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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Sweet November

There is no tomorrow, unless it's reserved for the next generation, for tomorrow changes; there is only now.  Tomorrow is the hopes of the present, then past or accomplished, though interlinked.  Because hope and memories coincide; life is not concrete and no matter the reinforcement it decays.  Never let another define good and bad for you. Experience is about your personal life and reality, not through decisions or views of others, though sometimes because of them.  Sometimes, we have to choose the "lesser of two evils" because good is not always there.  Sometimes, we have to embrace and accept evil to understand good.  An antihero can believe in a creed, do good and save a life but at least he is living a truth in his reality of indulgences: smoking, drinking, without manner and creating carnage. -Andrew Szeto

November is my favorite month.  I write Sweet November every November because it's the month of my birthday and I really liked the movie (2001).  The summary of the movie is of a woman dying and her reality changes, thus she sets on a cause to change the lives and views of others.  Since January 2011 until November 2011, I have had only two days of paid time off, one of them mandatory because of Hurricane Irene.  I took two weeks off this month because by January 2012 my Paid Time Off for 2011 gets voided.

---One of the in flight movies was Kingdom of Heaven (2005).  Though unrealistic and inaccurate reproduction of history, it had very good points.  The following are just two that was illustrated most in my mind.  Re-watching the movie brought back a few lines that started me on blogging, my ideology at that time:

(Scene 1)

Godfrey: "So how find you Jerusalem?"

Balian: "God does not speak to me. Not even on the hill where Christ died. I am outside God's grace"

Godfrey: "I have not heard that"

Balian: "At any rate, it seems I have lost my religion"

Godfrey: "I put no stock in religion. By the word religion I've seen the lunacy of fanatics of every demonitation be called the will of God. I've seen too much religion in the eyes of too many murderers. 

Holiness is in right action and courage on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves. And goodness, what God desires (He points to Balian's head)

and here (He points to Balian's heart)"

And by what you decide to do every day, you will be a good man, or not

Come"

(Scene 2)

King Baldwin IV: "Come forward. I am glad to meet Godfried's son. He was one of my greatest teachers. He was there when, playing with the other boys, my arm was cut. And it was he, not my father's physicians, who noticed that I felt no pain. He wept when he gave my father the news... that I am a leper. The Saracens say that this disease is God's vengeance against the vanity of our kingdom. As wretched as I am, these Arabs believe that the chastisement that awaits me in hell is far more severe and lasting. If that's true, I call it unfair. Come. Sit.

Do you play?"

(They both sit opposite a chess board)

Balian: "No"

King Baldwin IV: "The whole world is in chess. Any move can be the death of you. Do anything but remain where you started and you can't be sure of your end. Were you sure of your end once?"

Balian: "I was"

King Baldwin IV: "What was it?"

Balian: "To be buried a hundred yards from where I was born."

King Baldwin IV: "And now?"

Balian: "Now I sit in Jerusalem and look upon a king."

King Baldwin IV: "When I was sixteen I won a great victory. I felt in that moment that I would live to be a hundred. Now I know I shall not see thirty. None of us know our end really or what hand will guide us there. A king may move a man. A father may claim a son. That man can also move himself. And only then does that man truly begin his own game. Remember howsoever you are played or by whom, your soul is in your keeping alone, even though those who presume to play you be kings or men of power. When you stand before God, you cannot say "But I was told by others to do thus" or that virtue was not convenient at the time. This will not suffice. Remember that."

Balian: "I will."


---Happy Thanksgiving, I wish all who are reading a warm, safe and great time with family and friends. If you are alone, be strong, I share that strength with you, not the alone part.


---That's it for now

Amsterdam Again

---McDonalds and Albert Heijn are companies that show a small example of how organizations put forth even minuscule effort to reduce waste or gain capital.  McDonalds charges a 50 Euro Cent to use the restroom in every location.  McDonalds in Amsterdam also charges a 50 Euro Cent for a pack of ketchup, fortunate to have those little red packs free here.  While the Big Mac and french fries are the same, the coffee cup sizes are smaller, yet more expensive.  I only wonder if the potatoes, beans and beef are grown in the Netherlands or imported from the United States.  When you go shopping, in most places like the Albert Heijn supermarket, a grocery bag is not included, they charge 25 Euro Cent for the extra plastic bag, you're suppose to bring your own bag.  Again like my first blog on Amsterdam, the city is full of bicycles, once you exit Central Station there is a huge parking garage full of bicycles on the adjacent side.  I love bicycling.  If every car was replaced by a bicycle for local commuting, think of the pollution and need for fossil energy we would conserve.





---Oh! I did not know that the Cannibus Cup 2011 event was being held on the dates of my stay or I would have bought preregistration tickets.  I only fount out through a conversation with visitors who were also rooming in my hotel.  It's okay, I'm not a grower or a pothead.  I simply enjoyed a little Hash, Super Skunk and Amnesia while there.  Pre-rolled, meaning the shop rolls it for you is a bit more expensive than buying it by the gram in bags and you roll it yourself but enjoying it rolled "professionally" is in my opinion as "consumed" better.

Strain: "Amnesia"


---I still hate flying.  Eight hours in flight to and from Amsterdam cramped up in limited body positioning and limited resources in food or nutrition is not something I like.  My last two trips served an on board meal, no matter how small is a nice treat to keep bodily levels up, but this trip did not.  Even my domestic flights like on Jetblue serves a small meal.  I guess it depends on the flight and the airline.  Though the tension, comfort and feel of the people and airline was much better than the atmosphere on Delta and Aeroflot.  It's good to bring a little snack aboard.

The train system is very unorganized.  Each station have no big signs labelling which station you are at.  If you choose to use the Metro instead of a Tram or Taxi, my advise is to get there at least one hour before the anticipated departure because you should not expect to board the very first scheduled train.  For example, if the train expected to board is scheduled to arrive at 12:35, be prepared to board the one at 1:05 because for reasons like being full, complications or missing the station of intent.


---When my train arrived on the Metro station: Central Station from Schiphol Airport, the very first thing I had was a slice at a New York Pizza - The Original, a small pizza chain.  The pizza was pretty good compared to other "pizza" places in Amsterdam and EVEN in New York City.  I went to my hotel and slept a few hours before venturing out.

Naked and Jamba Juice are on my plus list or in the Netherlands: Innocent and Juicy Details are nice little treats for those like me that like my fruit or vegetables in one serving as a variety.  Instead of buying or eating a bag of oranges, green apples, carrots, mangoes individually and finding a way to incorporating ginger and beets in a recipe, I like the prior-like mentioned ways to get my fruit and vegetable portion of the pyramid.  Juicy Detail: 4.50 Euros for a small or a large 5.50 Euros my choice from the Balance menu was a energy and great tasting Mango Mania: lemon, apples, mangoes, and ginger.



This is not a food blog so I won't mention every food related item in Amsterdam.  Dam square was one of the few places I could get a 2.50 small hot dog or higher priced similar Euro priced American/German resembling home/comfort food.  I liked that the carts offered a variety of toppings (like a pickled mix or fried potatoes and whole chili peppers) new to me, including a curry sauce along side the mustard and ketchup.


---Occupy!  Oh My God!  This Occupy idiocy has reach the Netherlands as well, in Dam square there were hundreds of them.  Instead of "Occupy Wall Street", why don't you "ninety nine percent" of the population get dress shirts and ties then organize an event where potential employers might actually consider yourself useful or aim driven. Before doing that, bathe and shave first.


---Everything in Amsterdam is still expensive!


---The only reason there are photos here is because someone asked me to take pictures or I wouldn't have even brought the camera along (which was out for only one day).  I went for personal reasons not as a tourist.  There's more but...


---That's it for now