Drink to moving on

Whilst writing about Amsterdam in the previous, I was listening to this song I like very much and the words came through to me really clearly all of a sudden. The words and the music seemed perfectly suited to the theme of settling down and moving on, which is eternally in some corner of average expat's or third-culture person's mind...

Ode to Amsterdam

Yesterday was the 3rd anniversary of my arrival in Amsterdam! One of the questions people seem to ask the most in this city is: when did you arrive? as people come and go a lot, it's still the port it originally was with people generally settling for a short period of time before moving on.

I can't believe it has been 3 years already, at the same time I felt at home immediately in this city.

I thought it would be a good occasion to write down all the wonderful people, things and places that make me love this city like no other.

• biking around town, everything is so close and easy to reach, there is no need to plan with public transport - i guess its the freedom i love of coming home however late I want, being able to go on a sunny day to discover the surroundings of the city, riding off when I need a break from everything
• the Melkweg and Paradiso concert halls at walking distance from my house and all the awesome bands, known and unknown I've seen in the past 3 years and crazy dancing nights
• my house, and especially my housemates who are truly amazing people, with who I had the most fun moments discussing life, dwarves and other insignificant subjects, the huge pasta dinners, the unexpected drinks and dancing, the parties that made it look like tge floor would fall through
• the wonderful friends I made in the most conventional and unconventional ways and with who I lived and keep living the city
• Sauna Fenomeen - my restful retreat for hours of zen, warmth and chilling out far from the rain and grey
• the Vondelpark and our millions of picnics and barbecues and general relaxing at the first ray of sunlight
• the beauty of the canals, that look beautiful under different lights of the sky
• speaking Dutch and keeping learning this language with its amazing expressions and original books (no book has moved me in the last years as much as 'Komt een vrouw bij de dokter' by Kluun)
• the amazing cultural life that Amsterdam offers - alternative cinemas, sneak preview, film festivals, concerts, squats, bars and restaurants - all of these really accessible to anyone and well organised. The OCCII that I only went to for the first time this week (twice ;-P) is the perfect example that this city still has so much amazing stuff in store for me :-)

All of this (and also much much more) is the reason why I haven't moved yet, why after 6 years of moving too much I have settled down for now. This is a city that helps you live in the moment.

Revealing mystic truths

This caught my eye on my way out of the Kroller-Muller modern art museum in the Hoge Veluwe. I guess I liked the cryptic message and the way it was presented in a neon way (somehow making fun of the neon messages bombarded at us all the time).

Looked it up when I had a moment and found out the artist is Bruce Nauman, he made this in 1967 and here you can read some more. I find these explanations give it even more meaning.

Inspiring

This message took my breath away...

Note to self: remember to read this regularly, enjoy every moment and 'reawaken the possibility of possibility'

It's by David Horvitz - cool website (I love the 'things for sale I will mail you')

Simple pleasures of Life - Fresh orange juice

I love the pleasure of taking the time to press some fresh oranges in the morning. The action of cutting and pressing the oranges by hand is hypnotic, then scraping the pulp of the fruit so as not to lose a drop...

Drinking it immediately when it is still full of all the vitamines and tasting the goodness with each gulp is magic.

Its a wonderful start to the day :-)

Noire et Blanche

This is an interesting statement for a photo made in the 20's. I love the esthetics of this picture, it's simplicity and yet all it conveys.

One afternoon with nothing else to do, we decided to make our own personal version with my sister, inspired by a book of Man Ray photographs that she had lying around.

It was a magical afternoon and the memory of the fun we had pops up everytime I look at this picture which is bluetacked to the wooden beam in my room. Surprisingly it took more time than I expected to make this reproduction: we had to take many shots, hold the light the best we could and attempt to capture the essence as well as be as true to the original as possible.

Here is the result:

Trust

I like this simple saying: it says so much and it pacifies me when I suddenly feel overwhelmed by doubts.

The interpretation is left to the reader: is it a wise person formally telling someone the trust themself, or a statement encouraging to trust each other?

Amsterdam

Now that Queensday madness has calmed down, I'm finding my city again... with lots of wonderful little streets which I discover anew everytime. The canals and boathouses, philosophical tags by Laser 3.14, independent shops, cute cafés...





I was already inspired by the city in 2006 when I drew this fictitious street... To think that I still have so many magic places to experience, it never stops.

The simple pleasures of life - Oil pastels

I've had this box of pastels for years, maybe more than ten years. I love them and yet I don't get them out enough. I'm rediscovering the pleasures of the 'fat' colours, the bright colours and the simple joy of applying them on paper and seeing them rub off...

Remember this...

when things seem over-complicated for no particular reason, when the brain makes everything into a big deal. Don't take yourself too seriously!