de asielzoeker - Arnon Grunberg

Well, what can I say, I have finished the book, but not because it was a very good book. It took me six months I think, and it has not really fascinated me. Though I have to say, it is depressing, and it is quite nice if a book gets a certain atmosphere with it. I didn't feel any sympathy for the main character but I could feel his distance to the other people around him. His unwillingness to commit to social rules and the disagreement between him and peopel aroudn him. the feleing ofn to being able to say what you wnat to say, and to feel constantly less than others, not worth it.

my super-ex-girlfriend

Don't watch it. Uma Thurman is Kill Bill.

The Crucible

Last week I started rehearsing for a play I am acting in; the crucible by Arthur Miller. I have the part of Elizabeth Proctor, which was acted by Joan Allen in the movie from 1996. We have a nice group of actors and one of my friends from the squash club also joined. It's going to be some nice and exiting months till March.

News Cafe bar & restaurant

Right in the middle of Groningen you have the News Cafe. A trendy place, where you can have good coffees and chat. It is somewhat un-Dutch, but that's why I and so many people with me, like it. I went there for four times already. First time was with my mom, after a day of shopping we had dinner here, as I said, nice food, nice decrated plates :-). The other times were with friends to have a coffee. It's almost like the Kobus in Delft, just wihtout the good apple pie.

Groen

restaurant close to my new home. Went there together with my dad and sister after four hours of moving stuff from one room to the other. We deserved a good meal. Very refined, orginial and tastefull food. A good diversity, good service, nice atmosphere, just a very good restaurant.

de eerste kamer

This restaurant in de peperstraat in Groningen has decent meals in relation to the price you pay for it; 6.20 euro for the meal of the day. If you don't want to cook or do the dishes it's fine. If you want refined food, don't do it, nor for the perfect atmosphere, it's more like a mensa, a good mensa though.

Babel

A movie in which Brad Pitt is not Brad Pitt anymore. In which cultures are combined and melted together in such a way we see wordt of them. Why people can't listen and don't think and see. What is wrong with power and hierarchy, we need to accept the differences opr bridge them? A low movie, with wonderfull scenery, with real people, mkaes a realistic story... or is it a coincidence?

groninger museum - miguel rio branco

A photo exhibition with some cruel some beautiful pictures in it. I especially 'liked' the car windows with many bullet holes in them. The projection of red light and videos of the street of brazil makes youf eel the danger that the street is breathing and the people breath in and exhale. cruel, hard to imagine and like india beautiful in its ugliness, just a different ugliness.
I went here together with Joost in september I think and when I visited the Herman Brood exhibition with Jon last weekend it was still there.

groninger museum - herman brood

The exhibition opened on his birthday. The dutch rock legend died a few years ago by throwing himself of the hilton hotel in Amsterdam and the latest weeks he is full in the picture again. They made a movie baout his early years and they exhibited his working space, his work and quite some pictures in the Groninger Museum. They give lectures about, parts of, his life and show the look-a-like on TV. Herman Brood is dead, but still alive.
Apparently many people liked him or pretended to like him on last sunday. I have never seen a museum so crowded as on that day. It was an excentric exhibition and especially the realisitc view in his living sapce is amazing. It was a shame so many people were walking there, because it would have been nice to stand there alone and feel the space. Although I was not a big fan of him, I liked it.

radio and juliet

An Amazing dans show from slovenia. Also the requiem from mozart before the break was fabulous. The first time I enjoyed dance so much.

de pintelier

This is a belgian beer cafe. THey have an enormous list of beers and it will take me quite some times before I have tasted it all. It is hidden in a small street at the kleine kromme ellebaoog. THe first time I came here was with Bote, and after that I haev taken quite some people. It has some luxury, the waiter is wearing a jacket, and I have to say, some of the people have a fititng attitude. However you can sit privately and have good conversations. I discovered the verboden vrucht here, since then one of my favourite.

de minnaar

A bar near the faculty of sociology. We went here twice up till now after the toss on thursday night at the aclo. Sebastiaan, Patrick, Taco, Kristian and Hilde were present last time. nice time...

het zwarte schaap

Yesterday we had a lovely dinner at het zwarte schaap on the shcuitendiep. Refined food, nice wine, good service and good company. The coffee is accompanied with quite some sweets, which was a surprise for us. And besides, they have a very spacious toilet.

egoism

I went to a lecture about egoism. It was one of the lecture about 'the bad life' of studium generale. Sins. Interesting to see how the philosopher is struggling in words, gets lost in presumptions and exceptions and exclusions to make A point. Other than that it was interesting and it keeps me awake. What is egoism is however still not clear... it depends how you define it. Why is it a sin? because we see it as a sin. Apparently the values we have do not match with someone who acts out of egoism. Would it match our values, than egoism wouldn't be a sin.

Padang Bar & Vence

The day I moved to Groningen we had dinner in the Padang Bar. In the van we followed a friend of mine through the small and big streets of Groningen and we ended up in the Padang Bar. We had a lovely dinner, maroccan, tajin. But I had no clue where the bar was and how to find it again.
A few weeks ago I went to Patrick to have dinner there. I crossed the street, and there it w; the Padang Bar. I just had to cross noorderplantsoen.
A week after we went there after toss.
Yesterday there was a goodbye of Taco and Vence played some songs life. Nice bar, nice music, what else can I wish for...

de spieghel

A few weeks ago I went to de SPieghel; a jazz cafe. On mondaynight they have jamsessions. I am not that expert on music and moreover not with jazz, but I love live music so I took a chance to see it. I was with Jeroen, ex-boyfrined, who plays the saxophone and is a major fan and quite knowledgeable about jazz music. So he explained me the basic and I could sit back and relax. There was a drummer, guitarist, tenor saxophone and a contrabas. Thye first play a basic (all jazz musicians know these) and then each has a solo and you appluad when the solo is finished.
At approximatlye 11.30 other people could join and the jam session started. Many people form the conservatorium present and a good atmosphere, as always happens with live music.

The other is You- Statehouse opera

An experimental play in three european cities at the same time: Berlin, Brighton and Groningen. We entered an arti building which I found out later was an atelier for painters and other figurative artists. For this occasion the exhibition hall was trnaformed to a theatre. Seeing the stage, they do that more often. It was the first time I went to the theatre in Groningen, and it was probbaly the most exlusive one I could have chosen. Three screens on at the back of the stage, each screen of pne of the city. Through a live video connection the nine actors were directed by keypoints that were told to them through an earphone.
The guy changing the stage all the time was not viisble for the people in the other cities and wore the most extravagant outfits. It was nicely done, I enjoyed it very much. I went here together with Kristian, a guy I know from the squashclub

Ajax - Noord Nederlands Toneel

During a weekend away with my parents and sister to the lovely city Zutphen, we went to Apeldoorn to see Ajax. A greek trgaedy I belief of the Northern theatre club sort fo group of people. It wasn't really good, but not bad as well. Some jokes, some bad jokes and some not supposed to be jokes.

cervantes

for my birthday I had dinner at this restaurant in groningen. Lovely food, nice atmosphere. Mkae reservations!

Hooverphonic

My first visit to the oosterpoort in Groningen (will many more follow...??). A few years back they were also in groningen when I was datings omeone here. We broke up a few weeks before the concert so then I couldn't go there anymore (i still lived in Delft, and that is not nextdoor). But now I moved to Groningen and I could go there together with Joost, a friend whose parents live in Groningen. I am a fan of this Belgian psychedlic melancholic rock since quite osme years, but only have two CDs. The show was great, the lightshow was also great and fitted the atmosphere of the music. Really dark and msyterious a bit like the sun was going down. THere was not much interaction with the crowd, but the music was fantastic, and she can sing... my favourite song Oil & Vinegar with a piano only. just love it.

Stuck on you

Another movie with Matt Damon, not that I am a really big fan of him, but this movie was on TV and I had nothing else to do. Stupid movie about siamese twins.

the talented mr. Ripley

Fabulous movie in which you can understand the guy acted by Matt Damon but morally it is just not right. The inner fight someone can have, it is just too frustrating, but this is how a serial killer must think and act upon (this is a very shortsighted explanation, sorry). But another thing: I jost looove Jude Law... When I saw it he reminded me of a good friend from India, too good looking, jummie

Guru

A bolly-hollywood movie. The girl who also acted in Austin Powers was again doing a nice job in this movie. It is a very easy story, the main actor has a terrible smile, but the indian accent grabbed me and the indian dancing as well. The small touch of spritituality, that is in every indian according to themselves, was now taught by a blond american girl. He acts like he is a guru and becomes famous for that... this is typical. I would expect a real indian to be capable of doing that as well... the means are not that important, the goal is to make money, be famous, get power, be powerful, once you have reached that, the maens don't matter anymore.

Bharati

This was an Indian dance show in the New Luxor theatre in Rotterdam. I went there together with my dad, who thought it was nice to take me to this dance show. As the tickets were over 50 euros I didn't mind, I actually loved it... I just really like India (as you can also see in my previous post) and I like to go out wiht my dad. The dance show was, though a bit commercial, beautiful. The moves adn the music, the sound and the smiles made me think back of the time, made me actually feel that time again when I was dancing with some indians on the 19th floor in blooming heights in Mumbai. The moves are typical, and the grandeur of so many people on stage in so many colours is absolutely beautiful. It was a coincidence that on the day we went it was approximately a year ago I was with those people... A year before my birthday.

Gandhi

Because I have been in India for some time, I got a fascination for the free fighter Gandhi... although he wasn't a fighter of course. This movie took three hours, I had to zap every now and then. It was an interesting movie, but didn't really bring any emotion to me, I am a bit neutral. I couldn't really feel why the British behaved as they did and why they reacted in such a way to him, as well as I didn't understand exactly his ideas and conceptions... I am not saying he is not a legend, because he did make a difference, it is just not avery believable movie.

bomme berend

In the parc I always cross when going to my job, there was something going on... I could see that during the day, but didn't really pay attention to it. When I got home my german flatmate told me it's a special day for Groningen, they were freed on this day many many years ago. For this occasion there was a lot of fireworks later that night in the Stadspark. On beats of old dancemusic when the rain just started to kick in, we had 15 minutes of fireworks in the air. What a show...

noorderzon - kraak en smaak

A good dj group, alternative dance music. Disco retro and new beats. Last night of Noorderzon unfortunately. I shoudl walk in the park more often, it's almost in my backyard.

noorderzon - Vence and Salsa Caliente

The second saturday of the noorderzon festival started fabulous. I woke up really late and because I went to bed early I was feeling great. I grabbed my saturday morning newspaper and could read it together with my breakfast consisting of a cup of tea and yoghurt with cereals. It had been 4 weeks since the last time I could do that. I decided to take a little walk in the nice city of Groningen, and of course ended in het noorderplantsoen. i heard some nice music and walked over there. I was surprised knowing the cello player of the band. I liked the msuic even better. Later on I met some other peopel of the squash association and we sat there for two hours listening to the music of Vence, the name of the band. Melancholy rock songs, pop folk, with a violin, guitar, cello, accordeon and drums adn a characteristic singer. I felt great.
later that night, after dinner, I again went to the noorderplantsoen for some slasa musis. As music always makes me smile, especially if it makes me move, as what happens with salsa music. I danced, and I was one of the few. We came across some people I had met once, she had met them more then once. And we went to the city centre. There we visited the three sisters (which was really toto crowded with underaged people and bad music, bu fun though) and chadrak, which had nice music and we danced the whole night through... I was hom eat 3.30 am.

noorderzon - lefties soul connection

It was nice music, but didn't really listen to it. was drinking beers with some colleagues and another guy at the love terrace. That was my mainpalce in the noorderzon festival... very nice people her, great atmosphere.

noorderzon - gogol bordellos

I thought this band is from slovenia, but htye appeared to be from the USA... They make really good music though. It's a bit gypsy, as the description said, but to me they appeared more like pirates. The neglish is really hard to understand, but the music is great and the act is fabulous. Two asian looking girls in disco clothes (yellow panties, short skirts...) screaming along, I had so much fun at Noorderzon. It was quite a suprise for me; I just saw them on lowlands TV that afternoon and was impressed, and then they were at noorderzon that same evening

niemand houdt mij tegen

A children's book about the 22nd century, bu talso very intersting for adults. A real adventure story with the romantic influence of love as a driving source for the adventure. I borrowed the book from good friends who called it the best book they have read. I liked it, though it is in some aspects a bit repetitive and too bovious or unrealistic or something.

Million Dollar Baby

I watched this movie in the train from Groningen to the randstad in two episodes. I have it on a CD for a long time, Brought it from India but never thought I would like the movie so didn't take the time to watch it. But now in my many hours in the train I did watch it and I quite liked it. It grasped me and that was only becasue of the sweet female boxer and not becasue of clint eastwood. I was irritated by how he talked with the rough voice. Anyway, I liked it and I can recommend to someone who doesn't know what else to rent from the video store

komt een vrouw bij de dokter

A Dutch book, by a Dutch writer then of course. He writes about his wife dying of breast cancer. He is quite a nasty man, but loves his wife, you can read it between the lines. But I would not be able to cope with someone that always has a second agenda, is with his mind somewehre else. Then it might very well be he is inlove with me (her), it is not giving enough affection, but maybe I demand too much form my guy...
I liked the bok, I read it in three days only, whoch indicates the easy way it is written and the tension is brought up. At the end of the book she dies and he takes his new girlfriend to the funeral.

coach carter

A highschool movie with Samuel L. Jackson as Basketball coach Ken Carter. Feel good movie. With a lot of lessons and values for the kids that watch this movie. It's like a Disney movie with a realistic ending, well sort of...

TNO culture

I am sitting on my new workplace in TNO. On my university the image of TNO is to be dull and very technical company. When applying for my graduation project at TNO I knew they also have a User Centered Innovation department. This sounds new and trendy and innovative though...
In my room there are 7 guys, also graduating, all doing infromatics, either on university level or hbo. They are constantly talking in programming language (they are working on the same code) which makes me realise this is really all about technology. who knows best?? I go crazy and quote Alan Cooper about how programmers are.... it happens here.

Mooi Weer Spelen

This year I again participated at the Mooi Weer Spelen with my Street theater group "ViaViaWegtheater". We made a little surpriseparty which ended as a surprise party casting agency. It was great fun acting again, I have decided to continue doing it, preferably doing more than now.
The day after I also watched the great sepctacle on the "grote markt" in Delft. Also very nice to see, was over too soon.

bike lock

I went out to take my bike to go to my job. My bike was locked with another lock besides my locks (I have 2 to prevent it from being taken). What to do...
During the day I figured out that I could call the city ocuncil who has a special bike cleaning service that also removes all the illegally placed bikes at the train station. But since they work only 8-12, I had to call back again the nest day.
When I came back home, the lock was removed. A coincidence? A mistake? A joke? or somthing typically Grunnings?

Netherlands - Ivory Coast

To be in Delft on time for io festival, meant I had to listen to this match of the world championship soccer in the train. You would expect nobody in the train, but like me there were others who had to be somewhere at a certain time and then Groningen is far away from the place to be.
First I was sitting with two guys, of which one was listening to the match and the other one was reading our faces. Then I had to change trains and I came to sit next to a Frisian girl with a little dog who had a small radio with a big antenna. We were both listening and each time there was scored or in an exiting moment (there are a lot when you can't see the green field) we looked at each other. It is special to listen to this match in the train while the whole country is captured in the world championship and has a beer with it.

io festival 2006 imagination

Last friday was probably the last io festival I will visit. It was great. When I did drink too much, I was planning not too, my feet couldn't stop moving and the day after I couldn't walk anymore. I liked themusic, though 2005 had the best line-up. It is always good to see that hte things we (in 2002 with Inkijk) initiated are still being used, I can enjoy it so much, because I also know the other side of the coin. It was 6 o'clock and ti was light outside, it was a great feeling, I was with the right person.
As good as the festival was also the preparty with Hanneke, Salome, Cristina, Chiara and Merijn. We had a little make-up and change festivity and good food.

code 46

Fantastic movie. Second time was much better than first ime, because then I could watch it in one go, going from Delft to Groningen. The first time a drunken flatmate came in halfway, I got lost somewhere, watched it the day after, but lost track. So see it in one go!
It has a lost in translation feeling, the sophistication of a starwars movie and it it's uber romantic, but still realistic (yes I'm a woman). Watch, you will like it, as does my flatmate who has watched it several times, and that's a guy.

secuestro express

A south american movie about drugs, corruption and above all love... and not love and wrong love. The end is quite intense, with a very obvious suprise (is that possible??), but the whole movie is pretty chaotic. They talk randomly, hard to understand who says what when not understanding any word of spanish. Sometimes hard to follow the main characters, why they are doing what they are doing, and no real explanation is given by the script or director. It makes me not ever wanting to go to south america.

valencia

I went to valencia for 5 days. I almost visited a bullfight, but since my friend didn't want to go, I decided not to. On sunday afternoon we were lucky, we came backstage in a traditional fiesta. A long line of fallas walked through the city in their beautiful dresses and suits. We ate paella, had a beer at lunch, had siesta, and enjoyed agua de valencia.

eenakterfestival delft

The 15th anniversary of the eenakterfestival in Delft. Last year I participated in it with my theater group by asking people's opinions on the several plays, this year a friend of mine was acting in one of the plays. She acted good, though the play was not. The 2nd (of three) plays I liked the most. The thin line between acting and reality was well played out and gave it a alienating effect. I got absorbed.

koninginnenach

Normally i don't like these big events with too many people on one place with too few toilets, expensive beer an dno space to dance. However this year we brought our own beer, stayed at one place, lose to the stage, still had no space to dance, but brought own beer which made it not so obvious that half of the country was wlaking here. Van Dik Hout brought back old memories and vive la fete showed what party and act crazy means. Nice night, a bit cold though.

tevengebroed

This play was quite intense and doesn't make you feel happy. I was impressed. They act as good as profesional actors and it is directed very well. Original and unique location and setting. I liked the gluhwein and the blankets with teven (female dogs) on it.

bk beats

a large festival at the faculty of architectural engineering in Delft. about 2500 people walking around and four stages with live music. I mainly dansed in the dj hall, but enjoyed the relax live show the best. Jump jump. To prepare ourselves for a party mood, hanneke and me made a dress and were all dressed up. It seemed that others liked their jeans best as party clothes. tsss...

love me if you dare (jeux d'enfants)

This movie, though a bit extreme, was really nice. It has unexpected turns and the end leaves you a bit in doubt of what happened. How a childhood friend can possess your love and live even though not present anymore. It is clear that when someopne challenges you, people are capable of doing asocial, irrealistic and irrespectable things. They only care about themselves. Sometimes I wished to have a bit more guts like they have.

clockwatchers

Don't watch this movie. My respect for Toni Collette has decreased enormously. The movie stays slow and the cover is not what the movie is like. It's not even funny.

ik omhels je met duizend armen

First book I read from this writer: Ronald Giphart. He is famous because of his detailed description about sexual feelings, emotions and actions. I was expecting a book that would disgust me, but he surprised me. It is written stylish, with a realistic tone in it. Sometimes extreme but nertheless believable. I would really advise you to read it.

de aanslag

A dutch book by Harry Mulish. Shows another view on the war. I wasn't raised with the war, but it is the last war my country has had. We have freedom's day at the 5th of May and remember all war victims the night before. It is very nice and carefullu written. Realistic but all the time with the second world war on the background. It probably has more impact on a person's life than I can ever imagine. Lucky me...

Factotem

A very slow movie in which the energy level never reaches your ancles. Smoking, drinking and fucking. Anything beyond working and being ambitious. Can be very inspiring. Or when starting to bring it to a higher level: society is wanting us to work all the time, wanting us to make something of our lives. WHY?? do we want it or do we think we want it. This is a movie that shows what your life can be like if you have no ambition, or only do what pops in to your mind.

Da Vinci Code

It reads fast, it's a page turner. But I got bored of the writing style. I had read "Angels and Demons" and "Digital fortress" as well, of which the 2nd was quite boring I. thought. Now I have ahd wnough of this writing style which seems like he wanted it to become a movie beforehand. Of course some things in the book are quite controversial, but as I already doubt the truth and trustworthiness of the bible (indeed I am not a christian, nor any other acknowledged religion) this is just another side of the truth which might not be true as well. So Christians among you, don't be afriad, this book did not influence me in my religious thougths.