Goodbye

It's not the end.

Started a dutch blog.

I wish you the best.

Last Reflections...

So I'm thinking about closing this blog. Start writing more, maybe start a blog in dutch to write more.

I wish I could get myself motivated enough to keep this blog updated with the litte beautiful things I've read, seen or experienced, but that's just not going to happen.

If I start a new blog, it will be mentioned in my next and last post.

Fail!

Well, I wasn't quite focused on Nanowrimo last month, so I didn't make it to the 50,000 words... Can't say I feel really bad about it, because I'm working on some side projects beside my job. I should not have started writing this year.

Ow, well, let's move on.

Nanowrimo Day 10: Dreaming About 10,000 words

As so many motivational guru's are saying: "You have to visualize yourself doing it". Too bad too many people end up disappointed because they've set unrealistic goals.

Let's dream on...

Nanowrimo Day 9: Don't ask me how many words

All right, I'm writing on with new ideas, etc, so I hope to reach 10,000 words somewhere this week.

Something else is bothering me lately, mostly in a lot of discussions and debates. It seems almost no one is aware of fallacies these days. Not the people who are spreading their opinions and not the people who are listening to them. (Salespersons and politicians probably use these techniques on purpose)

Of course it's a little bit crazy to start learning this list by heart, but it can be so useful in so many cases.

There are probably a few fallacies in my statement...

Nanowrimo Day 8: 5200 and more

I'm running out of ideas, but I'm not worried about a lack of inspiration. I do think about how I can be more productive without losing too much controle over the story, because I'm still going way too slow.

I have to move on, so this post is going to be a short one. I'm sorry!

Nanowrimo Day 6 and 7: 3200 and beyond

I have a lot of inconsistencies in my story that are bothering me like hell!

I was much slower in 2009, but I made stuff up in the last few days just to make 50,000 words. I started writing different pieces at the same time and out of order, made really long sentences just for the sake of making it to the finish, lots of absurd and explicit scènes emerged as I just kept writing. Even though I did make it, I wasn't able to scratch a lot of pieces and rewrite the whole story.

So, I'm trying to do it different this year, but that's probably going to change in the last week. I guess I have to sacrifice my perfectionistic habits again soon.

Nanowrimo Day 5: Over 2000 words

"Remember, remember the fifth of November. Gunpowder, treason and plot. I know of no reason: why the Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot."

That's a quote from the movie V For Vendetta, one of my favorite movies of all time. Just watch it.

Now, let's enjoy the weekend. Even though I'm over 2000 words and have enough ideas to work out, I'm a little worried about the storyline. I have to think about a grande finale.

I'll probably write a little review this weekend of a book I've read instead of a nanowrimo status update.

A little quote of Frank Tibolt if you're writing too: "We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action."

Nanowrimo Day 4: > 1600

I know. I'm having a slow start (again).

Still, I'm quite happy with the result right now. Quality means more than quantity to me now. I'll probably make a sprint in the last week, just to "make it". You should be able to see my progress here (click!).

I can't really tell you what I'm writing about. I just know talking about it prevents me from actually doing it. I actually think this is true for most people. I don't believe people who are only saying they're doing stuff.

It's a sign they're trying to convince themselves by convincing someone else of their accomplishments, achievements, etc.

Be wise. Don't talk too much. Just do.

Nanowrimo Day 3: Don't know how many words...

I haven't written a word today. I think I'll turn off the tv and lay in bed with my laptop. Big chance I'll be more productive tonight.

Someone asked me how I pictured my own funeral, if I wanted to be burried or cremated and which songs I wanted people to hear.

Even though I didn't want to think about death at all, I did try to come up with a few songs that I would like people to hear when I'm dead, more because I just like music in general.

It wasn't easy, but I was able to come up with only one song. I love the lyrics. It's Sojourn by Natasha Bedingfield (listen here at youtube).

It will be one of the songs I will be listening to tonight as I write.

Nanowrimo Day 2: 312 words and still counting..

Strange world we're living in. Strange enough to be inspired by it.

So I have only 312 words now for a so called novel. Laying on the couch with my laptop, a bag of chips (bolognese), a glas of water on the table, Ghostbusters 2 on tv (which will be followed by Black Sheep) and a little bit of sleep.

All this after a day work. Why am I doing this again? Maybe writers often use characters that are going to a lot of suffering because writing itself consists of a lot suffering. Let's hang on.

Nanowrimo Day 1: about 140 words..

Last year was the first time I joined Nanowrimo. I did it. I wrote 50,000 words that suppose to be a novel. I have to say: writing down 50,000 words is not so hard (I did it in the last couple of days). Writing a novel you can be really proud of is much harder. I don't believe I can ever make a book of those 50,000 words I can be really proud of. I have tried it, but it's just one big mess.

This year I'm doing it again, but this time I'm a little bit more prepared and a bit more critical of the things I write down.

To make it to the finish, you have to write more than 1600 words a day. I'm going to bed in a minute. So far I only have 140 words written down.

I haven't blogged for a while. I'm sorry for that. My weak excuses consist of being too busy with working, other geek stuff and too many destractions. I'll try to make it up to you by blogging every day (as much as possible) in November.

Colin Powell in 2008

I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, "He's a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists." This is not the way we should be doing it in America.

I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery, and she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards--Purple Heart, Bronze Star--showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death. He was 20 years old. And then, at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross, it didn't have the Star of David, it had crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, and he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he can go serve his country, and he gave his life. Now, we have got to stop polarizing ourself in this way. And John McCain is as nondiscriminatory as anyone I know. But I'm troubled about the fact that, within the party, we have these kinds of expressions.

Politics And Fear

I don't like discussing politics at all, but in times like these where everybody is eager to spread his own opinion you can see some interesting things going around.

About a week ago I joined a Facebook page called We apologize for the 1,5 million dutch people that voted for Geert Wilders, even though I didn't totally agree with the title of this page, I saw it as a way to express my disappointment. Yes, there are many problems and concerns that has to be dealt with, but in my humble opinion Wilders (or the PVV) is not the solution. It's kind of sad to see many people really take a stand against the people who voted for this party, sometimes even denying all the issues that are obviously worrying a lot of people.

It actually looks like the people who joined this group are as scared for the Wilders and the PVV as Wilders and all their voters are scared for the islam or immigration.

Fear is the worst motivation in all cases.

Extension Du Domaine De La Lutte (1994)

The english translation is titled "Whatever", the dutch translation "De Wereld Als Markt En Strijd" (The World As Market And Fights), while the original french title means something like "The Extension Of The Field Of The Fight". I don't know how they came up with those titles, but let's move on. We're talking here about the debut of Michel Houellebecq.

It's a story told by a depressive 30-year old (which is young according to the cover) employer of a software company. His depression is clearly shown by his negative, but convincing, view of a world without love, while his days seem to go by by just doing what he's been told to do.

I've read it in about two days. The "I know it all"-attitude of the main character is somewhat annoying, but his opinions and views about modern life is what this novel is appearantly all about. Here's a rough translation of a piece that is characteristic about this novel.

"The next day someone of the company called me to talk with me personally, a secretary of a CEO who has got this uncomfortable mission to execute. She did it perfectly, she first made all the usual avoiding movements and assured me the recovery of my health was top priority for them. Still she really wanted to know if I was able to go to La Roche-sur-Yon as planned. I responded I had no idea about this, but this was one of my strongest desires. She laughed a bit foolishly; but she was one of those foolish type of persons, I've noticed that already".

This is just a book that will move you, one way or the other. I wasn't really blown away, but it's not bad either. Just give it a chance I would say, especially if you're one of those persons who don't know why we have to work so much or simply can't stand all your phony colleagues.

By the way: I've wrote a blog last year about another novel of Houellebecq. Read it here.

Hierarchy

Ik Heb Altijd Gelijk (1951)

"I am betrayed! I let myself being betrayed. That's just the best thing to say about it. I volunteered to go in the military. I wanted to do something! I let me being send to Indie. But when I was there, I've seen it wouldn't be anything. But no, that's not true. I've had known for a long time it wouldn't be anything. I knew it a long time before it. I knew it before I applied for it. But who would believe it? I always knew everything. I am always right. But when you're right, you have nothing."*

Ik Heb Altijd Gelijk (I Am Always Right) is the story of a dutch soldier who comes back after the Netherlands formally recognised Indonesian sovereignty. It's a time where there isn't much work in The Netherlands, the population is growing fast, but there is a shortage of houses, which make our main character point his anger at the Catholic community (with their anti-birth-controle attitude) in The Netherlands.

He gets involved with politics as he tries to deal with his past, while some say he should try to get a job and make something out of his life.

Obviously, you shouldn't take the title too seriously. With that, you have to take notice the main character is simply not the typical character you would care about. Keep in mind that Hermans actually got sued for this book because of the expressions of this main character. It's historical value is something you could really appreciate in this book, also because the depillarisation happened 20 years(!) later.

The complexity of a story that's get political while dealing with one's past may have been too far-fetched.

* roughly translated: "Ik ben bedrogen! Ik heb me laten belazeren. Dat is nog het beste om ervan te zeggen. Ik ben als vrijwilliger in dienst gegaan. Ik wilde wat doen! Ik heb mij naar Indië laten sturen. Maar toen ik er was, toen heb ik gezien dat het niks zou worden. Of nee, dat is niet waar, ik wist al lang dat het niks zou worden. Ik wist het al lang van te voren. Ik wist het al voordat ik mij had aangemeld. Maar wie zou dat geloven? Ik wist altijd alles. Ik heb altijd gelijk. Maar als je gelijk hebt, heb je niets."

Gen Y

"People are loyal to their skill, not their employer"

The next vid shows a really positive view about our generation of workers for managers. It's also be a great vid for ourselves and to show to some politicians, because we do have some problems coming up.
(Youtube link => here).



So true by the way: "No other generation has arrived to work already equipped with the same or better work tool than work provides them".

Chat Roulette Piano Improvisations

On ChatRoulette you can talk to strangers, which get randomly connected to you. Most of the times this is too boring to make this your hobby, but some people really do know how to entertain somebody as you can see in the next vid.
Enjoy! (Or watch it here on YouTube)

The Kingdom, Percy Jackson, War/Rogue Assassin, The Number 23, Closer, The Lovely Bones and Shutter Island

Let's talk about movies again. Did you know an enthouiast of films and the cinema is called a cinephile? I've just discovered this recently.

The Kingdom (2007)
Terrorism is an interesting, but dangerous theme to make a movie about. This movie is definitly interesting as dangerous, since the scenes are all filmed in Saudi Arabia.
It's a well done thriller, nice acting done by most actors (Jamie Foxx), but be careful by applying the story to the real world.
Watch the trailer here.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightening Thief (2010)
It's a mix of modern superheroes and ancient greek mythology, which is very well done in this movie, especially by Logan Lerman.
Some moments may look childish, but that's acceptable considering the fact the stories were aimed at the son of the writer.
Watch the trailer here.

War (a.k.a. Rogue Assassin) (2007)
So here we have two of the best known marital art fighters of this moment, Jet Li (my favourite!) and Jason Statham, in one movie.
But to be honest: the story and actings are terrible and I'm sorry to say the action scenes didn't impress me that much.
Jet Li looks good in a suit, though.
Watch the trailer here.

The Number 23 (2007)
Gosh, a suspense thriller starring Jim Carrey. The suspense thriller part is great, Jim Carrey maybe hasn't been the best choice for this movie.
Still, this movie is special because of some stilistic features and these great plots. Therefore, I don't think you will be really bothered by Jim Carrey's acting.
Watch the trailer here.

Closer (2004)
This is a really good movie dealing with power and betrayal in romantic relationships. Funny moments! Great acting! Great story! What more can I say?
Watch the trailer here.

The Lovely Bones (2009)

Saoirse Ronan plays this convincing little adorable girl from heaven waiting for the justice for the crime that has been done to her.

The special effects are great, which is not a surprise if you know it's directed by Peter Jackson (or that guy that directed Lord Of The Rings trilogy and the 2005 remake of King Kong).

But the story is simply not convincing enough and left me with this unsatisfied feeling. The movie could have been so much more. I don't believe many people have found this a really good movie.

Watch the trailer here.

Shutter Island (2010)

Directed by Martin Scorcese, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. These two facts which gave me high expectations and oh boy: the movie still impressed me. The emotions are there, the story is suprising, the dialogs are interesting enough to follow and the ending made me think.

Watch the trailer here.

De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period (1952)

After reading a lot of messages surrounding the death of J.D. Salinger, I felt compelled reading something of him. I've asked for the collection Nine Stories for my birthday, have read it and even though all those stories are exceptionally well written, I wanted to blog about the one that impressed me the most: De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period*.

The impressive thing for me was this main character, who is so committed and ambitious about everything for art, but so lonesome in an institute that is run by these two Japanese clerks with whom he doesn't seem to connect at all on a personal level, suddenly gets his most inspired moments by this piece of art of a student (who is nun) has sent him. He tries to make her explore her talents and pursuit a career with her art by writing her a long letter.

All those differences and (inner) conflicts make this a real jewel of a story. I couldn't be happier with such a birthday present. I love my girlfriend.

* The word "blue" was translated to the dutch translation of "grey", probably because the translator felt this was more apropriate assuming it was meant like "feeling blue". However, since the main character is telling stories about Picasso all the time, you can find reason to believe the title refers to Picasso's Blue Period.

Translations suck. I should read more books in their original language.

A Tale Of Love And Darkness (2002)

I've read a review of A Tale Of Love And Darkness by Amos Oz which was interesting enough to make me want to read it.

Strange thing is, after reading a book because of a review, I always wonder if someone who wrote the review has actually read the book...

Anyway, the story consists of a lot of autobiographic short stories about familiy members and relatives. Most of them are tragedies with some irony, humour, political and cultural views. I feel like I have read the life stories of more than a hundred different characters without really knowing why.

Sure it's interesting to read about all his grandfathers and grandmothers in Eastern Europe, but what really matters eventually are his own father and mother through his childhood in Israel

Still, another issue from this book that's worth mentioning is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Although it's clear the writer finds it hard to really describe all the aspects of the 'the palestinian side' of this conflict, the complexity is shown by the different point of views that are among all the israeli characters themselves.

It's probably the downside of reading autobiographies. You'll get overwhelmed by all this information that wasn't quite necessary for the main story. Nevertheless, all those pieces of information made an interesting book worth reading.

If you want to read some more about this book, read this review from The Guardian. I like her conclusion: "Oz's book is a testament to a family, a time and a place. And throughout it there is the voice of the child who, 50 years later, still cries out for his dead mother."

Iron Man, Mama Mia, Cast Away, The Edge Of Darkness, Up In The Air and Make It Happen

I've already mentioned the fact I watch a lot of movies and a feeling I have to blog more often about the movies I've seen. So here are my little reviews about the movies I've seen (for the first time).

Oh yeah, this time I added the trailers of the movies, so you can decide for yourself if you want to watch all those movies or not.

Iron Man (2008)

I didn't want to watch this movie in the cinema, but after seeing the trailer of Iron Man 2, I decided to watch it on DVD.

This Iron Man movie lacks a good bad guy. In my opinion, a good superhero movie must have a really good bad guy.

However, the main character Tony Stark (by Robert Downey Jr.) is entertaining enough to enjoy the movie. It's refreshing to see a cool guy doing technical stuff without being nerdy. I just loved the parts where he made his supercool outfit.

Watch the trailer here.

Mamma Mia! (2008)

If you're a ABBA-fan, musical-fan or just a woman, you will love this movie. Unfortunately, I'm neither... It was a birtday present for the mother of my girlfriend. They had fun.

Watch the trailer here.

Cast Away (2000)

A few years ago, a friend told me I had to watch this movie. For some reason, I didn't listen to him until it was on television a few weeks ago.

Pointless to say, Tom Hanks plays his part very well. It was a good movie, especially when it comes down to the struggle and loneliness of the main character, although I didn't like the story at all. In the end, it's love that prevails him to survive and move on... I couldn't believe it.

Watch the trailer here.

The Edge Of Darkness (2010)

I don't know what to tell you about this movie. The violence and emotions feel so real when you watch the movie, but the suspense is gone when you've seen half the movie.

Some people have a strong opinion about Mel Gibson, I don't. He just looked really old in this movie.

Watch the trailer here.

Up In The Air (2009)

I totally love this movie! Not just because I find Anna Kendrick incredibly hot, but because it deals with a modern man having his own untraditional opinion about life and relationships. It deals with people getting fired, relationships and a lot of travelling.

It's one of the coolest movies I've seen in years. One I've seen already twice, will definitly buy on DVD and want to really recommend to everybody who wants to see a cool movie.

Watch the trailer here.

Make It Happen (2008)

If you have seen Step Up and Save The Last Dance, you know how this movie goes, will be annoyed by the poor dance performances and maybe... just maybe be impressed by Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

Watch the trailer here.

It's Not So Bad...

You can do the tests yourself by clicking on the images.



It's obvious, I love science. I guess that's because I'm just curious about everything.

Read Depressive Things

I was very touched after I've read this blog. You should really read it if you're interested in books and/or discussions.

It reminds me how much positive impact books (and other media) has had on my life, even the depressive ones, because most of times I've felt like I was the only one that thought a certain way about everything.

I never liked to read books at high school, because it was mandatory. I started to read books on my own because I was really disappointed about studying at university. I still hate doing things because other people tell me to.

I tried to remember which books changed my life (gosh, I wish this didn't sound so dramatic). I only came up with these: Het Reservaat (The Reserve) by Ward Ruyslink, Blauwe Maandagen (Blue Mondays) by Arnon Grunberg and Onder Professoren (Amongst Professors) by Willem Frederik Hermans.

The most depressive book I've ever (try to) read was Journey To The End Of The End Night by Luis-Ferdinand Celine. I've never finished it for this very reason. Maybe I should try to read it again some time.

Next monday I will be 26 years old.

Listen To Pigs, Not Chickens

A few weeks ago, I listened to a reading about Scrum, which was basicly a way to manage a software project.
The only thing I'm keep thinking about is: "listen to pigs, not chickens".

This is the story behind it (click on the image if you can't read it):

(Source of this cartoon)

According to wikipedia: "This fable is commonly referenced to illustrate two types of project members: pigs, who are totally committed to the project and accountable for its outcome, and chickens, who consult on the project and are informed of its progress. By extension, a rooster, or gamecock, can be defined as a person who struts around offering uninformed, unhelpful opinions."

Even though I'm definitly a pig because I work as a software developer, I'm used to listening to far too many chickens... I really have to stop doing that.

De Tranen Der Acacia's (1949)

About a week ago, I finished reading De Tranen Der Acacia's (The Tears Of The Acacias) of W.F. Hermans. It's his first novel that takes place during World War II, but not like you expected. The war is just a circumstance wich causes more reflection of the characters than real drama. The real story is in the relationships the characters are having with eachother during the war. I must say, it wasn't very easy to read it. Some parts were even boring because of the use of too much details.

Nevertheless, it's interesting to read how the main character Arthur feels like he haven't really experienced the war or how he thinks Holland was just an unimported part in the history of this war. There's also a lot of interesting cynisme going on about the dutch resistence too.

De title refers to the acacias the stepmother of Arthur likes to see as the only flowers in her room. Arthur's stepmother is in bed because of her chronic illness and dislikes regular flowers, because they make her sad as they wither. According to the story, the acacias always stay green.

This book is one of the hardest book I've read in times. It's hard because of the many details and the number of characters. Still, it has a lot of things to think about. Take that within your consideration if you decide to read this book or not.

Avatar, Death Proof and Planet Terror

I have to blog more about the movies I've seen. It's January 4th and I've already seen three movies. Here are my impressions.

Avatar (2009)

I'll probably see this movie a few times more in the cinema. The special effects are like you've never seen before, but the story is actually great too! All right, all right... It's a bit overdramatic sometimes, but still worth watching it a few times.

Too many attention has already been given in the media, so I don't have to tell you what it's all about. I'm just telling you: believe the hype! Watch it in 3D if you can!

Death Proof (2007)

Do you like fast cars, hot (but dumb) girls, a lot of suspension, violence and great dialogues? Yeah, me neither.

But seriously, Death Proof start a bit silly, but in the end it will leave you at the edge of your seat.

Keywords: Quentin Tarantino, Girl Power and a lot of bragging and boasting.

Planet Terror (2007)

It's definitly a no-brainer. Lots of zombies, exploding bodies and great laughter about the most simple dialogues and remarks. Some say it's a horror movie, I prefer to call it a comedy. It's a great movie when you're watching it with a lot of silly friends and a lot of booze.

Directed by Robert Rodriguez, by the way.