The Last Day

Today was my last day in the office, and is my last day in the Netherlands. I fly out tomorrow back to the U.S. Surprisingly, it felt like any other day until I was about to leave the office, and then I was suddenly really sad. I will be leaving behind lots of good friends. I really do hope to see them again in the future.

The rest of the evening will just be a quiet evening home with my boyfriend. Actually, it's more likely I will probably start panicking in a few hours trying to get everything into my 2 suitcases.

Well, next time you hear from me, I should be back Stateside. So, as they say it here - tot ziens, doei, dag (take your pick).

Immaturity Levels Rising

It's old news, but I came across this study on the rising levels of immaturity for the first time recently. In summary, it claims that adults these days are less mature since it's more beneficial to maintain child-like qualities to be able to learn and adapt - in higher education, changing work demands, traveling, etc. This might explain why these days we call the 30's the new 20's. Certainly, I don't feel as old as I expected to feel at this age. Apparently, the faults of child-like traits are retained along with the virtues. Having a "short attention span" and the need to seek "novelty" could explain my nomadic tendencies.

A bit off the subject, but it's only in the past month or so that I've realized I'm 33 and what that means. It means I need to get married now and pregnant next year! You think I'm joking? All of my friends are naturally around my age, and most of them are sweating it. 2 of my friends who are married are having a hard time conceiving. While this article says women over 35 can have a healthy pregnancy, it's not oh so reassuring when it starts rattling off the risks that are increased. I've heard before that women nearing the age of 35 start panicking to have a child, but it never occurred to me I'd be one of them. For starters, I hate kids. I never wanted one, and I still don't. Then again, will I want one when I'm old? It's too late when I'm 60 something and lonely to say "I wish I'd had some kids back then." So what's someone like me to do? As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I have tons of things I want to do that doesn't involve kids in the equation. I could adopt later if I decide to have kids and can't have any, but that's not as much fun as having your own. Particularly as someone who get hives when surrounded by children, I probably have a better chance at loving and nurturing my own flesh and blood. Assuming I have, or can find, an able and willing partner, how do I convince myself to have kids? Supposedly, despite the hard work, parenting is very rewarding. So, should I just take the leap and get pregnant? Maybe that'll make me mature. Anyways, for now, don't go expecting any little dancingnomads anytime soon. Even tho I'm starting to hear this big tick-tock in the back of my head, I have no intention of having any babies yet.

One Week To Go

By this time today, I should be on US soil, waiting to catch the last leg of my flight back to VB - and boy I cannot wait. After Switzerland, I've pretty much seen everything I needed to see in Europe to keep me satisfied for some time. I think I've checked out sometime ago and it's been a struggle to stay motivated at work. Although, the beuracracies of my work place never actually gave me any reason why I should be motivated. It's been four and a half month now since I made the decision to jump ship, and I'm just really really really ready to get on with my new life. I stayed this long only for the events of last week in Norway, and now that it's over with, I wish I could fly out now. Good-byes are always hard, and I'm not looking forward to next week. Generally, I always presume my paths will cross with some people again and that it's not really a good-bye. Still, it would be easier if I could just sneak out. I'm pretty good at keeping in touch with people anyways, and those who are my true friends will always be my friends.

On a brighter note, I'm looking forward to my life back in the U.S. There's a lot I want to do - develop my career, learn Spanish, take up martial-arts again, go for my PhD (maybe), do volunteer work, etc. I have a lot of friends near DC to catch up with too. Of course, there's also my brothers and their family who I haven't seen in almost a year.

Perhaps I will change my blog title to 'Living in America.' Having said that, I have no intention of stopping travel. I will be more limited in my vacation time back home but I will just have to make the most of what I have. For the moment, I am thinking about a Guatemala/Belize trip in the spring, and then a China trip in the fall. Until then, I'm stuck going where my work might take me, or places I can go on weekends. Will I survive??

Ørland, Norway

I just got back from a 10 day trip up to Ørland for work. Unfortunately, I have nothing exciting to report. However, I think it's the highest latitude I've ever been in. At 64 degrees North, I was still some ways away from the Arctic circle, but it was full blown winter there by my standards. It didn't get much more than 50 degrees there each day. The weather was also crap - it rained everyday. I didn't see sunshine until today during the layover in Copenhagen, which felt like the carribeans after being up in Ørland. Anyways, everyday was spent working all day, some days a bit longer than usual working days. At night I'd meet up with colleagues for dinner, and that would usually be about it. I'd slip in an occasional episode of 24 but there wasn't a whole lot of time for much else. Didn't help that I came down with a cold as soon as I got there. The first few days were pretty rough for me. The one day I had off, it was pissing rain so didn't do much then either. Not that there was much to do there anyways even if I wanted to. There are couple of hills (not the high mountains you'd expect in Norway) and an old fortress, that's about it. Yeah, so it was bit of a lame trip. Oh well.

Moving Pains (continued)

So yesterday the movers (Top Movers) finally came. They arrived on time at 0800 but with only 2 people. It took them 8.5 hours to pack and load a one bedroom apartment!! I sort of expected they would take lunch somewhere in between, but they didn't. So I didn't eat or drink anything all day (all food had been thrown out). That still would've been such a big deal, except that they didn't know how to pack. They would not fully pack the boxes, so if the boxes were shaken, you can hear stuff shifting around inside. When I told them they needed to stuff the boxes with paper or something to prevent this shifting, they said they only wrap breakables. Don't they realize unbreakables can still get damaged? When I insisted, they gave me an attitude saying this is how they do it and it's never a problem. I don't believe it. They started stuffing a little bit of paper, but not enough to really keep things in place. I'm pretty much expecting things to arrive damaged. Oh, and they only had small boxes! So anything bigger than the box would either be squeezed in, or bubble wrapped and left as is. They forced my printer in one of the boxes, but didn't pad it at all, and the top didn't close properly. Put one heavy box on top of it and my printer is crushed. I also had to insist on getting my electronics wrapped, and getting a plastic (bubble wrap) lining for the box containing the liquors. They also almost didn't get everything into their truck. They decided to put the 2 sofa pieces into the truck last. Smart move guys. Next time, get the big things in first.

What did go well though, was the check out with the makelaar. He seemed quite happy with how clean I left the apartment. The only problem I had was that he thought it would be better if I had the final bills for utilities sent to the owners and have them pay it out of the deposit. Unfortunately, it takes 4-8 weeks for these bills to be sent, and the owners have an obligation to give me back my deposit within 2 months according to my contract. There is also nothing in my contract about having to pay the final bill out of my deposit. So, I insisted the final bill be sent to me so I could pay it and get my deposit back sooner - hopefully before I close my Dutch bank account.

Oh, I made one last try to change my mailing address without making a visit. It turns out there is a section on the Dutch site (not the English site) that lets you change address. So I thought, great... until the site came back with a form I had to print and mail into ABN Amro. I couldn't even get my local bank rep to use my work address they already have on file as the mailing address. Stupid bank.

Good-bye, Harstenhoekstraat

The movers are coming tomorrow to get all of my stuff so I spent all of yesterday packing, sorting, and cleaning. It was a busy day but at least the kitchen and bathroom's cleaned up. Now I just have to take care of the floor once all the stuff is gone. I pretty much moved out last night, and will stay with my boyfriend or friends, when I'm not away on business, until I leave on 9/21. I'll miss having my own place, but I've bounced around from place to place so many times in the past so it shouldn't be a big deal. Getting kind of tired of moving every year though. I hope I will stick around in one place for a while this time. We'll see.... Anyways, just letting y'all know so you don't come knocking on my door looking for me :)

Moving Pains

For those of you who do not know, I am moving back to the United States. It's been a great year here in Netherlands, and I have enjoyed my job here. However, I was given an offer back home I didn't want to refuse. My new job will take me McLean, VA. I already have a place to live lined up in Reston. I fly back to Virginia on September 21st.

I began moving preparations some time ago, but as I prepare to move out of my apartment end of this month, I have to yet again deal with terrible Dutch services. I called ABN AMRO, my bank, to inform them I was closing my account, and also to let them know of an address change. I can understand having to go into their office to close an account, but I don't see why I have to go into their office for a simple change of address. I need to change my address few weeks before closing my account and I don't want to make two trips to the bank, especially for something so trivial as an address change. I can't call it in, fax it in, or email it in. Their website doesn't even allow you to change your information. If their on-line banking services is secure enough to perform transactions through, why can't I change my address there also?

Then there's Eneco Energy. They can't prepare the final bill until 6-8 weeks after my move date. I'll be in the States by then! Based on my arrival experiences with Dutch service, I can already imagine things will only get worse from here. Not looking forward to the mess at all.

Prague, Czech Republic

I had no plans to take anymore trips this summer, but I decided there was just no point hanging around Holland so I went to Prague this weekend. Unfortunately, I am completely jaded. Prague to me is just another 'pretty' European city that I've seen enough of. I don't even think it's one of the prettiest cities in Europe, and it's so over-hyped. The famed Charles bridge was so over-crowded with tourists that I couldn't even see the bridge when I was on it. The Brugge trip last weekend was somewhat nicer if just for the fact that I got some delicious chocolates out of it. I figured Prague wouldn't excite me so much, but nevertheless, it's my goal to see as much of this world as possible.

The first half of Saturday was spent mostly around the Prague Castle. We saw the St. Vitus Cathedral, St. George Basilica, and some galleries. Everything was ho-hum until I stepped into the Daliborka Tower and came across their collection of torture instruments. I found it so fascinating that the next day I actually went to another Medieval Torture Museum in the city center. It was definitely worth the visit. I learned a lot about different torture methods that you normally would not hear about (probably because it's too disturbing for public television or Hollywood movies). The museum claims the worst torture to be impalement. While the museum's image of impalement did draw the biggest gasp out of me, I thought sawing was quite nasty too.

The rest of the time in the city was spent mostly walking around and meeting up with a friend from college. We wanted to check out the Technical Museum there, but it was closed for renovations. We went instead to their National Musuem, which was more like a natural history museum. I found the Natural History museums in NYC and at Smithsonian much better tho (and not just because it's in English!) We were tempted go check out the Sex Machines Museum instead, but we were too short on time :(

Tips for Weather Forecasting?

I am going to Prague this weekend and wanted to check the weather so I would know what kind of shoes to take. I checked couple of websites, only to find that their forecasts were not similar at all. So I went on to check several more websites only to find that none agreed with another. The forecasts varied from no rain to 70% chance of rain. Some websites expected some sun on one day, while others expected some sun on the other day. How is it possible that these weather forecasts can be so different? Since I have no idea which site is the most reliable, I have no freakin' idea what the weather is going to be like. Stupid useless sites....

Brugge, Belgium

On Sunday I took a day trip with some friends to Brugge. It's about a 2.5 hour drive from the Hague. I've always heard it's a nice place, but I assumed it was just like any other 'nice' city - meaning nice pretty houses that to me now are just normal. Perhaps because my expectations were low, I found it to be quite nice. The city has a medieval look to it, and it's on the UNESCO world heritage list. It's not too big to walk around and see the sights. The canal boat trips are also popular though we skipped it. Aside from walking around and seeing the nice buildings, we enjoyed bradwurst, waffles, frites, and chocolates. Mmm....

Pictures are here.

Aveda in the Hague

If you're looking for a good place to go get your hair cut in the Hague, check out Aveda Lifestyle Salon. I have a tendency to get my hair butchered when I go to any old salon, so I try to stick to brand name salons (I've never had a cut go wrong at Toni & Guy). I tried Aveda for the first time on Saturday, and it was not a bad experience and the price is not much different from the salons you'd find elsewhere in the Hague. For starters, the cut takes place on their second floor so that passerbys outside can't see you getting your cut. Then, they start you off with a short head, shoulder, and back massage. I've been to places that do head massage, but I've never had shoulder and back included. It's just too bad the girl I had was weak and sucked at the massage part. Next, they wash your hair like any other salon. The difference here is that you get a bed to lie on instead of one of those chairs that kill your neck when you get a wash. I requested a stylist (you can get a Jr. stylist, stylist, Sr. stylist, or a top stylist), and she was okay. She didn't ooze creativity or lavish skills, but she was very text book and took her time cutting my hair. After some of my past experiences, I much prefer that than someone who is scissor or razor happy. So overall, I think it's a good place to go. Also, they have tons of nice products. You could probably ask for a sample or two of something new to try. They are also open on Sundays, and it's not difficult to get an appointment, even on a weekend (I got mine the day before). The stylist I got was 48 euros, and I think there's about a 10 euro difference between the each level of stylist. Check out their website (link above) for contact info (they are located in the center).

Simon the Apprentice

In the UK, they have a version of the game show The Apprentice. In the US version, contestants vie for a chance to work for Donald Trump, one of the most successful business persons around. In the UK version, it's Sir Alan Sugar. Today, I've just been informed by a friend of mine that this guy Simon Ambrose, who we were hanging out with for about a week or so in Cape Town back in the fall of 2003, was the winner of the latest show in UK. I thought... what a small world. Too bad he wasn't one I'd kept in better touch with. What's more unbelievable tho, is how unexpected someone like him would win a show like that. Basically, my friend describes our last memories of him as being "pissed and moon walking in the bar in Cape Town." Actually, that's all we remember about him... being drunk at the Ashanti hostel just about every night. Crazy world....

Simon in 2003:

Simon after winning the Apprentice:

24

This year there is no summer in Holland. It's been rainy and cold most of the days. Given that and the fact that I've just about seen and done everything I want to in Holland, I'm not ashamed to admit that I've managed to spend yet another week watching TV. This time, the show is Fox's hit show 24. I just finished watching season 1 and will begin season 2 soon. Considering they're about to air season 7 in January, I am waaaay behind the bandwagon and an intro to the show probably is not necessary. For those who aren't aware, however, the show is about a day in the life of Counter-Terrorist Unit (CTU) Agent Jack Bauer. Each episode represents an hour in the day, and there are 24 episodes in a season, one for each hour in the day.

Season 1 was mostly about preventing an assasination attempt on a presidential candidate and saving Jack's family from the same terrorists who try to kidnap them for leverage. It's got a totally unexpected ending and I'm looking forward to season 2.

Heroes

I just finished watching Season 1 of Heroes. I was so hooked it took me just about a week to finish watching all 23 episodes (42 minutes each). The show is about these people who begin to discover that they have super powers. Naturally, some try to take over the world while others save the world. Yeah, it sounds like it should be a comic book but hey, did you not like the movie version of Superman, Batman, or the X-men? Heroes is also much better made with its complex plot cleverly revealed in each episode. Not to mention there are several hotties in the show. Yeah, the above is my fav - Milo Ventimiglia, who plays Peter Patrelli. He also played Rocky's son in Rocky Balboa.

The 7 New Wonders of the World: Results

Here they are: http://www.new7wonders.com/index.php?id=633. It's Chitzen Itza, Petra, Christ Redeemer, Great Wall, Machu Picchu, Colloseum and the Taj.

Switzerland

Right after France, we drove onto Switzerland for a week. (Pictures here.) The objective was to get as much hiking in as possible. Unfortunately I'm not so fit these days and I think I got about all I could handle:

Day 1: Zermatt & the Matterhorn

We arrived in Zermatt on Saturday, 23 June after parking our car in Tasch and taking the 15 minute train in. Zermatt is car free, so once there, we had to take an electric bus or taxi to our hostel. Our initial plan was to stay here 3-4 days, but bad weather was supposed to roll in on Monday so we decided to stay only two nights. On Sunday, we paid 85CHF to take the cable car up to Kleine Matterhorn where we nearly froze to death. We also stopped at Schwarzsee Paradise where there is a lake. Since we'd seen most of the great views from top of the cable cars, we did a 3 hour hike (2 up, 1 down) between Furi and Schwartzsee for the sake of exercise. And boy did I need it.... I was struggling a bit and was quite sore the next day. A rest day off the bat :P but fortunately it was a travel day for us anyways with the crap weather that actually rolled in.

Day 2: Locarno


Since Switzerland was a small country, we thought it would be hard to escape the rain that was expected over the next few days. Christian had a great idea though, to go to Locarno. Locarno is a town off of Lago Maggiore in the Italian part of Switzerland. It supposedly gets 2200 hours of sunshine a year, most out of any place in the country. While the weather this day wasn't good, it was supposed to be fine from Tuesday. Most of this day was spent enjoying views from the high mountain passes. While most people, or guys, probably would enjoy the driving on the tight turns along the mountain edge, I often had thoughts of the car sliding off down the cliff.

Day 3: Valle Verzasca

We found a beautiful, and easy :) hike for today in the valley of Verzasca. It could have been a 4.5 hour hike, but because we couldn't be inconvenienced to work our schedule around the limited bus times (once every 2 hours) for the trip back, we parked somewhere in the middle of the route (around Gerra) and did a round-trip of the last half of the route to Sonogno and back. It ended up being only 1.5 hours each way, but it was a nice hike. My favorite part of the route was a walk through an old abandoned village or something where the houses were made of stone.

Although we didn't hike there, we did make a stop in Lavertezzo where we saw the popular bridge Ponte dei Salti. It was indeed a beautiful area, but a bit over run by a tourist. There is also a big dam on the way into the valley. There is also the Froda waterfall. If you get a chance, definitely do the entire hike. I wish I did.

Day 4: San Gottardo


On this day we were heading up to the Interlaken area, but we decided to do a hike along the way on the moutain pass of Saint Gothard. It started in Saint Gothard, a place that had like 4 buildings. We had a rocky start, not knowing exactly where the trail was. Probably we should have invested in a real map rather than the cheap trail guide we had. Then again, it wouldn't have mattered because we lost it about half way through the hike. Not even an hour into the hike, we started to notice some dodgy looking clouds and thought about turning back. The hike was meant to be 4.5 hours and it could be damn miserable at 2500 meters if bad weather struck. We decided to take our chances and kept on trucking though. It seemed like a rather long climb for me to go up 400 meters in 2 hours over the first ridge. Once over the ridge tho, the rest was not so bad. The trail took us around few more lakes and some snow covered areas. We weren't really sure if we were going the right way, but we saw another couple coming the opposite direction and was able to confirm we were going in the right direction. It was a good thing because there were some snow flurries by now. By the time we got to the last 30 minutes of the hike at a lower altitude, it was full blown rain. But it felt sooooo good when it was all done. I liked this hike a lot too.

Day 5: Jungfrau region (Stechelberg - Oberhornsee)


Today we decided to tackle something close to where we were staying in Stechelberg. Fortunately, there was a trail that started right behind our hotel. Turned out to be a pretty good one too. It was a few hours climb to Obersteinberg where we had lunch with a fantastic view of the alps (above) and a waterfall. The trail then continued onward to Oberhornsee, a pretty blue lake, and then back down. We made some bad decisions on the way down tho and took the steepest way down I think. That was rather painful. This day we walked for at least 7 hours.

Day 6: Jungfrau region (Allmend-Klein Scheidegg)


Today we did a short hike, but it was a really nice one. We took the train from Lauterbrunnen up to Allmend where we began a 3 to 4 hour hike to Kleine Scheidegg via Biglenalp. Aside from great views of Jungfrau, Monch, and Eiger, there were lots of trees, wildflowers, cows, and other little variety in the trail that made it an interesting hike. It was not such a difficult one either, tho after the last couple days it was difficult enough for me. The only bad part were the flies - they were everywhere. From Kleine Scheidegg, we took a train back down (I hate going downhill) and had an early finish.

I must say that while I love hiking, I got my fix to last me a while. In the meantime, I need to get back into the routine of working out and being fit again. It's summer so I have no excuses. A work out... everyday... well almost everyday... starting... tomorrow :P

Day 6: Bern


We decided to leave on a Saturday so that we didn't have to do the 10 hour drive all in one go. On this day we drove up to Germany through a stop in Bern. You'd never know this place was the capital of Switzerland. It's small and charming. We walked around the place for only an hour. Einstein's house might have been cool to see though. Maybe next time....

Versailles, France

The day after the air show we decided to go to Versailles. I had been there once before back in January of 1998, but I had wanted to see it during the summer for the gardens. The palace is beautiful, and so are the gardens. Unfortunately weather wasn't cooperating so half of the time we were getting wet. Still, there was enough sunshine at times to enjoy it all.

I find Versailles interesting mostly because of the history behind the place. If you're not already familiar with the biography of Marie Antoinette, I suggest checking out the story (and not the Hollywood version of it).

Paris Air Show

My boyfriend is big into aerospace and had plans to go to the Paris Air Show. I hadn't been to an air show in about 10 years, and since this was supposed to be THE air show, I thought I'd tag along. Luckily, after hitting up on every connection I know in the industry, I manage to score free tickets for the two of us, and then some. Good thing, because I was a bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong - the show is HUGE. There were tons of booths and displays from all walks of the industry. The disappointing part was the aerial show. The two that I remember from the U.S. had more interesting stunts and formation flying. These were mostly solo flights.

The highlight of my day was seeing Johnny, a.k.a. Mr. Travolta. I noticed a crowd of people gathering so naturally my nosy self had to go look. Then there comes this guy strutting along and posing in front of jets like he's a super model. I'm thinking... who the hell is this guy?? My eye sight is not so great. When he got closer, about 5 minutes later, I finally recognized him as John Travolta. By then I had missed some great photo ops but I continued to follow the crowd to play paparazzi and got couple of photos. I had this urge to yell out "I love you, Johnny!!", like the typical crazy American. However, seeing how reserved everyone else was, I thought I'd keep to myself. Besides, I wasn't ready to be escorted off of the premises just yet.

The New 7 Wonders

For those of you who did not know, there is a movement to select a new set of the 7 wonders of the world. The only standing wonder of the original 7, the Pyramids of Giza, is automatically designated as an honorary wonder (the 8th). There are 21 or so nominations and the entire world is encouraged to vote on which 7 they think should be the next wonder. The deadline is July 6th. I made my vote some time ago but I noticed today it made headlines on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/06/13/wonders.poll.ap/index.html.

I can't remember exactly which ones I voted for, but I think it was the Great Wall, Petra, Easter Island, Stone Henge, Machu Picchu, Taj Mahal, and Angkor Wat. I think the Eiffel Tower, Opera House, and Kiyomizu Temple ranks towards the bottom. I would not have nominated them to begin with. There's about 6 places that I haven't actually been to yet (e.g. Great Wall, Easter Island) so I can't comment on the list as a whole. Of the places I have been to, Machu Picchu (below) and Angkor Wat ranks very high on the 'wow' factor. The Taj is beautiful. Petra is also pretty cool. I can't wait to see the Wall and the Moai statues.




Anyways, seems American and European participation in this first world-wide vote is pretty low. Be part of history in making - go vote!

http://www.new7wonders.com/index.php

Top 10 Cities

Now that I've been to Rome, I feel I can put together some sort of a 'top 10' list for cities. There are two lists - Top 10 Cities I Would Visit Again and Top 10 Cities I'll Never Visit Again. Here they are:

Top 10 Cities I Would Visit Again

I'm actually not really a big city person. I prefer nature or activity travel, but visits to major cities are often more convenient. You can get a good cultural experience from most cities also. The rankings below were determined first by pure gut feeling, and then justified afterwards.

1. Sydney - I'm not sure I can really say that I've seen Sydney since I spent most of my 2 weeks there bumming on Manly Beach. I honestly don't remember doing much else. I think I spent a day in the city, visiting the Opera House and Bondi Beach. Oh, a few days were spent up in the Blue Mountains where I hiked all day and swam (at a local pool) in the afternoon, everyday. I could do this all over again.
2. Washington, D.C. - There are tons of nice things to see here - monuments, memorials, museums, zoo, etc. etc. Plus good nightlife and the restaurants are up and coming. There are enough greens (lawns, trees, etc.) to make a nice atmoshphere to stroll around in. A fountain here and there to relax by. Some of the country's best museums are there. The best part of it all? It's all FREE! My last endorsement of the city is here.
3. Tokyo - This is practically my second home. I lived here for two years and have family and friends there. I'm back here at least once every other year. The crowds suck a bit, but if that can be overlooked, you have the craziest place like no other. Food's great, service is great, and everything is just oh-so-cute. Some posts from my recent trip to Tokyo over the holidays are here and here.
4. Paris - There's a lot of nice places to stroll around in Paris. The cafes are charming, and you can get crepes everywhere. Lots of great museum too. Nearby Versailles is also a place I'd like to go again. First time there was a week back in '98. Also had a short trip there back in Oct.
5. London - It's sort of like New York (see #6), but with more history. You won't get bored in this city with all the different sites, parks, and day trips you can do from here. I lived here for four months but I wouldn't complain if I had to go back. The only downside is the strength of the GBP. Post on last trip there is here.
6. New York - Another former residence (for 2.5 years) where you can get and do anything. Museums, broadway shows, night clubs, restaurants, Central Park, karaoke boxes, you name it... you will never be bored. And with such a diverse crowd of people living in the city, you are bound to meet some people with similar interests as you. You can find a club or a social circle for just about everything. The mountains are also only a few hours away for some decent hiking and snowboarding. Post on last trip there is here.
7. Capetown - The best city in South Africa bar none. The beaches are crystal blue (albeit cold) with white sand, table mountain is fun to climb, you can see Penguins, you have a waterfront, and you're in one of the most beautiful countries I've ever visited. Your dollar or euro will go a bit further than the above cities also.
8. Kyoto - A must see in Japan. Been there three times or so but I keep going back to the same stupid temples because I like them. I need to check out some of the other ones though. In spring time when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, it is just absolutely beautiful there.
9. San Francisco - Home of the Ghirardelli chocolate factory. You can go there and get a free sample, and then go back again later when the shifts have changed. Chocolate isn't the only reason it's on the list either. This is a city surrounded by hills and water. Pretty neat. Plus, it's got a lot of Japanese influence being that it's on the West coast. The Golden Gate bridge is also pretty, and the cable cars are just charming.
10. Hong Kong - I had a hard time picking this last one. I chose Hong Kong in the end because I was only there for two days (on a business trip at that) when I was there and I don't think that did it any justice. I like the Chinese culture and would like to spend more time in that part. I hope next year I will get to do the China trip I've been planning for 2 years now!

Top 10 Cities I'll Never Visit Again

As a good friend always reminds me - never is a really long time. So let me put it this way - these were the cities I thought sucked royally (imho). The only way I'd go back is if someone paid me to go.

1. New Delhi - I was only there in passing on my way to Agra, but the 2 or 3 hours I was there was more than enough. The city was just filthy and crowded. I was also there with a group and we ended up getting split up because our taxi drivers took us to different places. Lucky for us we found each other in Agra.
2. Athens - I was there 3 days and it was two too many. There is nothing to see or do there except Acropolis. For all the other frustrations I encountered there, read this post.
3. Los Angeles - A massive sprawling city for the rich and famous. Hollywood is the only tourist site and touristy it is. It's just not worth the traffic to go into L.A. Stick to the surrounding areas like the beaches.
4. Cairo - I had to go for the Pyramids. Aside from that tho, the people there were mostly rude and were always after your money. Check out my post on Egypt for more.
5. Dubai - Three words sum up this place: traffic, construction, and boring. Oh, make that four: expensive. See my Dubai post for more.
6. Durban - Anywhere where they tell you to take a taxi after dark, even though you're in a group, going to a destination that's about a five minute walk, can't be good. Aside from that, there's just nothing to do. (Get eaten by sharks at the beach?) It's just a place where backpackers can stock up on stuff you can only get from cities before trodding off to better places.
7. Naha (Okinawa) - Yet another boring place. I think it would've been a lot nicer tho had I had some company and could rent a car to explore around. I was basically at the mercy of Japanese tours which shuffled you from one stop to another, with a break at a souvenir shop every chance possible.
8. Cancun - Mexico's great, but Cancun isn't Mexico. It's about as touristy as it gets with every kind of American chain restaurants imaginable in existance there. The surrounding areas are great though, just bypass Cancun itself. See my Riviera Maya post for more.
9. Rome - I just had too high of an expectation for this place. The place is overrated. You probably saw my recent post. I'll leave it at that.
10. St. Petersburg - A lot of people say it is nice, but I just didn't see that. There is the Hermitage and few other things to see but not much else. I remember having a hard time finding a place to eat. The streets also seemed dead. Hardly saw anyone walking around. Then again, this was back in '96 when I was less experienced in traveling. Maybe I just didn't know where to look.

Btw, for your reference, here are the list of places I've been to. Perhaps next time I will do a top 10 list of places to see in general.

Vatican City (The Holy See)

Forgive me father, for I have sinned. In the Vatican, I did three bad things that will send me to hell, but since I am not religous, I couldn't bring myself to go into the confession booth. So instead, I'll confess to the world:

Sin #1: Cutting the line into the basilica (saved perhaps an hour or so)
Sin #2: Cutting the line to get into the basilica again (saved 30 min or so)
Sin #3: Kicking a guy whilst in the basilica and almost starting a fight

I'm just so ashamed at myself I'm not even going to go into details here. However, if you want to know how to do Sin #1 & 2 so you get right up to the security checkpoint without standing in line, let me know and I'll give you details. If you insist on standing in line though, they seemed to be much shorter in the afternoons (Tip #1).

My poor, unexcusable behavior aside, I must say that the day we spent in the Vatican was the favorite part of my trip this weekend. The basilica was just beautiful inside. The view from the top of the cupola was also nice. The walk up was interesting too. (Tip #2: don't pay the 3 extra euros for the lift - it only takes you half way up.) The Vatican Museum, most of which you are forced to go through to get to the Sistine Chapel, also houses some really nice art work. Thumbs up to the Vatican.

The pictures are with the Rome ones.

Rome, Italy

Finally... I made it to Rome. First time I tried to go to Rome was in 1998. I was living in London and had a weekend trip planned with couple of friends. Unfortunately, I had submitted my passport to the Japanese Embassy for a visa and forgot to pick it up that Friday before leaving. I could admit I was just plain stupid, but I will use the hot date I had that night as an excuse for being distracted. Anyways, I kicked myself for the mistake and put Rome back on my list of places I must see before I die. Now that I live in Europe, there was no way I was going to leave without seeing Rome. So finally I did, and I can't remember why I had wanted to see it so much. I can't say Rome is one of my favorite cities. I much prefer the likes of Paris, London, New York, or Tokyo. But more on that later....

We had three full days there and saw just about every major tourist site: Colosseum, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, museums, yada yada yada. The first day was spent mostly in the part of the city where all the ruins were. I had just spent half of April seeing ruins, some even Roman, in Egypt and Jordan. You could imagine my excitement over seeing more ruins. That's just one of the downsides of traveling a lot. You get jaded. The other sites were quite nice though, particularly the fountains, and the museums housed a nice collection of statues and paintings. We also had an interesting bike ride through a park. We were on those 4-wheeled pedal bikes. The boys kept wanting to take the bike off-road, downhill, down stairs, etc. Seriously, I didn't expect this from smart, intelligent, 30 yr old men... but of course, boys will always be boys.

The food was great and the sites were ok, but overall, I think I like other parts of Italy better. Compound that with blistering and sore feet from bad shoes and lots of walking, and the unexpected heat the first couple of days, the trip turned out to be a bit more work than pleasure.

Pictures are here.

Black Forest (Schwarzwald)

Last Thursday was a holiday so we took off Friday to make a long weekend in Germany's Black Forest, or Schwarzwald. As the name would suggest, it's an area heavily forested, offering lots of natural beauty. The trip there started with an 8 hour drive through pouring rain, my irritability still intact, and my boyfriend making comments about my driving that annoyed me. By end of the day though, my irritability subsided, the rain cleared, and everyone was happy. After checking into our hotel, we strolled around Freiburg. I was a bit concerned that perhaps I made a mistake by deciding to stay in the city when I hate being surrounded by concrete. However, Freiburg was a typical charming Germany city with colorful buildings and cobblestone streets. Most places in Schwarzwald were no more than an hour's drive from the city, so it worked out pretty well.

The second day was spent mostly around Triberg. Germany's heighest waterfall was there, so we had to check it out. It is a pretty nice waterfall that is cascading waterfall so you see only bits at a time. The entrance to the waterfall is right smack in the middle of town center though, and is accessed by many tourists, so it wasn't a place you would hang out for long. We went from there then to the World's Second Largest Cuckoo Clock House in the town next to Triberg. It was a cute little house we saw coming into Triberg. It was still advertised as the World's Largest though, and we found out only after going in that a bigger clock house had been constructed in Triberg. We saw one clock house though, and that was enough. I preferred to spend the rest of the day hiking instead of chasing clock houses.

The best hiking we did was on our last day there, in Feldberg. We went up to the top of the highest peak in Schwarzwald, and then hiked down and around Feldsee, a lake in the valley. The hike to the lake was absolutely beautiful, as was the area surrounding the lake. There was no one around us on the trail either, so it was great. Before going to Feldberg though, we stopped in Titisee, a lake town. We... or mostly he... spent time rowing around the lake. Ahh... there's nothing like watching your man flex his muscles while you sit back and enjoy the view. I did give rowing a try, just to feel like I contributed some, but I didn't last more than 5 minutes each time. Darn ores were too big :P

The drive back ended up being quite long because of traffic and bad weather. I did get to stop in Ramstein though to do some shopping and offset the weekend calorie loss with Taco Bell, Cinnabon and a large cup of Dr. Pepper. I also bought the American Idol version of the Karaoke Revolution so looking forward to trying it out. Yep, this weekend couldn't have been better :)

Pictures are here.

ps. Schwarzwald has the cleanest public toilets I've ever been in in Europe - and they are all free!!!

PMS

I am irritable today... very irritable. (As a matter of fact, my blogger recently decided it's going to display to me only the Dutch versions with no means of switching back to English and that irritates me.) I've started to notice in the last year or so that there are periods when I am quite irritable and moody, and other times when hardly anything bothers me. Then after paying attention to my mood swings last few months, I've concluded that I am victim to PMS. (Or maybe it's more correct to say others around me are victims to my PMS.)

I think European men seem less aware of what PMS is (based on blank looks I get when I mention PMS as an excuse), so let me define it here. PMS stands for premenstrual syndrome. It is a group of symptoms that typically start one to two weeks before your period. These symptoms may include breast swelling and tenderness, acne, bloating and weight gain, headache, joint pain, food cravings (i.e. chocolate), irritability, mood swings, crying spells, and depression. Supposedly they tend to affect women between their late 20's to early 40's the most, and recur in predictable patterns. Mine is starting to get very predictable. Practically two weeks out of the month I am showing symptoms of PMS. If I am fat, it's PMS. If I am irritable, it's PMS. If you say otherwise, you better have a death wish.

It is quite a concern for me now though, as my level of irritability seems to be getting higher recently. I can't imaging anyone would actually want to discuss this, but how do you (men and women) deal with PMS? I'm especially curious to know if the men actually notice in their women this monthly mood swing, and how they deal with it.

Egypt & Jordan

After Dubai, I flew straight to Cairo to join a 17 day tour through Egypt and Jordan with GAP Adventures. The quality of the tour itself was disappointing and the difficulties of just plain being in the Middle East made it a bit of a rough trip. Most of the locals, especially in Egypt, weren't friendly, and can be down right rude at times. They also try to scam you out of every pound or dollar they can so you were constantly having to be on the guard (e.g. making sure you're not over charged, counting changes, etc.). Nothing they do is out of courtesy, and you worry about having to tip everyone for every little thing they do. Food is awful, and I got sick of eating the same thing day in and day out. Most of us had at least one bout of stomach problems. One of us on the trip had an incident that lasted 4 days, which only ended after buying some antibiotics from the pharmacy. A bit of advice for future travellers to the area: don't go budget! Fork out the few extra dollars for comfort and quality. This is not the place where you want to be cheap. Also, do a Nile cruise from Cairo to Aswan instead the train/bus thing. This way you don't have to keep checking out of your hotel to be somewhere new each day.

Despite all the discomforts encountered, there were lots of great things to see in these countries. You can see the itinerary in the link above. The highlights for me were the Pyramids of Giza, Petra, and Jaresh. Little needs to be said about the pyramids - they were one of the original 7 wonders of the world, and the only one that still exists. (Btw, you can vote for the new 7 wonders here.) Petra was probably my favorite place. It's a city pretty much carved into rocks. Aside from the impressive ruins, Petra has great views and is wonderful for walking/hiking around. We saw most of it in one long day that included lots of walking, but it's definitely worth staying couple days for. Jaresh is the ruins of an old Roman city about 40km North of Amman. The ruins here may actually be more spectacular than Petra. The site is also huge.

There were many other impressive sites besides those mentioned above. Yep, lots of history in these countries. I wonder what will be remembered from our times? Certainly nothing we build these days will last long enough to be remembered. I'm surprised Richard Branson hasn't forked out the millions to hire out tons of pseudo-slaves to build something. I suppose Dubai's Palm & World Islands, if ever completely finished and doesn't sink with rising sea levels, could be a candidate.

Anyways, if you could imagine the places we went to as they were when first built, it's an amazing thing. I'm glad to have done this trip. Egypt especially has been on my 'must go' places for a long time. Finally it's been done... and hell if I ever go back to the Middle East again.

My pictures of Egypt are here, and Jordan's are here. My camera lens was dirty, esp in Petra, so some photos came out blurred a bit... sorry. Jax has some quality pics from the trip here tho. And Dubai pictures are here if you haven't found them already.

Dubai, U.A.E.

Dubai... the city where it's men in white and women in black, where Thursdays and Fridays are the weekends, where the poor people are imported, and where it's home to the world's largest indoor ski slope and the one and only 7-star hotel. Above all though, Dubai is the city of construction.

I think I was five years too early for this trip. Everywhere I go, there is construction - to my left, to my right, to the front, to the back. Even the five star resorts are surrounded by them. I went on the most-expensive hop-on-hop-off bus ever today. For roughly $40 or so dollars (150AED), I got to see mostly malls, five star resorts, and more constructions. I was disappointed. If I actually had to pay for my room at the Hyatt Regency, I would have been quite annoyed. Luckily, I got the hook-up from a friend of a friend of a friend so I can pretend to be part of the high-class society that has a reason to be in a place like this. Seriously, unless you are rich and plan to buy one of the countries in the World Islands, or are here to start a business that enjoys tax-free status, there's no point to be here. When Sheikh Mohammad decided to build a landmark (Burj Al Arab) to rifle the Eiffle Tower, he knew exactly what he was doing. It put Dubai on the map and many tourists like me are probably fooled into believing the over-hyped surrealism actually exists here. Perhaps when all of the construction is finished, it could be a place worth visiting. Still, when you hear things like a prerequisite for buying an island is that you own a helicopter or a yacht, I can only imagine that the place will be home for the filthy rich. Speaking of residents, with the many skyscrapers and residential areas being built, I have to wonder how the city will cope with this expected exponential increase in population. The traffic conditions here are already mad during rush hours. There aren't any reliable public transportation system that a typical tourist would use. Worst of all, there is a lack of 'green' in the city that could worsen the constant haze that hangs over the city.

Well, needless to say Dubai gets a thumbs down from me. The most interesting thing I've seen so far are the Arabs in their traditional outfits (abayas for women and dishdahsa for men) standing in line for such places as KFC and Pizza Hut in the Mall of Emirates. I've got a few days to kill yet so I'll either be participating in some cheesy dessert tour, checking out the other emirates, or perhaps try to make my way out to Oman for a day. Alternatively, I could just live-it up here and do a dinner at Burj Al Arab, or spend a day in a spa. I don't know, but at the very least I have the sun and the pool.

Keukenhof

Keukenhof is probably the most beautiful flower park in the world. It is open only during the spring time (Mar 22-May 20th this year) so I was determined to go this year. I could not die or leave Holland without seeing Keukenhof first. It was still early in the season and only a quarter or so of the flowers were in bloom. Still, it was all very beautiful and worth the visit. I will probably go back again in May once I am back from the Middle East trip in April.

Keukenhof is a photographer's paradise. If you're an avid photographer, high-noon and afternoon is probably better for photography since flowers open up later in day and there are lots of shadows early in the morning from the many trees in the park. If you're not an avid photographer, avoid going with one since we will spend 5 minutes at every flower bed taking photos. It does get crowded in Keukenhof though, so if possible, it is best to arrive first thing in the morning (hours are 0800-1930) so you get the park to yourself for a little while. Plan to spend at least a few hours in the park. I was there probably 4-5 hours, including lunch time.

After finishing with the park, we went on to check out the flower fields outside of Keukenhof. You can rent bicycles, but we were lazy and drove around trying to find the best ones to stop at. We ended up in the flower fields just behind Keukenhof at the very end of the day. These are the most colorful ones, and you have a nice windmill backdrop. This should actually be the first stop one should make, if possible, since the sun will be facing the right direction then.

The park entrance fee is 13 euros per person, and 5 euros to park your car. Be sure to check out the green house too for more beautiful flowers. These are probably the best for close up shots.

The UnDutchables - part een

I was browsing through a colleague's book collection yesterday and came across the UnDutchables by Colin White and Laurie Boucke. It's basically a book about what the Dutch people are like and pokes fun at them for the way they are. It's hilarious. Most people tend to read the book when they first visit or move to Holland, but I'm just now getting my hands on a copy for the first time. A friend said to me, "It's too late for you, Diana." Basically, I've already been here long enough to know what the Dutch are like so there's no point to read it. To the contrary, because I've experienced the real thing, I am chuckling at every line I read thinking how true it is (this is a 2006 edition).

In one of the first few pages, it explains that a Dutch person likes to use the word maar, or "but". I recalled a recent conversation with a Dutch friend about an interview he had. I had asked him in e-mail how the interview went and his response was "It went well... but... one of the important things about a job is how you fit into team." Later in the day, we were again discussing the interview, and again he says, "But it is important to fit in the team." (Or something like that.) So I say, "blah blah blah... so you should not worry." He says, "I am not worried." I say, "You mentioned fitting in twice, you must have some concerns." He says, "You asked twice." No, I didn't. I may have asked about the interview twice. I never understood the point he was trying to make. Now I am guessing that he was probably just trying to say that he thinks it went well but may not necessary end in an offer.

Chapter 3 of the book goes into Dutch public transport. On my way to my friend's house yesterday I noticed they were doing some major construction on a major street. They had literally taken the street apart but left the tram lines intact for them to run on. What I realized after reading the book was that Dutch roads are simply bricks on sand and it leads to sinking tram lines, among other problems. They have the engineering skills to build perhaps the greatest dams in the world, but they still can't get the roads right.

Also in this chapter the book tells you how you can fit in amongst the Dutch people. For example, while you are waiting for a bus, tram, metro, or train, you should:

"Form a compact mass with the others who are waiting, and do so soon as the vehicle appears in the distance. When it arrives, block the doors so the exiting passengers cannot leave. Above all, do not move out of the way when the doors open and people attempt to get out, as this might speed things up. After all, you wouldn't want anyhone to get ahead of you in the mob. If, however, you are a passenger waiting to exit, then you have the right to curse the stupid idiots blocking your way."

Dutch people are awful at waiting in lines. It must be why everywhere you go, you see these numbering systems (take a ticket, wait for your number to be called.) Of course, they don't have them on public transports. I was cursing the Dutch as recently as two weeks ago while trying to board a flight. I was just as late getting to the gate as these Dutch people on the same flight. Yet, somehow they all pushed their way to the front of the security lines. Last year, I was standing in line with friends to get in a club but many Dutch youths were hopping the line. So I told them to "get in the back of the line" - and it nearly led to a fist fight.

I'm only a few pages into the book so, to be continued...

Madurodam & Magic Ice Zoo

I've been here well over a year in total now, and I finally got around to hitting Madurodam. It is basically a miniature Holland - something for tourists and kids. I had planned to wait until someone visited me and take them to it, but they are currently holding a special ice sculpture exhibition so I decided not to wait any longer. (Besides, all of my friends are being lame and not visiting.)

Madurodam hosts the exhibition of these life size ice sculptures by Chinese artists every once in a while. This year, the theme is Animal Kingdom so most of the sculptures are of animals. The sculptures pale a bit in comparison to the sculptures I saw in the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan, but they were still nice. At least nicer than Madurodam itself. The park itself is quite small for a 13 euro entrance fee and I wasn't too impressed with it. Since the ice sculpture exhibition was included tho, it made it worth going.

The exhibition runs until 28 May 2007. Bring warm clothes and gloves if you go - I was freezing my butt off in there.

Avoriaz, France

It's been a while since my last post because there's not been much going on except a lot of work stuff, with a couple parties (i.e. karaoke, Crazy Pianos) in between. The crunch time at work finally ended on the 16th tho so some of us took off right away on the 17th for a week long ski/snowboard trip to Avoriaz. It's basically the same trip we did last year, with a few change of members. Thomas, Lars, and Ionna couldn't make it this year, but we picked up Yvonne, Frode, Peter, and Wouter instead.

The trip this year was yet another success. I was worried about snow conditions since there were none all winter in Europe this year, but on our second day there, it started snowing and didn't stop all week. We got about 20cm or more per day and had a lot of great runs despite the occasional lack of visibility. The only shame was that we had to leave after getting so much good snow. I was also just starting to get my boarding legs back towards the end of the week. I wish I could've stayed another week. I think next year I will have to try to go on at least two trips.

Me, MySpace, and iPod by Boom Chicago

Yesterday me and my North American posse went up to check out Boom Chicago, a group of American comedians playing up in Amsterdam. The theme of the night's show was Me, MySpace, and iPod. The group performed clever skits about our life in the digital age. It was a funny reminder of how our lives have changed in the last decade - we went from hardly wired to entirely wired. Parts of their show are improvisation and includes audience participation. While they didn't make my stomach hurt laughing and the improvs don't compare to the awesome ones I've seen on Who's Line Is It Anyway?, I'd say it was a very good show and well-worth the 20 euros.

The show really made me think about how much time I spend on-line these days. During the show, they asked the audience how many people had iPods. About half raised their hands, including me. Then they asked how many people had laptops. Again, about half raised their hands including me. Then they asked how many people had a MySpace site. A few hesistant hands went up, including me. Does that make me a geek?? In the past, if I was bored, I would pick up a book, watch TV, or find something productive to do. These days, I could endlessly and needlessly spend hours on-line if I wanted. I like feeling connected to my friends all around the world, but sometimes I wonder why I'm still on-line even when I'm done chatting or checking e-mails. Fortunately I feel like I have enough of a life at the moment that I'm not spending too much time on-line, but still, I should pick up a book again. Anyone have one they recommend?

Snow World

I love snowboarding, but I never really felt like trying it out indoors. There are apparently like 17 artificial slopes in Japan, but I didn't try any of them there. When I first came to Holland, someone had suggested perhaps checking out our local indoor skiing place - Snow World. I didn't feel like trying it out then either. How could it possibly compare to the real thing? Last night, however, I gave into peer pressure and decided to check it out. Afterall, don't knock it 'til you try it, right? Well, I've tried it, and I can't say it's really all that exciting. It probably takes like 5 minutes to get to the top, and then about 10 seconds to get down. I just don't have the patience for that. Plus, I don't like the lifts. They have a platter lift, which is not too different from a t-bar but more uncomfortable. If you're a snowboarder, the lift digs into your front inner-thigh and can be a bit painful.

In my opinion, indoor skiing is good if you're a beginner trying to learn, or if you want to practice tricks, or if you're looking for a fix. If you're an avid skier or snowboarder, I would suggest not going unless you have a real trip planned within a week or so. The indoor thing is a bit of a teaser. Yeah, it's fun, but you know it's even more fun on the real slopes so you are left wanting more.

Snow World is in Zoetermeer, about 30 minutes from the Hague. There are 3 ski areas - a beginner's area, a park area (for tricks), and the "long" one (35m high x 200m long). Hourly prices are quite outrageous, but you can get 4 hour passes for about 32 euros. On weekends, there is a special from 8-12pm (~21 euros). A DJ plays on Saturday evenings. Rentals are about 10 euros.

Since I am on the subject of indoor skiing, I had a quick look up on Ski Dubai. At least they seem to have gotten theirs right. It's at least twice the size of Snow World with 5 slopes. Longest run is 60m high and 400m long. Supposedly they have the world's first indoor black run. They also have quad lifts! I am going to be in Dubai early April, so maybe I'll check it out....

Boycott: Target.com

I have gotten into on-line shopping a lot since moving to Holland. I've grown to hate shopping even more since moving here, and on-line shopping makes some things easier. I am a frequent customer of Amazon.com and Drugstore.com. I've even begun to explore shopping of clothes through stores such as EddieBauer.com and VictoriaSecrets.com. For the most part, I have been quite happy with my experiences of shopping on-line. However, Target.com has disappointed me greatly with my last order from them.

I placed an order on December 28, 2006. What is today? Yes, my order still has not arrived. Every week, I keep getting these e-mails saying that there is a delay in my shipment and the expected delivery date is in about 2 weeks. Fortunately, it's not an item I am in a hurry for, so I let it go for a few weeks, but I figured a month was about enough. I tried to go cancel my order but supposedly, there is a note in each of these "delay" e-mails saying that I cannot cancel my order because the order is being "prepared." Obviously, when they first sent me this e-mail first week of January, the item was not being prepared or otherwise it would be here by now. I initially sent a polite e-mail to customer service requesting to cancel my order but I got one of those lengthy, pre-written, "we value you as a customer but..." e-mails. I was quite annoyed by this and wrote another, more adamant e-mail trying to get my order cancelled. Apparently, the way Target expects us to handle this is, refuse the package when it arrives and get a refund. Personally, I don't find this solution acceptable. I don't like the idea of an open order sitting in my account that could show up anytime. How do I know I won't all of the sudden get a package 2 years from now and accidentally open it? Worse yet, what if I have to move before the order gets here? When should enough be enough when it comes to waiting for a package? If they are going to take over a month to deliver an order, they should be prepared to eat any risks associated with cancelling the order if requested by the customer. Well, Target didn't listen to the customer. So now they have one very dissatisfied customer who will take their business, and hopefully some of their family and friends', elsewhere from now on.

Delft

Today I got a local to show me around the city of Delft. It is supposed to be one of the nicer places easily accessible from the Hague, yet it took me this long to finally visit. The highlights were the Nieuwe Kerk (new church), Oude Kerk (old church), and the Royal Delft Factory. We also climbed the 356 steps up the Nieuwe Kerk for a fantastic view of the city on this rare fine day.

Eye of the Tiger, baby!

I've finally done it! I've been looking for a martial arts school to train at ever since I got here. I was quite picky about what I wanted. The school had to be close to home, had reasonable training hours, preferably offered more than one class a week, not anything too similar to what I was doing back home, yada yada yada. Needless to say, I was having little luck. I pretty much had been settling for going to the gym at work (which was open weekdays only), and an occasional swim at the community pool. Now I've done it though. I've found the perfect place for me to train. Patience has paid off. I have just now come back from my first... boxing class!!

The school I found is Haagse Directe, about 15-20 min drive from home. They have training every weekday (though I can only make Tues & Thus because of the times), and it's only 5 euros a week!! (And I don't have to pay if I'm not there at all during the week.) Training is about two hours long, beginning with jumping rope as warm-up for about 20-30 minutes. Actual box training is about an hour, followed by another 15-20 minutes of strength training (i.e. abs, push-ups). Needless to say, I really enjoyed the training. I realize boxing is not exactly martial-arts, but I think it compliments it really well. No doubt training here will help my fighting skills.

Yep, so now I'm going to go watch Rocky VI as soon as it comes out later this week here in the Netherlands. I hear it's good. I've already got The Rocky Story Soundtrack, so between the movie and Eye of the Tiger, I should be ready to go kick some ass at Haagse Directe!!

Blue Man Group

Yesterday we went to go see the Blue Man Group in Amsterdam. If you are not aware of what that is, it is an off-broadway show starring three men, painted blue, that basically puts on a colorful percussion show with intermittent stints (see website reviews for more). The show is basically in a class of its own, with little in common with the typical singing, dancing, and acting routines on Broadway. While there is little in the show that moved me, I did find some of the stunts impressive. There was plenty to laugh at, although some of the performance required understanding of Dutch to enjoy. At 54 euros for a ticket, I think it is a bit over-priced for the 1.45 hour show, as everything is in Holland. I would be willing to go watch it again though, if I have the opportunity to go see it in English, and for a more reasonable U.S. or discount price.

Book Review: Zahir

This book by the author of The Alchemist sucked. The story is about a renowned author, presumably himself, whose wife leaves him for no apparent reason. He then comes in contact with a man who helps him find himself and then his wife. There was too much bullshit about the flow of the energy from love. The characters also all talked alike and seemed to have no personality of their own. One thing they all have in common though is that they clearly have issues. (Spoiler warning) Who leaves their husband and waits around for him to find her for years? Who becomes so obsessed with a woman who left him? I was getting really annoyed by the main character of the story by the time I started reaching the end of the book. I suppose he had nothing better to do than to chase his past.

Tokyo Pictures Are Up

I just got back from my Tokyo trip. The trip overall was pretty good, although it was more like a visit home rather than a vacation. The only down side was that I didn't get along too well with my mom. We had some miscommunications that led to a lot of frustrations. I also tend to get irritated in general just talking to her. As much as I want to show her my appreciation for all she's done, I just wasn't successful. I didn't even go see her family, though I had intended to. Things were especially bad on the very last day and I broke out in tears at the thought of how my family had been so dysfunctional growing up and that we still are. Although I know that we all care about each other in our own ways, there's never any display of love or affection in my family. I am closest to my two brothers, but they each have their own family now and I often feel alone. I don't think my own choices significantly affect how my life turns out, but I hope that in five years I am in one of two positions - still enjoying traveling and new adventures, or married and starting a loving family of my own. However, if I were to choose which way to go today, I would vote for the latter.

Tokyo pictures are here.

Dining in Japan

I pretty much had two objectives while I was in Japan. One was to spend time with friends and family, and the other was to eat as much food as possible. There are so many Japanese dishes that I like that 2.5 weeks here wasn't enough time to eat everything I wanted. (I have been putting in a lot of effort though.) Here are some of the foods, if made Japanese style, that I enjoy eating and recommend to anyone visiting Japan: sukiyaki, shabu shabu, yakiniku, yakitori, curry rice, sushi, ramen, udon, soba, okonomiyaki, onigiri, dango, satsuma imo, strawberry shortcake, purin (custard pudding), taiyaki, croquette, bread, an-pan, melon pan. Drinks in Japan are also great. None of their drinks are overly sweet or sugary. I don't drink tea, coffee, wine, beer, and most types of alcohol or soda so I love the fact that Japan has so many varieties of soft drink: calpis, pocari sweat, lemon water, etc. A lot of them are also sold in vending machines all over the place.

Dining in Japan is also more than just good food and drinks. You can't beat the service you get here. If you walk into a restaurant, you are greeted immediately with a cheerful irashaimase (welcome) by the staff. Of course, water is free and generally brought to you as soon as you are seated, without even having to ask for it. The attitudes of the restaurant staffs from start to end are one of how they could possibly serve you better. In one restaurant, a waiter apologized profusely when they over cooked a set of gyozas and had to remake them, thus delaying its serving time by - woah - a whole 5 minutes. We were like, hey, don't worry - it's no big deal. In another restaurant, they were quick to replace a cup of mayonnaise that was starting to run low, even though we were nearing the end of our meal. As you leave after your meal, you are once greated with a loud arigatogozaimasu (thank you). When you dine in Japan, you really feel like your patronage is valued and that they are truly happy to serve you. What makes this even more surprising is that there is no tipping in Japan. It is not even normal practice to leave change. Even in the U.S. where a 15-20% tip is expected, you won't get service as good as in Japan. In the Netherlands, and most of Europe, you can pretty much scratch the word service out of your vocabulary. It doesn't exist.

Great dining isn't found just in restaurants or cafes. Many department stores will have basements (depachika) that are food halls. In addition to grocery, fresh meals and side dishes are prepared and packaged for easy consumptions. Food prices in Japan are reasonable, too. Last night, we went to an all-you-can-eat shabu shabu place (aka Mo- Mo- Paradise) -> 1,700 JPY per person. 1 USD = 120 JPYand 1 EUR = 157 JPY, roughly. You can add all-you-can-drink (alcohol included), for about another 1,500 JPY. Lunch menus can range from 800 to 1500 JPY for an average meal. A take-out meal is about the same, and depachika food prices can't be beat. If you're a busy person, there really is no point in cooking here. It just isn't worth the hassle and the left overs. Good food, good prices, good service... I'm going to miss it all.

My First Exorcism

According to Japanese superstition, the year a woman turns 33 is called yakudoshi, a year of "major calamity". Generally during such years, these people will experience great illnesses or misfortunes. The year preceding (mae-yaku) and year following (ato-yaku), are generally not good years either. I turn 33 this year.

The topic was a recurring theme in my visit to Japan. A Japanese friend told me of the miseries she went through during her yakudoshi. According to her though, you are supposed to add one to your age when deciding your yakudoshi, so in theory, last year should have been my yakudoshi, so I was relieved... briefly. A few days later, Mom convinced me 2007 was going to be my yakudoshi. It was also going to be my friend's (the one I am staying with at the moment) as well. While we are not superstitious, we didn't like the sound of having a year of "major calamity". We decided to follow the Japanese tradition of doing a yakubarai - their version of an exorcism. All things being the same, we thought we'd play it safe.

On New Year's day, Mom took us to a temple near her home that specializes in yakubarai. The process is nothing like the exorcism you see in movies back home. Rather, hourds (only so because of the special occasion of it being a new year) of Japanese people stand in a queue to check in at one counter, and then bumrush into a room on an hourly basis where monks perform the yakubarai. Yakubarai involves the monks parading into the room in their most stylish outfit, banging the drum and few other things, chanting or praying, and lighting a fire that is supposed to burn away all the evil spirits. Many of the Japanese silently prayed along with the monks. At the end of the ritual, each person is given an ofuda, a piece of wooden plaque that is supposed to be our migawari, or replacement, to suffer through yakudoshi in our stead.

Yakudoshi or not, I am expecting 2007 to be a good year. I have big travel plans for the year, and there are some exciting things going on at work. I suppose what happens in a yakudoshi tends to be unexpected. However, if 2006 was indeed my yakudoshi, I can't say it was a bad a year. To the contrary, I had an awesome year. It started off with me earning my black belt in karate, a short term assignment to Holland, a snowboard trip in France, a week in Mexico, finishing my Masters degree, getting the job I wanted, followed by lots more fun and traveling. The only stain in what would otherwise be a spotless year were problems, and eventual fallout, with one of my closest friends. Strong feelings of anger, hatred, and sadness consumed parts of me throughout the latter half of the year. Still, 2006 was much better than 2005 and 2004, which sucked royally. The last spotless year was 2003, and I hope 2007 is just as good, if not better (tho that might be tough given that was my year "off" traveling).

Anyhoo... I wish everyone a yaku free year and many happy returns. Akemashite Omedetou-gozaimasu.