| Juggle |
Jul 11, 2008 7:12 am
295 Views | As a kid I wanted to be the clown, the acrobat, the musician, the flame juggler. I loved the circus, so I too wanted everyone to see my artistic qualities and absorbing their applause. I wanted to be famous and loved.
Many years have passed. I work at a office now. I type in some HTML-code, I do a few simple Photoshop tricks, I talk with co-workers while drinking my green tea in the kitchen, I look outside the window wishing the day was over and I go home. So I don't want to be famous anymore. But sometimes I still feel the urge.
One co-worker brought in three balls. They are soft and colorful and he can juggle. I can't. Well I can't with more then two balls. I make a circle with the two and move one ball from one hand to the other and making the circle in the air. It is nice, but three is better. So now I am trying to make the circle motion with three balls.
Today has been a quiet day, so I juggled with three balls. I can say I am progressing. 70 Percent of my attempts worked. Of course I do cheat a little bit. But it doesn't matter. I learn to juggle at the office. So at 38 I'm starting my journey in being famous again. What a good way to start the weekend. | |
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1 comment | |
| 25 Million |
Jul 10, 2008 4:34 am
346 Views | Today there will be a lottery in Holland. 25 Million to win. 6 Million people already bought their dream. A lot of speculation is going on. What to do with 25 million? What will you spend your new money on?
I thought about it myself too. We all after all need dreams. But still my wishes seem small. I need a new bed, I need a washing machine and maybe a fridge. As far as my friends go, I would of course treat them on a party and dinner and my co-workers on cake. Maybe I would try to see more places together with my girlfriend and for sure I would put some money in a good cause of my choice. But that is how far my wishes go.
What would you wish for? | |
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5 Comments | |
| My girl |
Jul 9, 2008 6:42 am
370 Views | Since a month of 10 I've known a girl and recently I've met her in her home country China. As read in my other posts.. I love her and she loves me. But what is the reason for this love? A lot has to do with feelings and they are hard to explain. A feeling is different for everyone and everyone reacts in a different way on the same situation. But I feel totally at ease when I see her. It is if I've known her for more then the already mentioned 10 months. There is trust, there is passion, there is compassion, there is all I desired.
She is pretty. She has long curly hair and her black eyes are filled with emotions. Especially when she looks at me.
She talks Chinglish and I know it needs to be changed for a better future, but it is adorable. Soon I will try to teach her Dutch. I do hope she will keep her Chinese accent and ways. It is one reason why I fell in love with her.
I love different cultures. Holland is a country filled with many cultures and that is a good thing. But in time everyone adopts some of the same common traits. Again good, but to me I fear they will loose some originality. So my girlfriend is Chinese and I hope she will keep her uniqueness.
She is 155 and I am 176 at height. It was her fear I would think she would be too small for me. But the opposite turned out to be true. I love her height and it was of no problem during kissing.
The first kiss was in Chengdu in the hotel and it felt good. She shares the same passion as I do, so it was heaven on earth. I still can fill up my best dreams with her sweet kissing.
I heard many Asian women are caring. I don't know if this is true, but my girl for sure is. She arranged everything and more. dinners, flights, meetings, gifts... it was all done. Of course everyone gives the best impression during a first meeting. But as said before for me love is based on a feeling and a combination of many factors. It all felt good and it made me happy. The latter was also something seen in my photos. All my friends said I never looked this happy. I didn't notice, so it must be true. The Dutch don't usually tell lies to make you feel better. The truth can be harder, but sometimes also sweeter. So I believe them.
All in all I can say I love my girlfriend and I am very happy I've met her and made the trip to China. It was worth any risks.
Wo Ai Ni (which means I love you) | |
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5 Comments | |
| The weekend |
Jul 7, 2008 1:23 am
318 Views | I am a spontaneous kind of a guy. Even though I still have many plans and strategies running around in my mind, I also like to do things without all the planning. Just going with the flow and seeing where it ends. So this weekend I wanted to see the new Narnia movie (Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian to be exact. I love movies with big battles, magic, a dash of fantasy and bombastic music). I have a friend and he has a car. That and the fact we've known each other for 18 years now (could be more since I'm not really counting) makes him the perfect friend to spend time with. He ordered the tixs and we took the day show. This would leave us with enough time to find a restaurant. I wanted to wok (the Chinese way to prepare delicious street foods in a fast and simple fashion by first boiling it and then cooking it in a wok on high flames with your favorite sauce). I have a Chinese girlfriend and I miss her, so anything remotely Chinese makes me homesick. So I wanted Chinese food.
Just before we left my home I printed out the way to the Chinese restaurant. People told me at least 1000 people could enjoy the food there, so no need to make an reservation. At least that is what I thought. I was wrong. It seemed the Chinese food was also in a high demand with Indian people. I am guessing they had a party there, so me and my friend needed to go home again.
'In Rotterdam it's easier to find a place to eat without any reservations', he said to me. And I agreed. Utrecht was different.
We drove back. No plan and a growling stomach. Life can be cruel sometimes.
We drove and I was thinking. Where to eat. I wanted Chinese food. Chinese or pancakes. Pancakes are always good if you ask me. So we tried that, as an alternative. It was a Saturday and who wants to eat pancakes at 6.30 in the evening? Apparently everyone who didn't make the reservation at the wok place, because it was packed. And we were still out of luck.
I knew one other wok place, but we didn't had high hopes. We tried and we were, much to our own surprise, in luck.
There was a table near the wall. We sat down and ordered our drinks. We did it. We really did something spontaneous and it worked. Life can be good after all.
'Do you mind if you can sit somewhere else, because a couple with a dog wants to sit here?', the Chinese girl politely asked.
We moved and the whole night we watched the invisible dog. Granted, he was pretty quiet. But luckily we weren't moved again. So we ate and the night was at peace again. | |
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| The last days of vacation |
Jul 2, 2008 12:54 am
405 Views | Back in Nanning we had a birthday. I met an older lady online just a few years ago. She called herself my aunty and the last time I visited China I didn't meet her, so now we had a rain check. My girlfriend opted dinner, so that is how it went. The dinner was in a restaurant at a round table with a Lazy Daisy on it. This is used to move the food around the table without standing up. You just give a swing at the round daisy and the food moves your way.
My aunty and me talked and she was nice. We got the dinner for us, my girlfriend and her cousin. It was a buffet and all we needed to do was walking by the kitchen and pointing at the photos. The cooks would prepare it for us. we had noodles, sushi, chicken legs and more. I stopped being curious when I saw some brains. Maybe in a next life time.
Back at the table I saw more people. My girlfriend had invited her sister and family and also her manager in Nanning. It was a surprise to me, but it seemed they were all curious to see 'the white guy'. We made photo's and enjoyed dinner. My aunty wanted to see me again the next day and she told my girlfriend her life story. She had a broken heart and needed someone to hear her story.
I got gifts and we left with the promise to see each other again in the near future.
The last evening we stayed in Chengdu. The flight was late, so we arrived there at 3 in the morning. I was beat and fell asleep almost immediately.
The next day it was time to say goodbye. I felt tears and hugged her. As I went through the gates I could see her looking at me with sad eyes. Later on I heard she also cried. She missed me and I did miss her too.
I went to China to meet my online friend. I went there to see if she would be the girl for me.
I was scared and full of doubt, but this trip took all fear away. She was and is the one for me and all was great. No fear anymore and my future is certain. So my conclusion is it will be with her. | |
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6 Comments | |
| Yulin |
Jun 27, 2008 6:17 am
325 Views | It was a three hour drive by bus from Nanning to Yulin. I imagined it would take me forever, but to my surprise and joy I fell asleep and the three hours passed by quickly. Just in case I brought my Nintendo DS, but I never had time to beat the high score because I could only play 30 minutes before the bus arrived at it's destination.
Yulin looked like an old town. It also had big buildings, but still looked more traditional with people sitting outside, trying to sell their goods to the people passing by.
I met the sister and her daughter. The daughter could speak some English, but my girlfriend translated everything I was saying. We had lunch and it felt a bit strange yet also comfortable. Her sister smiled and seemed a very cheerful person.
After dinner she drove us around town and for the first time I felt I was really on a vacation. I felt more relaxed then I've ever been before in these two weeks. I was relaxed and comfortable and me and my girlfriend held hands.
The family was great. The mom smiled when I gave her a cooking book. It was all about Dutch recipes in English, but I hoped her daughter would be able to translate.
Her brother had a thing for tea, so he shared it with me. I love tea, so it wasn't a problem at all. He poured hot water over the tea leafs and mixed it all together. After that he removed the leafs before the hot fluid reached the little cup. It tasted great and since the cup wasn't big at all it was filled again after I finished.
More family arrived and all shook my hands and made photo's. I took it in a smiling way. I never liked making photo's of myself, but this was kinda fun and I will never forget those happy faces. So now I have a fine collection of photo's at home. It works two ways.
Yulin was hot and I was sweating a lot when me, my girlfriend, her sister and her daughter shopped for new clothes. I wanted to buy Tai Chi shoes, but got the whole wardrobe as a gift and I also got a new t-shirt from my girl. I loved it, but it was a bit too hot for me to fit, so I was happy everywhere we had an air conditioner. All was fitted in a very fast way, but it seemed all Ok.
The husband of the sister of my girlfriend (a mouthful, but it is how they called his position within the family) had a factory and there they made beef jerky, so I got a small tour and a small taste. I must say what I've tasted was hot, but also very good. So the promotional photo's made there were well deserved. I just hope they will go International.
The original day was to stay one day and one night, but it turned out to be two nights and I honestly didn't mind. My girlfriend had the room with the best air conditioner and the bed wasn't bad either, so I had a good sleep. I felt welcomed here and I still miss them. I think I'm accepted within her family. And even though hardly no one was able to speak English to me, I still had a great time.
The fact I was part of the family was enhanced when we were going for a renewal of the drivers license of my girl. I sat at the office, waiting as if I lived in Yulin and accompanying my girlfriend and her family was part of daily life. I didn't even notice all the eyes focused at me. Not many foreign people in town, so people looked at me. I didn't mind. They were friendly. And I made school girls giggling while they walked to me during their earthquake collections. My girl gave some of our money and they looked at me with a big grin. It was a strange feeling, but also good. I made people happy by just being there. And that was a new feeling for me.
The last day we had jaozi or dumplings. The mom of my girlfriend made them together with her daughter and they tasted good. However it was a lot and since they knew I liked them, they hoped I would eat enough. I know I over ate, but it was good. One had a mushroom filling and the other a meat filling. The meat one was somewhat better, but still both were tasting great
When we left for Nanning again I said Thank You. And when I closed the door behind me I knew I would miss them. It was a great experience and for the first time I felt I was really on a vacation in a strange country with friendly people and a family I someday hope to call my own. | |
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| Nanning |
Jun 16, 2008 2:15 am
394 Views | Nanning was were my girlfriend lived. It is new and relatively quiet on the streets. I actually liked it there, except for the heat. It's very humid and not something I'm used to. It felt like a sauna in the streets. But as said Nanning was a relatively new city with many skyscrapers and shops and my girlfriend lived there.
After the plane flight we both arrived at the gates and the plan was to meet a mutual friend. It took some time before we actually could see her, so I had enough time to worry about my collapsed eardrums. Maybe the hotel air-conditioner or maybe a cold, but the plane flight made me virtually deaf on one ear and it bothered me. I wasn't worried it wouldn't pop back, but hearing your voice inside of your head was a very strange awareness. So I was grumpy.
We met our friend. She was nice, as usual and was in Nanning for business. So it was a good idea to have dinner together and let her stay in the house of my girlfriend.
Dinner was nice. I had a warm corn drink I loved and we could talk for a bit. Despite the pain in my ears I was happy to be walking in the heat with two beautiful ladies on both sides of me. So the more I thought about it, the less grumpy I became. And luckily the next day I didn't need to visit a doctor because my ears became better.
I met the cousin of my girlfriend and she was nice and cute. A real student and still in the joy of her life. She giggled with her school friend and made jokes. When I saw that I wished for my youth again. The innocence of a child and a animal for that matter is still pure and unpolluted, so they don't feel embarrassed and just do what they like. I admire that. I guess I am still a child at heart. So it was a nice night.
The room was small and the beds were hard. But my girlfriend had her computer. I had an assignment from back home. My sister wanted the new I-touch pod, so together with my girl and her cousin we looked for that. I did find it but the price was not right, so instead I bought a speaker set for the computer of my girlfriend. So the days after, there was music in her room and two happy faces.
I knew more people in China and one was living in Nanning. She was 56 years old and my aunty, as she called herself. I knew her online, but we never met and this was the best opportunity to do so. So we invited her for dinner. She had her birthday and we met at a restaurant. Me and aunty looked for the food. I saw eel, chicken legs, brains, sushi, fish and much more. You could point and the cooks would cook it for you on the spot. It was actually pretty cool, but no brains for me.
I also met the rest of the family of my girlfriend. Ever since they all knew I would be in China, they wanted to see me. They wanted to see the foreign guy and make photos. I was Ok with that. I never had many photo's of myself, so this was a good reason to add more to my personal collection 
So all in all I can say Nanning has been a nice experience, but I still need to see the parks and lakes there. So more reason to go back. | |
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| Kunming |
Jun 9, 2008 3:45 am
489 Views | It was the choice between Chengdu, Kunming or Guangzhou. Chengdu we've been already, Guangzhou would have a three hour bus ride to Nanning, so I wasn't keen on that idea. We decided to go to Kunming instead. My girlfriend ordered the tickets and we were off, again.
At the airport a girl was waiting for us. We didn't knew her, but she offered us a ride to the hotel. I didn't know what was going on, but I trusted my girlfriend, so I got in the small van and we drove away.
We arrived at a hotel and my girlfriend got out to check the inside. Clearly it wasn't good enough because 10 minutes later she was in the van again looking for a new hotel. I didn't want to look far, so I opted the hotel next to the original one. It looked classy and I like classy. We got in and the girl arranged a small discount and after being paid she was off to her next stranger at the airport. Her job was helping people find a hotel and arrange transport. Not common in Holland, but it worked.
The room was good (aside from some stains in the carpet) and we even got some complimentary oranges. I sat in the sofa and relaxed. For 60 euro's a night I felt like a King again. It was good.
Hunger started to kick in and we went downstairs. The hotel had 3 restaurants. One was at the top, but we would see that in the morning for our free breakfast, so I decided to go for the Japanese restaurant. I love sushi, so it was a natural choice. And a good choice too. The sushi was nice, although the rice not as sticky as I hoped. The sake was Chinese, but just as good. So I was happy, again.
The plan was to stay in Kunming for just one day, but we still wanted to see something. In the hotel they had a tourist corner, so you could book your trip over there. No one was there, except a phone number and a guy trying to get a hold of someone eager to help him. He spoke English, so I was the lucky one to help. It turned out he and his wife came from the Philippines and were on their way to Lijiang. In every city they wanted to see something nice, so this time it would be the Kunming Stone Forest. My girlfriend called the number and arranged the trip for us and them.
8 O'clock sharp a small van arrived in front of the hotel. It was us, the Philippians couple and two Chinese couples. All in a small van and that combined with a Chinese guide would make the day complete.
The drive would take three hours, if I can remember correctly, and it was humid again. I slept, talked a bit and looked outside. I saw nice green hills, a lot of traffic, the older part of the city (simply because the driver didn't want to pay toll money for a small part of the freeway) and a few tourist attractions in the hope we would buy the things they were selling. The first was a place where they made silver artifacts. Not bad, but not my thing. The next was again jewelry and crowded. Again nothing for me and my girl. So I was pleased the third stop was a lunch. At least until I tasted it. It was salty and not good. But the other passengers loved it, so I settled for some rice and was full. I didn't mind.
Outside I wanted to go to the bathroom, but the small cabin and the hole in the floor made me re-think. Was it that important to empty my bladder? Maybe I could use a tree for that, like we do in Holland? No I had to adjust myself and this was the best way to do so, so I stepped in and did my business.
The Stone Forest itself looked great. It is a big park with big rocks between all the green grass. I quote some info from the net I've found;
'The Stone Forest lies about 80 miles to the southeast of Kunming. It has long been one of the most famous scenic spots in China (at least since the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644 A.D.) A geological phenomenon, the Stone Forest was a vast expanse of sea during the Paleozoic era--some 270 million years ago. Later, the movement of tectonic plates altered the earth's crust, causing the sea to recede and its limestone bottom to appear, thereby forming land. Due to the constant seeping of rain through the cracks in the limestone, some of the stone formation dissolved and the fissures broadened, producing a group of great sculptures of different shapes, all molded by nature.'
I must say it was great. We had a small cart otherwise the walking would take forever. And we saw the stones, had time to take photos and after two hours we were done. Again all was in Chinese, but we talked with the Philippine couple and that was nice.
At the way back we stopped again and this time at a place called Dr Tea. Again a selling stop, but the presentation was nice. They let us taste 5 types of tea and explained the history of the several blends. We didn't buy anything, but the tea was good.
That night we ate at a Shanghai restaurant. Suddenly a phone call. It was my friend from Holland. She asked us if we were Ok. I asked her why and she told us about the terrible earth quake going on. Ever since that moment people were trying to reach us. They all thought we still would be in Chengdu. Luckily we weren't, but it was a black day nevertheless. Ever since that day I saw the news almost every day and it made my heart weep.
The next day we took the plane to Nanning.
Recommended: Kunming Stone Forest | |
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| Lijiang, part 2 |
Jun 5, 2008 3:38 am
470 Views | I packed too many clothes for my trip to China. I thought Lijiang, among others, would be could because of the mountains. But I was wrong. Only one day was relatively cold and the next day it was 25 degrees and sunny again.
I didn't mind, but I made a mental note of bringing less clothes the next time I would visit China again.
So we walked through the streets of Lijiang and looked at the shops. Many shops and many of the same goods. Little touristic trinkets like t-shirts, caps, cd's, wind chimes, jewelry with fake jade stones and much much more. It looked like backpackers heaven with many foreign people walking up and down town, filling their backpacks with gifts for home.
The lunch in China is different then what I'm used to. It is a lot like dinner. In fact I didn't see any difference at all. Both were the same food and especially the same large quantity. It was good, don't get me wrong, but it's just way too much and since I was the guest I also got way too much from my girl and her family. I did appreciated it though, but I must say I gained a lot of weight in the mean time, so next time I will eat less. But anyways.. the lunch was a lot and since I was a foreigner I also got a different menu. I had pizza and chicken while my girl had the veggies. Granted I am a guy and not too keen on veggies, but broccoli with garlic I do love. Luckily she ordered for me, so I still got almost everything I wanted.
The rest of the day was spend with walking around and discovering the best parts of Lijiang. So we climbed a small hill and visited a temple where you could overlook the whole of Lijiang. It looked great.
A scarf was bought for my grandma and my mom. My girl bargained and we got it. I still have to figure out what she paid because everything in China seems to go with a lot of bargaining. I studied some Chinese, but all talks go so fast, so I couldn't understand more then 'Wei' when they pick up the phone and 'Mei you' when people mean 'no' or 'I don't want to do that'. The latter is always good for pesky tourists
My grandma loved the scarf, so mission well done I would say. The same goes for Lijiang. It is a nice town with a lot of touristic spots, but also its own identity. A place worth visiting. | |
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| Lijiang part 1 |
May 29, 2008 6:37 am
444 Views | Lijiang is located one hour away from Chengdu and has the best preserved ancient town in China - the Old Town which has been listed in the World Cultural Heritages by UNESCO in 1997. Lijiang is also the main region inhabited by Naxi Group, one of China's 55 minority ethnic groups. So for me a good reason to go here.
Back at home, a long time before the trip started, I saw photos and fell in love. I love seeing original cultures not overwhelmed by the big tourist industry, so I wanted to go.
The flight was good. I expected to be sitting in a small and old plane with a one tooth pilot, but instead I got an Airbus and even a little snack. It was great, so now I know in the future trips I will be taking the plane more often, especially since the price was about 70 euro's a
person.
In the skies I saw Lijiang and it was beautiful. It's located between mountains and covered with lots of greens and old villages. The weather was great and the sky blue.
After a one hour drive with the airport bus, we hopped in a taxi which drove us to the hotel. The hotel was booked by my girlfriend and located in the Old Town of Lijiang. I saw the photos and it would be a great room. But when we
arrived there it turned out the room (there was only one nice room) was already booked, even though my girl made the reservation for it months ago. So we got a different room and I was not pleased because it looked like we were
living in a tool shed with a hard bed. The room was as small as the bed and the bath room looked equally small. The tiles on the wall were grey, old and flies were swarming in and out the open windown, probably attracted by the open toilet. Don't get me wrong.. this was a normal house in these regions and not a bad place to live in if you are used to it, but my mind was set on a nice and fresh room and especially a softer bed then this one, so I had a hard time adjusting. People liking to camp would love this little authentic place. I was just not pleased we got a different room. So that evening, while walking through the beautiful Old Town, we found a different hotel with the name 'Grand' in it and I booked a room with my credit card. My back demanded a good nights rest, so I obeyed. We stayed there for a few days and it was a good hotel. They even had an western breakfast with eggs, pancakes, but also noodles and rice. It was Ok, but not great. I didn't care. My back liked the bed, so that was good enough.
That night we walked around and had dinner. I had yak meat and it was better then I thought. Only we also had plans to see a local Naxi concert with traditional instruments. I must confess it was kinda boring when I saw it and the whole day and the tiredness finally took it's toll, so I was not in a great mood anymore. Luckily this was the only time the idea of being in a country far far away bothered me. I missed my bed and bread in the morning. But I had a
great girl in return, so in the days to come I complained less and less.
There are many things to do and see in Lijiang so we decided for a tour to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. I've never been on a mountain and it sounded interesting.
The ticket was ordered at a little restaurant called Susan's place and we were ready.
The weather wasn't great. There was rain and fog, but I was still excited (and in a better mood). We would be standing on top of a high mountain. I brought a coat and my girl was still freezing with hers on, even though we weren't on the mountain yet. The temperature had dropped
to 16 degrees that day with some rain, but since she normally lives in a tropical place, it was already pretty cold for her. I didn't mind because she held me tight to keep warm.
We arrived at a place 3200 meters high and they sold tea and other kinds of herbs. A good place to go to the toilet for me before we left again.
We all had our rented oxygen bottle and thick coat when we were standing there in the waiting line to go up with a elevator. There was no snow yet, so I figured we needed to get even higher then we were already. For me the cold was nothing serious yet, so I didn't use my coat. I was tough and especially since I was there with my girl. Men and there male hormones
The top was white and cold. Still not cold enough for me, but the coat was handy this time. I felt my head. I had a headache and felt dizzy, so also the oxygen bottle was very useful.
Many people were throwing snowballs and used a sleigh to glide from the hills. They all had fun. Me and my girl made photos to proof we were actually at the height of 4506 meters. I felt proud and told her I loved her just before I kissed her with passion.
Recommended: Lijiang Jade Dragon Snow Mountain | |
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