.017+08:00

Millions of African-Americans did it in the early 20th Century in the USA. Wildebeests in do it every year in May and November in the African grasslands. The French do it in the end of July when they all feel the need to go to sunnier, happier places for holidays. And the Chinese too do it every year, during Spring Festival (one of the coldest periods of the year), in China:

(PS. Other than that I do not mean to imply the groups necessarily have anything in common...)

Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) - Mass Migration in China

January 11 - February 20, 2009

1,330 million people living in China.

2,300 million journeys in 40 days.

57.5 million people per day using rail, road, sea or air to re-unite with their families.

24.2 million flights.

188 million train passengers.

2,000 million people on the road.

29 million people take the ferry or boat.

"Young is the one that plunges in the future"

2009-01-07T15:50:00.005+08:00

I...

...spent Christmas in Canada with 6 huskies in front of my sled
...spent Christmas sleeping in a teepee while the temperature was -25 Celcius
...visited Montreal and ate at restaurant Onoir (where blind people serve you in the dark)
...spent Newyears in New York, eating, drinking, laughing and reminiscing with some of the best friends in the world
...watched the infidelities of the young in Broadway's Spring Awakening
...have been high on life probably 90% of 2008
...will be satisfied with only half that in 2009 (but will be aiming for more ;-) )

...would like to wish you a phenomenal 2009!

"When the heart speaks, the mind finds it indecent to object"

PS. ...took a crapload of pictures, half of which are now in the hands of a thief after breaking into our car and taking my Camera (plus GPS-system), so pictures will come in slowly - do keep checking; they're worth it! :)

Gaza...

2009-01-07T10:20:00.003+08:00

Israeli kids race for rocket shrapnel as Gaza blitz rages on

By Hazel Ward

SDEROT, Jan 06, 2009 (AFP) - As police and onlookers stare at the damage caused by the latest Gaza rocket to slam into this southern Israeli town, no one pays attention to the small boy clambering over the fence and kicking through the debris.

Deep in concentration, 11-year-old Yinon Tubi peers under bushes and sifts through the rubble as he scours the garden for any leftover remains of the Qassam rocket fired by militants in Gaza a few kilometres (miles) away.

Within minutes, he has assembled an impressive collection of twisted fragments on the garden wall.

"As soon as a Qassam hits, we start looking for shrapnel for souvenirs," he says, proudly holding up a battered army-issue ammunition box in which he keeps his collection -- the remains of more than 50 different rockets.

"It's like a competition to see who can get the most and who has the nicest bits."

For the children of this southern Israeli town who have become used to the years-long almost daily barrage of rockets fired from northern Gaza, searching for shrapnel has become a popular pastime, with kids competing to see who comes up with the most impressive find.

It may be a game, but these missiles have claimed four Israeli lives in the last 10 days, and brought down the fearsome wrath of the Israeli army which is currently locked in a deadly battle to halt rocket fire from the impoverished Gaza Strip.

So far, more than 560 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli blitz -- nearly 100 of them children.

But aside from the occasional whump! of Israeli canons firing at targets in Gaza just five kilometres (three miles) down the road, there is little sign of the bloody battle raging between Israel and Gaza's militants.

When Israeli radars pick up signs of an incoming rocket, sirens wail and residents have less than a minute to take cover in the whitewashed bomb shelters peppering the streets of the town.

But after the danger is over, Yinon is quick to head out to see what he can salvage. "I just follow the smoke," he says.

Pouring the pieces onto a table, Yinon pulls out his most-prized find -- a non-descript triangle-shaped hunk of metal which was his first discovery 18 months ago.

He also points to a charred bunch of house keys -- which he and his father believe were packed into a missile.

"It's a game but it's also a healthy way of dealing with his fears," says his father, Shilav, a 35-year-old teacher at the local religious school.

"We don't want to stop him but we do make sure he doesn't run after them while they're still in the air," he says wryly.

"Of course, we're hoping the day will come when he can start collecting something better than shrapnel from Qassam rockets."

Amid the shattered glass and smashed tiles littering the ground where the missile hit, Yinon and a friend are comparing finds, his mate gleefully showing off what looks like the nose tip of the rocket.

"Everyone does it -- from the old to the young," says 19-year-old student Yitzak Ben Abu. "People are looking for anything that's connected to the 'action.

"It's sort of sad -- but it's also exciting," he says.

"In Ashdod, they have started collecting Grads," he adds, referring to the longer-range Grad missiles which are more accurate than Qassams and can reach up to 40 kilometres (24 miles).

He believes the Israeli army's massive operation in Gaza will finally put a halt to the rocket fire on southern Israel.

"Israel must win. If not, they might start collecting shrapnel in Tel Aviv!"

798, 七九八

2008-11-25T22:21:00.005+08:00

我常常去了七九八，一个美区在北京。看一下，我觉得这张照片很有意思：

Wo changchang qu le qi jiu ba, yi ge meishu diqu zai Beijing. Kan yi xia, wo juede zhe zhang zhaopian hen you yi si:

I often go to 798, an art district in Beijing. Take a look at this picture, I think it's very interesting:

《径直走向你的心上人》

"Jing zhi zou xiang ni de xinshangren"

"Walk straight towards the person you really love"

38 North Latitude THE PICAS

2008-11-23T19:51:00.028+08:00

What moments in my life did my Camera (yes, with a capital C) freeze this time?

One Korean on tv in Seoul's subway stations
Numerous couples attach key lock on one of Seoul's highest points to show their eternal love to them and others
A gazillion leafs with a billion different colours
A picture of a paining made in the bathroom of a random Ozzie bar in Itaewon district
One of the tv's in that very same Ozzie bar showing rugby: Black Leafs vs Australia
Me with soldier at South Korea's most Northern train station that hopes to connect to Pyongyang (North Korea) sometime soon
North Korean landscape from South Korean viewpoint
A statue of a divided world, North Korea left, South Korea right, with both populations trying to push them together again. The fact that the right half of the globe is spick 'n spam while the left side (North Korea) is dirty as hell is to me an interesting hidden message...
"I miss you" ribbons and posters @ the "Freedom Bridge" of South Koreans hoping to be re-united again with the family they got separated with when the country split up decades ago
A notice in an old Japanese prison showing children and pregnant women are apparently not allowed to experience ;-)
Cell blocks in a former Japanese prison (now a fairly patriotic museum)

Paragliding!

2008-11-09T13:22:00.012+08:00

It was cold, it was snowing, the wind was far from optimal and I was half sick, but it was a great experience...

Very James Bond; thanks Q...I even look "shaken, not stirred" :)

38 North Latitude

2008-11-09T12:47:00.011+08:00

Visa run to Seoul (October 31 - November 3):

English proficiency is better with the older generation. Perhaps the younger generation is more Korea-focused as (1) they didn't fight along-side the United Nations against North Korea and China and (2) Korea development has been significant post-war, especially after Seoul hosted the Summer Olympics in 1988.
Koreans are super super friendly and willing to talk about even the most sensitive political matters that have destabilized their country for many, many years.
There is still soooo much propaganda and patriotism on both sides of the Korean border...very interesting to view as a foreigner.
38 North Latitude is the official border that both countries settled at in 1953. This settlement came after years of waging war, North Korea supported by China and South Korea by the UN. Click here to see how the war saw waves of superiority/inferiority by both parties.
The Japanese have occupied Korea multiple times prior to all this. Visiting a former Japanese prison (now a museum) in Seoul where Korean patriots were tortured/starved/beaten to death, it is obvious this is still a sensitive subject for many Koreans.
South Korea's initiative to build a train track from Seoul (South Korea) to Pyongyang (North Korea) is one of the latest efforts to bring more openness to the socialist North. President Bush visited the site and mentioned how he hopes this rail road will finally unite Korean families. However. the current soured relations between the two countries have led North Korea to decide to block everything from the South Korean border (see article)
On a more casual note, go to the N Seoul Tower for lunch to have a great view over the city while eating a nice 6-course lunch.
'Business clubs' are very obvious strip (+ more?) clubs. It is interesting how all visitors walk out with their dress shirts untucked :)
It used to be one of the highlights in Seoul but, unfortunately, Seoul's 14th Century Great South Gate was burned down by an arsonist in February 2008. It is not clear yet what his motivation was.
Seoul in fall is amaaaaazing...
Simply EVERY Seoul-citizen has a cell phone on which he/she can watch live television...all you do is attach a little antenna and bam they're glued to their little screens, oblivious of what's going on around them :)
Pictures coming soon...

Dazzling Dubai

2008-11-09T11:35:00.032+08:00

I till owe you the pictures of Dubai (UAE), the crazy (and what I could see somewhat soulless) financial and touristy city I visited 1.5 months ago. I arrived on the day the Muslims celebrated 'Eid', the end of the fasting period of Ramadan, and the occasion for many Muslims to eat and be happy with friends and family.

Despite this festivity, I found Dubai to be somewhat empty...warranted given the fact that property there is enough for 15 million inhabitants, whereas now there are just over 1.5 million.

It is interesting to see how Dubai combines its Muslim fundament with Western capitalism. Last month a couple was arrested and imprisoned for multiple years for having sex on one of Dubai's open beaches - very much frowned upon in a Muslim state. Also, Dubai has walled women-only beaches, but it is very common for men to watch expat women swim in tiny bikini's, one hand holding their camera and the other in their pants.

Leaving behind me an interesting first glance into the Middle East (if you can still call it that), I hopped on a plane to the Netherlands to visit my family (congratulations again, Marlijne! =) )

Two ads depicting the true 'Dubaian' mentality - "The Star Living"

Junk boat or yacht, both are exclusive yet very publicly displayed

Dubai painted some 40 years ago

Dubai anno 2008: (i) skyline with Dubai 800-something metre high tower, (ii) open beach with on the background 7-star hotel Burj Al Arab, (iii) idem, (iv) Dubai's Atlantis hotel, complete with shark tanks and lofty rooms, and (v) the still unfinished 800+ metre high Burj Dubai tower.

My favourite picture off the whole trip - men lined up in half a circle watching/filming female expatriates swim in tiny bikini's (indeed very different from burqa's)

Word of the day: "change"

2008-11-05T16:04:00.005+08:00

Barack Hussein Obama's first speech as President-elect of the United States.

President George Bush gives a statement congratulating his successor.

I'd like to write...

2008-10-27T15:58:00.004+08:00

...but i have a writer´s block. Therefore, some quotes:

"I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to another till I drop. This is the night, what it does to you. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion."

"A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us."

Beijing's starry sky is beautiful tonight...

On a different note: I'm going to Seoul (South Korea) this weekend and was pleasantly surprised when I saw Korea's local currency in relation to the US dollar:

Crazy people, lovely life

2008-09-23T10:33:00.002+08:00

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!" "

"What is the feeling when you're driving away from people, and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? - it's the too huge world vaulting us, and it's good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies."

"What’s in store for me in the direction I don’t take?”

"Maybe that's what life is...a wink of the eye and winking stars."

- Jack Kerouac

State of Grace

2008-09-17T18:19:00.030+08:00

Koh Phi Phi was Heaven on Earth, especially after the hot-blooded days before. Even after the tsunami of 2004 and despite the amount of tourists in high season (October – February), Koh Phi Phi is a-ma-zing…

I ended up not chilling at all, but again, it was all worth it. Cliff jumping, torch shows, amazing scuba diving spots, great beaches, warm water, palm trees to hide from the lovely sun and above all, amazing people.

Lastly, I wish my camera could show what was shown to me at night – I’ve never seen that many stars at night, and the sound of the waves and the laid-back music in the background made it all the more memorable…

To see is to believe – check it out:

State of Emergency

2008-09-17T18:05:00.000+08:00

Aaah, Thailand – the land where peaceful Buddhist monks wonder the streets in their orange attire, where beautiful temples are scattered around cities and villages, and where fine sandy-white beaches and warm, turquoise water welcome you. The land where your biggest concern is what cocktail to pick or what delicious fresh fruit to eat...since my life has been a bit of a rollercoaster and there is no real sign of this changing anytime soon, I decided a country with that description would be appreciated (heir heir to the “anima sana in corpore sano" philosophy).

So I readied myself for a week in Thailand – I bought tickets for flights to Bangkok and Krabi, booked hotels in Bangkok and Koh Phi Phi, bought the Lonely Planet for Thailand and its islands and bought summer clothes (since I could only fit so much in my suitcase from the Netherlands). Then, one morning -it must have been less than three days prior to my departure- the above paradisy description of Thailand flew out of the window when I woke up and turned the news on: “…That is why hundreds of protestors have flocked around the Government House in Bangkok, and they are not determined to leave before PM Samak either showed significant regime changes or leaves office…” Nice wake-up call…

I decided to just go ahead with the trip despite discouraging sounds from travel agencies and embassies around the world: closed airports, stranded tourists, tear gas, violent clashes on the streets, protestors storming government buildings, closed down streets, more intense security measures., etc, etc. The newspaper I received in the airplane told me the airport in Krabi was closed down and taken over by Thai protestors; hundreds of tourists were trapped at the airport – I was to go there in 3 days. In Bangkok I started asking around for buses to Krabi and I prepared myself for long bus rides, stolen luggage, sweaty seats and damp windows. Sweet relieve came when the Asianews channel in my hotel reported a day before I was scheduled to fly that Krabi airport had reopened.

A note of credit to the Thai people: the vast majority of the Thai population did everything possible to keep tourists away from all of this as much as possible, and many of them even apologized for the inconveniences caused. Even despite the turbulence and violence I experienced in Bangkok, the trip was completely worth it.

Please see below for pictures of Bangkok, or it’s full name “Krungthepmahanakhon Amornrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharat Ratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphiman Awatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit”, which translates into English as “The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city (of Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated God, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn”.

State of Emergency THE PICAS

2008-09-17T16:15:00.054+08:00

Captions (up to down):

Amaaaazing offer: Sex changes for as little as USD 1,625!!
Wat Pho Monastry - the Thai massages there are amazing
"For Thai people only" - foreigners have notoriously smelly feet, that's true...
I wish I had this in the neighbourhood I grew up in - a 30 metres high Giant Swing!
The people that make the temples just that little bit more shiny!
Beautifully overdone :-)
Barricaded streets - this is where the Government House is, then taken over by protestors
They supposedly love their King
The Grand Palace, where the grass is always greener
Lovely little golden throats
Grand Palace wall painting - how surprising; the eight-armed man wins from the two-armed man...
They thought I participated in the Olympics b/c of my shirt
I told you - monks wondering the streets of Bangkok
...and the waterroads of Bangkok :-)
If you read the post above you'd know why I added this picture
Ping pong shows, crazy clubs and crazy Thai mafia on Bangkok's main bar street
Muay Thai boxing event - as young as 14 years old...
Lumpini Park - nice!
Sundown by the Chao Phraya river and Wat Jaeng
Elephant riding with Paul
Hug the tiger!
Floating Market - this dude had tattoos all over
Bangkok Daily Editorial about the now ousted Thai PM Samak

From Silk Road to Abbey Road

2008-08-28T12:25:00.012+08:00

After having met the 10th Dalai Lama during the women's volleybal finals, the Olympics are over again...Beijing went out with a bang though - the Closing Ceremony was another spectacle that will be remembered.

Since London will organize the Olympics in 2012, they poured some British culture into the Beijing Closing Ceremony too. It was interesting to notice how different the "Silk Road" is from "Abbey Road"; the Chinese part was far more collective (masses of people in the shape of opening and closing roses, numerous female dancers with uniform clothing and little silver bells, etc) while the English part was focused on several big icons (Leona Lewis, Jimmy Page and David Beckham).

Without commenting on my personal preference, the US/UK media did have their opinion ready: The Independent, Daily Mail, NY Magazine, etc...

Jia You, Jia You! THE PICAS

2008-08-27T13:10:00.013+08:00

Hot water! THE PICAS

2008-08-27T11:10:00.058+08:00

COLOMBIA - On a shot glass: Vive la fiesta indeed!

COLOMBIA - At Club Andres Carne de Res: loved the cowboy hat

COLOMBIA - At Club Andres Carne de Res: he was a weird fella

COLOMBIA - Clubbing with Diana

COLOMBIA - L to R: Karina, me, Angelica, Victor

COLOMBIA - Bogota: Che Guevara on the wall

COLOMBIA - All of us under the dome at the salt cathedral

COLOMBIA - Watch out...

COLOMBIA - Beautiful view over Bogota

COLOMBIA - At cathedral at 3,200 metres

PERU - Fairytale cathedral in the middle of Lima

PERU - Harry Potteresque cathedral in Lima

PERU - Flying off to the Amazones

PERU - Sunrise in the Peruvian Amazones some 140km from Puerto Maldonado

PERU - Our Bolivian Steve Irwin: Victor The Guide

PERU - Yes we also caught crocs, but smaller ones ;-)

PERU - Cusco!

PERU - We happened to be in Cusco during Peru's biggest festival; the Inti Raymi, or Inca Sun Festival

PERU - Incan lady in the streets of Cusco

PERU - Local delicacy: Guinea pig! YUM (I never had one as a pet :-) )

PERU - Bob Ross couldn't have painted this better: clouds over Cusco

PERU - In the Perurail train off to Machu Picchu

PERU - One of the World Wonders: Machu Picchu!

PERU - The pack chilling at Machu Picchu

PERU - Climbing steep Wayne Picchu

PERU - The girls chilling at the top of Wayne Picchu. Left: view of Machu Picchu

PERU - Janet's sunglasses: me and the peak of Wayne Picchu in the reflection

Jia You, Jia You!

2008-08-21T13:51:00.004+08:00

That literally means “add oil” and was shouted by some 91,000 enthusiastic athletics fans to support their stars right before the start of the 100m men’s final, 16 August 2008. Somehow I scored a ticket the day before for that night and was able to see the king of events live from the stadium. In the amazing Bird’s Nest Usain Bolt ran a hundred metres that will go into the records and into history. The build-up was perfect; the semi-finals earlier that night already prepared us for a great showdown, but most didn’t expect it to be a walkover…

It’s not every day you see an Olympic sprinter saunter to victory after a bad start, much less look around to check how his rivals are doing, stretching his arms and pounding his chest with twenty more metres to go before crossing the finish line with the lace of his left, golden spike untied…

Oh, and, of course, all of this whilst running an Olympic and a World Record!! Nine seconds and sixty-nine hundreds of a second…

While he dominated on the track with his seemingly relaxed stride, I went bananas on my seat some 70 metres away from the finish line, jumping up and down and screaming my throat hoarse. The Chinese crowd, mostly cheering for Chinese athletes in the hours before, also lost their cool and the whole stadium roared to show their amazement and appreciation of what had just happened. It was beautiful…

Rightfully dubbed the Lightning Bolt, Usain Bolt showed he is in a class of his own. His father says it’s the Trelawny yam that Usain was fed from a young age onwards that gives him these superhuman powers. Usain himself said it was his usual preparation that helped: sleeping in, eating some chicken nuggets, watching tv, taking a nap, eating some more chicken nuggets…while most of us will get fatter with this lifestyle, Usain Bolt apparently gets faster!

And lightning really does strike twice. To make his Olympic performance even more ridiculous, he bluntly beat Michael “El Mito” Johnson’s 200m WR yesterday! He did not slow down, or stretch his arms or slap his chest, this time. Regardless what the "I don't even think I can beat me. That's how fast I am"-athlete will do in the rest of his sprinting career, he is already history…

Below; Usain crossing the finish line with his lace untied after his “cooling down” in the last 20 metres of his race, his 200m race, Michael Johnson going bananas (like me). Next post will have pictures of the fantastic stadium…

My Chinese element

2008-08-13T15:11:00.007+08:00

Fire (火, huǒ) is yang or masculine in character, its motion is upward and its energy is expansive.

Associations: Planet Mars, summer, south, daylight, heat and the color red
Physical strengths: Heart, tongue, and pulse
Negative emotion: Hate
Positive emotion: Joy
Negative characteristics: Restless, aggressive, impatient and impulsive
Positive characteristics: Born-leaders, positive, decisive, confident, dynamic, strong, persistent, warm, enthusiastic and creative

In the conquest cycle, fire overcomes metal, and in turn is overcome by water. In the birth and nurturing cycle, fire burns to earth, and is sparked by wood igniting.

Given to dynamic speech and action, the people ruled by the Fire element will try to dominate others with their originality and clever thinking. They are constantly on the move and they like to explore new horizons. Fire provides heat and warmth, however an excess can also burn.

Editor's choice

2008-08-11T11:11:00.004+08:00

Read below (1) American and (2) Chinese article covering the USA vs. China basketball preliminary on Sunday August 10. It's almost as if the journalists were watching different games!

So much for unbiased media ;-)

(1) U.S. thrash China in basketball opener
(source: CNN)

BEIJING, China -- A day which started with a gold medal and world record for swimming ace Michael Phelps ended with more triumph for the United States as their vaunted basketball team crushed hosts China 101-70.

U.S. President George W. Bush was present to watch Phelps claim his first gold of a hoped for eight and later was on hand at Beijing's basketball arena to watch an ultimately one-sided match.

Houston Rockets All-Star Yao Ming sent the home crowd into raptures with an unlikely three-pointer in the opening moments, but despite scoring 13 points could do little to stop the NBA stars of the U.S. from taking charge before half-time.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade were particularly impressive, thrilling the raucous crowd with slam dunks.

Wade scored 19 points and James had 18 for the Americans in one of the most highly anticipated events of the Summer Games which was watched by an estimated television audience of over a billion.

Kobe Bryant weighed in with 13 points for the U.S. against a tiring Chinese team.

(2) USA breaks 100, defending champs suffer last-second loss
(Official Beijing 2008 website)

(BEIJING, August 10) -- The most anticipated game on day one of Olympic Men's Basketball lived up to the hype for the first half, while another game went to an unpredictable final-second finish.

The big match of the day was of course China and the United States, which the US side won 101-70, but both teams brought their own style and flair to the game. When Yao Ming sunk a downtown three-pointer to start the action, he set the tone for a tight first half. China pushed the perimeter for four threes in the opening minutes, and the United States barely edged a 20-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The United States managed to pull ahead definitively in the second quarter, dunking their way to an insurmountable advantage, although China remained in good form. While China was shooting 50% from behind the arc in the first half,the United States had hit a pathetic one of 12 attempts.

"China couldn't have scripted it any better," US guard Jason Kidd said after the game. "In the second quarter, we actually started playing defense. Emotions were at an all-time high."

Far from entertaining

2008-08-11T10:56:00.002+08:00

Selection of newspaper headlines over the last month:

A Chinese man wielding a knife stabbed an American couple in central Beijing on Saturday, killing the man
An attack killed 16 police officers and injured 16 more in Kashgar, northwestern China
Amnesty International reported China has failed to improve its human rights record in the run-up to next month's Olympics, with the government intensifying its crackdown on activists in recent years
Police in China have "cracked" an international terrorist group that was planning to attack Olympic venues in Shanghai
Hundreds of migrant workers angry over mistreatment of a fellow worker rioted for three days in eastern China, surrounding a police station and smashing cars and motorbikes,
Police in western China shot and killed five members of a group planning a "holy war" against Han Chinese
Authorities in southwestern China are reopening their investigation into the death of a teenage girl, following violent demonstrations (burned a police station and government building) over how it was handled
Deliberate explosions on two public buses killed two people and wounded 14 in Kunming
The death toll in southern China flooding has risen to more than 100, according to local media reports

Entertaining perfection

2008-08-11T00:34:00.007+08:00

...let the Games begin!

2008-07-28T10:14:00.003+08:00

The Chinese are splendidly overdoing the build-up to the upcoming 2008 Olympics. It's great to catch a piece of that, and even though I don't have the knowledge nor the time to list each and everyone of them and you’re probably not interested to read all of them, I'd like to share some of the things China does to make the most magical sports event in history a success...

Read Chinese people wish the Chinese best of luck during the coming Olympics.

Three parks have been set up as "demonstration zones" where protestors are said to be able to legally march for whatever bothers them. One of them, Ritan park, is near to my apartment. I decided I'd stay away from this place for the duration of the Olympics, as I was instantly reminded of Mao's Hundred Flowers Campaign, where Mao used similar techniques to identify critics and consequentially 'silence' them.

"If you look at last month's data, Beijing met or exceeded the National Air Standards 24 times in June of this year. There has been progress," an official of the UNEP said... I started to think back to my visits in 2006 and last winter and how my eyes would be red most days. Beijing's air feels considerably better now. I’ve even been running several times without it feeling like I smoked a pack of cigarettes afterward…I wonder if my lungs agree. However, cutting operation time of large factories by as much as 70%, setting up an even/odd license-plate system for cars to be able to hit the road every other day and having finished most of the construction must have helped.

The title of the official Beijing Olympics song "Welcome To Beijing" (co-starring Jackie Chan) is obsessively being used by random friendly Chinese to welcome very-foreign-looking people like me. Completed with hand-gestures and a big smile, I guess it's a nice change to the stares I used to get before. Thanks Jackie.

This is truly priceless: Olympics propaganda reached a new high with the introduction of some new ‘educating’ posters.

Despite the ludicrous room rates that have been charged for Beijing hotels in the past, hotels are now frantically reducing their prices to make sure they can run at full capacity during the Olympic weeks. I’m even more interested in how the dozens and dozens of new hotels will survive post-Olympics, as most hotels have had their horizon fixed on the Olympics…

According to state media, more than 4,000 Chinese babies have been named “Aoyun” or “Olympic Games”. In addition, thousands have been named after one of the five Beijing Olympic mascottes (i.e. BeiBei, JingJing, Huanhuan, Yingying and NiNi, or “Beijing Huanying Ni”, or “Beijing Welcomes You”)

More than 1,000 Chinese couples stood in line for hours to get a marriage license that will allow them to be married on 08-08-'08, the opening date of the Beijing Olympics. As eight has a very auspicious meaning to Chinese, they believe their marriage will have better chances to be lengthy and filled with luck, wealth and success. But not just Chinese believe this is a special date to get married: a Belgian friend of mine, Leen, will get married on the same day in Cairo, Egypt. Leen, if you read this, I wish you all the things the Chinese believe this day will bring them, plus lots of happiness, health and love in years to come!

Soooo the fourth round of tickets went on sale last Friday. Thousands (!) of people began queuing on Wednesday (!), knocking people to the ground (!) and bending metal barricades (!!) in a last attempt to secure a ticket for the Olympics. I was watching the news while eating breakfast on Friday morning and I knew all hope was gone for me to acquire some tickets through these means, but after receiving a text from a friend that he’d acquired tickets anyway, I headed to the Bird’s Nest to try my luck. Sweating my ass off in a seemingly endless line, I decided to call it quits after the queue hadn’t moved an inch in 10 minutes and the booths were to close an hour later. Despite this setback, I am determined to make it to an athletics game, so I’ll keep my ears and eyes open for a fifth round of sales OR anyone interested in selling theirs…

Hot water!

2008-07-11T12:48:00.017+08:00

In the words of the movie Braveheart that me and my friends saw in a dusty hostel in Lima, Peru about 2 weeks ago: “Every man dies, not every man really lives”. It pretty much sums up why I left to South America for 2 weeks , just a few days after finishing my internship at McKinsey, only to return for 3 days to Holland to pack and get ready for hitting China once more. It’s been tiring but exciting, and I wouldn’t have want to miss any of the sights, new friends and experiences in Colombia and Peru.

South America was a perfect mix of plenty liquor, plenty parties, plenty must-see sights, plenty new friends and hardly any sleep.

It’s interesting to…

…go to bed a 130km into the Amazon rainforest, with only a mosquito net to protect you from the zillions of small/big animals you hear and fall asleep with, only to wake up at 4am to continue the voyage on the Madre de Dios River, while 4am was the time you were still partying hard in Colombia a couple of days earlier, drinking Aguardiente from the bottle and dancing like there's no tomorrow.

…hear a Jan Smit song (Dutch fok singer) coming out of the throats of two very Colombian girls because they have been on exchange in the Netherlands. Weird how Jan Smit's songs can be sexy when they're sung with a Spanish accent! "Aaaals de morgen is gekoooomen…"

…start the trip with “hot water”, the local Colombian liquor (Aguardiente), a few hours after my plane landed in Bógota, and end it with the hot water of Agua Caliente, the springs close to Machu Picchu town.

…pay twice for Perurail tickets to Machu Picchu because Peruvian administration works on a "mañana mañana"-basis too, especially when you're still waking up at 6am, it's cold and you're travelling on a tight schedule.

…not use my cell phone for 2 weeks and not feel handicapped at all…

…observe how a local cabdriver in Lima uses alternate ways to check his speed, RPM and gas tank meter (as his dashboard was defect) while we were sitting in the scruffy back seat with a dented gas tank an inch away from our heads.

…visit a friend’s “farm” just outside of Bógota, only to realize upon arrival it could have been El Padrino’s Colombian summer crib.

…see how some people can literally push themselves up to the peak of Waynapicchu, the mountain right next to Machu Picchu, count the times they say they want to die (32 times) and realize it was definitely worth it after all.

…see how some hippy Westerners decided to leave their lives behind and start selling hand-made jewellery on the streets of Cusco.

…eat guinea pig, lama meat and other local dishes and drinks.

…notice how my senses were triggered during our days in the Amazon rainforest.

…learn how obsessed Fernando Botéro was with fat chicks with hairy armpits.

…experience different cultures, ethnic minorities and surroundings.

[This is where I will hopefully upload some pictures soon]

I'll finish the way I started; with a quote: "Is life not a thousand times too short for us to bore ourselves?" That's Nietzsche, and he's right.

The continued story of a man...

2008-06-30T16:15:00.005+08:00

"It is hard to believe that the horrors inflicted by Zimbabwe's ruler on his own people could get worse. But even in the past week they have. The burning to death of a six-year-old boy because his father is an opposition politician, and the butchering of the young wife of the capital's new opposition mayor are part of a growing wave of violence that has persuaded Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition leader, to withdraw from the presidential run-off that was due on June 27th. He rightly felt that, by standing in the election, he was risking the lives of too many thousands of his supporters.
"Yet Robert Mugabe's crimes are finally coming home to roost. He will claim to be re-elected president, by default. [On June 29th, Robert Gabriel Mugabe, 84 years old, is sworn in and swears he will "truly serve Zimbabwe ... so help me God". The commission said Mr Mugabe won 85.5% of the vote, but many ballots were spoiled. He announced multiple times only God can remove him from office.] But he has lost one of the big things that have kept him in power to date: the grudging support of Africa. His brutality and fraudulence have become so plain for all to see that neighbours who once defended him are changing their tune. [In the mean while, inflation has hit 4,000,000%. The MDC said some 86 of its supporters were killed and 200,000 forced from their homes by militias loyal to the ruling Zanu-PF party in the weeks preceding the run-off.] Just as he is poised to declare himself the winner, almost the entire continent - not to mention the rest of the world - has come to believe that he cannot be allowed to stay in office.
"He is, as a result, weaker; but he and his thugs are determined to hang on. [...] So Western and African countries, especially Zimbabwe's neighbours, must act in concert to get rid of the ogre that has shamed an entire continent."

The African Union (AU) is together in Sharm el-Sheikh at the moment, and Zimbabwe is sure to be hot on the agenda. Not recognising Mugabe's re-election will be tough, but the AU has a rule not to recognize leaders that have not been elected democratically.

And so the story continues...

Source: The Economist, June 28th 2008

Dancing politicians

2008-06-11T21:35:00.004+08:00

Vid is interesting - politics are interesting...interesting question: are they following the dance, or leading - puppets, or puppeteers?

When in China...

2008-06-02T05:08:00.004+08:00

...act like the Chinese :-) Some movies made while in China, enjoy!

To Do's

2008-05-12T04:19:00.006+08:00

Participate in Dakar rally race
Climb Kilimanjaro
Be fluent in Chinese
Be fluent in Spanish
Get a pilot certificate
Climb Everest and skydive from it
Sail through Oceania
Hangglide
Get a motorcycle
Get some kids
Run an ultra-marathon in the Sahara or Antarctica desert
Sail to Antarctica
Travel through Patagonia on horseback
Get married
Go to Thai monastery to study hardcore martial arts
Be a space tourist
Visit the "1,000 places to see before you die"-places to see
...

This should be doable, the list isn't that long!

To be updated

Let me know if I'm missing out on something :)

When I change...

2008-04-16T03:57:00.002+08:00

Got this from my brother who's in Japan now - he said he instantaneously had to think of me...

"Oh, the places you'll go!"

2008-04-05T22:54:00.002+08:00

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own, you know what you know, and YOU are the person who'll decide where to go.
You'll look up and down streets. Look them over with care. About some you will say "I choose not to go there". With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you're too smart to go down a not-so-good street. And when you do not find any you'll want to go down, then of course you'll head straight out of town. It's opener there in the wide open air. Out there you meet people as footsy as you. And when things start to happen, don't worry, don't stew. Just go right along, you'll start happening too.

Oh, the places you'll go!

You will come to places where the streets are not market. Some windows are lighted, but mostly they're darked. A place that could be filled with good or with sin! Do you want to stay out, do you want to go in? How much can you lose, how much can you win? Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind. But somehow you'll escape all that waiting and staying. You'll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, you be ready for anything under the sky.

Oh, the places you'll go!

There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored! There are games to be won. And the way you will play makes you the winning-est winner of all. Though whether you like it or not, alone will be something you'll be quite a lot. And when you're alone there are things down the road between hither and yon that can scare you so much you won't want to go on. But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. Though on an on you will hike. And I know you'll hike far and face up to your problems, whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds along as you go. So be sure when you step and never forget to be dexterous and deft. Never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed? You you will, indeed! That's something that's 98.5 per cent guaranteed. You'll move mountains, build bridges, fill seas!

You're off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So get on your way!

edited from Dr. Seuss "Oh, the places you'll go!"

The story of a man

2008-03-30T08:55:00.008+08:00

On February 21, 1924 a healthy little boy was born. Son of a carpenter, sibling of three brothers (two older and one younger), the boy was raised as a Catholic and was bright and studious. Later in his youth, the boy suddenly sadly found himself being the oldest man in the family after his two brothers died and his father abandoned them. He got to be very close to his mother.

The boy was so into studying that he went through three universities to earn a total of seven degrees. He decided he wanted to share his knowledge to others and taught (abroad) for five years at different schools. At one of these schools, he met a woman whom he married several years after.

After having studied and worked abroad for some time, the man decided to go back to his homeland and get into politics. He joined a democratic party but left it three years later to join a more nationalist party influenced by Maoism and pro-Soviet national liberation.

A year later, the man was arrested for “subversive speech” and had to spend ten full years in prison. To make matters worse for him, his four year old son died and the state did not allow him to attend the funeral. To keep his mind off of things and spend time wisely in prison, he earned three more academic degrees. His fellow party-members hadn’t forgotten about him and made him leader of the party while he was still in prison.

The man was quite popular and decisively won the elections and became Prime Minister of his country in 1980. From 1980 to 1990 infant mortality decreased by half and immunisation increased from 25% to 80% of the population. Also, child malnutrition fell from 22% to 12% and life expectancy increased from 56 to 64. He had done such a good job that in 1994 he was bestowed an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath by Queen Elizabeth II and considered by many a hero of the fight for independence.

In 1987 the role of PM was abolished and the man took office as executive President, was re-elected in 1990, 1996 and 2002 and he is still in office as of today.

A success story of a common man, or so it seems. Yet, this man is also said to be responsible for the mysterious deaths of many of his opposition prior to being elected PM. Also, the man set up a militant party faction right after he was released and massacred 20,000 ethnic innocent civilians. Many more followed. His re-elections are allegedly filled with vote-rigging and widespread intimidation.

After several years of prosperity, the man has now led the country to a state far worse than before his accession. Eighty per cent unemployment, a hundred and fifty thousand per cent inflation, stagnating life expectancy, environmental fragility, a substantial decline of resources and appalling health care are now what the man has given to the country.

On a more personal note, he has said he has a "degree in violence", compared himself to Hitler and has a travel ban throughout Europe. He wages violence against homosexuals, violently suppresses opposition, simply cuts a zero off of all prices to make products cheaper and bluntly blames drought for the massive starvation in his country. According to the man, Tony Blair has used chemical weapons to incite droughts and famine in his country.

It doesn't stop here - the list is long, very long. What happened to this man? When did this teacher turn into a violence-loving totalitarian leader...?

His name? Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe...

2 seconds

2008-03-16T11:00:00.010+08:00

There are two seconds of silence in between the songs on the record I was playing in my car. I don't know why it's two seconds - it's default I guess. Thirteen times two seconds of silence on an hour of music. Supposedly it's two seconds of nothingness that amplify the beauty and simple complexity of the minutes before. It's the silence in between two heart beats. It's the temporary clear state of mind in the toilet of a club after too much alcohol. It's the moment between "set..." and the bang of the start. It's the moment you lay on a beach bed in [fill in your dream holiday location] and think about what the hell you've been doing in life, while sipping on your cocktail.

Or is it? The reverse side also has a reverse side. For me, it feels like an unhealthy anticipation of what's coming. For me it's the moment between reaching out for an itch and actually scratching. It's waiting for a website to load, a traffic light to turn green. It's desperately looking into the light to make that irritating sneeze come out. It's commericals during a good movie.

If I remember anything at all, I don't usually think back on the toilet visits I had during an intense night of clubbing. Lastly, every muscle and brain cell in my body wants to get OUT of the blocks when the starter shouted "set...".

If there's only a fixed amount of music one can put on a cd, why waste it on silence? What if I don't want those two seconds of silence on my cd?

So much happens during that nothingness. My car was almost one-hundred metres further down the road before the next song kicked in. Blood still rushes through my body even though my heart doesn't contract. My friends are probably having another drink while I piss it away. And an x-amount of people starved to dead, a y-amount were murdered and a z-amount got HIV infected.

And that disturbs me...All this time we've been given - we must use it well.

So I pressed fast-forward as soon as the final guitar chord was dying down again and instantaneously the intro of the next song started again...

Bye bye Beijing

2008-02-25T02:56:00.021+08:00

For those who thought I'm still in China: I apologize for the slow update, but I left Beijing 1.5 weeks ago on a cold, cold winter day at noon. Going back this time feels less depressing than when I left Hong Kong last year, but that doesn't mean I had significantly less of a good time. Quite the opposite actually - I had a phenomenal time travelling all over China (see map below) and have seen and participated in doing business in China. To receive an offer at the end of the internship is always nice in that it shows my work has been appreciated. Now, looking forward, I start working for McKinsey in exactly a week.

Before I left BJ, my brother came and visited me from Tokyo and we had a good two weeks of fun! It was also good to hear about Japan, which I'm sure to visit in the near future, and how Jon saw BJ in relation to Japan. First week David the Workaholic still had to work, but in week two I had all the time in the world to act a tourist in BJ with Jon. See pictures below for a piece of that.

For now, take care and ciao from Holland!!

Communist Revolutionary Restaurant in Beijing - commie performances and larger than life Maos

Some 30 kids and an overenthusiastic teacher welcome us to Beijing on Tiananmen square

One of many toasts at Alameda, a nice Brazilian restaurant in Sanlitun

The Big Terrifying White Ice Monster @ "Summer" Palace - yes, it was cold

Jumping on the Great Wall!

Irrationality/stupidity in 2 pictures:

(1/2) "Shit, this slope is almost vertical..."

(2/2) "...Lets run up it as fast as I can!"

Coolness - Bicysled race on Beihei lake

Tibetan silk scarfs can be very artsy (@ Makye Ame Tibetan restaurant)

Beijing underground tunnels - supposedly longer than the Great Wall in total length

Pearl of the Orient: Revisited

2008-02-13T20:41:00.020+08:00

So it finally happened...little more than a year after I left Hong Kong for Holland, I returned to this Pearl of the Orient on Sunday 20 January, 2008! This time I came in from Beijing and I can tell you, it was so good to be back... Here are some notes I wrote on my pda while roaming the streets of HK:

"Although I missed HK a lot since the moment I left, it felt like I had never left as soon as I touched HK-soil. Took the MTR from Admiralty to Choi Hong (my Student Octopus card still worked! lol), ate my way through a whole loaf of milkbread (sooo good) while taking the minibus to HKUST, shouted "fodai, mgoy" to make the bus stop and there I was...unfortunately, the bus station guy we had all grown to love wasn't there, but the campus still smelled and looked the same :)
"They're building more UG Halls now since the undergraduate programme now takes four in stead of three years, which consequentially means 33% more students (and professors). Those new halls are being built near/on Hall III.
"I met with Prof. Kuilman, who teaches Entrepreneurship here at the university and played golf with me one day during my exchange. Then I went to my old dormitory, UG Hall IV, where I met some of my old friends and checked out my former dorm: room 109...empty! I would've loved to meet my 2nd generation room mate, but the spring Semester hadn't started yet so that could explain.
"Took the minibus to Hang Hau, strolled around in the mall and went to East TST thereafter. Big billboards advertising female weight loss programmes are still omnipresent in MTR stations and public areas."

"I'm now writing this while sitting on the second level of the promenade at TST, watching over the skyline of HK Island...one of the big reasons I love being back :)."

"Another must-see was the Hard Rock Cafe where Roman, Diego (aka Jesus) and I took on the "Still standing after 12" drinking game. Our picture on the wall of fame (or the Rockin' Star Board as they call it themselves) is still there in full glory! And since I was there anyway, I decided to go for some crab cakes (tribute to Wedding Crashers)."

"Kowloon is the next area that will undergo heavy development; heavy construction to build the the highest building in HK (the ICC or International Commerce Centre will be higher than the IFC) TST West.
"So I went to see the lightshow at 8pm, which was even better than the way I remembered it :) Took the Star Ferry to Central (another highlight) and all I could do was think about the fantastic moments I had with that same ferry...:) After the usual "woah" by passengers who didn't expect the bump against the docking station, I headed for the Peak, yet another to-do :)
"So the Peak...I put my best music on and started reminiscing, opening little doors in my brain that are filled with Hong Kong experiences. I've said this before and I say it again; it truly was one of the best times of my life.
The same street hawkers (even the same guy!) tried to sell their crawling soldier toys when queuing up for the tram down :) It's odd, but in HK I CAN stand it when some things do not change..."

"Day 2 and 3 were working days, and while walking from the Wesley Hotel to Exchange Square with the sun on my face I realized HK would really be a great place to work. I took some deep breaths and noticed I thought the air was so clean here in comparison to BJ, which is disturbing because I remember I wrote last year that the air in HK was bad...benchmarks change...!
"Like I said, the office is at Exchange Square. Last year I took a tour to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and I'd never guess I would be working 38 floor up at that time. A year can change a lot...:)"

"And after a good night drinking and eating with the team, I went by train to Guangzhou, early Wednesday morning. My short stay here didn't take any of the glimmer off the Kong I met during my exchange!"

"Please move away from the door...BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP"

Minibus to HKUST

Fodai (forgive me my bad pinyin)

Almost sacred, I kid you not

Red Sundial!!

LG 5 Canteen...:)

My former living complex

Former room

Second level promenade, watching over the skyline

Lightshow

Reminiscing while watching over Kowloon, HK Island, Wan Chai

Copy-paste these this one and the above and make it the most beautiful panorama in the world...:)

Sun rays reflecting on glassy Central Plaza in HK Island

Starting the year in Soothing Shanghai

2008-01-19T11:11:00.000+08:00

After a period of work and travelling throughout China, I hopped on a plane on the 29th of December to Shanghai to meet Kate and Sharita and celebrate more than a week of soothing Shanghai. Both of them have sleeping high on their priority list, so I did my fair share of catching up with some sleep there as well :)
Kate (the artist formerly known as DJ FlyFly) was an excellent host and showed us around the best of Shanghai: Arcades, UFOs, acrobat shows, the Bund, fabulous food in fancy high rise, fabulous food on the street corner, fabulous food made by Kate's mom, fabulous food made by Kate, tea houses, coffee houses, shopping malls, KTV, Zoo, pandas, Xitang, bars, lounges and lighthouses :-) Yes it was a good time...

Tomorrow I'm going back to where it all started: Hong Kong! Can't wait...

David

Honestly, this is harder than it looks...almost made us miss the countdown (that wasn't there anyways but that's a long story). Anyways; HAPPY 2008!

Practising the countdown below the Pearl Tower on December 30, 2007 :)

Skyline from the Bund by day...

...and by night!

Kate (above) and Sharita (below)

Drumming in the arcade together with Oscar

Ice rink!

Whoever wrote this; I'm his/her biggest fan! Classic! (Xitang, PRC)

Xitang, near Shanghai. Obvious why Abrams picked this spot to shoot Mission Impossible 3 (click here)

Xitang ally

Note the old guy on the bridge :)

Champagne at a phenomenal place; the lighthouse at the Bund

The respective lighthouse :)

Piaoliang...

2007-12-29T13:52:00.000+08:00

...That's "beautiful" in Chinese.

-----------------

"I'm writing this at 7am while I'm waiting in a room to shoot a Chinese tv commercial for some candy brand. Random, I know, and it pretty much reflects my past fortnight in China.

It started off alsmot 2 weeks ago when my flight at 7am from BJ airport was supposted to take me to Shanxi province, but instead got cancelled after a 5-hour delay. That's one downside of doing business in China; going from A to B. Even though you get to see the most precious and remote places, it's an intense untertaking. Still, I love it. The next day we tried again, this time at 6.30am and to a different airport in the same province and we arrived safely.

What followed was a whirlwind of 8 companies, 10 days, over a dozen flights, 3 provinces, 10 dinners with local "delicacies" (I'm talking armadillo (and it's blood as a drink), bear, whatever's in a cow's stomach, chicken head, you name it...), numerous hours in the car, 9 hotelrooms, an uncountable amount of local drinks, over 4500 metres of difference in height, and legions of dusty, windy roads. But above all, the full picture was the greatest experience; talking/discussing with entrepreneurs, executive management, (state) politicians, mayors, industry associations, researchers and employees, and discovering Chinese business in real life is awesome. In the past 12 days, I've been to places where some said I was the first Dutch/European/white person to set foot on their soil. Taking pictures happened less and less; in the really remote areas they only stared at Davidzilla.

Let's keep life exciting, not only in 2008, but until our dying day...! I'm off now, ready to shoot my first Chinese commercial :)

Best,

David"

-----------------

Sooooooo, that's what I wrote down before I got kicked out of the studio by military men, together with the other foreigners....supposedly a high government official was to visit the studio and they don't want him to see any foreigners in Beijing's movie studios...and hence, the randomness continues...:)

Best,

David

Very true...

BJ by night!

You should call the grey number if you want to buy bombs...(Woshan, Yunnan, PRC)

Snow Mountain/Jade Dragon Mountain, the one I climbed on Xmas day (Lijiang)

...Told you it was "piaoliang"...Climbing the mountain

Make a wish!!

Prettiness

After being pulled up the stage in Lijiang :)

Not a problem to wake up early with this view

Good picture to end this post (Lijiang, Yunnan, PRC)

Twenty-oh-seven

2007-12-29T12:25:00.000+08:00

It's a cliche to look back upon the year when it's nearing its end, but I still love doing it...just now I looked into my scheduler, the one I bought on my first day in Hong Kong last year. The cover says "Cheerful day", and I think I've tried to live that way over its lifespan. On the back there's a sticker of Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh, the Vietcong tunnels I went to in 2006. My first entry was "Arrival HK", dated 28 August 2006 and the last one is "Beijing-Shanghai Hongqiao, 6.55pm", dated today. 491 days of my life are captured in this little book and I think of them as one long melody of experiences. As I'm skipping through it, I can't think of a single day I left blank, (although my scheduler tells me my work weeks during my 3 months at Lehman are virgin white :) ). My blog has just had it's 500-day anniversary and I think I can say that it does provide you with "A digital peek into Jelmer's life". To me, it's been an extremely exciting period that I will never ever forget about.

It's also a cliche to look forward to a new year whenever the old one is ending, and yet again I'm gonna do it. I don't have any New Years resolutions, because I think I have those every day and stick to some while discarding others. For me, I intend to keep on challenging myself and live to realize my ever-changing dreams. Icarus' way. Even though I added an immense amount of baggage and simultaneously left little pieces of my heart at all the things that I have done, the places I've been to and the people I met, there's still more than enough left to life on for years and years. I sincerely hope I can share it with all of you.

In the words of The Killers, "I'm gonna fly my symphony home and make it mine". What this symphony sounds like is yet a mystery to me, the only thing I now know is that I loved the intro and that I want to share the music with honest eyes and honest smiles.

All the best in twenty-oh-eight.

David

Beijing through my eyes...

2007-12-10T13:10:00.000+08:00

I keep my promises: I present to you, my first set of pictures!! More will follow!

The first picture I took after I left the plane

Leaning against the Forbidden City Wall

Since crossing a street is close to committing suicide, BJ has ample underground crossings...

Chaoyang park

White Pagoda park, because...there's a white pagoda on top of the hill...

Corner of the Forbidden City, hen haoooo

I'm guessing the dog is 20x as young as he is

Rooftop view of Beijing's HuTongs

Sheer prettiness

In front of my office

Wanda Plaza, aka "office"

This is how the Chinese soldiers read their books...

Artsy concert in BJ

Taking a nap after a truck toppled and caused a 45 minute hold up in Shenyang, NE China

I froze my ass off, in NE China

My apartment complex

No worries, pictures will follow shortly...

2007-11-25T11:32:00.000+08:00

Pictures

Through all the complaints I received from some of you, the feeling grew that pictures are the one thing that is most appreciated on this blog haha…As the connection with the internet here is quite volatile and my pictures are large, I’ve had trouble uploading them so far…Hurt as I am with your lack of respect for my writing skills, I will make sure you will finally get to SEE my apartment and some of the things I’ve done as soon as I have time and patience in spare. For now, I’m afraid my words and your imagination will have to do…bare with me ;-)

Mordor

On my first day in Beijing, I walked the streets around my apartment to discover my area. It was dark and hazy. Suddenly, a huge ominous structure rose up to the left of me. The eerie noises and alarming flashes of light made me realize I had just stepped into the realms of Tolkien’s Mordor. I didn’t understand how I could’ve missed this massive structure from anywhere in Beijing I had been before during the day; it truly is colossal. As it had taken hold of my curiosity, I was determined to find out more about it.

Supposedly, it is the new CCTV tower and simultaneously Beijing’s most ambitious and controversial project so far, and has to be finished for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. It’ll broadcast the events and festivities to all parts of the world and employ thousands of people. It’s Mordor-ness comes from the shape and size (over 230 meters) of the building. The building doesn’t point upright to the sky as most buildings do, but they are two Z-shaped buildings attached to each other. The Beijingren think it looks like people kneeling and aren’t happy with it.

Oh and I forgot to mention; the tower can withstand an earthquake of class 8 on the Richter scale, so Gandalf and the Hobbits will have to pull an impressive show to blow this structure down…

Microfinance

Last week, I have been to Southern China to do due diligence for a microfinance company we would like to inject money in and IPO. I must have spoken with some 30 stakeholders (banks, clients, management, politicians, etc.) with the help of an interpreter. With our help, this would be the first Chinese microfinance company to ever list itself on the stock exchange. With this listing, there will be more money available for the company to expand and help other small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to finance their operations and help the Chinese economy to grow and develop. On a side-note; the company does not support any SMEs that are active in the “two highs” (highly polluting and high energy consuming industries). I’m very excited about this company and am proud to be part of this ground-breaking stage in China’s microfinance market.

Joseph Kahn

Joseph Kahn (the NY Times journalist, not the Asian director, even though it I have to admit it would make sense) came and talked at the Yale Club of Beijing at November 10. Apart from detailed background info on China’s most influential politicians, the discussion dealt with political structural changes, corruption, human rights, pollution and media. The Pulitzer-prize winner gave insightful and new (at least to me) perspectives to these concepts. He thought that both the appointment of two new, relatively young, politicians in the CCP and Shanghai’s recent publicly announced corruption scam are clear proof that orderly change is realized in China’s politics. And even though Jintao’s power has only been consolidated on the margins, some movement towards intra-party democracy can be seen. Note that democracy in this sense is not to be mistaken with Western democracy, since the CCP has come up with a redefinition of the word, resulting that it is now more an empty slogan/shell and can consequentially be used in line with the Chinese ideology of communism. Since communism and democracy have no overlap whatsoever, the true value of this redefinition can be debated. Still very little encouragement for incentives from the political grass-root level is allowed, thus mitigating the pressure this population can impose on higher level politicians. Historically, this lack of rights is due to the fact that the CCP put priority to the needs of the Chinese population and not their rights.

On corruption Kahn noted that it is estimated to cost China $86 billion, which is more than what China spends on education. Fighting corruption is, according to Kahn, more of a political move though, as it is a good way to get rid of lower level competition. Interesting thought…

On pollution Kahn noted that China’s main growth drivers are the “dirty” industries, thus making it very hard for them to abolish support for these segments. A new model is still far from being embraced by the government, since it’s not in line with the core mission of the CCP; fast growth. Even though I am very much a supporter of clean energy and mitigating carbon emissions, I would like to add that the rest of the world is contributing to the fact that these “two highs” are still China’s growth drivers (almost one third of China’s GDP is export). Moreover, hasn’t the West been in the very same situation during their industrial revolutions? The fact that the West is supposed to know better now only encourages me to say that the West should encourage China to change. More importantly, they should use the carrot, not the stick…

Lastly, Kahn also talked about media in China. Use of media in China’s mainland is, for the grand majority, completely useless. TV and radio are still heavily regulated and the few ‘free’ newspapers around cannot be read by China’s illiterate. One has to continuously raise the question “why has this article been published?”, which is something I noticed too, even in the English Chinese newspapers. On the other hand, the Beijing Olympics will allow for a vast number of foreign journalists to enter China, each and every one of them very eager to report on any social unrest that might occur (especially because foreign media is still quite negative about China). In other words, this might be an interesting time for minority groups to trigger public upheaval. Of course Chinese politicians have realized this as well, and are doing anything necessary to stop this from happening.

Conclusion

If you got this far and ploughed your way through this post, I’m sure you’re in need of some pictures, so I promise that my next post will only be pictures :)

Take care,

David

Post Scriptums (the sequal...)

2007-11-12T17:35:00.000+08:00

Ps1. The gym I subscribed to is not accustomed to people my size; the wristband I get to open my locker doesn’t fit around my wrist and the equipment is fit for people no taller than 1.88m. Luckily I’m 1.85m :-)

Ps2. Getting a driver’s licence in China is a joke; there’s only a written, theoretical part and an example of one of these –very interesting– questions I was told is the following:

"The engine of your car is on fire, what is the first thing you do?"
A: you run away as fast as you can
B: you grab a cotton cloth and cover the fire
C: you call the police
The distressing answer, according to someone who took the exam, is B…

Ps3. Regarding the previous post scriptum: the majority of the taxi drivers in Beijing come straight from the rural inlands and moved to Beijing to improve their income. As a result of this mass relocation and the lack of a proper exam, no-one can drive properly (as said before) and most drivers don’t know what the hell you are talking about when you want to go somewhere. In other words: creativity and prudence are not only advisable, but necessities…

Ps4. Regarding the last two post scriptums: I have again been victim to the poor driving skills of Beijing taxi drivers. This time my luck turned its back on me less then ONE hour after arrival on BJ Int’l airport; our car hit a small van’s rear on my way from the airport…

Ps5. The dental clinic (a windows-only office) close to me has made me take even better care for my teeth. Ever since I gazed at the horrific treatments still adopted here (blood came gushing out of this patients mouth while the dentist was frantically trying to remove a tooth with what seemed like a friggin’ screwdriver) I have taken every precaution not to end up there. The mouthwash, floss, 2 types of toothpaste and my electrical toothbrush have been used even more rigorously than before.

Ps6. Chinese food is phenomenal, service even better (if possible), it’s dirt cheap and they don’t accept tips…

Ps7. As you may know, I am not a big fan of Chihuahua’s and other ankle high dog breeds, so I was rather unhappily surprised to see these were the only “dogs” people have here. After asking, someone told me that bigger (real) dogs are forbidden here. Now that may sound a little harsh, but at the very least it probably is quite inconvenient to have a normal-sized dog in a city as Beijing. In other words; size does matter :-)

Ps8. What’s even better than walking through Beijing’s ancient HuTongs (traditional Chinese alleyways)? Looking over them on top of the roof of one of it’s many restaurants! Awesome view…

Ps9. There’s a bunch of young soldiers shouting the same line in front of our office every day at 5.30pm. As a result, I’m starting to feel I’m conditioned by this alternative cuckoo’s clock, since I can’t suppress the question “what am I going to have for dinner tonight?”…

Ps10. Since Beijing has grown exponentially over the past decade(s), all kinds of infrastructure are quite volatile, unreliable and chaotic. Even though this is a normal phenomenon in upcoming metropolises, it does have its drawbacks. Roads are illogically set up and congested 90% of the time, and so is the internet. As a result, I may not be able to upload pictures shortly.

"A foggy day (In Beijing town)"

2007-11-07T13:33:00.001+08:00

This is the song that pops up as I look out of the window, I can see...not too much actually; I had perfect weather in my first week here, but all I can now see are some trees and a couple of buildings in the foreground. Other than that, all that is visible are the profiles of the high rise buildings in my neighbourhood, them too quickly fading out in different tones of grey.

The combination of fog and smog particles (fmog particles?) in the air has resulted in many of the main highways in Beijing to be closed down for all cars. All cars except Volkswagen, as an German expat working for VW told me last weekend. They are still allowed to pollute the air because VW is one of the main sponsors for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Speaking of which, that very same expat told me that, despite efforts of the local and national government, he thought the pollution has become yet more problematic in the last twelve months. As he told me this, I saw one of my arguments for working in Beijing during this period ("the pollution is not too bad now because of the upcoming Olympics!") fly out of the window, where, I'm sure, it found it was indeed a lousy argument. There's people who start smoking when moving here because they think their lungs are fucked anyways.

Beijing's worst polluter, a huge steel plant owned by the Beijing Shougang Group, has recently pledged to drastically cut production next summer so that the 2008 Olympic Games can enjoy better air quality. They will only produce at 30% during the run-up and the actual festivities, and receive RMB 3.8 billion as compensation...interesting...

Aside from polluting matters (because there were many more arguments aside from air-quality), summarizing my first week (pictures coming soon):
* Being introduced to the exciting (!) world of private equity and Chinese developing companies
* Omnipresence of spitting and scraping of throats
* DISCOVERING
* Visit to the White Pagoda and it's soothing surrounding
* Enjoying the outdoor socializing events of elder Chinese...lovely :)
* EXPLORING
* Visit to Tiananmen Square (where the first thing I saw was a group of Dutch tourists with the guide clasping a small Dutch flag...) and surrounding
* People love dressing up their chihuahua's and other mini-dogs here
* MEETING NEW PEOPLE
* Clubbing in the Worker's Stadium district
* Brushing up my negotiation skills
* LEARNING
* Brushing up my crappy crappy Putonghua
* Eating chicken heart and duck tongue

I wouldn't want it any other way :)

Wrapping up the way I started, with some Michael Bublé lyrics:

"But as I walked through the foggy streets alone,
It turned out to be the luckiest day I've known"

:)

take care,

David

Re-entering the East

2007-11-01T14:49:00.001+08:00

It’s funny to realize how two seemingly equal things can feel so dissimilar, yet similar at the same time. Coming back to Beijing, roughly twelve months after I was there on holidays with my parents and Roman, feels somewhat familiar. That is to say; there’re same over-eager dodgy “taxi-drivers” near the exit of Beijing airport, its the same taxi-ride from the airport to Beijing, the same trees alongside the same wide driving lanes, same toll-booth, same sky, same near-death experiences (for real!), trying my equal best to talk with the taxi-driver, being stared at again (it’s the nose Kate, the nose ;) ) and paying with the same, smelly kuai.

However, I left the taxi on my own, will stay for some twenty-one times longer, will be working during that time, have my own apartment, will be travelling from here and am more eager to find new friends.

Arriving at my accommodation, this time, no toilet paper awaited me. Neither did towels, or hangers, or anything that is small enough to take with you in your luggage. So, first, up to the supermarket, together with Joanna Gao, a supernice girl that works with me at DPL. Half a shopping-card and a quarter of the European price later did I walk back with my hands full with bags. As is normal for people close enough to me, I didn’t want to rest for a bit and went to the office right away, where I started working on my first project for the next 6 hours.

Work is fun, but I can’t really delve deeper into it now, not only that most is classified but also because I’ve only just had my first day behind me! The thing that struck me immediately though is that growth values and multiples here are faaaar higher than what I'm used to, which is tough when you have to make forecasts :)

Another thing I can enlighten you with before I head to bed, is the following article I read in today’s The Wall Street Journal. Two notes: the title of the article does not affect me, since the Chinese Renminbi is pegged to the dollar (and, secondly, the Euro is not). Moreover. I will only copy part of it, since this part focused on Beijing as a key expatriate center:

“Expats find their lifes erode along with the dollar

Tuesday, October 30, 2007, p.15

Beijing

Housing: One-bedroom apartments in the Sanlitun district, favored by young expats, rent for 5,300-7,500 yuan ($700-$1,000) per month. Families looking for more-luxurious suburban homes near the international schools should expect to spend $3,500-$8,000 a month. Buying, meantime, has become more complex because the government recently enacted regulations aimed at slowing foreign home purchases. Now, expats must live in Beijing for a full year before qualifying for ownership. Buying often requires a 40% down payment.

Cost of living: A Toyota Camry costs about $36,000. A name-brand silk tie goes for approximately $40. Big Macsgofor $1.70. You will be charged about $2 for a small latte at Starbucks. $1 for a quart of milk and 26 cents for a ride on the subway. Dinner at a nice restaurant with a class of wine can cost $25. [Own note: fruit is very expensive!!]

Downside: Pollution is a significant problem. Levels of nitrogen dioxide in Beijingexceed the World Health Organization’s clean-air guidelines by 78%. This June, the city recorded its worst air-quality levels in seven years, with times the particulate level matter of New York City.

Upside: Massages, a favourite pastime in Beijing, cost as little as $10. At open markets, expats bargainfor fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers, as well as antiques fabrics and furnishings. A dress can ben made for just $10, excluding the price of the fabric.

Culture clash: Cell phone etiquette takes getting used to. It isn’t taboo to answer phones – even have entire conversations – while watching a film in a movie theatre.”

So there’s that…

Now I would like to finish off with a nice quote I saw on my way hereto: “The only way to look at things from different angles is to see them from different places”

Take care,

David

Resurrection...

2007-10-29T21:54:00.001+08:00

...AND WE'RE LIVE AGAIN!

Luckily the absence of new posts on my weblog doesn't represent the absence of anything exciting happening in my life. Rather the opposite; I have been extremely busy in the time between my last post and this one. Soooo what has happened? Some events that pop up from the top of my head:

*Wrote my Bachelor thesis on management buyouts in Japan together with Sharita and Keyang
*Graduated from Erasmus University (I'm a "crowned" BSc'er now!)
*Had an internship at investment bank Lehman Brothers
*Went to New York and Washington, DC to visit some friends (see pictures)
*Got ready for my Beijing venture-capitalist adventure
*Arranged an internship at McKinsey, starting March, 2008 (right after I get back from Beijing)

Hmmm, plotted down like this it doesn't really add up to much...which is why I'm dedicated to pursue to be busy as hell in the future :)

So next stop is Beijing. I leave early tomorrow to PRC's capital to work for Development Partners Ltd., a venture capitalist that just recently went into a management buyout and opened a second fund. In other words; they're doing well as a business. My specific job description is still relatively ambiguous, as it always is when you haven't started working in a sector that's new to you, but "you will have an exciting internship with travel throughout China" and "I'm sure you will gain wonderful experience from DPL team and have a good time in Beijing" always sounds good :)

I will try and keep you updated as much as possible without boring you to death. Take care, wherever you are, and let's keep in touch!

David

Philippine Photos

2007-10-29T21:03:00.001+08:00

I know it's been almost a year, but better late than never; here are the long-awaited Philippines pictures. Note to all of you; these pictures are copyrighted by me...a short story behind the pictures is to be found in the "FYI; I'm still alive"-post.

Taal Vulcano, Philippines

Filipino baskerballers

Loooove this picture...Manila, Philippines

Wiring on the streets of Manila, Philippines

I have so much respect for these children; literally living on the dumpster and still enjoying life

Xzibit goes Filipino with Pimp My Tricycle

Prettiness on Cebu Island

Picture time...

2007-10-29T20:29:00.000+08:00

Autumn in New York

View from Brooklyn bridge, NY

Brooklyn Bridge, NY

Baba and me @ Reflecting Pond in Washington DC, Wedding Crasher's shot..."Hell of a season, pal"

Air-time in front of the Capitol, Washington DC, in our Georgetown tees :)

Jena and me in a DC restaurant getting ready for some fajitas and interesting Slush :)

Jin and me, pouting profusely in Dusseldorf, Germany

Love this picture, made in Germany :)

Yes, yet ANOTHER jumping picture with Roman, and NO, I don't get tired of it! (Dusseldorf, GER)

24 Hour Business Game

2007-06-05T02:19:00.000+08:00

The organization, the jury and us

We rocked...even after 32 hours of no sleep :)

Jury working through the business plans

Tom and me working on the business plan for 24 hours :)

Berlin Pica's

2007-04-15T02:34:00.000+08:00

How romantic :) Huge "I love you" tag on a building in Berlin

Waiting for our Berlin tour-guide (Moi, Kate, Lucy)

How metaphorical; East meets West (Kate is from the Far East, I'm from the West, and we're looking at the historical site of the Berlin wall)

Hahahahahaha

Nimesh, Janet and me

"Yes mom, I eat fruit on a daily basis, honestly"

London Pica's

2007-04-15T02:11:00.000+08:00

Roman, George, Ben, moi

Part of George's apartment in London, shown from the reflection of a standing lamp

It's the big guy! Roman and me in Panagaea, London

Enjoying the sun @ Portobello Rd, Notting Hill, London (Roman, David, Ben)

Catherine (American, exchange in Ireland), moi, Jena (American, exchange in Italy)

I love this picture. Moi, Jena, Roman, Cath, Hannah in London

The Gang in front of the Royal Albert, London

FYI: I'm still alive

2007-04-15T00:35:00.000+08:00

It's been ages since my last post. In this period, one of the things I did is that I've been to the Philippines (spent time with orphans around Xmas and went diving for a week). The experiences I've had over there are truly unforgetable and dealt with extremes in the broadest sence of the word. Week one was all about visiting some of the orphan projects that try and give the many many poor Philippino children a reason to stay alive... The persons in charge are extra-special and deserve more recognition than they currently get (visit www.kalinga.nl for some of the projects we've been to). Week two was all about personal joy, b/c I got my diving licence there. Turtles, Nemo's, sharks, coral: the whole nine yards. It was well worth it but did feel kind of awkward due to the experiences the week before.

After these two weeks, I got back to Hong Kong for some 35 hours (see post "Contemplating...2006 chau zai Xianggang") and took the sad flight back home. I'll never forget the taxi-ride to the airport...

In the mean while, I've seen some of the people I met in the Kong again already. Reunions in London, Berlin and Rotterdam have been taking place thus far, but more will definitely follow!

Regarding my academic life since HK: Its all about thesis-writing, especially now that I finished the 2nd trimester and started my last trimester of my Bachelor degree.

That's all for now, in the words of the famous Porky Pig: Th-th-th-that's all folks!

David

That's it for now,

Ho Chi Minh City, the city formerly known as Saigon

2007-01-10T00:18:00.003+08:00

Together with Sharita (Dutch and from EUR) and Leen (Belgium and from EUR) I travelled around Vietnam for 6 days, starting from the 11^th of December. The first thing that really struck me was the appalling conditions most of the population still lives under. Even though Vietnam has had a good period of economical growth in the last few years (sometimes even topping China, according to an expert is spoke with in the plane), the poor are still predominant. Moreover, HCMC is supposed to be even more prosperous than Hanoi (and surrounding) is said to be, so that really makes you think about the large discrepancy between Western society and these political unstable regions.

HCMC is the city of scooters, there are thought to be 10,000,000 scooters (population or approx. 8,000,000) in the city and when you look down one of the 6-lane roads in HCMC, you’re almost certain this is not an overstatement. Crossing these streets is an adventure itself, mainly because no one stops for pedestrians and red lights are largely ignored.

We stayed at Bui Vien street for 2 nights, 1 in Sofitel HCMC, 1 in a very nice resort in Mui Ne and 1 the house of a Vietnamese family.

Vietnamese food is the best though and I’m really glad we didn’t find an all-you-can-eat restaurant, because I would definitely need to have been rolled into an ambulance due to excessive eating or kicked out by the waiters and/or management itself because I forced them into bankruptcy. Vietnamese and French food: nice variation after eating ramen and udon for consecutive months J

We’ve done a lot in Vietnam: We’ve been to

the Mekong Delta - boat rides through luscious green jungles over light brown streaming rivers, eating and staying overnight in a local Vietnamese family, the very poor but very intriguing floating market, Knee “the Annoying Tour guide” and coconut candy.
the Cu Chi tunnels and the war museum – these are the tunnels the Vietcong used during the French and American war and made them win the war. It also made their opponents completely crazy. I also went through a 90-metre tunnel and I can assure you they weren’t build for someone my size…especially the places where the Vietcong made the tunnels even narrower, I had to crawl through the darkness and still hit the left, right, ceiling and floor of the tunnel.
Mui Ne beach – paradise for kite boarders and Hong Kong exchange students in need of some relaxation. It took us 4 hours in a crappy taxi to get there, and even worse, 4 hours back, but it was totally worth it.

All in all, Hong Kong is very much not “same same” from HCMC and surrounding and it was a great place to visit just before my last couple of finals.

David

Mekong Delta, Vietnam

"Chao ong!"

"Honey, could you close the door - I can feel a draft in the room!"

"We sell carrots and potatoes"

Never again will imported mango taste as good as it used to...

Claustrophobic in Cu Chi tunnels

Agent Orange and Agent Green left this paradise scarred for years...

Our tourguide - we called him Charlie

Mui Ne beach resort!

Mui Ne locals

The red dunes near Mui Ne

Left to right: Sharita, me, Leen

And Calvin agrees...

2007-01-08T11:31:00.000+08:00

Contemplating...2006 chau zai Xianggang

2007-01-08T10:35:00.000+08:00

I promised myself at day one that I'd never get used to the oceanview HKUST has. Today, my very last day in UST, I sit on the balcony of the atrium, still amazed by the awesome view this uni has... 134 days ago I was yearning to get on the airplane and leave the country I spent most of my life in. Today, I'm still yearning, yearning to stay. Even though everyone I have met and befriended with is not on campus (anymore), I'm still in love with this place. Today, I'm going to enjoy Hong Kong on my own, something I haven't done before yet. I'm not going to say farewell to Hong Kong, I'm going to say " 'till we meet again", just like I did with the amazing people I met here. I wish we could all do another exchange together in the near future :-)

133 days...it's January 9 and while the Asian sun is warming me up I'm reminiscing and browsing through the pictures me and others made, each of them conveying a story that I'd liked to have lived again. Intercultural experiences, travelling, rooftop party’s, HKUST’s view, attacks by warthogs, mouldy but very nice showers, lighthouse jumps, golf, trailrunning Lantau, Mong Kok, business life, Wan Chai, the String Quartet, lightshow, Wedding Crashers, ontbijtje, starlit midnight swims, island trips, Duk Ling, panda’s, jazz and sheesha, new friends, weird insects, live frog-killings, ditto for fish and chicken, protest marches, funny warning signs, ‘Happy Corner’, pink dolphins, clubbing, the minibus-stop guy, dim sum, sichuan, Ebeneezer's, the gym, my roommate, Symphony under the Stars, students running through the hall corridor laughing at 4 am (usually with a bowl of ramen in their hands), the huge HKUST-sundial, exchange students...in sum, living your dreams. Just like I made a promise 133 days ago, my late new year's resolution is to continue indefinitely with living my dreams. And trust me, I'm more eager to keep this one than my usual resolutions :-)

Tomorrow, my exchange has officially ended and I'll walk through the streets of Holland again... Yet today, today I will still walk the streets of Hong Kong.

I hope tomorrow is like today

David

"It was a very good year"

2006-12-27T16:55:00.000+08:00

Dear loyal reader,

I'd hereby like to wish you a merry merry Christmas and an extremely happy 2007!! I know, I know, Christmas is already over and it's not Newyears yet, but I haven't got daily internet access on the Philippines and I don't really care to have, actually.

Anyways, I'd post on my travels to Vietnam and the Philippines later, and also on my last days in Hong Kong...I'm going to miss it like crazy, that's for sure. If I could've done it all over again I would, not to change anything but to be able to re-live it again :-) I guess daydreaming has to do now...

I was a very good year.

I'll see, talk and be with you in 2007. Take care

Jelmer David

None are so busy as the fool and knave

2006-12-02T11:55:00.000+08:00

Hi peepz!

Yeah, the title is a quote by John Dryden...which one am I? Neither? Both? Hrmz...The fact is that I AM busy, so it's been a long time since I posted. This is mainly due to the fact that I've been doing a lot of smaller cool things that are individually not cool enough to report on :-P Sounds like a lot of BS, but I think it's a good theory :-D

Just to sum up some of the things I did since Beijing:

1. Going out
2. Visiting the ballet "musical" Suzie Wong
3. Visitng the Hong Kong Stock Exchange
4. I finally went to the hairdresser :-P
5. I competed in the Athletic Meet organized by the University :) Long Jump and 100 metres (and I did quite alright if I may say so :-P
6. Going out
7. Visiting HKUST's 15th Anniversary
8. Attended birthdays (+ their grrreat parties (it was, Janet :-) ))
9. Went to Happy Valley (lost though)
10. Went to Symphony under the Stars (a-fucking-mazing outdoors orchestra playing Tchaikovski Overture 1812 as a grand finale)
11. Dancing the Salsa
12. Crazy nights in Wan Chai
13. High tea @ Peninsula (again today)
14. Good Mexican food in SOHO (@ Caramba)
15. Good Italian food in SOHO (@ Al Dente)
16. Good sheesha in SOHO (@ Bohemian Lounge)
17. Formalizing plans for Vietnam
18. Tonight: Great, formal, catered, private party at the top of the Peak.
19. All-you-can-drink wednesday nights @ Skitz
20. Dim-sum
21. Going out

owjah, and OFCOURSE:
22. Schoolwork
23. Studying
24. Presentations
25. Research
26. Readings
27. Mid-terms
28. Finals
29. Papers
30. Projects

:-D

But I'm sure I forgot a lot.

Life is good.

Jelmer

Beijing, baby! THE PICAS Part 2

2006-11-17T02:12:00.000+08:00

Old guy reminiscing about the "good times" in the Forbidden City

Mr. Mao at Tian'anmen Square

Tian'anmen Square, the biggest square in the world

Some good ol' communist sculpture at Tian'anmen

Me jumping like a mad person on the Great Wall (Jinshanling - Simatai)

The Fellowship at Great Wall (Jinshanling - Simatai)

Me at Great Wall (Jinshanling - Simatai)

At Summerpalace

My version of Da Vinci's Uomo Vitruviano ;)

Makye Ake Tibetan Restaurant Live Music! They rock!

Beijing, baby! THE PICAS Part 1

2006-11-17T01:09:00.000+08:00

Over-aged dancing women in Jinshang Park :- very funny though!

Ok, it cost me a fortune at the plastic surgent, but the result is amazing :-D Am I not really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really ridiculously good-looking now? (Mask of performers at Jinshang Park)

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Autumn in Beijing, wonderful...

Newsflash: China's most wanted finally caught and arrested in Forbidden City.

Macro rocks :-D Shadow of doornob's in Forbidden City

The amazing Forbidden City! The four little children sitting on the staircase are ruining the view though ;-) Especially the upper kiddo, he's an A-class asshole...!

Showing off my acrobatic skills, however the picture-taker waited to take the picture only after the 5-minute walk on my hands...

It is very clear there's no dictatorial emperor living in the Forbidden City anymore: Some weeding definitely needs to be done soon!

Beijing, baby!

2006-11-15T11:28:00.000+08:00

After a busy mid-term schedule last week, it was time for some geographical exploring, so I went to Beijing on Thursday, with my parents and Roman. We had five days to check this political capital of China out, so after having made an itinerary in the plane, we sat foot in the crispy cold Chinese capital (during the day: about 13 degrees Celcius, at night: slight frost). Since it already was pretty late, we decided only to walk around in the Temple of Heaven Park and go for dinner thereafter. The park was cool and we immediately got to see the Chinese fetish with kites: a kite with hundreds of small lights hang in the dark Beijing-sky. We walked from the park to the best Peking Duck restaurant in Beijing serving every part of a duck (from tongue to toes, seriously). Many famous presidents, other politicians and starts have gone before us to try the crazy-good food! We returned to our hotel after a (unintended) de-tour and fell asleep in the Presidential Suites that were assigned to us :)

Day two was all about sight-seeing the very centre of Beijing: Jingshan Park, Forbidden City, Tian’anmen Square and the famous Hutongs (Chinese ancient alleyways). We had Chinese breakfast in the hotel and left quite early to Jingshan Park, only to see a lot of oldies stretching, performing dances, practising tai chi and other activities that should balance your mental health. See pictures and the movie “The Last Emperor” to really get a good grasp of how this looks like, because no words can describe the atmosphere and scenery there. We had dinner in one of the Hutong-cafés, which was just like having dinner in someone else’s living room. It was a great experience!

Day three (Saturday) was the day I turned into a real man! According to Mao Zedong that is, since he once said that “if you don’t go to the Great Wall you’re not a real man” (不到长城非好汉). We started walking from Jinshanling after a 2.5 hour thrill-ride in the taxi we hired for a day (including crazy-ass taxi-driver with a death wish). Glad we left the taxi, we took the 4-hour, 10km walk from Jinshanling to Simatai…amazing, literally amazing…After a 3-hour drive back, again with numerous near-death experiences, we went to the night market to get an extraordinary dinner-meal, consisting of cicada (the kind of crickets you hear during nice summernights), grasshopper and scorpion. The cicade was the least tasty, its squishiness most felt like taking one of those nasty Fear Factor tests, the difference being that we had to pay to eat the cicade in stead of getting paid in the end!

Day 4: Mao's Mausoleum, the Summer Palace and Tibetan restaurant Makye Ame. In the morning, we went to Mao's Mausoleum, which is a huge building in the middle of Tian'anmen square in which the preserved body of Mao Zedong is exhibited. We joined the continuous stream of people walking in line to catch a 5-second glimps of the body of China's former Chairman. As the only 4 Western people in line at that time, I felt pretty intimidated by the enormous interest in Chinese people to go and see Mao, it's really some sort of a relic to them still, I guess. This made me feel kind of awkward, walking past Mao and seeing his face. Ofcourse just before the exit, in a new room, zillions and zillions of memorabilia is being offered, so that the free entrance can still be kind of offset :-) Smart concept, smart people, since it works for the 99.99999% of the people visiting (us being the 0.00001% not buying anything there). Next stop: Summer Palace! As the name tells you: this was the Palace the Emperor would reside in summer, when it was too hot to stay in the city. There is a huge ancient man-made lake and with the dirt left over from the digging, they made a huge man-made mountain...funny people, those Chinese :-) After a taxi-ride where we finally found out that their irresponsible driving can cause accidents (a car drove into our taxi from the back, after which the taxi driver settled the damage by asking 300 RMB in cash immediately -real Chinese insurance policy- hehe), we entered the Summer Palace. Still having amazing weather (bluer than blue sky and nice and crispy temperature), we chilled for a while, watching over the lake and sucking up all the things we did this weekend. The Summer Palace would definitely be a place I'd walk in more often when I'd be living in Beijing. There's such a nice, calm, soothing athmosphere that you don't really want to leave. We did leave though, and went by Beijing Metro to the station nearest to a Tibetan restaurant I found in the Lonely Planet. This turned out to be an amazing restaurant with amazing food (yak-meat, butter tea, delicious mutton and champa, some sort of mix between dumplings and unbaked bread -really nice-), amazing people (my dad got one of those shawls with which they show you their respect), amazing music (we bought the live-band's cd)and great folklore dancing (Roman and I actually danced a bit with the Tibetans also). Excellent "ending" of the trip.

Day 5 was the last day and we decided to go and see the Temple of Heaven and walk through the Temple of Heaven Park during the time we had left. The Temple of Heaven was build as(obviously) place of prayer to heaven and prayer for good harvest. Since it was just being renovated in 2005-2006, we got to see the Temple in an excellent state. The park was a great "cherry on the top" of this weekend, talking about everything we saw in the last couple of days and enjoying the scenery. In the afternoon we got back into the plane again, and left for Hong Kong, which by now really feels like home :-)

Pictures will follow soon, gotta prepare an Editor's Pick from the thousands of pictures we made ;-)

United family and United Nations THE PICAS

2006-11-07T17:11:00.000+08:00

Ton enjoying the Mexican food @ Hard Rock Cafe HK

Alei enjoying the huge dessert @ Hard Rock Cafe HK

My "office" at the hotel during the MUN (working hard to make the 3 a.m. deadlines...) :-)

The Fabulous Four :-D (Paul, Leen, Bastian, me)

Picture-taking with UN flag, our Award and former UN-delegate after closing ceremony.

United family and United Nations

2006-11-07T16:40:00.000+08:00

Last week Tuesday, my parents arrived in Hong Kong to enjoy 11 days in this wonderful city and 5 more days in Beijing (we'll leave for Beijing coming Thursday). It's great to show them around in a city I really got to know, even though I only saw them only two times in the seven days they're here now. The reason? Mid-terms and the Hong Kong Model United Nations! I will talk about the latter a little bit, because this might need a little bit of clarification.

A while ago, I applied for the Hong Kong Model United Nations (MUN) to represent HKUST. The MUN is designated as a simulation of the United Nations. MUN aims at highlighting the issues of international significance as well as cooperation around the globe, especially for the youth public. Students will discuss different international issues and negotiate with other participants in the HKMUN Conference 2006. Perhaps the uniqueness of the event lies in the fact that it offers an opportunity for youths to take up different perspectives as they represent different countries. In other words, they will learn to speak for others’ interest, which is one big step in caring about our world.
Naturally, I had to participate in this event! After asking three other exchange students (locals are seriously not interested in politics) and applied, we received an email that confirmed our registration and supplied us with the country we should represent: IRAQ! hahaha
It got even worse, since the topic I had to work on together with Leen (Belgium) was Nuclear Disarmament...hahaha

After writing a superb working paper, we went to the MUN, which was held for 3 days in the Baptist University in Hong Kong. Ten universities from Taiwan, Beijing, Macau, Shanghai and other mainland universities were represented in addition to nine local universities.
The weekend summarized: zillions of (un-)moderated caucuses, bilions of votes, loads of speaches, a lot of lobbying and negotiating, a total of 7 hours of sleep, 53 hours of hard work and an excellent experience!
Furthermore did Leen and I win the award for Best Position Paper, which was actually pretty just, because the large majority of the eventual resolution was based on our working paper :-D The start of a career as diplomats for both of us, perhaps? ;-)

This evening, after my accounting midterm, my parents will visit my campus and then off to Beijing on Thursday!

Jelmer

Ps. Blogspot sucks, for one reason I cannot add pictures to this posting...