Diamond skull

Have had a few good day's. A week of learning, dreaming, going to Amsterdam a couple of times, eating in small restaurants and two evenings with some alcohol. Watched a few good movies and an awful one. Burn after reading was a good one, the day the earth stood still was very bad. Furthermore I saw the last episode of heroes from the third season. On thursday I went out for a couple of hours. Stayed a bit at the Getaway cafe with a friend and two other cafe's on my own. Last sunday I went with a friend to Amsterdam where we saw the movie Changeling. It was a nice one, based upon a true story. Afterwards we smoked some shisha and visited another friend whom I haven't seen since april. On monday I went with some friends to the Rijksmuseum to see the diamond skull from Damien Hirst. I was really looking forward to see it. They never saw the Rijksmuseum before and they enjoyed it. Had a few good arguments at the Rembrandt area. From a certain distance it felt like the paintings were becoming real persons. Rembrandt is always fun to see. Saw also an exhibition once in Bath, England. Overthere they had an exhibition about his pendrawings. Very beautiful. At the end of the ride there was the diamond skull. In a small dark room with only a few spotlights shining on the middle of the room. It was pretty impressive. I'm glad I saw it. With one friend I ate something at the Burger Meester. This time I had a Tuna burger. They really have good stuff overthere. On other day's I went to a Japanese restaurant on my own. Had some sushi, sashimi and noodles. Bought a few good coffees at other places. Sometimes just from a machine.

Elbow

Yesterday evening I went with some friends to Haarlem. There was a band playing around 9 pm in a sold-out Patronaat. Elbow. A British band with already 4 albums since their beginning in 1991. I only know their latest one which is very good. Slow melodic songs with good lines. The show had a lot of humor. The frontman did his homework and came with some historical people from dutch history. It was fun. And a few jokes about music, like fake playing the summer of 69 with a hilarious crowd. Everybody hated the song. I didn't know everything from the music they played but it was a great band with beautiful songs. Especially from their latest album. If you can see them I would go. It's a nice evening with great music. Like I said before.. when seeing a band live it gives new dimensions on your albums. Most of the time the live performances are even better!

Nels Andrews

Went to a concert from Nels Andrews this evening in Purmerend. He played for a small seated crowd with a good atmosphere. It was pretty good. Nice songs, easy going, folk, americana. Only three people on stage. There were only older people in the audience. I was one of the youngest I guess with my 27 years.. They played very good only the show didn't last long. Less than an hour. Mostly songs from his new album and maybe three or four from his first one. On the other hand there are only 9 songs on his new album. Anyway it was very good. When seeing a band live it gives a new dimension on your cd while listening it. I'm happy that I went to see him. I just found out about 2 day's ago by coincidence that he played in Holland and for an American singer on just 10 km from my hometown, amazing. I had his album since the beginning of this year.

Museum night

Went to Amsterdam last saturday. There was a museumnight. An evening on which 41 musea were openend until 2 am. It was crowdy in the city. Everywhere were people on bikes with maps in their hands going from one museum to another. On the Leidseplein there was a small stage for beginning bands. Saw a young girl performing on her own with a guitar. I don't know who it was but she had a beautiful voice. Eventually I didn't go to one museum:) I wanted to go to an exhibition from Damian Hirst but the que was very long, I mean really really long. I still want to see his diamond skull. Probably on a midday when there aren't so many people. After I came back from my stay at the Leidseplein the que didn't moved a bit. In the Van Gogh museum it was also very crowdy but not as much as in the Rijksmuseum. I've been there for more than 8 times so it didn't attracted me to go inside. A few others I wanted to see were NEMO where they had the biggest Tesla installation ever built. In the Zoo, Artis, you could see the animals at night and you could watch the stars and in the Tropenmuseum there was a voodoo exhibition. Anyway there were many nice things to do that evening and I probably will visit some musea in the upcoming weeks. Bought some sushi which was a good bite. Salmon and tuna.. I eat it almost every month nowadays. There are 2 Japanese restaurants where I'm coming. In one they have a 50% discount like I said before and the other is a nice restaurant where I'm coming for more than three years. I tried some others and there were many with good quality only they charge very much. Hmm I'm hungry again:) Also went to a Japanese restaurant once where they made pancakes with vegetables and fish or meat. Also very nice.

ptolemy elrington

Found a site on the net of an artist who makes art from hubcabs. Amazing! More on his site:
http://www.hubcapcreatures.com/

Blitzen Trapper

Weekend. Yesterday evening I went to Amsterdam to buy some sushi. Lovely. Soja, Wasabi, Chopsticks, Tuna and Salmon. Didn't went out so bought some sushi instead. This evening I went to the Leidseplein to go to a concert from Blitzen Trapper at the Paradiso. It was upstairs for a small crowd but still. Pretty good I tell ya. They played many from their new album and also a lot from the first one. When you see something like this it gives a good feeling. A good atmosphere, small crowd, good music. Great. On the way back I turned my stereo on 100% volume with the Beatles. A mixed cd with albums like: With the Beatles, Beatles for sale, SGT Pepper, Revolver, Rubber soul and Help. What do you do when there are no Beatles? Drove over the canals towards CS heading back to Volendam. In my hometown there was a fire today at a well known hotel. A bit creepy. Thinking back at another fire on new years eve at a local cafe a few years ago. Luckily it wasn't that bad today.

Neue Leipziger Schule @ Cobra museum and other.

Went to the barber today which was really necessary. Had a good conversation with the lady whom cut my hair. I know her for nearly two years. Friendly. Afterwards I went to Amstelveen where there was an exhibition from the Neue Leipziger Schule in the Cobra museum. It was very Nice. Cool, big paintings and pictures from all sorts of arts. Very modern. I walked there for an hour and maybe I'll go back for another time. They know what art is. HUGE paintings from oa Kobe, Lehner and Schnell. There were many more but I can't recall all the names of the artists. Afterwards I drove a bit through Amsterdam which is linked to Amstelveen. It was a beautiful autumn day and there where many people on the street. Bought a Salty herring with onion and pickles, Damn good I love it. And a fish cookie.

More pics on my other blog "pictures poetry and other".
If you can see them, go! The pictures on the blog are nothing compared to the real thing in the museum.

Thought about school again this week. Probably I'm going to get some certificates from the school of higher general secondary education so I can go to the Higher Vocational Education. When I was younger I didn't pass my exam on one subject.. physics. A bit lazy at the time. Hated the subject and it cost me a lot. I already went to two HVE before but either way I have to take a new exam. If I do this I've got my HGSE for life and don't have to do the other one to get in the HVE again, which will be my last. At this moment they have a total new system so I have to make a few extra to get my degree. I don't know what I want to do so probably I'll study for biology and chemistry which gives me better perspectives. 27 years old.. ah well... we all make mistakes

Rotterdam, Coldplay

I went to Rotterdam yesterday. In the evening I had a concert from Coldplay in the Ahoy so I thought why not going there in the afternoon. Had a car, could do what I want, had cash so I went. There wasn't much traffic so it didn't take long to get there. Rotterdam is a nice city. Modern and very different from Amsterdam. I like Amsterdam but I'm coming there for nearly 15 years. Rotterdam the bombed city from WW 2. Just saw one old church and for the rest modern high buildings. Walked on the blaak and the surroundings in that area and visited 3 musea. Boijmans van Beuningen, the Natural Science museum and the Art factory. The first one was very interesting. They had a lot of old masters. From Rubens, Rembrandt, Bruegel the elder to Kandinsky, Munch, Monet to Dali and so on. Also work from Rodin which I really like. They also had 2 expositions, one from Yayoi Kusama called mirrored years. The other was from Charley Toorop. A good 2 hours walk and I made a lot of pictures overthere. Afterwards I went to the natural science museum and the art factory. In the art factory they didn't have much at the moment. A photo exhibition about people who work in Asia and about old factories in the Netherlands. The natural science museum wasn't really big. A bit dissapointed. For pics see my other blog "pictures, poetry and other".





















Coldplay was very good. I always wanted to see them. I saw what I wanted to see. What a show. What great music. They played from almost every album. Although I can't recall if they have played one from the first album. Anyway they did from the three others. Songs like the scientist, Green eyes, Fix you, Speed of sound, the hardest part, viva la vida and many more. This was one of the few last bands I had on my list of must see. The same like Paul McCartney, Simon and Garfunkel and Radiohead whom were very good. There are a few others I want to see but those are mostly older bands, who knows, they might come together for a last tour.

Before I forget, lost most of my tickets. Some other concerts I saw were:
Lamb, Damien Rice, Kings of Leon, Richard Ashcroft, Belle and Sebastian, Air, Beck, Muse,
Magic band from Captain Beefheart, dEUS, Zita Swoon, Soulwax, Supergrass, Ed Harcourt, Garbage, Nada Surf, Lou Reed, Paul Simon, Mando Diao, Reef, Victor Bailey, Bush, Foofighters, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Marilyn Manson, Deftones, Korn, Nine Inch Nails, Silverchair, Amusement parks on fire, fly pan am and many more on festivals like Lowlands, Pinkpop, Werchter and Roskilde mostly between 1998 and 2003.

For the future. Good to look back when I'm older and can't remember:)