tuttobene reprise

strange appetizers of tomato foam and micro mozzarella -- we thought originally it was a funky cocktail... mm not so much. ran into many people, nice night. showcase of a few designs from the milan design week.

flat hunting

back on the hunt for a flat.. pina and i are going to find a place together. i have to move the end of may anyway, so better to begin the arduous process now.

iht: clueless in america

clueless in america

cocoa tea - barak obama

maybe my calling is law?

i'm very serious about going for a law degree in international human rights law. i found this great school in sweden a while ago, but its for students with a previous background in law. soo i researched a bit more and found some other universities in hungary, france, and the uk. i think the ones in the uk might be the best, though i would prefer france. for now im looking into getting a job with a human rights organization or some ngo to gain some insight and experience before i sign myself up anywhere for the next 4 years.

this job with amnesty international popped up last night... well 2 jobs, but both researchers based out of london -- 1 concerning the caribbean, the other south america. i have more experience for the caribbean, but i'm up for both. it's a sound job, no previous background stipulations, other than knowing how to research, knowledge of the area, language... yada yada. pay is much better, 31,500 pounds/year with 27 vacation days, and 2 trips to the site/year. plus imagine all i can learn...

also i found an ngo in kerala, india doing commuity development work.... they have a rolling starting time frame, but there's a big start up in may & june this year. it's something like 18pounds to survive/day. i'm still looking around for stuff. i've even contemplated packing up, heading to france, work on my language for a few months & while i'm there try to get involved with some organizations or freelance. i just cant put up with too much more here. this up & down intensity of work is driving me up the wall. there's not enough to make me feel like what i'm doing is worth all this. plus every day i sit there working with my mind telling me i'm not doing anything meaningful... which i know is true, this has no positive purpose. i don't know. ill admit this indecision has been going through my head since my 3rd year at university -- but now it's a bit scary -- to think about starting something new, after i've put so much effort & energy into architecture & it's practically all i've known & lived for so long. at the same time its encouraging to think i don't have to be bound to just this, and maybe through this i can incorporate what i've learned in architecture to something new or even to what i originally wanted.

all i know is i haven't been myself for a long time -- i don't know where i lost myself or my life, but i cant keep dealing with this unhappiness & mountain on my back. i want to find that thing which drives me again. i mean isn't that what it should be about, doing something you really enjoy and want to do. i mean if i keep this up, i think i would rather end up a nun in some indian temple somewhere or a janitor in some rundown hotel. ehh, i just don't see that as where i want to go. i don't want to go through that trapped feeling in something because i have to provide for a family. fuck that, i wont have a family if thats' how its going to be. why should we allow ourselves to be placed in those situations? life is too short to be consumed by stress, unhappiness and worry. i think about it often when i get stressed out or down... is this worth it? -- to sacrifice my life, happiness for something trivial... is this going to matter in the end?

i'm joining a cult

pc is a freaking joke... months of waiting and not knowing anything, they email me to say they won't call me and i need to fix medical information -- thanks for waiting till i left the country. im too tired to deal with this anymore. im joining a cult.


they look like a fun crowd.

dutch lessons

i can get through these books fairly easy (elementary level), i can process the newspaper articles much easier, but really i just love the illustrations of annie schmidt. i have vastly improved to date, i can have a 4-5 minute talk about buildings and architecture in dutch.

argentina

milli and che came to amsterdam today... we went around the city, had some drinks, then went to the la boca on paleisstraat -- after scouring all the argentinian restaurants since february looking for boca games to be broadcasted, this was the only place which would show the games (as they should since they are named after the team).. anyway, there was good food to be had and a great game to be watched. i think we were the only ones who skimped on our orders due to lack of funds, but we kept the beers going so we could stay till the end of the game.

schijnheilig

haarlem

spent the night in haarlem with diego and martha. haarlem is a small town, but has enough going on to make it quite nice. the house they have rented is really cool, typical dutch style.
really open and good use of space.. the city is going through renovations and new buildings -- it gives off this feeling that you are in a movie set, a bit surreal. we watched pieces of the brazilian movie, tropa de elite -- which is now one of the most popular movies in brazilian history, due to its controversial topic as well as it's release.

this was a short lived move to amsterdam for them.. it seems like they are heading out next month and travel around a bit before heading back to brazil. it's a shame, i really enjoyed hanging out with them.

i wouldn't mind to live here...

farmstead on one of the men -- west volcanic islands off the south coast of iceland.

nationaal museumweekend

foam -- yvonne + irene


Daniel & Geo Fuchs: STASI – Secret Rooms
14 March - 4 June 2008
photo set of the hidden rooms once used by the STASI, the infamous East German secret service. much of the former DDR infrastructure has been destroyed, or given an entirely new function, the clandestine spaces that daniel and geo fuchs photographed are still in their original condition (offices, cell complexes, bunkers, living quarters and interrogation rooms: everything is exactly the way it was before 'die wende') the architecture and emotions that evocate from these rooms are chilling... very modern, yet stark and cold.



Taryn Simon - An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar
18 January – 6 April 2008
my favorite photograph -- a shot of the us customs contraband room at jfk... all the things people try to bring in to the us: pig's head, rats, fruit, drugs, ...


motel mozaique in rotterdam coming up..

monthly cocktail night

last night was cocktails at irene's place. it's a monthly gig going on... and nice to meet new people, though usually everyone ends up being in the design field, and you know them through friends of friends. i did meet interesting people as usual.. heard all about dutch holidays to new york as "it's so cheap... cheaper to buy a flight, buy a computer and shop all i want, than it would be for me to stay in the netherlands.." i heard quite a bit of this last night. all i could say was thanks for supporting our economy. also, met some amazing, young journalists -- if this whole architecture scene should fail me, i'm going to become a journalist.. they have the greatest lives! this one girl went to 3 different countries this past week, and she said that was nowhere out of the norm for her job. mmm... tempting.

side note: i need to get on this anti-kraak housing list! irene's rent is something 185 euros/month -- off overtoom, access to roof terrace, bigger than my shoebox -- works for me.