Strike

This morning GVB employees were on strike, 5.30-8.30. The notice says public transport will resume after 8.30. So I went out at 8.30. First it said the next tram would be on 8.44 (that's ok) but it kept on changing 8.47, ..., till in the end it said 9.30. My bike was broken and there is no public transport!

Hamsters

One day I arrived home to find our front door was full of hamsters (stickers) and then, the whole house was also filled with hamsters' posters and stickers.

It's hamster weken in Albert Heijn and one of my housemates just put everything at home with hamsters. (Our garbage bin can no longer be mistakenly identified as someone else's because no where in the neighbourhood there is any other door with hamsters.)

Explosion

No, not bomb explosion. It was my tyre. Yupe, my tyre exploded! When I was in the middle of nowhere!

As today is such a warm (read: hot) day. I was out on my bike. I was heading to the lake and then, all of a sudden BOOM! - my tire exploded. I was in the middle of nowhere (no big road nor public transport in eyesight).

I dragged my bike and the tyre went out of its place (out of that rounded metal thing, both the inner tyre and the outer tyre), making knots, after some time I just couldn't move my bike anymore. So I stopped, turned my bike upside down, untie the knots, putting it back to its position. (Appreciated that I had a crash course on 'how to change your tyre' last year.)

And then an old lady took pity on me, and showed me the way to get to the nearest metro stop. So, that was it. I'm home, tired, and dirty.

Summer for few days

These few days we have tropical weather. Summer weekend! It won't last long though as on Monday it will go down to 15.

jenuh

hehe ... jenuuuuh bgt ...

ArenA

This evening I was in Amsterdam ArenA, watching a game between Amsterdam Admirals and Cologne Centurions. My first time watching a game inside a stadion is in ArenA! It was an American Football game (fact: I knew NOTHING about it!) But hey, I got free tickets.:p

I went with Alejandra and good thing is: she knew something about american football, so she could fill me in.

It was nice adventure. ;)

God is wonderful!

Got very good news on Saturday evening. Can't say what it is yet.

Lesson learnt: Don't hesitate to dream. A dream that comes true ... wow ... no words can describe it. A dream that doesn't come true (yet) remains a dream, and there's nothing wrong with it.

P&W

I went to P&W evening. In the end, praying time, I poured out everything to God. All things that have been bottled up in me for several months. Recognizing how powerless I am, humbling myself before Him. Pouring out everything. Makes me feel much better, some burden has been taken away.

spam in YM

Spam in messenger? Hmm ... to a certain extend. For the past few days (has it been more than a week?) Some people have been trying to add me -- no name, not even after I asked. In other words: deny.

But the invitations kept coming (like every minute!)

bread

Beli roti di Belanda: makkelijk of moeilijk?
(Buying bread in Netherlands: easy or difficult?)

Hmm ... think about it: practically everybody eats bread, supply are enormous, maar ... demand is also big. Don't even hope to find bread in the shop around closing time on Friday ... even yesterday @ 18.00 there was no longer any bread in the shop.

One should plan ahead on buying his bread!

holiday mood

I'm in 'I want holiday' mood.:p

de Gijt

Introducing Onbekend de Gijt.

Welcome

My cousin gave birth to a baby girl today. Congratulations to the proud parents! Welcome, Sabrina.

In Mei ...

... leggen alle vogels een ei.

For the sake of completeness, hereby I put the Dutch saying about May: In May all birds lay an egg.

I don't know how those eggs are suppossed to survive these freezing nights (and mornings).:p

Koning of konijn?

A story I heard on Koninginnenacht, told by Burgemeester Cohen -- mayor of Amsterdam.

The open air concert was held in Dam square, in front of the palace. Normally a new king or queen addresses the crowd from that palace.

Years ago, when Louis Napoleon assumed power of The Netherlands, he stood in front of that palace. Addressing people of Amsterdam, he stated, "Ik ben jouw konijn." (I am your rabbit.)

Eventually he wanted to say, "Ik ben jouw koning." (I am your king.) But, well, he managed to say 'konijn'.

Brrr

It's sooo cold these days. Is winter coming back?

Liberation day

Ya, ya, this is holiday period. After queen's day, liberation day and ascension day happens to be in the same day. On 4 May Dutch remembers people that died on the wars, esp WW II and on 5 May they remember their liberation from Germans.

Last night there was an open air concert in Amstel (and also fireworks). After that the queen and the prime minister stepped into a boat and waved to the crowd.

She waved at me! He waved at me! Dude, did I care? Well, it's just a nice remark.:D

Queen's day

On 30 April Dutch celebrate Queen's day by ... selling rubbish:D On Queen's day the whole country transforms into sea of orange and flea markets.

This year marks the silver jubileum of the current monarch. On Queen's night there was a classical open air concert in Dam square. I was there, it was very nice.

I was only few meters from the queen but with my size and how tall people around, of course I can't see:p But it's ok, they installed big screens.