Amsterdam: Rijksmuseum and Rembrandt

I'd been thinking about going to the Rijksmuseum today for a while now so I was really glad to see the sun shining when I woke up. Although I would be indoors once in the museum, I might have been inclined to stay inside the house had the weather been crap. Either it is getting even colder these days, or I am about to come down with something like a cold. I realize now though that my winter wear from Virginia does not cut it. Even with a ski jacket, it's pretty damn cold. I suppose the winter here is particularly harsh given that countries like Russia are hitting -25C. I need some sort of survival wear to go outside and be comfortable.

Anyways, I was accompanied by Marco today to Amsterdam. We got a late start since I was looking forward to sleeping in all week and Marco had work to do in the morning. We arrived in Amsterdam about 1:30ish and walked the main streets to the museum. It's around my 4th time in Amsterdam, but I still don't really know my way around. It's probably because I've always had someone else lead the way. This time, I lead the way and feel like I am learning the streets. On the way to the museum, we pass Madam Tussad's Wax museum. They also have one of those in London and NYC, but I hear that the figures in the Amsterdam one are known only to the Dutch. I have been to the one in NYC so I won't be making a stop there. There was also the Sex museum and the Amsterdam Dungeon. Although I've been to the Sex museum in Copenhagen and the London Dungeon, I wouldn't mind checking these out here sometime. I had already been to the Van Gogh museum, Ann Frank house, Red Light District, and on Canal tours but this will be my first visit to the Rijksmuseum.

The walk to the museum was about 20 minutes and is 10 euros to get in. The museum is under construction until 2010 and only a small portion of it is open, perhaps about 12 or 13 rooms. The exhibits were still nice. Many paintings by Dutch artists, Delft pottery, doll houses, etc. I particularly liked Cupid, and Triton. My main goal, however, was to see Night Watch, a Rembrandt painting. They also had a special exhibition room that contained all Rembrandt paintings housed in the museum. A few more photos from the museum can be seen here.

Cold In Tension

Well, I am starting to fall into somewhat of a routine here. Work is Monday-Friday, 9-5ish, and I am enjoying it. Thank goodness for the European working conditions - I only have to put in 38 hours a week. I'm back on the sub list for bowling league and bowled last week. I'll probably bowl once every couple weeks. I've also joined the gym, called In Tension, so I'll be doing that 2-3x a week. It's a new gym about a 10 minute walk from home, and it's actually quite nice and reasonable in size. If I'm not at the gym, I'll probably be doing experimental cooking at home (getting sick of eating meat and potatoes all the time), or hanging out with friends that live close by. It has been really cold - perhaps freezing or below - so I haven't really wanted to venture out too far. I dress up like the Michelin man to go anywhere. I'm so bundled up I have to turn my whole body to look left and right when crossing the street. Weekends are up in the air. Last week was a bit of drinking, and going to see a flamenco dance. I think I will check out Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam this weekend.

Proud to be Japanese

Have I ever mentioned how proud I was to be half-Japanese? Thanks to Lukasz who spends all day searching for these types of videos (although he denies it), I can now show everyone why I am so proud.... Enjoy.

Matrix Ping Pong

Japanese Traditions (Sushi)

Human Rocket

Morning Musume vs. Lizards

Boycott: Motorola and Cingular

We all know cell phone service providers suck. There were countless times when I felt screwed by them but I will save you all the details. But I will tell you about the final straw that lead me to my boycott campaign of the 2 companies.

I was never particularly happy with Cingular, but after 3 years of being a faithful customer, they refused to give me the unlock code to the phone so I can use a European SIM card while in Holland. Not only did they refuse, the service rep was very rude and adamant that 'they did not do that' (unlock phones). Bullshit. After much hassle, I finally got the unlock code. But the f***ing phone still does not work with the SIM card here. I have a Motorola v60gi. It's advertised as a GSM/triband phone, and I was told by Cingular I could use the phone overseas. A bit of searching on the web reveals that v60 was defective. Cingular never told me about any defects. It takes a lot to get me angry and Cingular is really pissing me off. Motorola is on the boycott list simply because the phone isn't working like it should.

I didn't exactly spend hours researching to confirm the exact problem, but if anyone knows anything about Motorola v60's (maybe it's not really a triband phone? is it too late to make any claims if it is indeed defective?), let me know. In the meantime, boycott Cingular and Motorola... and spread the word.

The Meat and Potatoes of Dutch Cuisine

Dutch food sucks!! (In response to Corinne's request on more information on the food here in Holland.) I am by no means in any position to make such a criticism, but I think it is generally agreed that it is a true statement. A typical meal in a Dutch household consists of boiled meat, veggies, and potatoes. It's similar to English meals (pot roast, etc.) and rest of Northern Europe. (You've gotta go to France, Italy, and Spain for good food). Perhaps this is because colder climates don't allow for variety in agriculture, or they simply don't enjoy the act of dining. The Dutch in general are very laid back people but someone pointed out that it also means they lack passion, which seems to be very much the case when it comes to food. Their attitude seems to be 'eat to live' (as opposed to 'live to eat') and they simply don't care for the better tasting food. To the contrary, dining in Southern Europe is seen as something to be enjoyed. In these countries, people sit back, sip wines, and savour the flavor of meals in company of friends or families in a relaxed atmosphere.

Despite the lack of recommendable Dutch dish, there are no shortages of places to dine here in the Hague. Restaurants are everywhere, providing international cuisine. Indonesian food is especially popular since Indonesia used to be a Dutch colony. You also get your McD's and KFC (ick), and the Dutch really love their fries with mayonnaise. As far as Michelin rating goes, there are only three 3 star restuarants, but about 70 one star restaurant in all of Holland.

I personally am not big into going out to eat at fancy restaurants, but because I don't like to cook, I would like to be able to do cheap take outs. As with majority of rural U.S., there's no such thing as healthy fast food. Getting prepared food in the grocery store is a bit of a challenge too since I can't read Dutch for ingredients and instructions. So far I've been lucky and my roommate has cooked brunch and dinner, and one night was spent dining out. I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to survive rest of the evenings here tho.

New Roommate

I arrived in Holland this morning at 10am Amsterdam time. I was picked up by my dear friend Lukasz who took me to my home for the next 2 months. I am renting a room from a Dutch guy named Kees (pronounced 'case') who works in our office. It just so happens that he lives in the same building as Lukasz, as well as many other people who work with us. Right next door to us is Theo. Down the hall a bit more is Melanie, Lars, and Rune. There are others from the office too that I know but haven't spent much time with. Supposedly, the HR guy recommends this place to all new hires. Either he is getting commission or he just wants everyone close enough to go hang out at Crazy Pianos on Friday night. In any case, it's convenient to live close to the people I hang out with. I'll let you know later if it's too close.

So this guy, Kees, has a 3 bedroom apartment in this building. I get the guest bedroom fully furnished. He's spent some time in the U.S. so there doesn't seem to be much of a cultural barrier between us. He's also laid back so everything should work out fine. This is my 4th move in the past year and I've been living out of suitcases for the last 5 months. I am starting to itch for my own place. I suppose once I graduate and get a stable job I can get my own place again.

View from bedroom window

I seem to have brought the good weather with me to Holland. It's sunny today, and not so cold. At least I have not had to pull out the ski jacket... yet. The other problem I usually have here is food. Last time, I pretty much lived on slices of Chorizo sausage and Gouda cheese on bread. I'm not sure I want to stick to that diet this time so I need to think of something new to subsist on.

Off 4 Holland... Again

I spent 3 fun-filled months in Holland last August-October for an internship. I enjoyed the work a lot, and the people were great. Luckily, I got an opportunity to return, and today I am flying back to Holland. This time, I will work through 3/17, and then will spend a week in Avoriaz, France to snowboard.

Although I've kind of gotten used to bumming around due to being sick most of my time home, I am looking forward to working again and being productive. Last time I was there, I was always on the go (see http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/55518/6fb7b/) . I don't plan to travel as much as I did last time (since it's winter), but I hope it will be as fun (even half as fun will do).

Call Me Karate Master

Okay, I am not a karate master, but I did earn my black belt yesterday. I tested with one other person for our first degree black belt in Tang Soo Do at the Chuck Norris Karate Studios on January 7th. The test consisted of basic hand techniques, kicks, forms, one-steps, self-defense, jump kicks, sparring, grappling, and board breaking. All of this is done fast-paced in an 80-90 minute period so a lot of endurance and stamina is required. Going in, I thought for sure I was going to die (only because I'd been under the weather for a while), but I managed to survive. And overall, I am happy with the way things went. There were couple of parts where I was disappointed in the way it went, but I received a lot of nice compliments from the observers regarding my performance (as if they would actually tell me if I sucked).

So how does it feel to be a black belt? Um, actually, I don't feel any different... yet. I'm just glad the test is over with so I can relax a bit. Perhaps when I walk into class for the first time with my black belt, I will feel like one.

Btw, I have no pictures yet 'cuz they all came out blurry. We were too fast for the cameras. (Or more likely the shutter speed wasn't set properly). I'll see if I can pull some stills off of the videos once I get my hands on one. For now though, you'll have to settle with this as the proof:

Putting on the black belt for the first time

Happy New Year!

First of all, I'd like to wish everyone a happy new year. May 2006 be the best year ever. I, for one, am looking forward to all that may happen this year since 2005 has not exactly been a great year for me. According to my friend who performed a Japanese fortune telling on me back in June, things generally come in 12 year cycles and 2004 was my worst year in that cycle. My cycle goes something like this:

2004 Bottom
2005 Liquidation
2006 Cultivation
2007 Growth
2008 Decision
2009 Health
2010 Popularity
2011 Affair
2012 Restart
2013 Economy
2014 Repletion
2015 Betrayal
2016 Bottom

It is true, that since like May 2004 to May 2005, life for me has sucked a lot relative to the years before. Things are looking up though. I'm not sure what I am going to be cultivating this year, but I do have lots planned. If all goes according to plan, I will have gotten my black belt and my Masters degree, successfully completed another 2 months work in Holland, gone on a pilgrimage to Japan, and found a real job and settled down somewhere by end of this year. (By the way, I am not looking forward to 2011 and 2015... not that I really believe in stuff like this.)

Anyways, I rang the new year in with an old friend I hadn't seen much lately. We had a lot to talk about and catch up on, so it was very nice. Then I caught up with a visiting friend as she was about to leave town and broke my new year's resolution in the process. My new year's resolution was to 'eat more healthy.' Well, I chose Dunkin' Donuts as a meeting place (for lack of better choices really) so we can grab a quick bite to eat. Of course I could've purchased a bagel but I went for the glazed donuts. Tsk tsk.... I hope I am better about the other things I want to accomplish this year.